Catchy title that is fitting for my last few days...
Sunday - I do my 24 hour urine test because of elevated proteins in my urine. Weird peeing in a bucket. Weirder that I have to take bucket with me to work and pee in a stall in a bucket. I only had to explain it to one person. I told her to go ahead of me, she insisted I go first. I refused saying I rather not have her have to watch me pouring my urine from the collection holder into the bucket... Okay then. Too much information? Oh well.
Monday - Doctors appointment. Blood pressure - 140/60. Again still in the "borderline" high, even though the bottom number (is that systolic?) is low. Pee in cup (don't they have enough pee from the bucket?). Talk to the nurse about the glucose test tomorrow. Talk to the doctor about me being pre-pre eclamptic, she says that although I am borderline at this point she will be cautious and just treat me as though I am pre eclamptic. She explains everything to me and tells me she sees a ton of pre eclampsia cases a day and there is nothing to be concerned about.
So I go home and start my nursery project. Painting murals on the wall. The first is a monkey in a tree... It was easier then I imagined and if I do say so myself came out pretty damn good!
Go out to eat with Scott. I am going to eat good since I have to fast tomorrow!
Come home to a message on my machine. It is Dr. J - "We got your 24 hours urine sample back from the lab. It shows you are spilling a lot of protien. Since you will be here tomorrow, we would like to do an u/s. It is 7pm now, so have me paged when you get in in the morning so I can talk to you".
I freak out because I have an u/s scheduled for next week. Why do they have to bump that one up? Why did the doctor call and not a nurse? Why do I have to page my doctor in the morning? All of which in my racing mind, with no answers, freaks me out! I cry a little. A hide that I am nervous from Scott. Who doesn't buy it. I call my mother who tells me, the doctor called because the nurses went home. She had pre-e and a ton of u/s with my sister. Relax, breath. My sister is okay and so will Dillon. Okay. Good I am somewhat calm now.
Tuesday - Go in for my 3 hour glucose, which should really be 4 hours since that is how long I am there for. 7am, no coffee, no food = cranky. I check in and have Dr J paged, then I am called for my first blood draw. This girl is good - in and out, no issues. I am told to come back every hour. Okay.
I go into the waiting room and my nurse comes out to tell me she talked to Dr. J and that she scheduled my u/s. She says she just likes to be precautious since I had elevated protien in my urine and that they will be doing a series of u/s from this point on to track the growth. Nothing to worry about. Okay done.
So I spend the next 4 hours in between blood draws and u/s.
Dillon is thriving. He is 2 pounds 6 ounces (right where he should be). His lungs were doing practice breathing which the u/s tech says is good. Everything was perfect with him and he loved the sugar high he was on from the glucose syrup thing I had to drink. He was dancing all around.
I wish I could say my blood draws went as well. I went back and had nurse hatchet, a different blood drawer then my first. She stuck me 6 times to get 3 vials for 3 hours. I have had my blood drawn 5000 times in the past 3 years with my thyroid, and monitoring for IUI's and IVF's and never once have I ever come away with a bruise... right now my arms are covered in them!!!
As I was about to leave, my nurse comes in. "Oh good, perfect timing! Dr J still wants to talk to you. I will have the front desk page her, wait here until you speak to her"... So I wait. 10 minutes. I am hungry, I am tired I have been here for 4 hours. I go to the front desk and tell them to have Dr. J call me at home.
I head home. When I get in, the phone is ringing. "Hi it is Dr J sorry I couldn't get back to you right away...blah blah... we want you to come in to L&D and be monitored for an extended amount of time. We want to make sure all is okay with you and baby - plan to spend the night"
She assures me not to worry, that they just want to be sure the babies heart rate and my blood pressure do not spike or anything.
Of course not worrying is not an option. Spending hours on a monitor is not normal when pregnant.
So I eat, call my mom and Scott. Freak out. Head in.
I am there for about 7 hours. Hooked up to machines. Blood pressure is low - 110/60 - 120/70 the entire time. Babies heart rate is in the 140's - 150's.
