Had a doctor appointment yesterday.
I was warned ahead of time what to expect.
I shall preface this with the fact that it wasn't too bad...
And I'm going to try and not make this post too icky.
Turn back now if you're easily icked out.
So...I started seeing the doc every week at 36 weeks. She told me that at 37 they'd start the "internal" exams (ewww!!!). At 38 they'd strip my membranes if that's what I wanted her to do (::faints::). At 39 they would do it again. At 40 we'd start planning the "over do" schedule (which sounds like lots of appointments, something called a non-stress test?, and an induction date).
I declined the internal exam at week 37 because I figured there probably wasn't much going on down there. I read somewhere that the average first time pregnancy usually goes to about 41 weeks so I figured that sounded like PLENTY of time for my lady bits to be invaded in the future. Yesterday was my 38 week appt and I gave her the green flag to do her thing. It was very awkward I have to say. I do feel that she owes me some money or something after that experience...at least some dinner. She did warn me that it might feel as if she were reaching for my tonsils-and I believe she might have actually gotten close to them at one point. I planned for pain but it was mostly just discomfort.
End result: Dialated 3cm, membranes stripped, mucus plug gone, absolutely not a single solitary contraction.
This was our conversation:
Me: So what does all that mean as far as labor goes?
Doc: Well, you could easily go into labor at any time!
Me: Really??
Doc: Or you could walk around like that till the 26th when they induce you!
Showing posts with label Losing all Modesty. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Losing all Modesty. Show all posts
Saturday, May 8, 2010
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Doc Update
I waddled my way to my OB appointment as well as to see the chiropractor this morning.
Everything went well with the OB. I'm even to the point where I'll start going to see the doc every week! Eeek!
That makes it seem close-and yet still very far away...
But anyhow, blood pressure is still excellent! I managed to keep that pesky weight under control yet again (that's twice in a row if anyone is counting!). I had the Strep B test thingy done today. It was NO WHERE near as bad as it sounds when you read about it. And if you haven't read about it then I suggest that you do not...trust me. You won't ever look at a Q-tip the same.
Baby seems to be doing just fine. She's still sideways but it seems as if her head is down at least. She's kind of still curled up like a shrimp. Her back is straight across, up near my rib cage but the doc found her heartbeat below my belly button on my left side. She is just kind of dangling around in there... The doc said if she's still kinda sideways at the next visit she'll wheel in the portable ultrasound so we can have a good look at her. The doctor even suggested that she might be a long baby which is why she's all curled up funky. I don't know if I buy that...Dana and I are both kind of short so I doubt she's long-but who knows? I am still only at 35 week so she's got a little bit of time to start shifting around.
Chiropractor went well today too. This is the first time he didn't pop the bones in my neck..thank goodness. I HATE that part. We talked about the baby being crooked and he worked on stretching out some of my round ligaments trying to make a bit more room for her to shift around.
Everything went well with the OB. I'm even to the point where I'll start going to see the doc every week! Eeek!
That makes it seem close-and yet still very far away...
But anyhow, blood pressure is still excellent! I managed to keep that pesky weight under control yet again (that's twice in a row if anyone is counting!). I had the Strep B test thingy done today. It was NO WHERE near as bad as it sounds when you read about it. And if you haven't read about it then I suggest that you do not...trust me. You won't ever look at a Q-tip the same.
Baby seems to be doing just fine. She's still sideways but it seems as if her head is down at least. She's kind of still curled up like a shrimp. Her back is straight across, up near my rib cage but the doc found her heartbeat below my belly button on my left side. She is just kind of dangling around in there... The doc said if she's still kinda sideways at the next visit she'll wheel in the portable ultrasound so we can have a good look at her. The doctor even suggested that she might be a long baby which is why she's all curled up funky. I don't know if I buy that...Dana and I are both kind of short so I doubt she's long-but who knows? I am still only at 35 week so she's got a little bit of time to start shifting around.
Chiropractor went well today too. This is the first time he didn't pop the bones in my neck..thank goodness. I HATE that part. We talked about the baby being crooked and he worked on stretching out some of my round ligaments trying to make a bit more room for her to shift around.
