Birth Story!

I was set to be induced on 8/27 at exactly 39wks. A few days before, I was having strong contractions...had contractions that were the real deal for more than a week. Friday showed up and it seemed like I would have to go through the induction...
I was supposed to be at the hospital at 630am, but they had no room at the hospital for us. Apparently, so many babies were being born that day. They called back at 7am to tell us to go in. It took awhile in traffic and when we got there there we had to wait. I saw my dr in the hall and he asked why I wasn't in a room yet. It was about 830am when I saw him and he was coming to break my water.
I finally got in a room at 915 and got started with an IV and pitocin at 930am. I started feeling what I call baby contractions and I told the nurse each time she came in to up the dose on the pitocin because they weren't doing anything. I probably get what I deserve next because of that.
My obgyn told them to break my water ASAP but they didn't want to. GRRRR
He also told me to get the epidural very quickly and they didn't want to give it to me until they broke my water. Oh, I was 70% effaced and 3.5cm I think...about the same from days earlier. I thought I would be more effaced because of my heavy contractions on the night of the full moon.
They came to check me at 12pm and I was 100% effaced and 4.5cm I think. The nurse broke my water.
Oh, my dr a few days earlier told me that he predicted I would have the baby between 12pm and 4pm but closer to 12pm (had I got induced at 7ish).
I had given my obgyn some hell about being at the birth and he promised he would. I had seen him for 16 or 17 years and I was always the patient in his office waiting hrs for him while he attended to people giving birth. He didn't deliver my son as I went before induction on a weekend.
Back to labor...
When they broke my water I told them to line up the anthesiologist...that always takes forever.
Well from 12pm to 1pm was the worst pain of my life. I can see now that the epidural did work last time even though I still felt pain. It was agony. I was't yelling but I told my DH that he better get the nurse and get my epidural ASAP or some pain meds. I wasn't too happy with the nurses as they didn't come in at all the whole hr and I was not on the monitors as I kinda ripped them off and I was sitting up and they don't work well. Even with no baby or contraction monitoring, the stupid nurses didn't come in. If you are a nurse, I am not saying all nurses are stupid, they just really messed up in my case.
After my DH called them a few times, they finally came in at 1pm with the anesthesiologist. I stood up on the side of the bed and told the nurse that I had to go BM or I was ready to push the baby. She was shocked. I was holding her so tight...kinda serves them right, but I don't envy their job. She quickly checked me and saw I was 9cm. To recap, I went from 4cm to 9cm in less than an hour!!!! She called the dr and told him to come ASAP...he was doing a circumcision but quickly ran over. At this point my contractions are on the scale of worst pain ever and coming every 1 to 2 minutes. That whole hr...it was every 2minutes or less.
I thought I was too late for the epidural and they told me that they had given it to people at 10cm(!!!!). It was hard for them to do it since my contractions were every 1 minute. My obgyn came in when I was getting the epidural and asked me if I wanted to wait 5 minute or push now. I told him I would wait to get some affect from the epi. They gave me a quick dose and it was semi quick to take affect.
I don't know how long I pushed for, but to me it was less than 10min, maybe even 5 minutes My obgyn asked if I wanted the mirror and I said yes. I probably shouldn't have because it was kinda not the best sight in the world. I know ppl say that childbirth is beautiful, but...He thought it was great incentive to get me to push. It did kinda help to see how I was doing on pushing. Last time I was able to see feel the contractions and push when they came like you should...this time the epi was too new that I couldn't feel the contractions but the dr just told me to push all the time.
It was a quick labor and that is good, but I wish I had had the epi longer. Kudos to the medication free mamas, not sure how you do it especially for multiple hours at a time. I complain, I had a quick labor.
Baby came at 1:21pm.
I got to hold her immediately and me and my DH asked the nurse if she was a girl as we didn't check right away. I got to breastfeed her right away and that was awesome. She did great. She is already a much better feeder than my son was.
My DH got to cut the cord. I am sooooo happy that my obgyn got to deliver her.

I should have written this down sooner as I am sure I forgot some details. I hope my readers made it this far.

Issues/Thoughts
Baby Girl has jaundice problems, but she had blood jaundice which isn't related to breastfeeding. My son had mild jaundice. Hers is much worse and we are doing the light treatments on her (which is hard while trying to BF). BFing is going so much better this time around. I may still have supply issues, but so far so good. She isn't too sleepy on the breast like my son was. I kinda used to blame the epidural and hte pain meds on the sleepiness of my son, but my drs say that ibuprophen can't do that. Who knows? I do think she didn't have time to get much of the epi in her system before birth. I am taking a low dose of motrin and I really am minimizing taking anything. My pedi said that moms in pain don't make as much breast milk, etc. So I did take her advice into account too..

I am a probreastfeeding hospital. What does that mean? Well, they don't give out the formula free diaper bags anymore. Bummer...I still wanted that even though I will BF because I know I will have to supplement probably at some point. Oh, I am having to supplement because of the jaundice..makes it go away quicker. So far she has gotten 5 oz, so not too bad for 3 days of life...This time I did use the SNS right away (that is the thing that you breastfeed and give formula at the same time. I think that helps instead of straight formula from a nipple as I did with my son. My obgyn gave me free samples of formula and i have some home if needed. I guess it is a good thing that they don't give the ton of formula samples out...

We named her S.ienna and she was 7lbs 1oz at birth and 19.5 inches.

My DH and I decided to do two hrs in the nursery on two different nights. I have mixed feelings about this. My BFing books (I got a free book from work) says to room-in with the baby. I did that last time the whole time as I was a worried mama. This time we took a break to get more sleep. I will say that baby girl is a much better sleeper so far. She is a very different baby from my son. On both nights that she went tot he nursery for 2hrs, they kept her more than 2 hrs which kinda pissed me off. I think it can hurt your supply by doing this, but it DOES help sleep and energy level. I didn't do it my last night (had to stay longer due to jaundice) and she was a quiet baby.

She did lose weight. About 2% the first night, 8% on the 2nd night, and they said if she reached 10% they would have me supplement. I started to supplement before this happened anyway because it pushes out the bad jaundice in her system. Like I said, I've only give her so little and still was able to breastfeed at the same time.

Things are going smoother hte 2nd time around...labor was more difficult but recovery has been easier.

Thanks for the support everyone! I really enjoy having an online community of friends.

Cerclage is out!

I am 36w4d today and the cerclage was removed. It was painful, but only lasted 1 minute. No pain meds needed. It isn't fun, but I can live.

I am 1/2 cm dilated and 50% effaced - that is less than I was with my son. Boo...

Although I am trying to enjoy being pregnant for the last 17 days before induction...this is my last pregnancy and I want to remain pregnant the full time. I might complain later due to the heat, but for now, I am fine.

My peri seems to think I will last 17 days. I would like to go into labor on my own, but very close to the full 17 days.

Baby did great on the biophysical profile. GD counselor spent 1 min talking to me...I am too easy for her and she wants a challenge. My numbers are mianly always good and I don't follow the diet to a T. I do cheat here and there.

Baby was moving around a lot which is good because I have been worried about her for the past 2 days.

She is about 6lbs 8oz - plus or minus a pound.

Thanks for the support! I am in the homestetch.

32-34 wk update!

I have posted in awhile.

I had an obgyn appt at 32 wks and they pissed me off because I just left a urine sample and they put me to another office and wanted me to do it again. Ugh! I just was so rude saying 'I can't go again, I just went 5min ago'. I told them to walk 5 steps to go get my sample. They were just being lazy - stupid people.

