Mommy Someday?

Alive and Well!

***Sorry for the weird way of posting photos below.  Typepad would not let me insert images for some reason.

Well, I am still here and still alive. The last few weeks have been a whirlwind and a blur. Without further adu, I would like to introduce my little Sweet Pea:

My belly at 40 weeks - 2 days before induction:

Download 40_week_belly.jpg

My Sweet Pea and I just after birth:

Download belly_and_baby_139.jpg

Sweet Pea (obviously not her real name)

Born July 28 2008 at 5:42 p.m. after almost 24 hours in labor.

Weight: 8 lbs 6 oz Length: 20 1/2 inches

Birth story to follow later this week.

We are all doing well and are adjusting to our new life together. Thanks to everyone for your encouragement and support. We really appreciate it!!

40 weeks!

I can't believe it!  Today is my due date.  Unfortunately, this little girl does not seem to be in any hurry to make her arrival.

I had a pretty good doctor's appointment today.  My 24 hour urine test results came back.  The doctor would have been worried with any level over 300.  My level was 220.  I am still having headaches and my blood pressure is still up a bit.  We had a very candid conversation about what to do.  He said it was my choice -- we could wait, be monitored every two or three days and hope everything starts naturally. Or -- since he is on call at the hospital on Monday, he could go ahead and schedule me for an induction.  Since I am terrified of something happening to her (and I am really scared of her staying in there and getting HUGE), I opted for the induction.  So - we check into the hospital on Sunday evening at 8 and the baby should be here 24-36 hours later!

My doctor said they will start with cytotech (I think that's it) to soften and fully thin my cervix.  Hopefully labor will start on its own from there.  If not, he will break my water when I am around 3 cm dilated and possibly start Pitocin.  I will probably get an epidural in there some time -- when I start feeling a lot of pain.  Oh my gosh…I can't believe it!  I am really, really, really terrified about labor.  I sure hope I can handle it!  It's only for a few hours, right? And I will have something so beautiful after it is all over.  But -- that doesn't make the anticipation any less frightening.

 

What is it that I am most terrified about?  It's not so much the pain, but that is probably part of it. I guess it is the possibility of tearing or having an episiotomy.  I am worried about my girly bits and if they will ever be normal again.  I would love comments, thoughts, opinions from anyone!  Please let me know about your experiences and how everything healed and feels now!!!  Even if it is bad -- I would rather know than be surprised!

39w4d

Today's OB appointment was not as uneventful as previous ones.  We began with the usual measurements, blood pressure, urine, weight, fundal height.  My blood pressure was up a bit something over 93 - which is high for me, I am spilling protein in my urine - and have been for a while, weight is the same, and fundal height is spot on.  I have also been having headaches everyday for the past week and a half.  Now, I have a history of headaches, but this pregnancy has been virtually headache free, so this was causing me some concern.  Evidently, the headaches, combined with the protein in my urine and the elevated blood pressure were a concern for my doctor as well.  He wanted to check my cervix and listen to the baby's heartbeat before talking more about the above.  Well, wouldn't you know it -- he had a hard time finding the heartbeat.  I though DH was going to have a heart attack during the two minutes it took the doctor to find it (and I was panicking, too), but he eventually did and it sounded fine.  (The baby has just moved around a bit and finding her behind the placenta was a bit of a challenge.)  Then he checked my cervix.  Boo -- absolutely no change from last week.  Still about 50% effaced and slightly less than 1 cm dilated.  My doctor said if I had been two or three centimeters dilated he probably would have just sent me over to the hospital to have my water broken and be induced.  However, since I was not that far along, he didn't feel comfortable with that option.  Instead -- Hello 24 hour urine test for me.  I have to collect all of my urine for the next 24 hours and keep it in this hideous orange container in the fridge.  That should be tons of fun tonight considering I am up every two hours or so to pee at night.  Oh the joy!  Anyway, I will drop that off at the lab tomorrow and then I have to go back to the doctor on Friday to reevaluate my condition.  My doctor said if my protein levels are over 300 he will send me directly over to the hospital to be induced.  If the levels come back under 300 he will see me again early next week and then we will go from there.

