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!

            

21-25 Weeks

21 Weeks...

Starting with my flight and arrival in Tampa on Sunday night, I got to have a whole week there free of holidays and/or events which is probably the first time that has happened since 2007 when I left for DC!  Don't get me wrong... I love holidays and events but it is hard to do other things when that is the main reason we travel.  This was a nice change of pace.  I got to see many good friends and even got to see their homes (they have purchased over the last few years) that I never could squeeze in before.  I also got to spend a lot of quality time with my parents.  It was wonderful to be able to talk with them about Leo and life (with and without kids).  I love my sisters and love having my whole family together but I think all kids treasure the time they have their parents undivided attention.  Thank you to my Mom and Dad for giving me theirs during the week.  I love you both and will treasure those memories always!

The week was finished off with a weekend visit to Gainesville where we stayed with Megan and Kyle in their house, got to see Carol and the boys, then saw Jenna, Lane, and Liberty (who drove all the way from DC to see us!).  We also fit in the Gator's season opener with Evan's Dad, Seth, Carol, and Megan!  It was a scorcher that day but it was worth being back in the Swamp.  It was also Leo's first Gator game and what a way to be inducted into the Gator Nation....at the SWAMP!  

 22 Weeks...

This week was pretty eventful but a lot of fun.  Most of this week was spent in Deland with Evan's side of the family.  Unfortunately, a strange pain in my side ruined a full day of our time there.  The pain was in my right side and while I knew round ligament pain was a possibility I also knew appendicitis could be the culprit.  I talked with an advice nurse and they said it was RLP until I reminded her of appendicitis then she said that the only way to figure out the difference would be to get my blood drawn and have an ultrasound. As appendicitis can be life-threatening for the mom and baby, we decided to make a trip to the ER to get checked out.  The day got a lot longer when I was told at the ER that I could not be seen there once I was over 20 weeks without first going to see the OB and confirming that the baby was okay... I wonder at what point does the mother's pain/injury override the need to see the OB?  I mean would a severed limb be necessary or could I just come in screaming in pain and be admitted?  Even though we spent a large part of the day in the hospital it did not turn out to be appendicitis. Thank Goodness!

The following day was the first of our baby showers hosted by my wonderful mother-in-law.  My mom and Grandma made their way over for it from Merritt Island as well.  It was a great afternoon and I loved celebrating the impending arrival of our first LO with all of the ladies in Deland.      

Luke and Leo's first meeting!

On Friday we headed back to Tampa where we hung out with Carol, the boys, and my parents before being joined by my Aunt Lori and cousin Amy... who is also pregnant and due with her first boy at the end of November.  This was Luke and Leo's first meeting and I loved sharing some prego time with my one of my all-time best friends :-) 

 Saturday was the second baby shower hosted by my friends Teresa and Sarah.  It was also a wonderful day this time with family and friends that live in or near Tampa.  We are blessed to have so many amazing people in our lives.

 

23 Weeks...

I am not sure why I didn't get a picture this week... but I didn't.  The flight home on Sunday was hard on me particularly during the second EXTREMELY long flight home.  It was like all of a sudden any and all pregnancy pains began to surface.  My feet and legs hurt as well as my hips and lower back.  I couldn't sleep and I couldn't get comfortable.  I got up a ton of times to stretch my legs but within seconds of sitting back down again all the pains and pressure points would start screaming again.  To make matters worse, my throat started hurting towards the end and sure enough I had a slight cold that week once I was home.  I did a lot of sleeping and unpacking but the week went by in a blur.  I also started having pelvic pain during this week... and I'm not talking mild pain but a "it hurts to walk and lift my left foot more than an inch off the ground" type of pain.  This week was obviously a lot of fun for me...

24 Weeks...

This was Evan and I's birthday week!  The week started out great with the Gators beating Tennessee.  However, the day after Evan's birthday we woke up to find BB (our cat) in pain and when we took him to the vet we were told he might have a cancerous cyst behind one of his nipples and that he needed surgery immediately. Eeeek!  I was very scared and hated the idea of him having surgery but we had it done and since he did so well and the cyst didn't look cancerous we were allowed to take him home that night.  The following day I stayed home and watched over him as best I could but really he just slept most of the day.  By my birthday (Thursday) he was doing much better and had returned to his normal sleeping arrangements (cuddling with us in bed).  He was on the mend and we were happy. 

25 Weeks...

Another week I didn't take a picture (actually I did...I thought this was my 26 week pic but I found that one)!  This was the first week I subbed and I don't know where all the week went.  I was pretty involved in finding us a chair (rocker/recliner) and washing a bunch of Leo's clothes so I guess all that distracted me but seriously... I can't believe the time is passing so quickly!  Leo is kicking a lot more now and much more consistently.  Evan has been able to feel him a few times, too.    Sorry it took so long to get this update out there.  I have no idea where September went.