I Shall Call You My Squishy

The past 48 hours have been quite the whirlwind, but it has been amazing. We are officially a family of four! With the help of J and my nurses, I've pieced together G's crazy birth story.

On Tuesday evening, I was feeling a bit defeated. You know, that feeling that you will never not be pregnant. Little did I know, Ginny had other plans in store.

I had been getting random contractions at night for a few days, but was woken up around 5:00 am on Wednesday morning by a very hard and fast contraction. It was very different from the contractions I'd been feeling, so I figured I'd start counting them since I was up anyway. Before I could get my iPad turned on and the contraction app loaded, another one hit - this time with a fun addition. My water broke!

How can you pick out second time parents? When my water broke with Charlie, I yelled for Jeff in a panic. This time? "Well, there goes that..." as I waddled to the bathroom. Jeff looked at the clock and groaned his way out of bed and into the shower. We got ready, made all of our phone calls, packed up our stuff, and were in the car by 5:30 am. 

The ride to the hospital is only about 15 miles, but contractions getting closer and closer together made it seem like an 1,500. As we drove down the highway, I shook my fist at the huge full moon - surely this was its doing.

By the time we arrived at the hospital, the contractions were about 3 1/2 minutes apart and I could hardly walk through them. I hadn't had contractions like this with Charlie until they started pitocin, so I didn't realize just how fast things were progressing. We checked in at labor and delivery, got registered, and made it to my room by around 6:00 am. After checking that my water did indeed break, the nurse said I was at about 4cm.

The contractions were getting ridiculous and the spaces between them were useless. Was this normal? I had absolutely no idea, but knew I wanted medication....like now. I asked for an epidural to be ordered, which was fine, but first needed to receive at least one bag of saline to help keep my blood pressure up to prep for the epi. Between the saline requirement and the epi order - it would be an hour. At that point, an hour felt like it would be an eternity and the contractions were getting harder and faster. A quick check around 6:30 am revealed that I had progressed to 7cm in just the half hour since checking in. I really didn't want IV drugs because I hate how they make me feel, but I needed something. Stadol it was.

The Stadol helped take the contractions from writhing pain to don't talk and breathe slowly pain. The only problem was that it also made me completely loopy and groggy. The next 45 minutes passed by in what felt like a blink. In between contractions I closed my eyes to keep from getting dizzy, leaving me to catch random glimpses of the nurses prepping the room. I was so confused; why were they bringing in a baby warmer already? Why were they setting up drapes and supplies? In what probably sounded like a garbled mess, I asked what was going on and my nurse said, "We're having a baby soon!" J and just looked at each other. What?! We just got here! How is this possible?!


By now it was a bit before 7:30 am; two and a half hours since labor first began. I opened my eyes to find the anesthesiologist and my nurse standing around my bed. J was helping me through contractions and I had hardly noticed them trying to get my attention. The nurse checked me again and I was 10cm and Ginny was almost crowning. Excuse me? Yeah, I understand that women have been having babies for thousands of years without drugs, but that was not for me. The anesthesiologist left.

I hadn't planned this. I didn't have some hypno-magic breathing technique in my back pocket. I was terrified. I wanted to cry.

My midwife came in and I don't even remember what I said or did, but I'm sure I looked scared out of my mind. In the most calming, confident voice told me that I COULD do this and WAS going to do this. The Stadol was still making me slightly uncoordinated and my eyes very heavy, but as pain control it was completely useless. She was coming so fast that the slightest movement hurt from head to toe, yet when I pushed I felt like nothing was happening. Just when the moment of panic came over me that I could be at this for hours, my midwife told me that her head was on its way. Everyone, with a much better view than me, coached me to hang in there and keep pushing. In one more push, her head. In another, the rest of her. At 7:50 am, she was on my chest; purple and screaming.

There she was and no one tried to take her. The nurses bustled around, but Ginny stayed right there in my arms. I had surprisingly minimal tearing, but Ginny did end up with a bit of bruising on her face from her wild ride. She pinked up quickly and boy, does she have a set of lungs.

