My doctor's appointment this time around was MUCH better than last time. My blood pressure was OK 133/82, and her HR was in the 140s. I'm still waiting on that consult from SHANDS, but everyone I've talked to (midwives and doctor) seems to think they'll allow me to do the VBAC even without the surgical report, which is a relief to me. I'm measuring right on track and have gained 14 lbs since the start, which isn't too bad.
Since my BP was OK, and the contractions haven't gotten any worse, they will let me come in every two weeks for the time being, which makes me happy. I feel a lot less stressed about the possibility of going into preterm labor, thankfully. I'm also thankful the midwife didn't check my cervix because I know I would have had a horrible day of contractions after that, and I think I have enough of them as it is! My next appointment is on April 4, and I also have an ultrasound this Monday to check and see how big Abigail is. If she gets to be too big, then they probably won't let me VBAC, so fingers crossed that she's not massive!
I also took some time to get her room together. I have pretty much everything taken out of her room that we were just storing in there. Everything was either tossed out or moved to a different location. I also sorted her clothes and washed everything. I packed her bag with most of the stuff we'll be taking with us to the hospital and I'm just waiting on her bedding to arrive so that can be washed, and the stuff my mom is shipping to me from the first shower. I'd say her room is about 85-90% done, which is also a huge relief. Diaper-wise, I have a pretty good stash going so far. I have 13 pockets/AIOs, 2 covers, and 26 prefolds in small and newborn sizes. I've got a diaper pail liner and special detergent on the way, so I'll be able to prep her diapers once that arrives.
So we're pretty much ready!! I'm still a little nervous because everyone keeps saying how hard it is to go from 1 child to 2. And I have no idea how Aidan is going to react despite all the talking about it with him we've been doing. But hopefully we'll all find our grooves quickly and it won't be too hard of an adjustment on any of us. I can hardly believe it, but we'll be facing that adjustment time within the next month or so. Time is flying by so quickly, and I'm trying to relish this last little bit of being pregnant with our last baby. At the same time I can't wait to meet her! Only 48 more days (or less!) and our family will be complete!!
22 March 2012
14 March 2012
32 Week Check Up
Today completely threw me for a loop. I was expecting a normal, easy checkup, but my body had other plans. Despite a hectic morning, getting Aidan off to school, running home to fix him a lunch because he was staying at school until 2pm, and running back to the school to give him the lunch, I was able to make it to my doctor's appointment on time.
It was anything but the usual routine appointment. It started with a really bad dizzy spell at the doctor's office that had them concerned initially...they called it passing out, but I didn't fall or remember losing consciousness, I was just really out of it. After that was over, my BP started climbing instead of dropping, which then had them concerned about pre-eclampsia. Then they checked my blood sugar and saw it was higher than they would like it to be. I answered a bunch of questions from one of the midwives and my actual doctor and they had me lay down for a bit longer. My doctor came back to do the usual exam....Abby's HR was great, I'm measuring right on track, and everything else was looking good. Then I mentioned the contractions. It's not anything new, but the past few days they've been super painful and wrapping around to my back. So he decided to check my cervix. I'm starting to dilate already, so they swabbed me for a protein that might indicate preterm labor and brought in the ultrasound machine to check it. It's still 4cm long, which is good (anything under 3 is a concern he said), so now the only thing I can do is wait to hear the results of the protein test. He wants to see me weekly now to keep tabs on my contractions and my BP though, so no more 2 week appointments. And I've been instructed to rest more than normal...it's not bed rest, but he doesn't want me running errands all day like I've been doing recently.
UGH...so that's all I know for right now. They're also setting up a consult at SHANDS for my VBAC even though I haven't been able to locate the surgical report from Guam. So that was a bit of good news. He said they will probably allow me to try for the VBAC without it, but since we don't know if there is any underlying problem with my pelvis, my chances for a successful VBAC is only 50%. I think I'll take 50% over a scheduled c-section!
So, here's hoping the protein test comes back negative and I don't have to worry about Abby making her debut too early. And I'm praying I don't get put on full on bed rest...with Aidan's birthday party coming up, him being in school, and getting everything ready for Abby, it would just be a huge bummer. I'm not entirely sure what the plan of action is if the test comes back positive, but I guess we'll just have to cross that bridge when we get there.
