Thursday, April 30, 2009

everything looks good

I still haven't gotten around to scanning the newest pictures, but I will this weekend. However, I had (yet another) doctor's appointment today. It was just a check up so nothing major but everything looks good. All my blood work is back in and everything is looking perfect! :) I have some other scan in 2 weeks and another appointment in 4 weeks...until then... I think I want another doughnut. and maybe some ice cream. or a bagel...

Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Freak me out, why don't ya!

I was supposed to have another Dr's appointment on Monday afternoon, ended up being an ultrasound appointment Monday Morning.

Monday morning I'm going about my busy life at school. Crazy kids and crazy amounts of paperwork when all of a sudden my cell phone rings. Crap, I forgot to turn it off again.

I noticed it was my doctor's office calling so I answer.

"Hello. We need to reschedule your appointment for today. The doctor won't be in today."
"Oh man, really? I really needed to see her."
"Well, she won't be in at all today."
"OK, can we make it for first thing in the morning?"
"Is there something wrong that you need to see her for? I'm seeing that this is just a scheduled check-up."
"Yes, hold on, I'm in my classroom, let me walk out." Nod to the other teacher in the room who understands and takes over.
"OK, I'm back. A few days ago I tripped and fell to my knees. I didn't think too much of it because I'm a clutz and everything seemed OK, no cramping or bleeding or anything. But then last night I noticed I was spotting just a little and I wanted the doctor to check it out just to be safe."
"You shouldn't be working if you are bleeding after a fall! You need to go home and lay down!!"
"Well it was just a little spot. And I wasn't that concerned because I fell last Wednesday so it was several days apart."
"Hold on a second please."
"Yes, the Doctor wants you to go home, we will schedule you an unltrasound at (another doctor's) office. Do you know where that is?"
"Yes, it's right by the hospital right?"
"Yes, I'll call you back and let you know when the appointment is. Go home ad lay down."
"Uh, OK, thanks."
"Bye"
"Bye"

So even though I wasn't freaking out too much about it before, now I am. I call hubby in a panic, wake him up tell him what's up, go to my principal (tell her that one of my kids is going off and just hit the other teacher, as well as) that I needed to leave and why. About this time the doctor's office calls back with an ultrasound appointment for me in less than an hour and a half. Wow, that's soon, I must have reason to panic now!

I fly home, crying, call Hubby again, wake him up again, and tell him that he has to go with me. He of course agrees and gets up and is showered and dressed by the time I get home.

They call me right in when I get there and the baby looks fine. Good heartbeat, moving around (Hubby said it looked like he/she was trying to do sit-ups already) and everything was fine. The nurse said the placenta was a little low but nothing to worry about as it would pick back up in the next few weeks. All in all, my nerves were calmed again... and I got to see my baby again! :)

They said that it MIGHT have been possible to tell the sex at this stage but we weren't able to yet so we will just have to wait until 20 weeks.

I have some ultrasound pictures, but I haven't scanned them yet. When I'll do I'll put a few of the really cute ones up!

Thursday, April 23, 2009

The cat is out of the bag!

My students crack me up!

One of my lower functioning younger students overheard one of the other teachers say something to me about my pregnancy. It was then repeated later in the cafeteria.... and in line... and in other classes... and all over the school! Eventually my older (6th grade) students started giggling behind my back - they just had the whole sex ed/health talk not long ago.

A few brave souls have come up to me and either asked in whispers, "Are you pregnant?" or started off with the more self preserving, "Someone told me that..."

Their reactions were just as funny as their asking was. Most of the girls were happy and hugged me while most of the boys (who came usually in groups), started laughing and punching each other playfully saying, "I told ya so!" When I confirmed it for one boy in particular, his response was "Bow chicka wah wah!" as he walked off.

During 6th grade math remediation today, one of my more...ahem..."active" boys was doing his normal (unmedicated ADHD) thing. When I said name is a less than perfectly calm manner (as it had not been the first time I called his name in the 30 minutes I had him), he looked up at me and yelled, "Mrs. A, don't stress the baby!" to which he was rewarded by the giggles and laughs of his classmates (and yes, he eventually got me to giggle at that one too).

Friday, April 17, 2009

No running

This is a post that I meant to write several days ago. Monday or Tuesday to be exact, but life got in the way. Ok, maybe not so much life as my bed...

We went back to the doctor on Monday. Wasn't great news, but it could have been worse so I'll do what I have to do. Apparently I have chronic hypertension. High Blood Pressure in other words.

Hmmm, so what does this mean doc? Well first of all, I have to take (more) meds, ya know, on top of the gigantic prenatals I'm already taking. OK, not so bad, I can handle that, it's just a matter of remembering to take them.

