GUESS THE BIRTHDAY, SEX, WEIGHT, AND LENGTH OF OUR LIL BEAN! JUST CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW.

Pregnancy Survey
About You
Name?:	Noel
Age?:	31
Height?:	5'8"
Pre-pregnancy weight?:	145
About The Father
Name?:	Brian
Age?:	31
Height?:	5'9"
Are you still together?:	of course - we just got married in April!
About Your Pregnancy
Is this your first pregnancy?:	yes
When did you find out you were pregnant?:	05/30/07
Was it planned?:	nope
What was your first reaction?:	couldn't believe it
Who was with you when you found out?:	Brian
Who was the first person you told?:	Brian
How did your parents react?:	mom cried, both are excited
How far along are you?:	6 weeks
What was your first symptom?:	cramping & missed period
What is your due date?:	01/22/08
Do you know the sex of the baby?:	not yet
If so, what is it?:
Have you picked out names?:
If so, what are they?:
How much weight have you gained?:	12 pounds
Do you have stretch marks?:	starting to get them on my butt
Have you felt the baby move?:	not yet
Have you heard the heartbeat?:	YES!!! It was extremely exciting
About the birth
Will you keep the baby?:	of course!
Home or hospital birth?:	hospital
Natural or medicated birth?:	hopefully natural, but we'll see how it goes
Who will be in the delivery room with you?:	mom and Brian
Will you breastfeed?:	yes
Do you think you'll need a c-section?:	hopefully not
Will you cry when you hold the baby for the first time?:	probably so
What's the first thing you might say to him/her?:	I love you.
Would you let someone videotape the birth?:	yes
Are you excited about the birth, or scared?:	excited, but a little scared too
Take this survey |

So, here's some background on us... Brian and I dated briefly, had a short engagement (about a month), then we got married on April 20, 2007 and I had just finished my period that day... Apparently, we got pregnant shortly thereafter... here's the rest of our pregnancy story....

05/17/07 started having cramps...

05/27/07 at mom and dad's, and mom asked me if I was pregnant... where did that come from?

05/29/07 still having cramps, so I called the doctor...

05/30/07 went to doctor... too excited to wait until tomorrow for results... stopped on the way home and bought test... at 6:34 pm it shows POSITIVE!!!! (my weight at doctor's: 156)

05/31/07 got a call back from the doctor... she confirms results of the at home test and wants me to come in for a sonogram to make sure everything is ok because of the cramps... Called mom as soon as I stopped hugging Brian.. she was so excited that she cried... Brian called his mom, then his dad... I called Tawnya (my sister)... everybody is so excited for us... found a four leaf clover in our yard today... another sign of how lucky we are :-)

06/01/07 went to the doctor today for an US... 6 weeks 5 days is the official word... saw and heard the baby's heartbeat (129) ... the baby looks like a little bean... Brian started calling the baby "lil bean" because of the US... his mom told him to nix the nickname because it would stick and our baby would be called lil bean for life... (my weight at doctor's: 158)

06/03/07 OMG, I just found out that my youngest sister Tawnya is prego too... she's due on 12/10/07... just over a month before me... This is so cool... I'm still shocked and amazed... she's been holding out on sharing the news... This is her third... AWESOME FOR BOTH OF US!!! My parents will be grandparents all over again in December and January!!! And I'll be an aunt again and a new mommy! I love my life!

06/04/07 OK, so I was talking to mom today and she told me that my cousin Justin and his wife Cindy are pregnant too! She's due sometime around Dec/Jan too... will talk to her soon to find out more details.... Oh yeah, I don't want to leave out that we have another cousin, Dixie, who is prego with her fourth... she's due around September (I think)... WOW 4 preggo cousins!

06/05/07 We decided the pattern/print for our baby's room... we're going with frogs... Zippity Frog to be specific... are we getting ahead of ourselves at only 7 weeks preggo? who cares.... we're so excited to be parents!!!

I also wanted to note that everybody thinks we're having a girl... (Mom, Tawnya, Laura, Kellee, girls at work) I kinda don't want to know if we're having a girl or a boy... Brian wants to know... suprise, suprise... Kalyn (from work) thinks that when we have the US done that we should have the doc put the sex in an envelope and give it to her... LOL... like that's gonna happen... I really don't want a bunch of pink or blue stuff... I like the neutral colors...

