40 Weeks

Normally I like to wait until I see the doctor and have more than just general feelings to update the blog with, but this week I'm making an exception.  

The short version is we're still waiting - patiently - but praying for labor to start before my appointment tomorrow.  

The longer version is: We understand that our kid will most likely come out when she's ready, and we're fine with that.  However, if labor doesn't start before my appointment tomorrow then my doctor will try to help it along with some membrane stripping.  We're not technically "overdue" until 42 weeks, so we're trying to relax and focus on everything else going on in our lives.  Lee still has a paper to write, and I have continuing education to work on - or any number of other projects to keep myself busy.

The fact that I generally feel pretty well, makes it easier to wait.  I have tired days here and there, and I don't always sleep well, but otherwise I really have very little to complain about.  Even the little bit of reflux I was having seems to have eased off significantly.  I did have a few little stretch marks finally appear this weekend, but can I really complain about some barely noticeable stretch marks appearing in week 40?  I'd say no.

Still Hanging In

We are at 39 weeks and 3 days!  This is the week where I’ve realized that it can actually be really fun to respond to pregnancy comments/questions.  I love watching peoples’ eyes go wide when they ask when I’m due and I smile and say, “Saturday.”  Some people appear to almost panic while looking me over for signs that I’m in labor.  It’s been an endless source of entertainment over the last few days.

At my OB appointment today I learned that my body made no additional progress this week and our girl still hasn't dropped.  That was mildly frustrating news, but the nurse did firmly tell her that she is being evicted this week :-)  My doctor is unconcerned for now, so I'm not worried either.  We're just taking it easy and waiting for the timing to be right.  My doctor did say she was impressed with how well I'm getting around for being 39 weeks though, and that makes me proud.  I am actually feeling quite well considering, which makes this whole waiting thing much easier.

Lee has been very busy at school with multiple papers in progress, and he says the timing will be right on Saturday (our due date) though he could work us in on Friday too.  Ha!  I just smile, bat my eyelashes, and say, “Sure thing, Honey.”  In truth, he’s as excited and impatient to meet our girl as I am, if not more.  However, we’ll both be ready and delighted whenever she makes her debut, especially since Nana arrived to help today :-)

Continuing Progress

Today I had my 38 week OB check up.  Our girl is continuing to do well with plenty of movement and a healthy heart rate.  The nurse and I get a laugh out of her always kicking the doppler while the nurse tries to check her heart rate.  I'm guessing she's either being sassy or curious :-)  I do wish she'd drop and give me a little more room to breathe and enjoy my meals, but she seems content to just hang out for now.

I'm also doing well.  My body is progressing in its preparations for labor.  As of today I am 2 centimeters dilated and about 50 percent effaced.  I've been woken up in the middle of the night a few times now with contractions, but nothing consistent.  Still it's nice to know those contractions are accomplishing something!  My doctor thinks it's possible that I'll go into labor before my appointment next week, but I'm hoping to hold out until my mom gets here the same day as next week's check-up.  The stats I've seen tell me I have a 25 percent chance of going into labor this week, and a 46 percent chance next week!  I feel a little like a ticking time bomb!

TERM!

We hit 37 weeks or term (technically early term) on Saturday!  That means our girl is basically ready to breathe outside the womb.  How crazy is that?!  I celebrated by jumping on a big trampoline. Totally not safe, but I was careful and everything was fine.  It actually felt amazing!

My doctor appointments are now weekly.  At my 36 week appointment my doctor told me that I was 1.5 cm dilated and that the baby was head down and starting to drop.  She doesn't think I'll deliver in week 37 or 38, but she also doesn't think I'll go past my due date.  However, at my 37 week appointment there was no real change, despite my trampoline time, so I guess we'll see.

I am definitely feeling like my body is too small for this big baby, so I hope my doctor is right and that I won't go past my due date.  I have some seriously tender ribs right now!  Lee and I have been working hard finishing up various tasks around house.  We're feeling ready and a little impatient.  We even have our hospital bags packed and ready to go.

We received our maternity photos from our wonderful photographer last week.  She'll be doing the newborn photos of our girl too!  Here's a few of our favorites:

Continuing the Trend

I should be cleaning up the breakfast dishes right now, but Lee is writing a paper, so I figured I'd procrastinate by writing a blog post.

