What a difference a year makes…

Last year at this time, I was just a few days past my embryo transfer, and was hoping and praying for a miracle. I had already been through so much — multiple miscarriages, lots of tests, a ton of poking and prodding by my doctors, and then a shift to try IVF as last resort to help me get and stay pregnant. Thankfully, it worked! I vividly remember the call from my doctor telling me that I was pregnant and then suffering through hyper-stimulated ovaries for weeks on end until my HCG levels normalized.

During the first trimester, we went in for an ultrasound to check on our baby’s growth every week. Those appointments were both frightening and exciting. Seeing the amazing changes and growth that embryo went through was truly remarkable, but I was terrified about having another miscarriage. Week after week, I was reassured that he was growing and everything was normal. I had never wanted to be “normal” so badly in my life. Thankfully, my 2nd and 3rd trimesters were normal — I was healthy and little man was healthy — and I had a relatively “easy” delivery!

I didn’t realize how hard my fertility journey was on me and my psyche. I really wasn’t myself for so long. Going through years of pain and loss wore me down. Luckily, I have an amazing support network that helped me to continue in our journey to have a child. Now that we have our son, I know that every ounce of pain, every tear, and every loss was worth the happiness I now have. My soul has been renewed; I am happier, more positive, and feel better about life. I am back to the woman I was before all of this started, and am SO grateful for the life I have. It’s truly amazing the difference a year can make…

Baby dust to those of you who are still in the midst of your struggle — I hope and pray that you get your miracle soon!

 

False Alarm

What a night! I was having regular contractions for a good part of the day, which of course made me very excited. Around 7:30, my contractions got very regular (between 4-6 mins) and started to intensify. Around 9:30 or so I called my doula and our doctor to let them know, and was told if the length between then shortened and stayed regular and/or they continued to intensify then to go to the hospital for observation. At around 10:30 or so, my contractions started to come every 2-3 minutes, so we headed to our hospital for observation.

When we arrived, the nurse took my vitals and hooked me up to a monitor. Sure enough I was having very regular contractions, but after a couple hours, they weren’t progressing. Our doctor examined me, and I was 3cm dilated, so she offered to speed things up with pitocin or send us home to wait for labor to progress. I decided that going home and waiting was the best option. Tomorrow, we have another doctor’s appointment to discuss next steps. I am would definitely prefer to avoid induction, but also want to make sure we do what is best for Baby W.

More news to come tomorrow 🙂

Hugs and baby dust!

Still Waiting on Baby W

I am officially past my due date, and trying to patiently wait for our little boy to make his appearance. I will admit patience isn’t my strength — I am used to having some control, and at this point, the only one in control is Baby W. I guess I should just get used to giving up control since I hear that it’s not always possible in motherhood :).

We had a good appointment on Wednesday, and I am definitely progressing. My cervix is still 2cm dilated, but it’s gone from 50 to 80% effaced, which means that we are getting closer and closer to D-day. Effacement is basically how thin my cervix is — it has to be 100% effaced for dilation to really get going — so the doctor was happy with our progress. I am also having more consistent contractions — they are still pretty mild, but they have gotten as close as 7-8 minutes apart! I am thrilled that my contractions are getting closer together, but it’s a bit of tease since every night that I go to sleep, I am convinced that I’ll wake up in a few hours ready in “real” labor.

Thank you for all the prayers, happy thoughts, comments, and emails — I appreciate them! I look forward to sharing some baby pictures very soon!

Hugs and Baby Dust to all!

40 Week Appointment

We had our 40-week appointment today, and all is well in baby land! I am still 2cm dilated and about 80% effaced (compared to 50% last week), which means my body is making progress and labor is near. Of course, at this point, it has to be near… hahaha! My doctor also stripped my membranes again to try to help encourage my body to start more active labor — we’ll just have to wait and see if it works :).

