So Archer was born with some breathing issues and mild jaundice. His respiration rate was pretty high and so they kept an eye on that quite a bit while we were in the hospital. The real issue though was the jaundice. They kept having to poke his little heel for blood! I felt so so bad every time they came in for more blood because they literally milk his heel to get enough blood to test. Poor baby had a nasty bruise on one heel for days. And I think that some of the heel poke marks are still on his feet as scars. They said the needles weren't that big but they lied. They didn't put him under a bili light but said that they might have to if his levels remained high. As desperate as I was to breastfeed, and as great as the lactation consultant was, Archer was still too sleepy to breastfeed (what newborn ACTUALLY latches and feeds a lot right off the bat?) so they suggested adding some formula to my nipples to help encourage him to suck. We tried that and I was actually making some colostrum so that helped too... but ... he wasn't eating the way they wanted because the extra bilirubin gets excreted through poop, and so a well-fed baby will poop a lot and get all that bilirubin out faster. And so supplementing from the get-go happened... and now we don't really breastfeed because my supply sucks. But I do pump what I can and give him the milk in a bottle. I'll latch him when I feel he will take to it and he does a decent job, but he doesn't drain my breasts all the way so I still have to pump after I feed him. But I digress; Archer was born on a Friday, and we were discharged that following Sunday with orders to get him to the pediatrician on Monday for another bili check. And we did, took him to see our pedi (whom we will be leaving... ) and they have a lab in the same building so naturally, we went there to have his blood drawn. Well, they screwed up! and we had to go back Tuesday for ANOTHER blood draw. My poor baby. We chose the lab at our local hospital this time and thankfully his levels were fine and we no longer had to keep having him tested after that. But boy was I pissed and I will not be going to the lab by our pediatrician ever again.
I cannot tell you how much I hated being in the hospital this time. Last time I wanted to stay another day or 2, but I couldn't get comfortable in the bed, the pillows sucked, it was really hard to get Archer positioned for breastfeeding, I was so sore I had the worst time sitting on the bed and the bracelets itched my wrist something fierce! I just wanted to be home, away from all of the interventions and in my comfortable place. So I was grateful that we didn't have to stay longer than Sunday (not only for my comfort of course, but mostly that Archer was well enough to come home) We got home and got settled and that was 7 weeks ago! Holy cow time has flown!
Countdown to baby!
Monday, January 22, 2018
Thursday, January 4, 2018
Induction, Labor and Delivery
Tuesday, November 28th; I had an ultrasound and a non stress test to check on baby boy. I'd been having them weekly since finding out my fluid was low, and I actually had been able to get my fluid from 6cm to 14cm in about 2 weeks. But by the next week it dropped to 9cm and on the 28th it was at 4 something. That's really low! So my OB talked with me and said that I should immediately go and chug water, all day and to come back the next morning to check my fluid again. She didn't think my water had broken (neither did I) so it was just to see if I could raise my fluid enough to make it to the weekend. Baby passed the non stress test with flying colors, so we knew he was still doing okay.
Wednesday, November 29th; I went back for another ultrasound and my fluid was at 5 something. Still really low, still not good. So my OB said it was time to evict my little man, at 37w3d because of the risks of leaving him in with low fluid. I was scheduled to appear at the hospital at 7:30pm for the cervidil (read: cervical ripening agent... read: medicine from HELL) and start the induction process.
I called hubby and told him about everything (of course he knew it was a possibility because we had talked the night before after my last OB appt..) and he said he'd be home by 4pm to help me get ready. We had packed our bags mostly the day before, and I had Abi all ready to go to my cousin's house so that was good. I texted my cousin to let her know what was up and went home to cry and eat lunch. Once I had gotten Abi from school and hubby was home we packed up the car and headed to dinner. Our last dinner as a family of 3. Then took Abi to my cousin's and spent a little while getting her settled in before heading to the hospital.
The hospital didn't seem to know I was coming at first, but they had a room all set up for us and got me in right away. The first nurse I had got all my information and went over my birth plan with me. Unfortunately since I was being induced, much of it went out the window.. like wanting to be up and walking around, not being constantly monitored, not haiving an IV and having a hep lock instead.. etc. But I knew going in that night that my original birth plan (that I didn't have time to update) would be somewhat useless. I remained flexible and told the nurse I understood that with the circumstances I would not get my every wish and I was fine and would do whatever was necessary to bring a happy healthy baby into the world. I think she was glad for my flexibility.
