Lisa stopped by when Annabeth was a couple of weeks old to meet the little one she helped to stay put. "Thanks" will never be enough, but I'll say it again anyway... Thank you, Lisa!!
Showing posts with label pregnancy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label pregnancy. Show all posts
Friday, September 16, 2011
Thank You Lisa
My pregnancy with Annabeth would not have been the same without the special help of my new friend Lisa. Lisa is a nurse and she came to our house almost every week for 20 weeks to give me my 17-P shots. She did this out of the kindness of her heart saving us lots of money and, more importantly, time!
Lisa stopped by when Annabeth was a couple of weeks old to meet the little one she helped to stay put. "Thanks" will never be enough, but I'll say it again anyway... Thank you, Lisa!!
Lisa stopped by when Annabeth was a couple of weeks old to meet the little one she helped to stay put. "Thanks" will never be enough, but I'll say it again anyway... Thank you, Lisa!!
Thursday, September 8, 2011
With Mom!
I can't tell you how happy I was to skip the NICU and have Annabeth with me. It is so different, in a good way, to have a baby room-in with you! You get to cuddle your baby without tubes and nurses. Visitors can meet your baby. Brothers can hold her! You can just look over and see your baby whenever you want! It is so much fun!
I just kept taking photos... of Annabeth in her little bassinet, with her hat on, with her hat off, her little fingers and toes, and with me. I'll tell you what... it made every single 17-P shot worth it! Best of all I got to take her home with me! (But that will be another post!)
I just kept taking photos... of Annabeth in her little bassinet, with her hat on, with her hat off, her little fingers and toes, and with me. I'll tell you what... it made every single 17-P shot worth it! Best of all I got to take her home with me! (But that will be another post!)
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Pregnancy Update: Week 36!!!!!!!!
Well, I have to say when we started this adventure way back in January I really didn't think I'd be writing this post, but I'm sure glad I am! As of yesterday, this became my second longest pregnancy. The only one that lasted longer (so far) was Wesley who was born 10 days early. It is looking more and more like I will reach my goal... bringing my baby home with me and skipping the NICU! Of course, there are no guarantees, but in another week I will really be in the safe zone!
Did the 17 P shots make a difference? Or was it my taking it easy? Or that the boys are a bit older and can do things for themselves? Probably a little bit of everything. I will say that this pregnancy would not have gone so smoothly if it wasn't for Jerry not only doing all his work but mine too these past few months. Nor would it have been the same without the help of my new friend Lisa who took time out of her busy schedule each week drive across town and give me my shots. "Thank You" just isn't enough!
After the false alarm two weeks ago, I have continued to have contractions on and off. Nothing too terribly painful and nothing lasting long enough to send me back to the hospital. Every time I get a few in a row though I start to wonder if this is it and then they go away. You'd think after 5 other labors I'd know the difference, but every pregnancy is different and there is always room for doubt. Since my labors are so fast my main concern was always having preemie at home without the proper medical help. As we get farther and farther along, I am less concerned with that. I hope to still go fast and am confident that (as long as Jerry is with me) I could get it done wherever I happen to be. We did review emergency delivery procedure not too long ago just in case. :)
Nothing really exciting to report from my doctor appointment yesterday. The baby is head down. Heartbeat sounded great. I did not get an internal exam so I don't know if anything is going on in that regard. My Group B Strep test from the hospital was negative, but if I make it to 38 weeks they will repeat the test. I will now start going weekly. I haven't done that since I was pregnant with Wesley!
Not sure if this will be my last pregnancy update or not. Just in case, here is a little list of pregnancy quirks I will miss (NOT!) when this is all over:
Reminder: Don't forget to take a guess in my FB "baby pool"! (If you get an error message just hit "okay" and you should still be able to make a guess.)
Did the 17 P shots make a difference? Or was it my taking it easy? Or that the boys are a bit older and can do things for themselves? Probably a little bit of everything. I will say that this pregnancy would not have gone so smoothly if it wasn't for Jerry not only doing all his work but mine too these past few months. Nor would it have been the same without the help of my new friend Lisa who took time out of her busy schedule each week drive across town and give me my shots. "Thank You" just isn't enough!
