1 Month with Ellie

Wow one month gone by!  I was looking back at some photos of Ellie at her birth and I can't believe how tiny she was then!  Just a 5 lbs 5 oz nugget! I am not sure how much she weighs now since we don't have our 1 month pediatrician appointment yet, but I would estimate she is between 7-7.5 lbs, what a difference a few pounds makes!  She just feels so much sturdier now.  

So here is some info on how Ellie is doing at the 1 month point:

Sleep
Ah yes the all important sleep question!  Seems this is the first thing people ask me about.  I usually respond "She is sleeping like a newborn" aka not great, but expected for such a young baby!  Since Brian has been off of work for the past week I have been able to get some longer stretches of sleep - maybe 4 hours before I am "on" and take over feeding her.  It doesn't sound like much, but when you are used to getting only 1.5-2 hours at a time, 4 is amazing! 

Usually how it works is that I feed Ellie at 8:30, then I go up to get ready to sleep and am in bed by 9:30.  Brian changes Ellie and puts her down to sleep - usually she is asleep by 10/10:30.  Then he feeds her between 12-1am and puts her back to sleep.  Then I take over when she wakes up between 2-3 am.  Then I also feed her when she gets up again at 5-6 am.  I usually try to put her back down to see if she will sleep for another hour and she usually does (although not as soundly as the night time stretches) and then we get up for good around 8-8:30 am.  So I am usually in the bed for 10 hours, but I probably only get about 6-7 hours of sleep in that time due to feeding, changing, etc!  I am a little nervous for when Brian goes back to work - since I won't be making him do the 12-1 am feeding since he has to wake up at 5:30 am to drive into the city for work.  Hopefully Ellie will start to stretch out some feedings in the next few weeks. 

Eating
This sort of goes along with sleeping, since she wakes up to feed!  Being able to give her a bottle of breast milk has been great. I no longer feel like I can't leave the house for fear that the person watching her will have to deal with a freaking out crying baby while I am gone.  She still tends to eat quite frequently during the day - as quickly as every hour, but usually every 2 hours.  This is fine since nighttime feedings are further apart. 

She spits up milk a good deal of the time, but it isn't too bad.  She latches on pretty easily now - she sort of does it on her own if I put her close enough, which is quite nice.  Sometimes she gets frustrated and bops around a bit if she can't latch  on right away.  

Outings
We took her out on a "date night" with us.  We went to Fudruckers and then we walked around a furniture store.  She did really well!  The buzz of the restaurant kept her out and she liked strolling around the furniture store too.  It was a little nerve wracking having her out, but it was a good escape! 

We took her on a walk to our town center to see santa!  We weren't going to bring her to see santa this year due to her being so young and us not wanting to stand in a line of nose drippy children, but we found that santa was visiting our town in a more relaxed environment so we quickly bopped her in there for a photo!

 We also just got Ellie's newborn photos back, but I will do a separate post on those! 

Development
She is starting to grasp our fingers more strongly.  She also looks at our faces, before she was just sort of looking around blankly.  She likes to stare at lights specifically.  We have been doing tummy time with her, which she doesn't mind too much and she can move her head from side to side - not very easily or often, but she does it!

Week 3 With Ellie

I am a day late with the post, but here it goes!

Things have been crazy as usual with Ellie, let me break it down:

Breastfeeding
She is nursing very frequently during the day - like sometimes hourly.  I am not sure if she is doing it for comfort or for nutrition.  It has gotten easier to get her to latch on - most times I put her in that general area and she does the rest.  There isn't any pain anymore when she latches, so that is awesome. 

She is still waking up every 2-3 hours at night to feed.  So that translates into me getting about 1-2 hours of sleep at a time.  Not exactly easy to manage!  Tonight Brian and I are planning on him giving her a bottle of breast milk for the first feeding so that I can try to get in a solid 4 hours at once.  I am interested in seeing how she does with the bottle since I have tried to give her a pacifier a few times this week and she just spit it out.  Maybe if the nipple comes with milk she will think differently.  I have found at night that is she is out longer than 2 hours that the breast that is "up next" starts to leak.  I think I will have to pump a little tonight to get rid of milk that Brian will be feeding her, or else I will probably wake up in pain or really wet from leaking. 

I went to a nursing mom's meet up that the hospital puts on.  It felt good to get out of the house with Ellie and be with other mom's going through similar things.  It was nice to be able to nurse out in public with the other ladies and not feel bad if my baby starts to cry during the session.  It was great to hear other ladies questions to the lactation consultant.  Sadly since the meet ups are on Wednesdays there are no meetings for the next 2 weeks due to the holidays.  

Ellie has been spitting up quite a bit after feedings.  She didn't seem to do this the first 2 weeks.  A couple times at night she spit up so much that I had to change both her and my clothes, not fun at 3 am!  Hopefully this is a passing trend while her stomach catches up with her desire to eat.  

