Greetings

     So, if anyone out there was actually keeping up with this blog, I bet you thought I had the baby early, right?  Wrong!  He is still cooking for two more days!  So, what's been going on all this time?  Stress, that's what.  Right before Christmas my mom came to stay with us and became very ill while she was here.  She spent almost a month in the hospital, and I let my own activities (like blogging) fall by the wayside.
     Since my last post Mom has had a whipple procedure, a very serious surgery to treat pancreatic cancer.  She is home with me now, and feeling better, but will face the battle against cancer as soon as she is recovered enough for chemo and/or radiation.
     Also, I was in a car accident where another driver ran a red light and I couldn't avoid hitting her.  I ended up in the same hospital as my mother a floor down with contractions.  Luckily I wasn't othewise injured and baby was ok.  Since then there have been a few scares where I thought I was having this baby right away.
     So, now here I am two days out from my schedule c-section.  Every night the past few nights I've had contractions that I thought would send me to the hospital.  But I have hung in there because I must.  I have to get my mom to the doctor today.  And I have to wait until my aunt flies in to help us out tomorrow.  I've been lying down as much as I can and drinking as much water as I can force down.  The past month has been more stressful than I thought I could ever handle.  But I've done it, and I can do it.  And I've learned that I'm a lot stronger than I thought I was.  My next post will most likely contain a picture of a baby.  Love you all.

Baby Shower Decorum

     Last week a friend of ours held a shower for my friend, Christy, who is expecting about 4 weeks before we are.  It was a lovely, low-key sort of party that was really more of a girls' night in rather than a shower.  It was a lot of fun, but why - you may ask- did she not get a blowout shower like I did?  Because she has a child who is not yet three years old.  It was only upon the insistence of her close friends that there was a shower at all.
     I think this is an outdated custom we are best rid of.  Traditionally, you only get a shower for your first child, or sometimes if many years separate your children like mine (8.5 years).  It is assumed that you still have everything that you will need.  But babies are expensive.  There is always something you have given away or lost.  And what about diapers?  Wipes?  Formula?  And most of all --- what about the celebration of bringing a new life into this world.  It's just an exciting time.  Every expecting mom deserves a shower, whether it's her first child or her tenth.  We need to rewrite those etiquette books.  Who's with me?

Oy!

     I have a cold.  A big one.  No big deal, it happens.  But I can't stop coughing, and it appears that I have pulled a muscle in my giant stretched-out belly. Twice today I've had the dreaded "sneeze and scream".  Between the pregnancy and my blood pressure issues I can't really take anything, not that cough medicine has ever really helped me anyway.  So I plan on making some preggo-friendly hot toddies tonight before bed with hot water, lemon juice, and honey.  I sure hope it helps.  Feels like I'm being stabbed in the side every time I have the teeniest cough.  Looks like I'll be waiting out this bitch of a cold.

What Have I Been Doing?

     I just realized that I haven't posted in a couple of weeks.  Where the heck have I been?  Busy, I suppose.  And forgetful.  And as usual---a little worried.  That's just what I do.  At last week's doctor visit the nurse asked the doctor to come in and listen to the baby's heart on the Doppler because baby wouldn't be still long enough for her to listen.  Or at least that was her excuse.  When the doc came in she looked very worried and said that it sounded like the baby's heart at skipped several beats in just those few seconds.  She rushed me in for an emergency ultrasound while I silently freaked out.  We listened and watched baby's heart as he played around and practiced breathing.  Didn't know babies did that!  At that time, they only noticed one skipped beat in several minutes and the doctor also confirmed that if it was skipping at least it wasn't skipped in a crazy way as it would if there were an electrical problem.  But still, had to schedule a session on a heart monitor for the following week.  At about this same time I got the news that I had failed my glucose screening.  Ugh!
     So, this week has been busy.  Yesterday I got to do the glucose test again, but this time my blood was taken four times in three hours while I hung out in a waiting room for most of the morning.  Then today I went back to listen to baby's heart again.  Good news.  His heart sounds perfect.  Can't be thankful enough.  One thing to erase from my worry list.

     Also, had our baby shower!  The first I have heard of to be thrown by a man!  That's right, a male friend of Matt and me held the shower at his home.  He had it catered by our country club, and everything went off beautifully.  We had a great turnout, and got the most amazing gifts, and we feel so fortunate to have friends like we do.

