a day of firsts (i.e., doctor's appt #17 +)...

I had a routine OB appt yesterday morning with an NST to monitor Deacon's heartrate, etc.  What started out to be a routine checkup turned into a trip to the hospital for more extensive, prolonged monitoring just to be sure everything was okay.

And it was.  Let me just make that clear right here -- everything is fine with me and the baby.

At my appt yesterday morning, my bp was a little high -- 143/97.  And then during the NST, Deacon's heartrate dropped from his norm, in the 140s, down into the 120s twice, without provocation (no contraction or anything), over the course of about 40 min.

[this is what the printout of the NST looks like]

Dr. Woodfill didn't think there was anything really to be worried about; it just warranted an extra look and some prolonged monitoring.  I'm grateful for the extra caution, really, but how annoying to have to go down to the hospital.  *sigh*

Before I left my OB office, they did the Group B Strep test and checked to see if he had turned at all (at my last u/s he was breech).  Dr. Woodfill said that it didn't seem as though he'd turned much yet; that his head appeared to still be up and not down.  He's still got a month to turn so I'm not too stressed about that yet.  Not sure when we'll get the results of the Group B Strep.  If I have it (a bacteria found on the skin that isn't harmful to adults but can be deadly to infants), they'll give me an injection for it once we're admitted.

So off we went to the hospital.  Once there, we filled out the paperwork and signed off on all the forms (that's one good thing about this first trip to the hospital -- we're in the system now so we won't have to worry with the paperwork on the "big day").  They put me in a small room and had me change into one of their gowns and put on a belly band (that's what they used to hold the external fetal monitors in place).  That was my first time trying to get into one of their robes.  RIDICULOUS.  I opened it out and all it was was a ginormous piece of fabric with snaps and ties.  Um, excuse me?  Where are the sleeves?  Where's the neck hole?  I had to have Jeff come in and help me into the thing and together we figured out how to snap things together to make sleeves and a neck hole.  Talk about feeling dumb.

So I get into the bed and they place the monitors where they need to be on my belly (which I'm used to because it's just a longer NST than what I've been having), place a blood pressure cuff on my arm and stick a thermometer in my mouth.  All while I'm trying to finish signing off on all the paperwork.  GEEZ, PEOPLE.

So the monitors begin recording what they're supposed to record and the bp cuff takes my bp about every 30 min or so and records that.  A little later my nurse, Ann, takes some blood (out of my hand) to send off for labs to be sure that I don't have preeclampsia (which I don't, but that's the signs that were showing with my elevated bp and the drop in heartrate at my OB's office, I guess).

About the time she gets done with that, Jeff decides to go get us some lunch from one of the cafes in the hospital.   This was our first time eating at the hospital and we're big fans!  Jeff had a grilled chicken panini sandwich and he got me a grilled chicken & pesto wrap.  Oh, yum!  He also got some spicy beans & rice, some mixed fruit and then a couple of other snacks.  Everything we ate was really good.  We were really impressed.

So I ended up staying on the monitors for about an hour and 45 min *sigh* and that report, combined with my blood labs showed no signs of preeclamsia.  As a matter of fact, they kept saying that everything was "perfect" with me and the baby.  My bp was actually really low at the hospital which was the exact opposite of what I expected given the situation.  So that was very encouraging for me.

Dr. Cunill came in and did an ultrasound with a little portable machine just for extra confirmation that everything was fine with the baby (which it was) and was able to tell us that he is transverse in there now, not breech, but not head down either.  He's basically laying crossways in my belly, with his head on my right side and the rest of him on the left.  So he's making progress.  That's good.  :)

Once the ultrasound was complete, I was free to get changed back into my clothes, we signed off on one more thing and then we were released.  At that point, it was so late I ended up not going into work at all.  Thankfully, Fridays are kinda slow at the office so I wasn't stressed about that.  It was a pretty eventful day, though, so I did feel a little drained.

