27 Weeks
I went to Dr. Hebb's today for another prenatal appointment. All is well. The good news is that I didn't gain any weight since my appointment two weeks ago. And in total, I gained 3 lbs in 5 weeks. So, go me! My blood pressure was also normal. Dr. H took my fundal height measurements for the first time this pregnancy, now that I'm officially in my third trimester. The baby was measuring 29 weeks, even though I'm only at 27 weeks. She said not to read too much into it. Fundal height measuring isn't an exact science.
I also asked about whether or not I could expect another early delivery. I had Vicente about a week early, and since this is my second, I figured that odds were higher that I'd deliver early. She told me there is absolutely no rhyme or reason to when babies come, so I shouldn't expect anything. My next appointment is three weeks from now,. I'll be 30 weeks. After that, they want to see me every two weeks until the end. Things are really starting to speed up!
I also took my glucose screening test today. That orange liquid is so nasty. I have to wait a few days for the results, but hoping they come back negative. I know they also tested my platelet count, which I'm anxious to see as well. About an hour ago, or three hours after I drank the fluid, I started to feel pretty sick. I was shaky and nauseated. So, I decided to run to Chick-fila and grub down on a chocolate shake, a large fry, and a spicy chicken sandwich. It was a good call. I feel amazing now. And fat. :)
Thursday, July 16, 2015
Monday, July 13, 2015
Approaching Third Trimester
26 Weeks, 4 Days
Wow, this blog is a lot harder to maintain the second time around. I have some exciting news to share this week. I finally pulled the trigger on becoming a stay-at-home mom! My plan was to stop working when Baby #2 came along, but I decided to expedite my end date in order to spend a few quality months with Vicente before his brother joins us in October. I've pretty much reached the end of my rope with working full time and being a mom. With hubby returning to his residency in mid-June, it's been really difficult to manage the house, childcare, and a full-time job. Especially while pregnant. And I decided my heart just wasn't in it anymore. So, with that, I put in my months notice a couple weeks ago! My last day will be July 23rd, and then little Vicente and I are off to Texas for a week to enjoy some time with the family. My next trip back home won't be until Christmas since I will be too pregnant to fly, and I don't want to travel until Baby #2 turns two months.
Speaking of which, Baby #2 has a name! Luciano! I'm currently mulling over middle names. Still haven't decided if I want one for him or not since his big brother doesn't have a middle name. But, I'm leaning toward names that start with an A. Maybe Andres? Or Aaron?
Let's see,..what else is going on. I've been incredibly sick this past week with bronchitis. It's just awful being pregnant and sick. Plus it's taken me a lot longer to get over this illness since my immune system is somewhat compromised. I took a sick day from work, which I never do, which tells you that I'm not kidding around. I even spent a couple hours at Patient First last week to figure out what was wrong with me. Sore throat, horrible cough, lots of congestion. Not fun. It's been about 8 days and I'm finally starting to feel better.
In terms of pregnancy symptoms, everything is pretty normal. Luciano is moving around a lot. I tend to feel his feet pushing against the right side of my belly. I also feel him get the hiccups on a near-daily basis. I'm peeing hell of a lot now. And even more now with my robust cough. My mom came into town this weekend and we spent Sunday at the Zoo. I was incredibly out of breath from walking around for a few hours, and my back starting aching pretty quick. I'm getting to the point in my pregnancy where physical exertion is difficult. I also feel the fatigue coming on again. Bye bye to the second trimester energy boost!
I have another prenatal appointment this week where I'll undergo diabetes testing. I'll also have blood drawn to test my platelet levels. I'm anxious to see how much weight I've gained since my last prenatal. I went in a couple weeks ago because I was having a "lady" issue, and I had only gained 3 lbs in 3 weeks. So, hopefully, I haven't gained more than 5 lbs total since my previous prenatal appointment five weeks ago. I'm scared of repeating my 10 lbs in 4 weeks weight gain that I encountered at my last monthly pre-natal visit.
That's all for now! More to come.
Wow, this blog is a lot harder to maintain the second time around. I have some exciting news to share this week. I finally pulled the trigger on becoming a stay-at-home mom! My plan was to stop working when Baby #2 came along, but I decided to expedite my end date in order to spend a few quality months with Vicente before his brother joins us in October. I've pretty much reached the end of my rope with working full time and being a mom. With hubby returning to his residency in mid-June, it's been really difficult to manage the house, childcare, and a full-time job. Especially while pregnant. And I decided my heart just wasn't in it anymore. So, with that, I put in my months notice a couple weeks ago! My last day will be July 23rd, and then little Vicente and I are off to Texas for a week to enjoy some time with the family. My next trip back home won't be until Christmas since I will be too pregnant to fly, and I don't want to travel until Baby #2 turns two months.
