Showing posts with label From the Doctor's Office. Show all posts
Showing posts with label From the Doctor's Office. Show all posts
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Dilation Update
I got back from the doctor's office a couple of hours ago, and in spite of my more frequent and painful Braxton-Hicks contractions, my bowels feeling like they're turning inside-out, my mucus plug passing and having the bloody show yesterday, it turns out that I'm only 1 cm dilated. Arrrrrrrrrrrrrgh!!! I really need to learn to relax, don't I? ;-)
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Week 38
Yesterday I went to see the doctor, and as part of the visit, he checked to see if PK's "landing gear" had been deployed. I'd been having some serious cramping a few days before, so I was totally certain that my cervix would be dilated at least 3 or 4 cm. It turns out that I'm barely even dilated (i.e. < 1cm), which was disappointing. I know, I know. I did say that I wanted some time to myself before PK arrives, so it's not such a bad thing. I just don't want to be induced, because I know that that will make for a more painful labor and it may cause me to cave on the epidural, which would mean that my mother-in-law's eye-rolling wins. On top of that, it seems that my cervix is in some weird position, so the doctor said that might make for a longer, more painful labor. Bleh. I'm just going to ignore that last little bit. I'm still convinced that I will have a nice labor. Maybe not pain-free, but at least one where I can manage the pain. :D
On the bright side, he was able to feel PK's head when he poked at my cervix, which means that she's starting to engage somewhat. The ultrasound also confirmed that the head was down, the spine was on my left-hand side, and the feet were on my right. No surprise there. Apparently this is a very common position for babies to be in towards the end.
When I got home from the doctor's office, I noticed some blood on my underwear. Now, I'd been told that there would be some spotting as a result of the cervical exam, but this seemed like more than spotting, so I called the doctor's office. The secretary assured me that since I wasn't bleeding more than a period, I was fine. Still...it caught me a bit by surprise. After that, the blood turned more from red to brown, and I passed a small bit of brownish mucus. At first I thought it was the so-called bloody show, but the books appear to indicate that the bloody show is either red or pinkish in color and that the brown mucusy gunk is most likely the result of a cervical exam. WHEW!
At the same time, I think that the cervical exam must've kick-started something. I've been cramping up more than usual, and the cramping has gotten more intense. There is no pattern to the cramping, however, so I think that they're just Braxton-Hicks contractions. One "new" pain that I've started experiencing, however, is this bizarre pain on my left lower-back. It runs from my mid-back to my lumbar area, and it feels like a period cramp on my back. I was woken up by such a pain early this morning, and it took a while for it to go away. I then felt it again in the late morning, just after 11am. No signs of it since then. I'll probably mention that to the doctor when I see him next week.
Besides Monday being my doctor's appointment, it was also an important milestone for me - my first day of mat-leave! YOINKS! This whole thing is still very surreal to me - and I'm sure it will be even more surreal once PK arrives. Right now, it feels like I'm on vacation. I can sleep in, run errands, and goof off. At the same time, I spent part of my first day on mat-leave cleaning up the kitchen after the plumbers came by to finish up. How domestic is that? It made me feel like a bit of a housewife, which made me cringe. Nothing against any housewives out there. My mom and my mother-in-law are both housewives, and I KNOW that it's a tiring and thankless job. In some ways, it's harder than being out there in the workforce. It's just not for me. I like the idea of working and earning my own money. We keep separate bank accounts, which I find empowering and other people just find plain weird. Now that I'm going on mat-leave, however, I'll be getting an allowance from the hubby once my top-up payments are done. How WEIRD!
Oh, before I forget, I did finally get the Depends for when PK arrives. I took the plunge on Sunday. It needed to be done. I don't want to be ruining perfectly good underwear at the hospital due to massive post-partum bleeding. I also got a bunch of overnight pads for when the Depends run out and/or when the bleeding isn't quite as heavy. Ah, Life's necessary evils!
On the bright side, he was able to feel PK's head when he poked at my cervix, which means that she's starting to engage somewhat. The ultrasound also confirmed that the head was down, the spine was on my left-hand side, and the feet were on my right. No surprise there. Apparently this is a very common position for babies to be in towards the end.
When I got home from the doctor's office, I noticed some blood on my underwear. Now, I'd been told that there would be some spotting as a result of the cervical exam, but this seemed like more than spotting, so I called the doctor's office. The secretary assured me that since I wasn't bleeding more than a period, I was fine. Still...it caught me a bit by surprise. After that, the blood turned more from red to brown, and I passed a small bit of brownish mucus. At first I thought it was the so-called bloody show, but the books appear to indicate that the bloody show is either red or pinkish in color and that the brown mucusy gunk is most likely the result of a cervical exam. WHEW!
At the same time, I think that the cervical exam must've kick-started something. I've been cramping up more than usual, and the cramping has gotten more intense. There is no pattern to the cramping, however, so I think that they're just Braxton-Hicks contractions. One "new" pain that I've started experiencing, however, is this bizarre pain on my left lower-back. It runs from my mid-back to my lumbar area, and it feels like a period cramp on my back. I was woken up by such a pain early this morning, and it took a while for it to go away. I then felt it again in the late morning, just after 11am. No signs of it since then. I'll probably mention that to the doctor when I see him next week.
Besides Monday being my doctor's appointment, it was also an important milestone for me - my first day of mat-leave! YOINKS! This whole thing is still very surreal to me - and I'm sure it will be even more surreal once PK arrives. Right now, it feels like I'm on vacation. I can sleep in, run errands, and goof off. At the same time, I spent part of my first day on mat-leave cleaning up the kitchen after the plumbers came by to finish up. How domestic is that? It made me feel like a bit of a housewife, which made me cringe. Nothing against any housewives out there. My mom and my mother-in-law are both housewives, and I KNOW that it's a tiring and thankless job. In some ways, it's harder than being out there in the workforce. It's just not for me. I like the idea of working and earning my own money. We keep separate bank accounts, which I find empowering and other people just find plain weird. Now that I'm going on mat-leave, however, I'll be getting an allowance from the hubby once my top-up payments are done. How WEIRD!
Oh, before I forget, I did finally get the Depends for when PK arrives. I took the plunge on Sunday. It needed to be done. I don't want to be ruining perfectly good underwear at the hospital due to massive post-partum bleeding. I also got a bunch of overnight pads for when the Depends run out and/or when the bleeding isn't quite as heavy. Ah, Life's necessary evils!
Monday, July 28, 2008
The Pediatrician
When I posted the update for Week 37, I forgot to mention the fact that we'd met with our new pediatrician on July 17th for a pre-natal visit. I was already pretty impressed by the fact that they even DID pre-natal visits, so that was a good sign. I can't remember if I'd mentioned this before, but I got the pediatrician's name from a new mom that I'd met at a friend's wedding back in May.
I'm glad we were able to secure a pediatrician for PK, because - and I may have mentioned this before - I don't particularly trust family doctors. I figure that since pediatricians deal with kids exclusively, there's a better chance that if PK had some nasty ailment a pediatrician would fare better than a family doc. The residency period for family medicine in Canada is only two years (compared to at least 5 years for all other programs), and most med students choose it either because they want an easy life or because they couldn't get into their first-choice residency program. Very sobering facts, and they definitely don't add to my confidence in family doctors. That being said, there are good doctors and bad doctors everywhere. I just have yet to find a good family doc. But I digress...
So, back to my story. The hubby called the pediatrician and made arrangements for our pre-natal visit. Fortunately - and to my surprise and delight - we didn't need a referral from a family doc, so getting the appointment was relatively easy. The pediatrician's office is not quite as close as we'd like, but fortunately it's a 15-minute ride on the subway, and that particular subway station has an elevator, so it's stroller-friendly. Yay!
When we got there, we were led into an examination room right away, and then we waited. And waited. And waited. I think we were seen one hour later, which, for being in the examination room, is quite a long time to be waiting. Then we found out why there was the delay. There are two doctors in the practice, Dr. X and Dr. Y. When the hubby made the appointment, he'd made it for Dr. Y - i.e. NOT the one given to us by the girl at the wedding, Dr. X). When we got to the office, however, he'd gotten the names mixed up, and told the lady at reception that we were seeing Dr. X instead of Dr. Y. So in the end we ended up seeing Dr. X (original referral) even though we'd made the appointment for Dr. Y. :P Confused yet?
At least the wait was worth it. The doctor was extremely pleasant and mild-mannered. And as an extra bonus, she has kids of her own, so she can actually practice what she preaches. Before taking any questions from us, she gave us a little spiel about the practice. First off, she told us all about how both doctors in the practice cover for each other, so even if one doctor is away due to illness or whatever, the other doctor is there to take on the extra caseload. And she said that if you need an appointment at the last minute (i.e. the day you're calling), they always accommodate. On top of that, she also mentioned that they're part of a group of pediatricians that are on-call in the evenings and weekends, so if you have any questions or concerns, you always have phone access to a pediatrician up to 10pm every evening. Freaking awesome!
