Doctor Appointment and The Pregnancy - Week 23

:-) Hello!

I have been beat and we have been running all over the place the past few days, so I never did tell you about my latest appointment...

We met with Kaylene Ellertson again at Utah Valley Regional Medical Center. She is a nurse who works with my perinatologist and has been helping me with my blood sugars and insulin levels. She made some more adjustments to my basal rates. So far they seem to be doing better. I've been running a little bit low today, but not crazy low like I was in the first trimester.

Anyway, that was doctor appointment #13.

And now on to the fun part... Week #23!! Month #6!! Read and enjoy!

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"A window into your womb would reveal that your baby's skin is a bit saggy, hanging loosely from his or her little body. That's because skin grows faster than fat develops, and there's not much fat to fill that skin out yet. But don't worry--the fat is about to start catching up. Beginning this week, your baby (who is around 8 inches long and just over a pound in weight) begins to pack on the pounds (which means you will, too!). In fact, by month's end, your baby will be double the weight he or she is now (fortunately, you won't be). Once those fat deposits are made, your baby will be less transparent, too. Right now the organs and bones can still be seen through the skin, which has a red hue thanks to the developing blood veins and arteries just underneath. But by month 8, no more see-through baby!"

-text from What to Expect When You're Expecting, Chapter 11

-photo from http://www.babycenter.com

Hope you enjoyed! Check us out again next Monday for the next doctor's appointment!

-Aubrey

The Pregnancy - 22 Weeks

Yay! We are 22 weeks along today! And I think all the bugs are out of my system, because I feel great today! Just a little bit tired. And I've decided our baby is going to like Mexican food (if you believe in last week's update, where baby is getting a taste for whatever I'm eating)... :-)

Anyway, Week 22 is the last week of the the fifth month. So we'll be reading into the sixth month next week!

Anyhow, here is the post. Hope you all enjoy! Look for the next post on Monday!

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"Forget about ounces, baby. This week, we're talking a whopping weight of 1 pound and a length of nearly 8 inches, about the size of a small doll. But your doll is a living one--with developing senses, including touch, sight, hearing, and taste. What's your baby touching? He or she may grab onto the umbilical cord (there's not much else to hang onto in there) and practice the strong grip that will soon be clutching your fingers (and pulling on your hair). What's your baby seeing? Though it's dark in the uterine cocoon--and even with fused eyelids--fetuses this age can perceive light and dark. If you shine a flashlight over your belly, you might feel your baby react, perhaps trying to turn away from the "bright" light. What's your baby hearing? The sound of your voice and that of your partner, your heart beating, the whoosh-whoosh of your blood circulating through your body, those gastic gurgles produced by your stomach and intestines, the dog barking, sirens, a loud TV. And what's your baby tasting? Pretty much everything you're tasting (so pass the salad)."

-text from What to Expect When You're Expecting, Chapter 10

-photo from http://www.babycenter.com

-Aubrey

Ultrasound #003

Hello everyone! I hope you are all doing well!

The past week has been an adventure for us! The pills I was on for my UTI made me feel sick all week and I think they also caused my many headaches. I took the last one Friday morning and felt sick for the first half of the day and then I was fine!

Ryan took me out on a date Friday night. We went to Rubio's for dinner. I liked it, but Ryan thought we didn't get enough food for our money. Which is probably true--after all, I did actually finish my meal... After dinner we went to Nickel City and played arcade games all night. We decided to buy something for the baby with the tickets we won--a pair of kiddie sunglasses!! After that we went out for coffee (hot cocoa for me :-() and then we went home. We got into bed and I felt the baby kicking. I'd been thinking for days that I could feel him from the outside, but he never would kick when Ryan was around to confirm it for me. So as I felt him kicking that night, I grabbed Ryan's hand and put it on my belly. Sure enough, he could feel it, too!

On Saturday, Ryan's grandparents came up to visit. We went out to dinner with them and then they came to see our house. We don't get to see them very often because they live so far away, so it was nice to see them.

Sunday I started feeling sick to my stomach. It hasn't gone away since and the stomach pain and nausea has been keeping me up and making me toss and turn all night. Ryan wouldn't let me go to work today because I was so miserable this morning. He said if I went, he would come get me and take me to the hospital. So I have been laying around in bed all day.

