| What can I do? |
[Nov. 30th, 2009|10:10 pm] |
| [ | Current Location |
| | in bed :] | ] |
| [ | mood |
| |  envious | ] |
Okay. I didn't realize this was such a huge issue for me until today.
I'm in a counseling psychology class (yay psych major!!) and we have been having 30 minute practice sessions in class.. I was the client.
I'll be 31 weeks this week. Everyone is posting about nesting. and GOD, I WANT TO NEST. Problem is. I have nothing. My mother tells me not to buy anything until my shower - yet, my shower is a surprise. I have no idea when it will be. We literally have 4 "outfits", 2 pair of converse socks (omg, cute!), a hat, and some blankets. Plus, we're living in an apartment right now.. waiting for settlement on a house. Settlement *should* happen around the 2nd week of December. God, I hope so.
I just feel SO unprepared. & I feel like there isn't anything I can do about it.. except wait. I feel like I should be doing ~something~
Anyone have any suggestions?
Or, is anyone else not prepared as well?
andd, a little TMI side note: My right boob has been leaking a little bit here and there, tonight. Both boobs are leaking tonight. & I think the left one is trying to make up for lost time. Wow. |
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| Anyone else Dreamin of the Baby's Sex? Share :) |
[Nov. 30th, 2009|07:39 pm] |
I'm only like seven weeks pregnant... but when I get to the point where I can... I want to know the sex of the baby. This morning I was coming in and out of sleeping and I had a dream that was really only an image in my head. I had a dream that I saw only a pumpkin pie, and on the pie it said "It's a girl" in pretty letters. It's so early, I obviously won't know what the sex is for a long time, but I was wondering if anyone else had a dream like this. I thought it was kinda fun, maybe it was like a sign or something? I'm not taking it seriously, I just think it's kinda cute. I was wondering if anyone else had a dream like this so early? or what your fun little dream was? of course its so early i could have millions more before even finding out for sure. Just being curious and wanted to hear other people's stories for fun :) |
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| Breech Presentation: Update |
[Nov. 30th, 2009|06:22 pm] |
I have posted about my predicament here. Since then, I had tried a whole bunch of home remedies, and nothing seemed to work, so this morning i went in for an ECV. I thought that maybe I could share my story here, in case it helps anyone in the future.
I was told to come in at 9:30am, and not to eat anything past midnight the following day, though drinks are allowed. Somewhat stupidly, I assumed yogurt drink doesn't count as food, and had some as breakfast. Even more stupidly, I shared that info with the anesthesiologist. Which got my version postponed until 3pm, just in case I would have to get general anesthesia and would choke on the yogurt throw-up. Basically, the anesthesiologist refused to take that risk. So i spent the whole day at the hospital, waiting around, and sort of got the basic sense of what it's like to go through the triage and labor and delivery. But that's a story all unto itself.
Anyhow, i made it to past 3pm, my midwife returned, the doctor performing my procedure was finally out of labor & delivery, and I was finally ready. Basically, they put me on the bed, did an ultrasound to figure out what the baby was up to, and then applied pressure on the baby's head and butt to get her to move around. Both the doctor and the resident tried their best to push the baby around, moving her counterclockwise first, then clockwise, but just couldn't get her to budge, in either direction. The procedure wasn't painful, per se. When someone presses on your abdomen, it's not that much fun, but each attempt only lasted a little bit of time, and it was more discomfort than actual pain. i definitely could have taken much worse, but it wasn't necessary--they didn't want to harm the baby or the placenta. Afterward, I was kept on the monitor for half an hour, to make sure the baby was doing well, which she definitely was. And apparently i was having contractions, but i couldn't feel it.
In sum, an ECV is nothing to fear, but only works 50 percent of the time or so. And i sort of get the feeling that if the baby could have been moved during an ECV, she wouldn't have been breech by now anyway. But still, imho this was definitely worth a try. Next up, i'm going to drop my skepticism about chiropractors and try the Webster technique. Meanwhile, I got my midwife to admit that I don't have to schedule a c-section until sometime in my 40th week, which buys me another week's time.
