Frustration I've been frustrated about Sprout lately, and there's not much I can do right now. I got a call from my OB over the holidays that my neural tube screening number had come back "slightly elevated." Apparently the norm is 2.5 or less, and mine was 2.77. He said there is no cause for concern, and I know those tests have a lot of false positives, which is why I generally avoid them, but I was still nervous.
The only way to find out for sure if everything is OK is to have the Level 2 ultrasound, which I was scheduled for on Thursday - first thing in the AM. We arranged for my mother-in-law to come over Wednesday night to babysit and stay until Friday, since I had a follow up appointment with my OB for Friday morning to discuss the results, and John wanted to come with me to both appointments. Anyway, I get to the hospital for the ultrasound Thursday and they tell me my OB's office has screwed up, my appointment is for the following Thursday! I was pretty annoyed, but there was nothing they could do since the doctor's weren't even in this week because of the holidays.
Luckily, my mother-in-law will be coming back this week and staying Wednesday through Friday again (we moved the followup OB discussion to this coming Friday), so John can accompany me to these appointments. My father is also flying in for a 2-week stay Thursday night so it's going to be a hectic week.
I just hope everything is OK with our little Sprout and that the baby is measuring on target. I'll also get the lowdown on my fibroid and if I have a chance to go for a VBAC. That was my primary focus before, but it seems insignificant now. I just want to know my little Sprout is OK!
2007-12-20 (16 weeks)
Movement and Hunger All is well in the land of the Sprout. I've been feeling a lot more movement lately, especially after I eat. Which seems to be all the time! I'm always hungry, but have really been making an effort to eat healthy foods. I've gained a total of 7 pounds, so I guess I'm not doing too terribly bad. I think I was up almost 20 pounds by this point in my last pregnancy!
We had Jake's 1st birthday party over the weekend and it was wonderful. He had a blast hanging out with all his cousins and opening gifts. He got a bunch of new toys including his first tricycle! It has a handle on it so we can push him around on it until he's ready to try pedaling. He loves going for rides on it. He also blew out his first birthday candle, which we were so proud of. He has this weird tube thing that was part of the pump for my birth ball that has become one of his toys, and he blows in it all the time and it whistles. Well, he used that to blow out the candle! He enjoyed a few bites of his cake as well, but Mommy admits she's been enjoying it a lot more often. I really felt Sprout move after I had a piece on Saturday. The rest of it is safely frozen now for Grandpa's visit in January.
I had my AFP bloodwork done on Tuesday to screen for neural tube defects. That will go along with the Level 2 ultrasound I'm having on January 3. I admit I can't wait for that! It will be so cool to see Sprout again. Of course I want to make sure everything is growing normal and measuring well. But I also can't wait to find out what my fibroid is doing so I'll know if I have a chance for a VBAC. I'm trying not to get my hopes up, but it will be really nice to have an indication of my chances so I can begin to mentally prepare for either type of birth.
I'm going to post some pictures from Jake's party, unfortunately I don't have any good ones of me. I really need to get some belly pics, hopefully over the holidays.
2007-12-04 (14 weeks)
A Much Needed Update! I can't believe how long it has been since I've updated. I've been really busy with moving into our new house, hosting Thanksgiving shortly after, and chasing after a now walking almost 1-year-old. But still - excuses, excuses. Sprout, I hope you won't hold it against me!
The pregnancy is going really well, and I have no real news to report. My morning sickness went away around 10 or 11 weeks, just after we moved into the new house. So that provided some much needed relief. Unfortunately, the move completely disrupted Jake's sleep schedule and he started waking up several times overnight very upset. He hadn't done that in months! John and I were exhausted, and it took a few weeks for him to really settle in and feel comfortable in his new room. He's finally sleeping through the night again for the most part, and I'm finally feeling like I'm caught up on rest and not walking around like a zombie.
Being pregnant with a baby who's quickly becoming a toddler really reminds me of how easy I had it the first time around! I was working then, but I had a flexible schedule and I could fit in naps and I had my weekends to myself to just relax and recharge. Not the case now! I think chasing Jake around is keeping me in much better shape this pregnancy though, and I've only gained 5 pounds so far. I'm really pleased with that - I had gained around 15 pounds by this point in the last pregnancy. I'm hoping I can keep my gain to a minimum now in the second trimester as well. I get hungry a lot and am eating more than usual, but it's mostly healthy stuff. Now that we've moved away from the city we don't have access to all the wonderful restaurants and take out/delivery food that we did during my previous pregnancy, which removes a huge temptation for me.
I've had a couple of prenatal appointments since my last update and all is well with Sprout. I've heard the baby's heartbeat at the last 2 appointments (today was the lastest) and the baby actually moved while the doctor was getting the heartbeat! I've thought I felt tiny flutters over the last week or so, but I figured it was too early and probably just indigestion. I guess not, so now I know I'm already feeling flutters!
We also scheduled a Level 2 ultrasound for January 3 so that will be fun. We're not going to find out the sex, but I'm really anxious to see Sprout again. The doctor also said they'll be able to take a look at my fibroid at that ultrasound to give me an idea of how it's positioned in this pregnancy and if it would complicate a possible VBAC. I've decided I'm only going to try for a VBAC if the fibroid is completely out of the way and the doctors say there's a very good chance for the baby to descend on its own this time. Jake's heart rate decelerated and he was under some stress from trying to get past that damned fibroid for so many hours, and I certainly don't want to put this baby through that. Luckily Jake came out perfect anyway!
2007-10-30 (9 weeks)
Ultrasound Went Well I can't believe it's taken me this long to update, but then again life has been pretty hectic lately! I had my first ultrasound last Thursday and our little Sprout is doing great. We saw little arm and leg buds and got to see and hear the heart rate! The baby is measuring right on schedule, so my due date is still June 2. I will update the photo album with the 2 pictures they gave us.
I go in next week for a full checkup and to talk to the doctor about my pregnancy/delivery with Jake and all that good stuff. My morning sickness is still kicking my butt, although it does seem to have lessened a bit. I hope that means it's slowly on its way out.
In other news, we closed on our new house on Friday! We went up there on Sunday and spent the night and moved a few things in. Then the cable guy came Monday morning and hooked up our Internet access and phone, so that's all set up now. I have to go back up there tomorrow as the washer/dryer combo is being delivered. And I have to continue packing in the meantime, as the movers are arriving on Saturday. Yikes! As of Sunday evening we should be pretty well moved in, and I can't wait. Then hopefully we can all relax a little bit and enjoy the new house. Then after that we'll be hosting Thanksgiving dinner for around 20 people, and a couple of weeks after that will be Jake's 1st birthday party. Busy busy! I guess I better get to it then, since I have a lot of packing to do.
