update

I've been a blog slacker.  But, as a pregnant working Mom, life is busy and full.  I have limited "extra time".  And these days I'd much rather go to sleep at a decent hour than stay up late on the computer.  I've been pretty good about getting an average of 8 hours of sleep a night and it's helping.  I'm able to get up on time for work as well as get little guy up and ready for school.  Make no mistake:  A PREGNANT WOMAN MUST GET PLENTY OF REST AND ENOUGH TO EAT.  Follow this rule and you may actually have enough energy to make it through each day.  ;)
So, a little update is in order since it's been over a month.  Geez!  Sorry about that, btw.

My placenta problems seem to have improved.  I've had another ultrasound and Dr's appt. since my last post and things are looking better.  My Dr. explained to me that because of the small detachment I had, there was a small collection of blood.  This is sometimes absorbed by the body, but sometimes it'll exit the body (which is what happen to me).  The important thing is to make sure the problem doesn't get worse.  But thankfully, everything looks much better.  The placenta has moved up thanks to a growing uterus, and no more detachment problems.  We'll keep an eye on this as we move forward. 

We have great news as well.  We have found out the gender of our new little one...

Little guy gets to have a baby brother.  We didn't have a preference in gender, but I'm excited for little guy.  I almost wish they'd be closer in age.  Raising two boys shall be interesting.  But, I'm up for the challenge.  ;)

We've been tackling our shopping list for the new baby.  I am a HUGE fan of Carters, especially for babies, and have bought many new outfits, among other things.  I also have things that I saved from little guy that I can use.  We've been buying packs of diapers and wipes as well.  We buy some everytime we go grocery shopping.  A newborn baby goes through an average of 10 diapers a day!  Best to stock up now.  ;)

Baby brother has been moving a lot these days.  His movements are still what I consider to be light, but there's no mistaking what they are.  He's sneaky I must say.  Hubby was only able to feel once so far, and everytime little guy tries to feel, baby brother takes a break...lol.  But not to worry, these movements will increase in number and in intensity.  I remember this from my first time around.  Little guy loved kicking my rib cage when he was hanging out in there.

My energy has picked up somewhat.  This is common in the 2nd trimester.  And this is also why it is a good idea to do most of the baby preparation during this time.  Take advantage of the ability to get things done, trust me!  Because of work, I have very early mornings, so by evening I'm done.  But during the day, I'm able to get things accomplished.

My friends are planning a baby shower for me next month.  My Mom and sister had one for me when I was pregnant with little guy.  I wasn't really expecting one since this isn't my first, but I think it'll be a lot of fun.  Baby showers are a great help too, I must say, especially for first time parents.  The gifts help Mommy and Daddy save money for other important things that will be needed for baby.

Picking a baby name is very challenging.  We are working on that.  I know, my family members are all curious about this topic.  I'm not sure that we'll even share the name choice until after baby arrives.  A baby's name is something that the parents and siblings should pick out of love.  It is not something up for critic from others.  When my Mom named me Kylie, some people thought it was strange and too different.  But you know what?  It is sooo me, and it is one thing that I've always loved about myself, even as a little girl.  I hope we can find a great name for this baby.

I'll be on vacation soon, and I hope to blog a bit more.  I have a million and one things I could write about...lol.  Hope to return soon.  :)

image via google

placenta problems

Okay, I'm mad at my placenta.  It is causing me problems and stress.  And a pregnanct woman does not need anything extra to worry about.  Hubby jokes and says that maybe this placenta is not a genuine part.  After I explain you may agree.

Two days ago, I had a 2nd bleeding episode.  And again, I'm talking about bright red blood and the amount that you would find during your "friend's" monthly visit.  I didn't have any other symptoms just the bleeding.  So, I went to the ER yet again.

Before I continue, let me back up a little....One week prior I had an appt. with my new Dr.  She delivered my son and I was thrilled to find out that she rejoined the hospital after a long leave of absence.  Just that one appt. with her made me feel a thousand times better about everything.  She's awesome.  She did a quick ultrasound in her clinic to check things out and informed me within 2 seconds that I have a low lying placenta and that is the cause for bleeding.  Hello, previous hospital...Hello, previous doctors...Why, did you all not tell me this.  It's not the best news, but it's not the worst.  And it at least calms a nervous Mama down.  Answers people.  That's all we patients are asking for.

