Waiting is hard!

Yesterday, I was scheduled for my follow up ultrasound to check on my cervical length.  It was a long and tough two weeks of waiting.  It made enjoying the holidays difficult with the worry of preterm labor and possible bed rest in my future.  I definitely didn't sleep much Tuesday night and decided to pack a small bag just in case I was sent to the hospital to be monitored or for steroid shots to help develop the Blue Bean's lungs.  We arrived a few minutes before my appointment at noon yesterday.  I was somewhat anxious and just wanted to get to it but that wasn't in the cards.  Due to an emergency ahead of me, it was after 1:15 pm before I was called back.  It was a nerve racking wait for sure but worth the wait.

Of course we got to see Blue Bean moving around.  The ultrasound tech said he was an active guy - a real mover and shaker I say.  Blue Bean looked good.  He is still head down and his heart is pumping away at 130 beats per minute.  And what we had been waiting for...my cervix length was 2.1 down from 2.5.  The good news is that this was not a significant change and puts me on the edge of having a short cervix.  There was no real change in the funneling from the last ultrasound.

After the ultrasound, we met with the Maternal-Fetal Medicine doctor, Dr. Singh.  The verdict was to continue with restricted activity.  I was so excited no bed rest.  Dr. Sigh indicated that there is no real research that shows that strict bed rest actually helps prolong labor over modifying activity.  I have to continue to watch for signs of preterm labor.  Given my current cervical length and being at the beginning of my third trimester (28 weeks today) I have a 80% chance of carrying Blue Bean to full term (37 weeks).  As Dr. Singh said, "we want to keep baby cooking as long as we can." 

While I believe I have been experiencing contractions, they are weak, short and few and far between.  My understanding this is pretty normal.  Your uterus "practices" for labor throughout the pregnancy.  If I feel more than 5 in hour I am suppose to call in and see if the doctor wants to have my contractions monitored.

I definitely feel a great deal of relief after this ultrasound.  I have an appointment next Tuesday with my regular OB and will review the results with her but I don't anticipate any changes in recommendations.  Right before Christmas, I did a 3 hour glucose tolerance test (I failed the 1 hour glucose challenge screen).  The results came back that I do NOT have gestational diabetes which is also a relief.  One of my blood sugar levels came back abnormal so my OB is going to have me meet with a nutritionist.  The beginning of the new year is a great time to reevaluate your diet.

I think it is going to be a busy couple of weeks of pregnancy appointments.  OB appointment next week, childbirth classes next Saturday and Sunday, growth ultrasound in 2 weeks and nutritionist appointment to be scheduled.

I will keep you updated and have a Happy New Year!

One Year Ago...

One year ago this week, I had a follow up appointment with my endocrinologist to review the routine test results he had ordered a month earlier.  It was at this appointment that the endocrinologist told me my ovaries were failing.  The doctor felt really bad that he just blurted it out after he realized I didn't have any children and that I was hoping to have children.  At the end of the appointment he told me, "you prove me wrong, next December come back waddling off that elevator pregnant."   Since I suffer from polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) I have always known it might be difficult to conceive and add to that failing ovaries and I felt my chances of conceiving were low. 

On Monday, I return to the endocrinologist and I can't wait to see the doctor and show that I did just as he asked...I proved him wrong.  I will be waddling off that elevator with a big smile on my face.

25 Week Ultrasound Update

On Monday, December 12^th I had a growth scan to check on Blue Bean’s progress at 25 weeks.  The plan is for me to have ultrasounds every 4-6 weeks to check on Blue Bean’s growth because I am on a beta blocker for migraine prevention.  A Fetal-Maternal doctor (high risk doctor) is the one that reviews the ultrasound as the tech take the images.  It is nice to know they are monitoring Blue Bean’s so closely and I will take any chance I get to see my little guy.  The ultrasound showed that Blue Bean is doing great.  He weighed 1lb 14oz and is measuring right on for growth and development.  He was kind of shy at first and wouldn’t show his face.  He had is little hands up in front of his face but eventually the ultrasound tech got some really nice profile pictures.  It is really cool that you can see the heart pumping away and all four chambers are visible.  His heartbeat was 137 beats per minute which is good, a little slower than it had been but still good.  I am very happy with his progress and hopes he continues to develop on track.

