Almost At The Big 3-0 & Family Update!

Well here we are.....only ONE day away from 30 weeks! Tomorrow! I can't believe how fast time is going with this pregnancy. We still have NOTHING ready or done yet for this baby! But we are okay with this because we are not going to be doing the baby's room until after it comes home anyways. Baby will be sleeping in with us for the first while so we will have lots of time to do things the way we want. It is tough when you don't know if you are having a boy or a girl because we don't want to do the room "neutral". If we have a boy, it will be a boys room and if we have a girl, it will be a girls room.

My 29 week appointment went okay with the doctor last week. Again, she wasn't wanting to check my cervix as it is best to leave well enough alone. I did have an ultrasound to do a measurement of baby as the week prior, I was measuring larger than the 28 weeks that I was. Turns out this baby is HUGE. At only 29 weeks, this baby was measured at an approximate 4.4lbs! I of course thought right away about delivery. I am nervous enough as it is, and knowing that this baby is going to be VERY large makes me even more nervous. She will be doing another measurement in a few weeks and if it is still measuring in the 95th percentile then we will talk more about a possible c section. (For those that don't know, a baby at 29 weeks should average about 2.5lbs).

I also had my registration same day and things are all set up there and ready to go. It was kind of odd to register for a delivery because we never had the chance for that with A. My support during delivery of this little miracle will of course be my hubby and my mom. IF my mom happens to be up North, then it will be Auntie A. Needless to say, Auntie A said she had to figure out a way to keep grandma up North so she can be there for the birth of her new niece or nephew! hahaha I wish the rules weren't so strict about who can be in the room and such, but rules are rules.

I continue to deal with contractions that started a week ago. They were pretty random when they started a week ago, but over the course of the week have become much more frequent. Some days they seem like they are just constantly happening.

I had to head to Mac again for cardiology last Tuesday and actually ended up in labor and delivery after seeing the cardiologist. I had Andrea with me and if it wasn't for her, I honestly don't know if I would have gone in. I feel like I am being crazy and just worrying too much. When I told the nurse that she told me that I shouldn't think that at all. She said she thought I was very brave after my history. Amazing sometimes how we can be thinking one thing and others around us are totally not even thinking on the same page.

I was hooked up for about 45 minutes and then my doctor (thankfully she was on) came in to see me. She ended up doing a manual exam to check my cerclage and said that I had about 1cm left of cervix and stitch was holding. She said to go for lunch and if they continued or got more frequent to come back. So Andrea and I went and had a nice lunch and then headed home.

Cardiology was happy that my EKG showed that my heart rhythm was back to normal (it was abnormal the first time) and doubled the medication that I am on. My heart rate was still about 100 so she does want to see it a bit lower. I am still dealing with the shortness of breath, but I am happy to know that it at least is not because of my heart!

On Wednesday I had A LOT of contractions and started to wonder if maybe I had a UTI. I was able to go into my family doctors office here on Thursday (of course he was away on vacation so I had to see someone else), but I am really glad that I went. Turns out the dip test didn't show anything that made her think that I had a UTI, but was going to send it away for a culture. However she thought I was diabetic. When I told her no she was shocked. The glucose in my urine was VERY high. So this morning I headed in for blood work after fasting and we will see if it shows anything. This is just so frustrating for me. I had my gestational diabetes test around week 26 and it was fine. The doctor was surprised that when baby was measuring in at 4.4lbs that they didn't sent me for fasting again, as diabetes is something that can develop any time during the pregnancy.

In little man land.....he is officially done school! He absolutely had the BEST time and I am so proud of him for doing so well. I really didn't think that he would like school and boy did he prove me wrong! If he could go everyday (including weekends) he would! It got to the point that in the mornings he would be very angry because he wanted to go THEN and not have to wait for the bus to come and get him.

He had an amazing teacher who went above and beyond her duty as his teacher. She made sure that she included him in any way that was possible. His first year of school could honestly not have been ANY better in the way of people that were involved in his care/teaching. (I hope they wouldn't mind me posting these pics....they are AWESOME pictures!!!!!!!!!!!)

