Happy Thanksgiving!

Paul and Katie at Garcia Family Thanksgiving, November 19th

Katie Bug being Silly

Irma and Charlize, six months old

Katie and Mommy

Katie and Pawpa at the Ross Family Thanksgiving, November 24th

Katie and Mawmaw

Playing with the bubbles with Uncle Jon

Paul and Me, at 38 weeks!!

37week, 5 day appointment

37 weeks, 2 days

Weight Gain: +15 lbs per MD
B/P: 128/80
FHR: 137
Fundal Height: not measured

I had two appointments today, and they were pretty uneventful, so I will lump them together in this one update. Nathan is continuing to do well. At the perinatologist, I had an ultrasound (number 10), and he is continuing to grow well. No signs of pre-eclampsia which is wonderful! I am really glad to have made it this far without any serious complications or risks to Nathan. The tech had a difficult time obtaining his measurements because he is out of room! He is head down, very much engaged, and curled up in a ball. They estimate that he weighs 7 lbs 1 oz, which would place him in the 43rd percentile. Dr. R discharged me from his care, and wished me well.

I headed over to see my OB next, which was also pretty uneventful. She was going to do an ultrasound, but I gave her all the documents from the perinatologist, and we just talked about those instead. I have been so uncomfortable the past couple of days, so Dr. A checked me again. I am still 3cm and 50% effaced, although she says he is "much lower this time." Basically, that means nothing to me. Katie was "high" when I started pushing and I didn't have to push that long with her. We confirmed my induction for December 1st, and I scheduled my last follow up with her for November 29th. I can't believe we are so close to meeting Nathan!!

36 week (and five days) Appointment

Weight: +16 lbs per MD
B/P: 116/80
FHR: 147
Fundal Height: 37 cm

I had an appointment on Tuesday, and Nathan is looking good. He is measuring right on track and moving around really well. I am starting to retain a lot of fluid. So far, I don't notice it in my face, but my hands, feet and legs are really swollen. I wake up with 1+ pitting edema, which only gets worse, even during the day with my feet up. I gained four pounds this week, and I know it wasn't due to over-eating. My nausea is back in full force and I have to work to get my meals in sometimes. At least I am not throwing up though!

We went to Labor and Delivery late on the 13th of November. I had been really uncomfortable all day long, had really bad back pain, nausea, upset stomach and irregular contractions. Around 10pm, the contractions started becoming 2-5min apart, and after talking with Nomi, Paul and I decided to go to L&D and get checked out. I didn't quite think that it was "time," but I knew something was off. The nurse checked me when I got there, determined I was 3cm and 50% effaced and told me to drink 2L of water. They sent my urine down for testing, too. I felt like I was having contractions every 4-5min, but the nurse said the monitor was only picking them up every 10min. About an hour after I finished the water, my contractions started slowing, I had no cervical changes, and my urine test came back positive for a UTI. They did a repeat test just to confirm (from an in-and-out catheter, no less!!) and gave me an IM injection of Rocephin to treat the infection. We headed back home about 3am...what a long night. Hopefully, we won't have any repeat trips until Nathan is actually coming. :)

In other news, Nathan's nursery letters came in yesterday, and Papa helped me hang them up and move Katie's name over to the other wall. I am ready for our baby boy to come and meet us whenever he is ready! We are just playing the waiting game since today is 37 weeks! :)

35 week appointment

Weight Gain: +12 lbs per MD scale
B/P: 112/86
FHR: 130's
Fundal Height: 34cm

Today's appointment was pretty busy. This past Thursday, I started having contractions 2 min apart at work. I was a little concerned because I knew it was due to me doing too much, but I couldn't slow down. I had a lot of work to do with my patients, and we were getting lots of admissions. I brought this up to my midwife at my appointment, and she decided to do a cervical check to make sure these contractions weren't doing anything and were just Braxton Hicks. Turns out, I am starting to dilate/efface. Uh oh. She is placing me on bed rest until the 17th when I will be 37 weeks and considered "full term." Right now I am at 2cm and 50% effaced.

My allergies have really had a hold on me this past week, too. I can't take very much for them and I am a sneezing, runny nose, itchy eye, lethargic mess. I am hoping that I am on the tail-end of it, because this is pretty miserable. She wrote me a script for some more Singular, so I am hoping I will start feeling better soon.

34 week Appointment

34 weeks, 1 day

Weight Gain: +14.4lbs per MD Scale, +12lbs at home
B/P: 122/72
FHR: 139

My appointment this afternoon went fairly well, with the exception of having to wait in the hall while their lunch ran over. They had three unhappy pregnant girls waiting in the hallway when they got back. Nathan is still head down and was shadowing my cervix, so they couldn't see anything there. All the fluid looks good (was around 20), so that means his kidneys are working well. His head is measuring on the high side of normal and his femur on the low side of normal, with his belly right in the middle. He has been measuring like that for at least a couple of appointments. All together they estimate his Gestational Age at 34w6d and I am 34w5d today. He weighs 5 lbs 8 oz and is in the 36 percentile.

I about fell over when they said he weighs 5 1/2 lbs!!! That seems so large, and Katie was only 6 lbs 5oz when she was born, 5lbs 5oz in the NICU. And Nathan has possibly 5 more weeks to grow! When I got home, I looked up Katie's measurements for the same time in my pregnancy and they actually estimated her to be 5lbs 13oz and in the 53% for 34w6d. She was bigger than Nathan, although it sure doesn't feel like it! I can't believe we are getting so close to meeting Nathan already!