Ryan and I have some exciting news to share: Baby #3 is on the way and should be arriving sometime before October 17, 2012 (hopefully not too long before then!). I'll be 13 weeks along tomorrow.
So far, so good...for the most part. Most importantly: Baby is healthy and growing just fine. Unfortunately, this pregnancy has been a bit more eventful in the first trimester than my first two with 3 weeks of spotting early on and low progesterone levels which required a progesterone supplement until 11 weeks. So we have been pretty wary of sharing the news until now. But this past Friday, the 12-week ultrasound showed that everything appears to be developing as it should and the risk of several chromosomal defects is pretty low.
After receiving that good news, things moved pretty quickly. We shared the news with Keira and Ian on Friday night. Keira is so excited and Ian couldn't care less of course. Then before we even had a chance to celebrate and share the news with our extended family and friends, my cerclage surgery was scheduled for...yesterday!
Yesterday, I went to the hospital for surgery to have a cervical cerclage (purse string stitch in cervix) placed to help keep baby in utero as long as possible. This cerclage is a preventative one, not emergency, meaning that my cervix has not yet shortened, but is expected to in the future (given its history). However, this cerclage placement turned out to be much more difficult than the one placed during my 2nd pregnancy so I was in a significant amount of pain afterward as the spinal wore off. I asked to be admitted to the hospital overnight until I knew that the pain medication would work to reduce the pain to a more tolerable level. That occurred late last night so I was released home this afternoon and I am now at home recovering this week. Ryan's mom and dad are helping out this week with the kids.
Due to my history of preterm delivery, modified bedrest will be starting shortly. Possibly next week due to the difficulty with the cerclage, but hopefully not for another three weeks. The doctors believe they were able to place a good stitch and feel that, together with bedrest, we have a good chance to get this baby to full term.
Ryan and I were well aware of the likely hardships we would face during a pregnancy when we decided we wanted to try for a third child. We thought long; we thought hard; we did some soul searching; we did some Internet searching; and we both agreed that it is so worth it. When you get to the other end of the pregnancy and hold that tiny baby in your arms then see that baby grow into the little persons that we have before us now in Keira, at age 4, and in Ian, at age 2...it is oh so worth it.
Believe me when I say that the 8 weeks I spent in hospital on bedrest keeping Ian in utero was a bargain compared to the amount of joy and love Ian has brought to our family and to our lives.
We are hoping for the same great bargain this pregnancy. Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers.
Showing posts with label pregnancy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label pregnancy. Show all posts
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Sunday, January 3, 2010
29w4d: Day 35 - 5 Weeks and Contraction Update
So I've been in the hospital five weeks now. Wow...time flies when you're having contractions, er, fun! :)
I just wanted to post a quick update on the contraction front. I haven't had another contraction episode since New Years Eve. My terbutaline dosage was increased to 5 mg at 5 pm on Friday and contractions stopped for about 3-1/2 hours so I thought everything was great. Unfortunately they started up again about 30 minutes apart and the contractions have remained anywhere between 15-40 minutes apart both yesterday and today. Fortunately, they aren't very strong although I do seem to contract anytime I get up from my bed to go to the bathroom in addition to the regular contractions I am having when just laying in bed. The plan is to try another tocolytic drug starting tomorrow (probably Procardia) and my OB has ordered an ultrasound for tomorrow to check on my cervical length. Hopefully all this contracting is doing nothing to my cervix! Good thing is that Ryan was here the past two days when my doctor stopped by so he was able to hear her reassurances that these contractions should not be anything to worry about. It's hard for him to be at home when he knows I'm here contracting and there's nothing he can do.
Thanks to all of my visitors this week: Ellen (lunch was great!), Marie (thanks for the book and sparkling cider for NYE which I forgot to drink due to all the contracting, but am now saving for the 32-week milestone), and Fred (thanks for the chocolate and peanut butter goodness, and the reading material!). Also thanks to Marie and Magnus for having Keira over to play with Lucas this morning so that Ryan could visit me alone for a few hours...much appreciated by both of us! Ryan brought Keira to see me three times this week which was awesome. Love you both!
I'll keep you updated as to how the ultrasound and new drug goes tomorrow...hopefully well! I've got a lot more baking to do here...
I just wanted to post a quick update on the contraction front. I haven't had another contraction episode since New Years Eve. My terbutaline dosage was increased to 5 mg at 5 pm on Friday and contractions stopped for about 3-1/2 hours so I thought everything was great. Unfortunately they started up again about 30 minutes apart and the contractions have remained anywhere between 15-40 minutes apart both yesterday and today. Fortunately, they aren't very strong although I do seem to contract anytime I get up from my bed to go to the bathroom in addition to the regular contractions I am having when just laying in bed. The plan is to try another tocolytic drug starting tomorrow (probably Procardia) and my OB has ordered an ultrasound for tomorrow to check on my cervical length. Hopefully all this contracting is doing nothing to my cervix! Good thing is that Ryan was here the past two days when my doctor stopped by so he was able to hear her reassurances that these contractions should not be anything to worry about. It's hard for him to be at home when he knows I'm here contracting and there's nothing he can do.
Thanks to all of my visitors this week: Ellen (lunch was great!), Marie (thanks for the book and sparkling cider for NYE which I forgot to drink due to all the contracting, but am now saving for the 32-week milestone), and Fred (thanks for the chocolate and peanut butter goodness, and the reading material!). Also thanks to Marie and Magnus for having Keira over to play with Lucas this morning so that Ryan could visit me alone for a few hours...much appreciated by both of us! Ryan brought Keira to see me three times this week which was awesome. Love you both!
I'll keep you updated as to how the ultrasound and new drug goes tomorrow...hopefully well! I've got a lot more baking to do here...
Friday, January 1, 2010
29w2d: Day 33 - Happy New Year!
Happy New Year! Today we welcome in 2010 and in several weeks we will be welcoming our baby boy into the world.
My New Years Eve was unfortunately very eventful with two episodes of contractions which required a shot of terbutaline each time to stop them. I started contracting about 2:30 that afternoon and the contractions went from 20 minutes apart and got down to 6-7 minutes apart when I was given the shot of terb at 5:30. That knocked them out for about an hour and a half, when i started contracting again at about 7:15. This time they started out at 15 minutes apart and were down to 6 minutes apart when I got another shot of terb. These ones were the most painful ones I have had yet. Again the shot knocked them out until a little before 10:00. I felt a few more contractions over the next hour or so but they never started up regularly. I got my next dose of oral terb and that may have helped prevent them from turning into another episode. I was asleep by 11:30 so I did not ring in the new year. I was tired from all the contracting and monitoring so I just hoped to get a decent night of sleep without contractions. I was able to sleep until about 7:00 this morning.
I've been contracting all this morning but they have stayed between 15-20 minutes apart. My secondary OB rounded at about 11:30 this morning and said that she was going to up my dose of terbutaline to 5 mg every 6 hours from 2.5 mg every 6 hours. She is hesitant to change to another tocolytic medication over the weekend since it is unclear how I will react to a new medication. They would rather make that change during the week. So we will see starting at 5 pm tonight how the increased dose does. Hopefully it does the trick! I asked my OB what effect the contractions might be having on my cervical length. The answer is that it is hard to tell but it has likely gotten softer. She said that we can probably do another cervical length check next week to see how it looks. That makes me happy because I was not scheduled to have another check for 2-3 weeks since I just had one on Monday. Cross your fingers that these contractions have not been causing cervical changes!
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My New Years Eve was unfortunately very eventful with two episodes of contractions which required a shot of terbutaline each time to stop them. I started contracting about 2:30 that afternoon and the contractions went from 20 minutes apart and got down to 6-7 minutes apart when I was given the shot of terb at 5:30. That knocked them out for about an hour and a half, when i started contracting again at about 7:15. This time they started out at 15 minutes apart and were down to 6 minutes apart when I got another shot of terb. These ones were the most painful ones I have had yet. Again the shot knocked them out until a little before 10:00. I felt a few more contractions over the next hour or so but they never started up regularly. I got my next dose of oral terb and that may have helped prevent them from turning into another episode. I was asleep by 11:30 so I did not ring in the new year. I was tired from all the contracting and monitoring so I just hoped to get a decent night of sleep without contractions. I was able to sleep until about 7:00 this morning.
I've been contracting all this morning but they have stayed between 15-20 minutes apart. My secondary OB rounded at about 11:30 this morning and said that she was going to up my dose of terbutaline to 5 mg every 6 hours from 2.5 mg every 6 hours. She is hesitant to change to another tocolytic medication over the weekend since it is unclear how I will react to a new medication. They would rather make that change during the week. So we will see starting at 5 pm tonight how the increased dose does. Hopefully it does the trick! I asked my OB what effect the contractions might be having on my cervical length. The answer is that it is hard to tell but it has likely gotten softer. She said that we can probably do another cervical length check next week to see how it looks. That makes me happy because I was not scheduled to have another check for 2-3 weeks since I just had one on Monday. Cross your fingers that these contractions have not been causing cervical changes!
