Well, it has been a crazy couple of weeks. The weekend before last, we went to WI for my niece's first communion, and this last weekend, we went up again for Tasha's. It will be nice to spend a few weekends at home!! We've all been battling a stomach bug, and the boys are actually down with it again today...mild fevers, vomitting, liquid BM...the joyous trio of motherhood!! I know they're not feeling even close to okay because it is absolutely gorgeous outside, and all they want to do is sit and cuddle.
I realized this weekend that it hasn't really sunk in how far along I am. I know I'm over half-way done, but it seems like the last couple of months are a blur. I've been really busy and I think because of that I haven't been able to focus on being pregnant like I did with the first two. With Zack, he was my first, so I spent a lot of time just focusing on what it was like to be pregnant for the first time. With Dom, he was going to be my homebirth VBAC, so I spent a lot of time doing everything I could to make that happen. I'm just so busy with the other two, I haven't had time to really focus on and enjoy this pregnancy. That's something I think I'll have to work on...
Baby is doing great. I've been feeling movement for a while now, and while not huge by any means, I've got a little belly going. We have another midwife appointment this weekend, and as usual I'm looking forward to hearing the little bug. According to Babycenter, the baby now looks like a miniature newborn, is around 10.9 inches and weighs almost 1 pound. For some reason, the idea that the baby is that big already is sort of strange to me. I guess I just don't feel that big yet!
Monday, April 30, 2007
Saturday, April 14, 2007
Glad to be done with "them"!!
We had our ultrasound yesterday and the area they were so concerned about was completely gone. (Which, for the record, is what we fully expected, but the OB apparently didn’t. @@) She was still maintaining that it was a bleed that miraculously healed in the last month. Despite the fact a bleed that big would not have healed completely in four weeks off of bedrest, when three weeks on bedrest did nothing for it…but whatever, it wasn't really worth arguing with her. So we are now officially, and very happily done with the OB’s office. I am so glad I never have to go back there. We were scheduled for our ultrasound at 11:00, and our prenatal with the OB at 11:30. The day actually went like this:
10:45 - arrived at clinic with Joe and the boys
11:06 – get taken to sonogram room
11:20 – finally start ultrasound
11:30 – back to waiting room
11:35 – get called to a cubicle for weight and blood pressure
11:40 – back to waiting room
11:45 - get called to exam room
12:30 – (an entire hour late!!!) OB finally comes in
12:37 – OB visit over
It was RIDICULOUS!! It was even worse because of the boys getting completely bored while waiting around for the OB. A few minutes before the OB finally came in, we were walking the halls with the boys, a nurse asked if we wanted some toys from another room. I said, “No, I’d like to see the d*mn doctor.” Her office door was wide open so I’m pretty sure she heard me. When she finally came in the boys were throwing tantrums, and she kind of acted irritated that they were making noise, and she had to talk over them. Joe and I both made comments to the effect of “Well, what do you expect when you keep people waiting for an hour?” She never apologized once, but she did say, “Well, we do the best we can.” Whatever…if you people weren’t always late you wouldn’t have a board with pre-printed signs for how long each doctor is delayed. Had I known that we were going to be waiting in the exam room for 45 minutes, I’d have told the desk to cancel our appointment, tell the OB to review the u/s pics and to call us. I don’t get how women think that kind of care is respectful or good. It seems like anywhere I’ve gone for prenatal care in the mainstream model women are herded around like head of cattle, and there is seemingly no regard for the fact that a patient’s time is valuable. Why do women put up with that kind of treatment? Okay, rant over…like I said, I’m glad I don’t have to go back there again. I’ll stick with my midwife who I see immediately and who spends at least a half-hour with me at every visit.
