So what can I say? Shrimp has definitely found the bladder. Apparently, Shrimp is resting on my bladder and causing a very unique sensation. And since it seems like every symptom in the book can possibly be a sign of pre-term labor, it had me calling my doc who, thankfully, informed me it is just Shrimp laying on the bladder. This early. I have 15 more weeks of Shrimp laying on the bladder. Thanks, Kid!!
Which leads me onto another point. I am thrilled to be expecting Shrimp. Absolutely thrilled. That being said, I can do without the pregnancy part. In fact, if there was a way to just wake up in January and Shrimp is here, safe and sound, I'd be tickled pink. While my pregnancy has in a myriad of ways been a very good pregnancy, I've struggled with many of the symptoms. I think most of them stem from my absolute terror of something going wrong. I can't seem to determine the difference between a normal pregnancy symptom and a sign of something worse. So I worry about every new feeling/pain/symptom. It also leads me to be afraid to bond with Shrimp as I'm afraid that once I do, something will happen and the pain of losing Shrimp will be worse. It's like I can't completely reconcile the fact that this pregnancy has not and will not fail. I keep telling myself that once Shrimp is here and I no longer have to worry about my body failing me, it will be ok. But will it? I may be able to control my body better than I can the circumstances of life that will soon face Shrimp. But, I don't know, at least it wouldn't be because my body is a failure.
On a positive note, I took an evening tonight to rest. I've been feeling pretty puny for a few weeks with allergy type symptoms. This week, it appears to have escalated and my head really feels like it's going to explode and I'm so exhausted that my current evenings plans consist of writing this and then going to bed. Yes, at 730 at night. But my point was, I was able to, as I was relaxing tonight, watch Shrimp in my belly. I could see Shrimp stretch, kick, push against my side. It is the most indescribable feeling to see that and just leaves me in awe. The one thing I absolutely love about being pregnant is being able to see these kind of things. I just wish they made home ultrasound machines so I could actually physically see Shrimp as well, rather than just seeing my tummy move. But that being said, that could lead to a dangerous obsession with watching the screen instead of going on with life, lol!
Shrimp is now 25 weeks. That means there are only 15 weeks to go until d-day. Only 3 weeks to go until I'm considered to be in the third trimester. Here's where Shrimp is at now:
Head to heels, your baby now measures about 13.5 inches. Her weight - a pound and a half - isn't much more than the average rutabaga, but she's beginning to exchange her long, lean look for some baby fat. As she does, her wrinkled skin will begin to smooth out and she'll start to look more and more like a newborn. She's also growing more hair - and if you could see it, you'd now be able to discern it's color and texture.
Nighty night! Hopefully next week I'll have a much more positive post. Darn hormones. :)
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Wow!
I just saw the baby move! And Andrew felt as it kicked out. Wow! So cool! Didn't last long but it was the coolest thing.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
24 Weeks!!!!!
Yes! I am 24 weeks. I am very excited about this actually. It's another milestone down. First I had to get past 6 weeks as I had never made it that far before. Then, past 12 weeks as I knew I would be "safe" then. Then it was 20 weeks, just cuz it's the halfway mark. And next up was 24 weeks. Because now Shrimp has half a chance of surviving should something go wrong. Chances are NOT good and I in no way want Shrimp coming now, but it just gives me a sense of extra security to know that if the "what if's" I always have in my head come true, all hope is not yet lost.
And so it's been another interesting week. Things you learn about traveling while pregnant. First off, I was highly surprised to find a lot of very polite and good mannered men on my flight out here. I must actually look somewhat pregnant (although that seems to depend on who you are asking, lol!) because men were jumping up and down to help me with my bag. One guy on the first leg of my flight put my bag up AND brought it back down from the overhead compartment for me! And he even stood aside to let me out of the seats first! I was very surprised. This happened regularly throughout the rest of my day, which just now became interesting.
