30 weeks of luck!

MeMe is in her 30’s now. I’m so unbelievably happy to have made it this far. She is a big girl. According to BabyCenter, she should be like 3 pounds. When she moves, she’s rearranging my abdominal organs and stepping on nerves here and there. I can play the touch game with her where I poke her and she moves in response. I’m so amazed!

I got a copy of my prenatal record from the Dr S’s office and learned how truly lucky and blessed we are. Timing is everything! If I hadn’t decided to get the cerclage when I did I definitely would have lost baby girl. My operation notes said that when I was on the table about to get stitched, my cervix had shortened to 1 cm and was starting to open from the bottom. The double cerclage enabled the docs the close my cervix up and add length. Whoa! Absolutely mind-blowing to know that even waiting another day could have cost MeMe her life.

I had no contractions or pain and the only thing I felt was some pressure to the point that I felt like I had to pee every 5 min when I was in the hosp prior to the surgery. True IC indeed. I am very lucky.

My goal is to think more positively from now on. We’ve dodged so many bullets, just like Neo.

29 weeks and switching

My insurance ends today, but I didn’t get my notice until yesterday.  How lame is that?  So I had to call my husb’s insurace company to make them aware so that they don’t act like they don’t have to pay for anything because they think I still have the other insurance.  I found out the specialist is covered and I don’t need authorization to see him since it is a PPO.  But I want to see my regular OB.  Even the lady on the phone asked if I had a doc that will deliver me because the peri won’t do it.  Then I realized, I really need to get back in touch with Dr M.  This is nuts that I’m like almost 10 weeks away from my due date, 7 weeks from stitch cutting and my OB has no idea what’s going on with me.  Just didn’t seem right. So I made an appointment with her for Monday, when I’ll be 30w1d.  I also have to make sure my chart gets to her office.  I’ll put Dr. S on the backburner for now. I figure, my cervix has been pretty stable for months now.  The stitches haven’t fallen out into the toilet,  no bleeding (a sign of cervical changes), no regular contractions, and baby is moving around alot.  If trouble comes, I’ll probably be on total bedrest.

I know I have been very blessed to have not had any more issues since the cerclage surgery and to have had the opportunity to see a peri, but he’s like rain on my parade. He comes in the room all serious with a kinda “so what are we doing today” attitude. I’m just a patient, but I think you should check the baby and my cervix.  Then he’s like, “everything’s okay….for now.  Come in 2 or 3 weeks, whatever you’re comfortable with.” It’s up to me because it’s like he doesn’t care either way.   He’s nothing like my other peri who called me “darling” every time he saw me and was just an dynamic character.  His bedside manner was unbelievable.  He made the worst days of my life more bearable. 

Oh Dr S, parting is such sweet sorrow.

No GD for me

My mom and I went to my appointment with Dr S and I’m in the clear for GD. My glucose tolerance test came back at 112. Swwweet! My bp is still good and weight up 5 lbs. I need to quit being so lazy and start walking in the neighborhood. Husb has put on some lbs too so I think we’ll walk together. I’m surprised my bp is so great. I am prone to higher pressures especially when stressed. With pcos I know the risks for preeclampsia and GD are high. So I keep thinking I’m gonna get it. So far so good.

My cervix is closed and 3 cm long. Stitches are still in place and doing their job.

MeMe has a big ol’ head and she’s still head down. No cute profile shot this time and her legs were crossed. I asked the doc if she was growing okay and he said she looked fine but ordered another ultrasound at the fetal care center to more accurately check her growth. Do I really need that? I doubt it. I’m still on the fence about the U/S. Plus my HMO at work is going to cut off in a week because it lasts for 12 weeks if you aren’t actively working.

I’m covered under husb’s PPO, but it won’t kick in until I get the letter saying my HMO kicked me off. I don’t know if the PPO will cover the specialized care anymore without reauthorization blah blah blah. If not, plan is to stop seeing the peri, no U/S, and go back to Dr M until I give birth. I would rather have her as my doc anyway. Her bedside manner is awesome!

We’ll see. Next appt should be at 30 weeks.

Symptoms: insomnia, fatigue, shortness of breath with stairs, hunger, big baby movements, indigestion, random uterine tighting.

