Waiting for Baby # 2

BRADY NIKOLAS IS HERE!!!

2009-08-11T23:07:00.001-04:00

The birth story....

I went into work at 7pm Saturday night. Had a really hard contraction at 8:23pm. And they followed every 2-3 minutes instantly!! I went upstairs to L&D after 3 of these. They lasted about 2 hours, and helped me get to a 4-5 cm. The pain of them died down and the frequency slowed down a bit.

I was checked by the day nurse at 7am and she calls me at a 3cm!! GAH!! And of course the contractions werent really bad at all. Just felt like the BH. So Im thinking that they are going to send me home and i was pretty much okay with that, but the contractions still continued to be regular at about 6-7 minutes apart the whole time. The doctor was debating whether to send me home and then come back the next day for my scheduled induction or keep me if I show any progress in the next couple hours. He mentioned if we get some progress then he would break my water and start me on pitocin to get things going.

Around 12pm after walking some and trying to get things going on my own, I got hooked back up on the monitors and my contractions were steady at 5 minutes apart. But still no real change in the cervix. But the doctor decided to keep me there and break my water!! YAYY!!
So at 12:30 he came in and broke my water. Instantly the contractions went to 1-2 minutes apart!!! And I mean instantly! There was a whole lot more pain with these and it just seemed to increase. Tehy got strong enough that we didn't need the Pitocin. Right around 2:00 they were extremely intense and i started to feel the baby dropping with one of them and felt the need to push. I mentioned it, to everyone and just kinda waited for the next couple contractions to see if I felt it again. Sure enough I did, and this one felt even more closer to feeling like he was going to be born right then! I had my husband and mom tell the nurse that I wanted her to check me, that I feel like Im ready to push. Of course they don't believe me, and sure enough she said I was a 7-8!! And that was in between contractions. So she wanted to see what I was at during the contraction and it didn't take long for her to just see and feel that during the contraction, it was going to be very soon that baby was coming out!
She yelled to the staff at the nurses station to get the Dr. and everything in here. When the doctor came in on the next contraction, (and he was in there that quick!!) the nurse told the doctor to get his gloves on quick because the next contraction was coming and there was going to be a baby born !! They got me right up in position with knees bent up to my ears, and was told that I could push on the next contraction! Seriously?!?! I was ecstatic! We waited for the contraction to come and when it did, I pushed all the way through it and was able to get his head through. The next contraction came right away and we used that one to push through the shoulders and the rest of the body out. And that makes him born at 2:15!!
They never had to use the pitocin, just the breaking of the bag of water alone.
And of course when she checked me at 7-8 cm, I was too late for any pain meds, not that I was planning on any either. I was maybe going to consider something along the lines of Demoral. But never had that option this time around. And am soo thankful that it did go fast... well once we got started! LOL!
Now if only they would have done that back at 7am when the doctor first came in the room, we would've been done by mid-morning! LOL!

39w4d

2009-08-08T16:36:00.001-04:00

Im doing okay. Just woke up from sleeping all day, after working till 7am.
slept really good today too. yesterday was just about 6.5 hours sleep after working 3rds, but today I got almost 8 hours sleep!!

Tonight is my last night of working 7p-7a. and then i will be sleeping on Sunday to recoop from that. Hopefully Ill sleep good, because im sure ill be anxious sunday night. Monday morning at 5am is when i make the call to L&D.

My mom also looked up to see what day of the week all of my family and her family, what day everyone was born on. (dont ask me why). LOL! Anyways, we have all the days of the week covered, except for Sunday. Noone has been born on a sunday. So here is your chance Brady, you can be born on a Sunday! Otherwise Monday will be your big day! :)

39w1d

2009-08-05T08:45:00.001-04:00

was it a full moon last night?? I sure was hoping for a baby last night. thought we had all the cards for it.

* My mom texted me and said that my 11 y.o. sister was staying at her dads last night, so she wouldnt have to worry about what to do with her during the night, if I went into labor.
* I finally packed my hospital bag.
* We took a 1.5 mile walk after dinner last night.
* I took a nice hot bath to soak and relax in last night.
* Even woke up several times during the night, but just for the BH contractions. no real ones.

Anytime now Brady, you can come!!! :P

Just looked it up online and actually TONIGHT is the official full moon!! Lets hope for tonight then!!

Full Moon for August, 2009

* August 6, 00:55

38w6d

2009-08-03T15:39:00.002-04:00

So close to having just one week left! Oh wait, I DO have just one week left. Thats right, we are scheduled for induction next Monday, August 10th! That is if Brady doesn't make his appearance this week. Which I am hoping.

I have hit Day 2 of being uncomfortable, miserable, sore, tired, and just can't walk that well. And thats what I want to do most is walk this off. And walk, walk, walk myself into labor.

So for the info on my appointment today, I gained 2 more pounds. Makes it 184 lbs!! Oh my, but its right around the same as what I was when I delivered Lukas - 180 lbs.
BP was good, 126/80.
FHR was good, 150's.
Cervix is 2-3 cm dilated.
70% effaced, "soft like an ear lobe".
-2 station.

I do believe that she might have been a little rough with the pelvic exam, maybe trying to strip membranes and get things started. There was a little pain involved, and I have been having some spotting since the exam.

Other than that, Ill keep it updated with twitter until the next time I can blog. Which might be after he gets here. :)

Follow me on Twitter: http://twitter.com/froggyleggs

38w2d

2009-07-30T22:00:00.000-04:00

Doctors appointment went good today. Now at 2 cm dilated!! Woo-hoo! And still 50% effaced. Uterine measure was at 39 weeks. BP, urine, and heart rate was good.
Weight gain of 3 lbs. Puts us at the 182 lbs. And makes it 33 lbs total gained.

I go back on Monday morning and see the mid-wife, since the doctor is out all next week on vacation. So if I have this baby next week, he will be delivered by an different doctor. Not to worry though, I hear good things about the other doctors as well. :)

Contractions are frequent still, and increasing in pain, but still random. I've timed them for about an hour here and there and its common to see them about 5 to 20 minutes apart. But thats just it, its random. Here is my latest hour:

8:59 pm
then 6 minutes later at 9:05 pm
then 11 minutes later at 9:16 pm
then 20 minutes later at 9:36 pm
then 6 minutes later at 9:42 pm
then 6 minutes later at 9:48 pm
then 8 minutes later at 9:56 pm

You never know what it will be. But looking at that hour, I did have 7 contractions. Thats pretty common these last couple weeks, hence why I started watching an hour here and there. Because I did notice that they have increased in number. And a little in pain, but just enough to take a deep breath during them. Kind of feels like it takes my breath away on some. But nothing that I feel really intense on. I've been told that I will know the difference between these and the 'real' ones. And of course it will be more regular.

37w2d

2009-07-26T03:47:00.003-04:00

I had my doctors appointment today. Baby Brady is measuring good, actually 38 weeks. I got my walking papers today, which means i have to bring my 'chart' with me to L&D if I had to go in there. And also to the rest of the appointments for him to update with the info.