In addition to checking Blue Bean’s growth they also checked my cervix.  The doctor did find that my cervix is thinning (also referred to as shortening) and funneling.  At 25 weeks, my cervix should be between 3-5 cm in length.  My cervix length was around 2.5 cm. With a short cervix I have a risk of preterm labor (premature labor) and I need to watch closely for signs I may be in labor. The funneling means that the cervix is thinning from inside out (or that is at least how I understand it) and increase a risk of premature membrane rupture.  The doctor decided it was best for me to restrict my activity over the next 2 weeks and then have my cervical length rechecked.  Since it is finals week at work and then the students will be gone, I pretty much can manage to work from my desk most of the day.  No lifting anything over 10 lbs, no long periods of walking or being on my feet, and no stairs (I can go up and down once a day at home).  When I am at home I am lying down or sitting.  There is definitely some nervousness and worrying going on but I will feel better when I have my follow up ultrasound on 12/28.  Bed rest is a possibility in the future, we will just have to wait and see.  I am asking Santa to keep little Blue Bean warm and cozy in my uterus as long as possible.

Picking a name

Picking a name for Blue Bean would have been very easy if he was going to be a she.  Months before I was pregnant, I had said to Mark that if we have a girl I wanted to name her after strong women in our lives.  I knew immediately that I would want to name our daughter after my grandma Liptak and Mark's cousin Leigh.  Both are women who have amazing strength and have endured their share of life's little bumps but are truly fighters and women of great character.  My grandma goes by Laura but when I was doing genealogy work found out her given name is Leokadia (pronounced le-aw-KAHD-yah) which is Polish and means "bright and clear."  Using Leigh and Leokadia we decided on the name Lea Kadia Swafford.


Now picking a name for a baby boy has not been quite as easy.  Before we knew the gender of the baby we had gone through a number of names.  We were mostly looking at Irish/Gaelic names for a first name.  We knew the middle name would be James after my dad, so that was the easy part.  So once we found out we were having a boy we have focused on picking a first name.  So here are the names from the poll:


Connor - lover of dogs
Owen - young warrior
Patrick - nobleman
James - supplantar 


While we haven't come to a final decision, we have narrowed it down to either Owen or Patrick.  We will wait till the baby is born to decide on his name so at least there will be some surprise for everyone.

So many reasons to be thankful!

On this Thanksgiving I realized there are so many reasons to be thankful this year.  I am thankful for...

Mark finding a new job!  Mark will start his new job at Allstate the Monday after Thanksgiving.  This is definitely a new career path for him but one he is very much looking forward to pursuing.  He will be doing risk assessment out of the Allstate offices in Hudson.  The perfect location since Mark will be able to drop our little one off at my parents on his way to work.

a great anatomy scan on October 31st.  The big news from the anatomy scan of course is that we are having a boy!  But most importantly the ultrasound showed that baby's development is on track and that he is doing well.  I will have two additional growth scans, one at 25 weeks (Dec. 12th) and another around 31/32 weeks.

great parents who love and support me.  This fall has definitely been a time of change for Mark and I.  As we experience the bumps in the road and detours along the way, my parents have been right there beside us.

a great place to call home!  Mark and I have been renting a condo from one of the pharmacists I worked with at CVS.  I can't tell you how many times we have changed our plans to move or stay.  It is so nice to have a landlord that is flexible.  The last thing we need to worry about right now is where we are going to live.

wonderful and supportive friends.  Friends truly our like family for us.  We celebrate our victories together and comfort each other when needed.

feeling my little guy moving around.  Feeling those little kicks and punches is just a reminder of my baby growing and developing.  I can't wait for him to be born.

new tires on the Civic.  I know it might be silly but with a winter of commuting from Stow to downtown Cleveland good quality tires become very important.

There are many more things I am thankful for this year but I will leave it at that.  I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving!  Mark and I will be celebrating with my parents, Uncle Dave and Grandma Gedeon.  A small gathering this year but we will be thinking of our family and friends celebrating with others today.  We will also be headed over to the Lehrman's house for a visit with Kelly and her family.  Looking forward to seeing all the kids, reminds me what I have to look forward to in the future.  Tomorrow we will be skipping the Black Friday shopping and head out to visit Grandma Liptak and maybe a rousing game of Bonko.

Finally, today Mark and I are thankful for our health.  We think of our friends Angelo and Jen Merendino who are fighting the battle they didn't choose...Jen's battle with chronic cancer.  Please check out there story at http://www.angelomerendinophoto.com.  A reminder of how precious life is and how love is sometimes all you need.

Happy Thanksgiving!

PS - Don't forget to vote in the poll!

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Random Updates

The big news...my anatomy scan is scheduled for Monday, October 31st.  We are hoping little Blue Bean will cooperate and reveal his/her gender.  I am such a planner and this not knowing is driving me crazy. 

Some good news...the morning sickness seems to be fading away.  I am almost completely off the Zofran and hoping it will all be a distant memory soon.

Not so good news...the migraines have become almost daily at this point.  My OB gave me a new medicine to get rid of the migraines but decided to send me to the neurologist to see if there was another way to attack the migraines.  So after a very thorough neurological exam, the neurologist suggested using a preventative daily medication.  After getting approval from my OB and the Fetal-Maternal doctor, I am hoping by Monday that the headaches will also be a distant memory.  The doctors did decide to schedule an additional growth ultrasound at 32 weeks just to be on the safe side.  I welcome any extra ultrasounds!