Sunday night, Ryan decided he wanted to see if the baby would kick him in the face. As soon as he put his face on my belly, the baby stopped kicking. So Ry started talking to him and the baby started kicking again! He kicked Ryan in the face four times that night!

We had our third ultrasound yesterday. Our appointment was at 3:15... We sat in the waiting room until 4:00...

The nurse and doctor didn't spend as much time looking at things as they did last time. We also saw a different doctor yesterday--Dr. Gainer instead of Dr. Schemmer. We didn't mind, though. She was really nice and she didn't push so hard on my belly the way Dr. Schemmer always does.

During the ultrasound, our baby's heartbeat was 185 bpm, which the nurse said is high unless the baby is being very active (and believe me, was he active yesterday--he moved non-stop all day!). He weighed in at a whopping one pound and five ounces! This is a little bigger than he's supposed to be, but not big enough that we need to be concerned. Dr. Gainer actually told us that typically babies born to mothers who have pre-existing diabetes (such as myself) are born underweight and too small whereas the babies of mothers who have gestational diabetes who are born too big. So, where our baby has a higher risk of being a runt, they're pleased to know that he is growing! Dr. Gainer said that so far both she and Dr. Schemmer think that our baby looks very healthy and that he is growing properly.

We also talked to a girl who works at the office on Mondays. She is in charge of finding out how my diabetes is doing. Because I couldn't get an appointment sooner than May 3rd at Dr. Day's office, I figured she'd want to step in and help out in the mean time. So I brought in a couple weeks worth of records for her. My numbers have been running a little high lately, so she looked them over and made a couple adjustments for me. She upped one of my basal rates because I'm going to bed high and waking up high in the mornings. She also changed my insulin to carb ratio at lunchtime from 1:10 to 1:8, because I'm running high in the afternoons as well. And she bumped my supplement level up (how much insulin I take for high blood sugars) to 1:50>120 instead of the 1:75>120. She asked me to come in again next Monday so she could see how that's working and to see what other changes can be made.

Anyway, that's about all there is to say for now. Check out the pictures and our video below and enjoy!













-Aubrey

P.S. This was doctor appointment #12! Next one is (as I mentioned) on Monday next week!

The Pregnancy - 21 Weeks

"How big is baby this week? About 7 inches in length (think large banana) and almost 11 ounces in weight. And talking about bananas, you might want to eat some this week if you'd like your baby to have a taste for them. Some carrots, too. That's because amniotic fluid differs from day to day depending on what you've eaten (hot chili one day, sweet banana another), and now that your baby is swallowing amniotic fluid each day (for hydration, nutrition, and also to get practice swallowing and digesting), he or she will be getting a taste of--and a taste for--whatever's on your menu. Here's another baby update: Arms and legs are finally in proportion, neurons are now connected between the brain and muscles, and cartilage throughout the body is turning to bone. Which means that when your baby makes his or her moves (which you're probably feeling by now), they're much more coordinated--no more jerky twitches."

-text from What to Expect When You're Expecting, Chapter 10

-photo from http://www.babycenter.com

-Aubrey

P.S. The next ultrasound is on Monday the 22nd!

Our New OB

Today, Ryan and I met our new OB. His name is Dr. Joseph Glenn. He's an older man and seems nice.

He was pleased to hear that my blood sugar levels were not running high during the first trimester. He said that high blood sugars during the first trimester are they typical cause for birth defects in babies of diabetic mothers. He said that the second trimester is the least critical trimester for blood sugars to be in control (though I still want them to be in control), and that it becomes very important again during the third trimester to have excellent control.

He told us that we would probably be induced two or three weeks early, as I've mentioned before, because it is simply just too dangerous for diabetics to carry babies to full term. He talked to us a bit about how they induce pregnancy early.

He found our baby's heartbeat, but he didn't tell us what the rate was... :-(

They did a urine test, as they always do, and didn't say anything about a UTI. Since they didn't mention it, I assume it's cleared up enough not to show up on a test. Which means that the pills must be working, though I am still having episodes of kidney pain on a regular basis. I brought up to the doctor that I did have one and that I was on medication for it, just so he was aware.

