Whoa, I have been neglecting this blog BIG TIME! I have just been so incredibly busy with work and preparations, I have totally forgotten that I even have a blog. Things have been relatively boring too so I haven't been obsessing about anything in particular. When something is on my mind constantly, that's when blogging helps me tremendously. So here I am - not to say anything is worrying me. I am now 39w5d and am 2 DAYS away from my due date! So I figured I should post an update. I can't believe that she will be here in a matter of days and not weeks or months anymore!
So what has happened since I posted last...? Like I said, things have been pretty boring. My placenta resolved itself back in December, SCH is gone, no other issues or worries with the baby. But at my 37 week check, my doctor found out that she was breech so that was annoying. We discussed it and decided to do an external version to try to move her to head down position. She said it might be painful and it might not work but thought I still had a good chance since I had plenty of fluid and this was my 2nd baby - both of which increases the success rates with these versions. It was either try the version or hope she flips. If she didn't, I'd have to have a c-section at 38-39 weeks. So I said lets go for it. They scheduled the appointment for 37w5d and told me not to eat or drink anything after midnight just in case the baby got upset and had to have an emergency c-section. They told me to expect to be there about 4 hours. The actual procedure would take 5 minutes but they needed to monitor me for awhile afterwards to make sure the baby was still ok.
So I get there as scheduled, then poked me for the IV lock and started monitoring the baby to get a baseline for her. The doctor came in to go over the procedure again and do a last minute ultrasound. Low and behold, baby girl had flipped to be head down in a matter of 2 days. My doctor exclaimed "Well that's the easiest version I've ever done!!". She said that they'd monitor me for another couple minutes and then would release me. She also said that it was unlikely that the baby would flip again to go back to breech - but it wasn't unheard of, so she would keep an eye on it at my next couple weekly checks with her. So yea, they monitored me and then let me go home and that was my experience with the external version. LOL! So far, she has remained head down.
Other than that, it's been just basic visits - weekly now - to get checked. She has had me do nonstress tests first and then I see her afterwards to go over the test and do a cervical check. The NSTs are just because I am over 35 and because I have complained about how she has frequent quiet days. But on her active days, she is seriously crazy and my whole belly shakes and rolls. It's pretty funny. Anyway, the NSTs are just a precaution and an extra check that just using the Doppler can't match. Every time I've had an NST though, it's looked great. They are really pummeling me with doing daily - if not, twice daily - kick counts though. So I have started to do that. The goal is 10 movements in 2 hours. I usually get to 10 by the 30 minute mark. So that's really good. I have lost my mucus plug (or part of it) 3 times now starting at 37w6d, 38w6d, and again today at 39w5d. I don't know how far I'm dilated right now but at my last couple checks I've held steady at only 1 cm dilated. So I must just be regenerating my plug over and over again....annoying! For many women, loosing their plug or even part of their plug is the last sign before contractions start. When I lost it at 37w6d, we got really excited and started making preparations for go time within a matter of hours or days. But nooooo!! Nothing ever happened.
So things are sorta stagnant if you will but time has still been flying by - so it's not too bad. I do have some mild Braxton Hicks contractions occasionally but other than that, nada. My belly feels like it's dragging on the ground but it's felt that way for awhile now. I'm thankful that the pelvic pain I experienced with Kellen has not happened this time around. That was really awful! I still do have that pain though but it's at a much smaller intensity. My doctor keeps suggesting that I have sex as a way to "ripen my cervix" and maybe get things moving. But even the cervical checks with just 1 finger give me blinding pain...I cannot imagine how much sex would hurt right now!! Much less - how exactly does a beached whale fornicate anyway...? So I have not taken up that recommendation and have no intention of changing my mind...lol! Anyway, at my last check on Wednesday, I asked for an induction if I hit 40 weeks and nothing has happened yet. My doctor is on board and she set me up for an induction next Tuesday night for a birth sometime on Wednesday. YAY!!! It is so relieving and exciting to have a "not-to-go-past" date! There is still a good chance that things will start on their own or my water will break before then. But if not, we've got that to fall back on. Plus I don't want her to "over cook" and on her quiet days, I just get so nervous and wish she could be out here so I could make sure she's ok. Cord accidents have really been freaking me out with this pregnancy. But I have to remember that I have no control over that at all - so I just have to let go and let God do His thing to keep her safe.
We are definitely ready from a practical standpoint though. Emotionally though and how to manage 2 kids will be an ongoing learning experience I'm sure. Her nursery is ready, we have all the supplies in place, have picked out her name: Harper Elizabeth:), car seat installed, I have work pretty much wrapped up. So yea, once she decides to come out or once Tuesday night gets here, we'll be ready!
That's about it for now. Hopefully I'll have 1 more belly pic to post when I hit 40 weeks (have failed on those too) and then next post after that will be about how Harper entered the world!
Friday, March 3, 2017
Monday, February 20, 2017
38 week belly pic
Total Weight Gain: No idea:P (goal at 40 weeks was 40 lbs)
Maternity Clothes: Growing out of all my shirts. Only a select few will cover my entire belly now:(
Movement: Has quiet days and very jumpy days. Yesterday was a quiet day. Today was a HOLY COW day!
