35 Weeks

So I've made it to 35 weeks and I am so ready for the baby. I have been having constant contractions, but of course they never get intense enough to turn into real labor. So I just get to be really uncomfortable and really really sore.

I went in for another ultrasound today. I am still measuring large (37 weeks - they estimate the baby to be 7.5 pounds) and have lots of excess amniotic fluid. The doctor did notice an "echo" on one of the baby's kidneys. It could indicate a cyst, so they will need to perform an ultrasound on the baby after birth. As with everything that has happened this could be really bad or mean nothing at all. But of course it is one more thing to be concerned about.

At this point I am to just keep going as is. Everyone expects me to give birth soon - so much so that the doctor said not to bother making another appointment. He did joke and say it would be crazy after all this if I went another three weeks and they had to induce me. I couldn't even begin to imagine what the baby would weigh at that point...

32 Week update

So I made it to 32 weeks which is a really good thing. Babies born at this point have a really good chance of survival without longterm complications. The big benchmark/goal is 34 weeks (Emma was born at 34 weeks to the day). The doctors say they won't do much to stop labor after that point.

Anyway I went in for another ultrasound today and that turned into a rather interesting experience. I go to the maternal/fetal specialists for my ultrasound so it's way more in depth each time than a typical one. But of course as I went in today, I was feeling out of breath and my heat was pounding - normal life these days. But while I was there I started feeling much worse. I got dizzy, nauseated, and my heart rate shot up. I could hardly breathe and had to interrupt the ultrasound a few times to stabilize myself. This of course worried the nurses and doctors. Then we saw through the ultrasound that the baby is measuring big - really big for 32 weeks. He weighs approximately 6 pounds already and looks closer to 35 weeks. (no wonder I feel huge and my maternity clothes are getting small). And there is a ton of extra amniotic fluid (which is kinda weird since I am not diabetic). This is good in a sense because of all the preterm labor issues, but bad in regard to how my body will be able to handle getting even bigger with all the heart issues I am having.

The doctor immediately checked me into a hospital room (ultrasound is right next to labor and delivery) to do a stress monitoring test on the baby. So I got hooked up to five different machines meant to monitor both my and the baby's vital signs. Everything looked okay, especially once my heart rate started going down. But my resting heart rate was still elevated, so the doctor is talking to my other doctors about getting me on drugs to reduce it (yes I have multiple doctors for all this, it's kinda crazy). He says the pregnancy (since the baby is a boy) needs to go at least 3 more weeks, but that he is not sure if my body can take that or be able to deliver safely. So I am waiting to hear if the doctors think I can handle the drugs and if that will actually help with anything. Exciting times. Oh and Mike and Emma were there the whole time. Emma was a tad confused by the whole thing, but enjoyed watching cartoons in the hospital room. And so the pregnancy adventure continues...

My Heart Stuff

So I mentioned before that my doctor sent me to see a cardiologist because of the weird racing heart/dizziness/difficulty breathing issues I was having. Those could all be just hormones and nutritional issues caused by pregnancy that will go away or they could be causing long term heart issues. So, I got to go get an EKG and an ultrasound of my heart - which both came back normal. But they still wondered why my heart was beating so fast and hard all the time. The solution was for me to wear a heart monitor for a month.

So yesterday I got the monitor and immediately started having issues. Basically I have electrodes attached to my chest that lead to an ipod sized monitor that I have to wear at all times for the next 30 days (no this is not a Morgan Spurlock episode). Whenever I have an incident I record it and then send it over the phone to the lab. If my heart reaches a certain rate it will autorecord the incident then beep at me incessantly until I call it in (I'm feeling scarily like Sawyer on Lost at this point). Fun times.

Well its all good until about an hour later when I'm at the grocery store and the thing starts autorecording. I'm not feeling anything, but apparently my heart level is elevated enough to record an incident. This is a tad disturbing since what I call incidents are much much worse. (now I'm thinking about the rabbit on Lost...). so I go to call it in only to discover that i can't use a cell phone to report things in. It has to be a landline. Um, we don't have a landline. We don't work anywhere that has a landline. So after many calls back and forth to the doctor's office and the lab about options and stupid technology... we are getting a landline. For a month.

Can I just take this moment to express my level of frustration with my health and this pregnancy... Why does it seem that everything has to be insanely way more complicated than it ever should be? Can't I just be pregnant without umpteen bazillion complications and hassles? (and yes I feel very guilty in a knock on wood sort of way for complaining about anything to do with the pregnancy, but still...)

okay rant over.

