19 Weeks

Here we are, approaching the half-way point of my pregnancy with Cinco, and I haven't really discussed much about it here on the blog since my 12 Week post. So, I figured it was about time for me to post a little pregnancy update.

I'm 19w4d today and am feeling pretty good overall! Check out that mango-sized baby bump!

This pregnancy has been rather uneventful, with the exception of what I'm about to share below.

For starters, I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes... again. This is my 3rd time with GD. My doctor prescribed insulin already... when I was 18 weeks. So a minimum of 4 finger pokes per day to check my blood sugar, and one shot of insulin each morning (likely increasing to a second shot in the evenings as well starting next week). For another 21 weeks. Good times, friends!

Let's go back to October 2019, a few weeks before I found out we were expecting... I started experiencing arrhythmias. Like, a lot of them. I had never had them before, so it was slightly unnerving to suddenly experience an onset of funky heart rhythms. I had actually even googled to see if arrhythmias were a sign of early pregnancy, since we were hoping for #5 at the time.

Fast-forward a bit, and we're happily expecting our last baby in July 2020. However, the arrhythmias continued to get stronger and more frequent. I'd speculate maybe 40-60 per day. Definitely more than enough to get your attention. I was concerned, but not terribly worried, until I started feeling lightheaded at times. In fact, I vividly recall the first Sunday in January when I was playing the piano for my church, and I literally felt like I was going to fall backwards off the bench at any time during both of our morning services! It was SO scary and unnerving! I was having a hard time catching my breath as well, and it was after that morning that I decided to talk to my doctor.

At my 16 week OB appointment in January, I discussed my concerns with my doctor. He suggested I completely eliminate caffeine and try to reduce stress. One of those things I could easily do. The stress part though? There was a lot going on. Homeschooling. Starting a part-time job. The unexpected death of a dear friend from high school. A house to run. Kids to feed. So.Many.Obligations. Reducing stress just wasn't something I could easily do.

While I did notice an improvement in the frequency of the arrhythmias after eliminating caffeine, they were still a significant issue. My OB decided to refer me to a Cardiologist, who I saw at the end of January.

The Cardiologist ordered a full workup, including an EKG and an Echocardiogram. He also had me wear a holter monitor for a week so we could track when the issues occurred and how often they were happening. I saw him yesterday for the Echo and to remove to holter monitor. I don't see the Cardiologist again for the results of my tests until the first week of March. I'm trying to be patient and not allow the stress and anxiety to worsen my symptoms. I trust God that everything will be fine, and that perhaps the arrhythmias are just a side-effect of being 100 years old and pregnant. 😂 Well, that combined with already having 4 crazy kids at home, plus homeschooling, plus working, plus... well, you get it. We all have to deal with all.the.things. in our lives, so this isn't anything new!

In the meantime, we have our 20 week full anatomy scan this Tuesday, February 11th. Please be praying along with us that everything with baby Cinco will be healthy! It was at this same anatomy scan appointment with Chase that we first discovered his congenital heart defect, so I won't even pretend that I'm not nervous and sightly apprehensive about this appointment. In the end, I fully trust in God's plan for my sweet family and know He will take care of us. I have been meditating over Matthew 6:25-34 concerning this anatomy scan next week and will continue to do so as God reveals His will in our lives.

The (LONG) One with the Gender Reveal

Let's talk GENDER, folks!

I know what you may likely be thinking... it's too early for gender! And typically that might be true. We didn't find out until our 20 week ultrasounds with the first four kiddos, so this is definitely new for me!

So here's the deal: I'm older than dirt. And as a pregnant geriatric, I have slightly more concern this time around when it comes to the baby's health. Hubs and I discussed and decided to have a non-invasive pregnancy test (NIPT), the Natera Panorama. This simple blood test is a screening test for the most common genetic conditions. This test also happens to include the baby's gender. While we weren't choosing to do the test for the gender reveal, we did feel it would be in our best interest to know if the baby had any issues so we could best prepare for his/her arrival.

I had the test drawn on 12/12/2019. I was hopeful to have the results back by the time I went to my first appointment with the perinatologist on 12/23/2019 for a nuchal translucency ultrasound, which would also screen the baby for potential chromosomal defects. My grand plan was to collect all of the information I could possibly get my hands on to ensure (as best as I could) that the baby was healthy before making an official announcement to family and friends. And believe it or not, everything came together (almost) perfectly!

The morning of my ultrasound, I called my OB's office and left a message to inquire if my Panorama NIPT results were in yet. I was super stoked to get a call back a few hours later to tell me my results were in, and the BEST NEWS EVER was that the screening returned LOW RISK for potential defects! This meant < 1/10,000 y'all! It was such a relief! Not a full guarantee, of course, but a relief nonetheless.

Later that afternoon was my first full workup with the perinatologist, including the nuchal translucency ultrasound. Everything went well during the ultrasound and we were able to see our sweet little guy or gal! The doctor informed us that everything looked great! The measurements looked great and further indicated our baby's health. Hubs and I will remain "cautiously optimistic" until we have the full anatomy scan at 20 weeks to check baby's heart, etc., but for now, we felt confident that we were ready to share our exciting news!

