I have concluded that it is time to move on from this blog that I was never very dedicated to keeping up to date to begin with!
We have started a new chapter of our lives with Ben and I want my new blog to focus on all of the positives in our lives right now. In addition, I didn't share the previous blog with many people IRL because I was never very comfortable broadcasting our IF struggles and all of my emotions that went with it, with our IRL friends.
So, please head on over to His Name is Ben and start following! I promise loads of cuteness there :-)
Monday, February 7, 2011
Thursday, November 4, 2010
At Long Last...
Benjamin's Here :-)
So this post is quite late, as little Ben turned two weeks old yesterday, but, well we can see that intentions don't do the work themselves.
On Monday, October 18th I made the trip to the OB's office for my 39 week appointment. I had started feeling a little off days before. Lightheaded, a little crampy, backache, and the swelling in my hands and feet had really increased and was causing pain. They took my blood pressure and it came back pretty high. The OB thought it best that I head up to the hospital for testing to rule out Preeclampsia. I was hooked up to some monitors for a non-stress test and had some blood drawn and urine tested. A couple of hours later, the OB met us at the hospital and did another ultrasound to make sure that Ben was still head down, he was :-)
They also discovered while I was hooked up to the monitor for the NST that my contractions were coming every 5 minutes. At that point, they checked me for progress and I was about 1.5 cm dilated. The OB gave me the option to be admitted and walk the halls at the hospital, or go home and labor there. That either way, she suspected that he may be coming that night.
I called my parents and let them know, since our plan was to have mom here to be a labor coach. I didn't feel very confident that he really was going to come that night, but they headed down anyway and were here by that afternoon. Mom and I walked the block and I bounced on my exercise ball to try to bring on active labor. Mom made a nice meal for us and we just sat around, waiting for something to happen.
Nothing did. The next morning, we headed back to the OB's office, as she wanted to see me if I hadn't gone into labor to check my blood pressure again. Once again, it was high. At this point, she mentioned to us that her preference would be to have me go to the hospital, walk the halls and shower to see if that would bring anything on. If not, she would be up there later on to "move things along". She also gave us the option to wait and see what happens, but mentioned that she felt that moving things along would be the best option with my high blood pressure.
We decided that I would head up to the hospital. J went back to work to shut his computer down and wrap things up while my mom and I met my dad back at the house and got everything together to take to the hospital with us. My dad snapped the last pregnant picture of me in front our house on our way out.
We settled into the hospital and dad headed back to the house. J showed up a little while later. I was hooked up to the machines and of course, the contractions were no longer coming regularly. We checked into the hospital around 11 am. By noon I was walking the halls and taking showers to try to make some progress. I wasn't feeling the contractions getting stronger pain-wise, but I was definitely having them and each one seemed a little more tight than the last.
All of the nurses were wonderful, except for one who I had most of the day that day. She made the decision to share with me that I wasn't in "real labor", she wasn't sure why the OB had me come to the hospital because I wasn't three cm and that she doubted that the contractions that I was having were making any progress with dilation. Talk about discouraging.
The OB met us at the hospital around 4:30 and checked to see if I had made any progress. That morning I had been 1.5 cm and at this point, I was now only 2. She mentioned to me that yesterday had been her day on call at the hospital and because she wasn't planning on being there that day, she had dinner plans. She asked if I minded if she left for the dinner plans and then came back later that night to break my water and get things started. She didn't want to start the process and then not be there as I progressed. I told her that was fine (even though I had been looking forward to the afternoon all day thinking that is when things would start). I was just grateful that she wanted to be there to deliver the baby and not another OB who was a complete stranger.
She didn't return until 11 pm. They had not let me eat anything all day, so I was pretty miserable. She came in and broke my water and the nurses started the pitocin 20 minutes later. They continued to monitor me and up the dose every 20 minutes. I labored like this for about 5 hours until I asked for them to check me. The intense pain that I was having had to be doing something! Only three cm. I immediately asked for meds for the pain. I wanted to see if there was a chance that I could avoid an epidural by trying the medication that they say "takes the edge off". They administered the stadol first. Within seconds of them pushing it through the IV line I felt like I had just drank a bottle of wine. The relaxation that came over me was fantastic. However no more than a minute later - the next contraction came. It didn't take the edge off of any of that pain. In fact, I felt like it prevented me from preparing myself for each on-coming contraction. I hated it and couldn't ask them to get me the epidural fast enough.
Luckily, the anesthesiologist was on the floor administering another epi, so it didn't take long for him to come into the room. I didn't anticipate how long the actual procedure takes, either. They made J leave the room (actually, they made him go out into the waiting area) while the two nurses that I had held me up on either side. I was so loopy from the Stadol that again I felt like I couldn't prepare myself for the pokes and prods of the procedure. I got a bit light headed but was able to lay down as soon as I thought I might pass out.
The epi didn't start working right away. In fact, the anesthesiologist came back in and pushed some through the line for some more immediate relief because the contractions were so strong at that point. They had to tilt me to the right because only the left went numb at first (such a weird sensation!). The relief was wonderful. I actually finally got some sleep at that point for a couple of hours. The OB came in around 7 am to check the progress. I was 9.5 cm dilated and fully effaced! The nurse that I had at this point had been a midwife and pushed for me to be able to do a "Passive Descend". Basically they just wait as long as possible before actively pushing to avoid stress on the mom and the baby.
Around 8:30 the OB and a few nurses came in and it was time to push. They set up a big mirror and a spotlight so that I could see what was going on down there through the birth. The nurse had me reach my hand down and feel the head. I remember thinking that it felt squishy, not hard and like a little ball. They wanted me to push whenever I felt pressure from a contraction. However, I really couldn't feel much, so it took a ton of concentration to try to decipher a contraction. I thought this was odd because I would have thought that they would tell me when a contraction was coming so that I would know when to push. They didn't. I asked them to, and they still didn't.