The IV insertion went well this time, thankfully. (P.S. I now have a matching little scar right next to my first scar from my IV when I was induce with Abi) I saw the resident, who was nice and she did a quick ultrasound to make sure little man was still head down, because of course otherwise I would be scheduled for a csection. Thankfully he was still head down! Then came time for the medicine. But OH. MY. GOD. The insertion for the cervidil was TORTURE. It was so painful! Unfortunately my cervix was pretty high still and so they had to push and reach to place the medicine and it was just awful!
So after that ordeal, we got settled in and waited for the contractions to start. At this point I wasn't on the pitocin yet, as they were waiting for the cervidil to dilate me. The contractions started off slowly, thank God because they eventually got to the point of every few minutes and were extremely painful. I hadn't taken a lamaze class or any birth class but I knew I had to try to breathe through the contractions. I did ok for a while until the pain got so intense I just moaned and cried. I am a big baby with pain, and I honestly never knew pain like this before. See, I always thought contractions were supposed to start in your back and wrap around your abdomen to the front. But these were concentrated in my pelvic floor (Duh to dilate me..) but it was so concentrated there and eventually I couldn't relax at all. The bulk of the 29th was over, since we had gotten there at 7:30 at night. But by the next morning the contractions were intense and coming more regularly and so I didn't really get much sleep.
Thursday, November 30th; I had been monitored externally this whole time, then I had a stupid blood pressure cuff on and off every hour (it got worse once I got the pitocin.. then it was perminantly on. ouch) The nurses and I fought all night to try to keep baby on the monitor, we kept having to move it around and eventually a nurse came in and found the perfect spot! It was just right and no matter how many times I had gone to the bathroom, when I came back to the computer baby was still right in the same spot and we didn't have to mess with them. With the numbness in my arms and hands I can tell you that there was no real comfortable position for me to be in. And with the horrible contractions I was just miserable. About 8 or 9 am they took out the cervidil which I was so grateful for because *I thought* that the contractions would subside without that medicine there. NOPE. They slowed a little bit but they still stuck around which told us that I was officially in labor. Once it was out I was allowed to take a quick shower and eat breakfast before getting my epidural. Well, hubby called for the cafiteria to bring me a delicious sounding breakfast and I hopped in the shower, which was hard as hell to do. I had to keep my IV arm out of the water and on top of that I was contracting. Trying to balance keeping my arm dry and wash inbetween contractions was hard. Not to mention I was trying to use little shampoos and in a tiny shower.
Once I was back in my hospital gown we realized that my food hadn't come yet. But I was in such pain at this point that I didn't care and asked the nurse to bring my epidural. Well, she then informed me that I had to be back on the monitors for a whole HOUR before I could get my epidural. At which point I broke down and cried... I had been crying on and off for a while, but that was just too much. I watched the clock like a hawk. A nurse came in and wrote on our white board Archer's name and what both hubby and I were guessing would be his birthday and stats. Hubby said 7lbs 5oz and born Nov. 30th. I said 8lbs and born Dec. 1st. I was not confident that he was going to come any sooner. I wanted him to be a December baby since hubby had just gotten me a beautiful birthstone necklace with March and December birthstones... But not only that I was in so much pain that I was sure it would last another day! After an hour on the monitors I begged my nurse for the epidural. I was originally going to get the nubain first so that I could relax through the contractions during the insertion of the epidural however, the nurse said that she needed an order from a dr. before she could submit the request for the drugs. I wasn't waiting any longer. I told her I didn't care and that I would do what I could to sit still and to just get me the epidural. I'm not ashamed of it, I needed the pain relief to be able to relax and let my body labor without fighting it. The girl (technician?) who came in to do my epidural was super nice and very informative. Hubby and I asked a lot of questions throughout this whole process and the nurses and techs and drs were amazing in answering everything, patiently. I don't remember specifics at this point, what questions I was asking and so forth.. but I know that she was very kind and answered everything. She prepped my back and would wait while I suffered through a contraction to do anything so that I would be less likely to move. Thankfully it went without a hitch and soon I was laying on my back waiting for the medicine to bring sweet relief. This epidural was different from my first in that I could still kind of feel and move my legs! That was cool because last time I was so numb in my legs and it was just really strange not to be able to feel them or move them. I kept up on pushing my bolus dose button this time so that it didn't wear off again like last time. And it didn't! Yay! But.. laying on my sides in order to get baby into a happy position was bad on my arms as they kept going numb. But thankfully, now that I had my pain relief I was able to sleep and get some rest! I have to say this was probably about noon or 1pm by the time I was really able to settle in and sleep.
