Saturday, February 8, 2014
38 week ultrasound
It was week 38 checkup time on February 3. Mark's mom (Nana) offered to come with me since Mark couldn't take off of work. I'm glad she did because it made the experience much better to share it with her.
Since he was measuring large at the last appointment (just from measuring the outside with a tape measure), the doctor wanted me to get an ultrasound to get some more accurate measurements. It's called a biophysical profile. We waited a while at the imaging center and were finally called back. Of course I had to pee even though I had already gone once when we got there. She told me she wanted to measure my cervix while I had a full bladder and then finally let me empty it for the rest of the exam.
It was just our luck - the big screen TV wasn't working so we had to look on the screen that the ultrasound tech looks at. I thought my neck was going to break, it's not easy to turn and look at something that's above your head and way to the right but not tilted your way. Debbie said "can you see?" and I said "ehh not really," but the tech didn't get the hint and wouldn't turn it my way.
She explained everything she was looking at and I was glad because with him being so smushed it was hard to tell what was what. His poor head/face was hard to recognize since it is so far down and surrounded by placenta. So we couldn't really get a good profile view.
When we were getting ready to walk out I asked if we could get any print outs of photos. She printed a few for us even though it was hard to tell what was what.
We had some time to kill before the appointment at the doctor's office since the radiologist still had to review and send the results to him. So, we went to lunch at O'Charley's. We took our time at a nice lunch since we knew we had a while before the 2:30 appointment. Debbie had never heard of Hobby Lobby so we went in there and walked around. I love that store and I'm sad that I saw an article that they were closing a lot of them, hopefully not the Fredericksburg one!
When we got to the doctor's office they checked my BP which was a little high, 130/72. I have gained 39 pounds so far. Baby's HR was 152bpm. Dr. Kil told me that the urine collection and bloodwork came back normal so I didn't have preeclampsia. Instead he basically said I have mild hypertension in pregnancy.
He said he didn't want me to go into labor on my own with the likely risk of my BP spiking and causing the baby's HR to drop. He also didn't want me to go past my due date because of the size of the baby. He was measuring 8lb, 8oz from the ultrasound, which isn't super accurate but it's a better guess than his measurements were. It could be off by a few ounces or even a pound or so. He didn't want to induce me before 39 weeks so he scheduled my induction for Monday, February 10. We left the office with the paperwork showing that we had to be at the hospital at 4am and that the induction would start at 5am.
I was excited because I knew that was my grandpa's birthday. I never got a chance to meet him since he died before I was born so I thought it would be cool for Camden to share his birthday. My mom was excited too. Everyone adjusted their work schedule, including Mark who just started his new job and can only take a week off.
A few days passed and I got a call from the doctor's office saying they had to switch my scheduled induction from Monday to Tuesday. I tried my best to keep it on Monday because everything was already arranged and I was mentally prepared for the 10th, not the 11th. After hearing that news I was just frustrated for the rest of the day at work and it went by so slowly.
I finally got over it and decided I would try the old wives tales and see if any worked. Maybe he will come on his own before Tuesday if I eat lots of spicy food. On Wednesday we had Moe's burritos with hot sauce and jalapeños. Thursday was a spicy chicken sandwich from Wendy's and Friday I had a burger from Five Guys with hot sauce and jalapeños on it. On Friday night Mark went to get sushi (spicy california rolls) with extra wasabi. He also bought a fresh pineapple and some evening primrose oil. I know castor oil worked for my sister Devon but I've read too many horror stories about it so I'm scared to try it.
.JPG)
I'm hoping to do some walking as long as the swelling in my feet goes down some and I can find some comfy shoes that are big enough right now. But then again, sleep sounds so nice too, ahh decisions decisions! Bottom line is, he will come when he's ready and if he's anything like his father he will be stubborn and make me end up with a darn c-section! As long as he comes out healthy that's all that matters!
Since he was measuring large at the last appointment (just from measuring the outside with a tape measure), the doctor wanted me to get an ultrasound to get some more accurate measurements. It's called a biophysical profile. We waited a while at the imaging center and were finally called back. Of course I had to pee even though I had already gone once when we got there. She told me she wanted to measure my cervix while I had a full bladder and then finally let me empty it for the rest of the exam.
It was just our luck - the big screen TV wasn't working so we had to look on the screen that the ultrasound tech looks at. I thought my neck was going to break, it's not easy to turn and look at something that's above your head and way to the right but not tilted your way. Debbie said "can you see?" and I said "ehh not really," but the tech didn't get the hint and wouldn't turn it my way.