I think I must have been pushing for about a half hour when I started hearing some concern in their voices. Then the OB mentioned to me that she might have to use the vacuum pump to get him out. I told her to do whatever she had to do. It was at that point that they lost his heartbeat. They started moving the monitor all over my stomach trying to find it and nothing. That is when I heard them say to prep the OR. It was at that point that something came over me. I grabbed my own legs and pushed with everything that I had. He came out with three tremendous pushes. He started crying immediately and they placed him on my chest. He was there for almost an hour. It was the most amazing feeling I have ever experienced.
Benjamin Emory made his entrance to the world at 9:16 am on Wednesday, October 20th weighing 7 lbs 14 oz and measuring 19 inches long.
We spent the next two days recovering in the postpartum wing. We were extremely impressed with the hospital and all of the knowledgeable nurses. Ben ended up with a touch of Jaundice, but the nurse practitioner felt confident that he wouldn't need any light therapy after they drew his levels and they came back elevated, but low enough to just keep an eye on it. We were released on Friday afternoon. Ben screamed the entire way through the halls as J carried him in his car seat. Of course, people turned to look and smiled and I know that J was nervous and feeling like all of these people are saying to themselves that we don't know what we're in for! Of course, the second that his car seat clicked into its base in the car, the crying stopped and he fell fast asleep :-)
Dad had to head back to work later in the day on Wednesday and came back down on Sunday to bring mom back home on Monday. He brought along my nephew, Isaiah who is six years old and was dying to meet Ben. He did such a great job holding him and helping us change his diaper. He says that he is going to teach him "and lots of things, but not dangerous things because that would be bad."
Benjamin is a really good baby. For the most part he only cries when his diaper needs to be changed (screams when it is actually being changed), when he is hungry and fusses a little when he wants to be held. We had a couple of scary days when we couldn't seem to wake him up for anything. We used cold wash cloths, took of all his clothes, basically tried making him as uncomfortable as possible so that he would wake up and eat. All to pretty much no avail. When the visiting nurse came when he was about a week old, he hadn't gained back any weight and was still about 5% below his birth weight. She said that she was going to come back this past Tuesday (one day shy of turning two weeks) to weigh him again and make sure that he was gaining. However, she has had to cancel twice now - so we aren't sure when the second weigh in will be.
We spent a nice Halloween at home. Only wound up with about 5 groups of trick or treaters and I was feeding Ben for three of them, so I didn't get to see them :-( Now we have a giant bowl of candy that is making it's way into J and I's tummy! Ben seemed to enjoy his festive outfit :-)
We are in love!!
So this post is quite late, as little Ben turned two weeks old yesterday, but, well we can see that intentions don't do the work themselves.
On Monday, October 18th I made the trip to the OB's office for my 39 week appointment. I had started feeling a little off days before. Lightheaded, a little crampy, backache, and the swelling in my hands and feet had really increased and was causing pain. They took my blood pressure and it came back pretty high. The OB thought it best that I head up to the hospital for testing to rule out Preeclampsia. I was hooked up to some monitors for a non-stress test and had some blood drawn and urine tested. A couple of hours later, the OB met us at the hospital and did another ultrasound to make sure that Ben was still head down, he was :-)
They also discovered while I was hooked up to the monitor for the NST that my contractions were coming every 5 minutes. At that point, they checked me for progress and I was about 1.5 cm dilated. The OB gave me the option to be admitted and walk the halls at the hospital, or go home and labor there. That either way, she suspected that he may be coming that night.
I called my parents and let them know, since our plan was to have mom here to be a labor coach. I didn't feel very confident that he really was going to come that night, but they headed down anyway and were here by that afternoon. Mom and I walked the block and I bounced on my exercise ball to try to bring on active labor. Mom made a nice meal for us and we just sat around, waiting for something to happen.
Nothing did. The next morning, we headed back to the OB's office, as she wanted to see me if I hadn't gone into labor to check my blood pressure again. Once again, it was high. At this point, she mentioned to us that her preference would be to have me go to the hospital, walk the halls and shower to see if that would bring anything on. If not, she would be up there later on to "move things along". She also gave us the option to wait and see what happens, but mentioned that she felt that moving things along would be the best option with my high blood pressure.
We decided that I would head up to the hospital. J went back to work to shut his computer down and wrap things up while my mom and I met my dad back at the house and got everything together to take to the hospital with us. My dad snapped the last pregnant picture of me in front our house on our way out.
We settled into the hospital and dad headed back to the house. J showed up a little while later. I was hooked up to the machines and of course, the contractions were no longer coming regularly. We checked into the hospital around 11 am. By noon I was walking the halls and taking showers to try to make some progress. I wasn't feeling the contractions getting stronger pain-wise, but I was definitely having them and each one seemed a little more tight than the last.
All of the nurses were wonderful, except for one who I had most of the day that day. She made the decision to share with me that I wasn't in "real labor", she wasn't sure why the OB had me come to the hospital because I wasn't three cm and that she doubted that the contractions that I was having were making any progress with dilation. Talk about discouraging.
The OB met us at the hospital around 4:30 and checked to see if I had made any progress. That morning I had been 1.5 cm and at this point, I was now only 2. She mentioned to me that yesterday had been her day on call at the hospital and because she wasn't planning on being there that day, she had dinner plans. She asked if I minded if she left for the dinner plans and then came back later that night to break my water and get things started. She didn't want to start the process and then not be there as I progressed. I told her that was fine (even though I had been looking forward to the afternoon all day thinking that is when things would start). I was just grateful that she wanted to be there to deliver the baby and not another OB who was a complete stranger.
