The Gift

One of the first things my doctor said to me when he entered the delivery room was that he was disappointed. Disappointed because he had ordered something for me but it wasn't scheduled to arrive until Friday (today, the day I would have had my C-Section). I immediately wondered what it was but he wouldn't tell me what it was. I was pretty sure I knew though. I knew it would likely be something for the baby and it would probably have some University of Virginia emblem on it (he always jokes with me that he's delivering future Wahoos/Cavaliers when he sees me).

So today we receive a call from Dr. L and he asks if someone in my family could drive to his office (not me because i can't drive for another week and a half) and pick something up. I told him I'd send Brandon to get it. When Brandon came back I was totally surprised when I opened the box. In one aspect it had indeed been what I was expecting, it was definitely a gift for the baby. But I opened the box to find this:

I never would have thought that he would order Virginia Tech gear, he being such an avid hater of all things Virginia Tech.

I was not only impressed that he got us Virginia Tech gear but also that he got us anything at all - I don't imagine it's something he does for all his patients. Maybe he thinks as much of us as we think of him! One thing's for certain, I couldn't imagine having a better doctor!

Q's Birth Story

Here it is!  I've spent some time over the past few days writing this post.  I wanted to write it while it was fresh in my mind but many of you know that when you have a newborn (and a toddler) you don't have much disposable time.  So I stole a few minutes here and a few there to write it.  I hope you find this story as entertaining as I do.  I hope it makes you laugh.  It still makes me laugh every time I tell it and no, I cannot believe I did half the things written here.  Had I not lived it I never would have believed it.  At the time it wasn't funny at all but looking back over it, I truly question my judgment.  I'm apparently not the brightest person, or at least not while in labor.  But I did somehow manage to keep my sense of humor through the whole experience, I kept those nurses laughing when I wasn't screaming out in pain.  Or maybe it was the morphine, either way, here goes:

As you've probably read in a previous post, at my doctor appointment on Friday, July 29th I had one contraction.  We did not check to see how far dilated I was but on the previous Tuesday (July 26) I was 3cm.  Before leaving his office on Friday, Dr. L saw fit to mention that he was on call over the weekend and I should call if anything should start to happen - I expressed my feelings on the matter by saying, "see you on Tuesday" - famous last words.

On Friday night I began to lose my mucus plug and I continued having some mild contractions throughout the weekend.  They really weren't painful at all, just some tightening of the uterus, and they certainly didn't last long.  I was hopeful that something was starting but being as I didn't want to deliver until August 2nd at the earliest, I was happy that it was only small things happening.

I carried on with the weekend, went to bed Sunday night had a really uneventful night's sleep and woke up to make breakfast for Y and myself around 8:45am.  At about 9am I had my first contraction of the day and even though it wasn't extremely painful, I could walk and talk through it, I knew it was different from the contractions I had felt over the weekend.  I continued to have these contractions throughout the morning but there was no consistency to them whatsoever so I just continued about my day.  Sometimes they would be 10 minutes apart, sometimes 20 or even 30 minutes and at one point I didn't have a single contraction for an hour and a half.

Over the course of these contractions I called two people that I needed to have on alert just in case something started happening.  Both of these ladies described contractions as an intense pain that sort of wrapped around and was mostly located in their back.  So after talking to them and reading a bit of information from the prenatal classes we took when pregnant with Y, I came to the conclusion that I'd know when I was in labor when I started feeling the pain in my back.  I'll add a note here to remind you that I was induced with Y and I had an epidural through most of the pain of it, AND it ended in a C-Section.  So I didn't really have much of a clue as to what I was supposed to be feeling.

B was home from work by 2:15ish and Mondays are typically our grocery shopping day.  I had been texting him all day about the pains I was having and had told him that if I were still feeling these pains then I'd send him to do all the shopping on his own.  Well when he came home I was only really feeling the pains when I walked around and only very mildly while I was sitting.  But I decided to go grocery shopping with him because there wasn't a whole lot which we needed to buy anyway and I wanted to make a stop at a store to buy a last minute item for the baby. 

About halfway through our grocery shopping I reached a point in my walking where when one of the pains hit I'd have to stop walking.  I should add that throughout this I found great comfort in just going to the bathroom and squatting over the toilet, it brought huge relief.  But at the same time I felt as if I were passing an abnormal amount of gas so I began wondering if maybe the pains were just gas pains.  We kept about our shopping and by the time we were done grocery shopping at had reached the baby store that I wanted to go to I had to bend at the knees with every pain that hit.  I felt that maybe I should pay attention to the amount of time between each pain but then I'd remind myself that it wasn't in my back and could just be really bad gas.  I then started to wonder if maybe I had eaten something bad that was causing me to react like that.

