I'm sure you all have been wondering "OK where did she go?!", but man, it is hard to find some time to write a blog with a little one around :)
My sweet daughter was born on 3/30. On 3/28, I went to the doctor again with concerns. It looked like I was loosing more mucus plug, with bloody show, and I wasn't consistently feeling her move. The doctor says "the only one who knows how she is doing in there is you", and if that doesn't put on the pressure to make sure your baby is okay, I don't know what does. It really stressed me out more than anything. And you feel like a ticking time bomb! So when I saw the doctor again just to make sure everything was alright, I asked her to strip my membranes again. This time I was further effaced and dilated, so that was encouraging. 3/28 was my last day of work, and I started my maternity leave the next day.
On 3/29 at 4am, I woke up feeling more labor pains. It felt very much like my typical Braxon Hicks that I had been experiencing, however it was now accompanied with pains of period cramps. I still didn't feel pain in back, but these were getting more intense and frequent. My husband woke up and we timed them for an hour. They were about 2-3 minutes apart, lasting about 30-40 seconds. We called Kaiser's after hours line, and the nurse advised us to go in to the hospital. We were just hoping THIS COULD BE IT!!! We put all our stuff in the car and off we went. We checked in, and they put a monitor on my belly to check the contractions, and also checked how dilated and effaced I was. I was a little further (2 cm dilated and 80% effaced). They gave me a couple hours, and then checked me again. My contractions were waving on and off in strength, so I wasn't sure what that meant, however when they checked my cervix again, there was no change/progression, so they sent us home. I was heartbroken, and thinking 'this has got to be the start of real labor, it hurts!'. I was determined more than ever to keep this labor going though, if that is what it was. When I got home, I ate more pineapple, went on a walk, and drank more of my raspberry leaf tea. My husband and I figured we would be back in the hospital that evening. And we were right! Around dinner time, even though I was craving a delicious Rubio's burrito, I couldn't bring myself to eat it, with very painful contractions every few minutes. We timed the contractions for two hours, and they were more and more consistent, lasting 40-50 seconds long, every 3 minutes or so. The nurses told us to go back to the hospital. When we went in (around 6:30pm), they checked my cervix and I was not dilated to 4cm, so that was a great start. As they monitored my contractions, they could see them growing with intensity, and I was moaning and breathing through them very consistently...they were painful! The doctor verified that it was go-time, and we got checked in and got our room. I requested my epidural promptly, as I felt I had already gone through enough laboring all day, haha. The epidural was no big deal at all, and went smoothly. The doctor checked in on us periodically, and the nurse was with us most of the time. I had a constant IV fluid drip, as well as the epidural slowly releasing on a timed progression. I started getting the shakes, which turned into violent, uncontrollable convulsing. The nurse told me this was normal, but I thought I was going to have a seizure or something! It was terrible. My husband thought maybe my body was cold because of the fluids dripping into me, and they were able to get some warm blankets on me, which helped a lot.
The doctor eventually broke my water, and gave me a slight dose of pictocin. I was terrified of using pictocin, but was reassured by a friend who had to use it as well, and she said the smallest dose was all she needed to get here to where she needed to be, and the same thing happened to me. With both the water breaking and the pictocin, I was dilated to 10cm very quickly and ready to push. The doctor advised us that most first-time moms push up to 3 hours.
I pushed with all my might for so long! They even put a monitor up inside me between my inside and my uterus to see how hard the contractions and my pushing was, and my pushing went off the charts at times! The baby should be coming out! But there was a problem: she was sunny-side up. A very difficult delivery in a normal case scenario. The doctor said I was being a champ, and even though I had been pushing for 3 hours, that she thought we could do it vaginally still, if I had another hour of pushing left inside me. I wanted to avoid the c-section if possible, so I gave it another hour. After the 4th hour passed with hardily any success, the doctor said we needed to start considering the cesarean option. I was devastated. All of that work, and for some reason, Ali didn't want to come out. I felt like a failure. The doctor reassured me that I did everything I could to the best of my ability and that they couldn't have asked anything more of me, but for some reason she just couldn't come out (I was thinking MONDO huge baby maybe at this point, haha). I was so tired from pushing all night, I was ready to just get her out. So off we went to have our c-section.
Hubby got into his scrubs and met me in the room. Since I already had the epidural, that is what they continued to use as pain management. I started to shake and convulse again, and they were pumping so many different medications inside me, I have no idea what was going on. The curtain they draped over me was so close to my face, and my husband was by my head. I felt a lot of tugging, and I was wondering when they were going to start cutting into me, and all of the sudden they said "here she is!", and they brought her out to the side and started to clean her up! I was amazed that she was already out. But at this point, I felt like I was about to die. I have had heart problems in the past, and I felt like I was having a heart attack, or that the doctor had my heart in her hand and was squeezing it. I told some people that I couldn't handle whatever they were doing, that it was too much. I was so terrified that I was going to die, and was just praying that I could see my sweet girl's face before I departed. I was telling this to my husband as well, who was torn between trying to be with me, and be with this new daughter and catching things on tape/camera.
The doctor then asked my husband "are you squeamish? Come look at this.". Apparently there was a large fibroid that had grown on the outside of my uterus, and it was a large mushroom looking thing about the size of my tiny doctor's fist, and they suspected that was what was pinning Ali inside of me. I still did such a good job of pushing that she was pretty far down, but since we did the c-section, they had to 'pull her back out' and did some internal tearing in the process. I lost almost 2 liters of blood, and eventually had to have a blood transfusion. The whole thing was a nightmare. I had to go through regular labor, and then a c-section...one of my worst nightmares.
The doctor said that if we have another child, we will just go straight to the c-section, as the fibroid will most likely be there and grow back/large. I keep telling my husband that I LOVE our girl, but if we have another child, we are adopting! Lol. But no, seriously, we will be adopting..I'm not going through this again :p I don't know how people do this more than once!
