Thursday, April 26, 2007
I am so ready! Current mood: uncomfortable
Today we had our appointment with Dr. Schneider, the perinatologist. We got there a few minutes early and obviously had to wait. I was sitting on a couch with my mom and Steve and all of a sudden the right side of my lower back all the way to my appendix starting killing me! I haven't had pain that severe since I had my gallbladder "attacks". It lasted for about 5 minutes then eased up. Afterwards I had an aching there, but nothing intense. I had one Braxton-Hicks after that happened. Since then, my back has been hurting. It doesn't hurt when I stand up and walk around. I haven't tried laying down yet.....I hope I can still do that comfortably.
The ultrasound wasn't too uncomfortable. Macy Jane now weighs six pounds two ounces and is in the 61st percentile. MUCH better than the 73rd percentile, which is what she was in last month!! She hadn't moved very much all day, in fact I commented to Steve about not feeling her very much. Well, about half way through the ultrasound she woke up and didn't stop moving. She switched it to the 4D mode and you could just see her turning her little head side to side and moving her body all around! At first, her facial expression looked like she was NOT a happy camper. She was rather pouty and had her face in a frown. After a few minutes she had her eyes open and was blinking! That was so neat to get to see, I will never ever forget that image. We got a picture today of her puckering up her lips! Looks like she is getting ready to kiss someone
Of course, my amniotic fluid levels are as high as ever. I measured 33cm today of fluid. That is almost 10cm over what is considered High/Normal. Supposedly that is almost 3 liters of fluid in my belly! Talk about Niagara Falls when my water breaks (if it breaks before I have my scheduled c-section)!! The major risk of me having that much fluid is preterm labor. Of course, I only have 1 week or 2 weeks (depending on who you talk to) left and then she will be considered term. However, if I go in to labor now, they aren't going to stop me.
Also, because of the excess fluid, I am supposed to be really short of breath with a lot of abdominal and back discomfort. I guess I should be feeling like I was carrying triplets? So far, I haven't had any of that and have felt relatively good. I have had 2 days where I felt like crap, today & last Sunday. I am hoping that i wake up tomorrow all better I could have some problems with my uterus not contracting well after I give birth since it is so over-distended, but they can inject meds in to it after the c-section to help it contract better. One thing is for sure, Macy Jane is not cramped for space like most babies at this time. She has quite a nice little swimming pool going in there for her.
Me, Steve, and my mom went to Target tonight to return some duplicate items and other things we changed our minds about. We ended up buying some things off of our list that we either really wanted or knew noone was going to buy. We were lucky because some of the stuff was on-sale or clearance. My mom bought Macy Jane some cute little stuff, she is going to be the best Nana ever!! Her closet is already full of clothes, not to mention her chest of drawers and dresser. Oh-well, I love clothes, shoes, and purses.....so why should my daughter be brought up any differently?!!
Well, I really want to put my pj's on and try to scan her ultrasound pictures so that I can put some new ones up. They all start to kind of look the same after a certain point, but they are all still so special to me!!! Until next time...........bye bye now!
Thursday, April 26, 2007
Sunday, April 22, 2007
Sunday, April 22, 2007
Not feeling so great Current mood: uncomfortable
Just a little request! This morning after I got out of the bed and showered for church, I started having cramps. If I wasn't pregnant, I would have thought that a period was about to start. I took some Tylenol thinking that maybe it was just my bones separating or my uterus pressing on my organs down there. I continued to hurt all through church and lunch, but then when I got home, I layed down with Steve for a nap and they went away. I feel great as long as I am laying down
We slept for a long time and ever since I have been up, I feel a lot better than I did this morning. At first it bothered me because I was thinking that this was an early warning sign of labor and I am not ready for that just yet!! Ever since the doc told us in the beginning that he wanted as big of a baby as possible--meaning 39 to 40 weeks gestation, I have not thought about the possibility of her coming early. After today, that possibility is more real!! However, since I am feeling a little better, I am finishing up putting her stuff together and folding her laundry. On a side note, I have more laundry to do now...after yesterday's shower. What was I thinking? I should have waited to do it all at once.....grrrrr. Tomorrow, I am going to pack our suitcase and have Steve put it in the car *just in case*.
Steve is helping me get the house in order over the next few days. When Macy Jane is born, there is going to be a lot of family and friends coming in from out of town and some will stay at our house probably since we won't be here!! I don't want things out of place for them. Thank God Steve has been such an awesome hubby and helps me out as much as I will let him
One of my next projects is to make a little sign for her bed in the NICU that has her name on it and have it laminated. Steve knows how much I like Tinkerbell now and asked me tonight if he could draw a Tinkerbell for Macy Jane's name sign. I thought that was incredibly sweet and I cannot wait to see what it looks like!! He's already such a good daddy.
Well, if you think about it, please say a prayer that these cramps will stay away. I know it's a natural part of being pregnant, but I can't lay in the bed all of the time! I need to work at least 2 more weeks if possible. If not, God is in control and knows what is best. Have a great night!
