Neil's next measurement ultrasound is tomorrow, which is April Fool's Day. Whatever I report will be true. Week 38 is no time for joking in my opinion. I'm still expecting Neil to be an active 6-pound baby.
I've had some ideas about arranging the nursery, so I'm hoping Matt and I can do that this evening. I've got all my state tax forms for Wisconsin and Kentucky filled out, and I plan to make copies and take them to the post office tomorrow morning. It will be good to cross that off my list. The freezer is stocked with easy to prepare meals for at least two weeks after Neil is born. I've made a menu for those two weeks so that we don't even have to think about what we're going to eat. Matt has been shown the menu, which will be posted in the kitchen, and knows where the food is, so he can help prepare meals. I've got some pediatrician forms to fill out but am otherwise prepared for going to the hospital. I still have tons of cleaning that should be done. I especially need to wash the dishes from the potentially broken dishwasher and clean out the leaking refrigerator. I want to make sure that they really are broken (and not just over-burdened by my lack of care) before contacting the university to replace or repair them both. And I'd like all repairs and replacement to be done before Neil arrives. Matt is off this Friday and next Monday, so if Neil can stay put for another week, Matt and I will have a long Easter weekend to get some of these projects done.
I went swimming again last night. At my request, Matt took a photo of me in my swimming suit, but the humidity at the pool fogged up the camera lens. It looked like I was in a sauna, which is probably as flattering as a pregnancy swimsuit photo can be. :) It was nice to move around in the pool without gravity making me grunt and strain. I've become rather ponderous recently: getting off the couch and rolling over in bed are ordeals, and I'm not good at judging how big of a space my belly needs to keep from running into things. I've been knocking things off of desks and tables with my belly and ramming my belly into open doors. It's gotten beyond funny enough that Matt takes pity on me and assists me when I try to stand, and he helped me tie my shoes the other day at the doctor's office. He's so sweet, especially considering that my snoring, which he says shakes the bedsprings, has given him nightmares at least once in the last week.
Neil has been active this afternoon. I had a cinnamon roll before working on taxes a couple hours ago, and he's been jazzed since then. He's had the hiccups a time or two, and he now seems to be learning to hula. I keep feeling and seeing rolling movements from about where his hips are. If only the ultrasound lady could see him now!
I think it's time to start supper. As I said, the cinnamon roll was a couple hours ago, and I'm eating about every two hours anymore. We're having Eggs Benedict and roasted asparagus as long as the asparagus is still good. I bought it a couple days ago because it was reduced price to sell quick. And I've got reduced-price strawberries ($1.50/pint) and angel food cake for dessert... unless I have a serious chocolate craving and make a homemade chocolate lava cake instead... or in addition. I MUST stop thinking about food and start cooking or I'm going to get so hungry that I eat everything in sight and give up on actually preparing a meal.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Monday, March 29, 2010
Lethargy is so cute!
Good appointment again today. Fluid and blood pressure were OK. Neil took a while to pass his BPP, but we didn't break out the M&Ms. He had the hiccups when we were in the waiting room, and I was a little concerned that he'd be too worn out afterward to perform well during the ultrasound.
It was a big case of the hiccups, which was unfortunate for Neil but fortunate for Matt because he finally got to feel Neil move. When I was first able to feel Neil move, Matt said that he didn't want to feel it because it seemed weird. I told him that he should do it just once because it's one of those experiences that you can't have after the baby is born. A month or two later, Matt mentioned that Neil didn't seem like his baby, not a question of Neil's paternity :) but a statement of his feeling that Neil was more mine at that point. I think the twice-weekly ultrasounds have been good for Matt. He gets to see Neil as often as I do and has gotten to know him a little and recently decided that he wanted to feel Neil move. We've sat on the couch a few times with Matt's hand on my belly, waiting for Neil to move, and nothing happened. So I've been trying to get Matt's attention when Neil moves so that he can hurry over and feel it. The problem with that is that I can only use gestures because Neil stops moving when I talk. Several times I've been sitting on the couch waving wildly and snapping my fingers while Matt sits across the room and stares at his laptop, oblivious to my insane gesticulating. So today in the waiting room we were sitting next to each other on a couch and I started elbowing him when Neil started moving. Matt didn't know what I was trying to communicate, so he started nudging me back. I gave up on gestures and spoke to him to let him know that Neil was moving and that I was trying to get his attention so he could feel. When I was quiet again, I realized that Neil was moving some more, and the regularity of the movement told me that he had the hiccups. I put my peanut butter granola bar on my tummy and nudged Matt so he could watch it bounce. He was then able to put his hand there and feel Neil move. The bouncing granola bar made him laugh, and feeling the baby made him smile.
So the hiccups were good for Matt, but they were a little rough on Neil. He squirmed a little at first during the ultrasound, but he didn't breathe or move around. He didn't even swat at the ultrasound tech when she started poking him. She did see him open his hands and move his fingers several times, which she says is a good sign that he doesn't have any chromosomal abnormalities. Babies with chromosomal abnormalities tend to keep their hands in fists before they're born. Eventually, Neil breathed for a while. And then the ultrasound tech turned the camera toward his head and said, "Oh! He yawned!" She was able to rewind it for us so we could see him yawn, stick out his tongue, rub his face with his fists, and nuzzle his head into my pelvis to get comfortable for nap time. It was so cute! The poor baby was so worn out from hiccuping that he needed a nap and didn't have the energy to perform for his BPP. He passed anyway, possibly from sheer cuteness. :)
Dr. Ackermann checked my cervix again today. It had been a couple weeks since the nurse practitioner had checked me. She was much gentler. When he started probing, I nearly jumped off the table. He announced that it was about 50% softened and 1 cm dilated. I have considered that it was 1 cm dilated only after he poked me so hard but not before. The 50% softened part is exactly what the nurse practitioner said two weeks ago. So at 38 weeks, neither Neil nor my cervix seems in a particular hurry to go into labor. If I've made no progress by my due date, I'll try home remedies and look for an acupuncturist to try to get things started without a hospital induction. I met an acupuncturist in Springfield that says she treats women who are 40 or more weeks pregnant for free to help them go into labor. I'd much rather nap with little needles (which I've done several times before) than get an IV full of hormones. I'm fine to let Neil hang out as long as he needs to (within reason), but I'd rather hurry him myself than have doctors do it.
Before we went to the doctor today, Matt's co-worker brought us a car-load of baby stuff, including a crib, mattress, and changing table. We put the changing table together tonight. I need to wipe it down, but it's in good shape. It needs a good changing pad with a belt restraint, so I'll try to get one at Walmart in the next week. I found a changing pad cover on clearance a few weeks ago and bought it, so all we need it the pad itself. And now that we have a crib and mattress, we need a mattress cover and some fitted sheets. The crib also converts into a toddler bed, and she brought us the conversion pieces. So Neil has somewhere to sleep for years to come. I got Neil a pop-up hamper like the ones Matt and I use, and I would like to get him a Diaper Genie before he arrives. If I don't get to it, we have lots of plastic Walmart bags that we can put dirty diapers in before throwing them away. That should get us by for a little while. Now I just need to finalize how I want to arrange the nursery and have Matt hang pictures. I'll post pictures when we're finished.
On the way home from the appointment, we stopped at CVS pharmacy. I came across a blog that gathers good deals: http://www.savingcentswithsense.net/. There are several of these kinds of sites. Another favorite is http://shoppingbookmarks.com/. The first site I mentioned told me about a sale on Huggies diapers that you combine with a CVS reward card rebate and a couple of online printable coupons that results in packages of diapers for only $3.50 each. I got a similarly good deal on Pampers diapers last week at CVS. And I just saw on the Shopping Bookmarks site that Amazon.com has Gerber PJs for less than $2 per pair, and they're eligible for free shipping. I'll have to check that out. And I'm watching a few cloth diaper supplies on EBay. I've already got some cloth diapers and pins from Other Mothers, but I need something waterproof to go over them. And I've also seen diaper closures that work without pins. I'd rather not stab my son in my attempt to be thrifty. I figure if I can get the closures and waterproof covers for about $10, the whole experiment will cost less than $20, a reasonable investment to try to save money on diapers.
So we're good, Neil's good, and we're pretty much ready for him to arrive. I'll post again after our Thursday appointment to let you know that Neil met his goal of 6 pounds at 38 weeks. And if we have more exciting news before then, we'll post, email, call or do anything else we need to do to get the word out.