UPDATE: The protein test (fetal fibronectin) came back negative which is awesome. It basically means that the chances of me delivering within the next two weeks are extremely small. However, it also means I just have to suck up these contractions and deal with them as best I can. But the negative result does make me worry less about how frequent and painful they are, so overall, it's great news.
It was anything but the usual routine appointment. It started with a really bad dizzy spell at the doctor's office that had them concerned initially...they called it passing out, but I didn't fall or remember losing consciousness, I was just really out of it. After that was over, my BP started climbing instead of dropping, which then had them concerned about pre-eclampsia. Then they checked my blood sugar and saw it was higher than they would like it to be. I answered a bunch of questions from one of the midwives and my actual doctor and they had me lay down for a bit longer. My doctor came back to do the usual exam....Abby's HR was great, I'm measuring right on track, and everything else was looking good. Then I mentioned the contractions. It's not anything new, but the past few days they've been super painful and wrapping around to my back. So he decided to check my cervix. I'm starting to dilate already, so they swabbed me for a protein that might indicate preterm labor and brought in the ultrasound machine to check it. It's still 4cm long, which is good (anything under 3 is a concern he said), so now the only thing I can do is wait to hear the results of the protein test. He wants to see me weekly now to keep tabs on my contractions and my BP though, so no more 2 week appointments. And I've been instructed to rest more than normal...it's not bed rest, but he doesn't want me running errands all day like I've been doing recently.
UGH...so that's all I know for right now. They're also setting up a consult at SHANDS for my VBAC even though I haven't been able to locate the surgical report from Guam. So that was a bit of good news. He said they will probably allow me to try for the VBAC without it, but since we don't know if there is any underlying problem with my pelvis, my chances for a successful VBAC is only 50%. I think I'll take 50% over a scheduled c-section!
So, here's hoping the protein test comes back negative and I don't have to worry about Abby making her debut too early. And I'm praying I don't get put on full on bed rest...with Aidan's birthday party coming up, him being in school, and getting everything ready for Abby, it would just be a huge bummer. I'm not entirely sure what the plan of action is if the test comes back positive, but I guess we'll just have to cross that bridge when we get there.
UPDATE: The protein test (fetal fibronectin) came back negative which is awesome. It basically means that the chances of me delivering within the next two weeks are extremely small. However, it also means I just have to suck up these contractions and deal with them as best I can. But the negative result does make me worry less about how frequent and painful they are, so overall, it's great news.
05 March 2012
66 days to go!
Can that be right, my ticker says only 66 days to go! I can hardly believe it!!
I also just noticed that I've been a slacker and a half on this blog too. But I've been horribly busy trying to get everything together for Abby's room and traveling to NY for the shower. I'm going to have to recap pretty much all of Feb, so bear with me.
First thing's first...I failed my glucose test (both of them) so I'm back on the diabetes diet. I pretty much knew it was coming so it wasn't the devastating news it was when I was pregnant with Aidan. I was well prepared to dive right back into it. So far it hasn't been bad. The only complaint I have is that my meter isn't giving me accurate readings. The doctor has checked my fasting twice, and compared to what I've been getting on my meter, they're definitely not the same. This makes it difficult to judge if I'm able to keep my fasting in check so I can avoid being put on insulin. The first time the doctor's office got 102 and my meter read 82, and the second time they got 96 while my meter read 89. So it's not even like it's consistently off. I still have to talk to the doctor to see what he wants to do about it, but most likely we're going to have to change out my meter.
At my 30 week check up, HR was excellent, in the upper 140s. I'm up 12 lbs total so far, which isn't bad at all. My TSH levels from the last visit came back great (1.32), and my bp was 122 over 86 (woo hoo!). As long as I can keep my fasting levels under control, I don't have to be seen every week, I can stay at every two weeks, but they're going to start doing an NST at each visit (non-stress test), which is no biggie.
