28 Weeks, and medical update.

Well, we're going to start with the good news...
I'm officially 28 weeks along today.

Which also means... WE ARE OFFICIALLY IN THE THIRD TRIMESTER. ( :

There isn't much going on with Ady, but I'll update you guys anyways.

At 28 weeks gestation, she weighs approximately 2 pounds 4 ounces and is about 14.8 inches long (from head to heel). She can blink now, and has eye lashes. Her eye sight is continuing to develop and she may be able to see the light now filtering through the womb. She's also developing more and more neurons in her brain, and adding more fat to her small body to prepare for life outside the womb. 

Now, onto the medical update and not so good news.

For the past week, I have been in either the hospital or the doctor's office at least once a day (except yesterday, Saturday). As some of you know, my blood pressure was really high on Monday during my normal OB appointment. They sent me directly to the hospital for some monitoring. I stayed overnight Tuesday, into Wednesday because my blood pressure was high once again, and they wanted to do some testing. They did a 24 hour urine collection to check the amount of protein. Though it came back high, it wasn't high enough to be deemed pre-eclampsia, so they deemed it gestational hypertension. They set up an appointment with a specialist in Peoria (I'll be there this coming Thursday). Then on Thursday I was back for more monitoring, and the doctor started me on a blood pressure medication. Friday, I had my follow-up appointment. My blood pressure was still high (I started the medication at 8:30), and I had to have my 28 week labs done so they could send the results to Peoria. 

Saturday was my "day off." 

So, why am I updating you? I was back in the hospital today. I woke up this morning, and my fingers were so swollen that I couldn't even make a fist. 

And my face was so swollen that my eyes were almost swollen shut. My mom took my blood pressure, and it was extremely high (keep in mind I've been on meds for 2 days now). So we called the doctor on call (not my OB), and he said to head back to the OB department at the hospital. So, I went back and they hooked me up to the monitors. The baby looked good, her heartbeat was strong and she was moving quite a bit. 

However; I found out today that... things aren't going to get better with my health. The doctors are simply trying to prolong the pregnancy for however long they can, and allowing Ady the time to mature naturally. I have to meet the doctor in Peoria because if I have to deliver before I'm 33 weeks along, I have to do it there. I was taken out of work indefinitely, and put on bed rest. So my life is going to be pretty boring for the next few weeks, but keeping Ady safe is #1. When the doctor's can no longer prolong the pregnancy, if I'm not at a stage where Ady will be able to survive on her own, they will give me steroid injections and 2-3 days later, induce labor. So, we're hoping we get past that stage, and that Ady stays in the womb as long as she needs to. 

But, that's about it for now. I'm exhausted, my head is getting sore, and I'm off to bed. 

Have a nice night everyone!

-Ady and Mommy

27 Week Update.

3/31/14

I went to the doctor at 1:00. They did all the normal stuff, you know.. weight, blood pressure, urine test, etc. Every single test they did came back abnormal. My weight was ridiculous. I went from losing weight since day one, to gaining 20 pounds in a week. My blood pressure went from being, almost perfect... to extremely high. My urine had protein in it. 

Well, because my blood pressure was high they sent me straight to the hospital for monitoring. They hooked me up to a blood pressure cuff that went off every 15 minutes, and hooked the baby up to a heart monitor and a monitor to see if and when my uterus contracted. 

Of course, when I got to the hospital, my blood pressure went back to normal. The baby's heartbeat looked perfect, and my uterus was calm (which is normal for only being 27 weeks). The blood work they did came back normal, but the urine test came back abnormal, showing more protein than it should.

So they sent me home, but with a 24 hour urine collection. The doctor, who looks just like Dr. Gru, told me that if I had a headache and couldn't get rid of it, to take my blood pressure. If it was high, call the office. And that if I saw any other signs (blurry vision, leaking fluid, bleeding, etc), to come back to the OB department. 

4/1/14

I woke up this morning with a terrible headache. Since I fell asleep almost right after getting home last night, it was pretty much.. the tylenol given at the hospital wore off, and the headache came back. I took my blood pressure, and it was at 161/99. So I called the office. They sent me straight back to the hospital.