I had a quick check-up with my OB on Tuesday this past week.  Everything still looks good and is progressing on schedule.  My next appointment, the 36 week check-up, is in a week and a half.  After that appointment I'll start going in weekly to check the cool stuff like effacement, dilation, and baby's position.  Until then I have a few more to-do items to check off my list like getting a Tdap shot and reading more books about how to (hopefully) get our kid to be a good sleeper.

No doubt about it: it's been a long week, and we have five more long weeks ahead.  Mainly I feel like our kid has grown too big for me to continue carrying her.  The books estimate she's 5.5 lbs and 19-22 inches long, so really she's still not that big, but it's how I feel.  Lee mentioned today that he's never seen me so whiny - I expect he'll post something entertaining about that in the next few days. He is right, but I've been more tired and uncomfortable the last couple of days than any time previously, except maybe when I had morning sickness several months ago.  However, when I start to complain, I have to consider my friend who just popped out a 10+ pounder this week.  Thinking of her reminds me that I really need to suck it up :-)

On the bright side, we did have a merciful, if brief, drop in the humidity this week that made my swelling go down quite bit.  It was a glorious couple of days that made me very much look forward to autumn weather!

Finally... An Update!

We got a little behind on the blogging.  Really we got so overwhelmed with moving and unpacking that it seemed irresponsible to sit down and write when we should have been cleaning or putting things away or shopping for various household items we still needed.  When we did sit down we were just too exhausted.  I've actually been sleeping really, really well since we arrived in Alabama - I think because I've been working so hard.  Finally, though, we're nearly settled.  We have pictures and curtains to hang, but we are pretty comfortable now.  We even managed to install the car seat and start setting up the nursery.  Here's a picture of the nursery so far:

We had a wonderful time visiting our families during our couple of vacation weeks.  All of our travel went smoothly.  We got to see many good friends and relatives we don't always get to see on trips home.  We also had a really lovely baby shower thrown by my mom and sister.  Then we flew to Alabama.

Alabama has been quite an adjustment for us.  It's hot and very humid, but those things don't bother me as much as all the bugs.  There are tons of giant cockroaches, mosquitos, and all kinds of other bugs I don't have names for because I've never seen them before now.  I guess you could say this place is very full of life in that respect.  Oh and then there's this from my walk with the dog a few mornings ago:

We've also noticed a difference in culture, of course.  The biggest cultural difference I've noticed since we arrived, is how often people (mostly women, but some men too) comment on my pregnancy. I had only received one comment from a stranger prior to arriving here.  Now I get comments and questions everywhere I go.  Mostly I don't mind, but when someone says, "Wow!  You're going to have a good-size baby!" in response to hearing my due date, I'm a little offended.  It seems any people I've encountered have at least learned to ask before touching a pregnant woman's belly - I sincerely appreciate that.  But it also appears, that there are a few slow learners out there, who have yet to understand how rude it is to comment on a pregnant woman's size.  On the other hand, one very kind woman who passed by me at Ikea said simply: "You look so beautiful."  That was so sweet I nearly cried.

I've been to my new OB/GYN twice.  Interestingly, my high blood pressure has ceased to be an issue because all my blood pressure measurements have been normal here.  I suspect it has something to do with the pleasant office environment and the very kind staff.  Also, at my last appointment I had an ultrasound to check up on my placenta.  It had been low-lying (too close to my cervix) at my 20 week ultrasound, but now it's moved up out of baby's way.  The ultrasound technician also took various measurements of baby girl's anatomy, and she is head down and right on schedule for her age.  It's so nice to have the reassurance that everything is going well as we enter the last two months.  Here is a cute profile picture the technician printed for me:

I have my next appointment, the 34 week check-up, this week.

Lee and I have attended childbirth class, breastfeeding class, and infant CPR and safety class.  We've toured the hospital where I'll be giving birth.  We have one more class on caring for a newborn, but otherwise we're nearly "ready".  Ready in the technical sense that we've done what we can to get ready, not necessarily actually ready.  We are kind of actually ready.  Ready to meet our girl and find out what she's like - though we are still working on names - and taking suggestions!  Any suggestions?  On the other hand, we have no idea how we're going to handle labor and delivery, or for that matter, caring for our infant after delivery.  It seems like there is so much we just have to figure out as we go.

Otherwise, I'm tired.  I guess growing a kid wears you out.  I'm also a little swollen with all the heat and humidity here.  But, I am sleeping well thanks to A/C and my special Snoogle pillow, and that keeps me feeling pretty good overall :-)  Six weeks to go!  

