37 weeks...Full term!

I am full term and Leo can come anytime he wishes now!  I'm not trying to evict him but it is a relief that we have crossed this milestone...

I measured for 38 weeks at my appt. this week although the midwife thought Leo was sticking his butt out right where she was measuring so he might have been adding the extra cm. His heart rate was at 130 which is within the normal range and his movement is good...great really.  I had a parent at school notice Leo moving around and she wasn't even that close to me! Of course, it is very obvious to me and I can't help but stop and watch all of his movements.

Now that I am full-term I thought it would be fun to start an arrival date poll!

I believe I have said I think he is coming on Jan 21st (and have thought that since getting pregnant); however, if he doesn't come then I am betting on sometime in December.  Why you may ask?  

To that I will have to relay some family history...

For my bloodline, December is like a magnet for births.

Grandma Hess- Dec 1st

Luke- Dec 3rd (cousin once removed)

Dad- Dec 7th

 Cousin Keith and Nephew Tiernan- Dec 21st

Paisley- Dec 23rd (cousin once removed)

Mom- Dec 25th
(I think I got everyone if not I'm sorry....pregnancy brain)
I posted a poll on Facebook and this is what the world has to say about Leo's arrival...

My parents have been in town this week since Tuesday.  It's been nice having them around although between my last week of work and Dr's appts I haven't gotten to spend as much time with them as I would like.  Next week my sister Carol and my nephews will be coming into town late on Christmas night. 
On the labor front, I have started some natural methods to progress labor such as Red Raspberry Leaf Tea (helps strengthen contractions which in turn makes them more effective in progressing dilation and are supposed to help during labor as well), walking, and EPO (evening primrose oil).  I can't wait to meet this little guy but I know in the end he will come when he wants to.
Merry Christmas everyone!  

36 weeks

Four weeks till the due date, 1 week till Leo is full-term, and I am already growing out of my clothes!

I just might have to make this post my complaint post.  I love being pregnant and I would take on even more "inconveniences" for the miracle we get to take home at the end but... 

That said, pregnancy is no picnic either... particularly in the 3rd trimester!

Here are a few of my complaints.

I'm beginning to feel like just a big belly and hair, (I really need to cut my hair but I refuse to until Leo gets here!) 

I find it VERY HARD to get up and down out of chairs, seats, off of the floor, etc.

Leo likes to jab his foot underneath my right ribs and it just doesn't feel good!

 I want to wear cute shoes again!

I can't bend over to pick something up without first bracing my legs about a mile apart and placing my hand on a nearby object to TRY and keep steady.

I would love to move without letting a groan or exasperated sigh involuntarily escape my lips.

I have had to come to accept the fact that I actually am a messy eater I just never had anything to catch all the food I was dropping... the stains on my shirts prove it : /

I am tired of Doctors, midwives, hospitals, and anything related with these things.

I want to wear my wedding rings again!

I would like just ONE center of gravity, staying balanced is confusing with two.

Working is becoming harder and harder with more moments of sheer confusion over what is going on as my brain is slowly being taken over by...aliens? How do women work all the way to their due date?!

SO very tired of my pelvis hurting.

Did I mention the foot in my ribs or when it is not there but poking out of my right side? 

Tired of gestational diabetes and pricking my fingers 4x's a day...

Tired of tests and inevitably getting bad news from them (a girl can only take so much!)

With all of that and then some, I am thankful for Leo and that I get to help bring him into this world.

I've been blessed and I know it!

Some updates

I passed my last teaching test (Early Childhood Education) and will be able to get a renewable Oregon teaching license...YAY!  No more stressing over that or having to study.  Now I can focus on marking all of the other tasks off of my list of things to do (which mainly consists of baby prep things!)

 Nesting here I come!

I couldn't write about this week and not mention the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary.  Maybe because I am pregnant or because I am a teacher or because I am human but this struck me at some base level in a way that I can not even begin to describe my feelings.

My prayers, thoughts, and heart go out to the families left behind to deal with their losses.  I have to believe that those sweet little angels are in a better place with God where they can no longer feel the pain and disappointments that are a part of living.