I did get a small measure of satisfaction out of annoying the nurse. I didn’t bother to do a urine sample, since I did one last week for my midwife and it was fine. I didn’t feel like peeing in a cup, and paying them to do an analysis on it when I knew it was fine. When she asked me if I had a sample for her, I told her “no” and why. She said, “You did it where?” I repeated that I had done one with my midwife the week before and it was fine. She said, “Well, we need one here every time.” I said, “No you don’t. If I don’t feel like doing one, I’m not going to.” She got this totally shocked expression on her face and clearly had no idea what to say to that. She scribbled something in my chart and got out of the room as quickly as she could. Joe was laughing when she shut the door, and we were both like, “I don’t think anyone has ever told her ‘no’ before.” So that was kind of fun.
I will give the OB’s office credit for the way they treated us with regard to respecting the fact we wanted very basic care. They didn’t give us a hard time about refusing all the blood tests, which is something I didn’t want to have to stress about. I was very up front and told them that now that this issue has resolved, I don’t see us needing their services again, and the OB said she was glad things worked out and wished me a good birth.
So that’s that. We're happily back to our homebirth plans full speed ahead.
10:45 - arrived at clinic with Joe and the boys
11:06 – get taken to sonogram room
11:20 – finally start ultrasound
11:30 – back to waiting room
11:35 – get called to a cubicle for weight and blood pressure
11:40 – back to waiting room
11:45 - get called to exam room
12:30 – (an entire hour late!!!) OB finally comes in
12:37 – OB visit over
It was RIDICULOUS!! It was even worse because of the boys getting completely bored while waiting around for the OB. A few minutes before the OB finally came in, we were walking the halls with the boys, a nurse asked if we wanted some toys from another room. I said, “No, I’d like to see the d*mn doctor.” Her office door was wide open so I’m pretty sure she heard me. When she finally came in the boys were throwing tantrums, and she kind of acted irritated that they were making noise, and she had to talk over them. Joe and I both made comments to the effect of “Well, what do you expect when you keep people waiting for an hour?” She never apologized once, but she did say, “Well, we do the best we can.” Whatever…if you people weren’t always late you wouldn’t have a board with pre-printed signs for how long each doctor is delayed. Had I known that we were going to be waiting in the exam room for 45 minutes, I’d have told the desk to cancel our appointment, tell the OB to review the u/s pics and to call us. I don’t get how women think that kind of care is respectful or good. It seems like anywhere I’ve gone for prenatal care in the mainstream model women are herded around like head of cattle, and there is seemingly no regard for the fact that a patient’s time is valuable. Why do women put up with that kind of treatment? Okay, rant over…like I said, I’m glad I don’t have to go back there again. I’ll stick with my midwife who I see immediately and who spends at least a half-hour with me at every visit.
I did get a small measure of satisfaction out of annoying the nurse. I didn’t bother to do a urine sample, since I did one last week for my midwife and it was fine. I didn’t feel like peeing in a cup, and paying them to do an analysis on it when I knew it was fine. When she asked me if I had a sample for her, I told her “no” and why. She said, “You did it where?” I repeated that I had done one with my midwife the week before and it was fine. She said, “Well, we need one here every time.” I said, “No you don’t. If I don’t feel like doing one, I’m not going to.” She got this totally shocked expression on her face and clearly had no idea what to say to that. She scribbled something in my chart and got out of the room as quickly as she could. Joe was laughing when she shut the door, and we were both like, “I don’t think anyone has ever told her ‘no’ before.” So that was kind of fun.
I will give the OB’s office credit for the way they treated us with regard to respecting the fact we wanted very basic care. They didn’t give us a hard time about refusing all the blood tests, which is something I didn’t want to have to stress about. I was very up front and told them that now that this issue has resolved, I don’t see us needing their services again, and the OB said she was glad things worked out and wished me a good birth.
So that’s that. We're happily back to our homebirth plans full speed ahead.
Monday, April 2, 2007
Just a quick update
I only have time for a quick update, but I wanted to post that I'm doing just fine. I've spent the last two weeks increasing my activity level, and I haven't had any pain, bleeding, or any signs of problems with the baby. We are even more convinced it is not a bleed.
