I went in for my last OB appointment on Friday, August 7th. More of the usual routine. My BP was actually good this time, 90/63. My weight was still "good", although if you ask me I'd say it is way too high! My urine also was good, no signs of sugar or protein. So off to the exam room I went to wait for my doctor to come see me. He came in (I saw the doctor who will be performing my c-section) and we listened to 'Lil Bean's heartbeat. It was loud and strong! He is difinitely happy where he's at in Mommy's belly! We went over the plan for Thursday, and it all seemed like textbook. I had a few requests, which he was happy to accomodate, and for that I am very thankful. I have my pre-op scheduled for Wednesday, August 12th at 10 am. Then on Thursday, August 13th, I am to be at the hospital at 10:30 to start the IV fluids and antibiotics. The surgery is scheduled for 12:30 pm. If all goes well, we will be discharged and allowed to come home on Sunday, August 16th, where we will begin a brand new journey. I am so excited!
Later that evening, Phillip and I went to the mall to make our heartbeat teddy for 'Lil Bean. We picked out a furry blue teddy bear, and we stuffed our baby's actual recorded heartbeat in it. We also put a heartbeat pulse in it. It is so cute! We got to print out the bear's birth certificate and all that cool stuff. We had a great time at Build-A-Bear! We will definitely take it to the hospital and use it as a prop for 'Lil Bean's newborn pictures!
I have some loose ends to tie up and errands to run before our big day. I hope and pray that I can get them all done. Kaleb starts school at Seffner Christian Academy on the 20th, so there's still quite a bit of stuff I need to do to get ready for that. So I guess I need to start getting busy and getting these things done! Wish me luck everyone! Thank you and God bless :)
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Cerclage removal
My cerclage removal was scheduled for Tuesday, August 4th at 12:30 pm. Phillip and I arrived at the hospital at 10:30 am, checked in and was taken to my room. I had to wear one of the lovely hospital gowns and got hooked up to the fetal heartbeat monitor and contraction monitor. The nurse also started my IV. Once again, it took more than one try to get it going. She busted a vein and it was very painful. She finally found success the second time around. It was noon when my doctor came in and started getting his stuff together for the procedure. Then he started to try the procedure without any pain meds. That was a mistake!!! He ended up stopping, and had one of the nurses go and get some demerol to help with the pain. It didn't take long for it to start working. He then continued with the procedure, taking both stiches out. The entire procedure only lasted about 20 minutes. After that, I was monitored for contractions and any signs of labor, which thank God I didn't have any. I was discharged at 2 pm. There was some cramping that lasted throughout the next day, but went away eventually. I did not dilate any from the cerclage removal. So I guess we just wait to see what these next few days have in store.
Friday, July 31, 2009
My 2nd weekly OB appointment
I went in for my routine weekly OB appointment (2nd one so far), and I'd have to say I was quite taken by surprise by the change in plan. It started off as a routine visit; check in, get called by nurse, have vitals taken then wait in the exam room for the doctor. I got to see Dr. Den Haese, one of my favorite doctors in the practice. He looked over my chart and asked me if I had any questions, complaints or concerns. I told him nothing has changed since last week, I still have the pain in my right side. He told me that it could be appendix or gall bladder, which I quickly dismissed the possibility of it being appendicitis as I have already had an appendectomy. And we both dismissed the possibility of it being gall bladder because the pain is not associated with any type of nausea, vomitting or fever. So it seems like it is just a pregnancy pain. We listened to 'Lil Bean's heartbeat, it was loud and strong and we even recorded it so I can put it in a heartbeat teddy that I plan on making this weekend. He measured my belly, and it is still measuring ahead. With that being said, he started to express his concerns for the cerclage that is still in place. He said that his professional opinion is that the cerclage needs to come out because of the risk it imposses to me if I do go into labor before my scheduled c-section. My cervix would tear and that would cause a lot of bleeding, and they would not be able to repair the cervix right away because of the swelling, and that would mean me losing a lot of blood, something he is just not willing to risk. He said that there is nothing wrong with keeping things the way that they are, which is to remove the cerclage and perform the c-section all at the same time, but the risk is just too great if I do not make it, if I go into labor before August 13th. And we both agreed that it would be in my best interest to err on the side of caution, so we decided that we would remove the cerclage sometime next week. He then asked me if I wanted it to be an in-office procedure or if I wanted to get it scheduled at the hospital. So I asked him what the difference was, and he said that in-office they do not offer any type of anesthetic, which amounts to A LOT of pain, as opposed to the hospital where I would be given anesthesia. So of course I opted to have it done at the hospital, because I know from past experience how uncomfortable of a procedure this is, and I do not wish to be in any kind of pain. So he had the front desk call and make an appointment for my cerclage removal next week. The lady at the front desk called the hospital and I have an appointment set for next Tuesday, August 4th at 1:30 pm for the procedure with Dr. Grainger, the other favorite doctor who will be performing the c-section. We need to be at the hospital by 11:30 to start the fluids, and I can't have anything to eat or drink after 10 am. At least I can eat breakfast first! And thank God I don't need to go in the day before for pre-op! They did tell me that I would be able to go home once I feel up to it, but I can be there until 10 pm, it just all depends on how I feel. I hope that I get to come home and get settled in before that! The lady also got me an appointment for Friday, August 7th with Dr. Grainger, for our final OB visit before the c-section. So with that information in hand, I left the office. I called Phillip and updated him on all the changes so he could make arrnagements with his job to have Tuesday off so he can take me and be with me at the hospital.
When I left the doctor's office, I had a few errands to run and then I went shopping! I love shopping, and chopping always brightens my day. I got all the last minute things we need for both me and Bean. We have 2 more things to do before Tuesday - we need to go get 'Lil Bean's name embroidered on some blankets and we need to go stock up on food and household consumables so we can be pretty stocked up until a few weeks after Baby Bean gets here.
At this point, we are pretty much ready, just counting down the days!!! Thanks for checking in and if you can remember to say a prayer for me that everything goes well on Tuesday I would greatly appreciate it :) God bless!
When I left the doctor's office, I had a few errands to run and then I went shopping! I love shopping, and chopping always brightens my day. I got all the last minute things we need for both me and Bean. We have 2 more things to do before Tuesday - we need to go get 'Lil Bean's name embroidered on some blankets and we need to go stock up on food and household consumables so we can be pretty stocked up until a few weeks after Baby Bean gets here.
At this point, we are pretty much ready, just counting down the days!!! Thanks for checking in and if you can remember to say a prayer for me that everything goes well on Tuesday I would greatly appreciate it :) God bless!
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
My 1st weekly OB appointment
I had my first weekly Ob appointment on July 24th. As usual, the nurse took my BP, weight and urine sample, all of which were good. My BP was actually up this time at 68/80. She took me to the exam room to wait for the doctor. When the doctor came in, we listened to Bean's hearbeat which was strong! No u/s this time as the tech was out sick. That was kind of a bummer :( The doctor asked me if I had and complaints, questions or concerns and I told her about the nagging pain I have been feeling in my right side. She decided that since she can't do an internal exam to check my cervix as I still have my cerclage in place, that she was going to hook me up to the monitor to see if they were contractions or not. I was hooked up to the monitor for 20 minutes and contractions were ruled out; I just have an irritable uterus. Bean's heartbeat was strong on the monitor and he was kicking and moving alot! Everything turned out good and we are still on schedule for August 13th. My next appointment is on Friday, July 31st. As always, thanks for checking in and God bless :)
A new car and officially refinanced!!!
So we have been car shopping for a quite some timne now and we finally found a car we were both happy with and that fit our budget. We found a red 2005 Nissan Altima SL with very low miles (27,000 miles to be exact). It has black vented leather interior and a Bose sound system. Only thing it doesn't have is a navigation system and tinted windows, both of which we can get done through JUstin, Phillip's soon to be brother-in-law. We went to the dealership on Wednesday, July 22nd, signed all the paperwork and drove home in our new car! Sadly, Phillip had to trade in his motorcycle :( It's something we both discussed and agreed that we no longer needed it as we are expecting a baby and it's the mature thing to do.
And on Thursday, July 23rd, we officially signed the refinancing papers for our house. Our new mortgage is almost $300 less than the previous payment that we had, and it also includes our property taxes and home owner's insurance; both of which we were paying out of pocket the beginning of each year. Well, not anymore, as they are both escrowed in! This saves us a ton of money for us to save! Things are definitely looking up and we are both so very excited at all the blessings that have presented themselves to us. I can't stop praising God! He is so good all the time!!!
Also on Saturday, we meet up with a lady who was selling a car seat and stroller on craigslist for less than half the cost of a new one. I looked at it, tried it out, liked it and bought it from this nice lady! Not much left to get after this! I am sooo excited I can hardly contain myself!!!
As always, thanks for checking in and God bless :)
And on Thursday, July 23rd, we officially signed the refinancing papers for our house. Our new mortgage is almost $300 less than the previous payment that we had, and it also includes our property taxes and home owner's insurance; both of which we were paying out of pocket the beginning of each year. Well, not anymore, as they are both escrowed in! This saves us a ton of money for us to save! Things are definitely looking up and we are both so very excited at all the blessings that have presented themselves to us. I can't stop praising God! He is so good all the time!!!
Also on Saturday, we meet up with a lady who was selling a car seat and stroller on craigslist for less than half the cost of a new one. I looked at it, tried it out, liked it and bought it from this nice lady! Not much left to get after this! I am sooo excited I can hardly contain myself!!!
As always, thanks for checking in and God bless :)
4th Bi-weekly OB appointment
I went in for my last bi-weekly Ob visit on July17th, and it was once again pretty routine. Signed in and waited to be called by the nurse. Once I was called, she took my BP, which was good but still a tad bit low at 78/58. My weight was good as well as my urine. I was led to the exam room where I waited for the doctor. When she came in, we listened to 'Lil Bean's heartbeat. It was strong as usual. She attempted to do a kick count, but Bean was too active, she just gave up! She measured my uterus and I'm now measuring 2 weeks ahead! She sent me in to get a quick U/S to see what Bean's position was. It was so great to see our baby boy moving around in my belly! He is now in a head down position! Which is putting more pressure on my bladder and cervix. But I only have 3 weeks and 6 more days to go!!! I am so excited to meet our baby boy! My next OB appointment will start the first weekly appointment and that will be on July 24th.
As I was leaving the doctor's office, I called to update Phillip and he was happy that everything is progressing good. I also talked to a good friend of mine, Shelley, who was on her way to her level II u/s to find out the gender of her twins and to find out about their health. I have been praying hard for her that all goes well. I told her all my news and wished her luck with her appointment. I was eager to hear back from her with the results.
When I got home, I did some more arranging in the nursery. There's not much left to do now. I need Phillip to hang the TV and dvd player in the nursery, hang Bean's name on the wall, move some pieces of furniture around. I have set up the pack 'n play and swing downstairs so it's all set up for when we get home from the hospital.
A little after 2 pm I got a call from Sadie updating me on Shelley. She told me that SHelley is having a boy and a girl and they are BOTH HEALTHY!!! Praise be to God! I am so happy for her! We will both have babies within 3 to 4 months apart. This is so exciting! Shelley called me later that evening and I celebrated her joy with her over the phone! I will continue to pray for her and the twins' health and ask that you say a prayer as well.
Thank you all for stopping by and reading! God bless :)
As I was leaving the doctor's office, I called to update Phillip and he was happy that everything is progressing good. I also talked to a good friend of mine, Shelley, who was on her way to her level II u/s to find out the gender of her twins and to find out about their health. I have been praying hard for her that all goes well. I told her all my news and wished her luck with her appointment. I was eager to hear back from her with the results.
When I got home, I did some more arranging in the nursery. There's not much left to do now. I need Phillip to hang the TV and dvd player in the nursery, hang Bean's name on the wall, move some pieces of furniture around. I have set up the pack 'n play and swing downstairs so it's all set up for when we get home from the hospital.
A little after 2 pm I got a call from Sadie updating me on Shelley. She told me that SHelley is having a boy and a girl and they are BOTH HEALTHY!!! Praise be to God! I am so happy for her! We will both have babies within 3 to 4 months apart. This is so exciting! Shelley called me later that evening and I celebrated her joy with her over the phone! I will continue to pray for her and the twins' health and ask that you say a prayer as well.
