Food Poisoning and the Missed Bradley Class

Sean, Me, Andrea, Brittney and Kirby went out to Applebee's on Monday night and had a grand old time. It was hours after that though that Sean had a horrible experience. He got food poisoning from the sliders he had. (His mistake for not going with the crowd and getting wings like everyone else did lol) He woke up Tuesday morning with a stomachache and he was throwing up and other details I will not share... yeah .. you probably figured it out.. It was bad. Poor honey. I hate seeing him sick and weakly. He stayed home and slept most of the day. When I got home from work I took care of him and we just watched some netflix. 7pm came and went and we missed our Bradley Class. We were both really bummed to miss out but he was not in any condition to be leaving the house. I sent a text to the instructor and she said she would send us an email with the info from the class. We were going to learn about the second stage of labor. We have the workbook at home so we are going to read it tomorrow when Sean is feeling better. Today is Wednesday and he is still feeling sickly. He isn't throwing up anymore but he is still weak and has a bad stomachache. Seeing him sick today just made me realize even more how blessed I really am. Even though he isn't feeling well he still was asking me how I was and if there was anything I needed. He just takes care of me no matter what even when he is the one who needs taking care of. Man I am one lucky women. Of course I told him I was fine and to let me just take care of him. Well that is all that is going down in the land of Howell. I hope he starts to feel better asap! Our baby shower is this weekend and its co-ed so he is supposed to be there.

Papa & Mama Rogers

My parents are the epitome of cute couple. Don't believe me? Well Shun the Non-believer!! Because its just a fact of life. I just love them! My whole life I watched the in awe at how sweet, loving, supportive, silly, real and honest they are with each other. Is there marriage perfect with no quarrels or hard times? Of course not! They aren't robots. But even with those tough times I've seen the love that is there.

Mostly they are just down right adorable together. I love the dynamic their marriage has. They tease each other, laugh, and play. I love seeing my dad talk about my mom. He gets this glaze of tears over his eyes as he is expressing his feelings for her. He loves her more than anything in the world, more than himself. My mom takes care of my dad and ensures his happiness. They put each other first. I love how they still act like newlyweds sometimes. Mom gets giddy when Dad tells her how beautiful she is. haha He called her his trouphy wife last night and it made her laugh so much but we could tell she loved it. Dad told Sean and I that a couple people came up to them at church yesterday and told them that they are such a sweet couple to watch and how it makes them feel good to see such a happy marriage. Mom still calls dad while he is at work just to let him know she is thinking about him and she loves him. Dad still opens doors, and all the gentlemen things a man should do. Dad never leaves without getting a kiss. They hold hands as the walk. Dad sings love songs to mom. Mom makes special meals for dinners because she knows dad likes them.

Just writing this post makes me tear up. It is just amazing to see such great acts of love in the simple actions. I know that Sean and I are on the path of having a marriage like my parents. He loves me and I love him <3 We may have our hard times but the good times are definitely more often and unequivocally outweigh the bad. Sean makes me happy :) He is so amazing and sweet and pretty much everything I could ever want in my life. There is just a lot of love in this post. If you feel the need to go puke from all the cuteness its ok I understand, but don’t be surprised when you puke rainbows and hearts because of all the love you just read.

Bradley Class #5--- Labor Practice

This class was my favorite one so far. It was nice to be able to put into practice the things we have been learning. The name of this lesson was “Introduction to First Stage of Labor” The first stage is considered beginning with the first contraction to the point of pushing. 

The reason for why labor starts isn’t a for sure fact but there is a theory which Sean and I think sounds the best. I thought this was interesting and kind of a “duh”.  It is said that when the baby’s lungs are finished developing and ready to work in the outside that a hormone is produced and that starts labor. So the baby in all actuality starts labor. Makes you think twice about doing a scheduled birth when you know that the labor starts when the baby is ready and that starting before then could be before the baby is ready to survive outside the womb. 

