Today was my second day of bed rest and it wasn't bad at all. I had a dr. appointment this morning at 9:40. So the morning was no rest at all. I got up, got ready and left for the doctor. Unfortunately my doc was the only one in the office and on call for the women's evaluation unit. So he was running WAY behind. I finally got called back around 11:00. They weighed me in (I lost 6 lbs since last week because of the flu) so I'm back to 7 lbs net weight gain. And they listened to Dominick's heart rate (in the 150's). When the doc came in he checked me for dilation. I'm still just 1 cm dilated and he felt my belly. He told me that I'm "all" belly and this baby is big. He still wants to wait and see if I go into active labor on my own but my blood pressure is starting to get high so next week we might start talking about an induction date. Not any time really soon but at least get something set up in case I don't go into labor on my own. The most exciting news that the doctor gave me was that I'm not on complete bed rest. He told me that since I'm about 36 weeks, there's no need to be on complete bed rest. He doesn't want me working and I need to basically take it easy, but I can do things in moderation. So that's exciting.
I left the doctor at 11:30 and decided to call Nick and see if he wanted to go to lunch. I drove to Arnold, where he's working right now, and we had a good lunch. Then I went to the grocery store, walgreens and dropped a few letters off at the mailbox down the street. After that, I was exhausted. I laid on the couch the rest of the afternoon until about 5 minutes ago when I started this post!
Tonight we are headed to my sister's house to have dinner and have a relaxing New Year's Eve. Neither of us want to drink (or can't :P ) so going to her house right down the street is perfect. Andrew's making his famous home made pizza and we'll just relax and hang out. I'm very excited about tonight.
I hope everyone else has a great and SAFE New Year's Eve!!
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Bedrest
Sorry I didn't update earlier!
I did call the doctor and the doctor said to go to the Women's Evaluation Unit. So we did. Again, just to find out that "yes, I'm contracting" and "no it's not progressing". This time they didn't give me procardia. They gave me trebutiline (that's totally spelled wrong I'm sure, I just don't have the motivation to look it up!) which is a shot that makes your contractions stop but makes you antsy. They kept me hooked up to the monitors for awhile to make sure the contractions were slowing down. When I got there they were around 2 minutes apart. After laying down in the hospital bed they were 4 minutes apart and after going to the bathroom they were 6 minutes apart. We were getting there. After the shot they slowed to more than 10 minutes apart and I was finally able to go home.
They told me that I was officially on bed rest. No more work. No getting up unless it's to shower or go to the bathroom. Or get food to eat if no one is here to help. Hopefully this will just be for a few weeks because then I'll be full term and it will be fine if Dominick decides to come.
Today was my first day on bed rest. I literally did nothing all day. Just laid in bed or on the couch. Watched t.v. or read a book. I even colored a picture with the coloring books and crayons I had for the kids on Christmas Day. It was boring. Crazy boring. Luckily my sister and Cecilia came over for lunch so that was a nice break. But other than that it was a long and quiet day. I'm lucky that this is a short week. Nick will be home with me on Thursday and Friday so that will be a big help. I won't be too bored.
I kept saying that I was almost wishing I was on bed rest a few of those crazy busy and stressful days working or cleaning or whatever I was doing. But now that I'm on bed rest, it's a sad day. Nothing to do but sleep, eat, read or watch t.v.
I hope these next few weeks fly by and I hope that when I do go into labor there is a clear cut sign that this is the real deal. My water breaking would be very very helpful.
I'll try to update more tomorrow.
I did call the doctor and the doctor said to go to the Women's Evaluation Unit. So we did. Again, just to find out that "yes, I'm contracting" and "no it's not progressing". This time they didn't give me procardia. They gave me trebutiline (that's totally spelled wrong I'm sure, I just don't have the motivation to look it up!) which is a shot that makes your contractions stop but makes you antsy. They kept me hooked up to the monitors for awhile to make sure the contractions were slowing down. When I got there they were around 2 minutes apart. After laying down in the hospital bed they were 4 minutes apart and after going to the bathroom they were 6 minutes apart. We were getting there. After the shot they slowed to more than 10 minutes apart and I was finally able to go home.
They told me that I was officially on bed rest. No more work. No getting up unless it's to shower or go to the bathroom. Or get food to eat if no one is here to help. Hopefully this will just be for a few weeks because then I'll be full term and it will be fine if Dominick decides to come.
Today was my first day on bed rest. I literally did nothing all day. Just laid in bed or on the couch. Watched t.v. or read a book. I even colored a picture with the coloring books and crayons I had for the kids on Christmas Day. It was boring. Crazy boring. Luckily my sister and Cecilia came over for lunch so that was a nice break. But other than that it was a long and quiet day. I'm lucky that this is a short week. Nick will be home with me on Thursday and Friday so that will be a big help. I won't be too bored.
I kept saying that I was almost wishing I was on bed rest a few of those crazy busy and stressful days working or cleaning or whatever I was doing. But now that I'm on bed rest, it's a sad day. Nothing to do but sleep, eat, read or watch t.v.
I hope these next few weeks fly by and I hope that when I do go into labor there is a clear cut sign that this is the real deal. My water breaking would be very very helpful.
I'll try to update more tomorrow.
Monday, December 29, 2008
Am I being a Baby??
So here we are on Monday. I felt fine all weekend long. Just tired and typical pregnant stuff. But last night I started feeling "off" again. I didn't sleep well at all last night. I was tossing and turning and feeling kind of sick. This morning was especially rough. I felt tired and a little sick and like I was having cramps all morning. I attributed this to having to get up and go to work after a 4 day weekend.
I got to work at 8 a.m. and everything was going ok until around 8:30. That's when my first contraction of the day hit. I wrote it down. Then I had another at 8:35. Then 8:40. I've been timing them since. I've had a contraction every 4-8 minutes all morning and they've lasted anywhere from 45 seconds to 1 minute 45 seconds.
What do I do?? I know I should call the doctor. But I feel like they will tell me to come in. Then I'll come in and they will say that I'm still not progressing and that I'm just a big baby. I'm afraid they will tell me to go home and come back when I'm really in labor. But how do I know?? I wish I had done this before. Or I wish that my water would just break so I would know for sure. I wish that there was a clear cut sign to tell me what to do.
I'm supposed to go out to lunch with my boss since this week will be my last week. We're going to my favorite restaurant. But I can't even look forward to that right now because I feel awful.
I just talked to Nick. He told me to call the doc and do what they say. I guess that's what I'll do. I just feel like such a big baby, always having to call in. I will be so thankful (for many many reasons) when Dominick is finally here and I can stop second guessing myself on all the labor questions.
I'll just start second guessing myself on all the parenting questions...
I got to work at 8 a.m. and everything was going ok until around 8:30. That's when my first contraction of the day hit. I wrote it down. Then I had another at 8:35. Then 8:40. I've been timing them since. I've had a contraction every 4-8 minutes all morning and they've lasted anywhere from 45 seconds to 1 minute 45 seconds.
What do I do?? I know I should call the doctor. But I feel like they will tell me to come in. Then I'll come in and they will say that I'm still not progressing and that I'm just a big baby. I'm afraid they will tell me to go home and come back when I'm really in labor. But how do I know?? I wish I had done this before. Or I wish that my water would just break so I would know for sure. I wish that there was a clear cut sign to tell me what to do.
I'm supposed to go out to lunch with my boss since this week will be my last week. We're going to my favorite restaurant. But I can't even look forward to that right now because I feel awful.
I just talked to Nick. He told me to call the doc and do what they say. I guess that's what I'll do. I just feel like such a big baby, always having to call in. I will be so thankful (for many many reasons) when Dominick is finally here and I can stop second guessing myself on all the labor questions.
I'll just start second guessing myself on all the parenting questions...
Friday, December 26, 2008
Christmas at the hospital (LONG post)
Christmas Eve was a good night but I don't have too much time to post so I'll post about that another time.
Christmas Day...
Nick and I woke up really early to finish getting the house ready. We worked sooo hard! My mom came over at 9:30 to help (Nick's family was coming over at 1:30 or so). We worked on everything. The basement was rearranged. The extra folding table was set up. The food was cooking. Everything was finally looking good and ready. Then everything went downhill.
At 11:30, I started to feel very sick. I felt nauseas and my back started to hurt very badly. My mom and Nick told me to lay down. Nick said it was probably because I had been working so hard and not getting enough rest. Well that made sense. So I laid on the couch while they kept working. Nick made me an English muffin to get me to eat something, but I felt so sick I didn't eat more than a few bites. I kept drinking water since I was afraid of being dehydrated. But that made me feel sick too. Around 12:30 I told Nick and my mom that I was having some contractions and I wasn't sure what to do. Again Nick told me that I just needed to rest. He brought me a trash can since I still felt so nauseas. At 1:00 I needed that trash can. That was the first time I threw up. And it was great. Seriously. After I threw up, I felt amazing. I felt like a whole new person and like I was going to be fine. I got up. Washed my hands and brushed my teeth and was ready to go. But that was short lived as well.
