Today, Sterling had her hearing test. They took us into a tiny, hot, vaguely smelly room and attached electrodes behind her ear and on her forehead. She was fine with those, but got disgruntled about the probe they stuck in her ear. At that point, she got mad and started wiggling and whining, so Mike gave her a bottle which she sucked down quickly and looked for more. They can't do the test until she's quiet (and sucking is too noisy), but we were finally able to get her to quiet down and nurse for long enough to get the test completed. She passed.
The second test involved sticking yet another probe in her ear to look for movement of the eardrum. She passed that one too, although she was really not happy about the second round of probing.
Showing posts with label doctor. Show all posts
Showing posts with label doctor. Show all posts
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
Tongue Tie Resolution
We just got home from having Sterling's tongue and lip ties snipped. The Dr was very nice. He examined her, then numbed her lip and under-tongue area with cherry flavored topical numbing stuff, then we chatted for a while and he explained exactly what he was going to do. His two assistants came in and one held her head and the other held down her arms, then he numbed the area with ice and then again with the numbing stuff. The lip snip looked gorier to me (I watched, but couldn't bring myself to actually participate by holding her down), but I couldn't really see the tongue snip. She bled into some gauze and cried vigorously for what seemed to be a really long time (but was probably a minute or two), then they handed her to me to nurse. She cried and bled onto my boob for another really long time (5 minutes maybe?) then settled down and nursed a little bit. She had a bottle and by the time that was finished, she seemed to have forgotten about the whole experience (except for a bit of bloody drool smeared on her cheeks).
I didn't notice a huge, amazing difference with her first nursing. Her tongue felt like it was doing the same thing it usually does (i.e. rub on my nipple somewhat painfully) and my nipple was its usual misshapen self after she was done. Her lip did flange out (like a goldfish) on its own without me having to pull it out, which has never happened before, so that's positive.
She's having a nap in her swing and I'm sitting her, also exhausted. We go back to see the lactation consultant tomorrow afternoon, so we'll see what she says then. Tonight, I get to cool down my finger with ice water, then run it up under her lip and under her tongue to keep it from healing back together.
I didn't notice a huge, amazing difference with her first nursing. Her tongue felt like it was doing the same thing it usually does (i.e. rub on my nipple somewhat painfully) and my nipple was its usual misshapen self after she was done. Her lip did flange out (like a goldfish) on its own without me having to pull it out, which has never happened before, so that's positive.
She's having a nap in her swing and I'm sitting her, also exhausted. We go back to see the lactation consultant tomorrow afternoon, so we'll see what she says then. Tonight, I get to cool down my finger with ice water, then run it up under her lip and under her tongue to keep it from healing back together.
Thursday, May 24, 2012
2 Month Well-Baby Appointment
Sterling is totally healthy. The Dr says that her congestion and snuffling is probably caused by reflux, but that it's normal in babies and that hers isn't bad enough to be concerned about. In my googling on the subject, I learned that it's good to keep babies with reflux more upright when they eat (I've started feeding her bottles in an almost sitting position) and to keep them upright for 20 or so minutes after eating. Both of those things seem to help with the snuffling. The thing that seems to help the best is not giving her formula. Breast milk really reduces the congestion, so I think there's also an allergy or sensitivity component to the snuffling as well.
She got the rest of her 2 months shots today, having gotten the DTaP shot before we went to CA. Turns out that one was by far the worst. The tetanus is apparently the one that makes the muscle really sore. She spent that night holding her leg still and sleeping in my lap. She'd startle, jerk her leg, it would hurt, and she'd wake up crying. I'd rock and nurse her back to sleep, then she'd do it again a half hour later. It was a long evening. For these two shots, she cried at the doctor's office, but has been pretty much fine at home. She's perhaps slightly more fussy than usual, but not nearly as painful as she was last time. Today she got her rotavirus vaccine (an oral one), pneumococcal, and hepatitis B.
