This past week...

I haven't posted a blog in a little while, so I figured while I have some down time, I would. I was originally scheduled my C-Section on the 22nd. I started getting contractions the night of the 20th and waited a good 8 hours until the morning of the 21st to actually go to the hospital. I just wasn't sure if what I was having were real contractions until they got to the point I couldn't bear them anymore. I got to the hospital around 7 am and was only 1/2 cm dilated, which didn't matter much anyways since I was getting a C-Section. We figure that was my body's way of saying that it wasn't possible to have a normal delivery anyways. So, my doctor decided to go ahead with the C-Section that day. I was so excited but beyond nervous. Luckily, everything went extremely fast so there wasn't much time to be nervous. I got my IVs, some meds, and my spinal and was ready to go at 9:09 am. Barrett was out and crying at 9:17 am. It was so amazing! I was even more shocked when they told me how big he was-a whopping 10 lbs 14 oz and 21 inches long! He looks like a miniature Ty. I think he has my eyes, nose, and mouth, but overall, just looking at him, he's definitely Ty's twin. It's a good thing we had planned a C-Section to begin with because more than likely, I would have been in labor for a really long time and ended up having to have a C-Section anyways.

My blood pressure had been up 2 weeks prior to having Barrett but only moderately high. Oddly enough, 2 days before I went into labor, it went down to normal and stayed that way until the day I got released. It was back up to moderately high (around 145/90) that day but we were dying to go home so they let us go. After 3 hours at home, I just didn't feel right so I checked my BP and it was 180/120 so we had to go back to the hospital. It was such a hard thing to have to leave my baby so soon. Luckily though, I have a great sister and mother that helped take care of him the 3 additional days I had to stay. When I got there, I was put on a Magnesium drip for 36 hours. The magnesium makes you feel pretty horrible, like you have the flu times 10 and after a while, I felt like I was in a tunnel. When they finally let me stop it, they kept me for 2 more days to monitor my BP levels and they had gone down to around 140/90, which isn't great but is good enough for them to let me go home. I was sent home with a BP med and that was it.

The worst thing about it all is not being able to do anything with my baby. Even the slightest activity gets my blood pressure up so I'm trying to stay laid back on the couch and do a few small things with him here and there. I've had some horrendous headaches the past couple of days so I went to the doctor on Sunday to see what they could do and surely enough, my BP was 180/115. Luckily, they didn't make me go back to the hospital. Instead, they sent me home with 2 new meds to see if they'll help. I had a checkup today and my levels were perfect at about 125/75. I guess the meds helped! However, tonight, I've gotten more headaches and my BP is moderately high again. It's just starting to get very discouraging. Just when we thought we had it fixed, it went bad again. This totally hasn't been my dream of how my first few days and weeks with my baby would be. But, in order for me to not have a seizure or stroke, it's just going to have to be this way. I just pray that it will clear up sometime soon.

Barrett has been a perfect baby so far. He typically only cries when he has a dirty diaper or he's hungry. He's had a few tummy aches here and there but nothing that doesn't pass in a few minutes. He's already taking 3-4 ounces of formula every 3-4 hours. He's a hungry lil guy. Luckily, I have a fantastic husband that has done everything for Barrett and me. He's been so good at getting up with him at night, feeding and changing him, and taking care of me on top of all of it.

Lilly (our dog) has really fallen in love with Barrett. She gets so worried when he makes noises. It's like she thinks something is wrong with him and she wants to fix it. I love watching them together. On a side note, we've had so many nice family and friends bring us food and other stuff as we came home. This has helped a ton! If we didn't have all of this help, we'd be eating McDonald's every night and that's NOT what I need right now. We're so thankful for all of these people! Anyways, I have a checkup on Friday for my blood pressure and Barrett goes back in 2 weeks to see how big he's gotten! We'll update later!

Oh the aggravation!