Around 2:00, Nick's brother - John, his wife - Lisa, and their two kids, Kailey and Addison came over. I had told Lisa that I had been sick and had back pain and was unsure what to do. At that point I was feeling very sick again. But my back hurt worse than anything else. Lisa, my mom and I were trying to decide if I was in labor. In the end, we decided I should try to lay down upstairs and see what happened. So I did. I went up to bed and everyone else stayed downstairs. My mom had to leave around 2:30 or so (I was in bed, so I really don't know what time she left) and I heard everyone else come. Around 3:15, I started throwing up again. A lot. But again, it was great. I felt so much better. But then the contractions started again, too.
I finally decided to call my doctor. I called the exchange and the on call doc called me back. I told him what was going on and he told me that their was a bug going around and I may have caught it. If I was continuing to throw up and go to the bathroom, I might need to go in to get an iv to rehydrate myself. Also, if my contractions were closer than 9 minutes apart I should go in. Around this time, Nick came up and told me that his family had left to go to his mom's house. I felt so guilty!! I feel like I ruined Christmas. They didn't want the kids to get sick, especially Jillian, the baby, which I completely understand. But poor Nick. He had worked soo hard and then everyone left. But I didn't have too much time to worry about that.
Starting at 5:42, I noticed some big ones. So I decided to time them. I called Nick to come upstairs and time them with me. We decided I might be a little dehydrated, so I drank as much water as I could stomach and recorded my contractions. Here's my list of them and there are a lot!
5:42, 5:45, 5:48, 5:51, 5:54, 6:00, 6:03, 6:06, 6:10, 6:16, 6:19, 6:22, 6:24, 6:31, 6:34, 6:37, 6:40, 6:43, and 6:45.
Ok, so then we decided to go to the hospital. I was terrified that we would get there and they would tell me that I was being a big baby and they weren't contractions at all. I would have been horrified if that happened so I kept telling Nick we didn't have to go. But he said, let's just go and get checked out.
We finally got into a room around 7:45. The on call nurse hooked me up to the fetal monitor and asked me a bunch of routine questions. She was asking them kind of slow and could hear me kind of hold my breath when she got to some questions and she asked me, "Are you having that many contractions?". I said, "I think so". So she checked the monitor and she was amazed. I was having BIG contractions every 3 minutes. She finished asking her questions really fast and told me she was going to get the oncall OB.
Unfortunately that took awhile. Around 9:00 the oncall OB came in to do a check. I was still having very consistent contractions and after his check I found out that I was 1 cm dilated, 90% effaced and the baby was at -2 station. Since I had been having regular contractions for a few hours at this point and I wasn't too dilated, he decided to give me a pill to try and stop the contractions and do another internal check in an hour. They gave me a pill called procardia and left me alone.
At 10:30 they came back. The contractions had spaced out to around 10 minutes apart and were much less intense. He did another internal and nothing had changed. At this point I told him that I was getting nauseas again and was there anything I could take. He looked confused and said, "Again?". I told him about my day (which I had already told the nurse) and he said that this was a whole different ball game. I needed to be put on fluids and maybe that would completely stop the contractions. Apparently finding a good vein for an i.v. is really hard if you are dehydrated and it took 2 nurses and an anesthesiologist to get an i.v. in. It was extremely painful but I'm so glad they finally got an iv in. They gave me a liter of fluids and some zolfran to stop the nausea.
This combo was heaven. I was able to sleep for awhile! I woke up around 11:30 and had to go to the bathroom. So I did and then I paged the nurse since the fluid bag was empty. She came in and gave me another one. Again, more heaven. Except with 2 liters of fluid in me when I hadn't been able to eat or drink much all day, I was in the bathroom every 5 minutes...literally!
At 12:30-ish, the OB came back and did one final internal on me. Again, nothing had changed. He told me that a lot of times if someone gets sick and dehydrated, it triggers contractions. But they aren't productive contractions and aren't putting you into active labor. They just hurt and aren't getting your body ready for the baby. I was the 5th or 6th one in last night with a bug and contractions. Apparently it is going around.
Today I feel a million times better although slightly sad since I basically missed Christmas with Nick's family and feel like it's completely my fault and that I ruined their Christmas. I really hope I didn't and I hope that no one else did get sick from me.
I'm very very glad we went to the hospital though. Now I know what big contractions feel like so I'm a little more prepared for next time. And the fluids and zolfran made me feel great. They even gave me a prescription for Zolfran so I could keep taking it at home when I felt nauseas.
Today I was even able to eat. Nick and I went to IHop for breakfast and I decided to cheat on my diabetes diet and get double blueberry pancakes with whipped cream. It was amazing. And even better, when I checked my blood sugar, it was only 124 (mine has to be under 140!). Score!!
Anyway, I hope everyone else out there had a Merry Christmas, and I really hope I didn't get anyone sick last night!!
Christmas Day...
Nick and I woke up really early to finish getting the house ready. We worked sooo hard! My mom came over at 9:30 to help (Nick's family was coming over at 1:30 or so). We worked on everything. The basement was rearranged. The extra folding table was set up. The food was cooking. Everything was finally looking good and ready. Then everything went downhill.
At 11:30, I started to feel very sick. I felt nauseas and my back started to hurt very badly. My mom and Nick told me to lay down. Nick said it was probably because I had been working so hard and not getting enough rest. Well that made sense. So I laid on the couch while they kept working. Nick made me an English muffin to get me to eat something, but I felt so sick I didn't eat more than a few bites. I kept drinking water since I was afraid of being dehydrated. But that made me feel sick too. Around 12:30 I told Nick and my mom that I was having some contractions and I wasn't sure what to do. Again Nick told me that I just needed to rest. He brought me a trash can since I still felt so nauseas. At 1:00 I needed that trash can. That was the first time I threw up. And it was great. Seriously. After I threw up, I felt amazing. I felt like a whole new person and like I was going to be fine. I got up. Washed my hands and brushed my teeth and was ready to go. But that was short lived as well.
Around 2:00, Nick's brother - John, his wife - Lisa, and their two kids, Kailey and Addison came over. I had told Lisa that I had been sick and had back pain and was unsure what to do. At that point I was feeling very sick again. But my back hurt worse than anything else. Lisa, my mom and I were trying to decide if I was in labor. In the end, we decided I should try to lay down upstairs and see what happened. So I did. I went up to bed and everyone else stayed downstairs. My mom had to leave around 2:30 or so (I was in bed, so I really don't know what time she left) and I heard everyone else come. Around 3:15, I started throwing up again. A lot. But again, it was great. I felt so much better. But then the contractions started again, too.
I finally decided to call my doctor. I called the exchange and the on call doc called me back. I told him what was going on and he told me that their was a bug going around and I may have caught it. If I was continuing to throw up and go to the bathroom, I might need to go in to get an iv to rehydrate myself. Also, if my contractions were closer than 9 minutes apart I should go in. Around this time, Nick came up and told me that his family had left to go to his mom's house. I felt so guilty!! I feel like I ruined Christmas. They didn't want the kids to get sick, especially Jillian, the baby, which I completely understand. But poor Nick. He had worked soo hard and then everyone left. But I didn't have too much time to worry about that.
Starting at 5:42, I noticed some big ones. So I decided to time them. I called Nick to come upstairs and time them with me. We decided I might be a little dehydrated, so I drank as much water as I could stomach and recorded my contractions. Here's my list of them and there are a lot!
5:42, 5:45, 5:48, 5:51, 5:54, 6:00, 6:03, 6:06, 6:10, 6:16, 6:19, 6:22, 6:24, 6:31, 6:34, 6:37, 6:40, 6:43, and 6:45.
Ok, so then we decided to go to the hospital. I was terrified that we would get there and they would tell me that I was being a big baby and they weren't contractions at all. I would have been horrified if that happened so I kept telling Nick we didn't have to go. But he said, let's just go and get checked out.
We finally got into a room around 7:45. The on call nurse hooked me up to the fetal monitor and asked me a bunch of routine questions. She was asking them kind of slow and could hear me kind of hold my breath when she got to some questions and she asked me, "Are you having that many contractions?". I said, "I think so". So she checked the monitor and she was amazed. I was having BIG contractions every 3 minutes. She finished asking her questions really fast and told me she was going to get the oncall OB.
Unfortunately that took awhile. Around 9:00 the oncall OB came in to do a check. I was still having very consistent contractions and after his check I found out that I was 1 cm dilated, 90% effaced and the baby was at -2 station. Since I had been having regular contractions for a few hours at this point and I wasn't too dilated, he decided to give me a pill to try and stop the contractions and do another internal check in an hour. They gave me a pill called procardia and left me alone.
At 10:30 they came back. The contractions had spaced out to around 10 minutes apart and were much less intense. He did another internal and nothing had changed. At this point I told him that I was getting nauseas again and was there anything I could take. He looked confused and said, "Again?". I told him about my day (which I had already told the nurse) and he said that this was a whole different ball game. I needed to be put on fluids and maybe that would completely stop the contractions. Apparently finding a good vein for an i.v. is really hard if you are dehydrated and it took 2 nurses and an anesthesiologist to get an i.v. in. It was extremely painful but I'm so glad they finally got an iv in. They gave me a liter of fluids and some zolfran to stop the nausea.