The next step of my plan involved picking up an envelope at my OB's office with the baby's gender written inside. I had planned to order 6 gender reveal cupcakes from Lowes Foods that afternoon to pick up on Christmas Eve. I wanted to line the kids up at the table on Christmas Day after they opened all their gifts and have them all take a huge bite to see which color was inside to indicate boy or girl. I picked up the envelope, and decided I'd call Lowes to place the order over the phone, so I'd just need to run in real quick to drop off the envelope.

This is when my perfect plan was foiled!

The lovely ladies at the Lowes bakery informed me they already had too many cupcake orders and couldn't fill mine. I asked a few follow-up questions, and the phone was handed off to the bakery manager. I told her I only needed 6 gender reveal cupcakes, and she proceeded to inform me that THEY CANNOT PUT ANYTHING INSIDE THE CUPCAKES.

Y'all.

Have you heard of Pinterest? There's like a gazillion ways you can stuff stuff inside of cupcakes! And all I wanted was just a little shmooze of pink or blue frosting!

Anywho, they straight up refused and I was left scrambling. Hubs tried to fix the situation by offering Publix or Bi-Lo cupcakes as a second option, which I vehemently refused. My plan revolved around Lowes Foods cupcakes.

Fast-forward a bit to later that evening. We took the kids to one of our favorite Mexican restaurants for dinner. I began sharing The Great Cupcake Ordeal of 2019 with them, and they were terribly disappointed. If you think I like cupcakes (and basically every dessert imaginable), you should meet my kids. They LIVE for sweets. #momwin 😳

When I mentioned I had the envelope in my purse, the kids all said they wanted to go ahead and open it. Right there. While waiting on our dinner. At Anita's. And I couldn't help but oblige!

It wasn't "my" plan. And I hadn't had time yet to come up with a Plan B. But seeing the excitement on my kids' faces was all I needed. The most important thing about my original plan was that it would be the 6 of us together. Just us. No fancy gender reveal party, folks. Just my sweet fam finding out together. And wouldn't you know it -- my sweet fam was gathered around that table stuffing our faces with chips and salsa. It really couldn't have been more perfect!

Before opening the envelope, I polled the family to ask what they thought it would be (not necessarily what they wanted it to be). Here are the results:

Mommy: Boy
Daddy: Girl
LO: Boy
Chase: Girl
E: Boy
O: ???

Without further ado, check out this little video for our big reveal for baby #5!

Hahahahaha!! Poor Chase!!! 🤣
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Here’s the official proof!

After we found out the gender on 12/23, we told our families we were expecting on 12/24, and then shared the gender with them two days later on 12/26. What a whirlwind of Christmas and new baby excitement!!!

We can’t wait to welcome little boy Cinco in 2020!

12 Weeks

Yes, it's me again... trying to get caught up on all.things.baby. here on the blog. I'm going back in time almost 2 weeks to share my 12 week bump photo! This is from 12/18/2019. I will be honest here, folks, as always: I'm pretty sure my belly "popped" the second I saw the positive pregnancy test! Seems I show earlier and earlier with each pregnancy, and this time has definitely been no different! It's been a struggle to find a variety of baggy tops to constantly pair with concealing cardigans while waiting to publicly share our big news.

I'm happy to report the ABSOLUTELY INSANE FIRST TRIMESTER FATIGUE is finally starting to abate and I'm returning to a somewhat functional human being. It's helped a lot that we've been on a homeschool break for a few weeks (with another one to go!) and hubs has been home much more due to the holidays. I'm looking forward to accomplishing much in my second trimester... including starting a new part-time job next month that I'm über excited about!

Cravings haven't been a big deal this time around (so far😁). It's been a mix of both sugary deliciousness and savory goodness, so no clear craving signal pointing to either gender. LOL.

Welcome, Baby O!

Please welcome the newest member of the mom2lo family!

Baby O

Nickname: "Squish"

Tuesday, June 13, 2017

5:25 PM

8 pounds, 1 ounce

21 3/4 in.

35 Weeks: Appointment 1 of 2

I just finished at my first of two BPP u/s and doctor visits for this week and I'm happy to report that baby deserves a giant GOLD STAR today!! First of all, his fluid level went back up to 15.8!!! Thank you, Lord! It was at 16 last Tuesday, but dropped unexpectedly all the way down to 10 on Friday. I don't think I could have drank more water in a lifetime as I have these past three days! But it was worth it! Baby performed well for his BPP, quickly earning all 8 of the available 8 points. Yes! Another 8/8! Hurray!!

In other amazingly awesome news, my little guy found his way back to the head-down position!!!! I can't even believe it! I seriously have been researching C-sections and ECVs and all sorts of poses and exercises to help get him out of the breech position, and -- at least for now -- I don't need to worry about any of it! Let's just hope he decides to STAY in his current position for the next 29 days!

On my way home from the appointment, God is Able by Hillsong came on the radio. It was just the reminder I needed that even in the midst of fear, worry, and uncertainty, God is greater than our circumstances and able to do far more than we could ever ask or imagine. I'm so grateful for His hand of protection over our sweet baby!

God is able

He will never fail

He is almighty God

Greater than all we seek

Greater than all we ask

He has done great things

God is with us

God is on our side

He will make a way

Far above all we know

Far above all we hope

He has done great things

- God is Able by Hillsong

35 Weeks!

Here's my weekly update that I finally remembered to start doing! Only 8 months in... it still counts for something though, right? ;)

Week and day: 35 weeks

Belly Button in or out: Totally in. 