He did a pelvic exam to see if there is any dilating or effacing. I am 1 cm dilated and 50% effaced! woo-hoo!! Thats exciting to hear, because that means its coming soon!
Now I just have to wait for these contractions that I get, to become the real contractions on labor. I have been having the braxton hicks contractions for a few months now. Just here and there, but lately in the last 1-2 weeks have noticed them more frequently. They currently are about 15-20 minutes apart, so pretty frequently now. But of course they aren't really painful. Just a few of them here and there are breath-taking, but I know its probably me over working it.

Im really excited to see if I go into natural labor, rather than be induced this time. Just the surprise and the excitement of it all, is nerve racking at the same time.

The Group B Strep came back negative, so I wont have antibiotics this time at delivery, like I did with Lukas.

Still considering the name change. The more I think about it, I think we would end up call him Brady 95% of the time. And almost wouldn't feel right calling him by this longer version. It would be different if we can up with the longer version first and liked Brady as a nickname. But thats not the case. We've always like the name Brady and have been calling him that all along. So what I thought was going to be a formal name change, might not happen. LOL! I brought it up to Tony the other day, so we will see what happens. We still have a couple more weeks to ponder, but Im pretty sure once I see the baby, I will only be thinking Brady. :)

37 week pic

2009-07-26T01:56:00.001-04:00

Haven't posted a pic in awhile. Hope we can get one more in before delivery too. :)

36 weeks 2 days

2009-07-16T14:35:00.002-04:00

Down to less than 1 month! Crazy how fast this pregnancy is going for me!

I had my frequent flyer OB appointment today and was not happy with that scale! I gained FIVE lbs!! Just in the last week! So now im up to 30 lbs. total and weighed in at 178 lbs. How depressing that I gained 5 lbs. in a week! I have to blame it on being out of town these last few days in the U.P. and eating out a lot. We did eat at grandma's house for breakfast and lunch. Which I did have lots of fresh fruit available at her house as well, so we could snack healthy. But I guess the delicious Chicken Wet Burrito that I had Tuesday night at a Mexican Restaurant cancels all that out.

I am having more of those low pelvic pains. And not just at night time. Im having them more now even by walking, sitting down, standing up. Just random times during the day. No fun in that. I did ask Dr. Vendola if I will be feeling these pains during labor and delivery. He assured me that I wouldn't. I sure hope not. My plan is to go through labor and delivery drug free. Yeah thats right. Im choosing not to have an epidural. I went fairly quick with Lukas and am hoping for the same here again. I did have Demoral with Lukas around the first hour into labor, but it lasted about 30 minutes and all it did was make me really drowsy and nauseous. And it only lasted 30 minutes. I chose not to have any more doses after than one. And won't have any Demoral this time around either. So we will see. Im hoping if this pelvic pain doesn't show up at delivery time, then I should be okay to go on as planned.

BP was good and heart rate was good as well. As soon as he laid the doppler down it was booming. No searching for it this time. Measuring right on as well too.

He did do a swab for Group B Strep that will be sent to lab to see if that comes back positive or not. If positive then I will be put on antibiotics at delivery time to protect the baby from getting it during delivery. I did test positive for this with Lukas and was given the antibiotics for his delivery. And you wouldn't know any different either way after delivery.

As I was leaving, Bobbi also stopped me to tell me that I might have some spotting today as when he pulled the speculum out there was some blood on there. Must have aggravated the cervix a bit, and she just wanted to warn me that the small amount of spotting is okay. Good thing she said something, because that would probably send me to L&D if I didn't know differently. And of course I've gotten some of the spotting, but nothing really to worry about. :)

So he ran by the things to watch for. Contractions 5 minutes apart for an hour, leaking of fluids, any bleeding. Any of those warrant a ticket to L&D. And he said at this point if labor would start, he wouldn't stop it now. We are far enough along now that he would let labor take its course. Kind of exciting to know. :) Also he said that he was on call this weekend. Which is kinda scary to know, only in the fact that he was thinking in that way. That he would be the one on call this weekend if something were to happen. ...if something were to happen. Crazy to think that its come to that time already.

I still have a few things to do. Get the Diaper Champ from Target. Get down the infant carrier and make sure its not expired. And oh yea, get a bag packed of the things that I want at the hospital. Or at least a list together of what I don't want to forget. That would probably be easier, as I'll be using most of the things right now that would probably go into the bag.

35 weeks

2009-07-09T14:27:00.002-04:00

I had a doctors appointment today. We are now moving on to weekly appointments. I gained 2 lbs since the last appointment 2 weeks ago. Totaling 25 lbs, bringing me to 173 lbs. ugh....

I talked with Bobbi, the midwife, about the low pelvic pains and she says that its the round ligaments having lots of pressure on them and being stretched to its limits. She said that I do need to 'baby' these ligaments and take it easy with movements that make them hurt. Currently its only been bothering me (killing me) during the night when I am wanting to switch from one side to the other. It seriously is a sharp low pelvic pain that I cannot tolerate!

Aside from that bit, the appointment went good. BP and heart rate were good and I am measuring right on for dates.

Small change of plans

2009-07-02T22:53:00.001-04:00

I believe we are changing the baby's name. Just a slight small change really. But we have also decided that we aren't until birth. Makes for a little surprise at birth and just in case we change our mind again. LOL!

33w2d

2009-06-25T12:24:00.004-04:00

Dr's appointment today went good. I gained 4 lbs. and brings us to 171 lbs!!! Oh my! Thats pretty close to the weight I had weighed with Lukas (180 lbs.). But I also weighed 140 lbs. starting with him. And this time around they have me starting at 148 lbs. So that brings my total weight gain to 23 lbs. so far. I sure hope I dont gain 40 lbs. That would mean 188 lbs. total!! Yikes! Thats scary to hear for me. All I can do is look forward to losing it all after the baby. I sure hope that works out! LOL!

Heart beat was good, and actually baby measures a week ahead of dates. So Brady must have had a growth spurt these last two weeks. Which Dr. says it can fluctuate +/- a week, here and there.

My blood pressure was good, actually lower than normal. 105/60.

I have been starting to have swelling in my hands and feet wuite frequently during the day now. I took of my wedding ring set about 3 weeks ago and put on my grandmother's engagement ring. This ring once was too big for me to ever wear, but is now just right for size on my sausage fingers and is even a little snug in getting it off. It has been nice though being able to wear her ring. Its very beautiful and a great reminder of her whenever I look at it.

Dr. continues to remind me to drink plenty of water in this heat and to make sure I don't have more than 4-5 contractions an hour. I usually now only get about 1 an hour, sometimes 2.

We continue to have hiccups on th elower right side and have also begun to see large lumps sticking out the side for a couple seconds and then go away. Its realy been neat to see the belly swishing around with his movements. And he gets pretty active when he gets going too.

Getting things ready

2009-06-21T05:15:00.003-04:00

We pulled down all the clothes from the attic this past week. I started sorting through them to see what I want to reuse from Lukas and what Im putting in our garage sale next weekend. I was able to wash 2 of the loads so far too. Still have probably 2 more loads to do. Lots of blankets, crib sheets, and all that fun stuff.

I also need to get out there and get a few things still. I still need to shop around and look for a sling. Give me your suggestions if you have one that you love. I think I have decided to get the Diaper Champ by Baby Trend. We had the Odorless Diaper Pail by Safety 1st with Lukas and as soon as e was done with diapers, it was in the trash. It didn't keep anything odorless for crap! Im hoping to have more success with this one.

