|
|
|
|
 |
||||||||
|
2nd Pregnancy Journal ~ 3rd Trimester |
||||||||
| Week 28 | Week 29 | Week 30 | Week 31 | Week 32 | Week 33 | |||
| Week 34 | Week 35 | Week 36 | Week 37 | Week 38 | Week 39 | Week 40 | ||
|
Week 27 (March 28 - April 3, 2005)
Here we are...the final
trimester! Though it
certainly would be rough going, the baby is now considered viable outside
of the womb. There is
a modicum of comfort in that thought, but we’d much prefer to be
in this for the long haul! Still
no word on last week’s test results, so I will put a call into the
office tomorrow morning. Gotta
love the paper trail of medical bureaucracy...
On a far-less frustrating note, we had another in-depth ultrasound
today down at the high-risk OB. They
were finally able to get a good look at the baby’s brain &
the all-important heart! Despite
our confidence that nothing would be wrong, it is a relief to have
that over with! We’re supposed to go down in 6 more weeks for another
sonogram, just to monitor the baby’s growth since we are
considered high-risk. Today,
Junior weighed in at a whopping 2 lbs. 5 oz., measuring exactly 27 Weeks
according to the tech. That’s
just what Jake measured at his Week 28 ultrasound, so this
baby is already a tad larger than his/her big brother was at not
quite this point in our 1st pregnancy.
Sorta shakes the ground under the “Junior is a girl” theory a
bit, eh? On that note... Though
Junior has shifted from breech to an oblique (shoulder first diagonally, head
down) orientation
(thus allowing a better view of the more vital organs), modesty reigned
supreme yet again today! Momma
& Daddy firmly pitched our tent in the Not To Know camp prior
to this appointment, so it didn’t matter to us anyhow, but I can just
imagine the frustration we’d feel now had that not been
our position! We are grateful
enough as it is to finally have a good shot of the baby’s face to
share! We really thought Junior’s face looked nothing like
Jake’s at this stage, but I’ve reconsidered after comparing the two.
Kraston & I are now in agreement that the Week 27 &
28 ultrasounds in question could be of the same baby!
Apparently, Jake didn’t take on the extraterrestrial appearance
we both recalled until later in my pregnancy (Week 31, to be exact)!
It’ll be fascinating to see if Junior, too, looks like an alien
when we go in at Week 33 for what will likely be our last scan!
J |
||||||||
 |
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
Week 28 (Apr 4 - Apr 10, 2005) I
suppose the first thing I should say is that my GTT results came back
normal at a level of 116. The
upper limit is set at 140, so I am well under that target...whew!
Not that I had gestational diabetes with Jake or anything, but
still... In other news, this
baby has really begun to rock-n-roll!
Or perhaps break-dance is the better term?
Junior likes to do the Caterpillar in Momma’s belly so much that
it’s begun to keep me up at night!
Jake was all about martial arts, kicking me & anything else
within reach. But Junior
usually does this rolling wave motion – like riding a roller coaster,
rather than direct kicks or punches.
It actually tickles from the inside & often “gooses” me!
Daddy can feel the waves, too. J
It really is much different than Jakey’s movement in-utero!
We have yet another check-up with our regular OB (Dr. Jones)
tomorrow, so I will cut this short! I
have another task at hand now: the
ultrasound scans. Kraston
believes he’s finally found a subsidiary site on which to post ours for
posterity, so now I have the monumental task of running the ultrasounds
through the scanner in preparation for the grand uploading.
May Jakey be patient with his Momma as I embark on this latest
project... |
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
Week 29 (Apr 11 - Apr 17, 2005) Happy
31st Birthday, Daddy! J
Despite the festivities of the weekend, our saga continues. The OB our insurance company said practiced in Newport News
but has hospital privileges in Williamsburg, too, does not deliver babies
at WCH. So that rules out our
insurance-covered options for delivery close to home. The competing OB in town doesn’t take our HMO, and their
office fees run between $3,150-$3,600 dollars, depending on the type of
delivery in the end. Ouch. Kraston feels we should stick with an OB on our plan, so...
The doctor at EVMS who said at our 16-Week visit that attempting a
VBAC was statistically and in practice less risky for me
than a second cesarean with my genetic predisposition for blood clots only
delivers at the hospital in Norfolk – which can be well over 2 hours
away in the rush hour traffic that cycles 3 times daily here...
That doesn’t seem like a reasonable alternative either.
So we’re at the point where we either do what Dr. Jones wants
(c-section in my 38th week, approximately 65 days from now), or
commit ourselves to delivering at Riverside, where the maternity ward is
not really family-friendly. I
have an appointment this afternoon in the Denbigh area of Newport News for
another opinion on the merits of VBAC in my case, and additional appointments
around there over the next two weeks. We’ll have to see what Dr.
Mullins has to say today...
Week
29 + 1 day
So we met Dr. Mullins yesterday...and he agreed to take our case
with the intention of attempting a VBAC delivery!
There were no hassles nor roadblocks nor even the slightest bit of
hesitation about my trying for a vaginal delivery at all.
He’d reviewed my records before coming into the exam room, and
had questions about them for clarification purposes, but saw no reason at
all why we couldn’t plan for a VBAC delivery at this point in our
pregnancy. It went really
well. I’m in a state of
disbelief...I really expected him to “realize based on my case” that
Dr. Jones’ opinion was a universal one.
Though I was still concerned about how early Dr. Jones wanted to
have the surgery, I’d begun to resign myself to the c-section at WCH... But we actually have options again! In the meantime, Dr. Jones called at 8:53am this morning for
our decision about his ultimatum. I
told him that I was very leery of a c-section so much sooner than my due
date since Jake was born perfectly healthy at 8lbs 2oz in my 42nd
week, and would he be willing to compromise from his Week 38 position?
