The End of Week 3

Things are starting to get a little better.  Owen seems to be able to get slightly longer bouts of sleep in, especially overnight, which is wonderful.  However, I find that the more I sleep the more I NEED sleep, which is very bad.  I slept in bed 2 nights ago and it went well, but Mr. Cranky Pants was fussy yesterday, so I slept on the couch again last night to save Ryan from sleep deprivation.

Owen's taken to the formula pretty well.  He spits up after eating, but for the most part he was doing that with breast milk too, so no big deal there.

My co-worker asked me this past week if I was interested in any baby clothes - I said yes and we came home with 2 garbage bags full.  This means I don't have to do laundry every other day. Yay! :-)

Today marks 12 years of Ryan and I being together.  This year is much different than any other year, but it's good.  I'm just hoping he's done enough homework that we can spend as much time together as possible.  We may even order some dinner.  I -did- want sushi, but the weather is supposed to be horrible today, so it doesn't look like we'll be able to go anywhere.

Here's my Owen pic of the day, with him sleeping on me.  Too cute! :-)

The End of Week 2

It's been a fairly long 2 weeks since little Owen was born.  My c-section incision looks good and the pain is minimal.

Owen's sleeping habits are a bit challenging - he has his days and nights mixed up and whenever he falls asleep and I try to put him down so I can sleep, he wakes up and fusses.  But I'm adjusting the best I can.

After 2 weeks of constant challenges and setbacks, Ryan and I decided to put Owen on formula.  I'm not going to elaborate on the details, but he wasn't gaining weight even after his tongue tie was corrected, I literally couldn't pump anything and I was getting too mentally frustrated to keep going. I tried as hard as I could, so I'm comfortable with my decision and am much happier now.  Happy mom = happy baby.

On a side note, his umbilical cord fell off today!  He's got the cutest little belly button.  :-)

He's here!!

After a long labour, my cervix still wasn't progressing and baby wasn't moving down, so I had to have a Caesarian.

At 4:29, they delivered Owen Alexander, who weighed a whopping 9lbs 8.5oz. He's a very healthy baby - no down syndrome thank god.

He was able to breastfeed and he loves being swaddled.

He has slightly low blood sugar and he's tongue tied (the tongue web is a little tight) but they said to worry about neither.

He's so beautiful! Ryan and I are so happy and proud.

Anyway, I have to stay in the hospital until Thursday.

More posts to come later :)

Yeah...

So nothing has really gone in our favour yet. The fever has broken and the doctor informed us that there's just a wisp of my cervix left but we just found out that the baby hasn't tucked his chin down and my pelvis is narrow. So there might not be a vaginal delivery after all. Le sigh...

So glad I got the epidural when I did.

Come on baby!

Update

Almost fully dilated. On antibiotics for fever. Baby is still doing well.

Update...

Well, I was induced at 2:30pm Sunday.

My cervix was still only 2cm by 10pm at which point the doctor broke my water. I escaped the crochet hook. It only took him poking the sac with his finger a few times to rupture it. Very disgusting.

After that the contraction pain got significantly worse, and some serious back pain started happening too. I was not expecting back labour and boy does it hurt.

After a ton of those uber painful contractions, and the realization that since I'm not progressing quickly, I decided to get an epidural.

I was upset with myself at first but I've been up since 7am. I haven't eaten since before noon. I'm already tired and I couldn't imagine back labour for potentially up to another 12 hours. It was right for me and I'm ok with it.

After having it I was immediately more comfortable and now Ryan and I can both get some rest so that I can push the baby out.

By almost 12:30 I was 3cm dilated. If it takes 1hr to dilate 1/2 centimeter, that puts pushing time around 2pm or so.

Next time I post we'll have a baby!

Back in the hospital

Baby was not moving as much as normal this morning, so I called Min and am now back in the hospital.

The baby didn't move too much for the first 1/2 hour, but now he's back to normal and I look like a paranoid worrier. Oh well...

Apparently I'm at the top of the induction list today, so I'm just waiting to see the on call doctor and then hopefully my oxytocin drip gets started.

No Crystal Ball, No Guarantees

I got a call around 1:30pm. I was hoping it was the nurse at the hospital. Instead, it was Min.

I guess the nurses are saying they have no idea when I'll be able to go in, could be today, could be tomorrow.

They told her they don't have a crystal ball, which I think sounds pretty unprofessional. Especially considering I called at 7:15 this morning and they said I was good to go to come in. Who schedules this stuff anyway? Shouldn't they know that there's someone ahead of me for induction? Argh.

Min thinks it's unlikely that it'll go past tomorrow, but again, no guarantees.

On a lighter note, I've been having lower back pain, which can indicate the start of early labour...

We'll see. I seem to be pretty incapable of getting into labour myself.

So instead of going for a walk in the cold, I'm baking. Lol

More waiting now. What luck I have...

Wow...

So I'm apparently 2cm dilated now and my cervix is softer but my induction was delayed since there was someone there to be induced 1 day further along.

So now we're headed home and have to wait for the hospital to call us back in.

The on call doctor did a stretch and sweep. Man did that hurt. Bloody and sore :(

Best Case Scenario Seems Unlikely

Well it's 7:30 and no labour so I'm assuming that it won't happen by the time my assessment rolls around at 10am.

I phoned into triage and they said to still come in at 10 for the assessment which I assume means I'm good to go for induction if my body responded to the Cervidil.

So now we wait more. Ryan's packing his "daddy backpack" this morning :)

I have to admit, I'm half expecting this to end in a c-section... It's very frustrating not having any of this work out as I had hoped..oh well. Ryan and I are at least very good at adapting to new situations.

Today's Update

Ryan and I made our way into the hospital this morning for 10am.  I was hooked up to the fetal monitor again until almost 11 at which point Min determined that I was good to go for the Cervidil.

She got the on-call doctor to come in to -ahem- insert it.  Let's just say I wish that the Cervidil was a little more, uh, smooth.  This thing looked like a normal capsule (like an omega-3 pill) but had paper on the sides and a paper tail.  So to sum up, this thing had edges, which means it didn't feel good going in at all.  Luckily it was only a few seconds, but I joked about having to get a baby out of there when that little thing hurt so much.  LOL.  Ryan comforted me by saying that a baby doesn't have sharp corners or edges.

Anyway, had to stay connected to the fetal monitor for another hour or so to make sure the drug didn't harm the baby, which it didn't, and then I got to go home.

Since Ryan had an appointment in London today for his contract extension (which I insisted he miss only if I went into labour), my mom and dad were nice enough to spend the afternoon with me until he got home around 5.  I didn't think it was a good idea to be alone, and neither did Ryan, my parents or Min.

We have to go back in for 10am again tomorrow morning to have the Cervidil taken out and be re-assessed.

Best case scenario: the Cervidil triggers labour sometime before 10am and labour starts naturally.

2nd best case scenario: the Cervidil doesn't trigger labour, but they find out during the re-assessment that my cervix is favourable and they administer a synthetic oxytocin in an IV to induce labour.  (Not to be confused with oxycontin, a narcotic)

Now, it's still possible that the Cervidil won't be 100% effective in helping my body along, in which case they won't administer the oxytocin.  There's also the possibility that the oxytocin won't work.  I don't know the nitty gritty details or how they determine everything, but either of those cases have the potential to end in a c-section.

At this point, I just want the safest route that's going to keep me and the baby healthy.  If that requires a c-section or pain medication, so be it.  Even Min was talking to me about pain meds, and she said not to feel bad if I decide to have the pain medication.

So that pretty much sums up my day...

