Oliver's 2 Week Check-up

On Tuesday, May 3, Oliver saw Dr. McManus for his 2 week weight check. He, of course, didn't disappoint. He was up to a whopping 10 lbs. 1 oz. and measured in at almost 23 inches long! This put him in the 99th percentile for both height and weight. Dr. McManus said he looked just perfect, and of course, his daddy and I couldn't agree more!

Oliver's 1 Week Check-up

On Monday, April 25, Oliver saw his pediatrician, Dr. McManus, for the first time. The appointment went very well! Dr. McManus had nothing but good things to say about him. She couldn't believe how quickly he's growing.

When he was born, he was 9 lbs. 4 oz. and 21 1/4 in. long. On Friday, when we were released from the hospital, Oliver was down to 8 lbs. 11 oz. At his appointment three days later, he had already surpassed his birth weight and weighed in at a whopping 9 lbs. 6 oz. and over 22 inches long. He gained 11 oz. in three days! I think we are going to have a linebacker on our hands! This mama couldn't be more grateful to have such a healthy baby boy!

And because the grandparents may be upset if I write a post without pictures, here is one of Oliver that his Daddy just loves...

Doctor's Appointment-Week 41

Don and I had what was to be our last prenatal appointment this afternoon. They did a non-stress test to check up on Baby K and then we saw the doctor. Baby K's heartrate was mainly in the 150s and 160s during the 30 minute test, and he/she was VERY active. The test also showed not a single contraction :)

By sheer stroke of luck, we got to see my doctor instead of the doctor we were supposed to see (whom I am not a big fan of). He confirmed that I am still 0 cm dilated and even checked again on my due date (yes, it really was April 8). Since the NST showed that Baby K is doing just fine, he agreed to let me keep going until the beginning of next week.

We decided that, unless Baby K decides to make an appearance earlier, I am going in on Monday afternoon to be induced. They will do Cervadil on Monday night and start Pitocin on Tuesday morning. If all goes well, Baby K will be here by Tuesday night, and my doctor will get to deliver the baby.

All that's left now is figuring out what in the world I'm going to do for the next 4 days to keep from going out of my mind!

Doctor's Appointment-Week 40

Today, Baby K is due. Unfortunately, he/she does not seem to have gotten the memo.

I went to the doctor today and got some good news and some bad news. The good news is that my blood pressure is elevated and I'm measuring smaller because Baby K's head has dropped even further. The bad news is that I am still not dilated...40 weeks pregnant and 0 cm dilated. So, it looks as though I am going to need my water to break in order to go into labor and avoid being induced. My doctor has agreed to let me hold out a bit longer since I really do not want to be induced.

If Baby K doesn't make an appearance in the next few days, I will go back next Thursday for a non-stress test. Basically, they will listen to Baby K's heartrate and monitor any contractions I may be having for a half hour. If everything seems to be fine, they will let me go over the weekend. That said, I will not go past 41 1/2 weeks. At that point, they will induce me.

Send up a prayer that Baby K decides to come on his/her own and that inducing me will be unnecessary. I'm also saying a little prayer that something happens this weekend, as one of my favorite doctors is on call. I'll keep you posted!

Doctor's Appointment-Week 37

Today, I had one of my last (hopefully!) doctor's appointments, and it appears as though Baby K has been served his/her eviction notice.

Baby K is doing great...heart rate of 142 today. I am effaced but not dilated. My doctor said that Baby K's head is VERY low right now and pushing down VERY hard (no kidding!). Because of this, he thinks the effacement process will go quickly and said that Baby K could arrive "anyday." Guess we'll be finding out what "anyday" actually means!

Doctor's Appointment-Week 35

Today was my last bi-weekly prenatal appointment. I have now graduated to weekly appointments. Everything went just fine...really no news to report. Baby K's heart rate was 137, and my doctor, who does not know the sex of the baby, predicted it to be a boy. I guess we'll find out soon enough!

Stay tuned for my Week 34 update!

Doctor's Appointment-Week 33

I had my most recent prenatal appointment a few days ago, and things went swimmingly. I saw one of my fav docs who is simply awesome. He assured me that I am measuring right on track (despite the many comments of others who believe I am either really small or look ready to pop at any given moment...ha!), that my kidneys are functioning properly still (a big concern for me since I have a kidney disorder) and that Baby K is doing just fine, in spite of all the craziness that has ensued in recent weeks. Baby K's heartrate was right around 145 which is about where it's been all along.

We also had a long conversation about the contractions I've been having. While they still don't know what's causing them, he assured me that by 34 1/2 weeks, these contractions become fairly normal for pregnant women. Moral of the story...pretty soon, I won't need to worry anymore. That said, my contractions could remain how they are now (inconsistent and not very strong) or they may worsen and possibly put me into actual labor. If that happens, he said they will not give me any medication to stop the labor so there is still a good possibility that Baby K could arrive early. Of course, no one really knows...we'll just have to wait and see!

