Episode 27: Anika's 39 week update | Prep for VBAC | Change in birth plan

In this episode, Anika shares updates at 39 weeks of her pregnancy which include  preparing for a VBAC, working with a doula and navigating major changes in her birth plan. 

Connect with us on Instagram
@appetitebyanika
@foodforfertility_
 
Support our podcast
If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review on Spotify or Apple Podcasts and share it with your friends and family. Your support helps us reach more listeners and continue to provide valuable content.

Disclaimer
The information provided in this podcast is for educational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult with your healthcare provider before making any changes to your diet or nutrition plan, especially if you are trying to conceive or are already pregnant. The hosts and guests of this podcast are not responsible for any adverse effects or consequences resulting from the use of the information discussed.

Transcript

0:01

You are listening to Nourish, bump and Beyond the podcast dedicated to all things fertility and prenatal nutrition. We are host Annika Rowe and Michelle Brown. We believe that successful pregnancy outcomes start with good nutrition. Each week we'll explore various aspects of nutrition, focusing on how specific nutrients, foods, and dietary choices can enhance preconception wellness, optimized fertility, and support a healthy pregnancy. Whether you are planning to conceive, struggling with fertility challenges, or navigating the joys and complexities of pregnancy, this podcast is your trusted source for a nourish start to parenthood dive. Let's dive in.

