Colicky

This past week has been especially exhausting. Matthew is now three weeks old and was super content for the first two weeks, but then when we started giving him more formula and supplementing with less breast milk, we noticed a huge change in our baby.

The first time this happened, it involved him crying for an hour straight. This is not like my child at all. My baby sleeps well and is only fussy for diaper changes, baths, and when he's hungry. He was also turning bright red and clenching his whole body. Of course, I realized that it was his stomach bothering him so we took him to the pediatrician who told us to switch formula. Done.

A week went by and we were on a sensitive formula and started to have increasingly more problems. Again, the pediatrician wanted to see us and said that we should try switching to a different formula again. If symptoms did not improve in 3-5 days, try soy formula, watch for 3-5 days, and if it doesn't work, then we would have to use the super expensive hypoallergenic formula. Lovely.

After talking it over with one of my best friends in California, we decided on another "gentle" formula before switching to soy. I also took him to my wonderful chiropractor for a much needed adjustment and between the two, he was back to his calm, not fussy self! We also decided to try probiotics and gripe water and everything together seems to work for him.

Of course, it just can't be that easy all the time so we are now also dealing with reflux in addition to the tummy troubles he's having. The pediatrician wants to see us tomorrow and after today's fussiness I'm definitely going to be making an appointment tomorrow.

It hurts to see your baby in pain and not being able to feel comfortable and the best place for him right now is on my chest. Of course, I can't be holding him 24/7 and sleep safely with him there so we went to the store and got a lesson on baby wearing and purchased a wrap today.

In the meantime while he's so uncomfortable, I feel like this is the best and safest option for him to be able to snuggle up next to me and for me to be able to keep him safe if I need to sleep in the rocking chair/recliner in his room with him on me.

 We're praying that our little boy will feel better soon, but know that colic generally clears up around three months on it's own so at least there's an end in sight!

On Being a New Mom

Our little boy is two and a half weeks old. How can that be? There's a lot I've learned in the past two and a half weeks. Of course, things are always changing, and I don't know everything, but here's what I've learned so far...

• Your mom instinct kicks in quickly and you learn your baby's needs right away. I wasn't expecting to feel so comfortable with our little boy or to know what he needs. I really thought it would be more of him screaming and me crying trying to figure out what's going on. I'm sure this will happen as he gets older, but for right now, he's been pretty consistent with his cries and fusses.
• You don't have to listen to everything the doctor says. When we first brought Matthew home from the hospital he woke up on his own when he was hungry every 3-ish hours and we would feed him however much he wanted to eat. Granted, it wasn't much and he didn't ever overeat, but when we went to the hospital for jaundice they were appalled! Then, the pediatrician said that he needed to be woken up during the day every 2 hours to eat and that just messed up his whole schedule.
• Trust your instincts. He didn't do well on the first formula that we were supplementing with and the pediatrician's receptionist said to keep trying it despite the fact that he was in pain and would wake up every hour when we fed him the formula crying and wincing. We switched and he's been a lot happier.
• Feeding your baby is the most important thing. Yes, breast is best, but we were unable to do that. I felt guilty all weekend for wanting to give up despite the fact that he wasn't getting enough out (our baby isn't an efficient eater in general) and pumping was exhausting. If you need to use formula, that's ok.
• Happy mom = happy baby. When you're stressed, they're more likely to be as well. All weekend I was exhausted and my husband did most of the baby duty. I feel better now, but still get so tired and need to make sure to get my rest as well.
• You will earn not to judge. I used to have such strong opinions about myself and others and now I'm learning that it's a lot harder than I ever thought. Do I still have my opinions? Yes, but I can understand why people choose different things and I don't feel the need to get on my soapbox about all of them.
• You don't want to leave your baby. I hate leaving him to go to the store. I can't wait to be able to take him with me, but with him being a late pre-term baby, they don't want to chance the extra germs.
• Use common sense and talk to your mom when needed. My mom and Phil's mom have both been amazing with questions or just with venting. We're all on the same side and we all seem to agree with most things.
• Do what you want, it's your baby. If someone gives you "advice" or tells you something you don't want to do, then just smile and say thank you. Sometimes you have to be firm if they are pushy, but trying to do it in a kind way will work out best. 

