September

9/1/08

Doctor, Doctor, Gimmie the News...Shawn and I had another eventful night on Saturday night. I'm not even sure where it started, it's a little bit of a blur right now. During the day on Saturday, I did my best to "take it easy," as I've been told. I did some laundry, did the dishes, and just slowly worked on getting some things done around the house. I felt a couple of small contractions early in the day, so I cancelled the coffee date I had and put my feet up until I couldn't feel anymore. Around 9:00 or so, I started to feel more contractions, so I parked myself on the couch for the evening and started timing them. I think they were coming about every 20 minutes or so, but I was really having a difficult time knowing what would be considered a contraction. I was starting to be concerned, but didn't want to stress myself into having even MORE contractions, so we did our best to stay calm.We decided we'd make it an early night and went to bed around 10:45, hoping that some sleep and further rest might stop them. I woke up to contractions a few times during the night, but again, tried not to worry. Around...I guess 2:00 or 2:30, I could tell they were coming more frequently. I fell back asleep, and around 2:45, I woke up again and started timing them. From my best (and very sleepy) guess, they were coming at about every 10 minutes...or 6 per hour...the threshold for when our Doctor told us to head into the hospital. I wanted to stall as long as possible and give Shawn a chance to rest (and maybe give the contractions a chance to miraculously stop), so I tried everything I could think of to stop or slow them - deep breathing, emptying my bladder, drinking some water, etc. I realized around 3:15 or 3:30 that they were only getting stronger, so I woke Shawn up and told him that I thought we probably needed to head in. Rather than being grumpy or upset (like I probably would've been!) Shawn kind of paused for a moment, sleepily said, "okay," and gave me a reassuring sleepy smile. So off we went. We got to the hospital around 3:45-ish. When we checked in, we saw Rhonda Smith, who is the mother of one of our high school boys (who is very dear to Shawn's heart) who was also on Worth the Wait for two years. I can't tell you how comforting it was to see a familiar face. She checked us in, and told the nurse to take good care of us. :) Throughout the night, she popped in to make sure we were okay, got Shawn coffee, asked me if I wanted ice chips, and just gave us a chance to get our minds off of what was going on. I was hooked up to the monitors and had my blood pressure, temperature, etc. taken (all normal). Baby Maurer is NOT a fan of the monitors, by the way! The nurse would no sooner get his heartbeat when he'd move to the other side, and she'd have to pick it up again. Then he'd move back, and she'd have to move the monitor again. They played this game several times before he finally accepted his fate and stayed somewhat still. :) Once they strapped the contractions monitor on, he proceeded to directly kick at it a few times every hour...just to make sure we remembered that he didn't like it, I guess. :) The monitor was showing that my contractions were about 2-3 minutes apart. They checked my cervix, took a urine sample, and gave me a shot of Tributelene. The shot once again made me shaky, but it lessened the contractions. While they continued to monitor, Shawn read a magazine (we were smart this time and brought things for us both to read), and I dozed on and off. Awhile later, the contractions came back. They weren't showing up as very strong on the monitor, but they were more painful than they'd been. The nurse moved the monitor a couple of times to see if they could get a better read, but as strongly as I felt them, they never did show up quite as strong on the monitor. Regardless, it meant that the contractions were coming back. So...I got another shot of Tributelene and an IV (I guess in case the latest contractions were because of being dehydrated). We then waited awhile longer while they monitored us and waited for the Doctor to see me. This time, the shot made me super shaky, but it seemed to be working. Then we had to wait for the doctor...and wait...and wait...and wait...or at least that's what it seemed like to us. Hence the blog title, because all that waiting made me sing out of sheer boredom. :) She did eventually come, checked my cervix (thinning slightly, but not enough to concern her), and discharged us. So we waited awhile longer for a nurse to come around and take the IV out/take off the monitors. I think we left the hospital around 10:00am-ish. Apparently having contractions makes me super hungry, so we again grabbed some breakfast (Bojangles, in case you're wondering) and headed home. Poor Shawn had to grab a shower and head to church, but I was able to head straight to bed and sleep until the afternoon.So a quick word about my husband. He is the most amazing man ever. He's taken AMAZE-ing care of me and has been nothing short of selfless and giving. I felt awful, really terrible, about dragging us to the hospital on a Saturday night (he gets up super early on Sundays and works from 6am to late), and he's never made me feel guilty or badly. He has been so calm and reassuring for me, even though I'm sure he's worried inside, and he's been a safe place for me to cry and vent my fears. Since we've been home, Shawn's been taking care of everything so that I can be on semi-bed rest. He's seriously done everything...from the dishes, to taking the dog out, to getting stuff ready for the baby, to fixing the carpet threshold (which is what he's working on right now). He makes sure I have enough water, have enough rest, have enough food, am comfortable, and am safe. He prays over me and our baby when I start to feel contractions and is constantly reminding me that God knows things we don't and has everything under control. Even beyond that, when it's the middle of the night and I'm on a hospital bed, looking rough and scared, he tells me that he thinks I'm beautiful and am doing an amazing job of taking care of our baby. And even though I know he doesn't understand why that makes me cry like crazy, he holds me while I do so. I know that's a little more personal than I usually write in these blogs, but I just wanted those of you who are Shawn's family to know that you've raised an amazing man...one whom I pray that our son looks and acts like. And to my family, I want you guys to know that I'm very well taken care of. So...that's what we've been through lately. I had a handful of contractions on Sunday night, but they slowed with rest and eventually stopped with sleep. I'm trying to use the holiday weekend to force myself to keep my feet up as much as possible. Our next appointment is Thursday at 11:30. I'm eager to be seen again, to make sure that everything is okay, and that nothing is dialated or effaced. I'm also a little worried that I'll officially be put on bedrest, as I'm not sure what that would mean for my job.We also have an appointment tomorrow (Tuesday) at noon at Forsyth Pediatrics to interview a potential pediatrician, which should be fun. :) Please continue praying for us as you think of us. Please pray specifically that Baby Maurer would be in there as long as his healthy for him and will be born in God's perfect timing. Pray that God would be growing and developing him so that he'll have as little time as possible (or maybe no time at all!) in the NICU. Thank you so much for loving and supporting our family.

