Thursday, October 27, 2011

Home sweet home

I am home! I was sent home on Tuesday afternoon, and I have to stay on my BP meds 3 times a day, moderate bed rest (15-18 hours a day of rest), and I also have home care coming in every day to monitor baby and of course my BP.

The home care and rest at home is going well, my BP is in the high range but stable (about 145/95). I like getting the NSTs at home every day; it's very reassuring to see that my little guy is doing well.

As we were leaving the hospital the other day, I started having cramping and back pain that was off and on. Nothing regular or too intense but it lasted all day. Baby's definitely dropped and he's putting tons of pressure on my cervix. One of the doctors at the hospital (and my mother-in-law who worked in L&D) did say I might go into labour a bit early on my own, because sometimes having hypertension causes your body to start the labour process as a kind of protective measure. And, I've heard from a few people as well that women with hypertension often have faster labours. Wouldn't that be nice! No cramping or labour signs since Tuesday though.

Today I was able to get out of the house with my mom for just a bit and it was great. Just walking around for a brief period really encouraged the baby even lower into my pelvis. Now my crotch is sore; feels like I have been horseback or bike riding!

Tomorrow I go to see my OB for my weekly scheduled visit, and we will talk more about my BP and she will check to see if there's anything going on in terms of dilation. I know it doesn't matter as labour happens when it happens, but in case they want to induce its good to know if I've had any progress on my own. I'm 37 weeks tomorrow so I'm technically full term, though if they do want to induce, I'm hoping they will wait until 38 weeks. But our bags will be in the car just in case!

I have to admit that last week I was very scared when it seemed like a real possibility to be induced, or, possibly a section if things got bad fast. But now feeling my body at least preparing itself on its own, I'm not as scared just excited and a bit anxious. Also, reaching 37 weeks has made me feel better about our baby's health, and now that I know it could happen, induction is less scary too.

Stay tuned! Baby Watch begins...

Sunday, October 23, 2011

Still here at the hospital

I'm still at the hospital and am pretty sure I will be until at least tomorrow. They have me on 300 mg of Labelotol for my BP. It seems to help, but I feel crappy on it. I'm jittery and shaky, and also nauseous which could be the meds or my BP.

Yesterday they did an MRI to rule out some rare adrenal gland tumor (based on my physical reaction to BP spikes... Shaky, racing heart, sweaty, nauseous) and that was a horrific experience. They did not communicate well to me what would happen during my first ever MRI, and being literally stuffed into that machine with a 9 month pregnant belly was not fun. I couldn't take a large deep breath without my belly being smooshed against the top and I could feel my baby squirming in protest. He was fine I'm sure, but it freaked this momma out! 15 minutes of pure hell I tell you.

The good news is the results came back super fast, and there are no tumors on my adrenals. However they still are doing tests to rule this condition out completely as it can occur elsewhere in the body.

Today I have the worst headache. They are concerned about that of course, because even though my BP is fairly stable it is on the high side. Tylenol barely touched it and every time I cough or move I feel like my head will split apart. The resident I saw today said if things get worse or even stay too much the same, they will induce but they would like to get me to 37 weeks if possible.

So that's it for now! Baby is doing good and is currently trying to bust out the top of my uterus, or so it feels like. ;-)

Saturday, October 22, 2011

Well THAT was unexpected!

We went to our 36 week appointment on Thursday morning. I was excited because it meant my appointments would now be every week, and it is getting closer to baby time.

They took my vitals, listened to baby, and then I was swabbed for Group B Strep. And then my doc tells me my BP was pretty high so she wanted to check it again. Sure enough it was still high at 150/95; high enough that she was concerned. We were told to head to assessment to monitor how baby was doing and of course my BP. We ended up being there for almost 6 hours! My BP kept spiking, and they couldn't decide what to do with me. Finally they decided I should go home but come back the next day for a BPP ultrasound (Bio Physical Profile of baby's vitals and growth) and another NST. They also arranged for home care to come in and check my BP starting Saturday.

We headed home after FINALLY grabbing something to eat (they wouldn't let me eat all day since they weren't sure what they were going to do with me). I relaxed and had a nap, then woke up at about 9 pm feeling really off. The off feeling got worse... I felt almost panicky for no apparent reason. My heart started racing, I was shaky, nauseous, and sweaty. I checked my BP using mom's monitor, and it was a whopping 198/117! Yikes! We had mom and Nate check theirs to make sure the machine wasn't wonky and it wasn't. So back to L&D I went. This time I brought mom so Nate could catch some sleep.

They monitored me for a bit then decided to send me back home as my BP was more stable. I was told to come back the next day for the NST and BPP.

