At my last appointment the OB gave me the go ahead to increase my activity level slightly. Woohoo! AND!! I will hopefully be taken off of bed rest completely by week 36. PARRRRTAAAYYYY!!! Woop woop! My Bo Derek moment is just on the horizon. Unbelievable.
Sadly, I'm still only 34 weeks (34 weeks 6 days to be exact) so the restrictions haven't been completely lifted just yet. You can imagine my excitement though when I got the ok to attend a breastfeeding class at our local hospital. Not only does that mean I am getting closer to the Pee Monster actually being here, but I get to get dressed, in real clothes! Then I get to drive myself somewhere like a real grown-up! So exciting!
At 9:40 this morning, after a proper amount of primping, I headed out to the car, invigorated by my big outing. As I held out my clicker to unlock my brand new CRV (hello "mom" car!) the wind in my sails was lost. Click. Nothing. CLICK! Nope, still nothing. Maybe if I push on the unlock button really hard.... nope. So maybe the clicker is dead. I unlock the door manually (imagine that!) and insert the key into the ignition. Nothing. Complete and utter silence. Sh!t. The car is dead. Completely dead.
In a bit of a panic (my freedom was on the line here!) I called Husband at work to ask him what to do. In between shouting over the leaf blower the gardener decided to turn on literally right outside my car door (seriously, he saw I was on the phone, walked over and started blowing leaves, maybe he hates me) I was ultimately able to communicate to Husband what the situation was. Ever the knight in shining armor, he came home and drove me to my breastfeeding class. Not quite the picture of freedom I had imagined, but definitely close enough. Plus I didn't have to lose out on the $25 class fee since the next available class isn't until August - just a little too late.
I arrived at the hospital a few minutes late, but luckily the class hadn't quite started yet. I awkwardly entered the room to four other pregnant ladies and one poor husband. Of course the only available seats are the ones furthest from the door. I slowly waddled my way across the room and took my seat, apologizing for being late. Shortly thereafter introductions were made and the class began. We learned about all the wonderful benefits of breastfeeding your baby as well as the different techniques. We also got an incredibly graphic, color poster of baby poop (to go on our refrigerators!) and got to practice nursing baby dolls - man are those things creepy! The one and only dad there made it through quite well, despite the nurse best efforts to embarrass him and we all left feeling more enlightened/more confused about breastfeeding. Overall it was a success!
I have since returned home, back to my bed rest throne. After getting a jump for the battery the car seems to be ok and we will take it to the dealership to be checked out tomorrow since there is no apparent reason for a dead battery. We will also be going to our childbirth classes this weekend. Exciting stuff!
Friday, June 11, 2010
Monday, June 7, 2010
Hospital Adventures
**WARNING! WARNING!** Danger Will Robinson!! Graphic details involving words like "cervix" and "mucus" ahead. Turn around now if you are at all prone to queasiness.
Lately I've been imagining my freedom from bed rest. Sometimes I picture myself bursting out of the doctor's office singing Queen's "I Want To Break Free" all the way to my car. Other times I am running in slow motion down the beach a la Bo Derek in "10," only instead of the weird braids and perfect body, my big ol' belly bounces joyously (and probably painfully) in front of me. At 34+ weeks I can almost taste my own freedom. Oh the places I'll go, the things I'll do. So many possibilities...
SCREEEEEEEEEEECCCCHHHHHH!!!! What was that? Oh, that? That was the sound of my freedom coming to a screeching halt. Time of death? About 9:30 this morning. After a sleepless night I woke up and stumbled out to the couch (sadly my normal bed rest throne, the recliner, has cat pee on it - thanks a lot Mr. Chatner!) and sat down to eat my breakfast. It was a normal morning, I signed on to instant messenger to chat with Husband and even enjoyed my daily bowl of Special K with vanilla almonds (mmmm!). After breakfast I reclined and began to enjoy my morning television routine. Suddenly (here it comes - TMI!!) a felt a small gush of liquid coming out of the nether regions. Ummm, what the heck was that? Do I call the doctor? Was it pee? Did the little Pee Monster just live up to his name and cause the ultimate pee accident? Nope there it is again. Definitely not coming from my urethra. Definitely coming out of the vaginal opening. Shit! Time to call the doctor.
After a quick discussion with the on-call nurse it was determined that I needed to head in to Labor & Delivery (L&D). Feeling a bit panicked I put in a call to Husband and Mom to let them know what was happening. Of course, as soon I got on the highway, the normally empty roads were completely backed up. Now they choose to do road work? Now! Seriously?? I may be leaking amniotic fluid and in labor with a 34 week baby and now is the time you choose to beautify our roads?? Thanks a lot crappy state government! Just what I needed!
A good twenty minutes later I pulled into the hospital parking garage and as calmly as possible dragged my big ol' self, along with several books and a lap top to the L&D wing. Don't laugh, last time I was there I was stuck for six hours with nothing to watch expect for Judge Judy and Primir Impacto, I think a few forms of entertainment were called for. After waiting with all the other pregnant ladies and their families I was finally taken back to my own room. Once again I dressed in their beautiful hospital gown with broken ties and the weird tube top like garment used to hold the fetal monitors in place and I was set. Ready for round four at our beautiful L&D.
Once all hooked up to the monitors the incredibly astute nurse asked if I was feeling nervous. Evidently my blood pressure was a bit high. Shocking right? I mean why in the world would my blood pressure be high? It's not like I was going through anything serious/stressful. No, I was just preparing to potentially give birth to my little baby boy six weeks early. No biggie!!! After several discussions with my OB over the phone it was determined that they would do a test similar to the fetal fibronectin test that would determine if my membranes had ruptured (i.e. check to see if my water broke), then if my contractions continued they would check my cervix. After the membrane test was performed (not too bad, just a super long q-tip swabbing my cervix for one full minute) they decided to go ahead and manually check my cervix. Not fun. Not fun at all!
