Yesterday was my 37 week appointment. It went "Ok". NST was fine and blood pressure and urine were good. No pre-e yet!!!! Which is definitely an accomplishment, as I went into the hospital at 37 weeks to be induced with Alex and had her at 37w2d-which, incidentally, is today! So basically, as of now, I'm the most pregnant I've ever been ;) Kind of cool....
BUT...I ended up having a "surprise" ultrasound. Apparently, last week my amniotic fluid was a bit on the high side at around 26. So Dr. R, being nice and cautious, wanted to check it again this week. For a second, I wondered if I would be induced again. Anyway, this time it came back at 21.6, which is a better number and more within the normal range. Although I guess the first number was only "slightly" high. So I will get another ultrasound next week to keep checking on my fluid, to make sure it doesn't go up again.Why do I have slightly high fluid? No one knows. I'm not diabetic and baby girl is "normal" sized. I drink a lot of water, about 70-80 fl oz/day, which can have some impact. It also might just be me. I seem to recall having a lot of amniotic fluid with Alex too.
When I asked Dr. R how worried I should be, he said "Not at all....I'm not worried. I'm just crossing my T's and dotting my I's". And I do appreciate this about him. He is a cautious and thorough doctor. And really, that's what you want for an OB. BUT, he also was obligated to tell me the risks of too much water which, of course, led me to worry...even though he apparently isn't :( But, I have sensibly stayed away from Google and continue to pray for Hayden's safe delivery. I think that I'm getting more anxious and nervous about things now, the closer I get. I'm terrified that things are going to go wrong, with the end being in sight. I guess it's part of being a mom and, maybe even, part of struggling with infertility. You never really trust your body again. You never take things for granted.
Dr. R did say that at 39 weeks, he would begin talking about induction, and that he would induce sometime between 39 and 40 weeks!!! In his words, "You have two weeks to go into labor on your own". Please let this time go quickly and keep us all safe!
Tuesday, April 16, 2013
Sunday, April 14, 2013
OUCH.....&%&$#^!!!!!!!!
Today I am officially considered FULL-TERM!!!!!!!!! Thirty-seven weeks and counting!!! So, really, who knows when baby girl is coming. When I was 37 weeks with Alex, the doctor admitted me to the hospital to be induced for mild pre-e. Alex was delivered at 37w2d. I have a feeling that, very soon, I will be the most pregnant I've ever been. So yes-at this point I was being induced with Alex...with this baby....I'm going grocery shopping and taking a family walk. Every pregnancy is definitely different!
Yesterday evening I decided to take a relaxing bath before going out. A bunch of girlfriends and I were supposed to meet up for dinner at PF Chang's. I was definitely looking forward to the evening because a. I wanted to try the restaurant and b. It's always nice to go out for adult conversation without worrying about your kid losing her shit. Anyway. I was looking forward to it.
At the end of my "relaxing" bath, I started feeling some contractions and pressure. I thought they were the normal pesky old braxton hicks. Well, they soon turned into full-blown, PAINFUL contractions that came every 2-3 minutes and lasted about a minute. I couldn't get relief. I also felt nauseous and like I had to take a bowel movement. Needless to say, I cancelled my plans and stayed in bed and chugged water...also called my best friend who used to be a labor and delivery nurse. She recommended that I wait an hour and then call my doctor. Well, I waited about an hour and a half and they were still going strong. I called and the nurse said she would have the on-call doc call me back.
At this time, I thought it was the real thing. It felt like the real thing!!! And I was completely freaked out because, despite saying that I was ready for this baby to come, the thing that kept going through my head is "I'm NOT ready yet"!!! My parents are still in Florida, my in-laws are still in Australia...who's going to stay with Alex??? And the pain-the pain freaked me out too! Believe me, I remember the pain from last time. I dread the pain. But you don't really remember what it feels like until you feel it again. You don't remember how bad it is! Even if you think you do....
Anyway, this ended up going on for two hours and I just couldn't get any relief. Finally though, the contractions started calming down and becoming less intense, and they also spread further apart. By the time the on-call doc called me back, they weren't bad at all so he recommended that I call back if they got bad again. I had a few more hours of not-bad contractions that were further and further apart and then nothing. Today, nothing. How odd???
I have my 37 week appointment tomorrow, so I wonder if he will check me, given what happened last night. I'll be pretty bummed if I went through all that pain and there's been NO progress. But I have to say-I am now really dreading labor. Now that I remember **exactly**what it entails. I wish there was someway of them knocking me out and waking me up as soon as they were pulling her out. But there's not. And while I am so grateful to God for this baby...I'm still scared of the pain....
