I'm going to be doing a lot of bragging in this post so be warned... I can't help it though:)
First of all... my recovery from my c-section has been awesome. I was off all pain meds as of the day after the surgery and I haven't needed anything since. I didn't even have a prescription written for the meds when I was sent home from the hospital since I was feeling that good, which shocked the nurses at the hospital. Thankfully, I haven't regretted that decision. The incision has healed so nicely and while I'll have a scar there, its a bikini line incision and it's not like anyone will see it. It was never gross or oozy or anything like that either which was nice. The staples were kind of off putting but they were removed 2 days after leaving the hospital and even that wasn't painful. Some days were worse than other pain wise but usually that was because I was pushing myself too much. I'd say that by 2 weeks out almost all pain was gone. Also, the bleeding has mostly stopped as well. I was not looking forward to weeks and weeks of heavy bleeding but as of a week ago I'm down to just a liner (sorry for the TMI). All in all, I've had an awesome c-section recovery experience.
Secondly, I'm down to my pre-pregnancy weight already! I lost about 10 lbs when I went to have my staples removed which was highly discouraging. However, by that weekend and 2 weeks post delivery, I had lost all 35lbs I'd gained during my pregnancy. I know a ton of it was water weight but it still feels amazing to have that all gone. I've never been so happy to see the veins in my feet before! Because I've lost all the weight, I fit into my pre-pregnancy jeans too! They're still a little snug initially and the fit a little differently than before (thanks to my jello tummy:P) but they fit! My shirts are a different story. For the most part I'm too self-conscious about how tight fitting my shirts seem to be at the moment but I have a few that fit. Most of my maternity clothes are way too big and even the "small" jeans fall off me so I'm kind of in an awkward stage clothes wise. I'm hoping I'll continue to lose some weight since I had gained a good 15lbs during all the treatment cycles. I'd love to lose at least that 15 but I'm happy with how I look now. It's amazing what a giant pregnant belly can do to put your weight/size into perspective. I hated how I looked before I got pregnant but now I'm like "whoa, so skinny!:P So that's one big hurray for me! And completely unexpected. I had a plan and timeline of when to start back with weight watchers and exercise (both of which I still might do- definitely the exercise though). I thought it would take a good year to lose all the weight.
Lastly, my baby is AMAZING. She seriously is the easiest, most content baby ever. I'm praying that by writing all this down I don't jinx myself but she is wonderful. I'm sure that a lot of it has to do with her size. I was kind of sad that I wouldn't have a "tiny" (7lbish) baby to take care of, especially when her newborn clothes didn't fit because of her size at birth but now I wouldn't have it any other way. Breastfeeding has gone extremely well. It took a good 2 weeks for us to figure it out together and for it to not hurt or not cause bleeding/cracked nipples but now it rarely hurts and when it does its because she's my "little barracuda" and she latches and unlatches all the time. She was back up to her birth weight and surpassed it by .5oz at her pediatrician appt at 1 week old. Needless to say, all my fears about having no supply or her not latching well or whatever have been erased. Thank you lord!
She sleeps for long stretches at night and has even slept through the night once already! She is by no means on any type of schedule but I'm usually only up to feed her once or twice a night (usually around 1a and 4a). For the most part she eats and falls right back to sleep too. Some nights I"m up longer than others with feeding her but usually it's around 45 minutes total, which includes a diaper change. For a few days she was up from 1-3am which was hard but it's nothing compared to what other mothers face with feedings every 2 hours or more. Again, I'm sure it's due to her size and I'm thankful that the pediatrician told me NOT to wake her up to feed. She's obviously gaining weight appropriately so she told me that it wasn't necessary and to sleep when she sleeps! So yay for not being sleep deprived most days.
She is SO content and so alert! Many days she'll spend hours awake and she is just content to look around and kick and flail her arms. She's fine if I put her in her bouncer (most of the time) and she loves when I just lay her on her back in bed or on her changing table to look around and kick away. She smiles and has the biggest blue eyes:) She cries when she needs something or doesn't like the position that she's in but she's easily consolable. It's also so nice to have a baby that doesn't have to be held 24/7. Many days that's all I want to do but to be able to take a shower and not have to rush through it is awesome, to eat breakfast/lunch and dinner with out a baby in my arms is completely unexpected and just to have her content being next to me and not on me is great:) She doesn't cry during diaper changes (in fact I think she enjoys them because she calms down when she's crying and I lay her down to change her diaper). She loves the bath. She only cries if she gets too cold, otherwise she's just looking around and enjoying it:) Another thing that is so nice about her is that I can put her down awake and she'll lay there content until she falls asleep (98% of the time). I feel bad doing that sometimes because she'll lay there for a good 20 minutes before dozing off but it's awesome not to have to rock her to sleep and worry that the second I put her down she'll wake up and start crying. Usually if I put her down asleep (like right after I feed her) she'll wake up within about 5 minutes. She'll look around and make some noises... and usually try to break out of her swaddle... but she'll fall asleep on her own and without me having to hold her again or rock her anymore. Again, I feel bad sometimes but I don't want to create that habit so I just go with it for now.
