Time Flies When You Are Not the Pregnant One!

I can not wait to meet Baby Botnick and Baby Turell! When I first found out that Marni and Abby were pregnant, I thought it would feel like forever until we got to meet the little ones! I could not have been more wrong! Time has flown and I am more excited than ever to meet the new Eaton Road babies! I know it's still weeks away, but I've got my eye on the little counter!

prenatal massage

for my birthday from my wonderful husband, i was scheduled for a 90 minute prenatal massage at ladies and gentlemen at legacy village....
and i have to say it was the best 90 minutes of my pregnancy!!!! and perhaps ever!
ladies and gentlemen's massages are always awesome, with the foot soak and the aromatherapy, but perhaps it was because i am so stressed, so tired, swollen, achy, with body pains that this massage just seemed above and beyond any other one ive ever had!
i chose a vanilla peppermint aroma and had an oil hair therapy to start- and my hair is shiny, soft, and luxurious today!!!! (i actually showered, washed it, and blew it dry today too- i feel like a new woman!). and of course the back and feet part of the massage was heavenly....i want one again today, and tomorrow, and the next day....too bad theyre so expensive! (but worth every penny, i promise!)...
I recommend getting one of these fabulous spa treatments to all soon to be mamas- you wont regret it one bit!!!!

dates, scheduling, and the march of dimes...

The march of dimes has starting this massive campaign to end inductions and c-sections before 39 weeks. Before 39 weeks, there is increased incidence of respiratory issues with newborns, so gone are days of 38 week planned deliveries. I am not sure if all hospitals are being so strict on this measure, but UH certainly is, as my OB and I had a conversation a couple weeks ago about scheduling my repeat c-section. I had figured out that March 23rd would be 38 and 4 days and that Mondays are my OB's hospital day, so that would be a perfect date for scheduling. I guess I also took into account that Jeff's vacation starts that day (lucky planning!), but i KNOW that really isnt a good reason to plan a delivery. I just figured with the diabetes, it would be perfect. My OB initially seemed to be hesitant, because although he agrees that the baby should be born a little earlier just because of the diabetes, his hospital is being restrictive and does not want to schedule anything before 39 weeks! So, we just left it alone and said we would discuss it at a later date.....come today- the later date.
i mentioned the date again and he agreed- we really shouldnt wait any later than that, and with the diabetes, the risk to the baby increases at the very end of pregnancy, so i really shouldnt wait until after 39 weeks. Initially, based on my LMP, my due date would have been March 26th, but then with early labs and ultrasounds, we changed that date to april 2nd....but now that those extra few days really really do make a huge difference to the hospital and scheduling and march of dimes, it looks like we're moving my date back to march 26th....
and although it is not official yet, and although it is all dependent on how my pregnancy progresses and how my sugar control and blood pressure are doing, my scheduled c-section date will be friday march 20th......(and ive come to find out, my OB works in the hospital on friday too!).
8 weeks from tomorrow!!!! the time is flying by!

Preeclampsia? Hypertension?

So a week ago I suffered what only could have been a panic attack. After visiting with friends and their new baby, I felt incredibly overwhelmed. Well, that's an understatement. It was more like I was suffocating. A visit that should have made me excited about our impending delivery only left me feeling anxious, conflicted, and depressed. And the next day I got to go to work and face a huge union labor blow-up where the responsibility fell on me to put together tons of things to file in federal court. It was not the best day. To top it off, I saw my OB in the afternoon for my regular appointment and my blood pressure was sky high.

I tried to explain that it had been a really stressful couple of days. But, that didn't allay my OB's fears and she started to talk to me about preeclampsia. I already knew what she meant, because early on in the pregnancy I had already read the "what could go wrong" section in my pregnancy books. (Hey, I like to be prepared for the worst, don't judge). So I knew this was not a good thing. I got to take another trip down to the lab, where my new friends there said "why are you back again?!!" But they were nice enough to show concern and ask how the glucose test went. I was relieved when I got a mychart message and a phone call the next day telling me the results were normal.

Today was my follow-up, and I figured I would just waltz in, be there for 10 minutes, and everything would be fine. Not so. The first BP reading they took was a LOT higher than last week. Then, after the nurse had me do some relaxation imagery, they took it again. It came down a bit, but still higher than last week. I still think I am ok, because everything else has been normal, but my OB is still being cautious (which I prefer anyway) and is having me check my BP twice a day for the next week. Then, I have to take the day off work tomorrow so I can (TMI***) collect all of my urine for the following 24 hours. Joy.

