Adventures in Pregnancy, week 38

The adventure continues...
(I know I include a lot of details, but this is to get it all off my mind and still remember this adventure someday in the future.)

Saturday, June 22nd

After breakfast, Evan and I went on a short walk around the neighborhood. Then, we headed to Lowes...well actually Evan dropped me off to get a pedicure while he got what he needed at Lowes. Then we headed home, ate lunch, and I rested until Susan came over. She checked on Baby Boy, checked on protein level in my urine (all was good), then she stripped my membranes. I wasn't really sure what to expect, but it only felt a little more uncomfortable/intense than when Baby Boy was putting pressure on my cervix. Then, Susan checked my bp: 142/78...low number really good, high number a little high.

A few hours later, as Evan was getting dinner ready, I started to feel kind of crampy. I went ahead and ate, but my lower back was starting to ache also. I decided I wanted some froyo...some peach froyo that I had had a few weeks before, so we went to Berri-Licious. But alas, no peach froyo, only raspberry peach. So, I got some peach-raspberry and some tart, topped with fruit and nuts. When we got back home, I decided I wanted to take my bp sitting outside instead of inside. I think I was starting to get a little cabin fever/stir crazy, and being outside with the breeze and sounds of nature (including cars going by) drowned out the sound of the bp machine, and just made me feel a little better.

After that, the crampy feelings seemed more like real contractions. I started to ask Evan about timing them, but I had a hard time really knowing when they ended even though they seemed to start about every ten minutes. I was on the birth/yoga ball, first sitting, then leaning my upper body on it and rocking, all the while enjoying the distraction of Castle and getting a little excited that this may be it! A little later, Evan, being the awesome Bradley birth coach he's learned to be, said we needed to go to bed, whether the contractions were real or not. If they were real, it would be good to have the rest, if they weren't real, they'd stop when I went to sleep. So, I reluctantly went to bed, thinking I don't know if I can sleep...but I did, and the contractions subsided.

Sunday, June 23rd

We went to church then had lunch with mom, who had been helping with Moore/Shawnee tornado relief with Western Heights, before she headed home. My lower back was hurting most of church, so I rested and waited for things to pick back up, but nothing. So, we headed to LifeGroup.

Monday, June 24th

Another 24-urine test. Thankfully, I had a bit of distraction from being stuck on the couch with nothing happening by watching a friend's kids for about an hour. The kids played great and it passed the time. Then Evan came home for lunch to see me. That afternoon I decided I was going to be productive, so I worked on some hot/cold rice packs that I had started last month. I finished cutting the fabric, and used a hand-held sewing machine to sew 3 3/4 of the sides. It took me a while to get the hang of it, but I got 3 little ones done, except for adding the rice and sewing them shut. It was nice to feel like I had done something and not just laid on the couch all day! Added bonus, my feet, especially my right foot, seemed to be much less swollen.

Tuesday, June 25th

I took in my 2 jugs of urine and had blood drawn again...now a weekly occurrence. Then a sweet friend came over for a visit, providing more distraction. After that, I rested up because Evan had said he'd take me to visit Camp Impact! I think being stuck on the couch was more frustrating this week 1) because I felt fine and 2) because Camp Impact was going on, and I had really wanted to be there! In the midst of my rest, I got up off the couch to turn off a light and found a needle with the sole of my foot!! OUCH!! Thankfully, it wasn't in too deep, and it only bled a little when I took it out.

Evan came home around 4:15, and we went to interview a pediatrician. It went pretty well, but I still have a hard time with how fast most doctors/nurses seem to more. I understand they try to fit in as many patients as possible, but when they come in a hurry, I don't feel like I can keep up with them or remember what I wanted to ask, etc. Then, we got some dinner...I was good and got a salad from Cool Greens while Evan indulged his craving for Top That! Pizza. I might have snuck a few bites of his pizza. shh! Next, off to Camp Impact!