She is adorable! I know every mother thinks their kid is the cutest in the world and I'm no different but she is just so cute and has the most adorable facial expressions. She already has a "classic Piper" look (hard to explain) but I could just stare at her all day.
I LOVE being a mother and it was absolutely worth the 2ish years of trying, every single shot, pill, follie check and every single month of pain and disappointment. I'm so in love with this girl and it is amazing how much my world has changed having her in it.
Monday, November 21, 2011
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Piper is here!
Piper Anne was born Saturday, October 29, 2011 at 5:23am. She weighed 9lbs4.5oz and was 21 inches long. I can’t believe she’s almost 2 weeks old!
I was scheduled to be induced at 12:15am Friday Oct 28th but the hospital called me late the night before and said not to come in then because they didn't have a room for me and they'd call when something opened up. Needless to say, that was one sleepless night. After calling to check on the status and getting a very firm "don't call us, we'll call you" type answer we got the phone call to come in at 8:45a Friday morning. We arrived at the hospital around 10 and the pitocin was started around 11am. For the hour I was hooked up to the monitor before the pitocin even started I was contracting every 2-4 minutes. Once the pitocin started things slowly got more painful but nothing unbearable. I labored from 11a until the doctor finally came to see me around 5:30pm. She said I was only 3 cm dilated (I walked in at 2 cm dilated). I was so disheartened. The pain was pretty bad at that point and I definitely thought I would have been further along. The OB broke my water when she checked me and there was clear fluid. Immediately after breaking my water the contractions got so intense. I knew I'd end up getting an epidural when they checked me because I couldn't imagine the pain at 9cm based on what I was feeling at 3cm. Because the pain got that much worse, that fast I got the epidural. That was a traumatic experience in itself. I was shaking uncontrollably and so uncomfortable. I just cried and cried through the entire thing and it definitely still hurt! It started working right away on my left side but I could still feel the contractions on the right. After changing positions a few times and waiting long enough for it to "kick in" the anest. decided to just re-do it. The second time was a lot less painful (since I was already numb) but my heartrate dropped dramatically and I almost passed out. They had to give me a shot of epiniphrine (adrenaline) to keep me from doing so. I didn't know that at the time and didn't realize how low my heartrate got. But, I got better immediately and the second time it worked! No more pain:)
I labored for what seemed like forever and each time I progressed faster than the doctors thought I would. I got to 9cm around 11pm that night. That’s when the epidural started to wear off and I got to experience back labor. Yeowsers! Thankfully we caught the anest. just in time to bump up the meds and I was blissfully pain free yet again:) When I got to 10cm they had me labor down for a few hours because she was still at -1 station. I basically sat vertically in bed from midnight until 3am. During that time Piper kept having heart decels which were concerning them. I was given an oxygen mask and we tried changing positions to see if that helped. Knowing now that it likely didn't, they just didn't tell me that. At 3am the doctor and nurse got me to start pushing. I was SO numb that I couldn't move my legs or feel the urge to push. With help I pushed and pushed for 1.5 hours. The whole time they kept a close eye on Piper's heart decels which hadn't seemed to let up. At that point she still had barely come down and during one of the pushes more fluid leaked out and showed that there was meconium in the fluid. Pretty quickly after that the doctors rushed in to discuss having a c-section. I didn't think it but DH told me that they were moving VERY quickly to get me into surgery. They had me in the room and her out within 15 minutes of determining I needed a c-section. Silly me just thought they were being efficient;)
The c-section was also not a fun experience. Throughout labor I would shake uncontrollably and it as no different during the c-section. I spent the majority of the time trying not to shake off the table and barely realized what was happening. I could still feel a tiny bit of what they were doing so I was given some other medicine that made me completely out of it. I heard her cry when she was delivered and DH followed her to get cleaned up. I felt so alone when they stitched me up. I wanted DH with Piper but it was such a weird experience. They finally brought Piper to me so I could see her and kiss her. Once they finally rolled me out into recovery I could hear them working on her (getting her vitals and stuff like that) and DH was taking pictures and trying to talk to me. I was so out of it I barely even looked at her. She as apparently rooting and sucking a ton and I just remember thinking "all I want to do is feed my baby girl but I can't stop shaking!" It was awful:(
We were in recovery for about an hour before getting sent up to the mother/baby unit. That's where I finally saw her clearly and got to hold her. Unfortunately in whatever position I was in, she was just too heavy for me to hold having just had surgery so I had to put her back down:( I don't really remember all the other details but I did get in a good enough position to hold her and the meds wore off shortly after so I could enjoy my time with her.
