Sunday, May 31, 2009
Thursday, May 28, 2009
June 4th
That will be d-day (or I suppose b-day would be more appropriate). We get the pleasure of arriving at the hospital at 4:30 a.m. on June 4th for induction...if I haven't had the blueberry by then of course. "With that cervix" my doctor doesn't seem to think it will take long to deliver. I'm already at 2 cm and only have 1 cm of effacement left. (Lest you think this means I'll go into labor soon, I've been this way for weeks now). She thinks I'll have the baby by 5:00 or 6:00 pm on the 4th. Crazy to scheulde your baby's birthday, but hey, what can you do. He/she is the one deciding when to come out. Mom and dad are ready now....and waiting...and waiting...
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Waiting is the Hardest Part
Well, the due date has come and gone.
As I told Jess we're officially in library book territory: overdue. (Yeah, I know, awful joke, but I haven't finished my first cup of coffee, so forgive me)
Ok, this is officially the worst part of everything so far for me. I'm not exactly a patient person in situations like this (see Burtnett, Justin, Christmas Morning, age 5-11), so this wait is killing me.
Jess and I were talking and we figured that this whole thing was made much worse by the fact that with the pre-eclampsia scare and everything else we were convinced that she was going to be early. That, of course, was a month ago.
Early on, we both thought that there was no way she would be early, then we were convinced that she would be, and now, here we are. I was not built for this.
As I told Jess we're officially in library book territory: overdue. (Yeah, I know, awful joke, but I haven't finished my first cup of coffee, so forgive me)
Ok, this is officially the worst part of everything so far for me. I'm not exactly a patient person in situations like this (see Burtnett, Justin, Christmas Morning, age 5-11), so this wait is killing me.
Jess and I were talking and we figured that this whole thing was made much worse by the fact that with the pre-eclampsia scare and everything else we were convinced that she was going to be early. That, of course, was a month ago.
Early on, we both thought that there was no way she would be early, then we were convinced that she would be, and now, here we are. I was not built for this.
Monday, May 25, 2009
The due date cometh....
and still no baby. Justin and I have been making bargains with Bluberry and promising all sorts of goodies. It's not working as of yet.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
And now....
Justin has my cold. Let's all chant together....Blueberry be late. Blueberry be late. Blueberry be late. Your parents need time to heal!!
The cyst came back....
It couldn't stay away. Oh the cyst came back. We thought it was a gonner but the the cyst came back. It just couldn't stay away...ay...ay....ay...
3 hosptial visits in 2 weeks!
For those who live in Chicago, I highly recommend Illinois Masonic for your ER needs over Northwestern. The people and the facilities are much nicer. Plus, you can park on the street for free!
3 hosptial visits in 2 weeks!
For those who live in Chicago, I highly recommend Illinois Masonic for your ER needs over Northwestern. The people and the facilities are much nicer. Plus, you can park on the street for free!
Friday, May 15, 2009
Three Weeks From Hell (long post. sorry)
Addendum: Re-reading this post, and in having Justin read this post, I realized that um...this post sort of has, how shall I say it, a bit of a hard edge to it. In all honesty, I was trying to be funny, but in retrospec, I realized the post comes across a bit more frustrated and angry, rather than funny and sarcastic, as intended. So please, read it with a grain of salt. Honestly, I'm typing this with a smile on my face right now, and at the very least, we're going to have some good stories to tell....silver lining? Maybe? Bueller? Bueller?
I feel the need to fill all of our loyal followers in on the events of the last few weeks. They haven't been the most enjoyable. I was prepared to feel huge and uncomfortable in the final weeks of pregnancy. I knew it wasn't going to be a picnic. I knew sleeping was going to be difficult. But, what actually occurred is beyond absurd. It was just one thing after another. Hopefully all of this means that labor will be a piece of cake!
