I know this is really really late but I guess better late than never. Tic Tac was born 2 days before her due date. Both me and my daughter almost died during labor and it was very very difficult and traumatic for both me and my husband and so I am not going to talk about it.
Recovery was hard during the first month but now I am completely recovered and healthy. I am not sure if I will be updating regularly but am going to try as much as I can.
I want to thank all you readers who helped me get where I am now and wish you all the very best.
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
35w3d
During last week's doctor's appointment tic tac measured 3 weeks ahead (last time she was 4.5 weeks ahead) and is head down. Heart rate was in the 150's and my bp was 100/60. No protein or sugar in my urine so everything is healthy so far. I am happy she is slowing down. We have an ultrasound scheduled for next week and we will have a better idea by then. Pregnancy wise I have a lot of new symptoms lately.
- My belly button has almost completely popped.
- I have dark stretch marks all over my belly (started at around 5 months).
- Baby is very very active every time I sit or lie down to sleep. We keep feeling her legs or her butt just below my ribcage.
- Sleeping is getting really difficult as turning or changing positions is very hard.
- Sometimes when I am lying down she moves really high that she totally compresses my diaphragm and hence breathing gets real difficult. I need to sit down or stand and wait for her to move down.
- I have started panting while climbing stairs (this had stopped at around 12 weeks).
- Long walks are difficult as after 20min she puts a lot of pressure on my bladder and pelvic bone that I need a rest. (I am guessing this is a good sign though).
Next week based on her weight at the ultrasound we get to decide I we want to induce before my due date. I really hoping I will go into labor on my own and will start home labor induction methods after 37weeks. We also finished all our classes at the hospital. The birthing class was the most useful where they went over a lot of natural labor induction techniques, position & exercises for coping with labor pain and relaxation techniques during contractions. I loved the nurse who taught the class and in fact she offered to come help as a doula free of charge if I went to labor on a holiday or a weekend (she works during the week). The next class was about baby care. It covered swaddling, very basic diapering, feeding & burping and giving baby a sponge bath. Then we attended a breastfeeding class but that did not cover anything about pumps (which is something that I am planning to use). On the whole I felt that the birthing class was the most useful. I have 4 more weeks before I start my maternity leave but my plans might change after next week's ultrasound.
We still have some more cleaning to do in the house and I still have to wash all baby clothes. I am trying to get an organic baby detergent and would love to hear some suggestions.
Friday, May 15, 2009
32w6d - Slow down baby girl
Yesterday was my routine doctor's appointment and my fundal height came back at 37.5cm which means Tic Tac is measuring 4.5 weeks ahead. Last time (at 30weeks) she was measuring 3 weeks ahead. The doctor was smiling the whole time and kept calling her a healthy baby but I am beginning to freak out. Her heart rate was in the 140's and my urine checked ok for protein and sugar. Also my haematocrit value came back at 35 (it was 34 at 28weeks). So I continue to take the iron supplements. So far my weight gain is 20lbs but I have gained 4.5 pounds in the last 2 weeks. I definitely do not want to go into labor with a 10lb baby. I did stop my metformin 2 weeks ago and am not sure if this is the reason for my weight gain and also for Tic Tac measuring ahead. The doctor still thinks that I am not at risk for preterm labor so I guess I will get at least another 4 weeks before she decides to arrive. We have the crib assembled and started assembling the dresser yesterday. The only thing left is the car seat. We also finished our birthing class last weekend and I will try and write a post about it later. Since I am in panic mode because she is measuring ahead I have been having trouble sleeping, which makes me real tired during the day. I have also decided to return some of her 0-3 month clothing as I am not sure if it is going to fit her. Maybe I am overreacting and things will be more clear after our 36week ultrasound. Yesterday after the visit we were setting up an appointment for the ultrasound and my husband kept asking if we would even go till then. I better hope we do cause I am no where ready yet. I still have to wash all her clothes, buy diapers and finish tons of stuff at work. I guess I can go on and on and honestly will never be completely ready.
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
31w2d
Last Thursday evening while driving back home from work I felt tightening of my uterus. Usually I have one or two braxton hicks contractions a day but they are painless and last only a few seconds. This one was different and my abdomen was very rigid and hard and stayed that way all evening. It was beginning to get uncomfortable but still no pain or discharge. I finally called my doctor's office at around 9pm and they wanted me to come and get checked. I hesitated till about 10pm as I was worried that they might think that I am such a wus to get worried about small things.
