Pregnancy

27wks and confirming Gestational Diabetes

Posted on by mrs.stork

27wks 4 days

Let’s first start with fun and exciting news. We had our last 3/4D ultrasound done the other day (it was a repeat ultrasound since the first time we went the girls weren’t behaving).

We had a wonderful tech and she was very kind and very patient. This time baby A was being the cooperative one and baby B kept hiding her face the entire time. But as you can see we got some great pictures of them both. This time around, the tech said that it appears as if both of them have hair. So I am just so very curious to see what they’ll look like in person.

My sweet girls. They are so perfect.

My sweet girls. They are so perfect.

I did my 1hr glucose test and I failed. They were looking for something under 139 and mine was 167.

I then did the 3hr glucose test (I HATE that one). And my results were:
fasting was 86 (70-94)
1hr was 167 (70-179)
2hr was 168 (70-154)
3hr was 148 (70-139)

Needless to say I did not pass the 2hr or the 3hr test. My doctor is still not concerned. I haven’t talked to him personally but from what I gathered he is not at all concerned and is blaming it all on me having 2 placentas and me already being insulin resistant to begin with.

Yesterday I had my first meeting with a dietician and she explained to me that she too is not worried about my levels just yet but that I will have a harder time with it the further along I get. The way she explained it was that the bigger the placentas get the more hormones they release, making it more difficult for the insulin to travel and causing my blood sugar to spike.

She then showed me how to test my sugar and how often I should check them. Since I failed the 2hr test I have to test my sugars 2hrs after each meal. I did go home with a fancy little machine that reads all the levels and stores it all for me.

I have a beautiful list of foods to eat and not to eat and how to pair them up. It’s funny because there’s a lot more eating involved, just in smaller portions. I guess I better get used to it.

I am still a bit confused as of when my third trimester starts so I guess I won’t be saying that I’m there yet.

What I can say is that my doctor has set a date for my maternity leave to start. November 15th is my last working day then I have to take it easy. Taking it easy won’t be an easy task but I will do whatever it takes to keep my girls safe.

26wks and Gestational Diabetes Test

Posted on by mrs.stork

26 weeks

26 weeks

 

We have reached viability and I couldn’t be happier.

Today I had a doctor’s appointment. Because I see a high risk ob, I do get to see the girls every single time that we go there. It’s not for very long, but at least I get to see them.

Today both were measuring at 26 weeks and 6 days and they are both weighing at a little over 2 lbs each. Which I think is amazing to know.  Also, baby A was “smacking” her lips for us. So so cute

I also had my 1hr glucose test, I guess we shall see what the results say about that.

As always, I asked the doctor lots of questions.

We talked about my rib cage pain, and he said that the pain is coming from the cartilage that is softening and separating and there’s not much that we can do. But if it gets too bad, that we can treat it with pain meds.

We talked about my placentas. He said that he is amazed with how they are located. He said that with the early ultrasounds that he was sure worried for me and he just can’t believe how much they have shifted.  He said he doesn’t get to see such a drastic change like mine too often.

We talked about scheduling a c-section. His words were “although you don’t believe you’ll make it until January, I do”. And that the plan it for me to go as long as I can go and then we will see and discuss what’s best after each appointment. Even if that means that I bring my bags each and every time I see him. LOL

The last conversation was about work. He wants me to stop working as of November 15th. Just take it easy and get used to all the changed that my body are making and aches and pains. I am ok with that decision after this week and all of the rib cage pain that I’ve been having.

I also met with their midwife and talked about my dizzy spells. She wants me to drink 12 cups of water per day. SAY WHAT? That’s a lot. I also need to up my protein intake. I need 100gm of protein per day. That’s a LOT!! Better learn to read labels soon!!!

Needless to say, I have to really pack our hospital bags now. I just feel like it needs to be done. Just in case.

Here’s hoping to hear good news from the doctor’s office on the glucose test and if all is well then I go back in 2 wks, if not, then I will see them again either this week or first thing next week.

