Sunday, October 21, 2012

35 Weeks

35 Weeks -
5 more weeks to Noelan's due date...
BUT I now have an induction date of 12/19 so 4 more weeks until I go to the hospital! (Unless he decides he's ready to come before then which I will fully embrace now)

Baby's size: - Coconut

Sleep: There's been a few nights this week that I wake up at either 2, 3 or 4am and I feel wide awake but it's way too early to be up for the day. Some nights I'm able to get myself back to sleep within 15 mins or so but then there's others where I just lay there for an hour or two.

Mama's Growth: I've really been slacking with this update - I think part of it has to do with the back and forth of my measurements. I looked up my pre-pregnancy measurements and because I was already overweight it doesn't seem like major changes from then to now but I feel much much bigger!
Total waist growth is 3.5 inches
Total belly growth is 2.5 inches
I had lost an extra 3 pounds on top of the 3 pounds I kept losing and regaining within the last few weeks and have been currently been losing and regaining those pounds as well.
Overall weight gain from the beginning of my pregnancy to now (with current fluctuation) is between 11-15 pounds.

Food cravings: I can't wait for yummy thanksgiving food - looking forward to mama's 7-layer salad (which is actually low in carbs yay!!!!) and all the other carb filled foods that I'll space throughout the day.

Symptoms I have: back pain (sciatica) and I guess a mild case of insomnia, some pelvic pressure

Doctor’s Appointments:

Dr. Foehr - Today's Appointment: Everything was on track as usual and I asked a few questions on what he would recommend with the gestational diabetes & when to induce if Noelan doesn't come on his own like my other boys. He told me it would be best to induce at 39 weeks to make sure his weight is down and everything. Still very close to the due date but less risks than if I waited until 40+ weeks.
It'll be exactly one week before the due date he had for me. I was concerned that getting induced before my due date would cause complications and higher risk of having a c-section after going through labor and my body not cooperating and he assured me that because I've already had 3 successful VBs that it will be completely fine as long as no other complications come up.
So Noelan's birthday will be either 12/19 or 12/20 depending on how long my labor lasts. (Again that's if he doesn't come before then)
Now onto my next part of planning and figuring out what I'm going to do with the older boys while I'm at the hospital and the following day getting them to school and home & taken care of. Oh & I just realized that I was picturing driving myself to the hospital but then Tim won't have the truck...well I guess he could always get dropped off at the hospital. Oh man it's starting to feel really real! Deep breaths. Everything will be worked out.

Next Appointment: We're starting weekly checkups now so 11/27

Maternal Fetal Medicine(Sono/GD) -
I had written a whole long thing about this appointment last Thursday but it didn't save so we'll see how it comes out the second time around. Sigh...

I was waiting to write about this because I needed time to process on my own and wasn't looking forward to lots of opinions all at once while it was so fresh. Most of you all know that the couple of days leading up to my appointment I started getting high fasting numbers again even with strict diet and exercise. Going into the appointment I was feeling upset and defeated. What really put me over the edge was that besides waking up with yet another high fasting number, I went over my after breakfast number for the first time when I've never ever went over and I'm usually really low throughout the whole day.
I didn't know what to expect but at that point in my head I was ready to embrace being put on some sort of medication to help regulate my levels in the morning so I wouldn't have to continually be stressed out and feel like I had to be doing something wrong. I had ate a regular breakfast that I've eaten many times before & never had a problem. That was definitely the tipping point for me.
When I got there they checked my weight and blood pressure & they had to recheck my blood pressure. I went back and had a quick sonogram by the technician. The doctor came in and she did her own quick sonogram and we started talking about my glucose levels. She asked how I was doing and feeling with it and commented how I had been doing so good before the past few days and then it started going back up. I expressed my frustration and finally had a meltdown right in the room with her and the other technician (who was nice and brought me tissues haha) I talked about how I can't figure out what I'm doing wrong and she assured me that I wasn't doing anything wrong. I can't remember all she said but she explained about how as pregnancy progresses with gestational diabetes the pregnancy hormones prevent the insulin from doing its job and it can get more resistant. She asked if I had thought about the insulin and what I was feeling about that, and I said I didn't want to do it at first but at this point if it would help my numbers and reduce the stress and anxiousness I felt every morning because I didn't know what else I could do on my own. I talked about how the price of my co-payments are already crazy and I have to go once a week - I didn't want to add medicine on top of it. She asked how much it was to get my test strips & needles for my glucose monitor and I said $10. She said it sounded like I had a decent prescription plan and the medicine should be around the same price. At that point I felt like $10 or even more at that point and the inconvenience of giving myself a shot was worth peace of mind and knowing that my body would have what it needed and that it would help me & Noelan for the remainder of the pregnancy. I still have to diet and exercise as usual but at least my numbers match up to where they should be. I then had my non-stress test and even though he was moving so much during the sonogram he stopped moving once I was hooked up to the monitors so they gave me some cold water to get him moving again. Once I was done with that I went to see the diabetes counselor. She reviewed my numbers and commented on how great they were the week before. I showed her my notebook that logged my days and the final carb count and exercise for the past few days and she said it was absolutely perfect even though my glucose numbers were still high so she could understand my feelings of frustration. She asked if I had made the final decision about the insulin and I said I did but I still had questions. I asked her about a pill medication that I had heard about and she explained that it was one of two types that are usually prescribed for gestational diabetes but she had never seen the Dr. prescribe the pill I was asking about. She said any medication that you take orally can get to the baby but it doesn't mean that it would be harmful. She said they recommend the insulin because that would only go to me. At that point I officially agreed to do it and se taught me how to set it up & use it. She showed me once and then had me practice on a little plastic pad. She then got the prescriptions for me and I got them from the Target Pharmacy for $10. $5 for the insulin that will last me the remainder of the pregnancy because I'm on such a low dose and $5 for 100 needles/syringes.

