34 Week Update

So it’s been an interesting week. As mentioned in the last blog, the midwife gave me medication to take when I’m having contractions. Last Thursday night I started having really bad cramping, so I had Ryan take the prescription to be filled. Since it’s not a commonly used drug, the pharmacy didn’t have it in stock. If they couldn’t locate any in the area I would have had to wait for a shipment to come in on Monday. Fortunately they were able to partially fill the order Friday morning, since by then I was having regular contractions every 20 minutes. One pill and 30 minutes later the contractions stopped. That wonderful episode was after spending 2 days lying down and not sitting up, so I no longer have to do anything to provoke the contractions.

The weekend and the beginning of this week were uneventful, just the normal cramping, which has become par for the course. So I decided to schedule a professional photo session to get some maternity pictures taken. I knew there was a good chance that it would bring on contractions, but I really wanted to get the pictures done and I figured the medicine would help. I did have to stand a little, but mostly I was sitting (car, wheelchair, and poses). I was having a little more cramping then normal last night, but nothing too bad.

This morning though I was having contractions every 10 minutes. I went ahead and took one of my pills and waited for them to let up. An hour later there was no change so I went ahead and took a second pill. Another half hour later the contractions finally let up to just every 15 minutes, but never went away. This afternoon Ryan convinced me to call the midwife’s office for advice since the weekend was coming up. The midwife was concerned that the contractions had been only 10 minutes apart, even after taking the first pill. She instructed me to take 2 pills every 6hrs for the next 24hrs and then 1 pill every 6hrs after that if they haven’t stopped yet. She also said if they get stronger or closer than 15 minutes apart while on the medication to go into the hospital.

So it’s going to be an interesting weekend. The medicine makes me extremely jittery, so it’s hard to do anything. I’m actually only able to type this because the first dose is just wearing off and the next dose of medicine hasn’t fully kicked in yet. Hopefully the contractions will eventually let up. I’m scheduled to go back to the Dr. on Tuesday, at which point I will be 35wks. I hope Owen is able to hang on at least until then. I know he’s big enough to safely come out now, but my first choice hospital for delivery doesn’t take women before 35wks. And whereas I don’t really want another 9lb+ baby, I’d still like him to at least reach 7lbs.

I will post another update after Tuesday’s appointment. That is unless Owen decides to make his debut first. :)

33 Week Check-Up

Well I had my 33wk check-up with the midwife this morning. I was anxious to see what she had to say, since I had a rough weekend. I hadn’t really been up doing any walking, actually less than normal probably, but I did do a bit more sitting up. I made it to church Saturday morning with the use of a wheelchair and sat up on the front porch to watch the fireworks that night, plus I ate all 3 meals at the table with the family. By the time I went to bed that night I was in quite a bit of pain. The cramping continued to get worse Sunday, even though the only sitting up I did that day was for meals. By Sunday evening I was having contractions 15-20 minutes apart and woke up several times that night in pain. By Monday morning the contractions had stopped, but I was having constant cramping and all my back and abdominal muscles were in pain from the contractions the night before. The cramping had significantly lessened by this morning, but after being up all morning to go to the Dr’s office the cramping has once again increased, though fortunately no more contractions yet.

After I told her all this she decided she needed to check my cervix again. I have now progressed to 2cm and my cervix is very soft. She said that sitting up probably pushes Owen’s head down onto my cervix, causing the contractions to have an effect. She said the bed rest does seem to be helping though, because if I had actually been up and active I would quite likely have progressed much further already. However, since simply sitting up is now causing contractions, I am to lie down/recline as much as possible. And to help combat the contractions she gave me a prescription for Terbutaline.

The other discovery made at this appointment is that I am once again measuring 3wks ahead, so she ordered another ultrasound to check my fluid levels again. The technician said the levels look good, but Owen is a larger than average baby, though not overly huge. She took several different measurements, but the ones that I remember were that his head measures at 35wks and his body at 36wks (again, I’m only 33wks). She told me at the end that he currently weighs in at about 5lbs 6oz. (Average for a fetus at this stage is 4.5lbs). We also confirmed that he is indeed a boy, as he gave us a nice clear shot between his legs.