This combo was heaven. I was able to sleep for awhile! I woke up around 11:30 and had to go to the bathroom. So I did and then I paged the nurse since the fluid bag was empty. She came in and gave me another one. Again, more heaven. Except with 2 liters of fluid in me when I hadn't been able to eat or drink much all day, I was in the bathroom every 5 minutes...literally!
At 12:30-ish, the OB came back and did one final internal on me. Again, nothing had changed. He told me that a lot of times if someone gets sick and dehydrated, it triggers contractions. But they aren't productive contractions and aren't putting you into active labor. They just hurt and aren't getting your body ready for the baby. I was the 5th or 6th one in last night with a bug and contractions. Apparently it is going around.
Today I feel a million times better although slightly sad since I basically missed Christmas with Nick's family and feel like it's completely my fault and that I ruined their Christmas. I really hope I didn't and I hope that no one else did get sick from me.
I'm very very glad we went to the hospital though. Now I know what big contractions feel like so I'm a little more prepared for next time. And the fluids and zolfran made me feel great. They even gave me a prescription for Zolfran so I could keep taking it at home when I felt nauseas.
Today I was even able to eat. Nick and I went to IHop for breakfast and I decided to cheat on my diabetes diet and get double blueberry pancakes with whipped cream. It was amazing. And even better, when I checked my blood sugar, it was only 124 (mine has to be under 140!). Score!!
Anyway, I hope everyone else out there had a Merry Christmas, and I really hope I didn't get anyone sick last night!!
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
The Christmas Spirit
I'm starting to get into it...about time, right? As it's December 24th and Christmas Eve!
The last few weeks have been hard. I've been very uncomfortable and tired a lot. We've been trying to get the house perfect for company. Trying to pick out the best presents to give everyone. And totally losing sight of what Christmas is all about. I'm starting to look at things differently. If the house isn't perfect for company, they'll forgive me. If the present I give someone isn't exactly what they want, they'll live. I'm starting to get back into the Christmas spirit.
I'm really looking forward to tomorrow. Even though it will be busy in the morning and I'm sure I'll get stressed out again tomorrow morning. Because let's be real, it's me, I get stressed over almost anything. And I always end up fine. So tomorrow will be no different.
Luckily Nick and I have the BEST family in the entire world. Sorry to all the other families out there, but ours really is the best. ;-)
My mom and dad are coming over early tomorrow to help us get everything set up and ready. My sister (who isn't even coming because it's their year to do stuff with her husband's family) is doing so much. She's lending us a table and chairs. She offered to run to the store for me. She's being an ANGEL! Nick's mom and sister have both offered to host Christmas for us if I'm not up to it. I appreciate that so much, but I really think I am up to it. Nick's whole family has offered to bring food to help, and they are all doing that. Thank goodness!
And Nick?? Nick is being absolutely amazing. Seriously. I don't know how he has the patience and drive right now. Last night, we had a basement flooding issue...it wasn't looking pretty for awhile. Nick worked on that basically all night. I fell asleep around 9 while he was working on it. I woke up to him climbing into bed at 1:00 a.m. He had fixed the leaking, had cleaned a lot of the upstairs (including our bedroom where no one will even be!), put in a new light fixture in the stairwell, painted the baseboards and ceiling upstairs by the baby's room, took out the trash, etc. etc. He's amazing. I try to help, I honestly do. But after standing for about 15 minutes, I need a break. I do much better sitting down. If there are things to do while sitting, I'll take care of those!
We still have stuff to do tonight before we are officially ready for tomorrow, but I have a new outlook on things. We'll get it done. No worries. Tonight will be perfect at my Grandpa's. And tomorrow will be perfect at our house. Perfect, I tell ya!
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to everyone!!
The last few weeks have been hard. I've been very uncomfortable and tired a lot. We've been trying to get the house perfect for company. Trying to pick out the best presents to give everyone. And totally losing sight of what Christmas is all about. I'm starting to look at things differently. If the house isn't perfect for company, they'll forgive me. If the present I give someone isn't exactly what they want, they'll live. I'm starting to get back into the Christmas spirit.
I'm really looking forward to tomorrow. Even though it will be busy in the morning and I'm sure I'll get stressed out again tomorrow morning. Because let's be real, it's me, I get stressed over almost anything. And I always end up fine. So tomorrow will be no different.
Luckily Nick and I have the BEST family in the entire world. Sorry to all the other families out there, but ours really is the best. ;-)
My mom and dad are coming over early tomorrow to help us get everything set up and ready. My sister (who isn't even coming because it's their year to do stuff with her husband's family) is doing so much. She's lending us a table and chairs. She offered to run to the store for me. She's being an ANGEL! Nick's mom and sister have both offered to host Christmas for us if I'm not up to it. I appreciate that so much, but I really think I am up to it. Nick's whole family has offered to bring food to help, and they are all doing that. Thank goodness!
And Nick?? Nick is being absolutely amazing. Seriously. I don't know how he has the patience and drive right now. Last night, we had a basement flooding issue...it wasn't looking pretty for awhile. Nick worked on that basically all night. I fell asleep around 9 while he was working on it. I woke up to him climbing into bed at 1:00 a.m. He had fixed the leaking, had cleaned a lot of the upstairs (including our bedroom where no one will even be!), put in a new light fixture in the stairwell, painted the baseboards and ceiling upstairs by the baby's room, took out the trash, etc. etc. He's amazing. I try to help, I honestly do. But after standing for about 15 minutes, I need a break. I do much better sitting down. If there are things to do while sitting, I'll take care of those!
We still have stuff to do tonight before we are officially ready for tomorrow, but I have a new outlook on things. We'll get it done. No worries. Tonight will be perfect at my Grandpa's. And tomorrow will be perfect at our house. Perfect, I tell ya!
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to everyone!!
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Good news today
My NST went very well this morning. I had a few contractions, but nothing to worry about. Which is good because I was getting a lot of contractions last night and Nick and I were very close to going to the hospital. The nurse told me that I don't need to be on bed rest yet, just need to be resting. So I'm going to be resting but still able to do a lot of things. I'm very happy about that.
They also checked the fluid levels around the baby. It is supposed to be between 10 and 20 and my fluid levels were 13.39 so we are good to go there, too.
All around, good news today. I go back on Friday for another NST and fluid check. I am instructed to call as soon as I get 6 contractions an hour though. Painful or not. Hopefully they stay away. For right now though, we are planning on next week being my last or second to last week at work. We'll see what Dominick wants to do. ;-)
They also checked the fluid levels around the baby. It is supposed to be between 10 and 20 and my fluid levels were 13.39 so we are good to go there, too.
All around, good news today. I go back on Friday for another NST and fluid check. I am instructed to call as soon as I get 6 contractions an hour though. Painful or not. Hopefully they stay away. For right now though, we are planning on next week being my last or second to last week at work. We'll see what Dominick wants to do. ;-)
Monday, December 22, 2008
Dr. Appointment
I had a dr. appointment today. My doctor is actually out of town so I saw the nurse today. It was an interesting appointment.
We did the normal stuff. Went over my weight gain (supposedly I gained another 2 lbs - in a week - but I was wearing my heavy coat and boots so I blame most of that 2 lbs. on that!) and went over my blood pressure and stuff like that. Everything looked good. I met with the diabetic nurse and my blood sugar numbers are finally getting under control. Finally! We listened to the heartbeat - in the 140's. And then we just talked. She asked me how I was feeling in general and I told her that I've been having contractions since last Wednesday and that I had at least one during my non-stress test (NST) last Friday. She decided to check into that and saw my NST results.
I actually had more than one contraction during the NST. I had three big contractions in 28 minutes! So this concerned her a bit. She told me to keep track of my contractions and if they get to be more than 5 or 6 an hour, to call the dr. office. Tomorrow during my NST, I'm supposed to tell the nurse to call her with the results while I'm still there. If I continue to have contractions like this then I will be put on medicine and put on bed rest. She said she isn't overly concerned since I am almost 35 weeks, but she wants Dominick to stay in a little longer.
She asked how long I intend on working and I told her I wanted to work until the last possible minute. She asked when the earliest I thought I could stop working was and I told her I had to finish out the 2008 year to do all the month end stuff if I can. She told me to plan on next week being my last week and if I get bad results tomorrow then tomorrow could be my last day. She told me that I should go into the doctor tomorrow being fully prepared to be put on full bed rest.
I'm not sure what to feel about this. Of course I'll do ANYTHING for the safety of Dominick and if bedrest is what it takes, then I'll do that, but I'd rather be able to be working and getting things done.
I guess we'll just take it one day at a time and see what happens at the NST tomorrow.
Wish us luck!
We did the normal stuff. Went over my weight gain (supposedly I gained another 2 lbs - in a week - but I was wearing my heavy coat and boots so I blame most of that 2 lbs. on that!) and went over my blood pressure and stuff like that. Everything looked good. I met with the diabetic nurse and my blood sugar numbers are finally getting under control. Finally! We listened to the heartbeat - in the 140's. And then we just talked. She asked me how I was feeling in general and I told her that I've been having contractions since last Wednesday and that I had at least one during my non-stress test (NST) last Friday. She decided to check into that and saw my NST results.
