Birth Story

Mr. A and I went to our 39w appointment on Monday, December 17^th and met with Dr.R. Since baby girl had been measuring 2-3 weeks ahead throughout the majority of my pregnancy, and her movement had slowed significantly in a short period of time, he was uncomfortable waiting too much longer for her arrival. He checked her heartbeat on the Doppler which was perfect. He was happy with my progress, being at 3cm and 80% effaced and stripped my membranes.

We scheduled baby girl’s induction for Tuesday morning, December 18th at 5am.

Tuesday morning, Mr.A and I arrived at the hospital, checked in, completed some paperwork and prepared to get the show on the road. I was hooked up to the monitor right away, which showed sporadic contractions. They hooked me up to the IV to begin fluids and started Pitocin around 6:15.

The Pitocin worked pretty quickly, and I began to have more consistent contractions around 7-8 minutes apart. At first they were more of a tightening feeling with little pain. I could talk and laugh through them without issue.

0700: The nurses switched and I met my new nurse, Edwij (ed-weej – it is French). I was a little apprehensive at first since I adored my first nurse, but Edwij was such a sweetheart it didn’t take long to realize that she was pretty awesome.

0745: My contractions were 3 minutes apart, but still not very painful. At this point, Mr.A and I thought that the height of the “mountain” on the monitor signified the intensity of the contractions. Since some of my “mountains” were fairly high, I was pretty sure that I was a rock star with a high pain tolerance, handling difficult contractions with ease.

Edwij came in to show me some instruments that they may use at some point throughout the day and explained the IUPC. The IUPC is a monitor about the diameter of a pipe cleaner that could be inserted into my uterus and measure the intensity of my contractions. This is when I realized that the external monitor couldn’t and wasn’t accurately showing intensity.

0900: My contractions were beginning to get stronger and I was starting to have back pain. Dr.R came in to check me and break my water. At this point, I had been having contractions of some variety for about 3 hours and was hopeful when he checked that I would have made at least a little progress. Nope. Still at 3cm. Edwij increased my Pitocin and the doctor stated that he wanted it increased every 20 minutes.

After my water was broken and the Pitocin increased, contractions became significantly more painful and were coming around 2 minutes apart. I really wanted to wait until I progressed a bit further to ask for the epidural since I had heard that it can sometimes stall labor.

1023: My contractions were becoming more and more painful, and were only about 1 minute apart. It was becoming more difficult to breathe through them since they were so close together and I wasn’t getting much rest between them. I decided to give in and ask for an epidural.

Edwij explained that they would need to push 1000ccs of IV fluids before the anesthesiologist could place the epidural so it would likely be 40 minutes to an hour before the anesthesiologist would come in.  

Edwij offered me a pain medication in the interim called Phentanol but said that it would make me and baby sleepy. I didn’t like the thought of baby being affected by the medicine, so I declined.

1045: After several very painful and some overlapping contractions, I gave in and asked for the Phentanol. Edwij administered it through my IV and it took affect pretty quickly. It helped take the edge off the contractions while I waited, but unfortunately the relief only lasted 20-30 minutes before it wore off completely. Even more unfortunate than that, shortly after it was administered I began vomiting.

1130: Anesthesiologist came in and epidural was placed.

More vomiting.

1200: Epidural is a success and I feel very little pain from the contractions! Edwij came back in to insert my catheter and check my progress. I was happy to hear that I was 5cm; finally some progress!

12:15: Both legs felt like they were 500 lb tree trunks and I needed help from Mr.A and my mom to change positions at all. I was vomiting again and also realize that my left leg is completely lame and numb.

1230: Dr. R came in and stated that he wanted to insert the IUPC to measure the significance of the contractions and would also check my progress. Dr. R was happy to see my progress, now at 6cm. He said he estimated that she wouldn’t arrive until late evening based on how I had progressed thus far.  

From 12:30 until 2:45, I just hung out with my mom and Mr.A. I was comfortable and would occasionally ask if I was having a contraction because I could feel the tightening feeling in my belly. I continued to get sick intermittently.  

3:00: I started getting a little uncomfortable and began having some back pain. I wondered if things were progressing since I was feeling different.

3:15: I am going to quote Mr.A’s notes directly. “Dr. came in and checked, apparently baby is ready to go! All the barfing helped push baby down. The team is being assembled.” I am officially 10cm and ready to push!

3:20: Edwij wants to try to practice pushing while we wait for the “team”. Mr.A (who said he would never look) sees the head, she is crowning! Edwij calls the nurses’ station to assemble everyone while we waited for the Dr. to return. Edwij makes me stop pushing and wait.

3:49: During the second push, Dr. R had to stop me because he wasn’t prepared for her to come so quickly and needed to reach for something.

3:50: Healthy baby girl born with lots and lots of hair! She is 8lbs even, and 20.5 inches long.

The nursery nurse was wonderful and gave me my slimy, perfect baby girl immediately just as I had wanted. I began crying instantly. I couldn’t believe that this beautiful baby girl was mine. They let Mr.A and I meet our baby girl for the first time, and evaluated her while she was on me skin to skin.

I ended up with a second degree tear from the birth, maybe from my quick transition and delivery.  Dr. R continued to work on me while Mr.A and I met our beautiful, teeny, tiny daughter for the first time. It was so emotional seeing our perfect little girl. It is an incredible feeling knowing that we somehow created something, someone, so perfect and also that she somehow fit inside of me.  

Baby girl still didn’t have a name until late that night when Mr.A wanted to send his official “she’s been born” picture/text to our family and friends and needed to know her name. We had discussed a few possibilities leading up to her birth, but I had not wanted to decide until I saw her.

Our beautiful, perfect daughter's name is Samantha Grace.



My birth experience and recovery were/have been much better than I anticipated. The contractions are seriously no joke, but once I got the epidural I was good to go.

The only negative things about my experience were the vomiting and the fact that my left leg went completely numb from the epi and it took quite a few hours to wear off. Because of this I needed a lot of assistance shifting in bed, moving at all and going to the bathroom. Mr.A saw and learned a lot more about human anatomy, birth and pads than he ever wanted to know, but took it all in stride.

