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Maternity & Parenting Center

Update on Twoey

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Morning sickness has been a constant for me – as long as I remember to take 2 Zofran every 8 hours, though, I can function. I hope this lets up soon! In the meantime, I am not exactly certain when I took this test, but we decided to do Intelligender again. From what I have read, it is about as accurate as flipping a coin, but hey, it’s fun, right? So, the results, once again….



Yup, it says Twoey is a boy. I can’t help but think Twoey is a girl, but it could be wishful thinking :). I’ve always thought the “perfect” family is one boy and one girl, so it probably means I’ll be a mom to 2 boys instead. As long as he/she is healthy and happy, right? We have to go back for another ultrasound on January 8. My fibroid is growing at a nice rapid rate, so I definitely need to be monitored again. At the NT scan a few weeks ago, the fibroid was still bigger than Twoey. So, we’ll be going back on January 8, and there is a good chance they’ll be able to tell us the gender at that point!

I’ve been feeling some movement from Twoey for a while now. It is very different this time around. With Micah, it started very softly, almost like bubbles or a flutter. I think I started to become aware of it around 13 or 14 weeks. With Twoey, the movement feels stronger, but I’ve almost been second guessing it because it seems too strong a feeling for so early. I guess we’ll see what happens with time!

Let’s talk about Frank, baby

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Today was my fluid ultrasound to check on the status of Frank (you know, the pesky fibroid). The good news is, Frank shrank back down to only 1.5 cm. He is only on the outside of my uterus, outer layer. My doctor felt that there was no reason to go in and surgically remove him. I have to say, I was stunned – things never go that well for me. I asked about whether Frank would re-grow during a future pregnancy and cause me problems, and while he said the possibility exists, he felt that Frank was done growing. The even better news is that the other fibroids I used to have on the outside of my uterus (there were 5) have all disappeared. He could not find any evidence of any additional fibroids! So, hopefully that means any future pregnancies would not be riddled with contractions and pain. Then again, Frank could defy expectations and get cranky again next pregnancy. I guess the upside to that is I would have extra monitoring, probably earlier on, to watch frank throughout the pregnancy.

I do have a band of scar tissue from Micah’s birth that he recommended I have removed. He said “there is no reason to put up with that.” So . . . we’ll see. I have to make an appointment with a different doctor to discuss it. I know I should do it, but it involves a needle, and well, you know how NOT good I am with needles.

Results of the day: there are no impediments to trying again for #2 when we are ready!

I took Frank to the doctor

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Just in case you were wondering, the saga of Frank has not yet come to an end. You remember Frank . . . my cranky fibroid that caused all the problems during my prenancy with Micah? Today I decided it was time to take Frank to the doctor. He has been a bit fussy again the past few weeks. I was told it would take 2-3 months for Frank to shrink back post-pregnancy, and at that time I should go in for follow up. I was told that if I do want to try and have another baby, I will probably need surgery to kill Frank. So, I figured I’d go get Frank checked out nice and early, and it would give me time to schedule my surgery when it is convenient for me, and give me plenty of time to heal before we start trying again. And no, we are not about to start trying again.

The doctor visit was great! He wants to set up a saline ultrasound for the end of the month to determine Frank’s size and location (and he will also be searching for Fiona and any children they may have). Depending on the ultrasound, he will either recommend surgery or not, and we’ll take it from there. He said that they usually recommend surgery if the fibroid is encroaching on the uterine cavity, if it is 3-4 cm or larger (at last check, Frank was just below 4 cm), and if there is a likelihood the fibroid will cause problems. Also, if there are symptoms that are sufficient to warrant surgery (and I’m having Frank pains again). Right now, barring a miracle shrinkage, I’m guessing I’m going to have to schedule surgery in the near future.

At first, the doctor looked at me like I was crazy – he was about to ask why I was coming in so early to discuss getting pregnant, and he was prepared to give me a speech about how unhealthy it is to have pregnancies back to back. Once he learned the purpose of my visit, he said it was a good thing I came in now so we can do this in a leisurely manner.

