Wednesday, March 28, 2007
Not today!
It's 10:30 in the evening, and our little one hasn't decided to come out yet. I _have_ been getting little contractions the whole day though. Maybe tomorrow ...
The Beginning (possibly ...)
The last three days I've been having quite a lot of practice contractions, from the uterus hardening to menstrual-like cramps.
Monday, March 26: My "plug" came out.
Tuesday, March 27: Had a regular doctor's appointment. Doctor said that cervix is still closed, CTG showed no contractions. Asked the doctor if she can tell when labor will start, and as expected, she said it can be in one hour or in two weeks.
Wednesday, March 28:
7:10 - got up from bed, went to the toilet, noticed slight bleeding, called Martin and together decided to go to the doctor
7:15 - took a quick shower, got dressed, had breakfast
7:50 - drove to the doctor's office
8:10 - got sent by the doctor's assistant directly to the hospital
8:40 - arrived at the hospital, was sent directly to the delivery station
At the station, the midwife started taking a CTG. After weeks of flat CTGs, we finally saw some activity. On a scale of 0 - 100, the machine was showing peaks of 80-100. We were pretty proud since I thought, man, I'm handling this pretty well. It's just uncomfortable, but it doesn't hurt that much at all. Our bubble burst when the midwife explained that the amplitude says nothing about the severity of the pain, especially since I am so lean (excuse me? I've already gained more than what is medically recommended, and she says I'm lean? :D). Then she pointed out the CTG results of another woman who was at that very moment pushing her baby out. Her peaks were tiny! They must have been at 20, at most! Tiny speed bumps compared to my mountains! Oh well, we had a half-an-hour of fun anyway, me not looking at the screen and telling Martin "Okay, now a contraction is starting", and a second or two later Martin sees it on the screen.
Then the midwife felt my belly and said the baby is just the right size for me which is very good, especially given the size of my husband. Then she did an exam, and said that my cervix dilated a little less than a centimeter, and that in the process a few blood vessels probably burst, causing the bleeding. This is all normal, and unfortunately she still can't say when labor will really start, but everything looks very good. Whoopee!
Then the doctor did an ultrasound. Placenta is good, umbilical cord is good, baby is most probably between 3000-3500 grams. All good! She also said one really can't say when labor will start, although the combination of the bleeding, dilating, and contractions _can_ set off labor pretty soon. But it can also stop, and we might still have to wait 10 days or so. Or we might be back in the hospital in an hour. So exciting!
Everyone was nice, we were calm, and it's a beautiful spring day outside. Kuya always says, 28 is a perfect number! Well, it's certainly a perfect day to have a baby. We wouldn't mind at all if you came today, little one. (And now your father and I are going out on a lunch date, possible our last as "just a couple" ...)
Monday, March 26: My "plug" came out.
Tuesday, March 27: Had a regular doctor's appointment. Doctor said that cervix is still closed, CTG showed no contractions. Asked the doctor if she can tell when labor will start, and as expected, she said it can be in one hour or in two weeks.
Wednesday, March 28:
7:10 - got up from bed, went to the toilet, noticed slight bleeding, called Martin and together decided to go to the doctor
7:15 - took a quick shower, got dressed, had breakfast
7:50 - drove to the doctor's office
8:10 - got sent by the doctor's assistant directly to the hospital
8:40 - arrived at the hospital, was sent directly to the delivery station
At the station, the midwife started taking a CTG. After weeks of flat CTGs, we finally saw some activity. On a scale of 0 - 100, the machine was showing peaks of 80-100. We were pretty proud since I thought, man, I'm handling this pretty well. It's just uncomfortable, but it doesn't hurt that much at all. Our bubble burst when the midwife explained that the amplitude says nothing about the severity of the pain, especially since I am so lean (excuse me? I've already gained more than what is medically recommended, and she says I'm lean? :D). Then she pointed out the CTG results of another woman who was at that very moment pushing her baby out. Her peaks were tiny! They must have been at 20, at most! Tiny speed bumps compared to my mountains! Oh well, we had a half-an-hour of fun anyway, me not looking at the screen and telling Martin "Okay, now a contraction is starting", and a second or two later Martin sees it on the screen.
Then the midwife felt my belly and said the baby is just the right size for me which is very good, especially given the size of my husband. Then she did an exam, and said that my cervix dilated a little less than a centimeter, and that in the process a few blood vessels probably burst, causing the bleeding. This is all normal, and unfortunately she still can't say when labor will really start, but everything looks very good. Whoopee!
Then the doctor did an ultrasound. Placenta is good, umbilical cord is good, baby is most probably between 3000-3500 grams. All good! She also said one really can't say when labor will start, although the combination of the bleeding, dilating, and contractions _can_ set off labor pretty soon. But it can also stop, and we might still have to wait 10 days or so. Or we might be back in the hospital in an hour. So exciting!
