Hello everyone! I wanted to give my report from my doctor's appointment yesterday. We had the repeat growth scan, fluid level check, and cervical length ultrasound. All of the tests turned up perfectly and there has not been a single centimeter change in my cervical length. YAY! That was the biggest thing I was worried about. They also did not even repeat the fetal fibronectin test. I had a feeling that all was going to be well because I haven't had regular contractions and no brethine since last Wednesday. I am working 6 hour days this week and so far I am feeling great!
I go back again next Tuesday, but that feels like an eternity away since I have been going almost every day for something. I truly believe that we are in the clear and I know in my heart we are going to be having a full-term delivery. It has been such a relief to feel like a normal pregnant person for the first time in a while. Thank you all so much for your thoughts and prayers!
Love!!!
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Friday, June 19, 2009
Quick Update
I promised Megan I would update after my doctor's appointment yesterday and then I was waiting to post the pictures from the 4D ultrasound first...and then neither happened. i will post the 4D ultrasound pictures this weekend and my posts will just be a little out of order.
I went to see the doctor yesterday morning and got a very good report. I had a really hard night Wednesday night. I had to take Brethine at 10:45 at night (I don't recommend that) and then had trouble sleeping. When I finally did sleep it wasn't for very long and I was up at 3:30. I was having a lot of anxiety, which I tend to have the night before my appointments, and could not sleep a wink. Needless to say, it was not good for my nerves and I was sitting in the exam room crying by myself when the doctor came in. I am sure he thought I was crazy.
The good news is that he noticed no changes since the last exam and he told me, based on his experience and my case, that he thought we would be delivering a full term baby. HALLELUJAH! That has helped calm me down a lot. I got my second steroid shot for lung and brain development and will not need another one of those. Thank GOD because they hurt really bad! I go back in Monday for a repeat full ultrasound, fluid level check, cervical length ultrasound, and Fetal Fibronectin test. If all those results are positive, then I truly believe we are in the clear. I will be almost 31 weeks at the time of the appointment. He is still allowing me to work up to 6 hours a day...he said psychologically it would be good for me...I wonder what gives him that impression :) So all in all, good news. I had a great day yesterday and felt like a normal pregnant person for the first time in 2 weeks. I am going to take it easy this weekend and hopefully this trend will continue!
Love!!!
I went to see the doctor yesterday morning and got a very good report. I had a really hard night Wednesday night. I had to take Brethine at 10:45 at night (I don't recommend that) and then had trouble sleeping. When I finally did sleep it wasn't for very long and I was up at 3:30. I was having a lot of anxiety, which I tend to have the night before my appointments, and could not sleep a wink. Needless to say, it was not good for my nerves and I was sitting in the exam room crying by myself when the doctor came in. I am sure he thought I was crazy.
The good news is that he noticed no changes since the last exam and he told me, based on his experience and my case, that he thought we would be delivering a full term baby. HALLELUJAH! That has helped calm me down a lot. I got my second steroid shot for lung and brain development and will not need another one of those. Thank GOD because they hurt really bad! I go back in Monday for a repeat full ultrasound, fluid level check, cervical length ultrasound, and Fetal Fibronectin test. If all those results are positive, then I truly believe we are in the clear. I will be almost 31 weeks at the time of the appointment. He is still allowing me to work up to 6 hours a day...he said psychologically it would be good for me...I wonder what gives him that impression :) So all in all, good news. I had a great day yesterday and felt like a normal pregnant person for the first time in 2 weeks. I am going to take it easy this weekend and hopefully this trend will continue!
Love!!!
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
4D Ultrasound
Stephen and I got to experience the 4D ultrasound today and it was awesome! We were so afraid that the placenta would completely block his face and we wouldn't get any good shots. Luckily we were wrong. He had his arms blocking his face the majority of the time, but we still got some cute pictures with only a little shadowing from the placenta. He has the most precious little nose and lips. During the ultrasound he was sticking out his tounge and drinking his amniotic fluid.
Psychologically it was really good for me to see him and was surprised by how much better it made me feel. Seeing him as little person helped me understand that even if he did come early that he was a fully formed little human and would be able to make it. That being said....he still better stay in there for several more weeks! I go to the doctor first thing tomorrow morning, so keep your fingers crossed for good news. I was able to go into work for 3 hours today and that went pretty well. I figure if i can do that for a little while then I will be able to get a good amount done.
