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Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Speed Racer
I had made my peace with the idea that I was going to be confined to the Labor and Delivery unit of this hospital for approximately 4 weeks. Over the weekend, my nurse asked if I'd been down to the cafeteria or outside to the courtyard at all? I explained that my doctors had told me from the beginning that I was not allowed to leave the floor. She kept bringing up the issue every time she came in my room. I wanted to tell her to stop rubbing it in!
Later that day, one of my OBs came by with the daily line of questions and quick exam. He was about to leave the room when my nurse popped in the door and said, what about letting this lady have a wheelchair ride?? She even went on to say how well things were looking and that she thought it would be good for me to have a change of scenery. My OB looked pretty hesitant. I have to admit the idea was exciting but I didn't want to push my doctor out of his comfort zone. Finally he said if I was up to it, he was okay with it and left before I could say anything.
The nurse offered to call a volunteer to take me on my outing but I knew I wanted to wait for Greg. Greg had just left to run some errands so I called him and gave him the exciting news hoping he would hear the urgency in my voice, finish his errands faster and hurry back! While he was gone I contemplated all the places we could go. The problem was that I didn't know the hospital very well, all I'd really seen was the L&D unit, I came to the conclusion I didn't care where we went just as long as I was out of this room!
When the nurse pulled the wheelchair up to my room Greg looked even more excited than me. It was a pretty deluxe chair. As soon as I sat down Greg took off speeding down the hall! The nurse laughed but I was sure she was going to stop him and revoke my privileges. Even worse, I thought one of my doctors would see me and order me back to bed. I told Greg to behave, I didn't want to get in trouble before we had even left the unit!
Getting into the elevator was a challenge. Greg bumped the chair (and me) into the walls and struggled to make room for the other visitors. A man and a woman waited patiently then got in the elevator with us. The woman looked at me and asked, "Are you in labor Dear?" I answered with the first words that came to my mind, "No, I live here." She looked confused. It seemed like she wanted to respond but the elevator doors opened and Greg pushed me out laughing hysterically.
Greg is a very good and cautious driver, in a car. I never would have guessed he would be a speeder when it came to driving a wheelchair (what will he do with a stroller??). This led to lots of questionable looks as he sped his 81/2 month pregnant wife through the cafeteria. I felt a little self conscious, like maybe people thought I was really hungry. We had a little snack and then Greg told me he wanted to take me to the aquarium. I didn't know how far away the aquarium was but Greg assured me he knew a short cut.
There was no short cut, just more of Greg's speeding! The aquarium was beautiful and located in the middle of a room full of windows. Even though I have a window in my room it doesn't get a lot of sunlight. The warm sun felt amazing on my skin. It truly is the little things that can make such difference here in the hospital! I made it back to L&D in one piece but not without more speeding and a minor crash into a Ronald McDonald statue. It was a very exciting outing :) I had such a good time with my hubby. I love hanging out with him and he never fails to make me smile.
Later that day, one of my OBs came by with the daily line of questions and quick exam. He was about to leave the room when my nurse popped in the door and said, what about letting this lady have a wheelchair ride?? She even went on to say how well things were looking and that she thought it would be good for me to have a change of scenery. My OB looked pretty hesitant. I have to admit the idea was exciting but I didn't want to push my doctor out of his comfort zone. Finally he said if I was up to it, he was okay with it and left before I could say anything.
The nurse offered to call a volunteer to take me on my outing but I knew I wanted to wait for Greg. Greg had just left to run some errands so I called him and gave him the exciting news hoping he would hear the urgency in my voice, finish his errands faster and hurry back! While he was gone I contemplated all the places we could go. The problem was that I didn't know the hospital very well, all I'd really seen was the L&D unit, I came to the conclusion I didn't care where we went just as long as I was out of this room!
When the nurse pulled the wheelchair up to my room Greg looked even more excited than me. It was a pretty deluxe chair. As soon as I sat down Greg took off speeding down the hall! The nurse laughed but I was sure she was going to stop him and revoke my privileges. Even worse, I thought one of my doctors would see me and order me back to bed. I told Greg to behave, I didn't want to get in trouble before we had even left the unit!
Getting into the elevator was a challenge. Greg bumped the chair (and me) into the walls and struggled to make room for the other visitors. A man and a woman waited patiently then got in the elevator with us. The woman looked at me and asked, "Are you in labor Dear?" I answered with the first words that came to my mind, "No, I live here." She looked confused. It seemed like she wanted to respond but the elevator doors opened and Greg pushed me out laughing hysterically.