I actually had more than one contraction during the NST. I had three big contractions in 28 minutes! So this concerned her a bit. She told me to keep track of my contractions and if they get to be more than 5 or 6 an hour, to call the dr. office. Tomorrow during my NST, I'm supposed to tell the nurse to call her with the results while I'm still there. If I continue to have contractions like this then I will be put on medicine and put on bed rest. She said she isn't overly concerned since I am almost 35 weeks, but she wants Dominick to stay in a little longer.
She asked how long I intend on working and I told her I wanted to work until the last possible minute. She asked when the earliest I thought I could stop working was and I told her I had to finish out the 2008 year to do all the month end stuff if I can. She told me to plan on next week being my last week and if I get bad results tomorrow then tomorrow could be my last day. She told me that I should go into the doctor tomorrow being fully prepared to be put on full bed rest.
I'm not sure what to feel about this. Of course I'll do ANYTHING for the safety of Dominick and if bedrest is what it takes, then I'll do that, but I'd rather be able to be working and getting things done.
I guess we'll just take it one day at a time and see what happens at the NST tomorrow.
Wish us luck!
Merry Christmas!
Last year we started a new tradition with my immediate family. We decided that since Christmas Eve and Christmas Day get so busy, we are going to celebrate Christmas on the Sunday before Christmas. It works out great. It's already so hard to try and see both families and the extended families that this tradition has been a life saver. So yesterday was Christmas Day for my immediate family.
At 1:00 p.m. Nick and I got to my parents house and my sis, Andrew and Cecilia were already there. Pretty much as soon as we got there we decided to do presents. That was a lot of fun, mainly to see Cecilia with her presents. Here's a breakdown of some cool stuff that was opened:
I got three new books from my sister to read while at home with the baby. I'm really excited to read them. I'm currently reading Angels and Demons by Dan Brown, but after that I needed some new books to read instead of the same ones, over and over again. So I'm pretty excited about those. From my parents I got a new Silpada necklace, the board game "Imagin-iff", some hot chocolate, and some money. Very good presents if you ask me!
Nick got the collector's edition of Casino Royale (which he wanted to watch last night already!), a hand held power sander, a blockbuster gift card, and some money. He was very excited about his stuff too!
Mom and Dad even got Baby Dominick a little stuffed Elephant. It was very cute.
Angie and Andrew got the Cutco pizza maker set (very nice, especially since Andrew is really into making homemade pizza right now, and it's delicious!), an infared oven for the kitchen, Angie got a Silpada necklace as well, and they got the newest Trivial Pursuit game. We played Trivial Pursuit last night and it's a lot of fun, even though my team lost both games. :-(
Momma got a new book, some spatulas for the kitchen, and some pancake shapers (I don't know exactly what they are called but they look fun and I can't wait to have a reindeer shaped pancake!). And Daddy got some new hankies, the Indiana Jones complete collection (well that was for Mom and Dad) and a Cardinals DVD of World Series highlights from the 1960's.
Finally, Celia got some clothes and toys. But she was much more interested in the big box that the infared oven came in!
After presents we had dinner and played games. The boys beat the girls in Trivial Pursuit and then Angela and Andrew won the game when it was couples play. So Andrew ended up undefeated!
It was a really good Christmas. It was nice to get to relax and not have to worry about rushing off to the next family function. I'm very glad we started this tradition.
At 1:00 p.m. Nick and I got to my parents house and my sis, Andrew and Cecilia were already there. Pretty much as soon as we got there we decided to do presents. That was a lot of fun, mainly to see Cecilia with her presents. Here's a breakdown of some cool stuff that was opened:
I got three new books from my sister to read while at home with the baby. I'm really excited to read them. I'm currently reading Angels and Demons by Dan Brown, but after that I needed some new books to read instead of the same ones, over and over again. So I'm pretty excited about those. From my parents I got a new Silpada necklace, the board game "Imagin-iff", some hot chocolate, and some money. Very good presents if you ask me!
Nick got the collector's edition of Casino Royale (which he wanted to watch last night already!), a hand held power sander, a blockbuster gift card, and some money. He was very excited about his stuff too!
Mom and Dad even got Baby Dominick a little stuffed Elephant. It was very cute.
Angie and Andrew got the Cutco pizza maker set (very nice, especially since Andrew is really into making homemade pizza right now, and it's delicious!), an infared oven for the kitchen, Angie got a Silpada necklace as well, and they got the newest Trivial Pursuit game. We played Trivial Pursuit last night and it's a lot of fun, even though my team lost both games. :-(
Momma got a new book, some spatulas for the kitchen, and some pancake shapers (I don't know exactly what they are called but they look fun and I can't wait to have a reindeer shaped pancake!). And Daddy got some new hankies, the Indiana Jones complete collection (well that was for Mom and Dad) and a Cardinals DVD of World Series highlights from the 1960's.
Finally, Celia got some clothes and toys. But she was much more interested in the big box that the infared oven came in!
After presents we had dinner and played games. The boys beat the girls in Trivial Pursuit and then Angela and Andrew won the game when it was couples play. So Andrew ended up undefeated!
It was a really good Christmas. It was nice to get to relax and not have to worry about rushing off to the next family function. I'm very glad we started this tradition.
Friday, December 19, 2008
Monitoring Day 1
Today was my first day of monitoring Dominick. I wasn't too sure about what to expect. And I definitely wasn't too sure on how to get there with traffic being heavier with Highway 40 being closed by us. I left my house at 7:30 for my 8:30 appointment and had no trouble at all. I was at the hospital by 8:05 and in the waiting room by 8:15 so perfect timing probably.
When I walked into the waiting room and it was packed. I was nervous about them being so far behind and thinking that this was going to take forever. But it wasn't too bad.
At 8:20 they called me back to start the monitoring. This was the non-stress test. She started by asking me questions. She asked how far I was and if I had had any contractions. I told her that I wasn't sure. Starting on Wednesday I started having these bad cramps, almost like menstrual cramps, that wouldn't go away. I wasn't sure what they were but they were painful. The nurse kind of shrugged it off and told me that cramping wasn't unusual but if I felt my stomach harden into a ball with these cramps then this was a contraction. I told her it sometimes felt like my stomach was hard but it was so hard to tell sometimes. She told me I probably wasn't having contractions and was probably just getting tired and crampy towards the end.
They hooked me up to two flat circles that monitored my contractions and the baby's heart rate. They told me that they wanted to see the baby's heart rate jump up at least 15 beats per minute for at least 15 seconds. They wanted to see this happen twice. They gave me a button to hit every time I felt movement so it would be easier to track since the baby's heart rate was supposed to go up with activity, just like ours.
As soon as they hooked me up, Dominick got the hiccups. I was clicking the button every 5 seconds! The nurse came in and I told her that since he had the hiccups I was hitting the button a lot. She told me just to hit it when he kicked or punched. So I waited. He gave me a few kicks but nothing good. She came back about 10 minutes later and looked and his heart hadn't jumped at all yet. So she "buzzed me"!
It was a little handheld machine that made a loud noise. It didn't hurt the baby or me, it just sent a loud noise through my abdomen so Dominick would wake up a bit. Well he sure woke up. My whole stomach jumped! She left for another ten minutes and when she came back his heart had jumped up once but they still needed to see another jump. So she leaned over and started shaking my belly. She left again and when she came back the third time he passed! His heart rate had jumped up 3 times, so that was very good.
She was looking at my chart that was printing off and reading it when she noticed something. She told me that I was indeed having contractions during the test and asked if I could tell. I said yes, it was the same cramps I'd been having. I was told that if I have more than 6 of these an hour, to call the doctor immediately. So that's something I guess. My body is getting ready.
After the non-stress test, they put me back in the waiting room to wait for an ultrasound room. When that was available I went back and did the ultrasound portion. The tech told me that everything looks great. He has his little feet pushed up against the top of my uterus like he's squatting and ready to push himself off at any moment! She gave me the estimated weight of Dominick and he's approximately 5 lbs. 15 oz!! That's a big baby for 34 weeks! After the ultrasound I saw the doctor (my doctor wasn't there but another doc in the practice) and he wants me back in 3 weeks to check on growth. They are concerned about Dominick getting too big. I'm measuring around 37 weeks, not 34 weeks.
I wish my doc had been there because now I'm confused. On Tuesday my doctor said he was surprised that the baby was smaller than he expected and now Dominick is measuring 3 weeks ahead? Oh well, I'm not going to stress about it.
So long story short, I'm supposed to be paying attention to my contractions and to call as soon as I get 6 an hour. The doc also said to be ready because my body is gearing up for labor. So maybe Dominick will be here in 2008! Crazy!!
When I walked into the waiting room and it was packed. I was nervous about them being so far behind and thinking that this was going to take forever. But it wasn't too bad.
At 8:20 they called me back to start the monitoring. This was the non-stress test. She started by asking me questions. She asked how far I was and if I had had any contractions. I told her that I wasn't sure. Starting on Wednesday I started having these bad cramps, almost like menstrual cramps, that wouldn't go away. I wasn't sure what they were but they were painful. The nurse kind of shrugged it off and told me that cramping wasn't unusual but if I felt my stomach harden into a ball with these cramps then this was a contraction. I told her it sometimes felt like my stomach was hard but it was so hard to tell sometimes. She told me I probably wasn't having contractions and was probably just getting tired and crampy towards the end.