06/08/07 I've been feeling completely exhausted lately. I never knew doing nothing could be so tiring. :-) We've been getting things together for our wedding reception (tomorrow), but I've been taking things easy. Brian's aunt and uncle came in from Mass. last night, and we went to his parents house so that I could meet them. More relatives coming into town today and tomorrow. I'm going to mom & dad's today to help take stuff to set up for the reception. Tomorrow is going to be a very busy day. I'm looking forward to it, but I'm also ready for it to be over. :)

I'm afraid to say this, but I still haven't had any morning sickness. Laura said that if I haven't yet, then I probably won't. That makes me happy. It seems like my boobs grew more overnight... is that possible? They hurt so bad this morning. Before I got pregnant, I was barely an A cup, and now I'm probably close to a C cup... and I'm not even eight weeks yet. They're nice to look at, but damn they hurt! Noticed yesterday that my hips are getting wider already too.... didn't realize that would happen so soon. So many changes. I also feel swollen all over, especially my feet, but they don't look swollen.... what gives?

06/10/07 Our wedding reception went off without a hitch yesterday! It was wonderful, Brian and I both had family from out of town come in. I got to see my cousin Cindy (the prego). She looks great too! We were talking and her mother-in-law (my aunt) said it was funny to listen to two first time moms talking. We were comparing symptoms and body changes.

Also my Aunt Judy is predicting we will have twins (based on my size at 8 weeks). She had twins 22 years ago. LOL Brian said if we have twins, he's getting snipped. ;-)

We got the book "What to Expect When You're Expecting" from a friend at work. It's a pretty cool book. I've been reading it this morning, and I've found a bunch of useful information already.

Labor Predictor

I know you were hoping we weren't going to say this, but don't expect this baby to come early. Your baby is nice and comfy tucked away in your womb and has no interest in joining the rest of the world. We predict your baby will be born after its due date. Your baby will most likely be born in the morning. Justmommies predicts that your baby will weigh approximately 9.3 pounds and that your labor will be about 14 hours long.

Brian's Prediction............. 7.3 lbs. and on 01/15/08 (a week early)

06/14/07 My back's been bothering me a lot lately. I think it has as much to do with the compressed disk in my lower back as it does with the pregnancy. Still no morning sickness :) hope I didn't jinx myself with that.

Also, I found out that my cousin Cindy is due on 02/05/08. She had an US this week and she is now 6 weeks. Only 2 weeks after me :) Of course, my sister Tawnya is now 14 weeks (due 12/05/07).

06/16/07 My Online Poll:

What month am I in?
(Photo poll by noel, 6 days ago)

2	8		9%
3	18		21%
4	37		43%
5	18		21%
6	4		4%

Kinda scary, since this was my 8 week picture.

06/24/07 Brian and I went shopping today and got the Crib Set and some receiving blankets of..... Zippity Frog! I love it even more now that we have it! We've been looking for a glider-rocker with the glider footstool, but we haven't had any luck finding one in stock anywhere. The search will continue! Only 9 more days til the next doctor's appointment. I'm getting really anxious. I can't wait to get an update.

Madame Zaritska's reading:
The day you deliver, outside will be rainy. Your baby will arrive at night. After a labor lasting approximately 13 hours, your child, a boy, will be born. Your baby will weigh about 8 pounds, 12 ounces, and will be 20 inches long. This child will have blue eyes and some very fine hair.

07/02/07 Went to the chiropractor today for all of the back pain I've been having. I feel SOOO much better!!! I can actually sit comfortably without my back killing me. Damn compressed disk! Well he also said that both of my hips and my tailbone were far out of allignment, so I guess it makes sense. He told me to come back next week, so I've got an appointment for Monday for another reallignment. OB appointment is tomorrow, I am very anxious for new news on Lil Bean.

07/03/07 OK, so I had my doctor's appointment today, and not really any big news. :-( Let's see, I'm up to 160 pounds already. That's 4 pounds since the last appointment. The nurse who I saw before the doc asked if I had any concerns, and I told her about my back pain. She said that it is way too early to be prenatal pain. Damn compresesed disk! So I asked the doctor what else I could do. I told him about the heat compresses, the Tylenol, and the chiropractor. He said all of those things were good. We also talked about the jacuzzi, and he said that was ok - under 98 degrees. Other slight concern, invisible traces of blood in my urine. The nurse asked if I has sex within the last 24 hours and said that was probably what it was from, but I need to have a test done at the lab to make sure there is no UTI. Great. So I'll probably go do that before work on Thursday. Note to self: NO SEX WITHIN 24 HOURS BEFORE THE DOCTOR'S APOINTMENTS! Ok, maybe I'll remember now.... doubt it.