In the end, it was a very fruitful visit, and I'm very glad that we were able to book a pre-natal appointment. It's nice to know that there are all of these support services available to PK. It's also nice to know that I can bug her for resources on lactation consultants, post-partum depression (knock on wood that I won't have to), and other post-partum related items. It definitely makes me more at ease to know that PK is in good hands and that so are we.
I'm glad we were able to secure a pediatrician for PK, because - and I may have mentioned this before - I don't particularly trust family doctors. I figure that since pediatricians deal with kids exclusively, there's a better chance that if PK had some nasty ailment a pediatrician would fare better than a family doc. The residency period for family medicine in Canada is only two years (compared to at least 5 years for all other programs), and most med students choose it either because they want an easy life or because they couldn't get into their first-choice residency program. Very sobering facts, and they definitely don't add to my confidence in family doctors. That being said, there are good doctors and bad doctors everywhere. I just have yet to find a good family doc. But I digress...
So, back to my story. The hubby called the pediatrician and made arrangements for our pre-natal visit. Fortunately - and to my surprise and delight - we didn't need a referral from a family doc, so getting the appointment was relatively easy. The pediatrician's office is not quite as close as we'd like, but fortunately it's a 15-minute ride on the subway, and that particular subway station has an elevator, so it's stroller-friendly. Yay!
When we got there, we were led into an examination room right away, and then we waited. And waited. And waited. I think we were seen one hour later, which, for being in the examination room, is quite a long time to be waiting. Then we found out why there was the delay. There are two doctors in the practice, Dr. X and Dr. Y. When the hubby made the appointment, he'd made it for Dr. Y - i.e. NOT the one given to us by the girl at the wedding, Dr. X). When we got to the office, however, he'd gotten the names mixed up, and told the lady at reception that we were seeing Dr. X instead of Dr. Y. So in the end we ended up seeing Dr. X (original referral) even though we'd made the appointment for Dr. Y. :P Confused yet?
At least the wait was worth it. The doctor was extremely pleasant and mild-mannered. And as an extra bonus, she has kids of her own, so she can actually practice what she preaches. Before taking any questions from us, she gave us a little spiel about the practice. First off, she told us all about how both doctors in the practice cover for each other, so even if one doctor is away due to illness or whatever, the other doctor is there to take on the extra caseload. And she said that if you need an appointment at the last minute (i.e. the day you're calling), they always accommodate. On top of that, she also mentioned that they're part of a group of pediatricians that are on-call in the evenings and weekends, so if you have any questions or concerns, you always have phone access to a pediatrician up to 10pm every evening. Freaking awesome!
In the end, it was a very fruitful visit, and I'm very glad that we were able to book a pre-natal appointment. It's nice to know that there are all of these support services available to PK. It's also nice to know that I can bug her for resources on lactation consultants, post-partum depression (knock on wood that I won't have to), and other post-partum related items. It definitely makes me more at ease to know that PK is in good hands and that so are we.
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Week 37
I was totally convinced that PK would be making her world début partway into my 37th week. On the opening night for "The Dark Night", I was sitting in the theater watching the movie like everyone else, when all of a sudden I started getting some major cramping. I dismissed the cramps as Braxton-Hicks initially, but started worrying when they wouldn't stop. Finally, they did. I guess PK wasn't ready to come out just yet. On a similar note, one girl in my aqua-fitness class who was due the same day as me (August 7th) ended up having her baby at 37 weeks on the nose.
As with the past few weekends leading up to PK's due date, we've spent most of our time scrambling around buying odds and ends. One of the things I still had to do was buy some disposable undies for the hospital, seeing as I've read (and have been told) that there is some crazy bleeding that happens post-partum. I was all ready to buy myself a pack of Depends, when I suddenly started feeling all self-conscious and abandoned my mission. That was probably not the smartest thing to do, but as I've said before, I've never claimed to be rational at all times.
On the Monday, I had my usual weekly doctor's appointment. Nothing terribly exciting happened there. PK's head is still in the right spot. Hurray! He told me that the following week, he'd do an internal exam to see if PK's "landing gear" had deployed. That totally cracked me up. It was a nice euphemism for saying he'd check if my cervix was dilated. My sister tells me that when they do these types of exams, it can sometimes trigger the onset of labor, and that if labor does start, it's usually within 24 hours of the exam. I'd considered waiving that exam after she told me this, because my last day at the office was July 25th, and I wanted at least one week to myself before PK arrived. Seeing as my next doctor's appointment is on July 27th, there's a possibility that checking under the hood might trigger labor on the 28th and therefore nix any of my plans for actual time off before PK arrives. After giving it some thought, I think I'll still go ahead with the exam. PK will come out when she's ready. If I go into labor on the 28th, then so be it.
Speaking of mat-leave, I did decide that July 25th would be my last day at the office after all. As I'd mentioned in my last post, I'd tinkered with the idea of working part-time after the 25th, but the more I thought about it, the more it seemed like a hair-brained idea. Who am I kidding. I need some "me time" before PK arrives. Besides, my attention span during meetings has gotten worse, and I am increasingly more tired overall. I've been so tired lately that I skipped out on my pre-natal Yoga class this week. I really wasn't up for the torture workout that I usually get. That being said, I went home and worked out all the same - arm-toning with the TheraBands and leg toning with some fabulous squats. Believe me, that was still a lot less intense than the Yoga class.
On a final note, here's the latest on the kitchen. Counters were installed on Monday (July 21st), so our kitchen finally looks like a kitchen! The plumber also came by that week, to install the sinks and the toilet. As of today, we have a working toilet, but the sinks are half-done. The faucet for the kitchen sink has been installed, and the sink has been mounted (it's an under-mount sink), but the drain for the sink and the dishwasher hasn't been set up yet. I'm a little miffed because the drain was never set up because the sink needed to be glued in place. The plumber didn't come until Wednesday, so they could've mounted the sink before then. Oh well...c'est la vie. The bathroom sink has been put in place, but the faucet wasn't installed because they couldn't remember if the faucet was going to be to the left or right of the sink, so they hadn't drilled the hole for the faucet when the counters were installed. Our cell #s are posted in the front hall, so a simple phone call to ask would've sufficed. Arrrrrrrrrrrgh! We were told that the final plumbing work would be done on Monday, July 28th, at the latest, so hopefully we'll have a working kitchen by then. On the bright side, everything has been cleaned up in the kitchen area, so we were at least able to move our kitchen paraphernalia into the kitchen. Yay!
I just hope that I get to enjoy my working kitchen for a day or two - I've been itching to bake cookies :D - before PK arrives. I guess I'm getting pretty demanding. Enjoying time off, being able to do some baking...all before PK arrives! Will it happen? Only PK knows the answer to that question!
Me at 37 Weeks
As with the past few weekends leading up to PK's due date, we've spent most of our time scrambling around buying odds and ends. One of the things I still had to do was buy some disposable undies for the hospital, seeing as I've read (and have been told) that there is some crazy bleeding that happens post-partum. I was all ready to buy myself a pack of Depends, when I suddenly started feeling all self-conscious and abandoned my mission. That was probably not the smartest thing to do, but as I've said before, I've never claimed to be rational at all times.
On the Monday, I had my usual weekly doctor's appointment. Nothing terribly exciting happened there. PK's head is still in the right spot. Hurray! He told me that the following week, he'd do an internal exam to see if PK's "landing gear" had deployed. That totally cracked me up. It was a nice euphemism for saying he'd check if my cervix was dilated. My sister tells me that when they do these types of exams, it can sometimes trigger the onset of labor, and that if labor does start, it's usually within 24 hours of the exam. I'd considered waiving that exam after she told me this, because my last day at the office was July 25th, and I wanted at least one week to myself before PK arrived. Seeing as my next doctor's appointment is on July 27th, there's a possibility that checking under the hood might trigger labor on the 28th and therefore nix any of my plans for actual time off before PK arrives. After giving it some thought, I think I'll still go ahead with the exam. PK will come out when she's ready. If I go into labor on the 28th, then so be it.
Speaking of mat-leave, I did decide that July 25th would be my last day at the office after all. As I'd mentioned in my last post, I'd tinkered with the idea of working part-time after the 25th, but the more I thought about it, the more it seemed like a hair-brained idea. Who am I kidding. I need some "me time" before PK arrives. Besides, my attention span during meetings has gotten worse, and I am increasingly more tired overall. I've been so tired lately that I skipped out on my pre-natal Yoga class this week. I really wasn't up for the torture workout that I usually get. That being said, I went home and worked out all the same - arm-toning with the TheraBands and leg toning with some fabulous squats. Believe me, that was still a lot less intense than the Yoga class.
