06/27/2011

Went to the baby doctor today....and I'm finally coming to terms with the fact that I'm going to be pregnant FOREVER!!!!!  My belly is still measuring at  38 weeks (so maybe I've finally reached the maximum my belly can stretch!).  Deb claims my strech marks will not explode (even though they sure feel like it!) We have a "pow wow" with Dr. Gratkins this Thursday to see about possibly inducing (Dear God...please let that be the case!) 

Lauren did well during her sonogram.  She weighed in at 6 lbs 15 oz.  That still puts her about 1 week a head.  She looks soooo cramped up in my womb!  Poor little girl!  She just needs to decide to come out! 

So, the name of the game is.......................WAIT...WAIT...AND MORE WAITING....  I'm getting so impatient!!!

06/23/2011

As you can imagine, since I'm on bed rest now, I'm having to go back to the doctor 2 times a week.  So we saw Deb again yesterday.  She was pleased that my blood pressure had come down some, although it is still high.  She said the swelling in my feet and face had gone down substantially, but the swelling in my hands had not. She says that will probably not go away until after the baby is born. 

We had an NST done yesterday, and to every one's surprise.....she failed!  So we had to go for a sonogram again.  She does great when she gets her picture taken!  I guess she just hates the NST.  During the sonogram, Sara (the tech) said she weighed in at 6 lbs 8 oz.  Which means she gained 6 oz in 3 days :-)  The cord is no longer around her neck (thank God!) and she looks to be doing great in there! 

Deb did decide to check me this time.  And I know it's not a huge accomplishment, but it's hard to not get excited!  She said I was dilated to 1 and 50% effaced!  I know you can be like that for a while, but at least it wasn't 0's!  She said Lauren was at a -2 station.  So she has not dropped down into the birth canal yet, but she's getting closer!  I forgot to ask how often she will check that, but I'm assuming once a week. 

Deb promised on 06/30/2011 that we would have a "pow wow" with Dr. Gratkins to discuss the amniocentesis that she had spoken about at our previous appointment.  If he decides to do it, they will plan for it to be done on 07/05/2011.  So, I hope that we can still have that done and it shows that her lungs are developed!  Then, they will probably send us over to the hospital to have our baby! 

Doctors appointment on 06/20/2011

Well, I've managed to dodge the bullet up until 06/20/2011!  Today Deb finally said we didn't have any option, but to put me on bed rest.  The swelling in my hands, face, and feet were getting to be too much.  That, on top of my high blood pressure was making Deb nervous.  I hated to hear that, but to make things a little better, she was thinking that I'd probably only carry for about another 10 days or so!  She said if we made it to 36 weeks, they would probably do an amniocenteses at around 36-36 1/2 weeks to see if Lauren's lungs were developed enough to be born.  If they were, then they would probably induce me because of all the swelling and high blood pressure.  She said it would only take a few hours to get the results back, so we would know that day.  If the blood pressure and swelling keeps getting worse, they may end up having to take her before then, even if her lungs are not ready.  We will pray for the best!

We had a sono that day and Lauren weighed in at 6 lbs 2 oz!  She's getting so big!  It's hard to believe that something that big can be inside my belly!  Although I was only 34 weeks and 4 days, my belly measured at 38 weeks.  OMG! It can only grow so big!  I have to be about there! 

33 weeks 1 day

Well, this morning was interesting.  For the 1st time ever, I felt 5 practice contractions.  The 1st one was by far the biggest one.  It was so intense that my belly had a HUGE bulge on the left side, but kind of odd because it didn't hurt.  It was just uncomfortable.  Kinda freaked me out for a minute!  Good thing my hubby was there! I ended up having 3 between 5:45a and 6:45a and 2 more from 6:45a-7:45a.  Since then, I haven't had any.  I'm supposed to call the doctor if I have more than 4 in one hour.  I said leave it to me....I saw both the doctor and the nurse practitioner yesterday....why couldn't this have happened then?!?!?!?!

33 week check up

On 06/09/2011, we went for our 33 week check up.  Lauren is doing great!!  The ultrasound tech said she weighs about 4 lbs 4 oz now :-)  She is right on par! 