Everyone was nice, we were calm, and it's a beautiful spring day outside. Kuya always says, 28 is a perfect number! Well, it's certainly a perfect day to have a baby. We wouldn't mind at all if you came today, little one. (And now your father and I are going out on a lunch date, possible our last as "just a couple" ...)
Friday, March 09, 2007
Wednesday, March 07, 2007
Blood Test Results
The blood results came back, and 3 of my liver values are on the upper limit. Our doctor says we absolutely do not need to worry, that these values do not endanger the baby or me, but that just to be extra sure she is sending us to a sonography specialist to have my liver checked. Gallic acid and bilirubin levels are completely normal, and this is what we were most afraid of since they can be toxic to the baby. So everything seems ok, no danger. We will let you know when our appointment is and how it goes.
Tuesday, March 06, 2007
The Homestretch
Just when we thought we had almost made it to term without any unmanageable complications, something else comes up. On Thursday night I hardly slept due to a sudden itch on the soles of my feet. By Friday night, the itch had spread through my whole body --- my arms, legs, hands, neck, back. Throughout my pregnancy I always had an irritating itch on my belly due to dry skin, but on Friday that was the least of my problems.
When Martin came home we looked through my pregnancy books and the internet, and found out that we should go to the doctor immediately to have myself checked for "obstetric cholestasis", a liver & gall bladder problem which can be extremely dangerous for the baby. The doctor at the hospital told us we should wait a few days (since bile acid levels may not be elevated for a week) till my regular appointment on Tuesday (today), and discuss with my regular doctor about doing a blood test to check for liver function and bile acid levels.
After spending all of Monday reading about obstetric cholestasis, Martin and I were pretty nervous by the time we went to bed. We managed to calm each other down and sleep well, and the 5-6 liters of water I drank during the day seemed to help me get through the night without itching too much. (Okay, I woke up every 2 hours --- like clockwork, almost --- to pee and drink some more water, but at least I got more sleep than I did the previous 4 nights.)
At the appointment, we explained my symptoms, and our doctor immediately ordered a blood test and said we could call tomorrow afternoon for the results. When we asked what she was having checked, she said exactly the things that the medical articles mentioned. It somehow made me a lot calmer, seeing that our doctor seemed to know exactly what she was doing, and that we didn't have to bring up all the things we read about the condition. If you read about stories from people who were eventually diagnosed with the disease, you'll find out that a lot of doctors don't seem to know about it or take the itching too lightly. I guess that's why one website tries to arm you with articles from medical journals to take along to show the doctor in case they say something like "oh, itching is very common in pregnancy!"
So, that's the current status. We get the results after 3 p.m. tomorrow afternoon. I don't want to go into the details of what the possible effects of the condition are. You can read about it on the internet if you want. We're just taking comfort in the fact that it's possible it's nothing at all, and that even _if_ the blood tests come back not so good, that we went to the doctor early enough, and that our doctor is pretty good. We'll let you know tomorrow how it goes.
When Martin came home we looked through my pregnancy books and the internet, and found out that we should go to the doctor immediately to have myself checked for "obstetric cholestasis", a liver & gall bladder problem which can be extremely dangerous for the baby. The doctor at the hospital told us we should wait a few days (since bile acid levels may not be elevated for a week) till my regular appointment on Tuesday (today), and discuss with my regular doctor about doing a blood test to check for liver function and bile acid levels.
After spending all of Monday reading about obstetric cholestasis, Martin and I were pretty nervous by the time we went to bed. We managed to calm each other down and sleep well, and the 5-6 liters of water I drank during the day seemed to help me get through the night without itching too much. (Okay, I woke up every 2 hours --- like clockwork, almost --- to pee and drink some more water, but at least I got more sleep than I did the previous 4 nights.)
At the appointment, we explained my symptoms, and our doctor immediately ordered a blood test and said we could call tomorrow afternoon for the results. When we asked what she was having checked, she said exactly the things that the medical articles mentioned. It somehow made me a lot calmer, seeing that our doctor seemed to know exactly what she was doing, and that we didn't have to bring up all the things we read about the condition. If you read about stories from people who were eventually diagnosed with the disease, you'll find out that a lot of doctors don't seem to know about it or take the itching too lightly. I guess that's why one website tries to arm you with articles from medical journals to take along to show the doctor in case they say something like "oh, itching is very common in pregnancy!"