At this point in pregnancy most women's cervixes are posterior, meaning the opening is facing more toward the back. I believe the ideal position for labor is for it to be anterior (front-facing). Because my cervix is posterior it is more difficult and more painful to check. Again, not fun. Propping my hips up on my own fists, the gentle nurse oh so delicately jammed several fingers up in to my cervix. Really, I suppose it could have been one finger, but it certainly felt like ten. Several "sorry's" later the nurse finished up as she told me that my cervix still felt long and thick, but that it was soft. Because I was posterior she had a hard time checking for dilation, but she "didn't think" I was dilated. Then the kicker... I'm not terribly squeamish when it comes to my own body, but I swear my Special K almost came up with what she said/did next. "You do have a little bit of extra discharge but that can be normal, see all of this... normal." Waving her purple surgical glove in my face I saw her hand for the first time. Let me tell you... it was like an elephant blew its nose on her. OMG OMG OMG!! Take it away!!!!!!! Gag reflex is kicking in... HURK!!!
After the great mucus debacle all Husband (who at this point had joined me) and I could do was wait. Thankfully, after a ten minute wait the membrane test came back negative. Hallelujah. Sooo, that kind of begs the question, what was it? The nurse explained that it was either extra discharge (hello elephant snot?!?!) or I peed my pants. I'm going with the elephant snot theory. I understand that many women have mistaken pee for amniotic fluid, but I am about 90% sure that this was not pee. If I thought it was pee I would definitely say so. I'm not embarrassed, it makes sense that the little Pee Monster, who is squishing up nicely to my bladder, might help me squeeze some urine out unexpectedly. This was not pee.
After some debate about how to treat my contractions I've fortunately since been released back to bed rest at home. So here I sit, dreams of freedom all but lost, updating you all on my latest adventures and fantasizing about my future away from the couch.
Lately I've been imagining my freedom from bed rest. Sometimes I picture myself bursting out of the doctor's office singing Queen's "I Want To Break Free" all the way to my car. Other times I am running in slow motion down the beach a la Bo Derek in "10," only instead of the weird braids and perfect body, my big ol' belly bounces joyously (and probably painfully) in front of me. At 34+ weeks I can almost taste my own freedom. Oh the places I'll go, the things I'll do. So many possibilities...
SCREEEEEEEEEEECCCCHHHHHH!!!! What was that? Oh, that? That was the sound of my freedom coming to a screeching halt. Time of death? About 9:30 this morning. After a sleepless night I woke up and stumbled out to the couch (sadly my normal bed rest throne, the recliner, has cat pee on it - thanks a lot Mr. Chatner!) and sat down to eat my breakfast. It was a normal morning, I signed on to instant messenger to chat with Husband and even enjoyed my daily bowl of Special K with vanilla almonds (mmmm!). After breakfast I reclined and began to enjoy my morning television routine. Suddenly (here it comes - TMI!!) a felt a small gush of liquid coming out of the nether regions. Ummm, what the heck was that? Do I call the doctor? Was it pee? Did the little Pee Monster just live up to his name and cause the ultimate pee accident? Nope there it is again. Definitely not coming from my urethra. Definitely coming out of the vaginal opening. Shit! Time to call the doctor.
After a quick discussion with the on-call nurse it was determined that I needed to head in to Labor & Delivery (L&D). Feeling a bit panicked I put in a call to Husband and Mom to let them know what was happening. Of course, as soon I got on the highway, the normally empty roads were completely backed up. Now they choose to do road work? Now! Seriously?? I may be leaking amniotic fluid and in labor with a 34 week baby and now is the time you choose to beautify our roads?? Thanks a lot crappy state government! Just what I needed!
A good twenty minutes later I pulled into the hospital parking garage and as calmly as possible dragged my big ol' self, along with several books and a lap top to the L&D wing. Don't laugh, last time I was there I was stuck for six hours with nothing to watch expect for Judge Judy and Primir Impacto, I think a few forms of entertainment were called for. After waiting with all the other pregnant ladies and their families I was finally taken back to my own room. Once again I dressed in their beautiful hospital gown with broken ties and the weird tube top like garment used to hold the fetal monitors in place and I was set. Ready for round four at our beautiful L&D.
Once all hooked up to the monitors the incredibly astute nurse asked if I was feeling nervous. Evidently my blood pressure was a bit high. Shocking right? I mean why in the world would my blood pressure be high? It's not like I was going through anything serious/stressful. No, I was just preparing to potentially give birth to my little baby boy six weeks early. No biggie!!! After several discussions with my OB over the phone it was determined that they would do a test similar to the fetal fibronectin test that would determine if my membranes had ruptured (i.e. check to see if my water broke), then if my contractions continued they would check my cervix. After the membrane test was performed (not too bad, just a super long q-tip swabbing my cervix for one full minute) they decided to go ahead and manually check my cervix. Not fun. Not fun at all!
At this point in pregnancy most women's cervixes are posterior, meaning the opening is facing more toward the back. I believe the ideal position for labor is for it to be anterior (front-facing). Because my cervix is posterior it is more difficult and more painful to check. Again, not fun. Propping my hips up on my own fists, the gentle nurse oh so delicately jammed several fingers up in to my cervix. Really, I suppose it could have been one finger, but it certainly felt like ten. Several "sorry's" later the nurse finished up as she told me that my cervix still felt long and thick, but that it was soft. Because I was posterior she had a hard time checking for dilation, but she "didn't think" I was dilated. Then the kicker... I'm not terribly squeamish when it comes to my own body, but I swear my Special K almost came up with what she said/did next. "You do have a little bit of extra discharge but that can be normal, see all of this... normal." Waving her purple surgical glove in my face I saw her hand for the first time. Let me tell you... it was like an elephant blew its nose on her. OMG OMG OMG!! Take it away!!!!!!! Gag reflex is kicking in... HURK!!!
