So today has been the best day since last Friday because we determined that I do not have preeclampsia!!! I went to the birthing center on Tuesday and my pressure was still up so they decided that I would have to do a 24 hour urine collection to more extensively analyze my urine for protein. This would be a determining factor in whether or not I was developing preeclampsia. One of the Midwives also gave me instructions for a natural whole-foods diet high in protein that would hopefuly help with my pressure.
I returned to the center with my urine from the past 24 hours (gross!) on Thursday after having been on bed rest and follwing the diet. They cheked my pressure again and found that it was high and we began to talk about the strong possibiltiy that I was not going to be able to deliver at the birthing center. Nancy exaplined to me that if I was developing preeclampsia I would now be considered high-risk and would have to be monitored by a doctor when in labor. We also began to talk about the fact that I may have to be induced because with as far along as I am my condition would probably only worsen so it would be best to take the baby out asap. I was checked and my cervix was 1 cm dialated and 50% effaced. This was right where I need to be but did not indicate that my labor would be starting soon. I was instructed to continue to stay in bed and return today (Friday) to get the results back about my urine and to again check my pressure. I think that leaving this appointment was the low point for me because I felt that everything I have been planning for was going to be totally different and the last thing I want is to have to deliver at the hospital and to have to be induced. I know that the nurses and doctors at the hospital will take good care of me and the baby but it is very important to me to be able to have the birth expeirence I have envisioned for myself.
So right as me, Kyle and my Mom were leaving this morning Nancy called me to tell me that my protein count was totally normal!! I was very excited about this and it really gave me a renewed sense of hope about the whole situation. I was not as anxious or worried about my appointment and consequently when I got to the center and she checked my blood pressure it was down!!! So at this point all of my blood work has come back good, my kidneys and liver are doing fine, my protein count is normal and my blood pressure is appearing to be dropping. If I was to go into labor now I would still be able to go to the birth center as long as during labor my pressure stayed down. I am so thrilled about this and am now just ready to start labor so all this pregnancy stuff can be over and we can finally meet our baby!!! I have started taking some homeopathics and herbs that may help to "ripen" my cervix and get labor started sooner. I am scheduled to go back to the center Monday to return with another 24 hour urine collection and to check my pressure once again. Hopefully I will either have the baby by then or everything will continue to look good.
I hope this wasn't too long or boring im just trying to keep everyone updated with all the facts. Check out the new pictures on flickr!! Im getting bigggg!! :D
Friday, July 24, 2009
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Bed Rest, 38 Weeks 3 Days, 10 Days until due date!!!
Im writing this blog to update everyone on what has been going on. I went to my weekly appointment on Friday (7/17). Everything was normal until the Midwife Nancy began to check my blood pressure. Almost immediately she got a weird look on her face and responded with "Huh, that is strange. Have you been running around? Or did you just eat?" Obviously I hadn't been running around and I had not eaten recently either. She proceeded to check it again and then told me my pressure was 146/89 (I think) and I needed to lay on my left side and try to relax for ten minutes. Im not a nervous person so I knew this was something to be concerned about but I was not by any means scared or overly worried.
It was kind of funny because Amber and Casey had wanted to come to this appointment with me and it turned out to be the most eventful appointment I think I have had so far during my pregnancy. All four of us sat in the room discussing what we thought could be wrong and what was going to happen. After ten minutes Nancy came back in the room and said they had tested my urine and it appeared that I had developed a urinary tract infection (UTI). I had a very large amount of white blood cells in my urine which usually indicates a UTI. She then checked my blood pressure and got 110/70. She then responded with "well that means you are now on bed rest!" This was not something I wanted to hear considering Kyle and I already had plans for the rest of the day and sitting on my butt all day does not seem appealing to me at all. Nancy then explained that I would have to go home and lay on my side until Tuesday (7/21) getting up only to use the bathroom. I guess that my heart doesn't have to work as hard when im laying down and until it gets under control I have to stay in a laying postition.
My high pressure could be related to many things. She explained that when you are pregnant your immune system is already stretched so thin that when something develops your body can react very strongly. So, my high blood pressure could be related to the UTI. Nancy exaplined that I would be given antibiotics and that they would begin to take affect after 48 hours and if this was the reason for my increased blood pressure it should become more stable by Tuesday. We also discussed that the pressure could be linked to other things including the heat or my recent high stress levels. She then explained that there is no concluding evidence at this point but during pregnancy an increase in blood pressure can sometimes be linked to preeclampsia. This didn't seem too likely at that point because I'm not showing other symtoms of preeclampsia such as high levels of protein in my urine or extreme swelling. Also, they don't begin to consider it until there have been two high readings.
