30 weeks

Today we are 30 weeks into this pregnancy! It feels so good to be out of the 20's! Now she is getting big enough that I'm really beginning to feel uncomfortable. My back has been hurting more, I'm barely getting any sleep at night, and the heartburn is barely tolerable with an enormous amount of Tums. But, it's also been really fun to feel her kicking bigger and doing flip-flops in my belly. Malone has even been able to play with her a bit. When he pokes my belly she pokes back. But one of my favorite things to do is to watch how his voice calms her. For example, every once in a while when she's kicking up a storm Malone will lean over and start talking to her or singing to her. It puts her right to sleep. It's so endearing to see how much she already loves her Daddy.

Going Private

Well friends and family, the time has come for our little family's blog to go private. If you would like an invitation to our blog please send me your email address at buildingoureternalfamily@gmail.com. Please have your requests to me in the next 3 weeks. Thank you!

I'm on steroids!

So this morning was my first steroid injection. First of all I had to go to the Labor and Delivery floor of the hospital to have it administered by a nurse. I was under the impression that they would just hit me with the shot and I'd be on my way. Boy was I wrong.

I actually had to be admitted to the hospital, given my own room, and then the baby had to be monitored for two hours. She wasn't really happy about that. She kept kicking the monitor and then moving away from it. So poor Malone had to sit there the entire time chasing her with the monitor while the nurse filled out all the paperwork.

After laying propped on my side for two hours they finally gave me the injection. Holy Hades it hurt! But I survived. Tomorrow I go in for the second injection. The nurse reassured me that it shouldn't be such a complicated process this time. Wednesday I go in for the 3 hour glucose tolerance test. I can already tell you that I'm going to be very tired of being poked and prodded by the time this week is over. This little girl is so worth it though!!! As my dad so eloquently put it, "Well, she might come out looking like Arnold Schwarzenegger, but she should be ok and that's what matters."

Week 29

Hello all! Today I am 29 weeks along! YAY! This week I feel like the baby must have had a growth spurt because I am HUGE. Seriously, I feel sort of like I'm exploding in slow motion. And she has been so active! Today I sat and watched my belly shift around for a solid 5 minutes or so. Next time I'll have to record it because Malone was pretty bummed that he missed it. It's so surreal but it could probably keep me entertained for hours! Anyway, here's today's picture.
Please forgive the jammies and the lazy hair.

I have the best husband EVER

First things first. My doctor's office called this morning. They got the results back from my blood tests that were taken on Tuesday. (I love how efficient they are! They originally thought it would take a week to hear back!) Unfortunately the results weren't great. My glucose test came back high. So, now I go into the hospital for the even suckier glucose test. No fun. But I guess given my family's history of diabetes, I can't be too shocked. The test result that did surprise me was my iron. Apparently my iron levels are low. Hmmm... that's never happened before. I'm taking a prenatal vitamin every day. But they aren't super low, just a little bit. So they said just to take a daily iron suppliment.

So last night Malone and I attended our 3rd birthing class. Don't worry, it was allowed. I took it really easy and the class was at the hospital.

At this class we took a "tour" (some areas we just got to look through windows because of germs) of the hospital's NICU, the Labor and Delivery floor, and the floor where they keep the moms and new babies. It was really reassuring to be able to see how well-equipped the NICU is. Right now the NICU is staffed to care for newborns as early as 32 weeks. However, they have the equipment and facilities to care for newborns even earlier. They just have to hire the staff to do it. So, according to our birth instructor the hospital is currently working on hiring said staff after which the NICU will be considered a Level III. (I know, that doesn't make sense to a lot of you, but that's ok. Just know that it's a very good thing.) What does that mean for us? Well, I know some of you have been asking if we'll ever consider having another biological child. Truthfully, we don't know yet. But, it is good to know that if we do decide to get pregnant again and we're still in this area, chances are good that this hospital will be well-prepared for me and my faulty cervix.

Anyway, that's probably pretty boring to most of you, so let me get to the good part. While we were taking our tour our birthing instructor had all the dads take a turn wearing a "sympathy belly." It weighs about 30 pounds and is supposed to give the wearer an idea of what it's like to carry around all that excess weight. Well, if you know my husband, you know that he's kind of a quiet, reserved man. Especially around people he doesn't know very well. I knew this was exactly the type of situation he avoids like the plague. But he was such a good sport! He took it all in stride and strapped on the belly and the "boobs." He was even the first man to take a turn.
Want to hear something even better? I happened to have my camera on me!!! This picture really puts a smile on my face. I just love this man!!!

