Birth Story

I want to record our son Isaac’s birth story before anything becomes forgotten, and have been meaning to do so all week,  but truthfully I have been so in awe of him that I havent made the time yet. Hubby is currently out to the store (thank God he took the first 2 weeks off) and I am feeling quite tired but need to stay awake so what better time than now!

We were admitted to the hospital on Sunday, 12/18/16, at 7:30 p.m. for our induction. The nurses that greeted us gave us the biggest and nicest labor room on the floor. The room had a pull out bed for dad, baby warming station, flat screen TV, jetted tub and shower, and of course my hospital bed. Upon arriving, I put on my own special order gown and had my vitals taken. We unpacked our bags and hubby found the ice machine (my best friend!) on the floor. 

Around 9 p.m. my nurse inserted my hep lock IV and got me hooked up to the machines. She showed hubby and I how we could monitor my contractions and the babys heartrate if we like. We could adjust the volume easily, and unplug the machine for bathroom use throughout the night. I gave the nurse my birth plan and she eased some of my fears. 

By 10 p.m. that night I had my cervix checked and cervidil inserted into it. For the first two hours the meds are in you need to stay laying down. I was about 2 cm dilated and 50% effaced at the time it was inserted. The cervidil was to soften my cervix and is supposed to be left in for 12 hrs. I must say that having it inserted was not a pleasant experience at all. It took about 4 tries for my nurse to get it in the right spot, which she emphasized how important doing so was. Finally, she had success and we were on our way! 

I didnt expect to have contractions or major cramping throughout the middle of the night with he cervidil. My OB had said I probably wouldnt feel much, if anything, until the next morning, but by midnight I was both contracting and cramping. I must have unhooked myself from the machine every hour to go pee. The benadryl they gave me to get some sleep was pointless. I was up around the clock. 

Around 4 a.m. I began to think shit was getting real. I wanted another cervix check but my nurse convinced me to try and hold off until morning came. At 6 a.m. I literally heard a “pop” and jumped up. Then came the gush. Or gushes I should say. My water broke. It was warm and clear, mixed with blood. Almost immediately after, the pain intensified. I was 4 cm dilated, and wanted to discuss the epidural so I paged my nurse in. 

By now, hubby was up and I got on the birthing ball and began practicing deep breaths. The contractions were intense. I wondered how the heck I was going to make it! The anesthesiologist came in and talked to me, and I went over my history of scoliosis wih him the best I could between the contractions, now coming every 3 minutes. He had trouble getting the needle in initially, I believe it took 3 tries. 

Minutes after the epidural, my blood pressure plumetted and I felt awful. They said I looked green. They pumped me with some other drugs and eventually got me back to where I needed to be. The epidural eased my pain for the time being, and by noon I was close to 7 cm dilated I believe. Hubby and I got some much needed sleep during this time.  

By 4 p.m. my pain level was increasing again, and I kept hitting the damn medicine button hooked up to my IV. It didnt seem to do much after awhile though. I continued to listen to my Circle + Bloom meditational CD and applied some essential oils in hopes of relaxing. I even had a special picture with me for a focal point. 

The nurse and midwife decided to give me a low dose of Pitocin to see if we could speed things up a bit. They also decided to monitor my contractions internally instead of just externally. So some other contraption was put inside of me. 

By 6 p.m., I was 10 cm dilated and in major pain. The epidural from the morning had long worn off and I was cursing the world. I had been pushing on and off for a good hour, and hubby and the team saw Miracle’s head several times. I heard the machines going off like something was wrong consistently when pushing. 

I kept asking about baby, and he was doing just fine as it appeared on the screen. I was the one in distress, not him. The machines were beeeping like crazy because of my heartrate. It was accelerating a lot, at times up to 170. The team was not happy with this at all, and my OB was called in to do a c-section right away. 

I started crying. It had been a long 20 something hours of labor only to have to be operated on. I felt like such a failure in that moment. Why didnt I just opt for the c-section in the first place? Thankfully everyone around me came together to make me realize it wasnt my fault and all I remember thinking was ‘please God, get my baby here soon.’