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| 35.5 Week |
After the false alarm two weeks ago, I have continued to have contractions on and off. Nothing too terribly painful and nothing lasting long enough to send me back to the hospital. Every time I get a few in a row though I start to wonder if this is it and then they go away. You'd think after 5 other labors I'd know the difference, but every pregnancy is different and there is always room for doubt. Since my labors are so fast my main concern was always having preemie at home without the proper medical help. As we get farther and farther along, I am less concerned with that. I hope to still go fast and am confident that (as long as Jerry is with me) I could get it done wherever I happen to be. We did review emergency delivery procedure not too long ago just in case. :)
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| My view :) |
Not sure if this will be my last pregnancy update or not. Just in case, here is a little list of pregnancy quirks I will miss (NOT!) when this is all over:
- going to the bathroom every 30 minutes
- no comfortable sleeping positions (I spend at least a couple hours in the recliner each night)
- looking at items that I've dropped trying to decide if it is really necessary to bend over and pick them up
- needing assistance to put some of my shoes on
- turning sideways or hunching over to wash my hands or dishes at the sink
- not being able to reach into the cupboards or to the back of the stove
- since we have a fridge with a freezer on the bottom, I drink warm drinks instead of squatting to get ice
- swollen legs and sausage toes (although they are much better this time than they were with JD)
- water can give me heartburn but spicy food does not (?)
- driving is a challenge, short legs and a pregnant belly don't mix
- my already big nose gets even bigger
Reminder: Don't forget to take a guess in my FB "baby pool"! (If you get an error message just hit "okay" and you should still be able to make a guess.)
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
False Alarm
I have several posts I need to get to but this one is going to bump them back so I can get it down before I forget!
I've been having Braxton Hicks contractions on and off for several weeks now. Nothing regular, nothing exciting. Last night I slept really well until 3:30am (which was a miracle in itself!). After a trip to the bathroom, I had a contraction. I wasn't worried. Then I had another. I tried changing positions but kept having them. I finally grabbed my iPod and used my contraction timing app to see if something was really going on.
The contractions kept coming about every 7 minutes or so, but were not really painful. At 4:40am Jerry heard me wandering around and asked how I was. I told him that I was going to call and I thought we should go to the hospital. Better safe than sorry with my history. Jerry got dressed and went to tell Roz we were leaving. Her response: "What day is it?" :)
We got to the hospital about 5am. I was admitted into L&D Room 2 where the monitor showed the baby was doing just fine and I was having contractions every 5 minutes. The on-call doc ordered a shot of terbutaline which did slow the contractions down and make them less intense. The nurse checked me and the good news was I was only about 1 cm dilated and 50% effaced. (I could be that for weeks!)
I also had a fetal fibronectin and Group B Strep test. The contractions continued and I got another dose of the terbutaline. Much to everyone's surprise, the fFN test came back negative! This means that there is a good chance I will NOT have the baby in the next two weeks! Since I am currently almost 34 week (33 weeks, 6 days if you want to be exact) that gives us hope that the baby won't come until after I'm 36 weeks. Although not a guarantee, this is very good news!
They checked me again and there was no change. My doctor came in to say hello and let us know his plans. The contractions continued, but since they weren't dilating my cervix there really wasn't much else to do. We have already done everything that can be done for mom's in premature labor. Betamethasone (lung) shots being the big one. So they sent me home.
Jerry and I stopped to have breakfast on the way home. (It was the nurses suggestion!) Thanks to Roz, we came home to find the boys fed and the kitchen cleaned up. Wesley even made our bed for us. I guess there was some confusion when the first risers woke up to find our bed empty of both Dad and Mom. After waking up the rest of the brothers apparently ideas were tossed out (maybe they went shopping?) and rejected. Roz heard them scrambling about and let them know what was going on and not to worry she was there before going back to sleep. Once they knew what was going on they resumed their normal morning routine of watching a video or playing until breakfast.
I took it easy all day (although I did go vote!). I worked in a few naps, but am still pretty tired. Wesley had several questions when we got home. He tried to tell the brothers that the baby had started coming out of mom's uterus but they pushed it back in. :) I set him straight, but was impressed that he knew and used the word uterus appropriately.
I have continued to have contractions throughout the day, but nothing really regular. Some are more painful than others and I'm not really looking forward to living with them for at least two weeks, but it's better than having a preemie!
I've been having Braxton Hicks contractions on and off for several weeks now. Nothing regular, nothing exciting. Last night I slept really well until 3:30am (which was a miracle in itself!). After a trip to the bathroom, I had a contraction. I wasn't worried. Then I had another. I tried changing positions but kept having them. I finally grabbed my iPod and used my contraction timing app to see if something was really going on.
The contractions kept coming about every 7 minutes or so, but were not really painful. At 4:40am Jerry heard me wandering around and asked how I was. I told him that I was going to call and I thought we should go to the hospital. Better safe than sorry with my history. Jerry got dressed and went to tell Roz we were leaving. Her response: "What day is it?" :)
We got to the hospital about 5am. I was admitted into L&D Room 2 where the monitor showed the baby was doing just fine and I was having contractions every 5 minutes. The on-call doc ordered a shot of terbutaline which did slow the contractions down and make them less intense. The nurse checked me and the good news was I was only about 1 cm dilated and 50% effaced. (I could be that for weeks!)
