Righto.
It's official.
Jelly is lazy (just like Mommy) and does not want to come out - so we're going to tear the walls down. One by one. Beginning this Sunday.
This Sunday at 5:30pm we go to the hospital. After a quick cervix check, and providing I haven't started to dilate on my own, we send me off to a room where I will be given some nice prostaglandin gel to try to get the cervix to ripen properly. Then I get to spend the night at the hospital.
Step 2 - if nothing happens on its own. We break the waters (woo-hoo. I am so looking foward to that).
Step 3 - the pitocin drip.
Step 4 - call all relatives and have a baby.
At least that's how it's done when everything follows a type A personality plan.
Which would be really nice. I don't think I'm a true type A, but I do enjoy a good schedule. Please note that any of the above mentioned steps are subject to change. The medical team can insert a "send me home" anywhere they like up to and including "call all relatives and have a baby."
So that's the current update. I really want to get this over with soon because I continue to have REALLY weird dreams and I don't think I can handle much more of that.
So with any luck this will be the last post before the Jelly makes its appearance and we can finally give it a real name.
Symptoms at the moment:
Insomnia. Thank the hairy gods for Diclectin. It's not working 100%, but it's helping.
Nesting. I'm gonna' go vacuum now.
Braxton Hicks. Slowed to a crawl.
Dancing Jellyfish. I wonder if Jelly is aware of Mommy's innate lack of rhythm?
Hip soreness. Only when I try to sleep.
Weird dreams. Expected to get worse.
Fatigue. In between bouts of nesting.
Yup, that's it.
Ciao!
-HLC
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Friday, August 24, 2007
Just another random Friday
Too bad it wasn't Thursday.
Just like a beloved Douglas Adams character I never could get the hang of Thursdays. It looks like Fridays are headed that way as well.
I'll bet by now you're thinking, "Where are you going with this?"
Here's where I'm going...
AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!
It started out as a normal week. Non-stress test on Monday. Boring. Needed sugar and a change in positions to wake Jellyfish up, but other than that it was the usual boring Non-stress test.
Tuesday - Trip to the OB's office. I took my mother along. There are nine obstetricians at the hospital where I'll be delivering. I figure the odds of my doctor actually being there when I go into labour are pretty slim. So I thought my mother should meet her in the office. I also thought the doctor should meet my mother so she would have a better idea of where I get it from. It all went well. With no screaming symptoms of labour we have stuck with our original plan - we'll talk inductions at the next appointment (Aug 28th) and see how unpregnant my body is ready to be.
Wednesday - Ultrasound. Took the mommy to that too. Again, not much new there. Jelly's gettin' bigger and looking more like a baby/less like a skeletal Asgard
Thursday - Trip to the Diabetes Clinic. Met with a nurse, she was happy with what I was doing. Saw the endocrinologist, he was happy with what I was doing. It's kind of fun leaving there now. At the end of each appoinment we say to each other, "nothing personal but I hope I don't see you again."
So that brings us around to today...
Slow start to the morning. Really slow. Got a couple loads of laundry done (dark and light towels). Ate too much for breakfast, didn't take enough insulin for it. Talked to the Jelly's Auntie for, like, an hour. Just as I started to do the lunch thing the phone rang (wonder how long they were trying to call?). We have call display (I'm not medicated, I couldn't live without call display). I saw my OB's name. So, I was told that the OB had received the results from the last ultrasound and that she was on duty at the hospital today and that I should go to the Birthing Unit as soon as possible to do another Non stress test and another ultrasound. The girl on the phone did not sound too upset so I didn't ask what the problem was.
Then I was supposed to eat lunch.
Right.
I ate half the eggs I had been cooking when the office called. Drank a glass of milk. Ate the rest of the cookies we bought yesterday and hopped in the shower.
Then I drove to the hospital.
I was admitted to triage at 2:00 (I get the feeling you're always 'admitted' to triage when you have to spend any amount of time there so if you're worrying about that word, please don't.)
I told the woman at the desk that I didn't know why I was there just that my doctor had told me to go for a non-stress test and probably an ultrasound. She took my healthcard and name and said, "oh yes. I have a note somewhere."
So into the non-stress test I went. The nurse and I deduced that either I was MUCH closer to meeting Jelly than my physiological symptoms showed or there was something amiss at the last ultrasound.
We figured it was the latter.
So we sat through the non-stress test. Boring. Really boring. Oh well, at least Jelly was awake for this one.
After the non-stress test I was bundled up with another girl (who was placed in a wheel chair) and an orderly and we all went down to Diagnostic Imaging together. We were in-patients. The really nice thing about being an in-patient is that we don't have to wait for anything. So 20 minutes/half an hour later I was back up in triage waiting patiently for someone - ANYone to come in and tell me what was up.
