My OB appt today:
Me: "I can't squat or bend over without getting dizzy and faint."
OB: "So don't squat or bend over. Find someone to do it for you."
Me: "But I want to exercise!"
OB: "So do it without squatting or bending over."
Me: "But what about not being able to sleep unless I'm propped up? With my heart racing and bile coming up and what not..."
OB: "In another month, you'll be able to sleep however you want."
Me: "But... *whine*"
OB: "You're pregnant, and you're 40. Welcome to the harsh reality of both. All done?"
Me: "No magic pill?"
OB: "*laughing* See you in two weeks."
My blood pressure was back down to 114/70, which is awesome because it's very close to my starting BP, and nowhere near last week's record high of 146/84. My anemia is under control (yay!) and even though I'm gaining weight a lot faster than I want to, the OB I saw today didn't seem to think it was too rapid (2 pounds in a week sounds like a LOT, though... when I gained 18 pounds the entire first 30 weeks... but I guess it's better than the 5 pounds I gained in the two weeks between 30 and 32. Not by much.). So I'm mollified, but not content - I want my body to do stuff and it doesn't want to cooperate.
But the kiddo is fine - head down (feet usually under ribs) and heartbeat is strong and steady. So we keep baking.
Friday, February 26, 2010
Saturday, February 20, 2010
32 Weeks, Anxiety, and My New Bed Partner.
It's kinda crazy to realize that we're as little as 6 weeks and as many as 8 weeks away from a healthy, full-term birth. I can't decide if I feel like I've been pregnant for a long time or a fleeting moment - the pregnancy hasn't really weighed on me and I'm not champing at the bit to evict the kiddo, although I won't mind being done.
For the most part, I miss my energy and cognitive clarity. Due to lack of sleep, sinuses that are even more overworked than usual, and my aggravated arthritis and sciatica, I feel like I'm walking around in a mental fog and not getting a whole lot done.
This isn't exactly true; I'm just not walking a mile every morning with the dogs and tackling big house projects. My online presence and gaming time have disappeared. I'm keeping up with the laundry, dusting, vacuuming, dishes, shopping, cooking, etc. I'm amassing what I am referring to as our "baby stash-" diapers, clothes, blankies, etc. So things are getting done.
But... I can't walk up my stairs without getting winded. I'm sleeping sitting up because when I lie down, my heart starts racing. And I finally had to take off my wedding ring. I know! I was upset, too. As for the sleeping thing, I recently broke down and bought a Snoogle:
Yes, it's as big as it looks. But it's filled to the perfect dimension for supporting a preggo. Usually I roll it up like this:
And I sleep sort of snuggled into the hole in the Snoogle. Sounds like a Dr. Seussism.
Thursday was the 32-week appointment, wherein I have the highest blood pressure ever in my life and our newest OB (Dr. Faulkner, we both loved her on sight) reassures me that I am not dying of some esoteric disease simply because of my racing heart and high BP. Baby Ivan is measuring right on track for an April 13th arrival, and I'm doing fine other than experiencing high blood volume (normal in a pregnant woman) and reacting to same. She did suggest I might be suffering from anxiety, and she's probably got a more objective viewpoint than I do, so I'm going to try to work on relaxation techniques and soothing thoughts. I am now reveling in the phrase, "You are damaging my calm." Ah, Firefly... and my hero, Jayne Cobb.
Because of my less-than-ideal blood pressure, I have an appointment next week to follow up. Oh! And I found out that the baby's head is often resting right above my pelvic bones, which explains the resultant pain any time I change positions or try to walk. But... he is in good position for birthing, so that's a relief.
We may also get a "positioning" ultrasound at full term, so we can see just what Kiddo is up to - so yay for that!
In other news, I haven't thrown up at all this month. I realize this may be more information than anyone wanted about my pregnancy, but it was an alarming trend there, for a while. So that's a plus.
Stay tuned.
For the most part, I miss my energy and cognitive clarity. Due to lack of sleep, sinuses that are even more overworked than usual, and my aggravated arthritis and sciatica, I feel like I'm walking around in a mental fog and not getting a whole lot done.
