4-month appointment

we had daxon's 4-month appointment on tuesday evening.  he's a big boy, growing like a weed!

weight - 14lb, 10oz
height - 24.5"
head circ - 16.5"

he had 5 vaccines again - 1 oral and 4 shots.  he handled it like a champ!  he barely cried and then was fine all night.  he felt a little warm before bed, so we gave him some tylenol and he was fine.

we got the green light to start solids from 5-6 months.  i am anxious to start, and he is definitely interested in food, but i think we will wait until 6 months.  we will also start with fruit and veggie purees rather than rice cereal, and i actually may wait to start any grains until closer to 12 months to help his gut develop the right enzymes to break down grains.  i am really interested in baby-led weaning, but i think with him being at daycare, that will be difficult.  so we may do a sort of modified blw and puree combination type of thing.

by his weight, his zantac dose should be increased.  he's currently getting 1.25mL 3x a day.  he's doing ok on that dose for now, so we decided to keep him there and see how he does.  the ped said that most parents see that the reflux gets much better around this age, and many wean the medication themselves.  hopefully, we'll be able to add ourselves to that group!

and since i just took this this morning and i think it's adorable, here's a funny picture of dax in his bebepod with a little bit of bedhead and my favorite toy (from my own childhood) stuck on his foot. 

reasons why i love my chiropractor

i started seeing a chiropractor in november or december (i honestly don't remember when my first appointment was).  it was recommended to me by a couple of friends who i'd complained about my back pain to, and also several of the bees on hellobee were singing the praises of their chiropractors.  so even though i'd always been skeptical of chiros, i thought i'd give it a chance.  i knew i wanted to find someone who specialized in prenatal chiropractics because i know that we preggos have special needs and circumstances, and that our bodies may not be able to handle the rigors of "normal" chiropractics.  so i googled "prenatal chiropractor, abington, pa."  that brought up a list of a few in the area, but in perusing their websites i realized they weren't exactly what i was looking for.  well, one was, but when i read that they don't bill insurance, they were out.  i modified my search from abington to philadelphia, and about the 5th hit down i found the icpa website (international chiropractic pediatric association).  the first name on the list for the philadelphia search was the same one i'd already found who didn't take insurance.  the second name was dr. tara at hatboro family wellness.  as i looked over her website, i felt like i had found what i was looking for.  it seemed like she practiced from a holistic approach, treating not only the body but also the body's connection to the mind and overall wellness.  so i called and scheduled my intake assessment.

she spent 1 1/2 hours with me at  my initial appointment.  we went over everything - my medical history, my family history, my social history, my emotional history...it was incredibly comprehensive.  and then, after all that, she did the actual exam.  she discovered that i have a mild scoliosis.  she also discovered (as had my neurologist) that i have a slight head tilt to the left, and therefore my right muscles work extra hard to correct that.  and i have a leg-length discrepancy, in that my right leg is longer than my left (my right hip sits lower). anyway, given my assessment, and the fact that i was in excruciating pain on a near-daily basis, i was excited to get my treatment started.

i see dr. tara anywhere from 1-3 times a week, depending on my schedule and how i'm feeling (there have been a couple of times that i've cancelled my appointment because i've just been too freaking tired to make the drive - it's 15-20 minutes).  at each session, i start face-up and she does some neck adjustments.  then i flip to my stomach (using a special pillow with a hole in it for my belly) and she does some more adjustments to my back, and during the past few sessions she's also started focusing a lot on my sacrum and pubic bone, which feels awesome.  then i sit up and she gently massages my neck and back.  i don't always notice a difference right away, but definitely the next day i feel looser, less painful, and like i have a little bit more energy.

but that's not the only reason i like her.  at every session, she asks me a question regarding my overall wellness.  a few times it was just to tell her one thing that made me feel good that day.  given that it was the end of the year, she asked me once what accomplishment i was most proud of.  with the new year, she asked me what my resolutions are (but totally understood that resolutions hadn't even crossed my mind, what-with all the baby thoughts taking up space in my brain).  we've talked a lot about labor and delivery, too.  given that she's from this holistic point of view, she's very crunchy - more crunchy than i am.  she had her 2 babies at home with no medications - not even an option for medication.  i'm pretty sure she doesn't believe in vaccinations, though i've avoided that topic with her because i am such a strong proponent for vaccines.

