My Induction Story and my Son's Birth - Day #3

Here is the end of my induction story and the beginning of my baby boy's life! For more information on my induction, see previous entries:

Day 1
Day 2

Here's how the final hours went.

Monday, May 29, 2017

The nurse that was taking care of me this night -- I didn't like her that much. She wasn't very warm or even very talkative. A bit cold really. Of course, she ends up being the one to be there for the delivery.

2:45am: The nurse tells me that for first births, it normally takes 1-3 hours of pushing before the baby comes out. So, she says "we're going to practice." We try for 30 minutes and she talks me through how to push and when to push.

We start practicing and it turns out that baby is sunny-side up (meaning he's facing up -- when he should be facing down). When she realizes this, she says we're going to stop and reposition me to try and get him to flip around. She put me in one of the most uncomfortable positions I've been in -- almost on my stomach. It might have been uncomfortable, but it totally worked and he flipped over into the right position.

3:30am: We start pushing again. The pushing sensation is REALLY weird. Even with the epidural, I could feel when I was having contractions. The nurse said not to up the epidural meds, so that I could feel the contractions coming.

The way it felt to me... It felt like I needed to pee, then like I needed to go poo!

So, here I am -- holding my legs (behind my thighs) and bearing down, literally. The nurse puts a mirror so I can watch when I push. It's so weird and sounds strange, but when I was pushing right -- I could totally see it in the mirror - the way that my muscles contracted. So, the mirror definitely helped me out.

Pushing was exhausting... I wasn't sure if I would be able to do it. I was so tired at this point with the lack of sleep, having contractions for days, and just the intensity of the induction -- I didn't know if I could do it.

Eventually, I got the hang of it and I kept pushing right. Then -- I could see his HEAD of hair peaking out!! The nurse said, "one more push and I'll go get the doctor." At this point --- it was still just me and the nurse. My mom was ASLEEP the entire time I was pushing (I'll post more on that later). At this point I get her up and she complains on me waking her up (again, more on this later).

So, I try the ONE more push and he CROWNS!! But the doctor isn't in there yet. The nurse tells me, "Hold it! Do not push! I need to get the doctor."

Here I am, holding my legs -- seeing his head crowned in the mirror -- feeling like I need to push with the contractions -- feeling the pressure of his head crowning -- and I had to WAIT. Wait... OMG. I got a little freaked out at this point because the urge to push was so strong. They say with an epidural that you don't feel pain... guess what, I did. It wasn't just the pressure of his head down there, I felt actual pain.

I think it took the doctor 5 minutes about to get in my room? Felt like an eternity though. She still had to get ready and stuff, so I had to continue holding him in crown.

By the time she comes over to basically catch my baby, I'm a bit freaked out. I'm finally able to push again, so I do -- and I feel the bigger portion of his head come out and I feel myself tear. It hurt so bad, I was cursing and stuff at this point. After that, I wasn't sure if I was pushing or what the heck I was doing. I did feel the rest of his body come out and it was like sweet relief at that point.

4:33am: Then, they put this little baby boy on my tummy. I didn't hear him cry -- so I was like, "Why isn't he crying?" He chose that point to cry and I was so relieved. They did immediate skin-to-skin while the "cleaned me up." My mom cut the umbilical cord.

I cried holding him for the first time... I don't know if I can put in words how it felt. After this long journey to finally get here... all the TTC infertility madness of 11 fertility cycles & 2 years, to the rocky pregnancy plagued with potential issues - bleedings - scares, and then the long induction -- to finally hold my baby boy in my arms felt so surreal and heavenly and wonderful and joyful.

They did have some issues with getting the placenta out, with me bleeding, and my uterus not shrinking. They said since I was on pitocin, that my uterus got tired and didn't want to contract. After the birth, they actually put me back on pitocin to help my uterus out. All in all:

• I didn't poop while pushing! Woohoo! 
• I had two first degree tears (one on top and one on bottom). I didn't even need stitches, they just used some glue stuff. 
• Total Labor Hours: about 42 (from the first cervical ripening to delivery)
• Total time pushing: 1 hour 

Baby boy: 

• 7 lbs, 1 oz 
• 19 inches long 

Not bad for a diabetes baby to be in the "normal" weight range! 

I saw my placenta - which was pretty cool and disgusting at the same time. I was able to do skin-to-skin and try breastfeeding for 2 hours after birth. Just to add - my mom was completely useless during labor. She SLEPT through me pushing and didn't get up until he was crowning. I have other complaints about her - but will save that for another entry.

I have to say, I am a bit traumatized from the delivery! When they say you forget it, ummm no way. The whole trying for another is very questionable at this juncture. Love my baby boy, but half-way through induction I was really hoping to just have a C-Section. This stuff isn't easy for sure! Inductions are so hard since you're forcing your body to do something it's not ready for yet.

Future entries I plan on writing about and will come when I have time to write:

• Baby Boy's first week of life: low blood sugar issues and jaundice 
• Breastfeeding adventures / struggles 
• Maternity Leave details 
• The drama with my mom 
• Postpartum peri care 
• Postpartum in general 
• 1st month with my new baby 
• Taking care of two  

All in all, I still can't believe I had a baby! I look at him and I sometimes come to tears just thinking of the days when it was questionable if he would actually get here. I feel super blessed to have both of my boys home with me. Our little family is finally together :) 

My Induction Story and my Son's Birth - Day #2

Here is the continuance of my induction story. For how the first day of induction went, please see my entry on Day #1.

Here is what happened on Day #2.

Sunday, May 28, 2017

6:30am: They take the Cervidil out. The cervix check HURT LIKE HELL!!! The nurse didn't tell me what she was doing... but she decided to stretch my cervix while she was in there. She stretched it from a 1 to a 3! Ouch and ouch and ouch!!!! Argh. Not to mention she stretched it during a contraction -- so it was double (triple/quadruple) ouch.

• Effaced: 70%
• Dilation: 3cm 
• Position: -2 

10:30am: We get the green light from the OB to start Pitocin. This means no more eating real food and I would be on a strictly liquid diet. The Pitocin goes through the IV and they would up the dosage every 30 minutes. What was also kinda cool is they switched me to a wireless baby heart rate monitor, which allowed me to get out of bed more and I could wonder around the room. I couldn't go too far though because I needed to be close enough for the wireless signal to reach the computer monitor. But it was soooo nice to get out of bed. I ended up sitting in a chair and watching movies on my phone. 

3:05pm: I went to the bathroom. I felt something like a "pop," I had more bloody show -- my water broke! I was super excited once my water broke because I was thinking this means things were happening. It started to get real REAL at this point. I called my mom to head to the hospital at this point (she hadn't stayed with me in the hospital prior -- but I'll write about that during a separate entry). 

About 5 minutes after my water broke... my contractions went from feeling like bad cramps to being so intense that I couldn't breathe through them. I had to grip onto the bed for dear life to get through the pain. I heard that contractions can be way intense on Pitocin -- and they totally were. 