By a Thread

Well, the news today from the doctor wasn't exactly great, but it wasn't really unexpected either. To put it simply, my cervix is hanging on by a thread. Literally.

At the first ultrasound, my cervix measured 5 cm thick, at the 2nd it was at about 4 cm. Today it is almost completely non-existant up to the stitch. Interpretation: the only thing keeping me out of the delivery room is the 36 stitch cerclage.

The jury is still out about whether or not I am to be ordered on full-time bedrest. Apparently there seems to be some debate as to whether or not increasing the bedrest would actually do any good. The jury is also out about the gestational diabetes test. Results for that should be in in about a week.

The good news? Our baby girl is right on target as far as development. In fact, she's actually measuring 1 day ahead of schedule. The ultrasound technician estimates that she is currently weighing in at about 2 lbs 8 oz. Also, on the ultrasound the cerclage is looking really good. Apparently it's "in a really good place and holding strong." (Ultrasound lady's words, not mine.)

So, the question that I keep getting is, "what now?" Well, from now on I will be having ultrasounds every 2 weeks to make sure my cervix isn't about to tear itself away from the stitches. (Can we say OUCH?) We are also directed to be kick counting and on the lookout for any signs of pre-term labor or signs of the aforementioned cervix tearing.

I also have an appointment on Monday to get a shot of steroids. 24 hours after that, I will go in for a second hit. The hope is that the steroids will accelerate the baby's lung and organ development. These two doses of steroids can be beneficial up to 4 weeks after administration. This is a "just in case" precaution. You know, like, just in case my body decides to go crazy and defy the cerclage. I keep telling my uterus to remember how bad it was last time it pulled one of its fits. Hopefully if I keep repeating "magnesium sulfate" (the torture medication the doctor uses to stop or slow preterm labor) often enough, I should scare my body into obedience.

My doctor has set the new goal for 32 weeks. If I can make it to 32 weeks, then my local hospital's NICU will be equipped to take care of the baby. However, if I go into unstoppable labor prior to that mark, then my doctor will send me by ambulance to a hospital about an hour from here. I'm nervous about that possibility, but at least I know someone who works in respiratory therapy at that hospital, so that helps.

So long story short... keep your fingers crossed for us at least the next 3 1/2 weeks.

Also, I've had several people ask about our baby registry. I pretty much finished it, so for those of you who are interested in it, you can find it HERE. Thank you all for your prayers and support. We really do appreciate it and we know it's making a difference.

TWENTY-EIGHT!!!

When I was in the hospital in labor with Gavin we were told by a neonatologist that babies born at 28 weeks are "easy." (Compared to 24 weekers anyway.) So, from then on 28 weeks became one of those "milestones" in our minds. Well, here we are! 28 weeks! The next milestone in this pregnancy is the 36 week mark when the doctor will remove the cerclage. That's only 8 weeks away! We are so excited.

This coming Tuesday is my next doctor's appointment. I'll have an ultrasound to examine my cervix, take the glucose tolerance test, and then have a consultation with the doctor. It will be interesting to see if my cervix has thinned any more. At my last ultrasound appointment it had thinned by about a centimeter. I am extremely lucky not to have been put on full-time bedrest so far. So here's keeping our fingers crossed that my luck holds out!!!

YAY for 27!!!

Today I am 27 weeks along. My third trimester officially starts this week. How weird is that? Even better, I now only have 9 weeks left until the doctor removes my cerclage. And chances are very good that this little girl will be born as soon as those stitches are out.

WHOA.

We are starting to allow ourselves to really feel the excitement. This past Wednesday we attended our first of four birthing classes. It was really nice of the instructor to teach Malone how to give me massages. Totally worth the fee just for that! But when we practiced the meditation technique she showed us, the baby started kicking and I had a hard time not giggling. Oops! Next week we "get" to watch the terrifying birthing videos. And the 3rd week we take a tour of the new Women and Newborns section of the hospital.

This coming week our project at home is to go through all the baby items we have and start getting the nursery ready. That means I have to face my minor dilemma. We aren't allowed to paint the walls because we're renting. They have to stay white. So how should I decorate? Any suggestions?

26

Happy 2010 everyone! We are excited to ring in this new year and be done with all the drama of 2009. We are so looking forward to what this year has to bring. And I want you all to take notice: According to our countdown in our right side bar, we now have less than 100 days until my due date! And now that I'm 26 weeks that means we only have 10 more weeks until my cerclage is removed. Wahoo!