Baby Update # 2

I got a call from the Dr. this morning while I was at work.  She had received the full written report on the ultra sound from yesterday and we had 2 issues to discuss.

First issue: The baby's heart

It did not appear to be as big of a deal as it did yesterday but there was still a slight chance of a heart defect.

Second issue: The baby's growth

The growth of the baby is actually not as good as we thought yesterday so she needs to be born asap - which means c-section tomorrow.

The first step was to get me to the prenatal specialist down in Sac for the echo cardiogram as soon as possible.  I got there at about 9:30 this morning and had two ultrasounds done.  

The baby heart is normal!!!!  What a relief!!!

The baby's size is not ok.  Judging from the ultrasound the Dr. agrees with my Dr. that she needs to be born asap.  She is measuring about 3 1/2 -4 weeks small and is maybe 5 pound, could be less, according to the ultrasound.  It is also apparent that she has a ton of hair on her head and the tech just wanted to let me know so I wasn't surprised!  So basically she is better off in the real world on breast milk than inside of me.  She will be able to grow faster.

Now we know there is  a pattern of me having small babies - Cole was 5# 4 1/2 ounces at 22 days early.  This little one will only be 12 days early and we are keeping our fingers crossed she makes it to 5 pounds.

Keep us in your thoughts tomorrow morning.  

Baby Update

Well the ultrasound was this morning.  I was in there for 1 1/2 hours while the tech went over every detail of this baby.  He was a high risk ob tech so he knew what he was doing which is comforting.  When I had left this morning it appeared like the baby had gained about a pound in weight but I would have to wait until this afternoon to find out the exact measurements. 

At the doctor's office I received some good news and some VERY unexpected news.  The good news is that the baby has grown about 2 weeks worth of growth in a 3 week period however she is still measuring small at about 3 1/2 weeks vs 2 1/2 weeks which is what it was 3 weeks ago.  But that is not the major concern at this point.  The concern is that the ultrasound is showing her right side of the heart being larger than the left side which means there could possibly be some kind of heart defect.

I was sent straight over to the hospital to Labor and Deliverly and hooked up to the baby moniter to do a Non-stress test.  That test came out as perfect as can be!  So that is some good news!  Tomorrow afternoon I go back to the doctor to discuss the next step as well as schedule an echocardiogram to look at the baby's heart.  This will let us know for sure if the heart really does have a defect or if her positioning at the ultrasound was off and made the right side appear larger.

Based on these results we will then determine if the baby needs to stay in until next Tuesday or if she is better off out of me.  If the echocardiogram shows a defect then I will have to deliver her in Sacramento which is not something I want to do since Auburn is such a great place and it is so quite and low key.  But if I went into labor before and the baby does have a problem and I am in Auburn then the baby gets transfered to Sac and I have to stay in Auburn for 2 1/2 days with out her.  That is not what I want to do either.

More updates to come.  Everyone keep their fingers crossed!

38 weeks - 1 week or less to go!

It is finally here!  The countdown to baby has made it to a week!  I certainly did not think I would have made it this far considering Cole came so early but here I am 38 weeks pregnant.  I have gotten to the point where I feel full all the time yet I can't keep myself from eating and it is frustrating.  I think I have probably gained another 2 pounds this past week and I can safely say I don't think it went to the baby....  I will find out tomorrow morning if she has gained any weight and grown at all since the last ultrasound 3 weeks ago.

I am starting to get very nervous about the birth, not so much about the c-section but more nervous about when it will happen.  I walk around every day looking at things and thinking that I really need to take care of that but what if my water suddenly breaks like it did with Cole.  I might only have one more minute left before I have to go to the hospital.  I know that it is my mind and my problem but it is still hard not to think about "when" it will happen and am I going to be surprised or will it be scheduled.  I still think the night of the 16th will be pure torture for me...

