35 weeks to Birth

I know it has taken me a long while to write this but I have been really busy with Miss MaKayla. I cannot believe I did not finish up my 35 week to 37 week post, but everything went so fast after Thanksgiving. As Paul Havey would say, now the rest of the story. 

 At our 35 week appointment Dr. Rister decided we should have another ultrasound and he was thinking of taking her at 37 weeks. On the day of our ultrasound, December 6, Dr. Rister decided it was best to take MaKayla the following week. Based on my original due date MaKayla would be exactly 37 weeks; however, going by our 6 week ultrasound she would be 36 ½ weeks. I am a little nervous about her being born so early. Also, on the day of our ultrasound we also had our breastfeeding class, which was very helpful. The LC (lactation consultant) is wonderful and very knowledgeable.  

Toward the end of the week Dr. Rister had me come in for two steroid shots and a stress test. Those steroid shots hurt so bad, I could hardly walk for the next few days. Dr. Rister gave me the shots to help MaKayla’s lungs develop. We also had a stress test, which I do not think we did too well on, but Dr. Rister did not say anything. MaKayla only moved once during the whole stress test.  I did have a panic attack Friday night because I checked my blood sugar twice that day and once it was 230 and the other time at 260. My blood sugar had never been over 180, so I called Dr. Amar. Come to find out the steroid shots can make your blood sugar rise, who knew. Well my primary care physician did ask me about at MaKayla’s two week appointment. I thought I wish someone would have told me sooner.

I decided to take off work Monday and Tuesday before having MaKayla. One I needed to finish up things around the house and two, I had time that needed to be used before the end of the year. It was nice to have two relaxing days. I was able to organize the house and finish packing everything for the hospital. Finally, December 14, 2011 came; it was time to delivery MaKayla.

We did not have to be at the hospital until 9:30 am. It was a very relaxing morning; however, I was still nervous about having the c-section. Several of our friends and family members showed up at the hospital and it was nice to have them around. At 11:00 am, Dr. Rister came in and said we could go into the OR early. We were able to head into the OR around 11:30 am. I had to go into the OR by myself at first until they had me cut open and ready to pull MaKayla out. First thing that happen in the OR was for them to do the spinal block, which I was really nervous about. The nurse said it will feel like a bee sting. The nurse was right about the bee sting, this was the stuff they numbed me with in the back. The anesthesiologist had a hard time getting to catheter into my back because my back is slight curve. I had a back injury my 8^th grade year and I had scar tissue from that injury. About this time Dr. Rister came into the room and put his hand on my shoulder and helped me move around so they could get the catheter in my back. It was not too bad,  I was just nervous about the whole process. At one point they made my foot jump which was really weird. We finally got the spinal block in and it was not that bad. Next time I will not be as nervous. At this time they allowed Mark to come into the OR to be with me. I was so happy to see him in the room. Over the next few minutes they worked on pulling MaKayla out. It was funny because at one point I heard them stay she was stuck in there. Poor little girl was not ready to come out yet. Finally at 12:18 pm, we heard MaKayla crying. It was so wonderful to finally hear her. Then Dr. Rister lifted her above the curtain so we could see her. My first thought was that she looked us like me, and Mark agreed. I started crying because I was so happy to see her.

They took MaKayla over to weigh, measure, and clean her. MaKayla weighed 6 pounds 7 ounces, even though the first reading said 9 ounces. They said she measured 17 ½ inches but when she was measured two days later she was 19 inches. So we are going with 19 inches. In the OR MaKayla had some breathing issues, which we were expecting and they needed to take her to the nursery. Before they took her away I did get to hold her for a few minutes. I was so happy to finally hold her. At this point they took MaKayla away and Mark went with her. As for me, I was taken to the recovery room.

I was so emotional after MaKayla’s birth; I just could not stop crying. The nurse asked me if I wanted anyone to come back. I said I just want my mom. They brought my mom back; however, I did not realize no one told our friends and family that MaKayla was born. They just said my mom needs to come back. This made everyone panic that something had happen to me or MaKayla. It was so nice though to talk with my mom and I got to tell her all about MaKayla. Then my mom went to get my dad so they could visit with me for a little while and then my in laws came back. Finally, everyone went down to the nursery to see MaKayla; however, they were in for a big surprise. My friend April was there timing MaKayla’s breathing and said her breathing was off. At that point Mark, who was in the nursery with MaKayla, signed to everyone that she was going to be heading to the NICU. Of course we knew this was a possibility, Dr. Rister told us she had a 60% chance of going to NICU.

