24 weeks!

Okay, so I'm 24.5 weeks now :) Went to the doc on Tuesday, all is well! I am beyond elated - the fetal fibronectin test was negative! WOOHOOO!!!! I'm likely NOT to deliver in the next 3 weeks! Good thing. Baby needs to stay in there a bit longer! I got to see Dr. C, he's so nice. He said it was fine for me to travel (pending the negative test, of course) and said to have a good time. But stay on my modified bedrest of course :) He checked my cervix, still long and closed, woohoo! I now weigh 111.8 lbs, so I am up 8 lbs from when I came in for my first visit at 7 weeks. No talking to yet but I am guessing if I don't start putting on some weight then I am really going to hear about it. MUST EAT MORE! I got to have an ultrasound as well - my cute little baby is 1 pound 3 ounces now. He's sitting "Indian style" in my belly with his butt down (on my bladder, as always). He's in the 26th percentile for size and weight - so he's small, but not alarmingly so. Doc was like, you're small, so he's small. Makes sense to me but I'm going to work on plumping him up :)

So we're getting ready to head to Texas TOMORROW! I am so excited. I am pretty much packed and ready to go. I got my hair cut today, nothing new just shortened it and shaped it up a bit, and enhanced the color. I'm very pleased, as usual, and the prices in this small town ROCK! Still have a few things to do to get ready but I'm certainly on track. Baker is home and studying for his exam tomorrow. I think I'm gonna take a break and lay down for a bit, I'm really tired today. BUT, I have no excuse, I had a great night last night! No pain, no waking up all the time, I really slept well! Fell asleep at about 11:30pm and woke up (I think only once) to pee but when I really woke up, it was 7am! I SLEPT! I felt like jumping up and down it was such an accomplishment.

So I guess the next time I blog I'll be in Texas! Enjoy the 24.5 week belly pic and new haircut :)

Parked in Expectant Mother Parking...

Okay, so this may be a dumb thing to post/blog about but I had to say it. It was too cool. I've always wanted to park in Expectant Mother Parking. I'm 23 weeks and on modified bedrest, and I still felt guilty doing it? WHY? I have no idea. I had to talk myself into it. Kelly... you're 23 weeks along, on modified bedrest - if this spot ISN'T for you, then who is it for? Okay. So I parked there. I was waiting for people to yell at me haha. It's just that although I am showing, winter clothes hide a lot. I was prepared with a response and everything! I found out that it wasn't THAT silly that I was prepared with a response - a girl on my chat boards said that an old man asked her if she was really pregnant or just fat and lazy??? Man, if someone said that to me, I would not be a happy camper. I think that I would have said something mean back. But, luckily, I parked there without incident :)

So I've started doing kick counts at the suggestion of the nurses (and my prodding husband haha!). Patches is so good at kicking. Lowest recorded in a 30 minute session so far is 25. Highest? 71. Yeah. He likes to kick. I'm proud :) But who knew how hard it is to lay still on your side for 30 minutes to count kicks 3 times a day? I mean I don't even do that much and it's hard to do. You actually have to concentrate on it - at least I do, because I'm used to the kicking. Funny stuff.

23 weeks!

I'm 23 weeks! And guess what???? I FINALLY LOOK PREGNANT! I'm so excited :) Check out the picture!

I went to the doc today. I got to see Dr. L who I really like but it was kinda weird... he went over my bloodwork, which was fine except that I'm anemic (which doesn't surprise me, I almost always am!) so I get to take iron supplements. He measured my belly at 22cm, woohoo! That was cool, it was my first time to have my belly measured. Nurse did the doppler, little one was beating along at 140bpm. Blood pressure still good and low at 100/70. So he discussed my hospitalizations with me and said he's pleased with how I've improved (and lemme tell ya, so am I!) and he's like, we'll see you in a few weeks! And I'm like, wait, Dr. H wanted to do the Fetal Fibronectin test this week to okay me for Christmas travel - he was like, you must have misunderstood him, we can't do that test until 24 weeks. Ummm, I distinctly was told by Dr. H to come back in 1 week for that test. Weird. That's the one thing I need to complain about with that office - it's like the docs don't communicate. I don't mind seeing a group but I wish they'd talk about their patients. Like, last week, Dr. H was upset that I was on terbutaline and said that I shouldn't be on it because they have to save it's effectiveness in case I go into active labor early - like if I keep taking it, I'm getting used to it and given that it works so well on me they want it to work well if I desperately need it. He was all upset with the other doc about it. I just feel like I'm getting conflicting info sometimes and it's a bit frustrating sometimes. Oh well, I'll have the FFn next week - Tuesday this time so they can't argue with me and say I'm not 24 weeks yet.