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
An apple a day...
An apple a day is probably what I should have been doing. Instead, I've been substituting a candy cane or three here and there...
I had a doctor's appointment today. It all went very well except for the obscene amount of weight I've gained over the last 4 weeks.
As Dana and I walked to the back to get weight and vitals the nurse asked if I'd always weighed with my shoes on. I nicely explained that indeed I do keep my shoes on because it makes me feel a tad better when I see the number pop up on the scale. I can rationalize it as "Oh it's not so bad, my shoes were on!" So I jump right on up on that scale (and I might have heard it groan like my Wii fit does...) and the nurse looks down at the number at the same time I did. I gasp and she goes, "Yeah, you should take your shoes off..."
So I took the hooker boots off (Dana's name, not mine!) which was no small task mind you and jump back on. The scale drops 2lbs but let me assure you the number was still ridiculous.
But anyways, enough vanity and tears...
My cystic fibrosis test came back negative. Didn't really doubt it would come back any other way but that's still a good thing.
My quad screen came back normal or "no greater risk than anyone else your age." Again, yay.
And we heard little baby Beard's heartbeat again. The little sucker was trying to pull a slick one on the old Doc and kept rolling around but she found him/her!
I scheduled the BIG ultrasound for next month so we'll be able to find out if baby Beard has a weewee or girly bits! And if it has all 10 fingers and limbs and all that other important stuff....
I had a doctor's appointment today. It all went very well except for the obscene amount of weight I've gained over the last 4 weeks.
As Dana and I walked to the back to get weight and vitals the nurse asked if I'd always weighed with my shoes on. I nicely explained that indeed I do keep my shoes on because it makes me feel a tad better when I see the number pop up on the scale. I can rationalize it as "Oh it's not so bad, my shoes were on!" So I jump right on up on that scale (and I might have heard it groan like my Wii fit does...) and the nurse looks down at the number at the same time I did. I gasp and she goes, "Yeah, you should take your shoes off..."
So I took the hooker boots off (Dana's name, not mine!) which was no small task mind you and jump back on. The scale drops 2lbs but let me assure you the number was still ridiculous.
But anyways, enough vanity and tears...
My cystic fibrosis test came back negative. Didn't really doubt it would come back any other way but that's still a good thing.
My quad screen came back normal or "no greater risk than anyone else your age." Again, yay.
And we heard little baby Beard's heartbeat again. The little sucker was trying to pull a slick one on the old Doc and kept rolling around but she found him/her!
I scheduled the BIG ultrasound for next month so we'll be able to find out if baby Beard has a weewee or girly bits! And if it has all 10 fingers and limbs and all that other important stuff....
Saturday, December 12, 2009
Thought I'd check out an Army ER...and my BABY!
I swear, I was laying in bed last night during my routine insomnia hour (3:45-4:45am for anyone who wants to know) and I thought of the most insightful, witty post. The problem with those kind of ideas is that as soon as you go back to sleep you forget them. So sorry, I had something good but now all you get is this (and it's really long and might have a bit of TMI in there):
It all started with some yummy chili on Thursday evening. Not a joke; it was great.
I started getting cramps about a half an hour after dinner, which I immediately blamed on the above yummy chili. Who wouldn't? Well, the cramps didn't go away. In fact, they lasted ALL night long. They varied in severity; some only a mere annoyance and a few that took my breath away. I wasn't having any other symptoms (bleeding, fever, etc.) so I decided to tough it out till morning and recheck my status.
At this point it's important to note that this "tough it out" personality trait scares my mother. She always says that whenever I actually get to the point where I claim a sickness I must be close to death because I always downplay it or decide to 'tough it out.' I like to think that I'm just not a whiner. I will be the lady that has her baby in the car on the way to the airport because I convince myself that all these labor symptoms aren't 'too bad yet' while I'm waiting at home. Sorry Dana and whatever poor soul happens to be running the gate that day at Ft. Bragg.
Also, another tidbit from Momma: She always said you don't get caught in the ER without clean underwear on so I sure enough took a shower and put the clean underwear on before I went to bed that night, just in case! Momma would be proud!
