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!!