Ok, so the time continues to get closer and closer. I'm starting to think it won't get here fast enough though. Brooklyn's Grandma Belinda took me around to all my appointments this morning. I had another ultrasound at 7:30 in the morning to measure the amount of fluid around Brooklyn. She is really out of room to move now, which explains why her feet are in my ribs all the time. The fluid amount went back up from last week from 8.1 to 9.2. Dr. Fletcher said the count is always higher in the morning and decreases through the day, but that I am maintaining a healthy level, so she thinks everything is fine.
After my ultrasound at 7:30 in the morning, I had to go upstairs to have another NST, Non Stress Test, done. I passed that fine. This time the chart actually picked up some small contractions that I have been having. I have been having random contractions off and on all morning though, especially when I am laying down.
When we were done with the stress test we headed over to Dr. Fletcher's office for my 9 o'clock appointment. Surprisingly enough, we got right in to see the doctor. They told me all my tests came back fine. My blood pressure was good and Brooklyn's heart beat was about 150 when we were at the doctor's office. Dr. Fletcher told me that I am not dilated to a loose three, which I am guessing is going into a 4 almost. She said I was 50% effaced and that Brooklyn was stationed at a negative 2, which means she is no longer just floating around and is down in position.
SO, with all of that being said, I could possible have Brooklyn any day now, or she could just wait until next Tuesday, December 2nd to be induced. Either way, we are less than a week away now. I have fully accepted the fact that the chances of me being in the hospital over Thanksgiving and even Black Friday have dramatically increased. Hopefully she will at least hold out until Saturday so I can still have turkey and pumpkin pie, and then go shopping Friday morning. Today was my last doctor appointment with Dr. Fletcher though until Brooklyn arrives. I have another NST to do on Thursday morning as long as I don't have her. Then next Tuesday I have to be at the hospital at 7 in the morning for them to induce.
If I don't stop having contractions here soon we might need to go to the hospital again though to see what is going on. I can't seem to get really get a timing on the contractions. I just know that I am having them. We shall see what happens though!
Love,
Jennifer
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Thursday, November 20, 2008
35 Week Doctor Appointment
Dale and I went in for our doctor appointment this morning at 9 o'clock. I think it's so funny how when he is with me we barely ever have to wait. There was only one other person in the waiting room ahead of us, so we were called back not long after we got there.
They did all the usual vital stuff and tests. Took my weight, still good, (not going to share that one!) and her heart beat was still in the average range. I measured out at 35 weeks and my blood pressure was 137/74, which was a little higher than it usually is when I go in, but still not bad.
Dr. Fletcher came in joking with me about how I just don't want to produce any extra fluid and proceeded to explain to Dale and I what was going on. She told me my fluid count was lower, at an 8, but that it was nothing to worry about at the moment. She explained to us why the fluid was so low. She said the placenta is like an egg timer. It only goes so long before it decides it's done with the whole pregnancy thing. Well the placenta is what provides the blood flow to the baby. So when it decides that it's done the blood flow to the baby decreases. From there, there baby realizes that it's not getting enough blood flow and to protect itself, rushes it's blood supply to it's head to protect it's brain. In doing this, it means that the baby's kidneys aren't producing as much as they usually would. Basically, amniotic fluid is baby pee. So when the baby's kidneys are producing enough fluid, then the fluid starts to run low, which puts the baby at a higher risk the lower and lower the fluid gets. The fluid is vital for the baby to be able to move around and function.
Dr. Fletcher told me that since I was at an 8 that I was still ok for the time being, but that she feels that I shouldn't go any longer than 37 weeks, or the first week in December, which is why they set a date to induce labor just in case she wouldn't come before that period of time. When Dale asked why they couldn't just induce me today she told us because the risk of delivering a baby at 35 weeks who might not be ready is much greater than delivering a baby at 37 weeks. At 35 weeks, Brooklyn's lungs might not still be completely developed because my body wouldn't have given her that last natural dosage of steroids like it would naturally verses inducing. Also, babies at 35 weeks can not control their body temperature near as well as a baby at 37 weeks. So all and all, it was safer for me to wait as long as possible because being an 8 fluid wise was not causing the baby any harm. Had I been a 5, then she would take Brooklyn immediately.
So to keep and eye on everything, I now have to go in every Tuesday and Thursday to the hospital to have a NST done. She said she will be able to tell from this test whether or not the baby is stressing out. I also have to have a BPP, or Bio Physical Profile, AKA ultrasound, done every Tuesday as well to measure the amount of fluid and her weight. When I asked the doctor about her weight gain she said she was not worried about it at all. That babies grow in spurts and that there was always room for a little error in those weight measurements.
The next thing we discussed with her was whether or not I needed to continue taking my medication for the contractions. She told me no! She said not to worry about taking any more of the medicine because if I have Brooklyn, then I have her. As far as bed rest, she did tell me to take it easy still and that laying around wouldn't hurt me. Dale asked if that meant I couldn't get out because I was dying to go shopping for baby stuff. Dr. Fletcher said to go ahead and that it was fine for me to do all of that. If doing so sends me into labor, then oh well. She said she didn't have a problem if I went into natural labor because that was my body telling itself that it was time. If it's time, then it's time, so be it because my uterus is a lot smarter than she is!