I need to get down all the bottles and milk supplies to see what I needs. Although I won't be going to work for 6 week after he is born, I am going to be pumping here and there to get a supply ready for when I do go back to work. Im hoping that breast-feeding goes as well with Brady as it did with Lukas.

Im just so excited overall for all this to come. As I went through the clothes and blankets and all, thats when I realize how much Lukas has grown up and it will be nice to have a baby in the house again.

I want to remember this week to get out the first scrapbook I did of Lukas' life. Just to see that baby face again and see his cute little outfits. Just like I posted pics on my regular blog a couple weeks ago. I just love the baby days. Well except for when I lose sleep. LOL! But at least this time Ill only be working 3 shifts a week and not 5-6 like before. So I should be able to nap more during the day when Brady naps. keyword : should.

A peek at my boy.

2009-06-21T04:54:00.002-04:00

I was able to get a peak at my little boy tonight. Although he is already head down and was face towards my back, therefore I didn't get to see his face. And not sure that I'll be able to see his face in 3D as I was able to with Lukas. We don't have the 3D probe here at work anymore. My doctors office does do 3D in the office, but all of my ultrasounds have to be done here at the hospital because of insurance reasons. But I might have ask Cassie next time I see her at the office if she can get me in for a 3D.

I was able to get a picture of the back of his spine tonight and his foot in the upper left corner, by my ribs. Now I know whats been poking me there the last couple days. I would feel this push up there and see a huge lump sticking out. Well that was his foot! LOL!

I also go to measure him up and see how close to dates we are. And would you believe that he measured RIGHT ON! Good job Brady! Or good job to me, for feeding this growing boy! :P

And his estimated weight with those measurements is: 4lb. 8oz.

We are only 3 weeks away from 36 weeks. Thats when the baby will start to gain .5 lb a week! So I figure the last 4 weeks he will gain his last 2 lbs. And whatever he will gain in the next 3 weeks, looks like he will probably be pretty close to Lukas' weight of 6lb. 13oz.

So make sure to get those polls in if you haven't already. Lots of guesses so far! :)

31 weeks OB appt.

2009-06-08T14:56:00.002-04:00

We had a routine appointment today that went fine.

Currently at 164 lbs.
Measuring at 30 weeks instead of 31. Which is hopeful for an induction if I go overdue again.
Heartbeat was good. Even Lukas got to hold the doppler and feel it vibrate as the heart was beating.

1st visit to L&D

2009-05-28T20:01:00.001-04:00

Now today, we had just a little scare.
This afternoon I lost quite a bit of mucous (about 1 tablespoon) when I went to the bathroom. It was just white-ish and cloudy in color, and no blood. I still called the Dr.'s office to just check it with them. And they advised me since it was almost after office hours, and they didn't want me to wait until tomorrow to get things checked out, they had me go to Labor & Delivery. They checked my cervix to make sure it was still closed and they also tested to make sure there was no amniotic fluid being leaked. Both came out with great results. Nothing to worry about. :)
The best part was that I was in and out of there in about 1 hour! Not bad for my first ever visit to Labor & Delivery before actually delivering.

29 weeks OB appt.

2009-05-28T19:34:00.004-04:00

Lots in the last week.

I did get my Rhogam shot last week on Wednesday, along with the Glucose testing.

I had my OB appointment yesterday (remember we are every two weeks now).

My weight jumped up 8 lbs in the last 2 weeks. LOL! Just according to their records though. Not denying the current weight of 162 lbs. I just remember thinking after my last appointment 2 weeks ago, that the weight obviously can't be right. 2 weeks ago when I was weighed, she told me it was 154. I think she looked at it wrong, or wrote it down wrong. Because I was told I had only gained 1 lb. in 4 weeks?!?! And now Ive gained 8 lbs. in 2 weeks?!?! Anyways, like I said, Im not denying my current weight of 162 lbs. Just sounds really bad that I gained 8 lbs. in two weeks!! LOL!
Heartbeat was good and strong.
Belly measurement was right on track.

Sounds like everything went good. :)

Its getting closer to D-day.

2009-05-27T23:32:00.001-04:00

We are down to 11 weeks till the due date of this little boy.

I'll open up the online baby pool to get your guesses in for the stats of this new kiddo, Brady Nikolas.

Just a tidbit of info on Lukas to help you out. :)

3 days overdue with Lukas. (chose to be induced).
6lbs 13oz.
19 inches.
born at 1:19pm

Happy Guessing! :)

27 week appointment

2009-05-14T10:08:00.005-04:00

I had a doctors appointment yesterday and it went well.

I only gained 1 lb. since my last appointment 4 weeks ago! So I think I'm up 14 lbs. total. What a difference from when I was pregnant with Lukas and gained 40 lbs. total! I don't think Ill be getting to that weight with this pregnancy, or at least I hope not, with only 13 weeks left. GAH!
My starting weight was 140 lbs. and now I'm at 154 lbs.

My blood pressure was good.

Baby's heartbeat was good and steady. He didn't say what the rate was.

And belly measurement is right on.

I did mention the heartburn that I am having 2-3 times a day, pretty much after anything I eat. And he told me to take Mylanta or even Zantac. I think Ill be picking up some at the store today and hopefully that will keep it away.

I do have an appointment next Wednesday at the hospital lab for my Rhogam shot at 28 weeks. At that same time I will have my Glucose testing, CBC blood work, and urinalysis.

And then I start my frequent flyer visits here shortly. I go back every 2 weeks now! Thats when it hits me that its getting close! Yikes!

I better have Tony get the clothes down from upstairs in the attic, so I can go through them and wash them all. Ill select which clothes I want for Brady and the rest we will set aside for a (hopeful) garage sale this summer.

Im picking up a large letter 'B' at JoAnn's today to be painted dark brown and go in his room. Im also trying to decide how to incorporate some other artwork on his walls. As much as I love these large circles on his walls, its hard put things on his walls. I might have to paint over a couple of these yellow circles, not sure.

OB appointment @ 23 weeks pregnant

2009-04-13T22:53:00.001-04:00

Todays appointment went really well. Dr. Vendola was actually out of the office today, so I got to meet Bobbi, his mid-wife. She was really nice and personable and I look forward to seeing more of her. She said she had already become familiar with my name in the charts as she has looked over all the lab results, ultrasounds and charts that go into Labor & Delivery at the hospital. She also works at the hospital too.

She ordered up another ultrasound to check the cervix one last time, to make sure it is still closed and stable. I originally had this done at 14 weeks and it was okay then. Hopefully it will still be okay. Although I would think its too late to have a cerclage put in if it abnormal. I'll probably have this ultrasound done on Friday morning at the end of my shift when the next tech comes into work.

She measured my belly and measured out right. We listened to the heartbeat at a steady 148 bpm. She was even so nice as to try to include Lukas in the appointment events. She asked him to hold the doppler while we listened to the heartbeat. Although he did decline.

So for now, things look good, my blood pressure is still good, even just a little lower than normal bp, but thats normal for me. :)

Weight is at 153 lbs.

Feeling baby movements quite often now, about 2-3 times a day, when im sitting or resting.