Sleep: Sinuses still blocked which is causing a problem for my husband rather than me since it is making me snore. He is being good about it though. He thinks it's funny more than anything Peeing at 2 hour intervals. I'll be ready for all those night time feedings!
Gender: GIRL!
Symptoms: Pubic and tail bone pain, vagina pain, round ligament pain at times, carpal tunnel syndrome, hands and feet swelling, leg cramps when sleeping, sore feet, gigantor boobies that both my hubby and my son laugh at:/, back pain, restless leg syndrome in the evenings, lack of bladder control:/
Cravings: biggest one is still cereal.
Things I Miss: shaving my legs, painting toes, putting on my shoes, bending over without farting, working out, sushi (!), sitting in my work chair (or any chair) without being in pain, my normal sized boobs, chasing after my son.
Highlight of the Week/Month: Losing my mucus plug!
Last Appointment: 2/15 - OB check with doctor; boring appt, did a cervical check but there was no action yet.
Next Appointment: Wednesday, 2/22 - regular biweekly OB check-up
Preggo Lifesavers: cat/cow yoga pose, nursing tanks, maternity pjs, pantiliners, really cold water (lol!)
Monday, February 13, 2017
37 week rant
I think it's safe to say that I have officially hit my wall. I posted this on my facebook feed the other day:
Was waddling past my February calendar this morning and actually read the quote. "All that is important comes in quietness and waiting". You've gotta be kidding me...3 more weeks and I am DONE!!! So very tired of waiting. I can't sit, lay down, or stand, without discomfort. I can't dress myself or put on my own darn shoes without wincing in pain. My 3 yr old son had to put my socks on yesterday😆. I've never realized until recently how often I have to bend down to pick up random crap in this house. Every time I do so, my back nearly goes out and every bone in my body cracks. I'm done with the swelling...trying so hard to put on my shoes only to realize that they don't fit anymore - even my tongue and sinuses are swollen so I can't talk normally and I have turned in to a perpetual mouth-breather. Done with needing to pee every hour, the random numbness in my arms and hands, charlie horses at 3am after I have FINALLY fallen asleep, I now snore even when I'm awake...LOL. But yes calendar, I'll just sit here, shut up, and continue to wait if you say so. Hahaha...as uncomfortable as I am, I'll try to savor these last few weeks and focus on the positive - the pain is only temporary and it'll be worth it to finally see her sweet lil face!
Monday, January 30, 2017
34 week belly pic
Total Weight Gain: 35 lbs. (goal at 40 weeks is now 40 lbs)
Maternity Clothes: Duh!
Movement: Yes, quite a bit.
Sleep: Sinuses still blocked. Starting to pee very often at 3 hr intervals.
Gender: GIRL!
Symptoms: Pubic and tail bone pain, vagina pain, round ligament pain at times, belly button pain (!), carpal tunnel syndrome, hands and feet swelling, leg cramps when sleeping, sore feet, gigantor boobies that both my hubby and my son laugh at:/, back pain, restless leg syndrome in the evenings, lack of bladder control:/
Cravings: biggest one is still cereal.
Things I Miss: shaving my legs, painting toes, putting on my shoes, bending over without farting, working out, sushi (!), sitting in my work chair (or any chair) without being in pain, my normal sized boobs, chasing after my son.
Highlight of the Week/Month: Pretty boring month! Baby girl is still healthy and time is flying by!
Last Appointment: 12/28 - OB check with doctor
Next Appointment: Wednesday, 1/25 - regular biweekly OB check-up
Preggo Lifesavers: cat/cow yoga pose, nursing tanks, maternity pjs, pantiliners
Monday, January 9, 2017
32 week belly pic
How Far Along: 32 weeks
Total Weight Gain: 33 lbs.
(goal at 40 weeks is 35 lbs)
Maternity Clothes: Yup!
Starting to grow out of my current shoes. Had to get bigger
underwear - this time, using maternity underwear (so much more comfortable than
regular underwear)
Movement: Yes, pretty
active frequently. She woke me up around 2 am with her dancing. She
was seemed to be practicing her snow angels - very uncomfortable.
Sleep: The maternity
pillow has come out occasionally. Don't really need it yet, but it helps
my hips from getting too sore. Biggest hindrance to sleep right now are
my sinuses - they've been backed up for the last 2-3 weeks.
Gender: GIRL!
Symptoms: starting to
have pubic and tail bone pain, vagina pain, round ligament pain at times,
belly button pain (!), carpal tunnel syndrome, hands and feet swelling, leg
cramps when sleeping, sore feet, gigantor boobies that both my hubby and my son
laugh at:/, back pain, restless leg syndrome in the evenings, lack of bladder
control:/
Cravings: biggest one is
still cereal.
Things I Miss: shaving my
legs, painting toes, putting on my shoes, bending over without farting, working
out, sushi (!), sitting in my work chair (or any chair) without being in pain,
my normal sized boobs, chasing after my son.