Mom is doing well also!  Since 06/06/2011, I've been having to take my blood sugar two times a day.  All my numbers have been good.  I have to take my blood sugar two times a day for another week and after that, she will decide if I can go to every other day or not.  Blood pressure was good (even thought I don't know how that could be with the way the day started out!). 

1 MORE WEEK until I'm out of the woods for being flown to Peoria if they cannot stop labor!  Keep your fingers crossed! I HATE helicopters! 

A lot has changed!

Well, I see it's been a while since I last posted on our blog!  Things have changed some since my last postings.  As far as Lauren goes, she is doing great!  At our last sonogram on 06/02/2011, she weighed 4 lbs 4 oz.  The sonogram tech said it looks as if she is going to have a full head of hair when she is born :-)  Since they 1st thought they might have seen an issue with the cord, they have checked it every time since.  Nobody else has seen the issue the one tech thought she had seen.  So....if everything goes well at our sonogram tomorrow, I may be able to start going back to the doctor only 1 time a week!!!!!  Yeah!!!! 

On 06/06/2011, Lauren passed her NST test for the 1st time!  I was stoked about that!  My blood pressure was good and all looked well.  However, I do have to start to monitor my blood sugar for a while.  For the past 3 doctor's appointments, I've "spilled sugar."  So, I have to keep a close eye on it.  So far all my numbers have turned out good.  We will see what Deb has to say about them tomorrow. 

As of my last doctors appointment, I was 32 weeks and 4 days pregnant.  My belly was measured at 36 weeks!  YIKES!  Deb says she has no doubt that my belly will reach 40 weeks, however she says I'll deliver early.  How early, she cannot guess, but as long as we make it into July, they will not try and stop labor when it starts!  That means our little girl will  be here soon!!!!!!  Her daddy and I cannot wait to meet her!! 

THANK YOU EVERYONE!!!!!!

Lauren's baby shower was held on 05/22/2011!  I wanted to thank everyone who helped set up/take down, and everyone who helped us celebrate!!!!  I hope everyone had as good of a time as I did!  Thank you to everyone for everything you gave us!  We are sure to put it to good use!  And I CAN'T WAIT to play dress up and try on all her cute little outfits!!! 

A special thank you to Laura Lanoue!!  All of your hard work was very much appreciated!   

The journey gets bumpy...

On 05/19/2011, we had a doctors appointment at 10:00am.  They first hooked me up to the NST (non stress test).  They left me on that for a little over an hour.  During that hour, I had to drink orange juice because they were not seeing the results they wanted to see.  They then put us in an exam room.  Deb finally made it in, and explained the test.  She said she was not seeing the results she wished to see on the NST, so she wanted to do a sonogram.  We had to come back at 1pm for that.

At the sonogram, we had the tech that I'm not particularly fawned of.  She said Lauren technically passed the test, but she was still not super active liked they had hoped to see.  I asked if they could tell if her cord was wrapped around her neck or not on the sonogram.  She said they usually can't tell.  She then changed something on the sonogram machine, which showed red and blue on the screen.  She watched that for several minutes.  After she was done with that, she said she needed to go speak with Deb.  She left us sitting in the sonogram room.  At that time, I knew she must have seen something she didn't like on the sonogram.  When she came back, she said she was going to put us in an exam room until Deb could speak with us.  As we walked past Deb's office, she said she would be right in, once she called and spoke to Dr. Gratkins about something. 

Deb finally came in and began to explain the situation. She said the ultrasound tech believed the umbilical cord was too short.  She stated that she also believed the cord was not going into Lauren's belly properly.  She said the cord should go straight into her belly, but it appears that it might be going in at a slight angle.  Obviously that is something they will have to watch super close, because it could start to have a negative impact on her. 

We are looking forward to the next bridge that we have to cross. Looking forward to 34 weeks.  The next 4 weeks will be spend walking on pins and needles. It's sure going to seem like 1 long month. 

