NINE weeks to go!!! Seriously, we're down to SINGLE digits, people!!! I'm feeling pretty good about it too.
I had an OB/GYN appointment. I'm rotating different doctors in the practice as Dr. Hot Stuff wanted me to, so on Monday I met Dr. Talks-Too-Much. My appointment was at 10:00 am, I got there at 9:50 am or so. The waiting room was full and it seems that the back-up was from Dr. Talks-Too-Much. I waited for an hour before I was called in. During my appointment I discovered that I lost a pound since being on this crazy no carb/gestational diabetes diet. Whatever, nobody seems to be worried about it. My blood pressure was 120/88... the 88 is still higher than it usually is but it seems like it's no big deal... yet. We listened to the baby's heart and it was around 130 which she said was normal for this stage. Belly size is right on track. I also got permission to go ahead and have sex with my husband again!! Woohooo!!! I know, TMI and for some people that's just gross that we still want to have sex, but whatever. It'll be at least 6 weeks after the baby is born before I can have sex with him again and who knows how long it'll be before I have enough energy to want to have sex, so it would be nice to be with my husband BEFORE the little princess arrives.
On Monday night Howie and I bought the paint for the baby's room! YAY!!! The guy at the paint store mixed the wrong color first, it was a much lighter pink. He said that he wasn't going to charge us for it if we wanted to take that too. FREE paint! Howie took it without a thought. Now we have a gallon of light pink paint... what are we going to use it for? Howie's first thought was using it for the trim in the room. That's not going to happen, it's not in the design and the trim already looks so nice and perfectly white. His second thought was to paint our downstairs bathroom pink. We have a nautical theme going on in there at the moment and it's the one bathroom that our guests will see. Pink isn't the color for that bathroom. If he's dying to paint any room pink the only one I'd say yes to is our full bathroom upstairs, but even then I don't know. Howie and I both want that one to be blue. I think the only place that this light pink is acceptable is the baby's closet. We'll see, Howie didn't want to paint the closet. I'd paint it myself but I'm not allowed to do that. Last night Howie and I taped off the molding in the baby's room and tonight the painting begins!!! YAY!! Howie's parents ordered the crib, dresser, and rug on Sunday. This weekend my parents will be buying us the glider. My mother also wanted us to do the cord blood banking and told us that she'd pay for that. Howie and I are going to buy the bookcase and side table. I feel much more relaxed now that things are moving along in the baby's room.
I called the pediatrician's office yesterday. They took my info and told me that some guy would be calling me back to tell me when the next "Meet the Doctors Night" is scheduled. I didn't know that there was any such thing. It's nice that it takes place at night so that Howie doesn't have to take time off of work.
We still have a list of things to do. Next Wednesday we're going to go to the police department to learn how to properly install the car seat. My doula is sending us a list of postpartum doulas and baby nurses for us to interview. We're not going to have both, we just don't know which we want. My bag for the hospital is half packed and half of the outfit the baby will come home in is picked out. She'll be wearing the sweater and hat that Howie wore home from the hospital when he was a baby. Next Monday an exterminator is coming to our house to help us with our cockroach and fruit fly problem. The whole bug invasion is just gross. I think the bugs crawled into our boxes while our stuff was in storage, now they're living in our home. I want them out of here before the baby is born. I need to wash all of the baby clothes, blankets, and towels. The linen closet needs to be reorganized so that the baby tub will fit. After that we should only have a few things to organize and some baby things to put together. I'm hoping that being prepared for her to come at any time will make her want to stay in there until her due date. I know that if I wasn't prepared she'd come early.
Aislinn is getting really heavy. My back, right hip, and pelvis are killing me. I can no longer sleep on my side because it only makes the pain worse. Don't worry, that doesn't mean I'm being bad and sleeping on my back. I've been sleeping sitting up. It's actually a lot easier for me to get out of bed this way too. I am still using my Snoogle pillow. I kind of create a circle with it and put my butt in the middle so that the pillow goes around my back, hips and under my legs. I also have two pillows behind my back and my tiny kidney bean shaped pillow supporting my lower back. I think that's how I'll be sleeping until the end of the pregnancy. It'll be really nice to sleep any way I want after she arrives. Well, I'm sure by then any kind of sleep in any position anywhere will be nice.
