A Little Scare and a Trip to Labor & Delivery

Well, I just got back from the hospital - I spent the night in Labor & Delivery last night :(. After my appointment yesterday, I ran to 2 stores trying to locate the support brace for my abdominal pull before I started my mild bedrest orders, and by the time I got home, I was in EXCRUCIATING pain. Even with the support on, it kept getting worse. By 4:00, I could barely move, and I was so miserable. I started to wonder if I was also having contractions (my belly kept feeling tight) but then I thought it was just the support belt I was wearing. I remained pretty uncomfortable no matter where I was sitting.

Elliot and I went up to bed around 1:30, and when I got into bed, I couldn't get comfortable. I started to realize that I was having contractions . . . about every 2-3 minutes. We started to time them to be sure, and I tried drinking water to see if that would chase them away. At 2:00, I decided it was time to call the midwife. I was told I could try drinking more fluids for 1/2 hr, but then to go to labor and delivery if they didn't stop. Part of me couldn't decide if I was being crazy but we decided to go on in and get checked. I was a little concerned they were going to hook me up, laugh at me and tell me I was having gas pains or something ridiculous like that.

Good thing, we went in . . I was having pretty intense contractions every 2-4 minutes. They had me on the monitor (and my midwife was so nice and considerate of my needle phobia - she agreed not to immediately put me on an IV if I would drink 40 ozs of water, and she gave me the anti-contraction medicine orally). Luckily, the meds worked, and about 1/2 hr later, everything receded. They kept me there for observation the rest of the night. I was released about 1 hr ago to a day of bedrest and I have more anti-contraction medication I'm supposed to take. The good news is there were no significant cervical changes, and the baby is fine, but I'm just exhausted!

I was getting worried about having this baby at 28 weeks. They did a vaginal swab test to assess my risk of preterm labor (apparently they can detect a protein that is 90% accurate in predicting labor in the following 2 weeks). Those results won't be back until today or tomorrow. I have to take the meds as long as I have contractions, and if the meds don't control the contractions, I'll have to go back to the hospital. I have to go back for another checkup next week. If they start to see any cervical changes, I'll be put on bedrest, and if the swab test comes back positive, they may admit me to try and keep me from going in to labor.

So . . . that is my update. I'm going to nap now. Let's hope this is just one of those things, aggravated by the UTI and the abdominal pull! I'm NOT ready to have this baby yet. The good news is we are now pre-registered for when I really do go into labor.

28 week appt

I'm trying to stay positive, but today was a slightly rough day for me. It was my 28 week appointment - fairly routine, gestational diabetes test scheduled, and not much else to worry about. HOWEVER, last night, I began to realize that the dull ache on the side of my abdomen that had been bothering me since Sunday had escalated to the point of excruciating. After much debate, DH & I decided I should tough it out until our appointment this morning.

I arrive for my appointment, and quickly discover that the nurse forgot to give me the glucola to drink at home BEFORE my appointment. So, at the appointment I have to quickly inhale the horrific orange goop without vomiting (quite a task), and then sit and wait an hour so they can draw my blood. We went into the room for my appointment, and then things went downhill. The good news is, the baby's heartbeat was great, and I'm measuring right on target. I did not gain any weight again, but this midwife seemed totally unconcerned by my lack of weight gain, so I did escape the yelling/lecture. We quickly moved on to more "fun" subjects . . . including the return of my UTI. Yup, it is back. Or perhaps it never left this last time. And my numbers were through the roof - the infection just keeps getting worse. So, I'm being placed back on antibiotics . . . for the rest of this pregnancy. Fun, huh?

So, after discussing my lovely UTI, I brought up the pain in my abdomen. After some discussion and a quick check, I was informed that I have pulled a muscle in my abdomen. I have to go out and buy an abdominal support brace, which she thinks I'll have to wear for the remainder of the pregnancy :(. I'm definitely not pleased about that either. And it looks like I have to drop out of yoga class now, too :(.

Next bit of fun? We talked about my morning sickness and other tummy issues I've been having . . . and I was basically told there isn't much more we can do. I'm supposed to stay away from fiber/veggies (haven't heard that one too often, right?) and understand that the antibiotics will probably just make it worse.

