Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Could be worse, could be better

Things are shaping up in Shrimpy's room, and once we buy a mattress and a car seat/stroller combo, we will have everything on our "must have" list of items! Sure, there is plenty that I would like to have by the time baby is here, but once these "musts" are out of the way, I think I will breathe much easier.

Last weekend, Broom's brother and nephew were here and helped by installing and securing everything that we had in that regard, and it was really nice to get so much done in such a short amount of time even though I was really exhausted for 2 days afterwards. Their generosity and how quickly they did everthing is amazing and wonderful!

On the health front, my first diabetes test was messed up by the lab, which meant I had to do another one. The 2nd one was positive, so I had to do a follow-up test that is longer and involved me looking like an addict afterwards since the incredibly nice nurse had trouble finding my veins. The last of the 3 blood draws that they did ended up being positive, so now, I am automatically labeled as a gestational diabetic.

The midwife didn't seem that concerned when I told her that the first one was positive, so I didn't think to ask what would happen if the 2nd one was positive. My gyno said that it is standard that gestational diabetics give birth in a clinic, although she didn't say it wasn't allowed. At our ultrasound today, Shrimpy was completely healthy and everything was normal- nothing was bigger, which is a common side effect. I am getting sent to an organ scan to make sure that the baby isn't under stress, so I am hoping that between that and the fact that since I got the glucometer yesterday that everything has been normal with my sugar, that my gyno and midwife will let me have the baby outside of the hospital in the birthing house.

I know that only time will tell, and that the main goal here is for me and the baby to be healthy, but I would prefer to have the baby in the birthing house if it is ok from a health perspective. Once I have a week of OK values, I am hoping that I am off the hook. The test itself I find to be a bit one-sided since the diabetes doctor said that 1 high number could have been from stress.

Today, I also brought up that I have had spotting 3 times since Friday, and 2 of those times were not combined with any strenuous activity whatsoever. It turns out the irritated spot on my cervix that I had has grown considerably and it causing occasional bleeding. For the next 11 days, I will take 2 different types of vaginal suppositories (one to calm it down, followed by one to improve the flora and fauna) to hopefully clear it up and then we will see. Once I am through with the suppositories, I am supposed to call if I have any bleeding.

Due to me cutting out all extra sugar, I have also lost some weight, but baby is a great size, that is good!
We will see how things develop, and if I get the whole pricking my finger down so that it works (with enough blood for the sensor) every time. I will do whatever I have to do for this little one, but I am sure hoping for my desired way of giving birth- but only time will tell- baby is calling all of the shots!

I am still doing well in trusting my body and my baby as well as not taking this whole being able to have a baby thing for granted, which is helping me a lot.

Friday, October 4, 2013

Tempus Fugit

I am so thoroughly in the moment and enjoying being pregnant, that every time I think of blogging, I think that it hasn't been "that long" and then I see that another month has flown by.

Sure, there are some moments that aren't as enjoyable as others, but of course I am going to be uncomfortable sometimes- I am growing a person who I am carrying around in my womb. I have been trying to walk a fair amount, do prenatal videos from YouTube, and go to the gym to help with stiffness, etc. that is bound to only get worse :)
It can be hard to get motivated (and I haven't been denying myself naps, either), but once I do, I know it is what I needed.

On the preparation front, my sister and sister and law are organizing an alternative American baby shower. Since shipping costs and custom fees would make gift giving more difficult and possibly quite expensive for all, we are going to do a Facebook group with a limited Amazon Baby Registry (things where we would be glad to pay the customs fees- mostly cloth diapering supplies- since some brands are just really hard to get here) for those who would like to send a gift, and otherwise encourage people to give my mom a check for my American bank account. That money will offset what I wire monthly for my school loans and enable us to buy things for Shrimpy. In the group I can post pictures of what we have purchased and "attendees" can guess when Shrimpy will come, gender, size, weight, etc. and winners will get a gift in the mail.

I know that such a baby shower isn't common here, but my family really wants to do one, and I am really lucky and grateful for that! This month, we will be organizing things for my brother in law to help us install- anchors for book shelves, mounting a mirror that we had just leaned in the hallway, shelves for some plants in the living room, etc.

Sometimes, I have to fight the instinctual urge to "have it all done, right now!", but rationally (which I haven't been all the time- but luckily, my mood swings have just been mostly weepy-fits), I know we have time.

I just can't wait to have everything ready, then I can spend the time that I am off work before the baby is born to make the finishing touches and to step up my meditation. I feel pretty zen about my mental preparation for labor, and feel like we have excellent care. As long as everything goes normally, I will be giving birth in a cozy apartment set up just for labor with women I respect and trust. Our relationships are building with each appointment, and I am confident that our baby and my body know exactly what to do and the fact that our midwives trust that as well is part of the reason we chose to have an out-of-hospital birth.

Less than a month and a half before maternity leave starts!