Rest in Peace

  

 

35 Weeks

Only 5 weeks left!  It is hard to believe that in just over a month I will have a baby.  This whole experience still seems surreal at times though I'm not sure why that surprises me...

with my sisters' having their first babies it was always surreal as well, even after the baby had arrived.  I've been so encompassed by the pregnancy part of having a baby that it has only been in the past week or so that I have started really picturing the next stage.  I can't wait to hold him in my arms and see what he looks like.  

So my friend Beth took my 35 weeks maternity pictures which was a fun experience and I loved the outcome.  Here are some of my favorites!  If you want to check out any of Beth's other photos visit her website here.  

In addition to pictures this week, Evan and I took a tour of the hospital labor & delivery and also the mother & baby ward.  The rooms seem pretty cozy which is nice and I feel like I am a little more comfortable now, knowing where I will be once I go into labor.  We also received a decision about whether or not I have GD... apparently due to my first test (from 2 months ago) I DO have GD even though my numbers taken daily were fine, whilst I was not on the GD diet.

That diagnosis rules me out of the waterbirth I've dreamed of for so long but I will still be able to labor in the tub right up until having to push.  So better than nothing I guess.  In order to have the inflatable tub (which is deeper) in the room we had to attend the waterbirth class... which was mainly tortuous.  I knew pretty much everything they told us and they kept on going over all the wonderful benefits of actually birthing in the water, which due to their stupidity I will not be doing. :-/

On a much happier note, we finally got our Christmas tree!!  It is a very tree too so we are enjoying it.  We decorated it and I bought a cinnamon broom so now there is a pleasant mix of evergreen and cinnamon which is so nice and inviting to come home too.  My working days are coming to a close (at least before Leo's arrival) I currently only have one more job scheduled on Tuesday, a Dr's appt tomorrow and next Thursday, a test this Friday and school ends for the holidays next Thursday.  I might be able to squeeze in a few jobs the week before Leo is due but that will depend on how I am doing. 

 We are almost to the 37 week (full-term) mark when it will be okay for Leo to come!  We finally have some decorations in the "nursery corners" as I like to fondly call Leo's areas in our bedroom. Here are a few pictures of his "nursery" and our Christmas tree!  Love to you all!     

34 Weeks

Not a great picture but this is it for 34 weeks....  I have a photo shoot for my 35 weeks with a friend from Mooberry ES.  She is a photographer and does beautiful pics so I am looking forward to documenting this incredible time in my life.   Not much happening this week just trying to get through the week of long days and lots of cleaning.

I am feeling sad that the Christmas tree is not up yet and won't be for at least a week.  I'm ready for Christmas cheer and it just doesn't feel like Christmas until the house is decorated.  I have been planning a list of things to do before next weekend and it just seems to get longer and longer by the second!  I hope we will find the time to get at least some of it done.  

I did have my 34 week appt. this week and I am measuring perfectly.  34 cm = 34 weeks!  It is hard to believe there is only 6 more weeks left until his due date!  Next week I'll start taking guesses on when everyone thinks he will arrive... 

 Thought I'd leave you with a pic of BB "sitting" on my baby bump.  My bump is almost as big as BB! It gets harder and harder to hold him since I have to squish him up and hold him OVER my belly but he wouldn't have it any other way.  I have managed to keep him from jumping on me...luckily!

Love you all!

  

33 Weeks

I actually got a picture at 33 weeks!  YAY!

You've got to learn to celebrate the little successes in life :-)

I thought I would post this photo with the most recent to compare... same shirt at 20 weeks.  It is working much harder now.  Happily, I will most likely have to put it to the real test at almost 40 weeks when the Gators are in a bowl game.  So happy we smashed FSU today!  Go Gators!!

Happy Thanksgiving!

  To save myself and my sister from lots of cooking and stress, I suggested going out for Thanksgiving dinner... 

We went to the Grand Ole' Lodge in Forest Grove for their buffet dinner and had a pretty good time with Emily, Steve, and the girls.  The food was very good but alas...no leftovers :-/  They also ran out of the really good rolls at the end (Emily and I were trying to get another one)  The best part though was no clean-up! 

