Still Here

Every time I make a phone call, I have to pre-empt any conversation with, "I am not in labor." Well, until I am, of course. What a funny time. Just in case, whenever we go to the hospital for appointments, we bring our bags for a slightly longer stay.

Glucose + Non-Stress

So, in an effort to combine trips to the hospital, I opted to get my glucose test on the same day as the non-stress test. In my infinite wisdom, I decided to drink the purely sugar based drink AFTER the non-stress test, b/c I figured it would get baby moving, but maybe a little too much. Both tests went well. After meeting with the doc, I'm being ping-ponged back over to the Fetal Diagnostic Center. The doctor there hadn't mentioned to us, but did include in his report that now we can get the AFI (this stands for Amniotic Fluid Indicator) weekly, even though when my doc asked for it, they said they could only do it for low fluid, not high fluid. So, when I called the Prenatal Testing Center to make an appointment as instructed, I was re-directed to the other special office, and when I called there I left a message. This is the place where it could take two weeks to schedule a test (or at least that's what I was told last time), so if I were a gambling woman, I'd say we're not getting any AFI's done before she gets here anyway. We'll see.

Week 37

Baby likes her current home so much she's decided to stay and make it full term! Wahoo - Anytime between 37 and 42 weeks is considered full term, so we've got a fully developed (and then some) baby coming some time soon. By some time soon, I mean between now and July 19th. This week brings a non-stress test, a repeat glucose test (because...why not?), a second non-stress test and another measurement to see if there is any further dilation or effacement. We'll keep you posted! Maybe the next pictures you'll see are pictures of an actual baby and not a piece of fruit.

Article Shmarticle

So, I've been meaning to write about my "research" of polyhydramnios and some of the things I read. As anyone in this day and age would, when presented with a new medical vocabulary term, I turned to my good friend google and read what was out there at my fingertips. One of these precious gems (I tried to replicate my search, but couldn't find the exact article I want to reference) had a last paragraph that read something to this effect. If you're feeling self conscious about your size [Ellen inserts...as you should] just stay home. [Ellen inserts "what?!?"] The article then goes on to suggest, "Have some friends over to visit you, don't leave the house, catch up on some movie rentals you've been wanting to watch." What kind of advice is that? First of all, maybe I should, but I don't feel self conscious about my size AT ALL. I've been able to do all the things I could do before, even in my huge-ness. If someone wants to stay home, that's fine and all, but I don't think they need a "medical" article to tell them so. Just needed to vent that one. If you can find it out there, link it here as a comment, and if I'm able to search more later, I'll do so. There are some interesting "sources" out there.

D and E

Today's appointment held more of the same, except...I am 2 centimeters dilated and 50% effaced, and that could mean I could be that way for quite a while, or...not. So, we'll see what happens.

Changing Table Change Up

Originally, I was trying to abstain (strange word to use in this context, huh) from getting a changing table for the baby's room, part to save space, money, etc, and part because the one we originally checked out seemed to never be available for purchase leading me to believe it was being discontinued. I figured I could use the pack and play changing table, or change baby on a pad on the floor. In the end, I caved...but because of a great deal! A changing table in a matching wood to the dresser and crib was marked down nearly $30 making it about $70 less expensive than the one we'd originally chosen with the discount and the shipping was free! I was able to use a gift card to make the purchase and it has shelves which accommodate all the baskets that were soon becoming staples on different spots on the floor. Since the changing table was delivered today and set up tonight (you never know), the room is now really done. I'll include pictures soon as Jeff, his mom, and sister did such an awesome job decorating to make the room special for baby.

Car Seat Safety Inspection

On Saturday, following BB class, Jeff and I headed to Zipley Garage for our car seat inspection care of http://www.seatcheck.org/. When we arrived, there were no noticeable inspectors on the level we were instructed to go to, so we went into the hospital to check in at the information desk. The gentleman there was kind enough to inform us that the inspection was moved across the street to the Levy Garage. He then began to give us walking directions. I interrupted to let him know that it was ok, I knew how to get over there and we'd need to drive. He said, "But you'll have to pay for the garage, if you walk you can leave your car there." To which I replied, "And I thank you, but this is a car seat inspection and they're...in the cars." Besides the mix-up of location, this is a great (FREE) service that is offered to help safely install and utilize car seats and bases. The people there were incredibly kind and helpful. They checked the seats, made sure that we understood how to properly get them latched in and checked their recall lists, just in case. They also made sure we are familiar with the different facets of the seat itself and when to adjust the shoulder harness as baby grows. If you are an expectant parent, please go to Seat Check to find an inspection station near you!