I've learned a lot these past couple of weeks and know I will continue to learn so much more as he changes and gets older.

He's Here!

Matthew James

Born August 9, 2013

at 6:50pm

Weighing 5 lbs. 10 oz

18.5 inches long

He's perfect and doing well!

36 Week Bumpdate!

How Far Along: 36 weeks 4 days

Size of Baby: Honeydew

Total Weight Gain/Loss: +31 lbs

Maternity Clothes: Almost exclusively.

  

Gender: It's a BOY!!!

Movement: Lots of rolling around, hiccups, and punches.

 

Sleep: Waking up a lot, but that's normal.

What I Miss: Sleeping on my stomach.

  

Cravings: Pumpkin everything! With Fall just around the corner I am seriously so excited!

 

Symptoms: Oh, you know, just contractions and such! We're still on "labor watch" so it's interesting to try to figure out when it's going to happen!

Best Moment This Week: Knowing he's doing well and that he will be making his appearance soon!

No Baby Yet!

We've officially made it to 36 weeks as of yesterday and we couldn't be happier! Phil's parents are back in town so it's safe to say that if my water breaks, no one will have to miss his birth.

We're still at a "wait and see" point with the whole am I going to go into labor thing, but I'm still on bed rest so that's definitely helping. Baby Reese has moved up a little higher and has been there since leaving the hospital last week.

We have an appointment with the OB tomorrow morning for what will likely be my last OB appointment before the baby comes. Since he is measuring small (we're talking 4th percentile now) they don't want to let him go past 37 weeks in case there are any placental issues. Right now everything is looking good and I have another NST Wednesday with the MFM and one Saturday at the hospital so as long as everything looks good, we are thinking that Monday might be day!

There's always a chance that we could go into any appointment and be induced that day, but either way it's not too much longer! We are so ready to meet this little boy and have him be healthy and safe in our arms.

Any Day Now?!

I can't believe we made it to 35 weeks! Of course, that almost didn't happen after yesterday's shenanigans.

I went in for my normal NST at the hospital and everything looked great. I found out that what I thought was the baby pushing down was really a contraction so that was super fun! Of course, it's been happening for a couple of weeks now so that was a little shocking. After the hour or so that we were there, we were sent on our merry way and told to come back with signs of pre-term labor like they do every week.

We finally got our Target registry completion discount in the mail the other day and I was dying to get to Target and get all of the little things we needed. The Target in town has a tiny baby section so we went to the one 45 minutes away that is amazing! We waddled walked around and got everything we needed off the list and promptly went to Five Guys for lunch.

Once we were there I went to the bathroom and thought that I might have been leaking a little bit. I called my doctor and told him and he said to head straight to the Family Birthplace to get checked out, but it's probably nothing. Of course, I felt stupid about having to go back in, but it's always best to get checked out because you never know.

We headed to the hospital after lunch with a car full of baby things thinking we would be in and out within a couple of hours. They hooked me up to the monitors for another NST and did an exam. We found out that I didn't have a leak (yay!), but she said that she could see the baby's head and the sac was bulging...WHAT?!

When the doctor checked for dilation, she said I was 1 cm dilated and 100% effaced. My contractions were picking up and they weren't sure if I was going to make it through the night without my water breaking so they decided to have me stay overnight to see what would happen.

It was a super long night, but the nurses were fantastic! I started having contractions every 3-5 minutes until I went to sleep and they slowed down to every 10 minutes or so. It was hard to sleep between the contractions, monitoring, and the baby moving like crazy. I managed to make it through the night without my water breaking and was checked by the house doctor in the morning.

They released me on bed rest orders hoping that I could make it another week. I've been told that we're not sure if I'll make it another few days, but the best way to keep the baby in is to rest and hydrate like crazy so that's what we're doing. I'm supposed to only go to the fridge for food when no one else is home and to go to the bathroom. I have to keep my OB appointments and go back in if my water does break.

We're really hoping to make it to 36 weeks (ideally 37) to avoid a stay in the NICU. My hospital is very supportive of breastfeeding moms with babies who have to stay, but I would really love to be able to take him home with me when I get to go home.