Speaking of which, Baby #2 has a name! Luciano! I'm currently mulling over middle names. Still haven't decided if I want one for him or not since his big brother doesn't have a middle name. But, I'm leaning toward names that start with an A. Maybe Andres? Or Aaron?
Let's see,..what else is going on. I've been incredibly sick this past week with bronchitis. It's just awful being pregnant and sick. Plus it's taken me a lot longer to get over this illness since my immune system is somewhat compromised. I took a sick day from work, which I never do, which tells you that I'm not kidding around. I even spent a couple hours at Patient First last week to figure out what was wrong with me. Sore throat, horrible cough, lots of congestion. Not fun. It's been about 8 days and I'm finally starting to feel better.
In terms of pregnancy symptoms, everything is pretty normal. Luciano is moving around a lot. I tend to feel his feet pushing against the right side of my belly. I also feel him get the hiccups on a near-daily basis. I'm peeing hell of a lot now. And even more now with my robust cough. My mom came into town this weekend and we spent Sunday at the Zoo. I was incredibly out of breath from walking around for a few hours, and my back starting aching pretty quick. I'm getting to the point in my pregnancy where physical exertion is difficult. I also feel the fatigue coming on again. Bye bye to the second trimester energy boost!
I have another prenatal appointment this week where I'll undergo diabetes testing. I'll also have blood drawn to test my platelet levels. I'm anxious to see how much weight I've gained since my last prenatal. I went in a couple weeks ago because I was having a "lady" issue, and I had only gained 3 lbs in 3 weeks. So, hopefully, I haven't gained more than 5 lbs total since my previous prenatal appointment five weeks ago. I'm scared of repeating my 10 lbs in 4 weeks weight gain that I encountered at my last monthly pre-natal visit.
That's all for now! More to come.
Wednesday, May 20, 2015
It's (another) Boy!
18 Weeks, 6 Days
Yesterday was the much anticipated anatomical survey/gender reveal ultrasound! It was just as exciting as it was the first time around. I woke up pretty early in the morning with butterflies in my stomach. I went in early to get blood drawn, and Vicente met me at the hospital around 8:45 am.
The sonographer did her thing for about 30 minutes: taking measurements of the arms, hands, head, brain, stomach, heart, kidneys, umbilical cord, etc. Everything looked great! About halfway through, she asked us if we wanted to know the sex. We said yes, obviously, and she got to the tail end of the baby. A 50" TV screen was hanging on the wall in front of us, so we had a good view of everything the sonographer was seeing on her monitor. She showed us an image that included the two thigh bones and the baby's bottom. I could instantly see the scrotum and penis and called it out: It's a boy? And it was!
I'm so incredibly happy to have another baby boy. I love being a boy mom, and can't wait for Vicente IV to have a little brother to bond with.
The doctor came in after the sonographer wrapped up to look at everything. She said everything looked good, but she wanted to check something on the heart. She saw a "bright spot" on the heart, which she insisted was a normal variant and very commonly seen on ultrasounds. Essentially, it is a calcification, which doesn't cause any health problems. The only reason she was obligated to mention it was that it is a soft market for Down's Syndrome. However, with my previous testing for Down's, I'm already at a very low risk of 1 in greater than 10,000. The "bright spot" on the ultrasound brought my risk down to about 1 in greater than 5,000, which is still the low risk category. SHe ensured us that we shouldn't worry, but it's still going to nag at the back of my mind until the baby arrives. Praying he's a healthy, happy child!
Yesterday was the much anticipated anatomical survey/gender reveal ultrasound! It was just as exciting as it was the first time around. I woke up pretty early in the morning with butterflies in my stomach. I went in early to get blood drawn, and Vicente met me at the hospital around 8:45 am.
The sonographer did her thing for about 30 minutes: taking measurements of the arms, hands, head, brain, stomach, heart, kidneys, umbilical cord, etc. Everything looked great! About halfway through, she asked us if we wanted to know the sex. We said yes, obviously, and she got to the tail end of the baby. A 50" TV screen was hanging on the wall in front of us, so we had a good view of everything the sonographer was seeing on her monitor. She showed us an image that included the two thigh bones and the baby's bottom. I could instantly see the scrotum and penis and called it out: It's a boy? And it was!
I'm so incredibly happy to have another baby boy. I love being a boy mom, and can't wait for Vicente IV to have a little brother to bond with.