After the great mucus debacle all Husband (who at this point had joined me) and I could do was wait. Thankfully, after a ten minute wait the membrane test came back negative. Hallelujah. Sooo, that kind of begs the question, what was it? The nurse explained that it was either extra discharge (hello elephant snot?!?!) or I peed my pants. I'm going with the elephant snot theory. I understand that many women have mistaken pee for amniotic fluid, but I am about 90% sure that this was not pee. If I thought it was pee I would definitely say so. I'm not embarrassed, it makes sense that the little Pee Monster, who is squishing up nicely to my bladder, might help me squeeze some urine out unexpectedly. This was not pee.
After some debate about how to treat my contractions I've fortunately since been released back to bed rest at home. So here I sit, dreams of freedom all but lost, updating you all on my latest adventures and fantasizing about my future away from the couch.
Saturday, June 5, 2010
34 Week Survey
How far along: 34 weeks!! 6 weeks to go until the due date!
Total weight gain/loss: +24lbs at my last appointment, we'll see on Tuesday what kind of damage has been done in the last two weeks.
Maternity clothes: Yes, definitely. I live in Target maternity tank tops. Lately I've added a non-maternity bikini to my wardrobe for my days of floating in the pool. I'm looking pretty ridiculous.
Stretch marks: Still holding strong on the stretch mark front. Here's hoping I can make it 6 more weeks.
Sleep: Still TERRIBLE!! In addition to the excessive peeing it is now too hot for me to sleep.
Best moment this week: It was a busy (as busy as bed rest can get) week. I chose a pediatrician so that's good. :) Also, I had a heavenly prenatal massage. I wish I could get one every day.
Movement: Yes, and lots of it. He's getting more active at night.
Food cravings: Nothing in particular this week, although I would still love to have a hot dog!
Gender: Boy
Labor Signs: Still having a lot of contractions, but they aren't really doing much other than annoying me.
Belly Button in or out: It changes depending on my position. If I'm sitting it is completely in, but sometimes when I stand the top part pokes out a little
What I miss: Sleep. I think it would be a miracle if I could sleep through the night. Or even if I could just go back to getting up once or twice.
What I am looking forward to: The hospital's breastfeeding class is this week, plus I get to see my parents. :)
Other Updates: Nothin' much.
Total weight gain/loss: +24lbs at my last appointment, we'll see on Tuesday what kind of damage has been done in the last two weeks.
Maternity clothes: Yes, definitely. I live in Target maternity tank tops. Lately I've added a non-maternity bikini to my wardrobe for my days of floating in the pool. I'm looking pretty ridiculous.
Stretch marks: Still holding strong on the stretch mark front. Here's hoping I can make it 6 more weeks.
Sleep: Still TERRIBLE!! In addition to the excessive peeing it is now too hot for me to sleep.
Best moment this week: It was a busy (as busy as bed rest can get) week. I chose a pediatrician so that's good. :) Also, I had a heavenly prenatal massage. I wish I could get one every day.
Movement: Yes, and lots of it. He's getting more active at night.
Food cravings: Nothing in particular this week, although I would still love to have a hot dog!
Gender: Boy
Labor Signs: Still having a lot of contractions, but they aren't really doing much other than annoying me.
Belly Button in or out: It changes depending on my position. If I'm sitting it is completely in, but sometimes when I stand the top part pokes out a little
What I miss: Sleep. I think it would be a miracle if I could sleep through the night. Or even if I could just go back to getting up once or twice.
What I am looking forward to: The hospital's breastfeeding class is this week, plus I get to see my parents. :)
Other Updates: Nothin' much.
Friday, June 4, 2010
And The Winner Is...
After two days of pediatrician interviews the Husband and I have chosen our pediatrician. Let me tell you, it's a difficult process to go through. Having had some health issues growing up I want to make sure that I find a doctor who is going to be proactive when it comes to my little Pee Monster's health care.
Pediatrician #1: I was scheduled to come in at 12:00pm (or so I thought) and of course got lost. The office in located in a place we'll call "The Ranch." It's an endless maze of office buildings where all the roads are named the same thing and every building is "Building 2." No matter how many times I go there I get lost. This is immediately a strike against the practice. I hate The Ranch! I finally make it to my destination only to find that the parking lot is packed (strike). After waddling my way through the maze of halls and up the elevator I arrive at my destination. Above the main entrance are the words "Turn Back Now!" Hmm, interesting sense of humor (kudos). Ignoring the sign I enter to a world of sick babies separated from the well, nurses and doctors rushing around, children climbing in and out of a playhouse, phones ringing, basically complete chaos. Welcome to my new life. I try to check in only to have them tell me my appointment is really for 12:30 (strike - this will later be canceled when I return home only to realize that I actually put the wrong time into my phone, whoops!).