Double Duty

Today we had two appointments - one at 8:45 for a Non-Stress Test (with the doctor that delivered Janina's baby at 1:00 AM just hours before...no wonder she looked tired!!) and one at 1:30 for (what we thought was) a level II Ultrasound. The non-stress test went fine - baby moved and rested. When we got settled in for our ultrasound, I asked the tech, "So, what is the difference between a level I and a level II ultrasound?" To which she replied, "You're not getting a level II ultrasound." Come again? Evidently, you can only get level II ultrasounds between 18-20 weeks (information that could have been divulged to me earlier), so we got another ultrasound just like the other ones which measured all the same things as the other ones, but stressed us out a great deal more. So - on that front, no new news is good news. Baby is measuring in the 76th percentile, down from the 95th two times ago and down from the 80th the last time, so (as expected) she's normalizing and the amniotic fluid index was 30 cm which was exactly the same as last time, so new fluid is not accumulating, which is good news. According to the consulting doctor, there may be more bloodwork, or another glucose test, but our doc will tell us all about that on Friday, so - on to Friday it is! I feel a bit like a ping pong ball.

Breastfeeding Basics

This past Saturday I took the class through my OB/Gyn office called "Breastfeeding Basics." Don't worry - I won't get into the basics here. I was a little disappointed. I felt like it was very much an overview, and yes - I realize "basics" is in the title. I felt like the lactation consultant who taught the class was letting us know more about products that are available through her store and to call her if there were any problems (because if you have certain types of insurance, you'll be reimbursed...which is good to know, but really seemed a little opportunistic to me) rather than explaining possible problems and how to prevent or address them. Overall, I'm really glad that I've already been to LaLeche League meetings. When I went to their first meeting, I thought to myself "well I don't need this, because I'm going to a breastfeeding class," but I was wrong, and I'm glad that I've continued to go. I feel like I've learned more and felt more supported in that environment. No matter your personal preferences for different choices when it comes to raising your child, I highly suggest reading as much as you can and finding out about any resources available to you, and this includes other people you know. But - keep in mind that everyone has an opinion and if you have a strong conviction, stick to it - don't be swayed. And, that's all I'll say on that.

Week 36

Week 36 marks our fully viable week (I think). So I'm very happy to have made it thus far. Baby's doing well with her non-stress tests and our Level II Ultrasound is scheduled for this Tuesday. Oh, and - Happy Father's Day!!! Jeff is going to make one super daddy very soon.

ClothDiaperBlog.com

So, yesterday, I followed through with ordering my cloth diaper covers with a selection of both Bummis Super Whispers in white and 1 print, and 1 Bumkins cover as well as a Bumkins "dirty duds" bag. I ordered the Bumkins and Bag from www.softclothbunz.com which is a site previously unreviewed from Diaper Decision Day, but when it came to DPD - Diaper Purchase Day, I found this option to be better than the others. Bumkins print diaper covers are 14.95, $2 more than Diaper Safari or Babyworks, but there was only $1.71 of shipping and the Dirty Duds bag at 11.95 was $1 less. On the Soft Cloth Bunz site you can select the specific prints you want, whereas on the other sites, they choose from what is available and send it to you. Normally I'm not all that picky, but if I'm making an investment and I have to see it on my kids behind for a few months, I'd like to like it. And...getting to the picture above - when they sent the shipping confirmation, at the end was information about a "Feed Your Stash Friday" contest EVERY Friday on the blog associated with this site. I'm a sucker for freebies and if you win, it's a great way to try out different cloth diaperng options to form a real opinion without breaking the bank. So, if you're interested in cloth diapering, go to Feed Your Stash Friday Blog Contest, read the post, and make a comment on the question. I wish I had known about this earlier in my pregnancy - perhaps I could have won diapers! Perhaps I still can. Either way, if this is something that interests you, check it out.

