We went to see Dr. Arensdorf again this afternoon, and we have made a little more progress:
-3.5 cm dilation
-50% effacement
The due date is this Saturday! We talked about inducing sometime late next week...if we get there.
I had a funny realization this morning. We have been so anxious to have this little girl, but you know, when she gets here she'll be here for a loooong time! I guess I made a conscious decision to enjoy the rest of the time D-husband and I have together, just us, and that's a good feeling.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Impatient!
Well, almost another week here and gone...and still no baby. I just feel more and more uncomfortable everyday: taking shoes on and off, getting in and out of the car, picking things up off the floor...you get the idea! My belly just seems to be in the way of anything I want to do.
Baby seems to want out as well! Sometimes I'll feel her head down low and her feet in my ribs, like she's having a nice big stretch. It's incredible!
I know all the signs of labor- all my doctors and all my books have made sure of that- and it's frustrating to be so close to my due date and not feel anything remotely resembling labor, even the things you're supposed to feel a week or more in advance. It's cool to know that I'm effaced/dilated, but I just can't wait to feel something except huge! I'm definitely getting that classic, irrational fear of being pregnant forever...
I think I'll go walking again today. It's been chilly out, so I go to the fitness center here at the apartment and use the treadmill. I've been doing about 1 to 1.5 miles (over about 30 min), 2 or 3 times a week for the last few weeks. That's about as much as I can handle these days! It feels good though, and hopefully it will help the baby drop a little.
We have another appointment tomorrow afternoon...we're keeping our fingers crossed for more "baby steps"!
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Baby seems to want out as well! Sometimes I'll feel her head down low and her feet in my ribs, like she's having a nice big stretch. It's incredible!
I know all the signs of labor- all my doctors and all my books have made sure of that- and it's frustrating to be so close to my due date and not feel anything remotely resembling labor, even the things you're supposed to feel a week or more in advance. It's cool to know that I'm effaced/dilated, but I just can't wait to feel something except huge! I'm definitely getting that classic, irrational fear of being pregnant forever...
I think I'll go walking again today. It's been chilly out, so I go to the fitness center here at the apartment and use the treadmill. I've been doing about 1 to 1.5 miles (over about 30 min), 2 or 3 times a week for the last few weeks. That's about as much as I can handle these days! It feels good though, and hopefully it will help the baby drop a little.
We have another appointment tomorrow afternoon...we're keeping our fingers crossed for more "baby steps"!
Here's me, at 39 weeks!
Friday, February 20, 2009
Update
At the doctor's appointment yesterday we found out I am now:
-A full 3 cm dilated
-40% effaced
Small steps, but progress none the less!
-A full 3 cm dilated
-40% effaced
Small steps, but progress none the less!
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Another story...
Just in case you haven't heard this story yet...
D-husband accepted a job with Cessna in Wichita, KS, back in September 2008, and set his starting date for January 12th. We finished our last semester at ASU while finding an apartment, getting all packed and ready to move, etc.
Then...on December 17th, Cessna called and retracted their job offer. I didn't know they could do that after we had officially accepted the job, but apparently they can! I guess it's just kind of like getting fired, before you even start! They told us they were retracting offers for all 8 of their new hires, obviously as a result of the recent economic downturn.
So we had a little freak-out moment, to say the least! D-husband called Navair, in North Carolina- they had also offered him a job over the summer, which he had turned down. They told him they might still have an opening for him, and would know for sure after New Years.
The next day, we get a call from Spirit Aerosystems in Wichita. As it turns out, Cessna gave all the names and resumes of the 8 retracted offers to other companies in the area (so they're not complete jerks, after all). Spirit said they might have an opening, and we would hear from them after New Years. We had already booked one-way tickets to Louisiana to see D-husband's parents for Christmas before moving up to Kansas, so we spent several weeks in Lake Charles waiting...and waiting...and waiting! Not to mention brainstorming crazy ideas of what we could do if nothing came through. Finally, during the first week of January, we got calls from Navair and Spirit...and BOTH offered D-husband a job! Talk about the emotional rollercoaster of a lifetime. We obviously decided to take the job in Wichita, and immediately began a crazy last-minute online apartment search. D-husband's job title is: Structural Design Engineer Level 1 (ooooh), and he started on January 30th.
Whew!!! What a story to tell our kid(s) someday.