I go back to the doctor in about 2 weeks, and then I will probably be down to weekly appointments...wow!

Doctor's Appointment-Week 31

I'm still trying to catch up on my posts so this is a little bit outdated. I went to the doctor last week and finally received some good news. It appears as though Baby K has finally decided to flip out of the breech position! I had a feeling this had happened, as I had been getting A LOT of kicks to the ribs lately, but it was nice to finally know for sure.

In addition, I'm measuring right on time, and Baby K's heart rate continued to be in the 140s. The doctors are continuing to monitor the contractions I've had, but since they slowed down last week, they are a little less concerned at this point.

Overall, everything seems to be back on track at this point, and most importantly, Baby K is doing great!

Bedrest Day #2

Once again, my day began very early...2:30 A.M. to be exact. I woke up to fairly strong contractions that were coming 2 minutes apart. Fortunately, they stopped within 10 minutes or so...longest 10 minutes of my life! After that, they came much more infrequently. I went into work, called the doctor once the office opened, and was, of course, immediately sent home...again.

So here I am, sitting once again at home, catching up on my blogging, reading and "CSI: NY." I am supposed to rest all weekend, drink lots of fluids and call the doctor back on Monday morning. Monday is supposedly "Decision Day"...either I will be put on bedrest for the remaining 10 weeks of my pregnancy or not.

Either way, I will certainly follow the doctor's orders as closely as possible, but it is Baby Showerpalooza weekend, and if Baby K is planning on showing up early, we need stuff! I'll post pics soon of my "restful" weekend and keep you updated on the bedrest issue.

To Rest or Not to Rest

Well, today was the 4th day of contractions, and they decided to become more frequent...10-20 minutes apart for most of the morning and early afternoon. By mid-afternoon, the dull backache I had didn't seem to be going anywhere either so I called the doctor again. After explaining everything that's happened this week to the nurse, the doctor decided to send me home from work to rest. So here I am, laying in bed, watching old episodes of "Friends" and praying this does not become my life for the next 10 weeks.

So far, the contractions have slowed since I've been laying in bed so I'm a bit worried that bedrest may be in my future. I have to call the doctor in the morning to give him an update and see where we are going from here. He did say that it's possible I have contracted a virus that many pregnant women are getting right now, but judging from the fact that the contractions have slowed down since I've been resting, I don't think that's the case. I guess we'll find out tomorrow!

When Will Baby K Arrive?

Update: It's now been over 48 hours since my unexpected visit to Labor & Delivery. and the contractions have not yet stopped. I have been keeping track of them, and they still are not happening consistently or particularly strong, but I'm giving it until tomorrow afternoon before I call the doctor back and find out what to do next. I'll keep you posted!

Original Post: While I do not know the definitive answer to that, I do know with certainty that it's not today. After a little scare this afternoon, Dr. Mernitz has determined that I am NOT in premature labor.

Here's the story...I woke up around 2:30 this morning to contractions (the real ones, not Braxton Hicks). They were by no means coming at regular intervals, but they were definitely coming. I called the doctor this morning and spoke with a nurse. I knew right away that I wasn't going to get the token "That's perfectly normal" reassurance. I was right because, after asking 10 minutes worth of questions, she said she needed to "consult the doctor" and would call me right back. When she called, she told me that Dr. Moore wanted me in Labor and Delivery immediately. Talk about nerve-wracking! I was fully expecting to have to go to the office, but I was definitely NOT prepared to go to the hospital.

Once I arrived at the hospital, they hooked me up to a fetal heartrate monitor which showed Baby K to have a strong heartbeat and be moving around a bunch. Just imagine being able to feel, see AND hear Baby K's kicks...so strange! Dr. Mernitz arrived and ran some sort of protein test that predicts premature labor. Fortunately, the test came back negative. He also determined that I am not at all dilated. All good news! Unfortunately, he does not know what is causing the contractions (which, by the way, we were able to watch on the monitor). While he said it could be a number of things, his best guess is that it's my body's way of gearing up for actual labor. Maybe Baby K really is coming early as I have been predicting! After they monitored Baby K for a little while longer, they finally let me go home and told me to call if the contractions worsen.

So, here I am at home, trying to get some rest and wondering what's in store for me in the coming few weeks. I guess time will only tell!

The Last of the Monthly Prenatal Appointments

Today was my last monthly prenatal appointment. I have now graduated to bi-weekly appointments...woo hoo!

I had my glucose tolerance test today. It was not bad AT ALL! So many people told me how nasty the Glucola was and how hard it was to drink. I thought it just tasted like orange soda that was a bit off. I had no problem at all getting it down. I should have the results of the test back tomorrow or Monday.

