The Rest of the Story

Well, I think by now most of you blog-readers know the rest of the story, but I thought I should officially add it to the blog, so here it is, along with some pictures. (The picture of me is at the 40-week mark - i.e. 4 weeks after Freya was born.)

It kind of all started on Friday, May 22nd. My obstetrician was very interested in taking the baby out ASAP because my blood pressure was continuing to go up, and we were worried that (among other things) this was putting my eyes at risk of retinal haemorrhages because of my diabetic retinopathy. But on the 22nd, the baby was only at 36 weeks, so there was a risk that the baby’s lungs were not sufficiently developed at this point. To check this, I had an amniocentesis (a big long needle stuck in my belly – actually not as bad as it sounds), and then I had to wait at the hospital for the results to find out if she was ready to come out. The test showed that her lungs weren’t quite developed, so the doctor sent me away and we scheduled a c-section for the following Monday (the 25th), with doctor’s orders being bed-rest for the weekend.

Well, you know what they say about the best laid plans…. As it turned out, my body wanted the baby out sooner than my doctor did. At noon on Saturday (May 23rd) I got a very bad retinal haemorrhage. It was very scary. I could actually see blood seeping into the vitreous of my eye and clouding my vision. It looked like a spatter of blood everywhere I looked. Definitely one of the scariest things I’ve experienced. I made a few calls – to my nurse friend, to Health Links, to my “retinopathy mentor”, and finally to my obstetrician….at home. He was adamant that he wanted the baby out ASAP, and said he’d make some calls to find a hospital with room and a doctor with time to do a c-section. Within about 20 min. he called me back to tell me to go to the Women’s Hospital and he’d meet me there (on his day off) as soon as he’d dropped his daughter off at a friend’s house. (This man is my hero….I truly truly love Dr. Alaa Awadalla. He has a heart of gold.)

So we got to the hospital and waited for the last of my food to digest before they were willing to take me in to surgery. (Ask me sometime about the half-a-pickle story…ugh.) By early evening I was in the OR and by 7:30pm (or 7:41pm, depending on who you ask), Freya (pronounced FRAY-a) Naomi Rose was born! The c-section went remarkably well…especially for someone woozy and squeamish like me. Martin actually watched part of it, and saw Freya get yanked out by her little bum. Oh yeah…for those of you who don’t know, I had to have a c-section because Freya was breech, but also because my ophthalmologist was worried what pushing a baby out would do to my eyes. So a c-section was a clear choice. I got to see my little girl for all of 3 seconds before she was whisked off to be poked and prodded and tested and monitored. Judging by her deep purple colour, I’m pretty sure that was the safest option for her.  She was beautiful, though – even with only 3 seconds and bright purple, I knew she was beautiful! Later in recovery I was able to spend about 10 minutes with her, and then they brought her down to the Intermediate Care Nursery (one step up from the Neonatal ICU), which was her home for the next three weeks. For those of you interested in the “stats”, Freya was 8 lbs 9 oz, and almost 22” long. Pretty big for 36 weeks, but I’m told that’s common for babies of diabetic mothers (even with well-controlled diabetes like mine). Her eyes are blue (for now) and her hair is black (for now…so was mine when I was born, and look what happened).

I was in the hospital until the following Wednesday. The recovery from the c-section has gone very well. Before long I was actually feeling pretty good and having very little pain, but I did definitely have to take things slowly for a while. My blood pressure stayed high for a number of days until I got on some new meds for it, but it is finally made it’s way down. (I’m just weaning off of the last of my meds now.) After-the-fact now, we’ve realized that I had pre-eclampsia – pretty scary. It’s actually quite shocking how swollen I was, now that I’m back to a reasonable post-pregnancy weight. In the first 4 weeks after Freya was born, I lost 40lbs – some of which was baby and amniotic fluid, obviously, but a large portion of which was water weight. I lost 20lbs in my 4 days at the hospital, and the next 20lbs at home in the next few weeks. (It takes a lot of peeing to lose that much water weight….trust me!) My eye got a bit worse for a few days (almost certainly related to the still-high blood pressure), but has settled down since. It is still a mess to look through, but the blood is slowly dissipating. My friend who has had a similar experience has told me that it may take a number of months to go away altogether, but that hopefully it will. I had an appointment with my ophthalmologist soon after the c-section and he wanted to wait and see if it goes away on its own, but there is a procedure that he can do if it doesn’t. It’s not a very fun one, though, and the recovery time is pretty long, so he didn’t want to do it now with everything else that is going on in my life. It doesn’t sound like there’s a huge risk of permanent damage if we leave it to see if it goes away on its own, so that’s definitely my preference. As of my most recent appointment with him, he is seeing improvement too, and is very comfortable just waiting for it to clear up on its own. Whew!

Also the week following the c-section (while I was still in the hospital), Martin came down with strep throat, so that really complicated things for a while, and also kept him from being able to see Freya, which was very difficult. Thankfully he got onto antibiotics very quickly and was feeling better in a few days, and was able to visit at the hospital again.

Freya was in the hospital for just over three weeks. Because she was early, and because she’s an IDM (infant of a diabetic mother), she had a bit of maturing to do before she could come home. Because her lungs weren’t sufficiently developed, she needed to be monitored constantly to ensure she was getting enough oxygen. She didn’t often completely stop breathing, but she did often breathe too shallowly. She had an oxygen tube in her nose for a number of days. She was also jaundiced (also common for an IDM), which made her very sleepy. Between the breathing problems and the sleepiness, she also had a lot of trouble feeding – often she couldn’t stay awake long enough to finish and needed to be tube-fed (a really tiny tube that goes down her throat to her stomach – didn’t seem to bother her at all). When she was awake enough to eat, she sometimes had problems coordinating the “suck-swallow-breathe” process, and unfortunately sometimes forgot the oh-so-important “breathe” step. She needed to have 3 good days before she could come home. The neonatologist kept saying that she was progressing really well and he had no concerns. It was just an exercise in patience.

We went to the hospital for a number of hours every day to visit Freya. Some days she was really sleepy and we just cuddled her and fed her if she was awake enough. Other times she was quite awake and we could watch her make funny faces and grab at anything that gets near her hands. When we weren’t at the hospital, we were both really trying to relax and get our health back (and my blood pressure down). Our friends and family were so very supportive! We really really appreciate all the support we have received.

On June 15th Freya finally came home from the hospital! It was interesting getting “used to” having a newborn when she was 3 weeks old already, but we were SO GLAD to finally have her home. Since then we have really been enjoying getting to know her better. She definitely has some fussy moments, but she sleeps very well at night and she is usually pretty easy to calm down during the day when she does fuss. It helps that she’s starting to get into a bit of a routine with her naps so I know how to work around them. We really feel more like a normal family with a new baby now, and are starting to put some of the less pleasant aspects of the experience behind us.

So it’s been an interesting ride. Not the one that we’d hoped to have, but we were able to make the most of it and stay positive for the most part. We realized throughout those difficult first weeks that in a short while life would be back to normal (well, new-baby “normal” anyway), and that this would all just be part of the story – which now it is. When it comes right down to it, we really are very lucky. :)

36 Weeks & 0 Days

Well, no baby today. Her lungs aren’t quite ready. The amniocentesis went really well, but we weren’t able to get the results until around 4pm so we waited around the hospital ALL day. I was on a fetal monitor most of the time and it showed that the baby is doing GREAT! Very very healthy and strong! (And getting chubby, per the fetal assessment.) We do have some good fetal assessment pictures, but I have to try to be quick on the computer now because my feet/legs are really swollen and need to be up, so I won’t be able to post them (or the Bud-facts).

All of my bloodtest results re: bloodpressure came back fine, so that was good. My bp is coming down a bit, but not enough to make my doctor happy, so he’s upped my meds again. Interestingly, I was also having Braxton-Hicks contractions ALL day. Wouldn’t that be interesting if I just ended up going into labour over the weekend now….