I also feel guilty about Cole.  Sure he wont be the first kid in the world to gain a little sister, but I still feel sad that he doesn't understand what is about to happen.  His world is about to do a 180 on him and he isn't prepared for it all.   More about this later....

Baby Bump Watch

If I have one more person tell me that I have not gained a lot of weight or even ask me "You're pregnant?!?!?"  I might have to punch them.  I feel huge and I have gained 31 (if not more tomorrow) pounds!

My last day of nesting....

I have this feeling (and I could be totally wrong) that today maybe my last day to nest.  I have a ton of things to get done.

1. make hooter hider - I have one from Cole but I want a bigger one

2. make beanies to keep my mind off of wanting to read Breaking Dawn - I am doing my best to save it for the hospital - I've got 3 days in there.

3. dishes

4. laundry - diapers, towels, clothes, sheets

5. grocery shopping - tons of pre-made meals from Trader Joe's for Mike to cook once the baby arrives

6. wash window - not sure why this matters since it is raining and it is supposed to snow on Monday, but I am grossed out by the ranch dressing finger prints on my windows.

7. pay bills

8. clean off the top of the refrigerator

9. double check that hospital bag it ready to go

10. clean office

11. clean out the refrigerator

12. clean out the freezer

13. go to Curves and exercise

14. make grocery list

I will be back later to update on what my craziness has done in a matter of a few hours...

2 pm - 

Hooter Hider completed!

See, I can sew.

Dishes done!

Snowball beanie done! (picture to be shown at a later time)

Laundry done!

Pay bills done!

Hospital bag ready to go!

windows done!

Fridge cleaned out!

went to Curves!

9 out of 14 is not bad.

Now I have to go round up the farm in Cole's room.  He just woke up from his nap and he is make horse and duck noises!

There's a baby in there!

Cole loves to kiss my belly.  If I ask him to give the baby a kiss he lifts up my shirt and blows raspberries on my belly.   He still really has no clue what is actually going on.  I have tried to get him to rest his hand on my belly when she is moving but he is not patient enough.

37 weeks - 2 weeks to go!

Well I made it to 37 weeks!  A pregnancy first for me.  So with that being said lets discuss the Dr's visit today.  She would not check me to see if I was dilated or effaced which bummed me out but I understand her point completely.  She does not want to cause any thinning which could cause early labor.  And why would she be concerned about that??  Well that's because she doesn't seem to think I will even make it till next week.  I some how doubt that but that is her feeling.  I am still measuring at 30 which is now 7 weeks small.  

My next ultra sound will be next week if I am still pregnant then.  In order to get an accurate measurement of the babies growth they like to have 3 weeks between ultrasounds.  If the baby has not shown significant growth then we do an immediate c-section.  Fun times!  She discussed the growth curve and the different percentiles and I am not off the chart, or below I guess I should say but I am no where close to where I should be, probably in the teens to mid twenties for percentile.  I gained another 2 pounds so I am getting more cushion on my tush.  I can tell because my yoga pants are fitting a little tighter on the bum than I would like.  Probably doesn't help that I am eating a chocolate cupcake for breakfast but hey it's my birthday.

So that's where things stand at the Dr's.  As far as how I feel:

Large

Large

Larger

I have had a few nights of contractions but they did not continue past 3 hours.  From now on anything lasting more than an hour I have to go to labor and delivery.  I am sleeping great.  I probably would not even wake up if it weren't for Cole needing to get up.  On occasion I can't walk due to the sciatic pain in my leg.

I have been more tired this past weekend than I normally I am.  I almost took a nap yesterday.  That is not normal for me.

Baby bump watch

These two photo were taken with in minutes of each other.  I guess the baby moved!

The waiting game....

The next two days will be filled with lots of waiting, watching, and a very nervous Aimee.  First things first - tomorrow is 36 weeks and 6 days, this is when I had Cole!  I was hoping to get checked at the Dr. on Friday to see if I was effaced or dilated but my appointment was canceled and switched to Monday.  I, of course was not too happy because I did not want to go into this weekend not knowing.  With Cole at 36 weeks 1 day I was 60% effaced and 1 cm dilated and he arrived 5 days later. 