The nurse asked me if I wanted to get an epidural at this point, that if I did -- it would take 30 minutes to get it. They had to do an IV drip for 30 minutes prior to the epidural being put in. At first I said, "Let me see if I can handle these contracts first." It only took 3 contractions for me to say, "Let's do the epidural!" Once they started the IV drip, I was soooooo cold and shaking. I also had low sugar again, so they gave me some goo to eat to see if it would bring it back up. 

The 30 minutes of waiting for the IV fluids to get in felt like an eternity. 

4:00pm: The epidural guy came in all chipper and happy. I had my mom leave the room while they put in the epidural. It was so weird because I was having these major contractions that rock my body and hurt like hell, then I'm shaking like crazy from the IV fluids... and I had to bend over and "stay as still as I can." Ummm... I was freaking out a bit and totally worried about this chipper/happy go-lucky epidural guy getting it in while my body was thrashing every which way. He was so happy that he just kept saying, "Oh, I'm used to it. I've done so many of these. Don't worry." Hmmm... don't worry? You're just about to stick something in my SPINE. 

So, the worst part about the epidural was getting the numbing agent PRIOR to getting the epidural in. It felt like little needle pricks in my back (which that's probably exactly what they were!). But they hurt like hell, that I actually teared up and cried a bit during that part. It took all my willpower to try to stay still... remember, hurtful contraction pain -- shaking from IV fluids -- now needle pain in my back... Ugh. No one said it would be easy, right? 

Finally, he put in the epidural. I kinda felt it go in -- but I was numb, so it didn't hurt - just felt like the pressure of it. Once they connected the medicine and started the drip, the contracts didn't hurt so darn much. Although I could still feel them a bit. 

I do want to say... that I didn't WANT an epidural originally. I would've liked a natural birth. However, with inductions -- things are just so much more intense, since you're making your body do these things that they're not ready for. You're like forcing it to happen, so they don't happen on the natural cycle. I was open-minded that I may just have to have one. By the time I had the epidural, I was already in the hospital for about 33 hours and having contractions for about 30 hours. I was feeling pretty exhausted that I was actually just hoping for a C-Section, as I wasn't sure I'd be able to physically do a vaginal birth. 

5:00pm: They put in a urine catheter... which is soooo weird. I didn't feel any pain, but I did feel the pressure. Even though I had the epidural, I could still move my legs pretty well -- I just couldn't feel much pain. But once the epidural is put in, you're pretty much stuck in bed and unable to get out. The one glorious thing about the epidural being put in -- the cervical checks don't hurt AT ALL!!! Woohoo! You feel the pressure, but not the intense pain. 

• Effaced: 90%
• Cervix: Anterior 
• Dilation: 3.5 cm 
• Station: 0 

I was really sad to hear I was only 3.5 cm dilated after having such horrible contracts and after my water breaking! Seriously started getting concerned about my body and the pitocin working. Starting wondering, "What if the pitocin doesn't work? What would they try next? Can I handle it?" I was ready to BEG for a C-Section if this all continued. 

6:00pm: They were having a hard time monitoring my contractions, so they put in a IUPC. An intrauterine pressure catheter (IUPC) is a device placed into the amniotic space during labor in order to measure the strength of uterine see website for me info on it. 

• Effaced: 100%
• Dilation: 4cm 
• Station: 0 

Progress at least!! At this point I started feeling itchy. Turns out that the epidural can make you feel itchy! Who knew? I was trying so hard not to scratch myself, but I was mostly itchy on my chest. Also, when you get an epidural -- the nurses "position" you and have to move you every hour or so. We used a peanut ball, which felt oddly comfortable. Baby didn't like it when I laid on my left side, his heart rate would go down, so they had to keep moving me back to my right side. I also was getting my blood sugars checked every hour to make sure they didn't fall too low. 

6:45pm: They added more fluids to my IV and they also put me on oxygen. Which is such a weird feeling having an oxygen mask on. At this point, they also stopped the pitocin for a little bit. The baby didn't like the amount of contractions I was having and was getting a little distressed where his heart rate kept dropping after contractions. 

Ok, when they tell you something like that... it's hard NOT to worry about the baby... 

• Effaced: 100%
• Dilation: 4.5 cm 
• Station: 0

8:00pm: They restart the pitocin. 

10:30pm: Cervical check

• Effaced: 100%
• Dilation: 7cm
• Station: 0

12:20am: Cervical check 

• Effaced: 100%
• Dilation: 9.5 cm
• Station: +1

My notes from the day got less and less after they restarted the pitocin at 8pm. I was really tired at this point and I couldn't sleep. Just exhausted. Not like I could sleep, considering they were checking blood sugars and repositioning me every hour or so. But at this point, when I was 9.5 cm dilated -- I was excited that my baby would be here soon. It was funny, the nurse said she could feel his head and that he had a head of hair on him! Which I thought was so weird that the first person to touch my baby was the nurse, while he was still inside of me... 

At this point, I was also extremely cold -- I started shaking a bit -- and I was really itchy. It all seemed to ramp up. I was also starting to feel the contractions a bit stronger now. This was the only time that I upped my epidural meds so I would be more comfortable. They have a little button you can press to add more drugs, if you want. 

This is the end of Day #2 of my induction. Next up is the birth story! 

My Induction Story and my Son's Birth - Day #1

It's been a long time since I posted an update! Believe it or not, it's been so busy / hectic -- that this is the first time I've been able to boot up my computer since my last entry. I'm hoping to get caught up soon! First, here is the induction story. Since I had a long induction, I'll split this up into days. Here is Day #1.

Saturday, May 27, 2017 

6:30am: I call L&D at my hospital to make sure I wasn't bumped to a later time. They've been so busy, that they were rescheduling inductions a lot. Luckily, I wasn't bumped and I needed to be there by 7:30am. I was super excited about that!

7:30am: I arrive and I get all checked into my room. When I was changing into the hospital attire, I noticed some blood on my underwear. I was hoping that meant "things were happening" on their own and that the induction wouldn't take too long. Maybe this was my bloody show finally making its appearance?

8:30am: First cervical check.... OUCH!! WTH. Those things hurt like hell!!!! No joke. At this point I was wondering if I would be able to have a vaginal non-medicated birth since I can't even handle them checking my cervix. With modern technology, it'd be nice if they had a better way to check for dilation! At this point:

• Effaced: 70%
• Dilated: 1cm
• Position: -3
• Blood Pressure: 162/101 -- VERY HIGH 

The nurse also told me that in my chart it said I had mild pulmonary hypertension. I NEVER heard of this and had no clue what the heck that is. Google is not your friend. Pulmonary Hypertension can be fatal in childbirth... with all my monitoring, I couldn't fathom why my MFM or OB would never tell me I had it? The OB on-call and the nurse were trying to track down all my medical records and read through them.... because, you know -- my chart is HUGE. If you recall, I saw a cardiologist back in November and my MFM said there were no concerns... so this totally freaked me out. Not helpful for my blood pressure at all. They were actually thinking I may have preeclamsia at this point. 

9:30am: The nurse puts in the IV... took 3 tries and I got a huge bruise on the missed tries. Hard veins suck. 

