37 weeks and the count down is on -- also a baby pool!

Baby pool link in case you want to weigh  in on dates.  You have like 9 to choose from -- I made this easy for you!  Baby Pool Guessing!

So we are here at 37+5 weeks and the count down is onto delivery.  It is NEXT week.  I repeat, NEXT week! 

So the induction plan changed just slightly. I have the best midwives caring for me and the baby.  (I call her the baby because she doesn't have a name yet.  Picking out baby names is so hard y'all!)  The plan is now to go in late Thursday night and have a cervical ripener placed then go to sleep and see what happens.  If we are lucky, this will go a head and kick start labor and pitocin can be avoided or at least used minimally. If not, then we start Pitocin Friday morning (March 6) and have a baby!

I went to the Midwife on Monday just for a check up. But as I was going to the office, I noticed that baby shark hadn't moved all morning which is not like her.  They did an NST and it took them a while to find her heartbeat.  All sorts of thoughts ran through my head.  How would I make that phone call?  What would I say?  They finally did find her heart beat but it sounded so far away -- not the usual sound on the monitors.  On my left side, she wasn't moving and her heart beat, at 150, was not fluctuating like they like to see, they call it "flat"  just that its consistently the same heart rate rather than going up with movement.  They turned me over after 20 minutes to my right side and she perked right up but I was nervous and the midwife looked a bit concerned too.  After that they did the fundal measurement which is about 1-2 weeks bigger than the week we are.  Then she pulled out a hand held ultrasound and checked her position.  She is floating really high, not engaged.  She also is kinda sideways-ish.  Just the night before, she was breech - I could tell from the hiccups being at the top of my stomach.  She also had her spine to my spine and her feet, legs and arms were in the front of my stomach which explains why it was so hard to find her heartbeat -- with the trunk of her body away from the front of my stomach, there was no large body part to measure her heart beat on.  All is good but I am spending a lot of time on all 4s to try to get her to turn around and settle in my pelvis better.  I am having really tight round ligaments as well as another ligament in my pelvis which I think is pulling my pelvis out of shape -- no baby wants to be in the pelvis crooked, so they find the path of least resistance -- either breech or transverse usually.  She is currently head into my right hip bone -- not centered. Hopefully she is getting the memo that the easiest way out is head down facing my tailbone.  Lets make this easy on both of us baby shark!

Also, the dads and grandma will be in on Thursday afternoon - the day before the big day and are staying in an Air BNB close by the hospital so Rowan can rest and get energy out until the time comes to meet her sister! It will be nice for them to have a homebase close by.

What if I go into labor before that?  Well that is a real possibility.  With this being #6, it could happen any time now.  I am crossing my fingers and legs that everything is fine and we make it to next Friday.  That would be most ideal.  If we don't, we do have a plan in place.  Also, I will be nursing the baby in the hospital and pumping at home like last time.  This time I will be shipping milk on an airplane via Southwest Cargo. 




So where am I for my current mood, attitude towards birth etc.  I am tired.  I am sore.  I don't feel like doing anything like cooking dinner or cleaning but I am bored from sitting around. I am taking it easy right now trying to make it to next Friday so I am spending a lot of time on the couch - but I am not one to sit and binge watch TV.

 I am seriously nervous about delivery.  I have beaten the odds with a really good pregnancies and deliveries -- will I keep beating the odds? I have seen surrogates DIE after delivery. I have seen surrogates lose babies as late as 35 wks in my cycling groups. I have seen many deliver early -- too early for baby to survive.  I have seen hemorrhaging problems after delivery.  I know I was chosen because I am healthy and have healthy pregnancies, but there is still that nagging voice in my head that something could go wrong.  There is no reason for me to think that it will, but the voice is still there.  Hush little voice, this one will be like the others, beautiful and healthy!

Here's the belly photos I haven't updated.