I still get tired pretty easily, but I'm hoping as I get more active that will fade quickly I can say I feel about 75% back to normal. The boys are very good about self-entertaining when I need to sit down and rest. I've got quite the baby bump going, and will have to start posting pics of my belly profile soon. :o)
I still get tired pretty easily, but I'm hoping as I get more active that will fade quickly I can say I feel about 75% back to normal. The boys are very good about self-entertaining when I need to sit down and rest. I've got quite the baby bump going, and will have to start posting pics of my belly profile soon. :o)
Thursday, March 15, 2007
Ultrasound update
So we had another ultrasound today, but instead of getting some answers, we now have new questions. The spot they were referring to as a “bleed” is now being referred to as an “area” since they aren’t sure what it is. I haven’t had any more bleeding, which is a very good sign, however, the area has not changed in size since two weeks ago. This fact, combined with a few other things they saw on the scan, presents us with the possibility that it could be one of two things: a bleed that isn’t getting smaller because it is full of old blood that can’t be reabsorbed -or- a leftover gestational sac from a miscarried twin. Since they can’t say for sure what it is, Cathy (the nurse practitioner) wasn’t comfortable telling me I could come off of bedrest. She is going to have the OB review the ultrasound pictures tomorrow, and if the OB says I can come off bedrest, she’s going to call me. I fully expect them to be “better safe than sorry” and not want me off bedrest yet. The ultrasound tech told us that it isn’t under the placenta for the baby that is there, who is doing just perfect, by the way. She also said it was the biggest “thing” she’s ever seen in ten years, and if it was a bleed that big, she would expect me to have definitely had more bleeding by now. The information I’ve been able to get also indicates that most women who have these bleeds and lose their babies, lose them before now. They don’t make it this far in their pregnancies…especially not with bleeds the size that this area is.
From all of the information we got today from the OB’s office, combined with the conversations I had with my midwives, we are strongly leaning towards this being a freaky, weird "water balloon" from a lost twin, that will most likely not cause any further problems, or interfere with our homebirth plans. We have another ultrasound scheduled on the 13th of April.
Joe and I have talked it over with both of our midwives, and we all agree on the following course of action: Since I have guaranteed full-time help for the next two weeks, I’m going to stay on complete bedrest for another week. If I still haven’t had any more bleeding, or other signs of any problems, I am going to increase my activity bit by bit the following week. If I still don’t have problems, hopefully I can be mostly self-sufficient by April. Please continue to keep us in your prayers.
From all of the information we got today from the OB’s office, combined with the conversations I had with my midwives, we are strongly leaning towards this being a freaky, weird "water balloon" from a lost twin, that will most likely not cause any further problems, or interfere with our homebirth plans. We have another ultrasound scheduled on the 13th of April.
Joe and I have talked it over with both of our midwives, and we all agree on the following course of action: Since I have guaranteed full-time help for the next two weeks, I’m going to stay on complete bedrest for another week. If I still haven’t had any more bleeding, or other signs of any problems, I am going to increase my activity bit by bit the following week. If I still don’t have problems, hopefully I can be mostly self-sufficient by April. Please continue to keep us in your prayers.
Thursday, March 8, 2007
How quickly things change.
It’s amazing how things can change in an instant. In the blink of an eye, we went from having a normal, low-risk pregnancy to me being on bedrest with a 50% chance of losing our baby.
It’s been a while since I’ve been able to update this blog, and I’m actually not supposed to be sitting in front of the computer right now, but I promise I’ll take it really easy the rest of the day.
On Sunday the 25th, at around 6:30 p.m. I got an unbelievable and unexplainable backache. At around 7:45 p.m. I started bleeding…big gushes of bright red blood. Needless to say, we were incredibly surprised and worried, so we called our midwives, who agreed that it sounded like a miscarriage. They were also sure to say that it could be something else, but we were not very optimistic. Since I wanted to know for sure if I had lost the baby or not, we decided to go to the emergency room at the small hospital one town west, about 20 minutes away.
