Week 40: The Final Week!

Today is my official due date, and Ziggy is exactly 38 weeks old! 38 weeks ago today he was conceived in a petri dish--it's crazy when you think about it! He's been moving about quite a bit in his cramped quarters, but seems to be pretty happy in there still, so I have a feeling he wont be coming out on his own and I'll be induced as scheduled. I've been experiencing occasional increased pressure, cramping in my lower back (including the occasional pinched nerve feeling around my tailbone), and odd sensations "down there" (I think his head is really low and when he moves it around, it feels kind of funny) but nothing that screams that labor is imminent. And after learning at my last OB appointment on Tuesday that I have not progressed any further since my cervical check in the hospital (still effaced about 1 cm or 50%), I'm pretty sure I'll need that cervical ripener overnight and wont be induced until Monday morning. The good news though is that I can eat dinner before I head to the hospital on Sunday evening, AC can stay with me in my room (there's a little fold-out couch thing for him to sleep on), and we can both sleep Sunday night, although after my last experience at the hospital I'm not sure how restful a night we'll have! Plus, I imagine that the cervical ripener will probably make me crampy and uncomfortable, although the MFM fellow said that it shouldn't be too bad. By the way, at my non-stress test I was having contractions that I couldn't feel, and the nurse said that sometimes an internal exam can trigger contractions or even the start of labor. It would be nice if there was some more progress before Sunday night. Even if I still need to be induced, the more prepared my cervix is naturally, the better the outcome supposedly.

I have to admit, I am nervous about the whole birth process, and part of me wishes I could just fast-forward to the point where they place him on my chest. Even though I think induction is probably the best and safest route for me (it freaks me out that the rate of still birth rises so rapidly after 40 weeks!), I've heard so many horror stories about women being induced and then failing to progress and ending up with a c-section that I'm starting to worry it will happen to me. Not that having a c-section would be the worst thing in the world, but for the sake of my lungs and overall health, it should be avoided if possible.

It probably sounds silly, but I was almost sad to have my last OB appointment and non-stress test this week (by the way, baby looked "perfect" according to the nurses :). It felt like the end of an era or something. I am so going to miss being pregnant (or at least that's what I imagine), although hopefully Ziggy will soon distract me from my nostalgic musings! But seriously, I've had a fairly easy pregnancy and have really enjoyed the experience--it's hard to just let go of that all at once.

In other news, both my mom and AC got their seasonal flu vaccines, and today I finally received the H1N1 vaccine (unfortunately it was the one with mercury, but it's hard to be picky when I feel lucky to have gotten it at all), so I feel a little bit better about welcoming Ziggy into this scary, virus-infested world. Unfortunately my mom is sick again with what seems to be a sinus infection and is back on antibiotics, but hopefully she'll recover before Monday--otherwise they wont allow her into the hospital and she'll miss the birth!

A few last minute items I ordered online arrived this week: a Naturepedic Organic Cotton Waterproof Bassinet Pad and a Kushies Certified Organic Bassinet/Carriage Pad Fitted Sheet in mocha (unfortunately both are slightly too big for the bassinet mattress, but I'm hoping they will shrink in the wash--why oh why isn't there a standard bassinet mattress size!?); a 2-pack of Snoozy Organic Flannel Cotton Waterproof Multi Use Pads, so that when the Fuzzi Bunz diapers inevitably leak (one drawback to cloth diapers I've heard is that they are more likely to leak), there wont be pee all over the bed or couch or carpet or wherever Ziggy is hanging out; a yellow Fuzzi Bunz Hanging Diaper Pail, to store the diapers in between washes; an Orbit Stroller Travel Bag, so we can safely transport our awesome stroller when we move to Japan; and a Carbon Monoxide Detector, which has yet to be installed. So I think we're pretty much set on baby gear for the moment.

I've been trying to read up on baby care this week since I know absolutely nothing about taking care of a newborn. AC knows a bit more than I do since his mother runs a daycare out of her home, but I think the youngest babies he's ever cared for were at least 4-6 weeks old, so this will be quite an adventure for us both. I'll probably update from the hospital if I have time, but if not, the next time I post, Ziggy will be here!

Week 39: Baby Gear Mania!

I am feeling better but still pretty tired from the virus and lack of sleep, so I'll try to keep this week's update short (yeah right, when does that ever happen? :P). I am officially one week away from my due date, but perhaps even more scary and exciting is the fact that I'm now no more than 10 days away from going into labor! That's right, at my appointment on Tuesday, my doctor set my induction date for Sunday, November 8th at 7:30 pm in order to accommodate my mom's and AC's schedules. If my cervix is ready, they may even start the Pitocin that night. If not, they'll give me a cervical ripening agent overnight and start Pitocin in the morning. Either way, Ziggy will most likely be born on November 9 (unless of course he decides to come early or on time, but I have a feeling he wont)! So next week I'll have my last OB appointment and non-stress test before the big day (by the way, this week's non-stress test was fine as usual). My MFM will be back from his vacation then and will check my cervix, so we'll see if there's any more progress.

There's been a lot more progress on the baby gear front, that's for sure! My mother suddenly panicked and decided we needed to buy a whole bunch of stuff for the baby, so we went to this nearby baby store and got some good advice on baby gear. We ended up buying a large brown Glamourmom Nursing Bra Long Tank for me to wear at the hospital and until after my milk comes in and I can get fitted for some nursing bras. The saleswoman who assisted us recommended tanks over bras, so if I like the tank option, I may just buy some more and forego the bra option. We also bought a 12 pack of Gerber prefold birdseye 3-ply cloth diapers for use as burp cloths, a Natursutten 100% Natural Rubber Pacifier for 3-6 Mos, a pack of 200 4 ply non woven sponges for use as disposable wipes, Grippees Wash Mitts That Grip! for bathing a slippery, squirmy baby, and a chocolate brown Halo swaddle sleep sack for newborns. We were going to buy a combo bassinet and stroller, but they were sold out of the color we wanted, so we ended up ordering them online. I'm now the proud owner of the super chic Orbit Baby Bassinet Cradle and Toddler Stroller in mocha (the bassinet clips onto the stroller for the early months and then you transition to using the toddler seat)! Apparently a lot of celebrities own this bassinet and stroller. So, yes, this was ridiculously expensive but my mom purchased it for me and hopefully it will work well and last a while (maybe even for kid number 2!).

I also ordered a Naturopedic Organic Cotton Contoured Changing Pad, which we placed on top of an old dresser of my mom's which happened to be the perfect height to use as a changing table. This week I also washed, dried, and folded all of baby's used, hand-me-down clothes and cloth diapers and inserts and put them away in the dresser drawers for easy diapering and changing access. I'm planning on holding off on washing some of the newer clothes items in case we end up not needing them. I also ordered some stuff from Diapers.com (my new favorite website), some of which I may end up returning (they offer free returns on unopened or defective merchandise for 30 days): Kushies Flushable Biodegradable Diaper Liners (for use with diaper rash cream, since otherwise the cream can stain the Fuzzi Bunz cloth diapers and affect their absorbency), bumGenius Microfiber Diaper Inserts (because you can never have too many inserts for your cloth diapers), Kushies Washable Diaper Liners, and bumGenius Reusable Baby Wipes (I may return these last two items since I just discovered that Fuzzi Bunz diapers shouldn't be washed with cotton wipes or liners, and it doesn't seem worth it to me to have to do a separate load for those things).

I also finally had the car seat installed by the car seat techs over at the hospital (they offer free car seat installation) and washed the infant bath tub and portable diaper changing pad from my cousin. I also ordered some other stuff online, which has yet to arrive, so I'll post about all of that later once it gets here. Right now I feel like I am trying to find a balance between being as ready as I can for baby (and having everything I need or that will make my life easier so that I can just focus on the baby when he comes) and not purchasing too many extraneous, unnecessary items that will go unused and just create clutter. It's a tough life I tell you! :)

Week 33: 3 Doctor's Appointments in 3 Days!