He said that since I was due on a Monday & the hospital would
be on a weekend staff if I went into labor in the day or two prior to my
due date, he’d be willing -given Jake's late arrival- to consent to
scheduling the cesarean 3 or 4 days prior to my due date, depending on his
schedule when we go to set the date at my appointment the 1st week of May.
That makes me feel a bit better...
Another big hang up now is about the Riverside Hospital itself at
this point. So we’re going
tonight to take the “Expectant Parents Tour” they offer.
And that should answer the remaining questions we still have before
we can really make a decision one way or the other...
v
The
tour went well. We met
expecting-again Tiffani & not-so-little-at-nearly-3-now Hailee at the
hospital, as Tiff is also debating the merits of delivering at Riverside
instead of WCH. Unlike us,
she now lives in that neck of the woods.
We, on the other hand, were 1-hour and 20-minutes en route last
night. Despite our leaving
the house an hour and 10 minutes early (with the intention of grabbing
dinner on the road), we were still 10 minutes late!!
Ya never know what the traffic will be like “down Peninsula”...
and yesterday’s dry run was a prime example!
It ought to take about 40-45 minutes to get to the hospital from
home. Unfortunately, traffic
is one of our bigger concerns about committing to deliver at Riverside,
especially when you factor in that Grammy & Jake must come together at
one location or another prior to our departure. It’s another 25 minutes between our house & theirs.
So we realistically ought to plan for it to take nearly 2 hours
from placing the call to my mom until we arrive at Riverside
Hospital. How crazy is
that?!? The commute
aside, WCH has a much homier maternity ward, and a more stringent infant
security plan in place. Plus,
the moms are not shuffled from room to room with each stage of motherhood,
as they are at Riverside. The
Riverside Labor-Delivery rooms are larger, but the Mother-Baby rooms are
smaller than the Labor-Delivery-Recovery rooms at Williamsburg Community.
Riverside also has an interim c-section recovery room prior to
transfer to the Mother-Baby ward, where the delivered mother can have no
visitors at all – including Daddy.
Which sucks, as I know from the circumstances of our
last delivery, despite the lack of such restriction at WCH!
But, as Kraston put it on the way home from the tour, Riverside’s
maternity center is not the slum we’d been expecting.
And (after our taxes are finally filed) the decision-making
can now commence... |
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
Week 30 (Apr 18 - Apr 24, 2005) I can’t believe this is so
difficult... Neither Kraston
nor I have formed a clear-cut opinion on what to do either way. I faxed Dr. Mullins with some additional questions we had
about attempting a VBAC delivery under his care, so hopefully that input
will help us sort out the confusion if/when
he replies. In the mean time,
I have a “quick” check-up with Dr. Roberson at Williamsburg OB/GYN on
Tuesday. Then next week is a
pelvic exam down at Warwick/Denbigh OB, and the week after is another
appointment back with Dr. Jones – at which we are supposed to schedule
my cesarean. It feels like
dragging my feet, but at
this point I’m
almost willing to wait to see exactly what surgery date Dr. Jones assigns
us before deciding what to do. Then
we’ll at least
have all the information in front of us
before committing one way or the other.
Argh!!!
I
just don’t feel comfortable agreeing to an early c-section, so
if Dr. Jones goes back on the “3 or 4 days before Due Date”
compromise we reached last week...
Ugh. I guess we’ll just have to see what the rest of the week brings. K
Week
30 + 2 days
We had our appointment with Dr. Roberson yesterday. She found Junior
right away – it’s always a wonderful rush when the clip-clop of
our baby’s heart rings out from the Doppler! Junior & I are
both doing well, and it was just a quickie check-up so there isn’t
really much to say about the visit itself. I’ve yet to hear from
Dr. Mullins about my VBAC inquiries, which is frustrating... BUT
I’m tired of thinking about the negatives for now, so as Scarlet
succinctly put it, I’ll think about them tomorrow. The positive
I want to focus on is that we’re now SEVEN MONTHS
pregnant and, with help from above, our littlest love will be with
us in two more months!! On that note: Leigh’s into her 31st
week now, Sandy is 24 weeks along, & Tiffani is hovering at 11 weeks
again, thanks to a due date adjustment based on her ultrasound!
Bellies are bloomin’ with baby blessings everywhere! |
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
Week 31 (Apr 25 - May 1, 2005) We
had our 2nd visit with Dr. Mullins of Warwick OB/GYN yesterday. With a heart rate on the Doppler of 166bpm, Junior’s doing
well. J
The nurse wheedling the scanner voiced her prediction that we’re
carrying a boy based on that heart rate.
It’s not a scientific method, just an old wife’s tale, but
since we’ve chosen not to know the gender, it is fun to have people
guess! (Take
your turn at our Survey Says page!)
With Jake, my only inkling was one “gender dream” – which was
right on target, too! I keep expecting to have another such dream with this
pregnancy, a vote from my subconscious so to speak, but that hasn’t
happened yet. Despite two
totally different pregnancies, and though I've not had any sort of dream
indicators to confirm my theory, I am sure Junior is another boy!
I can’t wait to meet this baby & finally know!! We have another opportunity to take a peek in Week 33 with a
last ultrasound on May 10th, but I believe we will refrain.
Our next appointment with Dr. Mullins, should we choose to continue
there, is the same day as our sonogram.
Though he never answered my fax, he did take plenty of time to
address our questions & concerns at this check-up.
He said most successful VBACs happen when the woman labors prior to
40 weeks, and that the risk for rupture is higher when the labor is
induced as opposed to starting naturally.
With that said, if my cervix is dilated to at least 2 cm and
I’m at least 50% effaced, with the baby engaged in the pelvis, Dr.
Mullins would like to begin an induction for VBAC between June 15th
& 22nd (ideally at 38½ weeks).
If by June 27th (Due-Day), I have yet to progress at
least that far we would then schedule the c-section to have the baby
delivered in Newport News by Week 41.