Anika 0:42

Hello and welcome back to another episode of Nourish Bump and Beyond. It's Annika here. I wanted to jump on to record the last bit of my pregnancy and I wanted to do this before I give birth. Previously I thought about recording it postpartum, but I just feel like there's gonna be a lot going on after having another baby plus a toddler. So I wanted to quickly record it before I give birth. So I've got some really exciting updates. I'm 39 weeks now and I'm actually going to be giving birth tomorrow. That's really exciting, but also scary it's nerve wracking. I will talk you through what's been happening, with my preparation for birth. But before that, I did want to talk to you about my third trimester, like the last couple of weeks. I want to do this in a different format because I feel like the previous format, the happenings format that I was doing because I don't really have anything new to offer with what's been happening. I'm still reading the same books. Maybe I'm eating a little bit differently but most of the updates are still the same So I wanted to do a different style where I take you through week by week because I feel like the last couple of weeks have been very eventful. So I'm gonna start at week 31. Fun fact, I was actually born at 31 weeks, so I get this nice feeling when I've made it past 31 weeks Anyway, I'm gonna start my updates with week 31. I was starting to feel quite tired and I actually got very sick. This was very unfortunate. I got sick on a Friday night. I started vomiting. It was really bad. I was getting this really intense pain. A part of me was scared that something really serious was happening. I was getting like a flank pain. I was in bed all day. Luckily it wasn't a working day, it was a weekend. So I was able to stay in bed all day. And. It helped a little bit, but the cramps were really bad and I also had diarrhea as well. I realized that when I went to the doctor, they said I've got an infection. Most likely it was acute pph. Arthritis. So I needed to take some antibiotics for a couple of days. The doctor also asked me to have some medication to control the vomiting. So I was having ondansetron and my appetite was very low, so I remember that I didn't feel like eating at all for about two days, I ate almost nothing. I tried to drink water but it definitely wasn't anywhere close to what is required in third trimester because I was so sick. So I did do some blood tests and some follow up results What most likely happened is that I had gastro from my toddler and I also had another infection. So that's the acute pyelonephritis that I took antibiotics for. I did need to work from home for that week. And, the doctor also told me to change my antibiotics after two or three days because the antibiotics that I was taking needed to be changed because The bacteria that I had, possibly it was resistant. Overall, I think I was on antibiotics for just over a week. Things did get better after that. I took some time off. So I think I took about five days off. I didn't exercise for about five days while I was sick. And then this was week 32. I was back with my usual routine. And I did have an ultrasound at 32 weeks. Baby was still in a breech position. And, I was measuring 1.5 kilos. They asked me to do another scan in about two weeks. I also got my maternity shoot done during this time, which was really exciting. It was just nice to be coming out of, a sickness and it was nice to do something as a family. So we really enjoyed it. And I really love how the photos came out. I was a bit nervous doing a shoot with my toddler, but they actually turned out really nice. So I think the photograph, I did a great job there. Anyway, next week was week 33 I went in. For another ultrasound. And I had a baby sprinkle with my friends, which was really nice. I also started getting a lot of nesting urges around this time as well. We were getting some cleaning done professionally because we realized that we wouldn't be able to do everything on our own. So we decided to outsource, which I think was a really smart idea. We didn't do this in our last pregnancy. But I'm really glad we did because it really helped us to speed up the process. And it just made it a lot more easier for us because obviously with the toddler you've got a lot of day-to-day mess that you've gotta clean up. Having that help from outside was really great. I was getting a lot of Braxton Hicks, so at this point, this fall, he was starting to get strong. And then next week 34 I had another doctor's appointment. I started packing my hospital bag. And I was starting to feel uncomfortable with the Braxton Hicks the tightening as well. We tried to do a few things over the weekend. We set up a sofa bed in our lounge area. So I could rest there after our baby was born. So we don't have to keep coming up and down the stairs. I could rest on the sofa bed and then. My partner could be around. And obviously the toddler will be doing her own thing, playing around. So we started changing around our space. I also, went to Barangaroo during this time. So we did a picnic as a family in the city. And just had a nice day out in the city which was really nice because it's not something we do very often. So it was nice to spend time as a family and also thinking that this was our last picnic as a family of three, which is always, nice to think. It's bittersweet. So that was nice to spend time as a family as well. I was also getting some upper rib cage pain that started around this time as well, which I thought was happening due to some reflux. But I didn't feel the need to take any medication. I started wrapping up work and I was also thinking about how I could start preparing for labor and was looking into getting a doula for myself. All right, next one. We have week 35. This