Greg is a very good and cautious driver, in a car. I never would have guessed he would be a speeder when it came to driving a wheelchair (what will he do with a stroller??). This led to lots of questionable looks as he sped his 81/2 month pregnant wife through the cafeteria. I felt a little self conscious, like maybe people thought I was really hungry. We had a little snack and then Greg told me he wanted to take me to the aquarium. I didn't know how far away the aquarium was but Greg assured me he knew a short cut.
There was no short cut, just more of Greg's speeding! The aquarium was beautiful and located in the middle of a room full of windows. Even though I have a window in my room it doesn't get a lot of sunlight. The warm sun felt amazing on my skin. It truly is the little things that can make such difference here in the hospital! I made it back to L&D in one piece but not without more speeding and a minor crash into a Ronald McDonald statue. It was a very exciting outing :) I had such a good time with my hubby. I love hanging out with him and he never fails to make me smile.
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Friday, March 25, 2011
33 Weeks
We also had another celebration yesterday. Greg's coworkers gave him a baby shower completely unannounced! I didn't know people had "man" showers but I'm so grateful for their generosity! We received so many nice gifts for baby. The couple weeks that I was home from the hospital on bedrest I made a short list for Greg so we would have the bare minimum...a pack of diapers, wipes, a few onesies, 2 bottles, some burp clothes, and a few receiving blankets. Seriously, those were our supplies! Now we are well equipped with things like a boppy pillow, baby monitor, diaper genie, hooded towels, a beautiful collection of blankets/clothing and so much more. The picture is one of 3 loads Greg brought up from his car...I am still in shock.
I've been told this was all organized by one administrative assistant who is currently more pregnant than I am (with her first baby...a girl). I kind of figured there must have been a woman behind all this, everything was exactly on track with what we needed. Plus, Greg works with a large group of men, mostly older men. Too bad they didn't take any pictures, I would have loved to have seen all these guys sitting around eating pink cake and passing around pink outfits! Back to the party planner. How can I possibly thank this woman enough for organizing all this? Maybe a house cleaning service as a thank you since she will be busy with her own little one very soon? What she did for us (in her 9th month of pregnancy!) was so thoughtful and I hope I get a chance to meet her!
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Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Distractions
Knitting is actually very relaxing. It is also much more challenging than I realized. I like it because following a pattern requires a lot of focus and keeps my mind occupied. This hat is my first project and I am addicted. I sized the hat for a 9 month old so Baby Girl will be ready for her first winter next year.
I had a very sweet visitor bring me lunch and this hyacinth today (thank you Liese)! Hyacinth happen to be my favorite Spring flower, the smell is intoxicating, I rate it up there with orange blossoms. I am looking forward to watching the flowers bloom during our stay! It makes it feel like Spring is around the corner!
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Monday, March 21, 2011
Reputation
I am doing my very best to be a well behaved patient during this stay. It is tough. Hospital life is not so easy. To my great dismay I have been informed that my torture device (IV portal) will remain unnaturally lodged in my arm until the delivery...booo. Even better, the port has to be moved (reinstalled) into a new vein every 3-5 days. I met this mile marker last night and let me tell you I was not pleased. But I didn't say anything I let the nurse stab me and even thanked her for the convenient placement (in my left forearm) which allows me a little more mobility.
This morning I woke up around 6am and noticed I was contracting hard. I realized in my groggy stupor that no one had bothered to wake me from my beauty sleep at the regular 3am. Did I even get my medication? I couldn't remember. I paged my nurse and asked her if I'd had my 3am dose? She said no, that "something happened to it at the pharmacy" and that she hadn't worried about it because I never woke up or reported any contractions. Hmmmm...remember that animal tranquilizer you gave me last night, also known as ambien? I probably could have slept through a band concert. Not to mention, this is a scheduled medication. It is used to prevent my contractions, I get it every 6 hours regardless of how I am feeling.
She then said she would give me a dose now and just adjust my schedule. Arrrrrr....I really liked my schedule (3am, 9am,3pm, 9pm) because I only have to be disturbed once while I'm sleeping (3am). Changing the schedule to 6am, 12pm, 6pm, 12am means I will have to wake up at midnight then again super early in the morning. Even though I was thoroughly annoyed, I did not want to make a scene. I politely let her know if it was possible to work my way back to the old schedule over the next few days, I would appreciate it.
