I went in yesterday for yet another ultrasound to check the baby's size. She is not quite 7 lbs, + or - 13 ounces......AND.......she's breech. I am scheduled to go in on Tuesday for an external version, which I am NOT looking forward to! You see, even the midwife doing the simple act of rolling the doppler over my belly causes me pain, and this procedure is going to be 100 times the pressure! The doctor told me that there was a good chance that my water would break during the procedure, as well as a risk of placental abruption (placenta tearing from uterine wall - VERY BAD!)
End result....if all the drama mentioned above actually does happen, then I am whisked downstairs for an emergency C-section. I am thinking that the worst that will happen is that I will have a VERY sore belly for a couple of days. Maybe, if I am lucky, this kid will just decide to flip on her own and I can just forgo all the aforementioned drama!
So, everyone....start sending your good vibes this way...turn...turn...turn...
Friday, March 13, 2009
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
'Baby Door update"
I am now in the weekly check mode..I am almost done! The midwife checked me and I am 60% effaced, baby is still ballotable, and no dilation has happened. Upon palpation, baby is found to be between 5-6 lbs. Which is on the large side for this point. The midwife suggested that I might want to consider induction at 39 weeks to keep the weight manageable. I told her that there was absolutely NO way that I would consider a chemical induction! She told me that they would just break my water if I was 2-3 cm dilated and let things take their course. I agreed to that. So, whether I go on my own, or am induced, this kid is coming by the end of the month!
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
The Final Countdown
I have 7 weeks left to this pregnancy...where did all the time go? Of course, at the same time I am asking myself how I can possibly hold out another month and a half, it is a wonderful conundrum.
I took my first futile trip to labor and delivery yesterday afternoon. I have at least one of these visits with every single pregnancy. I worked an eight hour shift at the hospital on Sunday evening, and arrived home around 12:30 a.m. I was feeling vaguely uncomfortable, but that is kind of normal at this point...comfortable just plain ceases to exist! I finally laid down to sleep at around 1:30 a.m. and immediately started experiencing contractions..I didn't pay too much attention to them..I figured they would go away eventually and I would be able to fall asleep. They didn't go away, and I didn't get any sleep. I even had a couple of incidences where I felt like I needed to push...which freaked me out.
I got out of bed in the morning feeling absolutely miserable and extremely irritable, and STILL contracting! It didn't matter what I did, these things would not get lost! I showered, ate breakfast, and fed the 3 year old. I then went upstairs and informed Rob that I thought there might be a small problem. He volunteered to come with me to help with my puppet show - I think I accepted with poor grace...something to the effect of "If you want to.." We proceeded to the show, he carried everything in and did most of the set up, helped me with the entre act, and even sat behind the stage and handed me puppets during the show. I managed to get through all of it without any major trouble, we cleaned up and left. As we were right down the street from the hospital I am delivering at, we went straight there.
They hooked me up to all the monitors, asked me the standard zillion questions, and did a bunch of tests. They even stuck an IV in my hand and dropped in a bag of saline for good measure. They found my contractions to be mild ones, but at the rate of about 3 to 5 minutes apart. It was kind of a weird pattern....I would have a cluster of about 10 to 15 with that time spacing increment, then nothing for about 10 to 20 minutes, then they would start over again. All the tests came back negative, and they checked the 'baby door' and found it shut nice and tight, they checked it again before they let me go, and again found no change. My midwife was a bit puzzled by everything, as was I. I absolutely hate it when things go haywire with no reason as to why! My midwife wanted to give me a shot of morphine so I could go home and sleep, but I really didn't want to be that far gone, so she compromised and sent me home with a prescription of hydrocodone and orders to take it easy.
I still had contractions last night, but none with any regularity or pattern to them, thank goodness! I was scheduled to work another 8 hour shift last night, but decided I had better take my caregiver's advice, so I called in sick, took a pill, and went to bed!
I slept quite well last night, woke up this morning, and went to do another puppet show.
All quite on the western front....for now!