I, of course, also saw the doctor while I was there. This time, I saw another new (to me) doctor. I must admit...I was not a big fan. He spent approximately 3 minutes in the exam room and was not really forthcoming on information or answers to my questions. He "claims" (and I say it that way because he felt my belly for about 2.7 seconds) that he can't tell what position Baby K is in right now. Either he didn't really feel like doing his job today or he's such an expert at his job that he can tell just by looking at my stomach...ha! Oh well, maybe Baby K is still breech and this is God's way of keeping me from freaking out since we're beginning to run short on time for a mid-flight flip! I see an awesome doctor two weeks from now, and I am sure I will get more answers then. It's just very frustrating in the meantime.

Please say a little prayer that Baby K has turned. I am now 29 weeks so he/she has only about 5 weeks left to get into position before there is no room left for acrobatics!

Doctors, Doctors and More Doctors

This week I had two doctor's appointments. The first was a meet and greet with a pediatrician. I absolutely loved her, and we have decided that Dr. Kelly Slama-McManus will be Baby K's pediatrician!

The second appointment was my latest prenatal check-up. Everything went very smoothly! Baby K's heartrate was 132 and everything seems to be progressing right on schedule. The only downside to the appointment was that I had to see the doctor I'm not a big fan of, and he wouldn't tell us if Baby K has flipped or not. He said he prefers to wait a bit longer before we start worrying about the baby being breech. Ugh! Guess I'll try again next month when I see a different doctor in the practice!

My next appointment is four weeks from now (then I'm onto bi-weekly appointments), and I get to have the lovely glucose test...yay!

Ultrasound-21 weeks

Yesterday, we had another ultrasound. It was fun getting another sneak peek at Baby K. He/she is so much bigger than the last time we got to take a look at 9 weeks!

Right now, Baby K weighs 1 lb., 1 oz., has a head circumference of 19 cm, a head length of 5 cm and is in the 51st percentile for length. Everything shows that he/she is right on track, does not show signs of any birth defects and has all functioning organs and limbs. Baby K is still measuring a little big but only by 2 days now instead of over a week like at the last ultrasound. Once again, the heart rate was a nice and strong 145 bpm.

The only potential problem they noticed was that Baby K is currently sitting breech. His/her legs are pushing into my left hip (which explains the terrible hip pain I've been having) and baby's head is up higher on my right side. Interestingly enough, all the movement I've been feeling on my right side, which I thought were kicks, are actually punches and head butts! The doctor is optimistic that Baby K will flip around, although he/she doesn't seem to be quite the mover and shaker many babies are. This could prove to be a disadvantage because we need the baby to be moving around a lot right now so he/she will flip over. The longer the baby stays breech, the higher the risk of having a c-section (or the baby manually flipped...ouch!) for me. With each passing week, the baby is running out of room to move. At 34 weeks, it is virtually impossible for babies to turn over so, at that point, we will have to discuss our options. Right now, we will just keep our fingers crossed that Baby K will turn around!

Here's a look at the cute little thing (head and belly)...

and the bottom of a foot...

and another peek at Baby K's cute little face and belly. This picture is my favorite because you can so clearly make out facial features (including a smile!)...

Our next appointment is right before Christmas so I'm hoping that Baby K's present to mama is that he/she will no longer be breech!

Baby K Update

I had a prenatal appointment today. Everything went very well. Baby K's heart rate was steady and strong at 150 bpm. He or she is measuring right on target, and I have finally gained enough weight to be on track. Thank goodness...it seems things are finally calming down around here!

Our next appointment will be right after Thanksgiving. I'll be having an ultrasound, and we could find out the gender of the baby then, if we were those kind of people...'cept we're not! Sorry!

Week 12-Doctor's Appt. #2

Today I had a prenatal appointment. Besides the very long wait at the office, things went well. I have lost weight (as I suspected) due to the nausea and food aversions. I'm hoping that, since I'm just about into the 2nd trimester, all of that loveliness will be soon making its exit!

I also got to hear Baby K's heartbeat and it was strong as could be! Overall, things looked great. I will go back in a month, when I'm about 17 weeks.

Week 12-Doctor's Appt. #1

Today I saw my sweet urologist, Dr. Ramsey. He provided me with some much-needed relief...after hearing about the recurrent bladder infections I'm getting, he decided to put me on a low dose of an antibiotic for a month (and possibly the remainder of my pregnancy). I am prone to bladder and kidney infections, and since kidney infections and kidney stones can be dangerous to the baby, he figured an antibiotic was the way to go. I'm going to try it out for a month to see if it helps keep the infections away. If it does, I'll stay on it until the baby comes.

Tomorrow, I have doctor's appt. #2 for my next prenatal check-up. I'll keep you posted!