After shift change at 7am I met my new nurse, she seemed nice enough. At 9am (after knowing me for approximately 2 hours) she wanted to have a discussion with me. She wanted to discuss asking my doctors to insert a central line instead of keeping my IV. I will not go into the details of a central line. I will just say that instead of going into a blood vessel in your arm, they are inserted into a much larger vessel in the chest. They are often used to give long term medications, chemo therapy, or nutrition supplements (for weeks/months).
The nurse thought this would be a great idea because it could be left in place until I deliver, no more IVs to start. That sounds good right...less pokes for me...less IVs to start for her? Wrong...this is a VERY invasive procedure. I've mentioned before that my doctors can have varying opinions about my plan of care. Not one of my EIGHT doctors have suggested that we take this type of extreme action. I am here as a precaution, to be close to the operating room, to have some monitoring, that is all.
At this point I think I lost it. After making this "suggestion" the nurse told me to think about it and left the room for about an hour. That hour was just enough time for all the pent up hostility to come rising up and out of me. When she came back to the room all I could say was...No! No central line. I don't want one, I don't need one, I won't have one!! I know it probably came out sounding harsh, but I could not contain myself.
I've noticed that my being a nurse practitioner is common knowledge around here. I'm wondering if there is a large red flag on my chart that says "HEALTHCARE WORKER". I know there is a stereotype that healthcare workers make terrible patients and I have no desire to validate this stereotype or to earn a bad reputation at this hospital (especially with 3 weeks to go). But I have to admit it is becoming more and more difficult each day to keep my mouth shut! Every nurse I meet seems to want to take charge and change my plan or schedule. I'm really hoping to have a nice a routine here in the near future so we can all get on the same page! Sorry if this sounds like an angry rant, just a bit frustrated today!
This morning I woke up around 6am and noticed I was contracting hard. I realized in my groggy stupor that no one had bothered to wake me from my beauty sleep at the regular 3am. Did I even get my medication? I couldn't remember. I paged my nurse and asked her if I'd had my 3am dose? She said no, that "something happened to it at the pharmacy" and that she hadn't worried about it because I never woke up or reported any contractions. Hmmmm...remember that animal tranquilizer you gave me last night, also known as ambien? I probably could have slept through a band concert. Not to mention, this is a scheduled medication. It is used to prevent my contractions, I get it every 6 hours regardless of how I am feeling.
She then said she would give me a dose now and just adjust my schedule. Arrrrrr....I really liked my schedule (3am, 9am,3pm, 9pm) because I only have to be disturbed once while I'm sleeping (3am). Changing the schedule to 6am, 12pm, 6pm, 12am means I will have to wake up at midnight then again super early in the morning. Even though I was thoroughly annoyed, I did not want to make a scene. I politely let her know if it was possible to work my way back to the old schedule over the next few days, I would appreciate it.
After shift change at 7am I met my new nurse, she seemed nice enough. At 9am (after knowing me for approximately 2 hours) she wanted to have a discussion with me. She wanted to discuss asking my doctors to insert a central line instead of keeping my IV. I will not go into the details of a central line. I will just say that instead of going into a blood vessel in your arm, they are inserted into a much larger vessel in the chest. They are often used to give long term medications, chemo therapy, or nutrition supplements (for weeks/months).
The nurse thought this would be a great idea because it could be left in place until I deliver, no more IVs to start. That sounds good right...less pokes for me...less IVs to start for her? Wrong...this is a VERY invasive procedure. I've mentioned before that my doctors can have varying opinions about my plan of care. Not one of my EIGHT doctors have suggested that we take this type of extreme action. I am here as a precaution, to be close to the operating room, to have some monitoring, that is all.
At this point I think I lost it. After making this "suggestion" the nurse told me to think about it and left the room for about an hour. That hour was just enough time for all the pent up hostility to come rising up and out of me. When she came back to the room all I could say was...No! No central line. I don't want one, I don't need one, I won't have one!! I know it probably came out sounding harsh, but I could not contain myself.