Oh, I was talking to Min about the size of the baby, and I misheard her the other day.  The baby's not over 4400g, he's 4000g.  That equates to 9lbs instead of just shy of 10lbs.  WHEW.

I also asked if she sees a lot of women that are induced.  She said not really.  Provided the cervix dilates enough for a "stretch and sweep", that is enough to trigger labour most of the time.  So I guess I'm somewhat of an anomaly :(

Unsurprisingly, my mom had to be induced for both me and my brother, and Christine also had to be induced for Kordic, so maybe this just runs in the family.

Until tomorrow, folks...

41 Week Ultrasound/Midwife Appointment

My ultrasound today was super short - only about 15 minutes.  Apparently at 41 weeks, they only check for baby's activity.  Trying to establish weight at this point is also apparently inaccurate.

As for the midwife appointment, Min got the results from last week's ultrasound - baby was showing as 4500g or 9lbs 14oz.  She *did* say that the baby could weigh less or more (eep!) than that, though...  That is a very frightening number for me to think about.  Here's hoping he weighs less than that.

My BP this week was 104/60, fundal height was 40cm and baby's heart rate was strong.

Anyway, I had another internal exam and apparently my cervix is still closed.  So we did a non-stress test, which is just me hooked up to a fetal monitor for 25 minutes or so.  Everything looked good from that.

So anyway, since my placenta's already mature and we don't want the baby to have his first bowel movement (meconium) in the womb (it's dangerous for baby to breathe that in),  I have to go to the hospital Friday morning and have Cervidil inserted.  This is to help ripen my cervix.  Apparently about 50% of women will go into labour from this.  If I'm not in the 50% (which is just my luck), I'll get a shot of oxytocin to induce labour, most likely on Saturday.

Hopefully the doctor on call on Friday won't want to transfer care, but it is a possibility.  Min said that I can call her when I'm in labour, but I'd be assessed by a nurse in triage rather than her.

I'm frustrated that I have to go to those lengths, but at the same time, it's nice to not have to play the waiting game and know that I can go somewhere without the threat of going into labour.

So now I guess no one has to keep asking if the baby's here yet...

An eventful day

I had a busy morning today.  My 40 week ultrasound was scheduled for 10:30.  I made it to the parking lot down the street when I realized I forgot the requisition form from Min... I went in anyway and mentioned I had forgotten the form, so the receptionist had to call the midwifery for another requisition.  DOH!

There was some sort of mix-up with the list on the computer and I ended up waiting over 1/2 hour to get into an ultrasound room... I was assured it wasn't because of the forgotten form. :-/

Anyway.  I finally got called in to the hottest room in the whole building, and the ultrasound began.  I didn't get to see baby's face this time.  All I got to see was his spine, a pair of hands and his leg, which is up against my rib where I've been feeling pain (that explains a lot).  The good news is, instead of having his back down my left side, which is how he's done things for the last 2 months almost, he had his back facing my stomach, which is ideal for labour.  Yay!  Hopefully he stays like that.

After the ultrasound, I made my way around the block to the midwifery around 11:30 for my appointment.  I was 15 minutes early, but that gave me ample time for the pee test and weighing myself.  A very nice young woman chatted with me for a few minutes after I sat down.  Sadly she was also there to see Min, so I ended up waiting until 12:05 to see her.

My BP is up (yay!) - 104/70 and my fundal height is 40cm.  Baby's heart rate is strong and he was giving some nice big kicks while she was using the doppler machine.

We did another internal exam and there were some differences from last week.  My cervix is not in such a posterior position and has become softer (evening primrose oil to the rescue!).  Although I wasn't dilated enough for Min to do a "stretch and sweep", she did a little "massaging" of the cervix, which unfortunately caused some bleeding and cramping (both normal).

So to sum up, the baby seems ready to go, but I'm not quite there yet.  So I have another ultrasound scheduled for next Wednesday to check the growth of the baby and another midwife appointment the same day.  Hopefully the baby comes before then and those appointments can get cancelled.

One crappy thing is that Min wants me to record the baby's movements twice a day now.  I'm only irritated because he moves all day long pretty much (he's SUPER active today) and it'll be a pain to have to start recording those movements.

So Ryan and I are guessing the baby might make his appearance around the original due date of the 14th.

Midwife Appointment - 38 weeks

I had my 38 week appointment this morning.  My weight stayed the same (yay!), my BP is 100/60 and baby's heart rate is about 135.  His head is still engaged and his back down my left side.  My fundal height is between 39 and 40cm, which is perfect.

Some interesting news is that Min and I discussed changing my due date.  My 1st trimester ultrasound showed a due date of November 10, although the 1st day of my last period was Feb 7, which puts my due date to the 14th.  Since it was within 5 days, they kept the date at the 14th.

Now, since my placenta is mature and the baby's on the big side, she gave me the option of changing the due date to the 10th.  This does NOT mean that the baby will come early per se.  What it does mean is that I would be induced no later than the 20th if I don't go into labour, instead of the 24th.  I agreed to the change.

This now puts me at 38 weeks 6 days instead of 38 weeks 2 days, and next Wednesday is my due date!

Min also put in a requisition for 2 more ultrasounds - 1 next Wednesday and one on the 17th to check the baby's growth and whatnot.  Of course, if I deliver I won't have the ultrasounds.

We did an internal exam today too and found that although my cervix is partially softened, it is still rather tall, so now I'm taking evening primrose caplets and will drink more raspberry leaf tea.  Holly gave me some tea but it's almost gone now and I can't find it in regular stores here.  Will have to do some googling to find it.

UPDATE: I tried Zehrs, Shopper's Drug Mart, Sobeys and GNC, with no luck. I found it at Nutrition House in Fairview Park Mall, but decided on a hunch to go check Wal-Mart. Sure enough, they had it, and it was $1 cheaper per box.  Go figure.

Ready to Go

I started feeling some cramps last night, and after they didn't go away for an hour or so, I started looking into symptoms of labour and false labour (Braxton-Hicks contractions), cramping can be a symptom of both, although B-H contractions are not supposed to be painful (mine weren't).  In any case, I managed to sleep until 3, when I had to get up to pee.  

I still had the cramps at that point and was so paranoid that I might be in labour with my birth bag STILL not packed, that I couldn't get back to sleep until around 5am.

Needless to say, Ryan helped me pack the bag tonight, so we're pretty much ready to go!

Exciting!! :-)

It's been a while... (37 weeks)

This blog post is well overdue, so here goes...

On Sunday the 17th, my friends Jacquie and Anndrea hosted my friends' baby shower (and first shower ever, I might add!).  We had a wonderful time with some good friends and great food, including a magnificent cake that the hosts made (seriously!).

Here is a link to some pics from that shower.  I got some great gifts from the baby that day, including a baby carrier, some clothes (and Robeez shoes!), a few receiving and swaddling blankets and some baby toys.  Ryan and I are thrilled with everything!

Then, on Sunday the 24th, my aunt Christine hosted my family baby shower.  Another fantastic time with great people and food.

I was bombarded with gifts at this shower too.  I got so many baby clothes at this shower that I don't know where to put them all!  I need some time to sort through the clothes by size and put as much as I can into the baby's dresser, but I'm happy to have it all. We also received a play yard, a nursing pillow, some cute little boots, a hamper, some more receiving and swaddling blankets, some baby books, a diaper genie and a little lamb sound machine.  That, of course, is on top of the car seat and baby swing that we had been given from Ryan's sister and parents, respectively, a few months ago.  ** note: I have way more pics of this shower, but I reached my Flickr upload limit for the month :(

I feel spoiled and we don't even have the baby yet! We're so grateful for everything and truly appreciate it. What a great bunch of family and friends! :)

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As for me, I've been feeling a little rough as the time passes.  Between back aches, heartburn, lack of sleep and less room in my lungs to breathe, I now have the lovely experience of edema, or swelling.  My feet are balloons and run right into my legs (bye, ankles!).  I've also had to take off my wedding ring, as some of the swelling went into my hands too.