Here are a few photos from dinner... it was Rebecca's first Thanksgiving!

 

This week was really great for me...I started getting over my cold, had tons of time to relax, and even got some shopping done!  My cousin Amy should be having Leo's second cousin (Luke) any day now.  In some ways, Luke's arrival is a marker for me of how close Leo's arrival will be.  Our due dates were only a little under 7 weeks apart. :-) 

“We give You thanks, O Lord God Almighty,
The One who is and who was and who is to come,
Because You have taken Your great power and reigned."

Revelation 11:17 NKJV

32 Weeks

I failed to take my picture this weekend due to immediately changing into comfy clothes every time I walked into the apartment.  So tonight I gave in, here it is... a picture IN my comfy clothes.  This past week has been very difficult.  It should have started out with a couple of days over the long weekend to relax but did not end up that way.  Plans with family and friends interrupted my relaxing time (I loved spending that time with them though!) I could feel a cold creeping up on me but kept on trying to push through it.  There are also still lots of things to do in preparation of Leo's arrival so I have been trying to cram that stuff in during my "free" time as well.  Starting on Monday I took an extra shift at Sylvan because one of the other teachers was absent. On Tuesday, I met Emily, my mom, and the girls for brunch before taking my mom to the airport and then heading to an appointment with my dietician. She set me up with a glucose meter for testing 4 times a day because the midwives are not sure if I have gestational diabetes or not. After all that, I went to work at Sylvan.  Wednesday through Friday I had sub jobs lined up and right when I thought I had a day to relax, Evan reminded me we had plans with some friends on Saturday night.  (Again, I love hanging out with them!) Sunday was finally a day to rest...except no, I forgot that I had to take one of my teacher certification tests in the afternoon.  Monday I had another sub job and today (Tuesday) I had to work at Sylvan.  Needless to say... my cold caught up with me.  By Saturday night I wasn't feeling very good and to top things off I was getting crazy readings on my blood sugar.  After doing a little research it sounds like getting sick can cause it to do that but I just hope it won't ruin my averages in the midwives' eyes.  Between my Monday evening and this morning, I was able to get enough rest to be feeling somewhat normal again.  My blood sugars also seem to be leveling again.  The best part is that I do not have ANY responsibilities outside of the house tomorrow!  YAY!  

I am hoping that I can get a lot of things off my checklist over the 5 day break! 

Leo is very active these days, I often get a foot in my ribs and a lopsided belly because he really likes to hang out on my right side.  It can downright hurt at times since it feels like he is trying to stretch out parts of my stomach purely by movement! Last week while working at Sylvan, I am pretty sure he was bracing his hands and feet against the back of my uterus and pressing his back against the front of me.  It lasted for 2 hours and after that he took a rest on my right side making me feel like I had a bad stitch in my side as I tried to eat.  :-/  We had some words...

It is hard to believe that Leo will be here in absolutely no more than 9 and a half weeks (that would put me at 42 weeks which is when they would induce if I wasn't in labor yet). I'm looking forward to seeing him for the first time, holding him, and counting those cute little fingers and toes.  Probably one of the top moments I am looking forward to is seeing Evan hold him for the first time.  He is going to be an amazing dad and I can't wait till those first moments of seeing him hold his son.

Just this past week, he had a dream about the birth...nothing specific about the baby, it was more about trying to fight for me to have the labor and delivery I wanted.  I love that I have his full support in trying to have a natural birth and that he is obviously gearing up for the experience.  In this week of thanks giving I can say I am thankful that he is the one I have beside me throughout this pregnancy and will have beside me while raising our son.

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

 

 

31 weeks

I still can't believe I am in the 30's!  9 weeks left!

