Wednesday, December 23, 2009

ah yes- the glucose test

I didn't take the glucose tolerance test yet. The whole point of doing it on Monday was so that I could drink the sugary drink before my MW appointment, then spend most of the one hour in the appointment rather than sitting around twiddling my thumbs. But (probably because of all the snow), the lab guy wasn't there before I went into my MW appointment. I didn't notice if he was there when I came out, but it didn't matter... by then, the whole time-saving (or less time-wasting) plan was shot. It's still a little early for the GTT, which I'm told should happen around 28 weeks. Since I have to visit the birth center at the hospital some time next week (or the week after) for a rhogam shot, and there's a lab in the hospital, I'll try to consolidate those into one trip. Even though my work would chalk the time out-of-office up to "sick leave," I hate wasting time. Sitting around for a solid hour doing nothing but waiting for the blood draw post-drink would drive me bonkers.

So, no results yet on the GD front. And I forgot to ask about additional ultrasounds. I was distracted by having to request a script for OTC pre-natal vitamins. My FSA rules changed in October (can they do that mid-year? doesn't seem right)- vitamins are no longer considered a "health expense" unless aimed at treating a specific condition and specifically recommended by a physician. I still have $35 to spend, so I want to stock up on some vitamins and have it reimbursed by my FSA.

In good news, and maybe this isn't news to most of you (but it was to me)- I was a little concerned that I've never received a bill from the MW's practice for all these monthly visits, so I asked at the registration desk. Apparently, there are no co-pays for pre-natal visits. Hurray! That's why I've decided to spend my last thirty-five FSA dollars on vitamins.

Monday, December 21, 2009

26w4d- all is well

Today's visit to the MW revealed:
BP is perfect, 120/70.
Ishkabibble's heart rate is in the 140's.
Fundal height is 27cm (no idea what it should be, but MW says that's good).
No protein in today's urine sample (protein is a sign of preeclampsia).
I've gained 30 pounds since I expressed OHSS concerns to the RE in July.

That last one has me a little worried, but the MW is not phased a bit and expects to see me gain about a pound per week from here on out (for a total of about 45 pounds- OUCH!). In her words, the weight "doesn't hurt the baby. It's just more work to do after the baby's born." I'll make a more concerted effort to stay away from cookies and sweets (you know those tinned holiday cookie samplers? I'm a sucker for those), and increase my fruit and veggie intake. Exercise has been pretty easy to include lately... last week was all about walking and my yoga DVD, but now that winter has arrived I plan to break out my dusty x-country skis and hit the trails around my neighborhood.

I asked the MW how I might tell which sensations are kicks and which might be punches. She directed me to the spinningbabies.com web site. The site is all about optimizing fetal position to facilitate an easier childbirth. It's a little disjointed and scattered, but interesting. And I like the idea of using gravity to guide Ishka into place rather than resorting to more aggressive means. Based on what I read, and some feedback from the MW, I believe Ishka is head-down and facing to my right. I feel fluttery sensations very low that are likely hand or head movements, and stronger slower sensations near my navel that should be feet.

Winter has indisputably arrived and left a beautiful, fluffy white calling card. I know a lot of people curse snow and ice and cold, but this is the time of year when I wholeheartedly enjoy the outdoors. Not that I shy away from being outside the rest of the year, but local parks and trails are so darned crowded in spring and autumn, and hot in summer, that I just don't enjoy them like I do in winter. I have the world nearly to myself, and the few people I encounter tend to be mellower and more congenial than the fair-weather outdoorsmen.

Along with the glittering landscape, the 18-inches of snow gifted us with 15 hours of snow-plowing yesterday. We've been a bit bah-humbuggish around our house this year because of the early lay-off and the expenses of first getting pregnant and now planning for Ishka's arrival. We didn't set up our tree because there'd be no presents to put under it. But with this wonderful storm, we can spare a little to splurge on some small something. The prospect of doing a little holiday shopping seems to have lightened C's mood, and I know I slept better last night knowing that the truck earned its keep this month.

Wednesday, December 16, 2009

25w6d- double digits!

99 days to go! Ishka celebrated by having a little dance party at 2:30 this morning. I honestly believe this is the first time the baby has woken me up. I've been sleeping more lightly than my norm, so little things like a cat repositioning himself or an ache developing in my back have been the usual culprits. I worry that I'm not drinking enough... I haven't had to get up in the middle of the night to pee at all during this pregnancy (I probably just jinxed myself). I think I make up for that during the day, though.

