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Comments (0) This week I am 32 weeks pregnant. Most of my pregnancy has been pretty easy thus far, but now I am really starting to feel uncomfortable and large. Despite that, we are currently on vacation in New York having a good time.
Arnett Family
More about vacation when I return…
So, I guess there was some confusion about my due date when I talked with my doctor this morning. I thought my original due date was 7/12/2012, but my doctor has 7/13/2012 written down based on my cycle. The first and second ultrasound said due date was 7/12/2012 which is what was communicated to me. The third ultrasound said due date was 7/10/2012. So, I guess my official due date is 7/13/2012, but baby will probably come earlier based on his/her growth.
People keep asking if I know if baby #2 is a boy or girl. We’re pretty sure baby is a girl, but we don’t know for sure since at the second and third ultrasounds baby’s legs were crossed and we couldn’t view the gender. The doctors didn’t see anything “extra” so they think girl.
Anyhow, all was well at today’s doctor appointment. I took the glucose test for gestational diabetes. I should have the results next week. Baby’s heart rate was 142 bpm. My belly measured just right as far as baby’s growth. I’ve gained about 11 pounds so far since I became pregnant which is pretty good, too.
Thank you to all who have been praying for my pregnancy. I really appreciate it!
We’ve started making plans to move Alex from the nursery to the bigger bedroom so baby #2 can have the crib and Alex can move to a big boy bed. We bought him a twin size bed from IKEA on Saturday. We still need to paint his room and do a lot more organizing before he makes the switch. Our goal is for the room to be ready for him by the end of May. Hopefully, he’s ready for the switch before baby #2 arrives. We’ve been thinking about a theme for Alex’s new room. Nick and I seem to both like space, airplanes, jungle animals, zoo animals, or dinosaurs as possible themes. The nursery is ocean themed. I’ll post some photos of Alex’s room once we get everything set up for him.
I didn’t get the call today about being induced Tuesday, instead of Thursday. So, I go to see my doctor for a regular appointment tomorrow morning. Unless she changes something at the appointment, the plan is to be induced on Thursday morning. This means I will be going to the hospital Wednesday evening to take Cervadil which is suppose to make my cervix more hospitable to labor. I’ll take it the night before so I sleep through the side effects, primarily nausea. Then, I will take Pitocin the next morning to induce labor.
Speaking of labor, Nick and I spent Labor Day weekend doing lots of walking and shopping. Walking is suppose to help keep baby in the proper position and bury his head down into the pelvis more. So, Friday we went to Home Depot, the grocery store, and ate lunch at Chipotle. Saturday we went to a bunch of garage sales in Sterling, Herndon, and Reston. We only spent $12 and found some pretty good treasures! For baby, we found this totally cute baby bath robe, an orange and navy blue 2 piece Adidas outfit, a dinosaur shirt, and a gray one piece with a train on it. We got 5 books: Disney’s Aladdin, a baby Bible verse memory book, A Tale of Three Trees, a book about the 1994 World Cup, and a math and physics formula book. We got a spreader for the lawn. And we got Pictionary new in the box with the plastic wrap still on. After the garage sales, we ate lunch at Potbelly and went to a Porche car show at Reston Towne Center.
Sunday we went to church, and I just slept a whole lot all afternoon. I think I was tired from all the walking from the previous two days.
Today we went furniture shopping originally looking for a chair for the nursery, but we didn’t find one we really liked. However, we did buy two more chairs to go with the dining set that we already have so there are six chairs total now. So, that will be nice when we have dinner guests.
So, Nick and I packed up the car and headed to the hospital this morning fully expecting to go through a c-section and meeting our baby boy today. But today is not the day that we will meet our little one. The c-section was canceled because baby has turned into the proper position with his head down! We were at the hospital for quite a while before we got this news, though.
I wasn’t able to eat or drink anything starting at midnight in preparation for the surgery. So, I was majorly hungry. The nurses gave me an IV and had me on the baby monitor for a while to keep track of baby’s heart beat and contractions. Baby’s heart beat was nice and strong and no contractions were happening. Later the doctor arrived and used an ultrasound to check baby’s position one last time before the c-section. We found his head down, his butt up, and his feet on my left side! He had moved into the proper position making the c-section unnecessary! My doctor was pretty surprised. I think Nick and I were, too!
So, doctor wants me to do a lot of walking to help baby keep his head down in the proper position and give him a few more days to decide to come on his own. But because baby has favored a less desirable position, my doctor wants to make sure that baby doesn’t turn again by inducing by my due date. So, I’m scheduled to be induced on Thursday if he doesn’t come sooner on his own. There is a possibility I may be induced on Tuesday, but not likely as there are 8 other mothers ahead of me in the schedule. If 3 of those 8 have their babies before Monday, then I will be induced Tuesday. I’ll go into the hospital the night before, in either case, to get some medication to make my cervix more favorable for delivery and the next morning I will be induced. There is still a possibility I may need a c-section if baby turns again or if inducing fails, but neither is highly likely. If I don’t have the baby by Tuesday, I have my next doctor check up appointment on Tuesday.