They hooked me up to two flat circles that monitored my contractions and the baby's heart rate. They told me that they wanted to see the baby's heart rate jump up at least 15 beats per minute for at least 15 seconds. They wanted to see this happen twice. They gave me a button to hit every time I felt movement so it would be easier to track since the baby's heart rate was supposed to go up with activity, just like ours.
As soon as they hooked me up, Dominick got the hiccups. I was clicking the button every 5 seconds! The nurse came in and I told her that since he had the hiccups I was hitting the button a lot. She told me just to hit it when he kicked or punched. So I waited. He gave me a few kicks but nothing good. She came back about 10 minutes later and looked and his heart hadn't jumped at all yet. So she "buzzed me"!
It was a little handheld machine that made a loud noise. It didn't hurt the baby or me, it just sent a loud noise through my abdomen so Dominick would wake up a bit. Well he sure woke up. My whole stomach jumped! She left for another ten minutes and when she came back his heart had jumped up once but they still needed to see another jump. So she leaned over and started shaking my belly. She left again and when she came back the third time he passed! His heart rate had jumped up 3 times, so that was very good.
She was looking at my chart that was printing off and reading it when she noticed something. She told me that I was indeed having contractions during the test and asked if I could tell. I said yes, it was the same cramps I'd been having. I was told that if I have more than 6 of these an hour, to call the doctor immediately. So that's something I guess. My body is getting ready.
After the non-stress test, they put me back in the waiting room to wait for an ultrasound room. When that was available I went back and did the ultrasound portion. The tech told me that everything looks great. He has his little feet pushed up against the top of my uterus like he's squatting and ready to push himself off at any moment! She gave me the estimated weight of Dominick and he's approximately 5 lbs. 15 oz!! That's a big baby for 34 weeks! After the ultrasound I saw the doctor (my doctor wasn't there but another doc in the practice) and he wants me back in 3 weeks to check on growth. They are concerned about Dominick getting too big. I'm measuring around 37 weeks, not 34 weeks.
I wish my doc had been there because now I'm confused. On Tuesday my doctor said he was surprised that the baby was smaller than he expected and now Dominick is measuring 3 weeks ahead? Oh well, I'm not going to stress about it.
So long story short, I'm supposed to be paying attention to my contractions and to call as soon as I get 6 an hour. The doc also said to be ready because my body is gearing up for labor. So maybe Dominick will be here in 2008! Crazy!!
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
34 Week Appt
I had an OB appointment yesterday. It took forever to see the doctor since the office was so behind but I finally got to see him and here's what he said.
First he told me that my blood pressure and weight gain is all great. I gained back 2 lbs since last appointment and now I'm at 11 lbs gained for the pregnancy. Then he looked at my blood sugars and told me that they are still too high. I am now on medicine at night and in the morning. I have to take a 2.5mg tablet at bedtime to help my fasting number and a 1.25mg tablet when I wake up to help my breakfast reading. I'm glad we are getting it under control but I really wish I could do it on my own without medicine. Next he looked at my ultrasound results from November 21. He told me that the baby was smaller than he expected...?? I don't really know what that means. I don't know if that's a bad thing, like the baby is measuring too small? Or if he just means that the baby is smaller than he thought a 5'9" girl with GD would be carrying? Either way, he told me that he doesn't want me to wait 2 weeks to come back. He wants me back next week for another check.
All in all, everything is going good but he wants me to be ready for a few things. I start the bio-physicals this week. My first one is Friday. At the end of this post I'll explain what a bio-physical entails but if anything looks out of whack, I'm supposed to be ready to be induced or have a c-section. Also, he told me that even though there's a 70-80% chance I'll go into labor on my own, he won't let me get too far along before he wants to talk induction. I think this is because of my blood clotting disorder. So I need to be ready for that.
Of course my OB's schedule doesn't match up with the ultrasound and monitoring schedule so this week I was there yesterday and I'm back at the hospital on Friday morning. Next week I have an appointment Monday at 1:00 and then I do monitoring on Tuesday and Friday at 8:30 a.m. The week after that I have an OB appointment on Wednesday at 9:40 and I have monitoring on Tuesday and Friday at 8:30. I am going to be at the hospital three days a week now!! I know it's for a good reason and I'm totally willing to do it. That's just a lot of time at the doctor's! I hope Dominick decides to cooperate and not stay in too long. As soon as he's healthy enough, I hope he makes an entrance. I don't know how long I can do all that!!
Here's what web md says about biophysicals:
Biophysical Profile (BPP)
A biophysical profile (BPP) test measures the health of your baby (fetus) during pregnancy. A BPP test may include a nonstress test with electronic fetal heart monitoring and a fetal ultrasound. The BPP measures your baby's heart rate, muscle tone, movement, breathing, and the amount of amniotic fluid around your baby.
A BPP is commonly done in the last trimester of pregnancy. If there is a chance that your baby may have problems during your pregnancy (high-risk pregnancy), a BPP may be done by 32 to 34 weeks or earlier. Some women with high-risk pregnancies may have a BPP test every week or twice a week in the third trimester.
How It Is Done
Most often, a biophysical profile (BPP) is performed by your obstetrician. But it may be done by an ultrasound technologist or radiologist. A BPP can be done in your doctor's office, hospital, or clinic.
A nonstress test with electronic fetal heart monitoring and a fetal ultrasound are done as part of a biophysical profile. See a picture of fetal ultrasound and external monitoring.
Some doctors may use a modified biophysical profile, which combines a nonstress test and measurements of the amniotic fluid.
Nonstress test
External fetal heart monitoring records your baby's heart rate while your baby is moving and not moving. It is usually done just before a fetal ultrasound.
External monitoring is done using two flat devices (sensors) held in place with elastic belts on your belly. One of these uses reflected sound waves (ultrasound) to keep track of your baby's heart rate; the other measures the duration of your contractions. The sensors are connected to a machine that records the information. Your baby's heartbeat may be heard as a beeping sound or printed out on a chart.
If your baby moves or you have a contraction, you may be asked to push a button on the machine. Your baby's heart rate is recorded and compared to the record of movement or your contractions. This test usually lasts about 30 minutes.
Fetal ultrasound
Often you do not need to remove your clothes for the ultrasound test; you can lift your shirt and push down the waistband of your skirt or pants. If you are wearing a dress, you will be given a cloth or paper covering to use during the test.
* You may need to have a full bladder. You may be asked to drink 4 to 6 glasses of liquid, usually juice or water, about an hour before the test. A full bladder helps transmit sound waves and pushes the intestines out of the way of the uterus. This makes the ultrasound picture clearer.
o You will not be able to urinate until the test is over. But tell the ultrasound technologist if your bladder is so full that you are in pain.
o If an ultrasound is done during the later part of pregnancy, a full bladder may not be needed. The growing fetus will push the intestines out of the way.
* You will lie on your back on a padded examination table. If you become short of breath or lightheaded while lying on your back, your upper body may be raised or you may be turned on your side.
* A gel will be spread on your abdomen.
* A small, handheld instrument called a transducer will be pressed against the gel on your skin and moved across your abdomen several times. You may watch the monitor to see the picture of the fetus during the test.
When the test is finished, the gel is cleaned off of your skin. You can urinate as soon as the test is done. Transabdominal ultrasound takes about 30 to 60 minutes.
Ultrasound technologists are trained to gather images of your fetus but cannot tell you whether it looks normal or not. Your health professional will share this information with you after the ultrasound images have been reviewed by a radiologist or perinatologist.
That was a lot of information! If you want to see the site, just click here. Sorry that was a lot. If you read that whole thing, then you are good! I'll update more after the first one and let you know how it went.
Wish me and Dominick luck!
First he told me that my blood pressure and weight gain is all great. I gained back 2 lbs since last appointment and now I'm at 11 lbs gained for the pregnancy. Then he looked at my blood sugars and told me that they are still too high. I am now on medicine at night and in the morning. I have to take a 2.5mg tablet at bedtime to help my fasting number and a 1.25mg tablet when I wake up to help my breakfast reading. I'm glad we are getting it under control but I really wish I could do it on my own without medicine. Next he looked at my ultrasound results from November 21. He told me that the baby was smaller than he expected...?? I don't really know what that means. I don't know if that's a bad thing, like the baby is measuring too small? Or if he just means that the baby is smaller than he thought a 5'9" girl with GD would be carrying? Either way, he told me that he doesn't want me to wait 2 weeks to come back. He wants me back next week for another check.
All in all, everything is going good but he wants me to be ready for a few things. I start the bio-physicals this week. My first one is Friday. At the end of this post I'll explain what a bio-physical entails but if anything looks out of whack, I'm supposed to be ready to be induced or have a c-section. Also, he told me that even though there's a 70-80% chance I'll go into labor on my own, he won't let me get too far along before he wants to talk induction. I think this is because of my blood clotting disorder. So I need to be ready for that.
