Sympathy Pain

Well, now that I’m awake, I’ll recap the evening. A look at a dry run.

We got there, and signed in. Had to tell them what was happening, doctor’s name, and pediatric doctor name. We wait. I take the obligatory waiting room pic. She looks so happy.

We got to the room. The nurse…who looked 16…gave here the drafty pajamas. She wrapped her belly with a fetal heart-rate monitor and uterine contraction monitor.

They then checked her…girl parts. She was still at 2 cm and about 75% effaced at -2 station. Huh? We’ve talked about the others, but this station thing is new. That’s the reference to the spines of the pelvis. -3 is way up there but a starting point. +2 is through the pelvis and close to crowning.

They also checked to see if the fluid that had been coming out was amniotic fluid. Now, this is done with a dry glove…and looked very uncomfortable…or painful if you will. They took a couple slides to a microscope. No amniotic fluid.

So we waited. If we had hit 4 cm or if the contractions got very strong, we would stay and induce. they checked every hour, and although she lost the mucus plug, she was barely 3cm after about 4 hours. So hungry and tired, we left and headed home…after Taco Bell.

So far today, nothings happening. Now Jack played basketball this morning. They won 32-5 and jack had a great steal/score, and got a busted lip. So life is continuing at the Comer/Brown house, minus the mucus plug.

mucus plug, effacement, delivery, pregnancy station, labor, dilation

Some kid cold medicines pulled off market

I heard this come out of a new grandmothers mouth today. It makes me sad to think animals, and specifically cats catch the brunt of the “old wives” club. I don’t know how people still live in fear of a cat stealing the baby’s breath.

I’ve talked about it before, animals are not a danger to infants if some precautions are taken. I found this tonight on the Humane Society of America web site: (more…)

Is it because we are tall? Is it the repulsive blond hair and blue eyes? Is it that whole “democracy” crap? And if they have a mongolian beef with us…get it…why do they take it out on our children?

And, maybe it’s just the way they grow ‘em in China…

Growing up, I used to chew on lead pencils…I even have a piece of lead under my skin…and it only itches in the winter. I’m sure our tub was painted with a led based paint. I spent alot of time in that tub…but I digress. I guess I’m saying, I like lead. It’s a part of my History.

And what’s so bad about lead exposure? “they” say it causes:

Reduced IQ
Slowed body growth
Hearing problems
Behavior or attention problems
Failure at school
Kidney damage

The symptoms of lead poisoning may include:

Irritability
Aggressive behavior
Low appetite and energy
Difficulty sleeping
Headaches
Reduced sensations
Loss of previous developmental skills (in young children)
Anemia
Constipation
Abdominal pain and cramping (usually the first sign of a high, toxic dose of lead poison)
Very high levels may cause vomiting, staggering gait, muscle weakness, seizures, or coma

So…what’s all that if you can play with some “Baby Einstein” blocks, or a “Pirates” flashlight…or strange gardening tools.And maybe…just maybe, the Chinese are just trying to make us tougher…I mean, I don’t see death on the list…and whatever doesn’t kill us makes us stronger.

Or maybe…they are trying to make our next generation stupid. That way they can surpass us with their smarterness…more smarterdom…greater smartness…whatever. Well, we are on to you China. Remember how we treated the French when they displeased us…we changed the name to “freedom” fries and “freedom” toast and “freedom” ticklers. We will start calling it “children” restaurants and say “I’ll just be hungry 30 minutes after I eat ‘children’.”

Just my thoughts…while I still have lead in my finger…

lead poisoning, recall, china

Let me paint a picture. You have just brought this angel home from the hospital. She is so little, helpless. You are very gentle with every movement and touch. Even her whimpers make you smile and almost cry.