On the bright side, the doc says it might just be plain old regular hypertension - a wonderful family trait passed down for generations. She says it poses no danger to me or the baby during pregnancy, but that it can also show me a glimpse into my future. Like I didn't know that already.

I would obviously choose generic high BP over preeclampsia any day. Keep your fingers crossed.

Almost Done

It's hard to believe that approximately 12 weeks from now I will become a mom. It still doesn't seem real - like somehow the pregancy will just go on forever. We first found out in July, and that seems like eons ago, but the time went so fast. The fact that there is so little time left brings me a lot of excitement but plenty of nervousness as well.

We've signed up for birthing class, pretty much figured out the nursery (though we still have to paint and get the furniture delivered), lined up child care options, and have some items purchased. Next on the agenda is meeting with a few pediatricians to pick who we like best. And while I look forward to the end and moving on the next stage, there are things I will miss about the preganancy.

Sure, the first trimester was terrible - I hope I totally forget about it. But now I feel pretty good over all. I do have some issues, such as pelvic pain, indigestion, and acid reflux. Plus, I get tired early. But on the whole I feel pretty great. Now I'll just have to see what the next few months brings. I am sure there will be more unpleasantries, but I am ready and the time will fly by.

But I love having a pregnancy belly. It completely disguises any lingering flabbiness I had before I got pregnant, and I think it looks great. The days of sucking in are (temporarily) over! Also, I have been surprised to see that I have still retained my curves, which means my waist is still there to some extent.

I also love feeling the baby move around. It is so surreal and it nearly always leads me to imagine what is going on in there - was that a kick, a punch, an elbow, a foot? I like to try and decipher how the baby is laying if I can. In any event, there is no doubt when the baby is using it's head. I am at the point now when, if I am lying down, I can often tell where the head is and feel a hard rounded area pushing on my side or abdomen. It is so cool (though at times pretty uncomfortable!).

It's also sort of nice to know I am never alone. When I am at work trying to figure out a difficult situation with opposing counsel and it gets heated, or in court about to have a difficult hearing, I just think "hey, there's a baby inside me just hanging out." It sort of helps me put things in perspective and not feel so so anxious about the issue at hand.

I know these next 12 weeks are going to move really fast, so I better try and enjoy them. I will be a little sad when it is over, but it will also bring about a whole new and exciting experience.

Keep baking Baby B. and we'll see you soon!

welcome to the third trimester....

28 weeks! yippee!!! what a milestone....i had my OB appointment today and everything is looking "perfect" in my OB's words- although with gestational diabetes, on insulin 4 times per day, with hands so swollen my rings dont fit, and feet so swollen im only wearing backless clogs so i can slip them off my feet easily when im sitting at my desk, and with a total of approximately 3 hours of sleep per night, perfect is probably not the word i would use to describe it.
i do have to say that i am extremely happy and the baby seems to be doing great, so that is a BIG relief! and im making due with my mile long list of complaints....i know every little pain, every little instant of exhaustion, every minute of this pregnancy is worth it and i'll forget every second of unhappiness when i have a beautiful (hopefully healthy) baby in my arms....
im not unhappy, dont get me wrong. i think im just so tired all the time i can hardly think of anything else! i am not really sure how i get through my days...how i function well at work (although i know my judgement is NOT compromised), and what i do with the extra time im awake at night! (i am already halfway through "breaking dawn"- book 4 in the twilight series- so i guess thats where my time goes! good thing i have something interesting to do when i wish i was sleeping!).
when i was 23 weeks, i started contracting. i saw my OB immediately because i was absolutely horrified at what was happening- especially since i have never actually had a real contraction because when i was pregnant with levi, my two inductions failed and i had no labor at all, hence the c-section in the end....but i felt i was truly contracting at 23 weeks and i was panic stricken, which made things worse. it turns out, the baby was transverse and the uterus was trying its hardest to move the baby to a more comfortable and roomy position, and my OB was absolutely wonderful reassuring me that it was normal and that i should relax for a day or two and i would be fine (which, obviously i was). but it scared me and since then, i have not let jeff touch me for fear that it could set off contractions again. (sorry jeff, and sorry everyone if you all think that is TMI).
its really funny....again, maybe too much information for some of you....BUT, with my last pregnancy, when i was in my second trimester especially, all i wanted to do all day, every day, was have sex. sex in the morning. sex at night. sex after work. sex in the shower. i wanted to watch porn. i tried some insane positions when my belly got in the way. i was a sex crazed maniac- literally. so when jeff and i decided to try to get pregnant again, he was absolutely beside himself excited about me getting pregnant- for obvious reasons.....well- sorry jeff. this pregnancy is what i call ABSOLUTELY opposite. i have no interest in sex whatsoever. i have no interest in cuddling, touching, holding, even lying next to each other in bed! i have banished jeff to 1/4 of the king size bed, i take up 3/4 of the bed and if he invades my space, i kick and push until he retreats.
everyone says that the type of pregnancy you have has no bearing on what sex the baby is....but this one is so different than the last, could it mean im having a girl? i guess we'll find out in about 12 weeks.....