10:00am: At this point, I was wondering if it would be better to do a C-Section if I had the pulmonary hypertension vs. trying to do an induction... that it would be safer for both me and the baby. The doctor finally came in after reading my entire chart and told me that I did not have pulmonary hypertension, that my chart was wrong. The OB inputted it wrong and the wrong input just kept carrying over in my chart without being corrected... WTF, what a big scare that was totally unnecessary. At the same time, I'm glad the nurse/OB took the time to research it to make sure everything was OK. 

The OB OK'd moving forward with cervical ripening. OB was guessing the baby would be about 8lbs... I was curious to see if she was right! I started to relax a little at this point after the scare of having pulmonary hypertension. 

10:40am: They start cervical ripening #1 - prostaglandin. They also take blood work. Ok, the cervical ripening stuff... if the cervical checks hurt -- this HURT much more. They have to rub it in everywhere on your cervix. Ouch and ouch!!! :( 

After this, I kind of tried to nap and had lunch. 

11:05am: Started to get some cramps. Thinking and hoping that it's working! All my blood work came back fine. 

12-1pm: I was able to get up and walk around. Went to the healing gardens and the chapel to pray. I finally let myself cry at the chapel. The scare of the pulmonary hypertension was pretty difficult to handle and then the utter relief of everything being ok... Things just did not start the way I hoped or expected because of that. 

Just to note: walking around in a hospital gown around a hospital is kinda weird. Especially when you don't have underwear on. LOL. 

1:35pm: Re-apply cervical ripening for a 2nd time. But no real progress on dilation, which was a big disappointment. 

• Effaced: 70%
• Dilated: 1cm
• Position: -2

3:00pm: I went to the restroom and there was a lot of blood on my legs and in the toilet. Finally, a REAL bloody show! Things had to be happening now, right? (Nope, not really - but I was hopeful.) My blood sugar was also really low, at 69. They gave me snacks and juice, but it only went up a little, to 79.

4:00pm: Re-apply cervical repining for a 3rd time. With the prostaglandin, they can only apply it 3 times, then they move onto something different. Can you believe it --- absolutely NO changes. I was getting worried at this point that maybe I'd have to have a C-Section after all.

5:30pm: Since my blood sugar was so low, they only had me take 1/2 dose of insulin.

6:30pm: We move onto cervical ripener #2, Cervidil. This was the most painful thing I think I ever experienced... was them putting in the Cervidil. It looks like a white piece of ribbon and they insert it into your cervix. I screamed and cried with this one... it's no joke. After they put it in, you can't walk for 12 hours. You have to be VERY careful when you go to the bathroom, that you don't accidentally pull it out. The string hangs out of your vagina, kinda like a tampon string. I started getting major cramps throughout the night -- that I couldn't sleep. They had to give me a sleeping pill to help me sleep, which I was hesitant to take. I could've taken another one if I wanted, but I only opted for one. It helped a little... By this point my blood pressure was back to normal. Yay for small miracles. If my blood pressure had continued to be high, it would've been bad for me and the baby.

That's the end of Day #1. More to come with Day #2 and then finally the birth of my son on Day #3.

I'd like to add that the entire time during the induction, I was strapped to monitors:

• Monitoring the baby's heartbeat. There's a strap around my stomach. 
• I was connected to the IV. 

Getting up was a hassle, since I had to unhook from the baby heart monitor and then push my IV stand with me anywhere I went. It was also hard to sleep, since anytime I would move or switch sides -- the monitor on my stomach would need to be adjusted. Sleep during induction? I wish it was possible. Very uncomfortable. Not to mention the beds in L&D are designed for giving birth -- so they're highly uncomfortable to begin with. 

All in all, Day #1 -- not much progress with induction! 

37w+6d: OB and NST

Had my last OB appointment today... and last official NST. My stats:

Weight: +19 lbs
Blood Pressure: 128/82

The appointment went well. Baby boy looks good, not stressed at all. But he also doesn't seem to have dropped! I'm still having a hard time breathing and I'm getting kicked in the ribs. Not to mention the acid reflux.

I talked to the OB about what's going to happen with induction. I guess it can take 2-4 days just for the induction to work! Yikes, I wasn't prepared for that long in the hospital. She said it's because you're trying to make your body do something in a few days that it would normally do in 2 weeks. We won't really know how things will go down until they start the process and see how my body reacts. They'll do cervical ripening first & then pitocin after my cervix starts to move along. They won't suggest a C-Section unless the baby (or me) is in distress. Which is nice, but sounds like it can take awhile.

I have my son covered for childcare at least. In also checked out a few e-books and audiobooks to get me through things. Will bring my laptop too.

I also talked to the OB about some crazy scary articles I've been reading (showing up on my FB feed) about deaths during childbirth. Ugh. She tried to reassure me that those types of deaths normally happen under certain circumstances and that I don't really fall into those risk categories. So not to worry! Lol easier said than done.

I am worried about L&D... but trying not to crazily obsess about it or anything. Things will happen as they happen...

My little brother arrived into town last night. He'll be watching my dog while I'm in her hospital and then will watch my son if I'm still in the hospital on Tuesday. My son will stay with his God Mother for the weekend.

So... here I am on the eve of induction and it still doesn't feel real! I was meaning to write a whole thing, maybe I will while I'm waiting for my body to react to the induction Meds! Will see. Either way, baby boy will be making his appearance very very soon!

37w+3d: Graduation from MFM

I had my very last appointment with my MFM... it's so weird to think that I won't be going back into her office any time soon! My MFM has been such a big part of my pregnancy, almost all my monitoring was done over there and I saw her more than I saw my OB. I wish she delivered babies, because it would've been nice to have her deliver my baby boy.

My stats:

• Weight: +19 lbs 
• Blood Pressure: 110/80

The nurse was a little worried about my blood pressure, since they were so close together. I have to admit, I don't really understand blood pressure readings. I just always ask, "is that ok?" My MFM wasn't concerned at all though. 

Only one change in meds, increasing night time Humulin N to 70iu. 

I hugged my MFM and thanked her for all her help throughout my pregnancy. I'm not sure I would've made it through without all of her support and monitoring diligence. There were a lot of scary things going on in my pregnancy and although I was scared as hell a majority of the time -- I knew that I was getting the best care possible and the monitoring that I needed to make sure my baby boy was ok. 

Saying goodbye to my MFM was almost as hard as saying goodbye to my RE! :(  It's strange how you grow so attached to these providers and it becomes normal to see them so often, then it's time to just stop going there as they've done all they could do for their speciality. 

Bitter sweet for sure.  I didn't even think about it being my "last" appointment and I totally didn't bring anything as a thank you! Ugh. I'm definitely going to make a trip to their office after the baby is born to meet my baby and maybe bring them some fruit or something. Still need to do the rounds at the RE office as well. It'll be nice to stop by there, wonder if the staff and nurses will be the same! 

Can't believe I'm this close to giving birth... it's so surreal. 

37 Weeks Pregnant - 7 more days to go!

How far along: 37 weeks and 1 week to go for induction at 38 weeks. That means 7 days left!!!!

