Exciting news to share! My nephew, Holden Page, was born on Friday, October 1st. He was 7 lbs 10 oz and 19.5 inches long. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to officially meet him, because I am on travel restrictions, but I was lucky enough to Skype with my sister and the little man on Saturday night. He is adorable. He has the cutest chubby cheeks. I cannot wait to hold and squeeze and spoil him to bits!
I don't have any pictures right now, but hopefully someone will send me some soon and I can share with you, but I just wanted to share the big news. The first grandson in our family is here, and two more will be on the way shortly. My parents will have their hands full with three grandsons only one month apart.
Monday, October 4, 2010
Son of a....
Ugh, I'm so pissed. I made it almost 34 weeks without a single stretch mark, and must have gotten a bit cocky about that, because they have shown up. All weekend, the underside of my stomach (to the left of my navel, and area I cannot see) was itching like crazy. I finally got out some mirrors to check it out, and there they were, two little stretch marks. Its nothing too terrible yet, but I'm sure this is just the start. Apparently all the "lubing up" and excessive water drinking didn't help. I thought I'd be lucky, considering my mom did not get stretch marks, but doesn't seem so. Oh well!!
I've also hit hard into the "third trimester insomnia". I've had to start taking a Benadryl at night to sleep, but even last night that didn't help. I think I got a combined total of 30 minutes of sleep. Its making today pretty rough!
Other than that, there really isn't much going on right now (just trying to stay off my feet... have to make it through this week to stay on track with my FMLA plans). We had planned to take care of a lot of baby related items this weekend, but ended up just spending time with Layla. She was doing really good this weekend, but got sick this morning. The hardest part for us right now is the waiting. We have no idea when the cancer is really going to hit her. It could be tonight, it could be next month. Its causing a lot of stress, both because the idea of her passing away breaks our heart, but also because the babies are expected in about a month. It really is the worst timing we could ever have. It wouldn't be easy regardless, but the timing definitely makes it even harder. Our biggest fear is that I will go into labor right at the same time she has another collapse.
I've also hit hard into the "third trimester insomnia". I've had to start taking a Benadryl at night to sleep, but even last night that didn't help. I think I got a combined total of 30 minutes of sleep. Its making today pretty rough!
Other than that, there really isn't much going on right now (just trying to stay off my feet... have to make it through this week to stay on track with my FMLA plans). We had planned to take care of a lot of baby related items this weekend, but ended up just spending time with Layla. She was doing really good this weekend, but got sick this morning. The hardest part for us right now is the waiting. We have no idea when the cancer is really going to hit her. It could be tonight, it could be next month. Its causing a lot of stress, both because the idea of her passing away breaks our heart, but also because the babies are expected in about a month. It really is the worst timing we could ever have. It wouldn't be easy regardless, but the timing definitely makes it even harder. Our biggest fear is that I will go into labor right at the same time she has another collapse.
Thursday, September 30, 2010
32w4d
Today was my last of the "every-other-week" appointments. I graduated today to weekly appointments. And, I also graduated to weekly ultrasounds starting the week of October 11th. So I'm going to be very busy with appointments from here on out, until the boys are here (and, I guess, even after they are here, considering all the pediatrician visits in our future!).
Both boys were doing good. Their heartbeats were in the 150s-160s, and they were kicking at the dopplar, which was fun. My doctor put my mind at ease about the whole mucus plug incident, saying most likely it was only part of it, and even if it was all of it, it doesn't mean I need to worry. She laughed and asked if I reached in the toilet to get it, to which I had to blush... even though I didn't do that, I definitely thought about it for about 5 minutes. Apparently, I am not the only one, which makes me feel like less of a crazy person.
The only item of concern today was my slightly elevated blood pressure. It wasn't terrible, but it was definitely higher than it has been. I asked if it could be due to our Layla woes (which was hard enough to get out without crying), and she said that most likely it is. I also expressed concern that the boys weren't moving as much the past day or two, and that I was worried my stress was effecting them. She said it is probably more likely that I am just not noticing it as much, or that my being more active is keeping them asleep. She said try not to worry, as if I am already upset and stressed, I don't need to make it any worse.
