Double -- No TRIPLE Jinx!

Went to the doctor today for my regular appointment...

*high blood pressure (probably had nothing to do with the fact that there were no parking spots at the hospital, it was pouring rain, and OB will mark you as a 'no show' if you are more than 5 minutes late so I ran from the van, up the stairs to the third floor.)
*low iron (on the bright side, my platelets were well within normal range this time :-))

ugh... what else?!?

And what do they say? Go home and relax. Put your feet up and rest. Hello?!? Read my flippin' chart! I have three other kids at home!

So I am going to try and rest today while Bubba is napping. TRY being the key word. Faith has gotten kind of used to doing some sort of craft project during that hour and a half! Hmmm... maybe I can get her to watch Underdog once again :-)

JINX...

I did it... I jinxed myself. I was just saying that I hadn't had a single issue with this pregnancy (other than my normal low platelet count) and then ... the midwife called. My glucose tolerance test (tests for gestational diabetes) came back with not so great results. I am really not too worried. This was a non-fasting test and I ate a poptart for breakfast yesterday (only an hour and a half before I started the test). This is also not my first episode of high 1-hour glucose tests during pregnancy. I had high results with Faith, but okay results when I retook the test as a 3-hour fasting test. Granted she was an enormous baby, but I figured out how to work with it :-)

So anyway. I definitely think I did the jinx myself! Oh well.. more to come. I take the 3 hour version on Monday. Yippee :-(

Belly Laugh...

doctor's visit

So, went to the doctor this morning. Everything is still looking fine. I am measuring small, but have with 2/3's of the other pregnancies. I measured right on with Faith, but I was the biggest with Faith, too. Both Grace and Josh were over 8 lb babies and the midwives/doctors all told me they would be tiny (around 6 lbs I was told). I must just hide it well. Whatever it is, I won't complain about being smaller than average :-)

I will schedule the next ultrasound tomorrow. We still won't find out the gender, but we want to let the kids see the baby. All of the kids have felt at least a kick, but I don't think Bub quite 'gets it'. I did find out that the reason that the kicks are so strong so early -- (maybe TMI, but...) apparently my placenta is on the back of my uterus instead of the (typical) front. Means the kicks don't have a cushion to push through. Whatever the reason, there is another kicker in there! And we will definitely be working on our day/night schedules... many kicks at night and a lot of resting during the day. Hopefully isn't indicative of things to come...

Ultrasound

So, I had an ultrasound yesterday. Everything looks fine and normal. Baby is measuring within three days of what is expected (measuring at 19w6d, instead of 20w1d) in all but one measurement. Baby's femur length (long bone in leg) is measuring quite long -- nothing extraordinary, but the tech said "this one is going to be a long one"! Bone is measuring at 21w1d... so a whole week ahead! I am expecting another one like Faith... who was 22-1/2 in when she was born.

I did NOT find out the gender -- though I was alone in that ultrasound room and it was SO tempting. I am not nearly as nervous as I thought I would be... I do have one more chance though... in 4 weeks I will have another ultrasound that the kids can come to, so one more hurdle :-)

The picture is a hand, obviously... in (what we call) Spider Arms. Josh saw the picture and said "High Five" :-) Smart boy!

Baby

Rob and G both felt the baby kick this morning! G thought it felt weird :-)

Hospital Gripes

As most of you know, I had a great trip to the ER on Sunday morning... I had a stomach virus pretty bad on Friday night through Saturday morning. This led me to have some awful cramps both Saturday and Sunday.

Of course, I became super paranoid that it wasn't just the virus finishing with me, but that really it was something wrong with the baby. Made me very jittery and nervous.

So, I went into the ER. I was pretty impressed with the check in process. I came in, sat down, they took me back for triage stuff, peed in a cup and sat back down to wait to go back.

Hmm... that guy came in after me... he isn't bleeding and it doesn't look like anything physically wrong with him, hmm... wonder why he gets to go back first. They must be still waiting for my pee results. Be patient, Melissa.

Oh... that is my name. Let's go back. Sit here, somebody will be right with you. Well, wait... let's move you to a 'real' room (not the cloth divider rooms) since they may have to do an exam on you. Go ahead and strip from the waist down. You can cover with this *warmed* blanket.

So, I get stuck in this little bitty room back away from all of the other rooms. I am thinking... wow, this is nice. I am not too close to any ER germs and real rooms must be more important than divider rooms.

WRONG!