Now, another picture, 6 weeks without sleep. Life has caught up to you. Bills, work, normal life…plus baby. The family has left, so your support is gone. It’s just you, your spouse, and this…creature. You’d love to tell everyone how much you’ve bonded with your baby…but the fact is you haven’t. You’re not even sure you like this thing. You haven’t touched…or been touched by…your spouse in weeks. The baby won’t stop crying, and it’s a different cry than that little one in the first days. This feels almost personal. Like nothing you do is good enough. Tonight, it’s just you and the demon spawn. Finally, she has quited down, after hours. You begin to set down, relax, and something happens…a dog barks, thunder, phone rings…and the baby explodes. You stomp your toe on the baby gate, almost break you neck, get to the child madder than a hornet, and… (more…)

My ex-wife worked for the OB/GYN clinic that delivered Jack. Her cousin was one of the other doctors in this practice. If you are using a OB who is a part of this type of practice, know that he may not be the one who delivers.
Usually, about the 3rd trimester, you will start seeing other doctors in the practice when you have your appointments. This allows you to meet them before your water breaks and they are in the Johnny Bench position. It’s standard practice to have whoever is on call when you go into labor, deliver.
Well, the ex didn’t want her cousin to deliver…family shouldn’t see your virginia. So John, our doctor, elected to induce on a weekend he was on call. She also had some elevated blood pressure, but the real reason was his rotation schedule.
So we are shopping at “Babies R Us when the hospital calls.
“Your room is ready when you want to come by”. It was like dinner reservations.
We strolled over and set up that night. They came in around 4 am and started the pitocin. Shortly after 4:00 pm, Jack was here.

So, Sarah ask her doctor about induction.

“I don’t induce on the first baby. I let the body tell you when your ready.”

um…She’s not happy. She wants the sperm infection out of her body.

Nice alliteration…but really, this bit of news was brought to me by an unlikely source…my Dad. He was the “bring home the bacon” dad, and never really involved in the child rearing decisions.
So, when we are talking about football and he ask about the gifts from the baby shower, I was a little sidetracked.
“Everything is put away…and we have a mattress for the crib, ” and with that, I get ready to go on to something else.
“Do you have those crib bumpers” he asks.
“We will.”
“Well, I saw a news story saying those are dangerous. The baby can roll over against it and suffocate.”

Wow, this may be the first “baby advice” from my dad.
And, as you all know, I had to look this up. And yes, there are studies showing that these bumpers have been linked to infant deaths.
Sarah and I talked about this, but since she had just won a very bloody battle on Ebay for a crib set, she will have bumpers…

It’s about to be really busy in the Comer/Brown household. I know that when things get rockin, I have a tendency to not take the best care of myself. It’s a tragic flaw.
So I decided to take the reigns and make a doctor’s appointment. Make sure all my allergy meds are up and running. Ask about my little pains and aches. I thought it was a good way to get a tune up before I become a full time poppa again. I think every dad to be should do this a few months from birth.
Well, my Body Mass Index is 25.3%, which is 5% over the high end of optimal(I’m chubby). My cholesterol is 236…200 is high end, and my triglycerides (?) are over 300…100 is high(Too many sausage biscuits). And my thyroid is alittle over active.(I have no idea)
I’m glad I went…I have some ways to make myself healthier. It’s Sarah, Jack, and Tony that I went for…but it’s me who now has to do something to get my health on the right track. Tonight I begin by sleeping with an apnea tester up my nose and a pulse ox on my finger…to make sure my snoring isn’t something more…
I will be sleepy tomorrow.

It never fails, If we are out and Sarah decides to have a glass of wine, the eyebrows raise. She bought a bottle a few weeks ago and got the eye from a few folks.

I went to a concert in Atlanta, Cinetrope, who rocked, by the way, and saw a woman, probably in the 3rd trimester in a room full of smokers…and I was the only one who seemed to notice. I was surprised and slightly appalled. I was having problems from the second hand smoke, so I can’t believe the baby wasn’t getting some of it.

