Last OB Appointment

Was uneventful. Doc said Angie was dilated to 1 cm, but that her cervix was thick and unfavorable for delivery (I think I am getting all the lingo right). So... even though Angie feels like there is a chance she will go into labor sooner (wishful thinking), my money is on our (her) admission next Wednesday night when they will give her some kind of gel to thin her cervix. If that doesn't do the trick, they will give her pit.ocin on Thursday to induce labor.

Trevor leaves tomorrow for his last pre-delivery trip. And while my bags are not packed, exactly, I have washed at least a weeks worth of newborn clothes as well as the cover for the co-sleeper. I treated Angie to a pedicure today, so her feet will look nice in the delivery video (which she thinks I will want; I am still not sure).

Next time I post I very well may be in the hospital "in labor" as Angie has made it very clear to me that once she is admitted, I am admitted and cannot leave unless it is for a food run, for HER. Fair enough. I think I may owe her one after all of this, huh.

Still Plugging, um, Pumping Along

Thank you mom and Little Einsteins. Without you both, I don't think this induction thing would work out. Trevor has been flying a lot recently, and Fletcher doesn't exactly entertain himself well (in large part due to my actions, I know), so I was getting a little nervous about how I was going to adhere to my pumping schedule. Thankfully, because my mom lives four miles away and will keep me company and entertain Fletcher the millions of times a day I need to pump, I have actually been semi-compliant with the prescribed routine and have been producing about 1/2 an ounce at each session. And, for the times when we are at home, Fletcher's new found interest in Little Einsteins has proved to be very, very helpful.

Thanks for your suggestions on the outfit. Pink is the clear winner, but I think I will take both pink and white to the hospital and see which one looks better. My mind has been racing lately with horror stories of bad births and last minute complications, so it has been good to think about inconsequential things, like wardrobe.

I will probably post one last time after Angie's appointment tomorrow and after that, check back on the 11th or 12th for the big birth announcement!

Belated Mother's Day Giveaway

I had a little, well, free time in China and one way I spent it was surfing baby-product websites for all those must-haves for SB and Fletcher. Those essential items that no baby can live without, you know, like this (yes, I am being sarcastic, however, Fletcher does really like the one I bought).

I found this really cool site that just happens to be hosting a Mother's Day Giveaway this whole month. Click on the icon below, check it out, and enter to win. Or don't, so I will have better odds.

We Have a Date

Unless Angie goes into labor earlier, which seems unlikely at this point given her past birthing history and the fact there is "not much happening" with her cervix, SB will arrive on June 11th. The OB gave us the choice of induction on June 8th or June 11th. Angie didn't care one way or the other, so I chose June 11th for a couple of reasons. First, did you read my post below about being completely unprepared? Well, a couple more days could make a big difference on the preparedness front, not only for cleaning, shopping and organizing, but it also gives me a couple more days to pump to help bring in my milk supply (more on that later, so if the topic makes you squeamish, you are forewarned). It also gives Trevor a chance to pick up one last trip to offset the FMLA days he will take after the baby is born.

But the main reason I chose June 11th is because it is (was?) my grandmother's birthday. I was very close to my grandma (my mom's mom) who passed away when I was pregnant with Fletcher. She was in the hospital when I had my first ultrasound to confirm a viable pregnancy and I went straight to her hospital room after the appointment to show her the blobby pictures. I will never forget that day. I think her excitement was second only to mine, and not by much. So, it will make me very happy if SB is indeed born on June 11th, and the occassion may even necessitate a (middle) name change in my grandma's honor.

The end is in sight as we have less than two weeks to go. I am still a little bit in denial, even though I have been shopping for newborn diapers and girly take-home outfits the past couple of days. I have also been reading baby books during my pumping sessions because, although I am a veteran mom, I have no idea what to do with a full-term baby.

Speaking of pumping (this is your cue to stop reading this part if you "don't want to go there"), as of yesterday I have entered the pumping part of the protocol. I now take 21 supplement pills a day (3 different supplements, but multiple pills) and pump every three hours during the day and once at night. I woke up at 2am last night, but Fletcher was just too cuddly, so I didn't manage to sneak off to his room to pump until about 4am. I am actually pumping right now as I type (for all you pumping moms out there, I recommend the Pumpease). I have yet to produce any measurable quantities of milk, but have produced some drops at each session, which I think is normal in an induction protocol (after all, it has only been one day).

