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Entries in The Force (20)

Friday

12Mar2010

Measure by measure, a load off my mind

Friday, March 12, 2010 at 7:30AM

Wednesday night was the follow-up sonogram to Saturday's "your amniotic fluid is low" sonogram. I found out on Wednesday that your fluid should be at a 10 and mine was at 7 on Saturday. As of Wednesday, it was up to 9! So still not optimal, but definitely improved! I have to continue my "sit and sip" routine for another week and go for another sonogram on Wednesday of next week. They're also going to check the baby's growth then.

This is good because today was my monthly appointment with my OB - you know, when you pee in a cup, get weighed, have your blood pressure checked, etc. In the past month I have gained... nothing! Unbelievable, right? Nothing! So, at 30 weeks, I have still gained a total of four pounds this pregnancy. I was like, "Are you sure? Last time I was here I could still close my pants - and now I'm wearing maternity pants!" But, yeah, it's fine. My OB just wants to have the baby's growth checked to make sure my lack of weight gain doesn't indicate he's not growing at a good rate. But the sonogram on Saturday indicated he's still a week big in size, so no one is worried about his growth - it's just all about double-checking and being as certain as possible. My OB said that he wants to make sure that I'm taking in enough calories. This might be the first time in my life - no, it is definitely the first time in my life - that someone is concerned that I might not be eating enough. I almost chuckled at him right in the office.

All my other bloodwork came back perfect, as well - thyroid, blood sugar, etc. So other than this blip with the low fluid, which everyone is chalking up to me not getting enough sleep and fluids, everything is continuing to progress perfectly.

This, I'm sure I don't have to say, is a HUGE load off my mind. Yes, I still feel bad that I let myself get run down last week, but I guess I needed that reality check. I can't just live as if I'm not pregnant. The pregnancy has been so remarkably easy, but I still have to make sure I'm doing everything as best as I can - sleeping, drinking, eating, etc.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some water chugging to get to.

Candice |

7 Quick Tuesday Takes

Tuesday, March 9, 2010 at 10:04AM

Welcome to yet another Tuesday, longest day of the week. Last semester I had school on Mondays, though, and swore to myself I would never again take Monday night classes because having Monday be your longest day of the week is just beyond stupid. So Tuesday it is.

1. It's been months since I had a nightmare. (Before I got pregnant, I couldn't even tell you how long it had been - years, probably.) But last night I dreamt that my parents thought Buster was more than we could handle and so one day, when we asked them to dog-sit him, they decided to drop him off at a local shelter instead.

I woke up really heartbroken at 4am, trying not to cry. Finally I just let myself cry, figuring that might get it out of my system, and I think it did because I must have dozed off not long after that.

Buster is a handful, for sure. But he's just a puppy. He'll get older and better... and he's just so darn cute. He's not going anywhere.

Sleeping on the ottoman at my parents' house.

2. Tomorrow is 30 weeks. THIRTY WEEKS. I feel a bit like I did when I turned 30 - sort of ready for it, sort of ready to be done with the 20s, but also a bit anxious and unsure.

3. Operation Sit and Sip continues today. I think I've been doing pretty well drinking lots of fluids and trying to stay relaxed. I haven't over-exerted myself, although I haven't done less than I normally do, either. I told the hubby that I feel like my belly has grown noticeably in just the past two days. He pointed out that hydrating might have something to do with that. Oh yeah, duh. So maybe it's working. We'll see tomorrow (sonogram at 7pm tomorrow night).

4. Today at school we get to talk to the author of one of the books we're reading for class. This means, of course, that we need to have the book finished for today which, of course, I don't. When do I ever? But today, really. You can't go in to class like, "Hi, great book - well, what I read of it." Sigh. I'm just not a good student this semester - really having a hard time juggling work, the puppy, and all the pregnancy related doctors visits. I'll have the summer to relax (well, from school anyway) but hopefully I can work out a better schedule for the fall. I'm thinking I might actually have to "book" schoolwork time - block time off that's just for that. Give The Force to someone else to watch for a few hours or something. Of course, I'd be tempted to use that time to do laundry, grocery shop, clean the house, or anything else... but I have to keep up my schoolwork so I need to figure this out.

