Tuesday's appointment

Today's appointment was uneventful, she just checked my weight, blood pressure and the heartbeat. All seemed good, my belly is measuring a bit behind now- which is to be expected with how tiny my little baby is right now! She said to just keep doing what I am, resting, relaxing, and going to all of my doctors appointments. She did say I am off work for sure until the baby comes- which I kinda figured.

My next appointment isn't until Friday- so I will have to find some things to do to occupy myself until then, lol. My chapters order arrived today- so now I have some new books to keep me busy!!

Monday!

Well I am officially 29 weeks now, in week 30! 5 more weeks to go until I reach my goal of making it to at least 34 weeks!! At 34 weeks I can deliver at my regular hospital, as opposed to the one an hour away!

My regular OB changed my appointment with her from Friday to tomorrow, as my specialist scheduled me on Friday.

My weekend was pretty uneventful, our good friends came over Friday night with dinner and we all played Scene It... it was really nice. Saturday my in-laws came over and my FIL helped DH finish the crown moulding in the nursery and they set the crib up, and yesterday we had my mom's surprise 50th birthday party. Thanks to all the help from my friends who came and helped us with everything- it really let me stay sitting most of the time and not moving around too much!

Today I am just at home watching TV and videos... and thanks to my aunts and mom I know have a lot more movies, magazines, and books to keep me occupied!! Hopefully they will keep me from getting too bored and lonely... I am not enjoying all this alone time- I need to be around people- talking and interacting... Thank goodness for thenestbaby, facebook, MSN, BlackBerry messenger, email and texting... these things are keeping me sane!! I really am so thankful for my Blackberry, lol.

Update from today's appointment

Today's appointment was fairly uneventful, I went for the ultrasound first thing this morning- and the tech was really nice, she told me everything as she went. The baby scored 6/8 on the BPP, they just didn't see her practice breathing, which is common. Her heart rate was 140bpm, which is great, her amniotic fluid level is at 72, which is on the low side of normal, and her weight was 2lbs 4oz, which is good for a small baby.

When I went into the actual appointment with the specialist I saw her resident first, she was nice enough- asked a bunch of questions and then got the doctor. Basically they didn't tell me anything I didn't already know- they said the babies abdomen was measuring small, which could be an early sign of a growth problem, or could equally be a sign of nothing... basically they just want to watch everything very closely.

I am going back there next Friday for another ultrasound and appointment, and then again on the 14th for a full scan and appointment. She said each week they will decide if the baby is better in or out, and make the call based on that.

Now I am really tired, from just lying around for 2 days to being out and running around the hospital I am beat. I am going to take a nap before our friends come over for pizza and a movie!

Thanks to everyone for your positive thoughts!!

Appointment is Scheduled

My appointment with the specialist is tomorrow at 11, but first I am having an ultrasound at 8:45 am at the same hospital.

Hopefully it will all go well and we will have a better idea of what is going on and what we can do about it!

Update!

After leaving my doctors office Tuesday kind of in shock I realized I didn't ask a lot of questions or clarify things- so I called today and talked to Dr. O's assistant/nurse clinician- Pat... she was so sweet.

Basically bed rest isn't as strict as I thought- I am allowed to sit up, make a quick meal, scrapbook, etc... just have to relax and rest a lot- take naps when I am tired, stay off my feet for the most part. If I want to go out to a friends, just sit and relax while I am there... that kind of thing! Don't overdo anything! I feel much better that its not really strict!

I also got some more details on the baby and the fluids. According to the ultrasound from Sept 19 she weighs approx 1lb 8oz, which is in the 13th percentile, on the low end, but still in the normal range. They just want to make sure she doesn't drop in to the below normal range. The fluids are low, placenta and amniotic- and they want to know if its just because she is a small baby, or if there is another cause... the specialists in Hamilton will help determine that. As for the low lying placenta- its not completely covering my cervix, it is 2.6cm from the external opening- which isn't horrible, but it is still in the "c-section required" range. They said there is still a chance it could shift... they will keep a close eye on this as well.

