May 1, 2014
It’s been about a month since I last posted about my Frilly Baby.
The last time I posted, I was 37 weeks pregnant. I didn’t get a chance to post my 38 week post because life got turned upside down.
I had my last appointment with my OB on April 1st. April Fool’s Day. The joke was on me this time. My OB decided right then and there that because of my rising blood pressure and suspected cholestasis of pregnancy, that I would be induced on the evening of April 3rd.
Induced I was.
I will not be sharing the details of my baby’s labour and delivery here – I’m not sure anyone would want to hear it. Suffice to say, it was longer than I’d hoped, but totally amazing.
Hadley Gail Mae was placed in my arms at 1:08am on April 5th, weighing in at 8 pounds 5 ounces. She is perfect and beautiful. She’s enriching our lives every single day. She’s a good natured and content baby, and we are so so blessed to be her parents. I’ve never felt so lucky.
But what a surprise to have a girl! I was 99% convinced we were having a boy. I COULD NOT believe it when my husband and my sister revealed that she was a girl. I was stunned. What an amazing surprise! To future parents out there – if you can hold out on finding out the gender of your baby, I definitely recommend it! It was the best surprise of my life.
Hadley’s already almost a month old. I can’t believe how quickly our fist month with her has gone by. This past month, we’ve gone from being deer in the headlights first time parents to slightly less stunned first time parents. We’ve learned so much! Bathing, clothing, comforting, diapering, transporting – everything we’ve done with her has been a brand new experience for each of us. What a whirlwind month!
All is well here. Thank you to everyone who has sent messages, gifts, and well wishes. We appreciate it so so much.
February 18, 2014
32 weeks. Only 8 weeks left.
Things are still just sorta the same, but puffier. Oh, and I also have constant pain in my left foot. It feels like it needs to be cracked, but crack it will not. Still though, I certainly don’t have much to complain about.
Baby Bee is about the size of a large squash today, at roughly 16.5 inches long and 4 and a half pounds! Baby Bee sleeps about 90-95% of the day. That’s a LOT more than Baby Bee’s momma’s sleeping these days. I’m starting to think I’ll get more sleep once the baby arrives. Between tossing and turning, getting up to pee, and just plain being restless, sleep is practically non-existent. I got up at 4am today.
Baby Bee’s skin is getting smoother all the time, with most of the wrinkles starting to disappear now that fat deposits are building up under the skin. Baby Bee’s hair is also becoming thicker and thicker. I do hope Baby Bee is born with a good head of hair.
At home, the nursery is now starting to take shape. The room is cleaned out now for the most part, and Daddy has put new baseboard trim in the room. This is a picture of Baby Bee’s room, before:
And here we are now. Daddy is busy putting together a lovely dresser and change table, compliments of my parents. Soon the crib will be on its way from Auntie Jennifer and Uncle Jesse too. This little room will take shape in no time.
While Daddy is busy putting together furniture, I’ve been busy making Baby Bee a felt mobile to hang above the crib. We were hoping to go with a bit of a woodsy nature theme. While checking on Pinterest for stuff that might go with this theme, I found some great pins for felt mobiles. So I decided we had to have one, but not for the $100 price tag most of these mobiles cost. It’s still in the beginning stages, but hopefully our version of a nursery mobile will fit the bill. All in all, our mobile has cost us $10-$12 to make. Not too shabby.
I’ll post more pictures of the nursery and the mobile as they near completion. Until then, you’ll find me sleeping in a recliner… Zzz…
February 6, 2014
Here we are at 30 weeks. Well technically, 30 weeks plus 2 days today. Only 68 days to go until our due date of April 15th.
Not a lot has changed in terms of my physical self.
My hands are still tingling with carpal tunnel. I really hope this symptom goes away shortly after delivery. It is so super annoying.
I can’t bend over very well to tie my shoes, not that I’m expecting for that to get better anytime soon. Tying my shoes will only get much, much more difficult. Stephen offers to help me often, but I’m still too stubborn to take him up on his offers for help.
