37 Weeks, Challenge Accepted

Have you ever seen the sitcom "How I met your Mother?"? Well, I feel a little like the character Barney today because I can't help but saying one of his catch phrases over and over again in my mind, "Challenge accepted!" I have reached 37 weeks in my pregnancy at this point and had my first "full term" check-up. In the spirit of trying to look forward to birthing Link with joy, excitement, and happiness, I have been trying to be very optomistic about any challenges that head my way. This is what I mean:

"Wow, that feels like a really big boy in there!" -midwife in training (PS, not the best thing to say to the person who has to birth said baby)

Challenge accepted.

"You've tested positive for GBS so you will have to have to be hooked up to an IV and have antibiotics while you are in labor." - midwife (I hate needles and I don't do well on antibiotics)

Challenge accepted.

"The baby's back is a bit off to the side instead of in the front so you will need to spend lots of time leaning forward and doing yoga poses like cat/cow 3-4 times a day for at least 10-15 minutes each session." - midwife

Challenge accepted.

"Wow, that baby is sitting in your lap! He is already really low in your pelvis (engaged). This doesn't mean you will necessarily go into labor anytime soon, it just means you will probably be a little more uncomfortable for the last bit of pregnancy." - midwife

Challenge accepted.

I really am feeling great, and optimistic though; I promise. Pretty much all of these things happened with Meo too...except that I was able to retest for GBS at week 41 and got rid of it which I guess isn't allowed anymore. I've got this though! :)

Retaking the GBS Test

On Monday, right when I turned 41 weeks, I asked to retake my Group B Strep (GBS) test. If you recall, I originally tested positive for GBS when I took my first test at 36 weeks. This was a huge bummer for me because it meant that I was going to have to be put on an IV either right when my water broke or when I went into active labor and had antibiotics pumped into me every four hours. They would have taken the IV off after each dose of antibiotics (which would take about 30 minutes each time), but I would still have had to had the IV put in and been strapped to a pole for parts of my labor. As someone who really hates needles, I initially cried a little from disappointment when I heard I had GBS and would need the antibiotics. The midwives knew how disappointed I was and told me if I was still pregnant five weeks later I would be able to retake the test. They gave me a list of things I could try in the meantime to clear my system of the bacteria (see my previous blog post about GBS for details).

Ever since then I have been drinking lots of Vitamin C; one of my tangerine coconut waters has almost 400% of your daily Vitamin C needs an eighteen ounce container. The Vitamin C is supposed to help your immune system clear your body of harmful bacteria.

Delicious tangerine coconut water that is a great source of vitamin c and is wonderful for hydration

I have also been taking probiotics everyday. I have never been a big fan of yogurt, so I decided if I really wanted to pump up my system with healthy bacteria, that I should just take some probiotics. I have been very happy with using New Chapter Organics for my prenatal vitamins, so I decided to continue to use that brand for my probiotics. I have been taking the New Chapter Organics Probiotic All-Flora, which has 9 strains of healthy bacteria cultured and kept on w whole food-medium. Most probiotics you can buy aren't kept with the food they are grown on and loose their potency, but drying the bacteria with its food medium makes them much more effective. These probiotics are stored in the refrigerator and you take 2 capsules a day on an empty stomach. They never made me feel queasy unless I took them too close to a mealtime; otherwise they were very gentle on my stomach.

Probiotics that possibly helped me clear my system of GBS

Today Back Cove Midwives called me to let me know my test results: I am now GBS negative! I am so happy/thrilled/excited/relieved! No more IV or antibiotics for me! Even though I had kind of come to terms with the fact that I was going to have to deal with the antibiotics, I feel SO much better knowing that I may now be able to have a natural birth with absolutely no interventions. Some people have told me that maybe Meo was just waiting for my test results to come back before he decides to come out. Hopefully that's true and he will sense that I feel more ready now and we can have a wonderful birth experience. He needs to come out soon though, because they will have to induce my at 43 weeks which means I will end up being stuck on an IV after all! Come on out little Meo; we can do this!

If you are pregnant and worried about GBS, it is definitely worth trying to cleanse your system and filling it with healthy bacteria. GBS naturally cycles in and out of your system, so it may not even have been the probiotics and Vitamin C that helped me get rid of it. When I am pregnant again though, I will be taking probiotics much earlier in my pregnancy for sure. Here is a description of the probiotics I was taking that I copied from their website (http://www.newchapter.com/probiotics/probiotic-all-flora):

Live Probiotics for Optimal Digestive and Immune System Function*

Probiotic All-Flora contains nine strains of live probiotics cultured together on a non- dairy whole-food medium and then combined with growth-stimulating prebiotic Organic Apples, and Organic Inulin sourced from Organic Jerusalem Artichokes.