Progression of d'Bump (3.0)

I've officially made it to 9 months pregnant!

It is so funny looking at my old clothes and pictures of myself throughout this journey. It is hard to believe I was ever as small as I was, and even harder to believe I will ever be that size again.

For reference, here are the First Trimester and Second Trimester pictures.

Without further ado, the THIRD TRIMESTER photos of my baby bump:

7 Months:

 

8 Months:

 

9 Months:

 

36w Appt

Yes, we are in weekly appointments now. This shiz is getting real, fast!

I had my 36w appointment today. I am happy to report that I am only up 1 pound from my last appointment and being that Thanksgiving was during that 10 days in between, I am pretty darn proud of that! That brings me to a total weight gain of 32 pounds.

My GBS swab from last week was negative, meaning I won't need to worry about having IV antibiotics during labor, which is nice.

Belly is measuring at 39 weeks, BP was down to normal at 112/60, baby is still head down and her heartrate is at 140.

I had another internal check and have progressed slightly from last week. The only thing is, baby is still at -3 station, meaning she is extremely high up. I am planning to sit/bounce on my exercise ball quite a bit over the next couple of weeks to encourage her to come down on her own.

I did have a lot of questions for the doctor this appointment.
- I asked about the protocol if my water breaks.  I would really like to labor a little while at home and shower etc before going in, she said I should call immediately, but that I would likely have the ability to stay home a little while before coming in.
- I also asked about the epidural and whether or not I would be allowed to move around after getting it. She said no. I guess this means that I really should labor a good while before having it placed, so I have the ability move about.
- C-sections: How long can I labor before they would push me for a C? She said it depends. If I stall for more than 4 hours and they do not see any progress, they would likely move for a C. Also, obviously if baby is in distress and they need to get her out. Also, I asked if my hands/arms would be strapped down. She said no.
- I asked about immediate skin-to-skin. She said as long as baby is crying/healthy they will give her to me immediately.
- Also we discussed post-baby birth control. I let her know that I did not want to go back on BCP, and know that with breastfeeding it will limit my options greatly. I told her that since it took us such a long while to get pregnant, and we aren't opposed to another pregnancy we would likely just see what happens. She agreed, thankfully.

Overall, a great appointment. Everything looks perfect, baby girl is healthy and I am getting ready for D-day.

35 Weeks + Growth Scan

On Friday, Mr.A and I went to the OB for my 35w appointment and growth ultrasound. We had not seen baby girl since 28 weeks, so I was excited to be able to see her again.

Goodness how things have changed!

Earlier in the pregnancy, they could just put the wand on my belly and *BAM* there was an entire baby. Now, she is so big, and so crammed that the tech really had to move the wand around to determine which parts were which. She was very fast with her measurements of the head, femur, belly circumference, and fluid levels. So fast in fact, we really didn't get to see much of anything at all and didn't get any pictures.

Baby is measuring around 6.5 pounds (estimated, so give or take a pound), is head down, fluids look good and she is still ninja kicking away.

We then met with the OB that I love to review everything and have my first internal check. She was happy with baby's measurements, and is measuring around 2 weeks ahead which matches my belly measurements.

Then Dr.C did my first internal exam. Before she did, she warned me and said, "Try to relax, it isn't going to be pleasant. It may feel like I am trying to pull your tonsils out." She wasn't kidding. That was not fun at all!

Before telling me anything about my dilation or effacement, she said, "You need to make sure baby's car seat is in the car and your and her hospital bags are packed and ready for D-day".

Cue momentary freakout! It was almost as though she were insinuating that baby was coming very VERY soon.

As it turns out, my internal exam showed that my body is preparing for the "big show". She said that my progress is good and she wouldn't be surprised if baby were here a bit ahead of schedule in 2-3 weeks.

Holy moly, it is really happening. We are going to have a baby!

The Nursery is FINISHED!

Today, I am 35 weeks along meaning we only have 35 days to go until our estimated due date.

Thankfully, we've been blessed with the most wonderful family and friends who have been so incredibly generous and we now have everything we could possibly need.

As I posted a while back, I made the crib skirt, covered a small pillow and reupholstered my Grandmother's glider. Mr.A worked very hard painting the nursery (against his will of course!) a couple of months ago. I am so happy he took the time to do it early, since it took a while to get the fumey smell to dissipate.

Though it was slightly boy-ish, we re-used Mr.A's childhood furniture in the nursery. The only minor change I made to his desk and dresser was spray painting the dingy brass handles a deep chocolate brown. We were incredibly thankful that everything is so solid that it could withstand years of abuse and still look perfect.

The only furniture we were left to purchase was the crib and mattress. My mother-in-law surprised us and purchased the crib, mattress and bedding accessories. She came to visit and helped us put everything together as well as putting up the wall decal we ordered to complete our owl theme.
Without further ado, baby girl's nursery:

34 week update

I had my 34 week appointment last week. Unfortunately my BP is creeping up and although it isn’t textbook high, it is high for me. Generally I am in the 100/60 range, and am sitting in the 110/80s right now. Again, nothing to be alarmed about, but they do want to make sure it doesn’t go too much higher.

I am officially up 30 pounds which is hard to grasp. The doctors are happy with that since I was small to begin with, but want me to gain no more than a pound a week from here on out. I will admit my sweet tooth has gotten the better of me throughout my entire pregnancy and I really need to watch that in the coming weeks.

My fundal height (aka belly measurement) was measuring at 36-37 weeks last week. Since I have been consistently 2-3 weeks ahead, they want me to come in for a growth u/s this coming Friday. Mr.A was around 6lbs and I was around 7 when we were born, so I am hoping that maybe I just have a lot of fluid in there and my baby girl isn’t going to be a 10+ pounder. That is a little scary to think about.

Otherwise baby is happy and healthy, ninja kicking away. She is still sitting very high up, though I feel as though she has shifted enough to give me a little relief from the pain in my upper abdomen.