Belly Pic and Update

So the belly continues to grow - the pictures at 28 weeks. The baby is measuring 2 weeks ahead of schedule which is a good thing. I'm still having all sorts of issues though. Last week I had to go into the hospital to be monitored since I was having regular contractions. They did another ffn test which was negative and there were no other signs of labor - just the weirdness of contractions every 6 minutes. I'm still getting the hormone shots, which may be causing all the heart issues and dizziness. I went to the cardiologist and basically just got more tests scheduled. I'll have to wear a heart monitor to see what's up with all that. I'm hoping it's all just strange pregnancy/hormone related stuff. So I'm getting along. I still don't drive because of the vertigo and limit going out because I get so worn out (and dizzy, can't breathe...). I feel huge and am tired of not doing much of anything. Anyway, that's the status at the moment.

Update

So the contractions have slowed and things looked okay at my check-up today. As my doctor put it, "well, at least nothing's worse." So it's the status quo around here.

I did get referred to go see a cardiologist to try and figure out why I can't breathe, have a racing heartbeat, and and dizzy all the time (could be the hormone shots that are preventing/slowing the preterm labor...). But of course, that's in a couple of weeks (gotta love non-emergency appointment scheduling). Anyway just thought I'd give an update.

Preterm Labor Issues

It's been a long day. Since early this morning I'm been having lots of regular contractions - not a good thing at this stage. I did all the "how to stop contractions" things, but they kept going. So I had an emergency trip to the doctor this afternoon. Thankfully the contractions aren't productive (causing real labor signs) at this point. They did a fetal fibronectin test which thankfully came back negative, which basically tells us that there is a 99% chance that I will not deliver the baby within the next week (um, I need like three more months!). Anyway, I'm stuck feeling really crappy, having to lay down, and drink massive amounts of water in hopes the contractions stop (they've been going all day). I see the doctor again in a couple of days. It's just really frustrating and I'm not really sure what's going on.

My Pregnancy Diet

So for the first time in months I am finally able to eat somewhat normally again. This whole pregnancy takes over my body, appetite, smell thing is really overwhelming. I spent over four months not being able to eat or drink hardly anything. I lost a lot of weight, was hospitalized for dehydration, and took drugs to prevent me from throwing up what I did manage to put in my mouth. Most days that was a very small selection of carbs. I could do potatoes and bread (with no crust). For awhile the only things that I could force myself to eat were tator tots and Cinnamon toast crunch. sounds yummy, doesn't it?

Slowly the nausea subsided to the point where I can now stand the taste of water and eat basic food. And by basic food that means I can tolerate most typical American food (i.e. junk food) - hamburgers, pizza, grilled cheese, ice cream. Veggies and fruits still make me gag. So I feel like I am 5 and it's driving me nuts. I am so into eating healthy and organic and here all I can eat is the worst sorts of foods for me. I eat freaking processed coffee cake for breakfast because super-sweet stuff is all I can handle in the mornings. I feel like I'm betraying myself at just about every meal and yet I need to eat. It's just really weird.

Sick

So now on top of everything else Mike and Emma passed the nasty headcold on to me. Just when I thought I couldn't feel any more miserable my head feels like it is going to explode and I can't swallow. Bah.

When will the world stop spinning?

So I collapsed at the doctor's office today. I was getting a shot and then everything started spinning and I started blacking out. They had to lay me down while I tried not to throw up and clenched my eyes against the light. Well at least now I assume they believe me when when I say "dizziness and vertigo are a problem"... It was embarrassing though. When this happens at home I just lie down. At the doctor's office they kinda freak out, run for the doctor and start doing all sorts of tests on me. Of course they found nothing wrong besides the fact that I'm weird and my body really doesn't like being pregnant (not that they put it in those words exactly).

I'm just sick of all the dizziness and wish the world would stop spinning occasionally. Most days stuff is just vaguely "off." I can still function, read, write and all that. Other days I shut down I feel so horrible. The closest thing I can compare it to is a combination of the worst parts of being drunk plus the hangover afterwards - I'm dizzy, nauseated, shaky, sensitive to light and sound, achy, and stuck with a splitting headache. On top of that then often comes the cramping, contractions, and heartburn. This isn't stuff they talk about in those "what to expect when you're expecting books." I'm excited and happy about the baby, but I would love to just feel normal for a day