She got the rest of her 2 months shots today, having gotten the DTaP shot before we went to CA. Turns out that one was by far the worst. The tetanus is apparently the one that makes the muscle really sore. She spent that night holding her leg still and sleeping in my lap. She'd startle, jerk her leg, it would hurt, and she'd wake up crying. I'd rock and nurse her back to sleep, then she'd do it again a half hour later. It was a long evening. For these two shots, she cried at the doctor's office, but has been pretty much fine at home. She's perhaps slightly more fussy than usual, but not nearly as painful as she was last time. Today she got her rotavirus vaccine (an oral one), pneumococcal, and hepatitis B.
Monday, April 9, 2012
Weight gain!
Sterling weighs 6lbs 11.5oz as of our doctor's appointment this afternoon! Since the last appointment, we've been supplementing with 5-7 oz of formula / breast milk per day. Dr Liz says that she's still getting the majority of her nutrition from me, but that seems like a pretty sizable quantity to be getting not from me. Basically, when she wakes up and gets hungry, I nurse her. If she's still hungry after nursing, which seems to be about 50% of the time, we give her a bottle. Typically she drinks 1-1.5oz per bottle feeding.
I'm hoping that I'll be able to up the number of times that I can pump because we had a napping breakthrough today. Up until today, she was very reluctant to sleep unless someone was holding her. Today, she slept for an hour on her own in our hand-me-down baby papasan chair. It was lovely. I ate lunch, started a load of diaper laundry, and was able to pump. Unprecedented.
Thursday, April 5, 2012
Doctor's Appointment
Sterling hasn't gained any weight since her last doctor's appointment on Monday. Here's the plan as it stands right now:
-Add more supplementation. She's getting enough milk from me to hold her weight steady and to pee and poop regularly, but she's apparently not getting enough to gain weight. We've been supplementing her a little bit before bed (otherwise she won't fall asleep), but we're going to start doing it more. We're now aiming for a total addition of 4-6 oz from a bottle.
-Continue with Mother's Milk Tea and tincture from birthing center. I'm also going to start drinking protein shakes (sounds lovely).
-Try to pump more regularly. This is good for nipple stimulation and we can feed the milk back to Sterling.
Here's how I'm going to try to work our schedule:
Typically, Sterling wants to nurse again 2-3 hours after she's filled herself up. At that point, I'm going to nurse her for about 5 minutes on each side (or as long as she's actively nursing; she tends to slow way down and fall asleep after not too long). Then, we'll give her a bottle and see if she's still hungry. Once she's full, she usually falls asleep. After about an hour, I'll give pumping a try. An hour or so later, baby can nurse again and we'll repeat the process. Dr Liz says that the fact that she sleeps in 4-5 hour stretches at night is fine and won't affect my production, but I think I'm going to try to get in at least one pumping session at night, too. At least for the next couple of days.
We go back in for our next weigh-in on Monday.
-Add more supplementation. She's getting enough milk from me to hold her weight steady and to pee and poop regularly, but she's apparently not getting enough to gain weight. We've been supplementing her a little bit before bed (otherwise she won't fall asleep), but we're going to start doing it more. We're now aiming for a total addition of 4-6 oz from a bottle.
-Continue with Mother's Milk Tea and tincture from birthing center. I'm also going to start drinking protein shakes (sounds lovely).
-Try to pump more regularly. This is good for nipple stimulation and we can feed the milk back to Sterling.
Here's how I'm going to try to work our schedule:
Typically, Sterling wants to nurse again 2-3 hours after she's filled herself up. At that point, I'm going to nurse her for about 5 minutes on each side (or as long as she's actively nursing; she tends to slow way down and fall asleep after not too long). Then, we'll give her a bottle and see if she's still hungry. Once she's full, she usually falls asleep. After about an hour, I'll give pumping a try. An hour or so later, baby can nurse again and we'll repeat the process. Dr Liz says that the fact that she sleeps in 4-5 hour stretches at night is fine and won't affect my production, but I think I'm going to try to get in at least one pumping session at night, too. At least for the next couple of days.
We go back in for our next weigh-in on Monday.
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
So we didn't go into labor last night
This is a potentially Too Much Information post for those of you who are squeamish about body fluids... so stop reading now if that's the case. You are warned.
