Contractions, Showers & Holidays ....OH MY!!!

Well, sorry for the late update... so much has happened since my last entry. Let's see: On 12/14/10 I was taken to L&D Observation because I thought my water broke & BB's heart rate was high, 187!!! His usual heartrate is between 135-150 in the mornings. He was moving alot that morning, so, I called my Dr and she asked me to come in to L&D. Well, they ran tests to see if my water really broke... it didn't... I just "inked" a little (reference "Finding Nemo"...lol) and with all the pressure that BB is putting on my bladder, I'm not surprised that a little peepee came out without my knowledge. Gross, I know, sorry... only Mommies can relate to this. While I was there they were monitoring BB's heart rate, which by the way went back to normal, nurse says if he's really active (which he was that morning) his heart rate can rise... just like ours would increase if we worked out. However, while BB's heartrate was back to normal, they noticed I was having regular contractions that were pretty strong... oddly enough, I didn't feel a single one! The nurse kept asking me if I felt it and I almost felt bad telling her no, but I really didn't feel it! She says contractions can happen in the 3rd trimester randomly and spontaneously; it's when they become regular and painful that one should worry. They gave me some medicine to relax my muscles in order to stop the contractions and it worked.

Skip to a week later...

This past weekend, my parents threw me a baby shower at the clubhouse in their neighborhood! To say it was an AMAZING shower would be a complete understatement. It was THE BEST SHOWER I've ever been to thanks to THE BEST PARENTS & BROTHER in the world. I'll be posting pictures as soon as I get them on my computer. The hubby & I made out like bandits at this shower... and with that said, BB still needs SOOOO MUCH! So, with the holidays around the corner, I asked Santa (my parents) to not get me anything but just get stuff for the baby... knowing my Mom & Dad, I'll still get some pretty awesome loot for myself and also, now, for BB! I guess it's something about this time of year that makes me (and lots of other people) feel so blessed. Not because of the materialistic things we receive, but all the love and care that you feel all around... it just seems more prominent during this time of year... or maybe I'm having a hormonal peak! LOL!



Merry Christmas to all of you!!!

Love,
Mommy & Daddy to be & BB!!! (just a few more weeks!)

Just an update...

Tomorrow marks 33 weeks for me & BB! Crazy! In 6 weeks my whole life is going to change! I'm kinda scared, but in a good way. Everyone I encounter now on a daily basis has said something somewhat typical, yet negative about the upcoming birth of this beautiful miracle. Things like: "Get ready for the sleepless nights..." or "Say goodbye to your sex life...." or "You won't have anymore 'ME' time...," etc. But you know what? I embrace it... I will tackle it... I will LOVE it all! NO MATTER WHAT! In my opinion, and I may get chastised for this, only women who've gone through extreme pregnancy tragedies or women who have battled with any magnitude of infertility can truly know how I feel. When I first became pregnant with BB, I WANTED morning sickness and I wanted to run to the restroom to pee every 5 minutes and I wanted to gain tons of weight. Now that I'm honing in on the last leg of the pregnancy journey, I'm craving the sleepless nights and the poopy diapers and the BEAUTIFUL sound of my darling son SCREAMING BLOODY MURDER in the middle of the night. I want it all and the reason for that would be, hearing those sounds, changing a poopy diaper and running on 1 hr of a sleep a night means that my miracle is here in my life, alive and healthy and that all my uncertainties and insecurities of pregnancy have been dissolved. Call me weird, I don't care, but give me all the baby chaos.... I crave it - I'm sooo ready for it!