We spent 4 days at the hospital, had tons of visitors while there and finally got to go home Tuesday afternoon. The rest of the week has been filled with more visitors and trying to return to an altered version of "normal". Piper is amazing. My milk came in on day 2 and she's eating like a champ. She's so content when she isn't trying to eat (then she's a ravenous beast:P). Shes also pretty alert and I love the time of day when she's wide awake and completely content just looking around and enjoying the sights:)
I was scheduled to be induced at 12:15am Friday Oct 28th but the hospital called me late the night before and said not to come in then because they didn't have a room for me and they'd call when something opened up. Needless to say, that was one sleepless night. After calling to check on the status and getting a very firm "don't call us, we'll call you" type answer we got the phone call to come in at 8:45a Friday morning. We arrived at the hospital around 10 and the pitocin was started around 11am. For the hour I was hooked up to the monitor before the pitocin even started I was contracting every 2-4 minutes. Once the pitocin started things slowly got more painful but nothing unbearable. I labored from 11a until the doctor finally came to see me around 5:30pm. She said I was only 3 cm dilated (I walked in at 2 cm dilated). I was so disheartened. The pain was pretty bad at that point and I definitely thought I would have been further along. The OB broke my water when she checked me and there was clear fluid. Immediately after breaking my water the contractions got so intense. I knew I'd end up getting an epidural when they checked me because I couldn't imagine the pain at 9cm based on what I was feeling at 3cm. Because the pain got that much worse, that fast I got the epidural. That was a traumatic experience in itself. I was shaking uncontrollably and so uncomfortable. I just cried and cried through the entire thing and it definitely still hurt! It started working right away on my left side but I could still feel the contractions on the right. After changing positions a few times and waiting long enough for it to "kick in" the anest. decided to just re-do it. The second time was a lot less painful (since I was already numb) but my heartrate dropped dramatically and I almost passed out. They had to give me a shot of epiniphrine (adrenaline) to keep me from doing so. I didn't know that at the time and didn't realize how low my heartrate got. But, I got better immediately and the second time it worked! No more pain:)
I labored for what seemed like forever and each time I progressed faster than the doctors thought I would. I got to 9cm around 11pm that night. That’s when the epidural started to wear off and I got to experience back labor. Yeowsers! Thankfully we caught the anest. just in time to bump up the meds and I was blissfully pain free yet again:) When I got to 10cm they had me labor down for a few hours because she was still at -1 station. I basically sat vertically in bed from midnight until 3am. During that time Piper kept having heart decels which were concerning them. I was given an oxygen mask and we tried changing positions to see if that helped. Knowing now that it likely didn't, they just didn't tell me that. At 3am the doctor and nurse got me to start pushing. I was SO numb that I couldn't move my legs or feel the urge to push. With help I pushed and pushed for 1.5 hours. The whole time they kept a close eye on Piper's heart decels which hadn't seemed to let up. At that point she still had barely come down and during one of the pushes more fluid leaked out and showed that there was meconium in the fluid. Pretty quickly after that the doctors rushed in to discuss having a c-section. I didn't think it but DH told me that they were moving VERY quickly to get me into surgery. They had me in the room and her out within 15 minutes of determining I needed a c-section. Silly me just thought they were being efficient;)
The c-section was also not a fun experience. Throughout labor I would shake uncontrollably and it as no different during the c-section. I spent the majority of the time trying not to shake off the table and barely realized what was happening. I could still feel a tiny bit of what they were doing so I was given some other medicine that made me completely out of it. I heard her cry when she was delivered and DH followed her to get cleaned up. I felt so alone when they stitched me up. I wanted DH with Piper but it was such a weird experience. They finally brought Piper to me so I could see her and kiss her. Once they finally rolled me out into recovery I could hear them working on her (getting her vitals and stuff like that) and DH was taking pictures and trying to talk to me. I was so out of it I barely even looked at her. She as apparently rooting and sucking a ton and I just remember thinking "all I want to do is feed my baby girl but I can't stop shaking!" It was awful:(
We were in recovery for about an hour before getting sent up to the mother/baby unit. That's where I finally saw her clearly and got to hold her. Unfortunately in whatever position I was in, she was just too heavy for me to hold having just had surgery so I had to put her back down:( I don't really remember all the other details but I did get in a good enough position to hold her and the meds wore off shortly after so I could enjoy my time with her.
