After school today Chris and I went to our appointment to meet with the midwives due to the swelling and pain in my legs I had been having. Every time I go, the first thing they have me do right away is called "check and weigh". I go pee in a cup, use a stick thingy to measure the protein and glucose in my urine, weigh myself and report back to them. Usually the protein and glucose come up negative and there is no problem. Today my heart kinda dropped because though the glucose was fine, my protein levels were off the stick high. I knew this was a concern and I was dreading what they were going to say. When we went into the room they took my blood pressure and instead of the normal 140/70 it was somewhere around 185/94! Just a week and a half prior everything was great and now this?! My legs were completely swollen up to my thighs and the combination of these things was a problem.
They had my lay on my left side for 5 minutes and then came to recheck my BP. Nothing changed. They did this 2 more times and when it was still high, the midwife came in and said she was taking me out of work until he was born. I got pretty happy because being on my feet at work has become so painful and uncomfortable that I knew it was the right thing to do. Well, as she was writing me a note, she was looking over my chart and then at my legs and decided to change her mind and that she wanted us to go right away to labor and delivery at the hospital to have an ultrasound and non-stress test for Cade and to monitor my BP for a while. OH yay.
We got to the hospital around 4 or 4:30pm and they hooked Cade and I up right away. His non-stress tests looked fine and his heart rate was great. I however, was still dealing with sky high BP and could not get it to go down. My urine sample was still high for protein which means that my kidneys were not working like they needed to. They monitored my BP every 15 minutes for over an hour and when it wouldn't go down, they said I needed to stay. They told us that I had pretty bad Pre-eclampsia and that though they still do not know what causes it, it is related to having the baby inside and that they ONLY way to cure it was to deliver him. Uh....I'm sorry but what!?
Since Feather River Hospital (where I was planing to deliver) does not have the facilities that a premature baby would need, if this were to happen, I would need to be sent by ambulance an hour and a half away to Sutter in Sacramento. They decided to keep me at Feather River overnight and take a 24 hour urine collection to really determine what was going on with my kidneys. By 9:15pm the next night we should have some answers.
Oh! I forgot to say that we got to see him again and though it still kinda looks like a skeleton, we were so happy to see how happy he looked. He is perfectly fine in there and is not affected by this at all (at least right now) and he was just sucking away on his fingers like he always is :) Knowing he is ok put my mind at ease a lot and gave me the focus I needed to worry about my body. Also, they are still saying that he is measuring about 2 Weeks younger than my dates, but it is nothing major and that they estimate he is about 3.5lbs right now. This sounded god to me at first because should he need to come out now, he would not be so tiny. The reality is though that it doesn't matter how fat he is, he needs to have developed lungs and kidneys and be able to eat before he would come home.
After the ultrasound, Chris ran home and collected things as fast as he could and made some phone calls to let everyone know what was going on. Again, I do not know how I would make it without him. He is my rock and always pulls it together when I (the control freak) am out of control. He is the best man I know. I was moved to a private room that has 2 beds in it and a bathroom which made it so much more comfortable for him to stay with me. In addition, they gave me a Betamethazone shot which is steroids to boost his lung development within 48 hours in case he were to come out in the next couple of days. I was to get another 24 hours later.
Though I am glad they gave that to me for him, man did it make me suffer! I was so tired but could not sleep. I literally slept for maybe 10 minutes all night and just laid here staring at the clock, hoping it would be morning soon because I was so bored. It sucked majorly. To add to that, I started having some pretty uncomfortable contractions around 3:30am which made it even harder to try to sleep. They monitored them and the doctor checked my cervix, but said it was tightly closed so for now they would let them happen. Oh joy :) He said that it just may be another sign of my body trying to get Cade out so it can recover. Who knows really. They said that if I was to be transported, they would give me something to stop them for the ride.
To be continued.....
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Swollen To the Max
This last week or so has been the roughest so far for me. For starters I have still been dealing with what I can only conclude are allergies. I am constantly stuffed up, have a very red and sore throat, I cough constantly and my eyes sometimes feel like they are swelling shut. I have tried Benadryl, Clairitin, antibiotics, Neti pot, sleeping sitting up...you name it. I am just learning to live with it and hopefully it will eventually go away.