Sleeping
I kind of covered this above, but I also wanted to mention her day sleeping habits.  She doesn't like to sleep between the hours of 7:30 am and like 1 pm.  She also doesn't seem to like to be put down during these hours either - which makes trying to do things around the house very tricky. She tends to nap pretty well in the afternoon then gets fussy between 6-9ish.  I feel bad because she gets fussy right when Brian gets home!

My Body
Aside from lack of sleep I am doing pretty well!  I try to get in a nap each day, but it never seems to work out.  Either Ellie doesn't want to sleep then or somebody calls during the nap, etc.  I am really looking forward to some longer stretches of rest.  

The weight loss has continued and I am now down about 6 lbs from my pre-pregnancy weight.  Brian jokes that it isn't fair that my waist is getting smaller and my boobs are getting bigger and he can't touch me.  Ha if he tried to touch me right now I would seriously wack him.  Until I get more than 2 hours of sleep put together there is no way I am even thinking about anything else!  Not to mention the doc said no sex until the 6 week postpartum check up!

I am down to only wearing pantiliners so that is awesome!  No more big pads for me!  Hemorrhoids are still bothering me though - boo.

Holidays
 I am really looking forward to the upcoming holidays!  Brian will be home from work between Christmas and new years and his parents are coming up for a visit the day after Christmas.  It may be slightly awkward having house guests when I seem to need to breastfeed non stop - but at least there will be others around to soothe and hold Ellie! 

I am also looking forward to my family parties with my side of the family with all of the other kids.  

One thing that kind of stinks is that my friends are all getting together a few times over the holidays and we won't be able to join them.  They are going out to dinner in the city and I am not comfortable leaving Ellie for that amount of time yet and I am not comfortable taking her with us either.  Oh well, small price to pay for sure.  I am hoping some friends will stop by our house to see her. 

Below is a picture of our new little family at Ellie's first party and my brother and sister in law's house!

 

Week 2 with Ellie

I know people say it all the time, but - I can't believe how fast babies grow! Ellie visited the doctor this past monday and has now hit 6lbs!  It may not sound like much, but she is gaining over an ounce a day which is great.  She is now out of her preemie clothes and fits into some of the smaller newborn ones.  And when you hold her she just seems more substantial (at least to Brian and I, everyone else thinks she is still itty bitty). 

So I figured I would update you on some things:

Breastfeeding
Oh lawdy breastfeeding is not easy.  I am luckily past the hurting phase (first few days my nipples were all cracked and then my breasts were engorged), but now I am on to the exhaustion phase! Ellie feeds anytime between every hour up to close to a 3.5 hour stretch.  So I never really know when she will want to eat again.  It is a tough because I will go walk the dog and I will come home to Brian holding a screaming baby because she got hungry while I was out.  It stresses Brian out a bit too, because he can't do anything to calm her when she is hungry.  

Luckily they recommend starting to pump at 3 weeks and introduce a bottle.  So in a week we can try to have Brian take over one of the nightly feedings and I may get to sleep more than 2.5 hours in a row! I have been trying to take a nap during the day while she naps, but it never seems to work out - either I can't go to sleep or somebody calls right after I fall asleep or whatever.  I have never been a good napper so I am not too surprised.  

My body
I have been feeling a lot more "me" lately, not as sore.  Sadly I am dealing with some hemorrhoids now, so I am trying to stay on top of that by drinking lots of water and trying to eat as much fiber as possible.  

I am still bleeding, but it isn't very heavy.  I am hoping it goes away soon though, wearing a pad day after day is not very much fun.  

As tough as breastfeeding is, one of the main benefits I have seen is the weight loss.  I didn't gain much from my pregnancy - only 18 lbs even though I tried to gain a bit more towards the end, my stomach would never let me fit much in there.  Between the baby weight, placenta, extra fluids, etc I was down about 12 lbs a few days after the birth and today at 2 weeks after the birth I am actually 3 lbs under my starting pregnancy weight.  

The weight loss is probably due to breastfeeding and I think also due to the fact that I may have lost weight in some areas of my body while pregnant as my belly got bigger - my mom said the same thing happened to her. Another thing is that I haven't exercised in a while now - so all my muscles have gone to mush - which means less weight as muscle weighs more than fat.  I have a feeling when I start to work out again I will put on some pounds due to muscle gain.  

It is a bit nice to be able to fit into some of my non maternity clothes.  I haven't tried on all that much yet, since I have been living in yoga pants and sweats, but it will be interesting seeing what I can and can't fit into now.  

At Home
Brian went back to work this Monday.  It is a lot harder not having the extra set of hands around, everything seems to take so long!  I usually don't end up showering until noon because the morning is filled with feedings (both baby and dog) changing clothes, changing diapers, etc and then by the time I get to shower it is noon!  