On the medical front, I found out last week that I passed my gestational diabetes test! I am so over the moon about this. Diabetes runs in my family, so I was a bit worried I might not pass, but it looks like my pancreas is doing it’s job and that I’m actually eating pretty well. My blood pressure is still 120/80 and as of last week my doctor thought that I was measuring a couple of weeks ahead of schedule in terms of baby growth on my pregnancy timeline. All great news.
Yesterday, we had our second appointment with our specialist, Dr. Holloway, to assess the SUA (single umbilical artery) condition I was diagnosed with at my 20-week ultrasound. This follow-up appointment was just to check the growth and development of Baby Bee to ensure that everything has continued to progress as it should.
First, I can’t say enough good things about Dr. Holloway. She’s amazing. She is so great at answering all of our questions, and so patient and friendly. I have really enjoyed the experiences we’ve had with her and her amazing nurses. Everyone has just been so kind.
Second, we found out at yesterday’s appointment that the baby’s growth and development is still completely on track. The ultrasound was perfect and shows that everything is just fine. In fact, In fact, Baby Mac is already 4 lbs and in the 85th percentile for growth! Eep! Heart rate yesterday was 131. She also said that the baby was very active, which is good. I was thrilled to hear all of this, since the idea that this SUA could have caused issues was always in the back of my mind. What a relief to know that this pregnancy has progressed as any other normal pregnancy would. Dr. Holloway reiterated that there shouldn’t be any worry of the SUA causing any complications, as it hasn’t up until now. I don’t need to see her again.
Thanks you all for thinking of us and praying for the health of our little baby. <3
The extreme bonus from yesterday's appointment were these amazing 3D pictures we got to take home of Baby Bee. I can't believe the detail we got to see. Look at those little lips!
My mom already thinks that Baby Mac looks like daddy. Big surprise. Apparently the MacKenzie genes are strong. I see a lot of freckles in my future.
I’m OK with that.
January 22, 2014
Week 28! Doesn’t that mean that we only have 12 weeks left?!? Panic!
OK, no panic.
As of 28 weeks along in your pregnancy, your baby is the approximate size of an eggplant – weighing in at 1.5 – 2.5 lbs, at about 15 inches long. Baby’s lungs are developed enough now that if Baby Bee were born now, he/she should be able to breathe on their own. Amazing.
It sure does look like I’m carrying around a bit more than an eggplant though.
We had a special moment in our house on the weekend. Stephen finally got to feel Baby Bee kick for the first time on Sunday morning. We had just finished breakfast – that delicious baked oatmeal I posted – and Baby Bee was super active. The kicks have also moved from being low to being a bit all over my belly now. He came over to me on the couch and waited patiently and BOOM! Baby kick! The look on Stephen’s face was priceless. It’s like he had no idea the baby would actually kick. It was even forceful enough that my belly moved. Things just got very real, people.
We are starting to get lots of things put together for Baby Bee’s arrival. We’ve purchased a few things we know we’ll need. My sister and her husband are being generous enough to pass along a lot of baby furniture to us so that we won’t have to buy it. I can’t thank them enough for that. I am completely in love with the idea that all of our children will have slept in the same crib. <3
A little note to my moms group... My moms group is seriously amazing - such a supportive and loving group of women. I don't know what I'd do with you girls! <3
I'm also just going to put this out there - we've also decided that we will try cloth diapering. I know, I know. A lot of people think we're insane. We probably won't try it right off the bat, since I think we're going to have lots on our plate in the beginning, but maybe after we've gotten into a good routine. That does happen eventually, doesn't it? A routine? We've purchased a large lot of cloth diapers from a friend of mine. These diapers should last us the entire time Baby Bee needs them. And they are so stinkin' cute! Well, they aren't actually stinkin' yet. That'll come.
On the medical front, things are pretty good. I had my gestational diabetes screening test yesterday and am awaiting the results. I quite honestly think I’m doomed in this area, but I’ll wait for the official word before throwing a pity party.
