It's Been An Interesting Week

It's been an interesting week.

On Tuesday, I went in for my 34 week appointment. My BP had crept up slightly again and I was suddenly tapped to be tested for pre-eclampsia. Unbeknownst to me, this included a 2 hour glucose tolerance test (GTT). Awesome. I'm 8 months pregnant, its noon, and you're telling me I need to hang out and wait to eat for two more hours. Of course I did it, but still.

On Wednesday evening, after office hours, I get the message that I'd apparently failed my GTT and had Gestational Diabetes. Not a total shocker given that I have three major things going for me that make me likely to develop GD: Strong family history (mom and grandfather have diabetes), I'm an older mom-to-be at almost 35, and I was overweight at the start of the pregnancy. Still, my head was kind of spinning being told the news. I had no idea what I was now 'allowed' to eat or how to manage this new issue. The doctors message indicated I should come by the office to get a prescription for the testing materials and such.

On Thursday morning, I swing by to get the prescription. That quick pit stop turned into a meeting with my doctor in which I made sure that she was aware that I was not fasting before I took that GTT test. I totally would've if I knew it was coming, but when I'm blindsided by a test mid-day...yeah, I'll have eaten. Turns out to be a good thing I told her that as that potentially voids out my results. I'm doing a do-over of the test early next week, at my next appointment. So yeah, in the scheme of less than 24 hours I thought I might have Pre-E, was diagnosed with GD, and then had that diagnosis rescinded.

Then, to top off an already eventful week, the power went out. Big time. Regional power outage. It was about 100* yesterday when it happened, too. Thank goodness the heat wave broke overnight and we only were without power for about 7 hours (some customers are still without). But still. Power out from Southern LA to Tijuana, Mexico and west to Yuma, Arizona...including ALL of San Diego. Wow.

(Image Credit: http://tinyurl.com/3wttmwo)

How far along: 34 weeks and 6 days. 35/35 is tomorrow!

Total weight change: Going by the doctors scale at my 34 week appointment on Tuesday, +26.

Maternity clothes: Always. I've pretty much moved into dresses at this point. It kills my hips to get pants on and off.

Stretch Marks: No new developments since last week.

Movement: I've got a wriggler in there.

Sleep: Pathetic this week. Being really pregnant and living in 100* heat with no central air has been a challenge.

Best Moment This Past Week: This evening when we were sitting on the couch, my husband got to see the little guy move. Mr CB hasn't seen him move before and, much to my dismay, hasn't tried to feel a movement yet. It meant a lot to me to see the look on his face that that's his little boy in there. Now if I can just get him to feel it...

Most Difficult Moment This Past Week: The GD fiasco. Hoping to get some definitive resolution to that early next week.

Belly Button In or Out: Still an inny.

Cravings/Aversions: Nothing major.

Symptoms: More of the same. The Braxton Hicks are increasing in frequency and sometimes intensity and the little guy is sometimes putting pressure on my cervix. He's still not dropped yet though.

34 Week Update

8 1/2 months pregnant and trucking along.....

We had a great 34 week appointment with Dr Loh. The best news is that after finally finding and making an appointment with a Webster trained chiropractor and then trying some inversion exercises on Spinning Babies, tuesday night Smudge flipped! We now have a head down, LOA baby!! I know at 34 weeks, anything can still happen - but I'm just so happy right now. I made Dr Loh pull out the u/s to prove to me that the baby was head down. It was awesome. We didn't get more than a peak at Smudge's skull - but it was in the right spot and that's all that matters.

Mr DB keeps laughing at me now... especially when Smudge has a foot in my ribs, which has pretty much been consistent since s/he flipped. My favorites are when I have a foot in my rib and a hand on my cervix at the same time. SO comfortable. He says that Smudge is saying, "how do you like me, NOW, Momma?" Eh - i wanted the flip - so I'm not going to complain. I am, however, going to keep trying to move this foot!

Other good news from the OB's office... at 34 weeks I've gained a total of 17 pounds. At 32 weeks, it was 16. If I can keep this up - i might actually be able to stay at my goal of 20-25 pounds for the pregnancy, which would make me VERY happy.


Mr DB has been doing a great job in the nursery. He built a closet organizer last weekend:

ready for doors!

and hopefully after this weekend, the room will be done and ready for furniture (which is coming next monday). We just ordered some decals for the walls, and I can't wait to start decorating. We have 3 pictures that match the bedding, decals that match the bedding and I found a dandelion decal that I just got permission to order as well - and we're going to get it in a light green called "celadon". At first Mr DB was anti-dandelion decal, saying it's too girly and what if Smudge is a boy. But I think he figured out pretty quickly that I really wanted it! Yay! We're going to put it up in the space to the right of the closet above the wainscoting and have the seeds blowing out up and over the closet to the left (you can order the decal with the seeds blowing in either direction).

we'll have the dandelion facing the other direction and the seeds blowing the other way

So - that's it for now... our next appointment is with the perinatologist next friday. Hopefully we'll get a good look at Smudge then. I can't wait to get a weight estimate.

