BABY NEWS

AMNIOCENTESIS SCHEDULED FOR MONDAY @ 10 AM!!!

Still possibility I could go into labor before then....also possibility that the results won't be favorable for delivery. If they are, however, induction will be done immediately and hopefully, we'd have a baby by end of day Monday! I'm in a ton of pain in my side and it's now lasting all day long. Only relief comes through laying horizontal which isn't exactly condusive to being a mom of 5! As for the kids....

Nathan shows no sign of coming down with anything as of now....

Caleb is starting with a fever just this morning (which no one else has had) and is complaining of an upset stomach....

Elizabeth has been just peachy since Saturday after her 2 days of sickness....

John was sick again yesterday with diarrhea and 1 more instance of vomitting but seems okay today....

Timothy has been okay from the vomitting standpoint since Saturday but has diarrhea-type symptoms today....

Jonathan and I are currently free from signs of illness.

Please pray for pain relief for me and that the kids all get better before labor begins or is induced! And, on a good note, baby Hannah got to go home yesterday!!!! Thank the Lord!

Strange day

We ended up back in labor & delivery last night with more contractions -- pretty bad ones this time. :( Cervix still the same, though, so a dose of terbutaline to stop the contractions and then we were sent home. Was told at L&D that I could skip today's appointments so I called this morning to tell them I wasn't coming and needed to reschedule my ultrasound for Friday. They called back and said I couldn't have an ultrasound on Friday 'cause there would be no doctor there (?didn't I used to always go on Fridays and always see a dr?). Back and forth I went -- should I go or should I postpone until next Tuesday? On one hand, I'm tired and Candace is feeling bad and probably tired from being at my house until after 12:30 this morning....on the other hand, this was supposed to be a big moment, decided where to go from here as far as the rest of the pregnancy goes and the not knowing for another week really would get to me 'cause I'm anal that way. So, I decided that since is was JUST an ultrasound, I'd take Nathan, John, and Timothy to Candace and go to the ultrasound but take Caleb & Elizabeth (my rowdy ones today) with me. It'd be quick, right? WRONG -- dead wrong! It might have worked that way if some sweet little girl didn't weigh in at 8 -- yes, EIGHT -- pounds! Oh no -- "you must stay and see the dr!" (I'll post some ultrasound pics soon -- they were interesting!) Kids had been good up to that point but then we were stuck in a room and left for over 30 minutes. I finally pulled the "wasn't planning on being here this long/sitter needs me" excuse out of my hat to get some attention. (Wonderful nurse rescued my wiggly kids and my plummeting sugar with some graham crackers and apple juice!) FINALLY saw the dr and this is what they said -- we're going to stop my weekly progesterone injections immediately in the hopes that I might go into labor on my own sometime in the next 2 weeks. The main issue with a baby at 34 weeks is lung maturity (well, and for a "normal" baby, they'd be worried about him/her being too small, too, but that's definitely not the case here!). But, I've had steroid injections 3 weeks ago so she's got a boost ahead of most 34-week babies and she might just be okay or need little intervention if she's born in the next 2 weeks. IF she stays put for these 2 weeks, then on March 3rd (36 weeks), they'll do an amniocentesis (you know, the needle in the belly to draw out amniotic fluid test). Why? Just to be sure her lungs are mature. That test will be performed in triage in the hospital and afterwards, I'll be monitored for about 1-2 hours to wait on the results and to make sure the amnio itself doesn't put me into labor, which is a possibility. IF the results are good, then we'll be transfered to a labor & delivery room and the show will begin! (meaning an induction of labor) IF, however, the results aren't good, then they'll let me go to about the 10th (37 weeks) and then induce. So, that's the baby news. I'm really struggling with the pain in my left side, evenings are really bad. I'm really having a hard time "hanging on" even though I know that's the best thing for her. But, that's the plan for now. Hang on, though -- you never know when things are going to change. Non-stress tests scheduled for Friday, next Tuesday, and next Friday with a "final" OB appointment for next Tuesday.