She explained everything she was looking at and I was glad because with him being so smushed it was hard to tell what was what. His poor head/face was hard to recognize since it is so far down and surrounded by placenta. So we couldn't really get a good profile view.
When we were getting ready to walk out I asked if we could get any print outs of photos. She printed a few for us even though it was hard to tell what was what.
 |
| Fist bump! He has all his fingers :) |
 |
| And there are his little piggies! |
 |
| Big ol' head! So the measurements at the bottom - does that mean his head is already almost 10cm? And it's measuring at 40w1d when I was only 38w2d at the time? If so then he's beyond ready to come out! |
We had some time to kill before the appointment at the doctor's office since the radiologist still had to review and send the results to him. So, we went to lunch at O'Charley's. We took our time at a nice lunch since we knew we had a while before the 2:30 appointment. Debbie had never heard of Hobby Lobby so we went in there and walked around. I love that store and I'm sad that I saw an article that they were closing a lot of them, hopefully not the Fredericksburg one!
When we got to the doctor's office they checked my BP which was a little high, 130/72. I have gained 39 pounds so far. Baby's HR was 152bpm. Dr. Kil told me that the urine collection and bloodwork came back normal so I didn't have preeclampsia. Instead he basically said I have mild hypertension in pregnancy.
He said he didn't want me to go into labor on my own with the likely risk of my BP spiking and causing the baby's HR to drop. He also didn't want me to go past my due date because of the size of the baby. He was measuring 8lb, 8oz from the ultrasound, which isn't super accurate but it's a better guess than his measurements were. It could be off by a few ounces or even a pound or so. He didn't want to induce me before 39 weeks so he scheduled my induction for Monday, February 10. We left the office with the paperwork showing that we had to be at the hospital at 4am and that the induction would start at 5am.
I was excited because I knew that was my grandpa's birthday. I never got a chance to meet him since he died before I was born so I thought it would be cool for Camden to share his birthday. My mom was excited too. Everyone adjusted their work schedule, including Mark who just started his new job and can only take a week off.
A few days passed and I got a call from the doctor's office saying they had to switch my scheduled induction from Monday to Tuesday. I tried my best to keep it on Monday because everything was already arranged and I was mentally prepared for the 10th, not the 11th. After hearing that news I was just frustrated for the rest of the day at work and it went by so slowly.
I finally got over it and decided I would try the old wives tales and see if any worked. Maybe he will come on his own before Tuesday if I eat lots of spicy food. On Wednesday we had Moe's burritos with hot sauce and jalapeños. Thursday was a spicy chicken sandwich from Wendy's and Friday I had a burger from Five Guys with hot sauce and jalapeños on it. On Friday night Mark went to get sushi (spicy california rolls) with extra wasabi. He also bought a fresh pineapple and some evening primrose oil. I know castor oil worked for my sister Devon but I've read too many horror stories about it so I'm scared to try it.
Saturday, February 1, 2014
Car seats are installed!
Happy 38 weeks to us! Only 2 more weeks til due date and less than 3 weeks before Camden arrives!
We took advantage of the 50 degree weather and sunshine today and installed the car seats (pain in the ass and still want to check with someone to make sure they're installed properly before we take baby for a ride).
We also put together the strollers and Mark put up the baby gate (I have a feeling I'll want to block off the dogs all the time once baby is here).
This is the set that DeeMaw got us and it'll be kept in my car...
This one matches Mark's car and can be used when he's front facing after he turns 1 so it'll definitely come in handy. Thanks, Uncle Don & Aunt Joanna!
So we're officially READY for Mr. Camden to come...only thing left to do is pack a few last minute things in the bags and drive to the hospital! Any day now...and it's driving me crazy that I don't know when he's gonna want to make his grand entry into this crazy world. But I can't plan everything.
We took advantage of the 50 degree weather and sunshine today and installed the car seats (pain in the ass and still want to check with someone to make sure they're installed properly before we take baby for a ride).
We also put together the strollers and Mark put up the baby gate (I have a feeling I'll want to block off the dogs all the time once baby is here).
This is the set that DeeMaw got us and it'll be kept in my car...
This one matches Mark's car and can be used when he's front facing after he turns 1 so it'll definitely come in handy. Thanks, Uncle Don & Aunt Joanna!
So we're officially READY for Mr. Camden to come...only thing left to do is pack a few last minute things in the bags and drive to the hospital! Any day now...and it's driving me crazy that I don't know when he's gonna want to make his grand entry into this crazy world. But I can't plan everything.