(With our 1st pregnancy, I was only dilated
a
½ centimeter, 70% effaced, and at -1 station on a scale of -4 to +4
at 38½ Weeks.
By my due date, I was still only dilated 1½ cm, with no real
change in effacement or station.) In a VBAC delivery, Dr. Mullins monitors
for uterine scar rupture with an internal "pressure catheter"
as well as the standard monitors I
had with Jake. He also starts Pitocin after the water is broken, and an
epidural following that -- which means no getting out of bed while
laboring at Riverside. Dr. Mullin's does
not have an arbitrary "cut-off hour" after breaking the
waters at which he calls off vaginally delivery in favor of c-section, but
bases that call on the health of Momma & Baby. (That is what
happened with our 1st
delivery -- we bumped heads with the "Failure to Progress cut off
hour" for Williamsburg OB/GYN at 6½ cm dilated. K
An hour & a half later, Jake was in Kraston's arms! J)
Anyhow...that's the agenda with Dr. Mullins. We'll find out
on May 3rd what date Dr. Jones will assign for our cesarean
with him up at Williamsburg Community. And,
with a nod from the insurance company giving us time, we will then gather
our information & make a decision about which obstetrician will
deliver our second child. So, hopefully, we will have a delivery
plan ironed out by this time next week... Wish us luck!! |
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
Today was our much anticipated “C-section scheduling” appointment with Dr. Jones. The check-up itself was considered a routine one, nothing exciting to report about it ~ except that we heard the rhythmic clopping of Junior’s heart right away, of course! Dr. Jones brought up our compromise time-frame for the c-section himself, saying he’d have Kathy (whom I just adore) schedule the surgery for 3 or 4 days prior to my due date, & she’d call us this week with the assignment. The OB’s office contacts the pediatrician, too, so that is one less thing for us to line up. One thing that did bother Kraston & I about the appointment was Dr. Jones’ attitude toward tubal ligation. He asked us not if we’d considered it, but if we were going to do it during the c-section. I answered right away that we picture our family with two children and aren’t comfortable having my tubes tied when this baby’s health won’t fully be assessed immediately after his/her birth, so I won’t be having tubal ligation at the time of delivery. Rather than leave it at that – having heard our reasoning & our decision, he went on a bit longer about how pregnancy was a dangerous condition for me and how he didn’t think we should have more children after this birth. I reiterated that we saw two children as the perfect family, but wanted to reserve the opportunity for another pregnancy should this baby not survive (God forbid!). He didn’t seem to appreciate the wisdom of that reply, and said again that he didn’t think I should have another pregnancy. Whatever, Doc ~ it’s our family not yours. I did not say that, but I sure thought it. I feel like I need to be agreeable, or at least not confrontational with him, or we’ll be told to leave the practice. I want that to be our choice not our consequence. Still, he has no business in our family-planning beyond delivery. And Kraston & I are of the mind that tubal ligation is not for us. With that, we headed home. Agreeing that it was not a decision, I asked what Kraston’s gut instinct was telling him. Funnily enough, both our guts are singing the old “stick to the devil you know” song at this point. We will fully discuss the VBAC vs. C-section topic tomorrow night, as our Baptismal Preparation class at St. Bede’s really made an in-depth conversation impossible tonight. Junior will be christened at the new church, instead of the old chapel where we were married & Jake was baptized. That’s a sad break in the continuity of our lil’ family history, but not something worth fretting over. The dates available for an out-of-Mass ceremony are problematic, however! We were looking forward to having Grandma Kim & Grandpa Kraston with us, but I don’t think their vacation plans line up with the church schedule. L We’ll have to see... Week 32 + 2 days Kathy just called with the surgery date: June 20, 2005. That’s a whole week before my due-date, and not what Dr. Jones had again agreed to just yesterday. K She said he told her to set it for the 20 th or 21st, and that the 20th was the date that worked best at the hospital. (Gurrrr... I’m trying not to read anything into that at this point.) I told Kathy I’ve voiced my concerns about early delivery to Dr. Jones & that he’d said the 23rd or 24th would likely be the date. I then asked if there was a tangible reason those dates were ruled out (i.e. Doc not in town, etc.). She said Dr. Jones was on the schedule to perform surgeries on the 23rd, and she would look into that date & get back to me. v And get back to me she did! First off, I just need to say that Kathy (the head labwork nurse, and apparently the surgery coordinator) is a wonderful woman, and a great nurse to have on your side! I told her as much just now. It was her persistence when I first called after my positive HPT that got the much needed progesterone supplement prescription called in right away (on a Friday without an office visit). And she was instrumental in getting the blood tests scheduled for my peace of mind in the earliest days of this pregnancy. Those tests confirmed that without the P4 supplements, our baby wouldn't have survived the weekend, and helped to validate the accuracy of my due date. Plus, in the over-due weeks of my 1st pregnancy, she was there every step of the way as we monitored the baby’s health! But back to the matter at hand. J Our new surgery date: June 23, 2005 – 8:30am – Week 39 + 3 days. Much better. And I suppose that might mean Dr. Jones didn’t have ulterior intent when he gave her the initial dates. Maybe... Okay. We now have all the information we’re gonna get. Decision time. |
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
Week 33 (May 9 - May 15, 2005) Happy Mother’s Day to ME! So...we decided we
needed more information! :-P
Those of you I’ve blabbed at about this decision know just how
torn I’ve been about what to do. Kraston
& I made a pros/cons list about the two options & went over it
last Wednesday. Essentially, the conversation left us just as confused as
ever. We ended by deciding to
consult this week with the high-risk OB at our ultrasound appointment
about our lingering concerns in the hopes of some clarification.
(Namely, Dr. Mullins’ reputation as an OB, and my own health
risks in choosing one delivery method over the other.)
On Thursday, I woke up feeling resigned to the C-Section here in
Williamsburg, and we planned to talk it over more that night.