I'm also looking forward to eating carbs and deli meat again. I'll continue to eat healthy, but it'll be great to have more variety in my diet. I can tell you that it will be a long time before I eat eggs again, because right now I eat eggs for breakfast and egg salad for lunch and it's REALLY getting old. It was just the easiest thing to do in the first week, we're coming up with other options. After the exterminator visits I'll be able to buy some Special K without worrying about cockroaches getting into it. Special K is one of the few cereals that don't have too many carbs. Howie isn't as worried about cockroaches in his cereal so he's still eating it. I hate watching him eat things like cereal, stuffing, mashed potatoes. If I didn't suspect that cockroaches and rolled around in his Lucky Charms I'd tackle him to the floor and inhale the entire bowl. I don't even like sugary bad cereals but at this point I'm desperate and I'd take it. I'd trade my scrambled cheese eggs for some Fruit Loops if I could. If I got my hands on some pancakes right now I'd probably cry and then kiss them all over. Our last trip to the grocery store was sad. I wandered down the baking aisle, ice cream aisle, and the bakery with my mouth watering. From time to time I'd pick up an item and look at the nutrition label and then with much disappointment and extreme sadness I would return the item to the shelf. I'm already day dreaming about what Aislinn's 1st birthday cake will be like just because I want to eat it. It's ok, my diet is making her healthier. I'm going to go eat some low carb yogurt now.
Wednesday, November 29, 2006
Sunday, November 26, 2006
Thanksgiving and the Very Bad Cold
Happy Thanksgiving! Howie and I spent the holiday with my sister, brother-in-law, and 7-month old niece. Dinner was full of many carbs I craved but couldn't eat. I have been waiting for Thanksgiving dinner since my first trimester. The turkey, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, cranberry sauce, and pumpkin pie!!! I was only able to eat 3 servings of turkey, one bite of mashed potatoes, one bite of stuffing, 3 bites of green bean casserole, and one bite of cranberry sauce. My sister didn't have pumpkin pie because she doesn't like it, but she did have pumpkin cheese cake, which I still couldn't eat. She also had chocolate cream pie and apple pie, those aren't allowed on my diet either. After watching people eat their yummy desserts while I drank two sips of black tea that seemed to have pregnancy friendly ingredients I decided that I was going to have a tiny sliver of chocolate cream pie. Two hours later my blood sugar was fine. That doesn't mean that I'm going to run around eating sweets like it doesn't matter, it's just for one meal. Ok, and maybe if my blood sugar is low on Chanukkah and Christmas I'll have one tiny piece of dessert again.
On Friday morning I woke up to Aislinn kicking me like crazy and wasn't able to fall back to sleep. That was fine, I cuddled up with Howie and started to think about things that needed to be done around the house. The night before when we were at my sister's house watching our niece crawl around their living room floor I think Howie and I both realized that Aislinn is going to need room to have tummy time and eventually crawl and walk around. Things were pretty tight in our living room/dining room area the way it was set up. I started to rearrange the living room furniture in my head while Howie slept. When he woke up I thought I had it all worked out. We were going to have to move the bar into the dining room area, the couch had to go against the wall and we needed to move the whole entertainment center to another wall. Luckily Howie was up for moving furniture after he woke up. We moved the bar first. When we stood back and looked at the bar next to the sideboard I decided that the china cabinet had to be moved to the other side of the sideboard in order for things to be even. After Howie moved the china cabinet, which was very scary because it's so old and almost completely made of glass and contains lots of glass, I kind of thought that maybe that wall looked too crowed. Howie said that he thinks it looks good mostly because if he was going to have to move it back again he was going to lose his mind. I decided to ignore that wall until we finished moving the rest of the furniture. The next thing he moved was the couch, then the entertainment center, and then finally our chair, side table and small chest of drawers. I wasn't so sure about the new layout at first. I sat on the couch kind of unhappy with things but now it's starting to grow on me. Howie seems to really like it. We now have room for the playard, diaper champ, swing, playmat, and ExerSaucer. Yes, all of that and eventually a crawling baby. We also managed to reorganize my desk, the chest of drawers, and clear out the junk that we've been keeping in the baskets in our coffee table. Instead of random computer junk and CDs that I no longer listen to, the baskets now contain things like extra receiving blankets, burp cloths, bibs, onesies, small books, and some toys. That way we have a few things we'll need downstairs so that we don't always have to run up to the nursery to get something.
While we were moving things around and kicking up dust I thought I was having an allergy attack. When it hadn't disappeared by Saturday I realized that I actually had a cold. Our plan for Saturday was to head down to New Jersey because Howie's parents were serving Thanksgiving dinner, part 2. I was looking forward to seeing Howie's friends that I haven't seen since June. His parents wanted us to stay overnight so that we could all go to Pottery Barn Kids today to buy the baby furniture we had hoped to buy a month ago. When we got to Howie's parent's house I felt pretty awful but I tried to socialize with the guests while also keeping a safe distance. After everyone had arrived Howie's brother brought in the gift that he had bought for us. It was our travel system!!! We were so excited to get that because without it we can't bring the baby home from the hospital. We love it! After that I sat down at the kitchen table to have some pregnancy friendly tea. I guess I was looking especially shitty because Howie and his parents decided that I needed to lay down until dinner was served. When I came out for dinner I felt like I had a huge brain cloud. I was so out of it and not at all myself. Eating and drinking a bunch of water did make me feel a little bit better though. Once people finished eating and started chatting Howie encouraged me to go lay down again, which I did. He woke me up for dessert. I cheated again by having one small oatmeal raisin cookie with some water. It was tasted REALLY good, and my blood sugar was also good when I tested it two hours later. Howie was worried about me so he told his parents that we were going to head back home after their guests left. That way we'd be close to my doctor and our hospital if my cold got worse.
