Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Irony!

My sister, Becky, is also expecting a boy (due in August). Here we are together Easter 2009 back in April. I wanted to get another "two bumps" picture before I deliver Peter, but I somehow think the next time I'll be seeing Becky is when she & her family visit us in the hospital after Peter is born.

The irony is, my OB doctor is leaving my OB office and moving to Greenville. Becky's OB office, in Greenville, is getting a new doctor. Guess who?! MY doctor! So, it could possibly end up that the doctor I've been seeing for 8+ months could be the one who delivers my nephew for Becky!

It seems Becky & I have grown up with ironies like this. We went to rival colleges and worked at rival fast foot places, at times we seemed to even share a brain, we could finish sentences in tandem. The strangest being one family get-together there was a covered dish on the table and it was questioned what was under the lid. I lifted the lid to look and both Becky & I saw that it was carrots yet we both, at the same precise moment, said "Corn." It was the oddest thing! I always say we were twins born 2½ years apart. :)

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

June 16, 2009 OB Appointment

My OB appointment today was weird. It would figure that the last two appointments went really well with hardly any wait so now today this one should make us wait. We were there about two hours today. After about 45 minutes in the waiting room, the nurse took me back to let me give my urine sample, weigh me (I lost a tad since last week), take my blood pressure & pulse and ask me some routine questions. I explained to her about going in to the hospital and the prescription that I was given and she praised me for reading the label before taking it since it sounded like it would be harmful for the baby. When she was finished, she said the doctor would be in shortly.

Well, I've been there long enough to realize that "shortly" could mean 45 minutes later, so I got down off the table and went to sit next to Jason on the little couch in the room to work on my cross-stitch. After quite some time of waiting (and two VERY bored kids), someone came in, but it wasn't my doctor it was a student. She was there to do the basic things like measure my fundus, listen for the baby's heartbeat, and ask me more questions. I explained to her also about going to the hospital on Saturday and about my prescription. She took a bunch of notes on my file and then said the doctor would be in "shortly".

After MORE waiting for quite some time, the doctor finally came in, but she didn't really seem "all there". It is her last week, and I think she has "senioritis" (-the term we'd use in my high school for people who were about to graduate and couldn't think of anything else but "gettin' outta Dodge" and so weren't focused on school stuff at all). I tried to talk with her about my trip to the hospital and my concerns about the prescription and the nuchal cord but she didn't really seem concerned at all and seemed to want to end the appointment so she could move on.

She did tell me that there is something like a .00001% chance of some sort of infant problem (she said it so fast, I couldn't catch it) with taking the prescription I was prescribed by the doctor at Saint Mary's, but she said it's so remote, they prescribe it all the time for women in late pregnancy. When I told her about the nucal cord, she was very dismissive. I told her that the doctor at St. Mary's didn't even know if she wanted to tell me about it and my doctor laughed and said that she probably wouldn't have. It sort of rubbed me the wrong way, but I think she meant to lighten the mood and let me know that it was absolutely nothing to worry about.

I'll mention the nuchal cord to whomever I see next week, and the fact that my first son was born at 10 pounds, just so he/she knows where things are. I'm dissapointed that my doctor is leaving, but at the same time, it also might be refreshing to have another perspective on things.

We'll see if I even need my next appointment. I asked for a morning appointment so it wouldn't conflict with Jason's work schedule (Tuesday afternoons were all my doctor had, but now that she's leaving, I have to go with someone else anyway so I might as well pick hours that work better for us.) and the woman doing the scheduling gave me 9:10 a.m. on Friday the 26th...only 2 days from my due date. As I was about to leave she teased me and said she had to warn me that she had a preminition/feeling that a lot of "their" babies would be born this weekend. I laughed and said "So, I should keep my schedule open?!" :)

Here are some 38 weeks & 2 days baby bump pictures taken today:



Monday, June 15, 2009

A Trip To The Hospital

(Warning: Long saga ahead!)

Our weekend was far from relaxing here! Friday night, between 10:00 p.m. and 11:00 p.m. I noticed the start of what seemed like a migraine. I get them often (though thankfully not during this pregnancy which has been a blessing!) so I know the signs one is coming. Before we went to bed, I took two generic Tylenol thinking that mostly the sleep would do the trick because that's the best way to get rid of a migraine is to sleep it away. However, I woke up about 2 times to use the bathroom during the night and each time I woke up, the headache was just as strong (if not stronger) than when I had gone to bed. When I couldn't sleep any more, I got up and called the hospital.

