Yet another visit to labor & delivery yesterday. :( Was in more pain than usual and starting to contract again so it was suspected that my urinary tract infection was worsening and that I should be seen. We are very thankful to God that our trip wasn't as bad as it could have been with the weather. And, as always, thankful to Candace for the huge inconvenience of having our kids for so long, well past their bedtimes! Rather than retype everything, here is a copy of the update I sent out over email:
Here is the update from my visit to the hospital yesterday. Again, good news and not-so-good news. The good news is the pain and contractions I had been feeling were actually not related to an infection as originally suspected. The other good news is that there is no sign of preterm labor at this point. The not-so-good news is that we don't have an explination for the pain or contractions and that it did again take medication to stop them. At this point, I've been advised to stay off my feet as much as possible and to return to the hospital if the pain or contractions return. Because of my gestational diabetes complication, they are still uncomfortable with me taking medication at home to prevent or ease any future issues I might have with contractions.
Not much else to say other than I'm just tired, I think more emotionally than physically at this point. I understand their concern over giving me meds to stop contractions at home, that it would just be a "comfort" measure for me since the contractions aren't causing labor. Still, I feel stuck in the middle. I don't really want to run to L&D every time I start having uncomfortable contractions (ones that are worse than my "normal" which I do have daily) but I also don't want to necessarily grin-and-bear-it, if I don't have to. But.....what else is there to do?
Praying for all those on the roads today in Ohio (particularly my hubby!). Stay safe!
1/27/09
Prayers for baby Sophia
Bart Millard, lead singer of band MercyMe, and his wife welcomed a baby girl sometime in December. Baby Sophia has been in the hospital a few days now with RSV but has now been moved to ICU as she's getting worse. As a Mom who's been-there-done-that, my heart is breaking for them! Please pray for Bart, his wife (who's suffering from kidney stones, too), baby Sophia, and their other 3 children. I know they would appreciate it!
1/26/09
Not Me Monday
Haven't done one of these in a while....been a little preoccupied!
I don't drink pop 'cause, you know, a pregnant diabetic woman really shouldn't be drinking it. But if I did and if I had woke up this morning realizing ther wasn't anything but water to drink in the house until I made tea (unsweet, in case you're keeping score), and if I had realized that my hubby hadn't left for work yet, AND if I knew he kept pop in the trunk of his car for his lunch everyday, then I certainly wouldn't have asked him for a pop before he left 'cause I don't do that.
And since I didn't ask for one and he didn't get me one, then there's no way that I know that once pop freezes after being in the trunk of a car in sub-freezing temps, it makes a slushy, yucky, mess when you try to open it. I wouldn't know that it will spew and spew until you open it fully but then I also wouldn't know that the top is frozen so trying to open it with the pop top will only accomplish breaking said pop top off. So then I wouldn't have tried forcing the can open with a knife to let out the pressure. So I wouldn't be sitting here, having had only 1 sip, and waiting for the pop-slushy to melt, hoping that it won't taste flat. Nope, not me.
1/24/09
Fun post
Silly Questions
100 Things
RULES: There are 100 statements and you bold the ones you have done. Grab it (copy and paste into your blog) and play for yourself!! *I had to underline mine to get them to stand out.
1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyworld
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Had stitches
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept in an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitchhiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill (but my kids were?!?!)
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied (for the month or so every year after we get our taxes back!) :)
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check (unfortunately)
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten cavier
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job (unfortunately)
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book (does a poem count? it was high school)
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chicken pox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a lawsuit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Read an entire book in one day
100 Things
RULES: There are 100 statements and you bold the ones you have done. Grab it (copy and paste into your blog) and play for yourself!! *I had to underline mine to get them to stand out.
1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyworld
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Had stitches
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept in an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitchhiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill (but my kids were?!?!)
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied (for the month or so every year after we get our taxes back!) :)
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check (unfortunately)
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten cavier
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job (unfortunately)
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book (does a poem count? it was high school)
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chicken pox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a lawsuit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Read an entire book in one day
1/23/09
Baby update
Well, it's been an interesting couple of days....I think I' m finally cluing in to the fact that God is trying to teach me something here. I think I've somehow gotten sidetracked with number and symptom watching, that I've taken off with ideas in my own head about what's going on with this pregnancy, and that I've forgotten how to trust. Trust not only the doctors that are caring for me and their expertise, but more importantly trusting in the One who created these lives in me (mine and Lydia's) to begin with.