I also had a fetal fibronectin and Group B Strep test. The contractions continued and I got another dose of the terbutaline. Much to everyone's surprise, the fFN test came back negative! This means that there is a good chance I will NOT have the baby in the next two weeks! Since I am currently almost 34 week (33 weeks, 6 days if you want to be exact) that gives us hope that the baby won't come until after I'm 36 weeks. Although not a guarantee, this is very good news!
They checked me again and there was no change. My doctor came in to say hello and let us know his plans. The contractions continued, but since they weren't dilating my cervix there really wasn't much else to do. We have already done everything that can be done for mom's in premature labor. Betamethasone (lung) shots being the big one. So they sent me home.
Jerry and I stopped to have breakfast on the way home. (It was the nurses suggestion!) Thanks to Roz, we came home to find the boys fed and the kitchen cleaned up. Wesley even made our bed for us. I guess there was some confusion when the first risers woke up to find our bed empty of both Dad and Mom. After waking up the rest of the brothers apparently ideas were tossed out (maybe they went shopping?) and rejected. Roz heard them scrambling about and let them know what was going on and not to worry she was there before going back to sleep. Once they knew what was going on they resumed their normal morning routine of watching a video or playing until breakfast.
I took it easy all day (although I did go vote!). I worked in a few naps, but am still pretty tired. Wesley had several questions when we got home. He tried to tell the brothers that the baby had started coming out of mom's uterus but they pushed it back in. :) I set him straight, but was impressed that he knew and used the word uterus appropriately.
I have continued to have contractions throughout the day, but nothing really regular. Some are more painful than others and I'm not really looking forward to living with them for at least two weeks, but it's better than having a preemie!
Saturday, July 30, 2011
Take A Guess!
You can guess the following:
Gender
Birth date
Weight
Length
If you aren't on Facebook, then leave your guess as a comment!
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Pregnancy Update: Week 30!!!
Yay! 30 weeks! Only 70 days left! Well, not exactly, but "officially". In reality, I could have anywhere from around 5 weeks to 9 weeks left. I'm hoping for 7 more weeks.
Yesterday I had a quick doctor visit (with another doc in the practice because mine is on vacation). Then I headed over to St. Vincent Hospital to get a betamethasone shot to help baby's lung development just in case. I will go again this afternoon for the second shot. Thanks to my regularly scheduled 17-P shot that makes three shots in two days! After today's quick visit, here's hoping I won't see the Labor & Delivery department again for awhile.
Last week I took and passed the 3 hour glucose test. I'm a bit grumpy about the whole thing because I was 99% sure I didn't need to take it. I "failed" the one hour test by a mere 7 mg/dL and I was pretty sure it was because I went just a couple hours after eating lunch. But I was a good girl and took the test. The drink was gross, but the worse part was sitting in the lab for around 4 hours in an uncomfortable chair with nothing to do. I brought several books and things to do but it was still boring beyond belief! The most exciting thing was watching the final space shuttle launch and texting the boys back home.
Good news on the heart palpitation/magnesium front. Oddly enough after I started the supplement my mag level actually went down further, so my doctor increased the dose and now I am having only a very rare flutter. I don't get them at all at bedtime now so that has been a relief. Not that I'm sleeping great these days anyway but at least I don't have to worry about that!
When I was pregnant with Wesley I was working on the nursery before I even started to show. It was ready to go way before he was born. With the twins we did some extra prep work moving Wesley to a new room. With Hayden and JD we didn't really have to do much except move someone out of a crib in the already established nursery. With this baby we no longer have a nursery. Our crib is disassembled in the basement (not sure if we will even get it out at all because it's been recalled). We have no clothes out, no blankets washed. Even if we had these items out we wouldn't have anywhere to store them! All our dressers are currently in use.
I did buy a (new to us) pack 'n play with a bassinet. When the baby comes we'll put that in our room so the baby has somewhere to sleep. Since it can be assembled in a few minutes I haven't felt the need to get it out yet. After that I'm not sure where we will put this little one. I'm a firm believer that everyone sleeps better if baby isn't in with mom and dad. We might have to do some room shuffling and have Wesley share a room with new little Shown in few months. We do have Roz's room available downstairs but I'm not ready to give that room to someone else just yet.
One of these days (soon!) I guess we will have to get serious about getting things in order!
Yesterday I had a quick doctor visit (with another doc in the practice because mine is on vacation). Then I headed over to St. Vincent Hospital to get a betamethasone shot to help baby's lung development just in case. I will go again this afternoon for the second shot. Thanks to my regularly scheduled 17-P shot that makes three shots in two days! After today's quick visit, here's hoping I won't see the Labor & Delivery department again for awhile.
