32 weeks!

Kitty wanted to be in the picture this week.

How big is baby?

He is about 18 inches and a little over 4 pounds.

What is baby up to?

Gaining about half a pound a week from now on. Sleep patterns are becoming more like a newborn, because he can differentiate light and dark when his eyes are open. Not that he'll make his debut sleeping 8 hours a night or anything...

Movement

He is really fond of my ribs this week.

Blood pressure

Still hovering in the 130s/80s. It was a bit high at the doctor today, but not enough to cause concern.

Update

Another OB appointment today. Pretty routine, no new concerns. I had to do another blood draw to make sure those levels are stable as well. Looking forward to not having those every other week.

Jared went out on a shopping trip for baby stuff, and my amazing co-workers sent a bunch of baby gifts over, so we feel much more prepared for his arrival now. We just have a few more things to do before I feel totally ready. And by "we" I mean Jared.

I was really craving hamburgers the other night, but we only had hotdog buns. Jared improvised and made hot-burgers. Yum.

We had some snow fall today. I'm still amused by the "winter weather" freak out on the news. It sounds like we will have a little accumulation overnight - maybe an inch or two! I enjoyed watching the snow fall from my cozy couch this afternoon. And attempted to take pictures because I have nothing better to do!

31 weeks!

How big is baby?

According to the ultrasound today, he already weighs 4 pounds and is growing perfectly at the 50th percentile for his gestational age. He is about 17-18 inches long. No concern about my blood pressure affecting his growth. So happy to hear.

What is baby up to?

At the ultrasound, when the tech was trying to get a picture for us, he was opening and closing his mouth. Or maybe he was trying to talk to us. We even got to see his open eyes looking around. He was probably trying to figure out what was pushing on my belly. He may or may not have figured it out, but he did enjoy kicking the wand while it was there.

Movement

See above. It was fun to see exactly what body parts were trying to push the ultrasound wand away. 

Blood pressure

Still hovering around the 130s/upper 80s. Diastolic (bottom number) peaked at 94 yesterday. I'm hoping it doesn't get much higher.

Update

I had an OB appointment on Tuesday. That went really well. She was so excited that we made it to 31 weeks and said 32 will be even better. She sounded much more optimistic that we'll make it to 34 weeks, which was great to hear.

I had an appointment at the maternal fetal medicine clinic today. We had an ultrasound and met with the doctor that would deliver if we ended up going before 35 weeks. My hospital isn't equipped to handle babies that young, so we'd end up going to St. Joseph in Tacoma.

Here's the picture of our handsome little boy:

He looks good on the ultrasound. His kidneys are well developed and he has fluid in his bladder, meaning he is doing a good job drinking amniotic fluid. His head, arms, and legs, are the right size. Heart rate was 133. Amniotic fluid level is normal, which is good because that can be affected by my blood pressure. He is positioned with his head down already. 

The specialist said that most people in my scenario won't go past 37 weeks, so we'll most likely be parents by the end of March. Jared installed the car seat today, so we're at least ready for that!

The cats were sitting on the couch watching crows and squirrels outside. Ha!

Pictures

Belly!

Belly button pop...

Kitty cuddling with my computer

Jared and Simon dancing

 Kitty cuddling with me

 Sleepy Simon

 Kitty cuddling with the belly

30 weeks!

A little late. I've had an eventful week so far. If I have energy for pictures today, I'll get them uploaded!

How big is baby?

He's about 17 inches long and just over 3 pounds. 

What is baby up to?

He's packing on the body fat and continuing to grow stronger every day. His brain is developing the characteristic bumps and grooves that will eventually hold all the knowledge and skills he learns.

Movement?

Still moving, kicking, and rolling. At the non-stress test on Tuesday, he was being sneaky and rolling away from the monitor.

Blood pressure

Up since Friday. The highest I recorded it was 143/92, but most of the time it is in the upper 130s/upper 80s. 

Update

In addition to my blood pressure being up since Friday, I started having a few contractions this weekend. I went to my regular OB appointment on Tuesday, and she checked everything out after I told her about the weekend. Unfortunately, this change in my status means we will probably be delivering early.

In the office, I received the Rhogam shot, which is given around 28 weeks (or in my case 30 weeks) because of my blood type. I'll get another one right around delivery, to make sure my body doesn't develop antibodies to any possible future children's blood. I also had to get a Group B Strep (GBS) test, which is normally given around 36 weeks. If I would have GBS, it would just mean a dose of antibiotics right around delivery to prevent spreading to the baby.