On a final note, here's the latest on the kitchen. Counters were installed on Monday (July 21st), so our kitchen finally looks like a kitchen! The plumber also came by that week, to install the sinks and the toilet. As of today, we have a working toilet, but the sinks are half-done. The faucet for the kitchen sink has been installed, and the sink has been mounted (it's an under-mount sink), but the drain for the sink and the dishwasher hasn't been set up yet. I'm a little miffed because the drain was never set up because the sink needed to be glued in place. The plumber didn't come until Wednesday, so they could've mounted the sink before then. Oh well...c'est la vie. The bathroom sink has been put in place, but the faucet wasn't installed because they couldn't remember if the faucet was going to be to the left or right of the sink, so they hadn't drilled the hole for the faucet when the counters were installed. Our cell #s are posted in the front hall, so a simple phone call to ask would've sufficed. Arrrrrrrrrrrgh! We were told that the final plumbing work would be done on Monday, July 28th, at the latest, so hopefully we'll have a working kitchen by then. On the bright side, everything has been cleaned up in the kitchen area, so we were at least able to move our kitchen paraphernalia into the kitchen. Yay!
I just hope that I get to enjoy my working kitchen for a day or two - I've been itching to bake cookies :D - before PK arrives. I guess I'm getting pretty demanding. Enjoying time off, being able to do some baking...all before PK arrives! Will it happen? Only PK knows the answer to that question!
Me at 37 Weeks
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Week 36
I have to admit that I was half-expecting to go into labor over the weekend. I was feeling a combination overall ick and this horrid fatigue that I'd never felt before - not even in my first trimester. The Braxton Hicks that I've been feeling also didn't help.
I've been feeling Braxton Hicks on and off since the onset of the third trimester, but I didn't really realize what it was until quite recently. I just figured that they were third trimester cramps, since all of the literature about Braxton Hicks seems to indicate that the symptoms feel like nothing more than a bit of tightening of the uterus. I finally laid that to rest a couple of weeks ago when I asked my doctor about the cramps, and he told me what they were. Even though they're rather uncomfortable I take it all in stride. Whenever I get the cramping, I practice one of the breathing techniques that I learned in my HypnoBirthing classes for dealing with uterine surges (HypnoBirthing term for contractions). It actually makes the pain a lot more bearable and it's great practice for when I actually do go into labor.
I saw the doctor on Monday again (now that my appointments are weekly), and got the results of my GBS swab. Not surprisingly, the test results came out positive. This basically means that I have to come to the hospital at the onset of labor, since they have to administer antibiotics intravenously for at least 4 hours. It's a bit of an inconvenience, I admit, and definitely puts a cramp in birth plan, but I'd rather be safe than sorry.
On Monday, the hubby and I went on our hospital tour. I won't bore you with the gory details since I'd already done a nice long post on it. The short of it is that it was useful, and definitely overwhelming in some ways, since it really really made this whole baby thing seem all the more real. At the same time, knowing what to expect at the hospital when I go into labor is hugely comforting.
Speaking of the hospital, I FINALLY got around to packing my suitcase for the hospital on Monday. Well, sort of. I got most of it packed up, but I'm still missing a couple of items here and there. I'm hoping that I can just pick them up on the weekend and be done with it more or less. As long as I don't go into labor before then, I should be just fine. Honestly, my biggest fear right now is going into labor and forgetting the cord blood collection kit that I picked up last week. I can't keep it with my suitcase right now because my bedroom gets really hot during the day and the lady with whom I spoke when I picked up the collection kit said to keep it in a cool place. So right now it's sitting in my basement, while my suitcase sits in my bedroom with a big post-it note reminding me to grab the collection kit. Once the other items have been packed, I'll take the suitcase down to the basement and re-unite it with the collection kit.
This week I also thought I'd figured out the timing for my mat-leave. The plan was to start it on July 26th so I'd still have 2 weeks until my due date to chill out. That plan is still in effect, but my manager's boss asked me today if I could work some half-days up until my due date. It's food for thought, and I may do the half-day thing after the 26th. It wouldn't be a big deal for me if I came in for the morning and just went home at noon or 1pm.
And finally, at long last, there is a light at the end of the tunnel for the kitchen renos! We got confirmation this week that our kitchen counter is getting put in on Monday, which means that the kitchen may actually be done by the end of next week. Yay!!! Whether or not that actually happens remains to be seen. Still, I'm glad that there's a date. I'll be even happier if the kitchen renos are done before PK arrives. Keep your fingers crossed!
I've been feeling Braxton Hicks on and off since the onset of the third trimester, but I didn't really realize what it was until quite recently. I just figured that they were third trimester cramps, since all of the literature about Braxton Hicks seems to indicate that the symptoms feel like nothing more than a bit of tightening of the uterus. I finally laid that to rest a couple of weeks ago when I asked my doctor about the cramps, and he told me what they were. Even though they're rather uncomfortable I take it all in stride. Whenever I get the cramping, I practice one of the breathing techniques that I learned in my HypnoBirthing classes for dealing with uterine surges (HypnoBirthing term for contractions). It actually makes the pain a lot more bearable and it's great practice for when I actually do go into labor.
I saw the doctor on Monday again (now that my appointments are weekly), and got the results of my GBS swab. Not surprisingly, the test results came out positive. This basically means that I have to come to the hospital at the onset of labor, since they have to administer antibiotics intravenously for at least 4 hours. It's a bit of an inconvenience, I admit, and definitely puts a cramp in birth plan, but I'd rather be safe than sorry.
On Monday, the hubby and I went on our hospital tour. I won't bore you with the gory details since I'd already done a nice long post on it. The short of it is that it was useful, and definitely overwhelming in some ways, since it really really made this whole baby thing seem all the more real. At the same time, knowing what to expect at the hospital when I go into labor is hugely comforting.
Speaking of the hospital, I FINALLY got around to packing my suitcase for the hospital on Monday. Well, sort of. I got most of it packed up, but I'm still missing a couple of items here and there. I'm hoping that I can just pick them up on the weekend and be done with it more or less. As long as I don't go into labor before then, I should be just fine. Honestly, my biggest fear right now is going into labor and forgetting the cord blood collection kit that I picked up last week. I can't keep it with my suitcase right now because my bedroom gets really hot during the day and the lady with whom I spoke when I picked up the collection kit said to keep it in a cool place. So right now it's sitting in my basement, while my suitcase sits in my bedroom with a big post-it note reminding me to grab the collection kit. Once the other items have been packed, I'll take the suitcase down to the basement and re-unite it with the collection kit.
This week I also thought I'd figured out the timing for my mat-leave. The plan was to start it on July 26th so I'd still have 2 weeks until my due date to chill out. That plan is still in effect, but my manager's boss asked me today if I could work some half-days up until my due date. It's food for thought, and I may do the half-day thing after the 26th. It wouldn't be a big deal for me if I came in for the morning and just went home at noon or 1pm.
And finally, at long last, there is a light at the end of the tunnel for the kitchen renos! We got confirmation this week that our kitchen counter is getting put in on Monday, which means that the kitchen may actually be done by the end of next week. Yay!!! Whether or not that actually happens remains to be seen. Still, I'm glad that there's a date. I'll be even happier if the kitchen renos are done before PK arrives. Keep your fingers crossed!
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
PK at 35 Weeks
Today we went to see the doctor. From here on in, I'll be seeing him once a week. I hope that next week's appointment isn't like today's where we arrived on-time for our 3:30pm appointment, and ended up seeing him at 4:45pm. I'm just glad that I didn't book my appointment for first thing in the morning - the entire workday might have been a write-off!
In a nutshell, PK is doing just fine - still head-down. Not that I could tell from the ultrasound at this point. PK just looks like a big gray blob on the ultrasound these days, which I guess is to be expected. There's only so much that the little ultrasound probe can show at this point with PK being so big and all. I did ask him for a print-out of the ultrasound, however, and he provided me with one of PK's heart. I'm posting it up here, but I will warn you that you really can't tell that it's a heart on the picture.
I also got swabbed for Group B Strep (GBS). I'd done an initial GBS swab a few weeks back - when I was 25 weeks or so? I really can't remember. At any rate that swab came back positive. I'm not terribly optimistic about this one coming back negative, but if it DOES come back positive, I won't be distraught. These things happen. The good news is that there's treatment for it, so I'm not going to fret over it. Been there, done that, bought the t-shirt. :)
In a nutshell, PK is doing just fine - still head-down. Not that I could tell from the ultrasound at this point. PK just looks like a big gray blob on the ultrasound these days, which I guess is to be expected. There's only so much that the little ultrasound probe can show at this point with PK being so big and all. I did ask him for a print-out of the ultrasound, however, and he provided me with one of PK's heart. I'm posting it up here, but I will warn you that you really can't tell that it's a heart on the picture.