After they took MaKayla to NICU, Mom, Mark, and April came to recovery to tell me what was going on with MaKayla. Shortly after, the Physician Assistant from NICU came to speak with us. MaKayla had low blood sugar and she was having a hard time breathing due to immature lungs. April’s babies had been in NICU before and she is a nurse. April gave me great advice during recovery and made me feel better. After being in recovery for a while I started to get nauseous and nothing was happening, so the anesthesiologist allowed for me to have additional medication. He was great, he was always checking on me and my pain level. I was very impress with him. After I was released from recovery we went to the Labor and Delivery room because our hospital room was not ready. Finally about 4:00 pm we were able to move into the postpartum rooms and I was able to have liquid food. Around 5:00 pm Dr. Rister came to check on me and cleared me to go to NICU.

At 5:45 pm, Mark and my cousin Zach (who is like my little brother) wheeled me up to NICU. At first the nurses told me I would not have time to make it to NICU, because they close at 6:30 pm. I said I did not care; I was going to try and make. I think they did not want to have to move me into a wheel chair.

 I knew what to expect in NICU, since I had visited my friend April baby in May. I am glad I had that experience because it made things a lot easier. When we arrived at the NICU we had to call for them to let us in, they are very strict on visitations. Once inside of NICU you have to wash your hands for three minutes and put on scrubs. Zachary wheeled me in the see MaKayla since he had not seen her yet. I was so excited to see her. The first thing she did was grab my finger. I could tell she recognized her mommy. The bad part was, right before I came up to NICU they gave me a pain shot. While I was sitting with MaKayla, I was getting hot because she was under heat lamps. Within a few minutes I was sick at my stomach throwing up. The NICU nurses said not to worry, because they have sick moms up there all of the time. They have moms who have started bleeding, passed out, throw up, etc… So that made me feel a little better. At 6:30 pm we had to leave because they were closing the NICU for a shift change. I went back to the room and a nurse met me to discuss pumping. Since, MaKayla was in NICU I was unable to nurse her, so I had to pump to get my milk to come in. I am thankful that the hospital is breastfeeding friendly and offers a lot of support.  At 10 pm Mark and I decided we wanted to see her again. This was the first time Mark and I was able to see her together. When we first walked in she was crying, but the minute she heard our voices she calmed down.  This concludes the day of MaKayla’s birth and end of my pregnancy blog. I am going to create a new blog for parenting and it will be connected to this blog, just like our infertility blog.

34 Weeks

This week was really relaxing, which I needed. I only worked a day and half this week, which was a nice break for me. On my half day off I got a pedicure and went shopping with one of my friends. That evening Mark and I were going to have our Newborn Care class, but the instructor forgot to tell us they moved the class to the past Thursday. So, they are doing special class for us in a week.

We had the girls for Thanksgiving this year. Every year we have the girls for Thanksgiving, we allow them to cook at Thanksgiving meal just for the four of us (about to be 5 of us). They pick out the menu, from the main course to dessert and even a special drink. Of course I help them with all of this and I made them simplify it a little this year because I could stand all day long. The girls fixed a turkey breast, broccoli and cheese casserole, sweet potatoes, dressing, gravy, rolls, and pumpkin pie. We also had sparkling grape juice as a drink. Usually they will make the drink, but again I told them we had to make it simply this year. Even with this small dinner, it still wore me out. I did take frequent breaks and rest while I allow them to finish up easy items. The one good thing about all this food it that we had leftovers for the rest of the weekend, plus what we will bring back from mom’s house. We spend Thanksgiving at my mom’s house this year since we were not traveling. We did not have a big crowd at mom and dad’s but it was nice to relax at mom’s house. Late that afternoon we watched the Madagascar 2, it was really cute.

On Friday, Mark and I took the girls to see the new Muppet movie. We really enjoyed the movie, it was so cute and we all laughed the whole time. It is nice to go see a movie and not worry about if it is appropriate or not for the girls. The rest of the weekend we spent resting and decorating the house for Christmas. I love Christmas time. I also labeled all my Christmas cards and will mail them out on Dec 1, I am thankful to have those completed. I also was nesting a lot this weekend. The guest room was driving me crazy. So we decided to take out the bed so we could have more room. We do not have a lot of guess that stay with us, but we do have a blow up mattress if we do have a guess any time soon. We are hoping to put our house on the market this spring and by this time next year we should be in our new home. We really need more space; our house seems to be shrinking.