This isn't exactly true; I'm just not walking a mile every morning with the dogs and tackling big house projects. My online presence and gaming time have disappeared. I'm keeping up with the laundry, dusting, vacuuming, dishes, shopping, cooking, etc. I'm amassing what I am referring to as our "baby stash-" diapers, clothes, blankies, etc. So things are getting done.
But... I can't walk up my stairs without getting winded. I'm sleeping sitting up because when I lie down, my heart starts racing. And I finally had to take off my wedding ring. I know! I was upset, too. As for the sleeping thing, I recently broke down and bought a Snoogle:
Yes, it's as big as it looks. But it's filled to the perfect dimension for supporting a preggo. Usually I roll it up like this:
And I sleep sort of snuggled into the hole in the Snoogle. Sounds like a Dr. Seussism.
Thursday was the 32-week appointment, wherein I have the highest blood pressure ever in my life and our newest OB (Dr. Faulkner, we both loved her on sight) reassures me that I am not dying of some esoteric disease simply because of my racing heart and high BP. Baby Ivan is measuring right on track for an April 13th arrival, and I'm doing fine other than experiencing high blood volume (normal in a pregnant woman) and reacting to same. She did suggest I might be suffering from anxiety, and she's probably got a more objective viewpoint than I do, so I'm going to try to work on relaxation techniques and soothing thoughts. I am now reveling in the phrase, "You are damaging my calm." Ah, Firefly... and my hero, Jayne Cobb.
Because of my less-than-ideal blood pressure, I have an appointment next week to follow up. Oh! And I found out that the baby's head is often resting right above my pelvic bones, which explains the resultant pain any time I change positions or try to walk. But... he is in good position for birthing, so that's a relief.
We may also get a "positioning" ultrasound at full term, so we can see just what Kiddo is up to - so yay for that!
In other news, I haven't thrown up at all this month. I realize this may be more information than anyone wanted about my pregnancy, but it was an alarming trend there, for a while. So that's a plus.
Stay tuned.
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Thirty-One.
It seems unreal... we're in single digits no matter how you slice it, 38 weeks or 40.
I can't decide if it took forever or if time is flying by. I will say that there's a lot to get done in the next 8-9 weeks. There's a portable crib in storage that needs to be retrieved and spruced up. There are more diapers to buy and prep for use. And there's cleaning to be done.
I'm pretty resigned to the fact that there are things we need to do before we can go crazy on the baby buying (swing, pack & play,etc) - we have a vehicle to repair, a tree to remove, and a mouse to evict. Mr. Mouse is extremely stubborn and avoiding all the traps we've laid, humane and otherwise, so it looks like we're going to need a pro to do the trick. So I'm focusing on the basics and the rest we'll get when we can.
Because that's what I needed right now, yes? But that's not really why I'm a bit stressed.
Scary Baby scared me again.
Just when I thought I was used to his shenanigans and insistence on peculiar little things like me sleeping ONLY on my right side... he woke me up by kicking the crap out of me. I mean, seriously. It was so hard that it WOKE. ME. UP. And it was really frantic and frenetic. And then, all of a sudden, it stopped.
Just like that.
And in my semi-conscious state, all I could think was, "Oh, shit... he just strangled himself with his cord."
Seriously - I wasn't calm, I wasn't entertaining any other possibilities, I wasn't capable of doing anything but lying there, numb and prepared to be shattered. I have no idea why I fixated on that as the answer (probably Ivan's baby story?) but I was convinced that was it.
And I waited and waited and waited, tears spilling over, whole body tight so I wouldn't wake Ivan up by crying.
And finally he moved again, tentatively at first, but then with strength and enthusiasm.
He's grounded as soon as he's old enough to understand why.
Honestly, I've been pretty mellow throughout the different scary scenarios we've had - waiting for test results, falling down the steps, spotting early on, dealing with my shortness of breath and dizziness. But this tore my composure, my strength, my assurance. I am now terrified that I won't get to meet him until it's too late.
And most of the time, I can cope and put on my happy face and fake it, because I know that doing this will help me get through the day while I do my kick counts and watch my diet to make sure I'm getting enough iron and all the other little things I can control.
But I hate going to bed now, and not just because it's the most painful part of my day (stupid hips and stupid sciatica). Now when I wake up, even if it's just to pee, I can't relax until he moves.
