Showing posts with label pregnancy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label pregnancy. Show all posts

Sunday, December 4, 2016

She's here!

My daughter is officially here. However, this post comes a little late... She's now 14 days old.
My little girl has been marching to the beat of her own drum this entire time. It would seem she doesn't stay within the lines any more than her father and I do. As such, she came in her own good time.
Thursday, November 17th, I had my 39 week check up.
As part of that, the midwife attempted to check my cervix. It took quite a bit of effort, but she finally found it. In doing so, she disturbed the mucous plug. She scheduled my inducement for the following Sunday morning. Friday night, about midnight, my water burst. And over the next few hours my water gushed in spurts. Contractions got to 8 minutes apart before slowing down and becoming sporadic. At one time I had 2 strong ones within three minutes apart. Feeling like we should be safe rather than sorry, we decided to head to the hospital. After getting in, we filled out more paper work. Mind you, I had pre-registered twice already. My online version didn't count. And yet, I felt like I had answered all the same questions twice more after arriving at the hospital. Contractions were strong, but sporadic still. They got me hooked up to monitors and started the IV. While going through all this, I had a nurse and someone she was clearly training. The trainee knew more about entering the correct information into the computer system than the charge nurse did. The charge nurse told us that they had been busy all night long. And that some of those new moms admitted shouldn't have been having babies at all. I mean come on... who doesn't know what a circumcision is?! Especially if you are having a baby boy! Or how about a teenage mom who named her baby Anti Delicious. Are you setting her up to be a hooker?!
Moving right along... It came time to check my cervix. My fiancé was sitting in the waiting area just outside the curtain, listening. The charge nurse got gloves on and attempted to check my cervix. Apparently, mine was quite elusive. None of the medical professionals I dealt with that night and the following day could easily access it. NO ONE. She had me practically doing moves that made it look like an exorcism was taking place and still couldn't reach it. I'm whimpering and my fiancé is wondering if they are killing me. Then she calls another nurse down from the next floor who is known to have longer fingers. Again, I go into the crazy position and she struggles, but finally finds my cervix. I'm only at 2 centimeters by this point. My cervix is effaced and soft though and contractions were still strong, so they admit me and after a while of observing send me upstairs to Labor and Delivery.
Once I arrive upstairs, I'm hooked up to monitors and its early morning. They decide to get some Pitocin in me to see if we can kick start stronger, more regular contractions. I had my fiancé, his mother and his sister keeping me company. I cannot tell you how thankful I was to have them. We told stories and kept the laughter going. His mother also timed my contractions for me. It was very comforting and helped the time pass with ease. Getting closer to lunch time, we started betting on when she would be arriving. My fiancé was born at 1:19. And knowing how my baby girl likes to beat records (she was my only one that stayed inside past 38 weeks and refused to be coaxed out by standard methods), we were thinking she might try coming later than him. Though I was sincerely hoping for noon.
Contractions got stronger and I started to doubt that I would make it to the end. I was hoping for the end to get there quicker. For a moment I thought I was ready as to push, so the in laws went to wait outside. I was checked and at first they thought I was truly ready. Then I was checked by the other attending midwife when nothing seemed to happen with my pushes. Turned out my cervix had eluded the first midwife and I was only 6 centimeters along. They positioned me on my side and put a peanut-shaped workout ball between my legs. A little later, and I'm crying out from the intense pains. I get flipped to other side and the pain increases. Within 10-15 minutes of having last been checked, I was telling the nurse that it was time to push. The look of panic was seen briefly while she told her trainee I wasn't allowed to push until we got my midwives in the room. With or without them, I was kicking the ball away and rolling myself over as I was going to push. The head nurse looked and called over the headset, "I see hair! There's a head, she's ready to push." By now, the panic was obvious. The trainee grabbed one leg and I grabbed the other while commencing pushing. It felt like forever, though it was over quickly.
Meagan arrived and they laid her on my chest.
At first, my fiancé and I had concern at how dark she appeared. My concern was if she was breathing. His was more of if I had dabbled along the way. Thankfully when I spoke up, they turned on lights and we saw that she was bruised from her rapid descent. In my eyes, she was the most beautiful creature on earth. My little angel.
Our journey wasn't over. We were there 3 days dealing with jaundice tests and the ill results. Watching her under the blue lights was nerve wracking.
I didn't get an explanation to truly understand what was happening to her. I also hated the bands around her ankles. They cut into her skin and made her cry often. At one time, she managed to kick off the monitor (which freaked the nurses out). The responding nurse reattached it too tightly. I was looking for scissors...
We also had issues with the breastfeeding. She didn't get anything to come out until we got home. But she did make me bleed. It was quite the ordeal. And I'm incredibly happy its over. She's home and I'm preparing to return to work on Monday. I'm nowhere near ready for that step, but its just how things go. My little darling is finally here.

