28 Weeks

How far along? 28 weeks!

Weight gain? 22 pounds. Still on track despite nearly 2 full weeks of modified bed rest.

How big is baby? Baby J is probably 16 inches from head to toe and weighs between 2.5 and 2.75 pounds. He is about 2/3 of his full-term size and it certainly feels that way when he stretches across my belly and pokes on one side and kicks the other!

Maternity clothes? This weekend I actually mended and wore a maternity dress I bought months ago. It had beads on it that fell off one side the first time I washed it. Ryan's awesome colleagues had a co-ed baby shower for us this weekend and it was the perfect dress to wear with leggings while I stretched out on the couch. It was nice to be on bed rest in someone else's house and to share pregnancy stories with the other wives, all of whom have children and a couple even had similar pregnancy experiences.

Sleep? Sleeping while pregnant is just plain weird! Potty breaks, hot flashes, insomnia... I'm grateful for the opportunity to enjoy naps at the moment!

Best moment of the week? The highlight was definitely our shower on Sunday. I got to put on clothes and get out of the house on a beautiful day! We had a great time with great friends, enjoyed some delicious food, played some fun games (chicken baby food is disgusting, by the way... We will not be feeding that to Baby J!), and got some great gifts, including our car seat! Now we officially get to bring our son home from the hospital after he's born. Yay!

Other great moment this week: I was skyping with a friend from work on Friday and out of the blue, she decided to order dinner for us! It was so thoughtful. Ryan and I really do work with some wonderful people.

Funny moment of the week? One of my favorite ways to spend/waste time lately is with Pinterest. It's a digital bulletin board of all your favorite things online. I use it mostly for craft ideas like things to make for Baby J, ways to spruce up our apartment, and holiday decorating ideas. Ryan likes to check out my boards every day to see what I've added. A couple days ago, he was on my Pinterest and said, "babe, you must have been tired today, you made a lot of spelling mistakes." I replied, "really? Well, sometimes, I don't change what other people write, but I think I only made one mistake today when 'buckets' was auto-corrected to 'bucks.'" He then said, "no babe, you kept spelling cute with a "j"! Jute's not a real word!" I started giggling and replied, "no babe, jute is a fabric. Like rope." "Oh. I'm dumb." Don't worry babe! You're not dumb! You're just learning fabric. Just wait until I send you to the fabric store with a list so I can make all these awesome crafts!

Symptoms? The rash has returned to my neck, shoulders, and tummy. Lovely.

What I miss? Ryan started working on Baby J's crib this weekend and it was so hard to just lay in bed, listening to him work, when I really wanted to help.

What I'm looking forward to? Well, I have my glucose test this week. I'm looking forward to good results, hopefully.

Here's the 28 week bump! This is not the best photo... We don't have any clear walls at the moment. Our apartment is a mess while Ryan works on and assembles Baby's furniture.

27 Weeks

How far along? 27 weeks. 3rd trimester! Baby J is due 3 months from today. If I stay on bed rest for the remainder of the pregnancy, it's very likely that we would actually deliver him in only 10 weeks by c-section, at week 37, to reduce my risk of hemorrhaging during active labor.

Weight gain? 21 pounds. Let's see how this weight gain progresses as I spend the next 4 weeks restricted to my bed and couch.

How big is baby? Baby J is probably about 10 inches long from head to tushie and weighs 2.4 pounds! His heart is staying strong, beating at about 168 bpm.

Maternity clothes? I get to spend the next month in leggings and pj's! I am probably one of the most comfortable pregos on the planet! I am bummed I don't get to wear my cute new fall clothes though. I got some great stuff for work that will just have to wait.

Sleep? I get to sleep whenever I want now!

Best moment of the week? I was really worried heading into our appointment today. It was wonderful to hear baby's heartbeat and then to hear our OB giggle when he kicked her hand 3 times in 10 seconds. It was also great to hear the bleeding isn't affecting him at all, thank goodness. Then, it was great to hear I wouldn't need to spend any more time in the hospital, at least for now.

Other great moments this week: Ryan COOKED a fantastic dinner Sunday night! Soy mustard glazed pork loin, mashed potatoes, and salad! So good! I'm so proud of him. It's a reassuring sign that he's going to continue to take great care of me. Having so many friends visit this week really made my week, too. I feel so loved!

Funny moment of the week? All weekend, I kept saying it would be a perfect weekend for baking. I had Ryan light gingerbread candles to make it smell like I'd baked. Sunday afternoon, he decided it was a good weekend for baking too and made a box of pumpkin bread.