More importantly, my feet, ankles and legs are huge. The first time they swelled at all was March 18 and they have really not gone down since then. At first it was only my feet. Then my ankles got a little swollen and this week it has moved up my legs to above my knees. At all of my past appointments, my blood pressure has been great and there has been no protein in my urine which are the two concerns for Preeclampsia. They tell me it is just a uncomfortable side effect of being pregnant and to put them up when I can. This week though I couldn't take it anymore. With everything I am still trying to do in my life, it is nearly impossible for me to stay completely off my feet and therefore they swell. While I was at work on Thursday, it began to feel like I had tight rubber bands around my knees, causing my legs to be so swollen that they were hard and ached terribly. I could not feel my feet and they were cold and sweaty to the touch. I figured this was not a good sign. I went home and cried (very normal these days) and when I got up in the morning, I called my midwife. She called back and said to stay off my feet all weekend, drink lots of water, stay away from salt and protein and come in Monday to check my blood pressure again. So that is the plan.
My appointment is at 3:15 and I am both looking forward to it and dreading it. I think it is just part of the emotional roller coaster I am on right now. I have a feeling they will take me out of work until he is born. On the one hand that would be the greatest thing ever because I really can't handle it anymore and am starting to snap at the kids when it is not their fault. On the other hand it stresses me out because it means disability instead of a normal paycheck for WAY longer than we planned and it means laying on the couch with my feet above my heart for possibly 8 weeks. This is not easy for me. I have so much I need and want to be doing and the thought of laying on the couch is torture. Obviously, I want to do the best thing I can for both Cade and I, but it sucks! Not to mention, having to tell my boss she has to rearrange the already tight schedule 8 weeks sooner than she was planning....ugh.
My other fear is actually having preeclampsia. If I do there is always the possibility of having to have a C-section which honestly would be my nightmare. I just so pictured a happy, healthy, fun pregnancy and right now that is not how I feel. I am trying so hard to stay positive and think good thoughts, but it is really hard to do. I just cannot wait until he is out and we can start getting to know him and enjoying him and I can get back to feeling better physically.
Tomorrow Chris and I are going to have professional photos taken together and of the belly. Of course this week is the week that I feel swollen and white. Oh well. I'll post some when I get them. Tomorrow must be a better day.....
More importantly, my feet, ankles and legs are huge. The first time they swelled at all was March 18 and they have really not gone down since then. At first it was only my feet. Then my ankles got a little swollen and this week it has moved up my legs to above my knees. At all of my past appointments, my blood pressure has been great and there has been no protein in my urine which are the two concerns for Preeclampsia. They tell me it is just a uncomfortable side effect of being pregnant and to put them up when I can. This week though I couldn't take it anymore. With everything I am still trying to do in my life, it is nearly impossible for me to stay completely off my feet and therefore they swell. While I was at work on Thursday, it began to feel like I had tight rubber bands around my knees, causing my legs to be so swollen that they were hard and ached terribly. I could not feel my feet and they were cold and sweaty to the touch. I figured this was not a good sign. I went home and cried (very normal these days) and when I got up in the morning, I called my midwife. She called back and said to stay off my feet all weekend, drink lots of water, stay away from salt and protein and come in Monday to check my blood pressure again. So that is the plan.
My appointment is at 3:15 and I am both looking forward to it and dreading it. I think it is just part of the emotional roller coaster I am on right now. I have a feeling they will take me out of work until he is born. On the one hand that would be the greatest thing ever because I really can't handle it anymore and am starting to snap at the kids when it is not their fault. On the other hand it stresses me out because it means disability instead of a normal paycheck for WAY longer than we planned and it means laying on the couch with my feet above my heart for possibly 8 weeks. This is not easy for me. I have so much I need and want to be doing and the thought of laying on the couch is torture. Obviously, I want to do the best thing I can for both Cade and I, but it sucks! Not to mention, having to tell my boss she has to rearrange the already tight schedule 8 weeks sooner than she was planning....ugh.
My other fear is actually having preeclampsia. If I do there is always the possibility of having to have a C-section which honestly would be my nightmare. I just so pictured a happy, healthy, fun pregnancy and right now that is not how I feel. I am trying so hard to stay positive and think good thoughts, but it is really hard to do. I just cannot wait until he is out and we can start getting to know him and enjoying him and I can get back to feeling better physically.