I am feeling pretty good, but am definitely ready to meet our little boy. As you all know, I am a bit of a control freak, so it’s weird to have so little control over when he will come into the world. More importantly, I don’t want to be induced. Induction reduces your chances of a vaginal delivery, and tends to make labor more painful and longer — two things I would like to avoid!

Here’s hoping for more contractions!

Baby dust to all 🙂

http://www.justmommies.com/pregnancy/labor-and-childbirth/stripping-membranes

The flu is everywhere :(

39+ weeks pregnant and waiting for our little boy to make his appearance into the world :). On one hand, I want him hear right now — not because I’m uncomfortable, but because I really want to meet him — but on the other hand, I want him to come when he’s ready. After all, he probably knows best :). With all the medical advances made, I would think that doctors would be able to accurately predict when labor will begin, but in the end, it’s up to the baby to get things started when he’s ready.

Other than waiting for Baby W, I am doing everything I can to stay healthy. As you all probably know, the flu is spreading like wildfire and there is also a yucky stomach virus making the rounds. I got my flu shot (and so did hubby), and thankfully, I work from home, so am not around people (or their germs) very often. When I go out and am around people, I wash my hands frequently and use hand sanitizer  to protect myself from the yuckies. I also clean our house with bleach and do my best to eat healthy and get plenty of rest. So far, it’s working!

I am thankful that so far my stay-healthy-obsession has worked for me, but unfortunately I can’t say the same for everyone around me. My dad is sick — he started to feel sick on Friday, and has pretty much been out of commission since then. He’s not sure if it’s the flu because he won’t go to the doctor, but I certainly hope it’s only a cold that will pass quickly. My doula is also sick. I spoke to her yesterday and she didn’t sound great, and then she called me today and sounded awful. She also thinks she may have the flu :(. She went to the doctor yesterday for lab work and started Tamiflu just in case. At this point, it will be at least 4-5 days before she’ll be able to join us at the hospital.

I am not stressing since there is nothing we can do about our doula being sick. We are very well-prepared for this journey, and will get through it with or without her. Hubby and I have gone to plenty of classes and had a couple of meetings with our doula to review what to do to control pain naturally. We will just have to rely on this training to get us through labor and delivery :). I know we can do it!

Stay healthy everyone!

Baby Dust!!

609-799-1300 x3030

39 Weeks — 2 cm dilated!

Our baby is 39-weeks old today — yay! He is about the size of watermelon and probably weighs about 8-8.5 pounds :). At my appointment, his heartbeat was in the 130s, he’s still head down, and he’s dropped a little more into my pelvic area. I am also happy to report that I am 1-2cm dilated, which could possibly mean that labor is close. Of course, it could also mean that labor is a week away, but my fingers are crossed for the former. My doctor was happy with my progress, especially since this is our first baby :). I am planning to keep walking since I think that will help me stay strong during labor and will help open my hips for delivery.

As for the nursery, hubby got a ton more work done last night, and so it should be completed very soon! I can’t wait to post pictures — you are all going to love it!

Baby dust!

39 Weeks and a Cold?

I will be 39-weeks tomorrow — woohoo! It’s hard to believe that I am almost done being pregnant, and will actually have my little boy in my arms soon! To say that I am beyond excited is the understatement of the century. Tomorrow, we also have our 39-week check-up. I don’t really feel like anything has changed since last week — I wasn’t dilated, but he had moved further down into my pelvis — but I guess we’ll just wait and see. I am planning to walk some tonight to see if that will help Baby W drop down into position

As for how I feel, I am definitely still tired, but have been getting good sleep when I am sleeping. The most frustrating thing is the almost hourly awakenings to use the bathroom. It’s kind of cruel of mother nature not to allow more sleep at this point :). I also have a little bit of a cold — nothing serious — just a little bit of a sore throat. I am fighting back with hot tea, lots of fluids, rest, and soup, and definitely feel like I am getting better, but it’s annoying since I have been taking good care of myself. My heartburn also seems to be worse, but I think the sore throat is making it feel worse… Ugh