We were delayed for take off from KC due to weather in Atlanta and were told to stay parked for about an hour after our scheduled take off time. We actually were able to push back earlier than we thought and were in the air 30-45 minutes after the scheduled take off time. Then the pilot gets on the intercom to tell us that not only are we late taking off but that they changed our flight pattern so our normal 1.5 hour flight will now take 2+. I'm thinking, great, I have an hour in between flights and this is going to cut it awfully close. Not only that, but I'm flying into Atlanta which has the worst airport for transferring flights on short connection times. So we land but are only 30 minutes late! We made good time in the air and they changed our pattern back to the 1.5 hour travel time. I had 20 minutes to make it to the next gate before my scheduled take off and to get 4 terminals away. I'm thinking this is going to be close, but I can do it. I was NOT going to run at 6 months pregnant through the airport. So I walked, fast, but I walked. I made it in 10. To get to the gate to find out that not only had they closed the doors already, but they gave away my seat. I'm thinking, uhhh hello? You knew my plane was late...you knew when it landed, you knew I'd have time to make it and yet you STILL gave away my seat and locked me off my plane? Customer service is not a strong suit of Delta, and the stewardess at the gate would hardly give me any thing other than "you have to go back to gate 24 and talk to them there." Thanks. Whatever. So I walk back to gate 24 to scan my pass to find out that the NEXT AVAILABLE flight leaves at 8 pm that night. It's 11 am. I knew there was a flight leaving at 12 something, so I go to wait in the line of people waiting to talk to the people behind the desk at this gate. Only to get told that they can't help me (they are only helping other people!?) and that I had to use the phones next to them to call the reservations line. So I do, to wait on hold for 20 minutes to find out that all other flights out that day, except for this one, are booked. I can try flying stand by, or go into alternate airports and rent a car to get to my final destination (about 100 miles away from the alternate airports). I'm thinking, if I have to rent a car anyway, I may as well rent one from Atlanta and drive, it's only 3.5 hours. Not only that but I have a meeting I needed to be there for by 3:30 and this was cutting it close. So I ditch my connection and drive from Atlanta to Huntsville. Everything was going well until this stretch of road in the middle of nowhere and Shrimp finds my bladder. HARD. And continuously. Shrimp was insistent that I needed to go NOW and was making sure I didn't forget it. But there was no where to go! I drove for 20 more miles looking for any safe place to stop and finally found an Arby's where I almost RAN into the bathroom. It hurt SOOO bad by then. My poor bladder was sore from being so full and being used as a soccer ball for the last 20 minutes.
Anyway, I made it on two wheels for my meeting and to my hotel room where after dinner I went straight to bed. I was exhausted.
Today I was thrown my first baby shower by my co-workers here. It was great and we had fun chatting and Shrimp is well set up for comfort so far. Got tons of clothes and some really cute sleepers. I finally have stuff to put in the drawers of Shrimp's dresser! I can't wait to go home and fill it up. I also got some great toys for the little one and a bear that is to help Shrimp sleep after the arrival. It's exciting to see things start to come together.
Anyway, I'm writing a book this time. I better tell you where Shrimp is at now:
Your baby's growing steadily, having gained about 4 ounces since last week. That puts him at just over a pound. Since he's almost a foot long (picture an ear of corn), he cuts a pretty lean figure at this point, but his body is filling out proportionally and he'll soon start to plump up. His brain is also growing quickly now and his taste buds are continuing to develop. His lungs are developing "branches" of the respiratory "tree" as well as cells that produce surfactant, a substance that will help his air sacs inflate once he hits the outside world. His skin is still thin and translucent, but that will start to change soon.
Till next week!
And so it's been another interesting week. Things you learn about traveling while pregnant. First off, I was highly surprised to find a lot of very polite and good mannered men on my flight out here. I must actually look somewhat pregnant (although that seems to depend on who you are asking, lol!) because men were jumping up and down to help me with my bag. One guy on the first leg of my flight put my bag up AND brought it back down from the overhead compartment for me! And he even stood aside to let me out of the seats first! I was very surprised. This happened regularly throughout the rest of my day, which just now became interesting.
