28wk4d... (x+20.5) and cord blood MAY help my MS!

This morning, I had another doctor's appointment with my new doctor. They also did urine and bloodwork today, including the glucose test for gestational diabetes and testing for anemia. I should know lab results later today, I'm told.

My urine, again, had small traces of protein in it. They did not seem alarmed; said that I need to drink PLENTY of water. (Didn't help that I hadn't been awake for all that long this morning. My appointment was at 8AM.)

My weight was up again, but THAT is not too much of a surprise. Today, I weighed in at x+20.5 and have 80 more days until Baby Sydney is considered DUE.

My uterus measured right where it is supposed to - around 28 weeks. (If I remember correctly from what I last read, I believe that the top of it [uterus] sits about 3" above my belly button now and it should now be the size of a basketball.) 

Sydney's heart rate was at 148, I believe. They say 140's are good; anything up to 160.

Doctor suggested that I wear support hose or compression stockings since my left ankle is swollen and troubled with varicose veins. When I mentioned that I wanted to take up swimming at the local YMCA, she said THAT was a great idea.

I asked about cord blood banking. The doctor said that it is expensive and not a lot of people do it; however, it has great advantages to many people. She said that she would be happy to collect the cord blood at delivery. I explained that the literature indicated that MS treatment and nerve damage repair is a new(er) use for cord blood. She expressed "Given your situation, it would be a very wise decision on your part." 

I questioned "You mean because I have a chance of passing the MS onto the baby?"

"No," the doctor replied "for treatment of YOUR MS."

I indicated that I will probably bounce the idea off of my neurologist at UW-Madison and OB/GYN thought that it would be a good idea to do so. 

Despite the HUGE expense, it sounds promising and may be worth tapping into my retirement account to fund such a thing since we really don't have the money for it right now. 

Who knew that Baby Sydney may be able to help me like this?!? (Not to mention that the cord blood banking may be able to help him as well, but we will hope that he'll be healthy and not need it. Right? Right.)

Initial processing and banking fee is $1875.

Courier service to transport cord blood to blood bank is $150.

Storage fee is $125/year.

It will be an interesting telephone call to UW-Madison.... adding it to my TO-DO list.

They scheduled out all of my future appointments for the duration of the pregnancy. I was a little saddened to hear the my new OB/GYN will be on vacation for the week prior to Baby Sydney's due date. Regardless, Mike will have to HOPE that whichever doctor is "on-call" on the day we deliver, that they, too, will agree to let him "catch". After our upcoming birthing classes, I hope to not feel AS NERVOUS about delivery. Time will tell...

28wk2d... 82 to go!

We've updated to a new growth chart... instead of crown-to-rump, we NOW classify as head-to-toe, which is kind of exciting as we're now into the 3rd semester of pregnancy. It has been flying by so fast. Mom pointed out that my baby shower is 4 weeks away, which means Easter is 5 weeks. From then on, after Easter, I am told to stay within one hour of the hospital. Oh, my... that seems SO QUICK to be entering the "danger zone" like that!

At 28 weeks, I am told to start counting fetal movements. I have a doctor's appointment and glucose test to check for gestational diabetes on Tuesday so, I will probably inquire upon it more. From what I have read, you need to count at least 10 movements in an hour and they want you to count once in the morning and once in the evening. I started a few times and just stopped counting after 10. I'm not sure if they really want me to write down my afternoon hour had a solid 40 movements in just 25 minutes so, I will have to clarify better.

Last week, Baby's eyes should have been opening. During alert times, the eyes should remain open and close during sleep times. Blinking is a new skill to add to the repertoire, along with the somersaults, kicks, punches, yawns, breathing, hiccups, etc.  Baby should be able to detect light, especially if you shine a flashlight onto the surface of my belly. Baby should also know how to suck its thumb, which I read is good for strengthening facial and swallowing muscles in preparation for nursing.

Baby Sydney should weigh 2.5 pounds and measure 16" or so, from head-to-toe. I read online that within the next few weeks, baby will start gaining half-a-pound each week and will double or triple current weight by birth. (I'm hoping for a healthy baby... preferably NOT a 12-pounder. I should clarify that in the few instances that I bowl, I throw an 8 or 9-pound bowling ball if I am able to find a light one with finger holes to fit.)

(Sydney must know I am writing about him as he keeps kicking me.... or MAYBE he wants me to tell you how strong he is getting.)

