37 weeks

WHAT'S HAPPENING WITH YOUR BABY

Gaining one ounce per day, your baby is growing rapidly. At six pounds and measuring 33cm crown to rump, or 17 1/2 inches head to toe, this little baby is getting pretty big.

The baby may have settled down into your pelvis. While this process, called ‘lightening’ or ‘engagement,’ may make it easier to breathe and eat, you may find walking uncomfortable. Now that the baby is crowding the bladder, you will be urinating more frequently.

, we made it to 37 weeks!!! I am still in shock at how fast this pregnancy has gone. It honestly feels like just yesterday that I got my bfp! I am SO enjoying everything......i'm really going to miss the thumps and kicks and rolls I feel. And some days it really does feel like they go on all day long! The nurse had told me to make sure I was doing the "kick counts" and I told her I don't do them considering I feel Chase moving constantly and she said that was wonderful! He still gets the hiccups several times a day....in fact, just this morning he had the hiccups and Z put his head on my belly to see if he could "hear" anything and he said it felt like Chase kept kicking him in the head! I've noticed the past few days my hips have been super sore and I have even more pelvic pressure....I swear I feel like I have to pee constantly! The heartburn/acid reflux are still a daily thing, but other than that I feel really great! I'm so anxious to meet little Chase, but at the same time I am in NO hurry to evict him!

We have an early appointment tomorrow with our regular OB and they will be doing an ultrasound and an exam to determine when Chase will be coming along..........

Today's appointment

8:00am - Well, we had to have a follow-up ultrasound today to double check the fluid around Chase. (which i'm still not sure why since the fluid has been steady going up) It was only supposed to be Tyler and I at the appointment since Z was worried he would be super busy at work and didn't want to miss too many hours, so my mother in law drove us. Well, while Ty and I were waiting for the office to open the elevator opened up and there was Zane! We were so surprised!! His work is only 10 minutes away, and he really wanted to be there. Anyhoo, the ultrasound tech called us back and asked if I needed to empty my bladder before the ultrasound and I did.......the ultrasound went great! My fluid is now up to 10 and Chase's heartbeat was 151 bpm. He was sleeping, which I kind of figured he would be since he was moving so much all day yesterday and last night, but they needed him to move so they could check his movement.......well, she got him moving and he was practicing his breathing perfectly! She left the room and said the nurse would be in when she was finished with another patient. Well, the tech came back in and said I did need to leave a urine sample and have my weight and pressure checked! She kept apologizing, but it really wasn't that big of a deal. I left my urine sample and had my pressure checked and it was up a little. The nurse had me lay on my left side for a few minutes and came back to check it and it was better, so we went and got my weight.....I lost another 3 lbs since Tuesday!!! So since last Thursday, i'm down 11 lbs. She called the doctor (who was downstairs teaching a class today.....on Friday's the OB/GYN office is only open half a day for just general visits) and the doctor said she was going to come up and talk with us. Well, a few minutes later the doctor called back and said we could go since she felt she wouldn't be able to come up to see us for awhile, but I still needed to continue my bed rest and keep drinking water and keep my appointment for next Monday with our regular OB. The doctor did say the weight loss was totally normal since my pressures are coming back down and i'm not as swollen as I was. (which in all honesty, I wasn't all that swollen to begin with!!) So we're not worrying about it.

Our next appointment is Monday morning, and we are SO excited about it!! Possibly even more excited than we were at the anatomy ultrasound.....we find out when Chase will be coming!!!!!

Today's appointment

2:00pm/Dr. Egner - We had a decent appointment today. They were running late due to an emergency in the office. Anyhoo......I had lost 8 lbs since last Thursday?!?!? Very weird. The ultrasound went good! Chase is still super low and facing my back....good boy!! LOL My fluid level has gone up from 7.9 to 9, which is great. The best thing is, my mother in law got to be in the room when the ultrasound was done.......the look on her face was just priceless!! This was something so special, and i'm so glad I could share it with her. :) We saw the OB and she said my pressure readings were good, but still need to be better. Since my fluid level is still a little off, I still need to go back once again this week for a NST. Well, while I was giving my weekly blood for tests Z checked us out and the OB found out the ultrasound tech would be in on Friday so we'll be getting another ultrasound on Friday to check the fluid level. After that appointment we go back on Monday to see our regular OB and he'll do a cervix check, then we find out when Chase will be coming!!!! I'm SO excited, but scared at the same time.......