Eventually, she was taken to be weighed and cleaned up a bit, but was returned quickly to nurse and snuggle. It was amazing. She came in at 7 lbs. 6 oz. and 20" long.

Today was full of family, good reports from the doctors, and lots of squishy baby cuddling. Now that we're home, its been fun introducing Ginny to our little family. Charlie is still unsure of what he thinks of her, but likes to talk about "his baby." After a nice long nap in my own bed, I'm feeling much better and am looking forward to the next few months at home with my squishy.

Back to the time where day and night don't mean much, meals are eaten with one hand, and everything seems to be measured in ounces. I feel so incredibly blessed.

38 Weeks

A little late, but an update none the less! Here we are, less than 2 weeks to go and as ready as I'll ever be. I had a check up yesterday and everything looks great. Ginny's heartbeat and movements are nice and strong, my weight has (somehow) been steady for over a month, and my blood pressure is textbook normal.Woo!

Courtesy of my Mom friends.

One interesting tidbit from my midwife, however, is that apparently I'm a ticking bomb! After getting an exam, the question, "And you live how far from the hospital?" is a little unnerving! Not only is this little girl in a low, ready to go position, but I'm nearly 4cm dilated and almost completely effaced. This baby girl is trying to plan a ninja sneak attack escape. Apparently, the few random contractions I've had are doing a lot of work.

Normally, before calling your doctor or going to labor and delivery, you're supposed to wait until your contractions are five minutes apart, lasting one minute each, for one hour (5-1-1 rule). My midwife wants me to go in after 30 minutes just in case this baby is in as much of a rush as she seems.

The anxiety causing part of this is that I could easily walk around for 2+ weeks like this. It's crazy, but true; dilation and effacement aren't good indicators of impending labor unless you're actually having contractions, which I'm not. BUT once they start, this should apparently be a quick show.

Let baby watch 2013 begin...

37 Weeks

Woo hoo! We've made it to full term!

Its so strange; this is my second pregnancy, but all of this is new to me. When I had C, I was just beginning to feel the impact of the last few weeks, but now I get to experience the whole shebang. While the insomnia, swelling, and constant feeling that my pelvis is going to give out aren't fun, I feel lucky to have made it this far.

My saving grace lately has been seeing my chiropractor and getting some really sweet adjustments. She's going to see me twice a week until I deliver and it has made all the difference. I feel so much more put together (and much less waddley) after I get a good crackin'.

So here we are; 37 weeks, about 30lbs gained, nursery done, with G in head down in an engaged position ready to go. Any time now....which, lets be honest - blows my mind.

Pregnancy Discoveries

With this pregnancy winding down, I thought I'd compile some of my favorite products and discoveries that kept me comfortable and sane the past 36 weeks. Its funny, even though this was my second pregnancy, there was still a lot to learn!

Clothes

Check your consignment shops, ladies! I found the most comfortable, well fitting maternity clothing for a fraction of the price it would have been new. You can't beat Old Navy Jeans for $4.

A new addition to my wardrobe this time around was a maternity coat. I really didn't want to buy one and thought I could get away with wearing sweaters and what not, but it has been way too cold for that. I broke down and purchased a pea coat from Motherhood Maternity's outlet for about $40. Honestly, I'm glad I did. I will probably be able to resell it when I'm done since I only wore it for a few months, but it was worth the warmth during the bad weather.

Sleeping

When I was pregnant with C, my body pillow did the job. For some reason, this time around it just wasn't enough support. I borrowed the Snoogle Pillow from a friend, and while most people absolutely love it, it just wasn't for me. I got a recommendation to try the Boppy Sleep Wedge and loved it! Its small, comfortable, and easy to move around the bed as I inevitably toss and turn.