Not feeling so great Current mood: uncomfortable
Just a little request! This morning after I got out of the bed and showered for church, I started having cramps. If I wasn't pregnant, I would have thought that a period was about to start. I took some Tylenol thinking that maybe it was just my bones separating or my uterus pressing on my organs down there. I continued to hurt all through church and lunch, but then when I got home, I layed down with Steve for a nap and they went away. I feel great as long as I am laying down
We slept for a long time and ever since I have been up, I feel a lot better than I did this morning. At first it bothered me because I was thinking that this was an early warning sign of labor and I am not ready for that just yet!! Ever since the doc told us in the beginning that he wanted as big of a baby as possible--meaning 39 to 40 weeks gestation, I have not thought about the possibility of her coming early. After today, that possibility is more real!! However, since I am feeling a little better, I am finishing up putting her stuff together and folding her laundry. On a side note, I have more laundry to do now...after yesterday's shower. What was I thinking? I should have waited to do it all at once.....grrrrr. Tomorrow, I am going to pack our suitcase and have Steve put it in the car *just in case*.
Steve is helping me get the house in order over the next few days. When Macy Jane is born, there is going to be a lot of family and friends coming in from out of town and some will stay at our house probably since we won't be here!! I don't want things out of place for them. Thank God Steve has been such an awesome hubby and helps me out as much as I will let him
One of my next projects is to make a little sign for her bed in the NICU that has her name on it and have it laminated. Steve knows how much I like Tinkerbell now and asked me tonight if he could draw a Tinkerbell for Macy Jane's name sign. I thought that was incredibly sweet and I cannot wait to see what it looks like!! He's already such a good daddy.
Well, if you think about it, please say a prayer that these cramps will stay away. I know it's a natural part of being pregnant, but I can't lay in the bed all of the time! I need to work at least 2 more weeks if possible. If not, God is in control and knows what is best. Have a great night!
Saturday, April 21, 2007
Saturday, April 21, 2007
I am SO happy and relieved!! Current mood: excited
Today/tonight was great therapy for me and Steven. I had such a good time being around friends and not to mention good mexican food!! Honestly, the highlight of my evening was learning all about the NICU at the Baptist Women's Hospital. I guess I shouldn't say the highlight, but it lifted a HUGE burden off of me.
I work with a guy named Patrick, whose wife Becca works in the NICU. After dinner, I started asking her all kinds of questions about what to expect. The news was great. After I get out of recovery from the c-section, if I don't feel like getting in a wheelchair, they will wheel me to the NICU on a stretcher to let me see Macy Jane. (I am bound and determined to get in that wheelchair though) Becca says that by the time I get back there, she should be stabilized by then. After that, Steven and I are welcome back there 24 hours a day, with the exception of shift change at 7am and 7pm. There can be 2 people back there at a time. We will give them a sheet with 4 peoples names on it and they will be able to go back there even if me and Steven aren't there. Otherwise, any visitors that want to see her have to be escorted back by me or Steve. The only people allowed to touch her without gloves on are me and Steven, but that's okay. If her immune system is messed up, people don't need to be touching her anyways. Becca also said that if a bed is available by the window, they can put her there and if my godkids or other children (or sick adults) wanted to see her, they would raise the blinds so they could get a look. Ya'll just don't know how happy all of this information makes me!
I am not going to be the obsessive parent that stays back there 24 hours a day because I know what that is like. There are times that you just want to be able to do your job without the family members around, I get like that at work at times too. My family is going to MAKE me get out of the hospital on a regular basis so that we don't go nuts. I just can't believe that me and Steve can go back there together as much as we want. God is definately good!!!!!
We received so many wonderful gifts for Macy Jane today, also. There isn't too much stuff left on our registry! We received a lot of duplicate stuff, but that is okay because that means we can take it back and get our baby monitor and some little things that we need. When I say little.......I mean hairbows and headbands. I'm just amazed at how giving people are.
Well, I forgot to take my camera so we stopped and got a disposable one. So now, I have to wait and get those developed. I promise I will post some pics of me preggo before I am not preggo anymore. Everyone keeps messaging me that they want pictures, lol. Patience.
I am quite tired and I noticed a little while ago that my feet are really swollen tonight. They have never ever been this big before.........I guess it is a true sign that the end of my pregnancy is coming closer and closer. Amen, hallelujiah
I am SO happy and relieved!! Current mood: excited
Today/tonight was great therapy for me and Steven. I had such a good time being around friends and not to mention good mexican food!! Honestly, the highlight of my evening was learning all about the NICU at the Baptist Women's Hospital. I guess I shouldn't say the highlight, but it lifted a HUGE burden off of me.