36 weeks

WHAT'S HAPPENING WITH YOUR BABY

Your baby is now 32cm crown to rump, or 17 1/2 inches head to toe. He or she weighs in at a whopping five pounds, nine ounces. Even though your weight gain will slow this month, and you may even lose a pound or two during the final weeks, your baby is gaining weight rapidly, sometimes as much as a half a pound a week.

First, i'm SO sorry im late posting this!! The in-laws came into town on Sunday and we've been so busy it's crazy!!! I'll probably be a little scarce with posting while they are here, but I promise to update when it's time for Chase!!

Anyhoo, everything is still going good. I had to increase one of my pressure meds, which has wiped me OUT!!! My pressures are coming down again, though. Chase is still moving like crazy!! And he has the hiccups several times a day...I love feeling him move!! Heartburn is still kicking my butt.......blech!!!

We had an appointment today that i'll post about in a sec, and we go back again this Friday.....and then we see our regular OB on Monday to find out when Chase will be coming along!!! :D

Travel bag from OB

Here are some pics of the travel bag we got......




I love how it opens up! It has a hook so you can hang it up, and at the bottom is a zipper pouch....



And here is the can of formula and binkie....

An *interesting* appointment yesterday

**BE WARNED!! THIS IS GOING TO BE A LONG POST!!

2:30pm/NP - So yesterday we had a follow-up appointment with a NST since my pressure was slightly up on Tuesday. I also had to turn in a 24 hour urine test. Well, Wednesday evening I checked my pressure at home and it was way too high....200/110. So I layed on my left side for 15 minutes and rechecked it and it did come down some, but not enough. The doctor had told us a few weeks ago we would probably end up increasing one of the pressure meds I was on, so I decided to just go ahead and start Wednesday night. Well, after I left a pee sample they checked my pressure and it was still up a little. While I was sitting there when the nurse checked my pressure the nurse practitioner walked pasted and asked how everything was. The nurse said my pressure was up a little, and I told her about the readings I had the night before and that I increased one of the pills. They then checked my weight and I was down one pound from Tuesday?!? Anyhoo, they hooked me up to do the NST and while that was going the doctor came in and asked me about headaches or vision issues. Well, I had been having some headaches on and off for the past few weeks, but it really felt more like sinus pressure/issues than anything, especially since my nose was also a little stuffy. I also told her my vision gets blurry if I spend some time on the computer, but after i'm off of the computer for 10-15 minutes it clears right up. Well, she said she wanted to call our regular OB to talk with him while we sat there a little longer. After a few minutes she came back in and said they wanted me to go to labor and delivery and have Chase monitored while they put a rush on my 24 hour urine test and some blood work I had to give before I left. She said the NST showed Chase was just fine and the pee sample I left when we got there had no protein in it, but because of my vision and headaches I need to be monitored. Ummm, but the vision and headache had nothing to do with my pressure! So, they drew blood and we had to wait a few minuted while the NP called the hospital to get them ready for us. One good thing about the visit, I got a free travel bag with a formula sample, a binkie and some awesome coupons in it!! We get over to L&D and get papers signed and get hooked up to the monitor for another NST and had an automatic blood pressure cuff hooked up. Eventually the OB on call came in and talked to us and asked me about the headaches and vision issues. I told her what I told the NP, that I felt they didn't have anything to do with my pressure. We talked a few minutes and she checked my feet and my reflexes and they seemed fine. She said the pressure readings they were getting were really good, but because of the headaches and vision issues I mentioned, I would need to be put on bed rest until Chase is born.....AND, he could possibly be born next week!!!! She said the blood work came back just fine but they were waiting on the 24 hour urine results to come back, but she had to do a c-section and once she was done with that she would come back and check my cervix and let us know how the urine test came out. Almost 4 hours later a nurse finally came in and said we could go home.......ummm, WTH?!?!? She said the urine came back with slight protein in it, which is actually normal at this stage of pregnancy and wasn't a cause for concern. Hmmm, then maybe I was right about the headaches and vision issues not being a pressure issue?!?!? *sigh* So, i'm still on bed rest until Chase comes along, but it's sort of modified. I can get up to use the bathroom and can cook meals, but no shopping or overdoing things with cleaning. I don't mind not being able to shop, since after i've walked around for a little while I start to hurt and get tons of pressure.....but the cleaning thing is going to be rough, since we have company coming next week and this house still needs tons of cleaning done!!! :(

