30-6-2008 - The standard pregnancy survey

My mood while writing this blog: Tired

About Me:

Name: Amy (a name which makes everyone think of aging, portly librarians. I resent this. I am an aging, portly harpist.)

Age: 38

Height: 5'4"

Pre-pregnancy weight: OK, a team of federal interrogators wouldn't have a hope in hell of getting this out of me. Why should you guys?

About the Father:

Name: Bob. (He's far more interesting than the plain-vanilla name suggests, thank God.)

Age: 41

Height: 5'11"

Side note: Note how nobody ever asks what the *fathers* weigh. (Nooo, no bitterness here....)

Are you still together? Yup, we've been together 20 years now. We are moldy oldies.

About the Family:

Other children: Human children are Alex (age 15), and Aja (age 2.5). Canine children are Bubba (cocker spaniel) and Hoover (German shepherd/Yeti mix).

About the Pregnancy:

Is this your first pregnancy? No. My fourth.

When did you find out you were pregnant? I was technically 6 weeks pregnant.. 2 weeks late on my period before I tested on April 6th.

Was it planned? Not as such, though we had talked about maybe having another before I turned 40 (the age at which reproductive science apparently starts comparing you with rotted meat).

What was your first reaction? Hmm. Probably nervousness as I was on a prescription at the time that hasn't been "safety tested" on pregnancy. Then surprise, as we had had to try for a very long time to get pregnant last time and assumed that we would need conscious effort to get pregnant again.

What was your first symptom? 2 weeks without my period... I had blamed stress for throwing off my cycle. (What working parent doesn't?)

Who was with you when you found out? My husband. We both thought I was nuts for even running the test, as we didn't think it was likely. Even then, we ran five more tests to be sure. We are nothing if not thorough.

Who was the first person you told? Our teenaged son. Perhaps not the wisest choice.

How did they react? He was grossed out at the thought of his elderly parents "getting any" to the point of getting pregnant. He still thinks we're perverts for carrying on like that at this advanced age.

What is your due date? December 10th. Possibly sooner if our complications kick in.

Do you know the sex of the baby? It's a girl.

Have you picked out names? Well, have narrowed it down to four. Most likely Tiana Claire at this point. But alternatives are Talia, Telyn, and Tory. Quite coincidental about them all being T names. Weird.

How much weight have you gained? I don't know, I ask them not to tell me. I find scales in general depressing. With my last baby I actually lost twelve pounds before she was born. I get thinner with each baby, go figure!

Do you have stretch marks? Yes. I keep them well hidden as a public service.

Have you felt the baby move? Not sure. Her chronic low amniotic fluid means she doesn't have room to move like most babies, so she can't really move much right now. Since I've had contractions as a medical complication, I'm never quite sure what is baby movement and what's a small contraction. Of course my husband, being a guy, blames *everything* on gas. Men do.

Have you heard the baby's heartbeat? I have a home doppler unit and I listen every day on advice of the doc.

About the Birth:

Home or hospital: Hospital. Home c-sections are messy.

Natural or Medicated: I'm a 3rd-time c-section patient, so lots of meds (although as fate would have it, half my first c-section was technically unmedicated because the anethesiologist screwed up. Yes, that is as bad as it sounds. Worse, actually). But even if I weren't having a c-section, I say 'bring on the drugs'. I was born in the 20th Century so I have that choice... our pioneer ancestors would have loved to have had the option, frankly...

Who will be in the delivery room? My husband, possibly my mother and the godmother (who is a surgeon)

Will you breastfeed? Yup. Have twice before and it was great for the kids' health. (Not so hot for "the girls", which now resemble tube socks with rocks at the bottom, but the kids are grrrrreaaat....)

Do you think you will need a c-section? 100% certain. My babies are usually breech or transverse and are always large, too. Both my other kids were 10 pounds or more. After 2 c-sections, I don't get much say anymore. Whatever.

Will you cry when you hold the baby for the first time? I don't as a rule, which is surprising since I cry at every single movie I've seen, every book I've read, etc. Maybe it's because I always meet my babies in an operating room with my guts ripped open and I'm scared to death. (I had bad complications during my first c-section so it's very scary for me.) I cry later on, when I have my first time alone with them.

What's the first thing you might say? Anyone who says they know the answer to this question in advance either lacks all spontaneity or is lying, LOL. The first thing I said after my daughter's birth was "I'm going to puke" because the medications during the surgery made me hurl. Trust me, it wasn't what I had planned to say.

Would you let someone videotape the birth? Not just "no". Hell, no. I can safely say I will not be at my personal best, and any standard slasher film will give you all the same globby innards shots as a c-section without my personal embarrassment factor. Besides, at most hospitals in New York, video cameras aren't allowed in perating rooms because of liability laws (in other words, the hospitals don't want any potential mistakes caught on film. What's really scary is that they admit that).

Are you excited about the birth, or scared? Both. I'm excited about the baby, but scared at the complications we've had. So I'm just taking one day at a time. I just want a live baby at the end!