As for the VBAC situation, I feel like we're still in limbo. For a while I had settled on just doing the c-section because I was so leery of going to a hospital I'd never been to. But then at my 30 week appointment, as I was explaining the reason behind my decision to the midwife, she told me there are ways to try and get around the local hospital's policy of no VBACs. It gave me some hope, but when I talked to Casey, he said it was like "cutting corners". I won't go into details about what she told me because she really wasn't supposed to be advising me on how to get around the system. But basically, after explaining it to him, Casey was not really comfortable with the idea. So I mulled it over in my mind, trying to decide just how much doing a VBAC meant to me. I reached out to a fellow Navy wife I trust who had given birth there and asked about her experience and what the hospital was like because I think a lack of knowledge about the other hospital was throwing me off. I finally decided I really do want to try. There are pros and cons to each side of the coin. Although the scheduled c-section would allow me to plan accordingly, be in a closer hospital with nicer accommodations, and ensure my doctor would deliver Abby, it just doesn't feel right to me. My gut is telling me to try for the VBAC. The hospital is further away, the rooms aren't as nice, and I have no idea who will be delivering Abby (a concern for me especially if my VBAC fails), but I just have the strong desire to try.
The only obstacle right now seems to be that Naval Hospital Guam has misplaced the surgical report from my c-section with Aidan, which means I can't have a consultation with a surgeon to prep me for the VBAC. I'm almost positive I have a transverse incision on my uterus rather than a vertical one, but without the report, there is no way of telling for sure, not to mention if there were any minor complications the doctor didn't mention to me. As far as I know, I had a c-section because Aidan's head was crooked in my pelvis and wouldn't come down past zero station, and everything during the surgery was routine. But who knows what's really in the report, so that's a concern for me. It's entirely possible that there's something in that report that would mean a VBAC is too risky, and in that case I would want to know. So I'm doing my best to track the report down before April so that I can make an informed (and wise) decision. Fingers crossed!!
Other than that February was very good us! I had a wonderful shower and saw a lot of people I haven't seen in a very long time. It was a short trip back home, but well worth it. We also had a 4D earlier in the month and got to see our little girl. First...she's definitely still a girl! I was very excited to hear that, given I've gotten so used to the idea of (not to mention excited about) having a girl. It was definitely an amazing 45 minutes. We saw her yawn, smile, open and close her eyes, and pout at something that made her mad. She also has a lot of hair, so I'm betting she comes out with dark hair like Aidan did (here's hoping she inherits his eyelashes from Casey as well!). She's got feet that are already 2.5 inches long (which by the tech's standards are apparently huge) and was over 2 lbs. The tech said if I give birth around my due date, she should be 7.5 lbs. I compared her 4D pictures and Aidan's, and I think they look a lot alike, just with different noses. The entire experience made me so incredibly excited to meet her!
March is looking to be just as busy as February. My little buddy turns 4 at the end of the month, and we're working on getting his party together. I have another baby shower on the 1st with my Georgia friends. And my doctor's appointments will be 2 weeks apart instead of 4. Aidan also has to be tested for allergies since none of the meds we've tried are working for him, so who knows how many doctor's visits that will add up to. We're also working on the nursery and trying to sell off all of Aidan's baby items (clothes, toys, travel system, etc). I feel like April will be here before I know it, and by the time my birthday rolls around, I could go into labor. It's crazy how fast this pregnancy has flown by, and I have loved all of it. This being my last baby, I've tried to savor every minute. I know a piece of me will be sad to not be pregnant anymore, but I am definitely looking forward to completing my family and meeting our Abigail.
I also just noticed that I've been a slacker and a half on this blog too. But I've been horribly busy trying to get everything together for Abby's room and traveling to NY for the shower. I'm going to have to recap pretty much all of Feb, so bear with me.
First thing's first...I failed my glucose test (both of them) so I'm back on the diabetes diet. I pretty much knew it was coming so it wasn't the devastating news it was when I was pregnant with Aidan. I was well prepared to dive right back into it. So far it hasn't been bad. The only complaint I have is that my meter isn't giving me accurate readings. The doctor has checked my fasting twice, and compared to what I've been getting on my meter, they're definitely not the same. This makes it difficult to judge if I'm able to keep my fasting in check so I can avoid being put on insulin. The first time the doctor's office got 102 and my meter read 82, and the second time they got 96 while my meter read 89. So it's not even like it's consistently off. I still have to talk to the doctor to see what he wants to do about it, but most likely we're going to have to change out my meter.