The doctor came in after the sonographer wrapped up to look at everything. She said everything looked good, but she wanted to check something on the heart. She saw a "bright spot" on the heart, which she insisted was a normal variant and very commonly seen on ultrasounds. Essentially, it is a calcification, which doesn't cause any health problems. The only reason she was obligated to mention it was that it is a soft market for Down's Syndrome. However, with my previous testing for Down's, I'm already at a very low risk of 1 in greater than 10,000. The "bright spot" on the ultrasound brought my risk down to about 1 in greater than 5,000, which is still the low risk category. SHe ensured us that we shouldn't worry, but it's still going to nag at the back of my mind until the baby arrives. Praying he's a healthy, happy child!
Monday, May 18, 2015
Baby #2 is on the way!
18 Weeks, 4 Days
It's been a long time since posting! But with Baby #2 on the way, I thought it'd be a good idea to bring this blog back to life. I've referred back to my blog entries from my last pregnancy several times already, so I know it's a good idea to chronicle each pregnancy milestone.
I'm almost halfway through this pregnancy and everything is going well. I had two pregnancy losses between Vicente and this pregnancy, which was very difficult. It added a lot of anxiety in the first 12 weeks, but now that we're well into the second trimester, I'm feeling pretty optimistic! I didn't have many symptoms in the first trimester other than extreme fatigue. I would get a little queasy if I didn't eat constantly, but it wasn't too bad. The only difference in symptoms in the first trimester was breast changes/tenderness. With Vicente, my breasts became extremely sore and swollen almost immediately, around 6 weeks. With this baby, it came much later, around 8-9 weeks. My doctor said its fairly normal. Your breasts go through significant changes with the first pregnancy and breast feeding, so they don't change as much with the second I guess.
Now that I'm into my second trimester, the symptoms aren't as noticeable. The heartburn has started up again; I get it pretty much every day around 4-5 pm. Of course I'm still tired, but not completely dragging ass like I did in the first trimester. I also started feeling some movement this past week as well. It's very minimal. Just small little pops or bubbles. I feel it a couple times a day. Movement is always reassuring!
As far as weight gain, I was up 12 pounds at my 17 week appointment. That puts me right on track with my weight gain during my first pregnancy. My goal is to gain no more than 35 pounds, which was what I gained with Vicente. It took me about a year to lose all the weight and get back to my pre-pregnancy size (0-2). Most of the weight came off in the first six months, but the last 10 lbs were a little harder to lose.
Tomorrow is an exciting day...it's the anatomy ultrasound appointment! I had such a strong feeling that Vicente was going to be a boy, but I can't say the same for this pregnancy. Which is why I have an inkling that it's a girl. However, everyone is convinced I'm having another boy, which would be fine by me! Needless to say, I'd be beyond happy with both. I'm just praying for a healthy baby.
I'll update the blog soon with details on the gender reveal! In other news, hubby and I are taking a Baby Moon next week! We are headed to Cabo soon for an entire week, and we're leaving the little guy in Houston with his grandparents. I'll miss him, but I'm pumped for some much-needed R&R with my husband before he heads back to finish his residency in June.
It's been a long time since posting! But with Baby #2 on the way, I thought it'd be a good idea to bring this blog back to life. I've referred back to my blog entries from my last pregnancy several times already, so I know it's a good idea to chronicle each pregnancy milestone.
I'm almost halfway through this pregnancy and everything is going well. I had two pregnancy losses between Vicente and this pregnancy, which was very difficult. It added a lot of anxiety in the first 12 weeks, but now that we're well into the second trimester, I'm feeling pretty optimistic! I didn't have many symptoms in the first trimester other than extreme fatigue. I would get a little queasy if I didn't eat constantly, but it wasn't too bad. The only difference in symptoms in the first trimester was breast changes/tenderness. With Vicente, my breasts became extremely sore and swollen almost immediately, around 6 weeks. With this baby, it came much later, around 8-9 weeks. My doctor said its fairly normal. Your breasts go through significant changes with the first pregnancy and breast feeding, so they don't change as much with the second I guess.
Now that I'm into my second trimester, the symptoms aren't as noticeable. The heartburn has started up again; I get it pretty much every day around 4-5 pm. Of course I'm still tired, but not completely dragging ass like I did in the first trimester. I also started feeling some movement this past week as well. It's very minimal. Just small little pops or bubbles. I feel it a couple times a day. Movement is always reassuring!
As far as weight gain, I was up 12 pounds at my 17 week appointment. That puts me right on track with my weight gain during my first pregnancy. My goal is to gain no more than 35 pounds, which was what I gained with Vicente. It took me about a year to lose all the weight and get back to my pre-pregnancy size (0-2). Most of the weight came off in the first six months, but the last 10 lbs were a little harder to lose.
