He’s here!
8 years ago
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Back to the Hospital
I got home from the hospital yesterday around noon. Around 6 pm, I started experiencing some Braxton-Hicks contractions every 2-3 minutes and I couldn't get them to go away no matter what position I was in or how much I drank. So I called the on-call doctor and sure enough, they wanted me back in the hospital for monitoring. Sigh. The good news is that I didn't have any further bleeding. When I got to the hospital, they hooked me up to the monitor and of course, I wasn't contracting, which made me feel stupid. They told me that my urine showed that I was slightly dehydrated and that this could cause the contractions. I was shocked that I was dehydrated at all since I was making a real effort to drink as much as I could. But they told me I need to be drinking 96 ounces of clear fluids a day! Wowzers. They had to monitor the baby for a long time before she woke up and showed the movement-associated heart accelerations they wanted to see and then they sent me home around midnight. I'm thankful that I didn't have to stay there overnight again and I've been drinking a ton today to hopefully avoid the hospital for a long while!
Monday, March 28, 2011
Celebrating 33 weeks with Steroid Shots
I'm 33 weeks pregnant today. Unfortunately, I'm celebrating in the antenatal triage unit of the hospital. I woke up this morning at 5:30 am to feel some liquid leak out of me. I wasn't sure what came out and tried to ignore it for a while. But when I went to pee at 6 am, I saw that it was bright red blood in the toilet. Sigh. Again. (If you're wondering why I didn't look at my underwear, I did, but it was black and so I couldn't tell what was on it.)
When I last bled at 23 weeks, there wasn't anything they could do for the baby and so I didn't bother going to the hospital. But this time around, the baby is definitely viable and so I followed directions and went to the hospital. They got me on the monitor and I was contracting every 2-3 minutes. I could feel them too - they felt like the Braxton-Hicks contractions I had in my first pregnancy. Painless but weirdly uncomfortable. So they said that they needed me to stay for 24 hours so that they could monitor my bleeding and contractions. They put me on an IV and with rest and fluids, the contractions stopped. And the bleeding stopped too. But I kind of knew the bleeding would stop because all 3 other times I've bled, it stopped right away. But I can't be too careful at this point. They gave me the first shot of steroids to help mature the baby's lungs. I'll get the second shot tomorrow, 24 hours later.
They did an ultrasound at the high risk clinic here at the hospital and it became clear that the low lying placenta had not moved. In fact, the ultrasound doctor told me it was "for sure" placenta previa. Sigh...again. I KNEW KNEW KNEW that placenta wasn't moving, despite the fact that both my doctor and midwife told me that in the large majority of the cases, the placenta moved upwards and away from the cervix as the uterus grows. So this means that a VBAC is out of the question. I will be having this baby by C-section. I'm bummed about this news, but it's certainly not shocking news. And at least this way, I am reassured that I will not have to repeat the experience of labor followd by an emergency C-section. The bad news is that the doctor on call told me that I had a 60% chance of delivering before 37 weeks. Not good. I want this baby to bake as long as possible. I want to avoid the NICU. I want a big healthy baby and a good breastfeeding relationship. I want a lot of things. So I'm willing to trade my VBAC for extra baking time.
The good news is that the baby weighed approximately 4 pounds 11 ounces. Of course, that is "give or take 11 ounces" and so she could be 4 pounds right now. Or she could be over 5 pounds. Who knows. The ultrasound tech said that she had a lot of fuzzy hair on her head. And the baby has gone from a breech position to being head down (not that this matters since I'll be having a C-section). But the baby seems happy and healthy and is measuring on track. So she just needs to stay put for what I hope will be another 4 weeks. If I can make it to 37 weeks, I will be happy.
And since I'm keeping track, at 32 weeks, I was up 23.5 pounds and now at 33 weeks, I'm up 24 pounds. And now they've brought me my requested grilled cheese sandwich along with a fruit and cottage cheese plate and cheesecake for dinner. So you sense a dairy theme? I'm off to eat!
When I last bled at 23 weeks, there wasn't anything they could do for the baby and so I didn't bother going to the hospital. But this time around, the baby is definitely viable and so I followed directions and went to the hospital. They got me on the monitor and I was contracting every 2-3 minutes. I could feel them too - they felt like the Braxton-Hicks contractions I had in my first pregnancy. Painless but weirdly uncomfortable. So they said that they needed me to stay for 24 hours so that they could monitor my bleeding and contractions. They put me on an IV and with rest and fluids, the contractions stopped. And the bleeding stopped too. But I kind of knew the bleeding would stop because all 3 other times I've bled, it stopped right away. But I can't be too careful at this point. They gave me the first shot of steroids to help mature the baby's lungs. I'll get the second shot tomorrow, 24 hours later.
They did an ultrasound at the high risk clinic here at the hospital and it became clear that the low lying placenta had not moved. In fact, the ultrasound doctor told me it was "for sure" placenta previa. Sigh...again. I KNEW KNEW KNEW that placenta wasn't moving, despite the fact that both my doctor and midwife told me that in the large majority of the cases, the placenta moved upwards and away from the cervix as the uterus grows. So this means that a VBAC is out of the question. I will be having this baby by C-section. I'm bummed about this news, but it's certainly not shocking news. And at least this way, I am reassured that I will not have to repeat the experience of labor followd by an emergency C-section. The bad news is that the doctor on call told me that I had a 60% chance of delivering before 37 weeks. Not good. I want this baby to bake as long as possible. I want to avoid the NICU. I want a big healthy baby and a good breastfeeding relationship. I want a lot of things. So I'm willing to trade my VBAC for extra baking time.