First trip to the zoo this season :)
Yesterday evening I decided to take a relaxing bath before going out. A bunch of girlfriends and I were supposed to meet up for dinner at PF Chang's. I was definitely looking forward to the evening because a. I wanted to try the restaurant and b. It's always nice to go out for adult conversation without worrying about your kid losing her shit. Anyway. I was looking forward to it.
At the end of my "relaxing" bath, I started feeling some contractions and pressure. I thought they were the normal pesky old braxton hicks. Well, they soon turned into full-blown, PAINFUL contractions that came every 2-3 minutes and lasted about a minute. I couldn't get relief. I also felt nauseous and like I had to take a bowel movement. Needless to say, I cancelled my plans and stayed in bed and chugged water...also called my best friend who used to be a labor and delivery nurse. She recommended that I wait an hour and then call my doctor. Well, I waited about an hour and a half and they were still going strong. I called and the nurse said she would have the on-call doc call me back.
At this time, I thought it was the real thing. It felt like the real thing!!! And I was completely freaked out because, despite saying that I was ready for this baby to come, the thing that kept going through my head is "I'm NOT ready yet"!!! My parents are still in Florida, my in-laws are still in Australia...who's going to stay with Alex??? And the pain-the pain freaked me out too! Believe me, I remember the pain from last time. I dread the pain. But you don't really remember what it feels like until you feel it again. You don't remember how bad it is! Even if you think you do....
Anyway, this ended up going on for two hours and I just couldn't get any relief. Finally though, the contractions started calming down and becoming less intense, and they also spread further apart. By the time the on-call doc called me back, they weren't bad at all so he recommended that I call back if they got bad again. I had a few more hours of not-bad contractions that were further and further apart and then nothing. Today, nothing. How odd???
I have my 37 week appointment tomorrow, so I wonder if he will check me, given what happened last night. I'll be pretty bummed if I went through all that pain and there's been NO progress. But I have to say-I am now really dreading labor. Now that I remember **exactly**what it entails. I wish there was someway of them knocking me out and waking me up as soon as they were pulling her out. But there's not. And while I am so grateful to God for this baby...I'm still scared of the pain....
First trip to the zoo this season :)
Thursday, April 11, 2013
36 Week Appointment
So I had my 36 week appointment on Monday. Yeah, I'm kind of running behind with this blog since today is now Thursday. Anyway. Everything looks great (knock on wood)! The NST was good and baby was cooperative again, meaning that I only had to stay hooked up for around 20 minutes or so. I also had an ultrasound this week. The tech was definitely not as much fun as the last one and just got in there to do the business of measuring. No 3D scan this time. Ahhhh well. Baby girl is now measuring in the 50th percentile at approximately 6lbs 6oz. She has been growing leaps and bounds, as she was only in the 40th percentile at 32 weeks :) She's also still head down....so lets hope she doesn't decide to move around too much.
Of course I had the 36 week pelvic check too. The tested me for strep B and also took some blood for checking on the anemia. I was a bit disappointed that I was not dilated at all. I really hoped to be at least 1cm. But, the doctor did say I was about 50% effaced. So that's something I guess, right??!! In the words of my good friend, an ultrasound tech, my cervix is a "fortress". Which is great for the first 36 weeks, but c'mon now....I'd like to see some action.
So I asked Dr. R if there was any way to get labor started naturally within the next week or so. He kind of smirked and said, "have lots of sex...that's the only somewhat proven method that can be done at home". I'm sure he smirked when he saw my look of dejection. Sex. Yeah. Pretty much the last thing on my mind. Hell, I can't stay up past 8:30 most nights.
Anyway-blood pressure was good and urine was clear. So here's to dodging pre-e for another week! Thinking positive thoughts and hoping it stays away!
Of course I had the 36 week pelvic check too. The tested me for strep B and also took some blood for checking on the anemia. I was a bit disappointed that I was not dilated at all. I really hoped to be at least 1cm. But, the doctor did say I was about 50% effaced. So that's something I guess, right??!! In the words of my good friend, an ultrasound tech, my cervix is a "fortress". Which is great for the first 36 weeks, but c'mon now....I'd like to see some action.
So I asked Dr. R if there was any way to get labor started naturally within the next week or so. He kind of smirked and said, "have lots of sex...that's the only somewhat proven method that can be done at home". I'm sure he smirked when he saw my look of dejection. Sex. Yeah. Pretty much the last thing on my mind. Hell, I can't stay up past 8:30 most nights.