Sleep is becoming harder and harder for both me and Mr.A. I apparently snore like a banshee these days and he is too nice to wake me. I am also getting up to use the restroom 3-5 times per night and always have a difficult time falling back asleep. I am considering banishing myself to the guest room in the coming weeks so that at least one of us is getting a full night’s sleep, but I haven’t pulled the trigger yet.

Baby Shower!

This post is severely delayed.

Mr.A and I traveled home a few weeks ago to see my wonderful friends and family. My mom, mother-in-law and best friend did a phenomenal job coordinating an incredible baby shower for my little one.

We had both sides of our families there, and even some guys! Mr.A wanted to be apart of the fun, so he came as well. We ate wonderful food that my mom had spent days preparing, had wonderful company seeing people I haven't seen in quite a long time, and played some really fun games.

We did a trivia type testing our knowledge of popular baby names in various years and random baby questions, we had people cut a string to the length they thought would be the closest to the circumfrence of my belly, and played "potty pong" with a kiddy potty. The string one was funny because most everyone was much too long, but my Godmother was 100% accurate and won. Potty Pong was a lot of fun, and my friend's little sister ended up winning.

Everyone was so incredibly generous, and we now have so many of the necessities we need for baby.

I am so excited to get to play with all of our new gadgets and toys with our little girl in the coming months. I am so thankful for all of the wonderful people in our lives, and am grateful for their love and support throughout our journey towards parenthood.

My Week

I went in for my 31w appointment and spoke to the doctor about my increasingly painful tearing sensation. She chalked it up to normal 3^rd tri pain. I also asked her about my Braxton Hicks (BHs) contractions that I had been experiencing for a few weeks. She said they were normal, and as long as they weren’t consistent, I was fine.

Over that weekend, I began having BHs that were approximately 5 minutes apart. This lasted overnight and into the next morning. I decided to take a warm shower and see if it would stop them. It didn’t. So I called the on-call OB to let them know. These contractions weren’t painful in the least, just an overall tightening feeling encompassing my entire stomach, but the consistency was very concerning.

The on-call OB sent me into Labor and Delivery (L&D) for a non-stress test (NST) to check my contractions and the baby. Baby looked wonderful on the monitors, and the BHs were hardly even showing up on the contraction monitor. They decided against doing an internal check, and sent me home to rest, but asked that I follow up with my OB on Monday.

Monday:

I made an appointment early in the morning to discuss the BHs and also my ever increasing pain. The pain level in my upper right quadrant of my abdomen had gone from a constant 3 or 4, to a 6 with the occasional pain when shifting reaching an 8 out of 10. It was becoming so painful that I would literally scream out in pain when I would move.

The OB said that some pain is normal since baby’s feet or butt are often lodged in the ribs, but that what I am describing doesn’t sound typical. She was concerned about two possibilities. One, gall stones or two, partial placental abruption. She let me know that she would order an ultrasound in the radiology department for that day. As usual, I never heard back from her or the office regarding the ultrasound.

Tuesday:

I waited until Tuesday morning to call the radiology’s scheduling department to see if I had been put on the schedule. I had not. I asked the scheduling person if I could make the appointment myself since I had not heard back from my doctor’s office. She said that she couldn’t do anything until she had the order from the doctor. I asked her to look at my file and see if there was an order. Lo and behold, there was. ::rolls eyes::

She told me that for this particular u/s I would need to fast (no food or water) from midnight until my appointment. She then said they had an opening at 3pm. I laughed. Really, you’ve going to make a woman who is nearly 32weeks pregnant not eat or drink even water for 15 hours?  I don’t think so. I asked if I could get in earlier in the morning since the worst pain is generally either early morning or late evening.  Amazingly, she had an opening at 9am ::rolls eyes again::

Wednesday:

I went for my appointment in the radiology department. I had to check in, get a wrist band and everything. The tech told me from the beginning that she wouldn’t be able to tell me the results of anything and that the radiologist would have to review and report to my doctor. I knew that that meant I likely wouldn’t have the results for at least a week. She did say that of all of the pregnant women she scans, she has never seen a baby so high up. She had a lot of trouble getting clear pictures of my organs since baby and my ribs were in the way. She had me holding my breath, rolling on my sides, twisting my body, and pushing my belly out trying to get a clearer picture. I did catch a glimpse of a little foot once on the ultrasound, but was disappointed that she wouldn’t look at the baby at all. At the end I asked her about it and she said, “well that isn’t really why you’re here”. ::sigh::

Thursday:

I called to see if my doctor’s office had the results yet and they didn’t. I left work early yet again because of the excruciating pain.

That evening, I changed positions and began screaming in pain. This was the first time Mr.A had been around to see it at its worst. He asked if they knew how bad the pain was. I told him that I had tried to articulate it, but that it didn't seem as though they believed I was in as much pain as I am in.

Friday:

I woke up from sleeping three times in the early morning screaming in pain. Today was Mr.A's "weekend" and I feel terrible that he likely got no sleep because of me.

I called to see if the office had the results. The nurse returned my call and said that yes they had the results, however the doctor who ordered the test was out of the office and wouldn’t return until Monday. Since all OB patients are rotating OBs, I asked if another doctor could please review the results and let me know today. I am still waiting on an answer. ::sigh::

The "Wall"

I have been so happy and thankful throughout my pregnancy.

People have asked me every day how I am, and I always replied “great!”, because I truly had no complaints. I’ve experienced only the slight discomfort of heartburn, and occasionally some nausea during the first trimester, but otherwise, I have been great. Truly.

That is until I hit the third trimester, and I hit the metaphorical wall. Starting around week 28, I began having this annoying popping sensation just to the right of my sternum whenever I would shift positions or stand up. I asked my doctor about it at my last appointment, and he said that it was my ribs separating to make room for my organs that are being smashed upwards by growing baby girl. He said that it could get painful, but that it was normal.

