Operation Evict Liam

So here is the thing about being pregnant, everyone has some advice for you.  For example, I was at the movies the other day when a woman said to me, "You look like you're about to pop!"  Well, I'm due in less than a week, so really it could happen at any time!  Now mind you, I am huge!  Liam is definitely a healthy baby and at 39 weeks I am ready to meet the little man.  But do you really think I need a reminder of how ginormous I am?  And since I know you're all curious, here I am at 39 weeks!

The other thing that makes me laugh is that everyone and their mother has some advice on how I can get Liam out now!  Everyone, even those who have never given birth, have advice.  (Now mind you, I was one of those people...well, I still am until the little man decides to join us!)  As we aim for our natural birth experience I have been given lots of advice on "natural inducers" and tried quite a few of them out!  So here are the top ten things I have been advised to do:

1.  Walk - Now, I have been walking my whole pregnancy so I sometimes wonder how much good this will really do, but I don't think it will hurt.  According to our Bradley class it opens the inlet of the pelvis, which helps the baby drop down into position for birth.  Let me tell you, in fear when Liam was breech, I didn't walk for a week and a half because I didn't want him to get lodged butt down.  Once I knew he flipped I picked my walking back up so he would get lodged head down!  Every day when I show up at the gym at our housing office, the ladies rush out to see how I'm doing.  Sadly, I inform them each day that I'm still trying to walk my baby out!

2.  Sex - Yes, any of my family members may be blushing, but we all know this is how I got into this "situation" in the first place! ;)  Semen and orgasms are said to stimulate labor and soften the cervix.  This seems to be everyone's favorite recommendation to me for inducing labor!  It's quite funny to see the ways people try to covertly mention it on Facebook or how blatantly they do.  Let's just say, I've heard it works, I've recommended it to others, no stone will go unturned!

3.  Pineapple - Yes, eating pineapple.  It is said to soften the cervix and other places it says it induces labor.  I have eaten pineapple daily for about two weeks.  Still no baby.  But hey, pineapple is yummy so I'm not complaining!

4.  Spicy food - Throughout pregnancy people tell you not to eat this due to heartburn etc, but once you get close to your due date, all bets are off.  The thing is, Liam seems to like spicy food!  When I eat it he dances around in my belly.  He enjoys every minute of it.  Last week we tried to think of spicy foods to eat to evict him.  I ate spicy chicken sandwiches, hot wings, tacos and yet here I am, still pregnant!

5.  Bumpy car ride - Why have I not had Den take me for a ride in the Jeep recently?  It is said to promote movement and relaxation to help the baby get into position for birth.  Just make sure you have something to sit on and protect the car seat in case your water breaks!

6.  Licorice - Eating black licorice is supposed to help stimulate the production of prostaglandins.  Hence, contractions.  Mind you, that could just be the diarrhea it causes!  Eat at your own risk!

7.  Relax - Let nature take it's course.  If you're stressed, you won't dilate or go into labor.  So, take a warm bath, have a glass of wine and let your body do it's thing.  Midwives and doctors have actually recommended this.  (And friends too!)  However, I have a hard time coming to terms with having a glass of wine while pregnant.  And this says a lot, since if you know me, you know I love a good glass of wine!

8. Accupressure - There are three spots you can push on to help induce labor or strengthen contractions.  Between the thumb and forefinger, the roof of your mouth and the inner ankle.  Hence, get a pedicure and tell them to rub those feet until your water breaks!  (Didn't work for me, but my toes will hopefully look pretty for labor! ;) )

9. Swinging - Yep, like you're back in elementary school!  So when you see me out at the park behind my house, you'll know why I'm acting like a kid again.  I'm trying to get this kid out!

10.  Last, but not least...Nipple Stimulation - Yep, you heard me right!  The funniest story is that we were on a ghost tour last week with my in-laws and I received this advice from a random lady on the tour.  She asked me if I was having a boy.  (Yes!)  Asked when I was due.  (About a week.)  Then she told me, you know the best way to get him out, right?  I said, which way is that?  Then she proceeded to give me a visual, yes, a visual, of nipple stimulation.  Thanks!  She even recommended getting my husband to help!  Seriously,  I don't even know you!  Good thing I'm not easily embarrassed!  I still find it hilarious that she recommended this to me, in this way.  But everyone needs a good laugh!  It helps you relax after all.  And isn't that on my list somewhere?

So, will any of these things do anything if you body and baby aren't ready?  Probably not, but I figure there's no harm in trying!  I've had a feeling all along that Liam will be a punctual baby so I'm hoping that holds true.  With my due date rapidly approaching I have to hold on to that hope!  And in the meantime, I love the swings so that may be next on my list of things to do!

P.S.  I am not a doctor so none of these are officially medically sanctioned.  You should, of course, consult your doctor before making any medical decisions, especially when pregnant!

Flipping Out!