When I walked into the Garvey Center, all the Children's Ministers were standing there about to have a meeting. Rusty, my youth minister, saw me first and gave me a hug, and then it was a sweet exclamation of "Laura!" as they all gave me hugs. It was so good to see and hug them all! I went on into Hardeman for the Acapella concert so they could finish their meeting. It was a lot of fun to see 4th-6th graders squealing, clapping, and having fun with Acapella! As their meeting ended, my Children's Ministry friends started trickling in and I got to talk with some of them. Evan let me stay for the concert and for worship afterwards. Camp Impact worship is always one of my favorite things. There's just nothing like seeing and hearing a large room full of kids pour out their hearts and voices in worship!! I love it! When I got home that night and took my bp, it was one of the lowest readings of the past 2 weeks!!

Wednesday, June 26th

I went to Revolution Chiropractic again and then to Barnes and Noble to look for "7" by Jen Hatmaker, a study the girls in Lifegroup are starting. Then I went to lunch with a sweet friend, some of my favorite boys, and their sister. It was nice...felt like old times before my body went haywire. Then it was home to rest before an appointment with Dr. Lewis.

I went in feeling great, chatting with Evan and Susan while we waited for the Dr. Lewis. Then the nurse came in, put the bp cuff on, and hit the button without any warning! I tried to relax and slow my breathing down, but it was a borderline/high reading (143/83). It frustrates me that the nurse doesn't give me any warning before starting the bp machine, especially when that's the reason I'm at the Dr.'s office! My 24 hr urine test results showed an increase of protein in my urine to borderline of mild pre-eclampsia, and my iron was down a little bit from last week, but Dr. Lewis was still very pleased with Tuesday's bp readings and was rooting for me to have the homebirth I want. She did recommend stripping membranes again to get baby here as soon as possible and increasing my bp medicine dosage by a little bit, I think to accommodate for the rise in bp when labor starts...I think. So, Susan stripped my membranes there at the Dr.'s office (we didn't know she could until I said I'd be more comfortable if Susan did and Dr. Lewis said she could).

I left feeling more down than when I went in. Once again, there's the feeling of urgency and trying to figure out what's best for me and Baby Boy and the ever-looming possibility of a hospital stay or induction. One of the verses in my daily devotional today that I read before going to Dr. Lewis:

"You can make many plans, but the Lord's purpose will prevail." Proverbs 19:21

I needed this reminder today. I wish I knew what to do, what's going to happen, and when, but I trust in God, his plan, and his timing.

Waiting, waiting, waiting...

After Wednesday, when we had to be ready to head to the hospital to meet this baby boy, the rest of this week has felt like a waiting game. On Thursday, mom and I went to lunch and to return...and buy...some things at Target and Babies R Us. Then we came home and I rested most of the rest of the day on the couch. Thankfully, I had some sweet visitors come to check on and distract me from being bored on the couch. Later that night, Evan had some friends over to watch the final NBA Finals game. It was an eventful day, and my nightly bp reading was a little higher than I wanted to see, but still much better than it had been on Monday. Then Friday, I went to Revolution Chiropractic, took a 15 min walk, and spent the majority of the rest of the day on the couch.

I'm very thankful to still be carrying this baby boy at 38 weeks!! I'm glad to feel him moving and know that he is ok. I finally got to the point of being mentally and emotionally ready for this baby  to be here and for labor (I kinda had to), and now I'm waiting...doing what I can to jumpstart things, but still just waiting. I've had a few contractions, but nothing regular. Dr. Lewis is hoping I go into labor soon, and even Susan recommended encouraging things along since the only resolution for gestational hypertension is to have the baby. So, I feel a sense of urgency, but it's still very much out of my control.

38 weeks

And so, I lay on my left side on the couch, I go for short walks, then back to the couch, I try acupressure, and later today Susan will try sweeping my membranes, all the while trying to keep the balance of acceptable blood pressure but still encourage labor to start.