I work with a guy named Patrick, whose wife Becca works in the NICU. After dinner, I started asking her all kinds of questions about what to expect. The news was great. After I get out of recovery from the c-section, if I don't feel like getting in a wheelchair, they will wheel me to the NICU on a stretcher to let me see Macy Jane. (I am bound and determined to get in that wheelchair though) Becca says that by the time I get back there, she should be stabilized by then. After that, Steven and I are welcome back there 24 hours a day, with the exception of shift change at 7am and 7pm. There can be 2 people back there at a time. We will give them a sheet with 4 peoples names on it and they will be able to go back there even if me and Steven aren't there. Otherwise, any visitors that want to see her have to be escorted back by me or Steve. The only people allowed to touch her without gloves on are me and Steven, but that's okay. If her immune system is messed up, people don't need to be touching her anyways. Becca also said that if a bed is available by the window, they can put her there and if my godkids or other children (or sick adults) wanted to see her, they would raise the blinds so they could get a look. Ya'll just don't know how happy all of this information makes me!
I am not going to be the obsessive parent that stays back there 24 hours a day because I know what that is like. There are times that you just want to be able to do your job without the family members around, I get like that at work at times too. My family is going to MAKE me get out of the hospital on a regular basis so that we don't go nuts. I just can't believe that me and Steve can go back there together as much as we want. God is definately good!!!!!
We received so many wonderful gifts for Macy Jane today, also. There isn't too much stuff left on our registry! We received a lot of duplicate stuff, but that is okay because that means we can take it back and get our baby monitor and some little things that we need. When I say little.......I mean hairbows and headbands. I'm just amazed at how giving people are.
Well, I forgot to take my camera so we stopped and got a disposable one. So now, I have to wait and get those developed. I promise I will post some pics of me preggo before I am not preggo anymore. Everyone keeps messaging me that they want pictures, lol. Patience.
I am quite tired and I noticed a little while ago that my feet are really swollen tonight. They have never ever been this big before.........I guess it is a true sign that the end of my pregnancy is coming closer and closer. Amen, hallelujiah
Saturday, April 21, 2007
Ancy Current mood: excited
I made the mistake of looking stuff up on the internet last night. More specifically, I looked up information about DiGeorge Syndrome. I have been keeping that in the back of my mind and focusing on the heart defects instead. I had forgotten things and reading about it put a fear back in my stomach and upset me. I found a website of a precious little boy that has DiGeorge and was reading about all that he went through and looked at all of his pictures. He is such an adorable little guy. He is doing well now, but he struggled so much in the beginning months of his life.
I guess I got upset because I realized all over again all of the "possibilities" of what could happen. Better that I get this over with now instead of getting hit with it when she is born. I also tell myself over and over that God is in control of this whole situation and He knows best and is going to protect our little girl and help me and Steve and our families through all of this.
I am getting ancy to meet her even more now. The next time the calendar says the 21st, it will be the start of the week that Macy Jane is going to be brought in to this world!! I'm sure I am starting to sound like a broken record, but I just want to be able to see her and touch her sweet little face and get to know every inch of her. LOL I feel her all of the time! I love that feeling and am going to miss those "I'm still in here" kicks. Speaking of, this morning, I was laying in bed with Steve. I was on my back and Steve always sleeps with his arm/hand on my belly. Well, a few seconds after he put his arm on me, Macy Jane went wild! It felt like she was turning over and over and rubbing her foot, butt, head or whatever right along where his arm was. I love it when he is able to feel her moving and sees my stomach bounce up and down. I want to him to be included in everything
Our second shower is today!! I am really excited about it. Sounds like there is going to be a pretty good turnout AND I get to eat mexican food---whoop whoop yay yay! I am much more relaxed about this shower than my last one. Before the last one, I got upset and even at the shower I teared up. Just mixed emotions about getting all of this stuff for a baby and all of the what if's about Macy Jane. Steve helped me get through all of that though and today I am more in the mind set of bring it on because our baby girl is going to be okay and able to enjoy all of the wonderful things people have given to her. I guess if you have never been through this situation, you don't really understand how I could ever think like that, but I tend to live in reality and face the facts head on. That also bites me in the butt sometimes too!!
Well, I am taking my camera today so hopefully I will have lots of pictures to post tonight or tomorrow. My sister in law is mailing me a cd of the pictures from my first shower this weekend so I will have those pictures to put up next week sometime.
Continue to pray for all of us. I know I repeat that all of the time, but we need it! I go back to Doctor Schneider on Wednesday for yet another ultrasound and then the Wednesday after that, we schedule our c-section. YAY. Can't wait to see how she weighs now......probably at least 6 or 6 and 1/2 pounds. Ah those chubby little cheeks hehe.
Well, it is time for me to get a shower and wake Steve up. Hope everyone is doing well and enjoying this awesome weather!! Bye bye now
Ancy Current mood: excited
I made the mistake of looking stuff up on the internet last night. More specifically, I looked up information about DiGeorge Syndrome. I have been keeping that in the back of my mind and focusing on the heart defects instead. I had forgotten things and reading about it put a fear back in my stomach and upset me. I found a website of a precious little boy that has DiGeorge and was reading about all that he went through and looked at all of his pictures. He is such an adorable little guy. He is doing well now, but he struggled so much in the beginning months of his life.