My husband is being fantastic and is going to be making me food to be able to just grab from the fridge while he's at work. My in-laws are on vacation so I'll be hanging out at home by myself this week hoping that I don't go into labor while he's at work an hour and a half away! He'll be home Wednesday for our growth ultrasound so I'll have him here to keep me company and help me then too.

Let's keep this baby in for another week or two!

34 Week Bumpdate

How Far Along: 34 weeks 4 days

Size of Baby: Butternut Squash

Total Weight Gain/Loss: +30 lbs maybe? I'm confused since they had me turn around on the scale and I couldn't see my weight.

Maternity Clothes: Almost exclusively.

 

Gender: It's a BOY!!!

Movement: Definitely. Some movement has even started to get a little painful so he must be growing!

 

Sleep: Mostly not so great, but last night was better. My round-ligament pain is terrible in the middle of the night and I can barely walk to go to the bathroom :/

What I Miss: Eating whenever the mood strikes and what I want. I really want to go to Ihop for breakfast, but my gestational diabetes won't allow for the stuffed french toast right now :(

  

Cravings: Not too much right now, but baby LOVES cheeseburgers still. Every time I eat one, he goes crazy!

 

Symptoms: Oh, the usual at this point.

Best Moment This Week: Feeling him move and hearing his heartbeat. The AFI scans are nice, but they're super quick and don't focus on body parts, but fluid amounts so it will be nice to see him next week for the growth ultrasound.

Nesting

I've been nesting on and off now for a couple of weeks. Fortunately, his room has been ready for me to do what I want to get it ready so I've been in there quite a lot lately.

We had our baby shower this past weekend and I was really holding back on buying things due to that. Now that it's over, I have a list of things to get before his arrival and can start working on that. I'm still waiting for my completion discount at Target to really get going, but for now I will just have to hold off and wait a little longer.

I managed to get all of the gifts sorted the same day of the shower and we did a storage run and laundry the day after so yesterday I was able to get to organizing. His clothes and most essentials have a home and there's only a little left to do! I have the bases installed in our cars and the car seat is hanging out in his room for now.

I don't really have a ton of pictures at the moment of his room, but I'm sure there will be some in the next few weeks. It's not anything fancy, but I like it and it's very calming to be in there. Most days you can find me sitting in the rocking chair (that my husband was rocked in) crocheting a blanket for him or just hanging out. I love his nursery and can't wait for his arrival in 4-6 weeks.

33 Week Bumpdate!

How Far Along: 33 weeks 2 days

Size of Baby: Durian (?)

Total Weight Gain/Loss: +28 lbs. The dr said the swelling is helping with that :/

Maternity Clothes: Almost exclusively.

 

Gender: It's a BOY!!!

Movement: Definitely. I get to watch him move all the time now so that's been fun!

 

Sleep: Eh, it comes and goes. I wake up a lot and it's painful in the middle of the night so I have a harder time going back to sleep. It's all worth it though.

What I Miss: Being a little more comfortable. Our little man is pretty low and likes to put a lot of pressure down low so it makes it really uncomfortable to move. The other day I couldn't even walk with the amount of pressure and pain, but he usually moves up at least for part of the day.

  

Cravings: Cupcakes and cake pops from my shower. We had to freeze some of the cupcakes for me to have after the baby is born.

 

Symptoms: You mean I'm pregnant?!

Best Moment This Week: Hearing his heartbeat and passing the NSTs quickly and seeing him again last week on the ultrasound. 

So the Testing Begins...

Today was a big day for us regarding baby appointments. We had our first Non-Stress Test (NST) and another growth ultrasound to see how our little guy is doing.

With being on insulin overnight for my fasting numbers, I am being closely monitored from here on out. I will be going in two times per week for NSTs and on one of those days they will be doing a quick AFI to check the amniotic fluid levels. I also am scheduled for another growth ultrasound in three weeks. Yes, on top of my regular OB appointments, I'm about to be super busy! Hopefully, time will fly right by.

The NST went really well. The baby cooperated and we were able to get a print out of his heart rate on the paper to take with us for the baby book (according to the nurse). I had no contractions and he passed with flying colors! The next one is scheduled for Saturday morning so hopefully he cooperates then too.

At the growth ultrasound we found out that he's measuring even smaller than last time. At 28 weeks, he was measuring in the 22nd percentile and we were told they wanted to see him continue to grow and to check back in a month. Today, at 32 weeks, he was measuring in the 14th percentile...so a little smaller then what they would like to see.