I don't know if you've seen in the news- since last December Cessna and many other companies have laid off thousands of employees. It's a rough time for the whole industry, but Spirit seems to have a unique niche that has allowed them to keep bringing in business. We're thankful things have worked out for us so far, and we hope they continue this way.
D-husband accepted a job with Cessna in Wichita, KS, back in September 2008, and set his starting date for January 12th. We finished our last semester at ASU while finding an apartment, getting all packed and ready to move, etc.
Then...on December 17th, Cessna called and retracted their job offer. I didn't know they could do that after we had officially accepted the job, but apparently they can! I guess it's just kind of like getting fired, before you even start! They told us they were retracting offers for all 8 of their new hires, obviously as a result of the recent economic downturn.
So we had a little freak-out moment, to say the least! D-husband called Navair, in North Carolina- they had also offered him a job over the summer, which he had turned down. They told him they might still have an opening for him, and would know for sure after New Years.
The next day, we get a call from Spirit Aerosystems in Wichita. As it turns out, Cessna gave all the names and resumes of the 8 retracted offers to other companies in the area (so they're not complete jerks, after all). Spirit said they might have an opening, and we would hear from them after New Years. We had already booked one-way tickets to Louisiana to see D-husband's parents for Christmas before moving up to Kansas, so we spent several weeks in Lake Charles waiting...and waiting...and waiting! Not to mention brainstorming crazy ideas of what we could do if nothing came through. Finally, during the first week of January, we got calls from Navair and Spirit...and BOTH offered D-husband a job! Talk about the emotional rollercoaster of a lifetime. We obviously decided to take the job in Wichita, and immediately began a crazy last-minute online apartment search. D-husband's job title is: Structural Design Engineer Level 1 (ooooh), and he started on January 30th.
Whew!!! What a story to tell our kid(s) someday.
I don't know if you've seen in the news- since last December Cessna and many other companies have laid off thousands of employees. It's a rough time for the whole industry, but Spirit seems to have a unique niche that has allowed them to keep bringing in business. We're thankful things have worked out for us so far, and we hope they continue this way.
Post #1: Hello!
Thought this would be a great way to keep a record of our life in Kansas with the new job, new apartment, and new baby (pending)! Should have started this earlier...
To recap the pregnancy in a nutshell:
The first trimester was pretty rough, but most of it was over before school started last fall. My morning sickness was bad, and after I lost some weight my doctor prescribed an anti-nausea medication (Phenergan). Didn't work! It would knock me out cold for about 6 hours, but when I woke up I was still nauseous...and it was time for another dose! Next we tried Zofran, which worked like a charm and allowed me to finally catch up to the weight I was supposed to have gained by that point.
We had our first ultrasound, which determined our gestational age to be 7 weeks, and our due date was set for February 28th, 2009. We immediately looked at the calendar...2009 is not a leap year, WHEW! The baby just looked like a little blob. A cute blob, of course. :)
The things I'll remember most about the first trimester are:
-daily nausea (despite the medication)
-fatigue
-cravings! (Buffalo wings, mostly. Also- In n Out Burger and potato chips with ridges)
-crazy sense of smell (it's true!)
To recap the pregnancy in a nutshell:
The first trimester was pretty rough, but most of it was over before school started last fall. My morning sickness was bad, and after I lost some weight my doctor prescribed an anti-nausea medication (Phenergan). Didn't work! It would knock me out cold for about 6 hours, but when I woke up I was still nauseous...and it was time for another dose! Next we tried Zofran, which worked like a charm and allowed me to finally catch up to the weight I was supposed to have gained by that point.
We had our first ultrasound, which determined our gestational age to be 7 weeks, and our due date was set for February 28th, 2009. We immediately looked at the calendar...2009 is not a leap year, WHEW! The baby just looked like a little blob. A cute blob, of course. :)
The things I'll remember most about the first trimester are:
-daily nausea (despite the medication)
-fatigue
-cravings! (Buffalo wings, mostly. Also- In n Out Burger and potato chips with ridges)
-crazy sense of smell (it's true!)
-that awful metallic taste
The start of school coincided with the beginning of my second trimester. Within a few weeks I felt comfortable stopping the Zofran. The nausea became limited to early mornings, and I only had an early class once a week, so it wasn't too bad. I kept some on hand for those mornings and the occasional bad days, too.