After thirty more minutes of waiting, finally somebody remembers I am there. In comes the doctor... a lady who, apparently, wants to talk about every baby she has ever delivered. Takes my history... again... and tells me she is going to order some tests. Tells me I am smart for bringing my iPod to give me something to do.... I have less than 50% battery strength.

Fifteen minutes later... Nurse comes in with a fetal heart monitor. This is really the only reason I came in... to make sure baby is still okay. Baby heartbeat at a good 153 bpm. Alright... now I am ready to go home. This is what I was worried about. But no... gotta wait.

Another thirty minutes goes by. In comes the nurse to take my blood. Now, I am not squeamish about giving blood/having my blood drawn. I cannot watch, though... don't want to see it. I have pretty thin blood, so it usually doesn't take very long. So, nurse sticks me, I feel the pressure of her holding the needle-apparatus-thing in place and hear her say something like "oh wow" and all pressure lifts from my arm. Now, I am thinking 'I filled the vial up quick' and I look down. What do I see?!? Blood gushing all over and the needle still in my arm! I mean blood EVERYWHERE -- the floor, the blanket, the nurse, everywhere. Nurse couldn't get it to stop! She got her vial of blood and pulled the needle-apparatus-thing out, even though she was supposed to keep it in, in case I needed an IV. Then she leaves me with this tiny little square of gauze and tells me to hold it on until it stops bleeding. HELLO?!? Be patient, Melissa.

So, I find myself sitting, pants-less with a freezing, bloody blanket (because warmed blankets don't stay that way) holding a piece of gauze soaked in my blood. Breathe, Melissa.

An hour and forty five minutes later... still sitting. I decide to put my pants on and open the door, in the slim chance that somebody may come by this way and tell me where the bathroom is. My iPod battery line is almost to that dreaded 'red' part. I guess I should stop listening to book on tape and playing solitaire both... seems to drain the battery faster. Breathe, Melissa.

Ten minutes later, the doctor comes back in...

I'm waiting on one more test result, but everything looks fine. I didn't want you to think I forgot about you. Sure... the bathroom is right over here (two doors away from where I was). Be patient, Melissa.

Thirty minutes later, finally with an empty bladder, another nurse comes in with my discharge paperwork. She gives me another piece of gauze for my arm and tapes it down so I don't have to hold it. Where was she two hours ago?!? iPod in red zone.

So, just at four hours from start to finish. What was wrong, you ask?!? The stomach virus seems to have dehydrated you. We would give you an IV, but you had such problems with the needle-apparatus-thing that we don't want to stick you again. You need to drink more water.

Oh My Gosh!

I guess I shouldn't complain. Our insurance will pay for it all... even when it is only for my peace of mind that I go in. I do consider myself lucky that there was nothing wrong with me or baby. I guess I should consider myself lucky for being able to go with no worry. But seriously, four hours to tell me to drink more water?!?

Alien Invasion

After three pregnancies, you'd think that I would be used to the crazy feelings of having a baby inside of me. But I am not.

Last night, I just about jumped out of my skin when the baby pushed off to do a, seemingly impressive, backflip in utero. Ugh... at this point, it is just weird feeling. No, that isn't entirely true. At all points it is weird feeling.

I still have five more months of this -- when I was pregnant the first time, I didn't know what I was feeling this early, so it didn't bother me too much. With each pregnancy, I have felt the baby earlier. I am not saying that as a good thing... though I would be stressing if I hadn't felt anything by now. Double edged sword, I suppose.

Pregnant Forgetfulness

I've lost a day.

Lost it.

Don't know where it went, but will never get it back. I guess more than losing it, I've miscounted the days that I did have.

Anyway... thought that the Valentine's Day party for G's class was Friday. So, I didn't stress about not having her cards ready or her little treats ready.

No... Valentine's Day is tomorrow. We were supposed to have her cards to her teacher by today. Oops... not happening.

I tried to force G to write all of her classmates names on a piece of paper so that I could somehow put them where I wanted them when I made the cards. I tried doing it this morning... during the 30 minutes that she is up (when she also has to dress, put shoes on, eat breakfast, brush hair and teeth, etc, etc). I found myself getting frustrated at her because she was writing so slow.

Hello?!? She is 5 years old.

So, I wrote a note to the teacher that it was my fault, but that G would have her cards and treats there in the morning. G shouldn't be punished because my pregnant brain missed a day somewhere.

Why didn't I make her do them yesterday during our snowday?!? Where has my brain gone?