Since I am currently the only one who can feed Ellie, it didn't make sense for Brian to have to get up every time I needed to feed her, especially when he has to wake up so early to go to work.  So he has been sleeping in the guest room and I wake him up whenever I need a "diaper or swaddle assist" or when I just feel like crying because she won't go to sleep.  I am definitely looking forward to the time when he can take one of the nightly feedings.  

Mushy stuff
Brian and I got our Christmas tree this past weekend and we decorated it on Saturday night.  As tired and worn out as we are, it was still a very special evening for our little family.  I look back on what we were going through this time last year - more failed cycles and feeling like everyone in our family either had a baby or was pregnant.  It was a tough time for us.  I couldn't help but cry as we put ornaments on the tree - thinking about how thankful I am to have Ellie with us this year and how I think about all the others out there that are hoping for a similar miracle. The holidays are an especially tough time to deal with IF and my thoughts and prayers go out to all those who are still dealing with it. 

The First Week

Ellie is now a whole 7 days old!  Wow what a week it has been!  I will try to break it down in a couple of categories for easy reading ;)

Right after birth
Right after Ellie was born they put her up on my chest for a quick minute or so.  I was surprised that she wasn't very gooey - I figured she would be covered in blood or something, but she wasn't.  They broke my water shortly before I delivered so maybe she didn't have time to "get dirty" in there, who knows.  

Then the special care nursery folks took a look at her (the delivery nurses had them on sight in case she had any issues due to her size) and luckily she was looking great!  They weighed her and measured her and gave her right back to me.  Then we got to do some skin to skin time with her on my chest and a blanket over us.  This was an amazing time.  Brian was at my side and Ellie was on top of me - all warm and snuggled in.  After a few minutes she started "bopping" over to my breast and so I helped her latch on a bit and we had our first breastfeeding session!  

While all of this is going on the doctor is still "down south" delivering my placenta.  I wasn't sure if this was something I was going to have to push out or not, but luckily the nurse just pushed on my stomach a bit and the doctor pulled and eventually it came out.  The doctor then sewed me up a little bit because I tore a little during pushing, but nothing major.  I don't even know how many stitches I got and none of this bothered me because I didn't feel a thing and my new baby was sitting on my chest.  

They let her hang out there for a while and allowed the epidural to wear off as they started to take out all my "cords"  basically all the monitors, catheter, etc that were attached to me.  Once the epidural wore off enough so that I could walk, the nurse helped me into the bathroom and onto the toilet.  Sorry for the TMI but there was a lot of blood coming out!  But I wasn't really in pain - just sore.  

Then they wheeled us across the hall to the mother baby care unit for the rest of our stay.  

Personal Healing/Body
The first 48 hours after giving birth are tough.  You have just been through a lot of body trauma of your own and you are immediately responsible for caring for your new baby too (well the nurses and dad help quite a bit too, but if you are breastfeeding a lot of it is on you).  The nurse had to put a catheter back into me the first night because I wasn't able to pee on my own and my bladder was filling up.  Surprisingly getting it put in while not medicated wasn't too bad, and it was kind of a relief once it was in, but it was annoying being tied to the catheter bag for the next 12-15ish hours.  

There is definitely a lot of blood outflow the first 24-48 hours.  The nurse helped me put on a "three pad system" which consisted of 3 giant maxi pads stuck to a "pee pad" sheet, then these were put into some of the mesh underwear I have heard so much about and then up they go onto me in large diaper form!  As bulky as this was, it was a great system.  I wore this system until I left the hospital and then went down to 1 giant maxi and now I am on some smaller pads of my own at day 7.  They say the bleeding could last up to 4 weeks I think, gosh I hope it doesn't take that long, although I have noticed a significant decrease since leaving the hospital.  When you breastfeed your uterus contracts at that time and pushes more blood out as your uterus goes back to its normal size.  So each time I breastfed, I would get up from the bed and there would be a gush.  

I was pretty sore down south for the first 48 hours, then coming home I was sore walking around and going up stairs.  Yesterday I took the dog for a walk with my mom and I felt much better - and I haven't had to take any advil for pain today.  They said I should try to walk around, but don't do anything like lifting weights or running for 6 weeks.  

Baby is the boss
We quickly learned that this little 5 lb angel is our new boss! Ha her word (or cry) is our command! The biggest thing is her feeding schedule - looking for cues that she wants to feed and trying to get her to latch on correctly.  While in the hospital she would nurse quite often - every 2-2.5 hours.  At this point she was getting colostrum and doing a pretty decent job of latching on.  The hospital was great with lactation help - the nurses would help me with the technique and we went to a breast feeding class while we were there.  I must say that breastfeeding is not easy.  There is a lot of worry about whether I was feeding her enough, whether I was doing it correctly, etc.  Luckily Ellie is an excellent feeder and let me know when she was hungry.  