I've noticed that my being a nurse practitioner is common knowledge around here. I'm wondering if there is a large red flag on my chart that says "HEALTHCARE WORKER". I know there is a stereotype that healthcare workers make terrible patients and I have no desire to validate this stereotype or to earn a bad reputation at this hospital (especially with 3 weeks to go). But I have to admit it is becoming more and more difficult each day to keep my mouth shut! Every nurse I meet seems to want to take charge and change my plan or schedule. I'm really hoping to have a nice a routine here in the near future so we can all get on the same page! Sorry if this sounds like an angry rant, just a bit frustrated today!
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Friday, March 18, 2011
A Room with a View
I've been here before. From start to finish yesterday felt like I was reliving our admission from 2 weeks ago. First, we went to Dr. P's office for a quick ultrasound to measure my cervix and what do you know, short again..ugh! I can't say I was super surprised because my contractions have been coming fast and furious. At least the admission was planned this time around and I already had my bag of essentials waiting in the car. Despite this being a scheduled event, the nurses on the L&D unit still looked at us like, who are you and what are you doing here? I explained that we were there to be admitted, Dr. P sent us over and Dr. F (this is the OB we have chosen for our c-section) was expecting us. The nurses appeared largely inconvenienced by this and repeatedly stated that no one informed them we were checking in (I'm sorry but that is neither my fault/problem so please stop making me feel bad!). They finally got in touch with my OB (whom they refer to as "c-dawg"....I don't know what to make of this) and started searching for a room assignment.
Eventually the triage nurse came over to escort us to our room repeatedly stating "we are going to take great care of you"...well I would hope so. Then she led us down an all too familiar hall to the exact room I stayed in during my last visit!!! I'm actually quite pleased about this. Our room is very large and comfy. We already know where everything is and I have a view of the hospital entrance, some trees and grass! This is very important to me. Spring is a big deal here in Chicago, something residents anticipate for months after being locked up for the duration of the winter. I have been anxiously waiting for the grass to turn green or a single leaf to appear on a tree. I was a little concerned I might miss this transformation but I'm thrilled to have my own private view!
My rules and restrictions are mostly the same except they have increased my out of bed time to a whopping 60 minutes! This means in addition to getting up for a shower I can now use some of that time to walk around the halls of the L&D unit. The night nurse attempted to get me privileges to leave the unit so I could go to more exciting places like the cafeteria or outside in the courtyard but I was denied. That's okay. My only complaint is the small plastic tube they forced into my wrist yesterday, also known as a hep lock. This is basically just an IV portal available for emergency access. It is not currently hooked up to anything which is frustrating because it is very uncomfortable, on the verge of painful (especially when I catch my hand on something). I spoke to Dr. P about this when he came to visit this morning and he said he would talk to Dr. F (she ordered the torture device) about the potential of removing it if I am stable.
Maybe Dr. P was just trying to get on my good side before announcing that he is leaving tomorrow to Florida for a Disney cruise with his kids...it is Spring Break. I probably would have had a bit of a melt down if he was going to be gone for any longer than a week. Instead, I calmly wished him a wonderful trip and told him it was okay because this baby isn't going to be born next week anyway. Did I mention we are 32 weeks? Well we are...it's kind of a big deal :)
Eventually the triage nurse came over to escort us to our room repeatedly stating "we are going to take great care of you"...well I would hope so. Then she led us down an all too familiar hall to the exact room I stayed in during my last visit!!! I'm actually quite pleased about this. Our room is very large and comfy. We already know where everything is and I have a view of the hospital entrance, some trees and grass! This is very important to me. Spring is a big deal here in Chicago, something residents anticipate for months after being locked up for the duration of the winter. I have been anxiously waiting for the grass to turn green or a single leaf to appear on a tree. I was a little concerned I might miss this transformation but I'm thrilled to have my own private view!
My rules and restrictions are mostly the same except they have increased my out of bed time to a whopping 60 minutes! This means in addition to getting up for a shower I can now use some of that time to walk around the halls of the L&D unit. The night nurse attempted to get me privileges to leave the unit so I could go to more exciting places like the cafeteria or outside in the courtyard but I was denied. That's okay. My only complaint is the small plastic tube they forced into my wrist yesterday, also known as a hep lock. This is basically just an IV portal available for emergency access. It is not currently hooked up to anything which is frustrating because it is very uncomfortable, on the verge of painful (especially when I catch my hand on something). I spoke to Dr. P about this when he came to visit this morning and he said he would talk to Dr. F (she ordered the torture device) about the potential of removing it if I am stable.