Okay, moving on....CONGRATULATIONS are in order! My brother and his wife welcomed their 3rd daughter around 3 this afternoon. Hannah Riley weighed 6 pounds, 6 ounces and was 20 inches long. Waiting for an update, though, as she was having a few breathing difficulties from being just a little early (her due date was 3/14).

Lastly....while a new life was coming into the world, one was going out. Jonathan's great-aunt Doris passed away just a few moments ago. We have no word yet, of course, on any kind of arrangements. Jonathan left to go sit with his grandmother for a few minutes until his parents can get there. Doris lived in Portsmouth, only moving up here to be cared for after the cancer diagnosis. So services will take place down there. Obviously that's too far for me to be traveling, especially if I'm not going to be getting my progesterone injection tomorrow. So, we're assuming at this point that Jonathan will be going down either by himself or with Nathan and/or Caleb. I don't even want to think about going into labor while he's gone......We'll keep you posted.

Update

We're still here and I'm still pregnant! Been without internet for a few days so was unable to post any updates although there really isn't much to report. Non-stress tests this week went well from Lydia's perspective. Both days this week, was having fairly regular contractions on the monitors. Monday, they convinced me to go upstairs for longer monitoring. Little did I know that "longer" meant the rest of the day. Put through the same torturous tests AGAIN (and then they didn't even send them off to the lab for results!) but alas, my cervix was still VERY high --thus the extreme pain -- very thick, and barely dilated or open. Thursday, when the contractions started again (it must be that room or chair?!?!) and they again wanted to send me upstairs, I politely declined. I did, however, let a dr check my cervix and while things were much less painful (meaning perhaps that Lydia has dropped or at least that my cervix is not so high -- or meaning absolutely nothing), I was still thick and barely open. Not feeling well at this particular moment but that's been my usual for these past few nights. I suffered from this "muscle fatigue" in my left side when I was pregnant with John although it only bothered me a couple of nights with Timothy. Well, it's back and as bad as it was with John. Please pray for rest from this pain and grace to get through the coming weeks without hurting anyone! Other than that, we're anxious to see what the ultrasound shows on Tuesday and what the drs think about how long this pregnancy might continue. Sounds like my cervix is in for the long haul (ugh!). Just a few more days (like 14 or so), yes, but 5 full weeks? I hate to say but I don't know if I can go that long with my side hurting like this every night. It's really starting to interfere with life!

Enough about me.....please pray for baby Leah. She was born in mid-January to friends of ours and is in the hospital with RSV, pneumonia, and a urinary tract infection. Please pray for her healing and her parents and big brother as they go through these difficult days ahead. Been there, done that, and wouldn't wish it on anyone! What they're going through makes Timothy's RSV battle seem like a cake walk. My heart is broken for them.

Updates

John is down with strep throat, although much improved after only 1 day of antibiotics. Timothy, poor dear, hasn't ate anything all day long and is running a low-grade fever. Guess he must be next?!? He is, thankfully, drinking his milk (yes, I know, milk is the wrong thing to give when they're sick but he won't drink juice; will try plain water next, though).

Drs appointment today interesting. First time going through the diabetic clinic. Basically, this is our plan of attack. If I go into labor in the next few weeks (say before March 3rd), they'd do everything they could to try and stop the labor. After March 3rd (36 weeks), they will not try and intervene unless it's caught very, very early (like I'm less than 3 cm dilated). After March 10th, they won't try to stop it at all. As far as her size is concerned, an ultrasound has been scheduled for 2/17. We'll see what her weight is and go from there. If she's VERY large, then around March 3rd, they'll perform an amniocentesis to see what her lung function is. If her lungs appear mature, they will induce because of her size. Depending on how mature they are, if they are uncomfortable with inducing at 36 weeks, then it will depend on how mature her lungs are/aren't. They may say, at that point, 1 more week or 2 more weeks, depending on the results. Regardless, if I'm still pregnant mid-March, we will make plans to be induced as close to March 24th as possible, 39 weeks. They do not want me going past 39 weeks as there is an increased chance of stillbirth with diabetic mothers (lovely though, heh?). They were still unsympathetic to my contractions :( but I think I'm dealing with them okay. I'm trying SO hard not to complain, and not to let them, cabin-fevered children, lack of sleep, and my raging hormones make me into a monster. So, please, feel free to tell me I'm being a jerk or a whiny baby and once I forgive you (ha!), I'm sure I'll thank you! :) I think that's about it. They did not check my cervix so I have no numbers to obsess over! Anyway, this week, I have another non-stress test on Friday; next weeks' NST's are on Monday and Thursday; then the week of the 15th, my ultrasound/OB appt/NST is on the 17th and jsut a NST on the 20th (what a way to spend a birthday, right?).

