28 weeks on the 28th

Today we are 28 weeks pregnant. Little Bean should weigh about 2.25 lbs (which is equivalent to a Chinese Cabbage) and measure about 15 inches long. LB should now have eye lashes and can blink his/her eyes. However, his/her eyesight is still developing. It is developed enough however that LB may be able to see light that filters through the womb. Brain development is continuing and the little baby body is starting to store more fat in preparation for the world outside the womb.

On my end of things, we are cruising in the third trimester and I can expect to gain about 11 lbs between now and delivery. I am hoping not to add too much to that total with the dreaded "Holiday weight." However, my scale at home has been stuck on 195.5 for the past three weeks (and no its not broken.) Good thing I have the doctor office weights to judge things by too. We took care of the normal 28 week markers (glucose screening and RhoGAM shot) so we are good to go. Pretty smooth sailing if you ask me.....

And of course, today its time for more pics ;o) I will update the slideshow later but here are the awaited 28 week pictures of Little Bean and Mommy.

And the comparison between 24 weeks (top) and 28 weeks (bottom)

The poll

People are starting to "Vote" about what they think we are having. Since we don't know, I thought it may be fun to do a poll. I added the poll to the right hand side. So, please vote if you have a feeling. Clay thinks we are having a little girl. He just sees a girl everytime he thinks about bringing home a baby. I am torn. Somedays I say boy and other days I lean towards a little girl. Only time will tell, but let's see what you all think.

28 week appt

Today we headed to the doctor over lunch for our 28 week appointment. Originally scheduled for Friday afternoon, it was moved up to today given the doctor wanted Friday afternoon off to do some Halloween stuff with her kids (I think she has 4). We did the normal routine.

I peed in my cup and stepped on the scale. The scale said 197lbs. (GEEZ, do I look that big?) Then blood pressure. It was 100/66. Nice and normal for me. Then the doctor came in. We talked about the hospital trip in MO for a minute and my hip pain. Then we got to hear the baby's heartbeat again ;o) The doctor put it at 162 beats per minute and I got measured again. She didn't say what the measurement was but she said I was right on track. I did have some tenderness when she was pushing on my abdomen and said it could be a sore diaphragm from the growth over the past few weeks and the pressure pushing everything up. We also talked about my labs I had last done last Friday. First she talked about the Glucose screening test. My result was 134mg/dL. The low cut off for retesting and potential gestational diabetes is 135mg/dL, so I snuck under the radar. She said even 135 is the low end so she considered me safe and didn't see the need for me to do the 3 hour test or go on the restrictive diet. WHEW!! Then we talked about my Hemoglobin test. This checked to make sure I wasn't anemic. My baseline level was 13.6g/dL. My level from last Friday's test was 12.86g/dL. So it had gone down a bit which she said was expected in pregnancy but still within the normal range of 12-18g/dL. More good news! And at the end, I got my RhoGAM shot. All set!

One of the biggest discussions at the doctor's office has carried itself home with us tonight. (It actually followed us back to work and frustrated us both). It is in regards to the H1N1 shot. I am leery to get it since it contains Thimerosal, a mercury derivative that is added for a preservative. After my doctor was so adamant that my REGULAR flu shot be preservative free specifically of Thimerosal, she is actually recommending that we get the H1N1 shot. Very confusing. Clay (who likes to follow the book) wants me to get one but I'm just not sure. Another factor, is that they are only available at public clinics so far and will require me to miss work and stand in line for HOURS (at least 2) to get the shot. Plus who is to say this isn't bad with all those people there and the potential they are already sick and going to be hacking.. ugh! So its still in discussion here for now.......

Oh we also discussed pediatricians, contraception options after birth while breastfeeding, and the on-call doctor rotation. There are 4 doctors in her rotation. She and the other doctor in the office and then 2 others. One of the others is a Dr. Emm. I went to school with a Dr. Emm but this is HIS wife and NOT him, which I feel better about just in case I have to deliver with the Dr. Emm.

Finally, we go back in 2 weeks for our 3o week appointment. We will be on the every 2 week schedule then. I know I have said this so many times but I can not believe how fast time is just FLYING BY!!! 8 more appointments and we will be at the 40 week mark if Little Bean stays in his/her comfortable home until then. (Side note: Christmas is 59 days away. Really? That's less than 9 weeks. By the time Christmas is here this pregnancy will be on the final lap. It's right around the corner.)

1 year blogiversary

Yesterday was my one year blogiversary on this blog. I started this blog on a very early Friday morning last October when I couldn't sleep. I had too many thoughts, feelings, and confusions swimming around in my head and needed some sort of medium to let it all out. I had been struggling for 10 months to figure out what was going on with my body knowing that I couldn't get pregnant on my own (at that time) and just biding my time waiting and wondering what was wrong with me.

