Friday, October 14, 2011
Our fetus can take down your fetus
Friday, September 16, 2011
20 Week Ultrasound Results
We are having a baby girl! A mother always knows. Lydia Rae, weighs approximately 11 ounces, and has all the appropriate body parts. Apparently, she looks great! Our estimated due date remains January 31st. Her heartbeat is still strong, the heart anatomy looks solid, her brain looks good (the doctor said he predicts an IQ of 215), everything looks as it should. Also, my first and second trimester integrated prenatal screening results have come back and are within normal limits (Lydia is low risk for down syndrome and a few other conditions). She was in the breech position on the ultrasound, but of course this does not matter in the slightest right now – fetuses are continually changing positions at this stage of pregnancy. She was sucking her hand and appeared to be sleeping for most of the ultrasound. She looks adorable. We’ll post some pictures when I get James to scan them. (I’m sick with food poisoning at the moment and can’t move from the couch.) Dorian, who has been saying he wants a sister all along, of course said, "But I want a brother" when the ultrasound tech said it was a girl. Kids, eh? I think he's happy about it now and has been making reference to her by name.
We did have a little scare during our appointment though. The ultrasound technician performed the approximately 20 minute ultrasound, taking all the measurements, clicking away on her computer, making comments like “That looks good,” “Perfect,” etc, etc, etc. When she finished, she told us she would go print us some pictures to take home and then we could go. She never returned. We were waiting approximately 15 minutes when a doctor (whom I recognize from the hospital I work at) came in. He said he had reviewed the images from another computer and that he just needed to check a few things. James and I exchanged a look and started to worry. He basically went through all the anatomy again and delved further into the heart and brain, which was actually pretty cool to see. He talked about this valve and that valve and the blood flow, and it was awesome (he also knew I was a postpartum nurse at his hospital so I think he went into more detail for my benefit). He confirmed it is definitely a baby girl and pointed out her female anatomy (and not just the lack of a penis, which sometimes results in parents finding out their supposed baby girl is actually a boy when the baby is born). Then, at the very end, he proceeded to tell me I had a low-lying placenta. Of course, my immediate thought was, “Oh no, I have placenta previa!” (For those of you who need a refresher, the placenta is an organ that connects the fetus - via the umbilical cord- to the uterine wall to allow nutrient uptake, waste elimination, and gas exchange via the mother's blood supply. Placenta previa is when the placenta covers the cervix, which is the opening of the uterus - where the baby eventually needs to exit.) He assured me my placenta is not currently covering any part of the cervix. It is approximately 1.5 centimeters from the cervix, and they like it to be at least 2cm away. Usually the placenta implants on the upper part of the uterus, where the nutrient supply is the most dense. It's possible I have scarring in my uterus from the D&C procedure I had after my miscarriage, hence, the lower-uterine attachment instead. But who knows? Sometimes, these things just happen. I don't have any of the other risk factors for placenta previa. He told me, at this point, I do not have an increased risk of preterm birth and do not have to modify any of my activity. I do have to go in for a follow-up ultrasound in 6 weeks. If the placenta is still low-lying (or worse, covering the cervix), then at that point, they will continue to monitor me via ultrasound every couple weeks and possibly restrict my activity a bit. He told me that 9 times out of 10, a low-lying placenta resolves on its own and tends to move upward in the uterus as the uterus grows. He said my placenta looked nice and big, and the cord to the baby looked how it should, so he wasn’t too concerned. I have a few friends who told me they too, had a low-lying placenta at their 20 week ultrasound, and the issue resolved itself later for them.
The doctor told me if the issue does not resolve itself (even if it just remains low-lying, and does not develop into placenta previa), I will most likely have to have a c-section at the end, something I obviously don’t want but of course, would accept in this case. There is no way I would risk Lydia’s life or my life for the sake of having a vaginal birth. A c-section would not be a huge deal. It would be a huge deal if this developed into placenta previa, however, because then you are at risk for heavy bleeding and preterm birth and usually have to restrict your activity (and I have a very active job and am hoping to work up until I go into labor). Sometimes, you even have to go on bedrest or be admitted to an antepartum unit. However, as the doctor said, chances are less than 10% in my case, and I am just taking this as yet another experience I can use to learn more about prenatal health and conditions and become a better nurse! If anyone else would care to share their experiences with a low-lying placenta or placenta previa, I’d love to hear about them. Thanks!