Highlight of the Week/Month: Holidays and
finding out that placenta has moved 6+ cm away from my cervix! Do not
have to see MFM anymore and I now have a normal pregnancy! Also,
all clear for gestational diabetes:)
Last Appointment: 12/28 - OB
check with doctor
Next Appointment: Wednesday,
1/11 - regular biweekly OB check-up
Preggo
Lifesavers: cat/cow yoga pose, nursing tanks, maternity pjs,
pantiliners
Thursday, December 8, 2016
27 week belly pic
How Far Along: 27 weeks
Total Weight Gain: 25 lbs. (goal at 40 weeks is 35 lbs)
Maternity Clothes: Yup! Maternity winter coat and had
to buy shoes one size up to fit my swollen feet:/
Movement: Yes, pretty active frequently. Most active in the evening
and after meals. Kellen saw her kick yesterday evening:)
Sleep: Sleeping is ok for now outside of needing to pee at least once and
Kellen consistently waking us up around 5am to sleep with us due to the
monsters in his bedroom. My maternity pillow is on standby when it gets
bad though.
Gender: GIRL!
Symptoms: starting to have pubic and tail bone pain, vagina pain, round
ligament pain at times, belly button pain (!), carpal tunnel syndrome, hands
and feet swelling, leg cramps when sleeping, sore feet, gigantor boobies that
both my hubby and my son laugh at:/, back pain, restless leg syndrome in the
evenings.
Cravings: biggest one is cereal.
Things I Miss: shaving my legs, painting toes, bending over without
farting, working out, sushi (!), sitting in my work chair without being in
pain, my normal sized boobs, chasing after my son.
Highlight of the Week: Kellen seeing baby girl kick!
Last Appointment: 11/16 - OB check with doctor
Next Appointment: Wednesday, 12/14 - OB check-up;
Gestational Diabetes check
Thursday, 12/15 - 28
week weight/growth check U/S with MFM
Preggo Lifesavers: cat/cow yoga pose, nursing tanks,
maternity pjs
Tuesday, November 29, 2016
26 week update
Holy cow I haven't posted in awhile! No news is good news in this case. I've had quite a few appointments since my last update at 14 weeks. At that time, I was still dealing with my SCH and previa, just got done with the NT scan.
I did end up requesting an ultrasound at 16 weeks. This was done with my OB as opposed to the MFM. I can't even remember what the outcome of this scan was! I think this was the one where my SCH was gone. I still had complete previa - but at least the SCH was not a threat anymore!
At 20 weeks I had my anatomy scan with the MFM. It was a very in-depth, detailed look at baby. Everything looked really great. Perfect everything! Still no sign of the SCH and the u/s showed that the placenta moved away from my cervix - about 1.5 cm. This is just shy of the threshold that they use to determine if a c-section is warranted or not. The doctor believes that the placenta will move even further away as my uterus grows - but in the meantime, all restrictions were lifted! Just in time for me to start feeling like a sluggish cow;) But it's still a good sign.
I had my 24 week check a week or 2 ago. That was just a weight/pee/general check. My OB listened to baby on the doppler and all was normal. My weight is tracking a bit high - same as how it was with Kellen. She is not particularly worried though. I just have to watch the processed carbs and try to keep things in check. I'm up to about 147-150 lbs now and I am feeling every ounce of it! Same as before, I feel like 15 of those lbs are in my boobs alone. They are enormous! And they are NOT cute at all. LOL! Anyway, my next check will be my 28 week check in 2 weeks. This will involve an ultrasound to check babies growth and weight (and of course the placenta) at MFM and then a check with my OB. I will be right on the cusp of the 3rd tri at that point (if not, already in it)!! This pregnancy has been moving so fast it's unreal. But when I think back all the way to June, I guess it has been a long time. Still though, it seems like it has flown by. Work has been crazy, keeping up with Kellen makes the days fly by, we had his birthday a month ago, then with traveling to 2 sets of families for Thanksgiving, I guess it's easy to see why time has been going quickly. And with the holidays, this next month will go fast too. I'm a bit worried about January and February though. Work is supposed to slow down and there won't be much going on from a personal standpoint either. Those will be the most uncomfortable months too - so I'll have to just deal with it I guess!
Outside of that, not much else to report. I feel FAT and large. I've been feeling her move pretty consistently for the past couple weeks now so the doppler has not been coming out lately. Luckily I don't seem to have the pelvic pain yet that I had with Kellen at this point. I think it might be because of the placenta placement and she has been breech on the last couple ultrasounds. Since the placenta is low, she is forced to sit high in my uterus as opposed to Kellen who was the opposite - placenta was high and he was head down pretty much the whole time. I'm hoping that she does turn to be head down eventually but at the same time, I'm hoping she is not in a rush. It makes me nervous about a cord accident due to the placement of the placenta...makes me think that could be more likely as opposed to if the placenta was at her feet while she was head down. Only time will tell though I suppose. For now, all is well!
I did end up requesting an ultrasound at 16 weeks. This was done with my OB as opposed to the MFM. I can't even remember what the outcome of this scan was! I think this was the one where my SCH was gone. I still had complete previa - but at least the SCH was not a threat anymore!