My OB office is a sort of "wing" of Saint Mary's Hospital. On weekends, no one is in the office or "on call" like a regular OB office, they just refer us to the hospital directly. So, I decided to skip that step because I'd only get a phone tree anyway. However, the girl who answered the phone in the Labor and Delivery department didn't think anyone would talk to me. When I explained how my OB office worked, she handed me off to a nurse, who refused to talk to me. She told me that I needed to call my OB office because they "always have someone on call" and that she couldn't give out medical information over the phone. So, I hung up, called my OB office and got a number from the phone tree that I should call. I called that number, and the person I spoke to said "I'm transferring you to Labor and Delivery"...I couldn't help but laugh out loud when she said it because it was what I predicted would happen...I've been there, done that before. So, when I got the same girl in L&D again, I explained to her that I had called my OB office, no one was there, the number they referred me to transferred me here...she put me through to the nurse again. This time, the nurse went and got a doctor for me. :( All this while trying to think through a migraine.

The doctor I spoke to was very kind. She told me I had pretty much two options:
  • Come in right away to the Labor & Delivery department and they'd run some tests, take my blood pressure, etc. to make sure they weren't missing something and get me an I.V. with some medication to get rid of the headache.
  • Take two more Tylenol and wait about a half hour to see if it helps. If it doesn't help, come in to get checked out.
When I paused to think about which to do, she asked me "What are you thinking?" I said I was trying to figure out the best thing to do (I didn't want to spend the whole day in the hospital if it was nothing) and she said she really would rather I just came right in. I told her that we had two other kids, so we'd need to have someone watch them. She figured out where my thought train was headed and she finished the thought for me by saying that by the time I could figure out what to do with them, I'd know if the other two Tylenol would work or not. So, we sort of agreed that I would take two Tylenol and find someone to watch the kids and come in if the headache wasn't gone.

I took two Tylenol, had a small bowl of cereal, drank some water & some milk, took a warm shower...nothing helped the headache was still there. So, we called my parents who agreed to come take the kids home with them and keep them overnight if needed.

We got to the hospital just before 1:00 and they had me go right to triage. I was the only one there, so it was quiet, which was perfect for my head! They had me leave a urine sample and then get into a gown. After a while a nurse's aid came and hooked me up to the baby heart-rate monitor and the contraction monitor. She asked me some routine questions and then left. A short while later, she came back with a little cup of Coke and told me that the doctor wanted to try and see if Caffeine would help get rid of the headache and asked me to drink it all.

After a while, my nurse came in and said she was going to start an I.V. with some medication (I forgot it's name). She took a long time inspecting my veins and I was trying not to get worried. It seems whenever a nurse/blood draw person is taking a long time to find a good spot, they nearly always end up butchering my veins. The ones who find a vein right away have no problem getting it in. However, my fear was correct, because she started poking a vein in the back of my hand and it was quite painful. She must not have been getting anything (she needed to take two tubes of my blood first for tests) because she pushed the needle in further...and further...and finally she pushed it so hard and so far that I couldn't help grimace and shudder at the pain and she said "OK, I'm done there." and it felt like she left the needle in while she moved to a spot further over toward the side of my wrist. That wasn't pleasant either, but not as painful as the first spot. I could feel my blood running from the first needle, down my middle finger and onto the floor. I was trying not to look at it, because it always seems worse when you can see them butchering you. Finally, she got the second needle in, but didn't have tape to tape it down, so she left the needle while she went to get tape and told me to sit very still. Thankfully, she had taken the first needle out, which was VERY painful. She tried cleaning the blood off my hand, but she missed most of it (or maybe she got most of it, but there was just so much that it left a lot behind...? Jason said later that he saw the swabs she took away and was shocked by how much blood there was.)