Heartburn is still there after every meal and I expect it to be till the end. Just have to keep 1 of my 3 bottles of Tums near me. :)

Dr's appointment

2009-04-11T01:39:00.002-04:00

I went in for my doctors appointment on Wednesday and waited 45 minutes. Dr. was busy with a stat c-section, so who knows when he would be back. I ended up leaving and rescheduling it for Monday morning.

Finally... a belly pic.

2009-04-07T15:32:00.003-04:00

A pic at 10 weeks again:

and now at 22 weeks:

20 week fetal survey ultrasound

2009-04-04T01:54:00.002-04:00

Saturday I have my 20 week "official" ultrasound scheduled at noon.
Even though I am almost 22 weeks. LOL!

Thats okay though. It is worth the wait to be able to have Tony and both of our moms there to see the little guy.

I'll post some pics of that when I can. :)

Next Wednesday is my next OB appointment.

leg cramps

2009-03-27T15:35:00.002-04:00

I got my first leg cramp while sleeping today. It woke me up out of my sleep. Fortunately I remembered to flex my foot, so it went away quickly.

I remember when I was pregnant with Lukas I would get 2-3 of them a night! And it was always hard for me to remember in the dead of sleep to point or flex my foot to make them go away.

Im gonna have to look up and see what causes them and what can prevent them.
So far Ive heard that calcium (milk) causes them and potassium (bananas) can help prevent them.
If you have any insight on this or recommendations on what has helped you, let me know. Ive got 20 weeks left and am not looking forward to already getting these leg cramps in the night.

Baby moving

2009-03-26T09:44:00.002-04:00

Last night as I lay in bed, I could start to feel the baby move around a bit as usual. I grabbed Tony's hand and placed it on my pelvis, with a little bit of pressure. Waiting for the baby to move again in hopes that he would feel it on his hand. And he did! He said, " I felt something on my palm!" And I reassured him, yup, thats where it was at! He actually got to feel him move!! And at that moment, Tony leaned down to my belly and started talking to the little guy. :)
Its so neat that Tony could feel that. I think it wasn't until 24 weeks when Tony could feel it before. But now I think we both know what we are feeling and can pinpoint it more. How neat!

Update on Baby's Room

2009-03-17T12:58:00.004-04:00

We've got the yellow circles on the walls. And though I wasn't that sure about it after they were up, I'm feeling better about it now there is more things in the room.

We also set up the crib, changing table, and picked up a tan microfiber glider/rocker off craigslist for $50 yesterday too!

Pretty sure on the name

2009-03-15T06:24:00.003-04:00

and so it will be:

Brady Nikolas Howard

18w1d Dr's appointment

2009-03-15T06:04:00.003-04:00

I had my monthly doctors appointment this past Wednesday and it went pretty good. I've gained 4 lbs. since my last appointment 5 weeks ago. So that puts me at 8 lbs. total.

He did a colposcopy on my cervix, meaning he just used a scope to take a look at it since I had an abnormal pap 2 months ago. He said everything looked good, and won't have to worry about that issue again until I'm 6 weeks postpartum when I get that pap done.

He gave me the lab slip for the Quad testing to be done at the hospital. And also the doctor's order for the 20 week fetal survey ultrasound that has to be done at the hospital as well.

Fetal heart beat was good and clear at 144 bpm. Although it always makes me nervous when it takes him about 30 seconds to actually find the heart beart. The longest 30 seconds ever.

I did mention to him that over the past couple weeks I started having some back pain, right in the tailbone region. Mostly in the late hours of the day before going to bed. Sometimes even feels like my legs would give out when I stand on one foot. Not that I stand on one foot a lot. Just when Im changing my clothes for bed and into loungepants. You've gotta lift one leg off the ground. I guess I'll have to remember to sit on the edge of the bed when doing this now, so I won't fall over. He said this is most likely my sciatic nerve that is bothering me and showed me some hip-menourvering sways to help it feel better. Also suggested laying with a pillow between my knees. Which I have been doing at night with this pillow.

Its called the Snoogle Total Body Pillow. And I love it! I bought this when I was pregnant with Lukas because I also had back soreness with that pregnany as well. And I used this every night. You don't even need your regular pillow when you have this. Just cuddle up right in it.

Early in the pregnancy, like now, I would use it this way with the pillow kinda helping hold my belly up. Then it doesn't feel like that little bump that is growing isnt without support under it when laying on your side.

And then I also love lying with the pillow behind your back, because later I tended to want to lay on my back sometimes to relieve the back pain, but having this pillow would stop me from doing that and gave a nice 45 degree angle of my body with the bed.

I remember when pregnant with Lukas and now its happening with this one as well. I wake up feeling so great in the morning after having this pillow, that I usually forget that I even had a sore back the night before.

So anyways, I think that was it for this appointment. I go back in another 5 weeks, instead of 4 since Dr. is on vacation in 4 weeks.

Official Ultrasound will be in the next 2 weeks as well. :)

Painting the Baby's Room

2009-03-11T21:53:00.002-04:00

We picked up paint today from Lowe's and got right to painting the baby's room. We actually were gonna wait another month and wait for some nice weather to have the windows open and sun shinning and all, but we are a little bit more of a time schedule. The room was kinda of a mess this past month as we were taking the spare bed and book stand out of there. Its a good thing we haven't had anyone want to come look at the house. But now we do have a showing scheduled for Sunday March 22nd, so we'd like to get the room somewhat organized and get it starting to look like a baby's room. Its kind of a small room, so maybe it will be even better presentation when it is shown as a baby's room, rather than a spare bedroom or a room to stock pile crap, as what its been looking like this past month.

Tony also brought down the crib from the attic so we can also put that together, maybe this weekend. We have the changing table in the garage and will probably bring that in as well. Hopefully have it looking somewhat as a baby's room in progress, when we have the showing.

Here are some pictures of before, during and after. Also once the green dries, Ill be adding large yellow circles onto the walls, maybe about 40 inches in diameter. I may also do dark brown ones as well to draw in some of the dark brown. You can also see the curtain valence hanging. The printed thing hanging on the step stool is actually the crib sheet that I used for a color swatch for the curtains I made and for the paint on the walls. So you can see a close up of the bedding to get a feel for the theme of this room.

Nicole also gave me an idea to try to make my own mobile. Which I think would be awesome to make one of Circles and Rings to match this. For wall decor, I think I might try to make this one, but with circles and rings and to match his colors. Will definitely beat their price of $150 that they want for theirs!!! And maybe also a smaller one above the crib to match.

February 13, 2009 U/S pics

2009-03-06T04:34:00.000-05:00

Got the alien pics. LOL!

February 9, 2009 U/S pics

2009-03-06T04:33:00.000-05:00

February 7, 2009 U/S pics -Its a BOY!!

2009-03-06T04:28:00.004-05:00

Finding out that its a BOY!! This first pic will show you the round bottom, and the legs in yellow. and between the legs is the red arrow pointing to the pee-pee. :)

February 5, 2009 U/S pics

2009-03-06T04:25:00.001-05:00

I do believe

2009-03-06T04:15:00.002-05:00

that it is still a boy.

Why? you might ask...

Well this past Monday at work they were demo-ing a new ultrasound machine and have been using me as their pregnancy model to compare the machines. On Monday the GE company tech and the 3 other techs in the room all agreed that it looks like a girl!

Seriously?