So then it was off to visit with the nurse to have my blood drawn. Let's just say she was not quite adept at drawing blood. Four (yes, I said 4) stabs later, and lots of moving the needle around, she finally got the blood, but it involved tears and hysteria from me. I have good veins . . . any competent phlebotomist should be able to draw blood from me without incident. I was really unhappy today, pretty worked up, and now I look like a junkie with track marks. It is days like this that it is difficult to keep the thrill of being pregnant and not get caught up in the bad stuff. Let's just hope the test comes back negative and I can at least avoid having to do the 3 hour test!

A registry!

We did it . . . we finally started a registry yesterday at Buy, Buy, Baby! Yes, we have been putting it off, and no it isn't anywhere close to complete, but we started it! Elliot was a bit of a maniac with the gun . . . if he could shoot it, I think he put it on the registry. Of course, he has no idea that I have the power of edit on the web site, so many of the items he placed on there may have "magically" disappeared. He initially registered me for 4 different breast pumps! I think Elliot can't wait to go back so he can have the gun again for more play time. He is also currently obsessed with strollers - I'm not exactly sure what the fascination is about, but he can't stop investigating strollers, and was quite upset that I wouldn't go inspect and select the strollers yesterday.

We still want to start another registry at Great Beginnings, and we may put some things online at Target or Babies R Us, too, to make it easier for out-of-town friends and family, but we finally got the ball rolling. We also went ahead yesterday and bought a reclining chair for our living room - so that will complete our living room furniture. We still need to go back to Great Beginnings and pick out a glider, but we hope to do that this week.

As for me . . . . today I am 28 weeks pregnant! Overall, I'm feeling well. This little guy is kicking up a storm. For some reason, he seems to have a fascination with my cervix - he continually likes to poke it and make me uncomfortable. I'm sure when I tell him that during his teenage years, he'll turn bright red with humiliation and say "eww, mom, do you have to say things like that!" Is it wrong that I am looking forward to embarassing him like that one day? I also have a pain in the lower right side of my abdomen - I hope it is nothing, but it is extremely uncomfortable. I guess I probably pulled a muscle or something . . . I think it started yesterday - I'll have the midwife check it out at our appointment tomorrow! Here is my latest belly shot, taken today:


Tomorrow we go back to the midwife for my gestational diabetes test (wish me luck!) and a regular checkup. As of tomorrow, we will now be on a 2-week appointment schedule. I can't believe how the time is flying! Now . . . if only we could get those renovations on the house finished, we'd really be in business!

On another note, I'm obsessing about my dog, Nugget, again. She has skin and allergy issues, so back in July, I switched her to a high-quality grain-free diet. I'd tried all the other tricks, but read an article indicating that many dog skin allergies may be caused by the grains in commercial dog foods. I think her skin has been better, but she has also had a skin infection that won't quite go away, and has been on antibiotics, so it is hard to tell. My one worry with the new diet is that it is very high in fat, and I was afraid she would gain weight. Today I took her to the vet, and we have to go back on antibiotics for the skin infection. But, I learned that she did put on a bit of weight - maybe .4 lbs. So, of course, I'm wondering what to do next! I'm not ready to give up on this grain-free diet, but I don't want to make her fat, either. I think Elliot is ready to kill me for obsessing this much over dog food.

After our appointment, I went to the pet food store (since we are almost out of dog food anyway), and found a different grain-free brand that has a low-fat version, but of course, it is even lower in fat than the food she was on before switching to this diet (and if the fat content is too low, it can give dogs dry skin and make them itch!). So . . . I couldn't decide what to do! I know it isn't a good idea to change dog food too many times, but I also want to do what is best for Nugget! I can't believe how indecisive I'm being! So, I was an overwhelmed pregnant lady in the dog food store today. The saleswoman kept making suggestions, and all I wanted to do was strangle her. First, since the new dog food we've been on has double the calories of her previous food, she suggested cutting my dog's food intake in half. Great idea . . . when you are dealing with a big dog. My dog is tiny - and only gets 3/4 c. food per day. And she is already pissed about that, because back in her younger days, I used to give her more like 1 1/4 c. per day. She now KNOWS when I cheat her out of even just one piece of kibble, and is not afraid to cause a raucous if she doesn't get her share. She has made it quite clear she will not tolerate any more reductions in quantity, caloric count be damned! And my favorite comment from the saleswoman - why don't you let your dog taste the new brand and decide which she likes better? Um, yeah, my dog will eat rabbit poo, vomit, and dead frogs - exactly WHAT makes you think she has discriminating taste and will "prefer" one over the other - it is food, she'll eat it (or rather inhale it), probably within about 3 seconds after I place it in her bowl!