I took my first futile trip to labor and delivery yesterday afternoon. I have at least one of these visits with every single pregnancy. I worked an eight hour shift at the hospital on Sunday evening, and arrived home around 12:30 a.m. I was feeling vaguely uncomfortable, but that is kind of normal at this point...comfortable just plain ceases to exist! I finally laid down to sleep at around 1:30 a.m. and immediately started experiencing contractions..I didn't pay too much attention to them..I figured they would go away eventually and I would be able to fall asleep. They didn't go away, and I didn't get any sleep. I even had a couple of incidences where I felt like I needed to push...which freaked me out.
I got out of bed in the morning feeling absolutely miserable and extremely irritable, and STILL contracting! It didn't matter what I did, these things would not get lost! I showered, ate breakfast, and fed the 3 year old. I then went upstairs and informed Rob that I thought there might be a small problem. He volunteered to come with me to help with my puppet show - I think I accepted with poor grace...something to the effect of "If you want to.." We proceeded to the show, he carried everything in and did most of the set up, helped me with the entre act, and even sat behind the stage and handed me puppets during the show. I managed to get through all of it without any major trouble, we cleaned up and left. As we were right down the street from the hospital I am delivering at, we went straight there.
They hooked me up to all the monitors, asked me the standard zillion questions, and did a bunch of tests. They even stuck an IV in my hand and dropped in a bag of saline for good measure. They found my contractions to be mild ones, but at the rate of about 3 to 5 minutes apart. It was kind of a weird pattern....I would have a cluster of about 10 to 15 with that time spacing increment, then nothing for about 10 to 20 minutes, then they would start over again. All the tests came back negative, and they checked the 'baby door' and found it shut nice and tight, they checked it again before they let me go, and again found no change. My midwife was a bit puzzled by everything, as was I. I absolutely hate it when things go haywire with no reason as to why! My midwife wanted to give me a shot of morphine so I could go home and sleep, but I really didn't want to be that far gone, so she compromised and sent me home with a prescription of hydrocodone and orders to take it easy.
I still had contractions last night, but none with any regularity or pattern to them, thank goodness! I was scheduled to work another 8 hour shift last night, but decided I had better take my caregiver's advice, so I called in sick, took a pill, and went to bed!
I slept quite well last night, woke up this morning, and went to do another puppet show.
All quite on the western front....for now!
Monday, January 5, 2009
A Face In the Making....
Here are some shots of our baby girl that is due to arrive in April...
11 weeks and a sharp side profile...
The reason why face shots were SOOOOOO hard to get!
26 weeks...she had her arms OVER her face AND her legs folded in front of her face as well...
22 weeks....you can see some fluffy cheeks in the making...
17 weeks...still more alien than human at this point...
I went for my last ultrasound this past Friday, and she was pronounced perfect! They immediately started in on scanning her heart, she turned at just the right moment, and we got the most perfect view of her aortic tract that you could hope for! The doctor came in and scanned through all the shots, looked at me, and said, "The baby looks great! You don't need to come back anymore!" HOORAY! My prediction for this girl's appearance...well...from what I can see of her face at the 26 week shot...she looks an awful lot like her brother Cade...we shall see....
11 weeks and a sharp side profile...
The reason why face shots were SOOOOOO hard to get!
26 weeks...she had her arms OVER her face AND her legs folded in front of her face as well...
22 weeks....you can see some fluffy cheeks in the making...
17 weeks...still more alien than human at this point...
I went for my last ultrasound this past Friday, and she was pronounced perfect! They immediately started in on scanning her heart, she turned at just the right moment, and we got the most perfect view of her aortic tract that you could hope for! The doctor came in and scanned through all the shots, looked at me, and said, "The baby looks great! You don't need to come back anymore!" HOORAY! My prediction for this girl's appearance...well...from what I can see of her face at the 26 week shot...she looks an awful lot like her brother Cade...we shall see....
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Christmas Happenings
This year I pulled out the video camera instead of the still, so I got absolutely no pics of Christmas. I don't know how to edit and post video, so y'all will just have to use your imaginations...