As I was eating the first piece, he asked, "when the recipe calls for oil, what kind do you use?"

I immediately stopped chewing and asked, "what kind did you use?"

"Olive oil."

"Oh. That was wrong," I replied.

It's good, with the exception of the dinner-like aftertaste.

Symptoms? Lots of reassuring activity from Baby J, hot flashes, insomnia (which will be acceptable now), and a slow bleed. My OB thinks the blood I have resulted from a tear and the blood clot we see is from that bleed stopping. The blood that's coming out now is leftover from that tear. I just have to take it easy to prevent new bleeding while we wait for the placenta to hopefully move up as my uterus grows.

What I miss? Work! I wasn't prepared to leave yet!

What I'm looking forward to? Time for arts and crafts! And frequent naps!

Here's the 27 week bump!



And proof I'm taking it easy.

Placenta Previa

Placenta Previa is most likely what's causing me to bleed right now. The NIH website makes the condition very easy to understand:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001902/

What a Previa shows us is that this baby is really a blessing! The tiny little egg he used to be was well on its way to being a period instead of a baby, but managed to attach to the uterine wall at the very last minute. What we have is a marginal Previa; the placenta is not covering the cervix, but it appears to be less than a centimeter away from it.

It seems that I'm right on schedule if you read the symptoms. I started bleeding right at the end of the second trimester. Our third trimester begins tomorrow! The bleed I have is slow and I haven't had any cramping. In just one week, I've seen that the bleeding stays consistent when I'm active and slows when I rest. We think this means if I'm not ordered to continue to rest tomorrow, I'll probably end up back in bed soon. The bleeding could very easily stop but start up again in a few days or weeks.

We're ready to do whatever it takes to keep the baby and me safe, even if means being stuck in an uncomfortable hospital bed for the whole 3rd trimester. Hopefully, we can keep this little guy cooking for as long as possible, but if we have to deliver early, he's already proved to us that he's a fighter. He's a baby that almost wasn't and now he spends the entire day (and night) kicking the crap out of me, reminding us how strong he is.

We're hoping for good news tomorrow, but we'll do whatever we have to do.

Getting Crafty

With some free time on my hands, at least for this weekend, I got a little crafty. My friend Jocelyn came over with lunch to help me out.

We came up with cuter way to display our favorite ultrasound pictures. This will be the first thing to hang in Baby J's room! (Please excuse the glare from the flash, I'm still learning how to use our new camera).


And, we made something Ryan has wanted for years!


This little milkman is inspired by this Blur video back in the day:
http://youtu.be/6oqXVx3sBOk

Ryan loves it!

Ultrasound Pics: 26 Weeks 2 Days

There are two silver linings to the many trips we have recently had to take to the hospital - we get to see and hear our baby boy often.

I feel like he's saying, "don't be sad mama. It's not a time for frowny faces!"

"I'm OK mama! Here's a big smile for you!"

I am so in love with this fiesty little boy and his sweet face. His kicks and punches let me know he's doing great all day long! Ryan seems to think that those kicks and punches are going to get even stronger now that I've had a steroid shot to strengthen his lungs. Good news for his lungs, bad news for mine when he starts kicking the crap out of them!

Back to Labor and Delivery

After spending the wee hours of Sunday morning at labor and delivery with some unexpected bleeding, I was instructed just to take it easy, go ahead and return to work, and to call my OB if the bleeding became worse or failed to subside. By Tuesday morning it was clear that it wasn't getting any better, so I planned to call the doc during my lunch break, but they beat me to the punch, calling me to follow up. They asked me to come in for a sonogram as soon as possible. An hour later, we got to see our sweet boy on the screen again. He's definitely getting bigger, which I could already tell by the strength of his kicks and punches. We got two really detailed images of his face which I will try to post soon. We really think he looks like me, or at least has my cheeks and lips. He made two faces for us! A sweet smiley face and a sad frowny face! It was so cute!

We learned that he's doing just great, but then we got the bad news. They can't really tell what's causing the bleeding or the buildup of excess fluid that's accompanying the blood yet. The placenta is still very low, less than a centimeter from my cervix. Since I'm only 26 weeks, there's still time for the placenta to distance itself from the cervix as my uterus expands to accommodate the growing baby. We really hope that's what happens! The ultrasound also revealed a very small blood clot in my placenta (if I remember correctly) which could also be the cause of the bleeding. The OB decided the best course of action would be to check in to labor and delivery for overnight observation with the hope that the bleeding would subside.