last night, she asked me what is the central theme to my thoughts regarding labor and delivery.  my answer was that i really hope i can do it without medication.  i really mean all medication, but we focused mostly on pain medication last night.  she asked me why i have such a concern about it, and if i was getting pressure from anyone to use medication.  i'm not, though it is discouraging to have my friends look at me like i have 85 heads when i tell them that i hope to go med-free.  matt fully supports my decision to go without, and my doctors seem to be willing to go along with whatever i want, though i do need to discuss this more in-depth with them at our next appointment.  i'm more afraid that my body or more specifically that i won't be able to handle it.  so she reminded me that one of the biggest weapons that women have to manage labor is relaxation techniques, and asked me what thoughts i had about relaxation.  i told her that i think one of the biggest things for me will be music - music has always been a huge part of my life, and i can use music to transport me away from situations, to ease my mind, to pump me up - whatever i need, music has always been there for me.  i told her that i've been working on creating a labor and delivery playlist with calming, soothing music to help me turn inward and focus on myself.  i also am creating another playlist with just instrumental, relaxing music (mostly movie soundtrack music) - that is what helped me fall asleep during hurricane tomas on our honeymoon - i plugged in my earbuds and turned on the harry potter soundtrack to drown out the wind.  i've thought about making a more upbeat, motivational list for when it comes time to push, too, but i don't really want baby to enter the world the sounds of something like "sexyback," by justin timberlake.  i think creating a push playlist would take a lot more creativity and thought than my relaxing playlist, and i just don't have the energy for that.  maybe when i'm home on maternity leave (if baby doesn't come before i start) i'll work on it. 

she said that music worked really well for her, and at one point during her labor she actually had her husband take her ipod of the dock and just hand her her earbuds so she could fully drown out the noise around her.  i don't think i would hesitate to do that, honestly.  i know what music does for me, and i know that would probably help me a lot. 

then we started talking about other relaxation techniques.  she asked me if there was any position that i'd practiced or found that helped, and i told her that in our childbirth class we'd learned several, and i had found that the most effective one for me was to sit facing matt, with my head on his chest, while he rubs my neck, back, and arms.  another one that worked was when we stood facing each other, and i put my arms around his neck and just kind of hung there while we rocked back and forth and he rubbed my back.  she also reminded me about gentle touch, and that oftentimes women find that very soothing.  one of my favorite things is when matt lightly strokes the inside of my arm, so i will definitely have to keep that in mind.

i am so glad she brought that topic up and we talked about it.  it made me feel a zillion times more confident, realizing that i do have several effective relaxation techniques in my arsenal.

now i just have to get over - or better yet face - my fear of induction...

toxo update

i saw the high-risk ob on monday.  they did an ultrasound, and so far everything looks ok, but the doctor was careful to remind me that it's still early. 

i had a long talk with the ob, and he told me that my initial blood work was positive for the igm toxoplasmosis marker, which is the one that indicates a newer infection and raises a red flag.  so they took additional blood work that they will send out to the specialty lab out in palo alto, ca.  this is the only lab in the country that analyzes blood work for toxo.  the ob told me that if the test comes back positive, they will continue to monitor with ultrasounds.  they will also treat me with antibiotics to try to help prevent transmission to the baby.

while meeting with the ob, he also told me that due to a leep i had back in 2001 to remove precancerous lesions from my cervix, i am at risk for incompetent cervix.  incompetent cervix basically means that my cervix may be weakened from the surgery, and may begin to dilate without me knowing it.  a regular pelvic exam may not catch it because the top of the cervix may begin to dilate even though the bottom appears normal.  so i will have to get transvaginal ultrasounds every other week from now through 26 weeks to monitor my cervix.  if after 26 weeks it is ok, they will back off on the ultrasounds. 