I guess I got upset because I realized all over again all of the "possibilities" of what could happen. Better that I get this over with now instead of getting hit with it when she is born. I also tell myself over and over that God is in control of this whole situation and He knows best and is going to protect our little girl and help me and Steve and our families through all of this.
I am getting ancy to meet her even more now. The next time the calendar says the 21st, it will be the start of the week that Macy Jane is going to be brought in to this world!! I'm sure I am starting to sound like a broken record, but I just want to be able to see her and touch her sweet little face and get to know every inch of her. LOL I feel her all of the time! I love that feeling and am going to miss those "I'm still in here" kicks. Speaking of, this morning, I was laying in bed with Steve. I was on my back and Steve always sleeps with his arm/hand on my belly. Well, a few seconds after he put his arm on me, Macy Jane went wild! It felt like she was turning over and over and rubbing her foot, butt, head or whatever right along where his arm was. I love it when he is able to feel her moving and sees my stomach bounce up and down. I want to him to be included in everything
Our second shower is today!! I am really excited about it. Sounds like there is going to be a pretty good turnout AND I get to eat mexican food---whoop whoop yay yay! I am much more relaxed about this shower than my last one. Before the last one, I got upset and even at the shower I teared up. Just mixed emotions about getting all of this stuff for a baby and all of the what if's about Macy Jane. Steve helped me get through all of that though and today I am more in the mind set of bring it on because our baby girl is going to be okay and able to enjoy all of the wonderful things people have given to her. I guess if you have never been through this situation, you don't really understand how I could ever think like that, but I tend to live in reality and face the facts head on. That also bites me in the butt sometimes too!!
Well, I am taking my camera today so hopefully I will have lots of pictures to post tonight or tomorrow. My sister in law is mailing me a cd of the pictures from my first shower this weekend so I will have those pictures to put up next week sometime.
Continue to pray for all of us. I know I repeat that all of the time, but we need it! I go back to Doctor Schneider on Wednesday for yet another ultrasound and then the Wednesday after that, we schedule our c-section. YAY. Can't wait to see how she weighs now......probably at least 6 or 6 and 1/2 pounds. Ah those chubby little cheeks hehe.
Well, it is time for me to get a shower and wake Steve up. Hope everyone is doing well and enjoying this awesome weather!! Bye bye now
Thursday, April 19, 2007
Thursday, April 19, 2007
Spoiled Rotten Little Girl Current mood: tired
My goodness! Macy Jane is already so blessed. I FINALLY got around to sorting out what I had received for MJ today. If she were born tomorrow, she would have enough stuff to last her until she is at least 9 months old and then some. There are still a few odds and ends that I need to get for her, but we are having another baby shower on Saturday & people are always bringing me gifts to work, so I am sure that by the time she is due, we will have everything that we need/want. A huge blessing considering I am planning on taking 12 weeks off without pay
Her nursery is almost finished! I am in the process of washing all of her 0-3 month clothes, towels/washcloths/robes, and sheets. I went ahead and ironed the bed skirt and put that, the bumper pad, and mobile on her crib. Everything looks soooo very cute. I still haven't decided on a rocking chair yet. A glider would be super nice to have and will last me a long time as long as I take care of it, but it is really expensive for a good one. On the other hand, my mom has an antique wood rocker that she said I could use and we could make some cute cushions for it. Decisions decisions.
Hopefully we will get all of the wall hangings hung up on Sunday and Monday. There isn't that much, just her name in letters and a couple of other things. I found a cute tinkerbell clock yesterday at target that I bought for her room. For some reason, ever since I found out MJ was a girl I have fallen in love with tinkerbell. She's just so.......girly and whimsical.
Well, the dryer just buzzed and I need to get all of those teeny tiny onesies out of it before they wrinkle!!!! Bye!
Spoiled Rotten Little Girl Current mood: tired
My goodness! Macy Jane is already so blessed. I FINALLY got around to sorting out what I had received for MJ today. If she were born tomorrow, she would have enough stuff to last her until she is at least 9 months old and then some. There are still a few odds and ends that I need to get for her, but we are having another baby shower on Saturday & people are always bringing me gifts to work, so I am sure that by the time she is due, we will have everything that we need/want. A huge blessing considering I am planning on taking 12 weeks off without pay
Her nursery is almost finished! I am in the process of washing all of her 0-3 month clothes, towels/washcloths/robes, and sheets. I went ahead and ironed the bed skirt and put that, the bumper pad, and mobile on her crib. Everything looks soooo very cute. I still haven't decided on a rocking chair yet. A glider would be super nice to have and will last me a long time as long as I take care of it, but it is really expensive for a good one. On the other hand, my mom has an antique wood rocker that she said I could use and we could make some cute cushions for it. Decisions decisions.
Hopefully we will get all of the wall hangings hung up on Sunday and Monday. There isn't that much, just her name in letters and a couple of other things. I found a cute tinkerbell clock yesterday at target that I bought for her room. For some reason, ever since I found out MJ was a girl I have fallen in love with tinkerbell. She's just so.......girly and whimsical.