Monday, September 16, 2013

Getting Serious

After seeing on my FertilityFriend pregnancy countdown that I have entered the 6th (of 10) months, and the viability timeframe starting this week, I finally feel like we need to start getting serious with making room for baby.

Our appointment at the birthing house was wonderful, and we are both now sure that we want to have Shrimpy there. They do the following things that made it a no-brainer for us:

- Cord cutting after the placenta has been birthed
- They leave the baby with us, doing any weighing, etc. in the bed with us- but only after the first latch and breastfeeding session
- Baby is not washed, and they encourage rubbing in the vernix to moisturize
- Vitamin K is only given for births where they feel that some trauma might have been experienced- and then only in drop form- usually a homeopathic alternative is only recommended occasionally.
- Cervical checks and all other interventions are only done with permission- save for emergencies, of course.

So, we are only doing the "bigger checks" that include testing for gestational diabetes as well as ultrasounds with the doctor, the rest is done by the midwives at the birthing house. Our last ultrasound went great, all organs and everything were normal- the only thing we couldn't check were the 4 heart chambers, as Shrimpy (whose sex will remain a surprise) was mooning us.

Now, this was the cutest butt EVER, but we couldn't see the heart- so we are going back tomorrow for that, and combining it with my diabetes test. I am excited that they are checking up on it, and hopefully baby will have a good position for a picture for us :)

So, slowly but surely, I am going to start taking inventory of the things we have, so that we can see what we still need to get, and soon, we will be picking out a few pieces of furniture.

One thing is sure though, the most important things are already in place!

Thursday, August 15, 2013

Back to the grind & TMI pregnancy symptoms

So, I've been back at work for about a week and a half now- and I have heard nothing but congratulations and questions about how I am doing, etc. Some people might be avoiding me (but it is hard to tell), but if so, then at least if there has been anything, it's been really subtle. So, all in all, I am a lucky woman!

It is hard to believe that I only have a bit more to go- November will be here, and I will be on maternity leave before I know it! Hopefully, the person we made an offer to regarding being my replacement will sign and that I will be one less worry- as they would start in September, giving me plenty of time to get someone up to speed. Once that happens, I can breathe a little more easily.

Now that I am home, Broom and I are purging a bunch of stuff and gradually trying to work on Shrimpy's room- once we have more space in the room, I will feel a whole lot better! Luckily, I am not worrying too much about it- yet.

Excitingly, our midwife appointment on Friday went swimmingly, and every time I have felt the need to hear the heartbeat for a little bit, I have been able to find it no problem. I am even pretty darn sure I have felt some kicks and moves, and am excited about when they get even more distinctive :) My weight gain has been really gradual, with a total gain (as of Friday) between 3 and 4 kilos.


***Start TMI part (Please skip if not your thing! It is me being completely honest about symptoms!)***

My symptoms are still pretty mild (and I love knowing the why behind them, I find it fascinating), but have included stuff like: dizziness, nausea, fatigue, increased CM & nasal mucous, puffy nipples, headaches, gas, irregular BMs, burping/hiccups, and heartburn. Also, my inner thighs have been hurting like I have been working out (although I hadn't been), but actually working out made that sooo much better. So, many symptoms that are quite common, and a few I had never heard about- but it is all good, as my body is doing what it needs to do!


***End TMI part****


All in all, I am persevering in my mindset that making a baby is a beautiful, beautiful thing- even if some of the symptoms aren't sexy- what we women can do, and how our bodies can grow, stretch, and adapt is just completely mind blowing and amazing, and I am loving this experience. When I look down at my growing bump, I just get so overwhelmed with joy- and Broom and I are really enjoying this time together, which I love! I have just been overcome with a sense of calm and contentedness- I am one very happy Mommy. :)

Tuesday, July 30, 2013

Awesomeness all around

Vacation was busy and still relaxing at the same time!
I really loved seeing everyone and spending time with them while sleeping in and just being.

The city that we visited with my mom and sister was really awesome. It has a real European feel, and everything that we are looking for in a place to live: health care, public transportation, culture, and a body of water. It is more expensive than what we are used to now for cost of living, but salaries would be higher too. We will be using materials we gathered to estimate how much we would need to move and how much we would need to earn to make it plausible to live there. If we do decide to go through with it, it is more like a 5+ year plan, but it is good to really consider it- although the coolness of Europe and the proximity to other countries would be really hard to give up.

Spending time in my hometown was great- some friends and I got together and had an excellent evening together, and telling my family about Shrimpy at the reunion was great fun! As sweet as they are, none of them wanted to assume that I was pregnant in case I had just put on weight! Despite the health problems my family is facing (an aunt and uncle of mine are both battling stage 4 cancer, another uncle was in a massive car accident that made him, at least for now, a quadriplegic, and my mom's ex had a bladder blockage that they are currently testing for cancer), we were still a rather upbeat group- and I know that we really support one another in hard times like these.

This week I am at my work's American headquarters and catching up on everything that happened while I was on vacation and working on projects. We are also doing interviews for my position, which is exciting and filled with lots of hope and expectations. There have been a lot of comments made about it being hard to replace me and the value of my position which makes me feel really good.