Luckily enough I got to see my obstetrician. She told me what I had assumed - the last ultrasound showed a decrease in amniotic fluid. This is an anomoly of ultrasounds. Because of where the baby was sometimes the amniotic fluid isn't as visible as it can be. Anyway, today's ultrasound showed everything was fine. The OB sent me home and said, "see ya' Tuesday."
So, that was three hours at the hospital hoping that I was actually much closer to labour than I had imagined but sadly that was not the case. In fact, nothing was amiss. So that's certainly one way to kill an afternoon. Not one I recommend, but it works.
So that's it for now.
3 days 'til induction talks begin.
Symptoms remain the same.
Ciao!
-HLC
Just like a beloved Douglas Adams character I never could get the hang of Thursdays. It looks like Fridays are headed that way as well.
I'll bet by now you're thinking, "Where are you going with this?"
Here's where I'm going...
AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!
It started out as a normal week. Non-stress test on Monday. Boring. Needed sugar and a change in positions to wake Jellyfish up, but other than that it was the usual boring Non-stress test.
Tuesday - Trip to the OB's office. I took my mother along. There are nine obstetricians at the hospital where I'll be delivering. I figure the odds of my doctor actually being there when I go into labour are pretty slim. So I thought my mother should meet her in the office. I also thought the doctor should meet my mother so she would have a better idea of where I get it from. It all went well. With no screaming symptoms of labour we have stuck with our original plan - we'll talk inductions at the next appointment (Aug 28th) and see how unpregnant my body is ready to be.
Wednesday - Ultrasound. Took the mommy to that too. Again, not much new there. Jelly's gettin' bigger and looking more like a baby/less like a skeletal Asgard
Thursday - Trip to the Diabetes Clinic. Met with a nurse, she was happy with what I was doing. Saw the endocrinologist, he was happy with what I was doing. It's kind of fun leaving there now. At the end of each appoinment we say to each other, "nothing personal but I hope I don't see you again."
So that brings us around to today...
Slow start to the morning. Really slow. Got a couple loads of laundry done (dark and light towels). Ate too much for breakfast, didn't take enough insulin for it. Talked to the Jelly's Auntie for, like, an hour. Just as I started to do the lunch thing the phone rang (wonder how long they were trying to call?). We have call display (I'm not medicated, I couldn't live without call display). I saw my OB's name. So, I was told that the OB had received the results from the last ultrasound and that she was on duty at the hospital today and that I should go to the Birthing Unit as soon as possible to do another Non stress test and another ultrasound. The girl on the phone did not sound too upset so I didn't ask what the problem was.
Then I was supposed to eat lunch.
Right.
I ate half the eggs I had been cooking when the office called. Drank a glass of milk. Ate the rest of the cookies we bought yesterday and hopped in the shower.
Then I drove to the hospital.
I was admitted to triage at 2:00 (I get the feeling you're always 'admitted' to triage when you have to spend any amount of time there so if you're worrying about that word, please don't.)
I told the woman at the desk that I didn't know why I was there just that my doctor had told me to go for a non-stress test and probably an ultrasound. She took my healthcard and name and said, "oh yes. I have a note somewhere."
So into the non-stress test I went. The nurse and I deduced that either I was MUCH closer to meeting Jelly than my physiological symptoms showed or there was something amiss at the last ultrasound.
We figured it was the latter.
So we sat through the non-stress test. Boring. Really boring. Oh well, at least Jelly was awake for this one.
After the non-stress test I was bundled up with another girl (who was placed in a wheel chair) and an orderly and we all went down to Diagnostic Imaging together. We were in-patients. The really nice thing about being an in-patient is that we don't have to wait for anything. So 20 minutes/half an hour later I was back up in triage waiting patiently for someone - ANYone to come in and tell me what was up.
Luckily enough I got to see my obstetrician. She told me what I had assumed - the last ultrasound showed a decrease in amniotic fluid. This is an anomoly of ultrasounds. Because of where the baby was sometimes the amniotic fluid isn't as visible as it can be. Anyway, today's ultrasound showed everything was fine. The OB sent me home and said, "see ya' Tuesday."
So, that was three hours at the hospital hoping that I was actually much closer to labour than I had imagined but sadly that was not the case. In fact, nothing was amiss. So that's certainly one way to kill an afternoon. Not one I recommend, but it works.
So that's it for now.
3 days 'til induction talks begin.
Symptoms remain the same.
Ciao!
-HLC
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
Wow! 37 Weeks!
As of this past Monday, we officially hit the full term mark!
We've had an ultrasound, another non-stress test, weight gain is going smoothly.
I've officially signed the squirt's eviction notice. The doctor will sign it in two weeks. That's right, if the wee bairn doesn't see fit to come out on its own in two weeks (that'll be 39 weeks and 2 days), we're booking an induction.