Adventures in Pregnancy, week 37...continued

Spoiler alert! Good news!!

Tues. June 18th

I started the 24 hour urine collection. What an experience!! Needless to say, I stayed home all day so I wouldn't have to worry about taking out and keeping that jug cool. I sorted through the last of the baby shower gifts and got everything washed. I made sure to eat a lot of protein, keep up with my supplements and rest. Around 2pm, Susan checked in and asked about blood pressure readings. When I told her, she said to rest on my left side as much as possible, so that's what I did. She was also playing phone tag with the OU midwives to talk with them about my situation. My mom had planned to come up for a few days and got to my house right about the time Susan said to stay laying on my left. All the things I had intended to do, she took over and did for me. The timing couldn't have been better!!

Around 4:30pm, Susan called back after talking with the OU Midwives. My blood pressure readings were too high for them to take me, so we discussed going with an OB. She talked to the Norman (CMS) Midwives and got a recommendation for Dr. Lewis with Mercy. Susan called again around 5:30 and told me that she had called Dr. Lewis and informed her of my situation. Dr. Lewis decided to work me into her schedule on Wednesday, with the caution--if my blood pressure readings were still really high, there's a good chance of an induction. High blood pressure can put pressure on the placenta, compromising it for baby or cause it to detach from the uterus. At that point, I was on bed rest on my left side.

It's so crazy how within the span of 3 1/2 hours, everything changed. My thoughts shifted to packing hospital bags and preparing mentally, emotionally, and physically to possibly have a baby the next day. I cried it all out, took a bath, and resolved to accept the situation and trust that God made my body, He made this baby, and He planned how this baby would come, so no more crying. A sweet friend came by to help me prepare and distract me, then we went to bed early. However, I laid in bed most of the night, thoughts racing my head and unable to sleep. I finally fell asleep for about 3 hours.

Wed. June 19th

I woke up, got ready, finished packing, finished the 24 hour urine collection, and ate breakfast. While eating breakfast, I got a call from the OB office to schedule my appointment for 2:15. It was a relief to know that when we left the house at 9am, we would be coming back home. Evan came with me to the lab to turn in the urine sample, and the receptionist was a sweet, funny, black lady. She drew blood, which went very smoothly, and then I was off to the chiropractor.

Revolution Chiropractic was recommended by our birth class and our midwife both for my blood pressure and baby's position. Drs. Rachel and Adam Duncan were great! They listened to what was going on and were very understanding. It was my first time to get a manual adjustment, and they were great at explaining what they were going to do before doing so. They adjusted my cervical/Atlas area, which is what affects blood pressure, my sacrum to help baby's position, my mid-back, my feet, and head. They also suggested a breathing exercise to inhale for 6-7 sec through my nose and exhale for 6-7 sec through my mouth to help lower my blood pressure. They said to come back Friday if I didn't have a baby already. They were great.

Then we headed home to rest and eat lunch. Another sweet friend came over to bring lunch and check on me. We made sure we had everything (that we could remember) packed, and headed to the OB appointment. After some paperwork and waiting for a while, we went back to the exam room. I gave a urine sample then they hooked me up to the blood pressure cuff (which was not positioned on my arm right), turned it on (I wasn't quite ready), then asked me a question (really?! I'm here because of my blood pressure and you're going to make me talk and possible get a bad reading?!) Thankfully, an error showed (because of talking, the nurse said...imagine that?!), she readjusted the cuff, and turned it on again. I did my slow abdominal breathing and got a better, but still borderline reading of 143/85. *sigh of relief*

Dr. Lewis came in and looked over all my labs. Blood test looked good (my iron was back to 10.3 and in a good range), and even though I didn't everything said between Susan and Dr. Lewis, it sounded like everything was good and clear. The 24 hour test looked good, no protein in my urine. The sample I gave at the office looked good. All those things, in addition to me feeling well and baby moving regularly, led us to believe this is labile blood pressure. Dr. Lewis was great! She kept saying "This is your pregnancy and I want it to go how you want, as long as you and baby are safe." She decided to give me a quick-acting, low-dose bp medicine and discussed stripping my membranes to jumpstart labor and let baby come on his own. She checked me and I was dilated to a 1 and 70% effaced. Evan and I decided we wanted to try some more natural methods of jumpstarting labor before stripping membranes, and if we decided to strip membranes, we'd call Susan and she would come do that.