I've hoped my whole pregnancy that I would not ever have to go to the hospital until I knew I was in labor. Unfortunately, that hope didn't come true. I've had some horrible headaches, nausea, and swelling this week so I made a visit to my doctor on Monday. My blood pressure was high so they had me do a 24 hour urine test and return to the doctor Tuesday. May I mention, the 24 hour urine test meant I had to collect ALL of my urine in a big jug, which wasn't very pretty. At the doctor Tuesday, my blood pressure was still high so they ran my test and did more bloodwork while I waited. They let me know at about 4 pm that they wanted me to go to the hospital to be "monitored". I got there at about 6 pm that night and will NOT go back to the hospital to be monitored again. It was not a pleasant experience at all. I got there and since I wasn't officially being admitted, they put me in the Labor & Delivery room where it's just a bunch of pregnant women divided by curtains. They hooked me up to all these annoying monitors and oddly enough, my blood pressure was perfect. After about an hour being there, bored and anxious out of my mind, I got the joy of having a girl in labor come in beside me. She screamed the whole time like someone was killing her. I heard them say she was 3-4 cm dilated and then all of a sudden she screamed like no other and her water broke. I know labor is horrendous pain but she seemed to be a little over the top. I thought for sure that my next BP reading would be out the roof but of course, it wasn't.

Thank the Lord, they finally got her out of there and I sat there another 2-3 hours. I chose not to tell anyone but mine and Ty's parents only because I am already anxious enough to have this baby and didn't want anyone calling/texting repetitively to see if/when the baby's going to be born. I also didn't want any visitors and I know how it works with stuff like that. I would end up with random people coming to visit, while I'm naked under a gown, anxious, and feeling horrible. That whole time, my BP was great but Dr. Welsch decided to admit me overnight and let me know something in the morning. I can actually say though, that the rooms are pretty nice at Jackson General. It was huge for a hospital room. Luckily, they didn't hook me back up to all the monitors. They just came in every 2 or 3 hours and checked my BP and did some blood work. I slept about 3 hours but was wide awake at about 3 this morning. Poor Ty had to sleep on the little couch they have in the rooms. But atleast he did sleep. He said he just woke up the times they came in and fell back asleep. I finally heard from the doctor at about 11 am. She said since my BP was so good while I was there and my bloodwork looked fine, they'd send me home. To be honest, I was extremely upset. I never thought I'd be the pregnant woman to cry to the doctor about wanting to get the baby out. But, I was! Not to mention, they had me lay on my left side the entire time I was there. Of course, my blood pressure is going to be good laying like that! At home, I can't lay down at all due to all the pain and shortness of breath, so my blood pressure has of course, gone back up since I've been home.

I know I only have about 4 days left until he's here but I'm just really anxious and moody. We've had a few people call non-stop, asking if Barrett's coming early and all and it irritates me more than anything. There's no doubt I want him to be here more than anyone on this planet so hearing someone else gripe that he's not here yet just annoys me. I'm just glad that my husband is so supportive and caring and knows how to handle these situations for me. I thank God for him every day! Anyways, I go back to Dr. Welsch tomorrow to discuss what will happen Monday and all that good stuff. I can't wait until then! I get to meet my baby boy and hopefully get to feeling a little better!

9 days to go!

I can't believe that Barrett will be here in 9 days! I had my normal weekly doctor's visit last Monday and my blood pressure was up so he wanted me to come back Wednesday. I returned Wednesday and it was higher than before. So, considering my blood pressure, some protein in my urine, how big Barrett's measuring, and a few other things, we've decided it's best we go ahead and deliver on November 22nd. I'll be exactly 39 weeks that day. I'm starting to get a little stressed about it but very excited to meet Barrett and not be pregnant anymore. It's all just a little surreal. I stayed home from work yesterday to relax and get some of my swelling down but I got bored after a little while and ended up cleaning the house. I have definitely paid for it too, since then. The pain is just unbelieveable at this point. It feels like all of my bones from the waist down are broken and the pressure is killer. I've had a few contractions the past couple days but they're irregular and don't last very long which means nothing as far as going into labor goes. I wouldn't mind going into labor before the 22nd but I kind of want to wait until then so that I get Dr. Welsch, as planned. I've worried the whole pregnancy about what doctor would be on call when I go into labor but since mine is scheduled, I know it'll be Dr. Welsch, unless I were to go before then.

As far as work goes, I think I'm done for the most part. I may go in for an hour or so a couple more times but nothing scheduled. I plan on just going in, doing what I have to do, then leaving. Of course, it's mainly because I just don't feel good but I also need to watch my blood pressure and swelling. On a side note, I found Barrett a Thanksgiving outfit last night! I've seen them at Kohls for months now but wasn't sure that he'd be here in time. But now that I know for sure he'll be here, I went ahead and got it. I can't wait to see him in it. It will be nice to get Thanksgiving meals brought to us this year! I can't help but wonder all the time what he's going to look like. He had quite a bit of hair at our last ultrasound. You could actually see each hair this time. Before, we've seen shadows and wondered if it was hair but it was easily seen this time. It seems he has alot more on the back of his head than the top but we'll see! That's exactly how I was as a baby.

