It feels like just yesterday...

It feels like just yesterday I was laying in the hospital just waiting... waiting and not knowing what was going to happen and when it was going to happen. I still feel like a large chunk of my life has been taken away, even though it has been 3 months since Zoey was born... but in reality, I've only had her home for 2 of those months. Really, really hard to believe...

I've come to the realization that placentas are evil little things. A necessary evil... I can't even count on both hands how many people have issues with it... low-lying, completely lying, splitting in half, lol... I mean, wow! Maybe I just never noticed it before because I never knew what to worry about... but it seems like it's everywhere now... I only hope to God that no one I know has to go through the same thing I did.

It still feels like yesterday that I was fainting in the bathroom, with four nurses hovering over me... like yesterday that I was crying in pain when the pain meds weren't kicking in fast enough... crying because my baby was regressing in NICU instead of progressing.

I've said this 100 times and I'll say it again. I would do it all over again. This baby girl is truly a miracle and was worth every fight during the TTC process, every tear shed, and every long night in the hospital. I'm getting back in the swing of life, but I still feel drained at the thought that most of my 2010 was spent dealing with the hospital. I look forward to it being a distant memory so I don't remember the fight as vividly. I still feel like I just got home.

Sometimes I just stare at her and cry a little. What a precious gift she is... and she is mine.

The Medical Myster Tour [is coming to take you away]

What started out as Placenta Previa has now been labeled a "Medical Mystery" by my high risk doctor. In my 2nd trimester, this is what my situation looked like (right):
















Now... take that placenta and split it in TWO pieces, held together by a blood vessel covering the cervix... a little placenta here, a little there... and wallah! Vasa Previa! However... for some reason, I have an unnamed form of vasa previa... in fact, it's only being called vasa previa because no known name exists. Whaaaaaaaat?!

I can't even begin to explain what all has happened, but basically the placenta is in 2 different places and held together by this oddball vessel that isn't behaving normally. I don't get it... the doctor was puzzled, the ultrasound tech was puzzled, my OB is puzzled... I was told this case is "going in the books." Something about that stupid vessel isn't right. So while the case is still treated, in the end, with a c-section, I'm now having to be monitored even closer than anticipated.

I have to go back to the high risk clinic every week, plus normal visits with my own OB. This is going to be a long 10 weeks... it's expected I'll deliver via c-section at 37 weeks. My next ultrasound at the high risk clinic is on Tuesday. I don't know what to say... I'm so glad I'll get to see Zoey every single week up to her birth, but I'm not so excited about being labeled a "medical mystery." Apparently a 3rd doctor is going to have his go at my case on Tuesday. Sheesh. After all this, I wish they'd offer to pay my medical bills in exchange for "studying" me. I'm so glad I can amuse them because quite frankly, I'm not amused at all. I heard more curse words fly out of the high risk doctor's mouth than I could count on one hand... seriously... he was that confused... and so was I.

So as I enter the third and final trimester of my pregnancy, I guess I can honestly say the real fun is about to begin... I've already had several ultrasounds this pregnancy and it's looking like I'll get about 10 more. Exciting and scary at the same time. Good news: Zoey is healthy! That's all that matters, right?

Dear Placenta, you're hearby GROUNDED.

I think I like how Amanda put it the best... "so sorry your placenta's being a jerk." Yeah, that's right placenta... you're a big jerk.

It looks like my placenta hasn't moved a single bit. It's still completely covering the cervix... not just a little bit... I'm talking completely downtown, going from front to back. This means that my dream of letting Zoey come on her birthday instead of her "due date" is a thing of the past.

When my OB was telling me this, I was fighting back tears. I asked her if there was still a chance at all that I could deliver normally and she said it's highly unlikely. Next Tuesday, January 26, I have to go see a high-risk doctor to get the final confirmation that I will have to get a c-section. My OB assured me that she is not passing me on to a new doctor, she is simply sending me to an expert to confirm what she thinks is going to happen. I was told that it's imperative that I do not dilate past a 2. If I bleed at all, even a little bit, I have to go to Vanderbilt hospital and I will be put on bedrest. She told me under NO circumstances can I go to the local hospital because they do not have the blood supply needed. So IF this happens, we're off to Vandy. The c-section will happen between 36-38 weeks, depending on how I'm progressing... if I'm not dilating on my own, I can go longer (which is my hope), but if I do dilate, we have to do the c-section ASAP and stop labor. I was told I'll have to get steroid shots to make sure Zoey's lungs are developed before the c-section... as long as we can control when it happens.

I'm thankful that my daughter is healthy... today she measured at 27 weeks and is 2lbs, 6 oz. all 4 of her heart valves looked beautiful on the ultrasound... both her kidneys are functioning properly and she is inhaling as she should... we were able to see her actually inhale amniotic fluid and see up her little nose, LOL. She was a cutie.

