Wednesday, March 26, 2014

Third Trimester and Pregnancy Related Questions

I have entered the third trimester. Hurray! We had an ultrasound and OB appt yesterday. The fluid levels have gone up to12.1 from 9.8 and so that is one thing less to worry about. The little one was head down yesterday and I hope it stays that way. Yay! I kind of had an intuition that the baby had flipped because my upper abdomen was no longer hard since last week.

My iron level was low and the OB recommended taking Iron Supplements daily. We are scheduled for weekly Non Stress Tests from Week 30. Now that I am in my third trimester, I have lot of doubts and not to mention anxiety. I had plenty of questions for my OB.

I asked my doctor what are the chances of being induced before my due date because of gestational diabetes. She said they usually allow women to go beyond 40 weeks and only induce by Week 41, unless the sugar levels get uncontrollable. So that was kind of reassuring. Some of my friends told me that I would be induced by Week 38 as the baby would get bigger in size beyond that, which made me kind of nervous. My Mom & MIL also thought 38 weeks was full term and 40 was too far away! Come on Ladies, please don't confuse me. The most ridiculous question I heard was from a relative as to whether I was planning to have an elective C-Section. What!!! Why do I need to schedule a c-section? Yes, I know we have waited for 6 years for this precious little one but that doesn't mean that I want to put myself under unnecessary procedures.

I am still undecided about attending Birthing Classes. Our hospital offers paid classes but I am not sure if it's really going to help. DH gets dizzy at the sight of blood and so I don't want to torture him with gory visuals. I also watched "The Business of Being Born" and liked the idea of home birth. I have a high risk pregnancy and so we will need to use a OB/Gyn and Hospital. Midwives and home deliveries are not going to work. However, I don't want unnecessary medical intervention if that is possible. That's something to discuss with my doctors and possibly find out while touring the hospital. I have borrowed a few DVDs from the library and am hoping it helps.

I still don't know if I can do a natural birth or if I will be going the epidural route. Most of the ladies I have spoken to talk about how easy epidural is and so on, but I am worried about the possible side effects like spinal headaches. I know that I have plenty of time to decide and what finally matters is that the little one arrives safely.

I haven't packed a hospital bag yet and there are friends who have told that I should be always prepared because labor could happen anytime. Hmmm, I don't think it is all that important and I honestly don't have the energy to do it right away. Must be the low iron !! ;)

During the second trimester, I didn't do any shopping but now I have started ordering stuff for the baby. I don't want to overdo it. In India, people don't even buy essentials for the baby before birth. They usually do it after the baby is born but things are slowly beginning to change. Ladies, any suggestions as to what the absolute essentials are and the stuff you loved. We are planning to get a Mini Crib since the little one will be in our room. We don't decorate Nurseries or have baby showers. Baby co-sleeps with Mama. I understand it is very different here in the US.

My parents and in-laws will be staying with us for at least four months. We will baptizing our little one within a week or two of birth which means the grandparents need to be here. Since they are traveling all the way from India, they will be here for a while. I hope I don't lose my sanity by the end of four months. :) Well, it's a nice opportunity to grow in humility & patience. I hope and pray God gives me the grace and strength to handle two families at the same time.

13 comments:

  1. So glad it's all going well and baby flipped! Have you considered getting a doula for birth? They are not like midwives but provide support for mama and papa during labor. They also help you come up with a birth plan of how you would like it to go and help you stick to it as best as possible during labor and after delivery. My friend is one and I think it's amazing work!

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  2. http://health.clevelandclinic.org/2013/10/full-term-pregnancy-newly-defined/

    I thought you might be interested in reading this recent article about what is considered "full term."

    Also, I highly recommend you take Bradley classes. See http://www.bradleybirth.com/ to find someone in your area.

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  3. I was also going to suggest thinking about a doula. It might be especially helpful if your husband could potentially have an issue with the blood--he can take a step back but you'd still have the doula there as your support person.

    I'm 31 weeks and haven't even really thought about a hospital bag yet. It seems pretty early for that still...

    As for natural vs epidural... My plan is to go natural--I want to avoid any possible bad effects of an epidural. I'm hoping to do this, but I'm not setting all of my expectations on that, because I don't want to be upset with myself if I can't!

    As far as childbirth prep... we did an online class through the hospital (my husband couldn't make it to the actual scheduled classes they had). I'm reading Ina May's Guide to Childbirth, and a book on the Bradley method. I'm thinking those will be enough?

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  4. Great update! It must feel wonderful to say you're in the 3rd trimester now!!

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  5. Can I just say that I absolutely LOVE that you get to worry about all these things now? Not that it's easy, they are real concerns and decisions that have to be made, but I love that things are going so well and you get to now think of these things.

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  6. I also was of the opinion that I didn't want any medical intervention and I did not want a C-section. I found hypno-birthing to be very helpful. Even when I wasn't able to use the self-hypnosis parts, I was able to relax and rest between contractions which was so important.

    Best of luck!

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  7. Yeah for the third trimester! I will pray that everything continues smoothly and for your upcoming decisions.

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  8. Yes, I agree with Joy Complete! Yeah for the the trimester. I will also continue to pray everythng goes smoothly!

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  9. See if you can find a Hypnobirthing class. Highly recommend!! ( or read a book on it, if you can't find a local class)

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  10. Oh my gosh! Blessed Be!!!!! Congratulations! I haven't been on the blogs much lately, and I just saw your news! I am so happy for you! That is wonderful. I have often thought of you and sent up prayers for you. I will keep you and your little one in my prayers.

    I recommend taking a prepared childbirth class. For me, it helped to relieve anxiety bc it helps you to know what to expect. They give you an overview of what to expect should you have to have a c-section, etc., too. Of course, I did not want a c-section, but since I ended up needing one, it was good to kind of know what would happen. I also listened to hypnobirthing tracks the week before my delivery and when I was in labor before the c-section, and it really helped me keep my blood pressure and stress in check. I recommend! You can download hypnobirthing mp3s online.

    Yay Yay Yay! Praise God! :-)

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  11. I am thinking and praying for you as you approach delivery soon!!!!!
    Hope you and the baby are well :-)
    Amy from Colorado

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  12. Also highly recommend a doula! I have had 3 doula-assisted births and they were awesome! (My mom was present for the first two.)

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  13. Hooray for the 3rd trimester!!! Wahoooooooo!!!!
    I can't give you any info on pregnancy, but I can recommend a few things we loved and wouldn't do without: swing, monitors and extra bibs (if you're going the bottle route, a good bottle drying rack). We got a lot of cute outfits and blankets, so don't buy a lot of those things. There are so many things for baby, but really, baby is quite content with a full tummy snuggled up to mommy and daddy. And you can't find that in the cute-baby-stuff-aisle. :-D
    Continued prayers for you during this trimester!!!

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