We generally eat out on Monday's because after grocery shopping it's just easier and I had told B that he could eat whatever he wanted because I didn't have much of an appetite and likely wouldn't eat much of it anyway. He, predictably, chose pizza!  We went to pick it up and then drove home to have dinner and put the groceries away.  I had a very difficult time making it up the stairs.  I decided to take another trip to the bathroom and told B to go ahead and feed himself and Y.  When I emerged from the bathroom I had already decided that since I would likely go into labor sometime that night, that I would be skipping dinner.  I did sit with them at the table for a while, while they ate.  And then the tears came.  B noticed them first and then Y noticed them.  The tears initially had nothing to do with the pain, I was crying because I honestly had no clue what was causing them.  I had convinced myself that I couldn't be in labor until I began to feel some sort of back pain, and I just wasn't feeling it.  Every pain that I felt was front and center and low in my abdomen.

Then a pain hit and the tears came harder.  I couldn't sit, I couldn't stand, I couldn't walk, all I could do was bend at the waist and clutch my knees and scream and cry until it passed.  Y was visibly upset at watching me, she was worried and very concerned and so I told B to take her to our friend's house who were going to watch her until his parents could come to get her just so she wouldn't see me in such pain.  He then told me that if I was in that much pain then I should just go to the hospital.  I decided to time the contraction and see how far apart they were.  The next one lasted 75 seconds and there was 4 minutes between the start of it and the beginning of the next one.

I received a message on my iPod from B's sister who was asking how I was feeling and she mentioned that her parents were just planning on coming because they figured I wouldn't last through the night.  I called them to see if this was true and then a contraction hit and I handed the phone off to B.  I don't know what was said during that conversation because I made an attempt to leave the room hoping Y wouldn't follow me, but she did and she persistently wanted to know what was wrong.  I told her that Baby Q was coming soon and so mommy would have to go to the hospital.  All bags were packed with the exception of the toiletries that are used everyday so I told B to start packing them and I called my doctor's office.  The office was of course closed so the answering service transferred me to labor and delivery.  I told them that this was my second child but the first I had been induced and it ended in a C-Section and that I was pretty much clueless as to knowing at what point I should go to the hospital.  I then told them the timed info about the contraction and she informed me that for second time mothers they tell them to come in when the contractions are between 5-7 minutes apart or when the pain became unbearable (and since I had a contraction while on the phone with her, she pretty much knew I needed to be there and commented as much).  B made one last phone call to our friend and we left.

Fortunately the hospital is only about 5 minutes from our house and B decided that it was best if he drop me at the hospital first then take Y to our friend's home and return to the hospital afterward.  Initially I protested that and thought we should just drop her off first but once another contraction hit I caved and figured he was right.  When he dropped me off at the ER door and the security guard came to whisk me away to L&D in the wheelchair a contraction literally started the moment I sat down.  Apparently he was timing the contractions for me because before the elevator doors opened to the L&D unit I was having yet another contraction and when he saw the nurse he told her that they were coming 2 minutes apart. 

The nurse took it from there and they didn't even bother admitting me first, they took me straight to a room and told me to put on a gown.  I told the nurse that my husband would be up in a few minutes and explained that he dropped me off first and then needed to take our daughter to a friend's house. She commented that he had made a wise decision.  I then asked to use the bathroom, all I wanted was the relief that I had found earlier while sitting on the toilet.  They allowed me to go but said under no circumstances was I to push while on the toilet.  And then it all hit me like a brick wall.  I had assumed earlier that the relief I had felt while on the toilet was because of the gas and the gas pain but instead it was because I had a seat with a huge hole in it that allowed me some relief - I WAS IN LABOR!!!! 

I put on a gown.  I laid on the bed.  The nurse checked me and she had this shocked look on her face while calling the other nurse by name and saying, "Oh God, she's 8 (cm) and the baby's at 0 (station)! Get a doctor!"  I have never seen so many people fly into a room so quickly.  The doctor checked me and said I was actually only at a 7 and the nurse started going on about something or other that made her think it was an 8 and so someone else checked and affirmed that it was indeed 7 (as if I found that any more comforting). 

My first question was, "Can I have an epidural, or is it too late?"  The nurse who had initially checked me told me that there would be no time. Meanwhile there are 2 more nurses on my left side trying to find a vein so they can do blood work, a fourth nurse was on the phone trying to get in contact with Dr. L because apparently since I was attempting a VBAC and he is my doctor he HAD to be there for the delivery.  This added an extra cause for worry because all anyone knew was that he had left for the day, was not on-site but said he'd be there as fast as he could and I could literally deliver at any minute.  All of this I was taking in through the conversations going on around me but the one thing that I was most grateful for was knowing that when they had my doctor on the phone and he heard my screams in the background he told them to give me the epidural, ASAP!!  The nurses then started explaining to me that they were sending my blood down to the lab to have some blood work done and that would take approximately 30 minutes, but after that was done and as long as I had not reached 9cm then I could have the epidural.  I had a shred of hope!!!  But there was one nurse who was the voice of reason and calmly explained to me that it might not happen so they would give me a "nip" of morphine in my IV in order to "take the edge off."