How far along?  37+5
Total weight gain/measurements: 36 lbs from start of meds until now - the most yet Argh!
Maternity clothes: Well... those aren't even fitting right now lol
Stretch marks? Yes - for the first pregnancy really. I have a lot this time!
Sleep: I think this baby is getting me ready for pumping with all of the up and down I am doing at night now
Best moment this week: I think it will be Friday when husband and i have date night!
Movement: Insane uncomfortable movements
Food cravings: Scallops and macaroons
Anything making you queasy or sick? eating
Gender: Little Girl
Labor signs: Lots of Braxton Hicks contractions
Symptoms: Terrible ankle and leg swelling, heart burn, acid reflux, everything hurts.
Wedding rings on or off? Been off for a while
Happy or moody most of the time? A little bit of both
Miss anything yet? sleeping, margaritas, tied shoes, putting clothes on and taking them off with ease
Looking forward to:Delivery day!

Almost 34 weeks

It has been 10 weeks since I last posted.  I am tired.  Flat out exhausted. 

I just wanted to do a quick update. 

At almost 34 weeks, I am having extra beats in my heart that take away my breath. Been to theER  Still having bad headaches.  But really, everything else is going as planned.  Baby went from 50th percentile to 30th percentile for the growth scan at 32 weeks.  Looks like she will be a nice little peanut! 

Aside from that, we are looking at being induced on 3/6 if she stays put that long.  I opted for induction due to planability!  But as everyone knows, babies make their own plans sometimes. 

We seem to have a lot of things together.  Working on opening my account to ship milk on Southwest Cargo.  We have a plan for the birth and when everyone is coming.  I got my labor gown.  Starting to get my bag packed.  We also have back up plans for some aspects of the plan.

Some photos of sweet girl during the growth scan.  We didn't get a lot of great photos -- she had her hand up by her face the whole time!  She is head down and has been for some time so keeping my fingers crossed that she stays put!

And some belly photos that I haven't posted

How far along?   33+4
Total weight gain/measurements:  Don't want to talk about it
Maternity clothes: I need more leggings. I have 2 pairs of leggings and two pairs of jeans.  Lame choices of clothes right now -- I did buy some jogger sweatpants that I am enjoying.
Stretch marks? Nothing new
Sleep: Not so good -- Heart palpitations wake me up as well as numbness/burning in my left thigh. It hurts to sleep now
Best moment this week: Probably having Nonnie come! 
Movement: All of the time
Food cravings: Scallops -- weird one.  Nonnie bought some and made them for me. I couldn't stop talking about them.
Anything making you queasy or sick? Not particularly
Gender: Girl
Labor signs: Of Braxton Hicks
Symptoms: Bad swelling from ankles to knees
Wedding rings on or off?About to have to take my pregnancy wedding band off because my hands are swelling
Happy or moody most of the time?Currently Moody
Miss anything yet? Margaritas and getting dressed with ease
Looking forward to: See above

24 weeks -- Long overdue update

So even with me saying "I will do better updating the blog this time", I have not done better!  We are almost 25 wks now and time is flying by. 

This is a huge photo dump of the past almost 8 wks.

Right after the last update, my family went on a cruise to Bermuda.  It was a blast.  Lots of food.  Lots of sun.  And lots of Fun!

Immediately after returning (and I do mean within a few hours!), I  met E&C and Rowan at the hospital for our big ultrasound!  It was so great seeing them after several months and it had been more than a year since I had seen Rowan! 

Baby girl Shark is still a girl!  Everything looked great at this ultrasound and we took a tour of Labor & Delivery so we could be prepared when the time comes!  The rooms there are awesome -- laboring jetted tubs in every room plus if you want water birth, they set up a birthing pool! 

Next up, I took a trip to see Melissa (aka crying doula) and her family for sweet S's first birthday!  Time with friends is never enough but I am so glad I was able to make it for such a big day for their family!
 

And now, its the holidays and we have had a ton of snow.  One storm with 17 inches, a smaller one with only 4 inches and now we got another storm yesterday of somewhere around 12 inches.  We also went up to Rocky Mountain National park for a day trip with the family and had a surprise visit from Nonnie as well as celebrated the Marine Corps Birthday!  Maybe all of this will explain why I am such a slacker with the blog!  I guess you could say, I never stop!