Tomorrow is an exciting day...it's the anatomy ultrasound appointment! I had such a strong feeling that Vicente was going to be a boy, but I can't say the same for this pregnancy. Which is why I have an inkling that it's a girl. However, everyone is convinced I'm having another boy, which would be fine by me! Needless to say, I'd be beyond happy with both. I'm just praying for a healthy baby.
I'll update the blog soon with details on the gender reveal! In other news, hubby and I are taking a Baby Moon next week! We are headed to Cabo soon for an entire week, and we're leaving the little guy in Houston with his grandparents. I'll miss him, but I'm pumped for some much-needed R&R with my husband before he heads back to finish his residency in June.
Wednesday, July 17, 2013
Baby Vicente's Birth Story
Three Months Post Partum
Hi, world! Given the fact that I haven't contributed to this blog in months, it's safe for you to assume that yes, I had the baby! Vicente Valero, IV was born on April 15, 2013 at 1:23 a.m. It's been a whirlwind of sleepless nights, poopy diapers, and breastfeeding since then, but I've loved every single minute of it. I officially went back to work this week! It's been rough, but I'm sure I'll acclimate in due time. Before "mom brain" gets the best of me and too much time passes, I wanted to record my birth story. Without further ado, here's how my perfect baby boy entered our lives...
Due Date: April 19, 2013
Actual Birth Date: Monday, April 15, 2013 at 1:23 a.m.
Weight: 7 lbs, 8 oz
Height: 20 inches
Apgar Scores: 9 and 9
Friday before I went into labor, I vowed that I'd do everything in my power to give birth before the weekend was over. I walked for miles. I ate spicy food. I drank loads of raspberry leaf tea. And yes, I got busy, too. I awoke on Sunday morning a bit disappointed, resigning to the fact that I'd be pregnant forever. The hubs went into the lab early to get a some work done, saying that he'd return in time to take me out for a late lunch around 2. I decided to rest on the sofa until then. I started watching Sex and The City on TV and fell asleep. When I woke up, it began. Here's a timeline of events:
12:45 pm - As I sit up from my nap, I feel a pop, followed by a gush of warm fluid. Lo and behold, it's my water breaking! I'm not experiencing contractions yet, aside from those pesky Braxton Hicks I've been having for months. This is literally one of the most exciting moments of. my. life. I know without a doubt that I will be meeting this baby in the next 24 hours. I call Vicente to share the good news, and tell him to hurry home. I phone my doctor's office to let them know my water has broken. Unfortunately, Dr. H isn't on call so I'm forwarded to another doc (who would ultimately deliver my baby.) He tells me to come in to the hospital as soon as possible.
I call mom, who doesn't pick up because she's in church. I send her a text: "Call me ASAP. My water just broke!" She promptly returns my call and gets on the first flight to Baltimore.
1 pm - I tidy up the house and finish packing my hospital bag when Vicente gets home. I'm still not having real contractions, although I do feel cramping. Vicente takes Maddie out for a quick pee and throws a few last-minute items into his suitcase.
1:45 pm - We leave for the hospital, Greater Baltimore Medical Center. Still feeling crampy, but not experiencing any painful, regular contractions yet.
2:20 pm - I'm taken back to the observation area for monitoring to determine if I'm truly in labor. Once they confirm that my water did, in fact, break and I did not, in fact, pee all over myself, I'm finally admitted. I'm 1 cm dilated and 75% effaced. The monitor shows my contractions, but there's no regularity. I can definitely feel them now, but it's only at a 2 on the pain scale.
2:45 pm - I get settled in a private room where I'm expected to labor and deliver. We're there for no longer than 20 minutes when I realize there are ants all over the place and we request a room change.
4:30 pm - Since my contractions still aren't regular or increasing in intensity, I'm hooked up to a Pitocin drip to kick-start the process. Things get real pretty fast. My pain shoots from 2 to a 7 in mere minutes. My contractions get stronger and much closer together; on average, about 1.5 to 2 minutes apart. The whole experience starts to consume me and I get a little panicky for the first time in my entire 39.5 weeks of pregnancy. Real contractions, like Braxton Hicks contractions, tighten your entire abdomen. It's not unlike a Charlie Horse that might wake you up at night. However, unlike BH contractions, labor contractions are accompanied by epic pain. Before long, I can't talk through them because I'm so focused on breathing through each peak and resting in each valley. As I'm battling through each contraction, Vicente watches the Master's on TV while texting our family with updates. Sometime during these foggy hours, I spew out an Exorist-inducing, evil-laden speech at my poor husband. Looking back, I try to feel bad for him , but I just can't muster up the sympathy. He promptly rushes to my side to do whatever possible to get me through this. And he does a great job.