Wedding rings on or off: Totally still on.

Food cravings: Cake, cake, and more cake! Oh, and good Mexican food. And cereal. And fruit. You know, basically everything I CAN'T have.

Food aversions: None!

Nausea: None!

Energy level: Still solid, surprisingly! I'm well into my 3rd trimester... only about 30 days away from delivery... and my energy level is on point! This is super awesome because there are still a zillion things to do to get ready for baby. Packing hospital bags is #1 on my agenda this week. Let's hope it gets done!

Weight gain: Not bad! I don't have actual numbers, and even if I did, I doubt I would share them - LOL! Overall I'm pleased with the fact that I KNOW I haven't gained 50 pounds, so I'm counting it a win!

Mood: Great! The countdown is on (less than a month, people!) so I'm doing everything I can to soak up these last few weeks as a family of five and spend as much time with my favorite littles while I still can give them my full attention. 

Maternity clothes: Duh. Seriously.

Size of baby: According to the generic BabyCenter stats, he's over 18 inches long and tips the scales at 5 1/4 pounds -- about the size of a honeydew melon. See more below.

Next appointment: I have an OB appointment tomorrow (Monday) morning at 11:15 AM for another BPP (biophysical profile) ultrasound to check on baby and measure the AFI (amniotic fluid index). I'm praying everything looks great and the fluid level is back up. I have an appointment on Thursday afternoon at the MFM (Maternal-Fetal Medicine) office to check on baby's growth. He was estimated to be 4 lbs. 6 oz. at my last growth scan at 32 weeks, so I'm interested to see how much he's grown in the past 3 weeks.

What I've been up to: As I mentioned above, I'm trying to savor every moment as a family of five. I know each time we've welcomed a new baby into our family, I almost immediately forgot what life was like before that baby's arrival. Newlywed life? Parents of a single child? Parents of two? And now parents of three? The phases of our family have changed drastically over the past almost 12 years, and while each season has been amazing and incredible in its own right, my focus has always been on whatever current stage we were in. I know once baby #4 arrives, we won't be able to imagine what life was like before him, so I'm taking it all in now as best as I can.

Arrival plan: Still planning an induction at 39 weeks, though Sweet Baby may have plans of his own. I will be anxiously awaiting both of my ultrasounds each week leading up to his arrival to see if he's finally decided to get back into the headfirst position. I still can't believe he went breech on me! Silly boy! I'm VERY hopeful we don't end up with a C-section due to his position (or any of my other risk factors), but I guess only time will tell!

Guess what? I remembered to share a pic from today! How 'bout that belly!

Baby Update

I had my second BPP (biophysical profile) ultrasound and doctor visit for the week today. I'm pretty much on a Tuesday/Friday schedule, and I'll post updates if/when I have any info on baby worth sharing. Today was definitely worth documenting!

I started with the BPP and, no surprise, little boy was STILL breech. This is so shocking to me! Literally, how do you spend 8 months in there with your head basically ready to hit the escape hatch only to do a 180 and stress your mama out!? Goodness. I asked the doctor afterward at what point they become concerned that the baby will NOT return to the head-down position, and she said every day after 35 weeks it becomes more and more likely they will remain breech.

Guess who's 35 weeks on Sunday?

Sunday. As in, MOTHER'S DAY, people! I'll be 35 weeks on Sunday -- Mother's Day -- and it's officially the start of the end of my plans for a standard delivery. ALL THREE of my kiddos were inductions at 39 weeks. What is this little guy thinking?? I guess he realizes he's in complete control of the situation and there's literally almost nothing I can do about it. SO, in true mom2lo fashion, I've started researching c-sections to get myself up-to-speed on what to expect should we need to go that route. Ultimately whatever it takes to get this baby here safely is exactly what I want -- whether it adheres to my birth plan or not!

There was one other "issue" discovered today. At my BPP on Tuesday, my AFI (amniotic fluid index) was 16. During today's BPP, just 3 days later, it was 10. My doctor was concerned by the decrease, so much so that she wanted me to move next Tuesday's appointment to Monday morning instead. Now, it could be something as simple as dehydration -- perhaps I didn't drink enough water before my appointment this morning compared to Tuesday. Or it could be an issue with the placenta failing, which I've been told all along is a possibility as I get further along into my pregnancy due to the gestational diabetes. Regardless, it got my attention and has me slightly concerned.

According to my expert medical googling, the amniotic fluid index is between 5 cm (2 in.) and 24 cm (9.4 in.). So, 10 seems a bit on the low to me. If the fluid is too low, it can affect how the baby grows and can lead to complications during labor and delivery. This is obviously NOT part of my birth plan, either! As you can imagine, I've probably had about 4 gallons of water since returning home from this morning's appointment, and I plan to keep it up throughout the weekend in an effort to raise this baby's fluid level!

I would greatly appreciate your thoughts and prayers over the next few days. I'm not as freaked out as I could be, which is a huge blessing in itself! But my heart is definitely a bit heavier after today's appointment than it was beforehand.

Also, since I didn't have a picture to share with my 34 Weeks post on Tuesday, I decided to take a quick pic this afternoon to include here.

Grow, baby! Grow!

P.S. mmmmmmmmm cookies!