For those who noticed it's been over a month since we posted to the blog,  I expect we'll be back to posting updates more regularly now that things have settled down.

Heat Wave!

The last week brought record breaking temperatures to Germany and other parts of Europe.  Germany, for generally good reasons, has very little AC.  Unfortunately, we've all been suffering for that choice over the last week - especially all the pregnant ladies - and to be dealing with this in the middle of finishing up our move... it's been awful.  Fortunately a couple of weeks ago Lee and I caved to our desire to do one more thing before leaving Europe and booked a trip to Amsterdam.  We've both been there before, but we'd missed a couple of things we wanted to see and do including the Anne Frank House and the Rijksmuseum.  The trip proved worth every penny, and reminded us why we like cities so much - Diversity!  It was still hot in Amsterdam, but it was about 10F degrees cooler than in Germany on the hottest day, and 20-30 degrees cooler on the other days.  And, most importantly, our hotel room had AC and an incredibly comfortable king size bed!  It was glorious!  We didn't want to leave - ever.

We did leave though.  We had to pick up the dog, take care of our last bit of packing, mailing, and paperwork, and catch our flight.

I had my last Germany OB appointment this morning.  My blood pressure was too high again, but this time they sent me right up to Labor and Delivery for testing and monitoring.  They took my blood pressure in the OB clinic 3 times and it was too high every time.  In Labor and Delivery, they took it 7 times and every time was perfectly normal and healthy.  They also monitored the baby's heart rate during all that which was pretty cool.  I was finally released after an extra 3 hours at the hospital with the conclusion that baby girl and I are totally fine.  Ultimately I really appreciate the care they took, but honestly... I'm trying to finish packing and taking care of all the necessary last minute details today before flying out tomorrow - might that be the reason my blood pressure was a little high?  Still, I can't complain too much about 3 hours relaxing with my book on a hospital bed in an air conditioned room on a super hot day like today.

Big picture: we managed to get everything done and we're all healthy and ready for our trip tomorrow!

GD

GD is what all the pregnancy message board posters call gestational diabetes for short.  I will not be calling it that - I think that kind of internet shorthand is annoying because I always find myself having to Google the acronyms to find out what on earth they mean.  Also, I don't have have gestational diabetes - hooray!!! - so I can afford to type it out one more time and never think about it again!

I did find out yesterday that I failed my 1 hour glucose test.  My blood glucose level was 145, and it needed to be less than 140 to pass.  So today Lee and I sat in the laboratory waiting room with 2 other expectant mom and dad pairs taking the 3 hour glucose test.  It was a glucose testing party.  The 3 hour test involves testing your fasting blood sugar level, drinking twice as much glucose drink as the 1 hour test, then testing your blood sugar level 3 more times 1 hour, 2 hours, and 3 hours after drinking the glucose.  That's 4 blood draws in all.  Fortunately, I have no problems with needles, and phlebotomists love my big, dark veins.  I felt and still feel awful from the sugar high this morning, but Lee took me out to lunch and then we ran some errands after the test.  On our way home we stopped back by the OB clinic to get my results.  You have to pass 2 out of 3 of the post-drink blood draws.  I passed all 3 by very comfortable margins :-)

And that brings us to the end of 2nd trimester testing (big sigh of relief)!  My next appointment will be right before we move at the very beginning of my 3rd trimester.

Vaca - and Full-Length Mirrors

Our get-away to the mountains was wonderful and exactly what we needed!

We stopped at Dachau on the way there.  We'd been meaning to do that.  While it is educational and a part of human history that I think is important to understand and remember, I don't think we can be blamed too much for not exactly being excited about this visit.  We're glad we went though, as we learned some things we hadn't known and there's just nothing like seeing a place with your own eyes to help you understand.

The next day we walked from our hotel to the tourist area of Garmisch and mostly we just wandered with no agenda.  We picked up a poster we'd seen on our first visit to Garmisch but failed to buy.  It's a map of the Alps with South at the top of the map and North at the bottom - a unique perspective. We sat at an outdoor table and enjoyed lunch and apple strudel.  In the afternoon we headed back to the hotel and took naps and read, feeling no guilt as it was raining outside.

In the morning we got up early in an attempt to get a view from the top of the Zugspitze, Germany's highest peak, before it was completely socked in by clouds.  We had no luck, though the cable car ride was thrilling :-)  And again we spent the rest of the day relaxing and reading.  I had my first maternity massage, which was wonderful.  We even stayed in for dinner.  It was just so nice to have no place to be, no looming deadlines, and no schedule - a perfect short vacation!