Here's what we know:
#1, the contractions I had yesterday were purely brought on by the UTI. How do we know that? Because it's been proven that UTI's do that in pregnant women and my cervix has remained unchanged despite the tremendous contractions I was having.
#2, for many, many weeks now, my cervical lengths have not changed. To have a cervical length of 30mm at 30 weeks is wonderful! To have been at 30mm for over a month, even better.
#3, Fetal fibronectin tests -- which I've now had done twice -- show no signs of preterm labor. Websites vary on their estimates but the consensus I've read on many websites is that I have less than a 5% chance of labor setting in within 2 weeks.
As the day has worn on, I'm becoming more and more comfortable with this information. I was NOT a happy camper after leaving the drs office today and my attitude is just now starting to improve after I've vented my frustration on my poor husband. I'm still nervous -- the preterm labor specialists I've been seeing are officially passing me off to the diabetic specialists. No more preterm labor clinic means that no one will be checking my cervix for probably 6 weeks or so. And a lot can happen in 6 hours, much less 6 weeks. This is where I need to let go, I think, and trust. The diabetes does seem to be what's going to get the best of me the remainder of this pregnancy. #1 complication of gestational diabetes is big babies. And Lydia is just that, weighing in 4 pounds, 12 ounces per the ultrasound estimate today. That's nearly a full 3 weeks ahead of schedule. That's like the 95% percentile on fetal growth charts. The fear I have now is that she'll get so big, my uterus will decide "this must be a full-term baby" and kick her out! (Happens to mothers with multiple babies all the time -- combined weights of multiples adds up to what 1 full-term baby would weigh, not to mention the uterus not being able to stretch anymore, and they go into preterm labor.)
So, I'm still not sure which end is up but I'm trying to focus on being thankful that I've made it to the 30's in weeks, that even if she comes tomorrow, she's had steroids to mature her lungs and we wouldn't have to worry so much about her survival, barring any unforeseen illnesses/infections. So now I have to focus even more so on my diet and my sugar levels and somehow, find a way to put preterm labor fears aside. Boy, this is going to be an interesting month or so!
(Short-term -- the steroids they've given me to mature her lungs will mess with my sugar levels so if I find myself going over 180 in the next few days or so, I'm instructed to call immediately to go in for an insulin drip. We'd appreciate your prayers!)
Here's what we know:
#1, the contractions I had yesterday were purely brought on by the UTI. How do we know that? Because it's been proven that UTI's do that in pregnant women and my cervix has remained unchanged despite the tremendous contractions I was having.
#2, for many, many weeks now, my cervical lengths have not changed. To have a cervical length of 30mm at 30 weeks is wonderful! To have been at 30mm for over a month, even better.
#3, Fetal fibronectin tests -- which I've now had done twice -- show no signs of preterm labor. Websites vary on their estimates but the consensus I've read on many websites is that I have less than a 5% chance of labor setting in within 2 weeks.
As the day has worn on, I'm becoming more and more comfortable with this information. I was NOT a happy camper after leaving the drs office today and my attitude is just now starting to improve after I've vented my frustration on my poor husband. I'm still nervous -- the preterm labor specialists I've been seeing are officially passing me off to the diabetic specialists. No more preterm labor clinic means that no one will be checking my cervix for probably 6 weeks or so. And a lot can happen in 6 hours, much less 6 weeks. This is where I need to let go, I think, and trust. The diabetes does seem to be what's going to get the best of me the remainder of this pregnancy. #1 complication of gestational diabetes is big babies. And Lydia is just that, weighing in 4 pounds, 12 ounces per the ultrasound estimate today. That's nearly a full 3 weeks ahead of schedule. That's like the 95% percentile on fetal growth charts. The fear I have now is that she'll get so big, my uterus will decide "this must be a full-term baby" and kick her out! (Happens to mothers with multiple babies all the time -- combined weights of multiples adds up to what 1 full-term baby would weigh, not to mention the uterus not being able to stretch anymore, and they go into preterm labor.)
So, I'm still not sure which end is up but I'm trying to focus on being thankful that I've made it to the 30's in weeks, that even if she comes tomorrow, she's had steroids to mature her lungs and we wouldn't have to worry so much about her survival, barring any unforeseen illnesses/infections. So now I have to focus even more so on my diet and my sugar levels and somehow, find a way to put preterm labor fears aside. Boy, this is going to be an interesting month or so!