So to sum it all up, I will now be going to the doctor 2 times a week. They will be doing the NST every week and a sonogram every week. I have to pay close attention to her movements, and if I don't feel her for 3-4 hours, try to wake her with orange juice or a rattle.  If neither work, I'm to call Deb ASAP anytime of the day. (Which is making me feel super pressured to not make a mistake.) I'm hoping to keep our little girl all snuggled up in the womb for at least 6-8 more weeks, but I'll take 4 if I have to. 

Just remember to keep us in your prayers please :-)

29 week check up

On 05/12/2011, I went for my weekly check up. I was nervous since the 2 week check up was so crummy. But much to our surprise, all was good news this week! Lauren is 3 lbs 2 oz. We got to watch her practicing her breathing on the sonogram, her heart beat is doing great, and we got a GREAT photo of her face! I know I'm a tad biased, but she is BEAUTIFUL!!!!! She did finally move head down, but there is still plenty of time for that to change. Deb says all we can do is hope she likes that position for now! 
As for me, my blood pressure was down back to my "normal." My fluid level had dropped from 23.5 to 22 (which they like to see it at 20, so I'm getting closer!) My belly measured in at 30.5 weeks (about a week and a half a head of schedule), and I only gained .4 lbs last week. (Lauren gained .3 so really, I only gained .1!!)  Deb was super pleased with that since I gained too much too fast last month. 

They hooked me up to the Non Stress Test (NST) for about 30 minutes.  Lauren was really sleepy, so they had to wake her up!  They eventually succeeded and saw the readings they were hoping to see!  I'm having no contractions yet (Thank God!!!)

She said all and all, Lauren is looking happy as a clam in there!

I passed!!!!!

Well, I found out that I passed my 3 hour gestational diabetes test!  Yippeee!!!!  I was 99% sure I was going to fail it.  I'm very happy I don't have this to worry about now!  Deb said as long as I keep from eating sweet foods all day everyday, I should be out of the "danger zone" for gestational diabetes. 

I flunked....

Well, I found out on 05/04/2011, that I "flunked" my 1 hour gestational diabetes test :-(  Which came as no great surprise.  I figured I probably would.  To pass the test, my blood sugar had to be under 130 and my test result was 149.  So, I have to go on 05/09/2011 for the 3 hour test.  The extra amniotic fluid issue could be caused from gestational diabetes, so maybe that is an explanation.  Only time will tell.

Change of plans.....

Well, just when you think pregnancy is going great, it changes in a flash.  On 05/01/2011 I noticed Lauren wasn't as active as usual.  I kept busy on Sunday, so I really didn't think a whole lot about it.  On 5/2/2011, I started thinking about it some more, so I tried to wake her by leaning on my belly (which she normally HATES!).  I still didn't feel a lot, so I decided to call Deb.  I had to leave a message, but she called me back within 5 minutes (1 of the many reason I love Deb so much!).  She suggested we come in to see her that day, instead of waiting for our appointment on Thursday.  I was worried everyone would think I was making something out of nothing, but I'm glad I called. 

We first had a sonogram.  It was so great so see her again!  She's grown soooo much!  According to her measurements, she weighed 2lbs 13oz.  Which they say is the average size of a baby at 28 weeks 4 days.  So she was about 1 week ahead on growth.  I was very surprised to see her growth jump like that since I have the bicornuate uterus.  They suspected she would start to fall behind on growth.  She was being VERY stubborn and wouldn't take her arms away from her face so we could get a good photo!  Although the tech was very patient and kept trying!  We did however manage to capture her frowning!  I love that picture!  She looks just like her mom in that one!!

After the sonogram, we met with Deb.  She was full of "not so good news."  My blood pressure was higher than it had been (131/70).  But there were so many factors that could have influenced that.  I had the gestational diabetes test done, so I had gotten stuck with a very painful needle about 5 minutes before they took my blood pressure.  They also said the stuff I had to drink for that test, could have made my blood pressure go up.  I should know on 05/04/2011 if I have to go in for the 3 hour blood test.  If I fail that then I guess I do have gestational diabetes.   