5. I now own two pairs of maternity pants - one pair of jeans and one pair of black corduroys. I think I might live in these for the next ten weeks. They are far more comfortable than I imagined - and they don't look as ridiculous as I expected them to. Go figure - pregnancy continues to be a surprise.

6. Buster has a play date today! The hubby's mom is going to watch him today since Tuesday is our mutually longest day. Buster has free reign of the kitchen when we're not home (there's a baby gate blocking him from the rest of the house) and the kitchen is the biggest room in the house, but it's not enough exercise for him on a daily basis. So today he's going to the in-law's and gets to run around with their dog, Skylar, a Cairn terrier (Buster is half Cairn). They have a great time running around and it's really good exercise for Buster. He's a much happier and better behaved dog when he's exercised so we're trying to figure out ways to make that happen.

7. I think I've entered the phase of pregnancy where everything is a bit less great - a bit less happy glow-y than the second trimester. Maybe it's just the worry about the low amniotic fluid from Saturday, but I just worry because now if something happens, we get a preemie. He'll live and chances are he'll thrive, but it won't be easy and there'll always be a lot of concerns. Plus my belly is getting bigger and every now and then I don't breathe as easily as I was. My left outer thigh goes numb sometimes. One of my arms always falls asleep overnight. These concerns are minimal, but they indicate to me that they're just going to keep popping up. My back hasn't ached for no reason for a long time, but I'm sure that'll come back.

In the end, all I really care about is that The Force is okay. As long as he's healthy, I really don't want to complain all too much about what I have to endure to get to the end of this pregnancy. And I know I've been lucky. I keep getting emails about how to deal with the heartburn and hemorrhoids - but I don't have any of that. Didn't have morning sickness, don't have people grabbing my belly or making comments all the time. All in all, it's been pretty easy. So if my left leg decides it wants to fall asleep once in a while, so be it. Maybe it's just bored.

Candice |

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Monday

08Mar2010

Worries, I have a few - okay, one.

Monday, March 8, 2010 at 7:30AM

I've tried really hard over the past seven months to simply be grateful for all the good test results The Force and I have had. There were so many worries (on the doctors' side) about having a baby post gastric bypass, seeing him clearly in sonograms due to the tummy tuck scarring... and yet it always worked out. Not only didn't he have restricted growth, he continuously measured a week big. Not only did I pass my glucose test, I passed it with "excellent" results.

The streak had to end sometime, I suppose - and that was this Saturday.

The hubby and I went in for my monthly sonogram (monthly because of all the aforementioned concerns). Of course, this one time, we're late AND the check-in desk has a back-up, so when we get to maternal medicine they're rushing us in and out because they're technically closed.

But then the tech pauses. "Have you been leaking fluid?" "No." "Have you be extra busy this week? Extra active?" "Uh, no, not really - I mean, it's been a stressful week..."

"I'm asking because your fluid is... well... it's not optimal. It's not where it should be."

This is the first piece of bad news in this entire pregnancy and of course it comes when I've been fighting a headache all morning and am assuming this sonogram will be our usual routine, in and out so we can go grab lunch and run errands. This first piece of bad news comes when I'm less ready for it than I ordinarily would be.

They have to turn their computers back on to squeeze me in for an appointment with the high-risk specialist on Wednesday (I've seen him before) so they can do another sonogram and he can look at both. Until then I'm supposed to relax and drink a lot of fluids.

Admittedly - last week was a tough week. I'm pretty sure I was partly dehydrated Saturday morning (leading to the headache) and I definitely was not drinking enough water last week. I also wasn't sleeping enough and I was getting spurts of anxiousness throughout the week.

