So I keep having this suspicion I may not make it to April 5th, the scheduled date of my c-section. My doctor said there was nothing indicating otherwise, but I know much of how I’m feeling is coming from the fact that I’m worried my doctor won’t be there to do my surgery. Since he is off for his kids’ spring break the week prior, other than to work in the office one day that week, I have been thinking that may be my time. The pessimist in me is coming through. Usually I’d be feeling very happy about shaving some time off of my pregnancy at this point, but as you all have heard several times, I just really want my doctor to be there.
I was determined to find out his exact schedule, as if I could really control if I’d go into labor early and when. When I asked if he’d be on call the weekend before the 5th and he said no, I practically begged him to get on the rotation. “That’s Easter!” he says. Sheesh. Like he needs to spend Easter with his family. I told him that too. Both he and Jeff found my madness humorous, and even though I was laughing too, I don’t think I was joking. Dr. Chow left the room while I got ready for my exam and came back with his on call schedule. Three days. Only three freaking days he is on call until the 5th! Like the guy needs that kind of a break. If I go into labor today, I’m all set. The two other dates are March 22nd and 23rd, both of which I said would work for me too. He tried to reassure me about the high qualifications of the other doctors, but I wasn’t having it and told him to take it as a compliment. “None of the other doctors is you!”
Then came time for my exam and he tells me I’m dilated to a one. Hold up, what? My mind races thinking my suspicions about going into labor early have now been fueled. I know people stay dilated at a one for some time, but it was strange to hear since with Mirabella, even at my 38 week appointment, I think five days before I had her, I was not dilated at all. So a one this time felt like…wow! And to still have almost three weeks left…WOW! So really, the 22nd would work great for me. I’m kicking myself for not asking him to pencil me in! One more thing…my doctor thinks this baby will be born bigger than Mirabella; he estimated the size at 6 1/4 right now (Mirabella weighed 7 pounds 7 ounces).
Anyway, after the exam, my doc changed his tune a little and said he’d say he’d give me a 70 % chance I’d make it to the 5th. 30 % I would not. We’ll see! I gained three pounds since my last appointment. Very fortunately, my ankles and feet haven’t started to swell like they did at this time with my first pregnancy. I had hopes I’d dodged a bullet, but was reminded that there was still time for that. Awesome. The good news is that my blood pressure looks great, so there aren’t concerns right now if the swelling and fluid retention does happen. I suppose I can handle a brief stint.
I have only two appointments left, next week and the following: Thursday, March 25th and Thursday, April 1st.
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Monday, March 8, 2010
Our baby at 35 weeks
At 35 weeks, the baby is about 18 inches long and weighs around 5 1/4 pounds, about as much as a honeydew melon.
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Doctor appointment: 34 weeks
All went well at my appointment today, which was fairly routine. I met with Jaimie, a nurse practitioner, and will meet with my doctor in two weeks, and every week thereafter. We discussed warning signs for labor, birth control post baby (which she brought up with a pretty big grin!), she checked my measurements (still measuring right where I'm supposed to be) and we listened to the baby's heart beat. How this happened, I don't know, but I only gained one pound since my last appointment. Very interesting with my almost compulsive ingestion of cookies and ice cream growing worse this past month or so. How great if I didn't have the swelling problem in my ankles and feet like I did at the end of my pregnancy with Mirabella (causing an eight pound weight gain, if I remember correctly, between two of my appointments), but there is still plenty of time for that I suppose! Ugh.
It is very surreal that we just wrapped up celebrating Mirabella's first birthday and pretty soon we'll be welcoming our new baby! It seems so close now. In some ways I feel so ready and in others, it feels like it can't possibly be that time yet. Regardless, we are so extremely excited to welcome our newest family member!
It is very surreal that we just wrapped up celebrating Mirabella's first birthday and pretty soon we'll be welcoming our new baby! It seems so close now. In some ways I feel so ready and in others, it feels like it can't possibly be that time yet. Regardless, we are so extremely excited to welcome our newest family member!
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Saturday surprise
Jeff and I took Mirabella out to breakfast at Emma Krumbee's on Valentine's day (Sunday, February 14th) which reminded me that I forgot to post something very special that happened the last time we were there...
With my love of pancakes during pregnancy, our family has ventured south a few times these past couple of months so I can indulge in some of the best of them (the blueberry pancakes in particular). Our previous trip to Emma Krumbee's was the morning of Saturday, January 23rd. It was a snowy day with no plans, which we were so excited about, so we decided a little road trip for the three of us would be fun. We planned on following up breakfast with me running an errand or two and then the two of us cleaning the house. So when I was letting Jeff know my next steps for the day before the cleaning began, he said, "Great, that'll give you just enough time before your 1:00 pregnancy massage."