So the plan now is that I’m on virtual bedrest for the weekend (instructed to only do boring things), taking more bp meds, and then going in for a c-section at 9:15am on Monday morning. No amnio this time – we just take her out. Her lungs were almost ready, so by Monday they should be close enough.

So, by Monday at 10:30am, we should have a daughter!

I'll post again when I can!

35 Weeks & 6 Days

Quick update!

Bud is probably (HOPEFULLY) coming out TOMORROW!

Long story short, my blood pressure is not going down, even with meds. So my obstetrician wants Bud out as soon as it's safe for her to come out. He's worried about the potential impact on my retinopathy. The amniocentesis tomorrow morning will determine if her lungs are developed enough for her to come out.

So I get the amnio at 9:30am, and then I'm supposed to stay at the hospital to wait for the results (3-4 hours). I'm also not supposed to eat anything after breakfast, in case we're good to go for the c-section. While I'm waiting for those results, I'm also supposed to get some bloodwork done regarding the high blood pressure (my understanding is that they're checking for pre-eclampsia, even though I don't have all the symptoms). The good news is, my blood pressure should go down within a few days of the baby coming out. So by 12:30 or 1:30 we should know the results of the amnio. My obstetrician is at the hospital all day tomorrow, so when he gets the results, he's going to meet with us. If the results are good, I go to get prepped for surgery and hopefully by 2:30 or 3:30 I'm having a c-section, and hopefully by 3:30 or 4:30 we have a brand new baby! (Of course, nothing goes as quickly as anticipated, so it could be longer.) If Bud's lungs are not sufficiently developed, then, according to my obstetrician, we "wait a few days"....which I'm guessing puts us at Monday or Tuesday. I REALLY hope it's tomorrow, though. I just want to get this over and done with and meet our baby!!!

So, it might be a while until my next post, but I'll update you all as soon as possible - with pictures!

Wish us luck! I know we're in good hands!

35 Weeks & 4 Days

I figured a mid-week update was in order this week, given the current up-in-the-air state of affairs. :)

First of all, Martin and I got lots done this weekend in preparation for the baby - her room is almost completely ready now and all her clothes are washed (some of which may actually be too small when she comes out, the way it's going). So we're starting to feel quite ready.

Today was another fetal assessment. My obstetrician assumed they would do an amniocentesis at this one, but they didn't. They said that there was virtually no way Bud's lungs would be ready already - particuarly because often babies of diabetic mothers do take a little longer to mature - so there was no point in doing an amnio yet. Instead, we have one scheduled for Friday morning, at which point Bud will be 36 weeks. So no baby this week (barring the unforeseen), but perhaps next week.

The doctor at fetal assessment was actually quite happy with the results of the fetal assessment. Bud's still big (almost 8 lbs now), but she's steady at the 90th percentile - not still rising, so that's good. Everything else about her looks great - heart, lungs, liver, kidneys, brain, etc. She's not showing any signs of problems. In fact, her responsiveness to touch (she kicked the ultrasound machine numerous times), and the practice-breathing she's doing are very good signs of both physical and mental developement, so that's good to hear. We even saw her make sucking motions with her mouth! So there's definitely no cause for immediate concern, but we/they definitely want to keep an eye on her.

The resident doctor doing the fetal assessment said that Bud had moved since last week. She's still breech and her head is still in the same place, but instead of having her back along my right side, her back is now along my ribs and left side. How she has room to move around in there, I have no idea! That said, she also mentioned that I have a LOT of amniotic fluid in there, which is part of why I have gotten so big and uncomfortable, and also part of why I'm having so much swelling in my legs/feet - I guess my heavy belly puts a lot of pressure on the veins in my hips and doesn't let things flow around between my legs and my body the way they're supposed to, so it all gets stopped up in my legs. Fun fun.

So, for now we're still in this "wait-and-see" mode. I'll post an update after Friday's amnio.

Here are two pictures from today's F.A. They're both a nose & lips shot. Look at those lips!

35 Weeks & 1 Day

Ok blog-readers, this could be a long one. I had lots of appointments this week, and some fairly significant potential changes have resulted....

Monday:
Monday was another fetal assessment. Unfortunately Martin was unable to come to this one due to some stuff at work, but Bud's Grandma and Grandpa Dyck happened to be in Winnipeg that day and they were able to join me instead, which was very special for me and for them! We got to see her open and close her eyes again, and this time we even got to see a little bit of hair on her head! So cute! She rated very well on everything except her size. As you may recall, 6 weeks ago she was at the 40th percentile, 4 weeks ago she was 60th, 2 weeks ago she was still 60th, but this week she had jumped to 90th! She's 7 lbs already and suddenly growing very fast! This is quite common in babies of diabetic mothers with poor control of their bloodsugars, but since my control is really very good, this was a bit surprising. So we left it as a bit of a wait-and-see...see what my OB says, and see how much more she's grown by next week. (More on that later.) It's good to know, though, that she is otherwise VERY healthy and looking great!

Monday night our doula came over for a meeting and also brought her back-up doula. (Since our doula has 3 small children, she may not be able to be at the hospital for the whole time I need her, in which case she will call on her back-up.) We talked about the change in plans (i.e. to a c-section), and how she will be involved under the new circumstances.

Tuesday:
Tuesday's first appointment was my counsellor from the Youville Diabetes Centre. She gave me a recording of her reading a relaxation exercise (hypnotherapy) to help me relax for my c-section. (As some of you know, I'm a bit nervous about the idea of surgery.) I've listened to it a number of times already and it's really great! I just need to get it embedded in my brain before the c-section so that I can get into that relaxed state without the recording by then.

Tuesday's second appointment was the pre-op appointment at the hospital. It involved some physical checks and a lot of questions, but also gave us a LOT of information about the day of the c-section and the recovery days to follow. It actually made both of us feel a LOT better about the whole thing. I am now much more at ease about the thought of being cut open :)

Wednesday:
Wednesday was my appointment with my endocrinologist. She noted that my blood pressure is still too high. We talked about the frustrations of having my retinopathy resurface and the too-quickly-growing baby, and she encouraged me that I really am doing the best that I can, and that sometimes these things just happen anyway. It was good to hear her say that, because it's easy to feel that these complications are a result of something I'm doing wrong...and that's not the case. It's just the way the cookie's crumbling, unfortunately. (The downside is that it means there's not really anything I can do to change it....) We also talked about bloodsugar management during the pre-op fast and during the surgery itself, and about how my bloodsugar is going change significantly once the baby and the placenta are out.

Thursday:
Thursday's appointment was a massage. I can't complain about that one. ;) My lower back has been bothering me and the swelling in my feet/legs has been bothering me as well, so this was great! She was able to ease my sore muscles as well as get some of that fluid in my lower extremities moving around. I highly recommend pre-natal massage!! (Especially by Tracie at Ankyo Therapeutic Massage.....there's my plug for her!)

We had intended to go to the hospital's labour & delivery information session Thursday night as well (they hold these once a month), but opted out of that one. We had so many of our questions answered at the pre-op appointment, that we just felt it wasn't necessary and that we'd rather spend the evening at home relaxing.

Friday:
Yesterday was my obstetrician appointment. A couple of things came out of this.

First, my blood pressure is still too high and going up. (After this busy busy week, I'm not surprised!) So he gave me a prescription for baby-safe blood pressure meds. I had hoped to avoid those, but clearly it has become necessary. As an added incentive, I actually had another spot in my eye yesterday, likely indicating another small bleed in my retina. (This is not terribly surprising as the leaky blood vessels take a while after laser treatments to shrivel up.) I'm not overly surprised or concerned at this point, because I'm confident that the laser treatments I had in the last couple of weeks will deal with this in time, but it does make me quite anxious to get my blood pressure down. I started the pills today, so hopefully they make a difference.