Anyway-blood pressure was good and urine was clear. So here's to dodging pre-e for another week! Thinking positive thoughts and hoping it stays away!
Sunday, April 7, 2013
36 Weeks!
Today marks my 36th week! One more week until I am considered full term. Woohoo! Man, this has felt like a LOOOONGGG pregnancy for some reason. My appointment on Thursday went great. Blood pressure was "perfect", urine was clear and baby girl actually cooperated for the NST-which meant I was only hooked up 20-30 minutes. A new record. Normally she's moving so much they lose the trace and I spend about an hour hooked up! I have another appointment tomorrow for my 36 week check....which includes the works: pelvic exam to check for strep B, standard blood work, ultrasound and NST monitoring. It's going to be a long one! Guess I need to get to shaving tonight. Which, by the way, is getting much trickier now. Nothing like going at yourself with a razor blindly because the belly is too big to see anything....
This being 98% my last pregnancy, it has been kind of bittersweet. Mostly, I want it to be over so I can hold my baby girl and put fertility issues behind me. But then, I was thinking about how much I would miss the kicking and squirming and hiccuping....all those sensations of growing a baby inside of oneself. It actually made me a bit melancholy. So I made a list of the things I can do once I'm no longer preggo to make myself feel better.
1. Indulge in a few...ahem...adult beverages
2. Eat cold cuts and SUBS!!!! I've told everyone that they need to bring me a Danny's Favorite sub before they are granted access to my hospital room.
3. Eat brie
4. Eat medium rare meat again
5. Not have to worry about everything I put in my mouth and wonder if it will affect the baby (i.e. diet coke etc)
6. Enjoy a big iced coffee from Dunkin Donuts
7. Not have to visit the doctor so dang much!
8. Hot baths!!!
9. Go in the hot tub
10. Go in the hot tub with an adult beverage (deserved its own category)!
11. Not having to cross my legs when I cough or sneeze (hopefully)
12. Not having to pee every 30 minutes
13. Being able to sleep on my stomach and back again!!!!
14. No more acid reflux keeping me up at night!
15. No more random nausea
16. Appetite will come back (although this may be counterproductive to my fitness/health goals)
17. Can work on getting the body that I want
BUT there are also upsides to pregnancy. I mean, of course there's the baby at the end and feeling her move inside me and being pregnant after fighting so long for it....butttttt....
Pregnancy has also given me super clear skin and the metabolism of a 14 year old boy! I will GREATLY miss both those things!!!!
So here's to another week of not having Pre-E. Continuing to pray for a safe delivery for little Hayden and myself.....
This being 98% my last pregnancy, it has been kind of bittersweet. Mostly, I want it to be over so I can hold my baby girl and put fertility issues behind me. But then, I was thinking about how much I would miss the kicking and squirming and hiccuping....all those sensations of growing a baby inside of oneself. It actually made me a bit melancholy. So I made a list of the things I can do once I'm no longer preggo to make myself feel better.
1. Indulge in a few...ahem...adult beverages
2. Eat cold cuts and SUBS!!!! I've told everyone that they need to bring me a Danny's Favorite sub before they are granted access to my hospital room.
3. Eat brie
4. Eat medium rare meat again
5. Not have to worry about everything I put in my mouth and wonder if it will affect the baby (i.e. diet coke etc)
6. Enjoy a big iced coffee from Dunkin Donuts
7. Not have to visit the doctor so dang much!
8. Hot baths!!!
9. Go in the hot tub
10. Go in the hot tub with an adult beverage (deserved its own category)!
11. Not having to cross my legs when I cough or sneeze (hopefully)
12. Not having to pee every 30 minutes
13. Being able to sleep on my stomach and back again!!!!
14. No more acid reflux keeping me up at night!
15. No more random nausea
16. Appetite will come back (although this may be counterproductive to my fitness/health goals)
17. Can work on getting the body that I want
BUT there are also upsides to pregnancy. I mean, of course there's the baby at the end and feeling her move inside me and being pregnant after fighting so long for it....butttttt....
Pregnancy has also given me super clear skin and the metabolism of a 14 year old boy! I will GREATLY miss both those things!!!!
So here's to another week of not having Pre-E. Continuing to pray for a safe delivery for little Hayden and myself.....