Current weight is about 7.5 pounds. This is significantly less huge than I expected it to be at this stage. The women in my family have child-bearing hips and high blood sugars. We don't give birth to tiny infants. So we're actually doing quite well with the growth.
We had the second-last scheduled ultrasound. Jelly was kind enough to turn its face directly to the monitor. Looks quite a bit like I did at birth - puffy, squinty, and sleepy. Jelly has proper feet now that, on an ultrasound screen, actually look like feet - not talons. Oh, and yes, Jelly is head down. Can't remember where the face is right now, but that doesn't mattter. I understand that the full acrobatic flips are over now, but pirouettes still happen.
So, here we are... 37 weeks. Week 38. Let's turn to the incredibly awesome week-by-week description of what's happening now in this pregnancy, shall we?
... Not much.
Right now the kid's just packin' on the pounds - approximately 1% of its body weight each day. Of course, that is a staggering amount. Get out your calculators and do the math.
Along with the freaky weight gain, Jelly has also learned some new form of Celtic step dancing that it enjoys practicing in the evenings - especially when I'm trying to fall asleep (thank the hairy gods for Diclectin). I'm sure the Riverdance people would love a lesson.
At the time of this posting, I am in FULL nesting mode. Today saw most of the house vacuumed and dusted, all the bathrooms cleaned, and the kitchen scrubbed so hard it was begging for mercy. To put it in perspective, the top of the fridge was so disgusting, it was hit with Vim (excellent product, I recommend their oxygel formula) and a scouring pad. Honestly, it was naaaasty.
The cat hasn't spoken to me on purpose all day.
Tomorrow's projects include getting the car seat anchor (base) into the car so we don't have to worry about that at the hospital and a couple of our closets need some cleaning. Don't worry about me overexerting myself... one of them is a walk-in closet so I'll be sitting for most of it. The other closet is behind a large pile of unsorted important stuff that will have to be taken care of first - again, sitting on the floor.
Oh - the final appointment of the week was at the Diabetes Clinic where all of my caregivers seem to be perfectly happy with my numbers and what I'm doing. I was able to stop the endocrinologist from sending me off for another fasting blood test. See, they sent me for one earlier this week. Fasting blood tests are REALLY not fun when you have morning sickness. I told the endocrinologist that I already had a fasting test this week and I wasn't looking forward to another one and the one he wanted to send me for had already been done 6 weeks ago and I would be happy to do all the fasting tests he wanted AFTER the baby was born. So he flipped back through the chart (an amazing feat really. I didn't know they were capable) and determined that I did not need to go for this test right now.
*whew* That was wordy, eh?
Moving on...
The earlier test this week was a Hemoglobin A1c. Which I had 6 weeks ago. I tried to tell them that, but they wanted me to go to another one anyway. An HA1c tests your average blood sugars over a 3-4 month period. So, thank you taxpayers for sending me for another test. That bruised the hell out of my arm. I have troublesome veins. I'm probably too dehydrated. I should work on that before the delivery.
That's about it for this week...
So we'll do a brief symptoms check (brief... heh) and I'll leave you all alone for a while.
Morning Sickness: yes
Leg Cramps: not so much
Swelling: feet, yes. hands, no.
Blood Sugars: under control
Braxton Hicks Contractions: yep. And they're changing their style too.
Heartburn: oh yes.
Fatigue: yep. In between nesting spurts
Nesting: yep. In between fatigue jags
Hormonal emotional nastiness: yep
...
Yep, that's it for now.
Ciao!
-HLC
We've had an ultrasound, another non-stress test, weight gain is going smoothly.
I've officially signed the squirt's eviction notice. The doctor will sign it in two weeks. That's right, if the wee bairn doesn't see fit to come out on its own in two weeks (that'll be 39 weeks and 2 days), we're booking an induction.
Current weight is about 7.5 pounds. This is significantly less huge than I expected it to be at this stage. The women in my family have child-bearing hips and high blood sugars. We don't give birth to tiny infants. So we're actually doing quite well with the growth.
We had the second-last scheduled ultrasound. Jelly was kind enough to turn its face directly to the monitor. Looks quite a bit like I did at birth - puffy, squinty, and sleepy. Jelly has proper feet now that, on an ultrasound screen, actually look like feet - not talons. Oh, and yes, Jelly is head down. Can't remember where the face is right now, but that doesn't mattter. I understand that the full acrobatic flips are over now, but pirouettes still happen.
So, here we are... 37 weeks. Week 38. Let's turn to the incredibly awesome week-by-week description of what's happening now in this pregnancy, shall we?
... Not much.
Right now the kid's just packin' on the pounds - approximately 1% of its body weight each day. Of course, that is a staggering amount. Get out your calculators and do the math.
Along with the freaky weight gain, Jelly has also learned some new form of Celtic step dancing that it enjoys practicing in the evenings - especially when I'm trying to fall asleep (thank the hairy gods for Diclectin). I'm sure the Riverdance people would love a lesson.