The night before when Jeff had asked for a back scratch, I joked that it was me, the pregnant one, who should really be the recipient of back scratches and massages right now. When I gave in to his request as I typically do since I am always, always aiming to please him (right, babe?), I'll admit I thought his response had an air of BS when he said, "I promise, you'll get a nice massage tomorrow."
So at breakfast when he mentioned my 1:00 massage, I thought it was coming from him (which was still greatly anticipated and very welcome), but I was wrong. He had made arrangements for me to have have a one hour professional pregnancy massage that day! It was the greatest surprise and not to mention, one of the best excuses for not having to clean our house that day. :) When I said the same to him, he replied with something like, "Hey, you'll be nice and loose, all ready to clean like crazy when you get home!" Funny. It didn't happen.
The massage was heavenly, but it was the thoughtfulness of the gesture that was the best part of it. That husband of mine, what a guy!
With my love of pancakes during pregnancy, our family has ventured south a few times these past couple of months so I can indulge in some of the best of them (the blueberry pancakes in particular). Our previous trip to Emma Krumbee's was the morning of Saturday, January 23rd. It was a snowy day with no plans, which we were so excited about, so we decided a little road trip for the three of us would be fun. We planned on following up breakfast with me running an errand or two and then the two of us cleaning the house. So when I was letting Jeff know my next steps for the day before the cleaning began, he said, "Great, that'll give you just enough time before your 1:00 pregnancy massage."
The night before when Jeff had asked for a back scratch, I joked that it was me, the pregnant one, who should really be the recipient of back scratches and massages right now. When I gave in to his request as I typically do since I am always, always aiming to please him (right, babe?), I'll admit I thought his response had an air of BS when he said, "I promise, you'll get a nice massage tomorrow."
So at breakfast when he mentioned my 1:00 massage, I thought it was coming from him (which was still greatly anticipated and very welcome), but I was wrong. He had made arrangements for me to have have a one hour professional pregnancy massage that day! It was the greatest surprise and not to mention, one of the best excuses for not having to clean our house that day. :) When I said the same to him, he replied with something like, "Hey, you'll be nice and loose, all ready to clean like crazy when you get home!" Funny. It didn't happen.
The massage was heavenly, but it was the thoughtfulness of the gesture that was the best part of it. That husband of mine, what a guy!
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Monday, April 5th
Pending he or she decides not to come early, today at my doctor appointment our baby’s birth date was determined: Monday, April 5th! Happy birthday to you, babycakes. We cannot get over how strange it is knowing the date of arrival in advance. Mirabella was born four days before her original due date of March 5th and if all goes as planned, this baby will be born six days before his or her original due date of April 11th.
I can’t say I’m not nervous about having another c-section; the good and the bad news is that I know what to expect. I’m becoming consumed by thoughts of what the experience is going to be like. Will the surgery go the same as last time? Will I be shaking uncontrollably on the table again? Will I lose a lot of blood? When they told me to expect more pressure than I’d ever felt before when pulling the baby out last time, and then when it wasn’t nearly what I was anticipating, will it be like that again? Will it be painful? Scratch that. How painful will it be, during surgery and/or afterwards (fortunately the surgery itself wasn't painful last time, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed)? Will I be as immobile as I was after the surgery last time and how long will it take me to recover this time?
So many thoughts. So many questions! Like I said, it’s good and bad to have already been through it before. Then again, a long list of questions is what consumes all moms to be, whether first timers or those with some experience.
There are plenty of positives thoughts though too. I am looking forward to skipping out on the contractions and the 30 some hours of labor, the hunger pains (mentally and physically!) when all I could eat was ice chips for almost as long (while the smell of McDonald’s lingered into my room), the terrible thirst when no one would let me drink anything, the two hours of pushing (and the swollen, almost unrecognizable you know what!), the not sleeping for 45 hours, etc. I’m sure there'll be plenty more that I won't miss.