Wednesday, September 28, 2016

Fun preparations

This past weekend was quite enjoyable. I was given the pleasure of a baby shower thrown by my future in-laws.
We played games, ate cute snacks
and I received so many gifts for my baby girl that I had to have help from a friend getting everything home. It was Star Wars themed. We are totally bringing in a new generation of nerds. This one is getting the earliest start. My future mother and grandmother in-law did a wonderfully funny skit about caring for a baby. 
My daughter will come into a family that is genuinely excited to meet her as well as love her dearly. Her bed is now completely ready with all the handmade bedding that was made for her by 3 generations of women.
I couldn't be prouder to bring her home to this. 

My other children had the fun of building Lumiere at a free Lego event at Toys R Us. 
On Sunday, we took the kids to the park to wear off energy and play with friends. 
I'm hoping for another fun weekend to come. 

Sunday, June 26, 2016

And the preparations continue...

You know how you have one good day when you live with chronic pain, so you try to do everything you can't normally do? Of course you pay for it later... BUT you get that list dwindled ever so slightly! 

Yesterday was one such day. I was feeling able to ignore the lower pain levels. So we went to pick up my motorcycle that has sat dormant at my fiances for a couple months and bring it back to my place.

Its a good 40 minute drive and the rain decided to give my bike a bath... while I was driving it back. But its now where it should be. 

Then we were able to run errands that I can't find the energy to do during the week while I work. Upon returning home with groceries, I got the bright idea to start cooking and freezing meals again. Until yesterday, I had a grand total of 3 frozen dinners. Being nearly halfway through the pregnancy, I think I should really pick up my game on this...

I made 3 more dinner to freeze and one for me to eat while I cooked. I have decided that Louisiana Purchase boxed dinners suck.
Flavorless but leaving an after taste I can't quite place. *shivers* Anyhow... The dinners I made were all ones that I have been wanting to try but keep putting off. And had my kids begging to dig in to at least one of them. Which is one I'll be making again for dinner tonight. I started a beef stew in the crock pot while I cooked a pepperoni pasta dish (my kids want this one) and a beef and bean soup.

I'll include those last two recipes for you guys. I paid for my efforts in pain last night. But I'm a strong believer that it will pay off later when the baby is born or on those nights that I'm just too tired to cook after work. Tonight, I'll be starting all over again. I think I'll make some brownies while I'm at it too... 



So here are a couple recipes you might want to try. The soup one is a favorite of mine while my kids can't wait to dig into the One Pot Pepperoni Pizza Pasta. 



Italian Sausage and Bean Soup



Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil, divided use
1 pound Italian sausage
1 1/2 cups each chopped onion and diced carrots
1 cup chopped celery (include leaves if you want)
1 tablespoon minced garlic in oil
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
5-6 cups chicken broth
1 can Italian-style diced tomatoes
1 can red kidney beans, drained
1 cup elbow macaroni


Place 1 tablespoon oil in a heavy pot over medium-high heat; add sausage and cook, breaking up into small pieces with edge of cooking spoon. Remove to a plate and set aside. 

Add remaining oil to same pot; saute onions, carrots, celery, garlic and Italian seasoning. Cook 7-9 minutes or until tender; then return sausage to pot. 

Stir in broth, tomatoes, and beans. Bring soup to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer 15-20 minutes, uncovered. Right before serving, bring soup to a full boil and add macaroni; simmer over medium, stirring occasionally, 10 minutes or until al dente. Season to taste with salt, black pepper and crushed red pepper flakes, if desired. 