An update of sorts, with my tubal -- I did sign the papers today and, thankfully, there's an "out" on the consent form that say as long as my signature is at least 72 hours old on the paper, if I go into unexpected labor before the 30 days are up, they will be able to go ahead with the tubal. However, they informed me today that sometimes a "woman of my size" is difficult to do this surgery on immediately after delivery. So....if they were for any reason to be uncomfortable with attempting the surgery immediately after delivery, then I'd have a few choices, based on my insurance. If my insurance stays in effect long enough after delivery (after Timothy, my insurance coverage lasted 3 full months after he was delivered), then after my post-partum check-up, they could schedule to do the surgery as an outpatient. If my insurance either runs out or won't approve the tubal after my post-partum period, then there is another, cheaper permanent solution called "Essure" (google that, if you want) they can do in the office. There really isn't anything we can do, other than pray that God has His way in this. He will lead us into the right answer, I'm sure of it!

And in case you were paying attention to our sidebar "stuff" and were wondering what happened....I think I may have already reported that Caleb and Timothy's drs appointment originally scheduled for 1/9 were postponed indefinitely. If not, now you know! :) Timothy did see the ENT last Friday but, with the drama going on with the baby, we're postponing his next bronchoscopy until after Lydia is here.

Labor

At home today with a sick John and no, I'm not in labor. Just thinking about it. And thinking about it, I decided I would post here some specific prayers I'm praying, hoping my blogger friends will join me.

1 -- First and foremost, my concern is for Lydia. Specifically, my prayers are that she comes as healthy as possible. It would be wonderful if we could avoid the NICU! [For perspective, John was born at 32 weeks (I'll be 32 weeks on Tuesday), weighed 6 pounds, 4 ounces, and spent 2 weeks in the NICU. Really not bad at all -- quite good, in fact, considering the rule of thumb with premature babies is that they typically go home during the 2 weeks or so prior to what was their due date. I recognize fully our blessings with John's birth! Still, that was a very difficult 2 weeks and I only had 3 children living at home at that time. Timothy, born at 35 weeks, weighing 7 pounds, 5 ounces, went home with me, needing no NICU intervention.] The second part of Lydia's health that I'm concerned about is this -- clearly she is suffering the effects of a diabetic pregnancy, that's what's causing her to measure big. My fear is that in the next few days or weeks, my overly stretched, overly tired uterus will think we have a full-term baby already and labor will begin. If that doesn't happen -- and we don't want it to -- then my fear becomes that she'll get too big and 1 of 2 things will happen. Either I'll go into labor and she'll get stuck in the birth canal, prompting an emergency c-section, and/or she'll reach so large on the ultrasound that the doctor will go striaght to a c-section and not allow me the chance to deliver. A vaginal delivery is my pick, hands down. I've never had a c/s and I don't want one now! My kids need me and having to recover from major surgery not only means more time in the hospital but more down time once I'm home. My mom plans on being here for the 1st week after Lydia's born but that won't amount to much if I end up with a c/s. Okay, enough about that.

2 -- It's winter and apparently, a bad one for Central Ohio. May sound silly but I really am praying that the weather clears up soon. Regarldess, I'm praying bad weather won't keep me from getting to the hospital in time. A roadside delivery does NOT sound like fun to me.

