Yesterday (35+6) I had a regular appointment. On Monday the office called to let me know my OB wouldn't be in, and they asked if I would mind seeing the physician's assistant instead. I said that was fine, I figured it would be better to at least have an appointment rather than skipping one. My BP was good at my appointment for the first time in a while (usually it goes up when I go there, I wish it wouldn't, but it does). It was a nice surprise that it was fine! Well the PA was very nice, and she spent a while with us. She talked about last week's ultrasound, and said that there was one thing they were concerned about. I assumed it was going to be the baby's weight, but no. The cord is around his neck. Not what we wanted to hear by any means! It's "only" wrapped around once, and apparently it's not tight. It's one of those things, apparently, and shouldn't cause any problems. They're going to have me go in for weekly NSTs though to make sure the baby isn't in distress. The first one is going to be today (my appointment was late yesterday afternoon and they couldn't fit it in).
She said that sometimes it can cause the baby to go into distress during labor, so if that happened I may need to have a c-section. When I have my appointment with my OB next week I'm going to ask her what she thinks - of course I'd rather avoid a c-section if possible, but at this point as long as our baby is healthy that's all that matters.
While I was there the PA did the group B strep swab, so I should find out next week if I'll be needing antibiotics during labor. Hopefully not, but again, whatever I have to do for the baby.
I can't lie, this whole thing about the cord is worrying me a lot. It's just after 5am here and I can't sleep. I did get some sleep, maybe a few hours, but I've been tossing and turning all night. Eventually, at about 4:40am, I thought I might as well just get up. I can take a nap later, thankfully. Then this afternoon it's my NST. I'm not worried about the actual NST at all, but the results of it could be scary. Hopefully baby boy will be his usual active self and not be in any distress. I'm finally going to get my hospital bag physically packed today - just in case. I'm 36 weeks now and it's supposed to be done by now anyway. I have everything I need, I think, it's just a matter of packing it.
I've done some reading on nuchal cords, and apparently they're fairly common and don't usually cause issues. I wish I could stop worrying!! While I've loved being pregnant - and I still do love it, don't get me wrong - I'll be glad when the baby is finally in my arms. I know I'll probably never stop worrying about him, but at least I'll be able to see him to know what's going on!
Thursday, April 18, 2013
Friday, April 12, 2013
A bit of a scare
On Wednesday we had a growth ultrasound. We got some good news: baby boy is finally head down! I thought he was, but couldn't be 100% sure until the ultrasound.
His estimated weight was 4 pounds 13 ounces (at 34 weeks 6 days) - so he's on the small side, which worries me a little but he's still in the "normal" range so hopefully everything is fine.
We also got some worrying news, though: his heartrate was too high. The ultrasound tech took repeated measurements over a period of time, and his heartrate did drop a little, but not enough for her liking. In between the heartrate measurements, she got us some more 3D pictures for free (very nice of her!). Baby still had his hands by his face, so they weren't too great, but we appreciated the effort! Anyway once that was all done and his heartrate was still on the high side, the tech went to speak with one of the doctors to see what they wanted to do. They sent us to the hospital to have a NST done. They could have done it at the OB office, but they said we were better off at the hospital if anything were to happen. Before we left the ultrasound tech said "If you decide to deliver, good luck!". Holy crap! I was panicking a bit by that point. I was virtually 35 weeks pregnant, but not expecting to deliver right then!
Anyway, we went to the hospital and waited quite a while to be called back to L&D. Once we were called back, everything happened quickly. I gave them a urine sample and they hooked me up to the NST equipment and a blood pressure cuff. My BP was a little high, but I have what seems to be white coat syndrome, and I monitor my BP at home where it's fine, so they weren't concerned. Within a few minutes the nurse was able to tell us that everything seemed to be OK with the baby - his heartrate was higher when he was active, and lowered when he was not active, which of course is how it should be. We still had to leave the NST running for the full 20 minutes, of course, but that was fine. Baby boy passed the test with flying colors, which was a huge relief! It was definitely better to be safe than sorry, and I'm glad that we were sent for the NST in case anything had been wrong, but it was scary at the time. It really hit me yesterday morning that there could have been a different outcome, you know?