We were in the hospital for 5 days. Recovery has been slow, but I am thankful to have made it out. Now I am looking at my sweet angel in her bouncy chair, as she is making soft cooing noises, and fluttering her eyes trying to wake up. Time to eat soon! Breastfeeding has been a challenge in itself, I had no idea how hard it was going to be. People tell you it will be hard, but nothing can prepare you for it. I think we are through the worst parts, and sometimes still struggling on a good latch, but she is gaining weight and is a happy girl!
I'm sure this blog sounds a bit different than the other ones...that is what you get on little sleep, and trying to write things quickly before you run out of time and the baby wakes up. This will conclude my journey of pregnancy blog, and thanks for joining me on this ride!
Wednesday, April 17, 2013
Saturday, March 16, 2013
Approaching 38 Weeks
I am one and a half days from my 38 week mark. This past week, and these upcoming days/weeks that I have left are going to be a doozie, I can already tell. I'm starting to get stretch marks above my belly button now (dang it!), and things are getting more and more challenging. My weight is still going up, and now my feet, ankles and legs are swelling (and it is unavoidable!). They look almost normal first thing in the morning, but if I can't keep them elevated, they immediately get huge. I went to my doctor's appointment on Friday, and she said I was 1 cm dilated and 30% effaced, which is exciting! However, she said that it could still be a 39, 40 or 41 week birth, so to get that in my head and try to hang in there. A few scares at my appointment:
-When they checked my blood pressure, it was higher than normal, though still in the normal range. It was a flag though, for possible preclampsia. So we have to keep an eye on it. There are a bunch of other side effects that accompany preclampsia that I have not experienced yet, so just keeping an eye on things is the suggestion for now. If it gets higher, I think they may induce.
-At the end of my appointment, I stood up from the table and noticed some wet marks on the paper where I was sitting. The doc thought maybe it was from the exam since she used lubricant to check my pelvis, or maybe seamen from intercourse the night before, but we did a fetal heart monitor and contraction monitor, as well as measuring fluid levels via ultrasound just to be sure. They didn't say much of anything (and I don't think they had any fluid levels to compare it to prior to the exam), so I am due back Monday for another checkup. Oh the joys...
I have been having contractions, but they are still very mild and not regular. When I was on the monitor at the doctors office, I could see them, which was neat. They were tiny and short, just like I have been feeling, but it was neat to know I wasn't crazy and was actually having some. I'm trying tricks for contractions/labor, hoping to encourage things to get going. Mostly just walking as the consistent one, but just started drinking raspberry leaf tea, and getting massages in the correct pressure points (or asking my hubby to massage a little for me), and trying to get some sex in (a challenge in itself). Hopefully I won't be pregnant much longer, this is getting ridiculous. I feel so huge, heavy and fat, lol. My stomach often feels like it is going to burst. I'm ready to stop getting up every single hour (though the night too) to pee. I would be happy to get up a few times during the night to feed my daughter, but it's just a nuisance to pee every hour! Ugh..
At least there is a light at the end of the tunnel. I gotta stay strong! One month from now, I will NOT be pregnant..I have to keep reminding myself of that :)
-When they checked my blood pressure, it was higher than normal, though still in the normal range. It was a flag though, for possible preclampsia. So we have to keep an eye on it. There are a bunch of other side effects that accompany preclampsia that I have not experienced yet, so just keeping an eye on things is the suggestion for now. If it gets higher, I think they may induce.
-At the end of my appointment, I stood up from the table and noticed some wet marks on the paper where I was sitting. The doc thought maybe it was from the exam since she used lubricant to check my pelvis, or maybe seamen from intercourse the night before, but we did a fetal heart monitor and contraction monitor, as well as measuring fluid levels via ultrasound just to be sure. They didn't say much of anything (and I don't think they had any fluid levels to compare it to prior to the exam), so I am due back Monday for another checkup. Oh the joys...
I have been having contractions, but they are still very mild and not regular. When I was on the monitor at the doctors office, I could see them, which was neat. They were tiny and short, just like I have been feeling, but it was neat to know I wasn't crazy and was actually having some. I'm trying tricks for contractions/labor, hoping to encourage things to get going. Mostly just walking as the consistent one, but just started drinking raspberry leaf tea, and getting massages in the correct pressure points (or asking my hubby to massage a little for me), and trying to get some sex in (a challenge in itself). Hopefully I won't be pregnant much longer, this is getting ridiculous. I feel so huge, heavy and fat, lol. My stomach often feels like it is going to burst. I'm ready to stop getting up every single hour (though the night too) to pee. I would be happy to get up a few times during the night to feed my daughter, but it's just a nuisance to pee every hour! Ugh..
At least there is a light at the end of the tunnel. I gotta stay strong! One month from now, I will NOT be pregnant..I have to keep reminding myself of that :)
Sunday, March 3, 2013
36 Weeks!
Well a few fun things have happened since we last "spoke". First off, our babymoon was AWESOME and so nice to have that time together with my husband, just the two of us. We stayed pretty local, went to a comedy show in town, went to The Royal Gorge, visited Cannon City, went to Cave of the Winds, gambled a little in Cripple Creek, and had tea at The Glen Eyrie Castle (that was awesome!). I was unfortunately hit by a spat of diarrhea on our trip, but God allowed it to be bearable enough, and the nurse told me it was OK to take Imodium, which helped. Apparently you are NOT allowed to take Pepto Bismol when pregnant, which was a surprise to us, but good to know. Anyway, it was a great time that my husband and I really enjoyed.
I know in my last post I mentioned that I started getting arthritis and migraines. Since that note, I haven't had any more problems with either of these, praise the Lord. Of course, now that I say that, I will have just jinxed myself, lol :) You certainly have good days and bad days. I often wonder how anyone willingly goes through this again, the whole 'pregnancy' thing. But I catch myself already forgetting the really bad days, and thinking about when we may be pregnant again! What on earth is this kind of amnesia?! I'm glad I have this blog to remind myself of how unpleasant it can be, but I think with the end result being soooooo worth it, it may just happen again (don't tell my husband I said that!).