The anesthesiologist quickly gave me another epidural, and some other drugs for blood pressure, nausea, and anxiety, and we were being wheeled off. The epidural started working, and they were scrubbing me off as I shook and chattered my teeth. My speech was slurred, my eyes half closed, and I was really feeling drugged up. I remember I kept asking if baby was okay. I always heard how great he was doing back. Hubby was next to me holding my hand the whole time. 

I felt a decent amount of tugging and pulling, and medical jargon talk in the background. Lots of “almost there” and “I can see him” pep talks being given to me. Intense feelings of being smashed on top of my chest followed.  Then at 6:57 p.m., I heard the sound I have been waiting to hear for almost a decade, our sweet rainbow baby crying. 

I started crying instantly and I heard the team laughing about how he was peeing as they pulled him out. Hubby got to cut the cord and he received his perfect Apgar score. He was then brought over to see me. I couldnt believe it. Finally. 


Almost Go Time

Well, well, where to begin? I feel as if I have been under an information overload the past few weeks, mainly trying to make the final call between scheduling a c-section or trying to birth our child vaginally first. Due to our history, it has been a lot of back and forth with OBs, REs, MFMs, orthopedics, & anesthesists on which situation would be best.  

Final call-we will attempt birthing vaginally.  If I havent gone into labor by the 18th, Ill be admitted for cervical ripening and induction that day. Yes, thats right… we have a date folks! And its so close that I cant even believe it. We are super excited! If during a vaginal birth, he shows any signs of distress my OB will immediately do a section. I will be under continous monitoring once induced. 

It would be nice if he decides to come on his own before I need induced, but are also okay with it if he does not. At this point, we trust our vast medical team very much and will follow what is deemed safest for mom & baby. 

Recap of his health-We had our weekly NST and BPP yesterday, and baby boy did well. The week before he was being difficult during the stress test (his heart rate was not accelerating enough with his movements) and I was getting so upset. I was on the damn machine for probably an hour, when you can be on & off it in 15 minutes if baby performs. 

The nurse gave me juice, let me go pee, and even zapped me with a tazer like device on my stomach at one point. Lets just say he did NOT enjoy that at all, and he finally passed right after it. Maybe he remembered it from the week before and got to work yesterday because we passed the first 15 minute go around. Thank God. He then scored 8/8 on his biophysical profile ultrasound. Another sigh of relief. 

My fundal height is measuring a little smaller the past 2 weeks, probably since I havent gained any weight. But he is still in the 40 something percentile and measuring close to 7 lbs, so the doctors are not worried. I feel so bad knowing there are many ladies out there struggling with uterine growth restriction-I cannot imagine how upsetting and frustrating this is. I know I eat A LOT and still cant gain. Totally out of our own hands.

Something important to note-my OB wasnt too happy with my blood pressure yesterday and doesnt want me waiting a whole week to get it checked again. So, I go in Monday for a quick blood pressure check. If its still high, we might be seeing Miracle sooner than later. 

Other news-I feel like there is no more time! I have been doing all my last minute nesting each day. I make a list, and somehow another one pops up. Lol. Thankfully they are all little things, all the big things are done, and we would totally be fine if nothing else got done at this point. Part of me just feels like I have to stay busy for some reason! Then the other half of me feels like I have to rest, so I do. Its a good balance. 

We have arrangements made for the dogs during our hospital stay, got the baby a health insurance plan of his own, hooked up baby monitors, called my cleaning ladies and scheduled them around our possible induction date so the house is nice & clean for baby to come home to! Ive wrapped all our Christmas presents and put them under the tree. I have an appointment to get my nails done next week, pretty close to delivery so they look pretty for our professional newborn photo session. I even treated myself to a few postpartum outfits…2 pairs of Blanqi leggings and 4 tunic tops. Super excited to live in these for awhile. 

Symptoms-Oh my. Tons. Constipation, which has never been an issue, now is. I am eating prunes and hoping to see some improvement. Stay away hemorrhoids!! Heartburn. Shortness of breath. Snoring. Talking (or even yelling) in my sleep. Peeing all the time. Fatigue. Pregnancy brain…I think thats all???