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Wednesday, December 30, 2009
29w0d: Day 31 - 29 weeks...yay! Contractions...boo!
I'm 29 weeks along today! Yay! There is just 3 more weeks until my short-term goal of 32 weeks and 7 more weeks until my long-term goal of 36 weeks.
I've been in hospital on bedrest for 31 days now. I got to celebrate 29 weeks tonight with my first bout of contractions and first shot of terbutaline. Boo!
The contractions started about 7:00 pm and started out about 20 min apart for the first hour. That's when I told the nurse I thought I was contracting. They progressed to 15 minutes apart and she put me on the monitor at 8:30. They got to 10 minutes apart for a while and were 8 min apart by 9:30 when I got the shot of terbutaline. I didn't have another contraction for 20 min after the shot so I was taken off the contraction monitor. Baby boy's heartrate was fine during the monitoring and contractions which is good.
I'm glad the contractions stopped rather quickly after the shot. Now my tummy feels tired and I have some soreness down below. Hopefully this didn't cause any cervical change and is not going to be a regular occurance. The contractions began just an hour after I had my dose of oral terbutaline so I was not due for the next dose for another 5 hours. My uterus does feel a little irritable now as if it wants to get hard but can't do it.
Stay away contractions! You are not welcome around here!!
Sent from my iPhone
I've been in hospital on bedrest for 31 days now. I got to celebrate 29 weeks tonight with my first bout of contractions and first shot of terbutaline. Boo!
The contractions started about 7:00 pm and started out about 20 min apart for the first hour. That's when I told the nurse I thought I was contracting. They progressed to 15 minutes apart and she put me on the monitor at 8:30. They got to 10 minutes apart for a while and were 8 min apart by 9:30 when I got the shot of terbutaline. I didn't have another contraction for 20 min after the shot so I was taken off the contraction monitor. Baby boy's heartrate was fine during the monitoring and contractions which is good.
I'm glad the contractions stopped rather quickly after the shot. Now my tummy feels tired and I have some soreness down below. Hopefully this didn't cause any cervical change and is not going to be a regular occurance. The contractions began just an hour after I had my dose of oral terbutaline so I was not due for the next dose for another 5 hours. My uterus does feel a little irritable now as if it wants to get hard but can't do it.
Stay away contractions! You are not welcome around here!!
Sent from my iPhone
Monday, December 28, 2009
28w5d: Day 29 - Fist in my cervix...um, ouch!
Today was ultrasound day! The last one I had was exactly three weeks ago and he was estimated to weigh 2 lbs 2 oz then (and measuring almost 2 weeks ahead). I was excited to see how the little guy was doing now. When I talked to Ryan this afternoon before the ultrasound, he guessed that baby boy weighed about 3 lbs and my guess was that he was about 3.5 lbs.
The testing center closes at 5 pm and I had to wait until 5 pm until the ultrasound tech arrived to take me for my ultrasound. Today being the first day after a holiday and a weekend, the testing center was super busy today so the inpatient ultrasounds got put off until the end of the day. Literally.
The technician did the transvaginal ultrasound first to check on my cervix length. She checked out my cerclage first as usual and I was trying to determine how my cervix looked based on my previous ultrasounds. What I saw was that his head was again right down by my cervix, but there was this other round thing between his head and sort of lodged in what I thought was my cervix. I asked the tech, "is that a hand in my cervix?" Her reply, "yes." So when I tell Ryan that it feels like baby boy is hitting me in the cervix, he REALLY is! Before she could measure my cervical length, she literally had to get him to remove his fist from my cervix. LOL! She pushed on my tummy a little which woke him up and he removed his fist. This left a little void where his hand had been which slowly closed back up. After waiting probably 10 minutes or so to see if my dynamic cervix would start funneling, she measured my cervix at about 2 cm without funneling. It is good news that my cervix did not start funneling during that time as the past two ultrasounds only took about that much time before the funneling began. Yay for no funneling this time!
Next, the technician performed the transabdominal ultrasound to check baby's weight and amniotic fluid levels. He was moving around quite a bit since she had woken him up. He is still head down and during the ultrasound, his spine and butt went upwards from there on my lefthand side. That position didn't last long as within an hour after the ultrasound his spine and butt was back to my righthand side which is his normal position. Anyway, she took various measurements to get his estimated fetal weight. Each measurement is taken several times to get an average:
- abdominal circumference (measuring around 32 weeks, she commented that he has a chubby little tummy),
- head circumference (measuring around 31.5 weeks, I said that his big head does not surprise me as Keira has one!), and
- femur length (measuring around 30 weeks).
This arrived at an estimated weight of 3 lbs. 7 oz. which is the 79th percentile and means he's measuring large for his gestational age (measuring more like 31 weeks). His amniotic fluid level measured at about 10.2 or so which is fine. She always has a hard time measuring the amniotic fluid on my left side because she says my stomach is very gassy. You think? I am pregnant. Isn't this a given?
Anyway, when I got back to my room after the ultrasound, I called Ryan to tell him the good news that baby boy is getting bigger and that my cervix is not getting shorter. We were both happy (and relieved) about both bits of news.
Now if I can just keep that fist out of my cervix, things would be fantastic!
The testing center closes at 5 pm and I had to wait until 5 pm until the ultrasound tech arrived to take me for my ultrasound. Today being the first day after a holiday and a weekend, the testing center was super busy today so the inpatient ultrasounds got put off until the end of the day. Literally.
The technician did the transvaginal ultrasound first to check on my cervix length. She checked out my cerclage first as usual and I was trying to determine how my cervix looked based on my previous ultrasounds. What I saw was that his head was again right down by my cervix, but there was this other round thing between his head and sort of lodged in what I thought was my cervix. I asked the tech, "is that a hand in my cervix?" Her reply, "yes." So when I tell Ryan that it feels like baby boy is hitting me in the cervix, he REALLY is! Before she could measure my cervical length, she literally had to get him to remove his fist from my cervix. LOL! She pushed on my tummy a little which woke him up and he removed his fist. This left a little void where his hand had been which slowly closed back up. After waiting probably 10 minutes or so to see if my dynamic cervix would start funneling, she measured my cervix at about 2 cm without funneling. It is good news that my cervix did not start funneling during that time as the past two ultrasounds only took about that much time before the funneling began. Yay for no funneling this time!
Next, the technician performed the transabdominal ultrasound to check baby's weight and amniotic fluid levels. He was moving around quite a bit since she had woken him up. He is still head down and during the ultrasound, his spine and butt went upwards from there on my lefthand side. That position didn't last long as within an hour after the ultrasound his spine and butt was back to my righthand side which is his normal position. Anyway, she took various measurements to get his estimated fetal weight. Each measurement is taken several times to get an average:
- abdominal circumference (measuring around 32 weeks, she commented that he has a chubby little tummy),
- head circumference (measuring around 31.5 weeks, I said that his big head does not surprise me as Keira has one!), and
- femur length (measuring around 30 weeks).
This arrived at an estimated weight of 3 lbs. 7 oz. which is the 79th percentile and means he's measuring large for his gestational age (measuring more like 31 weeks). His amniotic fluid level measured at about 10.2 or so which is fine. She always has a hard time measuring the amniotic fluid on my left side because she says my stomach is very gassy. You think? I am pregnant. Isn't this a given?
Anyway, when I got back to my room after the ultrasound, I called Ryan to tell him the good news that baby boy is getting bigger and that my cervix is not getting shorter. We were both happy (and relieved) about both bits of news.
Now if I can just keep that fist out of my cervix, things would be fantastic!
Sunday, December 27, 2009
28w4d: Day 28 - 4 Weeks and a Merry Christmas!
I have now been in the hospital for four weeks and hopefully have another 7-1/2 weeks here.
My Christmas turned out better than I had hoped. Ryan and Keira visited me on Christmas Eve and brought Boston Market for dinner. After eating, Keira and I watched "Rudolph" and snuggled in bed a bit.
On Christmas day, I woke up at about 7 am to turn on my computer so that Ryan could Skype me when he and Keira were ready to look under the Christmas tree to see what Santa had brought. They woke me up a little before 8 am to a ring-a-ding call from Skype. I was able to watch Keira find all her presents under the tree and open those gifts that were wrapped. I'm so glad I didn't have to miss a Christmas morning! It took her about an hour to play with and open all her gifts. She was most excited by her new dollhouse and played with that for a good 15 minutes before she was willing to open any other gifts! At about 10:30 that morning, Ryan and Keira arrived at the hospital to visit me. I ate a snack while Keira ate her lunch on my bedside tray. Grandma Janet and Grandpa Gary showed up at about 11:30 after driving down from NJ that morning. They brought in some presents for us to unwrap so Keira unwrapped a couple for herself and helped me unwrap mine too. She's pretty good at this unwrapping stuff! They all stayed until about 1 pm, when Keira had started to get restless and it was time for her nap (she napped on the car ride home). Later that afternoon, Ryan Skyped me again and I spent the afternoon watching them open presents, hanging out in the family room, and eating dessert, all from the comfort of my hospital bed. It turned out to be a good day as I got to "spend" it with my family!
