Anna and Mike had their baby!

A short story by acb, Guest Contributer.

Sooooo -

Anna and Mike had their baby!!!

And it's a ...

Wait for it ...

Wait for it ...

A BOY!!!!!!!!!

Patrick William
8:06 a.m., today, 10/19/07
6lbs, 8.2 oz,
19.5 inches long

Anna is doing well - she is in recovery from the c-section. Baby Patrick has a good amount of strawberry blond hair (like his daddy!), and is doing well also. Mike - well, he's over the moon, as expected. :)

Congrats, Anna and Mike!

Quick Update

Not much going on this week. Just waiting.

Please send good thoughts tomorrow morning, as I have to go in for an amnio to check on FeeNo's lung maturity. If all is developed, the c-section is scheduled for Friday morning.

With the exception of waking up once every night to go to the bathroom, I've been sleeping wonderfully. I have no complaints. My swelling has gone down - my legs are back to normal.

It must be the calm before the storm. :)

More tomorrow.

Countdown to FeeNo - 9 Days

In nine days, I am going to meet my baby face to face. Even as I type this, I can't believe it's going to happen already. It's been the longest nine months of my life, nine months of anticipating and preparing. But still, it seems like a dream.

At today's appointment with the doctor, my parents got to see a glimpse of their grandchild. They were amazed by it all - seeing the baby's profile, arms and legs. FeeNo's weight today - about 6 pounds. Things look good for my c-section next week, pending an amnio on Wednesday.

I'll say this now and I am sure I will again: thanks to everyone for all the prayers and good wishes. It's been a long journey, a scary one most of the time, but everyone's encouragement has been helpful.

FeeNo Wants Out!

How did it get to be October already? Holy moly!

My parents arrive tomorrow. Together, we are anxiously awaiting the arrival of FeeNo. I tell you, it's going to be like an I Love Lucy episode, where everything is rehearsed and then, someone will totally freak out about the entire situation. Of course, this will only happen if I actually go into labor, and I might, since FeeNo's head is way down, ready to come out.

Not much going on otherwise. I saw the doctor today and the countdown to FeeNo has started - 16 days until my scheduled c-section. Things are looking very good - the doc even joked that I am no longer a high risk pregnancy.

I didn't have a growth ultrasound today, so I don't know how much FeeNo weighs today. I suspect the weight is at about six pounds, since I seem to have put on FOUR POUNDS in a week. FOUR POUNDS!

Oh well, what can you do?

I'm so excited, I don't even care.

Here is a clip of what could possibly happen in the next few days with Mike and my parents. Enjoy!

Insomnia + Back Pain = A Very Irritable Annie

Okay people, we're in the homestretch.

It looks like FeeNo will be making a grand entrance on October 19th (as long as my amnio on the 17th shows mature lungs). That's only three weeks away. THREE WEEKS AWAY.

I spoke to my doctor yesterday during my appointment and told him that Mike and I were leaning toward a scheduled c-section because we would rather schedule it than have to have an emergency one. The doctor agreed (coincidentally, they had already sent me the order via US Mail earlier this week, so it was a done deal) and as long as I don't go into labor beforehand, my doctor is definitely going to do the honors of making me a mom.

I have terrible back pain. Last night, it was so terrible I was almost reduced to tears. I have insomnia. Today, I was awake at four in the morning, tossing and turning, and finally got up at five to read and watch shows I had DVR'ed during the week. When I do sleep, I have the craziest dreams (they are all pregnancy related - if you want details, email me). I am snapping at poor Mike. Then I fel bad about it. My stomach weighs a ton (even though my overall weight gain is 8 pounds) and I am in the bathroom constantly, it seems. And my indigestion doesn't seem to be getting any better.

FeeNo wants out of my belly already. There is constant movement in there. And the poor kid is running out of room. Yesterday's weight was 5 pounds, 1 ounce.

I can't believe I'm going to be a mom in less than a month. I'm very excited, but in all honestly, I am scared out of my mind.

Moving Legs and Arms

At today's doctor's visit, FeeNo was a ball of energy. During my entire ultrasound, FeeNo kept moving around, punching his arms and kicking his legs.