The doc tried to hear the baby with the handheld dopplar. He said that he heard it faintly for a second, but then he couldn't find it again. He asked me how bad I wanted to hear it, DUH! Of course I want to hear it. So, he put his fingers inside of me and tried to push my uterus to the dopplar on my belly. He said that he can usually hear it like that. But, thanks to the retroverted uterus and endo adhesions, he couldn't push it forward. Damn Endo! He asked me if I wanted to come back in 1 week, 2 weeks, or 3 weeks to hear the heartbeat. Of course, I said 1 week! DUH! So he said that he will try with the handheld again, and if he can't hear it, he'll have an US done. Of course we're going to try to get the US done next week either way! LOL! He said that he would have ordered the US today, but the tech was already gone for the day. UGGHHH. No more late afternoon appointments! I go for my next appointment on 7/11, in the morning!

07/06/07 I finally added my pics from weeks 10 & 11 to my photo album, so now I've got weeks 8 - 11. :-) I don't think I look any bigger now. Thank God! I needed to slow down my weight gain before I weighed 500 pounds! I'm not dieting or anything like that, I'm just eating more rationally. Better foods, and less at a time. I went and did the test (for the blood in my urine) on Thursday, haven't heard anything back. No news is good news! I wasn't really concerned though. Like I said, the nurse said it was probably just from having sex.

07/11/07 We went to the OB today and they did an US since they still couldn't find the heartbeat with the handheld dopplar. I was kinda happy that they couldn't hear the hearbeat with the handheld, because I really wanted to see the baby, and I'm so glad that we did. Everything looks great! We got to see and hear Lil Bean's heart beat (which was 167 this time). We could see his/her head, body, and arms, but the legs were curled up, so we couldn't really see them. So we finally got a picture. I asked the US tech about the 3D/4D US, and she said that they try to get it everytime. Apparently, they can just flip a switch from 2D to 3D. She said she did it today, but couldn't get a clear picture. Brian said that he saw it, and it was neat, but you couldn't really see anything. She said that anytime that it's clear in 3D, they'll provide us with pictures. So cool!

I'm now up to 162 pounds (17 pounds total gained at 12 weeks). The doc also referred me for physical therapy for my back, and I'll go for that appointment on Friday (07/13/07). I went back to the chiropractor again today too. He said that my back was way out of allignment again. I don't know what the heck I'm doing. All I did was lay on the couch most of the day yesterday, but it hurt all night last night. Oh well, I'm feeling normal again now. I hope that the physical therapy on Friday will help too.

I've added my week 12 pics and my US from today to my photo album. The US is kinda hard to see because we had to take a pic of the US pic to put it on the site. Check out Lil Bean!

07/13/07 Happy Friday the Thrirteenth to all! I went for my first phyical therapy (PT) appointment today. The therapist said that my back muscles are too loose and gave me a few exercises to do to try and tighten things up. I was there for about an hour (doing the initial evaluation and learning and practicing the exercises). He told me that I shouldn't be sitting for more than an hour at a time without getting up to stretch and do some of the exercises. There are four exercises that I need to do daily. One of them he wants me to do 4-6 times a day and it involves layin on my belly. How in the world will I have time to do that? lol The good news is that exercise actually does relieve some of the back pain and it involves stretching the arch in my back. He said that this is good because, as the baby (and my belly) get bigger that the arch in my back will become more accented and hopefully will hurt less. YAY! Well I go back to PT twice next week. So Monday - chiropractor, Tuesday and Thursday - PT. Busy, busy, busy!

