Week 33 appointment

So I am now going to the doctors every two weeks. This appointment has, by far, been my favorite! I am not saying that sarcastically either. My appointment was at 4:15. I went straight there after school and was there by 3:45. I was out of the office by 4:00!! Awesome!

Anyway, everything was good. I gained a pound and a half from my last visit which brings me up to about 153. My blood pressure was good and the baby's heart rate was at 148. All is well! I go again to see Dr. Devlin in two weeks. The time is getting close!

Also, this week I sat down with my principal to discuss when I was going to leave. I originally intended to stay until my due date but Jim, I think, is starting to get worried about me. He convinced me to leave at least a week before I am due. Quite frankly I didn't need much convincing because my students have been a little wired this week! My last day of school will be February 19. I am sad to be leaving but excited to meet my baby!

Childbirth Class

Yesterday Jim and I attended our childbirth class at Holy Redeemer Hospital. We had a choice of a one hour class once a week for about six weeks or a one day 9-4 class. The class wasn't that bad. We mostly just talked about what to expect and what is going to happen. We did some breathing exercises and watched a few videos. At the end we took a tour of the maternity ward. I enjoyed seeing where everything would be happening. The labor/delivery rooms are huge! The hospital encourages babies to stay with their moms in the room so the nursery is pretty small and empty but it is there if I need it. I am so excited to have this baby! I can't wait until March 1!!

Ultrasound Number 6 and Week 32 Appointment

During the Christmas break I had my sixth, and ultimately my last, ultrasound! The baby was still sitting too low in a breach position for them to be able to get a good picture of the spine. Jim was working so I asked my mom to go to the appointment with me. The doctor called us back after looking at the pictures and basically said they were giving up all hope that this kid was going to cooperate! They knew everything was fine, but they just wanted that picture for proof. Great! My baby is a little bugger already! Besides being in the breach position we found out that the baby is also 3 pounds 12 ounces!

That week I also had a quick check-up with Dr. Devlin. Everything was fine. She told me that I just barely passed the diabetes test I had taken at the previous appointment. I don't know what just barely passed means but I do know I don't have to worry about checking my sugars everyday! The doctor also said everything else looked and sounded good. Now I am going to be starting to visit her every two weeks! The countdown begins!!!

Ultrasound number 5 and Week 29 appointment

So within a week of each other I had my fifth ultra sound and my week 29 appointment.

The ultrasound was just like any ultrasound. I saw my baby. I was so excited to see the baby. The novelty just doesn't wear off for me. The doctor must have realized that because he ordered us back in a month for ultrasound! They are just not getting the perfect picture of the baby's lower spine. The technician told us that everything was ok. She said that the head is fine and generally if the head is fine the spine is fine, and visa versa, but they just want to have the perfect picture. So back we go on December 28 for ultrasound number 6!!!

My week 29 appointment was good. I had to have my glucose tested so three hours before the appointment I had to start fasting. One hour before my appointment I had to have finished drinking this terrible drink. It tasted a little bit like flat orange soda! I had to drink it in five minutes!! Ugg. When I got to the office they took me right back for my urine sample and to check my blood pressure (130 over 80) and my weight (150!!!). Then they took me to the lab room to draw blood. I guess I will get the results at my next appointment.

This time I saw Dr. Kramer. He has been my mom's doctor for years. The last time I saw him I was nine and sitting in the room with my sisters, mom, and dad, listening to Tess' heartbeat! Weird. Anyway, he was great. I was in and out in ten minutes. He said that everything was fine and to not worry about the ultrasounds. He said the same thing the tech told us, they were just looking for the perfect picture and once they had it we would be done!

My next appointment is in three weeks and then after that I start going every two weeks. The baby, at the ultrasound was 2 pounds 2 ounces but according to what I have been reading the baby is now about 3 pounds and the size of a head of cabbage. The baby is also probably as long as he or she is going to get. I am so excited for March!