Next Appointment is tomorrow 11/21
And every Wednesday morning until Noelan comes

Movement: He's still a mover

Gender: Baby BOY!!! :)

Names: Noelan Chase

What I’m looking forward to: Besides Noelan finally coming, Thanksgiving :)

What I miss: "normal" pregnancies haha

Events of the week: besides the appointments mentioned, the church distributed Thanksgiving baskets to families on Sunday and we had a potluck when people got back. Monday I took Josh to the dentist in the morning & it took so long so I ended up keeping him home the remainder of the day. It was also my brother's birthday so we went over to have dinner with him and my parents.

34 Weeks

34 Weeks -
6 more weeks to Noelan's due date!

Baby's size: - Butternut Squash

Sleep: I'm starting to wake up at least once a night again to go to the bathroom. I've actually enjoyed the time change this Fall because I'm wide awake right before 7am now and that extra hour in the morning feels like it makes a huge difference...although by 10am I'm feeling like I could take a nap haha. I've been going to bed around 10:30-11pm which is much earlier than I was used to.

Mama's Growth:

Food cravings: Everything bad for me: Mmmmm like cookie dough ice cream in between two chewy chocolate chip oatmeal cookies, topped with whipped cream & a side of chocolate candy hahaha - but I haven't indulged those cravings

Symptoms I have: I get really tired waves throughout the day, my waddle is increasing on different days because of the back pain & pressure haha & ouch!

Doctor’s Appointments:
Nothing New to Report Yet

Dr. Foehr - 11/20

Sono/G.Diabetes - 11/15

Movement: Yep yep

Gender: Baby BOY!!! :)

Names: Noelan Chase

What I’m looking forward to: Thanksgiving

What I miss: Ice Cream

Events of the week: Obama won a second term as President of the USA, Caleb started his first official piano lessons as an enrolled student at Rock & Roll University, Mary & the boys slept over because they were still without power and heat when it started snowing like crazy for 2 days, NY started odd & even gas up days to hopefully reduce the long lines at the gas stations. (We can go on the even days) Jeremiah's birthday party was on Saturday & Joshua's was on Sunday so we got to spend lots of family tome together. (and Debbie, Ben & Sam came down from NH to celebrate with Josh & that was so great!) We also led worship for the last time for a while until Noelan gets here and we adjust to our new addition. Ben & Sam hung out on Monday with the boys because there were in town and out of school because of Veteran's Day...& that's the recap!

33 Weeks

33 Weeks -
7 more weeks to Noelan's due date!

Baby's size: - Durian Fruit...whatever that is :)

Sleep: Not too bad

Mama's Growth: Nothing changed from last week.

Food cravings: I went through a day after having some of Joshua's ice cream cake that all I wanted was sugar again. I was in denial with the gestational diabetes because my numbers have been so low but it made it feel really real. It's been harder this week. I thought I was getting the swing of things and had a healthy lunch one day but didn't realize that I had tripled my carb allowance and I had a 135 reading when it should've been 130 or lower. I have to go back to measuring everything, looking at every label and even looking up the carbs in fruits and veggies. This is not fun.

Symptoms I have: My back pain has lessened in the beginning of the week but it came back full force towards the end. I also had a headache a few days ago that reminded me of when I had them all the time in the beginning of my pregnancy. It lasted for hours (at least 10+ even with tylenol) and I felt it from my eye sockets to my temples, my neck and shoulders....all on top of my lower back pain. Those areas still feel sore & tense days later.