And for those who are curious, we were able to pick up Layla and bring her home yesterday afternoon. Our vet was great, and really spent the time with us to talk about what happens next. He does not expect her to make it past a month, and most likely, a new rupture could happen within the week. We were giving a medicine to help with blood clotting, and it comes with a red "emergency" pill. They said it may be able to help for a small leak, like she had Tuesday night, but would still be delaying the inevitable. She was in good spirits when we picked her up, but some of it was probably adrenaline. She went to sleep quickly after we got home, and was not quite herself this morning. I know she is feeling bad, which just breaks my heart. Eric and I are just trying to spend as much time with her as possible before its too late, and to spoil her to pieces. We know how much she hates the vet (considering how many surgeries and other visits she has had over her 8 years of life), so we are looking into mobile vets that come to your house. We want her to be in a place she loves when she has to go.
Both boys were doing good. Their heartbeats were in the 150s-160s, and they were kicking at the dopplar, which was fun. My doctor put my mind at ease about the whole mucus plug incident, saying most likely it was only part of it, and even if it was all of it, it doesn't mean I need to worry. She laughed and asked if I reached in the toilet to get it, to which I had to blush... even though I didn't do that, I definitely thought about it for about 5 minutes. Apparently, I am not the only one, which makes me feel like less of a crazy person.
The only item of concern today was my slightly elevated blood pressure. It wasn't terrible, but it was definitely higher than it has been. I asked if it could be due to our Layla woes (which was hard enough to get out without crying), and she said that most likely it is. I also expressed concern that the boys weren't moving as much the past day or two, and that I was worried my stress was effecting them. She said it is probably more likely that I am just not noticing it as much, or that my being more active is keeping them asleep. She said try not to worry, as if I am already upset and stressed, I don't need to make it any worse.
And for those who are curious, we were able to pick up Layla and bring her home yesterday afternoon. Our vet was great, and really spent the time with us to talk about what happens next. He does not expect her to make it past a month, and most likely, a new rupture could happen within the week. We were giving a medicine to help with blood clotting, and it comes with a red "emergency" pill. They said it may be able to help for a small leak, like she had Tuesday night, but would still be delaying the inevitable. She was in good spirits when we picked her up, but some of it was probably adrenaline. She went to sleep quickly after we got home, and was not quite herself this morning. I know she is feeling bad, which just breaks my heart. Eric and I are just trying to spend as much time with her as possible before its too late, and to spoil her to pieces. We know how much she hates the vet (considering how many surgeries and other visits she has had over her 8 years of life), so we are looking into mobile vets that come to your house. We want her to be in a place she loves when she has to go.
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Bad Night Leads to Bad Day
First I want to preface that this is 100% not baby related (at least not in the traditional sense).
As many of you know from my posts over the spring, Eric's and my fur-baby, Layla, had cancer. We found a mass tumor on her spleen that had ruptured. As a result, she had emergency surgery in the spring to remove her spleen, and spent the next 10 weeks receiving chemotherapy.
Over the past few months, she has been doing really well. All of her fur has grown back from the chemo, and her activity has very much improved. But last night, she took a bad turn. At around 10:30PM, she essentially collapsed. We rushed her to the emergency vet, ran several tests, and stayed until almost 2AM, but still didn't have any answers other than her blood pressure was severely low.
This morning, her oncologist ran some additional tests and found that there is now a mass on her liver. It appears like she had a small rupture last night, which caused her to bleed internally and for her blood pressure to drop. We knew the cancer spreading was a possibility since the original mass has ruptured, but we were hoping the chemo would delay the onset.
Right now, she is doing OK. They think the rupture was small enough that it seems to have healed itself, but it is very likely this will happen again. It could be tonight, it could be next month. We decided after the chemo that we could not afford additional treatments, nor do we want to put her through that again. As a result, all we can do right now is spend as much time as possible with her and make her comfortable. Sometime in the near future we will have a very difficult decision to make.
We are picking her up at 3PM today and meeting with the oncologist to let him know what we have decided. Please keep her in your thoughts!
Over the past few months, she has been doing really well. All of her fur has grown back from the chemo, and her activity has very much improved. But last night, she took a bad turn. At around 10:30PM, she essentially collapsed. We rushed her to the emergency vet, ran several tests, and stayed until almost 2AM, but still didn't have any answers other than her blood pressure was severely low.