I'm 33 weeks today, and whew, what a week it's been! I flew on Saturday, and had an easy uneventful trip, for the most part that is. As usual, I was traveling with the Vest as one of my two carry-on pieces. Normally I would simply stuff it in the overhead bin myself, but being in my current condition, I didn't think it would be wise to lift such a heavy weight over my head. I had figured (incorrectly, it turned out!) that either a flight attendant or a helpful fellow passenger would see me struggling with my relatively large bag and offer to give me a hand, but no such luck. In general, I have not received the doting care from strangers that seems to be lavished on most pregnant women. I wonder if it's because I'm not a "cute" pregnant women with a perfect little bump, but that could just be the bitterness talking :P

Anyway, I ended up asking a flight attendant for help in stowing my bag in the overhead bin, but she said that due to liability issues, she was not supposed to lift passenger bags. Excuse me?! Isn't that part of your job?! I mean, what are disabled passengers traveling alone supposed to do in that case? She also said that my bag was really too big and that I should have checked it. I was starting to get annoyed, but I told her calmly that this was a piece of valuable medical equipment worth over $16,000 so I didn't want to check it, and suddenly she changed her tune, and said that in that case, there was a special area in the back for stowing medical equipment. After we'd landed, all I had to do was wait for all the other passengers to deplane before retrieving it (which wasn't a big deal since I had a long layover in Phoenix). On the next leg of my flight I knew to ask to have my bag stored in back, and everything went off without a hitch.

On Tuesday I had my first appointment with the new MFM, and overall I like the office. It seems a bit busier and more disorganized than Dr. W's, but they also seem a bit more proactive. After a fairly long wait (even though I was supposedly the first scheduled appointment of the afternoon), a nurse took me back to weigh me and check my blood pressure. I didn't even bother looking to see how much I'd gained and thankfully, they didn't tell me. I knew it wouldn't be accurate anyway, since I was being weighed right after lunch and they wouldn't even let me empty my bladder beforehand (there was a line for the bathroom). Finally I got to leave a urine sample and wait some more. Then a nice 4th year medical student came in to go over some of my history with me. She also measured Ziggy's heart rate with the doppler (154) and my fundal height (31, so almost 2 cm less than it should be). She was eventually joined by the doctor and someone else (a nurse maybe?). In order to try to keep this post to a manageable length, I wont go into too much detail about the visit, but I did want to post a few things I learned.

My doctor, Dr. D, will be on vacation in October, but will be back in November, so I will be seen by another doctor in the practice until he returns. They have a team approach, so I'll be delivered by whichever doctor happens to be on call when I go into labor. Dr. D is only on call once a month, so it's unlikely he will be delivering me. Honestly that's fine with me. Since I've had such little continuity with doctors throughout this pregnancy, I don't feel especially attached to anyone. Assuming that everything continues to look good, he expects me to have a normal vaginal delivery and to make it to full term (approximately 40 weeks), but if I haven't delivered by my due date, he wont let me go much beyond 40 weeks, but will induce sometime between 40 and 41 weeks. It's kind of nice to know the upper limit of when I'll deliver. So, at most I have 7.5 weeks left! Eeek!

Other than that, he ordered an Echo of my heart just to make sure everything was fine. With situs inversus, there is a slight risk of heart problems. In fact, my internist ordered me an Echo a few years back when I was experiencing occasional chest palpitations, but it didn't indicate any problems, so this is really just a precaution. He also ordered an ultrasound for next week, as well as weekly non stress tests to check on the baby and the functioning of the placenta. He also said I should meet with an anesthesiologist to discuss receiving an epidural. At the end of the visit, I received the regular seasonal flu shot and will get the H1N1 shot as soon as it's available in a few weeks. I also had to deposit another urine sample and have my blood drawn before finally leaving the office several hours after my appointment time.

Yesterday, Wednesday, I met with one of the anesthesiologists to discuss getting an epidural and also the possibility of needing general anesthesia. After reviewing my medical history and asking me some questions, he told me a bit about the epidural and general anesthesia procedures and seemed to think I wouldn't have trouble with either one, although he did say that avoiding general anesthesia would be preferable of course.

Today I had the non-stress test over in the hospital where I'll be delivering (Dr. D's office is right across the street, so it's all very close by). The nurse strapped two monitors on my belly and had me lie down on my side on a bed for 15 minutes. One monitor measured Ziggy's heart rate, while the other measured whether I was having any contractions. Ziggy's heart rate was very stable and consistent in the 150s, so the nurse said he must be asleep. She gave me some cold water to try to wake him up, but that didn't work, so then she pulled out a little buzzing alarm and placed it down low, right by his head. Well, that definitely woke him up, and his hear rate climbed into the high 160s, which was what she was looking for. The nurse seemed a little concerned however since the second monitor showed that I was having some contractions. She asked me if I could feel them, and I said no. However, once she pointed them out, I could feel the monitor digging in slightly when I was supposedly having the contractions.

After she removed the monitors and checked my blood pressure(118/72), she instructed me to sit tight while she verified with the on call doctor that it was ok for me to leave. At this point I started to get a little worried that these contractions were a big deal. She came back though and said I was free to go, but to make sure to drink plenty of water and to not overdo my activities. Also, if I have four contractions in an hour, I'm to go to labor and delivery to get checked. It kind of worries me though--if I can't tell that I'm having contractions, how will I know when to go to labor and delivery? Now I'm at home guzzling water like crazy and trying to stay off my feet as much as possible.

So that's the story for this week. I'm sure I'll have more to report next week what with three more medical appointments, but for now it's a relief to have a four day break without any responsibilites.

Bump Watch Weeks 31 and 32

This may be the last round of bump watch for a few weeks, at least until AC gets here. I plan on still taking my weekly snapshots, but I don't know if I'll be able to load them onto my computer without AC's help (sadly, I'm technologically challenged). Anyway, without further ado, here we are at 31 weeks:



And here we are at 32:



I have my first appointment with the new MFM tomorrow and will post about it as soon as I can. Time to come up with a list of questions to ask him!

Week 29: Countdown to the Next Ultrasound Begins!

Wow, hard to believe this is my last week in the 20s! I had my appointment with Dr. W yesterday and overall everything looks good. My fundal height is only measuring 27.5 cm, but he didn't seem too worried. I double checked online, and apparently a variation of plus or minus 2 cm is considered perfectly normal. Ziggy's heart rate sounded nice and strong and regular on the doppler, but unfortunately I forgot to ask for the exact number. I also didn't get my exact weight--somehow when I was staring at the scale while the nurse weighed me, my brain just would not register what is was seeing (this seems to be happening a lot to me these days--my brain just feels really sluggish and slow). I think I was up about 5 lbs from last time. Anyway, the doctor thinks my weight gain is good, so the exact number doesn't really matter. My blood pressure was 130/80, which is a bit high for me, but they didn't say anything, so I'm assuming that's normal at this stage in pregnancy. I remember reading something about how blood pressure may go up slightly in the third trimester, but as long as it stays below 140/90, it shouldn't be a concern. I also found out that my glucose was 105 after the glucose screen, so well below the cut off of 139, and I am not anemic--yay!

Dr. W says I don't need to do a formal kick count each day since everything is looking so good and the baby is moving regularly. He palpated my abdomen to feel the baby's position and said that the baby's head is already down, which is a relief to hear. He actually grabbed what I guess was the baby's head with one hand, which kind of hurt a bit. I asked him if what I'm feeling around my navel is the baby's butt, and he said yes, so that means, not only is he head down, but he's facing the correct way. When I was born I was head down but facing the wrong way (occipito-posterior position), which gave my mom really bad back labor and probably prolonged her labor and made it more difficult (they ended up having to use both forceps and vacuum to get me out). Anyway, I'm glad the little guy is cooperating, at least for now! Let's hope he stays that way.