The next week was excruciating. My ribs were dislocating from my cartilage in front and in back making it impossible to sit for more than 20 minutes at a time, hard to sleep, and unbearable to stand for more than 10 minutes. 

During the peak of this pain, Mr.A and I made the 8.5 hour trek driving home for my wonderful baby shower. We made it up there and I worked as much as I could to help my mom with food preparations, but was nearly useless in my pained state. After a short weekend with family and friends, we made our way back home.

Thankfully, the pain subsided for a couple of days and I hoped and prayed that I was through the worst of it. Unfortunately, it came back full force concentrated mostly in my sternum and upper back. Oh, and that slightly annoying popping from a week and a half before, had turned into full on tearing.

Every time I sit from laying, stand from sitting, or move or shift in any way, I feel an excruciating tearing pain in my upper abdomen. There have been several times where I have shifted in my sleep and have woke up screaming in pain. It is obviously affecting my sleep and overall productivity not to mention my work.

Baby girl is active as ever, so I am reassured that she is safe and sound, I am just concerned that this isn’t normal. If it is normal, I am not sure that I will be able to work up until my due date like I had originally hoped. After sitting for 10-20 minutes, I have to get up and move around. I wish so badly that I had a cot in my office and could just lie down to decompress my spine occasionally.

We're under contract!!!!!

I haven't mentioned it in a long while, but if you remember back to early 2011 when I was selling our house and buying our new one, I was also trying to sell Mr.A's condo that he bought while in college.

We have rented the place out since 2009, but soon realized that the long distance rental business wasn't really for us, and put it on the market to sell in 2010. We had continued to rent it while trying to sell, up until earlier this year.

We decided to bite the bullet and fix the place up to perfect, move in ready condition and cease renting it all together. We ripped out the carpets, water damaged laminate, and put in all new flooring throughout. We painted the entire place a neutral pallet, updated the kitchen counters and appliances, updated the lighting and fixtures throughout.

Then we waited.

And waited.

And waited.

We were patient, and were fortunately getting several showings and good feedback. Unfortunately, though our unit showed very well and was well priced, the poor feedback we received from nearly ever potential buyer is that the community felt "old" or "run down"; something that was entirely out of our control.

On Sunday my realtor called to tell me that we had our first SECOND showing that evening and Monday morning she called to tell me that we had an offer.

HOORAY!!!!!!!

The bad news, the offer was more than 12% under asking and we were already taking a substantial loss. But, what can you expect in this market, with a place that has been for sale for a long, long time.

With the other buyer's incentives we had offered in the MLS, it was far below our bottom dollar. I worked out the figures, and after everything was said and done, we will have lost more than $30,000 on a property that was valued under $100K to begin with.

Generally there is always negotiation room when buying/selling, so I fully intended to counter at 6% below asking leaving all concessions in place. That is, until my realtor emailed me to tell me that this was her best and final.

For hours, I emailed back and forth with Mr.A while he was flying, consulted my parents, realtor, and friends and tried to come up with the best possible solution. We needed to sell this place, and how wonderful would it be to have it sold before baby girl comes. Since this is a rental property the losses we incur are tax deductible which would help lighten the burden slightly.

In the end, we conceded to her price but removed the other concessions from the offer. This only saved us around $1500, but at least it was something.

So, as of last night we are officially under contract to sell. Thank goodness. We are scheduled to close in 30 to 45 days and I cannot wait!

Busy, busy, busy!

Life has been a whirlwind these past few weeks. So much is going on and I am having trouble keeping up with everything.

We had a terrible storm in the beginning of August and were fortunate that our home owners insurance covered the damage to our house. After dealing with adjustors, contractors and middlemen for weeks, we finally had a new roof put on this week and it has really given the house a face-lift. We ended up upgrading the shingles to the three dimensional 30 year shingles and went with a charcoal black color. With our black door and shutters, it really looks amazing, see….

Before:

After:

The only downfall to this story is that our deductible is very, VERY high to help keep our premiums low so that part wasn’t fun but is a necessary evil I suppose.

Work is in its busiest season right now. I’ve been working 12+ hour days, weekends, and even while on vacation. I’ve come to realize that the work doesn’t stop and wait for me to return, so I’ve had to make myself available almost always.  With everything else going on, it has been trying but I am confident that if I can make it work now while I have competing priorities and so much else on my mind, I can do anything.

Mr.A and I slipped away for the weekend and went to our place in the Florida Keys. We spent a few days doing absolutely nothing but relaxing in the pool and walking on the beach. It was a much needed retreat from reality and I am feeling refreshed and ready to tackle the rest of our to-do list.



Commence Third Trimester: 27 weeks

I had my 27w appointment yesterday with my OB practice. I did the GTT (1 hour) for the third time and really hope I pass. The thought of sitting here for the 3 hour is not appealing with how busy work has been as of late.

I am up 2 pounds from 4 weeks ago, which brings  me to a total weight gain of 18 pounds at 27 weeks. I am very happy with this and right on track.

With my swollen ankles I was a little worried about my BP, but BP was 110 over 60. This is back into my normal (low) range.

I tried my doppler last week when I was concerned because I had felt almost no movement throughout the day one day. I had a very difficult time finding her heartbeat because she was moving constantly. The movement was reassurance by itself, so it did put me at ease, though I was only able to find her heartbeat for a couple of seconds at a time here and there. I mentioned this to the doctor, and he was disappointed that I didn't call. He said they would have had me come in immediately for monitoring. Thankfully she had likely just switched positions and/or was tired that day and now everything is good. I know in case it happens again.

Thankfully he is a pro with the doppler and found her beating heart right away. BBs heart rate was around 150bpm and she was squirming around the whole time thanks to the high-glucose fruit drink. My belly is measuring at 30 weeks so still a little ahead, but good nonetheless.