It was a big case of the hiccups, which was unfortunate for Neil but fortunate for Matt because he finally got to feel Neil move. When I was first able to feel Neil move, Matt said that he didn't want to feel it because it seemed weird. I told him that he should do it just once because it's one of those experiences that you can't have after the baby is born. A month or two later, Matt mentioned that Neil didn't seem like his baby, not a question of Neil's paternity :) but a statement of his feeling that Neil was more mine at that point. I think the twice-weekly ultrasounds have been good for Matt. He gets to see Neil as often as I do and has gotten to know him a little and recently decided that he wanted to feel Neil move. We've sat on the couch a few times with Matt's hand on my belly, waiting for Neil to move, and nothing happened. So I've been trying to get Matt's attention when Neil moves so that he can hurry over and feel it. The problem with that is that I can only use gestures because Neil stops moving when I talk. Several times I've been sitting on the couch waving wildly and snapping my fingers while Matt sits across the room and stares at his laptop, oblivious to my insane gesticulating. So today in the waiting room we were sitting next to each other on a couch and I started elbowing him when Neil started moving. Matt didn't know what I was trying to communicate, so he started nudging me back. I gave up on gestures and spoke to him to let him know that Neil was moving and that I was trying to get his attention so he could feel. When I was quiet again, I realized that Neil was moving some more, and the regularity of the movement told me that he had the hiccups. I put my peanut butter granola bar on my tummy and nudged Matt so he could watch it bounce. He was then able to put his hand there and feel Neil move. The bouncing granola bar made him laugh, and feeling the baby made him smile.
So the hiccups were good for Matt, but they were a little rough on Neil. He squirmed a little at first during the ultrasound, but he didn't breathe or move around. He didn't even swat at the ultrasound tech when she started poking him. She did see him open his hands and move his fingers several times, which she says is a good sign that he doesn't have any chromosomal abnormalities. Babies with chromosomal abnormalities tend to keep their hands in fists before they're born. Eventually, Neil breathed for a while. And then the ultrasound tech turned the camera toward his head and said, "Oh! He yawned!" She was able to rewind it for us so we could see him yawn, stick out his tongue, rub his face with his fists, and nuzzle his head into my pelvis to get comfortable for nap time. It was so cute! The poor baby was so worn out from hiccuping that he needed a nap and didn't have the energy to perform for his BPP. He passed anyway, possibly from sheer cuteness. :)
Dr. Ackermann checked my cervix again today. It had been a couple weeks since the nurse practitioner had checked me. She was much gentler. When he started probing, I nearly jumped off the table. He announced that it was about 50% softened and 1 cm dilated. I have considered that it was 1 cm dilated only after he poked me so hard but not before. The 50% softened part is exactly what the nurse practitioner said two weeks ago. So at 38 weeks, neither Neil nor my cervix seems in a particular hurry to go into labor. If I've made no progress by my due date, I'll try home remedies and look for an acupuncturist to try to get things started without a hospital induction. I met an acupuncturist in Springfield that says she treats women who are 40 or more weeks pregnant for free to help them go into labor. I'd much rather nap with little needles (which I've done several times before) than get an IV full of hormones. I'm fine to let Neil hang out as long as he needs to (within reason), but I'd rather hurry him myself than have doctors do it.
Before we went to the doctor today, Matt's co-worker brought us a car-load of baby stuff, including a crib, mattress, and changing table. We put the changing table together tonight. I need to wipe it down, but it's in good shape. It needs a good changing pad with a belt restraint, so I'll try to get one at Walmart in the next week. I found a changing pad cover on clearance a few weeks ago and bought it, so all we need it the pad itself. And now that we have a crib and mattress, we need a mattress cover and some fitted sheets. The crib also converts into a toddler bed, and she brought us the conversion pieces. So Neil has somewhere to sleep for years to come. I got Neil a pop-up hamper like the ones Matt and I use, and I would like to get him a Diaper Genie before he arrives. If I don't get to it, we have lots of plastic Walmart bags that we can put dirty diapers in before throwing them away. That should get us by for a little while. Now I just need to finalize how I want to arrange the nursery and have Matt hang pictures. I'll post pictures when we're finished.
On the way home from the appointment, we stopped at CVS pharmacy. I came across a blog that gathers good deals: http://www.savingcentswithsense.net/. There are several of these kinds of sites. Another favorite is http://shoppingbookmarks.com/. The first site I mentioned told me about a sale on Huggies diapers that you combine with a CVS reward card rebate and a couple of online printable coupons that results in packages of diapers for only $3.50 each. I got a similarly good deal on Pampers diapers last week at CVS. And I just saw on the Shopping Bookmarks site that Amazon.com has Gerber PJs for less than $2 per pair, and they're eligible for free shipping. I'll have to check that out. And I'm watching a few cloth diaper supplies on EBay. I've already got some cloth diapers and pins from Other Mothers, but I need something waterproof to go over them. And I've also seen diaper closures that work without pins. I'd rather not stab my son in my attempt to be thrifty. I figure if I can get the closures and waterproof covers for about $10, the whole experiment will cost less than $20, a reasonable investment to try to save money on diapers.
So we're good, Neil's good, and we're pretty much ready for him to arrive. I'll post again after our Thursday appointment to let you know that Neil met his goal of 6 pounds at 38 weeks. And if we have more exciting news before then, we'll post, email, call or do anything else we need to do to get the word out.
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Full-Term and Acting Like an Advanced Air Breather
At 37 weeks, Neil is no longer considered premature even though he would probably need to wear preemie clothes. He passed his BPP today without M&Ms and with attitude. He breathed deeply and constantly during the ultrasound while also sucking on his fist. The ultrasound tech poked my belly to make him move more, and he swatted at her. She got what she wanted, but it was clear he didn't appreciate her method of asking. If I had known that swatting at the ultrasound tech might make her stop poking me, I might have tried it sooner. It wouldn't have been nearly as cute as Neil's swat though. We really like the ultrasound tech. When I talk to Neil, I refer to her as the "nice lady who takes his picture." The nurse practitioner is also nice, but she doesn't take Neil's picture. We watched Neil a little longer and he kind of waved at us by flexing his fingers. The ultrasound tech says she likes to see movement like that. Apparently, those times when I've felt like he's trying to tickle me by opening and closing his hand against me (the way small children do when they're learning to tickle) he really has been opening and closing his hand against me. As for intent to tickle, I may be supplying that since he doesn't know what tickling is yet let alone its social meaning as a gesture. We watched a while more and saw him grab his toes. The ultrasound tech was able to give us pictures of him sucking and grabbing his toes. They're fuzzy and you can't tell what's going on unless someone tells you, but they are evidence of cuteness.
My blood pressure was 127/82 the second time they took it. My fluid was half of what it's been, but apparently that's OK. And I lost the pounds I gained between my last two appointments, certainly not by dieting. I'm eating at least every two hours sometimes. We were in the doctor's office so long that I ate two high fiber granola bars in the waiting room at least an hour and a half apart. After the second bar, I realized that I'd just consumed 70% of my daily recommended fiber just in the doctor's office. I also found the warning on the granola packaging to take it slow if you're not used to eating a lot of fiber. I usually get a good amount of fiber, but with my raisin bran this morning, half an apple for one snack, and sweet potatoes and peanut butter in my chicken peanut stew for dinner, I probably exceeded my allowance for the day. I'll have to make sure dessert has no redeeming qualities like fiber. :)
We saw Dr. Ackermann today, and even he isn't worried about Neil anymore. Hurray! He asked if I'd had any contractions, and I told him I didn't think so. I've had some occasional discomfort, and I don't know what contractions are supposed to feel like. He told me I'd know them when I felt them. He said he's only had one mother deliver at home because she didn't know she was having contractions, and that was because she grabbed some marijuana and cocaine to feel better when she started hurting. I have neither drug and no plans to acquire either, so we're OK. He did ask me when I was going to let my baby out since he's now full term. I told him that I was OK with Neil growing a little more and coming when he wanted to. I've had a talk with Neil about this and have asked him to wait until after his measurement next Thursday so that we know he's at least 6 pounds. I figure that there's less of a chance of his being whisked off to a NICU in Louisville based primarily on his size if he's at least 6 pounds. Neil did not actually agree to my plan, but he's been remarkably cooperative so far.
Sorry this post is late again. I took a really long nap when we got home. If I don't get posts online by 10 p.m. Eastern time, my email subscribers have to wait an extra day. I think I'm just under the deadline this time.