Thank you all for stopping by and reading! God bless :)
Thursday, July 2, 2009
3rd bi-weekly OB appointment (8 months)
Today I went in for my 3rd bi-weekly OB appointment, and I have to say I got a lot accomplished! The visit was pretty routine. Signed in, waited to be called. When I got called the nurse, as always, took my vitals. My BP was up a little, it was 87/64, but still kind of low. I didn’t get an u/s as the sonographer was off today. That was a bummer. So I was taken to the exam room and waited for the doctor to come in. when she came in, she asked me if I had any questions or concerns and I told her about a pain I had been feeling “down there” when I walk. She said that it’s caused by my pelvic bone opening up, and it’s quite normal. She then measured my belly, no change there. Still measuring a week ahead. We also listened to ‘Lil Bean’s heartbeat and it was loud and strong. He even kicked the doppler a few times! She asked me if we had already scheduled the c-section, and I told her what Dr. Grainger told me. So she said that she would give me a paper to take to the front desk so that they can go ahead and get it scheduled with the hospital. I reminded her that Dr. Grainger was our preference and she made note of that on the sheet she handed me. I headed to the check out and handed the sheet to the lady and she got out the schedule planner, asked me a few questions and then told me she would be right back with me as she needed to call the hospital. She came back after a few minutes and handed me two pieces of paper, one with my last bi-weekly OB appointment on July 16th at 10 am (all subsequent OB appointments will be a week apart until our scheduled c-section) and another with dates, times and instructions. So we are so happy to announce that our c-section is scheduled for Thursday, August 13th at 12:30 pm. We are to be at the hospital by 10:30 so they can start the IV. I also need to go in to Labor & Delivery on Wednesday, August 12th at 10 am for registration and pre-op. I am so excited!!! I can’t believe we actually have a date set! There’s so much I still need to do before then to get ready. I hope I can manage to get everything done in a timely fashion. Please pray for me that I can get all my affairs in order. Thanks and God bless!
Father's day
A while back, Phillip and I saw a small baby t-shirt that read “I’d rather be naked” and he just loved it. He said that’s going to be his son’s personality – like father, like son. So for father’s day, I decided to get Phillip a special gift. He is not a father YET, but he will soon be one. I went shopping for some plain white onesies and plain white t-shirts. I then took them to get the slogan of the baby shirt we saw printed on them – one for daddy and one for our baby boy. I also got a card for daddy-to-be and signed all our names on it; Mommy’s, ‘Lil Bean’s, Kaleb’s, Seffy’s and Presto’s. I woke up early Sunday morning and made us breakfast, and then gave him his card and gift. He was so happy when he opened his present! He loved it! And that made me smile :)
2nd bi-weekly OB appointment (7 1/2 months)
I went in for my second bi-weekly OB appointment on June 19th, and it was a pretty routine visit. Got there, signed in, and waited to be called. When I was called, nurse took my vitals. My BP was still a bit low at 81/58, but all else was good. I was taken to the u/s room to get a peek at my cervix and placenta, both looked well. Placenta is still covering the cervix. Got some measurements of ‘Lil Bean and he’s measuring 4.5 pounds already! He seemed to be very content in mommy’s belly! After that, I was led to the exam room where I waited for my favorite doctor to come and see me. When he came in, he measured my belly, which is still measuring ahead then we listened to the baby’s heartbeat with the doppler. He went over with me briefly the results of the u/s and pretty much nothing has changed. He asked me if I wanted to get my tubes tied while they had me opened up, and of course I declined. He told me that during my next appointment we will get to schedule the c-section for sure. I then went to check out and was given a return appointment for July 3rd at 10:30 am. Can’t wait!
Our baby shower :)
Our baby shower was so beautiful! We were surrounded by our family and friends. We had such a wonderful time! The club house was very lovely. Phillip, my sister and I got there a little early to decorate and get things set up. Our guests starting arriving and Phillip started cooking. We had steaks, ham, chicken, mashed potatoes, green beans, deviled eggs and cake. We even had some sangria! Too bad I couldn’t have any. I was salivating for some though. Everything was delicious. While the guys were busy cooking the steaks, we girls started playing baby shower games. We had so much fun! When the steaks were ready, we all ate. After that, it was time to open presents! We got a bunch of cool stuff from our guests! And we are so very thankful to each and every one of them. We are also very grateful for my sister Dana who hosted this shower for us. She has helped us in so many ways and I don’t know what I would do without her help and support. We definitely are blessed with a great family and the best of friends. After the gifts, it was time for some cake. The cake was so good! Our guests starting leaving and it was time for us to start cleaning up and pack our stuff to take home.
1st bi-weekly OB appointment (7 months)
So I went in for my first bi-weekly OB appointment on June 5th and it was pretty much more of the same routine. Got there, signed in and waited to be called. When I was called back, the nurse took my vitals. Except for my BP being a bit low at 80/56, all was well. When my Dr came into the room, we listened to ‘Lil Bean’s heartbeat with the dopler and it was good. He then measured my belly and I am still measuring a week ahead, but he said not to worry. The doctor I saw this time happens to be our favorite doctor in the practice. We love him dearly! He asked if we had a preference as to who will do the c-section, and I told him that we really want him, and our back-up choice is Dr. Den Haese. He then went over with me what he thought was the best course of action to take. He explained that he didn’t want to do the c-section any earlier than 39 weeks exactly. That means August 12th would be the earliest he would consider scheduling. The reason being, he wants to make sure 100% that ‘Lil Bean’s lungs are FULLY developed and that would be the safest time to assume that. Even a day or two earlier than that would mean I would have to be given steroid shots to speed up the maturity of his lungs, and he wanted to avoid that if at all possible. He also told me that we can consider taking out the cerclage at the same time the c-section is done. That was such a relief to hear! I told him that another doctor within the practice told me that it needs to be removed between 35 and 36 weeks, and he told me that every doctor practices different. He sent me in to the u/s room to get a quick look at my cervix and placenta. Both looked good, and I also got to see our ‘Lil Bean squirming around! I love when I get to see him! I was a bit disappointed because it was so quick I didn’t even get to take home any pictures. But at least I got to see my baby boy and he looked perfect! That concluded my appointment, so I went to check out and to get my next appointment in 2 weeks, which is on June 19th.
So for mow I just have to wait 2 more weeks until my next appointment. But on another note, tomorrow is our baby shower!!! I can’t wait! It’s going to be so much fun to be around family and friends! Of course, the gifts are going to be very nice, too!
So for mow I just have to wait 2 more weeks until my next appointment. But on another note, tomorrow is our baby shower!!! I can’t wait! It’s going to be so much fun to be around family and friends! Of course, the gifts are going to be very nice, too!
Monday, June 1, 2009
It's official, August 8th, 2009
When I got home from my appointment, I called Phillip and told him how it went. I also told him that we had some things we needed to go over. When he got home from work, I showed him the pictures and he was very happy! He got such a kick out of seeing our baby boy sucking his thumb and seeing his face! They are some really good pictures! I informed Phillip about the window the Dr. gave us to schedule our c-section, and we started to debate when would be the best time for us to schedule it. Kaleb was going to be out of town on vacation with his dad from July 30th through August 9th, and we took that into consideration, but Friday, August 7th or Saturday, August 8th were the only two days we were considering. I notified Kaleb’s dad about our situation, and expressed that I would really want Kaleb to be here for the birth of his little brother and that we were debating between the 7th and the 8th. He ended up changing their plans so Kaleb can be here during that time. Thank God! We officially decided on Saturday, August 8th. That’s only 10 weeks away!!! WOW! I can’t believe that in 10 more weeks our little blessing will be here! I am soooo excited! We have gotten a lot done with the nursery – we got it painted, we got the crib and changing table set up, clothes washed and put away. We are still waiting for the armoire to come in. Our baby shower is this coming Saturday, June 6th. After the shower, we can then start buying the things we didn’t get. There is just so much that we need to do to prepare, but we are so thankful that we have gotten a lot done already.
6 month OB appointment
I went in for my 6 month appointment, my last monthly appointment before I start seeing my OB every other week. My appointment was at 10:00 am and I got there 15 minutes ahead of time, signed in and waited to be called. I didn’t have to wait for long. The sonographer called me back to do an u/s before I was seen by my OB to see if there have been any changes since my last appointment. So she had me pull up my shirt to expose my big ‘ole belly and began the u/s. She measured ‘Lil Bean and we listened to his precious heartbeat; it was a strong 155 bpm. She took lots of measurements of his limbs, abdomen and head, and the machine calculated our baby boy to weigh approximately 3 ½ pounds! He is still definitely measuring ahead! Either that or he’s a big boy:) It was so nice to see our baby being so active, and this time I could feel all his kicks as I was seeing them! It was so amazing! This time around, I was able to see his facial features a little bit better. I got to see him smile and suck his thumb! So precious!!! She then went on to measure my cervix and look at the placenta to see if it had moved yet. My cervix was still measuring long, but the placenta has not moved any since the last u/s at my last appointment. It was still laying low and covering my cervix. The sonographer did manage to get some really good pictures for me to take home and share with Phillip, which he loved seeing! After she got all the measurements she needed, she wiped the goo off my belly, had me fix my shirt then walked me to the nurses station for my vitals to be taken. The nurse took all my vitals, which were all good. She then informed me, much to my surprise that I was going to have the colpo procedure done. So she took me to the procedure room where I was instructed to undress from the waist down, and wait for the doctor. When the doctor came in, he explained the procedure, as I was a bit taken by surprise by all this. He said that because the u/s revealed no change in my cervix and placenta that it would be best to go ahead and take a look at what was possibly causing my pap-smear to come back abnormal. He said that depending on how the cervix looked would determine whether or not he would do a biopsy. I prayed that it wouldn’t be necessary. So he started the procedure and talked me through everything he was doing and seeing. After a few minutes, he told me that he was just going to do a routine pap with no biopsy as my cervix looked normal. Thank God!!! I can’t imagine having a piece of my cervix being cut out… OUCH! After the procedure, we talked about when we can schedule the c-section. He said that since there has been no change, they do not want to schedule it any earlier than 39 weeks to give our baby boy every opportunity to develop on his own without the help of steroids, which made me happy :) Praise God for answering my prayers! He gave us a window between August 7th (Friday) and August 12th (Wednesday), but of course if labor started on it’s own before that, we would have to do an emergency c-section at that time. I hope and pray that everything goes according to plan, and not have any surprises. I want to be prepared for this! After jotting down some notes on my chart he advised me that some bleeding and cramping can be expected, but if it seems unusual to call back. He then shook my hand and gave me the check-out paper with a return appointment in 2 weeks. I went to the check-out and was given an appointment for Firday, June 5th. Overall, it was a pretty good appointment :)
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Our baby shower is just around the corner!
I have been busy these past few weeks helping my sister Dana plan my baby shower. She is hosting it, but since she doesn’t get off work until late and I stay at home, I offered to help her with some things. She reserved the clubhouse where she lives as the venue, which is very nice because it has a full kitchen! We also picked out and ordered the cake. She also bought all the supplies that I needed to make the invitations, programs and party favors. I started with the invitations. I designed it how I wanted it, printed them out and got them mailed out a month ahead of the shower date! I also designed and printed the programs, which look adorable. I am now working on the party favors and prizes for the games. Phillip and I went to Babies R Us and finished our registry. He was like a kid in a candy store with the registry gun! He was scanning everything! We both had a lot of fun!
Phillip is so excited about our baby boy, so we discussed having the baby shower co-ed so he could take part and experience it also. We both decided that it would be so much fun, and we had a lot of guys that would come, so we went with the co-ed idea.
Phillip’s boss, Dave, was generous enough to offer to provide the food for the shower, so we put together a menu. I’d have to say it’s very delectable! Since we are having a luncheon shower, we decided to serve Rib eye steaks, grilled chicken breasts, green beans, mashed potatoes and gravy and dinner rolls for the entrée, chips, dip and salsa, crackers and cheese, a variety of soda, water, beer and sangria (homemade, and it’s delicious! Too bad I can’t have any).
I am so excited, I can hardly wait! We have been holding off until after the shower to go shopping for ‘Lil Bean. We want to wait and see what we get and don’t get so we can buy accordingly. We still have a lot of work to do with the nursery. We finally got the crib and changing table picked up; it’s in the garage and just needs to be assembled. But before we can do that, we need to paint the nursery first. My sister Dana is buying the bedding, so we will get all that at the shower. We are still waiting for the armoire to come in. There’s so much that I need to get done; I need to have a few blankets embroidered with our baby’s name, I need to re-cover my rocking chair as it does not match the nursery color and décor, I need to decorate the nursery, get everything washed…. Ahhhh, there is just so much that we still need to do. I am starting to feel a little overwhelmed. Hopefully, in the next few weeks we can get most of this done. I have a list started that way we don’t forget anything. If you can think of anything else we missed that we need to do, please feel free to comment. Any ideas and suggestions are appreciated! Thanks, and God bless!