I'm very anxious to be done work, just so I can relax, get my feet up, and try to sleep more.
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I had my last bi-weekly midwife appointment this morning (from this point on I have weekly appointments).  I found out that, at 35 weeks 5 days, the baby weighed 3257g or just shy of 7lbs 3oz, which puts him in the 89th percentile in terms of weight.  That means that he dropped from the 95th percentile, which I'm totally fine with :)

My BP is still on the low normal side: 90/60 and my fundal height is 38cm.  The baby's heart rate is strong, between 130 and 140 bpm.  I tested negative for that Group B Streptococcus test, and my iron levels increased a bit, which means I don't have to up my iron supplement. Yay!

One interesting thing I found out today is that the baby's head is engaged in my pelvis, which is why he looks so low I guess.  Min can still move his head a bit, but it's not "floating", so that's a good sign.  She said this is really good for a first-time mom; many women don't have that happen until much later.

Min recommended drinking raspberry leaf tea now (which I've been doing for a week and a half - oops!) and taking Evening Primrose caplets.  She also gave me a bundle of post-partum information, which means we're really close now!

________________________

Only 2 more days of work left to go, then technically I'm on vacation for 2 weeks before my due date!

35 Week Ultrasound

As expected, the ultrasound technician wouldn't give me details on the baby's weight. I'll have to wait a week and a half until I can find it out :-(

On a lighter note, I narrowly avoided having to have an internal probe to view the bottom part of my uterus.  Luckily the u/s tech was able to get whatever information she needed from the ultrasound alone.  *whew*

As for the baby, he has tons more fat on him, so when I got to see his face, it was SO chubby!  I got to see the chubby little face do the sucking motions in the womb.  So cute!  The angle of the shot she got for the picture is a little strange, but you can see how chubby he is!  LOL

I got another photo too, but I can't for the life of me tell what it is.  Hehehe... maybe you can figure it out?  Legs?  Arms?  Who knows :-P

35 Week Midwife Appointment

35 weeks, 2 days today for the appointment with my midwife.  Min is on vacation, so I had my appointment with my backup Ann and another very nice lady who is training in midwifery (but I can't remember her name).

I've officially gained 40lbs now, which has me tipping the scales in an unfavourable direction... They say anywhere between 25 and 40lbs is ok, but seeing as I have 5 weeks left, I find it a little doubtful that I won't gain any more.

Anyway, my BP is 96/58, which is the lowest yet, but they say it's still within my normal since my BP has always been on the low side.

Baby's heartbeat is 135, which is very good.  He's moving a lot still, which is also good. 

One GREAT thing is that my fundal height didn't grow this time!  It stayed at 36cm, which is now only 1cm ahead of that 1:1 ratio of # of weeks:cm.  Hopefully this means he's slowing down his growth a little bit, considering he's already in the 95-97th percentile in the size department. 

That was it for today.  Ultrasound Friday!

I'm waffling on the baby's name...

So don't go and buy anything with Owen on it just yet.  We've always liked another name, but an old friend from high school had given that name to his son.  At first I cared, but I'm caring less and less.  So there might be a name change on the horizon.

This baby naming business is hard.  This is his FOREVER name...

New long-sleeved onesies :)

My mom and I were looking for some baby clothes that said Daddy on it the one day we went shopping, but we didn't have any luck.  I guess my mom told this my sister-in-law Melissa because yesterday she came over and gave us these!  Too cute.

I guess she's really excited to have a little one around too, considering the baby shower's only 3 weeks away! LOL

33 Week Midwife Appointment

Total weight gain: 36lbs...

My blood pressure is the lowest I think it's ever been (100/60 - last few times was 100/70) but she said she's not worried; it's still within normal range. Plus a lower bp is better than high bp.

My fundal height at 31 weeks was 33.5cm... now at 33 weeks it's 36cm. Yikes!  So she spoke to me a bit again about the baby being on the big side.  They say if the anticipated birth weight is 4500g (9.9lbs) or more, they give you the choice of trying to deliver the baby naturally or you could have a scheduled c-section.  Obviously midwives would prefer a natural delivery, but the scheduled c is available.

Baby's heart rate is hovering around 150bpm today, which is a good, strong heartbeat.

Min also said that the baby's sitting pretty low (but not extremely low) right now, so she said if my membrane ruptures (aka water breaks), I'm supposed to give her a call.  DUH. LOL.

She gave me a requisition for some bloodwork to check my iron levels again to see if 3 months of iron supplements have helped with my iron level.  I'd LOVE to get off of those pills...

I also told her of my acid reflux/heartburn problem (which is pretty much happening all day while I'm awake).  She just suggested small meals and Tums.  She said once the baby moves down into my pelvis more (~ 36 weeks) he'll be away from my stomach and this should alleviate some of the discomfort.

That's about it for today.  Min's on vacation in 2 weeks, so my next appointment is with my backup midwife Ann.

33 weeks tomorrow

I realized I haven't written in a while, but everything's going well.  Aside from the typical backaches and heartburn, I'm doing fine.  I'm still sleeping through the night too, which is awesome.

I'm going to be putting together my birth bag soon, which comes along with me to the hospital.  We went for our hospital tour a little while ago, and I have to say that the birthing rooms there are amazing!  They have 28 of them now.  They're pretty big; they have a bench for one of your support people to sleep, and they have a big bathroom with an air-jet tub and a shower!

It makes me pretty happy to know that I get to take advantage of this (the birthing rooms have only been available for about 4 years).

On a side note, my close friend Amy came over the other day.  She's getting married in Jamaica on October 10, and she'll be there for about 2 weeks, which happen to fall over the baby showers.  So she brought over some gifts!  She gave us a cute little rabbit toy, a fleece sleeper-bag thing (no legs - bag at the bottom) some adorable socks with skull and crossbones on them (hehe) and a beautiful bag (not sure what else to call it) that fastens to the car seat.

I had originally scanned the bag in grey, but Amy managed to find one in teal, which goes with the car seat beautifully!

Another great thing was that she gave us some tips on how to fasten the baby in properly (i.e., where all the buckles and clips are meant to fit in relation to the baby's body.

So in order to get the bag on the seat, Ryan and I spent some time familiarizing ourselves with the car seat, which I'm extremely happy we did.  It's really not difficult to take everything apart.

The one downside about the car seat that we've discovered is that you're not really supposed to wash the seat cover in a machine with an agitator, which we have.  So at some point I'll make my way to my mom's house to do a small load of laundry in her front-loader.  After the first wash, I'll probably do mostly spot cleaning.  Plus with the car seat bag from Amy, if the baby makes a mess, we can just take out the bag and wash it instead.  Easy!

That's it for this post :)

Midwife appointment

I had yet another appointment today with Min.  Baby's heart rate is about 134, which is good. My blood pressure is still 100/70.  My fundal height is 33.5 cm.  They generally like the fundal height to match your gestational age in weeks, so at 31 weeks, 33.5cm is not so great.  She said this could be amniotic fluid or just a big baby.

