Everything's fine. I had blood tests; they actually got the results (I thought the tech was going to lose the vials of my blood) and everything was perfect. Fundal height is 31 cm, which is perfect for 31 weeks, so all the people who keep telling me that I'm not big at all and "that baby doesn't seem to be growing at all" can shove it. My doctor's happy and would like me to stop reading any activist birth literature in favor of positive, warm-fuzzy stuff, but we all know how effective it is to tell me not to read something. I understand what he's worried about.
I stopped by my doctor's new baby store and got a birth/yoga/fitness ball to sit on. It's a cute store, lots of neat stuff. He had suggested papaya extract for my terrible ongoing heartburn, but I didn't see any.
Anyway! A is having a bad day. He's been fighting some cold, so we've got him hopped up on albuterol in addition to his pulmicort. He was cranky with Daddy when he was dropped off at preschool and he was cranky with me afterwards, including having an all-out temper tantrum in the library and the library's parking lot that ended in me bodily carrying him to the car. A little old lady stopped to watch as I strapped him into the car seat while he hit, pinched, and kicked me. (Hello, preschool influences?) I left him in the car to cool down (cloudy day, but I rolled the windows down just in case) while the little old lady took down my license plate number. Now I'm just waiting for Child Protective Services to call me for being a bad mother.
He's sleeping now. I hope he perks up or it'll be a long, long afternoon.
Showing posts with label prenatal visits. Show all posts
Showing posts with label prenatal visits. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Checkup update
Everything's fine with me and the babe. Just normal cramping, apparently. If there's spotting or bleeding, I should worry, but other than that, it's take it easy and go with it. The joys of pregnancy.
When I was pregnant with A, I had such a cheerful disposition, and he has such a sunny disposition. If this next one has the temperament I've had while I've been pregnant this time around, this child will be fearsome.
When I was pregnant with A, I had such a cheerful disposition, and he has such a sunny disposition. If this next one has the temperament I've had while I've been pregnant this time around, this child will be fearsome.
Monday, July 24, 2006
Prenatal Visit, Week 39
The rain stopped. Sigh.
This morning, we had our Week 39 visit. The kid's head is way down (so maybe it's dropped although I certainly couldn't say that it had). Everything's good: blood pressure, glucose, protein, weight, fetal heartrate (120 to 130, which seems slow to me), and fundal height (38 cm).
We talked about having a pelvic exam next week, which we may or may not do, depending if I want to. I'm still undecided. We talked a bit about labor. I am still in, "Well, let's labor at home for as long as possible then go in and do whatever works," mode. They'd like me to do kick counts, which means that I have to make sure the kid moves 10 times within one hour each day. That will be right after the ice cream hour. The kid's so active that I'm not concerned.
My pinkies being numb is just inflammation caused by the excessive amount of fluids I have right now and is normal. It should go away once the pregnancy's over.
Past 40 weeks, we start having to have non-stress tests and whatnot, so next week we'll have to start talking about natural methods of inducing, which I really don't want to do. I'm still pretty sure the kid will pick the right day.
This morning, we had our Week 39 visit. The kid's head is way down (so maybe it's dropped although I certainly couldn't say that it had). Everything's good: blood pressure, glucose, protein, weight, fetal heartrate (120 to 130, which seems slow to me), and fundal height (38 cm).
We talked about having a pelvic exam next week, which we may or may not do, depending if I want to. I'm still undecided. We talked a bit about labor. I am still in, "Well, let's labor at home for as long as possible then go in and do whatever works," mode. They'd like me to do kick counts, which means that I have to make sure the kid moves 10 times within one hour each day. That will be right after the ice cream hour. The kid's so active that I'm not concerned.
My pinkies being numb is just inflammation caused by the excessive amount of fluids I have right now and is normal. It should go away once the pregnancy's over.
Past 40 weeks, we start having to have non-stress tests and whatnot, so next week we'll have to start talking about natural methods of inducing, which I really don't want to do. I'm still pretty sure the kid will pick the right day.
Monday, July 17, 2006
Prenatal Visit, Week 38 or so
This week's visit was a little anticlimactic. The kid hasn't arrived; I haven't had any more significant Braxton-Hicks contractions. Everything (weight, glucose, protein, fetal heartrate, fundal height) is on track.
My midwife told me to get in a pool if I could, which is funny because the pool keys for our apartment complex arrived this weekend. The problem: a swim suit. The cheap Scotch in me (ancestry, not booze*) makes me wonder about the wisdom of buying a maternity bathing suit two weeks before my due date; the cynic in me says that just the act of buying a (non-returnable) bathing suit will be enough to send me into labor. Maybe I'll hit Target and see if they've got anything on clearance.