Grow babies grow! Mommy loves you. 

23weeks – Kicks and pains

Posted on by mrs.stork

Hello everyone,

 

23 weeks&4days

I am currently 23 weeks and 5 days today. I am so happy to have reached this far without any major problems happening. Of course my placenta has been riding low and that has been a concern but as of last Friday (10/04) doc said that he is very happy about how much my placentas has moved.

I had a little “scare” last Friday, as I woke up super uncomfortable and with terrible lower back pain. The pain would come and go and it was just strange. I went to work and set there and it wouldn’t stop, then it hit me, it felt like what I had with Patryck that ended up sending me to the hospital.

So, I called my doctor and told them what I was feeling. I was told to immediately take some Tylenol and drink a couple cups of cold water and be a couch potato (I swear those were the nurse’s words) until my appointment that same day at 2pm.

I did all that she asked me to do and of course I called Tom to let him know what was going on. I asked him to take me to the doctor’s appointment because I was concerned.

The one thing that I LOVE about my doctor is that he makes me feel like I’m a human being. He makes me feel like he knows me and I’m not just another number. He went searching for me, asking if Wanessa was still here and that they better had not sent me home before seeing him. Of course, I was in the ladies room hearing all of this and just laughing.

I had one of those “fun” internal ultrasounds to check on my cervix and placentas and the doctor was very happy with how everything looked. The cervix was long and closed and the placentas had moved further away than last appointment.

We talked about the babies weight (they are each over 1lb each) and how much weight they grow per week at this stage and that they’ll be gaining about six ounces a week after week 26 or so. I thought that was awesome and very fascinating.

So for now, the plan is to just keep going and take it easy at the same time.

The babies have been kicking a lot, which I love, and of course I’m sore all over the place.

I don’t believe I’m very swollen this time around, but I’m sure I am some. It looks like I have gained a total of 9lbs the entire pregnancy, so I’m pretty “happy” about that. I hope that they’re absorbing all of my already existing fat and growing bigger and bigger each day.

Ohhh I almost forgot. We have a 3/4D ultrasound scheduled for this upcoming Sunday in Chicago. I’m super excited about it. I actually found something on craigslist that I’ll hopefully be purchasing while in Chicago. Better yet I’ll get to see my princesses and what they look like, I’m so excited.

 

IVF here I come

Posted on by mrs.stork

The husband and I needed a little break from this chaos and we did just that.

We had a little trip to England and we were able to forget about treatment for at least 10 days. I know that sounds silly but it’s a lot while you’re doing treatments. So now we are back and ready to rumble.

IVF-treatment-photo

Before we left we got all our tests and everything done in order to start IVF once we got back. (you know the basics, disease control, SIS, RPL tests, Chromosomal tests to make sure I’m a normal female, and the day 3 blood work, amh, estradiol and one more that I can’t think of)

Today Aunt Flow showed up and it is CD1 for me. I’m going in tomorrow for my baseline ultrasound and to have a little class on how to give myself a muscular shot. YIKES!

I got all of my meds in on Saturday and it was quite a bit. (see for yourselves)

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I have a lot of different emotions going on at the same time. A big part of me is not doubting that this is going to work but it is doubting that it’s going to stick and stay healthy. After so many losses I’m just so scared that I don’t know what to believe anymore.

So, here’s to a good appointment tomorrow and hoping that all goes well through this IVF procedure.

Yet another Chemical Pregnancy

Posted on by mrs.stork

HiRes

I know I haven’t posted in a while but so much has been going on, it’s been ridiculous.

lets recap everything. I had my IUI on Feb 8th. I started testing at 7 days past that, because I’m crazy and I can’t just wait around.

Just like last time I got a faint positive at 9 days past IUI. I watched it get progressively darker every day. It was looking very promising. I called my doctor’s office and talked to them. they asked me to come in and have a blood test and I did at 13dpiui.

