Busy Bee - Part 2

Mother’s Day (Sunday, May 13^th)

Mother’s Day 2012 was an interesting one.  JPug and I knew we were expecting for nearly two months…went to numerous doctors’ appointments, ultrasounds and lab draws…but our parents had no idea.  We decided to keep the news from them so they wouldn’t worry…if we got to the 12 week mark and everything seemed to be ok, we’d share the news at that time. 

The Wednesday before mother’s day, 12 weeks came and went but we didn’t share our news.  As luck would have it, my mom was extremely busy and couldn’t get away from St. Louis for an entire weekend and TeamPug was pretty busy in KC too.  We decided to meet in Columbia, MO…half way for both families…to celebrate the day.  We enjoyed a yummy brunch at the University Club…the same place where JPug and I got married in 2007 and shared our news before the meal began. 

We pulled out gift bags for each person…JPug’s mom and dad, my mom, dad and stepdad.  In each bag was a baby gift customized to the recipient’s personality and pictures of our growing Puglet.  It was pretty special…and a great surprise…tears, laughter, excitement and a kooky story from my mom.  I would share video of the big reveal but JPug was in charge of the FlipCam and somehow managed to videotape my boobs for an entire minute so I’ll spare everyone that show.

All-in-all, it was a Mother’s Day the 7 of us likely won’t forget!

Second OB Appointment (Wednesday, May 23^rd)

Our second OB appointment went better than the first.  Still no…this is definitely the place for me…type feelings but at least I wasn’t as put off as I was the first time around.  After a few quick checks with the care assistant, she took us into the exam room and we heard Puglet’s heartbeat on a doppler…144 beats per minute.  This was the first appointment with Dr. K or the OB office that we didn’t have an ultrasound.  It’s too bad we weren’t able to see how Puglet is developing but hearing a strong heartbeat was definitely comforting.  After a waiting a few minutes, we met with the first of 6 doctors in the practice…I was happy to meet with a doctor rather than the nurse practioner.  All in all, the visit went pretty well…the provider was nice and answered our questions thoroughly.  Our next appointment, on Friday, June 29^th is a biggie.  We’ll have our mid-gestation ultrasound where the sonographer checks to ensure the baby is developing properly and if Puglet cooperates, we’ll find out if the baby is a boy or a girl.

Second Round Genetic Testing (Saturday, June 9^th)

On Saturday, June 9^th, I had my second and final round of labs drawn to complete our genetic testing series.  The draw itself was remarkably quick…once I checked in, I was finished and walking out of the building less than 10 minutes later.  The second round of testing checks for markers that could potentially signal genetic issues and is a more sensitive than the first round.  The genetic counselor we worked with at our previous appointment called the following week with good news…for all markers, my bloodwork came back as good as it could have been.  She said in lab result terms, we got an A+!

Present Day/19 Weeks (Wednesday, June 27^th)

As pregnancies go, I think I’ve had the easiest pregnancy imaginable.  If it wasn’t for my growing belly and lack of monthly cycle, I would never even know I was expecting.  After the tiredness of the first trimester wore off (which was truly my only symptom), I’ve been back to my normal self.  I started showing the past few weeks…transitioned to belly bands to make my regular pants more comfortable last week and took my first trip to Motherhood Maternity this past weekend.  Now I have some sweet maternity pants with a stretchy band that reaches all the way up to my bra.  Stylish?  Heck no…but wonderfully comfortable! 

I don’t think about being pregnant or the baby a whole lot.  I’m sure it’s because of our initial struggles and the fact that I’ve seen firsthand how things can fall apart in the blink of an eye.  I’m by no means consumed with fear nor am I blindly, wildly excited...I’d say I’m more cautiously optimistic than anything.  I go about my normal routine but take it easy if/when it’s necessary.  If we’re lucky enough for the entire process to work and I deliver a healthy, full-term baby in November, that’ll be amazing/wonderful/ fantastic but should a glitch in the process arise, we’ll take it all in stride.  For now, we’re just chugging along and hoping for the best.

