Today was my 24 week check up with the Midwife. It was just your basic check up! Everything looks great and the baby is growing on schedule! My blood pressure is fantastic at 118/60! My weight is the same as it was 4 weeks ago. My urine was negative for both Glucose and protein. My fundus height was 24 cm which is right on schedule for my gestational age of 24 weeks. And of course we listened to the baby's heart rate. He was sleeping so it was in the 130s which is normal. My Midwife also drew my blood again for a thyroid panel. My last blood draw was a month ago and the results were within the recommended limits. My Thyroid Dr did not make any changes to my medications.
My Midwife also received the U/S report. Everything looks great on the report. Baby is breech at this point, but at this early in the game he will most likely flip over and get into position in the next 1-2 months. The U/S report also moved my due date up by a week making me due Sept 29th instead of October 6th. Which of course is all relative since I think my due date is the 4th. First U/S put my due date at Oct 4th which agreed with my dates. The October 6th date is the one that the Midwife came up with using her little pregnancy wheel thing using my LMP (date of last period). But as we all know... Baby decides anyway! So they can put their little dates where ever they feel like it and somehow the baby just knows when he is ready to be born! I will most likely blow all 3 "due dates" and go to the 11th or something crazy like that anyway! My Midwife told me I slow cook my kids kinda like a crock pot, instead of a microwave.
We talked briefly about the birth plan. We are still planning a home birth and since the U/S report shows baby is healthy and my placenta is out of the way of my cervix, all is set for us to continue that plan. We are very excited! Kaleb has expressed interest in helping Tim cut the cord once our baby is born. The midwife is on board with making our birth the most family centered experience she can while keeping both the baby and myself safe. She did say that some kids say they want to help and then at the moment of birth get scared or nervous. It left me with something to think about and to also talk to Kaleb about so he knows he doesn't HAVE to do anything he doesn't want to do. Thankfully the cord cutting can be delayed for a bit after the birth, so he can get settled in and all before he has to "preform". We will just see how he feels on D day!
I have been feeling really good overall. Usually by 20-22 weeks in previous pregnancies I have had pelvic and pubic bone pain. Mostly my sciatica starts to act up and keep me in lots of pain. Thankfully this time around I am just now starting to feel little twinges of pan in my hips and my pubic bone. Sometimes if I am in one position for too long or am doing a repeating motion my pubic bone feels like it is on fire. It is such an odd sensation of burning and pain.
I mentioned this discomfort to my Midwife and she suggested Physical Therapy or seeing a Chiropractor. But of course getting that done requires a referral from my primary Dr. I plan to call tomorrow to get an appointment with my primary Dr. Sometimes I really hate Insurance company hoops. But I guess I should be happy to be insured!
So my next appointment is in 4 weeks. At this appointment I will have to decide if I want to do the glucose screening or not. I am still debating on whether I want to do it. 3 pregnancy so far and I have always passed with flying colors. I have a bit more research to do on it though, before I decide. I will also have my blood drawn for another Thyroid panel, a iron level, and to screen for RH antibodies. I believe I will also get my 28 week Rhogam injection.
After this 28 week appointment I go from seeing my midwife every 4 weeks to seeing her every 2! It is hard to believe I am almost to the 3rd trimester.
I have also started to gather all my supplies for my home birth. I have a few more things to get and I still need to organize it all for the birth, but I am marking things off my to do list! One of the things we needed to figure out before baby is born is where are we gonna store his baby clothes and things. So over the weekend we hit a few Garage sales and found a 6 drawer dresser for $20. It fit perfectly in Mason's room. So Mason will use it and the baby will use Mason's old dresser. All the kids so far have used the same dresser as infants and then as they got older they graduated to a new (or new to them ) dresser. The dresser they have all used is one my Grandma Jean gave to my Mom who gave it to me. I have painted it and added some prettier knobs to it over the years, but it is kinda cool to have the baby's first dresser come from my Grandma. I wish she was still with us so she could see and know my beautiful children. But her memory lives on in stories such as the one about the dresser.
June 16, 2009
June 15, 2009
Pregnancy update 7
Hi all!
My next midwife appointment is tomorrow, but I wanted to post my 24 week pregnancy belly pictures! I see a huge difference between 20 week belly pictures and my 24 week belly pictures. But I will let you be the judge! You can see the 20 week picture compared to the 24 week picture on the right side bar -------->.
