Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
FDA Insanity
Sustainable Lifestyle is NOT FDA Approved
The link above explains it all, but I just want to add that it is ridiculous to think that the FDA has the power to remove our ability to serve home-grown food even when prepared in concordance with the diligence of a restaurant and health inspectors! I understand this was a massive gathering, but why should that make a difference? If the health department thought things were on the up-and-up, then why would the FDA still have the right to do this? Not to mention, shouldn't they have more important things to do?! Like finding out the true effects of GMOs and why so many new allergies are popping up generation after generation. Get a clue!
**That's my rant for the day. I'm done now. (LOL)**
Thanks to Lynn Morse of Bunny Berry for posting this link. :)
The link above explains it all, but I just want to add that it is ridiculous to think that the FDA has the power to remove our ability to serve home-grown food even when prepared in concordance with the diligence of a restaurant and health inspectors! I understand this was a massive gathering, but why should that make a difference? If the health department thought things were on the up-and-up, then why would the FDA still have the right to do this? Not to mention, shouldn't they have more important things to do?! Like finding out the true effects of GMOs and why so many new allergies are popping up generation after generation. Get a clue!
**That's my rant for the day. I'm done now. (LOL)**
Thanks to Lynn Morse of Bunny Berry for posting this link. :)
Saturday, February 25, 2012
I Never Thought I'd Say...
"Don't lick the dog!" I mean, seriously!? Fuss was petting our Beast and he licked her hand. She giggled and said, "Tickles." No big deal. I turn around for a second and when I turn back to her she has her tongue out leaning closer and closer to Beast. I yelled, "Don't lick the dog!" and she stops and stares at me like "who me?" Hubby was working on putting up a grid for a drop ceiling and he scoffed/chuckled/gasped all at the same time. He said, "I never thought I'd hear those words come out of your mouth."
That got me thinking about all the other things we say to our babies/toddlers that we never thought we'd say. Things like "Don't play in your poop" or "If you put it in the potty, it's gone forever!" The latest one was when Fuss threw her baby doll down the stairs at Daddy: "Don't throw the baby down the stairs! That's not nice!" Yep. Those exact words came out of my mouth. I have to admit, one of the better ones is during tantrums and she bangs her head off something then cries because it hurt: "Hurts, doesn't it? That's why you don't beat your head off things." (I know, I'm mean.)
What are some of the stranger things you have said to your kids? What were the circumstances behind that wonderful phrase?
That got me thinking about all the other things we say to our babies/toddlers that we never thought we'd say. Things like "Don't play in your poop" or "If you put it in the potty, it's gone forever!" The latest one was when Fuss threw her baby doll down the stairs at Daddy: "Don't throw the baby down the stairs! That's not nice!" Yep. Those exact words came out of my mouth. I have to admit, one of the better ones is during tantrums and she bangs her head off something then cries because it hurt: "Hurts, doesn't it? That's why you don't beat your head off things." (I know, I'm mean.)
What are some of the stranger things you have said to your kids? What were the circumstances behind that wonderful phrase?
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Gaining Independence
I can finally say that Fuss is beginning to gain independence from me. Yesterday, she went to my MIL's and spent a few hours there while I did school work. When I went to pick her up, she cried and told me "no" when asked if she wanted to go home. Then, last night after dinner with my Mom and sister, Fuss cried wanting to go home with Mammy! Since Mom has a compact car, there wasn't enough room for Fuss's car seat with 4 passengers. We ended up allowing Fuss to ride around the parking lot with Mammy so she thought she went somewhere, then I "picked her up."
It was very bittersweet seeing my little Fuss waving at me and saying, "Bye, bye, Mommy!" On one hand, I'm really glad she's wanting to go with other people. On the other hand, Hubby and I have had her almost exclusively for the past 2 years! It's really hard to think that she wants to go to someone else. But that's my job. That is WHY I'm an attachment parent. I can rest assured that I have not pushed Fuss beyond her comfort zone too fast. I also must remember that, as she grows, I have to allow her the freedom to grow and become the amazing little person I know she will be. The amazing and frustrating Fuss is now ready to share herself with the rest of the world, secure in the knowledge that Mommy and Daddy will be by her side the moment we are needed.