For the past week or so, I've been, shall we say, "well lubricated". Way up from normal levels, but that's normal during the end of pregnancy. Over the weekend, it jumped to a new level. Sunday, I resorted to sticking a folded washcloth in my underwear because periodically, I would have a "gush" of fluid. Not a huge enough gush that it was obvious that my water had broken, but enough that I had to change my underwear and my pants would get wet.
Dr. Liz had given me pH paper at the previous appointment (on Tuesday) when I had mentioned that secretion levels were rising. Urine and vaginal fluids usually have an acidic pH, while amniotic fluid is close to neutral. However, when she gave me the paper, she said that these pHs can vary and that many of her colleagues don't even give out pH paper anymore because it's so often wrong. With that in mind, I had pHed various body fluids and determined on Tuesday that my urine was close to neutral and so was this other fluid, so it was probably just an extension of the "peeing when you sneeze" development from several weeks ago.
Sunday evening, I ran another set of pH experiments and determined that urine was now somewhat acidic and the "gushing" fluid was neutral. That evening, I called Dr Liz and we had a consult. The end result was that nothing could be determined, she wasn't that worried because the pH paper is so often wrong and what I was describing didn't sound like it was due to my membranes having ruptured. We moved my appointment for the week to Monday afternoon (from Tuesday morning).
Sunday night I didn't sleep well and had a bad dream that something had happened to the baby. Other than that, it was uneventful.
Monday, "gushing" continued fairly similarly to Sunday. Monday afternoon, we headed to meet up with Dr Liz. She did an exam and collected some fluid so she could dry it on a slide and look for "ferning". Apparently cervical mucus during fertile periods and amniotic fluid both "fern" when they dry. Basically, as they dry, they sort of crystalize into a pattern that looks kind of like ferns (I thought it looked more like snowflakes). Ferning test was inconclusive: it looked like there might be slight ferning, but it wasn't enough to make Dr Liz certain that it was amniotic fluid.
We headed home and Dr Liz dropped by with another test, which ended up basically being pH paper packaged for home use. It showed the same thing as the pH paper did (unsurprisingly). We discussed the options.
Basically, the problem boils down to the fact that I tested positive for Group B Strep, which typically isn't problematic unless membranes rupture well before you go into labor. What we were looking at (pH test, ferning) suggested that it was possible that my membranes might have slightly ruptured. However, it was totally inconclusive as to whether they actually had or not. Irritating.
After literally hours of debate, we decided that I should definitely start taking oral antibiotics. Then we debated whether it would be a good idea to try to get labor started. If my membranes had, in fact, ruptured, then it was advisable for labor to start within 48 hours. At that point, it had already been over 24 (since the gushing started). We bought castor oil when we picked up the prescription for the antibiotics. Dr Liz stopped by her office for another look at the ferning slides, which looked even less convincing the second time.
We called off the "let's start labor tonight" plan in favor of the "let's wait until tomorrow morning" plan. I started the antibiotics and we went to bed.
I called Dr Liz this morning and we decided that we're both comfortable with me being on antibiotics and not trying to start labor early, unless there is some other, more conclusive sign that my membranes actually have ruptured or that I've got an infection. I could go to the hospital and have them test, but they'll do the exact same tests that we've already done and presumably get the same inconclusive answers. I don't want to end up being induced at the hospital for no reason; that's exactly what I was trying to avoid by having the baby at a birth center.
I'm extremely relieved that I didn't go into labor last night. Apparently I need a few more days to prepare mentally for the baby to arrive. I had things I wanted to get done this week, I had a final to give today, and I just wasn't expecting it to happen quite that quickly. I'm not sure how I expect it to be different in another few days or a week, but somehow it seems less stressful. Hopefully I won't feel quite so overwhelmed when it actually does start, and hopefully it'll be able to start naturally whenever the baby is ready to come out.
For the past week or so, I've been, shall we say, "well lubricated". Way up from normal levels, but that's normal during the end of pregnancy. Over the weekend, it jumped to a new level. Sunday, I resorted to sticking a folded washcloth in my underwear because periodically, I would have a "gush" of fluid. Not a huge enough gush that it was obvious that my water had broken, but enough that I had to change my underwear and my pants would get wet.
