Tag Archives: doctors

And…He’s “Underweight” Again

C turned 18 months this week (update on that to come!), and that means he had to go to the doctor for his 18-month well-child visit. It went…okay.

He’s weighing in at just under 20 pounds and has dropped back into the 5th percentile for weight. The doctor recommended we see a nutritionist to talk about strategies to get him to eat more calories and/or types of food.

I’m frustrated. With several things.

1. I chase after the boy with food all day long. He has very little interest in eating. He’s always been that way! He’d rather be running, climbing, investigating…anything but eating. It’s like he doesn’t have time to slow down and eat.

2. He is so damn picky. He refuses to eat any type of vegetable. He refuses 95% of the meals I make. The only things he really loves are yogurt, applesauce, peanut butter & jelly sandwiches, and macaroni & cheese. But sometimes he won’t even eat that.

3. Yes, I know that drinking milk would give him more calories. He hates milk. Yes, he might drink a little once in a while and make everyone believe that mama’s a liar, but in reality at home he will never ever drink milk.

4. I try so.hard. to get this boy to eat food. Most days, I am literally exhausted by trying to get him to eat. Quantity, quality and variety. It’s exhausting chasing after a child or begging a child to please eat some damn food so that he can grow. I’m sick of the battle. Why can’t this be easy? Just once, just one day.

So we’re going to see a nutritionist on the 20th to have a little discussion about my child’s eating habits and underweight-ness.

In other news, I had to schedule C’s 24-month appointment as well. I may or may not have hyperventilated a little when they wanted to schedule it in the beginning of May and I realized that I will be having Baby Deuce in the beginning of May. That’s only six months from now. Oh Lordy, how will I manage a newborn and chasing after a toddler who refuses to eat? Someone hold me!!!

Building My Team of Doctors

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So, if you haven’t heard…Hubster and I are starting to think about trying for Baby Deuce. Since I’ll be at high risk for experiencing another postpartum mood disorder, I want to be as prepared as possible before becoming pregnant. I’ve been working on building my “team.”

On Wednesday, I met with a therapist who has quite a bit of experience working with PPD. She was wonderful, and I was completely comfortable with her. I’m so happy to have found another therapist that I like. I have a hard time opening up, so I was nervous about finding someone.

On Thursday, I had an appointment with a psychiatrist that my therapist recommended. I can’t even begin to tell you how excited I am to have him on my team. The man is brilliant; you can just tell. When I explained how I’d been told to withdraw from Effexor, he raised his eyebrow and said, “She told you what?” He told me that Effexor, while a very effective drug, is one of the absolute worst drugs to miss a dose of and to withdraw from. We agreed on a very slow schedule of tapering off of the medication. It should take me about two months to come completely off, and then we’ll need to wait two weeks to see if I am okay without any medication.

He also chatted with me about SSRIs that have been proven to be safer during pregnancy, in the event that I would need to continue with medication. The man really knows his stuff, and I feel so blessed to be able to meet with him. I feel very confident that he’ll be able to help me through whatever mental health challenges, if any, are ahead of me.

The last member of my “team” will be an OBGYN. I need to know that if I experience hyperemesis again, that I’ll be able to get an appointment earlier than the standard 8-12 weeks gestation. I need to know that my OBGYN is a competent surgeon, since I will need a scheduled c-section. I need to know that my OBGYN recognizes that I’m at high-risk for depression during pregnancy and postpartum. I will have this appointment in late July.

I’m so excited about my team! I’m thrilled that Hubster and I are in a larger city now, with a greater pool of medical professionals available. I’m happy that we’re going into this prepared for all possibilities. I’m excited for our family to grow.

Birth Plans

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All of the pregnancy books tell you to come up with a birth plan so that you know exactly what you want to do when the time comes.

I’ll admit, the thought of a birth plan was a little daunting to me. This was my first pregnancy and I had no idea what to expect from a labor and delivery experience. I was afraid to plan it all out because that meant I had to really think about it ahead of time. My doctor asked me about it during one of my late third trimester appointments. When I said I didn’t really have one, but I knew I wanted an epidural, she just chuckled and said it was probably a good thing. The people who come in with a three-page birth plan, for example, are often disappointed because things never seem to go exactly as planned.