Doctor’s Appointments:

Diabetes Counselor -
Next Appointment: will be linked up with my sonogram check ups and I have to start going once a week :(
Boo that $40 co payment!!
Today's Appointment: She was happy with my numbers throughout the day but my fasting numbers haven't been good. She said I need to definitely exercise every day even if its walking in place for 1/2 hour in the living room and see what happens this week with my fasting numbers in the morning.

Sono/Dr. El Kady -
Next Appointment: 11/15
Today's Appointment: She said that everything was looking great. He's not too big right now, measuring right on track at around 4lbs! :) I had a 4D sonogram for the first time today and it was beautiful! I kept giggling which kept messing up the picture on the screen because it would move my belly. I saw him smile and move his hands. I loved it!
Dr. El Kady went over my glucose readings the past week and a half & she said if nothing changes with my morning fasting readings then I need to start shooting insulin before bed or take a pill :( but if I do the pill then some goes to the baby so I def don't want to do that. I'm so ready for him to just come out now with all these things stressing me out...(which is another thing that can raise glucose levels haha) but he still has more growing to do so I'm going to do everything I can to keep him healthy and growing strong until it's time.

Dr. Foehr -
Next Appointment: 11/20
Today's Appointment: Again, everything was looking great, belly measurement, urine, blood pressure, Noelan's heartbeat, & the sonogram results that they had just faxed over to him from early this morning at the perfect time. He encouraged me to do the exercise and said only 15% of people who do what they need to do will still have to be put on insulin and not to worry or stress out.


Movement: Even during the sono he was spinning around and moving his arms and legs but he's head down (for now anyway)

Gender: Baby BOY!!! :)

Names: Noelan Chase

What I’m looking forward to: Family Filled weekend ahead! And Thanksgiving just around the corner :)

What I miss: NOT carb counting

Events of the week: We stayed home and inside the majority of the week because of the craziness of hurricane Sandy. It was much more safe that way with the power lines down, street lights out and just stressed & intense people driving on the roads (especially during the weekend when there was a shortage of gas and 3+hour long waits for gas stations that had enough) The boys ended up having a full week off (and then some) of school so we just hung out. We headed to the outlets with Laura and Lila on Wednesday but most of the stores ran out of candy by the time we got there. We then headed to her apartment complex and the kids hit the jackpot on candy and even little toys (like cars and glow sticks) They had a great time & I got my walking in. We didn't do anything for Joshua's birthday (especially because we were trying to conserve gas) so he made YouTube videos and I made him some of his favorite foods throughout the day. We sang & ate ice cream cake and he went to bed a lot earlier than usual. (He woke up the next day feeling under the weather) Tim started building the garden on the days he couldn't go into work. It's coming along nicely and should be complete just in time to plant at the end of winter. He only worked 2 days at the end of the week and on Saturday he went to help gut a house where there was flood damage. I used some of the indoor time to organize and find a place to put Noelan's things. I cleaned out the closet across from the bathroom as well. Jerzy & Dorothy came over to see Josh for his birthday Saturday evening and we ate pizza and talked for a little while. Sunday we hung out with Mary & the boys because unfortunely they still didn't have power or heat :( & Monday was another mellow day with the kids home from school. I did a little of my own "home schooling" with them for a couple of hours to break up the day. And then I had the 3 appointments this morning brought the boys to the park & voted all before 1pm! Pretty productive :) And I still have a full afternoon and evening ahead of me.

Thursday, October 18, 2012

32 Weeks

32 Weeks -
8 more weeks to Noelan's due date!

Baby's size: - Squash

Sleep: I've been so tired this week so any sleep has felt good and I haven't gotten up too much during the night

Mama's Growth: I re-lost the 3 pounds AGAIN. I'm sure it's going to just keep fluctuating especially with the diet I'm on. I kept forgetting to measure my stomach the last few weeks but I did this week and I gained an inch from when I wrote it down around 10 weeks ago. I added the top to bottom measurement so I'll see how that changes as I near the end.

Food cravings: Not too much with the new diet plan surprisingly. It hasn't even felt like a diet although I would like to not have to think or count carbs. I don't feel deprived. BUT Chocolate would be amazing!