All is good.
So they send me home and tell me that I will need to come in 2 times a week from now on.
Hopefully my blood pressure will stay low so I do not have to repeat this adventure any time soon. Hopefully no new adventures will begin and the baby will stay in there nice and cozy and growing big and strong.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Official dx - Preeclampsia
So I got the call today that my urine showed slight elevation of protein. They wanted me to come in this afternoon to repeat the urine test and blood pressure.
My blood pressure is considered borderline at 140/60 but I need to wait to see what the protein levels come back at. I was given the container for a 24 hour urine test, where basically I will pee in a bucket for 24 hours and they will test how much protein is in my urine for that 24 hours. They told me they would call and let me know when to do it, if not for this weekend then sometime soon.
I will also see my doctor once a week for the foreseeable future for repeats of blood pressure and urine. They are being proactive, but I am nervous none the less. My mom had Pre - E with my sister and things turned out all right on that end, she did need a C-section however. Of course I need to not freak Scott out. He is nervous. Very nervous about everything I do (Have I ever told you guys how much I love him) so I do not want to freak him out at this point. Hopefully he is not goog-ling - because I freaked out when I goog-led.
The Mayo clinics site was the best, so I will stick with them. Pre-E is common, common in older woman's pregnancies and if watched carefully all should be all right. What gives me some relief is that I am 26 weeks at this point, so I am almost at the home stretch. I just need to take it one week at a time.
My blood pressure is considered borderline at 140/60 but I need to wait to see what the protein levels come back at. I was given the container for a 24 hour urine test, where basically I will pee in a bucket for 24 hours and they will test how much protein is in my urine for that 24 hours. They told me they would call and let me know when to do it, if not for this weekend then sometime soon.
I will also see my doctor once a week for the foreseeable future for repeats of blood pressure and urine. They are being proactive, but I am nervous none the less. My mom had Pre - E with my sister and things turned out all right on that end, she did need a C-section however. Of course I need to not freak Scott out. He is nervous. Very nervous about everything I do (Have I ever told you guys how much I love him) so I do not want to freak him out at this point. Hopefully he is not goog-ling - because I freaked out when I goog-led.
The Mayo clinics site was the best, so I will stick with them. Pre-E is common, common in older woman's pregnancies and if watched carefully all should be all right. What gives me some relief is that I am 26 weeks at this point, so I am almost at the home stretch. I just need to take it one week at a time.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Ehh not the best doctors appointment
I went in for my 26 week appointment yesterday. To start I had to do the 1 hour glucose test. No biggy, drink nasty coke spiked with more sugar then get your blood drawn and hour later. Next go in to pee in a cup, weight check (I gained 19 pounds since being pregnant and an additional 10 while going through treatment - sigh), blood pressure check.
When getting my blood pressure taken I usually get a comment on how low it is. Not today. The nurse just left the room and told me the doctor will be right in. Next, another nurse comes in to re-take my blood pressure. Okay.
Next the doctor comes in and tells my my blood pressure when I first came in was very high, but went down a bit. She tells me because of this, they will move my next appointment up to two weeks and will need to draw some blood to check proteins etc. She tells me about pre eclampsia and tells me I am not showing any signs of it, but they want to keep a close eye on me.
I also get my first of every 4 week u/s starting next appointment. That is due to the missing protein in the placenta that was discovered at the NT scan. The u/s is to check for growth and if it appears Dillon stops growing or does not grow at the rate he is supposed to, they will induce me early. The doctor said, usually that doesn't happen but it is something to look out for. She also said she is not concerned by it at all and I "should be happy to get to see my baby every 4 weeks" - I am =)
She measured my ute and all is right on track. I got a flu shot. Then I was given info on what to do should I fail my 1 hour glucose test. I thought to myself there would be no way of me feeling, I eat good, not a sweet person at all (although I did have a cereal bar on the way in to the appointment). Then a blood draw. 5 vials.
