31 week ultrasound update

Since the high risk doctor found me at moderate risk for pre eclampsia a few months back, he has wanted me to go in monthy for ultrasounds to check blood flow and birth weight. Yesterday Jeremy and I went in to check out Max on the ultrasound- and it was simply amazing.
We arrived bright and early to MFM at Toledo Hospital, and when we got called back the tech asked us if we knew the sex. We told her we have known for quite some time that it was a boy, and within seconds she found his "pickle" and said "whoa! that is definitely a boy!" There was Max, legs spread, proudly showing off his business, and it was funny. We then saw his foot, and she was so amazed it was so big, and told us we were going to have one big baby boy by the size of his feet:) She then went on to check blood flow into the brain, and through the umbilical chord. Everything was pumping good, although the chord was very hard to get a read on because Max was wiggling so much. Next she took measurements of legs, arms, belly, and head to get a read on how much the little guy weighs. Up until this ultrasound I was pretty much a pro. After about 100 ultrasounds in the past 2 years, I have been able to tell what everything is they are looking at and checking for. But this was my first ultrasound seeing a baby bigger than 26 weeks old, and its crazy how many more questions I asked this time around. I am very interested, and I want to know everything they are looking at, checking for, and if there is something that doesn't seem quite right. The Toledo techs tell me everything- which I love....the tech's at St. V's never told me anything because only the doctor was allowed to talk to me. I then asked to see if they could get some 3d images of the little guy. He was in a pretty good position so she went for it. Wow these were amazing!! Toledo Hospital has some of the best machines around, and the images were so clear. It was so fascinating watching him move his little hand up and down and wiggle. I laid there with the biggest smile on my face, just so thankful for this little miracle (while also making "oooohs and aaaaahs like most do when watching fireworks).
So here are the stats: Max had a heartbeat of 156 bpm and weighed in at 3 pounds 15 ounces....so possibly by today hes 4 pounds! I was 31 weeks 2 days gestation going in and measured at 32 weeks exactly. This was so great to hear since the high risk doc thought he was going to struggle to keep up with his weight from the lack of blood flow. But all looks wonderful!!
As far as me and how I am feeling: I no longer have any back pain and I have been feeling pretty good! My only complaint now is that my feet hurt alll the time, and I think a huge factor for that is that I primarily wear flip flops which dont provide much comfort. Its not horrible, but a good excuse to stay seated :)

A Date has Been Set (probably)

So today I had my 2 week appointment with my doctor. My doctor said that I am getting to that point now where we can go ahead and schedule a c-section. He thought the 5th would be a good day, to which I replied "how about the 9th, I reeeeeally want the 9th." Of course he asked me the significance of this date, and I explained to him how I thought 8-9-10 for a birthday would be pretty sweet. He wasn't in surgery that day, but is going to get me in first thing that Monday morning at 8 am....and maybe even deliver at 8:09 am. Very cool!! On the other hand, he said he HIGHLY doubts that I will make it that far, that more than likely I will be delivering mid-July which is only 6 weeks away!! He says he feels completely comfortable with me delivering at 8 months, but as long as nothing is wrong we will stick it out until August 9th and keep little Max baking as long as possible. I am really fine with anything at this point. I just want a healthy little baby in my arms before the summer's end. My doc also wants my monthly ultrasounds done over at MFM at Toledo due to their amazing equiptment so I will be over there in a few weeks, and hopefully seeing a 3d scan of him. Jeremy is all about seeing his little boy via 3d ultrasound, so hopefully he will be around to check it out too!

26 weeks- a scare, ultrasound, and lots of love

For those who may have forgotten, I delivered Brody during my 26th week of pregnancy. Already this week has not been smooth sailing. I started off Monday convinced I was leaking fluid, so as soon as school ended I ran out with my mom to the doctor to make sure everything was ok. Thankfully I was just paranoid and my water was still in tact. My doctor was very understanding, and reassured me that I did the right thing by coming in. In my situation, he said it is always better to err on the side of caution.

Wednesday (today) I had to go in for my monthly ultrasound as ordered by the high risk doc to make sure there is not a slow in growth. I was very curious to go into this ultrasound to see what he looked like, where he weighed in compared to Brody....because he is one day younger than Brody when he was born. He had tons (but not too much) of amniotic fluid, heartbeat was 160 bpm, and he weighed in at a whopping 2 pounds 2 ounces! (Brody was 1 pound 11 ounces when he was born) The tech tried to do a 3-d ultrasound, but his legs were covering his face so it was pretty tough to see anything.

I think the toughest part of this week, though, is realizing that this is when I had Brody. I just know how attatched I am to this baby, and I have NO idea how I made it through losing Brody. Back when I was in high school, I always thought my mom was crazy for answering the phone with a panicked voice when I would call home late at night...she would tell me she always feared the worse, which I never understood. Now thats how I answer the phone when I see it's my doctor calling. I guess now I don't think shes so crazy.

