Just Checking In...

Howdy Humble Readers!

I can't believe how the last week has flown by.  I'm working on our birth story, but honestly I'm struggling with the earliest parts because everything seemed to go so slowly for so long, and then it hit hyper-speed. 

Our Family!

My black and blue belly (from all the insulin and the assorted shots I got after Ginevra was born) is slowly turning a grotesque shade of yellow and green.  My staples were removed on Saturday and now the inscision is itchy beyond belief.  And check out that new ticker to the right... I am currently more than 20 pounds below my pre-pregnancy weight!  It's like I'm melting away.

My rings are back on.  I'm done with the insulin and my blood sugars have been well within target when I do random checks.  I have to go for another GTT after my six-week check up. 

I did have a little scare the other day.  The public health nurse had come by to do a check on Ginevra and I, and she did a bp check on me.  I had been feeling dizzy and light-headed for a day or so, and had some troubles taking a deep breath the night before.  My bp was sky high and I was retaining a lot of water.  She stopped the check up at that point and sent us to my doc immediately.  Long story short, I'm back on the Lobe.talol, and all is much better now.  We'll see how my bp is when I go back to the doc at the end of the month. 

Ginevra's first bath - in the hospital

Ginevra is doing amazingly well... she's surpassed her birth weight already, and other than a few issues with gassiness she's a very happy little girl.  She sleeps anywhere from 3-6 hours at a stretch and eats well.  Cloth diapering is going great, and I don't know why people choose to use disposables when there are such great products and services out there.  The only area that we're still struggling is with bf-ing.  Because of my blood pressure, the c-section, and the GD, I had next to no milk for the first several days, so we had to go with formula (which was a frustration for me).  I'm now on some meds to help my milk supply (which it has, in spades!), and Ginevra is on mostly breastmilk, albeit from a bottle.  I've been trying to use a nipple shield to help her, which is working somewhat, but mostly she gets mad because she can't get milk as quickly from me as she can from a bottle. 

One of my favourites - in the car seat, on the way home from the hospital

All in all, I think things are going really well.  Even when we have frustrating moments (like when I had to throw the covers to the couch cushions in the wash at 2am because she spit up all over them), I am still so incredibly thankful and happy.  My Beloved is amazing with her, and I am so very proud of him!  He's also been great with looking after me and making sure that I'm not overdoing it. 

I will hopefully be able to start checking back in with all of you soon.  It seems like when I'm not feeding, pumping, or changing diapers, I'm doing laundry or trying to catch up on sleep. 

I hope you are all well... and that you are enjoying a magical holiday season!

An Update on the Update

Good Morning again, Humble Readers...

Two posts in less than 12 hours... how is this possible?

I just wanted to give you a quick peek in on my OB appointment today.  It started out a little odd, because Dr. U is now sharing his office with a pediatrician, so things were a bit more crowded than normal.  Also, he had an intern with him today, which was something new. 

While Dr. U was finishing with another patient, he had me give his intern a run-down on my history.  His quote was, 'tell him the story... it's got a good ending'.  Have I mentioned how much I love Dr. U?   I gave him the story of our losses and how long we had been ttc, and what's been happening with this pregnancy. 

So, after the intern had all my info he checked my blood pressure.  It wasn't perfect, but it was certainly miles better than two weeks ago.  Are you ready?  Are you sure?  Ok... well, since you asked so nicely...

130/76!!!  Soooo much better than last time!  Dr. U coached the intern through talking to me about pre-e and what to watch for, and then chided me for consulting Dr. Google too often.  He wants me to do a baseline 24 hour urine test, so we know when/if things change later down the road. 

Dr. U is so great.  He celebrates every appointment with me.  He understands how I'm nervous and excited at the same time.  He always ends my appointments with 'I told you we'd get here.' 

Ok... enough with the love-fest.  Back to your regularly scheduled blogging!

Hobbit-ish Potpurri: Let's Go To The Movies (Let's Go See The Stars)

Good Morning Humble Readers...

First up, 10 hobbit bonus points to anyone who can name the movie that my subtitle for today's post comes from.  I'll give you a hint... it's a musical.

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So, you probably noticed the two countdown clocks at the top of this page.  I think it's a tad ironic that the movie I have been looking forward to for almost three years (basically since the first time I started reading the last Harry Potter book) is going to be released 10 days before my due date.  This little halfling had better stay put until then!  ;)  I was also hoping to add a Hobbit movie countdown, but the dates for that one keep getting pushed back.  Come on, Mr. Jackson... take pity on a poor little hobbit!

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My Beloved and I went and saw Toy Story 3 last night.  It wasn't as good as the original of course, but it was still pretty darn good.  It had me crying at the end... and even my Beloved got misty.  There were some really great funny moments, and quite a few adult jokes throughout.  I have to say, I loved the addition of Barbie and Ken to the crew. 

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I want to say a huge THANK YOU to everyone who offered their info and advice on my last post.  On the advice of my OB's nurse I chose not to take the meds until I am able to discuss it with Dr U.  I have a phone consult scheduled with him on Monday.  I am feeling much better about the meds and that they will be okay, I just want to hear it from Dr U.  In the mean time, I have been a good girl and have stayed very hydrated and away from salt as much as I can.  I have never been one to cook with salt (my mom never did either), but I always have added salt at the table.  I have also been more aware of the sodium that is in prepared foods (who knew there was so much sodium in chocolate milk?!?).

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I missed out on doing a Canada Day post this year.  I had to work and it ended up being a crazy busy day.  We did a hot dog/lemonade stand to raise money for our in-house literacy fund.  It was a lot of fun, and we raised a ton of money.  Afterward, tho, I was exhausted.  I am so looking forward to the day when I can share weekends and stat holidays with my husband. 

Looking for Information

Good afternoon Humble Readers...

Sooo it turns out that my blood pressure is still higher than it should be.  My systolic is ok-ish, but my diastolic is the frightening one.  He took my blood pressure 5 times (I have bruises on my arm now from the cuff), just to make sure that it wasn't white coat syndrome. 

Dr B prescribed 50mg of Trandate (also known as labetalol), three times a day.  I asked him specifically if it was ok for me to take being pregnant and he said yes.  Now that I'm home, and doing my usual online research, I have found out that it is a category C drug.  For those who don't know, this means that it's not been tested enough on pregnant humans to be certain of side effects, but in pregnant animal test subjects there has been documented side effects (slowed fetal heartrate, potential birth defects). 

I am going to be seeking Dr U's opinion for clarification, but I'm wondering if there is anyone out there who has been on this med during pregnancy. 

I'm cutting as much salt out of my diet as I can, and caffiene has already taken a hike (as soon as I got pregnant).  Any other suggestions of what I can do to lower my blood pressure?