We were delayed for take off from KC due to weather in Atlanta and were told to stay parked for about an hour after our scheduled take off time. We actually were able to push back earlier than we thought and were in the air 30-45 minutes after the scheduled take off time. Then the pilot gets on the intercom to tell us that not only are we late taking off but that they changed our flight pattern so our normal 1.5 hour flight will now take 2+. I'm thinking, great, I have an hour in between flights and this is going to cut it awfully close. Not only that, but I'm flying into Atlanta which has the worst airport for transferring flights on short connection times. So we land but are only 30 minutes late! We made good time in the air and they changed our pattern back to the 1.5 hour travel time. I had 20 minutes to make it to the next gate before my scheduled take off and to get 4 terminals away. I'm thinking this is going to be close, but I can do it. I was NOT going to run at 6 months pregnant through the airport. So I walked, fast, but I walked. I made it in 10. To get to the gate to find out that not only had they closed the doors already, but they gave away my seat. I'm thinking, uhhh hello? You knew my plane was late...you knew when it landed, you knew I'd have time to make it and yet you STILL gave away my seat and locked me off my plane? Customer service is not a strong suit of Delta, and the stewardess at the gate would hardly give me any thing other than "you have to go back to gate 24 and talk to them there." Thanks. Whatever. So I walk back to gate 24 to scan my pass to find out that the NEXT AVAILABLE flight leaves at 8 pm that night. It's 11 am. I knew there was a flight leaving at 12 something, so I go to wait in the line of people waiting to talk to the people behind the desk at this gate. Only to get told that they can't help me (they are only helping other people!?) and that I had to use the phones next to them to call the reservations line. So I do, to wait on hold for 20 minutes to find out that all other flights out that day, except for this one, are booked. I can try flying stand by, or go into alternate airports and rent a car to get to my final destination (about 100 miles away from the alternate airports). I'm thinking, if I have to rent a car anyway, I may as well rent one from Atlanta and drive, it's only 3.5 hours. Not only that but I have a meeting I needed to be there for by 3:30 and this was cutting it close. So I ditch my connection and drive from Atlanta to Huntsville. Everything was going well until this stretch of road in the middle of nowhere and Shrimp finds my bladder. HARD. And continuously. Shrimp was insistent that I needed to go NOW and was making sure I didn't forget it. But there was no where to go! I drove for 20 more miles looking for any safe place to stop and finally found an Arby's where I almost RAN into the bathroom. It hurt SOOO bad by then. My poor bladder was sore from being so full and being used as a soccer ball for the last 20 minutes.
Anyway, I made it on two wheels for my meeting and to my hotel room where after dinner I went straight to bed. I was exhausted.
Today I was thrown my first baby shower by my co-workers here. It was great and we had fun chatting and Shrimp is well set up for comfort so far. Got tons of clothes and some really cute sleepers. I finally have stuff to put in the drawers of Shrimp's dresser! I can't wait to go home and fill it up. I also got some great toys for the little one and a bear that is to help Shrimp sleep after the arrival. It's exciting to see things start to come together.
Anyway, I'm writing a book this time. I better tell you where Shrimp is at now:
Your baby's growing steadily, having gained about 4 ounces since last week. That puts him at just over a pound. Since he's almost a foot long (picture an ear of corn), he cuts a pretty lean figure at this point, but his body is filling out proportionally and he'll soon start to plump up. His brain is also growing quickly now and his taste buds are continuing to develop. His lungs are developing "branches" of the respiratory "tree" as well as cells that produce surfactant, a substance that will help his air sacs inflate once he hits the outside world. His skin is still thin and translucent, but that will start to change soon.
Till next week!
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Energy?
I think it came back a little bit? After my appointment on Friday I was released back to "normal" activities and I spent a very busy weekend. Saturday was the first day in our new church building that is all ours. I'm so excited because we were able to paint and decorate in the way that we want! Plus it's totally ours so we can have meetings in it whenever we want and not have to "rent" it again. So we are in the midst of modifying the space and I can't wait to get down and really get it decorated.
Anyway, I got off topic a bit. Saturday and Sunday were both very busy days but my energy level held up very well. Sunday I was even able to get the kitchen cleaned, laundry folded and put away, flowers trimmed and lawn clippings picked up (Andrew mowed the lawn) as well as church in the morning and lunch with friends. Of course, by the time 8 pm came around I was dead. I was so tired that I actually started hurting. So Andrew had to finish the ironing and I laid down in bed. Work also has been very busy but thankfully, with the return of the energy, I've been able to handle it and keep up the pace. But let me tell you, by the time 5 pm comes around, I'm wasted. I've not been able to take a mid day nap over my lunch breaks, there just hasn't been time. I think I'm feeling it a bit.