So I ordered a bunch of maternity clothes from Target.com and they came in - thanks to the Britax fiasco, I used my $25 gift card :) I really love the pants I got and a few of the sweaters, but two of the sweaters are going back - they're just TOO frumpy I think. But it was fun, I tried on all of my maternity stuff to see how it would fit now that I have a baby bump and to see how I like everything, etc. for packing to take to San Antonio when we go. It seems the key to some of the stuff is to make sure I've got a belt cuz when things want to act like a tent, the belts really cinch it in!

Okie dokey, Baker's on his way home (YAY!) and I've got laundry to do.

Contractions

I was hospitalized at 21 weeks. Can you believe that? I had really bad pain on Monday 11/24, called the doc and they said to go in. I thought it was a UTI, but it turned out that I was having contractions every 1.5 minutes - strong ones, too. So, I was admitted. I was there from noon Monday until noon Tuesday, and they let me go because things had subsided after a ton of fluid and 2 shots of terbutiline.

The GOOD news, though, is that my contractions weren't causing my cervix to do anything - long and closed and high, so that's good.

So then, I had go to back Tuesday night because I was having medium to strong contractions right on top of one another. They gave me more terbutiline and the contractions stopped IMMEDIATELY. It's kinda crazy how well that stuff works. They gave me a ton of fluids again and waited to see if the contractions stoppped - of course, as soon as they told me to go, they started again but much smaller and less frequent. They have no idea why I have been having these contractions, they can find no reason for them, I've had all kinds of tests. So, they put me on oral turbutaline and to see if that would work.

THEN, I ended up back in the hospital on Thanksgivng! I was having intense contractions up to 10 times an hour so I had to go back in. Well, they gave me a shot of terbutaline AGAIN and again, the contractions did not stop but they slowed down a lot. This time, my cervix wasn't as high and I am fingertip dilated on the outside but closed on the inside. It seems like my oral terbutaline doesn't work as well as the stuff they give me in the hospital, so of COURSE when they monitor me there, the contractions aren't as strong and often as they can be when I am at home. So I went home in time to watch the Texas v. A&M game and was cheered by a good 'ol Aggie spanking :)

So I went in for an office visit Monday - my sweet Baker came with me. He is SO great. He's got so much to do at the hospital but he wants to be with me all the time. Anyway, they did an ultrasound of my cervix and took a quick look at the baby. My cervix is long and closed, so that's great! But, I'm still contracting, having up to 6 an hour (that's every 10 minutes, OUCH). Basically, the doc says that up to 6 contractions an hour is "acceptable" (and, as my MIL says, acceptable to WHO, exactly?) and as long as they aren't changing my cervix, there's not much they can do but watch me. He also took me off of the terbutiline because he said that the most recent research says that there is more risk to using it than help... so I am at home, on modified bedrest, and no longer taking the terbutiline. Hopefully, the number of contractions won't increase and things will be fine. But, I'm worried. And, I'm in pain. Aside from the contractions, my back is KILLING me. I am in so much pain - sometimes it's good, sometimes it's terrible and I literally crawl around looking for a good position for my back to be in. It's not good.

GOOD NEWS - the baby looks great. He is SO cute. I am so in love :) They didn't do a full growth scan because it hasn't been exactly 2 weeks since I had my last one, but we took a quick look and guess what????? His little ureters were no longer enlarged. Yep, the u/s tech said that he probably had to pee last time, making his ureters big. So, it looks like the hydronephrosis was temporary!

Anyway, looks like I'll be suffering in bed for many many more weeks. I go in next week and they'll check the fetal fibronectin to see if there are any signs that I'll be going into active labor anytime soon.

Baker and I like to have a good laugh - I'll just have to tell little Patches that I was in labor with him for 15 weeks (God willing)!!! HAHA.

So now it's Wednesday and I am feeling more comfortable. The contractions are fewer and less strong. I'm still home on bedrest but it's not so bad... Christmas is soon, right? Counting the days until we go to San Antonio, Baker says it's 16 now.

We'll just pray for little Patches and hope that he stays in there for many many more weeks.