Still no cravings, no aversions. I enjoy the occasional cup of (decaf) coffee now (especially when someone at work leaves a box of doughnuts next to the coffee maker). My next MW appointment is Monday, so I'll know then how much weight I've gained and I'll be tested for gestational diabetes (oh, yippee). I must remember to ask if we'll have any more u/s opportunities, or if we've had our last look at Ishka until birth. I'd like to see at least one or two more times, just for peace of mind. We're still strong on the "we don't want to know" front, although there have been a few moments when I seriously considered the benefits of knowing Ishkabibble's gender ahead of time.

I hope everyone out there is having a wonderful holiday season!

Wednesday, December 9, 2009

Dear intended ornament recipient,

I am a bad, bad secret Santa. I suspect that the head elf, who put together the whole ornament exchange, sent me an email weeks ago with your name and address, along with your Christmas tree's color scheme or theme or other such ornament wishes. In my weekly in-box cleaning, I didn't see that message among the 368 junk emails and deleted it into the trash bin without reading. I'm so sorry. I bought an ornament. A lovely one that I think is beautiful and which I'd be happy to send to a good home, but I don't know where to send it or even if this exact decoration is welcome. I am so sorry that you ended up with a lousy secret Santa.

I'll keep asking for your address, and will even brave the shoppes once more to search for an ornament that meets your requests, should I receive a missive containing your info. Don't give up on me yet! And if you happen to be part of the ornament exchange and don't receive yours, please let me know... there's still hope.

Happy holidays!
Bad Secret Santa

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

24w5d update

Well, the holiday was wonderful. C and I went to his father's for turkey on Thanksgiving itself. His niece (I guess she's my niece too, but she was around a long time before I entered his life) was recovering from swine flu and bronchitis, but came anyhow and thoughtfully basketed the rolls when they came out of the oven. I avoided the rolls. And sat as far away from her as I could. Here we are more than a week later and I'm still healthy, so either that flu shot worked its magic, or my superb hygiene did the trick. Either way, I'm happy not to be sick.

Thanksgiving Saturday was a big Italian dinner at my parents' house (we're Irish... so of course Italian is our favorite food). It would have been a lot bigger except that my brother and his whole family stayed home. SIL and two of the kids were sick the week before, and my brother and their other two were sick on Thanksgiving itself. No technical diagnoses, but they suspected some strain of flu had made its way to their house and didn't want to spread it around. I'm grateful, but missed seeing them. I hope everyone's healthy for Christmas.

Pregnancy-wise, things continue to roll along smoothly. I feel movement all the time now, everything from flutters to nudges to full-body (I suspect) acrobatics. I have no cravings or aversions, and my overall appetite has decreased a bit so I'm eating less food and less often than early on. None of the scales in my house are accurate, but I suspect I've gained about 18 pounds so far (I was up 16 at the last MW appointment). I wasn't thin to begin with, so I'm hoping to keep the total weight gain under 30 pounds (originally, the goal was under 25, but with 15 weeks to go that may not be reasonable). My MW hasn't expressed any concern about my weight, and I'm still using my yoga DVD and walking several times each week. I'm eating healthy meals and rarely indulge in sweets or junk food, so I'm not really worrying about the pounds. I ordered the crib and changing table/bureau last week, when I learned that it takes 12-14 weeks for them to arrive. C finally joined me at BRU, and I let him handle the gun as we rounded out our registry. The next visit with the MW will be on 12/21, and I'll do the glucose tolerance test that day as well.

Sleep... I mentioned previously that I'd say something about it. Well, for about a month now I have been unable to sleep comfortably on my back. Historically, I've always been a back-sleeper, but lying on my back now makes my lower back ache, which wakes me up. I bought a c-shaped body pillow, and that's helped a lot- I wedge the long side of the pillow against my back, place my head on one curl and use the other between my knees. I slip another pillow under my belly, and "hug" a small travel pillow to keep my shoulders from slumping together. The cats love this arrangement. Instead of waking to an aching back, I awake to one furry body cuddled up against Ishkabibble and the other nestled behind my knees. It's very cozy, and I'm glad that cold weather has moved in because this wouldn't be nearly as pleasant if nights were warm. It took a few weeks to work out this pillow configuration, but it's working and I'm better rested than before I bought the c-pillow. Getting out of bed is quite entertaining, though. The edge of the bed is behind me, so I have to extricate my bottom leg from the c-pillow, roll on top of it (and hope I didn't start out too close to the edge... yes, I've fallen out of bed once or twice), and then swing my legs down to the floor. C and I may soon need to switch sides of the bed because I'm not sure Ishka will let me maneuver this way indefinitely.

The women in Chris's family have decided I'm carrying "high and round (as opposed to low and pointy)," so Ishka will be a girl. In the only baby dream I've had since becoming pregnant, Ishka was a boy. Over the next few weeks, I'll play with old wives' tales and see what they predict.