Happy New Year!

2010 for me was a very special year for which I consider myself one lucky girl! I started the year wondering if I'd ever experience a sticky pregnancy and here I sit with my little guy playing on his activity mat at 10.5 weeks old! My prayers and dreams were definitely answered. It is amazing to see his progress and growth every day. I am going to miss our time together as I head back to work on Monday. To celebrate the new year, we are going to do a little shopping and then hopefully sushi for dinner! I look forward to 2011 and experiencing new milestones with my Baby Dude and DH.

May 2011 be a wonderful, happy, healthy and safe year for everyone!

Thankful on Christmas Eve

Merry Christmas! I am so thankful this year for my little guy and family. We visited Baby Dude's great grandmother who is 90 years old. It was so neat! And my dh's mother (grandma m) is fabulous! Baby Dude is very attached to his grandma m and I love seeing that since I barely knew my grandparents! Three passed away before or right around when I was born and the other lived far away (and was sick most of the time I knew her.) I am thankful both of our parents are very healthy! I wish we just lived closer but I know we will see them more now = ) I grew up with a very small family as both my parents are only children. I am thankful Baby Dude will have a larger family to share holiday and other experiences with. Love & kisses to my Baby Dude & DH and our families!

Baby Dude 9 week (and 2 days) Update

It has been a little while since I have posted. Things have been busy as my inlaws were here for a week helping us after my surgery and then preparing for the holidays.

* Baby Dude had his two month appt this past Monday and did very well. He gained 2# 8 oz in 4 weeks. He is in the 50th %ile for weight but only 30th for height. My family does not have any tall genes but my dh is tall. We are hoping baby dude will be tall too- time will tell =). He also had his 2 month shots and cried a little bit. Unfortunately, he ran a fever that day. The acetaminophen drops helped and it went away that evening!
* Baby Dude loves his activity gym we gave him early for Christmas! He smiles, talks to us and swats the animals hanging from above. He loves to lift his head while we carry him -- still makes me nervous as he sometimes head butts us! He is not a huge fan of tummy time -- although during he moves his legs so much!
* Baby Dude is completely on formula now. I was pumping a little to help the pressure. Yesterday was the first day I did not need to pump! He is doing well on the formula although he gets fussy when he has trouble burping! He burps easily for dh but not for me! My dh says baby dude does not want to be rude. LOL.... I wish we could have gone longer with the b/fing but I must admit night time feeding is much easier. I can feed him and get him back to sleep in 20-30 minutes. With b/fing, it took over an hour; sometimes 2 to get him back to sleep.
* Sleep is still not great, but getting better! He prefers to take power naps on our shoulders but we try to get him to nap in his pack n play as much as possible as he will not be able to nap on us at daycare. We recently transitioned him to his pack n play from his cradle. We started out with just naps for a week and then he has been sleeping in there at night for about a week now. The transition was easier than we thought. However, in his cradle, he gave us a few 5 hour stretches of sleep before my surgery but he is back to his first stretch being @ 4 hours, then his next stretch about 2 1/2 to 3 hours and then an hour as he is hungry because he usually is so sleepy he does not eat much after the second stretch. Hopefully we will get back to the 5 hour stretch again soon. Everything will change again soon though as I go back to work on the 3rd so our waking time will be earlier. Not sure how we will get him to bed earlier as by the time we get home, eat, have bath or a little time together-- it will be late. We are going need to figure this one out as we go. I hope to figure out how to get exercise back into my routine as well...not sure how yet. I am paying for a gym membership I am not using enough.
* I go back to work on the third! Boo!
* As I am no spring chicken, we have decided on the recommendation of my OB to meet with a MFM specialist at the end of January to discuss my clotting issues & a subsequent pregnancy. I would normally have said no and just discussed with my RE but he does not believe in these issues. I really like my RE but the lack of testing was a little frustrating at the same time. So I thought why not meet with another specialist to come up with a plan that I can bring to my RE. We can not ttc again until at least June due to the medication I am on but I thought I would at least start talking with a specialist so that come June we can start again as who knows how long it will take. In the meantime, I will be on the mini pill to prevent pregnancy as the medication I am on can cause birth defects if I were to get pg now. The chances are very slim of us getting pg without help but I still do not want to take any chances!
* I love Christmas. Except for the cold weather, it is my favorite holiday! I love all the decorations and the family time. This year is extra special with our little guy. Our little miracle! My Dh and I look at him & count our blessings. We continue to be amazed!!
* I have some pictures but after thinking am wondering if I should be posting them. I am like others recently wondering about how to make this a little more private. When time allows after the holidays, I may investigate this option.

Happy holidays to everyone!! I wish everyone the best. Thank you for all of your support/friendship! I feel very lucky.

Gallbladder Surgery complete!!!

I had my surgery friday morning and was home by 1pm. I am feeling well, mostly thanks to the extra strength ibuprofen. The dr gave me some stronger stuff but I have tried really hard not to take it as I am having to pump while I move to all formula. I can not give baby dude the milk if I take the stronger stuff. I was so embarrased at the hospital as I was leaking so much- I had to pump while they prepped me for surgery. So far, the ibuprofen is working. The hardest part had been not being able to hold my little guy. I have tried but it hurts after a little while. I am trying to make sure I heal so I am trying not to overdo it. My mil has been fabuluos... Baby Dude has slept in their room the last four nights. It is weird though and I actually have woken up several times. I also have had to get up to pump. I must say pumping is time consuming and for me, I do not have a great supply even when I feel so full. I do not have enough of a supply to exclusively pump even if I wanted to so I am glad we are moving to all formula. I just hope my little guy will forgive me for not holding him as much the last few days and also for moving away from nursing. As much of a struggle as it has been, in a crazy way, I missing our nursing time. But I know deep down, with the struggles/stress, formula will be the best going forward!

Baby Dude will be 8 weeks tomorrow. He is growing like crazy. I think he is a little over 11 pounds but we will officially find out at his two month appt next Monday. I am not looking foward to the immunizations that come with the appt. At least my dh will be there too.

I bought baby dude an activity gym and he loves it. He moves his arms and legs like crazy. He smiles & coos.... It is very cool. He changes his moves a little with a change in the beat. I do not want him to grow too fast but I look forward to watching him continue to learn new things.

I sent a Christmas card to our RE with a picture of our little guy, thanking him for helping to bring him into our lives. There are not enough words to really say how thankful we are!

Happy holidays!!

Decision Making Time

I have never been the best with making decisions (except at work-for some reason at work I have no problem making decisions.) However, I have decided after my surgery this coming Friday that I am done with breastfeeding. I will not be able to b/f for at least 24 hours afterwards, and will need to pump & discard during that time. I still need to decide whether or not I will continue to pump or go 100% to formula. I am leaning towards formula with going back to work in less than four weeks. I think with our struggles, making it almost eight weeks is not too bad and I have tried so much to make this work. I will not deny that I feel guilty but in the end, I think it will be the best, which is what is most important. I especially feel guily as Baby Dude likes to b/f for comfort as he always falls asleep. We have been debating about switching formulas so we just have to figure out which one is best and will minimize his gassiness / fussiness. We have our two month appt in two weeks so we can always ask then if needed.

Why is this such a hard decision to make? I know I should not feel guilty as I know formula will be ok. And i know i should not feel like a failure but i do. Maybe part of me thinks he prefers to b/f despite our struggles. I can not personally continue to struggle like we have. It stresses me out which then stresses him out. Ugh... I really wanted this to work. It is going to break my heart when he does his rooting reflex ...

((((sigh))))

Gallbladder Surgery on the 10th

I am scheduled for surgery on the 10th. Met with the surgeon today. I am not 100% crazy about his personality but he comes highly recommended from my primary care dr who I love. And I am trying to get this done before my leave ends so I do not have much time to shop around. It willbe outpatient surgery so that is good. I am nervous as I have never had surgery before. Any advice with preparing for laproscopic surgery before and after? Anything you wish you has known or asked beforehand? How long was your recovery? Any advice would be great! Thank you.

Baby Dude is 6 weeks old (and other updates)

Baby Dude is 6 weeks old (and one day) today!! I can not believe it! During my leave so far, I have been addicted to the Baby Story show on TLC and it is hard for me to believe that I delivered Baby Dude 6 weeks ago! Time is flying! Baby Dude is doing well - a week ago he was 9 pounds 3 oz and growing! Since birth, Baby Dude has had a lot of eye discharge, which we were cleaning with a warm wash cloth each day. However, it seemed to be getting worse last week so we went into the drs to get some medicine. And of course the day after we went to the drs, it went away for the most part (thankfully).

Some other updates:
Baby Dude

* Baby Dude graduated to size one diapers and is now in 0-3 months clothes. Two of his newborn onesies still fit but the rest are too small.

* Baby Dude had a very nice thanksgiving weekend at Grandma & Grandpa's. He met two of his cousins for the first time! I think he liked having all the people around as he was unusually calm most of the weekend. I am probably pretty boring to him when we are home during the day now! LOL! We will be going back for Christmas so that will be nice!! And one weekend in December, we are going to visit his cousins at their new house - they live about 3 hours away.

* Baby Dude is still not sleeping well at night! He is still getting up every 2 - 3 hours (sometimes every hour.) When should I get concerned that he is not sleeping more? Any suggestions? We have his 2 month appt in 3 weeks so I will ask about it at my appt if he has not started to sleep more. He unfortunately likes to nap during the day! I try to keep him stimulated with talking, music & playing but it is hard to keep him up at times during the day. I should keep a log for the next three weeks for my appt! I am bad at documenting this stuff.