Here’s how my betas came back:

13dpiui = 24.2
15dpiui = 48.6
17dpiui = 42.5

When I saw my beta doubling I actually let myself believe that perhaps this was happening for reals, That perhaps it was just a late implanter and that everything could turn out ok. BUT, right after I let myself believe I started spotting. I told the hubby about it and he made sure to keep me calm and just reassure me that everything was going to be ok. I mean, I started spotting the same day my beta came back as double, how freaking cruel is that??

I took it easy on Saturday and tried to stay in bed, the bleeding kept on all day and I was sure that this was the end for me. I had another beta on monday and I got an answer right away. The numbers went down and that was the end of yet another pregnancy.

I lost yet again another baby and my heart just sunk.

I don’t know what I’m doing wrong. So many thoughts rush through my head all at once. It’s nearly impossible not to blame myself. How could it not be my fault? I mean what the heck am I doing wrong???

I had another beta just this monday and to my surprise it came back at 1.39. I was in disbelief that it dropped so darn fast.

So here I am again. Not pregnant and not knowing exactly what to do next.

The husband and I have been talking about IVF and we’ve been considering going that path. But before we do I KNOW that I’ll be requesting some testing to be done before embarking on that journey. The last thing I want is to spend tons of money on IVF just to get pregnant and lose the baby again.

So, the plan for now is to try IVF a couple of times and if that doesn’t work………..well, we can either try IUI out of pocket OR we can finally embark on to the adoption journey.

 

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PS: I KNOW that adoption is not easy and I don’t mean to imply anything by it. Adoption has been something that I’ve wanted to do for a LONG time and so does my husband. I know a lot about adoption and I know how hard that journey is. I just want to make sure I’m no offending anyone. That is not my intent.

Well this is it for now. I’m very sad and very upset but somehow I’m still moving forward. I’m waiting to hear back from my doctor about further testings to make sure that I don’t have something else going on that we are not aware of.

I mean when u look at the numbers, I’ve been pregnant a total of 4 times and I have lost 3 of those pregnancies. It looks more like our beautiful son is one heck of a miracle and that something else is going on that we are not aware of. At least that’s how I see things as of now.

I also have an appointment with him next week for an IVF consult. So we shall see how that goes. In the mean time, I’m trying to enjoy not having to give myself shots and monitor my every move.

 

 

 

 

Dealing with a miscarriage

Posted on by mrs.stork

The Five Stages of Grief

The Five Stages of Grief

Unfortunately my husband and I have gone through a loss before. I went in for my 12wk ultrasound……..I was actually almost 14wks. I knew something was off, it was just a feeling and that’s when we found out that we had lost our baby.

I’m not going to lie to you, it was SO hard. I had to go through a D&C and actually had to wait  3 days to have my D&C because of the weekend. It broke me to my core. It was horrible and I don’t wish that on anyone.

Here’s the thing. Everyone knew that I was pregnant and they were all so very nice and attentive to me throughout our loss. It felt “nice” to be acknowledged and to know that I could count on people. It was also very eye opening to see friends and even family say hurtful things and treat us so totally different.

This time around, I find myself yet at a different road. We haven’t really told many people that we were trying again. We just didn’t want to say it and what if it didn’t happen, what if we had another loss.

Well, here we are……..and we have yet another loss.

Let me tell you, it makes no stinky difference how far along I was. I have found myself letting more and more people know about our loss than what I had expected.

I don’t know what it is but I need people to know that this type of things happen and that although I might be happy for right now, that my mood might just change with a blink of an eye and I’ll get sad suddenly. That these emotions have nothing to do with them and everything to do with me.

Going through this journey always teaches me something different and it always shows me the true color of people around me. You find that those that you thought were your friends, get annoyed and upset that you’re not your happy self and that you’re not there to make them happy. Yet they don’t see that this is the time where THEY have to be there for you. It’s a strange, strange thing to see and be a part of.

My emotions lately have been all over the place. I remember having the same problem with our previous loss and I just have to learn how to deal with it.