Second, and more significantly, my doctor is tentatively planning on taking Bud out earlier than anticipated. He is concerned about the fast growth at this stage, as this type of growth in babies of diabetic mothers can sometimes lead to sudden unexplained intrauterine death. Not something we want to risk. He didn't seem worried that she was in imminent danger, but we definitely want to weigh the various risks and take her out as soon as doing so is less risky than leaving her in. What this means is that I will likely have an amniocentesis (i.e. a big long needle stuck into my belly to extract a sample of amniotic fluid) at my fetal assessment next Tuesday (the 19th) to determine if Bud's lungs are sufficiently developed. If they are, she comes out. If they aren't, we wait a few days and then she comes out. (I'm not sure if I'd need another amniocentesis first or not.) I will see my obstetrician either on Tuesday after the F.A./amnio or on Thursday and he will make the decision then. So, in theory I could be having my c-section as early as next Wednesday, but it sounds more likely that it would be Friday or later. By next Friday she'll be 36 weeks, at which point taking her out is very safe (as long as her lungs are okay), but she will likely need to stay in the NICU (Neo-Natal Intensive Care Unit) until she's full-term (i.e. 37 weeks), so we may end up coming home without her for a few days (well, nights - our days will be spent in the NICU with her). Obviously that's not what we had wanted, but obviously we want to do what is best (and safest) for her, so we will roll with the punches! It will probably make for some new challenges with bonding and breastfeeding, but at the end of the day we will be able to bring home a healthy baby girl - and THAT's what's important. :) If her lungs are fully developed, she will not be considered "premature", just "pre-term", and we are told that pre-term babies at this stage are just fine in terms of health and development, so it shouldn't have any lasting effects on her. She'll just need a bit more help and observation at the outset.

So...that's that. Now we wait and see what happens on Tuesday at the Fetal Assessment and the amniocentesis.

Martin and I have become very aware this week how lucky we are to have all of the fantastic medical support that we do. The appointments are definitely frequent and tiring, but we are so happy with the wonderful team of health professionals we have behind us. This includes our soon-to-be pediatrician, with whom I've already been in contact with, and with whom I'm already VERY impressed! We've often heard "Oh he/she is the best in the city!" about various of our doctors too, which makes us feel EVEN better! The three of us are in very good hands! In spite of these factors that are making a diabetic pregnancy a little complicated, we do feel very very lucky.

Also, after the initial "ohmygoodnesswemighthaveababynextweek" shock from yesterday, Martin and I are VERY excited about the possibility of meeting our little baby sooner than we thought. We can hardly wait!! (And since I'm at the get-her-out-of-me stage, I'm starting to daydream about having my body to myself again...well, mostly.) We whittled down our to-do list to only the must-do-before-she-comes items, and it's really very doable. We're hoping to have most things finished by the end of this weekend, in fact. So it looks like we'll be ready! (And I do use the term "ready" loosely, as I'm not sure if anyone is ever truly ready for this.)

In other news, I have been exhausted this week, but I guess that's not surprising given all those appointments! Also, I haven't been sleeping as well as my belly is just getting so heavy and I've been having a lot of Braxton-Hicks contractions at night which aren't painful but aren't really comfortable either. Plus, now that Bud's so big, anytime she moves around in there I REALLY feel it! (And she still moves around a lot!) On a kind of cute note, Bud seems to really like her daddy's voice. When he talks to her close-up, she moves around in response to his voice!

Well, I think that's about it. All that's left are Bud-facts and some more pictures.

First the Bud-facts:

- Bud doesn't have much room to roam now. She is very snug now.
- If she wasn't breech, Bud's head may drop down into my pelvis now (known as "engagement"), but since she's breech, that's not going to happen.
- Bud now weighs about 5.25 lbs / 2.4 kg (uh, not exactly - I'm thinking at least 7.5 lbs by now) and measures approximately 18" / 45cm from head to toe.
- Soon, as the wall of my uterus and my abdomen stretch thinner and let in more light, Bud will begin to develop daily activity cycles.
- Bud now has fingernails and fully developed kidneys. Her liver can process some waste products.

Now, a couple of pictures from the fetal assessment, and a few more pictures from the photo shoot with the very talented Michelle!








And for those of you who have taken the time to read all the way to the end of this monstrous blog....I think we've decided on a name! But I'm not telling! :)

34 Weeks & 3 Days

Sorry I'm a bit late on this post.

So last week Tuesday was my last day of work. It was pretty weird to leave there, realizing that it would be over a year before I'm back. I was glad that I already had a pretty good idea that my doctor was going to recommend stopping work, because I spent a lot of time the previous week cleaning stuff up and passing my work off to others. I'm still trying to get the hang of this whole "relaxing" thing. Between my numerous appointments (8 this week) and various "baby projects" at home, I have to consciously make an effort to keep things at a reasonable pace and not overdo it. It looks like I may also have to be okay with leaving some of the baby projects until after Bud gets here. Oh well. Keeping relaxed and healthy is the most important thing.

I only had two appointments last week and both were on Thursday. Thursday morning I saw the obstetrician. My blood pressure wasn't as good as last time, but still nothing too scary. (I think my blood pressure now goes up when they check it just because I get nervous about what it will be...) He's still okay with leaving me off meds for now. I see him again this Friday. He gave us a tentative date for the c-section - June 1st (around noon)! He did say it may get pushed to the 2nd, though. He said I should expect to be in the hospital for about 3 days, so that would have me getting home on Thursday the 4th or Friday the 5th, I assume. He also quelled some of my fears about nausea during/after the c-section, saying they have some new drugs that apparently work VERY well to help manage nausea. This was one of my biggest concerns, because (as some of you may know) I'm a bit phobic about nausea/vomiting. There are a lot of aspects of the c-section that I'm still really not looking forward to, but I've been hearing so many encouraging stories from friends who have had them, so I'm starting to feel a lot better about it. And when it comes down to it, even if it's miserable, it's FAST! (The OB said about 35 min!)

The baby is still breech, but obviously this is a moot point - except for the fact that her growing head is really starting to push into my ribs and make it difficult for me to bend over even to put on my socks and shoes! Also, my belly is soooo tight - even the obstetric nurse at the OB's office was commenting on it. I've gained almost 40 lbs now, and very little of that is anywhere other than in my belly (maybe 10 lbs elsewhere, but not more). Given that the baby was 6 lbs at the last fetal assessment, that leaves almost 25 lbs - pretty much all of which is in my belly! Ugh! No wonder my back is sore and my feet are so swollen! I feel like a pin prick to my belly would pop me like a water balloon!

Anyway, the second appointment on Thursday was my second laser treatment for my left eye (i.e. the retinopathy). We didn't get any more of an assessment from the doctor, just the treatment. I got 1400 zaps this time and the ones near the end were VERY painful and left me with a terrible headache for a few hours afterwards. But it was the last set of treatments, so at least it's over now. I see the ophthalmologist again during the last week of May just to assess if there has been any further pregnancy-related damage to my retinas. This will help us in the future if/when we need to assess the risks to my eyes of having another baby. He did say, though, that there is still a lot of "room" to treat my eyes if things did go badly again in the future...but obviously that's not terribly desirable either. We'll just have to take things one step at a time.

On Saturday we hit the big Whyte Ridge Mothers Day Garage Sale. We didn't have anything specific in mind that we wanted, but we came away with some toys and some clothes (all in VERY good condition) for Bud. It was quite a success after walking around for an hour in barely-above-freezing temperatures (there was actually snow on the ground when we woke up)!

I'm attaching a few pictures today that were taken last weekend by my very talented friend Michelle. We did a whole "pregnant photo shoot" and I get to see the rest of the pictures tomorrow, so I may add more to next week's blog, but for this week I'm just putting in a few of my favourites.

But first, this week's Bud facts:
- Bud has fully developed lungs.
- If Bud were to be born at 35 weeks or beyond, she would have an excellent chance of being healthy and strong (although we still want her to bake for longer).
- Bud weighs more than 4.7 lbs / 2.2 kg (as we know, this is not accurate) and is 18" / over 45 cm from top to toe.
- Bud is filling out and getting rounder - she'll need her fat later to regulate her body temperature.
- Bud's hearing is almost fully developed. (I can attest to this as she seems to quite like hearing her daddy's voice. When he talks right up to my belly it nearly always makes her move around. She already listens to him - when he tells her to kick, she does! Hopefully she's as responsive and obedient when she's out!)

