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.
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