We spent 4 days at the hospital, had tons of visitors while there and finally got to go home Tuesday afternoon. The rest of the week has been filled with more visitors and trying to return to an altered version of "normal". Piper is amazing. My milk came in on day 2 and she's eating like a champ. She's so content when she isn't trying to eat (then she's a ravenous beast:P). Shes also pretty alert and I love the time of day when she's wide awake and completely content just looking around and enjoying the sights:)
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
2nd Growth scan update
I had my 2nd growth scan yesterday. I was a little nervous that Piper was going to be enormous but all signs (relevant or not) pointed to her being a normal size. For one, I'm still measuring exactly what week I am each week the OB measures my belly. Also, I haven't gained any weight in the past 2 weeks. Third, I've been able to keep my blood sugar levels in check and only go over when I push it or don't pay attention to the amount of carbs I'm eating. Piper has also passed every NST and BPP she's had so far:)
So, I went in yesterday praying she wasn't enormous but more curious of how big she'd be based on everything I've mentioned so far. Well, Piper is right at the 63rd percentile and is estimated to weigh 6lbs 9oz right now. I think that means she's on track to be right around the high 7, low 8lb mark when she's born. The doctor and nurses assured me yesterday that they are not at all concerned with her size and the plan to induce between 39 and 40 weeks is likely to remain the plan. I have to discuss everything with my OB tomorrow but I was so excited/relieved to hear that!
The growth scan was really cool but the tech wasn't as good about explaining everything this time. I'm pretty good with figuring out what everything is now but my mom went with me and she had to ask over and over what the tech was measuring. My mom also about lost it when she saw the heart beating and heard the heartbeat at the same time. It was pretty obvious that this was her first grandchild:P
I'm hoping I can schedule the induction with my OB tomorrow but I'm not sure if that will happen. Since it can be sometime between 39 and 40 weeks I'm kind of hoping to schedule it for Thursday, Oct 27th:) I just figure that way people can come visit over the weekend and we'll get home sometime that weekend as long as everything happens without complications. (praying for that!!) We'll see if I get to schedule it and how much say I get in when it is:P More on that later.
As for everything else, we're pretty much ready for her. I had the car seat installed and inspected on Monday. We've gotten everything else we needed before she arrived and her nursery is basically set up and ready for her. The diaper bag is packed (with the exception of a change of clothes), and the hospital bag is packed (with the exception of J's clothes). I've been having a ton of BH contractions. This isn't exactly abnormal for me but they are getting stronger and I've had to time them a few times because of how often I have them. Also, according to the OB last week I'm 1cm dilated! I'm interested to see if that has changed at all since last week since I have been having so many contractions.
Piper is squished in there. We tried to get another cute picture of her during the scan but she's too squished and too big right now for that. I have a bunch to finish up at work but each day lessens the load and I can focus less and less. I know I still have about 3 weeks to go but I'm ready! I'll be 37 weeks on Monday and I want her to cook for as long as possible but I love knowing that its ok for her to come if she decides to come on her own:)
Here's me this past Monday at 36 weeks!
So, I went in yesterday praying she wasn't enormous but more curious of how big she'd be based on everything I've mentioned so far. Well, Piper is right at the 63rd percentile and is estimated to weigh 6lbs 9oz right now. I think that means she's on track to be right around the high 7, low 8lb mark when she's born. The doctor and nurses assured me yesterday that they are not at all concerned with her size and the plan to induce between 39 and 40 weeks is likely to remain the plan. I have to discuss everything with my OB tomorrow but I was so excited/relieved to hear that!
The growth scan was really cool but the tech wasn't as good about explaining everything this time. I'm pretty good with figuring out what everything is now but my mom went with me and she had to ask over and over what the tech was measuring. My mom also about lost it when she saw the heart beating and heard the heartbeat at the same time. It was pretty obvious that this was her first grandchild:P
I'm hoping I can schedule the induction with my OB tomorrow but I'm not sure if that will happen. Since it can be sometime between 39 and 40 weeks I'm kind of hoping to schedule it for Thursday, Oct 27th:) I just figure that way people can come visit over the weekend and we'll get home sometime that weekend as long as everything happens without complications. (praying for that!!) We'll see if I get to schedule it and how much say I get in when it is:P More on that later.
As for everything else, we're pretty much ready for her. I had the car seat installed and inspected on Monday. We've gotten everything else we needed before she arrived and her nursery is basically set up and ready for her. The diaper bag is packed (with the exception of a change of clothes), and the hospital bag is packed (with the exception of J's clothes). I've been having a ton of BH contractions. This isn't exactly abnormal for me but they are getting stronger and I've had to time them a few times because of how often I have them. Also, according to the OB last week I'm 1cm dilated! I'm interested to see if that has changed at all since last week since I have been having so many contractions.