The morphine did absolutely NOTHING for me except make me a little loopy between the contractions.  And then, even that was gone because at some point during it all I had a contraction that somehow made me rip the IV lose and run leaking down my arm - they did not bother trying to re-administer it.

At some point B arrived and the contractions got worse and worse.  I begged for them to hurry with the epidural.  I screamed over and over again that I could not do this!!!  The nurses kept trying to reassure me that I could and that I was doing great - none of the crap I wanted to hear.  They then started telling me that if I could walk around the grocery store (I had told then how much of an idiot I had been earlier) and not come to the hospital until I was a 7 then I could definitely do what I was about to do!  I didn't wanna hear that crap, I wanted DRUGS!!! I was literally clinging to the side rails of the bed (you know the ones those hospital beds have) as if it would ease my pain.  The nurse attempted to hold my hand but I didn't want it, I found my relief in punching the bed over and over again through each contraction.  B looked scared.

And then the heavens opened!  The nurse rolled the machine in that would be used for the epidural and while watching her prepare it I felt another contraction coming. Still clinging to the bed, the heavens closed and the gates of hell opened!  Because another nurse thought it was time to check me again.  I rolled to my back and she checked me, her response was that I was "10 and bulging" (bye-bye epidural). At that exact moment the contraction of ALL contractions hit, I rolled back on my side to cling to that side rail again and I yelled, "HEEEELP! I. NEED. TO. PUUUSSSHHH!!!" and then I pushed and that is when my water broke and they sent in the on-staff doctor.

She wanted me to roll onto my back.  I told her I couldn't.  She told me I could and that it was time to push.  I told her that I didn't know how to push, that I had pushed during my last labor but I had an epidural and couldn't feel anything then and that it hadn't done any good anyway because I had ended up with a C-Section!  B stood up to help and the nurses started to explain what I needed to do when pushing.  I pushed once and I did a pretty poor job of it.  They explained that instead of screaming through each push I should hold my breath, count to 10 while I pushed with everything in me and repeat for as long as the contraction lasted (generally 3 counts of 10).  And then in walks Dr. L who made some sarcastic comment to me for which I made a sarcastic response (such is the nature of our relationship). I assume the on-staff doctor made an exit because I never saw her again.  Dr. L took over.  Apparently he was concerned that Q would be large and cause a tear so he gave me an episiotomy, which I had no knowledge of until afterwards when I saw him with a needle and thread (or whatever they use to give stitches).  I think I pushed through 4 or 5 more contractions and she was out. I had one more contraction and then the placenta was out. I had done it! 

My legs began to shake rather uncontrollably but they assured me that was normal.  Dr. L seemed a bit concerned because I was bleeding a bit more than normal.  He began to rub my abdomen really hard.  Apparently he was concerned that there could still be a part of the placenta inside and that could cause lots of issues if not taken care of.  After about 5 minutes of some very hard rubbing and intense pain he found that there were a few blood clots in the uterus and was able to get them out.  Finally it was over, I had done it, accomplished what I thought was surely impossible and after she was out I felt like I could do cartwheels one after another without stopping.

She was born on Monday, August 1, 2011 at 8:09pm weighing 8lbs 1oz and 20½ inches long.  My doctor and all the nurses in the room kept commenting on how "easy" that was for a VBAC.  I don't know what the typical VBAC is like but I assure you it was anything but easy and there were several instances when I screamed as much by saying, "I should have chosen the C-Section."  While Dr. L was stitching me up he said to me, "well you said you wanted a VBAC, you got it."  My response to him was, "You know that saying, 'veni vidi vici,' (I came, I saw, I conquered) well that's exactly how I feel.  Next time we'll stick with the C-Section." Hahaha!  Now while the comment did provide for some comic relief, I don't know how true it is.  I'm not even thinking of the time in the future when we'll have our next child but I would definitely go for a VBAC again, only next time I won't be so simple minded and I WILL get to the hospital on time and I WILL have an epidural!  With that said, I must be honest and admit that there is a small part of me a HUGE part of me that feels pretty dang proud of myself for having given birth without an epidural.  But that doesn't mean I feel the need to EVER do it again!  VENI VIDI VICI!

And to add a side note, I know that reading this it probably seems like I was in the hospital in labor for a super long time but in checking my discharge papers I found that they documented my arrival at 19:10 (7:10pm) and Q was born at 8:09pm.  Just in case you were curious of the span of time covered.

Welcome Baby Q!!

Baby Blanket - Project #3

Here's the baby blanket which I knitted for Baby Q.  I completed knitting it on Saturday, started stitching in the end pieces on Sunday night, and finished stitching in the ends Tuesday in the hospital after her surprise entry on Monday.  Here is a picture!

38 Week Appointments

So now that I'm almost 39 weeks I figured I should post an update about my 38 week appointments.

On Tuesday I went in with the idea that I would have him strip my membranes (helps assist in the loss of the mucus plug and for some people induces labor).  I asked his opinion about it and he told me that generally it only helps if the individual is at least 4cm dilated, so we agreed that we'd check me and if I was at a 4 then we'd give it a shot.  Well I was only at 3cm, not effaced at all, and Baby Q was still riding high - needless to say we didn't do any membrane stripping.