At the time of this posting, I am in FULL nesting mode. Today saw most of the house vacuumed and dusted, all the bathrooms cleaned, and the kitchen scrubbed so hard it was begging for mercy. To put it in perspective, the top of the fridge was so disgusting, it was hit with Vim (excellent product, I recommend their oxygel formula) and a scouring pad. Honestly, it was naaaasty.
The cat hasn't spoken to me on purpose all day.
Tomorrow's projects include getting the car seat anchor (base) into the car so we don't have to worry about that at the hospital and a couple of our closets need some cleaning. Don't worry about me overexerting myself... one of them is a walk-in closet so I'll be sitting for most of it. The other closet is behind a large pile of unsorted important stuff that will have to be taken care of first - again, sitting on the floor.
Oh - the final appointment of the week was at the Diabetes Clinic where all of my caregivers seem to be perfectly happy with my numbers and what I'm doing. I was able to stop the endocrinologist from sending me off for another fasting blood test. See, they sent me for one earlier this week. Fasting blood tests are REALLY not fun when you have morning sickness. I told the endocrinologist that I already had a fasting test this week and I wasn't looking forward to another one and the one he wanted to send me for had already been done 6 weeks ago and I would be happy to do all the fasting tests he wanted AFTER the baby was born. So he flipped back through the chart (an amazing feat really. I didn't know they were capable) and determined that I did not need to go for this test right now.
*whew* That was wordy, eh?
Moving on...
The earlier test this week was a Hemoglobin A1c. Which I had 6 weeks ago. I tried to tell them that, but they wanted me to go to another one anyway. An HA1c tests your average blood sugars over a 3-4 month period. So, thank you taxpayers for sending me for another test. That bruised the hell out of my arm. I have troublesome veins. I'm probably too dehydrated. I should work on that before the delivery.
That's about it for this week...
So we'll do a brief symptoms check (brief... heh) and I'll leave you all alone for a while.
Morning Sickness: yes
Leg Cramps: not so much
Swelling: feet, yes. hands, no.
Blood Sugars: under control
Braxton Hicks Contractions: yep. And they're changing their style too.
Heartburn: oh yes.
Fatigue: yep. In between nesting spurts
Nesting: yep. In between fatigue jags
Hormonal emotional nastiness: yep
...
Yep, that's it for now.
Ciao!
-HLC
Wednesday, August 8, 2007
Heeeeyyy... it's only been a week!
But don't expect this trend to continue or anything.
So, here we are. 36 weeks and counting. That's 8 full months complete. We are into the ninth month now. 4 weeks to go.
Once again I am forced to look around myself and think,
OH MY GOD! WE ARE SO NOT READY FOR THIS!!!!
But then the calmer voice in my head reassures me that plenty of babies spent their first nights in laundry baskets and ended up okay. Hey, at least we have a bassinet.
We even have clothes now. The wee squirt may not have to go home naked from the hospital. We've got adorable little onesies, hand knitted sweaters, diapers, receiving blankets, a due date, toys, travel cribs...
Basically we have everything we need.
The problem is, I'm nesting. Nothing will be properly prepared to my liking - ever. I see myself packing and repacking the hospital bag(s) every day or so until we actually need to take them to the hospital. The house will not be clean enough. Of course, my dear sweet mother is coming to shampoo the carpet in the Jelly's room. I think this action alone will make me feel better about the state of the second floor of our house. My mother can also be counted on to vacuum the house within an inch of its life and I can dust it until there isn't a speck of dust left anywhere.
We're both a little touched.
Really the only difference is she is currently medicated, I am not. I am not currently medicated because it's not ideal for small Jellyfish to ingest the drug that keeps me from caring this much about the state of my house.
Ah well, when the Jelly is out and in its formative years I will be back on the happy pills and Jelly won't have to know me as that crazy woman who gave birth to it.
But enough about my varying levels of sanity...
Last weekend - the long weekend. Well at least they tell me it was a long weekend. I'm officially on mat leave now so I officially don't notice stat holidays anymore.
We had Grampa and Nanny over for dinner. They also brought us Jelly's car (a Graco travel system), a chair for Jelly when the neck muscles are stronger, and a portable bassinet so I can put the kid in something when I join the legion of mothers who live in their garages all day or so the kid has somewhere to sleep when it is lovingly taken for a night at the grandparents. :)
On Monday (which they tell me was the stat holiday) we picked up my last pay cheque and my Record of Employment so I could get this Mat Leave thing in the works. We grabbed the carpet shampooer from my Nana and Grampa's, and we went to see my Mommy for dinner (and so we could attempt to fix her computer).
