38 Weeks

I had my 38 week appointment this past Monday. Not much new to report. I got another internal exam (no bleeding this time... yay!). However, there wasn't any cervical change from last week. I'm still 2cm, 25% effaced and -3 station. My OB told her to come towards the light because we have pizza out here! She's still not listening. I did ask at what point we would consider inducing. I'm perfectly ok with carrying until my due date, but Dr B said we could have a plan in place for if I go over. He's out of the office all week next week for his kids' Spring Break, so I'll be seeing one of the other OBs in the office. I'd like to go ahead and schedule my induction then, but don't think I can do that without him. I guess if I make it to my 40 week appointment (actually 40w3d) then we will schedule it for some time that week. However, knowing my luck, she'll come on her own. It will just be next week while he's gone! I've always known it would be a slim possibility of actually having Dr B do my delivery, but had a little bit of hope. Oh well, I know she'll come when she's ready and if it's while he's gone, then so be it.

37 Weeks

Today was my 37 week appointment. (We actually skipped the 36 week appointment since Dr B was going to be out of the office and I'm low risk.) There was another nurse in the office filling in for Dr B's nurse today. After getting the usual weight, BP and urine sample she put me in the exam room. She then asked if Dr B usually does a pelvic exam on me. I told her that we hadn't had one yet so I didn't know for sure. She had me go ahead and strip from the waist down "just in case". I was pretty sure that Dr B didn't routinely do internal exams, but I went ahead and complied. I guess he figured since they had "exposed" me already, he would do an exam.
As it turns out, I am making a little bit of progress. I was 2cm dilated, 25% effaced, and a -3 station. She feels really low to me, but in the grand scheme of things, I guess she's not "that" low. He said she probably wouldn't fall out today, but you never know. He doesn't like to predict when you'll go in to labor based on a pelvic exam because you can walk around 2cm dilated for weeks. We made an appointment to go back next week and went on our way to lunch and to run some errands.
While we were walking around Costco, I had a strange "gushing" sensation and figured it was just discharge that's pretty common with pregnancy. I didn't think much of it and we went on with our shopping (and I didn't say anything to Jason). We got home and I went for my (almost) hourly trip to the potty. I was surprised to find that my gush from earlier wasn't discharge at all, but blood (and a decent sized clot). I called Dr B's office and spoke with the nurse (after being on what seemed like eternal hold). She said it probably wasn't a big deal, but would check with Dr B and then call me back. She called back about 2 minutes later and said to come on back to the office and they would work me in.
I got back to the office and they got me back in the room pretty quickly. I had to wait a little while on Dr B since he had other patients that actually had appointments. He came in and we chatted about what happened. I then got another exam (only this one was more like and "annual exam" than the internal from earlier). I wasn't actively bleeding my water wasn't broken (which is what he was really concerned had happened). He said it was probably just "bloody show" and that everything looked ok. He was glad I had called though since it was more than just spotting.
So, we had little bit of "excitement" today, but nothing too big. I'm still waiting for this little girl to decide she's ready to come. I went and searched the Internet earlier (I know... google is evil...) about bloody show. Most websites say that labor usually starts within 72 hours or so. We shall see. I'm not holding my breath though :)

3D/4D Sono = FAIL

Yes... 2 posts in one day... what ever will people think?

So, ever since we had our gender determining and anatomy scan at 19 weeks, I've been wanting to get a 3D/4D sono at a later point in the pregnancy. After looking in to pricing, I had pretty much decided that we weren't going to be able to get one done. I would much rather spend $150-$200 on something "for" the baby. Then last week a friend heard about a new imaging place in Allen that was going to be doing them for free. I called on a Wednesday afternoon and was told that they didn't have any more appointments available for the free sessions. I was disappointed, of course, but they then told me that they would be doing them this week for only $50. That's quite a bargain, so I made an appointment for this past Thursday.