And now, a quick question: Anyone knows of any statistics about how many babies that resisted ECV still did manage to turn on their own later on, at a later date? Had that happened to any of you?
UPDATE: I'm 37w6d as of today. |
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| Newly diagnosed hypothyroidism during pregnancy |
[Nov. 30th, 2009|06:11 pm] |
I'm 8 weeks today and my doctor's office just called and said my TSH was high (5.02) and they're starting me on synthroid (100mcg/day). It looks like there's some controversy regarding what is actually normal for TSH, with some sites saying 5.0 is the upper limit of normal and other places saying it should be 2.5 or 3. I don't doubt that my thyroid is underactive, I've actually wondered about it for a while now. Anyway, I'm just wondering if 100mcg is maybe too high of a starting dose. I know that pregnancy dosages normally need to be increased from pre-pregnancy levels, but 100mcg still seems high to me considering my TSH wasn't ridiculously out of whack. Anyone else here get diagnosed while pregnant? What was your starting dose?
I have an appointment tomorrow and I'm going to talk to them about it, of course. Just wondering what other peoples' experiences have been. |
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| Winter Party |
[Nov. 30th, 2009|02:56 pm] |
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I just sent out the evites, so look for the email. If you did not get one, and wish to attend drop me a note with your current email address. |
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| SO stressed out!! |
[Nov. 30th, 2009|04:10 pm] |
I am only 14 weeks, and I am already having so many issues...The BABY is fine, but now i have high blood pressure ( been monitoring twice a day, ALL numbers are great!), GD My fasting 1-hour number was over 200, and my Iron is only 10.6 when it should be 12...WHAT IS WRING WITH MY BODY? After my doctor called I burst into tears...
I am going to maternal medicine this week, but I just am so worried I won't make it to 37 weeks. I am going to do everything in my power to get my blood levels low, and start eating high iron rich foods...Anyone else having issue or want to share their stories? I am sure it will make me feel better :( |
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| Me again |
[Nov. 30th, 2009|02:08 pm] |
Hey, I'm the one that just posted about being 40 weeks with polyhydramnios.
Well, the doctor called me today laying it on thick about how I needed to come in for in induction...today.
I just want to say that your stories and words of advice really helped me make the decision to continue the pregnancy. I might have considered going with the doctor otherwise.
Just saying thanks. |
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| Ultrasound |
[Nov. 30th, 2009|02:15 pm] |
Ranty whiny but I had a crappy ultrasound today with a very unfriendly tech and wanted to hear other ultrasound dissapointment stories so I dont feel so crappy.
Share ladies (if they even exist)
The tech whipped through everything VERY quickly, she was abrupt and rude and I got one picture printed out. I know its to check the baby and all but I cant help but feeling bummed. Damn hormones. |
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| one more complaint and a question about it |
[Nov. 30th, 2009|08:26 am] |
i dont know if it's just me, or why it's happening... i've heard it's because i'm having a boy, i've heard it happens to all pregnant women (which is bull), and i dont know. my tummy is friggin HAIRY. it's sick and i hate looking at it. not like a hairy manchest or anything like that, but where i used to have baby-fine short blonde hairs on my tummy, i now have baby-fine dark blonde hairs that are about 1/2 inch long sparsely covering my belly. i've never shaved my tummy before and i sure as hell dont want to start now. that would be just GROSS. but wtf?? please tell me i'm not alone? what do i do? it's bad enough i have stretch marks all over the place, but the hair? really? i absolutely refuse to take visible belly pics because of it. i will take bump pics with clothes on, but no view of the skin. jeeze.