I was putting on weight pretty slowly...about 1 pound per month, which is what's recommended for the first trimester. My clothes still fit and I was told that it was impossible to tell I was pregnant if you didn't know already. I was happy that my weight gain was on track, but I was still anxious for it to become physically obvious, so I could finally "feel" pregnant.
What I was feeling mostly was...exhausted. I was in school full-time, with a part-time job, and I made a great effort to pace myself: small snacks all day, napping in the library between classes, getting to campus early to avoid running to class, and in general taking every opportunity to get off my feet. Despite all this, I was tired all day...from the time I woke up to the time I went to sleep I had no excess energy. Just enough to get me through the day, and no more. I knew it was totally normal and expected: at that point the baby is growing at an incredible rate, and the placenta is being formed, both of which take LOTS of energy. It was such a frustrating, debilitating feeling, and I really hated it. D-husband had to help me realize that I needed to just accept it, and know it was okay to ask for help.
In the middle of the second trimester, we got another ultrasound. I wasn't sure I wanted to find out the sex, but when the tech asked, I caved, and we found out we were having a girl! I don't regret finding out. It's kind of nice to know. She was actually turned with her little butt toward the front, so we could not get a good view of her head! Camera-shy, probably. :)
There's her little face!
Elbows up by her head! This one's a little tough to see. Look for her nose right in the middle- she's looking slightly to the right.
My favorite! You can see the leg and foot pretty clearly on the right, and the forearm straight up and down in the middle, over her head. She's crazy!
The start of school coincided with the beginning of my second trimester. Within a few weeks I felt comfortable stopping the Zofran. The nausea became limited to early mornings, and I only had an early class once a week, so it wasn't too bad. I kept some on hand for those mornings and the occasional bad days, too.
I was putting on weight pretty slowly...about 1 pound per month, which is what's recommended for the first trimester. My clothes still fit and I was told that it was impossible to tell I was pregnant if you didn't know already. I was happy that my weight gain was on track, but I was still anxious for it to become physically obvious, so I could finally "feel" pregnant.
What I was feeling mostly was...exhausted. I was in school full-time, with a part-time job, and I made a great effort to pace myself: small snacks all day, napping in the library between classes, getting to campus early to avoid running to class, and in general taking every opportunity to get off my feet. Despite all this, I was tired all day...from the time I woke up to the time I went to sleep I had no excess energy. Just enough to get me through the day, and no more. I knew it was totally normal and expected: at that point the baby is growing at an incredible rate, and the placenta is being formed, both of which take LOTS of energy. It was such a frustrating, debilitating feeling, and I really hated it. D-husband had to help me realize that I needed to just accept it, and know it was okay to ask for help.
In the middle of the second trimester, we got another ultrasound. I wasn't sure I wanted to find out the sex, but when the tech asked, I caved, and we found out we were having a girl! I don't regret finding out. It's kind of nice to know. She was actually turned with her little butt toward the front, so we could not get a good view of her head! Camera-shy, probably. :)
I don't know if you can tell, but the little caption says: "GIRL"
Of course, it's important to make sure everything is anatomically correct, so in two weeks we went back again, and everything was looked fine. In fact, we could see her moving around, even though I couldn't feel it! Bizarre. She was quite a little acrobat...she put both elbows up by her ears with her hands behind her head, and even got one of her feet up by her face! The 3D shots turned out great...
There's her little face!
Nice profile.
Elbows up by her head! This one's a little tough to see. Look for her nose right in the middle- she's looking slightly to the right.My favorite! You can see the leg and foot pretty clearly on the right, and the forearm straight up and down in the middle, over her head. She's crazy!
Somewhere toward the end of the fifth month, a lot changed. I started getting some energy back (which was AMAZING), my belly started to show a little (also cool), and the heartburn really got going (not cool). I definitely slept sitting up a few nights (somehow this was not enough to come between me and my buffalo wing cravings, though). It was great to finally have a little belly! I was carrying high enough that I could still wear my usual pants, but I did go shopping for some looser-fitting shirts.
I also started feeling some movement! At first it just felt like a tiny muscle twitch, and they quickly got stronger and stronger. It wasn't long before D-husband could feel them.
I think it was right around the end of the second trimester that I finally had to go shopping for some maternity clothes. My pants were getting snug around the hips, and I was limited to my big t-shirts. The maternity clothes fit, but were a bit loose...it's a awkward time, being a little too big for your regular clothes and a little too small for maternity! I used a trick to keep wearing my old pants: I zipped them up but instead of buttoning the top, I put a rubber band around the button, through the loop, and around the button again. Worked great, and no one ever noticed!