5:30 pm - A sweet nurse drops by to tell me my platelet level is around 94,000 and if I want to get an epidural, I should do it before 8 pm when the "good" anesthesiologist ends his shift. She tells me the other anesthesiologist on the next shift - let's call him "evil" - has a strict policy to not administer epidurals to patients with platelet counts below 100,000. I tell myself to contact the Vatican later to have this woman sainted. Her foresight spared me a very painful, mother-earth birth. Something I just wasn't prepared for. Although I applaud women who go this route. (Remember, I suffered from a condition during pregnancy called gestational thrombocytopenia...or, low platelet count. One of the unfortunate things about this condition is that it could impact one's option to get an epidural during delivery. Apparently, it increases your risk of bleeding, and some anesthesiologists get nervous about sticking GT patients with a needle if that's the case.)
7 pm - I'm given an epidural by a man who looks suspiciously like Santa. It only takes one stick and the epidural is in. Only half my body is numb at first, so Santa has to readjust the needle until both sides are equally numb. Life is beautiful again. I can't feel a damn thing. The trade-off is that I'm paralyzed from the waist down and can't mobilize. If I need to change positions or roll from side to side, the nurse has to do it for me from now on.
7:30 pm - I'm 3 cm dilated. The nurse continues to increase my Pitocin dosage in 20-minute increments to help the contractions progress. Mom arrives around this time.
8:30 pm - Holding steady at 3 cm.
11 pm - Despite the numbness in lower my half, I still feel contractions, only without the pain. I also begin to feel an enormous amount of pressure down below. The nurse tells me this is a good sign. It's getting close to go time. I'm now 7 cm dilated.
11:30 pm - Vicente's parents arrive.
Midnight (April 15th) - I feel a lot of pressure and now, the urge to push. I'm finally at 10 cm! The nurse goes to fetch the doctor and Vicente's parents clear out of the room so that the pushing can begin.
12:37 am - With mom on my right and Vicente on my left, each holds one of my legs as I start to push. It's harder than I ever imagined. There's nothing one can do to train for this marathon. With each contraction, I push three times while my audience of nurses counts to 10. Aside from free divers, I have no idea who can hold their breath for this long during prolonged periods of physical exertion.
1:20 am - After almost 40 minutes of pushing, the doctor asks me if I want to feel the baby's head, which has finally crowned. With a tentative "yes?" I reach down to feel a PERSON entering into the world. Talk about an out-of-body experience. Something is attached to me, but it isn't me? I can only feel the top of his hairy little head, but it gives me the motivation I need to finish the job.
1:23 am - VV4 is born! They immediately place him on my belly and dry him off. I cry along with my baby, and the only thing I can say is, "Oh my God. Oh my God. Oh my God." I'm amazed to look at my beautiful son's face for the first time. I love him so much that its indescribable. After a minute or two, the nurses whisk him over to an incubator in the corner of the room to run his APGARs, weigh him, etc. While he's wailing in the corner, I deliver the "afterbirth" (gross), but keep my eyes glued to that pink, squirming little bundle on the other side of the room (the baby, not the afterbirth). I keep asking Vicente and my mom to describe what's going on and what he looks like. After 15 minutes of sheer torture while I wait to hold him again, the nurse brings my diapered, otherwise naked, little boy back to his mama to enjoy some skin to skin time. These moments are pure heaven. He latches on like a pro and nurses for the next hour.
It was a wonderful labor and delivery, but there's nothing glamorous about it. I left out the particularly gruesome aspects of childbirth (aka: blood and guts and fluids and stuff) because a woman has to maintain a little bit of dignity. All I can say is that the moment you hold your sweet baby in your arms for the first time, life is never the same. And it's never better.
Here are some pics from LABOR DAY.
Hi, world! Given the fact that I haven't contributed to this blog in months, it's safe for you to assume that yes, I had the baby! Vicente Valero, IV was born on April 15, 2013 at 1:23 a.m. It's been a whirlwind of sleepless nights, poopy diapers, and breastfeeding since then, but I've loved every single minute of it. I officially went back to work this week! It's been rough, but I'm sure I'll acclimate in due time. Before "mom brain" gets the best of me and too much time passes, I wanted to record my birth story. Without further ado, here's how my perfect baby boy entered our lives...
Due Date: April 19, 2013
Actual Birth Date: Monday, April 15, 2013 at 1:23 a.m.