I guess I’ll be setting up a visit with the magic wand again (you know, the transvaginal ultrasound . . . I think it looks like a wand, it displays pictures of my insides, so it must be magic!). It was kind of surreal to be back there. A lot of the old feelings came rushing back the minute I pulled into the parking lot. It is hard to imagine that almost 1 year ago, we were just starting the cycle that resulted in Micah. What a difference a year can make!

I guess in a sense, I took my first step today towards trying for #2. Scary!

It keeps going . . . and going . . .

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Yup, I’m still contracting. 4 minutes apart. I’m quite uncomfortable – tons of back labor/pain. They are stronger, but not strong enough to go to the hospital yet. I have been trying to use the hypnobirthing techniques, but there are 2 problems so far: 1) I’m on day 4 of these contractions – it isn’t like I can sit and “relax” for 4 days straight; 2) I didn’t count on the back labor – it is hard to find a position that is sufficiently comfortable for relaxing. I called the midwives to talk about this, because I don’t think I can keep on doing this without end. We are going in tomorrow at 8:15 to check my progress and see what the next steps are. I think I will be crying hysterically if they don’t tell me I’ve been making progress.

Some Kind of Labor

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Well, I’m in some kind of labor . . . but I think this is somewhere between prodromal labor and stalled labor. I’m contracting regularly (and prodromal labor is usually irregular contractions) but the intensity of the contractions has been inconsistent (perhaps a sign of stalled labor). I also seem to go through phases – I have hours when the contractions are 4 minutes apart and fairly intense, 4 minutes apart but not so intense, and other blocks of time when they may stretch out to hours of contractions every 7 minutes or every 10 minutes. What this means is I’m starting labor but I do not seem to be getting there particularly fast. Apparently, this could go on for quite some time. I have no idea if all the contractions I’ve had in the last 24 hours are causing any progress yet. All I know is I do not think I can do this part for weeks. I’m willing to be patient this week, but this part is no fun. I’m just uncomfortable enough that it keeps me from keeping my “normal” routine, but it isn’t intense enough most of the time (or moving fast enough) that it makes sense for me to drop everything and focus exclusively on birthing. So, I’m trying to relax but keep busy, increase my physical activity in the hopes of speeding things up, and try any other ideas I can think up! The most frustrating part is that I think my body believes it is in labor – it isn’t letting me keep any food in my system. Anything I eat comes right out, and trust me, with contractions that part is just miserable. So, I have yet to figure out how to fuel my body without making myself feel awful. I’m going to try some juice and clear liquids today to see if that helps.

36 weeks . . . at last!

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Well, I did it! I made it to 36 weeks. And now I’m ready to have this baby.

I spent all day yesterday contracting despite continuing the Terbutaline. They were not intense, but they were 4 minutes apart. After realizing the pills were becoming futile, I finally stopped the terbutaline around 6 pm. Naturally, my contractions seemed to disappear. I was SOOOO disappointed. I had some, but they were fairly spread out, and not gaining in intensity. Elliot & I went to bed around 2:00 or so, and I was so sad that labor was not imminent for me.

At 4:00 am, I woke up with contractions. Not the mild ones, but fairly intense, radiating around to my back kind of contractions that were 4 minutes apart. I was SOOO excited (and did I mention uncomfortable?). I went downstairs and got my ipod so I could listen to my hypnobirthing recordings and relax. The back pain was intense, and I really couldn’t seem to get comfortable. I woke Elliot up to tell him . . . and of course, he started puking again! His timing with the puking is just horrible. I don’t think he still has the stomach flu, but I do think the stomach flu has aggravated his very sensitive stomach. Throw in a little stress and worry . . . and well, I think that explains his current state! Now, if I could just convince him to take his stomach meds . . . . then he might be helpful to me through these contractions!

Anyway, I tried relaxing in bed for about 1 hour, and then the pain in my back was making me quite uncomfortable. So, I decided to fill up the tub and climb in the Jacuzzi. I was SOOOO excited. I got in the water, I put on my ipod, and I hit the button . . . . and nothing. Yup, the Jacuzzi wasn’t working AGAIN! I was so upset! Elliot came in and tried to help get things started (in between trips to the other bathroom to throw up). We eventually gave up, and instead I took a nice warm bath. I listened to my recordings, and was feeling much better. After the bath, I took a shower – it was about 6:30 or so by the time I was done. I crawled back into bed hoping to get some sleep. No such luck, but I did manage to relax until 8 when we needed to go to our appointment.