She said that she is not on call this weekend, but if something happens over the weekend, that she has it written on my charts for the hospital to call her first. She is on call over Thanksgiving, so if something happens then, she'll be there. She then checked my cervix and everything and said I was still dilated to a 2 at this point. She ran some other tests and told me that she would see me next week on Tuesday since they would be closed for Thanksgiving on Thursday.
I also asked her why I wasn't able to eat too much without feeling like I was going to get sick. She told me that my stomach was literally up in my chest like I was feeling and that with the baby pushing on it all the time it has shrunk. With that being said, I need to eat 6 smaller meals a day instead of bigger meals otherwise I will make myself sick. Yay! I have never been so hungry but so unable to drink or eat anything in my life! I just hope I will be able to handle Thanksgiving! I am SO looking forward to turkey and pie!
Anyway, after we left the doctors office we had to go to the hospital so they could run a NST on me. After about 30 minutes of me laying there listening to Brooklyn's heart pound like a race horse and feeling her kick the crap out of me, they let us go. They said everything looked fine and that they would see me on Tuesday whenever I decided to come in. As for next Thursday, they said whenever I wanted to come in would be fine also and that I just needed to schedule my BPP with radiology before I left.
So my doctor appointment schedule for the next week is really nice. Now given that I don't have Brooklyn sometime this weekend, I have to be at the hospital around 7/ 7:15 in the morning next Tuesday for my 7:30 ultrasound. From there I have to go upstairs to have another NST done. After I am done with that I have to head over to Dr. Fletcher's office for my routine doctor appointment at 9 am. That should be nice since their last appointment that day is at noon because of the holiday weekend and the lady at the front desk went ahead and double booked us so we could get an earlier time. So I will probably be waiting a while there. Then sometime Thanksgiving day I have to run up to the hospital to have another NST done. All of this makes for a very busy week.
Anyway, with me being off of bed rest now, which I am SO excited about, Dale and I are finally going to be able to go to Wal-Mart and finish our baby shopping. I didn't think I would ever say this, but I can't wait to go to Wal-Mart!!
That is about it for my day so far though. I still need to talk about the baby shower, but I will have to do that another time because I need to get my bags ready for the hospital now just in case something happens!
Love,
Jennifer
They did all the usual vital stuff and tests. Took my weight, still good, (not going to share that one!) and her heart beat was still in the average range. I measured out at 35 weeks and my blood pressure was 137/74, which was a little higher than it usually is when I go in, but still not bad.
Dr. Fletcher came in joking with me about how I just don't want to produce any extra fluid and proceeded to explain to Dale and I what was going on. She told me my fluid count was lower, at an 8, but that it was nothing to worry about at the moment. She explained to us why the fluid was so low. She said the placenta is like an egg timer. It only goes so long before it decides it's done with the whole pregnancy thing. Well the placenta is what provides the blood flow to the baby. So when it decides that it's done the blood flow to the baby decreases. From there, there baby realizes that it's not getting enough blood flow and to protect itself, rushes it's blood supply to it's head to protect it's brain. In doing this, it means that the baby's kidneys aren't producing as much as they usually would. Basically, amniotic fluid is baby pee. So when the baby's kidneys are producing enough fluid, then the fluid starts to run low, which puts the baby at a higher risk the lower and lower the fluid gets. The fluid is vital for the baby to be able to move around and function.
Dr. Fletcher told me that since I was at an 8 that I was still ok for the time being, but that she feels that I shouldn't go any longer than 37 weeks, or the first week in December, which is why they set a date to induce labor just in case she wouldn't come before that period of time. When Dale asked why they couldn't just induce me today she told us because the risk of delivering a baby at 35 weeks who might not be ready is much greater than delivering a baby at 37 weeks. At 35 weeks, Brooklyn's lungs might not still be completely developed because my body wouldn't have given her that last natural dosage of steroids like it would naturally verses inducing. Also, babies at 35 weeks can not control their body temperature near as well as a baby at 37 weeks. So all and all, it was safer for me to wait as long as possible because being an 8 fluid wise was not causing the baby any harm. Had I been a 5, then she would take Brooklyn immediately.
So to keep and eye on everything, I now have to go in every Tuesday and Thursday to the hospital to have a NST done. She said she will be able to tell from this test whether or not the baby is stressing out. I also have to have a BPP, or Bio Physical Profile, AKA ultrasound, done every Tuesday as well to measure the amount of fluid and her weight. When I asked the doctor about her weight gain she said she was not worried about it at all. That babies grow in spurts and that there was always room for a little error in those weight measurements.
