I have an appointment with my doctor this Friday - one day shy of 36 weeks. It will be another growth scan and the usual blood pressure, pee in a cup, weight thing, but they will most likely do an internal exam as well. Primarily to make sure there isn't a fibroid blocking the Woowoos exit route (they don't think there is, but want to be sure).
I've put together a birth plan that I want to review with the doc at this point, as well. Hubby and I took the childbirth classes at the hospital and I know my doctor's (and the practice in general) philosophies on labor, but I want to discuss MY specifics with him.
Every woman has the right to have the birth she wants, and I make no judgments on anyone's choices when it comes to their own birth...so please don't make any judgments about my choices here (just wanted to throw that out there since I've gotten some comments along the lines of "you're crazy for not wanting an epidural!" or "why don't you just schedule a c-section, it'll be easier").
In a nutshell, below are the basics of how I'd prefer this birth goes, of course this is assuming the Woowoo plays along:
• no IV, but a hep lock instead
• be allowed to move freely as long as labor is progressing without any issues
• be allowed to drink clear liquids (other than water) and eat if I want (not sure they'll go for this one)
• only want an epidural if I ask for it
• if I choose to get an epidural, be allowed to labor down before pushing
• want Hubby to cut the cord
• want baby to be given to me immediately after birth (for skin-to-skin contact)
• want exclusive breastfeeding
• want baby to room-in with me
Those are the basics, I'll get into more detail about some of the items with Dr. B., but I'm most concerned about having the freedom to move around. If I'm going to try and have a natural birth, I know I'm going to want to have the freedom to change positions frequently to handle the pain of the contractions.
Ultimately, I want a safe birth for the Woowoo and me. I've come to terms with the fact that anything can happen, so I'm trying to keep an open mind and be flexible. We'll see how it goes...
In the meantime, I'm continuing to waddle my way around to and from work and putting the final touches on the nursery. Hubby and I are heading out of town for a couple days this weekend to enjoy some R&R with his family at the beach. I'm not sure a 36-week pregnant woman should be allowed on the beach, but I plan to keep myself sufficiently covered so I don't scare small children!
I'll update and post belly pics after the Friday doc appointment.
Showing posts with label fibroids. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fibroids. Show all posts
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
31w3d
I wouldn't exactly call 31w3d a milestone, but I'm feeling a little uninspired to come up with a more creative title. I think the heat and humidity plaguing NYC today is sucking the life out of me. Thankfully I'm working from home and don't really need to go outside again.
I had a doc appointment this morning to check on the Woowoo's progress. Everything went according to plan. He's doing well - still growing big and strong. He weighed in at 4lbs. 3oz. which puts him in the 61st percentile. Last time he was in the 88th percentile so it seems his growing has slowed a bit, but nothing to worry about.
Physically, I've been doing OK other than a reappearance of the fibroids last week. It was pretty painful and has basically knocked me out for the last week. The doctor said it's not common to have a flare-up this far along, but not unheard of either. Fortunately, it's only painful to me and doesn't affect the Woowoo at all. I'm slowly starting to feel better, but definitely am feeling big in general.
Hubby and I have made a lot of progress on the nursery/office/second bedroom combo. We have the dresser assembled and full of freshly laundered clothes, the crib assembled and ready for the sheet and all the diapers/wipes/toys/etc organized in the closet. I had planned to have Hubby install a couple of shelves to display books and knick knacks, but I don't know if that's going to happen now. Our second bedroom is actually a converted dining room so the walls are temporary. Even though you can't tell from looking, Hubby is concerned about the stability of installing load bearing shelves on a temporary wall. I don't care about stability, I want cute and decorative, damn it! Unfortunately I don't think I'm going to win this battle which means I need to come up with an alternative solution to display "stuff". We don't have room for any other furniture so a small bookshelf is out of the question. Any suggestions?
We attended our first of three birthing classes at the hospital where I'll be delivering. It was informative, but not too overwhelming. I think the next class when she really focuses on the pushing part of labor might get a little scary for me, but we'll see...
So for now we're kind of on auto-pilot, just trying to get things done and letting the Woowoo do his thing in my belly. Speaking of...here is a picture taken last night. I know there is still a lot of growing to do, but I really don't know how my stomach is going to stretch much more!
I had a doc appointment this morning to check on the Woowoo's progress. Everything went according to plan. He's doing well - still growing big and strong. He weighed in at 4lbs. 3oz. which puts him in the 61st percentile. Last time he was in the 88th percentile so it seems his growing has slowed a bit, but nothing to worry about.
Physically, I've been doing OK other than a reappearance of the fibroids last week. It was pretty painful and has basically knocked me out for the last week. The doctor said it's not common to have a flare-up this far along, but not unheard of either. Fortunately, it's only painful to me and doesn't affect the Woowoo at all. I'm slowly starting to feel better, but definitely am feeling big in general.