Last week I took and passed the 3 hour glucose test. I'm a bit grumpy about the whole thing because I was 99% sure I didn't need to take it. I "failed" the one hour test by a mere 7 mg/dL and I was pretty sure it was because I went just a couple hours after eating lunch. But I was a good girl and took the test. The drink was gross, but the worse part was sitting in the lab for around 4 hours in an uncomfortable chair with nothing to do. I brought several books and things to do but it was still boring beyond belief! The most exciting thing was watching the final space shuttle launch and texting the boys back home.
Good news on the heart palpitation/magnesium front. Oddly enough after I started the supplement my mag level actually went down further, so my doctor increased the dose and now I am having only a very rare flutter. I don't get them at all at bedtime now so that has been a relief. Not that I'm sleeping great these days anyway but at least I don't have to worry about that!
When I was pregnant with Wesley I was working on the nursery before I even started to show. It was ready to go way before he was born. With the twins we did some extra prep work moving Wesley to a new room. With Hayden and JD we didn't really have to do much except move someone out of a crib in the already established nursery. With this baby we no longer have a nursery. Our crib is disassembled in the basement (not sure if we will even get it out at all because it's been recalled). We have no clothes out, no blankets washed. Even if we had these items out we wouldn't have anywhere to store them! All our dressers are currently in use.
I did buy a (new to us) pack 'n play with a bassinet. When the baby comes we'll put that in our room so the baby has somewhere to sleep. Since it can be assembled in a few minutes I haven't felt the need to get it out yet. After that I'm not sure where we will put this little one. I'm a firm believer that everyone sleeps better if baby isn't in with mom and dad. We might have to do some room shuffling and have Wesley share a room with new little Shown in few months. We do have Roz's room available downstairs but I'm not ready to give that room to someone else just yet.
One of these days (soon!) I guess we will have to get serious about getting things in order!
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Pregnancy Update: Week 27
I am starting the third trimester! Which means the "calm between two storms" (as I like to call it) is coming to an end. Although I have 13 weeks to go, if I can make it another 10 weeks I'll be so very happy. The earliest I've gone into labor is 30 weeks and that was with the twins. The next earliest was Hayden at 32 weeks. So I have about another month or so before Jerry starts sleeping with his keys and shoes by the bed. Poor guy... not only do I go early, I go so fast!
The shots are going well (thanks Lisa!). I've had 12 so far so, that means 8 to go! I haven't had any side effects except itching at the site of the injection. We alternate the side I get my shot in each week, but strangely enough both sides usually itch. Guess one side sympathizes with the other or something. Speaking of shots in a couple weeks (at 30 weeks) I am going to get the betamethasone shots to help with lung development just in case baby should come early. I'll get two shots, each a day apart. They are only administered at the hospital so I'll have to make two quick trips up to St. Vincent Hospital.
I really enjoy feeling the baby move. The baby is now big enough to kick a table/desk if my chair is in far enough and, my favorite, push back when nudged. Movements are strong enough for others to feel and Wesley especially enjoys catching kick or two. None of the other boys are patient enough to wait for a kick, but they all like to talk to the baby and give him/her a good night kiss. Wesley cracked me up the other day, when he heard my uterus is currently the size of a soccer ball he said felt really bad for me. He says he couldn't do anything with a soccer ball in his stomach! :)
I am starting to feel big and have trouble sleeping. As if the general pregnancy issues (aka multiple bathroom trips) weren't enough I've added a "new" issue that keeps me up at night: heart palpitations. At first it was just the feeling of a skipped beat here and there, but slowly grew worse. It happens briefly throughout the day, but rarely lasts long. When it really kicks into high gear is when I lay down to go to sleep, that is when it is nearly constant and lasts as long as an hour or more.
I finally decided to go see the doctor about it on Monday. Of course, when I got there my heart was beating perfectly normal. Thankfully, when I laid down for the doctor to listen to the baby's heartbeat it started up and he was able to hear it. My doctor (who has a great sense of humor) said they are "premature [heart] contractions" and made a joke about every part of me liking to prematurely contract! He didn't say, but I'm guessing they are PVCs and not PACs although I guess it doesn't really matter. They ordered some lab work to see if they could pinpoint the cause. The lab results showed that I had low magnesium levels so I just started taking a magnesium supplement. We'll see if it works... if they don't go away or continue to get worse then I will be referred to a cardiologist. Let's all pray it doesn't come to that!
We're still looking for boy name suggestions so if you have any please let us know. We want something fairly unique (definitely nothing in the top 25-50 names) and that doesn't start with the same letter of any other family member (so no J, S, R, W, E, H names). We think at least two syllables sound best with a one syllable last name like ours. AND we need two middles names. Gosh, seeing it all written out like that it's no wonder we can't find a name! :)
I'll end with this (slightly blurry) picture that Wesley took of me and my soccer ball!