A half-hour later, rejuvenated by an iced decaf caramel macchiato, I return for my actual visit. The doctor is running late (strike). However the nurse came out to personally tell me he was running late and apologized (kudos!). I am taken back to the room where I wait maybe ten more minutes with a folder of new parent information as well as information about the practice (kudos). Finally the doctor comes in; he's older, seems friendly and he's wearing a whinnie-the-pooh tie (kudos). Plus he is also a neonatologist (kudos) so should I go into preterm labor he would be the one to take care of our little man. Once he sat down he immediately started in with information about the practice; their hours, how they always try to get a sick child in that same day, they take kids after hours as well as on the weekends depending on the circumstances (kudos). Then without my asking he began to discuss the many issues from my interview sheet. He is pro-breastfeeding (kudos) and willing to do a delayed vaccination schedule to a certain extent. He spent at least ten minutes with me explaining the practice's vaccination schedule which is already somewhat delayed (kudos). We both agree that the idiot who published the article linking the MMR vaccination to autism should be in jail (kudos). Overall it was a very informative meeting. On the negative side, he gave me a bit of an eye-roll when I asked about his thoughts on attachment parenting which then made me too uncomfortable to ask about his thoughts on holistic medicine (strike). Overall it was a good experience and he as well as the practice rated highly. Thankfully I was able to find my way out of the maze and made it home relatively quickly which turned out to be a good thing because my lovely contractions started to pick up soon after and I spent the rest of the evening on the couch. :(
Pediatrician #2: Originally scheduled for 11:30 and rescheduled the day before for 1:00pm. The office is located less than five minutes from our home (kudos) but the parking is TERRIBLE (strike). Because it is lunch time I was now allowed to enter through the main doors, but instead had to go in through a side entrance. In the side office there are no chairs so I was forced to stand and fill out paper work while they attempted to sort out the woman in front of me (strike). The woman in front of me did not speak English and was apparently over an hour late for her appointment. Just looking at the woman, you could tell she was scared. She was standing there holding her sick infant begging to be seen. As it turned out, she was there to see the same doctor I was. I immediately told the staff I would be willing to let her have my appointment and reschedule mine, but they declined and sent her away (strike).
Once I was done with the paper work I was immediately taken to a room (kudos) and offered water by the very friendly nurse (kudos!). Five minutes later the doctor was in the room and our discussion was off (kudos). She seemed very friendly, more so than doctor #1, and was willing to address all my questions (kudos). She is pro-breastfeeding, but interestingly enough does not do circumcisions (we are undecided on this issue still so... kudos/strike??). When I asked her about availability she got a little strange and said that someone would be available, but that this isn't a walk-in clinic and the woman before me was over an hour late (strike!). She continued to be a bit snippy/defensive about their hours all the while trying to assure me that someone would be available. What about late night hours? Yes, someone will be there, but more often than not the questions that are asked at 2:00am really should have been asked at 9:00pm. Huh? (strike)
The last issue to come up was vaccinations. She is against a delayed schedule. I explain to her my thoughts on the Hep B vaccination which then prompts her to launch in to an incredibly long and inarticulate explanation of how contagious Hep B is and kids can get it on the playground. Having explained to her that I was considering delaying until two years old, I am still unclear how this is relevant. My newborn does not need a Hep B vaccination, he's already going to be shot full of a million other things. Again she insists that it is important because most parents forget to keep up with vaccinations once they delay (strike). I realize a lot of people are idiots, but don't treat me like one until I give you reason to. Finally the interview is through and she takes me on a tour through the actual waiting room. It is really nice and includes a huge salt water fish tank and huge separate area for sick and well patients (kudos). Then we run in to the nurses at the front desk who tell me I am the cutest pregnant lady they've seen (KUDOS!).
The Final Results: After all of that the decision has been made. Honestly, it wasn't really a difficult one to make. While I loved the office and staff at practice number two, pediatrician number one was overall more knowledgeable and proactive, he listened to all my questions and seemed more willing to work with me. I think the fact that he took so much time to sit there and discuss each vaccination on the schedule, what it was for and how important it was (which ones he would be willing to delay vs. which ones he felt were incredibly important) really sealed the deal for me. So it looks like I'll be making a lot of future visits to The Ranch. Hopefully I'll get the maze figured out relatively quickly.
Pediatrician #1: I was scheduled to come in at 12:00pm (or so I thought) and of course got lost. The office in located in a place we'll call "The Ranch." It's an endless maze of office buildings where all the roads are named the same thing and every building is "Building 2." No matter how many times I go there I get lost. This is immediately a strike against the practice. I hate The Ranch! I finally make it to my destination only to find that the parking lot is packed (strike). After waddling my way through the maze of halls and up the elevator I arrive at my destination. Above the main entrance are the words "Turn Back Now!" Hmm, interesting sense of humor (kudos). Ignoring the sign I enter to a world of sick babies separated from the well, nurses and doctors rushing around, children climbing in and out of a playhouse, phones ringing, basically complete chaos. Welcome to my new life. I try to check in only to have them tell me my appointment is really for 12:30 (strike - this will later be canceled when I return home only to realize that I actually put the wrong time into my phone, whoops!).
A half-hour later, rejuvenated by an iced decaf caramel macchiato, I return for my actual visit. The doctor is running late (strike). However the nurse came out to personally tell me he was running late and apologized (kudos!). I am taken back to the room where I wait maybe ten more minutes with a folder of new parent information as well as information about the practice (kudos). Finally the doctor comes in; he's older, seems friendly and he's wearing a whinnie-the-pooh tie (kudos). Plus he is also a neonatologist (kudos) so should I go into preterm labor he would be the one to take care of our little man. Once he sat down he immediately started in with information about the practice; their hours, how they always try to get a sick child in that same day, they take kids after hours as well as on the weekends depending on the circumstances (kudos). Then without my asking he began to discuss the many issues from my interview sheet. He is pro-breastfeeding (kudos) and willing to do a delayed vaccination schedule to a certain extent. He spent at least ten minutes with me explaining the practice's vaccination schedule which is already somewhat delayed (kudos). We both agree that the idiot who published the article linking the MMR vaccination to autism should be in jail (kudos). Overall it was a very informative meeting. On the negative side, he gave me a bit of an eye-roll when I asked about his thoughts on attachment parenting which then made me too uncomfortable to ask about his thoughts on holistic medicine (strike). Overall it was a good experience and he as well as the practice rated highly. Thankfully I was able to find my way out of the maze and made it home relatively quickly which turned out to be a good thing because my lovely contractions started to pick up soon after and I spent the rest of the evening on the couch. :(
Pediatrician #2: Originally scheduled for 11:30 and rescheduled the day before for 1:00pm. The office is located less than five minutes from our home (kudos) but the parking is TERRIBLE (strike). Because it is lunch time I was now allowed to enter through the main doors, but instead had to go in through a side entrance. In the side office there are no chairs so I was forced to stand and fill out paper work while they attempted to sort out the woman in front of me (strike). The woman in front of me did not speak English and was apparently over an hour late for her appointment. Just looking at the woman, you could tell she was scared. She was standing there holding her sick infant begging to be seen. As it turned out, she was there to see the same doctor I was. I immediately told the staff I would be willing to let her have my appointment and reschedule mine, but they declined and sent her away (strike).