I do have to admit, I'm not sure what I'm going to do with myself! It's been a long road, but I'm ready for the next leg of the journey...and I'm glad Fuss is too.
It was very bittersweet seeing my little Fuss waving at me and saying, "Bye, bye, Mommy!" On one hand, I'm really glad she's wanting to go with other people. On the other hand, Hubby and I have had her almost exclusively for the past 2 years! It's really hard to think that she wants to go to someone else. But that's my job. That is WHY I'm an attachment parent. I can rest assured that I have not pushed Fuss beyond her comfort zone too fast. I also must remember that, as she grows, I have to allow her the freedom to grow and become the amazing little person I know she will be. The amazing and frustrating Fuss is now ready to share herself with the rest of the world, secure in the knowledge that Mommy and Daddy will be by her side the moment we are needed.
I do have to admit, I'm not sure what I'm going to do with myself! It's been a long road, but I'm ready for the next leg of the journey...and I'm glad Fuss is too.
Sunday, February 19, 2012
My Birth Story, Part 2
If you haven't done so yet, please read Part 1 HERE. Please bear with me on this. I know it's not exact, but I got quite a bit of information from my husband and mother after-the-fact.
The afternoon of April 14, I was admitted, yet again. When I asked what the reason was for the rushed admission and immediate delivery, the nurse told me I was at 7+ protein and an induction would normally have been performed at 5+. I was in danger of complete kidney failure. Just prior to my admission, I weighed 160 pounds. Prior to that, the most I had gained was 15 pounds and had only been 135 pre-pregnancy. After they hooked me up to IV fluids, I have no clue how much weight I gained. It was enough, though, that I ballooned up. I felt puffy all over. My fingers turned into fat little sausages. This certainly didn't help my blood pressure. Seeing those numbers climb up to 190/90 was very difficult knowing there wasn't anything I could do about it. All I could do was lie in bed and hope everything would work out. I called Hubby, knowing it was his last day for the workweek. I told him not to worry but when he got cleaned up, I wanted my hospital bag and a few other things from home. When he arrived around 8:00 p.m., I relayed all the information I had been given. I was being given Cervadil starting at midnight to help soften and dilate my cervix and induction was scheduled at 8:00 a.m. He wanted to stay, but I urged him home. If I needed him, I would call and he would have plenty of time to get to the hospital.
Midnight started the Cervadil. By 3 a.m. I was contracting every 5 minutes and the nurses called the doctor. He chose to stop Cervadil and allow my contractions to stop, mainly because he didn't want to make a trip to the hospital at 3 a.m. At 8 a.m. my "birth team" arrived: Hubby, Mom, and MIL. Induction with Pitocin was begun. I got placed on magnesium sulfate to help control my blood pressure. One side effect of mag is weakening of muscle tone and strength. Great combination with Pitocin! As the day progresses, my Pit was increased to overcome the magnesium and help labor along more. Contractions were starting to become excruciating after about 2 hours of Pit. By about 11 a.m. (maybe noon, I can't recall exactly as everything was beginning to blur and get fuzzy for me), I was dilated to 2 cm, still at 0 station, and about 80% effaced. My blood pressure was getting out of control now though. They had given me such a high dosage of magnesium that I had no reflexive response. Why was that bad? If I had no reflexes and they continued pushing magnesium, breathing and other involuntary muscle actions could stop. Magnesium level was lowered at this point until I regained my reflexes. This meant my blood pressure was rising again.
By 1 p.m. I was being given an epidural. Both for pain control and, as an added side effect, to lower my blood pressure. The last I had seen, my blood pressure was reading around 195/110. Sadly, that was not the highest. My highest reading (according to my hubby) was "something"/200! As the anesthesiologist was placing the epidural, I started to vomit and my water broke. Thank goodness Hubby was allowed to stay with me, otherwise I would have fallen to the floor! At that point I also had the expected reaction to the epidural: My blood pressure came down. The unfortunate part is that it kept going down. My blood pressure bottomed out at something around 60/20. I still remember the anesthetist talking to my nurse, Robin, and saying, "Just give her 1 mL of this every time her blood pressure drops." The nurse was concerned about overdose and asked if there was an upper limit to how many times to dose me. The anesthetist said he'd never had it be a problem before.