His EA was also amazing with him and after all of my anxiety about who his EA would be, I am happy that he ended up with the one he did. When we would talk about his teacher and EA here at home he would light up. He definitely knew who I was talking about!

Sadly I am going to have to find a new school for my little man for next year. I will not go into details as to WHY this has to happen, but there is just no way that he can continue to go there in September. I will say though, that this has NOTHING to do with the school in ANY WAY. It is an amazing school and the BEST place for him but for the best interest of our family it will not and cannot happen. I am VERY VERY emotional about this and have cried many tears. I wish there was some way to make it work but at this point I see no resolution to the problem without moving him to another school in our city.

The other part that totally sucks about this, is that I called the special needs coordinator that I dealt with last year to get things organized for him to go to school and she is not back until September 6th which is the day that he is to start school. So it looks like once again he will not be able to start his school year on time along with all the other kids. And with his medical issues it always takes much longer than the typical registration and getting the school sorted out and ready for him.

My other issue, is that the school that he goes to was willing to let him go every day next year even though he would be staying back in SK. (The school is still not on the everyday/all day kindergarten.) This meant that he would be in two different classes, but we know he would love it anyways. So now I will have to find a school that has all day/everyday class as I am sure that him being in two classes is not going to be an option.

SOOOOOOOOOO frustrated and definitely NOT what I want/need to be dealing with at this time!

Besides school, he is going to have a very busy summer. He will be involved in four different camps over the next two months. They are each one week camps and his friend Missy will be going with him. With how much he loved school I knew that there was NO way that he was going to want to just sit around home all summer and relax. And of course, thinking ahead I wanted to be sure he was going to have fun if I was in hospital at all with this pregnancy. But thankfully that has NOT happened!

On July 1st we headed to Cambridge to be a part of the Canada Day Parade. I had NO idea that this even went on every year and it was a lot of fun! We were part of the float/walk for organ and tissue donation. A had a sign on his wheelchair that was made to support his favorite Auntie A. It was really awesome to see people in the crowds clapping and whistling for our float. The support is incredible! A's sign was also a big hit. I heard MANY people reading it out loud. A walked with his favorite friend in the parade and he LOVED it.

A with his Auntie A

Is this not awesome?!?!

After the parade was over there were a bunch of booths set up and some carnival rides. A went on this firetruck with his friend "M" and LOVED LOVED LOVED it. It went really high up and around in circles. First forwards and then backwards. Mommy stayed on the ground and took pictures and a video!

28 Weeks, Skydiving & Fun!

I am officially in the third trimester!!!!!!!!!!! I never in a million years would have thought I would end up this far but thank God that I have! I saw my doctor yesterday but not much to report on. She did not want to check me internally as I have been having a lot of issues with cervix pain so she wanted to leave well enough alone. I was okay with that as I don't want to risk anything right now. My blood pressure was good but my heart rate continues to stay up higher than it should be. I do see cardiology next week so they will more than likely increase the dose of medication that I am on. I continue to have the breathing issues at times and I sure hope that this medication starts working soon!

Baby is moving a ton more. To be honest I love the movements but at times it freaks me out. It is the weirdest thing ever to see the baby moving beneath your skin and I think it is going to take me a while to get used to.

What is going on with baby at 28 weeks?

At 28 weeks pregnant, your baby measures roughly 14.8 inches from head to heel. He or she weighs in at 2.2 pounds. (Keep in mind that your individual baby's size and weight may be different than this average.)

Up until 28 weeks pregnant, your baby's brain has been smooth. This week, the brain is starting to mature and form the grooves that we normally associate with a human brain.

Your baby's hair is growing longer on his or her head, but don't expect to see a full head of hair when he or she is born. Some newborns are completely bald, and others are born with lovely locks that will fall out and even change color after delivery. Your baby's eyelashes and eyebrows are also getting thicker and they're lengthening.

The level of amniotic fluid in your womb will be reaching its maximum amount between 28 and 32 weeks of pregnancy. After 32 weeks, this amount will remain constant until your baby is full term (37 weeks), when it will begin to decrease.