Hubby and I have made a lot of progress on the nursery/office/second bedroom combo. We have the dresser assembled and full of freshly laundered clothes, the crib assembled and ready for the sheet and all the diapers/wipes/toys/etc organized in the closet. I had planned to have Hubby install a couple of shelves to display books and knick knacks, but I don't know if that's going to happen now. Our second bedroom is actually a converted dining room so the walls are temporary. Even though you can't tell from looking, Hubby is concerned about the stability of installing load bearing shelves on a temporary wall. I don't care about stability, I want cute and decorative, damn it! Unfortunately I don't think I'm going to win this battle which means I need to come up with an alternative solution to display "stuff". We don't have room for any other furniture so a small bookshelf is out of the question. Any suggestions?
We attended our first of three birthing classes at the hospital where I'll be delivering. It was informative, but not too overwhelming. I think the next class when she really focuses on the pushing part of labor might get a little scary for me, but we'll see...
So for now we're kind of on auto-pilot, just trying to get things done and letting the Woowoo do his thing in my belly. Speaking of...here is a picture taken last night. I know there is still a lot of growing to do, but I really don't know how my stomach is going to stretch much more!
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Almost 24 week update
As usual I'm running in 25 different directions but wanted to post about my last doctor's appointment, although it was mostly uneventful (I say mostly because there was one measurement that has me a little worried, but I'll explain below in the "UPDATE").
Since I'm short on time I'm going to take the easy way out and use this format:
Pregnancy Highlights:
How Far Along: 23 Weeks and 4 days
Size of baby: He currently weighs 1lb, 6oz based on my last doctor's appointment on Monday.
Total Weight Gain: According to my home scale I'm up 13lbs - and the home scale is the only one I'm really paying attention to since I weigh myself every week at the same time on the same day.
Maternity Clothes: I'm about 90% maternity now. There are still two pair of jeans I can wear with the Bella Band but I'm quickly approaching the end of that. I will say the elastic waist is sooo much more comfortable!
Gender: One super-cute (yes, I'm biased) baby boy. He was in a good position at the last appointment and even the tech commented on his cute little nose when we were looking at the 4-D images:)
Movement: He is an active little wiggle worm. He seems to be most active in the early mornings, but I do feel him throughout the day. Yesterday I was able to see him from the outside for the first time. It was surreal!
Sleep: Not too bad these days. I finally caved and bought a "pregnancy pillow" and it has been wonderful. We're leaving for an 8-day vacation on Friday and I wish there was some way I could take the pillow. I'll sacrifice clean underwear for a good night's sleep anytime:)
What I miss: Sushi. Real sushi, not the faux shrimp sushi I have been making do with.
Cravings: Most of my cravings came in the first trimester and even then it wasn't anything that I didn't already eat. The one thing I haven't had since I was a kid and I simply HAD TO HAVE recently was pistachio pudding. It was heavenly!
Symptoms: I'm still having residual discomfort from the fibriods, but I think that's going to be my new "norm" for the remainder of the pregnancy so I've gotten used to it. I've also started to get some ankle swelling but not full blown cankles...yet.
Milestones: I'm in an odd in-between period. Because of my vacation next week I had to change my 24-week appointment to a 23-week appointment so it's throwing off the milestones. For some reason, 24-weeks feels like a big number. And I know 28 weeks will be huge when I cross over to the third trimester. For now, I'm on auto-pilot.
UPDATE: Everything went well at my 23-week appointment on Monday, but there was one number that the doctor mentioned. She said it wasn't anything to worry about but the Woowoo's head circumference was on the very low side of normal while all his other numbers were on the high side. He's still in the breech position which can affect the head size. The doctor who reads the ultrasound results didn't even mention it and said the Woowoo was in the 65th percentile and looked good. I'm trying not to freak myself out about the low number, but I admit it's going to be a long 4 weeks until my next growth scan. Dr. Google hasn't been my friend and resulted in some scary findings, so I'm done with him for now. I'm not totally confident the tech took accurate measurements because she only measured 3 of my fibriods when I know there are 6 and the 3 she did measure grew?!?! That makes no sense. The immense pain I was in is a strong indicator that the fibriods have been shrinking, not growing. Anyway, these are the thoughts I'm using to try and keep myself sane and not going into a full blown panic meltdown (I admit I was on the verge yesterday, but feel better today). Regardless, I love my little Woowoo more than I thought I could and want to protect him from anything bad...ever!
Since I'm short on time I'm going to take the easy way out and use this format:
Pregnancy Highlights:
How Far Along: 23 Weeks and 4 days
Size of baby: He currently weighs 1lb, 6oz based on my last doctor's appointment on Monday.