So, that's the current status. We get the results after 3 p.m. tomorrow afternoon. I don't want to go into the details of what the possible effects of the condition are. You can read about it on the internet if you want. We're just taking comfort in the fact that it's possible it's nothing at all, and that even _if_ the blood tests come back not so good, that we went to the doctor early enough, and that our doctor is pretty good. We'll let you know tomorrow how it goes.
Monday, February 19, 2007
34 Weeks, 6+/- 2 to go!
Okay, so I'm not great at titles.
I realized I'm on an entirely different appointment schedule compared to someone with a "normal pregnancy." Anyway, it seems my appointments are going to be weekly from now on, every week a CTG test, and every other week a full exam.
Yesterday I had another CTG test. There's something about the test that Baby Grepl doesn't quite like. Her heart beat started out at 145 bpm, and then rose to 175 bpm within a couple of minutes. She was trying to kick (or punch) the sensor away too. It was interesting, especially since the band around my belly wasn't at all tight. So it was either the 2 round shadows from the sensors (the books say she can already see light/dark for a while now), or she can sense something that the CTG does.
I then started talking to her, telling her that her mama and papa are there, that the machine wasn't going to hurt her, that it's just checking if she's ok, that she should just relax and maybe get some sleep. She calmed down after a couple of minutes, and her heart beat went back to 145 bpm.
I like to think it was because of my voice.
I realized I'm on an entirely different appointment schedule compared to someone with a "normal pregnancy." Anyway, it seems my appointments are going to be weekly from now on, every week a CTG test, and every other week a full exam.
Yesterday I had another CTG test. There's something about the test that Baby Grepl doesn't quite like. Her heart beat started out at 145 bpm, and then rose to 175 bpm within a couple of minutes. She was trying to kick (or punch) the sensor away too. It was interesting, especially since the band around my belly wasn't at all tight. So it was either the 2 round shadows from the sensors (the books say she can already see light/dark for a while now), or she can sense something that the CTG does.
I then started talking to her, telling her that her mama and papa are there, that the machine wasn't going to hurt her, that it's just checking if she's ok, that she should just relax and maybe get some sleep. She calmed down after a couple of minutes, and her heart beat went back to 145 bpm.
I like to think it was because of my voice.
Monday, February 12, 2007
33 Weeks, 7+/-2 to go!
Another doctor's appointment over, and all is well. Since my belly was extremely sensitive and I was feeling more pressure on the cervix the last few days, I was slightly worried that my cervix would be a bit dilated compared to last time. But it hasn't changed, it's still closed, baby's in the right position (head down, facing my left side) and boy has she grown! The doctor approximates that she is now more than 2000 grams and around 44 cm long. So all is well indeed!
The CTG test also went well, and this time I didn't have to do anything with the sensor at all. I could just sit there and read my book and Baby Grepl stayed put. Her heart beat would sometimes go up to more than 170 bps, but I had the feeling it only happened when she started moving. Since the nurses outside could hear everything, when that happened I would always expect the nurse to come in with a shocked look on her face. But it's apparently normal.
So, that's it for today's appointment. Another CTG in a week, and a regular check-up in two weeks.
The CTG test also went well, and this time I didn't have to do anything with the sensor at all. I could just sit there and read my book and Baby Grepl stayed put. Her heart beat would sometimes go up to more than 170 bps, but I had the feeling it only happened when she started moving. Since the nurses outside could hear everything, when that happened I would always expect the nurse to come in with a shocked look on her face. But it's apparently normal.
So, that's it for today's appointment. Another CTG in a week, and a regular check-up in two weeks.
Monday, February 05, 2007
Bedrest it is ...
Just got back from the doctor. Today we did another cardiotocography test which measures the baby's heartbeat and detects any uterine contractions. Everything's normal! It was even amusing how the baby gave me a hard time "following" her heartbeat. I had to hold the sensor against my belly, and make sure I could hear her heartbeat (140-160 beats per minute! wow!). Problem is, she moved around so much I lost the signal so many times. I then had to hurry and try to find it again. Not that easy!
More news: bedrest is to continue. I officially have to work only two more weeks before the start of my maternity leave, but today she ruled out going back. In a way it would have been nice to be able to go back, but only because that means I can get up and walk around without being scared of the contractions that come. But hey, if staying in bed means this baby's staying where it belongs for at least another 7 weeks, I'm not complaining! Nope nope nope!
I'll be going back again next Monday for a regular appointment.
More news: bedrest is to continue. I officially have to work only two more weeks before the start of my maternity leave, but today she ruled out going back. In a way it would have been nice to be able to go back, but only because that means I can get up and walk around without being scared of the contractions that come. But hey, if staying in bed means this baby's staying where it belongs for at least another 7 weeks, I'm not complaining! Nope nope nope!
I'll be going back again next Monday for a regular appointment.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)