To begin class we started out with a question as usual. We each gave baby and news updates and then the coaches (Husbands) were asked to tell where the mom tensed up first and then the moms were to say if he was correct and if not tell him where it was. All the husbands did great and knew exactly where the moms tensed first. Knowing that information is very important so that the husbands can be ready to relieve the pain as best as they can with massage or other touch techniques. 

We then dove right into the lesson of how a mother’s body works in labor. We talked about Braxton Hicks, contractions, dilation, effacement, and the position of the baby. We also talked about what the Bradley Method calls “The Natural Alignment Plateau” This refers to a period of time during labor when the cervix stops dilating although contractions continue. It often ends with a quick dilation of the cervix. This natural phenomenon occurs in a large number of births, but is rarely talked about in the modern world of obstetrics. Dr. Emmanuel Friedman was the first doctor to create a graph of how a woman “should” dilate.  The name of this graph, which is still used today is called Friedmans Graph.  He determined that it was best for a woman to dilate 1 cm / hour until reaching 10cm. The problem with his chart is that most women do not dilate according to a chart or graph.  Even though many will coincidentally dilate in a similar pattern of 1 cm/ hour, there is a large group of women that will not. 

The Natural Alignment Plateau is one example of what many women commonly do.  A woman will be in labor and seems to be “progressing” (meaning dilating at a speed nurses or doctors want) just fine, and then “stop progressing” (break of no dilation). This is usually when a doctor or nursing staff will tell the mother that she is experiencing “failure to progress” and want to start her on Pitocin, or they may not even state that its Pitocin that they want to put her one, but instead just tell the mother that they are going to give her “a little something to speed things up”.  Once Pitocin is introduced a string of many other drugs may be administered, including an epidural or C-section. The period of time in which there is no progression can last anywhere from 20 minutes to 1-5 hours. However, what usually happens afterward is a rapid dilation at the end.  Reasons for the N.A.P (stall in progression) could be: Softening of cartilages, balancing of hormones, production of immunities for the baby, certain muscles groups needing a break, the baby may be in need of more contractions which massage the baby and stimulate its nervous and prepare it's lungs for breathing on the outside and physical alignment, meaning the baby is moving in position to come down the cervix.
Here is a picture of the Nautral Alignment Plateau graph: 

 The black solid line labeled average represents the expected rate of dilation. The dotted blue line represents the N.A.P. See how the "average" just goes up steadily, then the "N.A.P" has a straight line of "stalling" and then jets up to progression. 

We then talked about how to time contractions. Contractions are times from the start of one to the start of another. Sean and I decided to just download an app on his ipod to time them for us so we don’t have to have him sitting there staring at a clock or watching counting. It will be much easier to just push a button at the start of one and the start of another and have the app calculate the time in between contractions. This way he will have more focus on me rather than figuring out contractions.

Then we had on overview of what happens in the first stage and transition of labor. Transition is the term used to describe the period of time between the first stage and second stage of labor. It is often a short but stressful time. This is typically when mothers might ask for pain medication but not really want them just trying to express how difficult she feels the process is. Soon after this time the baby comes. We have a chart in our workbook that has the emotional signs, behavior of the mother, physical signs, what the contractions are like, sensations, needs and reminders to the coaches for the early first stage, first stage, and transition of labor.

The best part of the class was the end where we did a practice first stage of labor. It sounds odd but think about it. With anything else big in your life do you just jump in a wing it or do you prepare yourself to do your best? That’s what we are being taught in these classes so it makes sense to put them into practice so that on the actual day of birth mother and father are prepared and know what to do. At first it felt weird to be practicing a contraction but then we got in to it and benefited from it. We are going to practice contractions every night before bed so that we can discuss what my needs are and what Sean can do to be ready to support me. Now you may be confused how anyone can practice a contraction when they have never been in labor and can have no clue what it would really be like. Well here is your answer. Sean pinched me really really hard and I had to figure out how to work through it. . . . Now if you believed that then you will believe that my baby is actually coming out of my belly button! Haha Jk!! Here is what really took place.