Once I was done with the paper work I was immediately taken to a room (kudos) and offered water by the very friendly nurse (kudos!). Five minutes later the doctor was in the room and our discussion was off (kudos). She seemed very friendly, more so than doctor #1, and was willing to address all my questions (kudos). She is pro-breastfeeding, but interestingly enough does not do circumcisions (we are undecided on this issue still so... kudos/strike??). When I asked her about availability she got a little strange and said that someone would be available, but that this isn't a walk-in clinic and the woman before me was over an hour late (strike!). She continued to be a bit snippy/defensive about their hours all the while trying to assure me that someone would be available. What about late night hours? Yes, someone will be there, but more often than not the questions that are asked at 2:00am really should have been asked at 9:00pm. Huh? (strike)
The last issue to come up was vaccinations. She is against a delayed schedule. I explain to her my thoughts on the Hep B vaccination which then prompts her to launch in to an incredibly long and inarticulate explanation of how contagious Hep B is and kids can get it on the playground. Having explained to her that I was considering delaying until two years old, I am still unclear how this is relevant. My newborn does not need a Hep B vaccination, he's already going to be shot full of a million other things. Again she insists that it is important because most parents forget to keep up with vaccinations once they delay (strike). I realize a lot of people are idiots, but don't treat me like one until I give you reason to. Finally the interview is through and she takes me on a tour through the actual waiting room. It is really nice and includes a huge salt water fish tank and huge separate area for sick and well patients (kudos). Then we run in to the nurses at the front desk who tell me I am the cutest pregnant lady they've seen (KUDOS!).
The Final Results: After all of that the decision has been made. Honestly, it wasn't really a difficult one to make. While I loved the office and staff at practice number two, pediatrician number one was overall more knowledgeable and proactive, he listened to all my questions and seemed more willing to work with me. I think the fact that he took so much time to sit there and discuss each vaccination on the schedule, what it was for and how important it was (which ones he would be willing to delay vs. which ones he felt were incredibly important) really sealed the deal for me. So it looks like I'll be making a lot of future visits to The Ranch. Hopefully I'll get the maze figured out relatively quickly.
Monday, May 31, 2010
What is bed rest?
After a Facebook exchange with a friend, I got to thinking that perhaps this would be a good question to address in my blog. Having posted about spending some time in the pool, said friend asked a perfectly innocent question about the rules of bed rest and swimming. Of course after my last week with the now infamous buttinsky, I may have been feeling a bit sensitive and may have gone on the defensive. (Sorry friend!) After our exchange it occurred to me that said friend (and anyone else for that matter) doesn't have any reason to know what is and isn't allowed. So I decided to address it here. Of course, I am not a doctor and everything I am about to write comes strictly from my own experience and from what I've read on various online bed rest communities. Take everything I say with a grain of salt.
What is bed rest? What is and isn't allowed? As far as I can tell there are three different forms of bed rest (there may be more). The first seems like the worst kind, strict hospital bed rest. Having never experienced if myself I can only give you a small picture of what it is like and may actually be completely wrong, feel free to correct me if I am. From what I understand the lucky individual on strict hospital bed rest lives in the hospital and is either not allowed out of bed at all (think bedpans and sponge baths) or is allowed out sparingly with the help of nurses. They are allowed out for the bathroom and maybe a shower once or twice a week. Sounds like fun, no?
Next we have the close relative of strict hospital bed rest, strict at-home bed rest. The lucky strict bed resters have slightly varying degrees of restrictions, but for the most part are required to remain flat, on their left side, for 90% of the day. They are allowed to get up for the bathroom and a shower 1-3 times a week. Food and water need to be brought to them and they are not supposed to sit up. The point being to take the pressure off of the cervix and in some ways counteract gravity. If these lucky individuals live in a two-story home many of them will not be allowed to climb the stairs meaning they will either live in their bed upstairs or on their couch downstairs.
Finally we have my category, modified bed rest. This kind of bed rest seems to have the most variations. I strongly suspect that the restrictions you are given depends not only on your particular issues, but on the doctor placing you on bed rest. I have seen people on modified bed rest with a wide variety of restrictions. These range from "stay reclined/seated most of the day and try to only get up for food, water, bathroom and the occasional/daily shower" to "try to stay off your feet and relax for at least four hours a day." I envy the latter group as I fall a little closer to the "sit all day" end of the spectrum.