It was good to be home in my own environment. The first thing I did when we got home was take a really hot shower. That cleared my head a bit so that I'd be able to breathe when I went to sleep. Howie had already filled the humidifier and put it next to the bed for me. When I got into bed he lotioned and rubbed my feet. Before I completely passed out he brought me some toast and juice. Yes, juice! I know that my endocrinologist said NO JUICE but screw her. I have a cold and drinking milk and water doesn't help. Ok, water is good, but it doesn't soothe a sore throat. Milk only makes me more congested. So, yes, I'm drinking LIGHT orange juice. Howie had to sleep on the couch so that he wouldn't catch my cold. I didn't sleep well at all. I slept for maybe 15 minutes at a time until about 5:00 am and then I was out cold. Howie woke me up and served me breakfast in bed. Eggs, toast, and orange juice. About five minutes later I was coughing quite hard which at first made me lose control of my bladder and totally pee myself so I ran to the toilet to take care of that situation. After I flushed the toilet I started to cough again, but this time I coughed so hard that I was sure I was going to throw up. I called for Howie and told him to quickly distract me with a story, maybe then I wouldn't lose my breakfast. He started to tell me the story about how he was attacked by a duck somewhere and that someday he'd like to take Aislinn to this place with the angry ducks. When he asked me if I'd like to bring her there to I threw up my entire breakfast in the sink and then cried. Other than that I think I'm starting to feel a little bit better. Howie has insisted that I stay in bed all day. He says he wants me to rest up and get better, but I know that I've been quarantined so that he doesn't get sick before his interview tomorrow. So far it seems to be working out for us both, but I'm finding it hard to stay in bed. I've started nesting and all I can think about are things that need to be done around the house. Oh well, at least it's just for one day. I shouldn't complain because I know there are women out there on bedrest and it's much worse for them.
On Friday morning I woke up to Aislinn kicking me like crazy and wasn't able to fall back to sleep. That was fine, I cuddled up with Howie and started to think about things that needed to be done around the house. The night before when we were at my sister's house watching our niece crawl around their living room floor I think Howie and I both realized that Aislinn is going to need room to have tummy time and eventually crawl and walk around. Things were pretty tight in our living room/dining room area the way it was set up. I started to rearrange the living room furniture in my head while Howie slept. When he woke up I thought I had it all worked out. We were going to have to move the bar into the dining room area, the couch had to go against the wall and we needed to move the whole entertainment center to another wall. Luckily Howie was up for moving furniture after he woke up. We moved the bar first. When we stood back and looked at the bar next to the sideboard I decided that the china cabinet had to be moved to the other side of the sideboard in order for things to be even. After Howie moved the china cabinet, which was very scary because it's so old and almost completely made of glass and contains lots of glass, I kind of thought that maybe that wall looked too crowed. Howie said that he thinks it looks good mostly because if he was going to have to move it back again he was going to lose his mind. I decided to ignore that wall until we finished moving the rest of the furniture. The next thing he moved was the couch, then the entertainment center, and then finally our chair, side table and small chest of drawers. I wasn't so sure about the new layout at first. I sat on the couch kind of unhappy with things but now it's starting to grow on me. Howie seems to really like it. We now have room for the playard, diaper champ, swing, playmat, and ExerSaucer. Yes, all of that and eventually a crawling baby. We also managed to reorganize my desk, the chest of drawers, and clear out the junk that we've been keeping in the baskets in our coffee table. Instead of random computer junk and CDs that I no longer listen to, the baskets now contain things like extra receiving blankets, burp cloths, bibs, onesies, small books, and some toys. That way we have a few things we'll need downstairs so that we don't always have to run up to the nursery to get something.
While we were moving things around and kicking up dust I thought I was having an allergy attack. When it hadn't disappeared by Saturday I realized that I actually had a cold. Our plan for Saturday was to head down to New Jersey because Howie's parents were serving Thanksgiving dinner, part 2. I was looking forward to seeing Howie's friends that I haven't seen since June. His parents wanted us to stay overnight so that we could all go to Pottery Barn Kids today to buy the baby furniture we had hoped to buy a month ago. When we got to Howie's parent's house I felt pretty awful but I tried to socialize with the guests while also keeping a safe distance. After everyone had arrived Howie's brother brought in the gift that he had bought for us. It was our travel system!!! We were so excited to get that because without it we can't bring the baby home from the hospital. We love it! After that I sat down at the kitchen table to have some pregnancy friendly tea. I guess I was looking especially shitty because Howie and his parents decided that I needed to lay down until dinner was served. When I came out for dinner I felt like I had a huge brain cloud. I was so out of it and not at all myself. Eating and drinking a bunch of water did make me feel a little bit better though. Once people finished eating and started chatting Howie encouraged me to go lay down again, which I did. He woke me up for dessert. I cheated again by having one small oatmeal raisin cookie with some water. It was tasted REALLY good, and my blood sugar was also good when I tested it two hours later. Howie was worried about me so he told his parents that we were going to head back home after their guests left. That way we'd be close to my doctor and our hospital if my cold got worse.