Because of this low lying placenta of mine and my previous preterm experience my Dr. has me taking progesterone suppositories twice a day.  Studies have shown that progesterone can help prevent preterm birth.  My Dr. also suggested that I not work and was willing to write me a sick leave.  But after some discussion we agreed on light work duty for now instead.  And btw, my school actually worked with me on this and reduced my classes (which is a good thing, because had they not I would've taken my Dr. up on her full sick leave idea).  She also told me that I need plenty of rest and no stress.  She will see me next month and also had me schedule an official ultrasound right before my next appt. with her.

Fast forward to my 2nd bleeding episode two days ago...At the ER (and btw, the hospital I transferred to has it's own maternity ER with an OB/GYN always on duty and nurses who are experienced in this field), I was asked some questions and looked at.  The Dr. did not want to do any internal exams of any kind as it could disrupt things.  By this point the bleeding had slowed down to only light spotting.  She checked the baby's heartbeat which was good.  And sent me to have an ultrasound.  The good news is that the ultrasound showed that baby is good.  He/she's moving, and has a good heartbeat.  My cervix is also good.  The bad news is that they saw a small detachment of the placenta and some blood, which is why I'm experiencing the bleeding.  They told me that while this is not normal, it does sometimes happen.  I was then sent back to the ER Dr. who wrote me a sick leave for the next day.  She told me to rest and take it easy until the bleeding stops.  She informed me that I need to be careful as I have two problems right now; a low placenta and a small detachment.  She also reminded me that I should not forget that my son was preterm which in itself puts me at a higher risk.  What fun (I'm being totally sarcastic of course).

When I came home, I of course had to do a little placenta research.  First of all, if you don't know what a placenta is, I'll tell you.  It's an organ that will start to develop and grow once the egg is implanted.  It is very important as it supplies nutrients and oxygen to your baby.  Here's a picture:

When a woman is diagnosed with a low lying placenta earlier in pregnancy, such as myself, it's not immediate cause for concern.  That's because as the uterus grows, the placenta can grow with and move up.  But if it does not, than a woman may be diagnosed with placenta previa.  This is when the placenta is so low that it touches or fully covers the cervix (the opening where baby will come through).  My Dr. has not used this term for me yet, so I'm hopeful that there's a chance it can shift up before delivery.  If a woman has placenta previa, she will be monitored closely and most often the baby will need to be delivered via C-section (because the opening will be blocked and baby will not have a place to come out).

I am a bit concerned about this small detachment business though.  That's because if the placenta detaches from the uterus, serious problems can occur.  Babies have died from this (because their nutrients have been cut off).  And the mother can experience serious bleeding.  However, in these causes, the problem was undetected and therefore proper care and action was not able to be taken.  In my case, we can see through ultrasound that there's a small detachment so we can closely monitor it (I should maybe be thankful for the bleeding as it was a sign that something's going on).  In some cases, it may resolve itself.  If not, I would end up on bedrest, as we try to prolong the pregnancy as long as possible.  And for my family members who read this, do not worry, as my problem has not reached this point and there's a chance it never will.  I just like to be aware and prepare myself, just in case.  After getting worried myself (darn internet that has way too much info), I found this question and answer that helped ease my concerns a bit.

So, after all this crazy fun bag full of news, and a lot of built up worry, I had my big cry yesterday.  Yep, I just let it all out, in the shower.  My tears may have been more than the water coming from the showerhead.  But let me tell you that a good cry does a lot of good.  I felt much, MUCH better afterwards.  I just have to except that my body is not good at being pregnant and that I will have to deal with these weird things.  Hey, it could be A LOT worse.  The good news is that so far the bleeding has stopped.  And I will be seeing my Dr in 2-3 weeks.  I already have my next ultrasound scheduled too.  I'm going to a good hospital and feel that I'm in good hands.