As for a pregnancy update, I started feeling more pregnant yesterday. My stomach is suddenly much heavier and I feel like I am now waddling a bit when I walk to and from the bathroom. I also experienced my first contractions yesterday which I was not excited about. I had one in the morning a little before noon after my shower. I was due for my next dose of terbutaline at noon and once I had my meds, I didn't feel anymore until about 5:15 pm and 6:00 pm when I had two more. Then I received my 6 pm dose of terb and they went away. Thankfully I haven't felt anymore since those two last night and hopefully it was just a fluke thing. I would like to go at least a few more weeks before contractions start up. I'll keep you posted!
Baby boy is moving up a storm now, often pushing his butt out on the righthand side of my stomach to the point of discomfort for his mommy! Hopefully in the next day or two I will get to see him via ultrasound and we will find out how big he is now.
Thanks to my visitors this week: Ellen (twice!), Leslie (thanks for subway, the cookies, and the cupcake), Andrea and Dana (thanks for cookies, Kit Kats, book, journal and Sudoku)! And of course, Ryan, Keira, Grandma Janet and Grandpa Gary!
Hopefully all will go well in the next week and I won't have any more contractions!
My Christmas turned out better than I had hoped. Ryan and Keira visited me on Christmas Eve and brought Boston Market for dinner. After eating, Keira and I watched "Rudolph" and snuggled in bed a bit.
On Christmas day, I woke up at about 7 am to turn on my computer so that Ryan could Skype me when he and Keira were ready to look under the Christmas tree to see what Santa had brought. They woke me up a little before 8 am to a ring-a-ding call from Skype. I was able to watch Keira find all her presents under the tree and open those gifts that were wrapped. I'm so glad I didn't have to miss a Christmas morning! It took her about an hour to play with and open all her gifts. She was most excited by her new dollhouse and played with that for a good 15 minutes before she was willing to open any other gifts! At about 10:30 that morning, Ryan and Keira arrived at the hospital to visit me. I ate a snack while Keira ate her lunch on my bedside tray. Grandma Janet and Grandpa Gary showed up at about 11:30 after driving down from NJ that morning. They brought in some presents for us to unwrap so Keira unwrapped a couple for herself and helped me unwrap mine too. She's pretty good at this unwrapping stuff! They all stayed until about 1 pm, when Keira had started to get restless and it was time for her nap (she napped on the car ride home). Later that afternoon, Ryan Skyped me again and I spent the afternoon watching them open presents, hanging out in the family room, and eating dessert, all from the comfort of my hospital bed. It turned out to be a good day as I got to "spend" it with my family!
As for a pregnancy update, I started feeling more pregnant yesterday. My stomach is suddenly much heavier and I feel like I am now waddling a bit when I walk to and from the bathroom. I also experienced my first contractions yesterday which I was not excited about. I had one in the morning a little before noon after my shower. I was due for my next dose of terbutaline at noon and once I had my meds, I didn't feel anymore until about 5:15 pm and 6:00 pm when I had two more. Then I received my 6 pm dose of terb and they went away. Thankfully I haven't felt anymore since those two last night and hopefully it was just a fluke thing. I would like to go at least a few more weeks before contractions start up. I'll keep you posted!
Baby boy is moving up a storm now, often pushing his butt out on the righthand side of my stomach to the point of discomfort for his mommy! Hopefully in the next day or two I will get to see him via ultrasound and we will find out how big he is now.
Thanks to my visitors this week: Ellen (twice!), Leslie (thanks for subway, the cookies, and the cupcake), Andrea and Dana (thanks for cookies, Kit Kats, book, journal and Sudoku)! And of course, Ryan, Keira, Grandma Janet and Grandpa Gary!
Hopefully all will go well in the next week and I won't have any more contractions!
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
28w0d: Day 24 - 28 weeks!!
I'm 28 weeks along today! Less than two months until baby is allowed to come out. (8 weeks or 56 days)
Being 28 weeks along means that I get daily Non-Stress Tests ("NST") every morning. So baby and I had our first one this morning and he did very well! NSTs involve putting me on the uterine monitor to monitor me for contractions and the fetal heartrate monitor to monitor that the baby's heartrate is accelerating and decelerating a certain amount of bpm over a period of time. If baby cooperates and I'm not contracting, then the NST can be as short as 20-30 minutes, but usually last a good 30-45 minutes at least. This mornings NST lasted almost an hour becuase it was hard to determine what baby's baseline heartrate as he was all over the place. His heartrate definitely varied a lot during the NST but the nurse was finally able to find a baseline and given that baseline, he did great with his accelerations and decelerations. He is very active when the fetal heartrate monitor is on and tries to kick at it all the time and is quite successful at finding it! It's pretty funny how you'll hear his heartbeat and then these "bam, bam, bam" sounds as he kicks and my belly moves.
My next ultrasound will be next week so we will see then how my cervix is doing and I'm guessing they might do another estimated fetal weight measurement to see how baby boy is developing. Our condition is still stable so hopefully my cervical length measurement will be too!
Grandma Janet took the train home to spend Christmas eve with Grandpa and her family so Ryan is playing "single dad" for now. Grandma and Grandpa will drive down on Christmas Day to spend a few days with Ryan and Keira, until they drive back up to NJ on Monday to then fly out to visit Kelly, Adrian, and Baby Andrew for about 5 days.
On Christmas Eve, Ryan and Keira will be visiting me that evening and we plan to watch "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer", read "The Night Before Christmas", and hopefully eat dinner from Boston Market if they are open!
On Christmas Day, Ryan and Keira will open presents from Santa that morning with me tuning in via Skype, then they will come to visit me from 10:30 am until about 1:30 pm. We get some extended hours here due to the holiday.
I hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas!
Being 28 weeks along means that I get daily Non-Stress Tests ("NST") every morning. So baby and I had our first one this morning and he did very well! NSTs involve putting me on the uterine monitor to monitor me for contractions and the fetal heartrate monitor to monitor that the baby's heartrate is accelerating and decelerating a certain amount of bpm over a period of time. If baby cooperates and I'm not contracting, then the NST can be as short as 20-30 minutes, but usually last a good 30-45 minutes at least. This mornings NST lasted almost an hour becuase it was hard to determine what baby's baseline heartrate as he was all over the place. His heartrate definitely varied a lot during the NST but the nurse was finally able to find a baseline and given that baseline, he did great with his accelerations and decelerations. He is very active when the fetal heartrate monitor is on and tries to kick at it all the time and is quite successful at finding it! It's pretty funny how you'll hear his heartbeat and then these "bam, bam, bam" sounds as he kicks and my belly moves.
My next ultrasound will be next week so we will see then how my cervix is doing and I'm guessing they might do another estimated fetal weight measurement to see how baby boy is developing. Our condition is still stable so hopefully my cervical length measurement will be too!
Grandma Janet took the train home to spend Christmas eve with Grandpa and her family so Ryan is playing "single dad" for now. Grandma and Grandpa will drive down on Christmas Day to spend a few days with Ryan and Keira, until they drive back up to NJ on Monday to then fly out to visit Kelly, Adrian, and Baby Andrew for about 5 days.
On Christmas Eve, Ryan and Keira will be visiting me that evening and we plan to watch "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer", read "The Night Before Christmas", and hopefully eat dinner from Boston Market if they are open!
On Christmas Day, Ryan and Keira will open presents from Santa that morning with me tuning in via Skype, then they will come to visit me from 10:30 am until about 1:30 pm. We get some extended hours here due to the holiday.
I hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas!
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
27w6d: Day 23 - Snuggling with Keira!
Today, Ryan and Keira visited me in my new room! Ryan made the mistake of telling Keira early in the morning that they were going to visit me. She kept asking about seeing Mommy all morning. When they got in the car to take Grandma to the metro station to catch the train to NJ and then come to see me, she chanted "See Mommy" for the entire car ride. Too funny!
Because I now have a private room, she was able to visit me in my room rather than me having to be wheelchaired down the hall to a visiting room. This meant that we got to spend the entire two-hour visiting period together. It was great!
As soon as she walked in the room, Ryan took her coat off and she hopped in the bed with me and give me lots of hugs. She was happy to see her Mommy! Ryan got to sit in the recliner that is in my room while Keira and I snuggled in bed, we ate snacks, she ate her lunch, she played with the buttons that move my bed up and down, and we watched a musical kids show on my swiveling TV.
After helping Mommy eat her snack of cheese cubes and Saltine crackers, Keira wanted more food (of course). She pointed to a silver gift bag that was on my bedside tray table and demanded "Me see food in the bag!" That was her first sentence larger than three words in length! It did not surprise Ryan or me that this milestone involved food. I let her look through the bag and she was unhappy to find that there was not any food in there.