Total Weight Gain: According to my home scale I'm up 13lbs - and the home scale is the only one I'm really paying attention to since I weigh myself every week at the same time on the same day.
Maternity Clothes: I'm about 90% maternity now. There are still two pair of jeans I can wear with the Bella Band but I'm quickly approaching the end of that. I will say the elastic waist is sooo much more comfortable!
Gender: One super-cute (yes, I'm biased) baby boy. He was in a good position at the last appointment and even the tech commented on his cute little nose when we were looking at the 4-D images:)
Movement: He is an active little wiggle worm. He seems to be most active in the early mornings, but I do feel him throughout the day. Yesterday I was able to see him from the outside for the first time. It was surreal!
Sleep: Not too bad these days. I finally caved and bought a "pregnancy pillow" and it has been wonderful. We're leaving for an 8-day vacation on Friday and I wish there was some way I could take the pillow. I'll sacrifice clean underwear for a good night's sleep anytime:)
What I miss: Sushi. Real sushi, not the faux shrimp sushi I have been making do with.
Cravings: Most of my cravings came in the first trimester and even then it wasn't anything that I didn't already eat. The one thing I haven't had since I was a kid and I simply HAD TO HAVE recently was pistachio pudding. It was heavenly!
Symptoms: I'm still having residual discomfort from the fibriods, but I think that's going to be my new "norm" for the remainder of the pregnancy so I've gotten used to it. I've also started to get some ankle swelling but not full blown cankles...yet.
Milestones: I'm in an odd in-between period. Because of my vacation next week I had to change my 24-week appointment to a 23-week appointment so it's throwing off the milestones. For some reason, 24-weeks feels like a big number. And I know 28 weeks will be huge when I cross over to the third trimester. For now, I'm on auto-pilot.
UPDATE: Everything went well at my 23-week appointment on Monday, but there was one number that the doctor mentioned. She said it wasn't anything to worry about but the Woowoo's head circumference was on the very low side of normal while all his other numbers were on the high side. He's still in the breech position which can affect the head size. The doctor who reads the ultrasound results didn't even mention it and said the Woowoo was in the 65th percentile and looked good. I'm trying not to freak myself out about the low number, but I admit it's going to be a long 4 weeks until my next growth scan. Dr. Google hasn't been my friend and resulted in some scary findings, so I'm done with him for now. I'm not totally confident the tech took accurate measurements because she only measured 3 of my fibriods when I know there are 6 and the 3 she did measure grew?!?! That makes no sense. The immense pain I was in is a strong indicator that the fibriods have been shrinking, not growing. Anyway, these are the thoughts I'm using to try and keep myself sane and not going into a full blown panic meltdown (I admit I was on the verge yesterday, but feel better today). Regardless, I love my little Woowoo more than I thought I could and want to protect him from anything bad...ever!
Thursday, May 5, 2011
The good and the bad
I had my follow-up ultrasound and doc appointment this morning. It's mostly good news with a little not-so-good sprinkled in to keep me on my toes.
The good news is the pain was caused by the fibroids and definitely not appendicitis or pre-term labor. The Woowoo also flipped himself over so he's head down now. It's still so early that it's not a big deal, but regardless I hope he stays that way!
The not-so-good news is that there are double the amount of fibroids than they originally counted. I now have 6 annoying fibroids hanging out on my uterus. Some of them are degenerating which is causing all the pain. The pain has subsided a lot, but is definitely still present. I asked the doctor what I can expect for the remainder of the pregnancy and he said there isn't a definite answer. He did say, most women experience the worst of it now through the next 2-4 weeks and then it should get better. Fabulous...right when Hubby and I are taking our babymoon.
The most important thing is that there is no harm to Woowoo, just pain for momma. But I'll deal with it knowing my baby is still growing big and strong in my belly:)
Thanks for all the thoughts!
The good news is the pain was caused by the fibroids and definitely not appendicitis or pre-term labor. The Woowoo also flipped himself over so he's head down now. It's still so early that it's not a big deal, but regardless I hope he stays that way!
The not-so-good news is that there are double the amount of fibroids than they originally counted. I now have 6 annoying fibroids hanging out on my uterus. Some of them are degenerating which is causing all the pain. The pain has subsided a lot, but is definitely still present. I asked the doctor what I can expect for the remainder of the pregnancy and he said there isn't a definite answer. He did say, most women experience the worst of it now through the next 2-4 weeks and then it should get better. Fabulous...right when Hubby and I are taking our babymoon.
The most important thing is that there is no harm to Woowoo, just pain for momma. But I'll deal with it knowing my baby is still growing big and strong in my belly:)
Thanks for all the thoughts!
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