But Kraston came home sick early from work, so the opportunity just
didn’t present itself. Friday
morning I woke up thinking the VBAC in Newport News was the way to go, and
that feeling stayed with me through the weekend.
Kraston & I didn’t discuss the topic again though, so I had
no idea what he was thinking, nor did he know my inclination.
Well, today was the big ultrasound, to be followed by a regular
check-up with Dr. Mullins. An
hour after our 9AM appointment time with EVMS, we’d still yet to be
seen... I called Dr.
Mullins’ office to let them know we would probably be running late to
our 11AM appointment. By
10:20, we were on our way in with the sonographer.
Cutting right to the good stuff, Junior now weighs in at 5 lbs.
exactly, & is measuring at 33week+4days (reality: 33w+1d)! Though curled up in a tight little ball, the baby is finally
vertex in my uterus! (Click
here to see our little pretzel for yourself!) J
Modesty, however, is apparently out the window for our lil’ one.
Yes, Junior could be seen with a knee at his/her cheek, and a hand
holding onto a foot to keep the leg prone in that position, thus allowing
the tech a perfect view of...! We
asked her to capture a “gender” picture for posterity, but refrained
from taking a peek ourselves. So,
much to Grammy’s chagrin, I am now in possession of a sealed envelope
containing the answer to Junior's biggest mystery to date! Kraston
is adamant about not knowing the sex, so I am going
along with that – despite the temptation!
But the final choice is mine, so long as I don't tell him that I
know!!! And vice versa should Daddy change his mind!!!
The tech confirmed that the placenta is NOT over the scar from my
previous cesarean, and we were able to ask the OB our questions, too.
Dr. de Veciana reiterated what we’d heard
from
Dr. Dattel back at our 1st visit to
the high-risk office – that a VBAC is the safer choice in terms of the
blood clotting factors and my health.
She feels a natural onset labor has the best outcome chances &
would prefer the VBAC not be induced with medication.
This OB was in agreement with Dr. Mullins’ opinion that if there
was no progress by 40 weeks then a repeat c-section should be considered.
Rather than using Pitocin, she would suggest a “Foley
bulb” to
promote dilation. And it is
her opinion that if we have a successful VBAC, no blood thinners would be
necessary postpartum. If we
end up with a C-section at 37 weeks or further along, she would like me on
Coumadin starting 12 hours after the surgery, saying that the American
Academy of Pediatrics lists it as compatible with breastfeeding.
It was good to run our questions by an impartial party.
Also, Dr. de Veciana said she considered Dr. Mullins to be a reputable
obstetrician & surgeon, with a good head on his shoulders.
It was comforting to have the opinion of someone in his field
support our impression of the Newport News doctor.
At 11:32, our ultrasound visit was finally over.
Again, I called Dr. Mullins’ but this time to reschedule for
later this week (Thursday, 3:15PM) – and we went to Taco Bell for lunch.
Over bean burritos, we discussed our options. It seems, especially after today’s appointment, that
we’re both strongly considering the VBAC attempt.
We’re looking forward to running the high-risk OB’s thoughts on
induction by Dr. Mullins on Thursday.
His response will likely secure a decision in our minds, one way or
the other..
Week
33 + 4 days
Happy Half Birthday, Big Brother Jake!
We celebrated Jake’s 2-½ birthday at Polo Club last night
after our check-up in Denbigh,
mostly as an excuse for Jakey to blow out a candle!
After 4 tries, he finally succeeded in blowing out his 1st
candle – and without spitting! What
a big boy! He then promptly sneezed on the Hostess cupcake before him!
Oh well... J
While out, we had a chance to settle into our decision to attempt a
vaginal birth... The
appointment with Dr. Mullins went well. We both appreciate his openness & willingness to answer
questions fully. He clarified
my misinterpretation of his opinion of epidurals, too... In our 1st conversation, he said the order of
things for the induction would be break the waters/start Pitocin/start
epidural – because why suffer the pain if you’re gonna be bedridden
anyway to monitor for uterine rupture.
He commented that he wasn’t the type to make you wait until 4cm
before starting the epidural with an induction.
I took that comment to mean he was all about the epi!
But in fact when I brought up my epidural concerns at this
appointment, he said that he would prefer to use an epidural for pain
control toward the end, so it would already be in place in case a
c-section is needed, but that I could go as long as I wanted without one
until that point. Whew!
I had concerns about an early epidural not as a glutton for pain,
but because my blood pressure plummeted with my 1st and I ended
up with a bedside nurse over night (while I slept soundly & Kraston
didn’t get a wink fearing I would die before the morning).
Dr. Mullins said we would bring that up with the anesthesiologist at Riverside prior to the epidural to take proper precautions. I
brought up the induction, too, and asked about the Foley Bulb the
high-risk OB mentioned. His reply was that we wouldn’t begin the induction until I
was already making progress; that the baby would have to be engaged &
my cervix soft, as well as dilated to at least 2cm – thus he feels the
“alternative” induction measures wouldn’t serve us well since they
attempt to bring the body to the points at which he already wants me to be
BEFORE the induction. If
I’m closer to my due date & not making any progress at all, he said
that the Foley Bulb would then be an option.
I hear that logic... Following
the check-up at which we discover that I’ve met his “conditions” for
induction, Dr. Mullins will schedule the induction. And he doesn’t
schedule inductions for every day of the week, so there would be at least
one day or more to go into natural labor before checking into Riverside
hospital. Though we’re absolutely still pulling for spontaneous
labor, Kraston & I both feel much more comfortable about the induction
after this last appointment with Dr. Mullins...
So VBAC it is and, with a lot of prayer & any luck, hopefully
we’ll have a successful attempt!