Dr. Liz had given me pH paper at the previous appointment (on Tuesday) when I had mentioned that secretion levels were rising. Urine and vaginal fluids usually have an acidic pH, while amniotic fluid is close to neutral. However, when she gave me the paper, she said that these pHs can vary and that many of her colleagues don't even give out pH paper anymore because it's so often wrong. With that in mind, I had pHed various body fluids and determined on Tuesday that my urine was close to neutral and so was this other fluid, so it was probably just an extension of the "peeing when you sneeze" development from several weeks ago.
Sunday evening, I ran another set of pH experiments and determined that urine was now somewhat acidic and the "gushing" fluid was neutral. That evening, I called Dr Liz and we had a consult. The end result was that nothing could be determined, she wasn't that worried because the pH paper is so often wrong and what I was describing didn't sound like it was due to my membranes having ruptured. We moved my appointment for the week to Monday afternoon (from Tuesday morning).
Sunday night I didn't sleep well and had a bad dream that something had happened to the baby. Other than that, it was uneventful.
Monday, "gushing" continued fairly similarly to Sunday. Monday afternoon, we headed to meet up with Dr Liz. She did an exam and collected some fluid so she could dry it on a slide and look for "ferning". Apparently cervical mucus during fertile periods and amniotic fluid both "fern" when they dry. Basically, as they dry, they sort of crystalize into a pattern that looks kind of like ferns (I thought it looked more like snowflakes). Ferning test was inconclusive: it looked like there might be slight ferning, but it wasn't enough to make Dr Liz certain that it was amniotic fluid.
We headed home and Dr Liz dropped by with another test, which ended up basically being pH paper packaged for home use. It showed the same thing as the pH paper did (unsurprisingly). We discussed the options.
Basically, the problem boils down to the fact that I tested positive for Group B Strep, which typically isn't problematic unless membranes rupture well before you go into labor. What we were looking at (pH test, ferning) suggested that it was possible that my membranes might have slightly ruptured. However, it was totally inconclusive as to whether they actually had or not. Irritating.
After literally hours of debate, we decided that I should definitely start taking oral antibiotics. Then we debated whether it would be a good idea to try to get labor started. If my membranes had, in fact, ruptured, then it was advisable for labor to start within 48 hours. At that point, it had already been over 24 (since the gushing started). We bought castor oil when we picked up the prescription for the antibiotics. Dr Liz stopped by her office for another look at the ferning slides, which looked even less convincing the second time.
We called off the "let's start labor tonight" plan in favor of the "let's wait until tomorrow morning" plan. I started the antibiotics and we went to bed.
I called Dr Liz this morning and we decided that we're both comfortable with me being on antibiotics and not trying to start labor early, unless there is some other, more conclusive sign that my membranes actually have ruptured or that I've got an infection. I could go to the hospital and have them test, but they'll do the exact same tests that we've already done and presumably get the same inconclusive answers. I don't want to end up being induced at the hospital for no reason; that's exactly what I was trying to avoid by having the baby at a birth center.
I'm extremely relieved that I didn't go into labor last night. Apparently I need a few more days to prepare mentally for the baby to arrive. I had things I wanted to get done this week, I had a final to give today, and I just wasn't expecting it to happen quite that quickly. I'm not sure how I expect it to be different in another few days or a week, but somehow it seems less stressful. Hopefully I won't feel quite so overwhelmed when it actually does start, and hopefully it'll be able to start naturally whenever the baby is ready to come out.
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Doctor's appointment
Dr says that everything is normal. Nothing noteworthy to report. Tiny squee has rearranged so that its back is to the left. Seeing that for the entire rest of the pregnancy, it has been facing the other direction, that's sort of interesting... but not particularly noteworthy. Perhaps that's why sleeping didn't go so well last night - Tiny Squee was busy repositioning.