But honestly, I have this gut feeling that this baby may come early too.  I hope I'm wrong.  But I won't be surprised.  So, I'm going to get cracking on this baby list of things that I need and be ready.  I also plan to pack a hospital bag for myself from now.  With these kinds of complications you never know when a trip to the ER can result in an overnight observation stay.  And let's face it, hospital gowns are pretty ugly.  I want some cute PJ's at least.  ;)

And finally, let me just say that I never thought I'd talk this much about placentas.  Just sayin...

image via wikipedia

yes, i'd like a new battery, please

I feel worn out.  As if my battery is completely drained. 

And the crazy part is that I'm having trouble sleeping.  Go figure.  It's kinda like a cruel joke because I will definitely not be able to catch up on sleep once baby arrives.  That was something I really had to adjust to when little guy was born.  I'm fine on 7-8 hours of sleep, but it was definitely a challenge having that sleep broken up by waking up every 2-3 hours.

Some of my sleep problems are from all the adjusting I've been trying to do.  We were on vacation for one month, in a completely different time zone.  When we came back we were still on summer break so we did the night owl routine of staying up all night and sleeping all day.  But now we need to change.  I start work in a couple of days and little guy will start school next week so we've been trying to shift our sleeping pattern.

But I keep waking up.  I wake up to pee.  I wake up because I'm hungry.  I wake up because I seem to be having some leg problems (only in one leg, it could be worse I guess).  And then once I wake up, I stay awake, thinking. 

You know, thinking can be a dangerous thing.  This brain of mine is in overdrive.  I, of course, think about all things baby.  I think about preparing for the baby.  I think about preparing little guy for the baby.  I think about managing work, two children, and a husband (because we all know that husbands are like children).  I think about the new school year that I'm about to begin.  I think about what kind of students I'll be teaching this year (God, please let them be well-behaved angels).  I think about thinking, and then get mad at myself for doing so much of it. 

And btw, this is all different than worrying.  Worrying is an entirely different category that I'm doing a pretty good job of defeating.  For now.

So, every morning I wake up after only 3 hours of sleep.  I go do the pee thing then try to lay down to sleep only to be greeted by my belly grumbling for food.  I go downstairs and eat a bowl of cereal or drink a glass (make that a double) of milk.  Then I head back up to bed to try and sleep.  And that's when the thinking or leg discomfort (sometimes both) begin.  Then I lay there for about 2 hours before I fall back asleep.  After waking up and eating breakfast, little guy plays and I watch a little TV, and then BAM!  It hits me.  Exhaustion.  As if I had no sleep at all.  I fall asleep on the couch.  This dozing off can be as little as 10 minutes or as much as an entire Disney movie (Which may or may not have just happened the other day.  Hey, at least little guy was entertained while I snored away).

I'm so hoping that this will improve once we get back to our work/school schedules.  Or else I'm gonna need a new battery, like now.

In more positive news, I'm starting 17 weeks, and I will see my Dr. in a couple of days.  And maybe, just maybe, I've felt some movement (If you're pregnant and haven't felt anything at this time DO NOT worry.  I'm a 2nd timer which means it's more common to feel things earlier.  You will feel movement anywhere from 18 to 22 weeks, just FYI).

I have a ton of things I want to write about (Remember all that thinking?  Blogging was in there too).  My laptop's in the shop so once I get that back I hope to get cracking on some new blog posts.  Until then I'll be snoozing on my couch.  ;)

image via yahoo image search

checklists

I'm a pretty organized person.  I'm known for making my vacation checklist weeks, even months, before travelling each summer.  I make to-do lists all the time, for work and for home.  So, when expecting a baby, checklists are defintely needed.
With all my recent stress with spotting/bleeding, I've debated about even starting a checklist.  That fear of something bad happening is always lingering in the back of my mind.  But hubby insists that we need to keep on planning, afterall we are expecting a baby in February.  So, I've decided that I'd rather be prepared even if something does go wrong, than be unprepared because everything could go right.  I did read one comforting statistic today.  Half of all pregnancies that have spotting will go on.  And if baby's heartbeat is good and healthy by 11 weeks, the chances of that pregnancy being successful are greater than 90%.  Oh, and I scheduled my next appt, which will be with my favorite OB/GYN, the one that delivered little guy.  It'll be in just 2 1/2 weeks. 