I went in knowing that I wanted an epidural and a vaginal delivery. That was the extent of my birth plan, and I thought of it as very relaxed and “go-with-the-flow.” Hubster can attest to my laid-back approach – I even allowed him to watch the NFL draft on ESPN while I was in labor!

As it turns out, I was not quite as “go-with-the-flow” about everything as I thought.

After 16 hours of laboring in the hospital (preceded by 3 days of early labor at home) and 1.5 hours of pushing, the on-call OBGYN broke the news that I would require a cesarean delivery. I immediately burst into tears. I had only wanted two things out of my birth experience, and a c-section was NOT one of them. I thought about the surgery, the longer recovery time, the fact that I would need c-sections with any future deliveries. I felt like I had failed by not being able to deliver my son vaginally. I had pushed for 1.5 hours, to no avail. Why couldn’t I do it? It was devastating.

Nearly three weeks later, I have the gift of hindsight. In retrospect, my c-section was not a terrible thing. Our little C is here, and he is perfect. My incision is healing very well. Even though I went through surgery, I have TONS more energy than I had at the end of my pregnancy. I was worried about losing weight because I would be less active, but I’ve lost all but 6 pounds of my baby weight already. Yes, I have a long way to go before my incision and abdominal muscles totally heal. Yes, I will need to have a cesarean with my future kids; but on the bright side, I will never need to experience a painful labor again.

While I have been reflecting on this topic myself, I also feel there are additional reasons to blog about it. I have a few friends and family members who are expecting and will be thinking about their birth plans soon. I’ve also seen birth plans mentioned by several people I follow on Twitter. Even though I was pretty laid back about my birth plan, I still was devastated when things didn’t go as I had hoped. I really want to encourage women to go in with a plan of what they would prefer to happen, but to also be open to the very realistic possibility that events could happen that will change that plan. I don’t want anyone to feel like they have failed their baby or themselves because things didn’t go as planned.

If you don’t want drugs, but find you need them – you are NOT a failure. Labor and delivery HURTS. It’s okay to need medication to be more comfortable.

If you need pitocin to move things along – you are NOT a failure.

If your doctor needs to use forceps or a vacuum to assist in your delivery – you are NOT a failure. Your doctor does this all the time and feels that it’s best for your baby to get out faster with assistance.

If you need to have a cesarean – you are NOT a failure.

Events occur during pregnancy, labor and delivery that you may or may not anticipate, but that’s okay. You are giving LIFE, and that is an amazing thing. How your baby arrives here does not matter a day, a week, or a year later. You’ve carried, nourished and given life to a little person. That’s all that is important in the end.

A Delivery Story

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Our son has arrived! Labor and delivery definitely didn’t turn out as I had expected or hoped for. The recovery process is going to be way longer than I wanted, but our beautiful baby boy is here and he’s perfect in every way. I can’t believe how cute he is. And it’s crazy to think that we MADE him.

I went into early labor on Tuesday. Wednesday we went to the hospital because I had bleeding and cramping…turns out the bleeding was okay and the cramps were actually contractions, but I wasn’t dilating quickly enough for them to admit me. Thursday afternoon, my contractions became 3-5 minutes apart, so we trekked back to the hospital and checked in. I was 3cm dilated at that point (on Wednesday I had been 2.5cm when I was sent home). When I got to 4cm, I ordered the epidural. I was terrified of getting it (the thought of a needle getting stuck in your spine is a little scary!), but it really was not nearly as bad as I anticipated. I would definitely recommend it to any woman!

