This morning while Clint was helping me get Ian ready, he was trying to laugh and smile for us! It was so cute, it just melted our hearts. That boy sure is getting us wrapped around his little tiny fingers!
Ian went to the peditrician this morning. He is doing great; he is now up to 11 pounds 10 1/2 ounces and 24 inches long. He also is gaining more ability to lift and control his head, and he can even push up on his little legs if you hold him. He had to get his first shots today, though, two in each leg. He got some lidocaine that kept him from feeling the needle stick, but it still hurt him when the vaccine went in. He cried something awful, poor little thing! :(
Today and again tomorrow the day care center has to close early because the church they rent space from is removing the steeple for needed repairs. So Ian came up to my office at 1 pm and stayed the rest of the day with me. He is also going to have to stay with me all week week after next, when the day care center is closed for employee training. I've been bringing some supplies up to the office with me for this kind of situation.
Ten things I never thought I would have in my office at work:
package of diapers
baby blanket
can of formula
bottle
baby wipes
spare baby socks
spare baby onesie
rattle
changing pad
sore nipple ointment
Thursday, August 12, 2004
Wednesday, July 21, 2004
High Maintenance Ian
The past couple of weeks have been pretty rough. The good thing is that Ian is sleeping a little better at night---although we still can't get him to sleep in his crib at night. But at least he will sleep in 3-5 hours increments if one of us sleeps next to him on one of the beds.
The downside is that he no longer sleeps much during the day, and cries every time I put him down (whether he's asleep or awake), which means I can't get anything done at all. Lots of days I don't even get a chance to get dressed or wash myself up until Clint comes home for lunch and takes over for me for a few minutes.
I don't know how much longer I can take not ever being able to get a few minutes to myself. I hate to say it, but I am starting to look forward to going back to work and having Ian in daycare. At least there he will *have* to learn to sleep in a crib by himself, and I won't have to be the bad guy who makes him do it. And I will get some "adult" time.
Otherwise, he is healthy, gaining weight, and getting cuter all the time. I just look forward to him getting just a tad more independent and less fussy!
The downside is that he no longer sleeps much during the day, and cries every time I put him down (whether he's asleep or awake), which means I can't get anything done at all. Lots of days I don't even get a chance to get dressed or wash myself up until Clint comes home for lunch and takes over for me for a few minutes.
I don't know how much longer I can take not ever being able to get a few minutes to myself. I hate to say it, but I am starting to look forward to going back to work and having Ian in daycare. At least there he will *have* to learn to sleep in a crib by himself, and I won't have to be the bad guy who makes him do it. And I will get some "adult" time.
Otherwise, he is healthy, gaining weight, and getting cuter all the time. I just look forward to him getting just a tad more independent and less fussy!
Sunday, July 11, 2004
Milestones
I am typing this with one hand while I hold Ian's bottle---he's sitting in his carrier on the piano bench, which I dragged over next to the computer---so excuse any typos.
At his latest pediatrician appt, Ian was up to 7 lbs 12 1/2 oz! That's 10 oz in eight days! So, the pediatrician feels he has turned the corner, and his next appt isn't for another month. He also said the jaundice is gone and won't be back, and that he basically looks great and we should keep up the good work. So, yay!
Icould actually tell he has gotten bigger, because his newborn clothes are starting to get tight on him and some of his 0-3 month clothes actually fit. He's still so skinny around the middle that none of his pants fit, though---not even a pair of preemie ones we bought! Clint says he was a scrawny kid until he turned 18 and stopped gaining height, so maybe Ian will be like that, too. As long as the pediatrician is happy with his weight, I'm not going to worry about it.
He still isn't smiling regularly, although you can see he is trying to. The little corners of his mouth will go up when he's content and we talk to him, but he doesn't quite have the muscle control to pull it off yet. He is very alert and interested in his surroundings, though. He watches people's face, the ceiling fan in the living room, and he has a little board with black and white developmental pictures in his crib that he can look at for a long time.
Still isn't sleeping through the night, though---we're lucky if we can get four or five hours at a stretch. He just gets very hungry and fussy between the hours of midnight and 4-5 am. Although, he did have one glorious night a couple of days ago where he slept for almost eight hours straight. I thought I had died and done to heaven! :)
At his latest pediatrician appt, Ian was up to 7 lbs 12 1/2 oz! That's 10 oz in eight days! So, the pediatrician feels he has turned the corner, and his next appt isn't for another month. He also said the jaundice is gone and won't be back, and that he basically looks great and we should keep up the good work. So, yay!
Icould actually tell he has gotten bigger, because his newborn clothes are starting to get tight on him and some of his 0-3 month clothes actually fit. He's still so skinny around the middle that none of his pants fit, though---not even a pair of preemie ones we bought! Clint says he was a scrawny kid until he turned 18 and stopped gaining height, so maybe Ian will be like that, too. As long as the pediatrician is happy with his weight, I'm not going to worry about it.
He still isn't smiling regularly, although you can see he is trying to. The little corners of his mouth will go up when he's content and we talk to him, but he doesn't quite have the muscle control to pull it off yet. He is very alert and interested in his surroundings, though. He watches people's face, the ceiling fan in the living room, and he has a little board with black and white developmental pictures in his crib that he can look at for a long time.
Still isn't sleeping through the night, though---we're lucky if we can get four or five hours at a stretch. He just gets very hungry and fussy between the hours of midnight and 4-5 am. Although, he did have one glorious night a couple of days ago where he slept for almost eight hours straight. I thought I had died and done to heaven! :)
Saturday, July 03, 2004
Ian update
Warning: breastfeeding details ahead!
After spending the second week of his life on a "bili-blanket" (fortunately, the hospital had a portable one we could take home with us, so he didn't have to be hospitalized), Ian pretty much seemed to have his jaundice beat. His bilirubin levels went down to half their highest level, and only the very corners of his eyes show any yellow any more.
By the start of week three, we also seemed to be right on track with the breastfeeding. He was latching on like an old pro, and I had gotten to where I could hold him to my breast with one hand, and still walk around the house and do stuff with my other hand. We were also enjoying nighttime feeding, with him sleeping next to me, and me being able to just latch him on in the middle of the night if he cried. For three wonderful days, I breastfed him exclusively, with no formula supplementation.
Then, last Friday at his pediatrician appointment, although he had gained weight, he was still 4 1/2 ounces below his birth weight. The doctor told me it looked like I wasn't producing enough milk, and we needed to start supplementing him with formula twice a day. We took his picture for his birth announcement on Saturday, and looking at it, I realized for the first time how thin he looked. About this time, it started to hurt when he latched on. I realize now that he was so hungry he had just been attacking my breasts; but since I have some nerve damage from having a breast reduction, I didn't notice this until the damage was done, and I had this terrible radiating pain to the point where I dreaded nursing him. We called the lactation consultant, who sent out a lady from La Leche League. We tried to get him latched on right, but at this point I hurt so bad nothing worked. She said I looked blistered, and I should give him a couple of days off, so I could heal. We bought some bottle nipples that are supposed to be resemble breast nipples and avoid nipple confusion, and I kept pumping with the little mini-pump my sister-in-law loaned me, all the time wondering if I should just wean him or if I should invest in a hospital grade pump ($250+) and do whatever it took to get my milk supplies up.