BB Update & a Slideshow of Ultrasound Pictures

So, we had a routine OB appointment on 11/30/2010. I'm now 31w5d! My calendar in my office has a countdown... 53 more days!!!! The doctor did says that there is a small glitch with BB's right kidney. It's a bit dilated. This could mean that his urine has backed up into his kidney and caused it to appear enlarged on the ultrasound. It's a type of reflux. It is more common in boys and is usually outgrown a little while after birth. Set backs for this issue are more frequent UTIs and possible scarring of the valves in the kidney. Worse case scenario, if he doesn't out grow this, he'll have to have laproscopic surgery to repair the valve/reflux. According to my friend, who also happens to be a radiologist, the ultrasound picture may have been taken right before BB was about to take a big leak (haha!) and just had a full bladder. Whatever it is, my perinatalogist & friend/radiologist told me it's not life-threatening nor is it anything for me to worry about... so, I'm not! Another thing the Dr said as she applied that warm ultrasound transmission gel on my ever-so-round belly was that BB is gonna be a big boy! He's already almost 4.5 lbs... so, if we do the calculations correctly: the baby is to gain about .5 lbs a week till birth from now on and I have almost 7 weeks till my c-section.... I'm gonna have a whopping 8.5+lb juggernaut baby! I know those calculations of weight on ultrasounds are only estimates, but I can feel that he is HUGE! Maybe he'll be the next quarterback for the Chicago Bears or maybe he'll be the next Michael Jordan for the Chicago Bulls ;-) A mom can dream, can't she?

Anyway, we finally got a good shot of BB's face on a 3D image ultrasound... he's so handsome & photogenic ;-) Check out the slideshow below, it has his first pictures from 5 weeks pregnant to 31 weeks pregnant! Enjoy!

New date! Exactly 2 months!

So, for scheduling purposes of my Dr, our BB is scheduled to be delivered January 24, 2011... so, much for our special #26! It's ok, we'll just get to meet him 2 days sooner :-) Which makes today the 2 month countdown till my son will be in my arms and no longer in my belly. I texted my husband, "Babe, our son will be here in exactly 2 months! Are you scared? excited? nervous?" And this was his reply, "I'm scared not to be a dad but the process u will have to go through to deliver our baby." I cried a little when I read that. Although c-sections are done everyday, hundreds of times a day.... it's still major surgery and still comes with risks that ALL major surgeries have. I'm scared too, but I think I'm more excited to finally meet this little dude. Any moms out there that was a little sad that when their baby was born they realized they had to share the new baby with the whole world? Sad that this new life was no longer inside of you that you could keep to yourself and have all to yourself? Don't get me wrong, I can't wait to show off this beautiful baby, but I have a little part of me that's sad that it's no longer going to be just me and this little baby sharing car rides, naps, meals, etc. Sorry, it's the emotional hormonal roller coaster of pregnancy talking. Anyway, just thought I'd update you guys with my new due date! Tomorrow is Thanksgiving! Give thanks to everything you have in your life!

It's really REAL... like for real for real!

So, I get home yesterday to a UPS package AND brown cardboard box sitting on the counter with my name on it that my husband brought in from outside. It's not any more diabetes supplies (I'm set till after BB is born with my supplies)... what could it be??? I'm all excited by now. I check the return address... it's the name of a company that I've never heard of. Anyway, I sit down and excitedly rip open the first package:


It's a onesie from our friend, Jamie! I've never been one to be excited to open a gift that wasn't for me, but now, it's so fun! Opening a gift that another person has purchased for MY BABY... it's surreal. I haven't really purchased much for my own son... I guess I'm just afraid to have all this baby stuff until he's actually here... call me superstitious. So, with the same excitement, I tear into the other package and TA-DA!


Same sender, different gifts! Is it already Christmas for our precious BB? I think the gadget on the left is a timer that let's new Mommies & Daddies know when the last time their baby ate, pooped, peed, napped, burped, farted, excreted some kind of bodily fluid, etc. This could be very helpful... esp for a new Dad! My husband loves electronic gadgets... this'll be another thing to add to the 1000s of other electronic gadgets he clips to his belt.

So, this little guy inside me is as real as real can be. Not that the constant kicking, enlarged belly, ultrasound pictures, wonderful pregnancy symptoms (back pain, flatulence, heartburn, insomnia, gestational diabetes) was not a reminder that BB is real, but when other people outside of my husband and myself and our families are acknowledging the soon-coming presence of our son... it makes it even more real! I can't wait to meet this little guy in January!





