Saturday, July 26, 2008

My homage to the 50's housewife

Updated belly pic, which I like to call "Barefoot and Pregnant in the Kitchen."
Also- I got so excited when I saw this on the scale tonight that I had to whip my camera out....woohoo! That means I've now gained 15 lbs from pre-pregnancy weight, but almost 25 since 1st trimester! My original goal was to hit 140, and I might not make that but I'm really happy with my progress in the last couple of weeks. I can be seen outside of various Triangle Chick-fil-a's shooting up insulin before heading in for a delicious, chock full of awesome calories chocolate shake.
The moxibustion hasn't worked yet- but luckily for me no neighbors have called the police reporting their pregnant neighbor outside smoking pot. My acupuncturist gave me his number for them to call in case that happened- guess it's a common occurrence! Luckily I have my handy dandy mini fan to keep all the gross smoke away from my lungs.

That's it for now. For the first time since I've been pregnant, I allowed myself a half glass of wine with dinner(no worries, it's doctor approved) and it's got me ready for bed! And can I just say that wine seems to be much more effective than Tylenol for relieving that back pain. I'm already looking forward to my first post-delivery martini! Or maybe they'll serve one up in the hospital before my version on Tuesday morning? One can only dream....

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Tuesday update!

I went for my weekly appointment this morning. I had another growth ultrasound, and everything looks really good. Maddie weighs about 5 lbs 2 oz now, and is in the 18th percentile for growth. Assuming the measurements are correct (they can be off by about a pound in either direction), she should be about a 7 -7.5 lb baby, which is a perfect size! She again refused to show her face or privates, so for all we know she's a boy with 2 noses, but at least her measurements look good. And they love to tell me about all the hair she has- at this point I'll be disappointed if she has anything less than an afro!

She is still breech though- booo! I will be starting moxibustion today or tomorrow, after I meet with an acupuncturist to learn how it works. It seems a little far fetched to me, but my doctor recommended it and I'll try anything at this point! I mean really- right now I am laying upside down a few times a day with a bag of frozen veggies on my fundus and a heating pad plus music set up at my cervix- can't get much crazier than that. If that doesn't work, they have me scheduled for an external version next Tuesday morning, which I'm a tad nervous about. But I'm sure UNC does them every day, and both Maddie and I will be closely monitored the whole time.

Thursday, July 17, 2008

Pictures!

Here are some pictures of the nursery! I am so close to being done. Just waiting on three things-

1.crib skirt and bumpers to be finished (you can see a preview of the bumpers though!)
2. my wall words to arrive and be put up
3. my cute flashcards to come to decorate the wall shelves-

and I will be able to say that I'm finished. I made a little dog bed for the dogs- the rule in the nursery is that if they want to be in there, they have to be laying down on the bed. No playing, only calm napping allowed :). So far they are doing really well with that, they are good girls!







Here are some pictures of the nursery! I am so close to being done. Just waiting on three things-
1.crib skirt and bumpers to be finished (you can see a preview of the bumpers though!)
2. my wall words to arrive and be put up
3. my cute flashcards to come to decorate the wall shelves-
and I will be able to say that I'm finished. I made a little dog bed for the dogs- the rule in the nursery is that if they want to be in there, they have to be laying down on the bed. No playing, only calm napping allowed :). So far they are doing really well with that.

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

101 uses for an ironing board

Sorry I haven't had any updates lately! Not too much has been going on since we got back from the mountains. I have started insulin shots, and while they are a bit of a pain in the butt (literally, ha!), it's not so bad. I finally got the hang of how much to use with what meals, and so my glucose levels have been very stable lately. I'm still crossing my fingers that it goes away after I give birth though- I certainly wouldn't miss it! My endocrinologist said that my numbers will probably stay low for as long as I breastfeed, so we'll re-evaluate after that.

Because of the GD, I started going to weekly appointments this week. I get a non-stress test, which is where they hook me up to 2 monitors- one records the baby's heartbeat and response to movement, and the other records contractions (but I'm not having any of those yet). I'm also getting my amniotic fluid levels checked and seeing the doctor to check on weight and all that good stuff. Maddie has passed all of the NST's with flying colors, she is a very active baby who likes to try and kick the monitor off my stomach. My fluid was a little lower this week, but still within normal range so they're just going to keep an eye on that. And my weight hasn't increased at all since I was diagnosed with GD, but at least it's not going down! My favorite weight gain food (CFA chocolate shake) has over 100 carbs, so it makes me a bit nervous to drink too many. Lots and lots of trips to Chapel Hill, which isn't too much fun b/c of the distance (and the gas prices!!!), but it is nice to check on everything so often.

She is still breech, so I am trying all sorts of crazy solutions to get her to turn. The most common suggestion is to prop an ironing board against the couch and lay on it upside down a couple of times a day. In case you were wondering, it is neither comfortable nor easy to breathe when laying upside down on an ironing board. If she still hasn't flipped by next week, my doctor is going to send me to an acupuncturist (maybe they'll poke her and convince her to turn). If that doesn't work, we will try an external version where the doctor tries to manually turn her. It's supposed to be pretty painful, so she said if it hurts too much, she just stops and we'll schedule a c-section. I am really hoping to avoid that b/c I know my recovery will be a lot harder, but I guess we'll just have to wait and see!

The nursery is almost done! Mom made some really cute valances and she is finishing up the bumpers (which are SO cute). All our furniture is put together and it looks so great. I am finishing up wall decor and little finishing touches, so I will post finished pictures soon! All of Maddie's clothes/sheets/blankets/everything else have been washed and are ready to go, so as soon as she's ready hopefully she'll come on out! I've been thinking this whole pregnancy that I would go early, but now that I'm getting closer I'm getting nervous that it might not happen. I am quite uncomfortable and not sleeping too well, so I still have my fingers crossed for early to mid August!

That's all for now folks! I'll post new belly pictures (here's a preview- it's huge!) and nursery pictures later this week.