And now, here are the pictures!

33 Weeks & 1 Day

My last post was the bad news from this week, so this will be the good news (and I guess some neutral news too).

On Monday we had another Fetal Assessment (right before the ophthalmologist appointment). Bud is still doing great! She's approximately 6 lbs now, which keeps her right around the 60th percentile like last time. She grew about 1.5 lbs in 2 weeks! It seems like a lot (and it is!), but it's normal for this stage of the pregnancy. She's still tracking perfectly on her growth chart and the Fetal Assessment nurse was very happy with everything she saw. She estimated that she'd be approximately 7.5 lbs by 38 weeks (i.e. when she'll be born). Bud is still breech, but that's kind of a moot point now that we know I'm having a c-section anyway. The nurse actually said that, since she's been in this position for weeks now, there's not a great chance that she'll turn. But that's okay. If she's comfortable like that she might as well stay there :) Her head is up under my ribs on my right side (I can very often feel it there), and her bum is on my bladder (which explains my frequent bathroom trips). She's facing my left side and kind of has her legs folded up. The most exciting thing was that we got to see her open and close her eyes! She was sleeping at first and when the nurse started to prod her she woke up and blinked a few times. :) It was really something else to be able to see that! She has the cutest, chubby cheeks...I've attached pictures below.

I'm starting to get a lot more comfortable with the idea of a c-section. It's not what I had hoped for, but there are definitely some advantages and since it's what's best for me and for the baby, I might as well focus on the positives (e.g. it's quick!!) And really, with the previous scenario (i.e. induction) there was always the possibility that we'd go through an uncomfortable induction that wouldn't work and still have to go for a c-section after a lot of stress, whereas now we can plan for one and know exactly what to expect...and we can definitely have MY obstetrician (who I love!) So I'm starting to get a lot less nervous and a lot more excited!! So soon we'll be able to meet our Bud and introduce her to all of you who are also waiting patiently...albeit some less patiently than others. ;) And I know I'll have a lot of help during the longer recovery period. Marty's able to take a couple of weeks off, and Grandma Rose will be staying with us for a while, and Grandma Dyck will be staying with us for a while...so we'll be well taken-care of. :) It'll just be frustrating that I won't be able to lift the baby carrier and/or take the stroller in/out of the car by myself for quite some time. But I'll just have to exercise patience :)

Yesterday we had an appointment with the OB. I explained the retinopathy situation to him and we talked about the c-section a bit. He actually pulled out his schedule, but it's pretty full so he said he'd have to move some things around and get back to me. He wants to do it between 37 and 38 weeks, barring further complications, which puts us in the week of June 1st - 5th. As soon as we have a solid date, I'll let you all know! We all want to keep her in there as long as possible, as long as it's not threatening her health or significantly threatening mine. We also talked about my bloodpressure (which, incidentally, was EXCELLENT when his nurse checked it...I guess my efforts to slow down and reduce stress this week have been working). He initially wanted to put me on meds (baby-safe), but then suggested that it would be better to first try quitting work...and then go on meds if that doesn't work. So...as of this coming Wednesday, I am on mat leave! I had been anticipating that he might tell me to quit work, so I had spent most of this week cleaning up. After Monday/Tuesday next week, everything should be in order, so I'm feeling alright about it. My boss had a slightly panicked look in his eyes when I told him, but he did also know it was a possibility, and really everyone at work (including him) has been very supportive. My doctor says I don't have to sit around with my feet up all day (i.e. I"m not on "bedrest"), and I can still putter about doing the things I want to do before the baby comes, but I am to take it slowly and easily and relax a lot and keep from doing anything stressful or strenuous. I think I can handle that. :)

So that's the update! Marty and I both feel like we're in a much more positive place now than we were on Monday. We've had a chance to process everything and have some good solutions on the go now, so we're optimistic. And if the rest of this pregnancy plays out well (i.e. with my eyes and my bp), maybe the risks of having another child in the future won't seem so great. Either way, our focus now is definitely on the exciting event that is only a month away!

In other non-medical news, we have been cleaning up around the house to get the baby's room all ready. Also, my mom and I went to the Welcome Wagon Baby Shower on Sunday. Bud's still moving around a lot, but it's more pushing now than kicking. I think she's going to one day just poke a fist out through my belly. The nurse at the OB's office said my belly is really tight (a comment I would have welcomed when WASN'T pregnant), but it sounds like that's normal based on her position so high up - she's really sticking out. I guess that's why I can feel her pushing so much too. It's neat, though, to be able to rub her little head or pat her little bum. :)

Anyway, here are this week's Bud Facts, followed by some pictures of our chubby-cheeked cherub. :)

- Bud now weighs about 4.2 lbs / 2 kg (which we know is not the case as the fetal assessment said 6 lbs - which is totally normal), and measures approximately 17" / 44cm from head to toe (no idea if this is accurate).
- Bud's skull is still quite pliable and not completely joined, in part so she can ease out of the birth canal (which, she's not going to do).
- The bones in the rest of Bud's body are hardening.
- Bud's skin is gradually becoming less red and wrinkled (hmm...I'll believe it when I see it - my brother was totally red and wrinkly when he came home from the hospital!)

The rest is about how Bud is supposed to be turning and moving into my pelvis, but as I mentioned, she's not doing that, so I'll skip those.

Here's the pics!

32 Weeks & 5 Days - Some Bad News

Thankfully the bad news is NOT about the baby....but it is about the pregnancy. I'm thinking most of you blog-readers already know about this, but I wanted to update the blog for it anyway.

As some (most?) of you know, a couple of years ago I needed laser treatments in both eyes for proliferative diabetic retinopathy. Here's the quick explanation of proliferative diabetic retinopathy and the laser treatments - if you already know this, feel free to skip ahead:

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Basically, long-term and/or badly controlled diabetes can lead to problems with blood-flow to the retina. (Note that even people with well-controlled diabetes CAN experience retinopathy, although controlling your diabetes carefully does greatly reduce the chances of this happening. Also note that diabetes care methods are MUCH better now than they were in the 70s, 80s, and even 90s, so those of us diabetes-veterans have lived through a time when it was much more difficult to have tight diabetes control, and unfortunately do have a greater risk of complications like this as a result, even if we have much better control now. Anyway...) When the retina doesn't get adequate bloodflow, it doesn't get adequate oxygen. Because the retina needs oxygen, the brain sends signals to the retina to make new blood vessels to help move the oxygen around. This is called "proliferation" (hence "proliferative diabetic retinopathy"). Sounds good, buuuut....the new blood vessels are weak and fragile. They break easily, and when they do blood leaks into the retina and can cause vision damage. (Also note that not all diabetic retinopathy involves proliferation. In the early stages there may be blood vessel leakage, but no proliferation of blood vessels. I'm not going to go into that here, though.)

Retinopathy is not curable, but it is treatable to help slow (and hopefully stop) the process. Treatment involves getting numbing drops and/or gel squirted into your eye(s), having a glass lens pressed up against your eyeball, putting your face in a machine that makes you feel like you should be on A Clockwork Orange, and then getting a couple of thousand (yes, thousand) of laser zaps on your retina (called pan-retinal laser treatments). It's not as painful as it sounds like it could be, but it is painful, and it's VERY stressful. The light is very bright, and with every zap it takes your breath away and makes your other eye want to roll back in your head. It only lasts a few minutes, but it's pretty low down on most people's list of enjoyable ways to spend a few minutes. :P

The point of the treatment is to kill off a portion of the retina. It sounds counter-intuitive, but it basically allows the less-important parts of the retina to be sacrificed to save the more important central part of the eye (i.e. the macula), and hopefully protect your (my) vision by doing so. You end up with a grid-like pattern of scars on your retina (permanent), and typically a bit of damage to your peripheral vision and your night vision, but the end result is (or should be) that your retina then requires less oxygen, so your brain no longer sends signals to make new (fragile/leaky) blood vessels...reducing the risk of bleeding and vision loss.