Elliot & I drove separately to the appointment. It was rather uneventful – we just talked about what happened this weekend, when I should come in next, etc. My belly was measuring perfectly at 35 cm, and she said I am 70-80% effaced, over 2 cm dilated, and the baby is at -1 station, so all is well! She said this could be today, or it could be weeks. I’m hoping the baby decides to make an appearance this week. Did I mention I’m ready to get this labor thing going? Someone remind me of that when this process intensifies and I’m having second thoughts!

After the appointment, I went to get our car seats and have one installed in my car. That should have been so simple, but the people at the car dealership were being SOOO difficult. I had to drive to 3 different locations before they would help me. And I was cranky because I was having contractions every 4 minutes. I then went over to the baby store and picked up a preemie outfit (just in case) and then went to my parents’ house to drop off the 2nd car seat and trade them for their base to put in Elliot’s car. While at my parents’ house, I ran into their cleaning lady – who has been working with my family for at least 25 years. She was so excited to see me, and we had a nice little chat before I left.

I came home to relax a bit . . . and, of course, I’m now frustrated because the contractions seemed to have slowed a bit. I want this guy to come OUT, not play games!! Let’s hope they pick back up again.

Reunion

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I had an amazing weekend . . . I had an old friend from college, Tammy (whom I haven’t seen since graduation), come down and visit! She was my first guest in our new home, and I was so excited to see her after so much time. She was quite a trooper – she had to endure the mess of newly sanded/refinished floors (so new, they were still in process on Friday and Saturday!), and all my furniture strewn all over the house and draped plastic walls (that looked like a scene from Dexter).

I am glad to say we still get along and had plenty to talk about. We had an amazing time touring around DC. She arrived Friday evening, and we had a relaxing night on our new couch in the Rec Room – we decided to walk a few blocks and pick up Indian takeout for dinner. We just stayed up and talked and enjoyed – and Nugget even behaved herself! The next morning, I was stuck waiting for the floor guy to show up – naturally, he was several hours late, and inconveniently delayed us. Eventually, we went for brunch at the Original Pancake House (I just love crepes!) and we just spent time talking and catching up. We decided to head to the Spy Museum that afternoon, and it was definitely fun (although I wish I’d thought of checking out the Newseum instead). We came back to meet Elliot for dinner, then popped over to a post-Iron Man celebration for my friend Jeff at a local bar. Our next stop was back downtown for a nighttime tour of the monuments! We managed to see the FDR, Lincoln, Korean and Vietnam Memorials, and we drove by the World War II and Jefferson Memorials. It really was a beautiful night – not too cold, and the rain had ceased so it was clear outside.

Sunday morning, we decided to go back downtown again. We went to the Jefferson Memorial, and drove around the Mall, then we walked by the White House. On our way home, we drove through Georgetown, and I showed Tammy a few of the wonderful parks in the area. I decided to give my “hard sell” in the hopes that she considers this area for her next job! We returned home in the early afternoon, and then she packed up her car and headed back to Philadelphia.

So, all-in-all, it was a wonderful weekend! Even better, Frank decided to be cooperative and let me do all the walking I needed to do without acting up too badly. I actually had a really pleasant few days, contractions and all! This is the most physical activity I have been able to do since 28 weeks without ending up in severe pain. I think I am starting to feel human again!

As of today, I’ve officially made it to my first end-of-pregnancy goal – 34 weeks! I could safely have this baby at any time now, so it is quite a relief. I have another midwife appointment and an ultrasound appointment this week, and from here on out, they will be doing weekly scans of the baby (a biophysical profile) to make sure he is still doing well. Regardless, I have only 2 weeks left until I stop the medication. While I realize that there is a good possibility I could stop the medication and the contractions could stop, I am already feeling some changes, so I have a feeling this baby will come fairly quickly after I stop taking the Terbutaline. Even if he doesn’t, the fact that Frank is no longer causing me much pain is a huge relief, so I am certain I can stick it out until the baby decides to arrive.