The first night he couldn't nurse at night, Ian screamed, grabbed at me, and made it almost impossible for me to even hold him (especially since I hurt, and he kept grabbing me). He was so angry, because he could smell me and my milk, but he couldn't have any! Then, the next day, I got my first migraine since I got pregnant, and couldn't feed him for another three headachy days because I had migraine medicine in my system. I began to think maybe breastfeeding was doomed, but kept pumping so my milk wouldn't dry up. I cried a lot of tears about not being able to breastfeed him---he just liked it so much, and it was much easier on his system than the formula (he didn't poop the whole time he was on formula alone).
Finally, after three days the drug cleared my system, and when I still couldn't get Ian latched on without pain, I made an appointment with the hospital lactation consultant. I was thinking maybe the best I could hope for was going to be pumping breastmilk to feed him by bottle. But, she got him latched on for me, and I have been nursing him for the past couple of days without problems. She did say we needed to continue with the formula in addition to breast milk, just to keep his weight gain on track (he gained about three times as much weight with supplement as with breast milk alone), but he is doing great so far, no "nipple confusion" between breast and bottle, and just a very happy camper to be able to have his "magical boobie" again. The lactation consultant said I was doing great, and I am just very happy that he is getting as much breast milk as I can give him. And yes, he is "regular" again (amazing how obsessed you can get about another human being's bodily functions when you're a mother)!
For anyone out there struggling with breastfeeding or contemplating breastfeeding for their baby---don't be discouraged if it is harder than you expected. As I talk to other women who have had kids, I realize that breast *milk* may be natural, but breast feeding is more than a little tricky. You have to be persistent, make lots of use of the resources that are available to you, and resolve not to feel like a failure if you have to use the bottle to get your little one fed (after all, *that* is the main point!)
After spending the second week of his life on a "bili-blanket" (fortunately, the hospital had a portable one we could take home with us, so he didn't have to be hospitalized), Ian pretty much seemed to have his jaundice beat. His bilirubin levels went down to half their highest level, and only the very corners of his eyes show any yellow any more.
By the start of week three, we also seemed to be right on track with the breastfeeding. He was latching on like an old pro, and I had gotten to where I could hold him to my breast with one hand, and still walk around the house and do stuff with my other hand. We were also enjoying nighttime feeding, with him sleeping next to me, and me being able to just latch him on in the middle of the night if he cried. For three wonderful days, I breastfed him exclusively, with no formula supplementation.
Then, last Friday at his pediatrician appointment, although he had gained weight, he was still 4 1/2 ounces below his birth weight. The doctor told me it looked like I wasn't producing enough milk, and we needed to start supplementing him with formula twice a day. We took his picture for his birth announcement on Saturday, and looking at it, I realized for the first time how thin he looked. About this time, it started to hurt when he latched on. I realize now that he was so hungry he had just been attacking my breasts; but since I have some nerve damage from having a breast reduction, I didn't notice this until the damage was done, and I had this terrible radiating pain to the point where I dreaded nursing him. We called the lactation consultant, who sent out a lady from La Leche League. We tried to get him latched on right, but at this point I hurt so bad nothing worked. She said I looked blistered, and I should give him a couple of days off, so I could heal. We bought some bottle nipples that are supposed to be resemble breast nipples and avoid nipple confusion, and I kept pumping with the little mini-pump my sister-in-law loaned me, all the time wondering if I should just wean him or if I should invest in a hospital grade pump ($250+) and do whatever it took to get my milk supplies up.
The first night he couldn't nurse at night, Ian screamed, grabbed at me, and made it almost impossible for me to even hold him (especially since I hurt, and he kept grabbing me). He was so angry, because he could smell me and my milk, but he couldn't have any! Then, the next day, I got my first migraine since I got pregnant, and couldn't feed him for another three headachy days because I had migraine medicine in my system. I began to think maybe breastfeeding was doomed, but kept pumping so my milk wouldn't dry up. I cried a lot of tears about not being able to breastfeed him---he just liked it so much, and it was much easier on his system than the formula (he didn't poop the whole time he was on formula alone).
Finally, after three days the drug cleared my system, and when I still couldn't get Ian latched on without pain, I made an appointment with the hospital lactation consultant. I was thinking maybe the best I could hope for was going to be pumping breastmilk to feed him by bottle. But, she got him latched on for me, and I have been nursing him for the past couple of days without problems. She did say we needed to continue with the formula in addition to breast milk, just to keep his weight gain on track (he gained about three times as much weight with supplement as with breast milk alone), but he is doing great so far, no "nipple confusion" between breast and bottle, and just a very happy camper to be able to have his "magical boobie" again. The lactation consultant said I was doing great, and I am just very happy that he is getting as much breast milk as I can give him. And yes, he is "regular" again (amazing how obsessed you can get about another human being's bodily functions when you're a mother)!
For anyone out there struggling with breastfeeding or contemplating breastfeeding for their baby---don't be discouraged if it is harder than you expected. As I talk to other women who have had kids, I realize that breast *milk* may be natural, but breast feeding is more than a little tricky. You have to be persistent, make lots of use of the resources that are available to you, and resolve not to feel like a failure if you have to use the bottle to get your little one fed (after all, *that* is the main point!)
Wednesday, June 30, 2004
Ian's birth story
Republished from Kathy's blog, Tuesday, June 15th:
Sorry about leaving everyone hanging, but being the mother of a newborn isn't very conducive to long posts, so I had to work on this over several days. Ian is doing well. He has had a few little problems, including jaundice (probably from being born a little bit preterm) and losing a little more weight than normal after birth. But he is getting back on track on both counts---it's just taking a lot of work on our parts, because he has been requiring daily lab tests and dr appts, sleeping on a "bili-blanket," and feedings every two hour around the clock. Hence my not posting sooner!
I went into labor Tuesday morning (June 8th). I had to go to the bathroom as usual around 5 am or so, then when I went back to bed I couldn't fall back asleep. So I started to waddle back to the bathroom to start getting ready for work, and suddenly realized my panties felt somewhat wet. I took off my panties when I got to the bathroom and saw that they were soaked through and pink! I hollered at Clint that I thought my water broke, he jumped up out of bed, we called the hospital, and they said I better come in. We spent a frantic fifteen minutes that felt like an hour gathering all our stuff up, shut up the house and drove to the hospital.
When we got there, they put us in an antepartum room and a nurse tested the fluid and confirmed that, yes, it was amniotic fluid. I wasn't really feeling contractions, but we settled in to wait for the doctor. In the meantime we both called our mothers (in GA and NC), who immediately started packing up and got on the road for VA. About or five hours later, my contractions still hadn't really started; I'd have one or two weak ones in a row, and then they'd taper off. I tried walking the halls, taking a bath, etc., even singing, to try to get things going, but none of it seemed to help, so they had to start me on IV pitocin.