And that's a quick retinopathy lesson. Now back to our regularly scheduled blog.

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So, this past Sunday, I noticed a new "spot" in my vision of my left eye. I got in to see my ophthalmologist on Monday and the news wasn't great. There is bleeding in my retina that my ophthalmologist says is due to more proliferation (i.e. new growth) of the blood vessels. He said the pregnancy (i.e. the growth hormones running rampant in my body) and the slightly elevated blood pressure that I've been having are likely both coming into play here. (I'm not too surprised re: the growth, given that my baby has grown 1.5lbs in the last 2 weeks according to the fetal assessment - a normal level of growth for this stage of pregnancy.) We knew this was a possibility during pregnancy because of the growth hormones, but we had hoped for the best. Everything was going so well before the pregnancy and during the first two trimesters - no sign of proliferation or bleeding since my last laser treatment in September 2007 - but I guess I just didn't quite make it through the third trimester.

So, I had more laser treatments on Monday - 1000 zaps in my left eye. It sucked. A lot. (I didn't get woozy at all, though, which as some of you know was a BIG problem for me last go-around.) I'm going back next week Thursday for more, but it should just be the two treatments, and he is just doing my left eye. He has a new machine since last time, though, that does multiple shots at once, so 1000 zaps is much faster now than it was before. I guess that's the silver lining on this cloud. It's still pretty miserable, though, and my eye was sore and a bit red/puffy for the next day or so.

So, I suppose the good news is that, since the ophthalmologist feels it's so directly related to the pregnancy, I don't necessarily have to expect that I will continue to have bleeding every few years for the rest of my life. The bad news is that this calls into question how wise it is for us to try for more children in the future as there's nothing to say it won't happen again with another one - maybe even worse next time. The doctor says not to worry about that now - it's not out-of-the-question. We realize that it will depend a lot on how the next 6 weeks go, how the years after this baby go (i.e. when I'm not pregnant anymore) and how my eyes are doing before we would be ready to try for another one. For now, though, we are focusing on the fact that we have one beautiful baby on the way and are VERY lucky for that. We refuse to let this setback get in the way of our joy and excitement about our little Bud!

Another development related to this is that my ophthomologist doesn't want me to push during labour, so I will be asking my OB for a c-section. The baby is still breech, though (and apparently unlikely to turn since she's been in this same position for so long now), so this is likely a moot point anyway.

I'm seeing my OB on Friday and will discuss the bloodpressure issue with him then. We'll have to talk about ways to reduce it....which may or may not involve leaving work early or figuring out some other work option between now and my scheduled mat leave.

So, it was a less-than-good day on Monday, and a frustrating experience - especially so close to the end of the pregnancy. I feel like we ALMOST had a perfectly successful diabetic pregnancy, but didn't quite make it. But this too shall pass.

Anyway, just wanted to keep you all updated. At the end of the week I'll post the Bud facts and the new fetal assessment pictures (she's got some chubby cheeks!)

Until then....

32 Weeks & 1 Day

This week I have been really reminded that the "easy" trimester (i.e. T2) is over - most notably with respect to my swollen feet/ankles. We had our prenatal classes last weekend. They were a compressed version that was all evening Friday and all day Saturday. Sitting in a chair for that long without much walking around made my feet balloon up, and unfortunately they didn't want to go back down in size after the classes were over. (As an aside, the classes were actually quite good. We took them through the Youville Centre and found them quite interesting and informative.) I worked from home for a day this week to try to keep my feet up and give myself plenty of chances to walk around, but the thing that finally worked was compression socks. They're expensive and really hard to put on, but they work (and thankfully they just look like regular socks)!! My doctors still aren't concerned about the swelling and tell me it's normal, but since it's uncomfortable, I really needed to do something about it. In addition to the swelling, I've also had heartburn and indigestion. I had never had heartburn before pregnancy, but now that I have experienced it I have new respect for those who deal with it all the time (including Martin and some of his family). I also no longer sleep restfully as I'm up every two hours to pee. And then on top of all of this I feel big and clumsy. I think it's a bit of a cruel joke to make someone drop things all the time when she can't easily pick them up. :P Oh the joys of the third trimester.....just giving me more incentive to want to get her out in 6 weeks :) Wow....6 weeks....so soon!

Bud is still moving around a lot and seems like she's maybe shifted positions, but it's hard to tell. Apparently it's quite normal to have heartburn and indigestion with new baby positions, so I guess that falls right in line with how I've been feeling. It seems like she may be bum-up now, but I think still feet down (based on where I'm feeling movements), so it's hard to say. She definitely seems to mostly be on my right side, and she seems to think she's cramped in there because she very often is pushing outward on my belly, trying to make more room for herself. (Personally, I think she has plenty of room - more than my organs currently have, anyway.) We have another fetal assessment on Monday, so we'll find out exactly how she's positioned, and how much room she has, then.

I just had one doctor's appointment this week - with my endocrinologist. It went fine. We did a bit more problem-solving, but everything is still going well overall.

Other than that, there's nothing much new. I've started back into my prenatal yoga and find it more difficult than it was 5 weeks ago when I stopped doing it, but it still really does feel good. I managed to go for some longer walks this week too, which helped my feet feel better and gave me a good dose of fresh air. :)

And with that, here are this week's Bud-facts:
- Bud will gain 1/3 to 1/2 of her birth weight during the next 6 weeks, fattening up for survival outside the womb. Her skin is getting plumper and looking healthier.
- Bud now weighs approximately 3.75lbs/1.7kg (more, per fetal assessments), and is about 17"/42cm long from head to toe.
- Although her lungs won't be fully developed until just before birth, Bud is inhaling amniotic fluid to exercise her lungs and practice breathing.
- Some babies have a head of hair already, others have only a few wisps.

And, finally, here is a picture of me at 32 weeks, and another picture that begs the question "Should pregnant women wear orange?"

31 Weeks & 2 Days

This was a busy week, appointments-wise. But first the non-appointment-related stuff....

This week I have been pretty tired. It could have to do with this stage of pregnancy, but it was also a very busy week, so that could explain it too. Also, Bud has been putting more and more pressure on my bladder, so my visits to the bathroom are becoming more and more frequent - including during the night, which probably also helps to explain the tiredness. I'd really LIKE to be sleeping well NOW because a good night's sleep will be nothing but a memory once Bud is actually HERE - but it's getting more and more difficult to sleep soundly at night. Oh well...such is the life of a pregnant woman, I suppose.

Bud is moving more and more all the time. This week it's been a lot of pushing by her, instead of so much kicking. Often I can feel exactly where her head is, but I haven't managed to pin-point any other body parts. Just her cute little head that's still on top (I'm urging her to put in down, but she's not listening to her Mom...practice for the future, I suppose).

So this week I had an appointment with my OB again. My bloodpressure is still a little elevated, but he's still not worried about that. It was pretty soon after I got there (walked), so I'm not surprised it was a bit elevated. It was much lower than the reading last week at the endocrinologist (I'm always elevated there). Bud's fetal heart rate was good. Fundal height (i.e. uterus length) is 32cm. Interesting b/c I'm 30 weeks, so it would normally be closer to 30cm. Which begs the question.....were we right about the due date the first time?? Hmmm.....more on that in the Fetal Assessment section below. My ankles are swelling a bit, but he's Ok with it. Baby is still breech from what he can tell. He showed me how to feel her head and it's definitely on top! I asked him what the reasons would be for inducing any earlier than 38 weeks, and he said if (a) the baby is big (re: diabetes), but he said that is very unlikely given my good control, or (b) if she's no longer getting adequate nourishment from the placenta. So it sounds like 38 weeks is definitely what we're aiming for.