3 -- And I've already blogged on this before. With all the contractions/pain in general I've been experiencing, I am praying for the wisdom to know when to head to the hospital and when to not. (An induction date and/or going into labor while at the drs office would be wonderful, in my opinion!)

4 -- Planning on having my tubes tied after Lydia is born. I was told at the beginning that I would sign the consent form around 28 weeks. Well, that hasn't happened yet and I was informed this past week that the consent form must be on file for 30 days. It would really be better if they could do the surgery while I was in the hospital delivering so now I'm praying that Lydia waits until March 3rd to arrive as I am planning on signing on Tuesday. That accomplishes 2 tings -- 1, I'll only need 1 hospitilization and 2, I'll be 36 weeks on March 3rd and that's a great time to have a baby! (I can still have the surgery done afterwards -- it would just mean an outpatient procedure after my 6-week recovery period is up but that would mean 2 visits to the hospital.)

That's basically it -- sure, I could mention other "little" things like I'm praying I make it in time for an epidural or that I might get a redhead this time but clearly those are not one of my priorities. And an FYI, Tuesday I begin bi-weekly appointments, every Tuesday and every Friday.

Getting tired of labor & delivery!

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!

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!)

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.

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!

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!

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.

Good news from the OB....Urgent Care, take 2

Much to my surprise, everything looked very stable today at the OB! Blood pressure still a little elevated but unlike my house nurse, the docs are not concerned about my feet swelling nor are they concerned about my blood pressure. Not to be too frank, but every woman who's ever been pregnant knows that they take a urine sample at each visit. They check for white blood cells (a sign of infection) and measure your level of protein. At every visit this pregnancy, my protein was +1. Today, however, it was back down to "trace" which is less than +1. That's really weird considering my blood pressures are creeping up but great news! My cervix was also surprisingly stable -- last time, it was all over the place, measuring anywhere from 30mm to 34mm. This time, every picture they took was 33mm so for it be not only stable but also over 30mm is GREAT! I go back next Friday for a growth scan to see how Little Miss is growing and the not back for a cervix scan until 1/2, provided I have no symptoms!! WOO HOO! I feel like a huge burden has been lifted! Praise God!

But then there's the rest of this post....Nathan....Fever started on Thursday morning (so church friends beware!) but by this afternoon, it was over 103 and he was talking funny so I knew things were getting crowded back in the throat. Indeed, his tonsils were huge! Getting a strep test done was a treat. Nathan may only weigh 58 pounds but it took 1 nurse to hold his hands while I held his head while the other nurse took the test. Then the dr comes into tell us that it is indeed strep throat and tells me I have 2 options for treatment (I'm sure you can all see where this is going....). Much to Nathan's dismay, I chose the faster injection, I mean, option. Took him FOREVER to "get into position", having to have his mp3 player and headphones and having to be promised a milk shake and a trip to the store with $5 (okay, so maybe that was overkill but I was still reeling from holding him down for the strep test). Anyway, now I'm sitting here wondering a few things -- 1, tomorrow night is our Sunday School class' Christmas party and Nathan will be 1 hour shy of his 24-hour no-longer-contagious cutoff (do we take him?!?); 2, are any of my other kids coming down with it and I don't know about it yet (and again, do we take them?!?!)?; and 3, Nathan went to church on Wednesday night as we all did so I'm wondering who we exposed....Here's praying all is well tomorrow! *sigh*

Nurse's visit

Prayer request -- The nurse was just here for my weekly progesterone shot. I had a rough night last night, not sleeping well, and the kids were up at 6:30 (ugh!). My blood pressure wasn't great but was higher than usual -- 130/70 as opposed to 120/65 which is my average. The bad part was that my feet/legs are starting to swell. That's a very big no-no in pregnancy. So until I get to my dr on Friday, I'm on orders from the nurse to keep my feet up as much as possible, to drink tons of water, and to monitor my stress level.

Updates

Life is always interesting. Here we are 34 days from Christmas. Where has the time gone? Here's the updates on the latest 2 drs appointments:

1 -- "We're still in an observational period" with Timothy's ortho dr, his words exactly. The curve in his spine isn't any worse but still there and his 12th vertebrae isn't developed as it's supposed to be but isn't any worse, either. So, we go back in May for another set of x-rays unless he starts having trouble with being hunched over after he learns to walk.