Tuesday brought about another Non Stress Test. I figure I should get the hang of these things sometime before I don't need to do them anymore. The first one, I brought a book because I figured it would be boring. I was right. It was boring. The only problem is, if I bring a book, I don't pay attention to Jelly's movements and I don't do what I'm supposed to do with the clicker. So this time I figured I would leave the book at home. I detected waaaay more movement than the last time, but I was bored to tears.
So I did what I always do when I'm bored... I listened to other conversations.
There are 4 beds in the room where they do the non stress tests. It's semi-private, we're all separated by curtains but we can hear each other clearly.
The woman across from me for example, was one day past her due date. The doctor came in at the end of her test and I heard them set up what I presumed was an ultrasound. Turns out I was right. I heard the doctor say, "that's the head. That's the chest, you can see the heart beating. And that... is the feet... down there." There was a pause and the doctor said, "so it's not bum breech. It's feet first... you know what that means?" She mumbled an affirmative. I suddenly realized that, as exciting as this was, I was not doing my job so I focused on my own abdomen for a moment. But I couldn't keep at it for long. I tuned back in and heard the words, "smiley face." I thought, "oh my... they're scheduling this woman for a C-Section." Then the doctor went out. A nurse came in, asked her a few questions, left and was replaced by another nurse. Then she got on the phone. She uttered the words I don't think any father figure to be ever wants to hear,
"Hi. It's me. You need to come home now. [pause] yes it's breech. They've got the section scheduled for noon. [pause] so you've got time. Don't drive stupid. Go home, have your shower, get the bag. [pause] Are you all right? Breathe. It's okay. Everything is all right."
And with that I stopped paying attention. And felt just a twinge of jealousy. It was going to be all over for her sometime that afternoon. I actually thought to myself, "I want it to be all over this afternoon too!" But... Jelly is still a bit underdone so we've got some time to go. The next ultrasound is scheduled for this Monday so we can see how cooked it is and how the oven is doing.
So today marked and yet another trip to the DEC and the OB. (life is a series of acronyms and initialisms when you get pregnant). The endocrinologist says I'm doing just fine. the nurse and the dietician were happy. I get to go for another A1C - woo-hoo. I'll do my best to get to that on Friday morning. The OB was happy with the way everything is progressing and we got the results back on the Strep B test.
NEGATIVE!!!!!
Finally! Something I don't have to worry about! Provided this pregnancy ends in a somewhat normal labour, I don't have to run to the hospital the second I think labour has started because I don't need antibiotics! Woo-hoo! I'd do a happy dance if it wasn't 38 degrees and humid and nasty outside.
So, that's really about all that's happened over the past week.
For those of you who are wondering, yes we have come up with names and no we are not going to tell you what they are. You can find out as soon as I can get near a computer when we come home with the squirt.
Symptom check:
Heartburn: yeah, still taking the Zantac and loving every minute of it.
Morning sickness: Diclectin is my drug of choice. I believe it also the only thing that helps me get any sleep at all at night.
Leg cramps: had at least two last night. Hoping this doesn't stick around.
Fatigue: The last time I felt this sleepy all the time I had just started on Celexa. When will it end?
Perineal ache: more like punches. Owies.
Swollen feet: Sometimes it's difficult to feel them.
Braxton Hicks: Sometimes it's difficult not to feel them. But they don't hurt. Pressure, not pain.
No swelling of the face or hands and my blood pressure is good. Still able to get household chores done. Walking is restricted to the house or malls for now (tooooo freakin' hot outside). Sugars good.
That's about it for now...
Stay tuned for adventures with Mommy! and Mom!
Ciao!
-HLC
So, here we are. 36 weeks and counting. That's 8 full months complete. We are into the ninth month now. 4 weeks to go.
Once again I am forced to look around myself and think,
OH MY GOD! WE ARE SO NOT READY FOR THIS!!!!
But then the calmer voice in my head reassures me that plenty of babies spent their first nights in laundry baskets and ended up okay. Hey, at least we have a bassinet.
We even have clothes now. The wee squirt may not have to go home naked from the hospital. We've got adorable little onesies, hand knitted sweaters, diapers, receiving blankets, a due date, toys, travel cribs...
Basically we have everything we need.
The problem is, I'm nesting. Nothing will be properly prepared to my liking - ever. I see myself packing and repacking the hospital bag(s) every day or so until we actually need to take them to the hospital. The house will not be clean enough. Of course, my dear sweet mother is coming to shampoo the carpet in the Jelly's room. I think this action alone will make me feel better about the state of the second floor of our house. My mother can also be counted on to vacuum the house within an inch of its life and I can dust it until there isn't a speck of dust left anywhere.
We're both a little touched.
Really the only difference is she is currently medicated, I am not. I am not currently medicated because it's not ideal for small Jellyfish to ingest the drug that keeps me from caring this much about the state of my house.
Ah well, when the Jelly is out and in its formative years I will be back on the happy pills and Jelly won't have to know me as that crazy woman who gave birth to it.