We went to Powell's today; they were having a 30% off Friends and Family sale. I got a bunch of books, including several cook-and-freeze cookbooks which I hope to use to make food for after Tiny Squee arrives. I also got some baby board books to add to our (rapidly growing) collection. Our baby will be very well read.
We went to Powell's today; they were having a 30% off Friends and Family sale. I got a bunch of books, including several cook-and-freeze cookbooks which I hope to use to make food for after Tiny Squee arrives. I also got some baby board books to add to our (rapidly growing) collection. Our baby will be very well read.
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Dr Visit
We went to see Dr Liz yesterday. We talked about insurance, which was not thrilling but pretty useful. I have maybe found an insurance that will cover her, but I need to call them and see what exactly they WILL cover. Otherwise, I'm going to go with Kaiser and just continue to go see her occasionally (she suggested this as an effective strategy).
The baby is growing perfectly. I am now measuring exactly where I should be for being 34 weeks pregnant (34 centimeters fundal height, which is basically how large the uterus has gotten). Baby's heartbeat sounded fine. Nothing unusual has occurred so far and we see her again in 2 weeks. I think after that, we move to once a week appointments. She seems totally unconcerned about early labor (I have no signs of it so far) and positive about the baby waiting until the end of the term to be born.
The baby is growing perfectly. I am now measuring exactly where I should be for being 34 weeks pregnant (34 centimeters fundal height, which is basically how large the uterus has gotten). Baby's heartbeat sounded fine. Nothing unusual has occurred so far and we see her again in 2 weeks. I think after that, we move to once a week appointments. She seems totally unconcerned about early labor (I have no signs of it so far) and positive about the baby waiting until the end of the term to be born.
Thursday, January 5, 2012
GD test results
Dr Liz just called with my blood test results. My blood sugar is 78, which is normal. Apparently anything below 100 is within the normal range for not-pregnant people. For the gestational diabetes test specifically, glucose levels should be below 120 two hours after a meal.
She also said that my hemoglobin and hematocrit are also normal, so I don't look anemic at all. This is a plus, because much of the time when I'm not pregnant, I'm borderline anemic. I know this because sometimes I can't donate blood because my iron levels are too low.
She also said that my hemoglobin and hematocrit are also normal, so I don't look anemic at all. This is a plus, because much of the time when I'm not pregnant, I'm borderline anemic. I know this because sometimes I can't donate blood because my iron levels are too low.
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Doctor's Appointment
Today, I had my gestational diabetes screening. It's pretty much done with all pregnant women, not because I had any risk factors. This morning, I got up and had my usual bowl of oatmeal (8:30am). At 10:30, I drank 50g of glucose solution. It wasn't as horrific as I had been led to believe by people's posts online. It tasted sort of like flat sprite. I mean, I wouldn't drink it if given a choice, but I didn't think it was particularly worthy of complaint. At 11:30, Dr Liz drew blood that gets sent away to wherever it is that does the glucose tests. She says she's not worried about the results, what with me not having any risk factors and all. I'm not worried either, although I did lodge a complaint about having to take the test right after Christmas when my cookie consumption is at an all-year high. She pointed out that if I'd taken the test before Christmas and gotten bad results, my cookie consumption would have been reduced to an all-time low. Therefore, by taking the test after Christmas, at least I got to eat the cookies regardless of the results.
I've gained 3 pounds since my last appointment, which was a month ago. I figured I would have gained a lot more than that. I added in at least one extra meal per day composed entirely of cookies while I was at Granny's house. I also look a lot more pregnant than I did at the last appointment. She measured my fundal height (how big the uterus is, basically) and said I'm right on track. Apparently I've caught up from being a bit small and am now regular-sized. This totally agrees with my feeling that I'm about 5x more pregnant looking than I was a few weeks ago. Maybe the baby just needed some extra cookies to kick-start its growth.
Heartbeat was steady and sounded fabulous. Next appointment is in a month.
I've gained 3 pounds since my last appointment, which was a month ago. I figured I would have gained a lot more than that. I added in at least one extra meal per day composed entirely of cookies while I was at Granny's house. I also look a lot more pregnant than I did at the last appointment. She measured my fundal height (how big the uterus is, basically) and said I'm right on track. Apparently I've caught up from being a bit small and am now regular-sized. This totally agrees with my feeling that I'm about 5x more pregnant looking than I was a few weeks ago. Maybe the baby just needed some extra cookies to kick-start its growth.
