Oops. Catch-up.

So... yeah.  This here ol' blog hasn't been updated since 28 weeks.  Um, if I were still pregnant, I'd be 43 weeks today.  Oops.  I love blogs though, and I'd love to be able to keep up, especially to record the life of our little girl.  So I'm going to try.  But that means I have a lot of catching up to do.

So, after our appointment at MFM, it became clear that our little Freebie had some growth troubles.  Dr. G had me on that nasty protein powder.  In March, our girl got an IUGR (intrauterine growth restriction) diagnosis and things got real.  He wanted more monitoring to make sure that she was still better in than out.  Yikes.  He said our goal was to "make it" to 37 weeks, which would mean that Freebs would be born in April, before my 30th birthday.  Holy crap!

In March we also had a slew of baby classes.  Breastfeeding, and an all-day baby care class.  That class was funny.  The most memorable thing for me was that we were given fake babies (dolls) and had to be responsible for them all day.  Which meant that when we went to eat lunch in the hospital cafeteria (the food was not bad!), we had to take our fake baby with us.  Ours sat on the table between us.  We got weird looks.

April came, and with it, my residency at Evergreen Hospital.  By that, I mean, I pretty much lived there, I was there so often.  We started out 5 week Hypnobirthing class that first week.  I was skeptical going into it, about the whole hypnosis thing, but left that first class feeling really encouraged!  I really enjoyed the whole series of the class, but I was nervous that I wouldn't be prepared, because I was likely to miss 2 out of the 5 classes with my potential IUGR induction looming.

Speaking of that, April started my bi-weekly NSTs (non-stress tests - monitoring of baby's heart rate, and my uterus to see if it was contracting).  Every other week I also had an ultrasound, either growth, or a BPP - Biophysical Profile, to check on the Freebs.  Spring Break was the 2nd week, and baby actually kind of failed an NST.  She went off of the monitor for longer than they like, so I was ordered to have 3 NSTs that week.  See what I mean about living at the hospital?  I was making good friends with my NST nurses.
That week, coming home from the hospital, I got onto 405 and got hit with a barrage of rocks, cracking my windshield.  Wtf.  I couldn't get the license plate of the truck, because I needed to get out of the way of the debris, but I saw that it belonged to a construction company.  After much sleuthing, I found out I could file a "rock claim" with the company, to see if they'd compensate me for a new windshield.  Not only did they, but I mentioned that I was pregnant & would like it taken care of quickly, and I had a new windshield the NEXT DAY!

The following week I spent 4 more days at the hospital.  My wonderful co-workers threw me a little shower, with many a wonderful, practical gift.  I also had my 36 week appointment with midwife Shana, where we went over my birth plan.  Oh yeah, I also had to have the lovely Group B Strep swab, so I consented to an internal exam.  One centimeter dilated, 70% effaced.  I asked Shana about the MW schedule, because I was still so paranoid that she or Michelle would not be there to deliver my baby and I'd be stuck with an OB.  Yikes.

I made it to 37 weeks!  Freebie had a HUGE growth spurt.  She grew 20oz in two weeks, which meant...  NO MORE INDUCTION!  Yay!!!  Dr. G said we could go on our own now, woohoo!  I still needed 2x weekly NSTs, but no more ultrasounds until 40 weeks if I made it that far.  Phew.  Keith and I kind of secretly hoped that she'd be born that following weekend though - so she & I would share a birthday (and, bonus!  Michelle was on call!).  Alas, I spent my 30th uneventfully, with swollen feet and pizza.  =)

That Monday, I noticed that I was missing that bowling ball between the legs feeling.  Also, baby girl was stretching and poking out body parts quite uncomfortably right under my ribs.  She'd been at 0 station at 36 weeks, but I felt kind of like she'd moved back UP if that were possible.  I also had the realization this week, that I didn't know her position.  She'd been head-down for a while, but was she anterior (ideal)?  Sunny side up?  That Tuesday at my NST I had to have an AFI (fluid check), so I asked the sonographer which way baby was facing.  Ugh.  She was facing out my left hip.
I went to see Shana right after, and the first thing she said was, "So...  Feel like you're going to have a baby any time soon?"  I told her no, not at all, and that I felt like baby had moved up.  She measured my fundal height, and I measured on track for the first time ever.  Shana said that that was probably because Freebie HAD moved up.  She also told me that the position was transverse, and showed me some exercises I could do to turn the baby (and avoid some painful back labor).  I left my appointment in such a funk.  I felt like this baby was never going to come out, and I'd be induced at 42 weeks.  Keith met me at the hospital for our last Hypnobirthing class, and I was almost in tears because I was so convinced that she was never going to come.
Turns out, I couldn't have been more wrong!  Freebie's birth story is coming up next!

11 Weeks

When I was uploading this picture, I pulled up my 6 week one to compare.  I can finally admit that things have grown a bit!  My non-fitting pants should have made that obvious, but...  I have to say that I am constantly shocked that there is actually a baby growing in there.