But enough about my varying levels of sanity...
Last weekend - the long weekend. Well at least they tell me it was a long weekend. I'm officially on mat leave now so I officially don't notice stat holidays anymore.
We had Grampa and Nanny over for dinner. They also brought us Jelly's car (a Graco travel system), a chair for Jelly when the neck muscles are stronger, and a portable bassinet so I can put the kid in something when I join the legion of mothers who live in their garages all day or so the kid has somewhere to sleep when it is lovingly taken for a night at the grandparents. :)
On Monday (which they tell me was the stat holiday) we picked up my last pay cheque and my Record of Employment so I could get this Mat Leave thing in the works. We grabbed the carpet shampooer from my Nana and Grampa's, and we went to see my Mommy for dinner (and so we could attempt to fix her computer).
Tuesday brought about another Non Stress Test. I figure I should get the hang of these things sometime before I don't need to do them anymore. The first one, I brought a book because I figured it would be boring. I was right. It was boring. The only problem is, if I bring a book, I don't pay attention to Jelly's movements and I don't do what I'm supposed to do with the clicker. So this time I figured I would leave the book at home. I detected waaaay more movement than the last time, but I was bored to tears.
So I did what I always do when I'm bored... I listened to other conversations.
There are 4 beds in the room where they do the non stress tests. It's semi-private, we're all separated by curtains but we can hear each other clearly.
The woman across from me for example, was one day past her due date. The doctor came in at the end of her test and I heard them set up what I presumed was an ultrasound. Turns out I was right. I heard the doctor say, "that's the head. That's the chest, you can see the heart beating. And that... is the feet... down there." There was a pause and the doctor said, "so it's not bum breech. It's feet first... you know what that means?" She mumbled an affirmative. I suddenly realized that, as exciting as this was, I was not doing my job so I focused on my own abdomen for a moment. But I couldn't keep at it for long. I tuned back in and heard the words, "smiley face." I thought, "oh my... they're scheduling this woman for a C-Section." Then the doctor went out. A nurse came in, asked her a few questions, left and was replaced by another nurse. Then she got on the phone. She uttered the words I don't think any father figure to be ever wants to hear,
"Hi. It's me. You need to come home now. [pause] yes it's breech. They've got the section scheduled for noon. [pause] so you've got time. Don't drive stupid. Go home, have your shower, get the bag. [pause] Are you all right? Breathe. It's okay. Everything is all right."
And with that I stopped paying attention. And felt just a twinge of jealousy. It was going to be all over for her sometime that afternoon. I actually thought to myself, "I want it to be all over this afternoon too!" But... Jelly is still a bit underdone so we've got some time to go. The next ultrasound is scheduled for this Monday so we can see how cooked it is and how the oven is doing.
So today marked and yet another trip to the DEC and the OB. (life is a series of acronyms and initialisms when you get pregnant). The endocrinologist says I'm doing just fine. the nurse and the dietician were happy. I get to go for another A1C - woo-hoo. I'll do my best to get to that on Friday morning. The OB was happy with the way everything is progressing and we got the results back on the Strep B test.
NEGATIVE!!!!!
Finally! Something I don't have to worry about! Provided this pregnancy ends in a somewhat normal labour, I don't have to run to the hospital the second I think labour has started because I don't need antibiotics! Woo-hoo! I'd do a happy dance if it wasn't 38 degrees and humid and nasty outside.
So, that's really about all that's happened over the past week.
For those of you who are wondering, yes we have come up with names and no we are not going to tell you what they are. You can find out as soon as I can get near a computer when we come home with the squirt.
Symptom check:
Heartburn: yeah, still taking the Zantac and loving every minute of it.
Morning sickness: Diclectin is my drug of choice. I believe it also the only thing that helps me get any sleep at all at night.
Leg cramps: had at least two last night. Hoping this doesn't stick around.
Fatigue: The last time I felt this sleepy all the time I had just started on Celexa. When will it end?
Perineal ache: more like punches. Owies.
Swollen feet: Sometimes it's difficult to feel them.
Braxton Hicks: Sometimes it's difficult not to feel them. But they don't hurt. Pressure, not pain.
No swelling of the face or hands and my blood pressure is good. Still able to get household chores done. Walking is restricted to the house or malls for now (tooooo freakin' hot outside). Sugars good.
That's about it for now...
Stay tuned for adventures with Mommy! and Mom!
Ciao!
-HLC
Wednesday, August 1, 2007
35 Weeks and Counting...
So here we are...
35 weeks.
Week 36 has begun.
That's somewhere around the eight month mark (or beginning of month nine) for those of you who would rather count in months.
It's amazing really. Your whole life you count pregnancy milestones in months. Then you get pregnant and everything changes. Milestones happen daily but to save everyone the aggravation we prefer to discuss weeks.