We are starting to see signs of things that we were taught of in class happening, so I'm thinking the baby is coming early! We are at 36 weeks tomorrow, and the ideal 'early' birth starts at 37 weeks, when you are considered full term (but they still like to see you go to 40). However, she has already dropped, and is head down. I also lost my mucus plug (aka baby cork) on Saturday. These can be signs that she will come anywhere from NOW to a few weeks..but I don't think she is going to make it to April 1. The mucus plug came out when I was going to the bathroom, though I did notice an extra thick layer of something on my pantyliner when I first sat down. Then I felt something slide out. Looked in the toilet, and there it was. Mine was a thin, clearish looking thing (sometimes other people experience it with a slight coloration or tinged with blood). It kinda looked like a clear, used condom. Apparently they can regenerate and you can lose it again, but this is a sign of my cervix opening, which is exciting! Baby is being soooo active now a days, and I think she is trying to figure out how to be my little escape artist!
Now that she has dropped, I can breathe so much easier! I am able to read books out loud without having to catch my breath. How lovely. However, my hips are hurting even more when I sleep (and I didn't even know that was possible), and I have to pee even more (once again, didn't even know that was possible), especially at night...which SUCKS for sleeping! I think I get up probably 8 times. 8 TIMES! I think my problem is that I am a tosser/turner, and I know you can only sleep on your side, so it takes a TON of effort to move this 30lb bowling ball from one side to the other. So when I do turn, it wakes me up. And when I wake up, I think "Oh, I better go to the bathroom, because otherwise I will wake up from having to pee, and I don't want to do that". Not like it would really make a difference. And I still wake up and have a slight case of insomnia, and cannot go back to sleep for a few hours. So I go downstairs and have a snack (usually a bowl of cereal or greek yogurt) and play on my phone, before returning and attempting to sleep again. I think I am TOTALLY ready to be up these late nights with my baby girl after she arrives...I have already been trained the past few months to do it anyway! And it's way more fun and adorable to have a purpose of a baby to be up, instead of a bladder or hungry tummy.
My mom came up today to hang out with me as our last "mother daughter" hurrah. She took me out to dinner (I got some delicious crab at Joe's Crab Shack), and she surprised me with a very sweet cross-stitched baby blanket for Ali. It is very sweet, and it took her a LONG time to make. Also one of her friends made Ali a baby hat, which is very adorable as well. I can't wait to take a picture of her in it!
A friend of mine who is a couple weeks ahead of me had posted on facebook "these are not my feet!" and I thought oh how unfortunate, she has swollen feet. So glad I'm not dealing with that. Oops, once again, I spoke too soon. My feet are HUGE. What the heck happened to them? And yes, I now have cankles (my husband thinks that is hilarious). They say 'keep your legs propped up", but they also tell you to "walk and get some exercise in", which makes the swelling worse. And my hands swell too. Today I took off my wedding ring (breaks my heart! But it would break more if we had to cut it off later). I put a larger sized ring on my finger to replace it. But later this evening, my hands stopped swelling and went back to normal (my feet did not), and the larger ring didn't fit and slid right off. So I'm thinking I need to be "ringless" and try not to care at judgemental stares.
Can I just say that Kaiser sucks? I know I have complained about our coverage before, but really, I feel gypped. I have been pregnant along with about 4 other friends, and they all are getting more attention and care than I am. In this last month, everyone is seeing their doctor once a week. I have a 36, 38, and possible 40 week appointment. My friend who I talk more in detail with had been checked for dilatation and effacement at her 36 week appointment. I just went to mine on Friday (a few days prior to our official 36 week date), and the doctor basically said "no", and that we would check that next time, and that I couldn't possibly be dilated yet (even though my friend was 2 cm dilated already at hers). I already had my pants off for the strep B test (which I basically had to convince her to do at this appointment instead of next time!), so why not just check? And apparently the doc was wrong since my mucus plug came out the next morning (which is a sign the cervix is opening!), so blah, whateverrrrrrr. I guess I should just be thankful for modern technology and education, and that if something actually were to happen that was really important, I can get the help I need. But I would appreciate some preventative measures and knowledge. Knowledge is power, right? And this is my first pregnancy, so it would be nice to know what is going on and how things are progressing. Ok, enough of that.
Oh I guess I should describe what it felt like for Ali to drop. I woke up one morning, feeling like maybe she had dropped, but then I assumed I was crazy, because I didn't think she would drop while I was sleeping, since gravity wasn't really helping her at that point. I felt like I really should stop using my maternity belt because I was afraid that was kind of 'blocking' her and holding her up so she couldn't drop, even though the doctor assured me that it shouldn't interfere with that. But I took it upon myself anyway to stop wearing it. And I was motivated to go for a walk. The next day, I felt her drop in the morning, while I was sitting at my work desk. It was just a small muscle sensation at the base of my pelvis, no pain or anything, just different and weird. I stood up, walked around a bit, tried to relax my abdomen, and even squatted a bit. I felt that muscle sensation a couple more times through the next few days. Everyone says they can see that she has dropped, and it is much more comfortable (at least during the day). She is easier to carry around, and I haven't needed to use the belt since. So there is that.
Oh yes, another thing: the paranoia of thinking your water broke. I'm not a small girl. The last few weeks I have noticed my underwear getting wet. Sometimes more than others. If it is a lot, I'm nervous that my water broke. But so far, it has just been sweat. It is hard to tell though! People say it can be a pop and a gush, or just a trickle, and you will 'soak your panties' eventually. I feel like my panties are partially soaked, but it is from the sweat. Not sure why I am sweating up there as much as I am, but whatever. As I was looking for ways to tell, the best tips I found were: the smell. Sweat smells like sweat. I guess your water can smell a little sweeter, and not like sweat. And some people say it can be urine that you are leaking too. Also another test is to put fresh panties on and lay down on your side for about 30 minutes. If you stand up after that and your panties get immediately wet, it's your water. So maybe that will help someone. Who knows.
Alright, I think that about wraps it up for me at this point! Ali may be here in a few days, or still have a few weeks to go, but the excitement is prominent!