Back to my checklist talk.  I decided to go to one of my favorite websites for baby things, BabyCenter.

I found two helpful checklists; one for preparing for baby, and one for the hospital stay when baby arrives. 

Little guy was born 7 weeks early.  Luckily I had a lot of the things ready at home, but there were still some last minute things that we needed.  And, I did not have things ready for the hospital.  I remember stopping by the pharmacy and stocking up on all those things we didn't have time to get before.  I'm positive that they reached their sales goal that night...lol.  But my point is that once you pass that first trimester mark, it's never too early to prepare for baby.  Believe me, the time will fly by.



back from vacay but this pregnancy is stressing me out

Warning:  Long post to follow...

After a month of being away on vacation, we're back home.  And while I loved the family time, site seeing, and food, I must admit that I was a bit under stress.  Like, pretty much the entire time.  Remember that spotting I was talking about in an earlier post?  Well, it decided to come back and stay with me almost everyday of our trip.  Not fun.  Scary, really.  And on one day in particular the spotting was quite heavier than the other days and that sent me into an emotional crying spell in front of my family (which I hate doing).

Once we returned last week, I scheduled a Doctor's appointment only to find out that my Dr. is no longer working there.  WHAT?  So, I had no other choice than to schedule with the next available OB/GYN.  In the mean time my spotting stopped (don't get excited just yet, there'll be more on that soon).
I convinced the new Dr. to order me another ultrasound.  With all that spotting and travelling I needed some reassurance.  She agreed and also checked the heartbeat right there in her office, which was good, thank God.  Now, onto the ultrasound.  This is the 3rd one I've had for this pregnancy and the tech, in my opinion, did not know what she was doing.  I'm not kidding when I say that that was the longest ultrasound I've ever had (remember that I already have one baby, which means I know how these ultrasounds are supposed to go).  Of course hubby and I were worried that something was terribly wrong.  I mean, we saw the heartbeat and we heard the heartbeat.  We even saw the baby moving.  But why on earth was the tech asking me to turn from one side to the next all the while looking like she was having problems of some kind.  We asked once, "Everything's fine", she said.  We asked twice, "Everything's fine", she said again.  And finally I just came out and asked, "What is it that you're looking for?".  To which she replied that she needed to get a measurement on the back of the neck and because of baby's movements and positions she couldn't get it.  Ok, crazy tech lady, could you not have told us that before?!?  Finally, she asks another tech to come and help and within two seconds, she got it (further leading me to believe that thic chic was not so experienced).

Because my spotting had subsided (or so I thought) the Dr. told me that I didn't need to take any more meds, just my prenatal vitamins.  She also told me that I didn't need to come back until my next appt, four weeks away.  I felt some relief finally.  Until...

That evening, I had spotting again.  Bummer.  I didn't get so worried.  Heck, I've been dealing with it for a month already.  But the next evening, I went to the bathroom, and I found actual blood, like my "friend" came to visit blood.  It was scary.  I made sure that it was in fact coming from the place I believed, which it was.  I also had hubby take a look, which is gross, but I needed someone else to see what I was seeing, justifying my concen.  We decided not to play around.  We went straight to the ER.

I go the ER and am told I have to wait as the OB/GYN on duty was in surgery and would be down as soon as she finished.  Wait?  Ok, what choice did I have?  So, I went to the bathroom to check things out and found only slight spotting when I wiped.  Good.  Finally, I'm called into a room and the Dr. eventually comes.  She tells me after reviewing my ultrasound that was just performed two days before that she's not suspecting any problems.  She thinks the bleeding could be cause by something local and wants to do a "down there check".  After checking things out she informs me that everything looks fine, that there is no blood on my cervix.  I feel great that things are okay, but feel bad that it appears I made things up.  Especially, when she tells me that if it happens again I should "focus" and make sure it's coming from where I think it is.  Uh, hello Dr., I think I know the difference between holes, thank you very much.  Thank God I had my hubby see.  I had a witness, and thus reassuring me that I am not a looney.

So, I come home to have more spotting, even with a tiny (very small, mind you) dark clot.  But, I didn't worry, after an exam things can happen.  I decided to wait it out and see.  By the next morning, things stopped and I haven't seen anything more since.  But I am now afraid to go to the bathroom. 

