Journal for 2003

Happy birthday!
Devon Kenneth Sligh
Thursday, November 6, 2003
10:39 am
20 inches
7 pounds, 15.8 ounces
Red-gold hair & dark blue eyes
Dekalb Medical Center
Decatur, Georgia (Dekalb County)

Pictures

Ultrasound 1 - April 15
Ultrasound 2 - June 13
Ultrasound 3 - July 22

Saturday, December 13 (finally, he weighs more than ever before!)

At the doctor on Friday, he weighed 8 lbs 1 oz! Yay! The doctor is pleased with his progress, although sadly, the thrush has spread and has now slightly infected his diaper region. We have Nystatin cream to put on it, in addition to more liquid Nystatin for his mouth. We also are instructed to up his dosage of Prevacid a little to help with the spitting up.

The office Christmas party was last night, and entertaining as usual. Louis has once again outdone himself by wrapping his present inside a dead fish. He apparently opened the belly, inserted the present, and sewed it back up again. Sigh...

December 11 (5 weeks old!)

Devon is 5 weeks old today! My God, has time flown fast!

Acid reflux - this continues to be a major problem. Devon frequently feels so miserable that we can't put him down or he screams. Even at 5 weeks, he rarely spends more than 2-4 hours a day not being held, if that! The new medicine, Prevacid, is much more popular with the baby contingent although it has to be refrigerated & Snap hates it cold (I have to hold the feeding syringe in my hand for a while before feeding him to warm it up).

Thrush - he's still got it. I suspect the problem is that he's almost always sucking on something in order to help fight the reflux, which keeps the moisture content in his mouth high. I had a consultation with a lactation consultant last week, who said that many of his breast feeding problems are probably due to the thrush, as apparently it makes it very painful for babies to nurse.

Weight gain - Devon is still having major problems with his weight gain. At his appointment on Monday, he still only weighed 7 lbs, 10.5 ozs. The doctor is having us force feed the baby about 20 ounces of formula/expressed breast milk a day. This causes Devon to spit up even more, with all that liquid in his tummy. The extra food seems to be helping, but not fast enough. I fear that we may end up needing to do something more drastic, as he's still not back up to his birth weight. We have another weighing in the morning, & I hope for good news.

Tongue game - Devon and I have our first game! I stick out my tongue at him & he tries to mimic me. He doesn't yet have the motor control to do it, but I can see him trying! He's wonderfully intelligent. It's so fabulous watching him watch the world with his beautiful blue eyes, taking everything in. It makes it all worthwhile.

Umbilical cord - it fell off Saturday, November 29, around 11 pm. Very exciting stuff!

My general frustration, Christmas, & returning to work - life with Devin is very frustrating & tiring, I still don't get much more than 4-6 hours of sleep a day, and that not all at once. I feel more or less recovered from birth, except for occasional back pains, fatigue, and random abdominal cramps. Yet, despite that, I still feel like there's been no progress. Now that Bill is back at work full time, I rarely find time to eat, sleep, or anything since I have a baby that can't be put down most of the time. Neither Devon nor I have anything clean left to wear, as he spits up on & pees on everything we have, & there's no time for laundry. When Bill gets home, he's exhausted too. What little free time we have is devoted to Christmas shopping & present wrapping. We don't even have a tree set up :-( What's worse is that I'm not sure how I'm going to return to work in a couple of weeks. Devon is so needy, I don't think I'll be able to get someone to care for him. We've talked about various time sharing plans for us to take care of him at work, but I don't see how they could possibly work out, I just don't know what to do.

November 28 (Thanksgiving and the hospital once again)

Info about Devon's trip to the hospital still to come

Thanksgiving (yesterday) was lovely! We went to the Hoefler family get together first, and everyone oohed and aahed. Debbie kept making off with the baby, although I can't say I really minded. After that, we headed out past the sticks to Rich Murray's absolutely gorgeous house, where Scotty was cooking his annual dinner (this was dubbed The Year of the Gourd). After a lovely evening, we made it home around 11 pm.

Today, Devon went back to the doctor. Bill told him our concerns about Reglan (as pointed out by Mom, the side effects can be quite scary) and that we had taken him off it. The doctor said that while there was no definitive proof it caused problems, he understood our concern and prescribed Prevacid instead of both the Reglan and the Zantac. We'll see how the new medicine goes; hopefully, Devon will like the taste of it better than the Zantac, which he really dislikes.

November 14-20 (week two)

still to come are details about thrush, failure to put on weight, and Mom's return visit

November 8-13 (Devon's first week home)

We were released on Saturday about 50 hours after Devon's birth. It was very exciting bringing Devon home to our very own house! Devon was relatively unimpressed, though. Oh, well. The cats pretty much ignored him, except when he cries & then they just look alarmed. Mom was a fabulous help that first day home, as she helped me with the baby so I could get a few small naps & Ginger could zonk out on the couch. He got about 12 hours of sleep, which was good as he needed it.

Devon quickly acquired many nicknames, among them "angel baby" as he looks so sweet, "piglet" for how enthusiastically he likes to nurse sometimes, and "Snap" which is short for Gingersnap (since his father is Ginger, that makes him Gingersnap). Sadly, he would soon acquire a new nickname, "Pumpkin", as his skin quickly turned yellow-orange. Yep, he had jaundice. It's fairly common in newborns, but at his Day 4 appointment with his new doctor, Dr. Brad Weselman (the first of many, many appointments), his weight had dropped down to 6 lbs 13 oz and the doctor was concerned. He ordered us to Egleston's Children Hospital to have some blood work done to verify the jaundice diagnosis. That was more tough on me than on the baby, as I had only given birth 4 days before and here I was dragging around the city all day long. I eventually broke down crying I was so tired.

So, jaundice confirmed, the doctor ordered him to a light bed to help relieve it some. A medical supply company came out to the house & set up a light bed for him to sleep in (check out the pictures of it over in the photo section). Everyday, either a nurse came over to the house to check him or went in to the doctor's office. The poor thing ended up with about 11 cuts in his heels from all the blood that was taken. After 5 days of sunning, he was declared okay and released from his light bed, which was kinda a shame as he really enjoyed the heat & the humming sound it made.