I know in my last post I mentioned that I started getting arthritis and migraines. Since that note, I haven't had any more problems with either of these, praise the Lord. Of course, now that I say that, I will have just jinxed myself, lol :) You certainly have good days and bad days. I often wonder how anyone willingly goes through this again, the whole 'pregnancy' thing. But I catch myself already forgetting the really bad days, and thinking about when we may be pregnant again! What on earth is this kind of amnesia?! I'm glad I have this blog to remind myself of how unpleasant it can be, but I think with the end result being soooooo worth it, it may just happen again (don't tell my husband I said that!).
We are starting to see signs of things that we were taught of in class happening, so I'm thinking the baby is coming early! We are at 36 weeks tomorrow, and the ideal 'early' birth starts at 37 weeks, when you are considered full term (but they still like to see you go to 40). However, she has already dropped, and is head down. I also lost my mucus plug (aka baby cork) on Saturday. These can be signs that she will come anywhere from NOW to a few weeks..but I don't think she is going to make it to April 1. The mucus plug came out when I was going to the bathroom, though I did notice an extra thick layer of something on my pantyliner when I first sat down. Then I felt something slide out. Looked in the toilet, and there it was. Mine was a thin, clearish looking thing (sometimes other people experience it with a slight coloration or tinged with blood). It kinda looked like a clear, used condom. Apparently they can regenerate and you can lose it again, but this is a sign of my cervix opening, which is exciting! Baby is being soooo active now a days, and I think she is trying to figure out how to be my little escape artist!
Now that she has dropped, I can breathe so much easier! I am able to read books out loud without having to catch my breath. How lovely. However, my hips are hurting even more when I sleep (and I didn't even know that was possible), and I have to pee even more (once again, didn't even know that was possible), especially at night...which SUCKS for sleeping! I think I get up probably 8 times. 8 TIMES! I think my problem is that I am a tosser/turner, and I know you can only sleep on your side, so it takes a TON of effort to move this 30lb bowling ball from one side to the other. So when I do turn, it wakes me up. And when I wake up, I think "Oh, I better go to the bathroom, because otherwise I will wake up from having to pee, and I don't want to do that". Not like it would really make a difference. And I still wake up and have a slight case of insomnia, and cannot go back to sleep for a few hours. So I go downstairs and have a snack (usually a bowl of cereal or greek yogurt) and play on my phone, before returning and attempting to sleep again. I think I am TOTALLY ready to be up these late nights with my baby girl after she arrives...I have already been trained the past few months to do it anyway! And it's way more fun and adorable to have a purpose of a baby to be up, instead of a bladder or hungry tummy.
My mom came up today to hang out with me as our last "mother daughter" hurrah. She took me out to dinner (I got some delicious crab at Joe's Crab Shack), and she surprised me with a very sweet cross-stitched baby blanket for Ali. It is very sweet, and it took her a LONG time to make. Also one of her friends made Ali a baby hat, which is very adorable as well. I can't wait to take a picture of her in it!
A friend of mine who is a couple weeks ahead of me had posted on facebook "these are not my feet!" and I thought oh how unfortunate, she has swollen feet. So glad I'm not dealing with that. Oops, once again, I spoke too soon. My feet are HUGE. What the heck happened to them? And yes, I now have cankles (my husband thinks that is hilarious). They say 'keep your legs propped up", but they also tell you to "walk and get some exercise in", which makes the swelling worse. And my hands swell too. Today I took off my wedding ring (breaks my heart! But it would break more if we had to cut it off later). I put a larger sized ring on my finger to replace it. But later this evening, my hands stopped swelling and went back to normal (my feet did not), and the larger ring didn't fit and slid right off. So I'm thinking I need to be "ringless" and try not to care at judgemental stares.
Can I just say that Kaiser sucks? I know I have complained about our coverage before, but really, I feel gypped. I have been pregnant along with about 4 other friends, and they all are getting more attention and care than I am. In this last month, everyone is seeing their doctor once a week. I have a 36, 38, and possible 40 week appointment. My friend who I talk more in detail with had been checked for dilatation and effacement at her 36 week appointment. I just went to mine on Friday (a few days prior to our official 36 week date), and the doctor basically said "no", and that we would check that next time, and that I couldn't possibly be dilated yet (even though my friend was 2 cm dilated already at hers). I already had my pants off for the strep B test (which I basically had to convince her to do at this appointment instead of next time!), so why not just check? And apparently the doc was wrong since my mucus plug came out the next morning (which is a sign the cervix is opening!), so blah, whateverrrrrrr. I guess I should just be thankful for modern technology and education, and that if something actually were to happen that was really important, I can get the help I need. But I would appreciate some preventative measures and knowledge. Knowledge is power, right? And this is my first pregnancy, so it would be nice to know what is going on and how things are progressing. Ok, enough of that.
Oh I guess I should describe what it felt like for Ali to drop. I woke up one morning, feeling like maybe she had dropped, but then I assumed I was crazy, because I didn't think she would drop while I was sleeping, since gravity wasn't really helping her at that point. I felt like I really should stop using my maternity belt because I was afraid that was kind of 'blocking' her and holding her up so she couldn't drop, even though the doctor assured me that it shouldn't interfere with that. But I took it upon myself anyway to stop wearing it. And I was motivated to go for a walk. The next day, I felt her drop in the morning, while I was sitting at my work desk. It was just a small muscle sensation at the base of my pelvis, no pain or anything, just different and weird. I stood up, walked around a bit, tried to relax my abdomen, and even squatted a bit. I felt that muscle sensation a couple more times through the next few days. Everyone says they can see that she has dropped, and it is much more comfortable (at least during the day). She is easier to carry around, and I haven't needed to use the belt since. So there is that.