My blood pressure was 127/82 the second time they took it. My fluid was half of what it's been, but apparently that's OK. And I lost the pounds I gained between my last two appointments, certainly not by dieting. I'm eating at least every two hours sometimes. We were in the doctor's office so long that I ate two high fiber granola bars in the waiting room at least an hour and a half apart. After the second bar, I realized that I'd just consumed 70% of my daily recommended fiber just in the doctor's office. I also found the warning on the granola packaging to take it slow if you're not used to eating a lot of fiber. I usually get a good amount of fiber, but with my raisin bran this morning, half an apple for one snack, and sweet potatoes and peanut butter in my chicken peanut stew for dinner, I probably exceeded my allowance for the day. I'll have to make sure dessert has no redeeming qualities like fiber. :)
We saw Dr. Ackermann today, and even he isn't worried about Neil anymore. Hurray! He asked if I'd had any contractions, and I told him I didn't think so. I've had some occasional discomfort, and I don't know what contractions are supposed to feel like. He told me I'd know them when I felt them. He said he's only had one mother deliver at home because she didn't know she was having contractions, and that was because she grabbed some marijuana and cocaine to feel better when she started hurting. I have neither drug and no plans to acquire either, so we're OK. He did ask me when I was going to let my baby out since he's now full term. I told him that I was OK with Neil growing a little more and coming when he wanted to. I've had a talk with Neil about this and have asked him to wait until after his measurement next Thursday so that we know he's at least 6 pounds. I figure that there's less of a chance of his being whisked off to a NICU in Louisville based primarily on his size if he's at least 6 pounds. Neil did not actually agree to my plan, but he's been remarkably cooperative so far.
Sorry this post is late again. I took a really long nap when we got home. If I don't get posts online by 10 p.m. Eastern time, my email subscribers have to wait an extra day. I think I'm just under the deadline this time.
Monday, March 22, 2010
Another Encouraging (and Entertaining) Doctor's Appointment
Neil passed his BPP without M&Ms. He was breathing very deeply so that even I could tell what was going on on the ultrasound. He didn't really like it when the ultrasound tech firmly held the wand in the same place for a while. He didn't kick it like he does my lap desk, but he certainly squirmed against it. My blood pressure was 129/80! Apparently Neil didn't eat my cheeseburger last Thursday. I gained back the two pounds I'd lost plus a couple more.
Dr. Reynolds is happy with our progress and doesn't think they'll need to interfere with the baby. Dr. Reynolds is a trip. Today when we left, Matt said we should record our appointments with him because they're so funny. If something hits his brain--stories, songs, opinions, questions--it comes out his mouth, and he has an unidentifiable foreign accent. While telling us about seeing Avatar at midnight in a nearly empty theater, he started singing "All By Myself." But the funniest part of today's appointment was when he wanted to help us be certain that we're having a boy. We didn't have any doubt, but we played along. I told him that at 20 weeks, it looked like we were having either a boy or a little girl with a tail. I had some fairly recent ultrasound pictures in my purse with a good "It's a Boy" photo, so I showed him. Dr. Reynolds' eyes got big and he said, "Whoa! There's no doubt about that one!" He started making jokes about my taking Extenze, a "male enhancement" supplement, while pregnant. He carried on for some time in a delightfully junior high way. My MP3 player can make audio recordings, so I'll try to make sure I have it with me when we see him again a week from Thursday (our next measurement appointment).
I made good progress reorganizing and cleaning the kitchen this morning. After we got back from our appointment, I took a nap for a couple hours. My little internal alarm clock got hungry and kicked me a few times so I'd get up and make supper. I made Moroccan Chicken & Vegetables with Couscous, and he thoroughly enjoyed it. This morning I also made a pan of Ghirardelli double chocolate brownies. They're made from a mix I buy at Walmart, but they're the best brownies I've ever had. Neil liked those, too. I ran out of the peanut butter I've been eating and bought something else at Aldi last week. I ate the new peanut butter for the first time today, and he wasn't impressed. My son is apparently a bit particular when it comes to peanut butter. I've spoiled him with Trader Joe's all-natural Valencia peanut butter with toasted flax seeds. I bought it for the extra Omega-3 from the flax seed, which is supposed to boost mood, but it's exceptionally good peanut butter. I'm not sure if it's the yumminess or the extra Omega-3 that perks him up so much. I'll try again tomorrow and see if he warms up to the new peanut butter. Otherwise, he'll just have to be deprived. Trader Joe's is only in large cities, and the closest one is in Nashville or Indianapolis. Trader Joe's is one of the things I miss about Madison. I used to go there every Wednesday while Matt picked up his comic books just a block away. Thinking of Madison also makes me miss Buraka, the Ethiopian restaurant. I think I may try making some African chicken peanut stew in the crockpot this week. I found a new recipe on the Betty Crocker website. Perhaps a mixture of exotic spices and peanut butter will make Neil dance, one of the great joys in my life right now.
Dr. Reynolds is happy with our progress and doesn't think they'll need to interfere with the baby. Dr. Reynolds is a trip. Today when we left, Matt said we should record our appointments with him because they're so funny. If something hits his brain--stories, songs, opinions, questions--it comes out his mouth, and he has an unidentifiable foreign accent. While telling us about seeing Avatar at midnight in a nearly empty theater, he started singing "All By Myself." But the funniest part of today's appointment was when he wanted to help us be certain that we're having a boy. We didn't have any doubt, but we played along. I told him that at 20 weeks, it looked like we were having either a boy or a little girl with a tail. I had some fairly recent ultrasound pictures in my purse with a good "It's a Boy" photo, so I showed him. Dr. Reynolds' eyes got big and he said, "Whoa! There's no doubt about that one!" He started making jokes about my taking Extenze, a "male enhancement" supplement, while pregnant. He carried on for some time in a delightfully junior high way. My MP3 player can make audio recordings, so I'll try to make sure I have it with me when we see him again a week from Thursday (our next measurement appointment).
I made good progress reorganizing and cleaning the kitchen this morning. After we got back from our appointment, I took a nap for a couple hours. My little internal alarm clock got hungry and kicked me a few times so I'd get up and make supper. I made Moroccan Chicken & Vegetables with Couscous, and he thoroughly enjoyed it. This morning I also made a pan of Ghirardelli double chocolate brownies. They're made from a mix I buy at Walmart, but they're the best brownies I've ever had. Neil liked those, too. I ran out of the peanut butter I've been eating and bought something else at Aldi last week. I ate the new peanut butter for the first time today, and he wasn't impressed. My son is apparently a bit particular when it comes to peanut butter. I've spoiled him with Trader Joe's all-natural Valencia peanut butter with toasted flax seeds. I bought it for the extra Omega-3 from the flax seed, which is supposed to boost mood, but it's exceptionally good peanut butter. I'm not sure if it's the yumminess or the extra Omega-3 that perks him up so much. I'll try again tomorrow and see if he warms up to the new peanut butter. Otherwise, he'll just have to be deprived. Trader Joe's is only in large cities, and the closest one is in Nashville or Indianapolis. Trader Joe's is one of the things I miss about Madison. I used to go there every Wednesday while Matt picked up his comic books just a block away. Thinking of Madison also makes me miss Buraka, the Ethiopian restaurant. I think I may try making some African chicken peanut stew in the crockpot this week. I found a new recipe on the Betty Crocker website. Perhaps a mixture of exotic spices and peanut butter will make Neil dance, one of the great joys in my life right now.
Thursday, March 18, 2010
A Two Cheeseburger Day: One for Me and One for My Baby
Neil gained a pound over the last two weeks and is now a 5-pound baby. Hurray, Neil! This is a good indicator that he's just small and not "growth restricted." And actually only parts of him are small. His abdomen and femurs are small, but his head is pretty average. I think he's got his father's head, so it may be a good thing for me if he's not too big. I'd hate to have to give birth to a child with a head in the 99th percentile. OUCH! He would have passed his BPP without M&Ms, but I was hungry; so he got M&Ms anyway. Actually, Matt ate some, too. It was a family affair.
My blood glucose test from Tuesday was normal, so we've avoided extra monitoring at the twice weekly BPPs. My blood pressure was 146/89. Dr. Reynolds says that the trend of my blood pressure looks like someone with gestational hypertension, typically someone with a family history of high blood pressure and probably a future of high blood pressure later in life. Sounds about right. Dr. Reynolds doesn't seem to be worried about anything. He doesn't seem to think they're going to come up with a reason to induce and expects that Neil will come whenever he wants to. Hurray!
While Neil was gaining a pound over the last two weeks, I lost 2 pounds. After our appointment I got two cheeseburgers at Wendy's (with some fries, a Coke, and a tiny Frosty). I was really hungry. And I figured Neil would eat one of the cheeseburgers so he can keep gaining weight. We're aiming for a 6-pound baby in 2 weeks. If he's 6 pounds at 38 weeks and is born anytime after that, I feel pretty good about his avoiding the NICU. Go, Neil, go!