I am of course a little disappointed in losing the privilege to sit up, but am reassured that Owen would be okay if he were to come at anytime now. The midwife said that by 34wks they don’t worry too much about lung development, and that at that point it’s just a matter of letting the baby put on weight, and since the little guy’s already over the 5lb threshold, I feel a lot better.

I did finally ask what the chances would be of being on bed rest again if we decide to have another baby in the future. She said she doesn’t know any specific percentages, but that I would have a slightly increased chance, but that all pregnancies are different. She did note though that this has been a healthy pregnancy and they haven’t actually had to stop premature labor yet, so the prospect of bed rest alone shouldn’t be a deterrent. As usual I go back in 2wks. At that visit I will be seeing the Dr, instead of my midwife, to do a c-section consultation and actually schedule the delivery. Fingers crossed I make it ‘til then without any extra appointments.

31 Week Check-up

Well I had my 31 week check-up with the midwife this morning. Since I’ve been having more regular cramping she decided to go ahead and check my cervix again and run the Fibronectin test again, which tests to see if my body is preparing to go into labor within the next week or 2. Fortunately my cervix hasn’t dilated any more and is still at 1cm. She’ll call me if the Fibronectin test comes back positive.

She told me that 36-37 weeks would probably be too early to do a scheduled c-section, but if I were to go into labor on my own at that point they would let me deliver. So at around 36-37 weeks she’ll let me start doing a little more. So the reprieve off full bedrest that I was hoping would come at 34 weeks now won’t come until 37 weeks. I wanted to make it to 37 weeks anyway, since that’s considered full term, but it does double the amount of time I have left on bedrest. (6wks instead of just 3).

As usual I’m supposed to call if the contractions get worse or more regular. The bit of good news I got was that my glucose test came back clear and that Owen is now in a head down position. Of course that could change. He is much more the tumbler than Carter was and is always changing positions, which of course is getting more painful the bigger he gets, so I hope he decides to stay put.

That’s it for now. I have another appointment in 2 weeks. Hopefully there won’t be any need for an update before then. :)

Carter

After the many updates on Owen and my pregnancy, I figured it was time to give an update on our other little guy. He's still growing like a weed and weighs in just under 30lbs. Not sure of his exact height since we haven’t measured him since his 2yr check-up.

He has a pretty full vocabulary and talks in full sentences. He also picks up new words immediately, so of course we have to be REALLY careful what we say around him. He's known his full alphabet for quite some time, but now is actually using it. I’ll let him send his daddy instant messages while he's at work. I'll tell him which letters to hit and he does the typing, so he's also learned "enter", "space" and "period".

Being on the computer is one of his favorite activities. We got him his own QWERTY keyboard that has oversized keys for toddler fingers and also a toddler size mouse. (It also came with a mouse pad that holds a picture and the only 4x6 picture we had handy was that of our friends NJ and Sebrena's little girl Kaitlyn, whom Carter's only met once in person, but adores through the internet. So he loves using his "Kait-Kait" mouse pad).

Anyway, the site we go to the most is Sesame Street, which has games specifically for toddlers. Many are as simple as just hitting any random keys on the computer, but others take more control, like using the mouse to select the correct matching pictures, which he is now able to do completely on his own. We're not trying to turn him into a computer/video game junky, but rather teach hand-eye coordination and basic computer skills that he will need in the future anyway. Plus the games are educational. He also loves to play the Nintendo Wii, which isn't so much educational, but very good for hand-eye and body coordination too (we also have Wii Fit which takes full body movements).

