Saturday, September 4, 2010

Sleep....

......that knits up the ravelled sleeve of care
The death of each day's life, sore labour's bath
Balm of hurt minds, great nature's second course,
Chief nourisher in life's feast.

I went to bed last night at 11 and got up this morning at NINE! Praise the Lord! No contractions, very little heartburn, just a couple of trips to the bathroom.

*sigh*

It was lovely. I woke up feeling like I could lick fifty tigers today :) Or at the very least, survive the last three weeks of this pregnancy. I even made pancakes for breakfast. And still no contractions! Yay! Let's see if I can clean the house and get ready for Sabbath without waking the sleeping beast.

On the flip side, Sofi caught J's cold-- coughing so hard last night she actually threw up! And Judah seems to be fighting it off, too. So we may or may not make it to church tomorrow.

On the house-hunting front: We've narrowed the list down to our top four picks and are working on scheduling a second trip to each house. I hope to get that worked in by the end of next week. I'm trying to jam a lot into the next two weeks-- baby coming and all...

In particular, I REALLY want to buy a rocking chair! I've been haunting Craigslist for MONTHS now and several really nice ones came and went while the stupid truck was in the stupid shop for so stupid long. You can tell I'm not really dealing with THAT whole thing very rationally yet. Anyway, now that the truck is back on the road, people seem to have decided not to sell any more glider/rockers. I'm not sure I can actually give birth without a rocker in the house. I can't believe I had to leave mine behind...

The midwife's home visit was this week. Jamie is finally settling down into a good position and seems to be hanging out in OA more than OP these days. HOOORAY! But I'm skeptical (after two other op labors) that it will last. He is Low Down, though, and my pubic bone is suffering mightily. I look like an old lady, the way I walk around these days...

Since I'm feeling so great today, I want to start planning and nesting and all that :) So I have a couple questions for you other mommies...

1) Older children present at the birth of their siblings-- yes or no? I was at the birth of my last three siblings, remember it vividly and should probably credit it with giving me the confident perspective on birth I've had ever since I can remember. I'm not really concerned about things from Sofi's point of view-- she'd love it and be fine. I'm more wondering how I'd handle having her there. Would it be a distraction? Would I be able to focus on what I was doing and not feel that tug to my Mommy-Self? Know what I mean? Any of you with opinions, air them! :)

2) Labor play list! This is one of my favorite "getting ready for labor" things to do. Anyone have any favs to suggest? I like a pretty wide range of music-- although I'd draw the line at heavy metal...

11 comments:

Hosanna said...

I know the perfect song for labor. Although, if you don't like Heavy Metal, you might not like Rock either.... anyway it is by Breaking Benjamin and it is called "Until The End". :) Chorus: "Why give up? Why give in? It's not enough, it never is. But I will go on until the end.... The final fight I win!.... and I will go on until the end."

Susannah Forshey said...

Oh yeah , I meant to mention before, the Proclaimers' "Sunshine on Leith" is actually pretty awesome...the line, "I'll thank Him...for His work...and New Birth..." I love it. :)I think you would, too.

Polly said...

I have three volumes of Bach's masses. They'll keep you going for quite awhile. :) I'm SO giving birth to the music of Bach.

Nancy Pauley said...

I had my oldest child at the birth of my youngest child! Hannah had just turned 4, and she did great! She was with my MIL during the labor and so she had someone explaining why mommy was crying, in pain, etc. She doesn't really remember much now (she's 10). I think it actually helped me to focus, not lose control, etc. with her there. I was at the birth of my mom's last 5 children, and I am so glad I could experience natural childbirth, before ever giving birth myself. It made me want to do it just like my mom! "If mom can do it, I can do it!!!" mentality! If we ever have anymore children, I will give my older children the choice to be in the room, and since it would be a homebirth, they could come and go as they please (or as I please) lol

Rachel said...

I would not have mine there and won't for birth number 4 either. Several reasons! I am a very private person and I don't like for anyone to be there other than Nathan and our midwife! Second, my oldest is a 6 yr. old boy and I KNOW HE would not want to be there! I worry that it would not be healthy for him as well (mentally of course). But mostly I just plain don't want them there!!! : ) Especially if yours are long, Judah probably won't have the attention span and it might be easier not to have him there, Sofi sounds like she'd be ok though.
Something to figure out soon!