So to sum everything up, I have been laying on my couch/bed since Friday afternoon and will be doing so until Tuesday when I go back for my appointment. I have been taking the antibiotics and consuming lots of green tea and water in hopes of helping to cure my UTI. If my blood pressure is stable on Tuesday it will most likly be concluded that it was related to the UTI and hopefully I won't have to stay on bed rest anymore. If it is still high I'm thinking preclampsia will become more of a possibilty. Im hoping that is NOT the case because if I do have it I will not be able to deliver at the birthing center because I will have to be monitored by a doctor during labor and delivery.
So those are all the updates. Hopefully everything will work itself out and my pressure will be normal again on Tuesday. I will write another blog on Tuesday updating everyone with what is going on. Oh, and if I go into labor before Tuesday I have no idea whats going to happen!!!
It was kind of funny because Amber and Casey had wanted to come to this appointment with me and it turned out to be the most eventful appointment I think I have had so far during my pregnancy. All four of us sat in the room discussing what we thought could be wrong and what was going to happen. After ten minutes Nancy came back in the room and said they had tested my urine and it appeared that I had developed a urinary tract infection (UTI). I had a very large amount of white blood cells in my urine which usually indicates a UTI. She then checked my blood pressure and got 110/70. She then responded with "well that means you are now on bed rest!" This was not something I wanted to hear considering Kyle and I already had plans for the rest of the day and sitting on my butt all day does not seem appealing to me at all. Nancy then explained that I would have to go home and lay on my side until Tuesday (7/21) getting up only to use the bathroom. I guess that my heart doesn't have to work as hard when im laying down and until it gets under control I have to stay in a laying postition.
My high pressure could be related to many things. She explained that when you are pregnant your immune system is already stretched so thin that when something develops your body can react very strongly. So, my high blood pressure could be related to the UTI. Nancy exaplined that I would be given antibiotics and that they would begin to take affect after 48 hours and if this was the reason for my increased blood pressure it should become more stable by Tuesday. We also discussed that the pressure could be linked to other things including the heat or my recent high stress levels. She then explained that there is no concluding evidence at this point but during pregnancy an increase in blood pressure can sometimes be linked to preeclampsia. This didn't seem too likely at that point because I'm not showing other symtoms of preeclampsia such as high levels of protein in my urine or extreme swelling. Also, they don't begin to consider it until there have been two high readings.
So to sum everything up, I have been laying on my couch/bed since Friday afternoon and will be doing so until Tuesday when I go back for my appointment. I have been taking the antibiotics and consuming lots of green tea and water in hopes of helping to cure my UTI. If my blood pressure is stable on Tuesday it will most likly be concluded that it was related to the UTI and hopefully I won't have to stay on bed rest anymore. If it is still high I'm thinking preclampsia will become more of a possibilty. Im hoping that is NOT the case because if I do have it I will not be able to deliver at the birthing center because I will have to be monitored by a doctor during labor and delivery.
So those are all the updates. Hopefully everything will work itself out and my pressure will be normal again on Tuesday. I will write another blog on Tuesday updating everyone with what is going on. Oh, and if I go into labor before Tuesday I have no idea whats going to happen!!!
Friday, June 26, 2009
35 Weeks 1 Day- Brief Update
Just a quick update, the site for baby predictions is working correctly now. I guess it worked fine for Firefox but not Internet Explorer. Here is the site.
We are in Atlanta for the weekend to tie up some loose ends and get things set up in our apartment and ready for our return. Check back often though, we are both going to try and keep everyone updated as the big day gets closer!
We are in Atlanta for the weekend to tie up some loose ends and get things set up in our apartment and ready for our return. Check back often though, we are both going to try and keep everyone updated as the big day gets closer!
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
34 weeks 6 days... Time to get those predictions in!
Brandie will be 35 weeks tomorrow! It's crazy that we are getting so close. Before you know it we'll have a baby! Brandie is doing such a good job. She is getting bigger every day, but she still looks great. We have tried to keep exercising every day. Hopefully we can keep it up until she delivers; it should help with the delivery and the recovery. Brandie has been to two appointments at the Birthing Center, and everything is going well. Everyone there is really nice and very helpful. Starting next week the appointments will be every week and we will begin to write the Birth Plan, which is just and outline of sorts for how you want the labor and delivery to go. All I want is for it to go smoothly with no problems!
