Day 9 and going strong

So far today has been a good day...considering the circumstances. Jack was so cooperative with the fetal monitor today, I had a good breakfast, my doctor has already stopped by, I have one of my favorite nurses and I've already had my shower. My blood pressure readings have been a little higher than I would like so I'm going to spend the rest of the day lying in bed instead of sitting in bed. There has been a little bit of a change since my last post, a dietitian came to visit and got me set up to receive snacks between meals. Let me tell you what, this is the place to be. They have room service, housekeeping and someone constantly asking if there is anything you need. It really hasn't been that bad, the biggest challenge is finding ways to entertain myself while John is at work. I've been reading some books that I have, reading magazines, listening to music, watching tv and shopping online. Tomorrow marks 36 weeks, so we've made it over our first hurdle. After tomorrow we'll start praying for 37 weeks. I'll keep you updated.

Day 7 of Hospital bed rest

Day 7 of hospital bed rest and I've moved rooms again. I'm now in Room #427. This is actually a postpartum room so it is bigger than the temporary room and has room for John to stay the night. This is where I will stay until an antepartum room opens up. The nurses have been great and my bp is staying level in the 140's over 70 or 80. The perinatalogist came this morning to do a sonogram and he had nothing but great things to say about Jack and me. He said Jack was under no stress, the amniotic fluid was measuring great and he'll stop by and see me next Tuesday. He has no reason to believe that we won't make it to 37 or even 38 weeks. It has been all around great news today. I now have a tv with a remote, a thermostat and a shower in my room. The nurses have been great and I'm so grateful that the bed rest is working.

Day 5 of bed rest

Today marks Day 5 since I was admitted to the hospital for bed rest. My parents came down on Friday and left today. They came down to check on John and I and to take Tyson home with them. This was a huge help for John and myself. We know we won't have to worry about him being at home in a kennel all day while I'm sitting here with my mind roaming around. I have been moved...again. I am VERY ready for a more permanent home in the hospital. I don't mind being in the hospital but this is the third time I've been moved since I arrived. Apparently there are several other women here being monitored and on bed rest so all of the antepartum rooms are full, they had me in a temporary room and then a labor and delivery room and now I'm back in one of the tiny temporary rooms. They have quite a few women coming in to be induced tonight so they needed all of their labor and delivery rooms for those ladies. I'm trying to look at it this way...when I go in to labor I want a labor and delivery room for myself and not for someone on bed rest. However, it makes it very hard to stay positive and be comfortable when you are in a room as small as your bathroom at home with a tv that you can't reach and no remote and blinds that don't close all the way so the sun is shining in and making me hotter than I already was. These temporary rooms don't have showers, however, I was able to grab a quick shower in my previous room before I came over. Hearing Jack's little heartbeat on the monitor or feeling him kick makes it all worth it. No room in this hospital is that bad once I remember why I'm here...it's for the safety of Jack and myself! I know he needs to grow a little more but I won't be sad when this bed rest situation is over. Lots of love from my hospital bed!

We spoke to the doctor this evening and she informed us that I will be spending the rest of my pregnancy on bed rest in the comforts of the hospital. Tomorrow marks 35 weeks and they would like me to carry to 38 weeks. If I go in to labor before 38 weeks they will deliver and we will proceed from that point. If I haven't delivered by 38 weeks they will induce. So it looks like I will be on bed rest for the next 3 weeks unless I go in to labor before then. We will be meeting Jack before his due date so keep checking for updates. I will probably be making more posts now that I have A LOT more free time. Stay tuned for updates on my bed rest journey and Jack's arrival.

In the Hospital

Well...I've officially been checked in to the hospital for observation. I went to the doctor today and my blood pressure was through the roof. So they sent me home to pack a bag and meet John to go to the hospital. When we arrived they hooked me up to a fetal monitor and Jack was doing great. They started monitoring my blood pressure and it had already gone down. They continued monitoring it every 10 minutes for a few hours and it continued to go down. They are also monitoring all of my output for protein. A combination of high protein in your output and high blood pressure is a sign of preeclampsia...so I'm glad they are being so cautious. I will be staying the night at the hospital tonight and they will continue to check my protein levels until tomorrow at 12:30 and then we will know more from the doctor. I have a feeling that some sort of bedrest is in my near future. It's a good thing that we've got the nursery almost ready because it's looking like Jack could arrive at any time. John spent the day here with me and I sent him home to take care of Tyson...he'll be back in the morning to keep me company and wait for our diagnosis and instructions. I'll keep you updated with any info that we receive.

