36 weeks 6 day....a/k/a my 37 week visit....or Me: The Blubbering Mess...whichever you prefer

My visit was scheduled for 10:30 am on Jan 14, 2010. I woke up around 3:30 am having contractions which I was pretty used to by that point. Ethan woke up with fever shortly after so he was in my bed and I wasn't sleeping well, especially with the contractions. They were coming pretty regularly so I started to time them. Every 2-6 minutes.... Around 4:45 am I called the Labor room at the hospital and they said to take a warm bath, a Tylenol, and lay down which I'd already been doing (and what I'm normally doing between 3 and 5 am...)

Matthew started to get antsy around 5 so we called his parents to come because they were supposed to stay with the kids, but they are 250 miles away from here in New Edinburg, AR and it takes between 4-5 hours to drive down. Meanwhile, we ate breakfast and packed everything we may need at the hospital. Sometime after 8:00 am the contractions started slowing down. They were never really painful, just mildly uncomfortable and very regular.

His parents made it in time for us to drop the kids with them on the way to the doctor and get to my regular appointment. I was very much looking forward to finally getting to talk to the doctor about trying to turn this breech baby around....that never really happened. My BP was slightly elevated 141/82....which used to be normal for me. During this pregnancy, however, the norm had been more like 116/65 or so. She literally came in the room, said that my BP was up and I had protein in my urine and that I was going to the labor room to be monitored for 24 hours. She wanted a 24 hr urine sample and BP study. I was devastated. My pressure had been so great and so stable that I'd really thought I was going to miss the whole pre-eclampsia bus this time around.

My BP was fine on the monitor once I got to the room....until the doc walked in around 2 pm when it jumped to 151/100. After we talked and she left it returned to normal. However, during our talk we discussed what was going to happen. Her version: I lay there for 24 hrs and then she would decide based on my pressures and my urine specimen whether I had pre-eclampsia and required delivery or could be sent home. My version: I lay there for 24 hrs then she would decide that I did, in fact, have pre-eclampsia at which point I would be delivered. Delivery for me with my first 2 pregnancies had been very easy....and vaginal. Since Miss Sophie had decided she didn't like to be head down, delivery for me at that point would mean a C-section.

I asked, probably even begged my doc to try and turn her, but with elevated BP she would not do that nor would she have let me labor anyway. So, I swallowed my fear and my pride and I asked if we could just do the C-section and not make me lay there for a full 24 hrs and THEN do the C-section. She said yes, and around 4 pm I was being prepared for surgery.

**I must say this: the only 3 nights before this day that I had EVER spent in the hospital was the night before Abby was born, the night after Abby was born, and the ONE night I was there when Ethan was born...** Surgery scared me to death. I actually enjoyed delivering my first two children, and was actually looking forward to having an uncomplicated vaginal delivery with Sophie completely un-medicated. Once you've delivered two large babies vaginally you really don't contemplate surgery much at all...or at least, I didn't.

From the moment I asked Dr. Middleton if we could "just do it now and get it over with" until almost 5 hours later when my baby was finally brought into my room, I cried. I think I managed to stop crying when they actually started the surgery and managed to remain fairly calm through the procedure until Matthew carried Sophie out of the operating room and I realized that I was alone at which point the tears resumed. Then, the second hour that I was in recovery ALONE, I managed to stop crying until I got to my room (which was 3 hours after Sophie was born) only to call the nursery to find out that it would be another 2 hours until she would be brought to me. Poor Matthew.

I will post more tomorrow about the actual procedure and how insanely emotional I was.

36 weeks

I went yesterday for my first weekly visit and she did the Group B Strep swab, but didn't check me, which I was slightly bummed about. But, I did get to go for an ultrasound and everything looked great....although Sophie is breech. She still has time to turn, but she has been in this particular position for quite a while already and I'm afraid that she won't. What I thought was her butt (high on my right side under my ribs) was actually her head. She's laying somewhat transverse with her butt slightly lower and on the left and she is facing down. Which means that her feet are pretty much directly on my cervix which explains alot of the crippling pains when she kicks or stretches.