The next day I get the call - bloodwork is back. Thyroid - 1.7, check. Protiens - normal. Glucose - "slightly elevated"... Follow the instructions given and come in for the 3 hour fasting test Tuesday. Wonderful.
So here I am with high blood pressure, high glucose and hoping by next appointment all of this will be back to normal.
When getting my blood pressure taken I usually get a comment on how low it is. Not today. The nurse just left the room and told me the doctor will be right in. Next, another nurse comes in to re-take my blood pressure. Okay.
Next the doctor comes in and tells my my blood pressure when I first came in was very high, but went down a bit. She tells me because of this, they will move my next appointment up to two weeks and will need to draw some blood to check proteins etc. She tells me about pre eclampsia and tells me I am not showing any signs of it, but they want to keep a close eye on me.
I also get my first of every 4 week u/s starting next appointment. That is due to the missing protein in the placenta that was discovered at the NT scan. The u/s is to check for growth and if it appears Dillon stops growing or does not grow at the rate he is supposed to, they will induce me early. The doctor said, usually that doesn't happen but it is something to look out for. She also said she is not concerned by it at all and I "should be happy to get to see my baby every 4 weeks" - I am =)
She measured my ute and all is right on track. I got a flu shot. Then I was given info on what to do should I fail my 1 hour glucose test. I thought to myself there would be no way of me feeling, I eat good, not a sweet person at all (although I did have a cereal bar on the way in to the appointment). Then a blood draw. 5 vials.
The next day I get the call - bloodwork is back. Thyroid - 1.7, check. Protiens - normal. Glucose - "slightly elevated"... Follow the instructions given and come in for the 3 hour fasting test Tuesday. Wonderful.
So here I am with high blood pressure, high glucose and hoping by next appointment all of this will be back to normal.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Babysitting the dogs
My mom went to California to visit my sister, I get the pleasure of watching her two dogs, plus my own. I keep thinking so this is what having three kids is like... So glad I am just having one!
Bailey is the trouble maker. He has chewed apart my dog toy basket, a roll of tape and a cardboard box so far. Plus he has ALL the toys all over the place. I clean them up, 30 minutes later they are right back where he apparently wants them.
PJ is the stubborn one. She loves being outside, but she also loves barking at birds, dogs, cats, squirrels, what ever thing that moves. To get her to come in is a challenge. She will look at me and walk away. I let them out at 6:30am today and she was going crazy at something. So out I go, no socks or shoes, my jammies and try to get her to come in... I had to trapes through mud and dirt to get her attention, but after only waking up half the neighborhood would she listen.
Then there is my dog, Jaxie, the aligator. Why is she an aligator? Because she hates both dogs and the fact that they are evading her quiet time. She wants nothing to do with them and snaps as soon as one comes over to say "Hi". She also gets quite defensive over her food. Everything in the house is hers and hers alone. 3 bones are hers, not just the one mom gave her. Nope get away everyone and leave my stuff alone! She is getting better now that it is going on day 3 but it was a challenge to feed them all. There goes her diet!
Dog walking - I have a new found appreciation for dog walkers and the herd of puppies they drag around. Not one of them likes to go the same speed or in the same direction.
Sleeping - I am pregnant, I need my space... well so do 3 dogs, none of which like to sleep anywhere but on a bed. I had Jaxie up near my pillow, loud snoring and all. PJ in between my legs and Bailey sprawled out in the bottom of the bed taking up enough room for a black lab!
Like I said it is getting better as the days go on, but the countdown until next Thursday is on! Come and take these monsters, I mean dogs, home!
Bailey is the trouble maker. He has chewed apart my dog toy basket, a roll of tape and a cardboard box so far. Plus he has ALL the toys all over the place. I clean them up, 30 minutes later they are right back where he apparently wants them.
PJ is the stubborn one. She loves being outside, but she also loves barking at birds, dogs, cats, squirrels, what ever thing that moves. To get her to come in is a challenge. She will look at me and walk away. I let them out at 6:30am today and she was going crazy at something. So out I go, no socks or shoes, my jammies and try to get her to come in... I had to trapes through mud and dirt to get her attention, but after only waking up half the neighborhood would she listen.