2 -- Okay-but-not-great is how I would explain my OB visit today. Weight still under control, sugars looked good, and blood pressure was okay. They're watching me closely for some headaches I've been having and they want me to start keeping tabs, so to speak, on when I have them and the heart racing I've mentioned earlier -- what am I doing when either of them happens? Where am I? Am I physically exerting myself? Those kinds of questions....right now, it appears the heart racing is part of pregnancy and the headaches are stress/tension. As for my "zipper" (cervix), things are a little interesting, although no need to panic (yet). Cervix length for this stage of pregnancy, to be considered "normal", should be somewhere between 3 and 4 cm (or 30 and 40 mm). 3 weeks ago, I was 3.8cm and today, I fell to 3cm. While still considered normal, #1 three cm is the bottom border of normal, #2, I shouldn't drop below 3 cm anytime before 30 weeks or so (a full 8 weeks away) and #3, that's a "significant change". What happens if I've "fallen" again on 12/5 when I go back? Well, that will depend on the numbers and all the other things, like is my zipper starting to unzip. Still no guarantees -- they really can't predict with 100% accuracy when a woman is going to go into labor. I may stay at 3 cm for the duration of the pregnancy, although that's highly unlikely, especially if we make it past 30 weeks or so. These numbers are just a caliber of where things stand overall and monitoring them closely will hopefully help us to predict when we're headed for trouble so we can do something proactively. As for holiday travel, since I'm "on the border" and have had a "significant change", if we had to call Christmas today, then it would definitely be a no. Maybe, just maybe we can reevaluate things at the next appointment but that's unlikely. We're going to owe my side of the family 2 or 3 Christmases in a row once we're done having babies! :(

Just in case....

....the new pink blog didn't tip you off or you don't keep up with us on Facebook....Yes, we're having a

G

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Her first picture

Everything looked great! She's the perfect size and weight for her age, right on target for a 3/31/09 due date. Wouldn't it be funny if she's born on St Patrick's Day and ends up being our only red head? (Come on, a lady can dream, can't she?!?!) Tossing around some names but no hints. It's been difficult enough since having Elizabeth. We used our favorite names for the first 3! I didn't think we'd ever name Timothy. I don't think it'll be that difficult this time, though, 'cause we haven't used that many girl names! :)

It's a.....

BABY!

Ha -- I'm having too much fun with this!

Okay, so seriously, they did do an unexpected ultrasound today. However, that was just to verify the hearbeat, not to do a full blown ultrasound. So they didn't look very hard or long but they did make a GUESS. BUT, not wanting to cause any confusion, I think I'll just keep this guess to myself. Everyone only has 14 more days to wait. I think you can handle it!

Otherwise, things looked surprisingly "normal". Blood pressure was normal, weight down 2 pounds (yipee!), cervix length was normal and everything is thick and closed, as it should be. Fasting blood sugars have been high so they've put me an a pill called Glyburide which wasn't a surprise. I can't get it filled until tomorrow because of insurance and I want to take it when I'm sure Jonathan will be here in the mornings. I have to take it at bedtime and I have fears of it causing my sugar to drop too low so I want to make sure I have someone here to get me help should I need it. Pray that the medicine will do its job but not work too hard and cause me to get sick. I don't want that for me, certainly, but I don't want to scare the kids in any way. Go back in 3 weeks, unless something happens. And of course the big ultrasound in 2 weeks. Anyone want to make a guess as to what you think they told me the baby is?!?! Could be fun.... :)

IT'S A GIRL!!!

Did that title make you look? Well, guess what? It's true!! :)

But I didn't say it was MY baby, now did I? (excuse me while I laugh outloud....there, I'm better). Okay, so seriously, it is a girl but seriously, it is not my baby (meaning we just don't know yet). My brother and his wife found out yesterday that they're expecting their 3rd little girl! Kinda hoping for a little boy since they plan on this being the last one but they are thankful for a healthy mom, healthy baby. As for me, I'm seriously planning on hearing the opposite at my ultrasound....just assume it's a boy and be surprised, that's my philosophy.