Telling the Kiddies

So the week before Halloween (I know I am behind in my posts!) the flu hit my school. On Monday I had eight kids out of ninteen out sick. There were between 50 and 60 out all week. As I was leaving on Monday Sister Theresa told me that she thought it was best if I took some time off. She said to come in the next day but to get a sub for Wednesday and Thursday. That was A-Ok with me! I started calling around for a sub and couldn't get anyone so Sister Theresa ended up asking our Religion Director, who only works part time, to come in for me. Andy was thrilled to do it.

By the time I got home on Monday night from working at Chestnut Hill I got a phone call from Donna, my grade partner. She said that her and Diane were very upset about me and that they didn't want me to go in on Tuesday either. Since we both had a lot of students out, and Fran was going to be out all week too with her son being in the hospital, they would just combine the classes. So Tuesday the classes were combined and Wednesday and Thursday they had a sub. Friday the students were off anyway.

When I came back on Monday I was congratulated by one of the parents. She said she was accidentally told by one of the teachers. Then a student came in and told me her mom told her that I was going tohave a baby. I told her to keep it a secret and she did. Her mom later told me that she had come home telling her I was absent because I had the swine flu and the mom didn't want her to spread that rumor so she told her the truth. I knew all the moms knew I was pregnant, I just was waiting for the go ahead from Sr. Theresa to spread the news. That day I said something to Sr. Theresa and she told me it was time to tell everyone so I e-mailed the parents that afternoon. I was going to wait until Friday's Show 'N Tell to tell the kids but I was too excited.

On Tuesday I brought in some of my ultrasounds. I had the little girl who already knew my secret pick out a book for me to read. She picked "I'll Love You Forever". I thought that was a pretty good pick. I read it to the students and then told them my secret. I then passed around some of the ultrasounds. They were excited. Some of the questions and statements I have gotten have been funny!

"When is the baby coming?"
"What is the baby going to be?"

(These first two questions were normal enough.)

"The baby eats whatever you eat through a tube that goes from your mouth to the baby's belly button. If you eat a pickel, the baby will eat the pickel."

(I thought that was pretty good for a five year old!)

"My mom only ate pickels when I was in her belly!"
"When did the baby get into your belly?"

(That was a funny one. I am glad that is where it ended though.)

"You don't look fat like you are going to have a baby."

(Gee, thanks kid!)

A mom came up to me and told me that her daughter was playing dress up. She put on tight gold, sparkly pants, a tiny shirt, and stuff a baby under the shirt and then said "Guess who I am!" I laughed and said, "Because I wear tight gold sparkly pants all the time!" The mom laughed too. I thought that was pretty funny.

This week the parents came in for teacher conferences and they were all telling me that their kids went home and gave them the report, that I was going to havea baby but that I didn't know what the baby was going to be or when it was going to come. I am glad that the kids are listening to me!

Week 25 appointment

This month's appointment went very smoothly. We were actually in and out quicker than we have ever been! It must have been a quiet night for pregnant ladies. While I was there I was asked if I wanted the vaccine for the swine flu. Jim has told me that he didn't want me to get it but I was still up in the air about it just because I am dealing with all of the kids. In the end I had it. I figured teaching 19 five year olds it was the best decision.

The doctor had no complaints. I have gained a total of seven pounds from my original weight, remember I lost five pounds in the beginning. She didn't look thrilled at that small weight gain but she didn't say anything about it so I am not concerned. I did print out a list of what I should be eating anyway just to hopefully help me out with that area.

At my next appointment I am going to see Dr. Kraemer. I am excited because I haven't seen him since I was nine and my mom was pregnant with Tess. I remember him telling me and my sisters to call him Uncle Joel! Weird! He is a great guy though. I think Jim will like him. For that appointment I have to fast EXACTLY three hours before the appointment and drink a glucose drink EXACTLY one hour before my appointment. Everything has to be exact or the test is ruined and I have to try it again. This test is for diabetes. I am not looking forward to drinking that stuff. Plus I have to drink it in five minutes!! Ugg!

After that appointment I start going to the doctor's every two weeks instead of once a month. I am getting really excited. I can't wait for March now!

Stressful!