November 6-8 (the hospital stay)

The hospital stay wasn't too bad, except that I got no rest at all. Either Devon needed to be fed, or there was a nurse waking me up to either check on me or to check on Devon. I snatched a few hours sleep here and there. Bill was incredible, and changed Devon's diaper every time he needed (despite never having done it before). In fact, before Devon was one day old, he had already spit up on Bill and peed on him! :-) Mom went to Louis's house for some much needed sleep, as she had been up all night with me during labor.

The pediatrician (Dr. Traywick, one of Dr. Weselman's associates) checked Devon out, said he looked wonderful, and told me to go ahead and breastfeed him. The nursery, though, kept conspiring to steal him, and thus thwart my feeding plans. Every time they took him for testing, Bill and I would have to call down there & pester them until they brought him back. Grrrr! For example, the circumcision. They said he be back in an hour or two, but after five, he still hadn't been returned. Bill had to walk down to the nursery to fetch him. The lactation consultant was not pleased!

The biggest problem I had was that Devon didn't want to wake up. He was constantly sleepy and all the bullying in the world would only make him wake up long enough for a few swallows before he was back asleep again. We are still having this problem, as of the 28th of November.

I actually recovered fairly well, much better than I expected. Sure, I was sore & the after-shock contractions for the first couple of days were rough, but tolerable. The worst long-term problems I had were severe back pains around the base of my spine - I think I pinched a nerve or something. I did have to keep telling the nurses that "no, I don't want a Motrin." I eventually just gave in to them, as they seemed so upset when I refused. Finally, it should be noted that no matter how often I was warned, there is no greater fear than that of a woman who has just given birth contemplating that first bowel movement. You know that when you think the nurse is a saint for given you a stool softener, that things are bad! :-)

November 5-6 (labor & delivery)

As a warning to those of you who have either never experienced the "joys" of giving birth or just don't want to hear about, may I encourage you to skip this entry altogether. I'll give you a heads-up: it ends with Devon being born. This is to be the full "gory" account; just remember, if you regret reading it later, you were warned.

So, I'm admitted to Dekalb Medical Center around 12:30 pm on the 5th. Bill drops me off at the maternity ward and goes to park the car. Instead of the well-imagined midnight frantic run to the hospital, I instead calmly go to maternity admissions, present my induction orders from the doctor, and wait for Bill to return from the parking deck. He's back in about 15 minutes (it's a long way to the deck) bearing my labor bag, which was packed & ready to go in the car already. Thank God for that!

There are no labor & delivery rooms available yet, so I'm taken to an antipartum room on the floor below to hang out & wait. And wait. And wait. It's very boring. I'm hooked up to a fetal monitor, so I'm not allowed to even shift positions in the bed without calling the nurse. After a few hours of this, I'm already sore and irritable. This is not how things were supposed to go! Still, I remain calm & watch TV with Bill. It should also be noted that I'm hungry, as the only thing I've had to eat since the day before is a biscuit for breakfast around 9 am. I certainly wasn't expecting to have to go to the hospital following my doctor's appointment; I was expecting to go out to lunch & then home again!

Around 8pm, a labor room finally comes empty & I'm moved upstairs to spacious "digs". It has a shower & a small fridge & a bed for Bill. Sadly, I can't enjoy any of these things as I'm once again strapped down to the bed with fetal monitors. An IV is started, since they won't give me any food. They also begin pumping me full of magnesium sulfate, which is a muscle relaxer designed to make it easier to give birth & to help keep my blood pressure down. I'm also given a tablet of some sort (I forget the medication name) to ripen the cervix and to start contractions, as my body is actually no where near ready to give birth yet despite what the doctors may want.

By this point, I've begun to start crying. Nothing is going the way I planned, and the number of medications and medical interventions is increasing by the hour. So much for my dream of natural childbirth! The nurse offhandedly mentions that most doctors just prescribe high-blood pressure medicine first for women in my position instead of inducing labor. I start really bawling at this point. After a bit, I call the nurse to help me go to the bathroom (don't forget that I'm tied down to monitors, not to mention an IV) and she refuses. She says that I'm not even allowed that small joy any more as the magnesium makes it too unsafe for me to walk. She brings a bed pan instead. This is the last straw! I can't even relax enough to use the bed pan (trying to pee while sitting in bed is psychologically too difficult for me to do, apparently) After the shift changes at midnight, I call again. The nurse who answers asks me if I'm allowed to get up. I sweetly assure her that I am, and she helps me to the bathroom. Never say that lying is all bad!

Mom showed up around midnight (she had hopped a bus within 20 minutes or so of getting the news that I was to be induced), which was a real blessing. This allowed Bill to get some sleep, while Mom sat up with me. I soon found that I had developed a major migraine, the result no doubt of a combination of exhaustion, hunger, tons of medicine, stiffness from not being allowed to move around, and my general stress/unhappiness over the state of affairs. Before long, I started vomiting (I do that when I get migraines, not to mention that the medicine designed to ripen the cervix has a side effect of nausea). The nurse gives me a pair of drugs, one designed to block pain and the other to reduce nausea. These drugs are gratefully welcomed, and allow me to get a few hours of much needed rest.

Well, 8 am finally rolls around. I'm still not having any contractions, but the nurse goes ahead and hooks me up to the pitocin (which mimics the chemical oxytocin, which starts contractions). Bill runs home for a shower & a change of clothes, as both the doctor & the nurses have assured us that it will be many, many more hours before anything serious occurs. The doctor says it will probably be 8-12 hours before I give birth, although it could be as much as a couple of days. Bored, sore, and feeling helpless, I settle in to wait.