Upon arrival, the medical staff was very sympathetic and caring, but they did not seem very optimistic, especially once they saw how much blood I had lost, and was still losing. We waited almost two hours for the ultrasound tech to get in and set up the room (they are not at the hospital 24/7). During that time, I prepared myself for the worst. We finally went to radiology, and when she had scanned for a few seconds she turned the screen so I could see our baby…perfectly healthy with a perfect heartbeat. The rush of relief was incredible to say the least. We quickly shifted to wondering where the heck all the blood was coming from. After a very extensive and long set of ultrasounds (both vaginal and abdominal) we went back to the ER to wait for the radiologist report. After another ½ hour, we were told I have a “uterine bleed.” The easiest way to explain it is to compare it to a blister. With a blister on your hand, if it pops it leaks fluid. Instead of fluid, a uterine bleed causes hemorrhaging. When a blister pops, you are left with a raw wound covered by a layer of skin. In the same way, I have an open wound on the lining of my uterus, with a layer of tissue covering it.
The ER doctor put me on immediate bedrest. The only thing I am supposed to get out of bed for is to use the bathroom, and shower every couple of days. The concern is that if I do too much, it will reopen the bleed or cause it to get bigger, which means it could undercut the placenta. I have not had any more bleeding since that first bout, which we are taking as a good sign. The doctors don’t know what causes these bleeds, there is nothing they can do about them, and they have no way to predict what the outcome will be. What they do know is that 50% of women who have these bleeds will lose their baby.
We had another ultrasound on March 2nd, and the bleed was measured to be 6.8 cm wide and 5.6 cm high. Apparently that is considered pretty large. I will continue to be on bedrest until at least the 15th, when we have another ultrasound scheduled. The only thing I can do is wait, try not to move too much, and pray. St. Benedict is the patron saint of pregnant women, so any prayers to him on our behalf would be greatly appreciated.
I think this is long enough for now…if I get internet access from my bed, I will try to post updates periodically. If we can’t get our router to work with the laptop, the next time I post will either be good news (I’m off bedrest), or bad (we lost the baby).
It’s been a while since I’ve been able to update this blog, and I’m actually not supposed to be sitting in front of the computer right now, but I promise I’ll take it really easy the rest of the day.
On Sunday the 25th, at around 6:30 p.m. I got an unbelievable and unexplainable backache. At around 7:45 p.m. I started bleeding…big gushes of bright red blood. Needless to say, we were incredibly surprised and worried, so we called our midwives, who agreed that it sounded like a miscarriage. They were also sure to say that it could be something else, but we were not very optimistic. Since I wanted to know for sure if I had lost the baby or not, we decided to go to the emergency room at the small hospital one town west, about 20 minutes away.
Upon arrival, the medical staff was very sympathetic and caring, but they did not seem very optimistic, especially once they saw how much blood I had lost, and was still losing. We waited almost two hours for the ultrasound tech to get in and set up the room (they are not at the hospital 24/7). During that time, I prepared myself for the worst. We finally went to radiology, and when she had scanned for a few seconds she turned the screen so I could see our baby…perfectly healthy with a perfect heartbeat. The rush of relief was incredible to say the least. We quickly shifted to wondering where the heck all the blood was coming from. After a very extensive and long set of ultrasounds (both vaginal and abdominal) we went back to the ER to wait for the radiologist report. After another ½ hour, we were told I have a “uterine bleed.” The easiest way to explain it is to compare it to a blister. With a blister on your hand, if it pops it leaks fluid. Instead of fluid, a uterine bleed causes hemorrhaging. When a blister pops, you are left with a raw wound covered by a layer of skin. In the same way, I have an open wound on the lining of my uterus, with a layer of tissue covering it.
The ER doctor put me on immediate bedrest. The only thing I am supposed to get out of bed for is to use the bathroom, and shower every couple of days. The concern is that if I do too much, it will reopen the bleed or cause it to get bigger, which means it could undercut the placenta. I have not had any more bleeding since that first bout, which we are taking as a good sign. The doctors don’t know what causes these bleeds, there is nothing they can do about them, and they have no way to predict what the outcome will be. What they do know is that 50% of women who have these bleeds will lose their baby.