Of course I had to find out more, and right away. So, I got a hold of Nicole and she hooked me up with her mom to come in and get a peek. She's pretty convinced that its a boy. The cord was sitting between the legs, hiding the penis, but she believes that she was able to see scrotum.

Just to make sure, the next day coming into work, I had a co-worker take a peak as well. And it took 25 minutes to be able to see good enough to determine that it is a boy.

I sure hope they are right, because we are painting the baby's room this Sunday and Monday.
Even though these could be considered neutral colors (brown, yellow, and green), if I were to have a girl, I totally wanted to through some pink or purple in the mix. Who wouldn't?? LOL!

I guess its still early enough that if we find out in a month or two that it is a girl, we could always change things up. Until then, here is a peak at the curtains that I have made. I also made the bedding and will post that when I can get a pic of it. Probably not until the crib is up, walls are painted, and maybe I'll throw a sheet on the crib so you can get the whole feel of the room. :)

Baby Movements and Baby Names

2009-03-02T10:44:00.008-05:00

I think I'm now feeling movements of the baby. I started to notice a small tossing feeling within the last couple of days and just kinda blew it off as some gas in the bowels or such. But once again last night while laying in bed, I noticed it again and am pretty sure its not gas in the bowels. It feels like it just might be the baby moving within. Which I guess it pretty close to time. I'll be 17 weeks tomorrow and I think I first felt it with Lukas at 18-19 weeks. But at that time, I didn't really know what I was feeling for. Now I do.

Now that we all know its a boy, the next topic seems to be names. And I LOVE this topic. Even though with Lukas we had his name picked out for like 4 years prior, it was still fun to talk names and see different combinations. So far we have kinda had Brady picked out for a first name for a boy for the last year. We are open to looking at different names though as this wasn't a huge "Have to" like Lukas' name was. There really aren't any family names to pass on, so we thought we might make our own. Lukas' middle name is Anthony.
If there were to be a theme for our kids name, it would be to have a "K" instead of maybe a common "C". Such as Lukas with a "K", rather than a "C". This kinda comes from my days with my maiden name. My maiden name is Kohler. Which often got misspelled as Cohler. So I often said the phrase, "Kohler, with a 'K' ", whenever referring to my last name or if someone was writing it down. I know its probably going to be a hassle for the kids with all these odd spelling of names, but its seems to be the norm now, so I guess I'm not afraid to take that leap as well. At least the names I am using won't be unseen until I use them. These are variations of names that people have used before. In fact Lukas, the German spelling with a "K", was the #6 name in 2007!! And so for the next "K" name that I really like and will probably use is Nikolas. Also the German spelling. Which both German variations can like back to Kohler as well. Which is also German.
Wow, lots of rambling. Sorry about that. :P

So here are some choices for you to give me your feedback on. Spit out some combinations between the names too if you don't see the combo you like, then I'll add it to the polls! Or if you have other names like these, that I might like, spit those out too!!
The poll is in the right column. And you can vote for more than one. :)

(Name decor from What a Lovely Name.)

Polls are closed

2009-02-20T16:24:00.001-05:00

47 % of you were correct!

:P

Gender update

2009-02-19T04:34:00.001-05:00

Getting really close to updating you on the gender of this baby!

Bet you can't wait! ;)

Gender Poll

2009-02-06T06:40:00.004-05:00

I'm gonna post the gender poll to the right column now since its getting close to time to tell! I was able to tell with Lukas at 13w5d, with a co-worker taking a peek for me. Today I am 13w3d, so the time is getting close to finding out. I won't be announcing any hints until I know for sure either way what it is going to be.
I will say that up until last week, the pregnancy has been the same as when I had Lukas. I did start to break out a little more on my face this past week, which I always had clear skin with Lukas. So thats one difference that I have ran into from this pregnancy so far.
So make your vote in the poll and comment if you'd like too. This summer I will add a different poll that you can guess the birth weight and all those fun stats. :)

OB appointment @ 13 weeks pregnant

2009-02-06T06:33:00.002-05:00

I had my routine Doctors appointment this week on Wednesday. Its hard to believe that 4 weeks has gone by since my last one! Here is a run down of what happened:

Listened to heartbeat by doppler at 162 bpm.
Discussed ultrasound results. Cervix measurement and subchorionic bleed are normal. (Thankfully I never ended up having any spotting. )
Weight is at 144 lbs. Up 4 lbs. from pre-pregnancy weight.
Dr. put me on Zithromax to help finally get rid of this cold that has entered its 12th day.
Last months pap came back abnormal (again), so next month he will do a Colposcopy and just take a scope and look at the cervix. No biopsies will take place, just a scope to look at it.

Next appointment is in 5 weeks.

Update on the cervix...

2009-01-29T18:57:00.000-05:00

Thanks for all your thoughts and prayers today! It looks like things will be okay. A normal cervix length is 4cm. When it was first measured it was at 2.6cm. Later the radiologist measured it more accurately on the curve that it is and he was able to stretch it to 3.2 cm. Still shorter than normal length, but maybe that is my normal length. At least there was no funneling or opening of the cervix. All 3.2 cm was closed. When I spoke to my Dr. he said that it is okay. As long as it wasn't less than 2.5 cm, we wouldn't have to do anything like a cerclage. Thank God!!

As for the bleed that was seen, he put me on pelvic rest (no sex) and to not do lifting over 10 lbs. I have my next scheduled apt. on Wednesday, so I hope I don't see any spotting from that bleed before then. Hopefully it will just resolve. It is near the bottom by the cervix and not on the other side by the placenta, so that is good news. Meaning that its most likely small uterine vessels that have bursted while the uterus is growing, rather than a bleed from the placenta. SO rest it is for me this weekend and to take things easy. And to remember to NOT pick up my 3 year old!

Real quick note

2009-01-29T07:46:00.003-05:00

Just had my ultrasound this morning and it looks like THIS may be in the works for me.
I'll update later when I have more time and more information from the doctor.

11 week update

2009-01-22T18:57:00.003-05:00

Feeling pretty good so far. Not much to complain about as far as morning sickness or nausea. One complaint that I will have is fatigue. I have been sooo tired and blah feeling. I had started working out in the mornings when I get out of work back in October, and have canceled my membership for now. Im hoping this will pass soon and can get back to walking on the treadmill and doing some elliptical training. But for now, when I am done with work in the morning, I just want to pass out. My eyes are soo heavy and I am soo tired! I think I will mention something to the doctor next time I go in. Not sure if someone should be this fatigued!

I remember that I got pretty fatigued with Lukas as well. I would come home from work and take a 2-3 hour nap!! I was even so tired one day after work that I fell asleep driving hom and rear-ended someone! NO joke! I was about 20 weeks pregnant and was driving home from Lansing when I worked at Sparrow Hospital. Fortunately the incident didn't happen until I was about 5 miles from home and on a road that is 25 mph, not 70 mph! Everything ended up being okay with that, but its just scary to think about that I can become that tired and fatigue, that it caused an accident.

Anyways, 11 weeks now and Im hoping to get a picture tonight of the bam-beano. I'll update with it when the desktop computer is willing to scan it for me. :)

January 16, 2009 - U/S pics.

2009-01-22T18:54:00.001-05:00

The head is on the lower left side. Kinda like the baby is laying on its head.

