35 + 2

130 lbs - no matter what I do I just keep gaining weight...!

I am officially more pregnant with Little Number Three than I ever was with Abi - huge milestone!!!  In fact, when I saw my high-risk OB last week (at 33+6 weeks), he told me that after 34 weeks they would not perform tocolysis (ie, wouldn't stop labor if it happened) and the baby had a 100% chance of survival.  I immediately felt more relaxed at that point and stopped stressing - although I am not really ready for the baby to come just yet, at least I know that he/ she will be healthy and okay if we have an early arrival.  I was officially discharged from the high-risk clinic that day, but I think I still would deliver at Sacred Heart (instead of Eglin) if the baby were born before 36 weeks, because Eglin doesn't have any kind of NICU care.

Here I am now:

Yes, it's a public restroom.  We don't have any full-length mirrors in our house, and I get self-conscious asking anyone else to take a picture.  Lest you think I went in there specifically to take pregnancy pictures, let me tell you that I was waiting on Sam - his feet are just out of the frame of the picture in the stall to the far right. =)

The daily contractions continue but not as strong or frequent as before.  I have also had 3 separate episodes of STRONG contractions (2 today, in fact), that very much remind me of going into labor with Sam.  I hope I'm imagining them, or that they are just Braxton-Hicks.  Although I know the baby would be fine if born today, I have too much to do before Christmas to go into labor!

Fingers (and legs) crossed for 4+ more weeks!

A little smile after yesterday's post - taken today, at 31+2 weeks:

31+1 weeks, 127 lbs (fluctuating, based on this stomach bug that's going around), and baby's still cooking!

And that is the only exclamation point that this post gets.  Skip the next two paragraphs if you don't feel like reading about me complain.  I am getting frustrated with this pregnancy.  The contractions are continuing, and they are painful.  I've had to take several more doses of the Procardia medication to stop them, and it only works for a few hours.  My back hurts from sitting/ lying around, and I am going stir crazy.  I am also starting to panic because I am NOT READY FOR THIS BABY TO COME OUT.  I don't have a name, a crib, diapers, or any of the other 340,852 things that are helpful to have when a newborn is around.  Not to mention Christmas shopping, which can't be done because within a few minutes of walking, I start contracting again.  I would throw in a complaint about how there's no room in my chest to breathe, or how uncomfortable it is to have a foot in my ribcage no matter what position I lie in, but truthfully, I prefer those discomforts to the contractions, and I would really actually LIKE it if those discomforts continued, because it would mean the baby is growing inside me and not coming out.  I really, really, really hope this little one stays in at least until after Christmas, and it would be so, so, SO nice if the contractions would stop too.

I'm sure the contractions are at least partially related to a good deal of emotional stress that's been going on, and it would be nice if that would go away too.  If I could quit my job, I would, in a heartbeat, because the satisfaction I get from going to work at this point is far outweighed by the day-to-day annoyances and aggravation that come with just walking in the door of the hospital.  Then I could focus on spending what limited time I have left with my two perfect kiddos - before the third one throws our daily rhythm into complete chaos (good chaos, I know, but chaos nonetheless).

On the plus side, and speaking of that, Sam and Abi have been wonderful.  They are absolutely doting and sweet and gentle, and have taken to cuddling up next to me kind of curled around my big belly somehow.  Unfortunately, they have also come down with the stomach bug, so the three of us have been pretty pathetic over the last couple of days, resting on the couch and going to bed early.  On that note, it's 9:30pm and my freshly-washed sheets are calling...

Hopefully more positive thoughts next time.

November 15th - 30 weeks tomorrow!!!

It's been harder to keep up with this pregnancy blog thing than I thought...