Mom and I showed up at Assessment in L&D at 7:30 am as instructed. But no one had any clue about the ultrasound that was supposedly booked! They hooked me up to monitor baby, who was doing great and wriggling around like crazy trying to kick the monitor off my belly (and managing to move away from it several times). My BP was still spiking though.

After a while the oncall OB came to see me and decided he wanted to keep me over the weekend for observation. He said if my BP stabilized with rest and medication I would likely go home and be closely watched. If it stayed pretty high, they would likely induce. He also still wanted the BPP to check on baby, so that was scheduled for the afternoon. I was to stay in Assessment on the super uncomfy stretcher until a bed opened up later on.

The BPP went really well. Our little guy was measuring great and looking healthy. Fluid levels and placenta looked good too. He was weighing in around 6lbs 10oz (give or take of course!).

Finally around 4:30 pm a bed opened up in antenatal care. I was put in a semi-private and it is sooooo much better than waiting in Assessment. My room mate is pretty quiet and on strict bed rest, so I have the washroom to myself. Not long after I got here to antenatal care, an OB Med doctor came to see me and take a very detailed history. She has a theory, based on my weird off feelings during a BP spike, that my high blood pressure could be a result of benign adrenal gland tumors. They are doing a 24 hour urine collection test, as an MRI tomorrow to rule it out.

I'm honestly not too sure what it will mean. I think from what I learned baby may need to come soon, and possibly this means a c-section so they can remove the tumors at the same time. I really really hope that's not what I have and it's just a bit of pregnancy induced hypertension.

Either way, I do have a strong feeling baby will be coming soon. I'm not too worried about him as I am pretty far along, but I'm still nervous.

Also, staying in a hospital on bed rest sucks. I just hope this can be resolved soon and both baby and I remain healthy.

Here is my latest belly pic at 36 weeks, the morning we went to the doc. Hopefully not my last one this pregnancy!

Thursday, October 20, 2011

Prenatal class... Check!

So last Saturday Nate and I attended the Capital Health prenatal class. We did a one day class from 9-3, and it was pretty good. I learned a few things, and Nate learned a lot. It was pretty obvious we were some of the more knowledgeable, well prepared first time parents though. We had a group activity answering questions about car seat safety, and thanks to one of our recent Bump Camp sessions with a car seat technician, we totally aced it.

My absolute favourite part was the supported labour positions, massage techniques, and then the relaxation exercise. We lay down side by side with our husbands/partners on padded mats with our pillows from home, then relaxed listening to a guided relaxation CD while our hubbies massaged our backs using a tennis ball, their hands, etc. Nate did such an amazing job and I almost fell asleep it felt so nice. I am so insanely lucky to have such a caring, sensitive, and calming husband. He is going to be the best labour partner and the most amazing dad. Love you honey!!! Xo

Thursday, October 13, 2011

Random awww moments

#1. Seeing a perfect outline of a baby knee poke out the side of your tummy, then kind of gently hold it until baby yanks it away. So incredibly awesome.

#2. Watching a very excited Daddy-to-be put together baby's bouncy chair & swing that we received at the shower (with absolutely no prompting or suggesting on my part).

#3. Having the same excited Daddy-to-be kiss my belly and talk to the baby, only to get kicked in the chin and tell baby to "Do it again!!!"

It's not possible to cough yourself into labour, right??

I jest. But seriously, it feels like I might just cough this kid out with this nasty chest cold!

Anyone who has ever been pregnant with a cold knows how bad it sucks. Particularly when it's one of the worst colds you've ever had and you're nearly 9 months pregnant. Total suckage.

My voice is pretty much gone, and what I do have (as kindly pointed out by my mom) sounds like a raspy Rocky from Bullwinkle. I cough all day and night and it's icky and phlegmy.

Thankfully, I don't have a fever and nothing (TMI ALERT) coming out my nose is lime green so it's probably just viral.

But in case anyone else finds themselves dealing with the cold from hell while pregnant and not able to take a heck of a lot for it, this is what I've been doing to try and help:

- Raise the head of your bed with books. This works best if you raise your partner's side too, otherwise you'll just roll towards them all night (and find yourself uncomfortably stopped by your giant belly which is no fun). But it does help the congestion and coughing fits, so highly recommended.

- Steam, steam, steam! I sound like my mom, but for congestion and a bad chest colds it totally helps. Boil some water in a pot (just a few inches so it doesn't take forever) and when it's done boiling, turn off the burner, move the pot to a cool burner, and stand over it with a towel over your head and breathe in the steam until it's gone. Repeat several times a day. At night, I take a nice hot shower (I only stay in a few minutes so as not to raise my temp too high), then get out and leave the shower going for a good 5 more minutes to inhale more steamy goodness.