At 20 weeks I had my anatomy scan with the MFM. It was a very in-depth, detailed look at baby. Everything looked really great. Perfect everything! Still no sign of the SCH and the u/s showed that the placenta moved away from my cervix - about 1.5 cm. This is just shy of the threshold that they use to determine if a c-section is warranted or not. The doctor believes that the placenta will move even further away as my uterus grows - but in the meantime, all restrictions were lifted! Just in time for me to start feeling like a sluggish cow;) But it's still a good sign.
I had my 24 week check a week or 2 ago. That was just a weight/pee/general check. My OB listened to baby on the doppler and all was normal. My weight is tracking a bit high - same as how it was with Kellen. She is not particularly worried though. I just have to watch the processed carbs and try to keep things in check. I'm up to about 147-150 lbs now and I am feeling every ounce of it! Same as before, I feel like 15 of those lbs are in my boobs alone. They are enormous! And they are NOT cute at all. LOL! Anyway, my next check will be my 28 week check in 2 weeks. This will involve an ultrasound to check babies growth and weight (and of course the placenta) at MFM and then a check with my OB. I will be right on the cusp of the 3rd tri at that point (if not, already in it)!! This pregnancy has been moving so fast it's unreal. But when I think back all the way to June, I guess it has been a long time. Still though, it seems like it has flown by. Work has been crazy, keeping up with Kellen makes the days fly by, we had his birthday a month ago, then with traveling to 2 sets of families for Thanksgiving, I guess it's easy to see why time has been going quickly. And with the holidays, this next month will go fast too. I'm a bit worried about January and February though. Work is supposed to slow down and there won't be much going on from a personal standpoint either. Those will be the most uncomfortable months too - so I'll have to just deal with it I guess!
Outside of that, not much else to report. I feel FAT and large. I've been feeling her move pretty consistently for the past couple weeks now so the doppler has not been coming out lately. Luckily I don't seem to have the pelvic pain yet that I had with Kellen at this point. I think it might be because of the placenta placement and she has been breech on the last couple ultrasounds. Since the placenta is low, she is forced to sit high in my uterus as opposed to Kellen who was the opposite - placenta was high and he was head down pretty much the whole time. I'm hoping that she does turn to be head down eventually but at the same time, I'm hoping she is not in a rush. It makes me nervous about a cord accident due to the placement of the placenta...makes me think that could be more likely as opposed to if the placenta was at her feet while she was head down. Only time will tell though I suppose. For now, all is well!
23 week belly pic
Whoa - so late posting this...smh. This was from 23 weeks and I'm currently 26 weeks...not to mention that we've missed taking the 21, 22, 24, & 25 week pics! I'll be posting the 26 week pic soon - hopefully tomorrow!
Thursday, October 20, 2016
Monday, September 19, 2016
Tuesday, September 6, 2016
14 week update - 2nd trimester!
Well, here I am in the 2nd trimester! YAYAYYYY!! I feel like I'm coming out of the fog and am starting to feel better. I don't have to be constantly eating in order to feel okay - so that's good. Also starting to feel less tired. Still am tired of course, but not exhausted and needing multiple naps per day. I am certainly popping out of my pants now. And popping out of shirts too - partly from my tummy but also from my boobs. They are massive. At first it was kind of nice to have full boobs again after my sad, flattened, post-breastfeeding boobs - but they have lost their luster and now they are just heavy and annoying! I've had to get new bras to fit them as all my other nursing bras that I used with Kellen have disintegrated from using them so much. Other than the boobs though, this pregnancy is not so bad (for now(!)). I have not had any bleeding episodes for quite some time... almost 4 weeks I think (!)... although I still spot from time to time, so the pantiliners are still necessary. Plus, I know that the SCH is still hanging around so, who knows what it will do.
I have only had 2 appointments since my last post. I had my NT ultrasound at 12 weeks. They measured the space behind the neck and checked for evidence of the nasal bone. Both of these parameters were well within normal, strong indicators of no chromosomal abnormality. Of course, we did have PGS and the embryo was normal - but it's still not 100% and false negatives do happen. So it's recommended for pregnancies conceived thru IVF/PGS to still go thru 1st trimester screening with a follow up CVS or amniocentesis if there are strong indicators to do so. Since I am over 35 for this pregnancy, my insurance covers a test called Panorama which is a more accurate blood test than the typical Quad Screen that I had with Kellen. I won't get in to specific differences, but when combined with the NT u/s, the Panorama test is considered more accurate and will also test gender. The results come back in 10 business days. I got my call last Friday and everything came back at a very low risk for abnormalities. Also, the baby is still a girl:) Of course the test still isn't a guarantee that NOTHING will be wrong - things happen during development that don't have anything to do with chromosomal abnormalities - but it at least weeds out some of the diseases/issues.