The pitocin got the contractions coming on a more regular basis. Unfortunately, I had "back labor" (baby's face forwards instead of facing the back), so the contractions were very painful. I finally reached "transition"---where strong contractions make the cervix dilate fully in preparation for the baby coming out---and just got stuck there for hours (this phase is supposed to last about 45 minutes). After the first hour, I asked for IV drugs, but all they did was make me groggy without relieving the pain. After two hours, I finally asked for an intrathecal (spinal injection). The doctor had a lot of trouble getting the needle in, in part because my contractions were so hard, but also because at this point I wasn't able to tell my left from my right and so I couldn't tell him where I felt the needle. When he finally did get it in, it helped somewhat.
But then my cervix just wouldn't dilate the last bit. Finally one of the nurses was able to just push it back the rest of the way while I pushed during contractions. The doctor came back to look at me, and said I was fully dilated, but that he didn't think I was going to be able to push the baby out by myself because his position was bad. He decided they were going to have to use suction to get him out. I asked if I would have to have an episiotomy, and he said "probably." He said he was thinking the baby was pretty big.
So, he put got the baby's head hooked up to the suction cup and when my next contraction came they told me to push. I can't describe the pain; I felt like I was being torn apart, and I started screaming my lungs out. When the contraction passed, they told me I couldn't scream like that, because I couldn't push when I was screaming. So I kept trying for a while, then finally I said, "I can't do this! It hurts too much!"
"Then you're going to have to have a C-section," the doctor said.
Clint said, "You have to try a few more times, Honey. I can see the baby's head! He's almost out."
So I gave three more pushes, each time thinking I couldn't go stand it any longer, and on the third push, Ian came out and they put him on my stomach for a minute for me to see. Suddenly all my pain didn't seem to matter. Clint cut the cord, then all too quickly they took Ian away from me, because they were worried about him after the rough time he'd had getting into the world. After a few minutes I asked if he was all right, and they said it looked like it. They told us his weight and height---he was a long skinny little thing, not a strapping ten pounder like I was expecting. I guess the reason my belly had looked so huge was because he was so long and I am so short-waisted that he just had to sort of double up on himself.
Once I was sure Ian was okay, I looked around the delivery room at everyone and said, "That sucked!" I just had no idea it was as going to be so painful. The doctor laughed and told me I'd had a pretty rough labor. He delivered the placenta, and then he said he was going to have to stitch me up. He said I hadn't had to have an episiotomy, but that I had gotten pretty torn up on the inside from the suction. I didn't even feel the stitches, and I think I had a lot because I kept seeing him take those little fishhook needles they use out of the sterile packages. All I could think about was getting to hold Ian again.
We stayed in the hospital for two days then went home. My mom stayed with us for a few days before she had to go back and teach a class, and Clint's mom stayed for a week and a half. Because Ian came so early the baby room was in a shambles and we didn't have a lot of stuff we needed, so in between feedings, diaper changings, and visits to the doctor, we have been making trips to WalMart, ordering stuff online and generally trying to get things organized.
Having a baby is just the coolest thing ever! And we think Ian is just the greatest little guy! He is a really pretty baby---big blue eyes, full lips, lots of dark hair, and a nice complexion in spite of a little bit of jaundice. He also has a mind of his own already; he just seems to want to do everything his own way. He has already turned over on his stomach once, he has a strong grip and can push *hard* with his little legs. He loves to watch people's faces, too. I am breastfeeding, but we are also having to supplement a little with formula, more because he is a little lazy about suckling at certain times of day than for milk supply issues. He gets about 75% breastmilk, which I think is pretty darn good considering I had a radical breast reduction six years ago and wasn't expecting to be able to breastfeed at all. The cool part about the formula is that Clint gets to feed him a little bit, which is a chance for him to bond with the baby in that way, too.
Speaking of which , Clint is soooo cute with the baby! He is the proudest father you ever saw, and little Ian will fall asleep in his arms or lying beside him just as well as he will do for me.
I could say lots more about our little man, but I'm sure I'll be posting so much about him in the days to come that you'll be sick of hearing it, so I'll stop here for now. Hoping to have some pictures up soon.
Sorry about leaving everyone hanging, but being the mother of a newborn isn't very conducive to long posts, so I had to work on this over several days. Ian is doing well. He has had a few little problems, including jaundice (probably from being born a little bit preterm) and losing a little more weight than normal after birth. But he is getting back on track on both counts---it's just taking a lot of work on our parts, because he has been requiring daily lab tests and dr appts, sleeping on a "bili-blanket," and feedings every two hour around the clock. Hence my not posting sooner!
I went into labor Tuesday morning (June 8th). I had to go to the bathroom as usual around 5 am or so, then when I went back to bed I couldn't fall back asleep. So I started to waddle back to the bathroom to start getting ready for work, and suddenly realized my panties felt somewhat wet. I took off my panties when I got to the bathroom and saw that they were soaked through and pink! I hollered at Clint that I thought my water broke, he jumped up out of bed, we called the hospital, and they said I better come in. We spent a frantic fifteen minutes that felt like an hour gathering all our stuff up, shut up the house and drove to the hospital.
When we got there, they put us in an antepartum room and a nurse tested the fluid and confirmed that, yes, it was amniotic fluid. I wasn't really feeling contractions, but we settled in to wait for the doctor. In the meantime we both called our mothers (in GA and NC), who immediately started packing up and got on the road for VA. About or five hours later, my contractions still hadn't really started; I'd have one or two weak ones in a row, and then they'd taper off. I tried walking the halls, taking a bath, etc., even singing, to try to get things going, but none of it seemed to help, so they had to start me on IV pitocin.
The pitocin got the contractions coming on a more regular basis. Unfortunately, I had "back labor" (baby's face forwards instead of facing the back), so the contractions were very painful. I finally reached "transition"---where strong contractions make the cervix dilate fully in preparation for the baby coming out---and just got stuck there for hours (this phase is supposed to last about 45 minutes). After the first hour, I asked for IV drugs, but all they did was make me groggy without relieving the pain. After two hours, I finally asked for an intrathecal (spinal injection). The doctor had a lot of trouble getting the needle in, in part because my contractions were so hard, but also because at this point I wasn't able to tell my left from my right and so I couldn't tell him where I felt the needle. When he finally did get it in, it helped somewhat.
But then my cervix just wouldn't dilate the last bit. Finally one of the nurses was able to just push it back the rest of the way while I pushed during contractions. The doctor came back to look at me, and said I was fully dilated, but that he didn't think I was going to be able to push the baby out by myself because his position was bad. He decided they were going to have to use suction to get him out. I asked if I would have to have an episiotomy, and he said "probably." He said he was thinking the baby was pretty big.
