15 Months Appointment

Micah had his 15 month appointment in the middle of February.  He is still a very healthy little boy. We were fortunate to get an appointment at Micah's new pediatrician the Friday before I started my new job.  Micah has got a new pediatrician?  Yes, he does.  Allow me to explain why.

When Micah went in for his 12 month appointment in November, his former pediatrician didn't have any vaccines in stock.  The doctor's office called the day before to inform me so I could choose whether or not to keep the appointment.  The staff explained that they weren't sure when vaccines would be in stock.  I had some concerns, so I opted to take Micah to his appointment anyway.  Unfortunately, they did not explain that I would not be able to take him to another pediatrician for the vaccines without paying out of pocket.  If I had known that, I would have just cancelled the appointment, and found another pediatrician then.  When it was time for Micah's 15 month appointment, I called to find out if they had any vaccines in stock.  Unfortunately, I was in for a rude awakening.  I found out that the doctor's office had been closed since the end of December.  They neglected to notify the patients or their parents.  So we had to find a new pediatrician.

Luckily, there is a pediatrician office really close to our home that had an opening.  It turns out that I love these doctors just as much as I have loved both Micah's other pediatricians {aside from the last one closing shop without letting me know}.  Anyway, Micah played with the toys in the waiting area.  We had a really short wait, before we were called into our exam room.  Micah played while we waited for the doctor to get to us.  It didn't take long before the doctor was in to see us.  Micah checked out fine.  She gave us a prescription for a cream for Micah's eczema.  He weighed 23 pounds and 7 ounces, and was 32 1/4 inches long, which makes him long and lean.

One Last Doctor's Visit

So we had our last doctor's visit before the big day.  Of course, I ended up being monitored.  Micah was so low, and I had dilated more.  The doctor sent me to me monitored to be on the safe side.  Though I ended up being sent home, it was touch and go there for a little while.  I thought I was going to have a baby in my arms tonight instead of Monday.  I lost one pound, for a total of 23 pounds.  And I didn't get any of my questions answered regarding what I need to do to prepare for Monday, but oh well.  We are yet holding on.  Until Monday...

Doctor's Visit (10 days left)

I had another doctor's visit today.  I am now officially on maternity leave.  I have dilated another full centimeter.  And the doctor told me, "He could come any day now."  I reminded him that we want him to wait until the 15th when he is scheduled to be removed.  My job was not particularly happy to hear that I would be leaving a week early, but they understand.  I also gained an additional four pounds since Monday's unscheduled visit.  That's a total of six pounds gained in a week.  My doctor's aren't worried, so I'm not either.  It's just weird to carry so much weight.  I have never weighed more than I did at the start of this pregnancy, and the extra weight just feels funny from time to time.

To the Doctor; Once Again

I spent another wonderful work day in labor and delivery being monitored.  This time for my blood pressure.  I am not sure that my body likes being pregnant.  I learned that I have gained two pounds since Thursday's appointment, Micah is in the head-down position, and I still can't feel my contractions.  But I am once again at home resting.  And since everything is pretty much done, I can actually rest without my mind worrying about all the things I need to get done.  Hopefully this is the last of my unscheduled visits to  labor and delivery.

Doctor Visit

I went to the doctor today.  All is well.  I gained more weight.  I am up to 131.5 pounds now.  Micah is doing well, and moving around very actively.  I can work at least one more week.  That is all.

Doctor Visit: More Monitoring

I went to the doctor again today.  I had totally planned to go to work this afternoon.  I even had meetings planned.  I should have been back home by mid-morning to rest before I had to go in.  However, my uterus had other plans.  And I ended up in the maternity center being monitored AGAIN!  I have dilated further, and apparently I am having some pretty major contractions that I can't feel.  Good times! (That's sarcasm.)  The good news is that after being monitored for several hours (read: seven!) there was no more dilation despite the contractions.  I thought for a while there that my son would be born on my brother's birthday.

The doctor informed me that they want me to make it until at least 34 weeks, which is next week.  That means that I can have a baby in my arms anytime between next week and November 15. I am still on restrictions, but back to work tomorrow. Oh yeah, and I gained a pound back.

Eviction Notice

Eviction Notice

You, Micah Tremaine, are hereby notified, in any event, that your tenancy is hereby terminated as of November 15, 2010.  You are hereby requested to quit, vacate, and deliver possession therefore to the undersigned on or before November 15, 2010.  This notice to vacate is due to your following breach of tenancy:

• Damage to mommy’s body beyond normal wear and tear.