According to my baby development bible, this is the week that the baby's lungs are hard at work producing surfactant. Surfactant is the slippery stuff that allows the baby's lungs to inflate properly at birth. What the bible is really telling us is that nothing much is happening this week as the lungs began producing surfactant MONTHS ago.
In my life, this week has started off slowly... and yet it's Wednesday night already. Garbage night. Have to remember that. Mundane things are becoming increasingly difficult to remember. I think we'll be lucky if we get the kitchen garbage out, never mind the bathrooms.
Yeah, so the week began with a generally sleepy-tired day on Monday. Trip to the OB on Tuesday. Had the test done for Group B Streptococcus. That's a fancy word for, "if you are a carrier of Strep B it means nothing to you, but it could potentially, in a worst-case scenario, kill your baby during a vaginal delivery. So we like to check you for it ahead of time so we can get some nice antibiotics into you during labour via IV to prevent any nasty things happening."
For those who are interested, Group B Strep is tested via a vaginal and rectal swab. As my OB put it, "you don't make a lot of friends doing this test." That about sums it up. Of course, it's not as bad as an internal or a colonoscopy so I'm really not complaining.
For those of you who aren't interested, too late.
So, now you're probably wondering what else we've been up to. I think it's been a week or so...
We had a nice big baby shower where we acquired all kinds of good loot from waaaay too generous people. I said this at the wedding shower but it bears repeating, "having that many people dote on you is a touch on the embarrassing side." Of course, they weren't really doting on me, so I suppose it was nice of them to teach Jelly some humility at this stage of the game.
The one problem with all the stuff Jelly has acquired is that we still haven't finished the nursery. The paint needs to be touched up (probably happening this weekend), the carpet is in desparate need of a good shampooing (hopefully next week), and as of tonight we only have half the furninture. Fortunately the dresser showed up first so we can file most of Jelly's belongings away before Jelly gets here. The dresser is being built and will remain in our room for a while until we're ready to move Jelly out of the bassinet and into a big baby crib in the other room... which I imagine will have never felt as far away as it will that first night... Not looking forward to that moment.
Ooh- we have finished our prenatal classes. They were a bit helpful in that we have a slightly more realistic approach to what labour is actually going to be like. The new plan is, "I want this done as quickly and painlessly as possible. I would like to spend as much time as possible at home where we're all out of each other's way." Provided they don't need to strap me to 47 different monitors from the get go. Which I am also prepared for. In that case, I want my epidural NOW. If I can't move around, I want drugs.
We have also had a tour of the birthing unit. Very nice rooms. Love that pink and white decor. Southlake is a clear fluids only hospital. This means, Mommy is not allowed to eat real food while in labour. Daddy on the other hand can eat whatever he wants. I have told him that it would be in his best interest to avoid eating timbits in front of Mommy during labour. As tasty as I'm sure my dextrose drip will be, I'm not above having people with real food removed from my room.
That's about all that's happened in the preparing of the nest so far so let's return to an old component of this blog (and personal favourite)...
The Symptom Check!
Morning Sickness and heartburn - back in full force as Jelly's home expands ever upwards and Jelly has nowhere else to put its feet.
Sciatic pain - blissfully gone. Disappeared as quickly as it started and I am so not complaining about that!
Mysterious itchy rash on hand - still there, but only drives me nuts the day before and the day after my OB appointments so I keep forgetting to tell her about it...
Braxton Hicks Contractions - stronger and more frequent now, but no real pattern established.
Jelly's kicks, flutters, and general movements - Kicks, punches, and rolls are better terms. Often causing Mommy to bend suddenly at the waist while saying things like, "oof!" or "is there a reason you need to focus all of your energy on that one spot beside my bellybutton?"
Back pain - none. Still.
Pillow count - we moved up to 4 last night. Three King size pillows and one standard.
Sudden attacks of the all-out sobbings - yep. Still there. Getting harder to control. Had one at work last week. That was pleasant, let me tell you. No embarrassment there. *note sarcasam*
Dog nose - back stronger than ever. Point: At work today, I was standing in front of the pharmacist's coffee. She said, "do you smell weed?" I pointed at the coffee. She said, "That's what I'm smelling?" I said, "that's what it smells like to me, but I have dog nose, so..." she offered to throw it out so it wouldn't bother me. I told her she needed the coffee and I didn't have to stand right in front of it so it was all hers.
Anyhoo, that's about it for now. Mat leave starts next week! Woo-hoo! Grandma and I will be spending more time together making things clean and pretty for Jelly's arrival. There will also be tons more doctor's appointments as things draw to a close so look for details on upcoming non-stress tests and ultrasounds!
Ciao!
-HLC
35 weeks.
Week 36 has begun.
That's somewhere around the eight month mark (or beginning of month nine) for those of you who would rather count in months.
