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Entries are in order from the latest entry first.
Oh ugh...
Mon, Dec 17, 2007
I have to go in for the extended glucose test.
I did the one hour test last week. I fasted for twelve hours, then went in to the lab at Langley first thing in the morning. I had to chug a bottle of "glucola" (which basically tasted like uber sweet, flat orange soda,) sit for an hour, and then have my blood drawn.
The three hour test consists of following a high carb diet for three days and then going in to the lab, giving a urine sample, having my blood drawn, drinking more glucola, and then sitting there for three hours, having my blood drawn at each hour. The one hour test was really not bad at all. I felt fine aside from a sugar high and felt that the worst part about it was having to sit in the waiting room for an hour. I'm sure the three hour test is not completely terrible either, but what makes it difficult is that I'm leaving for Milwaukee on Thursday. I can't take the test in January when I come back because this is one of those time sensitive things. It's a test that's done between 24-28 weeks of pregnancy, and I'm already at 28 weeks and 6 days. I already don't have three days to follow the diet, so figuring out how to do this is going to be interesting.
I'm waiting for a nurse to call me back with instructions, but I have a feeling that they're going to want me to start the diet tonight and then take the test early on the morning of the 20th. If I go in when the lab opens at 7am, I can be out of there by 10:30, hopefully. Then I can come home and finish laundry and packing and be on my way to the airport by 3:00. I'm sure at that point I'll be crashing from the sugar rush big time, but maybe that will help me to sleep on the plane. We won't get in to Milwaukee until after 10pm, which by my body clock will actually be 11pm. I'm going to be freakin exhausted. I hope this works out... and geez... I hope I don't have gestational diabetes.
I did the one hour test last week. I fasted for twelve hours, then went in to the lab at Langley first thing in the morning. I had to chug a bottle of "glucola" (which basically tasted like uber sweet, flat orange soda,) sit for an hour, and then have my blood drawn.
The three hour test consists of following a high carb diet for three days and then going in to the lab, giving a urine sample, having my blood drawn, drinking more glucola, and then sitting there for three hours, having my blood drawn at each hour. The one hour test was really not bad at all. I felt fine aside from a sugar high and felt that the worst part about it was having to sit in the waiting room for an hour. I'm sure the three hour test is not completely terrible either, but what makes it difficult is that I'm leaving for Milwaukee on Thursday. I can't take the test in January when I come back because this is one of those time sensitive things. It's a test that's done between 24-28 weeks of pregnancy, and I'm already at 28 weeks and 6 days. I already don't have three days to follow the diet, so figuring out how to do this is going to be interesting.
I'm waiting for a nurse to call me back with instructions, but I have a feeling that they're going to want me to start the diet tonight and then take the test early on the morning of the 20th. If I go in when the lab opens at 7am, I can be out of there by 10:30, hopefully. Then I can come home and finish laundry and packing and be on my way to the airport by 3:00. I'm sure at that point I'll be crashing from the sugar rush big time, but maybe that will help me to sleep on the plane. We won't get in to Milwaukee until after 10pm, which by my body clock will actually be 11pm. I'm going to be freakin exhausted. I hope this works out... and geez... I hope I don't have gestational diabetes.
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The scare of a lifetime
Sun, Dec 9, 2007
Yesterday I fell down the stairs. As in top to bottom.
One minute I was just standing there at the top, talking to Matt and sipping on a giant strawberry smoothie, the next minute I was falling, my butt hitting every single step on the way down. I couldn't stop and I literally bounced the whole way. When I got to the bottom, I realized that Matt was yelling and running after me. He helped me do a quick check to see if anything was broken and it appeared that nothing was. Then I got this horrible feeling in my stomach and thought... the baby. Matt called the hospital where I go for my OB appointments and explained what happened. They told me to come in and go straight to labor and delivery.
Matt and I managed to get me up and changed into some clothes that weren't drenched with smoothie. (It was dripping off the walls, ceiling and banisters... everywhere!) Then we got into the car and headed over to Langley. It was during the car ride when I realized that Abby wasn't kicking or even moving a little bit. I got more freaked out the closer to the hospital we got. Matt dropped me off at the front doors and I limped inside. Once Matt had parked the car and joined me, we made our way upstairs to labor and delivery. The nurses there took us into a delivery room and hooked me up to the fetal monitor. It took a long time to find Abby's heartbeat... the longer it took, the more scared I felt. Finally, after what seemed to be forever, we heard her heart beating, faint but strong. It was the sweetest, most wonderful sound I have ever heard.