She didn't return until 11 pm. They had not let me eat anything all day, so I was pretty miserable. She came in and broke my water and the nurses started the pitocin 20 minutes later. They continued to monitor me and up the dose every 20 minutes. I labored like this for about 5 hours until I asked for them to check me. The intense pain that I was having had to be doing something! Only three cm. I immediately asked for meds for the pain. I wanted to see if there was a chance that I could avoid an epidural by trying the medication that they say "takes the edge off". They administered the stadol first. Within seconds of them pushing it through the IV line I felt like I had just drank a bottle of wine. The relaxation that came over me was fantastic. However no more than a minute later - the next contraction came. It didn't take the edge off of any of that pain. In fact, I felt like it prevented me from preparing myself for each on-coming contraction. I hated it and couldn't ask them to get me the epidural fast enough.
Luckily, the anesthesiologist was on the floor administering another epi, so it didn't take long for him to come into the room. I didn't anticipate how long the actual procedure takes, either. They made J leave the room (actually, they made him go out into the waiting area) while the two nurses that I had held me up on either side. I was so loopy from the Stadol that again I felt like I couldn't prepare myself for the pokes and prods of the procedure. I got a bit light headed but was able to lay down as soon as I thought I might pass out.
The epi didn't start working right away. In fact, the anesthesiologist came back in and pushed some through the line for some more immediate relief because the contractions were so strong at that point. They had to tilt me to the right because only the left went numb at first (such a weird sensation!). The relief was wonderful. I actually finally got some sleep at that point for a couple of hours. The OB came in around 7 am to check the progress. I was 9.5 cm dilated and fully effaced! The nurse that I had at this point had been a midwife and pushed for me to be able to do a "Passive Descend". Basically they just wait as long as possible before actively pushing to avoid stress on the mom and the baby.
Around 8:30 the OB and a few nurses came in and it was time to push. They set up a big mirror and a spotlight so that I could see what was going on down there through the birth. The nurse had me reach my hand down and feel the head. I remember thinking that it felt squishy, not hard and like a little ball. They wanted me to push whenever I felt pressure from a contraction. However, I really couldn't feel much, so it took a ton of concentration to try to decipher a contraction. I thought this was odd because I would have thought that they would tell me when a contraction was coming so that I would know when to push. They didn't. I asked them to, and they still didn't.
I think I must have been pushing for about a half hour when I started hearing some concern in their voices. Then the OB mentioned to me that she might have to use the vacuum pump to get him out. I told her to do whatever she had to do. It was at that point that they lost his heartbeat. They started moving the monitor all over my stomach trying to find it and nothing. That is when I heard them say to prep the OR. It was at that point that something came over me. I grabbed my own legs and pushed with everything that I had. He came out with three tremendous pushes. He started crying immediately and they placed him on my chest. He was there for almost an hour. It was the most amazing feeling I have ever experienced.
Benjamin Emory made his entrance to the world at 9:16 am on Wednesday, October 20th weighing 7 lbs 14 oz and measuring 19 inches long.
We spent the next two days recovering in the postpartum wing. We were extremely impressed with the hospital and all of the knowledgeable nurses. Ben ended up with a touch of Jaundice, but the nurse practitioner felt confident that he wouldn't need any light therapy after they drew his levels and they came back elevated, but low enough to just keep an eye on it. We were released on Friday afternoon. Ben screamed the entire way through the halls as J carried him in his car seat. Of course, people turned to look and smiled and I know that J was nervous and feeling like all of these people are saying to themselves that we don't know what we're in for! Of course, the second that his car seat clicked into its base in the car, the crying stopped and he fell fast asleep :-)
Dad had to head back to work later in the day on Wednesday and came back down on Sunday to bring mom back home on Monday. He brought along my nephew, Isaiah who is six years old and was dying to meet Ben. He did such a great job holding him and helping us change his diaper. He says that he is going to teach him "and lots of things, but not dangerous things because that would be bad."
Benjamin is a really good baby. For the most part he only cries when his diaper needs to be changed (screams when it is actually being changed), when he is hungry and fusses a little when he wants to be held. We had a couple of scary days when we couldn't seem to wake him up for anything. We used cold wash cloths, took of all his clothes, basically tried making him as uncomfortable as possible so that he would wake up and eat. All to pretty much no avail. When the visiting nurse came when he was about a week old, he hadn't gained back any weight and was still about 5% below his birth weight. She said that she was going to come back this past Tuesday (one day shy of turning two weeks) to weigh him again and make sure that he was gaining. However, she has had to cancel twice now - so we aren't sure when the second weigh in will be.
We spent a nice Halloween at home. Only wound up with about 5 groups of trick or treaters and I was feeding Ben for three of them, so I didn't get to see them :-( Now we have a giant bowl of candy that is making it's way into J and I's tummy! Ben seemed to enjoy his festive outfit :-)
We are in love!!
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
36 Weeks and...
he's breech.
I had my 36 week appointment on Monday. I mentioned to the OB that I had been feeling some pressure down low, but not consistently. I explained to her that it felt as though he was kicking and punching me in the cervix, bladder, basically all body parts down there. Because she was already doing a swab for strep, she decided to check my cervix. It was completely closed and she couldn't feel a head. She felt my belly externally and determined that it is in fact his head that is consistently up in my right rib.