Phillip is so excited about our baby boy, so we discussed having the baby shower co-ed so he could take part and experience it also. We both decided that it would be so much fun, and we had a lot of guys that would come, so we went with the co-ed idea.
Phillip’s boss, Dave, was generous enough to offer to provide the food for the shower, so we put together a menu. I’d have to say it’s very delectable! Since we are having a luncheon shower, we decided to serve Rib eye steaks, grilled chicken breasts, green beans, mashed potatoes and gravy and dinner rolls for the entrée, chips, dip and salsa, crackers and cheese, a variety of soda, water, beer and sangria (homemade, and it’s delicious! Too bad I can’t have any).
I am so excited, I can hardly wait! We have been holding off until after the shower to go shopping for ‘Lil Bean. We want to wait and see what we get and don’t get so we can buy accordingly. We still have a lot of work to do with the nursery. We finally got the crib and changing table picked up; it’s in the garage and just needs to be assembled. But before we can do that, we need to paint the nursery first. My sister Dana is buying the bedding, so we will get all that at the shower. We are still waiting for the armoire to come in. There’s so much that I need to get done; I need to have a few blankets embroidered with our baby’s name, I need to re-cover my rocking chair as it does not match the nursery color and décor, I need to decorate the nursery, get everything washed…. Ahhhh, there is just so much that we still need to do. I am starting to feel a little overwhelmed. Hopefully, in the next few weeks we can get most of this done. I have a list started that way we don’t forget anything. If you can think of anything else we missed that we need to do, please feel free to comment. Any ideas and suggestions are appreciated! Thanks, and God bless!
Another trip to Labor & Delivery
Early Friday morning, May 8th, I woke up with some cramping and back pain. It wasn’t all that bad, so I tried to ignore it and go back to sleep. I managed to get a little bit of sleep on and off through the pain. When the alarm clock went off at 5 am for Phillip to get up and get ready for work, I noticed that the cramping was a bit more painful and my lower back was hurting more. I asked Phillip to massage my back to see if that would help, but it just seemed like it irritated my back more. Then I noticed that my belly was tightening up a bit when the cramping would start. I thought to myself “I hope I’m not in labor”. My mind started thinking a million and one different things. I remember my OB telling me that pre-term labor can occur with placenta previa, which I have been previously diagnosed with. I couldn’t think straight. But I did manage to call the after hours number to my Ob office, and the nice lady immediately got one of my doctors on the line with me. I explained to him what was going on, and he suggested that I head straight to the hospital and into Labor & Delivery where they could diagnose me better. So I got ready and off I went. I arrived there at 7 am. A nurse showed me right away to my room, had me change in to one of the very lovely gowns, get a urine sample and lie down on the bed where she proceeded to hook me up to the fetal monitor. She asked me all the normal, routine questions, then went to call my OB to see what course of action they wanted to take. ‘Lil Bean’s heartbeat was very strong, and he was very active. He kept kicking the monitor! It was such a relief to hear him! There weren’t many strong contractions at first, but there were definitely signs of an irritable uterus. The nurse came back in and told me that there was a lot of blood in my urine, and my OB wanted me started on an IV and a drip antibiotic, so that got done immediately. The nurse had a hard time finding a good vein – she stuck me 3 times with the IV needle, to no avail! She had to call on another nurse to come in and get it done. Finally, on the 4th try, it was a success! It was after that that the contractions started back up. Once again, my nurse had to call my OB, which luckily, was there at the hospital already making her rounds, to see how she wanted things handled. So my OB came in and checked to make sure my cervix and cercalge were still ok, which they were, thank God, and then decided that I could get a shot in the back of my arm to hopefully stop the contractions. She also said I could get Stadol to help with the pain. I gladly agreed to both, and was given both before too long. A few minutes after receiving the Stadol, I was in dream land! That stuff works wonders! My Ob also ordered an u/s on my kidneys, because of the amount of blood that was present in my urine. I was taken to get that done, and the results came back fine. No kidney problems! And the shot also worked, because the contractions started going away. I took a nap, and when I woke up, I felt a lot better than I did when I first arrived. It was around 1 pm when I was discharged and sent home with the same restrictions as I already had – bed rest with bathroom privileges and meal privileges.
So far, I have not had anymore episodes. My OB said that luckily, I was not having full-on contractions, or she might have had to keep me in the hospital for the duration of this pregnancy, which would have been AWFUL!!! Thank God that everything turned out the way it did! God is so good, and I praise Him for all that He has blessed me with. I am praying that 'Lil Bean and I remain healthy and problem free until delivery.
I have an u/s on Friday, May 22 at 10 am followed by an OB check. I have a few things that I need to discuss with my OB, and hopefully, the u/s will reveal more about my placenta and about ‘Lil Bean’s development so we can go ahead and finalize a date for my c-section. I’d like to have things panned out, as I feel like I’m running out of time and still have a lot left undone. So I guess for now I just have to wait and see what my next appointment brings! Pray with me that everything works out! Thanks and God bless!
So far, I have not had anymore episodes. My OB said that luckily, I was not having full-on contractions, or she might have had to keep me in the hospital for the duration of this pregnancy, which would have been AWFUL!!! Thank God that everything turned out the way it did! God is so good, and I praise Him for all that He has blessed me with. I am praying that 'Lil Bean and I remain healthy and problem free until delivery.
I have an u/s on Friday, May 22 at 10 am followed by an OB check. I have a few things that I need to discuss with my OB, and hopefully, the u/s will reveal more about my placenta and about ‘Lil Bean’s development so we can go ahead and finalize a date for my c-section. I’d like to have things panned out, as I feel like I’m running out of time and still have a lot left undone. So I guess for now I just have to wait and see what my next appointment brings! Pray with me that everything works out! Thanks and God bless!
Kaleb's (Big brother-to-be) 7th birthday party!
Kaleb, the big brother-to-be, turned 7 on May 4th. We celebrated his birthday on Saturday, May 2nd at Chuck E. Cheese’s after his T-ball game. We invited all his teammates and family. We had quite the turn out! We had such a good time!
When we were planning the party, we asked Kaleb what he wanted for his birthday. His response was very interesting. He said that his birthday list was a flat screen TV, Verizon Fios for his room, a remote control car, a Wii, a laptop and an Ipod! I got to thinking, Oh boy; my son is just like me!!! So we were in a frenzy trying to figure out what to get him, since everything on his “list” was pretty pricey. And he never failed to mention his “list” to anyone who asked him what he wanted for his birthday. I have to admit, I was expecting Kaleb’s list to have Lego’s, remote control car…. you know, the typical things a 7 year old would ask for! So I got thrown for a loop when he started to rattle off his list!
After his T-ball game, we had to go home to change clothes and to pick up the cake we had ordered, and then proceeded to Chuck E. Cheese. We weren’t there long before all the guests started showing up. They had a table prepared for us in the Birthday area, so we set up camp there. We got tokens for the kids so they could go and play before the entertainment began. After the kids played for a while, the pizzas came and they brought us drinks, so the kids sat down and ate. The grown-ups pizza came, too, so we were all able to sit down and eat. After we ate, Chuck E. Cheese came out and performed, and greeted and hung out with all the birthday stars and their guests. After the show, we had Kaleb open all his presents. He got a lot of cool stuff! He racked up on cash!!! Let’s see, he got a Hummer remote control car, a Dodge Ram remote control truck, a digital camera, an Ipod, some Lego kits, we got him a Wii with some accessories, and he also got Mario Kart for Wii! He was so happy! And we all are very thankful to everyone who gave him stuff.
We stayed there for a few more hours and let the kids all play together. We finally called it a day at around 3 pm. We h ad such a good time, and Kaleb had such a great birthday party. It really meant a lot to him that his friends and family were there. We have started to think of ideas for his birthday next year. Any ideas and suggestions are greatly appreciated!
When we were planning the party, we asked Kaleb what he wanted for his birthday. His response was very interesting. He said that his birthday list was a flat screen TV, Verizon Fios for his room, a remote control car, a Wii, a laptop and an Ipod! I got to thinking, Oh boy; my son is just like me!!! So we were in a frenzy trying to figure out what to get him, since everything on his “list” was pretty pricey. And he never failed to mention his “list” to anyone who asked him what he wanted for his birthday. I have to admit, I was expecting Kaleb’s list to have Lego’s, remote control car…. you know, the typical things a 7 year old would ask for! So I got thrown for a loop when he started to rattle off his list!
After his T-ball game, we had to go home to change clothes and to pick up the cake we had ordered, and then proceeded to Chuck E. Cheese. We weren’t there long before all the guests started showing up. They had a table prepared for us in the Birthday area, so we set up camp there. We got tokens for the kids so they could go and play before the entertainment began. After the kids played for a while, the pizzas came and they brought us drinks, so the kids sat down and ate. The grown-ups pizza came, too, so we were all able to sit down and eat. After we ate, Chuck E. Cheese came out and performed, and greeted and hung out with all the birthday stars and their guests. After the show, we had Kaleb open all his presents. He got a lot of cool stuff! He racked up on cash!!! Let’s see, he got a Hummer remote control car, a Dodge Ram remote control truck, a digital camera, an Ipod, some Lego kits, we got him a Wii with some accessories, and he also got Mario Kart for Wii! He was so happy! And we all are very thankful to everyone who gave him stuff.
We stayed there for a few more hours and let the kids all play together. We finally called it a day at around 3 pm. We h ad such a good time, and Kaleb had such a great birthday party. It really meant a lot to him that his friends and family were there. We have started to think of ideas for his birthday next year. Any ideas and suggestions are greatly appreciated!
Friday, April 24, 2009
5 month OB appointment
I went for my 5 month OB appointment today at 10:00 am. As usual, first thing the nurse did was check my weight, BP and urine sample. All three were good. I gained 5 pounds since my last appointment on April 27th, bringing my total weight gain to 15 pounds to date. My BP was 90/60, a little low from where they would like to see me at, but still ok. Urine sample was good, nothing out of the ordinary, and definitely no traces of blood or proteins. So far, so good! I was then seen by one of the doctors at the practice. He listened to 'Lil Bean's heartbeat, which was strong, and he measured my fundus, which measured 24 centimeters. Typically, the fundus measures one centimeter for every week of pregnancy, so mine should be 23. The doctor is attributing my increase in size to a big baby, rather that me being furthur along than we think I am.
We discussed alot of concerns that I had, and I'm very happy with the responses that I got. First, we discussed my placenta previa condition. I have an u/s scheduled for May 24th followed by another Dr. appointment to discuss the results. As of today, my placenta has not moved and is still completely covering my cervix. The doctors are not expecting it to move, but still want to monitor it along with my cervix and cerclage. We then discussed when would be the best time to perform the colposcopy. Given this new diagnosis, partnered with my cerclage, he recommended we wait until the next u/s to decide what the best course of action will be. Third thing we touched base on is when the cerclage will be removed. The best time for this procedure to be done is between 36 and 37 weeks. So we will schedule this when we get closer to that time. I asked him if it would be safe for me to travel, since Phillip and I have 2 round trip airfare tickets to Las Vegas and a 3 day 2 night stay at the MGM Grand. He said that it would be safe for me to go since it's not that long of a trip, but not to travel after the 7th month. So Phillip and I will be planning our babymoon soon! I am sooo excited, I can't wait!!! And last, but not the least, we discussed when we can schedule the c-section. My doctors are all very optimistic that everything will go fine, since my cerclage will probably prevent my cervix from dilating, and being on bed rest will help prevent any pre-term labor, it would be in 'Lil Bean's best interest to wait until 39 weeks to do the c-section. So as it stands, it looks like 'Lil Bean will be making his grand entrance on August 12th, 2009! It's good to know what we can expect and when we can expect things.
There are a million and one things that I need to take care of before our baby arrives. I need to get the nursery ready, finish up my registries, help my sister plan my baby shower (which we are planning on having on Saturday, July 11th, 2009), finish buying the things I don't get at my shower, and the list goes on! I'm sure there's a bunch of things that I'm forgetting, but hopefully I will remember them before I have my little baby boy!