When it was time for them to leave, Keira gave me hugs and kisses then waved to me and said "Bye, Mommy!" from the doorway as they made their way down the hall. She has really adjusted well to me being here and does not show any trepidation about leaving me or about Ryan leaving her with me here (while she was eating lunch, he went downstairs to get his own lunch from the cafeteria). That makes it so much easier on me!
Because I now have a private room, she was able to visit me in my room rather than me having to be wheelchaired down the hall to a visiting room. This meant that we got to spend the entire two-hour visiting period together. It was great!
As soon as she walked in the room, Ryan took her coat off and she hopped in the bed with me and give me lots of hugs. She was happy to see her Mommy! Ryan got to sit in the recliner that is in my room while Keira and I snuggled in bed, we ate snacks, she ate her lunch, she played with the buttons that move my bed up and down, and we watched a musical kids show on my swiveling TV.
Sunday, December 20, 2009
27w4d: Day 21 - 3 Weeks and a Private Room
Merry Christmas to me!! Saturday morning I was moved to a private room! This should be my home for the next 8-1/2 weeks. It's hard to believe that I have already been here three weeks. Wow!
Visiting hours are still 11a-1p and 6p-8p and I can have up to 3 visitors at a time now (up from 2). Let me know if you'd like to visit and I'll pencil you in :)
Baby is still doing well and I am still not contracting. I should be getting another ultrasound sometime after Christmas and before New Years.
Yesterday I enjoyed the view of the snowfall from my new room, but would much rather have enjoyed hugs from Keira! I have a view of the road the hospital is on and the Blue entrance to the hospital. I was afraid that my new view might be of a brick courtyard so this is a plus. Another plus is that Keira will now be able to visit me in my room so I will be able to see her for longer than the hour or so I was lasting before getting tired and sore from sitting upright in the visiting room.
This weekend has been too quiet with all my scheduled visitors stuck at home due to the snow. And then disaster struck again today and FOX channel was blank all day so I didn't get to watch the FOX Pregame show or the 1 pm football game. Instead I read a book, napped, and talked with my mom.
The food here has officially gotten old. They have the same menu every week, so I have now eaten the same meals three weeks in a row. I guess I won't be gaining too much weight because I just eat for the sake of getting food in my body and take no pleasure in it at all. I'd have to say that breakfast is the best meal of the day because I have more options to choose from in the way of hot and cold cereals, bakery items, and grill items.
Thanks this week to my visitors: Leslie, Mindy, and Christy (well, she never made it here but she tried to get here Friday for 1-1/2 hours and never made it two miles)! Ryan visited me three times this week (Tues, Thurs, and Fri), but he and Keira were unable to make it here this weekend due to the snowstorm. Our road was plowed tonight so he should be making it out to seem me tomorrow night and he'll bring Keira by on Tuesday after dropping Grandma Janet off at the metro station so she can catch a train home for a few days before returning with Grandpa on Christmas Day.
Visiting hours are still 11a-1p and 6p-8p and I can have up to 3 visitors at a time now (up from 2). Let me know if you'd like to visit and I'll pencil you in :)
Baby is still doing well and I am still not contracting. I should be getting another ultrasound sometime after Christmas and before New Years.
Yesterday I enjoyed the view of the snowfall from my new room, but would much rather have enjoyed hugs from Keira! I have a view of the road the hospital is on and the Blue entrance to the hospital. I was afraid that my new view might be of a brick courtyard so this is a plus. Another plus is that Keira will now be able to visit me in my room so I will be able to see her for longer than the hour or so I was lasting before getting tired and sore from sitting upright in the visiting room.
This weekend has been too quiet with all my scheduled visitors stuck at home due to the snow. And then disaster struck again today and FOX channel was blank all day so I didn't get to watch the FOX Pregame show or the 1 pm football game. Instead I read a book, napped, and talked with my mom.
The food here has officially gotten old. They have the same menu every week, so I have now eaten the same meals three weeks in a row. I guess I won't be gaining too much weight because I just eat for the sake of getting food in my body and take no pleasure in it at all. I'd have to say that breakfast is the best meal of the day because I have more options to choose from in the way of hot and cold cereals, bakery items, and grill items.
Thanks this week to my visitors: Leslie, Mindy, and Christy (well, she never made it here but she tried to get here Friday for 1-1/2 hours and never made it two miles)! Ryan visited me three times this week (Tues, Thurs, and Fri), but he and Keira were unable to make it here this weekend due to the snowstorm. Our road was plowed tonight so he should be making it out to seem me tomorrow night and he'll bring Keira by on Tuesday after dropping Grandma Janet off at the metro station so she can catch a train home for a few days before returning with Grandpa on Christmas Day.
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
27w0d: Day 17 - 27 weeks!!
I'm 27 weeks along today! Two more months until baby is allowed to come out. (translates to 9 weeks or 63 days)
Disaster struck the hospital early this week
TLC channel was down for 48 hours! Oh my goodness!! Thankfully it was back up today. What would I do without Cake Boss and Say Yes to the Dress for the long-term? I don't even want to think about it!
The battle of the meals continues
On Monday, a resident came in to inform me that she had spoke with my primary OB and they were going to do blood sugar testing on me for one week to make sure my "diabetic" diet was working. I told her I'm not on a diabetic diet, but on a no concentrated sweets diet. Blood sugar testing is done four times daily by sticking your finger and getting a couple of drops of blood that are put through a glucometer. Testing is done before breakfast, two hours post-breakfast, two hours post-lunch, and two hours post-dinner.
I got my fingers pricked two times on Monday and stewed over night until I got to talk to my resident and my secondary OB Tuesday morning. I made it clear that I did not understand why I needed to have the blood sugar testing and that it made more sense to me to be on a regular diet and do the blood sugar testing than the modified diet and testing (since then I might be stuck with it for the next 9 weeks, but if I was good on a regular diet, then I'd get to have snacks like pudding and syrup without the sugar Nazi's removing it from my tray). My resident was straight with me and said he agreed with me, but unfortunately he had to follow the attending OB's recommendations. When my secondary OB came in, she agreed that she didn't think it was necessary, but since my primary OB had okayed the testing that she couldn't change that order, but she agreed to put me on a regular diet and I could monitor my concentrated sugar intake on my own. She warned me that if my blood sugar levels were high, then my diet would need to be modified me and I would likely have another week of testing. I agreed that I was okay with that.
So far so good! I've only had one high blood sugar level which was yesterday morning, but I know what I ate (jelly on a buttermilk bisquit) that elevated my blood sugar. I've done great otherwise. The nutritionist came in today to discuss what types of food I should avoid. She too didn't think that I needed to be having my blood sugar tested and that just watching my concentrated sugar intake would be sufficient. So it's nice to know that I have three medical people agreeing that the blood testing is ridiculous. Today my secondary OB again rounded on me and said not to worry about the one high value yesterday morning. I'm just making sure I eat any higher sugars throughout the day rather than all at one meal. At lunch today, I got to eat some banana pudding and it wasy yummy! It's the little things in life, right?
I miss breathing fresh air!
This morning, I was reading a pregnancy message board for other ladies due in March 2010 and someone posted a thread entitled "I miss being skinny..." and then went on to say how she doesn't like being big due to the pregnancy and blah blah blah [insert other superficial complaints here]. I was very tempted to respond with "I miss breathing fresh air! Stop your whining, there are worse things than not being skinny", but I refrained from posting. Very good restraint, Lanette! [patting self on back]
Disaster struck the hospital early this week
TLC channel was down for 48 hours! Oh my goodness!! Thankfully it was back up today. What would I do without Cake Boss and Say Yes to the Dress for the long-term? I don't even want to think about it!
The battle of the meals continues
On Monday, a resident came in to inform me that she had spoke with my primary OB and they were going to do blood sugar testing on me for one week to make sure my "diabetic" diet was working. I told her I'm not on a diabetic diet, but on a no concentrated sweets diet. Blood sugar testing is done four times daily by sticking your finger and getting a couple of drops of blood that are put through a glucometer. Testing is done before breakfast, two hours post-breakfast, two hours post-lunch, and two hours post-dinner.
I got my fingers pricked two times on Monday and stewed over night until I got to talk to my resident and my secondary OB Tuesday morning. I made it clear that I did not understand why I needed to have the blood sugar testing and that it made more sense to me to be on a regular diet and do the blood sugar testing than the modified diet and testing (since then I might be stuck with it for the next 9 weeks, but if I was good on a regular diet, then I'd get to have snacks like pudding and syrup without the sugar Nazi's removing it from my tray). My resident was straight with me and said he agreed with me, but unfortunately he had to follow the attending OB's recommendations. When my secondary OB came in, she agreed that she didn't think it was necessary, but since my primary OB had okayed the testing that she couldn't change that order, but she agreed to put me on a regular diet and I could monitor my concentrated sugar intake on my own. She warned me that if my blood sugar levels were high, then my diet would need to be modified me and I would likely have another week of testing. I agreed that I was okay with that.