The next thing we discussed with her was whether or not I needed to continue taking my medication for the contractions. She told me no! She said not to worry about taking any more of the medicine because if I have Brooklyn, then I have her. As far as bed rest, she did tell me to take it easy still and that laying around wouldn't hurt me. Dale asked if that meant I couldn't get out because I was dying to go shopping for baby stuff. Dr. Fletcher said to go ahead and that it was fine for me to do all of that. If doing so sends me into labor, then oh well. She said she didn't have a problem if I went into natural labor because that was my body telling itself that it was time. If it's time, then it's time, so be it because my uterus is a lot smarter than she is!
She said that she is not on call this weekend, but if something happens over the weekend, that she has it written on my charts for the hospital to call her first. She is on call over Thanksgiving, so if something happens then, she'll be there. She then checked my cervix and everything and said I was still dilated to a 2 at this point. She ran some other tests and told me that she would see me next week on Tuesday since they would be closed for Thanksgiving on Thursday.
I also asked her why I wasn't able to eat too much without feeling like I was going to get sick. She told me that my stomach was literally up in my chest like I was feeling and that with the baby pushing on it all the time it has shrunk. With that being said, I need to eat 6 smaller meals a day instead of bigger meals otherwise I will make myself sick. Yay! I have never been so hungry but so unable to drink or eat anything in my life! I just hope I will be able to handle Thanksgiving! I am SO looking forward to turkey and pie!
Anyway, after we left the doctors office we had to go to the hospital so they could run a NST on me. After about 30 minutes of me laying there listening to Brooklyn's heart pound like a race horse and feeling her kick the crap out of me, they let us go. They said everything looked fine and that they would see me on Tuesday whenever I decided to come in. As for next Thursday, they said whenever I wanted to come in would be fine also and that I just needed to schedule my BPP with radiology before I left.
So my doctor appointment schedule for the next week is really nice. Now given that I don't have Brooklyn sometime this weekend, I have to be at the hospital around 7/ 7:15 in the morning next Tuesday for my 7:30 ultrasound. From there I have to go upstairs to have another NST done. After I am done with that I have to head over to Dr. Fletcher's office for my routine doctor appointment at 9 am. That should be nice since their last appointment that day is at noon because of the holiday weekend and the lady at the front desk went ahead and double booked us so we could get an earlier time. So I will probably be waiting a while there. Then sometime Thanksgiving day I have to run up to the hospital to have another NST done. All of this makes for a very busy week.
Anyway, with me being off of bed rest now, which I am SO excited about, Dale and I are finally going to be able to go to Wal-Mart and finish our baby shopping. I didn't think I would ever say this, but I can't wait to go to Wal-Mart!!
That is about it for my day so far though. I still need to talk about the baby shower, but I will have to do that another time because I need to get my bags ready for the hospital now just in case something happens!
Love,
Jennifer
Wednesday Worries
Big news for a non doctor appointment day. After my ultrasound Tuesday, Dale and I had some concerns about how little weight Brooklyn had gained in a weeks time. So I called and left a message with the nurses at my doctors office to see if they could have the doctor check into the results of the ultrasound because I was worried and wanted to make sure everything was still going ok.
It wasn't until later that afternoon when one of the nurses called me back. They said that Dr. Fletcher had been in surgery all day, but that they got the results back in and had messaged her with the fluid count results. It turns out that my initial thought of my fluid count being lower was right. I went from a 9 from the week before to an 8 for this week. They said it still wasn't dangerously low, so there wasn't any immediately danger or anything to worry about. The nurse told me that Dr. Fletcher would go over everything in detail with me tomorrow, Thursday, at my doctor's appointment and that she hadn't looked at the actual ultrasounds yet, but that she wanted to start getting the ball rolling on what was going to need to be done.
Apparently, since m fluid count continues to decrease, Dr. Fletcher now wants me to go in twice a week now to get a NST, Non Stress Test, done so she can monitor Brooklyn's heart beat and stress levels to make sure she is getting enough blood supply needed to function. She also wants me to continue my once a week ultrasound until Brooklyn arrives so she can keep a close eye on the fluid amount.
When I asked the nurse about the weight problem she said she wasn't sure because she hadn't noticed or asked the doctor about that because the main concern was the amount of fluid. She told me she would ask one of the other doctors in the office and call me back if they felt it was a big concern that needed to be addressed at that moment. She told me if she didn't call me back then I could just address the issue with Dr. Fletcher tomorrow morning.
With that being said, we ended out phone conversation and I called Dale and the grandmothers to let them know what was going on. In the middle of my phone conversation with Dale's mom Belinda, my cell phone rang. It was Dr. Fletcher's office and I became really nervous. When I answered it was the nurse again. She said that she hadn't had a chance to talk with the other doctor about the weight yet. She was calling me back because Dr. Fletcher had gotten with another one of the nurses and wanted her to go ahead and set me up to be induced!! Yeah! Induced! The nurse told me that Dr. Fletcher did not want me to go anywhere past 37 weeks before they would induce me, so she was going to call the hospital and schedule me for a date sometime in the first week of December and then call me back and let me know. When she called me back she said they had me on the books at the hospital for December 2, 2008. I needed to be at the hospital at 7 that morning for them to start the process. I was kind of in shock because setting an actual date made everything so much more real!
