Ok, quick update on my adventures yesterday. I woke up early and headed, headache in tow, to my 7:45 am doctor’s appointment. I told the Dr about the headaches and she immediately sent me over to the hospital. Her worry was that I had preeclampsia and she wanted me to have some additional testing.
To be honest, I don’t know much, but I know my body and going to the hospital seemed like over kill but I went to be sure baby was ok. I checked into the Labor and Delivery observation unit where they hooked me up to a blood pressure machine, a fetal heart monitor, and took some blood. I was happy they were covering their basis but I honestly just wanted them to give me something for my headache.
Finally they gave some Tylenol. We sat in the hospital for 2-3 hours and at the end of it all the blood tests, my blood pressure and the baby are all perfectly fine. In fact my blood pressure was in the lower part of the normal range and both the doctor and the nurses said that the baby was looking beautiful. I would have spent two days in the hospital just to hear that.
Unfortunately, no one had an explanation for my headache. The doctor really believes that my sever insomnia is at the root. She prescribed a sleeping pill and told my not to be shy about taking one. I am not crazy about putting something in my body that could get to the baby but she assured me it is safe.
I finally took the sleeping pill at 9pm last night and slept until 8am!! I feel like a new person. One or two nights like that I will definitely have enough energy for labor. The headache is not completely gone but I have not taken and Tylenol yet so hopefully one more night of good sleep and I will be back to normal.
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Monday, November 22, 2010
November 21st - 36 Weeks and 4 days
Its 4am on Monday morning and I am awake with one of the worst headaches I have ever experienced. I though I would take this opportunity and update what’s been going on over the last few days.
It all started on Saturday when I met a friend, who also happens to be pregnant, to do some shopping for last minute baby necessities. We went to two baby stores and had a good time. While we were at the second store, my belly started to feel really heavy. As all women with have been pregnant know, this is a fairly common feeling. I just figured it was a typical pregnancy symptom and went on with my day.
Next, we headed to get a late lunch and unfortunately, I ate way too much. By the time the meal was over I was in pain from being so full. I had that really full, bloated, totally uncomfortable feeling. I just assumed that it would pass as the meal digested.
My next stop of the day was to meet another friend to do some Christmas shopping. We met at a store and began walking around. I realized at this point that I was having contractions. I guess my discomfort was written all over my face because my friend happened to ask if I was ok. At this point my response was “I’m not sure” and I began to take note of my symptoms. My belly was still feeling heavy and was still really uncomfortably full. I happen to take note at this time that it had been almost three hours since lunch and yet I was still SO uncomfortable. I decided to head home
Once at home, the symptoms only intensified. My contractions, while they were never painful, were becoming so intense that Andy and I decided we needed to pack our hospital bag and call the midwife. Here is what the midwife told me. She said early labor and active labor are two totally different things. Early labor can happen for a day or so and go away and I could still be pregnant for another two weeks. On the other hand, she said this could all intensify, the contractions could become painful and closer together and tonight could be the night we have the baby. She said she didn’t want me to go to the hospital until we knew for sure. Well, my discomfort did not leave and at 2am I was on my hands and knees on the living room floor trying to get comfortable.
I should probably explain what I was feeling. Like I said, I was having intense contractions but they were very inconsistent. I would have three that were 5 minutes apart and then nothing for 45 minutes. While never painful, they were just intense. I was also experiencing lower back pain, feelings of an upset stomach, and cramping in my lower abdomen. To top it off, the baby was wide awake and ready to party. I don’t know if the hours of contractions had upset her or what but she was moving like crazy.
Finally at about 2:30am I feel asleep on the couch. My symptoms were beginning to subside and while I was up every two hours trying to get comfortable, I was not in as much discomfort. By 10am the next morning, completely exhausted and desperately needing some sleep, I was feeling almost back to normal. It was the strangest thing. The contractions were gone and so were all of the symptoms.
Yesterday, I got a new symptom. This headache!! All the others were gone but what was left was this terrible headache. I finally broke down yesterday afternoon and took some Tylenol which only helped for a little while. By the time dinner rolled around, my head was killing me. I took some more Tylenol and called the midwife again. She said while headaches in pregnancy are definitely something to be worried about, she was happy to hear that the Tylenol was at least helping some and she thought maybe it had more to do with my lack of sleep. If I wanted to go to the hospital, she could give some narcotics for the pain or I could wait until my Monday morning doctor’s appointment.
I had no interest in going to the hospital or taking narcotics for that matter. I went to bed at about 10pm last night and slept until 3am. Its now 4:30am, my head is killing me and I am counting down the hours until my 7:45am doctors appointment. I am actually headed to the specialist so they can do their monthly ultrasound to measure the baby’s growth. I am hoping to get two things out of this visit. The first are some really great new ultra sound pictures of the baby and the second is some answers to what the heck is going on with my head.