Around 8:15 am (after Bill has gone home), another of my doctors comes in (I've been going to a group practice, so all 8 doctors in the practice are jointly "my obstetrician"). She suggests breaking my water, as it will likely speed up my labor by at least 2-3 hours. When I express my concerns about additional pain as without the water there to cushion labor is generally more painful, the doctor lets me make the choice. Already more than tired of lying on my side, I agree in the hopes that things will speed up. The doctor checks my cervix and it's still 2 cm. Sigh... no change at all. She then breaks the water, and boy is that gross! It doesn't hurt, in fact you can't feel it happening at all, but you do feel this gush of warm water come rushing out, all over your legs & the bed. Yuck!

It's less than 10 minutes before I feel the first contraction & it hurts! Before I know it, contractions are coming one after another so quickly & so hard that I can't cope. The nurse gives me another dose of the pain killer from the night before, but it doesn't help at all. In fact, all it does is make me fuzzy headed so I can't concentrate on dealing with the pain. Note to self: don't use narcotics during childbirth.

I don't remember much after that beyond incredible pain and lots of screaming. Bill arrived back at the hospital to discover me well in the throes of labor. I remember that he stayed calm and kept after me to do my breathing exercises, which helped for as long as I could concentrate on them. Sometime in the 9:45 am area, I told Bill that I couldn't take it anymore. Get me something to deal with the pain. He called in the nurse, and she checked my cervix. 8 cm! I had gone from 2 to 8! Generally, they say that it takes about an hour per centimeter, and I had done 6 in an hour and half. No wonder it hurt like hell! The nurse asked me if I wanted an epidural, as if I didn't get one then that I could have one later, but I decided against it as things were progressing so fast I hoped that it would all be over soon. By the way, if you don't already know, the goal is for the cervix to dilate to 10 cm and then the baby can pass through.

It wasn't long at all subjectively before I felt the urge to push, and I suddenly discovered why no one had really been able to describe what that feels like. The best I can say is that, much like having to go to the bathroom, when you gotta go, you gotta go. You just know it! Bill started telling me not to push until the doctor said so, & I fortunately was coherent enough to remember that was the rule, but I wasn't capable of doing much to stop that baby from coming out. I don't remember the next bit, but Mom says she called the nurse in to get the doctor. Apparently, the nurse rather condescendingly agreed to check, as according to their records I had been 2 cm at 8:15 and she was sure that I couldn't be fully dilated yet. She checked, her face froze, she checked again, and said "this baby's ready to come!" She went running out of the room for the doctor, who was apparently busy helping someone in the next room deliver. Fortunately, there was another one of the doctors from my practice at the hospital and she was called in instead.

The first thing I remember after needing to push was the bed suddenly being rearranged and the end being taken apart so the doctor could get access. People were yelling "push!" and I remember thinking "Thank God! It's about time!" It's interesting, but the big thing I had always feared about giving birth was the actual exiting of the baby. But, I was so relieved by this time that things were almost done, I was ecstatic about it. Alas, I was really too tired to push much, but fortunately for me, Devon didn't need much help. About all I had to do was relax all the muscles and out he came. It hurt, but like I said before, I knew things were almost over so it was a pain that I could deal with. I heard "Stop pushing! A loop and a hand!" (Devon was born with his left hand alongside his face.) There was a brief pause while the doctor pulled the umbilical cord from around his neck and then suddenly the rest of him came out without any prompting from me at all. Devon was all white (from the vernix) and a little blue around the edges, but I could tell right then that he was beautiful.

In a surprise bit of bravery, Bill cut the cord (despite all the blood & goop of childbirth), and the baby was whisked away to be observed for a few moments. The nurse said that since I had all that magnesium in my system that they needed to watch him for a few moments to be sure it hadn't affected him. Meanwhile, the placenta came out (another strange experience - like passing a big blood clot) and the doctor sewed up my tears (which she said weren't too bad). The stitches hurt a great deal despite the topical anesthetic; I could feel it every time that needle went into my skin.

After a bit, they brought Devon over to be held. He scored an 8 on his first APGAR test (given one minute after birth to assess his condition on a scale of 1-10) and a 9 on the second (given after five minutes). I was told not to breastfeed him yet, as they wanted the approval of my pediatrician (again, due to all the magnesium in my system and a fear of it passing through the milk to Devon). He was the most beautiful baby ever born! I was exhausted due to having crammed 8-12 hours of labor into 2 and a half hours (Devon was born at 10:39 am, and remember that my water was broken around 8:15 am), starving, and still somewhat in pain, but it was all worth it! Bill, Mom, and I just kept passing Devon around while I cried and cried!

October 30-November 5 (weeks 38-39)

I'm writing this at the end of November as much as happened in the last month. I figured I'd go back and fill in the missing time, though, for future record and for those of you more out of touch than others.

I went to the doctor on the day before Halloween (this being a Thursday), and discovered that suddenly my blood pressure had jumped from 130/80, where it had been for pretty much the whole pregnancy, to 140/90 in just a week. The doctor asked me if I was still working, and when I told her I was, she said "not any more!" I was sentenced to bed rest. In addition, I was sent to the hospital for additional testing, as the doctor feared pre-eclampsia. After several boring hours at the hospital and a great deal of blood being drawn, they could find no further symptoms. As I was only dilated 1 centimeter, the doctors decided against induction at this time.

On Friday, Bill and I suddenly closed on the house! Sneaking off bed rest to do so (with my doctor's permission, it should be noted), the big day finally happened. We're home owners! Sadly, I don't have permission to continue staying off bed rest, so I return home to celebrate the big day with no dinner out at a restaurant and missing the Weddington's Halloween party. Sniff! I had finally come up with a costume, too. I planned on wrapping myself in bandages, and telling people I was a mummy-in-training (mummy-mommy; get it?)

The rest of the weekend passes slowly and boring. Frustrated at bed rest, I hold out hope that I'll be given a reprieve on Monday and allowed to return to work. Sadly, it was not to be. At the doctor's on Monday, it's discovered that my blood pressure has risen even higher, although I still show no additional symptoms of pre-eclampsia. The baby is monitored, and Devon still seems healthy. It's back home to bed. Sigh...