To be totally honest, I really think they jumped the gun with the pressure issue and I don't think he;ll be here next week. (although i'm packing my hospital bag to be safe! LOL) They said the extra pill I took should have lowered my pressure but it had been less than 24 hours since I started it! And I knew since I had no protein in my urine the headaches and blurry vision were just from sinus and computer use. I've checked my pressures several times today and one reading was a little high, but the rest were perfect! I'll stick with the bed rest, of course and I know they are just making sure Chase and I are safe, but hearing them say he may come next week because of my pressure scred the crap out of me!!!LOL I really am lucky to have such great doctors taking care of us, though.....

We have to go back to L&D for a NST tomorrow morning, then we have our regular OB appointment next Tuesday........and then our company comes in on Wednesday! AHHH!!!!

Yesterday's appointment

2:30pm/Dr. Egner - Well, it was an ok appointment. The ultrasound went well. Chase is still way down low and was sleeping! LOL The tech tried to get him to move more but he was too busy sleeping......and it's funny, because right before the ultrasound he was thumping and kicking in the waiting room LOL After the ultrasound the doctor came in to see us. (We had to see a different OB) My pressure was up a little, but not too awful. She mentioned about doing a GBS test, but I told her Dr. Elder, our regular OB, already said since I was GBS positive with Ty he would just treat me as positive this time. He told us that last week, and I didn't have any problem with that. Well, the OB checked my chart and saw where Dr. Elder wrote that down so she seemed ok with that. She then said she was a little concerned with the level of amniotic fluid I have......I think she said it was 7.9 and anything below 5 is cause for concern and since I have chronic high blood pressure she was slightly concerned and wanted me to come back again this week for a NST, even though we already have an appointment scheduled for next Tuesday. The only thing that is bugging me about that is my regular OB knows about the fluid levels and never said he was concerned about it, so I wasn't worried about it either. And in all honesty, I trust him completely!! I know for a fact that if he was worried he would have said something to me about it. I really like the OB we saw yesterday, but part of me feels she may be a little too aggressive with things. She also asked me to do another 24 hour urine test, and I had some blood drawn. She did say I could increase my water intake and that may help with the fluid levels, so i'll work on that more starting today.

So, all in all it was an ok appointment. I'm a little disappointed we have to go back again this week, mainly because Z has to take us and that means he'll miss more time from work. After tomorrow's appointment we go back again next Tuesday.

35 weeks

WHAT'S HAPPENING WITH YOUR BABY

While we will tell you that your baby weighs five pounds this week and measures 31cm crown to rump, or 16-1/2 inches long, this is only an estimate. In general, babies gain half a pound per week from this point on. You may notice that your baby has day-to-day active and resting patterns. This is because the uterus is growing thinner, which allows light to enter and influence baby's rhythms.

Wow....35 weeks already!! Symptoms are still not too bad. The acid reflux/heartburn are still kicking my butt at times, but I switched to Tums Smooth Dissovle yesterday and what a HUGE difference!!! I'm still feeling some hooha pressure since Chase is so low. And he's still getting the hiccups several times every day....I love it!!

We have a doctor's appointment this Tuesday....after that only two more to go!!! EEK!!!

So sweet......plus a small whine.....

For the past week or so, Chase has had the hiccups almost every day and usually several times a day at that! (just like his big brother did in-utero! ) Well, last night when we went to bed I had turned over to get comfortable when I felt Chase start his hiccups. I immediately put my hand on my tummy and they felt so strong!! Well, I asked Z if he was still awake but he didn't answer at first.....so I nudged him and asked him to turn over and give me his hand. I placed it right where the hiccups felt the strongest and I asked if he felt that and he said "Yep, his hiccups!" It was the first time Z had ever felt any hiccups before, and he got such a big kick out of it.