We also had another fetal assessment this week. Bud is over 4lbs now (we can't remember if she said 4lbs or 4.5lbs). She is at the 60th percentile, size-wise. She was 40th last time, but they said the difference is due to the margin-of-error, and that her growth is perfect and that she's still definitely the right size for her age (i.e. new due date is still considered correct). This is a much more precise measurement than the fundal height measurement at the OB's office (i.e. a tape measure on my belly). They said everything looked great and there were no concerns. She is still breech, and has her feet up by her ears (she's doing yoga already!), but still has plenty of time to turn. We only got one picture and it's very hard to distinguish because she was being very difficult and moving around a LOT. I'm attaching it anyway....you folks can see if you can decipher it any better than we can. The resident doctor who was observing could see my belly moving from about 4 feet away. They seemed surprised, but pleased, at how much she was moving - although it made taking some measurements difficult, and made a good face-picture impossible, unfortunately. Maybe next time.

I also had a massage therapy appointment this week. I can't remember if I've mentioned this previously, but I have been getting massage therapy every two weeks and I HIGHLY recommend it during pregnancy. It really helps my back and my hips during pregnancy, and it's very rejuvenating too!

And, once again, here are the Bud facts for this week:
- Bud now has less room to move and can't do the back-flips and somersaults we're both used to.
- By this stage most babies have turned head down into the "cephalic" position ready for birth. A few (like our sweet, stubborn Bud) take a little longer. Bud still has time to turn.
- Bud's arms, legs and body continue to fill out and they are finally proportional in size to her head.
- Bud weighs about 3.3lbs/1.5kg (more, according to the fetal assessment...see above) and looks more like a newborn.
- Bud measures about 16"/41cm from crown to toe. (This may also be more, but they don't check this at the fetal assessment.)
- Bud will likely gain at least 2 more pounds by delivery.
- Bud's organs are continuing to mature and she is passing water from her bladder.
- Brain scans have shown that fetuses have periods of dream sleep around month eight (about what, I have no idea).

And, lastly, here's the picture from fetal assessment:

EDIT: My mom just noticed that the name on the picture is not mine. The picture is definitely mine because I do remember that pose and I was there when this picture showed up on the screen, but somehow they got the wrong name on it. I'm going to contact them about it. In the meantime, here's a cropped version to protect the identity of the woman whose name is on my baby's picture. :)

30 Weeks & 2 Days

Short post tonight as I'm exhausted!

We just got back from a very nice long weekend at Martin's mom's house, which is why I'm posting so late, and also why I'm so tired.

Not much new from this week. My hip was bothering me a lot all week, but it finally loosened up over the weekend. I think it helped that I was walking around a lot instead of just sitting at a desk all the time (like I do during the week).

As usual, Bud is moving around a lot. I'm getting the sense that she's positioned differently now, so hopefully she'll get out of the breech position (if she isn't already). We have a fetal assessment on Tuesday, so we'll find out then. There's still lots of time for her to move, though, too.

My doctor's appointment this week was with the endocrinologist. It was pretty quick and went well. Nothing noteworthy to mention.

Here are the Bud Facts for Week 30! Eight weeks to go!

- Bud's lungs and digestive tract are nearly mature.
- Researchers believe that Bud can actually see now, but no one knows how much she can make out. She can probably see what's going on in utero, distinguish light from dark and even track a light source. Some researchers think baring your stomach to light stimulates visual development. (I guess I"ll have to try that.)
- Bud is opening and shutting her eyes.
- Bud has eyebrows and eyelashes.
- Bud is becoming more cramped and less able to move so freely.
- Bud may soon slow up growing in length, but she will continue to gain weight until she's born.
- Bud is about 15.7"/40cm long
- About a pint and a half (approx. 1 litre) of amniotic fluid now surrounds bud, but that volume will decrease as she gets bigger.

29 Weeks & 2 Days

Well, this was another good week! We had Grandma Rose here all week again, so there was lots of "baby time" :) On Tuesday I took the day off work to do some baby shopping with her. That was a fun day! We were hoping Grandma Dyck could join us, but she wasn't feeling very well, so wasn't able to. After that day of shopping, we now have just about everything! We still need to buy cloth diapers, but we're not planning on using them until Bud's a couple months old, so we have some time.

After we did our shopping, we just HAD to set up the crib because Grandma Rose bought a beautiful bedding set for Bud and we wanted to see how it looked! It looks GREAT! So now we have a combo office/nursery. We have the change table and crib up, but we still have the computer desk in the same room, so it's doing double-duty right now. Eventually the computer desk will move out.

My baby-related appointment this week was the OB. Everything was A-OK! I'm still healthy and Bud's still healthy! I"m at the point now where I'll be having OB appointments every other week, endocrinologist appointments every other week (not the same week as the OB), and fetal assessments every other week! Ack! Busy! And at some point at least some of these will be moving to EVERY week! Thank goodness my boss is very understanding and accommodating! I'm very lucky in that respect!

Bud is still VERY active, and is putting a lot of pressure on my bladder still. On Thursday I had an appointment with my massage therapist and Bud got so active during my massage that my massage therapist could actually SEE my belly moving! Crazy! Also, Bud got the hiccups for the first time...but I think I may have mentioned that already in my last blog post. Also, this week without thinking, I gave my belly a little smack with my hand - not hard, but I guess hard enough because she JUMPED inside me! I must have really startled her!

I'm still craving fruit and bread & butter pickles, but I've also started craving coffee (decaf). That's a new one. It seems like things with strong flavours are appealing to me a lot now.

Last night, Martin and I went on a date! We're not sure how many more chances we'll have for that, so we thought we'd better make the most of a free weekend! Thankfully he's not opposed to dating a pregnant woman :) We had a very nice dinner at Joey's and both ate waaay too much. It was just impossible to pass up the banana bread pudding! Mmmmm...... Thankfully I've gotten pretty good at managing my insulin around little indulgences like that and had a pretty stable bloodsugar evening - even after a decadent dessert!

Alright, here are the Bud facts for Week 29:
- Bud's head is getting bigger and her brain is developing billions of neurons (important for later learning) at an amazing rate!
- Bud's nutritional needs are growing. Her bones, in particular, are soaking up lots of calcium right now. (Good thing I've been eating lots of cheese and yogurt! And my prenatal multivitamins, of course.)
- Bud weighs around 2.5lbs/1.1kg and measures about 15"/38cm from head to toe.
- Bud is reacting to sound - or will be soon.

And now, some pictures of me at 39 weeks (ready for our date night) and the bedding from Grandma Rose!

28 Weeks & 2 Days

This has been a pretty good week overall. I've had some diabetes-related frustrations, but I won't go into them. The good news is that my appointment with my endocrinologist this week went VERY well - we have some new strategies and the results of my bloodtests were VERY good! Yay! My bloodpressure was a little elevated, though, so we're going to keep an eye on that. Hopefully it was an anomoly.

My energy is starting to wane a little and I'm definitely starting to feel bigger and more awkward. My right hip has been bothering me still, but it's managable. I'm still craving fruit like CRAZY - mmmmm....pineapple! mmmmm....apples! - and the newest craving is now bread & butter pickles (which have a lot more sugar in them than I thought!)

Bud is kicking LOTS - unfortunately many of her kicks are directed at my bladder - my poor tiny bladder! Yesterday I'm SURE she had the hiccups. It's the first time I had noticed a feeling like that, but it was sure funny! Apparently that's very common at this stage.

This week Grandma Rose has been staying with us while Great Grandpa Berg is in the hospital (he'll be okay - he's recovering from some pnuemonia and some heart problems). This has been a special treat (in spite of her reason for being here) as we really enjoy having her around and she is SOOOO excited for Bud to come! This weekend she and I went shopping for some sleepers for Bud's first few days/weeks/months. Then last night Grandma and Grandpa Dyck came over for supper and Bud's two Grandmas had fun sifting through all the baby clothes and pushing the stroller around the basement! It is VERY clear to us that this baby is going to be VERY well loved by all grandparents (as well as the rest of the family)!