Tomorrow Chris and I are going to have professional photos taken together and of the belly. Of course this week is the week that I feel swollen and white. Oh well. I'll post some when I get them. Tomorrow must be a better day.....
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Check-up....again
Had another appointment today which went very well as usual and here are the stats:
- Gained a few more pounds putting me at 32lbs total so far (I swear it is in my ankles!)
- Fundal height 31cm and exactly where it should be
- He is supposedly head down already and as a special treat for his mom, has one foot in each of my ribs!
- Heart sounded great still
- Met another new midwife named Lisa who I LOVED and hope she is there when I deliver. We talked about my birth plans and preferences and she was so helpful and even told me about a hypnobirthing class offered here in Chico! I am so happy because it will really help
- She told me I could take Claritin and Benadryl for my allergies (yay!) so maybe now I will get some relief
- Wasn't worried about my swollen ankles and feet because my blood pressure is still really nicely low
- Picked up the information about my maternity leave and disability pay....man this is happening fast!
So that was the appointment this week. I go back again in 2 weeks for I think maybe 3 more and then start going every week!
I am going home to San Diego this weekend for my second baby shower and I can't wait! I haven't seen my family since November and it will be really nice to spend time with them. Sara is throwing the shower and will not tell me anything about it, so I will share the details when I get home :)
As far as physically? I am really uncomfortable at this point. Everything hurts and I had a mini meltdown last night. He is growing very quickly and getting really heavy. It takes a long time for me to get up and down and do what I need to do these days. Chris is really helping, but he can't go everywhere with me! Just walking from the car into the store is exhausting....man I will not miss that part. I have just been trying to stretch as much as I can and I really need to start doing the yoga video because I think it will help with flexibility and reduce some of the pain.
Cade is great and very active still. It is no longer kicking that I feel, but now more of a rolling and thumping sensation. Like a tsunami! He really enjoys and spends most of his time with his butt (I think) up under my right rib. You can almost always find him there. The other morning it was so cute because I had my ipod in bed with me and when I woke up I put some music on and the headphones on my tummy and he started moving around. Chris was thrilled when I told him that Cade loves Beyonce! Anyway, he is good and I can't wait to meet him.
Lastly, Chris and I now sleep in separate beds. I was kinda sad about it at first, but before we made that choice, neither one of us was sleeping. So now he gets sleep and I get sleep and we are much happier. I just hope it isn't permanent because I miss him at night!
I think that is all for now. I'll write again after I get home and have photos and fun from the shower!
Sunday, April 4, 2010
30 Weeks and Birth Preparation
Well, I have now been pregnant for 30 weeks. I know I have been saying all along that time is flying, but now that we are in the 10 week countdown, it has become really real! I have been thinking about this time in my life and preparing mentally for it for years and now that it is so close to happening, I am getting so excited.
Things around here are moving along nicely I guess you could say. I have 400 books I had planned on reading throughout this pregnancy and of course have not. I have started reading a few though. Most importantly my Hypnobirthing book.
Having a natural, intervention-free birth has always been important to me since the time I even thought of having kids. I think this partly comes from the experiences with my mom. All of my siblings except myself were born either at home or at a birthing center and my mom's labors and deliveries were drug-free and midwife led. I guess this has always just seemed normal to me. In addition, as I started getting older and thinking for myself, I began reading about birthing and have often thought about becoming a midwife or doula as a profession. I find the process of birth very special and an amazing process that should be left to happen on it's own.
Soooo....needless to say, this is my plan for Cade's birth. I know I know, "things happen" and I am aware of this and of course if something went wrong, I would protect him first and myself, BUT assuming everything is healthy, I will not be taking any pain medications. I have also wanted to have a home birth as it is where I feel the most comfortable, not to mention, I despise everything about hospitals, but for Chris I compromised. I am using a midwife instead of doctor like I wanted and Cade will be born in a hospital instead of at home like he wanted. Guess it's fair. The hospital he will be born in is supposedly really great and they have a whole birthing center which is completely separate from the rest of the hospital. I have also heard that they are very good at respecting your wishes for the most part as long as you let them know.
