An update, some snow pics, and a few labor questions...

I am now 37.5 weeks and totally in the clear.  Our baby girl is looking healthy and can come at anytime.  I am currently at a 3 and 80% and ready to go says midwife.  It could be tonight or 3 weeks from now but either way, everyone is predicting a fast labor which I will take.  Our life has been a little crazy lately and I am sure one we are more "settled" we will give an official life update but for now I will say every major change that could happen is happening or going to happen.  It's crazy how everything seems to collide around the same time.  Rick has to travel tonight and will be gone for less than 24 hours and the big hope is that this little girl doesn't surprise us tonight while he is gone.  My midwife said I should try hard not to be up and walk too much just to be on the safe side because she doesn't think he would make it back in time.  Thanks again to everyone who has supported us lately and through this bed rest ordeal; we are thankful to be on the other side and officially be in the "waiting" game.

Yesterday morning it snowed here in Portland and Ariy loved playing in it.  Here are a few pics:

For those mommy's out there.  I have a couple questions.  I am hoping for a VBAC and was induced 5 days after Ariy's due day via breaking my water.  He needed to come out because my blood pressure was creeping up.  This time around, my biggest hope is simply to go into labor on my own.  I would love a successful VBAC but more than that I really don't want to end up being induced.  Did any of you do anything to get labor going?  What did you try?  Did you feel like anything actually worked?

"Cheese"

Ariy loves to hide these days.  You may be able to make out the words "hide," "cheese," and "bye bye."  This is our little linen closet next to the bathroom.

36 Week Update

I always am a bit nervous when I write these.  I do know that people actually read them but I also just write so I have things documented somewhere.  I have often looked back at my pregnancy of Ariy via the blog.  I never know if I am writing too much info but I know that when I look back, I want to know as much as possible.  Anyway, that is my disclaimer for these updates.  They may be interesting to you or not at all.

First things first - we made it!  I hit 36 weeks yesterday and I am feeling very confident this baby has packed on some pounds recently and would do just fine if she entered the world.  Next Sunday, she will even be considered full term.  There is no stopping labor now if it were to happen.

Weight gain:  yes!  I didn't gain weight for a long time while on bed rest.  I sat at a stand still for close to 2 months which started to really worry me but no one else seemed to be concerned.  Well, the last month I have fully caught up.  I am pretty sure I have hit the 25 pound mark this week.

Blood pressure:  So far so good with this one.  I am pretty paranoid about this happening again and with Ariy it started going up sometime in the next week or so.  If this happens, there is a slight chance we will have to be induced and if I am far enough along we will try breaking my water like we did with Ariy.  Hopefully this does not happen though!

Overall feelings:  I feel pretty good.  Getting back on my feet has been slow.  I wanted to try and take it easy until 36 weeks and for the most part I did.  My body kind of forced me to slow down a few times.  I just get so sore from not being used to being up on my feet.

Dilation/Effacement:  As of a week ago I was 2cm, 50% effaced and -2 station if you know what any of that means.  Things are moving right along.  I am a lot further ahead then where I was with Ariy but that can also be normal for a second baby.

Meds:  I am done!!  woo hoo.  I'm so curious to see how this effects things this week.  When I started on the progesterone around 22 weeks I was having a lot of contractions - what I assumed were braxton hicks but since my cervix was shortening they could of actually been doing something.  The progesterone helps to relax your uterus so it doesn't contract so much.  It made a very big difference within days.  I have had more contractions the last couple weeks being up more but now that I am off it I wonder what will happen.

Am I ready?  The last day or so I have started to get excited to meet her and have her out.  I have also had a fair amount of anxiety about having two kiddos.  We are in tight quarters here and I am nervous to go through this adjustment in the midst of a lot of transition going on for us.  I know it will all work out just fine but I would say this time around I have a lot more nerves than I did with Ariy.

Name?  None yet.  We have some ideas and general ideas about naming her but no name specifically.  We will wait until she's born.

Christmas Tree Expedition

The whole house headed over to a lot that supports the local high school's booster club.  The very first tree we found fit to our measurements and looked great so it ended up being a very quick trip.  Ariy was pretty overwhelmed by all the tree's but especially the chainsaw...we watched from a distance.

Being Thankful + some Shout-Outs!

Warning: Long blog post!