January 7, 2009 - U/S pics.

2009-01-22T18:49:00.002-05:00

Heart Rate at 171 bpm.

You can see the little cord connecting the baby to the Yolk Sac.

December 28, 2008 U/S pics.

2009-01-22T18:36:00.004-05:00

Finally got some pictures scanned in my computer. The next few posts will update on what the baby looks like by Ultrasound. Im hoping to try to remember to get a glimpse once a week to see the baby the progress. The actual size of the baby is about a week behind what Im suppose to be, but it makes sense, as I actually ovulated 3 weeks after my period, rather than the normal 2 weeks that usually is calculated. But since it doesn't go over 2 weeks, Im sure the doctor will keep my due date the same, August 11th.

The baby is in between the pointers measuring 6 weeks 3 days and measures about 0.6cm. And the circle thing u see next to the baby is the Yolk Sac.

Here is a pic of the heart rate at 122 bpm.

Needing a BellaBand

2009-01-19T22:12:00.003-05:00

I think I'm going to be purchasing a BellaBand here pretty quickly. Right now I've started using a hair tie to connect my pants together. And here is also the first official pic. I should have gotten one when we first found out, because I have started to get this bump now and can't go back to a few weeks ago and take a pic. Time just is going by so fast already! So here is my make shift pant waist, and my 10 week pic.

Official 10 week photo:

1st OB appointment

2009-01-07T17:33:00.002-05:00

My appointment today went okay, besides waiting an hour in the waiting room. They weighed me, which I forgot to see what it was. He did schedule an transvaginal ultrasound for me for to check the length of my cervix. Since I had the LEEP procedure back in July 2007 where it removes part of your cervix because of precancerous cells, he wants to make sure the remainder of my cervix is long enough or sufficient enough to carry the baby full-term. He didn't tell me what he would do if it wasn't long enough, but I'm pretty sure that would mean having a cerclage. This is simply a stitch that is put on the cervix to close it up until about 38 weeks, then the stitch is removed. Just to make sure the cervix doesn't open on its own because of shortness or being weak.
My next appointment is in 4 weeks, during the first week of February. Hopefully we will start some baby belly pictures soon. I really should get a starter pic, instead of waiting till the belly is already here!

9 weeks today

2009-01-06T16:36:00.003-05:00

So by dates, I am 9 weeks pregnant today. I can feel a little fullness in my pelvis and have been having to undo my pants button to relieve some of that pressure that is pushing on my pelvis.
I'm excited for my first appointment tomorrow and to get started with these monthly appointment. I haven't had any morning sickness, that I would call it that. I have been sick 2 times, but there were other other non-pregnancy related symptoms, so Im pretty sure it was flu bug in our house.
I've had a few cravings. One is fruity candy. I had this same craving when pregnant with Lukas. I also have had a grapefruit craving. I bought a 2-liter of Squirt last week, and just yesterday I bought a big bag of about 9 grapefruits from the store. It wasn't until this afternoon when I was eating my first grapefruit that I put the connection of the two together. I can't say that I have EVER bought a bottle of Squirt in my life, although I knew what it tasted like. And it probably has been a good 2 years since I have bought grapefruit as well. But as I was sitting eating my grapefruit, I figured those would go under the list of new cravings. LOL!
Ill post probably Wednesday night on how my OB appointment goes. My appointment is at 3:00 and then I'll be napping after that since I have to work tomorrow night. :)

Maybe not

2008-12-27T04:50:00.002-05:00

Turns out that probably wasn't morning sickness. Lukas also got sick later that day and threw up. And I haven't had any since then. Until yesterday. But once again. It seems to be another sickly bug around our house. Because I've got it coming out both ends. Sorry TMI im sure. Tony also had a few bouts as well. Hopefully this flu bug ends soon, its making me feel so weak. Other than that. Everything seems to be okay with the pregnancy so far. The only symptoms Ive had is a sore chest. Boobs have gained a little in size (woo-hoo) and but are very tender. Which makes it hard to Lukas to cuddle up to me without warning.

Morning sickness

2008-12-18T11:00:00.002-05:00

I got my first ever bout of morning sickness this morning. Never even had it with Lukas. Not one day! I wonder what this pregnancy is going to have entail for me!
Which makes me also wonder how the labor will happen for me, since I was induced with Lukas 3 days late. What if I actually start labor at home? This will all be different for me this time around. And so far its starting out that way with puking this morning. Sorry.

Another blood test

2008-12-18T10:55:00.003-05:00

I had another bHCG blood test drawn on Monday evening to see if it was exactly where it should be in rising with the 499 value that I had on Friday.
They are suppose to double every other day, so I figured my value would be around 1500, and it was at 1580.
That makes me happy. :)

Survey

2008-12-18T10:00:00.000-05:00

Got this from Nicole when she was pregnant with Hudson.

Survey about your First Born-

1. Were you married at the time? yes.
2. What were your reactions? nervous, very excited.
3. How old were you? 24 when I got pregnant, 25 when I delivered.
4. How did you find out you were pregnant? I was really late for my period (4 weeks late) and kept taking pregnancy tests, but nothing, until we finally got a faint line. Turns out I must have skipped a period or had a weird cycle that month.
5. Who did you tell first? I told Tony that I had the faint line in the morning. And then at work I asked the girls about a "faint line". So they had me do another one at work too.
6. Did you want to find out the sex? I couldn't resist. I am an Ultrasound Tech!
7. Did you deliver early or late? 3 days late by induction.
8. Did you have morning sickness? Just one time and I actually vomited. But I actually think it was a bad salad from the salad bar.
9. What did you crave? anything fruity. Fruit, fruity candy, fruit juice.
10. Who irritated you the most? The dog. He ticked me off more when I was pregnant with his peeing in the house.
11. What was your first child's sex? Boy
12. How many pounds did you gain throughout the pregnancy? 40 lbs. exactly
13. Did you have any complications during your pregnancy? my actual complications that needed medical attention. My back hurt every evening, so I always used a "C" pillow to sleep with.
14. Where did you give birth? Foote Hospital
15. How many hours were you in labor? 2 hours 50 minutes.
16. Who drove you to the hospital? Tony drove.
17. Who watched? Tony, My Mom, Tony's mom Ruth, the delivery staff, and some JCC students as well.
18. Was it natural or c-section? Vaginal delivery with induction.
19. Did you take medicine to ease the pain? Demoral to try to help. (only lasted first 30 minutes)
20. How much did your child weigh? 6lbs 13oz.
21. Did your child have any complications? None
22. What did you name him/her? Lukas Anthony Howard
23. How old is your first born today? 3 years old.

Priceless!

