Baby Poll!

Well I decided to do it again - we are hosting an online baby poll!   Guess gender, birth-date, weight, length and what time our little Intruder will be born.  With us going 'all natural' it makes guessing A LOT of fun!   Sorry, there are no prizes for winning other than the fact that you get bragging rights.  :)

Boy or a Girl?

When will s/he arrive?

Come anticipate with us!   Registration is NOT required but recommended if you think you might need to change your guess or if you want an email from the site letting you know if you won the poll or not.  Otherwise, just join us for a bit of fun.  The more the merrier.    I would also like to challenge the silent blog stalkers (ya know, if you read but never comment or if you only follow privately) to leave a guess and as your name/info you can just add that you are a blog reader - I would LOVE that!   So, what do ya say?  Takes less than a minute and it is a BLAST!!!

Click HERE to vote!

There is also a link on the side of the page - ExpectNet.com

ETA - pictures are up now.  :)

Grand Multipara

Definition:

Grand multipara: The term "multipara" applies to any woman who has given birth 2 or more times. A woman who has given birth 5 or more times is called a grand multipara.

For a pregnancy to count as a "birth", it must go to at least 20 weeks' gestation (the mid-point of a full-term pregnancy) or yield an infant that weighs at least 500 grams, irrespective of whether the infant is liveborn or not.

The term "multipara" is composed of two Latin words: "multi-" from "multus", much + "-para" from "pario", to bring forth = to bring forth much (in the way of children)

I have never been one for labels - especially ones that bring a negative connotation to them.   Grand Multipara to me is a way to label a woman that has had 'too many' kids.  If you look it up you find crazy stories like the Duggar family or ladies that have had so many children their vagina is gonna fall off.  Most of the women are in their mid-40's and look like they have a ton of kids.   A total stereotype!

When people ask me if this is my first pregnancy (HA!) or what number baby this is for me I always hesitate.    Well the first question I can answer pretty easily, but then what do I say?  How much do I want to share?  How much time do I have?   This is my fourth baby, but it is my sixth baby also.  I try to be honest - I like to educate people about surrogacy - and say something to the effect of:   "This is the fourth baby for my family but will be the 6th baby I deliver.  I was a surrogate mother for 2 other children."   Responses vary from shock and disbelief to admiration and everything in between.   The one I laugh at probably the most (and probably the most appreciative) is the: "Wow!   You don't look like you have had ___fill in the blank__ kids!"  Although I am not exactly sure what some one with ___fill in the blank__ kids should look like I take it as a compliment - because obviously from the look of shock on their face - it is!

While there are always risks involved with pregnancy and birth when you are labeled as a Grand Multipara you are now automatically considered high risk.  Although 90-95% of pregnancies labeled high risk deliver healthy, viable babies.  Some of the things that an OB would watch for would be rapid labor {yet women that have delivered multiple times also tend to have prodromal labor - start and stop, start and stop - more often}, and postpartum hemorrhaging due to having a 'tired' uterus.   A uterus that has lost muscle tone and doesn't clamp down quickly could lead to more blood loss.

 Luckily for me - I know all this, my midwives know all this and we are proactive in my health care.   My back up midwife will have pitocin on hand 'just in case' but I also know to nurse my baby as soon as possible and to take it easy!   With the birth of this baby, as with the last 2 I will be on restriction following the birth.  My plans are to deliver in my bathtub upstairs which means that is where I will be for the week following - upstairs.  In bed.  Relaxing.  Bonding.  Nursing.  Healing.  Resting.  'Cuz we all know that I don't want my guts falling out!!!   After a week I will be allowed downstairs - at first just one trip down and I'll be resting on the couch then back up stairs 'til the next day.  All this is done to help me heal and to promote good mother/baby bonding.   Even if I am an OLD mom with too many kids under my belt!   ;-)    
...and I could totally catch that Duggar lady if I wanted too.   I just don't want to..... well that and our house isn't be enough.  Oh yeah, and I nurse for too long.  My hubby wants to be done having kids at 50.  And............ 

Half Way!

Wow!  Can you believe it?  I made it - I have survived the first half of this pregnancy.   The second half I anticipate will be a quicker, fuller, more emotionally stable ride.   I can't wait!!!!

This little Intruder has been growing by leaps and bounds and it learning to stretch and bump at all hours.  Hubby has been able to feel the bumps more strongly now and the kids will probably be able to start being *still* enough to feel him/her soon also.

From one pregnancy site:  If you're having a girl, her uterus is now fully formed and her ovaries are holding about seven million primitive eggs. If you're having a boy, his testicles have begun their descent from the abdomen to their ultimate destination — the scrotum. And while your baby is definitely getting bigger (weighing in at about ten ounces and measuring six and a half inches), there's still plenty of growing room in there, which allows him to twist and turn (and allows you to feel his acrobatics!).   