I was up and down for the next several hours, though nurses kept coming in and out every hour to check vitals and such I would wake up and answer questions but then fall back to sleep. It was bliss to be able to sleep! At one point I got a little worried and asked the nurse if it was okay that I kept falling asleep while she was talking to me/doing tests etc. She said that it was okay, especially since I hadn't slept in about a day (From the time we came in to the time I had my epi I had not slept) and that it was good I was getting some rest to have the energy when it came time to push.
At some point my OB came in and broke my water. Not much came out, but it was clear so that was a huge relief. After that she checked me and said she needed to go do a few csections and check on another mom and would be back later. I spent most of the night resting and watching tv when I couldn't sleep. Hubby had been up and down, playing games and going out for his meals/checking on the cat at home etc. He was as helpful as he could be when I was still up and having contractions. He pushed on my back, rolled a tennis ball on my hips, provided counter pressure etc. Nothing helped for long but God bless him he tried. And for that I am grateful.
Friday, December 1st; Around 6am I think, my OB came to check me. I was around 8cm dilated and soft so that was good. She went to check on another patient and ended up having to take her to surgery. Just before she went she came to check on me again and said she'd be back ASAP once done with the other patient. I told her it was fine and I was ok waiting, letting the contractions hopefully continue to dialte me and push baby further down while we waited. Around 730 or so she was back and checked me again. She said I was soft enough that she thought she could push my cervix around baby's head and help with delivering him so ... we went for it. I began pushing and let me tell you, it's hard when you don't have a monitor to tell you when you're having a contraction, but I did have some feeling so between me, the nurse and my OB we were able to determine when a contraction was and I pushed with all my might. I did not want a mirror, but one was brought out for me. I had kept my eyes closed because I felt it helped me focus but my OB thought that once baby's head was visible it would help me to keep my motivation. I still had trouble watching, but I did see him crowning and start to come out.. but I had to stop pushing because his cord was wrapped around his neck so we waited a bit and very soon the cord was off and he was out! At 8:23 AM Archer made his debut after 45 minutes of pushing! It didn't feel that long (but then again it did!)
This whole process was one of the hardest things I've ever done. I don't know how women do this without pain relief! But he's here and he's healthy and I'm so totally in love with him. He is now 5 weeks old (tomorrow) and I can't imagine life without him!
Wednesday, November 29th; I went back for another ultrasound and my fluid was at 5 something. Still really low, still not good. So my OB said it was time to evict my little man, at 37w3d because of the risks of leaving him in with low fluid. I was scheduled to appear at the hospital at 7:30pm for the cervidil (read: cervical ripening agent... read: medicine from HELL) and start the induction process.
I called hubby and told him about everything (of course he knew it was a possibility because we had talked the night before after my last OB appt..) and he said he'd be home by 4pm to help me get ready. We had packed our bags mostly the day before, and I had Abi all ready to go to my cousin's house so that was good. I texted my cousin to let her know what was up and went home to cry and eat lunch. Once I had gotten Abi from school and hubby was home we packed up the car and headed to dinner. Our last dinner as a family of 3. Then took Abi to my cousin's and spent a little while getting her settled in before heading to the hospital.
The hospital didn't seem to know I was coming at first, but they had a room all set up for us and got me in right away. The first nurse I had got all my information and went over my birth plan with me. Unfortunately since I was being induced, much of it went out the window.. like wanting to be up and walking around, not being constantly monitored, not haiving an IV and having a hep lock instead.. etc. But I knew going in that night that my original birth plan (that I didn't have time to update) would be somewhat useless. I remained flexible and told the nurse I understood that with the circumstances I would not get my every wish and I was fine and would do whatever was necessary to bring a happy healthy baby into the world. I think she was glad for my flexibility.
