Week 30

What’s Will up to? According to babyzone, baby is busy plumping up. He's laying down two kinds of fat beneath his skin: brown adipose tissue (known as "brown fat"), which he'll need at birth to generate body heat, and white adipose tissue (you guessed it: "white fat"), which is an energy source and helps an infant maintain his body temperature. By the end of this week Baby will have made about 2 ounces of fat, which is about 3.5 percent of his body weight. But by the time he is born fat will account for 15 percent of his body weight, which means a major growth spurt is coming! While the baby is still kicking and jabbing like crazy, some babies at 30 weeks have already settled into a head-down position to prepare for birth. Will has been very busy, he is not head down yet, which is ok with me. I love feeling all the kicks and jabs.

Bed Rest/Hospital Stay: I have been on bed rest for 14 weeks, 6 weeks at North Memorial. Things are going well. I can’t believe I only have 1 more week and then I will be released from the hospital and finish up my bed rest at home. I am looking forward to many things like sleeping in my own bed, snuggling with Chris and Chelsea, normal food, seeing all the progress Chris has made at home… he’s been working very hard; the garden has been tilled with fertilizer in it, the yard is nicely groomed, Chris and Patti (MIL) painted Will’s nursery, our bed room is being painted now, heat ducts are being cleaned today, carpets have been shampooed by Brittney (SIL), ceilings and walls touched up throughout the whole upstairs. I am going to come home to a clean and nice looking home!

All about me: I am up a total of 20 pounds and 13“ on my tummy!  My diabetes is under control now. I have had a couple of days with good numbers so I am hoping this continues because I have been feeling much better with it under control. This week, was the first time in 6 weeks that I could see my tummy – I was so surprised, it was much bigger than I thought or could see from looking at it only from the top!

Appointments: On 4.23.12 we had the growth scan for Will, which I already posted about. On 4.26.12 I had a bio-physical profile scan (I will have two of these a week moving forward because of the diabetes).There was a med student shadowing so the sonographer spent additional time on the ultrasound and we got some extra pictures which was cool. Will’s feet are measuring just under 3” (huge I know…we will have to see when they come out!) and he has a lot of hair on the backside of his head and a little on top – we joked around about him having a mullet if I carry full term. I can’t wait to see and hold out sweet baby Will.

Growth Scan for Will

Today we had a growth scan for Will scheduled. During the scan, they look at each organ to make sure the baby is developing on track and they are able to get an estimated weight. Will is measuring exactly to the day, which is great. I was so relieved to know that the gestational diabetes hasn’t impacted his growth and I pray for this to continue!! His estimated weight is 3 pounds 5 ounces. He is growing really fast now, it will be interesting to see how quickly my tummy will change now as he should put on about a half a pound a week through the rest of the pregnancy. I am praying to carry as close to full term as possible. None of the Dr’s or Nurses thought I would still be carrying Will today, I am so glad we were able to share with them that it’s God’s plan we are following and only He truly knows.

Enjoy the rest of your week! 

29 Weeks

What’s Will up to? According to babyzone, your baby has tiny eyelashes, fine eyebrows, and ever-lengthening fingernails, but his internal organs are doing the most work this week. His brain is growing rapidly, adding millions of brain cells, and his head is also getting bigger to accommodate all that brilliance. But the biggest news this week is about the baby's defenses: with help from the placenta, Baby is developing an immune system, which gets stronger by the day. The placenta actually begins taking up some of the antibodies from your blood stream and transferring them to the baby in order to prepare for the onslaught of germ exposure once the baby comes out into the world. As the baby builds up his defenses, he is also putting on weight, so much so that you can no longer see the web of blood vessels beneath his skin.

Bed Rest/Hospital Stay: Things are going well. I have been on bed rest for 14 weeks total, 5 weeks at North Memorial. I am happy but also nervous to say that I will be going home in 2 weeks! The thought process is at 32 weeks, I will be able to deliver at other hospitals closer to home since Will would no longer need the Level III NICU if he arrives early! I just love my nurses here so I will be transferring to a new OB and clinic for the rest of my pregnancy and plan to deliver here as long as I can make the drive. I will still be on full bed rest when I get home. At 34 weeks, they would like me to try and walk around the house a little to try and get use to moving around again. It will feel so good to walk around a bit after 21 weeks of bed rest!