Today I am very thankful that our little baby girl is 34 weeks old.  This was the long term goal through the entire pre-term labor worries.  When I first met with the high risk OB around 22 weeks, I asked her" what is our goal? "  "When can we feel really good about things?"  34 weeks was her answer.  I had a lot of up's and down's while being on bed rest but in my heart I always felt that I would reach 34 weeks but actually reaching it makes me very thankful.  Basically, at this point her chance of survival and long-term health is around the same as any baby born later or full-term.  Some babies at this time come out and still spend a month in the NICU while others only have to spend 1 to 2 days.  The development can range a bit but there is not the same worry of being able to survive, especially in terms of breathing on their own.  Very Thankful! AND....we will meet her sometime in the next 6 weeks!

So since I am 34 weeks, my hugeness is only getting worse.  I think I grow everyday which doesn't help when it comes to sleeping. My normal sleep pattern is fall asleep around 9 or 10 and wake up in middle of the night for my first potty break.  The difficult part is falling back asleep - I am usually awake for a good 1-2 hours at this point and I usually just do a lot of thinking about nothing.  The last few nights I have been making a mental list of everything and everyone I am thankful for especially over the past few months.  So without further ado:

I am so thankful for:

My husband
Rick is definitely the right guy for me and sometimes I forget in the little things but the last 3 months have reminded me of what I have.  I have a man that is so committed to me and will love me no matter what and will NEVER back out.  I think I bring plenty of baggage to this marriage and probably the most obvious is a deep fear of being left to do things on my own.  Rick never questioned his role in all of this.  He immediately talked with his bosses, adjusted his schedule to be home more and was my constant accountability that I needed to take care of this little girl and stay down.  I don't think this was an easy time for him especially when I acted like a back-seat parent 99% of the time and asked for water every 15 minutes but I can't think of one time that he out right complained.  So for him, I am very thankful!

Ariy - my little man
He is so special and even starting to type this I am tearing up.  I can't believe the love you can have for a child but it often hurts inside when I think too much about it.  He has adjusted so well and despite going back and forth between our house and the Grandparents, he has been so flexible and his normal happy goofy self.  He has made me smile every day.  Every night we read books together and cuddle before he goes to bed.  This is a time I look forward to and I have loved his special hugs and kisses and showing me he loves me no different even though I have been a different mama to him over the past 3 months.

Grandma, Grandpa and Papa Dodgie
To say we couldn't of done it the past 3 months without these folks is an understatement.  I am sure we would of figured something out; maybe Ariy would sit and watch movies all day and learn to feed himself but seriously, they loved him and stepped up without questions.  I am so thankful to have family here that love us so actively.  I never feel bad asking for help which if you know much about me is HUGE.  Thank you to the grandparents for all the time and energy sacrificed and especially for just loving Ariy so well.

Dot Tobey
Dot was originally a college and camp staff friend of Rick's but shortly after I started working at Fox, her and I became coworkers and friends.  She just so happens to live a half a mile from our house and my friendship with her has grown past my husband's college friend and my coworker.  She is a true friend and has been very committed to helping us through this time; so committed that every Sunday she has woken up early to come and get Ariy out of bed at 8am, play with him, feed him breakfast and just be an amazing friend.  She has also become one of the only friends here that I never feel shy to call or send a billion text messages to and I won't be bugging her.  Thank you Dot!

Lissa Forbes (and Nate, Charlotte and Olivia)
One of the hardest parts of going on bedrest for me was the initial feelings of being lonely and isolated.  I generally stay pretty busy with Ariy but being bound to the bed made me start to really evaluate who I had around here.  I have struggled to develop friendships out here that are long lasting, mutual, transparent and where I truly feel myself.  I have realized this for some time but it wasn't until this trial that I realized I really need to remedy this.  I am a social person and friends have always been like family to me so to feel like I didn't know who specifically to go to was difficult.  My friendship with Lissa has only grown stronger since being on bedrest and I feel like perhaps this was one "gift" from this whole ordeal.  Not only has our friendship grown deeper but she has been amazingly generous with her time towards our family. She either came to our house or we went to her house once a week for the past 2 months.  This day has been one that Ariy and I both have looked forward to.  Ariy LOVED playing with his friends and I of course liked playing with my friend.  Thanks Lissa for what you have given all of us over the past couple months!!!

Jen Morgan and PCC church folks
Another difficult aspect of this time has been food or cooking.  Rick has mastered pasta but outside of that, I wouldn't say he is the most gifted chef.  Jen was quick to organize meals for us and families from Portland Community Church provided them for us 1-2 times a week.  This was AMAZING.  Every meal we received was delicious and made with a lot of thought.  One woman even made us 5 frozen crockpot dinners.  We are just now eating the last one.  I can't say thank you enough for this service.  Thank you to all the families who brought us a meal!  Jen also was so gracious to come help me clean one morning.  I am thankful for her servant and thoughtful heart!