(Short-term -- the steroids they've given me to mature her lungs will mess with my sugar levels so if I find myself going over 180 in the next few days or so, I'm instructed to call immediately to go in for an insulin drip. We'd appreciate your prayers!)
Gotta love Piper!
A dear friend forwarded this to me this week and I'm just not getting to read it. Here's a snipit (emphasis mine):
As much as I reject Obama’s stance on abortion, I am thankful to the bottom of my soul that an African-American can be President of United States. The enormousness of it all is unspeakable. This is God’s doing. The geese [that downed flight 1549] were God’s doing. The landing of Flight 1549 was God’s doing. And the Obama presidency is God’s doing. “He removes kings and sets up kings” (Daniel 2:21).
And I pray that President Obama has eyes to see. The “miracle on the Hudson” and the “miracle in the White House” are not unrelated. God has been merciful to us as a nation. Our racial sins deserved judgment a thousand times over. God does not owe America anything. We owe him everything. And instead of destruction, he has given us another soft landing. We are not dead at the bottom of the Hudson.
O that Barack Obama would see the mercies of God and look to the One whose blood bought everlasting life for all who trust him. The parables of God’s mercy are everywhere. The point of them is this: God is a just and patient Ruler, and Jesus Christ is a great Savior. Turn. Turn. Turn, O President of the United States and passengers of this planet.
Thanks, Paula!
As much as I reject Obama’s stance on abortion, I am thankful to the bottom of my soul that an African-American can be President of United States. The enormousness of it all is unspeakable. This is God’s doing. The geese [that downed flight 1549] were God’s doing. The landing of Flight 1549 was God’s doing. And the Obama presidency is God’s doing. “He removes kings and sets up kings” (Daniel 2:21).
And I pray that President Obama has eyes to see. The “miracle on the Hudson” and the “miracle in the White House” are not unrelated. God has been merciful to us as a nation. Our racial sins deserved judgment a thousand times over. God does not owe America anything. We owe him everything. And instead of destruction, he has given us another soft landing. We are not dead at the bottom of the Hudson.
O that Barack Obama would see the mercies of God and look to the One whose blood bought everlasting life for all who trust him. The parables of God’s mercy are everywhere. The point of them is this: God is a just and patient Ruler, and Jesus Christ is a great Savior. Turn. Turn. Turn, O President of the United States and passengers of this planet.
Thanks, Paula!
1/22/09
Trip to the hospital, take 2
So.....was feeling kinda bad last night while getting dinner ready. TERRIBLE backache but felt better while on the couch, feet propped up, heating pad on. Jonathan took older 4 to church and I put Timothy to bed and enjoyed a quiet hour and a half by myself and everything seemed to be okay, unless I tried to walk around anywhere. Finally went to bed around 11 and was able to sleep until 5 this morning. Woke up for the standard middle-of-the-night bathroom break and then went back to bed. Backache back and I had the urge to get up and move around when I finally realized the backache was coming with contractions. Finally about 6:30 broke down and told Jonathan I felt like I needed to go to the hospital with the contractions. Good news, pretty much, but it was a good thing that I decided to go in. Fetal Fibronectin Test (the one they do to see if you're going to go into labor within the next 2 weeks) was negative and while my cervix was still the same measurements as 2 weeks ago, I was dilated to 1 which is not good news. I was given a shot of terbutaline to stop the contractions and given my first dose of beta-methasone which helps mature the baby's lungs in preparation for a preterm labor. Terb worked for a bit but then the contractions came back fast and strong. Thankfully, after an hour of hard contractions, I was unchanged at 1 cm. They were debating what to do about the contractions when we learned that my lab work was back showing an elevated white blood cell count and a urinary tract infection. UTI's, in case you didn't know, will cause preterm labor which explains not only why I was having such horrible contractions but why I was actually starting to dilate. We're home now and I've started antibiotics for the UTI and the contractions are milder and farther apart. I am keeping my 9:30 appointment tomorrow morning to make sure things are still the same and also to get the 2nd and final dose of the beta-methasone. Taking it easy tonight, Jonathan stayed home all day (bless him!), and will see what tomorrow yields. But, as long as things are the same, I should be okay.
1/16/09
And so it begins....