Heartbeat was steady and sounded fabulous. Next appointment is in a month.
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
I'm actually pregnant.
Today, one of the people I work with asked me if I was pregnant. This is the first person to actually ask. I think other people must suspect (since one of my department chairs said I was showing 6 weeks ago), but this is the first person who actually asked.
The funny thing is that my doctor mentioned the "Dave Barry" rule for asking about pregnancy this morning at our appointment: if you don't see a baby actually emerging, don't ask a woman if she's pregnant. My coworker said I was getting bigger "just in the tummy" so she suspected. It was actually kind of nice to be asked.
Nothing too exciting to report regarding this morning's doctor's appointment. Baby is measuring small and has apparently been measuring small the whole time. That lines up with my view of the situation - I don't feel like I look that pregnant compared to other women who are equally pregnant. I'm sure the tiny squee will catch up on growth later on. Baby's heartbeat seemed sort of variable. Dr Liz said that baby didn't like me laying down. I wonder if it's because it cuts off circulation. Supposedly the weight of the baby can press on the vena cava and inhibit blood flow somewhat. I had found myself sleeping on my back sometimes (mostly to save my hips from hurting), but it's getting pretty uncomfortable to do that.
I've solved the hip pain when sleeping problem (at least for the time being). If I put a pillow between my legs, I can sleep pain-free through most of the night. I usually wake up once (to pee), then flip over to the other side for most of the rest of the night. It's been much better the past few nights that I've done that. I must be sleeping pretty well because when I wake up, I'm still in the same position that I started.
The funny thing is that my doctor mentioned the "Dave Barry" rule for asking about pregnancy this morning at our appointment: if you don't see a baby actually emerging, don't ask a woman if she's pregnant. My coworker said I was getting bigger "just in the tummy" so she suspected. It was actually kind of nice to be asked.
Nothing too exciting to report regarding this morning's doctor's appointment. Baby is measuring small and has apparently been measuring small the whole time. That lines up with my view of the situation - I don't feel like I look that pregnant compared to other women who are equally pregnant. I'm sure the tiny squee will catch up on growth later on. Baby's heartbeat seemed sort of variable. Dr Liz said that baby didn't like me laying down. I wonder if it's because it cuts off circulation. Supposedly the weight of the baby can press on the vena cava and inhibit blood flow somewhat. I had found myself sleeping on my back sometimes (mostly to save my hips from hurting), but it's getting pretty uncomfortable to do that.
I've solved the hip pain when sleeping problem (at least for the time being). If I put a pillow between my legs, I can sleep pain-free through most of the night. I usually wake up once (to pee), then flip over to the other side for most of the rest of the night. It's been much better the past few nights that I've done that. I must be sleeping pretty well because when I wake up, I'm still in the same position that I started.
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Stomach upset and Doctor's Appointment
Yesterday, I must have eaten something that made me sick. Mike and I ate dinner before we headed off to work and I was fine until about 9:15 (the class goes till 9:50). Around then, I started getting gas pains and my stomach was getting upset. At 9:30, I had to tell the class we had to take a break but that I would be back shortly. After 10 unpleasant minutes in the bathroom, I came back and told them that the rest of class was cancelled and I'd email them with the administrative information I'd wanted to tell them. Note to self: need to email class.
I headed back to the bathroom for a bit more quality time. Finally, I felt confident enough to creep to my car and drive home, but I felt really questionable the whole time. Questionable enough that I pulled out a plastic bag in case I puked. I didn't, at least not till I got home.
After some more enjoyable bathroom time, I laid on the couch and watched 2 episodes of Buffy The Vampire Slayer. My stomach was cramping and I just felt crappy. Finally, I headed into bed, but didn't sleep well at all. I kept waking up, although I don't think it was due to my stomach being upset. A yucky evening overall.