It was good to be home in my own environment. The first thing I did when we got home was take a really hot shower. That cleared my head a bit so that I'd be able to breathe when I went to sleep. Howie had already filled the humidifier and put it next to the bed for me. When I got into bed he lotioned and rubbed my feet. Before I completely passed out he brought me some toast and juice. Yes, juice! I know that my endocrinologist said NO JUICE but screw her. I have a cold and drinking milk and water doesn't help. Ok, water is good, but it doesn't soothe a sore throat. Milk only makes me more congested. So, yes, I'm drinking LIGHT orange juice. Howie had to sleep on the couch so that he wouldn't catch my cold. I didn't sleep well at all. I slept for maybe 15 minutes at a time until about 5:00 am and then I was out cold. Howie woke me up and served me breakfast in bed. Eggs, toast, and orange juice. About five minutes later I was coughing quite hard which at first made me lose control of my bladder and totally pee myself so I ran to the toilet to take care of that situation. After I flushed the toilet I started to cough again, but this time I coughed so hard that I was sure I was going to throw up. I called for Howie and told him to quickly distract me with a story, maybe then I wouldn't lose my breakfast. He started to tell me the story about how he was attacked by a duck somewhere and that someday he'd like to take Aislinn to this place with the angry ducks. When he asked me if I'd like to bring her there to I threw up my entire breakfast in the sink and then cried. Other than that I think I'm starting to feel a little bit better. Howie has insisted that I stay in bed all day. He says he wants me to rest up and get better, but I know that I've been quarantined so that he doesn't get sick before his interview tomorrow. So far it seems to be working out for us both, but I'm finding it hard to stay in bed. I've started nesting and all I can think about are things that need to be done around the house. Oh well, at least it's just for one day. I shouldn't complain because I know there are women out there on bedrest and it's much worse for them.
Monday, November 20, 2006
The Baby Shower and the Doctor Appointment
My baby shower was wonderful! I had a great time. The theme was Little Pumpkin and the colors were magenta, light pink, orange, and green. It was so good to see my family and friends, although I spent most of my time reminiscing with my friends. The gift table and floor around it was completely filled. Howie and my father-in-law crashed the shower to watch me open the gifts. We got our pack n play, high chair, ExerSaucer, baby papasan, and mobile. We also received many clothes, blankets, bibs, stuffed animals and books. I love them all. The big gift that is actually just on loan is the family bassinet. Everyone in the family since 1932 has slept in it. I guess the tradition is fairly new considering it started with my father's first cousin, but it's still nice that the family has one. There's a list of all the babies who have slept in the bassinet that we keep in a frame. Once Aislinn is born her name and birth date will be added to the list.
When Howie and I got home I couldn't wait to put some things away in the baby's closet. We received all of the closet organizers that we registered for and I just couldn't wait to see how well they organized!
Look at all of those diapers, two baskets full. The little critters in the blue wooden box next to the baskets are Scrubby Buddies from when I worked at Bath and Body Works many, many years ago. I've never used them, but I collected them all. Now they're discontinued but every once in a while they'll throw one into a gift set. I figured that Aislinn might like them, so there they are. Can you believe there are baby clothes in the closet? I couldn't believe it. I love to look at them. In 10 weeks I'll have a baby that will be wearing those clothes! Tiny itty bitty clothes! I'M GOING TO HAVE A BABY!!! Yeah, I know that's old news but now that we have all of these baby things I'm starting to believe it.
When Howie and I got home I couldn't wait to put some things away in the baby's closet. We received all of the closet organizers that we registered for and I just couldn't wait to see how well they organized!
Look at all of those diapers, two baskets full. The little critters in the blue wooden box next to the baskets are Scrubby Buddies from when I worked at Bath and Body Works many, many years ago. I've never used them, but I collected them all. Now they're discontinued but every once in a while they'll throw one into a gift set. I figured that Aislinn might like them, so there they are. Can you believe there are baby clothes in the closet? I couldn't believe it. I love to look at them. In 10 weeks I'll have a baby that will be wearing those clothes! Tiny itty bitty clothes! I'M GOING TO HAVE A BABY!!! Yeah, I know that's old news but now that we have all of these baby things I'm starting to believe it.
And a little lamb to hang on the door when our little baby girl is sleeping.