Back to the story:
When I wake up Friday morning I'm feeling Ok as I lay in bed. Then when I get up and start moving around the pains come back. Let me take a moment to describe the pains. They felt very low in my abdomen, about where I assume my bladder is these days (but who really knows what poor organ is getting squished where?). And they really felt like that crampy pain you get when you hold your pee too long and your bladder starts to painfully scream that you need a bathroom ASAP or a change of clothes. So I'm assuming I have a bladder infection. That doesn't sound too much of stretch does it? I wasn't really worried about the baby because there were not other symptoms but I didn't want to be one of those people that waits too long and has a crisis (remember, it's in my nature). I would hate to be that woman that people whisper about because her dumb self sat around with screaming bad symptoms and did nothing.
So I decide to be responsible and call the handy advice nurse. I give her my story. I swear she didn't listen to any of it because she asked me a ton of questions that I'd already answered through my explanation but whatever. She makes an attempt to get me in to see my regular doctor. No luck. Then she so politely and cautiously tells the pregnant lady who is cramping to go to the ER.
My response: "The ER? That place where you wait for 7 hours surrounded by people with the bubonic plauge?"
Advice nurse: "Uh...yes. But tell them you're pregnant and cramping and you will get pushed right through triage. No plague necessary."
Great. Just great.
In all seriousness (is that even a word?) my first thought after I hung up the phone was 'thank goodness I remembered to change my underwear.' Thanks Momma!
I send all the appropriate texts and calls to family to let them know where I was and head off to the ER *insert ominous music here*
I get through triage in about half an hour, get through registration in about half an hour. Cramps aren't so bad at this point but still there. They send me back to the room with all the beds and curtains to wait on the doctor.
And in walks Dr. McHottie. I am not joking and these are not my preggo hormones talking. He looked like something off of TV.
Beth's internal dialogue at this moment: "Please do not let this be the man that will eventually deliver my child because all I will be able to do is giggle and blush."
So McHottie asks me to describe the problem, and for the 97th time that day I do. Then he asks me questions to clarify the problem. This is where the TMI comes in. You might want to skip past.They questions were as follows...
McHottie: Any vaginal discharge?
Me: Other than that pregnancy 'snail trail' stuff?
McHottie: Uhh...right. So nothing out of the ordinary? Have you been finding yourself having to urinate more often?
Me: *raises one eyebrow* I'm pregnant. I pee about every 20 minutes.
McHottie: Uhh...right. When was your last period?
Me: I cannot remember that far back. Take May 16 and count backwards 40 weeks. It was about that time.
McHottie: So I think we'll just get a urine sample and see if we find anything abnormal.
Even though he asked silly questions, he made up for it in the end because he offered to pull in the bedside ultrasound machine and let me look at the baby for a minute. I could clearly see the baby's head, the heart, it's spine, and an arm waving around. McHottie said he could see legs, but that just looked like static to me. He couldn't tell gender :( We both agreed that it looked like the sweetest little alien around.
My urine came back negative so no bladder infection. End result is that baby didn't seem to be in distress and my cramps were not so painful, just more inconvenient at this point. So my diagnosis is inconclusive. I kinda like that. Makes me feel mysterious. Ticking time bomb of inconclusiveness.
But anyways, no cramps this morning. Yay!
In conclusion I have a few people I'd like to thank:
1. McHottie for letting me view my sweet little alien for the first time.
2. Momma for always reminding me to not get caught without clean underwear on
3. My inconclusive diagnosis which makes this every expanding girl feel mysterious
It all started with some yummy chili on Thursday evening. Not a joke; it was great.
I started getting cramps about a half an hour after dinner, which I immediately blamed on the above yummy chili. Who wouldn't? Well, the cramps didn't go away. In fact, they lasted ALL night long. They varied in severity; some only a mere annoyance and a few that took my breath away. I wasn't having any other symptoms (bleeding, fever, etc.) so I decided to tough it out till morning and recheck my status.