Busy Bee - Part 1

It’s been over a month since I’ve blogged…about anything…much less our growing Puglet.  The posts you’ve read over the past few weeks were written as we experienced the process.  Looking back, I’m really happy that I blogged (although I didn’t post) in real time because you know exactly what I was thinking and feeling in the moment.

Unfortunately, work got incredibly busy and my evenings were consumed with an urge to sleep that I just couldn’t fight which means blogging came to a complete halt.  Now…weeks later…I have my energy back and LOTS to catch up on.  I’m going to try and regurgitate everything in one post…so I apologize this will officially be the LONGEST post ever.  If it gets too bad, I’ll split it in two.  Happy reading!

Search for a Birth Doula (early May)

After a round of positive blood tests and multiple and promising ultrasounds, TeamPug’s first order of business was searching for and securing a birth doula.  The quick and dirty regarding a doula…a doula is a person who meets with the expectant family during pregnancy to discuss beliefs and concerns about labor and delivery.  She’ll provide continuous support during labor and delivery using comfort measures and positioning and assists with beginning breastfeeding.

Our quest for a doula was three-fold…

The OB practice we’re visiting has a rotation of 6 providers we’ll see throughout the pregnancy.  When I go into labor, whoever is on-call doctor will be the person to deliver our baby.  The provider may or may not be someone I’ve built a relationship with during my pregnancy.  Having a doula ensures that someone we have a connection with and are very comfortable with is present come delivery day.

Speaking of delivery day, the doula will come to our home and help me through early labor in a more comfortable environment.  Once we move to the hospital, the doula will serve as a supporter and advocate and will help us understand the medical jargon and various questions/decisions that come our way.  Going the doula route isn’t right for everyone but the lady we chose seems to be a great fit for Team Pug.

12 Weeks (Wednesday, May 9^th)

I hit the crucial, 12-week mark on Wednesday, May 9^th…yay!  All-in-all, I’ve felt great.  No nausea or sensitivity to smells or tastes.  There were a few days I felt the slightest bit nauseous but I’d have a glass of Sprite or Ginger Ale and eat more frequent, smaller meals which did the trick.  My only real side-effect was being tired.  Most evenings, I’d come home from work…nap for a couple of hours…get up for an hour (maybe two) and sleep the rest of the night.  Plus, when I was “awake”, I definitely wasn’t productive…sitting on the couch was sometimes the extent of my productivity.

Genetic Testing (Friday, May 11^th)

During our first appointment with the OB, the nurse practioner offered the option to have pre-delivery genetic testing completed.  TeamPug is of the “Knowledge is Power” school of thought so we didn’t think twice about having the tests done.  On Friday, May 11^th, we went to another hospital in the KC metro for testing. 

Our appointment started with a consultation with a genetic counselor.  She took about 45 minutes discussing family and health history as well as our various risk factors given age and cultural background.  Next, we had an ultrasound to check the fluid measurement at the back of our baby’s neck (fluid accumulation, which would lead to a larger measurement could signal a genetic issue) as well as blood tests to check for markers for Down Syndrome, Trisomy 18 and Cystic Fibrosis. 

The ultrasound gave us another opportunity to see our growing Puglet.  It’s incredible because in just two weeks, the short, gummy bear-like arms and legs have turned into much longer and clearly distinguishable arms and legs…and you can easily see the makings of hands and feet.  After a little coaxing, Puglet got into the correct position and the sonographer was able to get the neck measurement she was looking for.  The “normal” range for my age and gestation was anything below 2.5 and Puglet’s neck measured 1.4.

From there, we met with a Perinatologist to discuss the results of my initial blood draw at the OB’s office.  The results showed that I was positive for RH sensitivity which can cause issues for the baby if the baby’s blood mixes with mine (if both blood types aren’t negative) during pregnancy.  Although the results were positive for sensitivity, my blood couldn’t be titered which is a really good sign.  Basically, once the lab gets a positive result from a sample, they cut the sample in half and test it again...and repeat the process until the result is negative.  My initial sample was positive but they were unable to get a positive reading after they cut it in half (the processing of titering) so the Perinatologist thought the positive result was likely a fluke.  I’ll have my blood drawn to check for RH sensitivity again at a future appointment…the OB office and Perinatologist will determine a course of action based on the results.