The IV insertion went well this time, thankfully. (P.S. I now have a matching little scar right next to my first scar from my IV when I was induce with Abi) I saw the resident, who was nice and she did a quick ultrasound to make sure little man was still head down, because of course otherwise I would be scheduled for a csection. Thankfully he was still head down! Then came time for the medicine. But OH. MY. GOD. The insertion for the cervidil was TORTURE. It was so painful! Unfortunately my cervix was pretty high still and so they had to push and reach to place the medicine and it was just awful!
So after that ordeal, we got settled in and waited for the contractions to start. At this point I wasn't on the pitocin yet, as they were waiting for the cervidil to dilate me. The contractions started off slowly, thank God because they eventually got to the point of every few minutes and were extremely painful. I hadn't taken a lamaze class or any birth class but I knew I had to try to breathe through the contractions. I did ok for a while until the pain got so intense I just moaned and cried. I am a big baby with pain, and I honestly never knew pain like this before. See, I always thought contractions were supposed to start in your back and wrap around your abdomen to the front. But these were concentrated in my pelvic floor (Duh to dilate me..) but it was so concentrated there and eventually I couldn't relax at all. The bulk of the 29th was over, since we had gotten there at 7:30 at night. But by the next morning the contractions were intense and coming more regularly and so I didn't really get much sleep.
Thursday, November 30th; I had been monitored externally this whole time, then I had a stupid blood pressure cuff on and off every hour (it got worse once I got the pitocin.. then it was perminantly on. ouch) The nurses and I fought all night to try to keep baby on the monitor, we kept having to move it around and eventually a nurse came in and found the perfect spot! It was just right and no matter how many times I had gone to the bathroom, when I came back to the computer baby was still right in the same spot and we didn't have to mess with them. With the numbness in my arms and hands I can tell you that there was no real comfortable position for me to be in. And with the horrible contractions I was just miserable. About 8 or 9 am they took out the cervidil which I was so grateful for because *I thought* that the contractions would subside without that medicine there. NOPE. They slowed a little bit but they still stuck around which told us that I was officially in labor. Once it was out I was allowed to take a quick shower and eat breakfast before getting my epidural. Well, hubby called for the cafiteria to bring me a delicious sounding breakfast and I hopped in the shower, which was hard as hell to do. I had to keep my IV arm out of the water and on top of that I was contracting. Trying to balance keeping my arm dry and wash inbetween contractions was hard. Not to mention I was trying to use little shampoos and in a tiny shower.
Once I was back in my hospital gown we realized that my food hadn't come yet. But I was in such pain at this point that I didn't care and asked the nurse to bring my epidural. Well, she then informed me that I had to be back on the monitors for a whole HOUR before I could get my epidural. At which point I broke down and cried... I had been crying on and off for a while, but that was just too much. I watched the clock like a hawk. A nurse came in and wrote on our white board Archer's name and what both hubby and I were guessing would be his birthday and stats. Hubby said 7lbs 5oz and born Nov. 30th. I said 8lbs and born Dec. 1st. I was not confident that he was going to come any sooner. I wanted him to be a December baby since hubby had just gotten me a beautiful birthstone necklace with March and December birthstones... But not only that I was in so much pain that I was sure it would last another day! After an hour on the monitors I begged my nurse for the epidural. I was originally going to get the nubain first so that I could relax through the contractions during the insertion of the epidural however, the nurse said that she needed an order from a dr. before she could submit the request for the drugs. I wasn't waiting any longer. I told her I didn't care and that I would do what I could to sit still and to just get me the epidural. I'm not ashamed of it, I needed the pain relief to be able to relax and let my body labor without fighting it. The girl (technician?) who came in to do my epidural was super nice and very informative. Hubby and I asked a lot of questions throughout this whole process and the nurses and techs and drs were amazing in answering everything, patiently. I don't remember specifics at this point, what questions I was asking and so forth.. but I know that she was very kind and answered everything. She prepped my back and would wait while I suffered through a contraction to do anything so that I would be less likely to move. Thankfully it went without a hitch and soon I was laying on my back waiting for the medicine to bring sweet relief. This epidural was different from my first in that I could still kind of feel and move my legs! That was cool because last time I was so numb in my legs and it was just really strange not to be able to feel them or move them. I kept up on pushing my bolus dose button this time so that it didn't wear off again like last time. And it didn't! Yay! But.. laying on my sides in order to get baby into a happy position was bad on my arms as they kept going numb. But thankfully, now that I had my pain relief I was able to sleep and get some rest! I have to say this was probably about noon or 1pm by the time I was really able to settle in and sleep.
