A very quick update to say that our beautiful baby boy was born, healthy and beautiful, at 4:32 AM on Tuesday February 12, 2013.
He weighed in at 6 lbs and 4 oz and was 18.5 inches long.
I will update soon once we are released from hospital, which should be today or tomorrow depending on the results of the blood transfusion I had to have yesterday.
Here is a photo to hold you over.
Well I figured I ought to do a quick update. I am currently in the hospital about to have the baby. After a routine follow up appointment this morning, I was found to have cholestasis, and the baby was still unable to complete his biometric ultrasound properly.
As a result, they decided to induce pretty much right away. So for the last few hours I have been dealing with contractions and medications and a lot of pain.
But it looks like our little man will be joining us much sooner than anticipated.
Thank you all for the amazing support you have sent me lately. It is all about to be very worth it!!
Some of you sharp-eyed readers might have realised that there was no pregnancy update last week. For some reason, I just never got around to it, despite the fact that there was MUCH to say. But since I can be awfully long winded at times, I’ll break it down for you this way:
Our little man is still small, but he managed to grow big enough for us to be released from the care of my high risk OB, and we basically had a great big celebration when we realised that he was gonna be okay. There’s much to the story, but it all really amounts to the fact that last week was good news for us, and we were mightily happy.
Fast forward to this week, and we’ve finally hit that big big milestone: FULL TERM!!
And yet, once again, I haven’t the energy nor inclination currently to write a proper update. But, the problem is I feel like I can’t really write anything ELSE either until I at least spit out something, so here goes.
Basically, at my OB appointment on Thursday, I had a mini breakdown. I cried my eyes out at my 36 week appointment, too, so my doctor wasn’t as shocked as she could have been. It’s obviously been a hard time for us with me being so dreadfully dreadfully ill for so long. It turned out that I had the flu, so I’d been given MORE antibiotics the last week, and yet I still wasn’t better.
My blood pressure was 130/80, which was a slight cause of concern, but nothing major. Dr K wanted to check my cervix while I was there, and she found that I was about 2cm dilated and 50% effaced. She asked if I’d like her to do a membrane sweep, and I immediately said yes, desperate as I am to get this baby OUT!
So she did the procedure, which was uncomfortable, but didn’t last very long, thankfully. She then said she wanted to put me on the monitors for a bit, as I’d mentioned that the baby hasn’t been moving as much. Not only that, but for the last week, I’ve been EXTREMELY itchy all over my body, especially my hands and feet. And though I’d called earlier in the week to suggest checking me for cholestasis (several friends and professionals had been worried about me and urged me to get checked), nothing had been done. But now they wanted to do blood work to check my liver function and bile acid levels.
So while she sorted out where to send me for blood work, I was popped on the monitor for an NST. For the first time EVER, there were NO contractions recorded. And more importantly, no fetal movements. They had been able to find the baby’s heartbeat, but it went away quickly, so I was put on my left side and my belly was shaken up a bit to try and wake him up. But after 20 minutes, there was little to see. The doctor explained that while the heartbeat was there, and there were no decelerations, there were also no ACCELERATIONS, which was worrying. She wanted me to go to the hospital to be checked out and get the blood work done there.
She also said she would book in my delivery for 39 weeks. I was relieved, but then she suggested that because of my diabetes, I could even get booked in for 38 weeks if I’d rather. Um… YES PLEASE!
So I went and got Mark, and off we went to the hospital to get checked out. I had a biometric ultrasound, which basically meant that the technician had to set a clock for 30 minutes, in which time the baby must pass a series of “tests” in the womb. Within the first few minutes, he had done all of them bar one – practice breathing. This is where the baby takes some simple breaths, OR gets the hiccups. It’s a way of making sure he’s on schedule. Unfortunately, after half an hour of sitting there, he hadn’t done it. So now we have to go back on Monday to get him re-tested, and hopefully this time he will do it.
Anyway, back in the Labor and Delivery triage, I got put back on the monitors, and this time the baby had a beautiful beautiful heart rate and I had several contractions. They also did another cervical test and found that I was still 2cm, but I was now 70% effaced.
The first blood test came back normal, but the bile acid results would take a few days. So we were sent home. But not before my OB had scheduled my induction date, which will be the 18th of February!
Since then, I have had two days of pretty horrible cramping, and yesterday and today I have managed to lose MASS quantities of mucus plug. I feel very much like I did in the first hours after I was induced with Dexter, and I expect that I am in the first throes of labor. I doubt I will actually make it to my induction date.
