Since at least one person expressed interest, at some point I will tell you about my interesting genealogical findings. As for now, I'll give the answers to the questions I got in comments:
First off, Dovid. He has ADHD and is a challenge all around. He still has accidents because he gets so engrossed in things that he does so he doesn't make it to the bathroom on time. He also talks a lot and has difficulty with social interaction. So he doesn't realize that the other person wants him to be quiet or just isn't interested in what he's talking about. He doesn't talk about the other kids at school much (except for one boy who I don't think is a mutual friend), so I don't know if he really has any friends. I hate thinking about how lonely he must be. But B"H he is very smart, so academically he does quite well. I'm always impressed with the things that he knows.
Right now not TTC and not planning on any more kids in the near future. I am quite content (and overwhelmed) with 4. Maybe once these guys get older and less of a handful I might have a change of heart, but I am too busy to think otherwise at this point.
As for work, I cannot get into a midwifery practice because no one wants a new graduate midwife (especially one without many years of labor & delivery experience). So I'm a bit stuck unless I want to go into a home birth practice or private practice, neither of which is a viable option for me.
I'm getting my doctor of nursing practice degree in midwifery, though at this point I'm not sure what I'm going to do with it. My end goal was to be a midwife, and now I just feel so worn out by it that I think retirement is my end point. haha
This blog contains Elana's musings about her struggle with infertility and her four miracle kiddos. Thanks for listening!
Showing posts with label Midwife. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Midwife. Show all posts
Saturday, May 13, 2017
Thursday, May 11, 2017
You Miss Me?
How surprised was I today to see that someone was looking for an update and that I hadn't posted anything since last August when I became a CNM. I'm not really sure why I don't update more. I am busy - doing my DNP, working, kids - but not so busy that I can't take a few minutes to say hello to anyone who is still reading. *waves to all of my "fans"*
The nine months have not been particularly eventful. The twins are in 2nd grade and doing fairly well. Dovid is on a medication that has made him much easier to handle at school, though he still struggles with anything related to social interaction. Chana is progressing steadily and hopefully will be able to continue on to 3rd grade with Dovid next year. Tzipora has whizzed her way through kindergarten and can read! She's got a lot of sight words down, and we are all super proud of her. She also is friends with basically her entire class. Gavriella is also having fun in her first year at "school" in the 3-year-old class. She's an adorable gem, and I love it when her teachers send me photos of all of the fun things she is doing in class.
As for me, I /finally/ got a job, but not as a midwife. I was hired to work as a labor and delivery nurse (part-time nights). This is not ideal, but it is work. Meanwhile, I am plugging along with my doctoral studies and will hopefully finish in September. At that point you can all call me doc. :D
In about a week, we're going to be attending a family reunion with my grandfather and people from that side of the family that none of us have met. My mom, Uncle Ron, my sister and brother-in-law will also be there. It's going to be very exciting, and I promise to take lots of pictures and actually post about it. Maybe I'll get back into a groove or something... Feel free to leave a comment if you want me to post about something in particular. I feel as though I don't know what to talk about. I've made some pretty interesting genealogical discoveries over the past few months, but I doubt they would be interesting to anyone outside of my family.
The nine months have not been particularly eventful. The twins are in 2nd grade and doing fairly well. Dovid is on a medication that has made him much easier to handle at school, though he still struggles with anything related to social interaction. Chana is progressing steadily and hopefully will be able to continue on to 3rd grade with Dovid next year. Tzipora has whizzed her way through kindergarten and can read! She's got a lot of sight words down, and we are all super proud of her. She also is friends with basically her entire class. Gavriella is also having fun in her first year at "school" in the 3-year-old class. She's an adorable gem, and I love it when her teachers send me photos of all of the fun things she is doing in class.
As for me, I /finally/ got a job, but not as a midwife. I was hired to work as a labor and delivery nurse (part-time nights). This is not ideal, but it is work. Meanwhile, I am plugging along with my doctoral studies and will hopefully finish in September. At that point you can all call me doc. :D
In about a week, we're going to be attending a family reunion with my grandfather and people from that side of the family that none of us have met. My mom, Uncle Ron, my sister and brother-in-law will also be there. It's going to be very exciting, and I promise to take lots of pictures and actually post about it. Maybe I'll get back into a groove or something... Feel free to leave a comment if you want me to post about something in particular. I feel as though I don't know what to talk about. I've made some pretty interesting genealogical discoveries over the past few months, but I doubt they would be interesting to anyone outside of my family.