9/03/08

Finally Some Good News...Since Monday morning, I haven't had any further contractions!! For the past couple of weeks, I've had contractions pretty much every night. They range from once an hour to once every half hour to well...often enough to send us to the hospital. It's been so comforting to not have had ANY for the past two nights in a row. While I can't say for sure why the contractions have stopped, I have a feeling it's because I'm making a conscious effort to be on my butt as much as possible. I'm so excited to finally have a little bit of relief from constant worry and timing those dang things! :) While we're praying that our little guy stays in there for awhile longer, we're also trying to use our time wisely since realistically...we have no idea when he'll decide to make an appearance. We've been busy trying to make sure we have as much in order as possible. Shawn actually just finished staining our crib this past weekend and will soon be putting it together. I'm so excited to have a place for him to sleep! Shawn and I had our pediatric office interview yesterday, which went well. Our child will officially be a patient at Forsyth Pediatrics, and we were thoroughly impressed with the office (thanks Mike and Jill for recommending them!). My favorite part is that they have on staff lactation educators with whom I can have an appointment for free. Hiring a lactation consultant can be pretty expensive, so I was really excited to hear that if I'm having any troubles with nursing that I could be seen at our pediatrician's office.Our next appointment is tomorrow (Thursday) at 11:30. I'm sure this will be more following up about our last adventure to the hospital. Please pray that I continue to not be contracting and that nothing is dialated or effaced or in any other way, out of the ordinary. Baby Maurer (who still doesn't have a name, by the way) is still just a-movin'! His favorite place seems to be right under my ribs on my right hand side. I'm not sure what exactly he's nestling up there, but it's hard as a rock! So far it's not been uncomfortable, he just sometimes feels like he's going to burst right through my skin. Sometimes I wonder how on earth my 5"3 body is going to fit Shawn's long-legged son. :) Occasionally we'll lay down to watch TV and hook one of our iPods up to headphones, put them on my tummy, and let the iPod shuffle through our songs. It's fun to feel him kicking and moving more with certain songs...it's obvious that he already loves music! He (the baby) was listening to Shawn's iPod on shuffle when he started going nutso in there! He was squirming and kicking and just going crazy. We checked to see what song was making him want to dance so much, and the song that had come up on shuffle was a Detour song (Detour is a band Shawn was in during high school/college)! He kept up his little dance party until the song was over, and it was hilarious! I told Shawn that he hears his Daddy singing at least every Sunday morning, so there's a very good chance that he recognized Shawn's voice. How cool is that?!

9/05/08

Our Update...We had an appointment yesterday and found out that my cervix is still not showing signs of labor (it's thinning slightly, but not enough to even assign a number of dialation to it), which is GREAT news! Our Doctor seemed encouraged that I haven't had any bleeding or anything else that is scary. She was the first doctor to actually say the words, "bedrest." She told me that I would continue being on "modified bedrest," until the contractions subsided. When Shawn asked her to clarify what modified bedrest meant, she said, "Well, you know, you shouldn't be walking around Wal-Mart or taking a trip to the mall, stuff like that. If you have something that you HAVE to do, then that's okay, just take it easy." So there you have it. I had pretty much stopped having contractions until last night, when I started getting them again. I put my feet up and let Shawn get me water, food, etc., and only got up to use the restroom. Within a couple of hours, they'd lessened in intensity and frequency, and by the time we went to bed, they'd pretty much stopped completely. YAY! I guess that just means that I did too much yesterday and need to take it a little bit easier. It's such a relief to feel that the contractions are slowing down, but it's a little daunting to realize how LITTLE I have be doing right now in order to keep them slowed down. It's been an adjustment to realize that if I work a day in the office, then I'm just done for the rest of the day. I can't take a quick trip to the store, can't get a load of laundry done, can't straighten stuff up or do the dishes. I know that many women dream of this and I AM trying to enjoy it as much as possible...but it's difficult to see my house not clean, or to have this list of baby stuff I want to get done and know that I have to get it done in very VERY small bits. It's been very easy for me to go overboard and not realize how much I'm doing until I'm in pain. I'm grateful, though, that the bed rest is only modified and not complete. I'm grateful that I'm able to do baby stuff in small chunks, I could not be able to do it at all. I'm grateful that Shawn is watching out for me and is great about helping me do things I can't do on my own right now. I'm grateful for so much love and support from friends and family. I'm grateful that I've not gone into labor yet and that he's continued to grow for another week. I'm grateful that there is something I can do to stop the contractions. Things could be SO much worse, it's easy to overlook that fact.