I will update again when I get my appointments with the specialists!

Thanks to everyone who has called, emailed, or given me suggestions on what to do with my time!!

More pics

Here are the pics from last weeks ultrasound, just realized I didn't post them:

Update

Not much to update right now, I just got back from my ultrasound, the tech can't say much, but baby girl was moving all over kicking and punching, practicing her breathing, and her kidneys were working!

I am just waiting for a call from my doctor to tell me when I go see the specialists.

Here are some pics from today, they aren't very clear b/c the baby was moving all around!

Update.... Bedrest

So after last weeks ultrasound I had a bit of an uneasy feeling because the u/s took so long and the tech went to ask the doctor something. They told me my doctor would be in touch this week. I called my doctor yesterday and told the receptionist I thought something was up and was hoping they could look at my results. Well the nurse called me back a few hours later and said they needed to see me today- she gave me some details, but I got everything explained today.

Basically the baby is small, the fluid is low, and they aren't sure why! Sooo... the first thing she did was write me off work and put me on modified bed rest. She is sending me for another ultrasound tomorrow, and one every week after that. I am also going to see her weekly, and she is sending me to a hospital with a well know perinatal unit- here a team of specialists will try to find out why the fluid levels are so low... they will also monitor them closely. If the levels drop or stay the same they will make the decision week by week of whether to deliver or not. Hopefully the baby's levels will increase and we will make it atleast another 6 weeks... If she doesn't- our doctor said there is a 98% chance all will be fine, she will just on a respirator for awhile- but ateast they think she will be ok- i will find out more about that next week at the specialist. In the meantime- I am here, on my couch, on modified bed rest.

I am sure my updates will be much more regular now that I am home with not much to do but go online, watch tv, and go to doctors and ultrasound appointments!

If anyone has any tips for bedrest let me know!! Also pass along any book and movie recommendations!!

Ultrasound Tomorrow...

I go for another ultrasound tomorrow afternoon to take a look at the Placenta and see if it is still low and covering my cervix... I really hope that it has shifted upward and everything is fine! I am not sure if this is something the tech can tell me, but I will ask a lot of questions and hope she will tell me. I can't wait to see her again... and re-confirm she is really a she!! My mom is coming with me tomorrow since Nelson has to work- she is really excited!

After the ultrasound I am going to buy our crib... things are really coming together!!

3rd Trimester!!!

I can't believe I am in the third trimester... so close to meeting my baby girl!! While I was in Texas last week I bought the cutest matching sweaters, the pic is below!

We also painted the baby's room last week with the help of some close friends, it looks adorable. I will post pics next week as we are putting up the baseboards, chair rail and crown moulding this weekend!

We are going to order our furniture next week... very exciting!! and I finally feel like things are coming together!!

Things are crazy busy at work this week, which is why my updates have been so sporadic.

Your baby this week:

Are you dreaming about your baby? Your baby may be dreaming about you, too. Brain wave activity measured in a developing fetus shows different sleep cycles, including the rapid eye movement phase, the stage when dreaming occurs.

By now, your baby, who weighs in at about two and a half pounds and stands — or rather lies — at almost 16 inches (measured head to toe) has added blinking to his or her growing bag of tricks. (Outside in the real world, blinking is necessary to help keep foreign objects out of the eyes.) Other impressive new talents being added to your baby's roster in the womb include coughing, more intense sucking, and, perhaps most important, better breathing.

The good news is that babies born this week, though premature, have an excellent prognosis because their lungs have reached the point (for the most part) of maturity — so you too can breathe a little easier now. Of course, it's still best if a baby doesn't check out of that uterine hotel just yet — there's still a lot of growing and maturing to do over the next 12 weeks.

Back from Dr's

I am back from my regular appointment, everything for the most part seems to be ok and progressing as it should be! My blood pressure has dropped again, which explains why I have been getting light headed again... but its not horrible, and it is expected at this stage in pregnancy.

I go for my follow up ultrasound on September 19th to check on the low placenta, hopefully that will have corrected itself. My dr said she would call if there was a problem- since the ultrasound tech can't say anything.