Labels:
family,
job search,
Midwife,
midwifery school,
twins
Wednesday, August 17, 2016
Certified Nurse Midwife
I know I do not post here very often, but exciting things don't happen very often, and I have no idea if anyone even comes to look at my blog any more. My day to day life seems pretty dull to me, especially because I have been in school for so long (seems like forever). None of my kids remember a time when I wasn't in school studying for something. They have no idea who Mommy is when she doesn't have her nose in a book. I started my pre-requisites for nursing school in January 2010, when my twins were not even a year old. My now 5-year-old was conceived during my first semester of pre-requisites, and my almost 3-year-old was born about two months after becoming an RN. My goal from day one was to become a midwife, even though it seemed like that day would never come.
It took six and a half years of blood, sweat, and many tears. These last few semesters of midwifery clinicals nearly broke me entirely. There were times when I wondered if I really should be doing this. I was beaten down so hard that I thought I would never graduate, even after spending all of that time and money. But, after eight months of clinicals, I did graduate (finally!). I got my congratulatory email from my school the day after my birthday last week. But even though that gave me my master's in nursing, I still could not call myself a midwife. Not until today...
Today I passed the AMCB (American Midwifery Certification Board) exam which makes me a CNM (Certified Nurse Midwife).
I took this selfie right after getting into my car after passing the exam. I studied my brains out over the last week, and it paid off.
I wish I could tell you that I'm done with school, but there is one piece left for me to accomplish. I am going to do my school's 9-month DNP program for my doctorate. Once that is finished I will be 100% done with school, and then you'll be able to call me Dr. Kahn. (I've always wanted to be called that. See 90's Nickelodeon TV show Salute Your Shorts if you don't know why.)
My next step is to find a midwifery position in my area, though that is proving to be somewhat difficult. I have interviewed at several hospitals, but most (if not all) places want someone with at least some midwifery experience or at least some labor and delivery RN experience. I have neither. In the meanwhile, I will be working at Roxbury Community College as a maternity clinical instructor for their nursing students and hopefully will pick up some doula clients to keep improving birth on a small scale even if I'm not working as a midwife (yet).
It took six and a half years of blood, sweat, and many tears. These last few semesters of midwifery clinicals nearly broke me entirely. There were times when I wondered if I really should be doing this. I was beaten down so hard that I thought I would never graduate, even after spending all of that time and money. But, after eight months of clinicals, I did graduate (finally!). I got my congratulatory email from my school the day after my birthday last week. But even though that gave me my master's in nursing, I still could not call myself a midwife. Not until today...
Today I passed the AMCB (American Midwifery Certification Board) exam which makes me a CNM (Certified Nurse Midwife).
I took this selfie right after getting into my car after passing the exam. I studied my brains out over the last week, and it paid off.
I wish I could tell you that I'm done with school, but there is one piece left for me to accomplish. I am going to do my school's 9-month DNP program for my doctorate. Once that is finished I will be 100% done with school, and then you'll be able to call me Dr. Kahn. (I've always wanted to be called that. See 90's Nickelodeon TV show Salute Your Shorts if you don't know why.)
My next step is to find a midwifery position in my area, though that is proving to be somewhat difficult. I have interviewed at several hospitals, but most (if not all) places want someone with at least some midwifery experience or at least some labor and delivery RN experience. I have neither. In the meanwhile, I will be working at Roxbury Community College as a maternity clinical instructor for their nursing students and hopefully will pick up some doula clients to keep improving birth on a small scale even if I'm not working as a midwife (yet).
Labels:
job search,
Midwife,
midwifery school,
nursing school
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Checkups for Everyone
The baby had her 1 month checkup earlier this week, and I had my 6 week checkup today. The baby weighed 8lbs 15oz and measured 20.75" at her checkup. She gained a little over 2 lbs in just under 4 weeks! That's perfect!!! The pediatrician said that she looks great and is developing right on target.