So I really can't decide if it's taking forever, or flying by. Either way, I'll be glad when I can actually see what the little monster is up to without the use of an ultrasound.
I can't decide if it took forever or if time is flying by. I will say that there's a lot to get done in the next 8-9 weeks. There's a portable crib in storage that needs to be retrieved and spruced up. There are more diapers to buy and prep for use. And there's cleaning to be done.
I'm pretty resigned to the fact that there are things we need to do before we can go crazy on the baby buying (swing, pack & play,etc) - we have a vehicle to repair, a tree to remove, and a mouse to evict. Mr. Mouse is extremely stubborn and avoiding all the traps we've laid, humane and otherwise, so it looks like we're going to need a pro to do the trick. So I'm focusing on the basics and the rest we'll get when we can.
Because that's what I needed right now, yes? But that's not really why I'm a bit stressed.
Scary Baby scared me again.
Just when I thought I was used to his shenanigans and insistence on peculiar little things like me sleeping ONLY on my right side... he woke me up by kicking the crap out of me. I mean, seriously. It was so hard that it WOKE. ME. UP. And it was really frantic and frenetic. And then, all of a sudden, it stopped.
Just like that.
And in my semi-conscious state, all I could think was, "Oh, shit... he just strangled himself with his cord."
Seriously - I wasn't calm, I wasn't entertaining any other possibilities, I wasn't capable of doing anything but lying there, numb and prepared to be shattered. I have no idea why I fixated on that as the answer (probably Ivan's baby story?) but I was convinced that was it.
And I waited and waited and waited, tears spilling over, whole body tight so I wouldn't wake Ivan up by crying.
And finally he moved again, tentatively at first, but then with strength and enthusiasm.
He's grounded as soon as he's old enough to understand why.
Honestly, I've been pretty mellow throughout the different scary scenarios we've had - waiting for test results, falling down the steps, spotting early on, dealing with my shortness of breath and dizziness. But this tore my composure, my strength, my assurance. I am now terrified that I won't get to meet him until it's too late.
And most of the time, I can cope and put on my happy face and fake it, because I know that doing this will help me get through the day while I do my kick counts and watch my diet to make sure I'm getting enough iron and all the other little things I can control.
But I hate going to bed now, and not just because it's the most painful part of my day (stupid hips and stupid sciatica). Now when I wake up, even if it's just to pee, I can't relax until he moves.
So I really can't decide if it's taking forever, or flying by. Either way, I'll be glad when I can actually see what the little monster is up to without the use of an ultrasound.
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Sinus Headaches, I Hates Them.
I was going to write an update yesterday detailing the wonderful checkup and hospital tour we had on Thursday, but the weather thought otherwise - we had a pressure front come through (yes, I know this is not really news considering half the East Coast is under snow and the rest of us are concerned about flooding) and it played havoc with my sinuses. I spent most of the day on the couch with hot compresses on my forehead, wishing I could pound my head against the wall to make it feel better... but I didn't have the energy.
Today I'm feeling lots better, though! And for the most part, I'm feeling pretty good otherwise - meaning, pregnancy-wise. I'm tired a lot but I don't have any swelling; I get some pelvic pain but my back feels pretty good mostly. I've been very careful with my posture so that really helps. The only thing that really makes me miserable is the acid reflux, and that's more a matter of getting the timing down with the Pepcid AC, and learning to eat smaller meals more often (and not so late at night). I'm not waddling yet!
On Thursday, we met our 4th of five OBs that comprise our practice, and she is just as great as the others. She told me my glucose test results were great, but that my anemia is back - a good excuse for more steak, I say. We're measuring right on track and his heart beat is strong and steady.
We also had our hospital tour that night! It was a lot of fun. Ivan bonded with another dad when the guy admired his "geek" T-shirt... said he had the same one. Later, when the nurse mentioned that every labor room is equipped with Wi-fi and that an enterprising dad had actually hooked up a Wii, their eyes met in conspiratorial fashion.