Okay, enjoy your sneak peek of baby Perron. We love him so much already!!!
Psychologically it was really good for me to see him and was surprised by how much better it made me feel. Seeing him as little person helped me understand that even if he did come early that he was a fully formed little human and would be able to make it. That being said....he still better stay in there for several more weeks! I go to the doctor first thing tomorrow morning, so keep your fingers crossed for good news. I was able to go into work for 3 hours today and that went pretty well. I figure if i can do that for a little while then I will be able to get a good amount done.
Okay, enjoy your sneak peek of baby Perron. We love him so much already!!!
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Setting up camp at the hospital
I have been meaning to post about all of this earlier but quite frankly I haven't had the emotional energy. Stephen and I left for our fabulous babymoon/Stephen's brother's wedding last Sunday. We were going to spend three nights at the Grand Resort in Point Clear and then head to Destin on Thursday for the wedding. On Tuesday night I started having contractions and was sent to the hospital in Fairhope. When I got there I have having contractions four to five minutes a part lasting about 45-60 seconds a piece and by the time they got me situated and got ready to give me a shot of medicine to stop them I was having them 2 minutes apart. They admitted me on Tuesday night, gave me a couple of bags of fluid, and a shot called brethine to stop the contractions. I stayed overnight and was allowed to come home in the morning. We left the hospital thinking that was fluke and thank goodness we won't have to go through that again. Well we were wrong!
On Thursday we were heading over to Destin and I started having contractions at the Alabama/Florida state line. I called my doctor and told them the situation and they said back to the hospital. We saw signs to a hospital and we took our second detour of the vacation. On a side note, I have never appreciated those blue hospital signs so much in my entire life...they really do work! At this point I was a little frazzled , but still holding it together pretty well. We got to the hospital and they sent me back up to Labor and delivery. I got another IV and they got me on the monitors and did a ton of tests. I was given a Fetal Fibronectin test which test for an enzyeme that is released 10-14 days prior to labor. This is one of the first tests they give to test for pre-term labor. Luckily mine was NEGATIVE! They also did a full ultrasound to measure the baby and check for cervical length. They want a length greater than 2.2 and mine was 3.1 cm so another great sign! They gave me another shot and sent me home to the condo. They said if I stayed on bedrest I could go to the rehearsal dinner and the wedding. So I laid around all friday and did what I was told. I got up to get ready for dinner and we made it through ordering before I had 10 contractions in an hour. They told me the day before that if I had more than 6 in an hour I had to come back...so back to the hopsital.
At this point I was absolutely fried and I started crying at the table at the rehearsal dinner because I DID NOT want to go back to the hospital. Anyhoo, Perron apparently does not care what I want and we were back at the hospital. Two shots of brethine later, and a few hours on the monitor and we were out again. We decided first time is a fluke, second time is bad luck, third time is a pattern and we better get the hell home. We got up on Saturday morning and started driving back. I was really stressed and scared I was going to start contracting on the way back. Luckily we made it home and I stayed on bedrest the remainder of the weekend.
I went to the doctor on Monday morning and told him my sad saga. He gave me a oral prescription of brethine and gave me a shot of some steroid that helps the baby's lungs. I thought all would be fine now that I was home and had gotten to see my own doctor. This morning I got up and got ready for work. I noticed that the baby really had not been moving much so I called the doctor's office on the way in to work. They told me to come in immediately to get checked out, so I literally threw my stuff in the office and ran back out. I picked up my mom on the way to the office and Stephen met us there. They got me back and checked out the babies heart rate which was great. I was having some little contractions and she did a cervical check on me. Unfortunately she thought I might have thinned a little from the day before and I was dehydrated so I had to get fluids. So needless to say, it was back to labor and delivery. They hooked me up to the monitors and they gave me another IV. I started contracting again while on the monitor so I had to have more brethine. The story of my life. After they gave me a bag of fluids I was able to go home and will hopefully make it at least to my next appointment on Thursday morning.
