Ok, back to our normal blogging!

We have choosen a bedding set, whew...that was compicated, lol. The reason you saw them all here on the blog is so my mom and Ray could see them as i was looking, and the winner is....

Pirates Cove! The last one posted, evidentally the guys at Ray's work had some input too, and the Pirates set was a hands down winner...

It will be a cute room, the crib is together, the dresser has to be assembled (that will be FUN!) the bedding is ordered... I am going to have Sammy start napping in his room this week, he still wakes 1-3 times at night to eat, so night time will come in a couple months probably...

If you have noticed the side bar, Sam weighs over 8 lbs now!

Will we will have some new pictures posted this week :-)

Catherine

Can we say HUNGRY?

Sam weighed 6lbs 15 oz Monday, and 7lbs 3.5 oz today, no wonder he is nursing round the clock non stop!

12 hours from now...

In 12 hours we leave the house for the hospital...

I took my last heparin shot this am...

I have been having sporadic contractions since Tuesday, probably not productive, but I hope they mean my body will be receptive to the induction!

This is the last day in my life I will be pregnant, kinda bittersweet...but we are REALLY ready to meet this little guy. I still pray every time I think of birthing him that he comes out screaming, healthy lungs and all. I still find it surprising the doctors don't caution me to be ready for problems...

After all the doom and gloom at 20 weeks, I think maybe it was to prepare me to lose him all together, that they thought he wouldn't make it to viability. We are so lucky to be where we are today, against all odds, having a full term birth of this miracle baby.

Please God, help him breath and be strong so he can come home with us with no complications...

How much will Samuel weight? Ray guesses 5lbs 2 oz - I guess between 4lbs 12 oz and 5lbs 5oz (I of course have to take the 4lbs 7oz and do the +/-10% blah blah blah and go from there, lol.

We should have the laptop with us at the hospital and the digital camera, and will update from there! Wish us luck, I am not scared, but quite anxious!

Catherine

The end stretch...

I am being induced next Friday the 12th, at 5am, 38w5d -

My peri is out of town, and he said, darn, i wont be back till Monday, and you will be out of here by then, be sure to bring the baby by and let me meet him!

Man, being talked to and treated like everything is ok - I am still pinching myself...

He is trying to correlate my experience with the heparin use - the possible autoimmune/clotting/placenta degradation during my acute episode and the hep stopping it - so the placenta will go to pathology and he is having a complete autoimmune panel run on me post delivery - i hope he can somehow make some correlation so it might help someone else.

This time next week Ray and I should be holding our son, wow, wow....

Catherine

Alas, no more progress....

No stripping of the membranes- i am still 1cm 50%, but this time baby is not engaged at all, I am at a 3 station!

So...my hopes for going on my own before 1/12 are kinda dashed, so I will contently enjoy the last 9 days of my precious miracle inside me :-)

Negative results for Group B strep tho, which is good news, no need to antiboitics during labor.

Catherine

Induction date!

Induction date is set for 1/12 at 5am, 2 weeks from today!

I am still hoping to go on my own before that, Dr C will sweep my membranes next thursday, maybe that will do the trick :-)

Catherine

4 lbs 7 oz

Woo hoo! 4 lbs 7 oz! ok not huge, lol, but for this baby it is tremendous!

BP today was 118/71 - i feel SO lucky to be where I am today after my first post at 18w3d, where I was in terrible shape, I am 36w2d

Sam had nice weight gain in the last 3 weeks, he is a chunky 4lbs 7 oz, and looked good on his BPP and NST-

The plan now is to have a baby :-) If I go into labor on my own they wont stop me, but Dr O did tell me to go straight in to be monitored, to make sure he handles the contractions well enough.

If I havent gone into labor on my own by my last appt on 1/9, they will schedule an induction for that week.

No more than 2.5 weeks left until we meet sam!

And, look at what Caroline MADE for her new baby brother, a beautiful double sided fleece blanket! It had both Ray and I in tears, she is so sweet :-)

Catherine

The math as I see it...

Ok I have a 14 year old in algebra so here is my equation...

known values...

Sams last weight :1300grms
Weight 17 days prior 911 grams
Weight gain per day: (1 300 - 911) / 17 = 22.8823529 (did you know you can type that into google and it figures it for you?

So, on Tuesday it will have been 22 days since the last growth u/s, if he is maintaining the same rate of growth he will weigh...

(((1 300 - 911) / 17) * 22) + 1 300 = 1 803.41176

1803.41176 Grams or...

1 803.41176 grams = 3.97584236 pounds

Just about 4 pounds... I will be 36w2d, I am praying he has kept up or increased his weight gain...If it has slowed down I think we have got to assess if he would be better outside me than inside me!

Baby Registry

---

For those who have asked me to, I did a registry at Babies R Us online, registry number is 33701914.

I certainly don't expect anything, if nothing else looking at the stuff got me excited to meet this little boy and anticipate what his needs will be!