Weight: 7 lbs, 8 oz
Height: 20 inches
Apgar Scores: 9 and 9
Friday before I went into labor, I vowed that I'd do everything in my power to give birth before the weekend was over. I walked for miles. I ate spicy food. I drank loads of raspberry leaf tea. And yes, I got busy, too. I awoke on Sunday morning a bit disappointed, resigning to the fact that I'd be pregnant forever. The hubs went into the lab early to get a some work done, saying that he'd return in time to take me out for a late lunch around 2. I decided to rest on the sofa until then. I started watching Sex and The City on TV and fell asleep. When I woke up, it began. Here's a timeline of events:
12:45 pm - As I sit up from my nap, I feel a pop, followed by a gush of warm fluid. Lo and behold, it's my water breaking! I'm not experiencing contractions yet, aside from those pesky Braxton Hicks I've been having for months. This is literally one of the most exciting moments of. my. life. I know without a doubt that I will be meeting this baby in the next 24 hours. I call Vicente to share the good news, and tell him to hurry home. I phone my doctor's office to let them know my water has broken. Unfortunately, Dr. H isn't on call so I'm forwarded to another doc (who would ultimately deliver my baby.) He tells me to come in to the hospital as soon as possible.
I call mom, who doesn't pick up because she's in church. I send her a text: "Call me ASAP. My water just broke!" She promptly returns my call and gets on the first flight to Baltimore.
1 pm - I tidy up the house and finish packing my hospital bag when Vicente gets home. I'm still not having real contractions, although I do feel cramping. Vicente takes Maddie out for a quick pee and throws a few last-minute items into his suitcase.
1:45 pm - We leave for the hospital, Greater Baltimore Medical Center. Still feeling crampy, but not experiencing any painful, regular contractions yet.
 |
| Checking into the hospital! |
2:08 pm - We park in the hospital garage and check into the L&D ward. The receptionist was very friendly and asks me all sorts of questions about my water breaking. She insists on taking a photo of us. At this point, I want to punch her in the face, but I oblige. (I'm so glad I have this photo now!)
2:20 pm - I'm taken back to the observation area for monitoring to determine if I'm truly in labor. Once they confirm that my water did, in fact, break and I did not, in fact, pee all over myself, I'm finally admitted. I'm 1 cm dilated and 75% effaced. The monitor shows my contractions, but there's no regularity. I can definitely feel them now, but it's only at a 2 on the pain scale.
2:45 pm - I get settled in a private room where I'm expected to labor and deliver. We're there for no longer than 20 minutes when I realize there are ants all over the place and we request a room change.
4:30 pm - Since my contractions still aren't regular or increasing in intensity, I'm hooked up to a Pitocin drip to kick-start the process. Things get real pretty fast. My pain shoots from 2 to a 7 in mere minutes. My contractions get stronger and much closer together; on average, about 1.5 to 2 minutes apart. The whole experience starts to consume me and I get a little panicky for the first time in my entire 39.5 weeks of pregnancy. Real contractions, like Braxton Hicks contractions, tighten your entire abdomen. It's not unlike a Charlie Horse that might wake you up at night. However, unlike BH contractions, labor contractions are accompanied by epic pain. Before long, I can't talk through them because I'm so focused on breathing through each peak and resting in each valley. As I'm battling through each contraction, Vicente watches the Master's on TV while texting our family with updates. Sometime during these foggy hours, I spew out an Exorist-inducing, evil-laden speech at my poor husband. Looking back, I try to feel bad for him , but I just can't muster up the sympathy. He promptly rushes to my side to do whatever possible to get me through this. And he does a great job.
5:30 pm - A sweet nurse drops by to tell me my platelet level is around 94,000 and if I want to get an epidural, I should do it before 8 pm when the "good" anesthesiologist ends his shift. She tells me the other anesthesiologist on the next shift - let's call him "evil" - has a strict policy to not administer epidurals to patients with platelet counts below 100,000. I tell myself to contact the Vatican later to have this woman sainted. Her foresight spared me a very painful, mother-earth birth. Something I just wasn't prepared for. Although I applaud women who go this route. (Remember, I suffered from a condition during pregnancy called gestational thrombocytopenia...or, low platelet count. One of the unfortunate things about this condition is that it could impact one's option to get an epidural during delivery. Apparently, it increases your risk of bleeding, and some anesthesiologists get nervous about sticking GT patients with a needle if that's the case.)
7 pm - I'm given an epidural by a man who looks suspiciously like Santa. It only takes one stick and the epidural is in. Only half my body is numb at first, so Santa has to readjust the needle until both sides are equally numb. Life is beautiful again. I can't feel a damn thing. The trade-off is that I'm paralyzed from the waist down and can't mobilize. If I need to change positions or roll from side to side, the nurse has to do it for me from now on.
7:30 pm - I'm 3 cm dilated. The nurse continues to increase my Pitocin dosage in 20-minute increments to help the contractions progress. Mom arrives around this time.
