Improvement! And 26 Weeks

Yesterday marked 3 weeks and one day since the scan that told us my little girl was behind in her growth.  We also had our follow-up scan with MFM.  While she's still measuring small, at 1 lb 9 oz (based on measurements of her head, stomach, and femur) compared to an average of around 2 lbs at 26 weeks, we've made an improvement and are now in the 20th percentile.  I feel SO MUCH BETTER about that number!  We didn't get any new pictures, and they had some trouble getting one of the views of the heart that they needed, both because she was curled up very tightly into a ball.  Otherwise, they said everything is still looking pretty good.  Except for her placenta, which has not budged even a 10th of a cm in the last three weeks.  It's sitting at 1.7 cm from my cervix.  Our next appointment and scan is in two weeks.

Per the MFM's instruction, in lieu of the traditional test for gestational diabetes, as a sugary drink would make me quite ill, I have begun an alternative method.  I am checking my own blood sugar four times a day for seven days, and keeping a log.  Once first thing in the morning after at least an 8-hour fast, and two hours after each meal.  I've gotten in three tests so far, and they're all low/normal.  Hopefully my fingertips will survive the week!

I think my momentary confidence will prompt me to do the weekly stats.  Feel free to skip right on by.

* Belly - My phone app tells me that my uterus is now the size of a basketball.  Yep, that looks about right.

* Weight gain - I'm up 16 lbs.

* Symptoms - I've been relatively symptom-free lately.   A bit of acne, fatigue (of course), constipation, and some round ligament pain.

* Cravings/Aversions -  Nothing specific or unusual.  I've been trying to keep a handle on this, and eat like a good girl so I can get the appropriate nutrition.  I still need my dark chocolate, though.

* Clothes - I'm completely on maternity pants, I can't even do my Bella Bands with regular pants anymore.  Most of my regular tops are still fitting ok, though I bought a handful of maternity sweaters.

* Movement - Tons and tons.  I love this more than I could ever describe.  She continues to elude letting anyone feel other than JP, much to my mom's and sisters' disappointment.

* Meds - Morning:  Regular multivitamin, iron supplement, 2000 ui Vitamin D, 1600 mcg Folic Acid.  Mid-day:  600 iu Calcium x2.  Evening:  Prenatal, 800 mcg Folic Acid, Rhino.cort , Advair, 450 mg DHA, 40 mg Hydrocortisone.  

New:  I added an iron supplement at my OB's recommendation, cut out the Clariten, switched back to Advair, and my endocrinologist increased my hydrocortisone dose after my last blood test.

* Mood - Dare I say that some confidence is creeping back in?  She is a fickle bitch, like her sister hope.

* What I miss - Fitting behind the steering wheel!

* Appointments - Endocrinologist check-up on the 5th, next regular OB appointment is on the 17th, and my next MFM appointment (with US and cervix/placenta) is on the 11th.

* Medical concerns - My petite little baby, nutrition/calories, vitamin levels, CAH, Placenta Previa.

* Coming up - Professional maternity photos on the 4th, breastfeeding class on the 6th, childbirth class on the 15th, and my "baby" sister is coming on the 16th/17th to help paint the nursery!

ICLW, OB Update, 25 Weeks

Hello ICLWers!  I hope that everyone visiting from the US is having a wonderful holiday, and everyone else is having an excellent week/weekend!

I'm Jamie, I'm 32 years old, married to JP  for just over 2 years (but together for 6).  I am 16 months post-op, roux-en-y (RNY) gastric bypass surgery; there's a link above if you're interested in reading more about it.  Since beginning my weight-loss journey (before pregnancy), I have lost 146 pounds.  I suffer from Non-Classic Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia (NCAH), which effects my fertility very similarly to PCOS.  Untreated it causes elevated testosterone levels, insulin resistance, anovulation, etc.   Despite these hurdles, I am 25 weeks pregnant with my first child, a little girl!  It has not been without complications.  I had some spotting scares, which were eventually explained by placenta previa.  It is improving, but isn't yet to the 2 cm away from my cervix that they want to see.  My last ultrasound also revealed that my baby girl is only in the 8th percentile for growth, so they're keeping a close eye on her.  More of my IF history and US pictures of my little peanut, if you're in to that kind of thing, can be found in the tabs toward the top of the page.  If you have any questions for me, please feel free to ask!