J
Now I just have to tell Dr. Jones we're leaving Williamsburg OB/GYN... K |
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
Week 34 (May 16 - May 22, 2005) Having decided to attempt a
VBAC delivery, our minds are now free to concentrate on the more pleasant
elements of pregnancy (like heading into our EIGHTH MONTH )
and all a new baby will mean! We worked on-line a bit this weekend at setting up a Babies-R-Us
Baby Registry, both of things we still need & things of pure
fantasy. And I’ve spent a
great deal of time obsessing over wallpaper borders of late!
The plan is to paint the spare room a lime sherbet/pistachio color,
regardless of Junior’s gender.
A girl will reside in a
Princess-themed
nursery of pinks, green, and lilac, comprised mostly of a
now-retired bedroom collection I’ve slowly gathered since finding the
crib set at TJ Maxx while pregnant the 1st time! Two boys would share Jake’s lilac-walled
Poohbear
nursery with yellow, lime & blue accents, and the spare-room would
become a playroom/guestroom with a Transportation
theme of blues and greens (**see update in Week 35**).
In preparation for Junior’s arrival, Daddy begrudgingly assembled
a toddler bed this weekend, & Jake has begun the inevitable transition
from crib to bed. So
far, we’ve attempted just two naps in the bed, but nights remain in the
crib. It’s going pretty
well, as amazed as we are by that!!!
With any luck, Big Brother Jake will accept Junior’s
post-bassinette taking over of the crib without any major complaints...
I have one last appointment with W-OB/GYN tomorrow, where I will
consult with Dr. Jenkins about his overseeing a VBAC delivery at WCH
(doesn’t hurt to ask, and he was the one who initially set the
plan for that in motion). Assuming,
as we do, that he won’t or is unable to allow me a
VBAC attempt locally, I will then take that opportunity to notify the
practice of our decision to deliver with Dr. Mullins at Riverside.
And that will be that. Spit
spot! Anyway, I plan to
resume postpartum GYN care with Dr. Dineen, who I’ve seen almost the
entire time I’ve lived in Virginia.
More details on Tuesday’s appointment to come...
Week
34 + 4 days
As was fully expected, Dr. Jenkins confirmed that a VBAC with their
practice is not an option. If,
however, Dr. Jones had presented their case in the manner Dr. Jenkins did
on Tuesday, I feel we wouldn’t have even entertained the notion of
leaving the practice... He said that Dr. Jones feels strongly that they need to steer
clear of all VBACs because the odds of a fatality are stacked against them
since they’ve yet to have one. He
came right out saying that malpractice played a roll in the policy
decision, too. At WCH, so Dr.
Jenkins said, it takes about a half hour to mobilize for an emergency
cesarean after hours – and that a rupture-related c-section needs to be
underway within the 1st 15 minutes of the rupture for the best
outcome possibilities... He
agreed with the EVMS opinion that a VBAC would probably be the safer
choice for me if I were laboring at EVMS itself (Norfolk ~ not a
consideration), but not at WCH.
The entire conversation felt open & sincere – and not at all
like the scare-tactic spin Dr. Jones put on the whole notion of VBACs.
There was none of the “evasiveness” Kraston & I picked up
from Dr. Jones in the “ultimatum” exchange either...
As I said, if this is how the 1st discussion had gone, I
feel fairly sure we’d have understood the logic behind the position the
practice has decided to take, even while still being disappointed over
having the option taken away at the last hour.
We probably would have signed on then for the repeat with no strong
objections such as those we feel now.
But that is not how the situation was presented to us... Ah,
oh well. In happier
news...Grammy & Papa are taking “Papa’s Bus” (as Jake calls
their “new” ’78 GMC
Royale
RV) out for its 1st road trip this weekend!
Jake & I are dog-sitting for them, while Daddy stays home to
work on the entertainment unit with no interruptions.
And while Momma & Big Brother are at the B&B, we shall be
visited by Auntie Tracy & Emmie!
Junior is the main attraction, however, as Tracy is dying to get
her hands on my oft undulating belly! J |
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
Week 35 (May 23 - May 29, 2005) We had a wonderful visit with Tracy & Em! And Jake really is going to be a terrific brother if this past weekend is any indicator... Junior is a far-less-active baby than Jake was, and the placenta position muffles a lot of his/her movement externally – I hope Auntie Tracy wasn’t too disappointed by our performance!! J She brought with her a bin full of Emmie’s 0-3 month clothes for the baby she’s sure will be a girl born in the same month as her own daughter! We didn’t get around to it together, unfortunately, but I can’t wait to go through all the goodies! Yes...a little girl will have no shortage of hand-me-downs between Tracy’s stash & all the stuff my mom’s been storing since our 1st pregnancy from Aunt Diane & Uncle Paddy's girls! In other news, heartburn, achy hips, & leg cramps are frequent visitors, too, these days... My complaints (aside from the near-constant woozy sensation) are so much less than when I carried Jake, but I must go on record to say that over the last two weeks these fun symptoms have dramatically increased. K Oh well...anything for Junior! J And speaking of things for the kiddies... Momma & Daddy have changed their minds! (No, I’m not referring to the delivery!) We’ve decided have our kids share a bedroom regardless of this baby’s gender... A shocking choice in this day & age in America, you say!?! Promoting the sibling bond & fostering social skills are strong motivators, as is the notion of them having a playroom!! The plan is to have a boy or girl share our beloved gender-neutral Poohbear nursery with Jake, first in a crib & toddler bed and then in bunk-beds when Junior is two-ish. Boys would share indefinitely, unless one wants out... If we have a girl, they’d share until the summer before Junior starts kindergarten & Jake enters 2nd grade, or, again, until one hints at wanting his/her own room, whichever comes first. We’ve talked about this growing idea over the last week, and I’ve been reading up on opposite-gender room-sharing extensively. The pros that we’ve anticipated all along of having two boys room together don’t just disappear should a girl join the family in June. And our only hang-up to a boy/girl roommate situation is the “privacy” issue, that, in reality, won’t come up for another several years! So we’re gonna do it!!! Which has prompted a change of plans in the décor of the guest/playroom (tragic, my having to re-think another design scheme!)... As a “princess nursery” is ushered out the door with our new proposal, we’ve agreed to keep with the royalty theme in the playroom. The choice now is between a “Medieval Castle” design & a lime-green “Frog Prince(ss)” room. My web-search is underway for bargains in both directions as we formulate the final motif! J |