I was thinking that I should buy Aislinn some rubber duckies because nobody thought to give us any. Seriously, look at that fleet of ducks. Don't mess with them! They will attack! Actually, I think it's a good thing that we have extras because I remember being totally in love with my rubber duckie when I was little, but after a while it got moldy inside and my mom had to throw it away and that just broke my heart. All I had left were my weebles in their boat and my sister's hand-me-down Barbie that was missing clumps of hair. Barbie was too tall for the weeble sailors and there was no room for her on their boat. The weebles were lonely and missed their aquatic friend, rubber duckie. Aislinn will never have to go through the trauma of losing her rubber duckie forever.
I was thinking that I should buy Aislinn some rubber duckies because nobody thought to give us any. Seriously, look at that fleet of ducks. Don't mess with them! They will attack! Actually, I think it's a good thing that we have extras because I remember being totally in love with my rubber duckie when I was little, but after a while it got moldy inside and my mom had to throw it away and that just broke my heart. All I had left were my weebles in their boat and my sister's hand-me-down Barbie that was missing clumps of hair. Barbie was too tall for the weeble sailors and there was no room for her on their boat. The weebles were lonely and missed their aquatic friend, rubber duckie. Aislinn will never have to go through the trauma of losing her rubber duckie forever.
On Friday I received a call from my OB/GYN's office. The nurse told me that they got my blood test results back and I am anemic and have gestational diabetes. They told me that I have to take, no joke, 325 mg. of iron every morning and every night. Seriously, I'm going to need some collace with that. I then had to make an appointment with an endocrinologist, I went today at noon. Dr. S (the endocrinologist), gave me a blood glucose monitoring system, a diet record, and a list of foods and their carb content. She was surprised that I haven't gained much weight, but I told her that I lost a lot of weight in the beginning when I was sick and now I'm eating healthier foods. This seemed acceptable to her, she actually said that it's good that I haven't gained too much weight because it makes things with this gestational diabetes a little better. She explained how to use the monitoring system, told me that I'd have to check my glucose level four times a day, and then we went over the diet. Keep in mind I'm already avoiding sodium and caffeine in order to help avoid preeclampsia. Now sugar and carbs are banned from my diet. She would like me to ONLY drink water, but a little bit of milk is fine. I have to count the milk as a carb with my meals. I only get 50 grams of carbs per meal and milk is 20 grams, so she suggested that I take an extra calcium supplement. If I'm dying for sugar I can use splenda. I need to write down everything that I eat on my diet record and record the number of carbs eaten. Two hours after I finish eating I need to check my blood glucose level and write that down on the sheet. Once a week I will fax my diet record to Dr. S and we will discuss my week. In four weeks I have another appointment with her. If my glucose level isn't staying below 120 and I am following the diet then I will need to start taking insulin. So far (and I've only checked it once) it's working.
While I was at Dr. S's office her nurse took my blood pressure. Every time I've been to my OB/GYN's office it has been 120/70 or extremely close to that. Today my blood pressure was 126/88, which didn't seem to cause any alarm yet, but for me that is high. Not high enough to be dangerous or for me to be admitted to the hospital for preeclampsia, but I hope that it doesn't become a trend. I'm not going to freak out yet, but I have an appointment with another doctor at my OB/GYN's office on Monday and I'll talk to her about it then.
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
29 Weeks Down, 11 Weeks To Go
This week has been pretty uneventful compared to the drama of last week. Aislinn has been pretty active and spent a good 15 minutes last night thumping on my cervix. It was very uncomfortable but it has been one of her favorite things to do since about the 20th week. It's ok though, she only has 11 more weeks in there. My baby belly is getting pretty big. It's funny, there are some days that I could swear my belly has grown a great deal from one day to the next. I love it though. I love my baby belly, I love rubbing it, I love looking at it, and I love having her all to myself right now. I almost feel a little sad that in three months she's going to come out of there and I have to share her with everyone else. Plus, I kind of like how Howie kisses, talks to, and cuddles with my belly. It's too cute. Anyway, here's the most recent picture taken of my belly.
The count down to the baby shower has begun. Just three more days to go! I'm so excited! I was trying to pry some info out of my mother about the shower but she wouldn't say a word. That's pretty good for her, she usually has a really hard time keeping things to herself. My sister did let me know that they've worked pumpkins into the theme. I hope she also worked pumpkin pie into the dessert table. No matter what I'm sure it's going to be great. I can't wait to see all of my family and friends. Howie and I haven't had a chance to see anyone other than immediate family since we moved up here. We're still spending every free moment trying to get things in order around this house. We didn't get a chance to paint the baby's room this weekend. I don't think it's going to happen this weekend either. That's ok though. It's amazing to me how much stuff we still have. We got rid of so much before selling our house in VA. It just felt like we had so much more room in the last house even though it's the same amount. Our things just fit in so much better there. I think we need professional help. It's also a lot harder to get things done when I'm tired and sore. I also can't lift heavy things, when I get down on the floor I need help getting back up, and I don't have the balance that I used to have for climbing. Hopefully in the next few weeks we'll be able to get everything finished around here. I did start to pack a few things in a bag for the hospital. Just when I run across something I think I'll need there I throw it into the bag.