Very big congratulations to the Rolston's on the birth of their baby girl, born early this morning. Follow Justin on Twitter for more info @ www.twitter.com/justinrolston.
Our church family seems to grow in spurts. Summer of '07, there were 3 babies born close together, including the Rolston's son. Then in November/December '07, there were 4 babies -- all boys -- born within 10 days of each other, including Timothy. Then there was 1 baby born in February of last year, our lonely girl in preschool A. We've had a break since then but now we're gearing up for more! :) Sarah is the first of 4 of us to deliver within the next little bit. Hopefully the Pituch's will beat us to the punch as they're due 4 weeks or so before us. Then there's me and another one due in March. And we just found out in the last several weeks we've got 2 babies coming in July, one on the 4th and one late July. How fun is that?!?! We may need a preschool A1 and A2 at this rate!
Giving thanks this morning for this beautiful addition to the Rolston (and RBC) family! Very thankful that God granted Sarah strength to get through many, many weeks of strict bedrest to get to this safe time for delivery. Praise God from whom all blessings flow!
Our church family seems to grow in spurts. Summer of '07, there were 3 babies born close together, including the Rolston's son. Then in November/December '07, there were 4 babies -- all boys -- born within 10 days of each other, including Timothy. Then there was 1 baby born in February of last year, our lonely girl in preschool A. We've had a break since then but now we're gearing up for more! :) Sarah is the first of 4 of us to deliver within the next little bit. Hopefully the Pituch's will beat us to the punch as they're due 4 weeks or so before us. Then there's me and another one due in March. And we just found out in the last several weeks we've got 2 babies coming in July, one on the 4th and one late July. How fun is that?!?! We may need a preschool A1 and A2 at this rate!
Giving thanks this morning for this beautiful addition to the Rolston (and RBC) family! Very thankful that God granted Sarah strength to get through many, many weeks of strict bedrest to get to this safe time for delivery. Praise God from whom all blessings flow!
1/15/09
A few updates
Not really too much to say....but here's a few tidbits of what's been going on.
FEVER -- well, not exactly of the physical illness type (for which we are very grateful), just good old fashioned cabin fever. The kids are going so bonkers, especially tonight, that Jonathan is actually making them take turns on the treadmill! No joking! Doesn't seem to be doing an awful lot for their energy level but, hey, it's something to do. We look so forward to church services and drs appointments 'cause that's usually when we actually get to get out of the house. Went to church on Sunday but Wednesday night's church was cancelled because of the snow. I was hoping a visit from our friends on Wednesday morning to do some combined school would help curb things but they didn't get to stay long 'cause of the snow and it was just enough to ignite them even more. And it doesn't help that there isn't much activity going on while we're home 'cause Mom is spending most of her time on the couch (more on that later).
MAMAW -- she's doing well since her heart attack but today was very major. She acidentally set a grease fire in her apartment. And then she tried to put it out with a newspaper. The fire department did get the fire out but there was some fairly significant damage to her apartment and she did spend some time in the ER 'cause she singed her hair pretty good and they wanted to make sure her lungs were okay. She's back home as I type but we're all a little worried that this may be a sign of things to come and that she may not be able to stay on her own much longer. Please continue to pray for her.