07/22/07 Haven't written in a few days... I finished my associates program through University of Phoenix Online last weekend! That is quite a relief. I just found out my final grades... 2 A's... My final GPA is 3.72! That makes me very happy! My sis just found out that she's pregnant with her third boy! Congrats sis, I love you, and all your boys! Not much else going on except PT and chiro visits. lol Still anxiously waiting for movements from Lil Bean; sis said she's been feeling them pretty strong lately... sooo cool! I'm so jealous. ;-)

08/08/07 I went to the doctor today. All is well with baby and me! Lil Beans' heartbeat is around 156. My weight is now up to 167... (22 pounds so far) UGGH! I guess sis is right, I'm probably going to hit 200 pounds before this is all over. She said she hit 199 with her first. LOL Mom went with me today because Brian is leading a training class at work this week and couldn't get off. They offered me the tests for spina bifida and down syndrome. The PA said that the results are about as accurate as flipping a coin... false positive and false negative results are common. What's the point of that knd of test? Doesn't make much sense to me. We scheduled our US for 09/04/07. We should be able fo find out the sex then (as long as Lil Bean cooperates). Mom, Brian, and his mom will all be there for that. :-) My back is also doing better. Between physical therapy exercises and the chiroprator, I'm feeling pretty good. Oh yeah, still can't feel Lil Bean moving but the PA said that she was moving around because she checked the heartbeat twice and Lil Bean wasn't in the same spot the second time. Overall, things are going good! We leave for the beach this Saturday and will be gone until Wednesday. It should be relaxing for us all.

08/17/07 So I've been shopping a little bit for Lil Bean. My MIL bought us a baby book too. I bought a few outfits while we were at the beach this week. Today we got the pack and play that we wanted and put the stroller/car seat combo and my glider rocker on lay-a-way. Actually buying stuff for Lil Bean makes me more excited. I'm 17 weeks now, and it seems like time is going so slowly. Brian told me the other day that he is getting more excited as time passes and so am I. It's still hard for me to believe that in just over five months, we are going to have a baby. January can't get here fast enough. So I'm also starting to get anxious about having the US done in September... kinda hoping we can see if it's a boy or girl, but kinda hoping we can't. LOL I love Lil Bean, no matter what sex he/she is. :-) PS, I bought something cute for you too sis! Love ya!

08/23/07 OMG! OMG! OMG! I THINK I FINALLY FELT LIL BEAN MOVE!!!! I've been cleaning all day and was getting ready to take a shower and I felt this tingling. It went on for about 3 or 4 minutes then stopped. I'm so excited. 18 weeks 4 days, but it finally happened! YAY!

09/04/07 Today was the big 20 week US appointment! Lil Bean is looking good and moving all around. Heartbeat is 157. Approximate weight is 13 oz. My weight is now 173... Yes that's 28 pounds now! I saw a different doc today... not really sure who he was since there is only one doc in the office. Maybe filling in for doc. Anyway, he looked like he was about 18 years old. hahaha He listened to the heartbeat and felt to see where my uterus is, and asked if I had questions. Next appointment is October 2.

It's a boy!

09/14/07 Well, well, well... it seems like boy's are running in the genes for this generation in our family. Just found out yesterday that my cousin Cindy is having a boy too. So that makes 3 boys due Dec. (sis), Jan. (me), and Feb. (cuz). My grandmother (on mom's side) had 4 girls and 1 boy. Her grandchildren consist of 9 girls and 2 boys. As of February 2008, her great-grandchildren will consist of 5 girls and 10 boys. Well, the good news is that out of all of these boys, Cindy's will be the first to carry on my grandparents last name. It's exciting for our family to finally have that! Funny thing is that our Lil Bean will be the first to carry on my husband's family name too. Pretty cool!

Let's see what else is going on. I went to the chiropractor today and he said that my back was worse than last week and said that he would like to see me weekly until the baby is born. I finally got the approval from my insurance company to get massage with my chiro appointments and that will start next week. YAY! I'm excited about that. I interviewed for a hotel front desk job on Wednesday, but part time shifts are 8 hours a day and my back just can't handle that. I also took my second test for Verizon this week; I passed! Just awaiting an interview, background check, and a new class to start. LOL, maybe that will all happen by January when the baby is born. Lil Bean has been moving more and more lately. I feel him almost every night some time between 8 and 10 o'clock, and sometimes during the day. It seems like daddy can get him to wake up and move around whenever he wants, but not me. lol Daddy still hasn't been able to feel him yet though. Soon enough...... Also, I think (pretty sure) that we've at least decided on a middle name for Lil Bean... Russell. That was Brian's grandfather's name. Still working on a first name. Like I told Brian, we may not have that until he's born. :-)

09/15/07 I finally felt a kick and was able to see him move too! I was laying in bed this morning and I felt Lil Bean move. I pulled my nightie up, and my belly moved 4 times that I could actually see it. I wanted to wake Brian up so that he could see/feel too, but I figured that Lil Bean would stop moving by the time he woke up. Oh well, he'll feel it soon enough. :-)

09/18/07 The first of the cousins was born today. My cousin Dixie had a little girl, Emerson Paige, 8 lbs. 1 oz. My sister Tawnya is hoping to be induced on November 30. WOW, only about 10 more weeks! I've got about 18 weeks to go. And cousin Cindy has about 20 weeks to go. Happy mommies make happy babies!