Now for belly photos -- I lost a few weeks of them since my phone new phone just up and died on me -- but I assure you, I have lived every minute of these last few weeks and don't always have great stories to tell of it lol!

And now the last note -- yesterday i went to another Ultrasound with MFM for a fetal echocardiogram -- Baby girl is doing well and is about 1lb7oz, measuring lovely at 29% and everything looks super healthy for her!  My next appointment, I will go in before hand and have my glucose screening done as well as a full iron panel to see how my 6 times a day supplementation is doing for my low ferritin. 

How far along?  24w6d
Total weight gain/measurements: 21 lbs 😳 Not something I like to talk about but the doctors aren't concerned- This pregnancy might be the most gained yet
Maternity clothes: Yep - firmly in those!
Stretch marks? Not yet
Sleep:  Last night I was awake from 1am-430am  It was a rough night for insomnia and I am feeling it today
Best moment this week: Tomorrow when we get to go to the cousin's for Thanksgiving dinner!
Movement: All the time - my husband felt her crazy movements the other night on accident
Food cravings: Right now, nothing. I feel nauseous
Anything making you queasy or sick? Nothing with any rhyme or reason -- nausea still comes on strong quickly
Gender: Little Girl
Labor signs: No - But I do have frequent Braxton Hicks
Symptoms: Round ligament pain reared its ugly head consistently this week - trying stretches and using a belly support band now
Wedding rings on or off? Pregnancy band on -- I have one dedicated to just pregnancy but I cannot wear my fancy set now
Happy or moody most of the time? I fly off the handles easily.  Little patience
Miss anything yet? Last pregnancy, it was margaritas, this time its beer
Looking forward to: Taking a nap this afternoon

17 wks

Not a huge update but we are at 17 wks.

I went to the midwife again this week for my regular check up and to get a statement for travel for our cruise!  Nothing new was really discussed at the appointment aside from considering a different iron supplement because the iron is making me feel sooo bad. I am hoping that this new supplement will help me feel good on the cruise!

Other than that, everything is going well!

A possible answer to headaches and fatigue

So we are pushing on 17 wks now!  Yay for that but boo for me feeling really bad these last few weeks. I just haven't felt like getting on the computer and doing much of anything.

First -- Let's talk about how Rowan is going to have a SISTER!!! The guys are super excited to have another girl but realized that this means they will be paying for TWO weddings now 😆
  
Since pregnancy started, I have been having horrific several day headaches.  Last weekend, I got a headache that woke me up in the middle of the night Thursday.  By Friday morning, the pain was searing and I was totally debilitated and didn't move from the couch for 24 hours except to refill my water and use the bathroom.  It continued into Saturday and finally I contacted the midwives.  They called in a new medicine but wanted me to go to the ER to get checked out but I insisted that my BP was normal and that it was just a headache.  I didn't want to be drugged up and sent home.  The headache lessened by Saturday evening but was right back on Sunday morning.  Finally, by Monday, I had the semblance of a normal person again.  The headache reappeared on Saturday of this weekend and Sunday.  Many of the medicines they have suggested do nothing for the headaches.

They have me on Vitamin D, Magnesium, B2 and now... iron.  I went to the midwife on Tuesday and they checked my ferritin level.  Ferritin is indicative of your iron reserves.  Mine is quite low and now I am on a high dose of iron twice a day.  The iron is tearing up my stomach and many of the easier to digest alternatives are not high enough of a dose for my ferritin level.  I have vomited more in the last week since I started the iron supplements than I have this entire pregnancy.  It has been a rough few weeks but I am hoping the iron will make my head feel better and I can go on a lower dose soon but increasing iron takes time. I have switched to liquid iron as it supposedly is easier to digest but it tastes like I am drinking blood, even when mixed in vitamin C rich juice so I have to choke it down.  Low ferritin is not the same as having anemia.  Though many of the symptoms are the same.  The rest of my blood work is normal but my iron reserves are being used instead of the more recent ingestion of iron.  The low ferritin causes nausea, vomiting, fatigue, headaches and fainting.  All of which I have experienced this pregnancy.  Multiple pregnancies and nursing close together can cause low ferritin levels in women.  The good news, we caught it early enough that it shouldn't be a problem for delivery.  Not correcting it can cause bleeding issues during delivery and pre-eclampsia during pregnancy. If I cannot tolerate the oral supplements or they are not increasing my ferritin levels, then likely a iron infusion would be indicated. 