I go to my weekly appointments without J, as they are usually quick and easy. No reason for him to be there really. I really wished that he had been with me for this news because I was devastated. So much so that I completely forgot to ask all my questions about vaccinations. One of which I was prepared to get while I was there. She explained that she wanted to get an ultrasound and then she would see me next week to discuss an ECV or c-section.
We went back in today for the ultrasound to determine exactly how he is in there and it is confirmed that he is breech. Bum is in the pelvis. However, he is still a boy :-) and he currently weighs about 6 lbs 3 oz :-)
I have been thinking more and more about my initial reaction to finding out he is breech. Of course, it is upsetting news for anyone not wishing to have a c-section but I think it goes back to IF. I couldn't get pregnant "naturally" and now I am being robbed of the experience to give birth naturally? How is that fair? It makes me angry. But then, as fast as I got the news and got really upset about it for a day, the feeling passed and I am feeling a bit indifferent to it right now.
Do I want to be cut open, spend an extra 3 days in the hospital, go through the pain of surgical recovery, not get to hold and cuddle my little baby as soon as he makes his way out of the birth canal, allowing the cord to pulsate as long as possible, never have the experience of feeling a real labor contraction, not have some great story to tell about where and when I went into labor? Absolutely not. I would give anything to not have to make the decision to have the surgery.
But, the bottom line is that it is where I am right now and what I have to face. Attempting the delivery would be dangerous for myself and baby. Why the hell would I put either of us at risk after everything we have been through to get to this point? This is why I am passing on the ECV. If he doesn't turn on his own by the c-section date then c-section it will be. If he does, well, that would just be awesome.
I am trying to look at the positives of the surgery. If it is scheduled, I can schedule my last day of work and know that everything has been covered as I am walking out the door. My parents can schedule their visit to be with us and I can schedule it on a day that my sister can be here. They will want to schedule me for 38 or 39 weeks, which means that I get to meet him sooner. As much as I want to feel the pain of childbirth, it does take a bit of the nervousness off of wondering just how I will deal with the pain. As much as I hate the hospital and do not want to be there for even the two days that a vaginal birth would have us there for, maybe it will be nice to have the nurses there to help me learn how to breastfeed, not feel rushed in getting out of there, allowing me the time to think of all the million questions I may have. All in all, it may not be the worst thing in the world after all.
I had my 36 week appointment on Monday. I mentioned to the OB that I had been feeling some pressure down low, but not consistently. I explained to her that it felt as though he was kicking and punching me in the cervix, bladder, basically all body parts down there. Because she was already doing a swab for strep, she decided to check my cervix. It was completely closed and she couldn't feel a head. She felt my belly externally and determined that it is in fact his head that is consistently up in my right rib.
I go to my weekly appointments without J, as they are usually quick and easy. No reason for him to be there really. I really wished that he had been with me for this news because I was devastated. So much so that I completely forgot to ask all my questions about vaccinations. One of which I was prepared to get while I was there. She explained that she wanted to get an ultrasound and then she would see me next week to discuss an ECV or c-section.
We went back in today for the ultrasound to determine exactly how he is in there and it is confirmed that he is breech. Bum is in the pelvis. However, he is still a boy :-) and he currently weighs about 6 lbs 3 oz :-)
I have been thinking more and more about my initial reaction to finding out he is breech. Of course, it is upsetting news for anyone not wishing to have a c-section but I think it goes back to IF. I couldn't get pregnant "naturally" and now I am being robbed of the experience to give birth naturally? How is that fair? It makes me angry. But then, as fast as I got the news and got really upset about it for a day, the feeling passed and I am feeling a bit indifferent to it right now.
Do I want to be cut open, spend an extra 3 days in the hospital, go through the pain of surgical recovery, not get to hold and cuddle my little baby as soon as he makes his way out of the birth canal, allowing the cord to pulsate as long as possible, never have the experience of feeling a real labor contraction, not have some great story to tell about where and when I went into labor? Absolutely not. I would give anything to not have to make the decision to have the surgery.
But, the bottom line is that it is where I am right now and what I have to face. Attempting the delivery would be dangerous for myself and baby. Why the hell would I put either of us at risk after everything we have been through to get to this point? This is why I am passing on the ECV. If he doesn't turn on his own by the c-section date then c-section it will be. If he does, well, that would just be awesome.
I am trying to look at the positives of the surgery. If it is scheduled, I can schedule my last day of work and know that everything has been covered as I am walking out the door. My parents can schedule their visit to be with us and I can schedule it on a day that my sister can be here. They will want to schedule me for 38 or 39 weeks, which means that I get to meet him sooner. As much as I want to feel the pain of childbirth, it does take a bit of the nervousness off of wondering just how I will deal with the pain. As much as I hate the hospital and do not want to be there for even the two days that a vaginal birth would have us there for, maybe it will be nice to have the nurses there to help me learn how to breastfeed, not feel rushed in getting out of there, allowing me the time to think of all the million questions I may have. All in all, it may not be the worst thing in the world after all.
Monday, September 13, 2010
Hurry up and wait
So the past few weeks have been busy, busy, busy and I haven't had a moment to wind down and have time to post. I feel like once we have most everything we need for the baby and have the nursery ready, time is going to crawl. Hence the 'Hurry up and wait' title of this post.
Today marks 34 weeks so first things first:
Total Weight Gain: 38 lbs
Symptoms: Belly is LARGE! It is kind of taking over everything at this point! I go to stand at the sink or scoot in at my desk and it doesn't quite let me get there. As far as it being uncomfortable, I can't complain at all. There are some days when I get braxon hicks pretty often that can be uncomfortable and after awhile start to take a toll on my back, but they come and go.