PREGNANCY -- Okay, so I've been doing some internet digging and talking with women who have irritable uteri and my home care nurse. Something about last Friday's visit just didn't set well with me. I had the gut feeling that things were worse than my OB was leading me to believe. I've had mostly good days this week with some moderate contractions, clearly brought on by moderte activity. Wednesday, when the nurse came, she gave her opinion, which confirmed for me what I had been reading and hearing from these other women. She said she loves the docs at OSU but that it's her opinion that they take things too far sometimes. She says she believes that they try so hard to be "hands off" as much as possible, resisting the urge to overtest and overstress moms, that they often don't take precautions that they probably ought to. Here's what we're thinking: 1, my cervical lengths and funneling aren't exactly as "normal" as my OB would have me think. One chart I finally dug up actually shows that I'm in the bottom 10th percentile of normal cervical lengths at varying weeks in pregnancy. #2, with contractions as strong as the ones I was feeling that Tuesady night, it could be hard to tell when they move from harmless to harmful until it'll be nearly too late. Plus, each contraction causes pressure on the cervix which does cause changes at this stage, even if it is little by little. So, all things considered, even though the OB didn't dictate it, we're kinda going with a stay-off-my-feet-as-much-as-possible plan, just to be safe, especially considering I'm not going to see the dr again until next Friday. Had actually considered insisting that they see me tomorrow for a measurement and check but with the weather, we felt it best to not expose the kids to such drastically cold temperatures if I don't have to. Fortunately, I haven't had really strong contractions at all this week so I feel comfortable knowing that any changes my cervix might have gone through this past week should be minimal. So, I've been changing the kids and feeding the kids (not any meals that require me being on my feet a lot) but not much else. Not been doing any laundry because of the lifting (lifting things bears down even more on your cervix and since I still have a 13-month old that needs to be lifted, we figure it best to not be lifting baskets full of laundry). We're pursuing options as to getting help with things, although we feel like we have a pretty good grip on most things, except for the laundry. It overfloweth at the moment. Jonathan does all he can every evening when he's here and he worked very hard last Saturday as well but there's only so much he can do. I'm still planning on going to church on Sunday mornings and maybe some Wednesday nights, as long as I don't start contracting a lot. But, I'm leaving most everything else to my poor hubby. He's going to try and do groceries on his own this weekend. I'm sure he'll do fine but I'm afraid of forgetting things on my list and having to send him back to the store every time I turn around. While I do shop with a list, I'll often see things on shelves and think we could use it or it's something that should have been on my list but wasn't. (Read: it's a control issue and it bugs me to not be doing it myself!)
So that's about it. Please continue to pray for us, especially this upcoming week while we wait to see what the drs appointment reveals next Friday both for what's going on with my cervix and, too, for what's going on with Lydia's weight. I'd hate to keep preterm labor at bay, only to either have to induce early because she gets too big or risk going into labor close to due date with a baby I can't deliver. I'd really like to avoid a c-section, if at all possible. Thanks! Ya'll go bundle up now!
FEVER -- well, not exactly of the physical illness type (for which we are very grateful), just good old fashioned cabin fever. The kids are going so bonkers, especially tonight, that Jonathan is actually making them take turns on the treadmill! No joking! Doesn't seem to be doing an awful lot for their energy level but, hey, it's something to do. We look so forward to church services and drs appointments 'cause that's usually when we actually get to get out of the house. Went to church on Sunday but Wednesday night's church was cancelled because of the snow. I was hoping a visit from our friends on Wednesday morning to do some combined school would help curb things but they didn't get to stay long 'cause of the snow and it was just enough to ignite them even more. And it doesn't help that there isn't much activity going on while we're home 'cause Mom is spending most of her time on the couch (more on that later).
MAMAW -- she's doing well since her heart attack but today was very major. She acidentally set a grease fire in her apartment. And then she tried to put it out with a newspaper. The fire department did get the fire out but there was some fairly significant damage to her apartment and she did spend some time in the ER 'cause she singed her hair pretty good and they wanted to make sure her lungs were okay. She's back home as I type but we're all a little worried that this may be a sign of things to come and that she may not be able to stay on her own much longer. Please continue to pray for her.
PREGNANCY -- Okay, so I've been doing some internet digging and talking with women who have irritable uteri and my home care nurse. Something about last Friday's visit just didn't set well with me. I had the gut feeling that things were worse than my OB was leading me to believe. I've had mostly good days this week with some moderate contractions, clearly brought on by moderte activity. Wednesday, when the nurse came, she gave her opinion, which confirmed for me what I had been reading and hearing from these other women. She said she loves the docs at OSU but that it's her opinion that they take things too far sometimes. She says she believes that they try so hard to be "hands off" as much as possible, resisting the urge to overtest and overstress moms, that they often don't take precautions that they probably ought to. Here's what we're thinking: 1, my cervical lengths and funneling aren't exactly as "normal" as my OB would have me think. One chart I finally dug up actually shows that I'm in the bottom 10th percentile of normal cervical lengths at varying weeks in pregnancy. #2, with contractions as strong as the ones I was feeling that Tuesady night, it could be hard to tell when they move from harmless to harmful until it'll be nearly too late. Plus, each contraction causes pressure on the cervix which does cause changes at this stage, even if it is little by little. So, all things considered, even though the OB didn't dictate it, we're kinda going with a stay-off-my-feet-as-much-as-possible plan, just to be safe, especially considering I'm not going to see the dr again until next Friday. Had actually considered insisting that they see me tomorrow for a measurement and check but with the weather, we felt it best to not expose the kids to such drastically cold temperatures if I don't have to. Fortunately, I haven't had really strong contractions at all this week so I feel comfortable knowing that any changes my cervix might have gone through this past week should be minimal. So, I've been changing the kids and feeding the kids (not any meals that require me being on my feet a lot) but not much else. Not been doing any laundry because of the lifting (lifting things bears down even more on your cervix and since I still have a 13-month old that needs to be lifted, we figure it best to not be lifting baskets full of laundry). We're pursuing options as to getting help with things, although we feel like we have a pretty good grip on most things, except for the laundry. It overfloweth at the moment. Jonathan does all he can every evening when he's here and he worked very hard last Saturday as well but there's only so much he can do. I'm still planning on going to church on Sunday mornings and maybe some Wednesday nights, as long as I don't start contracting a lot. But, I'm leaving most everything else to my poor hubby. He's going to try and do groceries on his own this weekend. I'm sure he'll do fine but I'm afraid of forgetting things on my list and having to send him back to the store every time I turn around. While I do shop with a list, I'll often see things on shelves and think we could use it or it's something that should have been on my list but wasn't. (Read: it's a control issue and it bugs me to not be doing it myself!)