So anyway, Shrimp is doing well it seems. Has found some vital organs and enjoys kicking those. I think Shrimp is having fun making me jump. Shrimp will issue one strong well placed kick when I'm not expecting it and kicks hard enough and some organ dead on that I actually jump and give a startled "ouch!" Hasn't found the bladder yet though. So that's a plus.
Shrimp at 23 weeks:
Turn on the radio and sway to the music. With her sense of movement well developed by now, your baby can feel you dance. And now that she's more than 11 inches long and weighs just over a pound (about as much as a large mango), you may be able to see her squirm underneath your clothes. Blood vessels in her lungs are developing to prepare for breathing, and the sounds that your baby's increasingly keen ears pick up are preparing her for entry into the outside world. Loud noises that become familiar now - such as your dog barking or the roar of the vacuum cleaner - probably won't faze her when she hears them outside the womb.
17 weeks to go. Bring it on!
Anyway, I got off topic a bit. Saturday and Sunday were both very busy days but my energy level held up very well. Sunday I was even able to get the kitchen cleaned, laundry folded and put away, flowers trimmed and lawn clippings picked up (Andrew mowed the lawn) as well as church in the morning and lunch with friends. Of course, by the time 8 pm came around I was dead. I was so tired that I actually started hurting. So Andrew had to finish the ironing and I laid down in bed. Work also has been very busy but thankfully, with the return of the energy, I've been able to handle it and keep up the pace. But let me tell you, by the time 5 pm comes around, I'm wasted. I've not been able to take a mid day nap over my lunch breaks, there just hasn't been time. I think I'm feeling it a bit.
So anyway, Shrimp is doing well it seems. Has found some vital organs and enjoys kicking those. I think Shrimp is having fun making me jump. Shrimp will issue one strong well placed kick when I'm not expecting it and kicks hard enough and some organ dead on that I actually jump and give a startled "ouch!" Hasn't found the bladder yet though. So that's a plus.
Shrimp at 23 weeks:
Turn on the radio and sway to the music. With her sense of movement well developed by now, your baby can feel you dance. And now that she's more than 11 inches long and weighs just over a pound (about as much as a large mango), you may be able to see her squirm underneath your clothes. Blood vessels in her lungs are developing to prepare for breathing, and the sounds that your baby's increasingly keen ears pick up are preparing her for entry into the outside world. Loud noises that become familiar now - such as your dog barking or the roar of the vacuum cleaner - probably won't faze her when she hears them outside the womb.
17 weeks to go. Bring it on!
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
22 weeks and counting
And counting, and counting. I'm sooo wishing the time away until January and I can stop worrying about Shrimp coming early! I was always afraid of a pre-term birth but after last week, it's become even more of a worry even though I'm at no higher of a risk this week than I was last week. I guess it just kind of brought it all home how even though I'm past when most pregnancies fail, there still is the risk that Shrimp will come early! :( So I'm counting and waiting and praying that Shrimp stays PUT.
Although I have noticed personality traits already. Like Shrimp is appearing to be independent in nature already. I am feeling pretty regular kicks and squirms. And sometimes after getting a few in a row in, I'll put my hand down to feel them and Shrimp immediately stops. It's like Shrimp realizes I'm searching for the comfort of knowing he/she is ok and refuses to give that to me, lol! Andrew felt a few strong kicks the other day, but no matter how hard we've tried or how long he puts his hand on my belly, Shrimp will not perform for daddy either. Andrew's even taken to lightly shaking the belly to wake Shrimp up, lol. Not that it's done him any good, but it is rather cute.
I've still been taking it easy. Doc never did tell me an "end" time for the taking it easy so figured I'll err on the side of caution and do so until my appointment on Friday and I can ask. We had a labor day get together with some friends yesterday but we held it here at our house and Andrew and my mom cooked and Andrew cleaned, lol. So I still sat on my butt. Andrew did all the grocery shopping over the weekend that needed to be done. And he cleaned the house for me on Sunday! What a guy.
