Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Week 34....

Well I've been quite busy. Last week was a whirlwind of emotions for me. With Mila's Angelversary, it was mostly what I can think about, but I'll save that for another post for my babygirl.

The week started off ok. Lil Joey has been really bruising me up in there. All he seems to do now is stretch, and I mean really stretch out. It's painful but reassuring. At my doc appointment, everything went well. We did our first NST and of course Joey stopped moving once I sat on that recliner. I knew that would happen. He was so active for the doc but once that NST started.... nothing. So poor lil guy had to be buzzed to get moving. If felt like the nurse was about to shank me. Actually it really was like she was shanking me. Not painful at all, it was just her movements. But it did get the lil guy moving and he did great. Joe and I just sat back on the recliners they had in there which were sooooo comfortable that I was knocking out. Hearing lil Joey's heartbeating the entire time was soothing. When we were all done, we went to get some blood work to check my bile acid levels and off we went.

Thursday came along and I was a mess. The doctor called me really early with the results of my test. Well my bile acid levels doubled to a 20 since the prior week. I tried to stay as calm as possible talking to him but once I hung up and called Joe and I was a mess. It's not so bad actually but I can't help but worry. As much as everyone says not to worry, I can not help it. The doc upped my meds and we are inducing earlier now. Today we find out the exact date when we go in for our appointment. I haven't been feeling too too itchy all over like I did with Mila so I'm guessing I have the meds to thank for that.

All of last week I've had the worst nightmares too. So it's not helping me to relax. They all pretty much end the same. I'll spare the details of them. Don't want to go there right now. I'm just trying my hardest to stay as positive as I can and stress free but it's hard. But again I try for this lil miracle inside of me. Just thinking of him gets me by. Not too much longer until we meet face to face.

According to http://www.i-am-pregnant.com/:

Your baby's crown-to-rump length this week is approximately 12.8 inches and the total length is around 19.8 inches at this time. Your baby now weighs almost 5 pounds. From your bellybutton, it is about 5.6 inches to the top of your uterus. Measurements of your uterus vary from woman to woman. You should not worry if you do not measure the exact same as your pregnancy friends or family members as long as you are growing appropriately. When your uterus grows and gets larger at an appropriate rate, it shows that your baby is growing well inside of your uterus. Your baby's hair continues to get longer and thicker. Your baby's hair color probably is not going to be the same color from birth onwards, so you should expect it to change in color. Your baby is shedding most of lanugo, but the amount of vernix caseosa is increasing. Your baby is taking calcium from you to lay down lots of bone. Continue to take your prenatal vitamins and drink milk to ensure that you receive enough calcium. If you were to deliver your baby now, it would probably be called a pre-term infant instead of premature. The only difference is in the maturity, particularly lung maturity. A pre-term baby is less likely to need intensive care because its lungs have developed. Doctors can test lung maturity with an amniocentesis that checks levels of surfactant. The baby now rests on your uterus and is no longer floating. Fingernails now reach over the finger tips and the baby can scratch itself.

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

and 1 yr ago today....

I can honestly say was the worst day of my life.

Friday, January 15, 2010

Week 33....

So here's the end of week 33. Longest week ever! I had to work 10.5 hours everyday. Oh yea, and while being sick might I add. I feel better now. I was just the beginning of a cold. It wasn't so bad. But Of course I got sick on my babyshower. I was trying not to get to close to people cuz I was hacking up a lung and that's pretty disgusting. Back to the babyshower though, I was so happy to see every single person who made it and cares for baby Joey and my family. We were extremely thankful! So thank you to the sisters who made this happen and put it all together! It was beautiful. Joe and I were overwhelmed with all of the gifts. They are very much appreciated. Now time to get those thank you card all written. That will be my project for the week.

We put the bassinet together that my love Tina B. got us and my God is it beautiful. We love it! Well Joe put it together and I supervised =P.Can't wait for Joey to test it out. We also put together the stroller that my brother and his wifey got us. We love it! I saw it online and saw that it had some of the best reviews on it. It looks way better in person. My mom was more excited than I was though cuz she can't wait to take her grandbaby on walks with her. We were going to "Dwight" test the stroller but decided against it. LOL.

So that leaves me now to my appointment and ultrasound from Tuesday. Everything went well. The baby is doing great but let me tell you that he didn't like being poked at all. He was kicking me so hard the whole time. My belly just kept making waves. Everyone in the room kept laughing at me. Of course when he usually moves like that, I try to soothe him by putting my hand over my belly.... not the best idea while getting an ultrasound. I kept getting my hand filled with goo. I did it like 3 times. gross. But overall everything went well with him and of course his hand was on his face the entire time. He really loves his hand =) His heart sounded fantastic at 160. And he weighs 4lbs. 15oz. exactly where he should be in the 50th percentile.

My sugar levels have been great so now I only have to poke my finger 9 times a week. Thank God because my poor lil fingers were getting sore. I also had some blood work done to check my bile acid levels. I had been itchy for the past couple of days so the Doc wanted to make sure they weren't rising. After that we discussed that from now on, every week that I have left, I will be having a NST (non stress test) after my doctors appointment to monitor the baby and have one more ultrasound before being induced. We were thinking at 38 weeks.

Well I got my test results back and my bile acid level actually increased to 10. It was a 7 at Christmas. Now 10 is borderline. Here's the breakdown, 1-10 is normal, at the start of 11 it's considered cholestasis, and anything higher than 20 is severe cholestasis. Now given my history the doctor decided to act on it now instead of waiting for my levels to rise, so he prescribed me urso to see if it will help. I feel pretty good about it. But now I wonder if they will induce me earlier. I started getting itchier these past couple of days, so now they will test me every week also to monitor my bile acid levels. For those that don't know what that is, look up cholestasis. I'm 1 out of a 1000 pregnancy's that have it. Lucky me right.