My other appointment was simply a followup with my OB after I had my NT ultrasound. This was 2 weeks ago. All was normal. The doctor listened for the baby's heartbeat - that was detected and was normal. We did discuss the fact that the SCH was still there - smaller, but still there. I also have placenta previa (placenta is over my cervix). This is annoying but the chances are good that the placenta will move out of the way of my cervix as my uterus grows. I am suspecting that this may be why I haven't had any bleeding recently - maybe the placenta is blocking the blood from getting out...? I don't know. Anyway, we discussed both of these issues and my OB is not concerned at all. She even mentioned that I could consider coming off of pelvic rest. Of course I don't dare do that - I'm still very uneasy especially with the placenta previa now. But it's nice to know I have my OB's blessing.
My next appointment is in 2 weeks - the 16 week check. It will be the same type of visit that I just had - they'll just test my pee, weigh me, have a chat with the OB, and listen to the heartbeat. No u/s. I think I will request one though. I would like to know what is going on with the SCH and my placenta. I feel like 4 weeks is soooo long between visits! So the at-home Doppler has been making a frequent appearance. My son really gets a kick out of finding his sister's heartbeat:) Other than that, my next u/s will be at 20 weeks - the anatomy scan in mid-October. Can't believe I'll be at the halfway point in a little over a month!
Here are some pics from the NT ultrasound at 12 weeks (the first is a view of her legs all stretched out:)):
I have only had 2 appointments since my last post. I had my NT ultrasound at 12 weeks. They measured the space behind the neck and checked for evidence of the nasal bone. Both of these parameters were well within normal, strong indicators of no chromosomal abnormality. Of course, we did have PGS and the embryo was normal - but it's still not 100% and false negatives do happen. So it's recommended for pregnancies conceived thru IVF/PGS to still go thru 1st trimester screening with a follow up CVS or amniocentesis if there are strong indicators to do so. Since I am over 35 for this pregnancy, my insurance covers a test called Panorama which is a more accurate blood test than the typical Quad Screen that I had with Kellen. I won't get in to specific differences, but when combined with the NT u/s, the Panorama test is considered more accurate and will also test gender. The results come back in 10 business days. I got my call last Friday and everything came back at a very low risk for abnormalities. Also, the baby is still a girl:) Of course the test still isn't a guarantee that NOTHING will be wrong - things happen during development that don't have anything to do with chromosomal abnormalities - but it at least weeds out some of the diseases/issues.
My other appointment was simply a followup with my OB after I had my NT ultrasound. This was 2 weeks ago. All was normal. The doctor listened for the baby's heartbeat - that was detected and was normal. We did discuss the fact that the SCH was still there - smaller, but still there. I also have placenta previa (placenta is over my cervix). This is annoying but the chances are good that the placenta will move out of the way of my cervix as my uterus grows. I am suspecting that this may be why I haven't had any bleeding recently - maybe the placenta is blocking the blood from getting out...? I don't know. Anyway, we discussed both of these issues and my OB is not concerned at all. She even mentioned that I could consider coming off of pelvic rest. Of course I don't dare do that - I'm still very uneasy especially with the placenta previa now. But it's nice to know I have my OB's blessing.
My next appointment is in 2 weeks - the 16 week check. It will be the same type of visit that I just had - they'll just test my pee, weigh me, have a chat with the OB, and listen to the heartbeat. No u/s. I think I will request one though. I would like to know what is going on with the SCH and my placenta. I feel like 4 weeks is soooo long between visits! So the at-home Doppler has been making a frequent appearance. My son really gets a kick out of finding his sister's heartbeat:) Other than that, my next u/s will be at 20 weeks - the anatomy scan in mid-October. Can't believe I'll be at the halfway point in a little over a month!
Here are some pics from the NT ultrasound at 12 weeks (the first is a view of her legs all stretched out:)):
14 week belly pic
I missed taking the 13 week pic but here is 14 weeks! And I swear I am bigger than this...I must have been inadvertently sucking in, haha!
Thursday, August 18, 2016
11w5d update
I have been slacking with posting updates. I have been so incredibly tired though and work has been beating me to a pulp:/ Anyway, I had my follow-up last Wednesday and it occurred to me that I never posted an update. The baby was looking great! She is measuring ahead by a couple days and her heartrate was still around 180 bpm. Very good growth. She was doing some little punches and kicks...so cute:) The tech then looked at the SCH. Still there...stupid thing. But it's getting smaller. Closer to 5x2x1 now. Last time it was 6x2x2. In the photo below it looks a lot thinner. I asked the tech where the placenta was. She said it was on the right and the SCH was on the left. But then my OB later contradicted that - so who knows. My doctor office treated last Wednesday as my offical initial OB appointment and replaced the one that was scheduled for this past Monday. Because it was my initial visit, after my ultrasound, then I got bloodwork (basic pregnancy bloodwork plus checks of iron levels due to the bleeding), got weighed (gained 2 lbs so far), took a pee test, and then I met with my OB. The doctor who I had for Kellen has unfortunately retired. Pretty bummed about that. I loved her. She was so incredibly calming. My new OB is pretty young (pretty sure she's younger than me - which actually doesn't say much now as I'm 37 now:/). My former OB was more motherly while this new OB is more like a girlfriend. It's just a first impression but she seems kinda uppity too. I still like her though and she was very reassuring about everything. Said she bets the SCH goes away by 20 weeks and in the meantime, continue with what I'm doing. As long as the baby is growing well, I can continue with just taking it easy, pelvic rest, no heavy lifting, etc. She also said that while I can come in whenever I need to be reassured with a doppler heartbeat or ultrasound, I don't need to come in weekly anymore since the baby is doing so well. If I have another red bleed though, definitely call and come in. So I feel like I'm being taken care of now finally! I am still taking my progesterone suppository only in the evening now and will continue until I run out. My OB said that would be totally fine.
