It's a girl...

and I'll admit that I'm a little jealous. So hopefully Lalla having a girl gives me my fix since we won't be having any more kids. Carl told me he's ceasing production like GM did Pontiac when I told him I was jealous, lol!

And although it would've been fun to add another brouzin, we definitely need a girl in the family. But now we have to come up with a new name, any suggestions???

Expect the unexpected

Well ladies and gentlemen, it looks like hell has frozen over and pigs have flown. When I had Justin everyone asked "well when are Carlene and Lalla going to have kids". My answer "Carlene's just waiting a few years until she can build up her clientele. And Lalla, well, she's never having kids".

But I guess Justin was/is so sweet that my sisters decided to join in on the fun and have kids of their own. And since Carlene already has Aiden, that only leaves Lalla, who is 12 weeks pregnant, due September 3rd. Check out her baby journey at Expect the Unexpected.

Funny how the oldest and first to marry is the last to have kids.

35 week appointment and a trip to labor & delivery

BP: 130/69
Total weight gain: +9 lbs
Nathan's heart rate: 152 bpm

According to the scale I've finally gained some weight, although I question how accurate that gain is since my past appointments have always been first thing in the morning and this appointment was late in the day. At any rate, things looked good so I received the Group B strep test. When the Dr measured my stomach I was very tender so he asked if I was having any contractions. I told him that I was, but nothing timeable or measurable, roughly 4-5 daily. But since I was so uncomfortable, and given my classical c-section incision, he was concerned that I may be in labor, so he sent me to the hospital for monitoring.

Labor & delivery triage was very slow so I was taken back immediately and hooked up to the monitors which showed that I was contracting every 2 minutes. When the midwife checked me I was 1 cm dilated, 40% effaced and -6 station. In short, I was in labor, and what I thought/hoped would be a quick trip to labor and delivery turned into another admit to the hospital.

3 weeks, 21 days...

until Nathan's arrival. I have an amnio scheduled for Monday, February 22nd and if Nathan's lungs are mature I'll have a c-section on Tuesday, February 23rd. And just in case Mr. Nathan decides to make an early arrival it's nice to know that babies born between 34 and 37 weeks who have no other health problems generally do fine. They may need a short stay in the neonatal nursery and may have a few short-term health issues, but in the long run, they usually do as well as full-term babies. But since I've already had the steroid shots I'm pretty hopeful that Nathan's lungs will be mature and he won't require any NICU time.

33 week appointment

BP: 125/87
Total weight gain: +1 lb
Nathan's heart rate: 144 bpm

The last u/s I had while in the hospital showed that Nathan weighed 3 lbs 9 ozs. And my stomach is measuring 34 cm so Nathan seems to be growing just fine despite my lack of weight gain. I would've thought I'd gain weight being on bed rest but obviously not.

I'm still having contractions, about 4-5 a day, but the Dr said that at this point in my pregnancy I'm going to have contractions, even as many as 4 in an hour. So he wasn't worried with the amount I'm having. Of course, I need to keep an eye on them, call if they become more regular and keep taking my medication.

I did get some clarification on something I was told while in the hospital. When I was admitted one of the Dr's said that the goal was to get at least 2 more weeks out of this pregnancy, which would get me to 34 weeks. I was so out of it that I never really questioned it, even though I always thought the goal was to get me to 37 weeks. But today the Dr clarified that since the percentage of babies going home with mom at 34 weeks gestational age is pretty high, extreme measures would not be taken IF I were to go into labor. And at 36 weeks they totally lift all restrictions and would not do anything to stop labor. So, with that said, I'm still on bed rest and should take it easy, but with each passing week the level of worry decreases.

Maternity Photos

Given last week's pre-term labor scare I figured I'd better have maternity photos taken sooner rather than later. So since I'm on bed rest Carl and I set up a mini-studio in our living room. I think we got some pretty good shots for amateurs. Click HERE to see the photos.

Home on bedrest

After 5 days in the hospital I'm finally home. I'm still having contractions but since I'm not dilated and my cervix is still long and closed they sent me home on medication to help control the contractions and put me on bedrest for the rest of the pregnancy. The next 5-6 weeks will be tough but at least I'm home, I missed Justin.