While we were gone I did come to realize that most of our household goods, including our only full-length mirror, have been packed up and on their way to our new home for over a month now.   So really, other than brief reflections in store windows, it's been five weeks since I've had a chance to see myself in a full-length mirror - I guess I've just been judging how I look by how others react to seeing me.  I think it was between 20 and 22 weeks when my belly seemed to become the first thing friends noticed about me.  Well, our hotel room had several large mirrors, and I got a good look at myself.  I actually stood in front of the mirror for a while - shocked.  When did my belly get so big?!  When did I get to be 25 weeks pregnant?!  This is some crazy stuff!  These are all good things, of course, but seeing that belly definitely caught me off-guard :-)

Today we're spending one more day relaxing at home.  Tomorrow begins our final week of living in our wonderful German house.

Happy Father's Day, all!

So Much Testing!

It seems like the 2nd trimester is full of testing.  This is supposed to be the fun, feel-good trimester, but I'm feeling a little bogged down in the testing and other things that they can discover that can go wrong.

Yesterday I took my 1 hour glucose test.  I heard all kinds of horrible things about the glucose drink and it being nauseatingly sweet.  Overblown.  It was fine.  It tasted like sprite, and since I'd been eating light, it actually made me feel better for about 30 minutes while I rode the sugar high.  Then gradually I started to feel unsettled and ended the day with a slight headache/sugar hangover.  Apparently if I passed, the hospital here won't tell me that until my next appointment 3 weeks from now.  I called and requested a phone consult, so I should hear either way by next week :)

Fortunately, we're heading to the hills tomorrow to get away from it all!  A retreat in the Alps is just what we need!

A Little Scare

We had a mostly good appointment yesterday.  The really good news: the 20 week ultrasound showed that our girl's anatomy looks really good and she is growing normally.  Her heart rate was strong and healthy as well.  Our midwife also confirmed via ultrasound that we are in fact having a girl :-) My fundal height (the height of my uterus) is a very healthy 24.5 cm - I don't understand how on earth it's going to reach full height inside my little torso, but lots of petite ladies have babies, so there certainly must be a way.

On the not so good side of things, my blood pressure was a little higher than it should have been, so I had to go in today and have it tested again.  The risk was potential preeclampsia.  Fortunately, today, though I was quite anxious, my blood pressure measured low enough to relieve the worry of preeclampsia for now and additional tests were not needed.  Hooray!

Next week we get to tackle glucose testing!

Vacation!

I've fallen a little behind on the blog the past couple of weeks.  Partly that's because we went on an amazing vacation to the Lofoten Islands in Norway and I was trying to "disconnect", and partly because there's not been a whole lot to write about.  Everything seems to be progressing well.  We never received any calls about major issues discovered at our 20 week ultrasound, so we'll review the results as planned at our scheduled appointment in a week.

Feeling the baby move has been pretty much a daily thing since about week 18 - I'm 22 weeks now.  Lee still doesn't get to regularly feel her, but it's fun to see his whole face light up when he does.  According to some developmental blurb we read, the baby can now perceive light from outside the uterus.  Of course, being the scientifically minded people we are, we immediately set about testing her response to outside light.  Lee shined a flashlight at a specific point on my abdomen, and she kicked at it, or hit at it, or something - I felt her move right where the light was anyway.  It was so cool to actually be interacting with our kid!

I'm generally feeling well.  It's seems like I revisit my morning sickness days about once every other week, but I recover quickly and can move on with my day.  The craziest thing I've felt lately is the days when I get so hungry I could clean out our whole fridge and not be satisfied.  I feel really, really hungry, like I'm starving every 2 to 3 hours for a day or so.  The hunger is not an everyday thing, maybe just once a week.  I can't remember feeling anything like it ever in my life.  Guess that happens when you're growing another person.

I got my first Stitch Fix this week.  They started offering maternity sizes in March, so I decided to give it a try.  I loved it!  I would have kept everything, but the size on one item was just slightly off.  I think the key was a Pinterest board of styles I like that I linked to my style profile.  If you're a woman who hasn't considered it, I definitely recommend giving it a try.  If you use my referral link I get referral credit. https://www.stitchfix.com/referral/5140704  This will be my only push for that :-)

We'll update more and share some of our big ultrasound results next week after our appointment!