How big is baby: Romaine Lettuce. Ovia app: 

Weight Gain:  +16 lbs 

Stretch Marks: Nothing new to report. 

Symptoms: Being sick is horrible - just horrible. Between a sore throat, insomnia, and mucus -- I am getting zero rest. 

Sleeping: No restful sleep. 

Food cravings: Anything sweet will do! 

Food aversions: None. 

Maternity Clothes: Nothing new. 

Movement: He doesn't move as much as he used to. I'm guessing it's because he's running out of room in there. When he does move, it can hurt or feel highly uncomfortable. 

What I did / Got for Baby: I had maternity pictures taken this week :) 

What I miss: being able to breathe... just taking a good deep breath sounds like heaven right now. 

Workouts: --- Ugh. 

What I'm looking forward to: My last week of pregnancy. 

Best moment of the week: Taking some maternity pictures to capture my pregnancy. 

Rants/Raves:  Rant - I hate, just hate being sick. Being sick and pregnant this close to delivery is just sucky. 

Appointments Next Week:  

1. 5/23: MFM and BPP
2. 5/26: OB and NST 

36 Weeks: MFM BPP + OB NST

My 36 Week appointment recaps.

36w+3d: MFM and BPP

My Stats:

• Weight: + 16 lbs 
• Blood Pressure: 104/60 

The appointment went well. They were a little concerned that my amniotic fluid was low. But it wasn't "low-low" to be concerned about, it was just low for where mine usually is. No changes to meds this week. 

My A1C for third trimester was really good at 5.4% -- which is excellent! 

36w+6d: OB and NST 

My States:

• Weight: +16 lbs
• Blood Pressure: 102/72

The NST went well, baby boy looked good. I did share that I had a sore throat and had a lot of mucus, couldn't sleep. I tested negative on the rapid strep test... but my OB put me on antibiotics, just in case -- to try to clear me up. 

They also made me use one of those masks since I wasn't feeling well. Those things are so hard to breathe in! 

My GBS test came back negative. 

36 Weeks Pregnant - entering my 9th month and only 2 weeks to go!

It's so weird to think I'm entering my 9th month of pregnancy. Is it still strange that it still doesn't feel "real" to me? I'll be meeting my baby boy in 2 weeks. I've been getting all teary eyed at the idea of seeing him for the first time and hearing him for the first time. But the things that I'm looking forward to the most: 1) The "magic" hour after birth where we get to do skin-to-skin and it'll just be him and me getting to know each other and 2) My boys meeting for the first time. Every time my son sees a small baby, he asks me "Can I pet the baby?" LOL.

I haven't thought much about labor and delivery... I guess because I don't want to get my hopes up in one particular direction and have things go the completely other way. I don't have any misconceptions that it's going to be "easy" in any way! But it'd be nice if things progressed smoothly no matter which direction things went.

How far along: 36 weeks and 2 weeks to go for induction at 38 weeks. That means 14 days left!!!!

How big is baby: Papaya. Ovia app: 

Weight Gain:  +16 lbs 

Stretch Marks: Even though I don't *think* my breasts have grown, I have noticed that I'm getting some stretch marks on the sides by my armpits. 

Symptoms: Nothing terribly new. Same stuff, different day. I am highly emotional though, crying at a bunch of silly things. Baby commercials are the worse!!!! 

Sleeping:  Nothing new. Reflex still kicking my bottom and insomnia winning. 

Food cravings: BBQ and ICE CREAM... oh why do I have to crave ice cream and why does it taste so good that I can't limit it to one bite? 

Food aversions: None. 

Maternity Clothes: I'm mostly thinking about nursing clothing now. I'm so tempted to buy more tops. I really need some nursing tank tops -- badly! I have a bunch of regular tank tops that I can possibly use (pull down from the top), but I want to be able to unhook the strap. I'm back and forth if I should get these now or wait until after baby boy has arrived. 

Movement: Things are squishy in there for him, so I definitely feel it when he has big movements. It shakes my entire body sometimes. Although he moves a ton, I still can't manage to get it on video. 

What I did / Got for Baby: Didn't really do much specifically for baby. It was one of "those weeks" again, but hoping that things are going to calm down over the next few weeks and I can start focusing on finishing everything I need to finish before he arrives. 

What I miss: being able to get up like a normal person. Sitting down goes ok, it's the having to get up where it gets tricky! 

Workouts:  -- with two weeks left, probably not going to happen. 

What I'm looking forward to: Finishing my Baby-To-Do List!! Which I guess I have to finalize what is on the list first :) 

Best moment of the week: Seeing baby boy on the growth ultrasound. I just love seeing him and matching his movements to what I'm feeling. 

Rants/Raves:  

Rant - my son has his third case of strep throat this year! My poor baby... 

Rant - I don't like my son's daycare and I'm going to be moving him. More on this later. 

Rave - had a small work celebration for baby. Was nice to celebrate, even when they don't know me that well (been at the company a year). 

Rave - I have my official last day of work scheduled to be 5/19! So only 5 more working days for me. Can't wait!!!! 

Appointments Next Week:  

1. 5/16: MFM and BPP
2. 5/19: OB and NST 

35w+6d: Weekly OB Visit + NST

Had my weekly OB visit today. My status:

• Weight: +16 lbs 
• Blood Pressure: 122/70 

My son is home sick from preschool (double ear infection and strep through --> AGAIN!), so I brought him with me to my appointment. Amazingly enough, this is only the 5th appointment EVER that I've had to bring him with me. 

He did relatively OK during the appointment. It helped that they had toys in there. It also helped that I brought his Leap Pad and headphones! He also ended up watching Netflix on my phone for a bit. But it all helped him be distracted enough not to press the buttons on the NST machine...! Because that's the first place he went for when he walked into the room. LOL. 

The NST went well. No issues. Baby seems fine. I had my A1C blood drown again today. I also had the Group B Strep (GBS) test done today. I should get both results next week. Luckily the GBS test was just a quick swab of the vagina and anus, so no speculum (thank goodness). 

I wanted to talk about induction methods... but my OB said it really varies per person, so she couldn't say what they would suggest the day of. Oh well. 

Overall, easy appointment. Although it took longer because of the extra tests. 

Next Steps: 5/19 Weekly OB and NST visit. 

35w+3d: MFM + Last Growth Ultrasound

I had my weekly visit with my MFM today and had my LAST growth ultrasound. I have to say that it was the quickest growth ultrasound I've had. Normally they take up to an hour (or more). But today it took 30 minutes! Maybe because there's no room for him to move around and hide?

Baby boy looks good:

• Overall: 44th Percentile 
• Head: 94th Percentile 
• Abdominal Circumference: 23.6 percentile 
• Estimated Weight: 5 lbs, 12 oz 

They had a hard time getting the abdominal circumference because of the angle. Last time we were in the 80th percentile. So, who knows how accurate these things are. 

But good news: No need for a scheduled C-Section! Woohoo! He's actually looking pretty average in size. They're guessing he'll be about 7-ish lbs for delivery. 

I'm very happy to hear that despite all the scares over this pregnancy, the worry over my blood sugar levels, the worry about having to go with a C-Section -- that baby boy is doing just fine and is an average size. 