For those who have asked, we are registered @
Babies"R"Us - Baby Registry

The (dis)Comforts of Pregnancy

If you were to say I've had a nice normal pregancy, I'd totally agree with you.... ON OPPOSITE DAY!!! Granted, I've had my share of discomforts, but not so much the typical ones that most women have.

Heightened Sense of Smell:

I was sitting in a lunch meeting at work and this lady opened a ketchup packet from way across the room. The sheer smell of that rancid, vinegarry, sour ketchup made have to leave, get some Vicks Vap'o Rub to apply under my nostrils so that I didn't have to inhale the putrid smell of ketchup.

Cravings:

I was never a sweets or desserts kinda person; I'd choose a bag of chips over a candy bar anyday, but when I got pregnant that changed... duh! So, one day I devoured 2 bags of cotton candy... and then I got sick. I could eat 5 fruit roll-ups, a bowl of frosted flakes and 1 snickers bar as a meal... in comes GESTATIONAL DIABETES! So, my binge on sweets stopped at about 25 weeks and now I'm watching everything I eat, eating healthy, no refined sugars...BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH! GIMME SOME COTTON CANDY!!!!!!!!!!! That will be my first meal after BB is born.

Swollen Feet (WARNING!!! GRAPHIC PHOTO COMING!!! AND THEY ARE *NOT* MY FEET....I googled them):
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THANK GOD I DON'T HAVE THESE....yet! My husband does everything he can to avoid this! Hahaha! While I'm watching tv, my husband will run to get pillows to put under my feet, or when we're out eating dinner some place he'll grab my feet (I'm thinking, "OOOOOH! He's playing footsies!")and place them on his lap, or while we're in bed, he'll tuck about 50,000 pillows under my legs... HE REALLY DOENS'T WANT ME TO GET SWOLLEN ANKLES! He's deathly afraid of them and so far, I guess it's worked!

Stretch Marks (again, not a picture of my own stomach... I just googled it):

So far, I have none... on my belly! But I am getting them in other places. Places like inner thighs and hips, but that's about it. I guess with my minimal weight gain I haven't had much to stretch... I'm crossing my fingers that I don't get anymore, but will embrace them if I do.

ps: All those expensive creams that women buy to "get rid of" or "prevent" stretch marks.... THEY DON'T WORK! There are only 2 things in this world that can get rid of stretch marks:
1. Cosmetic Laser Surgery
2. Genetics

Other than the 2 listed above, you're just wasting your time and money.

Setting the Date

So we went to our 29 week appointment 2 days ago and got to make a really cool (IMO) decision... We chose our C-section day... Our son's (proposed) birthday! He will be delivered @ 39w5d on 01/26/2011... that's if he doesn't decide to come sooner - please stay in there, BB! Our Dr infomed us she could do it a few days sooner (01/21/2011) and in any case, I would usually choose the sooner date - I have no patience. However, the hubby & I decided on 01/26 because the number 26 is special to us because my husband was born on 09/26 and I was born on 04/26... so, how cute would it be to have the same day as your Mommy & Daddy... or maybe when he's older, he'll think,"How lame!" LOL!!! Oh well! Now, all you Mommys know that "Estimated Due Dates" are really an estimate. Sometimes these babies come way early and sometimes your date will come & go with no sign of baby coming anytime soon. With prayers, hopefully, my BB will not come before this date (for health reasons), but he will definitely be here no later than 01/26/2011.

Some famous people born on January 26th: Ellen DeGeneres, Douglas MacArthur, & Paul Newman... here's a link to more January 26th Birthdays

28w2d

The perks of working in the Radiology department? Having my coworkers do practice ultrasounds on my precious BB to see the competency of potential ultrasound tech applicants :-) He definitely has his Daddy's nose and Mommy's pouty lips!


And here's another shot... just to make sure he's a boy (for the Daddys!!!) ;-)

Your Pregnancy Weapons of Choice...

I know everyone (& their mama) has a rememdy for everything. I find that being pregnant has brought on a slew of "situations" that I never had to worry about pre-pregnancy. I'll describe a few and what remedies I use... tell me yours!

Dry Tummy & Boobies:



I like to use Johnson's Baby Oil Gel (Shea & Cocoa Butter).