For those of you following along, I had an appointment with my regular OB on Monday.  It was mostly uneventful.  I've only gained another pound in 4 weeks, up 16 total.  My belly/uterus growth seems to be really close to on track, as I was measuring 24 weeks at 24 weeks, 5 days.  I have no idea how accurate a tape measure on my belly is, but I digress.

He further explained, about her growth, that if she drops down to something like the 2nd or 3rd percentile, that's when they're likely to decide that she stands a better chance on the outside than on the inside.  I'm sure there's more testing involved before making that kind of decision, but time will tell.  My next growth scan is on Tuesday, and it can't get here fast enough.

Thank you for stopping by and leaving a comment!  I look forward to stopping by your home on the web!

The Yucks

I have had a serious case of the yucks the last couple of days.  Severe and painful bloating, for 2 evenings, which migrated into nausea when it subsided.  Then yesterday I woke up with a sore throat and nasal drainage.  Luckily it hasn't gotten any worse today, and Sudafed is my new best friend.  JP has been a saint in taking care of me and running around and getting me food and medicine.

Wednesday marked 24 weeks.  Lots of movement from baby girl is still making me feel a little more confident every day.  I'm still scared shitless about her growth, though.  11 days until our next scan, and hopefully some better news.

Our trip out to Denver to see my sister was FANTASTIC.  I hated to come back!  We visited Colorado Springs for a day, and Garden of the Gods.  Wow!  We also made a trip to the Denver Zoo, Red Rocks Amphitheater and had several excellent meals.  I also spent plenty of time snuggling my sister's 10-week old puppy.  I'll leave you with a few pictures.

My twin sister and I at Garden of the Gods.  I believe this is one of the Balancing Rocks.

JP and I at the visitor's center of Garden of the Gods

Me and the aforementioned puppy!  I love this little guy.  He wouldn't stay put in my luggage, though.

And, lastly, the 24-week bump.  Looking slightly less disheveled than the last one I shared.

23 Weeks

I'm going to skip the stats again this week.  It just doesn't feel right, as I'm back in full-paranoia mode.  Even though I probably could have really used it, I rescheduled my therapy appointment that I had last night.  I didn't want to face anyone else telling me that everything was probably going to be just fine.

I'm doing better, though, actually.  I'm strong, and so is my baby girl, and we're going to get through this.  My next growth scan is 11/27.  I expect that I'll be guarded until then, and possibly after, depending on what kind of news we get.

Bright and early Friday morning JP and I are flying to Denver to visit my sister and her fiance.  I've never been out there before, so I'm super excited.  I'm not much of a planner, so I don't know what all we're going to be doing.  My only stipulation was that I wanted to go to a zoo while I was there.  I think we're going to end up at the zoo in Colorado Springs, followed by Garden of the Gods.  It should be fantastic.  It's not a super long trip, though.  We come back Monday, and I'm back to work on Tuesday.  Sigh.

Lots of love to all of you out there still putting up with me.

8th Percentile

I am terrified, ladies.

I had my follow-up anatomy scan yesterday.  While there is some good news in that her heart and organs and whatnot still look good, and her placenta is really close to being the minimum of 2 cm away from my cervix that they like to see, there was some not-so-good news, too.

Baby girl is small for her gestational age, she's only in the 8th percentile.  The MFM doc said a lot of things when he was talking to me about it, but the only two things that stick out in my mind are the words "8th percentile" and "increased risk of stillbirth".  My husband reminded me this morning that he did mention that sometimes before the baby reaches a certain size, measurements can be effected by angle and position and whatnot.  I go back in three-weeks for a follow-up ultrasound.

My job, for the moment, is to stay the heck off of google and stop trying to read about IUGR, which was not at all mentioned by the doctor, but the product of my own stupid searching.  And to stop panicking, as there's not a damn thing I can do at this point.  I'm working on that one.