Oh yes, another thing: the paranoia of thinking your water broke. I'm not a small girl. The last few weeks I have noticed my underwear getting wet. Sometimes more than others. If it is a lot, I'm nervous that my water broke. But so far, it has just been sweat. It is hard to tell though! People say it can be a pop and a gush, or just a trickle, and you will 'soak your panties' eventually. I feel like my panties are partially soaked, but it is from the sweat. Not sure why I am sweating up there as much as I am, but whatever. As I was looking for ways to tell, the best tips I found were: the smell. Sweat smells like sweat. I guess your water can smell a little sweeter, and not like sweat. And some people say it can be urine that you are leaking too. Also another test is to put fresh panties on and lay down on your side for about 30 minutes. If you stand up after that and your panties get immediately wet, it's your water. So maybe that will help someone. Who knows.
Alright, I think that about wraps it up for me at this point! Ali may be here in a few days, or still have a few weeks to go, but the excitement is prominent!
Thursday, February 7, 2013
32 Weeks - Third Trimester Well Underway!
Yep, I have been slacking. Not much to say here and there, though I think of one small thing of time to time. My husband and I just finished completing our child birthing classes (four 3-hour sessions at our hospital). That was very educational, and it was fun to meet some other pregnant couples. We would often go around the room for a 'check-in' to see how everyone is doing and what was new. Some things I would hear like prenatal arthritis and I would think "Oh good, I dodged that bullet!", but I spoke too soon. Just yesterday I started to get some arthritis pains, and today I got a migraine (which I have been getting more of lately..I think it is the increased volume of blood and my normal magnesium supplement is not cutting it anymore). Speaking of other issues, I had been taking both Juice Plus and a prenatal my whole pregnancy, but in this last trimester, I have been having some problems with my heartbeat feeling very strong/heavy and freaking me out. This usually happens shortly after I take my supplements. The doctor told me to lay off the Juice Plus for now because she thinks I may be getting too much of something by using both prenatal and Juice Plus. I think that may have something to do with it, but I also think it is combined with the extra blood that my heart is pumping.
I'm being a jealous mother, as I see other people keep showing their updated ultrasound pictures and their 4-d shots of their unborn child (they look amazing!). My insurance only pays for the 20 week ultrasound really, and no more after that unless medically necessary. It would put my mind at ease to see her once and a while, and not imagine that she is growing a mutant hand or missing any limbs, but I know I am being silly, and our mothers didn't even have this technology, so we are spoiled! I can't wait to meet her.
Oh right, her. Another thought that pops into my head is 'what if the technician's best guess was wrong?!' We have been expecting a girl this whole time, and we end up with a boy! Which would still be joyous, but we would have our pepto-bismol pink room all set up and a plethora of girl clothes for him. Haha. Once again, I know that doesn't happen very often, but you can't help but think of those things.
I have been having to wear my maternity belt a lot lately. Oh and I have been graced by stretchmarks. People say the stupidest things to you sometimes. "You are only HOW far along? Are you sure there is only one baby in there?!". Stuff like that. Yes, I feel like a huge orb, thank you. The doctor says I am measuring perfectly and gaining weight right on target, so hush up! She feels so heavy though, and the maternity belt has been a lifesaver sometimes. My husband gets mad at me when I don't wear it, because I will often complain of pain shortly thereafter, haha. I just wish it wasn't so obvious under clothes, but oh well. I guess at this point I shouldn't care what other people think, and just aim for comfort to get through these last 8 weeks (and hopefully she will be ready to come out a week or two early!).
My husband and I are planning a 'babymoon' for late next week. We really cannot afford much extravagance, and the thought of being too far away from our home in case of an emergency wasn't settling, so we are going to be tourists in our own city, and a few surrounding cities that are no more than a few hours away. But we are excited, and have a couple nights a hotels booked. Our last hurrah before the baby comes.
Baby is very squirmy. She favors the left side of the womb, and women are encouraged to sleep on their left side for maximum benefit blood flow while sleeping, so I always feel like I'm squishing her when I sleep, and I feel her moving around SO much. At least we know she is doing well :) I don't feel so claustrophobic anymore, but every once and a while she moves so hard that it startles me. And she hiccups ALL THE TIME! Its like a rhythmic twitch that lasts for a few minutes. I am glad to know that the baby hiccups don't bother them like they bother us, and they are very common.
Ok, it is time for me to stop looking at the computer, as I doubt it is helping my migraine! Check in with ya later!
I'm being a jealous mother, as I see other people keep showing their updated ultrasound pictures and their 4-d shots of their unborn child (they look amazing!). My insurance only pays for the 20 week ultrasound really, and no more after that unless medically necessary. It would put my mind at ease to see her once and a while, and not imagine that she is growing a mutant hand or missing any limbs, but I know I am being silly, and our mothers didn't even have this technology, so we are spoiled! I can't wait to meet her.
Oh right, her. Another thought that pops into my head is 'what if the technician's best guess was wrong?!' We have been expecting a girl this whole time, and we end up with a boy! Which would still be joyous, but we would have our pepto-bismol pink room all set up and a plethora of girl clothes for him. Haha. Once again, I know that doesn't happen very often, but you can't help but think of those things.
I have been having to wear my maternity belt a lot lately. Oh and I have been graced by stretchmarks. People say the stupidest things to you sometimes. "You are only HOW far along? Are you sure there is only one baby in there?!". Stuff like that. Yes, I feel like a huge orb, thank you. The doctor says I am measuring perfectly and gaining weight right on target, so hush up! She feels so heavy though, and the maternity belt has been a lifesaver sometimes. My husband gets mad at me when I don't wear it, because I will often complain of pain shortly thereafter, haha. I just wish it wasn't so obvious under clothes, but oh well. I guess at this point I shouldn't care what other people think, and just aim for comfort to get through these last 8 weeks (and hopefully she will be ready to come out a week or two early!).
My husband and I are planning a 'babymoon' for late next week. We really cannot afford much extravagance, and the thought of being too far away from our home in case of an emergency wasn't settling, so we are going to be tourists in our own city, and a few surrounding cities that are no more than a few hours away. But we are excited, and have a couple nights a hotels booked. Our last hurrah before the baby comes.