Substitute:

You can use ground beef instead of the Italian sausage. 


One Pot Pepperoni Pizza Pasta



Ingredients:

1 lb ground beef
1 small onion
40 slices of pepperoni (or just wing it like I did)
24 oz jar of spaghetti sauce
3 cups penne pasta
2 cups of water
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella 


Brown ground beef and onion in a large skillet and drain excess fat.

Add some of the slices of pepperoni and spaghetti sauce.

Add pasta and water, stir and bring to a boil.



Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 15 minutes until most of the liquid is absorbed and pasta is tender.


Remove lid and sprinkle top with cheese and remaining pepperoni.

Broil until the cheese is lightly browned. 

Wednesday, June 8, 2016

The joys of pregnancy

There's nothing quite like being pregnant. Every single one is different. Every woman goes through it differently. For me... its miserable for the most part. This one will definitely be my last baby. Gonna have a little chat with my midwife about getting clipped once this bundle makes its appearance. And a warning, I don't know what it is yet, but I'm calling it a "she" as that is what I'm feeling and hoping for. I have 2 boys and a girl. I prefer even numbers. Just can't deal with those odd ones. So if I refer to the baby as "she" or "her", you know why.

Anyhow. My back has been a huge problem. I'm seeing a chiropractor in the hopes of limiting my pain and surviving the remainder of months I have left. I believe I'm right around 16 weeks now. Getting close to that halfway point. Cleaning and cooking are limited and done in bursts that leave me on ice packs or heating pads. But I'm getting through it. Mostly during my weekends. One trash bag of clutter at a time. I'm also arranging my closet and bedroom for the baby addition. I need a place for a crib and for her things. I also have boxes of diapers and wipes to store for her already thanks to generous future in laws 8-) These things take priority.

But there are other things that I have to consider. What comes with a newborn? Exhaustion. Not wanting to cook dinner every night. Especially after working all day. So I came up with a plan. And last night I started the first bout of prepping.
I cooked tacos for dinner, but I also made a casserole to freeze for later. It might not stay in the freezer until the baby gets here, but it will help on nights I'm too tired or didn't remember to pull out meat for the following days dinner.
Tonight when I get home, I plan to cook two of my chicken casseroles. One to eat, one to freeze. And this is how I'm getting ready for those long nights and tired days when I just can't stand up to the challenge of cooking. I've been scouring Pinterest for recipes of meals that can be frozen. So many easy ones that I have decided are going to keep me on track. One meal at a time...
While I was at it, I even made some quick grab lunches to bring to work. Like these stuffed cheesy bell peppers.
My goal is to keep doing this as often as possible so I'm ready for the little bundle and can spend more time with her. Do you think its weird to have freezable dishes and baking pans on the baby registry?

Sunday, May 27, 2012

Scoliosis: affecting life and pregnancy

Scoliosis is a subject dear to my spine. I've had it since elementary school, though I didn't always know what it was. What is scoliosis? Its a disease within the spinal skeleton that causes the spine to grow into a curve instead of straight up and down. When I was in 1-2 grades, kids poked me in the back and laughed at my protruding shoulder blades. They referred to me as the girl with boobs in her back because basically thats what it looks like to a bunch of kids. Later, at 12 years old, I was walking through a thrift store that my mom frequented a lot. The owner was a nice elderly lady. Well, one day while walking through her store she started staring at me strangely. She came up to us and asked if I had been diagnosed with scoliosis yet. I had never even heard the word before and though my mother had, she never really noticed anything being odd. The lady pointed out some helpful hints for spotting the disease:
  1. If wearing an outfit that zips up the back - the zipper often curves to one side with more progressed cases.
  2. If a person having scoliosis bends over to touch their toes, you will see the shoulder blades protruding at various degrees. One might be higher than the other. This goes for the hips as well.
  3. While standing straight (as a person having the disease can) one side will be lower than the other. One shoulder will appear to be slouched down and standing flat footed can be impossible for more severe cases as mine was.
Well, as you can guess, a visit to the pediatrician led to a visit to a pediatric orthopedic specialist. The best in the region I believe. He was the highest ranking doctor in his field at the time. Doctor R. J. Cummings (http://www.healthgrades.com/physician/dr-robert-cummings-xsvqy). He was very patient, explained everything clearly, and most importantly he never tried to butter up the truth. He told it like it was.
My case was far from usual. First, I had a double curve or S curve. This is where the bones in the spine curve to look like one large S instead of a straight line. Secondly, when they measured the degrees of each curve (tells them how far from a normal straight line it is), I had a 52 on the top and 58 on the bottom. Those are big numbers. First question they had was, "Are you feeling any pain or discomfort?" Well, no? Back pains were never any issue for me. I felt like a normal, healthy 12 year old. The next thing they wondered is why no one noticed until it had progressed that far. Well, mom didn't really notice much as it was. And while I noticed (I got teased for it remember?), I thought it was yet another manifestation of me being oddly different from everyone else. (Which suited me just fine since I enjoyed being the odd one that never fit in anyhow.)