Some good news is that I found out that my old Dr., who delievered my son, is back at the hospital I used to go to.  So guess who is transferring hospitals?  That would be me.  I'm hoping to get an appt. with her in the near future.  I need someone who knows what they're talking about.  And I trust her.

But in the mean time, this pregnancy is stressing me the heck out.  This could very well be our last child.  Two is enough, right? 

P.S.  I've made it to the 2nd trimester.  That's another piece of good news.

taking a break

I'll be taking a blog vacation as we're getting ready for our upcoming summer trip.  I'll be sure to write down all the things that I think to blog about for future posts.  :)

Wishing you and yours a safe and happy summer! :)

image via

spotting during pregnancy

Oh boy.  We had a slight case of stress this week.  Two days ago I found some blood in my normal discharge (an increase in discharge during pregnancy is normal btw).  Seeing blood in any amount, at any time, during pregnancy can be quite scary.  I got pretty worried.  Not only was I worried about my pregnancy, but I was also worried about our upcoming trip that my family is very much counting on, and that we all very much need.  What made it worse is that my hubby was away on business and I didn't want to worry him while he was away.  And NO ONE knows about this pregnancy so I had NO ONE to talk to (one of the downfalls of keeping it a secret).  So I had to wait.

First thing I did was pray.  Because everything is in God's hands.  What's meant to happen will.  So, I prayed that everything would be okay.  I prayed that I could stay as calm as possible and not dramatize the situation.  And I prayed that I could be more faithful.

Next, I went to the internet.  Now, this can be a bad thing, but for some reason I was drawn to do this.  I typed in what I saw in the search box and was actually relieved to find some many women who have gone or are going through the same thing.  Some women wrote that blood was the first sign of their miscarriage but there were also many women who wrote that they experienced spotting or even bleeding but went on to have healthy full term babies.  I felt hopeful.

And all the while I kept an eye on my situation.  I didn't find any more blood, which was a good thing.  I did not have cramping, or any other symptoms.  But, of course, I was still a bit worried.

Finally, my hubby came home that night and I was able to tell him.  One of the things I love about him is his calming way.  He assured me that even if the worst case scenerio happened, that everything would be okay.  We would work through it all.  Which are things that I know, but hearing it from him was comforting.

The next day, I still hadn't seen anything more, but I called my Dr.  She was busy with a delivery and asked for me to call her back.  I called back but she didn't answer.  So I called the hospital and was able to get an appt. the same day.  I went to my appt. and told my Dr. what I saw.  She told me that this can be normal but to be sure we need to do an ultrasound.  So I had the ultrasound done and THANK GOD, everything is okay.  Here is the advice from my Dr. on my situation:

• Spotting is different than actual bleeding.  And many pregnancies will have some sort of spotting during the nine month course.
• Spotting can be caused by a number of things.  It can happen after sexual intercourse.  It can be a side effect of taking baby aspirin (which I'm taking because of our upcoming flight).  And in the early days of pregnancy it can be caused by the egg being implanted.
• She advised me that if I have spotting it's a sign that I need to rest.  (Don't overdo it mommies!)
• She told me to continue the baby aspirin as I need it's advantages for travel.  But if I have actual bleeding (not spotting), then I should stop it.
• She prescribed Duphaston, which is a hormone supplement known to support pregnancy.  I will take 10mg twice a day for one month.
• And based on my ultrasound, my Dr. concluded that I'm experiencing a normal thing and there's no need to worry (a plus side to all of this is that we heard the baby's heartbeat, always a great sound!).

I asked my Dr. what would constitute an emergency while I'm away on vacation.  She told me this:

• Severe lower abdominal pain.
• Actual bleeding, like that of a menstrual period.

I started this blog as a way to document our journey.  But, I'm also hoping that it can help others too.  With all the stresses that can happen along the way, it can be comforting to hear real stories from real people.  That's the beauty of starting this blog at the beginning of our pregnancy journey.  I can share all of those normal ups and downs that happen along the way.  And maybe it can be comforting to other expectant mothers.

image via freeclipartof.com