09/25/07 Brian saw Lil Bean move for the first time today! I was laying on the bed and told him to look and he actually saw it.... so cool! Of course, daddy's lil boy stopped moving right after he saw him.

09/29/07 Brian got to feel Lil Bean tonight! I took his hand and put it on my belly and he moved. Guess what happened next? Nothing! He stopped moving.... what a daddy's boy!

10/02/07 Had my 24 week OB appointment today. Up to 185 pounds (40 pounds total gained). Blood pressure is normal. Talked to Dr. Bonasso about circumcising Lil Bean. I don't want to do it, but hubby does. :-( I just don't see any need to do surgery unless medically necessary, and since no major medical board even recommends it any long, why do it? Doc says he recommends it and that whoever delivers him would be the one to do the circ.

10/03/07 We picked up my glider rocker and our travel system (car seat/stroller combo) today. Brian rearranged the bedroom so that the glider rocker would fit, and of course he put it together too. It's really comfy. I'm glad that I've got it already. I enjoy sitting in it.

10/05/07 Brian's parents told us today that they are going to empty out their office so that we can use it for a nursery. Before they offered it, I wasn't really concerned one way or another about having a nursery. I figured that as long as Lil Bean has a place to sleep that's all that matters. But now, I'm really excited about being able to do a nursery. We've already got a crib bedding set, and his parents said that they would buy us the crib that we want. :-) We are figuring that we will probably be staying with his parents until the summer, so I'm happy that Lil Bean will have his own bedroom. He's still kicking around like crazy too... I love it!

10/15/07 Brian's team had a surprise baby shower for him at work today. He got all kinds of stuff including bottles, a diaper bag, a teddy bear, baby wash, shampoo, lotion, diaper wipes, and more. One of the ladies made this cool "tool belt" for diaper changes; it has all the diaper changing necessities including rubber gloves, face masks, and tongs to remove the soiled diaper. It's really cute. No new updates for me.... Lil Bean moves around regularly now, and I love to feel him, except when he kicks my bladder or kicks me really low. OUCH! Lol I forgive him though :-)

10/25/07 Went for my gestational diabetes and anemia tests today. The diabetes test wasn't as bad as I had expected. The stuff I had to drink was kinda bitter, but it was cold, so it went down fast. :-) Will find out the results on Tuesday when I go for my OB appointment. Will update again then.

10/30/07 Week 28: Saw the young OB again today. He seemed more confident today than he did the last time. It made me feel better about him. Everything is good. He told me that they typically do another US around now , but since I've already had three, and since everything looks good that I will probably not have another one. :-( Oh well, at least the baby is doing good! I am up to 195 pounds (50 total gained - now 28 weeks 1 day). UGHHH! On the positive side, I passed my glucose test with 135, and my iron was a little low at 11. The OB said that he will not have me take more iron since 12+ is normal. Talked to this doc about circumcision. I'm a little nervous about him doing it since he is fresh out of med school. He's only been practicing as an actual doctor since August of this year. How many could he have done? Scary!!! Well, Brian doesn't seem concerned, he just wants Lil Bean to be "like everybody else". ugghhh.... This is my only major frustration with this pregnancy, and really the only thing that Brian and I have "argued" (more like disagreed) about since we've been together.

10/31/07 Got a flu shot today. I hate those things, and I haven't had one in so long that I don't remember when I had the last one. But the OB recommended it, so there I was, getting a flu shot. I love you Lil Bean. I would only do that for you!

11/03/07 I had my baby shower today; it was wonderful! A lot of mom's family was there, some of my old co-workers came, and my mother-in-law and her neighbor also made it. We got tons of clothes for Lil Bean, some toys, a stroller, two bathtubs (the only duplicate gift), blankies, bath stuff, and lots of other goodies. Everything turned out so perfect. We got a couple of gift cards too, so we'll be able to pick up some other things that we need.