So Shrimp at 22 weeks is now:
At 11 inches (the length of a spaghetti squash) and almost 1 pound, your baby is starting to look like a miniature newborn. His lips, eyelids, and eyebrows are becoming more distinct, and he's eve ndeveloping tiny tooth buds beneath his gums. His eyes have formed, but his irises (the colored part of the eye) still lack pigment. If you could see inside your womb, you'd be able to spot the fine hair (lanugo) that covers his body and the deep wrinkles on his skin, which he'll sport until he adds a padding of fat to fill them in. Inside his belly, his pancreas - essential for the production of some important hormones - is developing steadily.
I am almost over the UTI as well. Most of the symptoms have cleared up, but for a lingering exhaustion that I can only attribute to my body fighting off the UTI in combination with the strain already on my body from just being pregnant. I only have two more trips and then I should be home. I just pray I have no more drama on either of the other two trips!
Although I have noticed personality traits already. Like Shrimp is appearing to be independent in nature already. I am feeling pretty regular kicks and squirms. And sometimes after getting a few in a row in, I'll put my hand down to feel them and Shrimp immediately stops. It's like Shrimp realizes I'm searching for the comfort of knowing he/she is ok and refuses to give that to me, lol! Andrew felt a few strong kicks the other day, but no matter how hard we've tried or how long he puts his hand on my belly, Shrimp will not perform for daddy either. Andrew's even taken to lightly shaking the belly to wake Shrimp up, lol. Not that it's done him any good, but it is rather cute.
I've still been taking it easy. Doc never did tell me an "end" time for the taking it easy so figured I'll err on the side of caution and do so until my appointment on Friday and I can ask. We had a labor day get together with some friends yesterday but we held it here at our house and Andrew and my mom cooked and Andrew cleaned, lol. So I still sat on my butt. Andrew did all the grocery shopping over the weekend that needed to be done. And he cleaned the house for me on Sunday! What a guy.
So Shrimp at 22 weeks is now:
At 11 inches (the length of a spaghetti squash) and almost 1 pound, your baby is starting to look like a miniature newborn. His lips, eyelids, and eyebrows are becoming more distinct, and he's eve ndeveloping tiny tooth buds beneath his gums. His eyes have formed, but his irises (the colored part of the eye) still lack pigment. If you could see inside your womb, you'd be able to spot the fine hair (lanugo) that covers his body and the deep wrinkles on his skin, which he'll sport until he adds a padding of fat to fill them in. Inside his belly, his pancreas - essential for the production of some important hormones - is developing steadily.
I am almost over the UTI as well. Most of the symptoms have cleared up, but for a lingering exhaustion that I can only attribute to my body fighting off the UTI in combination with the strain already on my body from just being pregnant. I only have two more trips and then I should be home. I just pray I have no more drama on either of the other two trips!
Saturday, September 5, 2009
Shrimp and I are home
We made it home safely. And for those of you who are wondering, I did manage to delegate. Not going to say it was easy and that I wasn't placed in a chair against my will. But once I was in that chair, I stayed unless I had to pee or turn in paperwork.
Thursday, September 3, 2009
It's been a fun week
So, I'm a few days late in posting my weekly update. As you read my blog I'm sure you'll figure out why, lol.
On Monday, I had to fly to LA for business. Day was fine but I found that I did not have near the energy I normally did and was flat out exhausted by 8 and in bed. Tuesday, the fun began. I noticed that I had to use the bathroom every 30 minutes and after doing set up for only about 30 minutes, I was flat worn out. But I made it through the day. During dinner, I noticed a sharp pain in my back, and shrugged it off thinking it was just sore from all over doing it. In the middle of the night, I woke up with the pain even worse and to add to it, some strong pelvic pain. The pelvic pain lasted about 2 hours and then went away but it was enough to make me concerned, so I called the doctor when I got up yesterday morning. I was still going to the bathroom every 30 minutes. I figured doc would just tell me it's normal, no worries, you are stressing, blah blah blah. Much to my surprise, they informed me I needed to get to the hospital as they suspected I had a UTI or could be going into labor. I think my body hates me sometimes, lol.