So, he put got the baby's head hooked up to the suction cup and when my next contraction came they told me to push. I can't describe the pain; I felt like I was being torn apart, and I started screaming my lungs out. When the contraction passed, they told me I couldn't scream like that, because I couldn't push when I was screaming. So I kept trying for a while, then finally I said, "I can't do this! It hurts too much!"
"Then you're going to have to have a C-section," the doctor said.
Clint said, "You have to try a few more times, Honey. I can see the baby's head! He's almost out."
So I gave three more pushes, each time thinking I couldn't go stand it any longer, and on the third push, Ian came out and they put him on my stomach for a minute for me to see. Suddenly all my pain didn't seem to matter. Clint cut the cord, then all too quickly they took Ian away from me, because they were worried about him after the rough time he'd had getting into the world. After a few minutes I asked if he was all right, and they said it looked like it. They told us his weight and height---he was a long skinny little thing, not a strapping ten pounder like I was expecting. I guess the reason my belly had looked so huge was because he was so long and I am so short-waisted that he just had to sort of double up on himself.
Once I was sure Ian was okay, I looked around the delivery room at everyone and said, "That sucked!" I just had no idea it was as going to be so painful. The doctor laughed and told me I'd had a pretty rough labor. He delivered the placenta, and then he said he was going to have to stitch me up. He said I hadn't had to have an episiotomy, but that I had gotten pretty torn up on the inside from the suction. I didn't even feel the stitches, and I think I had a lot because I kept seeing him take those little fishhook needles they use out of the sterile packages. All I could think about was getting to hold Ian again.
We stayed in the hospital for two days then went home. My mom stayed with us for a few days before she had to go back and teach a class, and Clint's mom stayed for a week and a half. Because Ian came so early the baby room was in a shambles and we didn't have a lot of stuff we needed, so in between feedings, diaper changings, and visits to the doctor, we have been making trips to WalMart, ordering stuff online and generally trying to get things organized.
Having a baby is just the coolest thing ever! And we think Ian is just the greatest little guy! He is a really pretty baby---big blue eyes, full lips, lots of dark hair, and a nice complexion in spite of a little bit of jaundice. He also has a mind of his own already; he just seems to want to do everything his own way. He has already turned over on his stomach once, he has a strong grip and can push *hard* with his little legs. He loves to watch people's faces, too. I am breastfeeding, but we are also having to supplement a little with formula, more because he is a little lazy about suckling at certain times of day than for milk supply issues. He gets about 75% breastmilk, which I think is pretty darn good considering I had a radical breast reduction six years ago and wasn't expecting to be able to breastfeed at all. The cool part about the formula is that Clint gets to feed him a little bit, which is a chance for him to bond with the baby in that way, too.
Speaking of which , Clint is soooo cute with the baby! He is the proudest father you ever saw, and little Ian will fall asleep in his arms or lying beside him just as well as he will do for me.
I could say lots more about our little man, but I'm sure I'll be posting so much about him in the days to come that you'll be sick of hearing it, so I'll stop here for now. Hoping to have some pictures up soon.
Wednesday, June 09, 2004
Presenting...
Ian Thomas McGuire, in his world premiere
Weighs in at 6 lb. 14 oz.
Stands (okay, LAYS) at 22 in.
Born June 8, 2004 at 10:57 pm
Proud papa: Clint McGuire
Exhausted (after 16 hrs. of labor, can you blame her?)
mama: Kathy McGuire
Photos and stories to come!!!
Weighs in at 6 lb. 14 oz.
Stands (okay, LAYS) at 22 in.
Born June 8, 2004 at 10:57 pm
Proud papa: Clint McGuire
Exhausted (after 16 hrs. of labor, can you blame her?)
mama: Kathy McGuire
Photos and stories to come!!!
Thursday, June 03, 2004
A little late night excitement
We had some pregnancy-related (as opposed to kidney-stone-related; I'll let Clint tell *that* story) excitement last night, when I woke up around 3 am screaming in pain. I think it was either a bad Braxton-Hicks contraction or ligament pain, because after I tinkled and had a glass of water it went away after about 20 minutes and I was able to fall back asleep. We had a scary moment, though, when I saw water on the bathroom floor and thought my water had broken---it turned out Clint had been so nervous when he was running to get me a glass of water that he had spilled some of it!
This morning we have noticed that the baby seems to be a little lower than before, so maybe that is what was going on last night. If so, it won't be long now. Hope it's not before next week, since my doctor's out of town this week, and he's the only OB in the county...
This morning we have noticed that the baby seems to be a little lower than before, so maybe that is what was going on last night. If so, it won't be long now. Hope it's not before next week, since my doctor's out of town this week, and he's the only OB in the county...
Tuesday, June 01, 2004
More waiting...
Had the last of my every-two-weeks prenatal appointments this morning (was supposed to be Friday, but they had to reschedule). After this I go once a week for the duration.
They didn't do the ultrasound today---the doctor's out of town for a family emergency---just a strep test. The baby's heartbeat continues to be strong, around 152 bpm. My blood pressure is the highest it's ever been---128/80. Yeah, I know lots of people would think that's great, but when your bp is normally 90-100 over 50-60, those numbers are alarming. I talked to the doctor about my swelling and pain and the little bumps I am getting around my eyes. She said she wasn't too worried about the swelling from a health perspective, since my bp isn't above normal and there's no protein in my urine. I just don't know how much longer I am going to be able to get around, though. The pain and all the excess weight (57 pounds, at this point) is keeping me from being very mobile.
Next week the doctor will do the ultrasound and see if the baby is getting into position. He definitely hasn't dropped yet, in fact he's still up high enough that it's giving me some trouble breathing. I hope like crazy he doesn't come late---at this point, I would be very pleased if he was about a week early. :)
I am definitely starting to nest like crazy. We have most of the big items we need and I've decided that the next thing I want to do is concentrate on the baby room decor. I've got some cute shelves I want to paint and hang on the wall, plus some little wooden letters that spell out Ian's name. I'm thinking of getting these little Winnie-the-Pooh pictures, too. I'm also thinking of splurging on the crib bedding we want and some decent bedding for the twin bed in the baby room. The room just doesn't look quite *finished* yet---it doesn't look ready for a baby, and that has me a little panicked, since according to the nurse practitioner, I could go into labor any time now.
They didn't do the ultrasound today---the doctor's out of town for a family emergency---just a strep test. The baby's heartbeat continues to be strong, around 152 bpm. My blood pressure is the highest it's ever been---128/80. Yeah, I know lots of people would think that's great, but when your bp is normally 90-100 over 50-60, those numbers are alarming. I talked to the doctor about my swelling and pain and the little bumps I am getting around my eyes. She said she wasn't too worried about the swelling from a health perspective, since my bp isn't above normal and there's no protein in my urine. I just don't know how much longer I am going to be able to get around, though. The pain and all the excess weight (57 pounds, at this point) is keeping me from being very mobile.