It's amazing really. Your whole life you count pregnancy milestones in months. Then you get pregnant and everything changes. Milestones happen daily but to save everyone the aggravation we prefer to discuss weeks.
According to my baby development bible, this is the week that the baby's lungs are hard at work producing surfactant. Surfactant is the slippery stuff that allows the baby's lungs to inflate properly at birth. What the bible is really telling us is that nothing much is happening this week as the lungs began producing surfactant MONTHS ago.
In my life, this week has started off slowly... and yet it's Wednesday night already. Garbage night. Have to remember that. Mundane things are becoming increasingly difficult to remember. I think we'll be lucky if we get the kitchen garbage out, never mind the bathrooms.
Yeah, so the week began with a generally sleepy-tired day on Monday. Trip to the OB on Tuesday. Had the test done for Group B Streptococcus. That's a fancy word for, "if you are a carrier of Strep B it means nothing to you, but it could potentially, in a worst-case scenario, kill your baby during a vaginal delivery. So we like to check you for it ahead of time so we can get some nice antibiotics into you during labour via IV to prevent any nasty things happening."
For those who are interested, Group B Strep is tested via a vaginal and rectal swab. As my OB put it, "you don't make a lot of friends doing this test." That about sums it up. Of course, it's not as bad as an internal or a colonoscopy so I'm really not complaining.
For those of you who aren't interested, too late.
So, now you're probably wondering what else we've been up to. I think it's been a week or so...
We had a nice big baby shower where we acquired all kinds of good loot from waaaay too generous people. I said this at the wedding shower but it bears repeating, "having that many people dote on you is a touch on the embarrassing side." Of course, they weren't really doting on me, so I suppose it was nice of them to teach Jelly some humility at this stage of the game.
The one problem with all the stuff Jelly has acquired is that we still haven't finished the nursery. The paint needs to be touched up (probably happening this weekend), the carpet is in desparate need of a good shampooing (hopefully next week), and as of tonight we only have half the furninture. Fortunately the dresser showed up first so we can file most of Jelly's belongings away before Jelly gets here. The dresser is being built and will remain in our room for a while until we're ready to move Jelly out of the bassinet and into a big baby crib in the other room... which I imagine will have never felt as far away as it will that first night... Not looking forward to that moment.
Ooh- we have finished our prenatal classes. They were a bit helpful in that we have a slightly more realistic approach to what labour is actually going to be like. The new plan is, "I want this done as quickly and painlessly as possible. I would like to spend as much time as possible at home where we're all out of each other's way." Provided they don't need to strap me to 47 different monitors from the get go. Which I am also prepared for. In that case, I want my epidural NOW. If I can't move around, I want drugs.
We have also had a tour of the birthing unit. Very nice rooms. Love that pink and white decor. Southlake is a clear fluids only hospital. This means, Mommy is not allowed to eat real food while in labour. Daddy on the other hand can eat whatever he wants. I have told him that it would be in his best interest to avoid eating timbits in front of Mommy during labour. As tasty as I'm sure my dextrose drip will be, I'm not above having people with real food removed from my room.
That's about all that's happened in the preparing of the nest so far so let's return to an old component of this blog (and personal favourite)...
The Symptom Check!
Morning Sickness and heartburn - back in full force as Jelly's home expands ever upwards and Jelly has nowhere else to put its feet.
Sciatic pain - blissfully gone. Disappeared as quickly as it started and I am so not complaining about that!
Mysterious itchy rash on hand - still there, but only drives me nuts the day before and the day after my OB appointments so I keep forgetting to tell her about it...
Braxton Hicks Contractions - stronger and more frequent now, but no real pattern established.
Jelly's kicks, flutters, and general movements - Kicks, punches, and rolls are better terms. Often causing Mommy to bend suddenly at the waist while saying things like, "oof!" or "is there a reason you need to focus all of your energy on that one spot beside my bellybutton?"
Back pain - none. Still.
Pillow count - we moved up to 4 last night. Three King size pillows and one standard.
Sudden attacks of the all-out sobbings - yep. Still there. Getting harder to control. Had one at work last week. That was pleasant, let me tell you. No embarrassment there. *note sarcasam*
Dog nose - back stronger than ever. Point: At work today, I was standing in front of the pharmacist's coffee. She said, "do you smell weed?" I pointed at the coffee. She said, "That's what I'm smelling?" I said, "that's what it smells like to me, but I have dog nose, so..." she offered to throw it out so it wouldn't bother me. I told her she needed the coffee and I didn't have to stand right in front of it so it was all hers.
Anyhoo, that's about it for now. Mat leave starts next week! Woo-hoo! Grandma and I will be spending more time together making things clean and pretty for Jelly's arrival. There will also be tons more doctor's appointments as things draw to a close so look for details on upcoming non-stress tests and ultrasounds!
Ciao!
-HLC
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
