Welcome Baby Zoey!

I left for my doctor's appointment Thursday morning fully expecting to be home a few hours later. Little did I know I'd be spending the next three days at the hospital!
I had my regular non stress test scheduled at 8:30 that morning and it started out like routine. The nurse started the ultrasound and measured my amniotic fluid but looked concerned. She had another nurse come over and repeat the test and verified that I had almost no amniotic fluid left. This wasn't startling to me because I thought I had been leaking for a few days and knew it wasn't dangerous so long as I minimized the risks for infection. The problem was that when they started the monitors, they noticed that the baby's heart rate would drop quite a bit when I had contractions. This meant the lack of fluids was likely making the cord compress with each contraction. They immediately sent me down to labor and delivery to wait for my doctor. At this point I was still fully convinced I would be going home shortly after my Dr examined me...
They hooked up the monitors and the previous pattern continued. My Dr finally came down and explained to me why she thought it would be best to induce labor. I tried to find other options to avoid pitocin but it appeared that was the only option other than leave the hospital against medical advice. Jon and I talked it over and decided that although it wasn't how we'd planned things and I was a bit scared of the pitocin, the most import thing was getting Zoey here safely so we agreed to the Dr's plan.
The resident came in first and ruptured the membrane that was left near the cervix so her head could rest against it and help me dilate. Then they started the IV and away we went. I'll post again with the labor story when I get a chance.
Long story short, 10.5 hrs later and after an hour and a half of pushing, Zoey was finally here! I was so excited to see her and to be done (with the pregnancy and delivery) and I was also so proud of myself for doing it without pain medicine!
Zoey was just perfect. She was alert and responsive after delivery and breastfed within about 20 minutes. She got 9's on her apgar scores and didn't cry at all except for her initial greeting. She weighed 6 lbs, 15.5 oz and measured 20.5 in long.
There will be more to come but that's the short of it. Now we're working on adapting to life outside the womb...

What a Week!

Well, it has been quite the week! In one week alone I had 4 doctor’s appointments and 2 baby showers! It was a little exhausting, but lots of fun. Let’s start with the week of doctors.

First appointment of the week was with my OB on Monday. She was a bit rushed as she had an impending delivery downstairs, but it was still a good appointment. She measured my belly and said that I was measuring at 38 ½ weeks which was 2 ½ weeks ahead! I was a little worried that meant that Zoey was getting really big but I’ll get to that appointment in a bit. She looked over my glucose levels and suggested that I try stopping the glyburide for a while to see if I could manage the levels on my own. I tried it out and ended up with several high readings so I decided to start taking them again and voila, problem solved. Lesson learned, take my pills.

I had an NST on Tuesday morning. It went well as per routine and the amniotic fluid levels look normal.

Next up with the dermatologist on Wednesday. Since stopping the prednisone a few weeks ago, the PUPPPS rash has been back and certainly causing me lots of itching. The dermatologist took a look and agreed that it’s still the same problem and gave me another prescription for steroid cream to use on the itchy areas when I need it. So far I’ve done pretty well with it and have refrained from scratching enough that it actually feels like it’s getting better! I can’t tell you how much of a relief that is. He also mentioned that he thinks that the previous rash being on my arms and legs and feet was likely Prurigo gestationis on top of the PUPPPS on my abdomen and thighs.

I did a little research on it and found that it’s likely a form of eczema flare up and the description says that it’s worse on the limbs and at night which is exactly what I felt. I remembered that when I was a kid I used to have a real problem with eczema flare ups, especially when I would eat eggs and orange juice. And guess what I’ve been eating for breakfast every morning? Yup, eggs and orange juice. I’m still not willing to change foods because that’s about the only thing I can eat lots of on the diabetes diet, but if the rash comes back on my limbs I’m sure I’ll try anything.

My last appointment of the week was at the Maternal Fetal Medicine Dept on Friday. First they did an ultrasound to determine how big Zoey is. They measured her head, abdomen and femur and then put all the measurements together to estimate her weight. The computer said that she likely weighs 5 pounds, 12 ounces. Yay! She’s just the right size (they said measuring right on schedule) and not too big which is always a concern with Gestational Diabetes. If she gains a half pound per week until she’s born, she’ll be about 7 ½ lbs at birth which is right about where Jon and I both were.

The doctor also told us something that I found interesting and really cool too. He said that Zoey is likely to be left-handed. I had no idea that handedness developed as a fetus but apparently it does! The doc (who is this really cool guy who’s been an OB since like the 70’s and has seen it all) said that he sees very few women who carry with the baby oriented to the mother’s right side, most are with the baby oriented toward the mother’s left side. He said that the orientation leaves one had more free to move around and develop and the baby usually seems to prefer that free hand and that’s the hand that they prefer after birth. Way cool! There are more lefties that have IQ’s over 140 than righties so I’m anticipating my daughter to be a genius!