We moved in to our apartment a couple of weeks ago and we are going back this weekend to arrange everything and get it ready for when we get back to Atlanta. The more we can get set up now the easier the transition will be. Going back to school so soon is going to be the hardest part of all of this. Depending on when the baby gets here we will only have between two and four or five weeks before classes start (if he/she is on time or early). But we can't rush him or her. Baby Finnegan will be here whenever he or she is ready and we will be waiting!
Since we are getting close, I have set up a website for everyone to put in their guesses for Baby Finnegan's gender, birthday, time of birth, weight, and length. Here is the link. The winner(whoever gets the closest on the most categories) will get a special gift from us! Also, I have a list of contacts in my phone that I will send text updates to when the big day comes, so if you would like to be added to it there is a place on the form for your info. That's it for now, we'll keep everyone posted with any updates!
We moved in to our apartment a couple of weeks ago and we are going back this weekend to arrange everything and get it ready for when we get back to Atlanta. The more we can get set up now the easier the transition will be. Going back to school so soon is going to be the hardest part of all of this. Depending on when the baby gets here we will only have between two and four or five weeks before classes start (if he/she is on time or early). But we can't rush him or her. Baby Finnegan will be here whenever he or she is ready and we will be waiting!
Since we are getting close, I have set up a website for everyone to put in their guesses for Baby Finnegan's gender, birthday, time of birth, weight, and length. Here is the link. The winner(whoever gets the closest on the most categories) will get a special gift from us! Also, I have a list of contacts in my phone that I will send text updates to when the big day comes, so if you would like to be added to it there is a place on the form for your info. That's it for now, we'll keep everyone posted with any updates!
Monday, June 8, 2009
32 Weeks 5 Days
I am now 32 weeks along (getting closer!!!) and I can say that I am still enjoying being pregnant. Thus far I have been very fortunate in that I have experienced little to no problems with my pregnancy. The fact that I have gained weight at a normal/healthy rate, I tested negative for gestational diabetes, and I am going to be able to give birth at the birthing center gives me little to complain about. My belly is starting to become larger and have more of an impact in my daily routines but I can’t say that I mind too much. I know that I will probably miss this time once I have the baby so I am trying to enjoy it as much as possible now. It sounds cliché, but I really feel that there is something extraordinarily beautiful and special about a pregnant woman and I have begun to realize how truly unique these last few months have been. My only two complaints would have to be my almost constant need to pee and my loss of bladder control. Although this has been present during most of my pregnancy, I think with every week it seems to get worse. I am going to start to make an effort to do my kegels everyday to prevent it from becoming a permanent problem.
I have managed to remain active during my pregnancy. I take my dogs on a walk around Gregory Park or the neighborhood almost daily and try to get the pool as often as possible. I don’t know if it’s the buoyancy of the water or the cool relief from the sun that I crave but I think I could spend all day in the pool. It is also very liberating wearing a bikini while being almost 8 months pregnant! I have begun doing squats and pelvic tilt exercises in order to prepare my body for labor and birth. Dawn, a former natural childbirth class instructor has helped to give me a lot of useful information about how to effectively prepare for birth. She has offered to work with Kyle and I one on one in the next few weeks by teaching me relaxation techniques and other helpful things to better prepare us for the labor, birth and beyond.
My shower in Savannah went really well! Robin did an awesome job of preparing some delicious food and everything flowed very smoothly and was really relaxed. Kyle and I had a great time seeing friends and family and we received a ton of awesome gifts! We have most of the big things we need and have a lot of money and gift cards that we can use for everything else that we need and haven’t received. Contrary to what most people think, I haven’t encountered any problems with not knowing the sex. Everything we received is neutral and I think it makes the most sense because it will all be good for using on another baby. I guess the only issue is that we can’t buy any outfits because those are nearly impossible to find neutral. I figure we will just make a trip to Babies R Us shortly after the baby is born to buy either summer dresses or cute little shirts with planes and dinosaurs on them! By the way, I seriously have no idea what the baby is going to be!!!! I go back and forth daily and have no lasting gut feelings either way. I guess we will find out soon enough!!! :D
I have managed to remain active during my pregnancy. I take my dogs on a walk around Gregory Park or the neighborhood almost daily and try to get the pool as often as possible. I don’t know if it’s the buoyancy of the water or the cool relief from the sun that I crave but I think I could spend all day in the pool. It is also very liberating wearing a bikini while being almost 8 months pregnant! I have begun doing squats and pelvic tilt exercises in order to prepare my body for labor and birth. Dawn, a former natural childbirth class instructor has helped to give me a lot of useful information about how to effectively prepare for birth. She has offered to work with Kyle and I one on one in the next few weeks by teaching me relaxation techniques and other helpful things to better prepare us for the labor, birth and beyond.