I also have too much amniotic fluid.  I was at 23.5 and the highest level they like to see is 25.  This makes me really worried. (Talk about making the blood pressure jump!)  They said sometimes they never figure out why some people have this issue, but it sometimes can be linked to gestational diabetes.  YIKES!!  Deb also said I have more swelling in my fingers/ankles than she would like to see at 28 weeks.  ***sigh*** 

Deb said she would prefer I only work 1/2 days now, but I begged her not to do that just yet.  She said she would only allow me to work if I PROMISED I would be on the couch with my feet up if I was not at work.  It sounds like bed rest is likely to happen, it just a matter of when.

Lauren is still lying in the "transverse position."  Which Deb found strange.  She said it's not hurting her, but she is surprised Lauren is comfortable in that position.  She said if she doesn't turn by 36 weeks, they can try and turn her, but that doesn't always work.  But from the sounds of it, it's most likely going to be a C-section anyway.  I am somewhat disappointed about that, but the only thing that matters is having a healthy baby. 

Deb also said I can't have pizza anymore :-(  WHAT ON EARTH AM I GOING TO EAT?!?!?!?!  Chicken, chicken, and...more chicken.  I am probably going to hate chicken by the time our daughter is born!  I have to go on a strict diet of "extra healthy" foods. 

Up until now, everything had been going so well!  How do we get so much bad news all at one time?!?! I am just lucky to have the love and support of my wonderful husband and both of our families! 
  I will post some sonogram photos soon (probably later today). 

Oh my....my back is aching!!!

So as I'm walking around...almost 27 weeks pregnant, I wonder to myself...how on earth do women do this pregnancy thing more than 1 time?!?!?!?  Today I'm 26 weeks and 4 days along and my back is KILLING ME!!!  And with me having 94 days till Lauren's due date, I'm 100% positive this back ache will not go away until after I give birth! 

My ankles are starting to swell some if I spend to much time on my feet.  That's a good excuse to get out of grocery shopping :-)

Anyway...that's enough complaining!  After trying to get pregnant for 1 1/2 years, I'll take a back ache from a bulging baby belly anyday :-)

Wow...that was CrAzY!!

Lauren is getting MUCH stronger these days!  She's kicking and punching hard enough that her daddy and I could watch her move my belly last night!!  What a huge milestone! 

1 day shy of 26 weeks :-)

Well, we've almost made it to 26 weeks!  Every week along, means 1 more week closer to meeting our daughter!!!  WE CANNOT WAIT!!  Today, we've officially entered the double digit countdown till Lauren's due date!  99 days!  Lets hope she makes a timely appearance! 

Daddy got to feel a really hard kick this last Saturday!  You should have seen his face!  He was shocked at how hard she kicked his hand!  He was so excited to feel the 1st "big" kick! 

                                                                    25 weeks & 4 days

I'm really starting to feel pregnant these days!  My back kills me if I do too much.  Grocery shopping was a dreaded deed before I was pregnant and EVEN MORE dreaded now!  I feel as if I've been beaten by the time we are done walking around the store...then I've got to get everything put away!  Thank God my husband is wonderful help! 

Doctor's Visit 4/7/2011

We finally got to meet the midwife, Jolene Hamann!  She was very nice!  I'm still not totally cured of my fear, but I'm sure the more I see her the better it will be.  It's just kind of scary when I've had Deb for so long.  I can ask Deb anything under the sun, some of which, would be embarrassing to ask someone else! Deb said she had to choose between infertility and midwifery, because she didn't have enough time to do both.  So although Deb can't deliver Lauren, we have her to thank for giving us the opportunity to be parents :-)

Jolene said everything is looking good.  Lauren appears to be growing at the appropriate pace.  I measured in at the correct week and I've only gained 7 lbs this entire pregnancy....so far!!  I'm sure that is about to change!  We got to listen to Lauren's heartbeat with the doppler.  At first it sounded kind of strange, but Jolene said we were listening to the umbilical cord.  Then she moved the doppler and found her heartbeat!  It was at 145 beats per minute.  We could also hear her kicking around!  It was so much fun to hear our little girl! 

My next appointment is on 5/5/2011.  This appointment is jammed packed with tons of things!  I'll be 28 weeks so that is when they will do the gestational diabetes test.  Then I'll have another sonogram....I CAN"T WAIT!!!!  And after that, we will see Jolene again.  I'm sure by then, I'll have tons of other questions for Jolene to answer! 