Matt and I were talking in the waiting room about how Neil reacts to what I eat. Anything with peanuts makes him dance. My morning raisin bran is similarly exciting. And it's not about when I eat. I had cocoa crispies this morning, and he wasn't impressed. Matt suggested that whatever chemicals/nutrients he gets from certain foods give him more energy. I tried looking for a common theme to link raisin bran and peanut butter. "If he likes Tang," I told Matt, "he sounds kind of like Grandmother Wilmoth." "Who knows? He might look like her, too," Matt replied, referencing the fact that I looked like a little old man (very similar to my 7th grade science teacher Mr. Shoat) in one of my early baby pictures. Later, Dr. Reynolds asked if there are any short people in the family that might explain why Neil's femur is a bit short. I'm not very tall, but Grandma Tanner (daughter of Grandmother Wilmoth) is even shorter. Matt and I smiled at each other and thought about how he might be even more like Grandmother Wilmoth than we thought. She probably wouldn't be the first family member that our clan would want to clone--most people would recommend adding another Grandpa Tanner or two to the family--but there are certainly much worse people he could take after: Granny Singleton, for instance. I'm kind of hoping that if he's going to take after Grandmother Wilmoth he'll be a variation like Grandma Tanner. People who don't know Grandma Tanner would probably think that an independent, creative, scholarly, introverted, slightly stubborn child seems like plausible offspring from me and Matt anyway. :)
I packed for the hospital just in case they induced today, so we're set whenever Neil wants to arrive. Tomorrow we'll go to Elizabethtown and stock up at Aldi again. I plan to do as much cleaning and meal prep as possible in the time I have left before Neil shows up. I'm feeling much better about all of us--me, Matt and Neil--being prepared when Neil's born. It's really nice to feel optimistic after an OB appointment. The extra sunlight since daylight saving time began possibly helps. I felt so good after the appointment that Matt and I played boccie ball in the back yard for a while before I came in to blog. It's been a good day.
My blood glucose test from Tuesday was normal, so we've avoided extra monitoring at the twice weekly BPPs. My blood pressure was 146/89. Dr. Reynolds says that the trend of my blood pressure looks like someone with gestational hypertension, typically someone with a family history of high blood pressure and probably a future of high blood pressure later in life. Sounds about right. Dr. Reynolds doesn't seem to be worried about anything. He doesn't seem to think they're going to come up with a reason to induce and expects that Neil will come whenever he wants to. Hurray!
While Neil was gaining a pound over the last two weeks, I lost 2 pounds. After our appointment I got two cheeseburgers at Wendy's (with some fries, a Coke, and a tiny Frosty). I was really hungry. And I figured Neil would eat one of the cheeseburgers so he can keep gaining weight. We're aiming for a 6-pound baby in 2 weeks. If he's 6 pounds at 38 weeks and is born anytime after that, I feel pretty good about his avoiding the NICU. Go, Neil, go!
Matt and I were talking in the waiting room about how Neil reacts to what I eat. Anything with peanuts makes him dance. My morning raisin bran is similarly exciting. And it's not about when I eat. I had cocoa crispies this morning, and he wasn't impressed. Matt suggested that whatever chemicals/nutrients he gets from certain foods give him more energy. I tried looking for a common theme to link raisin bran and peanut butter. "If he likes Tang," I told Matt, "he sounds kind of like Grandmother Wilmoth." "Who knows? He might look like her, too," Matt replied, referencing the fact that I looked like a little old man (very similar to my 7th grade science teacher Mr. Shoat) in one of my early baby pictures. Later, Dr. Reynolds asked if there are any short people in the family that might explain why Neil's femur is a bit short. I'm not very tall, but Grandma Tanner (daughter of Grandmother Wilmoth) is even shorter. Matt and I smiled at each other and thought about how he might be even more like Grandmother Wilmoth than we thought. She probably wouldn't be the first family member that our clan would want to clone--most people would recommend adding another Grandpa Tanner or two to the family--but there are certainly much worse people he could take after: Granny Singleton, for instance. I'm kind of hoping that if he's going to take after Grandmother Wilmoth he'll be a variation like Grandma Tanner. People who don't know Grandma Tanner would probably think that an independent, creative, scholarly, introverted, slightly stubborn child seems like plausible offspring from me and Matt anyway. :)
I packed for the hospital just in case they induced today, so we're set whenever Neil wants to arrive. Tomorrow we'll go to Elizabethtown and stock up at Aldi again. I plan to do as much cleaning and meal prep as possible in the time I have left before Neil shows up. I'm feeling much better about all of us--me, Matt and Neil--being prepared when Neil's born. It's really nice to feel optimistic after an OB appointment. The extra sunlight since daylight saving time began possibly helps. I felt so good after the appointment that Matt and I played boccie ball in the back yard for a while before I came in to blog. It's been a good day.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Scheduled OB Visit 2 of 3 This Week
I went to the doctors' office again today for the blood glucose test. I started fasting last night sometime after 10 p.m., but then I had heartburn at 2 a.m. and felt that if I didn't take a Tums I was going to vomit. I didn't know if the Tums would technically break my fast and mess with my test results, but I knew I didn't want to vomit so I took one Tums. I was supposed to fast for at least 8 hours, and I took the blood test 7.5 hours after the Tums. It shouldn't affect the results, but the lab lady noted it just in case. So if I pass, I pass. If I fail, I have an excuse. :)
Poor Neil didn't move during the entire fast. He's normally pretty quiet at night, but I didn't get a good morning smack today. I felt sorry for him. And the irony of having a mother fast when the concern is that her baby isn't receiving enough nutrients was not lost on me. When I finally got to eat my bowl of raisin bran this morning, he immediately perked up. And when I was allowed to eat my peanut butter sandwich two hours later, he greeted it with his usual enthusiasm.
After the blood draw at 9:30, we had to stick around for two hours so they could take blood again. I didn't want to sit in the OB's office again. I did that yesterday. I will do that again on Thursday. So we went to Goodwill to see if they had any preemie and newborn clothes we could get really cheap. I got a preemie sleeper, a couple onesies, a pair of newborn jean shorts, and a couple pairs of pants. In all I've probably spent $5 on preemie and newborn clothes, but I consider it a good investment just in case he's a 6-7 pound baby. I also got him some 3-6 month clothes for late summer or early fall and a couple more receiving blankets. My favorite cashier was at Goodwill again and charged me $.50 per piece for most of the items instead of $1.50. I got a whole bag of clothes for $12.
While I was digging through bins of clothes at Goodwill, I met a mother who had a horror story about having labor induced on the due date for her third child. She spent 49 hours in labor, "hard labor" her mother-in-law added. She was so exhausted she almost couldn't push the baby out when the time came. I kind of can't believe they let her labor for more than 2 days. I didn't really need another horror story to convince me that induction is not what I want, but it possibly further strengthened my resolve to do whatever possible to avoid it.
After the second blood draw, we went to Dollar Tree. They had a lot of good stuff this time: herb-growing kits, a heat-proof ladle (which we've needed for a while), Italian Sausage-flavor Hamburger Helper (one of our favorites), and much more. I only bought half of what I picked up going through the store. I tend to pick up everything I like and then make decisions before heading to check out. It was a very productive shopping trip.
***Oh, Cathy, in case I forget to email you, Dollar Tree has plug-in air freshener refills. This store had only Caribbean Cooler and After the Rain scents. Our Big Lots has a berry scent and a clean linen scent. If I see vanilla anywhere, I'll get it for you. Anyone else have any shopping questions or requests? :)
The doctor should have my glucose test results by our appointment on Thursday. I'm sure I'll report about it in my Thursday post-appointment post.
Poor Neil didn't move during the entire fast. He's normally pretty quiet at night, but I didn't get a good morning smack today. I felt sorry for him. And the irony of having a mother fast when the concern is that her baby isn't receiving enough nutrients was not lost on me. When I finally got to eat my bowl of raisin bran this morning, he immediately perked up. And when I was allowed to eat my peanut butter sandwich two hours later, he greeted it with his usual enthusiasm.
After the blood draw at 9:30, we had to stick around for two hours so they could take blood again. I didn't want to sit in the OB's office again. I did that yesterday. I will do that again on Thursday. So we went to Goodwill to see if they had any preemie and newborn clothes we could get really cheap. I got a preemie sleeper, a couple onesies, a pair of newborn jean shorts, and a couple pairs of pants. In all I've probably spent $5 on preemie and newborn clothes, but I consider it a good investment just in case he's a 6-7 pound baby. I also got him some 3-6 month clothes for late summer or early fall and a couple more receiving blankets. My favorite cashier was at Goodwill again and charged me $.50 per piece for most of the items instead of $1.50. I got a whole bag of clothes for $12.