This morning, her oncologist ran some additional tests and found that there is now a mass on her liver. It appears like she had a small rupture last night, which caused her to bleed internally and for her blood pressure to drop. We knew the cancer spreading was a possibility since the original mass has ruptured, but we were hoping the chemo would delay the onset.
Right now, she is doing OK. They think the rupture was small enough that it seems to have healed itself, but it is very likely this will happen again. It could be tonight, it could be next month. We decided after the chemo that we could not afford additional treatments, nor do we want to put her through that again. As a result, all we can do right now is spend as much time as possible with her and make her comfortable. Sometime in the near future we will have a very difficult decision to make.
We are picking her up at 3PM today and meeting with the oncologist to let him know what we have decided. Please keep her in your thoughts!
Monday, September 27, 2010
Plugged Up? (potential TMI alert)
So I wanted to spend today's blog update filling everyone in on my hospital tour this weekend, or my anxiety over family members visiting during delivery, or any other number of things that's been going on as of late, but last night's events changed that, and those posts will just be saved for another time.
What happened, you might ask? Well, I think I may have lost my mucus plug, or at least part of it. I spent most of last night terrified that this was the beginning of the end, and the babies were coming way earlier than expected. Right now, I can say I've calmed down a bit, but not much.
Basically at around 8PM last night, I went to use the restroom. Everything went according to plan, I peed, wiped, stood up and went to flush when I noticed it. While all the toilet paper was floating at the top of bowl, something white or translucent (i.e. no blood as far as I could tell) and about the size of a raspberry was floating down the pot towards where the water flushes out.
My initial immediate reaction was to reach in and grab it to be sure, but I thought better of it (on account of the fact that the bowl was less than clean). So instead, I just stood in the bathroom staring at it for about 5 minutes before giving up and flushing it. Sadly, I have to admit, I just wish I had gone the gross route and picked it up so I would know for sure.
Of course, I immediately went to the WTE forums and posted a question on my home board. I didn't know if I should call the doctor or just wait it out until my next appointment. I have just become so overly worried about these boys coming early that I have panicked. Luckily, I have calmed down today. No bleeding or cramping, so based on what I have read, I believe it may have only been part of my MP, or possibly just some discharge, I'm not sure, but I will be bringing this up at my next appointment on Thursday. That said, ANYONE with experience in this area, please fill me in. Does it sound like MP to you? Should I be worried??
On another note, the countdown for me has begun. To be able to stay out of work until January 3rd, I have to stay in the office until October 11th (which means no birth or bedrest before that date). That's 14 more days. Keep your fingers crossed, I hope I can make it!
What happened, you might ask? Well, I think I may have lost my mucus plug, or at least part of it. I spent most of last night terrified that this was the beginning of the end, and the babies were coming way earlier than expected. Right now, I can say I've calmed down a bit, but not much.
Basically at around 8PM last night, I went to use the restroom. Everything went according to plan, I peed, wiped, stood up and went to flush when I noticed it. While all the toilet paper was floating at the top of bowl, something white or translucent (i.e. no blood as far as I could tell) and about the size of a raspberry was floating down the pot towards where the water flushes out.
My initial immediate reaction was to reach in and grab it to be sure, but I thought better of it (on account of the fact that the bowl was less than clean). So instead, I just stood in the bathroom staring at it for about 5 minutes before giving up and flushing it. Sadly, I have to admit, I just wish I had gone the gross route and picked it up so I would know for sure.
Of course, I immediately went to the WTE forums and posted a question on my home board. I didn't know if I should call the doctor or just wait it out until my next appointment. I have just become so overly worried about these boys coming early that I have panicked. Luckily, I have calmed down today. No bleeding or cramping, so based on what I have read, I believe it may have only been part of my MP, or possibly just some discharge, I'm not sure, but I will be bringing this up at my next appointment on Thursday. That said, ANYONE with experience in this area, please fill me in. Does it sound like MP to you? Should I be worried??
On another note, the countdown for me has begun. To be able to stay out of work until January 3rd, I have to stay in the office until October 11th (which means no birth or bedrest before that date). That's 14 more days. Keep your fingers crossed, I hope I can make it!
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