It's been hot here and being pregnant doesn't help that. The kid's taking up a lot of room, so I'm trying to remember to eat smaller meals more often. Having said that, I'm still not sick of being pregnant. I'm not horribly uncomfortable; the kid is doing great. I don't know if I'll ever be pregnant again. I have faith the kid will pick its proper birthday when it's ready. There's no point in being impatient. Besides, there are some of you who can be impatient for me!
At this point, it could be any time. It still doesn't feel that way to me. I'm not cleaning walls yet, either, for those of you watching for nesting behaviors. We missed the full moon, a supposed labor-inducer, and we thankfully get to keep our anniversary for our greedy selves (even though I'm sure we would have loved two celebrations on the same day, blah blah whatever).
We met with friends of ours from birth class over the weekend and met their baby, who is a cutie. (Other babies do get cuter as the odds of having your own improve - consider it 400% more estrogen's little gift.) They pointed us towards a breastfeeding supply store associated with one of the local hospitals. Mistah C and I went there Sunday and it was super. They even have a scale in the store, which is the mark of people who understand breastfed baby needs. We'll probably be going back there 7-10 days after birth for any supplies that seem relevant post-baby.
We have heard rumor there is a contingent of CO people in town this week, so that will be this week's excitement (at least, the known excitement). Past that, it's just work work work. I'm just "documenting my job" now, so at least nobody's hounding me.
* Besides, any of you who know Mistah C know that any Scotch in this house is ridiculously expensive single malt Scotch with tongue-twisting names. But that's irrelevant since I haven't touched a single soft cheese, piece of sushi, or drop of booze since the two pink lines showed up.
My midwife told me to get in a pool if I could, which is funny because the pool keys for our apartment complex arrived this weekend. The problem: a swim suit. The cheap Scotch in me (ancestry, not booze*) makes me wonder about the wisdom of buying a maternity bathing suit two weeks before my due date; the cynic in me says that just the act of buying a (non-returnable) bathing suit will be enough to send me into labor. Maybe I'll hit Target and see if they've got anything on clearance.
It's been hot here and being pregnant doesn't help that. The kid's taking up a lot of room, so I'm trying to remember to eat smaller meals more often. Having said that, I'm still not sick of being pregnant. I'm not horribly uncomfortable; the kid is doing great. I don't know if I'll ever be pregnant again. I have faith the kid will pick its proper birthday when it's ready. There's no point in being impatient. Besides, there are some of you who can be impatient for me!
At this point, it could be any time. It still doesn't feel that way to me. I'm not cleaning walls yet, either, for those of you watching for nesting behaviors. We missed the full moon, a supposed labor-inducer, and we thankfully get to keep our anniversary for our greedy selves (even though I'm sure we would have loved two celebrations on the same day, blah blah whatever).
We met with friends of ours from birth class over the weekend and met their baby, who is a cutie. (Other babies do get cuter as the odds of having your own improve - consider it 400% more estrogen's little gift.) They pointed us towards a breastfeeding supply store associated with one of the local hospitals. Mistah C and I went there Sunday and it was super. They even have a scale in the store, which is the mark of people who understand breastfed baby needs. We'll probably be going back there 7-10 days after birth for any supplies that seem relevant post-baby.
We have heard rumor there is a contingent of CO people in town this week, so that will be this week's excitement (at least, the known excitement). Past that, it's just work work work. I'm just "documenting my job" now, so at least nobody's hounding me.
* Besides, any of you who know Mistah C know that any Scotch in this house is ridiculously expensive single malt Scotch with tongue-twisting names. But that's irrelevant since I haven't touched a single soft cheese, piece of sushi, or drop of booze since the two pink lines showed up.
Tuesday, July 11, 2006
Officially Full-Term 37 Week Prenatal Visit
We are now safely out of the premature delivery stage. This is good because it means that I can deliver safely at the birth center instead of getting schlepped off to the hospital. It also means that when we leave the birth center, people say, "See you next week, if not sooner!"
All stats are fine: weight, BP, glucose, protein, fetal heartrate. Fundal height was 38 cm, so we had a bit of a jump there - but a centimeter isn't that big. Baby's head is still down. Sometime in the next two weeks, they'll check for effacement and dialation, but the birth center doesn't like giving pelvic exams to pregnant women since that can sometimes inadvertantly start labor.
Our bag is packed and I believe we have all the supplies on hand they asked us to have. We have been given the instructions on when to go to the birth center, which are extremely sensible: Don't start timing contractions until it's too hard for me to speak through them. Don't call the birth center until hard contractions have been coming every 3-5 minutes for one hour. Stay at home and labor there where it's "safe" and comforting until active labor is firmly established. We're both oddly calm, in the "it'll happen when it happens" mode.