On Friday, I was attached to the fetal monitor for around an hour and fifteen minutes, for the first 30-45 minutes of which she didn't move at all.  He was then called away to run over to the hospital for a delivery and the moment he left I started to feel a contraction.  Well I guess that's all she needed to wake up and get moving because after that she was all over the place!  As for the contraction, on one hand I was happy because I knew that something was getting started and on the other hand I was bummed that it was only one contraction.  I began to feel a bit better about it when later that night I discovered that I was beginning to lose my mucus plug - without having membranes stripped!

I had a few more contractions that night and have had a few in the days since, I've also continued to slowly lose bits and pieces of my plug - it's all progress so I try not to complain.  I've started saying a "special" prayer and requesting that since Heavenly Father is all-knowing that if it be His will and I could have a successful VBAC then to help labor get started before Friday afternoon at 4pm.  And if the case would be that labor would not end in a VBAC then to just hold off on everything until Friday at 4pm.  I'm not sure if it'll work but I'm sure the prayer is being heard!

37 Weeks

Time is winding down, we'll be meeting Baby Q soon!!  I'm so ready to see her and hold her but not sure I'm ready for the late night/early morning feedings or even the adjustment period that comes with a new baby.  I've been spending a lot of time with Y talking about Q and what will happen when it's time for her to come and teaching her how to hold her using her baby dolls.  Y now walks around the house saying that "Baby Q will be here in a few weeks."  She really is excited about it, she touches my belly all the time and when we're home she is known to pull my shirt up just to see if Baby Q is moving.  She also asks me a lot what Baby Q is doing, most of the times she asks I just tell her that she's sleeping unless of course she happens to be doing a lot of moving around.

Everything is still going pretty smoothly, not sure if I'm dilated any more than the 2cm from last week, he didn't check me on Tuesday so he may just wait and do it on Friday at my next appointment.  Our friend K from Sarnia drove over with her kids to spend the day with us yesterday so we all went to dinner, a park and then out for some ice cream.  It was super hot so we didn't let the kids play at the park for too long after dinner but we stayed just long enough to get some pictures taken.  But please excuse the big greasy stain on my shirt, you'd think I was nursing already and leaking milk but I'm not...I'm just a messy eater when out in public apparently!

The Plan

After our ultrasound on Wednesday I wrote a quick post to update you on the latest news regarding the pregnancy in general and Baby Q's size. In the same post I informed you that I had made a decision but wanted to discuss it with my doctor before announcing it to the world. Now that we've discussed it with him we'll let everyone else in on the plan.

My original plan was to set a C-section date of August 8, a day before my due date. However, if I were to go into labor prior to that then we would attempt a VBAC. There was a scheduling conflict with August 8th so we have instead decided on Friday, August 5th in the early-mid evening.

Dr. L had no issues at all with this plan of action but he did make it clear that should we attempt a VBAC and something starts to go wrong or if I have a period of several hours with no progression then he'd call for a C-Section before it would reach the point of needing an emergency C-Section because that would be the worst possible scenario for someone in my position. I had no issues at all agreeing to that because in the end I want the healthiest possible delivery for myself and for Q.

So there you have it, 3 weeks from today one way or another Q will be here with us! I'm both nervous and excited by this!

A Quick Update

It's late and I should be in bed so I am just quickly posting an update.

For the most part, all is well, Baby Q appears to be healthy, my blood pressures and glucose levels are all doing great.  On Tuesday I went in for my first NST for the week and everything was perfectly normal.  Dr. L gave me the all clear to leave and then the nurse asked him if he was going to check me.  He assumed she was referring to checking my amniotic fluid levels but he had already done that last Friday so she clarified that she was referring to checking me for dilation as well as taking a sample to perform the Group B Strep test.  When he realized what she meant he made the statement, "oh yeah, but I don't know why because she never dilates!"  Well upon checking me to his surprise and mine he found that I was actually 2cm, he then proceeded to attempt to calm me down and reassure me that it does not mean I will be going into labor anytime soon.  If you know me well then you know that his reassurances did little to calm my panic at the time.  I just kept thinking of all the things I need to finish before she arrives.  I remained in a panic much of yesterday but after sleeping on it I awoke feeling more accepting of it, what will be will be after all.

Today, Wednesday, I went in for a 36 week ultrasound and it's estimated that Baby Q is in the 92nd percentile and weighing approximately 7lbs 6oz - in other words, she's another big baby!  At this point in pregnancy they estimate that a baby gains about ½ a pound a week and so with another 4 weeks to go until my due date we're looking at adding on another possible 2 pounds.  It's important to remember that these estimates are +/- a pound but I found from my experience with Y that it was pretty accurate.  At 38 weeks she was estimated to be about 8lbs 10oz and she was born just over a week later weighing 8lbs 14oz.