I did end up purchasing from two different sites - I got the Bummis Super Whisper Wrap from Baby Bunz and Co. They had the Bummis Super Whisper Wrap at a savings of a quarter a piece if you got four or more for a cost of 10.75 each when I got 4 white covers as opposed to 11.00 each if I had gotten them on Soft Cloth Bunz. The print cover was 12.25 for one or 12.00 for 4 or more. I only needed one, but the same item on Soft Cloth Bunz was again a quarter more at 12.50 and if I had gone for the bulk discount, it would have come out to .50 more per cover. Shipping at this site was 6.95, but that was for a bigger order - however, maybe it would have worked out cheaper at Soft Cloth Bunz factoring in the shipping - eh, what's done is done :) In closing, I'm just happy that these items are on the way as I feel like that was one of the last "necessities" still to get. We have GDiapers to try and disposables that others got for us to get us started, but I'd like to use cloth as soon as possible, so I'm happy to have all the pieces in place now.

NST III

We went for our third non-stress test today and baby moved just as she should. The nurse commented at the end that "now she's just showing off"...that's my girl!

School's Out for Summer

Well - we made it to the last day - wahoo! Today was the last day of school and though it took me until 7:00, I finished packing up the room and organizing it for the teacher who will be there in the fall enough to really walk away for the summer. What a good feeling!

LLLI

So, I've been to 3 La Leche League Meetings and starting when I did was very timely. Monday's meeting topic was "Preparing for Baby." I was able to contribute as to how I've been preparing, but it was also helpful to hear how others prepare and share different ideas for how to prepare the home for a good nursing environment. For example, I've heard you get very hungry, but I hadn't thought about setting up a snack station whenever nursing. It's always great to hear about other's experiences and take what you can from it. It was also timely as I was able to meet two other women also due right around the same time as us. I'm looking forward to meeting with this supportive group more in the future.

Pre-Natal Testing Center

Our appointments this week take place in the pre-natal testing center at AMH. Compared to the set up in the doctor's office, this was quite posh. There was a lovely recliner seat for me which was more comfortable - it seemed like the vibrating chair you might get to have a pedicure...but there was no pedicure...or vibration. Long story short, baby moved when she should move and rested when she should rest, so we're still here :) Next appointment on Friday - before that comes two more half days of school before SUMMER!!!

Braxton Hicks...I think

Braxton Hicks Contractions are a tricky, tricky thing. I think I started experiencing them during/after my doctor's visit on Friday. Though, since she mentioned contractions, it could also be a psycho-somatic thing that I've invented in my mind. Either way, I definitely haven't had the real deal that start from the top and push down. What I've felt has been a low dull pain resembling cramps, which is what I've been told it feels like in the beginning. Also, they don't persist or get more intense. I think I need to hydrate better. This could be unavoidable, but some people experience Braxton Hicks Contractions because they are slightly dehydrated, so bring on the water (but not the kind that breaks yet, please).

Week 35

You can't really tell because of all the beautiful green in the background, but I'm now holding up a very tall tomato plant. We need to invest in some supports as the growing tomatoes themselves have made the plant a bit top-heavy. So, back to the baby and the bump. To catch anyone up who hasn't read any of the below posts, I ended up with three appointments this week.

On Tuesday evening, we had an ultrasound during which we learned baby was 6 lbs. 1 oz., the size of a 36 week baby, I have a mature placenta, and there is a lot of fluid (amniotic - not what I ingested to get the ultrasound, or pooling around my ankles).

On Wednesday evening, we had an appointment with the doctor where I learned what all this means. The baby's growth has slowed (in a good way - she was 3 weeks ahead, now she's 2), the mature placenta thing means very little to the doctors, and the fluid is a bit more problematic than I first thought. From my last check until this week, the fluid level increased from 21 units (still forgot to ask what the units are) to 30. The normal range (I learned from my own independent reading) is 5-25 units, so the fluid level is high and outside the normal range. Also, the amount of fluid building up makes my uterus the size of a 40 week uterus and my body may not know how to process that input. So, my body may kick-start labor a bit early and when it does, since there's a lot of fluid, I may need a paddle to get around (a bit of an exaggeration, I realize). The tests that we need to get should give some insight into why this is happening. Non-Stress Tests will be performed twice a week to monitor baby's movement, heart rate, and well-being. A Level II Ultrasound will check if there are any blockages in baby's GI system preventing her from filtering the fluid as it should be. It could also tell us that there is no reason and that baby is fine and dandy (fingers crossed for the fine and dandy outcome). Also, the doctors won't let me go past my due date should we make it to the magical 19th of July. And, since posting that earlier, someone STILL voted that we would go late. I'm telling you - that's just no longer possible!