We have a baby care class tonight (nothing like procrastinating, right?) where we'll learn how to change a diaper and bathe the baby, I guess.
All stats are fine: weight, BP, glucose, protein, fetal heartrate. Fundal height was 38 cm, so we had a bit of a jump there - but a centimeter isn't that big. Baby's head is still down. Sometime in the next two weeks, they'll check for effacement and dialation, but the birth center doesn't like giving pelvic exams to pregnant women since that can sometimes inadvertantly start labor.
Our bag is packed and I believe we have all the supplies on hand they asked us to have. We have been given the instructions on when to go to the birth center, which are extremely sensible: Don't start timing contractions until it's too hard for me to speak through them. Don't call the birth center until hard contractions have been coming every 3-5 minutes for one hour. Stay at home and labor there where it's "safe" and comforting until active labor is firmly established. We're both oddly calm, in the "it'll happen when it happens" mode.
We have a baby care class tonight (nothing like procrastinating, right?) where we'll learn how to change a diaper and bathe the baby, I guess.
Tuesday, July 04, 2006
Happy Independence from Jury Duty Day
We the jury were dismissed yesterday at 4:45PM, so I will not be returning to jury duty Wednesday. I will be returning to work. This means I've been out of work since last Monday. I can't say that I've missed work.
We had a hung jury on all five counts, so the case will be re-tried. Both the judge and the prosecuting attorney made a point of telling us that sometimes juries honestly can't reach a decision and it doesn't reflect poorly on us as jurors or the process. The people on the jury were all nice, thoughtful, intelligent people so I really can't say anything bad about the process.
We also had a prenatal visit yesterday morning, early to avoid being late to court. My blood pressure was high (80/135), but that was probably because I was worried about making it to jury duty on time. My midwife asked me to lie down on my side to double-check it and then my BP was 60/110 or something absolutely fine. Everything else (weight, glucose, protein) was fine. Fundal height was 36 cm, right on track for 36 weeks. Kid's fine. The midwife asked if I had my bag packed, and alas, I do not. We need to do that.
Today I don't know what we're doing other than buying milk and spending some time with my feet up. We have apparently reached the feet up stage of pregnancy.
We had a hung jury on all five counts, so the case will be re-tried. Both the judge and the prosecuting attorney made a point of telling us that sometimes juries honestly can't reach a decision and it doesn't reflect poorly on us as jurors or the process. The people on the jury were all nice, thoughtful, intelligent people so I really can't say anything bad about the process.
We also had a prenatal visit yesterday morning, early to avoid being late to court. My blood pressure was high (80/135), but that was probably because I was worried about making it to jury duty on time. My midwife asked me to lie down on my side to double-check it and then my BP was 60/110 or something absolutely fine. Everything else (weight, glucose, protein) was fine. Fundal height was 36 cm, right on track for 36 weeks. Kid's fine. The midwife asked if I had my bag packed, and alas, I do not. We need to do that.
Today I don't know what we're doing other than buying milk and spending some time with my feet up. We have apparently reached the feet up stage of pregnancy.
Wednesday, June 28, 2006
Prenatal Visit, Week 35-and-a-Half
I am tired right now. Yesterday was a long day and I have to go get ready for the potentially long day today will be.
But yesterday's prenatal visit went fine. I'm just over one week away from being full-term; unfortunately, with jury duty this week and the holiday next week, it's screwed up my usual mid-to-end of week visitation schedule. But the midwives had reviewed the ultrasound and the baby looked fine. Weight, BP, glucose, protein, fetal pulse are all fine.
[Edited to add: Oh, and my strep B test came back negative so I've got no need for IV antibiotics during labor, which is super.]
I spent the rest of the day at a blood drive at Mistah C's place of employment, which was fun but hot in the afternoon. There were also weird power struggles going on between the employees of said bloodmobile; there wasn't the camaraderie between the staff that I've witnessed on other drives. But it was first muggy and then damn hot. I estimate I drank at least 3 liters of water sitting out there.
But yesterday's prenatal visit went fine. I'm just over one week away from being full-term; unfortunately, with jury duty this week and the holiday next week, it's screwed up my usual mid-to-end of week visitation schedule. But the midwives had reviewed the ultrasound and the baby looked fine. Weight, BP, glucose, protein, fetal pulse are all fine.
[Edited to add: Oh, and my strep B test came back negative so I've got no need for IV antibiotics during labor, which is super.]
I spent the rest of the day at a blood drive at Mistah C's place of employment, which was fun but hot in the afternoon. There were also weird power struggles going on between the employees of said bloodmobile; there wasn't the camaraderie between the staff that I've witnessed on other drives. But it was first muggy and then damn hot. I estimate I drank at least 3 liters of water sitting out there.