Well, everyone who lives in the Dallas area knows what happened here on Thursday. Record breaking snow fall! Luckily, at the time of my appointment (1:00pm) the roads were just wet and not slick, so we set out for Allen. I knew that getting decent pictures would be iffy at this stage of my pregnancy just due to the fact that there isn't much room in there anymore. If only that were the issue... Apparently, I have a stubborn child. Who would have thought? She kept her hands in front of her face the entire time! No matter what we did to try and make her move, we were unable to get a shot of more than a partial profile. In 2D (think regular black/white sono) mode they were able to see that she has some chubby cheeks and already has hair. I guess we'll just have to wait a few more weeks to see what she really looks like. Stinker :)

34 Weeks

I'm actually 35 weeks today as I write this, but had my 34 week appointment with Dr B this past Monday. It was more of the usual with one exception. I knew that I would be tested for GBS (Group Beta Strep), but I thought it would be at 36 weeks. Much to my surprise, I was told that it would be happening at this appointment. It wasn't so bad, but when you aren't expecting to have to strip from the waist down... I'm assuming they will treat this test like all my others. No news is good news. I am supposed to go back and visit again in 2 weeks, however, he is out of the office that Monday. So, since I am not a high risk pregnancy, we are going to skip a week and go at 37 weeks. I would have been there anyway for my first of my weekly visits. Dr B said we would discuss what labor "looks" like at my next visit. It's hard to believe that I'm already to the point that we need to talk about that. I've been so blessed to have an uncomplicated pregnancy.

32 Weeks

Only 8 weeks (or so) left to go now. Seems like I'm on the home stretch. I saw my OB today for a routine visit. Everything is still looking good. I asked Dr. B today when we need to be concerned about what position she is in. He said we still have a few weeks yet (until around 36 weeks), but she seems to be in the head down position already. I was having a hard time determining what body parts I was feeling, but now I know. I guess that's about it for this post. More again in 2 more weeks :)

30 Weeks

Today was my 30 week visit with Dr B. Sort of boring, but I guess that's a good thing. My BP is still good (120/70) and I gained about 1 lb since my last visit 2 weeks ago. Heard the baby's heartbeat again and still just love that sound. Dr B had to hunt for it for a quick second because yesterday she decided to roll and take up residence on the other side of the belly. She's been camped out on my left side for the longest time, but now it's the right. It was weird to watch :) Any big movements these days is very visable from the outside. I guess that's about it for now. Back to the doctor again in 2 weeks...

28 Weeks

I had my 28 week appointment with Dr B yesterday. We had to drive to the office downtown by the hospital instead of the satellite office we usually go to. Dr B was going to be out of the office on Monday, so we had no choice but to change. It's really hard to make appointments on holiday weeks. We left at 9:30 for a 10:30 appointment because you just never know how traffic will be on I-30. Luckily, traffic was light. I was signed in for my appointment by 10:05 and they actually took me back early.
The appointment was pretty uneventful. The usual BP check, weight check (up about 10 lbs total at this point), and the "sample" I always have to give. Got all of that taken care of and then went in to the exam room to wait for Dr B. I really do forget how lucky I am to have such a wonderful OB until he walks in the room. He always has time to chat and answer any and all questions we have. Most of the time, I don't have many. He went through everything and said my BP was good, my weight gain was good and said my results from my glucose tolerance test and blood counts from my last visit were great. (Yay for not having Gestational Diabetes!) He then proceeded to listen to the baby's heartbeat and make sure that my uterus was up at the level it should be. While listening to her heartbeat, he said "sounds like there's a party in there!" I told him that some days, it sure feels like it too ;)
Not much else to report at this point. I'm now going to start visiting his office every 2 weeks up until 36 weeks and then it will be once weekly until delivery. I can't believe how fast this is all flying by. I'm anxious to get her here and see her beautiful little face, but at the same time, I'm loving the fact that I'm the only one who "knows" her right now. All the wiggles and kicks are the most amazing thing I have ever felt. I'll miss it when it's over, but holding her in my arms will be even better.

Sorry for the Absence... Things are Great Though :)