I guess that's about it for now. I promise to update you on more interesting events this weekend.
The count down to the baby shower has begun. Just three more days to go! I'm so excited! I was trying to pry some info out of my mother about the shower but she wouldn't say a word. That's pretty good for her, she usually has a really hard time keeping things to herself. My sister did let me know that they've worked pumpkins into the theme. I hope she also worked pumpkin pie into the dessert table. No matter what I'm sure it's going to be great. I can't wait to see all of my family and friends. Howie and I haven't had a chance to see anyone other than immediate family since we moved up here. We're still spending every free moment trying to get things in order around this house. We didn't get a chance to paint the baby's room this weekend. I don't think it's going to happen this weekend either. That's ok though. It's amazing to me how much stuff we still have. We got rid of so much before selling our house in VA. It just felt like we had so much more room in the last house even though it's the same amount. Our things just fit in so much better there. I think we need professional help. It's also a lot harder to get things done when I'm tired and sore. I also can't lift heavy things, when I get down on the floor I need help getting back up, and I don't have the balance that I used to have for climbing. Hopefully in the next few weeks we'll be able to get everything finished around here. I did start to pack a few things in a bag for the hospital. Just when I run across something I think I'll need there I throw it into the bag.
I guess that's about it for now. I promise to update you on more interesting events this weekend.
Friday, November 10, 2006
Update
Everything looks ok. There doesn't appear to be any reason for the bleeding. My placenta is intact and out of the way, my cervix is 4 cm thick and looks good, and the baby is kicking and healthy. They don't know why I was bleeding but it might have been due to some kind of cervical irritation. The good thing is that the bleeding has stopped, there is no sign of me going into early labor, and the baby was having a damn good time kicking around in there. I think that she just likes to have her picture taken. Perhaps she'll grow up to be a famous actress or something and buy her father and I the house of our dreams. It doesn't really matter, just as long as she grows up. I'm just happy that things look good.
Holy Shit!
Ok... I'm a little upset and I can't leave just yet so I'm writing. I'm bleeding. Red blood. Bleeding. Not gushing awful pouring blood, but bleeding red blood none the less. I called the doctor and she wants me to come in now but I'm waiting for our neighbor who has the car at his shop to bring the car to me so that I can go. Howie is coming home from work as we speak and we'll see what happens. She was kicking this morning, a lot, I think she's ok. I'm just feeling crazy right now and I'm probably not making sense at all because I'm upset. Sorry. To everyone who reads this who knows me in real life, I'm sorry that I'm not calling you right now but I just can't talk on the phone. I can't and I don't want to. I'm upset but I don't want to hear people tell me "it's ok, it's ok" or "OMG" or anything. I'm sorry if you're reading this and this is how you find out but I will call you later with an update.
Update
I went to the OB/GYN office and Dr. Hot Stuff decided to send me to the hospital for an ultrasound. They don't have an opening until 12:45 pm so I am back at home. She told me to stay off my feet, relax, and to drink lots of water. I've convinced myself that Little Nugget/Tiny Dancer/Thumper/Little Monster (pick a term of endearment) will be fine. Alright, that's a lie. I want to believe that she's fine but I don't know. Honestly this is one of my worst fears in the 7th month. In the 7th month of my mother's first pregnancy she was bleeding a little bit. She went to the hospital and the doctor told her that she was fine. He sent her home and put her on bed rest. It turns out that she had a very bad case of preeclampsia and should never have been sent home. It was Memorial Day weekend and my father's cousin and his wife (who they were living with at the time) were having a Memorial Day picnic. My father brought a plate of food upstairs for my mother and found her in a coma. The day before the picnic (which was the day after the doctor had sent her home) the baby had died. At the hospital they induced labor and delivered a still born baby girl. My mother was still in a coma. My father and their family and friends burried the baby. A few days later my mother woke up from her coma, still thinking that she was pregnant, and they told her what had happened. She looked down at her belly and completely fell apart. This has been a major fear and I almost mentioned it in yesterday's post but decided against it. Now here I am... bleeding.
I don't want to completely fall apart. She's still kicking, which is great. I know that she's still alive so even if things aren't ok she's still alive and although I'd prefer to keep her in there for the next three months IF they had to deliver her now she's still alive rather than dead. I am worried though because I know that her brain is now developing ridges and I have no idea what would happen if she was delivered now. Her lungs are still developing and... oh hell, nothing is done developing. I have 12 more weeks to go! How bad is it? I know that she could survive outside of my body right now but would SHE really be ok? What would the quality of her life be? Eventually I'd be sent home from the hospital and I'd have to leave her there.