9/07/08

31 Weeks!...
According to babygaga.com, here is how little Maurer is developing::"Your not-so-little-one is just a bit closer to their birth weight and height at around 4 pounds and 17 inches. With each added layer of baby fat, your baby's skin starts to look more and more like it will when they finally get to see the light of day. The heavy news: you can expect your miracle-gro muffin to gain about a half a pound of weight per week from now until about two weeks before birth. Great. That's just what you needed. Even more weight to carry around!Your baby's still-developing immune system has gained substantial strength over the past few weeks getting them in full gear to face our disease-ridden world o’ wonders. Obviously, a large majority of your child’s immune strength will be derived from exposure to breast milk as well as the outside elements. Their cute little noggin’ (which could already be covered with luscious locks or just purty peach fuzz), is still soft because the skull bones have not yet fused together. As much as that sounds a little too vulnerable, their “skull softness” allows for a much smoother passage through the birth canal during labor—something both you and your little swimmer will appreciate when it’s finally time to “go!” Also, some babies will have that “soft spot” on their head for up to one year after birth. "

9/09/08

One Thing At A Time...is my new motto. I'm working hard at breaking down the things that I need to get done in smaller bits and tackling them little by little throughout my day - or over the course of several days, if need be. The past couple of days I've been working on getting my hospital bag ready. I made a list of things I'll need and we went to Wal-Mart on Sunday to get them. Yesterday, I organized and packed everything, including a list of "Last Minute" things that can't be packed yet - cell phone charger, camera, etc. It's SUCH a huge relief to have that done and taken care of! This past weekend I was also able to wash the car seat cover, the Boppy covers, and our bedding set. Shawn and our good friend Mike put together our crib this weekend, too! I took my last "Baby Bump" pictures next to the crib if you want to check them out. We don't have the mattress in yet, so we put the bedding in there just to see how the colors would look. It still looks like bedrest has helped to slow down the contractions significantly, which is awesome! I still find that if I do a lot in one day that they pick up again, so it doesn't look like we'll be able to taper off of the bedrest anytime soon. Our next appointment is Thursday morning (7:50am), when we're actually just meeting with a nurse. I assume they'll check my cervix and am hoping that everything is still as it should be. My goal right now is always to just through the week in front of me without having had this kiddo, so I really look forward to Sundays when I "move up" a week. I'm really looking forward to being at 32 weeks, just because the test they gave us in the hospital indicated that we had a 50% chance of going into labor before I was 32 weeks. I'm stubborn and just want to prove that stupid test wrong. :) Shawn and I will begin our five weeks of "Birth and Beginnings" Childbirth classes at the hospital on Monday, so it would also be nice to not go into labor until we finish those up! I try not to get too far ahead of myself, though, because that leads to me getting overwhelmed and freaking out. So...one thing at a time...

9/11/08

still no baby!...That's right, I'm quickly approaching Week 32 and Little Maurer is still safely tucked away and growing...Yay! While we've not had an ultrasound to confirm it, I have however, become aware that I am harboring a ninja in my uterus. This alleged ninja seems to rest throughout the day and practice his super secret ninja skills in the evening and at night. It would appear that he practices bicycle kicks especially diligently when I lay down to sleep for the night. We're unsure of what this will mean for his birth, we're just hoping he comes out in one of those black outfits with just his eyes showing - maybe with numchucks in his hand. Regardless of whether he's a ninja or not, we're just grateful to feel him moving and so active!Our appointment this morning was a good one. My cervix isn't showing any signs of labor, and the baby's heartbeat is nice and strong. Blood pressure was good, fundal height was good, and all the tests were good. As a complete aside, I have to admit that I never - in a million years - thought that I would be blogging about my cervix. Just wanted to throw it out there that it's a little weird to be updating you all on the condition of my cervix every week. Don't worry, this won't remain a habit. :) I hadn't had any contractions on Tuesday and most of Wednesday. I worked at the office on Wednesday and went to church Wednesday night, and by the time we came home, I was starting to have them every forty-five minutes or so. They were kind of strong, so I was a little scared, but I only felt a couple during the night and one before our appointment this morning. I've been resting since I got home and they've significantly slowed. Our nurse said that they might have to consider putting me on complete bed rest. If she meant to threaten me to rest more -- it worked! It's frustrating, but I'd much rather slow down a bit more than be on complete bed rest. I asked if, because of all the contractions I was having, I would be more likely to deliver before my due date, to which she basically answered, "not necessarily." She said some women have early contractions and end up going two weeks past their due date, and some women have early contractions and end up going into pre-term labor...there doesn't seem to be much of a rhyme or reason that science knows at this point. It was comforting to hear that at this point, I'm probably just as likely to go over my due date as I am to deliver pre-term. She also mentioned that the doctors will often take their patient off of bed rest around 35 or 36 weeks if the cervix is still closed. The nurse also reassured us that even if he were born today, he would be just fine. I knew that, but it's always nice to hear!They still want us to come in weekly at this point, so we'll be seeing Dr. Oliver on Thursday at 2:20. Beyond all of that stuff, I'm still feeling pretty good. I'm huge, or at least I feel that way! I actually don't think that I feel huge because of the size of my belly, I think I feel huge because of how much work it is for me to get up, to get out of bed, or to move with any kind of relative speed. I was reading out loud yesterday (the book of Isaiah, they were kind of boring chapters, so I was reading out loud to keep myself focused) and I'm not kidding...I had to stop and take a few breaths about halfway through every chapter. I got winded reading out loud!! Oh, I also forgot to add that I'm getting hot flashes like I'm going through menopause. If I lay down for a nap, I usually wake up half an hour later because I'm sweating so much - gross, I know! None of those things are particularly annoying or frustrating, though...just typical pregnancy stuff that is SO worth it! I have to say thank you to you all for your prayers and support. You have no idea how much it means to us and helps us feel as though we're not alone in this. We appreciate it so much more than you know!