I get to see an OBGYN at this point. He was my doctor's partner, but I'd never met him before. He checked my dilation, pulled off a glove, then introduced himself! LOL. (I seriously had this fear before even heading to the hospital. But it made me laugh amidst the craziness!) I was dilated to about 3 cm. After the injection of the med the anesthetist prescribed, my blood pressure spiked severely. Again, they initiate magnesium and turn me on my left side. Up to that point, I could feel Fuss's feet firmly planted in the middle of my ribcage. I knew she was progressing and she was comfortable, so despite the discomfort I was in, I was determined to allow her to come in her own time. Until the next drop in my blood pressure when her heart rate all but vanished from the monitor. Robin (who became my personal nurse after the first 3 hours) flipped! She ran out of the room, grabbed the doctor, and started to unplug me from all the IV's and monitors...until Fuss's heart rate came back, and was strong, steady, and normal. I know that shortly afterward I passed out momentarily as my BP continued dropping. At several points during the course of this, I also had to have new IV's placed because my vessels kept rupturing.
By 4:00 p.m. I was wearing down. The ups-and-downs of my blood pressure were taking a huge toll on me. It was either a headache or fainting and vomiting. That's when I felt Fuss's feet shift. It was only a slight shift. I figured I would try to shift her back by rolling over. That was until Robin started panicking because of my blood pressure and screamed at me to lie back on the left. Now, I had to deal with knowing Fuss was sitting at a 45 degree angle. I knew it was over at that point. I knew. No one else did. After 5, I was still at a 3. Only 90% effaced. When my mother and mother-in-law went out to update the rest of the family again, Hubby and I discussed out options. He could see how exhausted I was. Not to mention, he couldn't stand watching them stick me with yet another needle. We spoke to the doctor and he decided to wait until 6 to check me again. After my next drop and feeling faint, my mom asked if I was prepared to do this. I told her, "I wish they'd just do the C-section and get it over with!" She told me I shouldn't talk like that.
At 6, the doctor came back. Still 3 cm. The doctor gave me the option of waiting another hour or doing a section. I chose to have the section. As they were preparing me for transport, Mom asked, "Are you okay? I know you didn't want this." I told her, "The most important thing is to get her here safely. I don't care how she gets here as long as she's safe and healthy."
They rolled me down to the operating room and Hubby got to go with me for my "semi-emergency c-section." I remember the sheet. The big, blue sheet between me and the doctor. Hubby was beside me on a stool. He held my hand the whole time and watched around the sheet, waiting to see the first glimpse of our daughter. The pressure was unbearable as the doctor pushed down on my pubic bone, but then I heard him say the head was out. I could hear the suction bulb. Hubby chuckled and said, "They pulled an arm out and she's waving her arm around like 'go away'! She's fine." Of course, I was waiting for that first cry. And when I heard it at 6:12 p.m. on April 15, the relief and joy I felt was unlike anything else. Aside from the fact that her Apgar score was 7 from lack of muscle tone, she was pink and had great lungs. Hubby followed her to the nursery while I was stitched up.
I spent the next 4 hours in the recovery room having difficulty coming out of the anesthesia. When I finally did, the nurses had to start a new IV. I was black-and-blue from my hands to my shoulders. My next IV was started just below my shoulder joint. Had that not worked, the last option would have been a central line into the jugular vein. Thankfully, after that, I was taken off the magnesium drip within 12 hours. I was also placed on a diuretic to drain the excess fluid and get my kidneys back to normal function again. By the time I went home, I had gone from 160 pounds pre-hospital (and gallons of IV fluids) down to 145 when I made it home! I wasn't able to see my daughter for 24 hours after she was born due to the problems I had.
I am glad things turned out as well as they did. She was only on oxygen for about 20 minutes after her birth and muscle tone recovered quickly. She has been a spunky little thing ever since! After this, I am terrified to have another child, but I want one. There is a chance I won't have a problem at all. Then there is the alternative....