Then I had to go to the Labor and Delivery (L&D) unit of the hospital. My OB told me to check in at the ER and they would take me up. The lady behind the desk at the ER had another plan, wanting me to walk all the way around the building to the outpatient check in. After telling her I'm on bedrest and can't walk any distance, she changed her mind and got me a wheelchair ride up to L&D. Once I got there, I was put on monitors and given a Non-Stress Test (NST), which just checked how often the baby moves and how well his heart rate changes as I drink apple juice and ice water. I was hooked up to the NST for about an hour. I also had another blood draw to check my blood levels of things that would indicate the preeclampsia is worsening. They had me wait in the hospital until the blood results came back. Fortunately, they still look good.

Per my OB's orders, I was also given a betamethasone injection. This is a steroid medication used to speed up the baby's lung development. Based on what I read, they only give the injection when the risk of delivery is high. The injection is given in two steps, 24 hours apart. I went back in on Wednesday for another NST and injection. Nothing like 3 shots in the butt in 2 days. The NST looked good again on Wednesday, so I got to go home after that. 

Now I'm just hanging out in bed or on the couch, hoping the blood pressure will go back down. I haven't worked on the knitting since my blood pressure went up on Friday - I'm not sure if that would have caused it, but I am just being cautious. I'll keep working on it, a little at a time and hopefully get that blanket done before the baby gets here.

We have some more cute cat pictures on the camera, but I'm still pretty wiped out from running around this week. Hopefully I'll get the energy for a belly picture and then I'll get them all uploaded soon.

29 weeks!

 

How big is baby?

He is about 17 inches long and just under 3 pounds, about the size of a butternut squash. 

What is baby up to?

He is working hard at packing on the pounds and increasing his body fat. His skeleton is getting stronger thanks to increased calcium deposits.

Movement

He's getting stronger!

Blood pressure

Holding steady, about 115/75 most of the time when I check at home. Every day it stays down is another day longer he stays inside!

Update

No appointments this week, my OB is out of town. One of my co-workers visited today and taught me how to knit. She brought over some super soft yarn for a beautiful baby blanket. I spent most of the day knitting after she left, and will keep it up tonight. Here's the progress so far:

It's Simon's turn for pictures. He snuggled up next to Jared on the other couch today.

28 weeks!

Made it to my first goal! Two more weeks until my next goal...

How big is baby?

He is about 16 inches and 2 1/2 pounds. Just a little bigger than the ultrasound last week.

What is baby up to?

He is able to blink his eyes, which were sealed up until this week. His skin continues to become smoother as he is gaining more body fat. He is also beginning to have regular sleep/wake cycles, and will generally sleep about 30 minutes at a time.

Movement

Still all over. I really enjoy when he has hiccups.

Blood pressure

Surprisingly low at my appointment today - 102/60. The nurse re-checked and got 126/64 a few minutes later, so that wasn't too far off. Measurements at home have consistently been around 115/75 with a few exceptions. My OB was very pleased by this. She did say that right around 28 weeks, blood pressure is typically at its lowest during the pregnancy and that it will most likely go back up.

Update

Good news at my appointment today - no gestational diabetes. Whew. One less thing to worry about. She said my weight gain is looking good too. My next appointment is in 2 weeks to check everything again, unless something comes up. Hopefully not, she's on vacation next week!

Weekly cat pictures

Kitty perched up on my neck as I was trying to eat dinner:

Simon rarely joins me on the couch, but he decided it was ok as long as he could lay beside Kitty:

...or on Kitty. Even if he outweighs her by 2 pounds:

Ultrasound

Belly!

Our little guy is growing up! According to the ultrasound today, he weighs 2 pounds 6 ounces. No concern about a growth restriction! And we got to see him again. So cute!

I had an adventure attempting to get the ultrasound for the measurements. I can't lay on my back for more than a few minutes at a time before I start to pass out. The poor ultrasound tech had to wait for me to roll to my left side and regain my composure before she could keep going several times. I'm glad Jared was there to drive me home. I didn't feel the best after that.
 
I also had to do another blood draw to make sure my kidneys and liver are still functioning well, in addition to a fasting glucose test and a 1-hour glucose test. I heard horror stories about the orange beverage involved in the 1-hour glucose test, so I expected it to be terrible. It wasn't too bad to me - just tasted like a melted popsicle.

Kitty is cuddling with me again tonight!