11/05/07 Happy Birthday Brian! Daddy turns 32 today! We spent the night in a cabin for his birthday. It was a great final getaway before Lil Bean gets here! We had a terrific time ;-) ;-) We also had our first childbirth class at the hospital this evening. Lots of boring, but useful information to get us ready for Lil Bean's arrival. There were three other couples there, one due on Christmas, one due in February, and the other is due on the same date as Lil Bean. I almost started to cry when we were doing the breathing exercises in class tonight. Brian and I were looking in each other's eyes and I was thinking about the fact that we were practicing for the arrival of our little one. Three more classes to go. I am getting more excited everyday!

11/27/07 Week 32: So, I had some cramping yesterday and Brian convinced me to go see the doctor. He said that it was probably BH contractions or possibly from being dehydrated. Baby's heartbeat is good! I am now 32 weeks and my weight is 197 1/2 pounds (total weight gain 52.5 pounds). Doc said that the baby is measuring BIG! He's going to do an ultrasound in two weeks to check the size. YEAH! Brian and I are both happy about having another US. Happy times! I love our little bean!

We also finished our four weeks of childbirth classes yesterday. Happy that's finally over. We toured the labor and delivery unit last night. This hospital has rooms for labor and delivery, then another room that I will be moved to after the baby is born. Old fashioned, I know. The labor rooms seem very small, but Dr. Bonasso said that we should be able to get room 4 - the biggest room because I'm afraid I'll have a panic attack from claustrophobia. I'm gonna contact the hospital directly to see if that is actually going to be possible. I really like this doc, but it's the only hospital where he does deliveries. I'm considering changing doc's because of the small rooms.

On another note, the nursery is almost finished - the last wall should be done tonight. Then Brian will clean the carpet this weekend and I can finally start putting things together in there. :-) I'm getting more excited every day.

11/28/07 So Brian and his dad finished wallpapering the nursery last night. Brian is still planning on cleaning the carpet this weekend. I was able to go through a bunch of the baby's stuff and put some of it away today. There are still a bunch of clothes over at mom and dad's (mom's using some special stain remover stuff on them). And I am waiting to get my armoire, which will be a couple more weeks. Then I can finally get all of his clothes hung up, put in drawers, and put away.

I called the hospital today to find out about "Room 4", and going to see it. Brian and I will probably go up there on Friday and make our final decision from there about whether or not we will have the baby at Fairmont. The nurse was really nice and I asked her if they would let me have that room when I come in to deliver. She said that they should be able to do it as long as there isn't anybody in there already. YAY! Well, I guess now I'm just waiting to see it.

12/05/07 My sister Tawyna had her baby today! Grayson Lucas Chase B. was born at 11:05 pm. He weighed 8 pounds 3 ounces and is 19 inches long. Congratulations Tawnya & Travis on your new addition!

12/13/07 Week 34 Doctor's appointment: My weight 199 1/2 pounds (total weight gain 54.5 pounds). Had an US today. Baby's heartbeat 133. Baby's approximate weight 5 pounds 9 ounces. Dr. Proudy said that this is in the 49th percentile - so he is just about average. He said my belly is still measuring big, but there is no need to be concerned. The baby was making sucky faces while we were watching him... so cute! I am sooooo anxious for this little guy to get here. I'm going to the doctor every week now. Next week I will have a vaginal swab test done. Ewww! Anyway, Lil Bean is doing great and that is what's important!

12/17/07 Brian and I got some practice at parenting this week. Grandma K was in the hospital after having a heart attack and congestive heart failure. Tawnya went with mom and dad up to visit her, so Brian and I watched all three of her boys. It was an interesting challenge. lol Seth is 6, Kaleb is 3, and of course Grayson is 13 days old. They were all angels and it was exciting practice to take care of her little one.

12/19/07 Week 35 Doctor's appointment: My weight 198 1/2 pounds (total weight gain 53.5 pounds). Had my group B Strep test today. It wasn't too bad - will find the results next week. He also did a vaginal exam - said no dialation, but my cervix is softening. We'll see Dr. P next week, so no vaginal exam unless I start having contractions or problems. I also think that I had my first Braxton Hicks contractions today while shopping at the mall. I felt a pain across the bottom of my belly that lasted for about half a minute or so. It happened a couple of times. Brian was concerned but they went away.