9 Months & a Tour of the Nursery!

Officially full term this week at 37 weeks. Our hopital bags are packed (we did 3 of them, one for each of us) and baby boy’s carseat has been installed & inspected. Our birth plan (wasnt sure if we would do one) is also complete. I had a few friends ask what a “birth plan” is before, so here’s a snap shot of ours-

Our son’s room is ready, as is most of the rest of the house. Since I am home everyday, the nesting has been well underway for some time now. Here is his room…all finished! 






Went to the MFM this week for another growth scan. I was a little concerned going into it bc I have noticed that over the course of the past month or so I havent gained any weight. I have still been eating well, but my appetite has dwindled off a bit perhaps due to my brian believing there is so little room left in there for food or the simple fact that the more I eat, the less I can breath! 

Anywhoo, my weight loss of 1 pound has not had any effect on Miracles growth. He is still around the 50th percentile, measuring about 6 lbs. The doctor puts him at about 7 1/2 lbs. if we go another 2 1/2 wks. or so. Perfect, healthy weight! 

Everything else checked out well-he is head down, good Amnio levels, heartrate, movement, etc. This was his 3rd biophysical profile that he had and earned 100% on. It sounds as if I am already bragging about my unborn son, but I cant help it. Getting weekly BPP’s (combined with NSTs) with high scores shows the chance of a stillbirth is very, very low. 

We will not be going back to the MFM anymore, I will just see my OB everyweek from here out. In fact, I see her tomorrow for my first cervix check! I am secretly (not anymore lol) hoping I am dilated some. I am feeling SO ready to meet this guy even though he has some time left. Several of my IG friends have been having their babies now and it makes it much more real, especially when someone delivers before me who was due after me and baby is OK. 

We arent doing much Christmas shopping this year as we usually would, but I have made a point to get a few things bought now so we wont worry once baby is here. I also made hubby something special off Pinterest that serves as a new daddy gift/Christmas gift.  Id tell you more but I know he reads this, so it will have to wait 😉

We decided to do just one real Christmas tree this year, instead of the 3 or 4 artificial ones I have in the past. I must say I LOVE having the real tree for a change! It might be our new thing. Overall, we are keeping Christmas quite minimal; neither of us wants to worry about taking decorations down with a newborn. 

Until next time, sending love! 

Done

Done with the political crap! Do not fear…if you read along here it will be a light post, no politics involved. 

How far along? 33 weeks and 5 days 
How big is baby? At his ultrasound yesterday, they estimated 4 lbs. 11 ounces. 
Total weight gain/loss: About 38 lbs. gained total. Boy, do I feel it! 

Maternity clothes? Oh yes. Thats all that I can wear really. Most days I live in pajamas or dresses. 

Sleep: not good. My mind is always racing. My feet are feeling tingly, numb, and swollen and seem to really bother me at night. Getting up to pee every hour. Got the breath right strips for my snoring/choking problem and they arent working! Im still snoring right through them, and waking myself up as I choke. Hubby usually lasts in the same room with me until about 3 a.m. Lol! 

Best moment this week: baby boy passing his biophysical profile with an 8 out of 8! 100%! The BPP came unexpectedly after I was given an NST. My OB thought my amnio fluid might be on the low side from the NST, so she ordered the BPP ultrasound. My fluid wasnt too bad (a 10 I believe) and all else looked great with Isaac. 

Food cravings: none really…maybe an Italian sub?!? Planning on eating one of those STAT after delivery.
Food Aversions: None. More people aversions lately. Hopefully we can move into the holiday season as a united country.

Pregnancy Symptoms: Aside from the ones above, BH. Hot flashes. Some indigestion. Reallyy short of breath. Tired-so much that Im napping everyday,  pretty much throughout the days despite the snoring interruptions. I wish the sleep was deep, it never is. My back kills me, but this is nothing new thanks to my scoliosis. 

What I miss: Sleeping on my belly! 

What I am looking forward to: meeting our son. The holidays. 

Upcoming appointments/events: NSTs every week until he comes. Another ultrasound at 36 weeks!! 

Milestones: Making it full term now…so close. Cervix still closed and measuring just at a 3.