So that's about it. Please continue to pray for us, especially this upcoming week while we wait to see what the drs appointment reveals next Friday both for what's going on with my cervix and, too, for what's going on with Lydia's weight. I'd hate to keep preterm labor at bay, only to either have to induce early because she gets too big or risk going into labor close to due date with a baby I can't deliver. I'd really like to avoid a c-section, if at all possible. Thanks! Ya'll go bundle up now!
1/10/09
Baby registry
Got clothes out of the attic today for baby Lydia. A few things we need so I created a baby registry at Babies 'R Us. Would you believe that's the first time I've done that?!?! The registry info:
KAREN STEVENS and JONATHAN STEVENS’s Baby Registry
Registry #: 42942418
Location: REYNOLDSBURG, OH
Expected Arrival Date: 03/30/2009
Basically, we need:
*Onesies but only in 0-3 month/6-9 month sizes (we're good on 3-6 months!)
*Bibs and burp cloths
*Diapers we'll take any size.
*Wipes we like the scented stuff and have never had a child who was bothered by the scents. Lavender is a favorite scent of mine but I'm not that picky.
*Formula we're planning on using Similac Advance ("Early Shield" optional but the regular Similac Advance will be discontinued shortly?) and we prefer the powder.
*Bottles: Don't really need a ton of those but we can't find any of the small ones (4 to 6 ounces). We'd really only want a handful of that size. I'm always up for new pink ones anyway! We can always use replacement nipples for the bottles. We like the Evenflo brand and they seem to fit our current bottles. We'll need both the slow and medium flow. Timothy never has really used the fast flow so we have a whole bowl full of those that have never been used.
*Clothes: Elizabeth was born in May so we don't have a ton of clothes to hand down, at least not in the really small sizes. We're okay on sleepers/pjs and I don't think she'll need too many winter things in the 0-3 month size but we could use some spring stuff (short sleeves/long pants) in the 3-6 month size. Everything we have in 3-6 months from Elizabeth is summer (lots of sleeveless) and hopefully Lydia will be able to use some of those.
*Blankets: Definitely don't need any quilts or heavy blankets although a few light blankets would be nice for the upcoming warmer weather.
*Crib sheets, we could use those in blue or pink. Some of our blue ones are getting worn out and Timothy will be in a crib-size mattress in his toddler bed for a while.
*I could use a new diaper bag, a large one (and one small one that's pink would be nice, too, for the future!)
****NOTE: the pink-er (or purple-er) the better!!! I mean, it's a GIRL, after all, and I'm all about the pink and purple stuff! I love my boys but I'm really done with all the blues! :) I think that's really all that we need.
KAREN STEVENS and JONATHAN STEVENS’s Baby Registry
Registry #: 42942418
Location: REYNOLDSBURG, OH
Expected Arrival Date: 03/30/2009
Basically, we need:
*Onesies but only in 0-3 month/6-9 month sizes (we're good on 3-6 months!)
*Bibs and burp cloths
*Diapers we'll take any size.
*Wipes we like the scented stuff and have never had a child who was bothered by the scents. Lavender is a favorite scent of mine but I'm not that picky.