The nurse told me I would talk with Dr. Fletcher more the next day about everything, but that if and when she took me off of my medication Brooklyn didn't come by December 2nd, that she would definitely be here on that day, no later! So everyone, less than two weeks before we have a baby here. I went ahead and changed the due date on the count down from December 22nd, 2008, to December 2nd, 2008 so it is a little more accurate. Anyway, that is what happened on Wednesday. It made for a very interesting day! The day we found out for sure when Brooklyn would be here by! Everyone is really excited and nervous now, including me! I can't wait though!
Love,
Jennifer
It wasn't until later that afternoon when one of the nurses called me back. They said that Dr. Fletcher had been in surgery all day, but that they got the results back in and had messaged her with the fluid count results. It turns out that my initial thought of my fluid count being lower was right. I went from a 9 from the week before to an 8 for this week. They said it still wasn't dangerously low, so there wasn't any immediately danger or anything to worry about. The nurse told me that Dr. Fletcher would go over everything in detail with me tomorrow, Thursday, at my doctor's appointment and that she hadn't looked at the actual ultrasounds yet, but that she wanted to start getting the ball rolling on what was going to need to be done.
Apparently, since m fluid count continues to decrease, Dr. Fletcher now wants me to go in twice a week now to get a NST, Non Stress Test, done so she can monitor Brooklyn's heart beat and stress levels to make sure she is getting enough blood supply needed to function. She also wants me to continue my once a week ultrasound until Brooklyn arrives so she can keep a close eye on the fluid amount.
When I asked the nurse about the weight problem she said she wasn't sure because she hadn't noticed or asked the doctor about that because the main concern was the amount of fluid. She told me she would ask one of the other doctors in the office and call me back if they felt it was a big concern that needed to be addressed at that moment. She told me if she didn't call me back then I could just address the issue with Dr. Fletcher tomorrow morning.
With that being said, we ended out phone conversation and I called Dale and the grandmothers to let them know what was going on. In the middle of my phone conversation with Dale's mom Belinda, my cell phone rang. It was Dr. Fletcher's office and I became really nervous. When I answered it was the nurse again. She said that she hadn't had a chance to talk with the other doctor about the weight yet. She was calling me back because Dr. Fletcher had gotten with another one of the nurses and wanted her to go ahead and set me up to be induced!! Yeah! Induced! The nurse told me that Dr. Fletcher did not want me to go anywhere past 37 weeks before they would induce me, so she was going to call the hospital and schedule me for a date sometime in the first week of December and then call me back and let me know. When she called me back she said they had me on the books at the hospital for December 2, 2008. I needed to be at the hospital at 7 that morning for them to start the process. I was kind of in shock because setting an actual date made everything so much more real!
The nurse told me I would talk with Dr. Fletcher more the next day about everything, but that if and when she took me off of my medication Brooklyn didn't come by December 2nd, that she would definitely be here on that day, no later! So everyone, less than two weeks before we have a baby here. I went ahead and changed the due date on the count down from December 22nd, 2008, to December 2nd, 2008 so it is a little more accurate. Anyway, that is what happened on Wednesday. It made for a very interesting day! The day we found out for sure when Brooklyn would be here by! Everyone is really excited and nervous now, including me! I can't wait though!
Love,
Jennifer
Tuesday Ultrasound
So part of my doctor's preventative care is going to get an ultrasound done every week now until Brooklyn is here to check the amount of fluid. I went this past Tuesday, November 18th, so the doctor would have the results in by my Thursday appointment. For the most part, everything seemed to be ok. Brooklyn was moving around and still healthy. Her heart beat was in it's usual 150-160 range. The ultrasound tech took all of her measurements to get her weight, and also measured out the pockets of fluid. After the tech took all the measurements, she told us her approximate weight was 5 pounds 1 ounce. This concerned me because that meant she ad only gained 2 ounces in the past week. She is suppose to be gaining half a pound, or 8 ounces, a week now.
The tech couldn't tell me anything about the amount of fluid she measured, but I could tell that it didn't look like it was as much as the previous week. I also asked about her umbilical cord to see if they could tell if it was anywhere around her neck, just to make sure. They told me she is so crowded in my belly now that there really isn't a way to tell. As long as she continues to move around though she should be fine. So that was basically it for that day. They told me that they should have the results to the doctor's office by the next day, and I was free to go until next week.
Love,
Jennifer
The tech couldn't tell me anything about the amount of fluid she measured, but I could tell that it didn't look like it was as much as the previous week. I also asked about her umbilical cord to see if they could tell if it was anywhere around her neck, just to make sure. They told me she is so crowded in my belly now that there really isn't a way to tell. As long as she continues to move around though she should be fine. So that was basically it for that day. They told me that they should have the results to the doctor's office by the next day, and I was free to go until next week.