Today was a day of pampering! I went and got a manicure and pedicure today and it was fantastic! I upgraded to the citrus melon specialty pedicure and it felt so good on my swollen hands and feet. I am so glad that my leg has finally healed enough for me to have enjoyed this today. Everything from the massage chair to the relaxing foot massage was great. My belly seems to be getting A LOT bigger. I'll have to remember to ask John to take some pics of me to post. I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow that will just be a check up but I'll make sure to post any updates after that appointment tomorrow.

Apparently I am officially in the nesting stage, according to John. He says that he didn't know that actually existed until he saw me in action the other day. I'm feeling great, I just get tired very easily. We're both working very diligently to get everything that we need done around the house finished. It seems like we have a new task to complete every day...something to clean, organize or put away. I couldn't do any of it without John's help and he has been GREAT! I hope you are all having as great of a week as I am. Take Care!

Jack's Nursery

Well, with the munchkin's due date quickly approaching we finally got a new camera. We were long over due for one and we are very happy with our purchase. Along with a new camera we have pretty much finished in the nursery. We are waiting on one little piece of furniture to put next to the rocker, it should arrive sometime this week. Here is a link to the photo album of nursery pics if you would like to check it out.

Link to Jack's Nursery Pics

Hope you enjoy!

Just a little Update

Wow...we've got lots of movement today. Our little munchkin has been moving around a lot today. It is so exciting to have him active and know that he is healthy. I can't wait to meet him. We have less than 7 weeks to go and it seems like it is sneaking up on us. As soon as we get all the finishing touches on the nursery I will post some pics for you all to see. We are going to start our lamaze classes in a couple weeks. We will do them on 2 Sundays...hopefully that will help us be more prepared for the delivery. I hope you are all having a great day.
Love and miss you all,
Robin

Meet Jack!

32 weeks...33 weeks tomorrow!

We had an amazing holiday back in Kansas City. We had the intentions of staying a week, but ended up staying two weeks. We got to see most of our family and a lot of our friends. It was important to us to make the rounds as this will be our last trip before Jack arrives. It was amazing to have such a beautiful Christmas with snow...and that just so happened to prolong our trip. We didn't want to take any chances driving through Oklahoma, since they got 14 inches of snow in places. We are so blessed to have such an amazing family to spend the holidays with! The holidays were a little difficult for me, since I have been monitoring my blood sugar so closely. Christmas cookies are really hard to resist when you have gestational diabetes. I found myself asking around if anyone knew how many carbs were in fudge. I soon found out that eating 4 pieces of fudge after dinner will really make your blood sugar sky rocket.

I went to the OB earlier this week and everything was great. It was pretty uneventful. I had an appointment with the specialist today and he had nothing but fabulous things to say. My blood sugars were amazing and as a reward he said I only need to check them twice a day...a fasting one in the morning and then a two hour reading after any meal each day. I was so excited to hear that! The best part of the visit was the fact that Jack was measuring perfectly normal and weighed in at 4 lbs. 11 oz. The Dr. said he is a beautiful baby and that he'd like to see us back in 3 weeks.

John and I work on getting something done in the nursery every night. We picked up our rocking chair the other night and got it home, unpacked and inspected and there was a giant chunk missing out of one the sides. So we returned it and have to wait for the reordered chair to come in. The crib and bassinet are ready for Jack. I'm almost done washing all of his stuff. John has a few more things to hang on the walls, but overall I think he could come anytime and we'd be as prepared as any new parents could be.

I can't wait for all of us to meet our little munchkin! It's approaching quickly...only 7 more weeks until our due date. I'll keep you updated!

Love,
R