Baby is very squirmy. She favors the left side of the womb, and women are encouraged to sleep on their left side for maximum benefit blood flow while sleeping, so I always feel like I'm squishing her when I sleep, and I feel her moving around SO much. At least we know she is doing well :) I don't feel so claustrophobic anymore, but every once and a while she moves so hard that it startles me. And she hiccups ALL THE TIME! Its like a rhythmic twitch that lasts for a few minutes. I am glad to know that the baby hiccups don't bother them like they bother us, and they are very common.
Ok, it is time for me to stop looking at the computer, as I doubt it is helping my migraine! Check in with ya later!
Thursday, November 29, 2012
Now at 22 weeks!
Wow, SO much has happened since I last wrote. It has been on my mind to post things, and I keep losing track of the time. So here is the updates to fill you in:
It's a girl! We went in for our 20 week ultrasound, and of course the technician gave us her 'best guess', but she checked a bunch of times throughout the whole ultrasound (it was at least an hour or so) and each time it was a girl result to her, so we are very confident (though stranger things have happened). We have already painted her room pink, and I have to do some black rose stencils on an accent wall with the window. I can't wait to finish setting up the nursery, but I know we have to wait till after the baby shower, which won't be until January. But I can get started now, with what we have :) We are so excited! I felt like it was a girl, but I guess we all have a 50/50 chance with our guesses, right? Oh and we have decided to name her Alissandra Serina. We will probably call her Ali or Alissa. But yay, exciting!
So I would say my pregnancy has been pretty smooth sailing for the most part, with a few hiccups here and there like acne, morning sickness, spotting in the first trimester, etc. However, the afternoon after we got our ultrasound completed, I started to get a jabbing pain in my lower right area of my abdomen. I tried to ignore it the first day. The next day, it was absolutely crippling, and I was crying and could barely walk. I can only compare it to someone shoving a knife in my side and turning it (the exact location was on the lower right abdomen, almost near the groin area). I called our nurse hotline to talk to them, and amazingly enough, it was just round ligament pain! Some people get it worse than others, and it is often common in second and third pregnancies, so I was surprised to get it so bad. There is always a concern that it might be appendicitis, as that is also a stabbing pain, but has some other side effects too that I wasn't having. Also, when you are that far along in your pregnancy, your appendix typically isn't located in that area anymore. So I ended up purchasing a maternity belt. Let me tell you, that (and prayer, heating pads and Tylenol) worked! I went to the maternity store, walked in, and pathetically said "give me your best maternity belt, please!". It was $40, and was their 'heavy duty' one that had a front support, then a back support that Velcros onto the front, and even a top strap you can use to help you for back pain. It took the weight off of my pulling ligaments, and I only had to wear it for about 5 days. I'm not feeling the pain anymore and don't have to wear the belt, but it was a worthwhile purchase to me, and it can come in handy later in the pregnancy if any more ligament pain or back pain comes. I also hear having your belly supported like that can help prevent frequent dashes to the bathroom to pee, because the baby is lifted up a bit off your bladder. Sounds good to me!
So I was really bummed because at 20 weeks, I still couldn't feel her move. Every once and a while I felt a teeny flutter, but I didn't want to be a silly person to treasure gas bubbles, so I figured I would just wait till I was sure. At 21 weeks, I finally felt my little dear move! It felt like I had a random twitch in my uterus..and that's what I thought it was, but I thought that was a weird place to get a twitch. And it wasn't rhythmic or anything, and not exactly in the same spots. I asked some friends, and they were convinced it was the baby. Over the next few days, I kept feeling this more and more, and in different spots, so I knew it was her for sure. Funny story: I was with my husband at the movies, and she was being pretty active and I wanted her to be able to feel her for the first time! I grabbed his hand, and he kind of had to shove it down my pants (I was wearing those high waisted maternity pants) and I think we made the gentleman a couple seats down uncomfortable, thinking we were getting down and dirty, lol! Oh well, small price to pay for my husband to feel his daughter move for the first time :)
Now I am feeling her a bunch. It is still small and subtle, but its fun and reassuring. Last night, I had my first experience of her pushing against my bladder. It was a weird feeling..I had like little surges of REALLY having to pee, but just for that instance when she was pushing against it, haha. Oh it is all so very entertaining.
It is almost winter time now, and the doctors practically make you and your spouse get flu shots if you are pregnant, so we got those today. I hope we don't get sick from them (I know, people say that is a rumor, but I haven gotten sick immediately after getting one before, so pardon me if I am superstitious). Our next baby appointment is in a couple weeks. We have scheduled our labor and delivery classes to start in late January, so we should be done with those in late February. Baby is due April 1, but I'm predicting an early delivery (or at least I am going to do anything in my power to get her to come early by a week or two, with no limits to walking funny, getting my feet massaged, and any other old wives tales out there that wont jeopardize our health). Anyway, it has been a fun and educational few weeks!
It's a girl! We went in for our 20 week ultrasound, and of course the technician gave us her 'best guess', but she checked a bunch of times throughout the whole ultrasound (it was at least an hour or so) and each time it was a girl result to her, so we are very confident (though stranger things have happened). We have already painted her room pink, and I have to do some black rose stencils on an accent wall with the window. I can't wait to finish setting up the nursery, but I know we have to wait till after the baby shower, which won't be until January. But I can get started now, with what we have :) We are so excited! I felt like it was a girl, but I guess we all have a 50/50 chance with our guesses, right? Oh and we have decided to name her Alissandra Serina. We will probably call her Ali or Alissa. But yay, exciting!