34 Weeks!

Okay, so with my previous pregnancies, I did a relatively decent job of documenting the journey here on the blog. Unfortunately, I've found myself a bit overcommitted to all.the.things. lately and my blog has taken a major backseat. Which means that documenting my pregnancy with baby #4 has been less than stellar. I'm sorry, baby boy! As a fellow fourth child, the last thing I want is for you to feel forgotten about!

So without further ado, I am going to {attempt to} document the remaining weeks of this pregnancy!

Week and day: 34 weeks, 2 days

Belly Button in or out: Still in. It always stays in. It's never NOT been in. I don't expect that to change.

Wedding rings on or off: Still on! I really haven't had any noticeable swelling during this pregnancy, so that's awesome!

Food cravings: As if I'm allowed fun pregnancy cravings with the wonderful insulin-controlled gestational diabetes... Ugh! But it hasn't stopped me from craving cake, cookies, donuts, brownies... basically any sort of baked good or dessert. It's such a terrible life I'm living! haha! Thankfully, I don't give into those cravings very often at all. And if I do, I'm always sure to push several units of insulin beforehand! For the most part, though, I'm super happy staring down a ginormous bacon cheddar burger with cheese curds, or a sizzling medium steak with some sautéed veggies. I'm not missing the potatoes (baked, french fried, mashed, etc.) as much as I thought I would. But I AM missing the cereal and milk LIKE IT'S MY JOB!!!

Food aversions: None.

Nausea: None! Hurray!!

Energy level: My energy level continues to be relatively solid! This is good, considering I am 34 weeks pregnant in my very late 30s. Go, me! :)

Weight gain: It hasn't been too bad! I haven't been paying a TON of attention to the number because it's just that: a number. As long as it isn't creeping up into crazytown, I'm good. I did happen to notice at my appointment today that I have only gained 4 lbs. over the past 2 months. And I'm quite certain at least 1 lb. of that went to the baby, so, I'm pretty content with 3 lbs. in 2 months!! ;)

Mood: Super excited... somewhat apprehensive. I still have a LOT to get done before he arrives, and it seems I'm crossing items off that list slower than I'd like. The ridiculous sunburn I'm still recovering from may have something to do with that. (ugh)

Maternity clothes: 24/7. Because, really.

Size of baby: According to BabyCenter, this week he now weighs about 4 3/4 pounds (about the size of a cantaloupe) and is almost 18 inches long.

Next appointment: I had an OB appointment this morning to do a biophysical profile ultrasound (BPP) and see the doc, and have another appointment on Friday to do the same thing again. Basically, I'll be going twice a week from now on until delivery day.

What I've been up to: I have been recovering from an INSANELY ABSURD sunburn from our Hilton Head vacation last week. It's been 9 days and my shins are still glowing red, sore to touch, and swell up when I stand for too long. UGH. I spent 3 straight days in bed last week, and was barely functional for my birthday on Saturday, but made some solid improvement on Sunday. It was a SUPER busy day with my sweet LO's baptism!!! (post coming soon), lunch with the family, and a photography session that evening. I was shocked I made it through everything! Yesterday was a long day as well, capped off with an awesome Diaper Shower with my lovely CC mamas, but I paid the price when I got home just after 10 PM. My ankles were swollen bigger than I have EVER seen them in all of my life. Obviously I need to give my slow-recovering self more time to slowly recover from that sunburn!

Arrival plan: The game plan is to schedule an induction at 39 weeks, which is exactly what I've done with my previous three, so no surprises here! I'm looking at June 13th as a possible date, assuming there is room in Labor & Delivery at the hospital. That is 35 days away, people. THIRTY-FIVE DAYS!!! I'm so excited but I'm trying to enjoy every second since this is our last time going through this process.

I had planned to include a picture of my 34 weeks pregnant self, but I'm pretty much just too lazy to make that happen at 11:43 PM. I'll do better next week -- I promise! ;)

The Preparation.

As I sit here thinking about where I was 4 years ago at this very moment, I find it hard to put into words the emotions and fear that overwhelmed me. I was laboring with Chase at MUSC in Charleston, SC. A planned induction. An expected heart defect. Almost 4 hours from home. And So. Much. Worry & Fear.

I thought I'd throw back to 2009 here for a moment, and repost the entry I wrote 2 days before Chase's birth. I wouldn't post to the blog for 2 more days -- after my sweet warrior's birth -- so this is as close as it gets to summarizing the thoughts in my mind as I headed in to have this baby boy of mine. A sweet little boy who, though about to be born with only half a heart, had already wholeheartedly captured mine.

October 24, 2009

OhMyGoodness!

I'm truly having a hard time believing the time is almost here!

Today is SATURDAY.

I'm going to be admitted to the hospital TOMORROW.

Chase will be here on MONDAY.

It's all so surreal! I am happy to report that I finally got around to packing my hospital bag today. I guess that's part of what makes an induction so convenient -- I can plan accordingly. And it's no surprise to me that Chase hasn't shown any signs of making an early debut. But now that the bag is packed and I'll be heading to the hospital in less than 24 hours, I think it's time for it to finally settle in that I'm getting ready to have a baby!