Pain Management

I know the chiropractor isn't for everyone, but it worked wonders for me. Fortunately (and surprisingly), there is a chiropractor local to me that specializes in pregnancy and children. She is trained in treatments for common ailments such as sciatic pain, back pain, and headaches. After a few treatments, my headaches went away and I haven't had sciatic pain since. Good stuff.

My absolute favorite pregnancy discovery was magnesium. I've been having pretty wicked Braxton Hicks contractions since about 26 weeks and my OB recommended 500mg of magnesium a day. For $3 a bottle, I gave it a shot. Turns out, magnesium is helpful in relieving some of the most annoying pregnancy side effects - leg cramps, nuisance Braxton Hicks, constipation, etc. Why did no one tell me earlier?! Two tabs before bed (along with my Zantac - another must have) and I'm good to go.

Another nifty item that was recommended to me is something that makes complete sense, but I would have never thought of on my own - compression stockings. My legs and feet have been swelling for a while now, but when I wear my old lady stockings they feel a million times better! Ask your OB for a prescription to the medical supply store and they're much cheaper. Even without a script - they're worth the price. 

Supplements/Medication

The first trimester was hell when it came to taking prenatal vitamins. I knew I had to do it, but dreaded taking those stinky horse pills every morning and usually puked them up shortly there after. In comes Vitafusion gummy vitamins. Who knew, right? They contained everything I needed, tasted good, and didn't make me puke. Score.

If you haven't discovered the Neti Pot yet, you need to - pregnant or not. One of the worst things during pregnancy is getting a cold since you can't take any of the good stuff. You're stuck with plain Sudafed (not even the good stuff behind the counter) and saline spray. Not helpful. The Neti Pot is fabulous for helping clear out stuffy sinuses and feeling human again. 


What were/are your favorite pregnancy discoveries? How did you find out about them?

36 Weeks

Woo hoo! All done with my round of 17P shots!! I'm so excited to be done with them - partly because it means she's almost here and partly because well, who really likes getting shots in the ass? Not this girl.

Now that those are done, its on to the labor waiting game. I've read/heard that once the last shot clears your system (7-10 days later) it all depends on how well your body tolerates the dip in hormones. Some people go into labor shortly after while others go to term or even late! Either way, I'm just glad the shots have been working. One more week until full term! Then she can come whenever she wants. ;-)

So far, into this new part of pregnancy, I'm actually relatively comfortable save for the exhaustion and swelling. Seriously, drying off after the shower or putting on shoes gets me winded.

On the clothing front, I only have two pairs of pants and a pair of leggings that fit at this point though, which makes dressing for work interesting. Once March 28th hits (my first day of leave) its smooth sailing into sweatpants land!! Thank goodness my sister convinced me to buy a maternity coat. This winter has been WAY too cold to go without one like I'd planned.

Thankfully, we're almost through our pre-baby check list and only need do a bit more in the nursery and install the car seat bases. I really hope to finish a few more crafty things for G's room this weekend (along with some much needed napping).

Irrational Crazy Pregnancy Thoughts

We all have them. Don't lie and say you don't. Being a parent/pregnant has made me particularly neurotic, but I guess that's better than being totally ignorant to things?

My latest neurosis obviously revolve around labor and childbirth. I'm worried she'll be early.....and worried she'll be late. I'm worried she'll come too fast and we won't get to the hospital.....and worried she'll get suck and I'll need a c section. What if she can't breastfeed....what if all she wants to do is breastfeed? What if C hates her....or tries to smother/hug her? Ya know, completely contradictory stuff with no resolve. Awesome.

I know it'll be okay and we'll all survive, but in the meantime - damn. The stuff that keeps you up at night is almost as weird as pregnancy dreams, but that's a whole different post.

He's a good big brother already. He only throws the doll occasionally.

What do you get irrationally anxious about?