We did have a little scare during our appointment though. The ultrasound technician performed the approximately 20 minute ultrasound, taking all the measurements, clicking away on her computer, making comments like “That looks good,” “Perfect,” etc, etc, etc. When she finished, she told us she would go print us some pictures to take home and then we could go. She never returned. We were waiting approximately 15 minutes when a doctor (whom I recognize from the hospital I work at) came in. He said he had reviewed the images from another computer and that he just needed to check a few things. James and I exchanged a look and started to worry. He basically went through all the anatomy again and delved further into the heart and brain, which was actually pretty cool to see. He talked about this valve and that valve and the blood flow, and it was awesome (he also knew I was a postpartum nurse at his hospital so I think he went into more detail for my benefit). He confirmed it is definitely a baby girl and pointed out her female anatomy (and not just the lack of a penis, which sometimes results in parents finding out their supposed baby girl is actually a boy when the baby is born). Then, at the very end, he proceeded to tell me I had a low-lying placenta. Of course, my immediate thought was, “Oh no, I have placenta previa!” (For those of you who need a refresher, the placenta is an organ that connects the fetus - via the umbilical cord- to the uterine wall to allow nutrient uptake, waste elimination, and gas exchange via the mother's blood supply. Placenta previa is when the placenta covers the cervix, which is the opening of the uterus - where the baby eventually needs to exit.) He assured me my placenta is not currently covering any part of the cervix. It is approximately 1.5 centimeters from the cervix, and they like it to be at least 2cm away. Usually the placenta implants on the upper part of the uterus, where the nutrient supply is the most dense. It's possible I have scarring in my uterus from the D&C procedure I had after my miscarriage, hence, the lower-uterine attachment instead. But who knows? Sometimes, these things just happen. I don't have any of the other risk factors for placenta previa. He told me, at this point, I do not have an increased risk of preterm birth and do not have to modify any of my activity. I do have to go in for a follow-up ultrasound in 6 weeks. If the placenta is still low-lying (or worse, covering the cervix), then at that point, they will continue to monitor me via ultrasound every couple weeks and possibly restrict my activity a bit. He told me that 9 times out of 10, a low-lying placenta resolves on its own and tends to move upward in the uterus as the uterus grows. He said my placenta looked nice and big, and the cord to the baby looked how it should, so he wasn’t too concerned. I have a few friends who told me they too, had a low-lying placenta at their 20 week ultrasound, and the issue resolved itself later for them.
The doctor told me if the issue does not resolve itself (even if it just remains low-lying, and does not develop into placenta previa), I will most likely have to have a c-section at the end, something I obviously don’t want but of course, would accept in this case. There is no way I would risk Lydia’s life or my life for the sake of having a vaginal birth. A c-section would not be a huge deal. It would be a huge deal if this developed into placenta previa, however, because then you are at risk for heavy bleeding and preterm birth and usually have to restrict your activity (and I have a very active job and am hoping to work up until I go into labor). Sometimes, you even have to go on bedrest or be admitted to an antepartum unit. However, as the doctor said, chances are less than 10% in my case, and I am just taking this as yet another experience I can use to learn more about prenatal health and conditions and become a better nurse! If anyone else would care to share their experiences with a low-lying placenta or placenta previa, I’d love to hear about them. Thanks!