Baby girl is still doing well and is moving all over the place. Starting with our next appointment we will have weekly appointments with Dr. Rister. During our next appointment we should be scheduling our c-section, I cannot wait. I am planning to work three more weeks and they will go by fast. Another mile stone we hit was 34 weeks. Dr. Rister said she needed to stay in until 34 weeks and we made it to that point. We feel a lot better about things down that we are on the downhill side of this mountain.

33 Weeks

This week has been really busy for us. We had two ultrasounds and two different doctor visits. Yes, that is four appointments total. My insulin is still high so they added another shot to my day. I am now on three shots of insulin. I am taking 15 units in the morning, 10 units at lunch, and 35 units before dinner. Both doctors (Dr. Amar and Dr. Rister) said that it is normal for my numbers to keep going up.

We also went to Because of You for our second ultrasound. I love watching her on the screen and seeing her movements. She would yawn, smile, scrunch up her face, etc… She is adorable to watch. She also seems to have my nose, cheeks and lips, along with Mark’s legs and fingers. She has really long legs and fingers.

Our second ultrasound was with Dr. Rister’s office, which is never too exciting. They are so plain and it feels like a medical procedure. That is why I like Because of You. At Dr. Rister’s office they took all of her measurements. She was measuring at 32 weeks and 5 days (just two days behind) and weighed about 4.5 pounds, which is average at this stage.

The next day we had our appointment with Dr. Rister. I think he is really concern about me, but is just not saying anything at this point. I do not think he does not want us to worry at this point. We are still looking to have the c-section to week of Dec 19^th. Less than a month away and she will be here. We are so excited, especially me because I am tired of pricking my finger and giving myself shots.  The rest of the pregnancy is great and I feel wonderful. The only time I feel bad is when my blood sugar goes up.

32 weeks

I will have to say after last week, this week was much easier. I am glad we did not go to Oklahoma, because I think it would have pushed me over the edge. We did go to Red Lobster for our anniversary on Saturday. For the rest of the weekend, I pretty much rested, but I still did not feel well. I even stayed home from work on Monday, which I hated to do. After what happened the week before I decided I better now push myself, if I am not feeling well. I think my blood sugar is making me feel bad. My blood sugar is still really high and is going up, no matter what I do. I know next week they will be upping my insulin again.

One thing I failed to mention last week was my work was throwing a joint baby shower for a co-worker and me. The shower was going to be last Monday; however, over the weekend my co-worker end up having her baby (I know they planned the shower really close to her due date) and I ended up in the hospital. So on Thursday they throw me a baby shower. My co-workers are so generous and I received lots of great gifts. They also were giving me a hard time about using cloth diapers, even though they pitched in and bought me two. I brought some other diapers to show them, and once they saw how they worked, I did not hear another peep out of them. Later that night I used up all my Target gift cards online to buy everything else left on my registry that could be bought online.

I still have a few more items I need from Target and Babies R Us; however, the majority of everything has been bought. The only really big item we have left is the high chair. I am going to wait until after she is born to buy the chair, unless it goes on sale. After I buy a seat protector for my car (I have leather seats), I am going to install her car seat. I was reading a baby book and it recommended installing the car seat during the beginning of your 3^rd trimester in case you have the baby early. After our experience last week, I think we need to car seat installed. Last week also prompted me to start thinking about my hospital bags. I started packing MaKayla’s bag and now I need to pack my bag. I also finished up my c-section birth plan, which I will take to my doctor next week. I feel like we are getting closer to having everything done, now we just have to wait on baby girl.

31 weeks

This week was a crazy week. At the beginning of the week, I attended the HR Southwest Conference in Fort Worth. After coming back from the conference we had our first child birth class at Pinwheel Kids. They let us choose the classes that were related to our situation. Our first class was on c-sections and we learned a lot of information that night. Then on Friday I received another great massage from Amy. I am loving these pre-natal massages, even though they do not compare to a regular massage. I am already to set up my next one.

Over the weekend we made a trip to Ikea to finish buying some organizational supplies for MaKayla. I almost have her stuff completely organized. I know I will rearrange it again once she is here. I also attended my last baby shower of the year. I have enjoyed attending the baby showers because it gives me a chance to visit with people I have not seen in a long time.

Then, this week ended with a trip to Labor and Delivery. About 9:30 pm Sunday evening I started having contractions. I had a few here and there, especially when I pushed myself too hard.  This time something felt different, they were lasting long and they were harder. Mark fixed me a bath, hoping this would help relax my muscles, but it did not help. I even tried a heating pad and they were not going away. After 45 minutes, we called the doctor’s office and spoke to the on call doctor. He told us if they keep progressing and I am uncomfortable to go to Labor and Delivery. Once the one hour mark hit we decided to head to Labor and Delivery. At this point my contracts were about 2 to 5 mins apart.

