Okay I know I just had a baby 8 weeks ago but I feel fat and disgusting. I am trying to exercise but the weather has not been cooperating so I can walk with the baby. (I do have to say my parents have been great about watching her at their house) I have tried running but my knees HURT!!!! I can’t believe the pain. I tried warming up for 10 minutes the other day and the first two steps I took (running) were painful. It feels like I just finished running 26 miles. I tried resting and running less distance but nothing helped. I am trying to watch what I am eating but it is hard for several reasons.
For most of the day and night (Shane has been working a lot) I am alone with the food.
I am hungry, very hungry. I was never this hungry while I was pregnant.
If I don’t eat enough I don’t make enough milk and little missy is crabby and hungry.
I think the worst thing is I am only 5 pounds heavier than I was at my first doctor’s appointment in June but none of my old clothes fit! I am so much wider than I was before. I don’t think this clothes will ever fit. Even my tops don’t fit. They are too tight and short.
I only have 4 weeks until I have to go back to work and I don’t have anything to wear!!!! I don’t want to go out and buy clothes. Who wants to buy a bigger size when they know they have been a smaller size for almost all of their adult life.

Living large in Pevely.

Bath time fun and my first boom box.

My daughter's first running shoes.

I saw my doctor last Tuesday for the post delivery follow up and he cleared me to resume normal activities. So, on Thursday I went out with my brother and we went for a run at my parent’s house. It was splendid. We ran for about 30 minutes and walked for a while too. I was a little sore but it was a good sore. Then the next day Shane watched Samantha and I ran for 50 minutes around Pevely. It was marvelous. I forgot how much I love running. I stopped running when I was about 5 months pregnant so it has been at least 6 months since I ran last. On Saturday I was sore in places I haven’t been sore in forever. My stomach muscle hurt! I ran again today (Sunday) for 55 minutes the weather was wonderful. Go Cards!

Boys don’t read past here…..


For all of my girlfriends that run and have babies you will know what I am talking about.
I am happy to report no pee leaks.

How cute am I?

Miss Samantha had her one month doctor's appointment today and she did great.
She is up to 9lbs. 3oz. from two weeks ago at 8lbs. 1oz. (I guess she is getting enough to eat).
She is now 21 inches long from 19 at her birth. She is at the 50% for weight, length and head circumference. Sam did have to get a shot, but nurse Jane did it fast and she only cried for a minute.

Miss Samantha had her one month doctor's appointment today and she did great.
She is up to 9lbs. 3oz. from two weeks ago at 8lbs. 1oz. (I guess she is getting enough to eat).
She is now 21 inches long from 19 at her birth. She is at the 50% for weight, length and head circumference. Sam did have to get a shot, but nurse Jane did it fast and she only cried for a minute.

Bathtime.

I am not sure why these pictures are blurry. I am going to look into it.

I didn’t make it to the store on Monday. In the afternoon I started feeling horrible. My temperature went up and I was cold and hot all at the same time. Last Friday I noticed an infection so I called the doctor and got on some antibiotics. I felt pretty good over the weekend but Monday I felt like hell. I did make it to the store today but as soon as I got home I started to feel like hell again. The infection has gotten worse and I had a temp of 100.9 today. My doctor upped my pain meds and said if I don’t feel better by Thursday I have to go in for a visit.
Something good did happen today. Shane got off work early so we all got to hang out. I am very glad he was here I don’t feel good enough to take care of Samantha by myself.
I hope that all is well with everyone.

Update:
We had another doctor’s appointment yesterday and things are moving along. I am now 3 cm dilated but still 80% effaced. The new plan: the doctor is going to set up an induction for me one day next week, but hopefully I will go into labor on my own over the weekend. After the doctor’s visit Shane and I went to the mall and walked around for an hour. We are going to do the same tonight. They say it is going to snow on Saturday so maybe that will send me into labor.

Not much to report.
I know this will be my last Monday at work. We are closed next week and my doctor won’t let me go over my due date that long. I am feeling big and uncomfortable to be honest. It isn’t the end of the world but I am ready for normal breathing and stuff like getting up or out of bed without help. I am doing everything in my power to speed things up. I was at the gym this morning hoping to walk myself into labor. My next doctor’s visit is Thursday. Hopefully he will have better news at that visit.

Your Baby: Preparing For Labor
Fully developed and ready for birth, your baby will weigh somewhere between 6 and 9 pounds and will measure between 18 and 21 inches in length. When labor starts, your baby's body shifts gears to prepare for the journey. The fluid in the lungs is absorbed, airing out the lungs in preparation for breathing. The fetal hormones are on the rise to help maintain blood pressure and blood sugar levels after birth. It's showtime!

The people I work with are so nice. They knew I was bummed about being at work today and not at the hospital in labor so they got me this pretzel! Can you guess what it is?

Update
My parents made it home safely yesterday and I am sure they were shocked by the temperature change. My doctor’s visit was not as exciting as my parents return. I am dilated to 2.5 cm and 80% effaced. So, things are still happening, I just wanted them to happen a little faster. But, after about 3 hours of being bummed out I am over it. I am not that uncomfortable (it could always be worse). I enjoyed a bowl of cookies n’ cream ice cream last night, because I lost another pound (nothing to worry about) . I slept pretty well last night and I know this baby will come when it is good and ready.

I thought maybe I would be at the hospital today.

