I will be heading to the operating room in the Carol Jo Vecchie building of St. John's Hospital for a c-section. Part of me will be slightly uncomfortable because I will not have had anything to eat or drink for 10 hours or more, but I won't be focused on that. I will be filled with nervous anticipation knowing that my life is about to change.
It is hard to believe that the time is here and that in less in 24 hours Chris and I will be heading to the hospital.
I still remember seeing the FRER with a positive result in early August and exploding with joy. It is kind of strange because I had such a sense of peace that this baby would be okay and I would carry it to term. God filled me with that peace from the beginning. It doesn't mean I wasn't nervous the whole way that something would go wrong--a miscarriage or incompetent cervix or many other possibilities that crossed my mind. Who would blame me for those fears after losing 3 babies? However, I would always go back to the feeling I had when I first saw the positive pregnancy test. Hope!
I'm so looking forward to meeting Baby G and loving on Baby G. I can't wait to "know" his or her name either. I still have fears and worries. My main concern now is that my baby is healthy. That is all I want is a healthy baby....not so much for my sake, but for my baby's sake. I will take what God gives us with joy, but I hope and pray that the baby is healthy so it can live a long and happy life.
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Thursday, March 24, 2011
9 months
Well, I am officially 9 months pregnant now. I'm 36 weeks and a couple days although my uterus is measuring at 37 weeks. It is hard to believe! Reality is truly beginning to hit now.
I had an appointment with my doctor on Wednesday. Now I will be seeing Dr. Quinn once a week. I only have 2 appointments left to go--next week and the following week. Unreal.
The appt. went quite well. It started with an ultrasound. We were able to see the baby (who is positioned properly with his/her head down) and hear the strong heartbeat (160 bpm). The baby looked fabulous and measured in the 85th percentile at 6 lbs 12 oz. The ultrasound tech reminded us that the weight could be 1 pound off in either direction. And, at this point the baby is growing 1/2 pound a week. So, with 3 weeks to go....we'll have a healthy size baby. Anywhere from 7 1/2 lbs to 9 1/2 pounds. I'm hoping for the lower end of that. ;)
While getting the ultrasound the baby kept moving around, even opening and closing his/her mouth. I loved it! Several pictures were taken (they are posted at the end of this post). One even showed us some hair. When I asked if that was the normal amount, the sonographer indicated that they usually only see a few wisps and it is quite possible that our baby will have a headful of hair when born. Wow!
After the ultrasound, we saw the doctor. We did the basics (measuring the uterus and Doppler), plus a group B strep culture. She also checked the cervix. It seems I am between 30-50% effaced and 1 cm dilated. I did notice this morning that my mucus plug seems to be coming out (lovely discharge). That means I'm probably getting more effaced. Also, when I walk, I feel like the baby might "fall out." I know that isn't possible, but it is a funky feeling. Anyhow, I guess that means the baby could come any time, from now until the scheduled c-section on April 14.
The last thing we discussed with the doctor was the c-section a bit more in depth than we had in the past. In my 20s, I had major trauma and internal bleeding which required exploratory surgery. So....I have a long scar going down my belly already. I joked for years that I would love to get the "normal" c-section cut (horizontal) so I could have an anchor on my belly. The doctor told me that she won't be doing that. She will need to cut along the scar tissue. The main issue is that if she makes a brand new cut (the normal cut for c-sections), it could further weaken the area of my abs and even make it more likely that I would develop complications (like a hernia). I did ask if I could have regular stitches instead of staples. Dr. Quinn said no. She did say that had this been my first abdominal surgery she probably would have done stitches, but since I've got the scar, they will need to do staples to best put things back together, essentially. Oh well. I tried. ;)
Our next appointment is this coming Wednesday. It should be a quickie appointment where she addresses any concerns, does the Doppler, and measures me. Nothing too exciting, really. The only excitement now is the knowledge that I will meet my baby very soon! I can't wait to hold and love on our baby! :-)
I had an appointment with my doctor on Wednesday. Now I will be seeing Dr. Quinn once a week. I only have 2 appointments left to go--next week and the following week. Unreal.
The appt. went quite well. It started with an ultrasound. We were able to see the baby (who is positioned properly with his/her head down) and hear the strong heartbeat (160 bpm). The baby looked fabulous and measured in the 85th percentile at 6 lbs 12 oz. The ultrasound tech reminded us that the weight could be 1 pound off in either direction. And, at this point the baby is growing 1/2 pound a week. So, with 3 weeks to go....we'll have a healthy size baby. Anywhere from 7 1/2 lbs to 9 1/2 pounds. I'm hoping for the lower end of that. ;)
While getting the ultrasound the baby kept moving around, even opening and closing his/her mouth. I loved it! Several pictures were taken (they are posted at the end of this post). One even showed us some hair. When I asked if that was the normal amount, the sonographer indicated that they usually only see a few wisps and it is quite possible that our baby will have a headful of hair when born. Wow!
