In a holding pattern

I am going to keep this short, since I need to clean the house, but I wanted to let you all know that I am 34 1/2 weeks. This is "the week" where I try to have my babies, and this pregnancy is no different. On one of my many doctor visits this week, I was checked and found to be 80% effaced and 1-2 cm dilated. The baby has almost no cervix left holding her in, and the doctor says when it happens, it will be fast. I was also advised to take it easy, but was not put on any specific restrictions.

Times have changed. Katie tried to come at 34 weeks and they gave me drugs to stop my labor. They worked and I was put on strict bedrest and she stayed in for another 3 weeks. Now, the medical powers-that-be feel that the risks of stopping labor outweigh the benefits, when one is so close to term. So if Stephanie decides she wants to come, they will not stop her.

I am hoping to make it to Tuesday, when I will be 35 weeks and can deliver at the birth center, rather than the hospital. I have been asking the baby to stay in place until October, please. I realize it's only a few days away, but no matter. She is cooperating just fine, and I am going to the Khaki Ball tonight! This has been a goal of mine, and it appears I will make it. I am going to close now and straighten up the house before it is time to leave. I will post pictures tomorrow of me & Steve all dressed up!

The week of doctor's visits!

Monday I went for my dietician's checkup. She said I am eating well, hitting all the food groups and eating in the right combinations. It is getting easier now, and I have to look at my food guides less and less. I now can eyeball a portion size, and also can basically remember which groups to eat at what time. I think that I can keep this up after the baby comes and it will help me eat better. But my blood sugar is high in the mornings, so I was put on insulin at bedtime.

On Wednesday I had to go to an appointment that taught me how to inject myself. It is one overnight dose, injected at bedtime and is slow-acting and supposed to combat the rising blood sugar. So I went and learned how to do it, and injected myself with saline as a practice. I did it with the real stuff for the first time last night, and it wasn't bad. It hurts more to do the fingersticks 4 times a day.

I went for an ultrasound today. I thought I was going to get a weight estimate on the baby but no, the doctor has ordered a biophysical profile. Whatever, you lay on the table for either procedure! I got to watch the baby do practice breathing movements, and I saw her ribs, spine, heart, and little kidneys! She was being uncooperative concerning measurements so we wouldn't have been able to get good estimate on the weight anyway.

I did get the perfect picture of her little foot. See the picture at the top? I don't know what is going on at the left--it looks like ET-- but her foot is on the right. We saw her curling and uncurling her perfect, tiny toes. I am so excited to see her in person, but not til October, at least! Just stay in a few more days at least, so I can make it to the Khaki Ball!

Finally tomorrow I have my regular weekly OB appointment at 9 AM. I think this is just a quick in and out appointment with urine, my weight, listening to the baby's heart, measuring my belly and see you in a week. I don't think he is doing a repeat Ffn--I think we finished that last week. I don't know if he will want to check for dilation or not. I will be sure to update.

An update on the doctor's visits

I have moved to weekly visits. Week 34 is fast approaching and in my past pregnancies, it has been the magic week so the doctor is keeping an eye on me. I test my urine for ketones every day, and I test my blood sugar 4 times a day, and eat prescribed combinations of foods. I showed the doctor my numbers and he was not happy with my morning numbers-they are always high. So I am going to yet another appointment to learn how to inject myself with insulin--a single dose at bedtime. My amniotic fluid was acceptable, but low, so I am sucking down water to keep the baby comfy. I have asked her to stay where she is until at least Oct 1st. If she cannot wait, Sept 30th will suffice, since we have to go to the Khaki Ball on Sept 29th! My mom bought me a nice maternity dress, and I have a wrap, jewelry, shoes, a purse and a matching hair clip. I am all set. As long as she stays put, I am good to go! She dropped on Tuesday the 11th and is hanging out, VERY low, beneath my belly button, and very far in the back. Walking is fun! My hips hurt if I sit, sleep or stand, and they pop. I have sciatica and round ligament paid an SPD pain too, all exascerbated by how low she is. That's about it. I still use the doppler when she is having a quiet day, and I love to feel her movements. Also I am not dilated yet--just so you know!

Baby Stephanie's 3D ultrasound pictures

We had the 3D ultrasound done this evening and here are a few pictures! It is so great to be pregnant when this technology is around. Miss Stephanie was a little stubborn thing who didn't want to show her face, and I was a little low on the amniotic fluid so I didn't produce the sharpest images but we still had a great time!