Goodbye, Hello

Friday , April 27^th – 10W, 2D

This has been a busy busy week in the life of our growing Puglet.  Monday morning we had our final appointment at Dr. K’s office; it was definitely bittersweet.  Over the past 9 months, we formed a bond with Dr. K, the nurses and the ultrasound technician in the office.  Knowing this was the last time we’d see them in a long time was wonderful but a little sad at the same time.  Through the process, they were awesome…patient, kind, caring, compassionate.  I truly believe they treated TeamPug the way they would want to be treated themselves and we couldn’t have asked for anything more.  During the appointment, Dr. K preformed our final transvaginal ultrasound…checking growth (still right on target) and heartbeat (160 BPM) one final time.  She answered a few questions and asked to see pictures or bring the baby to the office once he or she is born.

On Wednesday, we had our first appointment with the OB/GYN practice we’ll see throughout the pregnancy.  I didn’t choose them based on recommendation…I found the office closest to our home that also accepts our insurance and figured we’d start there.  The office and associated hospital I’ll likely deliver at are about 5 minutes away...convenience was obviously my driving force.

In one word, the visit was underwhelming.  The office was nice and the admin staff seemed friendly enough as they asked me to complete some paperwork and took my insurance.  The first person we saw was an ultrasound technician who seemed annoyed she had to wait an extra minute for JPug to sign in.  From there, she escorted us back into the ultrasound room where she logged our information into the computer and asked me to take a seat.  She asked that I pull my pants down to my hips and my shirt up just below my bra.  I’m so used to transvaginal ultrasounds I didn’t even think that I’d get to have the more traditional, top of the belly kind.  She squirted some jelly on my abdomen and went to work with her magic wand. 

The picture from this type of ultrasound is different…rather than seeing planes (body and hands/feet but maybe no arms/legs), we could see the whole baby.  She took some measurements, which continue to be right on target (10 weeks exactly) and the heartbeat was 153.  At one point, she found a clear, open picture of the baby and showed how it was moving around like crazy.  It was really amazing…little Puglet having a private dance party.  Although the ultrasound technician was never rude, she wasn’t friendly and seemed to rush through every step the process.  As we finished up, she asked us to wait in a different waiting area, but seemed annoyed we didn’t know where we were going.

A few minutes later, we were escorted to an exam room and waited for the nurse practitioner to arrive.  A care assistant asked some basic questions and the practitioner came in about 15 minutes later.  She went over my health history, discussed current medications, the lab tests they’d be running, whether we wanted to complete the recommended birth defect testing and talked a few minutes about the practice itself.  When she was finished, she answered our questions.  Just like the ultrasound technician…she seemed uninterested in us…like she’d rather be seeing her next patient.

Once we were finished, we moved back into the waiting area for my final stop of the day, the phlebotomist.  Of all the blood I’ve had drawn since we started with Dr. K…this lady was the worst drawer by far.  Considering it was only one needle, I have quite the bruise on my arm.  If my experience with the lab technician isn’t any better in the future, I’ll either have blood drawn through the hospital I work at or at a local Quest lab…neither of which have caused discomfort in the past.

I’m interested to see how our next appointment…on Wednesday, May 23^rd...will go.  We’ll see an actual doctor for the visit and I’m anxious to see if their bedside manner is any friendlier than our initial experience.  If not, we might forego convenience and look for another OBGYN practice that seems to be a better fit.  One note, I’m not looking for a best friend or someone to hold my hand and coddle me through the process.  But, I am looking for a physician or group of physicians who treat me the way I would treat them if the roles were reversed.

Friday the 13th

8 Weeks, 2 Days

Today is Friday, April 13^th…eek!  JPug and I went in for our 3^rd ultrasound this morning and I resisted the urge to come in a different day to avoid Friday the 13^th altogether.  Although the appointment date was the slightest bit unnerving, I had no signs that something might be wrong and figured I might as well face my “fears” head on.