A Dilemma

I was diagnosed with a pretty severe case of scoliosis when I was in the 5th grade. I started seeing an orthopedic surgeon at that time, and the best option to prevent my curve from progressing was to wear a back brace. I hated the thing, but ended up wearing it 22 hrs a day for what seemed like forever. Im guessing it was a year or two in all reality. 

The back brace did its job for many years, and my curve stayed at what it was since the time I was an adolescent. I got yearly x-rays and that was about it. Fast forward to around age 21 or 22, I started to experience pain in my back and neck, something the scoliosis had never previously caused. My yearly x-rays revealed my curve had jumped another 10 degrees. I had always been a candidate for surgery, but now I most certainly was. My curve was now somewhere in 50 degree range. 

The surgery itself is pretty serious, the doctors that perform it are limited, and there are a lot of different dynamics that play into it. I wont get into all that today because its not what this post is about. Its about how I always questioned how my back condition would play into a pregnancy and delivery. 

All the doctors I saw over the years never seemed toooo concerned about it. However, in the back of my mind, I was always worried. Worried about how painful pregnancy would be (which I try not to discuss much on this blog because I know how upsetting it can be to hear pregnant women complain when you are trying), worried about how I would be able to deliver my baby safely when I clearly was not built structurally “normal.”

Brings us to the current dilemma. I decided I should take my x-ray images to my OB appt this week just to make sure all looked okay delivery wise, since we are now at 33 weeks. Lets just say she was a little surprised by what she saw. I guess I hide my curve pretty well, or so Ive heard over the years. She immediately said I needed an anesthesia consult at the hospital because she wasnt sure if I could even receive an epidural or spinal block due to the curve. Her concern seemed to be getting the needles in place correctly. There was some talk of general anesthesia during delivery and thats when I started to feel the anxiety and fear building up as it used to at my doctor appointments. I heard words like “only options,” “very serious,” “baby born sleeping,” “dont see the baby for awhile” etc. I zoned out. 

After going through much bullshit to get the person I needed to talk to at the hospital, I was sitting in their office the next morning for a consult, x-ray images in hand. The anesthesiologist examined them and my spine. She explained that both epidurals and spinals are inserted into the L4 or L5 vertebrates, which are towards the bottom of the spine. This was very good news for me, because my curve is mostly towards the top of my spine. She was able to locate my L4 and L5 easily and said she would not have any issue getting either in at that location as my OB worried about. She credited my “small frame” (ha!) as making it easy for her to find. 

Worst case scenario? According to the anesthesiologist, an epidural or a spinal block in me may only numb one side, instead of both sides that should be numbed in a “normal” person. My curve may cause the medicine to stay on one side more than the other, but there is no way of knowing that until we try. 

Bottom line? It would be best to try to deliver vaginally first (even though my pelvis is quite tilted due to my scoliosis) with the possibility of an epidural that doesnt fully work, than to schedule a c-section and get a spinal block that doesnt fully work. 

If I was to get a spinal that didnt fully work, I would have to then undergo general anesthesia for the section. And that, of course, is what no one wants at all. 

The anesthesiologist put all of the notes into the computer system so that my OB and all the other anesthesiologists could see her findings. I am happy I got to speak with her, she relieved some of my fears. Now its on my OB and I moving forward as far as what we do. 

Baby boy is not breech anymore, which helps us avoid the c-section route. Also, his weight is not above average which us another positive in avoiding a section. Finally, my RE confirmed my myomectomy (fibroid removal) did not cut into the uterine wall since it was done lap. These facts are all in our favor for delivery vaginally. Now, at my next appt we need to look at my birth canal/pelvis and see if she thinks it could birth a baby without putting him in danger. 

I should wrap this up by saying that I do not care how our baby comes into this world as long as it is safely. 

All medical personnel agree that undergoing general anesthesia is not the ideal way to bring a baby safely into the world, although it can be done. My way of thinking (and hubbys)  is that perhaps we need to exhaust all options in case a worst case scenario comes up. 

Try vaginally. Get an epidural if needed. If it doesnt numb both sides, still try to push through. If he cant get out safely, move on to a c-section with a spinal block. Pray it numbs both sides. If it doesnt, last resort…get knocked out. 

Cant anything ever be easy?!?

8 Months

This week. 32 weeks pregnant. So thankful. 