The shots are going well (thanks Lisa!). I've had 12 so far so, that means 8 to go! I haven't had any side effects except itching at the site of the injection. We alternate the side I get my shot in each week, but strangely enough both sides usually itch. Guess one side sympathizes with the other or something. Speaking of shots in a couple weeks (at 30 weeks) I am going to get the betamethasone shots to help with lung development just in case baby should come early. I'll get two shots, each a day apart. They are only administered at the hospital so I'll have to make two quick trips up to St. Vincent Hospital.
I really enjoy feeling the baby move. The baby is now big enough to kick a table/desk if my chair is in far enough and, my favorite, push back when nudged. Movements are strong enough for others to feel and Wesley especially enjoys catching kick or two. None of the other boys are patient enough to wait for a kick, but they all like to talk to the baby and give him/her a good night kiss. Wesley cracked me up the other day, when he heard my uterus is currently the size of a soccer ball he said felt really bad for me. He says he couldn't do anything with a soccer ball in his stomach! :)
I am starting to feel big and have trouble sleeping. As if the general pregnancy issues (aka multiple bathroom trips) weren't enough I've added a "new" issue that keeps me up at night: heart palpitations. At first it was just the feeling of a skipped beat here and there, but slowly grew worse. It happens briefly throughout the day, but rarely lasts long. When it really kicks into high gear is when I lay down to go to sleep, that is when it is nearly constant and lasts as long as an hour or more.
I finally decided to go see the doctor about it on Monday. Of course, when I got there my heart was beating perfectly normal. Thankfully, when I laid down for the doctor to listen to the baby's heartbeat it started up and he was able to hear it. My doctor (who has a great sense of humor) said they are "premature [heart] contractions" and made a joke about every part of me liking to prematurely contract! He didn't say, but I'm guessing they are PVCs and not PACs although I guess it doesn't really matter. They ordered some lab work to see if they could pinpoint the cause. The lab results showed that I had low magnesium levels so I just started taking a magnesium supplement. We'll see if it works... if they don't go away or continue to get worse then I will be referred to a cardiologist. Let's all pray it doesn't come to that!
We're still looking for boy name suggestions so if you have any please let us know. We want something fairly unique (definitely nothing in the top 25-50 names) and that doesn't start with the same letter of any other family member (so no J, S, R, W, E, H names). We think at least two syllables sound best with a one syllable last name like ours. AND we need two middles names. Gosh, seeing it all written out like that it's no wonder we can't find a name! :)
I'll end with this (slightly blurry) picture that Wesley took of me and my soccer ball!
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Pregnancy Update: Week 22
Ahhhh... the middle of the second trimester and just past the halfway mark (or more if you're me!). I like to call it the calm between two storms. Morning sickness has, thankfully, passed and I don't feel so huge that I am uncomfortable. Yet. Life in the second trimester is good!
I don't know if it's because the other boys are older than previous pregnancies or because Jerry is doing such a great job of making things easy for me, but this pregnancy has been flying by and very enjoyable. Now that I can feel the baby move it's even more fun. Until I could feel the baby moving regularly there were actually days I forgot I was pregnant.
Jerry has been doing more than his fair share of household chores so that I can "take it easy". I'm not on bedrest but we're hoping taking it easy will prevent the need for that in the coming weeks. The big things Jerry has taken over are: laundry (no small task at our house), grocery shopping, and vacuuming. Honestly, when I'm feeling so good it's hard to remember I need to be careful and that this is a high risk pregnancy.
The 17-P shots have been going well. No side effects at all except for the pain of an injection. Extra special thanks to my new friend Lisa who kindly drives over every Wednesday to give me my shot. Are the shots making a difference? I guess only time will tell.
If I have one complaint about this pregnancy it's clothing. I just can't find anything that is comfortable. Even my favorite tops and bottoms from previous pregnancies just aren't as comfortable as I remember them being. Some are too loose and some are too tight. Skirts are actually the most comfortable thing for me at the moment but I didn't have any maternity skirts... until yesterday! I ordered two skirts and a simple dress (to wear to church) yesterday from Old Navy. I am hoping they are as comfortable as they look!
Then yesterday I ran across this tutorial on how to turn a regular skirt and a t-shirt into a maternity skirt. It's as easy as cutting out a space for your tummy and filling it in with the stretchy t-shirt material. I grabbed a skirt that was too big pre-pregnancy and a shirt that had a small stain from my closet. I got both the shirt and skirt at the thrift store for $1 each, so it wasn't a big investment if it didn't work out.
The whole process took me about 15 minutes and I now have a new (super comfy!) maternity skirt that will fit me until the end! (Sorry the pics are a little blurry, I took them with the self-timer.) I made the belly panel a bit bigger because that is the part that has been bothering me on my other bottoms. This panel is just as comfortable as having a shirt on your tummy because that's what it is! Now I have to head over to the thrift store to see what else I can find!