So on October 19 Jim and I headed back to Holy Redeemer for a third ultrasound. We needed to get better pictures of the baby's heart since the baby was uncooperative at the last ultrasound! We both agreed that this technician was the best we had so far! After she got the pictures she needed she went back through everything to explain to us what we were seeing. She pointed out the amniotic fluid, the head, the mouth opening and closing, the organs, everything! She was great!

Here are pictures from that ultrasound.

At my week 20 appointment we met with a different doctor. There are four doctor's in the practice so I want to be able to meet with all of them just because I don't know who will be on call when I have the baby. The minute we left Jim said he didn't like this doctor. She was nice enough, but very hasty. She was flipping through my chart saying things weren't in there when they were. Stuff like that.

The day after the ultrasound I got a call from her while I was teaching. I called back and left a message. The next time she called I wanted to make sure I got her, I was just assuming that she was calling me about my blood test results, so I kept my phone with me while I was teaching. She called back while I was in the middle of a lesson with my boys, which can be stressful as it is! She told me that my fluids were low and that they still couldn't get good pictures of the heart and that she wanted me to a high risk ultrasound. Umm, excuse me but huh??!! High risk? I had no idea what low fluids meant and she wanted me to go to a high risk ultrasound! I was freaking out!

I called my mom to see what that all meant, she just told me to call my doctor and to call and make the appointment. I kind of think she just didn't want to upset me. I called to make an appointment and called my doctor. I waited all day for calls back from both places. Finally, when I was on my way home from work Doctor Devlin called me. She said that there was nothing to worry about. She said that in the report it gave a numberical measurement, which she said was never done at this stage so she doesn't know why it was even written in, that was low but right underneath that it said that the fluids were adequate. She said the same thing about the heart pictures, that one part of the report said they were oblique but underneath that it said they were adequate! She said to not worry about anything but to still go for the ultrasound. She said it wouldn't hurt anything and they would probably just tell me that there was no reason for me to be there. I felt a lot better after talking to her.

On Thursday I got a phone call confirming my appointment for the next day at 2:15. I never made the appointment but apparently when they couldn't reach me they just scheduled me for that time. I was a little stressed out that day anyway because my assistant Fran was out and one of my kids fell and needed stitches so that phone call set me off again! I figured Fran would be back in the next day and if I left at lunch she would be ok for the rest of the afternoon by herself with the kiddies. No such luck, her son's surgey was more that expected so I had to ask Sister Theresa to get me a sub. It all worked out because they needed a sub in the morning for the part time first grade teacher so she came to my room in the afternoon. I left at lunch, went home, got Jim, and we went out to the ultrasound.

This technician was fabulous as well. She printed out a ton of pictures for us too! Anyway, after the ultrasound we had to wait for the doctor to read the pictures and then meet with us. At this point I knew nothing was wrong but waiting still was upsetting. Anyway, the doctor called us back and said everything was A-ok. She also told us that the results of the blood test. She said that with my age the chances of down syndrome were 1 in 1000, after the blood test the chances went to 1 in 5000. We were happy about that. The doctor did tell us that because of the baby's position they couldn't get good pictures of the spine. She said she knew the spine had already been cleared but that she didn't want to rely on another doctor's findings so we need to go back to the high risk unit for ultrasound number 5 after Thanksgiving! Ugg! Oh well, I get to see more pictures of my baby!

Here are pictures from ultrasound number four!

This is the baby's face.

This is the baby's profile

That week we also went out to the hospital for a class about having a baby and a dog. We were given a few good pointers such as dowloading a cd of baby noises and letting the dog here it so she gets used to those noises, walking around with a baby doll so that she sees me holding a baby, not leaving children under three alone with a dog, and keeping the baby's room off limits to the dog but make sure that there is a baby free zone too. I didn't think it was worth the $15 and the 45 minute drive but I am glad we went just for the few tips that I am going to try.

Also, on Saturday we went to register at Babies R Us. I had already began the registry on-line but I wanted to see the big things in person before I registered. We don't have nearly everything we need on there but we did knock out a lot of the bigger things like the bedroom furniture, the bedding and bedroom decor, the stroller and car seat, and the pack and play. I go back on-line every so often to add a few more things. I am hoping that we get back out there soon to do some more at the store!