The most uncomfortable thing at the moment is the acid reflux. Depending on what I eat, it can get really bad. I tried Rolaids and they didn't seem to be doing the trick, so I grabbed some Mylanta and it seems to be helping this evening. The lasagna I ate for dinner last night and lunch today didn't help that at all, I am afraid.
Stretch Marks: None! but the belly button has popped :-)
Sleep: Still sleeping well and feeling rested when I wake up. Starting to have to pee more often now, so it is interrupted more than usual but I can't complain.
Best Moment Last Week: Traveling to VT for the baby shower! The shower was beautiful, my mom and sister did a wonderful job. We got so much stuff. This baby will be the best dressed on the block, that is for sure. We also celebrated a sort of 'baby-moon' and Anniversary together by staying in Stowe for a couple of nights. We got a free upgrade to a suite, it was very nice.
Movement: All the time. I can tell by the way the movements feel that it is starting to get tight in there.
Food Cravings: No cravings, but I am liking egg and cheese on an english muffin and yogurt right now.
What I Miss: Still missing having the energy to keep busy all day on the weekends, but I am getting better about it. I can more easily recognize when I need a bit of a break and get it in before the pain sets in.
What am I looking forward to: Another shower this weekend! My wonderful friend Nicole is throwing me a shower down here in RI. My mom and sister are even driving down from VT to attend.
Next weekend will be our trip to Maine for another friends wedding. Mom and Dad will be coming along for this, so it should be a great time.
Milestones: We started and have made tremendous progress on the nursery. I am waiting to post pictures until I feel like it is completely done. There are a couple more items needed that I think we will have after this weekend.
How is Daddy? Daddy is good. He is away on training for work in PA this week and will get home Friday evening. He is loving being able to feel the baby move all the time and trying to guess which body part is rolling around under his hand :-)
Now, for the maternity photos that J did a wonderful job taking. We had a beautiful back drop in the trails behind the hotel that we stayed at in Stowe, in addition to some great shots at the site where we were married 3 years ago.
Today marks 34 weeks so first things first:
Total Weight Gain: 38 lbs
Symptoms: Belly is LARGE! It is kind of taking over everything at this point! I go to stand at the sink or scoot in at my desk and it doesn't quite let me get there. As far as it being uncomfortable, I can't complain at all. There are some days when I get braxon hicks pretty often that can be uncomfortable and after awhile start to take a toll on my back, but they come and go.
The most uncomfortable thing at the moment is the acid reflux. Depending on what I eat, it can get really bad. I tried Rolaids and they didn't seem to be doing the trick, so I grabbed some Mylanta and it seems to be helping this evening. The lasagna I ate for dinner last night and lunch today didn't help that at all, I am afraid.
Stretch Marks: None! but the belly button has popped :-)
Sleep: Still sleeping well and feeling rested when I wake up. Starting to have to pee more often now, so it is interrupted more than usual but I can't complain.
Best Moment Last Week: Traveling to VT for the baby shower! The shower was beautiful, my mom and sister did a wonderful job. We got so much stuff. This baby will be the best dressed on the block, that is for sure. We also celebrated a sort of 'baby-moon' and Anniversary together by staying in Stowe for a couple of nights. We got a free upgrade to a suite, it was very nice.
Movement: All the time. I can tell by the way the movements feel that it is starting to get tight in there.
Food Cravings: No cravings, but I am liking egg and cheese on an english muffin and yogurt right now.
What I Miss: Still missing having the energy to keep busy all day on the weekends, but I am getting better about it. I can more easily recognize when I need a bit of a break and get it in before the pain sets in.
What am I looking forward to: Another shower this weekend! My wonderful friend Nicole is throwing me a shower down here in RI. My mom and sister are even driving down from VT to attend.
Next weekend will be our trip to Maine for another friends wedding. Mom and Dad will be coming along for this, so it should be a great time.
Milestones: We started and have made tremendous progress on the nursery. I am waiting to post pictures until I feel like it is completely done. There are a couple more items needed that I think we will have after this weekend.
How is Daddy? Daddy is good. He is away on training for work in PA this week and will get home Friday evening. He is loving being able to feel the baby move all the time and trying to guess which body part is rolling around under his hand :-)
Now, for the maternity photos that J did a wonderful job taking. We had a beautiful back drop in the trails behind the hotel that we stayed at in Stowe, in addition to some great shots at the site where we were married 3 years ago.
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Scary day
We have been lucky that this pregnancy has been practically complication-free with the one exception of the low-lying placenta which was confirmed at the 28 week appointment has moved and is no longer a concern.
This morning however, we were not so lucky. I will start with saying that the baby is fine, I am still pregnant and this experience likely didn't affect him in the least (with the exception of a slightly elevated heart-rate that he could likely sense).
I had high hopes for this weekend. My plan was to get my hair cut, which I have been excited about and waiting for for quite sometime. This was to be followed by some maternity photos that J was going to take for me. I stopped by the craft store on my way home to pick up some props for this shoot and even had the camera professionally cleaned last week for the occasion.
This morning I woke up and got in the shower. I was feeling fine until I was getting dressed and seemed to catch the light coming through the window in my eye in a weird way that caused a spot that wouldn't go away. I tried to shrug it off, put my make up on and be on my way, but my body had other plans. I came in and sat on the couch, told J what was going on and he had my lay on my side and got me some tylenol while I drank a little coffee, thinking that this was likely the start of a migraine. I started feeling better after about 20 minutes or so, so I picked up the phone to call my mom. The conversation started out fine and as normal until I started having trouble getting out the words that I wanted to say. Then when I would try to say them, either a different word entirely would come out or it would come out slurred. Mom started to get worried and J could hear what was going on and made me get off the phone. He sat in front of me for a little while, trying to hold a conversation with me to see if it got better. It did, but it took about 45 minutes. At that point I was scared, he was scared and my mom was of course scared because there was no explanation for it.