8:30 pm - Holding steady at 3 cm.
11 pm - Despite the numbness in lower my half, I still feel contractions, only without the pain. I also begin to feel an enormous amount of pressure down below. The nurse tells me this is a good sign. It's getting close to go time. I'm now 7 cm dilated.
11:30 pm - Vicente's parents arrive.
Midnight (April 15th) - I feel a lot of pressure and now, the urge to push. I'm finally at 10 cm! The nurse goes to fetch the doctor and Vicente's parents clear out of the room so that the pushing can begin.
12:37 am - With mom on my right and Vicente on my left, each holds one of my legs as I start to push. It's harder than I ever imagined. There's nothing one can do to train for this marathon. With each contraction, I push three times while my audience of nurses counts to 10. Aside from free divers, I have no idea who can hold their breath for this long during prolonged periods of physical exertion.
1:20 am - After almost 40 minutes of pushing, the doctor asks me if I want to feel the baby's head, which has finally crowned. With a tentative "yes?" I reach down to feel a PERSON entering into the world. Talk about an out-of-body experience. Something is attached to me, but it isn't me? I can only feel the top of his hairy little head, but it gives me the motivation I need to finish the job.
1:23 am - VV4 is born! They immediately place him on my belly and dry him off. I cry along with my baby, and the only thing I can say is, "Oh my God. Oh my God. Oh my God." I'm amazed to look at my beautiful son's face for the first time. I love him so much that its indescribable. After a minute or two, the nurses whisk him over to an incubator in the corner of the room to run his APGARs, weigh him, etc. While he's wailing in the corner, I deliver the "afterbirth" (gross), but keep my eyes glued to that pink, squirming little bundle on the other side of the room (the baby, not the afterbirth). I keep asking Vicente and my mom to describe what's going on and what he looks like. After 15 minutes of sheer torture while I wait to hold him again, the nurse brings my diapered, otherwise naked, little boy back to his mama to enjoy some skin to skin time. These moments are pure heaven. He latches on like a pro and nurses for the next hour.
It was a wonderful labor and delivery, but there's nothing glamorous about it. I left out the particularly gruesome aspects of childbirth (aka: blood and guts and fluids and stuff) because a woman has to maintain a little bit of dignity. All I can say is that the moment you hold your sweet baby in your arms for the first time, life is never the same. And it's never better.
Here are some pics from LABOR DAY.
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| Almost time to push |
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| First family photo |
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| My sweet angel. Eye goop and all. |
Friday, April 12, 2013
Weekly Update - One More To Go
39 Weeks
I had my weekly OB appointment yesterday morning. No progress has been made since last week in terms of dilation or effacement, but the good news is that I haven't gained any weight in the past week! At this stage in pregnancy, it’s the little things that make a woman happy. My doctor said I’m not “inducible” yet, but she said that if I don’t have the baby by April 19th (the due date), she will schedule an induction the week of April 22nd. Yay! It’s exciting to know for sure that I’ll be holding my baby boy sometime in the next 15 days. Little V’s heart rate was in the 140s, and he was moving all around during the exam.
Unfortunately, my blood pressure was on the high side again, so Dr. H sent me over to L&D to be monitored and have a fetal non-stress test done. This wasn't my first rodeo, having been through the same thing a few weeks ago. I was there for about two hours while they monitored my BP, the baby’s heart rate/movement, etc. I had several high blood pressure readings until the nurses had me lie down on my left side and then all the readings were normal. Doctor's advice is to "take it easy and lay down whenever possible" - a difficult thing to do when you're still working full time. Baby V was super active and his heart rate looked great. I had several contractions over the course of those two hours, although they aren't regular and are spaced out anywhere from 10 to 30 minutes apart. These contractions are still considered to be Braxton Hicks, although they are noticeably stronger than they were weeks ago and they now have definite peaks to them vs. just being an all over tightening sensation. The nursing staff checked my platelet levels again and I'm holding steady at 97,000. We're hoping and praying that my levels stay the same so that I can have an epidural as planned.
I was talking to mom this morning about how it feels to be 39 weeks pregnant. During the past few weeks I've been feeling that labor was imminent, but now, I've almost resigned to the fact that I'm going to be pregnant forever. Haha! In all seriousness, it feels like the end is NEVER going to come. Of course I know it will, but the waiting game ain't fun, folks.
I had my weekly OB appointment yesterday morning. No progress has been made since last week in terms of dilation or effacement, but the good news is that I haven't gained any weight in the past week! At this stage in pregnancy, it’s the little things that make a woman happy. My doctor said I’m not “inducible” yet, but she said that if I don’t have the baby by April 19th (the due date), she will schedule an induction the week of April 22nd. Yay! It’s exciting to know for sure that I’ll be holding my baby boy sometime in the next 15 days. Little V’s heart rate was in the 140s, and he was moving all around during the exam.