The doctor let us know that he's growing accordingly, but he's not getting gaining a lot of weight in his belly. She said he could just be a lean baby (maybe like his father?), but we'll be able to tell more in three weeks when we go back. She assured me that he's healthy and when we come back if he's dropped below 10%, they will want to check for placental problems and make sure he's getting enough blood flow via a different ultrasound.

Since my blood sugars have been controlled well, there's no concern as of yet. They want to keep him in and get him as close to 37 weeks as possible before they need to take him, but preferably closer to 39 weeks, but no longer than that.

I'm feeling blessed to be able to have such great doctors and nurses looking out for our little man and know that they're watching out for him. Of course, we know that God is in control and our faith and trust is in Him  to protect and keep our little boy healthy and safe.

32 Week Bumpdate!

How Far Along: 32 weeks 1 day

Size of Baby: Squash

Total Weight Gain/Loss: +26 lbs

Maternity Clothes: Almost exclusively.

 

Gender: It's a BOY!!!

Movement: Definitely. I love feeling him roll around and move. He's started pushing down and is head down so sometimes it's a bit uncomfortable.

 

Sleep: Not so great. I feel like I need a nap daily and get super cranky/emotional when I'm tired.

What I Miss: Sleeping on my stomach and being able to eat anything at any given time. 

  

Cravings: Not eating string cheese with ice cream...lol.

 

Symptoms: I look like I have a beach ball under my clothes...so, there's that.

Best Moment This Week: Feeling his daily movement! We have a lot to be thankful for and we have an ultrasound coming up Wednesday and start NSTs twice weekly this week so I'll be busy.

So What Wednesday

This week, I'm saying SO WHAT if...

• After months of pain and discomfort, I'm planning on going back to my old chiropractor. The new one wasn't working as well and kept telling me I would be out of pain when the baby comes out.
• We'll be paying a lot more for the chiropractic care. If it works, it's worth it.
• I only interviewed with one pediatrician's office before I made my decision. I feel so comfortable with them and didn't want to take him to our current doctor.
• I don't mind not sleeping due to the baby moving. I know he's safe and love feeling him move.
• I had a nesting moment yesterday when I realized we don't have a lot of baby socks. It took a lot for me not to run out and buy a ton!
• I can't wait for my baby shower next weekend mainly for the cupcakes! I'll let myself eat one and will enjoy every bite.
• I've loved being busier lately. It makes the days go by faster

30/31 Week Bumpdate!

How Far Along: 31 weeks 2 days

Size of Baby: Pineapple

Total Weight Gain/Loss: +26 lbs

Maternity Clothes: Almost exclusively.

 

Gender: It's a BOY!!! Which is confirmed at every ultrasound ;)

Movement: Lots! I love watching my belly move every day when he's super active and gets moving.

 

Sleep: Waking up every 2-3 hours still.

What I Miss: Cereal, cinnamon rolls, and sweet tea.

  

Cravings: None at the moment.

 

Symptoms: Same as usual.

Best Moment This Week: Seeing our little boy in 3D yesterday!

Difficult Transitions

Getting used to the GD lifestyle has been an adjustment. Gone are the days of lounging around after eating and being able to eat how much I want when I want. Having to look at the clock with your first bite of a meal, knowing that in just one or two hours from now, you will be testing your blood sugar gets a little overwhelming. Then, there's the anticipation of the number that pops up. Will it be in range? Is it too high? But, I did everything right?! It definitely gets frustrating at times and a bit much.

The diet itself isn't that bad. I have to count my carbs and proteins and make sure that I'm getting the right amount at every meal and snack. I have three meals per day and three snacks per day so I'm eating every 2-3 hours on average. Of course, there are times that you do everything right and still get a number that is not in range. This is where it gets upsetting. Other times, you eat right and it's in a perfect range and you sigh with relief.

I've been put on overnight insulin and that hasn't been too bad. The needle they gave me is super tiny and it really doesn't hurt going in. I exercise after meals to try to stay off of daytime insulin, but with the impending hormone surges, I'm not sure that's going to happen. It's all a matter of what you eat and what your hormones decide to do that day.