I had my last plane ride of pregnancy a couple of weeks ago, when I went to DC one last time for a conference (before "hunkering down in the birthing stall," as one of my friends so delicately put it).  Thankfully it was an uneventful trip and I came back on the 4th of November.  The next day, I started feeling some cramping, which got worse just about every time I stood up.  Three days later, it was to the point where I was grimacing every few minutes and leaning way forward in my chair to relieve the discomfort.  I couldn't remember if this was normal "Braxton Hicks" contractions or what, so I asked another girl in my department who is almost exactly as pregnant as me.  As I leaned against the wall in the clinic hallway, focusing on slowly inhaling and exhaling, she told me that she hadn't had any cramping whatsoever.  I decided then that maybe what I was experiencing wasn't completely expected, and so I went to my OB.

From there, he walked me to L&D immediately, commenting along the way that I didn't look very comfortable.  They got me checked in to one of the triage rooms and hooked me up to the baby heart rate monitor and the toco (contraction) monitor.  At first, nothing was registering on the toco monitor, even when I felt certain I was having a contraction.  Then, once the toco monitor was readjusted, the contractions started showing up.  They were beautiful, perfect, rhythmic contractions every 2-3 minutes - exactly what you'd like to see if you were in labor.  Except that I wasn't supposed to be in labor, as I wasn't even 29 weeks.  My OB came in right around then with slightly wide eyes and told me he wanted to give me a medication to stop the contractions.  At that point, they were actually starting to feel very uncomfortable, and I was starting to get more than a little nervous, so of course I agreed.  The medication slowed the contractions within 20-30 minutes, and I was discharged home with plenty of extra to take if they started back up.

Over the next few days, I tried to take it easy, and I really noticed things were better if I sat down and elevated my legs.  On my first day back at work (after a wonderful 3 day weekend), the contractions started right back up.  I took the medication and it calmed things down for about an hour, but then it started back up again.  I called my OB who, of course, sent me right back to L&D.  All the tests showed I was not in labor, but the contractions were real.  They gave me whopping doses of the same medication again, and it again pretty much stopped the contractions.  The problem is that it also lowered my blood pressure and gave me a splitting headache.  Eventually they sent me home, knowing that I had a follow-up appointment with my "high-risk" OB (Maternal Fetal Medicine or MFM specialist) today.

After hearing the events of the last week, the MFM took one look at the toco reading and told me he recommended bedrest.  Acknowledging that I am a physician and that immediately stopping work would be a challenge, he agreed to a compromise, of reduced work hours with a transition to bedrest if things got worse.  From talking with my regular OB, I had been prepared for this, and have already been working with my colleague and commander to start reduced work hours.  I can't say I'm too miserable about that, actually.  The contractions are getting pretty uncomfortable and who wouldn't like some extra time off?  If it weren't for the prospect of the baby actually showing up TEN WEEKS EARLY, I'd be thrilled.  Fingers crossed that the stress associated with working full-time is fully responsible for this turn of events, and that cutting down my hours will keep this little one in for the next 2.5 months. =)

Hopefully no more exciting updates anytime soon!

The final trimester

Oct 24th, 2012

Ok, I'm 26+5 weeks today and this baby is HUGE!!  I am sure I will laugh in another few months when I read this, but I feel like I'm as big as I will probably get.  I do love being pregnant and having my special little belly-shelf to rest my hands on.  Sam and Abi are not as adoring, complaining that the baby is taking up all my lap space, which is where they want to be sitting.  Actually, they are amazing with how excited and sweet they are to the baby already.  Abi in particular loves to come give me a huge hug and kiss and then kisses my belly and says, "I love you, baby!"  Sam loves to feel the baby kick, and today, the little one had hiccups for the first time, which Sam found hysterical.  I love it too.

No excitement since last time, thankfully.  I had another ultrasound which showed this peanut is growing at the 50th percentile - measuring at 1lb, 10oz at last check.  Everything else appears to be status quo.  I did manage to come down with my first cold of pregnancy, which flat-out sucked.  I am still recovering from that, and I have to say, I did forget how horrible it is to make it through 10 days of congestion, sinus drainage, and sore throat without any medication.  Ugh.  Thankfully the kids didn't get it, and they were absolute angels about letting me sleep over the weekend.