Officially in Uncharted Territory

Yesterday marked the gestational age that I had Charlie; 34 weeks, 5 days. Despite my neurotic worrying over the past few weeks, the day came and went like nothing. ::whew::

I thought that once this time marker passed, I would find a whole new state of relaxation where I could enjoy the rest of my pregnancy, but for some reason I find myself more anxious than ever. When will she come? Tomorrow? Two weeks from now? A week late?

I have realized two things: 1) No one knows when their baby is coming, so this is very normal and 2) Worrying could easily be a moot point and she could be late. I have two 17P shots left (one tomorrow, one next Monday), but with the increasing number of Braxton Hicks I've been getting as I wait for the next shot, I'm nervous what will happen after my last one next week. Could I really have a baby in two weeks once the shot wears off? Holy crap, someone hold me. The house is ready for a baby, but are we?

So, here we go. Bring on the late 3rd trimester weight gain, the waddling, the lightning crotch, the leaky boobs, super swelling, and all the other fun stuff I skipped out on last time. I'll happily take it all in return for one healthy, full term baby.

14 days until full term, 35 days until her due date!

34 Weeks

Woo hoo! Chugging along through 3rd trimester. And does this baby look like she dropped or what?!

Baby is almost 18" and about 4 3/4 lbs!

Weight: Up quite a bit at this point (about 30 lbs.), but whatever. I'm eating healthy and while I'm not getting as much exercise as I probably should, my blood sugar and blood pressure is perfect so I'm not going to complain.

Sleep/Energy: My hips are starting to crack quite a bit when I roll over in my sleep. Sounds lovely! I've adopted the pillow fort method of sleeping, much to J's pleasure. Two regular pillows, a body pillow, and a Boppy Sleep Wedge - which I highly recommend.

Cravings/Aversions: Since just about everything gives me heartburn, I'm going to claim Zantac as one of my cravings. Otherwise, its the normal stuff that I've wanted all along - salty, savory anything!

Movement: Lots of kicking and rolling. Her movement is easily visible from the outside and sometimes I get some really funny looks from people around me.

Appointments: Two more 17P shots to go! Next week is my 35 week check up and GBS test. After that, I start weekly appointments, which is just nuts.

Best Moment of the Week: Two words for ya - prenatal massage. Yesssssss.

30 Weeks

Holy moly....30 weeks?! That's only 10 weeks left! It seems like a long time, but really, its not and that's scary. This baby is going to be here before we know it!

Baby is almost 16" and almost 3 lbs!

Weight: Ehhh....getting up there - I'm up about 13lbs. Nothing earth shattering, but as I get closer and closer to the weight I was when I delivered C, its hard not to get self conscious about it.

Sleep/Energy: Oh the heartburn!! I've entered the dreaded stage of pregnancy where I can't sleep on my back because of the baby suffocating me, but I have to sleep somewhat propped up because of the heartburn. Let's just say it involves lots of pillows and tossing and turning.

Cravings/Aversions: I could easily drink a gallon of orange juice a day. Yes, I have horrendous heartburn and I'm craving OJ. I appreciate the irony. I'll have a glass in the morning after I eat and it doesn't bother me, but if I drank it as much as I wanted to....it would be ugly.

General Symptoms: After starting a magnesium supplement, a lot of the annoying symptoms I was having have gone away (the Braxton Hicks, leg cramps, etc.) It has been really nice!

Movement: There's no doubt there is a baby in there! She's been kicking/punching up a storm. I'm not sure how she's sitting in there, but it seems to change all the time.

Appointments: I found out at my 17P appointment last week that I passed my Glucose Tolerance Test with a score of 121. Woo! Anything under 140-ish is apparently normal, so I'm very happy to hear the results. This week starts my every other week prenatal appointments, which is exciting, but since I go every week for a shot anyway, it's not going to really feel any different.

Best Moment of the Week: C has started pointing to my belly and saying, "baby" and while I'm not sure if he totally gets what's going on, I think he's starting to. He is so sweet.

Bump picture to come! :-)

Riding the Nesting Wave

It's happening. That urge to completely down size, declutter, and throw out half the crap you own. Its here. The nesting phase.