I saw my peri at 32w4d and he did another FFN test - it was negative! He was joking and said that he could see my cerclage and it would be so easy to take it out. The nurse said 'don't you dare'. The baby barely passed the biophysical profile (needed due to GD). Ugh...She moved, but didn't want to practice her breathing.

I went to the obgyn yesterday at 33w6d. I made them do a NST on me and I think the idiots there forgot about me and I was on the machine for 40min instead of 20min. Baby was very sleepy and not very responsive. Between that and last week's BPP, I am kinda nervous. She kicks a lot, but she is kicking in her sleep and they want the h/r to go up right after kicks. She finally did it yesterday after 30 min. I think that means I should have failed the NST too, but they said I was ok.

I talked to my dr about induction since I have GD and he said 38 closer to 39wks. So I may have a baby by August 27th or earlier! He said 50/50 chance of me going sooner.

Oh, I also got my cerclage removal date last week. It will be on August 10th. I'm counting down the days. I'm able to do a lot more now.

My family threw me a shower on Saturday. It was so much fun and really girly! I will have another small shower hosted by my friends. The first one was small too. It is just fun to get girl clothes as they are so cute.

I'm still hanging in here and hoping to get to 38wks. I'm greedy as I want a baby who is healthy and doesn't need NICU time.

A friend of mine who is 1 wk behind me has a cerclage and didn't do bedrest at all during her pregnancy. Well, she had some shortening and I told her that I would do bedrest. She ended up doing that, but her water broke 3wks ago at 30wks. She is still baking her little girl! I think that is amazing! I think her drs will induce her in 1 more week to ward off infection. She had issues with her first child too...shortening even with a cerclage. These things just aren't as good sometimes even when things seem to be going well.

Great website for baby size!

My reference website for baby size and length:

http://www.babycenter.com/average-fetal-length-weight-chart

4-29wks - what I did (with a toddler)

Disclaimer::::
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This is what I did. You really have to figure out what is best for you. Bedrest/no bedrest, stairs/no stairs whatever...Listen to your body and factor in what your drs say with a grain of salt. If you haven't read other parts of my blog and you land here...I really believe in the power of bedrest. It works.
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4-12wks, I was more conservative than last pregnancy. Why? Well, I wanted to work all the way until cerclage but I had a lot of bleeding due to a hematoma (SCH). I had to stay home at least two days because of bleeding. On those days I had red/pink/brown spotting and jsut stayed home and didn't even work from home on those days. I was supposed to travel with work at 8wks or so and I told my boss that I couldn't.
I had discharge sooooo much until I had my cerclage. My drs said it wasn't because of shortening but it was because of the hematoma (cervical irritation). Well, then I still had it for a week or two after the hematoma.
When the hematoma came out, it was like a blog with some tiny pink spotting.

Then I had my cerclage and decided to take 2weeks of my vacation for after the surgery so work couldn't tell me anything and I didn't even need to work from home.

During the time I had my hematoma, I was told not to carry my son much...one of my drs told me I could take care of my son (not my peri surprisingly). I did take care of him but minimized lifting him.

The following really applies to 4wks to 29wks (and beyond):

Showers: Every 2 days until I had shortening at 27w4d. Now, I shower every 3rd day.

Stairs: during the week, once a day. on the weekend I did about 2-3 times a day...asked my friends for help after the cerclage...on those days, I didn't have to go up more than 2 times. I really tried to go up two times a day.
Stairs after shortening: 1 a day even on weekends...means my husband has to feed DS and bring me lunch.

Diaper changes: If i really had to and my husband wasn't here to help me, I would change his diaper on the floor (so I didn't have to lift him). I am 29wks and still do this. It is better than me carrying him to the changing table.


Playtime: I play with my LO on the floor. I lie down or I'm on the couch and tell him to get me a toy or get me a ball for me to throw him. He sometimes climbs on the couch with me and tries to jump on my stomach but I cover it with a pillow. It is sometimes hard to play with him but if he is good, he knows to play a little independently while mom is lying down. When he throws a tantrum it is really hard...sometimes I get down on the floor with him and lie down with him, etc.

DS's naps: i had to rock him for naps on the weekends which was hard for me. Now, I don't have to do this, but I still sleep with him at night and I have to pat him down for his nap or DH has to drive him around.

Eating out: This time I ate out more even during the scary period for me 16-20wks. We went out to eat once a day on the weekends. I never had discharge, which I did last time. Eating out sometimes saved me one trip up the stairs to play with DS. Also, after eating lunch, DS would nap in the car and then DH would bring him in and put him to nap with me.

Discharge: Had some after BM like last time, but not when out and doing stuff. Last time I would get yellow stringy discharge (not a lot)...this time not a drop. Well I would have the tiniest spot of peach discharge (twice). I think it was irritation from the cerclage and so tiny that I never called me drs about it. Some discharge is normal during pregnancy...Also I had no bleeding/spotting when my cervix shortened...weird I thought I would have that. I have no idea if it has shortened more because of that.

DS' care during the day: DS goes to daycare. My DH and I got into a routine where I would take him in and he would pick DS up. We did this until I was on bedrest (last 1.5wks)...when DH took him and picked him up. Daycare was closed a few days and I had to take care of him. Oh, DS had his ear tubes placed when I was 17wks pg or so and that was hard...I couldn't hold him and after his surgery he was going crazy (legs and body kicking and going everywhere).

Working: worked from home from 14wks to 23wks and then went back to work before my 23w5d appt to see how things were holding up. Worked at the office from 23-27wks until I had shortening. Oh, I had a handciap permit, so going into work was easy and I didn't have to walk far. I would go out to eat daily with my coworkers. They would pick me up at the door since they knew I couldn't walk to anyone's car.

DS is dear son, by the way. It is the lingo for the bump.com. Sorry if that isn't clear..DH is dear husband...:)

Modified bedrest from 27w4d until at least 29w4d (maybe longer depending on my next appt). I did take my son into daycare today because my husband was having to work. I had to go get some blood work anyway, so had to leave the house.

I am sure I am forgetting something...if so I'll update this after this line.
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28weeks! (and obgyn appt)

I am so excited to be 28 weeks!!!

I have a rough week, but I hope to hang in there for several more weeks. I put myself on modified bedrest on Tuesday - 3 days ago. See my last post to know why...

I had an obgyn appt today with the fun glucose test. I was planning to talk to my dr about what he thought about my peri appt from Tuesday. I instead was seeing the nurse practioner...I told her what happened as she didn't seem to get the update from my peri. She looked very concerned and said 'I hope you aren't going to work'. I told her that I was working from home. She told me to take it easy and not to do any chores or leave my house.

Then I ran into my obgyn on the way out and he asked me how I was doing. I just gave him a quick update and he was concerned too...he told me to take it easy. The NP was there behind me and said 'she knows her stuff' and my obgyn said 'yes, she does'. They were confirming that I am a crazy patient. hahaha. Well, really, they were confirming that I will push my peri and really question him. It is frustrating when my drs disagree, but I told them I was already on modified bed rest. I will do stairs, but it is hard not to with having a little one. I am going to take it very easy though.

I am happy to be at 28wks, but want this baby baking for at least 8 more weeks.

27w4d peri appt - mixed news

Baby is doing well. Measuring at 28wks at 2lbs 9oz. Fluid looks great.

H/B is 158bpm.

Now, for the not so great news...

CL was measured at 1.3cm or so via abdominal -my peri's office only does these unless they can't get a good look. The u/s tech didn't say much, but just said 'well that is why you have the cerclage'.

