Thursday, March 7, 2019

33 weeks




Not the best picture to see my belly, but you'd be surprised how hard it is is take a good belly selfie.

The last 2 weeks has been pretty busy and stressful in my pregnancy with my (complete) placenta previa.

 When I was exactly 32 weeks, I started spotting a little and my the next day, it was still going on a little. I called my OB and they said, if you are bleeding at all, you need to go to the hospital right away. I left work during lunch and went straight there. I hung out in labor and delivery for 3 hours while I was hooked up to a monitor and baby boy was doing great. I received the first dose of a steroid shot to speed up his lung development in case he needs to be delivered early.  My OB decided I shouldn't go back to work and to put me on "modified" bed rest. I got to go home and was told to go back for the second part of shot the next day. (Most painful shot ever. Seriously, the worst!)

I woke up at 5 am with even more bleeding and we went back to the hospital. The big decision was if I should stay at this hospital or transfer. If I stayed at Ohio Health and had to deliver, there was a possibility that baby would have to go to a NICU at a children's hospital. They'd send him to Nationwide Children that is over an hour away.  I'd have to stay at Ohio Health and recover without him. Or they could send me to Akron Children's, where I could deliver, if need be,  and he could stay there, too. That's also an hour away. 

Josh and I decided to stay at Ohio Health for monitoring because we didn't feel we were in an emergency situation where he would be delivered soon. I stayed for monitoring for around 30 hours and was able to go home on strict bed rest.  That evening, I had another bleed that was the worse one yet.  We didn't go back because we knew I'd but be hooked back up to monitors and maybe put on hospital bed rest. The doctor told me that with placenta previa, I was expected to bleed or spot. 

The real scare would be if there is a major bleed because I would need to rush to the hospital before baby or I lost too much blood. That's what I'm mostly worried about.  What if that happens? What if no one is answering their phone? I need someone to drive me 20 minutes to the hospital and someone to watch the kids and Josh works 45 minutes from home. It would definitely be an immediate c section. 

So far, I'm taking it one day at a time and counting every day without tearing my placenta as a major win.  It's difficult to be at home and see all the housework that needs done and not be able to do it and also not really wanting to tell people to do it for you.  But I'm trying to remember to stay on the couch as much as possible so my placenta isn't moving or rubbing on anything. 

I don't know when he will arrive. I am almost 34 weeks now. Akron Children's said they recommend a c section between 36 - 37 weeks.  My OB is thinking closer to 38-39 for a scheduled c section. I prefer to have him born as early as possible so I can start recovering and mostly stop worrying and get rid of this pesky placenta! 

Each week, I have to go to my OB office to monitor his heart beat and movement. That's actually twice a week. He always does really well. And I get 1 ultrasound a week as well as meeting with the doctor.  I'm going to try to remember to asked her when she will deliver him for me at the next appointment. This last one yesterday was pretty crazy. 

Whew, if you made it this far, I commend you. It is nice to be able to stay home with Penelope in the mornings while my mom takes Oliver to school.  Just wish it was warmer outside so the kids could play. I'm running out of activities for them to do that don't require much clean up, or leaving the house.

Hopefully the next post is still a pregnant belly and not a newborn picture!







Tuesday, February 12, 2019

30 weeks





I don't feel as massive at this point as I didn't with Penelope and Oliver. This kids I work with at right at eye level and I had a girl today say, "That's a biiiig belly." My response is always, and it's going to get bigger! Can't believe he will double in size within 2 months!