Thanks all,

Catherine

33w1d

Little Sam is still a little guy- weighing in at a whopping 2.9 lbs right now-

He gained .9 lbs in a little less than 3 weeks, so, if he keeps at the same rate until 39 weeks we are looking at about a 4.6 lb baby, I feel sad my body failed him in the growth department, and hope he comes out healthy and ready for mama milk to help him catch up.

His growth restriction still puts him in the 1 th percentile, and is still asymmetrical, meaning his head is just about the right size for gestational age, but his abdomen and legs are small- this is a "brain sparing effect".

Fluid is still good- over 15.

I wonder if me coming out of the hospital, and going off the sedating drugs slowed his growth- when i was sedated, so was he- maybe he burnt less calories? I don't think this would be the answer, but just wondering. Cord flow and placenta look good.

A normal size baby at this point of the pregnancy should start putting on like 1/2 a pound a week, which would put him at almost 6 lbs at birth.

Dr said if he had to guess he would say he will weigh about 2 kilos at 39 weeks, which would be 4.4 pounds.

So I am continuing to pray and hope this little guy keeps packing on the weight and has healthy lungs, and appreciate all the good thoughts you guys send my way!

Catherine

32w4d - Sam co-operates!

I had my non stress test this am, and for the first time in 3 appts, Mr. Sam co-operates and shows nice accells on his strip! It was an easy quick appt (kinda, not really quick, but easy, lol)

I am facing a 'nesting' dilemma - with all the heartache we had in the middle of this pregnancy, I am VERY hesitant in buying anything for the baby. We won't need much in the beginning, and Ray can go out and get a car seat after Sam is here and healthy. But I am going to have to break down and buy a couple packs of receiving blankets at the very least, and probably some t's or sleepers, as those things have to be washed before he wears them. I am assuming he will be born a peanut, so will just get a couple of packs of newborn gowns probably.

Is this silly of me? I think it is a little bit of self preservation, but just wait till after he is home with us, no holding me back then!

December 1st tomorrow, I would have never thought we would make it this far and be in such good shape to boot, I am SO thankful! I am hoping December flies by, I am 36 weeks at Christmas, and 37w at new years and it will be time to have a baby before we know it, I can't wait, I am ready to meet this little boy.

Thanks all for all the good thoughts, I will update after our growth scan on Monday, I am hoping to see an almost 3lber then.

Catherine

32w1d

Sam was pretty quiet for todays u/s, but looked good- Dr said all was fine and we would do a growth u/s with the BPP next Monday.

He doesnt seem to be moving as much as he was, but maybe this is just because he is getting bigger and a little more crowded- they had to prod him to get movement, but when poked he moved, so, I am thankful to be 32 weeks and have things be uneventful :-)

Dr says we may do an amnio for lung development at 37 weeks, and go from there, so if all stays stable, I assume this baby will be born between the 7th and 15th of January.

Thank you all for you thoughts and prayers! I am vowing to take it easy this week, i kinda overdid it over the weekend, but i told the Dr I went shopping, he said there isnt really any reason I can't, but for my own peace of mind don't overdue. School is in session for the kiddos, so it will be easy to not do much...

Catherine

Stubborn? 31w2d

Sam was a little stubborn this am, not many accells on the NST, so they did an u/s for the biophysical profile, he is so very cute, was moving around and stretching out his body, but again stubborn, and wouldnt show us his practice breathing, but the Dr looked at the cord flow and showed me how he could see he was breathing, and passed him -

I have another BPP on monday, and I hope he shows me the breathing movements again, they are very reassuring!

Catherine

30w5d and another good scan...

Baby Sam is doing well! Fluid is still a respectable 15, and he scored 8/8 on his biophysical profile. We saw nice breathing movements too! Dr said if i had just came in today, he would say everything looks normal, except for the baby being on the small side, placenta is normal, cord flow is normal etc. Dr S expects the baby to weigh at least 5 lbs at 38 weeks, which is very encouraging.

So all in all, a very good day :-)

Catherine

Monday??

I just wanted to thank EVERYONE for their prayers and good thoughts, after yesterdays u/s, Dr S came in today and said wow, things are looking really good- I said, maybe with a couple more like that, could i go home at 32 weeks for a few weeks? He said, well I need to talk to Dr O about it, but I am thinking MONDAY. I said wow, that soon, Monday??

He said, if i didnt know any of your past history, i wouldnt have you hear at all, you are normal, controlled hypertension, slightly small baby but over 10th percentile, and normal fluid and cord/placental function....

So, I may be going home at 30 weeks, to spend the last 8 weeks of my pregnancy being "normal" modified bedrest, he said i could drive to my appts etc, just take it easy, watch my pressures etc..

Dr O may nix it and want me here longer, just to watch over me, but i am really hoping to spend the night in my own bed next week, and be able o wish my oldest a happy 14th bday in person on the 17th...

Oh what a thanksgiving to be thankful for things....

Will update tomorrow with the news for sure....