Trevor has been great the last few days about looking after Fletcher while I focus on baby stuff (afterall, feeding is one of the biggest responsibilites when taking care of a newborn and I am already doing that part, in a sense). And I have a feeling the two of them will become quite close in the next few months.

So, it looks like everything is coming together and I have a chance of being marginally ready to welcome another member of the family. Angie is feeling good, as good as you can feel at 38 weeks, that is. Her blood pressure is great and while my mom thinks she "looks uncomforatble" she said she is not feeling too bad at this point, although I am sure she is ready to be done with this pregnancy. She gave me a tour of the labor and delievery and postpartum units the other night (she works there, so I got the informal, behind the scenes tour) and has filled me in on generally what to expect.

All in all, I am hopeful that unlike my previous experience, the most difficult decision I'll face this time around is what blanket background and outfit to choose for her hospital picture...

Which do you think?

Limited Access

I have been shut out of blogger the last week or so, so I haven't been able to update. I wrote the last post on May 14th (don't have that good of a memory, but since I wished Kenny a happy birthday it must have been that day). Another patient's father figured out a way I can access the blog, but I can't post any pictures or fix the layout, so any posts I add might not be as pretty until I get back to the States at the end of the month to fix them.

In the meantime, I will post anything even remotely interesting I hear about Smykeeney, although Angie says there is not much to report. Angie did tell me that she plans on naming the baby Norma, after my mom, since I have to fix the birth certificate and can change her name at that time. Honestly, I would be all for it, giving my mom a namesake for a week or two, but the more I think about it, I don't think it is a good idea. Would muck up the parentage action and may confuse things and stall the legal paperwork. So, Angie, if you are reading this, ixnay the Ormanay.

Peek-A-Boo

Angie got to take a peek at Smykeeney Baby last Thursday, and luckily SB is still safe inside Angie’s womb, so she couldn’t look back. Because, much to Angie’s dismay, I would not pay for the 4D ultrasound, you will have to make do with the following two images.

Here is her little (well, Angie says fat) face in the bottom right hand corner

The ultrasound tech said she has hair, but I think I will believe it when I see it (she is being born in in the Show-Me State, after all)

The doctor was pleased with the appointment. The baby looks great on ultrasound, fluid levels are appropriate. Angie’s BP is stable and she if she is dilated, it is not more than a “fingertip.” They estimated SB to weigh about 5 pounds 13 ounces, which just happens to be right around my birth weight.

I got a nice laugh today reading the blog of a woman I shared my cycle dates with (you can go to www.cyclesista.com to list your blog (I didn’t) and find other women undergoing fertility treatments at the same time as you (I did, from the deep dark shadows of internet lurkdom)). First I got a little surprise: her baby was born on Wednesday. She was a week ahead of us and having BP problems, so they induced her at 37 weeks. And the laugh, well, just go check out this post in which she talks about how prepared she is for the baby.

I, on the other hand, am anything but prepared. First off, the obvious, I am in a foreign country thousands of miles away from Kansas City. Second, house is not exactly sparkling clean. In fact, I have no idea how clean or messy it is as my lovely brother Kenny has been house sitting for us (Hi Kenny, Happy Birthday and thanks again for house sitting) and young bachelors aren’t typically known for their housekeeping skills. Particularly considering his roommates are two dogs. Not to mention that I can’t even remember the state of cleanliness when I left, but considering I overheard my other brother call me a “disgusting pig” a few days before we left, I am pretty sure it was far from immaculate. Third, the nursery isn’t quite ready. I got a good start on it, since I am just using Fletcher’s nursery and he is getting a “big boy room.” But the nursery is still full of little boy clothes and toys that have yet to migrate across the hall.

Thanks to my cousin Stephanie, we do have layette covered. And I did buy a box of newborn diapers and found the baby tub I had lent to my Aunt Laura, so I guess you could say I am not completely unprepared. Um, I guess…

A Little Insight

I ran across this post the other day from another former IVFer/micropreemie mom. It offers some great insight into how I, and many other people, are changed forever by infertility. How it can, and did, consume my life for years.

It also suggests that everyone call or write your congressperson about H.R. 697, The Family Building Act of 2009. The act would require group heath plans that provide maternity coverage to also provide coverage for infertility treatment. Her post also discusses the risks of multiple births and how insurance coverage and education on the true risks of a multiple gestation could go a long way in decreasing the rate of pregnancies with multiples due to IVF, a concept that I couldn't agree with more.

So this Mother's Day, in honor of all of those mothers who traveled the long road to get to their children, and those still on that road, please consider reading the linked post and writing your congressperson. I know I will.