I don't know if I have ever been as miserable in my whole life as I was yesterday. Not only was it at least 100,000 degrees in my apartment, but I have a horrid headcold and can't breathe, and on top of it all, I'm 6 months pregnant! I haven't whined so much since I had morning sickness...
As my belly seems to be expanding exponentially overnight, it also seems to be getting lower and lower, and the kicks are lower and lower. How on earth am I supposed to "drop" when the time comes?! This kid will be falling out! (Gross visual, I know, but that's how I feel!) All of this is now giving Justin reason to believe it's a boy, since I now seem to be carrying low. We'll see.
In addition to those kicks that feel so odd, like popcorn popping in my belly, I'm also getting some nice sharp elbow jabs. I don't so much like those.
In other news, the baby's room is almost entirely empty and ready to start transforming into a nursery! Just a couple more things to pack up and haul out, and I can get started on the fun part! My rocker will be coming up shortly, and once it goes on sale, my parents will buy our crib and we can get set up! Until then, I can start on the little things, like curtains, baskets for the bookshelf, and little decorations. I'm pretty pumped! And, we're planning on buying the carseat next week with garage sale money. It's getting closer! Yay!!
Michelle
Monday, August 30, 2010
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Another negative!
It's really not that often that you want a negative result on something...
I had the 2nd of 5 fetal fibronectin tests done on Wednesday, and it came back negative again! Yay! Dr Majkrzak also checked my cervix, and I wasn't dilated, another yay! Baby was busy and heartrate was good. He also measured me for the first time. I go back on September 8 for another checkup and fetal fibronectin.
In other baby news, no gestational diabetes here! That's the last thing I'd need to deal with, but it's not a concern. We've made great headway in baby's room, getting everything sorted for storage and the rummage sale. Mom and Dad are coming up soon with the rocker and some fun projects for me, and hopefully the crib. I'm super excited to get baby stuff in there!
Working in the LHL office has been going well. It's nice to have something that can get me more hours, and I love the ladies that work there! I really miss being with my residents on a regular basis, so I'm trying to make sure I get to the house to visit them as often as I can.
Justin started classes this week. He's already got a case of senioritis! He's got alot going on this semester, with a full load of classes, work, building manager, internship, and Family Ministry team. Plus, there's a baby coming before the end of the semester! I think once he gets a routine, though, he'll be fine.
Of course, I'll keep updating on baby asa they come!
Michelle
I had the 2nd of 5 fetal fibronectin tests done on Wednesday, and it came back negative again! Yay! Dr Majkrzak also checked my cervix, and I wasn't dilated, another yay! Baby was busy and heartrate was good. He also measured me for the first time. I go back on September 8 for another checkup and fetal fibronectin.
In other baby news, no gestational diabetes here! That's the last thing I'd need to deal with, but it's not a concern. We've made great headway in baby's room, getting everything sorted for storage and the rummage sale. Mom and Dad are coming up soon with the rocker and some fun projects for me, and hopefully the crib. I'm super excited to get baby stuff in there!
Working in the LHL office has been going well. It's nice to have something that can get me more hours, and I love the ladies that work there! I really miss being with my residents on a regular basis, so I'm trying to make sure I get to the house to visit them as often as I can.
Justin started classes this week. He's already got a case of senioritis! He's got alot going on this semester, with a full load of classes, work, building manager, internship, and Family Ministry team. Plus, there's a baby coming before the end of the semester! I think once he gets a routine, though, he'll be fine.
Of course, I'll keep updating on baby asa they come!
Michelle
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Work restriction
Well, I'm officially on work restriction. But not bed rest - yippee!! I'm not allowed on my feet for more than 1 hour per 8 hour shift and I can't lift more than 15 pounds... this completely eliminates the possibility of returning to direct care. Fortunately, I'm able to continue my house manager duties that don't require me to be on my feet, and it sounds like I'll be putting in a few hours a week at the LHL office doing office work, so I can still provide some sort of income and get out of the house!
I saw Dr Majkrzak yesterday and baby's heartbeat sounded good (baby kicked the Doppler, it was pretty funny). He checked me and I'm still not dilated, which is a great sign and the contractions haven't returned. But I still have pain if I'm on my feet for more than about 15 minutes. So I still have lots of time to spend sitting down, which is ok. I go in next week for the next fetal fibronectin (fFN) test and that will tell us how the next 2 weeks will go.