Although the future is VERY scary to me and I fear for my son's health and survival in the coming days, I know that ultimately we are all in God's hands and that He has a perfect plan for my family. I'm not at all loving that I will have ZERO control over our circumstances. I'm not loving the fact that I most likely will not be able to hold my son for the first time until the night before his surgery, which very well might not be scheduled for 7 or more days after he's born. I'm not loving being 3-1/2 hours from home -- from our friends, our family, the house we call home. It's really weird to prepare to go to the hospital to give birth to a baby that you know you won't be bringing home with you anytime soon. I almost feel like I'm just going in for a "procedure" of some kind, and then a few months later, I'll get to go back and pick up a baby to bring home with me. It's so strange! I've never felt anything like this before. But I'm truly anticipating that God will do wonderful things over the next several weeks and I'm so grateful I get to witness His work first-hand!

- Posted using BlogPress on my beloved iPhone 5

Hello, 38 Weeks!

One more week. Seven more days. I'm so excited!!! I can't wait to meet our littlest guy. :)

I had my 38 week appointment and growth ultrasound this morning. Baby is now estimated up to 6 lbs. 6 oz.!! He was 5 lbs. 15 oz. last Tuesday, so his growth is on track. That means with another week to gain another 1/2 pound, we should be looking at around 7 lbs.! I'll certainly take that, especially after LO's 8 lbs. 13 oz. and Chase's 8 lbs. 9 oz.!

Not much else to report. I'm feeling really good, energy level is decent considering, and my weight gain is still totally baffling to me, in a good way! I think I'm around 18 lbs. and that's waaaaay better than what I saw with my previous two pregnancies. Woot!

Everything is basically ready for him to make his debut next Tuesday. Just need to finish packing my hospital bag and brush up on my photography skills! We officially have our marching orders to head in next Monday evening to get things started, with the induction meds starting Tuesday morning!

LO is getting excited about meeting her newest little brother. She's got the count down going and it's so cute! I just know she's gonna be a big help and will be so in love with the little guy. Chase, on the other hand, I don't think fully understands what is getting ready to happen. ;) Should be fun!!!

For documentation purposes, as well as some good ol' Internet embarrassment, here's big ol' me at 38 weeks!




- Posted using my beloved iPhone 5

36 Weeks!

Well, somehow I've managed to make it through my first 35 weeks of this pregnancy without sharing a single weekly "how's it going" update or pic. Geez! Guess it's been a busy 8 months, huh? Anywho, I thought I'd rectify this by posting a 36 weeks update today. Hard to believe we're 21 days (or less?!) away from our littlest guy's arrival!

Week and day: 36 weeks

Belly Button in or out: Still in. It always stays in. Thank goodness!

Wedding rings on or off: Still on, and I'm amazed by this fact! I'm pretty sure they came off around 6 months when I was pregnant with LO. Here I am 36 weeks pregnant and rings are still on. Nice!

Food cravings: As if I'm allowed fun pregnancy cravings with the wonderful gestational diabetes diagnosis I received back in January... Ugh! No worries, though. I've somehow managed to keep myself to about 1,800 calories per day with a higher protein, lower carb "diet" than what I ate before. And I've somehow been able to sneak in ice cream (Culver's, Chick-fil-A... you name it!) without going crazy overboard.

Food aversions: None. But I am sad to report that basically EVERYTHING I eat causes heartburn, especially late at night. Boo.

Nausea: None!

Energy level: Surprisingly, my energy level is straight up normal! For the most part, I'm rocking work, household chores, caring for the kids, etc. like it ain't nothin' but a thang! This surprises me more than you might imagine.

Weight gain: I'm actually not shying away from this topic this time around. I think the fact that I had to completely overhaul my diet and cut back on calories in order to effectively manage my blood sugar has really helped in the weight control department. Looks like I've gained about 16 pounds since October 2012. And I started tracking my weight daily back in January, and I'm astonished to admit I've only gained 2.5 pounds in the past 3 months!! I'm also excited I haven't seen any significant swelling this time around, either!

Mood: SUPER EXCITED!!! I can't wait to meet him and hold him for the first time! His room is ready -- I just need to pack our bags and pick up a few remaining necessities from our registry. I can't wait!!!

Maternity clothes: 24/7. As if there were any other option at this point. ;)

Size of baby: According to BabyCenter, this week he should weigh almost 6 pounds and be more than 18 1/2 inches long.

Next appointment: I had an OB appointment this morning to do a growth ultrasound, see the doc and do my GBS test. I have another appointment on Friday for a Non-Stress Test (NST). Basically I've been going twice a week for an ultrasound and NST since 34 weeks, and will continue to do so through week 38.

What I've been up to: I finally got the nursery put together and ready. Clothes are washed, most of the essentials are purchased, and the Pack n' Play is set up in our bedroom. I still need to pack both mine and the baby's hospital bags and sterilize the bottles, pacis, pump parts, etc. But overall we're in a GREAT PLACE with our preparations! And it's a good thing, too!