I also got swabbed for Group B Strep (GBS). I'd done an initial GBS swab a few weeks back - when I was 25 weeks or so? I really can't remember. At any rate that swab came back positive. I'm not terribly optimistic about this one coming back negative, but if it DOES come back positive, I won't be distraught. These things happen. The good news is that there's treatment for it, so I'm not going to fret over it. Been there, done that, bought the t-shirt. :)
Monday, June 30, 2008
Week 33
I had yet another doctor's appointment this week. Even though they're every 2 weeks now, I swear it feels like I'm there all the time. I don't mind so much, except for the fact that it takes me a friggin' hour to get there. Plus this one was earlier in the day (13:00h), so my entire afternoon of work was a write-off. He wanted to see me earlier in the day this time because he wanted to see me right after lunch, which apparently is a time when babies get squirmy in the womb. PK is squirmy ALL THE TIME, so it probably wouldn't have mattered so much. Anyway, the reason why he wanted PK to be extra-squirmy is because he wanted to check out my placenta. Apparently squirminess and placenta-measuring go hand-in-hand? At any rate, all was well on the placenta front, and PK is still favorably-positioned!
We even made it out of there at a good time! The only sucky thing is that when we left the doctor's office, we were greeted with a nasty thunderstorm (thunder, lightning, and pouring rain), so we had to wait out the storm for an hour or so before we could walk down to the subway station. By the time we got home, it was 4:30pm, and while I was tempted to call it a day, I VPNed into work and got about 3 hours of work done to make up for the lost time in the afternoon. Not that I'm complaining. I enjoy my work enough to WANT to work those 3 hours from home, so no biggie.
In other pregnancy news, my non-sciatica butt pains seem to be at bay now (maybe all that squatting practice and Yoga stuff I'm doing is finally sticking!), but it has been replaced by foot swelling. Most of the time it doesn't bug me, because my shoes aren't all that tight, but sometimes I do feel it. My legs are a bit swollen as well, mostly on my calves. I notice it most when I get up from my desk to walk, as they feel pretty stiff. Fortunately, I've got a box under my desk that I prop my feet on, so I think that it could be worse. One other thing that helps is time spent in the pool - both at aqua-fitness and mooching off of my parents' pool on weekends. :D
I've noticed a bit of hand swelling as well, especially when the weather is warm or when I walk a lot. It's not so bad during the day because my hands are elevated. It has been significantly better now that the weather has cooled off somewhat (i.e. 25C vs. 35C + humidity), though I notice that my left pinky (where my iron ring resides) still seems to suffer a bit.
The breathlessness that I was complaining about last time is still prevalent, though at this point, I've just accepted it. I'm still winded is hell whenever I go up a flight of stairs, though walking isn't so bad. The fatigue is definitely hitting me most during meetings, where, if I'm not actively participating, I just find myself feeling lethargic and wanting to doze off. Unfortunately, I think it'll only get worse before it gets better. Fortunately, since I DO actively participate in most meetings, I never quite fall asleep when the topic shifts away from my area of expertise/interest.
On the kitchen front, we are at a bit of a lull right now. Although our carpenter told us that the counters would be arriving 2 weeks after templating, our project manager said that it would be more like 4 weeks from the time of templating. While the 4 weeks is in line with the estimate that we were originally given, I really really was hoping that the counters would come sooner. That puts our counter ETA at around July 16th, and if all goes well (*knock on wood*), then they have another weeks' worth of work (hopefully less) to do odds and ends like install sinks, the toilet, and appliances. And after that, the hubby and I have the lovely task of cleaning cabinets, moving things back from our basement to the kitchen, and getting the house in order from its current state of chaos. For now, however, we are sitting ducks. Waiting sucks. I just hope that PK doesn't arrive before the kitchen is done.
And now, for the topic that I've been dreading for the last few weeks - the perineal massage. I think I'm at the point where I have to just take the plunge and do it, but I really really don't want to. First off, I hear that it hurts. Secondly, I really really don't want my fingers to be anywhere down there, thank-you very much. At the same time, the prospect of tearing during labor or being given an episiotomy (though the latter doesn't happen as much) do not tickle my fancy, so I guess I need to suck it up and just do it. Bleh.
We even made it out of there at a good time! The only sucky thing is that when we left the doctor's office, we were greeted with a nasty thunderstorm (thunder, lightning, and pouring rain), so we had to wait out the storm for an hour or so before we could walk down to the subway station. By the time we got home, it was 4:30pm, and while I was tempted to call it a day, I VPNed into work and got about 3 hours of work done to make up for the lost time in the afternoon. Not that I'm complaining. I enjoy my work enough to WANT to work those 3 hours from home, so no biggie.
In other pregnancy news, my non-sciatica butt pains seem to be at bay now (maybe all that squatting practice and Yoga stuff I'm doing is finally sticking!), but it has been replaced by foot swelling. Most of the time it doesn't bug me, because my shoes aren't all that tight, but sometimes I do feel it. My legs are a bit swollen as well, mostly on my calves. I notice it most when I get up from my desk to walk, as they feel pretty stiff. Fortunately, I've got a box under my desk that I prop my feet on, so I think that it could be worse. One other thing that helps is time spent in the pool - both at aqua-fitness and mooching off of my parents' pool on weekends. :D
I've noticed a bit of hand swelling as well, especially when the weather is warm or when I walk a lot. It's not so bad during the day because my hands are elevated. It has been significantly better now that the weather has cooled off somewhat (i.e. 25C vs. 35C + humidity), though I notice that my left pinky (where my iron ring resides) still seems to suffer a bit.
The breathlessness that I was complaining about last time is still prevalent, though at this point, I've just accepted it. I'm still winded is hell whenever I go up a flight of stairs, though walking isn't so bad. The fatigue is definitely hitting me most during meetings, where, if I'm not actively participating, I just find myself feeling lethargic and wanting to doze off. Unfortunately, I think it'll only get worse before it gets better. Fortunately, since I DO actively participate in most meetings, I never quite fall asleep when the topic shifts away from my area of expertise/interest.
On the kitchen front, we are at a bit of a lull right now. Although our carpenter told us that the counters would be arriving 2 weeks after templating, our project manager said that it would be more like 4 weeks from the time of templating. While the 4 weeks is in line with the estimate that we were originally given, I really really was hoping that the counters would come sooner. That puts our counter ETA at around July 16th, and if all goes well (*knock on wood*), then they have another weeks' worth of work (hopefully less) to do odds and ends like install sinks, the toilet, and appliances. And after that, the hubby and I have the lovely task of cleaning cabinets, moving things back from our basement to the kitchen, and getting the house in order from its current state of chaos. For now, however, we are sitting ducks. Waiting sucks. I just hope that PK doesn't arrive before the kitchen is done.
And now, for the topic that I've been dreading for the last few weeks - the perineal massage. I think I'm at the point where I have to just take the plunge and do it, but I really really don't want to. First off, I hear that it hurts. Secondly, I really really don't want my fingers to be anywhere down there, thank-you very much. At the same time, the prospect of tearing during labor or being given an episiotomy (though the latter doesn't happen as much) do not tickle my fancy, so I guess I need to suck it up and just do it. Bleh.
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Home Stretch Weight Gain
I had a doctor's appointment this week, and as usual, I was weighed. I can't remember if I'd mentioned this before, but this doctor has one of those scales where you muck around with the little weights in order to figure out how much you weigh. By contrast, my old doctor just had a scale with the big needle. For the last few visits, I couldn't figure out how to read the scale at my current doctor's office, because the numbers just seemed really weird. This week, the nurse moved a big weight to the 40 mark, and a small weight to the 19 mark. And then it dawned on me: THIS IS A METRIC SCALE! Major DUH moment. :P
I won't go into too much of a rant over metric vs. imperial except that for an overall metric country, I HATE the fact that most people still refer to their height in feet and their weight in pounds. Pretty back-assed, if you ask me. Anyway, I guess I must've been somewhat brainwashed over the last few years, because now I always refer to my weight in pounds and my height in feet, so I always have to do the conversion to quote it the "right" (metric) way.