- Benalin DM (cough suppressant syrup... Be warned it tastes AWFUL). My OB recommended this to use at night, but I am in my 3rd Trimester so always check with your own doctor first. I only take it at night and it helps keep the coughing down to a reasonable level so I can sleep.

- Vick's Vapour Rub. I'm just using this tonight for the first time after checking to see if it's okay and OMIGOD it is helping a lot. Highly recommended. Also, random observation: my cats love the smell of it and I had to physically remove them off of me because they were trying to lick it. Who knew?

- Cool Mist Humidifier. I actually don't know if this is helping at all, but we bought one for the baby so I figured I may as well give it a go.

- Lots of fluids and rest (obviously!). This is harder to achieve than you would think, because more fluids means even MORE peeing, which means you're up even more often. I basically sleep for 2 hours at a time due to the peeing and hacking and general misery. But that's actually par for the course in the third tri anyways (Mommy Bootcamp!!).

Here's hoping tonight is a better night!


Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Most spoiled baby ever!!!

Well my baby shower last Saturday, thrown by one of my very best friends Elaine (and with the help of my awesome mom and mother-in-law) was fantastic. It was seriously the best shower ever; I was surrounded by my closest friends and family and you could just feel how much this little guy is already loved and greatly anticipated.

The not so fun part was that I was coming down with a nasty cold and pretty much lost my voice. Anyone who knows me knows that I talk a LOT so it was a bit of a pain.

The food was awesome (they did a dessert theme, as well as punch and a candy buffet for the guests to take home as favours... Yum!!!), the games and prizes were a hit, and everyone was so incredibly generous. We now only need a small handful of items off of our "to-buy-for-baby" list. I can't thank everyone enough.

My mother-in-law is a total shutterbug, so she took a ton of pictures. As soon as I get them from her I will post a link to them.

On a totally unrelated note, I just realized last night that there are only 36 days until my due date (!!!), and I will be considered full term in just a little over 2 weeks (due date is in 5). Holy crap!!!!

Saturday, October 8, 2011

Perfectly average!

So I went for a growth ultrasound a few weeks ago due to my uterus measuring a few weeks ahead, and yesterday at my 34 week appointment, we received the results. Baby is measuring perfectly at the 50th percentile, which means he's not huge like everyone thought. My amniotic fluid levels are right on too, and I haven't had abnormal weight gain, so my doc says it's just the way I'm carrying him and that's a-okay.

His heartbeat is great and he's head down... So great news all around! We have an appointment in 2 weeks and then after that we go every week. Holy crap!!! I'm having this baby next month!

Today is my baby shower here in Edmonton and I am soooo excited. I can't sleep (partially due to excitement, mainly due to a nasty chest cold and a sore neck) so thought I'd briefly update.

Shower post and pics to come! Happy Thanksgiving weekend everyone!

Monday, October 3, 2011

Letter to my baby

To my precious baby boy,

I have been carrying you inside of me for 33 and a half weeks now. I am happy to report that being pregnant with you is a complete joy... It was getting you in that was the hard part. Though I have a feeling that getting you out won't be such a cakewalk either! ;-)

I am constantly amazed by the love I already have for you. You have been wanted for so very long, and with every nudge, wiggle, or hiccup, I fall in love with you even more. I could never have imagined how strong this love is. It brings tears to my eyes just thinking about it. And it almost scares me to think of how even more intense that feeling will be when you arrive into this world.

In a few short weeks, we will finally meet face to face and I will get to kiss those chubby little cheeks and smell your intoxicating baby smell. In the meantime, I content myself with feeling your little feet as they poke my stomach and cupping your tiny little bum that is usually nestled into my side.

My every thought seems to be completely consumed by you (especially when you practice those ninja moves in such cramped quarters!) and what it will be like to finally hold you in my arms. It feels surreal to think that I will be holding you in 4-6 weeks from now. There are so many things I can't wait to experience with you and to watch you experience... And at the same time I want time to slow down so that I don't miss these last few weeks or even one moment of your precious newborn phase.

You should know that I'm not the only one who can't wait to meet you. Your dad is beside himself with anticipation and excitement, and I already know your Gramma Sam is going to be constantly trying to get her hands on you. She is positively giddy at the thought! Your other Grandma and Grandpa are beyond excited too, as well as all of your aunts and uncles. You are one loved, much anticipated baby already.

As much as I want to meet you (SO BADLY!!) I want you to stay inside until you are nice and strong and ready to greet the world. I can wait. However, if you could please make your appearance soon after your due date at the very latest, I would sure appreciate it. As you will learn, your good old mom is not the most patient person in the world.

I love you my baby boy, and the happiest day of my life will be the day you arrive into the world with a big, hearty cry and your daddy and I hold you in our arms. Until then, keep growing big and strong.