So thanks to my wonderful co-workers, a few stayed behind and managed the booth for me and another drove me to an urgent care center. We figured it'd be a quicker trip in and out by visiting urgent care since I was fairly certain it was the UTI. After a 2 hour wait, I was called back and told to go to the hospital without even seeing the doctor because they won't treat women over 20 weeks pregnant. So we drove over to a local hospital. Much to my surprise, I was called back 10 minutes after I arrived and brought up to...labor and delivery!! I'm thinking, talk about service, I expected a 2 hour wait and just a regular ER doc. 20 minutes later I was hooked up to a machine to check for contractions and monitor Shrimp's heartbeat. Drew blood, peed in a cup, given dinner (!) and a bed and a tv, 90 minutes later I was informed, yup, UTI, given medication and sent home. Well, back to my hotel room anyway. I was pleasantly surprised at the speed with which it all went. I don't know if this hospital just has it's stuff together and can triage well or if they just err on the side of caution and assume that a 21 week pregnant woman with my symptoms is in labor, so send her up to the specialist. Whatever, I was in my bed by 9:30 with orders to "take it easy." We'll see how well that goes, lol.
Shrimp at 21 weeks:
Your baby now weighs about three-quarters of a pound and is approximately 10.5 inches long - the length of a carrot. You may soon feel like she's practicing martial arts as her initial fluttering movements turn into full-fledged kicks and nudges. You may also discover a pattern to her activity as you get to know her better. In other developments, your baby's eyebrows and lids are present now, and if you're having a girl, her vagina has begun to form as well.
Let's hope next week isn't quite so active!
On Monday, I had to fly to LA for business. Day was fine but I found that I did not have near the energy I normally did and was flat out exhausted by 8 and in bed. Tuesday, the fun began. I noticed that I had to use the bathroom every 30 minutes and after doing set up for only about 30 minutes, I was flat worn out. But I made it through the day. During dinner, I noticed a sharp pain in my back, and shrugged it off thinking it was just sore from all over doing it. In the middle of the night, I woke up with the pain even worse and to add to it, some strong pelvic pain. The pelvic pain lasted about 2 hours and then went away but it was enough to make me concerned, so I called the doctor when I got up yesterday morning. I was still going to the bathroom every 30 minutes. I figured doc would just tell me it's normal, no worries, you are stressing, blah blah blah. Much to my surprise, they informed me I needed to get to the hospital as they suspected I had a UTI or could be going into labor. I think my body hates me sometimes, lol.
So thanks to my wonderful co-workers, a few stayed behind and managed the booth for me and another drove me to an urgent care center. We figured it'd be a quicker trip in and out by visiting urgent care since I was fairly certain it was the UTI. After a 2 hour wait, I was called back and told to go to the hospital without even seeing the doctor because they won't treat women over 20 weeks pregnant. So we drove over to a local hospital. Much to my surprise, I was called back 10 minutes after I arrived and brought up to...labor and delivery!! I'm thinking, talk about service, I expected a 2 hour wait and just a regular ER doc. 20 minutes later I was hooked up to a machine to check for contractions and monitor Shrimp's heartbeat. Drew blood, peed in a cup, given dinner (!) and a bed and a tv, 90 minutes later I was informed, yup, UTI, given medication and sent home. Well, back to my hotel room anyway. I was pleasantly surprised at the speed with which it all went. I don't know if this hospital just has it's stuff together and can triage well or if they just err on the side of caution and assume that a 21 week pregnant woman with my symptoms is in labor, so send her up to the specialist. Whatever, I was in my bed by 9:30 with orders to "take it easy." We'll see how well that goes, lol.
Shrimp at 21 weeks:
Your baby now weighs about three-quarters of a pound and is approximately 10.5 inches long - the length of a carrot. You may soon feel like she's practicing martial arts as her initial fluttering movements turn into full-fledged kicks and nudges. You may also discover a pattern to her activity as you get to know her better. In other developments, your baby's eyebrows and lids are present now, and if you're having a girl, her vagina has begun to form as well.
Let's hope next week isn't quite so active!
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