| January 29, 2004 Well, I have hit the 3rd trimester with a bang. About 2 weeks ago, Ralph and I were in Labor and Delivery at the hospital because I started to have contractions. After about 5 hours, they let us come home. I saw my doctor the next week and he didn't seem too overly concerned but also said that I need to take it easy. If I have more than 4 contractions within an hour, then I need to call them again. If it continues to happen, I may be placed on bed rest. I have my next doctor's appointment on Tuesday, February 3rd and so we will see what they say then. I still continue to have contractions which tend to be more intense than the regular Braxton Hicks contractions (false labor contractions which are completely normal). All in all, she's doing very well. They say she is right on schedule. I am 28 weeks today. |
| February 10, 2004 I went to Labor and Delivery again. Turns out I had an infection that had to be treated with stronger antibiotics than I was originally given. I'm feeling so much better now. Knock on wood that I don't have to go to the hospital again until she's ready to arrive. She seems to have turned now, today actually. Her feet are up towards my ribs (and it feels lovely). She moves around a lot! I love that feeling. I wouldn't trade it for the world. I just can't wait to meet her face to face now. I have started my 2 week appointments now. I can't believe how time has really flown by! No name picked out yet. Any ideas? :-) |
| February 19, 2004 I had a doctor's appointment yesterday. She said that the baby is indeed now head down and dropped. So scary. I am 31 weeks today. So at the most, in 9 weeks, our little girl will be here! I can't wait. We are going to do a 3d ultrasound this weekend. So we will get to take a peek at her and see what she looks like. :-) Everything else is going well. The nursery is coming along. I am making a few things for the nursery. I will post pictures of them as they are completed. |
| February 23, 2004 We had our 3d ultrasound this weekend. What an amazing experience! We saw that all of her organs are functioning. We saw that she was practicing breathing. We saw her swallowing too. I can't believe how much we are in love with this little girl that we have not even met yet! |
| 3rd Trimester |
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| March 3, 2004 Tonight, I have been having a lot of contractions and some cramping. Nothing that I really haven't had before. I have my doctor's appointment in the morning so when I go, I am going to ask them to make sure that everything is ok. I feel her moving around a ton so I know she's ok. |
| March 4, 2004 Today, I had my doctor's appointment. She checked me to see if I have "progressed" at all and indeed I have. She said I was 50% effaced and slightly dilated. So she sent me to the hospital. While I was in the hospital, they gave me Terbutaline, a medicine to stop labor. I got three shots of that and then they put me on the pill form. I am to take the pill every four hours (meaning I have to wake up at midnight, 4am and 8am to take the pill) for two weeks. This should help stop labor. After the two weeks, they will take me off of the meds and if I go into labor then, they will not stop it. So our little girl could be here a whole month early. Hopefully the meds will keep labor from happening for at least 2 more weeks. They have also put me on strict bedrest. I am allowed to get up to eat, shower and that's about it. I am to stay in bed for the rest of the time. |
| March 7, 2004 Well, bedrest really stinks. But it's for a good cause. I have now been on bedrest for 3 days and am becoming bored. Thank goodness they said I could still work from home. I have found that they definitely knew what they were talking about when they put me on strict bedrest. The first day, I tried hanging out on the couch and by the middle of the day, I was having fairly strong contractions. So off to bed I went. Ralph has been a real trooper. I feel bad because I am pretty much worthless around the house right now. He's been wonderful. As long as our little girl comes out healthy, I will do anything they ask me to do. |
| March 10, 2004 We had our doctor's appointment today. It went well. I have not progressed any further so the meds and the bedrest must be doing their job. We did get permission to go out to lunch on Saturday. I finally am going to get out for a little while! YAHOO!!!!! The doctor also said that I am now out of the woods as far as having to get the cortiosteriod shots for her lungs if I was to go into full labor right now so that means her lungs are fully developed now. Phew! So after March 22nd, which is the last day I am taking the meds, she could be born at any time. I can't believe that we are going to be someone's mommy and daddy! |
| March 22, 2004 Well, we had our doctor's appointment today. He took me off of the terbutaline. Said that whatever happens happens. BUT it turned out that my blood pressure was high so he did a second reading and it actually went up instead of going down so he sent me to Labor and Delivery, again. They were afraid of pre-eclampsia. So I checked into the hospital, yet again. They took my blood pressure and it was back down. BUT contractions started. They were 3 - 5 minutes apart and more intense than they have been throughout the entire pregnancy. They decided to give me the shots of Terbutaline agian. The first shot didn't do really anything. The second shot helped a little but the contractions were still just as intense. My heart rate was too fast for the third shot and since the meds weren't really doing much, they decided to just keep me on the pill form of the meds until I hit 36 weeks, which is on Thursday. So they sent me home and gave me something to help me sleep. I didn't even need to take it though because I was so wiped from the contractions thus far. I slept through the night (with the exception of waking up every 4 hours to take the meds). |
| March 13, 2004 Wow! Today, my friend Kera threw me a surprise shower. Ralph was obviously in on it. That was why he wanted to take me out to lunch today. :-) Wasn't really lunch. Was to get me out for my shower. It was wonderful! I was really surprised! We received such wonderful stuff! :-) And we took the time to announce our little girl's name to everyone. It is Isabella Gray. Gray is for my father, Gary. |
| 3rd Trimester Continued Here |