Needless to say this baby is looking perfect, and everything is going along perfectly...and I am pretty darn proud of myself for making it to 26 weeks before my first major freak out.

I also wanted to do a little comparison with my pregnancies, because after tomorrow everything will be new to me...and I have been asked a lot about how my two little boys treated me during pregnancy so here it goes: I threw up with Brody, never with this baby-although the nausea was a killer at night. I had bleeding on and off with Brody, and no bleeding this time around. I had an anterior placenta with Brody, and this time my placenta is in the back- which only means that I can feel WAY more movement. I hated the smell of beer with Brody- it made me soooo nausious, and I have been craving a beer the past 6 months with this baby (I make anyone around me drinking one let me smell it). I craved twizzlers pull n peels with Brody, and this time I can't get enough jello. Both babies left me with horrible headaches, but this baby has left me with back pain like I have never experienced. In the hospital, Brody would kick the heart monitor away from the nurses, but this baby will barely move if someone puts a hand on my belly. I showed a lot sooner this time around....I am a lot bigger now than I was when I had Brody. Both boys have grabbed ahold of my heart and have make an impact in my life like no one else...

23 weeks

Today I had my highly anticipated ultrasound and consultation with my high risk doctor. Right away we did find out that this baby is certainly a boy! This was an extremely detailed ultrasound, lasting about an hour...my neck was very sore when it was over from turning my head to watch- but it was so worth it! My mom and I did eat before to get the little guy moving around, and I even walked on the wild side and had an ice tea with my meal! He was very wiggly, it was so cute. He measured 23weeks 0 days...which is exactly where he should be. Heartbeat was 146 bpm, lots of amniotic fluid, he has both kidneys, a bladder, and an amazingly adorable profile :). Everything on him is perfect!

So here is the down side: This hopefully will be no big deal, but there seems to be a decrease of blood flow from the placenta to the baby (im pretty sure thats what it is...i know it has to do with decreased blood flow) This puts me at MODERATE risk for pre-eclampsia or for the baby to slow down growth. So I am getting ultrasounds every 4 weeks from here on out to make sure hes measuring up to size (which he is now, woot woot), and then I am having some sort of stress test later on. So here are the negatives- IF I develop pre-eclampsia the ONLY solution is delivering the placenta, which means the baby will need to be delivered too. If you watch 19 kids and counting- this is why the mom had to deliver early. The good news is that baby asprin helps reduce my risk for this, and I have been on that since 9 weeks. Also, I am just at moderate risk, which means I might have problems but its not for certain...the high risk doctor isn't concerned enough to see me again, so I'll take it!!

20 Weeks!

Since I haven't updated in a while, I will try to catch you up on the past seven weeks. I thought I would also fill you in on why I am not getting an ultrasound this week- when almost everyone does when they are 20 weeks pregnant.

At my 16 week appointment, I had an ultrasound. The main reason my doctor ordered it was to check my cervical length. Some times when women pprom, it is due to an incompetent cervix (where you start dilating before you are supposed to). If I was dilating or funneling, my doctor would have to put in a temporary stitch (cerclage) to make sure everything stayed closed for as long as possible. Fortunately, my cervix was long and closed- exactly what I was hoping for.

It was also during this ultrasound that I informed the nurse that I already know we are having a boy- that I found out at 13 weeks. To which she replied that it is very difficult to determine the sex that early because everything is so swollen down there for either sex. She did say, "I can see where she got that from, though- but I wouldn't paint the room over it." So I guess we aren't positive the sex yet, but I would be REALLY shocked if I was told I am having a girl at the next ultrasound. My mom and I also found a striking resemblance between this baby's ultrasound pictures and Brody's ultrasound pictures (not counting fluid). I know it is just an ultrasound and those things are hard to see anyways, but wow they are extremely similar looking.

From 16 weeks to today I have been far more positive about this pregnancy. I was just so terrified that something would go wrong. I absolutely hated being pregnant because I was preparing for the worst news every day. Jeremy and I talked many times about how it was hard to even get attached in the beginning, because if something did go wrong- I had to be able to keep my distance for my own sanity. I didn't know if I would have to go through multiple miscarriages before bringing a baby to term- I didn't know if there was something wrong with me to prevent me from being able to carry a baby. Please don't get me wrong though- I have never for one second wished I wasn't pregnant or have taken it for granted. I have cherished each day like you couldn't believe. It was about two weeks ago when the weight was lifted off my shoulders. I felt the baby kick! He is so alive and real to me, and I am so relieved that I know he is ok on a daily basis. I don't have to wait until I get the doctor's to hear or see a heartbeat. I was also thrilled to have made it past 19 weeks without rupturing this time, and I will be ecstatic to make it to 24 weeks when the baby is viable and the chances of survival outside of the womb (considering there has been fluid the entire time) is so much higher. I don't think like your typical pregnant woman!