Arrival plan: The game plan is to schedule an induction at 39 weeks, which is Tuesday, April 30th. With gestational diabetes, I was told there is a significant risk of the baby growing too big too fast, which is why they've had me managing my diet and blood sugars so closely. Apparently I've been doing a little too good at this. At today's ultrasound, the little guy was only measuring 5 lbs. 4 oz., which means he's gained less than a pound since his last growth ultrasound 3 weeks ago. This puts him around the 13th percentile for weight at 36 weeks (my OB said she wouldn't worry unless it was under 10%, but we're only talking 3 points so now I'm a nervous mama!). The doctors will repeat another growth ultrasound in 2 weeks to see if he's gained adequately (at approximately 1/2 pound per week, he should be at least 6 lbs. 4 oz.). If he's not gaining appropriately, they will most likely have me deliver sooner, at 38 weeks. Apparently if the baby isn't gaining weight the way they want him to, it typically means he's not getting adequate nutrition from the placenta and they will want to deliver him sooner so he's no longer dependent on the placenta and can get his nutrition from breast milk instead. So the big plan for me is to desperately try to keep my blood sugar as level as possible (I've had lots of crazy highs and a few super lows) as the spikes in blood sugar are not good for him. I've gotta be sure to keep up the protein and limit the carbs & sugars, and just hope and pray that this little boy gains the appropriate amount of weight over the next 2 weeks.

For documentation purposes (and a legitimate reason for me to throw up in my mouth), here's my 36 week picture. My compliments to my 3 1/2-year-old son for his crazy-mad photography skills. Boy knows his way around an iPhone! And my apologies for my horrible posture! Ugh.

It's a Happy Valentine's Day!

I hope everyone has a Happy Valentine's Day!

And if you think about it, say a little prayer for us this afternoon as we head to an appointment at my Perinatologist for a fetal echo on the baby. Chase's cardiologist will be there to review the echo and we're praying that everything looks perfect. You may recall my earlier post from our 19-week scan that showed a healthy, four-chamber heart. Today's fetal echo is just a more in-depth look at the baby's heart and another level of assurance that everything is okay. We appreciate all happy thoughts and prayers sent our way this afternoon.

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UPDATE: We returned from our fetal echo this afternoon and Chase's cardiologist Dr. H confirmed our baby has a healthy, four-chamber heart! The appointment went very well! The baby measures 2 lb. 7 oz. and was very cooperative for us. We saw lots of great pics of his face, both in 2D and 3D! So cool!

We'll return in 4 weeks for another growth ultrasound. The doctor wants to watch my blood sugar weekly as well as the baby's growth. Even though I wasn't "officially" diagnosed with Gestational Diabetes, it sounds like they're going to treat me as such (no surprise).

So for your viewing pleasure... here's a little profile pic of our guy! :)

GD Woes

Hmph. This post is quite a bit overdue. Honestly it's been about a month now that I've spent wrapping my mind around this unexpected pregnancy complication: Gestational Diabetes. It's required quite a monumental shift in my lifestyle that I guess I haven't really been ready to talk about until now. The timing is a bit weird as this is Congenital Heart Defect Awareness Week and I really should be devoting my blog to more posts about CHDs, but at the same time I like to use my blog as a journal of sorts so I can look back on this 2 years from now and remember the details of things long forgotten. So without further ado, here's my lil' rant.

I have a family history of diabetes. Of course this means I have an increased likelihood of getting diabetes myself later in life, but it wasn't something I ever focused on. I'm more of a "here and now" kind of girl versus a "what if-er."

About a year ago, my primary physician decided to put me on a medication called Metformin, an antidiabetic drug of sorts that was prescribed almost as if it was going to prevent me developing diabetes. My doctor never asked me to monitor my blood sugar; I was just taking this medication daily as if it was my "cure" to diabetes. So I have no clue what range my blood sugar was in before I started the medication nor while I was taking the medication.

During our first OB appointment back in October 2012, I mentioned I was taking this drug and was told to continue it throughout the pregnancy. About 19 weeks in, I questioned taking this medication again and was told by one of the OBs that they usually have patients discontinue taking it at 14 weeks. SERIOUSLY?! You can only imagine how much I DISLIKE taking prescription medications while pregnant since we have NO indication of what caused Chase's congenital heart defect. Unhappy was putting it lightly when I was told this.

At my next appointment, Dr. B decided he wanted me to discontinue the Metformin and start monitoring my blood sugar four times per day, then he would review the numbers at my next appointment 3 weeks later. I didn't love the idea of taking a med while pregnant but I also didn't love the idea of stopping one, either. Ultimately I decided to follow his orders and discontinued the Metformin on Tuesday, January 15, 2013. I then monitored my blood sugar 4x/day.

The first few days, I decided I didn't want to change my diet at all because I wanted to see if the Metformin was truly doing anything to help my blood sugar or not. So I continued to eat all the junk food and bad stuff I've essentially been eating my whole life. I made an effort to eat "better" while pregnant, but I totally sucked at it. The first few days off Metformin, my numbers were still within the range the doctor provided. WOOT! However, after about 3 or 4 days, I started seeing numbers that made me quite nervous. They were getting to be way higher than the safe range.

After about a week off the medication, I called my OB and he told me that, based on the numbers, he wanted to put me on a diabetic medication safe for use during pregnancy to treat Type 2 diabetes called Glyburide. I was completely and fully adamant that I would NOT take another prescription drug during my pregnancy unless absolutely necessary. Luckily, I had the option to try to control my blood sugar with diet.

OMG.

Diet.

A four-letter-word.