Symptoms I have: Same as usual

Doctor’s Appointments: I went to straighten out my insurance issues last Thursday morning and was able to see the diabetes counselor while I was there. She gave me a lot of information which I had pretty much learned from talking to my friend Lindsay the day before. It was nice knowing what to expect. When I went for my 3 hour glucose test my fasting glucose number was 103 which is above the 90 they wanted it. My 1 hour was over 200 which is not good at all and then the 2 & 3 hour went down but I still ended at 103. I've been put on a low carb, high protein diet. The counselor set me up with a test monitor and taught be how to check my glucose levels since I have to do it 4x a day: right when I get up, an hour after breakfast, lunch & dinner. I have to eat 3 small snacks a day also. The diet definitely seems doable because I had already been trying to be aware of what I was eating the majority of the time - I would just also have munchy days but I can't do that anymore. My breakfast & snacks have to be under 15-30 grams of carbs each meal & my lunch & dinner should be between 45-60 grams.

I was supposed to have my follow up appointment this morning but because of Hurricane Sandy, it got moved to next Tuesday morning

Dr. Foehr - Next Appointment is next Tuesday as well in the early afternoon 11/6.

Sono - My sono appointment got moved to next week as well.

I have to go back around 35-36 weeks for the non-stress test to follow up with the gestational diabetes.

Movement: Definitely a lot and as much as I love it and am still amazed, it can be painful especially when he's leaning on my bladder.

Gender: Baby BOY!!! :)

Names: Noelan Chase

What I’m looking forward to: Joshua's birthday on Friday, Jeremiah's birthday party, family in town in a couple of weeks, Thanksgiving...

What I miss: Not having to prick my finger 4x a day

Events of the week: Getting acquainted with my Accu-Chek and starting my eating plan. A bunch of appointments. I signed up Caleb for piano because he was the only one that was definitely sure he wanted to continue learning and putting the work into practicing. Evan said he'd rather have someone he knew teach him drums so I'll have to figure that out and Josh is on the fence on whether he wants to continue with voice lessons although each time he went he really enjoyed it. Sunday we had a harvest party at church and the boys had such a great time. We went for an early dinner at J&R steakhouse to celebrate Joshua's birthday early with my parents and Dan.
And of course, Hurricane Sandy. I can't even believe how crazy the damage was all over. I'm even more in awe that it seemed to pass over us. Definitely could be because of where we live but people we know down the block lost power and our neighbors lost their fence. The night before Caleb prayed so matter of factly: "since you control the universe, can You put a force field around our house from the storm" and I truly believe that was definitely part of our protection.


Monday, October 15, 2012

31 Weeks

31 Weeks -
9 more weeks to Noelan's due date!

Baby's size: - Pineapple

Sleep: It hasn't been horrible and I'm trying to get as much as possible even though I know I can't bank my sleep for after Noelan is here :) That would be awesome though

Mama's Growth: I kept those 3 pounds that I gained last week but didn't add any more this week. So I'm up a total of 16lbs. Dr. Foehr again said my stomach is measuring exactly where it should be.

Food cravings: Still sweets this week

Symptoms I have: Really really bad back pain & the return of indigestion

Doctor’s Appointments:

3 hour Glucose - I FAILED :( I have to go to the the place I get my sonograms to have more testing and I'll be put on a diet. Except I have to work out my insurance issues so I'll be heading there Thursday before next Tuesday's appointment. That will determine if I stay there or have to find a new place.

Dr. Foehr - Today's Appointment he said everything is going great despite my failed glucose test. Blood pressure, urine test, weight gain & heartbeat all were good. I asked about my back pain and just what I thought its sciatica. He said unfortunately there's nothing I can do more than Tylenol (which does nothing for me) and a heat pack. I also asked about the pelvic pain and he said that's just going to get more intense as the baby gets bigger and drops and to make sure I take it easy and rest as much as possible. We talked about how all 3 boys were induced and I asked him how long after my due date would he wait. He said anytime after 39 weeks as I'm ready then we'll get it going. I told him I want to try and get through Christmas at least which would bring me to 40 weeks. It would still be nice to experience going into labor on my own but I totally wouldn't be upset about getting induced again especially if it was a day or 2 after Christmas. So we'll see what happens from here to there.

Next Appointment 11/6

Sono - 10/30 (pending insurance details)

Movement: It's starting to get really uncomfortable & painful at times & I can see my stomach move all the time now when he's flipping around in there. I'm wondering if I'm starting to feel Braxton Hicks as well because some of the times my stomach feels really hard.

Gender: Baby BOY!!! :)

Names: Noelan Chase

What I’m looking forward to: Date with Tim tomorrow night, celebrating Joshua's birthday early with my dad because he'll be away on business. Joshua's actual birthday, Thanksgiving and the yummy food I can't wait to eat :) (oh crap I wonder how this diet is going to affect my Thanksgiving splurging) November is going to fly!!