My next appointment is next Monday with the high risk OB. Then I'll follow up with my regular OB next Wednesday. We discussed 1st trimester screening and decided that I would do the NT ultrasound and blood test (panorama or similar). Even though our embryo is a CCS normal embryo, my RE still recommends that at least 1st trimester screening and possibly an echo at 16-20 weeks is still done as it detects other issues such as spinea bifida and other non-chromosomal issues such as heart, kidney, and other organ defects, etc. So that's what I'll do. It's covered by insurance and is like an extra ultrasound. Plus with my SCH, I want the high risk people to take a look at it and give me some feedback. Their equipment is much more advanced and they will be able to tell where the SCH is in relation to the placenta. So fingers crossed for that on Monday! This will be the first u/s that hubby is going to. With starting a new job and the unpredictability regarding lengths of appointments etc, he has not been able to go to my other ultrasounds. The ones prior to the OB ultrasounds would have been just frustrating for him though cuz I'm sure they would've made him stand behind the screen.
All in all, I'm feeling pretty positive about things. I have only been spotting sporadically - no red bleeding for almost 2 weeks. I did start bleeding a bit 2 days after my check in week 9 - but that was short lived. I will be 12 weeks on Sunday - nearing a milestone. Week 12 is considered the "safe zone" when all the major organs have finished their crucial development stage. Now further development will take place, but the most crucial phase is what happens in the 1st trimester. Like I said, I'm still on progesterone. I am also routinely nauseous and am definitely showing now. I am so very tired of taking it easy and being afraid though, wondering if this pregnancy is going to last. I try to push those thoughts far back into my mind, but they still sneak up on me from time to time. I'm actually nervous to use my at home doppler in case I cannot find anything. I found Kellen's at about 10 weeks but if I use it now I think I will truly have a nervous breakdown if I can't find anything. So I might look for it right after my appointment next Monday. That way I will be reassured if I can't find the heartrate at home since I just saw it on the screen. Once I find it the first time, it'll be easier to find the next time I try to listen to the heartbeat and I think it will really help ease my mind if I happen to have more bleeding episodes.
Anyway, that's all for now I think as it's getting late. Below is the pic of last week's ultrasound. Baby's head is on the right and the SCH is on the left.
My next appointment is next Monday with the high risk OB. Then I'll follow up with my regular OB next Wednesday. We discussed 1st trimester screening and decided that I would do the NT ultrasound and blood test (panorama or similar). Even though our embryo is a CCS normal embryo, my RE still recommends that at least 1st trimester screening and possibly an echo at 16-20 weeks is still done as it detects other issues such as spinea bifida and other non-chromosomal issues such as heart, kidney, and other organ defects, etc. So that's what I'll do. It's covered by insurance and is like an extra ultrasound. Plus with my SCH, I want the high risk people to take a look at it and give me some feedback. Their equipment is much more advanced and they will be able to tell where the SCH is in relation to the placenta. So fingers crossed for that on Monday! This will be the first u/s that hubby is going to. With starting a new job and the unpredictability regarding lengths of appointments etc, he has not been able to go to my other ultrasounds. The ones prior to the OB ultrasounds would have been just frustrating for him though cuz I'm sure they would've made him stand behind the screen.
All in all, I'm feeling pretty positive about things. I have only been spotting sporadically - no red bleeding for almost 2 weeks. I did start bleeding a bit 2 days after my check in week 9 - but that was short lived. I will be 12 weeks on Sunday - nearing a milestone. Week 12 is considered the "safe zone" when all the major organs have finished their crucial development stage. Now further development will take place, but the most crucial phase is what happens in the 1st trimester. Like I said, I'm still on progesterone. I am also routinely nauseous and am definitely showing now. I am so very tired of taking it easy and being afraid though, wondering if this pregnancy is going to last. I try to push those thoughts far back into my mind, but they still sneak up on me from time to time. I'm actually nervous to use my at home doppler in case I cannot find anything. I found Kellen's at about 10 weeks but if I use it now I think I will truly have a nervous breakdown if I can't find anything. So I might look for it right after my appointment next Monday. That way I will be reassured if I can't find the heartrate at home since I just saw it on the screen. Once I find it the first time, it'll be easier to find the next time I try to listen to the heartbeat and I think it will really help ease my mind if I happen to have more bleeding episodes.
Anyway, that's all for now I think as it's getting late. Below is the pic of last week's ultrasound. Baby's head is on the right and the SCH is on the left.
Wednesday, August 10, 2016
10 week belly pic
Trying to do the pics a little differently this time:) This was from last Sunday. 30 more belly pics to go!
