According to the doctor, all is "perfect"! She's measuring right at 26 weeks, heart rate at 150, and moving away! I had to take a yucky glucose test to test for gestational diabetes that requires you to drink a flat orange soda sugary drink, but other than that, it was very pleasant. I was right on about the 5 lbs. gained. I'm now up to 14 lbs. gained, which she also said was "perfect."
She reconfirmed that I'm at a high risk for pre-term labor becasue of my thyroid disease, so from 32 weeks on we will have to go every week for a non-stress test at the hospital. Besides being a nusance to travel back and forth, it's kind of nice to be monitored that closely. It's just a fetal monitor strapped to my belly to check for contractions and the baby's heartrate.
And we decided we're going to donate the cord blood to research instead of bank it, which is outrageously expensive and will only be able to POSSIBLY help her siblings if they become ill, not her. I'd rather give the stem cells to research where they will be used to find new medications and cures for diseases that impact a larger population of people. The doctor was helpful in giving me the name of a place that handles it with the hospital, so all it will require of me is a few vials of blood when I deliver and the cord once it's cut. The company comes and picks it all up. I'll never be smart enough to be a doctor or a scientist, so I feel like this is the one thing I can contribute to make the world a better place.
All for now!
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Monday, May 26, 2008
26 weeks and counting
Happy Memorial Day! Hope everyone is out enjoying a fun cookout or a day at the beach. It's BEAUTIFUL here today.
It's been a great week -- my two big events went as smooth as could be expected, and I've only got one more next Monday and then I can start to spend my days focusing on getting ready for my maternity leave. On Thursday night my Dad and Brie came into town, and we had a fun-filled weekend in and around Boston. We went to Fenway Park for a tour on Friday, which was really cool. We'd been once before with my brother David about three or four years ago, and there have been tons of renovations since then. Here's a picture of us all on top of right (?) field:
We putzed around on Saturday and went to a cookout Saturday night, and then they left Sunday around noon. Today has been the best day of the year so far weather-wise, and we packed up and went to the beach for the afternoon and then just got back after stopping for ice cream. All in all, my favorite kind of day. I don't have a maternity bathing suit so I just wore a bikini, which I know is a little uncomfortable for people, seeing a pregnant belly in all its glory. But she needed some sun!! So I just let it all hang out. I don't think anyone was paying attention anyway . . .
We have another doctor's appointment on Wednesday, and I don't think I'll luck out with another 1/2 pound weight gain. For the past two weeks or so, I've just been STARVING, which is unusual for me so far in the pregnancy. Not that I've been eating too much junk, and we're still going to the gym, but I think I've put on at least 5 lbs. We'll see. I think they do my glucose test this time, too. Hopefully I pass. Only 2 more weeks until my third trimester, so I feel like we're in the home stretch. I just know the summer's going to fly by.
I'll update after our appointment on Wednesday. Until then . . .
It's been a great week -- my two big events went as smooth as could be expected, and I've only got one more next Monday and then I can start to spend my days focusing on getting ready for my maternity leave. On Thursday night my Dad and Brie came into town, and we had a fun-filled weekend in and around Boston. We went to Fenway Park for a tour on Friday, which was really cool. We'd been once before with my brother David about three or four years ago, and there have been tons of renovations since then. Here's a picture of us all on top of right (?) field:
We putzed around on Saturday and went to a cookout Saturday night, and then they left Sunday around noon. Today has been the best day of the year so far weather-wise, and we packed up and went to the beach for the afternoon and then just got back after stopping for ice cream. All in all, my favorite kind of day. I don't have a maternity bathing suit so I just wore a bikini, which I know is a little uncomfortable for people, seeing a pregnant belly in all its glory. But she needed some sun!! So I just let it all hang out. I don't think anyone was paying attention anyway . . .We have another doctor's appointment on Wednesday, and I don't think I'll luck out with another 1/2 pound weight gain. For the past two weeks or so, I've just been STARVING, which is unusual for me so far in the pregnancy. Not that I've been eating too much junk, and we're still going to the gym, but I think I've put on at least 5 lbs. We'll see. I think they do my glucose test this time, too. Hopefully I pass. Only 2 more weeks until my third trimester, so I feel like we're in the home stretch. I just know the summer's going to fly by.