For the most part my anxiety level has been at a 6 from a scale of 1-10. I have Joe to thank for that. He keeps me sane. God I love him. I love everything about him. I thank God he is in my life everyday. Can't wait till the day we walk down that aisle.... that will be soon enough!

According to http://www.i-am-pregnant.com/:

Your baby weighs about 4.4 pounds at this point. The crown-to-rump length of your baby is approximately 12 inches and the total length is around 19.4 inches. Measuring from the top of your uterus to your bellybutton is 5.2 inches. Total weight gain at this point of pregnancy is usually 22 to 28 pounds. With the exception of crying, your baby is capable of doing everything that a newborn baby will do. Your baby is restricted now inside of the uterus, but still can kick and move. Your baby sleeps a lot of the time, just as newborn babies do. Your baby's eyes move in the manner of REM sleep and researchers believe that babies can dream vividly in uterus. When your baby is awake, she is listening, feeling and learning. There are billions of neurons in the brain that make trillions of connections. Your baby will probably have settled into the birth position by now and your caregiver can most likely tell which way your baby is presenting. If your baby were to be born now, the lungs would probably be strong enough to function properly, but your baby may still need extra care from specially trained doctors and nurses. Your baby's eyes open during alert times and close during sleep. The eye color is usually blue, regardless of the permanent color as pigmentation is not fully developed. The final formation of eye pigmentation requires exposure to light and usually happens a few weeks after birth.

Monday, January 11, 2010

Week 32....

So week 32.... lots of pricking going on with my fingers. Everything went ok for the most part. My blood sugar has been right on target so that was great. My doctors appointment went fantastic. Baby Joey was moving non stop especially when trying to listen to his heart. It was at 160. He just would not stop kicking. We all had a laugh. My meeting with the dietitian went ok. It was a little bit pointless but then again it was for my baby so it did have importance. Tomorrow we go it for an ultrasound and I can not wait to see how big this lil babe has grown. 3-5 weeks left =)

According to http://www.i-am-pregnant.com/:

By week 32, your baby weighs nearly 4 pounds! The crown-to-rump length of your baby is approximately 11.7 inches and the total length is about 18.9 inches. Your uterus is now 5 inches above your bellybutton. Sleeping boy. the baby sleeps 90-95% of the day, and sometimes experiences REM sleep, an indication of dreaming. Now that your baby has grown so long and your uterus is higher, you might notice a new discomfort. Your baby is probably head-down and may occasionally stretch out and kick you in the ribs. The pressure on your rib cage can make you sore, especially if one of your baby's feet becomes caught. You can prevent this by sitting up straight as much as possible. Because your baby's demands for vitamins and minerals are higher than ever right now, you should continue to take your parental vitamins for the entire pregnancy. This week your baby's movements will peak. You should continue to monitor the fetal movements daily and address any concerns with your caregiver. The wrinkles in your baby's face are disappearing and fat is still being deposited throughout the baby's body. The body growth slows down from now on. Because of the lack of space in the uterus, the legs are drawn up in what is known as the fetal position. As a preparation for breastfeeding, your baby has learned to root for the breast. The baby will turn its head if touched on the cheek and open its mouth if the bottom lip is tickled. By this time the baby can also suck and swallow in a coordinated way.

Monday, January 4, 2010

Week 31....

Gestational Diabetes! booooo to that. I barely failed the 3 hr Glucose tolerance test. I am now testing my blood 4 times a day for the next 3 weeks to monitor my blood sugar. Fun. So far it's been pretty normal. It could be that I cut back on all the sweets that my sweet tooth was craving. Hard Candy, my greatest weakness. We'll see how that goes. I meet with a dietitian on Wednesday. It's not like I was over indulging or anything. In fact I've only gained 13 pounds in this pregnancy. Doctor G keeps telling me to put on that weight and I'm trying! I really am. But now I'm paranoid about what to eat. So therefore, meeting with the dietitian. I have 4-6 weeks left. The longest 4-6 weeks in my life. Baby Joey is doing great. His heart beat was at 150 when we heard it last Tuesday. My belly was measuring right on target meaning he most likely is too. I have a growth ultrasound coming soon so I can't wait to see him up on that monitor again. I feel him getting bigger and stronger. He's found the habit of kicking my ribs regularly now. I'm scared to what that's going to feel like in the next couple of weeks. eek. It's OK it helps me know that he's just living it up in there. The pain I feel is comfort to me. That's the way I see it =)

According to http://www.i-am-pregnant.com/:

Your baby is continuing to grow each week that you remain pregnant. Your baby's crown-to-rump length is nearly 11.2 inches and total length is approximately 18 inches. Your baby weighs approximately 3.5 pounds at this point. Your uterus is about 4.4 inches above your bellybutton and continues to get larger. An average weight gain at this point is between 21 and 27 pounds. The weight that you gain is made up of your baby, placenta, blood supply, uterus, breasts, fat, water storage and amniotic fluid. This week marks an incredible milestone in your baby's lung development. Before now, the air sacs and branches in your baby's lungs were present but not functional. The lungs were not able to inflate properly. However, now there is surfactant being produced in your baby's lungs. Surfactant prevents your baby's lungs from collapsing outside of the uterus and the baby is able to take in air and breathe properly. The fetal ear is almost completely developed both inside and out. Your baby can hear your voice and other familiar sounds that she will recognize after birth. Your baby is putting on white fat under the skin and the skin's color is pink instead of red at this point. Your baby's fingernails have grown to the end of her fingers and she may scratch herself while she is in the womb.