The live probiotics in Probiotic All-Flora, including revered probiotic strains such as Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus rhamnosus, and Lactobacillus helveticus, help support optimal digestive and immune system function.

When the culturing of Probiotic All-Flora is complete, the synbiotic-rich whole-food medium and live probiotics are freeze-dried together, a process that preserves their potency until consumed. Once consumed, the cultured whole-food medium and prebiotic whole foods activate the probiotics and enhance their effects. Both are part of the synergistic whole that benefits the entire digestive tract and immune system.

Whole-Food Probiotics for Digestive Health and Immune Support

The Medium is the Message!  Probiotics are beneficial bacteria that occur naturally in the human intestinal tract. Foods “cultured” with beneficial strains of probiotics such as yogurt and kefir have been used throughout history to improve overall health and vitality, and today, there are many studies reinforcing their ability to balance and promote digestive health.* Probiotics also play an important role in modulating the immune system, 70% of which is located in the gut.

To make a probiotic supplement, selected strains of beneficial bacteria must first be cultured on a food medium, such as milk or soy. Since each strain of probiotics has an affinity for a different part of the digestive tract, and a unique mechanism of action, a product that delivers multiple strains is preferable to single strain products. As the probiotics replicate, they biotransform the food medium, breaking down nutrients and making them more bioavailable while secreting beneficial compounds into the medium called “synbiotics.” Research suggests that synbiotics are largely responsible for the benefits of probiotics. In other words, “the medium is the message.”

Most probiotic supplement manufacturers separate the probiotics from their food medium once the desired number of cultures is achieved, and therefore fail to deliver the full range of health benefits associated with eating probiotic foods. New Chapter ’s Probiotics with a Purpose line, however, uniquely offers multi- species blends of live probiotics with the synbiotic-rich organic growth medium intact.

		2 Vcaps contain Organic Fermented Soy 750 mg • Organic Jerusalem Artichoke Inulin (tuber) 125 mg • Organic Apple (fruit) 90 mg • Proprietary Probiotic Blend** (S. thermophilus; L. rhamnosus; B. breve; L. acidophilus; B. infantis; B. longum; L. plantarum; L. salivarius; L. helveticus) 35 mg • • Daily value not established **  At the time of manufacture, there are 8 billion probiotic live cells in 2 capsules of All-Flora. Other ingredients: Organic rice flour and sunflower lecithin. Capsule: Modified cellulose. Contains: Fermented soy.     Naturally gluten free. 100& vegetarian; no artificial flavors or colors.

Group B Strep

I had my 37th week appointment today, which went okay. I finally got to meet the last of the midwives, and she was really nice and easy for me to talk to. I feel better now that I've met all of the midwives, and would be happy having any one of them there with me when I go into labor.

Today I found out the results of my Group B Strep (GBS) test that I took last week. Unfortunately, it was positive. This means that I am going to have to be given antibiotics during labor. I guess it's not really that big of a deal, but I really hate needles and I am bummed that I am going to have to be hooked up to an IV. But it's better to be safe, and being on the antibiotics decreases the chances of the baby getting a GBS infection from about 1/200 to 1/4,000 if everything else during labor is healthy and normal (If a baby gets a GBS infection they can suffer from conditions such as meningitis and even death). The antibiotics will need to be administered as soon as my water breaks, if my water happens to break before I go into active labor. This, however, only happens to a small percentage of women. But if I hadn't had tested positive for GBS and my water broke, I would be able to stay at home until I was in active labor as long as the amniotic fluid looked and smelled normal. Otherwise, I won't have to be in the hospital until I am in active labor (contractions 3-4 minutes apart). They like to get a dose of antibiotics in at 4 hours before the baby is born. So if I am in labor for an extended period of time, they will keep administering the antibiotics every four hours. The midwife said that it takes about half an hour for the antibiotics to go in, and that I will be able to walk around with the IV if I want. After it is administered, I will be unhooked and free. I will still be able to labor in water and even give birth in water if that's what I choose to do. So overall, it's really not that big of a deal, I just have to not be a wimp about having something stuck in my arm, which I think I can do. The midwife gave me a great handout about how I can attempt to clear GBS from my system so that if I have the baby anytime after 41 weeks, I can get tested again and possibly not have to have the antibiotics. Here is what the handout said:

GBS is a bacteria present in the bodies of about 30% of healthy adults. There are natural treatments to help eliminate GBS and restore healthy balance to the body. These herbs strengthen your immune system and help to restore normal vaginal flora. You may choose to do some, or all, of the following remedies. Doing so will increase the chance of testing GBS negative and avoiding antibiotics in labor:

• Acidophilus/probiotics, 4-6 capsules per day, or eat a lot of plain cultured yogurt every day

• 500 mg of vitamin C every day

• Echinacea- tincture, capsule, or tea, as directed on product

• Bee Propolis, as directed on product

• Eat a lot of fresh garlic every day

Ways to get garlic down if you prefer not to cook with it:  

~Chop a clove of fresh garlic and mix with a teaspoon of honey. Swallow this without chewing it.