So, really, I'm actually hoping this was my fault, even though it makes me feel like I'm already a bad mom - because the alternatives are worse. I made the mistake of Googling "low amniotic fluid pregnancy" during a spare moment Saturday afternoon. Okay, so it wasn't really a mistake; I have to be informed... but there's a lot of worrisome possibilities, things I really don't want to consider. For now I'm just hoping this was a fluke - a bad day at the end of a bad week. I've been sipping fluids continuously, not doing too much around the house, slept in on Sunday (10:30!), made an easy dinner*, and even went for a pedicure.

The hard part comes this week as I have to keep this up while going to work, going to school (I have FOUR written assignments due Tuesday night), and simply managing daily life. I already had to back out of a fairly significant workshop I was going to lead Wednesday night because I have to go to the sonogram instead.

But The Force is a priority. So I shall continue to sip and sit. ("Sip and Sit" sounds like a good name for a fast food place, right?) Hopefully, by Wednesday, everything is back to normal and it really was all just a bad week.

*For a dose of comfort food, I made Delightfully Sweet's Slow Cooker Lasagna for dinner (I used ground chicken instead of beef and skipped the cherry tomatoes). It was super, super delicious with a side of garlic roasted asparagus. Excellent Oscar watching comfort food. I'm looking forward to the leftovers for lunch! I highly recommend this lasagna. It really did make me feel relaxed and happy. :)

Candice |

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Tuesday

23Feb2010

7 Quick Tuesday Takes

Tuesday, February 23, 2010 at 9:28AM

It's a dreary, rainy Tuesday, I got about 6 hours of sleep, and am having trouble remaining upright without dozing off. So here we go.

1. Tomorrow I will be 28 weeks pregnant and officially enter the third trimester. Holy crap. Third trimester, as in there are no more trimesters. In two weeks, I'll be 30 weeks... which is the last group of 10 weeks. The tens, twenties, thirties... and the big 40. Absolutely crazy to think about.

2. The Force kicks on a daily basis now. I haven't yet figured out exactly when he kicks, but I've noticed he kicks if I'm really hungry and he also tends to kick a bit after I eat, and then he chills, like he's in a food coma. He also tends to kick when I lie down in bed for the night. The other night I had my netbook resting on my belly and he kicked and moved it!

3. We still keep Buster in the kitchen when we're not home or if we need to get something done - like put something together or eat something in front of the TV in the living room. Well, the other day I was carrying a plate and a drink while trying to get over the baby gate in the kitchen doorway... and I tripped. Thankfully, I just mainly fell on my right knee and secondarily on my left. My stomach never touched the floor (AND I saved most of my drink, but not the food). But the next day, I felt like The Force wasn't kicking as much and I worried all day - but that was the Saturday I had to work and then we spent hours at IKEA so he doesn't usually kick as much when I'm up and about. That night he started kicking more and the next day kicked his normal amount... but it was worrisome for a while. I'll be glad when I can go back to knocking my own body around without having to worry about the fact that I'm protecting someone else.

4. Buster is getting better, little by little. It's kind of like two steps forward and one step back. The hubby says there's "Base Buster" - the basic dog Buster is when he's not in full on, crazy puppy mode. This is the Buster we'll eventually see all the time if we stick with the training and have a bit of luck. When he's in Base Buster mode, he's awesome... when he's Crackhead Buster, though, he makes me want to curl up under a cover and wait for him to grow up.

5. We've reached the point in February where I'm tired of winter. I really love winter, but at this point (late February), I'm always ready for spring to head on in. Sunday morning, as I lay in bed and peered through the blinds to see the snow still sitting on the ground, I had such a strong urge to pull the covers over my head and wait for someone to tell me flowers were blooming.

6. Tomorrow the hubby and I are finally registering for the baby shower. My sister is coming with us since she's giving us so much stuff, we want to make sure we don't register for duplicates and that what we do register for matches/fits some of the stuff we're getting. Having been to dozens of baby showers by now, I'm a pro at Babies R Us and can't wait to go through with the zapper! It'll be the last time I register for anything, though - *sniffle*. There was the bridal shower and then this... and then that's it. Kind of bittersweet.