So for now, please go visit my baby registries. I am registered at Babies 'R Us and at the Baby Depot at Burlington Coat Factory. Look me up by my name, Anita Delemos. Let me know if I'm forgetting something. Any input is helpful and greatly appreciated! Thanks for checking in and I will update again soon! God bless :)
We discussed alot of concerns that I had, and I'm very happy with the responses that I got. First, we discussed my placenta previa condition. I have an u/s scheduled for May 24th followed by another Dr. appointment to discuss the results. As of today, my placenta has not moved and is still completely covering my cervix. The doctors are not expecting it to move, but still want to monitor it along with my cervix and cerclage. We then discussed when would be the best time to perform the colposcopy. Given this new diagnosis, partnered with my cerclage, he recommended we wait until the next u/s to decide what the best course of action will be. Third thing we touched base on is when the cerclage will be removed. The best time for this procedure to be done is between 36 and 37 weeks. So we will schedule this when we get closer to that time. I asked him if it would be safe for me to travel, since Phillip and I have 2 round trip airfare tickets to Las Vegas and a 3 day 2 night stay at the MGM Grand. He said that it would be safe for me to go since it's not that long of a trip, but not to travel after the 7th month. So Phillip and I will be planning our babymoon soon! I am sooo excited, I can't wait!!! And last, but not the least, we discussed when we can schedule the c-section. My doctors are all very optimistic that everything will go fine, since my cerclage will probably prevent my cervix from dilating, and being on bed rest will help prevent any pre-term labor, it would be in 'Lil Bean's best interest to wait until 39 weeks to do the c-section. So as it stands, it looks like 'Lil Bean will be making his grand entrance on August 12th, 2009! It's good to know what we can expect and when we can expect things.
There are a million and one things that I need to take care of before our baby arrives. I need to get the nursery ready, finish up my registries, help my sister plan my baby shower (which we are planning on having on Saturday, July 11th, 2009), finish buying the things I don't get at my shower, and the list goes on! I'm sure there's a bunch of things that I'm forgetting, but hopefully I will remember them before I have my little baby boy!
So for now, please go visit my baby registries. I am registered at Babies 'R Us and at the Baby Depot at Burlington Coat Factory. Look me up by my name, Anita Delemos. Let me know if I'm forgetting something. Any input is helpful and greatly appreciated! Thanks for checking in and I will update again soon! God bless :)
Monday, April 13, 2009
The innocence of a child
I just wanted to share with you all a conversation I had with my 6 year-old son, Kaleb. His innocence made my heart melt!
I had set up an appointment on Good Friday at Studio One for Kaleb’s Easter pictures to be taken. So earlier that day, I took him shopping to pick out an outfit for this occaassion. While we were in the store, we picked out 2 pastel colored shirts and a nice pair of shorts. After we were done shopping for him, I took him to the infant section to let him pick out a couple of outfits for his baby brother. As we were looking at all the nice baby clothes, Kaleb asked me a question and it just took me by surprise. Here is the conversation as it unfolded:
Kaleb: “Mom, do you think the baby is gonna live?”
Me: “Of course I do. Why, you don’t?”
Kaleb: “No I don’t. You just never know what God has in store for any of us.”
So we looked at a few more outfits, and he starts to make his selection. He picked out a very cute sleeper, and then started to look for another one. And the conversation continued...
Kaleb: “Well mom, do you think the baby will live after he is born?”
Me: “I sure do hope so, honey. I pray every single day for that.”
Kaleb: “How do you know that he’s healthy and perfect?”Me: “Well, remember the pictures I showed you of the baby?”
Kaleb: “Aha. What about them?”
Me: “When the doctor did the ultrasound, she looked over the baby to make sure he was perfect and not sick. She measured his arm and leg bones, his stomach; she looked at his heart, his kidneys, his head, his brain and everything else she could see to make sure he was perfectly healthy. That is how the doctors find out if there is something wrong with the baby before birth. She even took those pictures I showed you.”
Kaleb: “Oh. So the doctors already know that he’s perfect?”
Me: “Yes, son. And Mommy knows, too. The doctors are taking very good care of both baby and I. So don’t you worry about a thing, ok?”
Kaleb: “Ok, mom. Oh look, here’s the perfect little sleeper for him, it can keep his tiny feet warm and cozy!”
So off we went to the register to check out. It just broke my heart to hear him ask those questions with such a worried tone in his voice. I did the best I could to reassure him without lying to him. He accepted my answers and explanations and seemed content. The innocence of children truly amazes me!
Here are the two sleepers Kaleb picked out for his baby brother:
I had set up an appointment on Good Friday at Studio One for Kaleb’s Easter pictures to be taken. So earlier that day, I took him shopping to pick out an outfit for this occaassion. While we were in the store, we picked out 2 pastel colored shirts and a nice pair of shorts. After we were done shopping for him, I took him to the infant section to let him pick out a couple of outfits for his baby brother. As we were looking at all the nice baby clothes, Kaleb asked me a question and it just took me by surprise. Here is the conversation as it unfolded:
Kaleb: “Mom, do you think the baby is gonna live?”
Me: “Of course I do. Why, you don’t?”
Kaleb: “No I don’t. You just never know what God has in store for any of us.”
So we looked at a few more outfits, and he starts to make his selection. He picked out a very cute sleeper, and then started to look for another one. And the conversation continued...
Kaleb: “Well mom, do you think the baby will live after he is born?”
Me: “I sure do hope so, honey. I pray every single day for that.”
Kaleb: “How do you know that he’s healthy and perfect?”Me: “Well, remember the pictures I showed you of the baby?”
Kaleb: “Aha. What about them?”
Me: “When the doctor did the ultrasound, she looked over the baby to make sure he was perfect and not sick. She measured his arm and leg bones, his stomach; she looked at his heart, his kidneys, his head, his brain and everything else she could see to make sure he was perfectly healthy. That is how the doctors find out if there is something wrong with the baby before birth. She even took those pictures I showed you.”
Kaleb: “Oh. So the doctors already know that he’s perfect?”
Me: “Yes, son. And Mommy knows, too. The doctors are taking very good care of both baby and I. So don’t you worry about a thing, ok?”
Kaleb: “Ok, mom. Oh look, here’s the perfect little sleeper for him, it can keep his tiny feet warm and cozy!”
So off we went to the register to check out. It just broke my heart to hear him ask those questions with such a worried tone in his voice. I did the best I could to reassure him without lying to him. He accepted my answers and explanations and seemed content. The innocence of children truly amazes me!
Here are the two sleepers Kaleb picked out for his baby brother:
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
More u/s pictures
Here are some more neat u/s pictutes of our baby boy:
Our baby boy's hands and feet!
Precious hand with all 5 fingers!
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Results are in. We're having a baby.....
I was ready to go to our appointment by the time Phillip got home. He quickly got dressed and we were on our way to our u/s. We arrived at the Ob office at 2:45, signed in and were called back right away. The sonographer got the equipment set up and I handed her the cd that we brought so we could get the u/s session recorded. She asked us if we wanted to know the sex of our baby if she was lucky enough to see, and we quickly said yes. She put the wand on my belly and we immediately saw our baby swimming around! It was just awesome! She talked us through everything she was measuring and everything that we were seeing. We saw both hands with 5 fingers on each hand, feet and 10 little toes, all 4 chambers of the heart, the brain, both kidneys, the stomach, spine, skull and much more. She measured the upper and lower arms and legs. She let us listen to our baby’s heartbeat; it was strong at 154 bpm. Then she looked between the legs and saw a wee-wee! She pointed to it and said “it looks like you’re having a boy”!!! We were so happy! I knew in my heart that ‘Lil Bean is a boy, but to hear confirmation just made it that much more real! She said that based on the measurements she took, our baby boy is now weighing approximately 9ounces. She also looked at and took measurements of my cervix and ovaries. When she was done, I asked her if she was going to do a trans-vaginal u/s to look at my cerclage. She was not sure, so she stepped out to ask my Dr. She came back in and said that my Dr. did indeed want a trans-vaginal u/s, so she started right away. My cervix was measuring well and my cerclage was intact. She looked at the placenta and we were done. She had me get dressed so I could see my Dr. right away. I started to wonder what was wrong, since I wasn’t scheduled to see my Dr. until Monday.
She took us into an exam room where we waited for my Dr. She came in right away with my chart in her hands. She explained that the baby was in perfect health and measuring great. Then she said that I have placenta previa. It is when the placenta lies close to or is covering the cervix. I have what is called “complete previa”, my placenta is lying right on top of my cervix. Normally, the placenta is attached to the top of the uterus, but mine is attached to the bottom, covering my cervix. She went on to explain the course of action we need to take with this new diagnosis. I will be on bed rest (I already am), I will need to have an u/s at every appointment to watch my placenta (I am already having this done to monitor my cervix and cerclage), I will need a c-section (we already planned on a repeat c-section) and I will be at risk for bleeding and pre-term labor (new risks we should be looking out for). So, this new diagnosis doesn’t really change anything for us, except for the possibility of pre-term labor. But since I am on bed rest, the chances are pretty good that it will not happen. But just to make sure, they are monitoring everything with extra caution. This is indeed considered a high-risk pregnancy.
When we left the OB office, we were on mission to find some cigars to announce our news. We found the perfect ones and bought 20 of them. Then we headed to the mall to buy an outfit for our baby boy. We walked in to Macy’s and started to look for the perfect outfit. I was on cloud 9 looking at all the little baby outfits! We couldn’t make up our minds on which one to get, so we decided to each pick out an outfit. We finally decided on which ones we wanted. I picked out an adorable take-me-home outfit, and he decided on a really cute romper. We just couldn’t resist the yellow ducky bath robe, so we got that, too. It will be perfect in the kid’s bathroom (it is decorated in Rubber Ducky)! And we went ahead and grabbed some side snap shirts and another romper that says “Mommy loves me”! I can’t wait to go shopping again! There are so many things that I want to buy, but I will have to wait until after I have my baby shower.
We finally made all the phone calls we needed to make to announce our “big” news. Everyone was thrilled for us. And we couldn’t be any happier! We went out to eat at the Hard Rock Casino afterwards to celebrate.
Now we get to fix the nursery and pick out the bedding and all that fun stuff! We are also in the process of starting our baby registry. We plan on registering at Burlington Baby Depot(I already started an online resistry but it's far from completion) and at Babies R Us. Updates will follow as things happen. Be sure to look for them! And please keep us in your prayers for a healthy pregnancy and baby boy. Thank you for checking in!
She took us into an exam room where we waited for my Dr. She came in right away with my chart in her hands. She explained that the baby was in perfect health and measuring great. Then she said that I have placenta previa. It is when the placenta lies close to or is covering the cervix. I have what is called “complete previa”, my placenta is lying right on top of my cervix. Normally, the placenta is attached to the top of the uterus, but mine is attached to the bottom, covering my cervix. She went on to explain the course of action we need to take with this new diagnosis. I will be on bed rest (I already am), I will need to have an u/s at every appointment to watch my placenta (I am already having this done to monitor my cervix and cerclage), I will need a c-section (we already planned on a repeat c-section) and I will be at risk for bleeding and pre-term labor (new risks we should be looking out for). So, this new diagnosis doesn’t really change anything for us, except for the possibility of pre-term labor. But since I am on bed rest, the chances are pretty good that it will not happen. But just to make sure, they are monitoring everything with extra caution. This is indeed considered a high-risk pregnancy.
When we left the OB office, we were on mission to find some cigars to announce our news. We found the perfect ones and bought 20 of them. Then we headed to the mall to buy an outfit for our baby boy. We walked in to Macy’s and started to look for the perfect outfit. I was on cloud 9 looking at all the little baby outfits! We couldn’t make up our minds on which one to get, so we decided to each pick out an outfit. We finally decided on which ones we wanted. I picked out an adorable take-me-home outfit, and he decided on a really cute romper. We just couldn’t resist the yellow ducky bath robe, so we got that, too. It will be perfect in the kid’s bathroom (it is decorated in Rubber Ducky)! And we went ahead and grabbed some side snap shirts and another romper that says “Mommy loves me”! I can’t wait to go shopping again! There are so many things that I want to buy, but I will have to wait until after I have my baby shower.
We finally made all the phone calls we needed to make to announce our “big” news. Everyone was thrilled for us. And we couldn’t be any happier! We went out to eat at the Hard Rock Casino afterwards to celebrate.
Now we get to fix the nursery and pick out the bedding and all that fun stuff! We are also in the process of starting our baby registry. We plan on registering at Burlington Baby Depot(I already started an online resistry but it's far from completion) and at Babies R Us. Updates will follow as things happen. Be sure to look for them! And please keep us in your prayers for a healthy pregnancy and baby boy. Thank you for checking in!