My carpal tunnel continues to be a huge pain in the butt. It is so incredibly annoying to not have feeling in your thumb and first two fingers.
Other than that, there are just the regular things: it’s difficult to bend over to tie my shoes, putting on socks is becoming optional (kidding!), my back hurts, sleeping is getting increasingly uncomfortable. You know, the regular pregnancy complaints. I am very thankful though that I haven’t had some of the other pregnancy complaints like frequent heartburn. I had my first experience ever with heartburn this pregnancy, just once, and I wouldn’t wish that on anyone.
That’s all the update we have for now. I’ll check in again in a week or two.
January 1, 2014
Happy New Year 2014!
What a busy few months these past few months have been. With so many doctor’s appointments to keep, and so many optional things to do to keep as comfortable as possible during this pregnancy, I’ve been busy.
Our first ultrasound for Baby Bee was on November 20th. What a surreal and amazing experience to see your baby for the first time. And in so much detail! You can see those tiny little facial features, and all of the tiny little structures. And you can watch the baby move! You can see your baby’s heart beating. Completely remarkable. Stephen and I took the day off together to enjoy the experience.
Here is the picture we came home with of our beautiful baby:
The following Monday, my doctor called me. Not her receptionist, but my doctor herself. When your doctor calls you, we all know that isn’t great news. She explained to me that they found an “anomaly” on my ultrasound, “a 2-vessel cord” she called it. She gave me a brief explanation of what this means, the complications that could arise, and some statistics. She said I would be scheduled very soon to see a specialist for a more detailed ultrasound. My doctor assured me that everything else in the ultrasound looked perfectly fine and normal and that this usually indicated that nothing at all would be wrong and that I shouldn’t worry.
Sure. I shouldn’t worry. Let the worrying begin.
I did some of my own research to find out exactly what this “2-vessel cord” diagnosis really meant. Technically a 2-vessel umbilical cord is called a Single Umbilical Artery, or SUA. Normally, when the umbilical cord develops, it forms three vessels: two arteries and one vein. However, in some cases, just one artery develops. The umbilical vein supplies the fetus with oxygenated, nutrient-rich blood from the placenta. Conversely, the fetal heart pumps deoxygenated, nutrient-depleted blood through the umbilical arteries back to the placenta. My umbilical cord has the vein and only one artery.
Unfortunately, I read that an SUA can lead to all kinds of fetal complications. I also read that an SUA can be completely inconsequential, and is often considered a normal deviation.
Pending nothing alarming showing up on the second, more detailed ultrasound, I would be considered to have what is referred to as an isolated SUA (isolated meaning that this is the only single issue that can be identified). My pregnancy would proceed as normal until I near the end of the pregnancy, when the baby would be monitored a bit more closely to ensure that intrauterine growth was on track. Specifically, the specialist would be looking for any anomalies in the kidneys, the heart, and the spine of the baby, as the umbilical cord develops at the same time as these other structures.
Long story short, we had a wonderful appointment with the specialist less than 2 weeks later (the longest 2 weeks of my life). The detailed ultrasound showed that all of the baby’s structures had developed as they should have and that things were progressing right on schedule. In fact, I was 2 days ahead of schedule in terms of development.
The bonus from that visit was a couple more pictures of our little Baby Bee. First a couple of tiny little feet:
And then a tiny little right hand:
What a relief. A huge HUGE relief. I see the same specialist again in February for a follow-up.
Other things that have happened in the past couple of months…
- I’ve developed pregnancy-induced carpal tunnel syndrome. My hands tingle pretty much all the time. I have some generic braces, which have helped, but I’ll also be getting fitted with personalized braces soon.
- I’ve started to feel the baby kick! This has only really started happening the past couple of weeks. Now I feel it all the time! Stephen still can’t feel it, but I know it won’t be long until he does.
- I got a wicked bad stomach bug and had to head up to the emergency room for a bag of saline to rehydrate me and a stress test for Baby Bee to make sure everything was fine. After my IV, I felt much better and Baby Bee could hardly tell anything had happened. Lucky Baby.