We attempted to have our NT scan on Friday.  Yes, I said attempted.  We showed up at Maternal Fetal Medicine, filled out all the paperwork, and the sonographer started the scan.  It was a relief to see that Freebie was in there alive and literally kicking.  The baby was wiggling around like crazy!  Keith was pretty shocked, he thought that at this point they just lay around in there.  Like I said above, when the baby popped up on the screen, I was surprised again to see that that was actually in me.  It's still so unbelievable.

Anyway, I said we attempted to have the NT scan.  We definitely got to see our baby, and we actually got to hear the heartbeat for the first time (!), buuuuuuut...  Baby got Keith's short genes and was about 2mm too small to fit their criteria for eligibility for the neck measurement.  Boo.  But this means that we get to see our baby again in less than a week!  We go back Thursday to try again.  I also have my 12 week prenatal checkup on Wednesday, so it will be a busy week for me at the hospital.

Last week was a busy week, too - I had to go once for the NT scan, but I also had to go to the lab on Wednesday to get blood drawn, since apparently I was exposed to Fifth's Disease at school.  If you're pregnant, don't google this.  It will scare the crap out of you.  Chances are good that I've already been exposed to it, but I'm laying low & hoping it turns out to not be a big deal.

I'm 2 days away from 12 weeks, which means that my first trimester of pregnancy is almost over.  Hard to believe.  The nausea is still ever present (in fact, I had to toss my cookies this morning), but I am hopeful there is a light at the end of this tunnel.  I also told my boss about the pregnancy (she was SO excited for us), and we'll be coming out to the general public very soon.  Also, I've been working on my cloth diaper stash (more on that later).  Things are getting real around here!

Week 11 stats:

How far along: 11 weeks, 5 days

Total weight gain/loss: the scale at MFM tells me I gained 2lbs.

Maternity clothes?: yes, pants, or regular pants if I feel like dealing with the BeBand

Strech marks?: no

Sleep: would be better if I didn't wake up feeling nauseated in the middle of the night

Best moment this week: seeing our baby - who looks more like a baby than a blob now!  We saw arms, legs, feet, and his/her stomach!

Movement: not that I can feel, but there's a very active baby in there

Food cravings: um... nothing?

Gender: I think boy, Keith thinks girl (still)

What I miss: not feeling barfy, having clothes that don't make me look fat

Milestones: we're in the 100's!  Only 198 days left until we get to meet Freebie!

1st Prenatal Appointment

My first appointment with the midwives was today.  Prior to it, I was kind of feeling like "Oh no!  I miss my RE!"  But it turned out to be a great appointment.
After peeing in a cup (something I need to get used to, as I'll have to do this at every appointment), the medical assistant takes all your medical & family history.  It turned out that she used to work for Dr. O!  She told me that he used to tell stories in the breakroom about how he'd have a consult with a couple, and then they'd end up pregnant before treatment.  He'd be all, "Yeah, I can get them pregnant just by talking to them!"  It was pretty funny.
Since I've been under the care of an RE, I've already had all of the blood work that screens you for diseases (it's like 6 vials of blood), and was current on pap.  So my midwife was like, "Well, we actually don't have a lot to do...  Would you like an ultrasound so that you don't worry?" (we'd been talking about how it's hard not to worry, especially after dealing with fertility issues).  It turns out, the midwives have a portable machine that they can use whenever they want, so she just wheeled it in and we got to take a peek at Freebie!

This was a lot lower-tech machine, and done on the belly, so baby is just blobby.  We saw the heartbeat though, and the yolk sack as well.  Baby is still looking good, and measuring right on track.  She also checked for any bleeds in there to keep an eye on, and there were none.  That ultrasound really DID make me feel better!  I wish Keith had been there, but Nurse Shana printed out pictures for him.  =)

Tomorrow I can call Maternal Fetal Medicine and set up our NT scan.  That will be sometime between 11-13 weeks, and we'll probably get to do our next prenatal appointment the same day (since they're both at the hospital).  Still hard to believe, but there really is a baby in there! 

There's really a baby in there!

We went to see our RE today for an ultrasound.  There's really a baby in there!  I know I shouldn't sound so shocked (the nurse kept giggling, because I sounded so amazed), but it's just really hard to believe that this baby isn't too good to be true!
Dr. O was very congratulatory and excited for us.  He kept saying, "Good job, you guys!" and he told Keith, "You did it!  Bad sperm and all, you did it!"  It was pretty funny, but nice that he was excited for us, even though we didn't end up needing him to help us get pregnant.

Anyway, here's our "Freebie" at 7w0d:

Baby is measuring 7w0d exactly, and had a heart beat of 150.  Everything is "normal", and Dr. O graduated us today!  That means that tomorrow I'll be calling my midwife to see when she wants to see me for my first real appointment (today was just an ultrasound).

Funny story - when you graduate from SRM, they give you a pregnancy book.  When we were checking out to leave, the receptionist said, "Do we need to schedule your next appointment?" and then, "Oh!  You have the book!  Oh, I love to see people holding the book, congratulations!"  Haha.