But I got to have lunch with my dear husband and our friend, which is great, and I didn't see a single monkey, which is unusual for a work day for me these days.
Thursday, June 22, 2006
Week 35 Ultrasound Results: All is Well
Everything is super. The kid is exactly where it should be with its head down, facing forward. The kid's butt is right under my sternum and so that's what probably where we got the fetal heartbeat. The pictures are not as clear as last time so you'll just get a side profile of the kid to peer at - the kid's too big for a nice clear view right now. Head's to the right and the kid has both hands up by its face but it is not sucking its thumb. The tech was trying to figure out whose profile this kid has, but that's just so not what we care about.We saw the baby's face with eyes opening and closing and mouth moving. It does not look like the kid has a cleft lip, which I was moderately concerned about because I had a high Vitamin A intake in early pregnancy. The tech also checked for amniotic fluid levels, which look great. The ultrasound tech tells us the kid has hair and a big head - the first thing she said was, "Wow, that's a big head!" This is not unexpected, but also it's not the most comforting thought for me right now.
We did not find out what gender the kid was. She told us to look away at the appropriate time, but we honestly couldn't tell half the time what we were looking at. But I'm just so relieved that the kid is exactly lined up right where it should be. We've been really lucky so far.
Grumble grumble work grumble
I talked to my charming midwife yesterday about my work stress. She saw no immediate danger to the baby, but told me that if I felt like I was too stressed out, then I was probably the best judge of whether or not I should be taking time off.
I am just off a work teleconference and I'm really seriously considering taking pregnancy disability. I just don't have the tolerance for fools that I normally do. I don't think it's good for me to be agitatedly pacing around my house yelling at morons on the phone. I'm going to take a little ten-minute head-clearing walk before Mistah C picks me up for our ultrasound this morning.
I am just off a work teleconference and I'm really seriously considering taking pregnancy disability. I just don't have the tolerance for fools that I normally do. I don't think it's good for me to be agitatedly pacing around my house yelling at morons on the phone. I'm going to take a little ten-minute head-clearing walk before Mistah C picks me up for our ultrasound this morning.
Wednesday, June 21, 2006
Prenatal Visit for Week 35
We're moving into once a week visits now, folks; this is getting serious.
Today I offered up my blood, urine, and swab samples to the Gods of the Term Labs. The important thing they're checking for is Strep B, which means I would be on IV antibiotics during labor, not fun. I really hope I'm not positive for strep B. I've got a 1 in 4 chance of having it.
My protein and glucose were fine; fundal height was 35 cm, exactly on track if not a little big. We felt the baby and the midwife found the head down again. Then she tried to take the fetal pulse and found it right under my sternum, which is not where she thought the baby would be.
So tomorrow I'm going in for an ultrasound so we can be absolutely sure that the kid is head down. Maybe we'll have more ultrasound pics for all you lucky people out there. No, we're still not going to find out what gender the kid is. Get over your cheap selves! There is a clearance sale going on at Hanna freaking Andersson right now, and that is probably the most tempting reason for me to find out what gender the kid is. Even a Hanna sale is not moving me at this time. We've gone this long without knowing, another 5-6 weeks isn't going to make that much of a difference. There has to be some aspect of our technology-driven, TiVo-consuming lives that's sweetly old-fashioned.
I'm trying to decide if I should be worried or not. It sounded like there was just one data point that didn't agree with all the others so we're having it checked; ultrasounds at 35 weeks are pretty common for positioning. The midwife didn't seem worried and I try to take my cues from her. I know the birth center likes to be on the safe side.
This spoils my tenative plans to go to the La Leche League meeting Thursday morning, so I'm a little annoyed. Mistah C is deciding whether or not he can take the time off work to go with me. I think he's feeling like he's taken a lot of time off recently in an hour-here, late-start there increments, but the temptation of seeing the kid again before D-day is probably great (no judgement, sweetie, you do what you want).
I don't know if I've explicitly mentioned this before, but Mistah C has gone to every single prenatal visit except for the initial intake one (which Miss J accompanied me to), so he's been an outstandingly supportive husband/father-to-be (again, no pressure there, honey). The whole pregnancy has only reconfirmed for me that yes, I chose wisely and well.
Today I offered up my blood, urine, and swab samples to the Gods of the Term Labs. The important thing they're checking for is Strep B, which means I would be on IV antibiotics during labor, not fun. I really hope I'm not positive for strep B. I've got a 1 in 4 chance of having it.