Finally my husband convinced me that it was time to go and we got to the hospital at around 11pm. They immediately checked us into Labor & Delivery and connected me to monitors to check for contractions and the baby's heart rate. The heart rate was averaging at 140's and I was having about 4 contractions in an hour. They were still not painful. My bp was also on the lower end as usual at 110/50. The on call doctor checked my abdomen and agreed that it was hard and rigid but wasn't sure why. Finally she decided to do the fetal fibronectin test to make sure that I was not going into pre-term labor. The test was a bit painful (like a pap smear) as they insert a speculum and get a swab sample from near the cervical opening. Then she also manually checked the cervix and it was long and closed. They also took an urine sample to test for protein and infection. We had to wait for an hr to get the results back and they all came back negative. So finally at 1:30 I was allowed to go back home with instructions to drink more fluids and lie on my left side. They also asked me to call if I had more than 6 contractions in an hr. By morning the tightness was almost gone.
Friday we went back to the doctor's clinic for my routine visit and a grown scan. We were so happy to see tic tac and she was wiggling her hands and legs. We even saw her open and close her mouth and it felt so surreal. The scan was a very short one compared to the 20th week scan. The tech measured her head circumference, leg-femur bone length, heart rate (about 140's), my cervix (4cm) and confirmed the gender again for us. Based on the measurements tic tac was measuring 33weeks4days whereas I was only at 30weeks5days. Since we did an IUI and I know exactly when I ovulated my due date cannot be off. Her weight was estimated at 4.5lbs and she was at the 95% percentile. My fundal measurement also came back at 33cm. This worried us a bit while we waited to meet the doctor. The doctor was very considerate and assured us more than once that there was no reason to worry and babies sometimes have growth spurts and also the ultrasound is more of an approximation. She said that tic tac was a very active healthy baby and there was nothing I should worry about. I will get another growth scan at around 36weeks and we go from there.
So far my discomforts have been sleeping comfortably and having to pee often. My weight gain is around 14.5lbs from pre-pregnancy and I am not sure if I can do anything to gain any less so that it will make her gain less. My doctor told me that my weight gain was perfect and I should not worry about it. All this drama rushed us into assembling the crib over the weekend. We did buy a matching dresser but now we are returning it and getting a changing table instead. Hopefully the nursery should be all set soon and we can start cleaning the house. We are in no way ready to have her sooner so I hope she gets the message and stays in longer. But if we wait till my due date I might end up with a 9-10lb baby based on her current growth rate. All I want is a healthy baby and don't even care at this point if I end up having a C-section because of her size.
Finally my husband convinced me that it was time to go and we got to the hospital at around 11pm. They immediately checked us into Labor & Delivery and connected me to monitors to check for contractions and the baby's heart rate. The heart rate was averaging at 140's and I was having about 4 contractions in an hour. They were still not painful. My bp was also on the lower end as usual at 110/50. The on call doctor checked my abdomen and agreed that it was hard and rigid but wasn't sure why. Finally she decided to do the fetal fibronectin test to make sure that I was not going into pre-term labor. The test was a bit painful (like a pap smear) as they insert a speculum and get a swab sample from near the cervical opening. Then she also manually checked the cervix and it was long and closed. They also took an urine sample to test for protein and infection. We had to wait for an hr to get the results back and they all came back negative. So finally at 1:30 I was allowed to go back home with instructions to drink more fluids and lie on my left side. They also asked me to call if I had more than 6 contractions in an hr. By morning the tightness was almost gone.
Friday we went back to the doctor's clinic for my routine visit and a grown scan. We were so happy to see tic tac and she was wiggling her hands and legs. We even saw her open and close her mouth and it felt so surreal. The scan was a very short one compared to the 20th week scan. The tech measured her head circumference, leg-femur bone length, heart rate (about 140's), my cervix (4cm) and confirmed the gender again for us. Based on the measurements tic tac was measuring 33weeks4days whereas I was only at 30weeks5days. Since we did an IUI and I know exactly when I ovulated my due date cannot be off. Her weight was estimated at 4.5lbs and she was at the 95% percentile. My fundal measurement also came back at 33cm. This worried us a bit while we waited to meet the doctor. The doctor was very considerate and assured us more than once that there was no reason to worry and babies sometimes have growth spurts and also the ultrasound is more of an approximation. She said that tic tac was a very active healthy baby and there was nothing I should worry about. I will get another growth scan at around 36weeks and we go from there.