On to my whine. Last night was such a rough night!!! My whole belly ached and felt SO heavy....and I had TONS of pressure in the hoo-haa area. I peed my usual 10-12 times last night, but each time I got up it took every effort I had just to get out of bed. I assume Chase has dropped even further, which is amazing considering he was already super low the last ultrasound we had.....in fact, the tech said she could barely get a look at his face because he was so low and facing my back. I know him being low is a good thing, but I SO didn't expect it to happen at only 34/35 weeks!!

34 week pic

It's been awhile since i've posted a preggo pic so here is my 34 week picture........

Today's appointment

2:00pm/Dr. Elder - We had a GREAT appointment!!! Chase is doing really good, and is SO low.....even lower than before!!! The ultrasound tech said he is all ready to come out with as low as he is! hehehehe He is also facing my back and still has a little hand up near his face....little stinker! I kind of figured he was really low with all the pressure i've been feeling. He is also still super active!! In fact, as i'm typing this he has the hiccups....LOL!!! My pressure was great; 140/80. My weight hasn't changed since last week, which amazes me with as much as I feel like i've been eating. And the best part of today's appointment......we scheduled our LAST 3 appointments!!! EEK!!!!! We see two different OB's the next two Tuesday's, then on June 1st we see our regular OB and he'll check my cervix and if it's doable, we'll schedule our induction!

After our appointment we went to the UT OB office to pick up some insulin, which should be the last time we need it!!! We also went to labor and delivery to register for the hospital, but found out we needed to go to regular hospital admission. It wasn't a wasted visit to L&D, though...we got to see one of the labor rooms! It was so exciting and really made it sink in that Chase will be here SO soon!!!

Our next appointment is next Tuesday.............:)

34 weeks

WHAT'S HAPPENING WITH YOUR BABY

Your baby, weighing in at four pounds and 11 oz, and measuring 30cm crown to rump or 16 inches, urinates nearly a pint a day. In fact, the urine, along with sweat and other fluids from the baby, help to make up the amniotic fluid. This amniotic fluid completely replenishes itself every three hours.

Wow......if all goes as planned, Chase will be here in about 4 weeks! How is that possible?!? I SO can't wait to meet him, but i'm really enjoying this pregnancy....even with the bleeding scare last week! I love feeling his little rolls and kicks and when he has the hiccups........I love resting my hand on my tummy and feeling all of that from the outside........i'm going to miss all of it.

As for symptoms/issues, i've noticed i'm waddling alot more now....or so I was told! Ahh, I don't mind it one bit. The heartburn is still around, and the acid reflux at night is back. UGH!!! I've also noticed I have a TON of pressure super low, mainly because Chase is so low down. I've noticed I have some swelling going on with my feet, but I rest them at night and by morning the swelling is gone. It can really hurt some days, though!! I'm still getting out of breath really bad, and from barely doing anything but that is from my one blood pressure med, so I know that will go away once Chase is born and I go back on my regular meds. All in all, this pregnancy has been so great.

We see the regular OB tomorrow afternoon for our weekly ultrasound/check-up.

So I caved

I wasn't going to set up the bassinet playard my sister sent, but I just couldn't wait to see what it looked like set up!!! So, I caved last night......I just LOVE it!!!!


The little animals hanging are adorable lil' hippos....



Ty loved it, too!!

We got our gift today!!

Last month my sister Kathie said she had been talking with my other sister Debbie about getting things for Chase. I honestly didn't think to tell anyone we needed anything, since this is our second baby and it's another boy. Kathie said they wanted to know what we may need and they would get what they could. Well, about a week or so ago I talked with Kathie again and she said Debbie was telling her about a pack and play she had seen that is also a bassinet. I thought it sounded SO cute!! I got my nieces email address (Debbie's daughter) and we got to emailing back and forth and I told her the pack and play sounded really nice, and she said Debbie would go ahead and get it......well, we got it today!!! All I can say is.....WOW!!!! I can't get over how cute it is.....



I just LOVE the color!!! When I saw the box sitting on the porch and saw what it was, I seriously cried. (darn pregnancy hormones! LOL) But it was so sweet of them to even think of getting something for Chase, let alone get something SO nice like that. I can't wait to get it all set up!!!

Debbie, John and Erica.....Thank you all so very much!!!!