I was up and down for the next several hours, though nurses kept coming in and out every hour to check vitals and such I would wake up and answer questions but then fall back to sleep. It was bliss to be able to sleep! At one point I got a little worried and asked the nurse if it was okay that I kept falling asleep while she was talking to me/doing tests etc. She said that it was okay, especially since I hadn't slept in about a day (From the time we came in to the time I had my epi I had not slept) and that it was good I was getting some rest to have the energy when it came time to push.
At some point my OB came in and broke my water. Not much came out, but it was clear so that was a huge relief. After that she checked me and said she needed to go do a few csections and check on another mom and would be back later. I spent most of the night resting and watching tv when I couldn't sleep. Hubby had been up and down, playing games and going out for his meals/checking on the cat at home etc. He was as helpful as he could be when I was still up and having contractions. He pushed on my back, rolled a tennis ball on my hips, provided counter pressure etc. Nothing helped for long but God bless him he tried. And for that I am grateful.
Friday, December 1st; Around 6am I think, my OB came to check me. I was around 8cm dilated and soft so that was good. She went to check on another patient and ended up having to take her to surgery. Just before she went she came to check on me again and said she'd be back ASAP once done with the other patient. I told her it was fine and I was ok waiting, letting the contractions hopefully continue to dialte me and push baby further down while we waited. Around 730 or so she was back and checked me again. She said I was soft enough that she thought she could push my cervix around baby's head and help with delivering him so ... we went for it. I began pushing and let me tell you, it's hard when you don't have a monitor to tell you when you're having a contraction, but I did have some feeling so between me, the nurse and my OB we were able to determine when a contraction was and I pushed with all my might. I did not want a mirror, but one was brought out for me. I had kept my eyes closed because I felt it helped me focus but my OB thought that once baby's head was visible it would help me to keep my motivation. I still had trouble watching, but I did see him crowning and start to come out.. but I had to stop pushing because his cord was wrapped around his neck so we waited a bit and very soon the cord was off and he was out! At 8:23 AM Archer made his debut after 45 minutes of pushing! It didn't feel that long (but then again it did!)
This whole process was one of the hardest things I've ever done. I don't know how women do this without pain relief! But he's here and he's healthy and I'm so totally in love with him. He is now 5 weeks old (tomorrow) and I can't imagine life without him!
Friday, December 15, 2017
So I had a baby...
at 37 weeks and 3 days it was determined that my fluid was too low to safely continue my pregnancy and so, my OB sent me to be induced. That was November 29th. On December 1st, Archer finally made his appearance at 8:23am weighing 6lbs 14oz and 20 1/2in long. That means that today he is 2 weeks old! Holy cow how time flies! I will write my labor and delivery story soon, hopefully so I don't forget details!
Thursday, November 9, 2017
The soreness...
It's gone. At least for today. I have had trouble bending, sitting, laying.. basically anything for the past 8 or more weeks. And all of a sudden today I don't feel so sore. I don't feel that crazy pressure and pain that I have been and it's a relief but it has me worried! Does this mean baby has moved up instead of settling down into the birthing position like he should be? ARGH! So confusing... I so desperately want to avoid a c-section or induction... baby please cooperate!
Wednesday, November 8, 2017
34 weeks... 6 more to go!
Not a whole lot of change this week. I feel like these weekly updates are mostly "same old same old" lol. But still, I like to re-read these.
How far along?: 34 weeks
Total weight gain/loss?: about 10lbs up (from my lowest during pregnancy) Still hanging out here and that's good for me.
Maternity clothes?: some yes, mostly pants (the yoga kind) and a few shirts here and there, just to show off my bump.