after i finished with the ob, he sent me up to the maternal-fetal medicine office to do the paperwork for the lab work.  the nurse told me that they will overnight the blood work to the lab in palo alto, and that i should have the results in about a week.  i was thrilled with a week - being that this is the only lab in the country that does this sort of thing, i was expecting 3-4 weeks.  i had to pay out of pocket for the lab work, because the lab doesn't work with insurances.  so i put $658 on my credit card and will submit the receipts to my insurance for reimbursement.  definitely not something i was expecting, but i'm willing to do it for the baby.

after we finished the paperwork, it was back down to the lab to get my blood drawn.  finally, after about 2 hours (total, not just in the lab), i was able to go home.  as soon as i left the lab, i was choking back tears, and once in the car, i was a mess.  i mean, really, it was mostly good news.  and i am glad that they are going to continue monitoring me and staying on top of any potential issues.  but it was a lot, especially with the unexpected incompetent cervix thrown in, and after 2+ hours, i was just tired and overwhelmed.  so i just broke down.  i got myself back together to call matt and then called my mom.  i held it together for most of that phone call, until telling her about the picture the ultrasound tech took (coming up).  i couldn't even finish the sentence until i started sobbing.  it was brutal.

i am scared and nervous but trying to stay positive.  during the ultrasound, the tech took a picture that was just the baby's hand.  it was fully-opened, so you could see all 5 fingers.  the tech typed "hi mom" underneath the picture.  every time i look at it, i try to remind myself that it was the baby telling us "hey guys!  i'm ok in here!  don't worry about me!" 

a confirmation

you guys, we got to see our little bug last night!  it was so amazing.  we got to see him/her moving around, kicking its legs.  we got to see the heart fluttering away at 169 bpm.  i just could not believe it when that little body showed up on the screen - it's real!  there's an actual baby in there!  the ultrasound tech said that everything looks good.  we saw the arms, legs, and umbilical cord.  she moved the little wand thingie around and we saw the spine.  it was so amazing, and totally made me forget the fact that i had to pee so bad i thought i was going to burst.  seriously, i've never had to pee so badly in my life.  my appointment was at 5:30, so they told me to empty my bladder at 4:15 and then drink 32oz of water by 4:30.  by 4:40, i had to pee.  by 5:30, i was pretty sure my eyeballs were floating.  but i forgot all about it when that little baby popped up on the screen. 

oh, and i bet you're thinking "you caved!"  i didn't.  my friend abriel suggested that i double check and make sure we would have an ultrasound at our next appointment, since she said she had one at 8 weeks and then not again till 20 weeks.  so i called the office and sure enough, this was the only one we'd have until the anatomy scan.  so matt decided to leave work early so he could come with me last night.  i'm so glad he was able to be there for it.  it was such an amazing moment to see our baby, for the first time, together.

doing the impossible

i have the first stage of my sequential screening tonight.  sequential screening, for those not aware, is a series of bloodwork, ultrasounds, and tests to determine a percentage of risk for congenital defects like down syndrome.  it does not tell you if your baby will have these, it just gives you a percentage of a chance, and then allows you to opt for or out of further testing.  matt and i chose to go ahead with the screening because we decided that we would rather know ahead of time so that we can start to prepare ourselves, our families, and our home for a baby with a disability.  we could look into available resources and be better educated about the prospect of raising a child with said disability.  it is not a decision we made lightly, and our decision is not the right one for everyone.  but it was what we decided would be best for us and for our family.

anyway, todayis the first stage, in which i'll have some bloodwork taken and i'll also get an ultrasound.  in case you've lost your way, this will be the first ultrasound.  matt isn't going to be coming with me for this appointment.  i am dying to see our baby, but i also don't want to see it for the first time without matt with me.  so i'm thinking about asking the ultrasound tech to turn the screen away from me so i can't see it.  i'll ask her to turn out the sound so i can hear the heartbeat, but i really think i'm going to control the urge and wait to see the baby until our next appointment, which is only one more week away. 

it feels like an impossible goal that i'm setting for myself, here.  i mean, the baby will be right there!  just inches from my eyeballs!  but i really want matt with me to share that moment when we first see our baby.  it's so important to me.  so i'm going to suck it up and tell the tech to hide it from me.