This pregnancy: I have a toddler, but did do bedrest for 2wks after placement. CL was 3.8 less than 4wks ago. I worked from home from 14wks to 23wks and I've been doing a lot more the past 4 weeks including walking around at big box stores (Kohls, target, etc). Before 23 wks, I was down most of the time - self imposed modified bedrest.

Last pregnancy: I put myself on bedrest the entire pregnancy. I was able to work from home, but was inclined most of the time. It is hard to do now, with a little one, but last time I did this and look at the difference. CL held at 2.8 - 3.2cm the entire time.

My conversation with the peri...

DR: All looks well with baby!
ME: I'm concerned about my length.
DR: It is low, but you are fine.
ME: I think I saw minor funneling at the top on the u/s. (My peri on my last pregnancy told me that he never sees funneling...GRRRRR....the last time I had funneling was with my loss - delivered 2wks later when we saw funneling but I was 13wks when I had funneling ). It was minor and not below the stitch but it was there.
ME: Can you guarantee that I won't deliver in the next 2wks? jokingly said...
DR: You won't. I guarantee but we can take another look.
(Who knew just saying that would put the dr. on the spot.)
DR: Remember you have a weird, tilted cervix, but I'lll still take a look. He never does my u/s. He does u/s -abdominally and can't get a good view. He then says he will do the fFN test. I've never had this done. He said he will do that to ensure I won't deliver in the next 2wks and also he will do the transvag cam because he can't see what is going on, but did confirm my suspicions on the minor funneling. It is like a small dip at the top of the cervix. The CL measures 1.8-1.9cm.

ME: Waiting, waiting, waiting for him to come back. He comes back with the stuff to do the ffN test. I'll get the results later today. He does a manual exam and says that my cervix is closed, etc.

DR: 'I'll be surprised if the test comes back positive'. As he was leaving...'at least the ffN test should give you assurance about the next 2 wks, but if it comes back positive, we will talk steroids and bedrest'. That is the first time I've ever heard him say that - the word 'bedrest'. He also wants to see me in 2wks instead of 4wks which was my next appt. Then he says this 'you are good for 2wks and I would probably even say the next 7wks.'

Blog readers, you know how I b.itch about my dr....he is so relaxed on everything. He constantly tells me about other patients...
Like today he told me that two of his patients have no cervix left but are 35wks and 31wks. Last time, I was 35wks and pretty much didn't have any cervix left. He said one of his patients - her obgyn put her on bedrest for 3months which he was upset with. Ugh, I am firmly believing that bedrest WORKS WONDERS. Part of me has thought that maybe I didn't need it last time, but with the lowest CL that I have ever received, I am thinking it was smart to do it last time. I will try to do less now. Work wanted me to travel next week and I said 'no way'. I was considering it, until I heard this news. I will work from home the rest of this week and then see how I feel.

My thoughts: Bedrest works...drs don't know everything...and I was finally diagnosed at 35wks last time...this time, there is no doubt that I have an incompetent cervix. Always question your drs...He would not have done the u/s to verify the minor funneling had I not told him that I saw what I thought was funneling. At 28wks last time, I think they still measured my CL, but after that they didn't. I've heard that with IC, you should expect the length to drop at around 28wks, if you truly have IC.

In 4wks, my length went down from 3.8cm to 1.8cm.

Please keep us in your prayers/thoughts!

I am 28wks on Friday, but I want her to keep cooking a lot longer...I was so nervous that I forgot to ask for another gender guess as 4 wks ago, they couldn't see and confirm (although I have been told twice).

She is measuring right on target. She is head down. Last time she was breach and I asked if that made my CL so long and was told 'no'. Other news: I have my 1hr glucose test on Friday. I really think that I have it again. On big meals, I have gone slightly over, but I didn't one day when I had a lot of carbs (pasta and bread). I told them to test my urine today and there is no sugars in my urine, but we will find out on Friday if I need the 3hr test. I am preparing myself for the worst on the GD front.

I just started walking as of yesterday - walked about 10minutes around the block. I went to Target for the first time this pregnancy on Sunday. I went to Kohls about two times so far. No more shopping for me in big box stores...

I will take it easy for the next 2wks.

24weeks! (and obgyn appt)

Today, I am 24 weeks! I am so excited. I hope I keep this baby baking for a lot longer though. I am happy to have a long, boring pregnancy in the heat of summer.

I had an obgyn appt today. Dr. is very happy with my progress. On the way to my appointment, I saw my RE (fertility doctor). He was on the phone, of course, but interrupted his call to say hi to me and to say I look great. I told him that I was 24wks, etc. He was very happy. Last time he saw me, I had a hematoma that was marked as a threatened miscarriage.

My obgyn kinda rushed me, but I guess he was in a hurry. I asked him about swimming and his response 'it's ok to swim and I would prefer you do that instead of walk or run'. I will have to tell my husband, but I am betting he still won't let me swim with my son. I asked him about getting my tubes tied and he had some standard answers for me and said 'we won't do it unless you are 110%'.

I asked him if the baby was down and he said he would feel and said he couldn't tell because the baby is still so small. Last time, the girl could feel that the baby was heads down.

Thanks for the support ladies! There are many times that I didn't know if I would make it this far.

23w5d -peri appt

Today, I had my appointment and I had asked my mom to go with me. She had 4 kids, but never has seen an u/s.
The baby didn't want to cooperate much as she was facing my back and breach. My mom asked the u/s tech to re-verify the gender and she couldn't do that. Other than that, it was a great appt. The tech actually did the 3D view of the baby and they NEVER do that at my peri's office. I know they *can* but they choose not to do that for people. The u/s tech was being nice probably because my mom was there.
Of course even when she did it, the baby's face was hard to see. We saw a little of her face. Her nose looks like my son's nose.

H/B: 152bpm
Weight: 1.5 lbs - last time at the same gestation I forgot to write down what it was...
Cervical length: 3.8 plus. Wow...my bladder was completely empty, but baby was high up and breach (not on my cervix). I asked the dr if that made a difference for the length and he said 'no'. I am so happy with that because that is longer than last time and I returned into the office yesterday. (instead of working from home). I am not sure she got a good measurement since at first she said it was really hard to get it because of the baby's position. She even said 'well if we can't get a measurement, we just don't take it'. With the cerclage they don't care as much (at least with a proactive one...).

They didn't want the dr to see me, but I decided to pay extra and wait for him. Last time at this same gestation, they wanted to do the same thing...
My mom and I had some time to burn, so we waited for him.

He was really nice to her and spent time talking to me about topics that aren't related to me really. He was telling my mom and I a few stories...
He said one of his patients lost a baby at 23wks and didn't want a cerclage on her 2nd pregnancy. He said she is now 21wks with her bag of water hanging out and he told her she needs the cerclage. He never worries about people, so I am glad he is at least telling that girl that she NEEDS the stitch. I hope things work out for her. I am not sure if he wanted to scare my mom, but he told her that cervical issues and people losing babies is an epidemic and they are seeing a lot of cases. I said 'oh because ppl wait to have kids and then they have multiples' and he said 'no, we have 18 yo girls with singletons all the way up to 40 yo ladies with multiples'. He said there are so many ppl who have IC issues that he doesn't know why. I was really surprised by that comment especially from him.

He told my mom that I could travel and that I could do anything really even have sex. After the appt, she told me that she thinks he is not very conservative and that I have to take it easy and listen to my body.

I asked the dr if I could swim and he said 'yes', but most likely I won't as DH thinks it isn't smart to do for infection. I agree. DH didn't go with me, but I gave him a full update afterwards. I asked the dr about my intenstinal problems and he said 'it was ok and wouldn't hurt the baby, but if it continued to talk to my obgyn'. If I ate something raw (which I never do...) he said I could get a bug that stays in my intestines for awhile and they might have to treat it. Ugh...He said I could take kaopectate or immodium for diarrhea, but I really haven't had any stomach pain since Sunday. I hate taking stuff, so I won't unless absolutely necessary.