My next midwife appointment is tomorrow, but I wanted to post my 24 week pregnancy belly pictures! I see a huge difference between 20 week belly pictures and my 24 week belly pictures. But I will let you be the judge! You can see the 20 week picture compared to the 24 week picture on the right side bar -------->.
24 weeks!
June 5, 2009
Jasmyn's year end Concert
Here are some links to videos of Jasmyn's Preschool class End of the year concert.
Jasmyn is in the second row. Blond hair. Pink & White polka dot dress. Enthusiastic with the hand gestures! LOL!
First song is called "Dinosaurs in a car"
Second Song called "I like Me"
Third Song called "Bear Hunt"
And last song is a combination of "Chicken Dance", "Itsy Bitsy Spider", and "Head shoulders".
It was a very fun concert! Just thought you might want to see my baby girl at her concert! Enjoy!
Jasmyn is in the second row. Blond hair. Pink & White polka dot dress. Enthusiastic with the hand gestures! LOL!
First song is called "Dinosaurs in a car"
Second Song called "I like Me"
Third Song called "Bear Hunt"
And last song is a combination of "Chicken Dance", "Itsy Bitsy Spider", and "Head shoulders".
It was a very fun concert! Just thought you might want to see my baby girl at her concert! Enjoy!
Ultrasound ~ Pregnancy Update #6
Today we went for our 22 week ultrasound. Tim and I took Kaleb with us as he was WWWAAAAYYYYYY excited to find out what we are having. He is fascinated with our early ultrasound and wanted to come with us and see first hand what an ultrasound was like. He was so well behaved and just *loved* every minute of looking at his sibling.
When the tech came in I told him we wanted to know what we were having. He said we would try to see. He puts the wand on my tummy and Bam! There is was! A clear shot between the baby's legs! I saw a little turtle head peeking out! There was NO mistaking it! Our baby has a PENIS!!!!!! I said, "oh wow! That's a boy!" Even the tech was surprised that we found the parts so quickly and easily! Our little munchkin really wanted us to know what he was!!!!! I suspect he was just tired of Jasmyn & I calling HIM a her! LOL!
So then he looked at all the parts. 3 vessel cord, 4 chamber heart, perfect cord insertion, both kidneys functioning, stomach, bladder and heart all looked great! Baby's brain is perfect and measuring perfect for my gestational age! Baby showed no markers for any abnormalities. He is PERFECT!!!!!! He was sucking on his hand and playing with his toes. He has a perfect shaped little face, even though they kinda look like aliens at this stage of the game!
The best part is that my placenta is in a perfect position! It is anterior and has moved up and away from my cervix. There is at least a few centimeters between my cervix and the placenta! WOOT! Everything seems to be in order for me to continue with my plans for a vaginal birth at home. My cervix is long and thick like it should be at this point!
Now is where I come clean about the anxiety I have been carrying around for the past few months. I am a member of several online communities as well as a follower of a few blogs. On these communities and blogs some of the women have NOT had perfect U/S or healthy babies. So knowing that it can happen to them make it a more real possibility that it could happen to me. I have been praying hard for these past few months that everything is OK with our baby. I was barley able to sleep last night as I anticipated our U/S today. And when I did sleep I had dreams about babies born with T18, T21 or T13. Or babies born with serious neural tube defects. I know that I will love our baby unconditionally, no matter what condition he arrived in, I am just so relieved and feel so blessed to have been given a healthy baby. I will continue to pray that our baby stays healthy and perfect and that my body continues to nourish and grow him to his fullest potential.
But I will also pray for the Moms out there that did not get a *perfect* report from the U/S. I will continue to pray for the Moms out there faced with unthinkable decisions and situations. I will pray that the babies don't suffer and that the people touched by their lives will cherish every moment. I will also send a special prayer for the moms that had to say good bye to their babies way too soon. May their hearts find comfort and peace.
And I will continue to rejoice that my baby boy is healthy and happy and measuring just a bit ahead of schedule. Maybe I will end up with a big boy (9 pounds) like I did with Kaleb?!?!?! Who knows. But I will take whatever I am given with a happy heart!
When the tech came in I told him we wanted to know what we were having. He said we would try to see. He puts the wand on my tummy and Bam! There is was! A clear shot between the baby's legs! I saw a little turtle head peeking out! There was NO mistaking it! Our baby has a PENIS!!!!!! I said, "oh wow! That's a boy!" Even the tech was surprised that we found the parts so quickly and easily! Our little munchkin really wanted us to know what he was!!!!! I suspect he was just tired of Jasmyn & I calling HIM a her! LOL!