Love,
Jennifer
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Brooklyn & Momma at 35 Weeks
This is the most recent picture of me at 35 weeks pregnant with Brooklyn. I can't believe how much weight I have gained! My face looks so chubby now! Anyway, this picture was just taken yesterday, November 18th 2008. Look how big she has gotten!
Love,
Jennifer
Brooklyn Kicked Her Daddy!!
Before I forget what day it happened, I might as well go ahead and post about it even though it will be out of order with other events.
So Monday evening, Dale was laying his head on my belly and I was playing with his hair when all of a sudden Brooklyn kicked him! She did not like him being in her space I guess. It was pretty funny though that she got so upset at him that she kicked him in the head! After wards she gave herself the hiccups, which was pretty cool because Dale was able to lay on my belly and hear her have the hiccups. I just thought it was pretty funny because of how much of an attitude Brooklyn seems to have already and she's not even here yet. So now it's marked down in the pages of her history... the first time she kicked her daddy in the head, Monday, November 17, 2008! Haha!
Love,
Jennifer
So Monday evening, Dale was laying his head on my belly and I was playing with his hair when all of a sudden Brooklyn kicked him! She did not like him being in her space I guess. It was pretty funny though that she got so upset at him that she kicked him in the head! After wards she gave herself the hiccups, which was pretty cool because Dale was able to lay on my belly and hear her have the hiccups. I just thought it was pretty funny because of how much of an attitude Brooklyn seems to have already and she's not even here yet. So now it's marked down in the pages of her history... the first time she kicked her daddy in the head, Monday, November 17, 2008! Haha!
Love,
Jennifer
34 Week Doctor Appointment
Almost a week later, I have finally found some time to sit down and post about Brooklyn's last doctor appointment. Being almost a week later, and since SO much has happened since then, I know I'm not going to be able to remember everything in detail. I know, I know, I need to be better about keeping up with everything. It has just become so much harder to do the closer the time gets.
Anyway, my mom, Grandma Carrie took me to my appointment this time. For some reason, every time she takes me, we wind up having to wait forever. When Dale takes me, we never have to wait too long... it's weird. Dr. Fletcher was running behind AGAIN, what a surprise, I know. So I think we had to wait about an hour before we even got called back. Let's just say my appointment was at 10:30 in the morning and I didn't get to leave the office until almost 12:30ish that afternoon.
As for the usual vitals and stuff, everything was good. My blood pressure was still good and her heart beat was still up in the 150's. I also lost a pound over the week, which is awesome for me because I am trying hard to keep myself healthy and not gain a lot of extra weight.
So once we got back to the freezing cold room to see the doctor and got to wait a little longer, Dr. Fletcher came in with the results of my ultrasound from the Tuesday (November 11th) before. She told me she had some concerns because the fluid measurements came back low. She said for where I was in my pregnancy, 34 weeks, she wanted my fluid count to be around 12 (whatever the measurement term they use for fluid is). My fluid count was at 9. She said it wasn't dangerous, but that it was something she definitely wanted to keep an eye on. She informed me that if it were to get dramatically lower, like to 6 or 5, that she would have to take Brooklyn early. So to keep an eye on this problem, she wanted me to go in every week until Brooklyn arrives to have an ultrasound/ growth scan done. She wants to keep a close eye on how much fluid is around her and how much I might be losing.
Dr. Fletcher then told me that with her weight, 4 pounds 15 ounces, that it was enough to keep her out of NICU given that nothing else would go wrong. Next she got me set up to do a NST, or a Non-Stress Test. This test just consisted of them strapping a heart monitor to my belly as well as a monitor for my contractions. I had to stay hooked up to the monitor for over 20 minutes and had to press a button every time I felt Brooklyn move. Given that it was lunch time and I hadn't had a chance to eat before the appointment, Brooklyn was hungry. So she moved around a LOT! Every time I pressed the button for her movement, it would mark it on the heart rate sheet. What the doctor was watching out for was for her heart rate to go up after each of her movements. Once the NST was done, the doctor looked over the results and said that I just barely got by but that everything looked ok.
I also asked Dr. Fletcher about setting up a birth plan. She told me if I wanted to write one out that I might as well just plan to have a c-section. She said the majority of her patients who write out a birth plan wind up having to have a c-section. Then she went over what she does and what her rules are for the delivery. She said she was pretty easy going as wasn't one of the doctors what tried to force drugs on her patients or anything. She said basically her only rule was that I HAD to have an IV in case she needed to administer any drugs in case of an emergency. I knew that was a requirement already, but it is still something I am not looking forward to because they put their IVs right in the middle of your arm and they hurt!
The doctor also told me to start taking my higher dose of medicine every 4 hours now instead of every 6. The doctor checked me out also to make sure nothing else was going on and said I was still at a two, so I was still doing good.
Anyway, that was basically it, or at least that is all I can remember. My next appointment is tomorrow, Thursday, November 20th. I also had an ultrasound to check the fluid amount again which they got me in for yesterday. I will update everyone on that tomorrow though as well as the baby shower from this past weekend and Brooklyn kicking her daddy in the head AND developments from today and the doctor appointment tomorrow. So much to do, so little time!