In any case, Min said we'd start watching this carefully.  I have another appointment with her in 2 weeks at which point she'll check it again.  I also have another ultrasound booked for October 15 in Kitchener, at which point we'll be able to get an updated fetal weight.  I'll be 35 weeks then.

In the meantime, I'm supposed to cut down on sugar (including fruit juices), eat lots of fibre rich foods, fresh fruit and vegetables, drink lots of water and try to get lots of (mild) exercise.

I forgot to mention...

They found a bunch of hair at the nape of the baby's neck!  I guess I can't be overly surprised.  Apparently I had a lot of dark hair when I was a baby, which lightened up to white-blonde after a while.

Leave it to us to have a hairy baby ;-)

As for the weight, it looks as though from this point forward, a baby gains on average about 200g or close to 1/2 lb per week.  With 8 1/2 weeks left, he'll have gained another 1700g or around 4 lbs.

I suppose we could project then, that the baby will be somewhere between 8-9 lbs if I carry to 40 weeks. Yikes!

:-|

McMaster Appointment

Ryan and I made our way into Hamilton this morning for our 7:30am ultrasound.

Little baby was laying on his stomach while I was getting my ultrasound done, so it was a little tricky for the technician to get the pictures of the heart she needed, but since he was moving around so much she managed to get everything they needed.

Ryan was pulled in for the last few minutes.  It's much harder to see the baby at 30 weeks than 20 weeks.  I could barely tell legs from arms from the stomach.  Everything kind of blurred together, but we saw a nice one of the face.

Anyway, after the ultrasound, we spoke to the genetic counsellor and the doctor, and everything they saw on the ultrasound looked good.  They said both the heart and the bowel looked normal, and they didn't have any concerns about the baby.

As for the baby's size, he's 2200g, which works out to about 4.5lbs (!!!), which at 31 weeks sounds pretty big to me...  Some of the other measurements show that he's within normal range, but he's on the upper end of normal, aka he's bigger but not macrosomic (yet).  I can't remember what the measurements were for head circumference, but it does look like he's got a somewhat large head :(

The doctor there wants me to have another ultrasound in 4 weeks, but she said I could have it at the lab in Kitchener, so no more Hamilton appointments!  Yay!

They -did- note that I have a "mature" placenta.  Not 100% sure what the implications of that are, but the doctor said that it's doing its job, considering the baby is as big as he is, so she didn't seem worried.  We'll see what happens with that...

Baby Gifts

So my co-worker Lisa had organized a card and a collection for us and the baby.  A ton of people at work had contributed towards the gift and last week I was presented with a cupcake cake, a card signed by what seemed to be the whole floor, a $180 gift card at Babies R Us, and $110 cash!

We'll be keeping the cash for diapers, etc, but we decided to spend some of the gift card cash on items from our Babies R Us registry while their awesome sale was going on!

We picked up a change pad, a diaper bag (really a backpack), a little sleeper thingy, and a cute little growth measuring chart. We saved almost $50, which is nice, and we have about $30 left on the card!

Apparently the sale there goes until September 24.  Glad we were able to take advantage of some of the deals. :)

Room Décor

We bought some removable wall decals from Canadian Tire.  We still need to get some actual wall hangings (prints or whatever), but these were sooo cute!  Ryan helped me put them up today.  : )

Safety of Crib Bumper Pads

Well, how about that?  Apparently Health Canada does not endorse the use of crib bumper pads.  Heath Canada states that they pose an entanglement, entrapment, strangulation, and suffocation hazard to infants. 
Granted, the risk is when the baby is old enough to roll over and sit up unaided (4-8 months), at which point the bumper pads should be removed.

Bumper pads also stop air flow through the crib, which could be a potential cause of SIDS.  They do recommend the use of ceiling fans to circulate air, but if your baby is born in winter (like mine will be), even fans on low still give off cool air...

Oh, and if you're concerned about the baby sticking his arms and legs through the slats, you can apparently buy mesh bumpers.

Makes you wonder why ALL crib bedding sets come with bumper pads...

Biweekly midwife appointment

Ryan was able to come with me today for my 29 week appointment, seeing as he's not in school.  Min measured my fundal height, which came in at 30cm (perfect!).  Baby's heart rate was between 142 and 145bpm, which is also really good.

The results came back normal for my glucose test (whew!) but surprisingly, my iron is STILL low even after taking a 300mg daily iron supplement.  Not shockingly low, but Min said she wasn't concerned and to try to eat more iron rich foods (red meat, beans, spinach).

Not much else came out of the appointment, although I get to cancel the local ultrasound and have McMaster send Min the results from my appointment on the 14th.

Everything is still looking good!

Oh, and Ryan really liked Min and thinks she's very nice. : )

New Stroller!

Babies R' Us are winding down their "Great Trade-In Event".  You can bring in ANY used car seat, stroller, etc and get 20% off a new one!  Luckily the stroller we wanted was an applicable brand..

I looked at it this way: we paid $45 for a used stroller at a garage sale.  We tried listing it on Kijiji for the same amount last week and got no replies.  So the way I figure it is that we'd get less than what I paid for it if we tried to resell, but we'd get $80 through the trade in.  I'm no rocket surgeon, but that made sense to me.

So we went to the store before dinner and picked it up, easy as pie.  We assembled it and tried it out with both the toddler seat and the car seat.  We collapsed the stroller and put it in the trunk with TONS of space and we (finally) attached the car seat base to my car.

The car seat base, incidentally, is super easy to lock into place and we practiced getting the seat in and out of it (thanks Holly and Chris!!!!).  We're leaving the base in the car, as you can still get at least 1 (thinner) person in the back beside it.

Anyway, we took some pictures of the car seat and stroller combo.  See below!

Sorry about the poor quality pictures.  Turns out that we'll need to get a new digital camera very soon.  My super old Canon point and shoot is finally dying, which means we'll have to fork over $$ to get a new camera before the baby arrives :-(

Midwife Appt

I saw my midwife this morning and everything seems to be going well. My fundal height (Google it :P) is 28cm, which is pretty much right on track. The baby's heartbeat is between 140 and 150 bpm, which is also very good. He kicked as she was starting to use the heartbeat monitor. It was so cute. :)

Bad news is that I'm gaining more than I should. I've gained 7lbs since my last appt 4 weeks ago, which is 3lbs over what is recommended. Total weight gain now is 28lbs, with 13 weeks yet to go.

I brought up my issues with heartburn, which have been plaguing me for about a week after I eat lunch or dinner. She recommended smaller meals (which I'm already doing) and told me that Tums are safe, which is fantastic.

I did ask about the pressure I've been feeling and she said they very well could be Braxton Hicks contractions. She said some pregnant women can feel them as early as 6 weeks along. As long as they're not regular, they're nothing to worry about. And they shouldn't be painful.

In any case, I've handed in my hospital pre-admission form, so I should be registered there soon in case anything should happen.

Since I'm 27 weeks now, I have to go to see Min every 2 weeks instead of 4 weeks. That'll be great for work </sarcasm> but it has to be done...

That's it, that's all.

Interesting Sensations

I've been feeling pressure lately on my stomach (over the past 1 or 1 1/2 weeks) that I thought was the baby just pushing with his feet or bum or something. After reading more, I think those are actually Braxton Hicks contractions. Not all women feel them, but the ones that do tend to feel them in the late 2nd or early 3rd trimester until the end of the pregnancy. Very weird. I'll definitely be bringing this up to my midwife at this week's appointment.

I've also started getting a lot of heartburn, which I've never really had before. I find I can't eat too much either, or it feels like I'm going to be sick. Plus I keep waking up at 4am, which might be my body telling me to go pee, but since the sensation to urinate feels different now, I find I just try to sleep through it.