Oh, a few people on the IC board that I frequent have wondered when the danger zone for IC is and if the hips really take over the baby's weight. I still think the danger zone for IC rearing its ugly head is 16-24wks. I think the baby's danger zone is still 24-28wks though....I do believe the baby's weight does get more on the hips around 24wks for *most* ppl, but I believe it has to do with your frame. This gestation last time my length had grown from 3.0cm to 3.3cm. This time it grew from 2.8cm to 3.8cm. I think at least for me, my hips have taken over. (maybe around 22 or 23wks.) My obgyn told me that the danger zone for IC with a cerclage is before 20wks, but I am not sure I buy that.

Thanks for all those who read...I know there are a few who read but don't post. That is ok, if you don't comment. I still appreciate you following my progress.

22w6d - Obgyn appt

Today I woke up to some loose bowels and some pain. I decided to go into the obgyn to make sure I didn't have an infection. Last time around this time, I had been diagnosed with BV and a UTI. The pain I felt was semi similar. I did capture my urine and thought it looked ok, but I am no dr. ;) I can kinda tell when it looks cloudy.
I got in with the nurse practioner and she said my urine was fine. They checked the baby on the doppler. She listened to my intenstines based on where I told her the pain was and she said they sounded irritated. She asked if I had diarrhea or vomiting. I said I had loose stools. She said most likely it was something that I ate and to eat very blandly over the next few days. bananas, rice, apples, toast (BRAT). I was glad that she didn't have to check inside my vagina.(like last time). Had my urine showed something, she would have...She offered to, but I declined if she didn't think that is what it was.
I was sick a few weeks ago, but that was vomitting and diarrhea.
I am just hoping that is all it is.
Oh, she asked me 'did you go out for cinco de mayo?'. I said no, but I did grab some food yesterday for lunch. I ate some spicy chips and I think my body doesn't appreciate spicy food with pregnancy.

Life is fragile...

I found out this week that a friend of mine lost her baby boy. He was full term and had a few problems besides spina bifida.

We are not that close, but I didn't even know she was pregnant. She doesn't live in my city. I am thinking she didn't tell a lot of her friends because she didn't know what was going to happen with the baby. His lungs just never developed due to some bladder issues.

I only found out because she posted an angel pic on her online profile.

I hate that the world gets any more moms who lose their babies. I have to say that she is the first dead baby mama that I know in real life. I have met so many online. It really is sad that anyone has to go through this.

She and her DH are in my thoughts and prayers (and her other living son).

It is just a reminder on how fragile life is...

OBGyn Appt - 19w5d

I had an obgyn appt today. I have been so bad about writing stuff down to ask my dr and writing down what he says.

Stats:
Heartbeat: It took her awhile to find the h/b but my phone was interfering with the doppler (damn phone). It was 150something bpm.
Weight: 4lbs - more on this later.
Blood pressure: normal - forgot what it was...I was talking to the nurse about her wedding - which is in 2years but I love wedding talk. :)

My dr told me that I look so much more relaxed this pregnancy. I told him 'oh I am still nervous, but I feel good and I have been doing more'. He said 'well you are out of the danger zone'. Ugh, I don't really believe that...but....He said the danger zone (with no cerclage) is 16-18wks. I think it goes beyond that, but oh well. He said he was happy to see my file and to see I hadn't had any issues in the last 4wks (in his opinion when he thinks things go badly).

He asked about spotting/discharge and I said I have none. I have less than last pregnancy. I do have some milky discharge after a BM, but that was the same as last time. Last time I had yellow discharge if I did too much...my peri thinks I may get more discharge as the baby grows and puts more pressure on the cerclage. The cerclage is a foreign body and the body does put out more discharge with it.

I told my dr that last week I had a bad vomiting spell. I threw up for about 4 hrs straight - everything I ate/drank including water. Ugh! I had a stomach bug. I was finally able to get chicken soup down and small sips of water and gatorade. I never called my dr. I asked him about it and he said it won't hurt the baby and as long as my urine is not dark yellow/orange I probably was getting enough liquid. I was worried that I should have gone in after reading others who had a stomach bug and suffered severe dehydration.

I asked him when I will be tested for GD and he said '28wks'. I said can't it be sooner and he said if they do it at 22wks, they would have to do it again at 28wks. Ugh! I told him I was tested at 8wks and he said he didn't see that in my file. I told him I am kinda eating like I have GD and he said keep doing that. I do cheat a lot though.

Oh, I asked him about my urine and he said it was fine. I told him that yesterday I thought I was getting a UTI or something. He asked if I had burning and I said 'no'. But I never get the common symptoms...I am a crazy patient I guess!

I always forget to ask about weight. I asked the nurse as I was walking out. She said 'well the dr. has your record up, but it looks like 4 lbs'. I said 'are you sure and is that ok?' She said 'well last time you had lost weight and this time you just gained 4 lbs'. She said that was my total. I am pretty happy with that amount. I have really been trying to eat well. I also crave healthy items with this pregnancy and I try to make more food. I am not relying on my husband for food all the time (like last time), so I am eating less junk food. ha!

I am counting down the days until 24wks. I know that is not a magic day really and plenty of people who go into labor then don't have a good outcome.

I feel a little better the last week or so. Not many braxton hicks contractions, feeling stronger somehow, etc.

Thanks for checking up on me!

Big u/s results!

To compare my results last time, please go to August 2008.

I go in for my u/s and then talk to the dr.

The u/s tech is pretty rushed but walks through everything.

h/b is 162bpm
Baby is measuring 18w5d - 19w. I am 18w6d today.
Baby is 10oz - which is strange since last time baby was 9oz but I was measuring ahead by 4days. Who knows?
Cervical length is 2.8cm - that's ok for me (last time at this time I was 3cm and doing very little. Now I have a little one and have to do more...more on this below per DR).

She was moving around a lot and rolling.

The u/s tech said everything looked good. She checked gender again and said that we are still team pink. The baby is head down (right now).

I guess I am surprised they even measured my cervical length. Why you ask? Well, because last time the girl said 'we don't measure it everytime'. Duh, they did last time and I think they should!

Dr. said all was well and asked if I am still having braxton hicks contractions. I said yes, but I have less of them. I told him that I was really out of breath two weeks ago, but I was stressed due to my son having surgery.

He said the baby looks good and it lowers my down syndrome rate to 1 in 1500. I asked him specifically what that meant and he said long bones, good bowel, and a ton of other stuff that I didn't write down. I am so happy that all looks good with her. He said my risk for Trisonomy 13 - I think - is 1 in 52,000 or something like that. Yes, I could still have these issues, but he said that Tri13 is found in 90% of u/s at this point (very obvious signs). Down syndrome could still be a factor, but is less likely.

Ah, about cervical length...he said 'it doesn't matter what the length is'. Then I said 'as long as the stitch is holding and he said 'yes'. He said 2.8cm is normal and they would worry more when it is 2.5cm (more so with someone with a cerclage I kinda gathered from him). He wanted to see me in 6 wks, but then started looking at my dates and said '5-6weeks'. I scheduled it less than 5wks (well by one day....) because the girl asked me which day was better for me. I told her I didn't want an appt on the 13th because I am superstitious. She just laughed. The dr said 'if you are scared and don't want to go six weeks, just give us a call and we will see you'. That is nice of him and I think the first time I ever heard him say that...