Here's a picture from the Hurtigruten portion of our trip.  You can see my belly even though I'm trying my best to cover it up with a down jacket :-)

It's a...

GIRL!!!  And we are very excited!  It seemed pretty clear to us on the ultrasound, but I still feel it necessary to qualify that announcement by adding that ultrasounds are only 90 to 95 percent accurate at determining gender, and I do know one person who was surprised later in her pregnancy to learn that she was actually having a boy :-)  Regardless, we will be planning for a girl!  If you're curious, the poll results favored boy by just 1 vote.

The rest of the full anatomy ultrasound didn't uncover any issues requiring immediate attention, so we'll go over the results with our midwife at our next appointment in June.  Personally, I was just excited to make it through that appointment successfully.  I've heard of women being sent home because the baby was moving too much or they didn't drink enough water, and I was definitely concerned that I wouldn't be able to hold my bladder.  Happily, the technician we saw was very quick about getting the first measurements she needed and then let me take a quick break.

Otherwise, I've generally been feeling quite well.  I get occasional headaches.  I can definitely feel that my lower spine has started to curve which sometimes causes a little discomfort in my back, but that's very infrequent.  I'm sleeping pretty well despite being on an air mattress in preparation for our move.  I have a pretty good energy level, and I don't think "pregnancy brain" has affected me too badly.

Lee finally got to feel his first solid kick this past week - it was a good one too!  At this point, our girl should mostly just be growing and putting on weight for 20 more weeks.  I can't believe we're half-way there already!  Let the naming process begin!

Week 19

It's been a fun week!  Since those swift kicks to the bladder a week ago, I've been feeling the baby move a lot.  Lee has felt one movement but barely - he's jealous and I don't blame him.  I received a bunch of maternity clothes to borrow from an incredibly thoughtful friend which made my maternity wardrobe more than double - it's awesome to have choices on what to wear!  We also received our first baby gift from a very dear friend this week which included some beautiful gender neutral baby gear.

Speaking of gender: our big ultrasound appointment is in a week.  Assuming the little one cooperates, we'll be sharing the gender news next Monday.  Any guesses?

Boy or Girl?

"I think I just felt something"

At work two weeks ago, Joanna sent me a text saying “I think I just felt something.” For me so far, that remains the single most exciting point of this pregnancy. I felt a physical jolt that until now has only been matched by bad news last year and a similar scare this year in Stockholm.

The ultrasounds have been amazing, individually and collectively, but they’re all still ghostly images on a screen. Joanna is obviously pregnant, with the morning sickness and especially the fact that she’s showing. Still, you could have similar symptoms after an impressive bender.  Her feeling movements adds a tangible element that makes it apparent that yes, there really is a little person in there.

The Flutters

For the past couple of weeks I think I've occasionally felt the flutters - the first signs of this kiddo moving around.  It's pretty cool, but because it's so rare and usually passes quickly mostly I'm not sure if it's the kid moving around or just a muscle twitch.

However, yesterday after lunch, I most definitely got kicked in the bladder - several times, actually.  I was indignant, frankly.  I've barely felt anything until the little one decided to make him/herself known with a few swift kicks to my bladder.  What a stinker?!

We hit 18 weeks yesterday.  2 more weeks 'til we have the correct pronoun (fingers-crossed)!

16 Week Appointment

We had our 16 week appointment on Tuesday.  It amazes me how I can feel my blood pressure rise as soon as I get in the car to go.  I was excited to go to this appointment, but apparently my subconscious really does't like going to the doctor.  Still, I didn't quite hit the high blood pressure range, so they're just tracking it.

It was a fun appointment.  Our midwife asked if we were interested in knowing the gender, which we are, and offered to do an ultrasound.  Or course we wanted to do an ultrasound, but before she could do that, I had to take my belly button ring out so it wouldn't interfere with the ultrasound.  I got my belly button ring back in June 2002 to celebrate my crew boat making it to nationals that year.  I haven't taken it out since then.  The midwife had to pull out the pliers to get the top ball to unscrew from the post.  After that it slipped out no problem.  She said I could put it back in, but I'd always intended to take my belly button ring out when I got pregnant, so out it will stay.  It's so weird to look at my belly without it.