I don't know if it's because the other boys are older than previous pregnancies or because Jerry is doing such a great job of making things easy for me, but this pregnancy has been flying by and very enjoyable. Now that I can feel the baby move it's even more fun. Until I could feel the baby moving regularly there were actually days I forgot I was pregnant.
Jerry has been doing more than his fair share of household chores so that I can "take it easy". I'm not on bedrest but we're hoping taking it easy will prevent the need for that in the coming weeks. The big things Jerry has taken over are: laundry (no small task at our house), grocery shopping, and vacuuming. Honestly, when I'm feeling so good it's hard to remember I need to be careful and that this is a high risk pregnancy.
The 17-P shots have been going well. No side effects at all except for the pain of an injection. Extra special thanks to my new friend Lisa who kindly drives over every Wednesday to give me my shot. Are the shots making a difference? I guess only time will tell.
If I have one complaint about this pregnancy it's clothing. I just can't find anything that is comfortable. Even my favorite tops and bottoms from previous pregnancies just aren't as comfortable as I remember them being. Some are too loose and some are too tight. Skirts are actually the most comfortable thing for me at the moment but I didn't have any maternity skirts... until yesterday! I ordered two skirts and a simple dress (to wear to church) yesterday from Old Navy. I am hoping they are as comfortable as they look!
Then yesterday I ran across this tutorial on how to turn a regular skirt and a t-shirt into a maternity skirt. It's as easy as cutting out a space for your tummy and filling it in with the stretchy t-shirt material. I grabbed a skirt that was too big pre-pregnancy and a shirt that had a small stain from my closet. I got both the shirt and skirt at the thrift store for $1 each, so it wasn't a big investment if it didn't work out.
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Baby #7 Ultrasound
We had our mid-pregnancy ultrasound today. We chose not to find out the gender of baby #7, but we got several great shots of various body parts...
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| Arm/Hand |
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| Foot |
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| Sweet little profile |
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Pregnancy Update: Week 15
There was good news yesterday for other mom's in need of this drug. The FDA issued an unusual statement: "In order to support access to this important drug, at this time and under this unique situation, FDA does not intend to take enforcement action against pharmacies that compound hydroxyprogesterone caproate..." This means that despite giving KV Pharmaceuticals exclusive rights they won't stop the compounding pharmacies (like the one I ordered from) from making it. Not sure who would buy Makena for $1500 a shot when there is an alternative available for only $10-$15 per shot. KV's stocks dropped drastically yesterday at the news. Can't say I feel to bad about that.
I am feeling much, much better now than I was a few weeks ago. I still have an off day here or there but overall I think we are past the morning sickness stage. Yay!
I am looking forward to feeling the baby move sometime in the next couple weeks. I've noticed that with each pregnancy I show sooner and feel the baby move later. Speaking of showing, I have been having a pants problem. My regular pants are too tight and the maternity pants are too baggy (and generally not as comfortable as I remember them being). That leaves me one pair of pants that I find comfortable and an old, very worn pair of jammie pants. Most days I'm in one or the other. Both were dirty today and I stood in the closet for 10 minutes wondering what I would wear. I think I'm going forget the maternity pants and try and find some more comfy jammie pants!
Most of you know I have a sweet/snack tooth. Previously, pregnancy never really stopped that. This pregnancy has been a bit different. Chocolate... no thanks. Desserts... maybe just a little bite. Chips... blah. It's actually kind of strange. What does sound good? Hard boiled eggs, cabbage, celery, dried fruit, a piece of rye bread with butter. Not all at once, of course! Every week after grocery shopping I boil a dozen eggs for snacks. I don't eat them all... Jerry likes them too, but I have had my fair share! Raw cabbage is better than chips... I tear off leaves and munch away at the crunchy deliciousness.
With the morning sickness, I lost weight at first. Now that I am eating (somewhat) normally again (and keeping it down) I am starting to gain. Thanks to all those crazy cravings though I am eating healthier than ever and not gaining much, only about a 2-3 pounds so far.
I put a pregnancy app on my iPod touch and Wesley enjoys reading about the baby's progress each week. This particular app gives the measurements of the baby and compares them to a familiar veggie or fruit. This is an especially helpful visual for the boys. This week the baby is the size of large navel orange! It's so sweet to see how excited the boys are for a new sibling. How big the baby is, possible name suggestions, and stories about each of them as babies are frequent topics of conversation. My favorite though is to hear one of the boys pray for the baby to come safely during bedtime prayers. That's my prayer too!
