Tuesday, December 11, 2012

33 Weeks, 5 Days and Other Things

I’m sorry that I’m not writing more regularly.  I got out of the habit during our busy time at work and now I have a horrible case of tendonitis in my left wrist that causes me all sorts of problems.  I’m wearing a very sexy brace on my left hand this day and let me tell you, it’s as much of a conversation starter as my big belly.  I had tendonitis many years ago in my right wrist and this case is no different.  It took many months to heal and that was with a cast and 2 cortisone shots.  The doctor threatened me with surgery so I never went back to him because I was a chicken and it ended up healing over time.  This case has gotten progressively worse which is not boding well for being able to take care of a baby.  I saw and orthopedic doctor that told me cortisone was ok while pregnant.  I’m going to check with my OB tomorrow to see what she says.  If I get the green light then I will go back and get the shot and hopefully it will help things along.  I have only done a little research on it and have not found anything satisfying yet.  Have any of you gotten a cortisone shot while pregnant?

Everything else is going fine.  My weight is up 25 pounds, my blood pressure and my urine are all good. At least they were 2 weeks ago.  I’ll find out more at my appointment tomorrow.  I had my thyroid checked again and it was fine so there is no adjustment in meds right now.  I go back in 3 weeks to do another check.  My sleep is pretty much like it has been for a while.  I wake once to pee and sometimes fall right back to sleep and other times I lie awake for over an hour trying to get comfortable and get my brain to shut up.  If I wake a second time to pee there is no going back to sleep.  I try to cut off my water drinking at 9:30 so that I have 2 more bathroom trips before bed.  This seems to work out ok most of the time.  I feel like I’m eating less.  I’m hungry more often but can only eat small amounts due to feeling full.  I read that this could be the case.  I still love cold stuff…we actually had cereal for dinner last night!  I love ice cold water and cereal and the occasional frozen yogurt or soft serve ice cream.  Yummy!  My vision is changing.  I read that in the book, too.  It seems like as soon as I read something I experience it or I experience it and then read about it the next time I open the book.  I guess you could say this pregnancy is pretty textbook.  Which is boring, but good?  I get heartburn at night and I also try to get leg cramps.  I’ve been eating Tums before bed and doing some calf stretches to help with the cramps.  Both seem to do the trick to alleviate these symptoms.

I’m so in love with this little girl.  We all are, really.  The Little Guy is reaching out and touching my belly more and more and watching her move and trying to feel her move.  BJ said he’s ready for those arms and elbows I’m feeling to be on the outside.  He knows it’s best for her to bake longer but he’s just so ready to hold her.  I love it.  I don’t think I’ve ever been this happy before.  She has started to wedge her little feet (I’m guessing) up under my sternum which is not comfortable but it makes me smile.  She also “bites” me over where I think my left ovary is.  BJ laughs when I say that she’s biting me but that is exactly what it feels like from the inside.  It’s so very painful that I double over sometimes.  I’m not sure what she’s doing but it really hurts.  It’s fun to watch her move around and twist her body.  Sometimes we will spend a good 10 minutes just watching my stomach and rubbing her to get her to move.  BJ talks to her every night and he won’t go to sleep until she kicks him.  It’s adorable.

We have our birthing class on Saturday.  It’s 9 to 5 so it’s a long day.  BJ is not looking forward to it but I am.  Sort of.  I’m nervous about it…labor, that is.  I’ll write more about it soon but I’m scared of a few things and taking this class will probably bring out all of those fears.  It seemed like that day would never get here and now it’s THIS weekend.  Yikes!

I have a shower at work tomorrow and I had one at home (well, my friend’s house) the weekend before Thanksgiving.  I need to write about both experiences and I will do that after the one tomorrow.  It’s so surreal to me that these “baby parties” are being thrown for ME.  I never thought I’d be the guest of honor at a baby shower and now I’m getting ready to attend my 2nd one.  Crazy.

And because I can’t write a post without telling you of my new worries…I just read a couple of days ago about counting kicks and how to do that.  Well, I don’t have to do that because baby girl is very active.  I sometimes wonder if she ever sleeps.  She does have calmer days here and there but for the most part I feel her very regularly.  The book went on to say that if I feel “jerky” movements that I should let my doctor know.  Hmmm…well, since I read that I’ve been worried.  There have been a few times when it has felt like she is riding a bull in there.  This type of movement has only lasted a few seconds at a time and then she moves around normally.  I haven’t googled it AT ALL because I’m trying not to be worried.  I mean, it’s ok if she moves a little ruggedly, right?  I will mention it at my appointment tomorrow but is it something I should really be worried about?