As for me, my favorite midwife was working tonight (you know, the one who delivered the baby). I was SOOOOO happy, because she doesn't work every Thursday evening, so it's the luck of the draw to come in on her night. Anyways, she told me that everything was healed and looking great. I'm in tip-top condition...except for the fact that I might be anemic. She took a CBC, so we'll find out tomorrow if that's the reason I'm super tired and dizzy. I should also start taking my placenta pills, but especially if I'm anemic.
I have my first test of the semester next Monday, and I'm feeling pretty good that I'll do well on it. I got 100% on my first lab quiz last week, and hopefully I'll do that again on tomorrow's quiz. I just have to study really hard for it. It's on the heart, so I need to make sure I keep my atria and ventricles straight...and all of the little valves and such.
And now, for something funny. I was at Costco the other day, and in one of their main displays they were selling bathing suits. I was like "Bathing suits in this weather? What are they thinking?? We're going to have snow on the ground until September!" LOL Silly Costco.
As for me, my favorite midwife was working tonight (you know, the one who delivered the baby). I was SOOOOO happy, because she doesn't work every Thursday evening, so it's the luck of the draw to come in on her night. Anyways, she told me that everything was healed and looking great. I'm in tip-top condition...except for the fact that I might be anemic. She took a CBC, so we'll find out tomorrow if that's the reason I'm super tired and dizzy. I should also start taking my placenta pills, but especially if I'm anemic.
I have my first test of the semester next Monday, and I'm feeling pretty good that I'll do well on it. I got 100% on my first lab quiz last week, and hopefully I'll do that again on tomorrow's quiz. I just have to study really hard for it. It's on the heart, so I need to make sure I keep my atria and ventricles straight...and all of the little valves and such.
And now, for something funny. I was at Costco the other day, and in one of their main displays they were selling bathing suits. I was like "Bathing suits in this weather? What are they thinking?? We're going to have snow on the ground until September!" LOL Silly Costco.
Labels:
anemia,
baby weight gain,
bloodwork,
Midwife,
nursing school,
Pediatrician,
randomness
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Midwife Appointment
I got to see my favorite midwife tonight. She tried to strip my membranes, but apparently I'm dilated to 1cm on the "outside" part of the cervix but completely closed on the inside...so she couldn't get in there to actually separate the membrane from the inner part of the cervix. Well, she did the best she could, and I guess we'll see if it turns into anything. So far I'm still just having Braxton Hicks contractions, which are impossible to time because you can't *really* tell when they begin or end. I guess I'll know when they're real contractions because I'll actually know when they start and finish. Anyways, I'm also 50% effaced and the baby is at a -1 or -2 station, so at least we're making some progress! The baby has moved farther down, so that's good. Now if only we could get things moving along...
My mother-in-law is coming in tonight! She was cleared by her doctor to travel, so I'm delighted that she'll be here soon!! Now we just need to convince the baby that she really wants to meet Grandma... ;-)
I do have a belly pic from tonight, I just haven't uploaded it yet. When I do, I'll post it on the sidebar.
My mother-in-law is coming in tonight! She was cleared by her doctor to travel, so I'm delighted that she'll be here soon!! Now we just need to convince the baby that she really wants to meet Grandma... ;-)
I do have a belly pic from tonight, I just haven't uploaded it yet. When I do, I'll post it on the sidebar.
Labels:
dilation,
effacement,
membrane stripping,
Midwife
Saturday, December 18, 2010
What a Week!!
First of all, we still haven't figured out why Dovid is throwing up overnight almost every other night. He hasn't in a few, and we think we know which foods give him reflux, but it's anyone's guess. (And we still don't know 100% if it is reflux...we're just guessing at that.) Thankfully he has an appointment on Monday with the gastroenterologist who will hopefully figure this out.