They gave me pitocin to speed along the dilation and I couldn’t even feel my contractions. The epi was bliss and I was more comfortable than I’d been in weeks…but that was short-lived…

By 4am, I had completely dilated and began to push. I pushed for 1.5 hours when the doctor came in to see how I was progressing. C still hadn’t pushed past my cervix, so the doctor ordered a c-section. I was devastated and started crying. I had really hoped to avoid a c-section because of the recovery time. I was also so exhausted at that point that I was just super emotional. They capped the epi to prepare me for the transfer to the OR, where I was to receive a stronger medication to completely numb me for surgery. Then…the epi wore off.

O.M.G., the pain of C being stuck against my tailbone combined with contractions and being told not to push…I really thought I was going to pass out from the pain. I have never experienced so much pain in my life. It seemed to take forever to get to the OR. People were coming in and out and drawing blood, prepping me for surgery, and somehow I signed a consent form during that time even though I don’t even remember being able to open my eyes. Hubster was awesome and I couldn’t have done it without him holding my hand – I thought I would die! I finally got taken to the OR, where they put some stronger stuff in my epidural and I got some relief. Before I knew it, there was a significant amount of pulling and tugging (along with searing vaginal pain because the epi doesn’t reach there and they had to pull out C’s head). Hubster was able to stand up to look over the draping and saw them pull C out. He cut the cord. They brought C over to me so I could see him before taking him to the nursery, but my eyes couldn’t focus from being so tired and having so much pain so I barely even saw my baby! Hubster left with him when they went to the nursery. C had expelled meconium in the womb and had some in his lungs, so they had to monitor him and suck it out.

It took the doctor about 20 minutes to finish the surgery. When he was done, he told me that there was no way C would have come out vaginally. Not only was he facing up, but he would not have fit through my pelvis. It made me feel better emotionally that even if I had tried more pushing, I wouldn’t have been able to get him out. At the same time, though….I’m guessing that means I’ll have to have a c-section with every future baby because C’s only 8lbs 4oz and my pelvis was too small for him.

I got wheeled to recovery and it took them FOREVER to get me some pain killers. I was there for an hour and the whole time I was thinking how much I just wanted to see my baby. Finally, Hubster was able to come in and brought C with him. He laid him on my chest so I could at least look at him.

I think the hardest part about having a c-section is not being able to do everything you want for your baby. For example, I couldn’t hold him for a while. I wasn’t able to leave the bed until the following morning (24 hours after surgery), so the first time I changed his diaper was that afternoon. I can’t stand up with him, so someone always has to bring him to me/take him from me when I’m changing positions. It’s sad!

We’re so glad that he’s finally here! He’s awesome and we adore him. :)

In Labor…Got Sent Home

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Major TMI alert…if you don’t want to know the details, just know that I’m in early labor but was sent home from the hospital.

If you’re still reading, here goes…

I’ve had spotting since last Thursday, which is a bit concerning for a pregnant woman! When I saw my OB on Friday, she said that it was probably from my cervix dilating and I didn’t have to worry about it as long as it continued to be spotting and didn’t get any heavier or redder. Well, last night it definitely got heavier. When I woke up this morning, I noticed that there were also some clots. RED FLAG! I was pretty freaked out. It was 7am and I had gotten up early to get ready for my 9:45am doctor appointment (where I was hoping to schedule an induction for next week, since I’m overdue).

The clinic wasn’t open yet, so I called Labor & Delivery. They couldn’t consult my doctor because she was in surgery but they must have talked to someone else who suggested I come in. We got ready and got to L&D around 8:20am. Thankfully, the bleeding was not from a placental abruption or anything equally terrible. All the cramping I’m having turned out to be contractions. They were not regular, but all 3-8 minutes apart. Was still bleeding, but had not made any dilation progress. In fact, I’ve been dilated the same for about three weeks. Every hour was spent walking for 30 minutes, then monitoring for 30 minutes. My doctor decided to keep me there for monitoring until 1pm to see if I was dilating. While there was a small cervical change, there was no progress in dilation. My contractions remain irregular and I was sent home.

So here I sit, with contractions that bring severe cramps and back pain (albeit irregular) and continuous bleeding. I can’t believe I was sent home and not induced. I’m past my due date, for goodness sake! They said early labor could last like this for hours or days.