I have my final appointment with my MFM on Monday and will get to see little BB once again. If all is well at this appointment, she will be releasing me back to my OB for the duration of my pregnancy and consider me "normal". While being a higher-risk patient thus far has meant more appointments and more doctors, it has really helped give me the reassurance I needed to know little BB was growing happy and healthy. I was fortunate in that my insurance covered a multitude of ultrasounds and follow-ups which has meant that I have many ultrasound pictures of my little girl growing from the blob stages, to the gummy bear stages, all the way through to the "holy-moly, that is a baby" stage.

I am past the terrifying first trimester, past Viability Day and now into the third trimester. I am hoping the duration of my pregnancy remains uneventful and I will have smooth sailing throughout until the day I get to finally meet my baby girl.  

Progression of d'Bump (2.0)

If you would like to go back for reference, here are my photos from month's 1, 2 and 3.

I've heard that most of the changes in your body happen during the second trimester; that is surely evident below.

I haven't really noticed the changes because they have been so subtle over time but when I look at these pictures, my goodness! I cannot believe just how much I have changed in such a short period of time.

4 Months

 

5 Months (Halfway there!)

 

6 Months (VDay!)

 

 

There is no hiding it now. I am undoubtedly pregnant, with a squirmy ninja girl reminding me each and every day that she is growing stronger every day. 

 

 



Six Months

I cannot believe that I've made it this far. I am truly in shock, but so utterly thankful. 24 weeks is sometimes referred to as "Viability Day" or "VDay" for short. This means simply that if God forbid something happen and I go into labor, after 24weeks the baby will have more than a 50% chance of survival. More than its true meaning, my MFM's goal from day one was to get me to and beyond VDay; we've made it.

I know there are so many mothers who haven't made it this far. Some had early losses. Some had to have emergency surgeries to remove the baby they so deeply loved, because that baby had snuggled into one of the mom's fallopian tubes and would kill the mother if left to grow. Some women found out late in their first trimester that their placenta was failing and their baby may not survive. Whereas others have gone into pre-term labor naturally and have lost the one thing they have strived to attain for years, their beloved baby Boy. My heart breaks for each one of them. I've only experienced early losses, and as hard as those have been, I am thankful that I have not had to endure the pain and suffering each one of you are feeling.

I am sending many thoughts and prayers out to all of the women I know who have struggled to attain their dreams. You are all amazingly strong women, and caring mothers. You will survive this, you will triumph over IF and pregnancy/infant loss, and you will win.

23weeks

I am more than halfway there, and that much closer to meeting our baby girl!

Stats from my ultrasound last week: baby is still measuring ahead by around a week, she is a little more than one whole pound in weight, and her approximate is around 11-12 inches in total length, about 7.5 inches from head to rump.  

Yesterday, I had my first OB appointment since 18w and everything went well. I saw a male doctor in the practice this time.  He is one of the most highly rated doctors in our area and I really liked him!

He took a few minutes to review my records and understand exactly where I am at. He seemed genuinely interested in knowing more about me than my chart could tell. He asked about my profession, thoughts and feelings related to pregnancy and birth, and asked about my husband.  Then, I asked questions about my intense swelling I experienced last week, the overall dizzy/nauseous/flushed feeling I’ve had over the last week, my ever intensifying heartburn and other random things. He answered all of my questions and was very personable.

My and BB’s Stats:

Baby’s Heartbeat: 161bpm

BP: 112/79 (highest ever)

Weight Gain: Up 16lbs total

Belly Measurement: 25weeks

I was surprised that my belly was measuring ahead since at my 18w appointment it was measuring 2weeks behind. He said that based on my frame, he thinks my belly will continually measure ahead from here on since it has nowhere to go but straight out.

The last thing I asked about was the hospital’s C-section rate. Personally, I am not sure how I feel about having a C, but know that I will do anything necessary to have a safe delivery and a healthy baby. I figured the question was worth asking, just in case the percentage was extremely high.

He said the rate was around 25% for their practice but that he didn’t foresee an issue with me since I have God given birthing hips. Funny. My mom said the same thing. For what it is worth, I know that I am a little “hippy” and his lighthearted comment was not meant to be offensive.

Owl baby gifts!

I’ve started to receive a couple of gifts for the baby here and there. I’ve been pretty open about our theme/colors and a very crafty and wonderful friend, Aimee, made me this amazing artwork for the nursery.

I received it the other day and nearly died of cuteness!  She is very crafty and creative so I, as well as many others, helped to convince her to open a small Etsy shop.

Another friend mailed me the most adorable pink owl “piggy” bank. I had no idea that something so cute even existed. For now, I have it on the hutch above the desk in the nursery acting as a bookend to my Disney collection of books.

I only have a few accessories here and there but am really loving how everything is coming together so far!

Nursery Décor 101

Mr.A and I agreed years ago that we would re-use his childhood furniture for our children. The only issue with this is that the furniture is an ugly oak color from the early 80s and very boy-ish.  I’ve been attempting to persuade him to paint the furniture an antique white color to help bring it into this century, but to no avail.

After we found out that we are having a baby girl, I’ve started to begin to plan the nursery color scheme and theme. Though I have an irrational fear of birds, I decided on an owl themed room with lots of vivacious pinks and greens. Normally my color palate is much more muted, but with the boyish furniture and the to-be guacamole green walls, I thought some vibrant pinks would really *pop*.

I found my initial nursery inspiration from this blog and have changed/added things to make it my own.

I found three bed sheet sets from PB Kids that I loved (please note, we will not be using a bumper):

1.  

2.

3.

and ended up deciding on #3.

I found this fabric from Joann, and used this blog/tutorial to make a box pleated crib skirt. The only adjustments I made were doing three sides of the crib skirt and instead of 1 pleat per side, I did three pleats on the long (front) side. I figured the backside would likely be hidden, so to me it wasn’t worth the extra fabric and effort.

Note: Yes, this picture is from my cell phone. Sorry. Also, like a nerd, I did put the crib skirt on my futon (currently in the baby's room), with the Woodlands crib sheet on top just to be able to get the full effect without having a crib yet.  