Now that you have a general picture of the types of bed rest out there I will tell you a little about what my particular restrictions are. Over the last 7-8 weeks things have changed a little. In the beginning, when I was contracting every 2-4 minutes and was 50% effaced I was pretty much stuck on the couch all day. I got up for the bathroom and the occasional snack, but that was it. After several weeks my cervix returned to normal and the contractions, although still very frequent, were not quite as regular. Now I spend most of my days sitting in my recliner, but have been encouraged by the doctor to engage in very light activities at least a few times a week. Getting up and moving around helps to promote blood circulation and prevent blood clots in the legs. Because of this I get to do small activities here and there, like loading the dishwasher (how thrilling!), making dinner, walking to the mailbox, driving myself to doctor's appointments, running a quick errand and even floating around in the pool (floating only, no swimming!). Although I am allowed to certain activities there are definite no-no's; lifting heavy objects, running, jumping and the best part... I'm on pelvic rest. If the words "pelvic rest" aren't self-explanatory well then too bad, you can just google it because I'm not explaining it.
Seems like a lot right? Don't worry, I never do all of these things in one day. Depending on the level of the activity I may only do one or two of those things and then I sit right back down on my bed rest throne. I am also charged with the responsibility of listening to my own body. If at any time any of those activities begin to wear me out or in any way increase my contractions I have to stop what I am doing and rest. At this point I'm pretty good and telling what will and won't work for me. For instance, frequently loading the dishwasher is just too much for my poor little bed ridden body to take. The pool however is a completely different story. ;)
What is bed rest? What is and isn't allowed? As far as I can tell there are three different forms of bed rest (there may be more). The first seems like the worst kind, strict hospital bed rest. Having never experienced if myself I can only give you a small picture of what it is like and may actually be completely wrong, feel free to correct me if I am. From what I understand the lucky individual on strict hospital bed rest lives in the hospital and is either not allowed out of bed at all (think bedpans and sponge baths) or is allowed out sparingly with the help of nurses. They are allowed out for the bathroom and maybe a shower once or twice a week. Sounds like fun, no?
Next we have the close relative of strict hospital bed rest, strict at-home bed rest. The lucky strict bed resters have slightly varying degrees of restrictions, but for the most part are required to remain flat, on their left side, for 90% of the day. They are allowed to get up for the bathroom and a shower 1-3 times a week. Food and water need to be brought to them and they are not supposed to sit up. The point being to take the pressure off of the cervix and in some ways counteract gravity. If these lucky individuals live in a two-story home many of them will not be allowed to climb the stairs meaning they will either live in their bed upstairs or on their couch downstairs.
Finally we have my category, modified bed rest. This kind of bed rest seems to have the most variations. I strongly suspect that the restrictions you are given depends not only on your particular issues, but on the doctor placing you on bed rest. I have seen people on modified bed rest with a wide variety of restrictions. These range from "stay reclined/seated most of the day and try to only get up for food, water, bathroom and the occasional/daily shower" to "try to stay off your feet and relax for at least four hours a day." I envy the latter group as I fall a little closer to the "sit all day" end of the spectrum.
Now that you have a general picture of the types of bed rest out there I will tell you a little about what my particular restrictions are. Over the last 7-8 weeks things have changed a little. In the beginning, when I was contracting every 2-4 minutes and was 50% effaced I was pretty much stuck on the couch all day. I got up for the bathroom and the occasional snack, but that was it. After several weeks my cervix returned to normal and the contractions, although still very frequent, were not quite as regular. Now I spend most of my days sitting in my recliner, but have been encouraged by the doctor to engage in very light activities at least a few times a week. Getting up and moving around helps to promote blood circulation and prevent blood clots in the legs. Because of this I get to do small activities here and there, like loading the dishwasher (how thrilling!), making dinner, walking to the mailbox, driving myself to doctor's appointments, running a quick errand and even floating around in the pool (floating only, no swimming!). Although I am allowed to certain activities there are definite no-no's; lifting heavy objects, running, jumping and the best part... I'm on pelvic rest. If the words "pelvic rest" aren't self-explanatory well then too bad, you can just google it because I'm not explaining it.
Seems like a lot right? Don't worry, I never do all of these things in one day. Depending on the level of the activity I may only do one or two of those things and then I sit right back down on my bed rest throne. I am also charged with the responsibility of listening to my own body. If at any time any of those activities begin to wear me out or in any way increase my contractions I have to stop what I am doing and rest. At this point I'm pretty good and telling what will and won't work for me. For instance, frequently loading the dishwasher is just too much for my poor little bed ridden body to take. The pool however is a completely different story. ;)
Saturday, May 29, 2010
33 Week Survey
How far along: 33 weeks!! 7 weeks to go until the due date!
Total weight gain/loss: +24lbs - after they weighed me they took my blood pressure. It was high. Coincidence? Hmmm.
Maternity clothes: Yes, definitely. I live in Target maternity tank tops. Although today I get to debut my pretty maternity dress.
Stretch marks: Not yet. I still check every day. I assumed I would get them since I a lot of old one from my growth spurt as a teen.
Sleep: TERRIBLE!! I wake up every. single. hour. to pee. It sucks!
Best moment this week: Husband coming home last night, we ate a tasty dinner and watched old movies together by the fire.
Movement: Yes, and lots of it. He's recently started kicking my ribs. Isn't that sweet of him?
Food cravings: I get random cravings. This week it was a bagel with cream cheese
Gender: Boy
Labor Signs: Still having a lot of contractions, but they aren't really doing much other than annoying me.
Belly Button in or out: We're still in belly button limbo. The top half is kind of poking out and the bottom half is still very much in.
What I miss: Sleep. I think it would be a miracle if I could sleep through the night. Or even if I could just go back to getting up once or twice.
What I am looking forward to: Still need to get that prenatal massage and my first baby shower is today.
Other Updates: I went to the doctor yesterday. She said that was the last time they would be doing the fetal fibronectin test. I was checked and my cervix still looked good, closed and high, although it's in a posterior position so it was hard for her to feel. I really wanted her to check with the ultrasound, but she said she didn't need to. So here we are. Hopefully coming to the end of bed rest within the next 3 or 4 weeks. Very exciting!