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Halfway
Well, this pregnancy is certainly a challenging one. I'm obviously not on bed rest, or throwing up all the time, or diabetic, or anything that would make it be officially classified as high-risk...but it's in a completely different league to my pregnancy with Dorian. I am just so tired all the time, even now after I have slept and relaxed for 5 days (the boys were away at a music festival). And I just can't sleep. Between my massive bump and waking up to pee every hour and at every little noise and having my back pain return with a vengeance and the occasional headaches and bouts of nausea (in the second trimester?!!!), I'm not the happy, glowing pregnant lady I had hoped to be again. I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm happy enough, of course, but I just don't feel entirely well, you know what I mean? I think James is probably relieved because my pregnancy with Dorian was SO easy that I talked of becoming a surrogate mother someday...I absolutely adored being pregnant! Not so much now. Still, it's a good thing. I take every experience I can and try to file it away permanently in my brain so I can empathize with my patients even more. If there is one thing I absolutely love, it's being able to relate to my patients and feel like I'm the best possible nurse I can be...well, this pregnancy is surely helping me in that regard.
I am 19 weeks pregnant now and we have our 20 week ultrasound on Wednesday, September 14th. We can't wait to check out baby's anatomy...or more importantly (as my mom keeps reminding me), the sex. It seems to be this is all anyone is interested in these days. "Do you know the sex? When do you find out the sex? Is it a girl or a boy? What do you think it is?" We get hit with all these questions before anyone asks me how I feel, or how Dorian is reacting to the pregnancy, or anything else. It's all about the sex. I guess that's true in most aspects of life. Oh wait, that's the other sex. ;) I feel the same, to be honest. I just want to know what the baby's name is (we have a girl name picked out but no boy name yet), what to tell Dorian, etc. It's going to be easier and seem more real when we can stop calling the baby "it" and start calling it "her." (I'm still 99% convinced it's a girl.) I know SO many people who are pregnant right now and we are all due within 6 weeks of each other and so far, it's all girls. When Dorian was born, it was all boys. My new moms' group was all baby boys. Our Gymboree play group was all baby boys. I do believe this to be a real phenomenon and not just some crazy coincidence...although I have no idea why, and James will totally be rolling his eyes when he reads this.
Dorian asks about the baby all the time and he'll say things like "Does the baby like that sandwich, mama?" or "The baby is making me go pee pee!" (because I always say this). He talks, often, about how he is going to feed the baby and how he wants the baby to sleep in the bottom bunk bed in his room. He asks constant questions about the baby, and has started talking to the baby. He definitely seems to have made a connection already...and that alone makes all this "suffering" worth it!
I am 19 weeks pregnant now and we have our 20 week ultrasound on Wednesday, September 14th. We can't wait to check out baby's anatomy...or more importantly (as my mom keeps reminding me), the sex. It seems to be this is all anyone is interested in these days. "Do you know the sex? When do you find out the sex? Is it a girl or a boy? What do you think it is?" We get hit with all these questions before anyone asks me how I feel, or how Dorian is reacting to the pregnancy, or anything else. It's all about the sex. I guess that's true in most aspects of life. Oh wait, that's the other sex. ;) I feel the same, to be honest. I just want to know what the baby's name is (we have a girl name picked out but no boy name yet), what to tell Dorian, etc. It's going to be easier and seem more real when we can stop calling the baby "it" and start calling it "her." (I'm still 99% convinced it's a girl.) I know SO many people who are pregnant right now and we are all due within 6 weeks of each other and so far, it's all girls. When Dorian was born, it was all boys. My new moms' group was all baby boys. Our Gymboree play group was all baby boys. I do believe this to be a real phenomenon and not just some crazy coincidence...although I have no idea why, and James will totally be rolling his eyes when he reads this.
Dorian asks about the baby all the time and he'll say things like "Does the baby like that sandwich, mama?" or "The baby is making me go pee pee!" (because I always say this). He talks, often, about how he is going to feed the baby and how he wants the baby to sleep in the bottom bunk bed in his room. He asks constant questions about the baby, and has started talking to the baby. He definitely seems to have made a connection already...and that alone makes all this "suffering" worth it!