* Baby Dude still gets fussy on & off but the Happiest Baby on the Block 5 S's have been a blessing to help calm him down most of the time! Thank you for the suggestions to look into this more! Unfortunately, he is often gassy and he has a really hard time burping. He also gets hiccups quite often. We tried gripe water for the first time yesterday and it seemed to help a little. I may try again today if needed but I hope not to use it too much. Not sure if we should be trying the gas drops but I read gripe water is more natural.

Mommy

* Has a cold and some sinus troubles = ( It seems like I have gone through a whole bottle of hand sanitizer in the last few days trying to make sure that Baby Dude does not get sick too. However, Baby Dude has a stuffy nose too = (. I do have to say I feel better today compared to the past few days and I hope Baby Dude's stuffy nose gets better. I am using the Neilmed Sinus rinse for myself and it helps so much!! I recommend this very much if you have a cold/sinus troubles. I have the saline drops for Bany Dude.

* We are still breastfeeding & supplementing (as needed.) It is going a little better since the consultation but is still hard at the same time (if that makes sense.) I think I have just calmed down a little about it and am comfortable with supplementing as needed more than I was before (even thought the LC said to not supplement)-- especially now that I am on the low fat diet. I feel supplementing is a good idea because I am not eating as much as I should be. I am trying but it is hard with limited choices that are easy to make. My DH has been making me chicken for protein. And frozen veggies/rice are coming in handy - and non-fat Greek yogurt (which also has a lot of protein). These are my favorite things right now.

* Has a consult with a surgeon tomorrow to look at getting my gallbladder removed. I would like to move fast on this because I am still in some pain and also, so that I can get it done during my leave as my FMLA runs out at the end of the month. I can not afford to lose my job (as much as I would really like to be a SAHM.) A friend of mine - her husband just lost his job as he needed more than 12 weeks due to shoulder surgeries. I am not sure my company would do this but knowing my stupid manager, I would not put it past him. I am very nervous about having surgery although I have heard it is not too bad. I have never had surgery though so it is an unknown to me!

* Is very sad as I only have 4 1/2 weeks left of my maternity leave = ( I get very sad when I think about this! I wish I could be a SAHM. I am very seldom away from Baby Dude these days (only a few hours at night when I take a nap & my DH takes care of him) so it will be very hard to have him in daycare while I am working.

* Is very excited that Christmas is right around the corner! Although I dislike winter & snow when I have to drive, I love Christmas. I wish I had more time to decorate -- we are going to try to put up our tree this coming weekend!

ER Visit on Thanksgiving - Gallstones

Last night, I went to the ER with a lot of pain in my upper back and a stomach ache. I tried to endure it for a few hours before going in but I could not get comfortable anywhere. My family convinced me to go to the ER (my sil is a physicians asst) and i am glad they did. Thankfully we are with my dh's family so they took care of Baby Dude. The dr did an exam and guessed it was my gallbladder right away. They did bloodwork and an ultrasound and they found I have multiple gallstones. I was sent home with instructions to call my family dr and to eat a low fat diet. We were thankful it was not a blood clot and is something that is easily taken care of (ie removal of gallbladder.) A low fat diet is no fun but I am afraid of the pain again. They did give me zofran and morphine while at the ER which helped a lot. My dh's mom took care of Baby Dude last
night & this morning so we both could get some sleep. Thankfully I brought enough formula with us as I ended up sleeping until 1pm. I had to pump because I was engorged a bit and I threw the milk out just in case although they said the medication was ok while breastfeeding. The ER dr even called the pharmacist on call just to make sure. I am still a bit tired and nauseous but much much better. Hopefully if I do need to get my gallbladder out, I can have this done while on leave. My dh's mom can come back to help us out if needed. I did find out that gallstones are very common after pregnancy. I did not know this.

Hope everyone had a wonderful holiday. Thinking of you and how thankful I am for your friendship & support.

Post Partum Checkup

I had my post partum checkup today and I must say I love my dr. She is awesome. It was a lot longer of an appt than I thought it would be. To sum it up:

* My tears/stitches are still healing and the internal exam really hurt. She said we should abstain for another 3-4 weeks. I am ok with this as I am not quite mentally there yet. I know this sounds crazy but my mind has been so focused on other things and my libido has been quite low. I hope this feeling goes away in another month = )

* I have about 5 pounds to lose to get to pre-pg levels but 10 to 15 pounds to get to pre-infertility levels. Dr gave me the ok to start exercising more again. She said to get creative if need be like using a step to go up and down while making dinner. I am sure this is easier said than done. I need to figure something out as I have been stuck at this weight level for a few weeks now. I wish it were the spring already and I could walk Baby Dude outside more. My gym does have a childcare center and will take children 6 weeks of age or older so one more week to go. If I do this, it might be good practice for me when Baby Dude starts daycare as I know that is going to be really, really hard.

* I had a lactation consultant appt on Friday (which I need to finish writing about) and even though we nursed ALL weekend with very minimal formula and no pacifiers, my supply still seems low. My OB has prescribed for me something to help increase my supply to see if this helps us maintain breastfeeding. I am really trying not to give up and am trying everything before moving away from it.

* The bloodwork they did while I was in the hospital found two abnormalities that might help explain my blood clot issues and also my chem pregnancies last year. It found I am homozygous for the MTHFR gene mutation and heterozygous for a lupus anticoagulation mutation. My RE did not believe in this type of testing so I never had this done while TTC. Now I know that the baby aspirin I took on my own before and during our successful cycle really helped to bring Baby Dude into our lives. I always had suspicions that the baby aspirin was our magical ingredient but this helped me to confirm that feeling.

* My OB is referring me to a Maternal Fetal Medicine Specialist to talk to about future steps to take before/during a subsequent pregnancy. I know deep down I want to have another child (if we are able to) - just not sure about timing yet. My DH & I have not talked too much about timing yet but I am thinking I would like to before/around when I will be 40 which is less than 2 years away. Of course we know, timing is not always within our control. DH & I have a few months to talk about timing too...

* Since I am on blood thinners for another 4 months and the medicine I am on can cause birth defects, I am going to start taking the mini-pill soon just to be safe. I can not take any birth control with estrogen so the mini-pill or IUDs are my only options right now. I really was not planning on taking any birth control but since the blood thinners can cause birth defects, I decided that I should. I just hope it does not cause more future fertility issues!

Overall, it was a very good & informative appt. It is too bad some of my issues were not caught earlier but at the same time, I would not change a thing as Baby Dude is our little miracle.

Four Weeks Old & In Need of Advice

Holy smokes, Baby Dude is four weeks old. Time is flying. Baby dude is growing, growing and growing some more. I must admit that the last few days have been trying for me. Baby Dude seems to be going through a growth spurt and besides being hungry all the time, is very fussy all the time as well! And he still has his days/night mixed up. I find myself going through all the questions/methods to try to soothe him with little success - does he need a diaper change, is he hungry, is he hot, is he cold, does he need to burp etc etc. He does not burp very easily so this is a tough one.

From the BTDT moms, any advice on methods that have worked for you to sooth a crying, fussy baby? Any advice would be great!! I went through everything today and he would not stop! I put him down for a moment and called my husband at work in tears because I did not know what to do. I went a little while without feeling like I had the Baby Blues anymore and between yesterday/today I have broken down into tears again a few times. My DH knows how to calm me down so it just helped to talk for a moment. We talked and the one thing I had not tried yet was a car ride. However, After I got off the phone and before I went for a car ride, I breathed deeply and went through the questions again. I ended up playing with him (showing him all my stuffed animals or what I call his zoo friends) for a little while until he cried again and then I walked him around the house until he finally fell asleep. If this had not worked, I would have tried the car ride.

I feel horrible when I can not figure out what he is trying to tell me and when I can not soothe him. My heart breaks when he just cries & cries and I can not figure out why. I am searching for better ways to soothe him. Right now, I barely have any time to spend reading or looking on the intranet, so I thought I would ask for BTDT advice.

In addition to this, B/F is still not going well and I tried to contact the one LC I could find within a half hour of my house and she never called me back. Part of living in the boonies. After this LC, I could only find ones that were an hour away. I need to decide whether I should drive this distance to continue on the breastfeeing path. I am leaning towards giving up on B/F and to add to my stress from the above, I feel like a complete failure making this decision. I know I shouldn't and I know formula is just fine for my little guy -- but there is a deep down feeling of failure on my part. I know all of my stress is probably not helping either so I need to figure out how to minimize my stress.....

Three Weeks Old & Updates (Long)

Baby Dude is three weeks old (and one day). WOW! Time is flying! It is really hard to believe he entered this world three weeks ago. The first two weeks were filled with visitors and craziness. I have not found the time to write about my mom and how much of an annoyance she was during her visit. My dad was fabulous with Baby Dude but my mom.. well, another story!