Stretch marks?: Yep, same as always
Sleep?: I can still sleep alright for the first few hours but once about 4 or 5am come along I'm up because I'm so sore on my left. That and of course I have to go to the bathroom. Lately my right arm has been getting worse. (When I sleep on my right, my arm goes numb/tingly/painful. It's happened on and off for over a year but it's every. single. night. now... and it happens during the day too, depending on my positioning. I'm going to bring it up to my OB next week, just to see what she says. I'm afraid I won't be able to hold my baby when he's born. I can barely drive or do dishes.. I can't color with Abi because writing/coloring/anything causes me pain and tingling. I figure it's probably a nerve impingement somewhere, and it's likely worse because of all the extra fluid from pregnancy. But it's so bad right now it makes me want to cry.
Best moment this week?: My AFI measurement is up to 14cm!!! It's finally in a normal range. Baby boy has been passing all of his tests and now we just need him to flip to head down.
Movement?: every day and I love it. Yesterday I think he went from head up to head down and back again. Little stinker.
Food cravings?: Sweets, sweets and more sweets.
Anything make you queasy or sick?: still only when my sugars are off.
Have you started to show yet?: Oh yeah. :) Though when I sit down it seems as though my bump goes away quite a bit, lol.
Gender?: BOY!!!
Size of baby: About the size of a melon or a little over 5lbs.
Labor signs: NO! I get a lot of Braxton Hicks when I do too much or walk too far. But every nst I have I don't have any contractions on the strip.
Wedding rings on/off?: Off. I wear a cheap fakie that's a bigger size.
Belly button in/out?: still in, so far...
Happy or Moody?: So far this week I'm good. Getting tired and ready to be done being pregnant.. though I feel awful feeling that way because I prayed so hard for this baby and promised I would savor this pregnancy. I try I really do. But I'm so ready to feel normal again.
Looking forward to: the weekend. Hubby is working his bi-annual outage this week and I hardly see him, so I miss him.
How far along?: 34 weeks
Total weight gain/loss?: about 10lbs up (from my lowest during pregnancy) Still hanging out here and that's good for me.
Maternity clothes?: some yes, mostly pants (the yoga kind) and a few shirts here and there, just to show off my bump.
Stretch marks?: Yep, same as always
Sleep?: I can still sleep alright for the first few hours but once about 4 or 5am come along I'm up because I'm so sore on my left. That and of course I have to go to the bathroom. Lately my right arm has been getting worse. (When I sleep on my right, my arm goes numb/tingly/painful. It's happened on and off for over a year but it's every. single. night. now... and it happens during the day too, depending on my positioning. I'm going to bring it up to my OB next week, just to see what she says. I'm afraid I won't be able to hold my baby when he's born. I can barely drive or do dishes.. I can't color with Abi because writing/coloring/anything causes me pain and tingling. I figure it's probably a nerve impingement somewhere, and it's likely worse because of all the extra fluid from pregnancy. But it's so bad right now it makes me want to cry.
Best moment this week?: My AFI measurement is up to 14cm!!! It's finally in a normal range. Baby boy has been passing all of his tests and now we just need him to flip to head down.
Movement?: every day and I love it. Yesterday I think he went from head up to head down and back again. Little stinker.
Food cravings?: Sweets, sweets and more sweets.
Anything make you queasy or sick?: still only when my sugars are off.
Have you started to show yet?: Oh yeah. :) Though when I sit down it seems as though my bump goes away quite a bit, lol.
Gender?: BOY!!!
Size of baby: About the size of a melon or a little over 5lbs.
Labor signs: NO! I get a lot of Braxton Hicks when I do too much or walk too far. But every nst I have I don't have any contractions on the strip.
Wedding rings on/off?: Off. I wear a cheap fakie that's a bigger size.
Belly button in/out?: still in, so far...
Happy or Moody?: So far this week I'm good. Getting tired and ready to be done being pregnant.. though I feel awful feeling that way because I prayed so hard for this baby and promised I would savor this pregnancy. I try I really do. But I'm so ready to feel normal again.
Looking forward to: the weekend. Hubby is working his bi-annual outage this week and I hardly see him, so I miss him.
Wednesday, November 1, 2017
33 Weeks :)
How far along?: 33 weeks
Total weight gain/loss?: about 10lbs up (from my lowest during pregnancy) Still hanging out here and that's good for me.