I spent the last week and a half flipping out about Liam flipping!  He has been breech  most of this pregnancy and when they informed me a week and a half ago, at 36 1/2 weeks, that he still was I was concerned.  My doctor said I may need to start looking at my options.  These included an external manual version and a c-section.  Um, no thanks!  Did he miss the note in my file about wanting a natural birth?   (I say this with heavy sarcasm as he really did notice and mention the note!)  He said they would schedule an ultrasound for a week or two from then to check on where Liam was.  If not, it was time to chat.

My reaction was to obsess for the past week and a half about what I could do to get the little man to turn head down and ready to go!  I have spent a lot of time and money preparing for birth, and wasn't ready to give up on the baby cooperating and doing what is natural!  So I started seeking information from the fabulous ladies on my What to Expect forum.  These ladies have been the voice of reason, experience and fabulous listeners throughout my entire pregnancy!  They didn't disappoint!  They offered advice, hope and prayers.  The best recommendation I got was for the website www.spinningbabies.com.  What a great resource!  I was willing to try anything and this site has a plethora of information and ideas to help baby go head down!

Each day I did inversion exercises in hope that if I was head down, the baby would go head down.  So, much to my husband's delight, I "hung" upside down off of the couch at least three times a day.  He enjoyed the spectacle so much he would encourage me to do the exercises when he was home.  We tried putting the cold ice pack on his head when it was up in my ribs, pelvic tilts (with and without the ice pack) and Den talking to the bottom of my belly so he would follow his voice.  I even shamelessly tried lecturing and nagging him while he is in the womb! 

On Monday I decided it was time for one last ditch attempt at him flipping and scheduled an appointment with a local chiropractor who specializes in the Webster technique.  I was a little nervous about being adjusted in my very pregnant state, but decided I would regret it if I didn't try everything at my disposal to get the little man head down.  So off to the chiropractor I went.  After a quick "interview" he adjusted me and worked on my round ligament.  One slightly hefty "first appointment" fee later I walked out hopeful I'd have good news at the doctors.

And so yesterday I nervously headed off to the doctors office.  I hadn't had butterflies in my stomach like this since our first dating ultrasound!  When the tech turned on the machine and found his head by my pelvis I cried!  I was so happy he had cooperated!  Am I 100% sure what worked?  Nope.  No idea.  All I know is that we are ready for take-off here at Hotel Gretchen!  We're just waiting on Liam to be ready to make his appearance!  And in the meantime, I got to see his adorable face again.  I cannot wait to meet him in person!

Now on to Operation Evict Liam!

Fourth of July Madness!

I love my husband, dearly. However, he is a homebody and I am not. I love to socialize and explore! He is happy to relax on the couch watching Law & Order and Bones. Needless to say, I get the itch to get out and do things and sometimes, he begrudgingly humors me!

Since Cody is out west I thought we should take advantage of our rare alone time and do something special. However, when you're 35 weeks pregnant, there is only so much you want to do or so far you want to go. Originally we had thought about a trip to Charleston, SC for the weekend, but I wasn't sure I wanted to drive that far this far along in my pregnancy. (Originally we had planned the trip for almost a month earlier, but we had an extended Codymoon instead!) So we planned an impromptu overnight to Raleigh over the Fourth of July weekend.

Nothing fancy by any means, but lots of fun was had by both of us, even if Den complained that I was making him do all the things I wanted to do! We drove up early afternoon and checked into the La Quinta Crabtree. Since getting our furbabies La Quinta has been our saving grace. It allows us to travel with the furbabies without paying huge fees or having to board them. Then we headed over to a local mall and did a little shopping where I indulged in two new tops. It seemed a little frivalous with only five weeks left, but the belly has gotten so big there is only so much that fits now! We had dinner at P.F. Changs so Den could get his Chinese food fix. Then we went to see "Rent". It was a fabulous little getaway! Plus, I think it helped that wonderful hubby of mine see that getting out and doing things can be fun!

Not only did we get out of dodge on Saturday, but I convinced him to go see the fireworks on the fourth! We had BBQ over at the staff club, played a little rummy and relaxed. Then he took me to the movies on Monday night!  How I managed to convince him to do all these fun things, is beyond me!   I think I will have to stay home and relax all next weekend to make up for all the activities I conned him into doing!  I guess he's earned it!

God Bless the Exercise Ball!

Oh, the joys of pregnancy! Throughout my pregnancy I've had a lot of hip pain at night. As if it's not hard enough to sleep anyways when you have to get up and use the bathroom all the time, but having to switch sides every hour or so only adds to my lack of sleep. Needless to say, the further along in my pregnancy I am the harder sleep is to come by. Don't get me wrong, I know this will all be worth it when I'm holding little Liam in my arms, but right now when I'm exhausted and up most of the night. It's frustrating! On the plus side, I should be VERY well prepared for getting up with a newborn at this point with how little sleep I'm functioning on.

However, this doesn't mean I don't seek out things to help me sleep a little sounder at night. After all, I need to enjoy sleep while I can! Only five-ish more weeks until the little man joins us so I'll try almost anything! Fortunately two things have helped me sleep better at night.

First is the Boppy Pregnancy Wedge.



What a lifesaver for helping balance out the belly! Once I really started to get big out in front I couldn't live without this. A regular pillow was too big and I didn't want a whole body pillow as I don't like things across my face. This supported my growing baby belly without being a third person in the bed! If you're pregnant, I highly recommend it! And if you're thinking of getting pregnant, bookmark this item! It's a must have!

