Appointments Galore (08/27/13)

To start off, I am behind in posting photos.  So here is the catch up on weekly baby bump photos.

Week 19

Week 20

And finally Week 21, definitely getting bigger, but the baby bump is not quite defined.

My first appointment with the substitute OB (Dr C is on Vacation), was full of scary information.  My weight had jumped about 2 Kg from the last time I weighed in with my family doc, Dr B, however it was late afternoon and I had to Pee, but didn’t want to pee yet, thinking they would do the pee test too, looking for protein.  (They didn’t). 

The doctor was going to have a home visit from a nurse once a week for blood pressure test and what not.  The next day the nurse had called, but apparently they only do that when the patient no longer works and is on home rest.  So I don’t know if that will change anything.  The doc also referred me to a maternal medical clinic (not sure of the official name) to take care of all the “side effects” of pregnancy while the OB takes care of the baby. 

At this point the OB did switch my BP medication.  After just two days on it, it hadn’t made a difference in my BP, but my nipples are doing much, much, much better.  So hopefully my BP will come down after a little while longer.  She also put me on an acid reflux medication; even though I don’t really have heart burn much, she said acid reflux can sometimes mimic asthma symptoms.  As I had mentioned my asthma is getting worse.  I’m doubtful but it’s worth a try.  So far, I can’t really tell, as I have caught Deb’s summer cold; not fun. 

In my early teens I was in a car accident that required surgery to correct an aneurysm in my head.  That is a concern, as a possible weak spot for high blood pressure to cause issues.  The doctor seemed very concerned, but I’m trying not to stress about it.  At the time they did a fair amount of follow up testing and everything looked good, so hopefully they did the proper correction instead of a patch at the time. 

My belly measured at 23” which is due to the original added “padding” I’m sure.  Because of that, she has ordered an ultrasound once a month to monitor the baby growth.  My weekly count has moved again.  We are back to Wednesday as being the week change, so tomorrow I will be 22 weeks, instead of Friday. 

For now I will be seeing my family doctor once a week (Mondays), and I think seeing the OB once a week on Fridays, ultrasounds once a month, and blood work when ever doctors see fit (first set today at 3:00).  Then I will be seeing the other clinic, but I don’t know when that starts or how often I will be seeing them. 

Last night we finally got to see the Bean kick, kind of.  We were watching my stomach and there was a definite twitch when he kicked.  It was exciting for us to see, especially Deb, as I have been feeling some movement for a while now.  We spent a fair amount of time staring at my stomach before finally calling it a night.  The first kick was the best one though.

The weekend before last we went down the river.  It was a very sunny day so I (almost forgot) brought an umbrella to keep from cooking the bean.  This is a picture of going down the river.

Our weekends will be busy for the remainder of September.  This past weekend I got to visit with my Aunt and Uncle from Edmonton, and my Aunt and Uncle from England.  It was a really good visit.  Saturday we headed to Fernie for a wedding.  It was great to see some old friends and the wedding was beautiful, as was the reception.  The wedding was shorter than we had originally thought (Catholic Wedding), so that was nice.  We were expecting at least two hours, but it was about an hour, perfect amount of time. 

While in Fernie I got to visit my sister for a little while between the wedding and reception which was nice.  Our hotel while in Fernie was a gong show and I don’t recommend staying there.  It is called the Fernie Slopeside Lodge.  The rooms were dirty.  I can deal with dated hotel rooms, but these were dirty.  My sister got upgraded from the first room (through the sister lodge as it was a late check in) but the second room, though much larger, was still dirty.  Used coffee/filter in the coffee pot, the fridge was sticky, coffee rings on the counters, bugs in the window sill.  The next day the receptionist said the sister lodge should not have upgraded our room.  She did say it would be cleaned by the time I got there (My sister took the first night), alas it was not cleaned when we got there.  I have complained to Groupon which is where I booked the hotel originally, and they gave me some credit towards future purchases, which was helpful.  I am also lodging a complaint with the BBB.  When you pay for a hotel room, you should be able to assume it will be clean.

Next weekend is the long weekend and we took an extra day off to head to our destination of middle BC camping with friends from the coast.  This will be the first long drive we will be taking the RV on and fingers crossed it makes it there and back no issues.  

