Saturday, February 15, 2014

28 Weeks



How far along? 28 weeks (7 months | 3rd Trimester!)
Total weight gain: 23lbs. I’m very pleased with this number. I was always scared of being one of those ladies that gets pregnant and puts on over 60lbs. I haven’t been trying too hard as I still have been eating things I like, but I feel I’ve been pretty good and not let the “eating for two” be an excuse. I eat when I’m hungry and that’s about it. Now I just hope to get through the 3rd trimester just as successful!
Ultrasound/ECHO/Dr Appt update: We had another ECHO last week. The appt didn’t exactly go great. We didn’t get to see Dr. Fruitman, and instead had to see her counterpart Dr. Myers, whom we weren’t a big fan of (she wasn’t unprofessional or bad or anything, we just feel more comfortable with Dr. Fruitman). The diagnosis has still stayed the same, but they can’t see her Thymus Gland. They told us Thymus glands aren’t exactly easy to see in ultrasounds, but it’s still a cause for concern. With the combination of Pulmonary Atresia with VSD, her aortic artery arch coming off the wrong way, and unable to see her Thymus – it creates a bigger concern for an underlying chromosomal defect – specifically called DiGeorge Syndrome. They have again offered to do an amniocentesis, but we have again declined. Even if we found out she has DiGeorge before she was born, it really won’t give us a clear picture of what to expect in the future. DiGeorge has such a broad spectrum, and so some individuals born with DiGeorge display no symptoms, while others land on the sever end of the spectrum. The symptoms I am talking about are mostly learning difficulties, feeding problems, immune issues, etc. So again, if she has DiGeorge, we really won’t know the severity until she gets older. At the moment, the main concern is that if she is born without a Thymus gland, this may cause issues in her recovery from open heart surgery. The Thymus provides babies and children with immunity until a certain age. This means she could have a rougher recovery as she will be more prone to catching a bacterial or viral infections after surgery, and just more prone to getting sick as a child in general. Overall there are just so many unknowns at this point. As hopeful that I am that future ultrasounds and ECHOs will reveal information, we have to face the fact that we really won’t know a lot of things until baby girl is actually here.
On another note, baby is growing within normal limits and weighs a whopping 2.5lbs. We also finally got the big phone call from Edmonton scheduling us for appts and visit that we have to attend before my due date. Nick and I will be going up to Edmonton March 5&6 to have an ECHO, Ultrasound, meet the team of the specialists that will be taking care of our little girl and get a tour of the Stollery. Part of me is happy because it will help us feel better prepared, but I’m also really nervous. I’m nervous that more bad news will come from this visit, and that the reality will really start to sink in.
Maternity clothes? Yup. If I wear a regular shirt, my belly starts to stick out at the bottom and Nick laughs because of how ridiculous I look. I get a good laugh while I’m getting dressed and Nick stares in amazement at how pregnant I look.
Stretch marks? Nope. I’ve been applying BioOil every few days. I think this is a tiny worry for Nick, because he’s always asking if I’ve applied my oil lol. So far so good.
Sleep: Alright I guess. I usually am a great sleeper, but now I always wake up during the night and it’s getting harder and harder to get comfortable.
Best moment lately: Our little getaway trip to Whitefish, Montana!
Miss Anything? Moving around is getting harder, and it’s easier to lose my breath when doing a strenuous activity.
Movement: I don’t think I go a single hour without feeling her kick. It sometimes isn’t a good thing when the ultrasound or ECHO techs are trying to get images of her heart for the cardiologists and it causes quite the trouble. The last tech at one point exclaimed that she wanted to pinch her to hold her still lol. At the end and not getting anywhere for over 10 minutes, she finally went and just grabbed the pediatric cardiologists to come view her heart “live”. What a little stinker!
Food cravings: Salt (specifically McDonald’s fries – with a cheeseburger on the side). I only give in about once a week.
Anything making you queasy or sick: Sausage or large amounts of chicken.
Gender: GIRL!
Labor Signs: Nope.
Symptoms: Just my growing belly!
Belly Button in or out? In, but I swear it’s on its way out!
Wedding rings on or off? On, but I probably would have a tough time getting them off at this point.
Happy or Moody most of the time: If you’ve noticed, I’ve been sort of avoiding posting when it comes to updating this blog on my pregnancy. When I first set out to do these “weekly updates”, I planned on doing them about every other week, but that was before things changed. Last week’s ECHO was tough on me. I took things a little harder, and it took me almost a week to come out of my sad and depressive state. I didn’t want to leave the house, and did anything to avoid people. I cried a lot, and was stressed beyond words. Nick was super great, and after a little while the worries and stress was able to settle enough for me to feel better. A friend advised me to keep busy, so I'm doing my best to do so.
I however will admit that I am done being pregnant. It’s not the “I’m huge and tired” reason, it’s more to do with the fact that I’m experiencing so much anxiety, and I haven’t been able to enjoy the experience like I thought I would. Don’t get me wrong, I do not want her to come early, the longer she is inside me, the better. My body is the perfect incubator and she’s growing so well. I guess with the fact that we know what is to come, I just want it to happen instead of sitting around and thinking of it happening and go over multiple scenarios (both good and bad) in my head. 
Right now I am happy and praying for the best, but I do go through waves of emotions. I can't wait to meet her and Nick and I are excited to be parents.
Looking forward to: For February I’ve got an exciting Valentines planned for Nick and I, and facial booked near the end of the month.
 

*In case you aren't aware, this last week has also been national Congenital Heart Defect week (Feb 7-14). A blogger that I have just recently stumbled across wrote a great post on CHD. Her name is Christie and she is the writer behind A Lemon Squeezy Home. Anways, click here to read her post on CHD Awareness and some interesting facts.*

1 comment:

  1. You look great:). I hope and pray that your baby will do really well. We are actually waiting for our testing to come back on DiGeorge Syndrome. They didn't do it initially because she doesn't look like she has it and if she did it wouldn't be extreme as far as the immune problems that can go along with it, but they wanted to test her at surgery so she was already out for the testing to be done while sedated. I'm glad you found my blog. It is so good to meet other heart mommas. The heart world isn't one we'd choose, but it is full of so many wonderful people.

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