I’m halfway there. As of this past Tuesday (6/26/07), I am at 20 weeks, with 20 weeks to go. You’re probably saying “Hey, wait, that’s 10 months!?” Yes, that’s right. The nine months thing is misunderstood. You actually don’t come to term until the end of the ninth month.
So far, everything is progressing nicely. My bp was down to a normal 120/80 at my last ob/gyn appointment -much jubilation all around. It probably helped that they took the blood pressure before the excitement that day. Let me tell you about that.
My OB is normally very punctual. I’ve never had to wait more than 10 minutes past my appointment time, with the exception of the first time I visited. As I walked into the office that day, Dr. was at the front desk on the phone…
“Yes? Really? Well, I have 2 more patients I’d like to finish up with before I head over. Do you think I have 20 minutes? Ok. Call me back.”
Dr. asked that I hurry along and do my usual routine – bp, weight and PIAC (pee in a cup) and her assistant put me into an exam room to wait. There was another woman to be seen before me. I heard the Dr. go into her room. About two minutes later, the receptionist comes running down the hall…
“Dr.! Dr.! The head is crowning. You must go now!”
She pokes her head in my room and apologizes for having to rush off. And poof! She was out the door.
I sat there for 10 minutes or so wondering what to do. Finally I wandered into the waiting area where her assistant told me the Dr. had asked that I wait. As the head was already crowning, the Dr. predicted that she would be back in about an hour.
I hadn’t gone into work that morning because I wasn’t feeling well. My husband had duty that night, so it wasn’t like I had anything else to do. So I waited.
An hour and 10 minutes later she was back. I can only hope my labor goes that quickly and smoothly.
As a high risk pregnancy, I’ll be going in for another ultrasound tomorrow. Since I had some doubts about the whole girl thing (I didn’t really “see” the girl parts myself, I just believed them), it will be good to get some confirmation before we start painting rooms and buying stuff.
I found this link to be really interesting - and explained a lot about the aches and pains I'd been having: http://www.pennhealth.com/health_info/pregnancy/9monthmiracle/tools/fetaltool.html
6.28.2007
6.07.2007
Twice a Month Dr. Appts.
I mentioned before that I am considered a high risk pregnancy. I don't feel high risk most of the time (unless you count my driving habits), but I have that label because:
- I'm overweight
- I'm over 35
- I have hypertension (high blood pressure)
My thoughts...ok, I'm overweight, but I know there are lots of people bigger than me that have healthy babies all the time. Ok, I'm over 35, but this isn't the Middle Ages for cripe's sake. What about that woman who had twins at freaking 60! Ok, I have hypertension, but before I got pregnant it wasn't considered terribly bad and was controlled through medication (a rather low doseage, I might add).
Before getting pregnant, I even talked with a doctor who later became my perinatologist to make sure I wasn't putting myself at risk by getting pregnant. He pretty much told me what I was thinking, but it was good to get confirmation.
There are benefits to being considered high risk. I didn't have to wait until I was 8 weeks pregnant to see a doctor for the first time. I got my first doc visit and an ultrasound at 6 weeks and an ultrasound every time I went in to see the OB until the heartbeat was able to be heard on a handheld Doppler. I got a Level 2 ultrasound at 12 weeks as well as a blood test to start screening for genetic anamolies. That came with lots of pictures and a cd of even more pictures. I got another Level 2 ultrasound at 17 weeks as well as another blood test to continue the screening. We found out the sex of the baby at 17 weeks instead of having to wait until 20 weeks like the "normies." I feel I'm getting really good care and I'm grateful for that.
Drawbacks of this high risk label: I have to go see my regular OBGYN every two flipping weeks because of my high blood pressure. I've already had to double the doseage of my bp med, which is unusual. Normally your blood pressure drops on it's own during the second trimester. I guess this isn't really a drawback, because everytime I go in there I get to pee in a cup and hear the baby's heartbeat (not at the same time, of course). It's just tiresome going in every 2 weeks.
At yesterday's appointment, my bp was 130/90. Considering it was 135/98 before the meds were doubled, I guess that's movement in the right direction.
6.06.2007
Smelly
Ok, I know the pregnant woman is especially sensitive to smells. I know that and I thought most pregnant women knew that? I can forgive the over-perfumed elevator ride sharer who about gassed me into unconsciousness the other day. She probably didn't think about that cloud of noxious fumes while applying her eau de toilette with a heavy hand that morning.
But other pregnant women? Don't they know better?
While waiting at Fetal Diagnostics the other day, a woman whooshed by me on her way to the check in counter. I thought for sure I was having some sort of life threatening event as I sat there gasping for air. Come to think of it, she was probably in her third trimester. Maybe this over sensitivity to smell disappears later on in pregnancy?
I'll have to stop myself from smelling other pregnant women to test that theory. Lord knows there's a ton of them out there right now. I can't walk down the street to get lunch without seeing at least four or five of them. I guess it's similar to when you get a new car. Suddenly EVERYONE is driving the same car as you.