Lucky news...last weekend Mark and I went to the Babies R Us Registry event.  It was pretty blah but got some free stuff and signed up for a raffle.  Got a call later that evening that I had won the raffle.  I won this really cute diaper wreath complete with Avent bottles and pacifiers. 

Happy news...our friends Joe and Julie Geniec dreams of becoming parents have come true as they have been united with their adoptive daughter, Lauren in China.  We are very happy and excited for all of them.  We wish them safe travels in China and as they return home.

Ongoing news...Mark has been hard at work looking for employment.  We appreciate all those who have passed along opportunities and provided suggestions.  Mark had two interviews this week and we are thinking positive thoughts that an opportunity will come his way soon.

Let the countdown continue...18 weeks and 2 days

The Drive

When we started on this journey, I thought it was going to be easy.  Let's just say I have been completely proven wrong over the last 2 months.  I guess I was hoping our journey would be like driving from Cleveland to Bowling Green, straight, flat and smooth.  I am finding the journey is more like the drive up Pike's Peak mountain in Colorado, full of switchbacks, crazy heights, and rough terrain.  I must say the reward at the end of the drive up Pike's Peak is wonderful.  Beautiful views, yummy doughnuts and of course all the 'I survived the drive" gear (and I have the magnet to prove it).  With all that being said I know that when we come to the end of our this journey we will have the most amazing and life changing reward of all, our child.  I know when we look back it will be totally worth it, this is what keeps me going day after day.  At the end of our journey, we will forget about all the twists and turns and bumps in the round and be completely in awe of our wonderful reward.

Okay, I am done being metaphoric.  I have continued to battle the nausea and vomiting over the last month.  I think it is getting better but it still has kept me away from work more than I care to be.  I have also started having migraines which the doctor gave me meds to help with.  I must say I am not sure what is worst the migraine or the zombie the medicine turns me into.  Luckily, most of the migraines hit me in the late afternoon and evening so that don't interfere too much with work.  Given the fact that I have exhausted all my paid time off, any day I don't work is a day without pay.  Since I have been at my job less than a year, I don't qualify for the Family Medical Leave Act.  It is somewhat of a scary situation but just part of the journey. 

I lied, back to the metaphor.  The latest bump in the road, Mark is now unemployed.  So we are taking a little detour in our journey.  It is kinda like getting lost along the way.  Luckily, we have lots of people who are helping us navigate this detour.

Our journey is definitely turning out to be an adventure.  One which we are tackling together.  This journey has brought us closer as a couple and reminded us how much we need each other.  We are reminded each day that life is full of opportunities and you can't let them pass you by.

Being forgetful about being forgetful

I have read lots about how during pregnancy women become forgetful.  Well, I figured it would be no big deal because I lived with brain fog from the fibro so long.  I guess I was wrong.  Over the last week, I have found myself thinking oh wow I forgot to do this that or the other.  I thought I would share those moments with you...too bad I can't remember what I forgot!  I guess I am going to stop relying on my memory and start writing things down.  Hopefully, I won't forget anything important.  Has me wondering...maybe my doctor is pregnant and that is why she forgot about me.

And the doctor forgot about me...

Today, I had my monthly prenatal appointment.  I had been having a rough couple of days because the all day sickness returned after a 4 day break and then started having migraines which kept me in the dark and quiet of my bedroom.  Add to that I seemed to be more emotional today than usual.  Since I wasn't feeling well at all I called my mom to take me up to the doctors.

The appointment was going smoothly, I answered all the doctors questions and she answered mine.  Then it was time to hear the baby's heartbeat.  I got up on the table and she spread the goo on my tummy.  She was moving the doppler around but couldn't find anything.  After a few minutes of trying, she decided an internal would be needed.  So she gave me a sheet and told me to undress from waist down and she would be back.  I did as I was told.  I wasn't too worried at first about her not being able to find the heartbeat because I have a tilted uterus which makes external ultrasounds/doppler difficult in early pregnancy.

I have no clue how much time passed since there wasn't a clock in the room and my phone was in my purse.  The longer I waited the more worried I got.  I started thinking maybe the doctor is worried there is no heartbeat and she had to consult someone.  So many thoughts went through my head as I sat there waiting.  With no sense of time, I had no idea if it had been 15 minutes or 1 hour.  At one point in time the nurse knocked and came in and said she didn't know if I was still in the room or not and was just checking.  I told her I was waiting for the doctor to return.  So I waited some more.  If I had to guess I probably waited a total of 45 minutes.