Here are the 3 missing bump photos from the last few weeks:

Maternity clothes: I pulled them all out and washed them and sorted them and I am wearing a few things.  The side panel Old Navy pants are most comfortable. Just bought more long sleeved shirts for our Colorado winters.
Stretch marks? No 

Sleep:  It has been rough with my constant headaches and nausea
Best moment this week:  We went to two Brewers Baseball games at Coors Field
Movement:  Yep, been feeling her moving for a few weeks

Food cravings: No cravings, just lack of appetite with feeling bad.
Labor signs: Too Early
Symptoms: Fatigue, nausea, just overall funk (Same as last week) and add faintness every now and then (Same answer from before)
Wedding rings on or off? My expensive set is feeling tight
Happy or moody most of the time? This week I have been happy most of the time as long as I am not feeling bad
Miss anything yet? Still Margaritas (Probably will be this answer until 40 wks!)
Looking forward to:  Bermuda cruise in less than 2 wks

He or She -- What will baby shark be?

So the news is here!  One of the hardest things I have done during this pregnancy is move from my people: My doulas Melissa & Courtney and my photographer Julie.  Of course these ladies are more than just their professional title, but their title and professional expertise is important to this journey.  Every pregnancy, Julie has done a gender reveal for me.  The first was a video with me in it, pouring the pink tea to signify Aggie.  The second was pink or blue bubble gum and bubbles and I blew a gigantic pink bubble for Rowan.  When I messaged her last week asking for her professional creative spirit, she came up with something fun!  A big thank you to Julie & Mark with Seven Rising Studio for making this possible.  What would a gender reveal for Melanie be without Julie being the creator?  Boring, nonexistent, a text that says "It's a ...."

Without further ado...

Gender Reveal for Baby Shark


^^Click that link!^^

We are all super excited for the results! 💓

Is baby a boy or girl? Read more about this in this post!

So we don't know yet, but we will soon -- read more about this later!

I was 13 wks on Friday and I am starting to see the clouds clearing in my funky feeling first trimester. I sent a message to the dads saying "Happy Second Trimester!" except I am so out of touch with pregnancy anymore that I didn't realize that the second trimester started at the END of the 13th week. LOL

I had some bleeding again over the weekend last weekend and went to the midwife on Tuesday once they opened after the holiday.  Baby Shark looks great.  Measuring right on track and a heart beat of 164.  Baby was moving and grooving and just making it hard to measure him/her during the ultrasound.  They did discover that I have an SCH (a bleed like last time) with a measurement of 2.7x1.9x3.6cm.  It definitely is not a huge bleed like I may have had with Rowan -- So that is good.  But I also have a low lying placenta/borderline partial previa.  I am not overly concerned with this yet -- it is still so early and it as the uterus grows, the placenta should go up the wall of the uterus.  However, should it not move, that could complicate things like delivery later resulting in a cesarean.  They will look into it again at our anatomy scan just to make sure it is moving up!

Here are some photos of baby shark from the ultrasound.

This one cracks me up -- looks like the baby is smoking a pipe or flicking the camera off!

Baby is looking more like a baby!

Baby foot!

Back of baby's head with arms up above head!

After that appointment on Tuesday, I had to head back to the Maternal Fetal Medicine doctor for another quick ultrasound for genetic screening.  Everything again looked good at that ultrasound including the nuchal translucency measurements.  They also ordered a blood genetic screening which means we will know if baby shark is a he or she any day now!  So if you are looking for an ultra cool announcement -- it is coming -- next post will be a gender reveal!