I'm being admitted!!!

I'll just cut and paste the e-mail I sent out since I have to go and pack for my "Admittance" tomorrow morning... yippee!

I'm currently at 36 weeks and 5 days (but who's counting!)

My "little" man is growing quickly... he's about 7 pounds now!
I'd like to know who served the growth hormones with the turkey this Christmas?! ;)

He's doing very well and has once again been given an 8/8 on his health and well being. He kicks, rolls and punches and reacts to sounds. Especially his Daddy's voice and the song "Stealing Kisses" by Faith Hill (although Dave insists it's me singing the song).
From all the tests we've had done, he is doing very well and we couldn't be happier!

Me on the other hand, I'm not so lucky.
It seems I've developed something called Cholestasis of Pregnancy, which means my liver isn't processing all my bile salts properly along with the baby's extra stuff and it's making me itchier than anything... lovely!
It can be a serious condition, but since I'm being monitored so closely, it's no biggie... everything is fine.

My blood pressure is also still high-ish... but not consistently at the same area.
Today I got really upset about the baby (before I knew how well he was doing) and I jacked it RIGHT up... so I'm being admitted to the hospital for the next little while.
It might be for a few days, or it might be until the baby comes, we're not sure.

My doctor figures I'll be induced somewhere in the next 2 weeks... she wants to hold out until 38 weeks, but again we have to wait and see how everything is going and how the rest of my tests come back. Still waiting on some.
I'll be going for another ultrasound in a couple of days as well.

So wish me luck everyone... I'm "going to the spa" - hahaha! I wish!

Who knows, maybe the next time I post I'll be hold my little guy in my arms, versus inside my tummy.

Gah! What now?!

I know, I've been doing alot of bitching lately... but honestly it feels like this last trimester has been an uphill battle!

I had the cold from hell followed by the bladder infection that made my crotch feel like someone had ripped one of my labia off.

This was then followed by suddenly high blood pressure which lead to me not being able to work anymore, then I got the stomach flu which lead to me breaking out Travolta's diaper rash cream to relieve the hell I was in... then I accidentally dropped the top in the toilet, and I sure as hell wasn't going to fish it out!

Just when I thought I was in the clear, I began to get SUPER itchy... like all over, especially my hands and feet. This lead to a self diagnosis of Hemolysis Elevated Liver enzyme levels and low Platelet count or HELPP (or something like that) at 3 am.

Thankfully it's not that, but it may be Obstetric Cholestasis... yay! But they're not sure because my blood test results dance around more than my son does. Here's what I found out about it....

Cholestasis of pregnancy is a rare condition that results from a liver problem.

Roughly 2 percent of pregnant women may develop this condition,

which occurs when bile fails to flow normally in the small ducts of the liver.

This results in bile salt accumulation in the body and can cause excessive itching.

This itching is more intense than other forms of itching.

Some women scratch so severely they end up with small tears in the skin.
This problem like many other pregnancy related skin conditions clears shortly after delivery.

In some cases your doctor may recommend an early induction depending on the severity of your condition.

Many women who develop cholestasis of pregnancy will develop the condition in subsequent pregnancies.

Lovely! So I may be able to expect this the next couple of times too? That's it, I am really pushing for twins next time!

I am so itchy and taking Benadryl helps but makes me so tired! I decreased the dose so I can actually carry on a conversation, but it's still hard.

I can't even take it today because I have to drive home from my cousin's place early so I can get more testing done at the hospital... day 3 for 3!

My hands are swollen and dry from scratching, as are my feet. I try not to itch, but sometimes I itch and don't even notice!!! I was cutting vegetables last night when I happened to notice I was going to town on one of the baseboards with my toe! Oops!

I know all of this will seem minor once my little man arrives, but until then it's scary... especially when I read "sudden stillborn". That makes me nauseous! :(

I was really wanting him to be born on the 15th of January (to win the Sears contest!) but I think I want him out earlier... just to get him out of this screwed up oven before he burns!

Poor little man.

No more work until September?!

It's crazy... I went to the doctor on Friday morning after spending the week off "relaxing".
Blood pressure is still on the high side, not dangerous high but high (141/88) thank goodness!

So no work for me... I have two weeks off, then I have maternity leave until September and then my husband takes over.

Just in time for Christmas... when life is never relaxing anyway. I'm just glad I'm not on bed rest or drugs.

The non-stress tests for Travolta have been perfect... on the outside we're all worried, but on the inside his main concern is trying to find a way to stretch his feet or butt as far out of my stomach as possible. Thanks kid. I've read that he's about 18 or 19 tall by now, and I think he's more like 30... cuz he's a stretcher! :)

I had an ultrasound on Thursday and they said he was about 5lbs 11oz, and my doctor says that means he'll be about 7 or 8 lbs when he's born. What a relief! I was a bit concerned in the past, especially since Dave weighed over 10 pounds when he was born.
And of course certain people have to remind you about gestational diabetes and everything else that can go wrong in pregnancy at every turn... but I can just ignore that.

My little man was also given a 8/8 rating on health and all that crap... so he's doing fine... it's just his mama! I wish I had an ultrasound picture to post, but the technician said he's too big.