Catherine

29w4d u/s update

We still have fluid! More than last week, verging on too much, now wouldnt THAT be a twist of gestational fate, lol- we are at 18.3 now. We really dont need any more than that though, the 15-18 range is just lovely, and would like to see that again next week!

They only did 1 measurement today, and it shows 1w1d growth from last week, which would mean he has caught up one more day since last week, we wont get a full growth u/s until thanksgiving day.

Looks like Sammy is still a boy, but the gender shot wasnt as clear as some i have seen, looking down between his legs( he is head down) there is definitely something between the legs, lol - so i can only assume it is boy parts! Tech said looks like it is prob a boy to her, so we shall go with that for now! If we are surprised later, all the more fun huh? We just want a baby to take home!

Doppler flow was good, 2.3 i think, that is the s/d ratio which they tell me is good...

So, I am feeling much more confident about this fluid situation, and although I am not pushing the door down as of yet, with a couple more good u/s I think I would like to go home for a few weeks.

Oh, they reduced my BP meds again as well, on Aldomet 500 3x a day now, as apposed to 4x.

Dr S mentioned today keeping me until 35 weeks and than me coming back early jan- 37-39 weeks for delivery, isnt that amazing, we are talking about a full term delivery now?

He also gave me his thoughts on what happened to me, he still thinks it was prob some sort of autoimmune response that hit me hard at about 19 weeks, and meds to control bp helped mitigate symptoms, and the heparin actually has helped repair some of the damage and allow recanalization of blood flow to the placenta - amazing huh?

Well this was very disjointed, but long story short, all is looking good for today, and I thank God for that.

Catherine

I forgot...

Sammy weighed in at 2 lbs yesterday, which is just above the 10th percentile, at 23 weeks we were at the first percentile for growth, so he has made some progress! And also, the newest plan is to let me go to 36 weeks if growth and fluid stay in check. Secretly I am hoping I could come home for a couple weeks before that, and come back to be induced at 36 weeks, which happens to be the week of Christmas, lol.

I DO need to be released from this hospital before 2007 so the insurance will pay without a new set of deductables and out of pocket maximums...

But for today, I am patiently awaiting an evening with my husband...have a book to continue reading and all the innane TV i care to watch.

I am going to watch CSI on the computer later, CBS has a nice viewer where you can watch recent popular shows, without much commercial interuption, it is nice!

Amazing u/s update

I just got back from ultrasound, they didnt take me until 5!

I have to say, God is good, I am in shock...

My fluid level was 15.67 - we have really have no risk of cord compression now! Samuel (it's a boy, they could actually see boy parts!) is still measuring behind, but moving right along, overall measurement is 26w2d, which is 2w2d behind, i was 3 weeks behind 3 weeks ago, so he is catching up a little!

Head is measuring less than a week behind.

He flipped head down to transverse during the u/s, so i was thinking there MUST be more fluid, but was shocked to hear it is actually normal.

Dr is thrilled, and said, no that doesnt mean you can go home! (i didnt ask!)

So, although we still have very big concerns about the fluid levels between 19 and 25 weeks, i am praying there was enough for his lungs, because all right now looks good- if i continue with the good fluid levels, it would mean i can deliver naturally as weel, and avoid a csec, which would be SO awesome.

Thank you ALL for your prayers, they are working!

Catherine

28w1d and off a couple meds...

So, since my blood pressure has been remarkable low, like 110's over 50's Dr S took me off one of my BP meds yesterday, this am at 5 it was still low, like 118/57, just now it was 139/72, which is still considered ok, i hope it stays in the ok range, i don't want to become dramatic with labile BP's again!

He also made my Ativan "NPR" which means I need to request it if i want it...we shall see how this goes, the Ativan is the anti anxiety, which I don't need all the time, I had told him i refused it Sunday when Ray came to watch movies with me, I am just hoping I do ok without it. I was getting it at 5 am and 1pm - and truthfully it just chills me out, makes me a little sleepy, and I read do do whatever it takes to get through the days here...hopefully i can continue that without getting too...whatever...worked up in my own worries and stuff....

Guard changes tomorrow, so I will be seeing Dr O, but Sr S ordered the u/s already for Thursday he said- so that is cool, i will get out of this room for this first time in a couple of weeks, lol- to be wheeled downstairs and through a hallway, but heck, i will take what i can get!

Catherine

27w5d

dr s was in, our next u/s will be next thursday for growth fluid and doppler, then weekly doppler us for placenta function .

I am a mess today, i am beyong homesick and lonely, i SO want to sleep in the same bed as my husband and wake up in the same house as my kids, to fix dinner, to be there when the kids leave for and get home from school. Life hasnt been the same since the middle of August, and I am so wanting it back. I am just praying Sam is a permanent addition to our household and we can be a family, the way we are supposed to be.

I am trying to get over my extreme sadness of today tho, because there is no reason, nothing has changed for the worse, in fact my last couple strips on the baby have looked better, no big decels -

I just want to sit here and weep, and am not sure how to move past it right at this moment...

Catherine