Our little one was as stubborn as his/her parents and refused to show us what we wanted to see, so we'll wait 4 more weeks until our big anatomy scan to get the official answer on gender (we hope).  I was advised to drink orange juice 30 minutes before the next appointment to get the baby moving :-)   We did get to hear and SEE the heart beating with all the separate chambers of the heart - it was so cool!  For those who know stuff about this or want to bet on old wives' tales the heart rate was 160 bpm.  It's amazing how much the kid has grown since our last ultrasound!

The Comforting Effect of Nausea, or, Why I Might Be a Horrible Husband

There was no excitement during the first trimester, only anxiety. Despite the fact that we had been trying just long enough to start getting frustrated, the positive pregnancy test didn’t come as a relief. We still wanted to have a kid just as much as last year, but I think our reaction was a defense mechanism to avoid another major disappointment. I can’t imagine how couples handle multiple miscarriages.

The most striking difference between last year and this year has been Joanna’s morning sickness. Perversely, and we managed to joke about this, I found it reassuring every time she threw up. Not that I enjoyed the nightly tooth-brushing gag-fest, but it’s amazing what you get used to. Eventually we found a passage in a pregnancy book about a husband being comforted by his wife’s morning sickness, and I felt like less of an ass.

It’s easy to see how pregnancy and parenthood generate extremely strong opinions based on a totally unrepresentative sample size. When I compare Joanna’s two pregnancies, it just makes sense that something wasn’t right last year, whereas now things must be going well because she’s feeling all the traditional symptoms. Then again, I’ve talked to people recently who had perfectly healthy babies without the sickness, cravings or aversions, which helps to keep my theorizing in check.

The first ultrasound was the first truly reassuring point of this pregnancy. The baby turned out to be about a week and a half further along than we expected, and the contrast from last year’s ultrasound was astounding. The baby was active and much more fully formed, all of which was immediately apparent. Still, the ultrasound was before twelve weeks, so all it really did was ease the anxiety a little bit.

The scare in Stockholm was ultimately what made me feel better. Joanna told me at the end of dinner that we needed to go to the hospital, and I immediately felt my stomach drop. After six hours in the ER - seven if you count the hour lost to daylight savings time - the ultrasound put an end to our concerns that night and our reservations throughout the first trimester. As the image came up on the screen, we could see the baby moving vigorously. Then the wonderful German/Swedish doctor explained what had probably happened - rapid placental development can cause worrisome symptoms - which also proved incredibly reassuring. 

After that trip I made a couple of dumb comments about socialized health care. I don’t know why exactly since I’m not opposed to it, but I’m an American, so there you go. Our Swedish hospital visit was vastly better than some of our other recent health care experiences. The ER wait wasn’t much longer than usual, the doctor was excellent and we were quickly billed a shockingly small amount. There are other parts of Stockholm I would rather have seen than the Gyn-Akut clinic at Danderyds Hospital, but the end result was that on Sunday morning we were both excited about actually having a kid rather than scared so much about another miscarriage.

Maternity Clothes

L and I are finding that we get a bit of unsolicited advice about pregnancy and having kids. We don't mind at all, and find it interesting what information different friends and family members feel is most important to convey.  Sometimes we even ask for advice from those who are too polite to offer it unsolicited.

A couple of weeks ago I received what I consider to be very wise advice from a pregnant friend: "Don't wait to buy maternity pants until your pants don't fit anymore. Buy them as soon as your waist band starts to get uncomfortable."

I reached that point about a week and a half ago.  Even the waist band on my loose-fit, comfort jeans was uncomfortably digging into me after a full day of wear, so at 14 and 1/2 weeks into this thing, I headed to the store and upgraded to maternity jeans.  They're a little uncomfortable too as they are still a little too big and I find myself constantly hiking them back up, but I am so glad I followed my friend's advice.

Otherwise, I've started feeling much better and my energy level is back up.  I am enjoying coffee again and even a few sips of wine here and there :-)  We hit 16 weeks yesterday, so I should start feeling the baby move soon!

Excitement in Stockholm

Written April 2, 2015
We had a fantastic visit to Stockholm last weekend.  The weather was a little cool, but the sun was shining which was great for walking around and exploring the city.  We enjoyed a cruise through the archipelago, a visit to the Vasa Museum, and wandering through the old town.