I can't believe it's almost time to meet this baby that it took us so long to make!

33-34 weeks & lots of updates!

Well I've made it through the busiest time of year at my job & now I'll have much more time to get ready for Baby Worry Bud to arrive, which also means being a little quicker with my updates! So since I have been so crazy busy, I'm going to apologize in advance that this may be a bit lengthy as I fill you in on the last couple of weeks. I hit 34 weeks pregnant this past Saturday & am so thrilled to have made it this far. As usual, I can't believe how quickly time is flying & that my EDD is only 6 (almost 5) weeks away. Today is the last day of September, then it's October & she's due November 6th, so she's literally due like next month!

Our "main" baby shower (being hosted by my sister & close friends) is this Saturday & my work shower is next Tuesday, so I am excited to see all the cute stuff little Baby WB receives! Speaking of showers, Mr. WB's mom threw us a lovely first baby shower on September 18th & we got some really cute stuff off of our registry, like:

This adorable Fisher Price Rainforest Melodies & Lights activity & tummy time mat!

This cute Carter's bouncer & mini Eddie Bauer "man" diaper bag for Mr. WB:

And lots & lots more from clothes to bottle drying racks to bottle warmers to blankets & everything in between! His mom, aunts & cousin did such a wonderful job with our shower - it was much much more than I ever expected, which was just a small family thing! We had a great time & loved all of the cute stuff we got for Baby WB!

In recent baby buying obsession news, I also bought a few more things over the past couple of weeks...so bad, I know, I know - but I can't HELP it! Here's what I got:

I had planned on purchasing a first year frame for the nursery photo wall & finally found one that was reasonably priced that I loved on Amazon. Now we have all the frames we need for her wall, so hopefully I can talk Mr. WB into putting them up this weekend so we can mark it off our to do list.

I hadn't planned on buying any "going home" baby outfits or any special outfits other than the first onesie we got from Target before we even knew that Baby WB was a girl. But then Obsessive Bud showed me pics of of little Olivia at the hospital & I saw that adorable matching gown & beanie outfit on from Etsy seller Addie Kakes Kreations & I just HAD to have one too (sorry for being a copier Mrs. OB, but it was too adorable to pass up)! So I got this one (in white & Baby WB's name of course, but the design/colors are all the same otherwise):

My little sister is going to take pics of us with the baby the day after she's born when she comes to visit us in the hospital & our little girl is gonna look so ADORABLE in her personalized cap & gown! I can hardly wait to get it!

I also had a 20% off Hallmark coupon, so today I bout the babe a cute memory book to record some memories from her first year with us. I feel like I may be going a teeny bit overboard, but hey...it's our first behbeh, so I'm excited! ;oP

According to Baby Center, Baby WB is the size of a cantaloupe this week. She is about 4 3/4 pounds & 18 inches long! She's getting plump in there -  her fat layers are filling out more & her lungs are continuing to mature. When I got my weekly Baby Center email this week about the baby's development, it actually made me breathe a huge sigh of relief because it said that babies born between 34-37 weeks that have no other health problems generally do just fine. Not that I want her born any time before 37 weeks (or before the end of October for that matter), but still, good to know.

I can't believe the miracle of babies growing inside of women - it'll be even more real when she gets here, but sometimes I sit & think about how wonderfully awesome it is that I have another human being growing inside of me! It's also becoming so real that she'll be here soon...like SO real. I'm starting to get a little nervous - excited, but still nervous at all the changes our relationship, family & life in general are about to go through! As far as I go, I'm doing okay - very tired/achy by the end of the day & I can't breathe all that well, so I'm breathing really heavy when I walk short distances or talk too fast. I've also been getting pretty daily, beautiful cankles since last week. My Dr. assures me this is normal & advised that I just rest with my feet up at the end of the day, which normally does the trick, so by the next morning, my ankles are back! I'm also getting up to pee in the middle of the night much more often, which makes me even more exhausted when it's time to get up for work. Speaking of work...I got my final maternity leave schedule okay'ed by both of my bosses this week, woot! So the plan is that my last day in the office is October 29th - exactly a month from yesterday, woo! Then, I'll telework November 1st - 4th & take my normal Friday off on November 5th. I'm due November 6th, which is a Saturday. Then I'm off using a combo of holiday, sick, annual & comp time leave from November 8th until January 29th. I absolutely cannot wait to not have to worry about work for THREE months & am so blessed to have such a flexible job that I am able to take off that long! I figure even if I go past my due date, I'll just go ahead & start my leave anyways because I'll likely get induced the week after my due date. Hopefully I won't need to worry about that, but I'm not against it if I don't go into labor on my own either.