Lauren is defiantly getting more muscle tone!  She is kicking and punching away these days!  I love it when her daddy can feel her!  Of course the most powerful kicks, I never have his hand in the right spot!  It probably won't be long till these punches and kicks start to get a little uncomfortable! 

It's amazing how we've never met this little angel face to face, but we love her more than words can describe!  I can't wait till we can hold and kiss her!

Daddy felt his little girl!!!!!!!!!

Well...Daddy got to feel Lauren for the 1st time the other day!!!  I've been trying and trying to put his hand in the "right" spot at the right time the last week or so.  And FINALLY he got to feel her little flutter!  I have noticed the kicks and punches are starting to get stronger.  At 4am this morning, I woke to use the restroom (like always!).  When I laid down, I must have squished her, because she started punching and kicking like crazy!  I put my hand on my belly and felt 1 really good kick with my hand!  Just wish Daddy's hand had been there for that one!  They are not quite strong enough to hurt yet, but I'm sure those days will be here before I know it! 

I feel her!!!

I always wondered if I would know for sure the 1st time I felt our baby moving.  Well, I learned the answer to my own question....no.  Not at 1st anyway.  It felt as though I was having muscle spasms.  Which, I've learned were not actually muscle spasms, but it was little baby Lauren! I've been feeling her for about 1.5 weeks now.  It's pretty amazing!  I've gotten a few good thumps so far.  Not that they hurt, but I was just surprised by how strong a few of them were.  I am excited, but I'll be even MORE excited once her daddy can feel her kicking too!!

Baby H is a ??????

On 03/10/2011, we had our 20 week sonogram.  And guess what it showed?!?!  A baby GIRL!!!!  So Baby H is no longer just Baby H.  Her name is Lauren Marie!  Her weight/length was measuring in at 20 weeks 1 day.  I was 20 weeks that day.  So the Dr. said she is right on target!   We got to see her for the 1st time in a 3D/4D picture.  I know I'll slightly biased, but she is BEAUTIFUL!!!!  If I could figure out how to download pictures to this site, I would, but it's still a mystery!

03/02/2011

8 more days till our 20 week sonogram!  I am getting so excited!  We haven't seen Baby H since week 12 and I'll be 19 weeks tomorrow!  I'm expecting a HUGE change!!  I really hope Baby H is cooperative and does not have their legs closed tight!  Mommy and Daddy both want to know!!

As for me, I've finally started to feel pregnant!  With a belly like mine, how could I not?! Today is the 1st day (of many I'm sure) that I feel like I'm as big as a house.  Haha! I know...I know...everyone is thinking...just wait until your 30 something weeks...you'll really feel big then!  I've still not felt the baby move yet.  Anyway that I know of.

I've been trying to get some things done to prepare for the baby.  I'm sure some people think I'm "jumping the gun," but it's things I WANT to get done now so I don't have to worry about them later.  Since the doctor thinks that I will probably only make it to 36 weeks, I'm trying to take full advantage of getting stuff done early! 

Well, be sure to check back on 3/10/11!  We hope to be able to tell you if it's a boy or a girl!!

02/08/2011

As most people probably already know....I'm still sick!   I was just about over the cold I caught 2 weeks ago when I got hit by the flu...again. The flu when your not pregnant is bad enough, but having it while your pregnant is 100 times worse!  It feels like I'm going to be sick for the rest of this pregnancy!

On 02/10/2011, Tom and I go back to see Deb.  Nothing much is really going to come out of this doctors appointment, but it is a milestone.  16 weeks :-)  In about 1 more month, we hope to be able to find out if the baby is a boy (which dad thinks it is) or if it's a girl (which mom thinks it is)!!!  And in 1 more month, I will be officially 1/2 way through this pregnancy!  It is going fast!

01/31/2011

Well, I'm soooooo disappointed that I'm going to miss my doctors appointment on Wednesday (02/02/2011).  With this HUGE snow storm coming in, I'm not going to take any chances! So I spoke with Deb this afternoon and she said she would see me next week if the weather was bad on Wednesday.