When I arrived at the hospital, of course the blood pressure was fine. But the Dr. wanted to keep me for overnight observation. So, I'm now sitting in the hospital. The have to check my blood pressure every 2 hours, and they have to monitor baby for 30-ish minutes every 8 hours. My blood pressure was okay, but it went back up to 179/92.  I still have to do the 24 hour urine collection. They let me use the whirlpool, which was nice. I totally want one.

I had some low-grade contractions earlier, but nothing too major. I talked to the doctor, and if this is what they think, they'll have to start giving me steroid injections to make Ady's lungs develop quicker, so they can induce labor. But I'll know more later... 

For now, I'm gonna try to relax, and watch Big Bang with Aaron. 

Have a great night everyone!

-Ady and Mommy

27 weeks.

That's right. We are at 27 weeks. That means there are 13 weeks left.. Crazy to think that in 10 weeks I'll be FULL TERM. It's coming so fast!!!!

But anywho, that's not why anyone is here, right? You're here to hear about the baby. Haha.

So, at this point, Adelynn is weighing in at almost 2 pounds and is about 14 and a half inches with her legs extended. She now sleeps and wakes at regular intervals (we'll discuss more of this later). She opens and closes her eyes and may even suck on her fingers. Her lungs may still be immature, but with medical help they would be capable of functioning if, for whatever reason, she was born now. Her brain is functioning more and more as the tissue develops. Ady could be having hiccups too. 

So, onto the doctor. I was supposed to go on Thursday, but I called today. I've been swelling like a balloon, barely using the bathroom (despite the amount of liquid I take in), and Ady hasn't been moving as often as she used to. And last night, when she did move, it didn't feel nearly as strong as it used nor was it for as long. I'm starting to really worry. ) : So, I rescheduled the appointment for today at 1:00. And I'll keep you guys posted. Wish me luck.

26 Weeks. 2 days.

It's really hard to believe that I'm already past the 26 week mark, and that in under 4 weeks time I'll only have 10 weeks left! It seems like my pregnancy has been just breezing by... now if the cold weather could just breeze its way out of my area, that'd be great. I'm sooooo ready for SPRING! 

So, let me first start by updating you on little Miss. Adelynn! 

She currently weighs around 1 pound and 12 ounces, and is approximately 14 inches long. The site says, the size of a scallion, whatever that is! Any ideas? To google I go...

So, they're like green onion looking things. Okay.. Good to know she's approximately that long! Haha. Anyways:

Her nerves in her ears are better developed now, making them more sensitive. She can possibly hear her daddy's voice now too, when he and I are chatting. She is continuing to inhale and exhale the amniotic fluid she's living in, which is helping her little lungs develop so that she can take that big first breath! But that's all that's really going on with our little one right now. Not too exciting, but exciting nonetheless.

So, I have so much to update everyone on!

I don't even know where to start, okay, maybe I do.

1: For most of you that know Aaron and I, you know that we are pretty big nerds (my nerdy side definitely showed up when he came into my life, but that's beside the point). When I first met him he was the commanding officer (captain) of a star ship, the USS-Riverside. In other words; he was the leader of a chapter of a Star Trek club here in our area. Well, there was a bit of a falling out, and Aaron left his position and the chapter, and I followed suit. To be honest, though I love the organization now (Starfleet International: www.sfi.org) I originally joined simply because Aaron and I were a couple, I wasn't going to stay in a chapter that he wasn't in. 

Anyways, we transferred to another chapter, and they are great. And we found a chapter locally, from a different organization, that has pretty much taken us under their wing. And this chapter is everything I wanted the other one to be, and so much more. They are warm, open, and definitely fun to be around. On top of that, they are working to better the community in which they live, and helping out national charities.

So aside from the meetings we go to once a month, in June we will (hopefully, if Ady holds off) be attending the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure as a group! We will be ordering shirts that say "Trek for a Cause" and going out to just have a good time! So for any of you reading this, if you'd like to support the cause and have a great time, come on out and join us!!! For more information, message/comment and I'll get back to you!