It all started at my 36 week appointment on April 28th. The weekend prior we spent a descent amount of time in the car and running the final errands to Babies R Us, etc. It was a very productive weekend, but apparently a bit too much for me. Then on Monday April 27th, I drove 6 hours for work. Something I do all the time. I didn't think much of it. I stopped every 90 minutes to walk around, etc. But, again, it was apparently a bit too much for me. When I got to my doctor's appointment on the 28th my feet looked like balloons, I'd gained 7 lbs. of water weight, and my blood pressure was through the roof. So, my doctor took my blood and we all know the results weren't perfect, resulting in my need to be on modified bed rest and to collect my urine for 24 hours in a bucket to be examined by "the lab." The urine collection was scheduled for Monday.
On Thursday, I got the news that I'd tested positive for Strep B, which I explain in a prior post and which led me to go to the hospital for my false alarm last Friday night. While manageable, it was not the best news.
Then, Thursday night the nagging pain that I'd been having in a not-so-convenient spot (i.e. my tailbone) for the past few weeks started to get worse. I just thought it was the result of the baby putting pressure on different parts of my body. I didn't think much of it. Over the weekend, however, it got worse and worse and worse and worse. By Sunday it was constant. I worked from home on Monday to pee in a bucket in the privacy of my own home, and the pain continued to get worse. Long story short, I ended up in the ER Monday night. I went in at 8:00 and got home at 2:30. Let's just say it was a long night. Don't worry...I brought my urine collection kit to the ER. I didn't want to have to do it for another 24 hours! The funny thing is that no one ever asked me anything about it.
It turns out I had a cyst that got badly infected. It had to be opened and the infection drained. This left me with a wound in an unpleasant and uncomfortable spot that had to be tended to daily by my doctor. Let's just say that the combination of being 37 weeks pregnant, on bed rest, and having an open wound on my tailbone makes getting comfortable dang near impossible. I can't sit. I can't lay on my back, and I can't lay on my stomach. I've been laying on the couch on either my right or left side since May 4th. And poor Justin has had to deal with cleaning the wound every night. He's definitely earned husband of the year!
As you can imagine, sleeping has been a bit difficult. Rolling over is a maneuver that is not easy to make and requires a lot of grunting and groaning. Justin has been very understanding, and claims that he can't hear me, but I'm sure his sleep hasn't been very restful.
The positive thing about having the cyst is that I've gotten to know my doctor a lot better and it really has forced me to lay around, which has helped with the pre-eclampsia. Plus, its healing. I don't have to go to the doctor every day now and sitting is getting better. The negative thing about the cyst is that I caught a devil of a cold while at the ER. That is not the place you want to walk away from with a cold.
While all of this has been a pain in the butt (pun intended), nothing has been life threatening for me or berry. So it could be much much worse.
So...those are the health issues. Now add to all of that the fact that our car broke down on Saturday. $$$$ Plus, my golf clubs got stolen out of the garage on Wednesday. $$$$ (ironically the idiot that stole my clubs left Justin's clubs. Mine were worth $50. His were worth A LOT). And finally, the condo we really really wanted to buy and were hoping would stay on the market just 2 more weeks so that the timing of a move wouldn't be miserable, sold yesterday.
Needless to say....I'm ready for a drink.
I feel the need to fill all of our loyal followers in on the events of the last few weeks. They haven't been the most enjoyable. I was prepared to feel huge and uncomfortable in the final weeks of pregnancy. I knew it wasn't going to be a picnic. I knew sleeping was going to be difficult. But, what actually occurred is beyond absurd. It was just one thing after another. Hopefully all of this means that labor will be a piece of cake!
It all started at my 36 week appointment on April 28th. The weekend prior we spent a descent amount of time in the car and running the final errands to Babies R Us, etc. It was a very productive weekend, but apparently a bit too much for me. Then on Monday April 27th, I drove 6 hours for work. Something I do all the time. I didn't think much of it. I stopped every 90 minutes to walk around, etc. But, again, it was apparently a bit too much for me. When I got to my doctor's appointment on the 28th my feet looked like balloons, I'd gained 7 lbs. of water weight, and my blood pressure was through the roof. So, my doctor took my blood and we all know the results weren't perfect, resulting in my need to be on modified bed rest and to collect my urine for 24 hours in a bucket to be examined by "the lab." The urine collection was scheduled for Monday.
On Thursday, I got the news that I'd tested positive for Strep B, which I explain in a prior post and which led me to go to the hospital for my false alarm last Friday night. While manageable, it was not the best news.