Love always,

Mama
Xo

Monday, September 26, 2011

32 Weeks - Baby Shower in Calgary!

This past Saturday, Nate and I headed to Calgary for the weekend. Two very good friends of mine, Morgan and Jaime, threw a joint baby shower for me and another friend, Christie (I'm due about 6 weeks before she is).

My "Calgary Friends", as I call them, are part of a larger group that we refer to as the BI ladies. BI stands for Beyond Infertility, and we started an online message board years ago to help support each other in the process of trying to become parents. There are about 30 of us all across Canada and couple outside (overseas and in the U.S.) and we have all become really good friends.

There are 3 of us in Edmonton, and 5 in Calgary, all of whom I see on a fairly regular basis, especially considering we spent a lot of time in Calgary because of our IVFs.

The shower was so much fun! The food, the decorations, and the games were all incredible. Christie and I were so impressed with everything and we had such a good time. Our babies were also spoiled rotten, and not just by those in attendance. You can check out the photos here.

Below is a picture of all the wonderful gifts I received for our baby boy. You will notice the adorable little stuffed owl matches a larger version that mom and I found in Vegas! I had to take a picture of "Mama" and "Baby" owl together.

After the shower, we stayed the night at Morgan & Rob's. The next day we headed out and stopped at one of my favorite places: The Holistic Institute of Health & Fertility. I had booked a one hour prenatal massage with Tracy and it was ah-mazing. I think one of my favorite parts was lying on my ginormous belly on top of the special contoured bolster. It was so comfortable and you get so much more pressure than just lying on your side. I highly recommend it! Every pregnant woman should have a prenatal massage if possible.

After I left there feeling like a giant wet noodle, we headed home. It was a fantastic weekend, and one I'll never forget.

On that note, I will leave you with this week's belly picture from a different perspective:

Thursday, September 15, 2011

31 Weeks

Today mom and I took some informal maternity pics in the nursery. It seems rare these days that I actually do my hair and make-up, so I thought we might as well take advantage!

Nate and I also had our first "Bump Camp" session put on by my cousin Jackie's baby planning company Urban Chickadee. Today's class was all about baby gear and prepping your home for baby, and both Nate and I found it really helpful as well as a lot of fun. Next week we learn about baby wearing and cloth diapering, and I'm really excited!









Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Turkey in the Oven

I have had the same family doctor since I was 2 months old, and my mom and I love him dearly. When my mom was pregnant with my younger brother, she used to draw things on her belly so that when he did her prenatal exams she would surprise him and give him a laugh. One of her more memorable ones was drawing a turkey on her belly.

Today my mom had an appointment with him, and I tagged along to ask about a pediatrician referral. We decided to play the same trick on him (25 years later!) and my mom drew the turkey on my belly. Quite the butterball at almost 31 weeks I admit!

While we were in the exam room I asked him to take a quick look at my belly as I had a weird rash. When he lifted up my shirt he just about peed his pants laughing. It was great!

Here are a few pics (on the side view it says "Bake for 9 months"; please don't mind the stretch marks and my ugly belly button scar):


Saturday, September 10, 2011

Wall above crib is complete!

My incredibly talented mama painted this canvas for me based off of a pricey print we saw at a baby boutique. The colours of the print also didn't quite match the room, so having it custom made with her own twist was perfect!

The dragonflies I found at Bed Bath & Beyond and I used sticky tack instead of the thumbtacks provided to mount them (they look metal but are actually really light plastic).

Now all that's left is the crib skirt and my mom is painting a plaque to go above the window that says "Owl always love you."



Friday, September 9, 2011

30 Weeks!


Around 2 months to go (10 weeks), so I am 3/4 of the way there! 30 weeks is a huge milestone for me. I have been looking forward to 30 weeks for a long time. So what is being 30 weeks pregnant like?

What I love:

My big round belly. Feeling the increasingly bigger movements from my baby, and "playing" with him by pressing on my belly and having him respond. Feeling him react to my voice and singing. Waking up at night to some serious ninja kicks. Feeling him have the hiccups. Feeling him roll and wiggle. Watching my belly move all over the place. My wonderful hubby constantly rubbing my belly and talking to it; telling our baby he loves him and kissing my belly each morning before he goes to work. Hugging Nate and laughing because my belly is SO in the way. Having strangers ask when I'm due, is it a boy/girl etc. The crazy nesting instincts... I just want to clean and organize everything in sight! Baby laundry. Organizing and reorganizing the nursery. Using my big belly as a TV tray. Watching the dogs' and cats' reaction to the baby kicking them when they lay on me. The first kick/movement when I wake up. Doing any baby related task or project.