27w0d! |
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| Monday, November 30, 2009 – Gardens, Movies and Beer |
[Nov. 30th, 2009|01:20 am] |
Fully enjoyed the huge breakfast that comes with our room, after which we toured the castle gardens. Perhaps it was the weather (unseasonally cold and raining), but although the gardens were large and well-kept, I wasn’t particularly inspired by most of it. I did very much like the arbor with wisteria which leads down from the main lawn to a pool with some white ducks in it. (There were also a pair of white fluffy chickens huddled under a hedge there, and a white marble sculpture. I wondered how they kept the white ducks in that pool, and the mallards in the other pond down in the rock garden…) Also, they've got some poppies that are cornflower blue - a color I've never seen on a poppy. And I like the story of the "lost rock garden" - a former employee stopped in and expressed dismay about the loss of the rock garden, which had been build with a great amount of back-breaking labor. Wild-seeded trees had grown in the area, completely obscuring the former rockery area. Armed with chainsaws, the owners cleared the site and rediscovered the rock garden.
On our way into town, we followed a sign for “wool, knits, fleeces – OPEN” which fetched us up on the doorstep of a farmhouse shed. As instructed, we rang the bell, and in a minute, the farmer appeared, let us in, and started chatting. He’s involved with a group that promotes the breeding of colored sheep – sheep whose wool is naturally brown or grey rather than white. He’s very passionate about it. He’s also fairly passionate about spinning wheels, and showed us his collection, most of which is housed in an adjoining shed, and is fairly extensive. Most impressive to Kevin and I were specimens made of local woods, including one of Kauri. I purchased some yarn. How could I not?
We headed into town for a movie (Terry Gilliam’s latest – The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus), which I really liked, then a late lunch at a vegetarian café, which was very good. I picked up some knitting needles to go with the yarn, and we checked out the old Railway Station. It’s extremely distinctive, being made of two kinds of local stone – one almost white, one almost black – used to great effect. We wandered about a bit more, and then went for our 6:30 tour of the Speights factory. Speights is the most popular beer in New Zealand, and it’s brewed right in downtown Dunedin. The tour was fairly interesting, although I’m not really a beer drinker, and I could have skipped the tasting altogether and been happy with the experience. One thing about the factory that was very cool – it’s 8 floors tall, so that the whole process can be gravity-fed. Once they get the raw materials up to storage on the 8th floor, everything that happens after that ends with the product going through a hole or pipe in the floor to the next step. Ingenious. The current factory was built in the 1940’s, and only employs about 30 people total. Thirteen of those employees are tour guides. It takes less than a dozen people to brew all the beer, the system’s so efficient.
Dinner, of course, after the beer tasting, and then home to the Stables. Tomorrow we’re off again, |
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| Sunday, November 29, 2009 – We’re staying at a Castle. No, Really. |
[Nov. 30th, 2009|01:17 am] |
Nice drive from Methven to Dunedin, with the exception of some crankyness around lunchtime from both of us. We found the i-site, the public toilets, and the Cadbury factory with no troubles. Turns out they won’t be running the full tour today or tomorrow, but we can do it Tuesday morning before leaving town, so that’s fine.
We drove out to the Otago Peninsula to our lodgings for two nights: Larnach Castle Stables. Larnach Castle is the only castle in New Zealand, built by William Larnach, a banker, and later a politician, back in the 1870’s. The castle itself, which we toured, has been lovingly restored over the last 40 years by one family, who purchased the derelict, leaking hulk on a whim in the 60’s. The Larnach family called the place, “The Camp”, and had a fairly tragic history, with two of William’s three wives and his eldest daughter dying young, and William and one of his sons both shooting themselves.