We arrived to open office hours just before 7:30a and were first in to see the ultrasound technician, Sarah.  It didn’t take her any time to find our little baby…she took some measurements, thoroughly answered each of our questions and measured Puglet’s heartbeat.  It’s crazy to see the changes in our little white blob from our first ultrasound at 6+ weeks to today’s ultrasound at 8+ weeks.  Now, you can clearly see which end will eventually become the head, which end will be the butt and the slightest buds where arms and legs are beginning to form.  At one point Sarah joked that the baby resembles a gummy bear at this stage of development and proceeded to stick her hands up by her shoulders and wiggle around to simulate the tiny arms…haha!  Something new this week, this was the first time we could clearly see the umbilical cord on the screen.  We’ve been taking video of each of our appointments with our FlipCam…hopefully I can snap a picture from each ultrasound to show Puglet’s progression.

In my last few posts, I mentioned the gestational sac and yolk sac and I finally had a few minutes to research both.  Per Wikipedia (the most reliable source on the internet…wink wink), the gestational sac is “the only available intrauterine structure that can be used to determine if an intrauterine pregnancy exists, until the embryo is identified”.  During our ultrasound, Sarah explained that the yolk sac is where Puglet gets his/her nutrients until the placenta takes over around 10 weeks.  During today’s appointment, Puglet measured 1.7 centimeters/the equivalent of 8W, 1D development-wise (right on track) and his/her heartbeat was 164.

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Judy, Dr. K’s nurse, called in the afternoon to review the ultrasound findings; I wasn’t at my desk so she left a message.  I’m very glad to report that she said everything looked good and to keep doing whatever I have been because we’re on a great path.  Man, it’s like we might really have a real baby before the end of the year!

UltraSOUND

Friday, April 6^th – 7w2d

Happy Friday everyone!  Or…whatever day this post ends up being published, happy that day.  This morning, JPug and I went in for our second prenatal ultrasound.  We arrived before 7:30a and were the first patients in the office…yes!  Dr. K’s office has open hours from 7:30a – 8:30a for labs and ultrasounds which means first come, first served.  First in means first out and we can get on with our day.

Hit the breaks…Sarah, the sonographer, called in sick and Dr. K was on vacation so the nurse asked if we could come back at 8:30a to have the other Dr. K (our Dr. K’s partner) perform our ultrasound.  It was only a minor hiccup in our day so JPug and I headed to breakfast and returned about an hour later.

Dr. K came into the office, introduced himself and got down to business.  Let’s just say that the fastest I’ve ever moved with a gentleman…luckily, it was for good great reason!  He performed a transvaginal ultrasound…big wand in the hooha...and after a few wiggles of the stick, you could see the big black circle, smaller hollow circle and a little white blob.  This time, I remembered to ask what each of the circles is…the big black circle is the gestational sac, the smaller, hollow circle is the yolk sac and the white blob is the baby (I didn’t have to be reminded of that part).  At this point, I'm not exactly sure what each of those sacs is or does...stay tuned...hopefully I'll figure that out soon.

Thanks to the wonders of the internet, here's an idea of what today's ultrasound looked like.  Big black circle (or kidney bean) is the gestational sac.  White ring with hollow center (on the right) is the yolk sac and the white blob to the left of the yolk sac is the baby.

  

I had some trouble seeing the little flash/heartbeat on the machine but JPug seemed to see it without issue…it was probably just the awkward angle of trying to look at the monitor while laying on my back, head tilted to the side.  At one point, Dr. K asked if we wanted to hear the heartbeat and before we got a chance to respond, he clicked a button on the machine and you could hear our little baby’s heart pumping clear as day.  The ultrasound picture reduced in size and a cardiac monitor filled the bottom of the screen…you could see our baby’s heartbeat…constant and strong…it was truly amazing!

This morning I measured at 7w1d which is right on target given the first day of my last cycle.  Technically today is 7w2d but the ultrasound was in the morning so 1 day difference is totally ok.  The baby’s heartbeat was 145…28 beats per minute more than last week’s measurement.  We’re by no means in the clear but today’s appointment was definitely a step (or maybe a giant leap) in the right direction.  Next up is our 8 week ultrasound next Friday…the 13^th.  I’m typically superstitious but I’ve decided to face Friday the 13^th head on…BRING.IT.ON!