This past week it has started to really feel like winter...particularly the weekend.  I went for my Dr's appt. on Friday with my mom...so she could hear the heartbeat and see the hospital.  So besides the fact that nobody there knows why I failed one GD test and passed the other one is frustrating but they spent 3 weeks NOT calling me despite repeated attempts to contact them and now they are asking me to track my blood sugar levels every morning and an hour after every meal to see what is going on.  They want to review the results of this investigation at my Nov. 30th appt.  If the results point towards me having GD then they would put my on a GD diet...  I am going to do all this but wouldn't it have made more sense to have me doing this for the past 3 weeks and getting on the GD diet now (if needed).  When there is only a month left is it really going to make that big of a difference in Leo's size??  I can't imagine it would...

As far as my appt. went, I am measuring on schedule for 31 weeks and Leo's heartbeat sounded good!  I know his movement has been great.  I often wonder what he is doing in there and have gotten a foot or fist stuck underneath my ribs several times now.  I still love the feeling but some of his movements or positions have gotten to the point where they are VERY uncomfortable.  He particularly likes my right side and will shift his entire weight over there which makes for some lopsided stretching.  I usually try to move him over when he tries to settle there for longer than a few minutes (which happens at least once a day).  

On the baby front, my cousin Amy is expecting her second baby but first boy (Luke) in just a couple of weeks so really it could be any day now!  I am excited that he will be here soon!

Also, my best friend from high school, Sarah just announced her pregnancy during Halloween.  I am so excited that she is pregnant and that her LO will be pretty close in age to Leo.  She is due in May which also happens to be around the time Evan and I are planning on bringing Leo for his first trip to FL so I will hopefully get to meet Sarah and Ben's LO when we visit!  

Well I'm off to wash more baby clothes!

Love to all!     

30 weeks

 For week 30, I forgot to take a photo so I'll use my awesome Halloween costume picture (which was taken at 29 weeks, 4 days).  :-)   This week was busy as I worked all week at both of my jobs.  Kudos to all the women who work full-time jobs throughout their entire pregnancy.  I've been working quite a bit the past two months but as a substitute I have the option to occasionally take a day off if I need to.  Of course, I try to coordinate those days with Dr's appointments and such but most women do not have that luxury.  I had fun with Halloween even though I didn't go anywhere but my sister's house.  I just wanted to take advantage of the pregnant belly.  I got the idea from a website but there wasn't a picture so I am happy the total effect came out so well.  At my mom's suggestion we placed my "crystal ball" on the table which worked even better!

With my mom in town we were able to get our room set up a little better for Leo's arrival.  We have his bed up and in place as well as our furniture rearranged so that everything fits better.  The next step is to wash the remainder of the clothes that we have and hang some decorations on the wall.  I feel more and more prepared with each task that gets done but I still feel like there is a ton to do before Leo arrives.  I just have to keep checking things off the list! 

29 Weeks

This week there isn't too much to update since I just wrote in the middle of the week...

I have been trying to think of a fun Halloween costume to highlight my pregnant belly.  I don't want to do anything that takes too long or too much money as I don't really have anywhere to wear it but I thought it would be fun just the same.

This week has brought about a miserable night in which I was very uncomfortable, had indigestion, and ended up in our recliner so I could actually sleep. I hope there will not be more nights like that but I am sure there will be so I will just take them as they come...

My 3rd and final baby shower was today and was hosted by my sister, Emily.  I had a lot of fun and am so grateful to Emily for putting it on, to my mom for helping out, and to all the guests for coming! It was nice to get many of the new friends we have made since moving here together in a setting outside of work.

I can't believe it is almost November...when December hits it will really feel like the countdown has begun.

On another note, I've been enjoying getting to plan my birth again.  After the placenta previa diagnosis I basically tried to avoid any and all information about natural birth.  Now that it is clear, I can go on with my planning!  I am very excited!

28 Weeks

This week started out with my glucose tolerance on Monday (see my 27 week post) and on Tuesday I received a phone call saying my numbers were just slightly over the cap for normal levels... 

So while GD is not the end of the world...it felt like I had been dealt another blow and had just one more thing to worry about.  It took a lot to ignore the added stress and concentrate on studying for my elementary education teacher license which was scheduled for the end of the week. 