Friday, August 5, 2016
Bleeding again - 9w4d update
This week was the first week in awhile that I didn't have an ultrasound and bloodwork on Tuesday. It was somewhat unsettling. But ever since last week, I've really started to feel pregnant. I've popped out of my regular pants and am in maternity pants now and I'm getting nauseous pretty consistently in the morning and when my stomach is empty. My boobs are also getting bigger and hurt. So now that I have symptoms, it made me feel better about not checking up on the baby.
On Wednesday night, I went to bed and all was normal. Since starting the suppositories, my spotting has gotten really light - definitely have more discharge though which is expected with the suppositories. But later that night around 3am, I woke up and felt like I was leaking. I got up and went to the bathroom, feeling more liquid coming out as I walked. I didn't turn the light on in the bathroom, but could see a large dark puddle in my underwear. So, then the light went on. Sure enough - bright red and a lot of it was in my underwear. I completely soaked thru the pantiliner I had on. So out came the monster pads and I cleaned myself up as much as I could. I wasn't gushing or anything - I think it had gradually pooled up in my vagina as I was sleeping and eventually spilled out with more coming out as I got up. Same as with other bleeding episodes, the bleeding was more of a consistent dribble, no clots this time though. After reassuring myself that this was just the SCH acting up, I went back to bed. Of course I couldn't sleep though as I was paranoid I would leak all over my clothes and sheets and was just worried in general. I was cramping a bit too - but it was just mild cramping and nothing really painful. I got up twice more at about 45 minute intervals. Each time was similar to the first time - although I hadn't soaked thru the monster pads, I still changed them since they were pretty wet. The last time I got up, my flow was more of a drip.....drip.....drip instead of a dribble though so that made me feel better and I eventually fell asleep at around 6am.
I woke a couple hours later in the morning and didn't have much on my pad. Although I could still feel myself leaking slightly, it wasn't anything like what I had earlier. I still called up my OB though and they wanted me to come in later that morning for a US and a follow up with the on-call doctor (my OB was on vacation). I went in shortly after dropping my son off at daycare and went in to ultrasound pretty quickly. It was so incredibly refreshing to do this in my OB office now! There was a large monitor for me to see everything and they had audio capabilities. The tech immediately looked at the baby - no wasting time with an abdominal ultrasound first and checking my ovaries etc. The baby looked great. She was waving her little arms and legs around and her heartrate was a strong 181 bpm. Finally heard the audio of her heartbeat and it was amazing!:) Nothing like that sound... Anyway, after taking some quick growth measurements and noting that everything was consistent with 9w4d, she moved on to my SCH. My SCH is now long and crescent shaped and lies around part of the amniotic sac. It was not clear the relation of the SCH to the placenta, but it seems like there's a good chance that it is between the uterine wall and the placenta. After talking to the doc, we just have to wait and see regarding placement of the placenta as it is still moving around (or rather my uterus is expanding and taking the placenta with it). The SCH grew though - not surprising due to the bleeding I had. It is now 6x2x2cm. The tech noted that there were areas of light grey, indicating that it might be trying to heal. But apparently, the SCH is not affecting the baby at this point.
I then went and met with the on-call OB and discussed the results with her. She reiterated what the tech said - baby looked great. Then we got in to the SCH. She confirmed that it did grow and that unfortunately there is nothing we can do - just wait and see what happens. She said that there are SCHs that are large and stick around for entire pregnancies and don't harm the baby - but then there are small SCHs that pop up and cause a miscarriage. They are unpredictable in how large they will get and how long they will stick around. Basically she said that as long as the baby is growing well, she is not concerned about the size or placement and that often times they will resolve as the baby gets larger. She said that in the meantime I should remain on pelvic rest, continue to take it easy, & avoid heavy lifting. She is recommending that I come in weekly though to monitor the baby and the SCH. That is fine with me! So I will go back in next Wednesday afternoon and will meet with my regular OB afterward. Since yesterday, I have had only light spotting. Hopefully it stays that way! I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the lil bugger gets smaller and that lil miss still looks as good as she did yesterday.
Here's her pic (head is on the top and the SCH is surrounding the top 3rd of the sac - the dark crescent shape):
On Wednesday night, I went to bed and all was normal. Since starting the suppositories, my spotting has gotten really light - definitely have more discharge though which is expected with the suppositories. But later that night around 3am, I woke up and felt like I was leaking. I got up and went to the bathroom, feeling more liquid coming out as I walked. I didn't turn the light on in the bathroom, but could see a large dark puddle in my underwear. So, then the light went on. Sure enough - bright red and a lot of it was in my underwear. I completely soaked thru the pantiliner I had on. So out came the monster pads and I cleaned myself up as much as I could. I wasn't gushing or anything - I think it had gradually pooled up in my vagina as I was sleeping and eventually spilled out with more coming out as I got up. Same as with other bleeding episodes, the bleeding was more of a consistent dribble, no clots this time though. After reassuring myself that this was just the SCH acting up, I went back to bed. Of course I couldn't sleep though as I was paranoid I would leak all over my clothes and sheets and was just worried in general. I was cramping a bit too - but it was just mild cramping and nothing really painful. I got up twice more at about 45 minute intervals. Each time was similar to the first time - although I hadn't soaked thru the monster pads, I still changed them since they were pretty wet. The last time I got up, my flow was more of a drip.....drip.....drip instead of a dribble though so that made me feel better and I eventually fell asleep at around 6am.