Piper is squished in there. We tried to get another cute picture of her during the scan but she's too squished and too big right now for that. I have a bunch to finish up at work but each day lessens the load and I can focus less and less. I know I still have about 3 weeks to go but I'm ready! I'll be 37 weeks on Monday and I want her to cook for as long as possible but I love knowing that its ok for her to come if she decides to come on her own:)
Here's me this past Monday at 36 weeks!
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
This is gross but...
I think I lost my mucous plug today. No clue if it was all of it or some of it and I'm not even 100% sure thats what it was but it was gross:P I had my first internal exam yesterday and was told I'm 1 cm dilated. Since then I had some brownish tinted discharge that is the same consistency of the normal discharge I've had. This afternoon was a different story when I went to the bathroom. I had no clue what it was and thought maybe it was just a result of the internal (which it still could be). After asking a few people and actually looking up a picture online (I know... I can't believe I did that either), I think that's what it was.
I know that it means nothing when it comes to me actually going into labor but it's crazy that I'm this far along and that I will be having Piper soon! I still need her to keep cooking for at least another 2 weeks but that in itself is crazy. Piper can be born anytime after the next 2 weeks. 2 WEEKS! I think I'll probably be waiting closer to 4 weeks but I know they won't stop me if I go into labor then.
So exciting:) I'm in nesting/crafting mode. I'll post pictures if the project I'm working on turns out but here is my inspiration:
I found it on Pintrest and LOVED it so I decided to make one for Piper's door. I ran into some trouble when making it tonight but I think a trip back to Michael's to get some spray paint will fix the problem and then I can finish it up tomorrow night:)
I know that it means nothing when it comes to me actually going into labor but it's crazy that I'm this far along and that I will be having Piper soon! I still need her to keep cooking for at least another 2 weeks but that in itself is crazy. Piper can be born anytime after the next 2 weeks. 2 WEEKS! I think I'll probably be waiting closer to 4 weeks but I know they won't stop me if I go into labor then.
So exciting:) I'm in nesting/crafting mode. I'll post pictures if the project I'm working on turns out but here is my inspiration:
I found it on Pintrest and LOVED it so I decided to make one for Piper's door. I ran into some trouble when making it tonight but I think a trip back to Michael's to get some spray paint will fix the problem and then I can finish it up tomorrow night:)
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Oops... Where'd that month go??
So the past month FLEW by! I feel like I just had the growth scan last week and updated but that certainly is not the case! So... here are some updates, and a lot of them.
Piper survived her first earthquake and hurricane just fine. On August 23rd there was a 5.1 magnitude earthquake that hit in Virginia and rocked our office building. We evacuated and it took a little bit to realize what was going on but everyone was safe and sound. Piper seemed to be unfazed.
On August 27th my best friend and sister threw me an amazing baby shower. It was rivaled by Hurricane Irene and threatened to get cancelled but after moving the time up, the show went on. It was wonderful and Piper was spoiled rotten. Unfortunately about 1/2 the people who were planning to come couldn't make it because of the hurricane, including all of Jason's family and my mom:( It was still a lot of fun... just short and sweet so people could get home before the storm got really bad. Here are some pictures! (also, we survived the hurricane just fine, didn't even lose power... friends and family weren't so lucky but everyone is safe)
Labor Day weekend we went to the grand prix in Baltimore. I debated going because I wasn't sure how long I could stand sitting on bleachers and walking around but I'm glad I went. It was pretty incredible.
The second weekend in September, J and I escaped to Atlantic City for our Babymoon. It was our first trip away as just a couple in who knows how long. I loved it and definitely needed the time to re-charge. We stayed in an awesome place and just did things on our own timeline. We even won some money playing blackjack too:)
Last week my coworkers threw me a work baby shower. It was so sweet and people were SO generous! I'm pretty sure we're set on everything we need for Piper's arrival now.
The nursery is about 98% done. Our glider and ottoman finally came in, we finished painting, and her closet is filled the the brim. We still need to figure out what else to put on the walls but that will happen once she arrives. Here are some pictures of the room. I LOVVVVVVVE it. I just go in there and sit and look around. I can't believe it will be our little girls room in just a few weeks!