I laid down for a little while longer and then my right hand went numb. Then it moved to my face, then to my tongue. I got up and walked around outside for a few minutes in the case that they had just fallen asleep or something, but once it got to my face and tongue I knew I had to call the doc.
I called the OB's office and the on-call doc wanted me to head to the ER. He gave them a heads up that we were on the way and as soon as we got there they brought me into triage, then to what they were calling an MCU room (which I have no idea what that stands for - I just know that it was the same area that they brought J when he had to be in isolation due to being severely neutropenic). They came in and took some neurological tests, brought someone in from OB to read the baby's heart beat, which took a good 10 minutes to find and scared the heck out of me. Except, all the while she was looking for it, he was moving away from the probe so that was giving me some comfort. They finally got it with an ultrasound and that showed that all was well with him.
The gave me an IV, drew blood, hooked me up to a bag of fluids, some stuff for nausea (which I told them I didn't need) and then a bag of magnesium which they said would help the headache. It took awhile, but it did take the headache away. When I started to feel better, I got a little antsy because I wanted to leave. However, they came in a few hours later and wanted me to give an MRI. We were nervous because we had no idea if this could have a bad effect on the baby. Our fears were comforted by both the doctors and by J's mom who worked at an MRI office for years. Luckily, the scan only lasted about 25 minutes and we were done. The reason that they chose MRI over CT scan was that there was not radiation with the MRI. The worst part was waiting again back in the ER for the results. Luckily, they were fine and we were released.
Diagnosis - an A-typical migraine.
A-typical because of the speech problem and the numbness. They said that if it happens again, I should see a neurologist so they still don't really have any idea why those two things happened.
I am home now and feeling better, just really worn out and tired. The baby is moving away, as he has been all day so at least that is not a worry. I did spend most of the day yesterday out and about on then working on the nursery so I was on my feet a lot. There really is no way to tell if that might have contributed, but just to be safe it looks like I will be taking it as east as possible from here on out.
Hoping to reschedule my hair cut for sometime this week before the shower next weekend and so that we might be able to fit in some of those maternity photos in beautiful VT while we are there :-)
I have an OB appointment tomorrow with the doc that is covering for mine while she am out. I have to bring along the paperwork from today's ER visit and see if there is anything further that they want to check. Hopefully it will just be routine and I will see them again in another two weeks!
This morning however, we were not so lucky. I will start with saying that the baby is fine, I am still pregnant and this experience likely didn't affect him in the least (with the exception of a slightly elevated heart-rate that he could likely sense).
I had high hopes for this weekend. My plan was to get my hair cut, which I have been excited about and waiting for for quite sometime. This was to be followed by some maternity photos that J was going to take for me. I stopped by the craft store on my way home to pick up some props for this shoot and even had the camera professionally cleaned last week for the occasion.
This morning I woke up and got in the shower. I was feeling fine until I was getting dressed and seemed to catch the light coming through the window in my eye in a weird way that caused a spot that wouldn't go away. I tried to shrug it off, put my make up on and be on my way, but my body had other plans. I came in and sat on the couch, told J what was going on and he had my lay on my side and got me some tylenol while I drank a little coffee, thinking that this was likely the start of a migraine. I started feeling better after about 20 minutes or so, so I picked up the phone to call my mom. The conversation started out fine and as normal until I started having trouble getting out the words that I wanted to say. Then when I would try to say them, either a different word entirely would come out or it would come out slurred. Mom started to get worried and J could hear what was going on and made me get off the phone. He sat in front of me for a little while, trying to hold a conversation with me to see if it got better. It did, but it took about 45 minutes. At that point I was scared, he was scared and my mom was of course scared because there was no explanation for it.
I laid down for a little while longer and then my right hand went numb. Then it moved to my face, then to my tongue. I got up and walked around outside for a few minutes in the case that they had just fallen asleep or something, but once it got to my face and tongue I knew I had to call the doc.
I called the OB's office and the on-call doc wanted me to head to the ER. He gave them a heads up that we were on the way and as soon as we got there they brought me into triage, then to what they were calling an MCU room (which I have no idea what that stands for - I just know that it was the same area that they brought J when he had to be in isolation due to being severely neutropenic). They came in and took some neurological tests, brought someone in from OB to read the baby's heart beat, which took a good 10 minutes to find and scared the heck out of me. Except, all the while she was looking for it, he was moving away from the probe so that was giving me some comfort. They finally got it with an ultrasound and that showed that all was well with him.
The gave me an IV, drew blood, hooked me up to a bag of fluids, some stuff for nausea (which I told them I didn't need) and then a bag of magnesium which they said would help the headache. It took awhile, but it did take the headache away. When I started to feel better, I got a little antsy because I wanted to leave. However, they came in a few hours later and wanted me to give an MRI. We were nervous because we had no idea if this could have a bad effect on the baby. Our fears were comforted by both the doctors and by J's mom who worked at an MRI office for years. Luckily, the scan only lasted about 25 minutes and we were done. The reason that they chose MRI over CT scan was that there was not radiation with the MRI. The worst part was waiting again back in the ER for the results. Luckily, they were fine and we were released.
Diagnosis - an A-typical migraine.
A-typical because of the speech problem and the numbness. They said that if it happens again, I should see a neurologist so they still don't really have any idea why those two things happened.
I am home now and feeling better, just really worn out and tired. The baby is moving away, as he has been all day so at least that is not a worry. I did spend most of the day yesterday out and about on then working on the nursery so I was on my feet a lot. There really is no way to tell if that might have contributed, but just to be safe it looks like I will be taking it as east as possible from here on out.