Monday, March 30, 2009
U/S disappointment
We eagerly awaited March 25th to come. We were going to find out our baby’s gender. We had an appointment scheduled that day at 4:00 pm. But first, I had an OB check scheduled for 3:30. I was ready and waiting for Phillip to get off work and come home so we could leave for our appointment, and it was such a huge relief when he finally arrived! We arrived at our OB office 15 minutes early, signed in and waited for the nurse to call me back to get my vitals. It was 3:45 when she finally called me back. The nurse took my BP. weight and a urine sample. All was well. I gained 2 more pounds. My total weight gain so far is 10 pounds, which is really good. I really thought I would weigh heavier, but I am thankful that I’m not! I sure look like preggosaurus-rex!
We were then taken to a waiting area in the back to wait for an exam room, and we were told that the Dr. I was scheduled to see has been called out for an emergency surgery and that I was going to see another one of the doctors there. It was almost 4:00. I went to see the lady at the front desk to ask her if I needed to reschedule my OB check for another day since my u/s was supposed to start at any minute. She assured me that they would make sure that we got our u/s that day before they closed. So I went back to the waiting area, where they showed us to the exam room. We waited for the doctor to come, and waited, and waited. 4:30 came and went, still no sign of the doctor. 4:45 came and still no doctor. It was close to 5:00 when Phillip peeked out the door and flagged a nurse down and asked her if we could just go ahead and get the u/s done and then come back to see the doctor, that way we weren’t wasting our time just waiting. She said she would check for us. The office manager came and told us that the sonographer had left for the day, and that she was sorry but to stop by and see her on our way out to reschedule our u/s. I was so upset that I had to leave right away without seeing the doctor (thanks to pregnancy hormones!). On our way out, I stopped by to see the lady about rescheduling our appointment. She got us an appointment to come back Friday the 27th at 3:00 pm. We went home to get ready to go to Kaleb’s t-ball game. We had to let everyone know who were just as excited as us, what had happened. Everyone was so upset, but happy to hear that we got another appointment scheduled.
We were then taken to a waiting area in the back to wait for an exam room, and we were told that the Dr. I was scheduled to see has been called out for an emergency surgery and that I was going to see another one of the doctors there. It was almost 4:00. I went to see the lady at the front desk to ask her if I needed to reschedule my OB check for another day since my u/s was supposed to start at any minute. She assured me that they would make sure that we got our u/s that day before they closed. So I went back to the waiting area, where they showed us to the exam room. We waited for the doctor to come, and waited, and waited. 4:30 came and went, still no sign of the doctor. 4:45 came and still no doctor. It was close to 5:00 when Phillip peeked out the door and flagged a nurse down and asked her if we could just go ahead and get the u/s done and then come back to see the doctor, that way we weren’t wasting our time just waiting. She said she would check for us. The office manager came and told us that the sonographer had left for the day, and that she was sorry but to stop by and see her on our way out to reschedule our u/s. I was so upset that I had to leave right away without seeing the doctor (thanks to pregnancy hormones!). On our way out, I stopped by to see the lady about rescheduling our appointment. She got us an appointment to come back Friday the 27th at 3:00 pm. We went home to get ready to go to Kaleb’s t-ball game. We had to let everyone know who were just as excited as us, what had happened. Everyone was so upset, but happy to hear that we got another appointment scheduled.
Monday, March 23, 2009
We find out in 3 days!!!
We have our anatomy u/s scheduled for March 25th, that’s this Wednesday!!! We are only 3 days away from finding out just who our ‘Lil Bean is. I have been hoping for a girl, and surprisingly, Phillip has, too. His family is also rooting for Team Pink since there are NO girls in their grandbaby department yet. And of course, my family wants a little girl. Kaleb wants a little sister so bad, he even said if it’s not a baby sister then he doesn’t want to be a big brother. I just have this feeling though, that I am carrying a boy! I would be just as happy to have a boy as I would be to have a girl. The main thing is that we want a healthy baby. So I guess we will find out soon enough! And as soon as we find out, I will be posting an update, so be sure to look out for it!
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
One more thing....
On a positive note, ‘Lil Bean has been one very active baby today! Literally, just yesterday, I was sitting here wondering when I would start to feel our baby kick. I tried so hard to remember how it was when I was pregnant with Kaleb, but I couldn’t remember exactly when the kicking began. I mean, I have felt flutters and some movement, but nothing that definitive. But today, oh my! It was such a wonderful feeling! I can’t wait until the kicking gets to be pretty steady and I can let other people feel them, too. I thought I’d share this wonderful news that definitely brought tears of joy to my eyes :)
A note on my follow up appointment
I forgot to mention in my previous post that during my follow-up appointment my OB and I touched base on my abnormal pap and our decision to do a colposcopy at 20 weeks. I asked her if this is still our planned course of action, taking into consideration the recent scare we all had arising from the bleeding of my cervix. She said it was not a wise decision to do a biopsy anymore, all things considered. So the plan now is to do a non-abrasive colposcopy (a colposcopy without a biopsy), basically just to do another pap, and see if there is any progression to the abnormal cells. If there is no sign of progression, we will plan on doing a complete biopsy when ‘Lil Bean is born, just to see where the abnormal cells were coming from. If signs of progression are apparent, we will try and control the progression over the next 20 weeks, until I deliver, when a complete biopsy can be performed safely. Our fingers are crossed that no signs of progression are found. And since the pap I had in June 2008 was normal, my OB is pretty optimistic that if there is any progression, it wouldn’t be that severe.
Either way, we are bracing ourselves for what can happen. I am putting all my faith in the Lord that He will see me through this time, and those to come.
Either way, we are bracing ourselves for what can happen. I am putting all my faith in the Lord that He will see me through this time, and those to come.
Sunday, March 8, 2009
My Busy Birthday Weekend!
Oh boy! I had a very busy birthday weekend! Let’s see, where should I begin? I will pick up my journey from the time of my last post.
So after the cerclage, I was sent home with instructions of limited activity. Very hard to follow when you have a 6 year old boy at home! I tried to take it easy, no heavy lifting or strenuous activities. Or so I thought. Kaleb had just started T-ball; his first game was February 25th. He has practice on Mondays and games on Wednesdays and Saturdays every week. I of course wanted to be there for every practice and game. The games are very entertaining and lots of fun! You can’t buy that kind of entertainment anywhere!
I also had a birthday coming up (March 1st) and Phillip and I had planned to go shopping on Saturday, February 28th after Kaleb’s game. We had planned to go to the Ellenton Outlets in search of a new Coach purse from the Coach outlet and some cute maternity clothes from the Motherhood outlet. Then we had plans to meet up with his family for pizza night (we have pizza night every Sunday night with his parents) to celebrate my birthday instead of having it on Sunday. Sunday, for my birthday, we had brunch plans at a restaurant on the beach then dinner reservations at the Texas Cattle Company for a steak dinner. I was really looking forward to the steak dinner.
So we went to Kaleb’s game, and then came home to get dressed to head out to the outlet mall. We left at about 11:30 am and stopped at Applebee’s to grab lunch. We got to the outlet mall at around 1:00 pm and I headed straight to the Coach store. I was torn between so many choices; I couldn’t make up my mind. So off we went to another store. We stopped and looked in several stores before we came upon Motherhood. I had so much fun trying on preggo clothes and found a few good pieces to purchase. Then off we went in search of shoes and cleats for Kaleb. We finally found some good buys at the Nike outlet. We got a baseball glove for Phillip, some shoes for Kaleb and a new baseball bag for him and his cousin Chase. Unfortunately, we didn’t find any cleats in Kaleb’s size. As we stood in the checkout line, I felt a warm gush and knew I needed to get to a bathroom and soon. So I left Phillip in line and went to the restroom. I was so scared at what I saw next. There was blood, bright red blood just gushing out. I cleaned up as best as I could then went back to tell Phillip. I called the afterhours to my OB and one of my OB’s called me back right away. He told me to hang up and call 911 and have an ambulance take me to the nearest hospital since we were about 45 minutes away from home. I decided that I really didn’t want to be that far away from my family and my own doctors, so we decided to go ahead and drive back home and go to the emergency room at out hospital so we can be closer to our family and our doctors.
We were on the interstate in no time, and on our way to the hospital (where I will be delivering). We arrived there in half the time it would normally take us to drive. Phillip was speeding down the highway; I could tell he was nervous and scared. Honestly, so was I. I just didn’t want him to see it because I knew it would just make him that much more scared. As soon as we got to the ER, it was about 3:45 pm, I registered at the front desk while Phillip parked the car. I was taken in by the triage nurse and she put all my information in to the system. We were sent to the lobby to wait for an available room. Phillip wheeled me into the lobby (yes, I was sitting in a wheel chair) and we waited. And waited. And waited. Every time I had to go potty, there was still lots of blood, so I tried not to move around or get up much. The on-call Dr. from the OB practice I go to called me several times to check and see how I was and if I had been seen yet, of course I told him I was still bleeding, and no, I have not yet been seen. He was so mad! He told me he was finishing up a few things and that he was close by, but would meet me at the ER. He personally wanted to check me and not have to rely on the ER doctors. Shortly before I was taken back to an exam room, my doctor called me to let me know he had arrived to the ER. It was 7:00 pm when I was finally taken to an exam room. The nurse started an IV immediately after I dressed into a gown. I explained to the nurse that my doctor would be coming to check me personally, but she did not believe me. She told me that’s not how things work in the ER. The ER doctor came in and asked me a few questions, then did an internal exam to check and see if the cerclage was still in place, which it was, thank goodness! As soon as he left the room, my doctor came in and surprised the nurse! He asked her for some supplies, as she went to get them he asked me a few questions. He also mentioned to me that it took him calling the Head Nurse to get them to take me back to an exam room. He explained to me that he would be looking at my cervix through a speculum (a plastic tool used in a pap smear). He walked me through everything he was looking at and how things looked. The cerclage was still intact and there were signs of heavy bleeding, but it appeared that the active bleeding had finally stopped! He removed a couple of blood clots, and yes, they looked gross! I’m not gonna lie, the exam was very painful! I still cringe just thinking of it. He went on to explain that he ordered an ultrasound and that someone should be coming shortly to take me to the u/s room, and he would be back to let me know the results.
My sister Dana arrived to be with us at the exam room and that made me feel a bit better. It didn’t take long for someone to come and take me to the u/s room. Phillip couldn’t go with me because it was the u/s room in the ER, not the u/s room in Labor & Delivery. The technician was very nice. It was such a relief to see ‘Lil Bean moving around on the screen! And I saw ‘Lil Bean’s heart beating away strong! I couldn’t stop thanking God. She look at my ovaries, the placenta, my uterus and the baby to see if she if the bleeding was coming from any of them. Of course, she wouldn’t tell me what she saw. All she said was that my doctor would get a report and tell me. The u/s lasted probably only 10 minutes, but that was all I needed to finally start calming down. I was taken back to the exam room where Phillip and my sister were waiting for me. My doctor came soon enough to tell us what the u/s had revealed. He explained that the bleeding was not coming from anywhere in my uterus (placenta or baby) and that the bleeding was caused by the extensive walking I did that day. All the walking was too much on my cervix and cerclage, and he wanted to admit me for observation in the Labor & Delivery wing of the hospital for a day, maybe two. He wanted to make sure I would go 24 hours without any signs of bleeding before he would discharge me. It was 9:00 pm and our dogs needed to be let out. They have been pinned up since we left for the outlet mall! I sent Phillip home to get some things for me for our stay at the hospital, and to pick up some food. He made it back to the hospital by 10:30 pm, and my sister needed to get home. She left, and we were on our own.