And, on to Friday. I went to the doctor's office for a non-stress test, which I think I'll become quite a pro at in no time. At that time, I checked with the doctor about baby's well being should she make her big debut sooner rather than later and the doc seemed confident that most likely all would be well and well developed. She's a calming presence in the way that she blows off your concerns (really). It was an especially good attitude for my mom to see how un-concerned this doctor was - and we'll be seeing her at least once a week now.

So, baby is still growing, I'm still feeling good, we're all sorts of prepared in the sense of having "stuff" set up around here and bags packed and what-not. I have towels situated in both cars just in case. Today, I re-arranged the towel to hang over the front of the seat in Jeff's Sportage and he said, "Do you think it's happening today?" To which I replied, "If I knew that, I wouldn't really need the towels at all times." I also decided that the week after school I would do my super market price comparison of items we purchase frequently to see where our best deals are because...stores like that all have linoleum floors - better there than at my house :)

This coming week brings a VERY exciting transition for me - the last day of school...for a good long while (I do love teaching, please don't get me wrong - but this is EXCITING!). Monday and Tuesday we have full days of school, but a majority of those days are spent at our talent show. Wednesday and Thursday are both half days. I have non-stress test appointments on Tuesday and Friday, and I look forward to being especially non-stressed on Friday. Next Saturday is a course through our doctor's office called Breast Feeding Basics and then we have a car seat inspection at the hospital, so we'll have both bases installed into our cars by then (and hopefully installed correctly too). Have a wonderful week 35!

And On A Positive Note...

With all of this new wackiness with both the size of baby and the amount of fluid, I feel like it's time to share some really good stuff. Now, I've been holding back on putting any of this in "print" because (a) as soon as I say it, it will backfire and change and (b) there are a lot of people who don't have this kind of luck and I'm not trying to push mine (luck that is). However, it's time. So, throughout this pregnancy, I had about two weeks of nausea near the beginning, and one illness that required medication just a week ago. Besides these two relatively minor things, I've been feeling GREAT. I haven't had to restrict any activity and even with the size of the belly, I haven't had any discomfort. There was one day of sciatica, but that was one day. I feel like I've had certain symptoms in order to develop an understanding of them and how yucky they are, however I've had nothing to complain about. A lot of people don't believe me, but quite frankly I have the best excuse ever to complain and I'm not. So, I have not had discomfort, shortness of breath, stretch marks, loose wobbly joints, etc.

I feel like a lot of this is due to yoga. I've been doing yoga since the start, except for part of the first trimester when I was just too tired. I wake up every morning and do Wii fitness and a pre-natal yoga program. I've found quite a few through the public library. Lindsay Brin does a neat program where she has a separate DVD for each trimester with different levels of activity to correspond. Denise Austin has a prenatal exercise video called "Fit and Firm Pregnancy" that is good for getting moving as it is more of a low impact aerobic workout. The programs I use with Denise Austin and Lindsay Brin are just shy of a half hour, so when time is tight that's what I choose. Shiva Rea has a pre-natal yoga DVD with corresponding accommodations for different levels as well, but is a little longer. And my favorite by far is a pre- and post-natal video (I haven't viewed the post-natal part yet, but plan to) which at first I thought was the kookiest thing, but now I love it. This DVD is called: The New Method Pre and Post Natal Yoga and features Gurmukh Kaur Khalsa. She is a yoga instructor based out of Los Angeles and according to the biography on the DVD her Sikh spiritual name means "One who helps people across the world ocean." I think she's super. Again, when I first viewed this segment, I was VERY skeptical, but once I did it a few times, I was really into everything she was saying and the movements that she has participants do as part of the exercises. There is also a live band with very soothing music playing in the studio during the session and an eclectic collection of women, many of whom remind me of people I know and Sandra Oh - the one woman looks just like her! The copyright is 2002 on this DVD, but I can't imagine looking at the clothing that that was when it was originally taped, which makes it all the more interesting. I hope that others can take this to heart and replicate the kind of comfort and feelings of well-being that I've had throughout my 8/9 months of pregnancy. Originally, I planned to invest in a DVD that I liked, but I decided to first try them out at the library. Then I decided why pay when I can continue to renew and or return and re-request these programs that I've found and enjoyed. So, at the same time I'll plug the library. It has been a great source for both reading and viewing to learn more about this exciting adventure.