Hearing this made me very emotional. From week 20 we knew that bed rest might be an inevitable possibility but it was just too much too soon. We still have so much to do to prepare for baby's arrival, I'm not ready to leave my work responsibilities in someone else's hands (even though everyone I work with is so wonderfully supportive, even beyond my wildest expectations), and it's just beginning to feel like autumn! I know it's silly, but I was really looking forward to not appearing to be sweaty for once and getting to wear my cute new fall clothes! Plus, laying in bed is going to get really boring! We still have 3 months to go! I had to stop and cry for a little bit on our walk over to labor and delivery.

In L&D, they hooked me up to a fetal heart rate monitor, an IV, and another monitor for contractions. I had no idea I had even been having contractions! Apparently about one an hour. It was neat to see them on the monitor, but I didn't feel a thing. They definitely weren't close enough to be of any concern to the docs. I also had two steroid shots to help strengthen baby's lungs just in case the bleeding continues or gets worse and we have to deliver earlier than expected. By morning, the bleeding slowed down, so they discharged me with instructions to go on house arrest. I can move from the bed to the couch to chairs, shower, get my own snacks and water refills, but that's about it. I can't be on my feet for any length of time and I can't leave my apartment until my follow up Monday. Hopefully, all of my issues will clear up as I rest over the weekend and I'm allowed to resume semi-normal activities on Tuesday. I really hope I don't end up stuck in bed, but I'll do whatever I need to do to keep us both healthy.

I also need to note that Ryan is being absolutely amazing through all of this. He's such a strong shoulder to cry on and he jumps to respond to my every need, even waking up at 3am to get a snack from the vending machine because I was starving and going grocery shopping with coupons today! He hates coupon shopping but he did it because he loves me and he's so awesome!

26 Weeks

How far along? 26 weeks

Weight gain? 20 pounds. At this rate, I might go a few pounds over what I intended! Noooo! Hopefully, I'll be off pelvic rest soon and able to get a bit more exercise. I lost 30 pounds to become pregnant (and healthy in general), so I don't want to gain more than 30. I don't ever want to be back at my heaviest!

How big is baby? Baby J is probably 9 1/2 inches long from head to tushie and weighs 2.2 pounds! I almost can't believe he's getting so big! If I didn't feel him so strongly, I know I wouldn't believe it!

Maternity clothes? I'm looking forward to having some cooler weather this week. I bet all of my clothes will look better when I appear to be less sweaty!

Sleep? Is gone. Insomnia hit me hard last week. I can fall asleep just fine, within 10 minutes of going to bed usually. The trouble starts the second time I get up to go to the bathroom. I can't fall back asleep for hours afterward.

Best moment of the week? I think our best moment of the week this week had to be hearing that everything was going to be okay at the end of our unscheduled trip to labor and delivery early Sunday morning. Even though I tried to be as calm as possible, I was terrified that the blood I saw was coming from the placenta and that Baby J was in trouble, but our little guy is as strong as ever and the spotting I was experience was normal and not related to the low lying placenta.

Funny moment of the week? Ryan thinks it's hilarious that I make gasping and grunting noises when I sit down or get up. I had to remind him that it's tough gaining weight every single day!

Symptoms? I'm feeling lots of kicks, punches, and rolls from our little guy. He even punched my friend Whitney's hand at work today and she was so moved she started to cry! It was so sweet. All the healthy activity is a beautiful reminder of why I put up with the not so beautiful stuff like new pimples, being hot and sweaty, forgetting things, spotting, waddling, and being unable to sleep.

What I miss? Sleeping through the night.

What I'm looking forward to? Supposedly, I will be getting my braces off this week and then I'll get to eat carrot sticks and chew gum! Yes!

Here's the 26 week bump!

2am Tour of Labor and Delivery

That's how our day began!

If you've been reading along, you know I have a low-lying placenta, which basically means the placenta is attached low in my uterus and has the potential to block baby's exit during delivery. I have been on pelvic rest for the last 6 weeks in order to prevent bleeding because heavy bleeding could be dangerous for the baby and me.

At 1:30 this morning, I awoke for one of my regular potty breaks and learned I was spotting. I feel like the insomnia I have been dealing with all week prepared me to be clear-headed. For a normal pregnancy, spotting isn't a big deal, but with placenta previa, it's a reason to call your doctor. She advised me to check-in to labor and delivery so we could determine the cause of the bleeding.