So what does this mean? Well, when you have a more severe case like mine chances are slim that you can get by with a body brace. Mild cases that require treatment but not surgery, can be treated with the use of a body brace that straightens the torso and keeps a person in a rigid position until the bones are taught to grow in a straight line again or until they stop growing altogether. Moms sometimes love this idea for teaching their kids how to sit straight. Ever have your mom say, "Sit up straight! Don't slouch!" Body braces keep you straight whether you like it or not!


For my case and similiar cases, this wouldn't work. I was growing still and at a rate of 2 degrees a month I think it was, it wouldn't have taken much longer for me to end up in a wheel chair paralyzed and in constant pain. Surgery was needed as soon as possible. I began donating my own blood towards my surgery. 1 pint a month for 4 month. Its the safest way and provides for the better healing experience since a body is used to its own blood rather than having to be introduced to someone elses.
The surgery is called Spinal Fusion. For milder curves, 1 rod will be attached or fused to the bones with a few screws. As the bone grows, it follows the shape of the rod ensuring that it stays straight. For a case like mine, 2 rods were needed. The rods were fused with 4 clamps (2 on each side) and lots of screws. I was quite tall with a long torso though. The first surgery I had (out of 3) was done later the same year I was diagnosed. It went very well. Recovery included some strict rules for the next 6 months.
  1. No bending.
  2. No heavy lifting.
  3. No twisting or turning.
  4. No jumping (really is a bummer when you love trampolines and jump ropes).
  5. No strenuous activities that could put pressure or stress on the spine.
I learned to do a lot of things differently. I learned to pick up things with my feet since I couldn't bend. My legs grew stronger since I had to squat down to pick things up if they were too heavy or awkward to get with my feet. I learned to like the couch since I couldn't sleep in my own bed comfortably for quite some time. I got used to having my mother come and help me bathe since I could only stand there and get the front of me. For someone who enjoyed her independence, it was a trial and half.
At 15 years old, I'm having pains in my lower spine. So when I go for another check up, they take a closer look at my X-rays. I find out that a screw had broken and was needing to be replaced because the curve was starting to grow again. Thus started the jokes about bionic girl needing her bolts tightened.... Normally a girl stops growing when she starts her menstrual cycle. May I point out, I'm not normal. I was still growing even though I should have been done 4 years before. Either the growing bone broke the hardware or the hardware broke allowing me to grow sideways again. So, surgery 2 commenced.
All was well for the next 3 years. In between surgeries I developed arthritis in my lower back and hips. This is normal when something metal is installed in the human body. Its often noticed when the weather changes. You feel it in your bones that a storm is coming, that rain is on the way. Just before I turned 18, I started having some pretty strong pain. Thinking that something might have broken again, we went in to check up on it. Everything appeared normal. X-rays showed nothing broken or damaged, blood and urine tests came back normal, and even the bone scan showed nothing out of the ordinary. I also had no fevers indicating infection, but then I don't think I've ever had an infection. Doctor Cummings decided to take the hardware out. I prepared for surgery #3.
It was only after he opened me up and took out all that metal that he found a severe infection eating away at the bones in my lower spine. During the operation, a PICC line was inserted. A PICC line is a peripherally inserted central catheter. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peripherally_inserted_central_catheterIts used to administer antibiotics over an extended period. The line was inserted in my right arm peripheral Cephalic vein, ran across my chest, and ended directly in my heart for optimal deliverance of the antibiotics. The original strand of infection was not easily diagnosed so I was released from the hospital with a temporary antibiotic that they later changed when the culture came back. For the next 9 months, I once again followed the strict rules, but I also had to be trained to give myself the required antibiotics to kill the infection. They had to be administered everyday, twice a day for 9 months non-stop. It was interesting going to work and having co-workers stare or shudder as I unrolled the outer line and started the long process in the break room. Its a multi-step process that can take about 10 minutes to complete.