I'll update after our appointment on Wednesday. Until then . . .
Sunday, May 18, 2008
god bless you tube
One of the big questions we currently face as parents-to-be is whether or not to take childbirth preparation classes. The hospital where we'll deliver offers them at about $200 for a weekend of classes, covering breastfeeding, labor and delivery prep, and caring for an infant. To be honest, when we asked the doctor on our first visit, she said that she thought there were plenty of other things parents-to-be could probably use the $200 for and that everything we'd really need to know they would tell us. Really, she said, they were good if you felt totally unprepared, but otherwise it was fine to skip. Plus, I can't breastfeed since my reduction 11 years ago, so that portion of the class won't matter, and frankly I don't need another experience sitting in a room having people tell me that breastfed children are smarter/cuter/calmer/healthier than formula-fed babies, particularly since there's nothing I can do about it. Also, I'm no pro, but I think I've got a good grasp on how to change a diaper and hold a baby. And Jay does, too. The only thing left would be the discussion about labor and delivery, which I figure a). is a completely natural biological process that will be attended to by professionals and b). if it doesn't go how I imagine, will be over before I know it and will not traumatize me forever. I think I'm perfectly capable of screaming "epidural NOW!" or consenting with a nod to a c-section. I don't really need a lesson in creating a birth plan. Maybe I'm naive but I plan to just go with the flow. However, I have heard they show birth videos, which fascinates me since I'm sure my occasional episode of "A Baby Story" doesn't paint the most accurate or realistic picture of what REALLY goes on. But is this worth $200? -- not so much.
It is, however, worth a quick scan on You Tube for childbirth videos, which is just what we did last night. We had a wonderful baby-centered day registering a Babies R Us and when we got back from dinner at Andy and Amanda's, we thought we'd take a quick peek and what we might find on childbirth. After a good laugh at Bill Cosby's childbirth skit, we found the goldmine.
I wish I could set the scene better, but there was no sound and no visual expect a baby's head crowning about a foot from the video camera. The woman was clearly pushing for a while, and every time she pushed you could see a bit more of the head come out, but then when she relaxed, it practically sucked back in. We were mesmerized. I had no idea that the head could just be hanging out there, almost out, for so long! And at one point, the doctor grabbed the woman's hand and had her reach down and touch the top of the baby's head, at which point I think Jay had enough. But we kept watching, and once the head popped out, the rest went pretty quickly and pretty much as I expected.
You'd think that would be enough but, no, we kept looking, watching a water birth (no thanks) and a standing/squatting birth (not so much). Finally I was tuckered out, but I think a few videos of c-sections and maybe of an epidural being administered and I'll be all set. My mantra this whole pregnancy has been that women have been doing this for centuries, without $200 childbirth classes. Maybe I'll stick to getting a few books and a few more You Tube videos and take my chances.
Registering was fun, we had been to Babies R Us twice before and had picked out most things we thought we might need. We registered at Target a while back for our bedding, which we'd picked out weeks ago. For everything else we had a good system going and we banged it out pretty quick. Later that evening people were amazed we didn't argue while we were registering, which we didn't at all but apparently most couples do. More reinforcement that we're a good team.
We're gearing up today (read: sitting on the couch watching the Celtics game) for a busy week. I have 2 big events Wednesday and Thursday and my Dad and Brie are coming in Thursday night for the weekend. I'm getting Friday off as a comp day and Jay's off too so we're looking forward to a nice long weekend. We'll check in again then.
The belly continues to grow, making it progressively harder to get a good night's sleep and shave my legs without incident. Ah, the sacrifices of motherhood. Just kidding -- I know nothing of sacrifices yet, but I can't wait to.
It is, however, worth a quick scan on You Tube for childbirth videos, which is just what we did last night. We had a wonderful baby-centered day registering a Babies R Us and when we got back from dinner at Andy and Amanda's, we thought we'd take a quick peek and what we might find on childbirth. After a good laugh at Bill Cosby's childbirth skit, we found the goldmine.