Maybe Dr. P was just trying to get on my good side before announcing that he is leaving tomorrow to Florida for a Disney cruise with his kids...it is Spring Break. I probably would have had a bit of a melt down if he was going to be gone for any longer than a week. Instead, I calmly wished him a wonderful trip and told him it was okay because this baby isn't going to be born next week anyway. Did I mention we are 32 weeks? Well we are...it's kind of a big deal :)
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Monday, March 14, 2011
Sophisticated Pink
Our Nursery....
I feel incredibly lucky to have had theses last 2 weeks to put the finishing touches on the nursery. I am a planner and having this time was like therapy for me! Don't ask me how this nursery turned out so pink. I've never been a very "frilly" or "girlie" girl. For those of you who knew me as a child, I was the kid on the playground chasing the boys, playing kick ball, or attempting something unruly with the tetherball (most dangerous playground activity ever). I don't think I ever owned anything pink until I went to college.
Early on I pictured a nursery with primary colors, maybe red and yellow. But at Christmas we received a large package from Greg's family filled with pink baby clothes. At that point I knew it was inevitable, why fight the pink? I decided I could still have a pink nursery without going completely frilly fru fru princess. So this is the result. For a not so girlie girl, I feel quite comfy amongst all the pink and I hope Baby Girl likes it too!
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Our little growing machine
31 weeks and a great apt with Dr. P today. Baby girl is weighing in at 3lbs 11oz which puts her right at the 49th percentile on the growth chart! Dr. P predicts she will be weighing over 5 lbs by the time we hit 34 weeks which makes me very very happy! We didn't get a great portrait picture today because the umbilical cord was blocking our view. We did get some great pictures a couple weeks ago so I thought I'd share one!
All our other tests went well too. Cervix is stable, a repeat fetal fibronectin was negative, and NST looked good. So we are all set to check back into the hospital next Thursday at 3:30. It's very surreal to think that this is the last week Greg and I will spend in our home just the two of us!
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Field trip
This morning I had an appointment with the OBs. Not much happens when I go to the OB but I was excited to get out of the house. Basically they take my weight (kill me now), check urine for protein (all clear), measure my belly (on track), and take my vitals. My heart rate was up but I tried to explain to the nurse that I was having a contraction and yes my heart tends to beat faster under stress/torture!
The OBs always ask if I have any questions and I openly admitted that the delivery has been on my mind. My OBs all have different opinions about the optimal time for delivery. It has been determined that our delivery will take place between 34-36 weeks. Depending on the day or the doctor, we get a variety of answers about the "best" timing for this birthday. To any outsider it seems like an obvious answer, keep the baby in the belly as long as possible right?!? It is a little more complicated than that.
With a Vasa Previa as you get further along in pregnancy there is an increased risk for one of the exposed umbilical cord blood vessels to rupture. This would be a medical emergency and dangerous for our baby. Even though a 34 week delivery seems very early, our neonatologist does not expect any long term complications if the baby was delivered at this age. The baby would probably spend some time in the NICU (learning to feed and grow) and then come home. Not a big deal, I'm sure this would be very challenging for us emotionally, but it the grand scheme of things it would be a very small speed bump.
I would LOVE to carry this baby until 36 weeks. If we get to 36 weeks there would be a very good chance that the baby could dodge the NICU completely! But I absolutely do not want to put my baby at risk for something dangerous to happen...so you can see this is a very tough subject. Greg and I are open to the "wait and see" approach also known as the "give Amelia an anxiety attack" approach. Basically, they will evaluate us (contractions, cervical length, NSTs, ultrasounds) on a daily basis once we get back to the hospital and determine the delivery date based on how stable things look. We don't know what the best method is, and our doctors openly admit they don't have the answer either, but this is the plan (for now). With pregnancy I have learned that things are always subject to change.
The timing for delivery has been such a sore subject. I have been shocked at how openly people seem to pass judgement. When I was in the hospital last week I had a nurse tell me that, "you have to do what is best for baby and that means keeping her in your belly as long as possible..." That was so hurtful. It almost felt like she was insinuating that I was trying or electing to wrap up this pregnancy early which is pure insanity!! Of course we want to do what is best for our baby but after seeking out the opinions of several specialists it may turn out that a 34 week delivery is best, we just won't know until we get there. I guess our situation might be challenging for some people to understand, but how rude to assume that we would do anything but what is best for this little one!