The afternoon of April 14, I was admitted, yet again. When I asked what the reason was for the rushed admission and immediate delivery, the nurse told me I was at 7+ protein and an induction would normally have been performed at 5+. I was in danger of complete kidney failure. Just prior to my admission, I weighed 160 pounds. Prior to that, the most I had gained was 15 pounds and had only been 135 pre-pregnancy. After they hooked me up to IV fluids, I have no clue how much weight I gained. It was enough, though, that I ballooned up. I felt puffy all over. My fingers turned into fat little sausages. This certainly didn't help my blood pressure. Seeing those numbers climb up to 190/90 was very difficult knowing there wasn't anything I could do about it. All I could do was lie in bed and hope everything would work out. I called Hubby, knowing it was his last day for the workweek. I told him not to worry but when he got cleaned up, I wanted my hospital bag and a few other things from home. When he arrived around 8:00 p.m., I relayed all the information I had been given. I was being given Cervadil starting at midnight to help soften and dilate my cervix and induction was scheduled at 8:00 a.m. He wanted to stay, but I urged him home. If I needed him, I would call and he would have plenty of time to get to the hospital.
Midnight started the Cervadil. By 3 a.m. I was contracting every 5 minutes and the nurses called the doctor. He chose to stop Cervadil and allow my contractions to stop, mainly because he didn't want to make a trip to the hospital at 3 a.m. At 8 a.m. my "birth team" arrived: Hubby, Mom, and MIL. Induction with Pitocin was begun. I got placed on magnesium sulfate to help control my blood pressure. One side effect of mag is weakening of muscle tone and strength. Great combination with Pitocin! As the day progresses, my Pit was increased to overcome the magnesium and help labor along more. Contractions were starting to become excruciating after about 2 hours of Pit. By about 11 a.m. (maybe noon, I can't recall exactly as everything was beginning to blur and get fuzzy for me), I was dilated to 2 cm, still at 0 station, and about 80% effaced. My blood pressure was getting out of control now though. They had given me such a high dosage of magnesium that I had no reflexive response. Why was that bad? If I had no reflexes and they continued pushing magnesium, breathing and other involuntary muscle actions could stop. Magnesium level was lowered at this point until I regained my reflexes. This meant my blood pressure was rising again.
By 1 p.m. I was being given an epidural. Both for pain control and, as an added side effect, to lower my blood pressure. The last I had seen, my blood pressure was reading around 195/110. Sadly, that was not the highest. My highest reading (according to my hubby) was "something"/200! As the anesthesiologist was placing the epidural, I started to vomit and my water broke. Thank goodness Hubby was allowed to stay with me, otherwise I would have fallen to the floor! At that point I also had the expected reaction to the epidural: My blood pressure came down. The unfortunate part is that it kept going down. My blood pressure bottomed out at something around 60/20. I still remember the anesthetist talking to my nurse, Robin, and saying, "Just give her 1 mL of this every time her blood pressure drops." The nurse was concerned about overdose and asked if there was an upper limit to how many times to dose me. The anesthetist said he'd never had it be a problem before.
I get to see an OBGYN at this point. He was my doctor's partner, but I'd never met him before. He checked my dilation, pulled off a glove, then introduced himself! LOL. (I seriously had this fear before even heading to the hospital. But it made me laugh amidst the craziness!) I was dilated to about 3 cm. After the injection of the med the anesthetist prescribed, my blood pressure spiked severely. Again, they initiate magnesium and turn me on my left side. Up to that point, I could feel Fuss's feet firmly planted in the middle of my ribcage. I knew she was progressing and she was comfortable, so despite the discomfort I was in, I was determined to allow her to come in her own time. Until the next drop in my blood pressure when her heart rate all but vanished from the monitor. Robin (who became my personal nurse after the first 3 hours) flipped! She ran out of the room, grabbed the doctor, and started to unplug me from all the IV's and monitors...until Fuss's heart rate came back, and was strong, steady, and normal. I know that shortly afterward I passed out momentarily as my BP continued dropping. At several points during the course of this, I also had to have new IV's placed because my vessels kept rupturing.
