Sunday, February 19

Trent Reznor, mmmmmmmm

Last night (Saturday, Feb 18, 2006) was the Nine Inch Nails concert here in Kansas City. My hubby managed to buy tickets the day they went on sale (good thing, too, they sold out in less than an hour). I love my hubby. He rocks. Not as much as Trent and the rest of the boys, but still.

Two solid hours of NIN. It was awesome. (are you jealous yet?) Now I HAVE to go buy their latest CD!

And Depeche Mode is going to be touring soon, I really hope they come to KC as well. I saw them (oh geez, has it been 10 years already?) for the Walking my Shoes tour in St. Louis. Great concert. It's probably the only thing I wouldn't have a problem leaving a newborn for this summer!

Thursday, February 16

Odd things during pregnancy

So, last night, while going pee (for the zillionth time of the day) I actually felt the baby drop. And by drop I mean the baby's head engaged lower in the pelvis so it can't do flips anymore. It was a really odd feeling. And I can actually tell the baby is lower in my abdomen, my belly looks more like an overgrown pear (a really huge one) than a beach ball. Not to mention that my pelvis was a little sore last night when I laid down for bed.

Something else I've noticed from both of my pregnancies is how I gain weight. Both times there's been no weight gain during the first trimester. In my 4th month, I gain around 4 pounds. In my 5th month, I gain around 8 pounds (which causes the doctor to freak out). With Matthew, during my 6th, 7th and 8th months, I gained around 4 pounds each, for a total of 25 pounds. I had no weight gain at all during my 9th month. I just think it's funny how much the 8 pound gain in my 5th month freaks out everyone. I'm writing this down so maybe next time I'll be able to warn my doctor/midwife!

Thursday, February 9

New kid on the block

Congratulations to my neighbors John and Shannon! Yesterday, Shannon delivered Natalie Rae, at 8lbs 13oz! Natalie joins their 18-month old daughter Piper, who is Matthew's play pal.

Babies everywhere!

Tuesday, February 7

24 week checkup

I just had my midwife appt today, and everything looks great. Blood pressure was low, baby's heartbeat was good, etc....

And then I went and had my new crown put on my broken tooth. I hate novacain shots, I really do. Once the numbness wears off, my jaw hurts for two/three days from them. Pass the tylonol please.

Thursday, February 2

Better Late than Never

Well, January 22 was Blog for Choice Day, something I didn't even know until my hubby pointed it out the day after. I wasn't going to bother posting on this site since my hubby made an excellent post on our family site, but last night someone started a debate regarding the much talked about Partial Birth Abortion. Of course, rational and factual information presented was ignored, and emotional arguments thrown back in my face.

Okay, you want an “emotional” argument for Partial Birth Abortions, you got it.

Specifically, the issue was over the recent ruling of the PBA ban in the state of New York as unconstitutional since it didn't have a clause for medical emergency endangering the mother's life.

Some facts will be thrown in for good measure. (I know, pesky little buggers, aren't they?) BTW, I will be referring to Partial Birth Abortion by its medical term, D&X.

Fact: I am 23 1/2 weeks pregnant. (I'm pretty sure this makes me qualified to have an emotional discussion on this subject.)

Fact: My insurance only covers one sonogram/ultrasound during my prenatal care. Unless my doctor thinks that something is wrong, I have to pay for any additional sonogram. This sonogram is usually done at 20 weeks gestation; I've already had mine.

Known Issue: Many women in this country do not have access to prenatal care. The first time they see a doctor during their pregnancy is when they are in labor and go to the ER.

Fact: Prenatal Hydrocephalus affects up to 10,000 babies every year. It's one of the most common forms of birth defects. While severe cases don't appear to happen that often, when they do, "It is not unusual for the fetal head to be as large as 50 centimeters (nearly 20 inches) in diameter and may contain...close to two gallons of cerebrospinal fluid." (Dr. William F. Harrison, a diplomat of the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology.)

Emotional argument: Hypothetically, suppose my baby, whom I love already and want very much, develops a severe case of prenatal hydrocephalus. I've already had my sonogram, so unless my doctor can externally determine that something is wrong with my baby and orders another sonogram, the first time my doctor can diagnose this issue is during my labor at full-term gestation. The hydrocephalus is so severe, the baby cannot live after birth, and I only have three options:

  1. Die while trying to deliver my baby. End result for baby: death.
  2. Have an emergency c-section. End result for baby: baby dies shortly after delivered, it cannot achieve consciousness.
  3. Have a D&X procedure. End result for baby: baby dies during delivery.

Since I obviously don't want to die and leave my 2 1/2 year old son without a mother and my husband without a wife, I really only have two options. Let's consider them, shall we?

Emergency c-section. This is major surgery that involves many risks to the mother, including infection and possible consequences to her fertility and future ability to have more children. It also requires either an epidural anesthesia or general anesthesia.

D&X procedure. While very high on the icky factor, this poses the least amount of risk to the Mother. It does not harm the mother at all.

Please remember, this child already has a name, it's own room in our home, toys, clothes, and all the other items you would accumulate for a newborn baby in the house. No matter what, my family and me are going to be devastated by the death of this child. (Is that "emotional" enough for you?)

Since I have chosen to give birth without an epidural or any other type of anesthesia (I know, I'm a freak), some type of anesthesia would be required if I were to undergo a c-section. I also plan on having more children.

Given this data, I would more than likely chose to have a D&X procedure over an emergency c-section. This is a personal choice made between my doctor and myself. I still have a dead baby.

Still think there shouldn’t be a clause in a Partial Birth Abortion Ban for the Mother’s health?