25 weeks and counting…

Last week was a busy one, my husband’s cousin was coming to town for business but wanted to hang with us for a few days.  So we had a hell-of-a time getting the guest room ready for her.  The house was a mess for like 2 days trying to go through what we don’t need and reorganize.  Since we’re renting rooms from my folks, it doesn’t always make for lots of space to put our things.  My parents have been great letting us save tons of $ for our infertility treatments and our future dream home. Anyway, I was packing stuff in big plastic bins and my husb had to put them in storage.  I think I packed at least 6 bins full.  But the guest room was beautiful when finished and there’s tons of space for MeMe now.  Also, pops was painting the kitchen and left the downstairs a mess, so thankfully mom cleaned that for me. 

We took our cousin shopping and to the County Fair to walk around and get some of that yummy fair food.  Very fun! But all that walking made me almost need to be carried home!  My feet were burning. Husb was walking too fast at times and I had to yell at him to slow down. He calls me “roley poley” and said that while I was walking, it was the first time I really looked pregnant.  He was soooo proud and keeps rubbing my tummy. Cousin said I still look heavier than normal, but could get away with not looking pregnant.  The only thing is that I wish I got something personalized like engraving or airbrushing, but there’s always next year.

I had an appt. with Dr. S.  on Monday, this time I went by myself.  BP great with weight up 4 lbs in 4 weeks (I weigh as much now as I weighed at 16 weeks with the twins). Dr. S. checked MeMe’s heartbeat via US and she gave us another shot of her bottom.  Definitely a girl.  He left it up to me to check my cervix.  Yes, please.  So he used the coochie-cam and could see it’s still long and closed measuring a good 4 cm.  He’s very pleased at my progress and told me to continue light activity.  I asked if I could go back to my regular OB after 28 weeks and he said that at this point there is less chance of complications and that it’s totally up to me.  He is comfortable letting me go.  I’m going to have one more appt. on 7/23 at 28w4d and do another 1 hr glucose screen, which I passed the first time.  Dr S is awesome, but these appts are boring and the drive down there is not fun, especially if I’m gonna be doing it every 2 weeks until the stitches are cut. I’d rather see Dr M and know that I will deliver at the hospital I work at which is very close to the house. If I stay with Dr S, I would have to go to a hospital like 45 miles down south where I had my cerclage done.  I only want to go there if I deliver super early (like between now and 30w). 

So with all this cleaning and painting, it got me and husb really wanting to set down some roots and buy a house.  I want us to move northeast where the houses are big and cheap, but he wants to stay here by the beach.  If we move up and out, I would have a 30-35 mile commute and can always drop MeMe off here so mom could watch her.  If we stay here, my commute is like 5 minutes and the convenience of seeing grandma and grandpa all the time is great.  But I think we can still drive down here on the weekends or they can come see us since it’s not like we’ll be 2 hrs away.  I will need my mom to watch the baby at least once a week due to my and husb’s work schedules.  So, I’ve been daydreaming and drooling over these fabulous houses and husb wants to keep checking around here where the houses are smaller, older, and expensive.  Boo! 

Husb finally b0ught his plane ticket, but he’s going alone.  He decided it was best to leave Dom behind with his mom, especially if he might be sick.  But I also think it’s because he wants one last freedom-trip before baby comes.  As long as he doesn’t do anything stupid that will cost us $$, then I’m cool with it.  He’ll be gone for 10 days.  During the time he’s gone, my aunt is coming to stay here and I’ll be doing some driving tours with her.  This is her first time in the U.S and in California, so it’ll be fun taking her around. Plus I don’t think she knows I’m pregnant so she’ll get a nice surprise.  My mom has been tight lipped about it, but finally told 2 of her friends at work.

One last thing, mom gave me my 17-P shot yesterday and hit a blood vessel.  I bled all over my new white/grey dress.  She freaked out, but it finally stopped. It was the first time she’s done that in years so I think it hurt her pride.  It’s okay, the medicine is in and that’s all that matters.

21 weeks and Facebook

Another week has passed and we are now at 21 weeks. The closer to 24 and 28 the happier I am. For us with IC, the docs tell us about reaching viability so that number sticks in your head always. Dr S measured my cervix and it’s 3 to 4 cm, depending on where you measure it. From inner os to stitch is 3cm but he knows there was more cervix beyond the cerclage. Either way things are good and MeMe is tucked safely. She is getting so big, I feel her kick me every now and then. Coolest thing ever!