As for what this means for my decision about VBAC or C-Section, I do believe I have come to a conclusion but I am still gonna wait to talk to Dr L on Friday when I go in for my other NST.  I feel comfortable with the decision but I still want to ponder and pray about it before announcing it to the world, so stay tuned!  If all goes well I will be posting again in the next few days to let you all in on my little plan!

Diaper Bag

When pregnant with Y you could say I was polka dot obsessed, it wouldn't be an overstatement in the least.  I fell head-over-heels in love with the Deco pattern by Graco and bought almost every item they sold in the print.  The exception was the bouncer chair, because I wanted the Fisher-Price Rainforest chair instead, and the high chair (had they made a space-saver version I definitely would have bought it)!  They also made and sold a diaper bag with the print and so of course that was the diaper bag that I wanted.  I loved the print but I must admit it was small, fortunately with only one kid I could make due with it.  Several months after Y was born they came out with a larger diaper bag in the same print and I made sure to tell B that whenever we had our next kid we were buying the larger version.  Well it turns out when you put 3 years between your kids the things you purchased/wanted with one kid may no longer be available when another kid comes along, and so it wasn't meant to be for me to have that bag.

Deco print by Graco

I suppose it's just as well though because, though I haven't fully outgrown my love of polka dots, it has lessened to some degree.  I found myself attracted to black and white prints this pregnancy, mainly damask and so I set out to find a black and white damask diaper bag.  Well I didn't exactly find anything that I loved or even liked that much in that exact print and color scheme.  I did however find a bag that I instantly fell in love with and decided I had to have it.  It's made by JJ Cole and the print is named Black Magnolia.  I was so excited the day that it arrived in the mail and I am anxiously awaiting the ability to put all of it's pockets and attachments to use.

Ironical

A few days ago I came across the term Placenta Accreta when doing a little more research concerning C-Sections and so I did a little reading up on the term and well, let's just say it freaked me out.  Mostly what disturbed me about it was the idea that most often it can't even be detected until the baby is born, and if you know me then you know I don't like surprises!  I like to know exactly what to expect.

Fast forward to today's doctor appointment which was at 1pm.  Everything was great, I was taken back, gave my urine sample, was hooked up to the machine and then just sat there waiting for Baby Q to move and Dr. L to come in and check on me.  Well, I waited...and waited...and waited.  I could hear the nurses talking outside the door and was able to gather that he had a C-Section scheduled for 12pm but hadn't made it back yet.  2pm rolls around and I'm still hooked up to the machine with no doctor in sight.  Finally at 2:15pm I hear them say that he is on his way back (FYI my doctor's office is right next to the hospital, the two buildings are literally connected) and they explained that the delay was because after the schedule C-Section was complete another patient was ready to deliver so he had to stay and deliver that baby too.  Well at 2:35pm he finally arrives and comes in to check on, me the nurse is also in the room and he begins to talk about the C-Section and how the patient had Placenta Accreta.  Well he probably didn't expect me to know what that was because quite honestly had I not come across the term 2 days earlier I would have had no clue what he was referring to.  And so I mention to him that I had literally just read about that 2 days prior and how ironic it is that he's standing in front of me talking about it now.  I mean it's a pretty stinking rare occurrence, much less to happen right after I finish reading up on it.

Now there are 3 degrees of Placenta Accreta depending on how deep the placenta attaches itself inside the uterine wall.  The worst case scenario is Placenta Percreta (click on the link provided above for more info) but it's also the rarest of the 3 and it just so happens that whoever this lady is, had just that and the only solution was an emergency hysterectomy.  Apparently she wanted a tubal ligation anyway so I guess, hopefully, that made it a little easier for her.  So if reading about it a couple days ago didn't make me nervous enough hearing about this today made me even moreso nervous.  I guess the scariest thing is that regardless of whether someone chooses to have a VBAC or C-section, if they end up with Placenta Accreta the decision they make won't change the fact that they have it.  I guess it just makes you think...

By the way, all was well at the appointment!  Six more weeks to go...

Baby Q Update

All is still well, there is nothing of any significance to report, thankfully.  At this stage I like to believe that no news really is good news.  I now have doctor appointments twice a week, on Tuesdays and Fridays, and it will stay that way until she is born.  As I mentioned before I have to go in to have NSTs done twice a week and even though I gave it my best shot at attempting to convince Dr. L that I only really needed to have one done a week, he didn't buy it.  And so I wake up twice a week at 5am in order to drive B to work.  Fortunately I have awesome friends who have been awesome enough to watch Y for me during these appointments because it would be impossible for me to keep her occupied for an hour while I am hooked up to fetal heart monitors and unable to tend to her.  I am not a morning person at all so getting up so early is leaving me even more tired than I was before.  That also explains why it's been a while between my posts, but it doesn't explain why it's almost 1am and I am still awake - at least I get to sleep in today!