After the ultrasound, I got to switch rooms to get another NST. It was normal as usual but Zoey was moving around a lot so it was hard for them to get a baseline heart rate. The nurse was a little ridiculous though and left us looked up to the monitors for over 40 minutes! I was a little annoyed but not nearly as much as Jon was. He didn’t have a snack with him and the hungry monster came out. At least it was the last apt of the week. This week I’m back to my normal 3 – OB and 2 NSTs. This week we start with the exams to see if I’m dilating!

So on top of all this fun-ness I got some real fun this week. My coworkers threw me a Baby Shower/Open House on Wednesday afternoon. It was a blast! I got tons of awesome presents, clothes, diapers, toys, books, blankets, bath items, you name it! I have some wonderfully awesome coworkers and I appreciate the gifts so much!

Then on Saturday my mom and my sisters threw me a baby shower for family and some family friends. It was so much fun! We played a lot of fun games and everyone was having a really good time. We also measured my belly as part of a game (they guessed how big my belly was by cutting a ribbon to length) and I unfortunately found out that my belly is 46 ¼ inches around right now. I was hoping to avoid knowing how big I actually was, but oh well. I got tons and tons of great stuff for Zoey from my family. My parents got us a travel system that is awesome. The cats think that it is theirs to play in right now and enjoy being pushed around the living room. We also got clothes galore! She is going to be one very well dressed baby. We got lots and lots of other things for her too like blankets (many adorable homemade blankies!), burp cloths, books, pacifiers, a baby monitor, thermometer, toys and many more things that I just can’t think of right now. With all of that, I think that we’re just about ready to have a baby!

Holy Freaking Dr's Apts Batman

So I now officially have the most doctor’s appointments that I think that I could have without actually being hospitalized! (knock on wood that they don’t give me more!) Next week I have an appointment every day of the week, save Thursday. OB Monday, NST Tuesday, Dermatologist Wednesday, NST and Ultrasound at Maternal Fetal Medicine Friday. I think that I may have to temporarily change my schedule to 11-7.

Well here’s the latest news from all those appointments. I am apparently measuring two weeks ahead according to my OB. This is just based on her using a ruler to measure the fundal height of my uterus though, so it’s not too terribly scientific. That’s why I have the ultrasound scheduled next week so that they can try to gauge how big she is. That’s also not too terribly scientific as they told my boss their baby was around 7 ½ lbs and she came out a 5 lbs 13 oz. It still makes me think that she may decide to come early though… we’ll see.

On a not so good note, the PUPPPS rash has returned hence the impending visit to the dermatologist. My belly and my chest and to a lesser extent, my thighs and upper arms have all been itching like crazy. I’m not in the extreme itchy, must have ice packs and take two showers a day mode yet, but I really really hope that I don’t go there again. I don’t think that I can be on the prednisone again, especially since it raised my blood sugar levels so much, so I think that I’m stuck with the topical creams for the time being.

Speaking of blood sugars, mine are finally looking great after being off the prednisone for a week. I’ve only had two highs and they weren’t really all that high. The doc thinks it’s best to stay on the diabetes meds for now because it’s such a low dose and I seem to be doing just right on them.

In other news, there’s only 5 weeks left! I seriously can’t believe it sometimes. I don’t feel this impending “doom” feeling for lack of a better way to explain it. I kinda feel like just saying, “Eh, whatever. If something happens I’ve got plenty of time to get stuff done or I can just do stuff later.” It’s weird. I’m such a Type A plan things to death person but for some reason I’m not motivated to pack a bag for the hospital or get Zoey’s clothes and sheets washed and put away or anything. I’m waiting for the nesting instinct to kick in, but I’m starting to doubt that I’ll get it. Maybe like a day or two before she’s born I’ll just get in a mode and go a little crazy. That sounds more like me.

Jon seems to be making up for my lackadaisical attitude lately and he’s making lists for everything and re-reading the natural childbirth book (and putting post-it tabs in it!). I think that he’s hit that “Oh my god, we’re really having a baby” mode and wants to get everything ready to go now. I think it’s great! The more he plans and prepares and gets stuff done, the more I can lay back on the couch and get some much needed relaxation!

More Updates

Okay, so as promised here are my latest and greatest updates to share with you all. I had my 33 week checkup on Monday. Yes, I have to go in every week right now… it’s a little annoying, but I’m glad to know that I am getting such great care. My doc seemed pleased with my glucose numbers. The fasting numbers have been getting better and almost all of my post meal readings have been in range. She still wants me to keep taking the glyburide for now since I’m finishing out the steroids, but next week she may take me off of it.

