Christmas (December) Babies 2018!

[jessicaftl]

Sushai - glad to read your update. Two weeks isn't long and fingers are crossed babies can hang out in there just for a little bit longer! I'm excited and nervous for you as well, eeek!!! 4 lbs seems like an okay size, but I am definitely not an expert. I'm really glad they're taking such good care of you!

afm - 37 weeks today (yikes) not much is going on yet, been having some really strong BH. Trying to chug my raspberry leaf tea as much as I can. I see my mw tonight so I'll find out about the gbs. Crazy that I'll likely meet my lo in about 3 or 4 weeks if they're anything like the others. I'm getting nervous and excited and a little bit anxious.

 

[StarGazerRose]

I missed a ton yesterday..... I was here just not posting.
Sushai -- an intense day for you! I hope that they find out you can make it to 37 weeks! But it's all a matter of how that next scan reads. Hoping you'll get better results. And I think that with your history of small babies, and these being twins, that they are going to be smaller.

Well my prenatal was this morning -- and the most eventful one yet. My BP was high -- i chalked it up to the fact that I was rushing to get there and was running late. Tried to breathe it down, but it didn't budge. Nurse didn't tell me the number, which i thought was odd, but I still thought it was cause i was rushing.... THEN urine test came back with MORE protein in it than last time! (Even with the last time being a bladder infection and the symptoms have disappeared) Baby was being stubborn and didn't want to be found with the doppler, but still got a decent reading for the hb. And as soon as the nurse left baby started moving around....
But since my blood pressure was high, the protein level, and i mentioned my feet swelling... They are worried about pre-e....
After the Doc told them i needed a NST, baby hiccups started. So i got to sit in a chair for idk how long (they said it's roughly 20 mins, but i'm pretty sure it was longer than that) with those round discs on my belly and baby had the hiccups for over 30 mins, then they stopped for a while, probably tried to get some sleep, and then started wiggling around just enough to get some readings. Til the VERY end when they said lets get this off you... Baby started having a ball! The NST Nurse was laughing at how long Baby had the hiccups for. But my BP during the NST was high, even though i wasn't moving and just concentrating on baby movements. My last reading finally dropped to 139/90 ... still too high. Doctor read the NST reports and was happy with everything (even through the hiccups), so that made be feel a bit better. But the bp being high worries me.
So Now... I have to track my bp at home (i have a little thing MIL gave me) a few times, do a 24hr Urine collection (which has to be Sunday since it's the weekend,) return it on Monday and see what they say...
Oh and i had to give blood too. Not sure what they track with that but we'll see what it says.

My next appointment is my u/s on 14th and then my next prenatal is the 23rd (if they don't tell me to come in before then).
Baby is moving around, so i'm not terribly worried, but it's still nerve racking that things are coming up. Luckily only a few weeks left and things should be over soon!

 

[jessicaftl]

Star - sounds like an eventful appointment. Sorry about the high bp, and having to do that 24 hour urine catch (I did it with my first pregnancy and it sucked) No one listened to me when I said I get higher bp when I'm stressed out or anxious. I doubt it'll be anything serious, hopefully all just better safe than sorry. They put those little disks on your belly as well during labor to track baby's hb. Always seems like the last few weeks are when things get super eventful.

 

[StarGazerRose]

Well i'm hoping that i can report my bp being lower than in the office. Those automatic ones always seem to read higher than manual ones. (but that's what the thing is at home i have .... urgh so we'll see)
I'm not so happy doing the urine thing, but if it's to make sure baby is ok, and that i don't have any issues then i'll do it for 1 day...

I'm hoping it's just normal issues of being this far along. Baby has been moving for the past few hours like normal, so I think they were just being stubborn at the office. LOL I'm still laughing that they had hiccups for the duration of the NST. Probably why i was there longer than normal, so they could get a reading with out the hiccups. I was trying to zone out to lower my bp but it didn't seem to help.

Oh and Congrats on 37 Weeks! Looks like you'll be getting that Water Birth after all!!!

 

[jessicaftl]

I so hope I do get that water birth, I hate hospitals soooo much. I imagine I'll get to around 41w as usual. I generally start losing my plug a couple weeks before and it hasn't happened yet. Baby is super active. Hiccups for that whole time is pretty funny, never had them last that long either lol.

 

[StarGazerRose]

I couldn't help but laugh. It was too funny. The nurse kept coming in to check and she just was amazed. Baby is being active still. Seriously like they KNOW when they are being monitored and goof off! I told the doctor as soon as the nurse left baby was moving around....and then when the nurse came to get me for my NST I told her baby has the hiccups ... LOL
I thought many times they would stop, but the kids turned and they just kept on going.