9/12/08

happy friday...Although I don't really have much to update, I know that many of you check this blog often to make sure we haven't had the baby yet - so I wanted to make sure you knew that I am still pregnant! I wish I had some exciting (non baby-might-come-early related!) news to share, but I'll be honest...my life is pretty boring at this point. I've been watching a lot of political coverage, and it always freaks me out when they say, "only fifty-blah blah days left until Election Day!" because Baby Maurer is due just five days after Election Day, and that means it's only fifty-blah blah days until he's here. Shawn's joked around (or at least I think he's joking) about naming our son after whoever wins the election. So...Barack or John...or even more fun...Obama Maurer or McCain Maurer. Ha Ha - so your vote might impact more than you realize! :) Because Shawn knows that the best way to keep me still is to put a good novel in my hands, we went to the library a week ago to find just that. I decided that bed rest was probably a great time to tackle some classics I've been wanting to read, so I just finished "The Sound and the Fury," and "The Old Man and the Sea." Beyond keeping up with work and baby stuff, that's about the extent of my days right now! I read this today and it made me laugh, so I thought I would leave you with this story:There’s a byproduct at the end of pregnancy that many women do not know about: sciatic nerve pain.Your sciatic nerve is one really big nerve that goes from your butt down to your ankle. If you’re pregnant and feel a little nerve pain anywhere from your bottom all the way down your leg, congrats, that is your sciatic nerve going off.For some reason I’ll never exactly understand, I decided to go to the mega-store IKEA while nearing the end of my second pregnancy. I was heavily pregnant, carrying a monster baby in my belly and decided to browse futons and twin beds along with the rest of my city.By the time I left IKEA, I could not walk. To make a long story short, I would not walk “normally” again until three weeks after my baby was born. Basically, my child was laying in an odd position and was pressing on my nerve.I tried everything: ice, heat, rubbing, stretching, laying on the opposite side. Nothing worked. It got to the point where I could not walk to the bathroom without wanting to collapse in tears.The highlight of this experience would be heading to the local Target store to buy a few needed items. Normally, I’d stay in the car with my nerve pain, but I was bored and wanted out.I made it about halfway through the store before it happened: I couldn’t take one more step. I was already huge, which drew enough attention as it was. Add in the fact that I had a major limp and sort of drug my leg behind me, and I was a walking circus act.Women would come up to me and offer their condolences. “How much longer?” they’d ask. They’d always have a look of sadness when I told them the number of weeks left.“You poor thing,” they’d mutter before walking off.My husband finally came to my rescue and made me climb aboard the shopping cart, my big belly facing outwards, performing its own version of Titanic’s “I’m the king of the world!”I’m pretty sure everyone steered clear of our cart, with my belly pointing out as one heck of a hood ornament on the end.

9/14/08

Week 32...One more week down! I also now officially consider myself in my 8th month of pregnancy. Here's what's going on with Baby Maurer this week (be warned, some of the information is a tad gross):"In the latest womb reports, your amazing baby has now developed sensitivity to temperature! This means you’ll probably get a swift kick if you put a hot pad on your ginormous belly. For the Elton John lovers out there-- yes, baby’s got blue eyes. At this point, all babies do, although depending on their chromosomal disposition, this could easily change after birth (or even between now and labor), but for the time being, blue it is. Thanks to their recently matured lungs and a remarkably strong immune system, over 90% of babies born in their 32nd week, survive premature births. So it’s pretty much a done deal. Even if your little monkey’s planning on heading out early, their survival odds are in everyone’s favor. Time to celebrate (no, no, wait until after the birth to crack open the champagne!) We’re talking baby-showers and alcohol-free punch! And how's mom doing? If your family or significant other is around and involved, it’s probably time to start discussing what’s going to happen when you really go into labor. Of course, the delivery itself can be quite overwhelming for first-time viewers, so make sure and openly discuss the fact there will be blood, sweat, mucous, and possibly even a bit of poop (if you didn’t know already, it’s likely that while in labor and pushing, you also push out a bit of the ol’ number 2—it’s totally normal if not a little disgusting). Even the weak-stomached birthing buddies can still help to make the labor-process more bearable with breathing assistance, massages, and constant reassurance and cheering: "Yay! That was a great contraction honey!" (Now run! Before she breaks your wrist!). For the more blood-bold and not so faint of heart, the positions of cameraman, baby-catcher, and/or umbilical cord-cutter are always available—just talk to your doctor or mid-wife beforehand so they can be prepared to deal with an extra person during the birthing process.Surprise! Your third trimester symptoms aren’t going away yet. If you just got back from peeing, you already know that your bladder is nearing non-existent-land. These joys will persist till you’re on the birthing bench. Also, be careful of lightheadedness during these last weeks. Your blood tends to pool in the lower limbs, resulting in low cranial blood pressure. So, watch out for the head rushes and get up nice-n-slow after sitting for long periods."