Tomorrow is a big appointment with our Perinatologists, the highlight being a growth check for our little girl. We can't wait to see how chubby she is getting and with any luck maybe we will get a peek at her cute little face :)
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Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Holy Heartburn
It hurts to lay down, it hurts to sit up. I am guilty of loving all foods spicy but I have completely revamped my diet in hopes of getting rid of this burning pain in my chest! Heartburn is new to me. Over the past week I've noticed it messing with me at night when I lay down to go to sleep. Today I seem to have it even when sitting straight up in bed.
I am very familiar with the wives tale that heartburn during pregnancy means you're having a hairy baby. I think it is probably accurate to assume this may be true for our little one. I had a full head of hair upon arrival and while Greg had less hair, he was not bald. It will be interesting to see if there is any link between this heartburn and the amount of hair coverage on our babe.
Monday, March 7, 2011
Paypal is Dangerous
I've never been a huge online shopper but lately things have changed. I still have some loose end to tie up before this little one makes her entrance in the world and the internet just makes everything so accessible...maybe too accessible.
Obviously I spent quite a bit of time searching around for these items but once I was ready to purchase it was way too easy. I had set up a Paypal account a long time ago for something I bought on Ebay but I never use it. I was amazed to see that nearly all online stores offer the option to pay with Paypal. I never really paid attention to the concept of Paypal. You don't even have to get up and find a credit card, it literally pulls the funds directly from your bank account! It is very convenient but I could see this spiraling out of control...especially for a pregnant lady in nesting mode on bedrest. Does this not say recipe for disaster? I will be using all of my restraint to stick to shopping for "necessities" but I'm sure receiving these newly ordered goodies will only add fuel to my shopping fire!
First item of business, art work for the nursery. The nursery is practically done. I am so glad I was able to get all my projects finished ahead of time, I had so much fun decorating and would have really been sad if I'd missed out on this experience. Unfortunately, finding baby art has been like looking for lost treasure! I wanted some very simple graphic art print and spent weeks searching online. Well I finally hit the jackpot with Poochie Prints. This website not only has adorable art, they frame it for you and ship it all for $5!!!
This is what I ordered. Cute right!?! Once it is on the walls there will be nursery pictures!
Next on the list, nursing bras. I am so thankful for all the awesome suggestions from my mom friends. It seems like there was an overwhelming positive response to the Bravado nursing bras so I went ahead and ordered one. I went for the "Cadillac" if you will of nursing bras, also know as the Bravado Original Double Plus. I determined the "double plus" was necessary after following an instructional video and taking my own measurements (not hard to do). I nearly fell over after calculating my new bust size, how did this happen, when did this happen? It appears I may have won the boobie lottery and was never informed. I have been in complete denial for some time wearing extra large camis with built in bras for months. While this bra is not the most attractive piece of under clothing that I have ever purchased it seems to be up for the task of keeping things "secure" up top, and yes it is pink just like the picture!
Obviously I spent quite a bit of time searching around for these items but once I was ready to purchase it was way too easy. I had set up a Paypal account a long time ago for something I bought on Ebay but I never use it. I was amazed to see that nearly all online stores offer the option to pay with Paypal. I never really paid attention to the concept of Paypal. You don't even have to get up and find a credit card, it literally pulls the funds directly from your bank account! It is very convenient but I could see this spiraling out of control...especially for a pregnant lady in nesting mode on bedrest. Does this not say recipe for disaster? I will be using all of my restraint to stick to shopping for "necessities" but I'm sure receiving these newly ordered goodies will only add fuel to my shopping fire!Friday, March 4, 2011
Dr. P
To be completely honest I am not a huge fan of "group practice" where you see a revolving door of physicians, especially as a pregnant patient. In my own practice I follow up with my own patients exclusively. I feel like it promotes continuity of care and allows patients to have a better relationship with their healthcare provider. That being said, it seems to be the very popular norm for women to see obstetrical groups during pregnancy. The number OBGYNs practicing solo out there seems to be dwindling. I guess I can understand, I'm sure it would be exhausting for one individual to try and meet the needs of all his/her pregnant patients. I guess it wouldn't be too far fetched to say that pregnant women are a pretty demanding population!