The part that is the most difficult for me is the exercise. I am exhausted especially since this week hit. I'm supposed to get up and move (walk, run errands, do something active) for at least 10-15 minutes following every meal to help my blood sugar stay down. I'm pretty religious about this unless there's no way because we have church or an appointment and I can't be more active than walking to and from the car. But, it's hard to get up and move when you just want to take a nap.

I'm doing this for my health and most importantly for my baby's health. It's a choice I've made to do the best I can for my baby because he is so important. Gestational diabetes has real risks, but if you manage it well, the outcomes are great! My numbers are always in a "safe" range which is the most important thing. I'm committed for the best outcome for me and the baby and that's what matters most.

29 Week Bumpdate!

How Far Along: 29 weeks 2 days

Size of Baby: Acorn Squash!

Total Weight Gain/Loss: +24 lbs

Maternity Clothes: Almost exclusively.

 

Gender: It's a BOY!!!

Movement: Lots! I love watching my belly move every day when he's super active and gets moving.

 

Sleep: Waking up every 2-3 hours still.

What I Miss: Not having so many aches and pains, but it's worth it!

  

Cravings: None at the moment.

 

Symptoms: Same as usual.

Best Moment This Week: Seeing our little boy on the ultrasound last week and having my husband and mother-in-law be able to feel him move.

Update on GD

Trying to get a hang of the Gestational Diabetes diet can be a little difficult. I have to eat so many carbs/proteins at each meal and snack and figure out what does and does not work for my body.

I've been on the diet a little over a week and I'm already on bedtime insulin. My fasting numbers were a little higher than they would like and I had ketones in my urine so that helped make the decision. I'm also supposed to eat more during the day so we'll see how that works out.

I test 4 times per day and write down everything I eat. I'm on an eating schedule and it's important that I'm eating every 2-4 hours during the day so that's been a change. I can't just pick up anything I want to eat from anywhere so I've been packing lunches and snacks if I know I'm going to be out during that time. I also have become a pro at testing my blood sugar while we're out with this week's schedule being a little hectic!

I'm struggling with the insulin pen, but it's only been two days so I figure I'll get it right soon. It seems that not all of the medicine is going in so I might need to push the button harder, but I'm trying and it seems to be working a little.

We had a growth ultrasound and everything looked good! He is measuring in the 22nd percentile so we might just have a little baby on our hands. The doctor said he's probably taking after me since I'm shorter and was a small baby. I have another growth ultrasound in 4 weeks to make sure that he is continuing to grow properly since the risk with GD can be placental problems.

Since I'm on insulin, I will also be having NSTs done twice a week and one of those days I get a BPP to check for amniotic fluid as well. This all starts at 32 weeks and I just head down the street to the hospital. As long as he continues to do well, we will be able to have me carry him up until about 39 weeks per my doctor's recommendation.

Other than that, things are going pretty well and we're working on it.

28 Week Bumpdate

How Far Along: 28 weeks 2 days

Size of Baby: Eggplant

Total Weight Gain/Loss: +24 lbs...I lost one pound in the past three weeks!

Maternity Clothes: Almost exclusively.

 

Gender: It's a BOY!!!

Movement: Lots! He's definitely moving around a lot more and is a lot stronger now and I love it.

 

Sleep: Waking up every 2-3 hours so that's super fun.

 

What I Miss: Being able to eat a donut.

  

Cravings: None at the moment.

 

Symptoms: Same as the usual.

Best Moment This Week: Daily movement and hearing his heartbeat today!

Gestational Diabetes

Monday I found out the dreaded news...I have gestational diabetes (aka GD). I was heartbroken. I had mentally prepared for the news and took it better than I had anticipated, but it was still a pretty hard blow. My numbers at the 3 hour Glucose Tolerance Test went up over the 3 hours instead of down so they gave me the official diagnosis and told me to call the diabetes educator at Sinai who work with the MFM doctors.

I made an appointment for the next day so that I could get my body on track as quickly as possible. I was given a sample menu and told to test my glucose four times per day. She was particularly interested in my fasting number since it was a little high, but not terrible with the test. She suggested I start an oral medication and gave me some handouts and the prescription. I had to start the finger pricks that day after lunch and it was definitely an adjustment.