Of course my OB's schedule doesn't match up with the ultrasound and monitoring schedule so this week I was there yesterday and I'm back at the hospital on Friday morning. Next week I have an appointment Monday at 1:00 and then I do monitoring on Tuesday and Friday at 8:30 a.m. The week after that I have an OB appointment on Wednesday at 9:40 and I have monitoring on Tuesday and Friday at 8:30. I am going to be at the hospital three days a week now!! I know it's for a good reason and I'm totally willing to do it. That's just a lot of time at the doctor's! I hope Dominick decides to cooperate and not stay in too long. As soon as he's healthy enough, I hope he makes an entrance. I don't know how long I can do all that!!
Here's what web md says about biophysicals:
Biophysical Profile (BPP)
A biophysical profile (BPP) test measures the health of your baby (fetus) during pregnancy. A BPP test may include a nonstress test with electronic fetal heart monitoring and a fetal ultrasound. The BPP measures your baby's heart rate, muscle tone, movement, breathing, and the amount of amniotic fluid around your baby.
A BPP is commonly done in the last trimester of pregnancy. If there is a chance that your baby may have problems during your pregnancy (high-risk pregnancy), a BPP may be done by 32 to 34 weeks or earlier. Some women with high-risk pregnancies may have a BPP test every week or twice a week in the third trimester.
How It Is Done
Most often, a biophysical profile (BPP) is performed by your obstetrician. But it may be done by an ultrasound technologist or radiologist. A BPP can be done in your doctor's office, hospital, or clinic.
A nonstress test with electronic fetal heart monitoring and a fetal ultrasound are done as part of a biophysical profile. See a picture of fetal ultrasound and external monitoring.
Some doctors may use a modified biophysical profile, which combines a nonstress test and measurements of the amniotic fluid.
Nonstress test
External fetal heart monitoring records your baby's heart rate while your baby is moving and not moving. It is usually done just before a fetal ultrasound.
External monitoring is done using two flat devices (sensors) held in place with elastic belts on your belly. One of these uses reflected sound waves (ultrasound) to keep track of your baby's heart rate; the other measures the duration of your contractions. The sensors are connected to a machine that records the information. Your baby's heartbeat may be heard as a beeping sound or printed out on a chart.
If your baby moves or you have a contraction, you may be asked to push a button on the machine. Your baby's heart rate is recorded and compared to the record of movement or your contractions. This test usually lasts about 30 minutes.
Fetal ultrasound
Often you do not need to remove your clothes for the ultrasound test; you can lift your shirt and push down the waistband of your skirt or pants. If you are wearing a dress, you will be given a cloth or paper covering to use during the test.
* You may need to have a full bladder. You may be asked to drink 4 to 6 glasses of liquid, usually juice or water, about an hour before the test. A full bladder helps transmit sound waves and pushes the intestines out of the way of the uterus. This makes the ultrasound picture clearer.
o You will not be able to urinate until the test is over. But tell the ultrasound technologist if your bladder is so full that you are in pain.
o If an ultrasound is done during the later part of pregnancy, a full bladder may not be needed. The growing fetus will push the intestines out of the way.
* You will lie on your back on a padded examination table. If you become short of breath or lightheaded while lying on your back, your upper body may be raised or you may be turned on your side.
* A gel will be spread on your abdomen.
* A small, handheld instrument called a transducer will be pressed against the gel on your skin and moved across your abdomen several times. You may watch the monitor to see the picture of the fetus during the test.
When the test is finished, the gel is cleaned off of your skin. You can urinate as soon as the test is done. Transabdominal ultrasound takes about 30 to 60 minutes.
Ultrasound technologists are trained to gather images of your fetus but cannot tell you whether it looks normal or not. Your health professional will share this information with you after the ultrasound images have been reviewed by a radiologist or perinatologist.
That was a lot of information! If you want to see the site, just click here. Sorry that was a lot. If you read that whole thing, then you are good! I'll update more after the first one and let you know how it went.
Wish me and Dominick luck!
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Graduation!
So we graduated from Baby Class last night! Well they don't call it graduating. That's just what I'm calling it for fun. I keep telling Nick that since we graduated we can officially have kids! We "completed" baby class last night. Nick was extremely excited.
This was a really fun class because we got to bring snacks and eat the whole time. And let me tell you, pregnant people and husbands forced to be at baby class like to eat! We had so many good things. Our teacher handed out a list of all of our names and email addresses (if we chose to be on that list) so we could keep in touch. I'm glad we got that because there are a few recipes from last night that I have to get.
We had a pediatrician come and talk to us. That was a quick presentation but it was good. We learned about taking the baby's temperature and when to go to the doctor right away and when we could wait. We learned about medications that are ok for newborns and we learned about immunizations. I also asked her about traveling and she said that infants travel quite well. She doesn't recommend taking an infant on a plane until they are two months old but it can be done. And she has no problem with traveling by car. (Nick was excited about this - we're trying to decide to go on the family ski trip in March). I'll talk more to my doc about that today.
After the pediatrician left we had the rest of our newborn care class. We spent a lot of time discussing SIDS and ways to prevent it.
We got out of class a little early and that was it. We're done!
I know that you don't HAVE to take a class and I know Nick really didn't like it (mainly because it's on a Monday after working 10 hours) but I think it was completely worth it. It was very informative and I feel so much more prepared for childbirth after taking the class. I have my breathing exercises down pat! I also think it was good for Nick to see the stuff in class. Nick doesn't do too well seeing me in pain. He tells me to "get over it", usually. This way he saw a video of an actual birth and knows it's gonna hurt and to try and be more supportive. He's been great so far and I expect him to be just as supportive on the big day.
6 down, 0 to go! Woohoo!
This was a really fun class because we got to bring snacks and eat the whole time. And let me tell you, pregnant people and husbands forced to be at baby class like to eat! We had so many good things. Our teacher handed out a list of all of our names and email addresses (if we chose to be on that list) so we could keep in touch. I'm glad we got that because there are a few recipes from last night that I have to get.
We had a pediatrician come and talk to us. That was a quick presentation but it was good. We learned about taking the baby's temperature and when to go to the doctor right away and when we could wait. We learned about medications that are ok for newborns and we learned about immunizations. I also asked her about traveling and she said that infants travel quite well. She doesn't recommend taking an infant on a plane until they are two months old but it can be done. And she has no problem with traveling by car. (Nick was excited about this - we're trying to decide to go on the family ski trip in March). I'll talk more to my doc about that today.
After the pediatrician left we had the rest of our newborn care class. We spent a lot of time discussing SIDS and ways to prevent it.
We got out of class a little early and that was it. We're done!
I know that you don't HAVE to take a class and I know Nick really didn't like it (mainly because it's on a Monday after working 10 hours) but I think it was completely worth it. It was very informative and I feel so much more prepared for childbirth after taking the class. I have my breathing exercises down pat! I also think it was good for Nick to see the stuff in class. Nick doesn't do too well seeing me in pain. He tells me to "get over it", usually. This way he saw a video of an actual birth and knows it's gonna hurt and to try and be more supportive. He's been great so far and I expect him to be just as supportive on the big day.
6 down, 0 to go! Woohoo!
Monday, December 15, 2008
Baby Mueller
Now that I've done my introductions, I'd like to do a quick post about Crystal and her baby.
Crystal was supposed to come over on Friday night along with a bunch of other friends for our Christmas Game Night. Well Ashley called me around 5:00 saying Crystal wouldn't make it because she was on her way to Labor and Delivery. I was concerned but I didn't think it was anything too bad. I've been to Labor and Delivery with a few scares and I'm there for a few hours and they send me home. However Crystal's experience was much more serious than mine have been.
Crystal was hooked up to a few monitors and they were measuring her contractions and the baby's heart beat and she was having some serious contractions and already dilating. She was in pre-term labor! They gave her medicine to stop the contractions and had her admitted to stay overnight. The next day she saw her doctor who sent her home with medicine to keep the contractions away and put her on bedrest for at least the next week if not more.
This is the shortened version of her story. Click on her name on the left to read the whole story.
I'm writing to get more needed prayers for her and Baby Mueller. 30 weeks is too early for him to come although we all can't wait to meet him. Please send prayers their way to keep him in as long as he needs to be in!
I hope you are doing ok on bedrest Crystal! Watch some movies!!
Crystal was supposed to come over on Friday night along with a bunch of other friends for our Christmas Game Night. Well Ashley called me around 5:00 saying Crystal wouldn't make it because she was on her way to Labor and Delivery. I was concerned but I didn't think it was anything too bad. I've been to Labor and Delivery with a few scares and I'm there for a few hours and they send me home. However Crystal's experience was much more serious than mine have been.
Crystal was hooked up to a few monitors and they were measuring her contractions and the baby's heart beat and she was having some serious contractions and already dilating. She was in pre-term labor! They gave her medicine to stop the contractions and had her admitted to stay overnight. The next day she saw her doctor who sent her home with medicine to keep the contractions away and put her on bedrest for at least the next week if not more.
This is the shortened version of her story. Click on her name on the left to read the whole story.
I'm writing to get more needed prayers for her and Baby Mueller. 30 weeks is too early for him to come although we all can't wait to meet him. Please send prayers their way to keep him in as long as he needs to be in!
I hope you are doing ok on bedrest Crystal! Watch some movies!!