I've narrowed down the list of names, I think, although Scott doesn't know it. =)  For a girl, I love Emerson or Madelyn, and for a boy, Ryan or Joshua.  Based on how things went with the 2 previous babies, though, I am sure those names will change more than once over the next 3 months, and ultimately, Scott will come up with the perfect name, as he's done twice before. =)

Almost halfway!

This was written around September 16th, 2012, but I didn't get around to posting it until now...

Halfway (or so)!

21 and ½ weeks – cannot believe how fast this pregnancy is going!  I am finally passing that point where people wonder if I’m pregnant or just letting myself go…there is a definite bump.  This baby is extra cute, at least from the belly profile:

Also notice the super cute boots (to go with the baby).  And they were on sale.

We did have a scare last week.  I went in for what I thought was my routine 20 week high-risk appointment, and the ultrasound showed that this little cutie has a slight heart defect – a VSD.  Abi actually had the same thing, but they didn’t detect it until after she was born.  I guess because I’m “AMA” combined with having a prior pre-term delivery and with Abi having her VSD, this time they did an in utero fetal echocardiogram, which showed the same heart defect.  The VSD doesn’t really concern me that much (maybe it should, but it doesn’t), because it’s a pretty common defect and the OB said it wasn’t particularly hemodynamically significant (ie, baby is still getting good blood flow to all organs).  However, the presence of a VSD apparently increases the risk of birth defects (specifically Down’s syndrome) by 20-FOLD.  So, instead of having a 1 in 889 chance of Down’s, we were looking at a 1 in 45 chance.  Way different odds.  With Sam and Abi, I never had the first or second trimester screening tests, but for some reason being a little older this time I am more paranoid.  The OB offered me an amniocentesis the very same day, with preliminary results in 4 days and final results in 10 days.  I never thought I would have an amnio, ever.  Whenever I thought about it, I just thought about the risk to the baby, with the needle going near all those tiny important structures.  However, at that appointment, that was the last thing going through my mind.  All I could think about was getting the results.  Scott wasn’t even with me, so I called him and I’m sure he was as worried as I was, and said I should do it, because I wouldn’t sleep until I had the results.  He was right.  So I had the amnio on Sept 6^th.

The OB asked if I was allergic to iodine, and I said, no, and I’m not allergic to lidocaine either, so he should feel free to use plenty.  To which he said, “we actually don’t use any lidocaine for this” and proceeded to do the procedure, which was really not bad.  Lidocaine would have been overkill.  I did have some cramping afterwards, but mostly all I could think about was how I was going to survive 4 agonizing days waiting for results.

Well, I survived by going to Washington DC, for a friend's retirement from the Navy, and spending time with some very wonderful friends who did a great job distracting me from the anxiety and worry that would have absolutely otherwise ruled my weekend.  The following Monday, I came back to Florida and immediately called the genetics counselor, who gave me the absolutely fantastic and fabulous news - normal amnio.  A week or so later, the final results confirmed it.  I cried, I was so happy.  This baby growing thing is way too stressful. 

Into the Second Third...

eeeek.  So, I am not as great as I thought I would be at chronicling this pregnancy.  I'll blame the 2 preschoolers, full-time job, recent vacation, studying for acupuncture, traveling husband, and trying to maintain some semblance of fitness, at least for now.  Not to mention the improving-but-still-mind-numbing exhaustion that sets in at about 7:30 every night...

So here I am, week almost-16.  Or almost-17.  Being an overachiever, I have my dates set a week ahead of what my official due date is - I'm guessing closer to January 18th than to the 25th.  I've had one routine OB appointment and one "high risk" OB appointment so far.  According to the medical coding system, I'm an "elderly gravida," which is an automatic "high risk" referral, but it's really my previous complicated pregnancy with Abi that got me there.  The MFM doc I met was so nice, and his group will continue to follow me throughout this pregnancy, which hopefully just means more ultrasounds and check ups - no complaining here!