Secondly, I had a very eventful Wednesday night/Thursday. Not pregnancy related at all, either. Coming back from grocery shopping on Wednesday night, I was driving on the highway when all of a sudden my check engine light went on and my car wouldn't accelerate. Yikes!! I was going 65mph...no wait 55mph...hang on, only doing 45...CRUD! Luckily I was right at an exit, so I got on the exit ramp. The only problem was my car was quickly decelerating (and of course I was hitting the brake because the exit ramp was curvy), and the poor guy behind me was probably annoyed as all heck that I was creeping down this ramp. Anyway, I FINALLY got to a place on the ramp where there was a lot of space and I could pull over. I tried turning off the car and turning it back on, but that did nothing. I was nervous about leaving the motor on, since I had no clue what was wrong, so there I was in the freezing cold unable to go anywhere. I called AAA, who put me on their "most important" list, but I still had to wait almost 45 minutes for a tow truck. Luckily, my coat is very warm so I really wasn't all that cold (except for my nose, which was freezing). They towed me home and that was it for the night.
The next morning my first mistake was calling AAA instead of Kia. I wanted AAA to tow me to the nearest service station and wasn't really thinking about the fact that maybe Kia wouldn't cover repairs anywhere but their own dealers. I waited a while for the AAA guy to come, and then of course when I got to the service station they suggested I call my insurance company to see if they would pay for a rental car (which they wouldn't since I wasn't in an accident) and also to call Kia to see if they would even pay for repairs at this station. I called Kia and they said "nope...gotta go to the nearest Kia dealer" and had me call their own free towing service to get me there. They also said that if I had bought the extended warranty when I bought the car that a rental would be covered. I had no clue whether or not I had the warranty, so I decided to walk home while waiting for the tow truck to come. I walked home...found that we did not buy the extended warranty...and walked back (that's 0.7 mi one way). Meanwhile, the tow truck is a no show. They said it would take an hour from when I called, and it took me just about that long to walk home, look for the warranty, reserve a rental car near the Kia dealer and walk back. Kia actually called to check and see if my tow truck had arrived, and when I said it hadn't they checked with the tow company to see when it would come. I was informed it would be about 20-30 minutes longer. Awesome... 30 mins later, still no tow truck. Kia called again to check in on me and I said "no truck". They called the tow company again and was told it would be another 15-20 mins. 20 mins later, still no truck... Of course they called to check in again, but this time they said that the truck should be pulling in momentarily, which it was. This is now 2 hours after I first called to get the tow truck and an hour after it was first scheduled to arrive. GRUMBLE!!
The tow truck towed me to Medford, which was about a 45 min drive. The Kia dealer there said that he had an idea of what the problem could be and that it might even be an easy fix (meaning I could wait and take my car home that day). Woo! Finally some good news! It took them about 2 hours from when I arrived to get the car fully fixed, but that was fine with me. (I canceled the rental car I had reserved, so that was no big deal.) All together, I started this whole process at 7:30am and left the Kia place just before 3pm. Really, really pathetic and I could've saved myself over 2 hours by just having the AAA guy take me to a Kia dealer or calling Kia first. What a pain in the butt, but luckily we have a car. My biggest fear was not having one and me going into labor...
As for the pregnancy, everything is going well. My appointment with the midwife last Thursday went very well, and she's going to strip my membranes this coming Thursday (provided I'm still pregnant then). We had a little chat with the baby on which days she's going to be working labor & delivery (Mon and Wed), so hopefully the baby will oblige us and come then. I'll also be doing my part (taking Evening Primose Oil, seeing my acupuncturist and maybe doing some acupressure at home). The full moon happens to be on Tuesday as well, so that's working for us. We'll see!!