We had another ultrasound on March 2nd, and the bleed was measured to be 6.8 cm wide and 5.6 cm high. Apparently that is considered pretty large. I will continue to be on bedrest until at least the 15th, when we have another ultrasound scheduled. The only thing I can do is wait, try not to move too much, and pray. St. Benedict is the patron saint of pregnant women, so any prayers to him on our behalf would be greatly appreciated.
I think this is long enough for now…if I get internet access from my bed, I will try to post updates periodically. If we can’t get our router to work with the laptop, the next time I post will either be good news (I’m off bedrest), or bad (we lost the baby).
Tuesday, February 20, 2007
This is taking a loooong time!
It really seems like this first trimester is dragging along compared to my first two, and I finally figured out why. With Zack and Dom, we didn't find out I was pregnant until 5 weeks or later...so I was almost halfway through my first trimester already. This time, we pretty much knew when it happened. (It's pretty obvious when I ovulate. And at my age, when you ovulate the same night you had lovin' in the morning, the odds getting pregnant are pretty darn good.) I've had the inkling that I've been pregnant since the start, and we got confirmation at only three weeks along. So I've had the "pregnancy mentality" for over a month longer already!
Yesterday we had an early morning run to the ER. Not for me, for Joe. He took a substantial shot to the ribs while playing basketball on Sunday, and when he woke up Monday, he told me he wanted to go get checked out. After three hours in the hospital, some IV fluids, and a CAT scan, they determined he sprained the cartilage on a few ribs and bruised his liver, but he didn't lacerate any organs and he wasn't bleeding internally. It was also determined he does not like narcotic pain relievers given through IV, since it didn't take any pain away, it just totally looped him out for about five mintues.
I finally got a relatively decent night's sleep last night, although I don't know for sure what caused it. For two days or so, I've been living with a sinus infection that is really irritating my throat, my neck and shoulders have been so tight I haven't been able to get comfortable in bed, and I was waking up at 4 am every morning because I was crashing out at 8:00 at night. So yesterday I went to the chiropracter, got adjusted, and got some therapy on my neck and shoulders...something I am definately going to get done more often! I took some Olive Leaf Extract, which usually helps with my sinus issues. Then last night, I made myself stay awake until 9:00, switched to a more orthopedic pillow, and slept with a throat lozenge in my mouth. I slept four hours straight!! I don't know what it was that did it, so I guess I'm going to have to do all those things every night...except I think I'll add a hot bubble bath before bed to the mix, too. ;o)
On to baby: at 11 weeks s/he is the size of a fig (1 1/2 inches long) and is fully formed. The fingers and toes are fully separated and bones are starting to harden. Toothbuds are starting to form, and s/he could start getting the hiccups already. I'm really anxious to feel movement, but thats still a few weeks away. We're scheduled to hear the heartbeat in about two weeks, so I'm looking forward to that.
Yesterday we had an early morning run to the ER. Not for me, for Joe. He took a substantial shot to the ribs while playing basketball on Sunday, and when he woke up Monday, he told me he wanted to go get checked out. After three hours in the hospital, some IV fluids, and a CAT scan, they determined he sprained the cartilage on a few ribs and bruised his liver, but he didn't lacerate any organs and he wasn't bleeding internally. It was also determined he does not like narcotic pain relievers given through IV, since it didn't take any pain away, it just totally looped him out for about five mintues.