It all started on Saturday when I met a friend, who also happens to be pregnant, to do some shopping for last minute baby necessities. We went to two baby stores and had a good time. While we were at the second store, my belly started to feel really heavy. As all women with have been pregnant know, this is a fairly common feeling. I just figured it was a typical pregnancy symptom and went on with my day.
Next, we headed to get a late lunch and unfortunately, I ate way too much. By the time the meal was over I was in pain from being so full. I had that really full, bloated, totally uncomfortable feeling. I just assumed that it would pass as the meal digested.
My next stop of the day was to meet another friend to do some Christmas shopping. We met at a store and began walking around. I realized at this point that I was having contractions. I guess my discomfort was written all over my face because my friend happened to ask if I was ok. At this point my response was “I’m not sure” and I began to take note of my symptoms. My belly was still feeling heavy and was still really uncomfortably full. I happen to take note at this time that it had been almost three hours since lunch and yet I was still SO uncomfortable. I decided to head home
Once at home, the symptoms only intensified. My contractions, while they were never painful, were becoming so intense that Andy and I decided we needed to pack our hospital bag and call the midwife. Here is what the midwife told me. She said early labor and active labor are two totally different things. Early labor can happen for a day or so and go away and I could still be pregnant for another two weeks. On the other hand, she said this could all intensify, the contractions could become painful and closer together and tonight could be the night we have the baby. She said she didn’t want me to go to the hospital until we knew for sure. Well, my discomfort did not leave and at 2am I was on my hands and knees on the living room floor trying to get comfortable.
I should probably explain what I was feeling. Like I said, I was having intense contractions but they were very inconsistent. I would have three that were 5 minutes apart and then nothing for 45 minutes. While never painful, they were just intense. I was also experiencing lower back pain, feelings of an upset stomach, and cramping in my lower abdomen. To top it off, the baby was wide awake and ready to party. I don’t know if the hours of contractions had upset her or what but she was moving like crazy.
Finally at about 2:30am I feel asleep on the couch. My symptoms were beginning to subside and while I was up every two hours trying to get comfortable, I was not in as much discomfort. By 10am the next morning, completely exhausted and desperately needing some sleep, I was feeling almost back to normal. It was the strangest thing. The contractions were gone and so were all of the symptoms.
Yesterday, I got a new symptom. This headache!! All the others were gone but what was left was this terrible headache. I finally broke down yesterday afternoon and took some Tylenol which only helped for a little while. By the time dinner rolled around, my head was killing me. I took some more Tylenol and called the midwife again. She said while headaches in pregnancy are definitely something to be worried about, she was happy to hear that the Tylenol was at least helping some and she thought maybe it had more to do with my lack of sleep. If I wanted to go to the hospital, she could give some narcotics for the pain or I could wait until my Monday morning doctor’s appointment.
I had no interest in going to the hospital or taking narcotics for that matter. I went to bed at about 10pm last night and slept until 3am. Its now 4:30am, my head is killing me and I am counting down the hours until my 7:45am doctors appointment. I am actually headed to the specialist so they can do their monthly ultrasound to measure the baby’s growth. I am hoping to get two things out of this visit. The first are some really great new ultra sound pictures of the baby and the second is some answers to what the heck is going on with my head.
Thursday, November 18, 2010
November 18th - 36 Weeks and 0 days
Please note - the red marks on my hip are not stretch marks. :) They are from my insulin pump. I would not put these pictures up if they were stretch marks or any other lovely pregnancy marking.
Today I am 36 weeks pregnant!My appointments this week left me feeling different then I have in the past weeks. At the Specialist on Monday, we had our usual test where they score the baby. She scored an 8/8 and the doctor told me that I have nothing to worry about at this time. After having months of worrying, this was a nice change. With all the possible things that could have gone wrong due to my diabetes and regular pregnancy complications, this appointment marked the safe zone. I have made it past the point where the baby would be really sick if I was to deliver early and now I can actually wish her to come. This was an amazing feeling.
Last week, when I was just 35 weeks, the regular OB checked my cervix to see if I was dilating. Not only was I not dilating but my cervix was very think and the baby was still very high. They recommended I start taking Evening Primrose oil in a pill form. The Midwifes believe it can help to soften the cervix and help the body prepare for labor. Starting last Sunday, I began taking 1500mg twice a day. I has amazed when I started feeling some contractions. They have been coming on and off for the last few days and while they are certainly nothing intense, they are there.