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Makena Update: Good News! (for us anyway)
Hope you read Jerry's three part series about Makena (aka 17P). I am now 14 weeks pregnant and am supposed to start taking these weekly shots the first week of April. I am hopeful these shots will make a difference for two reasons: 1) the research is very promising and 2) during my pregnancy with J.D. I used progesterone suppositories and made it two weeks farther than I did with Hayden. If the suppositories helped and the shots are supposed to be even more effective then that makes me hopeful they will help in my case. Every day of pregnancy means less (or maybe no) NICU time!
After the whole Makena mess, I thought we were going to be a day late and a dollar (or $29,700) short, but it looks like that won't be the case! Actually, we had pretty much decided to get the shots regardless of the cost, as long as it is covered by insurance, because we would only have to pay for them up to the out-of-pocket max, which with our high deductible plan is still a hefty sum but worth it if it works. I figured it this way... meet the out-of-pocket max with the shots and have a chance at avoiding the NICU OR meet the out-of-pocket max in NICU charges. If we're going to spend the money either way, let's spend it trying to take our baby home and avoiding the NICU.
I spent some time calling around last week trying to figure out our options. For most of the options, I was just assuming the cost would be around $1500 per weekly shot. The first good news came from a home health agency we were considering that gives these shots... they told me it was "business as usual" for them and that the shots would cost me about $200 per weekly shot. That cost included both the medication and a home visit from a nurse to administer the shot. The bad news was things could change at anytime and there was a risk that the compounding pharmacy they work with might not be able to continue making the shots at the lower cost.
I talked to my doctor's office yesterday to see what they had to say. I know Green Bay is not known for being on the cutting edge of anything but the first time my doctor's office had heard anything about this whole 17P/Makena business was from me during that phone call. I asked the nurse to call the compounding pharmacy that they order the shots from and see if they were still making it and what they said about cost.
The nurse called me back a few minutes later and said that this particular pharmacy was well aware of the situation but had not yet received a cease and desist order. The pharmacy said they would continue to compound the shots until someone came knocking at the door and told them to stop. Cost: ~$12 per weekly shot. They normally ship half the doses right away and send the second half at a later date. Knowing that the pharmacy just may get that knock at the door any minute, I had the nurse ask if I could get all 20 doses right now and they said I could.
So, my shots are ordered/paid for and in a few short days I should have in my hand all the medication I need for my whole 20 week course at a cost of... are you ready?... under $300!! I have two options for shot administration: 1) weekly office visits to the doctor at a cost of about $50 per injection or 2) have a family member or friend give them to me. Either option is considerable savings over the home health company and super, mega savings over the prescription Makena... like $29,700 savings!
They say "timing is everything" and I think that is the case here. I'm guessing in a few months (or maybe even days/weeks) time the method we used to obtain these shots will no longer be an option for other at-risk moms. I sincerely hope that is not the case, but there is a lot of money on the line. Guess we'll just have to wait and see what happens...
After the whole Makena mess, I thought we were going to be a day late and a dollar (or $29,700) short, but it looks like that won't be the case! Actually, we had pretty much decided to get the shots regardless of the cost, as long as it is covered by insurance, because we would only have to pay for them up to the out-of-pocket max, which with our high deductible plan is still a hefty sum but worth it if it works. I figured it this way... meet the out-of-pocket max with the shots and have a chance at avoiding the NICU OR meet the out-of-pocket max in NICU charges. If we're going to spend the money either way, let's spend it trying to take our baby home and avoiding the NICU.
I spent some time calling around last week trying to figure out our options. For most of the options, I was just assuming the cost would be around $1500 per weekly shot. The first good news came from a home health agency we were considering that gives these shots... they told me it was "business as usual" for them and that the shots would cost me about $200 per weekly shot. That cost included both the medication and a home visit from a nurse to administer the shot. The bad news was things could change at anytime and there was a risk that the compounding pharmacy they work with might not be able to continue making the shots at the lower cost.
I talked to my doctor's office yesterday to see what they had to say. I know Green Bay is not known for being on the cutting edge of anything but the first time my doctor's office had heard anything about this whole 17P/Makena business was from me during that phone call. I asked the nurse to call the compounding pharmacy that they order the shots from and see if they were still making it and what they said about cost.
The nurse called me back a few minutes later and said that this particular pharmacy was well aware of the situation but had not yet received a cease and desist order. The pharmacy said they would continue to compound the shots until someone came knocking at the door and told them to stop. Cost: ~$12 per weekly shot. They normally ship half the doses right away and send the second half at a later date. Knowing that the pharmacy just may get that knock at the door any minute, I had the nurse ask if I could get all 20 doses right now and they said I could.
So, my shots are ordered/paid for and in a few short days I should have in my hand all the medication I need for my whole 20 week course at a cost of... are you ready?... under $300!! I have two options for shot administration: 1) weekly office visits to the doctor at a cost of about $50 per injection or 2) have a family member or friend give them to me. Either option is considerable savings over the home health company and super, mega savings over the prescription Makena... like $29,700 savings!