I realize that things may progress where I may need an unplanned C-Section... but I'm happy that I'll get a shot at induction first and see how things go. 

My stats:

• Weight: +15 lbs
• Blood Pressure: 112/60 

MFM did mention to me that I should be prepared for what happens post-delivery. They'll be closely monitoring my blood sugar levels during labor. After baby boy is born, they may need to bring him to the NICU to monitor his blood sugar levels if they fluctuate too much. I'm really hoping that things will go smoothly and he won't have to go to the NICU and it makes me sad thinking that he'll be separated from me shortly after being born... But I'm glad she mentioned it so I can prepare mentally at the possibility and not be caught off guard if that happens. 

No changes to my insulin levels. Yay for that. 

Next Steps: Weekly monitoring next Tuesday, Diabetes consult/review and BPP 

35 Weeks Pregnant

How far along: 35 weeks and THREE WEEKS to go until Induction Day on 5/27! That's 21 days...!!

How big is baby: A pineapple. Ovia app: 

Weight Gain:  +15-16 lbs 

Stretch Marks: Nothing new-ish. 

Symptoms: The fatigue is kicking my butt. I'm so tired of saying, "I'm tired." It's also weird because when I think I can't possible feel more exhausted, I have a day where I'm just completely done. It's been really busy at work and busy in my personal life, and I can totally feel how depleted my body is. Especially when you take into consideration my insomnia. 

Sleeping:  Acid reflux is not your friend. Neither is insomnia. Neither is having to pee every 1-2 hours. Combine the three and you have one grumpy sleep deprived Mama. I've been sleeping on the couch in an upright position to try and counter the reflux, this in turn gives me a horrible pain in my neck! When the reflux seems to subside, I try to go back into my bed... once I get comfy, I have to pee. It's all a vicious cycle at this point. Doesn't the universe realize that I'm going to have another little human to take care of in a few weeks and won't have a chance to sleep? It'd be nice to feel "rested" before L&D and before baby boy makes his appearance. 

Food cravings: Chocolate is THE thing and cereal. 

Food aversions:  N/A

Maternity Clothes:  Nothing new. 

Movement: Baby boy has some really strong movements. Probably because he has no where to go these days. But sometimes I feel him kicking or pushing on my ribs and it gets a bit uncomfortable. Other times he gets in an odd position and it's just uncomfortable. Other times his movements are so strong that they startle me! But I LOVE it when I feel him move because I know that he's OK in there. There are periods where he doesn't move as much and I get worried, so I poke at him trying to get him to give me some movement so I know he's ok. 

What I did / Got for Baby: I bought a bed rest/backrest pillow for my bed, in hopes it'll help with nighttime breastfeeding. I also joined a few Facebook breastfeeding support groups in hope to glean some knowledge and have a place to ask questions if I need it. I've been looking into Mommy groups, but can't find any that interest me. 

What I miss:  Being able to go #2 regularly. Constipation is not your friend in pregnancy. Some women get hemorrhoids during pregnancy. I haven't (yet!), but the constipation sometimes makes me want to cry! 

Workouts: caring for a 3 year old count? I'm sure it does. 

What I'm looking forward to: my growth ultrasound 

Best moment of the week: Getting my induction day! 

Rants/Raves: Nothing this week. Shocker I know. 

Appointments Next Week: 

1. 5/9 MFM + growth ultrasound
2. 5/12 OB + NST

34 weeks: MFM BPP + OB NST, Induction Day Scheduled!

I'm a bit behind on my entries, so will combine my 34 week appointments into one entry!

34w+3d: MFM Diabetes Consult + BPP

My stats: 

• Weight: +16 lbs 
• Blood pressure: 100/60 

The BPP went really well. They were able to get everything they needed relatively quickly. Baby boy practices breathing a lot, which is always fun to watch on the monitor. It's also fun watching him move while feeling him move, especially the big movements. Now I kinda know what he's doing in there. The big movements are mostly him adjusting where he is. He goes from facing my back, to facing my side, or facing up. Not much room in there. 

I did have to adjust my insulin levels: 

• Morning: Humulin N 42 iu, Humulin R 18 iu
• Evening: Humulin R 20 iu or 22 iu 
• Evening: Humulin N 68 iu

I think my glucose levels have been varying so much because I've been so busy and a bit stressed at work. Not to mention some other anxiety-ridden stuff going on with my son and his daycare. Just a lot of "stuff" happening at once. 

Next Steps: Growth Ultrasound next week

34w+6d: OB + NST 

My stats: 

• Weight: +17 lbs 
• Blood pressure: 122/82 

It's funny, there's only one nurse at the OB's office that can get the monitors to stay in the right spot during the NST. The other nurses can't get it to stay on the baby and take 10-15 minutes to "try" before bringing in the other nurse that gets it done in less than 5 minutes. LOL. NST looked good! 

I received my FMLA paperwork back. They already submitted it to my company. I called my company to confirm they have everything and to make sure they didn't need anything else from me. They don't -- so yay for that being done. 

Next Steps: Weekly NST next week 

Induction Scheduled for 5/27 @ 7:30am!

I was also able to FINALLY schedule my induction day!!! I'll be induced on Saturday, 5/27 at 7:30am. I'll be exactly 38 weeks that day! 

This is good, I wanted to wait as long as I could and that's the latest the MFM wanted me to go. I need to talk to the OB more about what their typical induction looks like, which I'm going to ask at my next appointment. 

So crazy to think that I have a DATE for baby boy to come. Very exciting!!! I can't wait to meet him :) 

My baby will be here THIS month!!!!!!

It just hit me. I looked at the calendar and it says MAY 1st and I just got very emotional and started to cry!

I can't believe it... baby boy will be here THIS month. He's going to be born, I'm going to get to hear him cry, I'm going to get to see his face -- THIS month.

It's still so hard to believe that after all this time... after all the IUI's, after the IVF cycles, after my FET's, after my crazy pregnancy bleedings / worries, after all the high risk pregnancy related complications... my baby will be born THIS month.

This is really happening.

I know in my mind that he's coming and my body is a constant reminder that I'm actually pregnant... But there's still a part of me that is just awe struck at all of this and I still can't believe that he's going to be here THIS month. I'm going to get to hold him and smell him and snuggle him and give him kisses.

My emotions are just crazy right now. I've spent so much of my pregnancy time worrying and stressed and scared of something happening to my baby boy. To be THIS close is surreal... and amazing... and unbelievable... and just so heart warming.

My new son will be born THIS month. This child that I've dreamed about, prayed for, hoped for -- will finally be welcomed into the world and into my family.

It's an amazing feeling just thinking about it. He's going to be here so very soon, my little miracle boy. My heart feels so full right now.

34 Weeks Pregnant

How far along: 34 weeks. Looking like 3-4 weeks to go (21-28 days).

How big is baby: Butternut Squash. Ovia app: 

Weight Gain:  +15 lbs 

Stretch Marks: Nothing new. 