So I guess I had a good 6 weeks or so, but it looks like it's all starting to slide downhill already. LOL.

Is it November yet? :P

2 Down, 1 to Go...

At 27 weeks, I've officially entered the 3rd trimester!

While I still feel pretty good for the most part (not overly tired, etc), my sleeps haven't been very good for about a half a week.  Regardless of what time I go to bed, I was up at 4am, and if I manage to get back to sleep, it's very light sleep where I keep waking up again and again.

Ryan and I have been attending childbirth classes this weekend.  Yesterday's class was very informative, but the information and video (!) on actual labour and delivery scared the hell out of me... Today's session is on parenting your baby, so hopefully it won't be so scary! : )

26 Weeks Already!

I know I complained a lot about feeling crappy all the time for the first 20 weeks or so, but all of that has been gone for about 5 weeks (at least for the time being).  Since the palpitations stopped (around 21 weeks) and I started an iron supplement, I've been feeling tons better.  I still get the occasional sore back and I tire easily, but I'm sleeping fairly well and emotionally and mentally I feel great!  So for those that haven't done this yet, note that there *is* a period during pregnancy where you feel pretty decent :)

So on that high note, I went to get my glucose tolerance test this morning.  I heard so many women talk about how badly the orange drink tastes that I was dreading this test... In any case, I went to the local blood lab and they gave me a small bottle (probably around 300mL) to drink within 5 minutes. I drank it and was pleasantly surprised that it just tasted like orange soda!  After I finished it, I had to sit and wait at the lab for an hour.  After about 10 or 15 minutes, it felt like my heart rate sped up and it stayed like that for a little while.  I also started getting really warm, but I've been running a little hot lately anyway.  After the hour they took my blood and that was that.  I assume I'll get the results at my midwife appointment next week.

Ryan's writing exams this week and didn't have too much to do today, so we went to Babies R' Us to look at a few things.  He had the brilliant idea of scanning some items for the registry, so we probably spent about 45 minutes doing that.  It was really fun to see him so excited! :)

We Found a Stroller/Car Seat!

My mom and I went to Babies R' Us this morning and spent almost an hour with an employee there testing out different strollers and car seats.  Not the most exciting thing, but very necessary.

Strollers
I went with two in mind, but they were both very awkward to collapse and expand back.  Luckily for me, the lady demonstrating pointed out another stroller, the Maxi-Cosi Foray.  It collapses down to the height of only the tallest wheel (about 12") which gives almost 3" of total space above and below, so I wouldn't have to worry about scratching up my car.  Another good thing is that the wheels are inflatable like bike tires, which make it ride REALLY smoothly.

The downside is the cost ($400).  But I don't want to have to buy a new car to fit a stroller.  It -is- $20 less ($379.99) at costco.ca, but I'm not sure if you need to have a Costco membership to buy it from there.  It's also $379.99 at the Baby Boutique (I emailed and asked).

We've added the stroller to our registry.

Car Seats
The car seat that fits in the stroller, the Maxi-Cosi Mico, has been purchased off our registry.

I'm so excited! :-)

Our Baby Registry

Since we've started to receive some gifts, I figure it's a good idea to put our registry on the blog.  I started one for Babies R' Us and one for Sears, but I haven't added anything to the Sears one yet.

Here's the info:

- Babies R' Us Registry #: 53278590
- Sears Registry #: 201015013947 (Note: the Sears registry is on hold until I add some items to it, so you won't be able to find it yet)

I'll be adding things periodically.

What we have so far:

- Crib

- Dresser

- Glider & Ottoman

- Crib bedding set

- Wipes warmer

We aren't interested in a change table, so I put a change pad that fits on our dresser onto the registry. I'm still looking into car seats and strollers. The stroller may be a tricky one, since the trunk openings in our cars are so small...

As for colour scheme, in case you haven't read our post re: crib bedding set, we are decorating with blue and brown.

I have a feeling we're going to have a spoiled little boy :)

Colour Scheme

When I was looking at cribs and dressers at the Baby Depot a few months ago, this one crib bedding set caught my eye.  It was blue and brown, with rectangles and squares on it.  I didn't know I was having a boy at the time, but I loved the design.  The trouble is, that bedding set was way too expensive.

I did some looking online for alternatives, and I found some that were nice, but I didn't like them as much.

One day I was looking at a "store" on eBay and I found almost an identical crib bedding set to the one at the Baby Depot that I loved so much, for a lot less money!

My parents had said they wanted to buy the bedding set, so I asked what they thought (knowing it was a little early to buy it).  They said to go ahead, so I put in my bid and won it!

It took less than a week to deliver and it's beautiful!  My parents insisted I take it home. :)

Everything's still a little wrinkly, but I haven't washed or ironed any of it yet.  We were too excited and had to put everything on.  LOL

Difficult Decisions

I had my appointments at McMaster this morning.  We left early (around 6:40am) to ensure we'd get there on time for the 8:30 ultrasound.  Traffic was good, so we got there at 7:30am.

The ultrasound was pretty standard, except I asked specifically to see the display if she managed to get a good shot of his genitalia, since I've been going by the word of the previous technician.  I did see a protrusion, so this ultrasound technician said she thought it was a boy too.  So we're still going with that.  :-)

The meeting with the genetic counselors (1 counselor, 1 intern) came next.  They asked a whole bunch of questions regarding my family health history.  We've all been pretty lucky - all of our family members have been pretty health.  No major health issues on either side.

Before I start on results, it turns out the midwife accidentally gave me the nasal bone thickness instead of the nuchal fold thickness last time.  The 20 week nuchal fold thickness (NFT) was actually 6.2mm, not 6.66mm (the cutoff for normal is 6mm).

Then they showed me all of the diagnostic information from the ultrasound I had just completed.  Everything looked normal.  Everything.  Even the NFT, which was 5.4mm.  They said the additional fluid probably had just reabsorbed back into the neck. If this would have been the ultrasound results 3 weeks ago, I wouldn't have been sent to McMaster at all.

However, they said they can't downplay the risk, because the results came in above normal on the 20 week u/s from a trustworthy lab.

Next came the stressful part.  They explained that the risk of having a Down Syndrome baby for a normal 29 year old is 1 in 920.  Because of the additional nuchal fold thickness at 20 weeks, they increased the odds for me to be 1 in 50.  That frightened the hell out of me.  It sounds so much better when they said we have a 98% chance of having a perfectly healthy baby.

They also asked me if we would do anything differently with the pregnancy if we knew the baby had Down Syndrome.  I said yes, as Ryan and I had both talked about it and agreed we felt it was unfair to knowingly bring a baby into the world that would be dependent on someone for the rest of their life, and/or have a series of health problems.

After hearing that, the counselors started talking to me about having an amniocentesis.  I had read about it prior and was convinced I would be ok with having one.  The trouble is that I'm so far along that they said they're less worried about a miscarriage and more worried about pre-term labour.  Our son is technically considered viable as of next week, but a 24 week old baby would be riddled with health problems since he would be so underdeveloped.  Personally, I feel that losing the baby would be easier to deal with than having a severely premature baby with a ton of medical issues.

Anyway, I told them I needed to talk to Ryan before I made my decision and they left me alone with my mom.  My mom and I talked for a bit while I tried to get a hold of Ryan, who was also in a medical appointment in London for his contract extension.  We just started to talk facts.