Admitted to Hospital at 31w, 5d

I felt uncomfortable when I woke up yesterday morning, but no more than usual. But when I got to work I was feeling even more uncomfortable, so my boss offered to drive me home. I called my dr. and they told me to come in to get checked out. But they didn't notice anything so they sent me to the Hospital for monitoring. As it turns out, I'm contracting, so they started me on magnesium sulfate (what fun). I can't eat or get out of bed for 24 hours while on this, BUT, it does seem to be helping the contractions. Things were pretty quiet overnight, but I had a few this morning and now they've subsided again. I also got my first steroid shot yesterday. Initially they thought they were going to have to deliver me early and then decided to try and stop the labor/contractions. I'm due for my second steroid shot around 2pm, around the same time the magnesium stops. At that time they'll evaluate if I need to continue on the magnesium or if they can switch me to something else. At any rate, I'm not going home today. Even if they're able to stop the contractions/labor they'll transfer me to the antepartum unit for a few days before they send me home. Looks like bed rest for me from here on out.

31 week appointment

BP: 138/63
Total weight gain: +6 lbs
Baby's heart rate: 144

I gained 3 lbs and my stomach is measuring 31cm so Nathan's measuring right on track.

My blood pressure is still good and there was no protein in my urine today, YAY! So looks like last week's sample was just a bad sample as the dr. had suspected. She said that's pretty common since they don't require a clean catch sample.

So all in all things are looking good and I don't go back to the dr. for another 2 weeks.

30 week appointment

BP: 127/65
Total weight gain: +3 lbs
Baby's heart rate: 152 bpm

Well, I haven't gained any more weight, but I haven't lost any either. And since my belly is measuring right on track at 30 cm I guess it's not an issue.

Good news, my blood pressure is still good. Bad news, I have protein in my urine and I started crying when the dr. told me. This is not something you want to hear when you've previously had preeclampsia. Because my blood pressure was good she wasn't too concerned, however, given my history she's having me come back next week for another check. In the meantime I'll check my blood pressure daily to ensure it's not creeping up there. Keep your fingers crossed for me, this baby needs to stay put for another 7 weeks.

28 week appointment

BP: 131/76

Total weight gain: +3 lbs

Baby's heart rate: 149 bpm

The baby now weighs 2lbs 15ozs and is still measuring ahead at 29w 1d and is in the 65th percentile. My cervix is still long and closed and the blood flow from the placenta to the baby looks good. The fibroids noted in earlier ultrasounds appear to have gotten smaller and shouldn't pose any problems.

I lost a pound since my last appointment so I asked about it at today's appointment, but the doctor wasn't concerned. Usually when they are concerned about a women's weight gain, or lack thereof, they schedule growth ultrasounds. Given my history, they are already watching the baby's growth, and he's clearly growing on track, so she told me not to worry too much about it. Just eat what I can and stay hydrated. So maybe I'll be like Carlene, she didn't really start gaining weight until ~ 30 weeks.

I am scheduled for an amnio on February 19th, and if the baby's lungs are mature my c-section is tentatively scheduled for February 22nd. If not, I will have a c-section on March 1st.

Wow, in just 2 months, I will be the mom of 2 boys under 2.

26 week appointment

BP: 114/50
Weight: +4 lbs
Baby's heart rate: 150

Today I had my glucose screening test to check for gestational diabetes. This was my first time taking this test since I obviously never made it to this point with Justin. But in talking with other moms I heard that the sugar solution you have to drink is, in short, nasty. So I was a little nervous that I wasn't going to be able to stomach it, especially when I started feeling nauseous on the way to my appointment. Fortunately I had the choice between orange and fruit punch so I chose fruit punch. The nice thing about it was it tasted just like Faygo Hawaiian punch, was chilled and wasn't syrupy at all, so I had no problems downing it within the required 5 minutes. An hour later they took a blood sample to check my blood sugar level. I should have the results within 3-5 days.

The doctor confirmed today that since I had a classical c-section with Justin they will be delivering the baby early. I have to call in a couple of weeks to schedule the c-section but the plan is to have an amniocentesis done around 36 ½ weeks. If the baby’s lungs are mature I’ll have a c-section at 37 weeks, which is considered term. If not, and both the baby and I are still doing okay, they’ll let me continue on with the pregnancy, but they definitely won’t let me go past 39 weeks. So if things continue to progress the way they are baby boy #2 will be here sometime between February 21st and March 7th.

My blood pressure is still good, baby’s heart rate looks good, my stomach is measuring right on track and I’ve finally gained some weight. Just to be on the safe side I'll have another growth ultrasound at the next appointment to make sure the baby’s still growing on track.

Double Digits

Yesterday marked less than 100 days to go until the end of my pregnancy. Things are so different from my last pregnancy: I'm wearing maternity clothes, I already have the pregnancy waddle, I'm tossing and turning at night because I can't find a comfortable position, and I'm loosing my breathe for even the smallest of movements. I'm really enjoying feeling the baby kick and seeing my stomach move when he kicks or does somersaults. Carl's even been able to feel/see the baby move. These are all things we never experienced during my pregnancy with Justin. So even though I can't really say that I'm enjoying this pregnancy I'm definitely excited to have the opportunity to experience these things.