12/26/07 Week 36 Doctor's appointment: My weight 203 pounds (total weight gain 58 pounds). Group B Strep test was negative. Dr. P measured me and that was about it... Will see Dr. B next week and then Dr. Holehouse the following week - the said that he is only on call one weekend a month and it is the weekend of 01/19, so I need to see him just in case. LoL I have been having BH contractions off and on for the past week - Dr P was not concerned. I take that to mean that all is well! Lil Bean has been moving more than ever for the past two days - it's exciting but hurts sometimes. Only a couple more weeks to go!

01/03/08 Week 37 Doctor's appointment: My weight 202.5 pounds (total weight gain 57.5 pounds). Saw Dr. B today and of course he did a vaginal exam. He said that I am only a fingertip dialated. Basically that means that I'm still not even dialated a centimeter, but I think that they tell you a "fingertip" to make you feel like you are progressing. He did say that my cervix is softer than it was 2 weeks ago when he checked me, and that he could feel the baby's head. I go back on Monday of next week to see Dr. Holehouse since he's on call the weekend before my due date and I haven't even met him yet. Dr. B said that he doesn't think that the baby will be here any time soon, but I have almost 3 weeks to go until my due date. I'm really beginning to get stressed out with the waiting. I cry almost every day out of frustration. I know that he will come when he is ready and when the time is right, but I wish that it was sooner than later.

Mom's still in NC with Tawnya until next Friday. Grayson went for his 1 month appointment today and is now 11 pounds and 22 inches long - still not as big as I was when I was born. LOL I'm glad that he's healthy and doing well.

01/07/08 Week 38 Doctor's appointment: My weight 203 pounds (total weight gain 58 pounds). Saw Dr. Holehouse today... still no changes....

01/15/08 Week 39 Doctor's appointment: My weight 208 pounds (total weight gain 63 pounds). Saw Dr. P today... still no changes... how much more frustrating can this get? He did at least say that he will induce at 41 weeks, so there is some light at the end of the tunnel.

01/16/08 Went to the chiropractor and got a massage today because my back has been killing me since yesterday. I asked Peggy (massage therapist) about suggestions for naturally inducing labor, and when I came out from seeing the chiropractor, she had printed a booklet for me about natural pain relief techniques for childbirth using acupressure. I'm anxious to try the pressure points for inducing labor tonight. Mom seems to think the baby is going to be born tomorrow anyway, so let's see if we can help him along. :-)

01/18/08 I've had a headache since yesterday, so I checked my blood pressure on the machine in Walmart today. It was 157/92! I called the doctor and he saw me in his office. I'm only dialated to about 1 cm! My BP was higher when I was there, so he sent me to the hospital. I got to the hospital at around 5pm and they hooked me up for the non stress test and to check my blood pressure. Baby's fine, but my BP has stayed high. Since it's still high, doc decided to go ahead and start to induce labor. He gave me the cervadil at 8pm, and said that I'll get pitocin at around 5:30 in the morning. Lil Bean will be born tomorrow - 01/19/08! I'm nervous and excited, and my BP is going up and down, but still staying fairly high. I'll update as soon as I can. Pray everything goes smoothly!

01/19/08 So, they gave me pitocin at around 6:30 this morning and I had induced contractions for about 13 horus. I got nubane for the pain around 3pm and again around 6:30pm. It was reallly wierd; it didn't take away the pain, but it made me feel drunk or high. Finally they took me off the pitocin around 7pm and I still had a few bad contractions. The doctor came in and checked me and I was only 2 cm dialated, and about 70% effaced. So, back to the drawing board tomorrow. We'll start pitocin around 6:30 again and hope that the baby decides to make his grand arrival! The doccor said that he is very optimistic about Lil Bean's arrival tomorrow. He also told us that we have the option to request a C-section at any time, but he doesn't recommed it. He said that I progressed a lot today and that he will not send me home without having the baby because of my continued high blood pressure.