So needless to say I am a little bit nervous going into this weekend.  Mike and I went to see a movie this afternoon, probably one of the last times we will be "alone" for awhile.  We saw Twilight.  Yes I dragged him to it.  But I have been reading the books and I LOVE them so I wanted to see it on the big screen and I did not want to go alone.  We made it to the movie with 10 minutes to spare before it started.  Got up to the ticket booth and asked for 2 for Twilight.  The girl looks at me "Twilight isn't playing here, it is at United, this is Century"  Ummm ok....so luckily United was only a 2 minute drive away so we made it in time.  Mike was one of 3 guys in the theater....

Also - I turn 30 on Monday....  No big plans for this BIG birthday.  We made the choice to have newborn right around our 30th birthdays so we will be planning a 33rd or 35th BIG birthday trip.  Possibly to South America.  So many options!

Hopefully I will be doing a monday morning post about turning 30 and being 37 weeks pregnant.  Two totally new experiences for me.

Preparing for babies arrival - lesson 5 - finishing touches

Helping mommy with all the last minute "nesting" 

Step 1: Raise crib

Step 2: Make sure all bolts are screwed in securely with trusty glove

Step 3: Determine whether or not the car seat will properly secure baby in, also clean out crumbs from when a little boy used to sit in it.

Step 4:  Make sure bathtub can hold up to some serious rocking in the jump-o-lene.  This will determine if it is ok to go in the bath tub.

36 weeks - 3 weeks to go!

Having a pretty hard time sitting down and leaning over.  I keep getting a foot stuck in my rib cage.  Some major upset stomach and heartburn occurring which is not fun.  I am in shock that we have 3 weeks at the most to go!  It is so crazy how quickly this pregnancy has gone by.  I am scanning the house to make sure I have everything in order for how I need it.  So far things are looking good!  Next doctors visit is on Friday.  I still have yet to bring out the pregnancy pillow which is nice because that thing was a pain in the butt!  I can not sleep on my left side which is what they suggest during pregnancy for blood flow.  The baby hangs out on my right side so if I go to lay on my left side all the weight falls towards the bed and my stomach gets pulled down along with ligaments making things every uncomfortable. 

Baby Bump Watch

36 weeks pregnant with Cole

The last known belly picture from his pregnancy

Baby stats - the game

Time for a little game!  Leave a comment with the baby's birth date, weight, length, breech or head down, etc...

So for all you blog readers, stalkers, commenter's and non-commenter's - please humor me and play along.  Please let me know who you are if you post under anonymous otherwise it's no fun!

If you don't know how to leave a comment - just click on comment at the bottom of the post and it will bring up a screen.

Thanks!

Here are some helpful bits of information for you to make an informed decision:

Due date is February 24, 2009

C-section is February 17, 2009

So if you guess anything past the 17th then you will be wrong!

Aimee:

born 12 days early, 6# 12 oz, 20 inches, breech - Feb 2

Mike:

born 1 day early, 6# 10 oz, 19 inches, head down - Apr 1

Cole:

born 3 weeks and 1 day (22 days) early, 5 # 4 1/2 oz, 18 inches breech - Mar 4

We all have single digit birth days and months involving the numbers 1, 2, 3, 4.  Both Mike and I are born on holidays - Ground Hogs Day and April Fools Day.

My guess:

Feb 3 - 21 days early, 5 pounds 2 1/2 oz, 19 inches, head down

Surprise Baby Shower

The girls from my worked threw me a surprise baby shower yesterday afternoon. Thanks ladies! They brought pot stickers, won tons, and cup cakes from Starbucks. All the good things I have been eating through this pregnancy! Cole opened up all the gifts because they were for him of course! His favorite part were the balloons.

Yes I realize there is no picture of the girls and I.  I forgot!