Probably the most important part of the visit was discussing the choroid plexus cyst and when my next ultrasound will be. Dr. W said he wanted to see me back in two weeks, and I asked if we could do the ultrasound then since it will be my last visit with him before I leave for California. He seemed a bit reluctant to do it at first and said he usually prefers to wait until at least 32 weeks to do the ultrasound (I'll be 31 weeks at the next appointment). He was also worried that my insurance wouldn't cover the ultrasound since the cyst is so small. Apparently it is only 2 mm, and some insurance companies wont authorize a follow-up ultrasound unless it's at least 5 mm. At this point I was thinking, 'oh well, I guess I'll just wait until I get to my new doctor in California to do it,' but when I suggested that I'll just wait, he suddenly changed his tune and said it would be fine and most likely Tricare will cover it because they're usually good about things like that. It was kind of strange, but whatever--I'm just glad he agreed to it!

Anyway, I am just so relieved to hear how small the cyst is (Dr. W said it's so small that probably at another office they might not have even caught it--his equipment is just especially good) and also that I only have to wait 2 weeks before I get to see Ziggy again and check on how he's doing! I know that I probably wont be able to breathe a complete sigh of relief until he's born and we know for sure whether or not there's something wrong with him, but in the meantime, these small reassurances do make me feel better.

Yesterday evening, AC and I attended our Breastfeeding class, and I am happy to say that my lucky streak continues! No diapers this time, but I did win a book on breastfeeding. We also came away with some useful handouts and booklets and some good general knowledge about breastfeeding. Unfortunately I never got to find out the ratio of boy to girl babies in the class, but most of the people I'd already seen in other classes. Still, it would have been interesting to see if the few newcomers would have evened up the score.

I can't believe next week I'll finally be in the 30s! Suddenly this pregnancy seems to be just flying by!

I wish I could blame the fog of pregnancy brain, but I think I'm just an idiot...

I lost my wallet, and I have no idea when or how it happened. Well, I guess I do have some idea of how it happened. Most likely it fell out of my purse. Normally I don't zip my purse so I have easy access to everything I need and can hear my cell phone ring. I know, I know, it's a bad habit that I definitely plan to break now! Luckily there was no money in the wallet (last time I lost my wallet, there was $100 bill that my step-dad had just given me, which of course disappeared, but I was very fortunate to have my wallet and all cards returned to me that time), but I did have two credit cards, which AC has already canceled (much to his annoyance--the new cards should arrive in a week), my CA driver's license, and my dependent military identification card. There were also a few other random items, like library cards for Arkansas, doctor's cards, appointment reminder cards, my student id from San Jose State, and a few coupons. Honestly, that stuff is unimportant. The driver's license and military id card are another matter.

Considering that I don't go out all that much, you'd think it would be pretty easy to trace where I may have potentially lost the wallet. I know for sure that I had it on Tuesday because I shopped at the commissary on base and used both my military id card and a credit card. That was the last time I remember actually using or seeing my wallet. I've already emailed the Commissary (no one answers the phone there), but so far haven't heard back. Tuesday evening AC and I attended the Infant Care Class, and I suppose it's possible that I could have lost it then, but unlikely, as I remember zipping my purse up during class. Also, they have my contact information and would have called by now had it been turned in.

On Thursday, AC and I went to hang out at the bookstore. My dad called while we were there, and I got up to walk around the store while I chatted. I took my purse with me and had it open but tucked under my arm the entire time. Later, I was sitting at a table in the cafe with my purse between my feet, and I suppose it's possible it could have fallen out then. We've already been back to the bookstore to ask, and so far, no one has seen it. I left my name and number with an employee in the cafe in case it shows up. Ironically, while we were there looking for it under the tables in the cafe, we found someone else's wallet and turned it in. I also called the front office of our apartment complex in case it fell out in the elevator or while walking to the car--they said nothing had been turned in, but that they'd contact me if it showed up.

AC is extremely annoyed with me, and I can understand why, although his cold, sullen attitude, combined with the pregnancy hormones, is making me pretty depressed right now. I cried for a while this morning, feeling like such an idiot. If I can't even keep track of my wallet, how can I expect to look after another human life, a baby?

Plus, now I can't drive without the risk of being pulled over and fined or worse, arrested for driving without a license! Getting a new military id will also be a pain because AC will have to drive me on base, and his start times are really early these days, like 5am. Since he's already so annoyed with me, I might ask my Russian friend if she can drive me, but that would probably be pretty inconvenient for her, what with her two kids. I definitely need to get a new military id before I leave though since it basically serves as my health insurance card. I actually have a copy of it scanned on my computer (I had to send a copy to a doctor for some reason), which I should probably print out and carry with me in the meantime.

Replacing my driver's license will be more difficult. Supposedly I can only do it in person in California, which means I'll have to wait two and half weeks until I fly back to California (right now I am set to return on Wednesday, September 2nd). I did find some information online that indicates that the DMV might be able to send me a replacement in the mail under special circumstances, but the office I need to call is closed until Monday. Plus, even if they send it, I'll be lucky if it arrives before I'm scheduled to leave. Not having a license wouldn't normally be that much of a problem for such a short time because I don't tend to do much driving, except that I happen to have two doctor's appointments this week. AC definitely wont be able to drive me to the ENT on Monday and most likely wont be able to drive me to the MFM on Thursday either.

I did a little research online, and some people suggested reporting the lost wallet to the police so there would a record that could be checked in case I was pulled over. They also suggested carrying another form of identification. Thank goodness I have my passport here! I'll also have to use it when I fly to California now.

I feel like such a failure right now. I guess all I can do is try to learn from this mistake and be more organized in the future. One thing I definitely plan to do from now on is make copies of all my important cards and keep them in a safe place at home, so that I at least have a record of what I've lost. Right now I don't even know what my CA driver's license number is! I also clearly need to stop leaving my purse unzipped and probably should carry my wallet in the zippered compartment rather than in the body of the purse. I thought I had learned my lesson the last time I lost my wallet (it fell out of my jacket pocket while walking on campus at San Jose State), but I guess not. Since then, I don't carry a lot of cash with me, and I usually keep it separate from my wallet (so I guess I did learn something, since this time at least I didn't lose any money), but obviously I need to be even more careful. I am so full of self loathing right now! I think the only thing that's helping me keep it together is the thought that stress isn't good for Ziggy and that I need to stay as calm and relaxed as possible for his sake.

Week 27: Welcome to the Third Trimester!

How far along? 27 weeks!
Total weight gain/loss: As of week 25, up about 3.5 lbs since last 20 week OB visit, up about 6 lbs since 16 week OB visit, up about 14 lbs since 11 week OB visit, up about 18 lbs since November pre-pregnancy weight.
Maternity clothes? Yes, although I'm starting to outgrow some of them already (the fact that they used to belong to a 5 foot tall Asian woman makes me feel a little better about it though).
Stretch marks? No new ones yet.
Sleep: Overall, restless and unsatisfying. I sleep quite a bit (except for those occasional nights when I don't!) but can't seem to ever feel rested enough. I flip over from side to side all night long because if I lie on one side for too long, my hip starts to hurt, I get up to pee frequently, and I continue to have lots of really vivid and frequently disturbing dreams. I am tired most of the time, but still grateful that I can sleep at all.
Best moment this week: Feeling and seeing movement at around the level of my belly button, the highest up yet!
Movement: Yes, and lots of it, at least on some days. On other days, he's strangely quiet. There seem to be more rolls, turns, and subtle movements and fewer definite kicks and jabs. I guess it's starting to get cramped in there. The movement is sometimes still really low, but other times it's as high as my belly button area. There are also occasional bouts of hiccups.
Food cravings: None really. These days I just crave any food that wont give me a stomach ache and gas!
Gender: Still a boy, as far as I know :)
Labor Signs: No, don't think so, although sometimes my belly does get harder, so I think I may have experienced a few Braxton Hicks contractions.
Belly Button in or out? Top part is definitely out, while the bottom part is still sort of halfway in, although it really depends on the time of day (later in the day, it tends to stick out more).
What I miss: Not having such frequent stomach aches and gas, sleeping soundly and feeling well-rested, being able to do certain yoga poses.
What I am looking forward to: The next ultrasound (whenever that will be), meeting my new MFM in California, prenatal classes (first one is tonight!), having my mom and friends in California see me in my pregnant state, taking prenatal yoga classes and walking outside in the beautiful California weather, Ziggy's arrival!
Weekly Wisdom: Don't stress about pregnancy weight gain, eat small frequent meals, practice your Kegel exercises, get as much rest as you can, begin monitoring fetal movement through daily kick counts.
Milestones: This week marks the end of the second trimester and the beginning of the third! Ziggy's eyes will open this week or next, and by now he can supposedly start to identify my voice...awwwww. Ziggy's testicles are hopefully descending too. If Ziggy were born now, he would have an 85% chance of survival. Oh yeah, and my breasts started to leak colostrum!