So far so good! I've only had one high blood sugar level which was yesterday morning, but I know what I ate (jelly on a buttermilk bisquit) that elevated my blood sugar. I've done great otherwise. The nutritionist came in today to discuss what types of food I should avoid. She too didn't think that I needed to be having my blood sugar tested and that just watching my concentrated sugar intake would be sufficient. So it's nice to know that I have three medical people agreeing that the blood testing is ridiculous. Today my secondary OB again rounded on me and said not to worry about the one high value yesterday morning. I'm just making sure I eat any higher sugars throughout the day rather than all at one meal. At lunch today, I got to eat some banana pudding and it wasy yummy! It's the little things in life, right?
I miss breathing fresh air!
This morning, I was reading a pregnancy message board for other ladies due in March 2010 and someone posted a thread entitled "I miss being skinny..." and then went on to say how she doesn't like being big due to the pregnancy and blah blah blah [insert other superficial complaints here]. I was very tempted to respond with "I miss breathing fresh air! Stop your whining, there are worse things than not being skinny", but I refrained from posting. Very good restraint, Lanette! [patting self on back]
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Keira visits Mommy in the hospital!
This weekend, Ryan and Keira came to visit me in the hospital. I had Ryan bring the camera so we could get some pictures of the visit as well as some pictures of me with my ever-growing pregnant belly (26 weeks 4 days along here).
Keira loves playing games on my iPhone (Toddler Teasers-Shapes and Baby Flashcards are both free!).
Keira loves playing games on my iPhone (Toddler Teasers-Shapes and Baby Flashcards are both free!).
Keira joined Mommy in the wheelchair for a ride back to my room.
26w4d: Day 14 - Another week down
So I have been in the hospital for two weeks now! I just asked my nurse where I am in the queue for a private room and it looks like I am third on the list. So sometime this week, I "should" be getting a private room. I know of two women who are vacating private rooms this week (one is my first roommate and the second is another patient of my doctor) so I just need one other woman to be discharged or deliver and I should get a new room by Thursday. It will be nice to get into a private room as then Keira can visit me in room and I can settle in for the long haul.
As for our medical status, baby and me are still doing well. Baby is moving around a lot. I think I felt a foot pushing out above my belly button this morning. I pushed back at it and the hard bulge on my abdomen disappeared. Such a weird feeling! He's still hiccuping at least once per day, if not more. I'm still not having any contractions and haven't had any other changes. The cold virus is going away more and more each day. I still have some loose congestion that hasn't left yet, but my voice is almost back to normal.
On Thursday, my doctor changed my diet to "no concentrated sweets" and ordered a fasting blood sugar test once per week due to the one abnormal reading on the 3-hour Glucose Tolerance Test. I'll also continue to take Metformin until delivery instead of discontinuing it between 26 and 28 weeks like my doctor originally hoped to do. "No concentrated sweets" means I'm not allowed to have ice cream, juices, syrup, cherry tarts and other sugary desserts on the menu here (darn! they are really good). The first morning that my new diet was put into effect, I started crying as the woman who delivers breakfast took half of my meal off my plate. It has gotten better because they are no longer taking so much away.
Also on Thursday, a physical therapist visited me to teach me some exercises that I can do while on bedrest. There are several arm and neck strengthening exercises and only a few leg exercises I can do so I have been trying to do each of them two to three times per day. My doctor also ordered a "SCD" for me and wants me to use it for part of each day. This device is one that has cuffs that velcro around your calves and air is pumped into each cuff (sort of like a blood pressure cuff but doesn't get so tight). The device sort of feels like it is massaging your calves. This is supposed to help prevent blood clots. I've been using this device about six hours per day and plan to continue to do so.
Good news on the visitor front! I got word yesterday that Keira can now visit three times per week and I can have as many as three visitors at a time (up from two) in my room during visiting hours. For now, I still have to visit Keira in the day room down the hall, but once I get a private room, she will be able to visit me there. The problem with her not being able to come into my room is that I have to leave my bed to go sit upright on a somewhat uncomfortable chair for about an hour or until I get tired (which is before or at an hour).
Thanks to Arria (and Leslie for transporting her) and Andrea for visiting me this past week (and bringing sugary contraband)! Ryan is only able to visit every other day as he also needs to spend time with Keira so it was great to have some friends visit to break up my time here. And thanks to Marcie for dropping off magazines on Saturday and to Dana for the mini bag of Kit Kats that Arria brought me!
As for our medical status, baby and me are still doing well. Baby is moving around a lot. I think I felt a foot pushing out above my belly button this morning. I pushed back at it and the hard bulge on my abdomen disappeared. Such a weird feeling! He's still hiccuping at least once per day, if not more. I'm still not having any contractions and haven't had any other changes. The cold virus is going away more and more each day. I still have some loose congestion that hasn't left yet, but my voice is almost back to normal.
On Thursday, my doctor changed my diet to "no concentrated sweets" and ordered a fasting blood sugar test once per week due to the one abnormal reading on the 3-hour Glucose Tolerance Test. I'll also continue to take Metformin until delivery instead of discontinuing it between 26 and 28 weeks like my doctor originally hoped to do. "No concentrated sweets" means I'm not allowed to have ice cream, juices, syrup, cherry tarts and other sugary desserts on the menu here (darn! they are really good). The first morning that my new diet was put into effect, I started crying as the woman who delivers breakfast took half of my meal off my plate. It has gotten better because they are no longer taking so much away.
Also on Thursday, a physical therapist visited me to teach me some exercises that I can do while on bedrest. There are several arm and neck strengthening exercises and only a few leg exercises I can do so I have been trying to do each of them two to three times per day. My doctor also ordered a "SCD" for me and wants me to use it for part of each day. This device is one that has cuffs that velcro around your calves and air is pumped into each cuff (sort of like a blood pressure cuff but doesn't get so tight). The device sort of feels like it is massaging your calves. This is supposed to help prevent blood clots. I've been using this device about six hours per day and plan to continue to do so.
Good news on the visitor front! I got word yesterday that Keira can now visit three times per week and I can have as many as three visitors at a time (up from two) in my room during visiting hours. For now, I still have to visit Keira in the day room down the hall, but once I get a private room, she will be able to visit me there. The problem with her not being able to come into my room is that I have to leave my bed to go sit upright on a somewhat uncomfortable chair for about an hour or until I get tired (which is before or at an hour).
Thanks to Arria (and Leslie for transporting her) and Andrea for visiting me this past week (and bringing sugary contraband)! Ryan is only able to visit every other day as he also needs to spend time with Keira so it was great to have some friends visit to break up my time here. And thanks to Marcie for dropping off magazines on Saturday and to Dana for the mini bag of Kit Kats that Arria brought me!
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
26w0d: Day 10 - 26 weeks!!
I am 26 weeks today! One more week until I enter the third trimester, and only two more weeks until the survival rate of premature babies increases drastically. Two short term goals are 28 weeks and 32 weeks. My goal is 36 weeks, which is Feb. 17th and 70 days away. My due date of March 17th is 98 days from now.
This morning I got the pleasure of taking the 3-hour Glucose Tolerance Test. I couldn't eat or drink anything after 10 pm last night and the test was from 7:30 to 10:30 this morning (blood draw at 7:30, drink 100ml of the orange syrupy mixture, followed by blood draws at 8:30, 9:30 and 10:30). I was pretty much starving by the time the last blood draw was taken. I found out this afternoon that I had one abnormal blood sugar reading which was the one taken after 1 hour. To be diagnosed with Gestational Diabetes, I would have had to have two abnormal readings. However, since I had one abnormal reading, my doctor may still want to change up my diet or do some blood sugar testing for a littlle bit. I will find out tomorrow when I see her again as to what will happen going forward.
Yesterday, I had an iron supplement added to the list of pills that I am taking. I had this prescribed last pregnancy as well after blood work came back showing that my red blood cell count was lower than normal. This is a normal thing in pregnancy as the baby usually uses up your iron stores during the first two trimesters so oftentimes iron supplements are needed during the third trimester.
With the blood draws first thing this morning and the 17P progesterone shot later this morning, I had what was hopefully my week's worth of needle pricks: 5 for the blood draws (the first phlebotomist took two takes to get the first blood draw, thankfully the guy taking the next three draws did a better job!) and 1 for the shot.
This morning I got the pleasure of taking the 3-hour Glucose Tolerance Test. I couldn't eat or drink anything after 10 pm last night and the test was from 7:30 to 10:30 this morning (blood draw at 7:30, drink 100ml of the orange syrupy mixture, followed by blood draws at 8:30, 9:30 and 10:30). I was pretty much starving by the time the last blood draw was taken. I found out this afternoon that I had one abnormal blood sugar reading which was the one taken after 1 hour. To be diagnosed with Gestational Diabetes, I would have had to have two abnormal readings. However, since I had one abnormal reading, my doctor may still want to change up my diet or do some blood sugar testing for a littlle bit. I will find out tomorrow when I see her again as to what will happen going forward.