We left to GO HOME with hope of still having a homebirth!! That's probably the best news we could have gotten, and we were over the moon. We would get to go to church and Evan would get to finish out the volleyball tournament after church! We picked up my Rx, ate dinner at Smashburger, then went to church. Halfway through church, the emotional high wore off and the 3 hrs of sleep the previous night caught up with me, so mom and I headed home so I could rest and a friend brought Evan home after volleyball.

We are so thankful for the good news we got and for our birth team, sweet friends, and family who have cared for us lately! We are blessed

Happy news: Nursery update!

This is how Baby Boy's room is looking these days. I still have a few more things to do, like hang things on the wall, organize, and find a rocking chair/recliner, but it's coming together!

 A pooh bear wall.

This dresser was my brother's and mine when we were babies. Evan spray-painted it for me, and I think it looks great on the robot/space alien wall...

I think we're set with nb-3month clothes. They take up that whole bottom section, and that doesn't even include sleepers/onesies.

Hopefully we'll get it 'finished' soon!!

Adventures in Pregnancy, week 37

Fri. June 14th

After drinking water until I couldn't anymore, I went to Susan's house for a blood draw. While I was there I did a urine ph test, listened to baby's heart, and felt for his position. ph test and baby's heart rate were great, but his position had changed to head-down oblique with his head near my hip instead of in my pelvis, where it had been on Tuesday.

She did my blood draw, and took enough for a metabolic panel and an iron test (I don't know the technical name of that one) because Tuesday's iron check had come back low...a drop from 193 at week 26 to 155 at week 36. 155 is still in the normal range, but it was a pretty significant drop. And, she took my bp, which was high.

So I left that with a list of supplements to start to help my labile (fluctuating) blood pressure and low iron--

• Hema-Plex, 
• Yellow Dock Tincture, 
• Hawthorne Berry (instead of Milk Thistle), 
• Natrum Muriaticum (a homeopathic for bp), 
• 1/4 tsp sea salt dissolved in water since I'm drinking so much water, 
• Smart Water to help with electrolytes on the especially warm days,
• Red Raspberry Leaf Tea for preparation for labor...it helps prepare the uterus for labor,
• check out Revolution Chiropractic, who specialize in maternity care and baby position,
• check out Spinning Babies to help baby's position, and
• buy a blood pressure cuff to check bp 3 times a day.

I cried.

I picked up most of the supplements Friday in the midst of delightfully distracting afternoon thanks to my bestie, and started them on Saturday. I also started keeping track of when I take each supplement in addition to the food I eat.

This is what the table currently looks like to help me not forget something...

I took it easy Saturday, and most of Sunday, staying around the house and getting things organized and put away.

Mon. June 17th

My morning blood pressure reading was good, so I continued with my day as usual. Just before I ate lunch, Susan called with my lab results--

• My gbs came back clear (yay, no antibiotics at birth!)
• I have some liver function compromise. My liver enzymes are fine, but my protein levels are dropped. That combined with my high blood pressure makes me Threatening Pre-eclamptic.
• I have Macrocytic Anemia, which means I have fewer, bigger red blood cells. That indicates a B12/Folate deficiency, but thankfully the Hema-Plex I started taking Monday morning should take care of that.