Then there is my dog, Jaxie, the aligator. Why is she an aligator? Because she hates both dogs and the fact that they are evading her quiet time. She wants nothing to do with them and snaps as soon as one comes over to say "Hi". She also gets quite defensive over her food. Everything in the house is hers and hers alone. 3 bones are hers, not just the one mom gave her. Nope get away everyone and leave my stuff alone! She is getting better now that it is going on day 3 but it was a challenge to feed them all. There goes her diet!
Dog walking - I have a new found appreciation for dog walkers and the herd of puppies they drag around. Not one of them likes to go the same speed or in the same direction.
Sleeping - I am pregnant, I need my space... well so do 3 dogs, none of which like to sleep anywhere but on a bed. I had Jaxie up near my pillow, loud snoring and all. PJ in between my legs and Bailey sprawled out in the bottom of the bed taking up enough room for a black lab!
Like I said it is getting better as the days go on, but the countdown until next Thursday is on! Come and take these monsters, I mean dogs, home!
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Hmm this isn't as fun as I thought
Last week Scott was on vacation with the sole thing on our calendar being the nursery. His "duty" was fixing the infamous hole in the wall which would be a 2 day project and then on to priming and painting. So as he started his hole duty, I went to start the registry
....Yippee...
Err, maybe not so much.
I researched extensively what products I needed, was iffy about and definitely did not want for about two months. Inside the store I was LOST. My mom had said she would go with me, but our schedules and her two week trip to the west coast kind of got in the way so she told me to go myself and then she would look it over to make sure I wasn't missing anything crucial for baby. Okay, easy right?
Up and down the aisles I went, oh that is cute... whip out gun...zap! Oh wait that is cuter... whip out gun, delete first one, add second one. Aisle through aisle for about, oh, three aisles. Then I came to car seats
:::screeching halt:::
I knew what I wanted going in. I wanted a light weight stroller and a separate car seat plus a stroller base for the car seat. No problem, right? Wrong! As I was in Babys R Us I discovered the selection of things were slim when it comes to infant car seats. I was not crazy about any patterns on the brand I thought I wanted. Okay I will come back to you. Strollers, same thing! Nothing fit all I wanted in a light weight stroller. Damn! Stroller systems on the other hand had about 15-20 options, some very cute.
Should I go with the cute option? I sat in that aisle for about 1/2 hour clicking, unclicking, strolling, lifting every possible system out there. They were all heavy and all bulky. Grr. I know I do not want heavy and bulky, I bought my sister big and bulky, she used it 3 times and then went on to a umbrella like stroller. So I said screw it, I will come back.
Swings, bouncys, pack n plays, onsies, sheets, mattress covers. Click-delete- click.
2.5 hours later I was exhausted. Returned the gun and got a print out of the things I registered for. Missing the pack n play??? What? Missing the changing pad cover? Hmm... Turns out I do not know how to delete using a gun and deleted some things I wanted. I decided just to add everything on line I missed.
Get home Scott asks me where I was all this time... Glare - growl - huff - puff my way through the explanation of how NOT fun registering was. Sit down at the computer and continue the debate on the stroller/car seat issue. Turns out the stroller I want is only available online. Well that sucks since Scott's mother said she would get it but is computer illiterate. I tell Scott, he tells me we will order it for her... good no problem. But is it the stroller I want? Back and forth through research, public opinion and everything else. Yes - no. Delete, add, delete.
What I discovered, not one stroller out there makes everyone happy or fits every need. So do the best you can do and then maybe buy your own stroller company and fix the flaws in what you need.
The whole process took a week. In between I painted trim, Scott painted the ceiling, fixed the hole and primed....
My 7 year hole is no more! In my heart and in the wall! I guess that is all worth the stress of finding the perfect stroller and registering!
....Yippee...