The least important thing at this time is that I'd miss my baby shower which is next weekend. Whatever. Believe me I am really excited for my baby shower. I just want to have a normal pregnancy like normal pregnant women. I want to have a baby shower, I want to decorate the baby's room, I want to give birth naturally if I so choose. I celebrated with family and friends at my sister's shower after a failed IUI, I want to celebrate with them at MY baby shower. However, I'd prefer to actually have a real live healthy baby of my own, so if I don't have a baby shower I don't have a baby shower. It won't be the end of the world. I just want her to be ok, that's the most important thing.
Ok, it's almost time to go to the hospital. Keep your fingers crossed.
Update
I went to the OB/GYN office and Dr. Hot Stuff decided to send me to the hospital for an ultrasound. They don't have an opening until 12:45 pm so I am back at home. She told me to stay off my feet, relax, and to drink lots of water. I've convinced myself that Little Nugget/Tiny Dancer/Thumper/Little Monster (pick a term of endearment) will be fine. Alright, that's a lie. I want to believe that she's fine but I don't know. Honestly this is one of my worst fears in the 7th month. In the 7th month of my mother's first pregnancy she was bleeding a little bit. She went to the hospital and the doctor told her that she was fine. He sent her home and put her on bed rest. It turns out that she had a very bad case of preeclampsia and should never have been sent home. It was Memorial Day weekend and my father's cousin and his wife (who they were living with at the time) were having a Memorial Day picnic. My father brought a plate of food upstairs for my mother and found her in a coma. The day before the picnic (which was the day after the doctor had sent her home) the baby had died. At the hospital they induced labor and delivered a still born baby girl. My mother was still in a coma. My father and their family and friends burried the baby. A few days later my mother woke up from her coma, still thinking that she was pregnant, and they told her what had happened. She looked down at her belly and completely fell apart. This has been a major fear and I almost mentioned it in yesterday's post but decided against it. Now here I am... bleeding.
I don't want to completely fall apart. She's still kicking, which is great. I know that she's still alive so even if things aren't ok she's still alive and although I'd prefer to keep her in there for the next three months IF they had to deliver her now she's still alive rather than dead. I am worried though because I know that her brain is now developing ridges and I have no idea what would happen if she was delivered now. Her lungs are still developing and... oh hell, nothing is done developing. I have 12 more weeks to go! How bad is it? I know that she could survive outside of my body right now but would SHE really be ok? What would the quality of her life be? Eventually I'd be sent home from the hospital and I'd have to leave her there.
The least important thing at this time is that I'd miss my baby shower which is next weekend. Whatever. Believe me I am really excited for my baby shower. I just want to have a normal pregnancy like normal pregnant women. I want to have a baby shower, I want to decorate the baby's room, I want to give birth naturally if I so choose. I celebrated with family and friends at my sister's shower after a failed IUI, I want to celebrate with them at MY baby shower. However, I'd prefer to actually have a real live healthy baby of my own, so if I don't have a baby shower I don't have a baby shower. It won't be the end of the world. I just want her to be ok, that's the most important thing.
Ok, it's almost time to go to the hospital. Keep your fingers crossed.
Thursday, November 09, 2006
The 28th Week
This is week 28 and I have been so tired. It's not that I don't sleep well at night because I am sleeping well. I'm just ALWAYS tired. I think I could sleep 18 hours a day if I let myself. I can't do that though. I do need to get up to work and eat. I haven't done much more than that though. I should probably just enjoy all the sleep while I can. In 12 weeks I'll wish that I had that much time to sleep.
I've been really emotional too. I thought I was emotional before, but it has been so much more intense lately. I could cry at the drop of a hat. I don't need a reason to just start crying uncontrollably, it just happens. I think I hit my peak around 3:00 pm each day. It's not the only time of the day that I'll cry, but I usually cry the hardest then. I feel a bit silly because I honestly know that there is no reason to cry but there's no stopping it. It does feel like a good to just let it all go though.
This weekend Howie is going to start painting the baby's room. Once he's done painting, maybe in a couple of weeks, I'm going to paint some little sheep jumping over fences on the wall. A couple of weeks after that we should receive the furniture. I can't wait to see it all put together. I can't wait to put the crib together, put her little clothes away, and set all of her books on her book shelf. I hope that it looks as cute as I imagine it looking in my head.
I guess that's it for now because baby girl is demanding her pre-dinner dinner and she always gets what she wants.
I've been really emotional too. I thought I was emotional before, but it has been so much more intense lately. I could cry at the drop of a hat. I don't need a reason to just start crying uncontrollably, it just happens. I think I hit my peak around 3:00 pm each day. It's not the only time of the day that I'll cry, but I usually cry the hardest then. I feel a bit silly because I honestly know that there is no reason to cry but there's no stopping it. It does feel like a good to just let it all go though.