What I miss: Friends & Family

Events of the week: First Music Lessons, Evan won an award for his fire safety poster, cleaned & organized my room (still not 100% but sooo much better than its been), picked up the crib, set up the crib, packed my hospital bag. It feels great checking things off my list!

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

30 Weeks

30 Weeks -
10 week countdown to 40 weeks!!

Baby's size: - Cucumber

Sleep: I'm starting to wake up about twice a night, either for a drink or bathroom run. It's getting a little less comfortable finding a position to sleep in.

Mama's Growth: I gained 3 pounds this week. I'm guessing it was my carb loading before my 3 hour glucose test. I wouldn't be surprised if it goes away next week once I eat regularly again.

Food cravings: Chicken Divan &
Those carb loading days messed me up because I keep wanting sugar and carb filled things now.

Symptoms I have: a few days I had a lot of pelvic pressure and it got me a little nervous. I tried to take it easy and hydrate myself because I remember with one of my boys I had to go to the hospital because of pain and it was jut dehydration. I guess with the cooler weather I have to remember to keep drinking. I'm also getting really tired again.

Doctor’s Appointments:

3 hour Glucose - I still haven't gotten the results yet... I really hope everything turns out okay. I brought Evan to my appointment and it was good for both of us. He got 3 hours of undivided mommy time (minus the 4 times I had to get my blood taken) and his company made the time fly by for me.

Dr. Foehr - Next week, 10/23

Sono - 10/30 but I have to sort out insurance issues before I know if I'm going to keep the appointment or have to find a new place for my ultrasounds.

Movement: He's a little breakdancer

Gender: Baby BOY!!! :)

Names: Noelan Chase

What I’m looking forward to: Getting my room cleaned and organized - I really need to get that done now that the living room and kitchen are back in functioning order!

What I miss: a clean room haha
It's the first room to get turned upside down when I'm trying to keep the other rooms straightened up because everything gets thrown in there.

Events of the week: Hosting a young adult group at our house last Tuesday, Dealing with insurance (to be continued), Setting up music lesson appointments for the boys, Melissa for dinner, Fishing w/ my parents and Dan for Evan's belated birthday present, Rocky & Sofia's Birthday party, Dentist appointments & Painting the hallway so we could take the paper off the hallway floor. It was quite a busy week!

Tuesday, October 2, 2012

29 Weeks

29 Weeks

Baby's size: - Acorn Squash

Sleep: Not too bad

Mama's Growth: Dr. Foehr said according to his chart I've only gained 9 pounds (I have it down as about 12-13 pounds) and he'd like to see me gain more but the baby will take what's needed and not to stress. He added that I'm measuring right on track on my belly from bottom to top. Even though every now and then I try to use the "My Fitness Pal" app to keep in the habit of tracking what I'm eating, I don't put a limit on myself at all. For example, yesterday I made chocolate chip banana bread and had four pieces...and THEN I baked an apple pie and ate that after dinner with vanilla ice cream and homemade whipped cream. Is that the best thing for me to be doing? No. Do I eat like that every day? No. But I'm in no way dieting. I do notice that some days I get fuller more quickly then usual so I stop eating when I used to be able to eat a lot more.

Food cravings: I've been in the baking mood - I guess it's the autumn weather that's kicking in. Haven't made everything that I'm in the mood for but I have a list :)

Symptoms I have: Indigestion in the evenings and I definitely feel the beginning stages of where it starts to get uncomfortable

Doctor’s Appointments:

Dr. Foehr - Today's Appointment: He told me today that I passed the preliminary glucose test but when he looked at the final results I failed :( So I have to take the 3 hour test on Friday morning :( He recommended eating a candy bar (carb load) for the 3 days leading up to it before fasting overnight. I'm going to try it and hope that it helps. He said I should be fine because I never had problems with my other boys but if I do fail again then I'll be having a lot more appointments and sonos. I'm already at the stage of pregnancy where I have to go every other week! Noelan's heartbeat sounded great and strong :) I love that sound.

Glucose: 10/12

Next Appointment: 10/23

Sono - 10/30

Movement: All the time now - especially when he gets the hiccups.

Gender: Baby BOY!!! :)

Names: Noelan Chase

What I’m looking forward to: Getting my room and the crib all set up, Joshua's birthday and Thanksgiving...that's all November though

What I miss: Friends & Family

Events of the week: Lots of errands but overall pretty mellow week. Brought Evan to his 6 month dental checkup and he's all clear for the next 6 months. I have to bring Josh & Caleb next.