Another nurse came in and did a quick little physical exam of me to see what kind of damage I had done to my own body. My left knee was bleeding and bruised, my right hip felt bruised but wasn't turning purple yet, my right elbow was scraped and bleeding, and the middle finger on my right hand was swollen and beginning to bruise. Fortunately, since I had bounced most of the way down on my butt, Abby didn't seem to have suffered anything more than a violent shaking as I fell. The longer I sat in the bed and listened to her heartbeat growing ever stronger, the more I felt her kick and wiggle inside my belly. Our nurse came back into the room and said that she had spoken to one of my doctors and that instead of having to stay all afternoon for monitoring, we could go home since we seemed to be ok. Matt and I were both so relieved. We went home and attempted to clean up the smoothie mess. We got 99% of it, but I have a feeling we'll be finding little pink spots here and there for a long time.
I'm definitley banged up and very sore... my finger is the worst right now. It's all purple on the inside knuckle and it's swollen up to a really abnormal size. I can move it, but I prefer not to... so at least it's not broken. Abby seems to be happy and normal. She's moving around and kicking like she always does. I am so glad that she's ok.
So today, I'm laying low... and avoiding going up or down the stairs if I can.
One minute I was just standing there at the top, talking to Matt and sipping on a giant strawberry smoothie, the next minute I was falling, my butt hitting every single step on the way down. I couldn't stop and I literally bounced the whole way. When I got to the bottom, I realized that Matt was yelling and running after me. He helped me do a quick check to see if anything was broken and it appeared that nothing was. Then I got this horrible feeling in my stomach and thought... the baby. Matt called the hospital where I go for my OB appointments and explained what happened. They told me to come in and go straight to labor and delivery.
Matt and I managed to get me up and changed into some clothes that weren't drenched with smoothie. (It was dripping off the walls, ceiling and banisters... everywhere!) Then we got into the car and headed over to Langley. It was during the car ride when I realized that Abby wasn't kicking or even moving a little bit. I got more freaked out the closer to the hospital we got. Matt dropped me off at the front doors and I limped inside. Once Matt had parked the car and joined me, we made our way upstairs to labor and delivery. The nurses there took us into a delivery room and hooked me up to the fetal monitor. It took a long time to find Abby's heartbeat... the longer it took, the more scared I felt. Finally, after what seemed to be forever, we heard her heart beating, faint but strong. It was the sweetest, most wonderful sound I have ever heard.
Another nurse came in and did a quick little physical exam of me to see what kind of damage I had done to my own body. My left knee was bleeding and bruised, my right hip felt bruised but wasn't turning purple yet, my right elbow was scraped and bleeding, and the middle finger on my right hand was swollen and beginning to bruise. Fortunately, since I had bounced most of the way down on my butt, Abby didn't seem to have suffered anything more than a violent shaking as I fell. The longer I sat in the bed and listened to her heartbeat growing ever stronger, the more I felt her kick and wiggle inside my belly. Our nurse came back into the room and said that she had spoken to one of my doctors and that instead of having to stay all afternoon for monitoring, we could go home since we seemed to be ok. Matt and I were both so relieved. We went home and attempted to clean up the smoothie mess. We got 99% of it, but I have a feeling we'll be finding little pink spots here and there for a long time.
I'm definitley banged up and very sore... my finger is the worst right now. It's all purple on the inside knuckle and it's swollen up to a really abnormal size. I can move it, but I prefer not to... so at least it's not broken. Abby seems to be happy and normal. She's moving around and kicking like she always does. I am so glad that she's ok.
So today, I'm laying low... and avoiding going up or down the stairs if I can.
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Update!
Thu, Nov 29, 2007
I just talked to a woman who does ultrasounds for military families and made an appointment for the 17th of December! Since Tricare (military ins.) doesn't cover ultrasounds for "entertainment" or to determine the sex of babies, couples have to go elsewhere and pay to have these done. Now, I had hoped that I would just be getting a second trimester ultrasound done for confirmation of baby's health and due date, but it appears that's not going to happen. We were lucky several weeks ago to get a quickie ultrasound when the Dr. I saw sneaked us into the u/s room and took a look. I'm just a little concerned that, since it was such a quick look, the margin for error on our baby's sex increased. My mom is throwing me a shower in January and I know I'm going to get tons of girl stuff, so I just want to be sure that we're really having a girl. Well, that and I really want to see our sweet little baby's face again... :-)
So anyway, the woman who does these ultrasounds just opened a brand new office and has top of the line machines, including 4D and video. Not only will we get tons of pictures printed out, but we'll also get them on a CD, AND we'll get an actual DVD of the entrie scan! I'll be just a day shy of 29 weeks when we go in, so Abby should be looking pretty well developed. I can't wait to see her!