I finally got a relatively decent night's sleep last night, although I don't know for sure what caused it. For two days or so, I've been living with a sinus infection that is really irritating my throat, my neck and shoulders have been so tight I haven't been able to get comfortable in bed, and I was waking up at 4 am every morning because I was crashing out at 8:00 at night. So yesterday I went to the chiropracter, got adjusted, and got some therapy on my neck and shoulders...something I am definately going to get done more often! I took some Olive Leaf Extract, which usually helps with my sinus issues. Then last night, I made myself stay awake until 9:00, switched to a more orthopedic pillow, and slept with a throat lozenge in my mouth. I slept four hours straight!! I don't know what it was that did it, so I guess I'm going to have to do all those things every night...except I think I'll add a hot bubble bath before bed to the mix, too. ;o)
On to baby: at 11 weeks s/he is the size of a fig (1 1/2 inches long) and is fully formed. The fingers and toes are fully separated and bones are starting to harden. Toothbuds are starting to form, and s/he could start getting the hiccups already. I'm really anxious to feel movement, but thats still a few weeks away. We're scheduled to hear the heartbeat in about two weeks, so I'm looking forward to that.
Sunday, February 11, 2007
So I bit the bullet...
I know I missed a week, but hey, life happens. Sometime in the last two weeks I bit the bullet and switched to maternity pants. I figured, I could do the whole rigamarole of using rubberbands on my buttons, and not zipping my pants all the way, or wearing pants that were larger sizes, but frankly, maternity pants are more comfortable. And I am all about comfort this time around. I'm in that fun stage of early pregnancy where you can tell people are looking at your belly and thinking, "Pregnant or fat?"
I started taking a vitamin B complex last week to help with my fatique. While it helped me have more energy, I found it kept me from being able to nap in the afternoons. Which meant that I was ready to zonk out at about 6:00 every night. That didn't seem like a very good solution, so I stopped taking them. I'm managing to function, but I'll be very glad when I'm out of my first trimester, and not so dang tired all the time!
We went to my nephew's birthday party yesterday, which round trip consisted of a little over 7 hours in the car. I think I discovered that I'm more prone to motion sickness while pregnant. The entire car ride I felt queasy. Normally I get motion sick if I try to read a lot in the car, but I couldn't even read the directions without having a wave of nausea. Unfortunately, I threw up my lunch when were were about halfway home. The pizza wasn't nearly as tasty coming out as it was going in. The thing I feel the worst about is that we were in my Mom's car. Since Joe is wild pig hunting in Texas, the boys and I carpooled up with her. It would have been much worse if I hadn't picked up a Mary Kay order from my sister at the party (just so you know, while very cute, those bags aren't entirely waterproof). I don't think I get sick when I drive, so I think I'll be behind the wheel for any more extended periods in the car.
Let's see...baby is 10 weeks along now, so the fingers and toes are totally separated and the nails are starting to form, and the liver is formed and is starting to make blood cells. Other than that, the bean is just getting bigger and continuing to develop. Thanks for stopping by!
I started taking a vitamin B complex last week to help with my fatique. While it helped me have more energy, I found it kept me from being able to nap in the afternoons. Which meant that I was ready to zonk out at about 6:00 every night. That didn't seem like a very good solution, so I stopped taking them. I'm managing to function, but I'll be very glad when I'm out of my first trimester, and not so dang tired all the time!
We went to my nephew's birthday party yesterday, which round trip consisted of a little over 7 hours in the car. I think I discovered that I'm more prone to motion sickness while pregnant. The entire car ride I felt queasy. Normally I get motion sick if I try to read a lot in the car, but I couldn't even read the directions without having a wave of nausea. Unfortunately, I threw up my lunch when were were about halfway home. The pizza wasn't nearly as tasty coming out as it was going in. The thing I feel the worst about is that we were in my Mom's car. Since Joe is wild pig hunting in Texas, the boys and I carpooled up with her. It would have been much worse if I hadn't picked up a Mary Kay order from my sister at the party (just so you know, while very cute, those bags aren't entirely waterproof). I don't think I get sick when I drive, so I think I'll be behind the wheel for any more extended periods in the car.
Let's see...baby is 10 weeks along now, so the fingers and toes are totally separated and the nails are starting to form, and the liver is formed and is starting to make blood cells. Other than that, the bean is just getting bigger and continuing to develop. Thanks for stopping by!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)