Pros: Not liquidy and messy, a little goes a long way, keeps skin moisturized over night (8+ hours)

Cons: Smells like cocoa butter (I personally don't like the smell), almost $4 for a small container


Constipation (don't act like you ain't never been constipated):


Fiber One Bars (Oats & Peanut Butter). I think that constipation should be treated daily by adding more fiber to your diet and not using a laxative one day to get all the "back up" out in a few trips to the restroom. That can cause worse problems like dehydration! These bars give you 35% of your daily nutritional needs for fiber! And they actually taste great, not like cardboard. The only con I can think of with this product is eat more than 1 in a day, you'll be taking the Browns to the Superbowl over and over and over again!



Dry Face:


We all know that being pregnant causes a rollercoaster ride of hormonal changes in your body, right? Well, when we were those pre-pubescent girls on the verge of getting our monthly gift we know that our face changed upon receiving this "gift" right? Well, it's the same for pregnancy. I'm usually an oily to very oily person (the only pro in that... not too many wrinkles when you age), but as soon as my BB started taking over my body, my face became drier and drier. I never had use for facial moisturizers before... my face was a moisture-making-factory (gross!), but now, if I don't apply moisturizer, my face feel like a facelift in Antarctica... tight and dry! I like the Clinique moisturizer because it doesn't have a fragrance and it's just right for my face and it lasts all day. It also serves as a great base for my powder foundation. The only con about this product is... NOTHING! I love it!



This is all I have for right now... what are some "situations" that you go went through (or are going through right now) and what are/were your rememdies?

Baby Gear: Mommy's Stroller vs Daddy's Stroller

We are having a debate on which stroller we should get for BB! Mommy wants fancy (of course), modern & highly rated while Daddy wants inexpensive... that's the ONLY feature he's looking for... UGH! So, while MY pick is close to $1,000.00 and his pick is $329.00.... I'll let you be the judge of which is a better stroller!


Mommy's Pick:


So, this is my pick for BB's stroller/carseat. The Orbit Travel System!www.orbitbaby.com


Here are the features:(I *** the ones I thought were MOST important)
•innovative QuadShock™ suspension gives your baby a smooth ride & hassle-free no-pump tires
•dock and rotate your baby, 360 degrees on the stroller, and ergonomically into the car
•frame folds with one-handed, twist-and-lift motion***
•removable Cargo Pod diaper bag has shoulder strap and bottle pockets
•patent-pending soft carrier handle on seat enables exceptionally comfortable carrying
•Stroller Frame folds compactly, stands alone when folded, and can be towed when folded
•built-in cupholder and key tray
•UV sunshade with Paparazzi Shield™ extension*** (I'm def gonna need a PAPARZZI SHIELD!!!)
•Stroller Frame and Car Seat Base can be used with other Orbit Baby seats***
•works with Orbit Baby Sidekick Stroller Board, Green Edition Footmuff (size Small), Stroller Panniers, Stroller Travel Bag, and Weather Pack
•orbitgreen™ : Certified Fabric - The first car seat with fabrics and foam certified safe by Oeko-Tex® Standard 100, ensuring they are healthier for your baby and better for the environment
•safe flame retardants: Orbit Baby car seats meets all applicable flame retardancy standards (NHTSA FMVSS 302 and California TB 117) without the potentially harmful chemicals, like PBBs and PBDEs, used in most other car seats
•meets or exceeds all Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS 213 and CMVSS 213.1), ASTM safety standards (F2050 and F833 with Stroller Frame G2,) and CA TB117 flammability standard; CPSIA compliant | read more about testing
•JPMA Certified
•real-world safety: secure installation in only 60 seconds just by turning the StrongArm™ knob
•infant insert & 5-point harness
•SmartHub™ safety ring provides 360-degree side-impact security in the car
•Infant Car Seat has deep-cradle design and for maximum side-impact protection
•Stroller Frame and Car Seat Base use an aerospace-grade aluminum
•approved for use when traveling without the Car Seat Base, in airplanes and taxis
•patent-pending upholstery design removes for washing without compromising harness safety