OB Appt & Moving!

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On Wednesday, Elliot and I met with one of the OBs connected to the midwifery practice we are using. I have been quite upset about this whole c-section possibility, so I thought going to meet with the OB would somehow put me at ease. I think it was a great decision! The OB we met with was so nice, and relatively young (late 30s/early 40s). He came into the room with a laptop, so Elliot liked him immediately. We explained our situation, and he reviewed my test results. He agreed that all the medicines we have been using are exactly right, and he talked about my options. Immediately, he seemed to agree that he thought I could (and should) continue to 36 weeks. He said that unless the baby was in actual danger, he would not encourage doing a c-section at 34 weeks. That was a HUGE relief to me. We also talked about the different pain medications, and he said that there has been no proven harm to babies if you limit the heavier pain meds to either no more than 1 week of continued use, or you can do 2-3 weeks of occasional/sporadic use. So, if the pain worsens after 33/34 weeks, there are several pain management options I can use.

He is fairly certain that when I stop the Terbutaline at 36 weeks, the contractions will come back. At a minimum, Terbutaline can cause a “rebound” effect with the contractions after keeping them suppressed for so long. He felt that if the contractions continued more than 2-3 days without me progressing into full labor (or if they became quite painful), he would not let me continue on that way any longer. They would start bringing me in regularly once the contractions begin to monitor me – check the fetal stress levels, see if the contractions are productive, etc. If after 2-3 days the contractions do not turn into full labor or do not subside and disappear, he would hope to induce at that point (assuming that my cervix appears to be “receptive” to induction). There are several different ways they could induce, and they will not make that decision until after they see what my body is doing. If they cannot induce labor and the contractions continue, a c-section would be necessary. We talked about anesthesia options, and he agreed that he could work with the anesthesiologist to identify a short-acting inhaled anesthesia that would knock me out sufficiently to get the spinal/epidural in, and then allow me to be lucid for the birth of the baby. That was a huge relief to me! So, hopefully a c-section will be unnecessary, but I feel better knowing that 1) I will not have to walk around contracting and in pain for weeks and 2) If I have to have a c-section, we can find a way to do it so I can see the birth of my son!

I have actually been feeling really good most of this week. I’ve been vigilant about taking my medicines on time and not letting it stretch beyond 6 hours. Unfortunately, right after I commented about what a great week I was having and started to hope that Frank was shrinking or disappearing, or that I could hold him at bay with just a bit of Tylenol, today I am definitely starting to hurt more (although I am able to do another course of Indocin any time I want). We have another midwife appointment next week, and another ultrasound, and we will see where we go from there! Four more weeks left until we stop the medications.

In other news, we attended our first hypnobirthing class last night! I really hope this helps me, and I am excited to explore ways to relax and try to embrace this whole process in a confident and stress-free manner. We are in the class with our friends Ken and Erica, so it should be a wonderful experience. We were taught 2 breathing techniques, and we have to listen to this deep relaxation CD everyday to practice the self-relaxation techniques. Now, if I could just keep Elliot from snoring loudly during the relaxation exercises . . . .

And best of all . . . it looks like we are finally moving! We started packing up the house, and we are going to start making our first runs with boxes this weekend. I think I will probably schedule the “big” move either next weekend or that following week. The carpet was installed last night, and the floors are being finalized today along with the touch-up painting. They still have to replace the one kitchen cabinet (it should be in Monday) and fix up the tile backsplash, install a light and accessories in the powder room, install the baby’s vanity (which should be in today) and install the shower panel (which should be in Tuesday) and finish tiling the master bathroom by the shower panel. That means by this weekend all the big stuff will be finished, and by Wednesday of next week, all the “little things” should be done. Also, our living room couch arrived, so that is being delivered on November 11! It is finally coming together. I am supposed to have a friend from out of town coming to stay with us the weekend of November 14, so it looks like we will be sleeping at the house by then!

Checklists

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I’m a person who likes to make checklists . . . I don’t always do the things on my checklists, but I am constantly making them. I make a checklist when I pack, when I go shopping, when I am running errands. I keep checklists for work activities, and calls I need to make and appointments I need to schedule. I keep checklists of gifts I want to buy for people, and cake ideas I have. I make checklists for working through problems, or dealing with our contractor, and pretty much for anything that I can track or analyze with a list.