At around 11:00 pm, I was taken to pre-admitting where we waited for our room to be prepared. The IV that I had was empty and I didn’t need another, but they left the hook-up in my arm just in case I needed more later on. I was starving by then. Phillip asked one of the nurses if I could eat and she looked at my chart and said “she sure can”. He walked out to the car to get the food he picked up (I wanted Chinese) and we finally ate! Not too long after we ate, we were taken up to our room. It was 11:57 pm when we got there. 3 minutes until my birthday! Phillip walked down to the car again to get all our supplies (toothbrush, tooth paste, contact lenses holder, pillows, etc.) and when he came back it was officially my birthday! The nurses all wished me “Happy Birthday”. My nurse came back and explained the dos and don’ts for me to abide by while I was there and what medication I could get, one of which was to help me sleep. After my vitals were taken and I brushed my teeth, I asked for the Ambien so I could sleep. Shortly after that, I was out until the tech came in to take my vitals again. I slept good ‘til morning with a few interruptions from the nurses and techs. My doctor came in to check me when he was doing his rounds and told us the news that he needed to keep me there for another day, maybe 2, until I stopped bleeding for 24 hours straight. Earlier that morning I had some spotting, and he said that was a risk he was not willing to send us home with. Phillip had to leave to let the dogs out after my sister Dana got there to bring me my birthday breakfast from Cracker Barrel. I wanted Chicken Fried Chicken so bad, and she brought me some! When Phillip returned, he had some goodies for me! He got me Pineapple Express to watch while we were there, a card and a BIG bag of peanut M&M’s! My nephew Brandon also came to see me that afternoon and brought me a Snickers Blizzard from Dairy Queen. A few more people came by to visit me. Sadie and Junior, my son’s grandparents came and brought some food. Phillip’s parents, his sister Denise and her son, Chase also came by and brought me a birthday cake! My birthday turned out wonderful! And Phillip even went to get me a prime rib from Jesse’s! It was so good! The same routine took place that night as the previous night. After I was given the Ambien, the nurse came in to try to listen to ‘Lil Bean’s hear rate, but was unsuccessful. She called for backup. Three more nurses came in to help until they finally decided to try with the belly monitor machine, but still was unsuccessful. These nurses tried for almost 2 hours, until finally I could no longer stay up. The Ambien kicked in and I was ready to go to sleep. So they finally left me alone to get some rest, and that I did.
Monday morning when I woke up, it was more of the same. We waited for our doctor to come and check in on me while doing her rounds and she came early, around 8:30 am. She gave us good news that I would get discharged by 1:00 pm if I didn’t show anymore signs of bleeding or spotting but I needed to remain on bed rest with bathroom privileges only until further notice, but most likely for the duration of the pregnancy. The nurse came back in to try to listen to the heartbeat, again unsuccessful. So she called my doctor and asked her if she wanted me to get an u/s before I left, and she of course said yes. So we were taken to the u/s room in the maternity wing and we got a Level II u/s. It was amazing! We got to see our ‘Lil Bean and all of baby’s body. We got to hear a strong heartbeat, see all parts of the legs, arms, head, brain, kidneys, all 4 chambers of the heart and much more! We were told our ‘Lil Bean is perfect measuring 6.5 inches and weighing approximately 4 ounces! Measuring a bit big for the gestational age, but considering that my 6 year old son was born 9 lbs 3 ozs, it’s ok. We got to take home a few profile pictures. It was still too early to find out the sex mainly because the baby had legs crossed the whole time. But we go for an anatomy u/s on March 25th, so it’s ok, hopefully we will find out then.
I was finally discharged and allowed to go home, which was a huge relief. There’s no place like home! I was so happy to be able to sleep in our bed and it felt so good! I pretty much stayed upstairs in our room lying in bed until Phillip came home from work. Tuesday was more of the same. On Wednesday, I had a follow-up appointment with my OB, which went very well. No more bleeding, but will remain on bed rest until my next appointment on the 25th then they will re-evaluate, but most likely I will stay on limited activity until ‘Lil Bean is born.
Now I’m just taking it a day at a time trying to get used to the idea that I can’t do any of the things that I’m supposed to be doing like sweeping, moping, dishes, cooking and laundry. I hate relying on others to do my work, but for now I will have to follow doctor’s orders. Please continue to pray for us and thank you for checking on us. I will post an update soon :)
So after the cerclage, I was sent home with instructions of limited activity. Very hard to follow when you have a 6 year old boy at home! I tried to take it easy, no heavy lifting or strenuous activities. Or so I thought. Kaleb had just started T-ball; his first game was February 25th. He has practice on Mondays and games on Wednesdays and Saturdays every week. I of course wanted to be there for every practice and game. The games are very entertaining and lots of fun! You can’t buy that kind of entertainment anywhere!
I also had a birthday coming up (March 1st) and Phillip and I had planned to go shopping on Saturday, February 28th after Kaleb’s game. We had planned to go to the Ellenton Outlets in search of a new Coach purse from the Coach outlet and some cute maternity clothes from the Motherhood outlet. Then we had plans to meet up with his family for pizza night (we have pizza night every Sunday night with his parents) to celebrate my birthday instead of having it on Sunday. Sunday, for my birthday, we had brunch plans at a restaurant on the beach then dinner reservations at the Texas Cattle Company for a steak dinner. I was really looking forward to the steak dinner.
So we went to Kaleb’s game, and then came home to get dressed to head out to the outlet mall. We left at about 11:30 am and stopped at Applebee’s to grab lunch. We got to the outlet mall at around 1:00 pm and I headed straight to the Coach store. I was torn between so many choices; I couldn’t make up my mind. So off we went to another store. We stopped and looked in several stores before we came upon Motherhood. I had so much fun trying on preggo clothes and found a few good pieces to purchase. Then off we went in search of shoes and cleats for Kaleb. We finally found some good buys at the Nike outlet. We got a baseball glove for Phillip, some shoes for Kaleb and a new baseball bag for him and his cousin Chase. Unfortunately, we didn’t find any cleats in Kaleb’s size. As we stood in the checkout line, I felt a warm gush and knew I needed to get to a bathroom and soon. So I left Phillip in line and went to the restroom. I was so scared at what I saw next. There was blood, bright red blood just gushing out. I cleaned up as best as I could then went back to tell Phillip. I called the afterhours to my OB and one of my OB’s called me back right away. He told me to hang up and call 911 and have an ambulance take me to the nearest hospital since we were about 45 minutes away from home. I decided that I really didn’t want to be that far away from my family and my own doctors, so we decided to go ahead and drive back home and go to the emergency room at out hospital so we can be closer to our family and our doctors.
We were on the interstate in no time, and on our way to the hospital (where I will be delivering). We arrived there in half the time it would normally take us to drive. Phillip was speeding down the highway; I could tell he was nervous and scared. Honestly, so was I. I just didn’t want him to see it because I knew it would just make him that much more scared. As soon as we got to the ER, it was about 3:45 pm, I registered at the front desk while Phillip parked the car. I was taken in by the triage nurse and she put all my information in to the system. We were sent to the lobby to wait for an available room. Phillip wheeled me into the lobby (yes, I was sitting in a wheel chair) and we waited. And waited. And waited. Every time I had to go potty, there was still lots of blood, so I tried not to move around or get up much. The on-call Dr. from the OB practice I go to called me several times to check and see how I was and if I had been seen yet, of course I told him I was still bleeding, and no, I have not yet been seen. He was so mad! He told me he was finishing up a few things and that he was close by, but would meet me at the ER. He personally wanted to check me and not have to rely on the ER doctors. Shortly before I was taken back to an exam room, my doctor called me to let me know he had arrived to the ER. It was 7:00 pm when I was finally taken to an exam room. The nurse started an IV immediately after I dressed into a gown. I explained to the nurse that my doctor would be coming to check me personally, but she did not believe me. She told me that’s not how things work in the ER. The ER doctor came in and asked me a few questions, then did an internal exam to check and see if the cerclage was still in place, which it was, thank goodness! As soon as he left the room, my doctor came in and surprised the nurse! He asked her for some supplies, as she went to get them he asked me a few questions. He also mentioned to me that it took him calling the Head Nurse to get them to take me back to an exam room. He explained to me that he would be looking at my cervix through a speculum (a plastic tool used in a pap smear). He walked me through everything he was looking at and how things looked. The cerclage was still intact and there were signs of heavy bleeding, but it appeared that the active bleeding had finally stopped! He removed a couple of blood clots, and yes, they looked gross! I’m not gonna lie, the exam was very painful! I still cringe just thinking of it. He went on to explain that he ordered an ultrasound and that someone should be coming shortly to take me to the u/s room, and he would be back to let me know the results.
My sister Dana arrived to be with us at the exam room and that made me feel a bit better. It didn’t take long for someone to come and take me to the u/s room. Phillip couldn’t go with me because it was the u/s room in the ER, not the u/s room in Labor & Delivery. The technician was very nice. It was such a relief to see ‘Lil Bean moving around on the screen! And I saw ‘Lil Bean’s heart beating away strong! I couldn’t stop thanking God. She look at my ovaries, the placenta, my uterus and the baby to see if she if the bleeding was coming from any of them. Of course, she wouldn’t tell me what she saw. All she said was that my doctor would get a report and tell me. The u/s lasted probably only 10 minutes, but that was all I needed to finally start calming down. I was taken back to the exam room where Phillip and my sister were waiting for me. My doctor came soon enough to tell us what the u/s had revealed. He explained that the bleeding was not coming from anywhere in my uterus (placenta or baby) and that the bleeding was caused by the extensive walking I did that day. All the walking was too much on my cervix and cerclage, and he wanted to admit me for observation in the Labor & Delivery wing of the hospital for a day, maybe two. He wanted to make sure I would go 24 hours without any signs of bleeding before he would discharge me. It was 9:00 pm and our dogs needed to be let out. They have been pinned up since we left for the outlet mall! I sent Phillip home to get some things for me for our stay at the hospital, and to pick up some food. He made it back to the hospital by 10:30 pm, and my sister needed to get home. She left, and we were on our own.
At around 11:00 pm, I was taken to pre-admitting where we waited for our room to be prepared. The IV that I had was empty and I didn’t need another, but they left the hook-up in my arm just in case I needed more later on. I was starving by then. Phillip asked one of the nurses if I could eat and she looked at my chart and said “she sure can”. He walked out to the car to get the food he picked up (I wanted Chinese) and we finally ate! Not too long after we ate, we were taken up to our room. It was 11:57 pm when we got there. 3 minutes until my birthday! Phillip walked down to the car again to get all our supplies (toothbrush, tooth paste, contact lenses holder, pillows, etc.) and when he came back it was officially my birthday! The nurses all wished me “Happy Birthday”. My nurse came back and explained the dos and don’ts for me to abide by while I was there and what medication I could get, one of which was to help me sleep. After my vitals were taken and I brushed my teeth, I asked for the Ambien so I could sleep. Shortly after that, I was out until the tech came in to take my vitals again. I slept good ‘til morning with a few interruptions from the nurses and techs. My doctor came in to check me when he was doing his rounds and told us the news that he needed to keep me there for another day, maybe 2, until I stopped bleeding for 24 hours straight. Earlier that morning I had some spotting, and he said that was a risk he was not willing to send us home with. Phillip had to leave to let the dogs out after my sister Dana got there to bring me my birthday breakfast from Cracker Barrel. I wanted Chicken Fried Chicken so bad, and she brought me some! When Phillip returned, he had some goodies for me! He got me Pineapple Express to watch while we were there, a card and a BIG bag of peanut M&M’s! My nephew Brandon also came to see me that afternoon and brought me a Snickers Blizzard from Dairy Queen. A few more people came by to visit me. Sadie and Junior, my son’s grandparents came and brought some food. Phillip’s parents, his sister Denise and her son, Chase also came by and brought me a birthday cake! My birthday turned out wonderful! And Phillip even went to get me a prime rib from Jesse’s! It was so good! The same routine took place that night as the previous night. After I was given the Ambien, the nurse came in to try to listen to ‘Lil Bean’s hear rate, but was unsuccessful. She called for backup. Three more nurses came in to help until they finally decided to try with the belly monitor machine, but still was unsuccessful. These nurses tried for almost 2 hours, until finally I could no longer stay up. The Ambien kicked in and I was ready to go to sleep. So they finally left me alone to get some rest, and that I did.
Monday morning when I woke up, it was more of the same. We waited for our doctor to come and check in on me while doing her rounds and she came early, around 8:30 am. She gave us good news that I would get discharged by 1:00 pm if I didn’t show anymore signs of bleeding or spotting but I needed to remain on bed rest with bathroom privileges only until further notice, but most likely for the duration of the pregnancy. The nurse came back in to try to listen to the heartbeat, again unsuccessful. So she called my doctor and asked her if she wanted me to get an u/s before I left, and she of course said yes. So we were taken to the u/s room in the maternity wing and we got a Level II u/s. It was amazing! We got to see our ‘Lil Bean and all of baby’s body. We got to hear a strong heartbeat, see all parts of the legs, arms, head, brain, kidneys, all 4 chambers of the heart and much more! We were told our ‘Lil Bean is perfect measuring 6.5 inches and weighing approximately 4 ounces! Measuring a bit big for the gestational age, but considering that my 6 year old son was born 9 lbs 3 ozs, it’s ok. We got to take home a few profile pictures. It was still too early to find out the sex mainly because the baby had legs crossed the whole time. But we go for an anatomy u/s on March 25th, so it’s ok, hopefully we will find out then.