I am STILL fighting this cold!  Let me tell ya....it's a tough one to kick! I've got rid of most of it except the chest congestion.  Deb said to give the Z-Pack till Thursday and if it's not getting better, then she will probably put me on a different antibiotic.  Being pregnant AND sick sure is hard!  But being sick and having a baby/toddler running around the house is probably harder!

It's been a long week!

Remember how they say pregnant women have a lower immune system that they usually would?  I've been suffering for the last week with a terrible cold.  And I've not taken anything for it.  The doctor said I could take Tylenol Cold, however, Tylenol was recently recalled. Even though it's back on the market, it's hard to find a store with it in stock.  I had to break down and call Deb on 01/24/2011 to get a Z pack called in.  Like always, this nasty cold has ended up in my chest.  It may not sound like a huge deal to some, but with my asthma, it does have me moderately concerned.  Today is my second day taking the meds and it seems to be helping some.  I just hope it clears it all up!

Sono 01/19/2011

The doctors appointment on Wednesday went really well!  We had yet another new ultrasound tech.  We liked her a lot since she played around and let us see the baby for about 8-10 minutes! Baby H was VERY active!  He or she was using mom as a punching bag, even though I couldn't feel a thing!  I said either the baby is awake or he or she sleeps like their mother does!  The baby even took a second to wave at mom and dad!  The baby was 6.75 cm long.  On the day of the sono, I was 12 weeks 6 days along.  The baby was measuring at 13 weeks 1 day.  The tech said this was the last time they would be able to measure the baby this way and from now on, they will use the weight of the baby to monitor their progress.

After the sonogram, we met with Deb.  Like always, I had a bunch of questions.  And like always, she was happy to answer them!  We did get some news that was not as exciting, but it was nothing bad.  She said because of the location of placenta, I probably won't be able to feel the baby move until around 20-21 weeks.  The placenta is in a great position (top front side of the uterus), however it will buffer the babies movements so it will take longer until I feel the baby move.  It was nice that she took the time to explain this, so I was not worrying when I couldn't feel the baby.   

We were going to start going to the doctor every 4 weeks now, but I have to go back on 02/2/2011.  Deb was going to give me a flu shot since I'm out of the 1st trimester, but since I was getting sick on 01/19/2011, she wouldn't give it to me.  So when I go back I'll get the flu shot, have a ton of questions, and we will listen to the heartbeat with the doppler. 

So to sum it up, as of now, Baby H is doing GREAT!!!!

Thanks for keeping up with our little Jelly Bean!  I will be sure to keep everyone updated! 

Good bye 1st trimester....HELLOOOO 2nd trimester!!!

Well, on 01/13/2011, I officially began my 2nd trimester! Super excited!!  There are tons of things to look forward to this trimester! If it goes 1/2 as fast as the first one did, it will be over in a blink!  Shortly we should be able to find out if our little Jelly Bean is a boy or a girl!  And soon I should be able to feel the baby! That will be so exciting!  Our next doctors appointment is on 01/19/2011, so I should have a new picture and some more info then! Make sure to check back next week!

01/05/2011

Well....on 01/06/2011, I will be exactly 11 weeks along! Seems like it's starting to slow down some! I'm excited I'm almost done with my 1st trimester! Things have been a little slow this last 1.5 weeks. No doctor appointments and no issues (Thank God!).  I don't go back to the doctor until 01/19/2011.  After that appointment, I will go from doctor appointments every 2 weeks to doctor appointments once a month. That's going to feel like forever! But I guess I should be happy I've gotten to see our little Jelly Bean this many times already.  I've probably got to see the baby more times than most women get to their entire pregnancy!  But I'm NOT complaining!  I finally found our camera so I can start taking "belly pictures."  Well...at least Tom can. I'll just stand there!  Some people think I'm starting to show already, but I'm not sure. Some days I agree with them and some days I don't.  I can't wait to get past the stage of "just looking like I'm gaining weight" (cause I haven't...I've actually lost weight so far) to the looking preggers stage!  Oh with time that will come!  Well, I will try and get some pictures downloaded soon, and I will be sure to keep everyone updated!