Yesssssssssss.

J is very excited, to say the least. I think he's been secretly waiting for it, actually. I'd say we do a decent job of keeping things relatively organized, but we haven't done a good thorough stuff purging since this time last year. With another kid on the way, its definitely time. No need for our house to look like it did when C was first born. Granted, it was a much smaller space, but oy. Talk about drowning in baby stuff.

We've already gone through all of C's baby stuff and given a lot of it away. No use saving totes and boxes of boy clothes that we may or may not use at some point in the future. I don't have enough house for that kind of thing. I've found time to to through some of my clothes, make up/beauty stuff, and purses, but there's a lot more work to do.

There are several spots in our house that really need to be addressed, but haven't for one reason or another. The kitchen, utility closet (essentially the stuff you'd store in your garage), my craft room, our clothing, our movie collection, the front hall closet...just to name a few. We end up losing things or buying extra of things and it annoys me to no end.

I'm going to be setting up "Toss/Donate/Sell" boxes in the living room and going at it. A bunch less stuff and a few organizing solutions later and we'll hopefully be much better off. Normally, I'm a pack rat so I might as well ride this wave of hormones and throw some crap out.

Over Prepared: The Hospital Bag

With C, I didn't have the forethought to pack my hospital bag early enough. A lot of people assumed that the lesson I learned was to pack it super, crazy early. Yeah, that's part of it, but what I really learned is that if you don't pack "right," you will indeed survive.

Running out the door to labor and delivery, I grabbed my insurance information, my cell phone charger, and that's about it. J had to come back home and get everything else, which consisted of my pillow, bathrobe, laptop, camera, and a change of clothes. After C was born and we realized he would be there for a bit, we gathered up the rest of the stuff we'd need for our stay.

With the time and forethought this time around, of course I'm going to take advantage and pack what I want, but hopefully, I'll remember that its not a crisis to run back home or ask the nurses for something I forgot.

I know our experience is different than most since C was in the NICU, but here are some of the things I found helpful to have with me:

• A nice bathrobe to walk around in
• Slipper socks or slippers
• Chargers (camera, laptop, phone)
• My pillow (because I'm picky like that)
• Change of clothes to go home 

Things I got from the hospital and didn't need to bring:

• A nice big water jug (that I still use to this day!)
• Something to write on/with to keep track of all the crazy going on
• Breastfeeding supplies
• Postpartum undies and pads
• Toiletries (though it would have been nice to have my own toothbrush)
• Extra pillows (to sleep, nurse, or get comfy)

Sure, there were a few luxuries I wish I had, but with the hospital being an hour from home we made due. This time around, my bag is going to consist of:

• Bathrobe, slippers, and flip flops for the shower
• Toiletries, a brush, and hair clips
• Tums and lip balm (they ration the Tums and its awful)
• A change of comfy clothes for me (including a nursing bra or two)
• Undercover Mama camisoles for nursing
• An outfit and car seat blanket for Ginny

And a few last minute things to grab on the way out the door like my camera bag, cell phone charger, insurance information, and my favorite pillow. I'm still debating on bringing the Boppy pillow because I know the hospital will have a ton of regular pillows available.

Aside from having the car seat installed, that's about it. I'm definitely trying to travel light this time because I remember just how much stuff we brought home with C. You can basically take anything non-linen that has been allocated to your room - diapers, wipes, formula, pumping parts, goodie bags and samples, etc. We literally needed a cart to leave the NICU.

And don't forget about that labor and delivery water jug. I'd better get another one. Those things are the bomb.

Now the trick is going to be when to pack. For most of the stuff, I can probably pack it now and just set it aside without it being a problem. Having three months to go, however, I feel like its a bit early. Having already been to L&D once already and having extreme anxiety about having another preemie, however, makes me want to pack it anyway.

Knowing me, it'll be packed inside of a week. Here's to being way over prepared!