I think the doc was surprised that I hadn't had any contractions or pains. I guess cause I have the other signs of pre-e that he was expecting me to say yes to something he asked. I honestly don't think i've even felt a cramp since doing the whole antibiotic thing. I've felt pressure mostly late at night when i'm getting up and down from the couch, but he didn't ask about that. And the most "pain" i've had is when baby decides that their feet/hands need to come out my side as they turn around. (and that's nothing to do with contractions)

 

[jessicaftl]

I didn't even know what contractions felt like until I was well into labor with my first, I also had a NST with my first and they all looked at me with surprise when I said "I don't feel those" watching them on the monitor. I've heard pre-e swelling is really extreme, so I'm hoping it's just basic end of pregnancy stuff you're dealing with.
I believe it about babies knowing when they're being monitored, mine act different as well. Mine has been a bit quiet today, but was pretty active this morning. Woke up startled this morning and they were squirming around, so I think dd woke them up as well as me.

 

[StarGazerRose]

I was expecting them to kick the doppler again. I told the nurse they have for the last 3 appointments, didn't think this one should be any less. But they were hiding at the back and away from the wand.
They said nothing about me having contractions on the monitor (but personally 34 weeks is kinda early for contractions...but from what I've read about pre-e, you can have them and some other pains in the belly) I'm glad that the doctor liked the readout baby produced. I told the nurse I wasn't counting the hiccups as movement since they had been doing on for so long. I only recorded the ones where they actually moved and I noticed them. I could tell based on the beat and the monitor that they were, but i didn't feel all of them. also didn't count head/hands moving unless it raised the monitor.

Been trying to prop up my feet at work but it's so awkward because of how my stuff is laid out in my room/desk. ... I'll do it here and there, but at least it's an attempt...

 

[jessicaftl]

Yeah, I get contractions when I'm stressed, or really needing to take a break. Good that you're trying to prop your feet up, hope you can find something that works, even if it's just a little bit. I took a bump photo today and I just feel so huge, I could barely get my bump and torso in the pic haha. I think LO sticks out their butt a bit when I'm up and standing, especially since I had just gotten out of the shower. My belly button is sticking out a bit too, which is doesn't usually much with an anterior placenta.

 

[Sushai]

Jessica happy full term!!! How exciting that you’ve made it this far and that baby will be here in a few short weeks, yay!

Star, what an eventful appointment. I really hope you don’t have pre-e. Pregnancy is already stressful enough and it’s awful when something else gets added to the mix.

AFM, 35 weeks today! Made it to my goal and I’m so happy about that. 1 or 2 weeks to go until I meet my girls. I’m so over being pregnant. Sick of all the aches, pains and discomfort. In regards to contractions, my bh have become more intense in the last few days and it comes with some pretty awful pressure in my bits like as if baby is wanting to come out. I mentioned it to my ob yesterday and she just wants me to keep an eye on it. It’s nothing regular so I’m now worried but I do get quite a few throughout the day.

 

[jessicaftl]

Sushai - so glad you're still here at 35 weeks! Sorry you're so done being pregnant, and it is a good thing because you'll soon have your girls out with you. I'm also getting lots of pressure down low, but it doesn't feel like anything I haven't dealt with in the past. Fx it is just because you're so close to the end and babies are just really crowded in there.

 

[Sushai]

Jessica I definitely think all the pressure is from it getting so crowded in there. I’ve never had 4kg worth of baby in there so all these symptoms are new for me. My other pregnancies were relatively easy compared to this one, it’s like being a first timer in some ways lol

 

[markswife10]

Star, I'm sorry about your high BP and protein. I'm glad they are being proactive, though, because it can go south FAST (I had severe pre-e with DD, which is why she was born so early at 26+6--my BP at my appointment 5 days before was NORMAL, she was delivered a week after my normal BP OB appointment). They are likely checking your platelets with the bloodwork since you can get a condition called HELLP along with Pre-e which causes a low platelet count (along with elevated liver enzymes, and break down of blood cells). I've been tested for it three times along with 24 hour urine test this pregnancy, not because my proteins or bp have been high, but because of my history and risk.

SO glad they are keeping a good eye on you and the twins Sushai! I agree that they don't sound overly behind, but hopefully they will stay put a couple of more weeks and grow grow grow!!!!

Yay for full term Jessica!!!! Eeek!!!! It will be SO SOON for all of us!