What I could do without (but am by no means complaining; I have it easy!):

The morning sickness that never left (thank-you Diclectin for making it tolerable!). Not being able to fall asleep easily at night. Not being able to get comfortable at night. How daunting it is to simply bend down to get something I've dropped (do I really need that??). Not being able to do as much as before without totally exhausting myself or suffering major aches and pains. Peeing 5 million times a day. Swollen feet (I don't remember what my ankles looked like!). Greasy skin (aka the pregnancy glow). Indigestion. Yep, that's about it. I am one annoyingly happy pregnant person!

Tomorrow we are going on a hospital tour of the Royal Alex led by my MIL (who used to work there in L&D). My SIL & BIL are also coming as Tessa is 11 weeks behind me and so it works out great timing wise for all of us to check out the new women's hospital. We just found out this week that they are having another baby boy! I am so excited for another nephew and that our little guys will be so close in age. 3 boys in the family is going to make for some crazy (but fun) times!

Sunday, September 4, 2011

Online Baby Shower Gift!

This arrived in the mail today (well, it could have arrived much earlier  but we just finally checked the mail):


I'm part of a Facebook Group for expectant moms due in November 2011, and one of our members organized an online baby shower. We were each given the name of one member, plus their registry information, details about the baby and the rest of their family, etc. The limit was around $40.

I was SO EXCITED to open my package! I absolutely love everything and she made the incredibly cute Pug lover onesie. I cannot wait for our baby boy to wear it! I will have to take a picture of him with the pugs and send it to her.

29 Weeks


Wow, I can't believe I am 29 weeks! It's so close and so far at the same time.

We had our latest OB appointment on Friday, and everything is great. I don't have Gestational Diabetes (YAY!) and my blood pressure and weight gain is good. Baby has a strong heartbeat (145 bpm; I love that sound) and the only thing of slight concern is that my uterus is measuring about 32-33 weeks. I'm going for a growth ultrasound in a couple of weeks to check our little guy's size. He could be bigger than average (well he sure has chubby cheeks already so it's possible!), or, I could have more fluid than normal. My doctor also said it could just be the way I'm carrying him. So we'll see. I'm not too worried. I am however going to pay attention to cutting down on the carbs and sugar GD or not. If he is big, I don't want him packing on unnecessary weight.

Last night I had my first minor scare this pregnancy. I started to get really crampy and felt like I had pretty bad period cramps as well as some back cramping. I had been hot and sweaty all day, and was probably a bit on the dehydrated side, so I drank a ton of water and laid down. I tried to time the cramps and thankfully they were all over the place so not regular contractions. It was very uncomfortable but not exactly painful, and I fully planned on calling my MIL (L&D nurse at our hospital) if they progressed but thankfully they stopped after about 30-45 minutes. It did make me realize however, that I am totally unprepared for how bad labour is gonna hurt! I really really hope I get to be one of those lucky women who have a quick and easy labour when baby is full term and ready to come out. I can dream right??

Thursday, September 1, 2011

3D Ultrasound - 26 Weeks & 29 Weeks

Well we went for round two of our 3D ultrasound tonight with both of our moms. Last time, our little guy was breech and nothing we tried would get him moving much. He just wanted to stay snuggled up to the placenta, lol. This time, he was head down! In fact, he just flipped last night which is very convenient. To guarantee some action, I drank Coke, ate Skittles, had more suckers (they were a better kind this time lol), and he was very very active. Plus he's a lot bigger, and those cute little cheeks were even chubbier! We were able to see his little boy parts in 3D too. There's no mistaking we are having a boy!! You can see the photos here, and there are some posted below as well.

Here are a few from the first round at 26 weeks:





And here are a few from today at 29 weeks:





I'm totally biased of course, but I think I'm having the cutest baby ever. We are so in love with him already. Hurry up November!!!

Friday, August 26, 2011

Nursery Preview

Ok, so I can't hold out any longer. I have to share pictures of our nursery as is, because I love it so much. I find any excuse I can to spend time in there. There are a few things left to do... my awesome mom is working on an owl painting and a plaque that says "Owl Always Love You" to hang above his crib and my fabulous mom-in-law is working on a growth chart to hang on the same wall as the closet. I still need to make the crib skirt and sew his crib blanket (matches the curtains), but that's about it I think. We also have these cool metallic dragonflies that will hang on the wall over his crib as well.

To show the transformation of the room, I had the foresight to take before pictures. Here is what it looked like before all the painting and decorating began:







And here is the transformation! Click on the pictures to see bigger versions.







Mom and I made the curtains out of specially ordered fabric from spoonflower.com with green broadcloth as the backing and top band. We found these awesome plastic grommets to use at the top. The owl pattern on the fabric is the basis for the theme and colours of the nursery.

