Tag Archives: pregnancy

Update

Posted on by

0

The drama continued for the most part. I had to have another hospital stay where I was diagnosed with pre-eclampsia on top of everything else. After a while, the doctors were finally convinced baby and I were stable enough to be left alone. But even by this, I just mean we weren’t admitted long term. We were seen once per week at the hospital for growth and doppler ultrasounds, once per week at the office for checkups and NSTs, and had to have weekly blood work.

On Monday, I will have reached 37 weeks. As this is considered full-term, I have been scheduled for an induction. As much as I’m not looking forward to the induction itself (my induction with EM was just awful), I am looking forward to the end of this pregnancy. I give props to any woman who has had this level of difficulty within a pregnancy and then willingly does it again.

So, as I have been absent due to sickness, starting Monday, I will be absent due to baby! I will most definitely be enjoying my baby snuggle time, but will try to return to a normal schedule within a few weeks.

Update

Posted on by

0

Today, I finally returned home after a four day, three night stay on the labor and delivery floor of our hospital.

This escapade began early Saturday morning when I was repeating some failed lab work and also doing additional testing. By Saturday afternoon, I had already received a results phone call, my values were that bad.

Upon arrival and admission, I was officially diagnosed preeclamptic. While monitoring me and trying to get my pressures under control, it was discovered I was also suffering from hypokalemia and hypomagnesemia.

I was on bed rest the whole time and while being pumped full of medicine to address these three issues, I was also give massive amounts of steroids to help baby’s lungs be ready a little sooner. The easy fix to all this is delivery, but at 31 weeks, they want us to hold out as long as my body will allow.

My next few weeks are riddled with self-monitoring and multiple doctor visits for NSTs, dopplers, growth ultrasounds, and lab work.

To top everything off, baby stubbornly stays in a breech position and now has given me pregnancy induced carpal tunnel – which let me tell you, made all the blood pressures I had to do undeniably painful.

To end this most current chapter of this pregnancy, I have to diligently follow all these rules and also faithfully take my meds. But if things begin leaning in a poor direction, baby will be coming. So, from now on, whenever anyone asks about when I’m due, the answer is no longer Christmas Eve. “This baby could arrive any day now.”

Update

Posted on by

0

Shortly after my last post, CJ and I discovered something. This information very quickly turned me into a ball of anxiety, yet I was terrified to unfurl. I only spoke to the people closest to me and limited conversations at that. I was terrified history would repeat itself.

CJ and I had been discussing the possibility of trying for another baby, but before we had the chance to actually reach a decision, we found I was pregnant. It was difficult to be excited. CJ even confessed to me he was afraid to get attached.

I didn’t post anything here for a long time because this was all I wanted to talk about. But heaven forbid something bad should happen again.

Even now, at 28 weeks, I have been hesitant to share. This has been my most difficult pregnancy by far and the beginning was riddled with problems and scares.

My dating ultrasound discovered two gestational sacs. I had to return two weeks later to verify the viability of either. Only one had a heartbeat. Because I experienced some bleeding at the loss of the other sac, more ultrasounds were necessary to make sure the other baby was fine.

Now I agonizingly waited for that magical 12 week mark when women feel more “safe.” That feeling never arrived for me. I battled horrible morning sickness, weight loss, and worry. Eventually, the morning sickness slowed down and the weight loss plateaued, but I still see the return of my breakfast at least once per week.

At my anatomical ultrasound, it was discovered that I had what is called a marginal cord insertion. Basically, because this began as a twin pregnancy and that wasn’t resolved properly, this baby’s umbilical cord is not located where it should be on the placenta. This causes the placenta to work harder than normal – therefore, the placenta may not survive the full length of the pregnancy. This means more ultrasounds. We have to constantly watch the weight of the baby to make sure it’s still getting the proper amount of nutrition. Should the baby drop below the 10th percentile in estimated weight, it will then be determined the baby would be better out than in.

I have another ultrasound next week, but for now I’m not overly concerned about it. Baby moves quite a bit and it’s estimated weight would have to tank a lot from last measurement to reach the danger zone. However, I cannot help but be nervous before every scan, every doctor visit. All I want is for this baby to be healthy. As sick as I have been, I sincerely hope this little one stays put until its Christmas Eve due date. Besides having had to already bury a child, I can think of nothing more terrifying than having to sit beside this little one in the NICU because it simply wasn’t ready to join the world yet.

But here it is. The little nugget who needs all our love and prayers. The one I’m going to try to be just a little bit braver for.  🙂

Baby B

Little Nugget

Wish us luck!

PS…I will try to post more regularly again in the hopes this will also help my mental state. Thanks for sticking with me.

 

Posted on by

0

The delays in posting are easily explained by the fact that the end of this pregnancy has gotten quite difficult. Finishing up a 24 hour test today then have to have another test at the hospital tomorrow. There just has not been a lot of time to do these little things I enjoy while taking care of all of this.

Everything seems to be fine with baby though, so no need to worry. I just hope to be able to return to writing soon, even in the small capacity that will be available to me once the baby arrives.

Posted on by

0

Summer is almost over and even though fall is my favorite season, I will miss taking pictures like this one.

Eating black raspberries in the yard :)

Eating black raspberries in the yard 🙂

With everything that has been going on lately, I feel that I really have been slacking on some things. I have been stressed about finding a new job that will allow me to spend more time at home or work more opposite CJ as we have no one who will watch MJ anymore. Also, come January, we will have another little one and finding a sitter for two will be harder than a sitter for one. I do have my music lessons as supplemental income, but unless I get more students, I do not know what we will do.

We have been working on potty training MJ so we will not have two babies in diapers at the same time. He is doing so well! I am immensely proud of him. He has already made his transition into his big boy bed and after he masters this, he will be unstoppable 🙂

MJ also begins his gymnastics classes this week. This little boy loves to dance and climb things and since CJ will not even consider danced classes, gymnastics it is. To be honest, I am more excited about the gymnastics classes than I ever would have been about dance.