While I was digging through bins of clothes at Goodwill, I met a mother who had a horror story about having labor induced on the due date for her third child. She spent 49 hours in labor, "hard labor" her mother-in-law added. She was so exhausted she almost couldn't push the baby out when the time came. I kind of can't believe they let her labor for more than 2 days. I didn't really need another horror story to convince me that induction is not what I want, but it possibly further strengthened my resolve to do whatever possible to avoid it.
After the second blood draw, we went to Dollar Tree. They had a lot of good stuff this time: herb-growing kits, a heat-proof ladle (which we've needed for a while), Italian Sausage-flavor Hamburger Helper (one of our favorites), and much more. I only bought half of what I picked up going through the store. I tend to pick up everything I like and then make decisions before heading to check out. It was a very productive shopping trip.
***Oh, Cathy, in case I forget to email you, Dollar Tree has plug-in air freshener refills. This store had only Caribbean Cooler and After the Rain scents. Our Big Lots has a berry scent and a clean linen scent. If I see vanilla anywhere, I'll get it for you. Anyone else have any shopping questions or requests? :)
The doctor should have my glucose test results by our appointment on Thursday. I'm sure I'll report about it in my Thursday post-appointment post.
Monday, March 15, 2010
This recliner is brought to you by...
This week Big Lots has recliners on sale, and last week I made my 10th qualifying purchase, which entitles me to a 20% off shopping trip. So last night Matt and I went to Big Lots and bought a rocker-recliner for the nursery.
TA-DA!
Thank you to Mom and Dad Oliver, Aunt Arlene and Grandma Tanner for their contributions to Neil's recliner fund, which completely covered the cost of the chair after the discount was applied to the sale price. And a thank you to the family with a minivan, who happened to be shopping at Big Lots and agreed to help us transport the recliner to our house when we discovered it wouldn't fit in our Honda. I'm sure they'll never see this thank you, but their kindness to strangers is impressive and much appreciated.
Neil already seems to like the chair. He kicked and wiggled when we tried it out at the store and again when I sat in it after we got home.
We haven't picked a permanent place for it in the nursery. One of Matt's colleagues has an elementary school-aged son and is clearing out all his baby stuff by giving it to us. A crib and changing table are coming in addition to an unknown assortment of other baby items. We'll arrange the chair and hang pictures when we receive the other furniture. I'll take pictures again when we have a finished nursery. Who knows? We may have an occupant for the nursery before we have a completed nursery.
TA-DA!
Neil already seems to like the chair. He kicked and wiggled when we tried it out at the store and again when I sat in it after we got home.
We haven't picked a permanent place for it in the nursery. One of Matt's colleagues has an elementary school-aged son and is clearing out all his baby stuff by giving it to us. A crib and changing table are coming in addition to an unknown assortment of other baby items. We'll arrange the chair and hang pictures when we receive the other furniture. I'll take pictures again when we have a finished nursery. Who knows? We may have an occupant for the nursery before we have a completed nursery.
It's Not Paranoia if They're Actually Out to Get You
Neil passed his BPP without M&Ms today! He's been really active for the last few days, so I've been telling him to save a bit of that energy for his test. I ate a peanut butter sandwich in the waiting room, and he was still abuzz half an hour later when we went in for the ultrasound. He was breathing and moving during the entire ultrasound. My fluid was great and my blood pressure was a bit better: 139/81 was my best of the day.
We also had a good talk with Dr. Ackermann. He was pleased that my blood pressure was better and that Neil has been consistently passing his BPPs. He said that if Neil hasn't gained any weight when they measure on Thursday that they might induce that day. I agree that IF Neil hasn't gained any weight that something is wrong and induction is a good idea. But we have no reason to think that Neil has stopped growing. He grew half a pound in one week the last time they tested. The consistently passed BPPs support the idea that Neil is just small and has no problems. But just in case, I'm supposed to go in for another glucose test tomorrow morning. I passed the 1-hour test about a month ago, but 5% of people with diabetes can pass that test. So I'm taking the 2-hour test, which requires me to fast tonight, have blood drawn first thing tomorrow morning, eat breakfast at the doctor's office, wait around for 2 hours, and have more blood drawn. If I have gestational diabetes, then it could cause Neil to pee more often, which would be the reason for my good fluid levels. It would mean that in addition to twice-a-week ultrasounds, we'd also have to go to the hospital twice a week to be hooked up to a fetal heart monitor for him to pass his BPPs. And if he doesn't pass his BPPs, they'll want to induce.
When I first heard induction mentioned a few weeks ago and learned they were going to test us twice a week, I felt like they were looking for a reason to induce. It turns out I wasn't paranoid to think so. Dr. Ackermann outright said that they're looking for a reason to induce. Fortunately, we've disappointed him so far. And from what he said, every week the doctors' comfort level with induction increases because the baby is more and more likely to be OK outside the womb. Matt and I have slightly different interpretations of what Dr. Ackermann said. Matt (the optimist) thinks that as long as we don't give them a reason to induce, we're OK. I (the pessimist) find it unlikely that they'll let Neil go to 40 weeks. If they become more and more comfortable with inducing, they'll need fewer or smaller reasons to induce every week. So my blood pressure, which isn't a good enough reason to induce at 36 weeks because Neil might need a respirator if he was born now, might be sufficient reason to induce at 38 weeks when he probably wouldn't need a respirator. But since Matt's interpretation is more hopeful and gives me something to work toward, I'm choosing to believe his interpretation. We'll continue to pray, and I'll continue to talk to Neil about getting big and practicing his breathing, and I'll keep trying to drink a lot of water and work on my blood pressure.
My blood pressure was so improved that Dr. Ackermann asked me what I was on to help my blood pressure. I was certainly feeling less stressed today. At last Monday's appointment, I became very aware of how stressful I find the OB's office, and last Wednesday night I had a couple of nightmares that helped me figure out what is stressing me out. I find that thinking about dreams that I remember and that I have strong feelings about often help me work through problems I'm having. In both dreams, my baby died, but that's not was was upsetting me (a clue that my subconscious was working something out since a dead baby would be devastating). Instead, I was frustrated that in the dreams no one was explaining things to me, that information about myself and my baby was being withheld from me. And that's what's been stressing me out about the OB's office. They keep surprising me with things and not completely telling me what's going on. I never know what's going to be sprung on me when I show up for an appointment: surprise injections or pelvic exams or sudden need for extra appointments because of problems I wasn't previously told about. I resolved to talk to a doctor about my concerns before my appointment last Thursday, but I was so stressed about the confrontation that my blood pressure was high. And I didn't find a good opportunity to start the conversation I wanted to have. By today, I had worked through my concerns and wasn't keyed up about confronting a doctor, and my blood pressure was better. And without my discussing my concerns about communication, Dr. Ackermann took time to explain things to us today. I felt much better when we left even though I was more certain that induction is inevitable. Matt and I are determined to be informed and will make sure that the doctors answer our questions. I think that knowing that Matt is as determined as I am to understand what's going on makes me feel better. He's tough and tenacious and good at spotting logical fallacies and much less likely than I am to be concerned about being polite, which is a good thing in this case.
Among the many interesting things Dr. Ackermann told us today is that ultrasounds can be off by 20% on their measurements. So last time, when it told us that we have a 4-pound baby, we might actually have a 4.75-pound baby (or a 3.25 pound baby, but we're not going to think about that). 4.75 pounds is undersized, but not nearly as bad as 4 pounds. He also said that obstetrics is practiced according to statistics. With a 20% margin for error, an ultrasound is not likely to convince me that my baby should be hurried along, but quite honestly it would take exceptional evidence to make me favor induction, especially since my cervix shows no signs of opening anytime soon. As Dr. Ackermann said, if dynamite won't open my cervix, he'll do a C-section. So there may not be a problem, but he's willing to split me open if the statistics indicate the least reason to do so.
Due to my already admitted pessimism, this has been a pretty heavy post--plenty of doom, gloom, stress and nightmares to go with some initial positive news--so I thought I'd share a fun headline about paranoia that I saw in an issue of The Onion, a satirical newspaper which originated in Madison: "Paranoid Optimist Just Knows Someone is Out to Get Him a Present." :) If Neil inherits my paranoia and Matt's optimism, this just might become his motto. :)
We also had a good talk with Dr. Ackermann. He was pleased that my blood pressure was better and that Neil has been consistently passing his BPPs. He said that if Neil hasn't gained any weight when they measure on Thursday that they might induce that day. I agree that IF Neil hasn't gained any weight that something is wrong and induction is a good idea. But we have no reason to think that Neil has stopped growing. He grew half a pound in one week the last time they tested. The consistently passed BPPs support the idea that Neil is just small and has no problems. But just in case, I'm supposed to go in for another glucose test tomorrow morning. I passed the 1-hour test about a month ago, but 5% of people with diabetes can pass that test. So I'm taking the 2-hour test, which requires me to fast tonight, have blood drawn first thing tomorrow morning, eat breakfast at the doctor's office, wait around for 2 hours, and have more blood drawn. If I have gestational diabetes, then it could cause Neil to pee more often, which would be the reason for my good fluid levels. It would mean that in addition to twice-a-week ultrasounds, we'd also have to go to the hospital twice a week to be hooked up to a fetal heart monitor for him to pass his BPPs. And if he doesn't pass his BPPs, they'll want to induce.