I found just what I needed with the blog. It has been therapeutic in so many ways! I made the decision very early to keep it as a private blog for the most part (like an online diary or journal).

When we found out we were pregnant in May, it was unbelievable!!! I had never expected it to happen the way it did, but God had his own plans. It was also time to open the blog up and make it more public letting anyone interested read it. I didn't expect many readers to go back and start at the beginning. I'm sure some of the past posts were negative or hard to read. However, I have heard from several readers that they did just that. They started at the beginning and read ALL the way through. Thank you! It means a lot that you read the history that brought me to where I am now.

This "blogiversary" date got me to thinking about how things change. How one year ago, I was in a MUCH different place than I am today as I sit here typing feeling my little bean wiggle and kick around (it's almost dinner time). How all those tears and frustrations that filled most of 2008 and the spring of 2009 are just distant memories that seem to have been ages ago.

I have gone back on multiple occasions and re-read my own posts. One night I even started at the beginning and re-read it all the way through. I cried, I laughed, and I cried some more. It seems so weird to say but I'm not sure I would change a thing. All of that "experience" has brought me to this exact moment in time and I am thankful.

Now I sit hear thinking about what the next year ahead will bring and excited to see what time will bring.

Blogging Backlog

It's been almost a week since my last post. I can hardly believe it. I have wanted to sit and post a few things this past week but never found made the time, so I'm going to throw a few updates in this very post. Are you ready?

• Monday at work, we found out some news that made for a few stressful days. We were told that our company would be dropping the HMO health insurance option effective Jan 1st. Of course, we are insured on the HMO so we had many many questions. Being due Jan 20th and having an OB covered by the HMO but NOT by the other health insurance options offered by our company, I was a bit upset. I didn't want to face changing doctors at 37 weeks pregnant. Clay and I both work for the same company so our options are limited. In addition, we weren't getting very straightforward answers from the HR dept. We felt like we kept getting pawned off to call the new coverage company. Although they said that the HMO doctors used (including mine) INTENDED to become part of the new network prior to conversion at the end of the year, it was very stressful. In addition to that, the change throws a wrench in our budgeted plans. In addition, on the HMO, the birth of our child would have been a total of $300 cut and dry. Now with the new PPO plan, we are looking at at least $1,000 to meet the deductibles for me and the baby plus an extra 10% of the remaining bill. This gives us about 2 months to revise our budget and resave for this extra expense. Plus since we already had it budgeted for me to take an extra 4 weeks unpaid, we have to really pinch our pennies for now to make it work. On a good note, I did find out from my doctor that she HAS joined the network so if I can confirm this with our new insurance provider, I should be all set on the doctor front. Just need to revise a bit on the pediatrician side for Little Bean and work out a few more details. Still a bit stressful given IF I happen to deliver early, I may be facing both insurance carriers. Pray the little one comes on time and not early. (I know I may regret those words in late Dec/early Jan when I want nothing more than to have my little one.)
  
• This past Wednesday marked the 27th week of pregnancy. This also marks the START of the 3rd Trimester. OH MY! 2/3rds of the way there and in the final leg. I can hardly believe it. According to BabyCenter, Little Bean weighs about 2lbs now, same weight as a head of cauliflower. Little Bean should also be sleeping and waking at regular intervals. I think I can attest to that ;o) I have the schedule down pat knowing when I can expect my kicks and wiggles. I look forward to those moments everyday. My favorite ones are at night when you can just see my stomach bounce wildly. Seems I should also be able to feel the baby's hiccups soon. I think that will be something fun and cute to look forward to. On my side of things, my hips are still bugging me but mostly only at night. The leg cramps come and go. When they strike, I hop out of bed as fast as I can to stand on them. Usually that works.
  
• I am enjoying FitMommy on Tuesdays and Thursdays, but I seem to be the only one that consistently shows up. Last week and Tuesday of this week, Lora and I were both there so there were two of us, but on Thursday I ended up being the only one at class again. We did step and it was so much fun. It did aggravate my hip at times but it was a great workout. Plus this past week, they were taping the instructor to use clips in a promotional video for they gym. I think I was caught on few times so I hope I didn't look too stupid. However, we were told if our faces showed, they would be blurred out like on COPS. HA! I thought that was funny. Mostly I think he just taped my feet, glad I was coordinated enough for the step. Can't wait to see the video. I think its going to be on their facebook page so I'll try to watch for it and see if I (or should I say my feet) make a cameo.