It wasn’t as trying as I thought it would be, and I am thrilled with the result. The colors match perfectly with the Woodland sheet and honestly, I like my crib skirt infinitely more than the one sold for $30-40. However, I must be honest and tell you that I grossly overestimated my fabric needs and bought around double what I used. Fabric is not cheap these days, and I spent around $40. Oh well. At least I have extras to make accents.

In addition to the crib skirt, another project I have been planning was to reupholster my glider/rocker from my grandmother’s estate. I’ve been contemplating fabrics for more than a month. I wanted something neutral enough that it would work with my current theme, yet may also work in the future with potential child #2. In keeping with the theme, I had planned a white base with a green damask pattern. However, the one I found and fell in love with online is no longer sold.

After picking out the pink/green stripped fabric for the skirt, I realized that the bold lines in that fabric are a deep chocolate brown. Neutral? Check. Work with the theme? If you add a pillow/accent, check! I looked through the store and ended up deciding on a deep chocolate, but plain cotton fabric, and ended up only spending $9 on three yards, Score!

I worked all day Saturday ripping the current fabric apart, taking pictures and notes, and following the advice of this blog/tutorial. I pined, cut, sewed, ripped and sewed some more. I will say, I did cheat slightly and omitted the piping since I had never attempted anything like it before, and also skipped the buttons and stitching within the cushions. Now, I only slightly regret it, but have decided that it likely wasn’t worth the extra work and hassle I would have undoubtedly run into.

Yesterday, Mr.A and I put up the hot pink curtains and the new 2” wood blinds.

Since we have all of the furniture less a crib and mattress, the only main things left to do are: buying the crib/mattress, painting the room, moving the futon downstairs and adding our decorations and finishing touches. I am so excited for such a bold and girly room!

Overwhelmed by Options: Baby Gear

After our fabulous anatomy scan, Mr.A and I began going to baby stores and looking into the millions of options for our little girl. Let me tell you, it is very overwhelming!!  A friend sent me a copy of the book Baby Bargains which has been a phenomenal resource for a first time mom (FTM) like me. We’ve picked nearly 95% of our gear through the recommendations in this book. The authors really break down the products by price, function and rate each item or brand accordingly. I love that the authors take no kick-backs from any of the vendors reviewed, and use real examples and reviews to come up with their opinions.

If you’re a FTM to be, I would highly recommend picking up this book; the latest version was updated in the spring of 2012. I’ve found that most things listed in the book are available currently, but make sure when you buy the book that you are purchasing the latest version. Also, with the e-book craze, it may be tempting to buy the e-book for your Nook or Kindle. I would personally advise against it. One, because (according to Amazon) their e-book version does not have the graphs and charts outlining the products, and two because I particularly enjoy being able to highlight and mark pages with notes on a hard copy.

Another amazing tool I was recently introduced to is Amazon’s universal registry function. This is incredible because you can use Amazon as your primary registry, and link items that are not sold through Amazon to your registry. It lists those “other” items similarly to the rest of the registry, but instead provides a link to where you can purchase the items. I am thrilled about this because I found the bedding and a few accessories that I like at Pottery Barn Kids, but felt silly creating an entire registry for five items. Hooray for Amazon!

Anatomy Scan Update: Baby is a ……

I know this update is more than a week delayed, I am sorry!

Everything went wonderfully at our anatomy scan. We found out that baby is a GIRL and are both so excited. Baby girl is measuring more than a week ahead, though they won’t officially move my due date just yet.

She was moving and dancing around so much during the scan that they couldn’t get all of the detailed measurements of her heart they needed. The MFM wasn’t worried at all, but just for consistency we are going back again this coming Monday for a follow-up scan.  I am excited to be able to see baby again, it is absolutely incredible to watch her grow and change through the weeks.

Her movements and kicks are getting much more frequent and strong as the weeks go by. I’ve actually been able to figure out her approximate sleep cycle, because the movements tend to be consistent around the same times each day.

Her kicks were so frequent and so robust yesterday afternoon that I could actually see the movement.  I feel guilty because yesterday I gave in to the evils of Starbucks Mocha Frappachino. I know that the caffeine in moderation is generally fine, but I would feel better if I could give it up entirely.  

Boy or Girl!?

Everything is going well. I am nearly to 5 months, which is very difficult to believe.


Mr.A was able to feel baby kick on Sunday for the first time which was very exciting. I cannot wait for the movements to be more pronounced so there is no mistaking it.


We go on Monday to the MFM for my anatomy scan. I am so excited to see baby again and see how much he/she has grown and changed.


The anatomy scan will consist of the MFM measuring the arms, legs, checking the organ functions and finding out the sex.


There are quite a few old wives tales out there that predict baby's sex, here are my results:


Old Wives Tale #1: Heart Rate
If the baby’s heart rate is above 140 bpm, it is said that the baby will be a girl. If it is under 140 bpm, then it will be a boy. Prediction outcome: GIRL, baby's heartrate has been consistently of 140bpm (8w - 175, 10w - 156, 12w - 162, 14w - 164, 18w - 148).

Old Wives Tale #2: Shape of Belly
If you are carrying high with a big, round belly, you are having a girl. If you are carrying low with a smaller belly that sticks straight out, it’s a boy. Prediction outcome: BOY, I seem to be carrying low and straight out.


Old Wives Tale #3: Ring Test
Using a string, hang your wedding ring over your pregnant belly. You are having a girl if the ring swings back and forth and it’s a boy if it swings in a circle. Prediction outcome: INCONCLUSIVE, I never did this...

Old Wives Tale #4: Acne
If you have acne while pregnant, it’s a girl. It’s thought that acne during pregnancy is caused by the extra hormones. Prediction outcome: GIRL, I have had some raging awful pimples but for the most part my skin has been fairly clear. Though I attribute my nice skin to my new Yes to Carrots organic face wash.

Old Wives Tale #5: Cravings
People believe that if you are craving salty foods while pregnant, you can count on having a boy. If you crave sweets, fruit, and orange juice, you are having a little girl. Prediction outcome: GIRL, I have really been craving and loving sweets, but salty foods have been satisfying.