Err, maybe not so much.
I researched extensively what products I needed, was iffy about and definitely did not want for about two months. Inside the store I was LOST. My mom had said she would go with me, but our schedules and her two week trip to the west coast kind of got in the way so she told me to go myself and then she would look it over to make sure I wasn't missing anything crucial for baby. Okay, easy right?
Up and down the aisles I went, oh that is cute... whip out gun...zap! Oh wait that is cuter... whip out gun, delete first one, add second one. Aisle through aisle for about, oh, three aisles. Then I came to car seats
:::screeching halt:::
I knew what I wanted going in. I wanted a light weight stroller and a separate car seat plus a stroller base for the car seat. No problem, right? Wrong! As I was in Babys R Us I discovered the selection of things were slim when it comes to infant car seats. I was not crazy about any patterns on the brand I thought I wanted. Okay I will come back to you. Strollers, same thing! Nothing fit all I wanted in a light weight stroller. Damn! Stroller systems on the other hand had about 15-20 options, some very cute.
Should I go with the cute option? I sat in that aisle for about 1/2 hour clicking, unclicking, strolling, lifting every possible system out there. They were all heavy and all bulky. Grr. I know I do not want heavy and bulky, I bought my sister big and bulky, she used it 3 times and then went on to a umbrella like stroller. So I said screw it, I will come back.
Swings, bouncys, pack n plays, onsies, sheets, mattress covers. Click-delete- click.
2.5 hours later I was exhausted. Returned the gun and got a print out of the things I registered for. Missing the pack n play??? What? Missing the changing pad cover? Hmm... Turns out I do not know how to delete using a gun and deleted some things I wanted. I decided just to add everything on line I missed.
Get home Scott asks me where I was all this time... Glare - growl - huff - puff my way through the explanation of how NOT fun registering was. Sit down at the computer and continue the debate on the stroller/car seat issue. Turns out the stroller I want is only available online. Well that sucks since Scott's mother said she would get it but is computer illiterate. I tell Scott, he tells me we will order it for her... good no problem. But is it the stroller I want? Back and forth through research, public opinion and everything else. Yes - no. Delete, add, delete.
What I discovered, not one stroller out there makes everyone happy or fits every need. So do the best you can do and then maybe buy your own stroller company and fix the flaws in what you need.
The whole process took a week. In between I painted trim, Scott painted the ceiling, fixed the hole and primed....
My 7 year hole is no more! In my heart and in the wall! I guess that is all worth the stress of finding the perfect stroller and registering!
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Wow - I missed shopping!
For our year of IVF's I was on a strict budget. Which meant no shopping of any kind really. I missed it. I love shopping, and try not to overspend, but buy things we need for the house etc. There used to be always something I could need for the house. I would go on my days off and browse and then purchase the things that screamed to me. I stopped doing that when I was not allowed to actually buy those screaming things because it was more a tease then anything else.
Well, I am back in the game. Now just in baby mode. I am really having so much fun furniture shopping, yesterday was the glider. My sister and I went up to a baby warehouse. I told myself not to actually by any stuffed animals, rattles, toys or clothes until after the baby shower, since people will be getting me lot's of this, but it is so much fun to look! I take mental notes of things I like and I suppose right after the shower I will be back in the stores taking some fun things home.
We still have debt, more then I hoped for going into pregnancy. But there really is not much else we can do at this point. The baby needs things. We will continue to pay down the credit card as much as possible, hopefully when the baby does arrive we will be almost there.
I will still deprive myself of things, I have learned to live without dinner out, movie nights, pedicures and manicures, but I will not deprive the baby. There will be a time again I can enjoy the things I once did, but not until the debt gets paid off. We are under 10k now... hopefully next year we will be back to zero and we can officially cut up the card!
Well, I am back in the game. Now just in baby mode. I am really having so much fun furniture shopping, yesterday was the glider. My sister and I went up to a baby warehouse. I told myself not to actually by any stuffed animals, rattles, toys or clothes until after the baby shower, since people will be getting me lot's of this, but it is so much fun to look! I take mental notes of things I like and I suppose right after the shower I will be back in the stores taking some fun things home.