Doctor Visit at the Scary Time :-O

     Yesterday I had my 28 week checkup.  It went well.  Very well.  So why do I drive myself crazy?  They did the glucose test to check for gestational diabetes.  Not so worried about that.  I really don't think I have it, and if I do...well...I know several people who did and it's fine as long as you're careful and follow doctor's orders.  They also did an ultrasound, where we got to see my darling baby boy sucking on his hands like a madman.  He's hungry, clearly, and can't wait to get out and get some real chow.  Baby looks great.  So, why am I worried?  My cervical length is back down to 3.1.  Doc says it's fine as long as it's over three.  But a few weeks ago it was at 4.3, so it has shrunk back down considerably.  However, it was right at three before then even early on, so I really shouldn't worry as long as my doctor doesn't...right?  Wrong.  I worry because that's what I do.  However, I will be a frequent flyer for the next month or so.  This is the precise time that I went into preterm labor with my son.  And he was born about a week and a half from now, so that's the reason for all my worry and the doctor's concern.  Can't imagine going through that again, and putting a wee baby through it.  So here's to keeping him in there!

     I've also completed my baby registry at Target.  I don't remember what I'll need, and I didn't use a list because they are so padded with things that they don't need but that the store really wants you to buy.  So I just took my registry gun and went down the aisles and registered for my favorite one of everything.  We are just going to have to figure it out as it comes.  I'm like a clueless new mom again.  But that's ok.  My first boy helped me to finally grow up.  And this one will keep me young.

How To Tell?

     The biggest contributor to my delivering early in my first pregnancy was that I had already dilated by the time I knew what was happening and an infection got into my uterus.  I had dilated not because of active labor, but apparently due to contractions that had been happening about once or twice daily over the course of many weeks.  I simply did not recognize them for what they were.  I had thought that it was the baby moving and stretching.  Doctors, books, and online info all said not to worry unless I felt more than four or five contractions in one hour.  I never did.  Not even close.  The only way I knew to call the doctor was when I saw a spot of blood, and by then it was too late and I had already dilated one centimeter.
     Now, much older and wiser, I think I can tell the difference.  I think.  I have started to get a similar "bunching up" sensation that I did in my first pregnancy.  I really don't think it's contractions, although if it is I'm in trouble, as I'm having several a day.  I asked the doctor about it before, and she said that not only is it probably just the baby moving, but that Braxton-Hicks contractions are much more common in second (and third, fourth, etc.) pregnancies.  How do I know?  So far, I'm listening to my instincts and I really think I'm ok.  And the progesterone shots are keeping my cervix strong so far, when it wasn't before.  But it's terrifying, as within a few days I'll be at 28 weeks, which is when I went into labor before.  And then delivered at 30.  All I can do is listen to my body and to baby and trust that if something is wrong that I'll know.  Anyone have any light to shed on this?

Kicking, Joe, and Harry

     I must say, our Halloween costumes were a hit.  Those of you who are fans of the movie "Joe Dirt"  will appreciate the fact that not only did we allow our eight-year-old to watch the movie (we did fast forward through a questionable scene or two), but we insisted that he dress up as Joe for Halloween.  Luckily he was more than willing.  The result was the most adorable version of the character I've ever seen.

     Hilarious.  We borrowed the wig from a friend who was Joe a few years ago, and I used some eyeliner to do the goatee and  voila!  How cute is that?

     The obvious costume choice for me was to go as Joe's friend Kicking Wing, since even with a pregnant belly I evidently look like a Native American man.  I borrowed the western style shirt and the cowboy hat, and went to the nearest movie theater to get 3-D glasses so that I could pop out the lenses.  Where else was I going to find glasses that clunky?  Then I took three minutes to braid my hair and I must say I looked pretty damn perfect, don't you agree?

   
      We were unable to convince my husband to go as Joe's lady love, Brandy.  I think the thought of wearing Daisy Duke shorts was just too much for him to deal with.  He decided on a whim to go as Harry Potter.  We made quite the crew to our friends' Halloween party on Saturday.

