37 weeks

So after making me sit in the waiting room for an hour I finally had my follow up growth ultrasound yesterday. Two weeks ago lo was measuring 5 lbs 1 oz. and we needed to see descent weight gain otherwise the dr wants to induce. So the tech takes the measurements and gets 5 lbs 6 oz, not good enough. Then she says she wants to measure again and "stretched it" to 5 lbs 8 oz. So then the dr comes in (not my regular dr) and he says he's not too happy with the weight gain and wants to remeasure. He measures three times and says he "was able to get me to 6lbs". So I asked him if she is actually 6lbs or is that stretched to show more growth and he said that the measurements are just estimates anyways. Well WTF is that supposed to mean? 

While I was on the table I had three contractions in 40 mins. On the last contraction he asked me if I realized that I was having a contraction, which I said yes (gee thanks asshat, is that what that intense cramping was?) Then he asked me if I had planned to stay close to home for Thanksgiving because lo may decide to come this weekend. I asked him what his thoughts on induction were and he stuttered, told me to ask my regular OB at my appt today and then said he thought no because he thought I'd likely go on my own. 

 So I left basically feeling like the 6lb measurement was bullshit and the first measurement was most accurate since they weren't "trying" to get me anywhere. I was having pretty consistent contractions all yesterday afternoon but wasn't timing them. I started timing them last night and they were about 15 mins apart but then stopped.

So I met with my regular OB today and I explained how they "stretched" the measurements. She guessed that maybe that dr felt I was going to go on my own before we scheduled an induction so maybe he was trying to give me a higher weight to try and make me feel better, who knows. But regardless she said we were going to approach this with the initial measurement of 5 lbs 6oz. So because there was some growth (which was not the greatest) she doesn't want to induce immediately especially since the BPP ultrasound and stress test I had last week were excellent (lungs, heart rate, etc). I was 1 cm dilated 50% effaced last week and today I was 2cm still 50% effaced so she thinks I will go on my own probably within the next week or so since I've been having regular contractions. She wants to do a bpp and growth ultrasound first thing Monday and go from there. If she still hasn't shown significant growth then we'll induce at 39 weeks (if I'm still pregnant by then). So I feel better after talking to her and that we have a plan. 

35 weeks

So I went for the follow up ultrasound and it went ok. Little girl was actually squished up against the cyst so it was hard to get a good measurement. It appears though that it hasn't changed and there is still excellent blood flow throughout the cord. 

So that is the good news BUT little girl is measuring even smaller. She dropped to the 12th percentile and is estimated at 5 lbs 1 oz. The doctors are concerned she is not gaining as she should be and want me to come back for another ultrasound in two weeks. They do believe she is small because she is just a small baby and not because the cyst is effecting the function of the placenta. Her head, abdomen, and leg bone measurements are all proportionate to each other, which is a great sign. They were having trouble getting a good head measurement because she is already in position with her facing towards my back and her head way down. We also watched her lung function for a while and could see her breathing in and out. This is another great sign because it indicates that the lungs are maturing and she is getting plenty of oxygen to the brain. If when I go back in two weeks there is little to no growth though then we will have to talk induction because at that point she would be better off on the outside then in.

I had my regular check up with my OB today and she was not very concerned. She said small does not mean unhealthy. Just because she is little does not mean she will have breathing/lung issues (which I was concerned with since my hospital doesn't have a NICU). Sometimes when they are little they can have issues regulating her body temp so if that happens then she may have to spend a little time in the incubator. 

She also did another ultrasound today to check fluid levels since I've been having a lot of contractions lately and a little fluid appearing. Everything looked perfect though and we got to see that little girl has a good 1/2" of hair already! She also did the strep B test and an internal. I am not dilated at all but she is still in position. 

I continue to have joint pain and swelling and can't really bend my ankles or knees without pain. My hands and fingers go numb during the night and I'm up to pee constantly. The heartburn is killer and is triggered by anything and everything I eat. 

The nursery is done and I just have to finish packing my hospital bag. I'm so ready for her to be here already! Now if we could only figure out a name.

32 weeks

Well a lot has happened over the past month. We did a growth ultrasound at 29 weeks because my bump was measuring a little small (which is not unusual for me as I measured consistently small with Bruce). Little girl was in the 39th percentile at 2 lbs 6 oz. She also finally flipped and is head down.