AFM, I'm 35 and a half weeks! Just a week and a half from full term! I'm getting excited/anxious to meet this little guy Especially since he keeps wanting to stay permanently camped on my bladder and in my ribs (I'm guessing my short torso has to do with that as I'm only 5'1", lol). I'm also less than 4 weeks away from my 39 week c-section date! So less than 4 weeks I'll be having this little guy

I have been having a ton of braxton hicks for weeks. Sometimes they get worse with a lot of activity, sometimes they just happen when I'm sitting/laying around relaxing, and lately they like to happen when I pee. Sometimes I get strong ones that kinda hurt too (some feel like period cramps), but they are never consistent and always go away and I'm not dilated (OB checked at my appointment on Tuesday), so I know they aren't affecting my cervix. They are just very annoying. I didn't get them at all with DD, but IDK if it was just because I was too early with her when she was born or if they are just worse with subsequent pregnancies lol.

 

[jessicaftl]

Sorry I didn't respond last night, I was so, so busy!

Sushai - I can only imagine! I'm excited that soon you'll have your babies and be in less discomfort as well.

markswife - yaaay for almost being full term this time around. I also have a short torso, it really is the pits having baby pushing against your bladder and ribs. As for the BH, yep I get the same type too, soooo uncomfortable. I get a little paranoid with them occasionally but they generally die down. I haven't been checked yet, but my cervix always stays high and closed until I'm in labor so I'm not worried about it. I am glad that they are checking you and especially for the pre-e stuff, that is no joke, I didn't know it was as serious as you're saying with how fast it all can happen...

afm - my appointment went well, my GBS was negative and all my numbers were find. Measuring a little ahead like usual, but it could have been baby's position or just in general. My bp was fine, and I'm pretty sure I've got the green light from my consult that I can have my out of hospital birth. Baby has been quite active all night and morning. Dh is working this morning, so I am already on the warpath of cleaning up the kitchen and living room. We started planning our freezer meals last night in the car ride, so I'll be getting ready for that as well as *finally* packing lol.

 

[MrsDuck]

Happy belated 37 weeks Jessica. Look at you getting organised haha bag packing and freezer meals, I must get on to bag packing, I was intending on doing that this weekend but never got around to it.

Star sorry about your bp and more proteins in your urine but glad they are taking good care of you.
I agree these babies just know when they are meing monitored, or if you tell someone to watch your alien belly movements, suddenly all goes still

Sushai yay for getting to 35 weeks, keep grow grow growing babies.

Well the struggle is real...... I need my toe nail poilish re-doing, my lady bits tidying up and I can't reach and/or see to do it haha
apart from that baby is very wriggly all of the time (apart from when I tell someone to watch) and everything is very uneventful until my next scan next week

 

[StarGazerRose]

Good to see you ladies are making it along nicely!
(way too much for my sleepy brain to remember without scrolling up and down a million times...so i'll leave it at that)

Weekend was decent....
Saturday i worked a little over 7 hours, which didn't bother me too much. But as per any shift that long I was pooped by the end. I checked my bp twice that morning and both were elevated I was going to test when i got home and relaxed some, but i got too sleepy to mess with it.
Sunday was my collection day -- that is the weirdest thing I've done in a while. I tested my BP in the am and it was still elevated ....... It's not looking good ladies.....
Turned in my stuff this morning. They drew some blood, to test something else they didn't test Friday.

So taking into account that my blood count levels have been off most of the pregnancy and they haven't mentioned anything for these first few numbers. AND Hubby is sick (I have a minor cough myself)
WBC: 13.5 (high) // HGB: 10.8 (low) // HCT: 32% (low) // Absolute Neut: 11.10 (high)

Then these are where I think it is an issue:
Albumin level: 3.2 (low) // Total Protein: 5.8 (low) // Alkaline Phosphatase: 152 (high) // AST: 11 (low)
Urine Protein POL: 30 mg // Urine Specific Gravity POL: 1

So I'll probably get a call today about my collection results and some of the blood work findings from Friday.....

I've been curious cause baby is VERY active.... and I can't seem to find anything on google (articles or other blogs) about an active baby and pre-e. LO has been turning and twisting the entire weekend, and still this morning. I know that the worry is normally for the baby, but i think they are doing fine. I think that with pre-e, baby is supposed to be less active...which is why i can't find anything when i search.

 

[jessicaftl]

Good morning ladies!

MrsDuck - I wish I could reach my cooch to trim it up, but alas I must do it without seeing (LOL). Dh always offers to shave my legs and cooch for me so I feel better but I just feel too embarrassed for some reason to let him do it. That's not even to say anything about reaching my feet, I have really mastered picking things up with my toes, too. Hope your scan goes smoothly!