Non-Stress Test

We had our first non-stress test today. So, how this works is they strap a fetal monitor around the belly that monitors baby's heart rate and is hooked up to a machine that creates a print-out with a graph of baby's heart rate in beats per minute (very old school looking). At the same time, I'm holding onto what looks like a game show buzzer and clicking away any time I feel the baby move. This is also recorded on the print-out with check marks. Then, you can correlate the heart rate and baby's movements together. The doctor was looking for an elevated level twice within 15 minutes. At one point, she came in the room and asked if I was having contractions to which I stammered, "Well I don't think so." And in my mind, I thought - shouldn't you be able to tell me that? At first I was disappointed with baby's show. But then towards the end, she really turned it on and I got to click a good bit more. Either way, the doctor was happy, and when I asked for clarification on the results, she said, "Well if you weren't I'd be sending you to triage right now." Very reassuring. I also clarified the baby's relative well-being if she were to arrive now and was (sincerely) reassured by her response. So, twice a week until the end...here goes!

A Big Swimming Pool

So, after last night's doctor's appointment I think we have a slightly clearer picture and evidently I don't just have a lot of amniotic fluid, I have a LOT of amniotic fluid and this is known as polyhydramnios. Google it - lots of fun! So, like I said last time, I am 34 weeks (now approaching 35), baby is the size of a 36 week baby, and my belly is...full term, the size of a 40 week belly. Which explains an awful lot about why people think I'm about to go. So, the reason for my enlarged belly (besides the obvious baby growing inside of it) is that there is a lot of fluid. I heard this at the last ultrasound around 30 weeks, so I didn't realize it was a big deal. At that last ultrasound, I had 21 units (I don't really know what kind of units - I'll ask that next time) of amniotic fluid and in the meantime, that jumped up to 30 units, thus creating a swimming pool for baby. So, while most large sized babies might feel a little squished in there, our little darling still has lots of room to stretch, swim, and flip (so she still could flip around....but I trust her not to). This also means more tests. We'll be going for non-stress tests twice a week and a Level II Ultrasound. This kind of ultrasound will look more closely at all of baby's body parts, notably her GI system to make sure there are no blockages. The non-stress tests will monitor baby's movement and I can tell you without any monitors that this baby moves, no problem! So, we'll see what they say.

My first non-stress test appointment is tomorrow afternoon. The most stressful part about this was scheduling the appointments - I called one place, they told me I was supposed to call my office. My office said I could call the first place, but they could do it, but then they couldn't do any times next week, so I had to call the first place again. Then the first place told me that if I had appointments in two different places insurance might not cover it. So I called my office back to check on that - they said it was a bunch of bologna. But, just to be safe, I called my insurance company, who reassured me that I could indeed have the testing done at different places so long as they were in-network. What a stress! And then on top of that, getting coverage the day before and writing sub plans is always fun.

The doctor indicated that sometimes this condition can be due to gestational diabetes, but we ruled that out already when they were looking at the size of the baby. Some other reasons were exposure to different viruses which I have not (to my knowledge) had. Then last was idiopathic - no real explanation. I think that's what it is, especially since it's so close to idiotic. If the placenta hadn't been low, we wouldn't have had an ultrasound to indicate that baby was large, and if we hadn't had an ultrasound to check baby's size, we wouldn't have seen the high amount of amniotic fluid. Though, I'd imagine if the doctor had measured my belly at 40 cm this week, she still would have questioned a few things. Regardless, big picture - what does this mean? (a) The doctor won't let me go past my due date, should we make it that far. So all of you who voted that I would go late - sorry. (b) Since my uterus is 40 weeks big, my body doesn't know why and may start labor early as a result. So, I'm sitting on towels everywhere I go and the bags are packed and ready. (c) Whenever the flood gates open, they'll really open. Did I mention the towels?