By 4:00 p.m. I was wearing down. The ups-and-downs of my blood pressure were taking a huge toll on me. It was either a headache or fainting and vomiting. That's when I felt Fuss's feet shift. It was only a slight shift. I figured I would try to shift her back by rolling over. That was until Robin started panicking because of my blood pressure and screamed at me to lie back on the left. Now, I had to deal with knowing Fuss was sitting at a 45 degree angle. I knew it was over at that point. I knew. No one else did. After 5, I was still at a 3. Only 90% effaced. When my mother and mother-in-law went out to update the rest of the family again, Hubby and I discussed out options. He could see how exhausted I was. Not to mention, he couldn't stand watching them stick me with yet another needle. We spoke to the doctor and he decided to wait until 6 to check me again. After my next drop and feeling faint, my mom asked if I was prepared to do this. I told her, "I wish they'd just do the C-section and get it over with!" She told me I shouldn't talk like that.
At 6, the doctor came back. Still 3 cm. The doctor gave me the option of waiting another hour or doing a section. I chose to have the section. As they were preparing me for transport, Mom asked, "Are you okay? I know you didn't want this." I told her, "The most important thing is to get her here safely. I don't care how she gets here as long as she's safe and healthy."
They rolled me down to the operating room and Hubby got to go with me for my "semi-emergency c-section." I remember the sheet. The big, blue sheet between me and the doctor. Hubby was beside me on a stool. He held my hand the whole time and watched around the sheet, waiting to see the first glimpse of our daughter. The pressure was unbearable as the doctor pushed down on my pubic bone, but then I heard him say the head was out. I could hear the suction bulb. Hubby chuckled and said, "They pulled an arm out and she's waving her arm around like 'go away'! She's fine." Of course, I was waiting for that first cry. And when I heard it at 6:12 p.m. on April 15, the relief and joy I felt was unlike anything else. Aside from the fact that her Apgar score was 7 from lack of muscle tone, she was pink and had great lungs. Hubby followed her to the nursery while I was stitched up.
I spent the next 4 hours in the recovery room having difficulty coming out of the anesthesia. When I finally did, the nurses had to start a new IV. I was black-and-blue from my hands to my shoulders. My next IV was started just below my shoulder joint. Had that not worked, the last option would have been a central line into the jugular vein. Thankfully, after that, I was taken off the magnesium drip within 12 hours. I was also placed on a diuretic to drain the excess fluid and get my kidneys back to normal function again. By the time I went home, I had gone from 160 pounds pre-hospital (and gallons of IV fluids) down to 145 when I made it home! I wasn't able to see my daughter for 24 hours after she was born due to the problems I had.
I am glad things turned out as well as they did. She was only on oxygen for about 20 minutes after her birth and muscle tone recovered quickly. She has been a spunky little thing ever since! After this, I am terrified to have another child, but I want one. There is a chance I won't have a problem at all. Then there is the alternative....
A Mommy Is Never Alone
No matter when it is, a mother is never alone. To some extent, this applies to fathers too. Mostly, though, it's Mommy who is always wanted. That first person to be heard in the womb and the comfort of the arms after birth never truly goes away. Each child is different, of course, and requires differing amounts of time within that safety net.
Even when there are a few moments "alone" to do something for yourself, instead you do for your husband or your family. It is important to take time for yourself. Most of us forget this or even choose to ignore our own desire for peace and quiet, for pampering. I also find it hard to turn my mind inward and focus on nothing except myself even when I do get the rare chance to relax. I try to remember that this time is fleeting and that I won't have Fuss to cuddle forever. Some days are harder to get through than others, but I do love being a mom. I wouldn't trade that feeling for the world! And I would sacrifice all that I am for my family.
Even when there are a few moments "alone" to do something for yourself, instead you do for your husband or your family. It is important to take time for yourself. Most of us forget this or even choose to ignore our own desire for peace and quiet, for pampering. I also find it hard to turn my mind inward and focus on nothing except myself even when I do get the rare chance to relax. I try to remember that this time is fleeting and that I won't have Fuss to cuddle forever. Some days are harder to get through than others, but I do love being a mom. I wouldn't trade that feeling for the world! And I would sacrifice all that I am for my family.
Friday, February 17, 2012
50 Followers!
I'm very excited to see that I have reached 50 GFC followers, even amidst my lack of posts. Things are looking like they're getting back to some semblance of normal here at the house. I hope they are, anyway.