Anyway, I digress. So as of Monday, I finally "figured" out my current pregnancy weight (40kg + 19kg = 59kg). I guess I could've weighed myself at home, but I've refused to do so ever since I got pregnant. Don't ask why - it makes no sense. In the spirit of the metric system, I calculated my pre-pregnancy weight in kilos, and determined that so far, I've gained 11kg in the last 33 weeks. I decided to search around the Web to see if that weight gain was normal, and this is what I found on BabyCenter.ca. The first part of the article says that you're looking at gaining an average of 11kg by the end of your pregnancy when you add up things like baby, placenta, uterine growth, extra blood volume, and so on. At 33.5 weeks, I had already gained 11kg. Alarm bells went off in my mind. Now, before you feel the urge to smack me because of my weight gain complaints, read on. Then you may give me a virtual smack. :) As I was saying, I read further down the page, and realized that 11kg is merely an AVERAGE (makes sense), and that the amount of weight you should gain during pregnancy is based on your BMI. Being the keener that I am, I calculated my pre-pregnancy BMI to be approximately 18.75. According to the BabyCenter.ca article, it means that I should be gaining between 12.5kg and 18kg. The 18kg (~40lbs for you non-metric folks out there) upper-limit seems a bit excessive, and I'm guessing that that's reserved for women who were under-weight before getting pregnant. The moral of the story is that my 11kg (~24lb) gain over 33.5 weeks is normal enough, so I really should shut the hell up.
I really have no reason to worry. Most people have told me that I look pretty good for a pregnant gal, and that alone should have been reassuring. I guess I need the backing of numbers to re-assure me. I have to admit that freaked out a bit when I read a few weeks back that rapid weight gain occurs in the 3rd trimester and that, while that's normal, I don't want to go crazy and gain more than I need to by having sweets and all that. I live off of fruits and fruit juices. I tend to drink the no-sugar-added juices, but even "natural" fruit juices still HAVE naturally-occurring sugar. I would hate to be doing well throughout my pregnancy weight-wise, only to blow up in the home stretch.
I probably sound like a broken record today, since I've harped on the weight thing here and there throughout the life of this blog. The purpose of this blog, however, is to allow me to vent, so venting is what I've done. On that note, I promise to not mention the weight gain thing ever again on my blog for the duration of my pregnancy.
I won't go into too much of a rant over metric vs. imperial except that for an overall metric country, I HATE the fact that most people still refer to their height in feet and their weight in pounds. Pretty back-assed, if you ask me. Anyway, I guess I must've been somewhat brainwashed over the last few years, because now I always refer to my weight in pounds and my height in feet, so I always have to do the conversion to quote it the "right" (metric) way.
Anyway, I digress. So as of Monday, I finally "figured" out my current pregnancy weight (40kg + 19kg = 59kg). I guess I could've weighed myself at home, but I've refused to do so ever since I got pregnant. Don't ask why - it makes no sense. In the spirit of the metric system, I calculated my pre-pregnancy weight in kilos, and determined that so far, I've gained 11kg in the last 33 weeks. I decided to search around the Web to see if that weight gain was normal, and this is what I found on BabyCenter.ca. The first part of the article says that you're looking at gaining an average of 11kg by the end of your pregnancy when you add up things like baby, placenta, uterine growth, extra blood volume, and so on. At 33.5 weeks, I had already gained 11kg. Alarm bells went off in my mind. Now, before you feel the urge to smack me because of my weight gain complaints, read on. Then you may give me a virtual smack. :) As I was saying, I read further down the page, and realized that 11kg is merely an AVERAGE (makes sense), and that the amount of weight you should gain during pregnancy is based on your BMI. Being the keener that I am, I calculated my pre-pregnancy BMI to be approximately 18.75. According to the BabyCenter.ca article, it means that I should be gaining between 12.5kg and 18kg. The 18kg (~40lbs for you non-metric folks out there) upper-limit seems a bit excessive, and I'm guessing that that's reserved for women who were under-weight before getting pregnant. The moral of the story is that my 11kg (~24lb) gain over 33.5 weeks is normal enough, so I really should shut the hell up.
I really have no reason to worry. Most people have told me that I look pretty good for a pregnant gal, and that alone should have been reassuring. I guess I need the backing of numbers to re-assure me. I have to admit that freaked out a bit when I read a few weeks back that rapid weight gain occurs in the 3rd trimester and that, while that's normal, I don't want to go crazy and gain more than I need to by having sweets and all that. I live off of fruits and fruit juices. I tend to drink the no-sugar-added juices, but even "natural" fruit juices still HAVE naturally-occurring sugar. I would hate to be doing well throughout my pregnancy weight-wise, only to blow up in the home stretch.
I probably sound like a broken record today, since I've harped on the weight thing here and there throughout the life of this blog. The purpose of this blog, however, is to allow me to vent, so venting is what I've done. On that note, I promise to not mention the weight gain thing ever again on my blog for the duration of my pregnancy.
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Week 31
The more I get into my 3rd trimester, the more I've noticed that my energy levels have declined. All things considered, I still feel pretty energetic; however, it's definitely not as high as my 2nd-trimester energy level, and certainly nowhere near my pre-pregnancy energy level. I was told by several new moms that energy drain during the 3rd trimester was common. I guess I thought I was immune to that, because I wasn't feeling in the earlier weeks of the trimester. That all changed around week 31, where I started feeling plain tired. The funny thing is that it's different from the fatigue that I felt in my first trimester. My first trimester felt like I'd been given NyQuil every day for 3 months. I felt as if I couldn't move my body, and I felt drained. The fatigue I feel in my 3rd trimester is totally different. It feels more like I haven't slept in days, and that I constantly need a nap. It's certainly a lot harder to stay awake during meetings, and as part of some cruel joke, it seems that I've got more meetings to attend now, than I did a few months back.
That being said, I'm being pretty stubborn about the whole thing, and try to carry on as if I didn't have diminished energy levels. I think one of these days I'll end up coming home on a Friday night and collapse on the couch until morning. :P It'll probably happen soon, and it'll probably be a good thing. It's probably the only way that I'll slow down!
Another thing which doesn't help with the fatigue is that I get out of breath really really easily. I guess little PK has gotten to the point where she's squishing my lungs. That's okay though - it means she's growing. :) The only sucky part about the whole thing is that by the time I get to bed at night, I'm totally panting. Plus my fitness classes seem to feel A LOT more intense, so I'm just dead after I finish.
Week 31 was also the last week of HypnoBirthing. Although I didn't have the most relaxing last session ever, it was still pretty fun. I'm sad that the classes are done now, because it was nice to have the instructors to talk to about various concerns and questions that we had. Fortunately they're really cool about staying in touch via e-mail, so that helps.
I guess another "highlight" of the week was my doctor's appointment on June 9th. It wasn't a terribly exciting appointment. As usual, I spent more time getting there than I did at the appointment itself, which at least means that everything was fine. He checked PK's position with the ultrasound machine, and PK was still in a favorable position (head-down), so I'm glad. I like to think that it's all due to the nightly stories that the hubby tells PK. He's getting pretty creative with these stories nowadays. They used to be about this and that, but now there's a theme - it's about a bunny and her daily adventures. Sometimes the stories are so elaborate that we have to stop and continue with the next part of the story the next day. It's very entertaining!
That being said, I'm being pretty stubborn about the whole thing, and try to carry on as if I didn't have diminished energy levels. I think one of these days I'll end up coming home on a Friday night and collapse on the couch until morning. :P It'll probably happen soon, and it'll probably be a good thing. It's probably the only way that I'll slow down!
Another thing which doesn't help with the fatigue is that I get out of breath really really easily. I guess little PK has gotten to the point where she's squishing my lungs. That's okay though - it means she's growing. :) The only sucky part about the whole thing is that by the time I get to bed at night, I'm totally panting. Plus my fitness classes seem to feel A LOT more intense, so I'm just dead after I finish.
Week 31 was also the last week of HypnoBirthing. Although I didn't have the most relaxing last session ever, it was still pretty fun. I'm sad that the classes are done now, because it was nice to have the instructors to talk to about various concerns and questions that we had. Fortunately they're really cool about staying in touch via e-mail, so that helps.
I guess another "highlight" of the week was my doctor's appointment on June 9th. It wasn't a terribly exciting appointment. As usual, I spent more time getting there than I did at the appointment itself, which at least means that everything was fine. He checked PK's position with the ultrasound machine, and PK was still in a favorable position (head-down), so I'm glad. I like to think that it's all due to the nightly stories that the hubby tells PK. He's getting pretty creative with these stories nowadays. They used to be about this and that, but now there's a theme - it's about a bunny and her daily adventures. Sometimes the stories are so elaborate that we have to stop and continue with the next part of the story the next day. It's very entertaining!
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Week 29
This past week has been quite exciting. First, our baby furniture was delivered last Saturday. I'm really pleased with the way that the nursery looks, and I totally loooooooooooove my new glider. I did one of the HypnoBirthing relaxation exercises on the glider the other day, and it felt like I was floating on air when I had my eyes closed. Very nice!