Preparing for babies arrival - Lesson 4- dishes

The art of washing dishes

Step 1:  Proper attire is needed when one plays with water.

Step 2: Scrub dishes well with all sponges, bottle brushes, and veggie brushes.

Step 3: Rinse well

Step 4: Pose for camera
This is Cole's newest FAVORITE activity.  He got is apron out of the drawer and he ran to where the step ladder is kept and waited until I got it out for him.  He probably played up there for a good 30 minutes.  He never spilled water on the floor intentionally.  I supervised from the couch with my face buried in the second Twilight book.  Yes I have been sucked in also!  The first 2 books plus the online first half of Midnight Sun, all read in a matter of about 12 hours total.  Close to 1500 pages.  Love those books!  

35 week update

Had my doctors visit yesterday.  Gained 3 pounds in the past two weeks...  At the last visit I was measuring small at 30 instead of 33 and this week I was still measuring 30 at 35 weeks.  So today I had an ultra sound to check the baby's size.  The baby measured at 32 1/2 weeks.  I have not talked with the Dr. yet but I will most likely be monitored a little bit closer now and up until the delivery.  The baby's head measured 34 week, the abdomen at 32 weeks and the femur at 31 weeks.  The "guess-ta-mate" on the weight based on calculations was 4# 5oz give or take 12 oz!  Ha!  So the head is still jammed way down in my crotch making it difficult for the ultrasound tech to even get the measurements she wanted.  Difficult already!  :-)  Other than that things look good.  Heart beat is good and it has all 4 chambers.  More after I hear from the doctor.

35 weeks - 4 weeks to go!

Feeling pretty good so far this week.  Nothing to complain about.  Foods staying down, clothes still fit, belly's getting bigger, I am having a harder time getting up with out needing help.  Baby's moving around a lot.  I have been experiencing the wonderful feeling of the foot scraping the inside of the rib cage, which is something I can live with out.  I have a Dr.'s appointment tomorrow so we will get the weight and measurement stats.  I also have been called for jury duty this week.  I have to call for the second time tomorrow afternoon to see I have to show or not.  The best thing about the belly.....it's gonna get me out of jury duty if I am called.  Woo hoo!  Plus if they try to make me come back in 90 days the I have another valid excuse - breast feeding baby!

So some things to think about now are that basically the baby can come at any time.  Granted there are actually 5 weeks until the due date, Cole came 2 weeks from this point I am at, so mentally I am preparing for the unexpected water breaking again.  I do have a c-section scheduled which is great because I know there is an ending in site but I am keeping my fingers crossed that the baby decides to make an appearence before that date because otherwise I will be a wreak the day before.  Do they honestly think that I am supposed to get a "good nights" sleep when I have to be at the hospital at 6am?  Seriously???  I would (will) be laying in bed all night with my mind racing:  Life is never going to be the same, Cole is going to freak out and turn into some sort of demon child screaming for my attention, we will over sleep or Mike will turn off the alarm on accident and all the other joyous thoughts that go through ones head when a life changing decision has been scheduled and at this exact time you will no longer have the same life as you once did.  So most likely I will be staying up all night trying to figure out what it is that still needs to be done or what I have forgotten to do.  

The next date we need to pass is February 1st.  That day is 36 weeks and 6 days....the gestational day in pregnancy that Cole arrived.  It is also the day before I turn 30.  So if I turn 30 and still only have 1 kid then we made it past the early bird but not full term / not early enough to be called a premie phase and we are on to unknown pregnancy territory, the last 3 weeks.   

Baby Bump

Getting bigger for you guys?!?!?!?

Preparing for babies arrival - Lesson 3 - food

Learn how to make food so mommy doesn't have to

Step 1: When making Pesto, make sure that you don't put the stems in the processor.  Apricots are also not part of the Pesto.

Step 2: Pulse processor until everything turns bright green

Step 3: Learn to make spinach dip and not throw it all over the kitchen

Step 4: the best part - taste testing!