     The following day we went to Boyd's Orchard in Versailles, Kentucky for a birthday party for a friend of Ridley's.  It was a gorgeous day for it, and I highly recommend the place for anyone who will be near central Kentucky before it gets too cold to enjoy the outdoors.  The gorgeous farm has a corn maze, pumpkin patch, hayrides, a petting zoo, restaurant, and lots of farm-made goods for sale.
     I had been feeling lots of soreness and a little pressure in my lower abdomen since the previous day.  I knew I would be walking around a good bit, so I decided to try the belly band again.  I really think it helped quite a bit.  After just a short time wearing my Motherhood Maternity Belly Band, I noticed that the soreness was gone.  And as I was going to bed last night it hit me that I didn't have any back pain at all.  Score one for the belly band!  I will definitely be using it from now on when I know I'll be on my feet.

Belly Bands

     I finally sucked it up and bought a belly band.  I had some extra bucks from Motherhood Maternity that I needed to use.  They have a pretty good deal where if you spend $75 in there you get $30 to use toward purchases within a certain time period later.  They had a few different types of store brands and a couple of outside brands available.  Since I had $30, I went for the $29.99 Motherhood Maternity band that was shown to me by the very nice salesgirl.

     It is apparently the "ultimate" one as opposed to the more standard belt that was $19.99.  They really didn't look all that different, but they didn't have the cheaper one in my size.  We had Ridley's school carnival to attend that night and I knew I would be walking around a lot, which gives me back pain and pressure in my lower abdomen.  This thing was a little difficult to put on because there are so many adjustable straps, all with velcro, and they kept getting stuck in the wrong places as I was trying to get it on.  But after I managed to strap it firmly below my bulging belly, I yanked up my maternity "skinny" jeans over it and left for the carnival.  I discovered pretty quickly that if the straps aren't aligned absolutely perfectly that there is a tremendous amount of discomfort due to the misaligned edges jabbing into your belly as you move around.  It also didn't seem to make a whole lot of difference in how my belly and back felt.  I'm willing to give it another shot, though, as I really am not all that big yet.  I may really be thankful for that extra support a couple of months down the road.  So my conclusion is that I just don't know yet.  Anything that is even rumored to help prevent preterm labor is something that I'm willing to keep trying.  And I have a friend who swears that it really helped her back.  So, I will be trying it again the next time I will be on my feet and reporting back. 

To Clothe the Bump

     I finally broke down and bought some new maternity clothes at Motherhood Maternity.  I was starting to get made fun of for wearing the same two shirts every day.  I think I have the pants covered for the rest of this pregnancy.  I have two pairs of black leggings and two pairs of dark skinny jeans that aren't in the least bit skinny.  I now have five tops, all short sleeved.  I figure that I can mix and match with sweaters and jackets to make them really last.  I never wear dresses in the winter anyway, so unless I get invited to a special function or heaven forbid someone dies and I have to attend a funeral I won't be buying any dresses. 
     I've elected not to post any photos of me wearing any of these clothes.  I must say that my get-up-and-go when it comes to personal grooming (not hygiene, I still shower and brush my teeth) has got up and absolutely went.  I'll consider posting some if I decide to put some effort into my appearance, but it just isn't very likely.  I'm fully aware that I will look like death on a cracker for the next six months to a year.  On that note, if anyone has some old maternity clothes lying around please send them my way!  Or for that matter, any baby stuff.  Or...anything really.
     Anyone care to comment on their pregnancy wardrobe or lack thereof?

Thank You Progesterone!

     I am so thankful for progesterone shots and the researchers and medical community that made them possible.  In the one month that I have received weekly shots my cervical length has gone from a somewhat concerning 2.9cm to a fantastic 4.3cm.  My doctors are encouraged and I am over the moon.  I feel like I can relax just a little and actually enjoy my pregnancy now.  I am at 20 weeks, which is the timeframe that I began having issues in my first pregnancy.  I'm starting to think that I may make it to week 40 this time, and get to bring baby home with me instead of leaving him in the NICU for 5 weeks.  This pregnancy has been 100% different from my first, and I'm thankful for that as long as I get the same final result, which is another perfect child.
     For those of you who have asked me about the belly band, I still haven't gotten one.  I will definitely do so, but with this recent good news I think I will put it off just a few weeks longer until I really need it.  That way I can hopefully really feel the difference it makes.  More on that subject later.  Until then, hang in there ladies!

Belly Bands

     Helloooo, hope everyone had a great Labor Day weekend.  I know we did.  Didn't do much, just some football (which I could care less about) and hanging with friends and chowing down (which I care a lot about).

