36 Weeks: And the verdict is…..

Baby Brayden will be here Thursday!

For those of you who like things short and sweet... stop reading here... this is a LONG post!

Since the last post:

• My blood pressure has continued to rise.
• The protein levels in my urine have continued to rise.
• I have had the following: continued bedrest, 3 doctor’s appointments, an overnight stay in L&D, an ultrasound, a non-stress test, a Biophysical Profile screen, a GBS test, continuous monitoring, fetal movement monitoring, contraction monitoring, blood screens, and so much more….
• At one point while I was in the hospital, I was having very strong (non-productive) contractions every 1 to 1½ minutes. The doctor put me on Procardia XL, which is actually another blood pressure medicine, to get the contractions to chill out a bit. It worked!! The contractions are still strong, but they have spaced out to 1 every 15 minutes or so!!

Doctor’s Report:

• Well, I get to stay at home… still on strict bedrest and monitoring, until Brayden is born.
• Brayden is measuring 4 weeks ahead (that would put him at 40 weeks). His head is measuring at 41 weeks 5 days. He has dropped some, which is REALLY making me waddle AND making me take potty trips constantly (I guess strict bedrest is kind of compromised in that sense).
• Because of my blood pressure, rising protein levels, being less than full term, and Brayden’s massive head circumference, I will be having a C-Section on Thursday, 2/23/12. At this point, it will be safer for both him and me for Brayden to join the world.

 Pregnancy Update:

1. How far along: 36 weeks 0 days
2. Total weight gain: 18 lbs
3. Fundal height: 39 cm
4. Baby’s heart rate: 160s bpm
5. Baby bump: You bet! It moves all by itself… kind of like an alien movie…
6. Movement: Yep! Not as much though… he’s super cramped in there! The nurses have used a buzzer on him a couple times during monitoring to get him moving… apparently he can hear quite clearly and gets the hiccups when startled! It’s funny (minus the rhythmic headbuts against my pelvis with each hiccup)!
7. Cravings: Milkshakes, milk, juice, water, French dip sandwiches, Eggs Benedict… that’s all I can think of right now
8. Aversions: Onions, chicken, peppers
9. Symptoms: Generally uncomfortable, in virtually every way…
10. Sleep: O geez! I would love to get a good night’s sleep! I can’t get comfortable, so I change positions, which causes contractions, which make me need to pee, I waddle back to bed, finally get remotely comfortable and my foot/leg/arm/back/head/neck (fill in the blank) starts to hurt or falls asleep, I change positions, and the whole thing starts over!
11. Gender: He is still a boy. I checked again, today during the ultrasound… there is no question about it!
12. Belly button: By some strange coincidence it is still in. I can’t see it without a mirror and it is stretched beyond what seems humanly possible, but it’s still sticking in!
13. What I miss: Playing with Landen, I mean REALLY playing with Landen. Being able to sit with my legs together. Independence. Being able to get in and out of my own car.
14. What I’m looking forward to: Meeting Brayden. Getting off bedrest.
15. Concerns: (I am really striving to focus on Matthew 6:25-34, but I am struggling with turning these over to God)
1. I am so concerned about being a mom of two!! I don’t know if I am ready for this! I can’t imagine loving another child as much as I love Landen (I realize that other mom’s think this too, but it has been keeping me up).
2. I’m super concerned about Landen adjusting to having another baby in the house. He’s not old enough to understand any of this, or even to know what a brother actually is… I DEFINITELY don’t want him to ever feel like he’s being replaced or neglected. I was up crying about this last night… for quite a while!
3. I am really concerned about Keith. He has SO much on his plate anyway, and now having another baby with sleepless nights, as he goes through PT School.
4. I’m a little concerned about Gus (our cat). He and I have been bonding lately, with me being in the bed all the time, and he is VERY much my cat. Landen loves Gus, but Gus is quite the skiddish little buggar and gets a little freaked out when a toddler starts chasing him. When Landen was born, Gus had a bit of a nervous breakdown and his hair fell out in places and he lost weight. I realize he is a cat, of all things, and I should NOT be worried about him adjusting, but I am. It may be more hormonally based than anything else, or maybe I’m just blaming the hormones, but Gus is my little buddy… my buddy that keeps getting bumped down the line of importance.
5. I am extremely concerned that Brayden, being a month early, will end up in the NICU.
6. Finally, out of sheer selfishness, I am extremely concerned about the actual surgery and recovery! I realize that I have been through a c-section before, but it scares the mess out of me! I mean, really, who wants to get cut from one hip to the other!?!
16. Blessings:
1. Keith was able to take his PT practical today (it was scheduled for Thursday).
2. I have been able to remain at home rather than being hospitalized (for the most part).
3. Brayden seems to be on target developmentally.
4. I have an amazing job with amazing co-workers.
5. Our families have been super supportive and helpful.
6. God’s Promises: 

Matthew 6:25-34 25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?
   28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? 31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

35 Weeks and counting

35 weeks! - at this point I think I'm actually counting hours, minutes, and seconds...

