37 weeks

Today is February 1st which means it's birth month... maybe.  Technically they say that the baby could come anytime 2 weeks before the due date or 2 weeks after and 2 weeks after would put us into March so we shall see.  But for now, I'm thinking that this is birth month for our little Hayden. 

We are currently 37 weeks pregnant and I have some bad news/frustrations that I need to vent and I have some really awesome news.  Maybe I'll start with my rant so that we end on a good note and I end in a better mood.  Hopefully I don't bore you.

So this past week I have been pretty darn sick.  Leeland got sick 1st, he woke up Friday morning with just a snot nose and no other symptoms.  Honestly since it has been such a mild Winter and we've had very Spring-like weather here lately in NC, I thought that maybe it could've just been some allergies.  That is until I woke up Sunday morning with a snot nose and sore throat-- darn those irresistible toddler kisses that Leeland and I frequently exchange!  On Monday I called my OB office to tell them of my symptoms and ask them if they could bump my appointment up from Thursday so that I could be looked at- I was feeling pretty miserable.  Sore throat, runny nose, congestion, and a fever off and on.  The nurse told me that I should try to take some specific medicines and if that didn't clear things up in a day or so then to call back.  After I started taking the decongestants, I started to feel a little less pressure in my head on Tuesday and felt like things were draining and I was doing better.  Then last night I was up literally every 30 minutes blowing my nose with no end in sight, coughing my head off to the point that I couldn't breath and having serious night sweats.  I was miserable-- we went to bed around 11pm, I continued to wake up and wake up and finally at 4am, I was in pain, couldn't breath and was wide awake.

So after that rough night last night, I called the doctor's office as soon as they opened this morning to see if they could see me today rather than tomorrow-- in my head I'm thinking that the medicines they suggested aren't working and what if I'm dealing with something more serious like strep throat or a sinus infection.... and I have been super concerned about Hayden.  I haven't really been comfortable with the meds they told me to take and he hasn't been moving around as much, partly because I'm sure he's running out of room, but I bet it also has something to do with me being sick.  I called them at 930am and they said a nurse would call back..... 2 hours later I called again and was told that they were probably backed up and that they had to return "emergency calls" 1st and would call back.  At 1pm, when I put Leeland down for a nap, I laid down too.  I woke up at 330pm to find that I still hadn't received a phone call.  I'm sure there were some labors or some emergencies that they had to tend to before getting to me, but 6 hours?!  I called again, and once again the receptionist tried to shrug me off.... I started to cry... cry bad... I was beyond frustrated, I'm miserable, I can't breath, I barely have a voice, which makes it very difficult to keep a toddler in line.... I can't stand that my situation did not matter to them-- they continued to assume, "oh she just has a cold", rather than listening to my legitimate concerns, fears and pains.  I don't know that it's just a cold, I don't know that the sweet little boy I'm carrying is ok, I'm calling because I feel like I need to, don't disregard me!  With all of that said, it was too late for me to come in today and they suggested I bump my appointment up for tomorrow-- I was supposed to go in at 130pm, and instead will be in at 1015am.... and I do plan on letting them know that I don't appreciate the level of care I'm receiving.  No person deserves to be treated so poorly, not listened to, and skipped over.  If someone is calling a doctor's office, they are calling for a reason!  I don't call the doctor's office just to have a friendly chat, I call when there is a legitimate concern or need!

Ugh!!

Now to the good news!  Things are REALLY coming together for the birth of Hayden!  I am SO excited to tell you that the dream birth that I never thought I would have is coming into fruition.  Going into this pregnancy I had heard from a friend of mine that our local Women's Hospital is now allowing waterbirths-- you just have to bring your own birthing pool.  After watching several documentaries and hearing the birth stories of friends, I knew this was something that I was interested in-- which is why I switched OB offices to work with the midwives where I am currently going.  Daniel and I were required to attend a waterbirthing class before delivery if we were going to do it-- we went to the class back in December.  After leaving the class, we were very discouraged, and pretty much immediately ruled out my dream of the waterbirth.  The birthing pools are super expensive, even to rent them.  And it's not an expense that we can afford before the baby is born.  Also they said that it would be best to have a pool attendant to help keep the temperature right in the water and to help break down the pool after delivery.  At our local Women's Hospital, you deliver in one set of rooms/section of the hospital and then within an hour or so, they move you to the "mother/baby unit" for recovery and rooming in with your child the rest of your stay.  They said it was important to break down the tub within an hour of delivery.  Going into the class, I hadn't thought about an attendant and assumed it would just be Daniel and I in the delivery room, but I don't want him to miss out on bonding with Hayden because he's breaking down the tub. 

I felt a little embarrassed that I had raved about this waterbirth idea to friends and family for a while and now suddenly it wasn't going to be possible.  I kept silent about it.  Who wants to admit that they can't afford to have a natural childbirth? Then about a month ago, some friends had been posting blogs and labor stories and all sorts of encouragement related to waterbirths on my Facebook wall-- I finally broke down and replied that it wasn't going to happen for us and explained the reasons you see in the above paragraph.  The next day, I got a call from my friend saying, "Do you want to have a waterbirth?"..... Well of course.... but I can't.... to which she told me that she had already worked out all the details.  She had a pool from another friend that I could use, it just needed a liner (which later was donated by someone else, in exchange for donor breast milk.... awesome sequence of events), and I would need a hose to fill it up which she offered to buy for me as my baby shower gift.  She also had already contacted a Doula friend of hers who was willing to work with me for free.  Throughout this phone call I was nearly in tears at the grocery store.  I couldn't believe that not only she had gone out of her way to make all this possible, but also that things were falling into place, and that others were so giving.  I truly feel blessed to have these wonderful ladies in my life!

So we're now potentially 3 weeks out from having a baby and I am getting super excited about the birth of our second baby boy.  I hope to have an awesome birth story to share with you all once it's all said and done. 

Now I must go back to my resting, and trying to kick this virus.  I've already went through one roll of toilet paper on my nose.... Please keep me in your prayers that this virus leaves my body before I go into labor... because... well... I'd like to be able to breath while I'm in labor. :D