My mom -- She is very used to being very active. My mom may be turning 70 this year but she has the energy of a 20 year old. Well, we could not be very active as Baby Dude was less than 2 weeks old when she was here and also, the weather was cold & icky so it was hard to be outside. My mom was totally bored and barely bonded with Baby Dude. She only wanted to bond when I was handing him to my dad to feed or hold. She only wanted to when it suited her time - at night, she would hang out upstairs in her bedroom reading. She even made the comment that next time they may only come up for 5 days as 7 days was too long. She actually made a mistake and scheduled their flights back for Sunday morning instead of Saturday morning (which is what she originally planned.) She was going to stay in a hotel by the airport (which is an hour away) Saturday night instead of hanging out with her grandchild. My DH made a comment to her about spending more time with her grandchild and she was not happy about the comment as she thought she was trying to be nice about not having us get up so early to take them to the airport. In reality, it was her being selfish because she did not want to get up early. In the end, they stayed here Saturday night and my DH took them to the airpot. When leaving, my dad could not stop holding Baby Dude. He had tears in his eyes. My mom did not even put down her bags to give Baby Dude a hug goodbye. I was very saddened by this as my parents do not live very close to us and we are not sure the next time we will see them. But, in the end, I am not surprised by my mom's behavior. In the end, we think my mom was not happy she was not the center of attention, which is where she likes to be. The way my dad was with Baby Dude actually helped me to forget about my mom's behavior and ignore it. (I do want to add that I love my mom and I am lucky to have her as my mom -- however, I was just not pleased with her behavior. I am not talking favorably about her here but she has been very good to me and I have had a wonderful life.)

My in-laws were here last week and my MIL is great with babies. I learned a lot from her but she was almost too helpful, if that makes sense. She continuously wanted to hold Baby Dude, feed him (as we are still supplementing) and change him. By the end, I had to put my foot down a little and do things as we need to learn how to take care of him on our own especially me with my DH being back at work. My FIL was very helpful with taking our dog for walks and making sure he does not feel ignored. My dog is used to being in daycare daily and since Baby Dude was born, we have not had him in daycare to help save some $. Starting this week, I am going to take him up to daycare two times / week to give him some activity as he is too big for me to walk. It is funny how my inlaws are opposite of my mom - they are happy hanging out inside watching TV & hanging out with Baby Dude. It was a nice week.

Stepping back, I have wanted to write about the challenges faced in the first couple weeks after delivery. I am sorry if it is a little scattered. Despite all the challenges, I would not trade my life right now for anything. Every moment of pain & tears is 100% worth it to have my Baby Dude. I would do everything again in a heartbeat!

** Tearing/Stitches - My labor was almost 32 hours in total and my pushing phase with 2 hours long. I experienced 2nd/3rd degree tears that took an hour to repair. After delivery, it hurt so much to get out of bed between the stitches and contractions that occur post delivery -- it hurt so much so that the nurse had to help me put on the disposable underwear that they give to you. I could barely muster the strength to pick my legs. It was more pain than I had experienced in my life. The contractions also do not stop - they keep going for a while as your uterus starts trying to get back to normal size. And when going to the bathroom, lots of clots just like with AF will be there. As long as they are small in size, it it normal. And this occurs for a while after delivery -- for me, I was wearing large/maxi pads for almost 2 weeks and now regular pads/liners due to continuous spotting. I was told this could last up to 6 weeks.
*** The pain/recovery was a lot more intense than I ever imagined. I have a wonderful DH who helped out tremendously but it makes it hard to move around as much as I would have liked. And it took away some of the enjoyment of Baby Dude's arrival unfortunately. I wish I had been more prepared so I could force myself to enjoy the time a little more.
*** The hospital provides a peri bottle (to help clean the area), tucks pads, dermoplast spray and ice packs to place down there for relief as well. All helped very much especially the dermoplast spray since it sort of numbs the area. They had me going to the bathroom every 2 hours at least to help recovery as they said if you do not go often enough, down there can swell so much that it will require intervention/further procedures that are quite painful. Since I was in so much pain the first night, the morning nurse walked me through everything again and was wonderful. I learned that no question is stupid and not to be shy!
*** The pain does get much, much better! It took me about 2 weeks to feel more like myself physically.

** Emotions/Crying - wow! Where do I start? The first two weeks, I continuously broke down into tears for either no reason or for just feeling overwhelmed. I remember the last day I was in the hospital just breaking down completely.
*** I blogged about this during my pg, but I was on blood thinners the last month of my pg due to a presumed pulmonary embolism. It was presumed because when I was in the ER, I turned down the CT Scan and subsequent scans/ultrasounds after my ER visit showed no clots. At first they wanted me to start on Levonox again, which I turned down until I had more time to process/talk to the drs ... although mostly it was because I was scared of the injections. They are so painful to me. I talked to an internist at the hospital who I had not talked to before and after reading my case, he said I did not need to continue meds. Then my OB came in and wanted me to start this other drug (coumadin) that I knew nothing about. Then another OB came in and started talking to me about how I needed to consult with my family dr. I was fed so much information. And it it was my breaking point... I just broke down. I was crying uncontrollabley, felt dizzy, could not breathe etc. I was afraid to tell them I could not breathe as they might make me stay longer and all I wanted to do was get home. I was so tired of being in the hospital.
*** After my break down in the hospital, I broke down into tears at the drop of a pin needle. I felt so bad for my little guy as I could not enjoy his company as much as I wanted to. I hated myself for crying so much!
*** I ended up seeing my family dr and broke down in his office as a result of the blood thinner drama. He ran some more tests and my b/w came back with high numbers like I had in the ER. He is keeping me on the coumadin for another 4+ months. He said it is likely I had a small clot that resolved itself. Scary!!
*** The nurses told me that emotions/crying/tears are very normal for the first two-three weeks. If they occur uncontrollably after this, it could be post partum depresssion which can be serious. My emotions are much, much better although I still find myself in tears at certain times (like after watching a Baby Story and this past Monday when my DH left for work & I was so overtired... I was not sure I could handle being on my own for the day!)

** Jaundice -- I had heard of Jaundice but did not really know much about it. When Baby Dude was diagnosed at his appt three days after delivery, I also broke down into tears. I have tears now just thinking about it = ( I blame(d) myself for putting him through this (as breastfeeding was not going well) and also for not identifying it prior to his appt. His billirubin level had reached about 20-21 and of course, researching it online, I saw how close it was to 25, which is the levels in which in could cause a lot of damage. I was so scared. Jaundice from what I understand now is very very common but hearing that he needed to go back to the hospital really through me for a loop. Babe=y Dude did wonderful under the lights! He originally was supposed to have an IV but they could not get it into him so I had to feed/supplement every couple of hours. He was able to go home very quickly.

** BreastFeeding - OMG. All I have to say is that it is MUCH MUCH harder than I ever imagined. I had heard it was hard but it is 100 times harder. As a result of latching difficulties & the jaundice, we started to supplement during the 2nd hospital stay based on the advice of the drs and we are still supplementing today. I had the best of intentions not to supplement & to pump. However, I tried pumping and it was a disaster. I was afraid to try again - it took me a week to try again. I started and was doing better & Baby Dude decided he was hungry so I stopped to feed him. I will hopefully try again today. I still am not sure how long I will continue with the B/F and pumping though. I want to do what is best but at the same time all of my worries/stress related to B/F are taking away enjoyment of the bonding/feeding time! I am still debating whether to call at Lactation consultant or stop all together. I need to decide this week. I also am conflicted about what to do when I go back to work in 2 months. I know my DH wants me to B/F as well. A wise friend told me about a conversation that she had with her pedi with the jist being not to feel guilty if we formula feed because formula fed babies can still go to Harvard. I am just trying to come to terms with this all and it takes a while. There is so much pressure to b/f (as breast is best according to many) and it is hard not to feel pressure to continue. In the end, what is most important is my Baby Dude!!

The only other challenge right now that I will have to write about later as Baby Dude is stirring right now. My post is so long already so I will write about this at another time.

Two Weeks Old & Anniversary

It has been a little bit since I have been able to blog. My parents were here last week (and my mom drove me NUTS -- this is another post in and of itself), my in-laws are here in this week and my DH went back to work this week after 2 weeks at home. We miss having him at home!! I started yesterday to send him a picture of the day through text. It is fun! It is like making him lunch and leaving a little note in his lunch bag (hehe!).

Our little guy is 2 weeks old today (wow!!) and it is our 8 year wedding anniversary as well (we have known each other for a little over 11 years.) I am so thankful to have both my DH and my little guy in my life! I can not imagine what life would be like without them! I am one lucky person!! = )

My in-laws are out taking my dog for a walk so I am trying to get a few things done before I lay down for a nap as my little guy is also sleeping. I am trying not to worry too much about house chores and sleep while he sleeps... it is easier said than done though as there is a lot to do. But if I do not, I am a mess at night and I think it stresses us all out. I am trying hard to make sure I keep a close eye on my sleep (I have always needed a lot of sleep). Next week, when we have no help, it will certainly be a bigger challenge.

I have been meaning to write more about some of the challenges I have faced in the last two weeks (recovery, emotions, learning to live with less sleep, b/f difficulties, supplementing etc etc) but I will have to fit this in at another time.

Birth Story & A Few Pictures

I have to admit that my birth story is a little fuzzy as it was so long but I wanted to try to document as much as I could. I do not remember the exact times things occurred but here goes the long version.

On Sunday the 17th, I started having very uncomfortable contractions about 5 to 10 minutes apart for 2 hours and our little guy was being very quiet so we decided to head over to the hospital. I was not really sure if they were real contractions or stronger Braxton Hicks and thought they might check us & send us home. They admitted us right away, monitored us for a while and did a cervical check. My cervix was very far back but the nurse thought maybe I was 2-3 cm along so a little progess since my last OB appt a week prior where I was only a finger tip dilated. My OB came by a bit later and did another cervical check and said it was actually not quite 2cm along, with the cervix being way far back still. I think with being almost 40 weeks, they decided it was best for us to stay and deliver. Being that I was on heparin for several weeks, they first had to reverse the heparin so the gave me a shot in my behind (not fun but not much worse than PIO injections) and had to run bloodwork before anything else could be done. This took a while, but afterwards when the bloodwork looked good, they let us walk the halls and gave me an ambien to try to help me get some rest and see if the contractions I was having were doing anything.