9/16/08

i have a fat roll around my ankles...It's true. Within the span of about four or five days, my body decided that it wanted to swell, and boy has it! For a few weeks now, I've been wearing my wedding rings on a necklace, but that was less because of actual swelling, and more because I was petrified of having to get my rings cut off. I would swell a little bit more if I were out in the heat for awhile, but beyond that, I had thankfully avoided this symptom!Until now. All of a sudden, my fingers got huge. Almost sausage-like (lovely, huh?). My feet look like a baby doll's, and yes...I have a fat roll around each of my ankles when the swelling is at its worst. Unfortunately, the doctor doesn't seem to think this is run of the mill, normal swelling. Two nights ago, I was up most of the night with a migraine. I got up at 5:00 am to take two Tylenol, which took the edge off enough that I got about two hours of sleep and went to work the next morning. Around 10:00am, my head was killing me again, so I again took two Tylenol. This time it didn't work, and I was hurting. I'm not prone to migraines, I think I've had maybe two my entire life, so maybe I'm kind of a wimp...but it hurts! Since the Tylenol wasn't working, I called my OB to see if I could take Extra Strength Tylenol, or anything stronger. The nurse asked me a lot of questions about the headache, and then said, "have you had an increase of swelling in the past few days?" I looked down at my sausage link fingers and answered that yes, I had in fact, had an increase in swelling lately. She asked if I'd been nauseated at all. I had, but assumed it was just the headache making me feel ill. Then she informed me that they would like to see me as soon as possible because those symptoms combined could indicate preeclampsia.I scheduled an appointment for 3:00 that afternoon and went home to hopefully get rid of the still pounding headache. It was Shawn's day off, so he took great care of me - letting me watch Gilmore Girls, making me soup and grilled cheese, and even letting me press my forehead into his arm when it was really hurting. At the OB, they took my blood pressure (which was higher than it'd been, but not dangerously high), my weight (I'd gained 8 lbs in four days, and I think it's safe to say it's all because of the swelling) checked my urine for protein (negative), checked out my swelling (concerning), and gave me a prescription for the headache. Basically the visit was inconclusive, so they have asked me to provide a 24-hour urine specimen. This might gross you out, so skip the rest of this paragraph if you're squeamish. They hand me this big orange, plastic container that is just about half the size and similar in shape to a gasoline can, and tell me to fill it up with urine, put it in a biohazard bag, and bring it back Wednesday morning. I have to admit that I audibly laughed when the nurse pulled it out. Guess where the gasoline can/urine holder gets stored in the meantime? That's right. In our refrigerator. Weird. And Ew. Apparently they'll be checking it for protein in the morning, and then we'll have a regular appointment in the afternoon to find out what's going on. While we were there, the nurse listened to the heartbeat and measured the fundal height. I asked her if she could tell where the baby was, and she pointed out where his head was (towards my cervix), and where his back and butt were. It turns out that the thing that is always up in my right rib is his hiney! I LOVE knowing where he is, what body part he's moving, and patting his tush...and knowing that it's his tush. So amazing! Shawn and I also started our first Childbirth Class last night, which we'll have for the next five Mondays from 7:00-9:00. The class was fun, actually. We went through some breathing exercises, which Shawn of course, made fun of. The lady DID talk about breathing in purple and breathing out green, so I guess it wasn't too difficult. He found some other like-minded weirded out Dads, though. We watched one of those horrifying birth videos. It was pretty disturbing, but I'm glad that I saw it - I think it will help to know that some pretty scary things are actually normal in childbirth.We were both pretty tired after our appointment and class, and my ankle fat roll was getting bigger, so we headed home where I propped my feet up and we wound down for the night. We're actually interviewing a potential doula this afternoon, so I'm looking forward to that appointment! Today, I'm taking it easy, I'm drinking lots of water, and I'm peein' in a gas can. This whole pregnancy thing has proven to be quite the adventure, huh? :)