Daddy's Pick:


And this is Daddy's pick. The Chicco Travel System! www.chiccousa.com



Here are the features:
-KeyFit Infant Car Seat, #1 Rated Infant Car Seat in America!
-Energy-absorbing foam for improved side-impact protection
-Secures baby from 4 - 22 lbs
-Removable newborn insert for smaller babies
-Thickly cushioned seat pad and five-point harness for maximum comfort
-Spring-assisted level foot, bubble levels, and “Center-Pull” adjustment for easiest installation
-Yarn-dye woven, premium jacquard fabric
-Cortina Stroller
-One-hand fold and automatic storage latch
-Multi-position, flat-recline seat with “Memory Recline”
-Parent and child cup holders and large storage basket
-Adjustable leg support, removable canopy, and all wheel suspension
-Yarn-dye woven, premium jacquard fabric
-For use from birth to 50 lbs


Which would YOU choose? Or for those of you who own a stroller travel system, which one did you purchase & why?

2/3 of this journey is done...

This day marks the beginning of my of 3rd and last trimester. To say I'm elated would be a complete understatement... I'm through the roof, to the moon and all those other places that are high up there and compared to complete and utter happiness! So many statistics I read to keep me positive and motivated! One being that if BB were born today, he has an 80% chance of surviving. Those are some very good odds if I do say so myself.

So, it's been almost a week since I've been monitoring my gestational diabetes by checking my blood sugar 4x a day, measuring my carb intake and making sure I eat 6 or more times a day. It's not bad and I haven't had any bad blood glucose numbers, it's just my whole day revolves around a strict schedule for eating and checking my blood. I love that my family are my cheerleaders, esp my husband, wondering what my blood glucose numbers are and praising me for having "normal range" numbers. A support system is so important when you're dealing with a complicated or high risk pregnancy... otherwise, I think I would've just shrivled up into a ball of despair and hoplessness. So, to anyone who is going though anything tough, surround yourself with loved ones that support you and you will be amazed how much you can go through with the love of your support system.

Eat, Prick, Bleed, Repeat...

Woke up this morning, got up, peed, came back to bed and instead of my usual "5 more minutes" of sleep before I get ready for work, I checked my blood glucose level.  I was weirdly excited to see if I was within normal range for fasting.  Normal range, according to my Dr, would be the following: Fasting (first thing in the morning) would be 65-95; 2 Hours after meals would be 65-120.  This morning mine was 65! Right at the beginning of normal... yay!  So, my schedule will consist of persistent pricking of my finger and checking my levels... like I said, anything for my sweet little BB! But to give you an idea of what my gestational diabetes schedule looks like, here is a rough schedule of what my weekday looks like:

• 5:15 - Check blood glucose level
• 7:15 - Eat breakfast
• 9:15 - Check blood glucose level
• 10:30 - Eat mid-morning snack
• 1:30 - Eat lunch
• 3:30 - Check blood glucose level
• 4:00 - Eat mid-afternoon snack
• 6:30 - Eat dinner
• 8:30 - Check blood glucose level/Call Diabetes call-center to report that day's level
• 9:30 - Eat evening snack / Bed time
  (REPEAT)

So, my day revolves around eating and checking my blood... OH! And not to mention, if any of my levels are off, I must compensate by either eating more or less of a certain food item by measuring how much of something I can or cannot eat.  FUN.

I'll be posting a nifty little video of what my morning routine consists of shortly :-)

Here's my FIRST morning reading:








PS: Congrats to Mariah & Nick! Their story is very similar to mine & my husband's... with tragedy, comes closeness in a marriage.

What's in the box?