2008-12-17T10:30:00.000-05:00

Calendar to track menstrual cycles: $3

50 ovulation test strips from eBay: $15

T-shirt and letters from Walmart: $6

Waiting 15 months to see my son wear this shirt: Priceless

499 is my new lucky number

2008-12-12T22:56:00.004-05:00

Change of plans here... Its Friday December 12th and I'm not going to have the surgery on Wednesday December 17th. "What?!?!" you say? Yes, thats right. Because I just found out that I am PREGNANT!!
My last period was November 4th (Election Day) and I did get a positive ovulation on Sunday November 30th. So I figured I would be starting my period this weekend, just in time to let me know of a negative pregnancy before the surgery. They were going to do a pregnancy test anyhow on the day of surgery just in case. Well today I got brave and thought I'd try it out for myself. Kind of knowing that it might not show up yet even if I was pregnant. And the results were a very faint line. Enough to see that it was a line though. And from experience, I know that a faint line IS a line, meaning positive pregnancy.
I called the doctors office to have them order a bHCG, so I could see for sure. I went and had that drawn this afternoon, but should take 3-4 hours. I just figured I would check with the lab when I get into work tonight and get the results then. So I went home.
Later in the evening, I thought I would take another pregnancy test, just to see if the first one was a fluke. Don't worry, these aren't the expensive store bought tests, these are the small dipsticks that labs and doctors offices use that I bought in bulk off ebay. Once again it did have a very faint line. So I was pretty convinced that this might actually mean I'm pregnant. Of course I knew I was still in waiting game to see what the bloodwork says.
I left for work at 7:30pm and went up to the lab to get the results.

bHCG: 499

Thats a positive pregnancy test folks. Anything greater than a 5 is pregnant.
By ultrasound we usually would expect to see a pregnancy (meaning just a gestational sac and a yolk sac) when the lab value is at least 1800. And in the 1st trimester, the bHCG will double every 2 days. So now I can't even believe that I might even see my pregnancy on ultrasound, say like Tuesday or Wednesday!!! Crazy!
So I also figured out my due date according to my LMP. The due date will be August 11, 2009 according to our charts here at work. Just in time for back to school! LOL! But thats okay. We are soo very thankful to God for making this happen without having to go through surgery. It was in his hands and in his timing all along.

November 5th - Follow up apt.

2008-11-16T05:07:00.002-05:00

So we had the follow-up appointment to go over all the results and see what happens next. As we have found out along the way, the results from all the tests were normal. The Hysteroscopy was normal and so was the biopsy that accompanied it. Sooo... what I thought would be next is the Hysterosalpingogram, but my Doctor actually does it a little different. He actually does a laparoscopic surgery in through the belly button and will do a D&C along with putting dye in the fallopian tubes to see if there is any blockage and can remove the blockage at that time if there is.
We have that scheduled for me on December 17th. So for this month, he said we keep up with the ovulation test strips. My LMP is now November 4th, so we can try November, but if this isn't the month, then December will probably be a loss, because of the procedure in the middle of the month. But hopefully we will get good results from this surgery.

Hysteroscopy

2008-11-02T05:07:00.005-05:00

I had the Hysteroscopy done on Wednesday October 22nd. My appointment was at 2:30 in the afternoon right in the office. I had to go there at 2:00 to start some non-sedating medication called Toradol. What a lovely shot in the buttocks! Of course I would've taken that anyday over the actual procedure I was about to go through. The Doctor had some delays due to a c-section that he had to peform. The schedule went as follows:

1:35 - Arrived at Dr's office (I know, just a little early for my 2:00/2:30 apt.)
2:00 - was told that there Dr is running behind, still has to do another hysteroscopy and also would have to go to c-section at any moment and it would take 45 minutes.
2:30 - Dr. wasn't in c-section yet, just finished up hysteroscopy and would take me into the room to start my meds.
2:35 - received the Toradol shot, undressed and laid on bed.
2:40 - nurse comes and tells us that Dr. went to c-section, will be back in 45. We can either go into the waiting room or stay in this room and relax. Since I was already undressed, I chose to just stay here in this room.
3:45 - Dr and nurse charge into room. Okay they probably didn't charge in, but since I had dozed off, it startled me!
3:50 - Start procedure.

The first part of the procedure when he had me do some coughing so he could take some samples for biopsy was bearable. Yes it hurt, but I've gone through enough of that in the past year with cervical biopsy, I knew what to expect. And then for this next step, he said I would have some cramping for about "couple minutes" while he looked with the scope. He had the TV turned on and pointed out to me that I could watch along. I could start to see him go up the cervix towards the fundus if the uterus and then Oh. My. God. I had the worst cramp, contraction, pain, whatever you want to call it. I normally try to minimize my pain reaction, so that they can continue to do the test that is needed, but not this time. My reaction couldn't be held back. I winced in pain and he could tell that it was pretty genuine. He was probably in the top of my uterus MAYBE 10 seconds and then was out. I appreciate him for that 10 seconds compared to the "couple minutes" that he first mentioned. I just couldn't take the pain, I couldn't hold back my reaction at all. The reaction kind of reminded me of when I was in labor. I didn't care what my reacion was, I was going to let myself handle this pain however I see fit.
So when that was finally removed, the cramping went away. It was just nerves that bothered me now. I got dressed and then we headed out.
We made an appointment 2 weeks from that day, to go over all the testing and results that he have had in the last month. Which brings us to this Wednesday. My appointment is at 3:30 pm. Im pretty sure all the results of everything are fine, which means that we will probably be moving on to the next step of testing. The hysterosalpingogram (HSG). Which is where they inject radiating dye into the fallopian tubes and can see by Xray if it flows through the tubes or if there is blockage in the tubes, then the dye won't flow all the way through. If there is blockage then they put pressure on that with the dye to push the blockage out. I heard from a from a friend that had this done, that it is painful to go through. But her doctor also told her that this isn't as painful as the hysteroscopy. So her Doctor had her do the HSG before the hysteroscopy. She had great results from this test too. She did have a small blockage and they were able to pass that right on through the tubes and she was able to get pregnant in 2 months!!
So, I'll let you know what is next in our plans, after this Wednesday's appointment!

"Other" lab work that was done

2008-11-02T05:00:00.003-05:00

Hubby had his Semen Analysis done on Tuesday October 7th and everything came back on that within normal limits. It was probably a better experience for him than what we had imagined. He got to "the deed" at home in the morning and then drive to the hospital lab to drop it off there. The requirements were:

"it" had to be in a glass container - we used a baby food jar, lol
"it" had to be shielded from daylight - we wrapped the jar with foil
"it" had to stay at room temp - he kept the bottle between his legs on the way to the hospital lab.
"it" had to be at the lab within 30 minutes - so we timed things out right that he would do the deed, go to the lab, and then off to school.

Sounds complicated, huh? It was kinda. But I think it made it worth it to be able to this at home, rather than in some Doctor's office.

And the hubs was very happy to see that the lab report came back good. He "knew" his boys were good. LOL!

Blood Work

2008-10-10T04:18:00.002-04:00

So on Sunday evening I went up to the hospital and got my blood work done for my Thyroid levels and Hormone levels. They were all within normal limits.

FSH: 6.4 (4-13 are normal limits for follicular phase)
TSH Reflex Testing (Thyroid): 2.96 (0.38-5.0)
Prolactin: 13.6 (4.8-23.3)

Although the FSH (Follicle Stimulating Hormone) was on the lower end of the normal limits. I'm not sure if my Dr. will look at that and say that its normal, so thats not the problem, or if he will look at it an say, "Well it is kinda on the lower end of the spectrum, lets put you on some hormonal drugs." I will just have to wait and see.

Oh and of course I've got battle wounds to show for. I always have a hard time when I need to give blood for labwork. I have really small veins and I always tell them to use the pediatric butterfly needles. I just have better luck with those. But still had to be poked 4 times. The final draw ended up being on top of my hand. Seems to be common place these last few years! Ouch! It hurts and always leaves a big bruise too.