I woke up around 5am on the 18th and was still contracting, but not in too much pain yet. The ambien helped me to get some rest and feel better. My OB came in later that morning and did another cervical check and there was unfortunately no progress overnight as I was still not quite 2cm along with my cervix still being far back. They started to the process to ripen my cervix to see if this might work before going for full induction with pitocin. They let this take effect until about 1pm, when my OB did another cervical check (yes, I got alot of these throughout) and found that I was only about 3cm, but my cervix was coming forward a little. At this time, they decided to start the pitocin.

They slowly ramped the pitocin up every 1/2 hour to an hour so it was a very slow process as there were at least 10 different times they increased the pitocin. I can not remember what time it was but as the process moved along, things started to get painful. I finally took some pain meds to try to help and as I was feeling a little better, my water broke. What a bizarre experience -- I was sort of resting from the pain meds and I heard a loud POP and a small gush, then a bigger gush. Yep, my water had broken on its own (before the pain meds were administered, my dr talked about breaking the water but we decided to wait but administer a few pain meds). And then the contractions/pain really really started - it was the most intense pain I have ever felt in my entire life. There was a point where I felt I was not going to make it though --- this lasted for about an hour before the anesthesiologist arrived for my epidural. There were two of us laboring at the same time and thankfully I was the first one on the list to get the epidural. And I must say the epidural was the best decision I have ever made -- it was the blessing I needed to continue. And the anesthesiologist was fabulous. He walked me through every step and it did not really hurt at all. The meds kicked in very quickly and I was feeling much better. (My poor DH almost passed out during the epidural process, not from seeing it but they used this spray for some reason and the fumes made him sick to his stomach. I guess he turned white as a ghost but I never knew until afterwards.)

I think it was around midnight on the 19th where I fully dilated. However, I did not feel the urge to push so they let me rest for a little bit and I started to push around 1:30am. I can not even describe very well the 2 hours that I pushed except for intense. I remember being frustrated at the nurse as she was not helping much --- she was trying to do too much with helping me, writing things down etc. When my OB arrived, she was the best cheerleader in the world. She got my spirits back up and running as I was exhausted. I think had the OB not come when she did, I would have been pushing for longer. My little guy arrived at 3:37am on October 19th after almost 32 hours. I ended up having 2nd & 3rd degree tears internally so it took an hour for my OB to repair them - thankfully I was able to hold my little guy during the time. I have lots of stitches and this has been part of the challenges of the past four days that I will write about in a separate post.

Our little guy is everything we dreamed of and much, much MORE!!! Although I will never ever forget the world of IF, having my little guy ... there are no words to describe it. I wish that IF could be wiped from our world and that no one else would have to experience it. My thoughts are with those still experiencing IF and my hopes are that you will have your dreams come true as well. I will be cheering you on!!!

Thank you to everyone for your amazing support.

My little guy was diagnosed with Jaundice

I have been MIA as the first few days home have been challenging for all of us. We had our first pediatrician appt today and my little guy was diagnosed with hyperbillirubin levels and we are back in the hospital = (. He will be put under the lights and it is going to be a tough night emotionally watching him go through this. I am going through a lot of guilty feelings as I feel like I caused this as breastfeeding has not gone very well. The pediatrician tried to assures this was not my fault but I still can not help but feel that way. I am glad we caught it today and hope&pray everything will be ok. They are running bloodwork as I type and hopefully he will be under the lights soon. Thank you to everyone for your earlier posts regarding aaron's arrival. They mean a lot to us. I will also post his birth story and a couple of pictures soon.

Our little guy is here!!!!

Thank you to everyone for your well wishes. Aaron arrived at 3:37am this morning. He is beautiful and amazing. We are in love. He was 7 pounds 4 oz and 19.5 inches. I will write more later and post pictures later as we are still tired from 32 hours of labor..... Hope everyone is well.

In the hospital....

Last night, started having contractions 5 to 10 minutes apart for 2 hours and our little guy was being very quiet so we decided to come to the hospital. They admitted us, monitored me and baby dude and did a cervical check. My cervix is very far back but they think I am about 2-3 cm dilated, which is a bit of progress over the last week. My cervix is 70-80% effaced. Theyvhace decided to keep us overnight. After monitoring, we have been walking the halls and they just gave me an ambien to try to help me get some rest. My dh is running home to check on our dog and get a wedge pillow I forgot. Hardest part right now is that I am hungry and can not eat. Hopefully the 18th will be baby dude's birthday. I will post updates as I can. I am going to try to get some rest...

Updated. It is almost 5am and I was able to rest well with the ambien. I feel a little groggy at the moment. Still contracting but not sure if any progress has been made. Dr should hopefully be in soon after they get back results from more bloodwork. We should know more then about next steps. And my lovely dh is snoring away...lol!!

Updated: no progress overnight = ( starting the process to ripen my cervix before bringing in pitocin. I can already feel the impact....

Updated: started pitocin about 1pm.....this is going to hurt.....trying to tell myself millions of women give birth.....I can do this.

39w4d...Still Pregnant!

My little guy is still content hanging out in my belly = 3 days until my EDD. I have had some pretty strong Braxton hicks the past couple of days but other than that, no labor signs. I have been hoping that the BH will turn into real contractions but no luck. I am still begging and pleading with my little guy, but seems like he may be stubborn like both my DH and I can be.

My DH ran to Costco for us today and I so much wanted to go as I love Costco but decided two hours in the car was not a good idea. I tried to do a little too much cleaning this morning and did not feel that great for much of the day. I was lazy and watched re-runs of Sex in the City for most of the afternoon.

We shall see what tomorrow brings - maybe my little guy?!?! If not, I think a trip to Walmart is in my future tomorrow as we desperately need a new bed for my dog. Unfortunately, Walmart is all we have here in my town. I wish Target was a little closer but it is 1/2 hour one way and cars are not really my friend these days in terms of comfort. Nothing really is = (

I am so looking forward to my drs appt on Monday afternoon. Continuing to pray for progress and if there is none, scheduling an u/s and NST for monitoring. My parents are coming to visit next Saturday for a week so I hope, hope, hope our little guy will be here before then. I will update again after my appt on Monday!!!

39w1d - Come on Little One!!

I saw the ticker this morning and it shows 6 days to go! I am sitting here in amazement that I have reached the 39w1d mark! I think because I believed I was one who would go early, I never imagined myself still here. I started getting some stronger contractions for a while yesterday but then they fizzled when I laid down to watch a movie last night. I started feeling crampy overnight and still do, but there have not been any more contractions. Maybe, just maybe today???? I guess I can only take one day at a time and hope that each day will be THE day. On the agenda today while I wait: taking my dog to daycare (we are now taking him every other day so he still is getting activity as I can not walk him), grocery shopping, continuing to organize my files, possibly meeting my DH for lunch and venturing to my office to drop off my laptop while I am on leave. And maybe if I am up for it, cleaning the bathrooms. Exciting day! LOL!! I would much rather be enjoying my maternity leave with my little guy in my arms!! Come on, little guy, come out and meet us, PLEASE!!!!!! Yes, sadly enough, I have resorted to begging = )

38w5d and No progress = (

Well, I had a drs appt today at 38w5d and cervix is still only a fingertip dilated. UGH! I was hoping for some progress over the weekend. Baby sounds good on the monitor and I am measuring small to average like I have been the past few weeks. The dr said after 39 weeks, I can electively be induced but with a cervix that is only a fingertip dilated, it is not a good idea as the risk for c-section goes up to 50%. They prefer to let nature take its course and she said I can go safely up to 42 weeks. I can not imagine another 3 weeks as I am soooooo uncomfortable right now, and the fact that I have already started my maternity leave. I can not find a comfy spot to lay down, sit down or stand so I have to rotate between the three often. Maybe, just maybe by getting the cervix checked, that will prompt some progress. Wishful thinking probably.

Next drs appt is on Monday the 18th. I pray that I deliver before then but if not, at least there is some progress so maybe induction will not be so risky. I so much want to meet my little man!!

Tomorrow - My Last Day of Work for 2010!!!

I am so excited - tomorrow is my last day of work for 2010!! WOO HOO!! My leave was approved through 1/2/2011. It is hard to believe my leave is here!! Two of my co-workers are taking me out to lunch and Stupid Manager is taking a vacation day so it will be a GREAT last day!! If I only knew how much time I had before my little guy arrives!!! My next drs appointment is on Monday and they will do another cervical check to see if any progress has been made this week. I hope & pray some progress has been made. Thinking lots of progress vibes!!! Although I know even if there is progress, that does not mean delivery is right around the corner. I would love for my little guy to arrive this coming week so I will only have used up less than one week of my leave without him here!! Hopefully I can keep myself busy to minimize the anxiety of the unknown!!

An update from my last post - my dr confirmed that I did not have any clots in my lungs, thankfully = ) Unfortunately, I still have to take the blood thinners but will not be on them as long as originally thought! It looks like Three total months instead of six but my dr was calling the maternal fetal medicine specialist to confirm. Maybe I will get lucky and it will be less than 3 months!

T minus a little over 12 days until my due date (since it is almost midnight -- hehe!!)!!

Belly & Additional Nursery Pictures

I took the plunge and had a few belly pictures taken by my DH this past weekend in the nursery which is 99% complete. I am not sure why they come out so small here! I am normally very camera shy but I thought a few pictures would be good to have for when I eventually am able to put together our little guy's baby book. And I was a little hesitant to show my face here as I try to keep this fairly anonymous but I thought why not this time! I must say I love my glider - although right now once I sit in it, I can not get up without help! But I think I am going to live in this chair very soon!! It is so comfy!!!