My protein and glucose were fine; fundal height was 35 cm, exactly on track if not a little big. We felt the baby and the midwife found the head down again. Then she tried to take the fetal pulse and found it right under my sternum, which is not where she thought the baby would be.
So tomorrow I'm going in for an ultrasound so we can be absolutely sure that the kid is head down. Maybe we'll have more ultrasound pics for all you lucky people out there. No, we're still not going to find out what gender the kid is. Get over your cheap selves! There is a clearance sale going on at Hanna freaking Andersson right now, and that is probably the most tempting reason for me to find out what gender the kid is. Even a Hanna sale is not moving me at this time. We've gone this long without knowing, another 5-6 weeks isn't going to make that much of a difference. There has to be some aspect of our technology-driven, TiVo-consuming lives that's sweetly old-fashioned.
I'm trying to decide if I should be worried or not. It sounded like there was just one data point that didn't agree with all the others so we're having it checked; ultrasounds at 35 weeks are pretty common for positioning. The midwife didn't seem worried and I try to take my cues from her. I know the birth center likes to be on the safe side.
This spoils my tenative plans to go to the La Leche League meeting Thursday morning, so I'm a little annoyed. Mistah C is deciding whether or not he can take the time off work to go with me. I think he's feeling like he's taken a lot of time off recently in an hour-here, late-start there increments, but the temptation of seeing the kid again before D-day is probably great (no judgement, sweetie, you do what you want).
I don't know if I've explicitly mentioned this before, but Mistah C has gone to every single prenatal visit except for the initial intake one (which Miss J accompanied me to), so he's been an outstandingly supportive husband/father-to-be (again, no pressure there, honey). The whole pregnancy has only reconfirmed for me that yes, I chose wisely and well.
Friday, June 09, 2006
No TB for me!
Hooray! Yes, I know we were all worried there.
My work currently sucks. I miss my old boss. That's all I'm going to say on a blog.
My work currently sucks. I miss my old boss. That's all I'm going to say on a blog.
Wednesday, June 07, 2006
Almost-33 Week Prenatal Visit
Let's all do a happy dance. Stupid Bush; stupid midterms; stupid people who really think gay people getting married affects anyone else's marriage. I can name half a dozen heterosexual marriages I'd rather see made unconstitutional so I can stop being lumped into the same category as them, but that would be a truly juicy blog entry, wouldn't it? Constitutional amendments limiting rights never seem to work well - the last one that took was the two-terms limit for presidents and I can honestly say that there are times when I'm just thrilled that amendment is in place (1987 and the current year come to mind).
Anyway, this post should be about today's prenatal visit. We're almost to 33 weeks and are right on track for that for fundal height, 33 cm. Blood pressure was good, weight good, glucose good, protein good. They gave me a TB test since I hadn't gotten one previously; I have to run by on Friday so they can see if I have TB or not. Pregnant women apparently get a TB screening as a public health thing. There's no live culture in the test so it shouldn't affect the baby.
The birth center was calm for all the activity going on there: a birth last night at 3AM, plus another mother was being transferred to a hospital because her labor had stalled. Everyone was quite calm, but the midwives were tired. The midwife measured my fundal height at 35 cm (which would be quite the leap in growth) and then said, "I've been up all night. Let me find the head first and we'll re-measure."
The midwife located the kid's head and the kid is happily head down right where it should be. Mistah C and I both felt it; the baby has a head. There's still enough room for the kid to bounce around in there, but not enough left for the kid to somersault into a breech position. Breech is not good.
The kid is moving a lot; the midwife felt my uterus and said the kid is still floating. I asked if the strange twinges I have been having are Braxton-Hicks contractions since everyone in birth class seems to have had them and I haven't, but the midwife said, no, it's the kid moving. Apparently Braxton-Hicks contractions will make my uterus feel like a board and I could be having them without noticing.
The next appointment is in two weeks and they will be doing my term labs. I'm not nearly as excited about more testing, but I'll have my braces off by then. Less than two weeks, woo hoo!
Anyway, this post should be about today's prenatal visit. We're almost to 33 weeks and are right on track for that for fundal height, 33 cm. Blood pressure was good, weight good, glucose good, protein good. They gave me a TB test since I hadn't gotten one previously; I have to run by on Friday so they can see if I have TB or not. Pregnant women apparently get a TB screening as a public health thing. There's no live culture in the test so it shouldn't affect the baby.
The birth center was calm for all the activity going on there: a birth last night at 3AM, plus another mother was being transferred to a hospital because her labor had stalled. Everyone was quite calm, but the midwives were tired. The midwife measured my fundal height at 35 cm (which would be quite the leap in growth) and then said, "I've been up all night. Let me find the head first and we'll re-measure."