I also have to schedule my glucose test within the next few weeks- I am not too worried about that!

Well back to work for me, too much to do here and too little time to do it!

Week 27

Week 27, officially my last week in my 2nd trimester, I can't believe that next week I will be in my 3rd trimester... its crazy how fast time is flying now!

I am going away this week for a few days to Dallas to audit a different location for the company I work for, but while I am gone DH will be busy clearing out the nursery to prepare for us to paint next Sunday! I am super excited! As soon as it is painted I am going out to order the furniture!!

I feel the baby move all the time now- I love it! I can see my belly wobble around and I really think she must have more than 2 legs and 2 arms, because I feel her all over! It is such an amazing feeling, I can't even describe it!! Some days I can't believe this is all real, I really am pregnant and in just a few months I am going to be a mom!! I am really excited and can't wait to meet her!!

Whats happening with baby this week:
Most babies this age, still like to snuggle in a slightly curled position inside the uterus (thus the term "fetal position"). Even so, beginning at this stage, your baby's length will be measured from top of head to toe — which makes your baby nearly a full 15 inches now. And at just over two pounds, he or she has doubled in weight from four weeks ago.

Your baby's auditory development (hearing) is progressing as the network of nerves to the ears matures. And even though the sounds your baby hears are muffled (thanks to the creamy coating of vernix covering those ears), he or she may recognize both yours and your partner's voices. So this might be a good time to read and even sing to your baby (or rather, your belly) — and a good chance to start boning up on those nursery rhymes and lullabies you'll need to be repeating (and repeating) pretty soon. And while you're at it, here's another way to have some family fun: If your partner presses his ear to your belly, he might be able to hear the baby's heartbeat.

Your baby's taste buds are very developed now too (with more taste buds than he or she will ever have outside the womb, actually). Need a taste test? If you eat some spicy food (you hot mama, you), your baby will be able to taste the difference in the amniotic fluid (but keep in mind that you'll have different mealtimes, with your baby's coming about two hours after yours). Some babies will even respond to that spicy kick by hiccupping. And although hiccups (which feel like belly spasms to you) may seem like they're disturbing to your baby, he or she isn't stressed at all. It's just one more sensation that babies need to get used to.

Finally!

We have finally found a dresser and glider to match our crib... lets hope we can order them without any problems!! The glider isn't the ideal chair I wanted, but it matches and fits our price range and the room size better!!

Here are what they look like:

Week 26 Belly Pic

2 in one day, haha!

I popped a little bit more over the last week...oh, and you will notice no more heels, I have officially given up on them, my back and legs hurt too much when I wear them, and I am far too unsteady! Here is this weeks belly pic:

Week 26

Only 3 months left of work and 13 months off, I can't wait. I am back to work today after a week and a half of holidays and it was sooo hard to come back... I am already thinking of being off again. It doesn't help that I am sore, tired, and just want to be at home cuddled up on my couch with DH and my puppy!

and as promised, just a bit late... here is a belly pic from last week:

Your baby this week:

Look who's looking. Your baby's eyes — which have been closed for the past few months (so that the retina, the part of the eye that allows images to come into focus, could develop) — are now beginning to open. What this means is that your baby is able to see what's going on now (unfortunately the view in your uterus isn't all that exciting). The iris, the colored part of the eye, still doesn't have much pigmentation (that'll fill in over the next month or two), so it's too early to start guessing your baby's eye color. Even the color your baby will be born with might not be the permanent shade; so you may be kept guessing until your baby is close to six months old.

Your baby's brain-wave activity is kicking in at this stage in fetal development, which means your little one can not only hear noises but can now also respond to them. Not in so many words, of course, but with an increase in pulse rate or activity.
And talking about activity, at at the rate he or she is growing, your baby will soon be feeling a little cramped in your uterus. Not to worry, there's still plenty of room for your baby to grow. It just means your gymnast will have less room for those somersaults, cartwheels, and other Olympic feats.