It doesn't matter how many times I tell myself that I am NOT going to wait until Christmas Eve to take care of all the Santa duties, inevitably, EVERY year - Rob and I spend most of the night wrapping everything that 'Santa' brought. This year wasn't so bad though, we were only up til' 12:30 a.m. We cleaned up and headed for bed around 1 a.m. At 2 a.m. we are awoken to shouts from Cade..."Santa came, everyone! Santa came!" Rob ran down to stop him before he started tearing in to everything, but it was too late - all three olders were up, thankfully, Quentin was still snoring and unaware even with all the racket that Cade was making. Rob sent everyone back to their respective beds and told them to go back to sleep. Yeah, right! Cade tossed and turned and he and Jaron whispered and giggled about what Santa might have brought them, oh, and Brenna was sitting bolt upright in her bed, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed as well....
Finally Rob relented and let them go down to choose one present to take back to their beds. That appeased them for all of two minutes, then we were once again listening to Cade's restless tumblings and the occasional sneaking down the stairs. He peeked...EVERYWHERE. There were things in the garage..he ran up and reported to his siblings, there was a note from Santa by the cookies..he reported that in the loudest stage whisper possible. He checked out the stockings and gave report as well. That was the last straw - Daddy told him that he was ruining Christmas for everyone, and that he had better get to sleep in a hurry or risk Santa coming back to reclaim all the presents. He finally settled down and I think everyone finally fell asleep around 4 a.m.
Rob and I woke up again around 7:30 a.m. and decided that we would let Quentin have first crack at the presents...this is where I started filming...he didn't care that Santa had come..he was just ultra-tweaked that he had been woken up! He cried and cried, layed on the stairs and cried some more. He finally got over his upset, however and made it downstairs the rest of the way. He was more than happy when he saw all the presents and kept looking at me, saying,"Christmas? Santa?" Then Rob handed him one of his presents.."Mine?" "Yes, yours", we said - and the melee began!
The older kids came down shortly after, and I do believe that all of Santa's handiwork was completely undone in about 15 minutes flat. Everyone was pleased with what they got and Christmas was declared a success, once again!
I hope that everyone had a wonderful holiday and has a wonderful New Year!
It doesn't matter how many times I tell myself that I am NOT going to wait until Christmas Eve to take care of all the Santa duties, inevitably, EVERY year - Rob and I spend most of the night wrapping everything that 'Santa' brought. This year wasn't so bad though, we were only up til' 12:30 a.m. We cleaned up and headed for bed around 1 a.m. At 2 a.m. we are awoken to shouts from Cade..."Santa came, everyone! Santa came!" Rob ran down to stop him before he started tearing in to everything, but it was too late - all three olders were up, thankfully, Quentin was still snoring and unaware even with all the racket that Cade was making. Rob sent everyone back to their respective beds and told them to go back to sleep. Yeah, right! Cade tossed and turned and he and Jaron whispered and giggled about what Santa might have brought them, oh, and Brenna was sitting bolt upright in her bed, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed as well....
Finally Rob relented and let them go down to choose one present to take back to their beds. That appeased them for all of two minutes, then we were once again listening to Cade's restless tumblings and the occasional sneaking down the stairs. He peeked...EVERYWHERE. There were things in the garage..he ran up and reported to his siblings, there was a note from Santa by the cookies..he reported that in the loudest stage whisper possible. He checked out the stockings and gave report as well. That was the last straw - Daddy told him that he was ruining Christmas for everyone, and that he had better get to sleep in a hurry or risk Santa coming back to reclaim all the presents. He finally settled down and I think everyone finally fell asleep around 4 a.m.
Rob and I woke up again around 7:30 a.m. and decided that we would let Quentin have first crack at the presents...this is where I started filming...he didn't care that Santa had come..he was just ultra-tweaked that he had been woken up! He cried and cried, layed on the stairs and cried some more. He finally got over his upset, however and made it downstairs the rest of the way. He was more than happy when he saw all the presents and kept looking at me, saying,"Christmas? Santa?" Then Rob handed him one of his presents.."Mine?" "Yes, yours", we said - and the melee began!
The older kids came down shortly after, and I do believe that all of Santa's handiwork was completely undone in about 15 minutes flat. Everyone was pleased with what they got and Christmas was declared a success, once again!