Dr. Glenn wants to see us again in four weeks. I had considered finding yet another new OB because when I went in to fill out the paperwork, their papers said they don't bill two insurance companies. Luckily, though, they actually will. So our next appointment with him is four weeks from today. After that, he wants to see us every other week. Unfortunately, he only works in the mornings, so I'm going to have to start requesting to have Mondays off work (so much for weekends...), and Ryan won't be able to attend every appointment with me. I'm a little bit sad about this, but I do understand and I do appreciate that he has gone to all of the important appointments with me thus far.

After we left, we went to Carl's Jr. to grab lunch on our way back to work. I'd eaten about half my burger when I realized I was going to throw it all up... So I did, into a garbage bag Ryan had in his car as he was driving. We pulled over at a gas station to throw away my bag of vomit. We then got on the freeway to continue our journey back to work. At this point, I realized I'd forgotten to test my blood sugar and I felt low. So I tested and I was 60. So we had to stop at a gas station to get something else for me to eat. I got a Krispy Kreme doughnut and a Sobe just in case I couldn't hold down the doughnut, either. Luckily, I did.

By the time I got home from work, my kidneys were back to hurting and I had an awful headache. So I napped and Ryan went out to run some errands. He bought me chips and guacamole and brought it home for dinner. I got about halfway done with that when I realized that I was again going to puke. And sure enough, I did.

I have now thrown up four times in the past week. I'm not entirely sure why I am suddenly throwing up... It could be morning sickness kicking in late, it could be the pills I'm on for the UTI, or I could just be sick. All I know is that the past week has not been my favorite and that I am so sick of feeling like crap! But I'm hoping everything will be back to normal and just fine by the end of the week when I'm done with my meds.

Anyhow, I hope this post was at least entertaining and I hope you all are doing well!

-Aubrey

P.S. This is appointment #11!

The Pregnancy - 20 Weeks; Doctor Appointments

This week has been awful!! For my kidneys, that is.

Starting the day of my last ultrasound, so just over two weeks ago, I started getting back pain. It wasn't until a few days ago that I realized the pain was actually originating in my kidneys.

So, on Monday this week, I called to set an appointment with my new OB. He's out of town so they couldn't get me in until Monday next week (the 15th). I was miserable and in pain all day. Finally, at 9:30 at night, Ryan was getting ready to take me to InstaCare. I insisted that he didn't and the only way he would agree not to take me is if I got an appointment for the next day.

So yesterday, I called Dr. Willis' office to see if I could get in that day. Luckily, they had an opening for me to see him at 3:20.

After suffering through the day, I finally made it to the appointment. Sure enough, as I'd suspected, I had a UTI. Though I only had a trace of one, they said. Dr. Willis wrote me two prescriptions and warned me that they would change the color of my urine (and believe me, it has!). I also read on one of the prescriptions that they would discolor soft contact lenses, so I've decided to stick to my glasses through Saturday this week.

The pain in my kidneys is not yet gone. It's changed, but it almost feels worse today than it did yesterday and the day before that. The pills have also been making me feel kind of sick to my stomach. I'm on the verge of running into the bathroom and puking as I'm writing this...

But I have faith that they'll eventually make me feel better.

Anyway, I was supposed to have an appointment with Julie Patterson again tomorrow. When the doctor's office called to remind me, though, they called to remind me of my appointment with Dr. Dave Douglas. So I called back to see what was going on, and apparently Dr. Patterson has moved to a different clinic. They asked if I was okay with seeing a different doctor and I told them that I really liked Julie and that it wasn't worth it for me to drive so far away to see anyone besides her. So I cancelled tomorrow's appointment and now need to see if I can get in to see anyone besides Dr. Moyes in Provo...

Anyhow, on to what you've all been waiting for: the 20 Week update! Enjoy!

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"You've got a baby the size of a small cantaloupe in your melon-size belly this week, about 10 ounces and 6-1/2 inches (crown to rump). Your ultrasound this month should be able to detect--if you want to know--whether your baby is a boy or a girl. And oh boy--or oh girl--has that baby been busy. If you're having a girl, her uterus is fully formed, her ovaries are holding about 7 million primitive eggs (though at birth, the number of eggs will be closer to 2 million), and her vaginal canal is starting to develop. If you're having a boy, his testicles have begun their descent from the abdomen. In a few months, they'll drop into the scrotum (which is still under construction). Luckily for your baby, he or she still has plenty of room in your womb, which means there's plenty of space for twisting, turning, kicking, punching, and even an occasional somersault. If you haven't felt these acrobatics yet, you almost certainly will in the coming weeks."