I will also be posting nursery pictures soon. Hubby has done SO much work, and the room looks great! Everything is painted, 2 of the 3 shelves are hung, the bench he built is done, and the changing table has been moved in. It really looks like a baby’s room :). Tonight he is finishing up the crib, hanging the final shelf, and moving everything into place – YAY! I spent some time organizing the house over the weekend to be more baby friendly. Basically just getting little baskets together with diapers and changing supplies to make it easier to change him wherever we are in the house. Also, the bassinet is set up, and I am planning to set up the pack n’ play soon. I also put all of his clothes away in his dresser and closet organized by size. It’s such a relief to have things organized 🙂

Finally, we made a little tweak to our birth plan. As you know, I am planning for a natural labor and delivery (bring on the pain, haha), and also have asked for immediate skin-to-skin contact to allow Baby W to breastfeed soon after delivery. On top of that, I am requesting Optimal (or delayed) Cord Clamping. Basically, we want the doctor to wait to clamp the cord when it stops pulsing (anywhere from 1.5-3 minutes), which allows for the complete transfer of nutrients and blood from the placenta to the baby. I also discussed this with our doula, and she agrees that it’s what is best for our little boy.

More to come tomorrow after my appointment!

36 Weeks — Baby is ready!

Happy New Year! We had our 36-week check-up today, and Baby W has turned! He is head down and he has descended into the pelvic area. I am so relieved. He’s also measuring perfectly weighing in around 6.5 pounds. If he continues to gain weight at this rate, he’ll weigh between 8-8.5 pounds at delivery — just perfect! He’s also at a very low risk of getting “stuck,” so that’s also good news. Since we are in our last month, we now go to the OB every week — WOO!

In other baby-related news, hubby and I went paint shopping over the weekend, and selected the paint for Baby W’s room. We are going with a sports theme — one wall will be painted to resemble a baseball and the other three walls will be a beautiful blue color. We also purchased an unfinished dresser from Ikea and are going to either paint or stain it. I am leaning towards painting the dresser in a fun way to match the theme of the room… I guess we’ll wait and see. We also picked out curtains — they are red and match the “stitch” in on the baseball wall. I promise to post pictures soon. I honestly can’t wait until it’s done — it’s basically the last thing we need to finish before our little boy arrives.

Also, I am excited to report that our beginning stash of cloth diapers will arrive this week. My parents have been generous enough to buy all the diapers for us — I can’t wait until they arrive. We started with a few of a couple different brands to see what we like and to give us some time to adjust to having a newborn before we fully transition to using only cloth diapers. Once they arrive, I will wash them and get them ready for diaper changes. In preparation, I have been reading a lot about cloth diapering — if you’re interested, here are some great sites to learn more:

Click to access The-Busy-Mom-Guide-Sept-2011.pdf

http://www.theclothdiaperreport.com/cloth-diapering-101

http://www.kitchenstewardship.com/2012/04/25/7-tips-for-the-cloth-diapering-newbie-guest-post/

Finally, we had a wonderful holiday season. I had a lot of vacation time to burn (we can’t carry vacation time over, so I had to use it), so had a very restful and much-needed 2 weeks of downtime. We spent the holidays at home, which was a little weird. I definitely missed spending time with family on Christmas. On the bright side, my hubby’s parents, brother, and sister came for a short visit right after Christmas. We had an absolutely lovely time! I made a yummy dinner on Friday night and we opened Christmas presents. I received many wonderful gifts for both me and the baby. On Saturday, the girls did a little shopping (always a lot of fun), and then went into NYC for a show and delicious dinner. On Sunday, we had brunch, and everyone left. It was a short visit, but we had a great time, and I am already looking forward to the next time we see them. I have to say one of the best parts about having a baby (other than having a beautiful little angel to love and take care of) is that family visits happen more often 🙂 — so happy!

I hope everyone is doing well and had a fabulous holiday season!