So I would say my pregnancy has been pretty smooth sailing for the most part, with a few hiccups here and there like acne, morning sickness, spotting in the first trimester, etc. However, the afternoon after we got our ultrasound completed, I started to get a jabbing pain in my lower right area of my abdomen. I tried to ignore it the first day. The next day, it was absolutely crippling, and I was crying and could barely walk. I can only compare it to someone shoving a knife in my side and turning it (the exact location was on the lower right abdomen, almost near the groin area). I called our nurse hotline to talk to them, and amazingly enough, it was just round ligament pain! Some people get it worse than others, and it is often common in second and third pregnancies, so I was surprised to get it so bad. There is always a concern that it might be appendicitis, as that is also a stabbing pain, but has some other side effects too that I wasn't having. Also, when you are that far along in your pregnancy, your appendix typically isn't located in that area anymore. So I ended up purchasing a maternity belt. Let me tell you, that (and prayer, heating pads and Tylenol) worked! I went to the maternity store, walked in, and pathetically said "give me your best maternity belt, please!". It was $40, and was their 'heavy duty' one that had a front support, then a back support that Velcros onto the front, and even a top strap you can use to help you for back pain. It took the weight off of my pulling ligaments, and I only had to wear it for about 5 days. I'm not feeling the pain anymore and don't have to wear the belt, but it was a worthwhile purchase to me, and it can come in handy later in the pregnancy if any more ligament pain or back pain comes. I also hear having your belly supported like that can help prevent frequent dashes to the bathroom to pee, because the baby is lifted up a bit off your bladder. Sounds good to me!
So I was really bummed because at 20 weeks, I still couldn't feel her move. Every once and a while I felt a teeny flutter, but I didn't want to be a silly person to treasure gas bubbles, so I figured I would just wait till I was sure. At 21 weeks, I finally felt my little dear move! It felt like I had a random twitch in my uterus..and that's what I thought it was, but I thought that was a weird place to get a twitch. And it wasn't rhythmic or anything, and not exactly in the same spots. I asked some friends, and they were convinced it was the baby. Over the next few days, I kept feeling this more and more, and in different spots, so I knew it was her for sure. Funny story: I was with my husband at the movies, and she was being pretty active and I wanted her to be able to feel her for the first time! I grabbed his hand, and he kind of had to shove it down my pants (I was wearing those high waisted maternity pants) and I think we made the gentleman a couple seats down uncomfortable, thinking we were getting down and dirty, lol! Oh well, small price to pay for my husband to feel his daughter move for the first time :)
Now I am feeling her a bunch. It is still small and subtle, but its fun and reassuring. Last night, I had my first experience of her pushing against my bladder. It was a weird feeling..I had like little surges of REALLY having to pee, but just for that instance when she was pushing against it, haha. Oh it is all so very entertaining.
It is almost winter time now, and the doctors practically make you and your spouse get flu shots if you are pregnant, so we got those today. I hope we don't get sick from them (I know, people say that is a rumor, but I haven gotten sick immediately after getting one before, so pardon me if I am superstitious). Our next baby appointment is in a couple weeks. We have scheduled our labor and delivery classes to start in late January, so we should be done with those in late February. Baby is due April 1, but I'm predicting an early delivery (or at least I am going to do anything in my power to get her to come early by a week or two, with no limits to walking funny, getting my feet massaged, and any other old wives tales out there that wont jeopardize our health). Anyway, it has been a fun and educational few weeks!
Monday, October 29, 2012
Here we are at week 18...
Well it has been a few weeks since I have last checked in. To be honest, not much has happened! We had our 16 week appointment and got to see the baby on the ultrasound for fun, hear the heartbeat and see how much it has grown. The doctor for some reason said she wouldn't be able to tell the sex yet, even though my other friends said that they found out at 16 weeks (maybe it was a different machine or something?). So we are still waiting! But we should know November 13th, so we have a goal. I was checking out all the old wives tales, and per their stories, I am having a girl. Examples: I am craving orange juice like none other, my beauty has been stolen (I am having such horrible acne right now!) and there was one other one, but I am blanking it right now. Oh yea, pregnant brain. I'm finding that I am more at a loss for words at times, but that is about the extent of it. I am feeling pretty good now-a-days with no more morning sickness (yay!), but my paranoia and emotional roller coaster rides have set in. I know God is going to take care of me, and that His hand is over me and this little life I am growing, and that there isn't much that I can be in control of, but it is hard not to constantly be thinking and worry about things...especially with the extra hormones going on. I think He understands, and I have so much to be thankful for, but sometimes I just want to cry, and not for any real good reason either.
We just purchased and moved into our first home, so that is very exciting! The babies room is just sitting here with boxes in it..we don't want to set anything up because we will paint it once we find out the sex, and there is no point setting things up to just move them and take them out again. So moving and finances have been a little stressful. Oh another odd thing is that I am still not gaining weight. I am 6 feet tall, and I was a bit overweight to start with (my pre-pregnancy weight was 213). Today, I am at 204, but my first weigh-in at the 10 week appointment was 207. A healthy top weight for my height non-pregnant is 185, so I think I am still fine, and the doctor didn't say anything at my last appointment, but I wish I would have asked. Oh and WRITE DOWN your questions for the doctor! I totally spaced all of my questions, and kept remembering them after the appointment. Oops. I have another appointment in 2 weeks, so I have my list going now :) I worry about my weight and stomach size quite a bit because I feel like my stomach has been shrinking a little. But I have been feeling fine otherwise, it's just how I look. I like to look pregnant, not pudgy, haha. And I hope that the baby is alright, and that the extra 'pregnancy look' is just water weight or bloating, and I am bloating less or something for some reason.
Ok, here is an ugly bit: I really don't like sex right now. I feel bad for my husband. He is such a good guy. But having sex is weird! I don't like having any pressure on my belly (when he is on top of me missionary style), and I constantly think about how I probably shouldn't be on my back. Other positions make my growing belly and breasts move waaaaay too much for it to be comfortable, and I can't get turned on the way I used to..I don't even really want to be touched down there. The last time we had sex, I burst out crying and sobbing at the end (oh my gosh, poor husband). Some people say their sex drive gets increased when they are pregnant, and others say it disappears almost completely. I guess I'm the unlucky latter..at least at the moment.
I keep hearing and reading 'Now that you are in your second trimester, you should start to feel your energy returning'..and I think that is a load of crap. I am still exhausted all the time and would love to take a nap every day if I could. And I say listen to your body. Once this baby gets here, your nap time will be very limited, haha! I asked my other friends who have had children, and most of them have said they never got their second wind though their whole pregnancy, so at least I don't feel so alone.