At 19 weeks, when we were diagnosed with the Vasa Previa, I switched to a group of OBs that came highly recommended to me for high risk delivery. Now I see a total of 8 different physicians, 5 OBs and 3 Perinatologists. That is a lot of opinions! Plus, don't forget, yours truly has a very strong opinion of her own, although I do my best to keep it under control to avoid earning the "difficult patient" gold star. Out of all my lovely doctors there is one opinion that I value above all others, Dr. P.
As far as Greg and I are concerned, he is the one driving this baby train. Maybe it is because he is the one who caught and diagnosed our Vasa Previa. Dr. P is very young (probably the youngest physician we have) and certainly not the senior member of our perinatology group but he is incredibly knowledgeable, a good listener, very cautious, and we trust his judgement completely. So when we saw him yesterday and he told me things look stable, I wanted to do jumping jacks (but I didn't want to give Dr. P a heart attack). My cervical length looked good and while I still had contractions on the NST, there was not a regular pattern. That means I get to continue my bedrest at home a little longer!
Yesterday was also the 30 week mark. It is amazing what kind of effect that number has on me mentally. I am so overjoyed and relieved to be done with the 20's!!! Next milestone is 32 weeks, that will be a big one.
Thanks everyone for sharing your favorite nursing products, let the online shopping begin!
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Thursday, March 3, 2011
Nursing Necessities
What is/was your favorite nursing bra/tank?????
There seem to be so many options and I would love to know what worked for my mommy friends.
-Full sling/half sling?
-Bra/Tank?
-Hook closure/Racer back?
The only thing I'm relatively sure about is that wires are not my friend.
I have 2 criteria:
-Comfort
-Support
I was planning on being fitted but I just don't think I'll be going anywhere for a while. Seems like I can order just about anything online or have Greg do some shopping for me.
Please don't be shy, I really don't want to get stuck with bad bras, your opinions are greatly appreciated!!! Please include the brand and where it was purchased if you have that information. Also, if you tried something that absolutely did NOT work, I would love a heads up!
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Home Sweet Home
Oh how I have missed my bed! I have a new love and appreciation for my pillows too! The plastic pillows at the hospital covered by a paper thin pillow case just don't cut it when you are pregnant. Have I mentioned I sleep with 5 pillows at night?I have stolen all the fluffiest pillows from our bedrooms and left Greg with the older deflated versions...poor guy, he is so good to me. I have turned into a pillow hog but unfortunately that's what it takes these days for me to get into a comfortable position.
Even though I'm home, all the hospital rules and regulations apply. My only destination beyond my bed is the bathroom. Greg has taken on the role of my nurse! Today when he came home to make me lunch I told him I felt like a puppy, he can't leave me alone for more than 4-5 hours at a time and is constantly bringing me food and water.
After a miserable evening of painful contractions things have been very uneventful today. Hooray for boring! My only complaints are about the side effects from the nasty pills. Every time I take the nifedipine I get an insane headache and just as it starts to go away it is time for another pill! The other issue that I'm having is that it makes my skin red, hot and tender. Basically I look and feel like a sunburned pregnant lobster. My doc said this is common and not likely to go away...sweet.
I'm including a picture of my read blotchy hands for your enjoyment. There is no way I'm showing off my face but it you use your imagination and apply the color and pattern from the image below to what my face use to look like, you'll have the idea.
Baby girl is keeping with her standard routine. She likes to get an early start with her kick boxing around 5am. Then she typically has a good nap mid morning and is ready for some playtime again around lunch. Then a little more nap time because she has to get ready for the dance party that takes place in my uterus every night. I thought Greg's eyes were going to pop out of his head last night as he literally "watched" her stretch one of her little body parts way out beyond the normal limits of my round belly. She is very entertaining.
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
L&D Day 5
I feel a little cheated. The hospital has been withholding food from me! When I checked into my room last week they gave me a menu to order from and I have to say it was pretty limited. All the food I've ordered has had a sort of fake/cardboard like resemblance. Yesterday evening my nurse saw the menu and asked me what is was....hmmm....odd that she wouldn't know. She then made a comment that it looked like only a partial menu. This morning when I called to order breakfast I asked if they could please send me a new menu because I wasn't sure if I had the right one. One of the sweet volunteers brought it up. She was saying something to me as she walked in the room but I couldn't hear her because I was too focused on the binder of food options she had placed in front of me! There are pancakes on this menu and things like "breakfast sandwiches" I have been eating fruit, yogurt and granola for the last 4 days!!! I don't know what kind of menu I had before but keeping the full menu from me was just plain criminal, did they forget I'm pregnant!