Preparing for babies arrival - lesson 2 - clothes

Making sure clothes are acceptable for the baby to wear.

Step 1: Pull out test pair of clothes

Step 2: Examine for any defects

Step 3: Test run - make sure they work correctly when worn

Preparing for babies arrival - lesson 1 - diapering

How to properly diaper a baby.

Step 1: Place baby on changing table.  Then realize you are too short to reach so you move baby to time out circle on the floor.

Step 2: Place baby on open diaper.  Opening the diaper requires the help of mommy.

Step 3:  Figure out how to get those flaps undone so you can secure diaper on baby.  Again this may require help from mommy.

Step 4: Press those sticky things down really hard.  Volia!  Now you are finished, that is if you don't live in the Fredy house...

Step 5: get the roll of duct tape.

Step 6: Apply duct tape.  Now we are finished.

Next up - How to potty train a baby

***True story*** 

I was on the computer last night (big surprise these days) and Cole was in his bed room playing with Pooh Bear.  I think he may have been trying to undress him.  Anyways, I hear some noise and I turn around and Cole has placed Pooh on the changing table and is attempting to throw a diaper up on to him.  Of course being me, I get them camera ready and then assist Cole.  The best part about the whole thing was that Cole would not allow the diapering to continue without getting the duct tape...  He actually jumped up, grabbed the roll and held it trying to figure out how to get the tape off.  I get the tape torn off for him and then he slammed that sucker down right on the flaps.  Oh the things we teach our kids with out even knowing....  Yes I realize that the diaper is still a disposable.  The cloth ones have not arrived yet.

34 weeks - 5 weeks to go!

Getting bigger and bigger!  This week I am feeling very full all the time.  I have had heartburn for the past 2 days and that is getting really old.  I did find that ice cream helps to soothe the heartburn.  My back is starting to hurt more and I still can't sit for long periods of time.  I have a little bit more energy than last week but still not like I did a few months back.  The is a Dr. free week unless something happens so no weight gains to report or stupid lab mistakes to discuss.

Baby Bump Watch

A little scary but every thing's ok now!

I received good news and bad/scary news at the Dr's yesterday.  Good news - only gained 1 pound!  Bad news was that my CBC that was done on Saturday came back with not so good results and I had to get a new blood test done right away.  The worry was that with a very low platelet count (which the test showed) along with elevated red blood cells, I might be developing a syndrome called HELLP.  Hemolysis, elevated liver enzymes, and low platelet count.  I had none of the other symptoms that go along with it however one can have a normal physical exam and still have this problem.  It is extremely rare but can be fatal to the baby if it is not delivered right away!  So as you can imagine I spent all night and up until 8 am this morning freaking out over this and waiting by the phone.  If my results were still bad we were looking at delivering the baby in the next week if not sooner!  But the Dr called this morning and the lab work is with in normal limits.  The blood may have sat too long at the lab before being tested or I was dehydrated at the time the blood was drawn.  Either way -  I am in the clear for now!  Everything else is ok.  I am measuring 30 when I should be 33 - however as long as I don't go more than 3 under everything it still ok.

Cole had his Hep A shot today and was more concerned that he could not take the Thomas the train toy home with us and threw a fit in the hall way.  His nurse laughed about it with me.  He weighed 26 pounds 7 oz and was only 34 3/4 inches tall!  I guess our measuring stick was wrong!

So the Fredy's will be sleeping well tonight.  I still have more things to get done!

33 weeks - 6 weeks to go!

Let the countdown begin! 6 weeks at the MOST and there will be a new little Fredy in town.  I am getting nervous because I don't know how Cole will react, but I am excited for the new baby.  I am also excited to not be pregnant anymore.  Even though this time around has not been as unpleasant (probably because I knew what to expect) I still don't totally LOVE being pregnant.  No cravings any more.  Missing the second trimester buzz of energy.

Hard to believe we will be here again very soon! Cole at 1 week old.