*Formula we're planning on using Similac Advance ("Early Shield" optional but the regular Similac Advance will be discontinued shortly?) and we prefer the powder.
*Bottles: Don't really need a ton of those but we can't find any of the small ones (4 to 6 ounces). We'd really only want a handful of that size. I'm always up for new pink ones anyway! We can always use replacement nipples for the bottles. We like the Evenflo brand and they seem to fit our current bottles. We'll need both the slow and medium flow. Timothy never has really used the fast flow so we have a whole bowl full of those that have never been used.
*Clothes: Elizabeth was born in May so we don't have a ton of clothes to hand down, at least not in the really small sizes. We're okay on sleepers/pjs and I don't think she'll need too many winter things in the 0-3 month size but we could use some spring stuff (short sleeves/long pants) in the 3-6 month size. Everything we have in 3-6 months from Elizabeth is summer (lots of sleeveless) and hopefully Lydia will be able to use some of those.
*Blankets: Definitely don't need any quilts or heavy blankets although a few light blankets would be nice for the upcoming warmer weather.
*Crib sheets, we could use those in blue or pink. Some of our blue ones are getting worn out and Timothy will be in a crib-size mattress in his toddler bed for a while.
*I could use a new diaper bag, a large one (and one small one that's pink would be nice, too, for the future!)
****NOTE: the pink-er (or purple-er) the better!!! I mean, it's a GIRL, after all, and I'm all about the pink and purple stuff! I love my boys but I'm really done with all the blues! :) I think that's really all that we need.
1/8/09
Have you heard this?
There's a new law that supposed to go into effect on 2/10. It will greatly and directly affect reselling of children's products. Lead testing on "previously used" children's toys and clothing will be mandatory. The problem? Most places that resell children's toys and clothing are small businesses (think Goodwill or Once Upon A Child) and don't have the money to pay for outside organizations to do this mandatory testing. Which means places such as these will almost have no option but to shut their doors. Please take the time to send a letter to your Congressman to help moms like me who shop very often at OUAC:
http://www.rallycongress.com/make-second-hand-kids-clothes-legal-/
http://www.rallycongress.com/make-second-hand-kids-clothes-legal-/
1/7/09
Still pregnant, thank God
I don't know if you call it a "false alarm" but thankfully, things are okay. Monitor did actually pick up the contractions (so reassuring to know I wasn't crazy!). While my cervix was measuring shorter in length -- down to 27-30mm from a steady 31mm -- I'm still closed, no dilation. Fetal fibronectin test was negative. A positive result would have meant I was likely to go into labor sometime within the next 2 weeks so negative is very reassuring. You should google that, if you're interested in more info. So, this is my "irritable uterus" being irritable again, eerily similar to what I experienced with Timothy at 26 weeks. After 2 bags of IV fluids, got home around 1 AM. Pray for Candace today as she's likely extremely exhausted having been here with my kids and an 8 AM appointment of her own this morning. Feeling tired and under instructions to "take it easy" until I get to the dr again to see if anything has changed. If contractions keep up -- and so far, I've had a few this morning although not nearly as strong as last night -- then I'm under instructions to go to the clinic this Friday as opposed to my scheduled appointment next Friday. So I'm making friends with the couch and water bottle today hoping that rest and fluids will keep the contractions at bay and/or less painful. I can cope with them as long as I know they're not causing any damage. Your continued prayers are appreciated!
1/6/09
PRAYERS PLEASE
Having some mild contractions, enough to be concerned (ok, freaked out might be better), on the way to hospital. Please pray.