The current owners of course rent out the ballroom for events, and charge admission, and have built a fancy-pants lodge with guest rooms to finance their restoration efforts. We’re staying in the remodeled hayloft – shared bathrooms make these rooms reasonably affordable. When you throw in the full breakfast and free admission to tour the castle and grounds, it’s not such a bad deal. However, other than the overnight cruise we’re taking in Milford Sound, this is our most expensive accommodations on the trip. |
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| Saturday, November 28, 2009 – Finally – Edoras! |
[Nov. 30th, 2009|01:15 am] |
We reluctantly departed from Onuku in the morning mists. Kevin agrees with me that it’s a special place, and we had a good laugh over the various plumbing and electrical systems we had seen while there. Certainly wouldn’t meet code in the states, even fifty years ago. Only made one stop on the way to Methven, at a wool shed (a place where they have commercial carders and spinning machines for wool, and sell roving and yarn) that I had stopped at six years ago. As then, I purchased some roving. This time, a mere two ounces of superwash merino. It’s *so soft*. I’m thinking that, unlike the chunky stuff I spun out of the last batch, this time I’ll try going extra fine. The real crime, however, was the gorgeous sweater for sale – lots of interesting cables and stitch variation, all hand-spun and hand-knitted, for NZD$155. Machine made wool sweaters have been running pretty consistently around NZD$300, and I find this to be a fairly appalling state of affairs.
The Alpenhorn Chalet in Methven is very cute, with a lovely kitchen. Our hostess for the night is actually the house’s owner, who lives most of the year in Deli, with her husband, who has one of those jobs that takes him to various countries for years at a time. I found her delightful – she does embroidery and had a big stack of books out that could have come off my shelves. Kevin found her irritating.
Since we got into town relatively early, we set out to find Mt. Sunday – the hill we would recognize as Edoras. The last time I tried this, I got less than half way out there, ran into a rock in the road, and got a flat tire. With the weather getting worse, no jacket, and the light fading, I figured discretion the better part of valor and headed back into town, planning to get the tire fixed in the morning and try again. However, they didn’t have the correct replacement tire in Methven, or Ashburton, or in fact anywhere on the South Island. I had to go to Christchurch to exchange cars, at which point I simply continued on to my next destination.
We had no mechanical drama to prohibit our expedition, but just as we passed through Mt. Sommers (the last town before you leave civilization altogether), Kevin mentioned that we were low on gas. “We could turn around right now and get gas, before we leave Mt. Sommers,” I offered. “No. We’ve got plenty to make it.” By the time we got to the Lake Clearwater Recreation area, we were both a great deal less confident about it, and decided to turn around, drive the half hour back to Mt. Sommers and fill up, and return. Good thing we did. Mt. Sunday is a *long* way out, on a gravel road, and I seriously doubt we would have made it all the way there, much less all the way back to where fuel could be purchased. We went for fuel, and headed back out. While the weather in Methven and even Mt. Sommers was fairly dreadful – cold, cloudy and raining – it was spectacular out at Mt. Sunday. About the time you think you’re not going to be able to pick out one hill amongst the rest, the valley opens up into this huge flat plain, with one distinctive hill sticking up out of it.
There are Edoras tours now, of course, in huge 4-wheel-drive monstrosities. They depart out of Christchurch, and drive right up to the top of the hill. As we drove ourselves out there, we did manage to find a carpark area, and a DOC sign indicating that there was a 45-minute walking track. As it was private land, we were instructed to stay within 10 meters of the marked easement, and not to disturb any livestock. Well and good. We set out in good spirits, finding some markers, and following them. When we came to a small stream, we debated, and ended up walking through. Just barely got our shoes wet. Then we came to the second stream. It was mid-calf deep, and wide, cold, and swift. We rolled up our pants and waded through. Then we came to the third stream. When does a stream become a river? We could see the tracks from the 4-wheel-drive tour go into the river, and come out on the other side, but it looked to be about waist deep in the middle. I drew the line at having to take off my pants altogether, and hike up my *shirt* to keep it dry, in a river that was freezing cold and moving very swiftly. Therefore, we did not ascend. However, I do have some lovely photos. It took six years, and three tries, and I have seen Mt. Sunday. I am satisfied. |
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