I hope that everyone had a wonderful holiday and has a wonderful New Year!
Sunday, December 14, 2008
I Guess I should Post SOMETHING...
I visited my 'required bed rest til' delivery' sister in law the other day and we were talking about internet and blogs and such and I mentioned that I had been neglecting mine......and she said "I KNOW!!!!!" Sorry...just haven't thought that there was much to say of late, I've been on Facebook quite a bit and most of the recent stuff is put in my status.
Everything is going fine..I am done with Chemistry, I got a C-, which apparently they don't like in the nursing program, but I am beyond caring. A C is a C as far as I am concerned...*sigh* but I will probably end up taking it again along with Anatomy and Physiology because I got a straight C in those two...I can see where A&P would come in handy with the nursing career, but Chemistry??? Seriously folks, I am quite certain that my knowledge of Chemistry will not determine whether or not I will make a good nurse! I can just see it now....patient: "It is absolutely IMPERATIVE that you know the molar weight of the sodium in the saline drip you are putting into me! At least the Lewis structure....." Me: "Uh...sure...draw that one right up for you..just a second..." Whatever..not gonna happen. EVER!
On the pregnancy side of things...well..I am definitely expanding. I had yet another ultrasound a week ago, and things look great - BUT - they want me to come back in another month..just to "make sure". This is all concerning her heart..yes..most definitely a 'she' - made them check again while they were looking around. They say that everything looks good as far as they can tell, but that the heart images are 'sub-optimal', so they want another look when she is 'bigger'. They actually made a deal with me..if I agreed to come back to them, then they wouldn't refer me to Primary Children's for a fetal echocardiogram, so I agreed. Why are they making such a big deal of this? Most of you know, that Rob had a wee heart defect when he was born, known as coarctation of the aorta. It was actually quite serious at the time and most likely could have taken his life, but some miraculous surgery was performed, blessings given, prayers said and everything turned out wonderfully. He is seriously one of the healthiest people I know, and I am grateful to Heavenly Father and all those who had a hand in keeping him here. Because without him..I wouldn't be experiencing all these wonderful 'blessings' that I have been priveleged to bring to this earth...
But I digress, back to the unborn one...
So, due to that hiccup in my husband's life, we have a higher chance of any sort of heart defect AND the fact that I am over 35, makes the doctors just a wee bit over-cautious. Nevermind that I have four perfectly healthy children, there is always a chance that THIS could be the one with problems. The end result is, they can see that she has four perfectly normal chambers, and that all the valves are functioning properly, but they cannot see the aortic outflow....because she clamps her hands down on her face whenever they try to 'take a peek', and won't budge, for anything. So her left arm obstructs their view, and they find that just a bit frustrating. The doctor did finally admit to me that most of these types of defects don't show up until after birth anyway, and that there is definitely no sign of catastrophic defect...but they want to be 'sure'. So, back I go on Jan. 2nd for another look, and hope that my insurance doesn't start hollering too loudly about it!
We are slowly but surely getting Christmas decorations out. The lights are on the house, the tree is up, maybe the decorations will get on it tomorrow night, we shall see.
I am doing this entry from my home computer, as I have been cancelled at the hospital yet again. A lot of the float pool personnel are beginning to grumble and I have heard a few other CNA's talking about getting another job to ride this out. I am not surprised at this turn of events...with the economy the way it is, everyone is going to feel the pinch. I am just grateful the gas prices have dropped to a reasonable level and that I have a back up to fall back on!
So, sorry, nothing much exciting happening here, but hey, I posted something new!
Everything is going fine..I am done with Chemistry, I got a C-, which apparently they don't like in the nursing program, but I am beyond caring. A C is a C as far as I am concerned...*sigh* but I will probably end up taking it again along with Anatomy and Physiology because I got a straight C in those two...I can see where A&P would come in handy with the nursing career, but Chemistry??? Seriously folks, I am quite certain that my knowledge of Chemistry will not determine whether or not I will make a good nurse! I can just see it now....patient: "It is absolutely IMPERATIVE that you know the molar weight of the sodium in the saline drip you are putting into me! At least the Lewis structure....." Me: "Uh...sure...draw that one right up for you..just a second..." Whatever..not gonna happen. EVER!