When I first heard induction mentioned a few weeks ago and learned they were going to test us twice a week, I felt like they were looking for a reason to induce. It turns out I wasn't paranoid to think so. Dr. Ackermann outright said that they're looking for a reason to induce. Fortunately, we've disappointed him so far. And from what he said, every week the doctors' comfort level with induction increases because the baby is more and more likely to be OK outside the womb. Matt and I have slightly different interpretations of what Dr. Ackermann said. Matt (the optimist) thinks that as long as we don't give them a reason to induce, we're OK. I (the pessimist) find it unlikely that they'll let Neil go to 40 weeks. If they become more and more comfortable with inducing, they'll need fewer or smaller reasons to induce every week. So my blood pressure, which isn't a good enough reason to induce at 36 weeks because Neil might need a respirator if he was born now, might be sufficient reason to induce at 38 weeks when he probably wouldn't need a respirator. But since Matt's interpretation is more hopeful and gives me something to work toward, I'm choosing to believe his interpretation. We'll continue to pray, and I'll continue to talk to Neil about getting big and practicing his breathing, and I'll keep trying to drink a lot of water and work on my blood pressure.
My blood pressure was so improved that Dr. Ackermann asked me what I was on to help my blood pressure. I was certainly feeling less stressed today. At last Monday's appointment, I became very aware of how stressful I find the OB's office, and last Wednesday night I had a couple of nightmares that helped me figure out what is stressing me out. I find that thinking about dreams that I remember and that I have strong feelings about often help me work through problems I'm having. In both dreams, my baby died, but that's not was was upsetting me (a clue that my subconscious was working something out since a dead baby would be devastating). Instead, I was frustrated that in the dreams no one was explaining things to me, that information about myself and my baby was being withheld from me. And that's what's been stressing me out about the OB's office. They keep surprising me with things and not completely telling me what's going on. I never know what's going to be sprung on me when I show up for an appointment: surprise injections or pelvic exams or sudden need for extra appointments because of problems I wasn't previously told about. I resolved to talk to a doctor about my concerns before my appointment last Thursday, but I was so stressed about the confrontation that my blood pressure was high. And I didn't find a good opportunity to start the conversation I wanted to have. By today, I had worked through my concerns and wasn't keyed up about confronting a doctor, and my blood pressure was better. And without my discussing my concerns about communication, Dr. Ackermann took time to explain things to us today. I felt much better when we left even though I was more certain that induction is inevitable. Matt and I are determined to be informed and will make sure that the doctors answer our questions. I think that knowing that Matt is as determined as I am to understand what's going on makes me feel better. He's tough and tenacious and good at spotting logical fallacies and much less likely than I am to be concerned about being polite, which is a good thing in this case.
Among the many interesting things Dr. Ackermann told us today is that ultrasounds can be off by 20% on their measurements. So last time, when it told us that we have a 4-pound baby, we might actually have a 4.75-pound baby (or a 3.25 pound baby, but we're not going to think about that). 4.75 pounds is undersized, but not nearly as bad as 4 pounds. He also said that obstetrics is practiced according to statistics. With a 20% margin for error, an ultrasound is not likely to convince me that my baby should be hurried along, but quite honestly it would take exceptional evidence to make me favor induction, especially since my cervix shows no signs of opening anytime soon. As Dr. Ackermann said, if dynamite won't open my cervix, he'll do a C-section. So there may not be a problem, but he's willing to split me open if the statistics indicate the least reason to do so.
Due to my already admitted pessimism, this has been a pretty heavy post--plenty of doom, gloom, stress and nightmares to go with some initial positive news--so I thought I'd share a fun headline about paranoia that I saw in an issue of The Onion, a satirical newspaper which originated in Madison: "Paranoid Optimist Just Knows Someone is Out to Get Him a Present." :) If Neil inherits my paranoia and Matt's optimism, this just might become his motto. :)
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Stellar Parenting: Bribing Your Child Before He's Born
Neil passed his BPP today... with some patience and peanut M&Ms. My fluid was great, but Neil refused to move or breathe, even though his heart rate was just fine. He's been a wiggle worm for the last few days, but now that we needed him to perform, he froze up. The ultrasound tech had me lie on my left side, which was supposed to encourage him to breathe, but he refused. The ultrasound poked and shook my belly, but he refused to move or breathe. Finally, I broke out the peanut M&Ms, and he started breathing and wiggled a bit. The ultrasound tech thought it was pretty funny, like bribing a child during potty training. Apparently, Neil has already mastered holding his breath until he's bribed. I was thankful that the ultrasound tech was so patient with us/him. She told us after he passed the test that if he hadn't cooperated they would have sent us to the hospital for a non-stress test. She meant it as reassurance that failing the BPP isn't the end of the world, and it is reassuring; but it's also incentive to pass the BPP so that we don't have to spend time at the hospital. I've got plenty of peanut M&Ms in my purse just in case.
We didn't learn anything new about Neil from the ultrasound. We were so intent on making him breathe and move that we didn't look for anything else.
I lost two pounds in the last week; hopefully, Neil's still gaining. It might have all been fluid. I've actually had ankles again! My blood pressure was still high: 148/89, but Dr. Reynolds wasn't concerned. He reviewed the symptoms of preeclampsia with me and told me to go to the hospital if I had any of them. He also felt my abdomen. But mostly he talked to Matt about the NFL draft. It was nice to not have alarms going off at the end of my appointment for a change.
We didn't learn anything new about Neil from the ultrasound. We were so intent on making him breathe and move that we didn't look for anything else.
I lost two pounds in the last week; hopefully, Neil's still gaining. It might have all been fluid. I've actually had ankles again! My blood pressure was still high: 148/89, but Dr. Reynolds wasn't concerned. He reviewed the symptoms of preeclampsia with me and told me to go to the hospital if I had any of them. He also felt my abdomen. But mostly he talked to Matt about the NFL draft. It was nice to not have alarms going off at the end of my appointment for a change.
Monday, March 8, 2010
If Only I Were as Awesome as Neil
Neil did super at our appointment today. In possibly less than a minute, he proved he moves and breathes like a pro. The ultrasound tech wanted to see him move more after she checked his parts, so she kept shaking and poking my belly; but he wouldn't react. About the time I had nearly had enough, he did, too, and abruptly kicked and punched at the same time. Fortunately, he wasn't marked down for being longsuffering. My fluid was excellent, so we passed the BPP again.
My blood pressure, however, was terrible all 5 times they took it. My bottom number was consistently in the upper 80s. My top numbers were 147, 145, 139, 149, and 150. They also performed a surprise pelvic exam, not nearly as fun as a surprise party or shopping spree. Apparently, it's standard procedure for the 35th week, but no one told me (until it was time to take my blood pressure). :) They took cultures to see if I have any diseases I don't know about and checked my cervix. No dilation, but 50% softening, which is just fine because nobody wants me to have a baby immediately. The high blood pressure caused a minor summit to decide what to do with me. Other than the blood pressure, I have no other symptoms of preeclampsia: no protein in my urine, no headaches, no abdominal pain, no spontaneous swelling of face, hands or feet. The swelling in my wrists and feet are somewhat constant and have never spontaneously worsened.
And though my blood pressure is high, Neil is performing very well on his BPPs. So we're going to continue to go to the doctor twice a week. Sometime next week they'll measure him again. When I asked the OB nurse practitioner (Jennifer, I think) what "significant progress" is, she said it was many factors; but in a nutshell if Neil keeps doing well on his BPPs and stays at or above the 10th percentile on the growth charts, they'll leave him alone. She also said that Drs. Reynolds and Ackermann would probably each have slightly different answers to the same question. I'll ask them next time I see them. So for now the only problems we have are my high blood pressure and Neil's small size, which isn't a problem as long as he continues to grow. Now if only I could get my blood pressure down, I'd have less anxiety, a truly vicious cycle if ever I heard of one.