I just finished my last steroid pill last night so everyone cross your fingers that the PUPPS doesn’t come back! I don’t know if I could handle another 6 weeks of itching if it did come back so I’m just trying to think positively for now.

Now let’s backup to Friday. At about 3 pm I got a call while I was at work from the Maternal Fetal Medicine dept at IMC. That’s where I go to get my non-stress tests (NST) done. Well, the woman on the phone told me that they needed me to come in that afternoon for another NST. I was obviously a little worried but said that I could be there in about an hour. Well the woman proceeded to tell me that if it would take me an hour to get there then they might just have to send me down to labor and delivery and trailed off trying to figure it out. That kinda freaked me out. I told her I could try to get there in 20-30 minutes if they needed me there immediately and she seemed relieved and started typing. I asked why I needed to come in and she said that the Perinatologist had some concerns about my last test and they needed me to come in for another one that week but nobody had called me. Fabulous.

Anyways, so I went in for the NST and things were going okay until I started having more contractions. I didn’t think that I could feel them, but while I was watching the monitor, when I saw the contraction meter going up I paid close attention and put my hand on my belly and what I thought was just Zoey pushing up against my stomach were actually contractions! I asked the nurse about it and she said that when I get that feeling, if my belly’s hard then it’s probably a contraction. So in the middle of the test, the contraction meter starts going up and up and Zoey’s heart rate went down and down. The nurse came in and asked me move onto my side and her heart rate went back up, luckily.

At the end of that NST, the nurse talked to the Perinatologist who seemed concerned with the number of contractions that I was having (they were coming about every 8 minutes!) and recommended that I continue with twice weekly NSTs. I also have to pay attention to the contractions that I feel and if I get 4-6 in an hour that I can feel, I have to lay down, drink a bunch of water, and try to make them go away. If they continue for another hour at the same rate it’s off to L&D for me…

On a happier note, I had my first baby shower luncheon with 6 of my closest friends on Sunday! It was so much fun and since 4 out of the 7 of us are pregnant and 2 of the other 3 are either trying or going to start trying soon, we had lots of baby stuff to talk about! I got so many awesome gifts and am really excited to start putting things away in the nursery. My next shower is an open house at work on the 16^th. I’m really looking forward to it!

Alrighty, so this week, I’ve got one NST down and one more to go tomorrow. The last one was uneventful and I hope the next one is too. So next week I’ll have another dr’s apt on Wednesday and likely two more NSTs. I’ll keep the posts coming because I’m sure there’s bound to be more updates as the visits increase!

Lots of Updates

It’s been a busy week already! I went to my 32 week checkup on Monday and Zoey was doing great. My doctor was a bit concerned with my blood glucose levels. My fasting numbers have been consistently high for weeks now. It’s likely that the steroid that I’ve been taking for the PUPPPS is causing that increase, but we still want to try to control it. She gave me a prescription for a drug called Glyburide that will hopefully work out but I guess we’ll wait a week and see how I do.

It was a little funny when the Dr. was looking at my chart of glucose numbers. I’m a bit of a spreadsheet nut as some of you may know and since I have Excel on my phone, I found it easiest to keep track of my numbers using a spreadsheet and then I just emailed it to myself to format and analyze the data on my computer. Well, sometimes I get a little carried away with my spreadsheets. I used conditional formatting to highlight the numbers when they are out of range. Then I added a percentage of readings that were above the limit and an average fasting and post-meal number. Then I decided to create a graph that shows the trend in my readings for both fasting and an average post-meal per day number. I admit, overkill, but still cool to me. Well the Dr. LOVED it! LOL She said that she wished that she could require all of her patients to do it that way and said that it was the best tracking sheet she’d ever seen of any of her patients. My coworkers got a good laugh at it and joked that at least we know that I’m in the right job.

So now that my GDM needs active management rather than just watching what I eat and exercising more, my Dr. decided that I should start weekly non-stress tests. I had my first test this morning and it was pretty quick and painless. First they do an ultrasound to look at the baby’s position and look for any irregularities. Then they measure the amount of amniotic fluid surrounding the baby by looking at the pockets in each “corner” of uterus. It’s basically an educated guess but gives a pretty good idea. Then they hook me up to two monitors to look at the baby’s heart rate and measure my contractions. As long as the baby has a steady baseline hb and it goes up ~15 bpm with movement and then decreases then I pass the test and I’m good to go.