While we were walking the halls at the hospital, we saw a couple there who had been in our birthing class. She was only due one day before me. They were headed HOME with their baby. We were excited for them when we saw them. After being sent home, it’s just severely depressing. :-/

Well, Baby C, after a month of false alarms and this morning, we are definitely ready for you to get here. I’m convinced you’re never coming out and my body has no idea how to get you out. Hopefully this will all be over soon.

Waiting for Labor is a Crash-Course in Patience

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I’ve never been a patient person. Waiting for labor is driving me completely insane. I am now convinced (illogically, I admit) that Baby C is NEVER. COMING. OUT. Good thing I didn’t get my hopes up yesterday when they told me I was probably dilating and labor would come soon…I had my appointment today and there was absolutely no change. I’m still at 2.5cm. His head is as low as it can get, so it’s no surprise that I feel like I’m holding a bowling ball in between my legs.

I’m frustrated that my due date has always been incorrect. Had it been correct, I would already be at 40 weeks and we could talk about an induction next week. Instead, I’ll technically be 42 weeks before they’ll entertain the idea of an induction. Stupid PCOS and irregular periods.

I’m frustrated that all my cramping and contractions are getting me nowhere.

I’m frustrated that my doctor told me 4 weeks ago that I would be early.

I’m frustrated that I’m too exhausted and in pain to want to do anything to make the time pass more quickly.

I’m frustrated that I see people with due dates AFTER mine having their babies before me.

I’m frustrated at the following question: “No baby yet?” REALLY?!

So Hubster and I are going to go for a long walk and hopefully get some kind of contractions started. But those contractions will probably end up stopping, just like they have every other time this month.

I’m not patient. Hard as I try, I never will be. Baby C, spare me the insanity and please come out to meet us!

Not Getting My Hopes Up…

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Had to call the doctor today due to some spotting with cramping and they said that I’m probably dilating and labor will be coming soon. I have to say, I’ve heard that before and I am not getting my hopes up. I really wish my doctor hadn’t told me about a month ago that she thought I’d be early. I’m five days away from my due date (and I’ve passed the date that should really be my due date), and I’m starting to feel like we’ll have to go through an induction and smoke this baby out!

I hope they’re right. I feel like I should clean and organize things around the house just in case labor really does come shortly, but I can’t bring myself to do it. Argh. All those false alarms really messed with my head!

Sick at 39 weeks? Not so fun.

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After a few days of a cough, sore throat and sinus pain/pressure progressively getting worse, I trekked to Urgent Care today to see what was up. Turns out there’s an 80% chance it’s viral, but since I’m so close to labor and this is rendering me completely exhausted, the doctor prescribed an antibiotic to be safe. Now I have an antibiotic for a UTI and an antibiotic for whatever might be settling in my lungs. I can’t catch a break in the final few weeks of this pregnancy!

I can’t believe I didn’t get sick my entire pregnancy until now, when I could go into labor at any moment. At this point, I’m worried about having a higher chance for a C-section because I don’t have any energy to get through labor. Hoping I’ll get better really soon so that I’m ready for this little dude to make his arrival.

At the risk of sounding like I’m whining (because at this point, I’m too tired to care)…being 39 weeks pregnant is bad enough without throwing a nasty cold into the mix. :-/

Pregnant Ladies – Read Warning Labels on All Prescriptions!

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This evening, I had to pick up a prescription for a UTI. Since these infections are very common during pregnancy, I wanted to share my cautionary tale with you.

I read the warning label when I got home and noticed that this particular drug is not recommended for use in pregnant women who are at term (38-42 weeks). While my OBGYN obviously knows that I’m at term, I called the pharmacist because the warning made me uncomfortable. He looked it up to double check and told me not to take it. He said he’s never seen it prescribed in women after 36 weeks, even though it is a common drug for use in early pregnancy. He told me to call my doctor in the morning and see if there’s a specific reason she prescribed this drug and if there is something else she could have me take.

Read your warning labels!!! I’m not sure what the danger might be, but I’m so glad that I double-checked!