I am still scared and taking it easy. I work from home everyday and will go back to work around 23/24wks. I have some friends who help me with my son on the weekends (most weekends). The weekends are very hard especially because he had surgery, had a 24hr bug and is always sick which means he is miserable and throwing tantrums.

Thanks for your support!

Next post: What I did from 4-12wks and also a post about an obgyn nurse that I got to talk to for 30min (my work set me up with a nurse to monitor my pregnancy - more on why, etc).

I decided to get a temporary handicap placard!

My friend put the idea in my head as she said several people at work had done this. I didn't do it last time since I thought it would be a pain to get it and I didn't want to go wait in the tax office.

I was debating about going in to get one since it involved getting down somewhere and standing or sitting for long periods of time.

The first step was asking my dr. I asked my obgyn since I know my peri would think I wouldn't need one - he thinks I am normal. My obgyn gave me a prescription that said 'complicated pregnancy' when I was 11weeks. I asked him what to do with it. He said 'I don't know, I just give people this and they figure it out and get it'. Gee thanks! My friend who mentioned it to me at the beginning asked someone at work to give me the info on how to do this. Of course, she was saying 'oh sure I will help you'. Well, I got nothing from her...

I looked up online and I had to fill out a form and take it into the office. Hindsight, I should have just mailed it in. I got to the tax office today at 12:10pm (grabbed lunch via drive thru on the way). The wait was horrendous. I should know better than going during lunch, but I wanted to time it with my lunch as I don't get to get lunch out much. I took my number and their stupid system has numbers that don't go in order....great...I decided to walk back to my car and sit there for awhile. I parked pretty close. I waited about 30minutes and then went back in. Again, I had no idea where they were in the process because they don't go in order...But I stood for about a minute and then someone left their seat and I quickly grabbed it. Yea! I waited there another 30minutes and finally they called the number before mine so I knew they hadn't skipped over me. Then I waited for 10 more calls - which was the 30min...and finally they came around to my set of numbers again. The girl was quick and the window I was at had a chair (most you have to stand). I got two placards for $5 each. You can get one or two.

A good thing to know is that my dr. put that I needed it until November on the prescription, but they only issue the temporary placards for 6 months. Glad I didn't get it sooner as mine expires in September!

Now, I'll feel better if I have to go to work. I work in a different building than last pregnancy (even though I worked from home after 12wks) as I have to walk a little further to get into the building. The handicap placard should help! I wasn't planning to go into work until 24wks but I may have to attend a meeting between now and then. I am not sure. Still, I am glad that I got it if my husband and I go out as we can park close anywhere now. I will use it once I return to work too at 24wks.

I am glad I endured the 1hr headache to get the placards!

OBGYN appt - 15w4d

I am posting this two days late.
Babies h/b was in the 160s.

One of the nurses took my blood pressure and asked me about swelling, etc. Then she says 'oh, so you have an easy pregnancy with no complications'. I said 'no, I am high risk with a cerclage'. It is funny that they think when everything else looks good, that you are fine 100%. No, it isn't *that* easy being me...

I didn't see the dr. and the nurse practioner was kinda in a bad mood. I still have some itching down low, so she took a look at it (as my dr forgot to write down what I needed that I should only take in the 2nd trimester - nice.) I got a steroid/fungal cream and I really hate to start it as it says not to use if you are pregnant, but they told me it is ok with minimal use. Ugh!

I had some yellow discharge this week, but my urine looked good and I don't have any contractions. I didn't really want her to swab my vagina. She did it last time (same nurse I had at 24wks when I had an infection...), but I prefer my dr. I had it only once and discharge is normal for me. I had discharge a lot -last time. I just never had brown discharge and hope to not have that anymore (I had that in the first trimester due to a hematoma and maybe some cervical shortening).

Everything else is OK. I take it really easy. My day is taking my son to daycare and my husband picks him up. I come back home and work from home. My boss has been great about letting me work from home. I may go into the office next week for a meeting, but I am hoping to get a handicap parking permit.(maybe) I have a different boss than during my last pregnancy, but he is pretty good at letting me work from home. I told him I will start at 24wks going into the office. Last time I worked the entire time at home.

On the weekends, I have been getting some help from friends.

Oh, the nurse tells me that they found atypical cells on my cervix from my pap. Really? WTH? I would think they would have called me for that. I had my pap over 4wks ago. She said 'but your HPV came back negative, so they will just wait until after you have the baby to check you out again'. I didn't bother to ask her, but had the HPV come back positive, they might have had to do a biopsy and I would have freaked out as I can't have that with my cerclage. I hate, hate, hate getting pap smears during pregnancy...I know sometimes they cause atypical cells due to hormones. Ugh! I forget if they call it atypical or abnormal cells on the cervix...nothing new for me as I had that before (but not while pregnant).

I have gained 5 lbs, but not sure if that was from my last appt. I hope it is total, but I didn't ask them.

Sickle Cell Trait

I have finally been diagnosed with sickle cell trait. It doesn't mean much right now during pregnancy.

My son was born with it. I knew he would be, but my pediatrician insisted I must have been tested by my obgyn and she didn't think my son would have it. We found the first month of his birth that he did have it. My sisters have it and I suspected that I had it forever. Only one of her kids has it though.

I just assumed I had it, but when I had genetic counseling my counselor told me that my husband should be tested. We have not done that as he doesn't have risk factors for sickle cell trait. Risk factors are African-American. I am 3% African (not African American) per a DNA test my sister took. The guy who gave it to her said I would be about the same. Anyway...My major risk factor for having it is my European heritage. So some people who have ancestors from Spain or the mediterranean could have this.

My obgyn finally tested me for this and yup I have it. Big surprise!

My peri said that the only time it is worrisome is not just if my husband has full blown sickle cell anemia or trait, but if my husband has some other blood disorder that mixes with my sickle cell trait. I asked my dr about blood disorder testing a few times before and asked him about it for this pregnancy (monitoring needed, etc). He said it isn't a blood disorder as others who take lovenox, etc. I found it interesting that he said my husband could have something that mixed with my weird blood thing. I don't worry about it, but I am just putting this info out there.

Post opp checkup-cerclage 2

Today was my follow-up after my cerclage two weeks ago. Oh, I bought a doppler, but I really don't like to use it much. I have tried it twice and only found the h/b once. More later on this...

They do the u/s and I have a tech that is new to the practice. I ask her if she will measure my cervical length and she said they only do it every other appt. uh what? Anyway, she measures it at 3.4 or over. I count it as 3cm.

The baby looked great. I am there without my husband as my son is sick and had to go to the dr. I ask about gender and she sounds kinda reluctant to do it, but finally checks it out. I am shocked to find out it is a GIRL!!!! When she was first looking, the baby was moving a lot. I am happy about that because I haven't seen the baby move much in my past appointments. The 2nd time she looked I thought I saw 3 lines and I thought girl and then she said it. At first she said she wasn't 100% as it was early. At the end, she said she is pretty sure though...I was so shocked that when she left I called my husband and he is over the moon and more shocked than me!

We did an intelligender test and I don't think I posted that. I was a little over 10wks and it looked like 'boy'. My husband said he was 100% sure it was right. He even told some people based on that test. He is still not 100% convinced because he asked me to do the intelligender test again. Oh, that test says it doesn't work if you have PCOS. I am pretty sure I do not have that, but it made me wonder.

H/b was 160something. I didn't take my notepad in so I am having to go by memory. She did the baby's crown to rump length and I didn't see it say 14wks or whatever. But she said it was 8.6cm or something like that and I saw on this other website that is inline for 14 wks.