am i nuts??

post-appointment follow-up

so the appointment went well.  unfortunately, we didn't get to hear the heartbeat, which was a major disappointment.  the doctor just felt it was too early, and even with a trans-vaginal ultrasound, she thought she might have trouble finding it and she didn't want to upset us by not finding it.  so she just did a quick internal exam and checked out my cervix (healthy) and measured my uterus (8 weeks).  after the internal exam, she had me get dressed and had matt and i meet her in her office to go over the pregnancy and any questions we had. 

she told me about stuff not to eat - high-mercury fish, raw shellfish, raw meats, etc.  i asked about deli meats and she said meat from the deli is a no-no, but prepackaged stuff is fine.  good to know, cuz now and then i really crave a good turkey sandwich.  she also said that an occasional glass of beer or wine is fine.  i doubt i'll imbibe, but it's nice to know i can do so guilt-free.  i also asked about bagged salads, since that's all matt and i eat, and she said that's a-ok, too. 

she gave me a script for bloodwork, including an hiv test and a screen for toxoplasmosis, since we have a cat.  she also gave us information about the sequential screening to test for disabilities.  she encouraged us to discuss it together and decide what we want to do.  we talked about it a little bit in the car on the way home and matt says he doesn't think he'd want to know because he'd be a big ball of stress about the baby if the screen is positive.  i pointed out that if we know ahead of time, we can start looking into available resources and lining up help.  we need to discuss it some more, but i am leaning towards getting the screening done. 

she also told me that i can't travel far after 36 weeks, so mid-december.  i told her that our families live in hershey, which is about 2 hours away, and we usually go home for the holidays.  her answer?  "tell them the turnpike goes both ways - they're going to have to come to you!"  that's gonna be interesting.  matt's already anticipating major bitching from his family.  i have said for years that i would love to host christmas at our house a few weekends early.  perhaps this is the year we start that tradition.  i mean, you can't argue with doctor's orders, right?  don't worry, somebody will. 

she told us that in their practice there are 5 doctors who do deliveries.  throughout the course of the pregnancy, i will see each doctor at least once so that i won't have a complete stranger at delivery.  i'm really happy with that.  we can take birthing classes through the hospital or through the office.  she said that through the office, we'd also get a tour of the hospital and everything.  so we'll probably just do that.

my next appointment is scheduled for july 2nd, at 12 weeks.  at that point, we'll be able to see and hear baby.  it feels so far away!  i hope this next month goes a little faster than this last one, because the last one was absolute torture! 

first appointment

today is our first appointment!  i can't.freakin.wait.  i'm really hoping we'll be able to at least hear baby's heartbeat, if not see something.  i have my list of questions ready and told matt to think about any questions he might have. 

in other news, i think i'm finally starting to experience some real symptoms.  i felt really exhausted all weekend, despite the fact that i got plenty of sleep.  even this morning, after sleeping like a rock all night (minus a trip to the bathroom, of course), i found it nearly impossible to get out of bed.  it's 8:48am and i could seriously crawl back into bed and sleep for another 3 hours.  on top of that, i woke up this morning and by the time i got out of the shower, i felt pretty queasy, so i ate a few graham crackers and that helped.  matt suggested i take a sleeve of crackers to work with me to keep in my desk for any queasy moments, but the nice thing about working in a hospital is that i have limitless access to saltines and ginger ale.  i just have to make my snacking inconspicuous for the next few weeks. 

i do plan to tell a couple of my coworkers today, just the ones that i'm really close to (the ones who were invited to our wedding).  i start my week of on-call today, and i'm hoping that one of them will be willing to take my pager tonight so that i don't have to worry about getting paged in the middle of my doctor's appointment.  could you imagine?  we're in the middle of the (likely) transvaginal ultrasound and my stupid pager goes off?  ack, awful.  so hopefully one of them will do me that favor, just for tonight.  plus, it'll be nice to have someone to talk to about it.  my coworker stacy just had her baby 6 months ago, so she's still pretty familiar with the whole pregnancy process and stuff. 

i'll be back tomorrow or wednesday with the updates from the appointment!  wish us luck!