Apparently, blogging is not on top of my priority list. I knew it had been a while since I last wrote, but until it was mentioned to me by a friend, I had no idea it had been since October. I vow to try to keep up with this a little better until baby arrives.
So, I guess everyone wants to know how things are going. We had our "big" ultrasound on 10/26 (2 days after my 29th Birthday). I had started to feel like maybe this baby was a boy due to the fact that all the girls I knew that were due before me were all having boys. On top of that, my mother in law and sister in law were just certain it was a boy. Although I had secretly hoped all along for a little girl, I knew I would love a boy just the same. When we got in to the room for the scan, the tech asked if we wanted to know the sex of the baby if she could see it. We said "of course!". The ultrasound was great and we learned that we are having a little girl. Everyone else was wrong, and her mommy was right after all. Jason was really quiet during the scan and just taking it all in. I was a little afraid that he was disappointed that we weren't having a boy. He assured me that my concerns were unfounded and he was very excited about having a girl.
We got a quick start on her nursery as we were on vacation the week of our ultrasound. It's all painted and the chair rail is up on the walls. We cleaned all the junk out of the room and now are in a bit of a holding pattern. Her bedding is here, but we don't yet have a crib to put it in. We are waiting until after Christmas to buy her furniture and finish setting up her room.
At my 24 week visit with Dr B I had to do my glucose tolerance test. Having done a 2 hr before for my RE, I knew what to expect. I tried the fruit punch flavor this time and it wasn't quite as bad as the orange flavor. We heard her heartbeat going strong again and that was the extent of the appointment. My OB is very minimal with the poking and prodding which I truly appreciate. He is also a firm believer that "no news is good news" so I was told that if they didn't call me with results of my test then I could assume I passed. It's been almost 3 weeks now and no call. I'm thrilled that I don't have Gestational Diabetes. I've yet to gain much weight (only about 7-8 lbs at this point and I started with a 27 lb loss) and am finally obviously pregnant to people that don't know me at 27 weeks. I'm carrying small and high at this point. I'm sure it will all change eventually. I was a large baby (9lb 7oz and 23in long) and Jason wasn't small either. Again, I have everyone telling me she's going to be "huge". And again, I'm not feeling it. Granted, she has 13 more weeks to grow big, but right now, she's just not. She's growing well, but mother's intuition tells me that she's not going to be as big as everyone is expecting. I fully expect her to be "good sized", but don't foresee her being more than 8.5lbs at most. However, I love big healthy babies and won't have an issues with her being bigger.
I have my next appointment with Dr B on 12/29 for our 28 week visit. After that, I start seeing him every 2 weeks instead of every 4. It's hard to believe this is going by so fast. Some days it just doesn't seem real. I'm still just so amazed and so thankful that I get to be a mommy. I'm feeling well and pregnancy has treated me well thus far. I feel good other than the fact that the tiredness has returned again. She's such an active baby and seems to prefer my right side. It's very rare that I feel movement on my left. Luckily, she seems to have lost her fascination with my bladder. For a while, that was her favorite spot to kick/punch. Now it's just sporadic (thank heavens).
I think that's about all that's really been going on. It's hard to believe that Christmas is just a week away. I probably won't post again until after my next OB appointment, but I promise to be more diligent in my posting from now on. Merry Christmas to everyone.

I'm Back! (with the reason I haven't posted)

I'm not entirely sure that anyone reads this blog, but I like to think that someone does. I've been such a bad blogger lately. I haven't posted since June! There has, however, been a reason for my delay. I'm pregnant! It's truly a miracle. I am just over 16 weeks now and due on March 19th. We couldn't be more excited.

For anyone who's interested, here's how it all happened. I was sick the last week of July. Nausea, low grade fever, some other GI issues, and just generally felt horrible. I was sure I had some kind of stomach virus. I had been posting on Facebook that I felt bad, and several people kept saying that I needed to take a pregnancy test. I commented back, that there was no way I could be pregnant. I had just done a round of BCP to even bring on a cycle. I hadn't had another cycle since, but with my history, I wasn't surprised. Everyone was finally giving me enough of a complex, that I ran out for soup, crackers, and tylenol one night and decided to grab a pregnancy test too. I figured that it would be negative, like they have always been. I took my test 7/31/09 and when the digital result said "Pregnant", I about lost it. I cried and jumped around. Jason was still at work, so I had to wait several hours before I could even tell anyone. When he finally got home from work, I said, "I have something to show you..." I showed him the test, and he asked, "are you sure?". He was in shock. I took another test the next morning to double check. When it came back positive as well, I called my OB. He doesn't see patients until they are at least 8 weeks along. By date of my last cycle, I would have been 8w2d by the time they could get me in on Monday, so they made the appointment for me.