I had an appointment with my doctor this morning, so I asked her about the whole thing and potential baby impacts. She didn't seem concerned, although the internet seemed to think it was a major problem when I googled it last night. I guess because it's cleared up today, it's not a big issue.
We chatted for an hour about how things were going. Sadly, she's moving locations. We're still going to see her, but it won't be as conveniently located. We'll still have access to the birthing room at this place, if that's what we decide to do, but all of the prenatal appointments after Jan 1 will be at her new office. She says she got tired of the homeless people camping out in the front doorway (and in the locked yard in the back) and that the building is falling down and the landlord doesn't care. I'd probably move my office, too.
We listened to baby's heartbeat (normal), she measured me (normal), and I got weighed (normal increase). We're hoping for completely average as far as the pregnancy and delivery go, so we're off to a good start so far.
Friday, September 30, 2011
Doctor's Appointment
I went in for my final doctor's appointment at Kaiser on Wednesday (and then forgot to blog about it). It's sad because I really, really liked my midwife there... but she wouldn't be the one to actually deliver the baby. If I kept Kaiser, I'd have to deliver in one of the Kaiser hospitals (there are three in the area). I wouldn't get to choose who my doctor was for the deliver, it's just whoever happens to be there at that time. They also have a roughly 20% C-section rate, which despite being pretty low for hospitals in our area still seems way too high for my comfort.
The midwife said everything was looking good. She said I looked much better than at my previous appointment, although I'm not sure how she can remember what I looked like - it was a month ago. I feel much better, though, so I was willing to believe her.
We listened to the baby's heartbeat (about 170) and she felt my uterus. She says it's "just popped right out there, hasn't it", which is totally true and explains why I don't fit into any of my pants anymore. She said it was poking out about where they'd usually expect it at about 16 weeks, which means I'm a week and a half ahead of schedule as far as uterus-popping goes.
I appear to have entered the hungry phase of pregnancy. When I had morning sickness, I had to eat every hour and a half or two hours because otherwise I started to feel sick. Now, I have to eat every hour and a half or two hours because I'm starving. On the plus side, I've felt a lot more like cooking which means I'm eating better food. I've actually managed to cook some meals that involved vegetables, which would have been unthinkable back in trimester #1. Vegetables just weren't all that appetizing.
We're off to Costco this morning. There's currently nothing on our list. It will cost $200.
The midwife said everything was looking good. She said I looked much better than at my previous appointment, although I'm not sure how she can remember what I looked like - it was a month ago. I feel much better, though, so I was willing to believe her.
We listened to the baby's heartbeat (about 170) and she felt my uterus. She says it's "just popped right out there, hasn't it", which is totally true and explains why I don't fit into any of my pants anymore. She said it was poking out about where they'd usually expect it at about 16 weeks, which means I'm a week and a half ahead of schedule as far as uterus-popping goes.
I appear to have entered the hungry phase of pregnancy. When I had morning sickness, I had to eat every hour and a half or two hours because otherwise I started to feel sick. Now, I have to eat every hour and a half or two hours because I'm starving. On the plus side, I've felt a lot more like cooking which means I'm eating better food. I've actually managed to cook some meals that involved vegetables, which would have been unthinkable back in trimester #1. Vegetables just weren't all that appetizing.
We're off to Costco this morning. There's currently nothing on our list. It will cost $200.
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Doctor's visit
The doctor's visit was a success!
Based on the ultrasound measurements and blood test, baby has a 1 in 5,123 chance of having Down Syndrome and a 1 in >10,000 chance of having trisomy 18 or 13. Baby seems to be developing normally so far.
Interestingly, the measurements they were taking of the length showed that baby is about 13 weeks along. Based on the date of my last period, baby is 12 weeks along. The doctor was concerned about that until we discussed cycle length (mine is pretty short) and possible conception date (July 1 or 3). With a short cycle, ovulation would probably have been earlier than 14 days, which would make the date of conception July 3. With that conception date, it makes the baby about 12.5 weeks along, which made him happier than it only being 12 weeks along. I'm unconcerned either way. Babies don't actually show up on their due dates anyhow, but apparently an accurate age matters for some of the tests they want to do. Now I have to figure out how to change my pregnancy tracker emails and phone app to reflect the baby's new age.