So far my discomforts have been sleeping comfortably and having to pee often. My weight gain is around 14.5lbs from pre-pregnancy and I am not sure if I can do anything to gain any less so that it will make her gain less. My doctor told me that my weight gain was perfect and I should not worry about it. All this drama rushed us into assembling the crib over the weekend. We did buy a matching dresser but now we are returning it and getting a changing table instead. Hopefully the nursery should be all set soon and we can start cleaning the house. We are in no way ready to have her sooner so I hope she gets the message and stays in longer. But if we wait till my due date I might end up with a 9-10lb baby based on her current growth rate. All I want is a healthy baby and don't even care at this point if I end up having a C-section because of her size.
Monday, April 27, 2009
30w1d
Yes I am in my third trimester and still find it difficult to believe I have come this far. The baby's movements have changed so much in the past few weeks and I feel her throughout the day. Instead of kicks I keep feeling her pushing and pulling trying to find more space inside me. From the outside it really feels like I have an alien trying to jump out any minute. My husband likes watching her move and finds it funny. In my 28th weeks doctor's visit my tummy measurement was 3 weeks ahead and so I have to go for an ultrasound this week to make sure everything looks fine on the inside. I am not too worried about it, as my weight gain has been pretty steady (about 14lbs so far) and I passed my diabetes test.
My baby shower was 4 weeks ago and it was so nice to meet most of my in town friends under the same roof. They all keep telling me that I look nice and have the pregnancy glow and that worries me that I will look terrible after I deliver. We have bought most of the major baby stuff that we need but they are all in their boxes and need assembling. I have even bought a lot of clothes for her as it was very difficult to resist those cute lil pink outfits. I guess these are some of the benefits oh having a girl. We painted the nursery this weekend and have the wall paper borders up. I guess the nursery should be all set and ready in another 2 weeks.
I do have braxton hicks contractions almost every day but they are still not painful and last only for a couple of seconds. Sleeping has become very uncomfortable these days. No matter how many pillows I use for support my hips, back, neck and ribs take turn hurting. Once in a while that makes me want the next few weeks to fly as soon as possible but deep inside I really want this time to last as long as possible. I love feeling her inside me and its like I have developed a connection with her and want to keep her protected. Our birthing classes start next week and slowly we have to try and have the house ready for her. We need to have the whole house cleaned, set up & assemble all her furniture and wash her clothes in the coming weeks. I also need to finish up stuff at work before my maternity leave kicks off. So blogging often is going to be difficult but I will still try to update as much as possible.
My baby shower was 4 weeks ago and it was so nice to meet most of my in town friends under the same roof. They all keep telling me that I look nice and have the pregnancy glow and that worries me that I will look terrible after I deliver. We have bought most of the major baby stuff that we need but they are all in their boxes and need assembling. I have even bought a lot of clothes for her as it was very difficult to resist those cute lil pink outfits. I guess these are some of the benefits oh having a girl. We painted the nursery this weekend and have the wall paper borders up. I guess the nursery should be all set and ready in another 2 weeks.
I do have braxton hicks contractions almost every day but they are still not painful and last only for a couple of seconds. Sleeping has become very uncomfortable these days. No matter how many pillows I use for support my hips, back, neck and ribs take turn hurting. Once in a while that makes me want the next few weeks to fly as soon as possible but deep inside I really want this time to last as long as possible. I love feeling her inside me and its like I have developed a connection with her and want to keep her protected. Our birthing classes start next week and slowly we have to try and have the house ready for her. We need to have the whole house cleaned, set up & assemble all her furniture and wash her clothes in the coming weeks. I also need to finish up stuff at work before my maternity leave kicks off. So blogging often is going to be difficult but I will still try to update as much as possible.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
25w4d
Last week was my routine OB appointment for the month. My bp was only 91/41 and my iron was low too. At 12 weeks it was at 37 and at 20 weeks it was at 36. Last week it went down to 31. They want me to start iron supplements (which suck because they give me real bad heartburn). Both the low bp and low iron could explain the dizziness and the breathing trouble that I have on and off. My weight gain so far has been 11pounds from my pre-pregnancy weight. The doctor found tic tac's heart beat immediately and it was around the high 150's. She also measured my fundal height and it came back at 25cm which she said was perfect. The whole visit lasted only 10-15 min and they gave me the lab slip for the gestational diabetes and iron test, that I get to take during my next visit which will be at 28weeks.