Finally, I hear a knock and the doctor comes in with a puzzled look on her face.  She says, "Oh, you are still here, are you waiting on your flu shot?"  My response, "no I am waiting for you to return to get an internal view of the baby because you couldn't find the heartbeat."  That is when she tells me, "I completely forgot about you, I am so sorry."  She then proceeded to tell me that when she left me to undress she got pulled in on an emergency and then to the next patient.  It was clear she felt horrible and said next time if I am waiting that long come tell someone.  The bonus of my long wait and all the worrying was I got another ultrasound.  I got to see blue bean and see the little heart beating strong.  So while it was a very long appointment in the end I left knowing my blue bean is doing well.

Cravings

I have to say I have had my share of cravings over these last 12 weeks.  My first craving was for steak-ums.  Trust me I am so over this now but for about 4 weeks I was in steak-um heaven.  I probably hadn't had one in about 10 years so I thought it was a weird craving.

My second craving was for all things toasted.  Ran into a small problem, we didn't own a toaster so I had to go out and buy one.  So armed with my new toaster, off I went to the store to buy toasting material.  I got waffles, cinnamon bagels and white bread (for peanut butter toast).  Waffles have become my got to carb when I am feeling nauseous.  I have discovered that waffles are one of the foods you shouldn't buy generic stick with the Eggos at least when you are trying to please a pregnant lady.

My most recent craving has been for things lemon/lime flavored.  I found myself ordering lemonade all the time at restaurants.  And then I realized that drinking lemonade or ice tea with lemon helped with the nausea.  We now have fridge packed with lemonade and ice tea to keep me happy.  I have moved beyond beverages to other things flavored lemon/lime.  Let's see key lime pie, key lime pie ice cream, lemon cake, and lemon bars.

I will be interested to see what other cravings pop up throughout my pregnancy.  Mark has promised no matter the craving he will make a late night trip to the grocery store whenever needed.  For some reason he believes that all of a sudden I will develop a love of hot dogs (which I can't stand).  I can guarantee this won't happen, I can't even stand the smell of hot dogs.

12 weeks but the roughest week yet

So today, I am at the 12 week mark!  Very exciting but it has been one tough week.  Last week, I enjoyed a week almost free from overwhelming morning sickness.  I really thought the worst of it was behind me.  I should have knocked on wood.  So the morning sickness returned with vengeance on Monday followed shortly by some type of stomach virus.  This has probably been the most overwhelming week filled with much frustration.  I know in the long run it will all be worth it.  I can't wait to meet our little one and continue on this journey.

Blue Bean

So over a month ago, Mark asked how big the baby was.  Well I looked it up and on my ticker it was between a blueberry and a kidney bean.  Mark announced Blue Bean and ever since the baby has been known as Blue Bean.  So until we know the gender we will continue to call the baby Blue Bean.

All Day Sickness

Forget morning sickness, I have been battling all DAY sickness for the last 4 weeks.  Until today this week as been pretty tolerable and then it all came rushing it back this morning.  So I am hoping today is the exception and I am moving past the days of nausea and vomiting.

Through the last 4 weeks I feel like I have tried it all!  I am thankful for the nurse Terri at the OB's office who responded to all my questions and gave me so many different things to try.  For me it seems like constantly eating, so my stomach never gets empty, and drinking either ice tea flavored with lemon or lemonade seem to keep me feeling somewhat human.

I must say that Mark has been amazing through this very difficult time.  I can't remember the last time I actually cooked a meal or did the dishes.  He gets up in the morning and encourages me to push through the difficult times.  He brings me my morning ice tea and packs me lunch for work while I get ready.  When he gets home from work at night he cleans up the kitchen makes sure there are no smelly odors.  He even irons my clothes and sets out outfits for me.  I think I might be the best taken care of pregnant wife, check that I know I am!  I know he will take care of our little one just as well as he takes care of me.  I am one lucky lady.

I will be without my wonderful husband for 2 weeks starting on Sunday.  He is heading back up to Wisconsin on a special security detail for Lockheed.  It is such a great opportunity for him, it is just too good for him to pass up.  I am lucky that while he is gone that I will have other family and friends to look after me.  Mom already asked for a list of meals I would like her to make for dinner.  Trust me I am looking forward to the days when I want to cook again but it is very nice to have others step in when I can't stomach it.

Due Date Confusion

So at my first OB appointment they calculated my due date to be March 22nd based on the first day of my last cycle.  This is the way it is traditionally calculated but my cycles are anything but traditional.  So they set me up for a dating ultrasound which was fine with me because I got to have 2 ultrasounds in less than a week.  Based on my dating ultrasound my due date was calculated to be March 27th but since my original due date was less than a week off they left my due date at March 22nd.  This makes absolutely no sense to me at all.  If you have a more accurate date why not use it.  So March 22nd or March 27th, take your pick.

I encourage you to take the poll on the right of the page...are we going to have a boy or girl?  We should have the answer in about 2 months.