After the nurse finally got the I.V. needle taped in place and most(?) of the blood cleaned up, she hooked up the I.V. with the medicine and started it going. She said that it would probably make me sleepy, which it really did. Before she left, the nurse asked if I wanted another Coke. I'm not super fond of cola, so I asked if there was anything other than Coke but they didn't have any Mountain Dew type caffeine or even Cherry Coke, so I agreed to more Coke since I wasn't about to drink coffee (yuck!). I usually allow myself one caffeinated pop (usually the generic version of Mt. Dew) a day because the caffeine is sort of like a medicine for me (I tried to go off of caffeine before and put up with migraines for over a week before I gave up...one can/glass of caffeine pop a day isn't a whole lot).

I lay in the hospital bed for what seemed like forever. Poor Jason must have been completely bored out of his head, but I love him so much for being there right by my side the whole time! After changing positions about a zillion times and drifting in and out of sleep between things beeping and the doctor and nurses coming in off and on the doctor finally came in and told me that she was going to let the rest of the I.V. go into my system and then she'd let me go home. After what seemed like an eternity longer, the nurse came in and said she was going to take the I.V. off the pump that regulated the amount of meds going into my system and just let it go while she drew up my discharge papers. It didn't take long after that before it was gone. She didn't come back, so I used the nurse page button to let them know that the I.V. was empty. But, no one came. I really needed to use the bathroom, so I unhooked myself from the baby & contraction monitors and was about to wheel my empty I.V. to the bathroom when the doctor came. I was standing between my little curtained off "room" in triage and the bathroom and she was talking to me about keeping me longer.

My heart sank when I heard what she was saying. She said that they were looking over the printouts from the baby heart-rate and contraction monitors and weren't happy with the baby's heart-rate. She said it was good, but not as responsive as they'd like. She didn't go into detail as to what that meant, but she said that they were going to send me up to ultrasound to check for amniotic fluid levels, heart beat, lung ("breathing") movement, and fetal movement. She said if the results of the ultrasound weren't what they would like they'd have to induce. I asked if they had to induce if I'd still need the I.V. because it hurt (and some of my blood had backed up into the tube). She said they could take the I.V. out since it was hurting me and if I ended up needing one, they could put a new one in later.

So, she instructed the nurse to remove the I.V. and then I was wheeled down to ultrasound. I couldn't see the screen very well while the tech was doing the ultrasound, but it was hard to make out what was what since Peter is rather cramped up inside. She pointed out things like his heart and lungs and told us what she was measuring for while she was doing it. After the ultrasound was done, she wheeled me back to triage. I was so exhausted and a little afraid of being induced, I put the hospital bed down flat and just lay there on my left side while we waited.

The doctor came in after a while and told me that everything on the ultrasound looked good so they didn't have to induce. However, the umbilical cord was wrapped around the baby's neck (called nuchal cord). She said they all debated whether they should even tell us because it sounds more horrible than it really is. She said it's likely that baby could move and untangle it between now and delivery but even if he didn't, it wasn't really a concern.

I must admit, it's hard not to freak out, thinking about what might happen, even though the chances are pretty slim. I just keep thinking about my first son, who was 10 pounds at birth, whose heart-rate dropped during labor & early stages of delivery so had to be helped out with forceps. What if Peter ended up being rather large? He already exhibits signs of an "unresponsive" heart-rate that his big brother didn't (they did a non-stress test when I was pregnant with Ben because he was over-due).

I found this article, among many others, that is pretty re-assuring: About.com And, of course, I cling to the verses that God gave me early in my pregnancy: Proverbs 3: 5 & 6 "Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight."

We got a couple ultrasound images, though they're hard to tell just what is going on in them.


The profile I really can't figure out. It's easier if you've seen the movement of the baby on the ultrasound screen to correlate with the still image, but I couldn't see the screen well enough and Peter was sitting very still (I think the medication must have made him sleepy too...I know it wiped me out).

I think I may have figured out what's going on, at least in part, on this Nose/Lips picture, see my Photoshopped version below...


I've outlined what I think are his little lips in pink and what I think is the cord in orange. It looks to me, if it is the cord, that it is pretty lose and more along his chin than around his neck. This image makes me think of a X-wing pilot with the helmet on and goggles down! He had his hand in front of his face, so it makes it kind of weird for the ultrasound image.