Nusiance is the Right Word

Did you know that you can get very uncomfortable and frequent contractions, but not be in labor? Neither did I! That is, however, until we spent the morning between my OB and labor/delivery this morning.

For the past few days, I've been getting some serious Braxton Hicks contractions that, while not consistent or timeable, were pretty frequent and when coupled with menstrual type cramping and back pain were getting scary. After a lot of laying on my left side and chugging water, I decided to head to the OB and see what was going on.

The non-stress test didn't show much, but my exam showed me dilated to 1 cm. Cue a slight internal freak out. Luckily, my midwife is AMAZING and not only did a fabulous job of keeping me calm and explaining what was going on, but also made it clear that I wasn't overreacting or worrying for nothing. Its always nice to know you're not crazy.

Now, 1 cm is not a huge deal, but with my history of preterm labor it was worth looking into. A fetal fibronectin test (FFN) was ordered and I was sent to labor and delivery for more monitoring. I had to choose my words carefully when telling J (he wasn't in the room during the exam) since I didn't want him to worry just yet. His only comment was, "I really don't want to have a baby today...." Yeah, me either.

After an hour in labor and delivery and several decent sized contractions, we found out the FFN was negative and though the contractions were real, they weren't progressing labor. "Nuisance contractions," the doctor called them. Thank goodness! When an FFN test is negative, you have less than 1% chance of going into labor in the next two weeks. The test can be repeated if necessary, so that's good to know. Ginny was moving and kicking the entire time, which always calms my nerves.

I have a regular prenatal exam on Monday and there we'll discuss how to monitor me from here on out. No one is especially concerned just yet, but there will most likely be a bit more monitoring than normal, which is okay by me. In the meantime, the contractions aren't painful, just uncomfortable, and the cramping is unnerving, but not bad. Some rest, lots of water, and magnesium supplements are supposed to help.

So, no 2012 baby for me. GOOD. Stay put, baby girl - I love ya, but please keep cooking.

26 Weeks & Merry Christmas Eve!

Its been super busy around here (as you can probably imagine) and I've been a slacker - sorry! Time is flying by and I can't believe its a) Christmas Eve and b) the beginning of my third trimester. Whoa.

Now that I'm on break for a bit, I promise to post a Christmas update, some of C's favorite toys from this season, and some nursery pictures!

Have a Merry Christmas!

23 Weeks

Does it bother anyone else that my prenatal appointments and bump-updates are all odd numbered weeks? It hurts my mild OCD. Anyway, 23 weeks! Three more weeks until third trimester and 17 weeks to go! Where is the time going?

Baby is the size of an ear of corn! A foot long and about a pound.

Weight: Up to about 8 lbs weight gain - not too shabby.

Sleep/Energy: Sleep has been....okay. I am thankful for my body pillow and the fact that J doesn't mind it taking up room in the bed.

Cravings/Aversions: No aversions, but with heartburn setting in hard core, I need to keep an eye on what I'm eating....and keep the Tums close at hand.

General Symptoms: Aside from the heartburn, I've started getting pretty winded when walking, but otherwise feel pretty good!

Movement: LOTS! I'm assuming she is still head up based on the amount of knocks to my cervix I've been getting lately. She'll be up in my ribs soon enough, so maybe I shouldn't complain.

Appointments: Had another prenatal appointment today and the doctor said the anatomy scan from a few weeks ago was perfect. Baby girl is perfect and everything is measuring right where it should be. Next appointment is on New Year's Eve, then its on to third trimester, the glucose tolerance test, and appointments every two weeks. Whoa.

Best Moment of the Week: Getting all of the beautiful cloth diapers we ordered in the mail. They're so tiny! We're also painting the nursery this week - I'm so excited to see everything come together!

 

 

Just for kicks, here is a comparison of me at 24 weeks with C and at 23 weeks with baby girl. Just a little different, eh? Holy moly, did I carry C high!