1. There were no issues found in the IPS Screening (12 week ultrasound & blood test + 16 week blood test)
2. We have no history of Down Syndrome or any birth defects or any other serious health concerns
3. They only found the one soft marker on the 20 week u/s
4. Age is on my side
5. The 23 week ultrasound results were all normal, including the NFT

I started to doubt that I wanted to risk having the amnio, even considering my increased risk of Down's.  If I went into premature labour, I would be directly responsible for my baby's health problems...  Even if I did want it, they would also have to rush the amnio and the results.  If anything came back positive, I would have until Sunday to have a surgical procedure if I chose to, as they don't perform any "interruptions" past 24 weeks in Canada.  Anything past Sunday and I would have to go to the US for the procedure.

I continued to feel like the amnio wasn't the option for me but luckily I finally managed to get a hold of Ryan, mid-medical appointment, and told him quickly the same facts and risks.  He said that he thought (for the same reasons) that we should take our chances.  We both agreed that it seemed more likely that we'd have a healthy boy.

The doctor and the genetic counselor came in at this point.  The doctor was very nice and went over what the counselors had told us.  I informed the counselor and the doctor of our choice to decline the amniocentesis, with my reasoning (to better justify it to myself, anyway) and the doctor said he thought I'd made a reasonable choice.

Now I have go back for another ultrasound at McMaster on September 14, bright and early, to look for issues with his heart or bowel, followed by another talk with the doctor.  If they find any issues at that point, they will strongly recommend me having the baby at McMaster, as they are better equipped to deal with high risk births and complications.  If they don't see any issues then, I can have the baby at Grand River Hospital.

That pretty much ended the conversations this morning.  I don't think I feel a whole lot better about the whole situation, but at least we've made our choice.

New glider and ottoman!

We drove to Guelph to get them but we got a helluva deal! :)

Still No Heart Palpitations

It's been almost 2 weeks since I've had a heart palpitation.  I feel so much better health wise; it's great!

Nervous about Tuesday, but the odds are in our favour, so we're just crossing our fingers...

Mom saved the day

She's offered to go to McMaster with me next week.

Glad I don't have to go by myself. :)

Appointment is set

I got a call this morning from my midwife.  They scheduled 2 appointments for me next Tuesday at McMaster.  I have an 8:30am ultrasound and then a 9:30am appointment with a genetic counsellor.

Unfortunately for me, Ryan's also got a medical appointment next Tuesday in London for his contract extension, so I have to go by myself : (

It's a little over an hour drive apparently, so I'll have to leave around 7am to make it there on time.

I wish they would consult you on dates before booking... 

I just hope this is over soon...

My Second Phone Conversation with My Midwife

Unfortunately since I got the news about the NFT yesterday (see previous post) while I was at work, I had the unfortunate circumstance of having my co-workers see me cry.  I didn't want to face that today so I took the day off.

After doing a bunch of reading yesterday and compiling a list of questions, I decided to call Min today to address them.  She called me back around 6:30 to discuss.

I asked about the fibroid, just to know.  There's just one, it's sitting in the anterior middle of my uterus and is 3.5cm x 2.3cm, which is apparently not very big.  She's not concerned now, but I'll need a 3rd trimester ultrasound to ensure it's not jeopardizing the baby's development.

Min finally received the bloodwork results from the IPS screening and we were negative for neural tube defects and spina bifida.  Wonderful news!  And the 12 week ultrasound showed a normal NFT (not sure what the thickness was then).

And now onto the fun stuff.  I asked what my odds were of having a baby with Down Syndrome, as that is made available from the 2nd trimester ultrasound.  Min told me mine is 1:920.  That's only slightly lower than the ratio for a 29 year old (1:1000).  I don't know if I should assume that it also includes the additional NFT reading, but I'll ask at my next appointment with Min.

This is also the only soft marker that was detected.  No short limbs, no bright dot in the baby's heart or bowel.  That's good news.

She also said that there's the possibility that there's nothing actually wrong with the baby.

This abnormal NFT reading could also indicate a congenital cardiac abnormality, she informed me, which is why we're being sent to McMaster for genetic counselling.

She said they might do a fetal EKG.  If the results come back negative, I can have the baby at Grand River, although a pediatrician would most likely have to examine the baby after delivery.  If they find anything abnormal with the EKG, they would want me to have the baby at Mount Sinai hospital, which I think is in Toronto.

Anyway, it's great to have all the additional information, although I don't feel tons better.  Maybe just a little.

20 week ultrasound results

I got a call from Min, my midwife today.

As expected, I have a small fibroid in my uterus.  The ultrasound tech had asked during the procedure whether I had any fibroids that I knew of.  I said no, and assumed that meant she had found one.  That was a correct assumption.  Min said she's not overly worried due to the size of it.  It could still shrink, or it could grow.  A fibroid has the possibility of causing complications during the pregnancy or and/or delivery, but is not a sure thing. It is also very common to have.

Also, and more scary, is that they detected a Nuchal Fold Thickness (NFT) of 6.66mm.  They consider anything above 6mm abnormal.  This can indicate conditions such as Down Syndrome, as well as others.  This could also indicate a congenital birth defect (like a heart condition).  It is not a certainty of any defect or condition, though, by any means.

The 12 week ultrasound was intended to detect this exact type of abnormality, but the readings came back normal...

In any case, Min is setting up an appointment for me at McMaster in Hamilton to see a specialist for some genetic screening.  Very likely I will have to have an amniocentesis and possibly have an EKG done on the baby. : (

The only good news is that I've read a lot of forum posts from women who were told of a higher NFT reading during their 20 week ultrasound and the amnio revealed that there were no issues.  Hopefully we have the same scenario.

What a crappy day...

Happy Days

Went to the doctor for a follow up on bloodwork.  She confirmed that my hemoglobin is low and gave me a prescription for an iron supplement.  Not the worst thing in the world.

I asked if the health centre I go to for medical care would take on the baby once he's born.  There's no guarantee since technically I'm outside of the coverage area for that clinic, which is only Woolwich and area...this troubles me, since you can't apply at new clinics if you have a family doctor. : (

On a lighter note, I've been palpitation free for TWO WHOLE DAYS!!!  It is so nice to not be uncomfortable! 

Plus the little guy keeps squirming around in my belly.  It feels so neat. : )

IT'S A BOY!!!!

I went for my 20 week ultrasound today with Ryan and after a boring and hot (the room was a sauna) hour or so they pulled Ryan into the room and told us we're having a boy!!!!

We're so thrilled!  We both got the gender we wanted :)

This is a side view

You can see his arm and little left foot here :)

And his little face!

Hopefully the day is coming

I had a horrible sleep last night. Not only did Mika wake me up with her meowing at 2am and I couldn't get back to sleep until 4am, but laying on my sides caused my hips to scream with pain overnight, making it virtually impossible to sleep.  And I hate being so tired, it makes me emotional : (

Mika started meowing in the middle of the night since late last week for some reason and she's woken me up virtually every day since.  Not sure what to do about that...

I'm sure I sound awful, constantly complaining, but I just keep waiting for the one day where I feel good (or just not feel bad in one way or another).  Hopefully that day will come soon...

I know there are people out there that enjoy pregnancy, but they must not have had any issues.  As soon as my "morning" sickness was gone, the heart palpitations started.  They've died down a bit (not completely), but now my lower back and hips are hurting.