Not much additional Neil information to report from the ultrasound. We got a somewhat better facial profile picture, but it's still not clear enough to get a real idea of what he looks like. This picture made him look like he has a rather long, skinny nose and big lips. I'll keep sharing what we learn about him, but we probably won't know anything conclusive or helpful before he arrives.
After the appointment, we bought a few groceries and a jumbo package of newborn diapers at Walmart. Then we ate at the KFC/Taco Bell in Lebanon. I had the chicken strip meal with coleslaw and mashed potatoes and gravy, which Neil thoroughly enjoyed with me. Matt tried and enjoyed the new shrimp taco. Then we came home, and I went swimming. Neil didn't move during this swim either. We'll see if he's as perky tomorrow as he was last Saturday after my Friday night swim. I'm still full from supper and drowsy from my swim, but I think the Krusteaz cinnamon crumb cake I made this afternoon is calling me. Perhaps just a small piece for Neil's sake. :)
My blood pressure, however, was terrible all 5 times they took it. My bottom number was consistently in the upper 80s. My top numbers were 147, 145, 139, 149, and 150. They also performed a surprise pelvic exam, not nearly as fun as a surprise party or shopping spree. Apparently, it's standard procedure for the 35th week, but no one told me (until it was time to take my blood pressure). :) They took cultures to see if I have any diseases I don't know about and checked my cervix. No dilation, but 50% softening, which is just fine because nobody wants me to have a baby immediately. The high blood pressure caused a minor summit to decide what to do with me. Other than the blood pressure, I have no other symptoms of preeclampsia: no protein in my urine, no headaches, no abdominal pain, no spontaneous swelling of face, hands or feet. The swelling in my wrists and feet are somewhat constant and have never spontaneously worsened.
And though my blood pressure is high, Neil is performing very well on his BPPs. So we're going to continue to go to the doctor twice a week. Sometime next week they'll measure him again. When I asked the OB nurse practitioner (Jennifer, I think) what "significant progress" is, she said it was many factors; but in a nutshell if Neil keeps doing well on his BPPs and stays at or above the 10th percentile on the growth charts, they'll leave him alone. She also said that Drs. Reynolds and Ackermann would probably each have slightly different answers to the same question. I'll ask them next time I see them. So for now the only problems we have are my high blood pressure and Neil's small size, which isn't a problem as long as he continues to grow. Now if only I could get my blood pressure down, I'd have less anxiety, a truly vicious cycle if ever I heard of one.
Not much additional Neil information to report from the ultrasound. We got a somewhat better facial profile picture, but it's still not clear enough to get a real idea of what he looks like. This picture made him look like he has a rather long, skinny nose and big lips. I'll keep sharing what we learn about him, but we probably won't know anything conclusive or helpful before he arrives.
After the appointment, we bought a few groceries and a jumbo package of newborn diapers at Walmart. Then we ate at the KFC/Taco Bell in Lebanon. I had the chicken strip meal with coleslaw and mashed potatoes and gravy, which Neil thoroughly enjoyed with me. Matt tried and enjoyed the new shrimp taco. Then we came home, and I went swimming. Neil didn't move during this swim either. We'll see if he's as perky tomorrow as he was last Saturday after my Friday night swim. I'm still full from supper and drowsy from my swim, but I think the Krusteaz cinnamon crumb cake I made this afternoon is calling me. Perhaps just a small piece for Neil's sake. :)
Saturday, March 6, 2010
The Not-So-Little Mermaid
Matt took me to the pool last night, and it was SUPER! He didn't want to swim, so I teased him about exercising his wife to ensure that she gives him healthy sons. I rather enjoy making my feminist husband sound sexist. Matt feels kind of funny about the possibility of running into students at the pool when he's wearing only his swimming trunks, and it turns out that the Friday night lifeguard is one of his honor students. So he sat on the bleachers and talked to me while I paddled around the shallow end of the pool.
Moving about in the water was a little weird at first until I adjusted to my new center of gravity. I enjoyed being able to move by just waving my arms. Matt pointed out that anymore I tend to wave my arms about when I move on dry land. Thanks, dear. :) I did some push-pull water aerobics exercises holding the side of the pool, and I swam in place a bit, but mostly I paddled around in the warm water. Then I decided to see how well I float while pregnant. The answer...just fine, thank you. My floating skills amaze my husband, who calls me "frighteningly buoyant." He believes I'd survive a boat crash without a life boat or life vest. I'd just lean back and float while everyone else was frantically treading water. His feet sink when he tries to float, so the fact that I can float folded into a V with just my head and feet above water is mind blowing. Floating and paddling in different positions makes me feel like Esther Williams in Million Dollar Mermaid. I hope Neil is "frighteningly buoyant" like me. It would make me feel better about letting him near water but, of course, is no substitute for supervision.
Neil didn't move around while I was swimming. I'm not sure that a baby floating within a floating mother notices anything special. But swimming made me pretty happy. Afterward, I ate a snack and went to bed smelling faintly of chlorine and slept soundly. This morning I woke up not quite sore, but feeling like I've exercised, and Neil has been super-busy kicking and punching. Perhaps my endorphins got to him. If endorphins decrease my stress and make Neil more active, swimming may be just what we need to keep the doctors happy with our progress. I had so much fun that Matt said, "So you're going to want me to bring you here every Friday for the rest of the pregnancy." I told him, "Not just every Friday. Free swim is 7-9 p.m., Monday through Thursday, too." He's thrilled and is already making plans to bring grading to do while I swim.
Moving about in the water was a little weird at first until I adjusted to my new center of gravity. I enjoyed being able to move by just waving my arms. Matt pointed out that anymore I tend to wave my arms about when I move on dry land. Thanks, dear. :) I did some push-pull water aerobics exercises holding the side of the pool, and I swam in place a bit, but mostly I paddled around in the warm water. Then I decided to see how well I float while pregnant. The answer...just fine, thank you. My floating skills amaze my husband, who calls me "frighteningly buoyant." He believes I'd survive a boat crash without a life boat or life vest. I'd just lean back and float while everyone else was frantically treading water. His feet sink when he tries to float, so the fact that I can float folded into a V with just my head and feet above water is mind blowing. Floating and paddling in different positions makes me feel like Esther Williams in Million Dollar Mermaid. I hope Neil is "frighteningly buoyant" like me. It would make me feel better about letting him near water but, of course, is no substitute for supervision.
Neil didn't move around while I was swimming. I'm not sure that a baby floating within a floating mother notices anything special. But swimming made me pretty happy. Afterward, I ate a snack and went to bed smelling faintly of chlorine and slept soundly. This morning I woke up not quite sore, but feeling like I've exercised, and Neil has been super-busy kicking and punching. Perhaps my endorphins got to him. If endorphins decrease my stress and make Neil more active, swimming may be just what we need to keep the doctors happy with our progress. I had so much fun that Matt said, "So you're going to want me to bring you here every Friday for the rest of the pregnancy." I told him, "Not just every Friday. Free swim is 7-9 p.m., Monday through Thursday, too." He's thrilled and is already making plans to bring grading to do while I swim.
Friday, March 5, 2010
Another Day, Another Doctor
It was time for a refill on my anti-depressants, so I had to go see my nurse practitioner, Tammy Lamb, who prescribed them to check in and get a new script. Today my blood pressure was 110/82. I think my blood pressure is really sensitive to stimuli. Unlike yesterday's doctor's appointment, I was going to a doctor's office in Campbellsville that doesn't require a long drive and I was going for the purpose of getting more "happy pills" and I knew the nurse practitioner had no intention of doing anything to me or my baby. Less stress meant better blood pressure. Tammy also told me that she delivered healthy multiples at 34 weeks and 5 days, which is where I am today. That made me feel better, but I still don't want to be induced. The video at the childbirth class made it sound like nearly anything was better than induction, and I've heard horror stories, most of which ended in C-sections.
When I told Matt about today's blood pressure, I told him that I think my blood pressure at the OB is better when he's present. The drop in blood pressure that I attributed to no longer working at Luther Memorial (still a valid hypothesis) also coincided with Matt's accompanying me to appointments. My blood pressure has typically been better when he's with me. He smiled and said, "So you now have empirical evidence that I need to spend a lot of time with you when you're pregnant." (I'm a little clingy for Mr. Independent sometimes.) I told him that all I was extrapolating from the data is that he MUST go with me to the rest of my appointments for this pregnancy so that my blood pressure will please the doctors. Though next pregnancy, I'll probably go with his interpretation of the data. :)
I've also decided that on Monday, I'll have the doctor define "significant progress" more specifically. If we're going to be graded, I want to know the criteria and grading scale. I've proven before that if you give me a syllabus, I'll find a way to get a good grade, whether it's an A in Lifetime Fitness or a B in a grad school class after the professor recommended I drop it because of absences. Give us parameters, and Neil and I will rise to the occasion. I figured that at some point I'd teach Neil about working systems to his advantage, but I thought he'd be born first.
