babies baby
Showing posts with label doctor. Show all posts
Showing posts with label doctor. Show all posts

Monday, May 18, 2009

Sleep!! I need it!

It's so frustrating. This weekend, Chris' parents had Carter for possibly his last hurrah up there before the new baby comes. It was WONDERFUL to sleep in on Saturday and Sunday. While my nights' sleep isn't as restful as I would like, I still felt good because of the lateness I had to get up. Today was back to reality. The alarm went off this morning and I felt like utter crapola. I had woken up several times in the night and once I had even contemplated getting up to eat or something, I just couldn't get back to sleep. So, when I had to get up this morning, I was not a happy camper.

Sleeping just is not comfortable right now. I have this huge knot in my neck from sleeping on one side or the other, but I can't figure out which. I can't sleep on my back which is the position that my body seems to want to go. On my back, my neck relaxes and my back doesn't hurt. On my sides, the back hurts and I get pains in my legs. UGH!! Four more weeks.

At least once the baby comes, I'll be able to hopefully get a few hours of decent sleep at a time. I'm sure she will be a non-sleeper since Carter was so easy-peasey, but anything will be better than this right now.

Went to the doctor on Friday. Everything looks great. I told him about the few days that I have had where I was having some hard contractions and he looked at me and said, "Sounds like you are pregnant!" You know, it was all I could do from clocking him upside the head. I know he was just trying to make light of the situation since it really is nothing to be worried about, but wow. I'm now going every week and I'm assuming they will start checking for any progress from here on out. Not that I expect anything to start considering last time I didn't do ANYTHING down there.

But, no matter what, even if she decides that she's ready to come out early, four weeks from today, I will either be in the hospital or home with my little one. Hard to believe!

Friday, April 3, 2009

Whew...is today over yet?

It's been one of those days! Besides crazy work stuff that I do not go into here, I had a doctor's appointment today. The appointment itself was fine and normal. I left work in normally adequate time just to find that the slow and steady rain of earlier was now monsoon-like and flooding everywhere. The drive down York Road was quite fun.

I got to the office and signed in. After waiting for about an hour, I finally got called back and could finally pee! I hadn't eaten yet so my tummy was GROWLING! A half hour more passes before the doctor finally got to me. Apparently, he was really backed up but he was still the chattier of the doctors so he just kept getting further and further behind. But, he's perfectly happy with my progress. He told me that I passed the glucose test with flying colors. My number was 98 and the cut off point is 140. So, that was very good news, especially since diabetes runs in my family!

After we were done, I made arrangements to set a date for the delivery. I'm waiting now to hear back from the receptionist, but hopefully it will be Monday, June 15th. I tried to get it for June 12th, because the 12th of the month is pretty common in my old group of friends for birthdays. However, the person on call that day is the nurse practioner and she doesn't do scheduled deliveries. Oh well!

So, after the appointment, I had to stop at McDonalds, the only food place on that part of York Road, to get something to eat. I shoved a large order of fries in my mouth on my way back to work, spilling a quarter of them on the floor when I hit the brakes a little too hard. The tea that I got was filled almost to the very top with ice so I had maybe four good slurps of actual tea.

All in all, I was very stressed by the time I got settled back at work. My blood pressure was awesome at the doctors...it could have been considered high after getting back to work!

Now it's time to start kicking into planning mode. :) I'm getting excited!

Thursday, March 19, 2009

Now begins the every two weeks!

This morning was my glucose test. For some reason, they told me to fast for this one. After waking up and having my tummy yell at me for a while, I looked it up online and saw that for the initial test, fasting is not required. So, instead of drinking apple juice and having my full-blown breakfast, I drank water and ate some peanut butter crackers. I even took my coffee with me but ended up only have a few sips of it.

After drinking my yummy fruit punch, I had my appointment as well. I've gained even more and when I lamented over the number, the nurse just looked at me, matter-of-factly, and said, "Well, you are growing a baby!" I guess since the doctor's aren't worried about it, I shouldn't be. I've now gained 17 pounds. Hopefully that will slow down or else, I have a lot of work to do after June!

But, once again, everything looks and sounds good. When trying to take the baby's heartrate, she kept kicking the wand again. The NP started scolding her in a joking way that if she didn't stop moving, she couldn't check the heart! Eventually, we got a count. My blood pressure was back up to my normal range, 120/80 so that's good.

I will either hear back maybe tomorrow if the test was failed, or I won't hear anything. I'm definitely hoping for a no call because I honestly do not know how I will manage a three hour test! I hope that at my next appointment, we will go ahead and schedule a date.

Very soon I will be starting to get the room together. I think we will be buying the dressers next month so then I'll start going through clothes and figuring out just what I need and such. I'm excited. I think it's the nesting as well as the change in seasons that makes me want to get things organized.

Wednesday, March 4, 2009

24 Weeks Down!!

I had to reschedule my appointment today once again due to the weather. Of course I had an appointment scheduled on Monday, but we got our one decent sized snow this year that morning so I cancelled. So, I went today. I saw the midwife today for the first time ever. She was very nice and very personable! If I were trying for a natural(ish) delivery, I would definitely ask for her again. But, because it's going to be cesarean, I'll stick to one of the other doctors.