~Make a garlic elixir by blending 1/2 cup of honey, 1/4 cup of apple cider vinegar, and a bulb of fresh garlic. Take 1/2 teaspoon up to twice a day or mix with olive oil and use as a salad dressing or bread dip

~Take garlic perles (over the counter) according to the dosage on the brand you purchase.

I kind of wish I had known this information beforehand so that I could have tried to test negative for GBS the first time around. But I guess GBS comes and goes through peoples' systems normally, and just because you may or may not have it early on, things can change at the end of pregnancy. Even still, I probably would have actively been trying to prevent a positive result throughout my pregnancy. I had a very bad experience going on antibiotics a couple of years ago, where there was a chance I might develop Lyme disease (I had a questionable rash on my leg after working in a high risk area) so they treated me to prevent contraction of the disease. The first antibiotic I took made me sick to my stomach and I couldn't keep it down. So they tried a second type that made me more susceptible to sunlight (a bad thing when you are working in a salt marsh 8-10 hours a day in 95 degree weather), and I was able to keep it down though it made me feel kind of crummy still. I also had to wear long sleeves, a hat, gloves (my hands got sunburned the first day I didn't wear any, despite putting sunblock on them every hour), and lots of high SPF sunblock. The antibiotics gave me horrible digestive issues and yeast infections off and on for over a year, until I found some great vitamins that helped me get my system back to normal (New Chapter Organics). So now I am a bit nervous about having to deal with antibiotics again, though now I have a better idea of how to get my system back on track than I did last time I dealt with this.

Besides this GBS annoyance, everything else is going well. My blood pressure is normal, and I am measuring normal at 36.5 inches (height of fundus). The baby's heart rate was in the normal range, and he is in a great position (though he is still moving around at this point). The midwife was giggling because she felt how his feet like to push right into my ribs. Hopefully everything stays on track and the baby and I are healthy and happy all the way through labor and childbirth.

36th Week of Pregnancy Update

36th Week of Development

It's hard to believe that today is the final day of my pregnancy before I am considered full term. It seems like it went by too quickly to me, but we are feeling prepared for Mattimeo's arrival at this point. The nursery is all set (I am going to save pictures of that for the next post) and we have everything we need; I just have to pack my hospital bag and have that ready. This is all very exciting and unreal.

Lots of fun things thing report from over the last week or so. To start with, last Friday Robbie had a "dadchelor party". This was something I read about in an article online (http://newsfeed.time.com/2011/06/15/dadchelor-parties-first-time-fathers-party-hard-before-babies-arrive/) and shared with Robbie. Of course he thought it sounded like a great idea, and made plans right away. Basically a dadchelor party is one last time to hang out with all your guy friends, get drunk and do whatever the heck you want before you become a father (a lifetime and life-changing commitment). It as not as though he still won't be able to hang out and have fun with friends once he is a father, but it is a pretty cool way to celebrate the end of an era and the start of a new one. Our awesome friend Gib agreed to host a party at his house, and Robbie had great time hanging out, drinking, eating yummy snacks and playing video games with his best friends. He drank himself into quite a stupor, and I ended up picking him up at 2:00 in the morning because he wasn't in a state to walk home (I didn't mind because I had just got up for a snack anyways). When I talked to him in the morning though, he reported that he had an amazing time, and I am really glad he did that. I am also glad he had the party sooner rather than later, because the last thing I need is to go into labor when my husband is off somewhere too drunk to drive me to the hospital!

On Sunday, Robbie and I went to one last class at the Birthplace- Safe starts: Infant safety and CPR. The class was about four hours long and covered a ton of material. First we went over home safety. We watched a video about all kinds of safety issues in the home, then had to fill out a form to rate how safe our homes are for babies.The teacher gave us some great handouts that outline all the things we saw in the video which will be a great reference when we need to childproof our apartment. The second part of class focused on CPR and foreign body airway obstruction techniques. We all had our own dummies to practice giving CPR to babies and small children, as well as to assist with choking babies and children. They have really simplified things since the last time I took a first aid class which makes the thought of having to rescue someone a bit less daunting. Now, no matter if you are giving CPR to a baby, child or adult, you are supposed to give 30 compressions, check their airway, and give 2 breathes. We practiced lots of different scenarios, which if nothing else, helped us to remember those numbers to start to make it second nature as to what needs to be done in an emergency. Finally, we discussed car seat safety. A lot of the stuff about car seat safety was review for Robbie and I since we already went to a car-seat safety check a couple of weeks ago, but it was still nice to go over. There is so much information about infant safety, it's almost overwhelming. For the most part though a little common sense will take us a long way. I think that class was really great and gave us important information that we wouldn't necessarily have thought of on our own...I am glad we went.