Unfortunately, as we were finishing up dessert at a nice little Swedish restaurant I noticed a little problem which I had previously been instructed necessitated a trip to the ER: "Akuten" in Swedish.  My heart immediately began to race as I told L what was going on.  L took care of the bill as quickly as possible and we headed outside.  We called our overseas insurance line and were told under the circumstances that we could go to any hospital, but we picked the one closest to our hosts' home, hopped in a cab, and headed to the Akuten as quickly as possible.  When we got there we were informed that we actually needed to go to a special Akuten call the Gyn-Akut for women.  I thought this sounded great because surely we would be seen more quickly in a specialized emergency care clinic.  I was wrong.

We arrived around 9:30 PM.  We finally got to talk to a mid-wife around 10:00 where they took my personal info and did some tests.  I even got my own ID number for the Swedish national health system. We did find that everyone in Stockholm spoke English flawlessly except at the hospital.

After the interview we were given what can best be described as a cubicle with a mobile hospital bed and a chair.  We were told openly that it had been an insane evening and that the mid-wives had no idea when we might be able to see a doctor.  We had no plans to go anywhere, but as midnight rolled around, and then 1:00 and 2:00 AM, we questioned whether it was worth it to stay or if we should just come back in the morning.  We stayed of course, I slept a little, and finally about 4:30 AM we were called back by a doctor.  She was a very kind doctor originally from Germany who spoke perfect English.  She asked how I was doing and then quickly moved on to the ultrasound to put our minds at ease.  We could immediately see the baby moving around like it was dancing at a rock show and were quickly comforted.  The doctor also checked my cervix, and everything was fine there too.  She explained what had likely happened and why we didn't need to worry.  It was so different from our ER experience a year ago.  After we finished in the gyn-akut, we called our host and he graciously came to pick us up.  We finally got to go to sleep around 6:00 AM.

L received the bill yesterday.  It came to a total of 3200 SEK, or $372.  Our insurance will pay the bill in full, but I am so surprised by how low it is.  I've had a few ER trips in my life, so I know that $372 is a steal.  We did have an abnormally long wait to see a doctor, but the care was excellent and the price was incredible - it wouldn't have cost anything if we were Swedish residents.  I'd say our first experience with "socialized medicine" was generally positive despite the wait.  Is it possible that those countries with socialized systems have figured out the trick to having low cost high quality care?  Perhaps, but mostly we're just really happy that everything was ok.

The 1st Appointment

Written March 19, 2015
It's been an emotional day!  I was so anxious this morning that I cried on my way to my appointment, which was maybe not so bad because it seemed to calm me down before my appointment and the med-tech and mid-wife didn't have anything to say about my blood pressure or my weight.  Both seemed a little high to me but not terrible, so I didn't say anything either :-)

The mid-wife we saw was fantastic.  She was very personable and immediately relatable.  Turns out we're the same age and both had bad car accidents our senior year of high school.  We had a good laugh about having to go to dances with casts and bruises.

Anyway, we got to the exam part and the ultrasound part and everything looked really good.  The baby was very active.  It was very reassuring, and as it turns out we're a week further into this pregnancy than we thought.  We're at 11 weeks 5 days with a due date of October 3, 2015!  

What's great about finding out we're further along than we thought is that the first trimester is almost over and I should start feeling a lot better soon.  Also, there's a lot of relief that comes with knowing we've made it through the period of highest miscarriage risk - a LOT of relief.

Here's one of our ultrasound prints:

Worries

Written March 16, 2015
I don't really know how to get around this issue: I keep worrying that I'm going to miscarry again despite the ever improving statistics.  Did you know there's no magic in reaching week 12?  Statistically the rate of miscarriage drops gradually throughout the 1st trimester.  By week 11 only 2 percent of pregnancies end in miscarriage, down from 3 percent in week 10 - though these percentages vary based on other factors such as age.  Still, it happened once, about this time last year, and as a result, I worry about it pretty much constantly, but especially on the days when I feel really good.  Then a day or two later I can't keep myself from throwing up first thing in the morning and take that as a sign that my pregnancy must be progressing normally :-)

I have my first big appointment where the mid-wife I'm seeing will do an ultrasound and a full body exam on Thursday.  I'm quite nervous about it.  I seem to have white coat hypertension, which means my blood pressure measures kind of high when I'm at the doctor basically no matter what I do, though it's never technically been outside the normal range.  I'm pretty sure I don't actually have high blood pressure.  Oddly enough it measures fine when I'm at the dentist, I suspect because my close relationship with a former dental hygienist makes the dentist a more pleasant trip for me.  Anyway, I'm worried about my appointment generally, so also worried that my BP will be sky-high, and worried about having to explain everything on top of that.  It's enough worry that I'm almost not looking forward to my appointment.  I'm mainly looking forward to having it over!