My belly continues to pooch out, and I swear this baby is bigger than all the websites say.  I've never seen an avocado this big before!

Sam has started tugging at the fronts of all my shirts to "pull them down over your big tummy."  Going to have to pull out the maternity clothes soon.

My weight fluctuates by about 4 lbs from day to day, but on average, I think I've gained about 4-5 lbs.  Feels like way more than that.  I'm still able to run, although not as much, as far, or as fast as I had been before.  There's definitely some discomfort with the little one in there!  But it still feels great to keep the blood moving, and it doesn't seem as hot as it did even a month ago (N.B. it is still August in Florida, so the temperatures are still ridiculously scorching, but I think my body is able to regulate its temperature a little bit more).  I don't think I wrote this before, but early on during this pregnancy I was running at night and I tripped over the sidewalk and had a FOOSH (love that acronym - fall on outstretched hand).  I ended up getting an X-ray because it really, REALLY hurt, and there was a tiny fracture in the bone.  Thankfully, it didn't need to be casted or immobilized, but it still gives me trouble.  Anyway, I tell that story to illustrate that the whole "being off balance" and "having looser ligaments" in pregnancy thing is apparently actually true for me.  I'm sure it's not that I'm clumsy or uncoordinated.  Now, when I run, I frequently focus on not falling, and I visualize myself rolling into a little ball if I do fall, so all my extremities and of course my avocado will be safe.

Last week I thought I felt some movement from in there, but if I did, it must have been the little avocado doing triple flips, because I think it's still way too early to feel kicks.  I do still find myself resting my hands on my stomach, hoping and imagining the little one can feel me.  I'm getting inpatient for the movement, though, because I LOVE that part.  It's so cool to be able to feel what the baby is doing in there.  I'm very excited to have Sam and Abi feel once it's really noticeable.

Week...10? Or the end of week 9. Somewhere in there.

I forgot how much I love being pregnant.  Since I'm still so early, not too many people know, but I had to tell a bunch of near-strangers over the last week because I am taking an acupuncture course, and am not supposed to be needled, apparently.  It's fun telling people!  Especially when they find out it's my third.  But even when people know, I still feel like I have a special secret - I touch my stomach and know that there is a perfect little blueberry (grape, now, actually) in there, and that he or she and I are as close as two humans can ever ever be.  I love that feeling.

It's so fun telling our family and friends, too.  When we told the grandparents-to-be, we did it over video chat.  We told them we needed their opinions, because we were trying to decide what color to paint the guest bedroom.  Then we showed them two color swatches: one blue, and one pink, and asked them which they liked.  Mom said, "I like the salmon color," to which I had to reply, "It's definitely not salmon, it's pink."  To which she said, "Well, I don't think you should paint it pink, but the salmon is nice."  When I finally told her that we didn't really have to decide until January, Dad got it immediately and they were both completely shocked.  Diane and Jon were equally clueless and shocked.  Meg knew from the beginning, and Mike figured it out immediately.  Guess the younger generation is more in baby-mode than the grandparents.  I told my friend Chellie when I saw her this weekend, and she immediately ran to put my feet up on a chair, and got me 2 pillows to put behind my back.  She kept offering me water, saying, "The baby needs water!"  So, so fun.

What I don't love, and what I didn't expect, is that I am showing already!  I've always heard that women show earlier with subsequent pregnancies, but I certainly didn't notice it with Abi, and so I didn't expect it now either.  I am less than 10 weeks, and the other day, my belly just popped right out.  I call it my "food baby," because it is definitely more prominent after eating, but it's there pretty much all the time now.  Plus, when I weighed myself tonight, I was 116 lbs - a 5 lb weight gain from my baseline, and my belly button is all stretched out.  And that's with running 6 miles this weekend!