Baby's super active and most definitly getting bigger... those sweet little baby flutters are NOT flutters anymore! Pretty sure I'm growing some sort of gymnast/soccer player hybrid! Somersaults and kicks galore... especially around midnight, when I am sleeping! But I still love those baby kicks...
I'm also confined to Bemidji until baby comes. So no more day trips home. Visitors welcome!
Michelle
I saw Dr Majkrzak yesterday and baby's heartbeat sounded good (baby kicked the Doppler, it was pretty funny). He checked me and I'm still not dilated, which is a great sign and the contractions haven't returned. But I still have pain if I'm on my feet for more than about 15 minutes. So I still have lots of time to spend sitting down, which is ok. I go in next week for the next fetal fibronectin (fFN) test and that will tell us how the next 2 weeks will go.
Baby's super active and most definitly getting bigger... those sweet little baby flutters are NOT flutters anymore! Pretty sure I'm growing some sort of gymnast/soccer player hybrid! Somersaults and kicks galore... especially around midnight, when I am sleeping! But I still love those baby kicks...
I'm also confined to Bemidji until baby comes. So no more day trips home. Visitors welcome!
Michelle
Thursday, August 12, 2010
What a week...
We've had a bit of a dramatic past few days:
I was really stiff and sore all day Monday, including some abdominal pain, but I attributed it to all the stairs and floaties from the weekend and thought nothing of it. I woke up Tuesday and all the other soreness was gone, except the lower abdominal pain. It wasn't awful, but I decided if it got worse or I still had it Wednesday, I'd call my doctor. I went to work on Tuesday, and around 4:00 I texted Mom to see if she thought it could just be growing/stretching pains or maybe something else and she advised me to call. So I called and my nurse said it could be stretching or possibly dehydration and to drink lots of water and try to take it easy, and call or come in if it got worse. By 6:30, I was having a hard time walking. So I called for a replacement and Justin came to take me to the ER. I went up to OB and they tested for a bladder infection and hooked me up to a uterine activity moniter and a fetal moniter. The nurses were having a hard time getting the baby's heartrate on the moniter and the Doppler, since it's still so tiny, was very active, and was turned the wrong way. So they finally decided since baby was so active, baby was fine and they gave up trying to get the heartrate. Lab results came back that I didn't quite have a bladder infection, but could develop one, so they gave me a liter of fluid over a couple of hours to try to flush it out. In the meantime, while the nurses were looking for baby, they noticed that I was starting to have contractions, which started after I got to the hospital. So then they gave me a shot of Tributeline (sp?), which is supposed to calm the smooth muscles and should help stop the contractions. The nurse also checked my cervix, and I wasn't dilated at all, which was good. The shot seemed to work, so when the IV was done around midnight, I was discharged, told to take it easy on Wednesday, and call if I had any pain. So we went home and I tried to get some sleep. I slept for maybe an hour before I started having alot of pain again and eventually woke Justin up with all my tossing and turning. He called the hospital and it just happened that my doctor was on the floor that night and he said to come in right away. They weren't concerned about it being a bladder thing anymore, since I'd been going to the bathroom frequently. So about 4:30am Wednesday we were back in OB, hooked up to moniters, and looking for baby. I was given another shot of Tributeline around 6am since the contractions weren't getting any better and they just kept an eye on me. Finally my 4th nurse of the ordeal found baby just long enough to get a heartrate, and it was in the 150s, which is great. So again, no worries about baby, just me! My doctor was busy delivering babies so he wasn't able to come in and see me, but the nurses did a great job of keeping him informed. They gave me some breakfast, and my doctor decided he wanted me to come in today to have a fetal fibronectin test done (I'll explain that in a bit), and when I felt comfortable, I could go home. By about 9:00, I finally dozed off for a hour or so, and woke up with no more contractions, just some very stiff and sore ab muscles. I was discharged again by 11, told to take it easy all day and drink lots of water and call if the contractions started again or if I had any other symptoms of early labor. One of my dear friends was already in the hospital after having her little girl on Monday, so we stopped to say hi and 2 of my best friends were there as well. Justin called in to work and we just vegged all day and tried to get some sleep. I woke up this morning feeling much better, only a little sore. We went in right away to have the fetal fibronectin test done and were told we'd get the results this afternoon. Basically, the fetal fibronectin test can tell you whether or not you're likely to deliver in the next 2 weeks. Basically, fetal fibronectin is the "glue" that holds baby to the uterus, and it should remain in the uterus from weeks 22-35. If it's dectected in vaginal secretions during that time, it means its leaking and could indicate the body is getting ready to deliver. If the test comes back negative, it mean there is a 99.2% chance you won't deliver in the next 2 weeks. If it's positive, extra precautions are taken and you basically wait and see. Mine came back negative! Yay! I do have to have this test done every 2 weeks until week 34, so we're now playing the rest of this pregnancy somewhat by ear. My doctor did have me take off work through the weekend, since I'm still a little sore, and that gives me time to recover and for things to settle down. Then, as long as I'm up to it and nothing happens before then, I should be able to go back to work on Monday.