Please pray that my cervix stops effacing and that the contractions can get under control. I am thirty weeks tomorrow and I will feel better when I can at least say that. At this point, we are hoping we can make it to at least 32 weeks. After that I will feel a lot better. I think when I go in to see the doctor on Thursday we will discuss the possibility of bedrest and see what my options are. I am torn between wanting to keep working and take the brethine and not wanting to have to take a medicine that can potentially affect the baby and going on bedrest. It has been really stressful and emotionally draining. Luckily we are blessed with wonderful friends and family who have been taking care of us. Please keep us in your prayers and pray that he stays in as long as the good lord will let him and he is a healthy baby. Also, please pray for Stephen and I that we are able to find strength and reassurance during this difficult time. We love you all and I promise I will do a better job keeping everyone up to date.
Love!!!
On Thursday we were heading over to Destin and I started having contractions at the Alabama/Florida state line. I called my doctor and told them the situation and they said back to the hospital. We saw signs to a hospital and we took our second detour of the vacation. On a side note, I have never appreciated those blue hospital signs so much in my entire life...they really do work! At this point I was a little frazzled , but still holding it together pretty well. We got to the hospital and they sent me back up to Labor and delivery. I got another IV and they got me on the monitors and did a ton of tests. I was given a Fetal Fibronectin test which test for an enzyeme that is released 10-14 days prior to labor. This is one of the first tests they give to test for pre-term labor. Luckily mine was NEGATIVE! They also did a full ultrasound to measure the baby and check for cervical length. They want a length greater than 2.2 and mine was 3.1 cm so another great sign! They gave me another shot and sent me home to the condo. They said if I stayed on bedrest I could go to the rehearsal dinner and the wedding. So I laid around all friday and did what I was told. I got up to get ready for dinner and we made it through ordering before I had 10 contractions in an hour. They told me the day before that if I had more than 6 in an hour I had to come back...so back to the hopsital.
At this point I was absolutely fried and I started crying at the table at the rehearsal dinner because I DID NOT want to go back to the hospital. Anyhoo, Perron apparently does not care what I want and we were back at the hospital. Two shots of brethine later, and a few hours on the monitor and we were out again. We decided first time is a fluke, second time is bad luck, third time is a pattern and we better get the hell home. We got up on Saturday morning and started driving back. I was really stressed and scared I was going to start contracting on the way back. Luckily we made it home and I stayed on bedrest the remainder of the weekend.
I went to the doctor on Monday morning and told him my sad saga. He gave me a oral prescription of brethine and gave me a shot of some steroid that helps the baby's lungs. I thought all would be fine now that I was home and had gotten to see my own doctor. This morning I got up and got ready for work. I noticed that the baby really had not been moving much so I called the doctor's office on the way in to work. They told me to come in immediately to get checked out, so I literally threw my stuff in the office and ran back out. I picked up my mom on the way to the office and Stephen met us there. They got me back and checked out the babies heart rate which was great. I was having some little contractions and she did a cervical check on me. Unfortunately she thought I might have thinned a little from the day before and I was dehydrated so I had to get fluids. So needless to say, it was back to labor and delivery. They hooked me up to the monitors and they gave me another IV. I started contracting again while on the monitor so I had to have more brethine. The story of my life. After they gave me a bag of fluids I was able to go home and will hopefully make it at least to my next appointment on Thursday morning.
Please pray that my cervix stops effacing and that the contractions can get under control. I am thirty weeks tomorrow and I will feel better when I can at least say that. At this point, we are hoping we can make it to at least 32 weeks. After that I will feel a lot better. I think when I go in to see the doctor on Thursday we will discuss the possibility of bedrest and see what my options are. I am torn between wanting to keep working and take the brethine and not wanting to have to take a medicine that can potentially affect the baby and going on bedrest. It has been really stressful and emotionally draining. Luckily we are blessed with wonderful friends and family who have been taking care of us. Please keep us in your prayers and pray that he stays in as long as the good lord will let him and he is a healthy baby. Also, please pray for Stephen and I that we are able to find strength and reassurance during this difficult time. We love you all and I promise I will do a better job keeping everyone up to date.
Love!!!