 

Wordless Wednesday: I Feel Huge Already

Voila. A photo shoot in the bathroom at work. I feel huge already! The stretch marks are already making an appearance and my belly button is almost flat. I'm bigger at 22 weeks than I was at 24 weeks with C. I'm scared for the coming months!

Gender Prediction?

Now that we know for sure a little girl is on the way, it was fun to look back on all of the gender prediction quizzes and old wives tales to see if they were right. Here are various predictions


Prediction Quizzes/Methods:

Chinese Gender Chart (TheBump.com): Girl
Lunar Calendar Gender Chart: Boy
Shettles Method (like you wanted to know): Girl

Old Wives Tales:

Heartbeat (in the 160's): Girl
Morning Sickness (ugh, yes): Girl
Cravings (salty, savory foods): Boy
Weight Gain (hardly any so far): Boy
Carrying in the front vs. all around (eh, a bit of a spare tire): Girl
Carrying high/low (a little early to tell): ??
Skin (clear, normal): Boy
Husband gaining sympathy pounds (not really): Boy


While the "prediction" methods seem to have a better accuracy rate than the old wives tales in my case, its always neat to see just how many ways there are to "predict" what you are having. With C, almost all of these methods were dead on from cravings to how I was carrying. Interesting stuff.

19 Weeks

I'm 19 weeks along and.....

It's healthy baby girl! We are thrilled. She was awesomely photogenic for the ultrasound technician and we were able to get some really good shots of her. 

Say hello to the inside of my uterus and the little person residing there at the moment. She was so adorable all curled up in there; sucking her thumb and rubbing her little face. That's so weird to say....her. I'm going to have a daughter. Wow. 

One piece of information we learned was that my placenta is anterior; its along the front and cushions her kicks and movement from me feeling. No wonder I haven't felt much as of yet! The doctor said in another month I'll definitely be feeling more, which is good - that's the fun part!

Anyway, here are the stats for 19 weeks!

Baby is the size of a....mango! About 

Weight: No real change over the past few weeks. Staying steady around 5 lbs. gain. 

Sleep/Energy: The sciatic pain is ramping up, but laying with a body pillow seems to be helping. Thankfully, I've gotten my energy back during the day. A nap in the afternoon still makes me most productive, but I think anyone could say that. lol 

Cravings/Aversions: No aversions, but I'm never really in the mood for sweets. All I want is salty and savory food. Needless to say, I am PUMPED for Thanksgiving!!

General Symptoms: Heartburn is starting to rear its ugly head, but thankfully Tums is working. I have plenty of Zantac on deck for when it gets worse. Not if....when. Otherwise, the chiropractor really helped with the headaches and they've gone away almost completely. Its so nice. Seriously - if you are pregnancy, find yourself a prenatal chiro. It will change your life!

Movement: Eh, getting there. I can feel a bump once in a blue moon, but nothing consistent. 

Appointments: Aside from an itchy ass, the 17P shots have been going very well. The only side effect is the itching, which doesn't seem to really go away, unfortunately. I'm still itching the spot from last week while now itching this week's. ::sigh:: Just don't judge me for scratching my ass all day. 

Best Moment of the Week: Finding out she's a girl! Now to think of a name.... Hmmmmm.....

Today's Agenda

On today's agenda....

1:00 pm - 19 week OB appointment (and my 4th 17P shot)

2:00 pm - Our anatomy scan at the imaging center!!

Immediately followed by...

A trip to Target to buy something ridiculously cute and gender specific for the baby!

I'm ecstatic that we're finding out the sex today and even more excited that J was able to take off work and come with me. He hasn't been able to come to any of my appointments thus far, so this one is most certainly special.

Updates later! :-)

16 Weeks

How far along? 16 weeks

Baby is the size of an avocado (about 4 1/2 inches long).

Weight gain: According to my scale, up a total of about 5lbs. According to my OB's scale, it depends on which exam room I'm in. ;-)

Sleep/Energy: My energy is slowly coming back, but I'm sleeping very well at night which helps a ton. Every once in a while I'll get up to pee in the wee hours of the morning, but I've almost mastered the sleep walk bathroom trip.