At about 32 weeks I was tested for gestational diabetes. I drank a sugary orange drink, waited an hour, and then had blood drawn. My glucose levels were a little too high, so the next week I had to go back for a three-hour test, which is more accurate. This time they drew blood first, then I had the sugary drink, and an hour later they drew blood, and again after another hour, and another hour. This time all the levels were normal. Whew!
The beginning of the third trimester was pretty crazy. We moved out of our house on campus and said goodbye to ASU, our friends, and my family. We also said goodbye to D-husband's job offer with Cessna, but that's another story. In Louisiana we had few weeks to relax and watch my belly grow. Around this time I started walking differently, felt out of breath a little faster, and my appetite started picking up the pace. The baby's movement reached a new level, as well. The kicks and punches were very strong...enough to wake me up in the morning, and make me remarkably uncomfortable when she got the right spot, like my bladder or the bottom of my ribs.
My belly grew a LOT during this time. I definitely spent most of the pregnancy pretty small, but getting closer to the end I am feeling bigger and bigger everyday, following the recommended weight gain of 1 pound per week!
In order to stay up-to-date with my OB visits, I saw Dr. McAlpine for two appointments while we were in Lake Charles. At the first, he did an ultrasound to check the baby's size, anatomy, etc. Everything looked fine, she kicked a little while he did it, and as an added bonus her head was already down! This is great news because obviously a feet-first (breech) birth is not ideal, and at this point babies are almost too big to turn over completely. So it was great to know she was already there, and not likely to move. Two weeks later we saw him again, this time knowing that we were headed for Kansas within a few days. He checked my belly, recommended some books, and made sure I knew the signs of pre-term labor...just in case. I told him that so far I had not felt any Braxton-Hicks contractions, and he told me that I was definitely having them, whether or not they were noticeable. He showed me that if I felt my belly periodically I would find that it was either rigid or soft...it was awesome!
On the drive up to Wichita we saw some crazy weather, but thankfully no pre-term labor. We worked on getting settled in, and I went to see my new OB, Dr. Arensdorf. At this point I was about 36 and 1/2 weeks pregnant...full-term. She checked my cervix and found that I was 30% effaced and 2 to 3 cm dilated! I guess those contractions can work even if I can't feel them! She also did a test for Group B strep, for which it turns out I am positive. About half of all women have it, and it really doesn't mean much for me, except that it can make the babies really sick after they're born. This is prevented by giving me IV antibiotics during the birth.
We took some classes at the hospital: a Baby Care Seminar where we learned all about, well, how to take care of babies, and I attended a nursing class that was very valuable and solved a lot of nursing mysteries for me. We are also taking a 4-week Childbirth Prep class. We have just had the third class, and so far we have focused on what is happening in each stage of labor and what we need to be prepared for at the hospital. We've also learned some pain-relieving positions and stretches.
At our next appointment with Dr. Arensdorf, we found that there was no change in my cervix, and the baby has not dropped at all yet. Kind of disappointing, but really pretty normal. She told me I could stay at 2-3 cm for quite awhile. Of course, I could go into labor tomorrow, so you never know.
Well, this turned out to be quite a nutshell, but that is everything up to this point! I am READY to have this baby. She feels huge, and when she kicks hard I feel like she's trying to get out. I wake up about every 2 hours at night to go to the bathroom, and my appetite is absolutely enormous. I'm hungry ALL the time. I'm starting to notice my feet are a little swollen toward the end of the day, and for about the last week my wedding ring has been leaving a little groove in my finger.
Also, up until about a month ago I didn't have a single stretch mark on my belly. Then I finally noticed a tiny dark mark below my belly button. I prayed there wouldn't be any more, but soon enough...bam, overnight, there they were. Now my lower belly looks like a roadmap. Oh well! A badge of motherhood!
So, the carseat is in the car, the pre-admission form has been mailed to the hospital, the bag is (almost) packed, and the baby's room is (almost) ready...let's do this!!!
I also started feeling some movement! At first it just felt like a tiny muscle twitch, and they quickly got stronger and stronger. It wasn't long before D-husband could feel them.