It feels like since the baby shower that time is just speeding ahead! Next week I will begin my weekly NSTs at my OB’s office. I will do them every Wednesday until baby arrives. Im really happy to be getting the extra monitoring late into the pregnancy as I did early on in it. Its as if it is coming full circle now. I have been having some of the same symptoms I did in the first trimester again-light cramping, waves of nausea, fatigue. Im really hoping that baby boy holds off for a little longer still despite these symptoms. 

Other symptoms?

In addition to the nightly snoring, I have now added in talking too! Go figure. Hubby reports to me some of the wackiness I ramble on about, other times I catch myself actually talking when I wake to pee. Peeing is on an hourly schedule now throughout the night. My carpal tunnel has only gotten worse but has decided to radiate mainly in the 2 fingers on my right hand when I sleep. Before it was the whole hand/wrist area. When I wake up, I cant bend them at all until I massage them out a bit. Its odd. Appetite isnt as strong as it used to be, probably due to the lack of room in there. Braxton Hicks still coming daily, along with lots of movement. I am really enjoying all the kicks, rolls, punches, and jabs now. I havent used the doppler in quite some time as his movement has been giving me peace of mind. 

We did our maternity photos this past weekend. I must say I am really pleased we decided to do them after going back and forth about it for awhile. Im also happy I decided to wear the fancy lace gown I ordered online. I was starting to doubt whether or not I should wear it as the session got closer & closer. I just wasnt feeling so lovely in it. However hubby & mom talked me into it, and Im glad I listened. The dress was most awesome because of how it could be worn various ways…we changed it up throughout the session as a skirt, tube top, shorts, etc. 

I told our photographer that I think I did more physically at the shoot than I have my whole pregnancy! We did a sunset beach session and walking around in the sand totally kicked my butt! By the end of the hour, both hubby and I were in the water splashing around trying to wash off, while freezing our laughing butts off at the same time. It was a lot of fun! My favorite part had to be the sky towards the end of it…it literally looked like a rainbow. We all just stood in awe of it for our rainbow baby. We got a few pics as a sneek peak and we are so in love with them already! I cant wait to see them all! 

Whats next?

Our CPR class at the hospital, along with the car seat safety inspection we scheduled at the local police department. We also made a list for our hospital bags (thanks for all your help in my last post) and hope to get started packing in the next week or so! Mom & I have been washing away blankets & clothes this week, which makes it so much more real that he will be here soon. We are so excited! 

Diary of a Pregnant Woman, Vol. 5

I passed my 1 hour glucose test! One less thing to worry about! My iron levels are also in the appropriate range, along with the rest of my blood levels from my 28 week CBC. So happy to hear all of this! 

Other happenings-

• I have gained a total of 30 lbs. at just over 30 weeks, but not much in the last month. Talked with my OB and MFM about this and they assure me it is okay as long as baby boy is still growing as he should. Most of the 30 lbs. I packed on were on by week 20! Anyways, looks like Im on track to gain about 40 lbs. total. 
• I am snoring soooo bad at night. Oink, oink. Hubby actually had to leave the room for the first time as he could not get any rest last night. Not only am I snoring, but Im like choking on my snores and waking up panicked because Im having trouble breathing. It is scary! I brought it up at my appt today because I thought I might have some weird pregnancy sleep apnea (if that even exists?). The midwife seemed to brush it off though, told me to elevate myself more, & use nasal spray before bed. I will give the elevating a try in bed, if that doesnt work, looks like Ill be headed to the recliner to sleep soon. 
• Hubby & I have been keeping busy putting together all the stuff we were blessed with at the shower. We couldnt wait any longer to do it, we have been waiting for almost a decade now for all of this to happen! So, each day we assemble something different. Its so fun. So far we have configured the Baby Trend pack and play, Baby Trend bouncer, Fisher Price rock and play, Chicco stroller/carseat, & mamaRoo swing. We also filled the bookshelf with all the books we got at our shower. Everything fits perfectly in it. Next up is setting up the monitor we got! 