This morning’s test went well. She is head down so I don’t have to try to move her luckily! The amniotic fluid level should be between 10 and 22 and I was at 13 which is perfectly normal. The baseline hb was about 140 and fluctuated normally with movement about 4 times during the 30 minute test so I passed. I also found out that I was having fairly regular but very small contractions the whole time I was there. I couldn’t feel any of it but apparently Zoey could because that’s when she would move. It was kinda cool to watch. I didn’t realize that those small contractions could start so soon, but I guess my uterus is just practicing and getting nice and strong so it can push the baby out in a few weeks.

There will be more updates soon I’m sure. I have a baby shower on Sunday, another checkup on Monday and likely another non-stress test on Wednesday…

Showing off for Daddy

Zoey has certainly been making herself at home lately. I think that she’s finding her quarters are becoming increasingly more cramped and she’s doing her best to rearrange her living space. By that I mean she’s trying to break out! Sometimes I swear that she is literally attempting to claw her way out of my stomach. It’s eerily reminiscent of the movie “Alien” when the creature is trying to bite its way through the woman’s stomach to get out into the world… You laughed, but it’s seriously uncomfortable!

She’s also decided that she’s a daddy’s girl already. When I lay down at night, she will be perfectly still and calm until Jon puts his hand on my tummy and then she feels the need to show off for him. She’ll kick and roll around and poke various body parts out as far as she can and Jon will just giggle at her and poke back. Then Jon will tell her goodnight and roll over and she’ll go to sleep too.

She will also wake up for him in the morning too. This morning Jon stood next to the bed while I was still laying down and asked how Zoey was. When I told him that she was still asleep he put his hand on my tummy and leaned down and kissed it and made loud kissy sounds and said, “Wake up Zoey!” and she immediately began her routine of kicking and moving about. She only does it for daddy and not me, but it’s kinda cute so I let it slide.

Now if she’d just stop making me feel like I’ve been punched in the gut, we’ll be just fine.

3/4 of the way!

I’ve made it to my 31^st week which is a little over ¾ of the way there. I am certainly ready to be done, but I know that this is the last stretch and that makes me feel a little better. I’m also glad to know that although I’m feeling pretty miserable, Zoey seems to be doing great. The doctor said that her heart sounded great and she’s been moving around plenty – a few days ago it actually felt like that scene in Alien when the thing was trying to break out of the woman’s stomach… I was watching limbs poking out for a few hours!

Anywho, the doc seemed a little concerned with my well-being at my appointment yesterday. I started a course of oral corticosteroids for the PUPPPs on Saturday with mixed results so far, about 36% of my glucose readings to date have been above range and if it’s not better at my next appointment I’ll likely have to start meds, my blood pressure has been what they call “borderline” but I suspect that it’s only because the dr’s office gives me anxiety lately, and the icing on the cake – I may have an infection but hopefully that’s going away as it feels better now.

On the plus side, I haven’t gained a single pound in the last 4 weeks! J I don’t know why that makes my so happy but I’m feeling like the 32 lbs that I’ve gained so far is plenty enough. I’m betting that this new diet that I have to follow is the likely cause of the stagnant weight so maybe I’ll keep it up once Zoey’s born to drop the baby weight. Now just because I’ve stayed the same weight-wise doesn’t mean that my belly hasn’t grown. Check out the pic! I was feeling HUGE for a while but I think in the last couple of days, Zoey has moved positions and it’s suddenly easier for me to move around and bend over and I don’t feel like I have to pee every 10 minutes. I hope whatever position she’s in is a good one and she can stay that way for a while!

Next checkup is in 2 weeks so I’m hoping for better news to report then. Until that time, I’m just hoping for survival.

Testing 1-2-3-4

Today was my appointment at the Diabetes Center to learn what I will have to do to manage my gestational diabetes. It doesn’t seem too bad on the surface but it’s going to be a lot of work. Here’s the plan:

1.    Eat 6 small meals a day. Eat soon after getting up, a mid-morning snack, lunch, an afternoon snack, dinner and an evening snack.

2.    Eat a balance of 1 g protein for every 2 g carbohydrates. Stick to around 30 g carbs per breakfast/snack and 30-45 per lunch/dinner.

3.    Test my blood sugar 4 times a day. Fasting (before breakfast) and 2 hours after each meal.

4.    If levels are high, get moving and drink lots of water to help my body flush the extra sugars out.

I will have to follow this for the next three months or so – until I deliver. As long as my glucose levels are under control, the baby’s are too and I’ve got nothing to worry about when she’s born. My new year’s resolution was to learn what I needed to do and stick with it. It’s going to be really hard to give up all the yummy sweets that I love, but I know that it’s worth it for Zoey to be born healthy. Now here’s to hoping I remember to do all the tests!