I had my recheck ultrasound yesterday and the cyst is back :( Well it was probably never really gone but we probably couldn't see it last time. It is slightly larger as it went from 1.7 cm to 2.7 cm. Luckily it is not restricting blood flow to the cord but they want to recheck it in 3 weeks. They measured the baby and she is still petite in the 23rd percentile but is now weighing in at 4 lbs 3 oz. My dr is happy with her growth and thinks she will be slightly smaller then Bruce. My total weight gain is 35 lbs bringing me to 133 lbs.

I overall feel pretty good but I'm super uncomfortable now. I have horrible swelling in my feet and heartburn pretty much through out the day. I feel like a giant whale and can't wait for little girl to be here already. The nursery is almost completely switched over and Bruce is loving his new big boy bed.

27 Weeks

Well we are moving right a long at 27 weeks. Things are going great! We had a recheck ultrasound of the cyst and it's gone!!!! The doctor thinks we are in the clear but they are going to do another check in 8 weeks just to be sure.

Little girl is so active! She kicks and does somersaults like crazy! So far she's been staying below my belly button with only the occasional kick to the rib. Also heartburn has kicked in during the evening and I've had some slight swelling in my fingers and feet. I get up to pee twice a night and feel like a whale trying to roll around bed to get comfortable. The pain in my tailbone and lower back is excruciating! The doctor said it's because all the ligaments are stretched and inflamed from giving birth to Bruce. She said it won't go away until after I have little girl.

My bump (and ass) are huge and I really don't know how I'm going to get any bigger at this point. It's getting really hard to pick up and bathe Bruce. At my 25 weeks appointment my total weight gain was 21 lbs brining my weight to 118 lbs.

So needless to say I have been pretty uncomfortable but over all healthy. My glucose test came back perfect and my belly is measuring right on schedule.

We are getting ready to move Bruce into his big boy bed. His room is going to be de orated with dinosaurs. I also pretty much have everything for the nursery except for the area rug. Can't wait to get everything decorated!

Anatomy scan

So we had our anatomy scan on Tuesday and I am ecstatic to report that baby is absolutely perfect. And we received 100% confirmation that she is in fact a little girl! She was very wiggley during the scan and would only give us one profile pic. Other then that she kept showing us her feet lol. She was opening and closing her mouth a lot so it looks like she's going to be a talker just like her mamma lol.

They also measured the cyst again but their equipment isn't as good as the other place. Even so it appears the cyst hasn't changed and now looks super tiny next to the baby. The doctor still wants me to continue to go for ultrasounds to monitor it so I have to go back in 4 weeks.

Other then that everything is great. I'm starting to get some swelling in my hands but no too bad yet. But other then that I am one happy mamma :)

19 weeks

So I'm 19 weeks and things are going well. The repeat ultrasound showed that the cyst is still there but hasn't changed in size or location. Assuming it stays the same we should have no trouble so fingers crossed. The baby was bopping along and is really active. The doctor (who was a giant bitch) wouldn't confirm that it was a girl but the ultrasound technician told me that "that's as girl as girl can get". So I'm pretty confident now that we are having a little girl!!! We have the anatomy scan on Tuesday so we'll get final confirmation then. She is super active and I feel her kicking all the time. We also got a sneak peek at her legs and it appears that she doesn't have club feet which is great. That will also be confirmed on Tuesday.

So at my last appointment I gained 6 lbs in month. That was the second month in a row! So my total weight gain is 13 lbs bringing me to 111 lbs. My belly is definitely getting big and strangers are starting to comment now.

Bruce is doing great! He is finally starting to say some words now. He says daddy a lot but only an occasional mama. He repeats words quite a bit so I'm hoping he'll start talking more. He has also started giving great big bear hugs and wet open mouth kisses lol.

17 Weeks

So I'll be 17 weeks tomorrow and things are going well. I'm officially in maternity clothes now and I've gained a total of  7 lbs so far. I went for my regular check up last week and the doctor shined some more light on the cyst. She said that she really feels like this cyst will not cause a problem. She said the cord is very vascular and tough and it would take a lot for a squishy cyst to cause a problem. Even so they are going to continue to monitor me closely and be very aggressive if it does cause any issues. She sent me for the second set of genetic blood work even though our numbers came back great, 1:2800 for Down Syndrome and 1:10,000 for trisomy. We opted not to do the blood work with Bruce but since it also checks the function of the placenta, she thought it would be a good idea to have it done. Yesterday was a holiday so I probably won't have the results back until Monday. Monday is also my repeat ultrasound so I'm anxious to get the cyst checked out and to hopefully confirm we are having a little girl.

Week: 17

Size: Onion

Weight: 105 lbs