Total weight gain/loss: +24lbs - after they weighed me they took my blood pressure. It was high. Coincidence? Hmmm.
Maternity clothes: Yes, definitely. I live in Target maternity tank tops. Although today I get to debut my pretty maternity dress.
Stretch marks: Not yet. I still check every day. I assumed I would get them since I a lot of old one from my growth spurt as a teen.
Sleep: TERRIBLE!! I wake up every. single. hour. to pee. It sucks!
Best moment this week: Husband coming home last night, we ate a tasty dinner and watched old movies together by the fire.
Movement: Yes, and lots of it. He's recently started kicking my ribs. Isn't that sweet of him?
Food cravings: I get random cravings. This week it was a bagel with cream cheese
Gender: Boy
Labor Signs: Still having a lot of contractions, but they aren't really doing much other than annoying me.
Belly Button in or out: We're still in belly button limbo. The top half is kind of poking out and the bottom half is still very much in.
What I miss: Sleep. I think it would be a miracle if I could sleep through the night. Or even if I could just go back to getting up once or twice.
What I am looking forward to: Still need to get that prenatal massage and my first baby shower is today.
Other Updates: I went to the doctor yesterday. She said that was the last time they would be doing the fetal fibronectin test. I was checked and my cervix still looked good, closed and high, although it's in a posterior position so it was hard for her to feel. I really wanted her to check with the ultrasound, but she said she didn't need to. So here we are. Hopefully coming to the end of bed rest within the next 3 or 4 weeks. Very exciting!
Friday, May 28, 2010
No Buttinskies Allowed
Occasionally in life people offer up unsolicited advice that makes you wonder 1. what crawled up their patootie and 2. who made them the boss? Sometimes these people might be in your own close circle of family or friends and other times it can come from a complete stranger. Either way, when receiving said "advice" you are bound to feel just a little irked. If you're a rational human being, and the advice doesn't turn in to down right pestering you might be able to blow it off. Smile on the outside, roll your eyes when the person isn't looking (maybe even stick your toungue out at them behind their back?) and move on with your life. Now imagine being seven month pregnant, on bed rest, running on very little sleep, and a mountain of stress threatening to come crashing down on you at any moment then receiving said unsolicited advice over and over and over. What do you do? How do you act? Do you still brush it off. Be the bigger person? Or do you totally flip your #&%@$ lid? You be the judge...
Being pregnant seems to make people think they have free reign to make comments about you and your personal life. It's an interesting phenomenon really. Buying a quart of ice cream at the grocery store pre-pregnancy? No problem. No one bats and eyelash. Try doing it while pregnant. I hear the result can be pretty brutal. Crazy old ladies telling you you are killing your baby. Cranky mothers whispering about how you'll never lose the weight that way. It's enough to make you want to throw the ice cream at their heads and run away crying (*note - not an actual experience of mine, but believe me, it happens). Having been on bed rest for the last seven weeks I have limited experience with the morons of the world, but believe me even I have had my fair share.
Prior to the bed rest I took Husband's car to Jiffy Lube for an oil change. That day there was a new woman working behind the counter. As soon as she honed in on my belly the "advice" started pouring out: don't hold him too much; give him honey water to help him sleep; make sure to breastfeed; give him cereal before he's six months, I did it with my boys and they are strapping young men! On and on it went. The longest twenty minute oil change of my life. I stood there, grinning and bearing as best I could until finally my car was done. I grabbed my paperwork and made a dash for the door before she could tell me to give the baby a little whiskey to help soothe him.
Luckily that was pretty much the extent of my experience with buttinskies, that is it was until I was put on bed rest. We have really been blessed to have so much help offered to us during such a stressful time. The people from our church have been amazing. They come by for visits, to clean, to bring meals by and who can forget the great unpacking debacle?? It has been really nice. Really. I promise. That said, recently one particularly nosy woman, a few years older than me (so apparently that much wiser) has started to put her little nose where it doesn't belong. I think it all started with the best of intentions (you know what they say about the road to hell and good intentions right?) so I've excused it. When you are stuck at home and people are volunteering to take care of you the least you can do is sit patiently and listen to their advice, no matter how ridiculous.
What do you do when the advice starts to become judgments though? "You drive yourself to your doctor's appointments?? Why doesn't Husband take you?" Followed by a disapproving look only a mom can give you. "Husband is going out of town for work for the day? Well I guess I'll have to stop by to check on you." Ummm, nobody's twisting your arm. I'm fine. "Did you take it easy this weekend?" Yep, sat around by the pool and went church, it was very relaxing. "Oh, so you didn't take it easy then?" More disapproving looks.
Jeez, you would think that I'm up running marathons or something! I have tried gently reminding her that I am on modified bed rest, not strict and that my doctor has approved light activity. In fact, the doctor has said I can do way more than I actually do, I'm just being extremely cautious. Then the comments about Husband not taking care of me... that's where I draw the line. Husband has been the most attentive person around. He works 12+ hours a day, comes home and helps me finish cooking. He cleans on the weekends and runs all of our errands. He brings me water and rubs my back. He is the best. Seriously. And if you try to imply otherwise I might kick you!