All about me: I am up a total of 22 pounds and 13“ on my tummy!  I haven’t been able to get the diabetes under control.  My levels were all over the place and really high. Earlier this week, I was started on a pill to help control the levels but there wasn’t a quick enough improvement so they have switched me to insulin injections. Today was my first day sticking myself in the stomach – it’s not too bad but I certainly hope this is only temporary. I will be monitored for about 6 weeks after I have Will to make sure the diabetes is just gestational. I am looking forward to next Monday, we have an ultrasound appointment for Will and I get to get a few minutes of fresh air!!

Thank you all for your love, support and prayers - we couldn't make it through this without you all. 

Daily Routine

I wanted to make sure I had my daily routine documented for the future… this includes most of my scheduled times but doesn’t include the random visits from friends, family or nurses during the evenings or my million restroom breaks! It's no wonder I can't get my "To Do" list done!

12:00 am: Nurse checks vitals and provides medication to help prevent contractions

6:00 am: Nurse checks vitals, provides medication to help prevent contractions, checks blood sugar level and hooks me up to the monitor which tracks Will’s heart and contractions

7:00 am: Nurse unhooks me from the monitors

7:45 am: Breakfast is delivered (scrambled eggs with either bacon or sausage and a milk - everyday)

8:00 am: Start working

8:45 am: Nurse checks blood sugar level

11:45 am: lunch is delivered

12:00 pm: Nurse checks vitals and provides medication to help prevent contractions

12-12:30 pm: lunch with my dad or one of many visitors

1:00 pm: Nurse checks blood sugar level

2:30 pm: Snack is delivered

4:30-5:00 pm: Work is done for the day

4:45 pm: Dinner is delivered

6:00 pm: Nurse checks vitals, provides medication to help prevent contractions, checks blood sugar level and hooks me up to the monitor which tracks Will’s heart and contractions (monitoring will happen later if I have visitors)

7:00 pm: Nurse unhooks me from the monitors

8:00 pm: provides prenatal

10:00 pm: Nurse checks in before I go to bed and start the 12 am cycle over!

I know the future brings much peace and that keeps me going. I can’t wait to be home again but I am so thankful that I have this crazy schedule because that means our son, Will is growing stronger each and every day.

28 Weeks

What’s Will up to? According to babyzone, your baby has tiny eyelashes, fine eyebrows, and ever-lengthening fingernails, but his internal organs are doing the most work this week. His brain is growing rapidly, adding millions of brain cells, and his head is also getting bigger to accommodate all that brilliance. But the biggest news this week is about the baby's defenses: with help from the placenta, Baby is developing an immune system, which gets stronger by the day. The placenta actually begins taking up some of the antibodies from your blood stream and transferring them to the baby in order to prepare for the onslaught of germ exposure once the baby comes out into the world. As the baby builds up his defenses, he is also putting on weight, so much so that you can no longer see the web of blood vessels beneath his skin.

Will continues to be as active as ever! I love all the kicks no matter the time of day. The next time I get to see him on the big screen is 4/23 for another growth update where they look to make sure all his organs are developing normally and they provide an estimated weight.

Bed Rest/Hospital Stay: I have been on bed rest for a total of 12 weeks, 4 weeks at North Memorial. I have more visitors here at the hospital than I did at home because of the location which is good since I don’t get to see Chris every day. Chris tries to come 3-4 times a week but with Spring here, he has a lot of chores to do since he’s doing both of ours. I am looking forward to his first sleep over tonight, although, I am fairly sure he’s isn’t because these pull out beds are not as comfy as our bed at home but he can make do.

Highlights: Making it to 28 weeks! Craig from the NICU came to  congratulate me and basically said, Will just needs to put on weight now so if he does come early, there is not a lot to worry about medically for him. One of my nurses also took some maternity pictures this week, I can’t wait to see them when she is back from vacation.

All about me: I am up a total of 20 pounds and 14“ on my tummy!  Last Friday, I had my 1 hour Gestational Diabetes (GD) test and I failed. So this week, I started eating as if I already had GD and tested again this morning and failed again. So I got to learn how to prick my finger and test myself but while I am in the hospital, the nurses will need to test me. Not looking forward to even more interruptions during the day. I am going to create a separate post with my routine – it’s crazy!