  • First you clean the insertion part.
  • Then you flush the line with saline solution to clear out any blood that may have flowed into the tube.
  • Next you put in the antibiotic (always checking to make sure air bubbles are out first). This one was the slowest part.
  • Next came another dose of saline solution. This stuff gives you a very cold feeling as it runs up your arm and across the chest.
  • Finally you put in the heparin lock to seal everything in place. It always gave me a bitter metallic taste in my mouth.


After everything was settled from the final surgery, the doc released me with a clean bill of health. He told me I could live a normal life and do pretty much anything that anyone else could. (Military didn't agree though.) The one warning he did offer was this: getting pregnant and having a natural birth may be difficult for me. I'm not 100% straight in the spine. My shoulder blades still protrude more than normal and my hips are not in perfect alignment with each other. One hip sticks out  farther.
Getting pregnant hasn't been the problem. I've got the 3rd bun in the oven right now. The pregnancies themselves, however, have had their very difficult moments. My first son was pretty smooth sailing until the end. Towards the end I had a lot of back pain. But then.... I also gained 45 pounds with him and had a lot of water weight gain that made everything hurt. My second son was harder. Even at the very beginning there were days when I could barely walk and I had to quit my job because of the pain getting to be too much. This third one has been the hardest of all.
When you have scoliosis, your spine doesn't curve and change like it should. When you have the spinal fusion operations, you are stuck ram rod straight. You never change or curve besides the normal bending over or tilting to the side. With exercize, you should be able to train your back to become quite flexible though. But during pregnancy, your spine won't accomodate the baby the way it needs to. My babies seek to curl up on my lower spine pinching the nerve and causing severe pain. If I move in just a certain way, it causes me to freeze up and begin to fall. Simple things like bending, walking or even driving hurts. Another problem during pregnancy that a scoliosis patient might face - not being able to breathe well. Since there is no room and things are crammed up anyway, your lungs may not be able to expand as well as they do normally. You find yourself out of breath doing simple tasks or even while walking.
I've done a lot of research on these things. I've seen many different doctors and gotten many different suggestions for pregnancy and labor issues.
  • When you are not pregnant, exercize regularly. Build up the muscle strength in your back. It helps strengthen the bones. Doing sit ups, crunches, and weight lifting can help.
  • Take calcium supplements. Build up the nutrients in your bones.
  • During pregnancy, keep as active as you can without pushing your limits. Ask your doctor what they think is best for you since everyone is different.
  • Water exercizes are always the best! It supports your extra weight and takes a load off. I like just floating in the water sometimes.
  • If you are having trouble breathing, relax. Straighten up and stretch out.
  • Some people have the option of physical therapy. For someone like me, this is not so much of option. Most health care providers see me as a liability and don't want to take a chance on me trying something and getting worse.
  • Tylenol is about the only over the counter medicine you can take for pain. I don't suggest you take it too often though. It is a blood thinner.
  • Heating pads are wonderful! So are hot showers and hot baths. Heat therapy soothes the muscles and relaxes you.
  • Maternity belts can be helpful as well. They offer extra support under the belly and around the back.
  • Discuss labor options with your healthcare provider. I couldn't lay on my back for very long. It was excrutiatingly painful. So for my second sons birth I had a midwife and gave birth at home. I endured the pains while walking around and standing in the shower in intervals.
  • But no matter what - take it easy! If you have someone who can help you when things get tough, I strongly advise you to ask them.
I hope someone finds this information useful. Or at least learned something. Scoliosis affects so many people in so many ways. Chances are you know someone who has at least a mild case even if they don't realize it.