So, I am a bit disappointed that baby isn’t here yet, but it is what it is and God is in control! I am glad that I didn’t have to have a c-section as the recovery will be easier. Please keep praying for these last days of pregnancy, for a safe and healthy delivery, and for Nick and I as new parents!
Nick and I just got back from Pre-Op at the hospital. Basically, they verified and gathered lots of information, took some blood, we talked with an anesthesiologist, and got lots of questions answered. Tomorrow morning is the c-section and baby Arnett’s birthday! I should be back home on Sunday as long as there are no complications.
Monday I had an ultrasound, and I had my last regular doctor visit this morning. At the time of the ultrasound baby moved into a breech position with his head up and butt down and his arms and legs on my right side. His hands and feet were in front of his face. But now he’s back in the transverse lie position (sideways) with his head on my left side. According to the measurements in the ultrasound, baby weighed 7 pounds 3 ounces as of Monday. I’ve read that during the last month or so babies gain about an ounce a day as they grow. So, he’s going to end up being a bit bigger than I thought, but the tech said that he’s in the 56th percentile as far as growth which is very good. We want him to be right around 50%. Everything else looks healthy, too. Strong heartbeat. My blood pressure, sugars, and proteins are all good. My hands and feet have been pretty swollen the last couple weeks, but they feel better when I drink lots of water. I also haven’t slept real well the last couple weeks. It’s hard to get comfortable, and I get up to go pee at least once in the middle of the night.
Because of baby’s position, a c-section is planned for the morning of Thursday, September 2nd! I have pre-op on Wednesday afternoon. The surgery itself should be pretty quick. They will make a 10 cm cut below my panty line, pull baby out, and stitch me back up. Nick will be in the surgery room with me during the surgery, and we’ll be able to hold the baby right after he’s born while the doctors do the stitches. The doctor said they’ll have me up and walking around Friday morning, and I should be back home after the surgery by Sunday as long as there are no complications, like infection.
The first two weeks after the surgery may be tough, but my doctor said after that the recovery is pretty much the same as a vaginal birth. I am grateful that Nick will be able to take two weeks off work for paternity leave to help out. I think some family are going to come visit after I am home as well. Not sure exactly when, though.
Tuesday, August 31st will be my last day at work before starting maternity leave, and I’m planning to go back November 1st as long as our day care spot is open. But I will only be working from the office 3 days a week and at home from my laptop 2 days a week. So, baby will only need day care 2-3 days a week.
Please pray for the c-section, recovery, a healthy baby boy, and Nick and I as new parents!
As of Wednesday, I entered my 37th week of pregnancy! I am officially full-term! Our little baby boy is healthy, but he is sitting in what is called ‘transverse lie,’ basically he is sideways with his head on my left side and his butt on my right. He should be sitting vertically with his head down. He cannot be born vaginally when he is in transverse lie. So, my doctor has scheduled a c-section for September 2nd. I will be getting an ultrasound on Monday to check his position one last time. If he’s turned, the c-section will be canceled. If not, things will go as planned.
I don’t really care if I get a c-section or if baby is born vaginally. With the c-section, it’s kind of nice knowing the date and time that everything is going to happen and the surgery is very quick compared to regular labor and delivery. I am confident in the judgement and ability of my doctors and the hospital. They are well seasoned, and it’s not a training hospital. My experience thus far with the hospital staff and doctors has been a good one. I am also confident that God has the best plan in mind for both me and baby and that it will be carried through. I don’t really feel anxious or scared about getting a c-section. Though, as my friend Marsha put it, “A c-section kicks off motherhood with a great sacrifice, submitting to birth by surgery and a difficult recovery.” So, I would appreciate prayers for the delivery and recovery.
I am ready for baby to be here. I’m kind of becoming tired of all the “you’re so big” comments, people touching my belly, and unsolicited advice. One person even told me something about standing on my head to get baby to turn! I’m physically uncomfortable and feeling impatient to get this baby out. I am excited to be a new parent and ready for the next part of this adventure to begin.
I had a follow up doctor appointment on Tuesday. Everything is going well. My doctor decided I can go back to work, but I need to limit my hours so that I get enough rest. It’s what they call “Level 1 Bed Rest.” Last week I was on “Level 2 Bed Rest.” So, I’m basically working 10am-3pm or so now so I can get 8-10 hours of sleep at night and take a morning and afternoon nap. I don’t think I’ve had scheduled naps since I was a little kid. So, it’s a little weird. But I am glad to be able to go back to work.