Our kitchen renos started on Monday, which means that the bottom half of our house looks like a war zone. We moved all of our kitchen stuff down to the basement (pots, pans, non-perishables, plates, glass, cutlery, and alcohol) last Saturday and Sunday. The hubby wouldn't let me carry any of the heavy stuff, which is just as well, because I was huffing and puffing from carrying the little wee things down to the basement. Our cabinets have been pulled out, along with our old backsplash. All that remain are the fridge and stove, which I managed to donate to a friend, though we're keeping the fridge around just a bit longer until the new fridge arrives, so we can actually eat real food once in a while.
I had my second doctor's appointment with the new doctor on Monday. It took us longer to get there than the amount of time that we actually spent in there seeing him, but that's to be expected. He DID tell us that subsequent appointments would be pretty quick, so I'm neither surprised nor disappointed. We saw PK in an ultrasound again (I guess he uses that in lieu of a Doppler) - see the baby AND hear it - and it now looks like PK is no longer in breech. I am not holding my breath just yet, since babies do tend to move at the last-minute, but it does fill me with hope. The different anti-breech (for lack of a better term) positions that I learned in my pre-natal classes, along with the hubby's gentle coaxing to PK to "Just do a little hand-stand" seemed to have worked. We've also added a PK Bed-Time Story into our daily routine, whereby the hubby tells PK a bed-time story every night. He has VERY EAGERLY accepted his mission as storyteller, which makes me happy. :) He's far more imaginative than I am, plus I really enjoy watching him as he lies down next to my lower abdomen to tell stories. It's really really cute!
Although the weather has been nicer in recent days (we hit 27C on Monday!), it has been cold-ish (high of 15C or 16C on most days). Normally, I wouldn't care so much, EXCEPT that I have been wearing pants rather than skirts on most days, and I'm starting to wonder just how long the Bella Band will last me. I really really don't want to cave and buy maternity pants because we're so close to summer! As long as my butt doesn't decide to undergo a growth spurt, I should be fine. *knock on wood!*
The only damper to the week was this whole measles scare, but I'm glad that was resolved.
Next up is my baby shower on Saturday, organized by my dear younger sister. I'm not into the frilly girly-girl baby showers, so we're keeping unconventional. Guys and girls allowed, and no stupid baby shower games. We're getting together with all of our closest friends at a restaurant on Saturday night, and then whoever wants to tag along can join us to see the new "Indiana Jones" flick. My mother-in-law and sister-in-law wanted to organize one for me and I dashed their hopes and dreams when I said that it was for family only, co-ed, and no baby shower games. It's just not me...seriously. They went along with the plan until I canned that idea after we were having trouble making everyone's schedules work, especially for out-of-town family (on the hubby's side). We may still do something smaller with just parents, siblings + spouses, and the hubby's grandmother. I have a feeling that my mom would be really really disappointed if I didn't have anything on the family side, so that'll probably happen at some point. Plus I know that the hubby was looking forward to it too.
Our kitchen renos started on Monday, which means that the bottom half of our house looks like a war zone. We moved all of our kitchen stuff down to the basement (pots, pans, non-perishables, plates, glass, cutlery, and alcohol) last Saturday and Sunday. The hubby wouldn't let me carry any of the heavy stuff, which is just as well, because I was huffing and puffing from carrying the little wee things down to the basement. Our cabinets have been pulled out, along with our old backsplash. All that remain are the fridge and stove, which I managed to donate to a friend, though we're keeping the fridge around just a bit longer until the new fridge arrives, so we can actually eat real food once in a while.
I had my second doctor's appointment with the new doctor on Monday. It took us longer to get there than the amount of time that we actually spent in there seeing him, but that's to be expected. He DID tell us that subsequent appointments would be pretty quick, so I'm neither surprised nor disappointed. We saw PK in an ultrasound again (I guess he uses that in lieu of a Doppler) - see the baby AND hear it - and it now looks like PK is no longer in breech. I am not holding my breath just yet, since babies do tend to move at the last-minute, but it does fill me with hope. The different anti-breech (for lack of a better term) positions that I learned in my pre-natal classes, along with the hubby's gentle coaxing to PK to "Just do a little hand-stand" seemed to have worked. We've also added a PK Bed-Time Story into our daily routine, whereby the hubby tells PK a bed-time story every night. He has VERY EAGERLY accepted his mission as storyteller, which makes me happy. :) He's far more imaginative than I am, plus I really enjoy watching him as he lies down next to my lower abdomen to tell stories. It's really really cute!
Although the weather has been nicer in recent days (we hit 27C on Monday!), it has been cold-ish (high of 15C or 16C on most days). Normally, I wouldn't care so much, EXCEPT that I have been wearing pants rather than skirts on most days, and I'm starting to wonder just how long the Bella Band will last me. I really really don't want to cave and buy maternity pants because we're so close to summer! As long as my butt doesn't decide to undergo a growth spurt, I should be fine. *knock on wood!*
The only damper to the week was this whole measles scare, but I'm glad that was resolved.
Next up is my baby shower on Saturday, organized by my dear younger sister. I'm not into the frilly girly-girl baby showers, so we're keeping unconventional. Guys and girls allowed, and no stupid baby shower games. We're getting together with all of our closest friends at a restaurant on Saturday night, and then whoever wants to tag along can join us to see the new "Indiana Jones" flick. My mother-in-law and sister-in-law wanted to organize one for me and I dashed their hopes and dreams when I said that it was for family only, co-ed, and no baby shower games. It's just not me...seriously. They went along with the plan until I canned that idea after we were having trouble making everyone's schedules work, especially for out-of-town family (on the hubby's side). We may still do something smaller with just parents, siblings + spouses, and the hubby's grandmother. I have a feeling that my mom would be really really disappointed if I didn't have anything on the family side, so that'll probably happen at some point. Plus I know that the hubby was looking forward to it too.
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Week 28
Although I look more pregnant this week, I'm always surprised by how many people look at me and say that I look small for being 6 months pregnant. I guess one of these days I should post an updated photo so you can judge for yourself. I'm still not experiencing any issues with balance that I hear so many pregnant women complain about.
I am, however, starting to experience swollen feet. At least I think they're swollen. I bought a pair of slip-ons about 2 months ago or so, and they were a bit large on me when I first bought them, and now they fit pretty snugly. I'm guessing that it's due to swelling. As long as my feet don't swell so much that I can't fit into my shoes, I'm totally okay with it. Another thing that's new to me is a tightness that I feel on my calves. I actually think that they're swelling too. I find that sometimes after I sit for a while, they feel rather stiff, and I have to shake them out.
Another wonderful side-effect of 3rd trimester is that I find that my arms seem to fall asleep a lot more easily than they did before. I get that pesky pins and needles sensation that requires a bit of shaking to get rid of.
I swear that throughout my entire pregnancy, just when I've adapted to one thing, some new sensation/ailment comes along which takes me by surprise and requires me to adapt once again. I guess that's the way it rolls. As long as the surprise isn't too huge, I can live with it.
Speaking of surprises, I was in for a big one last week, when I went to see my new OB. After the epicly-long appointment with my new OB last week, the hubby and I decided to hit McDonald's for milkshakes. I've pretty much sworn off McDonald's except for ice-cream, and breakfast. We always hit McDonald's for breakfast on ultrasound day because there's one right beside the lab where I get my early-morning ultrasounds done (granted, I feel guilty every time I go there for breakfast). Anyway, I digress. So we'd just gotten our milkshakes from McDonald's and started walking back towards the subway station, when I get a call from the OB's office. Apparently my glucos challenge test results had come in, and I was JUST above the cut-off. The cut-off for that test is 7.8, and my results came in at 8.1. This meant that they wanted to schedule me for the 3-hour glucose tolerance test. Ugh. I don't mind drinking the sugary Orange Fanta drink, but sitting in a lab for 3 hours is not my idea of fun. Ugh.
Other than the glucose test, I went on yet another maternity clothes shopping trip. I've pretty much decided that I won't be buying any more long-sleeve shirts for the rest of the season, in spite of the fact that it has been rather cold in Toronto lately. Summer clothes, however, are still on the table. I'd like to think that the weather will warm up relatively soon, and therefore I would like to have a decent summer wardrobe.
Although I love the stuff at Rhonda Maternity, it IS on the expensive side. So I decided to go to Thyme Maternity. They've got decent selection AND I had a $50 discount card that I got with my last purchase there. Bonus! I ended up buying more items than I'd planned on buying, but I'm betting on the fact that I will get more wear out of these clothes.