I do not think I have ever seen Mark drive as fast as he did not night. Mark is a turtle when it comes to driving and for those who know me well knows that is not my style of driving. Well on the way to the hospital we ran into construction and traffic was stopped. I tried to talk Mark into taking one of the on ramps to get off but he would not do it. When I finally started having another contraction, I talked him into driving on the shoulder (he already had his flashers on). I am sure all those people did not appreciate us driving in the shoulder, but I did not care. By the time we reached the hospital, I had about three contractions. We go to the registration desk, luckily we had pre-registered; however, we still had to fill out more paperwork.  While we were filling out the paperwork, I had my worse contraction yet. I was in tears crying because it was so painful. They hurried up the paperwork and got us back to a room.

When we go back there they put a heart monitor on me, which MaKayla did not like. She did not like the contractions either. Every time I had one she would start moving around and pushing. It was kinda funny that she knew exactly where that heart monitor was on me. She would kick it, push it, or anything else she thought would make it move. At one point she was lifting it off my stomach. After they watch her heart rate, examined me, and ran some test, it was determined I was slightly dehydrated and had a bladder infection. At this time I gave me a shot in my leg to stop the contractions. The good thing was that I was not dilated.  The on call doctor recommended I stay overnight in the hospital.

Finally about midnight we were able to go into a regular Labor and Delivery room. They also started an IV on me so I could some fluids. I did not sleep very well that night. MaKayla moved the whole night and was constantly kicking the monitor. Everything she kicked or I moved our could hear it come across the monitor, so all that was keeping me up along with the nurse coming in about every 45 mins.

About 6 am I started feeling pain in my stomach again, so I called the nurse for another shot. After 20 minutes, I sent Mark for her and they assured us they would be right there. Then 10 mins later my IV went off, so I called the nurse’s station again. One of the other nurses came to check on the IV, but did not bring the shot. Finally at 7 am, when the new nurse came on she brought me a shot.  The bad part was this nurse was in a hurry because she needed to check on someone delivering a baby. She pushed that medication into my leg really fast and it burned so bad. I was not too happy with her at this point. She unhooked me so I could go the bathroom and sent in another nurse. When I got back in bed the new nurse asked where did all the blood on my gown come from? I told her I was not sure. When she lifted up my gown I had blood running down my left from that shot. So she cleaned up the blood and then noticed that my left had huge whelps and was swollen.  I told her the shot from last night did not do that to me. I knew it was from that other nurse pushing that medication in too fast. This is the second time that has happened to me when I stayed in a hospital. A year ago when I was in the hospital for food poisoning, the nurse was pushing some medication into my IV and she received an emergency call. That nurse pushed that medication in so fast I was in tears and she blew out my vain. When she came back in my mom told her to leave and get someone else. They had to restart a new IV, which at this time I had about 3 IVs. Next time I am in the hospital I am going to remember to make sure these nurses slow down when it comes to give me a shot.

About 8 am, Dr. Rister came to see me and of course he was teasing me as always. The first words out of his mouth were What are you doing? He was just shaking his head.  I told him eating a popsicle, which was my breakfast.  In all seriousness he told me I did the right thing. He said if I had not come in that the contractions could have pushed me into labor. I told him I was worried about coming in at first because I did not want them to send me home telling me it was all false labor. He reassured me that I can come in anytime I am worried. Also, he said he did not want to see her until at least 34 weeks, at the earliest. Then he released me from the hospital. I felt pretty good going home, but after my shower I passed out on the couch. I slept off and on for most of the day.

For our one year anniversary we were going to ride the Amtrak train up to Oklahoma City over the weekend; however, we decided after my hospital stay not go. I think Mark is trying to plan something special for us around Waco, since we cannot go on our trip. Needless to say I am disappointed, but I would rather be safe and take care of MaKayla than to risk another trip to Labor and Delivery.

30 Weeks

This week has been fairly interesting and busy. On Sunday I left for the HR Southwest Conference. I have not attended this conference in about 7 years. I had a lot of fun with my co-workers in Fort Worth. I was worried how I was going to manage my blood sugar, but it was really easy. My sugar is still high and they are adjusting my insulin again. Right now I am on 15 units in the morning and 20 in the evenings.  Baby girl is staying really active and we are getting more excited each day.

29 Weeks

This week has been really rough. I visited the endocrinologist this week and it was a hard visit. She was not happy that it took this long to get me in to see her. She said I should have been in at the beginning because I have a history of high blood sugar (I am not diabetic, but I have elevated blood sugar). Basically she told me the only thing she can do at this point is keep MaKayla from getting too big, because it is too late to prevent anything else.