Yesterday was pretty eventful as far as my pregnancy goes. I started spotting a small amount of blood over the weekend. So, I went to see my doctor first thing Monday morning. (I would have went straight to the hospital had it gotten any worse or I felt any pain or contractions, but I didn’t. So, no guilt tripping me…) The doctor did several tests and sent me over to Labor & Delivery at the hospital to be monitored and get more tests and then to get another ultrasound. Everything came back with good results except a test with a long name that I now forget which is an indicator of going into labor within the next two weeks. The doctor who did the ultrasound said it was likely a “false positive,” and nothing to be worried about. The bleeding stopped yesterday afternoon while I was at the hospital. So, they sent me home and put me on bed rest. Basically, I need to stay at home and take it easy. I think that will be pretty hard for me to do because I am quite use to keeping myself busy. I need to go back to the doctor this afternoon to get a second dose of a shot they gave me. It’s basically some kind of steroid that will help the baby’s lungs develop just in case he is born early. I really like how precautionary my doctor was to make sure everything was ok with both the baby and me. Although, I imagine the medical bills are going to be slightly overwhelming over the next several months.
P.S. I hope this storm doesn’t kill anybody.
I had my June doctor appointment today and all is well. I did a blood test for gestational diabetes and complete blood count (CBC). Baby’s resting heart rate was about 125 and jumped to 140 when he moved around which is good. My blood pressure was also very good. The doctor also measured my belly again, and she said that was good, too. From the time of my first doctor appointment to this one, I’ve gained 17 pounds so I am on track to do very well with not gaining too much or too little weight. The goal the doctor mentioned was to not gain more than 25 pounds. So, everything is going very well with me and baby.
UPDATE 6/27/2010: The blood test results for gestational diabetes and CBC came back normal. Thank you all who prayed for that.
Yesterday’s doctor appointment was very short. Baby’s heart rate was 154bpm. The doctor measured my belly with a measuring tape, which is something they didn’t do before. And I got my weight and blood pressure taken as usual. The doctor said everything is progressing well. At my next appointment, I’ll be getting a blood taken so they can test for gestational diabetes as well as a few other things. After that appointment, my appointments will be every two weeks until the baby is born.
People I don’t know are starting to ask me when I am due. So, my belly must be becoming obviously large. I’ve had some trouble sleeping lately. I’m having a hard time getting comfortable to fall asleep. Then I’ll feel the baby kicking at like 3am and he’ll wake me up. And I’ll have to wake up in the middle of the night to pee. So, I’ve been kind of tired lately.
Nick painted the nursery this weekend. He just needs to touch up the white trim now. Nick has done a great job! It’s the first room in our house with color. The walls are a wonderful light blue color to go with the ocean theme we have picked. If there is any benefit besides having a cute room, baby Arnett will know all the major ocean animals by the time he is two.
I had my monthly doctor appointment this morning.
Based on the ultrasounds, my due date has officially been changed to September 8th. If I need to be induced, a date has been set for September 14th. The doctor said only about 10% of their patients need to be induced.
I got to hear the baby’s heart beat again. It was 150 bpm. The doctor initially found the baby’s heartbeat on the left side of my belly, but then it disappeared because the baby moved. She found it again on the right side of my belly a few moments later. So, he had completely flipped around during those few minutes. The doctor commented that he seemed like a very active little fellow.
I had my 20 week ultrasound on Tuesday and found out the baby is a boy! We’ve got a name picked out, but we’re waiting until he is born to share with everyone. Click here to view some photos from the ultrasound. He weighed just 12 ounces and had a heartbeat of 143 bpm that morning. The baby also likely has a due date of September 7th, not September 15th as we previously thought.
I had another doctor appointment today. The pregnancy is coming along well. My blood pressure was good, and I got to hear the baby’s heartbeat again. It was 160bpm. We should be able to find out if the baby is a boy or girl near the end of April when I get my first ultrasound. The doctor said I should be able to start feeling the baby move before my next appointment.
We spent my birthday on Saturday moving to our new house in Sterling, Virginia. There is lots of work to do around the house, and we have lots of boxes left to unpack. While the work has been pretty exhausting, it is something that both Nick and I are very happy about. It’s nice to have a place of our own to take care of. Nick’s busy now putting together a new computer desk as I write this. It will likely be a multi-evening project.
Well, tomorrow my husband, Nick, and I will be moving from Alexandria, Virginia to Sterling, Virginia! That means Starloft is moving, too.
Also, I am pregnant! Due date is September 8th! Because of the pregnancy, I won’t be able to photograph any big events this summer. I will be focusing on building my portfolio and doing smaller shoots.
So, needless to say, with all the big changes things may be a little quiet around here for a bit while we get settled.
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