I haven't taken a 35 week belly photo yet, so here's one from 34 weeks:
And here's one of our new 3D ultrasound pictures:
I don't know if anyone can really make out this picture, but his hand is resting on his forehead and his other arm is across him. You can see his nose and one eye, and a chubby cheek. He's definitely stubborn when it comes to having his picture taken!
His estimated weight was 4 pounds 13 ounces (at 34 weeks 6 days) - so he's on the small side, which worries me a little but he's still in the "normal" range so hopefully everything is fine.
We also got some worrying news, though: his heartrate was too high. The ultrasound tech took repeated measurements over a period of time, and his heartrate did drop a little, but not enough for her liking. In between the heartrate measurements, she got us some more 3D pictures for free (very nice of her!). Baby still had his hands by his face, so they weren't too great, but we appreciated the effort! Anyway once that was all done and his heartrate was still on the high side, the tech went to speak with one of the doctors to see what they wanted to do. They sent us to the hospital to have a NST done. They could have done it at the OB office, but they said we were better off at the hospital if anything were to happen. Before we left the ultrasound tech said "If you decide to deliver, good luck!". Holy crap! I was panicking a bit by that point. I was virtually 35 weeks pregnant, but not expecting to deliver right then!
Anyway, we went to the hospital and waited quite a while to be called back to L&D. Once we were called back, everything happened quickly. I gave them a urine sample and they hooked me up to the NST equipment and a blood pressure cuff. My BP was a little high, but I have what seems to be white coat syndrome, and I monitor my BP at home where it's fine, so they weren't concerned. Within a few minutes the nurse was able to tell us that everything seemed to be OK with the baby - his heartrate was higher when he was active, and lowered when he was not active, which of course is how it should be. We still had to leave the NST running for the full 20 minutes, of course, but that was fine. Baby boy passed the test with flying colors, which was a huge relief! It was definitely better to be safe than sorry, and I'm glad that we were sent for the NST in case anything had been wrong, but it was scary at the time. It really hit me yesterday morning that there could have been a different outcome, you know?
I haven't taken a 35 week belly photo yet, so here's one from 34 weeks:
And here's one of our new 3D ultrasound pictures:
I don't know if anyone can really make out this picture, but his hand is resting on his forehead and his other arm is across him. You can see his nose and one eye, and a chubby cheek. He's definitely stubborn when it comes to having his picture taken!
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
Where we are now
My hubby isn't going on that almost month long business trip - thank goodness! I feel much better now :) I know lots of women have it far worse - especially those married to military men, who can be deployed for a year. I just totally freaked that he would be 1800 miles away, with no way to get home quickly if need be, and I'd be here and all alone. I was terrified I'd get put on bed rest and have nobody to help, or the baby would arrive early and my hubby wouldn't be here.
Pregnancy:
Gestation: 31 weeks 5 days
Weight gained: 12.4 pounds*
Belly button: Still in (yay!)
Symptoms: Just tired mostly
Days to go until due date: 58 (whoa!)
Appointments: Every 2 weeks. Had one today, everything is good! Baby's heartbeat is nice and strong. One more appointment in 2 weeks and then my appointments will be weekly.
Movement: Lots of big movements these days. Think baby may be head down now.
Blood pressure: Normal at home, high at the OB's office. White coat syndrome! OB is happy because I've been keeping a log of my BP, and checking it at least twice a day. She keeps reminding me of the symptoms I need to watch out for, but so far so good.
* My weight has actually dropped by 1.4 pounds since my last appointment (2 weeks ago). Pretty sure it's because we were eating out a lot when my mom and stepdad were here, and things are back to normal now. My OB is happy with my gain so there are no concerns there. :)
Here's a belly photo from 31 weeks 1 day:
Pregnancy:
Gestation: 31 weeks 5 days
Weight gained: 12.4 pounds*
Belly button: Still in (yay!)
Symptoms: Just tired mostly
Days to go until due date: 58 (whoa!)
Appointments: Every 2 weeks. Had one today, everything is good! Baby's heartbeat is nice and strong. One more appointment in 2 weeks and then my appointments will be weekly.
Movement: Lots of big movements these days. Think baby may be head down now.
Blood pressure: Normal at home, high at the OB's office. White coat syndrome! OB is happy because I've been keeping a log of my BP, and checking it at least twice a day. She keeps reminding me of the symptoms I need to watch out for, but so far so good.