So then he looked at all the parts. 3 vessel cord, 4 chamber heart, perfect cord insertion, both kidneys functioning, stomach, bladder and heart all looked great! Baby's brain is perfect and measuring perfect for my gestational age! Baby showed no markers for any abnormalities. He is PERFECT!!!!!! He was sucking on his hand and playing with his toes. He has a perfect shaped little face, even though they kinda look like aliens at this stage of the game!
The best part is that my placenta is in a perfect position! It is anterior and has moved up and away from my cervix. There is at least a few centimeters between my cervix and the placenta! WOOT! Everything seems to be in order for me to continue with my plans for a vaginal birth at home. My cervix is long and thick like it should be at this point!
Now is where I come clean about the anxiety I have been carrying around for the past few months. I am a member of several online communities as well as a follower of a few blogs. On these communities and blogs some of the women have NOT had perfect U/S or healthy babies. So knowing that it can happen to them make it a more real possibility that it could happen to me. I have been praying hard for these past few months that everything is OK with our baby. I was barley able to sleep last night as I anticipated our U/S today. And when I did sleep I had dreams about babies born with T18, T21 or T13. Or babies born with serious neural tube defects. I know that I will love our baby unconditionally, no matter what condition he arrived in, I am just so relieved and feel so blessed to have been given a healthy baby. I will continue to pray that our baby stays healthy and perfect and that my body continues to nourish and grow him to his fullest potential.
But I will also pray for the Moms out there that did not get a *perfect* report from the U/S. I will continue to pray for the Moms out there faced with unthinkable decisions and situations. I will pray that the babies don't suffer and that the people touched by their lives will cherish every moment. I will also send a special prayer for the moms that had to say good bye to their babies way too soon. May their hearts find comfort and peace.
And I will continue to rejoice that my baby boy is healthy and happy and measuring just a bit ahead of schedule. Maybe I will end up with a big boy (9 pounds) like I did with Kaleb?!?!?! Who knows. But I will take whatever I am given with a happy heart!
TL or Big V?????
Yes we are D-O-N-E after our little bundle of joy is born. I was sitting here this morning watching a program on TLC called "A Baby Story". It showed this family that already had 5 children and she unexpectedly got pregnant at the age of 42 with their 6th child. It sent shivers down my spine. I think if that happened to us Tim would totally panic and need a jump start to get his heart going again! LOL! So it kinda jump started my thought process on what we are gonna do to prevent future baby Brays.
So why would we choose something so *permanent*? Well because the other options are just not all that great. Bear with me as I go over the options as much for myself as for your reading enjoyment(LOL)!!!
Hormonal birth control. This includes birth control pills, patches, rings, implants, as well as hormonal IUDs. I do not do well on these options. My blood pressure gets out of control and I get bad migraines. These symptoms are what made me go off the pill back in December of 2000. Oh not to mention I have mood swings from *HELL* on hormonal birth control. Heaven help us all!!!!
IUDs. Well to make a long story short I have a moral objection to how IUDs prevent implantation of the baby and thus preventing pregnancy. So the egg and sperm can still meet (and thus create a life) but the IUD prevents implantation. I have a moral objection to this method of birth control.
Barrier methods, sponges, film, etc... Do I even need to go here? I mean who really like taking a shower with a raincoat on? Not to mention there is a breakage factor.
Lastly is the Fertility Awareness Method. This method is what we have used since I went off Birth control pills in December of 2000. I of course love this method for myself during my childbearing years. But now that I am wanting to move beyond those years.....I want a more *for sure* method. Tim & I were always OK with the possibility of getting pregnant unexpectedly (in theory anyway LOL!) during the years between Kaleb and baby #4. But now...I am so NOT OK with that possibility! LOL! Which brings us to......
TL (tubal ligation) or Big V (vasectomy)!
Of course I would rather have Tim do the Big V since the procedure itself is easier on him that the TL for me. And hey let's face it..... I have birthed 3 going on 4 babies while his only complaint was sore feet and legs from standing on the hard hospital floor! LOL! So yeah.... I have taken 3 going on 4 hits for the team, it seems fair that he takes at LEAST 1! LOL!