Star - sorry you're feeling a bit under the weather, hope it clears up quickly, being sick while pregnant is really crappy. Not sure about all the numbers you posted, but I hope you get some results you're looking for. I remember doing the urine catch with my first pregnancy and it was so inconvenient. And for your higher bp, so keeping my fingers crossed for you, I'm glad they're keeping an eye on it all and hoping they get back with you asap. Your wbc might be high because you're a little sick but it also goes up a bit when pregnant. And for your hemoglobin levels, those aren't really that low, especially for pregnancy.Usually it's anything under 10.5 they start to get worried (mine was 9.5 with my last blood test). And the neut also goes up with an infection or pregnancy. I did lots of research for my numbers too and my mw didn't seem all that concerned. Even allergies can make some of those numbers change.

afm - well I did pack some of my bag, but I need to get some toiletries rounded up, which I need to get the travel sized. I got some of my food stuff in the freezer, and yesterday I got the last supplies needed to make up a lasagna and lots of marinara to freeze so dh won't starve so easily. Baby has been very active and moving around like crazy all weekend. I managed another super clean of the house Saturday morning, but I was sooo sore by the end of the day I didn't even want to move. We ended up going to get some groceries so I could do up my cooking this week.
I don't have any appointments this week, and my mw is out of town.

 

[markswife10]

I've been curious cause baby is VERY active.... and I can't seem to find anything on google (articles or other blogs) about an active baby and pre-e. LO has been turning and twisting the entire weekend, and still this morning. I know that the worry is normally for the baby, but i think they are doing fine. I think that with pre-e, baby is supposed to be less active...which is why i can't find anything when i search.

Pre-e has nothing to do with baby activity, which is probably why you can't find anything on it (my little girl was moving around good up until delivery). And the worry is for both baby and mom. In my case my BP was not able to be controlled even with BP meds (and I've never had high BP in my life until Pre-e hit, my normal is 90's/60's) and our daughter was in fetal distress by the time they delivered and had IUGR (her heart rate kept dropping consistently and she wasn't growing, she would not have made it much longer had they not delivered her when they did). But the biggest concern with mom is BP can spike too high and cause seizures (when they classify it as eclampsia rather than pre-eclampsia), stroke, coma, even death, so it can get very serious if you aren't watched, which is why doctors keep a close eye on it. Mine actually stuck around until a few weeks after delivery and I had to be readmitted to the hospital less than 24 hours after discharge 4 days after she was born because my BP spiked in the middle of the night to 210/130 (stroke levels, only reason I knew it was high was because I had a headache and woke hubby and told him we needed to go. That is what my BP was when they checked it when we got there). They had to do another 24 hours of magnesium and then put me on BP meds for a few weeks. My BP's were back to normal, though, by my 6 week PP checkup.

I'm glad they are keeping a close eye on you

 

[StarGazerRose]

Jess Congrats on FINALLY packing you bag and getting meals all stocked up. I think my blood counts are probably fine. They have been elevated the entire time, so if they were a concern, they should have mentioned it well before now.

MarksWife -- I know that it can change in a blink of an eye. And I'm trying really hard not to stress (which doesn't help anything). But it terrifies me that I'll end up out of work sooner than anticipated....being all hosed up laying in a hospital bed. And if they have to take baby sooner than they need to. I'm grateful to have made it to 35 weeks, so i'm hoping that we can make it a few more weeks without too much trouble.

I got a message stating that "Tox Panel is normal." ??? I don't understand... Maybe these numbers work together in a way i'm not getting?
Still waiting on my collection results though. But if they come back stating everything looks good, then i'm gonna guess the protein is just left over from my infection, and i'll probably be told i have gestational hypertension.
Up until my last ultrasound, my bp has been near perfect. I was super anxious at that ultrasound, so i'm pretty sure that's why that was elevated. The following prenatal i was 120/70, and then 140/82 at this last one. During my nst it spiked, which i can't explain, nor can the nurse.... but over the weekend my numbers were no higher than 143/92 (give or take i'm going off memory) I'm really curious if it's cause i'm stressing over it. idk ....but if it doesn't go down i'm probably gonna be put on a pill..........and i'll end up stressing over that!

 

[jessicaftl]

Star - mine have been high all of my pregnancy as well so I think it's just part of pregnancy for both of us. Not sure about your tox screen thing, but I'm hoping they get back with you about the collected urine stuff soon. From what markswife is saying, sounds like it can get serious really fast (scary). The end of pregnancy always brings so much stress for so many of us. Thankful that you're 35 weeks now, and almost there, hopefully baby can hang out a bit longer.

I'll likely be making up my marinara and getting it frozen today, maybe not the lasagna just yet, but we'll see. Kids are being okay so far today and I'm still feeling a little antsy. Getting anxious about everything as my edd comes up fast. I haven't lost my plug yet, which generally happens a couple weeks beforehand, so I'm assuming I'll go over my edd again lol.