My uterus should be basketball-sized now, and the top of it should be about 3" above my belly button. I read that I can look forward to more frequent trips to the bathroom again in the 3rd trimester, which I have already begun to notice. (Oh, joy... going 3 times during the night!) Mike did elevate the bed off the floor now so, last night was MUCH BETTER!

This past week, I had MULTIPLE instances where I was as hungry as an ox after eating just one hour earlier so, I am betting on a growth-spurt. Sadly, indigestion and heartburn have not been all that fun for the past few weeks. Guess I had best get used to that, as it will be with me as the space for my own organs gets smaller and smaller in the remaining 82 days.

I have some fluid retention and swelling, especially in my left ankle and lower left leg, which is the same leg that is suffering from varicose veins. I read that SWIMMING helps push the excess fluids back into the tissues where they belong. I have checked into rates online for the local YMCA and hope to gain membership, at least for a few months, so that I can swim. During moving weekend from MN, mom bought me a swimsuit (as an early birthday present) to use at the hotel and it felt REALLY NICE to be in the water. Getting out, however, I felt like my legs weighed about 300 pounds a piece.

I believe it is now time to sign off... need to go drink some more fluids, especially now that I seem to have a head-cold settling in. 

Cheers... to good health!

87 days to go, Settling into our new home

27 wk 4 d – With just 87 days to go until Baby Sydney's due date, we are busy settling into our new home. Over the weekend, we completed our journey to MN to get our belongings and brought them all back to our new home in IA.

We had a lot of help cleaning from Mike's dad, my mom and a family friend who I call CyberBob. We certainly couldn't have done it without them!

The previous home owners, who were self-proclaimed "clean freaks" left a lot of mess behind in our new home, including evidence of mice (especially in/around the stove). I have never had any run-ins with mice before so, I have been rather uneasy about the thought of them running freely in our house. Mike didn't seem overly alarmed because we have two cats who, despite being declawed, should be great mousers. Mike assures me that we will get the mouse problem under control.

Another problem we had was that our queen-sized boxspring would NOT fit up the beautiful wooden stairwell so, as of right now, we have our mattress on the floor. We'll have to come up with PLAN B on that one, since it will be harder and harder for me to get off the floor as my belly continues to grow.

Our telephone, cable TV and high-speed internet were hooked up yesterday. One of these days, I will have to post a bunch of belly pics, or at least a more current one. 

Had better get going now though... have a bedroom to paint with zero VOC paint because we would like to get at least one room done and ready to live in, preferably by the end of this weekend!

Baby to enjoy uterine home while we enjoy new home

Today, we closed on our new home. (And by new, I mean - built in 1896, but NEW to us.) We hope that Mike's job will FINALLY allow us to stay stationary for a while... at least three years would be nice. We move all of our belongings from our old home and settle the cats into their new home this weekend so, hopefully the Midwestern weather cooperates fully. Mike recently counted; he has changed his address 17 times in 16 years now and certainly is a PRO at moving.

Speaking of being a PRO at moving, Baby Sydney is also getting quite good at it. There are ALL KINDS of movements going on in there at ALL hours of the day (and night). Mike did ask me if I have ever noticed Sydney having hiccups yet, as we had read about that phenomenon in our "What to Expect" book. That (hiccups), I have not yet felt, but think it would be funny to experience. During the second half of pregnancy, some people experience it daily, while others never at all.

It is kind of fun to wonder how Sydney is situated inside the womb. I assume that harder jabs are kicks and softer ones are arms, but I really can't be sure. I'm still amazed at how easily he seems to move around in there without me feeling the COMPLETE FLIP. Guess that will change as he gets bigger and space becomes more limited.

When Mike leaves for work, he tells Sydney "See you in a few more months." and tells me that he will see me later. He's made a deal with Sydney to stay in there until the weather is warmer. I sure hope Sydney continues to enjoy his uterine home while we will be settling in our new home. We hope to have it all ready for his arrival. (There will be LOTS to do before then!) Now, we'll just need to decide which room will be the nursery....

Holy Cow, 100 days to go!

I was both surprised and thrilled to see my floating Baby Widget proudly display 100 days to go this morning when I logged onto the dial-up connection. Seriously, 100 days! That seems like it will go so fast! Looking back, this pregnancy has been going by so quickly. We're just a few weeks away from entering the 3rd trimester already! I say it is going quickly; Although, come my birthday in mid-May, I'm sure that I will be starting to feel like the pregnancy is progressing at the speed of this dial-up internet connection.