Onto more good news -- my liver enzymes are down, completely in normal range! BP not a problem (at least for now). Everything thus far seems okay. Having a hard time adjusting to the diabetic diet but it's mostly because of the food we currently have in the house and the fact that we're midway between pay days (and yes I realize I should have already been following the diet so please refrain from yelling at me over that one). Can't really go buying a whole new set of groceries so I'm trying to do what I can. Monitoring my BP here and it's been normal. I am beginning to suffer from those side pains I've had in the past. With John, I was plain ol' miserable! Thanks be to God for answering prayers, I didn't deal with them too much with Timothy but if the drs are right and it's muscle fatigue, then it stands to reason I'll have them more with this baby because my body has had zero time to recover between pregnancies. I was expecting them but I am highly disappointed that they're already starting and I'm only 17 weeks. :( Also with being with a new dr/new hospital, I'm afraid if I complain too much they'll start running a bunch of tests that reveal nothing and I'm already spending enough time at that place!

In other news, first day of "preschool" with Mrs. Candace seemed to be a hit with Elizabeth and John! Thanks, Candace, for taking this on! The kids had a great time and are looking forward to seeing you again in the morning!

Mixed bag

....of updates, that is. Nathan's tooth extraction went smoothly! :)

My appointment today went smoothly but took a dreadful amount of time! :( Poor me? Think "Poor Candace" at home with 7 kids! Anyway, not-so-great news right up front -- blood pressure way high. Drew some blood to check my liver enzymes to compare with the levels they drew back in August. If they're going up, we might be in some serious trouble.... Good news, though -- cervix measured over 4cm (40mm)!! Dr. Iames said "Normal with a capital N!" And as his resident said "Stay boring!". Glucola test was dreadful but yielded a result of 193. Thankfully, Dr. Iames was merciful and said that was close enough to 200 to declare diabetes without the 3 hour test! Can't tell you how exciting that is! So then I ran around meeting with the dietician and the diabetic clinic's nurse. Normally, I would have come back on a different date to do that. I thought it would be better if I could get it all done in one hit and they were very accomodating. The diabetic clinic's nurse, Cathy, is scratching her head and was really wanting that 3 hour test. (WHY? It's not like it's going to yield a different result!!) This is her point -- Normally, a placenta doesn't start excreting (sp?) enough hormones to cause gestational diabetes in a woman until around 24 weeks which is why the glucola test is normally given around 24-28 weeks. So that's why she asked me to have my A1C drawn a few weeks ago. Her question -- if my A1C was 5.5 (a perfectly normal result which should indicate that I don't have type 2 diabetes) then why am I testing positive for gestational diabetes early (now being only 16 weeks)? To her, something doesn't add up. I'm with her and wouldn't quite frankly be surprised to learn that I have type 2 diabetes. However, her answer certainly doesn't lie in that 3 hour test! We already know how my body reacts to the 50mg of glucose (sugar) in the drink I drank today. There's no possible way it would act differently with the 100mg of glucose they give you to drink with the 3 hour test. The question really is -- do I have type 2 diabetes? How do we find that out, if the answer doesn't lie in my A1C? I have no idea! I'm sure they'll come up with some other test(s) to do on me when I go back. That's one bad thing about going to a university hospital....they're blood suckers!

Bottom line -- no signs of preterm labor. Exactly what we wanted to hear. Repeate cervical length scans every 2 weeks; level 2 ultrasound (gender time!) on 11/14.

Updates

Much better night for me! Still feeling wiped out, though. Many thanks for any and all prayers! 2 things I want to point out today for those of you keeping up with us:

First, Timothy's hearing aid evaluation has been moved to this Wednesday. Long story but I'm happy with the earlier appointment.