Symptoms: The fatigue continues to be present. The peeing is getting hard and I have to go more often. Also constipation really sucks. I also am very gassy. The reflux hasn't lightened up any. I'm getting some weird pains here and there. It's really hard to get up from a sitting position. My feet are still pretty swollen. It's still hard to breathe. 

Sleeping: It's so hard to fall asleep. Then it's hard to stay asleep. I'm still getting soreness on my legs when I sleep on my sides and I can't figure out any way to reduce it. Charlie horses have been trying to sneak up on me, but I've been pretty good about flexing my foot to try and avoid them. Peeing in the night about 2-3x's. Sometimes baby wakes up and is doing ninja kicks in there -- makes it hard to go back to sleep. 

Food cravings: Something strange, but some foods don't taste good. Food I love tastes so bland. What's up with that? 

Food aversions: None. 

Maternity Clothes: Nothing new. 

Movement: Baby boy's movements are sometimes highly uncomfortable. Other times, they're strong. I feel his hiccups pretty consistently and wonder if they bother him any? 

What I did / Got for Baby: I got a lot done for baby boy. 

• I washed some more of his sheets/blankets. 
• The "baby corner" in my bedroom is pretty much done. 
• His "baby corner" in the living room is also pretty much done. 
• I put together a "breastfeeding / changing" basket. I have all the changing stuff in there, just need to work on the breastfeeding stuff - which I'm still accumulating. 
• I put together his diaper bag for the hospital! 
• I put batteries into all the new baby things that need them. 
• I washed the carseat pads. 
• I started putting together my diaper bag. 
• I put a sheet on his crib mattress. 

What I miss: being able to sit comfortably. 

Workouts: laundry and cooking count? 

What I'm looking forward to: Getting my induction date/time. 

Best moment of the week: Hearing that everything is well with baby boy. 

Rants/Raves: I always have a rant, right? Well, this week is no different. I had a very difficult week. I'm just exhausted. Between major work deadlines, work projects, my medical appointments, my son's medical appointments, and some NEW major behavioral issues from my son.... I'm just done. I really need a break. I feel like I can't focus on the pregnancy at all or focus on prepping for the baby. Which is funny because it sounds like I did a lot of stuff and I guess I did, but that's mostly during the time I should be sleeping!! Since sleep has not been easy, I've focused that time on getting a little bit done at a time. 

Not to mention, my mom keeps pissing me off. I hate it when she calls me "lazy." Like, really? I'm lazy? I just want to say F-You and ask her not to come here. I don't know if her presence is going to do more harm than good. But I swear, if she says I'm lazy when she's here, I might have my little brother come pick her up and drive her to California. I don't need that sh-t right now. I've been meaning to write an entry about my issues with her that have come up, but I've just been too busy this week. Maybe after next week? I'm hoping my work schedule calms down after my projects are done. 

Another rant. I had a co-worker say, "Oh! I didn't know you were pregnant! When are you due?" <sigh> Bump insecurities galore. Still been meaning to post an entry on that topic. But really, I'm 8 months pregnant and she didn't notice my stomach protruding? I guess she just figured I was gaining weight. Nice. Right after she made that comment, I had to give a 1.5 hour training session in front of co-workers I don't know that well and who probably just figured I was fat. It's funny because that day I wore a shirt that I thought made me look obviously pregnant... guess not. I'll get around to writing that post. I feel so petty being bother by it and being so sensitive... but with everything else going on and just feeling straight up overwhelmed... not to mention my crazy pregnancy hormones... it's just one extra thing. 

Appointments Next Week: Tuesday 5/2 MFM+BPP. Friday 5/5 OB+NST. 

33w+6d: Weekly OB + NST

The OB appointment went relatively well. I always feel like I'm forgetting something though, like I should be asking more questions or having more discussion about something. My stats: 

Weight: +15 lbs 

Blood Pressure: 102/72

The NST is interesting because it's not always easy to get it on "right." Baby boy will sometimes move and then they lose the signal, then they have to readjust things, and then that makes me stay on for longer. 

Good news, all looks well on the NST. No signs of contractions or anything. 

I brought in my FMLA paperwork for them to complete. They said they'll complete it in the week and give me a copy next appointment. I also had to fill out some paperwork for them. This is my first time doing anything related to FMLA / Leaves of Absence / Short Term disability stuff. I just hope I'm doing everything right. I received paperwork from my company and it has a checklist. But to be honest, the checklist isn't very clear or succinct on when things need to be done. I'm going to have to call on a few of the "to do" items. 

We also discussed induction date. I was really hoping to get my induction day at this appointment. No such luck. My OB said they like to schedule the inductions the "same month" that they're happening. So, she said they'll schedule it at my NEXT appointment for sure. For sure? That's what they said last week. Argh. I just really want a date so I can inform work, get everything arranged for my son, and really start mentally preparing. 

Hopefully next week I will get a REAL date! Let's see. 

Next Steps: 5/5 Weekly OB + NST appointment -- get induction date and receive FMLA paperwork. 

33w+3d: Weekly MFM + BPP

My MFM appointments have been going relatively quickly! Which is a big change, they normally take FOREVER. Stats:

Weight: +15 lbs
Blood Pressure: 110/66

The BPP went relatively quickly. They were able to see everything they needed to see and I think we were done within 15 minutes or so. Baby boy is still head-down and looks perfect! No pictures or anything, he was facing my back and we couldn't see his face.

The diabetes consults are getting so difficult. Work and life just feel extremely busy and I just haven't been able to log and eat well. I just wish there was a way to hit the pause button or something. Insulin changes:

Morning: Humulin N 40 iu, Humulin 18 iu
Evening (before dinner): Humulin R 20 or 22 iu
Evening (before bed): Humulin N 64 iu

I'm still having major needle aversions when doing my shots... It's such a stressor. My MFM did say she was OK with me scheduling induction at 38 weeks vs 37 weeks, which is good news! She doesn't see any issues with baby boy. We'll see what happens at the 36 week appointment though, because that's when they'll decide if a C-Section is necessary or not.

Next Steps: 5/2 weekly BPP and Diabetes consult

33w+0d: Newborn Care Class Experience

I decided to take a newborn care class. Believe it or not, I never took one before and I've had how many babies? It's always funny to think that I've been able to manage and all my babies have actually done really well.

I wanted to take the class as a "refresher" since it's been so long since I've parented a newborn. I also was hoping to get some new / useful information that maybe I missed since I never took a class on newborn care.

Here is the book and the "baby" on display: 

I will say that if you are a NEW parent and have not been around infants very much, this class is great and wonderful. Covers a lot of stuff: diapering, bathing,  But since I have so much experience with babies, I didn't learn anything new. 

A lot of the "new" stuff I wasn't that familiar with was covered in birthing class and/or lactation class. There is a bit overlap in all three classes. Technically, I could've gone without it! 

Also, the room was extremely warm -- the chairs are highly uncomfortable -- so I almost fell asleep in the class! LOL. 

All in all, it was good to know that I have most of the knowledge that I need already. Also, good to know that there's nothing new that I need to watch out for. 

As of now, I'm done with all the prenatal classes! So yay for that, I can have my Saturdays back (for now). 