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Completely Different Pregnancy
Pregnancy + 3 year old + 32 hours/week (on average) working as a nurse sure takes it out of you. I am exhausted again. At this point in my first pregnancy, I was commuting to San Francisco and working 24 hours a week, taking 3 nursing prerequisite courses, including 2 of them with labs, walking 5 miles a day 6-7 days a week, my house was spanking clean and I was positively g-l-o-w-i-n-g. This time around, I'm lucky if I walk twice a month and housecleaning? Forget it. What started to appear as that infamous second trimester glow 4 weeks ago has disappeared again and I'm just tired, tired, tired. And massive. And already waddling. And my skin is crazy broken out. And my back pain sucks. And the round ligament pain can be brutal. And I get these killer headaches sometimes. And I crave salt AND sugar all the time. And before anyone asks, I am technically fine and my MD is not concerned at all...there are no real health issues or danger signs...it's just that this pregnancy is soooooooooo different. Girl? Or am I just old?
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Friday, August 12, 2011
Vacation Time
We are going camping at the Russian River tomorrow with some friends. We will return Monday, then I'm off to work in the afternoon. Will try to post on Tuesday, but more likely Wednesday as I work Tuesday as well. Busy, busy, busy around here! Thank goodness I'm getting my energy back. Stay tuned for updates, pictures, and yes, maybe even one of the promised belly shots...it will have been a month. I look about 6 months pregnant. Sigh!!!
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
15 Weeks
More than 1/3rd of the way done! We've had a busy week...between first (and continued) movement felt, round ligament pain starting (seriously?!), working at the hospital 7 out of 8 days, my mom retiring after a 37 year career in nursing and nurse management, James finishing his first 8 week series of preschool music classes, and our 15 week ultrasound, we are all beat. And excited. We heard the baby's heartbeat with the Doppler yesterday and it was on the fast side - about 168 beats per minute. The OB said if we are going off heartrate, then it's a girl. I've also had more dreams about having a baby girl. Pretty sure this baby is of the female variety...but would be equally happy and excited about another little boy. Not sure Dorian would though. He's started telling people he's having a baby sister. Apparently, he told the childcare worker at the YMCA that he is "so happy because he is going to have a little sister." He talks about having a baby sister a lot now. I really hope he's not too disappointed if it turns out to be a boy!
Monday, August 1, 2011
First Movement Already!
I know some people will say it's not possible, but I felt my baby move last night. According to the American Pregnancy Association, "There is a broad range of when the first detection of movement can be felt, ranging from 13-25 weeks" and "First-time moms may not feel these movements as early as second-time moms." I can feel exactly where my uterus is...and know where the baby is lying due to my ultrasound last week...I felt a bunch of fluttering around right in the spot where the baby is and it felt exactly like the movement I used to feel in the beginning (around 20 weeks or so) with Dorian. If I touched the spot firmly (as they did with the ultrasound wand to get the baby to move), I felt movement in response to the touch. I am just about 14 weeks but this is my second child, I'm a small person, and I'm going to play the registered nurse (in Women & Infants!) card here...I know what I felt. Don't tell me it's just gas. I'm curious though...has anyone else felt it this early? I was shocked when I tuned in to it. The baby is approximately 3.5 inches long and weighs between 1-2 ounces. Incredible.
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Little Girl?
I dreamed I had a little girl last night. Coupled with my hunch, and the fact this pregnancy has been like night and day from my pregnancy with Dorian, I wonder. I also had a dream Dorian was a boy before we found out the sex. Is it too early to start buying striped woolen tights in jewel tones, sundresses (in non-pink colors), baby bohemian tops, and leather mary janes with flowers sewn on? As previously mentioned, I really do not mind either way, but it would be so fun to shop for a girl. By the way, I swear I'm not as shallow as I've been sounding in my past few posts. There's nothing wrong with a woman liking fashion, as long as she has other interests too, right? Or maybe I am that shallow. Oh well, I'll embrace it.
12 Week Belly Bump
This picture is over a week old...I am now 13.5 weeks and my belly is even larger now...I know I keep talking about it, but I truly cannot get over how much sooner you show with baby #2. I'm kind of scared for my 30+ week belly bump!!! Is this child going to be a 10 pounder? (Luckily, I have friends who keep assuring me their bumps popped out fast in the early days but their weight gain and growth slowed down by mid-pregnancy - and their weight gain and bumps at the end weren't any greater than with their first. Fingers crossed. I think 7lb11oz is about the maximum sized baby I can pop out naturally!)