Then, Thursday night the nagging pain that I'd been having in a not-so-convenient spot (i.e. my tailbone) for the past few weeks started to get worse. I just thought it was the result of the baby putting pressure on different parts of my body. I didn't think much of it. Over the weekend, however, it got worse and worse and worse and worse. By Sunday it was constant. I worked from home on Monday to pee in a bucket in the privacy of my own home, and the pain continued to get worse. Long story short, I ended up in the ER Monday night. I went in at 8:00 and got home at 2:30. Let's just say it was a long night. Don't worry...I brought my urine collection kit to the ER. I didn't want to have to do it for another 24 hours! The funny thing is that no one ever asked me anything about it.
It turns out I had a cyst that got badly infected. It had to be opened and the infection drained. This left me with a wound in an unpleasant and uncomfortable spot that had to be tended to daily by my doctor. Let's just say that the combination of being 37 weeks pregnant, on bed rest, and having an open wound on my tailbone makes getting comfortable dang near impossible. I can't sit. I can't lay on my back, and I can't lay on my stomach. I've been laying on the couch on either my right or left side since May 4th. And poor Justin has had to deal with cleaning the wound every night. He's definitely earned husband of the year!
As you can imagine, sleeping has been a bit difficult. Rolling over is a maneuver that is not easy to make and requires a lot of grunting and groaning. Justin has been very understanding, and claims that he can't hear me, but I'm sure his sleep hasn't been very restful.
The positive thing about having the cyst is that I've gotten to know my doctor a lot better and it really has forced me to lay around, which has helped with the pre-eclampsia. Plus, its healing. I don't have to go to the doctor every day now and sitting is getting better. The negative thing about the cyst is that I caught a devil of a cold while at the ER. That is not the place you want to walk away from with a cold.
While all of this has been a pain in the butt (pun intended), nothing has been life threatening for me or berry. So it could be much much worse.
So...those are the health issues. Now add to all of that the fact that our car broke down on Saturday. $$$$ Plus, my golf clubs got stolen out of the garage on Wednesday. $$$$ (ironically the idiot that stole my clubs left Justin's clubs. Mine were worth $50. His were worth A LOT). And finally, the condo we really really wanted to buy and were hoping would stay on the market just 2 more weeks so that the timing of a move wouldn't be miserable, sold yesterday.
Needless to say....I'm ready for a drink.
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Strep A and Strep B? Could I have both at the same time??...Tune in Monday to find out!
So...I haven't been feeling so well since last Wednesday. I've had a sore throat, stuffy head and some chest congestion. I've been taking Sudafed and Tylenol to feel better, but I just haven't been able to kick it. I've been taking naps, drinking water, etc. All the things you're supposed to do to get over a cold. I've been getting hot flashes for weeks now, so i can't tell if I've had a fever. I didn't think so, but who knows. I haven't exactly been myself lately. Well, it turns out it might not be just a cold.
Due to my blood pressure and other issues I will describe more fully in another post, I've been at my doctor's office every day last week and this week (except for the weekend). My doctor has obviously known I'm sick and I've talked to her about what I can/cannot take to feel better. Today she asked if I still had the sore throat. Yep. Still had it. She decided to take a look. Low and behold! I've got crap in my throat. Apparently strep throat has been going around lately and she thinks I have it. She took a culture and the results will be in Monday.
The ironic thing is that if I do have it, by Monday it will probably be mostly over. A normal course of strep runs 10 days to 2 weeks. I've already been sick for 8 days. By Monday, it will be 12 days. She'll probably still give me antibiotics to make sure, but I will have suffered through the worst of it without help. Awesome. Just one more thing to add to the list. The silver lining is that my body will be making strep antibodies that will be transferred to the Berry via breast milk. So, the berry will be protected from me by me! Gotta love mother nature!
Due to my blood pressure and other issues I will describe more fully in another post, I've been at my doctor's office every day last week and this week (except for the weekend). My doctor has obviously known I'm sick and I've talked to her about what I can/cannot take to feel better. Today she asked if I still had the sore throat. Yep. Still had it. She decided to take a look. Low and behold! I've got crap in my throat. Apparently strep throat has been going around lately and she thinks I have it. She took a culture and the results will be in Monday.
