Baby Update: 28 and 29 weeks

Sorry for the delay in this particular update. It's sort of been a tiring few days but no more waiting! I'm putting in quite a bit of detail (as much for us as everyone else) so hopefully it doesn't get too boring!

On Thursday morning Kevin and I made the drive to Saginaw to meet with the perinatologist in Maternal Fetal Medicine. The drive was nerve wracking to say the least and then we ended up waiting for a bit to be seen. I was first seen by a nurse and she did a very thorough ultrasound and took some time to explain the process in a little more detail than the regular ultrasound tech we've seen in the past. Afterward the doctor came in and talked with us some about what was going on before she proceeded to look at the baby some more. She took a few more measurements and also looked at how the placenta was functioning using fetal Doppler monitoring. Then she took even more time to go over everything with us and made recommendations for my follow up. We never felt rushed to get out and everyone there was so patient and would answer any question (even if we'd already asked it). Here is some of what we learned.

My fluid levels (measured in centimeters as an index) were still a bit on the low side but still within the acceptable range. Normal fluid ranges from 5-25cm. They had one reading at about 9.7cm and a second at around 11.5cm (its dynamic and constantly changing). We'd love to have the numbers be a bit higher but they aren't at a dangerous level right now.

The body measurements they took were a little more telling that something is going on. Baby K's head is doing very well and is at the 90 percentile (Kevin had a big head at birth so this wasn't too shocking to us). Her total weight is also looking very good. Everything else was right around the average mark until they got to the abdomen size. It is only measuring at the 10.9 percentile.  In a situation where the placenta is not doing everything it is supposed to do, the brain takes what it needs to grow and develop. The abdomen is sort of last in line which is what they were seeing with us. They did see her abdomen going through the breathing motion which was a really good sign so we were pleased with that.

For checking the placenta they used the Doppler to measure the resistance of blood flow from the placenta to the baby. Ideally you would have as little resistance as possible so they look for a number of less than 4 (I believe this is an index). The doctor took a couple readings. One of mine was 3.94 but another one was closer to 4.5. Basically, things aren't working at 100% but they are still working right now so the baby can stay in for the time being.

The specialist went ahead and sent us over to the hospital in Saginaw to do a non-stress test and get me started on a round of steroids just as a precaution. With the non-stress test they monitor the baby's heart beat for an extended period of time. You push a button whenever you feel movement and they see how the heart responds to those movements (usually a temporary increase is seen). Things looked great there. The shot wasn't the most pleasant part of my day but overall it wasn't too bad. I had to go into the hospital here in Midland the next day for the second shot and have another non-stress test done. One shot was in my thigh and the other in the butt. My opinion...butt was better.

Me most of the last week

 The steroid is just a precaution in the event that I do have to deliver soon and is meant to help the baby's lungs out. My next appointment with the specialist is a week from tomorrow where they'll do the ultrasound and Doppler monitoring again. As long as my numbers aren't getting any worse than they'll let Baby K keep going as long as possible. Usually 28 weeks is the first goal in similar situations but since we're already past that 32 weeks is our new magic number. The best would be to get to 37 weeks and then they may decide to go ahead and get her out depending on how things are looking. I'll also be going into my regular OB's office twice this week for two more non-stress tests.

Overall we are feeling pretty good about things right now. Just having more information and knowing what is going on makes moving forward a whole lot easier. We're not out of the woods by any means but we feel optimistic that we can get our little girl a little further along before she'll be joining us. I'm still on bed rest but the doctor lifted a few restrictions. I'm allowed on a few short walks a day as long as I'm resting afterward and not pushing it too hard. Getting outside has done wonders for my mood and makes the prospect of extended bed rest much more bearable. I will have to miss my trip to Kansas that was planned in October which I'm pretty bummed about but I know it is the best decision for both me and the baby.

Putting the finishing touches on the mobile we made for Baby K's room.

In all the craziness of last week I skipped my 28 week belly shot but I'm back on schedule now. 