Here are this week's Bud-facts!

- Bud may be much more active when I am having a bath or shower. (She is!!) She's responding to the light and noise by moving around inside me.
- Bud can open her eyes and turn her head in utero if she notices a continuous, bright light shining from the outside.
- Bud weighs nearly 2.3lbs/1+kg and may measure 14.8"/38cm from top to toe
- Bud's fat layers are forming and her fingernails appear.

More next week!

27 Weeks & 1 Day

Well, I guess I'm now in my third trimester (depending on who you ask...some say 26 weeks, some say 28).

I don't have much to update since my last post a few days ago, so I'll just give the Bud Facts for 27 weeks.

- Bud is growing steadily as she prepares for delivery day. She will gain more weight rapidly over the next weeks.
- Bud is acting more like a newborn now. She opens and closes her eyes, sleeps and wakes at regular intervals, and may suck a finger or thumb.
- Bud may be hiccuping a lot. (Not that I've noticed...)
- Bud weighs nearly 2 pounds / 875 grams and measures 14.5" / 36.6cm from head to toe.
- Some experts believe that babies begin to dream by the 28th week. No one knows for certain what they dream about but the brain is active this week as well. The characteristic grooves on Bud's brain's surface start to appear and more brain tissue develops.


This coming week I have an appointment with my doula as well as with my endocrinologist, so I may have a more interesting update next week :)

26 Weeks & 4 Days

Sorry this post is a bit late, but I thought I'd wait for yesterday's Fetal Assessment before making my 26-week post.

First off, I'm still doing well. I'm starting to get a bit more tired, but I've been waking up more at night lately, so that could be why - perhaps because Bud's kicks are getting stronger now. My ankles started swelling a bit too, but I'm finding ways to reduce that.

So enough about me...and more about Bud! Yesterday was our 2nd Fetal Assessment. It went VERY well. The nurse said everything looked great - heart-rate, size, placenta,etc - and she said that I must be taking very good care of my diabetes, judging by the health of the baby (which was very nice to hear). She estimated her weight at about 2 lbs which is apparently exactly where she should be. According to her growth chart, Bud is tracking perfectly just below the 50th percentile. She was very responsive to being "prodded" by the nurse and kicked the ultrasound machine a number of times. It was really neat to be able to actually watch her move around instead of just feel her! The nurse said she had a "very sweet face", but I'm not sure how she could tell in all that wavy black and white :) We were able to bring home a bunch more photos, so I'll post a few at the end of the blog. All this just makes us SO excited to be able to meet Bud in a few months!

So before I post the pictures, here are the Bud-facts for Week 26:

- Bud is becoming more sensitive to sound as the network of nerves in her ears develops. If Martin talks to her now she might learn to recognize his voice. The more she hears it, the more likely she is to find it soothing after she's born.
- From top to toe with legs extended, Bud is about 14" / 35.6cm. She weighs a little more than 1.6lbs / 760g. (Actually, according to the nurse, she weighs 2 lbs.)
- Bud's eyes begin to open around this time.
- Bud continues to take small breaths and, although she's only breathing in water and not air, it's good practice for when she's born.


And finally, here is my 26 1/2 week picture, and some new pictures of Bud!

25 Weeks & 1 Day - Take 2

Yep, you read the title correctly....we have a new due date! It's now June 19th. This puts the 38-week mark (i.e. induction time) around June 5th...which just happens to be Martin's birthday! Perhaps I will only have to make ONE birthday cake every year for the two of them. :) (Who am I kidding, I've never made Martin a birthday cake!)

Long story short, between the first ultrasound, the first fetal assessment, and clearing up an earlier miscommunication about cycle-length, my OB did a recalculation at my appointment on Tuesday, and we came up with our new date. Under this new date, Bud is tracking perfectly size-wise. :)

Also during the appointment, the nurse was using the doppler machine to listen to Bud's heartbeat, and Bud kicked the doppler machine! She's feisty! The good news is that her heart rate accelerated exactly as it was supposed to when she exerted this little effort, so it was a very healthy response.

Speaking of kicks, this week I SAW a kick for the first time! She is very very active still, and has started a slightly annoying habit of kicking my bladder. I get to feel her movements lots, but every time Martin tries to feel her, she stops moving. I think her Daddy has a calming effect on her, but I think it's starting to make Martin question whether I'm making all this up about her being so active! ;) The other day I could actually pinpoint where her head was, and when I gave it a little push, she responded by kicking me! I'm really looking forward to being able to "interact" with her more now if that happens more often!

I've still been having a lot of energy lately which is very good. I'm hoping that lasts for a while, but with the 3rd trimester looming, I'm not so sure it's going to. I've still been trying to keep at least mildly active with walks over my lunch break, a few walks after work, and some yoga on the weekend. It actually really seems to help with my energy levels and with the comfort of my joints.

We've still been buying some miscellaneous stuff for Bud here and there, but nothing big this week...some books, some toys, a bouncy seat...stuff like that.

I don't have a picture this week, so I'll try to put one up next week.

And now that we're back on track with dates, here are the Bud-facts for week 25:

- Bud is responsive to touch now.
- Bud's eyelids will open around now and her heart is beating so strongly it may be heard with just a stethoscope.
- Bud weighs about 1.5lbs / 660g (although at the Fetal assessment 2 weeks ago they said she weighed about 1.5lbs already, so this may be a bit off), and is approximately 13.5" / 35cm long from crown to heel.
- Bud makes breathing movements but has no air in her lunchs yet.

All for now! More next week!

26 (24?) Weeks & 1 Day

Last week was a long post, this week is a short one.

This was a pretty uneventful week. Last weekend Martin went to pick up our crib and change-table (actually it's a dresser with a change-pad on top). The dresser is now in the baby's room (i.e. our office), so that we won't have to move it again, but the crib isn't unpacked or assembled yet. We want to keep the office functional for as long as possible.

And really, that's about it! I've been tired this week, likely because I was fighting off a cold (successfully!), and I've been trying to go for short walks at lunch to keep my joints moving and to keep my bloodsugar in check.

I'm not posting Bud-facts this week, while we wait to find out whether my due date is changing (I'm seeing the OB on Tuesday), so you can go back to week 24 and read the Bud-facts from then.

More next week!

25 (23?) Weeks & 1 Day

Well, big news today! If you haven't already heard....Bud is a GIRL!! We had our first Fetal Assessment on Tuesday and found out (with certainty) that we will be having a little baby girl in a few months! We are very excited! It was a surprise to me as I was quite convinced we were having a boy (as were many of our friends), but Martin was pretty sure Bud was a girl, so he may have gloated a bit when we found out. ;) We couldn't be happier - especially because it means we don't have to repaint the baby's room, which is pink from the previous owner.

During the fetal assessment the nurse took lots of measurements and looked at all sorts of things to do with Bud to make sure that she is healthy. We were so pleased to hear that everything looks normal and that there is what appears to be a very healthy baby growing inside of me!

As you may recall, during my 19 week ultrasound, Bud was measuring at closer to 17 weeks. Because there can be a bit of room for error in determining the gestational age of a fetus, and becuase we were quite comfortable with the estimated conception date, my OB decided to keep the due date as it had initially been estimated (June 5th or June 9th, depending on who you ask). But at the fetal assessment, Bud was measuring at 22 weeks instead of 24 weeks, so the nurse is making a strong recommendation to my OB to change the due date (I guess that would put us closer to June 23rd, with induction around June 9th).

Since Bud's growth is stable, and since it really does kind of make sense that we could have been off (e.g. perhaps I couldn't get a positive pregnancy test until week 8 because I was actually only at week 6; and maybe I did start to have nausea at week 7 (which is normal) instead of week 9 (which is a bit later than many women)), I'm feeling pretty comfortable with the idea of changing the due date at this point. I see my OB on March 3rd, so we'll figure it out then.

