Christmas 2008

Highlights of Christmas...

• Ben decorating the house for me.
• Chris and Karen visiting from Minneapolis.
• Michele's sticky buns (which I now have the recipe for!)
• Ben bought a closet organizer and installed it in the baby's closet.
• Reaching 30 weeks of my pregnancy!

This is probably the first Christmas ever that I am not sad it has passed. I am anticipating so much more in the coming months. Ben and I will start prenatal classes in January, we will be "oriented" to St. Boniface labor and delivery ward, doctor's appointments every 2 weeks, a baby shower and, of course, the birth of our daughter (and the end of bedrest). It is hard to imagine we will have a 10 month old child this time next year!

I will leave you with a few Christmas pictures.

Milestone Reached!!!

30 weeks!!! 10 weeks ago when we found out about my high risk of premature delivery I was told I needed to be on bed rest until 30 weeks. It felt light years away at that time and now it's here! My obstetrician has extended the bed rest until 34 weeks. I think he just splits things up so the parents aren't so overwhelmed. I have also completed half of the medication to help delay labor, scheduling the removal of the cerclage has been discussed (last week of January or first week of February), as well as labor and delivery. I'm finally starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Every 2 weeks is a milestone now. At 32 weeks the survival rate is 97%, at 34 weeks the baby's lungs are fully developed, at 36 weeks the baby would be small but most likely able to avoid a stay in neonatal ICU.

Christmas is this week!!! Christmas is my favourite holiday. I've missed out on a lot this year but I'm looking forward to the family gatherings and celebrations. I love the decorations and I can now listen to Christmas carols without Ben teasing me. I am continuing to enjoy winter from my warm spot on the couch. Merry Christmas to everyone!

Hiccups

Usually my baby's movements are pretty erratic and unpredictable but for the past 2 weeks I've felt some very regular and consistent movement. I thought it was just my own muscles twitching but I discovered that our baby girl has the hiccups. Apparently it is not as stressful on a fetus as it would be for us but I still feel bad when she has them.

Ben and I are trying to decide on a name for her. It is really difficult. Our little girl will have to live with a name we choose for her whole life. We have narrowed down our list but my favourite name seems to change every week. I guess we'll just have to see what she "looks like".

Ben also bought our stroller and car seat yesterday. I called e-children to see which colors were in stock and one of the colors we wanted was in store AND on sale. I was pretty pumped. The stroller's handles have 2 heights so Ben can push it comfortably. I loved watching him push the stroller around the house yesterday.

Counting down...

Ahhh....it's nice to feel human again. I'm still taking T3's to manage the coughing at night but overall I feel much better. Thanks for all your words of wisdom.

I was looking forward to finally being able to join in the fun at Pinewood Lodge with the Postma side of the family this year. I'm on the low end of the totem pole at work, therefore I cannot get holidays around Christmas. This year I was so excited the annual trip landed on a weekend. As fate would have it, I will not be able to join in the festivities this year. I know I would be too anxious if something were to happen and I would be tempted to be more active than I am able to be at this time. There's always next year...

I was actually enjoying the rest and relaxation, until now. It doesn't feel much like Christmas because I am not doing my usual activities. I really enjoy Christmas shopping and setting up the decorations but this year Ben is stoically completing the 'chores'. He also registered for our baby shower with Alisha. Surprisingly, he seemed to have fun. It was really adorable when my 6 foot 3 inch, 200 pound husband returned home happily claiming he found the "cutest pink bunny towel and frog humidifier". We have also set up a few things in the nursery, but I was able to fold the little clothes we've been given. I just feel like I'm missing out on stuff.

On a happier note, I'm really enjoying winter this year. I love to watch the beautiful fluffy snowflakes, listen to Christmas music, drinking hot chocolate all warm and cozy in my home. I do not have to venture out in the snow, scrape off an icy snow covered car, drive in blizzard like conditions and freeze my butt off. Winter is much more beautiful indoors!

Miserable

Reading everyone elses blogs are preparing me for the unpredictability and potential grossness of becoming a mother. (i.e. diarrhea flying everywhere, emergency trips to the hospital). Despite all that I'm still looking forward to loving someone more than I could possibly imagine.

I have officially reached the 28 week hurdle of my pregnancy. But I'm still stressed and worried. I have been sick with a cold for 10 days. I have never been this ill with a simple cold before. I have a headache, I'm so stuffed sometimes I feel like I'm suffocating (an awful feeling I've never felt before), my throat is sore, I can barely talk and I'm coughing a lot which is making my "abs" and mid back sore.

I talked to my obstetrician yesterday and he was not happy about my coughing. Coughing increases the intraabdominal pressure which could possibly induce premature labor in my situation. Therefore, I am now taking tylenol 3 in attempt to inhibit the coughing. I took it last night with some relief. He also stated I need to continue the modified bedrest until 34 weeks. I'm praying for 36 weeks, only 8 more weeks to go!

I'm hoping in this situation the benefits of taking medications out weigh the risks. While I hate taking medication (I still feel like I'm poisoning my baby) I want to delay delivery as much as possible. My night table is hidden by cough syrup, nasal spray, eye drops (I have a minor eye infection too), hormones and pain killers. Ben was teasing me yesterday because his nightstand is handling the "overflow".

I'm pretty miserable now. I just hope I am able to keep our baby girl safe.

Last Fetal Assessment

Finally some good news! I had my last fetal assessment yesterday and everything is stable. The doctor stated he has no doubt that I'll make it past 28 weeks which brings us out of the extreme premature delivery range. He stated the next milestone is 32 weeks at which time the survival rate is 97%.

It was exciting to see our baby girl again. She was moving a lot which even made the ultrasound tech laugh. When the technician viewed our baby's face she was moving her mouth like she was tasting something. It was pretty cute. Her weight was estimated at 2 pounds, 7 ounces. I'm so glad she is past the 2 pound mark. Above is a picture of out baby girl's face, it's not a good as last time.

Time is moving extra slow at the moment. I caught Ben's cold and I feel like I was hit by a ton of bricks. The days are long because I'm so uncomfortable and I cannot sleep which also drags on. And cold medications are off limits in pregnancy. I admit I have been taking tylenol but I feel like I'm poisoning my baby everytime I take one. I'm also afraid of excessive coughing and sneezing because it increases the pressure on my cervix which could potentially cause the dialating to progress. Oh well, I'll be better in time.