Well, the dryer just buzzed and I need to get all of those teeny tiny onesies out of it before they wrinkle!!!! Bye!
Monday, April 16, 2007
Monday, April 16, 2007
Doctor's Appointment Current mood: content
Whew! We can breathe now--for a bit
I am definately delivering at Baptist Women's Hospital during the week of May 20th, unless she decides to be the early bird baby.
She will definately have her heart surgery at the University of Michigan Children's Hospital in Ann Arbor, Michigan whenever/if she needs it.
Today started out a little stressful because Dr. Joshi "forgot" about the appointment. They paged him twice, but in the waiting time they put me on the table and did some more 3-D & 4-D ultrasounds/pictures for free to pass the time and appease us. They finally got in touch with him and he was there within 20 minutes. Thank God he didn't try to make us re-schedule and he made no excuses for his being late. We were worried that he would try to rush our visit so that he could get back to the office faster. That wasn't the case and we are so thankful for that.
They scanned her to make sure everything looked okay, and everything still looks perfect, except for the fact that I have high levels of amniotic fluid & possibly her heart. I say "possibly" her heart because Dr. Joshi could not give us a definate diagnosis today.
She is in position for birth at this point, meaning head down and spine up. Because of this, her spine and ribs are shadowing her heart a good bit. They were able to see the 4 chambers of the heart pumping and saw the great vessels coming in to/off of the heart. Her chambers look good or "normal", but her ventricles may be mildly thickened, but that is more likely due to gestational diabetes than a heart defect and will be normal as she ages after birth. Basically it wasn't and isn't a concern. The blood flow looked good through the heart, also. The confusing part is that Dr. Joshi cannot say with 100% certainty that she even has Transposition of the Great Vessels or even the ventricular septal defect (VSD). It is really hard to see where the vessels originate because of the shadows and normal dropouts caused by the machine. From a few angles it looks like her septum is intact and in one view there might be a small hole (VSD), but it could just be a dropout spot caused by the machine and the angle of the view. I know if you are a non-medical background person that this is/can be very confusing, and it is....even to me and Steven. Basically, in a nut shell we don't even know at this point if there even is a heart defect now. It is still a very strong possibility and very likely that she does have all of the previously diagnosed heart defects and we just couldn't see them. The other alternative is that God performed a miracle on her and maybe there isn't anything wrong with her heart after all.
I do not want to sound like a pessimist when I say this or sound like I do not believe that God can perform miracles on our baby. I am extremely happy that the parts of her heart that we were able to see look perfect. However, I still think like she has the Transposition and the VSD until we are 100% sure that she does not. I cannot get my hopes up, only to find out at birth that what we thought all along was really true and go through all of those emotions again. I have already accepted that MJ is going to have open heart surgery and dealt with all of the emotions etc. that have gone along with it for the past 10 weeks. Don't get me wrong, I am still praying that this is a miracle in the works and have not given up on God performing one.
So basically this is the plan as of today. Macy Jane born via c-section just to be safe and have docs there in advance. Once she is born & taken to the NICU, Dr. Joshi will perform an echocardiogram of her heart and make a definate diagnosis based off of that. He feels that even if she has transposition, she will do just fine in the NICU at Baptist without ever having to go to LeBonheur!!! He also says depending on how she looks and does for a few days, she may not need surgery for a few months. But, he did tell us that the arterial switch operation (what she would need) WAS NOT being performed at Lebonheur at this time and she would have to go somewhere else. We chose for her to go to the hospital in Michigan rather than Vanderbilt simply because they are well known for doing her type of surgery.
If for some reason she does not do well after birth, she will be life-flighted to Michigan to have emergency surgery if necessary and Steven and some of my family will fly up there to be with her until I am discharged from the hospital and can be with her. Dr. Joshi really doesn't feel like that will be necessary though.
I am super excited that the plan for now means that after my c-section I will be in the same hospital as my Baby MJ and I will eventually be able to see her in the NICU once I get out of recovery!! And the possibility of being able to bring her home sooner than we thought, even if only temporary until she has heart surgery, is awesome!!
We were told that if she does go to Michigan, to expect her to be in the hospital for up to one month, but typically it is two weeks. We also have to take into consideration the syndrome that she has and all of the things that could be wrong with her. Needless to say the first day of her life is going to be a busy one with all of the tests etc.
I know this was a lot to take in and this blog is very long. I tend to ramble a little bit, but I hope I made it less confusing. It's hard to explain it when you are still a little baffled by it all.
Please continue to keep us in your prayers!! They are working without a doubt. Also, I get a lot of emails/messages and I am a bit behind on replying to them all, but I promise I haven't forgotten. I'm just a tad bit busy these days.....and she isn't even here yet, lol. Thanks again for everything!!!!
Doctor's Appointment Current mood: content
Whew! We can breathe now--for a bit
I am definately delivering at Baptist Women's Hospital during the week of May 20th, unless she decides to be the early bird baby.