My blood pressure was very low today. I've always had low BP and never have had it even remotely elevated, at least when it was read. But today, the nurse took it once and then asked me what my BP was usually. I told her it was usually low. She said "Okay, because it was 90/70." I was shocked. I told her it never was that low and she tried once again with a different cuff just to get the same number. Crazy. I asked if I should be worried, but she said that was still within normal range, just at the low end. "Nothing wrong with low blood pressure" she said! I only gained one pound from a couple weeks ago. That was good because there was a spike that time, probably due to just eating prior or something. But, I've gained 11 pounds total now. As long as it stays at that rate, I'll be fine with it.

When we went to listen to the heartbeat, Ali began kicking the doppler. It was pretty cute. But, her heart sounds great.

Chris' brother and his wife have a new little one. Bethany Eliana was born on Monday. We plan on going down to Virginia this Saturday to see her.

My co-worker just found out yesterday that she's carrying twins. She went for her first sonagram last night and the doctor just had a strange look on his face, she said. This is her first pregnancy so of course she is freaked out. I hope all goes well for her.

Carter has a touch of bronchitis. We took him to the doctor's yesterday and Dr. Mike checked him out. He doesn't have a full-blown case of it, but the doctor has seen many kids with the same symptoms lately that has turned into bronchitis so he went ahead and prescribed him some medicine. It was standing room only at the office last night! So many kids are sick right now. I just hope all the time Carter spent laying on me and coughing on me this weekend doesn't catch up with me. Ugh! But, while there, Dr. Mike felt his belly and said he thought the spleen was a bit smaller than last time he saw him. That's good. The hematologist had called on Friday to tell us all the tests came back negative or normal so there was no diagnosis. We are going back in six months just to see the progress. I think we are finally getting to the point of just writing it off as my son being slightly weird. :)

Friday, January 30, 2009

Another day, another doctor's appointment

I was supposed to go to the doctor on Wednesday but because of the weather, I reschueduled it. So I went today during lunch. Because I knew that I have gained some this month, I didn't eat beforehand. It was a quick appointment. Plus it was with Chris' favorite doctor. So we sat there talking with her for a while after. I have gained five pounds but considering I went four months not gaining, I'll take it. We got a form for another sonagram and I'll schedule that for a week or so.

My appetite definitely has picked up. I'm eating all the time now. I need to start eating a bit better just so I'm not filling up on empty calories. Oh well. I keep saying it, but it doesn't feel like I'm doing it, but I need to just not worry about the weight until after the pregnancy is over.

Thursday, January 8, 2009

Carter's appointment

This is the post I wrote up on my LJ about Carter's appointment. Just wanted to put it here too. I wrote it last night.

"So, today was Carter's hematology appointment. We had to be down at Hopkins by 11:30am according to the paperwork. I just took off for the day to make things easier. Well, we thought we could find our way down there from 40, but evidently, we are idiots. We ended up taking a tour of East Baltimore and even a bit beyond. I told Chris at one point that we were going away from the big buildings so that wasn't a good sign. That used to be mine and Mandi's way of guiding through Baltimore. Drive towards the big buildings. For the most part, it works. I called the office and told them we were running a bit late and she gave us directions. You would think I would know that area better, but I wasn't driving. We finally got to Hopkins and found our way through the garage.

Wow, this place is crazy! We had to pull a number like at the MVA and wait to be signed in. Then we went to a different area to wait to be called back. They called Carter back for his vitals and I saw him get his blood pressure taken for the first time. Yeah, he didn't like that too much! Luckily, I had thought to bring Best Friend, or his stuffed monkey, and that helped him through some of the day. They had this cool chair that Carter just sat in and it weighed him. He's 36lbs and 39inches. Not too much of a difference since his check-up. Then we waited some more.

Finally we got called back. A doctor told us that she was there to do the initial exam and to do the family history. We talked for a long time about Carter's entire life and my pregnancy with him. Then we discussed me and my family's long medical history. Then Chris had his turn but he didn't have too much to discuss. She then examined Carter. After that, she went out to review his file and to get the other doctor. They came back in and the more senior doctor examined Carter again. By now, Carter was getting tired and cranky. It was now after 2pm! They made some marks on his tummy to measure a few things. Then we all sat around discussing what they thought.(Sorry this is so long winded, I just want to get it all out)

They basically said that his spleen is a size that is just slightly too big to write off and not worry about and not big enough to be extremely worried about. They are pretty sure it is not anything very serious, especially since he's not displaying any other symptoms. They ordered another round of blood tests and another sonogram, this time done with doppler. They mentioned that they were going to test again for mono. Apparently, kids can have mono and not even show signs of it like teenagers and adults! They are wondering if the labs before didn't show mono because it hadn't developed enough yet. So, after a long visit, we were walked over to the phlebotomy area.

This was the part I was dreading. As soon as Carter saw the room, he started crying. He HATES getting his blood drawn. Chris had to hold him in the chair, I held Carter's leg and one arm while two techs had to take four pediatric vials of blood from him. I was heartbroken to see him so scared. He kept trying to pull at the rubber tourniquet saying "It hurts!" He didn't even want the band-aid on him. But we made him leave it on for a little while just to make sure it clotted and all that stuff. We left then after three hours of being at the office. Oy! I'm glad I didn't plan to go back to work!

