ThirtyTwo

Nearly four weeks ago on Friday 10/14, Spud turned 32 weeks while that Saturday mommy turned 32! It was an ironic weekend for baby and mommy. I celebrated with the "girls" in the family by going out for dinner that Friday at Javier's. On Saturday I had a lot of back pain and foot swelling, so I stayed in bed most of the day and took it easy. That night we went out to dinner at Roman Cucina's with my family. Later that evening, Jay serenaded Spud and I on his uke, playing Happy Birthday, You Are My Sunshine, and some Disney movie songs.  I only wish I had taken pictures of me pregnant on my birthday!

I purposely haven't posted a pregnancy update until I completed the a slew of routine appointments that were scheduled in October. Within five weeks time, I had six doctor appointments, a heart echo, and one labor/delivery (L&D) tour. So here's the rundown:

Thyroid: Is well under control and I can stay on my current dosage. I will repeat my labs in early Nov and follow up with my doctor by phone. If any dosage tweaking is needed, we'll have time to do it before delivery. I don't have to go back until Jan and have already been provided with lab orders for the New Year along with my post-delivery dosage.

Cardiology/Echo/Pacemaker:  The results of my recent echo show that my heart is fine, very stable, with good pumping chamber function. I have had no arrhythmia episodes since my last pacemaker check and will have another in-clinic check in early Nov before delivery. My cardiology team continues to be pleased that I'm doing so well with pregnancy,  better than some moms who don't have a pre-existing cardiac history. They will check in on me during delivery, but my next appointment won't be until early March. Another benefit of these positive reports is that I can now plan on breastfeeding, just as long as my heart continues to remain stable with good function. It was also good that my mom, Jay, and I were there to see my cardiologist one last time before his retirement. We got to thank him for keeping me healthy to get to where we are today, and wish him fun and relaxation as he starts a new chapter of his life. We've already chosen my new cardiologist. We've seen him once before and he'll be monitoring me during delivery and I'll see him when I go in March.

OB: Spud and I continue to remain healthy and go every two weeks. We're learning with each appointment more of what to expect with my unique delivery. As we've said before, the plan is for induction and delivery the following day. We learned that I will be on a continuous epidural and that I'm not supposed to push as this puts strain on my heart. Therefore, forceps or suction might be needed to help Spud along if it doesn't progress on it's own. We also learned that our OB will be out of the country for 2 weeks, so initially the induction was going to be at week 37 (Thanksgiving week), but now it will be week 38. We've already met the requested back up OB whom I'll be seeing while mine is on vacation. We've also discussed emergency plans in case Spud can't wait to meet us.  In addition, looks as though Spud has turned and is facing down. In Nov we'll start going weekly for check ups. For those who believe they can determine Spud's sex based on it's heart rate, three weeks ago, Spud's was 160.

L&D Tour: Mom, Jay, & I attended this private tour. It was a very informative meeting in which we got to see the locations of the induction rooms, delivery rooms, maternity quarters (post-delivery), nursery, and NICU.  We got to look at an induction room, maternity room, and the nursery. Unfortunately for us all the delivery rooms were occupied, although we didn't expect it to be so quiet in the hallway. The unit director answered our questions about security precautions, visitor hours, and baby's check up post-delivery. We were all very pleased with the facilities and felt at ease knowing the collaborative care that will be provided given our unique circumstances.

The end of Sept Jay and I attended our first baby class. The class covered the basics, but was very informative.  We learned how to give Spud a bath, swaddle, and change those dirty diapers. We also learned things like: newborn behaviors, when to call the doctor, and how to care for the umbilical cord.  I also had a consultation with a pediatrician whom we feel comfortable with. The last weekend of Oct, we attended a childbirth class. We learned about the stages of labor, inductions, epidurals, breathing and relaxation techniques. That same weekend we had our maternity photos done, which we hope to share with you soon. 

These last weeks I'm taking it easy. I've cut down on commitments, and am spending more time at home resting.   I thought this would be hard for me, but I'm naturally feeling more tired and uncomfortable, which has made it easier for me to slow down, and even to accept help from friends and family. I've arranged for my last day of work to be on 11/7. The additional temporary Medi-Cal billing project gig I took on, has since stopped as they filled a position and transferred the project to the new employee. This short gig was totally God because the additional money helped us pay for the baby furniture and the gig ended just as I was feeling the need to slow down. God continually has been faithful to us in so many ways along this new journey.