How far along- 30 weeks! 
How big is baby- if I can remember, around 2.5 pounds. Maybe 3 by now. He is supposed to gain about half a pound a week from here on out. Hope that's all I gain, too. I also saw something that said he is the size of a jumbo bag of chips, but that seems huge to me. 
Total weigh gain- about 20 pounds 
Maternity clothes- yes, definitely. I'm starting to struggle finding long enough shirts. I get home from work and immediately change into leggings.
Sleep- hard to get comfortable. Lately, I've been getting really hot and I'm just now beginning to wake up to go to the bathroom. 3 times now, I have woken up from horrible acid reflux, ran to the bathroom and thrown up.  That's new. 
Best moment this week- Went on a solo shopping spree to get him some cute clothes and a couple little containers.  Also bought a new stroller/car seat combo.
Movement- He's still kicking.  One spot of my belly is sore and I think that's his favorite spot to kick.
Cravings- ice cream, I think that's from the heartburn though. Also, I went a little sugar crazy for a few days after passing my glucose test. 
Gender- another Mr. Parrish
Symptomspelvic pain, varicose veins, Braxton Hicks, shortness of breath. baby brain, lower back pain, sciatic nerve pain, acid reflux. Pelvic rest- I currently have placenta previa, which means the placenta is blocking my cervix and he can't get out safely. Since I've hit my third trimester and it hasn't moved, it most likely won't.  I'll have to have a scheduled C-section. Which I'm nervous about. I have another ultrasound in 2 weeks, but I don't have much hope for it to magically move.
Belly button- way too far out
What I miss- being allowed to lift over 10 pounds- being able to pick up my kids. not having a giant belly. just basically all the physical changes that pregnancy brings. 
Looking forward to- finishing the nursery and the next ultrasound where I can see him again. 
Upcoming appointments/events- I've mentioned the ultrasound a few times now.  I will tell you about my glucose screening though.  I failed my 1 hour screening.  I needed to be at 130 and I was at 170. I was really upset because I tried not to eat any sugar all day and I also didn't want to have gestational diabetes. That just seems impossible for me to manage and it would just be one more thing to worry about. They said I needed to come back next week in the morning for a 3 hour screening.  So I had to take work off since I had to check in at 7am.  I had to follow a "healthy" diet a few days leading up to the appointment and fast for 12 hours beforehand.  When I checked in, my sugar needed to be under 95 and it was 83 or something, so I felt satisfied with that.  After drinking the sugary drink and waiting an hour, I needed to be under 180 and I was at 213.  At the time I really felt like I was going to pass out from having so much sugar in my system on an empty stomach. The lab tech gave me a pillow and I was laying on a couch in the waiting room, debating if I should let myself sleep. So for the next hour, I Googled information about gestational diabetes, because this was my fate.  The next hour was up and I needed to be at 155. I was at 147! I could not believe it and all my praying that hour worked. After the final hour, I had to be at 140.  I was confident since I was so close last time.  I clocked in at 72!  I'm still not sure if I really believe that reading, but it seems like after I hit the peak at 213, my sugar dropped fast.  So after eating healthy and not having any sugar, and also eating a lot less, I decided to hit McDonalds drive thru for a sausage, egg and cheese McMuffin. Once I was pulling out, I started to get so hot and sweaty and kind of lightheaded.  I had my window half way down on the 15 minute drive home and it was probably 12 degrees outside. I managed to stumble through the door. (My mom was babysitting Penelope and Oliver)  She said my blood sugar was probably really low and I chugged some orange juice and felt better. After I ate, I felt so physically worn out and took a nap for a few hours to let my body reset. And then we had 3 snow days in a row so I essentially had a 6 day weekend. 😄

Saturday, February 9, 2019

28 weeks





I love how clear this picture is of him!  He was actually about 27 weeks and 4 days. 2 pounds already! Measuring exactly to his due date. He looks so cute!






Finally got the crib and dresser up.  The nursery is coming together.

Sunday, January 20, 2019

25 and 26 weeks

25 weeks



Penelope and Oliver are now sharing a room so I can get started on the nursery!




 
26 weeks ⬆️

Sunday, December 23, 2018

23 weeks






How far along- 23 weeks
How big is baby- 1 pound and 2 ounces
Total weigh gain- about 10 pounds 
Maternity clothes- yes, definitely. 
Sleep- beginning to become a literal pain to get out of bed in the mornings and I know it's only going to get worse.
Best moment this week- Josh and I went to Akron Children's Fetal Medicine Center to double check on little boy's brain and make sure everything is how it should be. And it is! False alarm and he is completely healthy!
Movement- He is always jumping around!
Cravings- sausage and grapes
Gender- boy! 
Symptomspelvic pain, varicose veins, baby brain, sciatic nerve pain, acid reflux.  Also found out I currently have placenta previa, which means the placenta is blocking my cervix. There is a 90% chance that it will move (so I won't need a C-section), but until it does, I've been put on restrictions. 
Belly button- far out
What I miss- energy drinks
Looking forward to- moving Oliver in with Penelope so I can start on the nursery.
Upcoming appointments/events- Glucose screening and checkup on 1/21, and ultrasound to check on placenta position on 1/24. I'm happy to have a long break between appointments for a while!





19 & 20 weeks










Sunday, November 18, 2018

18 weeks


How far along- 18 weeks
How big is baby- size of an artichoke
Total weigh gain- I've only gained 1 pound in the last 7 weeks! 🤙
Maternity clothes- yes, definitely pants. Some tops. 
Sleep- fine. 
Best moment this week- taking my early glucose test and passing!
MovementI can feel some low flutters a few times a day. Feels like muscle spasms.
Cravings- homemade chocolate chip chip cookies
Gender- boy!  Still working on a name. Josh's top pick and my top pick are different.
Symptomspelvic pain, vericose veins, baby brain. 
Belly button- out
What I miss- energy drinks
Looking forward to- moving Oliver in with Penelope so I can start on the nursery.
Upcoming appointments/eventsanatomy ultrasound on December 11!