Next week the doctor will do the ultrasound and see if the baby is getting into position. He definitely hasn't dropped yet, in fact he's still up high enough that it's giving me some trouble breathing. I hope like crazy he doesn't come late---at this point, I would be very pleased if he was about a week early. :)
I am definitely starting to nest like crazy. We have most of the big items we need and I've decided that the next thing I want to do is concentrate on the baby room decor. I've got some cute shelves I want to paint and hang on the wall, plus some little wooden letters that spell out Ian's name. I'm thinking of getting these little Winnie-the-Pooh pictures, too. I'm also thinking of splurging on the crib bedding we want and some decent bedding for the twin bed in the baby room. The room just doesn't look quite *finished* yet---it doesn't look ready for a baby, and that has me a little panicked, since according to the nurse practitioner, I could go into labor any time now.
Tuesday, May 18, 2004
Trying to wait patiently...
Had an appointment with the nurse practitioner on Friday. She just measured my belly and listened to the baby's heartbeat. Everything seemed fine. She did say that when she listened for the heartbeat she heard what sounded like Braxton-Hicks contractions, which I thought I had been having. What happens with these is that basically your belly gets all hard for a few seconds. Sometimes all over, sometimes just the lower or upper part. It's uncomfortable, but it doesn't really hurt most of the time.
My biggest issues lately are being tired and having problems with my feet. I only have one pair of shoes that I can really stand to wear any more, my poor feet are so swollen up. They really hurt in the morning when I get out of bed; some mornings I feel like I'm not going to be able to walk on them. I also actually get welts around my ankles just from my socks! I've tried elevating my legs, but it doesn't really seem to help very much. I guess it's just one of those things you have to put up with.
My due date is only six weeks from tomorrow! I am kind of anxious about labor, but most of all I am anxious about the huge, awesome responsibility of having a tiny, helpless person completely dependent on me. I don't know how I am going to adjust to the demands on my independence. And Clint and I are already a little worried about relationship maintenance---it's going to be very hard to get any time alone together, especially without any family close by to give us a little break for couple of hours. Yikes! I've been thinking about talking to some of the other women I know who are pregnant and seeing if we can do some babysitting exchanges, so we can each occasionally get dinner and a movie out with our husbands. I think I'd rather hand the baby over to someone else who was a recent mother than to some high school babysitter...
My next OB appt is May 28th, when they'll do the last ultrasound to check the baby's position. I'm excited about the ultrasound---we haven't seen him since 28 weeks! After the 28th, I'll have an appointment every week until the baby is born.
My biggest issues lately are being tired and having problems with my feet. I only have one pair of shoes that I can really stand to wear any more, my poor feet are so swollen up. They really hurt in the morning when I get out of bed; some mornings I feel like I'm not going to be able to walk on them. I also actually get welts around my ankles just from my socks! I've tried elevating my legs, but it doesn't really seem to help very much. I guess it's just one of those things you have to put up with.
My due date is only six weeks from tomorrow! I am kind of anxious about labor, but most of all I am anxious about the huge, awesome responsibility of having a tiny, helpless person completely dependent on me. I don't know how I am going to adjust to the demands on my independence. And Clint and I are already a little worried about relationship maintenance---it's going to be very hard to get any time alone together, especially without any family close by to give us a little break for couple of hours. Yikes! I've been thinking about talking to some of the other women I know who are pregnant and seeing if we can do some babysitting exchanges, so we can each occasionally get dinner and a movie out with our husbands. I think I'd rather hand the baby over to someone else who was a recent mother than to some high school babysitter...
My next OB appt is May 28th, when they'll do the last ultrasound to check the baby's position. I'm excited about the ultrasound---we haven't seen him since 28 weeks! After the 28th, I'll have an appointment every week until the baby is born.
Monday, April 26, 2004
Eventful weekend
Two bits of baby news this weekend. The first one was, I started having pains in my left side and stomach, accompanied by mild contractions. I called the hospital, and they said to go ahead and come in, since early labor can be a little weird. We had a brief scary period when it looked like the contractions were about 6 minutes apart, but it turned out I was just having bad ligament pains (when your uterus is stretching out) which were triggering the contractions. Both the pain and the contractions seem to have gone away now. A funny thing was, while they had me all hooked up to the monitors, the baby got the hiccups. I've felt that before, and now I know what it is. He's had them quite a bit, actually. I hope that doesn't mean he's going to have a lot of colic.
The other thing that happened this weekend is that I started lactating. I guess it's just colostrum, since it looks pretty clear. Anyway, I'm going to ask the OB about it when I go in Friday. Maybe there's a chance that I would be able to breastfeed after all, in which case I need to ask my other doctor about maybe changing my meds to something that's safe in breastmilk, at least for a while after the baby is born. Even if it didn't work and I had to change back to my old meds, at least the baby would have gotten a few days or even weeks of breastmilk at the beginning.
Oh, gosh, I think the baby has the hiccups *again*!
The other thing that happened this weekend is that I started lactating. I guess it's just colostrum, since it looks pretty clear. Anyway, I'm going to ask the OB about it when I go in Friday. Maybe there's a chance that I would be able to breastfeed after all, in which case I need to ask my other doctor about maybe changing my meds to something that's safe in breastmilk, at least for a while after the baby is born. Even if it didn't work and I had to change back to my old meds, at least the baby would have gotten a few days or even weeks of breastmilk at the beginning.
Oh, gosh, I think the baby has the hiccups *again*!
Wednesday, April 21, 2004
A pregnancy moment...
Night before last, I sat down in our recliner to watch TV after I took my shower. I was wearing a sports bra and a pair of panties (with my huge belly taking up most of the space in between), I had a towel wrapped around my wet hair like a turban, my face was all red and blotchy, and I was wearing clogs because my feet are getting too swollen up for "real" shoes. Well, also because I can't reach my feet to get real shoes on. So there I am, watching TV in between complaining about my hemorrhoids (oh, pregnancy is so full of little joys!), and Clint says out of the blue: "Honey, do you have any idea how hot you look?"
!!!.....Well, my first instinct was to laugh---which I did---and tell him he sounds just like a desperate guy whose wife is seven months pregnant. Which I also did. But my next thought was: is that just sweeter than all hell, or what?
!!!.....Well, my first instinct was to laugh---which I did---and tell him he sounds just like a desperate guy whose wife is seven months pregnant. Which I also did. But my next thought was: is that just sweeter than all hell, or what?
Friday, April 16, 2004
Bouncing baby boy!
Yesterday I was feeling kind of down, and I decided the only solution was: ice cream! So, when I got off work, I went by this little local ice cream stand and got a huge banana split to take home (forgetting that Clint is on a diet! Oops! Sorry, Honey!). When I got home, it turned out Clint had also gotten me a huge box of Dots, one of my favorite candies. So, needless to say, I got my sugar fix last night!