01/20/08 Dillon's birth story: I awoke in the hospital to contractions at around 4:30 a.m. They were about 20 minutes apart, but much more painful than any of the ones that I had yesterday. I woke Brian to let him know, then we told the nurses. Finally around 6 a.m. they took me to the labor and delivery room and I asked for the epidural (Dr. Prouty told me yesterday that I could get it whenever I was ready today). I was still only about 2 cms dialated and the nurses told me that I had to wait until I was at least 4 cms. Fortunately, around 7 a.m. the nurse who was with me yesterday showed up and called the anesthesiologist and by 9 a.m., I was getting my epi. It was not painful at all! I was glad that I had it! Around 10 a.m. Dr. Prouty came in and broke my waters. The nurse checked me again around 11a.m and I was about 3 cms. dialated. At noon, I was around 4 cms, and mom left to get something from the cafeteria, and when she got back an hour later, I was at 8 cms. Next thing I knew, I felt like I had to take the biggest crap of my life. The nurse came and asked if I felt like I needed to have a bowel movement, and I told her yes. So she checked me again. She said that I was fully dialated and she could feel his head, and told me that I could start pushing. I felt like I couldn't... the pain was so intense. Then she told me to stop pushing, and that I would have to breathe through the next couple of contractions until the doctor got there. HAHAHAHAHA what a joke! I told her that I couldn't stop, and she said that Dr. Prouty was on his way. My response was, "Screw Dr. Prouty". LOL Well he got there a minute later in a sweater and slacks. I swear he was like Clark Kent changing into Superman because when I looked up again, he had on scrubs. There wasn't even enough time to break down the bed. Dr. Prouty delivered Dillon sitting on the end of my bed. His head came out with the cord wrapped around his neck and Dr. P unlooped the cord and suctioned his nose and mouth. Then he told me to push again, and out popped Dillon. I couldn't believe that the pushing stage went so quick. Dillon Russell W. was born on -1/20/08 at 1:39 pm. At birth, he weighed 8 pounds, 7 ounces and was 21 inches long. He is perfect in every way. After the nurses did his APGAR score, they layed him on my chest. I just cried; I couldn't believe it, he was finally here! I breastfed Dillon for the first time about an hour and a half after he was born. He cought on pretty quickly. What a good baby!

While Dillon was perfect in every way, things went down hill for me after he was born. I finally went to sleep around 8p.m. that night, but I woke back up around 11p.m. because I couldn't get comfortable and was having a little trouble breathing. Well, me being me, I just fought to get back to sleep until around 12:30, then I walked out to the nurses station to let them know what was going on. They checked my vitals and then brought Dillon in the room with us. My BP was still high. Brian was in and out of sleep - it's been a rough couple of days for him. The nurses called Dr. Prouty to let him know what was going on. I had an EKG done shortly thereafter, and it was normal.

I was later sent for a chest x-ray and a CT scan. The doctor who read the x-ray diagnosed me with pneumonia, but Dr. Prouty didn't believe in that diagnosis. He showed up at the hospital around 3a.m. and came to talk to me, then he left the room. The nurses came to check on me several times throughout the night, and told me that Dr. P was still there reading up and trying to figure out what was wrong. A day later, I was in the ICU. I was under the care of a cardiologist and a pulmonologist. I had fluid on my lungs and was on a fluid restricted diet. I had a bladder catheter and was being giving diuretics to remove the fluid. They let Brian stay with Dillon in the maternity ward, and they let them come to visit me any time that I wanted - day or night. Unfortunately, I was not getting any better. I couldn't lay down and I was on oxygen. Later in the week, I was diagnosed with Post Partum Cardiomyopathy. It is a form of Congestive Heart Failure. On Friday morning, I called Brian at about 4a.m. and told him that I couldn't breathe. I was having panic attacks because of it. He said that he wanted to have me moved to another hospital. I don't remember a lot of what happened after that. I know that I was intubated (had a breathing tube and feeding tube down my throat) on Friday and that I was transferred to the ICU at Ruby Memorial Hospital in Morgantown late that night. I don't remember Saturday at all. I know that I was sedated most of those two days. On Sunday I was extubated (the tubes were removed). By Tuesday, I was getting better. I was moved to a step-down unit, but I was put on forced oxygen at night to help me breathe. Wednesday afternoon, Brian and I took a walk around the unit (my first time out of a hospital bed in about 10 days). By Thursday, I was being weened off the oxygen and I was completely off of it the same day. I was moved to a regular room that night and was released on Friday - the day before my 32nd birthday. I went home to my parents house with my husband and nearly two week old son. I was so greatful to be home with my guys.

The outlook for recovery is good, but several of the doctor's warned us that if we have any more children, I could die. We will know within the next six months how much my heart has recovered.