And you thought week 36 was rough
Oh the lovely week 37...officially "full term" wahoo!
I went for my routine weekly appointment on Monday, 1/27. Mark has been working early hours at the new job and got off in time to go with me. When we got there, the receptionist told me that Dr. Kil had to go to the hospital for an emergency/surgery but that the Nurse Practitioner was there and could see me.
My blood pressure was 122/70 and according to their scale I had gained 40 pounds so far. Baby's heartbeat was 132bpm. As they always do, they asked if I had any swelling. I showed her my feet and she was shocked at how swollen they were. She asked if I had any other issues and I told her I had an ear infection and had just started the Z-pack. Told her I had a headache for a few days and my face was flushed a lot. She asked if I was seeing things floating and I was glad to prove to Mark that these things actually do exist.
All of those things combined with my recent high blood pressure were a red flag for preeclampsia. So, she ordered me to a 24 hour urine collection, to check for protein. Which meant I wouldn't be able to go to work unless I wanted to carry the lovely bright orange container around the halls to and from the bathroom. She told me to collect starting that evening and into the next evening. I explained everything to my boss and she let me work from home on Tuesday. I ended up filling the container up with 3 hours left to go. I didn't know what to do because she told me she wanted every last drop. So I ended up putting the remaining 3 hours of urine in my own container (the office was closed so I couldn't go get another one of their containers). By the way, I peed over 24 times in 24 hours in case you were wondering. And this is the monster container I filled up within 21 hours...
I had to go on Wednesday morning to turn in the urine and do bloodwork. Unfortunately, they couldn't take my extra container but I was glad I brought it just in case. The lady at the lab acted as if nobody had ever filled the orange container before. After turning in my urine as if it were a homework assignment, and giving 5 tubes of blood, I drove from the lab to work, and ended up staying late to make up for being late...and to get things done for the big event I'd been planning since October, which was on Thursday. So doc told me they'd get results from urine and bloodwork on Wed/Thurs and give me a call to let me know if they were concerned enough for me to have to come in on Thursday, or if I should come in on Friday afternoon instead. I'm freaking out because I literally CANNOT go in on Thursday, that was investiture day. So I'm hoping and praying they don't call or they call and say it was nothing to worry about.
By the time I got a minute to look at my phone on Thursday, the office had already closed, and I had no missed calls or voicemails. I had to wait until Friday morning to call and find out if I was supposed to leave work early to go to my 3:40 appointment that I went ahead and made during my last appointment, or if I could just wait until Monday to have my normal weekly appointment. The lady on the phone sai that Dr. Kil wanted me to come in this afternoon to discuss the results and for a follow up.
I left work at lunch time, stopped by the house to change and let the dogs out, and then met Mark there since he was coming from Southern Maryland. I had lost 3 pounds since Monday so now I've gained 37 pounds total so far. Blood pressure was 120/80. Baby's heartbeat was 148bpm. Dr. Kil said that the bloodwork was normal and they were trying to find my urine results (how can you lose them?). Anyway, he finally got them and said it came back perfectly fine, so no protein I guess. And that rules out preeclampsia, I think. He checked my cervix and said it was only 1/2 cm dilated, just the size of a fingertip.
He measured the outside of my belly from top to bottom and said that he's measuring on track but maybe a little on the larger side, but not too bad. Mark says "a 10 pounder" and Dr. Kil laughed saying "no no not that big". So he said he would like me to get an ultrasound to get a more accurate reading of how big he's measuring. I'm thinking he wants to do this to see if baby is big enough to do something about it before the due date. He doesn't want to risk me going into labor on my own and my BP spiking and causing the baby distress. So we made the appointment at the imaging center for Monday, 2/3 and then I'll come for my normal appointment after that to discuss.
As I do after every appointment, I told my mom, Megan, Devon, and Mark's mom the update. Debbie offered to come with me for my appointment, knowing Mark had to work (he has to be in Baltimore by 7am on Monday morning, fun stuff). So I told her that would be nice. She even offered to take me to lunch afterwards, so it'll be a nice afternoon with Camden's Nana! I'm hoping for good news, not sure what to expect though. Always have to just hope for the best but plan for the worst. I just really really do not want to have to get a c-section. So whatever happens I hope I'm able to push him out! That's what I'm most nervous about. If this boy is already like 7 or 8 pounds then they'd better induce me to get him out before he grows even more!