Other activities he enjoys are playing with Legos, Play-doh, and coloring, cutting, and gluing paper. He also really enjoys playing outside. He loves going to the park and playing on the swings and going down slides and through tunnels. At home he likes to blow bubbles, play with his t-ball set, “mow” with his bubble mower, ride his electric 4x4 “atv”, and draw pictures with chalk on the driveway. He also really enjoys helping with chores around the house: loading/switching/sorting/folding laundry, washing dishes, cooking, and sweeping. Next is teaching him to make his own bed. :)

Yesterday I noticed when I laid him down for his nap that he had several spots on his belly. On further examination I found them on his arms, legs, back, bottom, and face. He’d had the chicken pox vaccine, so we were unsure what could cause so many spots all over his body. Ryan took him to the Dr. this morning and discovered that our little boy is covered in bug bites, likely from chiggers. We figure he got them from playing in the backyard in just his swim trunks running through the sprinkler and sliding in the grass.

And finally, his latest “cuteness” started today. While coloring, I told him to write his name. He scribbled a little and said “Carter James Herman”. I then told him to write mommy’s name. He’s been saying for some time “Mommy Mindy, Daddy Ryan”, so he knows our names. So he scribbled some more and said “Mommy James Herman” and then scribbled some more and said “Daddy James Herman”. I had him “write” our names again this evening for Ryan and this time we were “Mommy James Mindy” and “Daddy James Ryan”. So apparently everyone has his middle name. :P

29 Week Check-Up

Well I just got back from my 29wk appointment with the midwife. I got to do the wonderful glucose test today- I seriously can’t remember why as a kid I liked sweet/sugary drinks. I just find them disgusting now. Anyway I’m supposed to call back on Friday to find out my results from that. Hopefully that’ll be negative, because a 3hr follow-up test doesn’t sound like much fun (and neither does the prospect of gestational diabetes).

The good news is I am measuring normal again. I had a feeling I would. I measured myself last week and it was 4cm/wks ahead. Then over the weekend I noticed in the mirror that my belly suddenly looked smaller and lower, so I think he “dropped”. Hopefully that doesn’t mean he’s getting ready to come out, but at least I’m measuring back to normal again.

I also only gained 1lb in the past 2.5 wks, which isn't necessarily good for pregnancy (it' supposed to be about 1lb per week), but it sure is nice to not see the scale go up another 3-4lbs and it wasn't significant enough for them to comment on. And I do promise I am eating just fine, plus lots of sweets to fulfill my current cravings. So it's just a fluke I'm sure, but one that doesn't bother me in the least. :)

The midwife asked how the bed rest was going and I told her it does seem to be helping. I’ve been having considerably fewer contractions. However I did tell her that it also seems to take less activity to bring them on. She gave me the option of going on medication to control the contractions, but said that so long as the bed rest is working and I have people to help me, that it’s the better option. She also said that if it continues as it has, with it taking less and less activity to bring on contractions and taking longer periods of rest for them to go away, then to call her and they will go ahead and start me on the medicine.

It does sound more assuredly like I will get a little reprieve once I hit the 34 week mark though. She said that this (bed rest and possibly medication) is the course we’ll have to stay on until I reach a safer zone, which as she said last time is 34 weeks. So it lifts my spirits a little to think that I only have 5 more weeks of full bed rest. Of course I still want Owen to come as close to our scheduled 39 week c-section as possible, but it’s much easier to think of just 5 more weeks instead of 10.

So that’s all I know for now. She didn’t check my cervix this time, since I haven’t had a long stretch of strong contractions again like before. She’s always one to be cautious and doesn’t check unless she thinks there’s a reason, because there is a chance that checking the cervix will stimulate contractions. I am a little curious to know if I’ve remained at 1cm or if I’ve progressed any further, but I won’t complain about not being probed. :)

I have now reached the point of appointments every 2 weeks, so I get to go back again on the 22nd. Hopefully everything will be good until then and I won’t have any unscheduled appointments between now and then.

2 Weeks Down

It has now been 2 full weeks since I was sentenced to full bed rest. The first week was pretty easy, since we were staying with Ryan's parents. With daddy, nana, and papa around Carter never lacked for attention. The hardest part for me has been remembering not to get up. I realize now just how much you take for granted the ability to get up for even the littlest thing. It can be kind of frustrating to be dependent on others for every little need.

