Yesterday was a Whirlwind!

We had our 2 doctor's appointments yesterday.

The first, with Dr. Miller in LaGrange. We started out as usual with the NST. I was glad that David was able to go with me this time; it really hasn't been necessary for him to take off work and go with me for those yet, but since he was already off for our afternoon Northside appointment, he got to have the full experience! I am so thankful when he is able to go to the appointments with me.. his work has been wonderful to both of us! I stayed on the machine for only about 30 minutes this time and Lucas looked great... the machine also recorded some mild contractions (Braxton Hicks) that I started having... I had 2 in the 30 minutes and when Lisa unhooked the machine, another was beginning. I felt them all day yesterday, but they were irregular and mild... nothing to worry about. Dr. Miller looked over my blood pressure and sugar readings and then sent us on our way to Atlanta.

Our second appointment was with Dr. Matsumoto at Northside. We look forward to these appointments because we get a "targeted" Level 2 ultrasound each time... although, I must admit I also get a little nervous before them too. But, we got good news.. the amniotic fluid levels are holding strong at 14.2 mL! WooHoo! And, Lucas weighs about 6 pounds... a whole 2 pounds bigger than the average baby at 32 weeks. Dr. Matsumoto still said his ratios looked normal, so his weight is genetic (imagine that! lol) and not due to my diabetes (that is a big relief for me each time I hear it; I have worked so hard to maintain good control since before pregnancy). We also discussed delivery scenarios again. Because Lucas is growing so fast, instead of waiting until the 37 week mark, Dr. Matsumoto wants to do the amniocentesis at 36 weeks. He said if the test results come back positive for lung maturity, there would be no reason to allow Lucas to grow one day bigger... so.... We will go back to Northside for the amnio on November 24. If it is positive, we will have Lucas before Thanksgiving! And, if the test is negative, that is still okay.. the results will indicate about how much longer Lucas will need in the womb to fully mature (maybe a few days, maybe a week). Either way, he is going to be here so soon!!

Dr. Matsumoto also recommended that Dr. Miller start doing the NSTs twice a week as well as an amniotic fluid measurement once a week from this point on. This drastically reduces our chances of stillbirth, which is still a concern with our complications.

All in all, we got good reports. We are just still in a little shock that we might have a Thanksgiving baby instead of a Christmas baby! :o)

This Is Just "Swell"

I have started noticing that my feet and ankles swell slightly when I am on them for even short periods of time... so that along with the blood pressure scare last week was enough to keep me off my feet almost completely all weekend long. But, this morning my right hand looked like I had little mini-marshmallows in each finger. I have had slight swelling in my hands off and on for a few weeks now from the carpel tunnel syndrome I recently developed (fairly common in the second half of pregnancy), but not quite as bad as today. I expected it to go down with rest, but here we are at 4:00 and it is still swollen (it has gone down some in my fingers, but the top of my hand is still really puffy). I am trying a cold compress now; maybe that will help!

Today's Appointment

Dr. Miller is out of the office this week, so I saw Dr. Bakarich this morning. He was very nice and the appointment went well. I had to stay on the NST machine a good while again to get all the data they needed, but in the end it looked good. Lucas got the hiccups again. :o) Yesterday, I had a scare with my blood pressure.. I got the highest (home) readings I've gotten during the whole pregnancy... 150s-160s/90s. It was MUCH better this morning, but it still had me worried. Dr. Bakarich said that if it happens again, I am to stop whatever I am doing and lay on my left side for a good while and only get up if it has returned (and stays) at a normal level. I am also supposed to let them know about any more episodes. I am just so thankful I didn't have to go to the hospital!

Lucas continues to grow at his own FAST pace... even though I didn't gain any weight this week, my uterus measured a whole 2 inches bigger! I am actually measuring like I am 38 weeks pregnant and we are only 31 1/2. Dr. Bakarich's eyes got wide and he stammered out something about this is a really big baby. lol He asked if Dr. Miller had discussed the likelyhood of us needing a c-section.. I think he was relieved when I told him yes.. I don't think he wanted to have to be the one to break that news to me! It was a little bit funny.