Knowing that we might be delivering earlier than expected has made us feel a bit less ready in terms of the nursery and classes. I was able to move our childbirth classes up so we'll start on those next week. I've started on my hospital bag checklist so we can get that together soon just in case. There are still a few things we need to get before she gets here but we figured that the baby isn't going to care if the nursery is completely done. As long as she has a place to sleep, something to eat, and clothes to wear we'll be okay. And there is always Amazon so if we run into something we decide we can't live without it can be ordered and at our doorstep before we get home from the hospital.

I ordered some curtains last week and they should be here soon. Hopefully they'll look good with the rug that we got and help make the room feel a bit more cozy. My next goal for the room is finding a glider or rocker. I don't want to spend a fortune but I also want something comfortable so it is becoming a challenge. 

It's been a tough week and we appreciate all the support, prayers, and kind words we've received from family and friends. I know I wouldn't have survived without Kevin. He's taken on a lot with me being out of commission and at the same time he is there to pick me up when I'm feeling down. I had a mini meltdown last weekend at the thought of 2 months of bed rest but he pulled me right out. He went and got all of the supplies for our butterfly mobile and worked so hard to get it finished. I love him so very much and I look forward to seeing him hold our little girl in his arms. (As long as it isn't too soon).

Kevin and Patti's visit

While we anxiously wait for our doctor's appointment tomorrow I figured I could go ahead and get this post up from Kevin and Patti's visit a few weekends ago. They were making the drive up with the car we bought back in July and we can't express enough how appreciative we are. It is a long drive. After they rolled in we went out to Main street for dinner. Kevin and I realized that we haven't really spent much time over there. There are a lot of cool shops that we are going to have to check out in the future.

The next day we took some time to check out Dow Gardens. While Kevin and I had been twice before this was by far the best weather for it. The flowers were gorgeous and I think we all had a lovely time.

There was lots of art throughout the gardens but this was a favorite. I wish I could remember what it is called.

Kevin getting involved in the art

 There were several weddings going on that day and Patti and I enjoyed looking at the gowns. Lucky brides...it was a perfect day for an outdoor wedding.

After grabbing lunch it was time for our day trip to Ikea for the dresser. In case you missed it the details of this trip can be found here. We felt a little bad that there was more driving involved after our guests had already made a long drive to Michigan but we were victorious so I think it made it all worth it.

The Kevin's having fun with the displays

 On Sunday Kevin and I decided to take Patti to Frankenmuth so she could experience Bronner's CHRISTmas land. I think she enjoyed it (I mean...it's a Christmas Oasis after all). The grand baby's may/may not already have some Christmas presents :)

For dinner we grilled out at our house and then we had a little time before dark to go and see the Tridge. It was a gorgeous sunset and with the chill in the air it really felt like fall.

We even walked across the third segment of the tridge where neither Kevin or I had been before. The big mystery was a little anti-climactic. If I remember correctly it took us to a parking lot and some softball fields. I have a video of the third side of the tridge but it's a new memory card and I'm having trouble loading the video right now. If I can get it later I'll try and post it. 

Kevin admiring the reflection

 All too quickly it was Monday and time for Patti and Kevin to head to the airport. Luckily their flight wasn't too early in the day and we had time to go and take a tour of Dow. I know Kevin was excited to show his parents where he works. We had to get visitor passes and we aren't allowed to take pictures inside the gates so we took a minute to get a few outside before heading to the airport.

A little bright out but I like this picture withe the Dow diamond.

We loved having Kevin and Patti for the weekend and we really wish we could have had them for longer. Having our second vehicle is wonderful (although paying Michigan car insurance isn't that fun...it's insanely expensive-much more than in California and Kansas) we love having the flexibility of two cars. We're so appreciative of all our parents do for us. Thank your Kevin and Patti for everything. Love you lots.

Bed Rest

Last week at my doctor's appointment I brought up that while I've been feeling the baby moving that I hadn't been feeling things quite as strongly has I had been a few weeks prior. My uterus has also been measuring 1 cm behind for the last couple of appointments (it's normal to be +/- 1cm). As a precaution she decided to go ahead and have me schedule an ultrasound just to make sure that the growth of the baby was where it should be.

