So… the version done to flip baby didn’t work :(. I had prepared myself to endure whatever the doctors wanted to put me though (marathon/training mental prep works for other things as well!), but with no avail. It was painful, I’ll give it that, but not as bad as it could have been. I was pretty bruised for a while, and even running two days later hurt since the bruised/swollen area didn’t like being jostled.
I have a scheduled C-section for the
15th of October, unless baby decides to turn on his/her own before then! The doctors will check at each of my appointments and also right before the C-section is performed.
At first, I was bummed. A tear or two quietly rolled down my cheeks in the hospital after the doctors had left and it was just Nate and I in the room.
I had always pictured having a natural birth: having my water break, looking at Nate with “Can this be real?” eyes, feeling contractions, etc. Now instead I’d pack my bags the night before the 15th, and the morning of the 15th I’d be holding our little one by about 8 am. No suspense.
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| 36 weeks |
After a day or so of thinking about it, though, I am much more accepting of what will happen. First, there’s nothing I can do about it, so I had better accept it! 🙂 Second, it has been really nice to plan things out. Nate knows when he’ll take off from work, my mom and mother-in-law have dates on their calendars when they’ll come down to help with the baby/housework/cooking/etc. Nate has done a wonderful job in planning out everything for me – I asked him to – and I’m really thankful.
I am a little bummed that the recovery back to running will be a little slower with a C-section, but my doctors have been great. They’ve said that they think that 2 weeks out I’ll be able to hop on an elliptical (well, probably more like “step slowly onto”), and that I can try run/walk workouts shortly thereafter. I am very hopeful…
So — that’s the plan! That means there are just 2 weeks until baby arrives. That just doesn’t seem right! Time crawled by for the longest time, and now it seems like it’s flying by. Both Nate and I have “Before the baby comes” to-do lists.
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| Non-pregnancy related picture: Nate and I at my brother’s wedding last weekend. |
Mine includes:
-Working ahead on my athlete’s training plans, a TNC newsletter and other team promos, so that I can take a little downtime immediately after baby is born.
-Oil changes and minor fixes on vehicles
-Selling a few things that are cluttering up our garage. Yeah, Craigslist!
-Making re-useable wipes from old fleece sheets
-Finishing my Irish Chain quilt. My mom gifted me professional quilting for this quilt, and it turned out just awesome. Now I just need to sew on the binding and then blind-stitch it!
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| My Irish Chain quilt! Just waiting for a binding! Didn’t it turn out awesome? |
-Making some meals and freezing them. Does anyone have good ideas for healthy freeze-ahead meals?
-Communicating with Chris about training when baby comes, solidifying sponsorship contracts, and all-around getting excited about trying to get back into shape!
-Organize a few piles of stuff/areas of our house that still need it
-Run as much as my heart feels like. So far I’ve been feeling great, and last week I had two great runs just under 5 miles each. I know I’m lucky that I’m not having any pregnancy-related running issues!
Nate’s includes:
-Finish taking out the plants in front so that the landscaping company can do its thing in the next week. That meant that last night he cut down a beautiful hibiscus tree that was in front of our house. The new sidewalk will curve to where the tree was, so it had to go 🙁
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| Sad day… |
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| And… it’s gone |
-Buying or making a rod for the Pack N Play that we bought at a garage sale. It’s in wonderful shape (and apparently a really nice model, per my MIL), but was just missing a support bar. Hence the $15 price tag.
-Keeping an eye on me 🙂
Both of our lists include:
-ENJOY THESE LAST TWO WEEKS!
I have been so lucky that this pregnancy has gone well, other than frequent vomiting. I don’t have back-aches, my energy is fairly good, I have no trouble sleeping, I’m not uncomfortable, and I’ve been able to run without hip/joint/other pain throughout. I’d say I’m lucky!
Questions for all of you devoted readers:
Anything else to put on the 2-week to go to-do list?
Freezer-friendly, healthy meal ideas?
If you have experience coming back to running after a C-section, I’d love to hear it.
I love making (and then freezing) soup! You can make just about anything to go with it (grilled cheese, biscuits, muffins) and it's usually pretty easy to make once you get going with all the chopping and dicing prep work.
I had an (unplanned) C section almost 4 years ago. I am not fast or elite, but I am devoted to running and exercise. If all goes well w your incision, you could be on that elliptical before 2 weeks! I was walking slowly on the treadmill after about 10 days. Everyone is different, of course, but when we go into pregnancy in good shape, it helps! I forced myself to think about the forced layoff as a blessing in disguise since I would have tried to exercise as soon as humanly possible after giving birth. Good luck!
check out this blog. Oiselle Seattle runner 6 weeks post partum c-section
http://www.runningstarfish.com/2014/09/dont-call-it-comeback.html
They had to try and move Boyd around too, and I didn't want to scare you, so I didn't write to tell you that the "move" was the most pain of the entire process. Now that it's done, I can tell you that! Think of it this way…your lady parts are spared, and if you do have #2 down the line, you don't have to go c-section. The "old days" did require that, but not the case anymore. So, c section…it isn't so bad 🙂
I returned to a stationary bike 2 weeks post delivery. I was "wogging" 2 weeks later, and full on running at 6 weeks…did 3 miles that first day :). I think I am back to where I was (almost) pre baby, and haven't been doing the speed work like you know how to do. I bet you will be just fine!
Freezer meals…chicken chili and soups ;). Can't wait to meet the little bundle! Oh! KEEP YOUR BAG PACKED! Lil one may start contractions, break your water, etc. you'll go in, but deliver via c section :). You could still get the "is this really happening" moment still. 🙂
Moxibustion and acupuncture can work to turn a breech baby if you're game to try anything. Went through this last year when our baby flipped twice, and ended up right way up. I held the moxibustion stick over my wife's toe 🙂
Here's a medical journal article about it: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD003928.pub3/abstract
Sierra said.."they are beautiful. Can we call cole? They get married?" If I wasn't running out the door would have called. I'm glad you are enjoying these last days and feeling good. I almost got emotional thinking of you having your baby and how you are going to feel!
I was going to suggest making soups–and hot dishes too since you are from MN. 🙂 I pray everything goes smoothly for you and recovery is short. One of my favorite trees in our backyard died, so we had to remove it. It made me sad.
If you're still looking for options, find a chiropractor who is trained to do the "Webster Technique" http://birthwithoutfearblog.com/2012/07/10/how-the-webster-technique-can-help-you-birth-without-fear/ My chiropractor did this with me at 37 or 38 weeks (after my doctor had told me the likelihood of her flipping was minimal) and my daughter flipped a few hours later. He said he once had a patient where the baby flipped while the mom was still at her chiro appointment. Added bonus: It's inexpensive and it's not painful!
Moxibustion is safe and fairly effective! It sounds wacky, but there's real scientific research on it. Good luck with whatever happens! And don't stress about the recovery — I had a vaginal delivery but with some serious tearing (and then ripped stitches)… I was back running very short intervals after ~3.5 weeks but I wish I'd cut myself some slack and waited longer. I didn't cause any damage or anything, but really put unnecessary pressure on myself to start putting the miles in. Baby is 8 months now, running is going fine, and it wouldn't have mattered whether I'd taken another 2-3 weeks off — I would have been much less stressed with a newborn. Good luck!