Maternity clothes?: yes and no. As usual I'm keeping with my old t-shirts but almost all of my pants are maternity of some kind
Stretch marks?: Yep, same as always
Sleep?: So-so this week. I'm ok sleeping on my left for a while then my ear starts to hurt so bad! So I have to switch to my right and of course, my right arm goes numb/tingly/pins and needles shortly after ... yes still. It sucks!
Best moment this week?: My AFI measurement is up to 11cm!!! Holy cow! I was so happy to hear that! So my Dr said I'm to keep doing what I've been doing (light duty and lots and lots of water!) and that I still have to be monitored but my fluid is now finally within a normal range.
Movement?: Yes, and stinker flipped from breech to head down and BACK TO BREECH in a week! Oh my goodness, it's driving me nuts. He needs to flip and stay head down...
Food cravings?: Sweets, sweets and more sweets. It doesn't help that it's Halloween time and all the candy is around.
Anything make you queasy or sick?: still only when my sugars are off.
Have you started to show yet?: Oh yeah. :)
Gender?: BOY!!!
Size of baby: About the size of a bok choi or a little over 4lbs
Labor signs: NO! I get a lot of Braxton Hicks when I do too much or walk too far. I had a ton of them yesterday for over an hour.
Wedding rings on/off?: Off. I wear a cheap fakie that's a bigger size.
Belly button in/out?: still in, so far...
Happy or Moody?: So far this week I'm pretty good. I am still not a morning person and I will never be a morning person so I guess I'm pretty moody in the AM versus the afternoon...
Looking forward to: Getting Archer's room cleaned up and finalized. We still need a crib and a dresser to put his clothes!
Total weight gain/loss?: about 10lbs up (from my lowest during pregnancy) Still hanging out here and that's good for me.
Maternity clothes?: yes and no. As usual I'm keeping with my old t-shirts but almost all of my pants are maternity of some kind
Stretch marks?: Yep, same as always
Sleep?: So-so this week. I'm ok sleeping on my left for a while then my ear starts to hurt so bad! So I have to switch to my right and of course, my right arm goes numb/tingly/pins and needles shortly after ... yes still. It sucks!
Best moment this week?: My AFI measurement is up to 11cm!!! Holy cow! I was so happy to hear that! So my Dr said I'm to keep doing what I've been doing (light duty and lots and lots of water!) and that I still have to be monitored but my fluid is now finally within a normal range.
Movement?: Yes, and stinker flipped from breech to head down and BACK TO BREECH in a week! Oh my goodness, it's driving me nuts. He needs to flip and stay head down...
Food cravings?: Sweets, sweets and more sweets. It doesn't help that it's Halloween time and all the candy is around.
Anything make you queasy or sick?: still only when my sugars are off.
Have you started to show yet?: Oh yeah. :)
Gender?: BOY!!!
Size of baby: About the size of a bok choi or a little over 4lbs
Labor signs: NO! I get a lot of Braxton Hicks when I do too much or walk too far. I had a ton of them yesterday for over an hour.
Wedding rings on/off?: Off. I wear a cheap fakie that's a bigger size.
Belly button in/out?: still in, so far...
Happy or Moody?: So far this week I'm pretty good. I am still not a morning person and I will never be a morning person so I guess I'm pretty moody in the AM versus the afternoon...
Looking forward to: Getting Archer's room cleaned up and finalized. We still need a crib and a dresser to put his clothes!
Sunday, October 22, 2017
31 Weeks 4 days! Home Stretch!
Let me tell you.. the 3rd trimester is no joke. Little man is all crammed in there and while he's moving everyday, I can definitely tell he's running out of space!
I had some odd glucose readings last week and the MFM dr decided to bring me in for a non stress test and a fluid check. Turns out my fluid is pretty low, so I was told to go on bed rest this weekend and see my OB for weekly nst's and AFI ultrasound measurements. This was originally going to start when I hit 36 weeks, but it's serious enough that they want it now. I'll discuss with my OB tomorrow what the next course of action is... if I have to be on bed rest more, or if it can be modified... or not at all which would be fine too but I'm so worried! Without fluid his lungs won't develop, he will slow or stop growing and it could lead to all sorts of other issues. I'm pryaing I can increase my water intake and help increase the fluid around Archer. That would be ideal. We'll see tomorrow if this weekend has had any headway in that department.