Life Update:

So, Keith and I made a couple practice runs to the hospital over the weekend. My blood pressure was up and I had blurry vision and headaches. We went Saturday... stayed for a few hours until I was stable and came back home. We went back on Sunday.... found a small amount of protein in my urine (showing that I was beginning to develop toxemia) and had to spend the night being monitored. We got to come back home on Monday with the orders of STRICT bedrest...

FYI... the new women's center is like staying in a hotel (with the exception of the beds)!! It is SO fancy!!
 

Doctor’s Report:

So apparently I now have protein in my urine (indicating my level of toxemia) that seems to be gradually rising. I am on strict bedrest with a home monitoring system that takes my vitals, asks questions, and transmits everything to a nurse 24/7. I have a nurse that is assigned to me until this baby is born, her name is Eileen. I originally thought she would have to be here with me, but lucky for her, she and I have a phone relationship (unless something goes really wrong). Twice each day I have to count Brayden's movements... good thing he's a kicker, and I also have to test my protein levels. If anything seems unusual, I am immediately contacted by my nurse.


As long as I am laying flat, my blood pressure (for the most part) is maintaining. If that continues, and my toxemia remains below a "critical level", I will be able to continue bedrest at home.


We are taking things one day at a time. The longer Brayden can safely stay in me, the better his chances of staying OUT of the NICU. Anyone who has had a NICU baby can attest to the fact that you don't want to go through that stress again!! (Don't get me wrong, the NICU staff/doctors at Brookwood were absolutely AMAZING with Landen (and us), but it's a really tough thing to have to go through).


Brayden is still measuring big. I am having contractions (and have been) every 2-7 minutes. Most of them are not too uncomfortable, but there have been a few that flat take your breath away!


Assuming everything continues smoothly, my next appointment is Tuesday, 2/21. I will have another NST (non stress test - done weekly for me) to measure contractions, blood pressure, fetal movement, fetal heart rate, etc. I will also have another ultrasound (done every 4 weeks for me) to measure Brayden's development, size, amniotic fluid levels, and my cervix. Then I will have my OB appointment, at which point I have a feeling we will be scheduling an induction/c-section.

Pregnancy Update:

1. How far along? 35 weeks  2 day
2. Total Weight Gain? 15 lbs
3. Fundal Height? 37.5 cm
4. Baby Heart Rate? 150s bpm
5. Baby Bump?  I think the term “bump” no longer does it justice…. Mount Everest is more fitting.
6. Movement? Of course! The little (or big) wiggle worm is super confined, but he still manages to kick, punch, and bump all the time!
7. Cravings? Milkshakes, milk, juice, water... I've been thirsty
8. Aversions? Mostly just meats (not all the time though) and onions and FISH!
9. Symptoms? Strong Contractions, Moody, Pains (back, sciatic, leg, hip, neck, etc), Cramps (stomach, back, and into my thighs), Hands and feet swelling (though it's MUCH less with me being on bedrest), Legs falling asleep, Headaches, TIRED, Forgetfulness,  Blurry Vision, Heartburn/Acid Reflux, and a few very unpleasant unmentionables
10. Sleep? Yeah, right.
11. Gender? Boy! Brayden Daniel Thomas
12. Belly button? In, but VERY shallow
13. What I miss? Being comfortable and being able to do stuff!
14. What I’m looking forward to? Getting out of the bed. Meeting Brayden.
15. Concerns? Toxemia/blood pressure affecting Brayden's health and my own. Landen not understanding why mommy is in the bed ALL THE TIME. Landen's reaction to having a baby brother. Finances with me unable to work. The load that Keith has to carry between taking care of me (the vegetable), Landen (the inquisitive energizer bunny), PT school, and everything in between!
16. Blessings? Keith, Landen, our family, and our friends! That I’ve made it this far into the pregnancy, and Brayden is still appearing to be healthy! My awesome coworkers that donated 80 hours of vacation time to me to help with the fact that I have an unpaid maternity leave! Gus, our cat, who tirelessly keeps me company 24/7. Landen learning to say, "Love you momma" - it puts such a bright spot on my entire day!