I think it was right around the end of the second trimester that I finally had to go shopping for some maternity clothes. My pants were getting snug around the hips, and I was limited to my big t-shirts. The maternity clothes fit, but were a bit loose...it's a awkward time, being a little too big for your regular clothes and a little too small for maternity! I used a trick to keep wearing my old pants: I zipped them up but instead of buttoning the top, I put a rubber band around the button, through the loop, and around the button again. Worked great, and no one ever noticed!
At about 32 weeks I was tested for gestational diabetes. I drank a sugary orange drink, waited an hour, and then had blood drawn. My glucose levels were a little too high, so the next week I had to go back for a three-hour test, which is more accurate. This time they drew blood first, then I had the sugary drink, and an hour later they drew blood, and again after another hour, and another hour. This time all the levels were normal. Whew!
The beginning of the third trimester was pretty crazy. We moved out of our house on campus and said goodbye to ASU, our friends, and my family. We also said goodbye to D-husband's job offer with Cessna, but that's another story. In Louisiana we had few weeks to relax and watch my belly grow. Around this time I started walking differently, felt out of breath a little faster, and my appetite started picking up the pace. The baby's movement reached a new level, as well. The kicks and punches were very strong...enough to wake me up in the morning, and make me remarkably uncomfortable when she got the right spot, like my bladder or the bottom of my ribs.
My belly grew a LOT during this time. I definitely spent most of the pregnancy pretty small, but getting closer to the end I am feeling bigger and bigger everyday, following the recommended weight gain of 1 pound per week!
In order to stay up-to-date with my OB visits, I saw Dr. McAlpine for two appointments while we were in Lake Charles. At the first, he did an ultrasound to check the baby's size, anatomy, etc. Everything looked fine, she kicked a little while he did it, and as an added bonus her head was already down! This is great news because obviously a feet-first (breech) birth is not ideal, and at this point babies are almost too big to turn over completely. So it was great to know she was already there, and not likely to move. Two weeks later we saw him again, this time knowing that we were headed for Kansas within a few days. He checked my belly, recommended some books, and made sure I knew the signs of pre-term labor...just in case. I told him that so far I had not felt any Braxton-Hicks contractions, and he told me that I was definitely having them, whether or not they were noticeable. He showed me that if I felt my belly periodically I would find that it was either rigid or soft...it was awesome!
On the drive up to Wichita we saw some crazy weather, but thankfully no pre-term labor. We worked on getting settled in, and I went to see my new OB, Dr. Arensdorf. At this point I was about 36 and 1/2 weeks pregnant...full-term. She checked my cervix and found that I was 30% effaced and 2 to 3 cm dilated! I guess those contractions can work even if I can't feel them! She also did a test for Group B strep, for which it turns out I am positive. About half of all women have it, and it really doesn't mean much for me, except that it can make the babies really sick after they're born. This is prevented by giving me IV antibiotics during the birth.
We took some classes at the hospital: a Baby Care Seminar where we learned all about, well, how to take care of babies, and I attended a nursing class that was very valuable and solved a lot of nursing mysteries for me. We are also taking a 4-week Childbirth Prep class. We have just had the third class, and so far we have focused on what is happening in each stage of labor and what we need to be prepared for at the hospital. We've also learned some pain-relieving positions and stretches.
At our next appointment with Dr. Arensdorf, we found that there was no change in my cervix, and the baby has not dropped at all yet. Kind of disappointing, but really pretty normal. She told me I could stay at 2-3 cm for quite awhile. Of course, I could go into labor tomorrow, so you never know.
Well, this turned out to be quite a nutshell, but that is everything up to this point! I am READY to have this baby. She feels huge, and when she kicks hard I feel like she's trying to get out. I wake up about every 2 hours at night to go to the bathroom, and my appetite is absolutely enormous. I'm hungry ALL the time. I'm starting to notice my feet are a little swollen toward the end of the day, and for about the last week my wedding ring has been leaving a little groove in my finger.
Also, up until about a month ago I didn't have a single stretch mark on my belly. Then I finally noticed a tiny dark mark below my belly button. I prayed there wouldn't be any more, but soon enough...bam, overnight, there they were. Now my lower belly looks like a roadmap. Oh well! A badge of motherhood!
So, the carseat is in the car, the pre-admission form has been mailed to the hospital, the bag is (almost) packed, and the baby's room is (almost) ready...let's do this!!!
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