How far along?: 31 weeks and 4 days
Total weight gain/loss?: about 10lbs up (from my lowest during pregnancy)
Maternity clothes?: yes and no.
Stretch marks?: Yep a few old and a few new. A couple of odd color ones..
Sleep?: Not so good. I'm still able to sleep at least a few hours on my left, but then I have to get up to pee (no fun!) and try to sleep on my right for a little while.. which only ends in me getting numb fingers and turning back to my left. I think I have some nerve impingement in my right shoulder and when I lay on that side my fingers/hand/lower arm go all numb and tingly and I cannot stand it! I know I need to see my dr about it, but I was hoping to wait until after I have baby.
Best moment this week?: I'm going to say that the best was having Archer respond when put on the monitors at the hospital earlier. It's good to know he's still okay..
Worst moment: being told I have low fluid and that it could be because the placenta isn't functioning properly.. scary stuff.
Movement?: There have been movements, but they are changing. Nothing big enough to be him flipping over, but kicks and squiggles for sure.
Food cravings?: Sweets!!!! And tamales... again.
Anything make you queasy or sick?: again only when my sugars are off.
Have you started to show yet?: Oh yeah. :)
Gender?: BOY!!!
Size of baby: About the size of a huge head of romaine lettuce. Somewhere between 3.5 and 4lbs
Labor signs: NO! Still get Braxton Hicks when I do too much or walk too far.
Wedding rings on/off?: Off. I wear a cheap fakie that's a bigger size.
Belly button in/out?: in, so far...
Happy or Moody?: Moody I guess.. scared is another word for it. I'm trying so hard to be calm for my kids, my hubby is helping out so much but I still can't help but worry.
Looking forward to: Getting more answers tomorrow at my OB appointment. And hopefully getting more baby stuff because he'll be here before we know it.
I had some odd glucose readings last week and the MFM dr decided to bring me in for a non stress test and a fluid check. Turns out my fluid is pretty low, so I was told to go on bed rest this weekend and see my OB for weekly nst's and AFI ultrasound measurements. This was originally going to start when I hit 36 weeks, but it's serious enough that they want it now. I'll discuss with my OB tomorrow what the next course of action is... if I have to be on bed rest more, or if it can be modified... or not at all which would be fine too but I'm so worried! Without fluid his lungs won't develop, he will slow or stop growing and it could lead to all sorts of other issues. I'm pryaing I can increase my water intake and help increase the fluid around Archer. That would be ideal. We'll see tomorrow if this weekend has had any headway in that department.
How far along?: 31 weeks and 4 days
Total weight gain/loss?: about 10lbs up (from my lowest during pregnancy)
Maternity clothes?: yes and no.
Stretch marks?: Yep a few old and a few new. A couple of odd color ones..
Sleep?: Not so good. I'm still able to sleep at least a few hours on my left, but then I have to get up to pee (no fun!) and try to sleep on my right for a little while.. which only ends in me getting numb fingers and turning back to my left. I think I have some nerve impingement in my right shoulder and when I lay on that side my fingers/hand/lower arm go all numb and tingly and I cannot stand it! I know I need to see my dr about it, but I was hoping to wait until after I have baby.
Best moment this week?: I'm going to say that the best was having Archer respond when put on the monitors at the hospital earlier. It's good to know he's still okay..
Worst moment: being told I have low fluid and that it could be because the placenta isn't functioning properly.. scary stuff.
Movement?: There have been movements, but they are changing. Nothing big enough to be him flipping over, but kicks and squiggles for sure.
Food cravings?: Sweets!!!! And tamales... again.
Anything make you queasy or sick?: again only when my sugars are off.
Have you started to show yet?: Oh yeah. :)
Gender?: BOY!!!
Size of baby: About the size of a huge head of romaine lettuce. Somewhere between 3.5 and 4lbs
Labor signs: NO! Still get Braxton Hicks when I do too much or walk too far.
Wedding rings on/off?: Off. I wear a cheap fakie that's a bigger size.
Belly button in/out?: in, so far...
Happy or Moody?: Moody I guess.. scared is another word for it. I'm trying so hard to be calm for my kids, my hubby is helping out so much but I still can't help but worry.
Looking forward to: Getting more answers tomorrow at my OB appointment. And hopefully getting more baby stuff because he'll be here before we know it.
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