So I need to:

• Hit the Brewer Diet hard, making sure I get at least 80 grams of protein, including at least 2 eggs a day
• Keep up with the Hema-Plex
• Do a 24-hr urine sample. We decided to start it Tuesday, and do a follow-up blood draw on Friday.
• Call if I get a bp reading over 140/90

A few hours later I took my mid-day bp, and it was high-- 139/119, so I waited about half an hour and took it again-- 160/126, and I waited about another half hour and really tried to relax before taking it again--135/86, finally under what Susan had told me to watch for. I sent her those numbers, and she called back, asking me to come over for a bp check and to start the 24-hr urine asap. She also said she was going to call the OU midwives (the place I had chosen as backup to my homebirth) to bring them into the loop, in case a transfer of care became necessary.

I cried.

I got to Susan's house around 5:30, we talked for a bit (I cried a bit), and she said she has faith that all of this can and will be resolved and Baby and I will be just fine. She listened to baby's heartbeat--good, and felt his position--back to head down in my pelvis though not engaged...good. Then she took my bp while laying on my left side, a really good reading, and while sitting, a pretty high reading. She gave me the 24-urine bucket, a thing to put on the toilet to catch the urine and pour into the bucket and instructions of when to start, keep the bucket refrigerated, don't let a potty break not make it into the bucket, take it to the lab, and get blood drawn while at the lab.

What a week! Baby is healthy and moving and I feel fine, which probably makes all these developments a little more frustrating. I know God will take care of us, and however/wherever birth happens, we'll have our baby boy in our arms soon. I'm just disappointed that the birth I've been planning for seems to be slipping away and all my efforts to be healthy seem to not matter now. I have great friends and family who are praying for me and I'm praying for peace and strength through whatever the next few weeks hold.

Adventures in Pregnancy, week 36

A lot has gone on in the last week, and I need to get it down to remember, to share with others who are going/have gone down a similar road, and to heal.

My pregnancy had been pretty uneventful, even easy up until about week 36.

Tues. June 11th

I had a prenatal appointment at my house, where I met Susan's (my midwife) assistant. It was pretty routine: weight, urine ph test, check baby's heart rate and position, blood draw to check iron, and gbs swab. All went smoothly until Susan checked my blood pressure. It was a little high, which was cause for concern because it had been a smidge high at the previous appointment on May 31st. She checked it again a little later, and no change.

So I was left with a list of things to try to bring it down--Hydration, Milk Thistle, Sassy Water, Calcium-Magnesium, Salt food to taste, Rest, Epsom Salt Soak for my little bit of swelling, and instructions to stop by Walgreens in the next few days to check my blood pressure.

Wed. June 12th

I stayed well-hydrated, added the Cal-Mag into my daily routine, and tried to keep my feet up as much as possible, in the midst of playing with some sweet kiddos and a baby shower at Evan's work. That night I noticed my right foot and ankle were more swollen than my left, so I sent Susan an update email.

Thurs. June 13th

I went to Walgreens for a bp check, and it was 134/82 p 90...high. I sent that to Susan, and she decided to come by to check my swelling and bp. My swelling wasn't very bad, but when she took my blood pressure, the the top number was quite high and the bottom number was quite low. She said my options were to wait a few days and see if it leveled out, do a 24-hr urine sample, or do a blood draw for a metabolic panel. I chose the blood draw because I knew these symptoms are indicators of pre-eclampsia, and that was starting to worry me.

Susan attempted to draw blood twice from my right arm, once from my left, and once from my left hand, but none of my veins were cooperating even with a lot of water, hot washcloth on my arm, and squeezing the stress ball (she didn't miss the vein, there just wasn't enough blood for a sample). So, we decided to try it again Friday morning, with instructions to hydrate like crazy before I went to her house. Even after being poked 4 or so times, I was feeling fine. I've only ever given blood 3, maybe 4 times before, and the way I see it...a couple of fruitless pokes probably just brings me to the average. It's good to know that giving blood, or attempting to, doesn't make me dizzy or nauseated.