Introductions
So I was just going to post about one of the blogs I follow and I realized that a lot of readers are my family and don't know who the other bloggers are. So I'm going to make a few introductions...
The blogs I follow are:
Ashley Wilson:
She is one of my bestest friends from college. We met at Fontbonne University and basically lived together until Junior year. She was in my wedding and I was in hers. She means a LOT to me and I love following her blog. She was recently married (April 12, 2008) and her blog is about her, her husband, Luke, and their "baby" Boomer.
Crystal Mueller:
Crystal is Ashley's older sister. We met through Ashley, obviously, and she is also great. We had never really hung out but we found out that Nick and her husband, Greg, used to work together. Crystal is also pregnant with a little boy and due in February. Her blog is about her family and a lot about her pregnancy. I love reading it because I love being able to talk to someone about the crazy things that are going on! (Holy Leg Cramps!) :-)
Sarah:
I met Sarah through www.ovusoft.com a website for people using the Fertility Awareness Method. She and I were in a buddy group together and have gotten very close through the internet. She, too, is pregnant and due around the same time as Crystal, in late February/early March...I think! A lot of her blog is about her pregnancy. I also love when her husband Tim does an entry. It's so sweet to hear what the expecting Dad's have to say!
Alissabeth:
I met Beth through Ovusoft too. She was in the same buddy group as Sarah and me. She's amazing. She is going to be a priest someday and she gives the best advice in the world. I love reading her blog because it's so insightful and keeps you intrigued. She is an amazing person and going to be an amazing mom one day.
Becki:
Ashley introduced me to Becki. I've never actually met her, but we've talked through email a few times. Becki is going through a hard time, being a single mom to three beautiful kids. She's struggling right now but I know she'll find a way to get through it for her kids. She's clearly a very loving mother.
Ketterer/Toft Family Blog:
This are my cousins! I recently found out about their blog and now I have to follow it. It was neat looking back on all their posts. This will also soon be Michelle's family! She and my cousin Adam will be married soon. Yay! I'm excited for her to officially be my cousin. :-)
So those are the blogs I follow. I have their links on the left so anyone can read about them. I love reading all of their stories and I hope they like reading mine!
The blogs I follow are:
Ashley Wilson:
She is one of my bestest friends from college. We met at Fontbonne University and basically lived together until Junior year. She was in my wedding and I was in hers. She means a LOT to me and I love following her blog. She was recently married (April 12, 2008) and her blog is about her, her husband, Luke, and their "baby" Boomer.
Crystal Mueller:
Crystal is Ashley's older sister. We met through Ashley, obviously, and she is also great. We had never really hung out but we found out that Nick and her husband, Greg, used to work together. Crystal is also pregnant with a little boy and due in February. Her blog is about her family and a lot about her pregnancy. I love reading it because I love being able to talk to someone about the crazy things that are going on! (Holy Leg Cramps!) :-)
Sarah:
I met Sarah through www.ovusoft.com a website for people using the Fertility Awareness Method. She and I were in a buddy group together and have gotten very close through the internet. She, too, is pregnant and due around the same time as Crystal, in late February/early March...I think! A lot of her blog is about her pregnancy. I also love when her husband Tim does an entry. It's so sweet to hear what the expecting Dad's have to say!
Alissabeth:
I met Beth through Ovusoft too. She was in the same buddy group as Sarah and me. She's amazing. She is going to be a priest someday and she gives the best advice in the world. I love reading her blog because it's so insightful and keeps you intrigued. She is an amazing person and going to be an amazing mom one day.
Becki:
Ashley introduced me to Becki. I've never actually met her, but we've talked through email a few times. Becki is going through a hard time, being a single mom to three beautiful kids. She's struggling right now but I know she'll find a way to get through it for her kids. She's clearly a very loving mother.
Ketterer/Toft Family Blog:
This are my cousins! I recently found out about their blog and now I have to follow it. It was neat looking back on all their posts. This will also soon be Michelle's family! She and my cousin Adam will be married soon. Yay! I'm excited for her to officially be my cousin. :-)
So those are the blogs I follow. I have their links on the left so anyone can read about them. I love reading all of their stories and I hope they like reading mine!
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Holy Leg Cramp!
I've had a few leg cramps, here and there, but nothing too bad. I've even had the annoying little toe cramps, where you can't walk normal because your toes hurt so bad, but again, nothing I can't handle...until last night.
I woke up around 3:30 in the morning, crying and almost screaming from a pain in my lower right leg. I was completely out of it, after sleeping for a few hours prior to this and couldn't even think straight. Nick woke up, obviously, and was holding my leg for me. I had to hold my leg up, because if I brought it down I had horrible pain. He told me to stretch, but having just woken up I didn't think it was a leg cramp at all. I was absolutely convinced that I had a blood clot in my leg that was going to burst and I was going to die. I wish I was kidding, but that was my thought process at 3:30 this morning. Nick finally convinced me to stand up and when I did at first I couldn't walk. I'm telling you, this was one of the worst pains I've ever felt in my entire life (good luck with labor then, right?!?) but after taking a few steps, I woke up, realized it was a leg cramp and was able to stretch it out. I went to the bathroom (again...for like the third time since going to bed at 11:00) and was able to go back to sleep.
I'm telling you - I wanted to be pregnant so badly. We tried and tried to get pregnant and I kept saying to Nick, "I'll deal with morning sickness for 9 whole months and I won't sleep and I'll deal with gaining all the weight. I just want to be pregnant!". I'm very thankful that I'm pregnant. Honestly I am. I know what it's like to try and try and keep finding out that it didn't work this month. That's tough. But this whole pregnancy thing is not easy either. I'm enjoying every minute of this journey. Even the minutes while I'm complaining. Honestly. But I will be very relieved when I don't have to go to the bathroom every two hours. And when I don't have to watch my blood sugar so closely. And when I don't need Nick to help me get up off the couch. I know that having a child is no easy feat either. He will be work and I'm completely willing and ridiculously excited for that next step. But I really really can't wait to NOT be pregnant anymore!!
I'm almost 33 weeks. The end is in sight...
I woke up around 3:30 in the morning, crying and almost screaming from a pain in my lower right leg. I was completely out of it, after sleeping for a few hours prior to this and couldn't even think straight. Nick woke up, obviously, and was holding my leg for me. I had to hold my leg up, because if I brought it down I had horrible pain. He told me to stretch, but having just woken up I didn't think it was a leg cramp at all. I was absolutely convinced that I had a blood clot in my leg that was going to burst and I was going to die. I wish I was kidding, but that was my thought process at 3:30 this morning. Nick finally convinced me to stand up and when I did at first I couldn't walk. I'm telling you, this was one of the worst pains I've ever felt in my entire life (good luck with labor then, right?!?) but after taking a few steps, I woke up, realized it was a leg cramp and was able to stretch it out. I went to the bathroom (again...for like the third time since going to bed at 11:00) and was able to go back to sleep.
I'm telling you - I wanted to be pregnant so badly. We tried and tried to get pregnant and I kept saying to Nick, "I'll deal with morning sickness for 9 whole months and I won't sleep and I'll deal with gaining all the weight. I just want to be pregnant!". I'm very thankful that I'm pregnant. Honestly I am. I know what it's like to try and try and keep finding out that it didn't work this month. That's tough. But this whole pregnancy thing is not easy either. I'm enjoying every minute of this journey. Even the minutes while I'm complaining. Honestly. But I will be very relieved when I don't have to go to the bathroom every two hours. And when I don't have to watch my blood sugar so closely. And when I don't need Nick to help me get up off the couch. I know that having a child is no easy feat either. He will be work and I'm completely willing and ridiculously excited for that next step. But I really really can't wait to NOT be pregnant anymore!!
I'm almost 33 weeks. The end is in sight...
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Baby Class #5
We had our second to last baby class last night. I can't believe it's been 5 weeks already! Like I've already said, last week we finished the childbirth part of the class. Which is scary. We've learned all we're going to learn about the actual birth already. I can't help but get the feeling that I am so unprepared for labor and birth. I know it's because I really am. No matter how much you read and learn, you can't know what it's really like until it happens to you. But enough about that.
Last night we learned about breastfeeding (the highlight of Nick's night - sarcastic) and newborn care.
Nick's face was so funny while watching the part on breastfeeding. You could tell how awkward he felt. He wouldn't look at the video or really pay attention during the whole unit on breastfeeding. I think the only time he started to listen was when we started talking about introducing solid foods. He could stomach that part! :-)
The unit on newborn care was better. We learned a bunch of stuff and watched a few videos. We learned how to bathe a baby, how to change a diaper, how to swaddle a baby, how to burp them, how to clean out their mouths if they spit up and how to clean out their noses if they have a cold, how to clean their cord area, etc. At the end, she gave us each a baby doll and we had to do all of the things we just learned. She came around the class and asked us what we would do if the baby started spitting up, etc. We had to show on the baby doll what we would do. Nick did a really good job at that part.
She gave us a bunch of handouts and a new book about taking your newborn home. It was a good class.