It wasn't my favorite solution, but as far as I was concerned, it was the ONLY solution. So I immediately, like as in ONE DAY, completely modified my diet. I would safely say I had been eating at least 4,000 to 5,000 calories per day (Can you imagine?! Hello, American obesity epidemic!). I immediately slashed that to 2,000 (or sometimes a bit less, depending). I learned which foods would keep my blood sugar within range, and which foods (almost ALL of them) would cause huge spikes that weren't safe for the baby. It was insane how drastic my diet changed overnight.

But it would all be worth it if it kept my baby safe. Obviously! And I knew that after 3 weeks of monitoring, I would take the standard glucose tolerance test given to all pregnant women around 28 weeks with the hope that somehow I would pass the test and could discontinue all the finger poking and massive diet changes. It was my glimmer of hope.

Fast-forward 3 weeks into all of these changes, the DAY BEFORE my scheduled glucose tolerance test. I get a call from my OB's office informing me that they are NOT going to give me the glucose test, but that I do need to have some blood drawn before my 9:30 AM appointment.

I couldn't believe it.

It was my one shot!

It was my glimmer of hope that the major lifestyle changes wouldn't be forced to continue!

Basically the thought process was that they had already seen my blood sugar spikes since discontinuing the Metformin and it didn't make sense to them to give me a bunch of sugar when they were already pretty sure how my body would respond.

I was devastated. That doesn't even begin to describe it. I felt like I had lost the game without ever leaving the bench. I wasn't even given a chance. My body had failed me yet again and there was nothing in my power to fix it.

It was like when LO was a baby and I couldn't keep up my milk supply to provide for her and had to supplement with formula WAY earlier than I had hoped and anticipated.

It was like when we found out about Chase's heart diagnosis when I felt like my body had let me and my son down in a major way.

And now it's my body failing yet another child by causing this complication.

I'm a failure.

As a person. And as a mother.

No one understood what I was feeling. Most people were "excited" for me because I wouldn't have to drink that nasty orange-flavored drink. It was as if no one realized just how critical that test was... how it was supposed to be my saving grace that prevented me from having to keep up this radical change in lifestyle.

I had a dark few days where I felt so totally alone... even poor hubs couldn't figure out the "right" thing to say to help me feel better. He didn't quite "get it" either.

What all this meant was that I didn't get a chance to pass that glucose tolerance test. Instead, I get to continue checking my blood sugar 4x/day for the next 3 months. I get to continue eating about 1,800 calories a day for the next 3 months. I get to continue avoiding ALL of my favorite foods for the next 3 months.

Don't get me wrong: keeping my little guy safe and healthy is Priority #1 for me and I'll do ANYTHING and EVERYTHING in my power to be sure he has the best environment possible in which to grow and develop. But I can't hardly put into words the PRESSURE this has put on me. Each and every decision about every meal and every snack... everything has to be carefully and methodically selected to ensure I'm not going to harm my baby.

This is a BIG deal. At least it is to me.

So there you have it. My Gestational Diabetes rant. I fully realize this probably just sounded like a lot of complaining to most people, and I'll admit -- there were a lot of "woe is me" undertones in this post. But when it comes to being pregnant and doing the best for my children, EVERYTHING IS A BIG DEAL.

20 Weeks

So yesterday marked 20 weeks with this pregnancy, and I'm happy to share we had a good report on our little baby. Granted, it was basically the kind of appointment where you wait in the exam room for over an hour so they could throw a doppler on your belly for 30 seconds to listen to the baby's heartbeat (which I can do myself at home as needed) and send you on your way. ((sigh)) I'm so impatient. This will never change.

Some less than appealing news I received from my doctor was that, based on my medical history and the current medications I'm taking, it's essentially a given that I will FAIL my glucose screen at 28 weeks, which will result in my having to check my blood sugar at least 4 times a day. It may also result in me taking another medication, which, if that med doesn't work, I'll have to give myself insulin. This will continue through the remaining 3 months of this pregnancy.

As you may imagine, I was less than thrilled with this news.

While it will be a ginormous pain to manage this with diet, exercise, blood sugar monitoring, medication and possibly insulin, it's even more frustrating to know this can negatively affect the baby. Due to the extra insulin the baby's pancreas will make, he/she may have very low blood glucose levels at birth and is also at higher risk for breathing problems. This is not great, obviously. There are a lot of negative impacts of gestational diabetes and I'm just now starting to research and learn about it all. I'm hopeful if I can be diligent with my diet and exercise over the next two months, maybe I'll increase my chances of passing my glucose screening... maybe??

Anywho, here's a little pic of our guy/gal from our ultrasound last week. I'm just praying for God to keep His hand of protection on this sweet child!

Unhealthy Obsession

I'm not sure when a pregnancy craving turns into an unhealthy obsession, but we need to talk about these:

Breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, dinner, bedtime snack... I can't stop with the crazy Sour Cream & Onion potato chips! Seriously, I eat them to the point of almost making myself sick. That's just not right.

My other go-to obsession these days is this:

Super healthy, right? Ya, so it's like pure sugar diluted in water, but it's oh so yummy! I could seriously exist on this combo of chips & lemonade...

Weird, right?

A Message from LO & Chase

The kids wanted to share a little something with y'all today:

Chase is Here!

Meet our sweet boy, Chase! He was born on Monday, October 26, 2009 at 3:37 PM. He weighed 8 lbs. 9 oz. and was 20-1/4 inches long!