We saw Dr B. on Monday 8/3/09 for a confirmation of pregnancy appointment. I had an ultrasound and we saw our baby. I actually measured 7w3d at that point, but was not disappointed because there was no way of knowing when I ovulated. The best part about the ultrasound was seeing that little flickering heart beating. I was initially very apprehensive and afraid that they baby wouldn't "stick". So, we only told our moms and siblings initially. My goal was to tell everyone else once I reached the end of the first trimester. However, when Dr. B didn't check for a heart beat at my 12 week appointment (actually 11w3d), I decided that plan was out of the question. He doesn't routinely check for heart beats with the doppler that early because you can't always find it, and he didn't want me to worry. However, he caused me to worry. I saw Dr B again on 9/28/09 and finally heard Peanut's heart beating strong. It was the most beautiful sound I have ever heard. I now feel comfortable "outing" myself to the world, and have already done so on Facebook.

I'm feeling pretty good now, and some days, have to remind myself that I am pregnant. I'm not showing as of yet(other than a little bloating) and with my morning sickness being gone, sometimes, I just don't remember. I'm already so in love with this baby. Everyone has asked if I want a boy or a girl, or if I have a feeling what it might be. I honestly don't have a feeling either way. I just want a healthy, full term baby. I will do what ever it takes to keep this baby safe and healthy. I know that some things are out of my control, but I can deal with what comes. I'm just going to do my part to keep Peanut safe.

So, from now on, I'll be posting about my pregnancy and getting ready for baby. Once the baby arrives, I'll keep posting with pictures and updates. I have my next ultrasound on 10/26/09 and we'll hopefully be finding out the gender. Until then, I may not have much to say. My OB appointments are still every 4 weeks at this point, so at this point, no news is good news :)

Lab Results and New Meds

Sorry that I didn't post this sooner, but I was in Vegas over the weekend. I got a call last Monday from the RE's office telling me that my lab results were in and that I needed to call back because they wanted to make sure that I had been fasting. My immediate thought was "uh-oh". I called back and confirmed with them that I had been fasting. I don't know about any of the other labs (hormones and such) but it turns out that my insulin level was high. Another common symptom of PCOS (but not one had by everyone) is insulin resistance. Basically, it means that your body produces too much insulin and doesn't use it correctly. I'm going to start on Metformin (Glucophage) tonight. I've read enough to know that the side effects aren't always pleasant (mostly GI upset), but I'm hopeful that it will help my body to use it's own natural insulin properly. I've also read, and heard personal stories from those that have used Metformin, that sometimes it alone will allow the body to start ovulating again. Too much insulin in the body causes increased androgen production (i.e. Testosterone) which causes the body to stop ovulating. It also explains the central weight gain over the last several years and the inability to lose weight. I'm going to see the RE again on 6/29 to discuss my labs (he's out of town this week).

More Waiting

The birth control did it's job. I started my cycle on Friday (just heavy spotting) and then full flow by Saturday. I had my blood work drawn this morning. They drew 10 tubes of blood (I kid you not!). Since I know how much those tubes hold I can tell you that they drew 55ml of blood (almost 2 oz). Yikes. Between that and the coming down off the sugar high from drinking that horrible orange stuff for my glucose tolerance test, no wonder I feel pretty crummy this afternoon. I'm hoping that by the beginning of next week, they will have all my results back and I will get a phone call from the doctor to discuss.
I called Amy, my RE's nurse, this morning after I got done and let her know that I had started and that my blood work was done so that the office would be looking for it. I am waiting on her to call me back about other procedures that need to be done. I know he wants to do a HSG but he also talked about a hysteroscopy. Those have to be done around cycle day 10 which would be Monday of next week. I'm supposed to work Sun-Tues night next week before we go on vacation. I may have to be taken off or call in... Hopefully, I'll hear from Amy this afternoon, if not, I will by tomorrow morning. They are great about returning calls :)

Now We Wait

I finished up my BCP on Sunday, taking my last pill. Now the waiting game begins. If everything goes the way it always has with BCP then I should start my cycle on Thursday or Friday of this week. Hopefully by Monday of next week I can get my blood work done and get my HSG scheduled.

I Hate Birth Control

That's really all I wanted to say! I hate being back on birth control. I'm moody, cranky, and just plain don't feel good. I'm nauseated and have a headache. Ugh... 3 whole weeks of this...