So, after coming home and doing some research, and discovering that this new low-fat dog food also was given 6 stars by a pet food analysis web site (that I've decided is reliable and have been consulting for the past few years), I decided that perhaps we will try switching to the new low-fat grain-free dog food. For some reason, I felt the need to share this piece of information with Elliot - whose response was the classic "okay." Men! He could have at least feigned interest in my momentous decision. I might even be able to give her closer to 1 full cup a day, so she will probably love that. Do you think Nugget realizes how much agony I go through for her? And to think she gets pissed at me when I put the food down 5 minutes late.

Oh . . . and here is a pic of my adorable spoiled princess:

The best phone call!

Tonight, my 2 year old niece, Paige, decided to give me a call, just to talk! Okay, she had help . . . apparently, she asked my brother all evening if she could call "Aunt Jess." I can't stop grinning - she said hi to me when I answered the phone, and we talked about how she went to school today, and that she was going to be taking a bath. It is so cool to be able to speak to her on the phone now! I can't believe what a big girl she is becoming!

Third Trimester!!

I can't believe it . . . today is the first day of the 3rd trimester for me! It is unreal how far we've come, and I'm so excited to meet this little guy in a few months. I'm surprised by how fast this pregnancy is going, and just looking forward to becoming a mom!

In other news, this little baby finally decided to cooperate and let Grammy feel him kicking a few days ago. I can tell how big and strong he is becoming - his kicks are growing in strength, and I'm feeling him everywhere from my ribs on down!

Update on me - everything is progressing well. I go back for a repeat urinalysis this week so they can tell me I still have a UTI and put me back on antibiotics (this is what is meant by positive thinking, right?). My indigestion has kicked into high gear, and the medicines no longer seem to work. Ah well, one more thing I can hold over this little one's head when he grows up! Nevertheless, my endless craving for macaroni and cheese persists. While previously a fan of good ole' Kraft mac-n-cheese (it's the cheesiest!), I have recently discovered Stouffer's Macaroni and Cheese and seem to have moved on to this new obsession. Pre-pregnancy, I never would have allowed myself to eat such a fat-laden concoction, but I seem to have a get-out-of-jail-free card with respect to calories right now. My biggest complaint is that it takes over an hour to cook! Don't they understand that is torture for a pregnant woman? At least Kraft is ready in under 10 minutes! Regardless, the thick cheesey sauce seems to be hitting the spot these days. My only complaint is that I think they should make the 10-person size bigger . . . it makes me feel awful that they advertise the portion for 10 people and well . . . let's just say it doesn't take me 10 days to eat the whole thing!

I've been trying to be so good about avoiding carbs and unnecessary fat this pregnancy, but ever since my last appointment (when they yelled at me to gain weight) I've been eating all kinds of junk! Probably not what they had in mind, huh? I'm still not gaining weight (I've always wondered what is what like to have a metabolism like Elliot), but with my luck, I'll have given myself gestational diabetes the past few weeks. We shall see!

As many of you know, tonight begins Rosh Hashana. What a perfect day for us to begin the 3rd trimester! In preparation for the holiday, I spent yesterday making homemade applesauce, an apple pie, and kugel for our family dinner tonight. Unfortunately, I could have killed Elliot when I first entered the kitchen to start cooking . . . he has a way of overstuffing our fridge/freezer, so there was no room for me to put any of the vats of applesauce away! Also, he left me with a dirty pot with caked on/burnt black beans all over the bottom so I had to scrub the damn thing for 3 hours before I could even attempt to make the applesauce. He did apologize and try to make up for it by stopping off at the grocery store for me on his way home. He also helped a bit with the pie - he used our apple peeler/corer/slicer and cut up the apples for me while I was rolling out the pie crust. I'm at least glad he loves to cook, and he always tries to help me in the kitchen while I'm baking. It was a long, exhausting day, but the food looks delicious!