Keep us in your prayers, I'll do my best to keep this updated as we go!
Michelle
I was really stiff and sore all day Monday, including some abdominal pain, but I attributed it to all the stairs and floaties from the weekend and thought nothing of it. I woke up Tuesday and all the other soreness was gone, except the lower abdominal pain. It wasn't awful, but I decided if it got worse or I still had it Wednesday, I'd call my doctor. I went to work on Tuesday, and around 4:00 I texted Mom to see if she thought it could just be growing/stretching pains or maybe something else and she advised me to call. So I called and my nurse said it could be stretching or possibly dehydration and to drink lots of water and try to take it easy, and call or come in if it got worse. By 6:30, I was having a hard time walking. So I called for a replacement and Justin came to take me to the ER. I went up to OB and they tested for a bladder infection and hooked me up to a uterine activity moniter and a fetal moniter. The nurses were having a hard time getting the baby's heartrate on the moniter and the Doppler, since it's still so tiny, was very active, and was turned the wrong way. So they finally decided since baby was so active, baby was fine and they gave up trying to get the heartrate. Lab results came back that I didn't quite have a bladder infection, but could develop one, so they gave me a liter of fluid over a couple of hours to try to flush it out. In the meantime, while the nurses were looking for baby, they noticed that I was starting to have contractions, which started after I got to the hospital. So then they gave me a shot of Tributeline (sp?), which is supposed to calm the smooth muscles and should help stop the contractions. The nurse also checked my cervix, and I wasn't dilated at all, which was good. The shot seemed to work, so when the IV was done around midnight, I was discharged, told to take it easy on Wednesday, and call if I had any pain. So we went home and I tried to get some sleep. I slept for maybe an hour before I started having alot of pain again and eventually woke Justin up with all my tossing and turning. He called the hospital and it just happened that my doctor was on the floor that night and he said to come in right away. They weren't concerned about it being a bladder thing anymore, since I'd been going to the bathroom frequently. So about 4:30am Wednesday we were back in OB, hooked up to moniters, and looking for baby. I was given another shot of Tributeline around 6am since the contractions weren't getting any better and they just kept an eye on me. Finally my 4th nurse of the ordeal found baby just long enough to get a heartrate, and it was in the 150s, which is great. So again, no worries about baby, just me! My doctor was busy delivering babies so he wasn't able to come in and see me, but the nurses did a great job of keeping him informed. They gave me some breakfast, and my doctor decided he wanted me to come in today to have a fetal fibronectin test done (I'll explain that in a bit), and when I felt comfortable, I could go home. By about 9:00, I finally dozed off for a hour or so, and woke up with no more contractions, just some very stiff and sore ab muscles. I was discharged again by 11, told to take it easy all day and drink lots of water and call if the contractions started again or if I had any other symptoms of early labor. One of my dear friends was already in the hospital after having her little girl on Monday, so we stopped to say hi and 2 of my best friends were there as well. Justin called in to work and we just vegged all day and tried to get some sleep. I woke up this morning feeling much better, only a little sore. We went in right away to have the fetal fibronectin test done and were told we'd get the results this afternoon. Basically, the fetal fibronectin test can tell you whether or not you're likely to deliver in the next 2 weeks. Basically, fetal fibronectin is the "glue" that holds baby to the uterus, and it should remain in the uterus from weeks 22-35. If it's dectected in vaginal secretions during that time, it means its leaking and could indicate the body is getting ready to deliver. If the test comes back negative, it mean there is a 99.2% chance you won't deliver in the next 2 weeks. If it's positive, extra precautions are taken and you basically wait and see. Mine came back negative! Yay! I do have to have this test done every 2 weeks until week 34, so we're now playing the rest of this pregnancy somewhat by ear. My doctor did have me take off work through the weekend, since I'm still a little sore, and that gives me time to recover and for things to settle down. Then, as long as I'm up to it and nothing happens before then, I should be able to go back to work on Monday.
Keep us in your prayers, I'll do my best to keep this updated as we go!
Michelle
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