After another two grueling days of rest, I have another appointment. Seriously, though, if you've never been condemned to days of bed rest, it's not only boring after a very brief time, it's also somewhat painful lying around all the time, especially when nine months pregnant. I don't recommend it. Anyway, at Wednesday's appointment, my blood pressure goes up still more. The doctor decides it's time to induce labor although I'm still only about 2 cm dilated.

October 23 (week 37)

I've just been too busy to write recently, so I'll try to get caught up on everything that's been happening.

I had a cold for a few weeks (another reason for not writing), which was very mild but just wore me down. It was the final straw, and really pushed me over the edge into deep sleep mode for a while.

Had a second baby shower on the 11th, hosted by Holly and planned by Trace. It was delightful! We had cake and everything. I really appreciated everyone coming out to see us.

Doctor visits continue, as I now have one a week until Devon is born. As a note for the future, though my doctors are rather liberal, I still don't like the amount of control I will be missing by having my baby in the hospital under their care. For example, I was informed today that I would be hooked up to the fetal monitoring device as soon as I arrived in the hospital, and that if all was well, after 20 minutes they would unhook me. Yet, the latest studies show that a nurse with a Doppler or fetoscope can be just as effective at monitoring & assessing the baby's condition as electronic monitoring, which restricts movement. Also, I'm displeased that the doctors won't seem to concede the fact that I don't want an IV hooked up to me, and are insistent about it no matter what. My other bit of displeasure comes from the fact that I see a different doctor every time I go. While there are decided advantages to a group practice (I can almost always get an appointment whenever I like & I don't have to worry about someone I've never met before helping to deliver my baby), there's a great feeling of discontinuity as well as impersonal treatment. Next time, I'm going to struggle tooth and nail until I find a good midwife instead of doctors and birthing center instead of the hospital. The tricky part is getting the insurance to pay for it. But, it'll be worth all the searching & paperwork & stuff.

The house closing has been delayed due to unfinished paperwork on the seller's side. Grrrr!!! At this rate, I may not be a homeowner before Devon's born.

Work is going fine. I find that I have less energy and less interest in it these days. It's hard to focus on work when all I can think about is a combination of how uncomfortable it is being 9-months pregnant & daydreaming about Devon.

October 9 (week 35)

Let's see... what exciting happenings are there to report... This week's journal will be short, as I'm feeling pressed for time.

We're finishing up the last of the paperwork on the house. We still need to settle on some homeowner's insurance. Work continues to be busy, especially since Louis is out today and tomorrow, and Fred is out tomorrow & Monday.

Had a small baby shower at Kelly's house in Easley Friday night (my ex-stepsister). It was very lovely! Granny and Francis were there, as was Amynda (Bruce had a cold). Even Angie (formerly known as Clark) was there.

We had the last of the childbirth classes on Tuesday. Sadly, the pregnancy massage class was cancelled yet again, so we'll get our money refunded but there will be no massaging :-( Fortunately, Bill has learned some massage techniques from the childbirth class.

We settled on a name, finally! Albert is no longer to be Albert, but instead shall henceforth be known as Devon Kenneth Sligh (he'll go by Devon for day-to-day usage). We just liked the way Devon sounded, and Kenneth is for my grandfather, whom I still miss greatly! We even bought letters to hang on the wall, with little Pooh Bears on them of course, that spell out his first and middle name.

I think that Devon may have dropped yesterday. I can't be sure, but I have this really uncomfortable pressure on my pelvis that hasn't been there before, I have to go to the bathroom about every hour, and the constant feeling of being off-balance and getting ready to fall forward has increased ten-fold. On the plus side, I didn't practically start hyperventilating while walking back from the restaurant today from lunch and my back isn't hurting for the first time in months. I'm waddling MUCH more all of a sudden (Bill said he noticed it today, so it's not my imagination), but it's actually easier to walk since my back doesn't hurt. All in all, I'm still uncomfortable, but it's a different uncomfortable to get used to. I'm still not sure how I feel about it.

I had many, many false contractions on both Tuesday and Wednesday. They seem to have passed today, but I wonder if they had to do with Devon dropping. Still, though, they have made me a little nervous that Devon may actually have decided to come early. While I'm certainly tired of being pregnant, I don't want him to show up TOO early, as that's not good for him. At the very least, I would like to close on the house before he's born.

October 2 (week 34)

I've been much too busy recently to write. Many exciting things are happening...

The childbirth classes continue to be moderately interesting, although tiring. It's awfully difficult to summon the energy to go to a 3 hour class after a full day's work. There's been more massage lessons, more breathing exercises, and Tuesday night we watched a movie of women giving birth. Boy, those things just slip right out once the shoulders are cleared!

Had another doctor's appointment today. I don't actually have one next week, but the week after that I start going every Thursday to be inspected. Today went well; blood pressure was 120/80 (normal), I've put on 3 and half pounds in the last two weeks for a total gain of 8 and a half (the doctor praised my weight control), and my tummy measured 34 centimeters (right on target).

Work has been busy, and we've been putting in extra hours to get everything done. Just what I need - more things to do. I've also been busily putting together sets of instructions for all the specific things that I do around the office so that while I'm out, someone can fill in for me with the least amount of disruption needed.

The house buying is going well. Our loan was approved yesterday (woo hoo!) and we are scheduled to close at 9 am on Oct 22 (changed from both the original tentative date of the 30th, and the then from the 17th as the owner will be out of town then). Ginger & I have always planned to own our house before having children; I just never imagined we'd time it this closely :-)

Still, there are many things left to do. We have to clean the house, mow the lawn, find a pediatrician, begin exploring options for what to do with Albert after I return to work, actually settle on a name for him before he really ends up being called Albert, Christmas shopping, some financial re-juggling that I want to do (reallocating how much goes to which savings accounts, possibly setting up a college account for Albert, etc...), the last of the baby shopping, a baby shower or two, the last of the decorating for the nursery, and so many other things. On the plus side, I have already resigned myself to the fact that I can't do it all and it won't all happen. So, while I'm rushing around getting things done, I'm also perfectly willing to accept that nothing else will occur before he's born if that's the way it turns out. Really, in many ways, I'll just be glad when he's here, I'm not pregnant anymore, and the pressure is gone to accomplish things :-)

September 23 (week 33)

Time is ticking slowly by. I've been pregnant forever. Sigh...