It was a bit painful at the beginning and my nipples were quite sore, but they are doing better now.  She had dropped from 5 lbs 5 oz at birth to just over 5 lbs on the day we left, but since the weight drop was under 10%, the doctors were not concerned.  The day after we got home my milk started to come in and hello engorgement!  Whoa my boobs have been huge and rock hard for the last 48 hours.  I am hoping this goes away soon, but I am very happy that my milk came in quickly and that Ellie continues to feed well and grow (she was almost back to birth weight on Monday which is awesome).  

I have been extremely fortunate that breastfeeding has gone as well as it has.  Many people deal with supply issues, or baby issues, but we have not had those troubles.  It is a lot of work, and very tiring, but I am so glad I am able to do it.  The best thing is feeding her and then seeing her pop of my breast with this look of full contentment on her face kind of like her saying "thanks mom, that was good" ha. With my milk in I have definitely noticed the "leaking factor"  especially at night when she sleeps a bit longer and doesn't feed as frequently.  I have had to use pads in my sleeping bra so that I don't "wet the bed."  And after showering I sometimes look down and find myself leaking.  I have to just laugh at these events, because what else can you do!  I definitely need to invest in some more breastfeeding clothes - because I don't have a lot that are easier to get in and out of for ease of breastfeeding. 

She is growing well, but we couldn't find anything in newborn size that would fit her!  My sister in law went to babies r us and picked us up some preemie clothes and those fit her great!  It is so nice to put her in things that actually fit! We also picked up some preemie diapers that fit her better too.  I can't wait to show her these preemie clothes when she is older (and much bigger) and say "can you imagine you were ever this small?"  the clothes are truly very tiny!

It is funny to see how her poops have changed over the past week.  They started with the black tarry meconium ones, then went to a greenish black and now have turned mustardy.  My day revolves around recording how many wet diapers, poopy diapers, and feedings that she gets to make sure she is on the right track! 

Sleeping started off pretty shaky in the hospital and the first few days we were home.  In the hospital she didn't really like the clear plastic "crib" she slept in and we were nervous she was going to get out of the swaddle and roll over, plus there are nurses coming into the room all through the night to check on her and check on me, so there wasn't much sleeping in the hospital.  

Once we got home we tried to put her to sleep in the rock n play in our bedroom, but she did not seem to like it at first.  She really wanted to sleep on us, which I don't blame her for - she went through a lot coming out into the world. The first few nights she would nurse every 2-2.5 hours through out the day and at night, then she wouldn't want to go to sleep on her own, so Brian and I were up quite a bit feeding and trying to soothe her.  Brian felt bad he couldn't do more to help me with feedings, and every time he tried to soothe her, she wanted to eat more so he had to hand her off to me anyway.  

The first few days were really tough and getting 3-4 hours of intermitten sleep per night were not going to fly for very long. Luckily the past 2 nights have been really good.  Last night we were able to feed her and then put her down in the rock n play at 9:45 pm then she slept until 1:45 am then I took her downstairs to feed her and brought her back to bed at 3 am (takes a while because she feeds then tries to pass out and I sort of burp her to get her to wake up and take some more milk.  She feeds really quickly, but I try to get her to eat as much as possible so she stays asleep longer.) Then she slept from 3-6:30 am and at this point I got up for the day.  I let Brian sleep during these because there really isn't much he can do with the feedings, and I figure one of us should get a full nights sleep!  Plus once she reaches 3-4 weeks I will introduce one bottle of breast milk during the night so she gets used to using both a bottle and breast.  I was pretty proud of her for her 4 hour followed by 3.5 hour stretches!  During the day she seems to feed more frequently (every 2 hours I would say) which is much better than doing that at night!  I am sure there will be some regression and sleep challenges, but right now I think she is doing great.  

Family Help
 I feel extremely grateful that we have so much family around us and that they are so very helpful!  Each night someone has dropped off something for us to eat for dinner, how sweet is that?  And my mom stops by every day to check in on us and see what we need.  My cousins and SIL have been dropping off baby items for us to borrow.  I can not imagine how tough it must be to bring home a new baby without other family support.  

Brian gets 2 weeks of paternity leave from work and so he has been home this whole week too and plans to take some more time off between Christmas and New Years.  This has allowed us to settle in and get some stuff done around the house (he is getting my car inspected as we speak).  I am a little nervous for when he goes back to work next week, but since my mom and SIL are only blocks away, I know they will be helping me out.  

Wow I sure wrote a lot!  I really wanted to get all of this down before I forgot!  Congrats to you if you read it all.  

Here are some more pictures!

Ellie in one of her cute preemie outfits!