At this point, I'm kind of assuming that I'm actually 23 weeks and not 25 weeks, but I'm not going to make any solid changes until I talk to my OB. Because he'll be wanting to induce me around 38 weeks, I'd like to be as sure as possible that we're working with the right due date - otherwise we risk getting the baby out at 36 weeks...which is getting into preemie range. Thankfully I will be having many more fetal assessments before the induction, so the doctor will have a good chance to monitor the baby's development before making any induction decisions. Anyway, for the time being, my post titles will include two possible weeks, and I'm going to hold off on posting any Bud-facts because I think we're needing to "catch up" by two weeks now. You can go back and read the Bud-facts for week 23 if you want. :)

In addition to the fetal assessment, I also saw my endocrinologist (for my diabetes) this week. My test results were the best this time that they've ever been! Yay! Still a few things to tweak, but in general it's going very well.

Bud is still moving around a LOT and sometimes we can feel her kicks with just a light touch. It's nice to know that she's healthy enough to be so active! So far she's not keeping me up at night either. Hopefully it stays that way for a while.

I'm still having some discomfort in my knees and hips if I use them too much, but otherwise I'm feeling very good. I had lots of energy this week! I've tried some more of my prenatal yoga and enjoy it, and I've also tried to go for some indoor walks (my office building is attached to a mall) over my lunch break in order to get some exercise without having to navigate icy and uneven ground outside.

And now it's photo time! First, I have two pictures of Bud from the fetal assessment. The first one is her face. She's lying down with her chin on the right and her forehead on the left. (Eyeballs don't show up on ultrasound, so she just has eye-hollows in the picture.) The second one shows her head and her hand waving at us! (The nurse added the "hi mom, hi dad".) We were very pleased to be able to take photos home from fetal assessment free of charge, as the regular ultrasound pictures cost $50 (or maybe even more)!

I'm also attaching a photo of me taken today. So I guess it's either my 25-week or 23-week picture, but I'm thinking more likely 23 weeks.

24 Weeks & 2 Days

Short post today. Nothing too significant happened this week and I am thoroughly exhausted right now. Next week's post will be more detailed. :)

Bud has still been very busy and Martin can often feel his/her movements. I'm getting bigger all the time, and a lot of my non-maternity shirts aren't really fitting anymore. (The non-maternity pants mostly stopped fitting a while ago already.) I know it's picture-posting week, but I think I'm going to wait until next week. I hope nobody's too terribly disappointed.

This weekend Martin's mom is in town to help us baby-shop. We went to the Baby and Kid Show at the Convention Centre yesterday. It was quite interesting, and we entered our names in about 1,000 draws (or at least that's what it felt like). Maybe we'll get lucky and win something! We also picked out a crib and dresser/change table that we like, but we haven't gone to actually purchase them yet. Besides that, we got a LOT of little stuff - bottles, blankets, towels, etc. plus a few clothes too. (Grandma Rose couldn't resist buying a few outfits for Bud.) Six hours of walking around yesterday really took a toll on my knees and hips and back, so today I'm feeling very pregnant and achy and tired. It's nice that we have the day off tomorrow too to recuperate.

Here's this week's Bud-facts:

- Bud weighs more than 1.3 pounds / 600 grams.
- Bud still has little body fat and his/her skin is thin and fragile, but he/she is now well-proportioned.
- Bud's brain is growing rapidly.
- Bud is slowly starting to fill the space inside me.
- From crown to heel, Bud measures about 11.8" / 30cm.

More in a few days....including (likely) Bud's gender! (First Fetal Assessment is on Tuesday.)

23 Weeks & 1 Day

This week was a bit more eventful than last week.

Bud has been moving around LOTS this week! I'm getting kicked by him/her many times a day. Martin has even had a chance to feel the movement once! (They're not always strong enough to feel.) Apparently 22 weeks is quite early to be able to feel it on the outside, so this could be a very strong active baby in the next few months!

On Monday I had another appointment with my OB. We talked about the ultrasound results. It turns out that their results (re: gestational age) were only off of my expected due date by 9 days, and they have a "+/- 10 days" added on, so we're still in range and there's nothing to worry about. Good! So my due date by me is still officially June 5th. The doctor's due date is still officially June 9th (calcualation methods are slightly different). He has said that, if all is still going well, he's willing to wait until 38 weeks to induce, but doesn't want to wait any longer and jeopardize the health of the baby. So we're looking at around May 26th for the induction. I'm hoping that Bud decides to come a couple of weeks early on his/her own and that we can skip the whole induction, but we'll see....

My first fetal assessment (i.e. a more detailed ultrasound) is scheduled for February 17th. My understanding is that we will be able to find out the gender of the baby at this appointment and that we will also be able to take some pictures home (which I will definitely scan and post)! We're pretty excited about this appointment! After that I will be having monthly fetal assessments for the time being, but more frequent ones eventually.

On Thursday I had my appointment with my ophthalmologist to make sure all the growth hormones coursing through my body aren't causing vascular growth in my eyes again. I got the all-clear! Everything looked good and he didn't see anything that looked out of order! Whew! I don't see him again now until early May.

Oh, and my belly button is now flat. It's neither innie nor outie.

And now, this week's Bud Facts, courtesy of www.babycenter.ca:
- Bud weighs a little over one pound / 500 grams and measures about 11.4" / 29cm from crown to heel.
-Bud's hearing is well established and he/she can make out a distorted version of my voice, the beating of my heart, and my stomach rumblings. Loud noises heard in utero, such as the barking of a dog or the roar of a vacuum cleaner, probably won't bother Bud when he/she hears them outside the womb.
- Numerous studies indicate that Bud may prefer classical music. (I haven't played piano for him/her yet, but maybe I should!)
- Bud's lungs are developing to prepare for breathing.
- If Bud were to be born now, he/she would have a good chance of survival (about 85%) with the right care. Advances in science and technology now mean that a 24-week-old baby can grow outside the womb if necessary.


That's all for this week!

22 Weeks & 0 Days

It was another fairly uneventful week.

I've been craving fruit like CRAZY! Thankfully Sobeys has had good produce lately...apples, pineapple, strawberries, grapes, blackberries...mmmmm....!

I dropped my nausea meds (Diclectin) by one/day again this week and am now down to two/day. I did seem to notice a slight bit of nausea from dropping this one, so I might just leave it at two/day for the forseeable future instead of trying to wean myself off of the last two.

I am now REALLY feeling Bud moving around! Today he/she has been especially busy kicking me in the gut! He/she is usually awake for a bit in the early morning, and then almost every day around 12:30 or 1:00pm, and then again around bedtime. Today it was more like every 2 hours, though! We're going to have our hands full! Every now and then I can even feel the kicks on the outside, but it's pretty rare, so Martin hasn't had a chance to feel it yet. Maybe soon. This is pretty early to be feeling it on the outside, but the kicks are STRONG sometimes! (I may have a UFC fighter in there!)

This week we also set up the stroller and high chair that we bought last week, and we got a whole bunch of toys from a friend of mine from work - for free!

Last weekend I set up another pregnancy blog. This one relates primarily to the diabetic aspects of pregnancy. My diabetes nurse educator asked if I'd be willing to set up a public blog (to be distributed to a group of young adult diabetics in Winnipeg) to tell about my experiences with diabetes and pregnancy. Other than diabetes info, there's nothing in that blog that's not in this one, but if you're interested, you can check it out at www.pregnantbethany.blogspot.com.

Ok, so maybe it was a somewhat eventful week. ;)

Here's today's Bud facts:

- Bud weighs almost 1 pound / 430 grams and measures nearly 11" / 27cm (crown to heel).
- Bud is proportioned like a newborn now, but is a bit thinner since his/her baby fat hasn't developed yet. His/her skin still appears wrinkled because he/she needs to gain more weight.
- Bud's lips are distinct and the eyes are formed, though the iris still lacks pigment.
- Bud's pancreas is developing steadily.
- Bud's teeth are appearing in the form of tooth buds beneath the gum lines.

And finally - here is my 22 week picture! (My shirt still does fit - it's just pulled up funny in front.)