Yesterday, I had an iron supplement added to the list of pills that I am taking. I had this prescribed last pregnancy as well after blood work came back showing that my red blood cell count was lower than normal. This is a normal thing in pregnancy as the baby usually uses up your iron stores during the first two trimesters so oftentimes iron supplements are needed during the third trimester.
With the blood draws first thing this morning and the 17P progesterone shot later this morning, I had what was hopefully my week's worth of needle pricks: 5 for the blood draws (the first phlebotomist took two takes to get the first blood draw, thankfully the guy taking the next three draws did a better job!) and 1 for the shot.
Monday, December 7, 2009
25w5d: Day 8 - Busy, busy day
I think all the excitement for this week probably happened today!
First off, I awoke this morning at 6 am to drink a wonderful syrupy orange mixture for my 1-hour glucose challenge test. After an hour of light sleep, I was re-awoken by the phlebotomist who was here to take four vials of blood from me. What a way to wake up! The glucose challenge test determines whether you need to take the 3-hour glucose tolerance test. Both tests together determine whether a pregnant woman has Gestational Diabetes. My test results were back before 10:30 am: I failed the test by just 2 points! Ugh! So I get to take the 3-hour glucose tolerance test sometime later this week. No fun! That will involve drinking twice as much of the orange syrupy mixture and getting blood drawn four separate times. Yuck! Hopefully I will pass since I was so borderline on this morning's test.
Next, around 12:00 pm, the head nurse came in to tell my roommate that a private room had opened up for her. So once she moved to her new room, I was moved over to the bed nearest the window. I now have a very large window on one side of my bed and a curtain on the other, rather than a curtain on each side. And the view from the room is not of a building! I can actually see trees, Gallows Road, and the sky! Oh, and my new bed is also closer to the bathroom. Two perks of this bed!
Lastly, at about 3:30 pm this afternoon, the ultrasound tech showed up at the end of my bed ready to take me for an ultrasound. I knew that I would be getting an ultrasound sometime this week, but I had not been told it was this afternoon. So I got to leave my room for a quick wheelchair ride down the hall to the ultrasound room. First, she performed the transvaginal ultrasound to check the length of my cervix. Good news is that it was not shorter; in fact, it measured at 2.0 cm with funneling which is slightly longer than last Monday's measurement of 1.3 cm with funneling.
Next, she performed the transabdominal ultrasound to estimate the baby's weight. He is estimated to weigh 2 lbs. 2 oz. which is big for his gestational age (his weight was somewhere in the 27-week range). His head circumference is measuring in the 28 week range which does not surprise me since Keira has a big head when compared to her peers. His amniotic fluid levels were good at around 12.5. His head is still right there on my cervix and he was a little acrobat today. The ultrasound tech printed a picture for me of him with his foot up to his forehead and his hand holding his leg up. He pretty much had himself folded in half. This seems to be a favorite position for him as he did something similar at the 20 or 22 week ultrasound. I, personally, do not see how this could be comfortable!
The only thing left to happen this week now is the 3-hour glucose test, and possibly moving in to a private room. I'm not holding my breath for that last one! The unit has been very, very busy and the women seem to be holding out pretty well and either not delivering or not being discharged.
Instead, I think I will look forward to seeing Keira this weekend and my cold going away sometime very soon! (My doctor ordered me a dose of Sudafed daily and it really helped this afternoon). Hopefully I won't feel too horrible tomorrow morning.
First off, I awoke this morning at 6 am to drink a wonderful syrupy orange mixture for my 1-hour glucose challenge test. After an hour of light sleep, I was re-awoken by the phlebotomist who was here to take four vials of blood from me. What a way to wake up! The glucose challenge test determines whether you need to take the 3-hour glucose tolerance test. Both tests together determine whether a pregnant woman has Gestational Diabetes. My test results were back before 10:30 am: I failed the test by just 2 points! Ugh! So I get to take the 3-hour glucose tolerance test sometime later this week. No fun! That will involve drinking twice as much of the orange syrupy mixture and getting blood drawn four separate times. Yuck! Hopefully I will pass since I was so borderline on this morning's test.
Next, around 12:00 pm, the head nurse came in to tell my roommate that a private room had opened up for her. So once she moved to her new room, I was moved over to the bed nearest the window. I now have a very large window on one side of my bed and a curtain on the other, rather than a curtain on each side. And the view from the room is not of a building! I can actually see trees, Gallows Road, and the sky! Oh, and my new bed is also closer to the bathroom. Two perks of this bed!
Lastly, at about 3:30 pm this afternoon, the ultrasound tech showed up at the end of my bed ready to take me for an ultrasound. I knew that I would be getting an ultrasound sometime this week, but I had not been told it was this afternoon. So I got to leave my room for a quick wheelchair ride down the hall to the ultrasound room. First, she performed the transvaginal ultrasound to check the length of my cervix. Good news is that it was not shorter; in fact, it measured at 2.0 cm with funneling which is slightly longer than last Monday's measurement of 1.3 cm with funneling.
Next, she performed the transabdominal ultrasound to estimate the baby's weight. He is estimated to weigh 2 lbs. 2 oz. which is big for his gestational age (his weight was somewhere in the 27-week range). His head circumference is measuring in the 28 week range which does not surprise me since Keira has a big head when compared to her peers. His amniotic fluid levels were good at around 12.5. His head is still right there on my cervix and he was a little acrobat today. The ultrasound tech printed a picture for me of him with his foot up to his forehead and his hand holding his leg up. He pretty much had himself folded in half. This seems to be a favorite position for him as he did something similar at the 20 or 22 week ultrasound. I, personally, do not see how this could be comfortable!
The only thing left to happen this week now is the 3-hour glucose test, and possibly moving in to a private room. I'm not holding my breath for that last one! The unit has been very, very busy and the women seem to be holding out pretty well and either not delivering or not being discharged.
Instead, I think I will look forward to seeing Keira this weekend and my cold going away sometime very soon! (My doctor ordered me a dose of Sudafed daily and it really helped this afternoon). Hopefully I won't feel too horrible tomorrow morning.
Sunday, December 6, 2009
25w4d: Day 7 - 1st Weekend Down
This weekend wasn't so bad and passed pretty quickly despite not having regular TV programming! Baby boy is still doing well and I am still not contracting.
Highlight: Ryan brought Keira for her weekly visit on Saturday. I got to leave my room for the first time since I entered it on Monday and had a wheelchair ride down to the Day Room where they have parent-child visits. We spent about 40 minutes visiting and I got lots of hugs from Keira. She was as cute as ever! It was hard to say goodbye but I was feeling kind of tired since I am not used to sitting up for very long, especially when it's not in a hospital bed.
Lowlight: I have been coming down with Keira's cold virus all week and the worst of it hit overnight Friday into Saturday. My voice is so hoarse it sometimes hurts to talk and I have to repeat myself often. I've got sinus congestion and begin to cough when my throat gets dry. This morning, my right ear began to ache a little bit so I'm hoping that it is not the beginning of an ear infection. I got to have some generic Robitussin both yesterday afternoon and this afternoon. Wow! It tastes way worse than the name brand stuff! Probably because it is sugar-free and alcohol-free.
Other: Tonight I got to give my weekly urine sample and weight check. I gained 3 lbs. this week, which is probably a good thing because I lost like 5 lbs. the week before with my 30-hour hospitalization and the 4 days of home bedrest. When I was admiited last Monday, I was up 2.9 lbs from my pre-pregnancy weight and now I am up 6 lbs. Yes, I have been eating some food!
Coming up this week: my 1-hour glucose screening for Gestational Diabetes begins at 6 am tomorrow morning (hopefully I'll pass wih flying colors!); another ultrasound at some point in the early half of the week, I suspect; and my roommate will likely be moving to a private room tomorrow at some point, so I will move to the bed by the window (can we say, natural light!).
Highlight: Ryan brought Keira for her weekly visit on Saturday. I got to leave my room for the first time since I entered it on Monday and had a wheelchair ride down to the Day Room where they have parent-child visits. We spent about 40 minutes visiting and I got lots of hugs from Keira. She was as cute as ever! It was hard to say goodbye but I was feeling kind of tired since I am not used to sitting up for very long, especially when it's not in a hospital bed.
Lowlight: I have been coming down with Keira's cold virus all week and the worst of it hit overnight Friday into Saturday. My voice is so hoarse it sometimes hurts to talk and I have to repeat myself often. I've got sinus congestion and begin to cough when my throat gets dry. This morning, my right ear began to ache a little bit so I'm hoping that it is not the beginning of an ear infection. I got to have some generic Robitussin both yesterday afternoon and this afternoon. Wow! It tastes way worse than the name brand stuff! Probably because it is sugar-free and alcohol-free.