The lil one was kicking all the time for the past 4 days and I was totally enjoying yet. It gives me so much joy to feel her inside me and sometimes I just want it to last always. We had a bit of a scare today as she did not kick since last afternoon for about 20hrs. Honestly both me and my husband were terrified and thought of all the worst case scenarios. I even called my OB's office and they asked me to come for a checkup and then finally I tried drinking apple juice one more time and then she kicked. There are no words that can explain the relief that both me and my husband felt. In fact we were a lil angry at her for worrying us so much. My husband said that we are already parents as we worry about her so much and suddenly I realized how emotionally connected we are to the lil one even before meeting her. I hope I don't have to go through this again and just want her kicking me all the time (even if it hurts sometimes).
When all the worst case scenarios were playing in my mind, the one thing I was sure of was if something did happen to her then I will not want to have any more kids. I have never thought like this before but this morning I was so sure that if something went wrong I will not be able to go through it again.
I just felt her kick and I guess its her way of telling me that she will not scare me again. I love her so much already.
The lil one was kicking all the time for the past 4 days and I was totally enjoying yet. It gives me so much joy to feel her inside me and sometimes I just want it to last always. We had a bit of a scare today as she did not kick since last afternoon for about 20hrs. Honestly both me and my husband were terrified and thought of all the worst case scenarios. I even called my OB's office and they asked me to come for a checkup and then finally I tried drinking apple juice one more time and then she kicked. There are no words that can explain the relief that both me and my husband felt. In fact we were a lil angry at her for worrying us so much. My husband said that we are already parents as we worry about her so much and suddenly I realized how emotionally connected we are to the lil one even before meeting her. I hope I don't have to go through this again and just want her kicking me all the time (even if it hurts sometimes).
When all the worst case scenarios were playing in my mind, the one thing I was sure of was if something did happen to her then I will not want to have any more kids. I have never thought like this before but this morning I was so sure that if something went wrong I will not be able to go through it again.
I just felt her kick and I guess its her way of telling me that she will not scare me again. I love her so much already.
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
22w2d
I started feeling tiny little flutters by the end of week 20. It started getting stronger by the day and now I feel her regularly at different times of the day. She loves kicking right after I eat my meal and she kicks all over the place too. One min it is my lower abdomen and the next near my belly button and then she changes position again. No matter what time of the day or where I am there is a smile on my face every time I feel her kick. This is such a nice feeling and I am so happy I am finally getting to experience it. I still cant feel the kicks on the outside. Being inside, if she can bring me so much joy I am sure once she is out I am going to be on cloud nine permanently. I am so in love with my lil girl already.
My husband came down with a cold last week and successfully I managed to get it from him. Its day 4 of cold, cough and sore throat for me and I am feeling like shit. I am so congested and have been breathing through my mouth. I tried taking sudafed for my congestion last night and it kept me awake the whole night. So no more sudafed for me. Robitussin seems to help my cough but the relief is temporary. I know I will have to tough it out and wait for it to take its course but still it gets to me at times. Again its my lil girl cheering me with her kicks and that keeps me going. Cant wait to meet her already.
My husband came down with a cold last week and successfully I managed to get it from him. Its day 4 of cold, cough and sore throat for me and I am feeling like shit. I am so congested and have been breathing through my mouth. I tried taking sudafed for my congestion last night and it kept me awake the whole night. So no more sudafed for me. Robitussin seems to help my cough but the relief is temporary. I know I will have to tough it out and wait for it to take its course but still it gets to me at times. Again its my lil girl cheering me with her kicks and that keeps me going. Cant wait to meet her already.
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