My east coast friends and family (and facebook)
Dare I say I am thankful for facebook.  On all the bed rest forums I am a part of, it is apparent that women on bed rest spend too much time online and on facebook.  I am guilty as charged however, it is because when you are feeling lonely and needing encouragement, any and all messages, comments and interaction mean so much!  I am thankful for all the phone calls and texts from friends.

I am just thankful for every single person that had a word of encouragement or the ability to give and help us out during this time.  There were many other people who stepped in to play with Ariy, take him to the Zoo, brought us a meal, or simply just came by to say hello.  We are so grateful to everyone who got us through this season of life with success!  Thank you!

1 week left!!!!!!!!!!!

I will be 34 weeks next Sunday and that is my official "it's mostly safe to be off bedrest" day.  I will still rest a lot up until about 36 or 37 weeks but I feel pretty confident that I can sit upright more, get out once or twice, drive myself to the doctor and overall feel a little more "normal."

A little embarrassing (and a 32 week update).

The camera on my computer does not seem to have a timer on it so I tried really hard to take a few pics but it was a little difficult to press the button and pose at the same time so I caved and made a short video of myself.  so much fun.  I haven't recorded my growing belly at all this pregnancy partly because I look hideous most days, rarely shower and don't bother to put on a decent outfit because I am strapped to my bed.  Today was a doctors visit day which equals real clothes and a shower!

The Update:  I am 32 weeks and 2 days!

• Only 2 more weeks of bed rest!  At 34 weeks I am free to do as I wish.  The goal being that she stays in until at least 37 weeks though.  I plan on starting to be active but watching my body and resting when I can.  I will stay on my meds until 36 weeks.
• I am done seeing the specialist - the perinatologist which I can never spell or say right.  Starting in 2 weeks, I go see the midwives at the practice I go to.  There are 9 total and whoever is on call when I go to the hospital will be the one to deliver the baby.
• I am still planning a VBAC at this point.  I can only go a week past my due date and ideally I go into labor on my own.  There is a chance if I am late (which would be crazy after all of this) that I would just have my water broken to get things going.  
• My weight jumped up a bit this week which is not surprising and maybe good.   For whatever reason, my weight has not changed dramatically since being on bed rest.  I have had a few days in the past couple weeks where I feel hungry ever hour or so so I am not surprised a gained a bit.
• Baby looks good and is head down now.  I think she is probably there to stay.  She is super active and her jabs have even been painful a few times.  
• I feel so shallow but the FIRST thing I want to do when I am off of bed rest is drive!, maybe get starbucks and go to a store; maybe Target or a kids consignment store.  I just can't wait to be out.
• The SECOND thing I want to do is take out our Christmas decorations and go with the fam to Portland Zoo Lights which I have been looking forward to going to for 5 years!  I am still a bit disappointed that the animals are not dressed in lights but I think it will still be a good time.

Made it to 30 weeks!

Yesterday I turned 30 weeks which is exciting.  It feels like the home stretch at this point.  It's a bit of a weird place for us to be right now because realistically my body is showing signs of labor so the baby could very well be here in 6 or 7 weeks which feels like no time or it could be another 2.5 months as our due date is January, 6th.  It is just a guessing game.

The official update:  I am finished with having ultrasounds to check my cervical length.  At this point, it is normal for any pregnant woman to have a cervix that slowly shortens so checking for just length is not as important. I had my second to last perinatal visit today.  I will see the perinatologist at 32 weeks and then at 34 weeks I go back to exclusively seeing the midwives as they will be who will deliver the baby.  Most everything looked good today.  I am dilated to a 1 at this point which means I need to stop bedrest cheating.  I may or may not of been getting up more recently and picking Ariy up.

I have four more weeks of bedrest.  I am so anxious and excited to reach that marker.  I have actually been feeling a bit better lately which makes bedrest that much more difficult.  I have to stop cheating for another few weeks to ensure that she doesn't come before 34 weeks but the doctor is more than confident I will make it that far.

