Guess what? I'm still pregnant. YAY!
We had our follow-up with Dr. Fuentes this morning at 8:30. I was nervous and sweating and jittery all morning, wondering if we'd have to have the dreaded c-section this afternoon. I literally felt sick to my stomach.
But, the tech did the ultrasound and her AFI was back up over 8! YAY! So they advised me to keep drinking my water and continue with the resting, and they'd see me in two weeks for the "final" check up. SCARY to hear the word "final" - I can't believe this is almost over! But, believe me, after this week's drama, those labor pains will be the best pain I will ever feel compared to the dread and fear I've had over possibly having a c-section!
Also, in other good news, my blood pressure has been doing SO much better the past two times it's been checked. It was 130/77 yesterday at Dr. Wilson's office, and 140/70 (ish) this morning - probably up a little bit because I was so nervous. I think I can attribute that to something I had thought of before, but hadn't REALLY thought was too bad. Since the baby's fluid was so low, I cut out caffeine entirely (I was a caffeine junkie pre-pregnancy and hadn't really cut it out since then, though I had cut back to one cup a day from my 3-4 cup a day habit). Lo and behold, the blood pressure evened out (at least the bottom number, which they were most concerned about).
So, the moral of the story is that I should keep cutting out the caffeine if I want my blood pressure to be stable. I'll just have to replace my favorite caffeinated drinks with decaf versions.
YAY for today, though! I also did my hospital pre-registration today, and Scott & I are going to meet with the pediatrician this afternoon to get that all squared away.
I've got two more appointments lined up - April 29 with Dr. Wilson, where they get to do the fun GBS test (crossing fingers for negative!) and then May 7 again with Dr. Fuentes. (crossing fingers for high fluid!). I'll be one day shy of 37 weeks by then - FULL TERM! WOW!
As a result of all of this chaos over the past week, we are now ready for Angelica to be born. Her crib is put together, room is cleaned, my hospital bag and Angelica's diaper bag is packed. My co-workers are trained to cover for me for when the baby actually does come. I had to bail on my labor and delivery classes, but I got a DVD to watch, and I also bought a copy of Happiest Baby on the Block, which my sister said she really liked.
Okay, I should get back to work. I'm the happiest woman alive right now!!
April 23, 2008
April 16, 2008
33w6d - 6w1d to go (?)
I have tons to update about, but we'll start with this - as you can see in the title, there's a question mark on the number of weeks that I have left.
This morning, I had an appointment with Dr. Fuentes and my AFI was lower than last time - in fact, it was RIGHT on the borderline (5.5, the lowest "normal range" is 5). So, I've now been placed on modified bed-rest. He was debating whether or not to put me on full bed rest, but since I work seated 99% of the time, he cleared me to go to work for at least another week. When I'm at home, though, I'm only allowed to shower and go to the bathroom. Anyone who knows me knows that I think that SUCKS, because it means I have to give up my independence. But, it would suck more if the baby weren't healthy, so I'm happy to do it.
I have a follow up with him next week, on Wednesday morning...if the fluid is any lower...we may be having a baby...NEXT WEEK.
The good news is that Angelica looks perfect. She was over 5 pounds on the ultrasound and was actually measuring slightly ahead, and all her baby parts looked perfect, so if we do have to be induced next week, she'll be fine. She'll be a little early and a little small, but fine nevertheless.
It kind of throws a kink in my natural childbirth plans, because you better believe that if they are going to induce me I'm taking the epidural, that way if it winds up being a c-section, I'll be more prepared. But all the "plans" in the world are nothing compared to having a healthy baby.
I'll update more about the other fun stuff (baby shower and such) later, I'd better get to work prepping for my maternity leave NOW!
This morning, I had an appointment with Dr. Fuentes and my AFI was lower than last time - in fact, it was RIGHT on the borderline (5.5, the lowest "normal range" is 5). So, I've now been placed on modified bed-rest. He was debating whether or not to put me on full bed rest, but since I work seated 99% of the time, he cleared me to go to work for at least another week. When I'm at home, though, I'm only allowed to shower and go to the bathroom. Anyone who knows me knows that I think that SUCKS, because it means I have to give up my independence. But, it would suck more if the baby weren't healthy, so I'm happy to do it.
I have a follow up with him next week, on Wednesday morning...if the fluid is any lower...we may be having a baby...NEXT WEEK.
The good news is that Angelica looks perfect. She was over 5 pounds on the ultrasound and was actually measuring slightly ahead, and all her baby parts looked perfect, so if we do have to be induced next week, she'll be fine. She'll be a little early and a little small, but fine nevertheless.
It kind of throws a kink in my natural childbirth plans, because you better believe that if they are going to induce me I'm taking the epidural, that way if it winds up being a c-section, I'll be more prepared. But all the "plans" in the world are nothing compared to having a healthy baby.
I'll update more about the other fun stuff (baby shower and such) later, I'd better get to work prepping for my maternity leave NOW!
April 3, 2008
32w0d - 8w to go!
It just dawned on me that I am so used to being huge and pregnant that my non-pregnant body will seem very foreign to me - and I'm only about 8 weeks away from giving birth!
How weird will it be to not have her in there kicking and squirming day in and day out? The little taps and flutters I felt at 16 weeks that stood out so much pale in comparison, and now sometimes she's in there kicking away and I don't even think about it or really notice because I'm just so used to it.
I'm just amazed by this...and actually nervous. I feel like things will be very weird once I deliver, kind of like being locked in a very quiet room where the quiet just seems so loud...if that makes sense...