Other than that, things have been pretty quiet. We enjoyed a lovely Christmas with family, with lots of great food and belly laughs. I’ve been on vacation since December 21st and will continue to keep my feet up until I’m back to work on January 6th. Bliss.
Today I am 25 weeks plus a day pregnant. Baby Bee is about the size of a cauliflower, just over a foot long and weighing in at about a pound and a half. Baby’s hands are now fully developed, including nails and fingerprints. Baby’s skin is now nice and pink too.
In the coming weeks, expect more frequent updates, as things are starting to happen a bit more quickly now. Three more weeks and I’ll be in my third trimester!
Welcome 2014 – it will be a year to remember for our little family for sure!
November 19, 2013
As far as pregnancy symptoms go, so far I’ve been pretty lucky. I’ve been sick a couple of times, avoided the majority of the nausea. The worst things got on the sickness side of things was me having a gagging fit or two in public. Husband LOVED those. We would both end up in a laughing fit over them as we hustled to the car.
Other pregnancy symptoms experienced so far include: extreme exhaustion, uncontrollable hunger, insatiable thirst, and shortness of breath. No big deal.
Now I have a new symptom to share.
I have one hot foot. Yup, one foot is on fire. My right foot. It happens a few times a day, for about ten seconds or so at a go. It feels like someone put my foot a little too close to the bonfire. Then it just goes away. Apparently, this can be caused because Little Bee is getting bigger and putting pressure on my nerves and spinal cord. Cute.
One hot foot. You can’t help but giggle.
If you hadn’t noticed, I’ve added a new page to the blog, called Frilly Baby. That’s where I’ll be writing about the ins and outs of my pregnancy, and all other things baby related. Because no one wants to forget the wonders of pregnancy.
This week is a big week in Little Bee’s life. Today I’m 19 weeks along. Little Bee is the size of a mango, about a half a pound and six inches long. Growing like a happy little weed in there. Little Bee’s developing senses now.
Tomorrow is our ultrasound day. We’ll get the choice to find out whether or not Little Bee is a he bee or a she bee, but we’ve chosen to leave that as a little surprise. Please keep us in your thoughts tomorrow, as we hope and pray to see a perfect little person on that monitor. Can’t wait to see you, Little Bee!
November 12, 2013
Happy 18 weeks to us!
Every week, I get two emails letting me know how the pregnancy “should” be progressing, and how the baby is developing. Every Tuesday, I’ll send along all of the updates to all of you too.
Today, at 18 weeks, Baby should be about the size of a sweet potato or a sweet pepper. Baby is becoming extremely mobile and is now yawning, hiccupping, rolling, twisting, kicking, punching, sucking, and swallowing. Baby’s bones are also starting to harden.
As for me, I’m starting to feel like a human furnace. I am SO WARM. And not to complain, because really I can’t complain, I’ve had it pretty easy, but I am starting to get some aches and pains now and then. My hips are starting to feel stiff when I get up from sitting for a long time, and my lower back is starting to feel the effects of carrying some extra weight in the front.
Speaking of extra weight in the front, I finally posted this ^^ picture of myself on Facebook yesterday, letting people know I’m expecting. I’ve discovered that people assume your pregnancy is a secret until you post it on Facebook. Not at all! I just wanted to tell as many people as I could the old fashioned way. It’s fun seeing the looks on people’s faces.
Of course, because we were taking lots of pictures at Mom and Dad’s yesterday, Husband had to get some hamming it up in front of the camera done too. Gosh I love this man.
So then – 18 weeks down, 21 to go!
November 2, 2013
I felt you again, Little One! This time, you hung out a bit longer. Little flutters that lasted about 5 minutes. Your dad still can’t feel anything though, so keep getting stronger! He’ll be able to feel you moving soon enough! <3
October 26, 2013
I felt you in there! I felt you, little baby!
Stephen and I were just sitting on the couch, and I felt a little feeling, just a bit lower and to the left of my belly button. It was just like a little flutter. So light! How amazing is that?!? There’s a little tiny person in there moving around, doing stuff! Eee!