     So, I'm thinking of getting a belly band for some belly support, not that I need much yet.  I have heard that they are believed to help prevent preterm labor by relieving some of the pressure off the cervix.  I haven't asked the high risk pregnancy specialists I'm seeing about it, but I will.  I figure it can't hurt anyway, right?  There seems to be two basic types.  First is the very basic band that seems to be more for making clothes fit better and for postpartum tummy flattening than for support.  This one is by Be.  Anyone know if this provides any support at all?

     The other type looks like it really could hoist your tummy up there.  I'm not even sure how this would work under most types of clothing.  I would probably only wear it when I would be doing lots of walking or standing.  Here is one by Gabrialla.

     I've also seen some really nice ones from Upsie and Wayfair.  From the feedback I've seen on Amazon, it looks like these might really work.  But I have yet to hear a physician suggest them or even a pregnancy magazine or book.  Does anyone have any input on these?

Progesterone Shots and Veggie Protein

     So, I got my first Progesterone shot yesterday.  Miraculously, my insurance covered half.  I wasn't expecting it to cover diddly, so it was a good day.  The pharmacist was so apologetic about the terrible pain I was having to put myself through once a week.  He balked at the fact that I was considering self-injecting or having my husband do it.  He then insisted I go to my doctor's office and have a nurse show me how to do it.  I drove straight to my doctor's office, anxious to get this show on the road and get through my first bout of agony.  The nurse explained that the shots were so painful because they are an oil as opposed to a liquid, so that's some pretty thick juice to be forcing through your skin.  So I got into position with all my weight on the leg not attached to the buttcheek that was receiving the shot and braced myself.  I flinched considerably at the alcohol wipe.  And then...nothing.  It didn't hurt a single bit.  I was warned I may get a knot at the injection site and start to get really sore that night.  Nope.  Nothing.  Thank God.


    So, on a completely different note, has anyone tried this Lightlife Smart Ground veggie protein crumbles?  I am not a vegetarian, and I love this stuff.  Even my highly carnivorous son loves it.

    
     It's especially yum when mixed into a sauce, like spaghetti.  Tonight we made quesadillas and it was good, but if you get a big bite of the plain meat it's ever-so-slightly noticeable that it isn't meat.  But whatever.   It's good and it's good for you.  So eat it. 

The Little Guy

     Well, not sure if you can quite make that out, but that's a nose, not a penis.  However, we did find out that our little peep is a boy.  I asked the doctor about that single contraction that I had felt, and she was reassuring without being dismissive.  Told me to just come to the office if I ever really got freaked out by anything going on in there.  Everything else looked good.  I was concerned about cervical length, as mine is very short, but it checked out ok.  And baby is just the right size and is moving around like crazy. 

     I see that I've had a few lurkers on here.  Please please please comment!  I'd love to hear if anyone else is or has gone through a high risk pregnancy.

     Apologies for the crappy quality of the photo, but oh how I do hate to have my picture taken.  Here I am at exactly 16 weeks.  I'm so much smaller with this baby than I was with my son!  I felt a contraction over the weekend and am extremely anxious for my doctor visit on Tuesday. I'm hoping it was just Braxton-Hicks.  I understand they can start around this time when it isn't your first pregnancy.  I've googled the heck out of it, of course, and apparently with just one contraction like that it is typically nothing to worry about.  But looking back to my previous pregnancy having about one contraction a day for a few weeks led to me going into labor at 28 weeks.  Sheesh.  I'd feel so much better if I could just do a full checkup at the doc's about every other day. 

     So, anyway, that's how my Saturday started.  It ended with a lot less stress.  Hubby and I had a night out on the town.  We had had a late lunch so we weren't hungry, and well...not a lot else for a preggy to do but eat, right?  So Matt had a couple Miller Lites and I had some water.  Just before going home we shared some mediocre spring rolls.  But people watching in downtown Lexington is always interesting.  And if you've never been to Lexington (KY) we have a truly beautiful downtown with some incredibly beautiful restaurants and bars.

     The first photo is the gorgeous tray ceiling at Shakespeare and Co, which is a gorgeous bar and restaurant serving food often having an Eastern twist.  They also have the most incredible coffees from all over the world, which I abstained from like a good girl.  The remaining two photos are of Belllini's, which is an incredible Italian-style restaurant serving some of the best food I've ever tasted.  Dammit, how I wished I was hungry!  We sat outside and watched all the lovely young people walk by as I sipped my delicious water with lemon.