After looking over my blood sugar, she decided to put me on insulin shots. Currently I am taking two shots a day, one before breakfast and supper. I also have to take my blood sugar 4 times a day. My blood sugar is starting to come down, but not low enough. I am going to have to call to have my insulin adjusted. They said I will have to adjust my insulin several times during the rest of my pregnancy. They also want to see my back once a week, until I have MaKayla.

Besides all of this, everything else is going really good. MaKayla is very active and is moving a lot. I love to feel her move throughout the day. I cannot wait to meet our little girl and know that she is safe and healthy.

28 Weeks

I am actually behind one week in writing; however, I am caught up based on my doctor’s calculations. Dr. Rister pushed my weeks back by one, due to MaKayla measuring a week behind. This week we had our monthly doctor’s visit. So far I have only gained 6 pounds throughout my pregnancy. Dr. Rister is not too concern about my weight gain at this moment.

Dr. Rister is very concern about my gestational diabetes (GD) and the effects on MaKayla. He said that he will take her at least three weeks early because with GD is not good for the baby to stay in for a long time. Since she is measuring behind we are still looking at having her delivered the week of December 19^. He is also very concern about my blood pressure. So far it has been perfect; however, he said that GD can raise it. If my blood pressure goes up, then he will place me on bed rest. I asked him how do we know when she will be ready to be delivered? He said that it will be a number of factors that will all happen at once and we will know it is time. He told me it will be a joint decision between all of us, which makes me feel a little better. I also asked about her lung development and the possibility of her ending up in NICU. He told me he could always give me a steroid shot to help her lungs develop and he is going to try his best to keep her out of NICU. We all are praying that she will be okay. We all keep praying she will be okay.

Next month we are going for our 4D ultrasound and the next day our doctor is going to do a measurement ultrasound. I get to see Miss MaKayla two days in a row, which I think will make me feel better. I am excited about seeing her again. My next doctor’s appointment is the last of my four week appointments. After this appointment I am moving to two week appointments. I cannot believe she is almost here. So far I have to say I have enjoyed my pregnancy and it has not been too bad. Next month might be a different story, but for now it has really gone well.

27 weeks

This week had its ups and downs. First the down part of the week, I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes, and we have been working on how to manage this right now. I am still waiting on a referral to an endocrinologist so I can get started. Luckily, I know how to manage my blood sugar and I already started eating better. Also, I notice my feet, ankles and legs are starting to swell. I cannot stand on my feet an hour or longer without them swelling.  

The ups this week are we received 4 inches of rain and took family pictures. We were so excited to see rain, it has been too long. During our family pictures we also took some maternity pictures. I cannot wait to see all our pictures. A girl I use to work with took our pictures and she does a wonderful job. She owns Soulful Snapshots in Waco.

Overall baby girl is still doing really well. She is moving around like a wiggle worm. Mark still has trouble trying to feel her move. MaKayla’s kicks are getting stronger, so it will not be too much longer before Mark and the girls can feel her. So far I have not had too much trouble sleeping at night. The most problems I am having are with my hips. I will lie on one side for too long and then they start to hurt. I cannot believe how fast this pregnancy has gone by, and I cannot believe I am about to be in my third trimester.

26 weeks

This week has been an exciting week. We finally announced baby girl’s name, MaKayla Grace. Miss MaKayla has been moving around a lot this week, and she is starting to respond to me. We also had our shower this weekend, which was wonderful.

Earlier in the week I started patting my tummy and then would stop to see what MaKayla would do. When I would stop she would start kicking her feet about the same length of time I patted my belly. I did this about three times and she kicked her feet every time. Then I started talking to her and telling her how funny she is and rubbing my belly. At this point she really went crazy and then settled back down. She is not even here yet and she is making me laugh.

This weekend was our shower and I do not know where to start. Our friends and family are so wonderful and generous to us. We did have a good time visiting with all our friends and family. We had about 50+ people show up for the shower, and we received more gives than we could ever imagine. We are truly blessed to have so many people who love and care about us. We did receive three of our big gifts this weekend, our pack and play, car seat, and bed room decorations, including her bedding.

This next week I will be moving into my third trimester. I cannot believe I am almost 7 months already. One thing that did not go well this week was my glucose test. I was about 100 points over what the doctor already considers high for blood sugar. Today I had to go back for a 3 hour glucose test, where they stuck me four different times. Hopefully my blood sugar will go down this time around. If it does not go down, then it means I will be diagnosed with gestational diabetes.