2: Sticking with the Star Trek theme, Aaron and I have officially decided on what our first family vacation will be after Adelynn joins us! We will be attending the

2014 STARFLEET International Conference.

This year it's in Rockford, IL, so we'll be killing two birds with one stone pretty much. My little sister lives in that area, so she will get to come see Ady, and we will get to see a bunch of our SFI friends! It's going to be a pretty big trip, and with my not getting a paycheck around that time, we've already started saving/budgeting money! I can't wait though! I did some research and found out that the hotel we'll be staying out has a water park connected to it, so my little sister will be coming one day and we'll be spending the entire day at the water park! Should be pretty fun. 

3: FMLA.

This one kinda sucks to be honest. As of right now, it looks like I probably won't be able to take the full 12 weeks off granted by FMLA, because I won't have enough hours in a 12 month span to be eligible. That means, I only get 8 weeks off. /: But if that's the case, then there's not much I can do. Aside from hope I have enough hours.

But, I think that's about it for now! 

So again, If you're interested in doing the Race for the Cure and live in the QC area, let me know! You don't have to join the Star Trek club or anything like that, just pay your registration fee and register under our team name! ( : Then we can walk and be merry... even though I'll be 8.5 months pregnant. Haha.

24 / 25 Week Update

Yep, I know I missed my update last week. But there really wasn't much to update about. The baby is 'developing' less and less the closer I get to due date, which is normal. A lot of the major developments take place in the first trimester. 

But this week (week 25), the baby is starting to gain some baby fat, which will make her wrinkled skin more smooth. She is currently around 13.5 inches long and weighs about a pound and a half (that's almost what she weighed at our last ultrasound). She is starting to get more hair too! 

So, onto my next topic. I'm currently working on a binder.. I like to call it my.. LIFE BINDER. There's going to be all sorts of important information located in the binder. Things like, our family budget, birth certificates, immunization records, hospital/doctor information, things needed for the birth of Ady... just all kinds of fun stuff to keep organized! And I'm pretty excited about it! I'll post pictures when I get it finished.

Anywho, I know it's short, but like I said, not a whole lot to update on!

Have a great weekend! (it's almost here).

-Auni and Ady

Update 3/7/14

Welp, I told you guys I would update you after the ultrasound yesterday, and though I'm a day behind, here we go.

So, little Miss. Adelynn was laying in a great position yesterday. She was butt down, and didn't flip over at all. However, she kept moving her hands and feet and refused to lay still for the ultrasound technician. The pictures of her heart turned out great, but I still didn't walk away with a nice profile shot of her. I got a couple of the face, and one of a foot (that makes 3 of her feet). She weighs approximately 1 lb and 5 oz at this point in time. My fluid level is at a healthy level also.

However,
The doctor is worried that I may have low blood sugar because I've been even more tired now than I was in the first trimester, and I'm still losing weight. She thinks Ady is taking more out of my blood than I'm taking in in a day, but sugar just doesn't sound good usually (weird, I know). Right now though, I'm craving ice cream! lol

So, there's your update. Not a whole lot to it, because things look great at the moment. <3

Have a great one!
Love,
Adelynn and Auni

Only 17 weeks left!!!!

It's been like this for a couple weeks now, but it's hard to believe that I'm now at a higher week than the number I have left. That probably doesn't make sense... soooo.. I'm 23 weeks along and only have 17 weeks left! With every week my excitement level keeps building. I just want my little Ady here! RIGHT NOW! 

So, how about that update?!

As I said, I'm at 23 weeks. Ady is now more than 11 inches long and weighs over a pound. She's definitely moving like a champ, and I can now see my tummy moves when she kicks. The blood vessels in her lungs are forming to prepare her for breathing outside the womb. And her ears are becoming more sensitive to sounds to help her great ready for this great big world. Louder, everyday noises (like my crazy dogs or the vacuum cleaner) won't bother her too much, because she can hear them now. 

I have my next ultrasound and doctor's appointment on Thursday! So there will be another update later in the week! (: