Ender's All Over the Place, and So Are We

I had two appointments this week. One was my regular OB appointment, the other was an extra ultrasound I decided to get for free from Argosy University to see if the placenta has moved at all.

Tuesday was my OB appointment. Adam stayed home with a napping Nora and got ready for one of his interviews, so it was just me. I met the new RN, Justine Politz. I really liked her. I guess she works at Woodwinds also, and used to work at Abbott, but said that the "abnormal was becoming normal," and she didn't like that. It's kind of funny, because even though this is "normal baby #2" for me, the normal routine of appointments still seems somewhat strange to me, as the abnormal with Danni was my normal. (Maybe that's another reason I wanted another ultrasound... that's my "normal.") She measured my tummy, and felt my tummy to find that the baby was in a transverse position (laying across my tummy instead of in a head-down position). She said that was actually good, since I have placenta previa. Then he's not putting as much pressure on the placenta and my cervix. Then she pulled out the doppler, and found is heart rate to be in the 140's again. She mentioned that at my next appointment they would do the Group B Strep culture, but I asked if that was necessary if I am having a scheduled c-section, and I never had one done with Danielle. She said that since she's new there, she would ask Dr. Mahan. So as she walked me out, we stopped and asked. Dr. Mahan said they still do it, just in case my water breaks or something.

Then, on Thursday, we had our free ultrasound at Argosy University. When you sign up for one you have to have already had your 20-week anatomy scan, and you have to bring proof (a picture from it works fine). So we grabbed our ultrasound pictures and off we went! One of the students (whose name was also Sarah) came down to get us, just like if you were going into a clinic. (At the end, we were asked to fill out a survey about how professional they were, and she did great!) When we got up there, I laid down on their table, and she asked if we knew what we were having. We told them we were having a boy, but wanted to know if my placenta had moved at all. She looked right away, and said it was still covering my cervix. I asked her if she could measure to see how far it would have to move yet, but she said her professor, Heidi, would have to do that at the end. Sarah had about 15 minutes to take some anatomy pictures that she needed off her list. She found that he was breech that day... moving all of the place, I guess! She did ended up getting a really great picture of his little boy parts! Since Krista couldn't get him to sit still long enough to get a good picture, I was kind of excited to see that he is indeed a boy! Then two other students had their turn to scan and take pictures off of their lists as well. They gave us a CD with all of the pictures, but they are mostly boring pictures of arm or leg bones, the spine, or a couple of the heart (alright, so I think the heart ones are still pretty neat, with all 4 little chambers!). After each student had their turn, Heidi, the professor had her turn to take some fun pictures. She took some profile pictures and checked how far the placenta would have to move. She said about 3 cm. :( That means in ten weeks, it has moved about 1 cm, and now has another 10 weeks to move 3cm... I don't think that's going to happen anymore, so it looks like I'll be sliced and diced again.

Ender's profile

Looking right at us

He's gonna be chubby! :)

Must be flexible!

He's got hair, just like his sisters did!

How far along?: 31 weeks 2 days
Total weight gain/loss: About 19 pounds... 1 1/2 pounds of which are just in the last day... I think I might need to check my scale again.
The Bump: Well, there's definitely no denying that I'm pregnant... It's funny that it changes shape from day to day (or sometimes hour to hour), because he still isn't sure if he's more comfortable transverse, breech, or head down.

What I’m excited about/looking forward to: I think at this point, just getting to see Nora meet him and interact with the "bebe." She's kind of jealous when Adam or I hold another baby, but if someone else is, or if the baby is laying on the floor, she very fascinated by them.
Maternity Clothes: Yep. I'm so glad I've had 2 wonderful people lend me some of their maternity clothes. I feel way more fashionable this time around than with either of the girls! (Thanks, Jacque & Theresa!)
Symptoms: Not sleeping through the night, and sciatic nerve pain... that's about it, I guess.
Belly Button in or out?: Out. With both girls I remember people telling me how back in the day when they were pregnant women would put band-aides over their belly buttons so people wouldn't see them sticking out. No one has said that this time around.
Food Cravings/Aversions: Milk. Hot chocolate sometimes, but the past few days if my tummy's not happy, I drink some warm milk with vanilla & nutmeg (like my mom would make us when we were kids), and my tummy is happy again.
What I miss: The hope of having another VBAC.
Milestones: He's about 11.4 inches long and weights about 4 pounds at this point, and gaining weight more rapidly... maybe that's why I gain 1 1/2 pounds in a day!

Getting Closer...

I had another appointment almost a week and a half ago (Oct. 23rd), and am now starting appointments every other week. (That means we're getting closer! :) ) Since it was my 28-week visit, I got to drink the lovely orange-flavored Glucola before going in. I had eaten lunch right before and had an apple (higher in sugar than the rest of my meal), and after I drank the stuff I started feeling slightly dizzy/ light headed, so I was kind of worried that I wouldn't pass the glucose test. But, at the same time I was fine with the first two, so I wasn't super concerned.

We waited in the waiting room for a little bit, and then were called back to the lab. I couldn't remember if it was a blood draw or a finger prick, so I asked the nurse (in case it was a blood draw, I needed to lay down). She said she already checked my chart, and that I'm Rh+, so it was just a prick. I asked why Rh- people had to have a blood draw instead, and another nurse in the lab told me that since they have to check for antigens (or maybe antibodies... I'm not even sure what the difference is), they just do it all at once, so that you can get the RhoGAM shot. While she nurse was getting ready to prick my finger, Adam & Nora stood in the doorway, watching and waiting for me. Nora must have remembered a similar setting from her one-year check-up, because any time Adam got close to the doorway, she started fussing. So they ended up walking up and down the hallway, with Nora peering in to check on Momma. I kept smiling at her, hoping that it was reassuring her that everything was okay, and leaving a better impression on her. Then maybe next time she goes in it won't be as scary for her. I waited for my results, and they came back fine (well below the allowed amount), and I guess my hemoglobin was also fine.

On the way back to our room, she asked if I wanted a flu shot while I was there, so she came back with that as well. Nora, again was a little leery when she saw what was coming at Momma, but didn't fuss this time, just clung to Daddy. Then we waited for Dr. Tumaneng.

We had a long list of questions for her, many concerning some preterm labor signs I have been having, and what bed rest should all entail for me. It seemed more like pelvic rest, with taking it easy (especially when I'm starting to feel more contractions or back pain), but she said I could still walk around the mall for an hour or two, as long as I wasn't there the whole day. With preterm labor/ deliver on our mind, we also wanted to know where we would end up going at this point, since we knew Woodwinds can't handle all premies. I was hoping St. John's, as that would probably be my second choice, and it was. Woodwinds can handle 34 weeks gestation and beyond, so once we hit December we'll be able to go there no matter what.

Since our experience with a c-section at Abbot left much to be desired, I wanted to know what to expect at Woodwinds for a c-section, so I had her kind of walk me through it. It turns out usually (unless the rooms are all full) you're only in two rooms: your room, and the OR. They do all the surgery prep in the same room that you will be recovering in, and staying in until you leave. We liked the sound of that, since at Abbott we were in 4 different rooms (plus Danni's room, of course, but that was kind of a special circumstance).

Once we got through all our questions, Dr. Tumaneng pulled out the doppler. I will miss how great she is with kids at appointments when she leaves. When she was using the doppler, she held it out for Nora to see and touch while she used the wand to find her little brother's heartbeat (it was about 148 bpm). Nora was thought this new "toy" was pretty interesting, and touched it and listened.

This was my last appointment with Dr. Tumaneng, and on the way out I scheduled my next couple appointments with the other providers. I'm trying to meet with each one again (and meet the new one, Justine) before we schedule the c-section.


How far along?: 29 weeks 6 days
Total weight gain/loss: About 17 pounds.
The Bump: I'm starting to feel big, especially since I'm doing the pregnant waddle more often now.

27 weeks 1 day

What I’m excited about/looking forward to: I scheduled an ultrasound for this coming Thursday at Argosy University to hopefully see if the placenta has moved. I'm not sure if they'll look or tell me, since it's considered a "fun" ultrasound, but I'm hoping they will. (And I'm hoping it has moved!)
Maternity Clothes: Oh yeah! Pants all the time, shirts most of the time. I can still wear a few of my non-maternity clothes, but it's getting to be fewer and fewer. (The day before Danni was born, I was wearing a non-maternity tank, so I'm sure this answer will be pretty much the same from here on out.)
Symptoms: Well, the whole time I've been complaining about back pain, and it seems to be less -or, dare I say, gone. I know lower back pain often accompanies placenta previa, so I'm hoping this is a sign that its gone! I still have worse sciatic nerve pain than I did with either of the girls (with them it actually got better!).
Belly Button in or out?: Totally out. There's no going back!
Food Cravings/Aversions: I was on Pinterest and found a yummy looking pumpkin bread with a cream cheese filling that I was craving. I found a similar pumpkin bar recipe that I had the ingredients for and made it, but then found I really wasn't craving it all that much. (They're still really good though!)
What I miss: Sleep. I wake up most nights and can't fall back asleep. Though it's helped now that I have Adam getting up with Nora if she wakes up in the middle of the night.
Milestones: At this point he has rhythmic breathing (but his lungs aren't fully developed), his bones are fully developed, and his eyes respond to light. He's getting ready to come out and meet the world! :)