• Our maternity photos are this weekend at the beach! Im excited to get them done but also nervous. I hope I look okay in them, hubby told me to embrace it so I am going to try and do so…Belly out & all! My mom is coming along for the pics too. I will post some of them next week! 
• We only have 3 classes left at the hospital (2 more labor & delivery, and one CPR)…which means the homestretch of the pregnacy is upon us. In just 2 months, our rainbow will be here with us! 
• Can I tell you how much Cobra insurance sucks?? We had to dish out 2 months worth of it until I go on hubbys insurance in January. Please tell me how one can justify paying $600 a month for an individual just to maintain their current coverage?!? Joke. Like its not bad enough already that we get NO infertility coverage here in Florida. I guess the silver lining would be I have long ago met all out of pocket deductibles for the year so no more cash upfront other than the Cobra has to be dished out. 
• Hubby took off 2 weeks for baby’s arrival. Im looking forward to this time we will have together as a family of 3 (well, 5 if u count the furbabies) We hope to keep the amount of home visitors during this special time to a minimum. This isnt to say we dont want any visitors, we do, but we want the majority of our time at home to be spent learning the ropes and in all honesty, just taking it all in… If that makes sense.  Who knows if we will change our minds, but this is where we are right now with it. 
• We are already planning our first family trip! Sounds sort of crazy considering baby isnt even here yet, right?! When he is about 5 months old (early June 2017), we plan to head north for our nephews high school graduation. We are so excited to see all of our family & friends & show off our little Miracle to them! As of now, we think we will be driving and staying about 2 weeks, but Im sure that could easily change due to numerous factors. 
• I am proud of myself for getting all of our handwritten shower thank you notes done already! I just dropped them in the mail today. Can we say awesome for not even a 2 week turn around time?!? 

A Hurricane, Baby Shower, Growth Scan, & Day of Remembrance

Despite our fears of Hurricane Matthew ruining our baby shower, all turned out perfectly! We were so blessed to have just been missed (literally by about 30 miles) from the storm making landfall here in South Florida. Compared to Haiti, Northern Florida, & the Carolinas, we were spared majorly.  I think everyone here woke up feeling a sense of gratitude the day after the storm. 

This isnt to say Matthew didnt bring plenty of stress last week leading up to his arrival…we ended up having to board up our house with hurricane shutters, family and friends had to reschedule their flights in for the shower, gifts being delivered were delayed, doctor appointments, along with beauty ones all cancelled. I was quite emotional to say the least. I was most worried about keeping the baby safe, as I have never been in the direct path of a category 4 storm, only a 2 and a 3. Those were bad enough! Needless to say, lots of tears were shed. 

Hubby, the dogs, & I decided to ride out the storm at my moms house who was also all shuttered up. I wanted to be around as much family as possible God forbid something happen. I ended up staying up all night as the winds were just way too loud for any rest. Its a hard noise to describe if you havent been through a storm of magnitude before. Its definitely no ordinary thunderstorm! We were able to maintain power all night (thank God!) and had no damage to our area when we went out in the morning to assess the damage. Nothing like the storms that hit us back in 2004 that left so much damage and power outages for weeks. 

The location of our baby shower also kept power and thus, the shower was still on! And what a beautiful day it turned out to be, thanks to my mom, aunt, and cousin and all their hard work setting up. The cake was to die for (so hard to cut such an adorable dessert into pieces!) and the flowers just as I imagined. The food was delicious too! Guests had a choice between 3 entrees, all which we sampled prior. We ended up just shy of 30 people and were so spoiled by all the gifts! We got everything we wanted, even more importantly that we needed. Carseat, stroller, bathtub, changing pad, MamaRoo swing, pack and play, rock and play, Bumbo seat, play mat, monitor, diaper bag, Ergo 360 carrier, clothes, diapers, bottles, blankets, toys, books…need I go on?!? Im still in awe of how generous everyone was to us. Seriously. 

We also had our 30 week growth scan at the MFM this week and Miracle is almost 3 1/2 pounds! So exciting to hear. If he continues to grow at this rate, they say he will likely be about 7 lbs at birth. Perfect! My cervix is long (over 3.75) and closed. I was really (happily) surprised by this…I figured it would have shortened some by now but it hasnt. Baby boy is currently butt down, but has time to move into proper position still. I head back to my OB next week for routine stuff, but not back to the MFM for another ultrasound until Im 34 weeks. 