It's getting harder to get around... especially when he's awake.
I think he's getting frustrated because the stretching is getting more and more uncomfortable.

One of my sisters is thinking/hoping this kid will be born between Christmas and New Years.
Which wouldn't be too bad, since he's a good size and his organs are just about finishing up their development, but it still scares me... although this whole motherhood think is kind of scary anyway... what that hell did I get myself into?!

Not that I'm complaining because I've wanted this since I was a little girl, and it's been a long 4 1/2 years that I've been waiting for my little man to come into my life.

But it's such a change... when he arrives, he changes who I am! I'm a mother and I'm responsible for another human being!
I can't just fill the food dish and go grocery shopping... or get reminded à la Lassie to fill the water bowl (you get the point REAL quick when you're being stalked by three cats that there's something you forgot to do).

But just knowing what to do... for example, yesterday my niece had a high temperature... my sister took her to the hospital. Dave and I were thinking that we would have waited until morning and monitored her.

WRONG! GUESS AGAIN!

The nurse told my sister that Abby should have gone in earlier because had her temp been any higher she could have had a seizure.

Great... so what about all the other crap that Dave and I don't know? All the what ifs?

I'm trying to make all these good choices for him... breastfeeding, cloth diapers, baby sling, more organic foods and all that crap. Hell, I might even start wearing patchouli to complete my hippy mom image! But what if they're crappy choices?

What if I screw this kid up and he ends up bombing stuff and spouting hateful propaganda?
Not that Dave and I would teach him that, cuz that's our polar opposite... but kids grow up and do stuff.

*sigh*

Part of my brain says "everything will be fine and you won't end up on the Dr. Phil show with your son" and that he'll be fine and grow up to be an amazing man like his daddy.
And I guess I just have to cling to that.

Thanks for reading, if you're still here! :)

Week 34 and all is well... for my little man at least

Week 34... 6 weeks to go, or so I though.
Apparently I probably won't be able to make it through my entire pregnancy without being induced.

Why? Blood pressure issues.

I guess I was getting a little cocky being so happy that all the problems we would have with our little Travolta would be conceiving him, but I guess I was wrong. Sigh.

Let me begin by saying; yes I'm overweight, but I have NEVER had blood pressure issues - before or during this pregnancy. Even when I was freaking out over bleeding in the summer time my blood pressure was high, but it was "you're a bit stressed" sort of high. It hasn't crept up slowly, it's been 120/80 or 125/75 pretty consistently up until now.

Last week (or two weeks ago, it's all a blur!) at my appointment it was a high at 130/100 and then 130/95... so off to the Obstetrics I went for blood tests, pee test, blood pressure monitoring and a non-stress test for Travolta (which is actually my favourite part because they monitor his heartbeat, movement and my contractions). Blood pressure is lower, but still not low enough for their liking.

So I had to go back to the hospital on the Saturday for the blood pressure monitoring and non-stress test. Let me say, this child is so UN-stressed it's not funny... he rolls, kicks and moves the entire time he's being monitored.
I think he's going to be just like Dave actually, which would be nice. A very relaxed little man.

Back for a doctor's appointment this Thursday where it's high again (no wonder though, I got punched in the boob HARD 45 minutes prior to the blood test, but apparently that won't make it high).

Doctor comes in and tells me I can't work anymore because it's too stressful... honestly I was blind-sided! I assured her my job wasn't stressful and it was just because I got punched in the boob, which never happens in my non-violent class. Which is true, and which is why I stayed in that class.

Hell, I just put in my notice because I am working until the 12th of January because I feel great!
No high blood pressure side effects like body swelling and headaches (other than the migraine the other day, but the barometric pressure always gets me - pregnant or not).

So I'm taking next week off to "see how it goes"... yippee!
Although it sounds like my doctor is pretty stuck on the fact that I will be going on sick leave. Sigh.

Back to the hospital I went today (Saturday) for more blood tests, pee test, blood pressure monitoring and a non-stress test... again highish at 135/90.

So guess who's on blood pressure medication now and who has to go back to the hospital AGAIN tomorrow morning?! Yup, that would be me!
My doctor doesn't think my blood pressure is going to get any lower so I'm on drugs. Fabulous!

She also said "you probably won't make it to your due date, maybe a week or two early". Sigh.
On the positive side of that one, he probably won't be as big as Dave was when he was born... I do not need to have the experience of newborn over 10 pounds!

I'm still getting over it... I just was so surprised by the fact that I'm going to be off NOW and I didn't even get a chance to do my "last day at work" thing... or to say my official goodbye.
Not that they won't see me - I'm breaking the rules a bit, and I'm going to the movies with them for a field trip on Friday (Happy Feet) and I'm going to go to the Christmas concert as well.

I guess it's also because it's a change in plan that I didn't see coming at all... I'm never as good with change as I pretend to be.

All in all I'm just happy that my little man is happy and stress-free.
He's fine and growing fine, although we'll have an even better idea once I have my ultrasound on Thursday.
That's the goal of this entire process, right? I just wait to hold him, so I can have a whole new range of things to worry about! :)

(Don't worry Laura, no bed-rest! Hahaha!)