I'm not sure if it's in my head or not, but it seems as though suddenly this morning that she has dropped down out of my rib cage quite a bit. So, in light of her being breech I'm not nearly as ready to go into labor because I REALLY don't want to have a C-section when I've had 2 successful vaginal deliveries already. I am impatiently awaiting my 37 week visit next Thursday so I can talk to the doctor about my options if she doesn't flip on her own. Will she try and turn her? Will she allow me to try and labor with a breech baby? Or will she automatically set me up for a C-section? Very uneasy about that last one. I mean, I have 2 kids at home and have felt really good after I had both of them. I don't want to deal with surgery on top of everything else I have to do around here, besides, I just plain old don't want to be cut on!

26 weeks 6 days....

Had my next appointment today and somehow I managed to get to the office a whole 30 minutes early. That NEVER happens. And of course, it was totally unintentional. They were closed for lunch, so the kids and I sat down and waited. They colored and played with their toys from McDonald's.... It started off really well, but 30 minutes is too long to keep them in the waiting room with nothing to do because they started torturing each other. They wound up separated and sitting across the waiting room from each other, but Ethan couldn't even sit, so he wound up in the bathroom getting a spanking...twice. (Have I mentioned that kids ROCK?)

Turns out that my doc was out of the office and the receptionist said they had tried to call me twice. Never missed a call from them because I would have definitely called them back, and never got a voicemail from them either. I mean, every telemarketer in the country can leave me voicemails, but not my doctor's office? It was disappointing, but I asked if I could just see the other doctor. She seemed surprised, but said yes...I mean, I was already there and with 2 kids, so why waste the trip?

I really liked Dr. Dean, which was great since she could potentially be on call when I deliver. She listened to the baby's heartbeat which started out in the 140's, but she got all wound up and kicked the doppler thing and then her heartrate went up into the 150's. She moved the entire time, just like she usually does.

I told the doctor about my allergic reaction on Halloween night, which she thought was super strange. (Not so much for me, unfortunately.) But she wrote me a prescription for a new EpiPen because mine has been expired for several years. And she also told me that if it happened again, that I should probably go to the ER anyway. It's so frustrating to NOT know what causes you to freakishly swell up and itch like that. I did it for a few years, starting in the summer of 1999 right after I graduated HS and all through college. It was miserable. I saw allergy doctors and had every allergy test they could come up with run on me and still had no idea what was making it happen. I kept logs of the things I ate, didn't change detergents or soaps.....nothing seemed to trigger them.

I carried Benadryl at all times, and after they got worse liquid Benadryl plus my EpiPen. It hasn't happened since well before I got married which is over 7 years so I haven't been carrying my EpiPen or Benadryl in quite a while. That has changed now.

Enough of the whining....the big news for the week.... I PASSED MY GLUCOSE TOLERANCE TEST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I can still eat dessert at Thanksgiving and Christmas! That's all for now. She wanted me to come back in 2 weeks, but we will be in Arkansas for deer season when I was supposed to go, so it will be 3 weeks instead. Then on to every 2 weeks for a little while, and then every week will be here soon! And if Sophie demands to be born at 38 weeks like her big brother and sister, before the end of January I will deliver my 3rd baby, and my 2nd little princess!

22 weeks 6 days...

I went on Tuesday for my second appointment with my new OB, Dr. Jamie Middleton. I LOVE her, btw. And the kids have been so well behaved while we've been there and no one minds that they are there at all! Well, the baby sounded good when she would be still long enough for us to listen and I think her heartbeat was around 140.

I have a herniated belly button which apparently isn't a big deal, but it hurts sometimes and that's no fun. Also, when I saw her 2 weeks ago she drew blood for my AFP screening and that came back slightly elevated. She didn't think it was a big deal, but offered to scheduled me an appointment with a specialist in maternal-fetal medicine, which I did ask her to do. I will go and see him next Wednesday and get another ultrasound and hopefully it won't show anything to worry about.

I think we've settled on Sophia Isabelle for her name, which we are both happy with. There's really not much more to report on, but please keep her in your prayers!

19 weeks 3 days....