Our first childbirth class was okay. I don't feel like I got a great deal out it, although it was reassuring to know that I was familiar with essentially everything the woman talked about. We did some breathing exercises, and then she showed the partners how to do some massage techniques to help relieve labor pain. That was my favorite part! On the plus side, Ginger seems to be getting a great deal out of the class, particularly because he's beginning to feel like he'll be able to do useful things to help when the Big Moment arrives. If nothing else, the money and the time is worth it for that.

Last week's doctor's appointment went fine, as usual. I've gained another 3 pounds in the last 3 weeks for a grand total of +5. Starting next week, I'm scheduled to go every week until Albert arrives.

I had my first pregnancy craving yesterday - I thought I'd die if I just didn't get some cottage cheese right then. Fortunately for me, I suppose, there was really no cottage cheese to be had and the moment passed quickly.

The cats went to the vet yesterday amongst great protesting. We were forced to feed them some shrimp at dinner to make it up to them.

The big news of the week is that things are finally progressing on the mortgage for the house. We've done preliminary paperwork, and we were supposed to be filling out more definitive things (I'm not certain exactly what), but the package from the mortgage broker never arrived. She's tracking it now to see what became of it. Overall, I'm very excited and happy, as this has been hanging over our heads for months. The broker estimates that we should be able to close by the end of October! Yay us! 

September 15 (week 32)

Spent a lovely weekend with Mom, who hopped a bus to Atlanta to visit with me. We went to the American Baby Faire on Saturday, a collection of vendors selling products aimed at newborns to toddlers (or so). The very best part was the Baby Derby. They had crawling races, with the parents of the winners getting gift certificates to Babies R Us. The most interesting vendor (to me) was a place called Circumfort, which sells topical anesthetic kits for circumcision. Very interesting; I'm thinking about buying a kit.

I spent a lovely day yesterday with Bill. We went to go see Sinbad at the dollar movies, and then we got a Pooh jigsaw puzzle from Toys R Us which looks like Pooh from a distance, but up close is made up of tiny stills from the Winnie the Pooh movie (the original one). It's very attractive. Bill & I are slowly putting it together, and I'm thinking about gluing it when we're done to hang on Albert's wall.

The first childbirth class is tomorrow night. I'm to bring 4 pillows, a blanket, and snacks. I'm intrigued about what you actually do with 4 pillows. 2, I could see, but 4 seems a bit excessive. I guess we'll find out.

Thea has the sniffles. Poor kitten! Little does she know that's all that saved her from going to the vet today for her annual shots, as we didn't want to infect all the other kitties at the vet. We've rescheduled for next Monday.

September 5 (week 30)

Just heard from the nurse, who actually gave me the results of the diabetes test. Here are the four blood drawings with the number in parentheses after it being the max allowed. Test 1 - 87 (105). Test 2 - 111 (190). Test 3 - 141 (165). Test 4 - 173 (145). Strange. It went up every hour, instead of peaking in test 2 and then dropping again. No wonder the doctor gave me such a strange look. I really must discover if stress or sickness can affect the test, although the doctor denied it.

September 4 (week 30)

It's been a busy week; haven't had time to write earlier. Doctor appointment this morning was the fastest ever. I arrived 15 minutes late to my 8 o'clock appt & still made it to work by 9. I've gained a pound in the last two weeks, and blood pressure is fine. I got back the results of the blood sugar test, and passed. However, apparently the final blood drawing was very abnormal, so the doctor recommended that I follow the diabetic diet for the duration of the pregnancy anyway (although I don't of course have to do blood sugar tests & I suppose that if I cheat, no one will know except me).

Speaking of the diabetes test, it went much better than last time. Really, it was about as pleasant as a horrible experience can be. The nurse was very nice, had an excellent bedside manner (particularly when I told her how nervous I was), and she was very competent. The pain was minimal, as was the bruising afterwards, and I only ended up with 4 holes in my arms & hands this time, as opposed to seven last time.

The dresser for the nursery arrived last night. Pre-assembled. I thought Bill was going to kill himself carrying it up the stairs by himself, but he has survived. Barely. He's complaining of sore arms this morning. The dresser is absolutely beautiful! We spent the evening last night arranging and re-arranging where Albert's various baby things would go, now that we have the nursery furniture done. Also, I picked up a small, collapsible bookcase to go next to my glider. I'm currently using it as a chair-side table, but when the glider leaves the nursery, it'll probably actually get used as a bookcase instead, as I plan for Albert to have lots and lots of books. Things left to do in the nursery - make the dust ruffle for the crib, paint the shelf in the closet, repair the drilling holes left in the wall from one of Bill's "incidents", and decide on the wall decorations. I'm contemplating picking up some more of the same fabric that the curtain & dust ruffle are made from, in case I decide to make any small matching accessories.

Financial/house preparations are progressing; we plan to talk to a mortgage officer next week. We've also been cleaning the house, and getting rid of stuff. Promina and BlueCross came to a last minute decision, so my hospital & doctors are back on the plan. That's a relief. Finally, I've been spending time over the last few days working on my Pooh latchhook. I'm about a quarter of the way through it.

August 25 (week 29)

My last appointment went well, as usual. I've put on another half pound, which makes a total weight gain of one pound. Blood pressure still fine. Heartbeat good (Albert's, that is; they never test mine). I discovered why the nurse never called me back to schedule the appointment - she apparently left (either fired or quit). So, they have a new schedule person named Pam. I've arranged to take the diabetes test tomorrow morning at a different lab, which is conveniently close to my house. I've scheduled the whole day off work, as I'm assuming that I'll feel miserable again afterwards from the combination of fasting, blood drawing, the nasty sugar drink, and the stress.