I went to fill the prescription and was told that there is a 10% chance that I could have an allergic reaction to the medication based on my other allergy. Of course, I didn't want to risk it with being pregnant and the horrible reaction I have with the other drug so the pharmacist called the educator and said he doesn't recommend it for me. Of course, this now means that we need to keep a close eye on my fasting numbers to see if I will need insulin.

The diet isn't too bad so far. I have to count my carbs, protein, fruit, and fat at each meal and snack and make sure I'm balancing everything out. I was also told to exercise for at least 10 minutes after I eat each main meal to keep my sugars low.

My meal plan is as follows:

Breakfast: 2 carbs (30g), 1 protein, 1 milk, 0-1 fat.

Morning Snack: 1 carb (15g), I protein.

Lunch: 2 Carbs, 1 fruit, 1 vegetable, 2 proteins, 1-2 fats.

Afternoon Snack: 1 carb, 1 protein, 1 fruit.

Dinner: 2 carbs, 2 vegetables, 3 proteins, 2 fats, 1 milk.

Evening Snack: 1 carb, 1 protein, 1 milk.

This is my second full day doing the diet so I'm working on figuring out what works best for me and my body since everyone is different. I noticed that if I test after 1 hour, my number is still high and my body is still working on getting it down, but my 2 hour number is right in range. 

I still need to work on my fasting number, but I already found out that ice cream and a cheese stick does not work for me. It yields me a 102 and that's what I had the night before the GTT and last night and I had the same result. When I had a 1/2 pb sandwich and milk, my fasting number was 90!

I have another meeting with the diabetic educator in town on Monday which should give me some more insight and options. They tend to conflict with the information given at Sinai so it will be interesting when I see my doctor Tuesday.  I am hoping to avoid medications and hope they give me a little time to figure out what works for me before they try insulin, but whatever is best for the baby is what will happen.

27 Weeks!

How Far Along: 27 weeks 1 day

Size of Baby: Rutabaga

Total Weight Gain/Loss: +25 lbs...according to my scale at home I've maintained the past two weeks!

Maternity Clothes: Almost exclusively.

 

Gender: It's a BOY!!!

Movement: Lots! He's definitely moving around a lot more and is a lot stronger now and I love it.

 

Sleep: Waking up every 2-3 hours so that's super fun.

 

What I Miss: Subway and sleeping in.

  

Cravings: Watermelon.

 

Symptoms: Back and hip pain mostly.

Best Moment This Week: Daily movement!

Glucose Tolerance Test

If you follow me on twitter, you might have read how my 3 hour Glucose Tolerance Test went this morning. It was horrible. I have small veins so I made sure to hydrate three days before the test to make it easier on everyone and it didn't work. At least my husband is amazing and went with me so that I didn't have to sit there alone.

It took two sticks to get my fasting blood sugar level and it came back high at 102. Of course, I felt defeated and was not looking forward to the other draws. I was informed that I needed a total of five draws. One fasting, one 30 minutes after the glucose drink, at 1 hr, 2 hrs, and 3 hrs after the drink.

Of course when it came to the half-hour draw, it took them five sicks to get it. I was in tears it hurt so bad. Shooting pain while they stick you is not normal. Plus, I had the woman telling me that labor is so much worse and that they will have a hard time sticking in an IV and that the labor and delivery nurses will tell me to suck it up! Wow, way to make me feel better.

After the issues with that draw, I called my OB's office and begged them to let me be considered to have gestational diabetes because I honestly wasn't sure they would be able to get the last three draws they needed. Of course, they said no and I had to sit there praying that it would only get better.

For the last three draws, she was able to use the same vein in my wrist. Yep, that's what it came down to, but at least she got them!

My left hand is swollen and bruised and I had to ice my arm and hand while waiting to get the draws...it was that bad.

I should find out my results on Monday, but I'm not sure what to think. I've done enough research to know that gestational diabetes is not a death sentence and can be manageable many times with diet and exercise. I still pray that I don't have it, but I wouldn't be shocked to find out that I do. I guess we'll find out Monday and go from there.

Good news, I've done well with my weight this week and the OB mentioned at my last appointment that I might get another ultrasound to see how big the baby is before he's born. Of course, I'm hoping for that!