Rounding Third and Heading Home

Congrats to Marni on hitting the third trimester! I start mine tomorrow and I can't believe how fast this has all gone!!!

No Diabetes!!!

So after eating some extra carbs over the weekend as instructed, I reported first thing Monday morning for my 3-hour glucose test. I knew it was going to difficult, since my stomach was already growling at 8am, but I brought One Drop to finish reading and take my mind off the situation. After three hours of sitting (Cleveland Clinic really needs more comfortable chairs), four blood draws, and a bottle of super-sweet drink I got to finally leave the lab and have some much needed lunch and something to drink (water . . . not a mojito).

I will say that sitting in the lab makes for some interesting people watching. Early in the morning there were some professional-looking people and a few fellow preggos getting their 1 hour test done (including one overly obnoxious one who was loudly discussing with her husband what to put on their baby registry - we get it, you're pregnant). Then came the moms (and a couple dads) with little kids. For the next hour or so there was non-stop crying and screaming coming from the blood draw room. Literally. They must have overlapped the kids so that one started screaming before the other one stopped. After that came the 65+ crowd. They were by far the most interesting. First off, they all loved to talk. They talked to each other, they talk to the lab technicians, they talk to themselves. Second, they were all hard of hearing and talked really loudly. Third, they all loved to talk to each other loudly about their medical conditions. There was one guy who, whenever anyone walked in, he would ask "what are you in for?" It was amazing to me how everyone was so free about talking about totally personal information. I tried to just hide in my book so that I wouldn't have to face 20 questions. It was also funny how they were all sharing their ages. For instance, there was a conversation between two men where one man, after introducing himself to the other said, "Can you believe I am going to be 89 next week?" It was really sort of funny, like something new to brag about after you retire and your kids are grown and gone. All in all, not a terrible experience.

The good news is that my test results came back normal. Thank you pancreas.

MTHFR

Yes, that's what I call it too! The mother f*%#er gene........after 14 vials of blood to figure out why I've now had 2 miscarriages - heterozygous MTHFR gene and an elevated ANA titre are what were found. Niether of this issues are proven to be a cause of miscarriage but could be the issue. There is one test I've yet to do since the test must be done on certain days of the cycle - HSG - a ultrasound where they inject dye into my uterus to see if there are any structural issues with my uterus such as a septum. Both months since my miscarriage the testing days have been Thanksgiving and Christmas. Ugh.

MTHFR has several forms and lucky for me the heterozygous form is the "best" one to have. It has to do with the way my body is able to process folic acid and is a clotting issue. The treatment is high dose folic acid and an 81mg aspirin daily. The homozygous form mandates lovenox or heparin injections daily during pregnancy. If I have another miscarriage we will try lovenox. At the recommendation of my endocrinologist, the next cycle we try to conceive I have the pleasure of using progesterone suppositories cycle day 17-28 (if I'm pregnant I get to use them for 10-12 weeks and if I'm not pregnant I stop them for that cycle so I will then have my period).

To be honest, I'm not sure what we'll do if I have another miscarriage. We may choose surrogacy or adoption rather than going through the emotional roller coaster again. We'll cross that bridge if we get there. My hope and prayer is the 3rd time is a charm.