My mother-in-law was supposed to be coming to visit starting tomorrow, but unfortunately has come down with a bad case of bronchitis. Her first doctor was completely unhelpful and gave her two courses of the same antibiotic (when the first one didn't work, he gave her another of the same drug). That of course also didn't work! She went to see a different doctor who has put her on a new drug, but she's not allowed to travel for another week. *sigh* So the plan now is for her to come next Sunday (the 26th). If I go into labor this week (which is the plan between me and the midwife), then that's a biiiiig problem. It means no overnight coverage for the twins...which means we have to get a babysitter. Luckily our usual day care person is very willing to do this, but she's also deathly allergic to all types of nuts...and my house is anything but nut-free. So I'm absolutely terrified of her in my kitchen. Honestly, that's really not something I want to be worrying about while I'm in labor, but I don't have any other choice. My mom isn't coming to visit until right before New Year's, so I'll actually have double coverage for part of the week after this one. I wonder if my sister wants to take a week off of work...it is the holiday season after all. ;-)
Secondly, I had a very eventful Wednesday night/Thursday. Not pregnancy related at all, either. Coming back from grocery shopping on Wednesday night, I was driving on the highway when all of a sudden my check engine light went on and my car wouldn't accelerate. Yikes!! I was going 65mph...no wait 55mph...hang on, only doing 45...CRUD! Luckily I was right at an exit, so I got on the exit ramp. The only problem was my car was quickly decelerating (and of course I was hitting the brake because the exit ramp was curvy), and the poor guy behind me was probably annoyed as all heck that I was creeping down this ramp. Anyway, I FINALLY got to a place on the ramp where there was a lot of space and I could pull over. I tried turning off the car and turning it back on, but that did nothing. I was nervous about leaving the motor on, since I had no clue what was wrong, so there I was in the freezing cold unable to go anywhere. I called AAA, who put me on their "most important" list, but I still had to wait almost 45 minutes for a tow truck. Luckily, my coat is very warm so I really wasn't all that cold (except for my nose, which was freezing). They towed me home and that was it for the night.
The next morning my first mistake was calling AAA instead of Kia. I wanted AAA to tow me to the nearest service station and wasn't really thinking about the fact that maybe Kia wouldn't cover repairs anywhere but their own dealers. I waited a while for the AAA guy to come, and then of course when I got to the service station they suggested I call my insurance company to see if they would pay for a rental car (which they wouldn't since I wasn't in an accident) and also to call Kia to see if they would even pay for repairs at this station. I called Kia and they said "nope...gotta go to the nearest Kia dealer" and had me call their own free towing service to get me there. They also said that if I had bought the extended warranty when I bought the car that a rental would be covered. I had no clue whether or not I had the warranty, so I decided to walk home while waiting for the tow truck to come. I walked home...found that we did not buy the extended warranty...and walked back (that's 0.7 mi one way). Meanwhile, the tow truck is a no show. They said it would take an hour from when I called, and it took me just about that long to walk home, look for the warranty, reserve a rental car near the Kia dealer and walk back. Kia actually called to check and see if my tow truck had arrived, and when I said it hadn't they checked with the tow company to see when it would come. I was informed it would be about 20-30 minutes longer. Awesome... 30 mins later, still no tow truck. Kia called again to check in on me and I said "no truck". They called the tow company again and was told it would be another 15-20 mins. 20 mins later, still no truck... Of course they called to check in again, but this time they said that the truck should be pulling in momentarily, which it was. This is now 2 hours after I first called to get the tow truck and an hour after it was first scheduled to arrive. GRUMBLE!!
The tow truck towed me to Medford, which was about a 45 min drive. The Kia dealer there said that he had an idea of what the problem could be and that it might even be an easy fix (meaning I could wait and take my car home that day). Woo! Finally some good news! It took them about 2 hours from when I arrived to get the car fully fixed, but that was fine with me. (I canceled the rental car I had reserved, so that was no big deal.) All together, I started this whole process at 7:30am and left the Kia place just before 3pm. Really, really pathetic and I could've saved myself over 2 hours by just having the AAA guy take me to a Kia dealer or calling Kia first. What a pain in the butt, but luckily we have a car. My biggest fear was not having one and me going into labor...
As for the pregnancy, everything is going well. My appointment with the midwife last Thursday went very well, and she's going to strip my membranes this coming Thursday (provided I'm still pregnant then). We had a little chat with the baby on which days she's going to be working labor & delivery (Mon and Wed), so hopefully the baby will oblige us and come then. I'll also be doing my part (taking Evening Primose Oil, seeing my acupuncturist and maybe doing some acupressure at home). The full moon happens to be on Tuesday as well, so that's working for us. We'll see!!