Cravings/Aversions: I'm craving the same types of foods I wanted when I was pregnant with C - big deli sandwiches, pickles, and lots of salty foods. Boar's Head should totally cater my pregnancy.

General symptoms/feelings: The sciatic pain and headaches are starting to get to me, but I have a chiropractic appointment with a prenatal specialist who can hopefully get my ass straightened out (literally). I've also noticed a lot more car sickness if I'm not driving. Boo.

Maternity clothes: Now that I've found myself some maternity leggings, I'm set for winter!

Movement: I've been starting to feel tiny bubbles, but nothing consistent or definite yet.

Gender: The anatomy scan is set for Monday, November 5th at 2pm. I can't wait!

Next appointment: My next prenatal appointment is November 5th for my 19 week check up, but I've started going weekly for 17P injections. I still haven't decided if this will make time go faster or much slower.

Best moment of last week: Whether he understands it or not, C has started pointing to my belly and saying, "baby." We're hoping to get him some kind of baby doll for Christmas so he can start learning gentle and helping out with his new sibling.

A Shot at Full Term

Here's a quick lesson about pregnancy. When you're pregnant, the placenta has a lot of big jobs to do. One of those jobs is to produce progesterone and keep the uterus at a nice hormonal balance, preventing contractions and labor from coming on too early. During pregnancy, your body also produces oxytocin (the natural form of Pitocin - and we all know what that does) which starts labor. The progesterone keeps the oxytocin at bay and keeps you pregnant until the time is right. Though 39-40 weeks is the optimal time to have a baby, anytime past 37 weeks is considered full term and has been deemed safe for delivery.

Now, a problem arises if the level of progesterone in a woman's body drops at any point prior to 37 weeks since it can make the body think its time for labor, kicking up the oxytocin, and starting contractions. This is called preterm labor. A lot of times it can be stopped, but if coupled with other medical issues (like dilation or your water breaking) or if labor is too progressed, it may be in the everyone's best interest to deliver - regardless of what week you are.

As many of you probably know, C was born at 34 weeks, 5 days gestation due to preterm labor and amniotic sac rupture. There was no indication during my otherwise boring pregnancy that I'd have a preemie, then again, for a lot of women there is no indication.

When I found out I was pregnant again, it was the first thing that raced through my mind. What if this baby comes early? Or even earlier?! Granted, in the grand scheme of things in the preemie realm, J and I won the lottery. He was early, but he was big and relatively healthy for his age. He recovered quickly and though he gained weight woefully slow, he's now completely caught up and in the 90th percentile for weight. What if we aren't this lucky again?

At one of my first OB appointments for this pregnancy, my midwife mentioned progesterone therapy. 17 Alpha-hydroxyprogesterone caproate (17P) is a synthetic form of progesterone administered once a week from week 16 to week 34(ish) to keep the level of progesterone high and healthy throughout the pregnancy. Though its not a guarantee, it reduces the chance of preterm birth by 34-40% in women with a history of preterm labor and rupture. Definitely not a sure thing, but its a shot!

Speaking of shot, that's how its administered - a shot with a huge needle right in the ass once a week for 20 weeks. I was told that it hurts like heck and takes a long time to push because the compound is thick. ::shudders:: I don't like getting my yearly flu shot (I still get it though!) so this should be very interesting. BUT, as a fellow preemie Mom recently told me, "I'd rather be taking the pokes now, than to see my baby getting poked on a daily basis in the NICU." Heart wrenching and true. What C went through (daily blood draws and heel pricks, IVs in his hands and head, etc.) is my motivation to do this - achy, tired side effects and all.

So, at 16 weeks, tomorrow is week one and shot one to give this baby a chance at a full 40 weeks on the inside. I can't help but wonder what if it doesn't work, but at least I know that I'm doing everything I can to try.