The gestational diabetes diet has been going well. My numbers have all been where they need to be and it doesn't look like I'll need to go on insulin at any point. I go in weekly for NST's and BPP's which are cool and frustrating at the same time. I like seeing Piper each week but the appointments aren't very fun. For the NST I'm hooked up to a heart rate monitor for Piper and a movement monitor. I have to sit there for 20 minutes and they want to see that when Piper moves her heart rate goes up and stays up for a bit before coming back down. Most of the time this isn't hard to do, especially since PIper generally moves all the time. However, at one appointment I was hooked up for an hour because she couldn't be bothered to wake up! I also have a hard time sitting in the recliner so I'm always moving and readjusting my position. The BPP's are pretty cool. They look to see if she's practicing her breathing, check her fluid levels, and look for limb movements. My fluid levels are always good and for the most part she's good about practicing her breathing so that we can see. The problem is that the little stinker likes to STOP moving as soon as we start that ultrasound. She'll be moving around constantly during the NST but won't budge for the BPP. She always ends up passing but not without a lot of "encouragement" (ie. me drinking cold water, turning to my side, poking at her, etc.) Today was awful though. The NST was fine and she passed within the first 5 minutes (but still had to stay hooked up for 20 minutes). The BPP was not good though. Piper is/was fine as well but laying on my back for it made me very light headed and nauseous. I ended up sitting up and drinking some water and taking a break before we could continue because I almost got sick. I spent the rest of the exam sitting up and I still felt sick. At the end of the exam I got really light headed and ran to the bathroom where I did get sick. Now I'm scared for what my follow up growth scan is going to be like next week:( I'm just glad Piper seems to be doing well each week though.
I have been going to weekly OB appointments since 34 weeks. They are normally just an annoyance but the past 2 have been interesting. Last week the OB I saw said that even with well controlled GD they don't like to let women go past 39 weeks. It's only a week difference but it sent me into an excited frenzy! Oct 24th might be her new due date! At today's appointment the OB ( a different guy) said that they generally induce between 39 and 40 weeks. So, while the 24th might not be THE day, I'll still have Piper before Halloween! He also did my first internal today. I didn't have to have it done but I've been having a lot of BH contrax and they seem more intense these days so he did one to see if they were actually doing anything. Holy hell did it hurt! He said I was already 1 cm dilated though!!!! CRAZYness:) Oh... and I haven't gained any weight in the past 2 weeks! Thank goodness for that since I'm already up 30lbs overall. So here are some pics and the long overdue survey....
33 weeks:
How far along? 35 weeks
Weight gain/loss: Up about 30 lbs but I haven't gained any weight in the past 2 weeks!!!
Maternity clothes? All the time and I've grown out of some of those:P
Stretch marks? I have a few now but it could be worse... I hope that it stays just those few though
Sleep? It's becoming a chore:( I'm up at least 4 times a night to pee, then I just wake up at like 6am wide awake and I'm constantly tossing and turning to get comfortable:(
Best moment since last update? Baby showers, finishing up Piper's room
Food cravings: none really
Gender: A girl!
Belly button in or out? Flat:P
Movement? Moving allll the time and her favorite place to hang out is on my right side. Not in front but on the SIDE of my body. It's weird:P
What I miss? Having my body to myself, sleeping well, not peeing constantly, etc:P
What I'm looking forward to: Growth scan next week and meeting Piper
Milestones: I've hit 35/35! I probably have closer to 28 days left:)
Piper survived her first earthquake and hurricane just fine. On August 23rd there was a 5.1 magnitude earthquake that hit in Virginia and rocked our office building. We evacuated and it took a little bit to realize what was going on but everyone was safe and sound. Piper seemed to be unfazed.
On August 27th my best friend and sister threw me an amazing baby shower. It was rivaled by Hurricane Irene and threatened to get cancelled but after moving the time up, the show went on. It was wonderful and Piper was spoiled rotten. Unfortunately about 1/2 the people who were planning to come couldn't make it because of the hurricane, including all of Jason's family and my mom:( It was still a lot of fun... just short and sweet so people could get home before the storm got really bad. Here are some pictures! (also, we survived the hurricane just fine, didn't even lose power... friends and family weren't so lucky but everyone is safe)
Labor Day weekend we went to the grand prix in Baltimore. I debated going because I wasn't sure how long I could stand sitting on bleachers and walking around but I'm glad I went. It was pretty incredible.
The second weekend in September, J and I escaped to Atlantic City for our Babymoon. It was our first trip away as just a couple in who knows how long. I loved it and definitely needed the time to re-charge. We stayed in an awesome place and just did things on our own timeline. We even won some money playing blackjack too:)
Last week my coworkers threw me a work baby shower. It was so sweet and people were SO generous! I'm pretty sure we're set on everything we need for Piper's arrival now.
The nursery is about 98% done. Our glider and ottoman finally came in, we finished painting, and her closet is filled the the brim. We still need to figure out what else to put on the walls but that will happen once she arrives. Here are some pictures of the room. I LOVVVVVVVE it. I just go in there and sit and look around. I can't believe it will be our little girls room in just a few weeks!