Yesterday after lunch I started having contractions. I had a few in the afternoon and several in the evening. A few of them were pretty intense. But, at 8 pm them stopped. Isn’t the human body weird? I have had a few contractions today but nothing worth noting. I have another doctor’s appointment on Thursday so we will see if we are any closer. Also, my parents will be home Thursday at 4 so this little baby can come anytime after that. At least the contractions from yesterday got Shane to pack his bag. Wouldn’t it be nice if I had the baby on Friday got to stay in the hospital over the weekend then go home on Monday. Shane gets the week off then we have the weekend again before he has to go back to work. (no pressure little baby but I think you can make it happen)
If you are at home tonight at 7 watch Bones on Fox. You won’t be sorry.

Your Baby: Reaching Full-term
During the last couple weeks of pregnancy, your baby might gain a very small amount of weight or may stop gaining at all. Now considered full-term, your little one may weigh anywhere from 6 to 9 pounds and measure 18 to 21 inches long.

We made it through the weekend with no baby. I tried to rest as much as possible but it is hard to rest when you know the baby could be here at anytime. I am still feeling good. I am having contractions every once and a while and I am feeling pressure.

Report from doctor’s visit on 2/1/07:
I am currently 2 cm dilated and 70% effaced. For those of you that don’t know what that means read below. Dr. H seems pretty sure I won’t make it to my original due date 2/19/07. I would like to wait for my parents to get home so I am taking it easy for the next week. That means no exercise! Can you imagine being told not to exercise? I slept into day and it was weird not going to the gym and not feeling guilty about it.

Cervical effacement and dilatation
As labor nears, the cervix begins to thin or stretch (efface) and open (dilate) to prepare for the passage of the baby through the birth canal (vagina). How fast the cervix thins and opens varies from woman to woman. In some women, the cervix may efface and dilate slowly over a period of weeks. A first-time mother often will not dilate until active labor begins.
Late in your pregnancy, your health professional will manually check (wearing sterile gloves) how much your cervix has effaced and dilated.
Effacement
As the baby''s head drops down into the pelvis, it pushes against the cervix and causes the cervix to relax and thin out, or efface.
See an illustration of cervical effacement .
Throughout your pregnancy your cervix has been tightly closed and protected by a plug of mucus. When the cervix effaces, the mucus plug is loosened and passes out of the vagina. The mucus may be tinged with blood. This passage of the mucus plug is called "show" or "bloody show." You may or may not notice when the mucus plug passes.
Effacement is described as a percentage. For example, if your cervix is not effaced at all, it is 0% effaced. If the cervix has completely thinned, it is 100% effaced.
Dilatation
After the cervix begins to efface, it will also begin to open (cervical dilatation).
Cervical dilatation is expressed in centimeters from 0 to 10. Zero means that the cervix is closed, and 10 means that it is completely dilated.

I have been feeling a little less than certain I wanted the first name to be Reed, if we have a girl. For some reason it just doesn’t feel like a name to me. I kept it to myself for a while but then I was like -wait a minute this is my kid I better feel 100% about the name. I finally said something to Shane and he was fine with either using Reed or thinking about a different name. So, we started thinking and every name I liked he did and the names he liked I didn’t. Until we said Samantha Reed. We both like that name. Shane likes the idea of a cool nickname like Sam and I have loved the name Samantha. There you have it…. Henry or Samantha.
Just thought you might want to know.
Next doctor’s visit is Thursday I will update everyone on Friday.

Your Baby: Growing Everyday
Just a few weeks before your due date, your baby averages around 6 1/2 pounds and measures anywhere from 18-21 inches long. During these last days inside the uterus, your baby continues to grow and mature. The fine touches are taking place now in preparation for the journey out into the new world!

As anxious as you may be to meet your baby face-to-face, you still have a little time left to feel him flutter about inside you. Each time he kicks or jabs you with an elbow, stop for a second and put your hand on your stomach to memorize the movement and record it in your head. It's a precious time, and who knows if and when it will happen again?

Your Body: Gearing Up For Delivery
As you near the end of your pregnancy, you may start noticing signs and feeling symptoms of false labor. They can set in one month or one day before you actually give birth -- only time will tell. The question is, how will you know when it's real -- and when it's not?
Generally, your health care provider will be able to tell if you are in labor by looking at your cervix to determine if you are effaced and dilated. Often, it can be difficult to tell whether you are in true labor or having false labor. The following are some tips that may help you to distinguish true labor from false labor:
The Real Thing (True Labor)
After timing the contractions, you determine that they are coming consistently and getting closer together.
Each contraction is lasting anywhere from 30-70 seconds getting longer.
The contractions do not go away even if you change your level of activity.
Usually with true labor, the contractions have a radiating feeling in your lower back and upper abdomen.
The intensity of the contractions becomes greater as time progresses.
False Start (False Labor)
The contractions continue to be irregular or have a sporadic pattern.
There is no consistent length or intensity of contractions and no pattern develops.
No clear change or increase in the intensity of the contractions.
May feel the contraction lower in abdomen without the radiation feeling.
Changing activities affects the contractions.
Remember the list above includes the most common findings between true and false labor, but every woman is different. You may still be unclear whether you are in true labor, and it always better to call your health care provider or go to the hospital for guidance.
On Note: On A Scale Of 1 To 10
If your friends continually regale you with the details of their deliveries and you have yet to experience it firsthand, this Cervical Changes During Labor simulator is a must-see. Dynamic and detailed, the two images show a cross-section of female reproductive system and a frontal view of a woman's cervix. As you move the bar at the bottom of the scale, you will see how a cervix dilates from 1 to 10 centimeters.