I dreamed of the day where our pregnancy would enter in the “30” week range. It brings a sense of comfort to me although there are still obstacles ahead. So far, we have made all of our goals since we found out we were pregnant-

1. Increasing betas
2. Heartbeat on ultrasound
3. Get past the furthest we ever made it in a previous pregnancy (10 wks)
4. Get through the first trimester
5. Feel the baby kick 
6. Have a good anatomy scan at 20 wks
7. Make it to first viability milestone at 24 wks
8. Make it to second viability milestone at 28 wks 

Focusing on these things helps me stay positive. We are about to approach one of our last goals of viability, 32 weeks. I thank God everyday for this blessing. I also pray everyday for everyone still struggling, especially this month as pregnancy and infant loss awareness is remembered and honored. 

Last year on October 15th, we lit 7 candles for all the babies we lost over the years. This year on October 15th, we will light 8 candles, one added for Isaac’s twin that we lost with my tube back in May. Will have to post more then…in the meantime sending love to all. 

Hello 3rd Trimester

Its hard to believe both October & the 3rd trimester are upon us! Less than 12 weeks to go now.

I had my 1 hour glucose test this morning. I actually did a 2 hr test back when we were trying to figure out the cause of my recurrent pregnancy loss, so I was prepared for how yucky it is. This time I didnt get a flavor choice (boo!) and got stuck with orange. I did lemon lime the first time and it was much better! The orange burned as I was chugging it down and gave me a slight headache accompained by minor nausea. 

The nurse drew my blood for this and also did a CBC, my results should be in within the week. The midwife measured my fundal height which was between 28-29 weeks, and I am 28 weeks + 3 days so that was all good. She also did the doppler and his heartbeat was as usual. We chatted about movement, which I have noticed just in the past week has picked up a lot. I dont find myself needing to count like I was because its pretty consistent throughout the days now. I am happy about this bc counting sort of drives me mad! 

We also discussed vaginal v. c-section birth. I explained my fears both ways, and told her I just want to do whatever is safest for my baby. She listened and offered some personal stories in regards to my concerns. Long story short, she told me to prep for a vaginal birth as long as he isnt breech, or too large.  Our first labor class starts tomorrow and I am anxious for it. They told us to bring a yoga mat and 2 pillows…hopefully we will gain some valuable knowledge from these sessions! 

In other news…all good things must come to an end. Let me explain. We had our fresh IVF cycle back in March 2014, in which 7 out of our 8 embryos were frozen at that time. Since that time, we have had 4 total transfers (1 fresh + 3 frozen). Thankfully all of our embies have been kept free of charge at our RE’s office. We havent paid storage on any of our frosties, which has been wonderful as storage fees can get pretty pricey. Well, as I said, all good things must come to an end! We got a call this week from the storage company informing us that we need to update our forms on file as they will be picking up our one & only embryo at our RE’s office. I must say I was a bit sad, I loved our embryo being right where I know it is, safe & sound. However, I realize this is protocol and we got away with it for over 2 years now. Time to cough up more cash…nothing new in the world of IVF. 

As Im sure many of you know, the embryo storage forms make you think of morbid things like death of one partner, death of both partners, divorce, etc. In the middle of filling out the forms, I burst into tears. Thanks pregnancy hormones! I told hubby in the case I should die, I want him to have ownership of our embryo. I suggested that should he ever marry again, he could (have the option to) transfer our embryo into his new wife. He looked at me in disbelief, and thats when I lost it. This may sound odd to some, but its how I feel. We also agreed on the same should he pass before we transfer again. And if we both die, we elected to donate our child. Sounds really weird typing that. We couldnt come to terms with disposal, and we didnt want to transfer ownership to anyone and have that on their shoulders either. We will pay storage quarterly, and then revisit transferring Uno December of next year. 

My OB appts are now every 2 weeks, not sure of the MFM frequency as of yet. I see them this week for a growth scan, and I want to bring up a few things like NSTs and biophysical profiles. I dont want to fall to the wayside because things have continued to look good. I want to make sure we stay on top of things, especially monitoring later on as this can help prevent stillbirth. 