She will definately have her heart surgery at the University of Michigan Children's Hospital in Ann Arbor, Michigan whenever/if she needs it.
Today started out a little stressful because Dr. Joshi "forgot" about the appointment. They paged him twice, but in the waiting time they put me on the table and did some more 3-D & 4-D ultrasounds/pictures for free to pass the time and appease us. They finally got in touch with him and he was there within 20 minutes. Thank God he didn't try to make us re-schedule and he made no excuses for his being late. We were worried that he would try to rush our visit so that he could get back to the office faster. That wasn't the case and we are so thankful for that.
They scanned her to make sure everything looked okay, and everything still looks perfect, except for the fact that I have high levels of amniotic fluid & possibly her heart. I say "possibly" her heart because Dr. Joshi could not give us a definate diagnosis today.
She is in position for birth at this point, meaning head down and spine up. Because of this, her spine and ribs are shadowing her heart a good bit. They were able to see the 4 chambers of the heart pumping and saw the great vessels coming in to/off of the heart. Her chambers look good or "normal", but her ventricles may be mildly thickened, but that is more likely due to gestational diabetes than a heart defect and will be normal as she ages after birth. Basically it wasn't and isn't a concern. The blood flow looked good through the heart, also. The confusing part is that Dr. Joshi cannot say with 100% certainty that she even has Transposition of the Great Vessels or even the ventricular septal defect (VSD). It is really hard to see where the vessels originate because of the shadows and normal dropouts caused by the machine. From a few angles it looks like her septum is intact and in one view there might be a small hole (VSD), but it could just be a dropout spot caused by the machine and the angle of the view. I know if you are a non-medical background person that this is/can be very confusing, and it is....even to me and Steven. Basically, in a nut shell we don't even know at this point if there even is a heart defect now. It is still a very strong possibility and very likely that she does have all of the previously diagnosed heart defects and we just couldn't see them. The other alternative is that God performed a miracle on her and maybe there isn't anything wrong with her heart after all.
I do not want to sound like a pessimist when I say this or sound like I do not believe that God can perform miracles on our baby. I am extremely happy that the parts of her heart that we were able to see look perfect. However, I still think like she has the Transposition and the VSD until we are 100% sure that she does not. I cannot get my hopes up, only to find out at birth that what we thought all along was really true and go through all of those emotions again. I have already accepted that MJ is going to have open heart surgery and dealt with all of the emotions etc. that have gone along with it for the past 10 weeks. Don't get me wrong, I am still praying that this is a miracle in the works and have not given up on God performing one.
So basically this is the plan as of today. Macy Jane born via c-section just to be safe and have docs there in advance. Once she is born & taken to the NICU, Dr. Joshi will perform an echocardiogram of her heart and make a definate diagnosis based off of that. He feels that even if she has transposition, she will do just fine in the NICU at Baptist without ever having to go to LeBonheur!!! He also says depending on how she looks and does for a few days, she may not need surgery for a few months. But, he did tell us that the arterial switch operation (what she would need) WAS NOT being performed at Lebonheur at this time and she would have to go somewhere else. We chose for her to go to the hospital in Michigan rather than Vanderbilt simply because they are well known for doing her type of surgery.
If for some reason she does not do well after birth, she will be life-flighted to Michigan to have emergency surgery if necessary and Steven and some of my family will fly up there to be with her until I am discharged from the hospital and can be with her. Dr. Joshi really doesn't feel like that will be necessary though.
I am super excited that the plan for now means that after my c-section I will be in the same hospital as my Baby MJ and I will eventually be able to see her in the NICU once I get out of recovery!! And the possibility of being able to bring her home sooner than we thought, even if only temporary until she has heart surgery, is awesome!!
We were told that if she does go to Michigan, to expect her to be in the hospital for up to one month, but typically it is two weeks. We also have to take into consideration the syndrome that she has and all of the things that could be wrong with her. Needless to say the first day of her life is going to be a busy one with all of the tests etc.
I know this was a lot to take in and this blog is very long. I tend to ramble a little bit, but I hope I made it less confusing. It's hard to explain it when you are still a little baffled by it all.
Please continue to keep us in your prayers!! They are working without a doubt. Also, I get a lot of emails/messages and I am a bit behind on replying to them all, but I promise I haven't forgotten. I'm just a tad bit busy these days.....and she isn't even here yet, lol. Thanks again for everything!!!!
Friday, April 6, 2007
Friday, April 06, 2007
Bored Current mood: hungry
I am waiting on Steve to wake up from a nap so that we can go eat dinner in Memphis and go grocery shopping. We have been so lazy today! He got up at 7, me at 9, and around 12 we decided to lay in bed and watch tv together. Well of course that turned in to us taking a nap A much needed nap. I was thinking as we were laying there that I better enjoy these naps because in 6 and 1/2 weeks.......they will be few and far between.
When I got off of work last night my parents and Steve were unpacking Macy Jane's furniture in her room!! It is all so very pretty. It is a lot bigger than I thought it would be and I don't have as much room as I thought I would, but eventually her room will be upstairs and a lot bigger. I was going to spend today decorating it, but I kind of just wanted to have a relax day. Eventually I promise I will post pictures of it on here.