New week of testing

2008-10-05T04:16:00.002-04:00

I love how you expect Aunt Flo to come and visit on a certain day and she doesn't tell you that she thought she would come a week later. Yeah this whole past week had me going crazy, taking pregnancy tests like every other day. Then finally she came knocking on the door Friday morning. So for the record, 10/3/08 is the latest LMP.
Sooooo, that means today, Sunday, I have to get my blood work done to check my thyroid and hormone level. I'll be bringing that in tonight when I come back into work at 6:30pm. Hopefully they will even post my results and I can check to see if they are normal. Not sure how long it takes for each test to run. I will also be scheduling Tony's special appointment too. Hopefully they can have him drop off sampling on Tuesday or Wednesday morning.
So as soon as I know any results, I will post them.
Also, since i just started my period, I can kinda guess that I might ovulate around October 19th. With having my Hysteroscopy scheduled on October 22nd, is that going to mess up conceiving for this month?? Are we gonna be throwing a month away? I understand its just one month and the benefits of having it done, but maybe that procedure should be done before I ovulate. Just so it doesn't interupt anything that is going on up there. Know what I mean?? But I'm pretty sure that was the soonest that they could get me in for that procedure. So the only other option would be to delay it until right after the next period. I guess I can call the office and see what they think. They will probably be thinking, "You haven't gotten pregnant for 12 months, what makes you think this month is so special?" LOL! Wel nothing is special about this month, except that it could be THEE month. It could be THEE right combination lined up on the right day, yadda, yadda, yadda. Anyways, I guess I will give the doctors office a call and see what they think.

Into the testing we go.

2008-09-19T06:34:00.003-04:00

So I haven't written all summer, but the same has been going on. No preggo yet. Remember that abnormal pap that I had back in April? Well Dr. did a colposcopy, to take a sample of the tissue, to see what grade of significance this might be. It came back negative. YEAH! So now I think we are back to square on having 3 normal paps in a row. Next one is scheduled for October, I beleive. Dr. also set up our appointment to go over infertility testing for Sept 18th. That brings us to today.

LMP: 8/23/08
Dr. set up a few tests that we are doing in the first step of tests.

Pelvic Ultrasound - to see if there are any abnormalities within the Uterus and Ovaries.
Thyroid and Hormonal Labs - blood labs to be drawn on the 3rd day of my period to see how my hormonal levels are.
Hysteroscopy - to check the endometrial lining of my Uterus.
Semen Analysis - to see what sperm count is with hubby.

I just had the Ultrasound this morning and everything looks okay with that. Just a little bit of free fluid behind the Uterus, which is normal and common. I *should* be starting my period sometime next week, so I'll get those blood labs drawn then. Dr. wanted the Hysteroscopy to be done in 2 weeks, but the first available isn't for 4 weeks on October 22nd. Bummer! And hubby will have to try to make an appointment with the lab to drop off his sample within 30 minutes of producing it. Thats gotta have some perfect timing I guess! Hope that times out well.

Dr. says that if these tests all come back normal, we would move into doing a Hysterosalpingogram. Which inserts dye into your fallopian tubes to see if there is blockage in them. They watch this under fluroscopy and usually the dye that is force in the tubes will clean out any blockage if there is any there. Sounds painful and usually is, but I know the Xray tech that does this procedure at the hospital and she actually had this done herself a year ago. But we will worry about that when that time comes. Thats if all 4 of these tests come back normal.

So maybe we will get the Ultrasound report and blood drawn lab results back by the end of next week. I'll update when something changes.

Blogging the cycles

2008-09-19T06:00:00.002-04:00

I've decided to start this blog to keep track of how this infertility journey is going. Just so we can look back on it one day and see where we come from once we do get pregnant.

To be honest, I'm not overly upset or frustrated anymore with not getting pregnant. Yes, I want to be pregnant right now, but I think just knowing that we have one biological child is putting my mind at ease. We do want more children, obviously. So if we can't more biologically, then we are pretty sure that we will want to adopt. Either way, we still plan to have a family of four... or five. :)

err...

2008-05-18T04:16:00.000-04:00

lmp: 5/17/08

thats all i have to say about that.

i hope this is the month.

2008-05-15T04:18:00.002-04:00

any day now i should be starting my period. i hate waiting to know. i want to just take a test, but afraid i'm gonna jinx it.
i hope this is the month.
hubs birthday is this saturday and i will probably take one then. what a great bday present for him, if i am pregnant.
i hope this is the month.
i had cramps last friday evening and thought i would be starting. but nothing yet, and its been almost a week since any cramps.
i hope this is the month.
there are a lot of exciting things going on right now. selling our house (hopefully), hubs getting a contract (hopefully), and trying to get pregnant (hopefully).
i hope this is the month.

lmp:4/10/08
edc:1/15/09 (if preggo)

answer to my issue... well sorda...

2008-04-30T04:17:00.002-04:00

i got the call last week from my doctors office and they said that we can go ahead with still trying to get pregnant. they said the pap came back "atypical" but wasn't as bad as last year in april when I first got my abnormal one. so I guess dr. vendola wasn't too worried about it. my next appointment is in july which we will be looking at fertility issues if I'm not pregnant by then.

which is my next issue. we've been trying to get pregnant for 8 months now with no success. only took two months with my first child. we just started using the ovulation test strips this month and i'm on day 21 with no positive reading yet!! doesn't everyone ovulate when they have normal cycles? my cycles are normally around 32 days, so you'd think i would have ovulated by now. well, i guess now we'll see what comes first, a postive ovualtion test, a positive pregnancy, or a visit from aunt flo.

Positive Ovulation Test vs. Positive Pre-Cancerous Cells

2008-04-19T04:16:00.002-04:00

I just don't get it! I had my yearly gynecological exam done one year ago and it came back as precancerous cells on my cervix. Which meant I had to go through different tests and biopsies and also ended up getting a LEEP procedure done to remove all the precancerous cells. This was a slight burden on our family planning, as we had planned to start conceiving our second child in the summer. So Dr. V told us to wait for 3 periods after the LEEP procedure before we start trying again. That brought us to October. We've been trying to get pregnant since then, with so far no success. Meanwhile I also need to have 3 normal paps within the next year to be considered free and clear of these pre-cancerous cells, and then go back to just having yearly paps again. First 2 paps were negative. Excellent! I just had the final one a week ago and needed that to be normal as well.

Of course.. it wasn't.

I just bought ovulation test strips so that we could track more precisely when I am ovulating. Which is suppose to be some time next week. And I'm guessing that my doctors office is gonna call me sometime next week to tell me my 'wonderful' news.

So.... What's gonna come first... My positive ovulation test or the phone call about the positive per-cancerous cells that are back?

And if I get the positive ovulation test strip.. what do I do? Do I still try to get pregnant and ignore this inside info that I've learned? I mean, Dr. Vendola did say it was okay to try to get pregnant, even before I have to obtained these 3 paps. I am just so sick of all this crap and having to deal with it. I am constantly reminded by it every week when I have to keep calling my insurance company from last year about all the procedures that they still have to pay for. Which is a whole other topic. Ughh!