I woke a couple hours later in the morning and didn't have much on my pad. Although I could still feel myself leaking slightly, it wasn't anything like what I had earlier. I still called up my OB though and they wanted me to come in later that morning for a US and a follow up with the on-call doctor (my OB was on vacation). I went in shortly after dropping my son off at daycare and went in to ultrasound pretty quickly. It was so incredibly refreshing to do this in my OB office now! There was a large monitor for me to see everything and they had audio capabilities. The tech immediately looked at the baby - no wasting time with an abdominal ultrasound first and checking my ovaries etc. The baby looked great. She was waving her little arms and legs around and her heartrate was a strong 181 bpm. Finally heard the audio of her heartbeat and it was amazing!:) Nothing like that sound... Anyway, after taking some quick growth measurements and noting that everything was consistent with 9w4d, she moved on to my SCH. My SCH is now long and crescent shaped and lies around part of the amniotic sac. It was not clear the relation of the SCH to the placenta, but it seems like there's a good chance that it is between the uterine wall and the placenta. After talking to the doc, we just have to wait and see regarding placement of the placenta as it is still moving around (or rather my uterus is expanding and taking the placenta with it). The SCH grew though - not surprising due to the bleeding I had. It is now 6x2x2cm. The tech noted that there were areas of light grey, indicating that it might be trying to heal. But apparently, the SCH is not affecting the baby at this point.
I then went and met with the on-call OB and discussed the results with her. She reiterated what the tech said - baby looked great. Then we got in to the SCH. She confirmed that it did grow and that unfortunately there is nothing we can do - just wait and see what happens. She said that there are SCHs that are large and stick around for entire pregnancies and don't harm the baby - but then there are small SCHs that pop up and cause a miscarriage. They are unpredictable in how large they will get and how long they will stick around. Basically she said that as long as the baby is growing well, she is not concerned about the size or placement and that often times they will resolve as the baby gets larger. She said that in the meantime I should remain on pelvic rest, continue to take it easy, & avoid heavy lifting. She is recommending that I come in weekly though to monitor the baby and the SCH. That is fine with me! So I will go back in next Wednesday afternoon and will meet with my regular OB afterward. Since yesterday, I have had only light spotting. Hopefully it stays that way! I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the lil bugger gets smaller and that lil miss still looks as good as she did yesterday.
Here's her pic (head is on the top and the SCH is surrounding the top 3rd of the sac - the dark crescent shape):
8w2d update
I never got a chance to post an update on my ultrasound last week. I was 8w2d last Tuesday and went in for ultrasound and bloodwork. My RE office said that as long as all looked well, I would be released to my OB that day and would switch from the PIO butt shots to progesterone suppositories. My ultrasound went well, baby looked great and my SCH had not changed much from the previous week. It was 3x2x1cm - considered small to moderate size. My bloodwork took longer to process as they forgot to run it as a STAT result. Eventually it got there last Wednesday. All was great with my numbers too and they gave me my instructions regarding switching progesterone types and how to receive my records. It was very anti-climatic. I didn't even speak to my regular nurse to say goodbye/thank you. But like I said before - I wasn't there to make friends. So... oh well I guess!
I then called my OB and got scheduled for my first appointment. Their first opening was almost 3 weeks away! Ugh! Such a long time to wait. Even though we have a CCS normal embryo transferred, it is still recommended to do the same 1st and 2nd trimester screening for abnormalities that I did last time with Kellen. I was assured that there would still be time to do the NT ultrasound and bloodwork that goes along with that. I think the range is b/n 11 and 14 weeks to get that done. I'll be 11w when I go in for my first OB appt - so we should be ok. They also said that if I experienced anymore red bleeding that I should call and let them know. But brown spotting is ok and expected with an SCH.
So I started taking the suppositories and said goodbye to the PIO and all the needles:) The suppositories are kinda gross but once I started taking them, my spotting seemed to get really light. So that made me happy.
Here is a pic of baby girl (her head is on the left):
I then called my OB and got scheduled for my first appointment. Their first opening was almost 3 weeks away! Ugh! Such a long time to wait. Even though we have a CCS normal embryo transferred, it is still recommended to do the same 1st and 2nd trimester screening for abnormalities that I did last time with Kellen. I was assured that there would still be time to do the NT ultrasound and bloodwork that goes along with that. I think the range is b/n 11 and 14 weeks to get that done. I'll be 11w when I go in for my first OB appt - so we should be ok. They also said that if I experienced anymore red bleeding that I should call and let them know. But brown spotting is ok and expected with an SCH.
So I started taking the suppositories and said goodbye to the PIO and all the needles:) The suppositories are kinda gross but once I started taking them, my spotting seemed to get really light. So that made me happy.
Here is a pic of baby girl (her head is on the left):
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