* My weight has actually dropped by 1.4 pounds since my last appointment (2 weeks ago). Pretty sure it's because we were eating out a lot when my mom and stepdad were here, and things are back to normal now. My OB is happy with my gain so there are no concerns there. :)
Here's a belly photo from 31 weeks 1 day:
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
Another late update
OK so last time I wrote was almost 2 weeks ago. Oops.
March 3rd was my baby shower - it went very well, and a good time was had by all. We didn't have any cheesy games, either! :) There was a onesie decorating station, and people had fun with that. Since pretty much all the people at the shower are pug people, we got quite a few onesies decorated with pug things. One that stands out: "My sisters are hairy bitches". LMAO!
We were very lucky with all the amazing gifts people gave us. The big ticket items were the baby monitor and travel system. We didn't expect anyone to buy those! We got lots of very useful things, including a baby/toddler bath, loads of bath accessories, a baby grooming kit, books, lots of cute clothes (and in bigger sizes, too) and toys. We have a huge stash of washcloths and towels, too! Everybody was so generous and we were really touched by that. It was great to see everyone and celebrate our new arrival! :)
Here are some of the 3D ultrasound pics we got at our second scan; baby boy was still not particularly cooperative but he was better the second time around than the first!
My mom and stepdad had a good vacation here. It actually went by pretty quickly - unlike when my dad was last here, LOL. They had a rental car so they were off doing things a lot of the time, which made it much easier to have houseguests. I really don't like it when people come and expect to be constantly entertained!!
They left very early Saturday morning, and we had our childbirth class and hospital tour that day. The class was much better than I'd expected it to be. It was a lot of information (a 10 hour class condensed into 5 hours), but it was presented really well and we both got a lot out of it. Birth partners and their roles were discussed, and techniques for helping during labor and delivery were taught. I know my hubby found that very helpful, because he didn't really know beforehand what he could do when the time comes.
The hospital tour was good, too. It was nice to see the L&D rooms and all that stuff. The hospital seems as nice as it can be, and the staff seem lovely too. I'm glad we chose that one to deliver at! :)
I'm 31 weeks pregnant tomorrow - time is really flying! Baby is still very active, which I love. He should weigh around 3 pounds now. In about 5 weeks I'll be having another ultrasound to check his growth and position. Hopefully he'll be head down by that point. I think he might be lying across my tummy now (transverse). I guess that's a little better than being breech - as long as he turns head down before delivery!
My hubby found out a couple of days ago that his manager wants him to go a couple of thousand miles away for almost a month of training - starting in 2 weeks. Um, no. First of all, I'm heavily pregnant and he doesn't want to leave me (and honestly, the thought of him being gone for that long at this point in our lives scares the crap out of me). Secondly, we have friends coming from England at the end of this month, for 2 weeks. If he went on this trip he wouldn't even see them once. Their trip has been planned for absolutely ages, too. He told his co-workers that the dates don't work at all for him, and I'm hoping they're going to accept that. I don't want him being in trouble with work or anything, but it just won't work. If it was for one week it would be OK, but almost a month? He'd have to leave March 24th (a day we have volunteer commitments) and he wouldn't be back until at least April 17th. I'm scared that if he were to go, I'd get put on bed rest and be totally screwed as far as having any help. I know it's probably unlikely that the baby will be born early, but you just never know. Things can happen. I feel pretty stressed over this whole thing, honestly. Ugh. Hopefully this will be the end of it, and that will be that.
March 3rd was my baby shower - it went very well, and a good time was had by all. We didn't have any cheesy games, either! :) There was a onesie decorating station, and people had fun with that. Since pretty much all the people at the shower are pug people, we got quite a few onesies decorated with pug things. One that stands out: "My sisters are hairy bitches". LMAO!