So anyway, the woman who does these ultrasounds just opened a brand new office and has top of the line machines, including 4D and video. Not only will we get tons of pictures printed out, but we'll also get them on a CD, AND we'll get an actual DVD of the entrie scan! I'll be just a day shy of 29 weeks when we go in, so Abby should be looking pretty well developed. I can't wait to see her!
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Another first!
Wed, Nov 14, 2007
Last night my husband finally felt our daughter move for the first time! We had, again, just gone to bed and I was laying on my right side. Abby was moving around a lot, so I was playing with her to see if I could get her to kick. Sure enough, I got a couple good jabs on my left side, strong enough that I could feel them on the outside. I grabbed Matt's hand and put it where mine had been, and of course, Abby stopped moving. So I started talking to her and told her to kick her Daddy! Matt and I laughed, but a couple minutes later she kicked him pretty hard - at least as hard as a 1.25 lb, 12 inch long baby can! I think he felt her two or three more times before she decided to calm down.
I can't really begin to describe how amazing it is to feel that... it makes Abby's existence so much more of a reality. I mean, I've known she was there for a long time, but up until she started moving around, she was just this abstract thing we were preparing for. Now she's become this little person, with habits and quirks and what seems to be a sense of humor (taking after her Daddy already!) I'm overwhelmed and awed. She may still be in the womb, but she's already made my life feel more complete.
I can't really begin to describe how amazing it is to feel that... it makes Abby's existence so much more of a reality. I mean, I've known she was there for a long time, but up until she started moving around, she was just this abstract thing we were preparing for. Now she's become this little person, with habits and quirks and what seems to be a sense of humor (taking after her Daddy already!) I'm overwhelmed and awed. She may still be in the womb, but she's already made my life feel more complete.
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Pregnancy update
Fri, Nov 9, 2007
It's been an interesting week!
I had a checkup at the doctor's office on Wednesday. It was very basic, pretty non-eventful. I met another doctor who could potentially be delivering our baby, which is good. I don't know if I mentioned this in a previous post or not, but the way the hospital at Langley works is a lot different from most civilian medical facilities. I don't get assigned one particular doctor, so I don't get to develop a relationship with the person who will be delivering our baby. I see whoever I happen to get assigned to and when I go into labor, the doctor who will be delivering Abby will be whoever happens to be on the schedule that day. At first this really bothered me because I think there is a lot of comfort in seeing a familiar face throughout a somewhat scary, if exciting process. Every doctor, nurse or midwife that I've talked to has been wonderful though. I feel totally cared for and don't really feel like I'm missing out too much. Right now, my goal is to see as many doctors as I can throughout my pregnancy so that my chances of seeing a familiar face in the delivery room are greater.
The doctor I saw on Wednesday was a male, which was a first for me in a long time. I honestly can't remember the last time I saw a male doctor. He ended up being really cool. Matt and I both liked him a lot. He was easy to talk to, had a good sense of humor, was very helpful in answering all my questions and his demeanor was very comforting. I will be very happy if he ends up being the doctor who delivers our baby. I've been doing checkups every six weeks but now it looks like I'll be going in every three to four weeks now. I can't believe I'm almost six months!!!
Last night Matt and I went to our first child birthing class. Two other women in the class are colleagues of Matt's, so it was fun for us all to sit together. We get free dinner in the cafeteria each week, and then the class is two and a half hours. Last night we got an overview of the labor process, watched a video, and then had a long discussion about nutrition. The two women who teach the class are really nice and they do their best to make things interesting. The video we watched was... very interesting. I remember watching "The Miracle of Life" in health class in seventh grade and being shocked to see an entire birth... I was no less shocked at 31 years old to see the same thing. It's a scary thing to think that my body will stretch that much. I'm definitely scared, but I'm comforted by the knowledge that women have done this for millions of years and that it's a totally natural process. I'm so thankful that I live in a time where medical technology is such that I have options to ease the pain. If I can deliver this baby naturally, without any drugs, that would be ideal. I'm not going to be a hero though... if it hurts more than I can bear I will have no qualms about asking for an epidural!