And another about the way babies are measured:  Your baby weighs about 10 1/2 ounces now. He's also around 6 1/2 inches long from head to bottom and about 10 inches from head to heel — the length of a banana. (For the first 20 weeks, when a baby's legs are curled up against his torso and hard to measure, measurements are taken from the top of his head to his bottom — the "crown to rump" measurement. After 20 weeks, he's measured from head to toe.)

 I had my appointment last week with my midwife and I was measuring right on track and my iron has gone back up to 12.7!!  I am so excited that I got it up almost 3 whole points which is just about where it was pre-pregnancy.   We expect over the next 2-4 weeks that it will drop back down again as my body increases the blood supply for the duration of the pregnancy - all perfectly normal and to be expected.

Yesterday was not only my 20 week milestone it was also the beginning of my MOPS year.  MOPS is an international organization that is designed to help encourage, equip and develop women to be the best moms they can be.  I am the coordinator of our local group but I have been attending for about 5 years and I lovingly call it my 'sanity saver'.   :)  We meet 2x/month during the school year and it is 2 hours of hanging out with other moms while we enjoy a breakfast, a speaker, a craft & discussion time.  We are all in the same season of life - all of us have children kindergarten age or younger.  Yesterday I got to announce my pregnancy!   Well, most of the women knew I would probably be pregnant when we came back in the fall but I did get to clarify that this was *our* baby to a couple people that hadn't heard yet.  


Sometimes I am still blown away that we are having another baby - my oldest son is in 6th grade, my youngest son just started kindergarten this week and my little girl turns 3 in just a couple weeks.   My kids all seem to be spaced just perfectly for our family and I know 3+ years isn't a long spacing by any means.... just still surprises me.   Now when I think about it though, I smile.  I am done crying.     *smile*

Here is to another 20 weeks!!!     

19.1 Week Belly Shots

Okie dokie - I am getting close to half way, I can't believe it!!!    Yesterday my oldest 'baby' started 6th grade and next week my youngest son starts kindergarten........ Wow!!   I guess with each hope, anticipation & celebration of all the new milestones we forget that the days on the calendar keep turning.

I am posting TWO belly shots today - because of the way I carry (down & out) I have been very conscientious about making sure that my stomach muscles are always tight when I am walking around.  I don't want any complications and I *sure* don't need my muscles separating more than they already do.   {...and No, I haven't found my belly bra yet - I think it is time I break down and buy a new one.  Fiddles Sticks.}  So anyway, one shot is of me 'sucking in' and the other is just totally relaxed.  I hope to give you a chance to see what I say when I carry down and out - that I am not exaggerating!

So anyways - there you are.   Still not sure why I started wearing no shirt in the pictures, but I figure I might as well keep doing what I started doing.... kind of like wearing brown pants.  ;-)

Oh yeah, speaking of pants - I had a huge pity party on FB earlier this week.   I was whining about not having clothes that fit, wearing the same clothes that I have been wearing for the last 8 years blah, blah, blah.   Well, part of that is true.  I had worn a shirt that day that I realized I had worn when I went to the hospital to deliver my 2nd surro-son (and he turns 7 next month).  It is just an 'old' shirt.  I also have already had to retire 2 pairs of maternity jeans 'cuz they were too tight.  I did get 2 new shirts and 2 new pairs of jeans for this pregnancy, but I try not to wear the same pair of jeans for more than a week.....   *smile*  So yes, I am limited on my clothes.  Being pregnant 6 times in the last 12 years in totally different climates (sunny, Southern California & Oregon Coast), due dates/seasons different, styles changing, body changing it just gets OLD sometimes.  I was blessed with my pregnancy 4 years ago with my daughter - I got a box of maternity clothes from Liz Lange herself!! (total hook-up from my previous surro family) And no, not her Target line.... her Hollywood line.  Such NICE stuff.  There are a few pieces I wear regularly, but some of the stuff is just *way* too nice to wear where I live.....   Ho-hum.   So, after I put on my hubby's shorts and shirt and whined a little more I did my laundry and was pleased that I had a few more things to wear......  and they were clean.   Maybe next time I'll try that before I whine.  maybe.

A little shout out to female bloggers -

Female bloggers ages 13-30! If you or someone you know is a blogger who writes about friends, family,
relationships, fashion, music, food, school, current events or nearly anything else and feel you've got a story to tell on television, contact Patti at psscasting@gmail.com - with your blog, contact info and a recent photo.

 I personally know Patti and am proud to say she works for a wonderful company!   

I know that I read many blogs that I think would be wonderful for her to feature, but I am not going to go post this on their pages since I don't know these women personally.... BUT - if you do, please feel free to share!!!