Love,
Jennifer
Anyway, my mom, Grandma Carrie took me to my appointment this time. For some reason, every time she takes me, we wind up having to wait forever. When Dale takes me, we never have to wait too long... it's weird. Dr. Fletcher was running behind AGAIN, what a surprise, I know. So I think we had to wait about an hour before we even got called back. Let's just say my appointment was at 10:30 in the morning and I didn't get to leave the office until almost 12:30ish that afternoon.
As for the usual vitals and stuff, everything was good. My blood pressure was still good and her heart beat was still up in the 150's. I also lost a pound over the week, which is awesome for me because I am trying hard to keep myself healthy and not gain a lot of extra weight.
So once we got back to the freezing cold room to see the doctor and got to wait a little longer, Dr. Fletcher came in with the results of my ultrasound from the Tuesday (November 11th) before. She told me she had some concerns because the fluid measurements came back low. She said for where I was in my pregnancy, 34 weeks, she wanted my fluid count to be around 12 (whatever the measurement term they use for fluid is). My fluid count was at 9. She said it wasn't dangerous, but that it was something she definitely wanted to keep an eye on. She informed me that if it were to get dramatically lower, like to 6 or 5, that she would have to take Brooklyn early. So to keep an eye on this problem, she wanted me to go in every week until Brooklyn arrives to have an ultrasound/ growth scan done. She wants to keep a close eye on how much fluid is around her and how much I might be losing.
Dr. Fletcher then told me that with her weight, 4 pounds 15 ounces, that it was enough to keep her out of NICU given that nothing else would go wrong. Next she got me set up to do a NST, or a Non-Stress Test. This test just consisted of them strapping a heart monitor to my belly as well as a monitor for my contractions. I had to stay hooked up to the monitor for over 20 minutes and had to press a button every time I felt Brooklyn move. Given that it was lunch time and I hadn't had a chance to eat before the appointment, Brooklyn was hungry. So she moved around a LOT! Every time I pressed the button for her movement, it would mark it on the heart rate sheet. What the doctor was watching out for was for her heart rate to go up after each of her movements. Once the NST was done, the doctor looked over the results and said that I just barely got by but that everything looked ok.
I also asked Dr. Fletcher about setting up a birth plan. She told me if I wanted to write one out that I might as well just plan to have a c-section. She said the majority of her patients who write out a birth plan wind up having to have a c-section. Then she went over what she does and what her rules are for the delivery. She said she was pretty easy going as wasn't one of the doctors what tried to force drugs on her patients or anything. She said basically her only rule was that I HAD to have an IV in case she needed to administer any drugs in case of an emergency. I knew that was a requirement already, but it is still something I am not looking forward to because they put their IVs right in the middle of your arm and they hurt!
The doctor also told me to start taking my higher dose of medicine every 4 hours now instead of every 6. The doctor checked me out also to make sure nothing else was going on and said I was still at a two, so I was still doing good.
Anyway, that was basically it, or at least that is all I can remember. My next appointment is tomorrow, Thursday, November 20th. I also had an ultrasound to check the fluid amount again which they got me in for yesterday. I will update everyone on that tomorrow though as well as the baby shower from this past weekend and Brooklyn kicking her daddy in the head AND developments from today and the doctor appointment tomorrow. So much to do, so little time!
Love,
Jennifer
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Ultrasounds
It's time for me to play catch up. I have been so busy this past week that I haven't had a chance to post about what has been going on. So let's start with the ultrasounds. Dale's mom, Grandma Belinda, took me in last Tuesday morning, November 11th, and had my growth scan ultrasound done. Dr. Fletcher wanted the ultrasound tech to do any ultrasound to figure out how much Brooklyn weighed and to also measure the amount of fluid around her.
The ultrasound went fine. The tech we had was really nice and explained everything she was doing the whole time. It is getting harder and harder to distinguish Brooklyn from everything else around her since she is getting so big. Her head looks huge now, which is kind of scary for me. She barely has any room to move also. She definitely won't be putting her foot up to her face anytime soon. I knew she was getting a lot bigger though because she is stretching my tummy out really bad. It seems like the harder I try to not get stretch marks, the more I get. What is funny is that the only place I have them on my tummy right now is where she lays all the time.
Little Miss Brooklyn weighed 4 pounds and 15 ounces though. Only one ounce away from being 5 whole pounds. I was pretty happy about those results because that means if she comes early now, unless there is something else wrong with her, she won't have to stay in NICU.
Brooklyn was still down in position though and REALLY low. I don't think the tech could have gone down any lower to try to get the measurements of her head! So she is ready to come out. I honestly think now that I won't last more than a week after the doctor takes me off my medicine before I have her. However, Brooklyn could become stubborn and just decide to stay because it wouldn't be on her arriving on her own terms, which I could see happening since she has such an attitude already! Any way, I think that was about it for that appointment.