That's where we found ourselves at about 2am! We found our way to labor and delivery so I guess we don't need to sign up for the tour anymore. I got hooked up to a blood pressure cuff and the fetal heart monitor and was prepped for a full spectrum of pelvic exams. We got to listen to baby's strong heart beat for a few hours. He was so active, he kept kicking the monitor! We could see my stomach lift as we heard the thud of his strong kicks and punches. The doctor and nurses were surprised at his activity level at only 26 weeks!

I had both types of sonograms which determined that the placenta was not the cause of the spotting- thank goodness! It does still appear to be low though, so that's something the doctors will continue to monitor in the coming weeks. The cause of the spotting was likely dilation of the most outer layer of my cervix which is nothing to be concerned about. The most important layer of the cervix is very long and sealed up tight and is so far up, the doctor could barely reach it. Baby J isn't going anywhere any time soon!

Unfortunately, I couldn't see much of the image during the sonograms, but Ryan could. Our little monkey would not keep still! Ryan said his little arms and legs kept moving and as he mimicked his movements, I imagined him climbing a ladder. Then I started to imagine him climbing out of his crib... Then I started to worry about how we are going to keep this active boy contained! Ahh!

By 5am, we were discharged with orders to continue to rest, monitor the spotting, and to enjoy our last few relaxing months before we have an active, attention-demanding, little boy on our hands. Thankfully, everything appears to be ok for now and I know going in to be checked was the right thing to do. I was also thankful to learn how comfortable I felt in our hospital. The room was private and cozy and the staff was very friendly. I think I'll be very happy delivering there.

25 Weeks

How far along? 25 weeks

Weight gain? 19 pounds. Thankfully, eating deliciously at the beach was not detrimental to my progress.

How big is baby? Baby J is probably 9 inches long from head to tushie and weighs 1.75 pounds.

Maternity clothes? I tried to wear a regular shirt today with a regular undershirt and a regular cropped jacket... epic fail. I was tugging at everything all day!

Sleep? Sleep did eventually start going well at the beach. It was nice to go to sleep and wake up whenever I wanted.

Best moment of the week? Every moment spent at the beach this week was amazing! Great family, great friends, great food, and great fun playing in the waves and laying in the sun. Well, mostly laying in the shade, actually. Ryan was afraid I would cook the baby if I got to hot or tanned to quickly!

Funny moment of the week? With so many great moments, it's tough to pick a standout from the week. I think we had the best laughs at the LA County Fair. I was really curious to learn what I would crave once I got there. I love going to Chicken Charlie's and trying the latest fried food (I have had, and did enjoy, the Krispy Kreme Chicken Sandwich). This year, it was fried kool-aid, which I would ordinarily try and I walked up to the register with the intent of ordering it or the classic fried oreo, but the words that came out were, "chicken and waffles please!" With everyone behind me already munching on their oreos and klondike bars, I heard Ryan say, "sometimes she likes to remind us that she's black." Everyone cracked up! It was so delicious! I ate every bite of those delicious syrupy waffles and cleaned every last bite of meat from those bones!

Symptoms? My back and hip pain disappeared by the second day at the beach. I was so relaxed! I am not looking forward to sitting in a desk chair this week. The heat rash I had from the humidity from my shoulders to my belly cleared up with a little sunshine, but now I have a few more regular pimples. Boo. Baby J is moving a lot! Sometimes, it makes me feel like I have to pee when he's low and kicking. Sometimes, it makes me feel queasy when he does a full body roll. The weirdest was when I felt a kick toward the back for the first time! Despite the discomfort, it's still the most amazing feeling I've ever experienced. I got a new symptom this week that many may think is gross but I think is amazing! I really, really, want to breast feed, for as long as I comfortably can, and I have a lot of signs pointing in my direction that say I can't. I think my hormone imbalance caused me to have breast hypoplasia (underdeveloped breast tissue/very little storage for milk), which I won't know for sure until Baby J is here, but I do have a lot of the physical signs. Now, don't read this part if you're not comfortable with over-sharing! For the last couple of weeks, my nipples would burn after I got out of the shower. Then, this week, they started to leak! Just a little bit every day, nothing to cause an embarrassing situation, but it's definitely a positive sign for me!

What I miss? When I put clothes away yesterday, I realized how much my belly had grown over the week when I attempted to close the door and smacked it right into my belly! Apparently, I need to be more conscious of my changing shape!

What I'm looking forward to? Hearing Baby J's heart beat again this week!

Here's the 25 week bump!