A Trio of Happy Events

I didn't hear from Dr. W's office yesterday, which means I passed the glucose screen! Yay!

Ziggy had the hiccups this morning for the first time (or at least it was the first time I've felt it)--it was so cute!

My sleep seems to have improved the past few days (crossing fingers!). Of course now that I've said it, I probably wont be able to sleep at all!

Week 25: Doctor Update

I'm officially 25 weeks today! It's been a week of doctor appointments for me. On Tuesday I saw my pulmonologist, who said everything continues to look good. However, she did mention that my last sputum culture grew MAC (along with the usual Pseudomonas aeruginosa), which I've heard is pretty hard to eradicate once it takes hold. She confirmed this when she said that treatment usually involves three different oral antibiotics taken for a year. Given the low number of bacteria in the culture and my lack of symptoms, she did not think I needed treatment just yet. However, she did say I should continue to monitor its progress with frequent cultures and had me leave another sputum sample with the lab before I left.

She also checked my ears out of curiosity (even though that's not really her domain) and said she could see the two tubes in the left ear, and that one definitely looked open, but that she couldn't tell what was going on with the right ear. So far, it hasn't been bothering me, so I'm hoping it's still open, although I haven't been able to blow air through it recently as I have with the left ear. She was also quite surprised that I'm still able to use the vest with my expanding tummy. I told her that I've just been pushing it up out of the way of the bump. She suggested that I switch to the Acapella device once I can no longer fit into the vest, but since I don't really know how to use it, she scheduled an appointment for me with a respiratory therapist to show me the ropes.

Other than that, I had my weight checked, and I was up a shocking 12.5 pounds since my last appointment with Dr. W 5 weeks ago! She said something about how I appeared to be gaining an appropriate amount of weight, and I said something along the lines of "It seems like a lot." Later I noticed in my chart that she had typed something like, "Worried about weight." You have to be careful about what you say around doctors I guess! Not that it was wrong of her to put it in, but it surprised me because I had thought of it as just an offhand comment, nothing to be taken seriously.

Anyway, today I had my glucose screen. I had already decided I was going to fast beforehand even though I didn't receive any specific instructions to do so. Unfortunately I woke up around 4:30 this morning and couldn't go back to sleep, which meant I had to fast for 5 hours before my appointment! It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be actually. Around 8:30 I was pretty tempted to eat something, but I managed to hold out.

When I arrived at Dr. W's office, the receptionist sent me down to the lab to drink the glucola, the sickeningly sweet orange soda flavored glucose drink they make you consume. At the the first sip, I thought it wasn't too bad, but by the end it was getting pretty disgusting. Luckily it didn't make me nauseous or feel sick. I did feel slightly light-headed, but that could have just been from the sleep deprivation. The lab tech instructed me to return in exactly an hour, so I headed back to Dr. W's office for my appointment, except that it turned out Dr. W had unexpectedly gone on vacation, so another doctor in the practice was covering for him. I had the option of seeing her, but they were so backed up because of his absence that I opted not to--seeing her would have meant going back to the lab for the blood draw and then returning to the office again to wait for who knows how long. So I was just seen by the nurses.

There was the usual drill with collecting the urine sample, measuring weight, blood pressure, and fundal height, and checking Ziggy's heart rate with the doppler (it was 155 bpm). I am pleased to say my weight was only up 3.5 pounds from my last visit, which means I somehow lost 9 pounds since Tuesday! No, not really. I'm sure the discrepancy was just due to different scales, different times of day (my pulmonology appointment was in the late afternoon), normal fluctuations in water retention, and the fact that I had fasted before my appointment and had already had two bowel movements that morning (sorry, TMI, I know!), so I was pretty dang empty. Still, a 9 pound difference seems like a lot. I'm sure if I hadn't fasted, the difference wouldn't have been so extreme. I'm just kind of relieved that I haven't actually gained such a ridiculous amount of weight in a mere 5 weeks!

Other than that, I briefly discussed my heel pain and sleep trouble (some nights it's fine, and then others I wake up to go pee and can't fall back asleep). The nurse said that the foot pain was probably due to my weight increase and added something along the lines of how I'm so small that this must be the heaviest I've ever weighed in my life. Ha! Yeah right! I told her that as a teen I had weighed more, and she said something like, well, teens never have any aches and pains. I just think it's funny that people think of me as small or thin now, since for so much of my childhood and adolescence I was seen as large, heavy, big-boned, and even at times fat!

Anyway, she said for the time being to try stretching and massaging the bottom of my feet with something like a soda can (I already normally do this with golf balls, but I must admit I've been a little lax lately, so I'll have to be more diligent from now on), but if the pain continues to worsen to let them know so they can take care of it before it turns into a serious problem. As for sleep, she said it was fine for me to take Tylenol PM or Benadryl at night if I have trouble sleeping and, if those don't work or the insomnia continues to worsen, to let them know so they can prescribe me something for sleep. Personally I'd prefer to not take anything, but if I get desperate enough, I may just have to. It would probably be worse for Ziggy if I developed a respiratory or sinus infection due to sleep deprivation than if I took some over the counter sleep aids.

My next appointment is set for 29 weeks on August 20 at 10 am. Before I left, I had my blood drawn (they're also checking my thyroid hormone), and they'll call tomorrow only if I didn't pass the glucose screen (if my blood sugar went above 140) and they need to schedule the fasting 3 hour glucose tolerance test. So, in this case, no news is good news. By the way, it turns out I didn't need to fast for this test, but I'm glad I did anyway. Now if I don't end up passing, at least I'll know I did everything I could!

A few new random, pregnancy developments

AC set up his first "Last Will and Testament!" The most important part was naming a guardian for Ziggy in the hopefully unlikely event that both of us die or become incapacitated (not a pleasant thought, but as responsible parents, we need to consider and plan for the worst case scenario). He listed my mother as the main guardian and his mother as an alternate.

I received my first pregnancy comment from someone without having to first inform them that I'm pregnant! It was from the check-out clerk at the library. Of course, I was checking out a prenatal exercise DVD, so that might have tipped her off. But I've checked out prenatal DVDs and books before, and no one ever said anything. Perhaps I didn't look pregnant enough before, and they were worried about insulting me if they were wrong. But apparently now I do look pregnant enough! Anyway, it was kind of exciting :)

My feet have been bothering me lately. My ankles tend to pronate and my arches fall when I stand, so I have always had problems with my feet, but recently I've developed this really painful spot on my right heel. If I step on it a certain way, it screams with pain. This has happened to me in the past occasionally, but it's become a lot worse and a lot more frequent (virtually every day now). I am starting to hobble a little in an attempt to avoid the insanely painful spot. My step-dad used to have this problem too, and it turned out to be a bone spur in his case. I'm assuming it's related to pregnancy and my increasing weight putting more pressure on my feet. I don't know what to do. Should I see a podiatrist or some other doctor? I think I will mention it to Dr. W at my appointment on Thursday and see what he recommends.

Ziggy kicked my bladder the other day! It felt really funny, kind of like someone was tickling my bladder. Luckily it wasn't very full and the kicking was brief or I might have had to run for the toilet! Speaking of bladders, I've noticed that sometimes after I cough, sneeze, or laugh really hard, there's a small spot of urine in my panties. I guess I finally have pregnancy incontinence!

Anyway, sorry for the randomness! These were just a few things I wanted to share, but didn't know how to coherently tie them all together.

