Today was my first NST (non-stress test) at the hospital. From now until delivery, I'll be going every Monday and Thursday for these tests. It's basically just simple monitoring to ensure that the baby is doing well and to check for signs of pre-eclampsia and pre-term labor. Today, the nurse took my blood pressure (normal), did a quick ultrasound to see how the baby was positioned (head down), and then hooked me up to two monitors around my belly for 20 minutes. The first monitor records the baby's heart rate and the second contractions. They want to see the heart rate at a good baseline level (anything between 110 - 160 bmp is normal; our baby's is around 145 bmp) and then accelerate when he moves. What they don't want to see are any long decelerations that don't come back to baseline quickly.
For the first 10 minutes or so, the baby was sleeping as he'd been super active all morning, so the nurse woke him up with a vibrator (!) against my belly. After that, he rolled and kicked like crazy. He had one brief deceleration during the test, but since it was quick and his heart rate came back up to baseline and stayed there afterwards, she said it wasn't concerning. Most likely he compressed his cord a little during one of his rolls.
We're relieved that everything still appears stable despite me losing my mucus plug yesterday. This rather gross substance helps to prevent infection and doesn't normally come out this early. However, since I'm not having increased contractions since losing it, the doctors aren't concerned.
I return on Thursday for my ultrasound and another NST session. Cross your fingers he cooperates so we can get a good picture!
Monday, June 20, 2011
Thursday, June 9, 2011
30 Weeks
There's not a whole lot to report this week. Baby continues to do well and is as active as always. I'm starting to feel huge and experiencing plenty of third trimester fun such as heartburn, backache, insomnia, etc. Fortunately all of that is minor and so far I haven't had any issues with swelling or blood pressure.
We're pretty sure the baby's not deaf as he is very responsive to music. We've been watching the tv show "So You Think You Can Dance" and he kicks and rolls around like crazy during the whole thing! It's pretty weird to watch my belly rippling and bulging from his gymnastics.
We have a good start made on getting the nursery set up. All of the furniture is in the room (pics are up on Facebook or you can email me if you want to see them). We will work on decorations this weekend, so hopefully I'll have finished pics for this blog by my next update.
Tracy and my good friend Stephanie are hosting a local baby shower for me this Saturday. I'm very excited and can't wait to celebrate with everyone!
Today's ultrasound was quick and uneventful. Baby was facing inwards, so no photos again. Dr. P checked the umbilical cord blood flow and it's still looking great. :)
Today's stats
Gestational age: 30 weeks 1 day
Baby's weight: 3 lbs 11 ounces
Weight percentile: 62%
Heartrate: 151 bpm
Fruit comparison: winter squash
My total weight gain: + 10 pounds
We're pretty sure the baby's not deaf as he is very responsive to music. We've been watching the tv show "So You Think You Can Dance" and he kicks and rolls around like crazy during the whole thing! It's pretty weird to watch my belly rippling and bulging from his gymnastics.
We have a good start made on getting the nursery set up. All of the furniture is in the room (pics are up on Facebook or you can email me if you want to see them). We will work on decorations this weekend, so hopefully I'll have finished pics for this blog by my next update.
Tracy and my good friend Stephanie are hosting a local baby shower for me this Saturday. I'm very excited and can't wait to celebrate with everyone!
Today's ultrasound was quick and uneventful. Baby was facing inwards, so no photos again. Dr. P checked the umbilical cord blood flow and it's still looking great. :)
Today's stats
Gestational age: 30 weeks 1 day
Baby's weight: 3 lbs 11 ounces
Weight percentile: 62%
Heartrate: 151 bpm
Fruit comparison: winter squash
My total weight gain: + 10 pounds
Thursday, May 26, 2011
28 Weeks
If our baby was born this week, he would have a 95% chance of survival. Fortunately, there's no sign of those odds being tested as everything continues to go well. My blood pressure is still normal and hasn't begun to rise yet.