I will go back next Wednesday morning for our NST and visit with Dr. Miller... we will leave that appointment and head to Northside for our Dr. Matsumoto appointment. That is sure to be a FULL day!

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Look At Those Chubby Cheeks!

We had our second 4D ultrasound yesterday. It was amazing! They can be a little pricey, but I highly recommend it!! We got some really good pictures. Lucas was awake the whole time, but we couldn't get him to turn his head long enough to get a picture of him looking straight at the camera. The technician kept poking him in the back, and everytime he would respond by turning and moving, but he would just go back to his same little comfy spot faster than we could get the picture. :o) We did manage to get a few smiles from him and we saw that he still likes to rest on his arm the exact same way that David sleeps. It was adorable!

He still measured really big. His head is all the way down behind the top of my pelvic bone and his bottom is all the way up to my chest. He is going to be long, and chubby! The technician estimated his weight at 5lb. 6oz., but we think this might be a little on the heavy side. We will get a more "medical" estimate when we go back to Atlanta next week.

After our ultrasound, we went to Babies-R-Us and used our gift cards from our showers. It was so much fun!!! We had a buggy full of goodies to bring home! Now, all we need is Lucas to be here!

It was a wonderful day!!!

Today

I went to Dr. Miller's office this morning (for the 3rd time this week.. labwork on Mon. and Wed.). The visit went well. I had an NST first, and Lucas was of course uncooperative in the beginning. He was sleeping and would not move around like they needed him to. I just had to lie there and wait it out. I also got very sick from lying on my back (pregnant women are not supposed to lay flat on their backs after week 15 or so ... even though they prop you, I was still technically on my back). I became nauseated, weak, and HOT! I couldn't get up with all the equipment hooked up to me, so just imagine me lying there hollaring for nurse Lisa! lol She came running and after we determined that it was not my blood sugar, she told me to turn on my side. After doing that and lots of cool rags, I felt much better! It was not pleasant though!

Dr. Miller was running a little late getting to the office.. he had to pull an all-nighter at the hospital last night. He was good to me as usual, but I could tell he was really tired. He left my insulin adjustment up to Dr. Matsumoto (I am still waiting to hear from him) and said that my labwork looked good. He also said that I will start having the NSTs a couple times a week very soon. My belly has grown this week.. both in inches and unfortunately pounds, but Dr. Miller said it was probably due to Lucas just growing faster than he needs to and also from ALL of the water I have to drink to keep the amniotic fluid level up.

After my appointment, I went to my school. It is reenrollment time for insurance. While I was there, I was able to visit with several of my buddies! It was so nice to see them! I wish I could have gotten around to visit with everyone, but by the time I left.. I was absolutely exhausted. I think I am about to enjoy this rainy day we are having and curl up and take a nap.

We have our next Babywaves 4D ultrasound in Columbus on Monday, so hopefully we will be able to get some good pictures. Our first appointment there went so great, and it is the only ultrasound where Lucas was cooperative. Our fingers are crossed! I will be sure to post what we get!

Have a great weekend everyone!

The Weekend

David had a busy weekend! He surprised me on Saturday morning and put the stroller together while I was taking a shower. We like it so much! It matches our car seat and the two attach together to complete the travel system. He put the pack-n-play together on Sunday evening after preparing us the most delicious Gumbo I've ever tasted! We plan on using the pack-n-play in our bedroom until Lucas sleeps in his crib. It is really nice! We joked last night about wishing it was already set up beside the bed, so we could fall asleep listening to the soothing music it plays. :o)

It makes me so happy that I have heard from several of you that you are enjoying the blog! I hope everyone had a weekend as good as ours!

Today's Appointment

Dr. Matsumoto reviewed my blood sugar readings via fax this morning and called with a few insulin adjustments. It seems as though just when we get a better handle on it, my body starts resisting the new dose. Maybe this will be the week and the new doses will prove to be the "magic numbers."