I'm still dealing with the after-effects of dehydration and haven't been feeling up to writing at all (or doing much of anything else, for that matter). I hope to get back to my regular postings next week after I'm feeling 100% and actually caught up on my housework again.
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Sunday, February 12, 2012
Everyone is sick
Sorry about the lack of posts this week. First Fuss got some stomach virus and she was puking and had diarrhea for about 12 hours. The next day she seemed fine, but as of last night I got sick and was up all night. Hubby came home from work sick as well. Just keep us all in your thoughts as we recover.
Saturday, February 11, 2012
WV Residents, I need your input!
Please, take a moment to answer the question below. If you answer "Maybe" leave a comment as to why your answer is maybe.
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
My Birth Story, Part 1
This is a post I have been avoiding. Mostly because my birth
experience was horrible. I was both physically and emotionally drained
by having gone through the sequence of events that led to my daughter's
entrance into this world. However, it is important that you know a
little about what happened with us. And even though it is still
emotionally draining for me to relive (and retell) what I went through, I
think it is something important to tell. With Fuss's 2nd birthday right
around the corner it's finally time to face my fears and get it all out
there.
Up until the 7-month mark, I had a pretty normal pregnancy. I even had low blood pressure and was forced to carry around a water bottle wherever I went for fear of dehydrating too much and having my blood pressure drop, making me dizzy. The only major problem I had was SPD (Symphisis Pubis Dysfunction), and even that wasn't too horrible. A little elastic harness was all it took to control it.
Shortly after I hit 7 months, things started to change. My blood pressure started rising. For a few weeks that wasn't an issue since it had been low before. I stopped eating things with too much salt (pregnancy craving #1 was salt, #2 was Subway). I kept drinking water like it was going out of style. I was going to my bi-weekly check-up as scheduled when the routine urinalysis showed minor protein in my urine. The doctor tried to reassure me that it wasn't a big deal. That the swelling I was experiencing was "normal" and everything would be fine. I knew better. I could feel it.
A couple weeks later, I was starting weekly non-stress tests. Here, all they do is strap you to monitors and watch you and the baby for an hour or so at a time. It didn't bother me until the nurses started coming in every 5 minutes due to some alarm going off. Why? Because every time I moved, my blood pressure would spike. They would tell me to roll back onto my left side from whatever position I was in...no sitting, no moving. Just laying. So, they tell me to go home and keep my feet up as much as possible and do next-to-nothing. That is terribly hard when nesting starts to kick in! All I wanted to do was clean my baby's clothes and get the nursery ready! At least it was painted and hubby and I had put together the crib. I still decided to put the crib set on the bed myself, though.
Week 34: I go in for the NST and the nurses tell me I have 2+ to 3+ protein. This is officially enough to tell me I have "toxemia" and I need to do a 24-hour urine collection. My blood pressure is also spiking, so the OB admits me. I do the overnight thing and the ever-so-fun 24-hour collection process, then wait for my results. Toxemia: Confirmed. The doctor isn't satisfied with my blood pressure, though, so I am to stay in the hospital on complete bed rest until he's certain I'm stable. I was, however, allowed to go to the bathroom. Other than that, I was to remain in bed and on my left side as much as possible. Hubby was working, so my Mom stayed overnight with me the first night and most of the next day. I started having contractions. Mind you, I still haven't seen my OB since before I was admitted. I end up with a fetal monitor and a band to monitor my contractions. They were coming closer together, regularly, and more intensely as the day wore on so the nurse checked dilation. 1 cm. By late afternoon, my contractions were at about 2 minutes apart and strong enough that my mom kept asking "Are you okay!?" while watching the peaks on the printout. (Admittedly, this was funny and annoying all at once. Especially when she asks me if I can feel it because I'm breathing through the contractions without crying.) We finally call Hubby and tell him to get to the hospital because it looks like labor is imminent. He rushes out of work and arrives at the hospital, still in his uniform, but my contractions are decreasing. He was lucky enough to arrive just in time to see the emergency ultrasound that was being performed for "fetal heart decelerations." This is when we finally learned we were having a girl! We even saw the halo of hair around her head and the cleft in her chin. Even though my labor stopped, the doctor still wanted to keep me for a few days. I ended up in the hospital on total bed rest for 5 days at which point I, at last, got to see my doctor.