In the end, we were able to come to these conclusions: the child is very healthy and active at 34 weeks. And, apparently, experiencing a growth spurt. Today's weight: 4 pounds, 12 ounces. Up from last week's 4 pounds, 2 ounces.

A nice healthy jump that isn't a reflection of my diabetic woes.

I also had a growth spurt: a weight gain of 2 pounds, most of which is baby. Obviously.

I am feeling pretty good, if a bit tired from time to time. I've spent most of this week "nesting" starting with the cleaning of my kitchen cabinets and ending with the cleaning out of dresser drawers. The doctor says this is all perfectly normal, that I'm just getting ready for FeeNo's arrival.

Now, every week, the doctor and I go through pretty much the same things: how I feel, my blood pressure, the baby, my blood sugars. I keep a log of my blood sugars, writing down as many as 10 blood sugar readings in a single day. Then, the doctor and I go through the numbers and figure out if I should make any changes in my food and/or insulin intake during the day. Most of the time, it's been pretty easy to manage because my control has been pretty good.

Today, however, was different. After reading my fasting blood glucose levels, the doctors says to me "I see you were 102 the other day. And 105 the day before that. That's high." Now, for any diabetic out there, those numbers are actually within range. They are pretty much perfect numbers. But for pregnant diabetics, doctors like to see fasting numbers below 95. The doctor expressed concern over increasing my insulin intake overnight, as it might make me too low (which is worse than a high at this point). So he said we should reevaluate the numbers next week and see what's going on.

I have read on other diabetic pregnancy blogs something similar. And the reactions have always been the same: WHAT? HOW CAN 102 BE HIGH? I AIM FOR THIS NUMBER ALL THE TIME! But I guess the rules change when you are pregnant.

That being said, if my fasting numbers don't decrease, I may need to have a c-section afterall. I appreciate the doctor being so cautious with me. But man, now I have c-sections on the brain again.

I shouldn't complain, though. This kid is healthy, active, and growing. I shouldn't be concerned about having to have a cut on my belly, right? I'm curious to hear what everyone thinks about that.

I Have an Awesome Baby

Guess what FeeNo did?

Turned around and got into the right position - all on his own!

At my appointment yesterday, we found out that FeeNo is no longer in breech position, so while we still have a scheduled c-section on the calendar, it's very likely that I am going to go into labor on my own and have this baby naturally.

It took me the entire week to wrap my arms around the idea of having a c-section and now I am told that it may not even happen. No complaints, but I have learned over the last 7 months that things can change daily.

I'm feeling pretty good this week - no indigestion, although my back is starting to hurt a little bit and I get some leg cramps from time to time. I gained another pound - I think that makes it a total of 2 or 3 pounds gained over the course of the pregnancy.

I am almost finished with the baby's room. I only have a few more finishing touches and then I can start to snap pictures. My mother has some things in Florida for the room, so it won't be entirely finished until she arrives in early October. But it looks like a room for a baby.

A room for my baby.

Wow.

Here's a picture from yesterday - I know it looks like the last one, but it's a new one. Really. And I guess FeeNo likes sucking his thumb. Thay may explain the hiccups I feel everyday.

FeeNo at 31 weeks.

So You Really Think FeeNo is a Boy?

Right now, the poll shows that the majority think FeeNo is a boy.

Interesting, because initially, people thought FeeNo was a girl.

Weight yesterday - 2 pounds, 15 ounces. Baby looked good, except still giving us the spine. No pictures to show for it. Maybe FeeNo will cooperate in two weeks. Let's keep our fingers crossed.

I have gained back the two pounds I had lost. So I have gained a total of one pound this entire pregnancy. Blood pressure was good. And the doctor decreased some of my insulin intake since my blood sugars have been dipping a little bit. Overall, not a bad visit.

Ten more weeks until my due date, although it appears FeeNo may have to come early. He is in breech position (which explains all the spine shots the last few weeks) and if he doesn't flip himself over the doctor has scheduled a c-section for mid-October. I'm not exactly sure how I feel about that yet, but as long as FeeNo is okay, that's all I really care about.

More on that in the coming days.

For now, if you haven't voted in the poll, please do so.