Other: Tonight I got to give my weekly urine sample and weight check. I gained 3 lbs. this week, which is probably a good thing because I lost like 5 lbs. the week before with my 30-hour hospitalization and the 4 days of home bedrest. When I was admiited last Monday, I was up 2.9 lbs from my pre-pregnancy weight and now I am up 6 lbs. Yes, I have been eating some food!
Coming up this week: my 1-hour glucose screening for Gestational Diabetes begins at 6 am tomorrow morning (hopefully I'll pass wih flying colors!); another ultrasound at some point in the early half of the week, I suspect; and my roommate will likely be moving to a private room tomorrow at some point, so I will move to the bed by the window (can we say, natural light!).
Thursday, December 3, 2009
25w1d: Day 4 - Hiccups, hurray!
Today I felt the baby's hiccups for the first time! Actually, I felt him have the hiccups three times throughout the day. He's just like his big sister, Keira.
Keira had the hiccups in utero at least every day, if not more than once. It is such an interesting feeling and one that I missed feeling once Keira was born. Becaause I felt her hiccups down so low in my pelvis, I knew she was head down several weeks before it was confirmed via ultrasound. Again, I am feeling the hiccups down low in my pelvis as he has been head down for at least the past 5 weeks. In fact, his head is right down on top of my ever shortening cervix. Oh, joy!
As for other news, no news is good news:
- It looks like I should be getting another ultrasound next week to check my cervix length.
- I asked my doctor if I could get the okay to see Keira so I will probably find out tomorrow if that has been approved or not. It has to be approved by the doctor because I have to be wheeled to another room to see her as she is not allowed in my semi-private room.
- My roommate will be getting a private room by Monday at the latest, which means I will be moving into the bed by the window once she leaves. Not that I want her to leave as we have been getting along great! We even watch alot of the same TV shows so it has been fun to discuss them while watching.
- Early next week will also bring my 1-hour glucose test.
Keira had the hiccups in utero at least every day, if not more than once. It is such an interesting feeling and one that I missed feeling once Keira was born. Becaause I felt her hiccups down so low in my pelvis, I knew she was head down several weeks before it was confirmed via ultrasound. Again, I am feeling the hiccups down low in my pelvis as he has been head down for at least the past 5 weeks. In fact, his head is right down on top of my ever shortening cervix. Oh, joy!
As for other news, no news is good news:
- It looks like I should be getting another ultrasound next week to check my cervix length.
- I asked my doctor if I could get the okay to see Keira so I will probably find out tomorrow if that has been approved or not. It has to be approved by the doctor because I have to be wheeled to another room to see her as she is not allowed in my semi-private room.
- My roommate will be getting a private room by Monday at the latest, which means I will be moving into the bed by the window once she leaves. Not that I want her to leave as we have been getting along great! We even watch alot of the same TV shows so it has been fun to discuss them while watching.
- Early next week will also bring my 1-hour glucose test.
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
25w0d: Day 3 - 25 weeks!
Another week down! Today I am 25 weeks along.
According to my weekly pregnancy e-mail newsletter, the average 25-week baby in utero measures 13-1/2 inches long and weighs about 1-1/2 pounds, not much more than an average-sized rutabaga.
Given that information, it is easy to see why it is so important for baby to keep growing inside. Just 11 more weeks and he can come whenever he wants.
My OB would really like to see me make it to 32 weeks as that is when the number of likely complications decreases dramatically.
According to my weekly pregnancy e-mail newsletter, the average 25-week baby in utero measures 13-1/2 inches long and weighs about 1-1/2 pounds, not much more than an average-sized rutabaga.
Given that information, it is easy to see why it is so important for baby to keep growing inside. Just 11 more weeks and he can come whenever he wants.
My OB would really like to see me make it to 32 weeks as that is when the number of likely complications decreases dramatically.
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
24w6d: Day 2 - Settling in
Today I settled into the routine here in the hospital.
I didn't sleep well last night, in fact only slept from about midnight to 3:30 am. Then I maybe dozed a little after 6 am. Tonight I took a sleeping pill to help get some more sleep. I will probably need that for at least the first week until I get used to sleeping here
The rest of the day was spent eating (8 am breakfast, 12 pm lunch, 5:30 dinner, 9 pm snack), reading, surfing the Net, emailing, chatting with my roommate, playing games on my iPhone, watching TV, talking to friends and family, and, the highlight of my day, Skyping with Keira, Ryan and Grandma Janet for about 40 minutes.
Skype has to be my new best friend (move over Tivo and Bose)! It was wonderful to be able to talk to and see Keira. I miss her so much! If I didn't have her, this situation would be SO much easier to bear. I think Skype will help make this separation a little easier. I won't be able to see her very often in person, but just interacting with her via the computer screen helped to cure a little of the homesickness I was feeling today. Tomorrow I will be 25 weeks along! One week further in the pregnancy at a point when every week and every day counts.
Sent from my iPhone
I didn't sleep well last night, in fact only slept from about midnight to 3:30 am. Then I maybe dozed a little after 6 am. Tonight I took a sleeping pill to help get some more sleep. I will probably need that for at least the first week until I get used to sleeping here
The rest of the day was spent eating (8 am breakfast, 12 pm lunch, 5:30 dinner, 9 pm snack), reading, surfing the Net, emailing, chatting with my roommate, playing games on my iPhone, watching TV, talking to friends and family, and, the highlight of my day, Skyping with Keira, Ryan and Grandma Janet for about 40 minutes.
Skype has to be my new best friend (move over Tivo and Bose)! It was wonderful to be able to talk to and see Keira. I miss her so much! If I didn't have her, this situation would be SO much easier to bear. I think Skype will help make this separation a little easier. I won't be able to see her very often in person, but just interacting with her via the computer screen helped to cure a little of the homesickness I was feeling today. Tomorrow I will be 25 weeks along! One week further in the pregnancy at a point when every week and every day counts.
Sent from my iPhone
Monday, November 30, 2009
24w5d: Day 1 - The hospital life for me
Do you want the good news or the bad news first?
Good news is that I am no longer on bedrest at home. Bad news is that I am now on bedrest in the hospital.
I had an ultrasound this morning to check how my cervix is looking. Unfortunately, It had gotten shorter since Tuesday (today it was 1.3 cm with funneling, down from 2.1 cm with funneling on Tues).
Good news is that I am no longer on bedrest at home. Bad news is that I am now on bedrest in the hospital.
I had an ultrasound this morning to check how my cervix is looking. Unfortunately, It had gotten shorter since Tuesday (today it was 1.3 cm with funneling, down from 2.1 cm with funneling on Tues).
Well, with a cervix length of 1.3 cm at 24 weeks 5 days, the recommendation is that I be hospitalized for the duration. The baby is doing fine, but they want me in the hospital so that baby and I can be monitored daily and so nothing is missed if I start contracting or my cervix shortens further. I have been re-admitted to the hospital and will be here likely until baby comes (hopefully later rather than sooner).
Currently, I am in a semi-private room meaning I share with one person, but I will eventually make my way to a private room as one becomes available and I move my way up the waiting list. I have Internet access via my iPhone and Ryan will be bringing my laptop by tonight, so email is very accessible.
The hardest part is that I will not be able to see Keira very often, maybe only once per week in worst case and possibly once every 5 days in best case. That will hopefully improve once I get a private room. My doctor asked if there is anything she can get me and I said nothing except visits with my daughter as often as possible. She said we will work on getting me a private room first then on that.
Visitors are most definitely welcome and encouraged. Visiting hours are 11 am-1 pm and 6 pm-8 pm daily and I can have up to 2 visitors at a time. Let me know if you'd like to stop by and I will send you my hospital and room information.
Keep me in your thoughts that we can make it another 11 weeks and 2 days to get to 36 weeks (Feb 17th). This little guy has a lot of growing to do until then.
Sent from my iPhone
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
24-Weeks: Hospital Visit, Funneling, and Bedrest, OH MY!
I'm 24 weeks along today. Last week I shared with you the news that I would be going on bedrest starting at 28 weeks if not sooner. Well, unfortunately, it looks like sooner has arrived! Here is a recap of the past two days.
Tuesday aftenoon and evening
Things just weren't feeling right yesterday afternoon - tight abdomen, lower back pain, nausea, some diarrhea in the morning - so I called my OB and she had me go straight to the hospital. Ryan dropped me off at about 3 pm (he had to take care of Keira). All was okay with baby and I was not contracting. I got an IV delivering fluids and antibiotics in case of dehydration or infection.
Next stop was an ultrasound to check out my cervix length and the baby. My cervix had shortened down to 2.1 cm from 3.8 cm on the 13th and is now funneling inside but not externally. My cervix can now be described as "dynamic" as the funneling was changing during the U/S.
My OB and the perinatologist agreed that I should be given betamethasone shots to help with maturity of the baby's lungs, just in case something happens in the next couple weeks (I got these shots when I was in preterm labor with Keira as well). The two shots are given 24 hours apart so I was admitted to the hospital. The first shot was administered at 6 pm that evening. My OB stressed that I needed to be horizontal and that strict bedrest was starting now. She said that I would possibly be released on Thursday, but we would see.