9/18/08

oh happy day!...No preeclampsia! Hooray! Before I get into how the appointment went, I feel like I need to continue my peeing in a gas can saga. If you'll allow me a quick diversion (and again, you might want to skip the next paragraph if you're squeamish)...By Tuesday evening, I saw that I was quickly filling up the entire container that I was given for the urine sample, with a good twelve hours of the test left to go. I rationed my water, but it was to no avail. I was going to out-pee this gas can. I started to prepare a zip-lock bag to put the rest of the urine in, but when Shawn came into the kitchen and realized what I was doing, he was thoroughly grossed out, telling me that it was going to bust open in the car and get everywhere. We took another zip-lock bag, filled it up with water, and tipped it upside down to see if it would spill. It held the water in tightly. I still say the bag would've held up just fine, but I guess it probably is better to be safe than sorry. I called the after hours nurse to ask if I could stop collecting urine, since the container was full, or if they needed the entire 24 hours. She said they would need the full 24 hours. So, at around 10:00pm, Shawn and I went to Sheetz to find a suitable container for urine holding. I went on the promise of getting something chocolate. :) Shawn found a miniature gas can, very similar looking to the original pee-filled container that was sitting in our refrigerator. We took it home, and I'm not kidding, by the time the test was over, it was 2/3 full. This would be why I get slightly frustrated when nurses patronizingly ask...over and over and over...if I'm getting enough water. I know they think that it could be causing the contractions or the swelling, but I'm well aware that I drink puh-lenty of water. I should've taken pictures so that next time I'm asked, I can say, "Look. This is how much I pee in 24 hours. I don't think it's possible for me to drink much MORE water!" Or, I can just smile and say, "Yes Ma'im, I get plenty of water," which is my usual course of action. :) The two gas cans barely fit into the biohazard bag, but we finally got them both in (after several reminders from Shawn about how gross this all was). I was told to just drop them by that morning, so I got to the office a few minutes before I needed to be at work. The bag was fairly heavy, and I know I looked like an idiot, lugging in gas cans in a biohazard bag. There were several women in the office, and they all looked me up and down with that judgmental look women are so good at. You know what I mean? You can just tell they're thinking, "What is SHE doing?!" I wanted to get rid of that bag and get on to work as quickly as possible. I had to wait in line (awkwardly adjusting my pee gas cans because one arm would get worn out, so I'd switch the weight to another arm), and then was told to sign my name on a clipboard and wait. I tried to act nonchalant as I walked to my seat and gracefully placed my biohazard bag at my feet...praying that it wouldn't spill.Twenty minutes later, my name was called and I was escorted back to the lab. I gave the urine sample to the nurse (who was very impressed with the gas can, by the way), and then was told that I needed to have blood drawn. She took my blood, all the while telling me about her abusive relationship with her former boyfriend who is the father of her four year old daughter. And then I was released to go ahead and go to work. All in all, an interesting visit.My follow-up appointment was at 1:30 that afternoon, and the entire thing seriously lasted maybe fifteen minutes. The nurse weighed me (down one pound from before, which means the rapid weight gain is due to swelling), took my blood pressure (which was the same as it was at our last appointment, a little high for me, but not alarmingly so), asked about my headache (gone and none since then), and checked out the swelling (still a lot). When I met with the doctor, she told me that the urine test came back just fine! Apparently the blood they took was in case I did have preeclampsia, to check on my liver and something else. She said those were fine, too. Yay! I just about fell off the table, I was so excited!She listened to his heartbeat and measured my uterus, and told me that everything looked great. Perhaps my favorite part of the appointment was when she told me that she felt like we could wait two weeks before coming in again! I double checked with her, reminding her about the contractions - but she answered that as long as bed rest is working, she didn't feel that I needed to be seen every week for now. With our weekly appointments, plus the hospital trips, plus the extra trips for testing, it feels like we spend at least two days out of the week going to the OB or the hospital. I have to be very selective right now about how much I can do in a day, and especially about how much I can be out. As silly as it sounds, the appointments actually take a bit out of me, and on days when we have to go in, I have to pretty much resign myself to doing nothing else the rest of the day. So to not have to go in next week is AWESOME! Not to mention that it looks like things have calmed down enough for the doctor to feel comfortable not needing to see us in a week. I mentioned on Tuesday that I had an interview with a potential doula that afternoon. In case you're wondering what the heck a doula is, allow Wikipedia to explain it to you:"Labor/birth support doulas are labor support persons who attend to the emotional and physical comfort needs of laboring women to smooth the labor process. They do not perform clinical tasks such as heart rate checks, or vaginal exams but rather use massage, aromatherapy, reflexology, positioning suggestions, etc., to help labor progress as well as possible. A labor/birth support doula joins a laboring woman either at her home or in hospital or birth center and remains with her until a few hours after the birth. Some doulas also offer several prenatal visits, phone support, and one postpartum meeting to ensure the mother is well informed and supported. The terms of a labor/birth doula's responsibilities are decided between the doula and the family. In addition to emotional, physical and informational support, doulas work as advocates of their client’s wishes and may assist in communicating with medical staff to obtain information for the client to make informed decisions regarding medical procedures. The doula is an ally and occasional mentor for the father or partner. Their respective roles are similar, but the differences are crucial. The father or partner typically has little actual experience in dealing with the often-subtle forces of the labor process, and may receive enormous benefit from the birth-familiar presence of a doula in the vicinity. Even more important, many fathers experience the birth as an emotional journey of their own and find it hard to be objective in such a situation, and a doula facilitates the family process. Studies have shown that fathers usually participate more actively during labor with the presence of a doula than without one.[citation needed] A responsible doula supports and encourages the father in his support style rather than replaces him."Basically, I realized that I could do all the research in the world about childbirth, and I would still be scared out of my mind. I also realized that Shawn has obviously never been a part of a childbirth, so he would probably also be likewise scared. I started thinking that it might be kind of nice to have someone available to help us through the process who would be impartial, supportive, and knowledgable about the process. Enter Rhonda. Rhonda is actually the same lady who worked at the hospital the second time we went in for contractions (she got coffee for Shawn and told the nurses to make sure they took good care of me). She has two sons (Luke and Caleb) in our Student Ministry, is a nurse, and is working through her doula training. I wasn't quite sure what to expect in the interview process, but I came away from it VERY excited about her! She has a very sweet demeanor that isn't overbearing in the least. She was completely supportive of my thoughts on pain managment (I want to try to give birth naturally but am not opposed to an epidural) and my strong desire to breastfeed. I was impressed with her knowledge of labor positions and breathing techniques, too! Perhaps most helpful is that she is currently a nurse at the hospital and has seen TONS of births at our particular hospital. She knows the doctors, and she is very, very well acquainted with the procedures. She was able to walk me through what typically happens right after the baby is born (the testing, delivering of the placenta, how long I can hold him, when he's taken to the nursery, etc.), and what might happen if he's born prematurely. I told Rhonda that I was basically looking for someone who knew what was going on and could help me through it. I know I'll be scared, and it'll be nice to have someone there to ask, "Is this normal?" and to be assured that the answer is an educated one. I was also looking for someone to help Shawn know what to do. I have a feeling he'll have a difficult time seeing me in pain and won't quite know what to do. Helping him figure out how to support me will be Rhonda's job. I was just very encouraged by my meeting with her and feel very confident and reassured that she'll be attending our birth. So Yay for Rhonda!!

9/21/08

33 Weeks!...I seriously celebrate each week longer that Little Maurer gets to develop, so hats off to one more week down! "For all the weight and bulk you’re lugging around these days, you’d think your little champ should weigh much more than a mere 5 lbs and measly 17 inches in height, but nope, that’s about the average size for a baby in its thirty-third week. In terms of appearances, they’re getting cuter and pudgier every minute as they pile on the baby fat for those adorable little wrist rolls and chubby toes. And as we’re sure you’ve already noticed they’re getting stronger with every passing day. Nowadays, it’s possible to observe a well-placed kick just by watching your belly—but you already knew that didn’t you? Although they’re getting stronger, your bigger-by-the-day baby is losing space to move around, so the actual rate of movement will drop off in the last few weeks, despite that powerful drop-kick they’ve been working on. Hey, did you know you’ll continue feeling their movements even during labor?And how's mom doing? Here’s a good way to deal with your mounting impatience: map out your plan of action for the big day. It’s an important and necessary step that’s also pretty soothing and fun. So, get out a piece of paper and pen. If you think about it, planning all the details now can be a real saving grace once And how's mom doing? Here’s a good way to deal with your mounting impatience: map out your plan of action for the big day. It’s an important and necessary step that’s also pretty soothing and fun. So, get out a piece of paper and pen. If you think about it, planning all the details now can be a real saving grace once Massaging the perineum (the area around the vagina) can reduce your chance of it tearing during delivery the chaos and pain of labor starts up. This would include having a packed bag with a change of comfortable clothes, reading material, maybe an i-pod and your camera or camcorder (whichever you decide, if any at all). Know your driving route to the health center. Be on your toes (not literally, just mentally) as it's now totally conceivable you might have to spring into action any day! Then again, it might still be another seven weeks."