I also had to go through VBAC counseling with the perinatologist.  They just explain the requirements to be able to be a candidate, the liklihood of success, the process and risks.  I am a very good candidate based on my labor and surgery with Ariy but the fact that Ariy never descended during pushing does lessen the likelihood of success.  What would improve it would be to have a smaller baby.  Ariy was 8lb 8oz so a bit on the larger size :)  In the end, the doctor said this could work out to my advantage.  She said the ideal week would be 37 weeks because she would be full term, most likely have no NICU time, normal hospital stay time and a smaller baby!  So for now, that is the prayer that I go into labor a bit earlier.  A pre-christmas baby.  But really, who knows.  Some women in my shoes will go full term and even late, it is just a major guessing game.  If I do go past my due date and don't go into labor on my own, there is a chance I could just have my water broken like I did with Ariy or I would have an elective repeat c-section.

Ariy is really into dragging around the largest and heaviest item he possibly can.  This day it was luggage. 

He loves to drive in the grocery store cars when he goes shopping with Grandma.

His "buddies" or giraffes go everywhere with him these days.  He sleeps with them, snuggles with them, feeds them, gives them drinks and even blows his nose on them.  True  love.

Practicing for baby sister.

Drinking healthy smoothies with Grandma.  Loves it!

Ariy lately...

Half way there!

Today I am 28 weeks and I have been on bedrest for just over 6 week with 6 weeks left to go!  I am very excited to be at this point and have less weeks in front of me.  I think it will help make time go by faster.  To celebrate I thought I would share all the things I have and have NOT done in the last 6 weeks of my bedrest life.

This may be a little too much information for some.

• I have not gone to a store in 6 weeks.  No grocery shopping or anything.
• I have not cooked a real meal - heating up food doesn't really count.
• I have worn the same 5 items of clothing.  They have been washed a few times along the way.
• I have showered maybe 6 or 7 times.  I apologize - this is probably the grossest.
• I have lost all muscle mass.
• I sadly have only finished one book and am still in the middle of 2.  You would think I would be more productive but not so much.
• I have had 5 doctors appointments and 4 ultrasounds.
• I have not drive a car in 6 weeks.
• I have had dessert more than I ever have in my life.  I feel a little guilty about this one.
• I have watched almost 4 seasons of a highly popular but controversial show.  I might be too embarrassed to share the name.
• I have received one awesome care package, 4 hand delivered chais or lattes, 5 homemade meals and 7 awesome visitors. 

28 Week Update

Today I am 27 weeks and 5 days.  I will be 28 weeks on Sunday.  Meeting this goal is exciting because 90% of babies born at 28 weeks or close after will survive and 90% will survive AND be healthy.  The next big goal is 34 weeks when it jumps up to 99%.  At that point, they will not try and stop labor if I were to go into pre-term labor but we are all hopeful and very optimistic that I will make it to 34 weeks.

This was the first appointment where my cervix actually stayed the same. It was not any shorter and even creeped back up to a 2 (two weeks ago the highest was a 1.8 I believe) at times during the measurement process.  I have also really started to gauge my threshold for getting up and moving around and know when it is effecting my cervix and uterus.   My threshold is basically doing nothing - nothing at all including meals.  I have gone down to just going to the bathroom; the basics.  It seems to be working so we will keep at it for another 6 weeks.

Currently I am doing my "normal" appointments with my midwife as well as seeing the perinatologist.  I generally have an appointment every week between the two but sometimes I will randomly have a week off.  I will most likely see the peri 3 more times until I reach 34 weeks and then my care goes completely back to the midwives until we have the baby since after 34 weeks they will be the ones to deliver in the hospital with me (as opposed to the peri). 

I also get to stop with all the ultrasounds - woo hoo!  I have actually really enjoyed watching her growth and having so many pictures of her (see below) before she is even out of the womb but it also makes for long appointments (about 2 hours) and too much stimulus around a sensitive cervix is not awesome from this point forward.  

I am really torn about how I feel about time right now.   I really want it to go by quickly so I can be off bed rest and checking things off my pre-baby to-do list but I also don't think I am quite ready to jump into having 2 babies and potentially that is what will happen.  I get off bed rest and a week or two later I have 2 babies.  That just sounds a little overwhelming.

Here is the latest picture of our baby girl. 

Summer Camping

In August Ariy and I took a short vacation to Long Beach, WA where the McNeal family hosts an annual camping trip.  We had fun but we missed Dada every day.  To our surprise Dada decided to take a day off work and surprise us.   We spent the second half of our vacation at Twin Rocks Friends Camp on the Oregon Coast.  Rick was helping with the worship at Surfside, the week long teen camp that runs every summer.  Ariy LOVED his two week vacation on the coast.  He spent every day and all day outside and slept very hard every night.