Oh yeah, I got a call back from the nurse re: my bloodwork that I had re-done last week.  My hemoglobin is low, so I have to go back for a follow up appointment with the doctor.  I'm guessing they'll just have me take an iron supplement.  The good news from this is that low hemoglobin can apparently result in palpitations.  So perhaps if I get more iron, the palps will go away *crosses fingers*

More movement

The baby was right behind my belly button today, possibly even tugging at the umbilical cord, because it felt so weird - like my belly button was being pulled inside me.  LOL

I can't even imagine how much stranger this is going to get for me :)

Feeling new things

Yesterday morning I felt some weird sensations in my tummy.  Kind of like fluttering but in more tapping movements.  Very hard to describe, I don't think I really could if I wanted to.

It's been the same off and on since yesterday, so I think it's the baby moving!  It's so neat :)

Also forgot to mention that my midwife Min brought up the IPS ultrasound.  It looks like the baby will be unlikely to have Down's Syndrome!  The ultrasound also said that my due date would be November 10th (based off measurements I guess) but since first time mothers generally deliver a few days late, they're sticking with the original due date of November 14.

I went back for the extra bloodwork on Thursday, so I'm waiting to hear back from that.  Hopefully I just need an iron supplement and some of these issues (palpitations, low energy) will end.

As a side note, when I was at the midwifery, another midwife asked if I was using any lotion that contained cocoa butter (I am but not on a regular basis) or eating chocolate, stating that it could be linked to the arrhythmia.  I decided to forgo both for a few days, as Tuesday morning was pretty bad palpitation-wise, and it's been much improved.  Not sure if it was the lotion or the chocolate milk I was drinking, but they feel a lot less uncomfortable.

Next ultrasound is scheduled

The big day is next Wednesday (June 30) at 2:30. Can't wait!!

Super...

Palpitations are back to their frequent pattern. :(

Another callback from the doctor's office

I get home to a message waiting on the machine.  It's a nurse at the doctor's office.  Apparently my hemoglobin is low and they want to take more blood to make sure everything's ok.

Hopefully there's nothing actually wrong :S

Results are back from the doctor

A nurse called after dinner tonight and informed my that they got the results back from the Holter-ECG monitor.  They said that I have a benign abnormal rhythm (I think that's what they called it).  I told her that the palpitations are still happening but it's not as frequent, so I'm less concerned.  If they get worse again, I'm supposed to call them for a follow up appointment.

So all's well, I guess.  Here's hoping I don't get any more strange pregnancy issues.

Feeling a Little Better

Not sure why, but since Friday my heart palpitations are becoming less frequent.  I'm very relieved, not only because they're uncomfortable, but also because they made me feel physically exhausted.

Although I seem to be tired a lot again anyway... it's strange how all of these things (frequent peeing, tiredness, aches) come in cycles.

Anyway, that's all for today.  Night!

The Fun Continues (NOT!!)

I had mentioned in a previous post that I've been having heart palpitations for a while now.  It started out when I lay on my left side, then it started happening when I lay on either side, now it's happening any time I'm at rest and it's very uncomfortable.  

It got to the point where it's been happening so frequently that I finally caved and called the midwife.  Btw, my primary midwife Minh has started working at the K-W Midwifery now.  Ann is now my backup.  Anyway, I spoke to Minh for a while and she said that the palpitations are common because of all the extra blood I'm producing (which I knew) but since they were happening so frequently, I should go to the doctor.

So I called the Dr's office, who had me on the phone with a nurse for a bit, and they set up an appointment for a half hour from the time I called.  Luckily Ryan was home, because with the stress of this happening (it's scary!) I was crying and very happy when he offered to drive me.

I first saw a nurse, who did a cardiogram.  She had taken half a dozen printouts or so and took them to the doc. The doctor eventually came in and told me that she could see the occasional blip when the palpitation occurred. She said that it doesn't seem too unusual, but to stay on the safe side, I have to get some more bloodwork done and she hooked me up with a Holter-ECG monitor that I have to wear until Friday.  Then I take it back and they do analysis on the data that it stores.

I'm relieved they're taking it seriously and was also comforted when the doc also said that tons of women have palpitations during pregnancy too, even though I haven't known any...

She also brought up the possibility of me having pregnancy anemia.  Apparently there's not a lot of iron in pre-natal pills, so I may need to get on an iron supplement too.

Anyway, after I was hooked up to the Holter monitor, we came home.  On the way out of the car, I got a spontaneous nosebleed (which are ALSO common during pregnancy).

I personally believe that any woman that says she enjoy(s/ed) being pregnant is full of shit... or else I'm just having a more interesting time with it.

Oh well.

I wasn't planning on doing this so soon...

I wanted to go to the St Jacobs market with my mom this morning.  After picking her up, we saw a garage sale taking place on a nearby street.  We said what the hell and stopped.  This sale was FULL of baby/kid stuff.  Fortunately, she had the clothes sorted by gender - boy, girl and gender neutral, which was where I looked.  I picked up 6 onesies, a Winnie the Pooh sweater and a pair of hand covers for $10!

I also picked up a very nice stroller that came with a rain shield and bug netting for a very good price at the same garage sale, but it doesn't fit in my trunk...we may have to re-think that one. :(

I've been wanting to check out the Baby Depot for some time now, just to see what they have in store, so my mom and I went there this afternoon.  They can be very pricey there, but it turned out they had a Red Tag sale on this weekend... A specific crib that caught my eye was on sale for 57% off, and the matching dresser was also 57% off.  The colour (Java) was what I wanted and they're solid wood, plus the crib converts to a daybed and a full bed.  What a steal!  I'm somewhat relieved to have the biggest pieces out of the way. They get delivered within the next 2 weeks. We still need to buy the mattress and bedding, but at least we have the furniture... Now the baby has better bedroom furniture than we do!  LOL

We still don't want to have a whole house full of baby stuff, so please don't buy tons of stuff for us yet. We'll still make a registry, as we'll still need a few big things (car seat, etc) and tons of smaller things.

Midwife Appointment Today

My appointment was bumped up a half hour earlier today, but luckily I was able to leave work earlier.  I found out that it only takes 10 minutes to get there from work, whereas it takes 1/2 hour from home.  Good lesson.  I was super early, but luckily they were able to get me in early too.

There was a student working with my backup midwife today.  She was very nice and helpful.  I don't know if I've mentioned this before, but when I lay down on my left side, every few minutes it feels like my heart skips a beat.  I looked this up on the internet and was able to find information saying that it is not totally uncommon, since you're producing 50% more blood.  I brought this up today and she corroborated that, so I'm not worried anymore.  Apparently it's also still safe to lay on my back, so I'm going to start doing that again.  Maybe my back will be a little less sore.

Anyway, my blood pressure and lungs are both normal, and I got to hear the baby's heartbeat today!  It's super fast (but a very normal) 140 bpm.  Even though pregnancy is so extremely common, it seems unbelievable that your body is able to do this.  Anne, my backup midwife, said it best today.  It's so extraordinary, yet it's so ordinary.

Anyway, next appointment is June 24, at which time we'll get a requisition for an ultrasound that can determine the baby's gender!

A Brief Update

I've been feeling pretty good lately.  Aside from the occasional headache, my stomach is feeling better.  I'm still able to play ping pong at work, so I'm happy :)

Anyway, that's about it.  I dunno if it's weight gain from eating or if it's baby, but my belly is definitely seeing some changes.

Oh, and I've spoken to my HR dept at work.  I've informed them I'll be taking the full year, plus 2 weeks vacation at the beginning and the end, since vacation still accrues while I'm away (awesome!).

I'm thinking about going back for the beginning of September (when Ryan's looking for work), and I've been told it's easier to ask for less time than more, so that's my plan.  I just need to give 4 weeks written notice of my intention to go back early.

We've gone public!

