Day 4

The difference between Daria and her sister is uncanny - you can't even say they're related, they look so differently!

Pictures!

Hello everyone!

I'm very sorry for the delay in getting pictures and details 'out there'. Unfortunately Daria is a pumpkin head - no lie, 36 cm. head circumference! She dislocated my tailbone and gave me a 3rd degree tear so I've been too uncomfortable to sit for too long and I've got some serious edema going on in my feet (can't even wear flip flops) so even standing is painful.

But - she's wonderful. We went home on Thursday, she's officially a 'take home kid' and she's eating magnificently. It's really nice to have a baby that will actually feed at the breast this time. She's only lost weight until discharge - going from 7.14 to 7.6 and has been gaining really well since. I imagine when she gets weighed on Wednesday that she'll be above her birth weight. Even better was that her bilirubin levels were great and we haven't had to do lights or anything out of the ordinary.

It was a little surreal to go through Arianna's baby clothes and realize that much of the clothes she wore for her first 6 months are actually going to be too small for her sister. Otherwise she's a great little lady and we're truely blessed to have her in our lives - I'm so in love with her chubby cheeks!

With big sister Arianna, who is so in love with her 'baby'

Announcing...

Daria Michelle
Born 8/19/2008 @ 6:03pm
7 lbs, 14 oz.

Pictures to follow!

In the Hospital

I've been admitted to the hospital with labor. News to follow!

hmm?

So I'm going on 4 hours of one constant contraction and (TMI) I know I lost my plug (again) this afternoon, so I'm definitely more dilated.

In some way I hope this is it - I'm really tired of being constantly nauseous right now...

I'm going to sit on the ball for a little while and see how everything goes.

Monday Update

So I went to my OBs office for a 10:15 appointment and we're making some (very slow) progress. I'm 100% effaced, kid is fully engaged (don't know the station) and I'm now 1.5 cm dilated... so 1/2 cm. I'll take it - its better than nothing! I scored a 9 on my bishop scale (which is the 'how good is this person for an induction' rating) and a 9 is good - so if they could/would induce, I'd be golden... but my hospital doesn't do any kind of induction until 39 weeks.

So, encouraged by the appointment, I decided to go walking at the mall. I walked for nearly an hour and stopped to get some sorbet (shhh... don't tell my doc). I've had what feels like one solid contraction since then, not painful but overall tightness that just won't give up - I hope that's a good sign!

I'm really tired now so I'm going to go lay down and take a nap and hope these continue on their own.

Monday...

Well, we didn't have to go to the hospital last night. I managed to sleep, which was needed. I was up probably every 2 hours or so but was able to 'switch sides' and get back to sleep, which was good.

No regular contractions yet today, just a few big doozies, but I have an appointment with one of the OBs in my office at 10:15 AM today - so I'm hopeful that there has been some progress since Saturday, and if not I hope she's willing to 'help things along'. I'm really frustrated - I wish I hadn't agreed to the terb shot.

Hubby was in a car accident on his way home Friday so we're down to one car this week - thankfully he works close to home. We drove up to my parents home to pick up Arianna and drop her off at daycare - I'm hoping we won't need to go to the hospital today because she was really distraught when we left her this morning. You could tell she really missed us and kept asking to go home.

So I'm just waiting at this point - feeling really nauseous this morning for some reason so I won't be going for a long walk before my appointment. Its supposed to be really hot today so if I haven't progressed enough to go to the hospital I'll probably just go to the mall and walk around for a while...

Another update

So its about quarter of 8 PM and my contractions are picking up again and they're definitely different from yesterday - I don't get much warning before the peak it happens very suddenly and there's stabbing pain with it so I hope that stabbing pain is in my cervix, meaning its breaking up the scar tissue!

Hubby and I haven't done much of anything today - he still feels yucky and I'm just exhausted so we've been vegging around the house trying to rest (I did manage about 5 hours of sleep all day but the only thing I've managed to eat was 3/4 of a strawberry poppy seed salad from Panera Bread and a yogurt smoothie from Dunkin Donuts). I spent about 30 min. on the birthing ball and we went for a short walk around the neighborhood. I think it took the terb about 12 hours to wear off because the contrax didn't come back regularly until after 4 PM - that stuff works fast, let me tell you! I was having contrax every min. on the strip and then they gave me the terb and it QUICKLY slowed to every 10 min. It was amazing how fast it worked.

After I do this update I'm going to get back on the birth ball for a little while and see if do these psuedo squats will help spread my hips and allow my cervix to break up. We'll probably be back at the ER again tonight but I won't be calling Tina until I get an exam and can be sure I'm progressing some. If the exam at the hospital is uneventful we'll head home and I'll make an appointment to see my OB tomorrow and see if she'll break up my scar tissue for me. The big reason the doc in the ER wouldn't do it fully is that I'm only 36 weeks so not technically full term. The doc that was covering my group was really busy last night (full moon has some truth in it!) so he didn't get to come down to the ER but I know if he could have he would have helped break it up - he told me so when I saw him on Thursday.