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
Week 36 (May 30 - June 5, 2005) Happy Memorial Day, Junior! In the eyes of a pediatrician, this is the last week in which the baby would be considered “born premature” should we deliver early (OB’s say Week 38 is full term). Have no fear ~ Junior doesn’t seem to be going anywhere! (Which is good since our OB will be out of town this week!) Our Thursday appointment with Dr. Mullins confirmed that this baby remains unengaged, and my Braxton-Hicks contractions are extremely mild as they were with Jake early on in the last month. For the record, Junior’s heart rate was 153 bpm at this last appointment. I just went back to my 1st journal for a comparison with Jakey’s rate (150 bpm) & their Week 35 beats per minute are nearly identical! So although Auntie Tracy keeps trying to insist that this is a girl based on the heart rate, I can only say that Jake is unquestionably all boy! In contrast, however, all other signs say pink-pink-pink! Since I was going to be "down Peninsula" anyhow, I asked Mom if she'd like to join me in errand-running. In her assessment, there were "It's a Girl" omens everywhere - right down to a cake at Sam's Club with that printed on top! Prior to my appointment, Jake, Grammy & I went to Babies-R-Us to have a look around! I’m relieved we’d decided to go with the “royal theme” in some fashion because the Transportation stuff I found online was not the same color in person! No lime green at all, only olive – monitors can be deceptive, I guess. And on the topic of the 3rd bedroom, we’ve decided to go with a Royal Froggy theme in what will become the playroom! Our local Lowe’s carries the wallpaper border in stock. I brought a sample home to show Kraston & Jake after a jaunt in with Grammy & Papa following Sunday’s “Decoration Day” Lunch at Nana Kathleen’s. (How appropriate, eh?) The frog prince paper was a big hit with Jake, so the theme decision was easy. Below the border will be a lime sherbet green & above it will be a periwinkle blue, with (rather illustrious?) plans for a cloudy sky ceiling (courtesy of Grammy)!! I can’t wait to see the vision become reality! J And speaking of the playroom, we’ve really grown to love the idea of our kids sharing a bedroom in their early years, gender aside. That was the plan for 2 boys from the very beginning anyhow. It is actually surprising to us both how the notion is meeting resistance from my folks... Just yesterday I heard a nearly irate “a three bedroom house means separate rooms – we never made you share rooms once we had one” from my dad. Obviously the idea appalls him for whatever reason, but I don’t think gender has anything to do with it. My mom keeps sneaking into conversations comments about how the changing table should be in the playroom so Jake won’t be disturbed at night, and how his toy box should be in his room so he can play there...little things, but that combined send a clear message that there should be no room-sharing. I figure Jake’s gonna hear the baby crying at 3 AM in our room (bassinet) for the first few months anyhow & will become accustom to the racket by the time Junior joins him. It’s not like the baby will be silent once Jake’s gone to bed/down for a nap, no matter which room Junior calls home! It’ll be an adjustment once they’re sharing a room, yes, but LIFE is an adjustment!!! And life with this baby is one change we’re looking eagerly forward to, if with an appropriate amount of trepidation!! J Week 36 + 4 days Just an update to say that my Braxton-Hicks contractions have kicked it up another notch! Yesterday, on the drive back to the library following lunch at Pizza Hut with m’boys after a chiropractic adjustment, I had a strong contraction! Actually there were 5 in all, about 8 minutes apart. They were so different from the Braxton-Hicks I had with Jake, because these contractions involved not only my upper abdomen, but also included my lower abdomen, and not my lower back! Jake & I were destined for back-labor early on, but it looks like Junior has plans to be a bit more traditional at this point! One can hope...back-labor was not pleasant, and I’m really not thrilled about the prospect of a 2nd c-section! K Over the last week & a half, I’ve had 3 migraine headaches ~ hormonal, I assume. Other than those two additions to this pregnancy, my symptoms remain the same: terribly swollen feet, ankles & legs; continued near constant nauseousness, wicked heartburn at night, and achy hips. Not much to complain about in the grand scheme of things! I can’t wait to see if I’ve started to dilate at next week’s cervical check... At this point in my 1st pregnancy, there’d been no progress in that regard at all. Auntie Leigh (10 days further along than me) had her 1st cervical check this week (37w4d for her) and is already dilated to 1 cm!! So I’m hoping we’ll have some progress at our 37 Week check too, or this will be one jealous Momma...who’s already afraid that 42 Weeks is the gestation to be expected if history serves, and that we’ll wind up with a c-section rather than a 2nd post-term delivery!!! There are about to be babies, babies everywhere! Between Tracy’s recent visit with Emmie, Leigh already progressing toward this labor, Sandy well into her 3rd trimester, and Tiffani & Jill both right about halfway through...babies abound!! I’m so excited to finally meet our newest addition! J |
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
Week 37 (June 6 - June 12, 2005) We
made it! Though obstetrically
we still have one more to go, in pediatric terms the baby is no
longer premature as of this week! Not
that we’ve been worried about early labor, but it’s just nice to be
officially crossing this last hurdle.
And speaking of labor.... My
check up with Dr. Mullins showed progress!! J At my Week 34 check (the last visit with
Williamsburg OB/GYN), my cervix was completely closed, 50% effaced and the
baby was not engaged – all fine & good for 34 weeks along.
I picked up the last of their records & headed to yesterday’s
check at Warwick-Denbigh OB/GYN, where along with a cervical exam, I also
had a repeated beta strep test, as my records indicated the one at Week 34
was positive (though the office didn’t bother to actually give me the
results they’ve had since May 20th). The cervical check showed no change in station (engagement),
or effacement, but I am now ½ a centimeter (a fingertip) dilated!