At today’s appointment with the OB, the Midwife checked my cervix and told me that it was thinning and I was dilated ½ cm. Now I know ½ a cm is not much but I swear the Primrose is working. I have only been on it for 4 days and already there is a change. Starting at 37 weeks, which happens to fall on Thanksgiving, I can increase the dosage. My hope is that when I up the dose, the baby will come during week 38. This way she will fully mature and yet I wont have to be induced at week 39. I guess we will have to wait and see when Miss Massingill decided to make her grand arrival.
Speaking of her arrival, I want to share what people have been saying to me. Just as a reminder, my due date is December 16th but since they don’t let diabetics go to 40 weeks they will induce me on December 9th if I am still pregnant. Andy has been saying for a while now that he thinks I will go into labor on Thanksgiving. I think that he just wants her to be born on Thanksgiving because he is dying to watch a Cowboy game with his daughter. I was telling all of this to Robin Cheney and her response was something along the lines of “I was kinda thinking the same thing.” Ok, so two people think that next week is the magic week. I thought all of this was coincidence until I went for a massage on Tuesday. As I was leaving, I was talking to massage therapist and saying that I was not sure when I would be back because I didn’t know when the baby would come. As I was finishing up my conversation with her, the girl behind the counter, who I have never seen or talked to, interrupted our conversation by saying “I think she is coming on Black Friday.” I asked her why she thought this and her response was “I have been right the last three times and I can just tell. You baby is coming on Black Friday.” Now I’m starting to believe it. Maybe we will have a baby next week!! I am secretly hoping they are all correct because I am so excited for her to get here. Other the other hand, I want to be sure she is totally healthy before she is born so I want her to stay in as long as possible. Again, we are just going to have to wait and see!
Monday, November 1, 2010
November 1st - 33 Weeks and 4 days
Since I wrote my last post, I have had 2 more appointments. Last Thursday I went to the OB for my Non-stress test. They hooked me up to the machines again that monitor the baby’s heart rate, her movements and my contractions. My little girl is happy but I am not. I did not have a single contraction. :( Not even a Braxton-Hick! I know that I am still only 33 weeks, and I certainly don’t want her to come now, but I was hoping for some sign that she might come just a little early. I want to meet her and I am kinda over being pregnant.
I asked the doctor to explain, in further detail, what the specialist had said last week. She looked at my ultra sound results from last Monday and determined that the baby’s femur is measuring at 31 weeks, her head is measuring 34 weeks and her belly is measuring 35 weeks. When all of these measurements are taken into consideration, the baby is still is the 57% percentile. She said that she is not worried at all! She went on to say that the baby is measuring at 5 pounds and if she gains a ½ a week for the next 6 weeks then she will be about 8 pounds. Totally normal!
We then discussed my chances of going into labor naturally verse having a scheduled C-section. She said that baby’s of diabetic mothers usually have slower lung development. As result, they will most likely not take the baby before 39 weeks. As that time, they will determine if they should induce or perform a c-section. Based on the baby’s current measurements, if I make it to week 39 then they will simply induce. This was amazing news!! Last week, when I was 80% sure that I was going to have to have a c-section, I was feeling like my diabetes was going to deprive me the experience of a surprise birth. (Surprise meaning not knowing if my water was going to break or I was going to have to be induced) I now feel like I can have the same experience as every other pregnant woman.
Today, I went back to the specialist for the test that I discussed in my last post. They do an ultra sound and give the baby a score on movement, breathing, fluid levels and baby’s tone (how they use their muscles.) They get 2 points for each category. Baby was wide awake and on the move this morning so the test only took 10 minutes. She scored and 8/8 and all is good.
Baby is happy and all is well! Now, if I could just get comfortable and get a good night sleep, I would be happy as well :)
I asked the doctor to explain, in further detail, what the specialist had said last week. She looked at my ultra sound results from last Monday and determined that the baby’s femur is measuring at 31 weeks, her head is measuring 34 weeks and her belly is measuring 35 weeks. When all of these measurements are taken into consideration, the baby is still is the 57% percentile. She said that she is not worried at all! She went on to say that the baby is measuring at 5 pounds and if she gains a ½ a week for the next 6 weeks then she will be about 8 pounds. Totally normal!
We then discussed my chances of going into labor naturally verse having a scheduled C-section. She said that baby’s of diabetic mothers usually have slower lung development. As result, they will most likely not take the baby before 39 weeks. As that time, they will determine if they should induce or perform a c-section. Based on the baby’s current measurements, if I make it to week 39 then they will simply induce. This was amazing news!! Last week, when I was 80% sure that I was going to have to have a c-section, I was feeling like my diabetes was going to deprive me the experience of a surprise birth. (Surprise meaning not knowing if my water was going to break or I was going to have to be induced) I now feel like I can have the same experience as every other pregnant woman.