They say "timing is everything" and I think that is the case here. I'm guessing in a few months (or maybe even days/weeks) time the method we used to obtain these shots will no longer be an option for other at-risk moms. I sincerely hope that is not the case, but there is a lot of money on the line. Guess we'll just have to wait and see what happens...
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Pregnancy Update: Week 10
TEN WEEKS... that means I'm a quarter of the way done and getting very close to finishing up my first trimester!! Honestly, time is not going by fast enough for me! This has been my worst pregnancy as far as morning sickness (even worse than with the twins). I am one of those people that will do everything I possibly can to not throw up... which means I have been spending a lot of time sitting perfectly still while trying to not make a mad dash for the bathroom. I had to drop out of my own weight loss challenge only to lose 7 pounds over the past few weeks anyway!
The first couple weeks sucking on hard candy seemed to help, but then that stopped working. I've tried all the usual things (saltines, small meals, naps, etc.) but nothing seems to help except time. The hardest part was not being able to drink anything. If it wasn't for Strawberry Frutista Freezes from Taco Bell I'd have been dehydrated for sure. I even took to trying to make them at home (never perfected the recipe). In the process though I discovered that really cold drinks were best. Lemon water with LOTS of ice is my new best friend... and it's cheaper than the Frutistas.
Thankfully, it's getting better with each passing day. Some days are worse than others but I am beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel. I take comfort in the fact that morning sickness means that this little one is digging in deep for the long haul.
My next appointment is March 9th. I'm hoping to hear a little heartbeat! The next appointment after that I will be starting a new (for me) medical treatment of weekly 17P shots. I took progesterone with J.D. in hopes of making it to full term and while it seemed to help, it didn't quite get me to the finish line. These 17P shots are supposed to be very helpful in preventing premature delivery. We're still researching the options of who will be giving these shots each week from week 16 until week 36 (any volunteers?). 36 weeks... wouldn't it be wonderful if I made it that long!?
We are already discussing names. I'm guessing our discussions will go right up to the end of this pregnancy. We are definitely going to need the extra few weeks to full term to come up with something! If you have any suggestions let us know!
The first couple weeks sucking on hard candy seemed to help, but then that stopped working. I've tried all the usual things (saltines, small meals, naps, etc.) but nothing seems to help except time. The hardest part was not being able to drink anything. If it wasn't for Strawberry Frutista Freezes from Taco Bell I'd have been dehydrated for sure. I even took to trying to make them at home (never perfected the recipe). In the process though I discovered that really cold drinks were best. Lemon water with LOTS of ice is my new best friend... and it's cheaper than the Frutistas.
Thankfully, it's getting better with each passing day. Some days are worse than others but I am beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel. I take comfort in the fact that morning sickness means that this little one is digging in deep for the long haul.
My next appointment is March 9th. I'm hoping to hear a little heartbeat! The next appointment after that I will be starting a new (for me) medical treatment of weekly 17P shots. I took progesterone with J.D. in hopes of making it to full term and while it seemed to help, it didn't quite get me to the finish line. These 17P shots are supposed to be very helpful in preventing premature delivery. We're still researching the options of who will be giving these shots each week from week 16 until week 36 (any volunteers?). 36 weeks... wouldn't it be wonderful if I made it that long!?
We are already discussing names. I'm guessing our discussions will go right up to the end of this pregnancy. We are definitely going to need the extra few weeks to full term to come up with something! If you have any suggestions let us know!
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Answers
Remember this "Inquiring Minds" post from December? Remember when I said:
If you are anything like the general public, I am sure you have a few questions... so here are my answers:
"There is something very freeing about trusting God in this area. There is no doubt or confusion about what is God's will, if He wants you to have another child you will, if not you won't. Simple as that. Which is where we are now..."Well, we weren't sure what God had in store for us, but now we've got at least one answer! Shown Baby Number Seven is due in September 2011!
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| Have any name suggestions? |
If you are anything like the general public, I am sure you have a few questions... so here are my answers:
- Yes, they're all ours. (Yes, all from the same father.)
- No, we're not ... crazy, Mormon, Catholic, trying to keep up with the Duggars, etc.
- Yes, we do know what causes that.
- Yes, we'll have our hands full... better full than empty, right?
- Obviously, we do get a little time to ourselves.
- He works at a door company and, no, we're not rich.
- A white 15 passenger van.
- About 3,000 square feet with 4 bedrooms.
- Fixed?! Nothing is broken.
- We're glad it's us and not you too!
- Yes, we've really been asked all the questions that go with these answers! If you want a taste of what it's like to have a large family read Jerry's funny post about it here. And whatever you do please don't give us that near-sighted beaver look! :)
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