Hoping to reschedule my hair cut for sometime this week before the shower next weekend and so that we might be able to fit in some of those maternity photos in beautiful VT while we are there :-)
I have an OB appointment tomorrow with the doc that is covering for mine while she am out. I have to bring along the paperwork from today's ER visit and see if there is anything further that they want to check. Hopefully it will just be routine and I will see them again in another two weeks!
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
30 Weeks!!
Total Weight Gain: 32 lbs - blah.
Symptoms: Getting bigger by the day! I will get extremely tired out of the blue. Running an errand such as going to the store for an hour wipes me out and I just feel like sitting down in a corner and crying! I threatened J the other day (while wearing a moo moo dress, by the way) that I was going to hop on a scooter at the grocery store. I don't think he took me as seriously as I really was. Luckily (for him) there were none at the door when we walked in and the cool air conditioning inside the store made the quick trip bearable.
Oh, and the hunger has kicked in. This week I am constantly feeling hungry and not completely satisfied with each meal. I was hoping that the weight gain would slow down at the end, not speed up!
I have had slight bouts of heartburn and indigestion, but nothing unbearable.
The #1 annoyance overall is how hot I am all the time. I had to get a desk fan for work even with the ac blasting all day. The humidity and record breaking heat this summer is not helping.
Stretch Marks: None. Fingers still crossed.
Sleep: Sleeping is getting a little more difficult as my back starts to ache from staying on one side too long. Also, I wake up having to pee at least once per night, but I am guilty of holding it until I am ready to get up in the morning because the master bath does not currently have a toilet as it is under renovation. I know, not good to hold it in but with the size of my stomach these days and how off balance I am the second I wake up, it might be more dangerous for me to try to make my way down the stairs and back up without falling.
Best Moment Last Week: Lets see, Week 28 we had an ultrasound and fond out that the placenta is no longer low-lying, so that is fantastic news. We also got to see what the tech pointed out as hair! We are so excited to meet this little guy in approx. ten short weeks. Also, sister and nephew came for a visit this past weekend and it was nice to see them! S couldn't believe how much bigger my belly had gotten since I had seen her last.
Movement: Pretty constant. I believe that he has his days and nights confused right now. Although, I know that they say that you notice the movement more when you are laying down relaxing - he really does wait until bed time to do his acrobatics in there. I love laying in bed and watching my belly move all over!
Food Cravings: No cravings in particular. I do like my ice cream at night after dinner, however. This still holds true.
What I Miss: Being up and about all day long on the weekends, being able to run errand after errand without getting tired, my regular fitting clothes, laying flat on my back without getting dizzy, bending over like a normal person!
What am I looking forward to: Starting the nursery! Yes, we are a little late in getting this started, but we had to hold off on converting the guest room into the nursery because I am hosting a party for a close friend this weekend and we need the space for guests. Also, with the bathroom remodel, the room that is to be the guest room had a toilet and vanity occupying it until a day or two ago.
We should be getting word any day now that the furniture is being delivered. The estimate when we ordered was 4-6 weeks and as of Monday, it was 4 weeks. I guess the delivery is curb-side even though I paid extra for special care shipping so we wait for UPS to call to let us know when they are coming.
Another thing I am looking forward to is heading to VT on labor day weekend for a nice little getaway and my first baby shower!
Milestones: 30 weeks! Apparently the baby has a pretty good chance if he were to be born now, but it would be a long, hard road. We won't think about that, because he is staying in until at least 39 weeks ;-)
How is Daddy? Daddy is good. Working hard on the bathroom to get that project out of the way sooner rather than later.
30 Week belly shots
Sister and Nephew
Symptoms: Getting bigger by the day! I will get extremely tired out of the blue. Running an errand such as going to the store for an hour wipes me out and I just feel like sitting down in a corner and crying! I threatened J the other day (while wearing a moo moo dress, by the way) that I was going to hop on a scooter at the grocery store. I don't think he took me as seriously as I really was. Luckily (for him) there were none at the door when we walked in and the cool air conditioning inside the store made the quick trip bearable.
Oh, and the hunger has kicked in. This week I am constantly feeling hungry and not completely satisfied with each meal. I was hoping that the weight gain would slow down at the end, not speed up!
I have had slight bouts of heartburn and indigestion, but nothing unbearable.
The #1 annoyance overall is how hot I am all the time. I had to get a desk fan for work even with the ac blasting all day. The humidity and record breaking heat this summer is not helping.
Stretch Marks: None. Fingers still crossed.
Sleep: Sleeping is getting a little more difficult as my back starts to ache from staying on one side too long. Also, I wake up having to pee at least once per night, but I am guilty of holding it until I am ready to get up in the morning because the master bath does not currently have a toilet as it is under renovation. I know, not good to hold it in but with the size of my stomach these days and how off balance I am the second I wake up, it might be more dangerous for me to try to make my way down the stairs and back up without falling.
Best Moment Last Week: Lets see, Week 28 we had an ultrasound and fond out that the placenta is no longer low-lying, so that is fantastic news. We also got to see what the tech pointed out as hair! We are so excited to meet this little guy in approx. ten short weeks. Also, sister and nephew came for a visit this past weekend and it was nice to see them! S couldn't believe how much bigger my belly had gotten since I had seen her last.
Movement: Pretty constant. I believe that he has his days and nights confused right now. Although, I know that they say that you notice the movement more when you are laying down relaxing - he really does wait until bed time to do his acrobatics in there. I love laying in bed and watching my belly move all over!