Did I mention that my due date is Friday - 3 days from now?  I am so ready to meet my little girl.  Lately, each day I get more anxious.  I am so afraid that something is going to go wrong -- and we are so close!!

38w5d

I'm back from my weekly OB appointment.  Good news -- I am about 50% effaced and 1 cm dilated.  Last week he said I was starting to soften and thin -- but not much going on...so this is progress!  I know I could stay like this for a while -- so I am not getting my hopes up.  He will recheck me next Tuesday (I will be 3 days from my due date) and we will assess the situation and talk options at that time.  Oh --and I asked my OB to guess how big he thought the baby was, and after some squeezing and poking of my belly he guesstimated 7 pounds.  Wow!!

Still Here, Still Pregnant (37w6d)

Wow!  Has it really been six weeks since my last post?  I'm still here and still pregnant - I will be 38 weeks tomorrow.  I guess I haven't posted because I really don't have anything new to say.  I have been seeing my OB as scheduled, and all continues to look good on the pregnancy front.  I am now on weekly appointments and have had two cervical checks so far.  There is evidence of some thinning and softening of the cervix, but no dilation as yet.

So - what's happened in the past six weeks?  Not much. 

1.  DH and I completed our prepared childbirth classes - we had three.  One was an all day class (which was very good), one was on breastfeeding (again very good), and one was a newborn basics class.  I looked forward to the newborn class the most, but it was the most disappointing.  Oh well.

2.  We cleaned out and stared setting up the nursery/guest room.  Everything is in there and ready to go except the crib -- DH is still working on painting it white for me.  Hopefully it will be finished this weekend.

3.  Washed and put away all of the baby clothes we have received.  Our little girl is stocked with clothes for her first year of life!  (Our friends and family have been so generous with hand-me-downs and new clothes.)

4.  Had two small showers -- one with a few friends and one with coworkers.  Our families live over a thousand miles away from us, so we haven't had a family shower yet.  Will probably do that in December when we make our annual trip out there.

5.  Got our car seat.  It's a Maxi Cosi and I love it!  We still need to install the base in the car, but we have it and it's ready to go.

6.  Purchase a stroller to go with previously mentioned car seat.

7.  Purchased a variety of other pieces of baby gear which are arriving over the next couple of weeks (breast pump, carrier, pack n play, swing, etc)

So what's happening now?  Not much.

I have finished working for now.  DH and I are off until the last week in August, so we are crossing our fingers that our little girl will choose to make her appearance sooner rather than later.  Our work schedules are such that one of us will always be available to care for our little one, but the bad side is that we have to get busy again during the last week of August.  I am sure it will all work out, but I sure wish I could just stay home with her!

DH and I went out to dinner with friends last week and I experienced my first pregnancy related swelling.  We sat outside on the restaurant's deck and by the time I got home, my feet and lower legs were swollen beyond belief.  I couldn't feel my ankles and my toes looked like sausages -- gross!  It was much better the next morning and I haven't experienced it since, thank goodness.  That's a side effect I can do without!

As I sit here typing, I just can't believe that we will have a daughter in two weeks or so.  It just feels so surreal, like this is all a big joke.  I feel great, and everyone keeps asking me about that -- I guess I should feel like crap, but I don't.  Many times, I don't even feel pregnant (with the notable exception of the size of my belly).  I just feel like regular old me with a big ole belly that moves on its own a lot.  It is so hard to believe that there is a real live baby in there...I guess I won't really believe it until I get to hold her for the first time.

I promise to check in more often over the next few weeks.  I have been around this entire time...reading all of your blogs on a daily basis.  I have just been a terrible commenter and updater of my own blog.  I will try to be better about both!