 

Making her content just fed face

 

 

She's here!

Sorry for the delay in posting this!  As you can imagine life has been pretty hectic lately!

 
So happy to announce that Elizabeth (Ellie) Claire was born on Thanksgiving day at 4:39 pm.  She weighed 5lbs 5 oz and was 18 inches long. 

I was induced on Tuesday morning because I had IUGR (Intrauterine growth restriction) and they felt Ellie would grow better on the outside - I was 39 weeks 2 days at this point.  The induction took some time - we started cytotec on Tuesday morning at 10 am to thin my cervix out and I was still 1 cm dilated as of 4pm on Wednesday afternoon so they started me on another cervix thinning medicine (cervadil) at that point.

 I started to have painful back labor at this point, but the contractions I was feeling on my back were not showing up on the monitor.  They checked me again at 3:30 am on Thursday morning and I was still 1 cm dilated with a "rock hard" cervix.  I am in serious pain at this point (throwing up, etc) and they said I could get the epidural, even though I wasn't dilated much and my contractions weren't showing up on the monitor as being very big.  

I am starting to get pretty discouraged at this point because I feel like this could go on forever (after the cervadil the plan was to go to pitocin to bring on contractions).  I am able to get some sleep in from 4 am Thursday until 8 am Thursday morning, but shortly after I wake up I notice the epidural has started to wear off on half of my body and I can now feel shooting contraction like pain down my leg (but no contraction pain in my uterus and the monitor is still not picking up major contractions). I ask the nurse if they can check me again to see how far along I am and do something so that the epidural works again and they finally check me again at 3:45 pm. 

The doctor said "you are fully dilated" and I was beyond shocked, but I was extremely relieved!  I was afraid they would say "you are only 2 cm now" and start pitocin and this would continue for another 12 hours.  For some reason the monitors weren't picking up my contractions, but I went to a full 10 cm without anyone noticing.  The doctor said "we are going to start pushing soon" and the anesthesiologist came back to make the epidural work on both sides of my body. 

After 20 minutes of pushing, out she came!  As she was coming out the doctor told me to "look down" and I watched as they pulled her out and she cried right away - the most beautiful sound I have ever heard! She got an 8 at her 1 min apgar and 9 at her 5 min apgar.  When I look back on the it - at one point I started to feel like I had to make a bowel movement, this was probably my body starting to tell me to push! She is strong and healthy even though she is on the smaller side.  After we were back in the recovery room my mom brought us Thanksgiving dinner and we enjoyed our first Thanksgiving as a family!

We took her home on Saturday and she has been doing great. She is wearing preemie clothing because she is small, but today we had her first pediatrician appointment and she has already gained back 4 oz since coming home, so I don't think she will be in preemie clothing for long. 

I will try to do another post about life now that she is home with us soon!

Thank you to all my blog friends who have supported me throughout this whole process, you guys are amazing and I am constantly thinking of you no matter where you are in your journey.  

Here are some more pictures:

Daddy and baby are both very tired!

 

She is so tiny in her car seat!

 Winnie Meeting her little sister for the first time

 

Sleepy girl

 

39 Week Update **This will be the last update**

So this will be the last update because I am being induced tomorrow!  At my OB appointment on Friday the doctor said that while Lucky's movement and heart rate looked good, she still measured under the 10th percentile of weight at my ultrasound on Tuesday, so she wanted to induce me once I was past 39 weeks. 

Since my OB is on call on Tuesday, tomorrow is the day! When my OB told me they were going to induce me I was a bit disappointed because I really wanted the chance to go into labor on my own.  But once she explained that this way is better for the baby, that was it - whatever is best for the baby is what we will do!  She checked me and said that my cervix is closed.  I was hoping maybe I started to dilate at least a little on my own, but no such luck.  I am thinking it may be a long induction since I am not dilated and the baby hasn't dropped yet.  It is a little weird knowing ahead of time when you will go to the hospital to have your baby instead of waiting for labor to start, but I guess since I am a planner that this way is good too.  

I was hoping to have a few more days of not working before giving birth, but at least this way I will get to spend more of my maternity leave with her rather than waiting for her to come out. I am a little nervous about her being small, but at least the ultrasound last week showed she was over 5lbs already, so even though that is small, it is still a good size.  And hopefully she has gained even more weight over this past week. 

So Brian and I have told our siblings and parents about the induction and I called my cousin because she had an induction with her baby and I wanted to ask her some questions about it.  Other than that we are keeping it mum until the baby is here.  I guess we don't like the idea of a lot of people knowing that we are heading into the hospital for the induction - it seems like a lot of pressure already, and we don't want a lot of people wondering how things are going throughout the day - better to just let them know when it is all done! Plus I have some family members who are serial Facebook posters, and what I REALLY don't want is them posting something on Facebook about the induction, or waiting for Lucky to be born or anything like that! 