I was thankful that the baby came during the night, so there was no issue of the kids leaving, they just slept through it! Praying that will happen again this time!

Blessings!!!

lislynn said...

I'm kinda hoping the labor goes mostly during the night, too, Rachel, since that would mean the best of both worlds. I could have the kids "there", but not actually in the room the whole time. That's how it went with Jude. Sofi was in bed and Mom went and got her RIGHT after he came out. But this time, we probably won't have family here to facilitate, so the kids will be either here (RIGHT here) or at a friend's house, ten minutes away.

Jenny said...

I really have no input on the kids at the labor thing, other than that your mom invited me and I said, with all my strength, "NO!" -- I was about 14 at the time;)
Playlist? How 'bout Push It by Salt-n-Pepa?;) Really...just kidding!

2Shaye ♪♫ said...

My oldest just had her 7th birthday and she told me she really wants to be there with me as I push this baby out. We've been watching a lot of birth videos together, looking at photography, talking about all that happens during a labor, discussing how baby gets out, doing our morning walking and exercising together, and she's very excited to "be there" for me. She's adamant that she get to be there for her new sibling...and it brings tears to my eyes to see her courage and confidence in the process. She's also told the family that she wants to check baby's gender and get to announce it to the whole family.

With baby #3, our two older children were 4 and 2 at the time. They were in the room just outside the bedroom door and they came in just minutes after I pushed baby out. This was my very first "real" birth since my first two babies were born by unnecessary cesarean so it was particularly special to have everyone there for such a glorious moment.

All that said, I completely understand your concerns about wondering if you'll want them there. I'm trying to leave that door open and talk honestly with my daughter about how a labor progresses and how I might suddenly want things to be different while I work through labor. I think she's old enough to understand that mommy may say, "I need to be alone, can everyone please leave," and that it won't mean that I don't love and appreciate her. Regardless of what I want at the conclusion of labor, as soon as baby is out, I want all my children and husband there as a family unit. I think it's absolutely miraculous that the highest life-time surge of oxytocin in mommy and baby (and new evidence now even says it's in daddy just after birth) can be passed through to other family members who are present in that first hour after birth. Because my older two babies did not have pleasant births, and because they missed out on those vital 45 minutes of oxytocin surge, I like it when we all participate in it with new babies. I can't imagine a better way to re-bond as a family unit as opposed to just a mommy and new baby unit. :)

I'm SO excited for you, my friend. I'm not due until the very end of October so you'll get to go before me...I cannot wait to hear your story and see pictures of your sweet new babe!! *hugs*

canningmama said...

Both Savannah and Alan were home when I had Katie and Katie was born at 6 pm. They were in and out, more out in the adjacent room throughout the labor because they weren't too interested in being around for 2 hours while I contracted. :) Mostly they were just told to remain quiet and watched a movie turned down low. I think they both enjoyed being there for the actual birth. Savannah remembers it, Alan doesn't. They never seemed at all bothered, didn't ask questions (though Alan thought the midwife cut off Katie's penis when she cut off the cord). I'm not one to scream or be obnoxious (during birth) so they were never upset by MY reactions.

As for this upcoming birth....I'm just going to be flexible. Could you have someone available to be with the kids but at your house so you could have the option of them being in the room or out in the yard/pool (assuming it's day) or watching a movie in another room? I don't think I'll have Alan there for the actual pushing part because he'll be old enough to remember it and maybe ask some questions that I don't want to explain yet. As for Savannah and Katie...I'll probably let them be there if they want to be and aren't a distraction. Things always change in the moment though, so that's why it'd be nice for you to have the availability to be flexible with having or not having and be able to let them be there if you felt like it at the time.

Music? I'm more of the chatty between contractions kind of gal cause I love talking with the midwives and family so much, and needing absolute quiet DURING contractions, so I've never had music. But Enya's GREAT music. I'd pick her or John Denver ballads if I were going to listen to music. :)

septembermom said...

I wish I played music during my labors. I love Annie Lennox's voice, and of course I'm a Dave Matthews' fan. Music is a great way to get through anything.

Wishing you all the best.

canningmama said...

Haha, Septembermom, I had to laugh because I DESPISE Dave Matthew's and my husband LOVES Dave. We both chuckled, because I think I would shoot every person in the room, starting with Dave if I had to labor to Dave. : ) : ) He's says you're his kind of woman. :)