7. I am still behind on my reading for school... and last night one of my professors sent an email reminding us that in order to have a good class discussion, we must be up to speed with the readings. It's like she could see me feverishly trying to finish them. As a teacher, though, I will tell you that they know when you haven't read. They might humor you and pretend they don't notice, but they know. And I tend to talk a lot in class (shocker, I know) so when I haven't read and keep quiet, they absolutely tend to notice (and ask what's going on). Hopefully there's little traffic today and I can get to school early enough to do a bit more reading.

For now I'll continue working on keeping my eyes open and remaining upright.

Candice |

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Monday

15Feb2010

7 Quick Monday Takes - holiday weekend edition

Monday, February 15, 2010 at 10:42AM

The weekend in Baltimore was absolutely wonderful and totally needed.

1. We dropped Buster off with my in-laws late Friday night (like 10:30pm) before hitting the road for Baltimore. Sometime on Saturday around noon, I believe, the hubby got a text from his mother, "Where's Buster's off switch?" Haha. We warned her! But he was really, really good for them - just his normal, high energy self. But it worked out wonderfully because they have their own fairly high energy Cairn Terrier (which Buster is half) so they played together a lot and slept wonderfully at night. Knowing he was in such good, capable hands really helped me sleep.

2. Err, well sort of. First I needed to avoid sleeping - namely, as I drove 3 hours at midnight, getting to Mike and Tracy's house around 2:30am. It was hard not to nod off . . . well, except for that spot in Delaware where I got pulled over for speeding. Oops. But no ticket. Phew.

3. Then there's the matter of the aerobed we slept on. Throughout my friendship with Mike, I have slept in a range of places: sharing twin size dorm beds with people, by myself on sofas or squished on a loveseat, wrapped in a blanket on the floor under the dining room table, sharing a sleeping bag with someone else, slumped over in an arm chair... you get my point.

But this aerobed + pregnancy? Kicked my butt. I've started having small sleeping issues at home - getting numb or crampy on whatever side I spend hours sleeping on so then I turn over, get numb on that side after a few hours, and turn again. I'm a sleeping rotisserie, basically. But our bed prevents that from being too troublesome for me or the hubby. But the aerobed? Not so much. Every time I turned, he stirred... and I had to turn often.

Realization: I am officially old and pregnant. I can no longer sleep in a blanket under a table. This feels like the serious closing of one chapter of my life.

4. Tracy gave me her body pillow to help with the situation.

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Sleeping with this thing is 1 - like sleeping with an overgrown comma and 2 - having a third person in bed with us. The hubby would scoot over to snuggle... and get an armful of stuffed cotton. I think the pillow helps me sleep but I haven't yet figured out the most advantageous way to use it. Tracy hated it so she said I could keep it as long as I want... so I've got time to figure out how to finagle this thing.

5. We had SO much good food this weekend. Saturday's lunch was Mediterranean - falafel, hummus, pitas, etc. YUuummmm. Saturday's dinner was Indian, also super yum. Then on Sunday Mike smoked a brisket for 6-7 hours and made a bunch of sides and we all watched the Daytona 500 and the USA Women's Hockey game. Nothing like smoked meat and sports, right?

6. It was particularly nice to spend time with Madison, Mike and Tracy's 7 month old. She is so sweet - such a little bundle of joy, always smiling and laughing - except when she screams for fun. Seriously. She might be a rock star one day. It wasn't, "Oh, the baby's screaming, uh oh" - it was, "Haha, check out her screaming, you go!" She is so lovely and precious - and with two such cheery parents, it's no surprise she's such a cheery baby.

7. But the moment of the weekend had nothing to do with where we were or who we were with ... and that was Friday night, as the hubby and I settled in to sleep on the aerobed... and he felt The Force kick for the first time! Finally! There have been a few nights where I was sure he would be able to feel him, but it hadn't happened yet... but then, Friday night, The Force was kicking hard and low, where there's less padding, and he gave his dad a huge *THUMP*. I loved it. I love that it happened in Baltimore. I love that it finally happened. I love the look on the hubby's face after the kick - pure wonderment and joy and . . . I don't even know. Pure joy and love. Best Valentine's gift ever.

Candice |

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