This week has been a big adjustment, but we seem to be settling into a routine. I've had help every day this week and have most of my help lined up for next week already. Carter's gone out on play dates twice this week and threw a fit both times. But both people assured me that once they reached their destinations he was fine and played well with the other kids, which is a relief. He's very social and loves to play with his friends, he's just not comfortable leaving without mommy yet.

He's also having issues with going potty for other people right now. Actually he's having issues going potty for anyone right now- he's become very independent and gets frustrated when he's not able to do something on his own- in this case potty. He can do everything except get his pants up and down. A couple weeks ago I was keeping him in his PJ's for the mornings and he could get them up and down, but he can't manage regular pants yet, even if they have an elastic waist. So he's had a couple accidents this week, but hopefully that will just help him realize it's ok to let someone else help him.

I've been doing my best to keep myself occupied. I've pretty much made it through an entire 200 page variety puzzle book. I've also been hand sewing a quilt for Owen. I had the whole thing cut and pieced together within the first week. All I have left now is stitching the detail between the front and back panels to keep the batting in place during washing. That's on hold for right now though. Within the last 2 days I've received requests for 3 portrait drawings, so I'll be working on those commissions for the next little while.

I go back to see the midwife on Monday and hope that I haven't dilated any more. I've still been having lots of cramping and occasional contractions, but fortunately haven't had any more regularly spaced contractions. I don't know if it's normal after being idle for so long, but it definitely takes less action to bring the pain on. If I'm up for anything more than just bathroom breaks I definitely start feeling more cramping and it doesn't take much more to bring on contractions.

That's pretty much everything for now. I'll post another update next week to let everyone know what I find out from the midwife.

Full Bed Rest

Well, I decided to call the nurse today to report some pain I’ve been having quite regularly in the groin area for the past couple days that won’t go away (I wanted to check in since we’re supposed to be out of town all next week for Carolina Camp Meeting.) The midwife was out for the morning, but the nurse suggested coming in this afternoon to get checked out just in case.

She started off with a pelvic exam to check my cervix. Last Monday it was still thick and completely closed. Today it was softened and dilated 1cm. I haven’t had too many contractions this week, but I did tell her about last week when I was having contractions every 30min for about 30 hours straight after being up tending to Carter for the morning. She went ahead and hooked me up to a monitor to make sure I wasn’t currently experiencing any contractions that I wasn’t aware of and that came back clear.

She then did an ultrasound to determine Owen’s position and found that he’s breech right now (which is completely ok at this point, he’s not due for another 3 months!) She figures that the groin pain I’ve been experiencing is from his position- his legs pushing downward when he moves. So she called it a lucky fluke that she discovered my dilated cervix, which she attributes to the contractions I’ve been experiencing, not the current groin pain.

So the result of all this is that I am now of full bed rest. I am allowed to get up to go to the bathroom and she said sitting should be ok, so I don’t have to be lying down 24/7. She also advised against traveling out of town, but since we will be staying with my in-laws and will receive more help with Carter than if we stayed home, she gave next week the go ahead.

After conferring with one of the doctors she decided to give me an injection of betamethasone, which is a cortical steroid to help develop Owen’s lungs in case he is born early and I have to have a second injection tomorrow afternoon. She also gave me a copy of my records to keep with me in case I do go into preterm labor.

She also told me that regular contractions 30 minutes apart at this point should be ok, but if they’re painful or more frequent than that to go straight to the hospital. Their goal is for me to get to at least 34 weeks. I’m currently 26w 3d, so I have 7 ½ weeks to go until it would be considered safe for him come out. He’d have about a 90% chance of survival right now, but with risks of complications.

And so the new countdown begins. I’ve been counting down to the planned c-sections day of Aug. 18 (88 days from now), but I have decided to now just count down to 34 weeks, at which point I will breath a huge sigh of relief (and hopefully be downgraded back to partial bed rest). So… 53 days to go, but it’s almost tomorrow, so 52. :)