Friday rolled around with a lot on the schedule.  My exams started at 8 am and lasted until 11:15... fun!  I then had to go eat and head out to OHSU for my ultrasound to see if the placenta had moved at all.  Evan also had a busy day with a meeting in Hillsboro at 9 am and a Mercy Corp speaker in Portland at 11:15, then he had to meet me for the ultrasound at 2:15.  In order to manage all of these things, we borrowed Emily and Steve's car (Thank you!!) which they offered so willingly.  :-)  It is so nice to have family living close by!

I was nervous about the ultrasound because I felt sure that the placenta would not have moved and that I would have my hopes dashed that it would ever move... well that was not the case.  After an anatomy scan the perinatologist came in to check for the placenta.  After some maneuvering, (baby Leo likes to sit with his head resting directly on the cervix) they were able to see and amazingly.... the placenta had moved to almost 4 cm away from the cervix!  It isn't even considered a low-lying placenta anymore!  I was stunned and in shock.  I was half crying, half laughing when the Dr and tech left us.  I could scarcely believe it... 

Of all the emotions that followed, relief was the greatest.  I am so extremely thankful that I have been granted mercy on this particular burden.  It felt a lot like someone had diffused a ticking time bomb that I had been carrying around for 2 months.  We also got some detailed pictures of Leo!

His little fist!

His little foot!

His other little foot and his cute little toes. :-)

Another profile pic

and one of the coolest, and creepest, pics.  He almost looks doll like in this image.

On the GD note... I asked my Dr. if I could take the test again and she said it would be okay seeing as how my numbers were so close.  I failed by only 2 pts on one of the blood draws.  Since I was late writing this post I can give you an update on how my second test went... I PASSED!  This week (from Friday to today) has been amazing as far as good news goes.  For those that may come across my blog looking for information on glucose tolerance test numbers I am listing my numbers from both tests below.  

Test #1                                Test #2                   Normal Range (for my lab)

Fasting-               92                                         85                               <92 br="br">

1hr -                   182                                       153                              <180 br="br">

2hr-                    123                                       133                              <153 p="p">

The only difference I can tell is that on my 2nd test I did not eat an apple with nutella and drink a glassful of orange juice right before beginning my fast and going to sleep immediately after.  (I did all of the above before my 1st test which of course was stupid in hindsight)  Hope this helps someone...I had an extremely hard time finding any information about the 2 hour glucose tolerance test which is fairly new as it was only recommended by the American Diabetes Association in 2011 and not many practices have started using it over the traditional 1hr than 3 hr GTT.  

Well, I'm off! Hope the Gators beat Georgia this weekend!  Go Gators!

     

27 Weeks

27 weeks! Before I know it I am going to be in the 30s. I was recently trying to figure out when the 3rd trimester started so I found a trimester calculator and went to town.  According to this, I started the 3rd trimester on Oct. 14th!  YAY!  It's hard to believe I am in the home stretch...

This last week was mainly subbing and some more laundry (Leo's and ours) Evan also scored some storage containers for clothes and such, which is great since I had already run out of room for Leo's clothes and don't really want his 12-18 months clothes hanging out in the most accessible space.

It is hard to imagine that in a year from now he will very possibly be in 12 month clothes and I'll have an almost 1 year old!  I am so excited for the coming year(s)...

So even though it is in my 28th week...I wanted to update everyone about today's appointment.

I had to go in for my glucose test today and it sucked! Most places do a one hour then a 3 hour if you don't pass the first one.  My clinic just does one, 2 hour test.  I'm hoping I pass!  I also had to get a Rhogam shot because I am negative (blood type) and Evan is positive so if Leo is positive than I would develop antibodies that would make me miscarry any future "positive" babies... or at least I would without the Rhogam shot.  The other thing is that my Dr (a new one this time) put in a referral to a physical therapist for the pelvic pain so hopefully that works out.  Last but not least is that I have an ultrasound for this Friday to find out if the placenta is moving or has moved.  Even if it hasn't moved there is still a chance that it will move and they would do a repeat ultrasound at 34 weeks.   Prayers and well wishes are welcome!

Love to all!

This picture showed my bump better than the other one but was too dark to have as the main one.