Holding On to Hope

At my 20 week ultrasound when I was told that Baby Q was in the 96th percentile, I pretty much had little hope of having a successful VBAC.  But today I have a new reason to hold on to hope!  I had an ultrasound today and she is only in the 54th percentile, at 28 weeks 6 days Baby Q is 1372 grams (about 3 pounds).  At about this same time of gestation Y was 68th percentile so I am celebrating that 14% difference today.

I was positive that I was going to be told that she was around the 70th percentile today but I was very surprised to learn that she isn't even close to it.  We did find out that she is currently in a head up position which only has me a little concerned.  Generally by this point babies are in a head down position but I keep reminding myself that Y was transverse (sideways) until almost the very end of my pregnancy and just when I had given up hope, she turned herself into that downward position.  I don't think it'll be anything to be seriously concerned about until at least 34-36 weeks, though I'll be sure to ask my doctor about it at my appointment on Wednesday.

I mentioned in a previous post that my ultrasound was rescheduled for Wednesday, May 25th.  Well this morning I awoke to a message from the doctor's office asking me to call them as soon as possible.  This threw me into panic mode because I figured that had received the results to the 24 hour urinalysis which I completed last week.  I quickly drew the conclusion that they had found a high level of protein in my urine, the doctor wanted to meet with me immediately, I would likely be diagnosed with pre-eclampsia which would undoubtedly lead to me spending the rest of my pregnancy on bed rest which would then lead to me having to find something to do with Y because I can't possibly take care of an active toddler while on bed rest.  I allowed myself to run through all these possible scenarios for 15 minutes until I finally got up the nerve to return their phone call.  Needless to say all that panic was for naught, they only wanted me to call back so quickly so that they could reschedule my ultrasound for TODAY instead of Wednesday.  It still took a while for my blood pressure to return to normal though, I allow myself to get worked up way too easily!

28 Weeks

We are finally 28 weeks along and have reached the 3rd trimester!!!  This is the final stretch, though the light at the end of the tunnel still seems really far away.  We were scheduled to have an ultrasound this week to check the size of Baby Q at this point but the ultrasound tech had to change her schedule and won't be in the office at the time of my appointment so we just pushed it back a week.

Baby Q is doing a lot of moving around these days, especially when Y thinks it's funny to jump all over me.  One day I'm sure Q will make Y pay for all the abuse she suffered while baking in there.  All else seems to be going well at this point and today we finally snapped a few pictures of me that show my belly a bit more.  I am most definitely "showing" now though I can still hide it if I wear a sweats though I can tell I will quickly lose that ability as well, not that I want to hide it.  I love the fact that I actually look more pregnant these days and wouldn't dream of hiding it!  Though the recent cold weather has brought about the return of said sweatshirts and sweatpants.

26 Week Appointment

Today we had another doctor appointment and everything went pretty well.  My blood pressure was 121/83 which is great, actually the best it's been in my past few visits.  My blood sugar levels were good as well, though he is contemplating having me take a small evening dosage of Glyburide in order to bring my after dinner numbers down to where they should be.

If you remember, during our last pregnancy he also had me take Glyburide but I only lasted for four days because it was lowering my blood sugar levels far too much, to levels that were making me sick.  But I am confident that this time around if I'm only taking it in the evening after dinner when my blood sugar levels are at their highest then it should be okay. 

The most important blood sugar reading is the fasting blood sugar and in that arena I am doing amazingly.  For that reason, and a few others, he now leans more towards me having an insulin resistance than diabetes.  I don't know a whole bunch about insulin resistance but I'll be doing some research to try to learn and figure out more about it. 

Other than that I have to do another 24 hour urinalysis, which I'm not excited about at all.  I wish there were an easier way to test for protein in the urine, I'd honestly just prefer they give me a catheter for 24 hours.  My fundal height is measuring 3 weeks ahead, so around 29 weeks.  In 2 weeks at my next appointment I will also have an ultrasound to figure out the approximate size of Baby Q.  Based on the fact that I'm measuring 3 weeks ahead, I don't hold out much hope that she will be a "small" baby by any means.

Why Quinn??

Ever since we found out the gender of our baby everyone wants to know what we're going to name her.  I always respond with, "Quinn."  We knew shortly after finding out we were pregnant that if the baby was a girl, her name would be Quinn, so there was no big surprise or hesitation on our part.  However, after hearing what we plan to name her I typically receive a second question:  "are you naming her after the girl from Glee?"  This question always caught me off guard no matter how many times it was asked, mostly because I had never watched the show and had no idea there was a girl named Quinn on the show!  But the question peaked my curiosity and so I turned on Netflix and started watching.  I completed the entire first season in just under a week - I loved the show.  But...I would never name my child after a character on a TV show and certainly not one who found herself pregnant in high school by her boyfriend's best friend and then spends half the pregnancy lying to the boyfriend about it.  But I must add, I really did like the show which is evident because I finished 22 episodes in less than a week!

So for anyone left wondering, "Why Quinn?" here goes.