The midwife located the kid's head and the kid is happily head down right where it should be. Mistah C and I both felt it; the baby has a head. There's still enough room for the kid to bounce around in there, but not enough left for the kid to somersault into a breech position. Breech is not good.
The kid is moving a lot; the midwife felt my uterus and said the kid is still floating. I asked if the strange twinges I have been having are Braxton-Hicks contractions since everyone in birth class seems to have had them and I haven't, but the midwife said, no, it's the kid moving. Apparently Braxton-Hicks contractions will make my uterus feel like a board and I could be having them without noticing.
The next appointment is in two weeks and they will be doing my term labs. I'm not nearly as excited about more testing, but I'll have my braces off by then. Less than two weeks, woo hoo!
Thursday, May 25, 2006
Standard Prenatal Visit, Week 31
There was a long wait this morning for my appointment. Oy.
The GTT came back negative, so good news there, plus they checked my iron levels while they had my blood and I'm good for iron as well. Protein, glucose, and blood pressure readings are all fine. Fetal heart rate is 140-150 bpm. Fundal height was 31 cm, which is exactly where we should be for 31 weeks.
The midwife I've been seeing the most is leaving the birth center before I give birth, so that was a little disconcerting. She's leaving to go to another hospital without 24 hour on-call duties so she can have the reliable time to raise kids, so I can respect that. She hopes to be back at the birth center in a couple years. I met the midwife who is taking her place and she seems friendly. The new midwife will probably still be in an orientation period when I'm due which means I might end up with two midwives for the birth, which is great for me.
Oh, and we tried to figure out if the kid was head down, but the head's not big enough to feel yet. However, due to where I'm being kicked (higher on my side than lower), we think the kid is probably head down. Most kids are head down by 32 weeks, so the next visit should be more informative.
The GTT came back negative, so good news there, plus they checked my iron levels while they had my blood and I'm good for iron as well. Protein, glucose, and blood pressure readings are all fine. Fetal heart rate is 140-150 bpm. Fundal height was 31 cm, which is exactly where we should be for 31 weeks.
The midwife I've been seeing the most is leaving the birth center before I give birth, so that was a little disconcerting. She's leaving to go to another hospital without 24 hour on-call duties so she can have the reliable time to raise kids, so I can respect that. She hopes to be back at the birth center in a couple years. I met the midwife who is taking her place and she seems friendly. The new midwife will probably still be in an orientation period when I'm due which means I might end up with two midwives for the birth, which is great for me.
Oh, and we tried to figure out if the kid was head down, but the head's not big enough to feel yet. However, due to where I'm being kicked (higher on my side than lower), we think the kid is probably head down. Most kids are head down by 32 weeks, so the next visit should be more informative.
Thursday, May 11, 2006
Prenatal Checkups: Now Every Two Weeks
Today was my GTT. The whole glucola thing is overhyped. It tastes like Orange Crush, maybe a little sweeter, but not disgustingly so. The fasting is worse; I miss my tea and toast in the morning.
The prenatal visit was fast, fast, fast. Mistah C dropped me off at the Birth Center and took off to find me some decent high-protein food (Kafir shake and Odwalla) and I was in to see Sarah before any time had passed. I didn't even open a magazine. Bronchitis fine, blood pressure fine, fundal height fine, baby's heartrate fine, weight fine, urine fine. Then I had two vials of blood taken, scheduled an appointment in two weeks, and that was it. I went out to the waiting room and lo and behold, Mistah C is there waiting for me, looking like he's waiting for me to come back from the typical pre-visit urine test and weigh-in. "I'm done!" I say and we leave.
Compared to how worried I was about the AFP test, I didn't even ask when my test results for the GTT would come back. I'd be surprised at this point if I have gestational diabetes, so I guess I'm just not concerned.
The prenatal visit was fast, fast, fast. Mistah C dropped me off at the Birth Center and took off to find me some decent high-protein food (Kafir shake and Odwalla) and I was in to see Sarah before any time had passed. I didn't even open a magazine. Bronchitis fine, blood pressure fine, fundal height fine, baby's heartrate fine, weight fine, urine fine. Then I had two vials of blood taken, scheduled an appointment in two weeks, and that was it. I went out to the waiting room and lo and behold, Mistah C is there waiting for me, looking like he's waiting for me to come back from the typical pre-visit urine test and weigh-in. "I'm done!" I say and we leave.
Compared to how worried I was about the AFP test, I didn't even ask when my test results for the GTT would come back. I'd be surprised at this point if I have gestational diabetes, so I guess I'm just not concerned.
Friday, April 28, 2006
"You're not working today, are you?"