The ironic thing is that if I do have it, by Monday it will probably be mostly over. A normal course of strep runs 10 days to 2 weeks. I've already been sick for 8 days. By Monday, it will be 12 days. She'll probably still give me antibiotics to make sure, but I will have suffered through the worst of it without help. Awesome. Just one more thing to add to the list. The silver lining is that my body will be making strep antibodies that will be transferred to the Berry via breast milk. So, the berry will be protected from me by me! Gotta love mother nature!
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Further explanation...and a medical update
Lest anyone think that I am a complete headcase, I wanted to explain why we were at the hospital unnecessarily on Friday night. While I do not yet know what labor feels like, I knew I was not in labor on Friday. But, I thought my water might have broken.
A few weeks ago, I tested positive for the Strep B bacteria. I'm not exactly sure what it is and no one seems to know exactly how you get it, just that over 30% of women have it. At all times in your life it's completely irrelevant, except of course when you give birth. It can be very dangerous to newborn babies. The baby is protected from the bacteria by the bag of waters. But, once the bag breaks, the baby can get infected. My doctor told me that, once my water breaks, I have about 2 hours to get to the hospital and be put on IV antibiotics. The antibiotics will supress the bacteria and drastically reduce the chances of infection for the baby. Hence my rush to the hospital on Friday even though I knew I wasn't in labor. Better safe than sorry.
So, I might be a head case about a lot of things....just not about knowing when I'm in labor.
As for my health, I went for a follow up OB appointment today. I've continued to lose weight, which is really good because it means that my water weight continues to reduce. My feet/ankles finally look normal. My hands are not quite there, but that should correct itself post-birth. My blood pressure is still elevated, but I haven't experienced any of the other symptoms of pre-eclampsia (i.e. headaches, vision changes and liver pain). So, I didn't even have to give blood this week! That being said, I'm still on modified bedrest. My doctor will only let me work a few hours a day. The rest of the time needs to be on the couch or in bed. It will be this way until the berry joins us....any day now....
A few weeks ago, I tested positive for the Strep B bacteria. I'm not exactly sure what it is and no one seems to know exactly how you get it, just that over 30% of women have it. At all times in your life it's completely irrelevant, except of course when you give birth. It can be very dangerous to newborn babies. The baby is protected from the bacteria by the bag of waters. But, once the bag breaks, the baby can get infected. My doctor told me that, once my water breaks, I have about 2 hours to get to the hospital and be put on IV antibiotics. The antibiotics will supress the bacteria and drastically reduce the chances of infection for the baby. Hence my rush to the hospital on Friday even though I knew I wasn't in labor. Better safe than sorry.
So, I might be a head case about a lot of things....just not about knowing when I'm in labor.
As for my health, I went for a follow up OB appointment today. I've continued to lose weight, which is really good because it means that my water weight continues to reduce. My feet/ankles finally look normal. My hands are not quite there, but that should correct itself post-birth. My blood pressure is still elevated, but I haven't experienced any of the other symptoms of pre-eclampsia (i.e. headaches, vision changes and liver pain). So, I didn't even have to give blood this week! That being said, I'm still on modified bedrest. My doctor will only let me work a few hours a day. The rest of the time needs to be on the couch or in bed. It will be this way until the berry joins us....any day now....
Friday, May 8, 2009
Braxton Hicks
And they begin....They started last night and have been off and on today. I wasn't 100% sure what was going on at first. I knew it wasn't "real" labor since nothing hurt. But it felt different than anything that's happened before. Then I went to the doctor today for my daily blood pressure check and asked her about it. Low and behold...it happened while my doctor was examining me. Confirmation!!
Apparently these can go on for weeks and don't really mean anything as far as predicting when labor will begin. But, they do mean that my body is getting prepared.
Apparently these can go on for weeks and don't really mean anything as far as predicting when labor will begin. But, they do mean that my body is getting prepared.
