Nothing new to report. I have signs that it’s coming soon but soon could be considered weeks in labor terms. I’m hoping soon means just a couple more days. There’s snow coming after midnight tonight and tomorrow is Valentine’s Day - the one day I don’t want to have the baby – so we’ll see if weather and Murphy’s Law have an effect on childbirth.
The twinges got within 5 minutes last night so we went to triage to be safe. The good news is that I’m not crazy – I was having contractions. The bad news is that I’m not any more dilated than I was the day before. After about an hour of monitoring, they sent us home. No baby yet.
I’m still having contractions today but I’m not even trying to keep track of them. I’m just resting and relaxing after the last two days of drama.
With one week left until my due date, today is my last day of work. YAY! We have two holidays (Thursday and Monday) so I figured I may as well take two vacation days to get the entire extra week off. It’s such a relief to not have to worry about going into labor at the office and who will take over my unfinished work. Everything is done so there are no more worries.
As far as labor progression goes, I’m still trying to figure out what a contraction feels like. I think they might be pretty steady in the 8-10 minute range right now because I feel a small, sharp twinge in my lower stomach about that often. I was feeling it about every 20 minutes this morning. Very easily could be nothing though. If I notice these twinges getting closer together tonight, I’ll go to triage. If not, I’ll see what’s going on tomorrow and maybe call my doctor.
I wish I could give a more definitive picture of where things are but I might just have lucked out and gotten the good birthing genes. Thanks Mom!
Well that was interesting. I went in for my weekly doctor appointment this morning and wound up spending 3.5 hours in triage before finally being sent home. My blood pressure was high and my urine tested positive for protein which are two key signs of preeclampsia. I’ve also had swelling in my hands and feet for weeks. Typically the swelling comes on quickly and there’s a large weight gain when caused by preeclampsia and mine has been gradual so my doctor wasn’t 100% sure about it.
The hospital is in the building next to my doctor’s office so I walked over (outside because the weather was so nice today!) to triage and checked in. I had to do another urine test on an empty bladder and change into a gown. They hooked me up to monitors for blood pressure, baby’s heart rate, baby’s movement and contractions; and they drew some blood. Then all I could do was sit and wait for the test results.
About an hour and a half later, I got the lab results. Everything looked good except there was still some protein in my urine. Because everything else looked so healthy and my blood pressure had dropped in the time I was there, they wanted to do one more urine test… with a catheter! Yikes! Turns out it wasn’t so bad. It hurt a little but for the most part I laughed. I have no idea why it made me laugh but it did. The nurse said that’s the first time anyone has ever laughed while having a catheter inserted. Anyway, that test was clean – no protein – so they checked with the on call doctor and decided to send me home.
The monitoring showed the baby is doing fine and I’m having contractions even though I’m not feeling them. They’re not all that strong yet though. The doctor also said I’m 2cm dilated and I think I heard her say to a nurse that I’m 70% effaced. I don’t know who else she would have been talking about because she had just examined me so I think that’s right. I’m hoping I can get through my last day of work tomorrow and then that kid is free to join us any time! The sooner, the better!
Today’s experience was good for me. I got to see what happens when I get to triage so I’ll be prepared for the real thing. I also got a chance to mentally prepare myself for the delivery to not go according to my birth plan. Had they induced, everything would have been thrown out of whack. I had to rethink the entire plan on my walk from the doctor’s office to triage – call Brian, call work, make sure someone can pick up my unfinished work where I left off, where did I leave off with my work?, tell Brian what to pack in my hospital bag (I still haven’t pack it), will I get to eat something?, I’ll have to have an epidural if I get pitocin – it was not how I thought it would go. By the time I got to triage though, I had let go of the picture I had in my head and was ready to go with the flow. The nurses even commented that they were surprised it was my first baby because I was so calm. I was in good hands though. What was there to worry about?
Two weeks to go until my due date and the doctor says I’m not even close to delivering. That can change very quickly but I was hoping I’d already be on my way. I guess it’s time to get down and scrub some floors! The good news is that the baby’s head is down, and has been for several weeks, and it’s finally stopped kicking me in the ribs. I’ve also seen some contractions on the monitor at the doctor’s office but I can’t feel any difference between that and the baby kicking me. Hopefully that’s a sign that I’ll be able to deliver without any drugs. It might depend on when the little bugger decides to come out though – it’s estimated to be close to 8 pounds right now!
Autumn is a great time of year. Football games, post-season baseball and open windows. I love it! Unfortunately, there’s something in the air this time of year making me miserable. I haven’t bothered with getting tested to find out exactly what causes it. I just know that when the weather changes in September, I’m in for itchy eyes and sneezing until that first frost.