Last night I experienced yet another first. Matt and I went to bed and I was laying on my right side as we turned out the lights. Typically I start to feel Abby moving around a lot more once I lay down or sit still, so I wasn't surprised to feel that familiar fluttering and wiggling as I was winding down to go to sleep. Her movements have gotten much stronger in the last week or so and I can definitely say that what I feel is much more like kicking and punching than little butterflies in my tummy. It doesn't hurt, but it definitely keeps me awake. Anyway, Matt and I were talking and I absentmindedly placed my left hand on the left side of my belly. Just moments later I felt my entire belly leap and what must have been a heel or maybe an elbow slammed into my hand! It was the most amazing thing! Up until that moment, every movement I could feel was internal. I grabbed Matt's hand and put it where my hand had been, but Abby must have suddenly gotten shy because she stopped moving altogether. Or maybe she's just teasing us. At any rate, I can't wait for Matt to be able to feel her kicking too.
My belly is growing ever larger. I'm really loving pregnancy right now... probably because I'm in what they call the "magic window" where all the early symptoms go away and you get your energy back. I'll probably be like this through the holidays and then once I get into the third trimester I'll get the fatigue back. I'm sure the last two months will be pretty rough, but I'm ready for it.
I had a checkup at the doctor's office on Wednesday. It was very basic, pretty non-eventful. I met another doctor who could potentially be delivering our baby, which is good. I don't know if I mentioned this in a previous post or not, but the way the hospital at Langley works is a lot different from most civilian medical facilities. I don't get assigned one particular doctor, so I don't get to develop a relationship with the person who will be delivering our baby. I see whoever I happen to get assigned to and when I go into labor, the doctor who will be delivering Abby will be whoever happens to be on the schedule that day. At first this really bothered me because I think there is a lot of comfort in seeing a familiar face throughout a somewhat scary, if exciting process. Every doctor, nurse or midwife that I've talked to has been wonderful though. I feel totally cared for and don't really feel like I'm missing out too much. Right now, my goal is to see as many doctors as I can throughout my pregnancy so that my chances of seeing a familiar face in the delivery room are greater.
The doctor I saw on Wednesday was a male, which was a first for me in a long time. I honestly can't remember the last time I saw a male doctor. He ended up being really cool. Matt and I both liked him a lot. He was easy to talk to, had a good sense of humor, was very helpful in answering all my questions and his demeanor was very comforting. I will be very happy if he ends up being the doctor who delivers our baby. I've been doing checkups every six weeks but now it looks like I'll be going in every three to four weeks now. I can't believe I'm almost six months!!!
Last night Matt and I went to our first child birthing class. Two other women in the class are colleagues of Matt's, so it was fun for us all to sit together. We get free dinner in the cafeteria each week, and then the class is two and a half hours. Last night we got an overview of the labor process, watched a video, and then had a long discussion about nutrition. The two women who teach the class are really nice and they do their best to make things interesting. The video we watched was... very interesting. I remember watching "The Miracle of Life" in health class in seventh grade and being shocked to see an entire birth... I was no less shocked at 31 years old to see the same thing. It's a scary thing to think that my body will stretch that much. I'm definitely scared, but I'm comforted by the knowledge that women have done this for millions of years and that it's a totally natural process. I'm so thankful that I live in a time where medical technology is such that I have options to ease the pain. If I can deliver this baby naturally, without any drugs, that would be ideal. I'm not going to be a hero though... if it hurts more than I can bear I will have no qualms about asking for an epidural!
Last night I experienced yet another first. Matt and I went to bed and I was laying on my right side as we turned out the lights. Typically I start to feel Abby moving around a lot more once I lay down or sit still, so I wasn't surprised to feel that familiar fluttering and wiggling as I was winding down to go to sleep. Her movements have gotten much stronger in the last week or so and I can definitely say that what I feel is much more like kicking and punching than little butterflies in my tummy. It doesn't hurt, but it definitely keeps me awake. Anyway, Matt and I were talking and I absentmindedly placed my left hand on the left side of my belly. Just moments later I felt my entire belly leap and what must have been a heel or maybe an elbow slammed into my hand! It was the most amazing thing! Up until that moment, every movement I could feel was internal. I grabbed Matt's hand and put it where my hand had been, but Abby must have suddenly gotten shy because she stopped moving altogether. Or maybe she's just teasing us. At any rate, I can't wait for Matt to be able to feel her kicking too.
My belly is growing ever larger. I'm really loving pregnancy right now... probably because I'm in what they call the "magic window" where all the early symptoms go away and you get your energy back. I'll probably be like this through the holidays and then once I get into the third trimester I'll get the fatigue back. I'm sure the last two months will be pretty rough, but I'm ready for it.
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It's a GIRL!
Wed, Sept 26, 2007
I had my big doctor appointment today, and it looked as if we weren't going to get an ultrasound. But just before the doctor left, I mentioned that we were interested in finding out the sex of the baby. She asked, "You just want to find out the sex?" I said yep, and she went to see if the ultrasound room was free.