I would like to say how thankful I am that Jeff was with me for this appt.  He hasn't gone to every appt with me (and I'm fine with that) but I wanted him to hear at least one of the NSTs so he could listen to Deacon's heartbeat and hear him moving around.  So he decided to go with me to this one and I'm so very glad.  Just having him with me kept me from freaking out about being sent to the hospital, and then having him with me at the hospital was a God-send, too.  He is just such a calming force for me.  He always seems to know what to do, what questions to ask.  And he knows just what to say to make me smile or keep me calm.  He is a wonderful husband, the best ever, and he's going to be a wonderful father.  :)

doctor's appts #14 & #15...

I had another 2 doctor's appts today, one at my OB and one at Wilmington Maternal.  Kinda getting frustrated and worn out with all these double appts, but it is what it is.  So whatev.

My first appt was this morning at Wilmington Maternal Fetal Medicine downtown for an ultrasound to check everything.  Jeff didn't get to go with me this time, but my momma did.  And she was so excited!  Momma & Daddy are in town for our baby shower tomorrow evening so Momma was able to go with me to this appt.  She loved every minute of it -- she thought it was so neat to see the ultrasound (they didn't have those back when she had her 2 babies) and tried very diligently to figure out what she was looking at.  The baby has really grown, though, so everything just looks like a mess in there now.  But my u/s tech, George, was good about pointing out what we were seeing.  

Once again, everything looks great with the growth.  George told us the baby weighs just over 5 lbs now which is in the 42nd percentile, just above average.  He said the development is right on target with my due date.  He did mention, though, that the baby is breech right now, with his butt down toward my cervix and his body curled up around on my right side (so his head is sitting under my left boob -- sorry, guys).

Dr. Radick (Dr. Wright's new partner) came in and told us everything looked great but that the kidneys were still larger than normal so they would continue to keep an eye on that and start checking my fluid levels a little more closely to be sure everything progressed the way it should.

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My next appt was this afternoon at my OB's office and they did an NST, or nonstress test.  That was really pretty cool.  They strapped 2 external fetal monitors to my belly and had me sit in this really comfy recliner.  It coulda been a La-Z-Boy.  I'm just sayin'.

The one monitor was sitting right where the heart primarily was so they could monitor the heartbeat, and every time I felt any movement I was supposed to push the button on this handheld thing she gave me (like buzzing in on Jeopardy :).  I was amazed at how much I could hear him moving around and not actually feel the movement itself (to be able to push the button).  He really moves around a lot and I can't even feel it all, only the major moves, kicks or rolls that he does.  

So this whole time I'm strapped up -- about 35-40 min, I would guess -- we've got the Kentucky Derby going on in there.  That's what his heartbeat sounded like, and what Dr. Hall even said, too.  And you could hear the heartbeat increase and decrease with movement, etc.  After they unhooked me, the nurse told me that the other monitor they strapped on my belly was to monitor any contractions I might have and to see how the baby's heartbeat did through that.  I did have at least one contraction while I was sitting there (just a Braxton Hicks which I've been feeling for quite a few weeks now), possibly 2, so I'm glad that happened so they can read how Deacon did through it.  I assume Dr. Hall read the strip before she came in to see me so he must've done okay.  :)

She said that everything still looked great with the development and his heartbeat, etc.  She mentioned that she saw the baby was breech from my u/s this morning and told me that they do not deliver babies breech -- which I knew already -- but that that didn't necessarily mean a c-section.  She said they had methods to try to turn him, if he didn't automatically turn on his own between now and then.  I mean, we do still have 6 weeks left.  Let's not rush things, for cryin' out loud!

After today's appts, I'm starting weekly appts with my OB and every 2 weeks (if necessary) with Wilmington Maternal.  My OB will do an NST each time to just be sure the baby is still handling everything well.  I hope Jeff will be able to get to one of those with me -- it was pretty neat to hear the baby and his heartbeat for that long and I think Jeff would enjoy that.  :)

doctor's appt #13...

I had a doctor's appt yesterday with my OB, at the downtown office again.  Just a routine checkup and everything is right on target. 