A Whole New Journey

Day 35 - Wednesday, March 21st


TeamPug has officially known we're expecting for 1 full week...I'm exactly 5 weeks pregnant today.  Although 5 weeks probably isn't a milestone for most, it is for us.  Back in December, 5 weeks is when my body started cycling naturally and our first baby was gone in the blink of an eye.  This time around, I've had 3 really good blood tests and am hopeful we'll make it to the next big benchmark...12 weeks.

Although I'm only 5 weeks along, I have noticed some changes in my body.  I started dropping weight almost immediately and have lost a total of 5 lbs.  I don't have much of an appetite/fill up quickly and don't have the sweet tooth I usually do.  I'm trying to eat more regularly and am enjoying healthy snacks between meals.  I haven't experienced any sensitivity to tastes or smells which I'm very thankful for.  I get up at least once a night to go to the bathroom and have had some trouble sleeping through the night which is very uncharacteristic for me.  My breasts have become tender and I've noticed some changes in my nipples (Probably TMI but I've been open and honest throughout the process so why stop now?  I'm trying to stick with the facts here folks!).  I've also had spotting on and off for the last week which is really unnerving.  I read online about 30% of women experience spotting...sometimes during implantation and sometimes it lingers throughout the entire pregnancy.  I haven't had any other symptoms that would signal a problem and my blood tests last week were good even though I was spotting...I'm trying not to get myself worked up over nothing.

Yesterday, Dr. K increased my synthetic thyroid supplement to 75mcg/day (which should reduce my TSH) and I had my 4th blood test in a week...this one checked Free T4.  From what I read on www.labtestsonline.org, providers typically check Free T4 as a follow-up to a TSH test that was abnormal.  The Free T4 test allows providers to see a more complete picture regarding thyroid function.  Dr. K's office should have my results later this week...hopefully the nurse will call with good news.

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Dr. K's nurse Jamie just called this afternoon with my Free T4 results...the normal reference range is between 0.7 and 2.0.  My result was at 1.1 which is totally normal.  I'll stick with the increased thyroid supplement dose which will hopefully lower my TSH and they'll probably test me again in about a month.  Last but not least, I asked about my spotting and Jamie said although it's not common, it is normal.  As long as i don't experience cramping or blood that's bright red in color, I should assume things are progressing nicely.

Next up is our 6 week ultrasound next Friday!

You Never Forget Your First

Friday, March 30th - 6W, 2D

Today was a big day...the first ultrasound to see our little Puglet.   When I say ultrasound, it's the transvaginal kind (a big wand they stick up your hooha) which gives the technician the ability to see more detail south of the border.  At this point, seeing our tiny bean on a more traditional ultrasound...through layers of skin, muscle and organs just wouldn't happen.  Today's was the same type of ultrasound I've been having for months.  From August 2011 to February 2012, the technician used the machine to check my uterine lining and ovaries as each monthly cycle progressed.  Today, we saw the makings of a baby.

AWESOME...nothing else I can say besides awesome!

We saw all sorts of things on the screen...the grainy black/white you think of with any ultrasound, a big black hole in the middle, a smaller black bubble in the middle of the black hole and just below the bubble was a bright white spot.  The technician was patient and explained all the different things we saw but of course, now I can't seem to remember.  What I do know...the bright white spot is our little baby.  If you stared at the spot for any length of time, you'd see a tiny flicker...the heartbeat.

The technician spent the next few minutes taking measurements and let us see the baby one last time so JPug could capture our first ultrasound on our FlipCam.  At this point, our parents have no idea we're expecting but we're looking forward to sharing video from each appointment with them when the time is right.  Before we left, the technician said Puglet is measuring perfectly...at 6 weeks, 1 day and the heartbeat was 117 (anything above 100 is good news).  I should hear from Dr. K's nurse sometime this afternoon and I'll likely go in for my second ultrasound next Friday.

Oh, and I have my official due date...November 22nd, 2012.  I honestly can't think of a better day...11 days after my birthday, one of my best friend's birthdays and Thanksgiving.  Pretty perfect...and a heck of a lot to be thankful for!