Baby dust to all!

34 Weeks — Butternut Squash!

I had my 34-week appointment earlier this week, and Baby W is doing well! He is moving around a TON, and is measuring around 5lbs. I can definitely feel the weight more in my belly now, and it’s great to watch my entire belly move side to side or wiggle as he moves around. The doctor was very positive about everything — my blood pressure is great, weight is okay, heartbeat is perfect (in the 140’s), so I am one happy mama!

The only not-so-positive thing is that Baby W continues to be breech :(. We are hoping he will turn head-down over the next two weeks — fingers crossed! I am trying some “natural” techniques to encourage him to do a head stand. First, I am playing music for him — I put on classical music and put headphones low on my belly. He definitely love the music as I feel him “dancing” in the womb, but hopefully it will encourage him to turn head down so he can hear it more clearly. Second, I am doing the breech tilt 2-3 times per day — basically raising my hips above my heart by elevating my pelvic area with pillows. It’s supposed to help relax the uterine muscles and allow the baby to turn. It’s not the most comfortable position, but it’s definitely better than the alternative. At our next appointment in 2 weeks, we are going to have an ultrasound to confirm his position — yay for another picture. If he is still head down, then we have the option of trying an external version. A version is medical procedure in which a trained doctor tries to manually move the baby into a head down position. It would be done in a hospital, and I would be given meds to relax my uterus. There are some risks associated with this procedure — it could start labor resulting in an emergency c-section — so I would prefer him to turn before my 36-week check-up. If we are unsuccessful in getting him to turn, then I will have a scheduled c-section :(.

I really don’t want to have a c-section… I have always wanted to have a natural birth, and the thought of having major surgery is scary. Obviously, the most important thing is that Baby W is healthy, but I would prefer him being healthy, head down, and coming out the natural way.

More to come soon — including some belly pics!

33+ Weeks — Size of a pineapple

We are more than 33 weeks pregnant! It’s definitely hard to believe that time is moving so quickly, and now it seems to be moving even more quickly because of the holiday season. I still feel pretty good, although I am definitely feeling more belly heavy :). Sleeping is going pretty well — I wake up quite often each night (every 2 hours or so) to pee, but I have been able to get more comfortable. Thank goodness for my pregnancy pillow and tons of other pillows. The more support I have under my belly and behind my back really matters. I do tend to wake up around 4 or 4:30 each morning and have a bit of trouble getting back to sleep, but if that’s the worst thing to happen, then I am pretty lucky.

I am still suffering from heartburn… ugh! I finally caved and started taking Zantac every 12-24 hours. It has made a huge difference, and I am thankful that such a medicine is available over the counter. My doctor reassured us that Zantac is perfectly safe, which makes me feel even better about this decision.

At this point, we still have quite a bit to do before Baby W’s arrival. This week, I want to get his car seat fitted to my car. We also need to practice how to adjust it and use some of the other gadgets we received at our shower. After Christmas, we are going to move furniture around in our bedroom and put Baby W’s bassinet in the room as well as begin to prepare his nursery. I am so excited about his room, and can’t wait to pull it all together :). YAY! On the bright side, all of his clothes, blankets, and sheets are washed and sorted by size, and his diaper bag is packed and ready to go. I also packed my hospital bag earlier today, and will put it in my car just in case we need to make a fast dash to the hospital. Hubby also has to pack an overnight bag since he’ll be staying with me in the hospital. Fun, fun!

We are also finishing up our childbirth classes this week — OMG! I am a big fan of learning as much as possible about what to expect, and feel like our classes have helped a lot. We had a great newborn basics class last week, which really helped to understand baby basics. We learned everything from how to bathe, swaddle, and change a diaper to what to expect in terms of vaccinations and medical care. On Tuesday, we’ll go on the hospital tour, learn more about how to push properly, and discuss any questions we have. It’s hard to believe that it’s already our last class…

Wishing everyone a great week!