Friday, June 5, 2009
The Saga of the Cyst Continues
So Stephen and I went in this morning to have a follow-up ultrasound of the cyst they found in my right ovary in May. I still have had some tenderness in the area, especially when Perron kicks me there, but I was sure that it had gone away. Wrong! It is still there. Luckily it is the same size, but now apparently it is a solid mass. I don't know if that meant it was a solid mass all along and they just assumed that it was fluid filled, or if it was fluid filled at one time and then became a solid mass. The good news is it hasn't grown in 6 weeks. I talked to the doctor (not my regular doctor) and she said that there was not anything that they could do during the pregnancy and that I shouldn't worry about it (yeah right). She said I would have to have another ultrasound 6 weeks after I had the baby to determine if it had grown any more. She said there would be two different methods of treatment. They would either continue to monitor it via ultrasound or they could go in a look at it laproscopically. She said if it had not grown at all she would probably recommend keeping an eye on it with ultrasounds. I go back on the 15th for my 30 week appointment and she said to talk to Dr. Edwards about what he thought was the right thing to do then. I asked like one million times (seriously you can ask Stephen) if they thought it was ovarian cancer and she kept telling me no....but I am still a tiny bit freaked out. Regardless, there is nothing they can do about it now and we will just have to play the waiting game a little bit longer.
As for Perron, we got to see him and get some pictures as well, which is nice. He appears to be doing good and it cute as a little button. We is already head down and is kind of curved like a C with his butt on my left and his feet, elbow and hands on the right....so that he can always kick mommy on her sore ovary. I am measuring right at 28 and a half weeks, which is great. We did get a little bit of sad news about our 4D ultrasound. It appears that in his current position my placenta (and his hands)is almost completely blocking his little face. She switched it to the 4D view for a minute to show us what we would see. You could barely see a tiny little part of his face...mainly placenta. We are still going to go and try on the 17th, but we will now just be prepared knowing we might not really get to see him that well. She said to drink a lot of caffeine and eat a lot of carbs at lunch to try and get him moving around. She said if we could get him to arch his head back we could get around the placenta. Keep your fingers crossed that he will cooperate.
We leave for the beach on Sunday for a whole week. We are going to stay at the Grand Hotel in Fairhope for three nights and then head to Destin for David's wedding. I am excited to have a whole week off work (even though I already have two conference calls scheduled). I will have lots of fun pictures to share when we get back.
As for Perron, we got to see him and get some pictures as well, which is nice. He appears to be doing good and it cute as a little button. We is already head down and is kind of curved like a C with his butt on my left and his feet, elbow and hands on the right....so that he can always kick mommy on her sore ovary. I am measuring right at 28 and a half weeks, which is great. We did get a little bit of sad news about our 4D ultrasound. It appears that in his current position my placenta (and his hands)is almost completely blocking his little face. She switched it to the 4D view for a minute to show us what we would see. You could barely see a tiny little part of his face...mainly placenta. We are still going to go and try on the 17th, but we will now just be prepared knowing we might not really get to see him that well. She said to drink a lot of caffeine and eat a lot of carbs at lunch to try and get him moving around. She said if we could get him to arch his head back we could get around the placenta. Keep your fingers crossed that he will cooperate.
We leave for the beach on Sunday for a whole week. We are going to stay at the Grand Hotel in Fairhope for three nights and then head to Destin for David's wedding. I am excited to have a whole week off work (even though I already have two conference calls scheduled). I will have lots of fun pictures to share when we get back.
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Week 27 and Girl's Weekend
Wow! It has been a long time since I posted. Things are going well for Stephen, Perron and myself. He is continuing to get bigger and I can now see my belly shift when he balls up to one side. I can also "feel" him when he is pushed up against my stomach. I still can't tell what part of his body I am touching, but I definitely can tell it is him. It is really weird to know that I am "touching" him. We go in next Friday to have a follow up ultrasound from when I was in the hospital for the ovarian cyst. I am hoping we will get a little peek at him.
We are starting to work on the nursery and get everything together for hiim. We are re-doing the closet this weekend so we will have a little bit more storage room in there....it is pretty tiny. We also are going to work on picking out a paint color for the room. I wonder if I can pull the pregnancy card and get out of painting the nursery :)....I somehow doubt that. Hopefully, the furniture will be here by the end of June. I would love to have it set up before the baby shower so that I can have a place to put everything...and so my sisters can see it when they come for the shower.
Stephen and I just got back from a trip to Washington, DC. I had a girl's weekend with my best friends from college and Stephen was able to spend the weekend with his brothers. We had such a great time and it was awesome to get to see all of my girlfriends one last time before Perron gets here. We got to go to the Newseum, celebrate April's bachelorette party, and have a little baby shower for Perron. It was very sweet and Perron got some very cute outfits and bath things, as well as a nice group gift card to Babies R Us. It will definitely come in handy as we try and get everything together for Perron. I am so grateful that 8 years after we have all graduated we still get make an effort to see each other at least once a year. I am just sad this year that I will miss April's wedding. Enjoy some of the pictures from the trip.