Thursday I had another appointment at Back Cove Midwives. This time Robbie decided to work from home for the day so he could go in with me, which I was really happy about. Part of this visit was to have a Group B Strep Test. This just involved me going into the bathroom and taking a sample with a sterile swab of inside my vagina and along my perineum. Group B Strep is a bacteria found in some people's digestive systems, but because of the relative closeness of the anus and vagina, sometimes this bacteria can pass to the vagina. This bacteria is harmful to infants, so if pregnant women test positive, they are usually set up with an IV the pumps antibiotics into them while they are in labor to prevent the baby from getting sick (For more information: http://www.americanpregnancy.org/pregnancycomplications/groupbstrepinfection.html). Only about 25% of women test positive for the bacteria (and it seems to be random who has or doesn't have it), so hopefully I test negative. I would really rather not go through labor with an IV hooked up to me, as I hate needles and it freaks me out to have things stuck in my arm. I will find out next week what my results were. The rest of the appointment went well. Robbie and I have written a birth plan, which outlines how we want different situations to be treated through labor, childbirth and beyond while we are in the birthing center. It's main advantage is that any new person who comes into my room knows that we are planning on having a relaxed, natural birth and prevents people from asking me millions of questions while I am focusing on birthing a baby.We went over our birth plan with the mid-wife and she helped us to cross out things that are unnecessary to write down because they are done automatically at Mercy, as well as offer any suggestions she had. Now I will make a final draft, and I will give copies of that to the midwives next week to keep in my file as well as bring copies to the hospital. The normal part of the appointment went well. Both the baby and I are healthy. The height of my fundus this week was 35 inches, and the babies heart rate was normal. She noticed that he had dropped down quite a bit. She said he is not fully engaged yet, but definitely low and flirting with the idea. She told me to try to keep him in there until at least 38-39 weeks because even though 37 weeks is full term, there can still be complications.

I believe this is what you would call "nesting"

The rest of the week was great. I got to see my good friend Josh on Friday, who I haven't seen since I became pregnant since he was working on finishing up his Master's degree in Florida and spent a little over a month visiting Zambia (where he had traveled to during the peace corps a couple years ago). We went for a nice, long walk to catch up and it was really great to see him again. Its nice when seeing an old friend feels so natural as though no time has passed at all. Friday night was the first Friday art walk in Portland. Our friend Gib recently acquired some studio space and was on display in a gallery. So Robbie and I went to go check it out and ended up hanging out there most of the night. While we were there we met up with another old friend that we hadn't seen since college, which was really great.

The state of our balcony garden as of now

The state of our balcony garden as of now: angel's trumpet

The state of our balcony garden as of now

The state of our balcony garden as of now: basil and rosemary

The seeds I planted at the beginning of the season are coming up

The state of our balcony garden as of now: begonias

Some of Gib's art up at the Dooryard

Finally, on Saturday Robbie and I made a trip to Waterboro to go strawberry picking at Doles Orchard. This is the farm I used to work at off an on: once for a summer, and then again in autumn a couple years later. The owners, Nancy and Earl, are really great people and it was nice to see them again and be back on the farm. They are having a really great year for strawberries fortunately, and we picked a flat of berries in about 1/2 hour. Robbie's mom and dad came with us, which made the experience even more enjoyable. After picking berries we went to his parents house to visit and do some laundry. The cloth diapers we got need to be washed a couple of times before use, so we wanted to do that in order to get ready for the baby's arrival. Robbie also helped his parents move wood down into their basement, then played Borderlands with his Dad while I finished up laundry and took a walk with his mom to the lake to dip our feet in the water and get some exercise. After visiting his parents, we went to see my Dad and Sue for a little bit, then went to see my brother and his family on our way home. My brother's in-laws are having a big campout at their house for the holiday, so we got to see lots of people and cute dogs. Our nephew Bryce is 8 months old now and is growing into a really handsome and happy little boy, it was good to see him as well as Brian and Nicole.

Robbie's mom picking berries at Doles Orchard

Robbie's dad picking berries at Doles Orchard

Robbie eating berries at Dole's Orchard

Me picking berries at Doles Orchard

Picking strawberries (36 weeks pregnant)

Strawberries at Doles Orchard

Strawberries at Doles Orchard

Robbie picking berries at Doles Orchard

Strawberries at Doles Orchard

Robbie and his Mom moving wood

Robbie transporting the wood

Robbie's dad bringing the wood down to the basement for their heat this fall/winter

Drying come of our cloth diapers on the line