I don't plan on going in willy-nilly expecting Cade to walk out without any pain or discomfort. Instead, I have chosen to use a method of pain management called Hypnobirthing. It is a breathing, visualization and relaxation method using many techniques which serve as a sort of self-hypnosis. It doesn't mean that I will be completely out of it and this type of hypnosis is very unlike anything you have seen at the fair or on TV. I will still be very much aware of what is going on and completely conscious, but will work with the contractions to reduce pain and help labor progress. I have been reading about these methods and have now begun practicing daily and plan to include both Chris and my mom in this as well. They will serve as my birth companions and remind me of my breathing and visualizations. I am really excited about this decision and see it as a challenge I will train for and complete!
As far as getting ready for his arrival? We now have a car seat for him! This has been my only little cause of stress for the last month or so because we couldn't bring him home without it, but thanks to Chris' mom and Dad, we now have a car seat! A very safe one at that! We have not put it in the car yet because I have this weird thing about driving around with important things in the car in case the car got hit and it ruined the contents of the car. I know it is weird, but it could happen! We will put it in in a few weeks probably. I also finally ordered the co sleeper he will be sleeping in. It has shipped and should be here next weeks! Another stress relieved. As far as our diapers go, we have 10 of the 20 we need for him. The girls at work threw me a wonderful baby shower last weekend (which I will be posting pictures of when I get them) and all pitched in and bought us 10 diapers. Thanks girls! We also got all kinds of cute clothes, blankets, washcloths and bathrobes. It was so much fun and as soon as I get the photos I will post them.
Things around here are moving along nicely I guess you could say. I have 400 books I had planned on reading throughout this pregnancy and of course have not. I have started reading a few though. Most importantly my Hypnobirthing book.
Having a natural, intervention-free birth has always been important to me since the time I even thought of having kids. I think this partly comes from the experiences with my mom. All of my siblings except myself were born either at home or at a birthing center and my mom's labors and deliveries were drug-free and midwife led. I guess this has always just seemed normal to me. In addition, as I started getting older and thinking for myself, I began reading about birthing and have often thought about becoming a midwife or doula as a profession. I find the process of birth very special and an amazing process that should be left to happen on it's own.
Soooo....needless to say, this is my plan for Cade's birth. I know I know, "things happen" and I am aware of this and of course if something went wrong, I would protect him first and myself, BUT assuming everything is healthy, I will not be taking any pain medications. I have also wanted to have a home birth as it is where I feel the most comfortable, not to mention, I despise everything about hospitals, but for Chris I compromised. I am using a midwife instead of doctor like I wanted and Cade will be born in a hospital instead of at home like he wanted. Guess it's fair. The hospital he will be born in is supposedly really great and they have a whole birthing center which is completely separate from the rest of the hospital. I have also heard that they are very good at respecting your wishes for the most part as long as you let them know.
I don't plan on going in willy-nilly expecting Cade to walk out without any pain or discomfort. Instead, I have chosen to use a method of pain management called Hypnobirthing. It is a breathing, visualization and relaxation method using many techniques which serve as a sort of self-hypnosis. It doesn't mean that I will be completely out of it and this type of hypnosis is very unlike anything you have seen at the fair or on TV. I will still be very much aware of what is going on and completely conscious, but will work with the contractions to reduce pain and help labor progress. I have been reading about these methods and have now begun practicing daily and plan to include both Chris and my mom in this as well. They will serve as my birth companions and remind me of my breathing and visualizations. I am really excited about this decision and see it as a challenge I will train for and complete!
As far as getting ready for his arrival? We now have a car seat for him! This has been my only little cause of stress for the last month or so because we couldn't bring him home without it, but thanks to Chris' mom and Dad, we now have a car seat! A very safe one at that! We have not put it in the car yet because I have this weird thing about driving around with important things in the car in case the car got hit and it ruined the contents of the car. I know it is weird, but it could happen! We will put it in in a few weeks probably. I also finally ordered the co sleeper he will be sleeping in. It has shipped and should be here next weeks! Another stress relieved. As far as our diapers go, we have 10 of the 20 we need for him. The girls at work threw me a wonderful baby shower last weekend (which I will be posting pictures of when I get them) and all pitched in and bought us 10 diapers. Thanks girls! We also got all kinds of cute clothes, blankets, washcloths and bathrobes. It was so much fun and as soon as I get the photos I will post them.
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