We had our 34 week appointment last Friday, the second to last bi-weekly appointment. We have one more next Friday, then I start seeing my OB once a week! This appointment was a normal one - peed in a cup, they checked my weight & blood pressure & the Dr. listened to the babe's heartbeat with the Doppler - 158 bpm if I remember correctly. I think they said I will get the order to do the Group B Strep test at my next appointment. And finally...here's my 33 & 34 week bump shots, I think she's definitely getting bigger in there:

33 weeks:

34 weeks:

That's all I got for now! Time is quickly winding down & soon I'll be introducing Baby WB to all of you!

34 weeks and counting down!

I think in my last post, Baby Hopeful Bud and I had been referred to a specialist because a sonogram had detected some fluid on her kidneys. Well we went to the specialist and the first thing he says after walking into the room is "looks like you are here because of fluid on the kidney and fluid on the right ventricle (brain)." WHAT?!!! Nothing was ever mentioned to me about fluid on the brain so of course I start crying. Mr. Hopeful Bud was so good and immediately grabbed my hand and told me everything would be okay. I laid down on the table and he started the sonogram. Luckily he went straight to the brain and we quickly ruled out any fluid build-up on the brain. I was over the moon! I don't know how I would have handled finding out that there was fluid there. I was all prepared for fluid on the kidneys, what that meant, what we could do after she was born, etc. Because I knew nothing of this new possibility, I was not prepared at all. Then he looked at the kidneys. The right one measured 5 mm - PERFECT. The left one measured 7 mm -- ABNORMAL. 7mm and above is considered abnormal, so she still has a little bit of fluid build-up in one kidney. The good news is, that her amniotic fluid level is great, so we know that her right kidney is functioning properly. The doctor said that fluid on the kidney is a slight indicator of Downs Syndrome, which I knew because I was prepared. However, he did all the measurements and checked all the markers such as an enlarged heart and unproportional shoulders and Baby HB had not markers for Downs. The doctor said the only 100% way of knowing would be to have an amniocentesis, which I very quickly denied. Now we just have to wait until week 36 for a follow-up Phase 2 sonogram. If her kidney is still enlarged then we will contact her pediatrician so that he can be made aware of her condition at birth. My hope and prayer is that the issue works it's self out, either between now and the next sonogram or while she is squeezing through the birth canal. Worst case scenario, and since it's only slightly abnormal I don't think this is the case, is that she has one functioning kidney. People live with one kidney every day.

Other happenings in the life of Baby HB -- we have had all of our showers, so I think we might be getting closer to being ready for her arrival. Tonight we have a BabyCare Basics class. Not sure what it all entails, but I'm sure Mr. HB and I will learn a lot. She is moving so much now that I am starting to get very uncomfortable. At one point last week I was like "get this baby out of me I'm in so much pain", but I quickly took that back since she needs to "bake" a few more weeks. My EDD is in 6 weeks, but I have a feeling she will not be waiting that long. My Braxton Hicks contractions are getting more frequent and uncomfortable. Baby HB has to be running out of room as every time she moves even slightly it hurts me. She has started either punching with her fist or head my cervix, which let me tell you doesn't feel so wonderfully. Oh and she gets the hiccups at least five times a day.

As much as I complain, I love being pregnant and I know I will miss her being in my belly after she is born. Plus after she is born, I won't be able to use getting an ice cream cone from DQ as an excuse to cure my terrible heartburn.

I hope this post finds you all well and happy.
Stay hopeful!

Appointment Recap

I should have updated on Friday but I'm a slacker!

Well, week one of my new appt/work schedule down and I have to say I'm loving it! If I have to be working (which I wish we could afford for me to NOT work but that's just not possible) then I'd rather be getting off at 4. Even though most days I'm going to an appt it just makes me feel like I have so much more time in the afternoons to get stuff done!

On Wed I had my regular appt with Dr. C - everything looked good! We talked a little about how my first NST went and how they'd look from here on out. Baby GB's heart rate was 140, my blood pressure was normal, and my belly was actually measuring at 33 weeks (I was 34 weeks, 3 days). She also told me that sometime in the next two or three weeks (while I'm at the hospital anyway for my NST) that I need to make my way up to Labor & Delivery to pre-register. I didn't realize this was a huge ordeal but apparently it's not something I want to be doing while I'm in labor :)

On Friday was my second NST at the hospital, we did the movement test again that I talked about in my last post. It went MUCH faster this time - although Baby GB was asleep again - I let her know after only about 2 minutes when I hadn't really felt him wiggle that I'd need some cold water which woke him right up and he seemed to entertain himself in there kicking away.