At about 9 pm, I was transferred from Triage up to a room in the High Risk Perinatal unit (Room 635-1) where I experienced a "restful" night sleep:
11:30 pm - Fell asleep
12:00 pm - Medication time: antibiotic and 2.5 mg terbutaline
1:00 am - Bathroom break
5:00 am - Bathroom break
5:20 am - Bloodwork
5:45 am - Medication time
7:30 am - Visit from resident
I think I probably slept about 5-1/2 hours total. And I do have to say that going to and from the bathroom with an IV cart is a real pain!
Wednesday
My OB rounded on me this morning at about 9:30. I told her I was no longer feeling any uterine tightening and the back pain was gone. I could feel some pelvic pressure that was new and likely due to the shorter cervix. She said we would see how the test results came back today and she would be back this evening to make a decision.
At least the food is good in the hospital, so I had a good breakfast, lunch, and dinner. And the nursing staff on HRP are wonderful! I spent the day in bed watching television and reading a magazine I had thought to throw into my purse before heading to the hospital yesterday, and talking on the phone to friends and family. I got my weekly 17P shot (I obviously couldn't make the appointment to get it at my OB's office this morning). Before my noon medication was due, test results came back that I did not have an infection so my OB took me off the IV and antibiotic drip. Yay: I was free from the IV cart!
Ryan's parents were on their way down here from New Jersey to spend Thanksgiving weekend with us and they arrived at our house around 3:30 so Ryan was able to leave Keira with them and came to visit me for the evening. While he was there, my OB stopped by to see how I was doing. She said that I was now on strict bedrest and wanted me horizontal pretty much 24/7. She wanted to know if I would be able to do that at home and, luckily, we were able to tell her that Ryan's mom was at our house that minute and would be there for the duration in order to take care of Keira. Given that, she said I could be released that night after my 2nd betamethasone shot as long as I left the hospital after traffic had died down as she did not want me sitting in the car for hours trying to get home. So it was decided I could leave sometime between 8 and 9 pm if we got confirmation that I-66 was clear. Yippee!
I ate dinner, discussed my discharge instructions with the nurse, got my 2nd betamethasone shot, and my friend Ellen stopped by at 6 pm for a visit. At about 8 pm, a nurse who got off her shift at 7:30 called in to HRP to let us know that I-66 was traffic-free. I was wheeled down to the front lobby at about 8:30 pm and Ryan drove me home to bed.
Going forward
I am home now on strict bedrest until further notice. I have bathroom privileges, can shower every other day, sit up to eat in bed, but no stairs. I'm on 2.5 mg terbutaline evey 6 hours to keep my uterus from contracting, and a stool softener so there is no strain near my cervix.
My OB said I should still go to my cervical length check at 11 am on Mon. 11/30, but she doesn't want me coming to the appointment at her office as she doesn't want me up that long. I am hoping that my cervix will be at or longer than 2.1 cm with the funneling not worse. Just in case, I told Ryan that from now on, I will be taking a small bag with me each time we leave the house for a doctor's appointment in case there is a hospital admission immediately thereafter! I forgot to throw my iPhone charger in my purse before heading out on Wednesday, so my phone was dead by 10 am this morning and that was after being very conservative on my use of the phone and Internet.
Right now, I am just happy to be home as I am not ready to be away from Keira for this long. Due to swine flu, the hospital has really strict restrictions on visitors especially those under 18yo. I spoke with the Charge Nurse and she said that for hospital visits under 5 days, they are not allowing visitors under 18yo, but if I was to be admitted for longer, I would probably only get to see Keira about once every 5 days or so.
I headed up stairs tonight and will not be returning downstairs (or leaving my bedroom for that matter) until Monday when Ryan takes me to my U/S.
Hospital Statistics
Length of Stay: 30 hours
Room: 635 bed 1
Hours of sleep: 5
Needle pricks: 5 - IV, bloodwork, 17P shot, and 2 betamethasone shots (one in each buttock)
Stay tuned for the continuing adventures!
Tuesday aftenoon and evening
Things just weren't feeling right yesterday afternoon - tight abdomen, lower back pain, nausea, some diarrhea in the morning - so I called my OB and she had me go straight to the hospital. Ryan dropped me off at about 3 pm (he had to take care of Keira). All was okay with baby and I was not contracting. I got an IV delivering fluids and antibiotics in case of dehydration or infection.
Next stop was an ultrasound to check out my cervix length and the baby. My cervix had shortened down to 2.1 cm from 3.8 cm on the 13th and is now funneling inside but not externally. My cervix can now be described as "dynamic" as the funneling was changing during the U/S.
My OB and the perinatologist agreed that I should be given betamethasone shots to help with maturity of the baby's lungs, just in case something happens in the next couple weeks (I got these shots when I was in preterm labor with Keira as well). The two shots are given 24 hours apart so I was admitted to the hospital. The first shot was administered at 6 pm that evening. My OB stressed that I needed to be horizontal and that strict bedrest was starting now. She said that I would possibly be released on Thursday, but we would see.
At about 9 pm, I was transferred from Triage up to a room in the High Risk Perinatal unit (Room 635-1) where I experienced a "restful" night sleep:
11:30 pm - Fell asleep
12:00 pm - Medication time: antibiotic and 2.5 mg terbutaline
1:00 am - Bathroom break
5:00 am - Bathroom break
5:20 am - Bloodwork
5:45 am - Medication time
7:30 am - Visit from resident
I think I probably slept about 5-1/2 hours total. And I do have to say that going to and from the bathroom with an IV cart is a real pain!
Wednesday
My OB rounded on me this morning at about 9:30. I told her I was no longer feeling any uterine tightening and the back pain was gone. I could feel some pelvic pressure that was new and likely due to the shorter cervix. She said we would see how the test results came back today and she would be back this evening to make a decision.
At least the food is good in the hospital, so I had a good breakfast, lunch, and dinner. And the nursing staff on HRP are wonderful! I spent the day in bed watching television and reading a magazine I had thought to throw into my purse before heading to the hospital yesterday, and talking on the phone to friends and family. I got my weekly 17P shot (I obviously couldn't make the appointment to get it at my OB's office this morning). Before my noon medication was due, test results came back that I did not have an infection so my OB took me off the IV and antibiotic drip. Yay: I was free from the IV cart!
Ryan's parents were on their way down here from New Jersey to spend Thanksgiving weekend with us and they arrived at our house around 3:30 so Ryan was able to leave Keira with them and came to visit me for the evening. While he was there, my OB stopped by to see how I was doing. She said that I was now on strict bedrest and wanted me horizontal pretty much 24/7. She wanted to know if I would be able to do that at home and, luckily, we were able to tell her that Ryan's mom was at our house that minute and would be there for the duration in order to take care of Keira. Given that, she said I could be released that night after my 2nd betamethasone shot as long as I left the hospital after traffic had died down as she did not want me sitting in the car for hours trying to get home. So it was decided I could leave sometime between 8 and 9 pm if we got confirmation that I-66 was clear. Yippee!
I ate dinner, discussed my discharge instructions with the nurse, got my 2nd betamethasone shot, and my friend Ellen stopped by at 6 pm for a visit. At about 8 pm, a nurse who got off her shift at 7:30 called in to HRP to let us know that I-66 was traffic-free. I was wheeled down to the front lobby at about 8:30 pm and Ryan drove me home to bed.
Going forward
I am home now on strict bedrest until further notice. I have bathroom privileges, can shower every other day, sit up to eat in bed, but no stairs. I'm on 2.5 mg terbutaline evey 6 hours to keep my uterus from contracting, and a stool softener so there is no strain near my cervix.
My OB said I should still go to my cervical length check at 11 am on Mon. 11/30, but she doesn't want me coming to the appointment at her office as she doesn't want me up that long. I am hoping that my cervix will be at or longer than 2.1 cm with the funneling not worse. Just in case, I told Ryan that from now on, I will be taking a small bag with me each time we leave the house for a doctor's appointment in case there is a hospital admission immediately thereafter! I forgot to throw my iPhone charger in my purse before heading out on Wednesday, so my phone was dead by 10 am this morning and that was after being very conservative on my use of the phone and Internet.
Right now, I am just happy to be home as I am not ready to be away from Keira for this long. Due to swine flu, the hospital has really strict restrictions on visitors especially those under 18yo. I spoke with the Charge Nurse and she said that for hospital visits under 5 days, they are not allowing visitors under 18yo, but if I was to be admitted for longer, I would probably only get to see Keira about once every 5 days or so.
I headed up stairs tonight and will not be returning downstairs (or leaving my bedroom for that matter) until Monday when Ryan takes me to my U/S.
Hospital Statistics
Length of Stay: 30 hours
Room: 635 bed 1
Hours of sleep: 5
Needle pricks: 5 - IV, bloodwork, 17P shot, and 2 betamethasone shots (one in each buttock)
Stay tuned for the continuing adventures!
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