I was finally discharged and allowed to go home, which was a huge relief. There’s no place like home! I was so happy to be able to sleep in our bed and it felt so good! I pretty much stayed upstairs in our room lying in bed until Phillip came home from work. Tuesday was more of the same. On Wednesday, I had a follow-up appointment with my OB, which went very well. No more bleeding, but will remain on bed rest until my next appointment on the 25th then they will re-evaluate, but most likely I will stay on limited activity until ‘Lil Bean is born.
Now I’m just taking it a day at a time trying to get used to the idea that I can’t do any of the things that I’m supposed to be doing like sweeping, moping, dishes, cooking and laundry. I hate relying on others to do my work, but for now I will have to follow doctor’s orders. Please continue to pray for us and thank you for checking on us. I will post an update soon :)
Friday, February 20, 2009
My cerclage was a success!
I finally made it home yesterday from the hospital at 5:15 PM. My cerclage was successful! I went in yesterday at 9:00 AM and the nurse started my IV. I was placed in a Labor/Delivery Room, a room that I will be using when I have 'Lil Bean. It was a very nice room, and it was huge. I had to have 2 bags of fluids in me before my surgery, which was scheduled for 11:00 AM. Phillip got to stay with me in the room the whole time. We watched TV to kill time and solved a crossword puzzle. 11:00 AM rolled around, and my nurse came in and told me that my OB was stuck in a surgery downstairs, and she would come up immediately afterwards already gloved up. She came back in to take me to the operating room at 11:30. We get to the OR and I was sitting on the operating table for the anesthesiologist to administer my spinal. She numbed my back and administers the spinal; I felt my legs get really warm and losing sensation. I was laid on the table so they could get me prepped and ready for my OB to get there. I was also advised that I would be able to feel them working on me, but it shouldn't hurt. I told them I kind of knew what to expect, as I had this procedure done 6 years ago during my pregnancy with my son, Kaleb.
My OB finally got there at 11:45, and went over with me briefly the procedure she was about to do. She started the procedure immediately after. I felt her working on me, and then I started to wince and squirm. She asked me what was wrong; I told her that it hurt, whatever it was she was doing. She spoke to the anesthesiologist and told her that I wasn't supposed to feel any pain, and then the pain got worse. At this point, I was in tears. Tears streamed down my face as I tried to endure the pain. The anesthesiologist said that it must be that specific lot of anesthesia; she used it twice before and it never worked 100% like it should. They finally agreed to give me additional anesthesia through my IV, which would make me sleepy. I agreed, and it was administered. I remember the nurse turning on the suction and watching the suction catcher gather blood (it looked like a lot), and that's all I remember. Next thing I know, I was being wheeled back to my room where Phillip greeted me with a kiss on my forehead, and the nurse telling me that the cerclage was in place and that all went well. I looked at the time, and it was 12:30, The Young and the Restless was starting. I fought sleep to stay up and watch my favorite soap opera. When it ended at 1:30, I was starting to itch from the anesthesia. I asked my nurse if I could get something for it, she came back a few minutes later and gave me a shot of Benadryl through my IV. It made me sleepy. Phill and I took a nap. I woke up because Phillip was snoring badly! I was cramping and I called for the nurse. She said that cramping could be expected, but my OB said that if I wanted to, I could take Vicodin. I decided to take the Vicodin, because the cramping was very bad. I felt a lot better afterwards.
The nurse advised us that I would not be discharged until I had full control of my legs and was able to get up and go potty. The anesthesia didn't wear off until 4:30, when I was able to get up and go potty on my own. I was discharged and allowed to leave the hospital at 5:00 PM. I was given a prescription on Vicodin to take for the pain and discomfort I was feeling. When we got home, Phillip made sure I was settled in before leaving to get my script filled. He also went to Cracker Barrel to get dinner. I told him I was craving pot roast and he remembered! I enjoyed my dinner!
It was so good to be home and in my own bed, finally! I am still thanking God that everything went well yesterday. I am so glad to have this behind me. It is another milestone we have tackled. With this procedure and the fact that we are now in the second trimester, it decreases the risk of miscarriage dramatically. I will be monitored closely to see how the cerclage is doing. No lifting anything heavier that a gallon of milk from now on, and minimum activity. I am counting down the weeks when I have to get this cerclage removed at 37 weeks. I have an appointment with my OB in a week, and will let everyone know how that goes. Thank you all for checking in on us :)
My OB finally got there at 11:45, and went over with me briefly the procedure she was about to do. She started the procedure immediately after. I felt her working on me, and then I started to wince and squirm. She asked me what was wrong; I told her that it hurt, whatever it was she was doing. She spoke to the anesthesiologist and told her that I wasn't supposed to feel any pain, and then the pain got worse. At this point, I was in tears. Tears streamed down my face as I tried to endure the pain. The anesthesiologist said that it must be that specific lot of anesthesia; she used it twice before and it never worked 100% like it should. They finally agreed to give me additional anesthesia through my IV, which would make me sleepy. I agreed, and it was administered. I remember the nurse turning on the suction and watching the suction catcher gather blood (it looked like a lot), and that's all I remember. Next thing I know, I was being wheeled back to my room where Phillip greeted me with a kiss on my forehead, and the nurse telling me that the cerclage was in place and that all went well. I looked at the time, and it was 12:30, The Young and the Restless was starting. I fought sleep to stay up and watch my favorite soap opera. When it ended at 1:30, I was starting to itch from the anesthesia. I asked my nurse if I could get something for it, she came back a few minutes later and gave me a shot of Benadryl through my IV. It made me sleepy. Phill and I took a nap. I woke up because Phillip was snoring badly! I was cramping and I called for the nurse. She said that cramping could be expected, but my OB said that if I wanted to, I could take Vicodin. I decided to take the Vicodin, because the cramping was very bad. I felt a lot better afterwards.
The nurse advised us that I would not be discharged until I had full control of my legs and was able to get up and go potty. The anesthesia didn't wear off until 4:30, when I was able to get up and go potty on my own. I was discharged and allowed to leave the hospital at 5:00 PM. I was given a prescription on Vicodin to take for the pain and discomfort I was feeling. When we got home, Phillip made sure I was settled in before leaving to get my script filled. He also went to Cracker Barrel to get dinner. I told him I was craving pot roast and he remembered! I enjoyed my dinner!
It was so good to be home and in my own bed, finally! I am still thanking God that everything went well yesterday. I am so glad to have this behind me. It is another milestone we have tackled. With this procedure and the fact that we are now in the second trimester, it decreases the risk of miscarriage dramatically. I will be monitored closely to see how the cerclage is doing. No lifting anything heavier that a gallon of milk from now on, and minimum activity. I am counting down the weeks when I have to get this cerclage removed at 37 weeks. I have an appointment with my OB in a week, and will let everyone know how that goes. Thank you all for checking in on us :)
Sunday, February 15, 2009
My cerclage is finally scheduled!
Becky from my OB office called on Friday to inform me that my cervical cerclage has been scheduled for Thursday, February 19th at 11:00 AM at Brandon Regional Hospital. I am to arrive at 9:00 AM and I have a pre-op scheduled for Wednesday, February 13th at 11:00 AM. I am so relieved that this procedure is finally scheduled. It's one more thing I can scratch off my list of worries. I entered my 2nd trimester on February 10th, and I am so happy. The risk of having a m/c has dropped, and will continue to drop once this procedure is done. I forgot to ask her, however, if I need to fast for this procedure. I guess I will ask someone on Wednesday when I go for the pre-op. It is an out-patient procedure, so I will be home later that day if everything goes well. Please say a prayer for me :) Thanks!
One more thing, we finally told Phillip's family. We were supposed to have dinner with his parents after we went in for the NT, but I was sooo sick I couldn't even get out of bed. So we went to dinner on Wednesday instead (I was still very sick). He told them that we went and had pictures done and asked them if they wanted to see them (he didn't mention what type of pictures), and of course they said yes. So I pulled the U/S pics out of my purse and let them see them. They were very happy and congratulated us. We had a lovely dinner. I also called my family in Virginia and shared our news with them, and they too, were so very happy. We also started to tell friends and so far, everyone seems to be happy.
When I went in for my appointment on the 6th, I saw a different Dr. at the office I go to (they have 4 OB's) and she said that they are still waiting for the results of the blood work for the the Sequential 1 testing, but looking at the measurements of the fluid in the back of 'Lil Bean's neck, it doesn't appear to show any signs of DS or any other NTD's, and for that I am praising God! So far, this pregnancy is progressing great. I am praying that it continuess that way.
One more thing, we finally told Phillip's family. We were supposed to have dinner with his parents after we went in for the NT, but I was sooo sick I couldn't even get out of bed. So we went to dinner on Wednesday instead (I was still very sick). He told them that we went and had pictures done and asked them if they wanted to see them (he didn't mention what type of pictures), and of course they said yes. So I pulled the U/S pics out of my purse and let them see them. They were very happy and congratulated us. We had a lovely dinner. I also called my family in Virginia and shared our news with them, and they too, were so very happy. We also started to tell friends and so far, everyone seems to be happy.
When I went in for my appointment on the 6th, I saw a different Dr. at the office I go to (they have 4 OB's) and she said that they are still waiting for the results of the blood work for the the Sequential 1 testing, but looking at the measurements of the fluid in the back of 'Lil Bean's neck, it doesn't appear to show any signs of DS or any other NTD's, and for that I am praising God! So far, this pregnancy is progressing great. I am praying that it continuess that way.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Nuchal Translucency Test
Today, I am 12w1d pregnant. I am looking forward to welcoming the 2nd trimester on 2/11/09, I can hardly wait! I went in for my nuchal translucency u/s on Tuesday, 2/3/09. DF took the day off work and was able to go to the appointment with me. We got to hear our 'Lil Bean's heartbeat (3rd time for me, 1st for him) and it was strong at 182 bpm. We also got to see our baby swimming around in my belly! 'Lil Bean was very active! The technician didn't tell us the results because I also had to have some blood drawn for this test, too, but I was able to see the measurement of the fluid under the skin at the back of our baby's neck, and it was 1.2mm, which is in very good range and at a low risk for DS, praise God! The technician did not tell us this, I know this from doing some online research in my spare time. We also got 3 more pics to take home, and we have been looking at them non-stop since! We will not get the results back from the Ob office for another week or 2, as they are waiting for the results of the blood work from the lab to come back. I am eager to get the results back so I can relax.
Last night DF and I went to dinner with his parents and decided to tell them that they will be grandparents! DF told them that we went to get pictures done yesterday, then asked them if they wanted to see them. Of course, they said yes. They had no idea what he meant was pictures of their grandbaby! They were surprised and happy! And I'm glad now that we are not keeping this secret anymore, as it was getting too hard to keep up!
I go for another u/s tomorrow, 2/6/09, to get measurements of my cervix and to schedule my cerclage. I'm hoping that it gets scheduled for sometime next week. That will be a big weight lifted off my shoulders. Then I can finally breath!
Please continue to pray for a happy and healthy pregnancy for us, and for a healthy baby to take home. Thank you all!
Last night DF and I went to dinner with his parents and decided to tell them that they will be grandparents! DF told them that we went to get pictures done yesterday, then asked them if they wanted to see them. Of course, they said yes. They had no idea what he meant was pictures of their grandbaby! They were surprised and happy! And I'm glad now that we are not keeping this secret anymore, as it was getting too hard to keep up!
I go for another u/s tomorrow, 2/6/09, to get measurements of my cervix and to schedule my cerclage. I'm hoping that it gets scheduled for sometime next week. That will be a big weight lifted off my shoulders. Then I can finally breath!
Please continue to pray for a happy and healthy pregnancy for us, and for a healthy baby to take home. Thank you all!
Friday, January 23, 2009
2nd OB Appointment
I went to my 2nd OB appointment today at 8:45 AM , and I have to admit I was scared. It started out with the usual... getting my weight (I already gained 2 pounds, but the nurse said that was really good), my BP which was 94/62 and also very good, urine sample which showed a normal increase in HCG level; so far, so good. Then I was placed in a room for my Dr. to do an abdonimal exam. She came in, we talked for a bit about my concerns. I asked her about the pap smear that came back showing abnormal cells and she explained that it was a low grade level of dysplasia and that they are recommending a colposcopy to rule out signs of carvical cancer. She explained that it was just precautionary, and no need to worry. She also said that in most cases during pregnancy, these things cure themselves because of the immune system being reved up. I also asked about the time frame for that to be done and they are still thinking after I reach 20 weeks would be best. We then went on to talk about when to schedule my cerclage. She wanted me to come back in 2 weeks to do a sono to measure my cervix and to schedule my cerclage. As it stands right now, I have a sono scheduled on 2/3/09 for the NT and AFP test then I come back for another sono to measure my cervix on 2/6/09 and to schedule my cerclage. Then she went on to listen to 'Lil Bean's heartbeat with the dopplar...... NOTHING! I freaked out! She explained to me that sometimes it can be hard to detect the heartbeat before week 12. So to make sure everything was still going good, she made an appointment for me to get a sono done at another facility because their sonographer was out. I left my OB office at 10:00 AM with a script for a trans-vaginal ultrasound in hand. My sono appointment was scheduled for 11:45 AM.