Week 34 - 3 more weeks to go...

34 weeks: Measuring big!

Watch what you say! Your curious baby is listening in to your conversations at 34 weeks -- and might enjoy a lullaby or two -- so go ahead and sing to him. Some say that baby will recognize songs mom sings while he’s in the womb, and may even be more easily soothed by them if he’s used to them once he’s on the “outside.” At week 34, you might breathe a little easier, since baby may descend lower into your pelvis and give your lungs some space. (Ahh!) Of course, some babies don’t do this until the day they’re born, so we’re not making any guarantees. The pitfall of this descent, of course, is even more pressure on your bladder, so be prepared to make even more trips to the ladies room over the coming weeks.

Life Update:

So, I missed last week’s post because our world got a little shaky and a LOT snotty…

Landen’s daycare called around lunch time on Monday because he had a fever of 102.5. I went to pick him up and took him to the doctor. While at the doctor, Landen’s fever jumped to 104 and he decided to have a seizure. Not just any seizure, but one where he quit breathing and seized for 2 ½ minutes. The nurses and doctor got him on oxygen immediately (SUCH a blessing we were there when it happened), but it took between 6 and 7 minutes, after his seizure, for him to begin responding. As it turns out, after multiple tests, Landen had a fever virus and a cold. SO I stayed home with him on Tuesday and Wednesday while his fever remained… I just didn’t feel right leaving him with ANYONE while he was still at risk for seizing (both for his sake AND for the sake of said caretaker). Thursday my mom kept him. Friday we sent him on to daycare.

My sweet little boy, who needed to be held in an upright position in order for him to sleep with his cold, was super generous in that he shared his stinkin’ cold with mommy! So I, in my inability take anything for said cold, returned to work feeling icky and spent every spare second of time sleeping (intermittently switching sides for the snot to drain). ANYWAY, we are all better now and our house has a distinct odor of Lysol

Doctor’s Report:

I did NOT get the news I was hoping for… Brayden is still measuring big; I am carrying him VERY low; I am having fairly regular, strong contractions – not dilated yet (good news, I suppose); my blood pressure is up (150s-160s/90s-110s); and Brayden’s heart rate is up as a direct result of my BP being up. My doctor suggested that I stop working until Brayden is born… I explained that if I am not working, our family has no income… she gave in and agreed to let me continue working, as long as I limit it to no more than 4 hours/day and spent the rest of my day on a “modified bed rest” (aka LOTS of resting, “no strenuous anything, for any reason, at anytime, at all”). We are hoping that by my modified schedule and extra rest, that I can make it to 37 weeks (this COULD be a leap-year baby). In the mean time, I have no idea how we are possibly going to make ends meet.

Pregnancy Update:

1. How far along? 34 weeks  0 day
2. Total Weight Gain? 13 lbs
3. Fundal Height? 36 cm
4. Baby Heart Rate? 160s bpm – higher because my Blood Pressure is up and putting stress on his little heart.
5. Baby Bump?  I think the term “bump” no longer does it justice…. Mount Everest is more fitting.
6. Movement? Of course! The little (or big) wiggle worm is super confined, but he still manages to kick, punch, and bump all the time!
7. Cravings? Pepcid
8. Aversions? Almost anything… there’s really something to be said for your stomach being pushed up into your throat… eating just doesn’t sound good
9. Symptoms? Strong Contractions, Vomiting, Moody, CLUMSY, Pains (back, sciatic, leg, hip, neck, etc), Cramps (stomach, back, and into my thighs), Hands and feet swelling, Legs falling asleep, Headaches, TIRED, Forgetfulness,  Blurry Vision, Heartburn/Acid Reflux, and a few very unpleasant unmentionables
10. Sleep? Yeah, right.
11. Gender? Boy! Brayden Daniel Thomas
12. Belly button? In, but VERY shallow
13. What I miss? Being comfortable!  
14. What I’m looking forward to? Finishing some name art for Brayden… I WILL do this before he is born! No longer being pregnant!
15. Concerns? Unpaid maternity leave. My blood pressure. Being unable to work more than 4 hours/day…  because the fact that we can’t pay our bills with my full income (our ONLY income) isn’t enough stress, WHY NOT cut my pay in half as we lead up to an unpaid maternity leave!?!
16. Blessings? Keith, Landen, our family, and our friends! That I’ve made it this far into the pregnancy, and Brayden is still appearing to be healthy!