My coworkers here also threw me an early baby shower (since I won't be back until post baby)! It was something they brought up right after I announced it to them, and I am just overwhelmed by kindness and acceptance. They have given our growing family such thoughtful gifts and I can't wait to show Broom all of the nice things that we have received.

Today I also got to meet up with a good friend of mine and her family for breakfast. My delayed flight on Sunday made that meet-up impossible, but we made breakfast work, and they even picked me up from my hotel and dropped me off at work so that we would have the most time possible to visit with one another. She is also expecting, and we are exactly two weeks apart- it is so lovely to be going though this "together" (at least virtually!) and it was great to see them and catch up- although there is never enough time! (Thank you! And thank you for breakfast!)

I can't wait to get home and back to our apartment, and I can't help but be extremely grateful for everything right now- even with the medical hardships in my family, the network behind us all is amazingly awesome!

Saturday, July 13, 2013

VayCay!

So, I have made it through my 4-day training in Chicago!

I am now certified in training adults! A great thing to know/have and for my CV. The days were long, and the prep for the practice and the competency demonstration (which determined if we were certified or not) of course took its time, but I am really proud of myself.

In other work news, they have posted by position and the company helping us with the search has already received 40 applications, 10 of which are qualified. Since we officially started the search, and the timing of this trip was right after the "safer time", I had to pick a group of people to tell via email in order to keep the rumor wild-fire at bay. More than half of the people I sent it to sent congratulatory emails in response, which was a great feeling. When I am at our corporate offices at the end of the month, the US-branch of my department is even throwing me a baby shower! It is so nice to "feel the love" and if anyone has had any inappropriate thoughts regarding how I got pregnant, it hasn't made its way through to me. I am anxious to see if there are any questions surrounding it, but I figure I will just mention that we had medical help, and the rest was the sperm and the egg's doing. All in all, I am bowled over by their support.

In (not really) shocking news, it turns out the longer flights while preggo do not agree with me or Shrimpy, meaning I felt nauseated, dizzy, and generally shitty on the way over here. It was not fun being so miserable the whole time, but my homeopathic remedies at least took the edge off. Needless to say, I am not looking forward to the flight back over the pond. I will be avoiding any further flights until Shrimpy is here.

Since I have been sitting in a classroom environment all week, and the hotel has a pool, I have really enjoyed swimming! I know that this isn't surprising either, but it just felt so good to be weightless. I would like to continue swimming once back home, but am still searching for a tankini top (the bottoms I found at Target, with a nice skirt, since I have some nice new stretch marks on my thighs- but the tops they had were not enough as my cup overfloweth- literally).

Tomorrow I am off to explore a city that Broom and I are debating moving to one day. My mom, sister, and her kids are coming along (they are driving up to meet me), so I am excited to see everyone and spend quality time with them all. I am also really looking forward to our upcoming family reunion and telling everyone the happy news!

So, I'm not sure if I will write while on vacation, but if not, I will be sure to let you know how it went once I am back.

Have a nice weekend!

Thursday, July 4, 2013

(Almost) Time to leave on a jet plane!

Well, Sunday is the day I go to the US for almost 4 weeks! Crazy!

I am starting out in Chicago for a 1-week training, then we are visiting Toronto to see if we would like living there, and then I am spending time with my family before another 4 days of business at the end. I am excited and scared, and hoping that I feel ok while I am gone and don't catch any bugs.

Luckily, all of my appointments have been going well! They reduced my thyroid meds, and our 1st official ultrasound (the one to confirm the pregnancy doesn't count) went perfectly!
The baby measured the right size, the heart was still beating strongly (we got to hear it over the dr.'s doppler), and since Shrimpy was sleeping- my dr. got him or her to wake up and move.

It was amazing to see those little arms and long legs flail and wave as he/she was surprised awake by the gentle pushes on my belly. I felt a little bad, waking our child up, but it was great to see the movement before he/she settled back down to a more comfortable looking sleeping position (head more or less level with the body rather than feet up in the air). The dr. could even recognize that the baby's digestive system is functioning based on the stomach, and at one point, we saw the brain, too. Completely amazing.

We couldn't be happier that we have reached the 2nd trimester and we are keeping everything crossed that things continue to go well!

Since things did go so well, we went ahead and told Broom's brothers (who, reacted ok- a little weirdly, but ok), as well as my big bosses at work. Apparently, based on the meeting invites, they thought I was going to quit and were freaking out. One was surprised, the other relieved. It is nice to have it out now, and we will begin looking for my replacement any day now.

It is still hitting Broom and I that having this baby means coming out to even more people, over and over again. At least, so far, reactions haven't been bad, and Broom's mom seems to be really excited now, which is a little scary and nice at the same time. Babies do sometimes make people easier to relate to, so we will see.

Now, off to see if I can figure out how to shimmy my legs into the really serious thigh-high compression stockings I bought...