I finished the curtain for the nursery, and it's very handsome! I haven't started on the matching dust ruffle yet, but maybe this weekend. Rather than lots of nursery stuff and baby stuff, Bill and I have spent more time recently looking at finances in preparation for the final push on closing the house. Talk about stress!

The big pregnancy news this week is that Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Georgia has failed to negotiate a deal with Promina (a healthcare group that owns a number of hospitals & has exclusive privileges with some doctors). Guess whose hospital is falling off her insurance plan at the end of September? That's right; mine! (Dekalb Medical Center) There are provisions for allowing me to continue with my current doctors & hospital because it's already arranged, but it will require lots of effort on my part to make sure that all the paperwork gets followed-up on. Just what I need; more things to do & worry about!

August 18 (week 28)

Still haven't had the diabetes test again. The nurse was supposed to call me back on Wednesday to schedule a lab visit, but never did. Not being particularly eager to have this done, I haven't pursued the matter. Besides, I have another appointment this Thursday (the first of the appointments only two weeks apart), so I figure I'll get it scheduled then.

Nursery work continues, although at a more leisurely pace. We added some more shelves above where the changing table will go, so we can put wipes & cream & stuff there within easy reach. We've replaced the blinds in there as the old ones were filthy, had paint splatters from where the current owner had bothered to take them down before repainting the house, and ivory colored to boot (the rest of the room is white). We've added a curtain rod for a valance, but I'm still working on making that. We also got enough fabric to make a pretty two-layered dust ruffle for the crib. Mmmmmm... happiness is getting a nursery set up & ready to be used. All we need now are the curtains & the dust ruffle made, painting the shelf in the closet, and the dresser to arrive. We've temporarily decided against stenciling the walls, as now that we've added several sets of shelves & looked at the things that we have to decorate the walls, we think it'll be unnecessary & crowded-looking. We still might change our minds back again later, of course.

I'm feeling much better these days. I'm getting around fairly well, although I need to rest frequently when exerting myself. I still can't lean over very well without getting dizzy or my tummy hurting, though. I occasionally get pangs in my stomach, which I think may be Braxton-Hicks contractions, based on descriptions. I'll ask my doctor about it on Thursday. All the books say it's nothing to worry about, but I figure it can't hurt to mention to the doctor.

10 to 14 weeks to go...

August 12 (week 27)

Let's see... it's been a few weeks since I've updated, so I have to try to remember everything that's been going on. I had a doctor's appt on the 8th - everything was fine. I've now actually officially gained weight, as I weigh a half a pound more than I did when I got pregnant. They tested all the usual things (blood pressure fine, no sugar in urine, uterine growth normal, & Albert's heartbeat is normal). They also tested my iron levels, which they report as fine (unusual since I've always had problems with anemia). I now have to start having appointments every two weeks instead of every four. Sigh... Also, sometime later this week I have to have the diabetes test again (for the short version of the horror story from last time, see April 29/Week 12). Yuck!!!!!!

Ginger & I have been working on the nursery, and it's been lots of fun. We painted the trim on the room & this weekend we'll hopefully be stenciling little bees & ladybugs & snails & beetles (Rabbit's Friends-and-Relations) on the walls. It'll be very cute! Bill hung some shelves in there, and we took the doors off the closet to open up the room a bit. After extensive shopping around the city, we found a combo dresser/changing table that we like, only apparently cherry finish (to match the crib) is the least popular finish, so we have to special order. It's scheduled to arrive by November 12th (that's 3 days before Albert is due to arrive, it should be noted). Hopefully, it will get in sooner than that.

I'm now into the third trimester. Very scary. The whole reality of labor & delivery has begun to loom on the horizon, while my stomach has begun to loom as well. On one hand, I can't believe that I still have three more months to go, as my belly probably can't take it & I know that my patience can't. On the other hand, three months is a painfully short time to get everything done. Every time I take something off of my to-do list, I add three things.

Physically, I'm probably doing about the best that I have since the morning sickness set in so many moons ago. I get tired easily, and I tend towards back aches & stomach cramps when I walk too much, but overall I have lots more enthusiasm & energy for doing things. Albert apparently has decided on a full body workout prior to birth & wakes up every hour or so to do flips, stretches, and kicks. While I'm still not so pregnant that I find it cute (apparently later it can really get painful), it can still be uncomfortable at times & make me suddenly yelp. Slightly difficult to explain that sort of thing while working :-)

Albert has definitely become a real little person in my mind. Already he seems to have personality and moods. For example, he gets very riled up when I eat ice cream & other cold things, and he definitely has strong opinions about me rolling from one side to the other in the night. 

July 29 (week 25)

Went to Charleston this past weekend. Nana and Mom bought me (well, technically they are for Albert) lots of cute baby clothes. I've gleefully hung them up in the closet, but I'm dissatisfied with my baby hangers, which came with the clothes, & I must get new cheerful ones. Maybe at the Container Store...

I've been busily working on trying to finish my baby registry at Babies R Us. And thinking about a dresser. And contemplating a pediatrician. And thinking about budgeting next year. So much to do!

I've been feeling MUCH better recently. I'm still tired a lot, but I suspect that is helped by my still irregular eating habits. There are just times when I can't eat. Also, I have a very annoying heat rash that just won't quite go away. I have high hopes of beating it back eventually, though, as it seems to have improved some in the last couple of days.

July 21 (week 24)

Well, after the slimiest ultrasound ever, many minutes of anxiety, a quick trip to the bathroom, and having to lie on my side for a bite to get the baby to move enough to see the "naughty bits", the final determination is in. It's a boy! Ginger and I are currently using the working name of "Albert" (not that we like it at all, but November 15th is Albert the Great's saint day, which makes it as good of a working name as any). We've been pouring over baby name books ever since, debating what names we like. We are still very, very far from any decision, even a tentative one.