I can't believe that in 47 days Macy Jane should be here! Yesterday at work I was walking through a unit and this paramedic lady was standing there and said "oh she's about to pop" and something about me feeling bad. Grrrrrrrr. I don't know why, but I get extremely annoyed when people say stuff like that to me. Don't assume that just because I look like I have swallowed a basketball that I feel like crap or can't wait to have her. I CAN'T wait to have her, but that is only because I can't wait to see her, touch her, smell her, cuddle her etc. Not every pregnant woman feels SO terrible in the third trimester. Perhaps instead of being physically blah, I am emotionally blah. God knows I have been emotional enough these past few weeks for about 6 pregnant women. I will not miss that part of it.
Anyways, I was thinking this morning that I REALLY need to go shopping for some comfy clothes to wear once I am discharged from the hospital and go to be with Macy Jane at LeBonheur or wherever she is. (Which by the way, we find out on Monday, April 18th at 8am so please say a prayer) I know I will still be able to wear my maternity pants etc. but after a c-section I doubt I will want to be wearing jeans! Maybe Steve and I can go shopping one day while we are off.
Well, that's it. He still isn't awake and I am really hungry. Time to wake his butt up
Bored Current mood: hungry
I am waiting on Steve to wake up from a nap so that we can go eat dinner in Memphis and go grocery shopping. We have been so lazy today! He got up at 7, me at 9, and around 12 we decided to lay in bed and watch tv together. Well of course that turned in to us taking a nap A much needed nap. I was thinking as we were laying there that I better enjoy these naps because in 6 and 1/2 weeks.......they will be few and far between.
When I got off of work last night my parents and Steve were unpacking Macy Jane's furniture in her room!! It is all so very pretty. It is a lot bigger than I thought it would be and I don't have as much room as I thought I would, but eventually her room will be upstairs and a lot bigger. I was going to spend today decorating it, but I kind of just wanted to have a relax day. Eventually I promise I will post pictures of it on here.
I can't believe that in 47 days Macy Jane should be here! Yesterday at work I was walking through a unit and this paramedic lady was standing there and said "oh she's about to pop" and something about me feeling bad. Grrrrrrrr. I don't know why, but I get extremely annoyed when people say stuff like that to me. Don't assume that just because I look like I have swallowed a basketball that I feel like crap or can't wait to have her. I CAN'T wait to have her, but that is only because I can't wait to see her, touch her, smell her, cuddle her etc. Not every pregnant woman feels SO terrible in the third trimester. Perhaps instead of being physically blah, I am emotionally blah. God knows I have been emotional enough these past few weeks for about 6 pregnant women. I will not miss that part of it.
Anyways, I was thinking this morning that I REALLY need to go shopping for some comfy clothes to wear once I am discharged from the hospital and go to be with Macy Jane at LeBonheur or wherever she is. (Which by the way, we find out on Monday, April 18th at 8am so please say a prayer) I know I will still be able to wear my maternity pants etc. but after a c-section I doubt I will want to be wearing jeans! Maybe Steve and I can go shopping one day while we are off.
Well, that's it. He still isn't awake and I am really hungry. Time to wake his butt up
Wednesday, April 4, 2007
Wednesday, April 04, 2007
Macy Jane Wiles.....and a few other less important things :) Current mood: determined
We went back the the perinatologist's office today for our monthly check-up. Blood pressure was good, weight gain was below average--but that's ok, urine was good....and most importantly baby looks good. In fact........baby is a chubby chub As of right now, she weighs 5 lbs. 1 ounce. Her legs are still measuring longer than average for her age, and the tech again commented on how much hair Macy Jane has! She is measuring almost two weeks bigger than her actual age. Dr. Schneider assured us that with everything that is going on with her and will be when she is born, her being a big girl is actually good for her.
The only negative thing he had to say was that I have a little too much amniotic fluid. More than likely related to my blood sugar, but for the most part they have been within the ranges that the doc wants. I don't know what else I can do. I have had 3 or 4 that were a little high over the past month, but that isn't bad. I just have to be careful and take it a little easy since I am at even more risk for preterm labor now. Me taking it easy isn't exactly easy to do though.
My job can be demanding at times and physically hard. Thankfully, over the past 2 weeks I have been blessed with semi-easy patients that weren't gigantic in size. I am just going to have to learn to say no when I start to feel bad at work. For the most part though, I feel great at work. Work is work........who ever feels 100%?! I am
We did find out that Macy Jane will definately be delivered at 39 weeks. That means sometime during the week of May 20th she will be here!! However, we will see Dr. Joshi in 2 weeks to find out WHERE she will be delivered. I don't really care about that part of it. It is a huge part of it, but wherever she is going to get the best care is fine with me, even if it is in China!