Emotional Chemical Meltdown (08/12/13)

Well, on Friday, we went to the OB appointment, we got there with half an hour to spare, so I thought.  We went in to check in and the receptionist said “Your appointment was at 1:30.”  I instantly started to bawl, not just tear up, bawl.  Our lives had been revolving around this appointment, we rescheduled a meet up with friends for camping, we left the weekend relatively open to have this appointment.  I am also sick of having to deal with Dr B, as nice (mostly) as he is, he isn’t a maternity doctor. My nipples are pissing me off, my feet are getting worse, and even though I’m on a Class C drug for blood pressure, it isn’t working.  I needed to see an OB to see what else we can be doing for these issues.  I also found out even though my OB doctor was supposed to be Dr C, that appointment was scheduled for a different doctor, so it wouldn’t have been with the OB that would be technically my doctor. 

I walked out of the clinic crying, Deb talked with them a moment and came after me.  It took me half an hour to stop crying and exit the first stage of my chemical meltdown.  Deb had scheduled the next appointment which isn’t for another two weeks.  I was relatively upset for the remainder of the evening.  I needed to sleep it off. 

So this morning I went back to Dr B.  My BP was at 140/100 so higher than last time, and I have Ketones in my urine.  The receptionist pointed it out to Dr B, but he just said it would be because my diet wasn’t correct.  I had said I had vomited this morning (Even though only water) so he said it’s nothing to worry about, but I am unsure with him.  We’ll see I guess.  Next appointment with him is next Monday.  

It’s A Boy (08/08/13)

Today we had our gender ultrasound.  It’s more than likely a BOY.  I will wait to reveal the name until a later date.  It’s a good thing too, we were having all kinds of trouble picking out a girls’ name.

He was very active, had a good heart rate, very crunched up mostly, but we had a couple views that showed he is a boy.  He has 10 fingers and 10 toes.  His legs measure about 7 cm, and his feet about 1cm.  He loves to open and close his hands; it was very cute to see. 

Tomorrow we see the OB for the first time.  I’m looking forward to it.  I hope she is nice, that would be dreadful if she was harping about this or that or saying I should be losing weight, or not taking my allergy/asthma meds.  Nervous, but glad to be seeing her none the less.  Dr B is still using a manual BP machine with a cuff that is marginally too small, so if nothing else, hopefully she has a better BP for readings and maybe I can be taken off that med, for one less thing to be taking, and hopefully my nipples stop burning. 

Flexible little guy.  He weights about 250g (1/2 a pound)

Updates 18 Weeks 6 Days (08/08/13)

It’s been a while since I’ve posted.  Sorry for the long absence.  My blood pressure was officially listed with Dr B as high and put me on meds for it.  So far I show no protein in my urine as a sign of Preeclampsia (or whatever the latest name for the condition is).  My thyroid levels are good so that shouldn’t be the issue.  At this point, I just have high blood pressure. 

The meds Dr B put me on for BP have given me an unfortunate side effect (or coincidence), my nipples randomly feel like they are burning.  They are rock hard, turn darker purple and feel like they are being poked with a red hot rod.  It can be one or the other or both a few times a day and lasts between 5-10 minutes.  I’ve been using a lanolin cream which helps a bit, but not totally getting rid of it.  Dr B didn’t seem concerned, as long as my BP is coming down, was at 135/100.  For one appointment it was at a great 120/90, next appointment though back up to 145/100. 

My nausea is minor here and there, but still there.  The prenatal vitamins aren’t helping and causing constipation.  I have made an agreement with Deb, I will take them Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday, Saturdays are debateable.  Right now my iron levels are good, so I’m not too worried.  I’ve taken to drinking two glasses of milk to help with calcium and vitamin D and what not, on top of the various veggies we have to help keep a balanced diet, and we try and keep the salt to a minimum, but that has never been a big additive in our lives.  I have noticed mood swings and easily getting annoyed with things.  I try and keep it under control, to not perpetuate my high blood pressure, but it is hard to do, feeling constantly on PMS. 

The last of my pregnancy complaints is; my ankles are swelling by the end of the day.  Not a pretty sight. Plus I'm fairly tired again.  

Here are the two more recent weekly photos

I seem to be more bloated at week 17 than 18.