V-Day

Today's my viability date. Many women breathe a sigh of relief after the pregnancy reaches the point at which the baby would be able to survive if born early, but I know better. With Justin I was put on hospital bed rest at 24 weeks, oblivious to the fact that I would deliver just 3 days later. Nonetheless, this is still a huge milestone. Next stop, Thanksgiving, when I'll be 24w, 4d.

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You never stop worrying

When you first find out you're expecting you worry about having a miscarriage. After the 1st trimester you worry about a having a premature or stillborn baby. And if this is your first pregnancy you may naively think things will be fine once your baby is born. Boy was I ever wrong!

Once they're born you have a new set of worries: SIDS, colds/illnesses, eating issues, weight gain (or lack thereof), developmental delays, and the list goes on and on. And let's not forget the self inflicted pain they may bring on themselves. My adventurous child has learned how to climb out of his crib, not realizing that it's a long way down. So see our new set up (for extra cushion and padding in case he decides to do it again) until Carl comes home Friday and can lower his crib.

22 week appointment

BP: 126/70
Weight: -2 lbs

The baby now weighs 1 lb 7 ozs and continues to measure ahead. On average he's measuring 23w 2d but some body parts are measuring 24w 2d. My cervix is still long and closed and the placenta is still in tact.

They did notice 2 fibroids which I now know have been the culprit of all my additional pain & discomfort. The u/s tech mentioned that the 2nd trimester is when you start to notice them more as there is more blood flow to the uterus and they thrive on that. But the Dr. said that he doesn't foresee any issues or problems with the fibroids. So I guess I'll just continue to take Tylenol to ease the pain.

Today's visit was the first time my weight gain, or lack thereof, was discussed. Although the baby is growing on track, if I continue on this track of weight loss, it could cause issues with the baby's growth in the future. So the Dr. encouraged me to start eating a little more. It's not like I'm not eating, and at work I snack often. But it's kind of hard to put on weight when your nauseous and throwing up on a regular basis.

20 week appointment

Blood pressure: 124/72
Baby's heartbeat: 152
Weight: -1 lb

I'm still experiencing nausea, vomiting, stomach and back pain. I've been taking Tylenol to help with the pain but it hasn't been working so the doctor recommended I start wearing an abdominal brace. She also said that I need to limit my carrying/picking up of Justin. Of course when I mention that to Carl he says "so stop picking him up". I don't think he realizes it's not that simple. Since Justin is not walking I have to carry him pretty much everywhere, up/down the stairs, to/from the car, in/out of crib, etc. So I won't get much relief from that until Carl gets home (21 days and counting).

I have a growth u/s scheduled in 2 weeks to make sure the baby is still growing on track. Other than that things continue to look pretty good and I'll continue with my appointments every 2 weeks.

18 week appointment

Blood Pressure: 124/74
Weight: back to pre-pregnancy weight after loosing ~ 5 lbs

I had my big ultrasound (u/s) last Friday and all of the baby's anatomy looks good. Our little man is measuring ahead by 1-2 weeks in most areas. The results from my integrated screen came back normal, with no increased risk. They also checked the scar from my previous c-section and noted that my placenta is not causing any added pressure to my incision. Next milestone: Thanksgiving, when I'll be 24 weeks, 4 days, the gestational age at which Justin was born.

Since this will more than likely be our last child Carl and I were both hoping for a little girl. Surprisingly, Carl was more disappointed than me. I held out hope, even until the end of the u/s when we finally found out it was a boy. But by the time the u/s tech said "there's the legs" and I could clearly tell it was a boy, I had already seen that our baby was measuring ahead and everything looks really good. I hope no one gets the wrong impression, because in the end all we really want is a healthy, full-term baby. But we won't lie and say it wouldn't be nice to have one of each.

And Then There Were 2

I apologize for being MIA but I'm sure you'll understand why I've had no energy or motivation to blog by the end of this post. Justin's going to be a big brother, I'm due March 14th.

Fortunately so far I haven't had any of the early warning signs that were present during my pregnancy with Justin. Both the baby and gestational sac are measuring right on track, if not ahead. And the initial results of my integrated screen look good. So now we're just waiting for the second round of blood work in two weeks.

I've been nauseous and thrown up several times, but the all day sickness is not nearly as bad as it was with Justin. Nonetheless I'm hoping it subsides soon, along with the exhaustion.

I switched doctors/hospitals, and given my history my doctor is seeing me every two weeks to monitor my blood pressure. I'm also checking my blood pressure at home just to be sure it's not getting too high.

Please keep your fingers crossed that this time around our little "butterfly" stays put until his/her due date.