Unfortunately, my blood pressure was on the high side again, so Dr. H sent me over to L&D to be monitored and have a fetal non-stress test done. This wasn't my first rodeo, having been through the same thing a few weeks ago. I was there for about two hours while they monitored my BP, the baby’s heart rate/movement, etc. I had several high blood pressure readings until the nurses had me lie down on my left side and then all the readings were normal. Doctor's advice is to "take it easy and lay down whenever possible" - a difficult thing to do when you're still working full time. Baby V was super active and his heart rate looked great. I had several contractions over the course of those two hours, although they aren't regular and are spaced out anywhere from 10 to 30 minutes apart. These contractions are still considered to be Braxton Hicks, although they are noticeably stronger than they were weeks ago and they now have definite peaks to them vs. just being an all over tightening sensation. The nursing staff checked my platelet levels again and I'm holding steady at 97,000. We're hoping and praying that my levels stay the same so that I can have an epidural as planned.
I was talking to mom this morning about how it feels to be 39 weeks pregnant. During the past few weeks I've been feeling that labor was imminent, but now, I've almost resigned to the fact that I'm going to be pregnant forever. Haha! In all seriousness, it feels like the end is NEVER going to come. Of course I know it will, but the waiting game ain't fun, folks.
Tuesday, April 9, 2013
T-minus TEN Days
38 Weeks, 4 Days
Only ten more days until my due date! It's getting so close I can taste it! I'm starting to get nervous about labor. Every little twinge of discomfort I feel, I automatically think to myself, "Could this be IT?" I had Braxton Hicks contractions all day yesterday. There wasn't a pattern, but they occurred anywhere between 5-30 minutes apart for the entire span of the work day. Then I woke up twice in the middle of the night with two VERY painful contractions that must be closer to what real labor feels like. So far, my BH contractions are just an uncomfortable tightening sensation across my entire abdomen. But the painful contractions I had last night were much sharper and more intense. Almost as if I had some bad Chinese food. Anyway, all is well this morning. I told myself last night if I had more than three of those painful contractions, it must be real labor, but they subsided and I dozed off.
Vicente is in D.C. today and tomorrow attending a conference which makes me anxious. With each passing day, I feel that labor could start at any moment. If I start to notice any pattern or regularity in my contractions, or if my water breaks, I'll give V a call ASAP and he can be in Baltimore in about an hour depending on the time of day he leaves. But even once he gets into city limits, he'll have a good 30 minute drive up to the hospital. So...its not ideal, but hopefully I won't go into labor in the next day or two.
It's supposed to get into the high 80s today, and I faced quite the dilemma dressing myself for work this morning. The last time I wore warm weather clothes, I was 40 pounds lighter. What's a nearly 39-week pregnant woman to do? Answer: dress yourself in pre-pregnancy clothes and hope for the best! I'm literally popping out of this outfit. I feel utterly ridiculous. Pun intended.
Only ten more days until my due date! It's getting so close I can taste it! I'm starting to get nervous about labor. Every little twinge of discomfort I feel, I automatically think to myself, "Could this be IT?" I had Braxton Hicks contractions all day yesterday. There wasn't a pattern, but they occurred anywhere between 5-30 minutes apart for the entire span of the work day. Then I woke up twice in the middle of the night with two VERY painful contractions that must be closer to what real labor feels like. So far, my BH contractions are just an uncomfortable tightening sensation across my entire abdomen. But the painful contractions I had last night were much sharper and more intense. Almost as if I had some bad Chinese food. Anyway, all is well this morning. I told myself last night if I had more than three of those painful contractions, it must be real labor, but they subsided and I dozed off.
Vicente is in D.C. today and tomorrow attending a conference which makes me anxious. With each passing day, I feel that labor could start at any moment. If I start to notice any pattern or regularity in my contractions, or if my water breaks, I'll give V a call ASAP and he can be in Baltimore in about an hour depending on the time of day he leaves. But even once he gets into city limits, he'll have a good 30 minute drive up to the hospital. So...its not ideal, but hopefully I won't go into labor in the next day or two.
It's supposed to get into the high 80s today, and I faced quite the dilemma dressing myself for work this morning. The last time I wore warm weather clothes, I was 40 pounds lighter. What's a nearly 39-week pregnant woman to do? Answer: dress yourself in pre-pregnancy clothes and hope for the best! I'm literally popping out of this outfit. I feel utterly ridiculous. Pun intended.
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