This weekend Howie is going to start painting the baby's room. Once he's done painting, maybe in a couple of weeks, I'm going to paint some little sheep jumping over fences on the wall. A couple of weeks after that we should receive the furniture. I can't wait to see it all put together. I can't wait to put the crib together, put her little clothes away, and set all of her books on her book shelf. I hope that it looks as cute as I imagine it looking in my head.
I guess that's it for now because baby girl is demanding her pre-dinner dinner and she always gets what she wants.
Wednesday, November 01, 2006
Welcome to the Third Trimester!
Today I am beginning my 27th week and third trimester of pregnancy! Just 91 days left. That's just 13 short weeks or 3 months to go! YAY!! I can't believe that these past 27 weeks have gone by so quickly.
There isn't anything to exciting to report from my last doctor appointment. My belly is just the right size and I've finally reached my pre-pregnancy weight. I have one more appointment in four weeks and then I start to go to the doctor every two weeks. I'll have about four of those and then I'll be going in every week until the baby is born.
Howie and I have finished our birthing classes with the doula. We will meet with her again before the baby is born so that we can practice some more meditations for labor. In December we'll be taking the Tot Saver Program and the Newborn Care & Breastfeeding class at the hospital. We'll also get our tour of the child birth center at that time. We still need to set up a meeting with the pediatrician. We have a lot to do before she arrives. I made a list of things this past weekend. I'd like for all of those things to be completed a month before my due date. My grandmother, mother, and sister all had preeclampsia and had their babies early. My mom actually ended up in a coma and lost her baby in her seventh month. So, anyway, I'm doing my best to avoid preeclampsia. I hear that there isn't much you can do about it, if it's going to happen it's going to happen. However, I have cut out sodium, drink lots of water, get lots of rest, eating healthy and so far my blood pressure is great and I haven't experienced much swelling. Let's just keep our fingers crossed. Anyway, I want everything done by the end of December just in case she comes early. I really do hope that my doctor appointments continue to go well and that she stays in there as long as she can but comes out willingly without any medical intervention sometime around 40 weeks.
I truly do want my baby girl to wait another 13 weeks to arrive but I can't wait to see her. As much as I love her and can't wait for her birth Howie just might be more excited than I am. At least I get to carry her around and feel her growing and moving, he's just anxiously awaiting her arrival. It's very cute though. He kisses and talks to my belly before he leaves for work, when he gets home from work, while we sit on the couch, and before we go to sleep at night. Howie has been really sweet and is always telling me that my belly is beautiful and that I look beautiful. He's so cute. I can't wait to see his face in the delivery room when our baby girl is born. I can't wait to see him with her after we bring her home. He's going to be a really great father.
That's about all there is to say for now. Sorry that there isn't anything more exciting for me to update you on. Things are pretty uneventful right now, but I promise to keep you fully informed on my boring life.
There isn't anything to exciting to report from my last doctor appointment. My belly is just the right size and I've finally reached my pre-pregnancy weight. I have one more appointment in four weeks and then I start to go to the doctor every two weeks. I'll have about four of those and then I'll be going in every week until the baby is born.
Howie and I have finished our birthing classes with the doula. We will meet with her again before the baby is born so that we can practice some more meditations for labor. In December we'll be taking the Tot Saver Program and the Newborn Care & Breastfeeding class at the hospital. We'll also get our tour of the child birth center at that time. We still need to set up a meeting with the pediatrician. We have a lot to do before she arrives. I made a list of things this past weekend. I'd like for all of those things to be completed a month before my due date. My grandmother, mother, and sister all had preeclampsia and had their babies early. My mom actually ended up in a coma and lost her baby in her seventh month. So, anyway, I'm doing my best to avoid preeclampsia. I hear that there isn't much you can do about it, if it's going to happen it's going to happen. However, I have cut out sodium, drink lots of water, get lots of rest, eating healthy and so far my blood pressure is great and I haven't experienced much swelling. Let's just keep our fingers crossed. Anyway, I want everything done by the end of December just in case she comes early. I really do hope that my doctor appointments continue to go well and that she stays in there as long as she can but comes out willingly without any medical intervention sometime around 40 weeks.
I truly do want my baby girl to wait another 13 weeks to arrive but I can't wait to see her. As much as I love her and can't wait for her birth Howie just might be more excited than I am. At least I get to carry her around and feel her growing and moving, he's just anxiously awaiting her arrival. It's very cute though. He kisses and talks to my belly before he leaves for work, when he gets home from work, while we sit on the couch, and before we go to sleep at night. Howie has been really sweet and is always telling me that my belly is beautiful and that I look beautiful. He's so cute. I can't wait to see his face in the delivery room when our baby girl is born. I can't wait to see him with her after we bring her home. He's going to be a really great father.
That's about all there is to say for now. Sorry that there isn't anything more exciting for me to update you on. Things are pretty uneventful right now, but I promise to keep you fully informed on my boring life.
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