We are starting to work on the nursery and get everything together for hiim. We are re-doing the closet this weekend so we will have a little bit more storage room in there....it is pretty tiny. We also are going to work on picking out a paint color for the room. I wonder if I can pull the pregnancy card and get out of painting the nursery :)....I somehow doubt that. Hopefully, the furniture will be here by the end of June. I would love to have it set up before the baby shower so that I can have a place to put everything...and so my sisters can see it when they come for the shower.
Stephen and I just got back from a trip to Washington, DC. I had a girl's weekend with my best friends from college and Stephen was able to spend the weekend with his brothers. We had such a great time and it was awesome to get to see all of my girlfriends one last time before Perron gets here. We got to go to the Newseum, celebrate April's bachelorette party, and have a little baby shower for Perron. It was very sweet and Perron got some very cute outfits and bath things, as well as a nice group gift card to Babies R Us. It will definitely come in handy as we try and get everything together for Perron. I am so grateful that 8 years after we have all graduated we still get make an effort to see each other at least once a year. I am just sad this year that I will miss April's wedding. Enjoy some of the pictures from the trip.
Monday, May 11, 2009
Mother's Day and A Name
We celebrated our first Mother's Day and it was very special...if not somewhat surreal. I wasn't really expecting anything, well maybe a card...but I swear that was it. Stephen out did himself and surprised me not only with a card but with a prenatal massage at a local spa as well. I can't wait to use it! Baby Boy Crigler makes my hips hurt when I sleep. For Mother's Day, Baby Crigler performed an almost day long tap dance (which I love) to show his appreciation for me carrying him. He has been VERY active this past week and Stephen has gotten to experience the full force of his kicks on several occasions.
Speaking of Baby Boy Crigler, we have an official name to share. Drum roll please....His name will be Perron Blalock Crigler. A mouthful, I know, but a name that is full of special meaning to Stephen and I. Perron is a family name on Stephen's mom's side and is also Stephen's middle name. Stephen wanted a Junior and I put the kabosh on that right away, so this is the closest he could get. I have always loved Stephen's middle name and am excited that we get to use it. Blalock is particularly special to us because it is the maiden name of Stephen's "aunt" ML. ML is actually Stephen's mom's second cousin or something like that, but saying Aunt is a lot easier to explain. ML has played a special part in Stephen and my life, she also gave us our first "child" McKenzie, and we wanted to do something to pay tribute to her. She never had children, and was an only child herself, so we are going to use Blalock to make sure that her maiden name lives on as a legacy in our child. We got to tell her in person on Wednesday night and she was very excited. There may have been some tears shed by all parties.
It is nice to finally have a name to call him, although it still feels a little weird and he is still frequently referred to as Baby Crigler. I can't believe that I am also almost at 25 weeks. I think of all of the stuff we have to do in the next 15 weeks and it kind of freaks me out. I know it will all get done in time, but it is going to keep us busy!
Speaking of Baby Boy Crigler, we have an official name to share. Drum roll please....His name will be Perron Blalock Crigler. A mouthful, I know, but a name that is full of special meaning to Stephen and I. Perron is a family name on Stephen's mom's side and is also Stephen's middle name. Stephen wanted a Junior and I put the kabosh on that right away, so this is the closest he could get. I have always loved Stephen's middle name and am excited that we get to use it. Blalock is particularly special to us because it is the maiden name of Stephen's "aunt" ML. ML is actually Stephen's mom's second cousin or something like that, but saying Aunt is a lot easier to explain. ML has played a special part in Stephen and my life, she also gave us our first "child" McKenzie, and we wanted to do something to pay tribute to her. She never had children, and was an only child herself, so we are going to use Blalock to make sure that her maiden name lives on as a legacy in our child. We got to tell her in person on Wednesday night and she was very excited. There may have been some tears shed by all parties.
It is nice to finally have a name to call him, although it still feels a little weird and he is still frequently referred to as Baby Crigler. I can't believe that I am also almost at 25 weeks. I think of all of the stuff we have to do in the next 15 weeks and it kind of freaks me out. I know it will all get done in time, but it is going to keep us busy!
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