Ultrasound Update

I have so much to catch up on from last week, so I'd better get started! I'll start with the doctor's appointments. I had my much-needed ENT appointment last Wednesday and was disappointed to learn that the tubes the doctor had put in last time were plugged up with really dry, hard, thick mucous. But I guess that explains why my ears felt so blocked and why I was having so much trouble hearing. Dr. H said there was no way he could remove the tubes, but they will most likely fall out on their own as my ear drums heal and push them out. He said really all we could do was put in another set of tubes, so that's what we did.

Again he numbed my ear drum, made the holes, suctioned out the mucous, which is "like cement," according to him, and then popped in new tubes. He said I must have a "high pain threshold" because he really had to poke away at my ear drums this time (it was harder to put in the second set of tubes since space was already being occupied by the first set). As a child, my parents called me a "tough cookie." I don't know if I actually feel less physical pain than other people, or if I'm just more used to it, having been poked and prodded since infancy. Anyway, this time he prescribed some Ciprodex eardrops to try to keep the tubes open. He also suctioned some mucous from my nose and said the tissue looked a little swollen in there, but otherwise fine. So I've been applying 4 drops in each ear before bed, and so far I can tell the tubes are still open since I can blow air through them. I have another appointment in a couple of months so hopefully they will remain open at least until then.

Now on to the more interesting doctor's appointment that I had on Thursday morning. I had my 20 week appointment and anatomy scan, which was so cool! We got to see Ziggy wave at us with one hand, make a loose fist with the other, open his mouth (I wonder if he was swallowing the amniotic fluid like they say babies do), move his little hands and feet in a sort of punching motion, and in general, just act really cute (ok, so maybe I'm a little biased :) We were lucky and got a nice ultrasound tech who explained everything she was doing and pointed everything out to us. She even measured my cervix when I asked her to ( it's 3.5 cm, and she said anything over 3 is considered normal). She took a bunch of measurements, first of the placenta, amniotic fluid, umbilical cord, and all that, and then of the baby's body. She pointed out various body parts and organs to us, including the profile, palate, stomach, spine, leg bones, arms, feet, hands, nasal bones, mouth, kidneys, heart, and head, which were all normal. And he does not have situs inversus, like I do, so that's a good sign. Yay!

She said he has his left side toward my back, with the head down. Now that I know that, it makes more sense that I can't for sure feel his little kicks and jabs, since when he kicks, it doesn't go forward into my belly, but towards my side, probably into one of my other organs! AC also pointed out that when he was moving his arms and legs, he was keeping them pretty close to his body and wasn't really touching the walls of my uterus, so that may be another reason I can't feel him that well.

Although Ziggy had been cooperating throughout the ultrasound, of course just when it got to the point for her to examine his genitals, he curled up into a little ball, so it was hard to see anything. The ultrasound tech started wailing on my belly with the ultrasound wand to try to get him to move. I started laughing because the sensation kind of tickled, and I said I was glad I had emptied my bladder beforehand, otherwise I think I might have peed! Finally he moved enough, and she said, "So, do you want to know the sex?" and we were like "Yes!", and she said, "See that little white thing? That's his penis. It's a boy!" I asked her if she was sure, and she said yes, she wouldn't tell us if she wasn't sure. At that moment, I had such a mix of emotions: amazement, doubt, wonder, disappointment (yes, I'll admit, for a sec I did, but mainly it was because I was worried AC would be disappointed since I know how much he wanted a girl), awe, maybe a little fear, excitement, and happiness. I was just so amazed to be the first of the Polish maternal line in at least five generations (if not more) to have a boy!

Anyway, they gave us a printout of some images from the ultrasound and also a DVD, which we'd brought so they could record on to it. Apparently they don't record everything on it, only what they can (what does that mean? is it for legal reasons?). We haven't had a chance to look at the DVD yet, but AC did scan the images onto his computer, so I'll post those as soon as I can get them onto my laptop. The ultrasound tech also told us that Ziggy's heart rate was 153, he weighed 12 oz, and was measuring at 20 weeks, 2 days, so 2 days ahead! As AC said, he's about the size of a steak!

After the ultrasound, it was the usual drill. I gave a sample of urine, got weighed (up only 2.5 lbs since last time, which just proves that not all the weight was real last time--some of it had to be extra fluid and food since my appointment was right after lunch), had my blood pressure measured, which was normal, and talked briefly with the nurse, who asked me if I'd felt any movement yet. I said I'd felt something for a while, but could never be sure it was really him. I asked her about Ziggy's heart rate going over 200, and she said I should ask Dr. W about that. I mentioned that I occasionally experience mild cramping, and she said that's normal. I also gave her the info to have my records sent to my next MFM doctor in California.

While we were waiting for Dr. W, AC and talked about the baby, and it turns out he wasn't disappointed about having a boy. He did say that this makes him more inclined to have another kid and suggested that maybe we could even do sex selection with our frozen embryos next time. I have heard that sometimes they'll do that if you already have one child, so we'll see. I do hope the next one is a girl, since I want one of each. If it's another boy, I'll be so tempted to have another baby, and AC is pretty adamant about only having two.

Anyway, Dr. W came in, told me it was normal for baby's heart rates to get that high temporarily, especially before 20 weeks, although he did say my lips looked dry and I was probably dehydrated, so I should make an effort to drink as much fluid as possible. He also said that Ziggy looks healthy and is growing normally, except for one thing. He has what's called a choroid plexus cyst in his brain, which can be a "soft marker" for chromosomal abnormalities, mainly Edward's Syndrome, also known as Trisomy 18, which generally results in death within a few weeks of birth. However, due to my age, lack of family history, and negative quad screen result, Dr. W thinks the risk is very low. I'll have more ultrasounds between 28-32 weeks to check to see if the cyst has resolved (which they usually do) and to recheck Ziggy's growth and organs. I'll return for my next appointment at 25 weeks, when I'll have the glucose tolerance test to check for gestational diabtetes.

Despite Dr. W's reassurance, I was still worried, so I did some research on my own. For once, Google made me feel better rather than worse, as I discovered that choroid plexus cysts are quite common and almost always are not a sign of Trisomy 18, especially if the mother is young, the quad screen was negative, and there were no other findings on the ultrasound. In fact, there's some controversy in the medical community as to whether choroid plexus cysts should be considered "soft markers" at all. SH also reassured me that choroid plexus cysts are common in ultrasounds done between 18-20 weeks and usually resolve on their own, so that makes me feel better. So right now I'm just trying to stay positive and think of this as a good thing, since it means we get to see more of our baby boy!

Week 20: It's a boy!

How far along? 20 weeks
Total weight gain/loss: Up about 2.5 lbs since last 16 week OB visit, up about 10.5 lbs since 11 week OB visit, up about 14.5 lbs since November pre-pregnancy weight.
Maternity clothes? Yes, definitely!
Stretch marks? None more than usual, although I think some of the old stretch marks on my breasts, hips, and thighs are becoming more obvious.
Sleep: I'm almost afraid to say it for fear of jinxing things, but it's been pretty good. The key seems to be keeping the apartment cool at night. I'm pretty sure the reason I wasn't sleeping well a while back is because I was too warm at night. Now I sleep a lot (8, 9, 10 hours a night), and have vivid, sometimes disturbing dreams.

Best moment this week: Finding out that Ziggy is a boy! Wow!
Movement: Sometimes I think I feel movement, but a lot of the time I'm still convinced it's just intestinal gurgling. But Ziggy was definitely moving a lot on the ultrasound today.
Food cravings: Sushi (only made with cooked ingredients of course), American cheese singles (I bought organic ones made without artificial food coloring, so I don't feel so bad for eating them :), cheese in general, tomatoes, fruit, kefir, chocolate, ice cream...can't think of anything else at the moment.