The crib and dresser my mom bought us used of Kijiji when we found out we were pregnant after our first IVF. It just so happens it's the exact same as Elaine's crib, which was why I fell in love with it in the first place because I loved the crib she had for Matthew. The bookshelf, which looks like it matches, we found at IKEA for a steal (we decided not to use the ugly one you see in the before pictures). The lamp was another great find for only $14 at Jysk. The turtle is really cool because his shell lights up and projects stars on the ceiling. I bought him for "Nate" for Father's Day because he's interested in anything astronomy (though of course it's really for the baby, but it was just for fun). The rocking chair is very special to Nate and I; his maternal grandma gave it to his mom when he was born. Now he will get to sit in it and rock his own firstborn son. We added a cushion that matches the decor, and my mom crocheted the blanket hanging on the back. The light fixture we also found at IKEA, and it allowed us to move the light from right in front of the closet door (who installs a light right there??).




The cute little owl painting (on the same wall as the white bookshelf) my mom painted a few years ago. We found it when we were cleaning out the nursery closet to make room for baby and it goes with the room perfectly. The tree mural and dragonflies I painted on the wall, and Nate hung the shelves on the branches. The stuffed owl on the top of the tree is my favourite stuffie from when I was a kid. His name is Hooty, and I think he's the reason why I really wanted owls as the theme. The lime green owl below him I ordered off of Etsy (it's a piggy bank), and the pewter owl Elaine bought me when she was shopping for her own nursery for Holly and bought one for herself too (we both did an owl theme). The switch plate cover I made by decoupaging fabric over the original cover.





My very talented mama painted the owls on the closet door. She mimicked them after the ones on the fabric, but gave them her own special touch. I absolutely love how they turned out! I painted the dragonflies since I'm not nearly as talented in the painting department haha. We both made the felt owls hanging from the mobile, though mom got the fun task of trying to sew them together.

So that's the room! Nate, mom, and I are so incredibly happy with how it turned out. I can't wait to finish the last little bit. As soon as we do I'll post a couple of update pictures. Thanks for looking!

Sunday, August 21, 2011

27 weeks! 13 left to go...

And holy moley have I been delinquent about updating. Here's the whole shebang from the last 4 weeks.

After my last post, we found out that we needed to go back yet AGAIN for anatomy ultrasound #4... Our OB said that nothing was wrong, it was just that they still weren't able to see everything they needed to. I'd never heard of 4 anatomy ultrasounds for one little baby and despite my doctor's reassurances, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a bit worried.

Anatomy ultrasound #4 was on Tuesday, August 9 at 10:45 am (at just over 25 weeks), and we went back to the same place as our previous one which was awesome. Thankfully our baby was much more cooperative! He kept his boy parts hidden until the end (he loves to cross those legs!) but a good side view showed his penis in all it's glory so I felt much better having a second visual confirmation. We had only seen his boy parts the once at 18 weeks, and everything we have for him so far is blue and very much for a little boy.

The most important thing though was that our little guy is healthy. The very sweet tech had no appointments for a while after ours, so she took a bunch of 3D shots of his face. It was so incredible to see his chubby little cheeks and features! He totally has my nose and Nate's lips. He was also sleeping with his hand tucked under his chin again and pouting... Just like I do! Here are pictures of the pictures (I will replace with the actual files next week):







We had our 26 week OBGYN appointment Friday, August 12, and it went great! No wait again as usual... We were actually 20 minutes early and prepared to wait, but no one was before us so they got us in right away. Bonus! We saw a really nice intern before our doctor came in to see how we were doing, and she was finally able to sign off on all of our baby's anatomy scans. Everything was completely normal which was a huge relief after our elevated Downs risk and the number of ultrasounds we had. Most of our little guy measured within the 50th percentile, though his head measured in the 85th. That kind of freaked me out a bit as I realized that head would be the first part of him coming out of me within the next few months haha! I think up until I heard that I was in denial that what goes in must come out! My belly was measuring right on as well, and his heartbeat was fantastic. I love hearing it on the doppler! No other issues to complain of, and my weight gain is good so far.