The other savior has been our exercise ball!



Someone recommended this to me to help cure the hip pain that's been keeping me up and night and I must say, it's helped so far! We'll see how it works for numerous nights in a row, but so far, so good! I've been sitting on mine instead of a chair at the computer and find that it's comfortable. I roll side to side and back and forth on it and bounce up and down. And last night, my hips didn't ache and I got more sleep than the past couple of nights. Seeing how as they're affordable and many of us have them in our homes already I think they're a great tool for us preggos!

Now mind you, there is nothing I can do about the bathroom breaks, but at least the sleep I'm getting is more solid. I know it will probably be a long while before I get to sleep through the night again, but at least with a few helpful tools I'm getting as much sleep as possible before my days as a mom of a newborn begin!

World Cup Fever

That's right, our house has been hit by a serious case of World Cup fever! We just can't get enough of it in our household! Needless to say we were very excited about Sunday's England v. USA match! The only problem is we were torn on who to cheer for. See, the World Cup holds a special place in our hearts. Four years ago we traveled to Berlin with my dad and brother for a little World Cup action and some sight seeing. Den was a brave man to travel with the two other men in my life! ;) And he used that trip to ask my father for my hand in marriage. (There were Cuban cigars, cognac, wine and a REALLY long conversation involved.) In the end I think all turned out pretty well!

We loved Berlin! It's an amazing city with so much history and things to see. We traveled around easily to see WWII sites, Den's favorite! And we got to take in a live World Cup match! Mind you, we'd tried to get tickets to US or England matches, but ended up with Tunisia and someone who slips my mind at the moment. None of that mattered though inside the stadium. We watched the match at the Olympiad Stadium in Berlin were Hitler had watched the Olympics. (Most notably Jesse Owens winning gold!) It was truly an amazing experience. The history and the energy of the game could not be matched!



I've always followed English soccer so we spent a lot of our time cheering for England as they never played the US. We had English flags, hats, you name it! I knew all the players names, which sadly I couldn't say the same for the US team. Guess I'd better think twice now that I'm a military wife!

Needless to say, watching the game on Sunday was bittersweet. I found myself cheering for both sides, which probably drove the hubby nuts! We got a good kick out of the fact that we might be the only people on base cheering for England. And in the end, the result was a draw so I guess both our teams came out ok. It will be nice going forward to be able to cheer for both teams without them competing against each other. If they both win, then they'll both move on to the next round, but chances are only one of them might. I guess only time will tell. Until then, we have the DVR set for random matches so Den doesn't miss anything while he's at work and I watch the Cup about three times a day! (Unless we're recording it since I know it will be played again!) Yes, we are crazy Americans obsessed with football! (The kind you play with your foot! ;) ) Honestly, I wouldn't have it any other way!

My Love Affair...

Yes, that is right, I am having an affair...with air conditioning! The heat has definitely taken over the south and this So Cal girl doesn't know what to do with herself! I have tried throughout this pregnancy to stay healthy, both in diet and exercise, but that is getting harder to do as I get further along. The last thing I want to do is go outside for a walk. (And the first thing I want is some nice, cold ice cream!) I know, I know, they say it helps to be in shape for labor, but I need to make it to labor, not die of heat stroke first! So maybe I'm being a little melodramatic here, but the heat and humidity are not my friends! Oh how I wish I was back home walking in June gloom right now! At least it sounds much more appealing! But the grass is always greener on the other side isn't it? I guess from now on I either suck it up or walk on a treadmill at the gym? I am sure either will provide me with the benefits I need. And at least one option includes my new best friend, air conditioning!

Everyone keeps telling me it's going to be a long, hot summer for me. What they don't understand is that I already know this! Summer in the south would be my least favorite thing about living here to begin with. The hair doesn't do what it's supposed to, you're gross as soon as you walk out the door and it seems to last forever. But to top it off with my body temperature being out of whack makes it even more unbearable! I try to encourage myself by saying at least I'm due at the beginning of August so I miss out on a lot of our North Carolina summer. (Which goes through October for the most part!) While this is true, it's little consolation while I'm out walking.

They say you forget the pain of labor as soon as you see your little one, and this is why people have multiple children. But I wonder if you forget how uncomfortable you are during the last couple of months, especially when those last few months are over the summer? Here's my theory: whether or not Cody and Liam have a little sibling could fully depend on my memory recall. (And a little planning so I'm not hugely pregnant over the summer???) Hopefully my friend air conditioning will make these last few weeks as pleasant as possible so my memory isn't tainted! In the end, when I'm holding little Liam I'm sure it will all be worth it!

Itzbeen Baby Care Timer

I SOOOOO want one of these for when Liam comes. They track feedings, sleep, etc. Most importantly, it looks like it would help someone absent minded like me! Well, Victoria, over at "Life with Jake" is giving one away. (In conjunction with the company of course!) So go check her blog out: http://ourlifewithjake.blogspot.com/ and you can sign up to win!