We were very lucky with all the amazing gifts people gave us. The big ticket items were the baby monitor and travel system. We didn't expect anyone to buy those! We got lots of very useful things, including a baby/toddler bath, loads of bath accessories, a baby grooming kit, books, lots of cute clothes (and in bigger sizes, too) and toys. We have a huge stash of washcloths and towels, too! Everybody was so generous and we were really touched by that. It was great to see everyone and celebrate our new arrival! :)
 |
| The onesie decorating station |
 |
| Lots of gifts |
 |
| Gifts again |
 |
| The decorated onesies |
Here are some of the 3D ultrasound pics we got at our second scan; baby boy was still not particularly cooperative but he was better the second time around than the first!
 |
| Rubbing his eye |
 |
| Looks like he's sleeping (he wasn't!) |
 | |
| Resting his chin on his hand. This one was from the first 3D scan I think. |
They left very early Saturday morning, and we had our childbirth class and hospital tour that day. The class was much better than I'd expected it to be. It was a lot of information (a 10 hour class condensed into 5 hours), but it was presented really well and we both got a lot out of it. Birth partners and their roles were discussed, and techniques for helping during labor and delivery were taught. I know my hubby found that very helpful, because he didn't really know beforehand what he could do when the time comes.
The hospital tour was good, too. It was nice to see the L&D rooms and all that stuff. The hospital seems as nice as it can be, and the staff seem lovely too. I'm glad we chose that one to deliver at! :)
I'm 31 weeks pregnant tomorrow - time is really flying! Baby is still very active, which I love. He should weigh around 3 pounds now. In about 5 weeks I'll be having another ultrasound to check his growth and position. Hopefully he'll be head down by that point. I think he might be lying across my tummy now (transverse). I guess that's a little better than being breech - as long as he turns head down before delivery!
My hubby found out a couple of days ago that his manager wants him to go a couple of thousand miles away for almost a month of training - starting in 2 weeks. Um, no. First of all, I'm heavily pregnant and he doesn't want to leave me (and honestly, the thought of him being gone for that long at this point in our lives scares the crap out of me). Secondly, we have friends coming from England at the end of this month, for 2 weeks. If he went on this trip he wouldn't even see them once. Their trip has been planned for absolutely ages, too. He told his co-workers that the dates don't work at all for him, and I'm hoping they're going to accept that. I don't want him being in trouble with work or anything, but it just won't work. If it was for one week it would be OK, but almost a month? He'd have to leave March 24th (a day we have volunteer commitments) and he wouldn't be back until at least April 17th. I'm scared that if he were to go, I'd get put on bed rest and be totally screwed as far as having any help. I know it's probably unlikely that the baby will be born early, but you just never know. Things can happen. I feel pretty stressed over this whole thing, honestly. Ugh. Hopefully this will be the end of it, and that will be that.
Friday, March 1, 2013
Success at last!
On Wednesday we went for our redo of the 3D ultrasound. Baby was still breech, but he was wide awake and a lot more cooperative than last week! The ultrasound tech spent about an extra 30 minutes with us - well into her lunch break - which we really appreciated. We went back an hour later to collect our photo book and CD, so we took her a card and some nice chocolates to say thanks. She really went above and beyond for us. Baby was being quite difficult even though he did better than at our first attempt! She got some good pictures and videos in the end :)
After the ultrasound I found out I passed my 3-hour glucose test - thank goodness! That's such a huge relief. Before the ultrasound we went to IHOP for breakfast (my hubby took a few vacation days this week) and while we were there I was thinking how if I failed the 3-hour test that might be my last yummy meal, LOL. Baby must have enjoyed it, he was so active during the ultrasound!
I can hardly believe my baby shower is this Sunday - OMG. I need to figure out some hostess gifts - 3 of them. I really don't know what to get, but I can't spend too much money.
Oh, our kitchen situation is mostly resolved now. We need to get the wood under the cabinets replaced, but that's not urgent. My mom and stepdad insisted on buying us a new dishwasher - they didn't buy us a wedding or housewarming gift, which we'd completely forgotten about, so that worked out great! It arrived on Monday and is awesome! :)
On Monday night our latest foster pug was adopted. We only had him 9 days, that's a record for an adoption from our house!
The same day our dresser arrived for the nursery. It's really starting to take shape now! I bought some wall decals with owls and woodland animals etc. to put on the closet doors. We have textured walls so the only place I can put them is the closet doors! I haven't started with them yet but I think they should look pretty good. Hopefully they'll break up some of the whiteness of the room!
When I get to my laptop I'll add some pics from the 3D ultrasound and the nursery :)
Friday, February 22, 2013
I survived
I survived the 3 hour glucose test! It wasn't as bad as I was expecting it to be. I took a good book with me and spent about half of the time reading it. The rest of the time I was wasting time using my phone and partly watching TV. I'd say the worst thing about it was not being able to drink any water until after the test - I've been drinking a lot of water every day, so it wasn't nice not being able to have a drink! My veins cooperated, thankfully, so I'll have 4 new bruises to go with the 2 from Monday. I was a little worried that they might be tricky so I was glad when they behaved, LOL.