Can't argue with that little pooch.  That's the biggest blueberry I ever saw...!  Guess it's time to start the cocoa butter. =)

Anyway, thankfully my amazing sister Meg already looked up some adorable, hip maternity fashion options for me, and I just bought a couple of pairs of maternity leggings so I can achieve that super-cute look.  I'm hoping I have a few more months before those become really necessary, but at least I have them just in case.

Heading to RI next week, at which time the secret will be out.  I have my first MFM ultrasound scheduled for July 19th, so I'll be able to solidify my dates a little better.  Will keep checking in whenever I can!

Prep Time

So I'm about 8 weeks into my third (!) pregnancy and wanted to do a better job this time of chronicle-ing (and really, the fact that I've even started this puts me miles ahead of what I did with Sam and Abi, so I'm already feeling pretty proud of myself!).

Today I am 112.6 lbs and still feeling good.  Obviously not showing yet.

I found out about our newest little one on Saturday, May 26th, in the morning.  My friends Liz, Grant, and their son Leo were in town, and I was a couple of days late so decided I would pee on a stick, just to make sure I wasn't, you know, "with child."
 

The second line popped up instantly, and so I figured that must be the sign for a negative test.  Obviously, the test showed the answer key, but misprints happen all the time, so I went straight to the "Instructions for Interpretation" on the box.  I looked at the box, and lo and behold, two lines meant positive.  "Ok," I thought, "I must have only seen one line then."  Looked back at the test - no doubt about it, 2 vertical lines.  "Yep, two must mean negative," and then back at the box again, and so on and so on 3 or 4 more times until I finally said Wow, OK, and went back to bed.  I told Scott, who said, "Really?"  So I thought I should check one more time and got out of bed.  Same scenario played out - two lines really does mean positive.  I was floored.  This was definitely a surprise.

In the few minutes that followed the realization that the test meant what it said it did, I had a thousand different emotions.  I was excited, because, well, I've always wanted a third.  I was aggravated, because this was definitely going to cut into my marathon-training plans.  I felt helpless - although that's not the right word - because I felt like I would have chosen a different time.  Then I felt a pleasant sense of surrender, like, this must be God's plan for me and my family, because He clearly wanted me to be pregnant NOW.  I naturally got worried, because I had had a few drinks with friends the weekend before, and had no idea how far along I was.  I was annoyed that we had literally, just a few months ago, given away a ton of baby stuff, and that I had just bought some really cute new clothes that weren't going to fit much longer.  I started thinking how Sam and Abi are going to be so, so excited and then I felt nostalgic because I only have a few (9 is a few, right?) months left where it's just the 4 of us.  Then, of course, because I am a typical girl, I felt guilty, for feeling anything other than excited and ecstatic about this amazing news.

Since then, the dominant emotion has become giddy excitement, although I won't pretend that the other feelings don't come into play fairly regularly.  We've told our parents, Liz, and my sister, and their reactions have been priceless.  I'll be sure to write about those another time.  So far, I've felt good.  Little bits of nausea which I'm sure are 100% psychological.  Cravings which are also 100% psychological (hot wings, Milano cookies, and popsicles, to name a few - things that I would like anyway but since I'm pregnant they must represent something abnormal).  Last weekend I ran a 5K in under 28 minutes, so I'm not completely deconditioned yet - although I will say it's been extremely difficult to regulate my body temperature - it is so HOT!

I've had 2 unofficial OB appointments - mainly to try to get dates nailed down.  The ultrasound on Friday (June 8th) put me at somewhere between 7-8 weeks, although the baby is so stinking small right now it's not really possible to date accurately.  We did, however, see a couple of VERY reassuring things: 1) a healthy heartbeat! 2) a normal-looking yolk sac, and 3) the presence of only ONE little peanut in there (I have to admit, I was terrified there might be a team growing!).  The OB also said to tell Scott he saw a giant dong, but alas, that part is not really true - much to Scott's disappointment.

We haven't told Sam and Abi yet, but need to soon, so they can start getting excited (and so they don't hear it from someone else).  I know we have a lot of time still, but something tells me the next 32 weeks (give or take) are going to fly by.