Second, I've talked with the preterm labor clinic today about my suggested course of treatment. Starting this Friday, they will do what's called cervical length scans. Not a pleasant experience but necessary to make sure we do everything we can to keep this baby in where he/she's supposed to be for as long as possible! Imagine a zipper -- we want the zipper to be nice and long (4 cm would be a great result; 3 cm is acceptable but not necessarily a good sign; 3.5 cm is average) and for the zipper to completely zipped up, not starting to unzip at the top (very bad!). Depending on my results on Friday, this will be repeated either in 1 to 3 weeks (and always on a Friday). Pray for a good result this week most importantly for the sake of the pregnancy but also so I can keep my sanity by not having to run to the drs office all the time! This week, they'll also be doing a Glucose Tolerance Test. This is the test that will tell them whether or not I have gestational diabetes. Expecting a bad result there. And this may sound like a weird request but pray that it's either really good (like less than 150) to where they'll either declare me not diabetic (unlikely) or they'll tell me I can repeat the test in a few weeks OR pray that it's really bad (like 200) to where I'll have the diagnosis. That's for 2 reasons -- 1, I avoid the awful, awful 3 HOUR test and 2, the earlier I know I have it, the more I can do to keep things under control. They will not be doing an anatomy scan this week so don't expect any boy/girl news this time. They will be doing that in 2 or 3 weeks, depending on when I have to come back for another length scan. And last but not least, I will be beginning progesterone injection therapy. More than likely, that will start 11/1 or so and a nurse will have to come to my house once a week to administer the shot. Thankfully, though, my insurance will pay for the shots and for the home nurse.

That's it for now!

Test results

There was a lot of drama surrounding my appointment on Tuesday. First of all, I was scheduled to go last Friday, to the preterm labor clinic. Well, the preterm labor clinic called last week and said it was too early to be concerned about preterm labor or any of the treatments/tests they do to monitor so they wanted me to see the diabetic clinic in the meantime. Fine, no problem, right? Well, the diabetic clinic called last Friday, almost in a rant, about how they currently were full to capacity and that if I hadn't been diagnosed either with Type 2 Diabetes or Gestational Diabetes, then they weren't going to see me. After a long discussion, they stuck me in with the "regular" pregnant women on Tuesday but decided I should have a blood draw called Hemoglobin A1C. This test, in case you didn't know, gives an average, so to speak, of what your blood sugar levels have been over the past 3 months. Your results come in a number -- anything under 7 is considered good; under 6 is ideal; over 8 and you're in trouble. While it wouldn't in and of itself say for sure that I have T2D, it would give us a good idea what we're up against. That was Tuesday so I called this morning to get my results and I'm in shock -- my A1C level was 5.5!!!!! Almost with certainty they can say I don't have T2Diabetes! That's the good news. The bad news is I'll have to drink that yucky glucola stuff at my next appointment. I can't imagine having had GD with my last 4 pregnancies that I won't have it this time. Which means I'll fail that test at my next appointment (a 1 hour test) and will have to have the wonderful 3 hour test. You have to go fasting and they'll draw blood once; drink more of that yucky stuff and then they poke you again every hour, on the hour, for the next 3 hours. Fun, fun, fun....

The only other thing they did on Tuesday was find the heartbeat. :) 10/17 is my next appointment and I will see the preterm labor clinic. We've already decided to do whatever they suggest regarding monitoring for signs of preterm labor (which usually means wonderful ultrasounds every 2 weeks to measure the cervix), which I did with Timothy. More fun let me tell you! However, one thing we didn't do with Timothy was the progesterone therapy. It's a weekly shot of progesterone, the hormone the body naturally produces that keeps you pregnant. Studies are starting to show that women with a history of preterm labor can prolong their pregnancies with the additional progesterone. I frankly just didn't want for Jonathan to have to give me a shot once a week (since the shot has to go into a place where I can't reach o my own) or go through the approval process to get insurance to pay for it. Since Timothy came early, too, we'll do it this time, if they suggest it. Hopefully Jonathan doesn't have any frustrations with me....(just kidding! He could never hurt me on purpose!) :)