Today was a difficult day -- I ended up deciding to get a CT Scan to check my lungs for blood clots. I talked to my dr yesterday and she highly recommended I get this done and said it was minimal risk to the baby, that the benefits of knowing far outweight the risks. She said it would help with decision making on future dosages of blood thinner, delivery plans and treatment if we decide/are able to have future children. She said it is not the same as if I had had one done two weeks when I was in the ER (as I could have had one then that resolved itself) but that it would still help. It was a very tough decision for me but I had a few people confirm that it was minimal risk to our little guy and also highlight that if I had a blood clot in my lung, it would be very serious and something could happen during delivery. So I decided to go for it and it was not a fun experience. I felt very enclosed and the shield they had over most of my stomach to protect the baby was very heavy and uncomfortable. Thankfully it did not last more than 15 minutes or I think I would have gone crazy. They did not go over the results with me today (I have a follow up appt tomorrow) but I am guessing if I did have a clot in my lung, that they would not hAve let me go home and they did. So the good news is that I am thinking I am blood clot free in my lungs! Unfortunately, I still do not know why I often feel like I can not get enough air. My uterus must just be pushing on my lungs even though our little guy is VERY VERY low! I feel guilty for putting my little guy through any extra stress but think that I made the right decision.

You know I have gotten way to much blood work this preganancy when the lab lady recognizes me, knows my name and even comments that it looks like I have dropped quite a bit in the last 1 1/2 weeks since my last blood work was completed. I must say I am lucky they are so nice in the lab and make it very easy to get blood work done!

I will be 38 weeks tomorrow!!! I just can not believe it! I am surprised that our little guy is still in my tummy as I guessed he would be here by now with all the early contractions I was having. However, they have mostly stopped and I am still only a fingertip dilated as of yesterday. My dr also confirmed that our little guy is definitely head down (and I can FEEL THIS!!) It is just wait & see now!! Come on little one, I am so ready for you to join us!! I am so excited and can not wait!!

Only three days of work left!!! WOO HOO! 12 weeks without stupid manager! I must admit I am very nervous the person they brought in to replace me will not do a very good job. I have tried to train him to the best of my abilities but I am not sure he gets it - and of course stupid manager will blame me for any failures. But, hopefully in a few days, that will be the last thing I am thinking about!!

I am not sure what I will do with my time next week if I still have not delivered but it will be nice to be able to relax & organize. I hope to get my hair cut, meet up with my DH for lunch and do a little last minute shopping.

Well, time for me to eat dinner!!

Thank you/Update

Thank you everyone so much for helping to calm my fears. I appreciate it very much. I did finally get a call from my drs office and I do not need to see a specialist or go to a different hospital for delivery. I hope to find out Monday if I will be induced early as they have mentioned this twice.... So at least I am not in full limbo anymore = )

Today was a rotten work day as Stupid Manager strikes again. I have been working as much as I can and he accused me today of not doing my job and not doing as much as my peers. I always try to meet deadlines and there is this internal project I have not been able to because of a customer project taking up all my time as well as training my replacement while I am on leave. I have tried to be upfront with stupid manager about being behind and today he just laid into me about not having it done. And of course he never once offered to help. I do not know what more I can be doing. I am going to have to work all weekend to try to make up some time and even before he accused me of not doing my job, I had planned on working this weekend. I hate being so stressed as it is not good for my little guy.

One more week to get through. I was going to be nice and attend a big meeting the following monday on the 11th if I have not delivered yet. Now, there is no way I am being nice. They can do it without me but you know if there are questions stupid manager will blame me... He is such a jerk and I hate that I let him make me feel like crap....

Hopefully tomorrow is a better day....

Thank you again to everyone for your help and words of wisdom.

I can't sleep...

...Besides being uncomfortable, too many thoughts rolling around in my head.

** I still do not know where I am going to deliver and although I am trying my best not to stress and worry, it is hard when you are a planner not to feel stressed and in limbo. I have an appt on Monday so I just hope that they finally have a plan for me. I am discouraged by the fact that I still have not heard anything. It has been 1 1/2 weeks in limbo!

** I am SO EXCITED and can not wait to meet my little guy, but I am starting to get nervous about the actual labor/delivery process. whether it be induction or c-section. It is just the fear of the unknown. I know my DH will be there to support me all the way but I hope that I do not panic.

** I am nervous about breastfeeding. I know it is something I want to do but what if it does not work? More fear of the unknown. I was worried that there was going to be no place at work when I go back to pump, but I talked with our office manager yesterday and she is going to set up a place for me in our computer room. It is a room that no one can go into with getting a key from her and it can be locked! I felt much better after talking to her. I was glad I did not have to go talk to HR or my boss about this!

** I am so nervous I am going to fail at being a good mom. What if I do not know what to do when he is here? I am sure I will be asking a lot of BTDT questions.

** Am I missing something that we need for when he arrives? I keep going through my lists and we will probably go on one more shopping trip this weekend.

** Can I finish everything at work that I need to finish before my last day on the 8th? Things have been so crazy busy right now, I feel so behind and although I have no loyalty to my manager because he is such a jerk, it is my personality to want to get everything done! And I have tried so hard to train the person taking over my work but I just do not think he is getting it all. And it is making me nervous that all I have worked hard to put into place is going to fall apart. I am trying not to worry but it is hard!

I am going to try to fall back asleep .... 19 days until my due date!! Hopefully I will know Monday whether I will be induced early at 39 weeks and then it would only be 12 days!!

FULL TERM!!

We made it!! We are officially full term = ) I am so excited! I honestly was not sure I would make it to full term with all the early contractions I was having. I had a drs appt yesterday and our little guy is doing well -- growing & sounded good on the doppler! My dr still believes that he will be on the small side, but nothing to be concerned with. I had the Group B something or other test as well as a cervical check. I am soft, 50-60 percent effaced/finger tip dilated. I can definitely feel our little guy down low and often feel like I am sitting on his head! Not a very comfy feeling I must say! I wish this told more about when labor will be here but my dr said it does not! I did read though that many first time moms efface before dilating so the process has begun -- the part is that no one knows how long the process will be!

I am so confused about this whole specialist/new hospital situation so I am trying not to worry/think about it. We did go on a tour of the new hospital last night just in case. The dr I saw yesterday is not the one that I spoke with last week and he was not fully aware of the entire situation. And the dr I spoke with last week is on vacation for a few days. I did express my frustration to him about everything though. After reading my file and talking more, the dr I saw yesterday thinks that I may not need to be transferred to the new hospital. He also does not think that I necessarily need to see a specialist -- that they were just consulting with a specialist on management of my care (ie when to stop the blood thinners, when to induce etc etc.) I just wish the specialist either way would get back to my drs office so I knew one way or the other -- the information was faxed a week ago and they have not heard anything! The dr yesterday mentioned being induced at 39 weeks again and how it would not be much fun because they are interrupting natures work. He also thinks that they put me on blood thinners too quickly, that more testing should have been done and made the comment more than once that this will impact me for up to 6 months after delivery. All of the opinions are making my head spin! I think they are going to follow up with the specialists today so maybe I will know more.

I am off to try to get a little more sleep!!! Happy Wednesday!!!

Nursery Photos (and a small 36w4d update)

The nursery is not 100% complete but we made some progress on it yesterday. Unfortunately, the pictures do not show the blue water vs the sky very well. I was taking the pictures with my phone, which is not the greatest quality. We still want to put up some more shelving (there are some built in shelves that I did not take a picutre of.) We bought some shelves yesterday but they turned out to be the wrong color match to the furniture. And I am debating about getting a rug to go in the middle of the room but I have not found one that I like yet. The crib mattress has not been delivered yet so I can not make up the crib, which is OK as our little guy will be sleeping in our room in the beginning due to the fact that our bedroom is on the 1st floor and his is on the 2nd floor on the other side of the house. And my DH wants to install a dimmer switch for the lights in the room. And we bought some letters that need to be painted and hung in the room. Other than that, I think it will be all that we need for now! It is simple, but we really like it! We hope our little guy likes it too!


A little update (more like random thoughts) at 36w4d:
* Still no word on an appt with a specialist! Hopefully I will hear tomorrow. I have promised myself I am not going to worry about it and if I need to, I will continue to call my current drs office for help. I do still have a drs appt set for Tuesday with my current drs office so I will keep this and if I have not heard anything by then, hopefully they will have more information for me at that time.

* We signed up for a hospital tour of the new hospital for Tuesday night!

* A very happy surprise for me, the contractions I was having earlier have slowed down despite me coming off the medication that was helping to control them. I was able to shop for about 2 hours yesterday without feeling too much tightness down there! I have not been able to do this for a while. We went out to lunch and had fun shopping at Michaels, Target and Lowes. We did want to go grocery shopping but I ran out of steam so we are going to do that today.

* I will be FULL TERM in ***THREE DAYS***! = ) Weeks ago, I would have guessed I was going to deliver early! Now, it is looking like he is quite happy hanging out for a while.

* Hip pain is starting to creep in after laying down for too long on my side. And when I sit, I feel like I am sitting on his head so I have to alternate between laying down & sitting to find any sort of comfort! I sat down on my new glider for a while yesterday while my DH put up the decals. This was comfy but I needed help getting up due to my huge belly! I really wish we had a similar type chair for our family room.