Still, I continue to ignore the judgments. She's concerned. She trying to help. She's not meaning to be annoying and rude. It's ok... Breathe... Then the final straw. It started off a normal conversation about pediatricians. If you take a look at my earlier post with the list of things to do, you will see "find a pediatrician" listed in bold. At 32 weeks it is an important item, but not urgent. As soon as she found out I hadn't found one yet she started in. "You really need to get on that! I have a great pediatrician. It's important to interview them to make sure it's a good fit. You NEED to take care of it!!!" You would have thought her head was going to explode. I calmly explained to her that I had in fact researched two different pediatric groups in our area and was planning on contacting them within the next week. She visibly relaxed then asked if I would like her to make of copy of the questions from her old pregnancy organizer. - Do they really make those?? What's to organize? - I said that would be nice and then the conversation moved on to less tense topics. That afternoon after she left I made two appointments with pediatricians. Yay, another thing to scratch off my list!
The next day, I find an envelope shoved into the door frame. When it falls to the ground I pick it up and examine it. What do you think is inside?? Sure enough, a copy of the questions with a note attached. "I think finding a pediatrician is something you want to sort out asap." OK, seriously 1. what crawled up your patootie? and 2. who the heck made you the boss of me?? BACK THE %$@# OFF!!!!!!
So, what would you do? Buttinskies are everywhere. You can't escape them. Do you blow your top and let them have it? Or do you continue to stick your tongue out at them behind their backs (or maybe you're more of a "give them the finger" type)? For now, I use my computer and the oh so generous ear of Husband to vent my frustrations so that I can continue to smile at the buttinskies of the world. Don't blame me though if these pregnancy hormones one day get the best of me. :)
Being pregnant seems to make people think they have free reign to make comments about you and your personal life. It's an interesting phenomenon really. Buying a quart of ice cream at the grocery store pre-pregnancy? No problem. No one bats and eyelash. Try doing it while pregnant. I hear the result can be pretty brutal. Crazy old ladies telling you you are killing your baby. Cranky mothers whispering about how you'll never lose the weight that way. It's enough to make you want to throw the ice cream at their heads and run away crying (*note - not an actual experience of mine, but believe me, it happens). Having been on bed rest for the last seven weeks I have limited experience with the morons of the world, but believe me even I have had my fair share.
Prior to the bed rest I took Husband's car to Jiffy Lube for an oil change. That day there was a new woman working behind the counter. As soon as she honed in on my belly the "advice" started pouring out: don't hold him too much; give him honey water to help him sleep; make sure to breastfeed; give him cereal before he's six months, I did it with my boys and they are strapping young men! On and on it went. The longest twenty minute oil change of my life. I stood there, grinning and bearing as best I could until finally my car was done. I grabbed my paperwork and made a dash for the door before she could tell me to give the baby a little whiskey to help soothe him.
Luckily that was pretty much the extent of my experience with buttinskies, that is it was until I was put on bed rest. We have really been blessed to have so much help offered to us during such a stressful time. The people from our church have been amazing. They come by for visits, to clean, to bring meals by and who can forget the great unpacking debacle?? It has been really nice. Really. I promise. That said, recently one particularly nosy woman, a few years older than me (so apparently that much wiser) has started to put her little nose where it doesn't belong. I think it all started with the best of intentions (you know what they say about the road to hell and good intentions right?) so I've excused it. When you are stuck at home and people are volunteering to take care of you the least you can do is sit patiently and listen to their advice, no matter how ridiculous.
What do you do when the advice starts to become judgments though? "You drive yourself to your doctor's appointments?? Why doesn't Husband take you?" Followed by a disapproving look only a mom can give you. "Husband is going out of town for work for the day? Well I guess I'll have to stop by to check on you." Ummm, nobody's twisting your arm. I'm fine. "Did you take it easy this weekend?" Yep, sat around by the pool and went church, it was very relaxing. "Oh, so you didn't take it easy then?" More disapproving looks.
Jeez, you would think that I'm up running marathons or something! I have tried gently reminding her that I am on modified bed rest, not strict and that my doctor has approved light activity. In fact, the doctor has said I can do way more than I actually do, I'm just being extremely cautious. Then the comments about Husband not taking care of me... that's where I draw the line. Husband has been the most attentive person around. He works 12+ hours a day, comes home and helps me finish cooking. He cleans on the weekends and runs all of our errands. He brings me water and rubs my back. He is the best. Seriously. And if you try to imply otherwise I might kick you!
Still, I continue to ignore the judgments. She's concerned. She trying to help. She's not meaning to be annoying and rude. It's ok... Breathe... Then the final straw. It started off a normal conversation about pediatricians. If you take a look at my earlier post with the list of things to do, you will see "find a pediatrician" listed in bold. At 32 weeks it is an important item, but not urgent. As soon as she found out I hadn't found one yet she started in. "You really need to get on that! I have a great pediatrician. It's important to interview them to make sure it's a good fit. You NEED to take care of it!!!" You would have thought her head was going to explode. I calmly explained to her that I had in fact researched two different pediatric groups in our area and was planning on contacting them within the next week. She visibly relaxed then asked if I would like her to make of copy of the questions from her old pregnancy organizer. - Do they really make those?? What's to organize? - I said that would be nice and then the conversation moved on to less tense topics. That afternoon after she left I made two appointments with pediatricians. Yay, another thing to scratch off my list!
The next day, I find an envelope shoved into the door frame. When it falls to the ground I pick it up and examine it. What do you think is inside?? Sure enough, a copy of the questions with a note attached. "I think finding a pediatrician is something you want to sort out asap." OK, seriously 1. what crawled up your patootie? and 2. who the heck made you the boss of me?? BACK THE %$@# OFF!!!!!!
So, what would you do? Buttinskies are everywhere. You can't escape them. Do you blow your top and let them have it? Or do you continue to stick your tongue out at them behind their backs (or maybe you're more of a "give them the finger" type)? For now, I use my computer and the oh so generous ear of Husband to vent my frustrations so that I can continue to smile at the buttinskies of the world. Don't blame me though if these pregnancy hormones one day get the best of me. :)
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