My baby shower is this weekend!!! How insane. I am super excited about it, but also anxious at the same time. I cried yesterday to hubby about it, and he reassured me that I deserve this shower. My aunt is flying in today, and then others follow throughout the week. I feel like I have so much to do still (thank God for cleaning ladies) before the shower…stop by the flower shop, finalize games, get my wedding ring cleaned, eyebrows waxed, nails done, etc. Im sure it will all come together though. Will post an update of it all soon! 

The Diary of a Pregnant Woman, Vol. 2

So this week has been full of appointments as usual. 

• Appointment with OB-routine visit, checked urine, blood pressure, weight, Isaac’s heartbeat, and (new this visit) fundal height. She said my fundal height was measuring a little large for how many weeks I am. I didnt bother asking for a number. My mentality is Id rather it be larger than smaller. I got my glucola drink and scheduled that appointment. Praying I pass! 
• We talked about baby’s movement at the appt. Ive been somewhat worried because I hear so much about all these women feeling strong movement pretty early on. Even though I felt flutters at 15 weeks and the intensity has definitely picked up, the movement is still quite sporadic. Like for instance, I might feel him in the early morning, but then not again until nighttime. So she told me that even though its early, try to count the kicks and I would probably be pleasantly surprised. I followed her instructions the past few days (drank something cold and sweet, waited 20 minutes, laid down) and realized he is doing just fine. I feel at least 10 movements pretty quickly actually. Thank God! I guess I just needed to focus in on it more to see. 
• We interviewed a third (and final) pediatrician. 3 is enough, dont want to overwhelm ourselves with options. The places have consisted of 1.) a small, one doctor practice, 2.) a large, 6 doctor practice, and 3.) an in-between practice with 3 doctors. There are so many factors to consider when choosing a pedi (cleanliness, experience, on-site services, after hours, vaccines, wait times, hospital privileges, etc.) But honestly, for us, it really boiled down to a gut feeling. This is the same way we were with choosing our RE. We figure we can always change should we need to, but we are starting out at the smallest practice of the 3 practices. Glad thats taken care of!!

• We attended session 1 of 2 at the hospital for “parenting & infant care.” Can I just tell you how awful session 1 was? It should be called “all the ways you can kill your baby.” I understand that it’s reality and important to point out all the things that can happen in order to be preventive, but it was really tough for me to sit through the class. From drowning, to SIDS, to choking, to shaking baby, to poisons, fires, my gosh. And we were showed videos of actual situations where children died. Was that necessary? Ugh. Anyways, session 2 is supposed to be much better (according to both one of my friends who took it and the instructor herself), we will have fake dolls and change baby, burp baby, swaddle baby, etc.

• Tomorrow we go to the MFM for a 25 week growth scan. Praying all is on track. Will update soon on that. 

Aside from appointments, other news-

• All shower invites went out and people are starting to RSVP! Exciting, but hard to believe it is here in just a month. We have already started to receive some gifts from out of state family (over half of our list is out of state), and for any big items they send, we are keeping the boxes and plan to take those to the shower wrapped without the items inside (hubby’s idea and I love it!). The smaller ones we get wont be an issue to take with the contents inside of them. This way even the people out of state who cant make it will be celebrating with us that day! 
• I decorated for fall already. I love fall. I usually wait until it technically begins in a few weeks, but being home not working, I figured why not. Now if only the heat would go away. So over it. 
• I have been thinking pretty seriously about cloth diapering. I joined a few Facebook groups and started my own research. I should have prefaced this by saying my stomach has been weaker than it normally is not pregnant. Anyways, in a few of the posts I came across, several ladies were having trouble with bugs. In the dirty diapers. Like maggots or eggs, or whatever. That was it for me. I told hubby about it and he pointed out how we live in South Florida and its a possibility. No thanks. As a new mom, I cant say how often I would be washing these diapers yet or blame them for it. Ive had all kinds of freaking bugs around my house & I keep it clean. So the plan is to start with disposables, I registered for a few different kinds, and go from there. Maybe one day. End of story. 
• The closet in miracle’s room is pretty much done! I love it! 

Until next time!!