My mother-in-law was supposed to be coming to visit starting tomorrow, but unfortunately has come down with a bad case of bronchitis. Her first doctor was completely unhelpful and gave her two courses of the same antibiotic (when the first one didn't work, he gave her another of the same drug). That of course also didn't work! She went to see a different doctor who has put her on a new drug, but she's not allowed to travel for another week. *sigh* So the plan now is for her to come next Sunday (the 26th). If I go into labor this week (which is the plan between me and the midwife), then that's a biiiiig problem. It means no overnight coverage for the twins...which means we have to get a babysitter. Luckily our usual day care person is very willing to do this, but she's also deathly allergic to all types of nuts...and my house is anything but nut-free. So I'm absolutely terrified of her in my kitchen. Honestly, that's really not something I want to be worrying about while I'm in labor, but I don't have any other choice. My mom isn't coming to visit until right before New Year's, so I'll actually have double coverage for part of the week after this one. I wonder if my sister wants to take a week off of work...it is the holiday season after all. ;-)
Friday, December 3, 2010
Finally, a New Belly Pic
So sorry I haven't posted a new belly pic in over a month, but I've been really lazy. :-) But, without further ado, here is the newest pic (compared with the last one I took at 30 weeks). Today's pic is on the right.


I feel like the belly isn't growing outward as much as it's growing vertically. So I don't look that much bigger outwardly than I did at 30 weeks, but you can see how low my belly goes. The belly also seems to be changing shape and becoming more round. And, if nothing else, my butt is getting bigger (as is my face). Check out the sequential pictures on my tripod page and you'll see what I mean. *sigh* Now, let's compare this latest picture with the last pictures taken during the twins' pregnancy. The comparisons are the twin pregnancy weeks 28 and 30.






I look much bigger than at 26 weeks with the twins (both vertically and outwardly), I'm vertically larger than my 28 week picture with the twins, and I'm about the same vertically as with the twins at 30 weeks. But at 28 and 30 weeks with the twins I am much larger outwardly than I am with this pregnancy.
My fundal height yesterday (Thursday) was 35.5cm, which is perfect for where I am. The midwife also ordered a BPP ultrasound for next Tuesday, just to check up on the baby's placenta since something went funky with Dovid's placenta just at 35 weeks. She doesn't suspect anything is wrong since the baby's heart rate is perfect, and her movements are strong and frequent. But it's more for peace of mind...and who doesn't like more ultrasounds, right? :-D
And speaking of such...have you noticed? I MADE IT!!! I am now 35 weeks and 1 day pregnant. Yes, I do need to make it through the day without exploding, but based on last night's midwife appointment I'm not really worried about it. Whee!


I feel like the belly isn't growing outward as much as it's growing vertically. So I don't look that much bigger outwardly than I did at 30 weeks, but you can see how low my belly goes. The belly also seems to be changing shape and becoming more round. And, if nothing else, my butt is getting bigger (as is my face). Check out the sequential pictures on my tripod page and you'll see what I mean. *sigh* Now, let's compare this latest picture with the last pictures taken during the twins' pregnancy. The comparisons are the twin pregnancy weeks 28 and 30.






I look much bigger than at 26 weeks with the twins (both vertically and outwardly), I'm vertically larger than my 28 week picture with the twins, and I'm about the same vertically as with the twins at 30 weeks. But at 28 and 30 weeks with the twins I am much larger outwardly than I am with this pregnancy.
My fundal height yesterday (Thursday) was 35.5cm, which is perfect for where I am. The midwife also ordered a BPP ultrasound for next Tuesday, just to check up on the baby's placenta since something went funky with Dovid's placenta just at 35 weeks. She doesn't suspect anything is wrong since the baby's heart rate is perfect, and her movements are strong and frequent. But it's more for peace of mind...and who doesn't like more ultrasounds, right? :-D
And speaking of such...have you noticed? I MADE IT!!! I am now 35 weeks and 1 day pregnant. Yes, I do need to make it through the day without exploding, but based on last night's midwife appointment I'm not really worried about it. Whee!
Friday, November 19, 2010
Two Weeks...