Dr. Mullins said that was good dilation, right where we want to be
at this point especially not having had a previous vaginal delivery. J
I’m just so relieved there’s been some change!!!
As I said in my last post, at 37 Weeks in my 1st
pregnancy there’d been no progress at all.
So I feel like now we’re one step closer to a vaginal
birth than we’d been with Jake. I
obviously hope we get to deliver with a VBAC, but mostly I just
want to hold our baby safely in my arms!!
Kraston’s paternity leave plan just awaits final approval from
Genevieve, his boss. We went
with the same schedule she suggested last time, so I foresee no
difficulties there. I’m
glad we’ve finally gotten his time off taken care of, BUT other than
that, we are SO not ready for this baby to actually come home!! The built-in entertainment unit project is not going
well, poor Kraston! And
that’s a real problem organizationally, because a lot of our
current clutter will be resolved once we can load our stuff into the
shelving unit!! I know that if this project isn’t completed before
Junior is born, it won’t be touched again for a very, very, very
long time... K I
keep saying that the evening of Friday, June 24th, after
rush hour would be a good day to go into spontaneous labor!
A Friday after work would mean that, if we have a successful VBAC,
“hospital time” wouldn’t come out of paternity leave (as it did with
Baby #1 – we were in the hospital from Sunday evening to Friday mid-day,
so a full week of his time off). But
that’s delivering over a weekend when Daddy Dearest could do more
construction on the unit!! So,
logistically, I know Kraston’s not in a hurry to welcome Junior
to the world any earlier than s/he’s due!! |
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
Week 38 (June 13 - June 19, 2005) For
the record, I've made NO PROGRESS at all since our Week 37 checkup.
So I'm officially still ½ cm - 50% effaced - not engaged.
ARGHH!! I really did
figure this pregnancy would come to an end slowly, as Jake’s did, but I
was so hoping to have had even a little bit of change in one
of the 3 “progress” factors. But
no. Nothing.
Nada. Zip.
Zero. Zilch.
No change – no progress – no closer to a natural delivery than
we were over a week ago. K I am
so disappointed, mostly because I am of the belief that induction
equals c-section (a watched pot never boils, etc).
And while I do want to try the VBAC, I also hoped to
start it with a spontaneous labor rather than another induced one (less
risk involved). Ah, the best laid plans...
And speaking of plans, our next appointment is June 24th - 39w4d
(the day after Jones' c-section was scheduled). Having made no progress at all this time, I highly
doubt I’ll be reporting huge change a week from now.
And so...we're planning for an induction come-what-may on Wednesday, June 29th at 7am (40w2d). If we don't have a successful VBAC after
all, a cesarean will commence late that evening or the next morning, based
on how I'm progressing at 10-12 hours into the induction. Should
things be moving along, we’ll ride the wave as far as it will take us;
should not much be going on despite the Pitocin, we’ll reassess the
situation at that time. If I
still haven't progressed to 2cm/0 station by the 29th, Dr. Mullins has
little faith in the induction actually resulting in a vaginal delivery
(thus the c-section discussion at 10/12 hours). In light of my 1st
labor, I feel exactly the same way. But he agrees with me that a
trial of labor is healthier for the baby anyhow ~ and since I want
to give it a shot, we will. If Kraston & I change our minds in
the meantime, Dr. Mullins is game for just scheduling the c-section on the
29th, rather than an induction. But I wouldn’t put your
money on that happening at all. We’ve gone through too much turmoil in deciding to attempt
a VBAC that backing out at the last hour ain’t likely!
In other news, the ß-strep test was positive again, which just
means that I will need a dose of antibiotics at the start of labor.
It’s quite commonly present in feminine flora, and not an actual
“infection” the way you think of strep throat; no “illness”
association for Momma at all. Left unaddressed, however, Junior’s vision could become
compromised by a vaginal birth. And
we can’t have that, now can we!?! Let’s
see... I’ve been getting headaches pretty regularly of late; the edema
in my lower half continues undaunted; my constant nausea has pretty much
given way to nighttime vomiting with extreme heartburn (we’re elevating
the head of our bed tonight, actually); and my left hip is stiff and sore
to the point that Jake is actually helping me up from the couch!
So things are status quo here for all intents and purposes.
I can’t believe how soon this baby will be out to greet us, and
yet there is still so much to do in preparation before s/he arrives!!
Daddy plans to spend Father’s Day weekend engrossed in that “to
do” list, while Jake & I try to stay out of his way!
Poor Kraston... Wait!! Why is it that he’s the one getting sympathy even
from me, when really he’s dragging his feet “making room for
Baby” & in complete denial that #2 will be here before the month is
out!!! Yes, I did
know he was a procrastinator when I fell in love with him some 14-years
ago – it’s practically his 1st name after all – and a trait
we have in common, unfortunately. Hopefully
NOT one our kids will inherit, however!! J
v BABY
WATCH: Auntie Leigh is going in for her induction at Midnight, so
technically June 18th, which is her official due date!!
Presently, Momma is at 2 cm
dilated, 70% effaced, and engaged to about station -2.