* I am at ~between 20-25 pounds in terms of weight gain, which is not too too bad. I was hoping not to gain more than 25 but if I do, I do!

* Today I have to work some (yuk) but I hope to get started on packing the hospital bag. And hopefully my DH can get the car seats installed. We need to then call to make an appt to get them checked that we installed properly. Hopefully we can get a start on washing some of the baby clothes, but that might be a next weekend project!

* My work friends are having a small lunch for me on Wednesday. We are going out for Mexican food (yummy!!). It should be nice. Although I joked that my specialist appt will now be made for Wednesday and I will have to miss this again!

* Two more weeks of work until my leave. I am really hoping I can make it as if I leave any early, I will have to come back to work this year! If I make it to the 8th, my first day back will be January 2nd.

I think that is all I can think of on a Sunday morning! Happy Sunday = )

35w6d Update - Need to See Specialist

I just talked to my drs office and as a result of being on the blood thinners, they are now referring me to a larger hospital about an hour away from where I live. They are going to help me make an appt this week with a Maternal Fetal Medicine Doctor. I am very sad as I love my drs office and was looking forward to delivering at my local hospital, 5 minutes from my house. I know it is probably the best thing for us and that they are truly looking out for our best interests, but it has completely thrown me for a loop having all this come up so late in the game. My husband and I do not even know where this hospital is as we do not venture to the city where it is located very often. As my DH said to me, I need to roll with everything .. easier said than done!!!

Our furniture should be here soon!! It is being delivered between 2 - 4pm today! YEAH!

35w5d Drs Appt - the good & the not so good!

I had a follow up appt today to my ER visit last week and well, let me say, it went well in that I was able to hear my little guy on the doppler (music to my ears) but it went not so well in that I found out there is a high probability I will be needing a c-section due to having started the Lovenox injections. I will find out a more specific plan at my next appt in a week as I now start going to the drs weekly. The OB I met with today (whom I love) said she needed to talk through the plan with the 2 other OBs in the office but her thought was that I would be induced ~ 10/12 or 10/13 (and stop the Lovenox injections a few days prior) and if anything does not look right with the induction, I would then be prepped for a c-section. She said with inductions, there is a higher chance of needing a c-section as well. So, between being on blood thinner & being induced, the liklihood is high. I am really scared. I guess I always knew in the back of my mind even before last week, there is always a chance for a c-section but to me, it was so small I did not even really think much about it. Maybe this was a bad assumption on my part. I guess I will be doing some reading up on c-sections and what to expect!

Additionally, I found out today that if I decide to b/f, which I was planning on trying, I will have to take the Lovenox injections for 3-6 months after delivery! The reason being is that if I am b/f, they can not run more diagnostic testing on blood clots/disorders. OMG!! These shots are the worst - they hurt more than any of the 100s of shots I had last year (even more so than the PIO shots in my opinion!!) I can not imagine this but I can not imagine giving b/f a chance either! The one problem I am going to run into with b/f and I was thinking about this a lot today is that there is NO where at work for me to pump. No open offices, no conference rooms without windows. NO WHERE! So I am going to need to come up with a plan to b/f for 2 months or so and then start to move to formula sooner than I anticipated most likely.

Any which way though, it looks like I will be meeting my little guy in ~ 3 weeks. WOW!!! I can not wait to meet him! I have so much to get done in 3 weeks. Pressure is on now....

And to top off my day, my email account was hacked into. UGH!!! I cancelled it and have a new one but now I have to change my email account for everything, call my credit card companies and have a credit check run soon just to make sure! Very, very frustrating!!

To end with some good news, our nursery furniture will be delivered tomorrow so this week/weekend we can work on setting up the nursery! YEAH!!! I am very excited!!

Short Update - No Blood Clots = )

Thank you so much for all of your wishes and positive thoughts! The u/s on my leg was easy and showed no clots. YEAH!!! I did not think there would be any as my legs were not feeling all the symptoms that normally come with clots but of course one worries anyways. I still need to take the Lovenox shots two times a day for now -- I do have a follow up appt with my OB on Monday so I am interested to see what she will say. I felt horrible this morning but am feeling better this afternoon. I did go into work this morning and I am thinking that was not such a good idea and I worked from home in the afternoon after my appt.



The picture is so small, I am going to have to try to take a better one, but I wanted to share with you the flowers that my DH sent to me for my birthday today! Please excuse the mess of our placemats on our table.

No plans for this weekend. I hope to get started on packing for the hospital. Our furniture is somewhere in transit from the manufacturer to the store where we ordered it... so hopefully next week it will be delivered.

12 days until full term and 33 days until 40 weeks!!!! And 3 more weeks max of work left until maternity leave (unless of course I deliver early or talk to my dr Monday about stopping earlier than I planned.)

Hope y'all have a wonderful weekend!! Thank you again for all the wonderful support -it means the world to me!!

Another hospital visit.....

This time it was to the ER, for shortness of breath! I was feeling all day like I could not breathe well. I decided at the end of the day I should call my dr just on inquire about. I thought they would say not to worry -- it was probably my uterus growing and pushing against my diaphragm. Neither of the OBs were in the office so the nurse I spoke with told me they would like me to head to the ER to get checked out so I went. Off I go thinking that it is probably nothing. They did several blood tests (one taken in my arm's artery instead of vein - OUCH!) and an EKG (and checked baby dude's heartbeat, which sounded good!!) And they did not like how swollen my feet were/are. They found that I am at higher risk than the normal pregnant lady for blood clots. So, guess what I get to start -- blood thinner (levonox) injections!! And I never thought that my IF treatment experiences would come in handy but they did tonight! I think they were surprised when I told them I had already given myself shots through the fertility treatments. They actually had me give myself the first shot at the hospital tonight, and were impressed with how well I did. They originally talked about me staying overnight but decided in the end I was able to go home = ) I have to take the shots every 12 hours and I will also be getting an ultrasound on my legs tomorrow to check for an actual blood clot. And my next OB appt is now Monday instead of next Friday.

My friends at work set up a luncheon for me tomorrow as a mini baby shower / birthday lunch. The u/s on my legs is at the same time now so I will miss my lunch = ( I feel so bad but I will do what is needed to make sure everything is OK for my little guy!! Here to hoping that they do not find any real blood clots tomorrow.

Off to put my feet up and watch some TV!

34w2d OB Appt = )

I just got back from my 34w2d appt and everything is looking good. My blood pressure and weight are good (although I gained 4 pounds in 2 weeks. ACK! I think a lot of it is water retention though as I am drinking more fluids than ever before in my life) My appt was also in the afternoon this time and in the past I have always had them first thing in the morning. My dr did his measurements and listened to the heartbeat. He said that based on my 20 week u/s and current measurements, that our little guy will probably be a little smaller than average but nothing to be concerned with. I was also small when born (I think ~ 6 pounds and my DH was a preemie), but he said they often use paternal measurements as a guideline too.

At this point, I will not have any more ultrasounds. I know it is a good thing as they think things are going well but I was a little bummed as I would love to see my little guy again!

And they are asking me to stop the procardia at 36 weeks. I am a little concerned about this as I think without the meds, I will have the Braxton Hicks/contractions ALL DAY LONG! But he said if it gets really bad after stopping the meds, then he will put me back on it. He said they prefer not to have someone taking it after 36 weeks but would allow it if it meant being comfortable vs uncomfortable. That is good to hear.

All in all, a smooth & quick appt today!! = ) 19 days until full term @ 37 weeks = ) I hope we can make it to full term!!

34 weeks!!!!

I can not believe I am 34 weeks. It is so exciting and so nerve-wracking at the same time that my little guy will be here in 6 +/- weeks (my gut feel is that he will be here earlier than 6 weeks but I know that only my little guy knows when he will be ready.) I have so many things going on in my head that I do not know how to get it out of my head. I have so many questions and so many things I feel like I need to do but sometimes I do not know where to begin.

In the meantime while I figure this out, I thought I would update.

How far along?: 34 weeks = ) 42 (+ / -) days to go until 40 weeks -- 21 days until full term!

Weight?: ~ 20 pounds. I am interested to see how much more I have gained at my appt on Friday. Lately, a lot of it is water retention as I am drinking 100-120 oz of fluids per day to try to fight off the Braxton Hicks.

Sleep?: I do not sleep much at all = ( Every position is uncomfortable, it is hard to turn over and I often wake up in the middle of the night not being able to go back to sleep. And the night sweats have started too....

Best moment this week?: Any movement by my little guy... I love it! And the hiccups are so cute!!

Food cravings?: Still have a sweet tooth! I always have a sweet tooth though.

What I miss?: Diet Coke!

What I'm looking forward to?: My next OB appt this Friday!! And our nursery furniture arriving hopefully soon!!

How's Daddy? Busy -- work is crazy busy and since he is doing so much around the house, he is crazy busy at home too! I am very lucky to have all of his support/help - it is truly amazing!!! And I know although it is hard for him to sometimes show it, he is very excited for our little guy's arrival.

Emotions: OMG, still feel like I am on a rollercoaster. One minute I am feeling so excited and the next minute, I am nervous and scared. So many emotions going through my brain, it is hard to keep up = )

Other:
** Outside of going to work in the morning during the week, I am basically resting most of the time with my irritable uterus. I tried to go to a craft fair this past weekend and after 1/2 hour of walking around, I was so uncomfortable that I had to leave. My DH ran to get the car & two women stopped me to ask me if I was OK (one was a L&D nurse). My DH admitted to me that I did not look like I was feeling too well. I know I should not push myself but I thought it would be helpful to get out of the house for a little while. I am nervous that my lack of exercise is going to make labor much harder but at the same time, I just can not do much and am trying to realize my limitations. And I know resting is the best thing for me & my little guy. In the first few minutes at the crafts fair, we did find this shirt for my mom. She & my dad enjoy wine -- so we thought it was a cute / funny gift!!