At today's ultrasound, we discussed kick counts and birth options (or possible lack thereof). With respect to kicking, I'm supposed to start tracking how long it takes the baby to kick 10 times and keep a log every day. If his normal kick pattern changes or decreases, then there could be a problem. While I haven't been actually physically tracking his kicking so far, he's generally very active especially after I eat. He reaches 10 kicks in about 2 minutes! This afternoon, work took us out to see Kung Fu Panda 2, and the baby kicked constantly throughout the whole movie.
As for birth options, at the moment a c-section is looking more and more likely. Up until recently, my ulcerative colitis had been pretty quiet, but over the last few weeks it's started to flare. Unfortunately, if it's still active by delivery, the best option for me will be a c-section to reduce the risk of a fistula or intestinal tear. My flares usually last for a couple of months, so it remains to be seen if it will be quiet again by early August...
Today's ultrasound pictures aren't really good enough to post, so no eye candy this week. Sorry!
This Week's Stats:
Gestational Age: 28 weeks, 1 day
Baby's Weight: 2 lbs 9 ounces
Heart Rate: 143 bmp
Vegetable Comparison: Eggplant
My Weight change: + 8 pounds
At today's ultrasound, we discussed kick counts and birth options (or possible lack thereof). With respect to kicking, I'm supposed to start tracking how long it takes the baby to kick 10 times and keep a log every day. If his normal kick pattern changes or decreases, then there could be a problem. While I haven't been actually physically tracking his kicking so far, he's generally very active especially after I eat. He reaches 10 kicks in about 2 minutes! This afternoon, work took us out to see Kung Fu Panda 2, and the baby kicked constantly throughout the whole movie.
As for birth options, at the moment a c-section is looking more and more likely. Up until recently, my ulcerative colitis had been pretty quiet, but over the last few weeks it's started to flare. Unfortunately, if it's still active by delivery, the best option for me will be a c-section to reduce the risk of a fistula or intestinal tear. My flares usually last for a couple of months, so it remains to be seen if it will be quiet again by early August...
Today's ultrasound pictures aren't really good enough to post, so no eye candy this week. Sorry!
This Week's Stats:
Gestational Age: 28 weeks, 1 day
Baby's Weight: 2 lbs 9 ounces
Heart Rate: 143 bmp
Vegetable Comparison: Eggplant
My Weight change: + 8 pounds
Thursday, May 19, 2011
I passed the GTT!!
Great news -- I do NOT have gestational diabetes! I passed the GTT with flying colors. Woohoo! I'm so relieved as I was genuinely concerned that I was going to fail it. Now I can thoroughly enjoy our anniversary dinner and dessert this weekend. =)
Since Tuesday was our 3 year wedding anniversary, Chad is taking me to Stonehill Tavern, which is a very upscale establishment within the St. Regis resort in Dana Point. I'm excited -- the food is amazing and the views of the ocean at sunset are really breathtaking.
It's hard to believe that we've already been married for 3 years. It's certainly been an eventful journey so far. The last year especially has been very emotional with so many ups and downs from infertility treatments and miscarriages. I'm glad that our relationship has remained strong despite the challenges. I know it has been difficult for Chad to cope with my anxiety and depression, but he's done a great job of being supportive. I know we're both thrilled to finally be able to move past all that and get to start the next phase of our lives. Hopefully we're able to handle all of the changes without too many growing pains!
In other news, our first shipment of fancy cloth diapers arrived yesterday. They are bumGenius 4.0's and are a pocket diaper, which means you simply stuff an absorbant pad inside of them, add a disposable liner, and voila, they're as easy as a disposable to put on. When it's time for a diaper change, we'll simple dump the liner and its icky contents in the toilet and throw the diaper into the washing machine. So much easier than the old style prefolds and plastic pants and pins and swishing disgusting diapers in the toilet! I figure I still need another dozen or so. I'll probably get some Fuzzibunz and maybe some Bummis (aren't the names a riot??). Thanks again to Mandi for all of her thoughts on brands and detergents and general awesome advice!