Oh by the way, the event went well...thanks for asking! So glad it's over and that there are no big events in the near future because I definitely don't like other people doing my work and don't feel comfortable leaving events behind for others to handle. So while I'm on maternity leave there are only a bunch of small events that aren't a big deal. Speaking of maternity leave, I entered mine the other day...it's so surreal now.
I went for my routine weekly appointment on Monday, 1/27. Mark has been working early hours at the new job and got off in time to go with me. When we got there, the receptionist told me that Dr. Kil had to go to the hospital for an emergency/surgery but that the Nurse Practitioner was there and could see me.
My blood pressure was 122/70 and according to their scale I had gained 40 pounds so far. Baby's heartbeat was 132bpm. As they always do, they asked if I had any swelling. I showed her my feet and she was shocked at how swollen they were. She asked if I had any other issues and I told her I had an ear infection and had just started the Z-pack. Told her I had a headache for a few days and my face was flushed a lot. She asked if I was seeing things floating and I was glad to prove to Mark that these things actually do exist.
All of those things combined with my recent high blood pressure were a red flag for preeclampsia. So, she ordered me to a 24 hour urine collection, to check for protein. Which meant I wouldn't be able to go to work unless I wanted to carry the lovely bright orange container around the halls to and from the bathroom. She told me to collect starting that evening and into the next evening. I explained everything to my boss and she let me work from home on Tuesday. I ended up filling the container up with 3 hours left to go. I didn't know what to do because she told me she wanted every last drop. So I ended up putting the remaining 3 hours of urine in my own container (the office was closed so I couldn't go get another one of their containers). By the way, I peed over 24 times in 24 hours in case you were wondering. And this is the monster container I filled up within 21 hours...
I had to go on Wednesday morning to turn in the urine and do bloodwork. Unfortunately, they couldn't take my extra container but I was glad I brought it just in case. The lady at the lab acted as if nobody had ever filled the orange container before. After turning in my urine as if it were a homework assignment, and giving 5 tubes of blood, I drove from the lab to work, and ended up staying late to make up for being late...and to get things done for the big event I'd been planning since October, which was on Thursday. So doc told me they'd get results from urine and bloodwork on Wed/Thurs and give me a call to let me know if they were concerned enough for me to have to come in on Thursday, or if I should come in on Friday afternoon instead. I'm freaking out because I literally CANNOT go in on Thursday, that was investiture day. So I'm hoping and praying they don't call or they call and say it was nothing to worry about.
By the time I got a minute to look at my phone on Thursday, the office had already closed, and I had no missed calls or voicemails. I had to wait until Friday morning to call and find out if I was supposed to leave work early to go to my 3:40 appointment that I went ahead and made during my last appointment, or if I could just wait until Monday to have my normal weekly appointment. The lady on the phone sai that Dr. Kil wanted me to come in this afternoon to discuss the results and for a follow up.
I left work at lunch time, stopped by the house to change and let the dogs out, and then met Mark there since he was coming from Southern Maryland. I had lost 3 pounds since Monday so now I've gained 37 pounds total so far. Blood pressure was 120/80. Baby's heartbeat was 148bpm. Dr. Kil said that the bloodwork was normal and they were trying to find my urine results (how can you lose them?). Anyway, he finally got them and said it came back perfectly fine, so no protein I guess. And that rules out preeclampsia, I think. He checked my cervix and said it was only 1/2 cm dilated, just the size of a fingertip.
He measured the outside of my belly from top to bottom and said that he's measuring on track but maybe a little on the larger side, but not too bad. Mark says "a 10 pounder" and Dr. Kil laughed saying "no no not that big". So he said he would like me to get an ultrasound to get a more accurate reading of how big he's measuring. I'm thinking he wants to do this to see if baby is big enough to do something about it before the due date. He doesn't want to risk me going into labor on my own and my BP spiking and causing the baby distress. So we made the appointment at the imaging center for Monday, 2/3 and then I'll come for my normal appointment after that to discuss.
As I do after every appointment, I told my mom, Megan, Devon, and Mark's mom the update. Debbie offered to come with me for my appointment, knowing Mark had to work (he has to be in Baltimore by 7am on Monday morning, fun stuff). So I told her that would be nice. She even offered to take me to lunch afterwards, so it'll be a nice afternoon with Camden's Nana! I'm hoping for good news, not sure what to expect though. Always have to just hope for the best but plan for the worst. I just really really do not want to have to get a c-section. So whatever happens I hope I'm able to push him out! That's what I'm most nervous about. If this boy is already like 7 or 8 pounds then they'd better induce me to get him out before he grows even more!