Chocolate milk
My kids love chocolate milk. Love, love, LOVE it. During the school year, we get free chocolate milk from Jonathan's Dad who works at an elementary school. The kids have had quite a break from the chocolate milk because of the holidays so they were pretty excited to get some last night from Papaw.....Fast forward to this morning, 5 AM. Timothy's up (unusual) and so instead of staying up (ha) with him, I decided to see if a bottle would put him back to sleep. Walk into the kitchen and what do I see? The box of chocolate milk cartons....still sitting on the kitchen table. Ruined. Already warm to the touch. (Plus, in case you didn't know, milk can only safely be in the "danger zone" of over 40 degrees F for about four hours before it goes bad and we were working on at least 10 hours by that point.) So I was faced with a dilema -- let the kids drink juice for breakfast for yet another day, give them white milk, or do something about the chocolate milk? It'll be Thursday before we get any more chocolate milk from Papaw. So guess where I was at 5:30 this morning? Great ol' Wally World. WHO DOESN'T HAVE ANY CHOCOLATE MILK!!!! AGH! So I came home with more white milk and chocolate syrup (and somehow Timbits found their way into the van....weird phenomena). I enjoyed a lovely bacon breakfast sandwhich with my husband (that found their way into the van with the Timbits) and went back to bed at 6:30. I actually managed to get a little more sleep but just enough to be "dangerous" as I'm now caught somewhere between too exhausted to function and just-sleepy-enough to be sluggish. Maybe some Timbits will boost my sugar? That's exactly what a diabetic pregnant woman needs! :) Oh the things we do for our children....and, yes, I'm pretty certain I'm certifiably a lunatic now. Nobody panic, I've got it under control.
(Just told the story to Nathan and got a "thank you"....totally worth it!)
(Just told the story to Nathan and got a "thank you"....totally worth it!)
1/2/09
Progesterone's Posterchild
Yep, that's me! :) Seriously, it appears as if my weekly progersterone injections are truly doing their job! YIPEE! My cervix is closed up tight and holding steady at 31mm. Even with pressure and a slight contraction, my numbers didn't change. Blood pressure was fantastic -- 120/68 -- and weight only up a pound. Lydia is measuring 12 days ahead of due date but still within that 2 week window they consider normal. I'm more worried than they are. So, unless something totally unexpected happens, here's the plan for these last weeks:
*Continue checking blood sugars and blood pressures at home
*Another cervix scan in 2 weeks (16th @ 9:30)
*Another growth ultrasound in 4 weeks (Tues 27th @ 1:30)
*At 32 weeks (2/3), I'll begin bi-weekly non-stress test, a standard of gestational diabetic care and, fortunately, something I don't mind! Very easy tests, just as the name suggests "non-stress". Basically, sit in a room for 30 minutes while they monitor the baby's heartbeat and movement and scan for any signs of contractions. Those continue bi-weekly until the baby is born. Side note: It was at my first non-stress test with John that I went into preterm labor.
*If we make it that far, which all signs seem to be suggesting we will, we'll do growth ultrasounds sometime around 2/13 and then a final one around 3/13 (I'm sure we'll make it to the first one but the 2nd one is in question!) My "safe" point for delivery or 37 weeks is 3/10....being diabetic and that she's measuring big, I'm likely looking at an induction very close to, if not before, that point. So, looks like she'll definitely be a March baby but probably no where near her late March due date.
Again, things can change but for now, we couldn't be more happy at today's results. I feel better than I've felt in a long time, other than normal aches and pains. (Won't be sharing any ultrasound pics today 'cause they were all things you've bascially seen before.) While we're happy that the progesterone seems to be working, we give all glory to God for answering our prayers of keeping this pregnancy safe and free from complications thus far.
*Continue checking blood sugars and blood pressures at home
*Another cervix scan in 2 weeks (16th @ 9:30)
*Another growth ultrasound in 4 weeks (Tues 27th @ 1:30)
*At 32 weeks (2/3), I'll begin bi-weekly non-stress test, a standard of gestational diabetic care and, fortunately, something I don't mind! Very easy tests, just as the name suggests "non-stress". Basically, sit in a room for 30 minutes while they monitor the baby's heartbeat and movement and scan for any signs of contractions. Those continue bi-weekly until the baby is born. Side note: It was at my first non-stress test with John that I went into preterm labor.
*If we make it that far, which all signs seem to be suggesting we will, we'll do growth ultrasounds sometime around 2/13 and then a final one around 3/13 (I'm sure we'll make it to the first one but the 2nd one is in question!) My "safe" point for delivery or 37 weeks is 3/10....being diabetic and that she's measuring big, I'm likely looking at an induction very close to, if not before, that point. So, looks like she'll definitely be a March baby but probably no where near her late March due date.
Again, things can change but for now, we couldn't be more happy at today's results. I feel better than I've felt in a long time, other than normal aches and pains. (Won't be sharing any ultrasound pics today 'cause they were all things you've bascially seen before.) While we're happy that the progesterone seems to be working, we give all glory to God for answering our prayers of keeping this pregnancy safe and free from complications thus far.
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