As far as my next ultrasound goes: My OB wanted an ultrasound and cervical check next week (21 weeks gestation), and my high risk doctor wanted an ultrasound in three weeks (23 weeks gestation). Two ultrasounds two weeks apart, costing me $160 each time seemed a little expensive considering not much changes during this time. My doctors agreed and typically made me stick with the latest one. So April 19th (I think) should be my next ultrasound and when we officially find out the sex.

It definitely wasn't an easy decision to make, though. A few nights ago I laid in bed wondering if I should be waiting that long before my next ultrasound. I kept thinking that what if something was wrong, I would want to know sooner rather than later (again- I don't think like a normal pregnant woman). Then all the sudden my tummy started thumping, it was so weird. I put my hand on my stomach and I could feel the baby moving and he had hiccups! (Many of you will think this is a neat story, and others will know what it REALLY means to me). I definitely started crying because he might not be able to reassure me and tell me hes ok- but his big brother can :)

13 week genetics screening

Yesterday I had my 13 week appointment at Toledo Hospital to get my first trimester screen done. During this appointment they checked for three things: 1. Make sure there is a bone in the baby's nose (via ultrasound) 2. Check the skin on the back of it's neck (via ultrasound) 3. Prick my finger and drop 5 drops of blood on a piece of paper (it's a little bit more technical than this, but you get it). Oh the amazing things they can do nowadays!
Due to the weather, Jeremy was off work and was able to make my appointment with me. So first we went back to get an ultrasound. The tech immediately commented on my long uterus "that you skinny girls have" (that was nice to hear) making her job more difficult. She was only joking, know that we loved this woman! It doesn't mean anything to me or the baby, just that I might not get as huge as other pregnant women. I also found out that I am "VERY fertile" from the looks of my ovaries (very good to know for future birth control methods). The baby must have been sleeping at first so the tech pushed on my belly a little bit with the wand, and wow that woke it up!! From there we saw the bone in it's nose, and skin on it's neck, all great signs. As the tech checked out more we saw the baby flip from back to tummy, lift its hands all around, and suck it's thumb. It was amazing to see how much bigger it got since I had seen it last. While we were watching I asked if she thought I would be able to find out the sex at my 16 week appointment. She said "probably depending on the type of ultrasound you have. Why, do you guys want to find out?" To which I replied "oh yes, I think it is going to be a boy, he thinks it will be a girl." And then, surprisingly she told us,"well I have to say I think it is going to be a boy because look here." and there she showed us the beginning of a little pickle :) We are having a boy again!! It is still very early to tell, but most likely that is what we will be having! A mother is always right ;). After the ultrasound I met with the MFM (high risk) doc and he said all looks good, and gave me some further restrictions in the pregnancy just to be safe. We then went on to meet with the genetics specialist to get my finger pricked and squeezed. So so far everything looks good for our baby boy :)

Feeling Better, Finally!

12 weeks in and I am doing great! I am getting my energy back and the nausea is subsiding, which is an amazing feeling. I had another doctor's appointment today with my ob, and my mom and I were able to hear the baby's heartbeat. It seemed like it took forever to find, but thankfully we heard the pitter-patter of a wonderful baby.

The doctor discussed with me that the high risk doctor believes that I will need to have a c-section for this pregnancy and all subsequent pregnancies due to the prematurity of my uterus and the location of my incision when I had Brody. This wasn't a huge upset to me, a part of me is disappointed that I will never get to deliver a baby the good old fashion way, but another part of me is relieved that I won't run the risk of another abruption. It seems like we are shooting for the first week in August for delivery. Once it gets closer to picking out an actual date, I will hopefully be persuading my doctor to deliver on the 9th (8-9-10...sweet huh?). Ultimately my doctor hopes that I make it that long. He says he will be relieved when I make it to 8 months. We will likely be bringing home a preemie, but not a baby that needs to be in the NICU. Not a big surprise.

So here is what to come: next week I meet back with the high risk doctor for an ultrasound and a first trimester screening (more blood tests!). In a month I meet back with my ob for another ultrasound and to check my cervix. Many women that pprom have an incompetent cervix, so they will check mine regularly to make sure it is good and closed! I will be 16 weeks at this point so there is the possibility that we will be able to find out the sex, yaaay! The nurse told me that it is very hard to tell at this point, but "sometimes you can see a little pickle." I will also be getting the quad screen blood test at this appointment. From there I will have another 20 week ultrasound (hopefully with plenty of fluid) at my ob's office and a 22 week ultrasound with the high risk doctor- and hopefully, if all goes smoothly, that is the last I will meet with him.

I am 12 weeks now, which is greatly reassuring, but somewhat terrifying. It was this week in my last pregnancy that I ended up in the ER due to massive bleeding. I will be very happy when this week is over :)