The bright side of all this is I will get to see my daughter a lot more... I'll have more ultrasounds than I'll know what to do with from here on out... as if I haven't already had enough. Now to await the glucose tolerance test results........

100 days to go...

There are only 100 days left in my first pregnancy. When people ask when the baby is due, I always say "the end of April, which means early May." However, the fact that my ticker says I only have 100 days left is putting me into nesting overdrive! 100 days left and so far this is where I stand:

Weight Gain: 27 lbs. This means I've outgrown nearly all the maternity clothes given to me and finally had to purchase some of my own in my 25th week. All the clothes given to me were previously worn by a mother who gained 33 lbs in her first pregnancy and 27 in her second... this is why I'm busting out of them so soon. Holy moly. Thank goodness another friend brought me some clothes today :) They should help get me through the next 3.5 months.

Stretch marks: I never thought about stretch marks taking over my inner thighs, but alas, there is a colony marching up and down my legs. This baffles me. I knew they crawled up the boobs and belly, but legs? I've always had a few on my legs from growing a little too fast as a kid... but now they are ALL OVER THE PLACE. It seemed to happen overnight. I'm not even going to try to do something about them right now. As for my belly, I do have a couple starting at the bottom. This is because I have become horribly lazy when it comes to applying my magic lotion. My fault. Oh well. What's a girl to do?

The Nursery: Zoey's room decor + bedding came in on January 12 and it's above and beyond what it looked like on the internet. It's brighter and just completely warms my heart. Today, the paint colors were picked out. We're going with a light yellow and a green accent wall. Operation Nursery will begin shortly... I'm hoping on the 23rd. I'm itching to actually open her furniture and get it set up. I'm ready to take all the gifts from my first shower out of the gift bags and put them in their places. I'm ready to walk into her nursery and feel extra anticipation for her arrival as I watch everything come together...

Pains: Zoey is consistently sitting on my sciatic nerve, and lately it feels like she's literally dancing on it. I feel like a foot is going to fall through my cervix any second now. She's obviously moved into a foot-down position. It's the weirdest feeling and I'm ready for her to correct herself. All her movement is downtown and I don't like how it feels. I wonder what she is thinking right now... is she more comfortable? Mommy sure isn't.

I can't believe I'm less than 3 weeks from my 3rd trimester and just 3.5 months from giving birth. It seems like just yesterday I saw those 2 pink lines in the bathroom at work. Tuesday, January 19, is the glucose tolerance test and another ultrasound to check on the placenta previa. With as much downtown action going on, surely the placenta has moved into it's proper place... only time will tell.

The next 100 days are going to include a lot of preparation and OCD-ness. I look forward to seeing what happens...

Zoey Elizabeth

Obviously I have a lot to share with you all. :) My 18 week ultrasound revealed that I have a healthy little girl growing in my uterus. It's hard to believe that between then and now she's grown to be from the size of a sweet potato to the size of a cantaloupe. Where does she even have room to grow?! I know that with her growth, I'm starting to feel her more more often. I noticed that the stronger movement is at the top of my belly and now I know why.

Placenta Previa. It sounds a lot scarier than it is, but basically, the placenta is at the bottom of my uterus, covering the cervix. You cannot deliver the placenta first. So either it has to move, or I'll end up having a c-section, which I don't want. Usually it moves, so I'll just get a few more ultrasounds to check for the movement. That is the good part. :) So anyway, the reason her movement isn't as strong at the bottom is because of the extra padding. I do feel her a lot more, but Glenn won't be able to for a while... hopefully that will change soon. I think he's itching to be more involved in the pregnancy and experience our baby girl.

My sciatic nerve pain has finally gotten easier! If it wasn't for that cuddle pillow, I'd be in some major trouble. I've just been extra careful lately, and I honestly don't have a choice because the belly is getting bigger and harder... which means it's more difficult to move around. Standing up is already a task... I worry and hope I don't end up gaining 70 lbs like my mom did with me... so far I'm at 21. My goal was to keep it below 40... I have a feeling I'll say goodbye to that goal soon.

Stretch marks? Not a single one. :) I hope I'm not speaking too soon... but I'm always on the lookout for the creepy crawlies, just waiting for one to show it's ugly face. I lotion up regularly and remind myself to stay hydrated and that I have good genes. Mom never had any, so maybe I won't either. :)

I'm ecstatic that we have a daughter on the way. I would have been just as ecstatic if it was a boy though. I'm more happy that I finally have something to plan for... up to now we haven't actually purchased a single thing for the baby. I'm approaching my first baby shower (December 19) and we're all registered at Babies R Us. We'll register at Target sometime soon... my next shower isn't until early March. We're very excited and as soon as the holidays are behind us, we're going to start on her nursery... I can't wait to show you guys what we have planned. She's going to have the coolest chick pad in Robertson County.

Say "HI!" to Zoey Elizabeth...