She got some great pics of the baby, in fact better ones than I ever got from the other u/s techs. She left it on one of the profile pics and when the dr came in he said 'that is the best picture'. Although it wasn't the anatomy scan, he went through and told me what he could see (the liver, the heart, the brain, the spine, etc).

I asked him about the surgery and how it went. I said 'well i didn't get to talk to you' and he said 'you did talk to me, you just don't remember'. :) He said I kept saying thank you. He said they put the cerclage higher as they could see where it was placed last time and could manage to do it higher. Maybe that is why my length is good at least now...I don't know but I hope it stays over 3cm the entire time!

I really like to talk to my dr and he really spends time talking with me on just stuff that is interesting. For example, I asked him if I woke up from anesthesia and he said it wasn't that I woke up but it took me awhile to get down. I was moving when they tried to get me comfortable. He went ont to say that there is something different that propofol (sp?) and with that one sometimes they don't know how much to use on someone. He went on to talk about it for awhile.

I asked him about the doppler and I told him I wouldn't use it everyday since I am scared to. He said 'you can'. I won't as it has been hard to find the h/b. He gave me advice on how to find it. He is very patient with me and my million questions. He said 'give it 2 wks and it will be easier to find'

I told the dr that I have felt movement and it seems earlier than last time. He looked surprise. I told him that I also have bh contractions and he sad movement causes those. I said I had bh contx since 9wks. I am pretty sure I felt movement, but my husband doesn't believe me. I think my placenta might be really forward or something. It is part of the reason why I haven't freaked using the doppler because I feel the baby. It isn't consistent this early, but I feel taps. Last time I felt them around 16wks but I didn't know it was movement.

Thanks for reading!

Trying to Conceive and Acupuncture

I started acupuncture in 2008 when I decided to do a FET (frozen embryo transfer -which failed). After my loss in 2007, I had a lot of anxiety. My eye was twitching due to the stress of losing a child. Acupuncture really helped me in that. I found it very relaxing, which was pretty unusual for me since I hate needles. After going through IVF, needles became more of the norm. It is sad that I've had so many blood draws that the ladies at the lab know me.

I decided to go to a place that specialized in fertility. I decided to continue going to acupuncture, but not while I was pregnant. I went for relaxation. It is pretty expensive though.

I want to share my story because I really think acupuncture can help people get pregnant. I have mentioned this a few times on my blog, but I want to summarize my experience.

At first, one of my friends recommended acupuncture. She and her husband were going due to infertility. My friend's husband (like mine) had a bad sperm count. She thought acupuncture could help. In the end, it didn't help him in this area, but the thing about acupuncture is that the acupuncturist looks at your whole body. What I mean by this, is I hate regular drs because when you visit a normal dr they ask 'so what is wrong with you'. Then they say 'oh let me write you a prescription for x and good luck with that'. This is what I hate about drs. For eastern medicine, it is SOOOOO different. You go in and they ask you 'what cycle day are you at, how is your mood, are you getting enough sleep, what other issues are you having besides infertility, how are you eating, do you go to the bathroom once a day,etc? They look at the whole body/person. I like this approach.

Ok, so back to my story about my friend. They asked him 'do you have any other issues' and he said he had back surgery several years ago and because of that surgery he lost some feeling in his leg. Well, they decided to try to solve that problem. Like I said, they couldn't fix his sperm problem but guess what...they were able to bring back feeling from his leg. I found this story amazing and so did my husband. My husband did not want to go to acupuncture though. I decided to go for me even though our main infertility issues were male factor.

I really think it helped me get pregnant both times. I used to kind of hold it against my husband since I put all of our infertility issues on him. Of course, I love my husband, but I felt our issues were due to him. This was hard on our relationship. I didn't tell him this, but I kinda blamed him. Well, after I had my loss I knew it wasn't his fault completely...my body failed too...

So, in 2008 I went to acupuncture only a handful of times. I do think you have to go several times for it to make an impact but here is my whole story (which isn't elsewhere on my blog). I went during my FET as I said and I did get a BFP, but I had an early loss. Well when I went through that early loss, they told me to come in. So I went in to get acupuncture even though I knew I was losing the baby...they were trying to save the baby, but honestly if the baby had a chromosome problem (most likely) -it was not something they could fix. I went in anyway and they gave me some herbs to take to help with the miscarriage process. The next month I got pregnant on my own. I guess my husband's sperm improved, but maybe there was something wrong with me too. My dr was amazed that I got pregnant because around ovulation my HCG was not down to zero. I did not go during pregnancy because although some people go, I do not like taking any chances. My drs definitely told me not to go before my first u/s.

In 2009, I went to acupuncture twice. Yup, the whole year I went only twice. It was hard to get away to go. In the past, sometimes I went on the weekend which was impossible with my son. I also sometimes went after work or during lunch. This was hard to do in 2009 too because I was pumping during lunch and had a lot of meetings where it was hard to take a 2 hr lunch. Acupuncture does take some time. I do admit that one time I went I was not completely relaxed because I was stressed that I had to get back to work for a meeting. Oh, I went in April 2009 to help increase my breast milk supply. They did do points specific for that, but it did not help me. See, it does not always work. Although to be fair, not much helped me with breast milk production. I had a lot of issues. I did breastfeed for 11.5 m, but I had to supplement almost the entire time. I even took Reglan to help me produce more and even a strong drug only helped me so much. I have heard that women who went through a loss or through infertility have breastfeeding issues. I don't know though. I have heard that Reglan has now been recalled, but I am not sure since I asked a dr last week aboout it and they said it was not recalled.

In December I decided to go to acupuncture. I was still breastfeeding, but had a little more time during pumps and during work. December is slower at my work. I went for relaxation in December. It turns out, I went around ovulation time. Everytime I go, I see someone different but I like some more than others at the place that I go. They all approach things differently. Well, I get to my appointment and I am late by 20 minutes. I was in a rush and had not eaten breakfast or lunch and it was now 12:40 or so. The girl that I see is one that I had before who is very serious about her work, not very friendly/chatty. So, she asks me the questions and honestly I just say 'yeah, yeah, yeah'. They always ask me if I am tired...hell yeah...I have a baby. But they always ask if my digestive issue are ok and if I am eating well..I just shut her up by saying 'yeah, yeah, yeah'. Well a lot of times they look at your tongue and they measure your pulse...not all of them do this, but most of them do. So, she looks at my tongue and says I need IRON. Then she is taking my pulse and asks me again 'are you sure you are eating well, 3 meals a day'. I kinda say yes again and then she says 'well your pulse is saying feed me'. I was amazed. I told her 'well I actually haven't eaten today yet' I don't tell her how amazed I am at her skills, but I really am. I had here before and she had amazed me before. I am now telling my friends this story to convince them to try acupuncture.

Do I think it helped me get pregnant? I think it did at least this time. I went around ovulation. Because she told me I needed iron, I started taking my prenatals again. She gave me an herbal supplement but I do not like taking those most times and didn't take it due to me breastfeeding. She said it was safe, but I hate taking ANYTHING while breastfeeding (even when I don't breastfeed). I don't know. I think it can help with infertility issues. When I hear that people do not have periods or they have endometriosis, I think acupuncture could help them. I think it can help with PCOS. Now, if you don't have an ovary or a tube, not sure it can help with that. It also can't help with incompetent cervix. It may help with preterm labor or irritable uterus...I don't know for sure though. As I said, I recommended it to two friends who have non-infertility issues. They have not gone though.

Let me know if you have any questions. My next post will talk about diet and trying to conceive.