The baby usually is very active in the evenings after dinner, but last night I guess all the sugar just made him go nuts! He kicked all during birthing class last night, and then when we came home and I was taking a bath, it was hilarious to watch him make my stomach shift all around! Clint watched and laughed and called him, "Crazy Baby!" We wondered what he was doing in there. I felt kind of bad about getting the poor little baby all wound up like that, though. I better not OD on sugar like that again.
Crazy Baby (apologies to Joan Osborne)
And your hands are really shaking something awful
as you give your twenty-seventh little kick.
Oh, how long have you been sitting in the darkness?
You forget.
And you know you're getting really hard to carry.
And I feel it every time you turn around.
And you wonder why I cannot pick my butt up off the ground.
Oh, my crazy baby, try to hold on tight.
etc...
The baby usually is very active in the evenings after dinner, but last night I guess all the sugar just made him go nuts! He kicked all during birthing class last night, and then when we came home and I was taking a bath, it was hilarious to watch him make my stomach shift all around! Clint watched and laughed and called him, "Crazy Baby!" We wondered what he was doing in there. I felt kind of bad about getting the poor little baby all wound up like that, though. I better not OD on sugar like that again.
Crazy Baby (apologies to Joan Osborne)
And your hands are really shaking something awful
as you give your twenty-seventh little kick.
Oh, how long have you been sitting in the darkness?
You forget.
And you know you're getting really hard to carry.
And I feel it every time you turn around.
And you wonder why I cannot pick my butt up off the ground.
Oh, my crazy baby, try to hold on tight.
etc...
Monday, April 12, 2004
Friday's doctor visit
***SPOILER ALERT***GYNECOLOGY DETAILS AHEAD
I've just discovered one reason why I might not have been feeling good: I have had a bad bacterial infection for the past couple of months. If you're pregnant or will be in the future, here's a little cautionary tale that I hope will encourage you to stick to your guns and make your doctor check things out if you feel like something might be wrong. For a while now, I've been thinking something's "not quite right" down there (I won't get graphic on you about why), and kept telling my doc about it every time I went in for an appointment. They just kept telling me my symptoms were normal, and since I've never been pregnant before, I didn't really know any different. Finally, things were getting so bad that I *knew* something was up---they didn't mention anything like this in my pregnancy book---so when I went in Friday I was a lot more insistent and they did a pelvic and discovered that I had an infection. I don't think it will hurt the baby, but it has certainly made my life more unpleasant than it needed to be for the last several months. No wonder I've felt so run down!
Anyway, other than that, everything was good; the baby still has a nice strong heartbeat (must take after his momma---I inherited my dad's side of the family's ridiculously good cardiovascular health), and all my vitals checked out okay. We didn't have to go to birthing class on Thursday because it was on breastfeeding; we only have two more classes after this. We won't have another ultrasound until 36 weeks, about a month before the baby is due. Getting to where there's nothing to do but wait.
I've just discovered one reason why I might not have been feeling good: I have had a bad bacterial infection for the past couple of months. If you're pregnant or will be in the future, here's a little cautionary tale that I hope will encourage you to stick to your guns and make your doctor check things out if you feel like something might be wrong. For a while now, I've been thinking something's "not quite right" down there (I won't get graphic on you about why), and kept telling my doc about it every time I went in for an appointment. They just kept telling me my symptoms were normal, and since I've never been pregnant before, I didn't really know any different. Finally, things were getting so bad that I *knew* something was up---they didn't mention anything like this in my pregnancy book---so when I went in Friday I was a lot more insistent and they did a pelvic and discovered that I had an infection. I don't think it will hurt the baby, but it has certainly made my life more unpleasant than it needed to be for the last several months. No wonder I've felt so run down!
Anyway, other than that, everything was good; the baby still has a nice strong heartbeat (must take after his momma---I inherited my dad's side of the family's ridiculously good cardiovascular health), and all my vitals checked out okay. We didn't have to go to birthing class on Thursday because it was on breastfeeding; we only have two more classes after this. We won't have another ultrasound until 36 weeks, about a month before the baby is due. Getting to where there's nothing to do but wait.
Wednesday, March 31, 2004
In the home stretch (pun intended) now!
Today I enter the last trimester of pregnancy; Baby McGuire's due date is exactly three months away! As if to celebrate, he has been kicking nonstop for the last two days; I wake up in the morning to little knocks on my ribs and go to bed at night with a similar symphony of jolts to my midsection. It also seems like I am starting to be able to feel what position he is lying in. His favorite position seems to be upside down with his head on the left side down low, and his feet up in the air on the right side, kicking me up under the ribs. Last night Clint and I could have sworn we felt the smooth, hard little crown of his head at the base of my stomach. I gave him a gentle little poke and he moved a couple of inches over (what a mean mommy I am! :P )
On the other hand, I have been feeling pretty lousy this week. Started Monday with a migraine (my first since I've been pregnant) that was screwing up my vision so bad I ended up going home half way through the day. Then today I have been struck by awful morning sickness...I was afraid I was going to have to get off the phone with someone and go barf. Also, I feel like I have gained ten pounds the past week! I have gone up another bra size, and had to get Clint to help me put my pants on this morning because I didn't think I could reach my feet without hurting myself. Three more months, three more months...
On the other hand, I have been feeling pretty lousy this week. Started Monday with a migraine (my first since I've been pregnant) that was screwing up my vision so bad I ended up going home half way through the day. Then today I have been struck by awful morning sickness...I was afraid I was going to have to get off the phone with someone and go barf. Also, I feel like I have gained ten pounds the past week! I have gone up another bra size, and had to get Clint to help me put my pants on this morning because I didn't think I could reach my feet without hurting myself. Three more months, three more months...
Friday, March 12, 2004
Baby room update
I just realized I forgot to let everyone know what we ended up doing with the baby room the weekend my mom was here. As we had planned, we went ahead and painted the room a warm cream color, which really lightened it up and made it seem roomier than the murky blue that was on the walls before. We had planned to do a border, too, but my mom the wallpaper expert said our plaster walls were to rough for a border to adhere properly. So, at this point we are debating about whether we want to do some stencils or even a mural.
In the meantime, we have put up the Pack-N-Play in the room, since it has a bassinet in it that we can use for the first month or so until the baby gets old enough for a crib. It is a green-and-yellow gingham pattern with Winnie the Pooh on it, and it looks really good with the cream-colored walls. Target carries some really cute Classic Pooh sheets that I think will look good on the crib (a white Jenny Lind crib that my mom is giving us) after we take the Pack-N-Play out. We also have a cherry-wood twin bed in the room, which I think I will get some dark green sheets for, an oak rocker, a small white bookshelf that is already starting to collect picture books, and an antique maple art-deco style half-wardrobe that we have put my collection of stuffed bunnies on. We still have some work to do, but it is slowly starting to look like a baby room!
