I'm so excited that it's October and that we'll be meeting Teddy next month!!
I had an ultrasound on Thursday and he's measuring about 2 weeks ahead. His estimated weight is 5 pounds, 4 ounces and his head is in the 95% percentile. But of course, these late ultrasounds when using weight estimates can be 2-3 pounds off. So most likely he's measuring closer to average, which is about 4.5 pounds. My fluid level is looking good. It's just slightly above average and that's only due to the GD. Everything is looking great with Teddy!
They reviewed my blood sugar levels and upped my insulin a little, but it's still high. They said that they would continue to need to up it as the pregnancy went on but I hoped that meant in between each adjustment we'd be able to get it right. They haven't said anything about inducing me early yet, but it's typical to induce women on inuslin 2 weeks early. I'm definitely going to talk to them about it this week. I feel a little behind. Like I just got thrown into this practice and everyone else has been able to get to know these people over the last 20 weeks but I haven't. The first doctor I met with said that usually early in pregnancy a nurse will meet with the patient and tell them all sorts of things about their processes (when they start internal exams, hospital routine etc. and the lending library) and that he'd schedule someone to do the "reader's digets" version for me and it still hasn't happened. I definitely feel like I need that still. Every appointment is so fast! I really miss my hour long appointments with my midwives!
And that brings us to yet another complication. I have a history of urinary tract infections. When I was 19 (in 2004) I had my first one with all the normal symptoms. I DEFINITELY knew I had it! Then from September 2007-June 2008 I had recurrent ones that were usually in the kidneys. The only symptoms I had were nausea and diarrhea. I finally went in after a few weeks and got told that I had a horrible UTI. I was put on antibiotics and it never helped. It interferred with my classes. I missed A LOT! It interferred with work, I usually missed at least one day a week (thank goodness for a campus job!) It was my senior year in college and I was just trying to muddle through and get done. I had ultrasounds done because it didn't make any sense that I wasn't getting better, but not worse either. Blood work done, my kidneys were functioning fine still. At one point I had a shot of antibiotics after getting much worse. Then to graduate from stupid EMU I had to complete a cross-cultural experience. That sounded great when I was 17, not so much when I was 22, married with a mortgage and suffering from kidney infections. A professor talked me into going to China (I would have chosen Germany) since it was such a once in a life time experience. By March we had no hope that we could really get the infections under control before leaving at the beginning of May. My doctor didn't want me to go, but the school wouldn't let me out of the trip. They wouldn't let me graduate and they wouldn't give me my refund. So off to China I went. We arrived the day after the big Sichuan earthquake and we were actually supposed to be in the very city that was closest to the epicenter. Nothing went as planned. I got sick, and the leaders did not beleive me. I finally was allowed to go to the hospital and I was put on IV antibiotics (they still use glass bottles), and the doctor there wanted me to fly home. My doctor wanted me to fly home. I wanted to fly home. EMU was the only one who didn't and said it would cost me $1,000. In the end the nurse at EMU got to decide my healthcare. It really pisses me off that women can have abortions under the "it's my body, my right" thing but I couldn't decide on my healthcare for a kidney infection! I stayed for the rest of the trip and finally was referrenced to a specialist. They didn't send all my records and at the first appointment he said "well, so far I haven't seen a positive culture so I don't think you've even been having them." Yes, I was just being dramatic for nothing. I wanted to punch that old man! We didn't go back to our follow up appointment (it was in Winchester by the way) but inexplicably the infection finally went away.
So, anyway, I know a lot about UTIs. I noticed that I had some foul smelling urine. That had never really happened before, but I knew it was a symptom. I took an over the counter test and it came back high for white blood cells (signs of fighting an infection) but only trace for nitrites (which definitely indicate a UTI). The white blood cells are common during pregnancy and I was getting over a cold. But I didn't want to take any chances, so I asked them to do a culture. They were hesitant since the dipstick looked fine to them too. It came back 2 days later positive for Group B Strep, which is pretty dangerous during pregnancy! The standard is to do testing at 35 weeks, so they would have found it, but we got it early. Even with antibiotics now it won't completely kill it. And I'll have to be on IV antibitoics during the birth. What makes me most upset is that typically UTIs are caused by Staph or E Coli and so that's all my regular office tested my urine cultures on. Strep B is generally only tested by OB practices because of the complications it can pose with infecting a newborn during birth. So, this was probably the problem all along but they just didn't test for the right thing. Anyway, glad I followed my instinct and made them test.
So, it's going to be a busy month. We've got breastfeeding classes, birth preparation, family care and the CPR class got pushed back to November 4th. If they induce me at 38 weeks, it will be November 4th. Maybe they can just come by my room, haha. To save money we're pulling up carpet from a bedroom upstairs and putting it in the nursery. Someone covered up beautiful hardwood with carpet! Why???! And the dimensions are almost equal (makes sense as the rooms are on top of each other). We've still got to put the border up and finish the ceiling. Our crib should arrive next week. It's not the one I originally wanted. They put it on back order and it wasn't going to get here until after Teddy, so we found something nice but cheaper on Amazon. It's not a 4 in 1 either, but Doug still has his old twin bed and it looks really nice. So that will work when we get that far.
My symptoms: my feet are swelling more and faster from sitting and standing. Basically anything but laying! My back's been hurting. My SPD pain hasn't really gotten worse, and I'm so thankful for that. I'm having insomnia and am exhausted all at the same time. My mind will be very willing and active. I'll put all sorts of things on my to do list but never get through it. My belly HURTS!!! After about 9 pm it just hurts! I can't have anything touching it, which includes laying on my side at night. I've learned to try to really tire myself out and then I can fall asleep even though it's uncomfortable. It's so stretched out, I don't think it can go another 7 weeks. It just can't stretch that far! Someone said that it looked like I dropped this week. Honestly, unless I feel him practically between my legs I don't think I'll be able to know on my own. He's been on my bladder forever now but I'm so short and he's so long that he's already low and high at the same time! But it's all worth it for Teddy and it totally helps knowing that an end is in sight! I told a friend the other day that I'm really going to ask God how he decided that they had to get to 40 weeks to be fully developed. I think motherhood is a blessing and not a curse but I see why people think that, because it is hard. 10 months is a long time. To have to just lend your body out to someone else that you haven't even met yet. So much goes on at once. I have been angry, sad and happy literally all within 10 seconds of each other before (more during the first trimester). It's such an odd time and nothing can prepare you for it except for going through it! But it seems to me that God really brings women to the point that they just can't take it anymore. The only thing that probably helps is knowing that billions of other women have done it. And right now since it's my first I'm totally delusional about how things will be back to "normal" after he's out! Haha, I know it's not instant but I'm so glad pregnancy has an end date. And it's a little freaky to feel something that is 18 inches long and 5 pounds in me already and know that it has to come out of me! And worse, that it will continue to grow in me! The birth I'm actually looking forward too. But as I said before about my belly growing, I just don't know how it's going to continue to fit him for 7 more weeks! The cute little kicks are now big and can be painful. Imagine just walking along and then all of a sudden a punch. To any different part of your body. Head butts to the bladder, kicks in the kidney or even "lightning crotch." Yeah, that's a fun one! And then there's times when he just likes to stick his butt up in the air around my belly button. It's funny to watch my belly change shape and move all around most of the time. But there are times when owee!! As far as I know I still haven't felt Braxton Hicks contractions. There are times when I'll touch my belly and it will be hard, but it's not that I feel discomfort or pain from them. The belly pain is jsut from it being overtired I guess and things rubbing against it. I don't think I can really drive on my own anymore because of it!
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