He tells me I have pre-eclampsia and I am being placed on bed rest for the remainder of my pregnancy. I also had to do another 24-hour urine collection. (Great. Now, I get to have a jug of pee sitting in my refrigerator until I cart it off to the doctor. Yay.) I was only allowed to drive to get to/from appointments if necessary, but to stay off my feet at all costs. Thankfully, I have a great mother-in-law who came to my rescue! Since Hubby's work schedule varied 3 days one week and 4 days the next, he would be able to be home with me 1/2 the week. MIL came over during his work days. While I lay on the couch, MIL proceeded to "nest" for me. She cooked, cleaned my house, and washed all the laundry for the baby. She even scrubbed my kitchen floor! I remember taking the "pee jug" into the doctor's office and being told that I was hovering around 3-4+ protein and I was scheduled for another NST, but the true details escape me at this point.
I drove myself to the next NST at the hospital on April 14, 2010. Based SOLELY on the results of my urinalysis from that day (after less than a week since my 24-hour collection), I was immediately admitted. The nurse told me I was going to be having a baby before I left the hospital this time. The big day would be tomorrow!
Continue to Part 2 HERE
Up until the 7-month mark, I had a pretty normal pregnancy. I even had low blood pressure and was forced to carry around a water bottle wherever I went for fear of dehydrating too much and having my blood pressure drop, making me dizzy. The only major problem I had was SPD (Symphisis Pubis Dysfunction), and even that wasn't too horrible. A little elastic harness was all it took to control it.
Shortly after I hit 7 months, things started to change. My blood pressure started rising. For a few weeks that wasn't an issue since it had been low before. I stopped eating things with too much salt (pregnancy craving #1 was salt, #2 was Subway). I kept drinking water like it was going out of style. I was going to my bi-weekly check-up as scheduled when the routine urinalysis showed minor protein in my urine. The doctor tried to reassure me that it wasn't a big deal. That the swelling I was experiencing was "normal" and everything would be fine. I knew better. I could feel it.
A couple weeks later, I was starting weekly non-stress tests. Here, all they do is strap you to monitors and watch you and the baby for an hour or so at a time. It didn't bother me until the nurses started coming in every 5 minutes due to some alarm going off. Why? Because every time I moved, my blood pressure would spike. They would tell me to roll back onto my left side from whatever position I was in...no sitting, no moving. Just laying. So, they tell me to go home and keep my feet up as much as possible and do next-to-nothing. That is terribly hard when nesting starts to kick in! All I wanted to do was clean my baby's clothes and get the nursery ready! At least it was painted and hubby and I had put together the crib. I still decided to put the crib set on the bed myself, though.
Week 34: I go in for the NST and the nurses tell me I have 2+ to 3+ protein. This is officially enough to tell me I have "toxemia" and I need to do a 24-hour urine collection. My blood pressure is also spiking, so the OB admits me. I do the overnight thing and the ever-so-fun 24-hour collection process, then wait for my results. Toxemia: Confirmed. The doctor isn't satisfied with my blood pressure, though, so I am to stay in the hospital on complete bed rest until he's certain I'm stable. I was, however, allowed to go to the bathroom. Other than that, I was to remain in bed and on my left side as much as possible. Hubby was working, so my Mom stayed overnight with me the first night and most of the next day. I started having contractions. Mind you, I still haven't seen my OB since before I was admitted. I end up with a fetal monitor and a band to monitor my contractions. They were coming closer together, regularly, and more intensely as the day wore on so the nurse checked dilation. 1 cm. By late afternoon, my contractions were at about 2 minutes apart and strong enough that my mom kept asking "Are you okay!?" while watching the peaks on the printout. (Admittedly, this was funny and annoying all at once. Especially when she asks me if I can feel it because I'm breathing through the contractions without crying.) We finally call Hubby and tell him to get to the hospital because it looks like labor is imminent. He rushes out of work and arrives at the hospital, still in his uniform, but my contractions are decreasing. He was lucky enough to arrive just in time to see the emergency ultrasound that was being performed for "fetal heart decelerations." This is when we finally learned we were having a girl! We even saw the halo of hair around her head and the cleft in her chin. Even though my labor stopped, the doctor still wanted to keep me for a few days. I ended up in the hospital on total bed rest for 5 days at which point I, at last, got to see my doctor.