Wednesday, April 3, 2013
35 Weeks and No Trip to L&D Yet....
35 weeks, 3 days to be exact. And now that I titled this post "35 Weeks and No Trip to L&D Yet", I'm paranoid that I have jinxed myself. Ugh. It's that infertility paranoia/superstition rearing its ugly head. It's just that, last time, I probably had made three trips to labor and delivery by this time...for blood pressure issues and the onset of mild pre-e. They basically just monitored me and sent me home. I was one of the lucky ones, I was able to deliver a full term baby (early full term, but hey...whatever) and my bp was never high enough to require an IV of magnesium. One doctor actually claimed I really didn't have pre-e. Oh, and I didn't have to stay in the hospital longer than normal. And Alex was perfect. Perfectly healthy.
So I'm over 35 weeks now and the bp has been great. Pretty low actually...hovering between 95-100/60-70. I'm praying it stays low and that my urine samples remain clean and clear. It does worry me, having pre-e again. But it's out of my control, like so many things in life. So I'm going to just hope and pray for a safe/healthy delivery for both baby girl and myself. And pray that pre-e stays far, far away this time.
I have an OB appointment tomorrow, along with a NST. I always get a little bit nervous before them now, because of my history. So basically, I can't wait until tomorrow is over and I'm hopefully declared in good health still. And hopefully I didn't jinx myself with that title.
Anyway....hope everyone had a great Easter! We had a lot of fun. Alex was able to hunt for TWO baskets (thanks to her Auntie for one) and we did an egg hunt outside this year. We went to our cousin's house for Easter lunch and Alex was able to play with her cousins. They are all so freaking cute together.
I'm feeling the nesting thing kicking in...although I had my doubts that it would, since this baby still doesn't have a nursery (for reasons I explained in another post). Basically, I've been on a rampage to clean our 4-Runner. It's a mess. Inside and outside. Embarrassing really. I usually take such good care of my cars! But it has salt and grime on the outside from winter and juice boxes and wrappers on the inside that Alex failed to get into the mini garbage can. Oh, and stickers on the floor. Thanks, Alex ;) So we NEED to clean it. I told Dan that we can't bring a new bubba home from the hospital in a messy car! Like it really matters, it's not unhygienic or anything. But what the hell. I'm feeling a little neurotic. I actually tried to convince him of our need for a NEW car to bring the baby home in. Yeah...it almost worked, lol. That would be one heck of a push present.
Hospital bag is 95% packed-for baby, not for me. We're going to install the car seat sometime this week. Shit is getting real...eeepppp!!!!
Some Easter pics of my love....
So I'm over 35 weeks now and the bp has been great. Pretty low actually...hovering between 95-100/60-70. I'm praying it stays low and that my urine samples remain clean and clear. It does worry me, having pre-e again. But it's out of my control, like so many things in life. So I'm going to just hope and pray for a safe/healthy delivery for both baby girl and myself. And pray that pre-e stays far, far away this time.
I have an OB appointment tomorrow, along with a NST. I always get a little bit nervous before them now, because of my history. So basically, I can't wait until tomorrow is over and I'm hopefully declared in good health still. And hopefully I didn't jinx myself with that title.
Anyway....hope everyone had a great Easter! We had a lot of fun. Alex was able to hunt for TWO baskets (thanks to her Auntie for one) and we did an egg hunt outside this year. We went to our cousin's house for Easter lunch and Alex was able to play with her cousins. They are all so freaking cute together.
I'm feeling the nesting thing kicking in...although I had my doubts that it would, since this baby still doesn't have a nursery (for reasons I explained in another post). Basically, I've been on a rampage to clean our 4-Runner. It's a mess. Inside and outside. Embarrassing really. I usually take such good care of my cars! But it has salt and grime on the outside from winter and juice boxes and wrappers on the inside that Alex failed to get into the mini garbage can. Oh, and stickers on the floor. Thanks, Alex ;) So we NEED to clean it. I told Dan that we can't bring a new bubba home from the hospital in a messy car! Like it really matters, it's not unhygienic or anything. But what the hell. I'm feeling a little neurotic. I actually tried to convince him of our need for a NEW car to bring the baby home in. Yeah...it almost worked, lol. That would be one heck of a push present.
Hospital bag is 95% packed-for baby, not for me. We're going to install the car seat sometime this week. Shit is getting real...eeepppp!!!!
Some Easter pics of my love....
Think the bunny got her enough stuff??? LOL, my sister would kill me to know that pic of her in the background was on this blog!
Doing our egg hunt!
She found a ton of eggs!
Awwwww.....before going to Easter lunch
35 weeks pregnant...me holding up the five sign. Yes, I'm white and look like a vampire. And my double chin is sticking out (I'll blame it on the angle of the camera)
Alex with her cousin, Anthony
Alex with her cousin, Briana
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