The gestational diabetes diet has been going well. My numbers have all been where they need to be and it doesn't look like I'll need to go on insulin at any point. I go in weekly for NST's and BPP's which are cool and frustrating at the same time. I like seeing Piper each week but the appointments aren't very fun. For the NST I'm hooked up to a heart rate monitor for Piper and a movement monitor. I have to sit there for 20 minutes and they want to see that when Piper moves her heart rate goes up and stays up for a bit before coming back down. Most of the time this isn't hard to do, especially since PIper generally moves all the time. However, at one appointment I was hooked up for an hour because she couldn't be bothered to wake up! I also have a hard time sitting in the recliner so I'm always moving and readjusting my position. The BPP's are pretty cool. They look to see if she's practicing her breathing, check her fluid levels, and look for limb movements. My fluid levels are always good and for the most part she's good about practicing her breathing so that we can see. The problem is that the little stinker likes to STOP moving as soon as we start that ultrasound. She'll be moving around constantly during the NST but won't budge for the BPP. She always ends up passing but not without a lot of "encouragement" (ie. me drinking cold water, turning to my side, poking at her, etc.) Today was awful though. The NST was fine and she passed within the first 5 minutes (but still had to stay hooked up for 20 minutes). The BPP was not good though. Piper is/was fine as well but laying on my back for it made me very light headed and nauseous. I ended up sitting up and drinking some water and taking a break before we could continue because I almost got sick. I spent the rest of the exam sitting up and I still felt sick. At the end of the exam I got really light headed and ran to the bathroom where I did get sick. Now I'm scared for what my follow up growth scan is going to be like next week:( I'm just glad Piper seems to be doing well each week though.
I have been going to weekly OB appointments since 34 weeks. They are normally just an annoyance but the past 2 have been interesting. Last week the OB I saw said that even with well controlled GD they don't like to let women go past 39 weeks. It's only a week difference but it sent me into an excited frenzy! Oct 24th might be her new due date! At today's appointment the OB ( a different guy) said that they generally induce between 39 and 40 weeks. So, while the 24th might not be THE day, I'll still have Piper before Halloween! He also did my first internal today. I didn't have to have it done but I've been having a lot of BH contrax and they seem more intense these days so he did one to see if they were actually doing anything. Holy hell did it hurt! He said I was already 1 cm dilated though!!!! CRAZYness:) Oh... and I haven't gained any weight in the past 2 weeks! Thank goodness for that since I'm already up 30lbs overall. So here are some pics and the long overdue survey....
33 weeks:
How far along? 35 weeks
Weight gain/loss: Up about 30 lbs but I haven't gained any weight in the past 2 weeks!!!
Maternity clothes? All the time and I've grown out of some of those:P
Stretch marks? I have a few now but it could be worse... I hope that it stays just those few though
Sleep? It's becoming a chore:( I'm up at least 4 times a night to pee, then I just wake up at like 6am wide awake and I'm constantly tossing and turning to get comfortable:(
Best moment since last update? Baby showers, finishing up Piper's room
Food cravings: none really
Gender: A girl!
Belly button in or out? Flat:P
Movement? Moving allll the time and her favorite place to hang out is on my right side. Not in front but on the SIDE of my body. It's weird:P
What I miss? Having my body to myself, sleeping well, not peeing constantly, etc:P
What I'm looking forward to: Growth scan next week and meeting Piper
Milestones: I've hit 35/35! I probably have closer to 28 days left:)
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Growth Scan
I have a lot more to update with but don't have time to write it all out right now. I had my growth scan today to see how big Piper is and I also got my glucometer and instructions for my GD diet. The growth scan was amazing and the tech re-confirmed that it's definitely a girl! She's head down and the doctor said all the measurements and "parts" are looking good:) They estimate that she's 4lbs 3oz right now and on track to be a 7-8lb baby, which is exactly what I want. The best part of the scan is when she switched over to 3D for a bit and we could see Piper sucking her thumb. It was so cool to watch her just suck away and move her little fingers! I'm so in love already and as each week passes I get more and more anxious to meet her. I want her to stay put till it's time but I seriously can not wait to have her in my arms! Here is the best shot of her sucking her thumb:
She's JUST like her mommy with those cheeks and even how she's sucking her thumb. Just like I used to do:)
When I have time I have lots more updates about the nursery progress, my baby shower, etc!:)
Monday, August 22, 2011
Heartburn, sleeping problems and Gestational Diabetes OH MY!