The only thing that totally bugs me about Thyme Maternity is when I go to pay for my clothes. First, they try to make me fill out some ballot for free baby stuff. I don't need some crappy package of baby products that I will probably not even use - especially since we're going for the enviro-friendly Seventh-Generation products that we can get at Whole Foods and Grassroots. After passing that hurdle, I am always asked whether or not I want to be put on their list. I politely tell them "No, thank-you." Usually they're not pushy, but one time I was at Thyme Maternity, the cashier told me that I had to give them my address so that they could put me in their system. I knew that this was bullcrap, and I called her on it. She finally left me alone. I really hate it when stores push you to give them your address - ESPECIALLY when I know that they can't force you to provide you with that information.
So two hurdles down. One more to go. Next I was asked if I wanted the anti-stretch-mark cream that they sell. I'd been thinking of getting some of that stuff anyway, so I took the bait. Then I was told that if I bought two bottles of the cream, I'd get the third one for free. The one bottle was already $20 and I had no idea if it was even any good, so why the hell would I spend $40 on TWO bottles just to get the third one free??? Thanks, but no thanks.
Three hurdles later, I was finally able to pay for my merchandise. At least they didn't bug me when I told them that I didn't want a bag and that I didn't want my clothes wrapped in tissue paper. Bleh. I really like the clothes at Thyme Maternity, but their employees really need to work on being less pushy.
I am, however, starting to experience swollen feet. At least I think they're swollen. I bought a pair of slip-ons about 2 months ago or so, and they were a bit large on me when I first bought them, and now they fit pretty snugly. I'm guessing that it's due to swelling. As long as my feet don't swell so much that I can't fit into my shoes, I'm totally okay with it. Another thing that's new to me is a tightness that I feel on my calves. I actually think that they're swelling too. I find that sometimes after I sit for a while, they feel rather stiff, and I have to shake them out.
Another wonderful side-effect of 3rd trimester is that I find that my arms seem to fall asleep a lot more easily than they did before. I get that pesky pins and needles sensation that requires a bit of shaking to get rid of.
I swear that throughout my entire pregnancy, just when I've adapted to one thing, some new sensation/ailment comes along which takes me by surprise and requires me to adapt once again. I guess that's the way it rolls. As long as the surprise isn't too huge, I can live with it.
Speaking of surprises, I was in for a big one last week, when I went to see my new OB. After the epicly-long appointment with my new OB last week, the hubby and I decided to hit McDonald's for milkshakes. I've pretty much sworn off McDonald's except for ice-cream, and breakfast. We always hit McDonald's for breakfast on ultrasound day because there's one right beside the lab where I get my early-morning ultrasounds done (granted, I feel guilty every time I go there for breakfast). Anyway, I digress. So we'd just gotten our milkshakes from McDonald's and started walking back towards the subway station, when I get a call from the OB's office. Apparently my glucos challenge test results had come in, and I was JUST above the cut-off. The cut-off for that test is 7.8, and my results came in at 8.1. This meant that they wanted to schedule me for the 3-hour glucose tolerance test. Ugh. I don't mind drinking the sugary Orange Fanta drink, but sitting in a lab for 3 hours is not my idea of fun. Ugh.
Other than the glucose test, I went on yet another maternity clothes shopping trip. I've pretty much decided that I won't be buying any more long-sleeve shirts for the rest of the season, in spite of the fact that it has been rather cold in Toronto lately. Summer clothes, however, are still on the table. I'd like to think that the weather will warm up relatively soon, and therefore I would like to have a decent summer wardrobe.
Although I love the stuff at Rhonda Maternity, it IS on the expensive side. So I decided to go to Thyme Maternity. They've got decent selection AND I had a $50 discount card that I got with my last purchase there. Bonus! I ended up buying more items than I'd planned on buying, but I'm betting on the fact that I will get more wear out of these clothes.
The only thing that totally bugs me about Thyme Maternity is when I go to pay for my clothes. First, they try to make me fill out some ballot for free baby stuff. I don't need some crappy package of baby products that I will probably not even use - especially since we're going for the enviro-friendly Seventh-Generation products that we can get at Whole Foods and Grassroots. After passing that hurdle, I am always asked whether or not I want to be put on their list. I politely tell them "No, thank-you." Usually they're not pushy, but one time I was at Thyme Maternity, the cashier told me that I had to give them my address so that they could put me in their system. I knew that this was bullcrap, and I called her on it. She finally left me alone. I really hate it when stores push you to give them your address - ESPECIALLY when I know that they can't force you to provide you with that information.
So two hurdles down. One more to go. Next I was asked if I wanted the anti-stretch-mark cream that they sell. I'd been thinking of getting some of that stuff anyway, so I took the bait. Then I was told that if I bought two bottles of the cream, I'd get the third one for free. The one bottle was already $20 and I had no idea if it was even any good, so why the hell would I spend $40 on TWO bottles just to get the third one free??? Thanks, but no thanks.
Three hurdles later, I was finally able to pay for my merchandise. At least they didn't bug me when I told them that I didn't want a bag and that I didn't want my clothes wrapped in tissue paper. Bleh. I really like the clothes at Thyme Maternity, but their employees really need to work on being less pushy.
Thursday, May 15, 2008
WOW
Today was the day that I saw my new not-downtown-but-closer-to-home-nonetheless OB. I had already been mildly impressed by the fact that his secretary had called and left such a detailed message (complete with the doctor's Web site) on our voicemail. Was this a taste of things to come? Drum roll please...
YES!
All I can say is that I am bloody impressed! After filling out a series of never-ending forms, we had to sit for a while. That didn't bother me so much because I've learned to accept the fact that doctors are seldom on time. Sad, but true.
I scanned the waiting room. It wasn't too full. There were two couples and one woman on her own. One couple caught my eye. I would best describe them as Angelina Jolie in the movie "Hackers" married to Harry Potter. :P
In scanning the room further, I noticed that the walls were plastered with thank-you cards from his obstetrical patients. Some patients got really fancy and made him really fancy picture frames with a collage of pictures of their new-born baby. Some were just plain old thank-you cards with really nice messages thanking him and his staff for their services. My impression from seeing all of these pictures is that he really loves what he does and his patients know it too. If they didn't appreciate him as a doctor, I doubt that they would be sending him these nice pictures.
I talked to the nurse about my medical history, had my blood pressure taken, and was weighed. I was weighed on one of those old-school scales where they fiddle around with the counter-weights to figure your weight, so I couldn't read the number, and I wasn't able to steal a glance when she wrote it down. But I digress...
So, the nurse was super-nice. As far as doctor's office nurses go, she definitely didn't fit the mold of nonchalant and bitchy. In fact this was the complete opposite. She was cheerful and chatty, and definitely made me feel at home.
After waiting a bit longer, we got called into the doctor's office, where we waited a teensy bit for him. As far as doctors go, this guy is super high-tech. He had a couple of printers, a digital camera, and two LCD monitors - one facing him, and another facing his patients. Impressed I was!
Enter the doctor. Tethered to him was a med student. I'd read on his Web site that he often has med students interning with him. I think that's a fantastic idea. The doctor himself was a very pleasant British fellow - love the accent! He was very chatty and didn't at all make us feel like he was trying to push us through an assembly line of patients. After a brief chat, he told us to go to the room next door to see the baby. Pardon?
I did a bit of a double-take because, given my recent experiences, I was led to believe that only movie doctors had ultrasound machines on-site. I guess I was wrong. This doctor DID have an ultrasound machine on-site.
Since it was my first visit to his office, he did a more extensive exam. He performed an abdominal exam, did a pelvic swab (bleh), checked my heart rate, and of course, did the ultrasound. He also measured my preggo belly - apparently it's 27cm, which he deemed normal, so who am I to complain.
The ultrasound machine wasn't one of those big fancy machines that you see in the ultrasound labs. It was a bit fancier than the little laptop ultrasound that was used on me when I fell several weeks back. The setup in the room was pretty cool. There was an LCD monitor facing me as I lay on the bed. This screen was hooked up to the ultrasound machine so that I could look straight ahead rather than turn my neck to see what was on his little monitor. I have to admit that I didn't really see much, but he saw what he needed to see, so that was good enough for me. According to him, the baby is in breech position, and my placenta is apparently a posterior placenta. He wasn't too concerned over the fact that PK is in breech. After all, she has 3 months to invert herself. In the meantime, I think I'll take the advice given in my pre-natal classes and start watching TV on all fours for 10 minutes a day. Not the most elegant of positions, but if it means that I'll avoid a c-section, then so be it.
After the exam, we went back to his office where he gave us a PowerPoint presentation (!) outlining office hours, patient expectations, basic pregnancy nutrition, emergency contact information, etc. I swear this guy just kept impressing me!