Brian's parents will drive up from PA on Tuesday and stay at a hotel room near the hospital. Hopefully the baby is born on Tuesday at some point and they can come see her then, and then stop by again on Wednesday before they head home for Thanksgiving.  

Brian and I spent some time getting things ready this weekend - we bought some dinners that can be reheated and froze them and he did another leave pick up in the yard.  On Saturday night we went out to a nice dinner in Boston and then yesterday we went to see the Hunger Games movie (which was awesome by the way).  I was very glad we got a chance to get these two things in before the baby comes! I am spending today do some other errands, etc.
 
Ok so that was pretty much big news!  Now on to the picture!

 

How Far Along: 39 Weeks
Total Weight Gain: 18 lbs overall based on my OB appointment on Friday.  Which is exactly how much my mom gained with my older brother - so maybe not gaining all that much is genetic for us given we aren't very big people to begin with.

Maternity Clothes: Yes. I am wondering how long I will be in them after I deliver.  I am sort of sad to have to go back to zippers eventually!  Stretchy pants are so comfortable!

 Stretch Marks: Nope. I have heard some women get them on their breasts once the milk comes in, so I will be on the look out for stretch marks there.
Sleep: The last two nights have been awesome, surprisingly!  Friday night I barely slept because of the news of the induction, but for some reason I have been able to sleep without getting up to pee or go down to watch tv/eat fruit loops for the past 2 nights.  I really hope tonight is the same, because I could sure use the rest before the induction!

 Best Moment This Week: Finding out that Lucky will be here this week!  It feels incredibly surreal.  Brian and I were eating dinner in our dining room last night and he said " next week there will be a baby with us" crazy to think about.

 Miss Anything: Not really.  Although I am starting to think about some of the things I can do again once she is here - like have a full glass of wine and put on my shoes/socks without groaning!

Movement: She is still kicking away in there!  I have been more nervous lately when I sit still and don't immediately feel her kick, I guess it is because we are so close now that I am getting nervous about something happening to her right at the end.  Luckily she always manages to give me some good movement before I freak out too much.

 Anything Making You Queasy or Sick: Nope.

Cravings: Nothing really - not very hungry at this point.  It looks like we are going to be in the hospital on Thanksgiving (or best case scenario getting out that day), but my sister in law promised to get us some turkey dinner, so even if we have it in the hospital with our new baby, it will sure be a Thanksgiving to remember!

Gender: GIRL! 

Labor Signs: No.  I was hoping there would be something at this point.  I was a little crampy last night but today, nothing. 
Symptoms: Some cramps last night.  Itchy belly.  At the OB on Friday my feet looked slightly swollen

Belly Button In or Out: Out. 

Wedding Rings On or Off: On, but tighter. 

Feeling: I think I pretty much covered this above, but overall I would say I am a ball of emotions: excited, nervous, a bit scared, and just don't know what to expect!

Exercise:  We took Winnie for a walk in the woods yesterday and it felt good to be out on a long walk. 

Looking Forward To: Meeting Lucky over the next few days!!

 Next Appointment: November 26th

Lucky Gets to Keep Baking

I had my MFM growth ultrasound at the hospital this morning.  Brian and I were pretty nervous about this one because they kept warning us to "bring our overnight bags" as Lucky's growth seemed to be decreasing from earlier ultrasounds. So we made sure to bring EVERYTHING we thought we may need: snacks, ipad, chargers, etc (I guess this was a good test run)

As the ultrasound tech was performing the ultrasound I could see that the measurements were coming in at GA (gestational age) = between 33-35 weeks (I am currently 38 weeks 2 days) so I didn't know what to expect when the doctor walked in. 

Luckily the MFM doctor said that Lucky is measuring 5 lbs 4 oz and has had some solid growth since our last growth ultrasound 2 weeks ago (when she was 4lbs 11 oz).  Her other measurements are still on track (heart rate, fluids, etc).  The doctor said we should continue with our schedule of Friday non stress tests with the regular OB and Tuesday MFM ultrasounds, but for the time being Lucky can stay in there and hopefully I will eventually go into labor on my own.  

So this was a great appointment and I am so thankful that she is growing on her own and can stay put.  

My coworker who is due December 4th texted me today to let me know that she is being induced this afternoon.  She has preeclampsia and a few other things going on and I pray everything goes smoothly for her.  I hope the process is over quickly and she is holder her LO in her arms soon.  

38 Week Update

I had a pumpkin this week!  

