what babies are made of (hotdogs)
Wednesday, June 29, 2005
Thursday, June 23, 2005
26 weeks; 14(?) weeks remaining!
Trip to Colorado = success! I was definitely a bit anxious about traveling 1) by plane and 2) to the mountains, but I guess I had nothing to worry about. I was really excited for Christie's wedding, and was so happy that we were finally able to make it out West to visit.
For the first day or two, my stomach was still a bit queasy (as it was before I left). We flew into Denver and stayed there the first night. Before we left Denver, I tried taking a small amount of Kaopectate (as suggested by my doctor). By the end of the next day, my diarrhea was completely gone, and hasn't returned since. We drove to Crested Butte (which was about 6-7 hours including a whole bunch of stops). We even drove through one of the recently opened mountain passes, Cottonwood Pass, at the Continental Divide. We hiked up a short distance to the top peak, which left me extremely winded. I had to sit down several times to rest and catch my breath. I was not in any mood to have a premature delivery on the top of the Continental Divide.
We took the same route back home after the wedding, which by the way was BEAUTIFUL! The location, the weather, the format of the ceremony, the bride and groom, the town, everything, was beautiful! It was clear that Christie and August had designed a day that matched their true personalities and beliefs. It was refreshing to attend a wedding celebration that was a genuine expression of the bride and groom's relationship. I had a wonderful time and was glad to catch up with some long-lost friends from college.
Overall, I felt great throughout the trip. I definitely became tired quite early at night, but considering the circumstances I think I hung in their quite well! I drank about a million gallons of water, which seemed to help a great deal. Our little guy must have been feeling good too, since he was moving around like crazy throughout the trip. His movements are becoming stronger and more frequent everyday. (Miller almost flew out of his seat the first time he felt the baby not only kick, but move around underneath my skin.) It's such a bizarre experience- hard to explain. It's exciting, baffling, comforting, and overwhelming all at the same time. Mostly I see it as a positive though- glad he's healthy.
Appointment update:
I had another ultrasound appt. today to check on the status of the placenta. Although it is still low in my uterus, it seems to have moved up quite a bit. They do not entirely rule out a C-section until the placenta is at least 2 cm away from the opening of the cervix. I will have another ultrasound in 4 weeks to follow up. Typically women only have about 2 ultrasounds during their pregnancy. Although this condition is slightly concerning, at least Miller and I get extra opportunities to peek in on the little dude!
We were told it is definitely a boy today! Also, we found out that he already weighs approximatley 2.5 pounds! His heatbeat was strong and the tech said he appeared very healthy. We were given some great photos including a couple of the facial profile. During the u/s he seemed to be practicing chewing and put his hand up to his mouth. I had not yet eaten breakfast- was he hinting that I go ahead and eat something already?! After I did eat he was hopping and kicking all around. I guess that made him happy after all!
Monday, June 13, 2005
More TMI posting...
For the past week or so (not sure when it exactly started), I've been getting diarrhea on and off. It isn't really bad- no major cramps, fever, appearance of blood, or nausea- just some funky trips to the bathroom. This weekend we had a yummy pizza with sausage and giardinara peppers (!) on it. I'm sure this did NOTHING to help the situation. (But it tasted so good!!!) Today I had funky bathroom visits (FBV) about 4 times. That's the most so far. Websites maintained by doctors warn of an infection when diarrhea is present in pregnancy, but a lot of prego bulletin board users have had similar bowel complaints w/o infection. Considering constipation and vomiting are common prego conditions, seems like diarrhea shouldn't be so outlandish. Might as well add it to the grab bag.
Hopefully this will subside soon. We're traveling to Colorado for my friend Christie's wedding in 3 days! I'm already worried enough about the plane travel and elevation issues out West. Diarrhea would not be a fun traveling companion in the mountains or on an airplane. (FBV's are no good on an airplane- especially for the unlucky travelers sitting next to the loo!) To think constipation was my woe just several days ago.
Saturday, June 11, 2005
I just realized that I am now nearing the end of the second trimester! I thought that I was still in my 5th month (counting from the time of conception in January). Rethinking the matter, counting begins from the time of the last missed period (December). So, I'm actually in my 6th month, and next week will be the start of the 3rd trimester!!! Yow! That makes it feel like the baby will be here way too soon!!! I've been focusing primarily on the number of weeks thus far. Since I'm at 24 weeks, and delivery usually occurs around 40 weeks, it feels like there is lots of time left. But, when I consider that the first two stages are almost over (and they FLEW by!), and the last stage is almost here...YIKES!
I'm still loving this experience imensely despite the aches and fatigue settling back in, but it's time to start focusing more on the next step: BABY! I have to pinch myself from time to time and remember that this is for real. Pregnancy is fantastic, but the fact that there is a human inside of me is quite surreal. It's hard to think about the "real stuff" like diapers, bibs, "onesies", strollers, names, daycare, and on and on when you can't actually see the little squirt. It's more fun and mystifying to just sit back and feel the tiny pokes and wiggles inside my tummy, imagining what will come.
Thursday, June 09, 2005
24 weeks!
Still cruising. I still weigh 172 pounds. (I think I lost a bit when I was feeling under the weather, and then gained the weight back.) I'm currently able to eat anything and everything- no real aversions or cravings going on. Lots of movement from the little guy, especially when I am resting and still. My back is aching more and it's been very hot the last few days (90+), making me more uncomfortable. But I slept like a million bucks last night. Woohoo!
p.s. I decided to ditch the antibiotic (never got the Rx filled). I managed to sneak in a whole bunch of sleep and seem to be kicking this thing where it counts. The natural way prevails!!
Thursday, June 02, 2005
Wednesday, June 01, 2005
This blasted cold won't get lost. I've been up all through the night lately hacking away. Miller has resorted to sleeping on the couch. Last night was the final straw. Luckily I had a check-up today at the clinic, so I got to ask doc what to do. She gave me a prescription for an antibiotic to help boost my immune system and give this virus the boot. Also, she suggested taking Robitussin to keep the cough at bay during the night. I opted for the children's stuff. Based on the last three hours of soild sleep I just got, I'd say it's doing the trick.
Appt. update: I weight 172 pounds now! I'm carrying almost all of the weight in front- in my tummy and breasts. I'm starting to get a little basketball tummy, and my belly button is at full attention. The kicks have been often and quite substantial lately. The fetal doppler monitor picked up a strong, steady heartbeat. Junior even kicked 2 or 3 times so hard that I could see my doctor's hand move up slightly while she was holding the doppler reader. (Must be that candy bar I ate this afternoon that made him so hyper.) Doc measured my fundal height (basically a measurement of where the top of the uterus is), and according to the measurement, the baby would be about 25 weeks. Since we are just barely at 23 weeks, this indicates that the baby is a bit larger than average at this point. Doc said that this isn't anything to worry about, and this stuff is all based on averages anyway. Overall, baby's looking good! If only I can get my own health in check now. Time for some more cough-free sleep...zzzzz....
p.s. I got to spend the weekend in Wisconsin with my family (Mom, Dad, Grandpa and Grandmas). This was a much-needed respite. Unfortunately I was not feeling 100% for most of the visit, but it was great to rest and catch up with the fam. Mom and I did a little shopping and checked out baby clothes. It suddenly hit me that this fascinating phase of pregnancy isn't going to last forever- the baby will be here before we know it! I'm so so so excited, but feel that I still have so much to do before his arrival. Since everyone keeps bugging me about names, I guess that's one place to start...