Love,
Jennifer
The ultrasound went fine. The tech we had was really nice and explained everything she was doing the whole time. It is getting harder and harder to distinguish Brooklyn from everything else around her since she is getting so big. Her head looks huge now, which is kind of scary for me. She barely has any room to move also. She definitely won't be putting her foot up to her face anytime soon. I knew she was getting a lot bigger though because she is stretching my tummy out really bad. It seems like the harder I try to not get stretch marks, the more I get. What is funny is that the only place I have them on my tummy right now is where she lays all the time.
Little Miss Brooklyn weighed 4 pounds and 15 ounces though. Only one ounce away from being 5 whole pounds. I was pretty happy about those results because that means if she comes early now, unless there is something else wrong with her, she won't have to stay in NICU.
Brooklyn was still down in position though and REALLY low. I don't think the tech could have gone down any lower to try to get the measurements of her head! So she is ready to come out. I honestly think now that I won't last more than a week after the doctor takes me off my medicine before I have her. However, Brooklyn could become stubborn and just decide to stay because it wouldn't be on her arriving on her own terms, which I could see happening since she has such an attitude already! Any way, I think that was about it for that appointment.
Love,
Jennifer
Monday, November 10, 2008
Brooklyn's Mommy & Daddy
Dale and I went this past Saturday, November 8th, and had the last pictures of us taken before Brooklyn gets here. Below are just a few of the pictures that we had taken.
Friday, November 07, 2008
33 Week Doctor Appointment
Oh boy... well girl, but did we get some news yesterday at my doctor's appointment! To start from the beginning, my blood pressure was still good, 122/80. I measured right at 33 when they measured my tummy. Brooklyn's heart beat was at 156 bpm, which is good.
So now for the interesting stuff. We got back to the room to see the doctor and I told her I had been having more contractions since Tuesday evening than I have been having the past two weeks since I have been on the medicine to stop them. They haven't been bad contractions, just cramp like feelings in my back. She told me that I will still have contractions while on the medicine, but that she doesn't want me to have any if possible. So she has increased my dose of medication to take to 5mg, which so far hasn't affected me. I just have to take it every 6 hours instead of 4 now.
Next, which I guess will be the routine until Brooklyn is born, she checked to make sure I hadn't dilated any more. She said I was still where I was at two weeks ago, which was great. (Dilated to a 1 almost a 2) She told me that she thinks I will have an easy delivery because 20% of the work is already done. That, to me, was GREAT news. Hopefully it pans out that way, because my prepared child birth classes were starting to freak me out. There is so much that will be going on during labor and delivery that I was starting to get overwhelmed with it all.
Anyway, then I asked the doctor about the bed rest that she has me on. I asked her how long I was going to be on bed rest and what was going to happen after she took me off. She said she wants me on bed rest until at least 35 1/2 - 36 weeks, which falls right at Thanksgiving. At that point in time, she will take me off of bed rest and off of the medication I am taking. If I have Brooklyn after that point, then she will be out of the danger zone of having to go into NICU, (Newborn/ Neonatal Intensive Care Unit). She told me what she wants for us is to be able to take Brooklyn home instead of her staying in the hospital for a couple of weeks.
I asked how that might affect my insurance and all since she will be taking me off of bed rest. She said it shouldn't at all simply because (HERE'S THE KICKER) she doesn't expect me to go more than a week after she takes me off of bed rest before I have Brooklyn. She told Dale and I that her goal was to get me to/ through Thanksgiving. So instead of Brooklyn being here on December 22nd, Dr. Fletcher thinks she will be here anywhere from around Thanksgiving to maybe the first week in December!!!! Either way, she will DEFINITELY be here before Christmas!!!
We mentioned that we knew a few people that went into preterm labor and that they were still a few weeks late, so could that happen to us. She said she wouldn't let us go more than two weeks after she took me off of bed rest and the medication. She kept reassuring us that she didn't think it would be an issue at all though and said "honestly, I don't expect her to make it through Thanksgiving." That kind of surprised the crap out of Dale and I because we were thinking we had about a month if not longer to get everything ready. From what the doctor is telling us though, we have about 3 weeks!!
Dr. Fletcher then ordered another ultrasound. She said she wanted to get a new weight for Brooklyn. She wanted to do this as a precaution in case I came in next week and was dilated any further and had to go into full labor. She said if she can show Moore Medical Center that the baby was past 4 1/2- 5 pounds that she would be able to keep Brooklyn out of NICU, which was her goal because she did NOT want her to have to be in NICU. Moore Medical Center doesn't have a NICU unit, so they would have to transfer Brooklyn to probably Norman Regional and keep her there until she was ready to come home. So Dr. Fletcher's nurse is suppose to schedule me an appointment at the hospital for next week to get another ultrasound done! Just when I thought we wouldn't have anymore ultrasounds too!
I'm not worried at all about Brooklyn being under weight. She weighed almost 4 pounds 2 weeks ago, 3 pounds 12 ounces to be exact. She is suppose to be gaining 1/2 a pound every week, which would be a whole pound since the last ultrasound they did. She should be about 5 pounds by the time I have the ultrasound next week, which would be great. As much as she is stretching out my belly, she has to be gaining weight!