Should you fail, refuse or neglect to vacate said premises, such action as required will be taken to evict you from the premises.

That's right!  We got a date for our cesarean section.  Micah will be born on November 15 if he doesn't decide to come earlier.  I also got a flu shot.  The last time I got a flu shot (2005), I got the flu.  I haven't had it since then.  I decided to get the flu shot now because I work with children, and they tend to be germ carriers.  And I haven't dilated any further.  Everything else looked good.  Today was a good day.  I also lost another pound.

Scheduled Unscheduled Doctor's Visit

We headed back to the doctor's office again for a scheduled visit that came as a result of the unscheduled visit on Tuesday.  The verdict is in.  Though I am dilating and having contractions that I can not feel, there has been no change since Tuesday.  Therefore, I do not have to remain on bed rest, and can return to work.  Now I just need Micah to stay put until it's time for him to come.

That means that I have to rest as often as possible, no heavy lifting, and no strenuous activities.  And I am taking it easy this weekend.  My baby shower is Saturday evening, but other than that, I plan to be resting.

Unscheduled Doctor's Visit

** Possible TMI alert. **

I made an unexpected trip to the maternity center.  I woke up this morning spotting.  I called in to the doctor's office, and they told me to come in.  When I got there, they did the typical checking, and the doctor checked my cervix, and found that it had opened some.  That was probably the reason for the spotting.  Then I was sent to the maternity center to be monitored.  It turns out that I was having contractions that I was unable to feel, in addition to the ones that I have been calling braxton hicks contractions that I could feel.  I stayed there all day.  They hooked me up to an IV drip.  I got medication to stop the contractions, which I now have to monitor.  I also got medications to mature Micah's lungs in case he decides that he's really too anxious to see the outside world.  And the best part (note the sarcasm), I am on bed rest.  I go back Thursday for the doctor to decide where we go from here.  Hopefully there will be no change to my cervix, and I can continue to work at least on a modified caseload so that I will have some medical leave after he gets here.  Most importantly, I would like him to stay in there and finish developing.

Doctor Visit

I saw the doctor again today.  All is still well.  My blood pressure was good, Micah's heart rate (140) was good, and my weight gain was good.  I have gained a total of 17 pounds for a total of 130 pounds.  Some days I feel like Fatty McFat.  But most days, I am in love with the new curves.  Don't get me wrong.   I'm hoping to drop back down to at least my pre-pregnancy weight.  But right now, while I'm going through, I'm loving it.  We also discussed my most likely birth experience, and my doctors are recommending a cesarean section.  I knew that was a strong possibility, and Mikey and I have discussed it and decided that we'd rather be safe than sorry.  So at my next appointment, we'll schedule a date. 

Yet Another Doctor Visit

Today I went to the doctor again.  All is well.  My doctor even commended me on how well this pregnancy is going and asked that I keep up the good work.  I passed the gestational diabetes test with flying colors.  My hemoglobin levels and blood pressure look good.  No infections or complications.  Micah is still lodged in there really well.  I know because the doctor checked after I told him about the braxton-hicks contractions.  I also got the Rhogam shot, because I have negative blood type.

The bad part about this doctor's visit.  My total appointment lasted SIX hours.  First my doctor was doing his rounds at the hospital when I got there, and didn't get in the office until thirty minutes after my appointment time.  So he had to play catch up.  Then I had to go to the hospital to have blood work done, and the Rhogam shot administered.  I had to register, and have the blood drawn. Then I had to wait two hours for the lab to prepare the shot.  I ended up going to lunch.  Then, I get back to the lab, and waited an hour for the nurse to administer the shot, which took less than five minutes.  In reality, the nurses took my paperwork, then forgot that I was waiting.    Needless to say, I was not happy at the end of the day.

But all is well, and I really can't complain.  Oh yeah, and I gained four pounds, for a total weight gain of a whopping eleven pounds!

Another Doctor Visit

We went to the doctor today. All is well. The baby is measuring right on target. I have gained five pounds since my last visit, for a total of seven pounds. My next appointment is in four weeks, and I get to take the test for gestational diabetes. Yes, that means I will be drinking the sweet stuff. Hopefully, I won't get sick.

Today at my appointment, the doctor checked the baby's heartbeat. The baby wasn't really too keen on that, and he kicked the monitor off of him. The doctor tried again, and he kicked it again, then moved away from the monitor. My child is already rude. All in all, it was a good appointment.