So . . . ever since our ultrasound appointment last week, I’ve been making lists of all the things we need to do before this baby comes, such as:

  • Buy a glider
  • Finish registering (and pick a bedding set!)
  • Arrange for a pediatrician
  • Meet with the OB to discuss birth options in case a midwife delivery is not an option
  • Schedule day care tour
  • Get contractor to finish renovations
  • Finish packing and prepare to move
  • Pack bag for hospital
  • Get information for pain management doctors, just in case
  • Buy a “coming home” outfit for the baby
  • Get car seats and get them installed
  • Pick up bassinet (or pack ‘n play) to have something for the baby to sleep in
  • Buy gift for my niece Stephanie’s bat mitzvah

As you can imagine, many of these items have sublists . . . I have started a list of items I need to pack in the hospital bag, and a list of things that still need to be done on our home renovations, and a list for packing to move, etc.

Well, I am happy to report that today I accomplished several things on my lists! We called and arranged for a pediatrician for the baby (we selected Bethesda Pediatrics). We are planning to call and schedule a tour of the office, but we did speak to Dr. Korengold on the phone, and at a minimum, we are all set there. We have an appointment scheduled this week to meet with the OB (and I hope that is the only time I have to see the OB!). We are going to go over the “what if” scenarios . . . what if I have to have a c-section, how can we deal with my needle phobia and anesthesia? What if I start contracting at 36 weeks, but do not progress into labor – what are my options there if the midwives won’t induce that early? (Can you tell I have a list of questions for the OB, too?)

On Friday, we did finish registering (main registry is at Great Beginnings, but we also opened smaller registries at Buy Buy Baby and Babies R Us) and we ordered the glider for the baby’s bedroom. We have to arrange a time to pick up the bassinet and the car seats from Stephanie & Greg, but hopefully as of this weekend, we will have a house to put the things in! Now – if only we could actually agree on a bedding set . . . . but I digress.

I just really hope that whenever this baby comes, I can have a vaginal birth. I know lots of people think c-sections are no big deal, and if I have to do that, I will. I’m just so awful with needles that I’m fairly certain they will have to completely knock me out if I have a c-section, and I’ll completely miss his birth, and I just don’t want that. . . . it isn’t on my list.

Another Ultrasound

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Today was our appointment with the Maternal Fetal Medicine specialist and another ultrasound. The good news is, my cervix is holding steady, and Frank is not growing in size . . . yet. The bad news is, Frank isn’t shrinking (and is highly unlikely to shrink at this point). We did not get such good pictures of the baby. Today he is head down, facing upwards, with his feet up by my ribs and his hands on either side of my pelvis. Every time she tried to snap a photo of him, he arched his back and looked kind of like an alien. I may try to scan and post the picture later.

I am supposed to do a few more courses of the Indocin over the next 1-2 weeks, and then I have to stop taking that. According to this doctor, his goal is to get me to 34 weeks, and he is not convinced I’m going to make it to 36 weeks. He seems to think a scheduled c-section shortly after 34 weeks is in my future, but for right now, I have different plans. I’m going to do whatever it takes to get to 36 weeks, and then hope when we stop the meds I can go into labor on my own. I’m not sure what I’ll do if I stop the meds at 36 weeks and I am contracting but not getting anywhere, so I am trying not to think about that. The bottom line is I might not be able to have that nice natural birth with a midwife I had planned.

I should have known this wasn’t going to be easy for me . . . I think the “other shoe” I’ve been waiting for has finally dropped.

In other news, we went out with my parents to celebrate Elliot’s birthday last night. The restaurant was wonderful – good atmosphere and the food was excellent! We stopped by the house on our way home to check on the renovations, and I’m thrilled to say we have real progress! Two of the four bathroom sinks are installed (with faucets and everything), the lighting looks like it has been completed, the floors were refinished, and some of the hardware for the showers was in place. There was 1 broken light fixture and the toilet in the master bathroom is cracked, but I’m starting to believe there is an end in sight!