My hubby came to pick me up when I was done and he brought me my water bottle and a yogurt! He's too sweet. I'd asked for the water but he thought of the yogurt on his own. On the way home we got drive thru Burger King (bad, I know, but I was absolutely starving by that point and the baby was going crazy for food, hehe).
Now I just have to do some cleaning and then I have to take our pug, Suzie, to the vet - we realized last night that she has a UTI, poor baby. She peed in the house which she never does, and there was some blood in it. She's had UTIs before with the same symptoms, so we're pretty sure that's what it is. After that, grocery shopping, more cleaning, dinner and then we'll head to the airport to meet my mom and stepdad!
I'm so glad I did the glucose test today rather than waiting until Monday. I feel a lot better knowing that it's done. Man, yesterday I was in the shittiest mood! Everything was just really getting to me. It really helps having all the noisy machines gone (they left at about 7 last night), and being somewhat ready for our visitors. Now I just need to stop procrastinating and do what needs to be done! Wish I could just take a nap instead, hehe. :)
My hubby came to pick me up when I was done and he brought me my water bottle and a yogurt! He's too sweet. I'd asked for the water but he thought of the yogurt on his own. On the way home we got drive thru Burger King (bad, I know, but I was absolutely starving by that point and the baby was going crazy for food, hehe).
Now I just have to do some cleaning and then I have to take our pug, Suzie, to the vet - we realized last night that she has a UTI, poor baby. She peed in the house which she never does, and there was some blood in it. She's had UTIs before with the same symptoms, so we're pretty sure that's what it is. After that, grocery shopping, more cleaning, dinner and then we'll head to the airport to meet my mom and stepdad!
I'm so glad I did the glucose test today rather than waiting until Monday. I feel a lot better knowing that it's done. Man, yesterday I was in the shittiest mood! Everything was just really getting to me. It really helps having all the noisy machines gone (they left at about 7 last night), and being somewhat ready for our visitors. Now I just need to stop procrastinating and do what needs to be done! Wish I could just take a nap instead, hehe. :)
Thursday, February 21, 2013
Failed!
I got a call from my OB office this morning. As soon as I picked up I knew what it was gonna be - I failed my 1 hour glucose test on Monday. Great. I asked what my number was: 133. Apparently the cut off is 130. I failed by 3 points - so typical! I know most women who fail the 1 hour test do pass the 3 hour test, so I'm not overly worried yet, but I'm really bummed about failing the 1 hour! I'm going in tomorrow morning for the 3 hour test. Originally I said tomorrow wouldn't work, because I'm supposed to be getting the house ready for my mom and stepdad arriving tomorrow night. I scheduled it for Monday morning, but then thought about it and decided to just do it tomorrow. I don't want to have to think about it over the weekend. I know I won't get any results tomorrow, but at least the test itself will be out of the way. I should probably prioritize my health (and that of my baby) over houseguests, anyway - the house will be fine, no worries. If it's not perfect then oh well - we've had such a shitty week with the kitchen disaster, that I don't really care anymore! Hopefully those machines are leaving today, by the way. They'd better - they're driving us crazy.
It's going to be really boring doing the 3 hour test - I guess I'll just take a good book with me! My phone battery is really dodgy so I probably shouldn't rely on being able to mess around on that for 3 hours, LOL. I did a 2 hour glucose test back in June when I was having infertility testing, and I passed it just fine, but gestational diabetes is different of course. I really hope I don't have it. I think the odds are in my favor - I read that something like 80% of people who fail the 1 hour test pass the 3 hour test. It's just something I have to do. Wish me luck! :)
It's going to be really boring doing the 3 hour test - I guess I'll just take a good book with me! My phone battery is really dodgy so I probably shouldn't rely on being able to mess around on that for 3 hours, LOL. I did a 2 hour glucose test back in June when I was having infertility testing, and I passed it just fine, but gestational diabetes is different of course. I really hope I don't have it. I think the odds are in my favor - I read that something like 80% of people who fail the 1 hour test pass the 3 hour test. It's just something I have to do. Wish me luck! :)
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