3D/4D Ultrasound - 31 weeks

Attached are some of the pictures from our 3D/4D ultrasound this past Friday. The ultrasound itself was pretty cool! We got to see our little girl wiggling around as well as elbowing me a few times. We also saw her heart beating and her "practicing" breathing. One of the coolest things we got to see was her opening her eyes and mouth, and the ultrasound technician even showed us that she already has some hair. It was adorable!!! Unfortunately, we didn’t get really good pictures. The placenta is located on the front of my uterus, and she definitely likes to hide behind it and use it like a pillow. Below are a couple of the cuter pictures for you to see...

We can't wait to meet her -- only 9 or so weeks to go!!

In this picture, she was opening and closing her eyes! I didn't even know we might see that!!

In this picture, she was opening and closing her mouth -- like she was talking -- and settled into this "smiley" face.

And this one is her cute little feet!!

30w3d

I'm back from my monthly OB appointment.  I'm 30w3d today, and I cannot believe it.  Normal appointment -- blood pressure = fine, measuring exactly on target, weight gain = not so good.  I actually lost 2 pounds this month -- and it is definitely not from a lack of eating, I can assure you.  DH was a little freaked out, wondering if our little one is growing okay with me not gaining weight this time and all, but the doctor assured us that everything is fine.  The baby is getting everything she needs, and I'm left with what's over…and I did have quite a bit of extra padding when I got pregnant.  Who thought I would ever be worried about NOT gaining weight?  So, it seems that I am up 16 pounds in this pregnancy.  If I gain the recommended 1 pound per week from here on out, that will put me at about 25 pounds total weight gain, which is right on track.

Time has just flown, and it seems incredible that we will meet our baby girl in around 10 weeks.  Holy crap!!!  We have some very generous friends and family, and have been pretty much stocked up on baby clothes for her first year.  We also have a friend who had her baby 2 years ago, and she gave us her crib!!!  It is a crib with a changing table attached to the side!!!  Her baby hardly slept in it, and it looks like new!!  I know that used cribs are not ideal, but Consumer Reports says that anything purchased after 2000 is probably safe.  Since I know this person very well, and I know the crib was purchased new just two short years ago, I have no concerns about safety.  We are going to repaint it white, to match our plans for the nursery.  I am so excited!!!  (An added bonus is that DH loves to paint and fix things up, so this will give him a nice project for the next few weeks.) This is our first official piece of nursery furniture.

Finally, we managed to get registered for prenatal classes.  We had the option of a 6 session (over 6 weeks) course or an all day Saturday course.  I chose the all day Saturday course because I figured it would be hard enough to get DH out once to these types of things, much less 6 times.  As part of the class, we get to attend a breastfeeding class and a newborn basics class.  I am really excited -- although I am sure I have already read much of this information.  Just the process will make everything more real, I think.  So, by June 16^th, we will be finished with the classes, finished with the nursery (I hope), and ready for our little girl to arrive.  Wish us luck!

See you again on Friday.  That's when we are having our next (and probably final) ultrasound of this pregnancy.

GTT Results (27w6d)

I finally heard from my OB's office.  I passed the GTT (glucose tolerance test) with "flying colors".  Whoo-hoo!!!  On the not so good side -- my anemia is back.  I had a sneaking suspicion because my craving for ice has come back with a vengeance over the last few weeks.  (The desire to chew on ice has always been associated with anemia for me.  So -- when I start dreaming about crushed ice, craving any type of drink that has more ice in it than liquid, pouring out a half-finished drink so I can have ice only, etc., etc., etc. I can guess that I am anemic.)  I am to start taking an iron supplement every day (in addition to my prenatal vitamins) and they will monitor me to see how I am doing.  28 weeks - 7 months along - tomorrow!  Whoo-hoo!!!!

The next few weeks are going to be CRAZY for me.  Work is piling up and DH and I have a lot of "stuff" on our calendars.  If you don't hear from me for a while, don't worry.  I am still here and still reading all of your blogs.  I WILL, however, be back after the following dates/appointments:

May 19th - next OB appointment (I will move to appointments every 2 weeks after that one -- holy crap!)