Kevin and I went in on Wednesday for the ultrasound and as we were leaving we were called back in to meet with the doctor. This was terrifying because we knew that the only reason they'd have me be meeting with the doctor immediately after the ultrasound when I have an appointment scheduled in a week was if something wasn't right. The nurse told us that the baby was measuring a bit small and the doctor wanted to go over with us what we need to do next. 

The doctor came in shortly after this and told us that my amniotic fluid was a little low and that the baby's body was measuring a little bit behind. The baby is still in the 40th percentile but the body is behind where the head growth is at which can be caused by low fluid since the baby can't move around as much. It is also hard for them to get accurate body measurements when the surrounding fluid is low. The first thing the doctor wanted to rule out was whether I was leaking any fluid or not. Luckily my my membranes are still intact so we were very relieved. The concern now is that my placenta may not be functioning properly which can be causing the low fluid.

 My OB is sending us to a perinatologist (an OB with special training in doppler and ultrasound and works with high risk patients). I have an appointment scheduled for next Thursday and we'll hopefully have more information about what is going on then. Until then I have been put on bed rest and I am just supposed to get as much fluid in my body as possible. While I didn't think that I was dehydrated it is a possibility that I have been. This would be the best case scenario just because we can do something about it. If it is indeed the placenta then we run into another set of problems. The doctor of course had to go down that road which was really scary hearing but we're trying really hard to remember that we don't have enough facts yet. My OB said it wasn't like I was going to go into labor tomorrow or anything and that she would be more concerned if my 19 week ultrasound hadn't come out great. We have caught the issue early and it is going to be addressed. 

The afternoon after hearing all of this news was pretty rough. It was just such a shock to go from everything being great to suddenly having a high risk pregnancy. While it is going to be a long week until our appointment with the specialist we are taking it as good news that they didn't feel the need to schedule us immediately. In the meantime I'm just really focusing on getting the fluids down. We are measuring how much I'm drinking so there is no question that I'm getting enough every day. 

 We're just trying to stay positive and have faith that everything will be okay. This is why we have prenatal care and I'm glad that my doctor's office is aware and proactive. We would appreciate it if you'd continue to keep us in your thoughts and prayers over the next week and I will get an update as soon as we know more.

Surprise Baby Shower

I loaded these pictures a few days ago but then I started watching 'Prison Break' on Netflix and blogging got put on the back burner. I'm up in the middle of the night and instead of finishing the episode I started last night I decided to be productive and finish this post.

I mentioned previously that our California peeps threw us a surprise baby shower while we were in Canada. They somehow managed to get rid of both me and Kevin for a bit to set things up. I'm impressed they accomplished this without raising suspicions. (In hindsight there were clues). Basically we were sent back to the hotel for a bit and then we were to come back to Colin's parents house for dinner. When we arrived, the gazebo had been transformed into a Baby Bungalow!

It worked out great and they were able to use many of the decorations from the reception since there was pink involved. Everything looked adorable!

We were spoiled with gifts and there was even a perrier/apple juice toast for Baby K! 

Colin and Andi felt that since we were finally on their turf they should introduce us to something Canadian. Their choice....poutine. Sounds a little sketchy right? Poutine is a dish that originated out of Quebec and in its purest form consists of french fries, gravy, and cheese curds. Pretty amazing right? I did learn based on some others responses to this dish that I most likely have never experienced heartburn before.

Yummy Poutine!

During our time in California, Cranium is a game that we played quite a bit. To honor this, we played Baby Cranium. Sarah and Moria replaced all the cards in each category with baby themed cards. There were baby songs to hum, baby trivia to answer, celebrities expecting babies to act out, baby terms to unscramble and spell backwards, and much more. It really was the perfect game for this shower and the effort put in is just incredible!

Baby Cranium

The winners of the first round!

There were even prizes for the winners but Kevin stole mine.

Kevin and I switched teams for the second round but my team still managed to win. Take that Kevin!