I'm pretty happy with the facility; there's a NICU, they have privileges at Scottish Rite and Eggleston (our two top children's hospitals in Atlanta), and there are antepartum rooms if your baby has to stay longer than you do. The birthing beds configure every which way you could possibly want, so I don't have to worry about trying to give birth flat on my back. The mother-baby rooms are all singles, so no rooming in with other moms, and there's a couch for dad (even though it looks incredibly uncomfortable). They support nursing immediately after birth, and dads are always encouraged to go with their baby when he needs to head to the nursery for cleaning, vitamin K, and the hep B vaccine. The tour guide nurse clued the dads in to the wealth of delivery menus at the nurses' station and let us know that coolers were allowed in the rooms. Score! No boring hospital food for us! Or... if I go on a last minute shopping spree, and we do get hungry, my meals are free, and his are $3, so at least we'll be able to afford to eat.
Not that I'll do that...
Our hospital uses baby alarms - also called, by the irreverent, Baby Lo-Jack, which is a security device that will sound an alarm when a baby gets within 3 feet of the elevator. If the baby continues toward the exits, everything locks down - and they mean everything. Nurses' badges do not work; the police are the only people able to move about freely.
Ivan had the idea of walking just close enough to the elevators to get Ivan Jr's alarm to beep, and then racing over to the nurses' station and saying, "My baby's beeping, I think his batteries are getting low..."
Yeah, I think it's going to be a long 24-48 hours for our nurses.
Today I'm feeling lots better, though! And for the most part, I'm feeling pretty good otherwise - meaning, pregnancy-wise. I'm tired a lot but I don't have any swelling; I get some pelvic pain but my back feels pretty good mostly. I've been very careful with my posture so that really helps. The only thing that really makes me miserable is the acid reflux, and that's more a matter of getting the timing down with the Pepcid AC, and learning to eat smaller meals more often (and not so late at night). I'm not waddling yet!
On Thursday, we met our 4th of five OBs that comprise our practice, and she is just as great as the others. She told me my glucose test results were great, but that my anemia is back - a good excuse for more steak, I say. We're measuring right on track and his heart beat is strong and steady.
We also had our hospital tour that night! It was a lot of fun. Ivan bonded with another dad when the guy admired his "geek" T-shirt... said he had the same one. Later, when the nurse mentioned that every labor room is equipped with Wi-fi and that an enterprising dad had actually hooked up a Wii, their eyes met in conspiratorial fashion.
I'm pretty happy with the facility; there's a NICU, they have privileges at Scottish Rite and Eggleston (our two top children's hospitals in Atlanta), and there are antepartum rooms if your baby has to stay longer than you do. The birthing beds configure every which way you could possibly want, so I don't have to worry about trying to give birth flat on my back. The mother-baby rooms are all singles, so no rooming in with other moms, and there's a couch for dad (even though it looks incredibly uncomfortable). They support nursing immediately after birth, and dads are always encouraged to go with their baby when he needs to head to the nursery for cleaning, vitamin K, and the hep B vaccine. The tour guide nurse clued the dads in to the wealth of delivery menus at the nurses' station and let us know that coolers were allowed in the rooms. Score! No boring hospital food for us! Or... if I go on a last minute shopping spree, and we do get hungry, my meals are free, and his are $3, so at least we'll be able to afford to eat.
Not that I'll do that...
Our hospital uses baby alarms - also called, by the irreverent, Baby Lo-Jack, which is a security device that will sound an alarm when a baby gets within 3 feet of the elevator. If the baby continues toward the exits, everything locks down - and they mean everything. Nurses' badges do not work; the police are the only people able to move about freely.
Ivan had the idea of walking just close enough to the elevators to get Ivan Jr's alarm to beep, and then racing over to the nurses' station and saying, "My baby's beeping, I think his batteries are getting low..."
Yeah, I think it's going to be a long 24-48 hours for our nurses.
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
No News is Good News?
I was waiting to see if I was going to get results back from the gestational diabetes test before posting - and so far, nothing. They were supposedly going to call me last Thursday or Friday if I was positive. So that's a good thing!
30-week check-up tomorrow, AND our hospital tour, which is pretty exciting. I'll post an update when we get back.
30-week check-up tomorrow, AND our hospital tour, which is pretty exciting. I'll post an update when we get back.
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