When we first moved here to Metro Detroit I discovered a road named Dequindre (pronounced: Dee-quinn-der).  It's a fairly busy road which covers a lot of ground around here, but that's neither here nor there.  Basically B and I were driving one day and upon passing the street sign on the highway I told B, "if we ever have a little boy I'd love to name him Dequindre."  B's reply was simply that he liked the name "if we didn't live here."  I agreed that it probably wouldn't be a good fit because everyone would probably ask him why he was named after a street or find some way to make fun of him because of it.  (With that said, if we ever move Dequindre would definitely be an option.  Well, maybe not with a sister named Quinn.  Bummer!)  And so since Dequindre was out I set my eyes on Quinn for a little boy but over time I decided that I loved the name for a little girl too.  And so began my petition to convince B that we should name one of our children Quinn.  And if you're wondering, yes this was decided long before Y was born but Y's name has been on my list since I was a teenager and I knew that the first little girl I had would get that name in case I never had another little girl.

I must be honest and admit that TV may have had a partial role in assuring our little girl will be named Quinn though.  B was never big on the name until a female character named Quinn was introduced on one of his favorite shows, One Tree Hill.  Even after that it took a little convincing, but he finally agreed that it was okay for a little girl.  For a boy he wasn't having it, he wanted either Quinten or Quincy which both happen to be names that I don't like...go figure!

Relief

Today I sent B to work with some information (including questions) to fax to my doctor.  I seriously lost sleep last night stressing over our "96th percentile" little girl.  Fortunately, around lunch time I received the much needed call from my doctor and there was such a huge amount of relief felt after the phone call ended.

My after dinner blood glucose readings have been higher than they should be, not extremely high but enough to make me concerned.  I asked him if maybe he thought I should take medication to lower those levels.  He reassured me that my numbers are okay, in fact he said he's surprised by them.  I've told you before that we agreed to just treat me as a diabetic during this pregnancy but he is now thinking that I am not a Type 2 Diabetic at all because my blood glucose levels read like those of a gestational diabetic.  Apparently they are far too low to be considered a Type 2 Diabetic.  So he assured me that not only do I not need to be placed on any medication but that I also just need to give myself a break because my numbers aren't at a level that I should be stressing myself out about them.

The other big question that I had was of course regarding Baby Q being in the 96th percentile.  To this he had a very simple and relaxed answer:  "it's a big baby."  Needless to say his response, aside from being blatantly obvious, caught me off guard.  I'd been stressing about it for the previous 22 hours and he was as cool as a cucumber about it.  He went on to reassure me that 1) it's nothing that I'm doing wrong, 2) there's nothing I can do to change it.  I asked him if he was due to the diabetes or if I was just prone to have big babies and he told me it was the latter.  I did ask him what percentile Y was at 20 weeks and after finding out that she was 95th percentile at this point that was really all I needed to know.  I was then cool as a cucumber after that.

I'm not totally satisfied because my best hope of a successful VBAC is having a smaller baby this time around but my relief comes from knowing that I'm not doing any "harm" to my unborn child.  And knowing that, I'll sleep much better tonight!

It's A...

Today was the big day, we went in for our ultrasound!!  We got lots of good news as well as some news that I find slightly frustrating, but the good definitely outweights the frustrating!

We are very, very pleased to tell you that we're having another little GIRL!!!!!  I've really felt it was a girl from the beginning but over the past few weeks the doubts did begin to creep into my mind.  Either way we would have been overjoyed just to have a healthy baby but for practical reasons we definitely wanted another girl.  With Y being a September baby and this baby being due in August we obviously wanted a girl because of the seasons; all of the clothes we had for Y we can now use with our new little girl, Baby Q!  I was just a bit bummed by it but only because I wouldn't have minded having an excuse to go shopping more for a little boy, but I'm more than content to know it's a girl. 

I received a call shortly before my scheduled appointment time and I was told that the doctor was out sick today so I didn't get to meet with him after the ultrasound.  I was slightly disappointed by this because I had some questions that I wanted to ask my doctor but I'm thinking that I'll just fax them in and have him call me with the answers.  I met with the other doctor in the practice but I don't really feel like I got the answers I was looking for from him.  I guess maybe it's just knowing that my doctor knows my background, and more specifically, he knows ME and can answer my questions in a way that leaves me satisfied.

According to the ultrasound technician Baby Q looks great.  The bit of news that I find frustrating is that she is measuring in the 96th percentile for her estimated fetal weight.  I failed to ask what she was exactly measuring at but after doing some research online I have discovered that for 20 weeks gestation the 90th percentile is 387g, so about 13.65oz.  So my best guess puts her just above that, maybe around 14oz. 

I know it's fairly early on to really be concerned with birth weight but I do believe it will be a major factor in determining whether or not I will have a successful VBAC.  So it's been weighing heavy on my mind today but I am trying hard not to let it get me down.  I cannot recall what Y's measurements were estimated to be at this point but it will definitely be a question to ask the doctor. 