was like my last week of work or last official week of work I should say, because I did have some other things to wrap up, but this was my last week going into the office. I did need to work some extra hours the following week but it was from home. I started to feel very exhausted because I was working long hours and I was under the pump to get things done. Obviously the Braxton Hicks started to ramp up even more. And I did need to work late into the evenings to finish up with work. Just as I was finishing up with work, my parents hosted a baby shower for me, which was a bit of a surprise. That was really sweet of them. I wasn't expecting it. I tried my best to dress up but unfortunately I wasn't feeling my best just because I was so exhausted with work. And I had just gotten two shots. I got the RSV and whooping cough, with both of those, I was a bit knocked out. I was feeling quite sore, so I wasn't feeling my best. But we did have a really good night and I'm so grateful that they put this together for me. It's something that I'll always remember. And I was also trying to keep up with exercise as well, even though work was getting a bit hectic. I was continuing with the exercise that I'm doing reformer Pilates and doing some yoga and reformer circuit when I could. I also found a doula around this time. We had our first official chat and we started working together and we started planning my vbac. And the other thing I was going to say was after the baby shower event was wrapped up, I started packing. I finished up with a bit of work that was remaining. And then I started packing for our babymoon, which was really exciting. I almost wasn't sure if we were gonna go, we had booked it a while ago, and I honestly thought, it's great if it happens, but maybe it's not gonna happen and I just need to accept it. I wasn't a hundred percent sure if we were gonna go, but things were looking great in terms of my health and also with me wrapping up work. We said, why not? Let's take our last little vacation as a family. So we went to Hunter Valley for three days. Obviously there were some challenges traveling with the toddler but we had such a great time. And because I think it was just nice to know that this is our last trip, the three of us. This was another screen free trip, so came with some extra challenges. But we are learning slowly. The weather wasn't great, but we were able to do some things like go to the farm and do some other fun things like cheese tasting and chocolate tasting. Now moving on to week 36. So this was after we came back from Babymoon. I got back to exercise again. There was one day, I remember there was one day where I did two classes, like two reformer Pilates classes on the same day just because there was no other time that was gonna work for me. I had to go to the doctor's appointment the next day, on the Friday. So I had to squeezing two classes in one day. So I was very proud of myself for doing that. I must say. I was sore the next day, but it was definitely nice to move my body. I have really enjoyed exercising during my pregnancy. It was something that my body was already used to. It was just more strenuous to be doing two classes in one day. So at about 36 weeks we did an ultrasound when we learned that our baby was measuring 2.5 k kilos. I also started looking into names a bit more as well. I always leave this till the last minute. So I wanted to start looking into a few more names and just putting together a list. I started looking into some other things as well that were to do with preparing for labor such as acupuncture, and I decided to go with reflexology instead of doing acupuncture because I hadn't done it before. And I just felt more comfortable going with reflexology, my doula did recommend me to do acupuncture because apparently it encourages your labor. And it is something that had worked for her. However, I didn't feel very comfortable doing acupuncture just because it was my first time. And the timing wasn't also lining up for me. So I decided to go with a reflexology massage. I also continue to do some nesting over the weekend. I fixed up our spare bedroom, did some shopping. I bought something that I've been wanting to buy for the longest time, which is mirror. I wanted this specific type of mirror that's an arch shape, and I wanted it to be goal frame. It's something that I wanted for ages but initially, I wanted one that was going to be a full length one. But I was also worried about my toddler potentially getting injured. So I just put it off, but I thought, you know what, let's just get one for the wall. It's not gonna be full length, but you know what, that's still fine. It's still aesthetic. I just wanted to buy something nice for the house. So that was really exciting for me. It was an exciting purchase because it's something that I've wanted forever. Anyway I decided to finish up with exercise around this time as well. I was also thinking about my birth plan. I was catching up with some friends as well during this time. This was my last week of exercise. So it was bittersweet because I knew it was coming to an end. But I also knew that I had to stop because it was starting to get tiring and I knew that it was time for me to rest and move on to more gentle movements such as walking. Next we have week 37. So this was my first week of not exercising, I was doing three classes every week and I stopped exercising at 37 weeks. And I told myself that I will try and get back possibly six weeks postpartum, but if not maybe eight weeks, depending on what kind of birth I had and what the recovery would look like. I told myself I'll take about 10 weeks off. In terms of how things were at 37 weeks, I was starting to get very uncomfortable. And I was glad that I had stopped exercising. The kicks were getting