33 Weeks Pregnant

How far along: 33 weeks. Countdown: 4-5 weeks (28-35 days) to go until possible delivery the week of May 20th (between 37-38 weeks).

How big is baby: Celery. Ovia app: 

Weight Gain:  +14 lbs 

Stretch Marks: No new ones, but the ones I have area getting a bit darker. 

Symptoms: Where to begin? Here are some of the joys of pregnancy that people don't talk about much :) 

• Swollen Feet. My work flats are TIGHT! My feet are so swollen. I even had my house cleaner comment on it and tell me to lay off the salt. Ugh. 
• Pregnancy Brain: Another silly example of pregnancy brain in the works. I gave my son his pajamas and he was taking so long to get dressed. I try not to 'crowd' him and let him take his time. Once he came in my room I figured out why it took him so long. I gave him two SHIRTS! He ended up putting one of the shirts on as pants. Poor guy :(  
• Pains and aches in neck. I've been getting a bunch of aches and pains. Most noticeably I've been getting some neck pain and an increase in back pain. I noticed it happens most on a busy work day and I can't get up from my desk as much as usual. 
• Reflux. I've been experiencing horrible reflux. I didn't get this in the first trimester and didn't really anticipate it in the third trimester. But it's here. If I eat and drive in the car, sometimes it's bad. After dinner and trying to lay down -- it's the worse. I've been sleeping elevated to try and help it. But I'm just very uncomfortable. 
• Increase in discharge. I've been getting a lot of watery discharge. I'm back to wearing pads because it was so bad it was saturating my underwear! Panty liners are too thin and it would just over saturate them quickly. 
• Hot Flashes. The hot flashes have increased in frequency and duration. No way to know when or why they're going to hit. But I end up sweating so bad and dripping. It's gross. It also doesn't help that it's already hot here, I just feel over heated all the time. 

Sleeping: Sleeping has become extremely difficult...! If I wake up in the middle of the night, it is nearly impossible to fall back to sleep. Not to mention that I've been experiencing major reflux and it kicks in at night time. I've been trying to sleep at an incline, but it doesn't always work out. Plus, sometimes my son will wake up and come in my room. Once I'm awake, it's so very hard to go back to sleep. 

Food cravings: Last week was super busy at work and it was so very hard to stay on any type of eating schedule. This made it really difficult to manage my diabetes.  

Food aversions: N/A 

Maternity Clothes: I've mentioned it before, my maternity pants aren't very comfortable anymore. I've been wearing skirts/dresses -- but that means I have to constantly shave my legs! Have I mentioned how difficult it is to bend down and shave my legs? Oh man... I wish my maternity pants fit comfortably because then I wouldn't bother shaving! Argh. 

Movement: Baby boy moves pretty frequently. There are days when he's less active and I start to let worry creep into my mind... Once I start to get concerned, he will normally make some movements and I feel better. It's nice I'm getting monitored with the BPP/NST's now. I have to keep reminding myself, "All looked well and he's OK." 

What I did / Got for Baby:  My breast Pump: Spectra S2, arrived! It's extremely light-weight, which surprised me. I haven't cleaned it yet. Need to figure out when the best time to do that is. Maybe after breastfeeding is established? 

I decided on a wrap! I got the Wrapsody Stretch Hybrid. I didn't realize there would be a different way to wrap using a stretch hybrid vs. a stretchy wrap (like the Moby). I've been watching videos on different newborn holds and it's a bit intimidating and I'll definitely have a learning curve with it. Give me a Moby and I can wrap very easily. But the stretch hybrid wraps have a little more to it... So, will have to see how it all goes down. 

What I miss: Having energy. 

Workouts: Nothing considered exercise for a normal person! 

What I'm looking forward to: Scheduling my induction date! 

Best moment of the week: Watching baby boy on the ultrasound. 

Rants/Raves: Rave. A friend has offered to throw me a baby shower! I'm not really that into baby showers... I actually don't like them very much. It's also weird because I've been a mom for a so long already, so it almost feels like I shouldn't have a baby shower since it's not my "first baby." I never had a baby shower since I was a foster parent and I don't think it's in the norm to have baby showers for foster parents -- although now that I think about it... It's a really good idea to! 

I also just assumed I wouldn't have one because I don't really have any family that lives near that can host it. It was very nice of my friend to offer, that I decided to go ahead and go for it! It's scheduled for May 21st... so we're in that "time frame" of 37 weeks along and hoping baby boy doesn't decide to join us ahead of time! The shower is going to be small and very low-key. I'm extremely touched my friend offered and so grateful to her. What's also nice is another friend offered to host the shower at her house! How very nice and sweet. I feel very lucky to have these generous people in my life. 

Since my friend is hosting at her house, we are doing an "adults only" shower. It's funny because in my family, showers are normally co-ed and all ages are welcome. There's all this strange etiquette for baby showers (just google it) that I had no clue about! People feel very strongly about things. Like some are adamant that children should be welcome at showers, while others think children should not be allowed. I kinda like the idea of "adult only"! Being a single mom, I hardly get any adult interaction without my son. One of my guy friends is willing to watch him during the shower, so I'll technically be "kid free" for the shower! Which in all honesty is NICE. It's hard to be fully engaged in conversations with adults when you have one ear/one eye watching your preschooler. I always feel "half-there" at brunches or get togethers because I'm always on mommy-mode. A few hours being kid-free is like a luxury! Especially since I'm about to have double boy trouble when baby boy arrives :) 

Rant. I have a rant about my mom... but it's really long, so I'll save it for its own post. 

Appointments Next Week:  

1. 4/25: MFM Diabetes + BPP
2. 4/28: OB + NST, also OB will fill out maternity leave paperwork 

32w+6d: OB Visit + NST, Maternity Leave Scenarios

Today I had my weekly OB visit and my very first  NST. My stats:

Weight: +14
Blood Pressure: 122/80

I think I'm gaining too much at this point. I need to talk to my MFM about it next week in more detail. I'm not sure if it's because I've been eating RIGHT before my appointments or not? But I don't think I'm supposed to gain that much since I started out overweight. Baby boy is supposed to gain 1/2 a pound a week, but I don't think I'm supposed to gain. Argh. I'll have to remind myself to talk to my MFM about it.

Non-Stress Test (NST) 

On the SMC board there were some tips on the NST. I didn't really "realize" what they would be looking for, so it's nice to have had others that have been through it before me. I decided to eat right before my NST and I think that helped. Within 5 minutes of getting hooked up, baby boy started moving around a bunch.

The NST is interesting. You go into this small room and sit in a recliner. They then hook up these monitors to your belly to check the baby's movements. Then you have this little button you press whenever YOU feel the baby. Everything went well with the NST and I was able to get out of there within 30 minutes. There was a period of a few minutes where baby moved and they didn't catch any movement, so they made me stay on for an extra 5 minutes.

No signs of baby in distress or pre-term labor. So yay for that.