**(Update – called the doctor the following morning. Turns out this particular drug is only dangerous at full term if you have a certain deficiency in your pregnancy. I got the all-clear to take it, but I’m so glad to have checked it out!)**

38-Week Appointment Update

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For those who are curious how my 38-week appointment went today…

On Sunday, I had contractions that were 6 minutes apart for 8 hours, then they stopped. Since then, I’ve been woken up in the middle of the night with contractions 4 minutes apart for one hour, then they always stop. The good news is that these contractions are at least making a little progress. I am now dilated 2.5 cm.

My doctor is scheduled to have her baby on Monday, so I’ll be switching doctors next week. My next appointment is the afternoon of Friday, April 22. With all the other doctors taking over my doctor’s patients, their schedules are now very full and it’s harder to get in. At that point, I’ll be 39.5 weeks. Hopefully we’ll have Baby C by then!

I did ask about inductions and at what point they start to talk about scheduling them. If I go past due, then we’ll be able to schedule an induction. My due date is Tuesday, April 26. The frustrating part for me is that I’ve always known my due date is one week off…so technically I’ll be 41 weeks if I get to my due date. I’m really hoping that it doesn’t get to that point!!!

Here’s hoping our little boy decides to come out very soon. I keep telling him as he’s pushing his feet up and under my rib cage that he’d have WAY more room to move around if he just COMES OUT!

Ginormous baby?

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Some of you may know that two weeks ago, my doctor ordered an ultrasound because Baby C was measuring rather large. (more about that here) I was terrified (as I have been since I first found out I was pregnant) that I would end up birthing a 10-pound baby. Vaginally. The horror!

I was given good news today!!! He’s actually in the 50th-60th percentile, which means they’re expecting him to be between 7 and 8 pounds. Upon hearing that news, I think even my vagina let out a sigh of relief.

The bad news is that she didn’t move up my due date, which I was really hoping for. I can’t imagine being pregnant for another 2 months. But I’ll take that over having a 10-pound kid, I guess.

Preterm Labor Scare

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At about 1:00 this morning, I suddenly had menstrual cramps and low back pain reminiscent of a bad period. I was already laying in bed, so I figured I’d just keep trying to fall asleep and maybe they’d go away. An hour later, they still were bad and keeping me awake so I decided to call my clinic’s 24-hour nurse line. Their concern scared me a bit and they gave me the number of the birth center at the local hospital. The nurse that I spoke with really freaked me out when she said that her gut reaction is that I need to come in immediately, but that I should consult the OBGYN on-call before doing so. I was patched through to her shortly after 2am and she instructed me to drink lots of water and lay down to see if it would go away. If it didn’t, I would need to come into the hospital.

I was able to get a few hours of sleep, but when I awoke at 6am, the cramping and back pain were still there. I hemmed and hawed for a little while before waking up the hubster and telling him we’d better drive to the hospital.

It was a hard decision for me. I’m typically the one to shrug off my own pain thinking that it will pass; but I realized that I wasn’t making the decision for me, I was now making the decision for my baby. What a weird thought – it was the first time I had to make a decision solely for my baby…and he’s not even here with us yet!

A few hours, some lab tests and a fetal monitor watch later, I was cleared to go home. Everything looked fine, baby is super active and healthy. The fetal monitor was not picking up on any contractions and my lab tests came back clear.

I’m hoping that this doesn’t send me into a frenzy of washing all of his clothes and linens! I was definitely freaking out a bit last night, thinking about how it’s too early and none of his things are ready for him yet.

If you have any of the following symptoms of preterm labor, please consult your physician!

An increase in vaginal discharge
A change in the type of discharge — if it becomes watery, mucus-like, or bloody (even if it’s pink or just tinged with blood)
Any vaginal bleeding or spotting
Abdominal pain, menstrual-like cramping, or more than four contractions in one hour (even if they don’t hurt)
An increase in pressure in the pelvic area (a feeling that your baby is pushing down)
Low back pain, especially if you didn’t previously have back pain

You may read more about preterm labor here.