Rachel sat in the front of the room and all the couples spread out throughout the area. The mothers laid down on their sides with the husbands at their heads. Rachel then would say “contraction begins” and we would go about what we expect to do when the mother is actually having a contraction. Then after a minute and a half (the length of an average contraction) she would say “contraction ends”.  Then the husband would help the mother move into whatever position is comfortable if needed or give her water, give her a pep talk whatever he felt she needed at that moment and then prepare her for the coming contraction.

Sean had a hard time this practice. He is shy with people he doesn’t know and he got nervous to talk. No one was listening because we were all involved in our own thing doing the practice with our partners but he still felt like someone was going to hear him. During the “contractions” he didn’t know what to say so he would say things like “good job honey”, “it’s almost over” and “keep going”. Hahaha! The last one was just the silliest. I know he was trying to be supportive and helpful but I told him that if he said that during labor it would probably just annoy me. Because what else am I going to do other than keep going? Stop in the middle of a contraction because it’s just too hard? We both had a good laugh at that. After doing 7 practice contractions Rachel talked with us a bit more about doing the practice at home and then we were dismissed.

On the way home from the class Sean and I discussed the “keep going” incident (again with much laughter) and talked about what other things he might say to encourage me. I know that when I am in labor he will know what needs to be said to calm me. He has this great gift of insight into my mind. I don’t even have to say anything and he knows what I’m feeling and thinking. It’s truly amazing how well he knows me. He always knows exactly what to say to calm me or make me laugh. It’s like the words are just placed in his head straight from my own of what I need. I can do anything as long as I have him there with me. I remember when I was in high school thinking about the idea of giving birth and how scary it seemed. This labor stuff doesn’t sound so scary now that I know more about what is going to happen and I have such a great support from my most amazing, loving husband.

The dreams of a pregnant woman

I have been very peculiar dreams as of late. I think it’s the hormones and just being busy and thinking too much before I go to bed. Here are some examples of the strange dreams.

Stadium Labor

I went into labor and I was on the field in a stadium and people were sitting in the bleachers cheering my on as I was having contractions. My friend ( I can’t remember now which one it was but I think it might have been Jessica) had a foam finger on even and was waving it around saying “you’re number one!” Sean was there coaching me along. That’s all I remember from this dream. Sooooo weird.

Roommates

Our friends Ben and Melissa moved in with us because they needed help with rent. But the weird part was they were sleeping in our bed and Sean and I had to sleep on the hide-a-bed in the living room. But all of our stuff was still in the bedroom and we had to go back and forth between there and the living room. Melissa kept asking us why we were constantly going in her room. Then we made dinner together and ate. Completely random.

Sean doesn’t love me

Sean was lying in bed next to me and I turn over to look at him and he is crying. I ask him why he is sad and he says “I’m just not sure if I love you or just like things about you”  I just sat there watching him cry.

Sister Stole my Baby

I was in labor but then when I delivered Noah the doctor handed the baby to Andrea. I said something about him being mine and give him to me but everyone just looked at me like I was crazy for saying that. Andrea went home with him.

Lost Car

I don’t remember much about this one just that my car was lost and I was upset when I woke up.

Food

Someone was in our kitchen and ate all of our food. That’s all I remember but obviously this is a traumatic thought for a pregnant woman.

&*@!#

This one is the most vivid dream I have had. I was in labor at the hospital and the contractions were getting really hard to handle. I then started “cussing” and everyone was really shocked. The very odd thing is even in my dreams I don’t really cuss. There was asterisks (#$!@*) coming out of my mouth like in a cartoon and there as even beeping. (Later as I told Andrea and Sean this dream they both said “yeah only you would not even cuss in your head, haha) I was so distraught in my dream and mad at myself for letting the “cuss words” slip out. Amanda and Justin, my sister and brother, appeared in the delivery room and started laughing at me saying “haha I knew she would cuss”. Later the next morning when I woke up I was still upset at myself for cussing. Then all that day all I kept having thoughts of what if that really happened and it was a real concern. Sean later calmed my nerves and said that I would be fine and he doubts that would actually happen.