These are some amazing ladies who really pulled off a fantastic shower. They planned it from long distance (plus Andi was a little busy planning her reception so I don't know how they found the time). We couldn't have asked for a better way to spend the last night of our trip. We really are lucky to have made such incredible friends during our time in California.

I should have gotten the group shot while it was still light out but I couldn't have us leave without at lease ONE picture of all of us together. It has been such a big year or so for everyone. There have been thesis defenses and Ph.D.'s earned, moves across the country, two engagements, a wedding, and a baby on the way. I am beyond thrilled that we were all able to get together to celebrate that weekend and we look forward to next summer to celebrate what this next year brings. 

Baby Update: 26 and 27 weeks

These last two weeks wrapped up the second trimester for me. Hard to believe we are 2/3 of the way to meeting little Baby K! I'm definitely feeling more pregnant lately (as if nausea, vomiting, and back aches weren't clues enough). I find myself making little grunting noises more often when I am rearranging myself in bed throughout the night and picking things up or reaching for things on the coffee table while sitting on the couch.

This last weekend we were lucky enough to have Kevin and Patti in town. While I have a separate blog post planned I decided to throw in a few things here since it is baby related. One of our missions was to find a dresser for the baby's room. I had one in mind from Ikea so we made the drive to go and get it. We spotted it on display right away but upon further investigation we found out it was temporarily oversold. Apparently this particular dresser was shown on some home show and every store was sold out of it in white. I was pretty bummed since we'd made the 2 hour drive just for that and now we were going to have to come back another time for it. We still had fun wandering around Ikea though because that place is awesome.

I started getting a little tired (I was wearing flip flops like a dummy and all the walking on concrete was not helping out). Kevin ran off for a minute and when he came back he had a wheelchair for me! At first I was thinking..."well this is embarrassing". Almost immediately after having that thought I then was more like "that actually looks really nice...I'll just sit down". Then I was like..."This is AMAZING and my husband rocks".

I was much happier at that point and I could have stayed all day. On the way toward the exit we had to walk (or wheel)  by the area where you pick up what you want to buy. Since I was being pushed I suggested we just go over to the area where the dresser would have been. As we came close we saw the most incredible thing....one last dresser, in white, sitting there waiting for us. Patti and I were pretty giddy at this point. We just couldn't believe there was one left just for us!!!

 We got home pretty late that night but Kevin and his Dad dove right in and started putting it together. There were so many pieces and would have taken forever...especially since I'm not as useful crawling around the floor as I used to be.

The men hard at work

 A picture of the final product! I love it! I plan on getting different knobs for the top row to add a little fun. This will also be our changing area so the decor is temporary until we get the changing pad. (note the awesome diaper cake)

A better view of our crib. It is storage for baby clothes and books right now...I'm still deciding on bedding, etc.

Grandma Koch's quilt

 I wasn't sure if I should put this picture in or not. The room is still a work in progress. We can't paint the walls so I debated forever on getting white furniture or not. I decided that by the time I add in a colorful rug and curtains plus other wall accessories that I can make it work. A rug is on order as we speak and I'm stalking the Internet for curtain ideas.

I love the light fixture we got at Ikea

I've been feeling pretty good overall. I definitely get tired much easier and I can slowly feel the exhaustion of the first trimester slowly creeping back. There have been a couple of bad moments but for the most part I can't complain too much. (Well...I can but I'm not going to).

At my doctor's appointment this week Baby K's heartbeat was once again 150 bpm. This week she is growing to approximately 16 in and 2.5 lbs.  I went in for blood work including the gestational diabetes screening test. That was on Tuesday and I haven't heard anything back yet. The doctor told me they wouldn't call unless my glucose was elevated so I'm hoping that I passed since it's been 3 days already. I'm now on to appointments every 2 weeks instead of every 4 weeks so that is kind of exciting. These last three months are going to go by so fast. With that being said...I'm going to go eat something and get back to hunting for curtains. Look for a couple more blog posts coming soon...

Hitchfest!

Once again I am behind on my blog posts. The last couple of weeks have been jam packed with visitors, traveling, and fun and I'm going to do my best to get caught up before I leave for Phoenix next week. Here it goes!