So to make up for lost time, this morning I ordered pancakes AND a breakfast sandwich! It wasn't exactly IHOP but after 4 days of cardboard granola it was amazing!
One of my OBs was in this morning to talk about our plan. I am having mixed feelings about the whole thing. I am still having contractions that vary in frequency and intensity. There just doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to when they come. That in itself is actually a good thing. My OB said it does not appear that I am having preterm labor because although I have regular contractions, I get breaks in the contraction patterns (that doesn't happen in labor). Still, they find it very odd that they keep coming back, even after 5 days of medication. Because of our Vasa Previa I am absolutely the last patient they want contracting right now but there really isn't anything more to do at this point so this afternoon they are going to let me go home and see how it goes.
I am happy to be going home. It will be nice to have a break from the hospital and sleep in my bed for the next 2 weeks. But, I am still terrified of something going wrong. I've been given the parameter that if I have 6 or more contractions per hour that continue for 2 hours at home I would have to come straight back. Well, that has happened every day that I've been in the hospital so I'm just wondering how long I'm really going to be able to stay home! I have 911 and the L&D charge nurse on my speed dial and our house is 1.9 miles from the hospital according to google maps. I've discussed exactly what would need to happen if we had an emergency with all of my doctors and this morning I couldn't come up with any new questions.
I know this was a tough call to make. I feel for my doctors. Medicine is truly so gray and often much more of an art than a science. Managing our situation is even tougher because Vasa Previa is so uncommon and guidelines for management vary a lot. There is no clause in the outline that says "If your patient starts contracting at 29 weeks, proceed to step...." Trust me, I have read the current management guidelines for Vasa Previa, more than once. Now that I am faced with having to respond to my symptoms on my own at home, I've tried to come up with a plan for all the different scenarios that I have played out in my mind. But obviously I have no idea of predicting what could possibly lie ahead in the next couple of weeks. I'm just going to do the very best that I can to listen to this baby and my body. I'll follow up with perinatology on Thursday which is not long at all, I'm convinced that short term goals/milestones are going to be the key to my sanity!
So to make up for lost time, this morning I ordered pancakes AND a breakfast sandwich! It wasn't exactly IHOP but after 4 days of cardboard granola it was amazing!
One of my OBs was in this morning to talk about our plan. I am having mixed feelings about the whole thing. I am still having contractions that vary in frequency and intensity. There just doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to when they come. That in itself is actually a good thing. My OB said it does not appear that I am having preterm labor because although I have regular contractions, I get breaks in the contraction patterns (that doesn't happen in labor). Still, they find it very odd that they keep coming back, even after 5 days of medication. Because of our Vasa Previa I am absolutely the last patient they want contracting right now but there really isn't anything more to do at this point so this afternoon they are going to let me go home and see how it goes.
I am happy to be going home. It will be nice to have a break from the hospital and sleep in my bed for the next 2 weeks. But, I am still terrified of something going wrong. I've been given the parameter that if I have 6 or more contractions per hour that continue for 2 hours at home I would have to come straight back. Well, that has happened every day that I've been in the hospital so I'm just wondering how long I'm really going to be able to stay home! I have 911 and the L&D charge nurse on my speed dial and our house is 1.9 miles from the hospital according to google maps. I've discussed exactly what would need to happen if we had an emergency with all of my doctors and this morning I couldn't come up with any new questions.
I know this was a tough call to make. I feel for my doctors. Medicine is truly so gray and often much more of an art than a science. Managing our situation is even tougher because Vasa Previa is so uncommon and guidelines for management vary a lot. There is no clause in the outline that says "If your patient starts contracting at 29 weeks, proceed to step...." Trust me, I have read the current management guidelines for Vasa Previa, more than once. Now that I am faced with having to respond to my symptoms on my own at home, I've tried to come up with a plan for all the different scenarios that I have played out in my mind. But obviously I have no idea of predicting what could possibly lie ahead in the next couple of weeks. I'm just going to do the very best that I can to listen to this baby and my body. I'll follow up with perinatology on Thursday which is not long at all, I'm convinced that short term goals/milestones are going to be the key to my sanity!
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