  

26 Weeks

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My actual 26 week photo..I'll leave the other pic from 25 weeks since I talked about it in my post :-)

 

My 26 week photo was taken on Sunday, I forgot on Saturday, and I was on the way out the door to go to my prenatal yoga class (hence the outfit).  With my CPP and my extreme pelvic pain, yoga isn't quite the work-out it once was and at times it seems silly for me to go at all but I do get to hang out with other pregnant ladies and be as active as I can be which is a nice change.  I am barred from a few yoga poses due to the CPP (they put too much weight on the pelvis) and a few of the moves I can't do because they cause too much pain, like rotating a leg out to the side and back in.   I would love to be able to do more since it is better for you in the long run.

 My baby bump is growing every day and Leo is kicking a lot now.  Or I'm feeling it more often.  I am subbing a lot more (only at Mooberry so far but I love it there) and the students like to ask questions about Leo and when he is arriving.   Due to my pelvic pain, I am wearing a maternity support belt (at my Dr's rec) and while it helps some the pain is always still there. :-( 

The past month has been spent doing a lot of washing of clothes and bedding, as well as finding a changing table/dresser and buying some diapers (cloth) and prepping them by washing and drying them a few times.  Emily and I set a date for my 3rd and final baby shower which will be at the end of this month, Oct 28th, while my mom is in town!  It feels like this pregnancy is going super fast so I am just trying to enjoy it.

   Miss you all!

Placenta Previa... 20 weeks & beyond

My "mystery" 20 weeks photo!

At my 20 week ultrasound, the tech found that the placenta was completely covering my cervix which means I have placenta previa.  I was called by my Dr the following day and told to go on pelvic rest and that we would discuss it that Friday at my appointment.  I was devastated.  The shock of being diagnosed with this condition, that was unknown to me up until this point, was extremely hard to deal with and I spent most of the week either crying or worrying about what it might mean for the pregnancy, Leo, and me.

Let me go back a little and explain a bit about placenta previa.  There are three degrees of severity: complete, marginal, and low-lying.  None of these are good and, if carried to the end of the pregnancy, would demand a c-section.  Each can also cause bleeding and/or preterm labor... scary propositions.

The good news is that as the uterus grows the placenta can move. I have a complete placenta previa (CPP) which can be considered the worst as it has a less likely chance of moving. The tech recommended that we check for movement at around 30-33 weeks.  

Now let me preface this next paragraph with a few points: I am thrilled/blessed to be pregnant and I know that, my ultimate goal is to have a healthy baby at the end of all this, and I know there are worse things than a CPP diagnosis.  All of these things do not change that CPP scares me, disappoints me, and ultimately leads to a "Why me?" mentality.  The last of which is due in part to the fact that CPP is very rare for first time mothers... I read somewhere that the statistics were about .5% of pregnant women are diagnosed and .05% of those are first time mothers.  I wish I could carry those odds over to the lottery...

  I am not sure if these numbers refer to those that are only diagnosed or if it refers to those that carry it through the entire pregnancy (i.e the placenta never moves) as the number of women significantly drop (about 50% or maybe more) of those dx compared to those that carry it throughout.  I have since come to accept the diagnosis although I am praying for the placenta to move.  I am preparing for the worst and hoping for the best. 

 My original birth plan would have consisted of a natural birth. I am terrified of needles and one entering my spine does not appeal to me AT ALL.  We were also able to find a hospital that does water birth and has been doing them since 1998 and is covered by our insurance!  For a hospital clinic that is a really long time for water births so we felt like we would be in good hands. As water birth is really just another option for pain management, without the needles, it really appeals to me.  If the placenta does not move it will mean a c-section, without any natural laboring (could cause hemorrhaging) and Leo would be taken early. How early would depend on if I was dilating and to what degree.  It could mean we would be adding to the multitude of December babies in my family.   Did I mention I am really hoping that the placenta moves?  

I wanted to share this because I have now read a ton of stories about placenta previa and while some are scary, many are not. Whether or not this continues throughout my pregnancy... I found it comforting to read about personal experiences with placenta previa so I am hoping my story will do the same for someone else.

As of 27 weeks, no bleeding so far and still doing okay!

Much love to all!