So that's it for now. Arianna is being an angel for grandma and grandpa and they're happy to keep her for another night - we'll pick her up in the morning so she can go to daycare and give grandpa a break (who is just newly laid off and has an abundance of free time).

25weeks: My hubby says the same thing. Pregnancy is very morbid, you get very excited about seeing a woman in pain "Ya, Jen is miserable, that's awesome!" LOL!

My frustrating Saturday

My parents came to the house at 5 and took Arianna to spend the night with them - I knew we'd be going to the hospital at some point that night.

I decided to labor at home until I 'couldn't take it anymore' - a sign that the contractions were strong enough to put me in active labor. I sat on the birthing ball for a while, took a nice bath for a while and DH and I took a nice walk around the neighborhood. After my bath about 8 PM the contractions had slowed to a crawl so I figured we were 'done' for the night. DH had food poisoning from a cookout we'd gone to that day so he was throwing up all over the place and by 9 the contractions had me really tired so I just looked at him and said "let's go to bed as we may be up early". He surprisingly agreed.

I woke up at 10:40 with lots of pain - I was really feeling it now and had a hard time talking through it - surely this was it! I got hubby up and called my doula and started packing the car/getting dressed.

We got to the ER at 11:50 and true 'full moon' fashion it was packed. I got through registration and triage and sat down. Hubby was still not feeling good but I needed to walk around with Tina (my doula) so he stayed with our bags while we walked the halls for about 15 min. They called us back and got me into a room to get the baby monitored and get an exam. Boy do contractions hurt when you have to lay down through them - I don't know why women do that without an epidural! I ended up standing next to the bed for a long time doing the strip because it really hurt to lay on my back. Then the resident/attending came in to give me my exam. Apparantly my doula knew her very well and was excited she would be the one doing my exam because she could 'fast track' me upstairs to L&D if needed.

I was 100% effaced, which was AWESOME, but only 1 cm. dilated (not awesome). So she told me to get up and walk around for two hours and see if that helps any. The scar tissue from the cerclage was going to make dilation pretty impossible - she even tried to break it up for me (ouch!!).

So I diligently followed orders - lots of walking with Tina and lots of contractions - eventually they were right on top of each other with no break in between and it was really frustrating but, if I do say so myself, I did very well despite no pain meds. They were really strong now and Tina said I should get examined because she could tell by the change in contractions that I'm further along.

4 AM I get another exam and there is no freakin' change. Not even a half a centimeter! I couldn't believe it! The the worst news came in.

They have no beds. With contractions showing up on the monitor at every minute or less they couldn't just send me home but they had no where to put me but in the ER on the WORST BEDS IN EXISTANCE and I really couldn't stay laying down - really, back labor sucks when you have to stay on your back.

So they gave me terbutaline and sent me home... after I'd labor hard for more than 24 hours they were giving me drugs to stop all my hard work and sending me home simply because they don't have a bed. WTF?!!

So its noon now, we're finally up and I'm eating something for the first time in 24 hours (I don't get hungry in labor) and incredibly upset about the turn in events. The worst is that I know we'll be back there again tonight playing this dance again... I have to go through those contractions again and hope they have a room for and hope that I get a sympathetic doc who will break up my scar tissue allowing my cervix to open up. All the docs I've seen have said the same thing - once the scar tissue breaks up I'll go from 1 - 6 fairly quickly. I like the sound of that, just wished it would happen sooner than later.

I kinda wish my doctor was on last night - when she took out my cerclage on Friday we talked about the size of the baby and what my cervix looked like and she told me to 'do everything I can' to get this kid out now... so that's what I'm trying to do. Just wish that I didn't have to seemingly fight them on it.

ooh ooh!

I'm having contractions about 2 - 4 minutes apart. We're going to time for an hour before we make 'the call' but its looking promising!

Wish me luck!

Cerclage Removal!

I can't believe I made it to the point of actually having it removed... this is surreal to me.

Anyway, in a little under 10 hours I'll be stitch free! Although, theoretically, I could dilate and go into labor immediately, the OB I saw today said in his 30 years he has never seen anyone go into labor the day the stitch is removed, so chances are good I'll be home after a few hours of monitoring.

But... if I'm lucky enough to be the exception I'll have hubby post a quick update here before he jets off to the hospital to meet me.

I can't tell you all enough how wonderful you have all been with your comments and emails - I am very blessed to have such caring people wondering about me.

I can't believe the end is in sight now (hopefully) and hope that my story has been inspiring and helpful to you.

36 weeks!

It's a funny thing being pregnant again after having a preemie - especially sub 30 weeks. If you're fortunate enough, like me, to make it to (almost) full term you'll experience a strange emotion... the "I never expected to make it this far and now I feel overdue" emotion.

I guess mine is compounded, unfortunately...

