Friday, February 18, 2011

29 Weeks

This week has been an extremely busy one.  I had my ultrasound with the cardiologist on Monday (see previous post for details).  On Tuesday, I had my 28 week checkup with one of the midwives at Kaiser Permanente.  This was a very "loaded" appointment :).  I haven't had many questions to ask at my previous appointments, but this time I brought post-it notes covered in them.  She was great and answered everything I asked.  For example, I asked about episiotomies, childbirth classes & alternatives, breast pumps, etc.  She was very helpful :).  She also gave me a packet of information to prepare for labor and delivery including forms to pre-register for the hospital.  That was definitely an eye-opener for me, because it means (as my friend Ginger likes to say) this is not a drill!!!  This is for real, people :).  I'm excited to get everything taken care of, though, and I really appreciate that they allow their patients to register ahead of time so that I'm not huffing and puffing through contractions and trying to fill out paperwork.

I also showed her my birth plan and she read over it.  She said everything should be ok, but she wants me to have the specialist doctor look over it first before adding it to my file.  Anyway, she listened to Logan's heartbeat and said it sounds good.  She also looked at my stretch marks because I told her they've been stinging lately.  She said that it looks like some of them are close to bleeding (?!?!?!).  I had no idea that could actually happen, but she said to keep using cocoa butter creams to help my skin stretch easier.  Also, I have a slight rash on my stomach (which I believe is also a result of stretching) and she said again, to keep using the creams and to let my belly air out as much as possible in the morning after my shower.  I'm trying my hardest to keep from scratching it because it itches sooooo bad!  Oh, the joys of pregnancy!!!

Also at this appointment, I had to do the 1 hour glucose test again.  I passed it last time (at 14 weeks, I think?) with a 105.  Anything under 130 (I think) is passing, so I was hoping for the same result again.  This time they didn't even give me an option of the flavor so I ended up drinking the orange variety.  It wasn't bad, though.  Just like the lemon-lime, it tasted like a melted popsicle.  After a failed attempt of taking my blood from my arm, they ended up filling 2 vials from my hand.  As a side note, if I need an IV when I'm in labor, they had better be on their game!!!  I'm not a pincushion!  Anyway, I passed the test again this time with a 110, woot!  They also tested my iron and I'm not anemic, woot woot! :)

Tuesday night, I attended a Breastfeeding Basics class, which was very informative.  We (pregnant women in attendance) watched a 30 minute video on proper latching and then we spent the next couple of hours talking about latching positions and asking questions.  She also gave us a book and a lot of other information (pamphlets, etc.).  She even included a couple of magnets to put on our fridge, HAHA.  I don't think either Jason or I would want breastfeeding information plastered on our fridge :).  Anyway, I'm glad I took the class and I'm feeling more comfortable with breastfeeding when the time comes.

Also this week, I have an ingrown toenail that became infected, so I got to go to the doctor for that today.

Finally, another pleasant symptom of pregnancy has popped up this week:  swelling.  My poor ankles and feet start to get puffy, especially if I've been walking around a lot or working all day.  I'm trying to prop them up as much as I can, though, and I'm looking into buying a new cute pair of wide shoes to start wearing :P.

Anyway, I think that's all for now.  Sorry if this has been rambly.  Here are the development details for the week:
  • Your baby continues to grow and develop inside of you. Measuring roughly 15 inches long, he weighs close to 2 1/2 lbs. For the first time, his head is in proportion with the rest of his body!
  • By 29 weeks, his brain can control his body's temperature. His eyes can move in his sockets and his muscles and lungs continue to mature. His bone marrow is now producing red blood cells and fat continues to develop under his skin.
Thanks for dropping in to check on us!  I need to go to bed now, cuz I'm going to the circus in the morning, yay! :)  Have a good one :). 

Ultrasound #4

I got to see my little sweetheart on Valentine's Day, which I think is pretty fitting :).  Ellen (Jason's mom) joined me for the ultrasound since Jason is still in Brazil.  It started off with the cardiologist doing her portion of the ultrasound, which obviously focused on Logan's heart.  After looking at it for about 45 minutes, she told us that Logan's heart defect is called "L Transposition".  She told me to only look up information on websites such as Children's Healthcare of Atlanta (and a few others), but I haven't been able to find anything that's really informative that deals with babies in utero.  She did give me a couple of pictures, though, so I'll post those after a brief explanation.  Bear with me, because I'm not a doctor, so I hope I can explain it so that it's easy to understand yet still accurate :).