9/23/08

at least it wasn't the hospital this time...Yes, unfortunately, we've had some more drama. I went to Sunday School and church on Sunday morning and was feeling pretty good. I had some light contractions during worship, so I sat down for the rest of the service and wasn't too concerned about it. During lunch, the contractions started getting much stronger and more painful, though I wasn't able to time them. I was a little worried, but went straight home afterwards and took a short nap. By the time I woke up, much to my relief, they had stopped completely! I knew I still needed to be careful, so I stayed on the couch and just did computer work/watched TV for awhile. By the time Shawn got home from Sunday night church, I'd started having them again...I think they were about every 15 minutes and progressed to every 10 minutes by the time we went to bed. I think Shawn and I both had a hard time falling asleep because we were afraid we'd just have to head into the hospital in a couple of hours. I, on the other hand, was hoping that getting to sleep would cause them to stop - which has happened before. Thankfully, I didn't wake up a lot during the night, and I can't really say for sure if I was having contractions or not. I did wake up a few minutes before our alarm went off with one that hurt really badly, so I laid in bed for about forty-five minutes to time them. They were coming about ever 7 to 10 minutes. I wanted to let Shawn sleep as much as possible (Mondays are his only days off and his only day to get caught up on sleep), so I got a shower, got dressed, called our OB, called into work, took the dog out, etc., and then woke him up and told him that we had an appointment for 9:00 to go in and get checked out. I'm so grateful that we were able to hold off and not have to go to the hospital in the middle of the night again. It was cheaper and quicker to go into the OB, and I so appreciate that it wasn't in the middle of the night! So into the OB we went. They listened to the heartbeat, which was nice and strong. They did the fetal fibronectin test again, and checked my cervix. After a few more minutes, they told us that we would get a call about the test after lunch, to get rest, and to keep monitoring the contractions. By the time we got home, the contractions had slowed significantly, which is great. They did call us to tell us that the fetal fibronectin test was positive. The nurse said that it didn't really tell them much, just that there's a chance that I'll be going into labor in the next couple of weeks. I feel like we keep hearing, "we would've liked to have seen a negative..." which is frustrating. I'D like to have seen a negative, too, but that's obviously not what we're seeing. We've gotten two positives on this test since I started having contractions, and I'd really love to get some answers on what the heck that means. So, like anyone who wants to find out the solid, reliable, scientific information about something....I checked Wikipedia. :) Here is what I read (and after checking a few other sites, it is accurate):"Fetal fibronectinFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaFetal fibronectin (fFN) is a protein produced by fetal cells and a type of fibronectin. fFN is found at the interface of the chorion and the decidua (between the fetal sack and the uterine lining).It can be thought of as an adhesive or "biological glue" that binds the fetal sack to the uterine lining.Diagnosic testFetal fibronectin "leaks" into the vagina if a preterm delivery is likely to occur and can be measured in a diagnostic test.[1]It is an excellent biological marker of premature (preterm) delivery; a delivery before 37 weeks of gestation.When the fFN test is considered positive, delivery is likely to occur soon. When the fFN test is negative, it means that there is little if any danger of preterm labour for 7-10 days. The test is easily performed. A specimen is collected from the patient using a vaginal swab. The swab is placed in a transport tube and sent to the lab for testing. The lab can easily produce a test result in less than one hour.A systematic review of the medical literature found that fetal fibronectin is a good predictor of spontaneous preterm birth before cervical dilation.[2] The test may be run on patients between 22 and 35 weeks gestation.A negative fetal fibronectin test gives a more than 95% likelihood of remaining undelivered for the next 2 weeks. On the other hand, a positive fetal fibronectin test indicates a higher risk of preterm delivery (61% of delivery before 34 weeks)[3]."So there you have it. Because I know the test has a lot of false positives, and because I know that even with a true positive, it's only a 61% chance of early labor, I probably wouldn't be worrying too much about the results of this test if this weren't the second time we got a positive. We're praying that he'll stay in there until God's perfect timing - whether that's tomorrow or 42 weeks. I keep reminding myself that last time we got a positive on this test, I was 29 weeks along, and he's managed to stay in there for another four weeks after that. This certainly isn't a mandate that we'll have a pre-term baby, it just helps us know how to prepare, I suppose. We scheduled a follow-up appointment for Thursday afternoon. I'm interested to hear what the next steps will be...if our doctors will tell us just to wait and see what happens, give me steroids so Baby Maurer's lungs can develop, or put me on medicine to try and stop contractions...Because of all the craziness we went through at 29 weeks, we have a good portion of "baby stuff" done and ready, which is a huge blessing. We still have some small things we want to do in the nursery, we still need to install the car seat, there are a couple of things I wanted to make, and we'd have to grab some diapers and wipes, but I think all in all...we're much more prepared to have an early delivery than we would've been. I think having so much of those things taken care of helps me to feel more calm about the possibilities of him being a preemie. I also have to admit that I'm drawn to pictures and stories of premature babies. It's amazing to me to see babies born so early who do so well, even babies born at 29 or 30 weeks. So while I'm overwhelmed and a little bit scared, I do feel much more prepared and hopeful that everything would turn out okay.