Ended up in the ER last night due to lack of movement - which never happens, this kid is VERY active... s/he didn't do well on the NST at first and then they gave me apple juice and pretzels and flipped me all over - then s/he got marginally better, but I still hadn't felt a kick in HOURS... very scary.

Today I had my regularly scheduled NST and still hadn't felt so much as a hiccup... low and behold I get on the NST and s/he decides to hold a dance party. The NST was incredible - beyond perfect wave form. I cried happy tears...

Then I had an U/S. I'm really start to hate these... my AFI is 26 and baby is still in the 97th percentile - now 7 lbs. 12 oz. I'm 36 weeks... it could be off by as much as 10% at this point, which is about a lb. in either direction - so s/he could be as big as 8.5 lbs. or as small as 6.10... still really big for this point.

In essence s/he is measuring 3 weeks ahead - so 39 weeks. Add in the abundant fluid and I'm big... really freaking big and uncomfortable! I can fully appreciate why so many women complain about the end of pregnancy. It used to make me really mad when I'd hear women complain because I had wished to have been able to experience it with Arianna, but now I understand and will never chastise a full term pregnant mom again! Seriously, there isn't anything that doesn't hurt right now. My feet are huge and rolling over in bed brings me to tears... and lack of sleep? I can't even call 'no sleep' lack of sleep, because that implies there is actually SOME sleeping going on.

They won't induce at my office, instead at 40 weeks they'll give me the option of a c-section. He says because my fasting numbers have been so hard to control (now under control with 30 u of insulin) and this kid has been measuring steady at 97th percentile for 3 months, the u/s is probably pretty accurate - this kid is just plain big.

On top of that he said in his 30 years of being an OB he's never seen anyone dilate into labor once the cerclage is removed (which I know is rare, just wishful thinking on my part I guess) and furthermore, since I've been funneled to the stitch for so long (thus creating alot of pressure on the stitch), I will have alot of scar tissue that will make dilation difficult, if not impossible.

Everything about this kids position is perfect for 'natural child birth'- which is what I've paid alot of money to a doula to help me with. I've been preparing myself for this for months and I'm so excited to get the birth I want... but now I'm looking at the very real possibility of a c-section and that is very scary to me. I'm really disappointed. I know in the grand scheme of things having a full term healthy kid is so much more important but I was hoping the actual birthing experience could be close to what I wanted this time. *sigh*

And although I'm only 36 weeks I said a silent prayer - that this weekend I go into labor naturally and have a healthy baby. I'm beyond dreading a c-section. No, I'm not as foolish as some to actually TRY and induce labor but I wouldn't mind it happening on its on at this point. I can only pray...

How exciting!

Well, today has been an eventful day!

I had a non-stress test (kid was amazing - never seen my tummy move so much when s/he kicks) and my u/s was great - my AFI went down 10 points! WOo HoO!

Baby is measuring in at full term - 37w5d and weighs 6 lbs. 10 oz. I can't believe it! Wow!

Best news of all - we scheduled my cerclage removal. Because I'm already so thinned out I bet the kid is coming when the cerclage is out! Of course, I could go weeks without it too... that would stink!

So next Friday at 9 AM I'll be at the hospital having it removed... and maybe, just maybe, we'll have our new little one too! I can only hope that being 36 weeks and a few days is enough time to avoid the NICU and allow him/her to come home with us - how amazing would that be? A take home kid - WOW!

Maternity Photos

I had some professional maternity pictures done at 32 weeks and got them back today. Unfortunately I had to fix them... alot. I'm, by no means, a professional photographer but the photos I received today weren't professional quality. My skin color was actually GREEN in the outdoor pictures and the black and white photos were horribly blown out - so much so you still can't see any of the detail in Arianna's dress. I'm pretty disappointed overall, but it is what it is and the only thing I can do is not refer the photographer to anyone else.

At least I have the memories!

34 weeks

Well, I'm here and miserable! LOL

I swear, I'm going to go insane here in bed but I'm too scared to get up! For the last two days when ever I stand or sit I get massive pressure really low and huge contractions. It used to be that I wouldn't get any when lying down but now I do - I get alot of contractions. At my last ultrasound I had very little cervix left and I really don't see myself lasting the week, but making it to 35 would be wonderful... I just don't see it happening. I'm in alot of pain...

I had such a strange bunch of appointments Friday. I had my first NST which was kinda neat - dozen or so contractions but I felt all of them and they weren't regular so no worry there. I then had an ultrasound to check fluids and my CL. Then saw the OB and finally got my 17P shot.

We're doubling my insulin at night, which I expected.

My fluid is still high but not as dangerous high as it was last time.

The OB (one I don't normally see) tried to tell me there was no cervical funnel... funny, but I saw it on the u/s. She tried to tell me, that's just a pocket of fluid... um, ya, in the funnel of my almost non-existant cervix. I decided I don't like her and am going to try to avoid appointments with her.

So in light of the less than stellar appointment I went to Babies R Us Friday afternoon and purchasing 2 going home layette sets (one boy, one girl) - we'll get to see which one I get to use ;)