I was also prescribed an anti-biotic because I have a mild bladder infection. We went to Meijer yesterday because the Pharmacy we usually go to isn't open on Sundays. However, I was reading the paperwork that came with it and it says (I've capitalized what they had capitalized):

"FOR WOMEN: THIS MEDICINE SHOULD BE USED ONLY WHEN CLEARLY NEEDED DURING PREGNANCY. Discuss the risks and benefits with your doctor. Avoid use at or past term (38 to 42 weeks of pregnancy) and during labor and delivery. THIS MEDICINE IS EXCRETED IN BREAST MILK. DO NOT BREAST-FEED while taking this medicine..."

I have several problems with taking this, since I am at term (38 weeks) and could go into labor any moment now...and when he is born I want to breastfeed right away...I don't want to wait until the medication is no longer in my system, because my milk would probably dry up before then. :( I decided that since I'll be seeing my OB doctor Tuesday, I'd just wait to hear what her thoughts on everything were. If it isn't going to hurt Peter to let the bladder infection go, I'll put up with the mild discomfort rather than risk him getting the medicine when he shouldn't.

My appointment is tomorrow (Tuesday) at 1:15, so hopefully, I can get some good answers.

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

June 9th, 2009 OB appointment

Not much new to report. Things are still going pretty routinely. My group B strep test came back negative, which I was expecting. My doctor's last week at the OB office I go to is next week, so I won't get to see her for the very last of my appointments. Next Tuesday the 16th is probably the last time I will see her, she's moving to Greenville, the town I grew up in!

I didn't get any baby bump pictures because we ran out of time. I'll try for getting pictures next week.

Friday, June 5, 2009

June 2nd, 2009 OB appointment

I had another OB appointment on Tuesday at 1:oo. We were a little early, but we got in right on time. I actually lost about a pound from last week, but I'm not worried at all because I'm sure it was a pound off of me and not Peter! There's plenty of weight there, so I was actually glad to see it go down a bit! I had the Group B Strep check, which went fairly well. My doctor also checked my cervix which was less than comfy. :/ She said I was only about 1 cm dilated, if that means anything (I have a feeling when it's time, it'll go quick). Everything seems pretty normal. I'm sure Peter has settled lower in my pelvis the last few weeks, and his head is down so that is good. I'll see my doctor again the 9th.

Monday, June 1, 2009

May 26, 2009 OB appointment

I had another OB appointment May 26, 2009. It was another afternoon appointment, so I went expecting we'd have to wait a long time, but it was actually pretty short! You never know! Everything was pretty routine, which is good. My next appointment (tomorrow) will be the one where she checks for Group B Step. She'll probably also check to see if my cervix has dilated at all (which means pretty much nothing, I walked around 2-3 cm dilated for over a month when I was expecting Benjamin). Now, we're down to every week visits until BIRTH-day. :)

Here are some 35 week baby bump pictures:


Nesting!


I've definitely noticed the nesting urge lately. When I was pregnant with Benjamin and then with Anna, I was able to set up the nursery the way I wanted it to be long in advance, in preparation for the baby's arrival. This time however, we're unsure exactly how we're arranging the room situation. We wanted to build a room addition to our house, but that project has stalled (due to various reasons I won't go into here). For now, Peter will share Daddy & Mommy's room with a bassinet that I used when I was a baby.

For so long, I had mentally put off preparing for his arrival because I was somehow afraid if I prepared for his arrival, we would lose him. Then, I got lost in trying to finish several costume commissions before he arrived that I didn't let myself take time to "have fun" and prepare. But then, a week or two ago, I got this overwhelming sense of feeling like I wasn't ready for Peter's arrival. I felt like "He could come any day now and I wouldn't have clothes washed, or diapers ready, or a bed for him to sleep in, I hadn't dug out the car seat, or packed for the hospital or anything. So, I've been busy "nesting" the last few days.

I've gotten the bassinet from my parents and washed it's bedding so it "smells like home". I've washed burp cloths, diapers, onesies, shirts, pants, booties, socks, hats, etc. and gotten them folded and placed in a drawer of my dresser. I even sewed a Baby Snoopy cover for a nursing pillow I got from JoAnn's. My next baby related project will be to make a Baby Snoopy diaper stacker. I am also working on a cross-stitch "birth announcement" wall hanging that will feature Baby Snoopy and Woodstock (a lot like the image at the top).

Kiddos

Some new pictures of Benjamin and Anna:


Benjamin: May 26, 2009


Anna: May 26, 2009


Benjamin: June 1, 2009



Anna: June 1, 2009