He tells me I have pre-eclampsia and I am being placed on bed rest for the remainder of my pregnancy. I also had to do another 24-hour urine collection. (Great. Now, I get to have a jug of pee sitting in my refrigerator until I cart it off to the doctor. Yay.) I was only allowed to drive to get to/from appointments if necessary, but to stay off my feet at all costs. Thankfully, I have a great mother-in-law who came to my rescue! Since Hubby's work schedule varied 3 days one week and 4 days the next, he would be able to be home with me 1/2 the week. MIL came over during his work days. While I lay on the couch, MIL proceeded to "nest" for me. She cooked, cleaned my house, and washed all the laundry for the baby. She even scrubbed my kitchen floor! I remember taking the "pee jug" into the doctor's office and being told that I was hovering around 3-4+ protein and I was scheduled for another NST, but the true details escape me at this point.
I drove myself to the next NST at the hospital on April 14, 2010. Based SOLELY on the results of my urinalysis from that day (after less than a week since my 24-hour collection), I was immediately admitted. The nurse told me I was going to be having a baby before I left the hospital this time. The big day would be tomorrow!
Continue to Part 2 HERE
Monday, February 6, 2012
Almost Done!
I'm so very excited to share that I am now at 75.7% completed on my coursework for Medical Transcription! I still have to work hard because my last program module is worth 150 hours of coursework, but I know I can do it! I am so close now!! I can't wait to be able to get a "real" job and help provide for my family.
Sunday, February 5, 2012
Helping LO Adjust to New People
Yesterday a very dear friend of mine decided to "kidnap" Fuss for a few hours and take her shopping. Fuss happens to really like this friend, so I wasn't worried about stranger anxiety. My friend also had her stepson with her for the weekend. BONUS!
We met at Chick-Fil-A and the kids played in the play area for a bit before they took off for their shopping. When they left, Fuss was a screaming mess! I was really worried that she was going to be screaming the whole time. Instead, I was pleasantly surprised when my friend texted me to say "She's already stopped crying." YAY!
THREE HOURS later, I had a very happy Fuss returned to me. In the meantime, I was able to get a lot of schoolwork done and am really hopeful I will get finished by the end of next month. ;)
I'm really glad Fuss was good and enjoyed her time with my friend and her "son". I hope we'll be able to do that more often in the future! Maybe even with Mama!
We met at Chick-Fil-A and the kids played in the play area for a bit before they took off for their shopping. When they left, Fuss was a screaming mess! I was really worried that she was going to be screaming the whole time. Instead, I was pleasantly surprised when my friend texted me to say "She's already stopped crying." YAY!
THREE HOURS later, I had a very happy Fuss returned to me. In the meantime, I was able to get a lot of schoolwork done and am really hopeful I will get finished by the end of next month. ;)
I'm really glad Fuss was good and enjoyed her time with my friend and her "son". I hope we'll be able to do that more often in the future! Maybe even with Mama!
Thursday, February 2, 2012
I Am Sponsored!
Thank you very much, Bunny Berry Baby, for giving me a sponsorship! *Insert happy dance here.*
Bunny Berry is a great store out of Los Angeles, CA. They have a great selection of all-natural mommy and baby products to test out including Stretch Mark Oils and Bath Soaps. I have already reviewed a few of their items and I'm glad that I can officially be a sponsored site now.
Thanks again!
PS. If you have my blog button, please update it! I edited it and moved the photo to another web address. Thanks!
Bunny Berry is a great store out of Los Angeles, CA. They have a great selection of all-natural mommy and baby products to test out including Stretch Mark Oils and Bath Soaps. I have already reviewed a few of their items and I'm glad that I can officially be a sponsored site now.
Thanks again!
PS. If you have my blog button, please update it! I edited it and moved the photo to another web address. Thanks!
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