I met with the lovely Sarah this afternoon, and told her the story of the urgent care center that made me cry (which will just have to wait until I get my complaint letter together). She checked me over and said, "You are wheezing just talking to me, do you hear that?" I said yes.
"You're not working today, are you?" she asked.
"Well, just from home," I said. I don't think she was buying it.
Sarah then instructed me to take it easy, be aware of my breathing, stay home this weekend instead of running all over, don't clean, don't shop, and to basically sit on the couch and watch movies.
This is not my typical weekend but I called the Boy to update him on Sarah's advice. Then I did good by not stopping by the Whole Foods on the way home as I had previously planned to pick up a couple things. So now I just need to be a coach potato.
"You're not working today, are you?" she asked.
"Well, just from home," I said. I don't think she was buying it.
Sarah then instructed me to take it easy, be aware of my breathing, stay home this weekend instead of running all over, don't clean, don't shop, and to basically sit on the couch and watch movies.
This is not my typical weekend but I called the Boy to update him on Sarah's advice. Then I did good by not stopping by the Whole Foods on the way home as I had previously planned to pick up a couple things. So now I just need to be a coach potato.
Thursday, April 13, 2006
Everything's A-OK
This is pretty dull, but our prenatal visit this morning went well. They had the extended dance mix urine test strips in the bathroom this morning, so I found out I have normal urine across some 18 categories instead of the normal two glucose and protein tests (and the pH of my urine was 7). I've gained a couple pounds in the last month and my fundal height is dead-on exact for 25 weeks. The midwife says (again) not to worry about not gaining 18-25 pounds since I'm not vomiting or unable to eat.
They gave me a bottle of glucola to take for my glucose tolerance test for gestational diabetes four weeks from now. It's orange-colored and I don't have to drink the whole 100 mL bottle, just half. If that test spikes, I have to have another test. I will be taking a protein-heavy snack to eat right after they take my blood.
After the next visit, I'll be on the two-week appointment schedule instead of four weeks, wow! That's come up faster than I thought it would.
They gave me a bottle of glucola to take for my glucose tolerance test for gestational diabetes four weeks from now. It's orange-colored and I don't have to drink the whole 100 mL bottle, just half. If that test spikes, I have to have another test. I will be taking a protein-heavy snack to eat right after they take my blood.
After the next visit, I'll be on the two-week appointment schedule instead of four weeks, wow! That's come up faster than I thought it would.
Tuesday, April 04, 2006
Protein tracking
The Bradley Method is big on nutrition. This means eating enough amounts of the nutrients a growing baby needs, specifically protein (80-100g per week) without regard to weight gain or salt intake. This is based on the work of Dr. Brewer, who found that high protein diets for pregnant woman prevented pre-eclampsia and other nasties. I've had to track my diet for the last week as homework. I am not eating enough veggies (but I knew that), but I have protein covered in spades. Counts for the week are:
Wednesday: 110 g
Thursday: 93 g
Friday: 129 g
Saturday: 70.7 g
Sunday: 85 g
Monday: 101.5 g
Tuesday: (early estimate) 93 g
I'll let you know what my teacher thinks. This made me feel better about my lack of massive weight gain. I already had an unhealthy dose of padding due to my new job of sitting on my butt and not having to go anywhere. First month, I lost five pounds, most probably from my concerted efforts to "eat right" and my sudden aversion to fried food (after all, my first hint that I might be pregnant was eating In-n-Out and feeling sick). I didn't really make it back to my starting weight until the second trimester.
The last couple visits have been up a pound, down a pound. My midwife is not concerned by any of this (if I was vomiting or not eating, she would be). Most of the books say I should be packing on the pounds by now. I have read this week that some overweight women don't gain much due to the changes in diet and exercise, so I'm satisfied with that for right now. I haven't been consciously trying to gain or lose weight; keeping sushi and Brie out of my diet is enough trauma without eating rabbit food and ignoring chocolate.
Wednesday: 110 g
Thursday: 93 g
Friday: 129 g
Saturday: 70.7 g
Sunday: 85 g
Monday: 101.5 g
Tuesday: (early estimate) 93 g
I'll let you know what my teacher thinks. This made me feel better about my lack of massive weight gain. I already had an unhealthy dose of padding due to my new job of sitting on my butt and not having to go anywhere. First month, I lost five pounds, most probably from my concerted efforts to "eat right" and my sudden aversion to fried food (after all, my first hint that I might be pregnant was eating In-n-Out and feeling sick). I didn't really make it back to my starting weight until the second trimester.
The last couple visits have been up a pound, down a pound. My midwife is not concerned by any of this (if I was vomiting or not eating, she would be). Most of the books say I should be packing on the pounds by now. I have read this week that some overweight women don't gain much due to the changes in diet and exercise, so I'm satisfied with that for right now. I haven't been consciously trying to gain or lose weight; keeping sushi and Brie out of my diet is enough trauma without eating rabbit food and ignoring chocolate.