Those are the dreams that come to mind right now. There have been many many more but I can't remember the details of them. I am sure there are much more to come in the next 9ish weeks.  

Sean's Surprise Pre-Birthday Fun

Sean's birthday is actually this coming Sunday June 5th but seeing as it is on a Sunday that limits the activities for celebration. We decided that we would celebrate on Sunday with his family, the Monday after with my family and just me and him on the Friday before (today). Yes that makes three days of Birthday celebrations. (This Saturday is my sister Robyn's baby shower, she is coming from Wyoming for it) Necessary? Well of course, it’s my honey’s birthday. We should party all month to commemorate him coming into this world. But I guess that would be a lot of planning so instead we settled for 3 days. To his unknowing, I however, planned yet another day of festivity. I texted our friends and family and informed them of my surprise plans. Sean has never had a surprise birthday bash that he didn’t figure out and I was determined to give him a genuine surprise. The plan was for everyone to meet at the Applebee’s at 9pm and us show up at 9:10pm. It worked out perfectly.

Sean and I were sitting at home last night watching some Netflix entertainment and I leaned in and kissed his cheek and said “I really want wings… can we please go to Applebee’s?” His response was not the preferable one. “But we already ate I won’t want to eat anything” To which I said “We ate 2 hours ago and it was just noodles, Please Please Please I’m pregnant and hungry and I want wings” haha Yes that’s right I pulled the pregnancy card. And Sean is just the sweetest man alive and wants nothing more than to make his loving wife happy so he gave in. Let me tell you though he was not that happy about it. In fact he was a bit grumpy. In his defense he had just gone to the gym 3 hours before that and forgot to eat right after so he had an upset stomach until we ate at 6pm. Then he ended up somehow sitting on my bowl of noodles while we were watching Netflix. So the night just didn’t have the best start. He cheered up as we drove to Applebee’s though so that was nice.

We got there and walked inside and it took him a second to realize all the people there were people he knew and there for him. Haha. It was priceless, everyone yelled “SURPRISE!!!!” and Sean just got this big smile on his adorable face. His happiness just makes me happy and I felt good that I had done well. There was a huge group there just for him, it was 24 people. Sadly his mom, sister and brothers couldn’t make it due to sickness, other plans or it being too late in the evening. His brother Jimmy and his girlfriend made it so that was nice. Also my parents, sisters and brother were able to make it and then a bunch of our friends. Sean said he had a blast and I think everyone else really enjoyed the time hanging out. We were there until 12am. A nice addition to the night was that it was karaoke night ( I wasn’t aware of this until getting there). A couple of people from our group went and sang as well so that was awesome. So that was the beginning of the string of  merriment plans for Sean’s 29^th Birthday. Many more fun times are to come. Tonight Sean and I are going to dinner just the two of us and then probably a movie. Here are some pictures of the fun last night.

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The Case of the Missing Belly Button and Hide & Seek Feet!