Food Cravings: No cravings in particular. I do like my ice cream at night after dinner, however. This still holds true.
What I Miss: Being up and about all day long on the weekends, being able to run errand after errand without getting tired, my regular fitting clothes, laying flat on my back without getting dizzy, bending over like a normal person!
What am I looking forward to: Starting the nursery! Yes, we are a little late in getting this started, but we had to hold off on converting the guest room into the nursery because I am hosting a party for a close friend this weekend and we need the space for guests. Also, with the bathroom remodel, the room that is to be the guest room had a toilet and vanity occupying it until a day or two ago.
We should be getting word any day now that the furniture is being delivered. The estimate when we ordered was 4-6 weeks and as of Monday, it was 4 weeks. I guess the delivery is curb-side even though I paid extra for special care shipping so we wait for UPS to call to let us know when they are coming.
Another thing I am looking forward to is heading to VT on labor day weekend for a nice little getaway and my first baby shower!
Milestones: 30 weeks! Apparently the baby has a pretty good chance if he were to be born now, but it would be a long, hard road. We won't think about that, because he is staying in until at least 39 weeks ;-)
How is Daddy? Daddy is good. Working hard on the bathroom to get that project out of the way sooner rather than later.
30 Week belly shots
Sister and Nephew
Monday, July 5, 2010
24 Weeks
Total Weight Gain: 22 lbs
Symptoms: Feeling good. Beginning to feel the burden of the extra weight that I am carrying around when doing day to day tasks, but nothing too bad. On the days that aren't too hot, I like to walk and the last couple of times I have experienced a little swelling in the fingers and ankles. Nothing that a large glass of water and kicking the feet up can't help when I return home. I have been getting really hot over the past few weeks. I can't seem to get enough AC when normally I can stand the heat pretty well or am always cold. I can't make up my mind which is better (hot or cold). In the middle sounds nice, but that is rarely the case these days.
Stretch Marks: None. Fingers still crossed.
Sleep: Still sleeping well. My body pillow is truly a lifesaver. I do wake up and find myself on my back quite a bit but I can always get comfortable again by rolling to my left side.
Best Moment Last Week: Mom and dad coming to visit for the 4th and having both mom and my 5 year old nephew feel the baby kick.
Movement: While I did have a slight sense of worry last week for a couple of days because I had what felt like regular movements for a couple of weeks and then it seemed as though they had decreased, it was like he sensed my worry and decided to let me know that he is A OK in there. I tend to feel him the most at night when I lay down in bed. Last night I actually had a dream that I could see his hand when he pushed on my belly and all of the sudden his hand came through my stomach and I had to pull him out! Messed up. However, when he was out he was the most beautiful, perfect little boy that I had ever seen :-)
Food Cravings: No cravings in particular. I do like my ice cream at night after dinner, however.
What I Miss: I still miss beer. I can't wait to have a nice, tall one in a few months. Also, I am starting to miss just feeling like myself a little. Kind of a feeling like I can't wait to have my body back. However, I get over it pretty quickly when I remind myself exactly what my body is doing.
What am I looking forward to: Looking forward to ordering the nursery furniture so we can start getting the room ready. Also looking forward to our monthly appointment on the 15th and ultrasound at 28 weeks.
Milestones: Viability!
How is Daddy? Daddy has been busy doing projects around the house. He likes to talk to the baby and see if he gets a reaction with a kick. He has also been picking up his guitar more often and teaching himself kids songs, which he occasionally will play and sing to the belly.
20 weeks vs. 24 weeks
Symptoms: Feeling good. Beginning to feel the burden of the extra weight that I am carrying around when doing day to day tasks, but nothing too bad. On the days that aren't too hot, I like to walk and the last couple of times I have experienced a little swelling in the fingers and ankles. Nothing that a large glass of water and kicking the feet up can't help when I return home. I have been getting really hot over the past few weeks. I can't seem to get enough AC when normally I can stand the heat pretty well or am always cold. I can't make up my mind which is better (hot or cold). In the middle sounds nice, but that is rarely the case these days.
Stretch Marks: None. Fingers still crossed.
Sleep: Still sleeping well. My body pillow is truly a lifesaver. I do wake up and find myself on my back quite a bit but I can always get comfortable again by rolling to my left side.
Best Moment Last Week: Mom and dad coming to visit for the 4th and having both mom and my 5 year old nephew feel the baby kick.
Movement: While I did have a slight sense of worry last week for a couple of days because I had what felt like regular movements for a couple of weeks and then it seemed as though they had decreased, it was like he sensed my worry and decided to let me know that he is A OK in there. I tend to feel him the most at night when I lay down in bed. Last night I actually had a dream that I could see his hand when he pushed on my belly and all of the sudden his hand came through my stomach and I had to pull him out! Messed up. However, when he was out he was the most beautiful, perfect little boy that I had ever seen :-)
Food Cravings: No cravings in particular. I do like my ice cream at night after dinner, however.
What I Miss: I still miss beer. I can't wait to have a nice, tall one in a few months. Also, I am starting to miss just feeling like myself a little. Kind of a feeling like I can't wait to have my body back. However, I get over it pretty quickly when I remind myself exactly what my body is doing.
What am I looking forward to: Looking forward to ordering the nursery furniture so we can start getting the room ready. Also looking forward to our monthly appointment on the 15th and ultrasound at 28 weeks.
Milestones: Viability!
How is Daddy? Daddy has been busy doing projects around the house. He likes to talk to the baby and see if he gets a reaction with a kick. He has also been picking up his guitar more often and teaching himself kids songs, which he occasionally will play and sing to the belly.
20 weeks vs. 24 weeks
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