Gender: It's a boy!
Labor Signs: Occasional mild cramps, but that's normal, according to my doctor.
Belly Button in or out? In, but I think it's starting to make it's way out.
What I miss: Raw fish, Caesar salad dressing, runny eggs, clear skin.
What I am looking forward to: The next ultrasound between 28-32 weeks to check on the small cyst in Ziggy's brain/head and make sure everything's okay (I really hope it is--I'll post more on this later).
Weekly Wisdom: Try not to obsess and worry about things over which you have no control (like the small cyst in Ziggy's brain/head that may indicate a chromosomal abnormality!).

Milestones: I'm halfway through the pregnancy, and halfway through the second trimester! Finding out the sex!

Week 18: Minor Freak Out and Silly Quiz

I can't believe I'm already at 18 weeks! I freaked out this morning because Ziggy's heart rate was over 200 when I measured with the doppler, which just seemed way too high. I thought maybe I was dehydrated since my heart rate tends to go up when I'm dehydrated (when your blood is thicker, your heart has to work harder to pump it through your veins), so I drank a bunch of water and then checked it again 2 hours later. This time the heart rate was measuring between 160-168 bpm, so back to normal. I did a little research online, and it seems that an overly high fetal heart rate can be a sign of fetal distress, hyperthyroidism (I am taking thyroid medication), a few other scary sounding things, and dehydration. I figure in my case it was caused by the latter, but I'll probably mention it to Dr. W at my next appointment just in case. Maybe I have been a bit too strict with limiting fluids at bedtime?

Anyway, in honor of my anatomy scan being only two weeks away (yay!), I decided to do this little quiz that I found on Hoping for Our Own Peanut's blog.

It's a boy if:
You didn't experience morning sickness in early pregnancy
Your baby's heart rate is less than 140 beats per minute
You are carrying the extra weight out front
Your belly looks like a basketball
Your areolas have darkened considerably
You are carrying low
You are craving salty or sour foods
You are craving protein -- meats and cheese
Your feet are colder than they were before pregnancy
The hair on your legs has grown faster during pregnancy
Your hands are very dry
Your pillow faces north when you sleep
Dad-to-be is gaining weight, right along with you
Pregnancy has you looking better than ever
Your urine is bright yellow in color
Your nose is spreading
You hang your wedding ring over your belly and it moves in circles
You are having headaches
You add your age at the time of conception and the number for the month you conceived and the sum is an even number

It's a girl if:
You had morning sickness early in pregnancy
Your baby's heart rate is at least 140 beats per minute
You are carrying the weight in your hips and rear
Your left breast is larger than your right breast
Your hair develops red highlights
You are carrying high
Your belly looks like a watermelon
You are craving sweets
You are craving fruit
You crave orange juice
You don't look quite as good as normal during pregnancy
You are moodier than usual during pregnancy
Your face breaks out more than usual
You refuse to eat the heel of a loaf of bread
Your breasts have really blossomed!
Your pillow faces south when you sleep
Your urine is a dull yellow color
You hang your wedding ring over your belly and it moves from side to side
You add your age at the time of conception and the number for the month you conceived and the sum is an odd number

Some of these I didn't really know how to answer. My urine changes color depending on how hydrated I am and when I last took my prenatal vitamin, I don't think my belly looks like a basketball or a watermelon, I guess I am carrying the weight out front, but I have also gained some weight in my rear as well, I think I'm carrying low, but again not entirely sure, I don't know which direction my pillow faces, my wedding ring didn't do a thing when I hung it over my belly, my left breast has always been bigger than my right, and I have always not only eaten but loved the heel of a loaf of bread (AC and I sometimes fight over it!). So overall, this seems pretty silly and doesn't really tell me anything since I got 7 for each. Only 14 days until I hopefully know for sure!

Pregnancy and Kartagener's Syndrome

So far I haven't written much about how pregnancy has effected my Kartagener's Syndrome, and really that's because it hasn't effected it much at all, or at least not nearly as much as I thought it would. I experienced shortness of breath and the feeling of needing to take deeper, fuller breaths in the first trimester, actually almost as soon as I became pregnant. But now that I'm in the second trimester, that feeling of breathlessness has gone away. My mother even commented that I no longer sound out of breath on the phone.

Now my lungs seem even better overall than before I became pregnant. My most recent PFT (Pulmonary Function Test) a few weeks ago showed improvement from the last one I had in November, my oxygenation was 100%, and my new Pulmonologist (Dr. A, whom I really like) said that my lungs sound good and I seem to be very healthy. She has some antibiotics in mind in case I do become sick, but for now, she said to just keep doing what I've been doing and focus on prevention. I have had a pretty easy pregnancy so far, but of course that may change as I get further along. As Ziggy gets bigger and my uterus expands higher into my torso, it may exert some pressure on my diaphragm and ultimately my lungs, leading to more difficulty breathing. The humidity here isn't great for my lungs of course, and Dr. W did recommend that I stay inside in air conditioning as much as possible during the summer when it's especially humid. I don't think that will be a problem--I can't stand hot and humid weather, and neither can AC.

Even though generally my lungs are a bigger concern to my health, it's my ears and sinuses that have been giving me more trouble since I became pregnant. Many women develop "rhinitis of pregnancy" due to the swelling of tissue and increase in blood volume, and I definitely have that, although it also hasn't been as bad as I expected it to be. My ears have probably given me the most trouble, mainly because there's not anything I can do once they become blocked. I went to my new ENT here when I first arrived in Little Rock (Dr. H, who is also great--I have been very happy with all of my doctors here so far), and he not only suctioned out my sinuses (which always feel so good afterward), he also decided to put new tubes in my ears since he said that would be the only way to drain the fluid that had accumulated. I've had countless ear tube surgeries as a child, but this was the first time I'd had it done while awake. It was a bit unpleasant but not really that bad--he anesthetized the eardrum locally, made the holes, drained out the fluid, inserted the tubes, and I was good to go. He said to just schedule an appointment asnytime I feel like my ears or sinuses are blocked, and he'll suction them out for me. When I left his office, it was amazing, because I could finally hear for the first time in weeks. I had been walking around half-deaf because my ears were so stopped up with gunk. AC was getting really annoyed because I kept asking "What? What?" to everything he said, and we had to turn the sound way up whenever we watched anything.

Anyway, here's my daily regimen of prevention to keep myself and, by extension, Ziggy going strong throughout the pregnancy:

Exercise 30-60 minutes daily
Vest treatment 30-60 minutes daily (unfortunately at some point I'll probably get too big to continue using The Vest)
1 ampule Pulmozyme nebulized daily during vest treatment
1 ampule 0.9% saline nebulized daily during vest treatment (this will soon be switched to 6% saline per Dr. A's recommendation)
Advair 250/50 1 puff daily a.m.
Advair 100/50 1 puff daily p.m.
ProventilHFA inhaler 1-2 puffs up to 4 times a day as needed for wheezing (used rarely)
Nasonex 1 squirt each nostril twice daily
Astelin 1 squirt each nostril twice daily
Saline sinus rinse 1-2 times daily

Armour Thyroid 45 mg daily
Rainbow Light Just Once Prenatal One Vegan Guard Multivitamin 1 tablet daily (I highly recommend it since it's gentle on the stomach and doesn't cause constipation)
Twinlab Dr. Greene Omega-3 Fish Oil Softgels--1 softgel containing 270 mg EPA and 180 mg DHA twice daily
Twinlab Calcium Citrate with Magnesium and Vitamin D citrus flavored chewable wafers--2-4 wafers daily containing 500-1000 mg Calcium, 250-500 mg Magnesium, and 200-400 IU Vitamin D (they don't upset my stomach like calcium carbonate chews do)

Quickening or Just Gas Bubbles?

It's so hard to tell! I started to become especially aware of these sensations on Thursday night, as I was lying in bed. I have a feeling it was just gas bubbles and other random digestive gurgling sounds since I ate a huge salad for dinner, but then again...some of the sensations felt like a rapid succession of tiny little bubbles whirling in my lower tummy. If it was just gas, it was definitely different from what I usually feel. From reading blogs and online forums, it seems a lot of women have trouble distinguishing early fetal movements from gas bubbles, but generally as the pregnancy progresses, it becomes more obvious which is which. I cannot wait to feel Ziggy for certain--for a brief moment when I was convinced that I had felt him/her move, it made me so blissfully happy, I actually started laughing. AC had already left for his weekend Martial Arts training, otherwise I would have called him to come feel my belly. When I put my hand there, I could definitely feel stuff going on, but again, it could have just been my wacky digestive system. The fact that these sensations occur after I eat probably means it's not Ziggy, right? Oh well, I suppose I should stop obsessing (but wait, isn't that what I do best ;) and just wait and see.