There are 4 chambers in the heart.  The bottom 2 chambers of Logan's heart are backward, meaning the Right Ventricle is actually on the left and the Left Ventricle is on the right.  Also, instead of the Pulmonary Artery and Aortic Valve crossing, they are aligned next to each other (parallel).  The cardiologist said that these aren't necessarily bad things, though, because "2 negatives make a positive".  Even though these things are backward, they still match up in the right way so that the blood is pumping like it needs to and the heart is functioning well.  He also still has the hole in his heart, but the cardiologist said that while Logan is in the womb, this is actually necessary.  I don't remember exactly what explanation she gave for it, but I believe it has something to do with the mixing of the blood or something (sorry!).  Anyway, the way I see it is that God knows more than I do and has proven once again that He is in control, not me ;).  The hole will have to be fixed eventually, but we don't yet know how soon that will be.


One potential problem is that his Pulmonary Artery is bigger and pumping more blood than the Aortic Valve.  What this *may* do is cause the Aortic Valve to shrink a little -or- not expand as much as it needs to in order to pump enough blood.  If this is the case, he will probably have to have surgery within a week of being born.  We are praying that this won't be the case!!!  I don't like the idea of my days-old baby having heart surgery :(.  


We are supposed to set up an appointment to meet with the cardiologist in a few weeks and she would like us to talk with one of the surgeons.  She said that he can give us the pros and cons of the surgery that he will need.  We also go back for another ultrasound on March 15th to check on Logan's growth.  At this ultrasound, he measured right on track and weighed 2lbs 8oz :).


One surprise at this ultrasound was getting to see Logan in 3D :).  The nurse secretly switched the ultrasound probes and all of a sudden, I was watching my little man's face!  It was the most precious thing I've ever seen :).  And while we were watching him, he smiled!!!!  Ahhhhhh... he melted his mommy's heart! :)  Even though we couldn't get a 'great' picture of his entire face, she still printed 2 pictures for us and they're amazing.  I'm even more excited to meet him now :).  He is the perfect mix of his mom and dad :).


Anyway, here are the heart pictures, if you'd like have a visual of what I described above (you can click on them for a larger image):





Also, here are the 3D pictures of him :).





The second one is my favorite :).  He has the cutest little face!  I could look at it all day :).  Anyway, I hope this was informative for you and fairly easy to understand.  Please pray for his aortic valve to expand like it needs to so that the blood flow will be even.  Also, please pray that he will continue to grow and thrive in his momma's tummy :).  Thank you for stopping by to check on us.  I'll try to keep you updated on any new developments :).

Sunday, February 13, 2011

28 Weeks - 3rd Trimester!

I can't believe I'm in my 3rd trimester now!  I just can't wrap my head around the fact that in approximately 12 weeks, I'll be a mommy and there will be a baby in the house.  I get so excited just thinking about it :).  I'm not really nervous yet, but I'm sure that will come as we get closer to my due date.  I'm still praying that he will come naturally and that there won't be any need to induce me.  I want as little medical intervention as possible.  I guess this brings me to something I've been working on for the past month or so.  I still have yet to put it all down on paper (that's my next step), but I've been putting my birth plan together for when I go into labor.  A few people have asked me about an epidural and my answer is that I want a natural birth, which means no epidural.  It's not that I want to impress anyone or prove something to people, but it's a personal choice and I'm very adamant about it.  I'm sure I'll be tempted to change my mind when I'm having contractions every 3 minutes apart and I'm 8cm dilated, but I'm pretty determined to hold my ground... and if any of you know me personally, I'm very stubborn ;).  I'm still working on the rest of my birth plan, but if you'd like, I can post it here when I'm finished :).  Just leave me a comment if you're interested in reading it.

Anyway, this week has been interesting.  Jason left for Brazil last Sunday (for 3 weeks), so it has been pretty quiet around here.  I have done a LOT of relaxing, but I'm starting to get a little lonely.  Our dog tries to keep me occupied, but he can't speak English, so there's only so much he can do ;).  I keep praying that the time will go by quickly so that he'll be home again and a week has already passed, so I think I'll be ok :).

My back hasn't been hurting as bad lately, which is nice, but I still wake up every few nights with reflux.  I'm going to talk to my doctor about it tomorrow and hopefully it will be a thing of the past.   All-in-all I've been doing pretty well and feeling good :).  I only have enough energy to do a couple of errands/chores at a time, but I'm slowly getting the house organized.  I've gotten more stretch marks lately, which stinks, but it's all part of pregnancy.  The worst part is that my stomach has started to itch because of the stretching.  The cocoa butter industry must love pregnant women... they've gotten a lot of my business ;).

I guess that's about all I have to say about this week, so I'll move on to the GAME, yay! :)  I set up an account at ExpectNet.com for everyone to enter their birth guesses.  His gender has been confirmed 3 times now (and probably again tomorrow), so I hope no one enters "girl" or you'll be penalized 400 points ;).  You don't need to create an account to enter guesses, you just go to the following website and enter how much you think he'll weigh, what day he will be born, etc.

http://www.expectnet.com/games/LoganSnooks

I will also put a banner on the side of the page so you can access it anytime that way.  Enter as many guesses as you want!  When I get closer to my due date, I'll close the pool so nobody can cheat ;).  When Logan finally arrives, I'll post who the winner is :).