After that I went back out to the waiting room while they got a room ready for my ultrasound. Ya know, I'm not one to usually be self conscious or care that Mr GB can't make it to most of our appts but as I walked back out to a younger couple making out, an older couple holding hands, and another couple; I felt a little awkward being a singleton?! First of all I wanted to tell the younger couple to get a room... and second when I got home I made sure that Mr GB would be in attendance this Friday :)

Anyway, they called me back again and I have to say it was very exciting to see Baby GB again - it's been almost 15 weeks since our last ultrasound! Time sure has flown! Turns out he's in perfect head down position and he was even sucking his thumb when she first turned it on. I didn't realize but I even got to see him in 3D! Those kind of ultrasounds are amazing! She kept trying to erase shadows and let me get a better view of his little face - he's got super cute chubby cheeks and I even think he's going to have Mr GB's nose :) I was hoping to get another glimpse of the "goods" but he wasn't willing to show off - plus things are a little more cramped in there these days and his feet were all the way up by his head! Flexible little guy! It only lasted about 10 minutes but it was so beautiful! I kind of forgot the real reason we were having the ultrasound was to check the amniotic fluid levels which only took her about 2 minutes and she said everything looked great. So, without further adu - here's 34 Week, 5 Day old Baby GB :)

Enjoy!

1 Down - 2 To Go

Thanks to President's Day on Monday and a much needed 3-day weekend - yesterday marked the first day of my new hectic work/doctor appointment schedule! I have to say though, it wasn't that bad!

If you remember, Dr. C recommended that twice weekly I am to be scheduled for non-stress tests in addition to my regular (now every two week) OB appointments. I'm really thankful that my job is accommodating me during all these appointments and letting me change my schedule from 8am-5pm to 7am-4pm however getting up that extra hour earlier this morning was brutal! I didn't prepare myself and stayed up way too late on Monday night. I'm sure I'll adjust to that quickly though.

I was a little nervous about starting these appointments just because of the nature of them - basically having GD considers me in the High Risk Pregnancy category and also because, I've never been to the hospital... ever... for anything...

Anyway, I made it down there ok, found parking, paid my $2 for said parking, and proceeded to wander around the Women's Maternity Center of the hospital until I finally gave up and asked where the heck I needed to go. Mr. GB gets irritated with me because I'm like a man - I hate to ask for directions - so I'm glad he wasn't with me :)

So I finally figure out which part of the hospital they had me scheduled in - the Women's Center for Fetal-Maternal Medicine - and I took note since I'll be spending a lot of time there in the next 5 weeks. They hooked me up to a monitor that they told me would be similar to one they'd use up in L&D when I actually go into labor. Someone freaked me out and told me that these NST's would be simulating a contraction - that's not the case! Basically, one strap around my belly monitors Baby GB's heartbeat and another strap monitors if I'm having any contractions. The tech also gave me a little clicky deal that I had to push every time I felt Baby GB move. She said that they'll monitor him for a minimum of 20 minutes and they need to get at least 2 good movements with significant raises in heart rate. Apparently when a baby moves their heart rate raises and that's what the whole test is about.

Of course, it couldn't just be that easy right???

Baby GB was asleep... fabulous. His heart rate was right around 140 but for the first 5 or so minutes she let me just sit there waiting to see if he'd wake up. He didn't. So she got me a cup of cold water to see if that would help. It got him going a little bit but every time I'd feel him move and click the button she kept saying, "Come on little guy, we need that heart rate to be higher." Which of course... freaks me the eff out?!

After another 5 or so minutes she says we're going to use a little device that uses a combination of vibration and sound to really wake him up. She said it won't hurt him in the slightest but the second that vibration hit my stomach I got the hardest kick I've ever felt. He was awake!!! :) After that it was kick after kick and HR rise after rise. She said this was good and put my mind at ease telling me that they wouldn't let me leave their office if they thought something was wrong. They'd either call Dr. C or send me upstairs to L&D. So that was reassuring at least - I still think that lady needs to learn some tact when making comments about what she's looking at though.

I did end up having to sit there for 10 extra minutes because I guess once he was awake the cover line of his HR was bouncing from 140 to 135 and without 10 minutes of a consistent cover line I'd have to keep sitting there so they could monitor.

So that's it... fun stuff!!! Today I have my 34 Week appointment with Dr. C - hopefully all will go well and then on Friday I get to go back for my last appointment of the week back at the hospital. I'm really excited for Friday's appointment because it's an ultrasound so I get to see Baby GB again!!!