Good News

Today I'm feeling very blessed and thankful. Everything looked really good with the baby. They couldn't see anything of concern, she looks healthy. The dr said that there are a few conditions that can't be seen on ultra sound, but she is not concerned about them, as they are very rare.
My fluid levels were just up slightly from last week, so hopefully that will not get any worse. They will not try to do an amnio reduction unless I get to the point of not being able to tolerate the high levels of fluid. I am still considered at high risk for premature delivery. I will be getting double checked for gestational diabetes, just in case I have developed that sometime over the last few weeks.

This baby is quite the little chunky monkey. Last Tuesday she was weighing in around 2.14 pounds. Today she weighed in at 3.6 - 3.9 pounds. I will be going back in 4 weeks for a growth scan. Thankfully the baby is head down already, as I could see her running out of room to turn pretty quickly. Thank you for all of the prayers that have gone out for our little one. I don't think we could have received any better news today.

Worried

Yesterday marked the 28th week of my pregnancy. I found out on Tuesday at my checkup, that I am measuring no where near 28 weeks. The doctor was first concerned that I have been having flank pain again and shortness of breath when I am sitting upright. He grew even more concerned after he measured me. I was sent straight to the lab to have blood work done and an ultra sound of the baby and my kidneys. The doctor didn't tell me how far I'm measuring, other than I am way too big. So I came home and tried to measure myself. The top of my uterus should be somewhere around 3 to 3 1/2 inches above my belly button, it's 6 1/2 inches (which is where it should be at 37 weeks.) No wonder I feel like I can't breathe.
I found out that there is a couple of issues going on. First, the baby is measuring in the 95th percentile. They classified our not so little baby at high risk for macrosomia (big baby.) I was also diagnosed with way too much amniotic fluid, which is a condition called polyhydramnios. I don't have kidney stones like the doctor thought. I don't remember what he called the problem with my kidneys. Basically, urine is backing back up into my kidneys because they are being smashed by my uterus. It also explained the shortness of breath, as my lungs are being squished as well.

None of these things are wonderful, the least concerning is my kidneys, as they will recover after delivery. My lungs could become a problem though. If that becomes the case, they will have to do a procedure to remove fluid from my uterus or put me on some kind of medication that would reduce the baby's urine output. If I have to do either of these things, I would have to receive steroids to mature the baby's lungs, as both of these things, along with the other issues, put me at high risk for premature delivery.

There are many things that we are worried about. The macrosomia and too much amniotic fluid alone, put the baby and I at certain risks. Unfortunately, the polyhydramnios does put the baby at increased risk for some very serious things that could be very wrong with her. These things are so serious, I'm not even going to write about them, as I can not let my mind hardly go there. While it's not super likely that there is something wrong, (since they didn't see anything at my 18 week ultra sound,) there are multiple conditions that will need to be ruled out.

On Monday morning I have to go back to maternal fetal medicine for another ultra sound and meet with a perinatologist. I have read that there is a correlation between big babies and too much amniotic fluid. I'm hoping that's all that is going on, a big baby producing a lot of pee. So if you wouldn't mind, we could use a few extra prayers coming our way, that all will be well with our little one and that my body will tolerate what is taking place.

Hopefully my next post will be full of good news....with a few new pictures, of our not so little baby girl.

A Little Cat Nap

Everyone needs a little nap sometimes...

27 Weeks

Hello third trimester....which means I'm slightly more than 2/3rds of the way to this baby girls due date. For some reason, it sounds like forever. Thankfully I haven't had any more "kidney stone attacks." The sciatica has calmed down and I only have random shooting pains on my right side, but nothing like what was happening a few weeks ago.

I really need to try and force myself to go to bed before midnight every night. Since school started, I'm averaging between 5-6 hours of sleep every night before my crazy morning routine gets started for the day. I'm naturally a night owl and have never been a nap taker, but I take a daily morning nap that generally lasts 2-2 1/2 hours during the school week. One thing I really miss is our old water bed that we got rid of about 10 years ago. (Ok, how 80's does that sound?) I really missed it when I was pregnant with Jacob and I really miss it now. There are no pressure points on the body with a water bed and it's heated. I never had trouble sleeping when I was pregnant with the girls, but I toss and turn all night with aching shoulders and hips with this pregnancy. So my 5-6 hours of sleep at night is probably a little less than that, with all the turning I do constantly and a few trips to the bathroom thrown in as well.

I had my gestational diabetes screening and test for anemia. I've never had GD with any of my pregnancies, but I was anemic with Kelsey. The test results were normal for GD and I thought the results were normal for anemia, but then the drs. office emailed me and said that I was anemic. The baby was measuring large 3 weeks ago at my last appointment. The dr. told me he thought I might be having a large little girl. I told him that I had been hoping that since this baby was a girl, she might be a little smaller than the last baby I delivered and that I really didn't want to have a big baby. (The dr. just laughed at me, and told me he has delivered quite a few big baby girls.....I don't know what I think of that.) Since she was measuring on the larger side at my 18 week ultra sound, and still is measuring large, I will probably have another ultra sound in a few weeks to check on her weight. I really am hoping for a 7 pounder when she arrives....hey, I can hope right?

I'm sorry that this post is kind of full of complaints. We women know what were getting ourselves into, and we choose usually to do it again a few times. Somehow, it never seems so bad and hard once our little ones our placed into our arms though. (I think I'm still in a little denial that I actually have to give birth to this baby :)

First Day of School

Today was the first day of school. Everyone was in a pretty good mood. I have been up since 5 o'clock this morning, not because I needed to be of course...just couldn't sleep.

Jacob was off to his first day of 4th grade. How is that possible?
Emily was off to 7th grade...wow!

Kelsey was off to her very first day in high school. I'm excited for her, but it makes me sad at the same time. She is growing up so fast. This morning I figured out how long ago it was that I started high school....22 years....what!?!