After the ultrasound, we saw the doctor. We did the basics (measuring the uterus and Doppler), plus a group B strep culture. She also checked the cervix. It seems I am between 30-50% effaced and 1 cm dilated. I did notice this morning that my mucus plug seems to be coming out (lovely discharge). That means I'm probably getting more effaced. Also, when I walk, I feel like the baby might "fall out." I know that isn't possible, but it is a funky feeling. Anyhow, I guess that means the baby could come any time, from now until the scheduled c-section on April 14.
The last thing we discussed with the doctor was the c-section a bit more in depth than we had in the past. In my 20s, I had major trauma and internal bleeding which required exploratory surgery. So....I have a long scar going down my belly already. I joked for years that I would love to get the "normal" c-section cut (horizontal) so I could have an anchor on my belly. The doctor told me that she won't be doing that. She will need to cut along the scar tissue. The main issue is that if she makes a brand new cut (the normal cut for c-sections), it could further weaken the area of my abs and even make it more likely that I would develop complications (like a hernia). I did ask if I could have regular stitches instead of staples. Dr. Quinn said no. She did say that had this been my first abdominal surgery she probably would have done stitches, but since I've got the scar, they will need to do staples to best put things back together, essentially. Oh well. I tried. ;)
Our next appointment is this coming Wednesday. It should be a quickie appointment where she addresses any concerns, does the Doppler, and measures me. Nothing too exciting, really. The only excitement now is the knowledge that I will meet my baby very soon! I can't wait to hold and love on our baby! :-)
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| Baby G waving to everyone! Loving those fingers! |
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| A blurry profile shot...Baby G kept opening and closing his/her mouth! |
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| Face---I love that chipmunk cheek! |
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| Lots of hair, it looks like. |
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
So Surreal
Even though I am only 23 days from giving birth to Baby G, it doesn't feel real yet. In fact, the idea of being a mom feels completely surreal. Maybe it is because I have wanted to be a mom for so long (the last 19 years). Or, maybe it is because I had 3 losses and I'm still partly afraid something will go wrong. And, maybe it is because it is hard to imagine life with a baby that I can't quite picture in my mind yet (since I don't know what he or she will look like until April 14). I'm not sure what is causing this surreal feeling.
What I do know is that I've been pregnant for what seems like forever. 9 months is really a long time. I've gone through everything with being pregnant. I've had loads of morning sickness---that finally seems to be going away completely (yay!). I've had spotting. I started feeling the baby move in small bits around 15 weeks, and now I feel bigger movements that sometimes wake me (it seems Baby G is trying to find his/her way out by force. LOL!). The lovely "mask of pregnancy" adorns my neck, especially the right side of it. I've had acid reflux. That is a lot of fun....I love waking up because I just threw up in my mouth. I can't go to sleep again then until I eat some Tums and things settle down. Oh, and drool. I read early on that I would likely have more saliva. I had no idea how much. Wow!
Then there are the obvious things like seeing your baby on ultrasounds and hearing the heartbeat on Dopplers or on a fetal monitor for 3 hours. So, I do know that there is a baby that is arriving, but I can't seem to shake the feeling that it won't feel real until I have the baby in my arms. I still continue to hope and pray that our baby will be born healthy and strong. I want to hold and love on my baby so badly. 3 weeks seems so close yet so far away. I can't wait! :-)
What I do know is that I've been pregnant for what seems like forever. 9 months is really a long time. I've gone through everything with being pregnant. I've had loads of morning sickness---that finally seems to be going away completely (yay!). I've had spotting. I started feeling the baby move in small bits around 15 weeks, and now I feel bigger movements that sometimes wake me (it seems Baby G is trying to find his/her way out by force. LOL!). The lovely "mask of pregnancy" adorns my neck, especially the right side of it. I've had acid reflux. That is a lot of fun....I love waking up because I just threw up in my mouth. I can't go to sleep again then until I eat some Tums and things settle down. Oh, and drool. I read early on that I would likely have more saliva. I had no idea how much. Wow!
Then there are the obvious things like seeing your baby on ultrasounds and hearing the heartbeat on Dopplers or on a fetal monitor for 3 hours. So, I do know that there is a baby that is arriving, but I can't seem to shake the feeling that it won't feel real until I have the baby in my arms. I still continue to hope and pray that our baby will be born healthy and strong. I want to hold and love on my baby so badly. 3 weeks seems so close yet so far away. I can't wait! :-)
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