** DH painted part of the nursery. We are waiting for the furniture to arrive before putting up the decor/decals/pictures. I love to scrapbook but not have done it in ages. I am not usually creative but here is part of my inexpensive art project. We are doing an under water/ocean theme. I found this design as part of a gift bag so we cut out one side and are framing it to put up on the wall in our nursery.



** I ordered a bouncer and monitor this weekend.
** Still Crazy Busy at work right now, which is good & bad! I am however working at home in the afternoons (I love my dr for writing me a note to be able to do this!!) I am loving it!
** Things to do:
** installing and having the car seat checked?
** write a flexible birth plan
** pack for the hospital? I did write a list out of what I think I will need.
** continue shopping for baby basics (clothes, diapers, etc)
** still figure out something special for my DH for all of his support.
** Decide on a bassinet (either a travel crib or an arms reach mini cosleeper are what I am looking at) for our room as our little guy will sleep there for a while. The nursery is on the 2nd floor while our room is on the 1st floor.

Time for me to go eat dinner!!

FFN Test Negative / 32w6d today

Well, I am 32w6d today. I just found out the FFN test I took last Friday at 32w2d was negative so there is a 99% chance I will not go into labor in the next 1 1/2 weeks. Yeah! I feel a little relief from this news today.... No more FFN tests for me as my drs office does not do them after 34 weeks.

29 days until full term and 50 days until 40 weeks. My drs told me they do not stop labor after 36 weeks. I am of course hoping I will reach at least 37 weeks!!

I am feeling quite uncomfortable these days between the Braxton Hicks, back pain and now, I think my little guy is either starting to drop or I am having serious ligament stretching in my pelvic region. I am really not sure how to tell the difference. I am more leaning towards ligament stretching as I do not have as much pressure when I stand or lay down. I feel it more when I am sitting and especially when I am driving - and of course I sit all day for work. Is there a better way to tell the difference? Any advice? Should I worry if he is starting to drop this early? Can you tell I am a FTM with no experience = ). Is there a point when I should worry and call my dr? My next appt is not for another 10 days. Lots of questions going through my mind.

Speaking of laying down, it is time for me to go rest for the evening. I have been sitting all day for work. Magnum PI and Bones re-runs, here I come!!!

A rough morning today. Mini hormonal episode!!

I had a rough morning today! I was so tired as I did not sleep well last night at all. I ended up going back to the hospital last night after the Braxton Hicks were coming every 3-10 minutes and the six hours had not gone by since I had my last Procardia pill. I called the OB unit since it was after hours and my dr, who was there for a c-section, asked for me to come in to be monitored. I ended up being on the monitor for about 2 hours -- and while they monitored me, I drank tons of water (to try to avoid an IV) and they had me take another Procardia. When everything calmed down, they sent me home. I just wish there was more of an explanation on why this was happening. But thankfully and most importantly, everything sounded good with Baby Dude. Needless to say, I did not sleep well and was way overtired today. My next OB appt is on Friday and they are going to give me another FFN test. I am going to see if they can check my cerivx too. Usually telling myself this is practice helps me, but it did not this morning.

So my boss (who I do not like) asked me how I am feeling and I just broke down crying as I did not feel well, I was overtired, I am stressed about getting all my work done, etc. Well, instead of letting me go home or trying to console me, he starts criticizing me about how I did not do this right yesterday, I need to do this, etc etc. I just sat there with tears in amazement about how someone could be so cold. If you did not really care about how I felt, why did you ask.

After I left his office, I went to call my DH as I needed to hear his voice. He did his best to calm me down but I know he feels helpless as he is not sure what to do. He is an engineer and always wants to "fix" it so when there is no fix, he has trouble. But he listened the best he could and it helped!! I then still could not go back to my desk so I went to visit a friend in another office. He has three kids so he understand what I am going through -- and so we sat & talked for about 30 minutes. Another co-worker of mine was looking for me to make sure that I was OK and she talked with us for a little while too. This helped and I was able to go back to work for the rest of the afternoon. I took another Procardia when it was time and felt better.

I came home from work and the BH started up again. I could not take another pill for a while so I tried to offset the effects with water & laying down. They seem to be most frequent in the afternoon/evenings, I am not sure why. Thank goodness for the old episodes of Magnum PI we now have on video. They are helping to distract my mind while I am resting.

I feel like all I do is complain about the BHs. I am not meaning to complain as I am so thankful to be pregnant. Except for these contractions, I have been very lucky with my pregnancy. However uncomfortable I am, I always try to remember that and I try to think about my little boy & how much I love him. I just wish I could find a way to not overshadow my happiness so much with the constant anxiety and worry of the BHs.

Enough rambling from me. I am off to try to get a few hours of sleep tonight. Hopefully tomorrow will start out better. I will be 32 weeks tomorrow... 35 days until full term and 56 days until my EDD.

31w4d update

How far along?: 31w4d = ) 59 (+ / -) days to go! My mom predicted this past weekend that I will deliver early and I too am having that gut feeling with all the Braxton Hicks I am still having! I just hope that I can make it to 37 weeks, which is actually only 38 days away....

Weight?: ~ 15-20 pounds. The weight gain has increased the last couple of weeks, unfortunately. And I have had several comments about how much I have "grown" the last two weeks. I have tried to keep is slow & steady but I think fluid retention is causing some of the weight gain too as my feet are starting to swell more. I hope I do not get "yelled" at during my OB appt on Friday.

Sleep?: Still not very good. I am still having a lot of trouble trouble getting comfortable and it is getting harder to toss and turn too! It is still a struggle between my back and side. I am trying to at least prop myself up with two pillows so I am not flat on my back if I do roll onto my back -- and this also helps with the heartburn. I also wake up at 3am almost every morning and can not go back to sleep until 4ish-am. This weekend I have tried to take short naps to help offset the lack of sleep at night.

Best moment this week?: Hearing that my FFN test was negative again and as always, I am loving the movement!! Baby Dude has also had hiccups a couple of times this week -- my DH was able to feel them this morning = )

Food cravings?: SWEETS!! I think this is also contributing to my weight gain. My mom made a coffee cake for us last week when she was in town last weekend and it is so yummy!!! I could not stop eating it all week!! And I have been craving M&Ms too! Not good!! I am trying to balance with fruits & veggies though!

What I miss?: Diet Coke!

What I'm looking forward to?: My next OB appt this Friday!! And our nursery furniture arriving in about 2 weeks (beginning of September sometime!)

How's Daddy? He is well and taking good care of me. Yesterday I had another frequent Braxton Hicks episode and he made sure I rested, took my medication and drank my water while he did the chores around the house! I do feel bad though as he is so busy during the week and has not had much time to relax on the weekends. I wish I could do more.

Emotions: Still up and down!! I am so excited but starting to get nervous about labor & delivery. We talked about it in our childbirth class this past week and it was the first time I have started to get a little scared! Still worried about the frequent Braxton Hicks. The Procardia is helping but they are still more frequent than I would like.

Other:
** DH started outlining the room to start painting the nursery. Hopefully he can paint next weekend.
** I ordered a few more clothes and basics for Baby Dude from diapers.com. I still feel like there is alot more to get though.
** Crazy Busy at work right now, which is good & bad! It is good as last week went by very fast but bad because I am very tired when I get home from work & have no energy for other things!
** Trying to figure out:
** when should we install and have the car seat checked?
** is having a birth plan important?
** I am taking child birth classes... What else can I do to calm my nerves about labor & delivery?
** when and what I should pack for the hospital?
** what baby basics should I make sure I have before Baby Dude arrives?
** are there any books I should be reading now? A couple were recommended regarding sleep schedules.
** I would like to do something special for my DH for all of his support & help while I have not been able to do as much the past few weeks. Not sure what to do yet though?!?

My first (and last) massage ever.....

I had my very first massage today and I hated it!! I was so bummed as I was hoping to like it and I was hoping it would help my lower back pain. I found it uncomfortable (even though she had me in the proper position on my side with lots of pillows and even rotated me half way through) and I found myself not being able to relax. On top of this, her daughter is married to the son of the Senior Vice President in my office. Too weird for me!! And unfortunately, my back hurts more today than it has in the past few days! I am now trying to think of alternatives to help my back -- I bought a maternity support belt that I am going to finally try -- and I am going to look for the rice heating packs to try as well!! I have already taken 3 regular strength tylenol today (two this morning and one this afternoon). I think I may need to take another soon.... I am trying so hard not to take them but I think it is better to take and not be in too much pain.

On more positives notes, my FFN test from Friday came back negative again. YEAH! The And I will be 31 weeks tomorrow!! Double YEAH!!!!

3D U/S Pics at 30w2d and Weekend Update

Yesterday I had another 3D u/s done as my mom is in town and she could not be there with us when we went a few weeks ago. Unfortunately, my little guy was not too cooperative and kept hiding from us. He was hugging the placenta for the first part and then turned himself toward my back the second half. I attached two pictures that are not too too bad - one looks like he might be sucking his thumb and the other he has his mouth open!! Even though he was camera shy, it was still amazing and I loved every minute of it! The u/s tech this time was not as good as the first time but she was very very nice.