Now that I've seen proof of the baby via ultrasound (lol), I felt comfortable telling my boss about the pregnancy. I pulled him into a room today and said I was pregnant, after which he was surprised but happy for us!  He was very supportive.  I don't know why I was so nervous about that talk.

Anyway, after he knew, it was safe to tell, so I went to Zehr's and got the customary treats.  I followed that with an email announcement to our IT department (it's not that big) and I got tons of well wishes and support from everyone in the office.  What a great place to work! :)

I also made a post to all of our friends on Facebook (as did Ryan) and I have to say, I am so surprised but happy about the outpouring of support from everyone.  A few jokes here and there, but all in all, everyone seems to be really happy for us!

What a great reaction to the news.

Today's Appointments

I didn't quite read the back of the one form this morning, telling me I had to finish drinking 1L of water an hour before the ultrasound appointment.  I actually didn't finish drinking it until about 10:25am, a little more than 1/2 hour before the appointment.  Luckily my body is good at processing water, because it didn't affect anything.

Ryan didn't get to go in with me right away, since a bunch of snapshots were needed for the diagnostics.  I had to sit through about 1/2 hour of prodding my water-filled belly.  It was somewhat painful, what with the amount of pressure they put on your abdomen when you already have to pee.  Badly. I have to admit though, when the tech said she could see the baby, my eyes filled with tears.  Finally it felt real.

Thankfully, the tech made me pee and go back in for more snapshots, so I got to relieve some of the pressure mid way through.  Towards the end, she called Ryan into the room and we got to see the baby.

She prodded my belly a bit and we got to see it squirm around.  Its little heart was pounding away.  It's pretty amazing to watch but was hard to believe this was happening in my belly, especially since I couldn't feel it!  It was kicking and moving around and even looking up at one point.

It's 71.2mm from crown to rump, or about 3 inches, which seems to be right on track.  And the best news?  It's one baby.

They gave me a few small sonogram prints, which I scanned in and attached to this post!!

I guess it really is time to break the news to my boss tomorrow!  LOL

This first image is of the baby looking up.

Here's a profile of the little guy or girl.

And another...

Catching up

Sorry I haven't posted in a while.  Nothing out of the extraordinary going on around here.  My morning/all-day sickness is waning quickly, although I haven't gotten over my distaste for chicken yet.

I've been sleeping horribly lately.  I'm tired all the time, but I have a harder time falling asleep and staying asleep.  My lower back gets sore easily and I have to turn around in bed all the time, plus I'm not supposed to be sleeping on my back anymore, so once in a while if I sleep on one side for a long period of time, I'll wake up and my hip and leg will be sore :(

Oh well, at least I've stopped getting up in the middle of the night to pee...

I'm starting to show a little bit, or, more accurately, it looks like I'm getting tubby again.  People that know say that it's obvious, but it really just looks like I'm getting a belly.  That part is a little hard to get used to after working so hard to lose it in the first place, but I'm trying to stay positive about it.

My first Integrated Prenatal Screening (IPS) ultrasound and blood work is in two days.  You have to do the ultrasound on a full bladder, so that'll be fun (NOT).  I'm supposed to drink a litre of water an hour before.  And not pee before I get there.  WTF

Once the ultrasound is finally done, I'll probably sit my boss down Friday or Monday and break the news.  It's weird, but I feel nervous and anxious to tell people at work.  No idea why.

That's it for me today, folks.  Until Thursday!

My blog

Turns out that since I was using a 3rd party template for this blog (the cute baby/kid theme), it made commenting not work at all.

Now it's a little less colourful, but is more functional.  Don't worry...you're still on the right blog :-)

The Joys of Maternity Clothes

I went shopping with my mom yesterday, hoping to get some new dress pants, as my current ones are getting a little tight at the waist... We try Fairview Park Mall first, thinking that the Bay or Sears would have a maternity section.  Wrong.  How about Wal-Mart?  Wrong.  WTF?

Luckily, there's a maternity store down the road from the mall (where I bought those tummy shapers, or whatever they're called).  Even more lucky is that they are very affordable (Only $35 or so for pants). Plus, in the dressing room, they put a stuffed pouch on an elastic belt in the waist band to be able to mimic a big preggy belly.  I tried it on for kicks, but it almost gave me a heart attack.  LOL

Anyway, I picked up 2 pairs of maternity dress pants, and let me tell you, they're SO comfortable!  But they don't hold anything in, so everything is hanging out a little more than normal.  I also got 2 blouses, one of which I can wear now.  It's one of those tops that are in style, even though they make great maternity tops.  The other one I'll have to wait until I show a little more.  It's stiffer fabric and is a little less conspicuous.

I feel very fortunate that maternity clothes look just like normal clothes these days...

A Well-Balanced Pregnancy Diet

This was on the sheet with the protein counter...

Every day of the week you and your baby should have:

1. One quart (4 glasses) or more of milk. Any kind will do: whole, low fat, skim milk, buttermilk, cheese, yogurt, ice cream
2. 2 eggs (hard boiled, in French toast, or added to other foods)
3. One or two servings of fish/seafood, liver, chicken, lean beef, lamb or pork, beans or any kind of cheese
4. One or two good servings of fresh green leafy vegetables: mustard, collard, turnip greens, spinach, lettuce or cabbage
5. Two - three slices of whole wheat bread, cornmeal, cornbread or tortillas
6. A piece of citrus fruit or glass of juice of lemon, lime, orange, tomato, or grapefruit
7. Three pats of butter
8. Other fruits and vegetables

Also include in your diet:

1. A serving of whole grain cereal (oatmeal or granola)
2. A yellow or orange-coloured fruit or vegetable 5x/week
3. Liver once a week (if you like it, I don't)
4. Whole baked potato 3x/week
5. Plenty of fluids, water, juice, etc
6. Salt food to taste for a safe increase in blood volume

My first midwife appointment

It worked out nicely that Ryan was able to come with me for my first appointment.  I saw my backup midwife, Anne (my primary doesn't start until June).  I'll be seeing one of the midwives once a month until 28 weeks, then every 2 weeks until 36 weeks, then once a week until delivery.  She seemed nice (maybe a little weird).

Anyway, I started off peeing in a cup and weighing myself.  I'm up to 165lbs, which means I've gained 5lbs since my last doctor's appointment.  I asked Anne if that's normal (to me it sounds like a lot), but she said that's in the acceptable range.  She told me that I'll be producing twice as much blood now, which makes me feel hungrier, but not to indulge in too many foods that turn to sugar (fruit, bread, pasta, potatoes, etc).

I explained my recent weight loss with Weight Watchers, but said that I'm now craving foods that are pretty far from program, so she told me to eat more protein.  She also gave me a "protein counter", which shows how much protein is in certain foods.  She said that if I get 100g of protein in every day, I'll start craving less carbs after the 4th day, so I'm going to do my best to stick to that.

At one point, I told Anne I wanted a hospital birth, which is totally fine, as they have special privileges at Grand River Hospital.

She explained the Integrated Prenatal Screening (IPS), which consists of two blood tests and an ultrasound.  This is a screening test that can determine whether our baby has Down Syndrome or Spina Bifida.  The trouble with this test is that there's a 15% chance of a false positive, after which there would probably be an amniocentesis, which has a 0.5% chance of miscarriage... Regardless of the risks, Ryan and I have chosen to go ahead with the IPS. I've scheduled my ultrasound for May 6.  I need to schedule the two blood tests still.

Anne also tried to listen to the baby's heartbeat, even though she said it might be too early.  We didn't hear anything. Ryan and I were a little disappointed, but she said there should be no problem next month.  Oh well.

I guess that's all for today...