So being bored and disabled, I decided to see what the fuss was all about on facebook. Turns out, most of the people I talk to at work are on there. My bro and my closest friend are on there. I’ve been catching up with all of them so I’m not all isolated at home! We’re even having lunch soon since Dr S says I can continue my activity level. I’ve been so antisocial since the twins and the PTL scare with MeMe, time to loosen up even more. I’ll probably be on facebook all the time!

Anatomy scan… Another milestone!

We had our Anatomy scan for the baby at 19w2d (5/19/09) and baby is doing great. Gummy bear is measuring on target and everything looks in order. The sonographer was awesome in showing us all the different structures and carefully measuring things. She was so thorough it was amazing! Our little blob at 6w5d is now a whole being with a brain, 2 kidneys, vertebrae, heart with atria and ventricles. Just amazing! We never got to this point with the twins, so this was a HUGE milestone. Now we feel like we’re halfway home. My cervix measured at 3.1 cm, so it’s steady holding for now.  The baby’s pics were reviewed by the one of the perinatologists and he came in and was like “your baby looks good! Congrats!” That’s it. We’ll take that and go with it.

We got to see a shot of gummy bear’s privates…..

 

(look, she’s one of Rainbow Brite’s homegirls!)

Go Team Pink!!! The sonographer was pretty sure about it with a clear picture. How do we know, you ask? We could see the 3 bright parallel lines that look like a bun.  No hot dog in sight. 

We told the whole family and everyone is excited. I finally got to buy a little dress for her, not someone else.  My husb has settled on her name and isn’t gonna change his mind, instead we can just add names to it.  He says “call her what you want, but that’s gonna be her name on paper.” Okay fine…my family is just gonna call her by her Ghanaian name anyway.

Officially disabled

My disability claim kicked in as of 5/8/09 so I’m glad all the paper work-n-stuff is done.  I was supposed to go back to work tonight.  I did make the mistake of taking a mandatory class yesterday and got scolded by the disability specialist at work for doing that.  My bad…I got a threatening letter saying I would be terminated if I didn’t take the class so I figured I better take it now while I can.  It wasn’t bad, I spent a lot of idle time sitting down and taking pressure off my cervix.  I was done with the class quickly and was certified.  I saw a lot of coworkers that I am cool with taking another class so I was nosy to see what they were doing.  I didn’t get to talk to them, but I at least waved hi.  I texted one lady and she told me to get on facebook to keep in touch. 

Anyway, saw Dr. S. on 5/11 and he did an abdominal u/s to see baby and my cervix.  We got some great shots of baby looking at the “camera” and posing.  Such a cutie!  He could see the stiches glowing at the bottom of the screen so he knows they are still in place, my cervix is still closed and that the baby’s sac  is not bulging down.  He wanted my cervix to heal more before he goes poking around with the coochcam. He promises he’ll measure it next visit and gave me the option to come in 2, 3 or 4 weeks.  We opted for 3 weeks so next visit is 6/1.  Next week is the level 2 ultrasound on 5/19.  Hopefully baby will cooperate and show us the goods!  My husb. has been a nervous wreck wanting to know the gender, he’s driving me and the doc crazy!

I think his problem is that Dom’s mom had her baby on 5/8 and it was a girl.  So Dom has a little sis that he’ll be sharing birthdays with, kinda sucks but it’s not our problem.  His b-day was 5/10.  We bought him a Wii for great family entertainment!  He usually spends some of his birthdays or the weekend before his birthday with us.  We haven’t let him know about my baking gummy bear. My husb told him about the twins right away and then had to explain to him that they died.  How do you discuss that with a 6 yr old?  He did it without me and I didn’t feel comfortable discussing that with Dom.  This time, lips are sealed about the new baby, but I think my husb wants to know the gender so he can tell Dom he’s gonna have a new baby _____ during the holidays.

I think baby is coming in September.  Once those stiches get cut, it’s open season.

My bionic cervix – cerclage story

Here is the story of my surgery:

No food since 0130 and was starving! Husb and I checked in @ 0700 and they took us back to a room to get changed. The charge nurse asked some questions and started my IV, I guess my assigned nurse didn’t come in until 8. We heard baby’s heart with the doppler. A doc informed me about the procedure and I signed the consent. A bunch of docs introduced themselves to me since they would be in the OR room.