Today, I went back to the specialist for the test that I discussed in my last post. They do an ultra sound and give the baby a score on movement, breathing, fluid levels and baby’s tone (how they use their muscles.) They get 2 points for each category. Baby was wide awake and on the move this morning so the test only took 10 minutes. She scored and 8/8 and all is good.
Baby is happy and all is well! Now, if I could just get comfortable and get a good night sleep, I would be happy as well :)
Monday, October 25, 2010
October 25th - 32 weeks and 4 days
Being as I am now 32 weeks pregnant, I will begin to see both my OB and the Maternal Fetal Specialist once a week. Most women do not begin see their doctor weekly until 36 weeks but my diabetes has me starting sooner. At the OB they will give me a non-stress test every week, which monitors the baby to ensure she is not under any stress and they also hook me up to another machine which checks for contractions. At the maternal fetal specialist, they will give the baby a score each week to determine her growth and activity. This score is based on how the baby is moving, how she is practicing breathing, her growth and the amniotic fluid levels. There are a few more things but I can’t remember them all.
While today was the start of my weekly visits, the specialist treated today as a monthly visit. As a result, we did not get a score today and the focus was on the baby’s measurements. She weights about 5 lbs which is in the 65th percentile. We also learned that the baby has a large belly. We were not given an idea of what exactly was large or how large it was but we were told that this is usually a sign that the baby is getting big as a result of my diabetes. This was tough to hear. I have been under very good control and have been receiving praise from all my doctors for managing my sugars as perfectly as I have been. Yet, even with all my hard work, I learned today that I am not invincible and am still at risk for complications. The doctor assured me that she has seen women under perfect control have large babies and women under terrible control not have large babies. She simply said that we will watch her growth and ensure she is happy and healthy.
If the baby gets too big, the doctors will simply plan for a c-section. I was under the impression that they would induce early but I learned today that that is not always the case. Just because the baby is large does not mean that her lungs are mature enough to breathe on her own. My hope is that I can work even harder to regulate my sugars, keep the baby growing at a healthy rate and have them induce a week or two early. I really hope there is no need for a c-section simply to get the baby out. I think we will learn more in the next few weeks about her growth.
Now that I have had time to think about it, I guess the positive side of it all is that we made it to 32 weeks before we saw any of the baby’s areas getting larger. Being as I only have 4 more weeks before I am in the “safe to deliver” time, I hope she grows normally and we can simply induce early. I guess it is out of my hands and it’s up to the doctors, the baby and Mother Nature.
I have attached 4 new pictures of the baby. The first one makes me laugh because she looks like the thinker. In the second picture she is VERY upset and I have a feeling we will see that face again before a big cry. As usual, you can see her hand in front of her face. At one point during the ultra sound she was sucking on her wrist. I cant wait to actually see what she is doing with her hands when they are in front of her face.
Sunday, October 3, 2010
October 3rd-29 weeks and 3 days
This weekend was wonderfully eventful. My mom, Alena Clark, Whitney Crean and Anna Wolf all flew to Atlanta for my baby shower. We had a great time and there is a lot to remeber.
It all started on Friday with our 29th week ultrasound. My mom and Alena had gotten to town on Thursday night so they came to the appointment with Andy and I. As usual, our daughter wanted nothing to do with having her picture taken. She would not move her hand/fist away from her face so getting a great picture was difficult. Luckily, we had a very patient ultrasound tech who was determined to get a few pictures. Finally, after about 20 minutes, our baby cooperated and showed her face. It was so amazing to see that she is packing on weight and developing into a beautiful baby girl. I think she is adorable and we learned that she has some hair! The photo session ended with the baby giving us the peace sign which made us all laugh.
Saturday was the shower. Robin Cheney hosted the shower at her house and we all went there from 11-2. We ate great food, I opened my gifts, and we had great conversation. We spent most of the time talking about the upcoming arrival of a new baby and it made me realize that she is going to be here so soon. Now that we have our baby supplies I am even more excited to meet my daughter. I will forever remember how loved I felt at my shower and how much I cherish the women that were there.
Saturday night we all went out to dinner and most people turned in at a fairly reasonable hour. Alena and I, however, stayed late talking and the baby gave us quite a show. I had been telling my friends and family for weeks what a mover this baby is but for some reason she was quite all weekend long. The girls were hoping to see and feel the baby move but she just wasnt in the mood until Saturday night. At this point she must have been well rested because for about 15 minutes she was flipping around in my stomach. Alena spend a good amount of time just staring at my belly as it moved from one direction to the other. When she put her hand on my stomach, the baby kicked and tumbled. It was great to have someone there as a witness to my little gymnast.
Alena took most of the pictures this weekend and I will post some as soon as I receive them.
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