So, this whole pregnancy blog thing has really fallen by the wayside. I had planned to use this as a pregnancy journal, but who has time these days? Last Thursday we had our "18 week" ultrasound, which was really done at 18 weeks 6 days and everything looked great! If I can ever get the pics scanned I'll post them, although they're not that exciting, lol. This baby moved constantly while we were in there and the tech had a hard time getting measurements or good pics because of all the activity. We did however, get two pictures that prove that she's a GIRL!

Unfortunately that was also the day where I became uncomfortable in my current OB's office. See this link for the details: http://www.facebook.com/privacy/#/note.php?note_id=135713121665
I wrote him a letter and have my next appointment on Wednesday and plan to speak to him at that time. I will base my decision off of his reaction to the rude lady, but I also have an appointment on Thursday afternoon with Dr. Jamie Middleton, who I saw in January for my annual exam in case I decide to switch. I'm also thinking I'll take the kids with me to see her and see how the office reacts to them.

That's about it for now, except that we still don't have a name for the baby. We've been contemplating Sophie Belle for a couple of days and although Matthew thinks he's decided on that for certain, I'm pushing for Sophia Isabelle and we can just call her Sophie Belle. I feel like Sophie should be a nickname more than a first name......

So, I liked the doctor...

I sat nervously checking from my phone while I was sitting in the waiting room to see if anyone had any awesome magic revealing questions so I could figure the whole doctor thing out. I was so overwhelmed with nerves while in the waiting room all I wanted to do was cry. (thanks hormones!) I wanted my husband, and I wanted my old doctor. This is highly unusual for me. I generally have no fears of the doctor. Everyone in the office was super nice and helpful. I had to wait a little longer than I'd like, but once he got to the room he was perfectly comfortable and seemed like I was the only person there at the time. I talked to him about how he handles his practice, labor, delivery, ultrasounds, tests, asked about the hospital and it's policies on babies rooming in and how long I'd have to stay after I delivered. We covered inductions, labor plans (which I have no intention of making), pretty much everything either of us could think of. I felt very comfortable with him and I can't wait to go back in 2 weeks for my ultrasound so I can get a due date! We also discussed my blood pressure which is extremely low for me right now and is causing me dizziness, although it tends to run high and I am often medicated for it. All in all, I really liked him, and I feel soooo much better!

I went ahead and did my labwork while I was there and I am scheduled for an ultrasound on Wednesday, June 24th to figure out how far along I am. It's driving me nuts not to know that little piece of information! Also, the kids loved the Mom's Day Out at the church I took them to! That makes my life as far as doctor appointments go...much easier! By my calculations based on my LMP, I am approximately 7 weeks and 1 day pregnant today, which means I'll be 8 weeks and 3 days when I go in for my ultrasound. I'm very curious as to what the doctor will come up with after the ultrasound.

When I was leaving the office one of the ladies brought me this really cute little gift bag that had lots of print outs on symptoms to call the doctor about, medicines I can take, and a new edition of What to Expect When You're Expecting. I personally prefer Your Pregnancy Week by Week, but I am reading both. I just really like the week by week setup and the way it goes along with me. In the bag, they also included a few brochures for different things like breastfeeding support, and a 3d/4d ultrasound place called SneakPeek Ultrasound (www.sneakpeek4d.com) that I fully intend have done this time! With Abby and Ethan my doctor did the regular 2d scans alot, which was awesome, but as many of you know they're nowhere near as cool as the 3d and 4d pics you see from people now! I was blown away by this place...they even do baby showers! They have theater seating and you can bring as many friends and family as you want and they can see the baby on the big screen TV! I just wish it was in Arkansas where I could have all of the family that wanted to be there with us!

Anyway, I'm still feeling well. A little tired, but then again, who isn't? I can't seem to get enough cheese. Also, I don't want anything touching my belly. I don't remember that happening with the others, especially not this early. Any kind of pants drive me nuts. I'm living in athletic shorts and most of the time, at least while I'm at home, keeping them pulled down below my waist. I'm ready to break out the maternity clothes although I feel kinda funny doing it this early.

Interviewing a new doctor...

Ok guys, I need some help. Since we've moved I'm going to be seeing a new doctor for the first time next week. I need to figure out some good questions to ask so that I can gauge whether or not he is a good match for me. I'm going to make a list of things that are important to me so I can see where he stands on those, but give me some of your ideas, please!