Before we left, we were given a little folder with some pamphlets about the doctor, the hospital, and a hodge-podge of other things.
I think that today was the first time that I actually saw my healthcare tax dollars put to good use. It's a shame that most doctors are apathetic and treat their patients like they were part of a huge assembly line. The little things done at his office to make us feel important make a world of difference. Also knowing that I can e-mail him with questions, that there's an after-hours # where I can reach him, and that he works for an hour on some Saturdays and Sundays are nice touches. Doctors don't need to do these things, and most doctors don't. It's just nice that there's someone out there who actually cares about what he's doing.
So I guess at this point, even if an OB affiliated with a hospital closer to home happened to pop up, I don't think I'd go for it. Today's experience made me realize the value of good medical service. When you've got a good thing, you definitely don't want to throw it away.
YES!
All I can say is that I am bloody impressed! After filling out a series of never-ending forms, we had to sit for a while. That didn't bother me so much because I've learned to accept the fact that doctors are seldom on time. Sad, but true.
I scanned the waiting room. It wasn't too full. There were two couples and one woman on her own. One couple caught my eye. I would best describe them as Angelina Jolie in the movie "Hackers" married to Harry Potter. :P
In scanning the room further, I noticed that the walls were plastered with thank-you cards from his obstetrical patients. Some patients got really fancy and made him really fancy picture frames with a collage of pictures of their new-born baby. Some were just plain old thank-you cards with really nice messages thanking him and his staff for their services. My impression from seeing all of these pictures is that he really loves what he does and his patients know it too. If they didn't appreciate him as a doctor, I doubt that they would be sending him these nice pictures.
I talked to the nurse about my medical history, had my blood pressure taken, and was weighed. I was weighed on one of those old-school scales where they fiddle around with the counter-weights to figure your weight, so I couldn't read the number, and I wasn't able to steal a glance when she wrote it down. But I digress...
So, the nurse was super-nice. As far as doctor's office nurses go, she definitely didn't fit the mold of nonchalant and bitchy. In fact this was the complete opposite. She was cheerful and chatty, and definitely made me feel at home.
After waiting a bit longer, we got called into the doctor's office, where we waited a teensy bit for him. As far as doctors go, this guy is super high-tech. He had a couple of printers, a digital camera, and two LCD monitors - one facing him, and another facing his patients. Impressed I was!
Enter the doctor. Tethered to him was a med student. I'd read on his Web site that he often has med students interning with him. I think that's a fantastic idea. The doctor himself was a very pleasant British fellow - love the accent! He was very chatty and didn't at all make us feel like he was trying to push us through an assembly line of patients. After a brief chat, he told us to go to the room next door to see the baby. Pardon?
I did a bit of a double-take because, given my recent experiences, I was led to believe that only movie doctors had ultrasound machines on-site. I guess I was wrong. This doctor DID have an ultrasound machine on-site.
Since it was my first visit to his office, he did a more extensive exam. He performed an abdominal exam, did a pelvic swab (bleh), checked my heart rate, and of course, did the ultrasound. He also measured my preggo belly - apparently it's 27cm, which he deemed normal, so who am I to complain.
The ultrasound machine wasn't one of those big fancy machines that you see in the ultrasound labs. It was a bit fancier than the little laptop ultrasound that was used on me when I fell several weeks back. The setup in the room was pretty cool. There was an LCD monitor facing me as I lay on the bed. This screen was hooked up to the ultrasound machine so that I could look straight ahead rather than turn my neck to see what was on his little monitor. I have to admit that I didn't really see much, but he saw what he needed to see, so that was good enough for me. According to him, the baby is in breech position, and my placenta is apparently a posterior placenta. He wasn't too concerned over the fact that PK is in breech. After all, she has 3 months to invert herself. In the meantime, I think I'll take the advice given in my pre-natal classes and start watching TV on all fours for 10 minutes a day. Not the most elegant of positions, but if it means that I'll avoid a c-section, then so be it.
After the exam, we went back to his office where he gave us a PowerPoint presentation (!) outlining office hours, patient expectations, basic pregnancy nutrition, emergency contact information, etc. I swear this guy just kept impressing me!
Before we left, we were given a little folder with some pamphlets about the doctor, the hospital, and a hodge-podge of other things.
I think that today was the first time that I actually saw my healthcare tax dollars put to good use. It's a shame that most doctors are apathetic and treat their patients like they were part of a huge assembly line. The little things done at his office to make us feel important make a world of difference. Also knowing that I can e-mail him with questions, that there's an after-hours # where I can reach him, and that he works for an hour on some Saturdays and Sundays are nice touches. Doctors don't need to do these things, and most doctors don't. It's just nice that there's someone out there who actually cares about what he's doing.
So I guess at this point, even if an OB affiliated with a hospital closer to home happened to pop up, I don't think I'd go for it. Today's experience made me realize the value of good medical service. When you've got a good thing, you definitely don't want to throw it away.
Oh, so close!
Last Saturday, I was at a good friend's wedding, and at our table, the hubby and I met a couple with a 3- or 4-month-old baby boy. I swear they are the nicest people ever, and it was great to share pregnancy stories with them. Their son was a cutie too. Is it me or are all babies looking extra-cute these days?
Anyway, I was talking to the the mom, Nancy, about my OB woes. She started telling me about how great her OB was, how she was located out of one of the downtown hospitals, and how she was most likely taking new patients. Score! So we came out of the wedding with a treasure-trove of information - the name of Nancy's OB, the name of her son's pediatrician, and her contact info. Yay! More moms I can hang out with once PK is born!!!
Anyway, I called her OB first thing on Monday morning, and to my disappointment, found out that she was not taking any new patients for August. Damn, I was so close! Hopefully we have better luck on the pediatrician front. I've also got the name of my sister-in-law's pediatrician, so hopefully one of these 2 will pan out.
In the meantime, today I am scheduled to see my new doctor at the closer hospital. His secretary left a nice lengthy message on our voicemail the other day, confirming the appointment, their location, and the doctor's Web site - how modern! That's a pretty good sign, and I'm hoping that this will be a little less self-serve than my experience with my old OB.
In a nutshell, my visits with my old OB consisted of him hearing PK's heartbeat on the Doppler, him asking us if we had any questions, and the grand finale..."Take your vitamins!" Oh, and my questions were usually answered with, "Call MotherRisk to find out." MotherRisk is # you can call if you have any questions on what you can and can't eat during pregnancy. Aren't doctors supposed to know these things? Sheesh...
Anyway, I digress. So today, visit with new OB. I hear that the hospital he's affiliated with is pretty swanky too, so that makes me feel good. Yay! :) I'll let you know how it goes.
Anyway, I was talking to the the mom, Nancy, about my OB woes. She started telling me about how great her OB was, how she was located out of one of the downtown hospitals, and how she was most likely taking new patients. Score! So we came out of the wedding with a treasure-trove of information - the name of Nancy's OB, the name of her son's pediatrician, and her contact info. Yay! More moms I can hang out with once PK is born!!!
Anyway, I called her OB first thing on Monday morning, and to my disappointment, found out that she was not taking any new patients for August. Damn, I was so close! Hopefully we have better luck on the pediatrician front. I've also got the name of my sister-in-law's pediatrician, so hopefully one of these 2 will pan out.
In the meantime, today I am scheduled to see my new doctor at the closer hospital. His secretary left a nice lengthy message on our voicemail the other day, confirming the appointment, their location, and the doctor's Web site - how modern! That's a pretty good sign, and I'm hoping that this will be a little less self-serve than my experience with my old OB.
In a nutshell, my visits with my old OB consisted of him hearing PK's heartbeat on the Doppler, him asking us if we had any questions, and the grand finale..."Take your vitamins!" Oh, and my questions were usually answered with, "Call MotherRisk to find out." MotherRisk is # you can call if you have any questions on what you can and can't eat during pregnancy. Aren't doctors supposed to know these things? Sheesh...
Anyway, I digress. So today, visit with new OB. I hear that the hospital he's affiliated with is pretty swanky too, so that makes me feel good. Yay! :) I'll let you know how it goes.
Monday, May 5, 2008
Doctor Update
Today I got some good news regarding the OB situation. My current OB's office called me this morning indicating that they'd managed to get me an appointment with another doctor who is located a little closer to (my) home. Both the new doctor's office and the hospital are on the subway line, which means that we won't have to drive to get to appointments, so it's at least a bit more accessible. It's by no means an ideal situation, but I think it lessens the stress.
That being said, I'm still waiting to hear back from my family doctor's office to see if they can get me an appointment with a downtown OB. I want to keep my options open, after all. :)
That being said, I'm still waiting to hear back from my family doctor's office to see if they can get me an appointment with a downtown OB. I want to keep my options open, after all. :)
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