9/25/08

a week and a half...
I just got back from our appointment this afternoon, and everything went well. We had our favorite doctor (Dr. Ponder) who has a kind of relaxed nature about him that seems to calm both Shawn and I. Dr. Ponder asked about how I was doing, and said that because of the positive fetal fibronectin test they would be keeping a close eye on me. He mentioned a couple of times that I needed to be resting most of the time and needed to have a low threshold for coming into the office if something seems strange. He checked my cervix - still very high, though dialating slightly. I don't think it was enough to even assign a number to, though. The baby's heartbeat was strong as can be and my fundal height is measuring right on target.
Dr. Ponder also said that he was encouraged that Baby Maurer has stayed in so far. He told us that we are very close to the time of safety, basically. If I were to go into labor at 35 weeks or later, they probably wouldn't stop the contractions, and would treat the delivery as if it were full-term. Hooray for that! I'm only a week and three days away from being 35 weeks, which is SO exciting to me!
We set our next appointment for Thursday and will be seen every week from here on out. I guess that window of getting to go in every two weeks was short-lived, huh? :)

9/28/08

week 34...
We've made it to Week 34...YAY! The last time we were in the hospital, we heard over and over, "We just want to keep him in there until he's 34 weeks. There's a big difference between a 32 week-er and a 34 week-er." Occasionally when I'm feeling particularly scared or worried about the possibility of having a preemie, I google pictures of premature babies, look through those and read those stories. You might think that would make me even MORE scared, but it actually serves the opposite purpose. It's so encouraging to me to see that babies born prematurely have such great chances of survival and almost always turn out to be healthy, happy toddlers. From looking through those pictures, though, I can tell you that it's crazy how big of a difference there is between a 32 week baby and a 34 week baby. It seems like the typical NICU/hospital stay for a 32 week baby is around 45 days, where the typical stay for a 34 week baby is around 14 days. Every day in the womb really does make such a huge difference.
So anyway, getting to 34 weeks is a very big deal to me! I'm still shooting for 36 or maybe even 37 weeks, but getting to 34 weeks is a HUGE relief!
I'm still doing my best to stay off my feet, and I now have a new gauge for when I've been active for too long...my ankles and feet and the lower part of my calves about triple in size. It seriously blows my mind how fat my feet get! It's obviously worse if I eat something high in sodium (the ankle fat roll made a comeback shortly after I had some Raman soup), even though I do my best to chug water. At this point, it's more funny than bothersome to me. It probably does make me slightly more uncomfortable and feel a little more whale-ish, but it's hard to not laugh at my puffer feet.
The weather here in NC has cooled off considerably in the past week, which has been a welcome relief for me! When I hit the last trimester, my body seemed to warm up ten degrees or so, and the summer heat took its toll on me. In contrast, the cool and rainy weather we've been having here lately has been wonderful!
Oh, and I made the nursing cover last night! There are a couple of spots that I would like the stitching to be a little more straight, but overall, I'm really pleased with how it turned out. It looks like the actual product, so it works for me! I even sewed a pocket at the bottom to put a burp cloth, snacks, or whatever else I might need.
Baby Maurer is still moving and shaking that rump of his. Sometimes I forget that it's a real baby in there....it's easy to look past that fact until they're born, I think. But then I put my hand on his butt or his back when he's moving, and I'm astonished that I can actually feel how big he is, I can picture how he's moving, and I can see how he's positioned in my womb. I love it and am really looking forward to meeting him and being able to hold and cuddle him!
So, since I'm at 34 weeks, here's what's going on with him this week:
"Your amazing baby is on the move! They’ve been riding fairly high in your stretched-out womb till now (while kindly compressing your poor internal organs), but now they’re planning on making the big move to your pelvis this week. If you haven’t noticed it already, you’ll be feeling the weight shift that signals that your baby is most likely out of breech position, with their head now resting on your pubic bone. In liver news: although not quite fully formed, your little miracle’s liver is now capable of processing a certain amount of waste. In general, most of your child’s prenatal physical development is pretty much up to snuff and ready for the outside world. Naturally, further weight gain is expected—so you’re still not at maximum capacity despite probably feeling like you definitely are maxed out.
And how's mom doing? Obviously the big change for you is the notable weight shift (known as “lightening” or “engagement”). Now that your baby is resting deeper in your pelvis, you may find yourself walking as if you're carrying a watermelon between your legs. Yes dear, you’re officially “waddling” these days. Try to comfort yourself with this thought: it’s nearly over. Soon, you’ll just have to carry your adorable little watermelon in your arms. And in a rare spate of good news: this weight shift means you can breathe easier now that your lungs aren’t compressed. The not-so-good news, it’s a trade off: (we’ll wait till you’re back from the restroom) this new position has your poor bladder even more squished than before. We’d recommend writing your bladder little love poems to convince it not to leave you altogether, but unfortunately bladders don’t speak English (only Italian love poems will do).
At your next check up you can expect your physician to conduct a Group B Streptococci test (GBS), a common bacteria screening. As long as you have a strong immune system, you’re in the clear (one more reason to eat right and exercise!), but your little one is more susceptible to serious health complications (including meningitis, pneumonia and blood infection) if not diagnosed and treated properly—so the tests are good for some peace of mind. Hang in there momma, you’re already a super-star for making it this far!"