My case is rare. IC occurs in like 1% of pregnancies so seeing a cerclage is a learning opp for some of the docs. It took a while for stuff to get started because 2 ladies came in laboring and my official doc (Dr H) had to attend to them. As soon as 1 delivered, my show started at around 0930.
The anesthesiologist gave me pepcid & reglan to prevent nausea, then I had to drink some weird med to prevent reactions to the spinal. Then they gave fentanyl in my IV before she stuck me in the back. That stuff made me so high I barely noticed the spinal. It took a few minutes and my whole lower body went numb. I couldn’t feel my ass or move my legs. The nurse and tech had to move them for me and put them up in the crazy stirrups. My cooch was wide open to the world! They did a lot of prep. Dr H came in and he was confident and jovial. He was teaching Dr T about the procedure and they did it together. I couldn’t feel anything! But I could see the blood they suctioned out and it seemed like a lot.

After they were done (total of 15 to 30 min), they told me I really needed the cerclage and that things went well. I have 2 heavy-duty stitches keeping baby on lockdown. I was back to my room at 11 am and started drinking apple juice. Next I had to be monitored for contractions and I had none. The spinal med took like 7hrs to wear off enough for me to walk and pee on my own. I had some belly discomfort at 1330 and needed a catheter to drain my bladder. I took motrin for pain. I ended up being discharged around 1545 and was wheeled to the car. My mom came to see me in the hosp preop and stayed until noon.

Overall I feel fine and but my insides are sore.

Peri visit #2…caught in the act!

My new peri is cool as hell.  His name is Dr. S and we should be seeing him for the rest of my OB care visits for a looong time. He has been an MD for almost 20 years and MFM doc for 8 yrs.  He is an attending doc, not one of those interns or residents and his partner is a professor at UCSD.  He first tried to give us the run-around about how research data doesn’t support the use of cerclages, but he is “pro-cerclage” and performs them often. He wanted to check my cervix and go from there…

 Saw baby! Great hearbeat and measuring to date.  Moving a little, I think it was sleepy time for baby.  Baby still hanging out by my cervix and we couldn’t find out the gender.  Booo!!! We should be scheduling that scan soon.  First things first!

Now my cervix, bad girl!  We caught it being naughty and had shortened to 2.7cm, down from 4 cm 3 weeks ago.  According to Dr. S., that is concerning.  He left the room, did some stuff and came back to discuss his findings.  Turns out, he also scheduled my surgery for 4/29 @ 9am!  If my cervix had started at 2.7 and stayed there, not too bad.  But the fact that it was much longer earlier and the rate of change, my risk for pre-term delivery has gone way up again.  As baby is getting bigger, my cervix is getting weaker and could eventually dilate.  Of course he offered the watch and wait approach, but then said “I can tell you guys want the cerclage, so on Wed.  my partner will perform it, be at the hospital 2 hours early, here are the labs I want you get drawn.” He did some vag cultures and gave me a prescription for 17P shots and pre-op azithromycin.  My mom  gave me my first IM shot in my hip and it was painless.  I have to take it weekly until they tell me to stop.  After the surgery, I should see Dr. S every 2-3 weeks.

I like this doc, he knows what to do without prompting and answered some questions before I could even ask.  He also is gonna take me off of work like I requested, so I can stay home and collect State Disability Leave checks!  Yay!

16 weeks…HALLELUAH!

Gummy bear is now 16 weeks. FANTASTIC acheivement!

Authorized to be officially be considered “HIGH RISK” so I have an appt. to see a new peri at UCSD 4/27 @ 10am.  From there, we should get to see baby again and know when to get stitched.  Maybe sometime this week. I have another appt. on 5/7 to see the NP at the same care center.  I am so glad the HMO realized I am not one to be messed with!

There is a free seminar on High-Risk Pregnancies being held on 4/30 by the docs I’m gonna be seeing so that’ll be some really good information, especially about how they treat high-risk stuff, the hospital and their NICU.  I think my mom and I are gonna go, husb. has a class that night. 

I’ve been at peace for the last 2 weeks with the baby and the outcome.  I was originally dreading this time in my preg. but I feel so much calmer about it.  Husb is getting excited about finding out whether baby has a hot dog or a bun. I told him we could find out in the next 2 – 4 weeks. I’m happy I’m off work for the next 2.5 weeks and told my bosses I might not be coming back depending on what the doc says (more like the amount of convincing I do!).  Some of my coworkers wanted to throw like a party or something, but I said they can throw me a party the closer I get to my due date.  I promised to waddle into work, big belly-n-all.