My belly is growing for sure! There is NO HIDING the fact that I am pregnant. Baby Sydney is growing quickly. I believe the last report I read said that he should be 9.5" long from head to rump and he should weigh about 2 pounds already! (Just think... even longer if you could count the head-to-toe measurements, but he has not progressed to that level of measuring quite yet.) No wonder I can feel more movement each day!

Yesterday, I read that his eyes should be opening yet this week if not done already. Although there is not a lot to see in there, the internet said that if you were to shine a flashlight on my belly, the baby may try to kick at the light or may try to roll away from the light. Also, he should be starting to recognize our voices and should react to them more and more as the pregnancy progresses. (Sadly, with Mike working the overnight remodel and sleeping most of the day, Baby Sydney isn't hearing much of Mike's voice these days. I guess he'll have to talk to my belly a lot over the weekend when he is off of work.)

Lately, Sydney has taken a liking to laying low - near my bladder and then, he decides to stretch out in the area across my low abdomen where it feels rather restricted; at least, that is how it feels from my perspective. When he does that, I often can feel the hardness of his body (most likely his entire backside) to know precisely where he is laying. (It is funny how you can feel the transition from soft to rock-hard, knowing THAT is where he is.) That's usually when I will give him a little massage, in an attempt to get him to find a different place to stretch out.... you know, somewhere where there is a little more room.

He also seems to become active when the cats lay close to my belly (either on it or up against it) and purr. He tends to move around more then so, I'm guessing that he can feel the vibration of their purr. (Mike says "A cat's purr is a very soothing sound.")

With the upcoming "official move" to Iowa, I am considering a membership to the YMCA so that I can swim again. I really enjoyed my water aerobics classes in MN a few months ago. Mike and I were figuring that the weightlessness in the water may be a relief to my joints, which are probably already carrying close to an extra 20 pounds since pre-pregnancy. (That doesn't count the 10 pounds I gained PRIOR to pregnancy - just by moving to MN and not working for 2 months.) I'm afraid that I will need to find a new swimsuit though.... there is no way my belly will fit inside of my old tankini and I'm convinced that my old bikini(s) will be a major case of "cups overfloweth" if I were to even consider trying it. So, might have to attempt to find a pregnancy swimsuit to cover my growing shape.

Think I'll go shower now andmake my way downtown. Looks like it might have stopped drizzling now so, I might be able to walk (and hope my sore foot doesn't bother me too much).

Excited that tomorrow is double-digits in the countdown.

Signing off at 100 days --

Didn't feel alone in the bathtub

Yesterday afternoon, I decided to take a bath. Oddly enough, I did NOT feel very alone in the bathtub.

As I lay in the water, with most of my belly hanging out of the water, I watched the surface bounce up and down repeatedly. I called Mike in so that he could see the show. There were times when I almost felt like there was a boxing match going on in there.

If I changed positions to lie on my side and then back onto my back, it seemed that Baby Sydney was most active. It was truly entertaining to watch!

Who Knew? Navel concerns

My What to Expect Pregnancy update says: You're two-thirds of the way through your pregnancy and your uterus is about two and a half inches above your belly button. And speaking of your belly button, have you noticed that it's taken on a life of its own — a larger-than-life life? Protruding navels may not be your idea of forward fashion (especially when you're in a bikini, or when your once innie belly button now bulges through tight clothes), but it's de rigueur for the pregnant set. And it's easy to understand why. Beginning somewhere around the middle to end of your second trimester, your enlarging uterus swells enough to push your abdomen forward, making your navel pop out like a timer on a well-done turkey (even though you have a way to go before your baby is "well done"). Your belly button should revert back to its regular position a few months after delivery — (though it may have that stretched-out, "lived in" look. Until then, you can look at the bright side of your protruding navel: it gives you a chance to clean out all the lint that's accumulated there since you were a kid.

Sadly, I learned the hard way that it is NOT a great chance to clean all of the lint out of my belly button! You see, about a month ago, I had noticed some dirt fleck stuck in there so, I got out my trusty tweezers and was pulling out flecks of dirt the size of pepper. Then, I noticed that there was some other stuff in there so, I kept trying to get it out of one of the recessed areas of my belly button.... as it turns out, it kept pulling off little pieces of matter from this one area of my belly button. Well, for some reason, the goofball in me decided to give it a squeeze to see if I could get it to come out of that recession. Turns out, I managed to squeeze out a ball of stuff.