The next day, on Saturday, August 13, we had our "entertainment" 3D ultrasound at UC Baby. We brought my mom and Nate's mom with us. Despite a slurpee beforehand and the 6(!!!) suckers the tech made me eat (like as in chew, not suck on... If I ever see another sucker I will puke!) our little man was hunkered down for a nap in breech position cuddled up against my placenta. He did flash his boy parts right at the beginning, and at one point he had one of his feet up by his head which was so cute. Despite not shifting after I switched positions and jiggled my belly all over the place to get him to move, we still were able to watch him suck his thumb and fist, grab his toes and the umbilical cord, yawn and swallow and even open his eyes and blink at us! He also flexed his biceps at us several times which had us all cracking up. He's just soooo frigging cute and it was amazing to see his little features in so much detail. Mommy and Daddy's hearts absolutely melted, and both Grandma's were pretty smitten too. I'm so in love with him already! We got some great printed pics to tide us over but not the CD or DVD yet as they are going to have us back in 2 weeks free of charge for another attempt. I'm definitely not complaining... Can't wait to see him yet again! Afterwards, we all joined Nate's dad at Scicillian Pasta Kitchen for a celebratory supper. It was a great night, and we really enjoyed being able to share that special ultrasound with both of our moms.

On Monday, August 15th, I had part one of the gestational diabetes screen as well as some other standard lab tests. However, I didn't realize I needed a urine test as well, and for the first time this pregnancy I didn't have to pee. Totally Murphy's Law because since getting pregnant, I ALWAYS have to pee! It took me 20 minutes to squeeze enough into that damn cup and my little guy was not impressed with all the straining! That was probably the worst part of the whole experience for me. After I managed to give them that sample, they gave me The Dreaded Drink and I chugged that nasty orange concoction down super fast so I wouldn't taste it. BAD idea. I almost heaved it all up again. All I could think about while trying not to puke was what the lab tech said when she handed it to me: "Don't throw it up ok?" Right. Because I can help that. Bleh. Anyways, I kept it down somehow, but it wasn't carbonated like some ladies I know have had, and it tasted like cold, slightly watered down orange cough syrup. Then I just had to wait it out for an hour which wasn't so bad thanks to my iPhone. They definitely ought to have a couple of comfy padded seats designated for pregnant people and the elderly though. One hour in those chairs is torture!

The next day my OB's office called to tell me I failed round 1, which sucks. I wasn't terribly surprised... I have PCOS of course, and with that comes insulin resistance (at least it does for me). So I was booked to do the 2 hour version this past Friday at 27 weeks exactly. It wasn't as bad... this time I'd learned to drink smaller amounts at a time, like shooters, so I barely tasted it. I did need 3 blood draws (one before, one at 1 hour, one at 2 hours) but I'm used to needles so that part was easy. The worst was having to sit in that stupid uncomfy chair for 2 hours while feeling nauseous from The Dreaded Drink, and starving from fasting over 12 hours. All I could think about was McDonald's breakfast (bad I know!) which was exactly where I headed after I finished the test. I made it with 5 minutes to spare until they switched over to lunch. Whoo! I should find out tomorrow if I passed or not.

In other news, the nursery is almost done! I've debated posting pictures of the progress so far, but I'm going to be mean and make you all wait until everything is done. I may post pics before the painting my mom is working on is done though, as that could take a while yet. I love how it has turned out... It's so calming and cheerful, and I find any excuse I can to hang out in there and organize his closet and drawers. I have also discovered I have a shopping problem. I cannot stop buying for my little man when it comes to clothes. With showers coming up in October, I. Must. Resist.

I will be posting a ton of pictures and some video of the 3D ultrasound after part 2 on September 1st.

Here are some belly pics to tide you over:

26 Weeks





27 Weeks

Thursday, July 21, 2011

23 weeks tomorrow!

I actually have a lot to update for once!

Last Friday was our 22 week OB appointment. I have only gained 13 lbs so far which I am really happy about, especially because it seems I am always hungry, and for the first trimester I was less nauseous if I ate. BP was perfect, no urine issues. Baby totally cooperated this time and they found his heart beat right away. In fact, due to his position, the Doppler was right on top of his heart and my OB could hear all of the valves functioning "just beautifully" as she put it. My uterus is measuring 24 instead of 22 weeks, but I was told that's normal and better than measuring too small.

Our u/s results were fantastic; no soft markers for Downs! He has a prominent nasal bone and all the bones in his pinkies plus his femur length was normal. However, our baby is a stubborn little dude, because they have not been able to get good views of his heart so we went back one more time on Wednesday.

This ultrasound was a way better experience. It was at another OB's office in the same building, and Nate was able to be in the room the entire time. We both watched our baby during the entire ultrasound on a big TV screen on the wall. The tech was super sweet and went over all the body parts she was measuring and answered any questions we had. It was so cool to watch our little guy for a whole hour! He curls his hands up under his chin when he sleeps like I do, and I totally think he has my nose and Nate's lips! I asked if she could confirm the gender, but he was sitting breech with his legs crossed so no further visual of his boy bits. He also kept putting his hands in front of his face when she switched to 3D so no good face shots to take home. But he's healthy (he showed us his heart which looks great!) and that's all that matters.