Tuesday, March 21, 2006
No dusting.
I have been wheezing all day and I don't know why. I'm going to have a cup of tea to see if that helps.
The worst physical part so far about being pregnant was being sick and unable to take drugs. The extreme fatigue of the first trimester was annoying, but I was well rested, at least. Being snotty, coughing and just unable to sleep was awful. Eventually the midwives okayed me for some low dose OTC decongestant which was the only reason sanity returned to my life and air to my lungs.
I had recovered and even put in two appearances at the scary doctor* to make sure I didn't have bronchitis or pneumonia, but now I'm wheezing again. I'm wondering if the cleaning spree has something to do with it, lots of dust kicked up from everywhere. Cleaning is bad, children.
* The doctor was scary. The intake form was typed, that's right, typed, and if it had smelled better I might have suspected it was a mimeograph. I saw the lines MR:_______________ and MRS:____________________ and thought, Lordy, you, Mr. Doctor, and I will not be friends. I felt like Hothead Paisan. He gave me a nice lecture about how giving birth with a midwife is the scariest thing since bathing in chum and jumping into the Jaws tank, and I practiced my insufferably cheerful demeanor. Jerk.
The worst physical part so far about being pregnant was being sick and unable to take drugs. The extreme fatigue of the first trimester was annoying, but I was well rested, at least. Being snotty, coughing and just unable to sleep was awful. Eventually the midwives okayed me for some low dose OTC decongestant which was the only reason sanity returned to my life and air to my lungs.
I had recovered and even put in two appearances at the scary doctor* to make sure I didn't have bronchitis or pneumonia, but now I'm wheezing again. I'm wondering if the cleaning spree has something to do with it, lots of dust kicked up from everywhere. Cleaning is bad, children.
* The doctor was scary. The intake form was typed, that's right, typed, and if it had smelled better I might have suspected it was a mimeograph. I saw the lines MR:_______________ and MRS:____________________ and thought, Lordy, you, Mr. Doctor, and I will not be friends. I felt like Hothead Paisan. He gave me a nice lecture about how giving birth with a midwife is the scariest thing since bathing in chum and jumping into the Jaws tank, and I practiced my insufferably cheerful demeanor. Jerk.
Thursday, March 16, 2006
I studied really hard...
...and I've passed my ultrasound, and look, it's a baby. The previous ultrasound looks like a blob, but this one certainly looks like a baby. Everything's normal, so I can get over my pregnant belly envy I had at the birth class. The kid is pretty much exactly where we thought for due date (± 2 days from LMP due date, -3 days from the last ultrasound due date), so we're still on track for a kid around Harry Potter's b-day. The kid's got long legs, one week ahead of the rest of the body, which I'm sure everyone will attribute to its daddy since height is not actually my strong suit. (My grandmother would be insulted, since she always insisted she had great legs, but she was 4'10".)Its? Yes, its, because saying he or she takes too long and I've got a life to lead, cha cha. We did not find out the gender, and I didn't see anything which would lead me to guess what gender it would be. The Boy toddled off to work right afterwards but if he saw anything, he didn't say so. I was just happy to recognize a baby as a baby, since usually these things are so weird looking and require serious narration, squinting, and a fair amount of imagination to see the baby. I'm always amazed at the techs, who are narrating and taking measurements of blobs to blob, "Look, it's the left kidney! Look, it's the left parietal lobe of the brain!" It looks gray and blobby with a chance of baby to me. We jump around from it to he to she, but we come back to it.
We've got a stack of photos, but this is the only one with the kid not just lying on its back. It lifted an arm and a leg (leg to the left, arm to the right) at some point so we could measure them and see where they were on the developmental scale. But the rest of the time, the kid was just hanging out. I have found that when we try to poke the kid so someone besides me can feel it, it goes still and quiet like someone hiding in a jungle, so I can only assume that poking it with the ultrasound device got the same response. This kid will be great at hide-and-seek, at least the hiding. We couldn't quite count fingers, but they are there. No thumbsucking observed, just swallowing.The ultrasound also explained why it's been difficult for the kid to be felt by anybody but me. The placenta is anteriorially-placed (that's the lighter blur at the top of the pic), which means that there's additional padding between the kid and the outside world besides just me. Our midwife said other people would probably be able to feel the kid at 28 weeks, so the rest of you will just have to wait.
Things the kid reacts to: musical theater, the noisy battle sequences of The Return of the King, meals, thunder and lightning, and a purring cat in my lap.
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