Yesterday, I get home and a brown cardboard box is waiting for me at my front door. Now, usually a big, brown, cardboard box with my name on it would excite me, however, the contents of this box beared nothing but strictness, pain & a reminder that pregnancy will put your body through so much... however, the rewards of pregnancy are comprable to nothing! Alas! My Diabetes Maintenance Kit! Multiple, daily finger sticks, a strict 1800 calorie meal plans and absolutely NO CANDY BARS OR DONUTS? What's my life come to!?!?! This will definitely test my endurance, but I'm up for a challenge... last really hard challenge I had in my life was... deciding my motif colors for my wedding - shallow, I know! Now, today, instead of a cardboard box waiting for me at the door, it will be a Registered Nurse/Dietician to educate me on gestational diabetes and how to make sure I stay on top of my health and eating habits for me, but moreso my precious BB! So, my journey with gestational diabetes officially begins. Pray for my strength to endure this!







UPDATE: The nurse just left and I now feel likecan empowered patient. It's not as bad as I thought in regards to the strictness of the diet... Just count carbs! It's like an altered version of the Atkin's Diet, but for prego's! The finger sticks ate something I have to get used to though. Anything for BB! anyway, just thought I'd give y'all an update! More later! Gnight!

Intro...

So, I'm new here.  Never really blogged, but I guess there was not much reason for me to.  My life prior to pregnancy revolved mostly around me - nothing blog worthy... eh, sue me!  I don't plan on my making every little thing grammatically correct or proper like your Comp 1 class in college.... I want more of a conversation feel to this.  So, here we go...

I'm a 29 year woman, married a little over a year to what I equate to the best husband alive.  2 months after we were married I found out I was pregnant and 2 months after that I had a miscarriage. Low progesterone they say.  3 months after that and after seeing a reproductive endocrinologist, I got that oh so faint positive on a home pregnancy test.  The secret excitement I had with that was extinguished so quickly the next day to find out it was a chemical pregnancy.  I was devastated.  2 miscarraiges in less than a year?!? What was wrong with me.  I had been a somewhat healthy person (aside from smoking), I was not overweight, I had been to the "girly-bits" doctor routinely since I was 18... everything was supposed to be normal.  I got the sympathy nods from people and the annoying comment, "It's God's plan..." Don't get me wrong, I am a God-fearing & God-loving devout Catholic... God has reasons for everything & I'm a firm believer, but losing a baby and then having someone who has NEVER gone through a miscarraige tell you "It's God's plan..." or "It's not the right time..." or anything that is equivalent to that naiveness made me want to take a sledgehammer to their  mandible. Angry much? Yes, I was!  I couldn't understand why I was going through something like that.

Skip down 3 months of grieving, ANGER, isolation and all that other bad stuff.  I finally came to a point where I was going to leave it up to God, like I should have in the beginning.  I mean, I never planned to be pregnant the first time around, but I never wanted anything more after losing our first baby.  So, I met with my Reproductive Endocrinologist ONE last time and had already decided in my head that if whatever this Dr's plan of action was I would do it, but if it didn't work, I'd be done "trying." Long story short, by the grace of God, my husband and I "babydanced" on my birthday weekend and became pregnant with the little ninja dude that's growing inside of me as we speak.

Our baby, let's call him (yes, it's a BOY): BB or bb, whatevs, is gestationally 26 weeks & 3 days and is due mid to late January 2011.  He's very active, just like his Dad who LIVES at the gym.  You would think that since I'm so far into this pregnancy that everything came off without a hitch.... WRONG! Let's add bleeding, placenta previa, total of 5 weeks of bedrest and recently GESTATIONAL DIABETES to the list.  Miraculously, everytime there was something wrong with me, Momma, BB was completely fine, swimming around just showing everyone, "Hey! I'm good!"  And he is good... as I type this he forcefully kicks my arm and wriggles around reminding me it's almost lunch time.

Recap:
-29 yr old femal
-married
-miscarriage due to low progesterone
-consulted with Reproductive endocrinologist (if you need one, & you're in the Houston area.... message me, mine's amazing)
-became pregnant on "last try"
-currently carrying a 26w3d Ninja due in January 2011
-complications....or what I like to call "setbacks": 16 weeks, bleeding & diagnosed with complete placenta previa. Bedrest for 3 weeks.  25 weeks, bleeding due to low-lying placenta. Bedrest for 2 weeks.  26 weeks, diagnosed with gestational diabetes.... hopefully all the "setbacks" stop here!