Luckily, my beautiful mama is flying out tomorrow night and will be with me soon to help me through, just like she was with Dexter.
Until then, we’re just holding on tight and hoping for things to be okay. It would be great if this blasted cold could go away, though!
Here’s the last two week’s of bump photos:
36 weeks
37 weeks
I MADE IT! Every week is a new milestone. Every day is an achievement. As I’ve been “going into labor” since I was 28 weeks pregnant, the last seven weeks have felt unbelievably terrifying.
And now? I am 35 DAYS away from my due date! I am within sight of the goal. And if I DO go into labor early, I will feel so much better about it than I would have any time before now.
This morning, I hopped out of bed (after a lovely cuddle with Dexter) to take my weekly bump photo. And all I could think was – “Wow. This is really gonna happen.”
I mean, I know it’s a bit silly given that I’m nearly full term with my SECOND child, but it only occurred to me a few nights ago that I will be bringing a baby HOME soon. I mean, I knew I’d be HAVING a baby, but it just hit me like a ton of bricks that it will be MY baby. That my little man will be held in my arms and fed by my breasts and brought to my house for ME to look after forever. This is MY BABY!
I guess I remember having a similar reaction as I got close to Dexter’s due date, but it seems silly to have had it again with a second baby. It wasn’t even two years ago that I was going through this, so why does it all feel so new and different!?
This week has been as hard as the previous ones, but somehow it’s also felt better. I’m still unbelievably ill. It’s been about six weeks of non-stop sickness. When my OB gave me new antibiotics last week, I was hopeful I’d FINALLY see some big improvements. But sadly, the bronchitis seems to have morphed into something else now (or something additional anyway!). My sinuses have become infected, leading to a LOT of green snot and a constant headache, ear ache, and throat ache. My nose is constantly stuffy, despite taking Tylenol Sinus religiously. Nothing is hitting it.
And on top of all of this, the last few days have seen a recurrence of morning sickness. Poor Mark has cleaned up more puke than a full time nurse. I’m often too weak to make it to the bathroom in time, and though I try to keep a plastic bag with me at all times, it doesn’t always work out. Mark is truly my saving grace. He has cleaned more stains out of the carpet than a professional. And he never ever complains or makes me feel bad or tries to shame me for being a grown woman who can’t take care of herself.
Probably the most annoying thing of the last week (though it’s been happening for longer) is the fact that my constant coughing and vomiting has led to quite a few instances of me wetting myself. :( I have to wear pads in my underwear at all times because I simply cannot control the spray of wee that lets loose when I’m coughing so hard. It worries me because I have been doing kegel exercises since my last pregnancy. I worry that this is the start of incontinence. And with birth just around the corner, I anticipate further problems that will take a lot of effort to overcome.
Ah the joys of pregnancy.
Today would normally be my weekly NST appointment, but for some reason they didn’t book me in. It’s like a brief holiday from doctors, and I am actually really pleased. Next week, though, I have TWO appointments.
In the morning, I see my normal OB who will test me for Group B Streptococcus, a problem that could be life threatening to the baby if not caught and treated during labor. Given my history of infections and the various issues I’ve been having, it would not really surprise me if I test positive for this. If I do, it may up my chances of having a Caesarean, and it will certainly mean antibiotics via IV in labor. This possibility really does worry me due to the implications for a newborn. And as the baby is smaller than he should be, I worry about his fitness at the best of times. If he was to have GBS, the results could be seriously bad. I can only hope that the test is negative and I won’t have to worry about it.
In the afternoon, I will be seeing my High Risk OB who will be doing the scan which will determine how baby is growing and whether or not immediate induction is necessary. Since he is very small already, I have been eating extra and drinking nutritional shakes all week in an effort to bulk the little guy up. He is so active inside of me, which gives me hope. I like to think that he is strong and ready to take on anything. But next week will determine the final stages of this pregnancy.
At the end of the day, this week has been good. I have rested a lot more than usual due to Dex being in daycare. And I have felt more in control of my health by eating well and adding the extra calories. I have taken lots of soothing baths and enjoyed some downtime.
I can’t wait to be able to celebrate making it to week 36! Here’s hoping!
I'm a 31 year old stay at home mother, crafter, domestic goddess and blogger from Kissimmee, FL. 