I reached another milestone the other day. TMI (too much information) warning for those who do not want to read about my boobs....

They started leaking colustrum!! I was a bit surprised and excited all at once, only because I was happy to know the plumbing up there works, haha!

In other exciting news, progress is being made on the nursery. My tree-shelf wall is almost done, and mom has gotten a lot done on the owl mural on the closet. Last week we bought a light fixture for his room and a bookshelf that matches the off-white colour of our crib and dresser/change table. I also found out this week that I have the same baby furniture as Elaine! Which is funny because when we bought it, I was looking for something similar to hers as I loved it back when Matty was born. Not only that, but she is doing an owl, birds, and butterfly theme for her little girl (due within the next 4 weeks), and we are doing an owl and dragonfly theme for our little boy. Great friends think alike! ;-) I can't wait for both of our babies to be here. It's so much fun to be pregnant at the same time as one of your very best friends.

Oh, and I've popped even more I think. I feel enormous. Here's my latest belly picture (taken yesterday):

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

21 Week Follow-up Ultrasound

So our baby boy is doing really good! Yesterday was the follow-up anatomy ultrasound since the first was a bit "early" and he was too small to get all the measurements they needed. He is measuring right on target, his heart rate is good, and thanks to the tummy probing he finally turned so that he is no longer beating up my cervix and bladder. I actually saw my belly jump very slightly from a couple good knees/elbows during the ultrasound so I think all the poking ticked him off!

Unfortunately the u/s was super short and the tech I had was a tight lipped cow. She barely grunted when I asked if he was cooperating, and I was starting to freak out that something was wrong because she said absolutely nothing the whole time! When she left to give the doctor the scans and to get mom and Nate, I felt baby like crazy (that's when I saw my tummy jump!) so thank god I had that reassurance. I had to drag it out of her that he was measuring perfectly and what his heart rate was (143 bpm). I asked if she was able to see his boy parts, and she said no, that this was a follow up so she didn't look. Hmph.

We plan on going for an elective 3D ultrasound in a few weeks, so I guess I can get a better look then! At least we were able to see him "looking" at us and sucking his thumb! Here is a picture from the ultrasound, but it's pretty crappy. It's of his face as he was looking at us. It looked so much cuter on the actual screen.



We will get our combined ultrasound results on Friday, but I'm feeling good about everything.

Last night was also pretty exciting because he was moving a ton since the ultrasound and had been giving me his hardest kicks/punches/nudges yet. So, while we were curled up on the couch watching "The Business of Being Born", Nate had his hand on my belly and felt him for the first time! I was worried that with my extra padding it would take a while for him to feel it, but after I saw my belly move today I began to wonder. I'm so happy he was able to experience that!

Saturday, June 25, 2011

19 Weeks and Nursery Ideas!

So here I am at 19 weeks (as of yesterday)! I have to say, I love my belly. Sure, somedays I feel fat, but generally I am just insanely happy to be looking round and pregnant.



We started clearing out the nursery earlier this week, and our theme is going to be owls. We are basing it off of this fabric from Spoonflower.com:



I'm going to make curtains, a crib blanket (not a quilt, and it won't be used in the crib until baby is older but it will match), basket liners, a lamp shade, a breastfeeding pillow cover, and more. The crib skirt will be out of plain lime green fabric, and we are going to make some cushions for the rocking chair (that Nate's mom used to rock him in, aww!) out of either lime green or teal fabric.

Mom and I are going to paint a tree on the wall and add shelves like in this picture but with lime green accents, not orange:



I bought this owl piggy bank off of Etsy and it will probably go on one of the tree shelves:



And I will be buying/making other various owl accents, such as sewing up some cute owl book ends similar to these:



Our crib and dresser/change table (with removable hutch) is second hand, but it is gorgeous. Here is a picture from when we bought it off Kijiji during our last pregnancy in 2009:





I'm toying with putting this wall quote above the baby's crib:



And mom and I are also going to paint owls sitting on branches on the huge while closet doors (they take up one wall). I don't have a picture of that, but the owls will be pulled from the fabric.

I so can't wait to get started! Nate is putting the crib together today, as we have his cousin Greg and his wife Jodie and their baby girl Alysa coming to stay with us next week (and Alysa will be using the crib and change table while they are here). We just visited them in Vancouver a month or so ago, they are very close family to us and we usually only see each other once a year, so we are really excited to see them again. I cannot wait to cuddle Alysa again. She is such a pretty baby, here is one of my favourite pictures of her that I took while in Vancouver:



I'll be taking in progress pictures of the nursery, so I will definitely post them all once it's done. Mom and I leave for Vegas on Tuesday morning, so I will also post pics of our haul. Stay tuned!