How Far Along: 38 Weeks
Total Weight Gain: 17 lbs overall based on my OB appointment on Friday.  I was a little annoyed because my OB said “I didn’t realize you had only gained this little, you should be in the 25-35 lb range.”  I was like “um ok, I have only asked if my weight gain was fine at pretty much every appointment from months 6-8, but if you are just catching on now that I haven’t gained much, that is great.” She was telling me to get more calories in, and I have been trying, but my stomach is so squished right now there is not much room at all for extra food!

Maternity Clothes: Yes, and some non maternity yoga pants and sweaters.

 Stretch Marks: Nope. The skin on my belly is sort of translucent looking!
Sleep: Not terrible, but not great.  I slept from 10 pm to 5 am one night this week and it was awesome!  My body just seems to be used to the waking up in the middle of the night routine, which is great because I will be doing that a lot when the baby comes!

 Best Moment This Week: Getting great reports on Lucky from the MFM doctor on Tuesday and my OB on Friday.  Also getting the crib mattress in the mail and getting the swing set up.  Lucky’s room is officially DONE!

 Miss Anything: Not really.

Movement: I move around so much on the weekends that I need to consciously sit do kick counts some times to make sure she is doing well.  I love the big movements I get that make my belly bounce around.

 Anything Making You Queasy or Sick: When I try to cram too much in to my stomach.

Cravings: Still on my milk kick!  I had a chocolate milk shake from McDonalds on Friday and it was awesome!

Gender: GIRL! 

Labor Signs: Nope. I keep waiting to see if I will get Braxton Hicks contractions, but so far nothing. 
Symptoms: Itchy belly, my socks make a significant indentation on my ankles that takes a while to go away.  I think I am more surprised at the symptoms that I seem to be missing out on during this pregnancy.  I have not had any of the following: (and once I type this I will probably get them all, ha!)

Morning sickness (I had some days of sour stomach, but never threw up)

Swelling

Feet growth (they say people’s feet grow during pregnancy and may not decrease after the baby is born).

Back pain

I feel very glad that I haven’t had any of these things. 

Belly Button In or Out: Out, and visible if I wear certain shirts. 

Wedding Rings On or Off: On, but tighter. 

Feeling: Tomorrow is going to be a big day.  I have the MFM ultrasound at 8 am at the hospital, and based on Lucky’s growth they may 1) keep us there and induce 2) schedule and induction later in the week or 3) Say “she looks great” and let us go home.  I am really hoping for #3

Exercise:  I didn’t do any weights this week.  I am still walking Winnie twice a day and we took her for a nice long walk in the woods yesterday.  I also try to climb the 3 flights of stairs at work once or twice a day.

Looking Forward To: Last week of work this week!  Also hopefully hearing good things at the MFM appointment tomorrow, fingers crossed!

 Next Appointment: November 19th

37 Week Update

Woohoo full term!  This is pretty much the last pregnancy milestone, I can't believe it!

 

 

How Far Along: 37 Weeks
Total Weight Gain: I was looking up around 15/16 lbs gained based on my weight at the OB this week.

Maternity Clothes: Yes, but I have been able to squeeze into some non maternity sweaters.

 Stretch Marks: Nope.
Sleep: I am hoping once work winds down my stress will decrease and my sleep will get better...but that is probably just wishful thinking. 

 Best Moment This Week: Putting the car seat in the car and assembling some other items like the pack n play!  I thought hitting full term would be the best moment of the week, but her size makes me nervous that she really isn't "full term" yet size wise.

 Miss Anything: Not really.

Movement: The afternoon and evening are filled with some nice big kicks each day!  I haven't felt any Braxton Hicks contractions yet, but I want to ask the OB what this are supposed to feel like, just in case I am getting them now and don't know it.

 Anything Making You Queasy or Sick: Not really.

Cravings: Milk, apple cider and pumpkin bread - must be fall!

Gender: GIRL! 

Labor Signs: Nope.
Symptoms: I find myself groaning more at night - like when I get up from the couch I let out a groan because I feel a lot bigger.

Belly Button In or Out: Pretty much out all the time now. 

Wedding Rings On or Off: On, but tighter.  And my socks leave a ring on my legs that lasts longer than normal, but no other swelling to speak of. 

Feeling: This week was tough.  If you read my other post from today you can see that the baby is measuring very small and the doctors have me coming in for more weekly monitoring.  I pray that everything goes ok and she is able to stay inside and grow for a few more weeks.  She is currently measuring 4lbs 11oz so I would like to see that pick up a bit.

Exercise:  I did weights and squats once this week, and I think I may stop that from here on out.  Even though the OB said it was find since I have been doing it right along, with all this measuring small stuff going on I just want to take it super easy. 

Looking Forward To: Having Brian go to the MFM ultrasound this week - I am nervous about it, but I am excited to have him see her since he hasn't been to an ultrasound in a while.

 Next Appointment: November 12th

Updates and IUGR

Before I get to this week's bump picture I wanted to do a post to update "my readers" in what has been going on this past week.  