Can anyone guess what happens exactly two weeks from today? My husband guessed it (and it only took him about 60 seconds with no hints). Look at your calendar...it will be Friday, December 3rd. Take a look at my little baby ticker and it might give you a hint as well. In just two short weeks I will be 35 weeks and 1 day pregnant. It will be the exact gestation that I gave birth to the twins. It is a milestone I am *so* excited to be reaching (and passing right by). I am fully confident that I will still be pregnant when I finish that day, and that I'll continue to be pregnant for a few weeks after that. :-) Yay!
In other news, the baby is doing well. I had an appointment with the midwife yesterday and it went great. I'm having random Braxton-Hicks contractions, which are normal, and the most obnoxious leg cramps in the universe. I wake up and move my leg and then holy heck, my calf muscle seizes up and feels like someone plunged a knife right in. Luckily, I know that you're supposed to pull your toes upward (toward the knee) and it does help, although it takes a few seconds to work. Unfortunately all day it's been kind of achy, as if the muscle really needs to stretch out.
In other, other news....I'M GOING TO SEE HARRY POTTER ON SUNDAY!!!!! I seriously could not be more excited. WHEEEE!!
In other news, the baby is doing well. I had an appointment with the midwife yesterday and it went great. I'm having random Braxton-Hicks contractions, which are normal, and the most obnoxious leg cramps in the universe. I wake up and move my leg and then holy heck, my calf muscle seizes up and feels like someone plunged a knife right in. Luckily, I know that you're supposed to pull your toes upward (toward the knee) and it does help, although it takes a few seconds to work. Unfortunately all day it's been kind of achy, as if the muscle really needs to stretch out.
In other, other news....I'M GOING TO SEE HARRY POTTER ON SUNDAY!!!!! I seriously could not be more excited. WHEEEE!!
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Newest Belly Pic
This won't be a long belly update post, since I don't think it's really changed much in the last two weeks.
We have 20 weeks on the left and 22 weeks on the right.


If anything, I think I shrunk a teensy bit! lol What can you do...at least maybe now I'll take some time to catch up with my twin pregnant self.
In other news, Dovid is sick again...fever, vomiting, the works. Poor little dude! And I had a great appointment with the midwife. She agrees with the MFM doctor that my cervix length is normal and that every baby grows differently, but she agrees with me that we need to keep watching it just to make sure everything really is 100% ok. Honestly, I hope this midwife (Lila) delivers me, because I love her!!!! She's even supportive of me doing placenta encapsulation. In fact, she was excited that I'm doing it. Honestly, my old OB would have probably vomited on the floor and here's my midwife doing jumping jacks because I'm doing this. Awesomeness!!!! My next appt will be with the OB again because the last appt with the OB got cut short, and I'll also have my GD test as well. Fun times!
We have 20 weeks on the left and 22 weeks on the right.
If anything, I think I shrunk a teensy bit! lol What can you do...at least maybe now I'll take some time to catch up with my twin pregnant self.
In other news, Dovid is sick again...fever, vomiting, the works. Poor little dude! And I had a great appointment with the midwife. She agrees with the MFM doctor that my cervix length is normal and that every baby grows differently, but she agrees with me that we need to keep watching it just to make sure everything really is 100% ok. Honestly, I hope this midwife (Lila) delivers me, because I love her!!!! She's even supportive of me doing placenta encapsulation. In fact, she was excited that I'm doing it. Honestly, my old OB would have probably vomited on the floor and here's my midwife doing jumping jacks because I'm doing this. Awesomeness!!!! My next appt will be with the OB again because the last appt with the OB got cut short, and I'll also have my GD test as well. Fun times!
Labels:
baby development,
baby illness,
belly,
cervix,
glucose tolerance test,
Midwife,
OB/Gyn
Monday, August 30, 2010
Today's Ultrasound
I had an interesting ultrasound today. My cervix is shorter than it has been in previous weeks, now holding out at around 3cm (when it was previously 4cm). But, it's not funneling and the MFM doctor isn't worried. I personally want to keep watching it even though the doctor isn't concerned. I mean, it changed a lot in 10 days, and it's better to be safe than sorry, you know? I'm hoping it's nothing, because I really can't afford to go on bed rest, and I REALLY don't want to get another cerclage.