Hopefully whichever day care we use won't have a problem with them as they really are nearly as simple to use as disposables. =)
Since Tuesday was our 3 year wedding anniversary, Chad is taking me to Stonehill Tavern, which is a very upscale establishment within the St. Regis resort in Dana Point. I'm excited -- the food is amazing and the views of the ocean at sunset are really breathtaking.
It's hard to believe that we've already been married for 3 years. It's certainly been an eventful journey so far. The last year especially has been very emotional with so many ups and downs from infertility treatments and miscarriages. I'm glad that our relationship has remained strong despite the challenges. I know it has been difficult for Chad to cope with my anxiety and depression, but he's done a great job of being supportive. I know we're both thrilled to finally be able to move past all that and get to start the next phase of our lives. Hopefully we're able to handle all of the changes without too many growing pains!
In other news, our first shipment of fancy cloth diapers arrived yesterday. They are bumGenius 4.0's and are a pocket diaper, which means you simply stuff an absorbant pad inside of them, add a disposable liner, and voila, they're as easy as a disposable to put on. When it's time for a diaper change, we'll simple dump the liner and its icky contents in the toilet and throw the diaper into the washing machine. So much easier than the old style prefolds and plastic pants and pins and swishing disgusting diapers in the toilet! I figure I still need another dozen or so. I'll probably get some Fuzzibunz and maybe some Bummis (aren't the names a riot??). Thanks again to Mandi for all of her thoughts on brands and detergents and general awesome advice!
 |
| I love how soft and colorful cloth diapers are! |
Hopefully whichever day care we use won't have a problem with them as they really are nearly as simple to use as disposables. =)
Friday, May 13, 2011
Glucose Challenge Test Blues
Yesterday was my fourteenth ultrasound as well as tests to check my thyroid, blood sugar, iron levels, etc. The glucose challenge test consists of drinking a super disgusting, sickly sweet cool-aid type drink and then having blood drawn 1 hour later to check blood sugar levels. The purpose is to screen for gestational diabetes (GD). The cutoff level for passing the test is 140 mg/dl. Of course I failed the test; my reading came back at 149 mg/dl. :-( The good news is that it doesn't automatically mean that I have GD. In fact, my nurse said that 90% of women who fail by such a small amount ultimately don't have GD.
The next step is to take the 3 hour glucose tolerance test, in which I will fast overnight and then drink even more of the disgusting sugary drink, followed by blood draws every hour for 3 hours. Fun! If I fail two or more of those readings, then I'll be diagnosed with GD. Unfortunately, I already suspect that I'll fail at least the initial fasting draw, as it has to be below 95 mg/dl and my typical fasting reading is around 105...
In happier news, I had another great ultrasound. The baby continues to do well and is measuring in the 50% percentile. The placenta is also still looking very normal as is the umbilical cord blood flow. So far there's no indication that my anticardiolipin syndrome is causing any problems, so we can assume that the blood thinner is doing its job.=)
This week's stats:
Gestational Age: 26 weeks, 1 day
Heart Rate: 140 bmp
Weight: 1 pound, 15 ounces
Fruit Comparison: Still an eggplant
My weight change: +6 pounds
Cravings: Steak and lemon meringue pie
The next step is to take the 3 hour glucose tolerance test, in which I will fast overnight and then drink even more of the disgusting sugary drink, followed by blood draws every hour for 3 hours. Fun! If I fail two or more of those readings, then I'll be diagnosed with GD. Unfortunately, I already suspect that I'll fail at least the initial fasting draw, as it has to be below 95 mg/dl and my typical fasting reading is around 105...
In happier news, I had another great ultrasound. The baby continues to do well and is measuring in the 50% percentile. The placenta is also still looking very normal as is the umbilical cord blood flow. So far there's no indication that my anticardiolipin syndrome is causing any problems, so we can assume that the blood thinner is doing its job.=)
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| I think he has Chad's long fingers. |
This week's stats:
Gestational Age: 26 weeks, 1 day
Heart Rate: 140 bmp
Weight: 1 pound, 15 ounces
Fruit Comparison: Still an eggplant
My weight change: +6 pounds
Cravings: Steak and lemon meringue pie
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