stronger. I was feeling a lot of cramps at night as well. I had booked in a pregnancy massage that reflexology one, but unfortunately that person had to cancel due to an emergency. I had to wait for another week to get the other appointment. I continued to do some nesting around the house. And I also saw women's health physio at this time as well to chat about. Things like perineal massage, preparing for vbac recovery of the birth, what recovery might look like with a vbac and a C-section because obviously, anything can happen. I've gotta be prepared for both. She gave me some really great tips, and I also remembered some things from last time as well when I did a course with her. So things like, using a toilet roll after vaginal birth to support that area. So that area doesn't feel irritated using a Perry bottle which is something that I've already packed in my hospital bag. Rolling out of bed slowly after a C-section. But more importantly supporting the scar if I do have a c-section. Especially when, sneezing and also going to the bathroom. With vaginal birth, obviously supporting a bit lower down starting to do some scar touching if I do feel comfortable. So it was really good to get some tips. In terms of labor. She also talked me through some acupressure how to do that during labor and also using other things like birthing comb, which is something that I had already packed. and Using affirmations. We talked about perineal massage, how to desensitize that area. And the other thing that the physio did was she looked at my glutes and did some external hip releases. She also looked at my hip and thoracic mobility. And she basically tried to see if there, there might be any potential issues with me having a vbac just because I haven't gone into labor in the past. So I don't know how things would work if potentially there might be any barriers to me a having a VBA C. So just wanted to get an understanding of that as well. The good thing is that she said everything was really great and flexible. And she thought I was a really great. To mobile pregnant person. She actually said that I was one of the most mobile pregnant person that she has ever seen. So that was a really nice compliment to get because I have worked very hard to be active during my pregnancy and obviously, when you put in the work for your health, it really does show. So I just wanted to put that out there that whatever you're doing for your health, whether it's physical, mental, it's not going into waste, it's definitely going to come in handy for you. You are going to reap those benefits. Alright, so moving on to the next one. Next week was week 38. I did do that reflexology massage here. I also got a phone call from the anesthetist at the hospital regarding my elective C-section. At this point, there was not too long to go, so they just wanted to call me and run through a few things. In terms of how the anesthesia works like epidurals. Spinal and general anesthesia. I did have a c-section last time, but it was not planned. When it is planned, they give you a bit more information just so you're prepared on the day. I was starting to feel a bit sad at this point because I felt like my VBAC plan wasn't gonna happen. I started, preparing for it from about 37 weeks. I was listening to some hypno birthing recordings from my previous pregnancy. I had a course that I had purchased, which had some recordings. I was getting some cramps, but I didn't feel like it was gonna happen. I started to feel a bit sad that this VBAC may not happen. And I also wanted to do a CTG at the hospital when I had an appointment that week because I was a bit concerned about the baby movement. I was getting a lot of cramps. This time it was very intense. It was like period cramps, but a bit worse. My toddler got a bit sick around this time. She had a very mild gastro and then she also had fever. But luckily she did recover very quickly in less than two days, which was shocking. But it was good because we were getting close to potentially having a baby any day or getting close to C-section. It was good to see her recover and none of us caught the virus, which was good. I was trying my best to spend time with her as much as possible. I wanted to do a few more things with work just with my business. As there's always things you wanna do or podcasts that you wanna record Or content you wanna create. But honestly, I didn't do it because I just wanted to spend time with her. So a lot of the things I wanted to do just got put on the back burner. I should also mention that I was having some runny stools or a mild diarrhea around this time, which made me think that I was going into labor. And I was very optimistic at this. Point, but then I realized that it could potentially be the gastro that my toddler had. And I was just getting that after one or two days, so maybe it wasn't early labor signs. I was just reading too much into it. I also got some gastro, I continued to have the mild diarrhea even after that phase, the gastro phase had passed. So I wasn't sure what's going on. A part of me thought that maybe my body is getting ready for labor, but honestly you just never know. The cramps were there and when I wake up at night, sometimes I would get cramps. Really intense ones. And then there was one that was on the lower side of abdomen, but I was also getting one that was upper rib cage. So that was on the right hand side. I was concerned about both of those pains because one I thought maybe it's to do with going into labor. And then the other one I thought maybe could be to do with preeclampsia. I wasn't sure, but I did try to push through with some of the last bit of nesting. I was very determined. We did some of the other spaces, obviously with the toddler, you've gotta do stuff multiple times. You've gotta clean