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Good News, Good News
(I ask that everyone go back to the title and say that in a way that would make Roscoe P. Coltrane proud. Thanks)
Anyway, good news on the Jess front the last couple days. We got her blood and urine work back yesterday and in a Cinderella Story, Jess' blood work actually improved from last week. In fact, it improved enough that Jess was released back into the wild for a couple of half-days at work (needless to say, Jess wasn't exactly prepared to be out for 10 weeks, 3 weeks before her due date, so she's able to now go get all her ducks in a row). But other than that, we need to lay low still, but it's at least trending the right way for the time being.
So that's where we are on that front.
Otherwise, things are going well, we had our birthing class on "pushing" yesterday. As I kept lightly shoving Jess prior to class, she was forced to remind me that's not the type of pushing they were talking about. Needless to say when our instructor popped in the video, I quickly found out that Jess' was correct...
Overall, I'm just getting antsy. We've pretty much done everything we can do "pre-'Berry," especially without knowing if said child has girl parts or boy parts (On that note, I'm still convinced that it's a girl. I've already stated that if Berry comes out with boy parts, I'm still not going to believe it, even if the cord is still attached). So now, let's get this thing rolling. At least that's how I'm feeling.
Anyway, good news on the Jess front the last couple days. We got her blood and urine work back yesterday and in a Cinderella Story, Jess' blood work actually improved from last week. In fact, it improved enough that Jess was released back into the wild for a couple of half-days at work (needless to say, Jess wasn't exactly prepared to be out for 10 weeks, 3 weeks before her due date, so she's able to now go get all her ducks in a row). But other than that, we need to lay low still, but it's at least trending the right way for the time being.
So that's where we are on that front.
Otherwise, things are going well, we had our birthing class on "pushing" yesterday. As I kept lightly shoving Jess prior to class, she was forced to remind me that's not the type of pushing they were talking about. Needless to say when our instructor popped in the video, I quickly found out that Jess' was correct...
Overall, I'm just getting antsy. We've pretty much done everything we can do "pre-'Berry," especially without knowing if said child has girl parts or boy parts (On that note, I'm still convinced that it's a girl. I've already stated that if Berry comes out with boy parts, I'm still not going to believe it, even if the cord is still attached). So now, let's get this thing rolling. At least that's how I'm feeling.
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Week 36 and 37 pics
Week 36 is at home. Week 37 is at Arlington Race Track. Yes, mama loves to bet on the ponies. I won on the Derby!
Swelling...a comparison
The picture on the top is how I look now. The picture on the bottom is how I looked last week. No wonder my doctor was a bit concerned. The sad thing is that I'm still a little swollen now. Not attractive.
Health Update...nothing serious
So....my liver has decided that it doesn't want to function properly anymore, at least not as efficiently as it did before. My liver enzymes and platelet count were a bit off at my last doctor's visit and I've had elevated blood pressure and crazy swelling. (My feet and ankles look pretty ridiculous. Pictures to be posted soon). The doctor thinks its the beginning of pre-eclampsia. If this were 2 months ago, it might be a big deal. But, since I'm already 37 weeks (i.e. full term) it isn't a big deal at all. If it becomes a big deal, they'll just induce me.
I went to the doctor yesterday and my blood pressure was still elevated, but my swelling has gone down. I'm supposed to get the results of the latest round of blood tests later this afternoon. If I've stayed the same, then she'll let me go for another week and another round of blood tests. If they've gotten worse, how much longer she'll let me go depends on how much worse. As of last week, I wasn't even approaching the "concerning" numbers. Hopefully that is the same. The long story short is that I'm on modified bed rest (i.e. working from home on the couch) and this baby is definitely going to be born in May!! I'll keep everyone posted when I learn more.
I went to the doctor yesterday and my blood pressure was still elevated, but my swelling has gone down. I'm supposed to get the results of the latest round of blood tests later this afternoon. If I've stayed the same, then she'll let me go for another week and another round of blood tests. If they've gotten worse, how much longer she'll let me go depends on how much worse. As of last week, I wasn't even approaching the "concerning" numbers. Hopefully that is the same. The long story short is that I'm on modified bed rest (i.e. working from home on the couch) and this baby is definitely going to be born in May!! I'll keep everyone posted when I learn more.
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