Take Two

I went to see the RE today and didn't actually see him... I just saw his nurse, Amy. We did another vaginal ultrasound... yay. Surprisingly, my lining wasn't super thick. I hope that's not another problem we're going to have to deal with later. We chatted a bit and I got a prescription for a month of birth control. It worked last time to bring on a cycle so hopefully, it will work again. So, I'll take the 3 weeks of pills and then wait for a cycle to start. Then it will be blood work on cycle day 3. We also talked about getting my HSG scheduled. That needs to be done on cycle day 8-10 (depending on how the days fall). Looking at a calendar, I should be able to get it done right before we leave for Vegas on June 19. I'm really anxious to get moving on this. I've started to get a bad, "why me" attitude about the whole thing when I really need to stay positive.

Time Wasted

Well, the last 4 months since I first visited the RE have basically gone to waste. I've had no cycle, so no blood work has been done and we're still sitting in the same place. I finally called his office and told them what was going on thinking that he would just prescribe some different medication to bring on a cycle. Nope, he wants to see me. So, I have an appointment on Monday afternoon. Probably going to get another ultrasound... yay... I'll post tomorrow about anything I find out.

Nothing New, but It's Been a While

Nothing new to report on my end. That's probably why I haven't written. I still haven't made a phone call to the RE to let him know that the progesterone didn't work and that's why I haven't done the blood work yet. I've just been so busy with work and extra things for work and distracted by life in general. I really need to make that phone call this week. I really wish I was one of those lucky ones that could get pregnant without medical intervention. No one in my family has ever had this issue, and honestly, it just isn't fair. I have a friend that just had her 3rd little one a couple of weeks ago and I know quite a few people who are talking about having their second or third. It's really just not fair. I know I'll get my little one in God's time, but I've never been a patient person. Maybe it would be easier to be patient if I knew that I could get pregnant on my own...

Prayers

Nothing new to report with me. Things are the same. I'm writing today to ask everyone to pray for my friends the Clarks. They lost their sweet baby yesterday morning. He was such a fighter for the short time he blessed us with his presence. He had such an impact on my life and I'm heartbroken that he's gone. However, just knowing that he's now pain free and happy in heaven makes it a little better. Also, please pray for the May family. Their little one will be going to heaven today. Such sad days. It's hard to keep it all in perspective sometimes....

Good Grief

My crazy hormones are at it again. I finished my progesterone a week ago. I've never had any luck with it before. However, the last couple of days, I've been spotting. Just a little on the tp in the bathroom, but not enough to worry about otherwise. I keep waiting for it to turn into a full flow cycle. I'm supposed to get labs drawn on day 2-3 of full flow according to the nurse at the RE's office. Well, today, there is NO spotting. Oy vey... Apparently, the spotting was the only cycle I am going to get. I'm going to give it another few days and then call the RE and see what he wants to do now. As much as I hate getting labs drawn, I'd really like to be able to get them done and get going with all this...

Moody and Cranky

First off, my apologies to anyone who has had to deal with me in the last week (mostly my husband as I've been home sick). I've been back on Provera again this week to induce a cycle. It's been a while since I've had to take it and I had forgotten how if affects me. I've been soooo moody and down right cranky. Not to mention sweaty when I sleep... Ugh. To top it off, I've been sick the better part of the week. I'm sure I've just been a joy to be around :) Oh well, tonight is the last dose I have to take. Hopefully, it will bring on a cycle (it's never worked before) and we can get the blood work done for the RE. After the blood work, we'll know more about what course of treatment I will need to force my body to ovulate...

We Have a Plan...

I went to see the RE today. He's a really nice guy and I think that I made a good choice. My wonderful husband went with me to the appointment today. The RE discussed all my issues and why I have the problems that I do. He confirmed that I do, in fact, have PCOS (Poly Cystic Ovary Syndrome).
I had my first ever (and I'm sure not the last) vaginal ultrasound today so that he could get a good look at my ovaries. The left side was quite large and poly cystic. The right one, however, was playing games. It ran and hid under a loop of bowel, so we couldn't see it, but the RE was sure it looked very much like the left side.
He prescribed me a round of Provera (progesterone) to bring on a cycle as I am on day 47. I have to get a whole new round of blood work that has to be done on cycle day 2 or 3 to get the most accurate results. He also wants to do a hysteroscopy (fun times...) and a hysterosalpingogram (HSG) (even more fun times...) to check out the plumbing so to speak. My poor hubby has to get a SA (semen analysis) done. He's not excited. He says he won't do it, but I know he will.
Please keep us in your prayers. This must be the most wanted baby ever to endure all this... I know without a doubt though, the the end result will be completely worth it.