The baby is doing great, but still measuring behind (and even lost another day of growth). She's about 7-8 days behind due date at this point, which is up from being 6 days behind at our last scan. Honestly, I can't even imagine why she's not growing fast enough because I'm sure eating for two. lol The twins never measured this far behind...ever. Very bizarre, but again the MFM doctor isn't concerned. I'm not really pleased about this as I'd much rather prefer an MFM doctor who investigates when things aren't quite right. She's been losing growth at every scan, so why is he ignoring this fact?
Anyways, I have an appointment with the midwife on Thursday, so I'll talk to her about it and see what she thinks about both my cervix and the growth of the baby. Wish me luck!
(Sorry, no pictures...they didn't print me any.)
The baby is doing great, but still measuring behind (and even lost another day of growth). She's about 7-8 days behind due date at this point, which is up from being 6 days behind at our last scan. Honestly, I can't even imagine why she's not growing fast enough because I'm sure eating for two. lol The twins never measured this far behind...ever. Very bizarre, but again the MFM doctor isn't concerned. I'm not really pleased about this as I'd much rather prefer an MFM doctor who investigates when things aren't quite right. She's been losing growth at every scan, so why is he ignoring this fact?
Anyways, I have an appointment with the midwife on Thursday, so I'll talk to her about it and see what she thinks about both my cervix and the growth of the baby. Wish me luck!
(Sorry, no pictures...they didn't print me any.)
Labels:
baby development,
cervix,
MFM,
Midwife,
ultrasound
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Not a UTI, Not Anemic
I've been having this nagging cramping in my lower pelvic area since Wednesday, and it's driving me mad. I thought it might be a UTI, but they did a urine and blood test, and everything came back normal (including my white counts). What else was normal? Well, my platelets are at 159,000/cmm, my hemoglobin is 11.1 g/dL, and my hematocrit is 32.8%. Much lower than in June, but higher than it was at this point in my last pregnancy. The midwife says that iron isn't necessary (yet) and hopefully they'll keep an eye on the levels as we go forward. In any case, still no idea what's causing my pain...they say take Gas-X and Tylenol and we'll see you at your appointment later this week (Thursday). I also have an ultrasound scheduled for Monday, so that will be good as well.
As for the twins, their high fevers are now low fevers (around 99.0) and both are feeling MUCH better. They were acting like themselves both Friday and today, even with the low-grade temps, and they've been eating like normal. The only "abnormal" thing was the super long mid-afternoon nap (like 2.5 hours). Hubby and I took a nap at the same time, and we all were zonked out for about the same amount of time. heh oops! Gotta love those Shabbos naps!
As for the twins, their high fevers are now low fevers (around 99.0) and both are feeling MUCH better. They were acting like themselves both Friday and today, even with the low-grade temps, and they've been eating like normal. The only "abnormal" thing was the super long mid-afternoon nap (like 2.5 hours). Hubby and I took a nap at the same time, and we all were zonked out for about the same amount of time. heh oops! Gotta love those Shabbos naps!
Labels:
anemia,
bloodwork,
Midwife,
randomness,
ultrasound
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Midwife Appointment
I saw the midwife today, and it was awesome! My hubby got to come along, too, which was cool. I talked to the midwife about doing a VBAC. She had read the surgical notes and 100% agreed with me that VBAC was the way to go. (Yipee!) She said that the prior C-Section was totally fine and that the placental abruption was probably a "twin thing". (That's what I thought too.) She also assured me that we would do ultrasound cervical checks for as long as I wanted to, since we don't have a clear idea of whether or not my cervix is truly incompetent and when it might start to funnel (if at all). This way we will catch something if it happens early. Luckily, I don't have any history of pre-mature labor, since I didn't even really go into labor with the twins...although I might have been at 35 weeks, it doesn't count since that's in the normal range for twins. Also, the fact that I had no cervical change from 33 - 35 weeks with the twins (while holding out at 2 cm dilated) is a great sign. We also got to hear the baby's heart beat, which was a perfect 155bpm. All in all it was a fantastic appointment, and I am *so* glad that I'm switching over to the midwife practice.
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