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Superficial Post Alert!
It was my 31st birthday on Sunday and I splurged on a pair of J Brand maternity jeans and oh my god, they are so worth it!!!! I highly recommend them for any expecting mamas who are also into feeling good about themselves. I've never splurged on high-end jeans before but was not digging any of the maternity jeans I tried on (and ended up skipping jeans completely while pregnant with Dorian, for the same reason). Most of the jeans look either frumpy, too big on my short frame or just downright fit really funny. So I went on my trusty internet, did research on which jeans would fit my style preferences and work throughout the entire pregnancy and postpartum (very important to me if I was going to splurge), and found hundreds of raving reviews for J Brand Skinny Maternity Jeans. I received them in the mail yesterday. I now finally get what the hype is all about, and may end up splurging on high-end jeans in the future. There is definitely something to be said for quality over bargain. (Especially if you wear them all the time, as I tend to do with jeans anyway.) This is one splurge I will not regret.
Day of Energy
Well, I did it! The first real productive day I've had in 2+ months! I woke at 8:30am after a crazy busy night at work, went for a run (could only handle 3 miles, versus the 6 I used to run regularly, but still!), relaxed with a late birthday mani-pedi, made lunch for my family, took Dorian to Fairyland, went to the car wash, did the grocery shopping, made dinner for Dorian and I, bathed him, put him to bed and I'm still awake with some energy to spare! What an awesome day. Now, it's time for ice cream and Coronation Street with James. I feel like I'm finally starting to glow.
First Trimester Completed
Thank god. I am finally getting a teeny bit of energy back now that I'm officially in the 2nd trimester...phew! I'm going to attempt my first jog/long walk in weeks this morning. I am hoping to get back into the swing of things soon. I miss exercise, meeting up with friends, having the energy to do things with my kid, and not spending my entire life sleeping, eating and working! Man, is the 1st trimester challenging! I had it easy with Dorian so this was a huge shock to me. I feel grateful I wasn't throwing up or nauseated the entire time, but this exhaustion (plus dizziness and headaches) was surreal. If I hadn't known I was pregnant, I would have thought my body was shutting down. I got a great night's sleep last night (only got up to pee twice!) and feel like I'm finally able to attempt exercise again. Wish me luck.
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Ultrasound
Saturday, July 23, 2011
Are you sure there's not a twin in there?!
The bump is massive for 3 months pregnant. I'm wondering if there is a hidden fetus or two...then again, it could just be the fact I never regained my abdominal muscles after Dorian and I've been too exhausted to do any exercise. Plus, oh my goodness, you pop SO much quicker with #2. I swear, I already looked pregnant by 6 weeks (I know a lot of it was bloat, but still). I'm really missing my runs and long walks. I feel my muscles wasting away and being taken over by fat (and okay, with so much sodium in my diet right now, water retention). I adore being pregnant and think pregnant bellies are gorgeous, but I do want to maintain a certain level of fitness and muscle tone while pregnant, as I did with Dorian. I feel so much better in general when I'm running regularly too. I've just been so tired. Any free time I get, I sleep. I'm really hoping I can start my jogs again soon - 2nd trimester energy burst, where are you? I promise I will post bump pics really soon.
Cravings
I want pickles, salt & vinegar chips dipped in balsamic vinegar, and added salt on everything. With Dorian, I craved beef. All the time. Beef. We went to Barney's at least once a week so I could get all organic, grass-fed, added hormone and antibiotic free hamburgers. This time, I just want salt, salt, and more salt! My blood pressure is usually really low and it's been even lower during pregnancy. I'm sure the salt cravings are my body's way of trying to compensate. Pregnancy is so interesting. I love how it affects the body.
Now where are my pickles?
Now where are my pickles?