I saw Dr. Vogel and his PA student, Ashley, both of which we saw the other night at the hospital during our tour.  That was kinda neat.  Both Ashley & Dr. Vogel said that everything is looking great -- my blood pressure (which was 124/80 in the doc's office) is still looking really great, the baby is measuring just right, he has a strong heartbeat, any swelling I have is normal (I just have some mostly in my left foot and sometimes in my right at the end of the day, and especially if it's really hot).

It was a good checkup all around.  And then I treated myself to Taco Bell for lunch.  Mmmm.  :)

doctor's appts #11 & #12...

I had 2 more doc appts today, one at Wilmington Maternal and one at Carolina OB/Gyn.

The first was at MF and everything went well.  Our ultrasound tech, Melissa, was really nice and did her thing.  She took my blood pressure first and it was 110/70.  FABULOUS!  That's REALLY LOW for me.  I'll take it.  :)

When the ultrasound started, I was kind of perplexed.  This was the first time that everything just looked kind of like a mess up on the screen -- I couldn't really make out what she was looking at a lot of the time.  We found out later that's because the baby is facing my back bone.

Oh.  Well, that explains it then.

She and Dr. Wright (yes, I finally met *the elusive Dr. Wright*) both said that everything looks great.  The baby weighs 3 lbs, 2 oz -- a "beautiful" weight.  The kidneys were, again, an object of examination, not that anything is wrong, just that they are still larger than the norm.  In fact, Dr. Wright came in specifically to reassure us that they didn't see any cause of concern with the kidneys, that there was nothing to worry about but that it would just be something they keep an eye on until delivery.  After he's born, the pediatrician will probably take a closer look just to be sure there's nothing of concern to see.  I'm okay with that.  They are keeping an eye on things and erring on the side of caution so that's definitely reassuring to me.

Melissa could tell that he was very active today -- and I could, too.  He was kicking and moving, making it a little more difficult to get what she needed.  We didn't get any fun photos from the ultrasound -- mostly because like I said before, everything just looked like a mess -- but Melissa did confirm, yet again, that he is still a boy.  THAT'S the photo we got.  

Why do they think I need another photo of my son's teeny, tiny wee-wee?

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After MF, we headed over to the 17th St. location of Carolina for the 2nd appt -- just a "hop, skip and jump" from MF so that worked out well.  I saw Dr. Hall today who I'd heard great things about.  I was not disappointed.  :)  She was really nice and did her thing, too.  My blood pressure there was 132/70 which was more in the normal range for me and they were happy with that.

She listened to the baby's heartbeat and said it was good and strong.  She measured me and said I was measuring right around 30 weeks so that was right (30 weeks this Sunday according to my due date).  She checked my feet & legs for swelling and I mentioned that I had some swelling in my left foot -- not so much my right foot (unless it's the end of the day and I'd been on my feet a lot or out in the heat, etc.). She said that was great, especially for Aug 20 and the heat we'd been having.  Just told me to keep drinking lots of fluids which I try to be pretty conscious about.

So 2 good reports to start the weekend off right.  I'm happy.  :)

11 weeks today...

I'm 11 weeks today.  Another week down.  It seems like it's not going very fast -- not that I'm wanting it to -- but I'm sure the farther along I get, that will change and things will start to go much faster than I want them to.

Right now, I'm really enjoying this pregnancy.  Thanks be to God I still haven't had any morning sickness or any other negative symptoms, for that matter.  I told someone today that I'm just enjoying it right now, not really wishing I was to the next phase, or wishing for the next ultrasound, etc.  I'm really not even showing yet, however, I can tell that my mid-section is changing (those abs I've worked so hard on aren't so noticeable anymore *sigh*).  I haven't gained any weight -- actually, I've lost a few pounds -- which I don't understand at all because I really haven't been eating the most healthy things.  I am still trying to work out most every day so that must be helping a little bit.  I know I'll be gaining weight soon enough so I'm not complaining about my weight loss right now.  :)

Our baby has been growing and developing even more over this last week...here's what babycenter.com has to say about what's been going on:

Your baby, just over 1 1/2 inches long and about the size of a fig, is now almost fully formed. Her hands will soon open and close into fists, tiny tooth buds are beginning to appear under her gums, and some of her bones are beginning to harden.