My shower in Savannah went really well! Robin did an awesome job of preparing some delicious food and everything flowed very smoothly and was really relaxed. Kyle and I had a great time seeing friends and family and we received a ton of awesome gifts! We have most of the big things we need and have a lot of money and gift cards that we can use for everything else that we need and haven’t received. Contrary to what most people think, I haven’t encountered any problems with not knowing the sex. Everything we received is neutral and I think it makes the most sense because it will all be good for using on another baby. I guess the only issue is that we can’t buy any outfits because those are nearly impossible to find neutral. I figure we will just make a trip to Babies R Us shortly after the baby is born to buy either summer dresses or cute little shirts with planes and dinosaurs on them! By the way, I seriously have no idea what the baby is going to be!!!! I go back and forth daily and have no lasting gut feelings either way. I guess we will find out soon enough!!! :D
Friday, May 29, 2009
31 Weeks 1 Day
Haven't updated the blog in a while but I am going to start writing a lot more frequently now that I have so much time on my hands. I really have nothing major going on now that classes are done and I am no longer working. My days consist of walking at JFGregory Park, swimming, hanging out with family, Kyle and friends and of course preparing for the arrival of the baby!!! Less then 9 weeks to go :) My second baby shower is tomorrow morning at 11:00 and I am very excited about it!! I feel so lucky that Kyle's Mom's wonderful friend Robin has planned the entire event for Kyle and I! She has taken care of everything for us and I feel so grateful! I will write a blog telling about how it goes and I will update everyone on how I have been feeling lately and how everything is going. Check back soon!!!!! :) :)
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Baby Shower-28 Weeks 4 Days
This past Sunday was my baby shower up here in Kennesaw. It was a fun and new experience for me because it was the first baby shower I have ever been to and it was my own! There was a lot of preparation that went into it and I am so grateful for Ashy G., Ashy C. and Jessie who planned it for me. There ended up being about 20 people who came which was a good amount of people to me. We all helped to prepare a beautiful spread of food that consisted of cupcakes, truffles, sandwiches, deviled eggs, 7-layered dip, a fruit tray, and a stir-fry blend of veggies and tofu (thanks Mallory ☺). Oh and two delicious and beautiful cakes provided by Ashy C. and Val (Jessie’s Mom).
We played three games during the shower all of which were fun. The first game was played throughout the duration of the shower. Every person was given 3 clothespins when they arrived and the object of the game was to not say the word “baby”. If you said baby then whoever heard you say it would take one of your clothes pins to add to their collection. Whoever ended up with the most clothespins at the end of the shower won. The winner of this game was Ashley C. because she played vicious!! I, on the other hand, was horrible because I never pay attention and it would have been impossible to open baby gifts without saying the word baby!!! The second game involved sniffing baby food in diapers and trying to guess the flavor. This game really grossed a couple people out and it was really funny watching everyone’s expression as they sniffed something that looked like poop in a baby diaper. I believe Abby won this game. The last game was the well-known string game in which everyone used string to guess how big my belly is. Summer won this game and got the length almost perfect!
We received some awesome gifts that both Kyle and I greatly appreciate! We got everything from blankets and onesies to a bouncer and bedding for the crib. It was fun but very overwhelming opening the presents just because everyone was staring at only me and I don’t ever like that much attention. I was glad that I had Kyle (the only male present haha) as support. Thanks so much to everyone who got us a gift and for coming to the shower. I am so happy I have so many loving people in my life to celebrate my baby with before he/she is even born!
We took lots of video during the shower but I realized after that I didn’t take any pictures! I guess I was just overwhelmed with all the people because it did not even cross my mind. Val and Mallory both took pictures so as soon as I get them we will add the pictures to the Flickr account.
We played three games during the shower all of which were fun. The first game was played throughout the duration of the shower. Every person was given 3 clothespins when they arrived and the object of the game was to not say the word “baby”. If you said baby then whoever heard you say it would take one of your clothes pins to add to their collection. Whoever ended up with the most clothespins at the end of the shower won. The winner of this game was Ashley C. because she played vicious!! I, on the other hand, was horrible because I never pay attention and it would have been impossible to open baby gifts without saying the word baby!!! The second game involved sniffing baby food in diapers and trying to guess the flavor. This game really grossed a couple people out and it was really funny watching everyone’s expression as they sniffed something that looked like poop in a baby diaper. I believe Abby won this game. The last game was the well-known string game in which everyone used string to guess how big my belly is. Summer won this game and got the length almost perfect!