But other pregnant women? Don't they know better?
While waiting at Fetal Diagnostics the other day, a woman whooshed by me on her way to the check in counter. I thought for sure I was having some sort of life threatening event as I sat there gasping for air. Come to think of it, she was probably in her third trimester. Maybe this over sensitivity to smell disappears later on in pregnancy?
I'll have to stop myself from smelling other pregnant women to test that theory. Lord knows there's a ton of them out there right now. I can't walk down the street to get lunch without seeing at least four or five of them. I guess it's similar to when you get a new car. Suddenly EVERYONE is driving the same car as you.
6.05.2007
Catching Up
Yes, I know I’ve been gone. Something major happened, but not something I wanted to discuss via the internet yet. It has become all consuming and the center of my life. No, I haven’t joined Scientology. But before we get into that, a brief recap of what’s been happening for the last three months or however long it’s been since I last blogged.
The move went fine. I ended up sick the Saturday of the move, but the firm had sent enough people out to help that nary a step was missed. I came into work on Sunday to unpack my personal crap and by Monday everything was up and for the most part running smoothly. That was the least stressful move ever. Yay, firm!
I’m sure there were some funny computer user stories in there somewhere, but silly me didn’t think to write about them at the time and my memory just ain’t what it used to be.
I had a birthday in there somewhere and celebrated with lovely friends and family repeatedly. BirthDAY, my butt…try birthMONTH! Party on, Wayne.
I had a car accident. More like I was a victim of yet another stupid driver in Hawaii. I have a Honda CR-V and the offender had a Toyota Yaris (read: no bigger than a breadbox). Somehow she didn’t see me signaling to change lanes, and after I was already more than 50% into my new lane, sideswiped and slid down the length of the passenger side of my car. Nice. She then proceeded to get out of her car complaining of wrist pain. If I had my way, that would have been the least of her worries. I played along and called the cops and acted nice. The insurance companies decided we were equally at fault. Somehow I ended up making money out of the deal. I’d tell you how, but I don’t want to be investigated for insurance fraud. Deep down I blame this incident on my husband. He decided to change the theater we were supposed to meet up at after work and neglected to inform me. Lured by the thought of big sweaty muscled men in leather underwears, I was driving a bit fast (we were going to see “300”). It took two trips to the body shop, but now my car is back to its former glory.
We just got back from the mainland. We managed (or I did, I left almost a week before hubby did) to visit six cities in two states in two weeks. WTH. I don’t know why they call it vacation. You’re busy as hell but you just don’t go to work. I think I’ve pretty much recovered from the trip, but only time will tell.
On a flight from Honolulu to LA, I sat next to an 8 year old girl and her 12 year old brother. She wasn’t too much of a bother, at least not to me. The woman in the seat in front of her may have a different opinion. Anyway, she was talking to her brother…
Girl: “I just don’t understand why there are so many terrorists in Hawaii.”
Brother: *blink blink* … *blank stare*… “Do you mean tourists?”
Girl, with a wave of her hand: “Terrorists, tourists…whatever.”
About half an hour later…
Girl: “Are we taking the space shuttle home from the airport?”
Brother: *blink blink* “Do you mean the Super Shuttle?”
Girl: “Space shuttle, Super shuttle…whatever.”
Pesky words.
So, you’re probably wondering what all that mumbo jumbo at the beginning of this entry was about. Now that all the friends, family and coworkers know (not that coworkers know about this blog…I’d like to keep my job), I guess I can put it out there in cyberspace. I’m pregnant. And yesterday we found out that we’re having a little girl. I’m due November 13th, so as of today I am 17 weeks along. The pregnancy has been quite interesting, seeing as I’ve never done this before and had no clue what I was getting myself into. I won’t bore you with the first trimester slings and arrows of outrageous fortune. Suffice it to say I am so very glad to be in my second trimester and returning to some semblance of normalcy, if you don’t count the expanding waistline and new wardrobe.I have a friend who is also pregnant right now. She’s about a week behind me, but she's done this before. I think she repressed it though, because she asks me questions.
I’m an information gatherer and avid researcher, so my doctors (I have about half a dozen of them right now as I am considered a high risk pregnancy – they aren’t all pregnancy related, though) don’t really know what to make of me. I think they wonder why I even bother coming in to see them. I answer my own questions or ask them questions I already have the answers to, just to see if they agree with me.
Now you are up to date. I’ve been asked to keep better blogging habits and now that we’re all on the same page, I’ll do that. I’ll try not to bore you to tears with the minutiae of pregnancy, but it will be difficult since that seems to be the center of my universe right now. I will promise to leave out references to bodily functions (or at least veil them as much as possible, unless it’s funnier not to). I’ll think about posting some ultrasound pictures. Generally speaking, they freak me out.