In the meantime, we have put up the Pack-N-Play in the room, since it has a bassinet in it that we can use for the first month or so until the baby gets old enough for a crib. It is a green-and-yellow gingham pattern with Winnie the Pooh on it, and it looks really good with the cream-colored walls. Target carries some really cute Classic Pooh sheets that I think will look good on the crib (a white Jenny Lind crib that my mom is giving us) after we take the Pack-N-Play out. We also have a cherry-wood twin bed in the room, which I think I will get some dark green sheets for, an oak rocker, a small white bookshelf that is already starting to collect picture books, and an antique maple art-deco style half-wardrobe that we have put my collection of stuffed bunnies on. We still have some work to do, but it is slowly starting to look like a baby room!
Strictly for my honey
Random Law and Order Plot Generator - BenSinclair.com
Oh yeah, and for anyone else out there who loves/likes/watches Law & Order in all of its 150 incarnations! :P
Oh yeah, and for anyone else out there who loves/likes/watches Law & Order in all of its 150 incarnations! :P
Thursday, March 04, 2004
Tuesday, March 02, 2004
3-D Ultrasound Update
Friday Clint and I went to Charlottesville for our second 3-D ultrasound. The baby starting kicking in the car on the way there, and by the time we we got into the exam room for the ultrasound, he was in full swing. It took the technician and the doctor almost an hour to get him to hold still long enough to get a good look at his heart. We got a good view of the baby vigorously kicking me in the side, as well as of the top of his head as he actually spun around like a top(!) The doctor said, "You are going to have your hands full!" We also saw the baby's face, including getting to see him stick his tongue out, and we are definitely sure he is a boy now, since he seemed to take particular delight in showing us his little buttcrack and equipment. I know you probably can't really tell that much about a baby's personality from an ultrasound, but I left with the feeling that our little guy is a real character. I just hope he isn't so rambunctious he drives us both nuts! On the more serious side, everything seemed to be normal, and this is the last time we will need to go to Charlottesville for testing.
Wednesday, February 25, 2004
Some baby details
Day before yesterday I bought a stethoscope so we could listen to the baby's heartbeat. It took a little manuevering and patience, but I finally heard it. I let Clint listen, and for a while he had a frustrated look on his face like he wasn't sure what he was listening for (the baby's heartbeat is usually a little softer and faster than mom's, which you still hear). I started to feel silly with him listening to my belly, and moved the stehoscope away, when he said, "No, don't!" I put it back and he listened a little more, and then got a big smile on his face, and said he could hear it. Just...wow.
My mom is coming up this weekend to visit and help us work on the nursery. We think we are going to go with cream-colored paint and a blue border. The room is actually painted blue now, but it's a very murky shade of blue that is kind of gloomy for a baby's room. I am putting the pressure on Clint to get the rest of his junk out of the baby room so we can get started! Yikes, do we need a bigger place! Someday...
Thursday I have a doctor's appt here in town with the nurse practitioner, and then Friday Clint and I are driving to Charlottesville for the last ultrasound (22 weeks). It's supposed to be a really neat one. I hope so. The last one wasn't all that impressive, although I guess they could tell it was a boy and I sort of saw it's little ET alien face. I am going to talk to the nurse practitioner about my back problems, and see if she can send me to get some massage. I keep getting muscle spasms in my upper back, even though I do my yoga almost every day, and I've also been experiencing this terrific aching pressure on my tailbone---I have to sit a lot at my job, and at home (I'm studying for my German exam), and I think the extra weight on my backside is taking its toll.
My mom is coming up this weekend to visit and help us work on the nursery. We think we are going to go with cream-colored paint and a blue border. The room is actually painted blue now, but it's a very murky shade of blue that is kind of gloomy for a baby's room. I am putting the pressure on Clint to get the rest of his junk out of the baby room so we can get started! Yikes, do we need a bigger place! Someday...
Thursday I have a doctor's appt here in town with the nurse practitioner, and then Friday Clint and I are driving to Charlottesville for the last ultrasound (22 weeks). It's supposed to be a really neat one. I hope so. The last one wasn't all that impressive, although I guess they could tell it was a boy and I sort of saw it's little ET alien face. I am going to talk to the nurse practitioner about my back problems, and see if she can send me to get some massage. I keep getting muscle spasms in my upper back, even though I do my yoga almost every day, and I've also been experiencing this terrific aching pressure on my tailbone---I have to sit a lot at my job, and at home (I'm studying for my German exam), and I think the extra weight on my backside is taking its toll.
Monday, February 23, 2004
Pure mush
Clint's been having a rough couple of days here, and trying to be there for him and feeling his hurt as if it were my own, I am realizing once again how connected at the heart I am with this man. I never thought I could love someone this intensely for this long, and I know my feelings will be just as strong if not more so for this child that is coming. I'm just overwhlemed by it sometimes, I really am.
(Love you, Honey. Hang in there!)
(Love you, Honey. Hang in there!)
Monday, February 16, 2004
Doh!
Dangit! I accidentally slipped up on the phone to Clint's mom...and now the word is out. We're having a boy. I did have a long talk with them about how we don't want all blue clothes and trucks and trains. We want our baby to discover for himself what he likes and doesn't like, not have anyone tell him "big boys don't cry," or "only girls play with dolls." I started crying on the phone, realizing already the heartbreak of trying to raise a sane, happy child in this world. I hope he will look at his mommy working and paying bills and his daddy cooking and cleaning and not pay too much attention to the sexist social programming all around him.
I was talking to Clint about this last night, and I really hope when our child is older we can live somewhere with a Unitarian church again. I know Clint doesn't always get everything he needs there spiritually, but I think in terms of teaching children the values we both share (environmentalism, peace, tolerance, social activism, acceptance of difference, the value of religious inquiry and finding the truth for yourself), UU's are miles ahead of most other denominations. And the people are really nice, too. We just felt really comfortable with the people at our old congregation. Our church here is okay, and the pastor and his family seem really nice, but we don't have the sense of community we had there. And I think you need to be connected to a community when you're raising a child, especially when you're as far away from your extended family as we are.
I was talking to Clint about this last night, and I really hope when our child is older we can live somewhere with a Unitarian church again. I know Clint doesn't always get everything he needs there spiritually, but I think in terms of teaching children the values we both share (environmentalism, peace, tolerance, social activism, acceptance of difference, the value of religious inquiry and finding the truth for yourself), UU's are miles ahead of most other denominations. And the people are really nice, too. We just felt really comfortable with the people at our old congregation. Our church here is okay, and the pastor and his family seem really nice, but we don't have the sense of community we had there. And I think you need to be connected to a community when you're raising a child, especially when you're as far away from your extended family as we are.
Sunday, February 15, 2004
Halfway there
Sunday, Kathy reached the halfway point in her/our pregnancy. It's been an interesting 4 1/2 months, and the biggest changes, I think, are yet to come.
I've been struggling a bit trying to thinsomething to report from my side of the wom, but I think I will use this post to record my feelings here at the halfway point.