Which leads us to the final issue...... Money and time to recuperate. For me to have a TL it would be covered more completely by Insurance. Not to mention I am already gonna be recovering from my birth. Tim on the other hand to have the Big V done would cost us more money out of pocket (he had different Ins than me) and it would also require him to be off work during his recovery. Tim is our "bread winner". We need him to work so we can do things like .... eat, pay our mortgage, buy gas, etc..... So the idea of him taking a week or more off to recover is just not very appealing! And we want him to use any available vacation time to spend with us as I recover after our birth.
So which leads me to seriously consider a TL. My Mom got a TL when I was about 2 or 3 (I think) and had NO problems. But since my mom (and maybe one of my aunts) pretty much the rest of our family has opted for the men to get the big V rather than the women to get a TL.
So this morning I schedule a consult with a OB that does TL and is covered by my Insurance. The consult is not until July, but I guess I will go to my consultation and see what our options are. And we will also go to a consult on getting Tim a big V.
Wish us luck!!!!
So why would we choose something so *permanent*? Well because the other options are just not all that great. Bear with me as I go over the options as much for myself as for your reading enjoyment(LOL)!!!
Hormonal birth control. This includes birth control pills, patches, rings, implants, as well as hormonal IUDs. I do not do well on these options. My blood pressure gets out of control and I get bad migraines. These symptoms are what made me go off the pill back in December of 2000. Oh not to mention I have mood swings from *HELL* on hormonal birth control. Heaven help us all!!!!
IUDs. Well to make a long story short I have a moral objection to how IUDs prevent implantation of the baby and thus preventing pregnancy. So the egg and sperm can still meet (and thus create a life) but the IUD prevents implantation. I have a moral objection to this method of birth control.
Barrier methods, sponges, film, etc... Do I even need to go here? I mean who really like taking a shower with a raincoat on? Not to mention there is a breakage factor.
Lastly is the Fertility Awareness Method. This method is what we have used since I went off Birth control pills in December of 2000. I of course love this method for myself during my childbearing years. But now that I am wanting to move beyond those years.....I want a more *for sure* method. Tim & I were always OK with the possibility of getting pregnant unexpectedly (in theory anyway LOL!) during the years between Kaleb and baby #4. But now...I am so NOT OK with that possibility! LOL! Which brings us to......
TL (tubal ligation) or Big V (vasectomy)!
Of course I would rather have Tim do the Big V since the procedure itself is easier on him that the TL for me. And hey let's face it..... I have birthed 3 going on 4 babies while his only complaint was sore feet and legs from standing on the hard hospital floor! LOL! So yeah.... I have taken 3 going on 4 hits for the team, it seems fair that he takes at LEAST 1! LOL!
Which leads us to the final issue...... Money and time to recuperate. For me to have a TL it would be covered more completely by Insurance. Not to mention I am already gonna be recovering from my birth. Tim on the other hand to have the Big V done would cost us more money out of pocket (he had different Ins than me) and it would also require him to be off work during his recovery. Tim is our "bread winner". We need him to work so we can do things like .... eat, pay our mortgage, buy gas, etc..... So the idea of him taking a week or more off to recover is just not very appealing! And we want him to use any available vacation time to spend with us as I recover after our birth.
So which leads me to seriously consider a TL. My Mom got a TL when I was about 2 or 3 (I think) and had NO problems. But since my mom (and maybe one of my aunts) pretty much the rest of our family has opted for the men to get the big V rather than the women to get a TL.
So this morning I schedule a consult with a OB that does TL and is covered by my Insurance. The consult is not until July, but I guess I will go to my consultation and see what our options are. And we will also go to a consult on getting Tim a big V.
Wish us luck!!!!
June 2, 2009
22wk bellies compared
Thought it would be fun to post my belly pictures at 22weeks during each one of my pregnancies. My belly looks about the same but my butt and breasts looks different! LOL!
Here I am 22wks Pregnant with Kaleb
22 weeks Pregnant with Jasmyn
22 weeks pregnant with Mason
22weeks Pregnant with baby #4
Enjoy!!!
22 week belly pics
So this past weekend I went out with some friends to listen to a band. I took the opportunity to dress up a bit and actually do my hair! I figured this was the best time to take my 22 week belly picture. I wanted to record my hair and makeup since it is likely to only happen a few times during this pregnancy! LOL!
22 week belly shot
Here is the close up of the belly:
22 week belly shot
Full body shot!
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