The top picture is of her pursed lips and fat cheeks, and her chubby little arm and hand are curled up under her chin, and her hand is grasping her foot. The second picture is of a smiling little face, with 2 fists and a knee curled up under her chin. The bottom one made us laugh. She is sticking her tongue out at us! Her eyes were opened and the white circle is the apple of her fat little cheek. She was smiling and stuck her tongue out, all the time with her fist up to her chin. It was a lot of fun.

Just a note, a day late.

So. Yesterday was September 11th. I watched some tributes online and it all came back, flooding me with horror. We let Katie watch a tribute that wasn't graphic, and she thought it had happened yesterday. She was just under a year old when it happened so she doesn't remember. I remember in 2001, turning off the TV after a few days because the news coverage and replays were so bleak. My dad said that I shouldn't shield the kids from it. When he was a kid, his parents gave their kids a front row seat to the news, even if it was bad news, and didn't sugarcoat it. I agreed on one level, but on another, I didn't want my house to be so gloomy for my kids. It is a little less daunting, less overwhelming to look back and see the events now, so I let my kids watch and have respect for those who died.

Years have passed and at this time last year, the girls were born. So September 11th means more than a national tragedy for me, it is also a cause for celebration at the birth of two beautiful twins girls who captivated my heart at first sight. Yesterday, in addition to watching tributes, I also went back and looked at last September's posts and pictures. I remember how small they were, and how strong. I have watched them grow and change and thrive with their foster mom. They are beautiful, still strong, and have such cheery dispositions. It's been a roller coaster of a first year, and even though I don't like it here, I am glad we will be close enough to see them grow and change for another year or so. I love those girls. I am going to load up some pictures from June, when they were 9 months old. I will post more recent pictures when we see them next. And no matter how I try, pics always load at the top of the post instead of at the bottom where I want them. Oh well. That's Miss Alyssa on the top, and Miss MacKenzie on the bottom.

Gestational Diabetes

I went to the doctor on Friday, where they did the early-labor test and the doctor said if it is positive they will call me, otherwise assume it is negative and I see him again in 2 weeks, Sept 14th. No calls yet, and even though I go early, it's still too early for me and I am assuming it will be negative.

I got my referral for my diabetes class, but of course it came right before a holiday weekend. I will call on Monday and at least leave a voicemail if no one is in the office.

I have been a whiny little thing for the past week, afraid to eat anything. And it is hard to find something that I *can* eat. If it is not forbidden because it hurts my stomach--fast food in all forms, fried foods, etc--it is forbidden because of pregnancy--lunch/deli meat, unpasteurized stuff, hot dogs, caffeine--then it is forbidden because of the diabetes--anything else that tastes good.

I know that fast food, hot dogs, soda, Sunday morning donuts with the paper, all of these things aren't good for me at all, pregnant or not. I am sure that by the time the baby comes my taste buds will have changed and I won't want so much garbage. I am just afraid to eat. I can't wait to take this class and learn how to break food down into balanced groups and eat optimally. After the baby comes, I can continue eating similarly but maybe add back in a few things. Like a dessert now and then.

I have just been paranoid that every bite I take has the potential to hurt the baby. I read online that if it has sugar as one of the first three ingredients, don't eat it. That has been easy to follow, so it feels like I am doing something. I have been eating small things every few hours, and trying to balance starches and proteins. It's a pain in the butt. Oh well. I am in no mood to have a mammoth-sized baby.

So I get an ultrasound to monitor the baby's growth the night before my appointment, and I will post pictures then. I will have to go in for biophysical profiles too, soon.

Last night I bought some egg salad from the deli and it was rotten. I cried. No big surprise since I cried all day yesterday. I am sure I was a bucket of fun to be around. Steve has taken the egg salad back to the store. I told him that I do not want a replacement product either. The egg salad I bought was within the sell by date and still spoiled so I don't trust the deli with egg salad no more. It is sad because now I have to make it myself. Sigh.

I am just worn out. I am going to look for a diabetic-friendly smoothie recipe. I have milk, plain nonfat yogurt and a ton of fresh fruit. Maybe I can make a little smoothie that won't be too bad for me? We'll see!