Baby on Lockdown -Cerclage #2 placed

http://moresunshineafterrain.blogspot.com/2008/07/baby-on-lock-down-cerclage-story.htm

I'm attaching the link to my first cerclage placement in July 2008 mainly for background info.

I have to start out by thanking everyone for your support and your thoughts/prayers. Thanks y'all!

I had my surgery scheduled for 12w4d on a Tuesday-exact gestation and day of the week as last time. Well Saturday I started feeling really sick with a scratchy throat and a low grade fever. My little one is sick, has been for awhile, but I rarely, rarely get sick. My husband says I have the best immune system. So Saturday I started thinking maybe I already had an infection...because I don't usually just get a common cold. The fever continued all day Sunday. I decided to get my husband to take me to get some Pho, vietnamese soup (chicken variety helps me when I'm sick). I make it spicy with the red sauce and some fresh jalapenos. (it comes w/those) I started feeling better but my fever was still hanging around. Sunday night I broke down and took some tylenol...I hate taking stuff when pregnant. Heck, I hate taking stuff when not pregnant. I know they do bloodwork about 48 hrs before my surgery and it came back normal, but I have no idea what they test. I'm sure they can't tell if I had/have an infection.

Well, Sunday night I had cramping too due to an irritable uterus as my little one wouldn't sleep and was screaming. My husband tried to help, but he sucks at putting little one to sleep. So, when I finally took him back...he fell asleep in 1 minute. He just likes sleeping with mama, but my husband was pissed it was so easy for me to get him to sleep as he had been trying for hours. I have a very irritable uterus and little things set it off -my dogs barking, my little one crying (I hate that it does), other loud noises.

Monday, I took it easy and took the day off from work. Over the weekend, I only left the house to go get some soup. Monday the nurse calls to tell me the directions (don't eat after 3am, etc). She asks me if I have a cough or a fever. Monday my fever was gone, so I said no. I've been having a cough in the morning...well I cough one time and I think it is allergies. I was probably more worried about having a fever and they wouldn't do the surgery.

On Tuesday, the day of surgery, I had the worst luck ever. Snow was falling on the way over to surgery and on the way back...we never get much snow. We got the most snow since 1985. Not only that, a rock hit my car and now I have a huge chip in my windshield. We get to the surgery center and I'm not nervous about the procedure, but I'm more nervous that they will detect a fever or my dr won't show up due to the bad snow. Mind you, we are not prepared for snow where I live. It is also bad luck because all the nurses are kinda distracted because of the snow falling. I think they are short stacked and they are worried that they will have to pick up their kids. I think the nurse was so distracted that she never took my temperature before the surgery. All my worry for nothing...

The anesthesiologist comes to talk to me. I see what they are giving me...never noticed last time. It is propofol (sp?). I think that is the stuff that Michael Jackson used to go to sleep. Then another anesthesiologist comes and she was the lady that I had last time. She says she will give me the exact amount that they gave me last time. When I was 12, I woke up in surgery due to not enough anesthesia. Well, yesterday apparently I started waking up, so they gave me more. ugh! I need more details. After the surgery, my dr came to update my husband but he didn't write anything down. I was still out because of the 2nd dose of stuff they gave me. I didn't have nausea this time though! Yea! I always get that.

Oh, I forgot to mention that if you read what happened last time, my husband told me I was only back there for 5 minutes in surgery. Yesterday, I reminded him of this and he says 'oh no you were back for 20-30 minutes'. Ugh, that makes more sense now. I ask the dr and he says 30 minutes and I was in surgery for 30-35 minutes. I noted the time this time.

The dr told my husband that the baby's heartrate dropped from 150 something to 140 something, but it was normal. Last time, the baby's h/r didn't drop, so of course that makes me worry. He says he could see where they placed the cerclage last time. I think there are 4 points of insertion. The dr says he put the cerclage in a different location this time. Avoided those puncture wounds from last time and did it on clean spots...Oh, the nurse did take my temperature after the surgery and it was normal. Oh, before the surgery, I asked my dr about stairs and he said I could within the next 10-14 days, but to only do it once or twice a day. He says 'well you can run a marathon now, but it will cause bleeding, but it doesn't mean you are losing the baby. But you will bleed if you do too much' He is talking about the next 10-14 days on bedrest while the cervix heals. Don't you love the comment about doing a marathon. My dr is not conservative at all. Of course, when I tell him 'I'm going home to play in the snow.' He says 'you want to take it easy today'. I told him that I was joking. :)

I hope infection stays away and that the cerclage holds until full term. Even though it worked before, I still get scared that it won't work.

If you don't want the TMI details, stop reading now. I'm writing the following info because I know people who go through cerclages want to be prepared on what to expect.
Last time, I had red spotting immediately and then pink on the day of and the next day. I had peachy spotting for one week or more. I had bad cramping the entire first day or surgery but really bad at night.

This time, I didn't go to the bathroom immediately after surgery. The nurses as I mentioned before were in a hurry to get me out. I think they should have kept me for 45 minutes after surgery,but honestly I think I was out in 20 minutes or so. They wanted to get home to their families. I had moderate cramping immediately after surgery once I woke up. All the way home, I had it...When I got home, I was able to eat lying down,but I had a good appetite. My cramping was still moderate most of the day, but I didn't take my pain meds (dr prescribed hydrocodone, but I never take this crap and didn't take it last time. I have the prescription filled just in case though.) I told my dr that I would take tylenol if hte pain was bad, but so far I haven't had to take it. My cramping stopped in the late afternoon. I still have some minor cramping when I go to the bathroom (which is less than normal right now). I'm surprised I didn't have cramping last night or through the night. Last time, it was really bad. Overall, my recovery has been better than last time. Maybe my cervix is used to the trauma. I went to sleep twice for some naps.

That is all I have, although I'm sure I will remember more later.

NT Scan results

I got to my appointment an hour early due to dropping off my son and not wanting to go to work.
Of course, my peri was running late and I think I saw him driving near the office.
I already had genetic counseling two weeks ago, so today was just the u/s and cervical check.

So yesterday I went out to lunch with some people who were supposed to pick me up and made me wait standing for 20min. I was pissed, but tried to blow it off.
Later I had a clear big glob and last night I had a small, tiny pink dot on my TP. It was hard to go back to sleep after that. I told my husband this morning. I also had a little bit of cramping last night. I told him maybe it was because I did too much.

I had my u/s and the baby's neck measured well. The baby didn't move much at all. It kinda concerns me because he/she hasn't moved much during appts. Last u/s, he/she was measuring 3 or 4 days behind. Today I am supposed to be 11w6d and the baby was measuring 11w5d as an average. The tech was someone I hadn't had before and she was OK. She told me the baby and the neck looked fine. I'm glad she was forthcoming with results as sometimes they say that you have to wait for the dr.

Oh, last time they didn't tell me when they would schedule the surgery. I had to call on a Friday to find out it was on the following Tuesday. This time, one of the girls that I LOVE, asked me 'when is a good day for you'. I said 'Monday'. She came back later and told me that they didn't have openings on Monday, but it would be Tuesday. I am sooooo glad. I just hope to make it until then. Weekends are hard with my toddler. He needs me to play with him a lot. My husband is great, but can't do it all.

The dr came in and gave me my results...

My results were better than last time and I'm 2 years older. Down syndrome -equivalent to a 28 year. Chromosome 13/18 - equivalent to a 20 year old. I'm just glad that I don't have to do the CVS/Amnio. I could still have a baby with issues, but for now, I can get the cerclage. Thank God!