Sometimes I take a Claritin-D in the morning and a Benadryl in the evening but they don’t always help. Not wanting to go on prescription allergy medicine, I turned to natural remedies and discovered rooibos tea.
Rooibos tea, sometimes called red tea, comes from the rooibos plant in South Africa. It has a red-brown color and a slightly sweet but nutty flavor. Like other teas, it is high in antioxidants and full of health benefits. Rooibos is caffeine-free and has been shown to help alleviate nervous tension, allergies and indigestion.
Having discovered this information, I had to try it for myself. Last autumn, I drank rooibos tea nearly every day and suffered very little from my allergies. This year, I had forgotten about it until just recently and gave it another shot. Sure enough, I had temporary relief from my allergies.
It seems I would need to drink several cups of rooibos tea every day to keep allergies at bay. Normally I would have no problem with this but with pregnancy, I wasn’t sure how that much tea would affect the baby. I did some research and discovered it is generally considered safe during pregnancy. In South Africa, they often use it to treat colic in babies. Hopefully that means I’m getting a head start and will have some peaceful nights in my future.
Ah…ah…ah…chooooo!!!
With the start of school and passing of Labor Day comes changes to the weather in Chicago. And with changes to the weather comes cold and flu season. After two colds in three weeks, I can say with complete confidence the season is here.
Most years I get through the fall and winter months with a few minor colds and maybe a 24-hour flu bug. I credit my good fortune to a strong immune system created by a healthy diet, exercise and some key herbal supplements.
Throughout cold and flu season, it’s a good idea to stay hydrating with lots of filtered water. The air tends to be dry so you need more water than usual plus it helps flush your system. You also need to make sure you get plenty of sleep. Your body recovers while you sleep, giving your immune system time to restore itself for the next day. Don’t forget to continue daily exercise. It doesn’t need to be a lot but it needs to be something while you’re stuck indoors through the cold, winter months. If you need motivation, just remember that bathing suit season is right around the corner!
So far, nothing but no brainers for good health. But what happens when you’re suddenly surrounded by people coughing and sneezing? You need to increase your immune-boosting vitamins:
What about cold medicines? The truth about cold medicines is that they don’t actually help you get better. They only mask your symptoms to help you get through the work day. If this is what you need, by all means, go for it. I’ve been known to use Tylenol Cold when there is a big presentation on the line. In general though, it’s best to avoid such medicines and listen to your body’s needs as it fights off the invading virus. My few exceptions to this rule are the medicines that actually can help you get better:
In addition to these medicines and supplements, there are some great tools available to help you feel better. If your sinuses are causing you problems, invest in a neti pot and saline solution to flush out the mucous. If your throat is sore and the air is dry, use a humidifier. This is especially helpful if your nose is stuffed up so much that you’re breathing through your mouth.
Finally, a pregnancy lesson: Your body naturally lowers its immune system when you’re pregnant so it doesn’t attack the fetus because it’s a foreign body. If you’re pregnant during the fall and winter months, buy stock in Kleenex. All you can do is drink lots of water, sleep and take in as much vitamin c as possible. Consider all other medicines and supplements prohibited unless approved by your doctor. And carry hand sanitizer. You’ll want to keep your hands as germ free as possible!
It’s been exactly one year since I gave up my car and I don’t miss it one bit. Sure, it’d be nice to have when I need to go to the grocery store or I need to see someone in the suburbs. But in exchange for buying less groceries per trip and having someone drive me or pick me up from the train station, I don’t worry about a car payment, car insurance, gas prices, emergency car repairs, finding parking in my neighborhood or someone breaking into my car. Even though I have to plan ahead and occassionally bum rides off people, my life is much less stressful without a car.
In addition to the financial benefits, I can sleep well at night knowing that I’m not adding to the harm carbon emissions are causing to the planet.
So how do I get around without a car? Being in the great city of Chicago, I have many public transportation options using the elevated train, buses and metra trains to the suburbs. I can also walk to places within a mile or two, ride my bike to places within about 5-6 miles and take a cab if none of the above options are suitable.
“That’s great for you. You live in Chicago,” you might say. People do live without cars in less urban areas though. How To Live Well Without Owning A Car provides practical ideas for people without the luxury of public transportation, so you too can live without a car.
It’s been just one year. I’m looking forward to many, many more.
Yesterday I ran the 2007 OneAmerica 500 Festival Mini-Marathon, also known as the Indy Half Marathon. My goal was to finish without injury and under 2 hours and 30 minutes. I accomplished both. But that’s beside the point. I want to give you my thoughts on the race so you can decide whether you want to register for it next year. So, here we go…
Registration: Online. Closes in the late-fall/early-winter time frame so you want to sign up early.