And finally...

• I went in for my glucose screening test yesterday. I showed up at the lab a little before 7am and it was packed! However, the lady at the front gave me my sugary drink and told me I had 5 minutes to chug it on down. I had been dreading the flavor from past stories I have heard, but I cracked it open and let it hit the hatch. Really it wasn't bad. It was nice and cold and actually tasted exactly what it looks like, ORANGE SODA. Not too shabby. I quickly drank it (prob less than 1 or 2 minutes) and went back to the front desk. Then I had an hour to wait before they would take my blood. I had taken my book so I had some good reading material and the time passed quickly. Then back for 4 vials of blood and I was outta there. We SHOULD find out the results on Tuesday at our dr appointment. Hopefully it will be the result we want and I won't be facing gestational diabetes but we will find out.
  

Looking ahead this next week:

• We have our 28 week (7 month) appointment on Tuesday at lunch. I will also get my RhoGAM shot. This is given since my blood type is A neg (meaning I am negative for the Rh factor. Given Clay is O positive and has the Rh antibodies, the baby could too. This means that the baby and I may conflict when and if our blood mixes. To protect us both, so I don't attack any foreign antibodies, I get the shot at 28 weeks and then again at delivery. I will have to do this for every pregnancy. Then of course, we will also have updates on my weight, blood pressure, size, and the baby's heartrate.
  


• Wednesday is our 28 week mark so it will again be picture time. Stay tuned for more belly pics.


• I want to line up Little Bean's pediatrician this week and start working on lining up a babysitter. I have all of my questions printed out and the list of people to call. Just need to MAKE time to call and start asking.
  

Well, I think that is all I have for now... guess it was more than I thought. I do have some additional blogs bouncing around in my head but I want to get pictures or videos for them. One requires me to borrow a phone cord from my good friend Liz so that I can get the wonderful video off of my cell phone and on to the computer, so stay tuned.

For peace of mind...

We spent this last weekend in MO visiting my godparents. We enjoyed the company and the time away. However, we did not enjoy the fender bender we were involved in on Saturday.

Given I was a bit shaken up, we decided we should call the nurse's hotline just to see if we needed to do anything. Being 6 1/2 months pregnant and in a rear-end collision, I wanted to make sure Little Bean was okay. The nurse gave me a quick call back and indicated she wanted to double check with the Dr. on call. The Dr. on call that weekend was actually Dr. Dutta (my doctor) so it was great. However, Dr. Dutta did want me to go the hospital to get checked. When the nurse called back, she expressed the Dr. was concerned given this is our first and even if only mild trauma, she wanted to monitor the little one.

So, our group headed to Jefferson Regional Medical Center in Festus and checked in at the emergency room. They asked if we wanted the baby checked or me. Clearly I was only interested in the baby, so we were escorted up to the labor and delivery ward to be monitored.

The nurse on call hooked me up to the monitor. They were checking for good fetal movement. They were also monitoring to make sure I wasn't having any contractions. The machine monitored the baby's heartbeat, movement, and then my uterus. She also checked my cervix and made sure it was still closed and there was no bleeding. We were monitored for an hour and sat listening to the baby's heartbeat just gallop away. It seemed a little erratic to us and would be slower (like 150) and then faster (like 180) but it all seemed normal to the medical staff. We had great fetal movement and I had to multi-task and hit a button whenever I felt the baby move. The machine shown behind me gave the readouts and showed the movement as little "glitches" in the line and if I hit the button it marked it too. I did pretty good marking all my little ninja baby's kicks. Little Bean didn't like the monitor much and kept kicking the top one so it just jumped sporadically. They were also monitoring my blood pressure. When we first got there it was definitely high for me. It was over 140/80 something. Usually my blood pressure is really low so you can definitely tell I was stressed a bit. That also explains the headache I had. However, as we laid there for the hour and calmed down listening to the heartbeat, it slowly approached normal. By the time we left it was 122/77, which is more normal but still high for me.

We were released and given a clean bill of health. Now we have to wait for the bill and hope that its covered by the auto insurance claim. If anything, we really did it for peace of mind and I'm glad we did. It made a long afternoon but our family waited in the waiting room below entertaining themselves with facemasks and the large TV.

On a much lighter note, the afternoon provided a great souvenir cup and my dad came up with the funniest line of the weekend (what Clay says is the funniest thing he has ever heard my father say.) When I told the family about everything and the word "cervix" came up, it became a "hot topic" of the night and produced some light hearted laughter thus producing the classic remark "That sh*t right there will put a hair on your cervix."

I think we all had tears in our eyes with that one. Thanks dad!