I have lots more to say but my wrist is hurting and I need to get some actual work done.  Here are things that I still want to write about (making a list will help me remember because pregnancy brain is REAL):
Thoughts on having a girl
My showers
Labor/Delivery
Breastfeeding
A letter to my daughter

I will try to get to all of those before I actually give birth.  :-)   OH…and I almost forgot…please head over to Patience’s blog to help her with her adoption funds.  She has been on such a long and heartbreaking road and now they are finally matched!  She could use all the help she can get!

18 comments:

Rebecca said...

Tendonitis is horrible to deal with. I have issues with it in both wrists. I have a brace for each wrist too and have also been threatened with surgery many times. Makes life so interesting when you go to grab at something and get a terrible shock of pain and drop it promptly.

Augusta said...

what a great update! I'm so excited that you are going to meet your little girl so soon!!
I'm glad that you are enjoying the showers so much. I look forward to reading about it.
Hope you can find a good treatment for the tendonitis because there is a beautiful baby that will want you to hold her very soon.

Anonymous said...

So happy to see an update!! Glad things are textbook :).
I'm just grinning from ear to ear for you, thinking of you sitting at your own baby shower :).

April said...

So glad to see an update too! Sounds like you are right on track with everything :) I'm loving the updates because I'm a few months behind u. Any chance the pain could be a mix of that and carpel tunnel? Ive heard that can happen in pregnancy and then go away after. Hoping this will let up after the pregnancy so you can enjoy every moment of holding your sweet baby girl. Just a few weeks left to go! :)

Pie said...

You are doing so great! I mean, the tendinitis sucks, as does all the fun pregnancy symptoms, but hey - that's what I want to hear at 33 weeks. Starting to feel big, uncomfortable. And I wouldn't worry too much on the movement stuff - my girl was the other end of the spectrum, I worried she didn't move enough, but every time I was monitored it was fine. How much/little I felt had more to do with her size and positioning than anything wrong.

OMG - it is soon, TeeJay!! I'm getting very excited over here!!

someday-soon said...

Great to hear from you! Wow, 34 weeks tomorrow, awesome =) Sorry about the tendinitis, it's very common (along with carpal tunnel) during pregnancy. Hopefully it'll go away soon after you have the baby. If the movements are hurting you my OB told me I could use a cold pack to get her to move from that spot. Apparently you don't want to let the baby hurt you too bad or it can cause permanent damage. My DD would put her bum under my rib cage and push her legs out with all her might. The cold back helped. I've also heard you can use a flash light. So funny they can see and feel all those things in there. IMO, counting kicks is only a one-way ticket to crazy town. Obviously if she doesn't move hardly at all for a few days it's something to mention but counting kicks seems a little over the end. It makes my heart light up to know that you're having a textbook pregnancy, are getting ready for showers (which you've earned!!!) and that you all are falling in love with your little girl more day by day =)

erika said...

I hope they will be able to help you with tendonitis. I can't imagine all the pain.
Enjoy your showers, they are a real treat:)
Happy ICLW #51

Rebecca said...

Hi its ICLW. How have you been? 10 days since I last heard from you. How is the tendonitis?

Reese said...

Here from ICLW. Congratulations on reaching 33 weeks! Hope the tendonitis lets up soon.

Azara said...

The movement patterns you describe sound normal. They can get pretty hyper in there. I think the "jerky" movements the book is referring to is a pattern of intense/"frantic" activity and then significantly reduced movement, and it doesn't sound like that's what's happening.

Congrats! I'm visiting from ICLW.

Heidi said...

Visiting from ICLW. Hoping your tendonitis is getting some relief! What a touching journey. I admire the fight in you!

Kristin said...

I hope everything is continuing to go smoothly and that your tendonitis has improved. Congrats on your pregnancy.

ICLW #6 Dragondreamer's Lair

dspence said...

Congrats on a textbook pregnancy! Drinking tonic water before bed can help with those leg cramps. I hope you have a complication free delivery!

Jamie said...

I hope your tendinitis starts to ease up. I've been on hydrocortisone my entire pregnancy, with no problems. Sounds like everything else is wonderful! Best of luck!

Happy holidays and happy ICLW!

Amber said...

I'm so glad to find your blog! I'm looking forward to reading how you came to your decision of using an egg donor. I will be 6 weeks tomorrow using my sister as an egg donor.

Good luck with the rest of your pregnancy!

Kimberly said...

I just came acrossed your blog and devoured the whole thing! So happy to end up with your good news! Just wanted to say thank you for sharing your story. There are so few people who talk about using DE and what the experience is like. It is really helpful for me to read that other people have gone through the same thing and had sucessful DE/IVF! Our first cycle is Jan/Feb! Thank you for sharing your journey!

April said...

dying for an update :) Hope you are doing great! 3 weeks till due date!! AHHH!!

Anonymous said...

I'm dying for an update too! Hope you're doing well:)