TMI ALERT:

As far as the actual miscarriage this time around. It’s like a really heavy period with more intense cramps and lots and lots of clots.
I’ve always had really heavy menses so this is just a “bad” one. I had my blood work done this friday and got a call this morning that it’s finally low and negative.

For now I’ll just try to get through this part of it all and take birth control pills to shrink a stupid cyst that I have left over. Then once that’s gone I can hopefully get back to trying.

 

Praying for a miracle

Posted on by mrs.stork

Praying woman hands

Today might be the day when we finally find out what the outcome of this pregnancy might be.

I woke up super early and headed out to the lab. I got there and just waiting for my turn. There was another lady waiting as well and although I’m not sure I for some reason believe that she was there to also check if she’s pregnant.

It’s amazing how one day can make such a huge difference in our lives.

I tested this morning as I have been doing everyday, and it’s still positive but as it was yesterday it’s still not as dark as the control line.

I’m trying my best to hang on to that thing thread of hope and believe that a miracle can still happen today. Hope that perhaps everything is going to be ok with this pregnancy.

Because the truth about it all is that no matter how much I tell myself that I’m preparing for the worst, it doesn’t matter, if the outcome is not for the best the pain that I’m going to feel will still be the same, no matter how much I’ve tried to guard myself from it.

I have the best husband and he has tried so hard to keep me positive and to ensure me that everything is going to be ok. I truly don’t know how I would ever been able to go through all of this roller coaster without him by my side.

So, for now, for this moment, this very same hour I’m still pregnant and I’m going to try to believe that I’ll stay that way for months to come.

 

38 Weeks! Emotions & Impatience!

Posted on by mrs.stork

We’ve hit 38 weeks. I can’t believe that I’m here and our little one isn’t out yet.

His & Hers Belly Shot!

I have to say that the forum that I frequently am a part of has the longest running pregnancies I’ve ever seen. We’re all about 37 weeks and we’ve only had twin births so far and we still have another 3 twin moms to deliver. That’s just crazy to me.

To say that I’m super ubber emotional lately is a understantement. Just ask my husband. Anything and everything makes me want to cry my eyes out.

He can say something so innocent and I’m still going to feel super hurt and start crying for no flipping reason.
At one second I’m crying because our little one isn’t here yet and the next I’m crying because I’m scared that he won’t love me the same because of our little one being here.

Can you say insane?! Yep, that describes me right now for sure.

We went to our 38wks appointment this monday and as I expected the doctor said “no changes, still high and closed” OMG that’s just so frustrating.

My blood pressure seems to have stabilized and it’s been around 120 over 70’s for the most part. I’m still measuring on track and our little one’s heart rate was around 150’s again. I believe that I’ve gained 2-3 pounds. I have to go look and compare to the prior week. I guess I”m ok with that since I had lost 3Lbs the week before. To tell you the truth I’ve been much more active lately and maybe we can just say that I’ve put some of the water weight back. LOL

After our appointment, I was waiting to make our next week’s appointment when I decided to ask our nurse if it was possible for us to get an ultrasound to know how big our little one is going to be.

To my amazement she agreed to do that. Of course she hesitated at first but she came around to it.

The scheduler was super nice (as she always is) and she was able to get us an appointment that same day, within the hour. How awesome is that?!

We went to the imaging place and there we were waiting for our turn. They unfortunately didn’t let us record anything but we did get a couple of pictures for our ultrasound.

Patryck's Profile !

Patryck looks so big and so squished in there. Poor thing. She wouldn’t tell us anything, all she said was that our doctor would study the ultrasound and let us know at our next appointment.

Of course Tom was able to watch everything and was able to see that the average weight they had for him was 7 Lb 7oz.

Nose & lips. From the bottom up !

I don’t know much about baby weights but that sounds big to me. I’m just saying……

So, for now we wait………yes……….wait.

Next monday is our next appointment and I’ll be almost 39wks. Hopefully we’ll get better news then.

Reaching Full Term! 37 wks!

Posted on by mrs.stork

We have finally reached full term. I can not believe it.