Week 14 – October 21, 2013
Had another check up today. Did all of the regular stuff: blood pressure, weight, measurements. I’ve gained 15 lbs since August! Ouch. My doctor was happy about it though. I hope the weight gain levels out a bit soon.
My blood pressure today was 100/55. Dr. M. called it low-normal. I guess it explains why I’ve been having a few nagging headaches here and there. She says it’s completely fine though.
Got some blood work results back. The only thing to report there is that it turns out my vaccine for German measles is no longer effective, so I’ll have be vaccinated after the baby arrives. I also got my flu shot today, and she’s recommending that Stephen get one too.
Finally, near the end of the appointment, we got to the good stuff – listening to the baby’s heartbeat. And wow we could hear it loud and clear this time! The last time, it was kind of a tiny little beat between the sounds of my enormous heartbeat (well, it sounded enormous, compared to the tiny little baby’s heartbeat). This time though, we didn’t even hear mine, just Baby’s! It was so strong and clear. What a lovely sound. Like tiny little hoof beats. Quick and powerful. Go little heart, go!
Week 10 – September 23, 2013
We heard you, little one! We could hear that tiny little flutter of a heartbeat in there! We were all smiles – what an amazing thing. It really makes it real when you can hear a heartbeat in your body besides your own. What an amazing little miracle!
Week 10 – September 23, 2013
Today’s the day we have our appointment to try to hear the baby’s heartbeat. I’m so anxious. What if we don’t hear it? It’s entirely possible we won’t, since the baby is still so small, and heartbeat of such a tiny little being isn’t easy to hear. I just don’t want to worry if we don’t hear it, you know? Appointment is at 10.45am. Stephen’s coming with me to listen too. Keep all fingers crossed!
Week 10 – September 21, 2013
Been looking forward to this morning for a couple of weeks now. There’s a big sale here in town called the FAMOM (Fredericton Area Moms of Multiples) sale. It’s a giant sale for all things parenting and baby. Jennifer and I went, and it was fantastic.
Started off with a sister breakfast too. It’s so great to be able to spend some time just Jennifer and I – that doesn’t happen often anymore. And while I love spending time with her whole family, it’s nice sometimes to have some time for just the two of us.
At the sale, we picked up all kinds of stuff for Jenn’s kids, and some maternity clothing for me. I snagged a pair of cords, and I think about 5 shirts for $14. Start the car!
It was a great morning. This is getting more and more fun.
Week 9
Isn’t it amazing how quickly time flies? Seems like just yesterday I was staring at a positive pregnancy test, elated and completely panicked. August 7, 2013. The day we found out we were having a baby.
I’ve been sleeping pretty continuously since then. When I can sleep, that is. The dreams I’ve been having have been UNREAL. Like you just watched a horror movie, ate a full meal before bed, and injected yourself with red Kool-Aid kind of crazy. And well, I guess I’m only sleeping when I’m not running to the bathroom 2-3 times a night.
I’ve been to the doctor three times in the past month or so – once to submit a urine sample to confirm what we already knew – that I was indeed with child, another time for my first official prenatal appointment – where I answered a lot of questions and got an order for blood work, and yet another visit to a clinic to check for a UTI.
I’ve also been to see my naturopath and my massage therapist. Somehow I managed to pull two muscles in my neck in two weeks, one on each side. This has never happened in my life. That massage, though completely needed, and though it really sped up the healing process in my muscles, HURT. Ouch.
The first prenatal appointment was funny. Why do you think my doctor needed to know what Stephen does for a living? That was one of the questions on the form – what does your partner do for a living. Interesting. The medical background type questions I get, but the career choice question? Not so much.
Now here we are at 9w2d. Only just over 29 weeks to go. My official due date, without having had a dating ultrasound, is April 15th – the Tuesday before Easter. Seems as good a time as any, doesn’t it? Maybe I’ll still be able to make my dad’s Easter Egg Hunt.
Doesn’t 29 weeks seem like such a long time?