Labor day weekend meant travel for us to Canada to celebrate Colin and Andi's marriage. They were married at the San Francisco Courthouse back in April with their parents present but since they are both from Peterborough, ON they wanted to have a celebration for everyone back home. With Sarah and Jonathan in Boston, us in Michigan, and Brian and Moria moving to New York it worked out wonderfully for all of us to go!

Kevin and I had Moria for a couple of days before we started our drive. I accompanied Moria while she tried on some wedding dresses and we took in a Jason Mraz concert down closer to Ann Arbor. I didn't have my camera that day but when I get some pics from Moria I'll put them in a 'Summer Fun' post of things I haven't blogged about.

Once Kevin got off of work on Friday we started our drive to Toronto. It is only about a 4 1/2 hour drive from Midland. We wanted to eat at someplace 'uniquely Canadian' so we decided on Moose Winooski's.

Kevin and Moria enjoying the gorgeous weather!

We stayed at a hotel in the airport making it easy for Brian to get to us after arriving from his red eye flight from California. He had commitments until that Friday and that was the soonest he could get in. He grabbed a little sleep before we got ourselves ready and drove another 1 1/2 or so to Peterborough for the reception.

We made it! The reception was at the Harvey Homestead and everything looked beautiful! 

The guys together again!

 Of course we needed one of the ladies as well

The yard was filled with different activities such as corn hole, ladder ball, and croquet. 

I'm still amazed that it worked out so well for all of us to make it. Sarah and Jonathan had a little bit longer drive from Boston (10 hours) but I'm so glad they didn't let that stop them!

We are so happy for Colin and Andi. They have been together such a long time and have done much of it long distance. They are an amazing couple and we couldn't be happier for them.

Andi and Colin giving a thank you toast

 
It was hot out but the shade felt great and there was hardly a cloud in sight. It was fun getting to meet both Colin and Andi's families and getting to hear good stories from their childhood as well.

It's hard to believe it had been over a year since we had all been together at the same time. It truly felt like no time had passed at all. As the main party dwindled down a we all changed and a bbq began that took us into the evening. More delicious food and a bonfire complete with s'mores topped off a wonderful day. 

The next day we had breakfast back at our hotel in downtown Peterborough before heading out to a lake to spend the afternoon. Friends of Andi's have a cottage that they were kind enough to allow all of Andi and Colin's friends to use. 

The view was incredible and it was another perfect day.

After spending the afternoon relaxing the gang managed to get rid of me and Kevin for a little bit and set up for a surprise baby shower. (I have a separate post for this so we'll just skip over it for now)

We'd already said goodbye to Colin and Andi the night before but the rest of us had just enough time for breakfast in the morning before we had to hit the road to get back. Moria and Brian left with Sarah and Jonathan to continue their time off before settling into Ithaca, NY.

It was definitely sad saying goodbye again.

Jonathan and Sarah are getting married next July in Vermont so at least we know we'll all (hopefully) be together again in less than a year!

Lupin and the Chipmunk

Hello Everyone,

I think this is my third post on "our" blog, and I decided to post because I found a great picture.  This picture is a little bit older, but for several of Cara's blogging cycles it has been overlooked because it was stored on the nebulous internal camera memory instead of the memory card.

Lupin loves looking out the window in our door, and I love annoying Lupin, so I put a bird feeder outside our window.  I was thinking that I would get to see Lupin freak out when he saw birds coming up, but the creature that really pisses him off is the chipmunk.  I've taken to putting bird food right outside the window so that Lupin tries to figure how to go through the glass while the chipmunk happily fills his cheeks.  Here is a picture showing the start of Lupin's dance with the chipmunk that lives under our porch.

The next picture is a digital zoom in on the chipmunk.  This is the point in the dance when the chipmunk is deciding whether or not he wants to risk getting that close to the door.

As I said earlier this picture is a little dated, and I took it before my parents came up last weekend with my new pellet gun.  My next post will most likely be about chipmunk stew!

Cheers,

Kevin