My appetite has been growing, and it can be hard to find healthy things to munch on. I really don't like vegetables, but I do enjoy fruit. So I eat lots of fruit. Nuts are good in protein, and I just bought some triscuit crackers for the whole-grain baked aspect, and can be yummy with some cheese on it. I try to avoid the chips, but do indulge in them ever so often...and with Halloween in two days, I bought myself a caramel apple covered in M&M's just waiting to be devoured :)
Alrightee, I guess that's a good update for now! Until next time, probably shortly after November 13! :)
We just purchased and moved into our first home, so that is very exciting! The babies room is just sitting here with boxes in it..we don't want to set anything up because we will paint it once we find out the sex, and there is no point setting things up to just move them and take them out again. So moving and finances have been a little stressful. Oh another odd thing is that I am still not gaining weight. I am 6 feet tall, and I was a bit overweight to start with (my pre-pregnancy weight was 213). Today, I am at 204, but my first weigh-in at the 10 week appointment was 207. A healthy top weight for my height non-pregnant is 185, so I think I am still fine, and the doctor didn't say anything at my last appointment, but I wish I would have asked. Oh and WRITE DOWN your questions for the doctor! I totally spaced all of my questions, and kept remembering them after the appointment. Oops. I have another appointment in 2 weeks, so I have my list going now :) I worry about my weight and stomach size quite a bit because I feel like my stomach has been shrinking a little. But I have been feeling fine otherwise, it's just how I look. I like to look pregnant, not pudgy, haha. And I hope that the baby is alright, and that the extra 'pregnancy look' is just water weight or bloating, and I am bloating less or something for some reason.
Ok, here is an ugly bit: I really don't like sex right now. I feel bad for my husband. He is such a good guy. But having sex is weird! I don't like having any pressure on my belly (when he is on top of me missionary style), and I constantly think about how I probably shouldn't be on my back. Other positions make my growing belly and breasts move waaaaay too much for it to be comfortable, and I can't get turned on the way I used to..I don't even really want to be touched down there. The last time we had sex, I burst out crying and sobbing at the end (oh my gosh, poor husband). Some people say their sex drive gets increased when they are pregnant, and others say it disappears almost completely. I guess I'm the unlucky latter..at least at the moment.
I keep hearing and reading 'Now that you are in your second trimester, you should start to feel your energy returning'..and I think that is a load of crap. I am still exhausted all the time and would love to take a nap every day if I could. And I say listen to your body. Once this baby gets here, your nap time will be very limited, haha! I asked my other friends who have had children, and most of them have said they never got their second wind though their whole pregnancy, so at least I don't feel so alone.
My appetite has been growing, and it can be hard to find healthy things to munch on. I really don't like vegetables, but I do enjoy fruit. So I eat lots of fruit. Nuts are good in protein, and I just bought some triscuit crackers for the whole-grain baked aspect, and can be yummy with some cheese on it. I try to avoid the chips, but do indulge in them ever so often...and with Halloween in two days, I bought myself a caramel apple covered in M&M's just waiting to be devoured :)
Alrightee, I guess that's a good update for now! Until next time, probably shortly after November 13! :)
Thursday, September 6, 2012
The First Doctor's Appointment
We went in yesterday for the first doctor's appointment. Before we went in, there were always the little voices in the back of your mind saying 'you aren't really pregnant, it was a false test, there is something wrong with your bloated body and sore boobs, and it is all your imagionation', even though you know you are, in fact, pregnant. But nothing confirms it like the ultrasound. IT WAS SOOOO COOL!!! We did the vaginal ultrasound (where they insert the wand up your hoo-ha and see the baby from the inside) and it didn't hurt or anything. My husband and I stared at the screen in awe as the doctor started to describe what we were looking at. We saw the heartbeat, and heard it which was very fast (and normal). It was also MOVING a bunch! That is so crazy to me that this little person inside me is moving around already. I imagined it thinking 'what the heck is poking me, get it away!' as the wand was observing the baby. They took many snapshots so we could bring them home. I posted them on facebook as 'babies first photo', haha, and was able to share them with family members. God is so amazing, creating this little miracle inside of me. And this all confirmed that we had one (just one, phew!) healthy baby :) The doctor also said that since it had a healthy heartbeat and was inside the uterus, now the chances of a miscarriage was reduced to only 5%. That did put my mind at ease too. They also measured the baby and estimated my due date as April 1 (an april fools day baby, oh boy!). They put me at 10 weeks and 2 days (where I thought I was only 9 weeks and 6 days), so I was a teeny bit farther along than I thought I was. It is amazing to think I am already 1/4 of the way through my pregnancy!
I am still feeling pretty good, but man, is eating getting annoying and overrated. I start to feel nauseous when I start to get the least-bit hungry, so I have to constantly be nibbling on something. I don't want to be eating all the time, but I guess that is the only option I have, and the body is probably trying to get me into a routine of feeding the baby at all times. Anything for that little guy or gal, but it is still annoying. My spotting has stopped (and has stopped for the last few weeks) so that is more comforting as well. I don't seem to be too overly tired, though some days are harder than others. Now that we have a confirmed baby in the belly, we are more excited about getting baby items. We are still looking for a new home to move into, so I know it would be better to wait to get all the stuff, but I don't know if I will have the patience! :)
I am still feeling pretty good, but man, is eating getting annoying and overrated. I start to feel nauseous when I start to get the least-bit hungry, so I have to constantly be nibbling on something. I don't want to be eating all the time, but I guess that is the only option I have, and the body is probably trying to get me into a routine of feeding the baby at all times. Anything for that little guy or gal, but it is still annoying. My spotting has stopped (and has stopped for the last few weeks) so that is more comforting as well. I don't seem to be too overly tired, though some days are harder than others. Now that we have a confirmed baby in the belly, we are more excited about getting baby items. We are still looking for a new home to move into, so I know it would be better to wait to get all the stuff, but I don't know if I will have the patience! :)
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