We still have debt, more then I hoped for going into pregnancy. But there really is not much else we can do at this point. The baby needs things. We will continue to pay down the credit card as much as possible, hopefully when the baby does arrive we will be almost there.
I will still deprive myself of things, I have learned to live without dinner out, movie nights, pedicures and manicures, but I will not deprive the baby. There will be a time again I can enjoy the things I once did, but not until the debt gets paid off. We are under 10k now... hopefully next year we will be back to zero and we can officially cut up the card!
Friday, September 4, 2009
Operation baby mode has begun
First, we sold our 2 door car in order to get me a more child freindly mode of transportation. The sale went off without a hitch, we assumed it may take a couple of months to get a buyer, but a week after deciding to place it for sale rather then a trade it someone called and was interested in it. Not a week later he handed us over FULL asking price (we priced it a bit higher thinking we would have to meet half way... nope!).
The adventure to find a car did not go as smoothly. Man is it stressful. First, we are a used car family. No need in buying something spanking new out of the factory since it loses almost half the value upon leaving the lot. We looked for something with low mileage and 2002 or higher. So we went to about 10 different dealers and most small SUVs had way too many miles on it or were just peices of crap. Then on our way home we were driving and we saw her sitting all pretty in a lot just about 2 miles from our house. We had no clue this dealer existed. But he did and had the prettiest greyish blue Hundyai Sante Fe sitting there. Perfect condition, one owner and under 70k miles... but the price was $1500 more then we could afford. Scott pulled him aside and did his thing and talked him down $1000... Done deal! I have a mommy car.
I was sitting in it last night and it all hit me, in a few months Dillon will be all nice and calm in the back seat as we are driving home from the hospital (hey it is my daydream - he can be calm)! I am so happy and am so in love with my mommy car - it feels like I am a grown up for the first time in 37 years. Weird.
Next up. Scott is on vacation this coming week. Time to fix the hole in the wall move out the computer and paint the nursery! That is his one goal for vacation.
My goal is to get registered, I will go one day when he is fixing the wall because he hates me hovering and micromanaging and I will start the registry. Yep it is happening!
I know I haven't been the best of bloggers. I think I like when things are too non eventful to write anything! But now that we are in full baby mode expect some pics of the nursery and furniture as we begin the journey to Welcome home baby mode... T minus 17 weeks and counting! GULP!
The adventure to find a car did not go as smoothly. Man is it stressful. First, we are a used car family. No need in buying something spanking new out of the factory since it loses almost half the value upon leaving the lot. We looked for something with low mileage and 2002 or higher. So we went to about 10 different dealers and most small SUVs had way too many miles on it or were just peices of crap. Then on our way home we were driving and we saw her sitting all pretty in a lot just about 2 miles from our house. We had no clue this dealer existed. But he did and had the prettiest greyish blue Hundyai Sante Fe sitting there. Perfect condition, one owner and under 70k miles... but the price was $1500 more then we could afford. Scott pulled him aside and did his thing and talked him down $1000... Done deal! I have a mommy car.
I was sitting in it last night and it all hit me, in a few months Dillon will be all nice and calm in the back seat as we are driving home from the hospital (hey it is my daydream - he can be calm)! I am so happy and am so in love with my mommy car - it feels like I am a grown up for the first time in 37 years. Weird.
Next up. Scott is on vacation this coming week. Time to fix the hole in the wall move out the computer and paint the nursery! That is his one goal for vacation.
My goal is to get registered, I will go one day when he is fixing the wall because he hates me hovering and micromanaging and I will start the registry. Yep it is happening!
I know I haven't been the best of bloggers. I think I like when things are too non eventful to write anything! But now that we are in full baby mode expect some pics of the nursery and furniture as we begin the journey to Welcome home baby mode... T minus 17 weeks and counting! GULP!
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