So we had another prenatal appointment today after work. Sean and I left very confident in our doctor. He is so great and we can tell he really cares about us and our little Noah. We asked him if he does routine episiotomies’ and he said no. He said unless I want one he prefers not to do them because you tear around veins naturally and when you do the cut it is a straight cut and is likely to hit veins. Also he said that if it is medically needed he will do an episiotomy only if I say its ok. Sean and I were quite happy with that response. I would prefer not to have one but if I am going to tear the wrong way or something then of course I would prefer the cut. Sorry if this is too graphic for anyone reading. I don’t think its graphic but seeing as how I’ve been watching birth videos lately I guess I’m not too sensitive about this all. So anyway on to the rest of the appointment, Dr. Hazzelrigg said that the results for my blood work and the glucose test were perfect. My blood sugar, iron, protein everything was the exact levels they want in an ideal pregnant woman. Go Me! Partial credit goes to Sean for taking such wonderful care of me and making sure I eat well and do everything to make my tummy the perfect place for Noah to grow. He said he put him there for safe keeping so I need to do everything I can to make him comfortable. Haha Sean is just too darn cute!  After the doctor went over the test results and answered our questions he talked about Braxton Hicks. I had one on Monday but since then I haven’t felt any. Most women don’t even know when they have one because they don’t hurt like real contractions. Braxton Hick contractions are sporadic uterine contractions that start about 6 weeks into your pregnancy, although you won't be able to feel them that early. Dr. Hazzelrigg said that they are infrequent, irregular, and essentially painless. Sometimes, though, Braxton Hicks contractions are hard to distinguish from early signs of preterm labor.  So if I have more than 4 in one hour I am to call the office and come in as soon as possible because it could be real contractions and preterm labor. I should be getting another ultra sound pretty soon here. I can’t wait because we want to see Noah’s face. Sean says he really likes our doctor and he is glad he feels so secure with Dr. Hazzelrigg.

In other news: I can no longer see my feet when standing straight and looking down. Also we have now opened the case of the missing belly button! Oh the joys pregnancy brings to a women’s body. Haha. 

My feet have disappeared!!

See how my belly button is flat! Its so weird because I used to have a deep inie.

Bradley Class #4

Class 4 was about the Coach's role in the pregnancy, labor and delivery. We were privileged to have a fresh labor story from a couple that was in Rachel's Bradley class last series. The couple had just had their baby boy 2 weeks ago and the details were still very fresh in their minds. It was so great hearing how they used things they had learned in the class in their labor. I know it was the woman in labor but from the story we learned that it was very much labor for the husband as well. Obviously just not as much labor or work as what the mother was doing but still it was a work out. He said that days after he was sore from supporting her with his knees and his hands were sore from massaging for 6 hours straight. The things loving husbands do to support their wives.  They brought their new baby to the class as well and he was just so darn adorable. We were then asked what each of us what we needed to do to better prepare ourselves for the great event. Sean and I decided that we needed to do better with our stretches and exercises. Also I need to learn how to just relax and stop always trying to think ahead. haha Trust me it sounds a lot easier than it actually is. But Sean is helping me learn how to just be ok in the moment and not constantly be thinking ahead. The relaxation technique this week was Mental Relaxation. It has to do with what you are thinking about. Self explanatory. The objective in this exercise is for the husband to coach the wife through relaxing thoughts. There are many ways of doing this. First he gets her in a comfortable position, has her close her eyes and then either reads a story, poem, or has music playing. One really good idea is for him to recite a memory of something that was relaxing to her in the past. In the class Sean whispered to me memories of our honeymoon and days of just relaxing at home. I think this technique will be very helpful to me in labor. It will make time seem to pass more quickly.

We then discussed different "coaching cues" for the husbands to use during the stages of labor. We got a whole list of cues for the husband to say. Some of them were: Massage her fee, Hold her hand and tell her you love her, Talk about how well the baby will handle the labor birth and its transition into this world because it is undrugged, help her to sleep between contractions, read to her, give her a pep talk, wipe her forehead with a cool towel, remind her the more relaxed she is the sooner it will be over. And many many more. Sean and I have decided to go over our birth plans every night just so that we will remember them when the time comes and it will just be a second nature. I am getting more and more anxious for it to be August already but at the same time I'm grateful for the time to prepare myself and Sean. Tomorrow we have a doctor appointment and I'll give another update about how me and Noah are doing.

For now here is an update from the Sean husband man:
Hello blog people! It has been a while since I have written anything on the blog so, I beg your forgiveness if I'm a little rusty. Life is going well for us. I am really enjoying our Bradley class. It is helping me to feel more confident in my ability to help Deana with the birth of our son. I am quite excited for Noah to be born and for us to be able to be his parents. We have been waiting a long time for him to come and are very excited that the wait is almost over. That's about all that's going on with me theses days, so, until next time......

Family Picture! Deana, Sean and baby Noah