This week, most babies will turn into the head-down position. However, some infants remain breech (with their bottom or feet down, head up). It may take a few extra weeks for these babies to settle into their actual labor position.

At 28 weeks pregnant, your little bundle of joy continues practicing his or her breathing movements. Up until this stage in fetal development, your little one's breathing movements have occurred randomly, but this week, they're beginning to reflect his or her sleep and wake cycle.

Your developing baby's yawning patterns are getting more regular at 28 weeks pregnant. Earlier in pregnancy, his or her yawns only occurred occasionally. This week, fetal yawns will take place in succession one yawn, followed by another in a repetitive pattern.

This past weekend we had a great family weekend! We headed up Friday night to Aunty A's family cottage to spend the weekend camping in our trailer. Saturday was a great event called "I Skydive So Others Can Stay Alive" at the Niagara Skydive Center. It was a fundraiser to raise money for Toronto General Hospital, specifically for transplant and mechanical heart research.

There were five skydivers including Aunty A's mom, a double lung/heart recipient and her daughter and then a mother and son team whose husband/father is waiting for a double lung transplant.

We had campfires on Friday and Saturday night, which A enjoyed. Especially when Aunty A was singing him campfire songs :)

As you can tell it was a beautiful perfect weekend!!!!! Hopefully we will get to spend some more weekends up at the cottage with everyone!!!

27 Weeks Yesterday and a Family Update.....

So, here I am only 6 days away from the third trimester...I can hardly believe it! This baby has been SO active the past few days and the kicks/movements are getting stronger. I am loving every second of it!

I saw my doctor on Monday, as usual after my ultrasound and on a bad note, I am now dilated to the stitch. However on the good note, I have the stitch! Right now all that is keeping this baby inside is this amazing stitch that was placed at 12 weeks 2 days. I do have about 1cm of cervix left BELOW the stitch and so far the stitch is still closed tightly. I will not be having anymore trans vaginal ultrasounds (TVUs), but instead will be checked manually by the doctor as there is no point in doing the TVU with no cervix left.

The great thing is, is that I am still home. I am 100% okay with this though as I feel great and I think with having surpassed the 24 week mark by many weeks, my comfort level has just skyrocketed.

As for the two other tests I had done recently, one came back good and one not so good. My three hour gestational diabetes test came back fine which was great....I didn't want to deal with that during the pregnancy at all. As for my EKG that I had two weeks ago, it did come back abnormal. So my doctor had talked to cardiology and they sent me down to have another repeat EKG as well as an echo. To say I was scared is an understatement.

I do not know the exact name of the issue, but it seems that I have an abnormal rhythm of my heart. The cardiologist said that my pacemaker for my heart is not in the usual spot. However, their main concern right now is the shortness of breath that I have been having now for probably the past 6-8 weeks and my heart rate which is higher than it should be. My resting heart rate was 115. So the cardiologist wants me on a medication that will lower my heart rate, but I admit I have not yet started them as I am a bit worried as it will also lower my blood pressure which is already low to begin with. I placed a call yesterday to the nurse practitioner that I saw just so I can ask her about my concern before starting it. Yep, I am a worry wart, but I would rather feel at ease taking the med. Hopefully she will call me back today.

So what is going on with our sweet baby at 27 weeks????

Well, baby weighs about 2 pounds and is about 14 1/2 inches long with her legs extended. She's sleeping and waking at regular intervals, opening and closing her eyes, and perhaps even sucking her fingers. With more brain tissue developing, your baby's brain is very active now. While her lungs are still immature, they would be capable of functioning — with a lot of medical help — if she were to be born now. Chalk up any tiny rhythmic movements you may be feeling to a case of baby hiccups, which may be common from now on. Each episode usually lasts only a few moments, and they don't bother her, so just relax and enjoy the tickle.

Your baby's reproductive organs are in their proper locations by 27 weeks pregnant. If you're pregnant with a little girl, she is getting ready to be a future mama. Her ovaries now have all the egg-producing follicles that they'll ever make in her life. If you're pregnant with a boy, his testicles have descended into the scrotum. However, for some boy babies, their testes will remain in their pelvic cavity until birth.