Went to the RELIC event this weekend; VERY fun but EXTREMELY tiring. If I had any doubts at all, this weekend settled them. No more larping until after the baby is born. And then we'll just have to see.

July 16 (week 23)

Been dreadfully swamped at work recently & I've had no time to write at all. Apologies to my many fans who have been waiting anxiously for the latest installment:-)

 Had another check-up last week. Blood pressure fine. Put on a couple of pounds since last month, although that still leaves me one pound short of where I was when I started this. The doctor says that's just fine, though. Had my stomach measured & was declared to be "on track". Listened to the heartbeat again, which was around 140 (beats per minute? I'm not sure what that measurement indicates), which the doctor said was good. All in all, a quick, painless appointment.

Had a tour of Dekalb Medical Center's maternity ward last week, as well. Very exciting and very reassuring. We now know where to park, how to get in (they have a dedicated elevator straight to maternity for expectant moms), what the admission procedure is, and what the rooms look like (VERY spacious, at least to my untutored eye). I even got to fill out my preadmission forms, so all I have to do when the times comes is show my id.

I'm feeling MUCH better these days. Still feeling run down and tired, but not nearly so much. I suspect that much of that is due to some trouble sleeping. I'm hardly ever sick. The baby moves around a lot these days, causing trouble :-) It's very sweet, although frequently distracting.

I'll write again tomorrow, as I'm off in the morning to Fetal Fotos to learn the gender of the baby, assuming it cooperates this time. Very exciting stuff, this!

June 23 (week 20)

Got back the results of the AFP test today (alpha-fetoprotein; a blood test which screens for neural tube defects, Down's Syndrome, and some other possible complications). It was negative. I had to ask the nurse what that meant, as I've lost track with all the various tests that they've done, and she said that's good.

It's been a long week. We're moving the office, and that takes a lot of energy and time. I've been feeling definitely better, although still very tired most of the time. So much for the idea that the second trimester was filled with energy (that myth must be written by the same people who say that morning sickness ends after the first trimester). I haven't thrown up in a week & a half, since the night before the last doctor's appt, so that's good. I have had a spot of nausea, though.

I desperately need to go shopping for some more maternity clothes; I'm getting very limited in the number of outfits I can wear. Still, for about the first time, I got very excited about the baby (not to say that I'm not happy, but there's been so much to do & I've felt so miserable that I haven't really had time to just enjoy myself). I was sitting on the edge of the bed, and the baby was moving all about. All of a sudden, I just felt so happy and excited! Of course, this was quickly followed by overwhelming doubts & worries, but that's all normal, so they say :-) 

June 13 (week 18)

Second ultrasound appointment. As it turns out, the baby is very modest. The technician tried everything to get it to present itself properly for gender identification, but it was a no go. First, the baby is facing towards my spine, which not only means that the ultrasound is placed wrong but that not even a trans-vaginal ultrasound will detect. She pushed and prodded at my stomach and finally got the baby to shift enough to see the rear end, but by then the baby had put its hands between the legs and blocked the "view". Sigh... Still, it was lots of fun watching the baby move around, and then listening to the heartbeat (slower than last time but still definitely sounding fan-like). Mom has gotten us to look at the website of Fetal Fotos, which we may go to for the sex of the baby, as my insurance won't pay for another one anyway & this place, for less money, gives us a video, too.

The rest of the appointment went well. I had a blood test for the AFP4 screening. My weight was back up by 3 pounds from last visit, so that's good. My blood pressure was 117 over 81 (I think), so just fine there.

June 9 (week 18)

Felt the baby move for the first time last week (on the 2nd) while watching movies on the DVD!!! Bill's been patiently waiting for hours, and has felt it too a few times. Makes it feel like the baby's a real person now, instead of just a theoretical sort of thing. Since we felt the first movement, the baby moves around all the time, sometimes keeping me up at night.

Discovered over the weekend that much of my upset stomach must be coming from smells. I was at the state park for Wildlands with little food & even less sleep/rest, and had no upset stomach (except from the bananas; for whatever reason, bananas bothered me). On Friday before I left for the event, I had an upset stomach. Got to work this morning and I've been nauseated all day. On the plus side, we signed the new lease at work & we'll be moving to the new office within the month.

Ultrasound #2 on Friday.

June 2 (week 17)

Icky week. I had a cold. Nothing serious, but dreadfully annoying. It's once again thrown off my eating, & I suspect that I continue to lose weight. Not good for my overall health & energy levels. On the plus side, I saw Finding Nemo yesterday, which was very cute & lifted my spirits tremendously.

May 27 (week 16)

Well, the nausea is both better and worse. It's not longer my constant companion, but the trade-off seems to be that now whenever I even think about being sick, about anything distasteful, or even just cough, I immediately throw up. I'm not sure if this is an improvement or not. All the books say that almost all women get over most of their nausea by week 12. I guess I'm just one of the "lucky" ones. On the plus side, Ginger's been working on cleaning out the pool, so hopefully soon I'll get to start swimming. That'll be nice!

May 19 (week 15)

The past week has been tiring; I've had no energy at all. I haven't been sleeping well at all recently. Yesterday was a very bad day. I couldn't eat most of the day due to nausea, so predictably enough, I ended up throwing up again at 4 this morning. I'm still feeling very poorly. On top of everything else, the office flooded last Friday and it now reeks of mildew. I've had to move my computer into the back, keep a fan blowing in my face all day, and hold my breath every time I have to duck through the office.

On the good side, while Mom was in town, we've mostly gotten the nursery set-up. We have a crib, a car seat, a glider, many tiny cute baby items, and the nursery is now decorated in Winnie the Pooh - a light switch cover, a mobile, a nightlight, and Pooh border around the top of the room. It's very happy!!!!!!!!! 