I laughed with the nurses because I went into the office 12 weeks pregnant and came out 13 weeks pregnant. That's a long appointment!
Based on the ultrasound measurements and blood test, baby has a 1 in 5,123 chance of having Down Syndrome and a 1 in >10,000 chance of having trisomy 18 or 13. Baby seems to be developing normally so far.
Interestingly, the measurements they were taking of the length showed that baby is about 13 weeks along. Based on the date of my last period, baby is 12 weeks along. The doctor was concerned about that until we discussed cycle length (mine is pretty short) and possible conception date (July 1 or 3). With a short cycle, ovulation would probably have been earlier than 14 days, which would make the date of conception July 3. With that conception date, it makes the baby about 12.5 weeks along, which made him happier than it only being 12 weeks along. I'm unconcerned either way. Babies don't actually show up on their due dates anyhow, but apparently an accurate age matters for some of the tests they want to do. Now I have to figure out how to change my pregnancy tracker emails and phone app to reflect the baby's new age.
I laughed with the nurses because I went into the office 12 weeks pregnant and came out 13 weeks pregnant. That's a long appointment!
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Birth Center
I'd decided that I didn't want to have the baby in a hospital. Even the good hospitals in the area have above a 20% C-section rate. I don't think there's any way that 20% of births should require major surgery and I want a chance to have the baby without medical interventions (pitocin, epidural, etc). I'd decided to have the baby either at a birth center or with a midwife at home.
Today, we went and toured the Natural Childbirth and Family Clinic. It's very close to our apartment, which is convenient. Two of the doctors there are covered by my medical insurance, which is extremely convenient. We met with Dr Liz, who seems very nice. I liked her sense of humor. She addressed the major concerns that I had (question: what happens if there's an emergency? answer: we go to one of the hospitals that my insurance will cover, she stays with me the whole time). We also got to listen to the baby's heart beat! This is the first time that we've heard it. I saw it on the ultrasound, but that just showed the movement.
I have my last Kaiser appointment for a nuchal translucency ultrasound next week. Then, my new insurance will kick in Oct 1 and I'll start going to see Dr Liz.
Today, we went and toured the Natural Childbirth and Family Clinic. It's very close to our apartment, which is convenient. Two of the doctors there are covered by my medical insurance, which is extremely convenient. We met with Dr Liz, who seems very nice. I liked her sense of humor. She addressed the major concerns that I had (question: what happens if there's an emergency? answer: we go to one of the hospitals that my insurance will cover, she stays with me the whole time). We also got to listen to the baby's heart beat! This is the first time that we've heard it. I saw it on the ultrasound, but that just showed the movement.
I have my last Kaiser appointment for a nuchal translucency ultrasound next week. Then, my new insurance will kick in Oct 1 and I'll start going to see Dr Liz.
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
It's alive!
The very nice midwife did an ultrasound and discovered that there's actually a baby in there!
It was pretty exciting. It has a heartbeat that's like a little flutter somewhere in the upper middle portion of the body. It has limbs with the tiniest fingers on them, although it does appear to have 8 or so fingers on each hand. The midwife didn't seem concerned about that, so I'm guessing it's just an artifact of the ultrasound. It wiggled around.
Cutest parasite ever.
First Doctor's Appointment
This afternoon is my first baby-related doctors appointment. I'm a little nervous that the whole pregnancy thing is going to prove to be some sort of mistake or that things won't end up being ok. Morning sickness is supposed to be a good sign, and I've had some of that... but not too bad as compared to people I've talked to or read about online. I feel like there's a reasonably good chance that things could not work out. Like it's maybe 50/50 at this point. That would suck. Before I started this project, I had never considered the idea that even if a pregnancy doesn't work out, you still have to go through all the crappy parts like the tiredness and the morning sickness. You just don't end up with a baby at the end of it.
Fingers crossed for the Dr saying that everything looks fine.
Fingers crossed for the Dr saying that everything looks fine.
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