I went in for my appointment on Monday. I had my original appointment at 11am, but of course I got a call that my Ob had a c-section and was not going to be in at all in the morning. They only had a 4:50pm appointment.

I told them that I HAD to come in and talk to him and I took the appointment.

We got there 15 minutes early. BIG MISTAKE. We waited forever and a half. We didn’t get called back until after 5:30pm.

He checked my BP (which was normal. 125/70). We did the urine test and all was well and he took my weight. I apparently LOST 3 Lb this week. I have no idea how but that’s what it was showing. I was amazed.

Patryck’s heartbeat was around 148’s and I was measuring right on track.

My cervix has NOT changed at all. That got me worried. I hope that doesn’t mean that he’ll stay too long in there.

Ohh also, I got my strep B results back and they were negative.  YAY for that.

We talked about what happens if nothing happens to my cervix. He said that if I reach 40wks and nothing has changed that there’s no point of trying to induce. that we would have to schedule a c-section.

I think he was amazed that I’m not scared of a c-section. But then again, it doesn’t sound like he’s into c-sections at all. It sounds like he wants to avoid it at any cost.

Anyway. I’m still on bedrest and I’m to take it easy.

He didn’t seem concerned about the weight loss either. He said that it’s because I’ve been off my feet and lost water weight.

I’ll see him again next week. I’m praying for better news then.

33 weeks!!! Getting so close!!

Posted on by mrs.stork

33 weeks belly. Baby is head down!!

Yesterday we had our bi-weekly doctor’s appointment. As I feared, he had to re-schedule (emergency c-section) . My Ob is always a very busy person and I just know that if we schedule anything with him in the afternoon that it will get rescheduled.

It wasn’t a problem since they had me come in and see our wonderful nurse Jane.

She is so sweet, I really like her. My blood pressure has been hanging around 130 over 80s now and it wasn’t much different. It was actually 134 over 84. She said that since it’s been pretty consistent that she’s not worried.

I gained one and a half pounds in 2 weeks and she said that it’s great. Our little peanuts heart beat was around 150-160s which is also pretty consistent. I’m measuring between 35-36 weeks now. Yep he’s growing!!!

We talked about how do we know position and all and she tried to feel it again (as she did last time). She guessed the same then she decided to do an ultrasound just to double check.

I was not going to stop her from showing us our little peanut.

There he was. So beautiful! We saw his head, spine, ribs, legs, little feet, hand, his pee pee, his little heart beating away and the best part, she stopped at his face. We could clearly see his little face and chubby cheeks. He’s just so beautiful. And Yes, he’s head down!!!

It’s hard to explain this but I’ll try. You know one of those moments where you look at things and find yourself wondering, “is this really happening to me?” I had that moment when I saw his face.

My brain still can’t believe that this beautiful, amazing little boy is growing inside of me. I felt like saying, someone pinch me, I must be dreaming!!

This ultrasound didn’t take long at all, but she did show us so much. This baby is already on his ready position. No wonder I feel pressure down there!!

She then analyzed my swollen legs and said that I’m at 2+ edema and to just try and lay on my side as much as I can.  I can sure try that.

Anyway, after our Ob’s appointment we killed some time and then went to our Newborn Care Class.  It was awesome. In our small little world, nurse Jane’s daughter was the one teaching the class!! Awesome!

I have to say that the part of the circumcision was not easy. I just don’t understand why would people put their child through this if it’s not medically necessary. I just don’t get it.

Don’t give me the infection argument as it’s total bull. If a circumcised baby has a 1 in 1000 chance of a UTI vs. an uncircumcised baby that has a 3 in 1000 chance……it’s NOT that big of a difference!! Not worth putting my child through that much pain!!! Not going to happen!!

Anyways, enough about that. We’ll go back to see Dr.Sw in 2 weeks (hopefully) and then after that I believe we’ll start seeing him every week from then on.

It’s getting so close. I’m so excited. I should just get our hospital bag ready already!! Just in case!!