We are so blessed! More to come soon!

OhMyGoodness!

I'm truly having a hard time believing the time is almost here!

Today is SATURDAY.

I'm going to be admitted to the hospital TOMORROW.

Chase will be here on MONDAY.

It's all so surreal! I am happy to report that I finally got around to packing my hospital bag today. I guess that's part of what makes an induction so convenient -- I can plan accordingly. And it's no surprise to me that Chase hasn't shown any signs of making an early debut. But now that the bag is packed and I'll be heading to the hospital in less than 24 hours, I think it's time for it to finally settle in that I'm getting ready to have a baby!

Although the future is VERY scary to me and I fear for my son's health and survival in the coming days, I know that ultimately we are all in God's hands and that He has a perfect plan for my family. I'm not at all loving that I will have ZERO control over our circumstances. I'm not loving the fact that I most likely will not be able to hold my son for the first time until the night before his surgery, which very well might not be scheduled for 7 or more days after he's born. I'm not loving being 3-1/2 hours from home -- from our friends, our family, the house we call home. It's really weird to prepare to go to the hospital to give birth to a baby that you know you won't be bringing home with you anytime soon. I almost feel like I'm just going in for a "procedure" of some kind, and then a few months later, I'll get to go back and pick up a baby to bring home with me. It's so strange! I've never felt anything like this before. But I'm truly anticipating that God will do wonderful things over the next several weeks and I'm so grateful I get to witness His work first-hand!

On a totally random note... after a bit of a battle with Amazon and FedEx (they showed my package was delivered to Seattle, WA when it actually was delivered across the street by mistake!) we DID get our cellular signal booster thingy today and it DOES seem to have improved our AT&T signal strength inside the house. Praise the Lord! Now I'm just hoping and praying the signal inside the hospital works!

Friday

It's Friday... THREE DAYS until Chase's arrival! I have to keep reminding myself how soon he'll be here because I'm just not believing it yet. There's just been too much else going on in our little world to really concentrate on the fact that I'll be giving birth in 3 short days. Crazy!

I am super-happy that my fabulous sister-in-law safely arrived today along with my equally as fabulous mother-in-law! They drove down together, although my MIL will be leaving tomorrow morning. I think LO was totally stoked to see her Gramma and Aunt D and hang out with them tonight. Hubs and I had the privilege of meeting with Erin and Milo Wilson for dinner tonight. It's such a blessing to have some "heart parents" to talk to, especially ones as incredible and knowledgeable as the Wilsons!

Not much else is going on with us. I did have the unexpected joy of telling hubs our Jeep Cherokee battery was dead. I was getting ready to leave for Target while LO was napping and hubs was considering a nap for himself (much-needed if you ask me!). I went outside, got in the Jeep and turned the key. Not a single light came on, not a single sound was made. It was all kinds of dead. As you can imagine, hubs was waaaaay less than pleased to hear this news. Long story short, I took our other car to Target to pick up a few last things, then found the nearest Home Depot to pick up some socket wrench set thing for hubs to use on the battery. After I got home, he was eventually able to jump the Jeep using our other car. He drove it to a nearby Walmart, where he had purchased the battery 4 short months ago, and they tested it saying it was fine. We'll see if it still starts in the morning after sitting all night long.

We don't have any big plans for the weekend. We should receive our cell phone signal booster thing on Saturday, and I'm REEEEEAAAALLLLLLLLYY hoping it will fix our poor AT&T signal issues. Oh, and did I mention how incredibly BUMMED I am that my sister-in-law and mother-in-law both have Verizon and their phones work fine INSIDE OUR HOUSE?!?!?!? Argh!! So apparently it IS just an AT&T coverage issue. I feel awful since I was the one who worked so hard at convincing hubs to switch from Verizon to AT&T about a month before we came down to Charleston. ((sigh))

Making Progress

It's Wednesday... FIVE DAYS until Chase's arrival! I had an OB appointment this morning and turns out I'm already 2 cm dilated! Ack!! I was expecting the doctor to tell me there was ZERO PROGRESS towards labor, so imagine my surprise! I'm pretty sure it took a hefty dose of Pitocin and about 6 hours of contractions for me to get to 2 cm with LO! I'm very encouraged that perhaps Chase will make his entrance in a much less dramatic way than LO did! We still have 5 days to go, so maybe there's a tiny chance my labor will progress naturally! Either way, I'm sure that my body is much more ready for this delivery since it's my second time around. Woot!

So I do have to complain about one thing... As much as I adore my iPhone, I'm totally bummed about my AT&T cell coverage here in our rental house. Apparently this place is built like a bunker with cinder block walls, resulting in NO SERVICE throughout a majority of the house -- most specifically our bedroom and living room. This is a HUGE DEAL to me! Fast-forward about 2 weeks: Chase is still in the PCICU recovering from his open-heart surgery. Hubs manages to pull me away from the hospital long enough to come home for a few hours of sleep. For some reason the hospital needs to reach us, and they call both of our cell phones and THE CALLS DON'T GO THROUGH! I can't even imagine! I'm very freaked out about this. I went to the AT&T store and supposedly we're in a "good" coverage area, but since the house is apparently Ft. Knox AND it's located near the water, the signal strength isn't that good. I'm really at a loss regarding what to do about this. Anyone have any suggestions???