Still, it will be good to have some questions answered like: how far along exactly are we?  Then we'll know when we can share this news will all our friends and family!

Reasonable Quantities

Written March 9, 2015
My reasonably sized B6 vitamins arrived about a week ago.  I didn’t bother taking just the B6 and immediately combined it with a half tab of Unisom.  RELIEF!  I’m still not 100%.  I still felt “unsettled” and I still threw up this past week, but I’m a lot better than I was.  I take the B6 and Unisom each night before bed.  I suspect the B6 has very little to do with why I feel better and the Unisom before bed has everything to do with it.  I’m sleeping much better than I have the past few weeks.

I learned about this B6+Unisom combination in a book I read called Expecting Better by Emily Oster, though both are also mentioned separately as “approved” for nausea on the medication list I received from my OB clinic.  Turns out the combination is actually approved by the FDA and is sold as a prescription in the UK.  Anyway, great book that I highly recommend for people like me who like to have things explained clearly in terms of facts and data instead of just being told “the rules” and being expected to abide by them without any background even when “the rules” don’t make sense.  That’s all I’ll say other than of course, one book by an associate economics professor shouldn’t replace all of your learned doctor’s guidance, but I still think it’s a good tool taken with a grain of salt.

Otherwise, it sure is hard keeping this a secret.  I couldn’t play in the CRUD tournament Friday night, but of course I wanted to watch L play and to watch my R teams play so I attended anyway.  Getting around explaining why I wasn’t playing was a challenge.  The actual answer: no contact sports when you’re pregnant – especially not contact sports that could result in your abdomen being slammed hard into the side of a CRUD table.  In addition we’re making plans with family for vacation this summer, and how do you explain that you might not be able to participate in activities like kayaking that you would normally be super excited about?  Also, I would never refuse wine simply because I was concerned it would keep me from getting over jet lag - that might have been the hardest one.

Morning Sickness

Written February 25, 2015
Ugh.  I’ve been feeling so sick.  No foods sound good – not even chocolate chip cookies.  I’ve thrown up a bit too.  This can’t be normal.  I was not even close to this sick last year.  How long does it take for an order from Amazon to get here????  I’m really counting on that B6.  Unfortunately, our local stores only sell vitamin B6 in ridiculous dosages – who needs 100mg or 5000% of the recommended daily value of vitamin B6?  I’m especially not allowed to take that much cause of the whole pregnancy thing.  I’m supposed to take not more than 25mg at a time and not more than 75mg in a day per the OB clinic here.  The point is: why are vitamins so often only available in stupid proportions?  The real point is: I feel awful and I can’t do anything about it.  The good news is they say they sickness typically peaks around 9 weeks – that’s only 2 weeks away   But it will end.  At some point it must end.  Until then I do my best to get through each day eating as much healthy food as I can choke down and try not to rely too heavily on crackers.

And coffee!  I love coffee, but at this point I can’t even stand the smell of grounds.  A few days ago I just let myself deal with the withdrawal headache because it was more appealing than sipping coffee.  This is madness.

Pregnancy

Written February 24, 2015
I started feeling cramps and a little nausea on January 23^rd.  I immediately suspected I was pregnant.  We’d been “trying”, but I still felt caught off guard.  

After our miscarriage last year and a couple of false alarms this summer, I didn’t want to assume I was pregnant or even really mention anything to L.  However, the slight nausea made it challenging to hide.  We talked about it a little the week after I started suspecting.  I took a test Sunday morning February 1^st before L left for a work trip.  The test was positive, a great relief.  We were very excited, but with the positive result came a new stress – what if I miscarry again?  

Miscarrying continues to be a worry, but with as sick as I’ve been feeling it seems like it may be less likely – at least statistically it is.  Yep – we nerds do our statistical research.  I’ve been sick.  Basically I feel badly hungover every day.  I’m working on finding solutions.  I’m going to try vitamin B6 next.  We’ll see how it goes.

The Point

We’re currently keeping my pregnancy a secret.  We plan to keep it completely secret from family and friends until week 13 or 14-ish.  We also live a long way from our families and from many of our friends.  So, the point of all this is to give our friends and family some insight into the first weeks of our pregnancy experience albeit after-the-fact, and (hopefully) some semi-regular updates since we don’t always get to talk to each of you regularly.  We hope you enjoy.