At this point it's important to note that this "tough it out" personality trait scares my mother. She always says that whenever I actually get to the point where I claim a sickness I must be close to death because I always downplay it or decide to 'tough it out.' I like to think that I'm just not a whiner. I will be the lady that has her baby in the car on the way to the airport because I convince myself that all these labor symptoms aren't 'too bad yet' while I'm waiting at home. Sorry Dana and whatever poor soul happens to be running the gate that day at Ft. Bragg.
Also, another tidbit from Momma: She always said you don't get caught in the ER without clean underwear on so I sure enough took a shower and put the clean underwear on before I went to bed that night, just in case! Momma would be proud!
Back to the story:
When I wake up Friday morning I'm feeling Ok as I lay in bed. Then when I get up and start moving around the pains come back. Let me take a moment to describe the pains. They felt very low in my abdomen, about where I assume my bladder is these days (but who really knows what poor organ is getting squished where?). And they really felt like that crampy pain you get when you hold your pee too long and your bladder starts to painfully scream that you need a bathroom ASAP or a change of clothes. So I'm assuming I have a bladder infection. That doesn't sound too much of stretch does it? I wasn't really worried about the baby because there were not other symptoms but I didn't want to be one of those people that waits too long and has a crisis (remember, it's in my nature). I would hate to be that woman that people whisper about because her dumb self sat around with screaming bad symptoms and did nothing.
So I decide to be responsible and call the handy advice nurse. I give her my story. I swear she didn't listen to any of it because she asked me a ton of questions that I'd already answered through my explanation but whatever. She makes an attempt to get me in to see my regular doctor. No luck. Then she so politely and cautiously tells the pregnant lady who is cramping to go to the ER.
My response: "The ER? That place where you wait for 7 hours surrounded by people with the bubonic plauge?"
Advice nurse: "Uh...yes. But tell them you're pregnant and cramping and you will get pushed right through triage. No plague necessary."
Great. Just great.
In all seriousness (is that even a word?) my first thought after I hung up the phone was 'thank goodness I remembered to change my underwear.' Thanks Momma!
I send all the appropriate texts and calls to family to let them know where I was and head off to the ER *insert ominous music here*
I get through triage in about half an hour, get through registration in about half an hour. Cramps aren't so bad at this point but still there. They send me back to the room with all the beds and curtains to wait on the doctor.
And in walks Dr. McHottie. I am not joking and these are not my preggo hormones talking. He looked like something off of TV.
Beth's internal dialogue at this moment: "Please do not let this be the man that will eventually deliver my child because all I will be able to do is giggle and blush."
So McHottie asks me to describe the problem, and for the 97th time that day I do. Then he asks me questions to clarify the problem. This is where the TMI comes in. You might want to skip past.They questions were as follows...
McHottie: Any vaginal discharge?
Me: Other than that pregnancy 'snail trail' stuff?
McHottie: Uhh...right. So nothing out of the ordinary? Have you been finding yourself having to urinate more often?
Me: *raises one eyebrow* I'm pregnant. I pee about every 20 minutes.
McHottie: Uhh...right. When was your last period?
Me: I cannot remember that far back. Take May 16 and count backwards 40 weeks. It was about that time.
McHottie: So I think we'll just get a urine sample and see if we find anything abnormal.
Even though he asked silly questions, he made up for it in the end because he offered to pull in the bedside ultrasound machine and let me look at the baby for a minute. I could clearly see the baby's head, the heart, it's spine, and an arm waving around. McHottie said he could see legs, but that just looked like static to me. He couldn't tell gender :( We both agreed that it looked like the sweetest little alien around.
My urine came back negative so no bladder infection. End result is that baby didn't seem to be in distress and my cramps were not so painful, just more inconvenient at this point. So my diagnosis is inconclusive. I kinda like that. Makes me feel mysterious. Ticking time bomb of inconclusiveness.
But anyways, no cramps this morning. Yay!
In conclusion I have a few people I'd like to thank:
1. McHottie for letting me view my sweet little alien for the first time.
2. Momma for always reminding me to not get caught without clean underwear on
3. My inconclusive diagnosis which makes this every expanding girl feel mysterious
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