How weird will it be to not have her in there kicking and squirming day in and day out? The little taps and flutters I felt at 16 weeks that stood out so much pale in comparison, and now sometimes she's in there kicking away and I don't even think about it or really notice because I'm just so used to it.
I'm just amazed by this...and actually nervous. I feel like things will be very weird once I deliver, kind of like being locked in a very quiet room where the quiet just seems so loud...if that makes sense...
April 2, 2008
31w6d - 8w1d to go!
I didn't write about my appointment earlier this week, mainly because it was relatively uneventful.
Angelica is measuring right on target - the tape measure test said 32 weeks on Monday, which puts her only a few days ahead (and makes me a happy mommy - I think she'll be early...still rooting for Memorial Day weekend, but it occurred to me last night that she could very easily be a Mother's Day gift, too!)
Her heart rate was perfect...Dr. Cascio said she was being quite active, with a heart rate between 140-150 and it sounded strong. I'm so proud of my little girl!
My blood pressure is back up again, as I suspected - not terribly high (145/83 on Monday) because I haven't really been able to exercise thanks to the pain - which, by the way, she said that pretty much the only thing I could do for it is lay down to take the pressure off...and in the next breath told me I needed more exercise for my blood pressure. Scott tried to explain the logistics of this but it didn't seem to be well received - in all honesty I left my appointment feeling kind of ticked off because of this, and the fact that the whole thing turned into a lecture about my weight...again...
Speaking of that, because of the weight lecture, instead of being happy that the baby is doing well, I kind of left the appointment feeling like I should feel lucky that my "defective" body has created a perfect child, and that I should just expect something to go wrong at any time now (for example, I should just expect that I'll develop pre-eclampsia or need a c-section).
This really ticked me off because I feel like I should be celebrating the fact that I have had a very easy, uncomplicated pregnancy and that the baby is doing so well and is so perfectly developed - and I attribute this to the fact that, since becoming pregnant, I have made lifestyle changes for the better. I'm eating healthier and exercising more than I have in years. But every time I go in to see one of the doctors, they imply that all I do is sit around and eat and don't get enough activity, which isn't true. (This isn't the case with the NP, who has said I should watch my weight but never turns it into a negative lecture.)
Up to this point, I've always said I love my doctors but after this last visit, I've kind of had it. I'm actually considering a switch, but at this late stage in the pregnancy I wonder if it's worth the hassle. After all, once we're in the delivery room, all the doctor really has to do is catch the baby and then I can switch without having to worry about the transfer of medical records and see whoever I want. (If I ever have another baby - which isn't very likely...but IF I ever do, I would pick a different doctor.) I'm working on my birth plan, and even though I know nothing ever goes exactly as planned, I will be outlining in there that before admission of drugs or jumping right into a c-section, they need to consider all other options first. Last thing I need is a knife-happy doc cutting into my uterus just because I'm overweight.
Next time I go in, if they start in on me, I'll just tell them - I'm overweight, NOT defective. I haven't gained that much, and I'll worry about my weight gain after she comes. For now, as long as she's healthy, I'm a happy mom.
That's really it for now. I'm gonna go grab some lunch and plug away at work for awhile longer!
Angelica is measuring right on target - the tape measure test said 32 weeks on Monday, which puts her only a few days ahead (and makes me a happy mommy - I think she'll be early...still rooting for Memorial Day weekend, but it occurred to me last night that she could very easily be a Mother's Day gift, too!)
Her heart rate was perfect...Dr. Cascio said she was being quite active, with a heart rate between 140-150 and it sounded strong. I'm so proud of my little girl!
My blood pressure is back up again, as I suspected - not terribly high (145/83 on Monday) because I haven't really been able to exercise thanks to the pain - which, by the way, she said that pretty much the only thing I could do for it is lay down to take the pressure off...and in the next breath told me I needed more exercise for my blood pressure. Scott tried to explain the logistics of this but it didn't seem to be well received - in all honesty I left my appointment feeling kind of ticked off because of this, and the fact that the whole thing turned into a lecture about my weight...again...
Speaking of that, because of the weight lecture, instead of being happy that the baby is doing well, I kind of left the appointment feeling like I should feel lucky that my "defective" body has created a perfect child, and that I should just expect something to go wrong at any time now (for example, I should just expect that I'll develop pre-eclampsia or need a c-section).
This really ticked me off because I feel like I should be celebrating the fact that I have had a very easy, uncomplicated pregnancy and that the baby is doing so well and is so perfectly developed - and I attribute this to the fact that, since becoming pregnant, I have made lifestyle changes for the better. I'm eating healthier and exercising more than I have in years. But every time I go in to see one of the doctors, they imply that all I do is sit around and eat and don't get enough activity, which isn't true. (This isn't the case with the NP, who has said I should watch my weight but never turns it into a negative lecture.)
Up to this point, I've always said I love my doctors but after this last visit, I've kind of had it. I'm actually considering a switch, but at this late stage in the pregnancy I wonder if it's worth the hassle. After all, once we're in the delivery room, all the doctor really has to do is catch the baby and then I can switch without having to worry about the transfer of medical records and see whoever I want. (If I ever have another baby - which isn't very likely...but IF I ever do, I would pick a different doctor.) I'm working on my birth plan, and even though I know nothing ever goes exactly as planned, I will be outlining in there that before admission of drugs or jumping right into a c-section, they need to consider all other options first. Last thing I need is a knife-happy doc cutting into my uterus just because I'm overweight.
Next time I go in, if they start in on me, I'll just tell them - I'm overweight, NOT defective. I haven't gained that much, and I'll worry about my weight gain after she comes. For now, as long as she's healthy, I'm a happy mom.
That's really it for now. I'm gonna go grab some lunch and plug away at work for awhile longer!
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