So, I wondered…what do the experts say. And here are my findings…

Wine, the verdict is still out. It seems that the experts don’t know the exact risk that alcohol during pregnancy has to the baby. I’ve heard some OB’s say a glass a week was ok during the later part of pregnancy, some say none at all. Here’s a exert from The Labor of Love.com

Studies suggest that even occasional or moderate alcohol intake during pregnancy may carry some risks. While it is extremely unlikely that, if you have a glass of wine two or three times during your pregnancy, your baby would be born with fetal alcohol syndrome, it is still possible that there could be detrimental effects. There are fewer studies about moderate alcohol intake during pregnancy, so it is difficult to say statistically what percentage of women who drink the odd glass of wine during pregnancy experience complications because of it.

Second hand smoke…a big no no. I found lots of articles saying the same thing, this from Medical News Today:

A re-examination of data from earlier studies suggests that exposure to second-hand smoke during pregnancy can be just as detrimental to a developing fetus as primary exposure through maternal smoking, according to a recent paper from the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health.

Yes it’s true, many of the moms that birthed my generation smoked in the delivery room and had champagne to celebrate the “good news”, and we turned out “just fine”. I hear that a lot. However, were we as healthy as we could have been other wise? Were we under stress in the womb? Did it take us longer to build up a healthy immune system? I don’t know. But, knowing what we now know, why take the risk?

Smoking and second hand smoke REALLY BAD…wine…in strict moderation or none at all.

We have cats…you might have picked up on that. 2 cats, 2 dogs. I’ve been told, by more than one old maid, that “cat’s will steal the baby’s breath.” Thanks Steven King for expounding on that in “Cat’s Eye” (Great story though).

The truth is that cat’s, while not 100% safe with newborns, aren’t sent from Lucifer to kill your baby. My wife does think they are demon spawn, but for other reasons.

Cats can be great companions for baby. My son has had a cat, Friday, since he was born. Friday would always check out whoever was holding Jack when he was little. Friday slept with jack all the time. He still sleeps with Jack, who is now seven. Jack has learned to be more gentle with animals thanks to his cats.

Now, NEVER leave them alone when the baby is little. Cats love the smell of milk on the baby’s breath (leading to the “steal the breath” myth) and will snuggle up, with no regards to the infants need to breath.

So don’t get rid of Garfield because you are bring home a baby. Also, pregnancy is not the best time to get a pet. So use your common sense about pets and babies. I really think people who grow up with pets make better adults.

Here’s a link to an article about bring baby home to a home with a cat.

Is the honey moon over? Is there trouble in paradise? Or does she just have a small critter growing in her belly? I’m hoping it’s the last choice. (That’s what she tells me anyway)

She’s uncomfortable. Her legs ache. She is feeling growing pains in her stomach. Heartburn? Please. That seems to be an understatement. My wife is no wimp. She never lets on when she’s sick. I’m the baby of the house when it comes to sickness. So, when she became pregnant, I knew that she would probably suffer quietly.

But, when it comes to sleep, she usually waits till I fall asleep, an retreats to another bed. I hate it. And I know the season of allergies and my snoring hasn’t helped. So, I do what I can to treat my symptoms, but hers are a little beyond my help.

Having said that, a few things I have tried…to varying success are:

Pregnant women have issues with the urps as I call them. It’s anything from indigestion to just burping. It gets worse when you lay down. So, an easy helper is a “husband” pillow, or “study buddy” pillow. That way she can set up in bed when the urps hit, and still be comfortable…ish.

Message her. I rub her back, feet, upper chest almost every night. Her body is going through changes and she needs the extra rubbing.

Give her the bed. I admit I haven’t done this as much as I probably should, but sometimes she just needs her space.

Body pillow. That’s something that helped my first wife, especially in the third trimester. It supports her belly and can go between the knees. She should lie on her left side in the later weeks of pregnancy. It has to do with a vein in the back the drains all the blood in the lower half of the body.

So…Any other suggestions? I’ll be on the couch…but it’s worth it.