At my 30 week check up, HR was excellent, in the upper 140s. I'm up 12 lbs total so far, which isn't bad at all. My TSH levels from the last visit came back great (1.32), and my bp was 122 over 86 (woo hoo!). As long as I can keep my fasting levels under control, I don't have to be seen every week, I can stay at every two weeks, but they're going to start doing an NST at each visit (non-stress test), which is no biggie.
As for the VBAC situation, I feel like we're still in limbo. For a while I had settled on just doing the c-section because I was so leery of going to a hospital I'd never been to. But then at my 30 week appointment, as I was explaining the reason behind my decision to the midwife, she told me there are ways to try and get around the local hospital's policy of no VBACs. It gave me some hope, but when I talked to Casey, he said it was like "cutting corners". I won't go into details about what she told me because she really wasn't supposed to be advising me on how to get around the system. But basically, after explaining it to him, Casey was not really comfortable with the idea. So I mulled it over in my mind, trying to decide just how much doing a VBAC meant to me. I reached out to a fellow Navy wife I trust who had given birth there and asked about her experience and what the hospital was like because I think a lack of knowledge about the other hospital was throwing me off. I finally decided I really do want to try. There are pros and cons to each side of the coin. Although the scheduled c-section would allow me to plan accordingly, be in a closer hospital with nicer accommodations, and ensure my doctor would deliver Abby, it just doesn't feel right to me. My gut is telling me to try for the VBAC. The hospital is further away, the rooms aren't as nice, and I have no idea who will be delivering Abby (a concern for me especially if my VBAC fails), but I just have the strong desire to try.
The only obstacle right now seems to be that Naval Hospital Guam has misplaced the surgical report from my c-section with Aidan, which means I can't have a consultation with a surgeon to prep me for the VBAC. I'm almost positive I have a transverse incision on my uterus rather than a vertical one, but without the report, there is no way of telling for sure, not to mention if there were any minor complications the doctor didn't mention to me. As far as I know, I had a c-section because Aidan's head was crooked in my pelvis and wouldn't come down past zero station, and everything during the surgery was routine. But who knows what's really in the report, so that's a concern for me. It's entirely possible that there's something in that report that would mean a VBAC is too risky, and in that case I would want to know. So I'm doing my best to track the report down before April so that I can make an informed (and wise) decision. Fingers crossed!!
Other than that February was very good us! I had a wonderful shower and saw a lot of people I haven't seen in a very long time. It was a short trip back home, but well worth it. We also had a 4D earlier in the month and got to see our little girl. First...she's definitely still a girl! I was very excited to hear that, given I've gotten so used to the idea of (not to mention excited about) having a girl. It was definitely an amazing 45 minutes. We saw her yawn, smile, open and close her eyes, and pout at something that made her mad. She also has a lot of hair, so I'm betting she comes out with dark hair like Aidan did (here's hoping she inherits his eyelashes from Casey as well!). She's got feet that are already 2.5 inches long (which by the tech's standards are apparently huge) and was over 2 lbs. The tech said if I give birth around my due date, she should be 7.5 lbs. I compared her 4D pictures and Aidan's, and I think they look a lot alike, just with different noses. The entire experience made me so incredibly excited to meet her!
March is looking to be just as busy as February. My little buddy turns 4 at the end of the month, and we're working on getting his party together. I have another baby shower on the 1st with my Georgia friends. And my doctor's appointments will be 2 weeks apart instead of 4. Aidan also has to be tested for allergies since none of the meds we've tried are working for him, so who knows how many doctor's visits that will add up to. We're also working on the nursery and trying to sell off all of Aidan's baby items (clothes, toys, travel system, etc). I feel like April will be here before I know it, and by the time my birthday rolls around, I could go into labor. It's crazy how fast this pregnancy has flown by, and I have loved all of it. This being my last baby, I've tried to savor every minute. I know a piece of me will be sad to not be pregnant anymore, but I am definitely looking forward to completing my family and meeting our Abigail.
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