She's already busy kicking and stretching, and her tiny movements are so effortless they look like water ballet. These movements will become more frequent as her body grows and becomes more developed and functional. You won't feel your baby's acrobatics for another month or two — nor will you notice the hiccupping that may be happening now that her diaphragm is forming.

Such an amazing thing...what's happening right there in my belly...

if I had a dime...

...for every time someone said, "So, how are you feeling?", our child's college tuition would pretty well be taken care of by the time he/she gets here!  Okay, that might be a slight exaggeration but I do seem to be surrounded by lots of concerned folks.

Or maybe that's just what you say to a pregnant lady every time you see her.

In any case, I'm feeling pretty good.  I actually haven't had any true nausea and definitely no, uh, *follow-through* of the nausea (if you know what I'm referring to).  My appetite has changed, however, which I've heard is very common.  There are certain things -- lots of healthy things, I might add -- that I used to eat just  a month ago that I can't seem to find an appetite for anymore.  Mostly raw veggies.  I used to eat carrots and cucumbers with sandwiches at lunch (instead of the chips, etc.) but the thought of putting either into my mouth at this point, puts me on the path to feeling nauseous and I'm trying to avoid that at all costs so I don't even pack those in my lunch bag anymore.

I've also suddenly developed an aversion to peanut butter & jelly sandwiches.  The last two I ate (while pregnant, mind you) really didn't taste that great to me and I ended up just choking that last little bit down and trying not to think about what it tasted like.  That's a bummer.  I used to love me some pb & j sandwiches!  And it's an easy, low-cal lunch.  But not one I'm eating any time soon, I fear.  I've rediscovered egg salad, which, to some, may sound nauseating, but not to me.  I'm diggin' it so far, so we're going with it!

Another thing that has changed for me, and I never expected it, is coffee.  Most of you know how I love my coffee.  At least one cup every day, sometimes two; maybe one in the afternoon.  I don't have any problem drinking caffeinated coffee in the evening -- the caffeine doesn't seem to affect me in that way.  I also don't have a problem drinking decaffeinated coffee at any point during the day.  As I said, caffeine doesn't pep me up and the lack of doesn't let me down.

But I actually haven't had ANY coffee for the last 3 days.  It's weird.  It doesn't make me sick to think of drinking it.  And I still love the smell of it.  But the last cup I had in my office on Monday, I hardly drank any of it.  I brought almost the whole travel mug full of coffee home with me.  That's really not like me at all.  The next morning, I thought about it and just decided not to have a cup.  I don't want to be wasteful and I just figured I might do the same thing I did the morning before so I just didn't brew one.  And I haven't.  For the last 3 days, as I said.  Another bummer, but I don't seem to miss it.  Weird.

That's pretty much it in the way of foods and changes in that department.  Another thing that I wish I had a dime for every time I heard it is, "Well, you're eating for two now."

Like I need THAT encouragement to *oink* it up!

test #2.

Well, it's been a week since we found out we're pregnant.  We're keeping it under wraps pretty well because it's easy to forget.  Not in the literal sense because, of course, that is the FIRST thought at the front on my mind all the time.

But seriously.  I haven't had any symptoms or signs except the absence of my period.  I'm not saying I want any symptoms -- God knows I don't deal well with nausea and vomiting (who does, really, I know, but I would rather DIE than throw up).  I'm hoping He's just showing me kindness and mercy.

But, of course, now I'm starting to doubt our decision to share without an official doctor's appt under our belt (which isn't until Mar 26).  Jeff wanted to tell last week, for pete's sake, but I would rather wait for the doctor to confirm.  However, the longer we go, the harder it would be to keep it to ourselves, and to avoid the hassle of trying to get in with my doctor before my scheduled appt, we're just trusting that this is God's timing for us.

But I did take another pregnancy test tonight.

And it was positive.