The good news is that the baby weighed approximately 4 pounds 11 ounces. Of course, that is "give or take 11 ounces" and so she could be 4 pounds right now. Or she could be over 5 pounds. Who knows. The ultrasound tech said that she had a lot of fuzzy hair on her head. And the baby has gone from a breech position to being head down (not that this matters since I'll be having a C-section). But the baby seems happy and healthy and is measuring on track. So she just needs to stay put for what I hope will be another 4 weeks. If I can make it to 37 weeks, I will be happy.
And since I'm keeping track, at 32 weeks, I was up 23.5 pounds and now at 33 weeks, I'm up 24 pounds. And now they've brought me my requested grilled cheese sandwich along with a fruit and cottage cheese plate and cheesecake for dinner. So you sense a dairy theme? I'm off to eat!
Sunday, March 20, 2011
First Song - Happy Birthday!
Ian sang his first song during his birthday week. He learned it from playing his Elmo birthday card over and over and over AND OVER. Thanks Aunt Bonnie! But it was nice to hear his cute little singing voice. Loved it.
We had a wonderful time at Ian's birthday party yesterday. Everything worked out perfectly - the cake came out great, the pizza was delivered on time and everyone seemed to have a blast, especially the kiddos. I look forward to the many many many birthday parties we will have for our little boy!
Here is a picture of our construction-themed cake:
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
My baby is TWO!
Ian is TWO today. How did that happen?! He is an amazing little child (despite the fact that he seems to have entered the terrible twos about 6 months ago). This morning, after he woke up at 5:30 am (super early as always), we cuddled in our bed and he gave both me and my husband hugs and kisses. He doesn't quite know how to make the kissy noise and so instead he puts his lips on our face and blows out. Freakin' adorable.
I worked from home today, which gave me the flexibility I wanted to make Ian some cupcakes. He LOVES "cake" and "treats" and will pretty much do anything to get them. So tonight, after forcing him to eat his chicken and peas, I gave him a cupcake with a 2 birthday candle. He didn't quite get the hang of blowing out the candle, but he sure understood how to shove that chocolate cupcake in his mouth!
We're having a big birthday bash for him on Saturday with lots of his friends from my mommy group. Luckily, it's at a local Gymboree and so my house won't get too trashed with 10 two year olds! Here is the invitation that I sent out:
I worked from home today, which gave me the flexibility I wanted to make Ian some cupcakes. He LOVES "cake" and "treats" and will pretty much do anything to get them. So tonight, after forcing him to eat his chicken and peas, I gave him a cupcake with a 2 birthday candle. He didn't quite get the hang of blowing out the candle, but he sure understood how to shove that chocolate cupcake in his mouth!
We're having a big birthday bash for him on Saturday with lots of his friends from my mommy group. Luckily, it's at a local Gymboree and so my house won't get too trashed with 10 two year olds! Here is the invitation that I sent out:
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Monday, March 7, 2011
30 Weeks!
I'm starting my 30th week of pregnancy today. My, how fast time has flown! I'm up 23 pounds (which is 2 more pounds than I gained at this stage in my pregnancy with Ian), so I'm doing okay so far on that front. There isn't much to report. The baby's room is now painted a soft lavender and my husband has hung up the black-out shade and curtains. Next weekend, our plans include buying the baby's dresser. And I need to run to Babies R Us to get another changing pad and changing pad covers.
The construction work on our basement has finally begun. They've torn apart the bathroom and framed the unfinished room to separate the finished space from the storage space. This week they'll be jackhammering through the concrete foundation in order to replumb the 1/2 bathroom to create the full bathroom. I'm still crossing my fingers that all of this work will be done before the baby is born so that we have a nice, usable guest room and bathroom in our basement.
Ian continues to be as cute as ever. He loves to drink smoothies (which he calls "moonies"). We use Stoneyfield Farm banilla yogurt and frozen fruit (such as mango, pineapple and blueberries) and dump in a various assortment of vegetables (e.g., spinach, broccoli, green beans, peas). We're looking forward to celebrating his 2nd birthday soon!
The construction work on our basement has finally begun. They've torn apart the bathroom and framed the unfinished room to separate the finished space from the storage space. This week they'll be jackhammering through the concrete foundation in order to replumb the 1/2 bathroom to create the full bathroom. I'm still crossing my fingers that all of this work will be done before the baby is born so that we have a nice, usable guest room and bathroom in our basement.
Ian continues to be as cute as ever. He loves to drink smoothies (which he calls "moonies"). We use Stoneyfield Farm banilla yogurt and frozen fruit (such as mango, pineapple and blueberries) and dump in a various assortment of vegetables (e.g., spinach, broccoli, green beans, peas). We're looking forward to celebrating his 2nd birthday soon!
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