And now, on to the development details:
  • Your baby continues to grow and develop inside of you. Measuring just under 15 inches long, he weighs approximately 2 1/4 lbs. He will continue to gain body fat in the coming weeks to prepare him for life outside of your womb.
  • At 28 weeks, your baby can recognize your voice! His eyes continue to develop this week and his brain is developing millions of neurons. The hair on his head continues to grow. Muscle tone in his body steadily develops, and even though his lungs are now capable of breathing air, it would be difficult for him if he were born now. 
My ultrasound with the cardiologist is tomorrow at 11:30am.  Please continue to pray for complete healing of Logan's heart.  Also, I have my 28 week checkup on Tuesday as well as another glucose test.  Please pray that I pass the test easily and that I won't have any problems with gestational diabetes or preeclampsia.  I'm trusting God for a healthy remainder of the pregnancy :).  Thank you!!!

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

27 Weeks

How many weeks am I again?  I keep losing track :P.  This is a little bit late, so I'm now 27 weeks and 4 days (oops), but oh well.  I've been doing pretty good this week.  Little man is still growing and I feel him moving a lot.  Lately it's been feeling like his head is up against my ribs, which is interesting.  I laugh because it's a weird feeling and it's all new, but at the same time I'm hoping he'll move because it's kind-of uncomfortable.  Things are definitely getting squished!

I've been feeling a tiny bit more energetic, but with the emphasis on "tiny".  I try to take care of things around the house when I get home from work, but usually once Jason gets home, I'm too tired to do anything else.  He's been really great, though, and he helps make dinner and clean up the kitchen when I'm a blob on the couch :).

I've been having more back pain when I get into bed at night, which is really frustrating.  It usually takes about 10 minutes for it to subside, so I think it's related to my 'slight scoliosis' and it's just being aggravated by the pregnancy.  I haven't been having as much trouble with hip pain when I sleep, though, which is good.  Another bad thing is my heartburn, though.  I try to eat all the things that are supposed to help neutralize heartburn, but when I go to bed at night it seems to get worse.  My doctor told me I can take a low dosage of zantac, so I've been trying to do that at night since Tums and Mylanta aren't helping and I keep waking up with reflux.  Oh, the joys of pregnancy :).

In my last blog post, I mentioned how my coworkers haven't really said anything about my belly.  Well, on Friday one of the guys at work came to my desk to ask me a question and stopped mid-sentence.  He was looking at my ultrasound picture on my desk and he said, "is that yours?".  I told him "yes" and he asked, "are you pregnant?!?!"  I patted my bulging belly and said "very much so... about 7 months!"  Ha, I thought it was funny.  He then said that he's a guy, so he doesn't notice that kind of stuff.  I told him that if he sees me waddling around the office, that's why.  I guess maybe I should be flattered that people haven't really noticed or put 2 and 2 together, but at the same time I hope they don't just think I have a huge belly.  Oh well :).  It will become more and more obvious the closer I get to May 6th.

One last thing about this week was something that happened on Friday morning.  I didn't have to work, so I slept in until 8 and then the dog woke me up to take him outside.  It was raining and he's a huge pansy, so I figured I would take him out front, where the porch is covered and he could just go potty on the bushes out there.  I took him out to take care of his business, but when I tried to come back inside, the door was locked.  I couldn't believe it.  Our doorknob has been acting funny lately and from the inside it won't lock, but apparently even if it doesn't feel like it's locked, it really is.  I ended up sitting on the front doormat with the dog for almost an hour, wearing only my pajamas, thigh-length bathrobe, and slippers in rainy 34* weather.  It was not fun at all.  Thankfully I had my phone with me, so I called Jason and his mom and they both showed up to save me, so everything was ok, but I got a bit emotional while we were sitting outside... and Gandalf kept scratching at the door like I was stupid and just wanted to sit outside, ha :).  That afternoon, I made lots of copies of our house key and I've been taking it outside with me every time I take the dog out.

Anyway, that's enough rambling for now.  Here are the development details for the week:
  • Your baby continues to grow and develop inside of you. Measuring about 14.5 inches long, he weighs just about 2 lbs.
  • This week, his brain is developing quickly. His eyelids, which have remained closed up until this point, begin to open and now his retinas can begin to form. The retina contains specialized photoreceptor cells that respond to light, called rods and cones. Cones in particular help us perceive color.
  • His skin is still wrinkly but by 27 weeks, he basically looks how he will look when you give birth to him, in just a few months!
Oh yeah, and my uterus is the size of a basketball, woot woot! :P  So exciting ;). Thanks for reading and I'll be back in a few days with Week 28 :).