I arrived at the facility at 11:30 AM, filled out some paper work and was taken back to the ultrasound room within 15 minutes. The sonographer asked me a few questions, then the ultrasound started. I told her the reason I was sent there, and my concerns. She immediately found 'Lil Bean's heartbeat and told me it was very strong at 170 BPM. She took many more pictures of my uterus, ovaries, the gestaional sac and of the baby. I asked her if she could tell me if my cervix was showing any signs of shortening, so she showed me and told me no, it was fine. She then turned the screen towards me so I could see it and there was 'Lil Bean, swimming around without a care in the world! It was the most reassuring image I have seen! I saw Bean's arms and legs which were constantly moving around, the spinal cord, the heart, the belly and the head! My 'Lil Bean looked so perfect! She also told me the same thing my Dr. told me earlier, sometimes the heartbeat can't be heard before the 12th week. She said that the baby was measuring 9w4d and the sac was measuring 10 weeks, but was completwely normal. She explained that the measurements can be off from what it should be based on my LMP, but give or take a week was still considered normal. She was kind enough to print 2 pictures for me to take home, and I have been looking at them non-stop since. My baby looks so precious! I am so thankful that everything is going great. Praise God!
Now that I am reassured that all is well, for now I just have to wait til my next appointment.
I arrived at the facility at 11:30 AM, filled out some paper work and was taken back to the ultrasound room within 15 minutes. The sonographer asked me a few questions, then the ultrasound started. I told her the reason I was sent there, and my concerns. She immediately found 'Lil Bean's heartbeat and told me it was very strong at 170 BPM. She took many more pictures of my uterus, ovaries, the gestaional sac and of the baby. I asked her if she could tell me if my cervix was showing any signs of shortening, so she showed me and told me no, it was fine. She then turned the screen towards me so I could see it and there was 'Lil Bean, swimming around without a care in the world! It was the most reassuring image I have seen! I saw Bean's arms and legs which were constantly moving around, the spinal cord, the heart, the belly and the head! My 'Lil Bean looked so perfect! She also told me the same thing my Dr. told me earlier, sometimes the heartbeat can't be heard before the 12th week. She said that the baby was measuring 9w4d and the sac was measuring 10 weeks, but was completwely normal. She explained that the measurements can be off from what it should be based on my LMP, but give or take a week was still considered normal. She was kind enough to print 2 pictures for me to take home, and I have been looking at them non-stop since. My baby looks so precious! I am so thankful that everything is going great. Praise God!
Now that I am reassured that all is well, for now I just have to wait til my next appointment.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Colposcopy update
Melissa, a nurse from my OB office, called me yesterday to update me on my colpo procedure. She spoke to the Dr's. (there are 4 Dr's. at the practice I go to) and they all agreed that it would be in my best interest to have this procedure done after 20 weeks to reduce furthur complications. That would give my cervix enough time to heal after the cerclage. A colposcopy is a biopsy. They will actually have to cut a piece of my cervix off to send for analysis. It is just precautionary. I have had abnormal cells show up in previous pap smears, but nothing was ever done about it. This procedure MUST be done to rule out cervical cancer. In most cases, I'm told, is that there is a cyst on the cervix, most times benign, and they will have to go and freeze it off. Both colpo and freezing are out-patient procedures and can be preformed at my OB office. The cervical cerclage, on the other hand, is an out-patient surgery procedure and must be done at a hospital.
I am praying that this is not cancer, that it's just some fluke thing or a cyst, even. I have a long history of cancer in my family (mainly my paternal side) but never cervical cancer.
So I guess for now I will wait until 20 weeks to schedule my colpo and TRY not to worry until I know for sure there is something to worry about.
I am praying that this is not cancer, that it's just some fluke thing or a cyst, even. I have a long history of cancer in my family (mainly my paternal side) but never cervical cancer.
So I guess for now I will wait until 20 weeks to schedule my colpo and TRY not to worry until I know for sure there is something to worry about.
I got a brand new wardrobe, and then some!
I was very blessed yesterday to have a friend of my sister Dana sell me ALL her spring/summer maternity clothes (Motherhood, Gap, Old Navy, Liz Lange and Duo brands) for $100.00! I got 14 pairs of jeans, 4 pairs of pants, 5 capri’s, 5 shorts, 40 shirts (dressy and casual, a few are long-sleeved), 3 sweaters, 2 new nursing bras, 2 belly bands and a maternity tankini bathing suit. Before my m/c, I started buying some maternity clothes before quickly realizing that they just cost too much. So on top of all the clothes I bought yesterday, I have another 5 pairs of jeans, 3 capri’s, 5 shorts, 10 shirts and 8 dresses. Hopefully, I won’t have to buy anymore clothes for the next 31 weeks, just a few more bras, nursing bras and underwear. I also bought a Fetal Doppler on e-bay yesterday for $80.00; that should be arriving sometime this week.
We were also so very blessed when my DF’s sister, Dana, (yes, we both have sisters named Dana!) gave us a brand new set of baby furniture before the m/c. She was given this by a friend when she was preggo, but she also received furniture from their other sister, Denise, for her shower. She didn’t want to hurt Denise’s feelings, so she used the furniture she got from her instead of what her friend gave her. In turn, she gave it to us when she found out we were expecting last time.
Now we can focus on buying things that we can before finding out our ‘Lil Bean’s sex like a rocking chair, air purifier, humidifier, boppy pillow, bottles, bath tub, toys, diapers, etc. We will buy the other things like the stroller, car seat, swing, bouncy seat, room and crib décor, clothes, etc. when we find out the sex of our baby. If Bean is a girl, I want to buy them in pink and if Bean is a boy, I want to buy them in blue or green.
I’m so very thankful that things are coming together so well for our ‘Lil Bean. Praise God!
We were also so very blessed when my DF’s sister, Dana, (yes, we both have sisters named Dana!) gave us a brand new set of baby furniture before the m/c. She was given this by a friend when she was preggo, but she also received furniture from their other sister, Denise, for her shower. She didn’t want to hurt Denise’s feelings, so she used the furniture she got from her instead of what her friend gave her. In turn, she gave it to us when she found out we were expecting last time.
Now we can focus on buying things that we can before finding out our ‘Lil Bean’s sex like a rocking chair, air purifier, humidifier, boppy pillow, bottles, bath tub, toys, diapers, etc. We will buy the other things like the stroller, car seat, swing, bouncy seat, room and crib décor, clothes, etc. when we find out the sex of our baby. If Bean is a girl, I want to buy them in pink and if Bean is a boy, I want to buy them in blue or green.
I’m so very thankful that things are coming together so well for our ‘Lil Bean. Praise God!
My Pregnancy, so far...
So today marks the end of week 9 for me. Tomorrow I will start to embark on week 10 of my 40 week journey.
DF and I are expecting our first child together on 8/19/09. We are very excited! We suffered a m/c on 8/14/08, but wasted no time to TTC after getting the green light from my OB. We are very blessed to be successful.
We went to Va. to spend Thanksgiving with my family and we both had a very relaxing, good time. When we got back home, we went back to our normal routine. I was supposed to get AF on 12/10/08 but it never came. I didn’t want to get too excited. Matter of fact, I waited to test until Monday, 12/15/08, and there she was, a positive test! I immediately sent DF a text telling him our good news! He was so excited, as was I. We talked when he got home, and decided that we would wait to tell our families until after the 1st trimester (which is 2/4/09) because of what happened last time. I did tell a few friends though. But when my sister saw me, she said I looked like I was glowing and asked me if I was preggo! I ended up telling her, too, and she is happy for us. I called my OB office to set up an appt and was able to get in on 12/26/08. DF had to work so was unable to go with me. Nothing exciting happened anyways. We just talked about what our plan would be. I will be having another c-section ( I had one 6 yrs ago when I had Kaleb, my son) and I even get to choose the day ‘Lil Bean is born up to 2 weeks early if labor hasn’t started on it’s own, and will have to have a cervical cerclage between 12 and 14 weeks (I was diagnosed with incompetent cervix during my pregnancy with Kaleb). My OB wanted to make sure all was well since what happened last time, so she made an appt. for me to get a sono done somewhere else because they were just so busy and due to the holidays. I had the sono done on 12/28/08. I was able to see my ‘Lil Bean and the heartbeat but it wasn’t audible because it was still so early on. The sonographer said that my OB would call me after she got the results from her. I got that call on 1/13/09, everything was going good but I was put on pelvic rest because my cervix was already showing signs of shortening. That means NO SEXY TIME WITH DF ANYMORE!!! He was totally ok with it though. We knew it was coming, just didn’t anticipate it until after the cerclage. But better safe than sorry!
I got another call from my OB office on 1/15/09, informing me that the results from my pap smear done on my first visit came back showing some abnormal cells. She advised me that I need to have a colposcopy done to rule out cervical cancer. I reminded her of my incompetent cervix, and she agreed that it would be best if the colposcopy is done along with my cervical cerclage to prevent further damaging my already fragile cervix.
I have my next OB appt on 1/28/09. I’m hoping and praying that I get to hear my ‘Lil Bean’s heartbeat (fingers crossed)! While I’m there, I will go ahead and schedule the cerclage and colpo (to be done somewhere between 2/4/09 and 2/14/09). Then I have a follow-up sono on 2/3/09 and an AFP test and blood work to make sure nothing is wrong.
Now I wait until my next OB visit.
DF and I are expecting our first child together on 8/19/09. We are very excited! We suffered a m/c on 8/14/08, but wasted no time to TTC after getting the green light from my OB. We are very blessed to be successful.
We went to Va. to spend Thanksgiving with my family and we both had a very relaxing, good time. When we got back home, we went back to our normal routine. I was supposed to get AF on 12/10/08 but it never came. I didn’t want to get too excited. Matter of fact, I waited to test until Monday, 12/15/08, and there she was, a positive test! I immediately sent DF a text telling him our good news! He was so excited, as was I. We talked when he got home, and decided that we would wait to tell our families until after the 1st trimester (which is 2/4/09) because of what happened last time. I did tell a few friends though. But when my sister saw me, she said I looked like I was glowing and asked me if I was preggo! I ended up telling her, too, and she is happy for us. I called my OB office to set up an appt and was able to get in on 12/26/08. DF had to work so was unable to go with me. Nothing exciting happened anyways. We just talked about what our plan would be. I will be having another c-section ( I had one 6 yrs ago when I had Kaleb, my son) and I even get to choose the day ‘Lil Bean is born up to 2 weeks early if labor hasn’t started on it’s own, and will have to have a cervical cerclage between 12 and 14 weeks (I was diagnosed with incompetent cervix during my pregnancy with Kaleb). My OB wanted to make sure all was well since what happened last time, so she made an appt. for me to get a sono done somewhere else because they were just so busy and due to the holidays. I had the sono done on 12/28/08. I was able to see my ‘Lil Bean and the heartbeat but it wasn’t audible because it was still so early on. The sonographer said that my OB would call me after she got the results from her. I got that call on 1/13/09, everything was going good but I was put on pelvic rest because my cervix was already showing signs of shortening. That means NO SEXY TIME WITH DF ANYMORE!!! He was totally ok with it though. We knew it was coming, just didn’t anticipate it until after the cerclage. But better safe than sorry!
I got another call from my OB office on 1/15/09, informing me that the results from my pap smear done on my first visit came back showing some abnormal cells. She advised me that I need to have a colposcopy done to rule out cervical cancer. I reminded her of my incompetent cervix, and she agreed that it would be best if the colposcopy is done along with my cervical cerclage to prevent further damaging my already fragile cervix.
I have my next OB appt on 1/28/09. I’m hoping and praying that I get to hear my ‘Lil Bean’s heartbeat (fingers crossed)! While I’m there, I will go ahead and schedule the cerclage and colpo (to be done somewhere between 2/4/09 and 2/14/09). Then I have a follow-up sono on 2/3/09 and an AFP test and blood work to make sure nothing is wrong.
Now I wait until my next OB visit.
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