My next doctor appointment is Thursday at 10:30 AM. Hopefully everything is still going ok since the baby shower is that following weekend! The doctor said that it would be fine for me to do things like go to the baby shower. She also told me that it would be ok for me to go ahead and take the Infant CPR class I had signed up for which is next Friday and to go get our pictures done this Saturday, which I am VERY excited about now. She said as long as I am not up walking around stores or trying to paint a room, then I should be ok.
So that is pretty much it. The time keeps getting closer and closer. I'm just excited that she will be here for Christmas. Dale's theory is that she wants turkey, which is why she is trying to come so early! Let's hope she doesn't come on Thanksgiving though. I want some turkey and pie!!
Love,
Jennifer
So now for the interesting stuff. We got back to the room to see the doctor and I told her I had been having more contractions since Tuesday evening than I have been having the past two weeks since I have been on the medicine to stop them. They haven't been bad contractions, just cramp like feelings in my back. She told me that I will still have contractions while on the medicine, but that she doesn't want me to have any if possible. So she has increased my dose of medication to take to 5mg, which so far hasn't affected me. I just have to take it every 6 hours instead of 4 now.
Next, which I guess will be the routine until Brooklyn is born, she checked to make sure I hadn't dilated any more. She said I was still where I was at two weeks ago, which was great. (Dilated to a 1 almost a 2) She told me that she thinks I will have an easy delivery because 20% of the work is already done. That, to me, was GREAT news. Hopefully it pans out that way, because my prepared child birth classes were starting to freak me out. There is so much that will be going on during labor and delivery that I was starting to get overwhelmed with it all.
Anyway, then I asked the doctor about the bed rest that she has me on. I asked her how long I was going to be on bed rest and what was going to happen after she took me off. She said she wants me on bed rest until at least 35 1/2 - 36 weeks, which falls right at Thanksgiving. At that point in time, she will take me off of bed rest and off of the medication I am taking. If I have Brooklyn after that point, then she will be out of the danger zone of having to go into NICU, (Newborn/ Neonatal Intensive Care Unit). She told me what she wants for us is to be able to take Brooklyn home instead of her staying in the hospital for a couple of weeks.
I asked how that might affect my insurance and all since she will be taking me off of bed rest. She said it shouldn't at all simply because (HERE'S THE KICKER) she doesn't expect me to go more than a week after she takes me off of bed rest before I have Brooklyn. She told Dale and I that her goal was to get me to/ through Thanksgiving. So instead of Brooklyn being here on December 22nd, Dr. Fletcher thinks she will be here anywhere from around Thanksgiving to maybe the first week in December!!!! Either way, she will DEFINITELY be here before Christmas!!!
We mentioned that we knew a few people that went into preterm labor and that they were still a few weeks late, so could that happen to us. She said she wouldn't let us go more than two weeks after she took me off of bed rest and the medication. She kept reassuring us that she didn't think it would be an issue at all though and said "honestly, I don't expect her to make it through Thanksgiving." That kind of surprised the crap out of Dale and I because we were thinking we had about a month if not longer to get everything ready. From what the doctor is telling us though, we have about 3 weeks!!
Dr. Fletcher then ordered another ultrasound. She said she wanted to get a new weight for Brooklyn. She wanted to do this as a precaution in case I came in next week and was dilated any further and had to go into full labor. She said if she can show Moore Medical Center that the baby was past 4 1/2- 5 pounds that she would be able to keep Brooklyn out of NICU, which was her goal because she did NOT want her to have to be in NICU. Moore Medical Center doesn't have a NICU unit, so they would have to transfer Brooklyn to probably Norman Regional and keep her there until she was ready to come home. So Dr. Fletcher's nurse is suppose to schedule me an appointment at the hospital for next week to get another ultrasound done! Just when I thought we wouldn't have anymore ultrasounds too!
I'm not worried at all about Brooklyn being under weight. She weighed almost 4 pounds 2 weeks ago, 3 pounds 12 ounces to be exact. She is suppose to be gaining 1/2 a pound every week, which would be a whole pound since the last ultrasound they did. She should be about 5 pounds by the time I have the ultrasound next week, which would be great. As much as she is stretching out my belly, she has to be gaining weight!
My next doctor appointment is Thursday at 10:30 AM. Hopefully everything is still going ok since the baby shower is that following weekend! The doctor said that it would be fine for me to do things like go to the baby shower. She also told me that it would be ok for me to go ahead and take the Infant CPR class I had signed up for which is next Friday and to go get our pictures done this Saturday, which I am VERY excited about now. She said as long as I am not up walking around stores or trying to paint a room, then I should be ok.
So that is pretty much it. The time keeps getting closer and closer. I'm just excited that she will be here for Christmas. Dale's theory is that she wants turkey, which is why she is trying to come so early! Let's hope she doesn't come on Thanksgiving though. I want some turkey and pie!!
Love,
Jennifer
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