Hotels: If you need one, book early. I booked through the 500 Festival and was very happy with my location at the Crowne Plaza on Louisiana Street. It was close enough to walk to the expo, to the start, from the finish and to local restaurants. The staff was also incredibly friendly and helpful. I highly recommend staying here.
Expo: Too crowded. It was easy enough to pick up my packet but the vendors were crammed together, leaving the aisles much too small for the number of people. I had wanted to shop a bit but was discouraged by the crowd and wound up spending just $5 on Gu.
Goody Bag: Very good. Several samples and a nice nylon bag. My only complaint here is that the t-shirt design is quite possibly the ugliest race shirt I’ve ever seen! It’s a long sleeve cotton shirt with an ugly, ugly picture on it. I’ll work on getting a picture uploaded for all to see.
Restaurants: Most places were over an hour wait the night before the race so make reservations early if you want to eat at The Old Spaghetti Factory. We had a reservation at Slippery Noodle but they started charging cover at 7:00 and didn’t bother to tell us that when we made the reservation so we went elsewhere. Jillian’s was a 45 minute wait… unless you eat at the bar in the game room. Plenty of booths, a full menu and good service. Perfect. I even got to have my favorite carb-loading meal: vegetable pasta alfredo. It was delicious!
Start Line: Very easy to enter the corral. Many races force you to walk up and down along the fencing until you finally find an opening which is too crowded to even get in so you jump the fence as close to your pace group as possible. This race had clearly marked entrances for the corrals, including volunteers making sure that people were in the right one. And you were allowed to start in a later corral if needed. For example, I was in corral F and my friend was in G. We wanted to run together so I entered G with her. No problems. Oh, and they handed out water at the start. Very nice.
The Race: The course was great. Aid stations were frequent, almost too frequent, and clearly marked. My one complaint there is that they had water and Gatorade at separate aid stations. I would have liked them to be together. Bands played along almost the entire course which helped provide extra energy. Mile markers were easy to see. Running around the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (home of the Indy 500) was also a very cool experience.
The Finish: Huge crowd cheering us on when we needed it most. Personally, I really struggled at the end. It was nice that they marked when we had 3/4 mile, 1/2 mile and 1/4 mile remaining. They did a good job of keeping the runners moving through the finish. I didn’t notice any bottleneck getting from the finish to having my chip removed from my shoe to receiving my medal to getting a water bottle from a volunteer.
Post-Race: The food spread was magnificent. Bananas, apples, chips, cookies, 100 calorie packs of oreos and cheese nips, Snickers Marathon bars and more Gatorade. I would have liked a different flavor of Gatorade available in a bottle though. After 13.1 miles of lemon-lime flavor, I’m ready for something different that I can carry around and sip on. They also offered post-race pictures with a nice backdrop. That caused a bit of a backup getting out of the food area. As for the post-race vendors and beer garden – it was really spread out and not easy to find anything. Fortunately, there were several “Ask Me” stations with volunteers to answer questions so they were able to direct me to the beer. Fortunately, the age on the bibs were valid enough proof to enter the beer garden because I forgot to bring my ID. We each got a free Miller Lite draft. Just what we needed after 13.1 miles!
Gear Check: I did not gear check but it appeared to be well organized. There were several Fed Ex trucks lined up and people were to check bags according to race number. There was even a sticker in the goody bag to attach to gear being checked.
Miscellaneous: There was a “family reunion” area post-race. Big signs with each letter of the alphabet so you can meet up with people after the race. For my group, it was just as easy to say “when you go in the beer garden, go to the left”. We all found each other just fine. But if you had people under 21, this would not have been an option in which case the family reunion signs would work very well. The “Ask Me” volunteers were very knowledgeable and helpful.
Overall, it’s a very well organized, well supported and well run race. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in running a half marathon.
It’s true. I like Granny Smith green apples best. But those aren’t the kind of apples I’m talking about. I’m referring to the company that brought us one of the two greatest inventions of the 21st century – the iPod. (Tivo is the other, for those who are wondering)
Greenpeace recently released their Green Electronics Guide and ranked Apple last among the leading mobile and PC manufacturers in the world. Rankings were based on global policies, how the companies eliminate harmful chemicals and what they do with their products after customers discard them.
With the surge in Apple’s popularity and customer loyalty, it is important that they take responsibility for their actions. But what can we do? The folks at Green My Apple are leading the charge. To date, over 45,000 Mac users have told Steve Jobs to go green. You can too.
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