Naturally, I am elated at the prospect of seeing this little baby of mine come out at the end of June. Watching Kathy's belly swell with our little bundle of joy is a wonderful feeling, and I keep thinking about how I want to spend time with our child. However, I have some less-comfortable feelings within me as the baby grows.
The past week, I have experienced something I haven't felt in many years, namely panic attacks. I have a fear of my own mortality, and when I was living by myself in the mountains of North Carolina, I was often struck by panic attacks as I tried to go to sleep, thinking of dying alone, with no one to remember me.
For some reason, I had those feelings again this past week, again as I lay down to sleep. I want to believe in an afterlife, and I pray that my soul shall live on after my body has drawn its last breath, but the analytical part of me gets in the way, sometimes.
Then, I have also noticed in the past few days, flashing back to my own childhood. The oddest things trigger it. The other night, we ran out of milk and I had to run to the convenience store and picked up a carton. We usually buy it buy the plastic jug, as I'm sure most people do these days. In any case, as I was driving home with it, I found myself flashing back to my childhood, when my father drove a milk truck and would let me climb in the back sometimes to grab my fill of chocolate milk and lemonade.
Another time, I was in the bathtub, cleaning myself off, and I found myself looking at the washed-off soap floating on the surface, looking like nebulae forming in the heavens, and remembered how I would do this back when I was a child and determined to go to those stars in person.
I just wonder how many of these feelings I'm going to have before the pregnancy is over, and if they'll continue as we see our baby grow and have those same kinds of experiences that we had 30+ years ago.
I've been struggling a bit trying to thinsomething to report from my side of the wom, but I think I will use this post to record my feelings here at the halfway point.
Naturally, I am elated at the prospect of seeing this little baby of mine come out at the end of June. Watching Kathy's belly swell with our little bundle of joy is a wonderful feeling, and I keep thinking about how I want to spend time with our child. However, I have some less-comfortable feelings within me as the baby grows.
The past week, I have experienced something I haven't felt in many years, namely panic attacks. I have a fear of my own mortality, and when I was living by myself in the mountains of North Carolina, I was often struck by panic attacks as I tried to go to sleep, thinking of dying alone, with no one to remember me.
For some reason, I had those feelings again this past week, again as I lay down to sleep. I want to believe in an afterlife, and I pray that my soul shall live on after my body has drawn its last breath, but the analytical part of me gets in the way, sometimes.
Then, I have also noticed in the past few days, flashing back to my own childhood. The oddest things trigger it. The other night, we ran out of milk and I had to run to the convenience store and picked up a carton. We usually buy it buy the plastic jug, as I'm sure most people do these days. In any case, as I was driving home with it, I found myself flashing back to my childhood, when my father drove a milk truck and would let me climb in the back sometimes to grab my fill of chocolate milk and lemonade.
Another time, I was in the bathtub, cleaning myself off, and I found myself looking at the washed-off soap floating on the surface, looking like nebulae forming in the heavens, and remembered how I would do this back when I was a child and determined to go to those stars in person.
I just wonder how many of these feelings I'm going to have before the pregnancy is over, and if they'll continue as we see our baby grow and have those same kinds of experiences that we had 30+ years ago.
Friday, February 13, 2004
OOWWW!!!
Any of you out there who've been pregnant: when the baby kicks, is is supposed to feel like...well, like a tiny person is angrily kicking the inside of your pussy? With little steel-toed Doc Martens? Owwww, stop it! Negative 4 1/2 months old and already a troublemaker!
Monday, February 02, 2004
Latest Update
Friday I went to see the obstetrician here in town to talk to him about our test results on Wednesday. He said everything looks good and "keep up the good work." (I said, "Uh, I'm just trying to get by day-to-day, actually.")
He also listened to the baby's heartbeat, and boy, was it loud this time! I thought it was my heartbeat at first. So that's more good news. I have another appointment in a month with his new nurse practitioner (he had one of his partners retire and the other one, move away, so he's been in practice by himself the past few months---which has created some problems when he has someone go into labor during office hours!) Everyone says she's really nice. I am going to talk to her about birthing options.
Also, if I didn't mention it before, we are signed up for childbirth classes at the hospital---they start in March.
He also listened to the baby's heartbeat, and boy, was it loud this time! I thought it was my heartbeat at first. So that's more good news. I have another appointment in a month with his new nurse practitioner (he had one of his partners retire and the other one, move away, so he's been in practice by himself the past few months---which has created some problems when he has someone go into labor during office hours!) Everyone says she's really nice. I am going to talk to her about birthing options.
Also, if I didn't mention it before, we are signed up for childbirth classes at the hospital---they start in March.
Thursday, January 29, 2004
Ultrasound results
Yippee! We passed the ultrasound with flying colors---none of the markers of any genetic or congenital disorders were present! At this point, our risk of having a baby with any genetic problem has been lowered to about 1:2000, which is less than the risk that a 20 year-old mother would have without having had the screening test. It turns out they want to do one more ultrasound---at 22 weeks---just to make sure, because there were two markers they couldn't see yet. But things look pretty good. The baby was once again very active, to the point that the technician was having trouble getting it to stay still long enough to see some of the markers! Hope it calms down a little by the time it's born! :)
Also, we found out the sex of the baby. But...we're not saying, because we don't want our families to know, and a couple of Clint's family members check in here occasionally. So, hate us if you want, but you're all going to have to wait!
Also, we found out the sex of the baby. But...we're not saying, because we don't want our families to know, and a couple of Clint's family members check in here occasionally. So, hate us if you want, but you're all going to have to wait!
Tuesday, January 27, 2004
Test results back
Just got back the results of the quadruple screen (for genetic problems and birth defects)...and everything is completely normal! So, the last big test is the ultrasound, which we get tomorrow.
Monday, January 19, 2004
6-months of married...okay, not *bliss* always, but love, anyway! :)
Today is Clint's and my six-month wedding anniversary. Thinking about it, I realized we have been pregnant for 2/3 of our married life so far! That is pretty crazy, huh?
My mom and I were talking about it this weekend, and we were both really amazed that I got pregnant that fast. My mom went into menopause at age 43, so I expected that I was coming to the end of my fertility and would find it hard to conceive. I had already talked to my doctor about fertility treatments, and we were only going to give nature about six months. I guess that's part of why I've been kinda neurotic about having a miscarriage or something being wrong with the baby...it seems too easy so far (well, ok, not the morning sickness part). Today I go in for the triple screen, a blood test that is the first test they do for genetic problems. Here's hoping everything is okay...
My mom and I were talking about it this weekend, and we were both really amazed that I got pregnant that fast. My mom went into menopause at age 43, so I expected that I was coming to the end of my fertility and would find it hard to conceive. I had already talked to my doctor about fertility treatments, and we were only going to give nature about six months. I guess that's part of why I've been kinda neurotic about having a miscarriage or something being wrong with the baby...it seems too easy so far (well, ok, not the morning sickness part). Today I go in for the triple screen, a blood test that is the first test they do for genetic problems. Here's hoping everything is okay...
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