We received some awesome gifts that both Kyle and I greatly appreciate! We got everything from blankets and onesies to a bouncer and bedding for the crib. It was fun but very overwhelming opening the presents just because everyone was staring at only me and I don’t ever like that much attention. I was glad that I had Kyle (the only male present haha) as support. Thanks so much to everyone who got us a gift and for coming to the shower. I am so happy I have so many loving people in my life to celebrate my baby with before he/she is even born!
We took lots of video during the shower but I realized after that I didn’t take any pictures! I guess I was just overwhelmed with all the people because it did not even cross my mind. Val and Mallory both took pictures so as soon as I get them we will add the pictures to the Flickr account.
Thursday, April 23, 2009
26 Weeks
So the most exciting thing that has happened recently is that I have officially reserved a spot at The Midwife Group and Birth Center in Savannah. After doing some research and watching many birth videos on YouTube, I have come to the conclusion that delivering my baby in a birthing center is definitely my preference. Basically this means that I will deliver my baby naturally in the birthing center with the help of certified Nurse Midwives as an alternative to high tech and interventive birth practices that could occur in a hospital. After talking to a midwife on the phone and reading the information on the website, I have learned that I relate to all of the philosophies about pregnancy and birth that the Birth Center follows: (I copied the ones about birth from the website)
* Labor should begin on its own.
* Laboring women should be free to move throughout labor.
* Laboring women should have continuous support from others throughout labor.
* There should be no routine interventions during labor and birth.
* Women should not give birth on their backs.
* Mothers and babies should not be separated after birth and should have unlimited opportunity for breast feeding.
The midwife told me that at 36 weeks I will write a “birth plan”. In the birth plan I will specify what I want to happen during my labor and birth. I have been researching water births and I think it’s the option I am leaning most towards at the moment. Birthing in water seems so natural, soothing, and comforting. In the videos I have watched, the water births seem to be an almost completely different experience then birthing laying down in a hospital bed. In the birth plan I will also indicate things like who I want supporting me during labor and what role they will play, music I want playing and even the scent of candles I want burning. The entire birth experience is made completely personal and I will have so much freedom to make the experience whatever I want it to be. I am so thrilled that I am going to be able to deliver at the center and am very anxious to become a patient there and get things moving! Oh and in case you were wondering, in the chance of an emergency, the center has everything set in place in case something was to happen.
I have one last appointment at the OB/GYN that I have been seeing up here and then I will be transferring all of my records to the birthing center. I am going to attend an open house on Sunday May 17th and I have my first appointment on June 2nd. Yesterday I had to go to a lab to complete my 1 hour gestational diabetes test. I had to drink this sugary orange drink in 5 minutes and then had to wait an hour for them to test my blood sugar level. Hopefully the test will come back negative!!
I hope everyone is doing well and getting excited about the approaching summer!! Love you guys! ☺
* Labor should begin on its own.
* Laboring women should be free to move throughout labor.
* Laboring women should have continuous support from others throughout labor.
* There should be no routine interventions during labor and birth.
* Women should not give birth on their backs.
* Mothers and babies should not be separated after birth and should have unlimited opportunity for breast feeding.
The midwife told me that at 36 weeks I will write a “birth plan”. In the birth plan I will specify what I want to happen during my labor and birth. I have been researching water births and I think it’s the option I am leaning most towards at the moment. Birthing in water seems so natural, soothing, and comforting. In the videos I have watched, the water births seem to be an almost completely different experience then birthing laying down in a hospital bed. In the birth plan I will also indicate things like who I want supporting me during labor and what role they will play, music I want playing and even the scent of candles I want burning. The entire birth experience is made completely personal and I will have so much freedom to make the experience whatever I want it to be. I am so thrilled that I am going to be able to deliver at the center and am very anxious to become a patient there and get things moving! Oh and in case you were wondering, in the chance of an emergency, the center has everything set in place in case something was to happen.
I have one last appointment at the OB/GYN that I have been seeing up here and then I will be transferring all of my records to the birthing center. I am going to attend an open house on Sunday May 17th and I have my first appointment on June 2nd. Yesterday I had to go to a lab to complete my 1 hour gestational diabetes test. I had to drink this sugary orange drink in 5 minutes and then had to wait an hour for them to test my blood sugar level. Hopefully the test will come back negative!!
I hope everyone is doing well and getting excited about the approaching summer!! Love you guys! ☺
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