Had my Month 4 doctor's appointment this morning. I've lost 5 pounds in the last month. Not good, although not tragic either as it was still the first trimester. Now, if I continue to loose weight, that's another story. My blood pressure is still good. The doctor said that the abdominal cramps are probably nothing to worry about. She also prescribed new nausea medicine and some new chewable vitamins, in the hopes of upsetting my stomach less. Then, we got to hear the baby's heartbeat for the first time! It goes so fast, it sounds almost like machinery whirring! :-) The next appointment, on June 13th, is the 2nd ultrasound & learning the sex of the baby (hopefully).

May 15 (week 14)

It suddenly occurred to me that I never included the results of the diabetes test in here, which I've actually known since a few days after the test. It was negative!!!! Apparently, the screening test was a fluke (of course, having just eaten a jelly biscuit right before the first test probably didn't help any :-) Of the 4 tests, here are the results with the max allowed after it in parentheses. Test 1 - 85 (105) Test 2 - 136 (190) Test 3 - 118 (165) Test 4 - 65 (145). They say that I have to have another of the full 3-hour tests around the 28th week or so. Grrrrrrrr!!!! I told them I wouldn't go back to that lab & instructed the nurse to find a different lab.

May 12 (week 14)

My new niece Penelope was born on my anniversary - May 1. She's so cute! Makes all the bad things seem worth it to hold her. Overall, things are going better. I had a really rough time last week with the nausea; it got so bad that I was living off of apple sauce and occasional pork chops for a week. Blah! The last few days have been much better. I'm still awfully tired, but the nausea is worlds improved. Mom is coming for a visit in a couple of days, and we're going shopping for baby things! Yesterday was my very first Mother's Day. Sadly, we didn't really end up doing anything exciting, but I was at the RELIC event in the morning and got to melt the minds of some cyberzombies, so that part was good :-)

April 29 (week 12)

Had the diabetes test. What a nightmare! First, they didn't let me eat or drink for 8 hours, so when they gave me the sugar drink, it made me very nauseated. As for the blood drawing itself,....shudder! The first time went okay, although painfully in the left elbow. After the first hour, they brought me back in again. The first attempt to draw blood through my right elbow was a complete failure. So was the next attempt through the back of the right hand (that one was particularly painful, as they put in the needle, decided that they couldn't find the vein, and then moved it around for a bit trying to locate it). The third try in round 2 finally worked in the back of the right hand. By the way, if you've never had blood drawn through the back of your hand, it's about a hundred times more painful than the elbows. So, another hour goes by. They try the back of the right hand again, since it was successful last time. The woman curses for a bit, then I hear "Uh oh" as I feel something warm running down my hand. "Sure is a lot of blood" is the nurse's comment, as we're both looking down at the puddle on the floor. Another attempt is made, this time successfully, into my right wrist. Remember what I said about how much the back of the hand hurts? Well, the wrist hurts that much again over the hand. So, the final blood taking has rolled around. By this time, I'm shaking and almost crying when they go to take it. They've broken me. I realize now that I will never last under torture. The woman slaps my arms and hands to try to get veins to show (I want you to imagine how bruised they are already), and then finally goes in to my right wrist. Again. What a horrible, horrible experience.

April 28 (week 12)

I received a call back from the doctor's office last Wednesday (the 23rd), who said that my diabetes screening had been positive (I got 148 with a max allowed of 129). I have to go back tomorrow for a more comprehensive diagnostic test. It involves not eating or drinking for 8 hours, then having more blood taken four times in three hours. Sigh... My arm is still bruised from giving blood last week. Wish me luck & hope that this test turns out negative.

April 21 (week 11)

Nausea medicine not nearly as effective as it was at first, as I'm still having terrible problems. The worst are the vitamins; they make me violently ill whenever I take them. I'll try a few more days, but if they are still causing problems, I'll have to contact the doctor to see if I should switch brands.

I'm not gaining any weight, like I'm supposed to, as I can't eat enough to gain weight. I'm also exhausted all the time, probably not helped any by the lack of food. The only thing that really seems to help is cold - ice water (either drinking it or splashing it on my face), Popsicles, air conditioning blasting cold, etc...

Also, doctor's appointment today for a physical & pap smear. My blood tests came back - negative on the syphilis, hepatitis B, and HIV. Blood tests report I'm immune to rubella. My blood type is O+ and the physical exam reported nothing unusual. I had a diabetes test done today, for which I'm supposed to hear the results in 2 weeks. The doctor tells me that the next ultrasound will be done at around 18 to 20 weeks (roughly around the middle to the end of June). Presumably I'll get to learn the sex of the baby then!

April 16 (week 10)

Nausea medicine seems to be working. I'm still somewhat sick, but not nearly as much. The pre-natal vitamins, however, taste awful and seem to be working against the nausea medicine. Oh, well.

April 15 (week 10)

First ultrasound appointment. Everything went well, and they reported that nothing looks out of place. The doctor confirmed my due date of November 15th, and gave me prescriptions for both pre-natal vitamins and for nausea medicine, Meclizine. Preliminary trial on the nausea medicine is doing wonders for me! For the first time in weeks, my nausea is almost gone. I'm going to actually attempt to eat tacos for lunch. Mmmmmm... tacos... Please note that in the picture, I didn't add the "BABY!" caption; the ultrasound technician did it.

April 9 (week 9)

Confessed my "guilty secret" to the office, as I couldn't take all the smelly foods around here and needed to beg people not to eat them. Met with squeals of approval. As expected, within five minutes of telling my co-workers, I was getting congratulatory calls and emails from all kinds of people who don't work here:-)

March 25 (week 7)

First doctor's appointment. Went to Atlanta Gynecology and Obstetrics, a multi-doctor practice recommended by Liz. Had an in-office pregnancy test, weight, height, blood pressure. At first, my blood pressure was high, but then they re-took it with a bigger cuff and it settled to a normal range. Had lots of blood taken for various tests, to which I should find the results at my April 21st appointment.

March 16 (week 6)

Told the family. Mom very excited and lays claim to the title "Grandmamma"

March 11 (week 5)

Confirmed the pregnancy with a home pregnancy test. Very nervous and anxious about all the stuff there is to do.