They are 9 days "further along" in their pregnancy than we are,
despite our cycles starting within a day of each other. She,
too, plans for a VBAC of my 2nd godchild, and the repeat
c-section call will be made based on the speed of her progress by midday Saturday. Sophie
will soon have a lil' brother (my vote) or sister, and Uncle Doug will be a daddy times two by Father’s Day – how
cool! More to come as we get
word... Wahoo!! J |
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
Week 39 (June 20 - June 26, 2005) Happy Father’s Day, Daddy! Well, so much for that to-do list... Kraston & Jake instead went for their first full-day Father/Son outing. M’boys were off to Chesapeake for a skateboard expo spearheaded by Stephen Baldwin (www.LivinIt.org) on Saturday, leaving me to my own devices (though without a car) for the 1st time since Jake was born!! Yes, I’ve had short stints of free-time where Kraston & Jake were at the grocery store or home improvement center while I caught up on much-needed sleep; I’ve gone out for “girl-time” with Grammy; and Momma & Daddy have certainly made use of familial baby-sitting opportunities to get out together over the last 2½ years. But I’ve not had a lengthy stretch of alone-time since the birth of my 1st child! It was odd...I kept feeling like I was forgetting to do something, but it was nice, too. My men had a wonderful time, and this was probably a good male-bonding thing for them to do together before Junior’s arrival. Then Sunday we spent at Grammy & Papa’s in celebration of Father’s Day. The pool was too much of a temptation to resist, so rather than head home to get working...we all went for a dip! The three (& a half) of us ended up staying for dinner, too! Quite a productive day, eh? Oh well, his day – his choice of activities! On other fronts, I think it’s safe to say we’re still no closer to D-Day than we were last week... I’ve had no really strong Braxton-Hicks to speak of in a while. And though they don’t mean the on-set of labor at all, the strong ones do give the illusion of progress. The notable absence of especially powerful BH contractions is perpetuating the “no progress” mindset here... L I go in for my next OB check on Friday the 24th, and following that the “natural induction” methods shall commence... I’ve an appointment for a “clary sage foot massage” with Barbara, the massage therapist at my chiropractor’s. A spontaneous labor is the initial target we’re shooting for here, and I’m willing to do what I can to spur it along! Hopefully Junior & I’ll have made some real progress by Friday’s check-up, but I’m not holding my breath... K Week 39 + 5 days Well, I pegged it... Yes indeedy, no progress at all! I’m still only dilated ½ cm, 50% effaced, and not engaged to any notable station. Arrrggghh!!! K As predicted at the onset of this pregnancy, we’ve got a couple of stubborn kids – who knows where they get this trait from! With a family history & personal experience in carrying well past the due date, I’m not surprised at all that Junior has intentions of hanging around with Momma as long as possible. Unfortunately, having had one cesarean already, just chillin’ isn’t an option for this baby. To recap the plan: Jake will spend Tuesday night at Grammy & Papa’s, thus beginning the adventure. On Wednesday, June 29th at 7 AM (40w2d) we’ll check in for induction at Riverside Regional Hospital in Newport News. I hope to have made progress by then, but I’m not counting on it. If there’s still been little or no change in dilation, Dr. Mullins won’t even break my water at that point. Should that be the case, I plan to request the insertion of a Foley Catheter to assist in dilating to about 3cm prior to beginning Pitocin. I don’t know that he’ll agree, but in my opinion it’s worth asking for non-pharmaceutical intervention before reaching for the very drugs which raise the risk of uterine rupture. If I dilate to the point of being able to break my water prior to 7 that evening, we’ll roll with the VBAC so long as progress continues without complications. If by 7 PM I’m still not progressing very much, the beastly Cesarean will rear its ugly head yet again. Though I do dread another long recovery – this time on blood thinners & with a toddler, the healthy delivery of our baby is my main priority. And at least I’ll know I gave a natural delivery my best shot. Regardless of the method, and God willing, we’ll have our baby no later than June 30th (Aunt Eileen’s birthday)!! In the meantime, my clary sage foot massage was wonderfully relaxing (even if it didn’t bring on labor J), and Kraston is fetching Evening Primrose Oil oral caplets & Red Raspberry Leaf tea while running errands with Jakey today. Pineapple, fresh not canned, will be consumed in great quantities by this expectant Momma. And...um, eh hem...that which got us here in the first place will take on a new fervor during what remains of my 9th MONTH of gestation. The merits of chugging down caster oil, however, aren’t as appealing as they’d need to be for me to go down that road!! And I’m not delving into the topical application of any herbs onto the cervix – some things are better left untouched! On that note, I’m off to continue preparations for Junior’s arrival! Rearranging the nursery furniture is high on my list while m’boys are out and about with their own list today!
Repeat Cesarean was scheduled for this week with Dr. Jones of Williamsburg OB/GYN June 23, 2005 at 8:30 AM |
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
Week 40 of 40 (June 27 - July 3, 2005) We made it!! Today is Due Day! J And though Junior seems to have no intention of budging even a little before this day is over, I’m just so very grateful we made it all the way, and that s/he wasn’t forcibly evicted prior to this point. (Even if I’m sure the powers that be will cut this kid out of me on Wednesday or Thursday anyhow.) At least our bags are packed & we’re ready to go (ooh, I hear a song coming on)! In fact, my new bathrobe arrived just this afternoon, courtesy of Grammy – the plan is really coming together now. Our attempts to replace the often unreliable Nikon CoolPix® 2000 digital camera we’ve had since shortly after Jake’s birth are set to culminate on Tuesday in the purchase of a much-researched new Pentax Optio® 33-LF, which will hopefully be a big relief! The nursery is now in transition mode – a slow progression to the final floor plan so Jake wasn’t overwhelmed by all the change (ha!). M’boy continues to say that my weekend efforts have resulted in a “beautiful room” so I’m quite pleased, and he’s had no difficulty adjusting to the new locale of his toddler bed. All that worry for nothing – may the transition from only child to big brother go as smoothly! J I’m just so excited to meet & finally hold this new baby, to complete our family...and the hour is so close at hand!! In the mean time, positive thinking only!! Lots of successful VBAC visualizations, and safe, swift labor thoughts are in order!!! J
Induction of Labor is scheduled for this week with Dr. Mullins of Warwick-Denbigh OB/GYN June 29, 2005 at 7:00 AM |
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
||||||||
 |
Home | Picture Pages | Baby Milestones | Pregnancy Journals | Survey Says | Family Links | Guestbook | Contact Us |  |