So this weekend has quite the ups and downs. On Friday morning I went in to take my 3 hour glucose test. I couldn't eat anything past midnight Friday morning and went in at 8:30a. I had my fasting level blood draw, had to drink that oh so delicious orange drink again and then every hour after that for 3 hours I had my blood drawn to get the different glucose levels. I imagined that I'd be a horribly cranky starving pregnant woman but the worst part was actually not being able to drink anything. I could only have 16oz of water the entire time and I was SO thirsty. I got pretty shaky at the end but it wasn't as bad as I imagined. There was another woman there doing the same test so we chatted about our pregnancies and watched HGT.V:P I was told I'd get the results on Monday (today) since my stupid insurance company requires that the bloodwork be sent out. Saturday was really busy and mostly fun but that night was not so fun. I kept tossing and turning because it hurts so much to sleep on my sides. After about 15 minutes my sides just ache and I have to turn over, which is now a process in itself. Then at about 2am I woke up and realized I was experiencing heartburn for the first time. It was "lovely" and kept me awake for quite a while. And then when I wasn't waking up because of heartburn or the need to turn over, I was waking up to pee. Sunday morning when I woke up I was almost relieved that it was daytime so that I could just end that craziness!
Sunday was a very busy day working on the nursery. J and I finally put up the wall decal and I think it turned out great. Then my stepdad came over and worked on the closet more while J, my mom and I put the crib together! We moved the dresser into her room as well. I'm so happy to have my living room almost back to normal! There are only a few more things to do in her nursery painting/construction wise and then I get to finally have it ready for decorating and putting stuff away! I never thought I'd be this far along with so much more to do with it but I'm excited that the end is in sight:) I'm hoping by this weekend it will be ready so that I can everything I get at my shower on Saturday away!
Unfortunately last night's sleeping was more of the same. Heartburn, tossing and turning, and up to pee. I'm hoping these past 2 nights are just a fluke and I'll get to go back to my mostly restful sleep but I'm worried that won't be the case anymore. So needless to say I woke up pretty cranky this morning.
Cue irritating doctors office... I called this morning to get my results and left a message for them to call me back. After playing phone tag for 2 hours someone finally calls and I answer only to be told that 2 Diabetes Education appointments have been approved and I'll need to call a certain number to set up an appt with someone at Maternal and Fetal Medicine. I actually had to stop the nurse and ask her if that meant I failed the test because she never actually gave me test results! I called MFM and set up the appointment and was told that I would have to have growth scans every two weeks and manage my diet and insulin levels. If I couldn't do that, I'd have to have weekly growth scans and start taking insulin. Not something I want to do. I mean, I'm excited to see my baby girl again but I do not look forward to meeting with someone so often, especially in addition to my bi-weekly obgyn appts! I do NOT look forward to this diet and having to not eat certain things. I will do whatever I need to do to make sure Piper is healthy and strong though. So, bring on the "fun". Special diet and more needles!
Here's a picture of the wall decal and crib. We're going to add a decal with her name which I ordered today.
Sunday was a very busy day working on the nursery. J and I finally put up the wall decal and I think it turned out great. Then my stepdad came over and worked on the closet more while J, my mom and I put the crib together! We moved the dresser into her room as well. I'm so happy to have my living room almost back to normal! There are only a few more things to do in her nursery painting/construction wise and then I get to finally have it ready for decorating and putting stuff away! I never thought I'd be this far along with so much more to do with it but I'm excited that the end is in sight:) I'm hoping by this weekend it will be ready so that I can everything I get at my shower on Saturday away!
Unfortunately last night's sleeping was more of the same. Heartburn, tossing and turning, and up to pee. I'm hoping these past 2 nights are just a fluke and I'll get to go back to my mostly restful sleep but I'm worried that won't be the case anymore. So needless to say I woke up pretty cranky this morning.
Cue irritating doctors office... I called this morning to get my results and left a message for them to call me back. After playing phone tag for 2 hours someone finally calls and I answer only to be told that 2 Diabetes Education appointments have been approved and I'll need to call a certain number to set up an appt with someone at Maternal and Fetal Medicine. I actually had to stop the nurse and ask her if that meant I failed the test because she never actually gave me test results! I called MFM and set up the appointment and was told that I would have to have growth scans every two weeks and manage my diet and insulin levels. If I couldn't do that, I'd have to have weekly growth scans and start taking insulin. Not something I want to do. I mean, I'm excited to see my baby girl again but I do not look forward to meeting with someone so often, especially in addition to my bi-weekly obgyn appts! I do NOT look forward to this diet and having to not eat certain things. I will do whatever I need to do to make sure Piper is healthy and strong though. So, bring on the "fun". Special diet and more needles!
Here's a picture of the wall decal and crib. We're going to add a decal with her name which I ordered today.
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