OB Visit 

It was kind of weird because my OB visit was WHILE I was hooked up to the NST. It was hard to concentrate on the conversation when I was laying in a recliner and supposed to be pressing this button every time the baby moved. LOL. We talked about a few things:

1. My swollen feet. My shoes don't fit anymore! Luckily it's sandal/flip-flop season. But that means my swollen feet are out there to show the world. LOL. I don't even notice them being swollen, they don't hurt or anything. But man -- they're bigger and look pretty bad. The OB looked at them and said they weren't too bad, but they'll keep an eye out for it if they get any bigger. 
2. Scheduling the Induction. We talked about when I would be able to schedule the induction. I was hoping I'd be able to schedule it today, but no such luck. She said let's wait another week to schedule. She also said, "Let's get you on the calendar for 37 weeks." I was like, oh no - I can't do exactly 37 weeks because that would be BEFORE I hit my 1-year mark at work causing me not to qualify for maternity leave... eek! Next week when I meet with the OB, I'm going to try to get it scheduled for May 23rd - which is my 1-year mark with my company. 
3. What about a C-Section? We won't know if I need a C-Section until I'm 36 weeks. My OB said we'll get on the calendar for an induction and if it looks like I need a C-Section instead, then we'll just re-work it to get in there for a C-Section instead. With an induction, you can get "bumped" to a different day if they get too busy at the hospital. For a planned C-Section, you aren't likely to get bumped. 

Other than that, the visit was pretty fast and uneventful. I scheduled my LAST 4 visits with the OB... which is so surreal after all this time! 

Maternity Leave 

Speaking of maternity leave, since I know that I'll be induced (or have a C-Section) between 37-38 weeks I decided to go ahead and open my maternity leave case at work.

We went into depth about IF I deliver before May 23rd and IF I deliver on/after May 23rd. So, May 23rd is the magic day that I need to make it to! My scenarios:

1. Before May 23rd. I will not qualify for maternity leave pay. I will get 6 weeks short term disability for a vaginal birth or 8 weeks short term disability for a C-Section. FMLA leave of 12 weeks will run in concurrently. After short term disability, I can take an additional 4-6 weeks (depending on the type of birth). This would be unpaid or I can exhaust my PTO. 
2. On or After May 23rd.  I will get the same options for short term disability (6-8 weeks). Then I'll qualify for 8 additional weeks full pay under the company's maternity leave policy and my job will be protected for the days that exceed the FMLA leave (12 weeks). Having total leave of 14-16 weeks (depending on type of birth). 

So... I'm VERY close to not qualifying for maternity leave... Now, if all goes well and I have an induction -- I'm confident I can schedule it on or after May 23rd without an issue. However, if something happens between now and then -- like baby deciding to come early or just something else like pre-term labor... then I'm SOL. 

Of course I'll roll with it, what matters the MOST is that baby boy comes into this world healthy. But... it would be a lot easier and better for it to happen on/after May 23rd! More paid leave and more bonding time with baby. 

Will have to see how it all plays out! 

Next Step: Weekly OB / NST next Friday.

32w+3d: MFM Visit + BPP Ultrasound

This week I start my 2x's a week appointments on Tuesdays and Fridays, rotating between the MFM+BPP and OB+NST. Today was the MFM visit and BPP. My stats:

Weight: +13
Blood Pressure: 112/70

Hmph. I went up +3 lbs from last week. Not sure if it was a fluke of clothing or if it's because I ate right before my appointment. Hopefully it doesn't really mean anything. My blood pressure is awesome though, which is really nice.

Bio Physical Profile (BPP) Ultrasound

This is the fastest ultrasound I've ever had, less than 20 minutes. It's nice because that means that they were able to see everything they needed to see. According to WebMd: The BPP measures your baby's heart rate, muscle tone, movement, breathing, and the amount of amniotic fluid around your baby.

The ultrasound tech showed me baby boy practicing his breathing. I'm still amazed that he's in there! I mean, I see him on the ultrasound and everything -- I feel him moving -- but there are still times where it's hard to believe I'm going to have a baby! I was concerned that baby boy had moved since I was feeling movement in weird places, but he's still in the right position, head down. So apparently he's either head butting me, he's punching his way out, and his booty is hitting the right side of my rib cage while his feet are kicking the left. Definitely getting tight up in there for him.

I kinda talked to the ultrasound tech about all this monitoring and how some people don't need all these extra appointments. I am high risk for a few reasons: I'm over 35 -- the call this "Advanced Maternal Age" (AMA), I got pregnant through IVF (which I was surprised this alone would be considered high risk), and I have type 2 diabetes. So basically I'm high risk x3! Yikes. Although the appointments can be a big pain to schedule and juggle, I am a million times grateful I'm getting so much monitoring. It's reassuring that if something goes wrong -- they'll catch it. Also, I don't need to go around wondering how the baby is doing.

MFM Diabetes Consult  

Since I was just at the MFM office last week, I have to admit that the last week was pretty hectic schedule-wise. Easter activities, work commitments, appointments -- it became a bit difficult to consistently check my blood glucose levels 2 hours after each meal. Easter weekend was also very tiring for me in general -- just having a lot of stuff to do. I keep hoping things will calm down and I think they will after this week (I hope!). All my pre-natal classes will be completed - YAY! No more busy weekends, hoping to do some 1x1 activities with my son before the baby arrives, also need to finish baby prepping (almost done!). Work doesn't slow down much until maybe the 2nd week of May. Hopefully that means I'll be able to be more consistent with tracking everything.

Changes to my Insulin:

• Morning: Humulin N increase to 38 iu, Humulin R increase to 18 iu 
• Evening (before meals): Humulin R increase to 20 iu [or 22 iu if glucose is 120 or higher]
• Evening (before bed): Humuli R in crease to 58 iu 

I'm hoping we don't have to add another insulin shot before lunch... We might have to. What's so weird about my glucose levels is, one day my glucose levels will be fine after a meal. I'll eat the same meal (assuming it'll be fine) and my glucose levels will be off the chart. No way to predict when it'll happen and when it won't happen. But my MFM said that's normal because baby is getting bigger and it's just getting harder to manage. 

I'll be doing another growth ultrasound around 35-36 weeks to see where baby boy is at. 

Discussing Possible Induction / C-Section Date

My MFM wants me to talk to my OB about getting "on the schedule" for either an induction or C-Section. We won't know until 36 weeks if I'll need a C-Section, but right now baby boy is measuring really good and not big at all. If things continue this way, then an induction might be the way to go. 

I didn't realize that the induction / C-Section slots can possible "fill up!" So, MFM suggested I talk to my OB and see if we can get something scheduled between 37-38 weeks. Which means between May 20-27!!!! Yikes. If I schedule it in advance, I may be able to choose the day... Other things that are good about it: 1) I can pick a last day of work, 2) I can arrange childcare better, and 3) I'll have a real countdown to a specific day / time. Crazy. 

But it does feel weird to choose the date... mostly because my dad's birthday is that week and one of my much loved foster babies birthday is that week... I also have a bunch of friends that have birthdays that week. So, it just feels weird to me to pick a date. 

Will talk to the OB about it on Friday and see what she says though and when they normally schedule it out. It'll be kind of exciting to get a firm date! 

Next Steps: Next Tuesday BPP and Diabetes Discussion with MFM