Scared :( *UPDATE*

This past weekend I noticed I was cramping pretty bad, plus I kept getting a really sharp pain on my left side. (I had also posted about it the other day) I had my weekly appointment yesterday with weekly ultrasound and everything looked great! I mentioned to the doctor about the cramping and she said since the ultrasound looked good she assumed, like I did, that the cramping was round ligament pains. Well, this afternoon I went pee and when I looked at the thin pantyliner I wear, there was blood. It wasn't a dark red, but then again it had been on the pad for a little while. (it had been awhile since I had peed) When I wiped it was on the toilet paper, and it wasn't red but it wasn't a brown color either. So, I called the OB office, and of course they were out to lunch. But the nurse that loves Tyler called me back and asked what was going on, so I told her and she said they will most likely want me to come in to the office. She said she would talk to the OB (the one we saw yesterday) and would call me back. I called Z at work and told him he should come home, since he has the car now. Once I hear back from the nurse i'll update..........

*So the nurse called me back and told us to go to the office to be checked. So the doctor did an internal exam and said the blood she saw was dark color/old, so that was *good*. They also did a vaginal ultrasound to check my cervix and it is thinning out a little but the baby's sac isn't coming down at all so that is good as well!! I'm supposed to take it easy for a few days and i'm on pelvic rest for two weeks. :( It's so weird, though. I didn't do anything different last night/today than any other day......I wonder what caused the bleed?!?!?

Today's appointment

3:00pm/Dr. Van Ness - Well, we had an ok appointment today. The ultrasound went great!! Chase now weighs 5lbs 2oz. He was moving around pretty good, but the tech still got good measurements. The only bad thing was my pressure was up. The nurse checked it and it was up slightly, and when the doctor came in, after we talked she checked it and it was REALLY high. :( I layed on my left side for 15 minutes and when the nurse came back in and rechecked it it was much better. (whew! If it didn't go down they were going to send me to L&D!! EEK!!)

BTW, we met with a different OB, Dr. Van Ness, and she was awesome!!! We've met all the OB's and every one of them is so great.

We go back next Monday at 2pm.

Such a great weekend!!!

We had such an exciting weekend as far as movement goes!! Saturday night I was laying in bed trying to dose off when I felt Chase start to do his normal thumps and kicks. I layed my hand on my belly and within a few seconds I felt a little thump.....I smiled and next thing I know I felt that little thump again......a few seconds later I felt it again......he had the hiccups!! I've felt the hiccups a few times now, but that was the first time I felt them on the outside like that! It was so neat!!

But the big excitement of the weekend was......TYLER FELT CHASE FOR THE FIRST TIME FROM THE OUTSIDE!!! It was SO amazing!!! I was laying across the bed yesterday afternoon trying to get the icky cramps to ease up. As usual, Chase was kicking/thumping up a storm. I asked Ty if he wanted to try and feel his brother and he said "OK!" Well, he layed his hand on my stomach and pressed lightly. I expected him to get antsy and just give up when all of the sudden I felt a kick near Ty's hand, and before I could ask Ty if he felt it he said "Mommy! I felt Chase move! I felt my brother!!!" His eyes were huge and the smile on his face was just as big. I got teary eyed and said "How cool was that, bud?!?" And he said "That was super cool!!"

33 weeks

WHAT'S HAPPENING WITH YOUR BABY

Your baby weighs approximately four pounds, five ounces, and measures 20cm crown to rump, or 15 3/4 inches. You may notice rhythmic movements across your belly now. This could mean your baby has a case of the hiccups.

I know I keep saying this, but time is going by so fast! I can't believe Chase may be here in about 5 weeks!! As for symptoms, I still have the heartburn issue going on. I also have TONS of pressure in the hoohaa area, and sometimes it even feels bruised. Also, yesterday I noticed I had some nasty crampy feelings all afternoon. I ended up giving in and taking some Tylenol, but even then it didn't take all the crampy feeling away. I woke up at 2am with them and had to take more Tylenol. :( I know they're not contractions since my belly isn't tight at all.....it really feels like aunt flo is on her way, so i'm guessing things are still stretching in there. They really are painful, though. :(

We see the OB doctor tomorrow for another ultrasound. :)