We're Members of Team Boy!

After much guessing and speculation, it has been determined that Mikey and I will be welcoming, at the end of the year, a BOY!  It really didn't matter to us whether we had a boy or girl, but our family is extremely happy to welcome this little boy baby.

He is healthy, developing right on schedule, and looking like he's going to be a big boy.  We're already in love.  Now on to deciding on a name.

15 Weeks

We had a doctor's appointment today.  According to the doctor, all looks well.  The baby is growing right on schedule, and the heartbeat is strong.  And we have our big ultrasound (and hopefully) find out whether we're having a boy or girl in three weeks.

Speaking of finding out, this past week, I dreamed that I went in for the anatomy scan. When it came to the part where the ultrasound tech tells you the baby's sex, she said, "You're having a BOY!"  And BOY! kept flashing across the ultrasound screen.  We'll see what happens.

• How far along?: fifteen weeks
• What's baby up to?: Continuing the march towards normal proportions, baby's legs now outmeasure the arms. And, finally, all four limbs have functional joints. Your fetus is squirming and wiggling like crazy down in the womb, though you probably still can't feel the movements.
• Weight Gain: I have gained two pounds total.
• Symptoms: tender boobs; irritability; crazy dreams 
• How big is baby?: about the size of a navel orange (about 4 inches)
• Sex: we find out on July 7
• Maternity clothes?: just the maternity pants, and I still like my belly bands; I'm going shopping soon.
• Stretch marks?: nope
• Sleep?: pretty good; still gotta go potty at least once a night
• Best moment this week?: working my last day of work for this school year
• Movement?: nope
• Food cravings?: none
• Labor signs?: n/a
• Belly button in or out?: in, but it is starting to flatten and is sensitive
• What I miss: sleeping through the night
• What I'm looking forward to: my next doctor's appointment 
• Milestone: reaching the 2nd trimester

11 weeks

So I went to the doctor today for my monthly check-up. All is well.  And they changed my official due date is December 6, 2010.  That puts me at 11 weeks today instead of on Wednesday.  I also found out that I have negative blood type, and will have to have the Rhogam shot.  The baby's heart rate was 163, which is really good.  All is well in baby land.  Oh yeah, and the the doctor told me to take children's vitamins instead of the prenatals to avoid the prenatals making me sick.

No new picture this week, but check me out next week.

* How far along?: eleven weeks

* Weight Gain: no gain or loss.  My metabolism is holding very well, and I have pretty much maintained the same weight so far

* Symptoms: tender boobs, bloat, and some tiredness (I still like naps, but they aren't necessary anymore)

* How big is baby?: about the size of a lime (about 1.6 inches)

* Sex: n/a

* Maternity clothes?: nope, but I think I'm going to need maternity pants soon

* Stretch marks?: nope

* Sleep?: pretty good; still gotta go potty once a night

* Best moment this week?: nausea only with very foul odors and if I overeat

* Movement?: nope

* Food cravings?: food

* Labor signs?: n/a

* Belly button in or out?: in

* What I miss: Not being treated like I'm going to break

* What I'm looking forward to: having a noticeable baby bump, instead of baby bloat

* Milestone: one week closer to the end of the 1st trimester

And to top off the day, we went to Myrtle Beach, and the car wouldn't start.  That was fun.

Doctor Visit #2

I had a doctor's appointment today.  Baby Chunky is growing!  We saw the baby's heart flickering, and heard the heartbeat.  From what I have read, just seeing/hearing the baby's heartbeat reduces the chance of a miscarriage to about 2%.

After the appointment we headed over to David's Bridal to order my dress for Jeremy and Lavita's wedding, which is August 28.  By then, I will be 25 weeks, 3 days pregnant, or roughly 6 months pregnant.  In the store, they have a "pregnancy pillow" to simulate how women typically look at 7 months pregnant.  It was pretty funny, but I enjoyed having a visual of how I could possibly look at that point in this journey.

Taken with my BlackBerry

And I bought another book on pregnancy.  I think this will be my last.  So far I have:

The Girlfriends Guide to Pregnancy

The Mocha Manual to a Fabulous Pregnancy

Consumer Reports Best Baby Products

Your Pregnancy Week by Week.

And The Verdict...

There's definitely something in there.  It just looks like a sac, for now.  I am not as far along as we originally thought.  Turns out my due date is not until December 8.  So I go back in two weeks for another sonogram to see the heartbeat.