Also, I thought I went to the doctor a lot before, but it isn't going to get any better. After this week, I will be seeing a doctor every week sometimes twice a week up until delivery day. The purpose of it is to do a biophysical profile each week to make sure that baby is still "liking" her environment and her environment is liking her. Basically, they are checking 8 different types of things each time. Some things include: is she practicing breathing (which she was today), her bone measurements, stomach measurements, bladder, kidneys, head, heart rate/size of heart, and I don't remember the other ones. I do not mind going, it gives me a peace of mind knowing that everything is okay.
My brother and his wife were in town this past weekend. I didn't get to see them much because I was working, but they bought MJ some more outfits. One is a pink and white checked t-shirt material dress with little pink strawberries on it and the others are really cute long sleeved onesies with matching pants and bibs. One has a frog on it that says kiss me and says that on the butt of the pants too and the other is daisy with polka dots. All VERY cute. A girl at work got her a pink outfit that has a blue fish on it with a matching hair bow--very cute too and now we know she is gonna need that hair bow!!!
Steven and my parents are going to pick up her furniture tomorrow while I am at work!! I can't wait to see it in her room. Hopefully this weekend I will have time to finish decorating and take some pics of everything. I am still looking for a rocking chair to put in there. I haven't decided if I want a glider rocker or if I want to get a traditional wood rocker and have some cushions made for it so that I could eventually put it some where else in the house.
Saturday we are going to the Redbirds game with some friends from work. I have been telling Steve for weeks now that I can't wait for baseball season to start up. I hoped that I would get to see a few games before someone's birthday!! I hope it is fun.
Well, it is bedtime. I have to work tomorrow, then I am off for a few days, thankfully. I am kind of tired these days.....go figure. I can't complain though, other than getting sleepy, I feel great! Until next time----bye bye now!
Macy Jane Wiles.....and a few other less important things :) Current mood: determined
We went back the the perinatologist's office today for our monthly check-up. Blood pressure was good, weight gain was below average--but that's ok, urine was good....and most importantly baby looks good. In fact........baby is a chubby chub As of right now, she weighs 5 lbs. 1 ounce. Her legs are still measuring longer than average for her age, and the tech again commented on how much hair Macy Jane has! She is measuring almost two weeks bigger than her actual age. Dr. Schneider assured us that with everything that is going on with her and will be when she is born, her being a big girl is actually good for her.
The only negative thing he had to say was that I have a little too much amniotic fluid. More than likely related to my blood sugar, but for the most part they have been within the ranges that the doc wants. I don't know what else I can do. I have had 3 or 4 that were a little high over the past month, but that isn't bad. I just have to be careful and take it a little easy since I am at even more risk for preterm labor now. Me taking it easy isn't exactly easy to do though.
My job can be demanding at times and physically hard. Thankfully, over the past 2 weeks I have been blessed with semi-easy patients that weren't gigantic in size. I am just going to have to learn to say no when I start to feel bad at work. For the most part though, I feel great at work. Work is work........who ever feels 100%?! I am
We did find out that Macy Jane will definately be delivered at 39 weeks. That means sometime during the week of May 20th she will be here!! However, we will see Dr. Joshi in 2 weeks to find out WHERE she will be delivered. I don't really care about that part of it. It is a huge part of it, but wherever she is going to get the best care is fine with me, even if it is in China!
Also, I thought I went to the doctor a lot before, but it isn't going to get any better. After this week, I will be seeing a doctor every week sometimes twice a week up until delivery day. The purpose of it is to do a biophysical profile each week to make sure that baby is still "liking" her environment and her environment is liking her. Basically, they are checking 8 different types of things each time. Some things include: is she practicing breathing (which she was today), her bone measurements, stomach measurements, bladder, kidneys, head, heart rate/size of heart, and I don't remember the other ones. I do not mind going, it gives me a peace of mind knowing that everything is okay.
My brother and his wife were in town this past weekend. I didn't get to see them much because I was working, but they bought MJ some more outfits. One is a pink and white checked t-shirt material dress with little pink strawberries on it and the others are really cute long sleeved onesies with matching pants and bibs. One has a frog on it that says kiss me and says that on the butt of the pants too and the other is daisy with polka dots. All VERY cute. A girl at work got her a pink outfit that has a blue fish on it with a matching hair bow--very cute too and now we know she is gonna need that hair bow!!!
Steven and my parents are going to pick up her furniture tomorrow while I am at work!! I can't wait to see it in her room. Hopefully this weekend I will have time to finish decorating and take some pics of everything. I am still looking for a rocking chair to put in there. I haven't decided if I want a glider rocker or if I want to get a traditional wood rocker and have some cushions made for it so that I could eventually put it some where else in the house.
Saturday we are going to the Redbirds game with some friends from work. I have been telling Steve for weeks now that I can't wait for baseball season to start up. I hoped that I would get to see a few games before someone's birthday!! I hope it is fun.
Well, it is bedtime. I have to work tomorrow, then I am off for a few days, thankfully. I am kind of tired these days.....go figure. I can't complain though, other than getting sleepy, I feel great! Until next time----bye bye now!
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