PS: I didn't receive a call from Dr W's office yesterday, so I guess that means my screening test came back negative! Woohoo! I realize this doesn't absolutely guarantee Ziggy wont have those problems, but it does ease my mind a bit.

Week 16: In which I obsess over pregnancy weight gain and travel plans

Yesterday I had my second appointment with Dr. W at 16 weeks, and I'm happy to report that everything continues to go well. Like last time, after I peed into a cup (I wonder what exactly they're measuring when they do this--maybe I should ask next time), I had my weight taken. Warning: Long, obsessive tangent about pregnancy weight gain ahead!

I was up 8 pounds since last time! Granted my appointment was in the afternoon this time rather than in the morning, which could account for a couple of extra pounds of food and fluid, but still, I was a bit surprised. They didn't say anything so I guess it's not a big deal. Honestly I would rather be gaining too much weight rather than too little, since all the pregnancy books I've been reading state that gaining too little weight can seriously affect the baby, while gaining too much weight is usually more a problem for the mother, in terms of her discomfort in the last trimester and difficulty in losing the postpartum weight. Of course gaining too much weight for me probably isn't a great idea since excess weight will put more pressure on my lungs and make it harder for me to breathe, especially in the third trimester.

But I'm not sure there's anything I can really do about it anyway. I exercise almost every day for 30-60 minutes, I only eat when I'm hungry (which I'll admit is pretty often!), I try to eat really healthfully and avoid sweets as much as possible (sometimes I'll have a bite or two of something AC's having, but this is pretty rare), so what exactly could I change? Because of my history of anorexia, I don't want to start going down a road of worrying about my weight and what I eat. One of my fears before doing the IVF was that gaining weight during pregnancy would trigger my eating disorder. So far that hasn't been the case. For the most part I'm enjoying seeing my body expand, but still, when I read about the official guidelines for pregnancy weight gain and how much one's supposed to gain in each trimester, I start to worry that I'm gaining too much too fast. At this rate, am I going to end up a total blimp by week 40?

From talking to other women who have gone through pregnancy, my impression has been that the amount of weight a woman gains during pregnancy is practically predetermined. I've had a number of women tell me that they gained almost exactly the same amount of weight with each pregnancy, that trying to make changes like exercising more or eating less were pretty futile, that not only was the amount of weight they gained the same, but the pace at which they gained it and where they gained it was also the same. I'm sure that extremes of eating, such as starving oneself or eating tons of junk food, can have a significant effect on weight gain during pregnancy, but it seems that as long as you fall somewhere in the middle of eating and exercising normally, then your body will gain the amount of weight it wants to.

According to all the books I've read, weight gain during pregnancy for woman of normal starting weight should be about 25-35 pounds, and since I started out pregnancy at the lower end of normal for my height, I thought it would be safe for me to gain at the upper end of that amount. My mother gained 35 pounds while she was pregnant with me. I was sort of assuming I would be about the same. Well, it seems I may even exceed that! Oh well, I guess I should just get used to the idea.

Anyway, enough obsessing about my weight! Moving on...Dr. W felt the top of my uterus and measured its height, which was normal. Unfortunately I didn't have an ultrasound, but he did pull out the doppler to measure Ziggy's heartbeat. I had actually just listened that very morning with my at home doppler, which made it a little anticlimactic to hear it in the office. But it was still very reassuring to hear that familiar whoosh, and it was nice to get an official measure of the heart rate (168 bpm, which wasn't far off from my estimated measurement of 160 bpm that morning).

I had blood taken for the AFP screen (that's the maternal blood test that can identify babies with open neural tube defects) and also for the Quad screen (the maternal blood test that can identify babies with Down syndrome, Trisomy 18, and open neural tube defects), although I'm not 100% sure about that. I sure hope they did both. I probably should have double checked with them, but my scatterbrained pregnant brain didn't think to ask. I suppose the AFP screen is more important for me since I have a family history of neural tube defects (my paternal grandmother has mild spina bifida, which manifests as severe scoliosis and back pain), whereas there's no family history of Down's or mental retardation. I'm also having my TSH level rechecked to make sure I don't need to adjust my dose of Armour Thyroid. They're only supposed to call today if the AFP screen comes back positive or my level of thyroid medication needs to be adjusted.

Other than that, I discussed travel plans with Dr. W. He said it would be fine for me to fly to the wedding in June, and not to worry about the "swine flu," that it should have pretty much run its course by then. He did say I should be especially vigilant about washing my hands and trying to avoid people who seems sick, but those are things I should be doing anyway. When I asked about traveling throughout the pregnancy, he said it should be fine to fly up until the very end, but that I shouldn't take any long car trips after 34 weeks because of the increased risk of blood clots. I was surprised that he thought flying even in the few weeks before my due date would be fine (all the pregnancy books usually say no domestic flying after 36 weeks).

Since most likely AC will be leaving Little Rock to go to Albuquerque sometime in October (although we don't know the exact dates yet or if AC will even finish his training here on time), we've been trying to figure out exactly what I should do if we have to move during the end of my last trimester. Unfortunately AC can't just fly directly to Albuquerque. First he has to drive back to Corpus Christi, since that's still considered his permanent duty station, take care of all the necessary out-processing paperwork, and make decisions about our possessions (what we want shipped to Japan, and what we want put in permanent storage). Then he has to drive to Albuquerque, possibly with a trailer hitched to the car dragging some of our stuff. All in all, I'm guessing it will take him at least 10 days, if not two weeks, to get to Albuquerque.

I'll be 34 weeks as of September 24th, and I really doubt that AC will be done with his training by then and ready to go to Corpus. So the question for us is, since I can't accompany him on the car trip, do I fly to Albuquerque and wait for AC there? I wont have a car, I wont know anyone, including my doctors, I don't know how I'll be able to get to my doctor appointments, I'll be completely alone for two weeks, and basically, it will just suck. Or do I spend those two weeks waiting here in Little Rock and then fly to Albuquerque once AC arrives there? Most of the same problems will still remain. Since we're planning on loaning one of our cars to a military couple (they will probably come here to pick it up sometime this summer), I wont have a car, I wont have any of our stuff because AC will have driven it all to Corpus, and I'll be all alone. The only benefit to remaining here during that time is that I'll know my doctors, but I don't know how I'll be able to get to my appointments without a car.

The final option, and the one I think we're seriously considering, is to have me fly to California to stay with my mom while AC's on the road. Once he gets to Albuquerque, I can either remain in California and deliver there or else fly to join him, depending on my health, what the doctors recommend, and how far along I am in the pregnancy. Albuquerque is at a higher altitude, so that might have a negative effect on my lungs during the third trimester and might be a reason not to go there. Meanwhile the benefits of remaining in California are numerous: the weather and climate agree with my health, I'll have access to my mom's car, I know the area, and quite a few things are within walking distance, I have doctors (especially pulmonary) that know me there and could recommend a good MFM, I have a few friends there that I could spend time with, it would be nice to spend some time with my mom, especially since we'll be leaving for Japan in February...Anyway, really the only disadvantage is that I would be away from AC (of course that's a pretty big disadvantage). He would of course fly to California for the birth and use his 10 days of paternity leave and maybe his saved leave as well to extend his stay. Well, we have a lot to think about and decide. Hopefully as AC's training progresses we'll have a better idea of when he'll be done here.

Anyway, assuming my AFP screen is normal, I return to Dr. W's office on June 18th for my week 20 appointment and for the "big" ultrasound, where we'll get to know the sex (assuming that Ziggy is cooperating of course)! Yay! If we bring a DVD, we can also have the ultrasound recorded. I can hardly wait! Ok, this post has gotten way too long, so I'll stop here. I guess this is what happens when I don't update for a week!