We hadn't eaten lunch yet because...well, no reason. I just wasn't thinking about it. We stopped to eat at John's, this sub shop in Canton that Chris and I used to always eat at when we lived there. Then, since it was my dad's birthday, we stopped by their house. We had decided to just keep Carter up instead of letting him lay down for a nap and risking him not sleeping tonight.

So, now, we have to schedule the sonogram and then wait for the bloodwork to come back. Then after all the tests are complete, we will schedule another appointment with Dr. Casella. Yet again, it's a wait and see, but at least now I have a bit more peace about it all. Two doctors looked us straight in the eyes and said that they were not very worried about my son."

Tuesday, January 6, 2009

I'm here

It was back to work I went yesterday. Can I tell you how hard it was? I was quite enjoying my laziness during my break!

On New Year's Eve, I had my doctor's appointment. It was a rather quick one and they took blood for my quad-screen. Not that I'm worried about that really but it's another test and they always give me a bit of a nagging sensation. Have I mentioned the crazy dreams I have been having? I do tend to get some woozies during pregnancy, but this time around, I don't know if it's because my one friend had a surprise or if it's just a nagging thought, but I have been dreaming that I have twins in me. Now, twins do not really run in our families, but there is that chance of the non-genetic type of twins. I honestly do not think I have twins cooking, but it's enough to get me worried. So, this blood test has a chance of noticing that there could be multiples in there. Otherwise, I'll feel much better on the 24th when we go for the ultrasound!

But, at the doctors, I was given a compliment that I'm happy to hear but also hope I never hear it from anyone but the nurse. She said that I had beautiful urine. I mean, only during pregnancy can you be complimented on your pee! My blood pressure was great as usual and I haven't gained a pound yet. The not gaining would worry me a bit, but I can see my belly popping out, so I know that things are fine. I had a lot of extra to go around, so the baby is doing just fine.

New Year's night we went to a friend's house and partyied it up. It was our last night without Carter. My parents had gotten back in town earlier that day, but we didn't have time to stop by to see him. We picked him up the next morning and he didn't even want to come home!

He now has a cold and it's lasted for over a week. We have an appointment with the hematologist tomorrow, so I may try to get an appointment at his regular doctor afterwards for them to check him out. I just hope it hasn't turned into bronchitis again or something. He is my kid, afterall!

That's about it for now. Things are going smoothly. I'm not as tired, but that could be because during my break I got LOTS of sleep. The last two nights haven't been great and I don't know if it's because of the pregnancy or just because I knew I had to get up for work. Hopefully tonight we go better.

Wednesday, December 3, 2008

My little Thumper!

We had our second appointment this morning. Chris was able to just make it since he had to launch a plane this morning. I waited in the parking lot for him. Everything looks good. I haven't gained anything even though pants are definitely not fitting right! I have resorted to the rubber band trick on my regular pants while wearing the one pair of maternity khakis to work and jeans and lounge pants when not at work. But, my blood pressure as usual was very normal. I think she said 180/60? Whatever it was it sounded normal and good. I have always had slightly low to normal bp so that's good.

But the best thing about today and what finally gives me a bit more of a feeling of relief, we got to hear the heartbeat. The NP warned us that babies didn't like her and she tended to scare them away. But she found the heartbeat fairly quickly and we got to listen for a good minute or so. I think she said its count was about 160 or so. So that is great. I had this horrible thought while waiting to go in that we would hear an abnormality or something. I think this came about because I knew we were checking the heart today. Last time, I had no clue.

So, it's even more official. I have my newest piece of my heart growing and I have now heard said heart. Let's hope that things continue to go smoothly!

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

I have a date!

June 19th is my official due date. However, my doctor is just going to not even mess with the possibility of vaginal delivery and will schedule me for a c-section at 39 weeks. You know what, I'm not upset by that. In some ways, I'll never experience the full impact of that part of pregnancy, but that's okay. This way I will have a plan. I will know when the end is and not have to suffer quite as long as before.

But, otherwise, the doctor said I look perfect. I'm "feeling" good for seven weeks. As usual, while there, things went flying out of my head. I'm not sure if I HAVE to get a flu shot or not. I've never had one so if it's not necessary, I don't think I want to go through that. He didn't say anything about my weight, but they haven't ever been sticklers for that. My entire pregnancy last time they didn't say one thing about it even though I probably gained more than I should have. I have lost a few pounds since the beginning, so that's good. I haven't gained anything really around the waist since I already had a nice tire thing going, but I have noticed it's getting a bit firmer in spots.

So, here's to the next several months!!

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

First doctor's appointment is set

I called them today and was anxious to hear just how long it would be until they would want to see me. Surprisingly, I have an appointment for November 3rd. The nurse asked if I had a positive HPT and I said yes. I'm sure it is. And if for some reason I'm not, I'll just cancel the appointment.

So, yippie for another foray into the crazy world of being a fat, but good fat!