It was! She ushered us into the room to do a quick scan and after a few minutes pointed to the screen and said:
It was! She ushered us into the room to do a quick scan and after a few minutes pointed to the screen and said:
It's a GIRL!!!!
Even though she was about 95% sure of what she saw, she still wants to schedule me for a complete scan, with the excuse to our insurance company that they are unsure of my due date. I'll be having that done at my next appointment in six weeks. Sadly, I didn't get any pictures to take home today, but I should have a few after the next one!
I am so excited! A baby girl! It's so great to actually know and to be able to say "she" instead of "it." Matt and I have decided to name her Abigail Quinn, Abby for short.
I just can't stop smiling...
Even though she was about 95% sure of what she saw, she still wants to schedule me for a complete scan, with the excuse to our insurance company that they are unsure of my due date. I'll be having that done at my next appointment in six weeks. Sadly, I didn't get any pictures to take home today, but I should have a few after the next one!
I am so excited! A baby girl! It's so great to actually know and to be able to say "she" instead of "it." Matt and I have decided to name her Abigail Quinn, Abby for short.
I just can't stop smiling...
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Baby Pool!
Thu, Sept 6, 2007
Do you think we're having a boy or a girl? How much will baby weigh at birth? Have a guess? Click this link, enter game name: "babygunderson" and record it in our pool!
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Wow... just... wow
Tue, Aug 21, 2007
So, last Friday I had my first real OB appointment. My due date has been moved, yet again... now to March 4th, where it is staying. Matt got the morning off and came along with me. Poor guy had to witness me getting a pelvic exam and pap smear, but after that, Capt. Norcross, our midwife, wheeled in the ultrasound machine.
Capt. Norcross explained to us that since it was so early in my pregnancy, a transvaginal ultrasound would give us a clearer picture of the baby. Basically this means (my apologies to the squeamish) that they have a probe that gets inserted you-know-where. Matt's eyes got really wide when he saw it, and I had to giggle. I wasn't super keen on the idea of how this was going to have to take place, but all worries evaporated as soon as I looked at the screen.
Being 11 weeks, 3 days, I didn't expect to see a whole lot of detail. I figured the baby was still pretty tiny, and it would probably look like a little blob. We were utterly floored to see such incredible detail! As soon as the screen came on, we saw Baby, arms flailing, legs kicking, fingers wiggling, rolling all around! It was like he or she was throwing a little dance party right then and there! We laughed, and then Baby must have realized we were watching because he/she suddenly stopped and went to sleep... or pretended to at least. I seriously could have watched that screen and listened to that precious little heartbeat for hours. Words will never be able to fully describe how amazing it was to see our baby for the first time.
Capt. Norcross explained to us that since it was so early in my pregnancy, a transvaginal ultrasound would give us a clearer picture of the baby. Basically this means (my apologies to the squeamish) that they have a probe that gets inserted you-know-where. Matt's eyes got really wide when he saw it, and I had to giggle. I wasn't super keen on the idea of how this was going to have to take place, but all worries evaporated as soon as I looked at the screen.
Being 11 weeks, 3 days, I didn't expect to see a whole lot of detail. I figured the baby was still pretty tiny, and it would probably look like a little blob. We were utterly floored to see such incredible detail! As soon as the screen came on, we saw Baby, arms flailing, legs kicking, fingers wiggling, rolling all around! It was like he or she was throwing a little dance party right then and there! We laughed, and then Baby must have realized we were watching because he/she suddenly stopped and went to sleep... or pretended to at least. I seriously could have watched that screen and listened to that precious little heartbeat for hours. Words will never be able to fully describe how amazing it was to see our baby for the first time.
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We're expecting!
Tue, Jul 24, 2007
On July 7, 2007, Matt and I found out that we are expecting our first child! We're excited, nervous, and a little overwhelmed, but we're so anxious to meet our son or daughter.
We'll be moving to base housing at the end of August, where we hope to remain for at least a year after the baby is born. This, of course, could change at a moments notice. Such is the life of a military family. We've chosen a bright and sunny duplex with a partial view of the marina at Ft. Monroe. The baby's room is small, but cheery. I hope we'll be allowed to paint it...
So far I haven't been suffering too badly from the early pregnancy symptoms. Just some fatigue, frequent trips to the bathroom, and a little moodiness. I've been lucky to have only had sporadic bursts of mild nausea. I'm hoping that doesn't get any worse.
My first OB appointments are in mid-August. I have an "orientation" on the 14th and my first actual exam on the 17th. I'm anxious to hear that the baby is healthy and that my pregnancy will be normal.
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