multiple times. So we did the bedrooms, kitchen, living spaces. I took out zero to three month quote, the quotes that my toddler had worn. So that was very. Emotional. It was nice to take them out. And I do feel happy knowing that they're going to get reused again. And we've also organized other things like the insets from the, for the pram and got all of those things washed. Alright, moving on to week 39. I am 39 weeks pregnant now, so I don't have too much to say here. The only thing that I will say is how I'm feeling. Like I told you earlier, my c-section is booked for tomorrow morning. It's currently 9:00 PM and I have to go in tomorrow at 6:00 AM so I don't have too long. I know I should probably get some sleep, but at the same time, I know I'm probably gonna be too anxious to sleep to have a proper good night sleep. But I do have everything else sorted. I've got my hospital bags packed and I've got some things ready for my toddler as well because she's off to daycare for part of the day tomorrow. So I feel like we are all set. And today I had to go in to do some preoperative tests to prepare for the surgery. With an elective C-section, they like you to do the blood work the day before. Just so they can be prepared as much as possible. I was concerned about baby movements. I was getting a lot of cramps last night and this morning, and the movements very mild and barely there, especially this morning. So I felt like I just needed to do another CTG for peace of mind. I know sometimes it can be a little bit crazy in your head you just think of the worst possible scenario, but I just wanted to do it because I wanted to be able to sleep at night. Like I don't wanna be thinking about that tonight. I've got lots of other things to think about and getting nervous. I'm sure there'll be some nerves kicking in for the surgery as well. Anyway, I did request a CTG when I was at the hospital so they also checked my blood pressure, which was normal. They did a urine analysis as well. I didn't get the result while I was there. But obviously it's not gonna change the management too much because I am scheduled to have a C-section tomorrow morning. Either way, it's happening. And they also wanted to do a bedside ultrasound to check position of baby. We actually ended up having a pretty busy day. I thought we were just gonna go into the hospital. That's the only thing we had planned. But the hospital checkups took a long time, especially with the additional CTG and the other ones being added in. We also got the car cleaned professionally. We set up the baby seat, the second seat in our car. Did some final tidying up of the home. I'm recording this podcast now after dinner. I am pretty much ready to go to sleep probably in about half an hour. I think. I'll try to go to bed at about 10 o'clock. And to be honest with you, there was a lot of sadness around my plan of feedback, not working out, like I was just looking at my birth plan. One side was feedback, the other side is a C-section, and I just followed the other side because I know that. VBAC side is not happening, which is obviously, sad. I did spend the last couple of days grieving over it. But at the same time, I'm so excited because I think that doing this elective c-section is going to be the right thing for me now, because of my history in the past they don't recommend me going into 40 weeks because that's when I developed preeclampsia. They don't want me going close to that due date. So we are doing it a couple of days early. And I think a birth plan is a plan. At the end of the day, things don't go to plan. And I've still got a few things on my birth plan that I can advocate for. For example, I'm gonna be trying to have the bed raised a little bit so I can see more of what's happening. Having my arm out, so I can get that immediate skin to skin, supporting breast crawl of baby and immediate breastfeeding as well. And delete cord clamping for baby. So there are definitely things that I want and that can still come true. It's just that VBAC is not going to happen. But I do strongly believe that everything happens for a reason. And to tell you the truth, I was sad over the last couple of days, but I have made my peace with it. I know I'm so close to meeting my baby now. I can't believe that there's only about 12 hours to go until I have a baby in my arms. Um, that is so crazy to think about that it's gonna be happening in 12 hours. I just can't get my head around this fact. So there's not long to go. Although there is a little bit of grief and, sadness. I'm choosing to focus on the exciting news because there is so much to be grateful for. And honestly, it doesn't matter how my baby comes, as long as my baby comes safely. So, that's all, that matters. So I've chosen to let go of the sadness and to focus on the excitement of being a family of four. To me now, it doesn't matter how I meet my baby, what matters is that the baby gets delivered, safely. And having a healthy baby is what matters most to me. Honestly, yes, I did really want a vbac, and I did a lot of things to prepare for it, as I've told you in this podcast. But what I want more than anything is for us to have a healthy baby and for us to be a family of four. So that's what I'm gonna focus on. And I'm gonna leave it there. So thank you for following along with my pregnancy updates. I hope you enjoyed it. I hope it has helped you plan your pregnancy and think about some things that you could do on your pregnancy journey. Bye for now

25:16

Thanks for tuning in to this episode of Nourish Bu and Beyond. We hope this episode has inspired you to prioritize your nutrition and nourish your journey towards parenthood. Don't forget to connect with us on Instagram at Appetite by Annika and Food for Fertility for more tips, updates, and resources.