Old Wives Tale #6: Skin under Left Eye
The eye test is when a “V” or “branches” appear when you pull down the skin under your left eye. If you see a “V” or “branches” in the white part, you’re having a girl. Prediction outcome: GIRL (what a weird one....)

Old Wives Tale #7: Legs
If your legs get really big, you’re having a boy. If your legs stay in shape and lean, it’s a girl. Prediction outcome: BOY, I've given up on pre-pregnancy clothes all together I highly doubt I could fit into the legs of my old jeans right now.


Old Wives Tale #8: Moodiness
If you are really moody, you are having a girl since you have another extra girl hormones in you. Your pregnancy will make you smile and be more happy if you are having a boy Prediction outcome: GIRL,  I've been moody and have gotten irrationally upset very easily during my pregnancy.

Old Wives Tale #9: Chinese Gender Chart
The Chinese Gender Chart claims to have an accuracy rate of over 90%. It is based on how old the mother is at conception and the month that she conceived. Prediction outcome: BOY, based on date of conception. If the next day, it would be girl.

Old Wives Tale #10: Mom’s Beauty
Basically you are having a girl if your beauty disappears during pregnancy. It is said that the girl “steals” the mother’s beauty. If you think that pregnancy has never made you look more beautiful, a little boy it is. Prediction outcome: BOY, I feel prettier and sexier than I ever have and often don't even wear make-up.


Old Wives Tale #11: Dream of Sex of Baby
If you have dreams that you are having a boy, you will have a girl. If you dream about having a girl, it will be a boy. Dreams show the opposite of what you are having. Prediction outcome: GIRL, I've felt girl but have dreamt of boy.

Old Wives Tale #12: Clumsy vs. Graceful
If the pregnant mother is graceful throughout her pregnancy, she’s having a girl. If she becomes clumsy, she’s having a boy. Prediction outcome: GIRL, I am usually clumsy and have been doing very well this pregnancy.

Old Wives Tale #13: Side You Most Rest On
If a pregnant woman prefers to lay on her left side, she’s having a boy. If she prefers resting on her right side, she’s having a girl. Prediction outcome: GIRL

Old Wives Tale #14: Dad’s Weight Gain
If the dad-to-be gains weight while you are pregnant, it’s a girl. If he doesn’t gain weight, you’re having a boy. Prediction outcome: BOY
Old Wives Tale #15: Breast Test
If a pregnant woman’s left breast is larger than the right breast, she’s having a girl. If the right breast is larger, it’s a boy. Prediction outcome: INCONCLUSIVE

Old Wives Tale #16: What Do You Think?
71% of the time, the mom-to-be knows what she is having. Prediction outcome: GIRL

Old Wives Tale #17: Morning Sickness
If you had a smooth pregnancy with no morning sickness, it’s a boy. If you were sick or felt really nauseous during your pregnancy, count on a girl. Prediction outcome: BOY, I have only been queasy and nauseous and have actually been sick one time.

Old Wives Tale #18: Areolae
If your areolae (the part around your nips) have darkened, it’s a boy. If they haven't, its a girl. Prediction outcome: GIRL


Old Wives Tale #19: Protein
When a pregnant woman craves meat and cheese, count on a boy. Prediction outcome: GIRL, all I have wanted since the first tri is carbs. Occasionally I will crave a burger, but carbs are always apealling.


Old Wives Tale #20: Feet
Are your feet colder now that you are pregnant? If so, you just might be having a boy. If your feet have stayed the same before pregnancy and during, you’re having a little girl. Prediction outcome: GIRL

Old Wives Tale #21: Headaches
If you are having headaches, you might be carrying a boy. Prediction outcome: BOY

Old Wives Tale #22: Baby Names
It is said that when you can only think of specific names for a boy or a girl, you will have that particularly baby.  Prediction outcome: BOY, we have agreed on two possibilities for boys whereas we haven't agreed on girls.


Old Wives Tale #23: Urine
What color is your pee? If it is bright yellow, you will have a little boy. If your urine is a dull yellow, plan on a girl. Prediction outcome: GIRL


The results are ...... 13 to 7, GIRL. I guess we will find out for sure on Monday!

Happy and Healthy

A lot of women say they do not care about the sex of their child, just that the baby is healthy. I guess since the phrase is so commonplace, it is considered cliché. But honest to goodness, I’ve been praying for this child for such a long time, I couldn’t care less about the sex, as long as baby is healthy.

I’ve loved my Sonaline B Fetal Doppler a friend let me borrow and have used it once (or twice) a week since week 10 when I was first able to find the heartbeat. After two losses, It has been priceless reassurance that baby’s heart is still beating away especially between appointments.  However, I have a feeling that I won’t need to use it as frequently anymore.

I can feel baby moving, and have even felt a couple of kicks here and there!! A few people have told me that it is too early, but honestly I’ve felt the “pops” and “flutters” for weeks. On Friday, I was lying quietly on the couch with my hand on my lower belly and felt the oddest sensation from the inside and out; my little baby kicking.

Only 13 more days until our appointment with our MFM and our anatomy scan.

*Pop*

I’ve officially “popped” as they say. My photos week to week show a significant difference between my 16^th and 17^th week. Although I had not planned on sharing the photos until I had finished the second trimester, I think I will make an exception.

4 Months (16 weeks)

4 Month + 1 Week (17 Weeks)

If you cannot tell from the above photos, I am 100% in maternity clothes now and decided yesterday that I won’t be even attempting to try on pre-pregnancy clothes for a very long time.

I went in today for my 18w appointment with my OB. Everything was perfect. Baby's heart is beating away at 148bpm, I am officially up 10lbs and my belly is measuring right on track.

One down, two to go

Trimesters that is.

I went in for my 14w appointment yesterday and met a new doctor in the practice. She congratulated me on “making it to the big leagues” and beginning the second trimester. She really doesn’t have any idea what an amazing accomplishment this milestone is for me.