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Baby's first cold (in a manner of speaking)
Things I hate today: weak pregnancy immune systems, colds (caught from germy preschoolers), coughing so hard your diaphragm feels it might split, mucus that refuses to budge from the back of your throat, lack of sleep due to coughing all night, nonstop preschooler temper tantrums, leaky kitchen sinks, finally hot sunshine outside and not being able to enjoy it.
Things I love today: Peach sorbet, fantasies about cough syrup with codeine (I can almost taste it!), knowing my baby is well-protected inside my expanding uterus and that I am already protecting it from harm, glimmers of maturity in my son (he *tries* to stop the temper tantrums - he just can't yet), father landlords who get on the leak right away, the weather forecast for the rest of the week, knowing that this, too, will pass.
Things I love today: Peach sorbet, fantasies about cough syrup with codeine (I can almost taste it!), knowing my baby is well-protected inside my expanding uterus and that I am already protecting it from harm, glimmers of maturity in my son (he *tries* to stop the temper tantrums - he just can't yet), father landlords who get on the leak right away, the weather forecast for the rest of the week, knowing that this, too, will pass.
Saturday, July 16, 2011
We're back with big news!
Crockbaby #2 is now 12 weeks old with an estimated due date of February 3. I thought long and hard about whether or not I should keep a pregnancy/baby blog for this child and came to the conclusion of “How could I not?” This kid will already have second child syndrome; I can’t make it worse by not having one of those cool printed books of blogs and pictures from his/her first couple years of life the way we did for Dorian. So, after a long hiatus (Facebook replaced blogging for awhile there), here we go again! I must say, I’m quite happy to have an excuse (and the pressure) to get back into it. I loved blogging...and I'm proud we have all those memories recorded forever on the internet and in print.
This pregnancy feels so different from my first. At times, we forget I’m pregnant which NEVER happened with Dorian. I guess having another child to focus on does that to you. We also don’t have that urge to google every symptom and every week’s developmental stages and what not. We know what to expect already. I also know a lot from nursing school and being an RN in Women & Infants. We haven’t even pulled out a pregnancy/baby book this time.
I feel so much more exhausted with this one. It’s insane. I feel more tired than when I had mononucleosis and had to pull out of college for a month in 1999. This is sheer exhaustion like I’ve never felt except when James was away on tour and I was nursing Dorian 24/7 and he did not sleep for more than an hour at a time. And then, I didn’t feel jet-lagged from nausea, headaches and severe dizziness on top of it. Or have to go to work. And of course, that sleepless baby is now a 3 year old who still isn't a great sleeper. I’ve pretty much been sleeping all the time when I’m not with Dori or at work. My parents took Dorian to a music festival for 3 days a few weeks ago and I spent the entire time sleeping and eating (pickles, salt & vinegar crisps and cherry jolly ranchers, what else?) I also have crazy acne this time. Still, I'm starting to feel better now...and of course, it's a small price to pay for having a healthy baby. I absolutely LOVED being pregnant with Dorian (and had an easy pregnancy and birth) so obviously, I'm hoping it will be the same this time around.
I’m convinced we’re having a girl because of the differences between this pregnancy and our last one. Yes, I know that every pregnancy is different and the sex really doesn't factor into the symptoms a mom experiences. It's fun to guess though. Dorian originally said he wanted “a brother and a sister.” Now he says “it’s a sister.” We will see. Neither James nor I have any preference. We really wanted a little boy the first time…or at least, I did. (James wanted a son at some point.) I can see pros and cons to having a boy or girl. A little brother would be great for Dorian to play with (in theory) and we know what to expect with little boys. We have all the clothes and toys. Plus, little boys LOVE their mommies. Then again, it would be awesome to have a girl since it would be new for us, and then we’d have one of each "kind of child." And what feminine mother doesn’t dream of dressing up her little girl in cute clothes? (Please no pink or lace though; gag me.) We will find out the sex at our 20 week ultrasound in 2 months.
Speaking of which, we’ve had 2 ultrasounds already and our 3rd next week. Modern technology is amazing. Our baby looks healthy and happy. Just like us.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