It also means more frequent doctors visits. For the next month that means more time off of work, but during the summer it'll be no biggie. But then I'll have to go back to work...

I'll have to go see a specalist who works/lives 2 hours away but comes as close as one hour away once a month or so. yippee... more drive time.

There is a risk of bedrest. My first reaction was "oh no...pleeeeeease don't tell me I have to stay in bed all day" >loaded with sarcasm< but then I realized that this would again mean time off of work, not that I wouldn't love to be away from work some. I just want to be paid my regular paycheck while I'm not working :(

And then there is the reason for all of these precautions. My baby could be in danger. The placenta is only supposed to be in place for the 40 weeks it takes to create life. HBP beats up the placenta and wears it down so that it is "all used up" earlier than the 40 weeks which could cause me to go into early labor risking the baby. There were some other possibilities too but that is the first one she talked about so it was the one that stuck in my head.

The worst though, was when she told me I couldn't run. No running, no walking, no exercising of any sort that will raise my heart rate. I almost cried! Maternity yoga is all she said I can do. Guess I'll have to do yoga in that cute little maternity running skirt I just bought!

Friday, April 10, 2009

Was that a kick or am I just still woozy?

Yesterday, although not a scheduled Dr. appointment, I had to hit the Health Plex and get some blood work done. Before I went, the nurse practitioner at my Doctor's office said I didn't need to fast and that they would take quite a bit of blood so I might want to go ahead and eat pretty good before I went. She was laughing as she said it so I took it as a joke.

I shouldn't have.

10 vials! That's how much blood they took! 10! TEN! Diez! Dix! (OK that's the extent of my I-can-count-to-ten-in-[whatever language]) What could they possibly be testing that they would need 10 vials of my blood AND my pee in a cup?! After this, my doctor ought to have a full medical history and be able to tell me what I had to eat that day.

Luckily the woman who was taking my pound of blood was very nice ad personable, not to mention professional and very good at what she was doing. I hardly felt the needle go in my arm and she talked to me the entire time she was draining me to keep me from thinking about the wooziness I was experiencing due to the loss of blood.

Afterwards, Chris treated me to a chocolate milkshake :)

Later that night, I was laying on the couch when I felt something... strange. Butterflies? No, not quite. More like fish swimming and hitting me with their tails. What the heck was that? It was just blow my belly button to the left. The doctor told me that I could possibly start feeling the baby kick, especially with how active the baby was the day we had the scan, however, most women mistake the feeling for gas.

But then again, this is my husband's child so it could be that the child is gassy! ;)

Thursday, April 9, 2009

I have to laugh at today's Bible verse:

Drink no longer water, but use a little wine for thy stomach's sake.- 1 Timothy v. 23.

I know that "back in the day" the water wasn't all that good to drink and wine was actually safer, but really, is that the best Bible verse they can find for a PREGNANT woman today? hahaha :)

Then again, perhaps today's verse isn't for me after all. Perhaps it is for my husband. It is quite possible that he needs a glass of wine (or two) to deal with my hormonal moods and random food cravings!

Wednesday, April 8, 2009

First baby pictures


Yesterday we went to have the genetic testing done and it was one of the most exciting days I've ever had! We got to see our baby moving around, and hear the heartbeat - 175bpm! It was so amazing to know he (or she!) is moving around and doing well inside there! The baby was moving so much that the nurse was laughing and having a hard time getting pictures and getting the measurements before he (or she) would move again! I told Chris that our child is definitely going to be an athlete - runner and/or swimmer for sure. He just laughed and said that it is definitely MY child because it couldn't get comfortable and was restless! I'm so thankful that they gave us some pictures to take home... our first baby pictures!

Even though I had guessed that I was about 13 weeks, the sonogram found that I am probably only about 12 weeks, which makes since to me since I've never been very regular. This puts me at an expected due date for my lil punkin of about Oct 20th.

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

first doctor's appointment

Well we made it to the doctor's appointment today and although we didn't actually see the doctor, the nurse practitioner we saw was excellent and answered all of our questions very well. We found out that our doctor is not one who jumps too quickly to C-sections, which is a very good thing! We also received a large bag of goodies and info to look through on everything from the hospital where I will deliver to breastfeeding. She was also able to get us an appointment with another Doctor to do genetic testing for disorders such as Downs Syndrome. We would never terminate just because of a disability, but we decided we wanted to do it for two reasons. 1) To ease any nerves or be prepared if the tests come back positive and 2) to get a chance to see the baby a week earlier! The genetic testing includes a sonogram as well as finger prick so we are very excited about getting to see our baby next week rather than waiting until the 13th.