I took a long hot bath last night and went to bed early and got about 10 hours of sleep (11 hours in bed minus trips to the bathroom every 2-3 hours). And I took a 2-hour nap this afternoon. When I woke up this morning, my wrists were a normal size. They've been a bit pudgy recently. They still hurt (pregnancy-induced carpal tunnel), but they looked better. My ankles were still puffy; there was no bump from my ankle bone. But there was no indentation over my ankle bone, so it wasn't as bad as it has been at times. After my nap, I walked to the swimming pool to write down the times for free swim. It was nice to move about in the sunshine, and there was springy green growth under my feet. Free swim on Friday is 9-11 p.m. If I can stay awake that long, I'll go tonight. I love to swim, and I don't care if I look like a whale as long as I can feel as graceful as one when I'm in the water. After I got home, I sat down to blog, and Neil got busy wiggling and kicking. Apparently, he's getting his exercise, too. Way to improve that muscle tone, son! I've also got a stretch workout routine that I recorded from the fitness channel that sounds really good right now. I've done it once before and felt really loose and relaxed afterward.
I'm all about relaxation right now, and my house looks like it. Tonight after making dinner, I'll make a detailed to-do list and enlist Matt's help to get it done this weekend. Maybe before I start dinner, I'll clean out the car so that I can install the car seat tomorrow. I probably need a few minutes to figure out what I'm cooking anyway. I made a menu for the week, but I think the living room ate it. Yes, my house is that bad right now, but I refuse to get stressed about it.
When I told Matt about today's blood pressure, I told him that I think my blood pressure at the OB is better when he's present. The drop in blood pressure that I attributed to no longer working at Luther Memorial (still a valid hypothesis) also coincided with Matt's accompanying me to appointments. My blood pressure has typically been better when he's with me. He smiled and said, "So you now have empirical evidence that I need to spend a lot of time with you when you're pregnant." (I'm a little clingy for Mr. Independent sometimes.) I told him that all I was extrapolating from the data is that he MUST go with me to the rest of my appointments for this pregnancy so that my blood pressure will please the doctors. Though next pregnancy, I'll probably go with his interpretation of the data. :)
I've also decided that on Monday, I'll have the doctor define "significant progress" more specifically. If we're going to be graded, I want to know the criteria and grading scale. I've proven before that if you give me a syllabus, I'll find a way to get a good grade, whether it's an A in Lifetime Fitness or a B in a grad school class after the professor recommended I drop it because of absences. Give us parameters, and Neil and I will rise to the occasion. I figured that at some point I'd teach Neil about working systems to his advantage, but I thought he'd be born first.
I took a long hot bath last night and went to bed early and got about 10 hours of sleep (11 hours in bed minus trips to the bathroom every 2-3 hours). And I took a 2-hour nap this afternoon. When I woke up this morning, my wrists were a normal size. They've been a bit pudgy recently. They still hurt (pregnancy-induced carpal tunnel), but they looked better. My ankles were still puffy; there was no bump from my ankle bone. But there was no indentation over my ankle bone, so it wasn't as bad as it has been at times. After my nap, I walked to the swimming pool to write down the times for free swim. It was nice to move about in the sunshine, and there was springy green growth under my feet. Free swim on Friday is 9-11 p.m. If I can stay awake that long, I'll go tonight. I love to swim, and I don't care if I look like a whale as long as I can feel as graceful as one when I'm in the water. After I got home, I sat down to blog, and Neil got busy wiggling and kicking. Apparently, he's getting his exercise, too. Way to improve that muscle tone, son! I've also got a stretch workout routine that I recorded from the fitness channel that sounds really good right now. I've done it once before and felt really loose and relaxed afterward.
I'm all about relaxation right now, and my house looks like it. Tonight after making dinner, I'll make a detailed to-do list and enlist Matt's help to get it done this weekend. Maybe before I start dinner, I'll clean out the car so that I can install the car seat tomorrow. I probably need a few minutes to figure out what I'm cooking anyway. I made a menu for the week, but I think the living room ate it. Yes, my house is that bad right now, but I refuse to get stressed about it.
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Fuzzy and Cute
I forgot to mention in the previous post that the ultrasound tech found evidence of hair on the back of Neil's head. I still can't tell anything about his facial features from the ultrasound images, but he has hair. The ultrasound tech also told me that he was resting one hand on his forehead. As soon as I heard it, I thought of Grandpa Tanner. His "resting pose" was reclining with an ankle across the other bent knee and the back of his hand or forearm across his forehead or eyes (kind of like a swooning belle). I remember lying on my bed in college and realizing that I was in the Grandpa Tanner pose. I thought I had learned it, but perhaps it's genetic. :)
Since I believe we'll have twice-weekly ultrasounds for the BPP tests, I'll post more about Neil's features and actions as soon as we learn more.
Since I believe we'll have twice-weekly ultrasounds for the BPP tests, I'll post more about Neil's features and actions as soon as we learn more.
Another Good Test-Taker in the Tanner-Oliver Clan
Since our last OB appointment, I've been talking to Neil about gaining weight before his next ultrasound. Our goal was half a pound, and today we learned he gained exactly half a pound. Way to go, Neil! He's now 4 lbs. 1 oz. In addition to taking measurements, they did a Bio-Physical Profile (BPP). According to WebMD, a BPP "measures your baby's heartrate, muscle tone, movement, breathing, and the amount of amniotic fluid around your baby." His heartrate was a solid 154. I ate peanut M&Ms during the ultrasound, so he moved around. He was practicing his breathing. And my fluid jumped from an 8 last time to a 20 (I'm not sure what the unit of measurement is). BPP passed with flying colors! Way to go, Neil! I also learned that the urine and blood testing from last week was all normal. Way to go, me!
HOWEVER, my blood pressure was 142/87. I've considered that it might be lower if Matt were with me. My appointment today had to be scheduled at a time when he couldn't come. And even though he gained half a pound in a little over a week, Neil's size slipped in the percentiles a bit more. He's now three weeks behind. So the doctor wants to see us twice a week to monitor my blood pressure and Neil's BPP. We go back on Monday.
The doctor said I'm not supposed to worry until he's worried, and he's not worried yet. I asked him why he thinks Neil is small. He said there are multiple factors, the first of which is that Neil is just a small baby. My size and blood pressure are also possible factors. After mashing around on my abdomen, he also said that Neil feels bigger than the 4 pounds the ultrasound says and that he trusts his hands more than the ultrasound. All of that made me feel a bit better.
The scary part is that if Neil and I don't show significant progress, they'll want to induce labor. I kind of feel like once they mention induction and schedule frequent visits to monitor you, they'll find a reason to induce. So I went to Walmart after my appointment and bought a package of preemie diapers and a $1 clearance preemie outfit, both of which I will keep in the car with the receipt and hope that I will return them because we won't need them. Installing the car seat and packing my hospital bag have also climbed much higher on my to-do list just in case. Being pro-active makes me feel better. It's better than worrying.
My other two fears are 1) that some sort of birth defect is also a factor in Neil's small size and 2) that they'll find a reason to whisk him off to a NICU in Louisville because he's small. I want my baby to be normal (even if small) and to stay with me. I don't consciously think about them often, but they're in the back of my mind.
So I have begun talking to Neil about what we have to do to convince the doctors that we're OK. I'm going to watch my sodium intake and try to get more exercise to help my blood pressure. Neil is going to continue to put on half a pound a week. We're going to practice our breathing together, too. He needs the practice for his BPP, and some meditative breathing might help my blood pressure. I'm also going to drink plenty of water to keep my fluids up and eat yummy foods that make Neil dance and improve his muscle tone. Unfortunately, the low sodium goal and the yummy food goal are kind of at odds.
I've also asked Matt to take care of me tonight. I feel like I need a little TLC. He asked what I had in mind, and I told him hugs, kisses and a meal I don't have to cook. I'll probably also try to get a warm bath an a massage out of it. Tomorrow, I'll have to get back to my to-do list, but tonight I think I'll light a few gardenia candles while I bathe; the mildew on the caulking isn't so visible in candle light. :)
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Commenting Should Now Be Possible
I changed some blog settings that should allow people to comment on my posts, so give it a try and let me know if it's working. I can probably tweak it some more if there's still a problem. The blog has so far accomplished my main goal of transmitting information, but it could be nice to hear people's responses to the posts, too.
I also noticed that I have a new follower. I'm up to three! Welcome, Dana!
I also noticed that I have a new follower. I'm up to three! Welcome, Dana!
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