So there's the rundown of our appointment today and here are the pictures which you've probably been wanting to see.  We have some video of her moving around but they have my full name written across the top of them so I'm gonna skip posting those but if you really want to see them I can email them.  I was able to blur out my name, etc. from the pictures.

Pictures:

Pure Bliss

That's really the best phrase I can think of to express the feeling that arises when you start to feel your little one moving about inside of you. This is the moment I have anxiously awaited since finding out we were pregnant, and it has finally arrived! It is truly indescribable to explain what it feels like as well as how much joy it brings.

I first felt movement two nights ago as I was just laying down for bed and for the past couple days that was really the only situation in which I could feel him/her. However, today while laying on the couch I felt more distinct movement and I immediately remembered how those first nudges and flips feel from my pregnancy with Y. I was beyond happy! And finally today after dinner I have been able to feel the movement while sitting upright.

I've been anticipating this day for a while now. With Y I first felt her move at 20 weeks and I know that they generally say you can feel it earlier with your second pregnancy simply because you know what the feeling feels like. Now I just can't wait to take Y's little hand and place it on my belly so that she can feel her sibling kicking and moving. But I realize that is still a few weeks away, but I'll be patient.

This is truly one of the best feeling in the world, second only to holding that precious baby for the first time!

Dreams. Hmmmm....



I came across this picture while searching for a picture
about dreams.  I just thought it was hilarious!

 Everyone seems to say that when you're pregnant you can have some crazy dreams.  Well I must admit that I haven't had any TOTALLY bizarre dreams during either this pregnancy or the last but I have woken up a few times wondering "what the heck???"  So I'm not really sure sometimes what to think about them.  I do believe that at times dreams can be a sneak peek into the future and I also believe that many dreams have meaning.  With that being said I also must admit that I think some dreams are just that...dreams.  No meaning.  No purpose.  Just entertainment.

Many times I wake up and can only remember tiny fragments of a dream or I'll remember it just long enough to ponder it a little but as I start my day it all slips through my fingertips.  It all brings to mind the movie Inception only I don't believe that someone is invading my dreams with the latest technology to implant or extract information into or out of my brain.  But my latest dream does have me pondering just how much we can know/learn from our dreams.  We've all heard of people receiving answers to prayers through dreams or even making major life decisions based on dreams.  Now I must say that nothing in my dreams has given me any great insight into life, love or the pursuit of happiness - it has simply left me curious.  And a bit excited, I will admit.  Maybe I'm reading too much into it but if dreams, or more specifically this particular dream, is any indication of the future...well then ladies and gentlemen:  we're having a girl!!!

Anyway, here's the dream:

I am invited to a brunch, a very fancy brunch.  I have no idea why I'm invited but I am, and kids are allowed.  B is in the dream but for whatever reason he doesn't attend the brunch with us.  So it is just me and two little girls, our daughters.  I do not know a single person at this brunch and as far as I can tell there are people from all backgrounds, lifestyles, etc.  I assume it's springtime because our girls are dressed in spring-like dresses, think Easter.  The brunch is outside and I can see the girls holding hands and running through the grass playing.  Eventually all the adults are seated and we finally meet our host and hostess, it's Barack and Michelle Obama.  While I recall the lawn being very green and well kept I never recall actually seeing the White House but I do recall sitting out on a patio and even going inside a house at times, but I have absolutely no clue what house or even where the house was.  The dream continues as so far as I can tell no one really knows the purpose of the brunch or why they were invited, in fact, I strictly remember feeling as if it was "just because."  I remember mingling with several people and eventually sometime before the end of the brunch I am asked by several people to introduce my children.  This is where it got interesting.  I could see Y as clear and vivid as a cloudless sunny day, she looked to be about 5, I introduced her as herself.  The second little girl, she looked around 2, I also introduced as our daughter but when I looked at her, her face was a complete blur.  I could make out no facial features and when it came to telling everyone her name, I drew a blank.  I vividly remember stressing out in the dream and feeling like a horrible mother because I could not recall my child's name.  No matter how hard I tried to recall it, it would not come to me.  The brunch comes to an end and it seems everyone except me goes up to meet and speak to our hostesses.  I was far too upset to talk to anyone and just sat back and watched while the kids went back to playing in the grass. 

After that I woke up but I even woke up stressing because I couldn't remember my daughter's name or see her face.  And then my thoughts brightened a little.  I began to wonder if maybe I am growing a little girl inside of me and maybe I couldn't see her face because I don't yet know what she looks like and maybe I couldn't recall her name because she hasn't, officially, been given one yet.  I was happy with this thought.  I'd be lying if I also didn't admit that while thinking of this dream throughout the day some negative thoughts entered my brain.  Maybe I couldn't see her face because I had a miscarriage and maybe I couldn't remember her name because she was never given one.  But I decided to focus on the positive and my first instinct.  Who knows, maybe the dream meant absolutely nothing and I'm carrying a baby boy.  Either way, this kid is loved and wanted and is anxiously awaited by not only his/her parents and sister but by an innumerable amount of family and friends.