Oh by the way, the event went well...thanks for asking! So glad it's over and that there are no big events in the near future because I definitely don't like other people doing my work and don't feel comfortable leaving events behind for others to handle. So while I'm on maternity leave there are only a bunch of small events that aren't a big deal. Speaking of maternity leave, I entered mine the other day...it's so surreal now.
Nursery is COMPLETE!
 |
| People on Facebook were saying this looked like something out of a magazine. |
 |
| Love the crib bedding! |
 |
| Had to make use out of the sign from his baby shower. |
 |
| This thing has really come in handy. |
 |
| Full with plenty of clothes already. |
 |
| No it wasn't easy to hang those things above the crib. |
 |
| Made with love by Camden's momma. |
 |
| Auntie Allison put her blood, sweat, and tears into that cool handmade wooden sign. |
 |
| Could be a little more organized but it'll do for now. |
 |
| $60 on Etsy, $24 for the frames and the papers were made by yours truly. |
 |
| Everyone signed this at the baby shower :) |
Saturday, January 25, 2014
Very eventful 36 weeks
I noticed my first stretch marks at 36w1d. Boo :(
Yeah now I'm to the point where I'm READY! Everything is much harder to do these days and I feel like an old lady!
When I went to my 36 week checkup the nurse said that my BP was a little on the high side at 130/74. The doctor said that's just high for me since mine is usually low, but it was nothing to be concerned about. I'm now going to the doctor every week. As always, he keeps saying everything is normal. I have gained 35 pounds so far. We talked about when to call and all that good stuff. He said he would induce the week after my due date but since I'm due on a Saturday he wouldn't wait as long as the next Saturday, obviously because they don't do inductions on Saturdays. So the latest he can be born is the 21st, unless I get induced that morning and don't have him until the next day, the 22nd. I have a feeling he will pick a day during the week though. Let's just hope he comes on his own because I'd like to avoid pitocin if I can. He checked my cervix, still closed. Did the Strep B test, which I assume is negative because I never heard anything back. His heart rate was 144 bmp which is great.
When I was 36w4d, a typical Wednesday at work...I started feeling flushed and really hot and the headache I got on Monday hadn't gone away yet. I decided to go to the nurse at work to see what my BP was. It was...
.JPG)
The nurse wanted to call my doctor so we did, on speaker phone. The office said I needed to be seen by a physician ASAP and that they couldn't get me in until 2:50. The time was 11am, so they suggested I get to an urgent care. I'm sitting there thinking "what are they gonna do, is there anything to get my BP to go down?"
After calling Mark and figuring out what to do, I asked Laura if she would let me use her car but she offered to take me. My car was in Stafford because I rode in the carpool that day. Luckily she offered, don't know what I woulda done without her. She took me to the Patient First that I normally go to (since we don't have primary care doctors). We got there at 1, went straight back to do vitals...BP was 124/85 so it had gone down a lot in the 2 hours. Went into a room and waited freaking 2 hours before a doctor came in.
The doc checked my vitals and told me I had an ear infection. Said she would prescribe me with an antibiotic to get rid of that. I came there for my high BP though so I wanted to get that under control. I asked if the ear infection affected my BP and she said no. I wanted to do something to fix my BP and make it go down but she said that it was low enough to not worry (since it went down from 143 to 124 on the top number). Since we were there for over 2 hours I wanted them to check again before I left so she did and it went down even more to 110/68. Weird...how can it go from 143 to 110 in just a couple hours? I don't understand BP but at least now I know how I feel when it's high.
 |
| My lovely "best friend" took this photo of my poor swollen feet and posted it on Facebook while we were in the room waiting for the doctor. The caption was "toe cleavage is hott" lol so not cool...paybacks! |
Despite the toe cleavage Facebook post, I treated Laura to lunch to thank her for leaving work to take me since I was kinda stuck there. After lunch I went home to rest, emailed my boss, and was glad to hear back that she wanted me to take my AWS day on Thursday and then work from home on Friday. I took her up on it and have been resting and not overdoing anything. It's too early to have high BP and go into labor so I gotta keep taking it easy and let Camden cook a little longer.
Everything is packed and ready to go to the hospital. The only things that aren't packed are the everyday toiletries that we're still using. I crossed things off of my list and only need to pack the things that aren't crossed off. We have the video camera, camera, and all that stuff ready to go. We have a bag for Camden with his outfits and a few other things and then a bag for Mark and I with our clothes and toiletries.
Here's our birth plan...which is subject to change at any time depending on momma's mood, lol.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)