After the u/s, we went for my 30 week OB appt and it was smooth! They did another FFN test and hopefully that will come back negative. I did not hear anything yesterday so hopefully that is a good sign. I hope they will call me on Monday to tell me the results either way -- but knowing my OB office, if it is negative, I will either not here unless I call or they will call mid-week. I love my OB's office except for they are not very good at calling with good news!!!

My mom and I went out for lunch & did a little shopping yesterday. I held out for as long as I could before my back starting bothering me. We started buying some of the basics --- onesies, towels, wash clothes, changing table organizer, swaddlers, sleepers, etc etc. It was definitely a good start -- although I feel like there is so much more to get!! I hope our furniture comes soon so I can start organizing & setting up the nursery. I am probably going to do most of the rest of my shopping online though. We may go to Babie R Us tomorrow if I am feeling OK after we drop my mom off at the airport - there is not one close to us but there is one close to the airport, which is an hour away. We came home after shopping & I was able to rest a little -- then we went out for a fun dinner.

It is HOT/HUMID today but there is a craft fair that we may go to. It is a part of Blueberry Festival this weekend - which is a big weekend long festival in our town!! It is crazy - people come from all over the area (lots of people from Chicago) for this. To avoid all the tourists, we are going to get some fresh veggies at the farm market and grill out at home tonight. I love fresh veggies & steak cooked on the grill. YUMMY!!

Not sure what else is on our agenda today. Just one of those days where we are playing everything by ear! I am on my way soon to pick up my DH & my mom from my DH's weekend walk into town. Happy Saturday!!!

Irritable Uterus

I started having more tight feelings that seemed like they were coming every 5 to 10 minutes. This happened during lunch time so I left work to start heading towards the drs office or home if the drs office did not call me back before I got home as I had to leave a message. They did call me back so I went in for an appointment. I finally got the results from the FFN test last week and it was negative, so that was some good news. The dr checked my cervix again (not fun), listened to the hb and did his normal measurements. He said my cervix is high/closed although softening a little. He said it is nothing to worry about as it is what he would expect for how far along I am. Hb sounded good and I have grown nicely from my last appt. I was surprised I only gained 1 pound in two weeks. To sum it up, the dr said I have quite the irritable uterus. He is having me keep my appt on Friday and I will have another FFN test done. He also prescribed a medication (procardia) for me to take when needed. I took one this evening and it has helped a little. I feel like a walking drug store btw my thyroid meds, prenatal vitamins, iron and now this. I feel bad I am taking another medication but if it helps....

On a positive ending note, I will be 30 weeks tomorrow. Yeah!!!!!

Waking up in the middle of the night....

It seems to be a common thing lately where I wake up about 3am and can not go back to bed. Although reading on the internet is probably not the best thing to try to help me go back to sleep, it is what I seem to do! Since I can not sleep, I thought I could ramble on a little bit.....

This weekend was a lazy weekend for me. I am still getting quite a few Braxton Hicks daily despite my efforts to drink as much water as I can -- so much so I feel like I am going to float away. Even though my dr did not put me on any restrictions, I am being very careful. Our couches in our family room are not even comfortable for me any more so my DH set up a small TV in our bedroom for me to be able to lie down on our bed. In our almost 8 years of marraige, we have never had a TV in our bedroom. I caught up on my DVDs of How I Met Your Mother! Not sure what I will watch when I am completely caught up - I am thinking of getting Sex in the City DVDs next!

My DH had a very productive weekend - he put together the stroller/car seat & pack n play on Saturday. He cleaned the house as my mom is supposed to visit this weekend. He did laundry, cut the grass and even worked on Sunday afternoon. And he made me a nice dinner last night too. I feel so bad that I am not able to help much. I did take him out for ice cream this weekend to say thank you!!

We went to Menards (store like Lowe's here in Michigan) yesterday and bought some paint to work on the nursery. I was happy to have a chance to get out of the house for a little while -- but even at the store I felt my uterus tighten & was dizzy. I ended up going to sit in the car while I waited for my DH. I came home, drank some water and laid down -- and felt a little better.

My mom is supposed to come visit this weekend to go shopping but I am debating about having her cancel her trip = (. I really am not sure how much walking around/shopping I am up to! She did say she would help around the house if she came and I khow my DH would keep her busy too, but I still feel bad if I am not up to doing much especially since she was coming up to help me shop/register. I was hoping a weekend of laziness would help me to feel better but I am not sure it has as the BH are still there! I still have a few days to decide so hopefully I will feel a little better the next couple of days.... I am trying to stay positive!!

I think I am going to try to go back to sleep -- the alarm will be going off in just a few hours!

Dehydrated!

Yesterday afternoon towards the end of my work day, I started having really tight feelings again! I needed to call the drs back about my thyroid results so I decided to call & tell them about the tight feelings I was having again. The nurse called me back and said to come into the hospital again. I ended up spending ~ 5 hours in the hospital last night.

They actually had me get into one of the hospital gowns this time (I could not figure out how to get into it so I had to ask the nurse. I was pretty embarrased.) They hooked me up to the NST machine -- blood pressure was good, pulse was good and I loved hearing my little one's hb (it is always music to my ears)!! They monitored me for a while and since the contractions were a little closer together than they liked, they gave me a shot of something (can not remember the name) which helped but made me quite jittery. They also gave me an IV with fluids, which also helped. They are not sure why the contractions but most likely I was dehydrated despite my efforts to drink as much water as possible, especially since my NST a week and a half ago.

My little guy was continuously monitored throughout as well and they said he sounded very healthy from his hb/movement. They also did a FFN test (which I should get the results in the morning) and they checked my cervix, which they are called thick & closed so that is good. We got home about 11pm, I went to sleep for a little while but woke up at 3am and could not go back to sleep. I finally slept again from 5 to 7ish. Although they did not put me on activity restrictions, they recommend I limit my activities anyways. I called and told my manager I am going to work from home today. I feel better this morning but thought it would be best to take it easy while trying to get some work done at home.

I am so glad everything is OK, especially with my little guy as that is most important to me! I was scared at first as it was a bit of information overload! Once my DH arrived, I felt better. I always feel better when he is there!

Well, off to get some work done I go!!!

The decorating has begun and 28w3d update = )

The bedding and wall decals that I ordered came today! Yeah! Slowly but surely I am getting the courage to order a few things. I am very excited. Hopefully we can figure out how we want to paint the room this weekend- it is supposed to rain today so I am thinking it makes for a good day to do this. It is already blue but we need to figure out how we want to make it look more like an under the sea / ocean theme. I am thinking similar to the picture but I would like more a wavy feel with the break between the white/blue. My DH is much more creative than I am -- I know he will come up with something fun.

How far along?: 28w3d = )

Weight?: + ~ 14-15 pounds.

Maternity clothes?: Nothing new here except I am waiting for a maternity support belt to arrive. I bought it in hopes that it will help with the back pain that started this week.

Stretch marks?: Yes, they are there! But I do not mind! I am putting cream on as much as I can remember in the mornings (pregnany brain had made me quite forgetful lately.)

Sleep?: Off and on. I toss & turn quite a bit as it is hard to find a comfortable zone. I woke up with extreme back pain on Tuesday night and took my first tylenol. Thankfully my dr confirmed for me yesterday that Tylenol is very safe during pregnancy. I had read that it was and heard that it was, but just wanted to make sure with my dr.

Best moment this week?: my little guy's active days!! He had a quiet day on Wednesday after having a very active night on Tuesday (I am thinking he could sense the stress I was feeling from the back pain... I felt so bad!!) Also, hearing his heartbeat on the doppler, especially the dopplers at the drs office!!

Food cravings?: Ice cream! I have had ice cream ever night this week after dinner. Peanut Butter Cup! Yummy!!!! And my Mexican craving still continues.

What I miss?: Continues to be sushi & diet coke! I realized last night that I have not had a soda since January. And before starting IVF/IUI in 2009, I used to have 3-4 a day. I know I could probably have one while pregnant but I am afraid if I have one, I will go back to my old habits.

What I'm looking forward to?: Feeling my little guy more and more! And my next 3D u/s in two weeks! My mom is visiting in two weeks so I scheduled another 3D u/s. After, I have an OB appt and then we will go shopping = )

How's Daddy? He is unfortunately way stressed out from work, which has left him a little distracted at home but I do understand! He will have the next two week without any travel =)

Emotions: Still up and down! I am still feeling a lot of anxiety, but am trying my best to control it as much as I can. I have my good days & my not so good days.

Other: The weekend is here (yeah!). We are going to see the show - Dixie's Tupperware Party tomorrow. It is a show & an actual tupperware party! It is supposed to be pretty funny. I just hope with my back pain that I will be OK sitting through it.

Also, I had a 28 week OB appt on Thursday that went well - dr said weight is good, blood pressure is good..... I really like my OB and he is very easy to talk to. I talked to him about the Braxton Hicks, my back pain & the lovely effects of the iron supplements I am taking. He said the BH are normal but to call anytime I am concerned. For my back pain, we talked about the tylenol being safe, using heat on my back, changing the position of my chair at work and if really needed, he could set me up with the physical therapist at the hospital. I am hoping I do not need this of course and can work through it on my own. I actually did lower my chair at work and it helped a little. I am not very knowledgeable about ergnomics but it is amazing how one little adjustment can help slightly. I am going to try to swim again this weekend sometime and see if that helps. I am a little scared as I swam the same evening that I woke up with really bad pain so I am hoping that the swimming did not aggravate things more. And for the iron issues, he suggested Metamucil to help. I am going to go get some today and see if this helps. My next appt is in 2 weeks and I will be meeting with one of the other OBs in the office, but I like her too.

Happy Saturday = )