Ultra Sound Off

Last night we had an ultrasound to check for size. Now to compare, before at 30 weeks, baby's head was measuring 30 weeks and her belly was measuring 33 weeks. When measured to fundal height in the appointments both at 30 weeks and 32 weeks she measured 3 weeks ahead/big. Also, with those head/belly measurements Jeff was picturing a bowling pin (tee hee). Last night (at 34 weeks) her head and belly both measured at 36 weeks, so her super-human growth has slowed a bit and she is now measuring approximately 2 weeks ahead instead of 3 and...she looks a bit more proportional (yay!). Her leg bone averaged out to measuring 35 weeks. According to the ultrasound tech, there is a lot of amniotic fluid, which she says goes with the territory of a big baby, but...they'll probably have to start doing non-stress tests. With the end of the school year fast approaching, I could use a non-stress test anyhow. Actually, I'm not feeling stressed at all - but I feel like I should be. What gets done, gets done - you know what I mean? And I digress...so, we have an appointment tonight and the doc will decide if any more ultrasounds are needed and/or the non-stress tests. We like to keep it interesting with this pregnancy, but not TOO interesting. Baby's head is still down and in the "go" position. They say that after 36 weeks it's highly unlikely that baby will turn and since she's approx. 36 weeks, I don't think she's flipping anytime soon (though you never know with a diver for a mother). Also, something I hadn't heard before - I have a "mature placenta". Who knew? According to the U/S tech a placenta is measured on a scale of 1-3 and my placenta measures at a 3 so it is all done growing. In some women if a placenta matures early the baby could be small..but clearly that is not a problem we'll be facing. Pictures coming soon, but they're a little fuzzy b/c baby was moving so much. She was sucking with her lips throughout and flipping from side to side. During the ultrasound, the tech kept getting cross-section shots of organs and my mom wasn't following - so I explained, well if we amputated her, that's what her legs would look like and if we cut her in half, that's what her stomach would look like. Mom didn't like that at all.

Week 34

Today, in the checkout line at the store:

Whole Foods Checker: "So, any day now?"
Me: "No, actually, but you would think so."
Whole Foods Checker: "So, when are you due?"
Me: "In about a month - July 19th."
Whole Foods Checker: "So it's twins."
Me: "No."
Whole Foods Checker: Look of panic passes over his face.
Me: "Don't worry, everyone says that."
Woman in line in front of me: "July 19th is my husband's birthday - Oh, are you having twins?"
Me: "No, just one big girl."

This is every day.

Minute Clinic

Have I ever mentioned how much I love CVS Minute Clinic?  I may not have recently because (fortunately and knock on wood) I haven't had to use them the whole time during this pregnancy until today...and yet I'm awfully glad for their existence...sigh.  So, long story short, I had that terrible runny nose that I mentioned last week when I sent Jeff out for a med run (Wednesday night) which had followed a week long yucky cough spell.  I thought I was getting better this weekend, but then on Monday morning it seemed to start all over again.  A similarly prego friend mentioned that she had a sinus infection during her first pregnancy and planted that awesome seed of doubt.  At first I had thought this was normal pregnancy cold what with increases in mucus (sorry if that's TMI - but it's true), and I kept thinking how lucky I was to have made it this far without having any cold or flu-like symptoms.  But a sinus infection is something that won't go away on its own.  With a week of unpleasant illness under my belt, I decided to skip the scheduling of an appointment at a time that I really couldn't make and circumvented the system right on over to CVS minute clinic where I was signed in, examined, diagnosed, and treated within...minutes.  LOVE that place!  Highly recommended.  Keep in mind, I'm really more of a pro-biotics girl than an anti-biotics fan, but when you need them to do the job, that's really all there is to it.  Hopefully I'll have better health news to report in 2-3 days, but don't worry, I'll finish all my doses.  It also figures that right when I'm down to having doctor appointments every two weeks, self-doubt related to sickness WOULD fall on the in-between week when I'm not already scheduled to see a Doctor.