BABY G ARRIVES!

Welcome Owen Shea Guillorn. 6 pounds 4 ounces. 19 inches. Born 7:03 p.m. August 25, 2010. Mom and baby are fantastic!

38 Weeks

So here I am at 38 weeks. Contractions are coming often, but it's not quite actual labor yet because I'm not in a lot of pain. We've got most of the living room floor down and the beam is covered in wood and stained. It looks good. And thank goodness for Saman low VOC stain...otherwise Mike wouldn't have been able to stain at this stage. Note: the first picture is of my CT shower. Lots of things are happening baby-wise, so I'll cut to the chase.

Baby News at 38 Weeks
1. The External Cephalic Version. Last night I went to the hospital to try to have one of my doctors and my midwife turn the baby manually. That is why you see me above looking gorgeous in the hospital gown. It did not work. He's still breech. But it was definitely worth a try. It was quite painful...Imagine two people holding the baby on the outside of the belly and pushing as hard as they can. Today, it mostly feels like I have a bad sunburn. Even though the baby didn't turn, they were able to move him a little bit in either direction. And he was totally chill throughout the whole procedure--sucking his thumb, no heart rate issues. I on the other hand, looked like I had gone through labor when it was done (though admittedly, I would take this kind of pain over the pain I had in my worst migraine any day). I had Mike holding one hand, the nurse holding another, and one of my doulas--Debbie--holding my feet while my doctor and midwife did the procedure. It was fantastic to have that amount of support.

2. Contractions. While I've been having Braxton Hicks contractions throughout the pregnancy, I didn't realize how many I was having. Before the procedure, I was monitored, and I was having contractions every ten minutes or so. After the procedure, my contractions were coming 4 minutes apart. They still sent me home, though...because while I could see the contractions on the monitor, I wasn't feeling all of them. And in the worst ones, the pain was hardly present--more discomfort. Since that time, the pain seems to be slowly increasing while the frequency of contractions has decreased. Still, they are hardly what I could call painful.

3. C-Section. Because the young man is breech, the doctor will schedule me for a C-section. It may be as soon as Wednesday. Of course, it could be sooner if I actually go into labor. This isn't the birth I imagined having, but I've accepted it...especially since I know so many wonderful women who have given birth in c-sections and have offered me advice. Thank you!

4. Maybe this means my next post will have pictures of Baby G outside of the womb?

36 Weeks

Since the last post, I had a CT shower, went to a wedding in Massachusetts, planned a conference, wrote a conference paper, purchased a new car (somewhat unexpectedly), and ordered a bunch of materials for the house. This weekend, we *should* be installing Engineered Tigerwood in the living room. It was supposed to ship from the good ol' state of Tennessee last Wednesday. So theoretically, it *should* arrive today. Before this, Mike has to finish installing the radiant heat for the floor. I have a couple pictures showing a bit of progress. The old beams have been sanded and stained. The rough sawn trim in the living room is slowly making its way up.

Baby News
1. Well, the big news is that the little on is still breech. Also, last time they checked he had dropped to plus one. There's a possibility that I'll go in for an external version (where the doctors try to turn the baby manually) next week. There's also a possibility that we won't try that...depending on whether he's dropped further. Mike and I have spent some time in the pool at the gym doing handstands trying to give him room to turn. Well, I'm doing the handstands and Mike's supporting. I've also tried music: Mozart, Lys Guillorn, The Beatles, The Birds "Turn." And I've recorded my own voice and used a flashlight on my belly. Also acupuncture...which makes him move a lot. And the chiropractor, which helps him get into the right position. My acupuncturist said that she noticed when she gets one breech patient, she has a ton...that all the breech babies happen around the same due date. Interesting. I've noticed that there seem to be a lot of breech pregnant ladies around right now. There was one in my 4 person yoga class, due almost exactly the same week as me (with twins) who had one baby lying transverse. And there's another in the prenatal/postnatal group I attend. Considering the amount of pregnant women I know, that's much more than 4%!

2. On the more positive side, I got to see him practice breathing at the last ultrasound. That was exciting. A sign of things to come!

3. Some days I have ankles. Other days, no.

4. Nursery room is on its way to being set up. A part for the crib was broken when we received it, so now we're waiting on a replacement. He won't be sleeping in the crib at first (except for naps) anyway, so the fact that the part isn't here is not a big deal.

5. Today the diaper service comes to set me up with cloth diapers. I purchased a used Pottery Barn changing table from someone on Craigslist. The table is STURDY and HEAVY. Mike had to carry it alone to the upstairs bathroom.

6. Baby is getting big, smushing my organs, interfering with digestion. Now I finally see why women in their ninth month say that they are ready for the baby to come OUT. I'm almost ready...just as soon as that floor goes in this weekend.

7. More pics...old Subaru Impreza, new Subaru Forester, cousin Bethany's wedding. Pictures appear backwards from when uploaded.

More soon, especially since we're getting so close!!!