And what is going on with our little man?

Well, he is coming to the end of his school year. Just two more weeks and then off for the summer. However I have planned for him to go to four different camps this summer so I am sure he will be happy about that. They are one week each and all have different themes. I figured since he loves school so much that there was no way that he would be able to just hang out here at home for the whole summer. He will have a private contract worker going with him, and I think she is pretty excited too. She has been working with A now for just over a year and she is amazing with him.

We had his birthday party on Sunday.......

A new thing that our little man has started with is a temper. He gets VERY mad and screams. If he is sitting in his wheelchair he also tries to pull on the sides as he screams. My guess is that he has learned this at school as there is a little boy in his class who gets into trouble quite a bit. But who knows, he is also growing as a young boy and I am sure every child goes through stages like this....

He will stop when I tell him that it is enough and that mommy doesn't like it, but it doesn't usually last long. He is using this as well now when he is frustrated and when he wants something specific. The thing is though it is hard to get mad at him because this is also his only way of expressing his feelings. He can't talk and tell us what is wrong or what he wants, so he does this. Some days are definitely worse than others, but we will just continue to tell him that it isn't nice to scream and that we don't like to hear it. The new baby is definitely going to recognize his big brothers voice! hahaha

Happy Birthday!

Wow, I can't believe that it has been six years since I gave birth to my little man!!!!

The past six years have definitely been a ride to say the least. From the beginning of not knowing what to expect, of not knowing whether he would survive through to TODAY, and the amazing child he is!

Our little man has taught us so much in life. Never did we know that six years ago today that our lives would completely change, never to be the same. Never to be what we thought it would be or even dreamed it would be. Would we change it though? NO WAY! We are the parents that we are today because of the child that A is.

Little man is at school today for his birthday, but I know he will have a blast. I wish I could be there to see his face when they sing Happy Birthday to him...he will love it!!!!

All the way from this...........

To this.............

He is amazing eh?!

Happy birthday sweet boy. Mommy and daddy love you more than words could EVER say! We can't wait to watch you continue to grow up and soon be the amazing big brother we know that you will be!!

26 Weeks and STILL Home!!!

Yep, its true. I am home again! Third time in a row....didn't think I would make it back this many times to be honest. And after my appointment yesterday I am surprised that he LET me come home. Hubby was able to come with me, and its nice to have him there once in a while to be there for me and talk to the doctor as well. I had my ultrasound as usual and this one was taking a bit longer than normal. Since I have had about 14 of them I was getting a bit concerned on why she was taking so long to take the measurement of my cervix. Then she said to me "wow, its a good thing that you have a stitch in there." Immediately I started to worry. Why was she saying this? What WAS the measurement? (Of course she wouldn't tell me this).....UGH it was not a fun time for me. And knowing I would have to wait to see doctor for a good while made it even worse.

So off we go to sit upstairs and wait on the doctor. It was actually probably the quickest I have ever gotten in, which was nice for a change! So anyways, my cervix has gone down yet again. I am down to 1.3mm of cervix left. At this gestation, most women (who are in the 90th percentile) have 5.2mm of cervix. Women in the low end (which would be the 10th percentile) have on average 3.6mm. I have 1.1mm less than what a woman in the 10th percentile in the 40th week has.

SOOOOOOOOOO......................

What does this mean exactly?

Well for one, it is very obvious that I have TRUE incompetent cervix.

Two, if I didn't have a stitch in there right now, this baby would already be here...and probably WAY too soon to even have the chance to survive.

Three, I am so thankful for this cerclage!!!!!!!!

Four, each day that we get to STAY pregnant is a HUGE blessing. Making it to 26 weeks today is absolutely amazing and incredible to me!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The doctor said that we have somehow made it to where we have...bought lots of time, so now he hopes that I can buy at least three more weeks. A baby born at 29 weeks has a 95 percent survival rate and a 95% chance of being healthy.