May 23rd - 3d/4d ultrasound - I can't wait for this one!  It will be well worth the $200 to see our little one again!

See you soon!

26w6d - Monthly OB appointment

I am back from another uneventful OB appointment (thank goodness)!  My weight was up 3 pounds this time - MUCH better than last time.  (By the way, I verified my weight last time, and I was definitely up 9 pounds!!!  Uggh!!!)  I am trying my best to not worry about what the scale says...after all, I am only up 18 pounds total at this point -- which I think is pretty good considering I am almost 27 weeks along.  I am still spilling protein in my urine (+1 I think he said), but my doc says I have been doing that for several months now.  My blood pressure was good (110/80) and we were able to hear the heartbeat right away.  It amazes me how my doctor knows exactly where to find it.  Today, it was up on the right side of my belly button - almost exactly where he put the probe. 

We asked a lot of questions today -- about travel, fetal movement, and future ultrasounds.  My doctor is fine with me traveling until 33-34 weeks (although he did say that if my water broke or something I would be delivering wherever I was).  I had been concerned because I only feel our baby girl moving on my right side or really low.  Nothing high or on the left.  He told me not to be concerned...it is probably the baby's position and especially my anterior placenta that are "masking" the movements.  And the sad news -- no more ultrasounds unless there is a cause for concern.  And he said at this point he has none -- even my age (37) doesn't bother him because everything else looks so good.  DH and I were very disappointed by this last piece of news, so we have decided that we are going to book (and pay for ourselves) an elective 3-D/4-D ultrasound.  (Which I just did -- scheduled for May 23rd when I will be 31 weeks.)

In other news -- I will have my 1-hour gestational diabetes screening tomorrow.  Any hints or recommendations?  My doctor said that it was not a fasting test -- he just recommended I have a light, low-carb breakfast if I needed to eat before the test.  That confused me a bit -- I thought I was supposed to fast after midnight or something...  Any thoughts out there in Internet land????

22w6d - Routine OB Appt

We are back from my monthly OB appointment, which was a bit more eventful than usual (I had to see the nurse practitioner today because my doctor had to perform an emergency C-section.)  She was really nice and actually spent some time talking with us today (my doc usually seems a bit rushed).  We began, as usual, with the pee stop and weight check before being taken back to the exam room.  I almost fainted when she checked my weight.  She did it VERY quickly, so I can't be sure of the exact number, but it WAS NOT good.  I am up either 6 or 9 pounds -- in 4 WEEKS PEOPLE!!  That is really scary!  Now, my appointment was in the late afternoon and all of my other appointments were first thing in the morning, so that could account for a little of the increase, but my gosh!!!!  I have noticed that I have had an insatiable appetite lately, my tummy is upset, and I tend to graze all day long.  I also know that sweets have been my snack of choice, and that's not good.  DAMN!  The nurse practitioner wasn't alarmed...she just casually mentioned that my weight is up this time.  I guess I need to start being more careful about what I eat -- I need more protein and veggies and less sugar.  The other thing that freaked me out was she said that I was spilling protein into my urine and that there were traces of blood in my urine, too.  Thankfully my blood pressure was good (120/70) and I have no evidence of swelling.  She said they were sending the urine off to be cultured and that I probably just have a urinary tract infection or a kidney infection.  I won't know for sure until Monday, though.  WTF??????  Huge weight gain, protein, AND blood????  Trying not to worry.  The best part was hearing the heartbeat (high up by my belly button).  They also measure my belly for the first time, which measured right on target at 23 cm.  After that, she sent me on my way and told me to make my appointment (4 weeks from now).  Apparently, I will get the lab order for the lovely glucose tolerance test next time.  Fun, fun, fun.

Anyone out there had wonky urine results or freaky weight gain?