We did my second blood glucose test, since they lost the first one. Took my weight and blood pressure, and listened to baby on the Doppler. She said all of my blood work looks great, but that they want to continue to monitor my thyroid every 4 weeks to make sure it remains stable.

She let me know that the office is at my beck and call, and if I ever have any problems, issues, concerns, to call day-or-night. It is nice to know I won’t be left in the dark. The only negative about my OB’s practice is that they have 5 or 6 doctors that rotate being on-call; therefore, I have no idea who I will be delivering with. That said I am rotating appointments with all of the OBs as I progress so I can at least have a comfort level with each of them.

My next OB appointment is scheduled for 18 weeks and hopefully it is as quick and easy as this one.

So far, all is well. I continue to pray daily for a safe and healthy baby.

Progression of d'Bump

I really do not have much of a "bump" to show, but would like to share my monthly "progression" pictures form the first trimester. 


There isn't much of a difference so far, but I've noticed my clothes fitting tighter and my belly being a little harder to hide these days.

1 Month

2 Months

3 Months

Letting myself get excited; finally!

As little BB has met each milestone, I’ve let myself get a little more optimistic, but after yesterday’s appointment, I am flat out excited.

After my morning fiascos, Mr.A and I went to the Maternal Fetal Medicine (MFM), Perinatal Specialist yesterday afternoon. It was more than an hour away, and the waiting room was jam packed.

Mr.A and I had originally decided to opt out of the First Trimester (NT Scan) Screening. The scan looks for markers that indicate a higher risk for Downs Syndrome and Trisomy 13 and 18. We knew that even with a positive result, it wouldn’t change our minds about the pregnancy or our baby.

When we entered the room, to our surprise it wasn’t a “consult” room at all, but an ultrasound room. The tech entered, and said merely that the doctor highly recommended the test, but that it was our choice if we wanted to forego it. The possibility of seeing BB again outweighed our concerns of a false positive, so we decided to give it a go.

This ultrasound was my first “on top of the belly”, and it was really nice not to have to show the world my goods.

She immediately found little BB kicking and squirming away. He/she was so active; moving arms, legs, flipping around, scrunching up and stretching out. It was incredible!  The little blob turned gummy bear, actually looks and acts like a little, tiny baby.  Their equipment was phenomenal, and they could see the blood flow through BB’s major organs, see the heart and brain, and even down to his/her tiny little fingers.

They printed a couple of photos, but they were slightly bent up in my purse so the scanned images aren’t great. See for yourself:

The doctor joined us, and completed my NT Scan. Little BB’s measurement was 1.3mm, completely normal. The doctor was sweet and told me several times that I have a perfect little baby, and that it is time to let myself get excited; so I am.

Edited to Add: The MFM called me to give me the results from our scan. Our odds of having a child with Downs Syndrome based solely on age, was 1 in 906; after the scan, those odds are now 1 in over 10,000. The odds of having a child with Trisomy 13 or 18 were 1:1,666, and are now 1 in over 10,000. She said these are the best possible results we could get, so we are beyond thrilled.

Mondays are Rough

Yesterday started out rough. Early in the day, I called my OB’s office to see if they had received my records from my RE. I was furious when they said they did not. While I was talking with the nurse, I decided to ask her for my results from my 1Hr Glucose test I took May 25^th. After being put through to a couple of different people’s voicemail, I finally got a call back that they had either “lost or mishandled” my blood specimen, and I would need to repeat the test.

::insert nearly hysterical breakdown here::

First, I was already upset with my RE’s office for their complete incompetence when it comes to transferring records; I mean 5 weeks, really!?  Then, I was upset that not only did they lose or mishandle  my blood, and  I would have to repeat the test, but worse than that, they didn’t even know it until I asked. Before I left the day of the 1Hr test, the phlebotomist specifically said, “You don’t need to call for the results, if you don’t receive a call, everything is good to go.”

I’ve always made an effort to be my own advocate in my healthcare, and always ask others to do the same for themselves, but now, I am afraid our healthcare system is even more messed up than I originally thought. It is funny though, all of this happened and I guarantee my insurance will still get the bill for the blood work – because that is how everything works. 

Maybe my hormones are out of whack – well never mind, I know they are – but goodness gracious people, I shouldn’t have to do my job and yours too.

I am back, with news.

I've been hesitant to write the last couple of months, but promise this is the end of my hiatus.

We found out on April 9th that, surprise!, I am pregnant. Obviously this is such an incredible surprise and blessing, but is even more amazing that it happened just before my incredibly expensive IF coverage kicked in at work.

As expected, I've been terrified of loosing this one too and waited a while before telling even my closest family and friends. Tomorrow I will be 12 weeks pregnant and officially "out" to those closest to us.

I am still scared, but am finally allowing myself to get a little excited for our little snow baby due December 20th. Thus far, I've experienced all the common pregnancy symptoms and have welcomed even the gross ones. My bloodwork and ultrasounds have all been very good so far and I will continue to pray everyday, multiple times per day that our snow baby stays safe and healthy throughout the pregnancy.

I have graduated from my RE's office to my OB. However, she wants me to go to a consult with a Maternal Fetal Medicine (MFM) specialist next Monday since she has officially dubbed me high risk. I promise to keep you updated on everything, but for now, I am pregnant and I LOVE my baby.

Eve Update

I am sorry for the lack of updates; I’ve been on a roller coaster of emotions throughout the last month. I’ve been trying to watch less TV and spend less time on the computer, while reading more books and trying to relax.

Eve has been through an even worse roller coaster for the last month, which ended in yet another tragedy for her and her family. Eve lost her baby. I was, and continue to be absolutely heartbroken for her.

I don’t understand how someone so faithful to God could go through the promise, then the anguish of yet another loss. She had come to terms with the fact that she wouldn’t bear her own child, and she was at peace with it. Now, she is questioning everything.

No one should have to endure the heartbreak of loss, let alone countless losses and absolute heartbreak.  Please continue to keep her in your prayers as she attempts to heal her broken heart while still being the best mother her twin boys could ask for.