Speaking of ultrasounds, I gave the u/s technician a hard time yesterday while we were trying to determine the gender of the baby. Of course, the baby wasn’t cooperating. It’s facing inward, kept moving around and had its little bitty legs crossed. Finally, the tech said it’s a girl, to which I replied, “The absence of a penis does not necessarily mean it’s a girl. I want to see her girl parts before I believe you.” She showed me the girl parts and even marked them with an arrow.
Besides, have you ever seen baby boy testicles?? They are HUGE. Very hard to miss.
The move went fine. I ended up sick the Saturday of the move, but the firm had sent enough people out to help that nary a step was missed. I came into work on Sunday to unpack my personal crap and by Monday everything was up and for the most part running smoothly. That was the least stressful move ever. Yay, firm!
I’m sure there were some funny computer user stories in there somewhere, but silly me didn’t think to write about them at the time and my memory just ain’t what it used to be.
I had a birthday in there somewhere and celebrated with lovely friends and family repeatedly. BirthDAY, my butt…try birthMONTH! Party on, Wayne.
I had a car accident. More like I was a victim of yet another stupid driver in Hawaii. I have a Honda CR-V and the offender had a Toyota Yaris (read: no bigger than a breadbox). Somehow she didn’t see me signaling to change lanes, and after I was already more than 50% into my new lane, sideswiped and slid down the length of the passenger side of my car. Nice. She then proceeded to get out of her car complaining of wrist pain. If I had my way, that would have been the least of her worries. I played along and called the cops and acted nice. The insurance companies decided we were equally at fault. Somehow I ended up making money out of the deal. I’d tell you how, but I don’t want to be investigated for insurance fraud. Deep down I blame this incident on my husband. He decided to change the theater we were supposed to meet up at after work and neglected to inform me. Lured by the thought of big sweaty muscled men in leather underwears, I was driving a bit fast (we were going to see “300”). It took two trips to the body shop, but now my car is back to its former glory.
We just got back from the mainland. We managed (or I did, I left almost a week before hubby did) to visit six cities in two states in two weeks. WTH. I don’t know why they call it vacation. You’re busy as hell but you just don’t go to work. I think I’ve pretty much recovered from the trip, but only time will tell.
On a flight from Honolulu to LA, I sat next to an 8 year old girl and her 12 year old brother. She wasn’t too much of a bother, at least not to me. The woman in the seat in front of her may have a different opinion. Anyway, she was talking to her brother…
Girl: “I just don’t understand why there are so many terrorists in Hawaii.”
Brother: *blink blink* … *blank stare*… “Do you mean tourists?”
Girl, with a wave of her hand: “Terrorists, tourists…whatever.”
About half an hour later…
Girl: “Are we taking the space shuttle home from the airport?”
Brother: *blink blink* “Do you mean the Super Shuttle?”
Girl: “Space shuttle, Super shuttle…whatever.”
Pesky words.
So, you’re probably wondering what all that mumbo jumbo at the beginning of this entry was about. Now that all the friends, family and coworkers know (not that coworkers know about this blog…I’d like to keep my job), I guess I can put it out there in cyberspace. I’m pregnant. And yesterday we found out that we’re having a little girl. I’m due November 13th, so as of today I am 17 weeks along. The pregnancy has been quite interesting, seeing as I’ve never done this before and had no clue what I was getting myself into. I won’t bore you with the first trimester slings and arrows of outrageous fortune. Suffice it to say I am so very glad to be in my second trimester and returning to some semblance of normalcy, if you don’t count the expanding waistline and new wardrobe.I have a friend who is also pregnant right now. She’s about a week behind me, but she's done this before. I think she repressed it though, because she asks me questions.
I’m an information gatherer and avid researcher, so my doctors (I have about half a dozen of them right now as I am considered a high risk pregnancy – they aren’t all pregnancy related, though) don’t really know what to make of me. I think they wonder why I even bother coming in to see them. I answer my own questions or ask them questions I already have the answers to, just to see if they agree with me.
Now you are up to date. I’ve been asked to keep better blogging habits and now that we’re all on the same page, I’ll do that. I’ll try not to bore you to tears with the minutiae of pregnancy, but it will be difficult since that seems to be the center of my universe right now. I will promise to leave out references to bodily functions (or at least veil them as much as possible, unless it’s funnier not to). I’ll think about posting some ultrasound pictures. Generally speaking, they freak me out.
Speaking of ultrasounds, I gave the u/s technician a hard time yesterday while we were trying to determine the gender of the baby. Of course, the baby wasn’t cooperating. It’s facing inward, kept moving around and had its little bitty legs crossed. Finally, the tech said it’s a girl, to which I replied, “The absence of a penis does not necessarily mean it’s a girl. I want to see her girl parts before I believe you.” She showed me the girl parts and even marked them with an arrow.
Besides, have you ever seen baby boy testicles?? They are HUGE. Very hard to miss.
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