My doctor did warn me of the thought of going into labor early, but assured me that it would be fine if it happened. He didn't anticipate it happening too early, if it did at all. He had told Jeff and me at a previous appointment that his son's spring break was the week prior to April 5th (which he suspected then could be birth day), but I felt so much better this time when he told us they weren't planning on going out of town for it. I just really, really want my doctor to be the one doing my surgery. He's the one we trust, the one who knows us and the one who puts us at ease (and still my mind drifts off on this tangent and I have to say...he's the one who won't let me die there on that table---how's that for a morbid thought? Sorry, but I think about that.). And after all, isn't my well being more important than some fancy spring break vacation with the kids anyway? :)
I gained two pounds since my last doctor appointment, the one before the three hour GTT, roughly two weeks ago. I can handle that. Geez, maybe getting the flu in between did me some good! I'm measuring right where I'm supposed to be, at 31 weeks. Take that Mr. Man Co-worker who told me I looked like I was ready to give birth tomorrow! Nice. Just a thought for anyone reading, but you probably don't want to say something like that to a pregnant woman, especially when she still has almost two months to go. He also told me I looked fabulous, better than he'd ever seen a pregnant chick look. Did he say stunning? Elegant maybe? Breathtaking. Striking? Yeah, I think it was strikingly gorgeous to be exact. Wait, that was I made up in my head. All of it-after the looking like I was going to give birth tomorrow part-completely made up. My next appointment will be in three weeks.
I cannot wait to meet this baby of ours! Are you a boy? Will we have to get all new clothes, and eventually, a whole new genre of toys? Are you a girl? Will you look like Mirabella? Will Mirabella's clothes get a second wind? Are you healthy? How much will you weigh? Will you have hair, be a good eater, have jaudice and what color will your eyes be? No matter what the answers are to any of my questions above, one thing is for certain...we will love you so much, little baby! We already do.
I can’t say I’m not nervous about having another c-section; the good and the bad news is that I know what to expect. I’m becoming consumed by thoughts of what the experience is going to be like. Will the surgery go the same as last time? Will I be shaking uncontrollably on the table again? Will I lose a lot of blood? When they told me to expect more pressure than I’d ever felt before when pulling the baby out last time, and then when it wasn’t nearly what I was anticipating, will it be like that again? Will it be painful? Scratch that. How painful will it be, during surgery and/or afterwards (fortunately the surgery itself wasn't painful last time, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed)? Will I be as immobile as I was after the surgery last time and how long will it take me to recover this time?
So many thoughts. So many questions! Like I said, it’s good and bad to have already been through it before. Then again, a long list of questions is what consumes all moms to be, whether first timers or those with some experience.
There are plenty of positives thoughts though too. I am looking forward to skipping out on the contractions and the 30 some hours of labor, the hunger pains (mentally and physically!) when all I could eat was ice chips for almost as long (while the smell of McDonald’s lingered into my room), the terrible thirst when no one would let me drink anything, the two hours of pushing (and the swollen, almost unrecognizable you know what!), the not sleeping for 45 hours, etc. I’m sure there'll be plenty more that I won't miss.
My doctor did warn me of the thought of going into labor early, but assured me that it would be fine if it happened. He didn't anticipate it happening too early, if it did at all. He had told Jeff and me at a previous appointment that his son's spring break was the week prior to April 5th (which he suspected then could be birth day), but I felt so much better this time when he told us they weren't planning on going out of town for it. I just really, really want my doctor to be the one doing my surgery. He's the one we trust, the one who knows us and the one who puts us at ease (and still my mind drifts off on this tangent and I have to say...he's the one who won't let me die there on that table---how's that for a morbid thought? Sorry, but I think about that.). And after all, isn't my well being more important than some fancy spring break vacation with the kids anyway? :)
I gained two pounds since my last doctor appointment, the one before the three hour GTT, roughly two weeks ago. I can handle that. Geez, maybe getting the flu in between did me some good! I'm measuring right where I'm supposed to be, at 31 weeks. Take that Mr. Man Co-worker who told me I looked like I was ready to give birth tomorrow! Nice. Just a thought for anyone reading, but you probably don't want to say something like that to a pregnant woman, especially when she still has almost two months to go. He also told me I looked fabulous, better than he'd ever seen a pregnant chick look. Did he say stunning? Elegant maybe? Breathtaking. Striking? Yeah, I think it was strikingly gorgeous to be exact. Wait, that was I made up in my head. All of it-after the looking like I was going to give birth tomorrow part-completely made up. My next appointment will be in three weeks.
I cannot wait to meet this baby of ours! Are you a boy? Will we have to get all new clothes, and eventually, a whole new genre of toys? Are you a girl? Will you look like Mirabella? Will Mirabella's clothes get a second wind? Are you healthy? How much will you weigh? Will you have hair, be a good eater, have jaudice and what color will your eyes be? No matter what the answers are to any of my questions above, one thing is for certain...we will love you so much, little baby! We already do.
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