On the pregnancy side of things...well..I am definitely expanding. I had yet another ultrasound a week ago, and things look great - BUT - they want me to come back in another month..just to "make sure". This is all concerning her heart..yes..most definitely a 'she' - made them check again while they were looking around. They say that everything looks good as far as they can tell, but that the heart images are 'sub-optimal', so they want another look when she is 'bigger'. They actually made a deal with me..if I agreed to come back to them, then they wouldn't refer me to Primary Children's for a fetal echocardiogram, so I agreed. Why are they making such a big deal of this? Most of you know, that Rob had a wee heart defect when he was born, known as coarctation of the aorta. It was actually quite serious at the time and most likely could have taken his life, but some miraculous surgery was performed, blessings given, prayers said and everything turned out wonderfully. He is seriously one of the healthiest people I know, and I am grateful to Heavenly Father and all those who had a hand in keeping him here. Because without him..I wouldn't be experiencing all these wonderful 'blessings' that I have been priveleged to bring to this earth...
But I digress, back to the unborn one...
So, due to that hiccup in my husband's life, we have a higher chance of any sort of heart defect AND the fact that I am over 35, makes the doctors just a wee bit over-cautious. Nevermind that I have four perfectly healthy children, there is always a chance that THIS could be the one with problems. The end result is, they can see that she has four perfectly normal chambers, and that all the valves are functioning properly, but they cannot see the aortic outflow....because she clamps her hands down on her face whenever they try to 'take a peek', and won't budge, for anything. So her left arm obstructs their view, and they find that just a bit frustrating. The doctor did finally admit to me that most of these types of defects don't show up until after birth anyway, and that there is definitely no sign of catastrophic defect...but they want to be 'sure'. So, back I go on Jan. 2nd for another look, and hope that my insurance doesn't start hollering too loudly about it!
We are slowly but surely getting Christmas decorations out. The lights are on the house, the tree is up, maybe the decorations will get on it tomorrow night, we shall see.
I am doing this entry from my home computer, as I have been cancelled at the hospital yet again. A lot of the float pool personnel are beginning to grumble and I have heard a few other CNA's talking about getting another job to ride this out. I am not surprised at this turn of events...with the economy the way it is, everyone is going to feel the pinch. I am just grateful the gas prices have dropped to a reasonable level and that I have a back up to fall back on!
So, sorry, nothing much exciting happening here, but hey, I posted something new!
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Bidding A Fond Farewell to My Toes
I have officially hit the 20 week mark in this pregnancy, and it has been blessedly uneventful! I had moderate morning (all day and night)sickness that completely disappeared by week 15, which was promptly followed by intermittent heartburn. I have experienced some contractions already, but that is normal for me, so I don't pay too much attention to them. I have finally begun to feel the baby move on a regular basis, which was a huge relief for me! At my last appointment, my midwife informed me that I have gained a whole pound, and that they would take what they could get. I guess they wanted me to have gained more by this point...I was thrilled with that news! Afterall, I'm already carrying around quiet a bit of excess weight from all my 'other' babies, the less I gain, the better! I am enjoying this pregnancy so far, and am grateful that I can! Above is a shot of my belly, I can't see my toes when I stand up, and don't expect to for the next 5 months!
I attended parent teacher conferences this afternoon with my husband. The kids are all doing well. Brenna got all A's and one B, this is the first year that letter grades are assigned for her. She loves school, and it shows! The boys are doing well, right where they need to be at this point in the year. All three of them have some wonderful teachers that are just what they need, and I am happy with that!
Quentin just celebrated his third birthday this month. I can't believe how big he has gotten! I still see him as my baby, and I guess I will until the new one arrives.
Here's his latest escapade of the day, and he actually didn't make that much of a mess!
Here he is playing with some of his birthday presents from us and grandma...this boy LOVES trains and just about any type of vehicle...
Well, that's all I have for now! I'm tired, so I'm going to take a Zantac, and go to bed!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