Of course we hope that we go past the three weeks, but, like I said earlier, every day is a blessing to us. When you have never ever had a full term baby and have only lived the life of the NICU with a 24 weeker and the life of a premature loss, this is the way you think. I realize that it is hard for others to think this way, but again, unless you have been there, you have NO idea.

Hubby and I would LOVE LOVE LOVE to have a baby at term and come home the next day, but in reality this is probably not going to happen. We know this. We have known this from the beginning. We knew this before we even got pregnant. We are feeling very lucky and blessed to get this far. Our reality is probably going to include the NICU, and we accept that. This is all that matters. That WE as the parents accept it and will take it on.

25 Weeks and Home Again!

So, I am pleased to say that I am home AGAIN this week! YAY! The change to my cervix was minimal for the second week in a row so the doctor is good with me coming home. I have to admit that every week that passes I get more and more nervous about all of it because of the 45 minute drive that I will have to make WHEN I need to, but I am thrilled to be here with my boys!

I had another ultrasound to check growth of baby again and baby is measuring in at roughly 1 pound 12 ounces which is the 75th percentile. So exciting! My mom was with me and the ultrasound tech was really good and showed us baby moving around. It had its one hand up by its face and was yawning.

I have been having a lot of issues lately with my breathing, which I had mentioned at the last appointment. It is not a constant thing but at least twice a day I have a really hard time breathing and feel like I am not getting enough air. There are times that it is so bad that I cannot even go to sleep at night because I am having to concentrate so hard. So I went for some blood work yesterday after the appointment for a complete blood count, thyroid check and also had an electrocardiogram. If blood work looks fine, then they will look into a few more tests to do next week.

And the most exciting thing today........I am officially ONE week past my milestone......25 weeks today!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hubby and I have been talking about how we want to do the room for baby. We are both super excited to be doing "normal" things that we never got to experience before. A's room wasn't done until 9 months AFTER he was born. We are working on clearing out the room this week :)

 

24 Weeks Yesterday and Uncharted Territory Today!!!!!!!!

So yesterday I reached my milestone of 24 weeks!!!!!!!!! It was a nerve racking day as I was seeing my doctor and had my bags all packed and with me as he told me to bring them this time. My cervix has changed every single week and I am happy to say that this is the FIRST time in TEN weeks that there was next to NO change!

The ultrasound tech that I had was GREAT and even went and got Aunty A so she could see the baby. She tried to show us the face but he/she was pushing into the uterine wall. We got to see the little arms, hands, the legs bent up towards his/her chest and the tiny feet. Heart rate was 156. It was INCREDIBLE to see that new life growing inside of me. I just can't wait until the day that I get to see and hold this baby!!!

So what did all this mean??? I am HOME! Yep, because there was next to no change he was okay with sending me home.

I was a bit thrown off at first as I was really expecting to stay, but I told him my fears and thoughts and he told me that anyone who doesn't GET IT is more than welcome to come with me and have a chat with him.

Before I left, I did get my first dose of celestone (steroid) for baby and will be going today to get my second dose. Then I can take another deep breath knowing that baby has the full dose of steroids on board *should* anything happen. However with how great I feel, lets hope not! My next goal is 28 weeks and I am so flippin excited!

I will have another ultrasound on Monday to check size of baby, another cervical measurement and then see doctor again. At least now, if I am admitted I am pretty much prepared.

I will also be doing a gestational diabetes test next week along with a CBC count. I have had issues with breathing the past few weeks off and on so they want to check things out.

So I am home, but I am not doing anything. It is tough, realllllllllly tough for me to sit back and have everyone help around me but I have no choice. The hardest is not doing A's care as I usually do. Its going to take hubby a while to get into the groove of things since he is so used to me doing everything, but he did well last night. He made A's food for the first time which is super exciting for me. It is always nice to have helping hands with things around here. It did take him just over an hour to make the batch, but I told him that over time he will become quicker at it....takes time!

Exciting for me today is the fact that we are officially past my milestone of 24 weeks!! Into uncharted territory now :) Every day that passes I get more and more excited to meet this little one.