Bump Watch Weeks 15 and 16

Proof that Ziggy and I are growing! Here I am at week 15:



And whoa, here I am at week 16:



I'll post about my week 16 appointment with Dr. W tomorrow. Now I'm off to do what I do best these days, which is eat!

No More Progesterone

Just wanted to share the highlight of my day so far. Dr. W's nurse called to say I should stop the progesterone suppositories since my level is so high (well above 90). So that's it, I'm done! And I just ran out yesterday and was about to go to the pharmacy to pick up the refill when she called, so the timing was perfect. I'm stopping one week earlier than Dr. M would have liked, but given my high numbers, this seems like the right course of action. Yay to no more leakage and having to change my underwear several times a day (sorry if TMI)!

Week 11: In which I make the Acquantaince of Dr. W

A week ago today I had my first appointment with Dr. W, who seems really nice, knowledgeable, and pretty flexible. Even though he didn't agree that I needed to continue the progesterone suppositories and shots until 14 weeks (he says he usually discontinues progesterone supplementation at 10 weeks for his patients), he said I should continue whatever plan Dr. M laid out for me, since he was successful at getting and keeping me pregnant, and we don't want to mess with that. He also didn't agree with me being on Armour Thyroid, but again deferred to Dr. M on that. He did want to measure my level of TSH though, and when it came back low the next day, I was told to halve my dose from 90 mg to 45. I wonder what Dr. M would have to say about that! I'm sure he wouldn't be pleased, but at least they're letting me stay on the Armour Thyroid at all. I always felt like the dose was maybe a little high; plus, my plan is to taper the dose and get off the medication altogether by the time I give birth so I can safely breastfeed.

Hmmm, so what else happened at the visit? I urinated in a cup (not sure what they were measuring there), had my weight taken (up 4 lbs since the last time I was weighed at a doctor's office in November--I don't weight myself at home), had blood drawn, talked to Dr. W and his nurse about my Kartagener's Syndrome (they've actually had a patient like me before, and seem to know what it entails), and best of all, had an ultrasound. This was my first abdominal ultrasound, which was so much more comfortable than the vaginal ones. As soon as the ultrasound started, I saw little Ziggy jumping and bouncing around in my uterus! It was amazing! I didn't realize s/he was already moving so much--I wish I could feel it, but I guess that wont happen for a few more weeks at the earliest. I found the experience of seeing Ziggy moving a lot more powerful and emotional even than hearing the heart beat--it kind of hit me even harder that I really do have a baby inside me that's growing every day.

Anyway, Dr. W said it's a "beautiful baby," which I guess means everything looks good and is where it should be at this stage. He also said there's no sign of bleeding, so I guess it must have reabsorbed! Yay!!! He measured Ziggy three times to try to get a week 11 measurement (since I was exactly 11 weeks at the time), but kept coming up with 10w6d. So Ziggy was measuring a day behind, but Dr. W said it's not a big deal. Even so, I have been worrying about it a little and trying to make sure I eat every few hours. I read in one of my pregnancy books that babies get better nutrition and grow better when you eat frequently, rather than eating a few large meals a day. Plus, I find that I get hungry every few hours, so it seems to be working out.

Dr. W said I should return in 5 weeks when I'm 16 weeks, at which point we'll discuss doing a blood screen for chromosomal abnormalities, so my next appointment is on May 21. I really hope AC can make it, so he can see Ziggy dancing around too! I wanted him to be the there this time, but unfortunately he had a simulator :(

Before I end this post, I also want to update on the progesterone in oil situation. After stressing the whole weekend that I was going to miscarry because my progesterone would drop too low, on Monday I called to ask if they could measure my progesterone just to make sure the level wasn't dropping too low with me just being on the suppositories. The nurse told me that Dr. W didn't see the point in doing the blood test--basically what would we change if the numbers were low? I said I would go back on the shots if absolutely necessary. I also said that Dr. M had wanted my level measured a week after I stopped both forms of progesterone at week 14. She asked what the point of this was, and I told her that he would want me to continue the progesterone for the remainder of the pregnancy if my levels were below 20. This surprised her. She said they didn't have any patients on progesterone for the whole pregnancy, and that in general they no longer do progesterone monitoring since it had not proved clinically useful. She did say that Dr. W was willing to order the test for my peace of mind.

So I'm going in on Monday to have blood drawn, and they should have the results for me on Tuesday. I really hope my progesterone is at a decent level. I wonder if I can convince them to test me again at my next appointment after I discontinue the suppositories in two weeks. They probably already think I'm a difficult patient, but I don't care--better to be difficult than lose a baby, right? I tried to impress on his nurse how different it was to go from an infertility clinic, where you're seen every week and closely monitored, to a regular OB, where you're seen every 4-5 weeks, and they seem to take a much more blase attitude toward things. I also told her several times that the reason I was so insistent on careful monitoring is that if for some reason I lose this baby, I can't just get pregnant on my own in a few months like another women might. I'll have to do IVF all over again (well, fortunately the frozen embryos will make it easier), but it will still involve going back to NY and going through almost everything again. She seemed somewhat sympathetic, but I still got the sense that they view me as a drama queen or something.

Anyway, to end on a positive note, here are the week 12 sonogram pictures of Ziggy:

The Horror of Progesterone in Oil Injections

I've barely been able to walk for the past couple of days. Sitting down takes me about twice as long as it should, with me gingerly easing myself down onto the seat like an old lady (no offense to old ladies, of course, but at the age of 27, I don't really want to be moving like one!). Even lying down is painful, as I try to avoid the most tender spots on my backside, gently flipping from one side to the other to try to find any position that's remotely bearable.

So what exactly has gotten me in to such a pathetic state? It's those dang progesterone in oil shots that Andy has been injecting into my buttocks each evening. They have never been that pleasant, but at least in the beginning they were tolerable. At worse I would develop painful lumps on my butt, which are apparently either pockets of oil or scar tissue. But these past couple of weeks, the shots were getting increasingly uncomfortable with more blood, and it finally got to the point where my entire butt had become so swollen, painful, and slightly numb that I felt temporarily crippled.

Even though Dr. M wanted me to continue both the progesterone shots and suppositories until week 14, I couldn't stand it anymore, and when the nurse from my new doctor's office (Dr. W, who seems great, by the way--I'll post more about him and my first appointment later) called to report on my lab work, I begged her to let me stop the shots and just continue with the suppositories. She said she'd have to consult with someone on that and call me back. Thankfully, when she called, it was with good news--I could discontinue the shots!

My first reaction was relief, but then, being the obsessive worrier that I am, I started to wonder if maybe Dr. M had a good reason for keeping me on both forms of progesterone until week 14, and that maybe I was somehow putting myself at risk of miscarriage by stopping the shots so abruptly. From what I read online, the placenta takes over production of progesterone at about 10 weeks, and most doctors stop progesterone supplementation between 10-12 weeks (I'm 11.5 weeks now, so I fall safely into that range). Some stop it as early as 8, while others go for as long as 14. From my online research, it seems that a lot of women feel nervous about discontinuing the progesterone, and some continue to take it even after their doctor tells them to stop, often slowly tapering the dosage over several weeks. No one had lost a baby from coming off progesterone too soon, which was a relief. I started to calm down a bit, reasoning that I was still going to be on the suppositories until week 14.

But after going for one day without the shot, I started to feel panicky again and, can you believe it, voluntarily gave myself another shot, just to be safe! How crazy am I! I even had to stab myself twice because not all of the oil would go in the first time. AC had already told me the previous day that since I'd been given the okay to stop, he was done, he wasn't going to administer any more shots. Well, I can tell you, that is absolutely the last shot I am doing! After another day of hobbling around in horrible pain, I am done.

So, goodbye progesterone in oil! We'll probably meet again at some point (like when I have my next child), but that wont be for another few years, and hopefully by then my butt will have fully recovered from your pernicious attack!