Instantly, I thought to myself that it probably was NOT a good idea to squeeze that matter out of my belly button, but instincively, I wondered if there was more so, naturally, I squeezed again. To my surprise, yet another ball of matter come out. Attached to the end of it was a little bit of skin that had just moments before lived INSIDE of my belly button and now, I had managed to squeeze it out of a tiny hole in my belly button. It did not hurt; although, you could tell that that skin had never seen the light of day before.

I called Aunt Sue, a medical assistant in her former life, to tell her what I had done. She wondered WHY in the heck I was digging in there.

I guess I was just glad that I could still see INTO my belly button at that time. Little did I know that I would soon be able to see in there EVEN MORE when it started to come to the surface from my growing belly!

I had the school nurse at work (the elementary school in MN) look at it and she thought it was probably some kind of an abcess that I managed to squeeze out, but that it looked like I will be OK. They suggested keeping it clean and putting antibiotic ointment on it. My new OB/GYN in Iowa also took a peek at it last week and thought it was kind of funny that I did that. All in all, the concensus is that I should STOP picking at (or in) my belly button.

Over the past month, that bright red skin (that once lived on the inside) has faded to a more natural color of skin. And the only time it ever really hurts is when one of the cats steps on it.

When I read the update about cleaning out the lint, I guess I was ahead of myself by a month or so. WHO KNEW?

First Rodeo Experience at 25 weeks

Yesterday, for Valentine's Day, Mike took me to the rodeo. I have never been to one before, but we have watched bull-riding on television. He teased that he was bringing a true "city girl" to the rodeo. Of course, as soon as we entered the building, I could smell ANIMALS and POO to which he just laughed at me. While watching the rodeo, my allergies acted up a little - as my eyes were quite itchy and my nose was stuffy, but since being 25 weeks pregnant, there isn't much I can do for those allergies anyways.

I did enjoy it; although, I must admit that the bareback horse riders made me the most nervous because it looked like a MAJOR spinal headache to me (the way those poor cowboys were thrown all over creation while still holding onto the rope)! For some reason, that made me more nervous than the bull-riding.

I felt bad while we were sitting in the stands watching the rodeo because poor little Sydney was VERY ACTIVE for almost the entire show! The loud sound system's music and announcments probably didn't help. I made sure to say "No. No. No." so that little Sydney doesn't get any crazy ideas to become a cowboy because from a mom's perspective, that just doesn't look safe at all! (Besides, Mike is still busy telling him that he's going to be a FOOTBALL PLAYER, which also doesn't sound safe.)

Before the rodeo started, there was THE CUTEST little boy in the ladies bathroom with his mom. I would guess him to be between 2 and 3 years old. He was dressed in blue jeans, cowboy boots, fringed leather chaps, a cowboy shirt and a BIG cowboy hat and he was ADORABLE! When I asked him, he told me that this was his first rodeo. (I told him it was MY first rodeo, too!)

So, despite not wanting Sydney to grow up to be a cowboy who rides bulls and wild horses, I WOULD consider letting him dress up like one (especially if we ever took Sydney to the rodeo to see it for himself.) Afterall, it was pretty darned cute.

For the record, he has been MUCH LESS ACTIVE today. He's probably rather tired and needs time to recouperate from being awake that long last night.

24+ weeks: x + 17.1 pounds

Currently at 24 weeks 5 days, my email update says: At nine inches and more than a pound and a half in weight, your baby is taller than two juice boxes stacked one on top of the other, and almost as heavy as four of those little boxes.

We had our first doctor's appointment in Iowa on Tuesday morning. The doctor seemed VERY NICE! When she asked "Do you guys have any questions?" it was a perfect opportunity for Mike to ask if he can catch. She was taken off-guard by that because no one has ever asked her that before. Diplomatically, she said "Tell you what, we can BOTH gown-up for delivery. I will get the head and the shoulders out since that is the crucial part and then, I will let you take over from there, but I will still keep my hands underneath yours just in case because those are slippery little suckers when they come out!"

Mike was quite happy with the response. Now, he just has to HOPE that SHE is the doctor on-call on the day that we deliver because I think he would have a difficult time convincing the other doctors of the pre-arranged agreement. All is well with baby though... my belly measured right on she said.