Next week is our last class. We will be doing more newborn care information and learning about SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome) and a pediatrician is coming to talk to us. We are also having a "party" in our class. Our teacher is bringing in some food and plates and stuff and we are all bringing in something to drink and a snack to share with everyone. It should be a good class.
I'm really glad we took the class. Even if Nick hasn't liked it yet! It feels good to have at least heard everything already once.
5 down and 1 to go!
Last night we learned about breastfeeding (the highlight of Nick's night - sarcastic) and newborn care.
Nick's face was so funny while watching the part on breastfeeding. You could tell how awkward he felt. He wouldn't look at the video or really pay attention during the whole unit on breastfeeding. I think the only time he started to listen was when we started talking about introducing solid foods. He could stomach that part! :-)
The unit on newborn care was better. We learned a bunch of stuff and watched a few videos. We learned how to bathe a baby, how to change a diaper, how to swaddle a baby, how to burp them, how to clean out their mouths if they spit up and how to clean out their noses if they have a cold, how to clean their cord area, etc. At the end, she gave us each a baby doll and we had to do all of the things we just learned. She came around the class and asked us what we would do if the baby started spitting up, etc. We had to show on the baby doll what we would do. Nick did a really good job at that part.
She gave us a bunch of handouts and a new book about taking your newborn home. It was a good class.
Next week is our last class. We will be doing more newborn care information and learning about SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome) and a pediatrician is coming to talk to us. We are also having a "party" in our class. Our teacher is bringing in some food and plates and stuff and we are all bringing in something to drink and a snack to share with everyone. It should be a good class.
I'm really glad we took the class. Even if Nick hasn't liked it yet! It feels good to have at least heard everything already once.
5 down and 1 to go!
Monday, December 8, 2008
November family pics
My sister uploads pictures of Cecilia once a month and sends the family an email link so we can all see how adorable she is month by month. Well this month included Thanksgiving and there was a family picture of us and a few other cute pics that I thought I should share. So here they are:
This is our family. Nick, Me, Angela with Cecilia, Andrew, Dad, and Momma. We don't have hardly any pictures of all of us, let alone all of us with Celia so I really like this picture.
Here is a pic of me, Nick and Cecilia. I'm her favorite aunt....well I'm kind of her only aunt, but I'm sure I would be her favorite, even if she had other aunts to chose from! ;-)
Well I put this picture up just because I find it adorably hilarious.
And that's all I have for today. Tonight is our fifth baby class and our first one on newborn care, so hopefully I'll have lots to share tomorrow.
This is our family. Nick, Me, Angela with Cecilia, Andrew, Dad, and Momma. We don't have hardly any pictures of all of us, let alone all of us with Celia so I really like this picture.
Here is a pic of me, Nick and Cecilia. I'm her favorite aunt....well I'm kind of her only aunt, but I'm sure I would be her favorite, even if she had other aunts to chose from! ;-)
Well I put this picture up just because I find it adorably hilarious.
And that's all I have for today. Tonight is our fifth baby class and our first one on newborn care, so hopefully I'll have lots to share tomorrow.
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Bridesmaid Dress!
I saw that Ashley just posted about this and I thought I'd show my dress too.
Our great friend, Michelle, is getting married next September. I'm very excited for this wedding for a few reasons. One - Michelle is one of my closest friends in the world and I'm so happy for her to find her Mr. Right and be getting married and Two - She's marrying my first cousin, Adam, so Michelle and I will officially be related!
Anyway, Michelle told us we could pick out whatever dress we wanted from J.Crew as long as it was black and tea length. I was SO happy to hear this. I love when you are in weddings and get to pick from a few options. Mainly because I am so self conscious about my body and hate wearing strapless dresses because I feel so wide. I even had straps added to my wedding dress because I felt so wide in my wedding dress!!
Here is the dress I chose to get:
I really love this dress. And I've said this before but I actually mean it this time, I can actually wear this dress again! It's like "the little black dress".
Love it!
Congrats Michelle and I can't wait until September next year!
Our great friend, Michelle, is getting married next September. I'm very excited for this wedding for a few reasons. One - Michelle is one of my closest friends in the world and I'm so happy for her to find her Mr. Right and be getting married and Two - She's marrying my first cousin, Adam, so Michelle and I will officially be related!
Anyway, Michelle told us we could pick out whatever dress we wanted from J.Crew as long as it was black and tea length. I was SO happy to hear this. I love when you are in weddings and get to pick from a few options. Mainly because I am so self conscious about my body and hate wearing strapless dresses because I feel so wide. I even had straps added to my wedding dress because I felt so wide in my wedding dress!!
Here is the dress I chose to get:
I really love this dress. And I've said this before but I actually mean it this time, I can actually wear this dress again! It's like "the little black dress".
Love it!
Congrats Michelle and I can't wait until September next year!
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Baby Class #4, Contractions, and my OB appt.
Last night was Baby Class #4. It was our last class on childbirth. Next week we start with breastfeeding and end with newborn care and class #6 is just newborn care.
We started last night's class with a tour of the hospital. It started off really good, but then I didn't feel so great. Apparently it was obvious because I had a few people tell me I looked like I didn't feel well and the instructor asked me if I needed a wheelchair because my face was so flushed. Well I turned her down because I didn't want to be the only one in a wheelchair (silly I know) and I continued to walk. After our tour, we went back to the classroom to continue our lesson for the night and I started to feel sick. I was getting very sharp pains in my lower abdomen that wouldn't stop. I was getting the pains very regularly and they were getting worse. Everything I tried to do to feel better, failed. By the end of class, I was in so much pain I couldn't walk very far without stopping. I don't remember hardly anything from class last night, but the breathing techniques and the relaxation exercise did work and help me through the pain.
The pain lasted on and off all night last night and finally went away right before bed. Thank goodness too because I needed some sleep.
I woke up this morning feeling better but still getting pains. Luckily I had an OB appointment today. I told me doc about the pains and he wanted to do vaginal exam on me. He felt my belly and checked my cervix and told me that I was indeed having contractions all night. My cervix is soft but not yet dilated. But this is the calm before the storm. He warned me that this is my body's way of telling me to slow down and try to relax since I'm now at an even higher risk of pre-term labor. He told me that I need to stay off of my feet at work (I already sit at a desk) and when I shop I need to take 30 minute breaks every hour (I haven't shopped since October) so really I don't know what I can do to do less than what I'm already doing, but I guess I'll try to be even more lazy! ;-)
I feel good and I'm not having a lot of pains anymore. I'm still feeling Dominick kick so that's good and his heart rate was in the 150's today, so he's doing great. I just need to relax a little more I suppose.
I'll try and we'll see what happens.
I also learned today, that my diabetes is out of my control. My diet isn't working. Or isn't helping the blood sugar. I lost 4 lbs. this month which brings my net weight gain down to 9 lbs for the pregnancy! Crazy. But my blood sugar is still high so my doc put me on medicine to help me out. We'll see how that works out. Hopefully it will help get everything under control and Dominick won't get too big!
I go back to the doc 2 weeks from today and I have another ultrasound two weeks from Friday along with my biophysical and monitoring.
It's always something, isn't it??
We started last night's class with a tour of the hospital. It started off really good, but then I didn't feel so great. Apparently it was obvious because I had a few people tell me I looked like I didn't feel well and the instructor asked me if I needed a wheelchair because my face was so flushed. Well I turned her down because I didn't want to be the only one in a wheelchair (silly I know) and I continued to walk. After our tour, we went back to the classroom to continue our lesson for the night and I started to feel sick. I was getting very sharp pains in my lower abdomen that wouldn't stop. I was getting the pains very regularly and they were getting worse. Everything I tried to do to feel better, failed. By the end of class, I was in so much pain I couldn't walk very far without stopping. I don't remember hardly anything from class last night, but the breathing techniques and the relaxation exercise did work and help me through the pain.
The pain lasted on and off all night last night and finally went away right before bed. Thank goodness too because I needed some sleep.
I woke up this morning feeling better but still getting pains. Luckily I had an OB appointment today. I told me doc about the pains and he wanted to do vaginal exam on me. He felt my belly and checked my cervix and told me that I was indeed having contractions all night. My cervix is soft but not yet dilated. But this is the calm before the storm. He warned me that this is my body's way of telling me to slow down and try to relax since I'm now at an even higher risk of pre-term labor. He told me that I need to stay off of my feet at work (I already sit at a desk) and when I shop I need to take 30 minute breaks every hour (I haven't shopped since October) so really I don't know what I can do to do less than what I'm already doing, but I guess I'll try to be even more lazy! ;-)
I feel good and I'm not having a lot of pains anymore. I'm still feeling Dominick kick so that's good and his heart rate was in the 150's today, so he's doing great. I just need to relax a little more I suppose.
I'll try and we'll see what happens.
I also learned today, that my diabetes is out of my control. My diet isn't working. Or isn't helping the blood sugar. I lost 4 lbs. this month which brings my net weight gain down to 9 lbs for the pregnancy! Crazy. But my blood sugar is still high so my doc put me on medicine to help me out. We'll see how that works out. Hopefully it will help get everything under control and Dominick won't get too big!
I go back to the doc 2 weeks from today and I have another ultrasound two weeks from Friday along with my biophysical and monitoring.
It's always something, isn't it??
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