I wish I could set the scene better, but there was no sound and no visual expect a baby's head crowning about a foot from the video camera. The woman was clearly pushing for a while, and every time she pushed you could see a bit more of the head come out, but then when she relaxed, it practically sucked back in. We were mesmerized. I had no idea that the head could just be hanging out there, almost out, for so long! And at one point, the doctor grabbed the woman's hand and had her reach down and touch the top of the baby's head, at which point I think Jay had enough. But we kept watching, and once the head popped out, the rest went pretty quickly and pretty much as I expected.
You'd think that would be enough but, no, we kept looking, watching a water birth (no thanks) and a standing/squatting birth (not so much). Finally I was tuckered out, but I think a few videos of c-sections and maybe of an epidural being administered and I'll be all set. My mantra this whole pregnancy has been that women have been doing this for centuries, without $200 childbirth classes. Maybe I'll stick to getting a few books and a few more You Tube videos and take my chances.
Registering was fun, we had been to Babies R Us twice before and had picked out most things we thought we might need. We registered at Target a while back for our bedding, which we'd picked out weeks ago. For everything else we had a good system going and we banged it out pretty quick. Later that evening people were amazed we didn't argue while we were registering, which we didn't at all but apparently most couples do. More reinforcement that we're a good team.
We're gearing up today (read: sitting on the couch watching the Celtics game) for a busy week. I have 2 big events Wednesday and Thursday and my Dad and Brie are coming in Thursday night for the weekend. I'm getting Friday off as a comp day and Jay's off too so we're looking forward to a nice long weekend. We'll check in again then.
The belly continues to grow, making it progressively harder to get a good night's sleep and shave my legs without incident. Ah, the sacrifices of motherhood. Just kidding -- I know nothing of sacrifices yet, but I can't wait to.
Sunday, May 11, 2008
happy mother's day everyone
I hope every momma out there has a calm and beautiful day. It's gorgeous here and I got a lovely card from Jay to start my day. We're getting ready now to have Jay's family over for a Mother's Day dinner, so I wanted to post before everyone got here.
Not much to update this week. Work has still been crazy, but what else is new. The girl's been kicking a lot lately, mostly in the early morning and late at night and in the presence of loud and fast music. This morning in bed I almost woke Jay up because it felt like she was doing jumping jacks. I'm starting to get to the point where I feel her everyday at least for 10 minutes or so, which is reassuring and alien-like at the same time. Jay can finally feel her, too, which makes it even better.
I'll be 24 weeks on Tuesday, which means only another 4 weeks until I'm in my third trimester. I feel like the time has flown by and that the next four months are going to go by in the blink of an eye. I'm starting to get a real nesting urge, so we're going to go register next weekend which will at least feel slightly like progress. Like I've mentioned, many friends are generously letting us borrow baby supplies, and just this week I got a big box in the mail from my Aunt Sue and cousin Megan from Maryland with all this adorable girl stuff in it. I started crying when I opened the box and saw all the adorable pink and purple clothes, a beautiful baby blanket, toys and books. It was so kind of them. Megan and I are the only girls on my Dad's side of the family, so I know they're excited to to add one more. I feel like there's so much anticipation around us, I just can't wait to meet our girl!
Hope everyone had a great week, and I'll leave you with a new belly picture:
Not much to update this week. Work has still been crazy, but what else is new. The girl's been kicking a lot lately, mostly in the early morning and late at night and in the presence of loud and fast music. This morning in bed I almost woke Jay up because it felt like she was doing jumping jacks. I'm starting to get to the point where I feel her everyday at least for 10 minutes or so, which is reassuring and alien-like at the same time. Jay can finally feel her, too, which makes it even better.
I'll be 24 weeks on Tuesday, which means only another 4 weeks until I'm in my third trimester. I feel like the time has flown by and that the next four months are going to go by in the blink of an eye. I'm starting to get a real nesting urge, so we're going to go register next weekend which will at least feel slightly like progress. Like I've mentioned, many friends are generously letting us borrow baby supplies, and just this week I got a big box in the mail from my Aunt Sue and cousin Megan from Maryland with all this adorable girl stuff in it. I started crying when I opened the box and saw all the adorable pink and purple clothes, a beautiful baby blanket, toys and books. It was so kind of them. Megan and I are the only girls on my Dad's side of the family, so I know they're excited to to add one more. I feel like there's so much anticipation around us, I just can't wait to meet our girl!