After that, he wrote down a lot of info for the surgery and I told him about my spotting/discharge mentioned above plus all the rest of the brown/tan stretchy discharge I was getting. He said the hematoma is gone and most likely that was it coming out. He said 'sometimes it comes out like a glob and then a tiny bit of pink'. Ha! He described exactly what I told him. I like him, but he always says the right thing. geez! :)

Then he looks at my cervix and does an internal. I hate those. I just had one last week with my obgyn. I bet he thinks I am crazy or the most high maintenance patient he has. Because when I told him about my discharge/pink spotting, I told him 'I bet either my cervix is open or it has shortened. I can feel it.'. Why am I crazy? I'm not a dr. I DO TRUST my drs and it is pretty much out of my hands. Anyway, I'm rambling...He said my cervix is CLOSED and long. I asked him prior to that about looking on the u/s and he said cervical checks before 16wks via u/s are not accurate. So I asked him 'is it 2cm?'. He said 'well I can't get an exact measurement via the internal, but it is LOOONG maybe 4cm'. Whatever. I don't think I'm ever 4cm. I'm happy that he thinks it is long and closed though.

Sorry this is long and I quote my drs so much, but I do it partially for me to remember how our conversation went.

Baby's h/b was 173bpm.

My next post is about trying to conceive and acupuncture.

Thanks for reading!

Thanks for the support! (and a few additional details)

Thanks for the support! I appreciate it.

I have my NT scan on Thursday. I hope all is well. I swear that today and yesterday I feel like my cervix is dilating. My drs say I can't feel that, but I just feel something. We will see on Thursday, I guess...I'm not a dr, so I'm not sure why I overanalyze things...

When I went to my first peri appt, they told me that the nurse that I didn't like was no longer working there. Usually I am nosey, but this time I just stayed quiet. The medical assistant gal said 'oh yeah that's when they got rid of her'. So I'm assuming she was fired... The nurse was there for my last pregnancy, but not very often. Thank goodness. She was there a few times during my first pregnancy and somehow I resent her for my loss. It wasn't her fault, but I just got a bad vibe from her. It's not that I blame her, I just feel that if I saw her I wasn't going to have a good outcome or something. She was quick to poo poo my spotting and issues and my funneling. Do you ever meet someone and you just don't like them? This was the feeling I got when I had to deal with her. I like everyone else there, but she just didn't rub me the right way, so I'm glad they finally saw that and she's gone from the practice. Wow, I sound mean...

I hate hearing my obgyn say 'well that's why they do the cerclage early because they do it before changes happen'. I am hoping to have my cerclage placed in one week's time, but it won't be scheduled until 2 days or so prior. ugh! I'm hoping I'll be 12w4d, but my peri might want to push it out. I am going to try to convince him on Thursday that I need it early next week. I'm very different than other girls with IC because my cervix starts misbehaving a lot earlier than 16/18wks. I just have to keep reminding my drs who have a hard head.

Oh, my mom is going to come help me when I recover from the cerclage - approx 10-14 days. I know her, she won't stay for the full time because she is just 'so busy'. She is retired and honestly I'm not sure how much help she can provide while she is here. Usually DH has some issues with her being here and he complains to me and I really don't want to deal with that... I love my mom, but she is not compassionate a lot of times. If I lose this baby, I know what she will say 'sorry', but in a tone that sounds like you would say to someone if they lost a board game. She just doesn't get IF, she doesn't get issues. So, my mom is going out of town this weekend and she says 'can you push out the cerclage to Wednesday or Thursday, so I can be here on the first day'. My response 'no I can't just push it out because the dr knows when I need to have this surgery and based on what is going on down there.' I wish my cerclage could fit into her perfect schedule. She annoys me when she is like that. When she came after my son was born, she said 'well can't you ahve the baby earlier because I don't want to miss going to my trip'. Like I have any control...Thanks for letting me vent.

I say my mom doesn't know what it is like to have issues or be high risk, but her first child was born around 28wks (i'm not sure the exact gestation as she won't talk about it). My sister became mental retarded because of fluid in her brain for being born so early. So, my mom has had preterm labor issues, but she doesn't seem to remember. I guess her labor happened so fast, she didn't have time to worry.

Oh, I get asked a lot if I have to have the cerclage again. One of my friends asked me who has a transabdominal cerclage (TAC)...you would think she would get it. My sister said 'well maybe your body learned how to stay pregnant this time'. I haven't told a lot of my friends yet. We are going to wait to tell the extended friends until 24wks or so.

Update on me...

I am pregnant again. I'm 11 weeks pregnant today.

I'm so scared. Having success one time doesn't help me much.

I'm finally posting this on my blog. I'm not sure why.

This last 7 weeks has been extremely hard. I found out I was pregnant when I was still breastfeeding. My son was 11.5 months. I went in for some betas with my RE - even though I didn't get pregnant via IVF. We were not trying to get pregnant, but not avoiding. My RE told me via my nurse 'tell her to stop breastfeeding unless she wants to lose that baby'. Gotta love my blunt T.exan doctor. (I have a few of those).

Shortly after my betas, I had two bleeding episodes. It was more than spotting. It was not brown. The first time - around 6.5 weeks (after I saw the baby with a h/b a few days before)...I could have gone to work and just assumed a miscarriage. I had started thinking m/c and grabbed a bunch of pads. I called my RE's office. They told me to come in for an u/s. I decided to just stay home and drink a ton of water and lie down. I thought I wouldn't want an u/s because it would just make my cervix more irritated (due to the vag cam u/s). My drs office called and I told them the spotting had subsided. I was having another u/s in half a week anyway. My next u/s around 7wks showed a hematoma (SCH) as the cause of my bleeding. I was scared but thinking at least there was a reason. On my last pregnancy, they couldn't identify why I had bleeding at 11w3d last time. My RE told me to take it easy and to not lift more than 10lbs. Oh, at the beginning they told me not to lift more than 20lbs (think they tell all pg women this). My son weighs more than that...I still lift him, but I do try to minimize lifting him. I just can't NOT lift him.

The 2nd bleeding episode happened at around 8 weeks or so. I was supposed to meet my cousin for lunch and we had to leave. I'm sure she thought I was crazy and I haven't told her why I flaked. I came home and had some cramping and just drank water and lied down. I had an u/s the next day that showed my hematoma had grown. Great...I guess going to the grocery store was maybe too much. Ugh!

My first appt with my obgyn had them giving me an unexpected gestational aldiabetes test. I passed! They didn't do a pap smear, but just did the normal blood work (a ton of vials, etc).

The week after that, I had an appt with my peri. The u/s tech just rushed through things. At 9w4d last time they did a cervical check - this time - not so much. I had to ask her what about my hematoma (mind you this is my first visit with the peri). She says 'oh i didn't see one'. Then she said she saw something very small...When my peri came in he said it was very small, but still there.

I've had brown spotting almost the entire first trimester. Now my spotting is gone, but I have stretchy tan/dark discharge.

Today I had an appt with my obgyn. I will only let him do a pap smear on me. Well I had all these items written down for him...he knows I'm a crazy/high maintenance patient. I tell him I have discharge, back pain, an infection down below (that I got before I was pregnant). I asked him that my brown spotting had stopped, but I still have that stretchy brown/tan discharge. I keep thinking it means cervical shortening. My obgyn says it is still related to my hematoma (even though it is small, it still irritates the environment down below). He said that that kind of discharge is cervical shortening related =but is later on that I shouldn't have it this early. When he did the pap smear, he looked at my cervix. He said it was closed and 'good enough for a cerclage'.

Thanks for your support - if you read. I'll be posting my progress. I'm sorry if my news is hurtful especially for those readers who are having trouble getting pregnant.