My internet update told me that my uturus is the size of a soccer ball now. Kind of funny because by mid-day, the baby bulge almost looks like a soccer ball. Mike was teasing me yesterday when I sat in the recliner that it looked like we could balance a coffee cup on my belly. I told him that he was silly so, of course, he had to prove me wrong and he perched it there between my boobs.

He has been able to feel kicking more and more these days. It is definately getting stronger and more active, especially after I eat or drink - or right when I lay down. The doctor asked us on Tuesday if we are able to SEE the movement from the outside yet. Truthfully, we never really watched before so, this morning when I felt a lot of activity, we exposed my belly and watched. SURE ENOUGH... it did move!!! It was kind of fun to watch, too! Looked (and felt) like a little TaeBo class in there with kicks and punches.

I was a little saddened that I am now (at Tuesday's doctor's appointment) weighing in at x+17.1 and I still have 15 weeks to go to reach 40 weeks.

They recommend only 25-35 pounds of weight gain throughout pregnancy so, sadly 25 pounds is NOT looking very realistic at this point. Baby should be packing on about 1/2 pound per week for a while now and will eventually start gaining a pound a week nearer to the end. Latley, I've been eating like a champ because I find myself STARVING so, I assume that means baby has been going through a growth-spurt. Guess it wouldn't hurt to throw a few more vegetables into my diet.... good for BOTH of us!

I hope to post belly pics in early March when we should be into our new home AND have access to high-speed internet again. I'll have to post a montage of them to show growth progress since I haven't been able to lately.

Until next time...

Pregnancy symptoms: Overall, pretty good

Of all the pregnancy websites and newsletters, I am being bombarded with symptoms that I may be experiencing at this time. All in all, I would like to report that I think I am doing pretty well....

I have a little swelling in my left ankle (where I now have a growing collection of varicose spider veins that decided to swell since the pregnancy).

From time to time, other than when I have a cold (like now), I have suffered from the "pregnancy nose" where I get stuffy for no apparent reason, but that hasn't been too bad or lasted too long.

While sleeping the other night, my fingers swelled and my wedding band became uncomfortable so, that has been taken off so that it doesn't get STUCK on my finger. It would probably still be OK to wear during the daytime, most days, but I didn't want to take chances when it was getting uncomfortable and difficult to get off in the middle of the night.

When standing for a long time or walking, I notice that my muscles on my lower abdomen ache... most likely from the excess weight straining those muscles to support my growing belly.

From time to time, I do get a charlie horse in my leg while sleeping. I guess I can thank pregnancy for that... although, seems to be better if I drink PLENTY of fluids.

I have a few skintags, which are hormonally-related according to the pregnancy book updates. I'm wondering if those will go away as fast as they appeared or if they will have to get snipped off.

My "innie" belly button is now pretty flush across my stomach; therefore, no longer an "innie." I did make the mistake a few weeks back where I was poking around in my belly button, pulling out dirt flecks and somehow managed to squeeze some residue and internal skin out a small hole in my belly button so, now I have an extra lump of skin there now. (I did learn my lesson to NOT poke around in there anymore and that fresh skin that used to live internally is starting to look like it belongs in the outside world now.)

I am pleased that I do NOT have: bleeding gums, skin discoloration, rashes, stretch marks, constipation, swelling, or that I suffer from "pregnancy brain" where I am overly forgetful. Of all of the "interesting things" that may be happening to my body, I feel fortunate that I feel pretty darned good. Baby is moving more and more, which is pretty darned exciting. Mike felt his first major movement from the outside world on Saturday morning. (That was my favorite part of the entire day!)

Baby should be at least 8" long (from crown to rump) and should weigh more than a pound. Growing up a storm, I believe.... At 23 wk 3 days, I look forward to the quote "by month's end, your baby will be double the weight he/she is now." In week 27, baby graduates to a new growth chart where he/she will no longer be measured from crown to rump, but will measure from head to toe. Talk about stepping up in the world!

Belly pics are growing. Although, I do not have an easy way to post them from the borrowed computer I am using. I will post a collection of them, to monitor progress, as soon as I can get back to my Mac.

Enjoying HGTV's home decorating shows for inspiration for our new house and nursery ideas. We hope to close on our new house in the early part of February 23-28.

Stomach is growling... duty calls! Better go eat to feed this growing baby!