I guess I get to spend the next hour cleaning my bathroom. I know I probably shouldn't but SOMEBODY's got to do it! I'll update probably one more time before Barrett gets here. Have a good week!

Barrett is full term!

I'm 37 weeks exactly today so I'm now technically full term. I had a great doctor's visit! My stomach is measuring 41 weeks so they wanted another ultrasound. Barrett's measuring 2 weeks ahead still, at 39 weeks and looked great! He's estimated at weighing 7 pounds 15 ounces right now. We were able to see some hair on his head, which was neat. He was facing my back so we weren't able to get any cute pictures of his face. My blood pressure was a little high so I have to go back Wednesday and re-check it to make sure I'm not developing some preeclampsia. I gained ANOTHER 5 pounds in the last week and am swelling horribly. My appetite has significantly decreased though, so we're pretty sure it's just fluid that's causing the weight gain. The picture below is from today. It seems like my belly is just dropping for the most part, comparing it to my 35 week picture. It definitely feels like it. It hurts to do anything at this point! As far as work goes, I'm still going. Luckily though, I'm able to come and go as I want. On a side note, tomorrow is my birthday! I couldn't have asked for a better (belated) birthday present than Barrett! I'll find out some other stuff on Wednesday as well so I'll update then-hopefully with some good news!

Thank God it's finally November!

I have been waiting for it to be November for about 8 months now! I'm 36 weeks today with only 4 weeks until my due date. Hallelujah! I've really noticed some changes in the past week or two. Being pregnant can do some REALLY weird stuff to your body. It's like I wake up with something new every morning. My teeth are sooo sensitive now, out of nowhere and I've been told it's because I'm pregnant...weird. My fingers, toes, ankles, and wrists are trying to freeze up on me lately. I can't grasp things very well anymore without it hurting. Supposedly, that's due to swelling and the hormone that causes my joints, etc. to loosen up...fabulous. I've also had some tingling in my face and scalp that is SO annoying. However, I went to the doctor today and I was reassured that all of this is normal. I was shocked to see I've gained 5 pounds in the past week and my feet and hands are starting to swell which is pretty painful. The doctor said I was definitely retaining some fluid which explained my weight gain too. She said there was no way I could eat enough to gain that much weight in 1 week, which I figured because I'm not eating any more/different than I have been. I was told to avoid salt to help the swelling and we'd just watch to make sure my blood pressure doesn't decide to skyrocket or protein doesn't show up in my urine, which are signs of pre-eclampsia. I was also glad to hear my Group B Strep test was negative which means I don't have to take antibiotics during labor. It wouldn't be a big deal if I did have to take them but I'd rather not in case they made me feel bad.

Right now, I'm just counting the days. Next Monday, I'll be considered full term which means the baby is fully developed and would be expected to be perfectly fine if delivered at that point. They pretty much just gain weight and mature more after 37 weeks. I asked the doctor how far past my due date they'd let me go and she told me that typically, they won't let you go over 10 days past due. However, if I look ready (I don't think I'll go into detail with what that means ;)), but haven't dilated, they'll induce as soon as a day past my due date. They said it's just easier on me and the baby if I "appear" ready but just need help dilating. I was glad to hear they don't make you wait 2 weeks after your due date nowadays. That seems like forever away! But, I'm hoping that Barrett will at least be here by his due date. Hey, a girl can hope, right?! Realistically, I'm trying not to get my hopes up either way though.

Hopefully if any of you run into me out somewhere, I'm not rude. I've caught myself getting irritated easily these days and I totally don't mean to be like that. It has been nice though, being honest with CERTAIN people about how I feel and having no shame or bad feelings about doing so. In other words, sorry in advance if I act like a you-know-what. I'm putting forth every effort to be as nice as I can. Honestly, I'm usually only rude to people that deserve it anyways and had it coming for a long time ;). Anyways, I'll be back at the doctor on Monday, so I'll update then. Have a great week!