I also had a Dr. Miller office appointment this morning. I had another NST (non-stress test.. this records the baby's heartbeat and makes sure that it is responding appropriately to his movements). It is quite relaxing actually. I basically get to lie back, listen to his heart beating, and mash a little button each time he moves... which was ALOT this morning. He got the hiccups two times during the test! :o) When Dr. Miller came in, he said the test looked great! We discussed our perinatologist appointment from Monday and I mentioned my concerns about having the recommended amniocentesis done at 37 weeks. He understood my concerns, but bottom line completely agreed that it was a necessary precaution that we needed to take. So, we will more than likely have that done on Dec. 2nd and Lucas will be born on the 3rd or 4th. We have less than 2 months to go!!

I go back to Dr. Miller's on Monday for some in depth lab work and again on Friday for another NST and office visit. It is a full time job keeping up with all of these appointments!

Lucas' Nursery

David and I have been working on Lucas' nursery little bit by little bit all along. It is finally almost ready! I am such a planner.. I want everything ready in advance. I know it drives David crazy sometimes, but he has been a sport about it all. He only has one more shelf to hang (over the glider) and he will done in there... then he can start putting some of the baby gear together! :o) I am really proud of how it has all turned out! I love sitting in there and imagining what it will be like when Lucas is asleep in his crib or cuddled in my arms rocking in the glider.

Growing, growing, growing!

As you can see in this picture, my belly is getting out there! Lucas is growing!

Monday's Appointment

Dr. Matsumoto, our perinatologist in Atlanta, gave us two thumbs up yesterday! It was a big celebration for David and I! Most importantly, our amniotic fluid levels are up and returning to a *normal!* level. We have gone from 5.5mL to 14.5mL (15mL is considered average) in just about one month, with extra rest and BUCKETS of water! This was a HUGE relief! Also, even though my blood sugars are still not perfect, they are improving. I have been taking a new daytime insulin and it seems to be much more compatible with me. For now, we just have to accept that my body is very resistant and constant adjustments are just a fact of life. Overall, I have been able to cut down from 7 injections a day to only 5! WooHoo! :o) And, as long as my stress level stays low, my blood pressures are staying in the satisfactory range.

We were also able to discuss some preliminary delivery details today. Dr. Matsumoto assured us that barring no further complications, we should be able to deliver in LaGrange! Another big relief! He said that we will more than likely have a scheduled C-section or induction at 37 weeks (the very beginning of December). However, he did express concern that lung maturity before 39 weeks is always an issue with diabetic babies, and he will likely want to do an amniocentisis the day before delivery. I was not at all excited to hear that, but of course, we will do anything that is needed. I am planning to discuss this further with our ob, Dr. Miller, on Friday.

On a cuter note, Lucas continues to pack on his baby fat! His approximate weight was 3lb. 5oz. Dr. Matsumoto still stands firm that Lucas is proving to be a genetically large baby (I was 9lbs. 3oz. and David was 9lbs. 10oz.), and my diabetes has not affected his size.. yet. Another good sign!

"Catch Up"

As many of you know, this has been a JOYOUS, and at the same time, somewhat difficult pregnancy for David and I. We knew the possible health risks going in, but even our doctors have been surprised at times at the unexpected complications with which we have had to battle. Some of you may not even be aware, I have been a diabetic for the past 13 years. Pregnancy, of course, aggravates this condition. I have also had blood pressure issues and have been on partial bedrest since we were only about 20 weeks along. Then, within the last month, an ultrasound revealed that we had low amniotic fluid surrounding our precious baby. But, with ALOT of prayer and wonderful doctors, we are so proud to say that things are finally looking better!

Hello Everyone!

Well, after prompting from several family members and friends, I have decided to (finally) start a blog! We have so much to share now that Lucas' arrival is getting closer and closer! It should be alot easier to keep everyone updated with our appointments and day to day happenings. I promise to do my best to keep this as current and interesting as possible! I hope you enjoy!