Hope everyone had a great week, and I'll leave you with a new belly picture:
Sunday, May 4, 2008
sorry for the delay . .
It has been a very hectic week and half at work and so I apologize for not posting as I usually do on Wednesdays. It was probably the busiest week I've had since I started three years ago, and I was too beat to think about much else. And outside of work, things have been very busy also. Jay and I had an awesome first anniversary last Monday and went to the Melting Pot for fondue, which I've been wanting to do forever. We had a great time with tons of food. Here's a picture of us at dinner:
He also gave me some beautiful roses and wrote a beautiful letter to our girl telling her all about how we met and how excited we are to have her coming soon. I, of course, was bawling. I'm so lucky to have Jay in my life.
Then my crazy week concluded with an trip to the doctor to check on the girl and an awesome visit from my mom and my brother Keegan. Everything was perfect at the doctor; we actually saw one of the nurse practitioners, which I like more than even seeing the doctor because they spend more time with you. Like we found out that from 34 weeks on, I have to go to the hospital every week in addition to my bi-weekly doctor's appointments for a non-stress test to monitor the baby's heart because I have thyroid disease. We hadn't known this before, and while it's not a bad thing, it's nice to know that I have to plan for the extra time off from work. And they measured my uterus and I'm right at 22 centimeters, which translates to how many weeks I am. That was pretty cool to learn that those measurements would match all the way through the pregnancy. And I was also pleased to learn I'd only gained a half pound this month, for a total of 9 pounds. I'm under the norm for weight gain at this point, which is fine by me. I've been eating normally but I think going to the gym regularly like we have this last month has really helped. I hardly have any swelling, no varicose veins or stretch marks (yet), and if I can keep my weight under control, I'll hope to ward off any of those symptoms for a while longer. It also was good to hear because people tell me everyday how huge my belly is for 6 months pregnant and that I "have a long way to go."
The visit from my mom and Keegan was great. We went out to eat a few times, did some shopping, and I got to show them the baby stuff we like. I hardly get to see my family, so it was a real treat. It happened to be freezing here this weekend and raining everyday, so that sucked, but otherwise, we had a nice, relaxing time. Here's a picture of us:
Hope everyone is well. I'll update again soon.
He also gave me some beautiful roses and wrote a beautiful letter to our girl telling her all about how we met and how excited we are to have her coming soon. I, of course, was bawling. I'm so lucky to have Jay in my life.Then my crazy week concluded with an trip to the doctor to check on the girl and an awesome visit from my mom and my brother Keegan. Everything was perfect at the doctor; we actually saw one of the nurse practitioners, which I like more than even seeing the doctor because they spend more time with you. Like we found out that from 34 weeks on, I have to go to the hospital every week in addition to my bi-weekly doctor's appointments for a non-stress test to monitor the baby's heart because I have thyroid disease. We hadn't known this before, and while it's not a bad thing, it's nice to know that I have to plan for the extra time off from work. And they measured my uterus and I'm right at 22 centimeters, which translates to how many weeks I am. That was pretty cool to learn that those measurements would match all the way through the pregnancy. And I was also pleased to learn I'd only gained a half pound this month, for a total of 9 pounds. I'm under the norm for weight gain at this point, which is fine by me. I've been eating normally but I think going to the gym regularly like we have this last month has really helped. I hardly have any swelling, no varicose veins or stretch marks (yet), and if I can keep my weight under control, I'll hope to ward off any of those symptoms for a while longer. It also was good to hear because people tell me everyday how huge my belly is for 6 months pregnant and that I "have a long way to go."
The visit from my mom and Keegan was great. We went out to eat a few times, did some shopping, and I got to show them the baby stuff we like. I hardly get to see my family, so it was a real treat. It happened to be freezing here this weekend and raining everyday, so that sucked, but otherwise, we had a nice, relaxing time. Here's a picture of us:
Hope everyone is well. I'll update again soon.
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