I have pretty much "measured small" from the outside since they started measuring me with that handy tape measure thing.  I chalked this up to 1) my due date being off by a week 2) my husband and I not being very tall/big people so we would probably have a smaller baby and 3) I haven't gained too much weight over this pregnancy.  

My OB had me go for a couple of ultrasounds and the baby was measuring in the 30th percentile, so the doctors said "ok great she looks good."

Fast forward to this past week's OB appointment.  They measured me from the outside and found that my belly hadn't grown at all from the appointment 2 weeks ago so they had me do a non stress test to tracker Lucky's heart rate and movement.  They said all of that looked good, but they wanted me to get an ultrasound from an MFM (Maternal Fetal Medicine) doctor to see what they said. 

This past tuesday I had that ultrasound and the MFM doctor said baby was measuring below the 10th percentile.  This was pretty surprising to me because I had already had a couple of ultrasounds where they said she was in the 30th percentile, so what is going on in there?  Well unfortunately they can't figure that out because the cord blood flow is good, the amniotic fluids look good, basically everything looks good except for her weight - which they estimated to be at 4lbs 11oz.  

So my OB and MFM doctor decided they want to monitor me and Lucky pretty closely so now I go for NST's every Friday and ultrasounds every Tuesday.  They want to make sure all her "scores" stay high and that she is growing.  They said if her scores stay good, but her growth doesn't pick up then they will probably induce me at 39 weeks.   If any of the scores go downhill they will probably induce earlier.  And if the scores are good and her growth picks up then they will let her stay in. 

So right now I am just hoping she grows a bit more so she can keep baking for a few more weeks.  I just wish I knew why she isn't growing as much as they would like her to.  I always figured I would go a little beyond my due date, so I am surprised at the idea of her needing to come out earlier because of not growing as much inside of me as the doctors would like. I have to bring the overnight bag with me to all my appointments now in case anything with Lucky changes and they need to induce me or take her out quickly.  

Fingers crossed that she gets to stay inside until she is ready!  They now consider me "IUGR" Intra Uterine Growth Restricted because of Lucky's size

36 Week Update

  It feels both strange and awesome to be able to say that I am 8 months pregnant.  I wouldn't necessarily say that the pregnancy has flown by or been slow, but it just feels to be 8 months pregnant!

How Far Along: 36 Weeks
Total Weight Gain: I didn't weigh myself this morning, but I am thinking I am hovering between 13-14 lbs gained.  I will have a better view at my OB appointment this week. Belly feels nice and big this week!

Maternity Clothes: You bet

 Stretch Marks: Nope.
Sleep: Sleep is really the only thing I can complain about, and for that I consider myself very fortunate! I am still in the "wake up in the middle of the night and go downstairs for an hour or so and eat a bowl of fruit loops" kick.

 Best Moment This Week: Having my cousins lend me their fisher price bouncer, swing and rock n play.  It feels really good to have these things put together and at the house, makes me feel more ready for Lucky to come.  Also Brian and I have nailed down both the first name and the middle name.  So unless we have some dramatic change of heart once we see her, we are set on a name!  (which will remain a secret until she is here, sorry!)

 Miss Anything: Not really.

Movement: Lots of awesome big movements.  And I think she has had hiccups a few times, because it feels like kicks that hit over and over again at the same quip - so I imagine those are what hiccups are like.

 Anything Making You Queasy or Sick: When I get up too early it sometimes makes me a bit queasy.

Cravings: Milk & cereal. I have been drinking a TON of milk lately!

Gender: GIRL! 

Labor Signs: Nothing that I can think of.
Symptoms: Itchy belly.  Twice this past week I woke up and noticed that my night shirt had a wet spot over my right breast - I think I may have leaked a bit of colostrum, which I guess isn't that uncommon this early on.  Makes me happy that the "girls" are getting ready to be up and running for breastfeeding. 

Belly Button In or Out: Pretty much out all the time now. 

Wedding Rings On or Off: On, but I have noticed it is getting tighter at certain times of the day and if I am in a hot room.  I am hoping to keep them on for the whole pregnancy, but not so sure now.  I have also noticed that my socks leave an indentation on my legs when I take them off and it lasts much longer than it used too, so perhaps ankle swelling isn't far away. 

Feeling: I feel like we are getting closer to her birth.  It felt so abstract for so long, but now that things are in place, and my belly is getting big - I feel like this is actually happening!  I love talking to Brian about what we expect to happen and wondering about what she will look like!

Exercise:  I think I only did weights/squats once this week, but i did spend a couple of hours outside raking up leaves, so that probably counts as a workout!  I rake and Brian rakes and picks up leaves and puts them into the bags (my bending over frequently days are over). 

Looking Forward To: Hitting full term next week!

 Next Appointment: November 5th