-text from What to Expect When You're Expecting, Chapter 10

-photo from http://www.babycenter.com

Thanks for stopping by! The next doctor's appointment is currently scheduled for Monday the 15th, as I mentioned earlier.

-Aubrey

P.S. This appointment was doctor appointment #10!

My Birthday

So, I turned 22 eight days ago and have not yet told you all about it! I'm sure not everyone cares, but I decided I want to write about it because it was a lot of fun and my husband did so much for me that day.

Ryan's alarm went off at 5:00 a.m. on my birthday. He got out of bed and went to Einstein Bros. Bagels to get me breakfast only to discover that they didn't open until 5:30 a.m. He brought me my favorite bagel (the potato bagel with plain cream cheese schmear) and a cup of hot chocolate.

I told him I was going to make him lunch since he'd gotten me breakfast, but he told me he was taking me out to lunch. So we both got ready and headed off to work.

At work, I was delivered a boquet of flowers. :) Ryan is such a sweetheart. Two dozen roses! I called to thank him and he was upset because apparently, I had not received what he had ordered. Soon after that, our pharmacist learned that it was my birthday and announced over the intercom, "Happy birthday, Aubrey." I was a bit embarassed... LOL. I didn't really care to celebrate this year so I didn't really make it publicly known that it was my birthday...

Soon after that, Ryan picked me up from work and we went to Bajio for lunch. I got my favorite dish from them - the Pineapple Shrimp Salad.

After lunch, Ryan took me back to work. The day went by fast enough and soon we were back at home. Family and friends started arriving for cupcakes (I told Ryan I wanted blue cupcakes, so he made blue coconut cupcakes with blue frosting for me!) and ice cream, we socialized, I opened gifts. I got lots of great things! Ryan and my grandma went in together to get me a really nice camcorder, which I have been wanting for when the baby gets here. I got cards, memory cards, gift cards, cash, maternity clothes, and baby stuff from everyone else!

After everyone left, we went to dinner at our favorite sushi place--Shoga. Sadly, I couldn't have my favorite sushi, but the California rolls weren't bad. And my shrimp tempura was awesome!! Then Ryan and I went home to watch "The Box" and go to bed.

The day after my birthday, flowers were again delivered to me at work. Though this time, they included EVERYTHING Ryan had originally ordered--chocolates, a teddy bear, and a vase along with yet another two dozen roses! Ry's grandparents also called me that day to play a song for me and wish me a happy birthday.

So, that is what happened for my birthday last week! I'd like to thank all my family and friends who were able to come see us and those who wished me a happy birthday in other ways. Most of all, I would like to thank Ryan for making my day so wonderful and so perfect. I can't believe everything he did for me. I truly believe he is one of a kind and that I am so incredibly blessed to have him in my life. I couldn't have had a better day, and it is all thanks to him. I love him with all my heart. :-)

-Aubrey

The Pregnancy - 19 Weeks

My belly is growing and it feels like our baby boy is doing somersaults! He is also already being spoiled to death by not only ourselves, but by our family as well. We have bought him quite a few ADORABLE little outfits and have gotten outfits, diapers, toys, and stuff for photos from family members.

Here we are at 19 weeks! If I'm induced two weeks early as the doctor has recommended, we are exactly halfway there! Here is the update and photo for this week!

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"This week your baby is hitting the growth charts at 6 inches long and a full half pound in weight. What fruit is it this week? Your baby's about the size of a large mango. A mango dipped in greasy cheese, actually. Vernix caseosa--a greasy white protective substance (it resembles cheese)--now covers your baby's sensitive skin, protecting it from the surrounding amniotic fluid. Without that protection, your baby would look very wrinkled at birth. The coating sheds as delivery approaches, but some babies born early are still covered with vernix at delivery."

-text from What to Expect When You're Expecting, Chapter 10

-photo from http://www.babycenter.com

I hope you all enjoyed the post! Check back next week for Week 20! Next scheduled doctor's appointment is March 11th. :-) Hope you all have a fantastic day!

-Aubrey