Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Answered Questions = Peace of Mind

My 27 week appointment was yesterday, even though I didn't officially hit 27 weeks till today. I am officially up 12 pounds, total. My OB (as well as I) is extremely happy about that number. It may not seem like much but it seems to be perfect for my body style and size. My bloodpressure was wonderful, as usual. Some people tend to think my belly is tiny, for being 7 months pregnant, but my uterus is actually measuring a week ahead (28w). They also had me do my glucose tolerence test but haven't and am unsure when I'll get the results back. Dr.K said that no news is good news. I have another appointment in 2 weeks so she said if I don't hear back within a couple days then it's good news and they'll let me know at my next appointment.

Baby J is doing great, as usual. His heart rate was 154bpm and he's moving around like a little crazy man. He has the hiccups quite often and I'm often laughing at his little antics. The other day Big J and I were out having dinner and Baby J decided that he was going to try crawling out the side of my belly. It was quite uncomfortable, so I gently pushed back at him, as I usually do, to get him to move. This time... not so much. This time, he was being a turkey and decided that once I pushed, I must have pissed him off because he then proceeded to kick the crap out of my hand, lol. It was quite funny. Obviously he wasn't too interested in moving, no matter what Mommy said.

Dr. K answered all of my questions, exactly how I expected them to be answered. It's a big relief to know that things are going well and as planned, as much as we can. Here are the questions I asked and the answers I received:

How far will I be allowed to go before I'll be induced?
41 weeks. Since we know the exact date of conception, there really isn't a benefit of letting him stay much longer. The placenta no longer performs at it's peak performance and there's really no reason to risk it, after that point. (that puts us at the week of Thankgiving)

If it comes to the point of scheduling a c-section, due to my low-lying placenta, at what point will we schedule the c-section?
Dr. K is about 98% sure that it'll move out of the way in time, so it's not something to make ourselves sick about, now.

At what point do we schedule our son's circumcision and with whom do we schedule it with?
You need to schedule it with the baby's pediatrition.
*we called our baby's pediatrition and here's how it'll go down:
Once we give birth - Dr. Ped will come to give Baby J a checkup before we're discharged.
3 days within discharge - We'll take Baby J for another checkup with Dr. Ped. While there we'll also schedule his circumcision with Dr. Ped's partner, Dr.B.
2 weeks after the circumcision - We'll take Baby J back to Dr. Ped for another checkup.*

Is there a way we can schedule a tour of the hospital?
Yes! Just call the number on the admission paperwork and set one up.

Would you recommend the H1N1 vaccine this fall and if so, is it safe even though it's in it's first year?!
Yes, the H1N1 flu is not something to play with, especially if a little baby is relying on you to keep them safe and healthy. As soon as the vaccines come in, I will be given one. The safety of the H1N1 vaccine is very safe and to not worry about it. It's made just as normal flu vaccines are made, so it's safe as normal flu vaccines.

What is your outlook on non-medicated deliveries?
We're all for it, as long as the mother's in labor can tolerate the pain. Some women just find a way of dealing with it and some, on the other hand, can't tolerate it so well. The important thing is that you come with an open mind to do what you feel necessary at the time.

We we wondering what type of hospital rooms, our hospital has; are the labor & delivery rooms seperate from the recovery rooms or are they the same?
The rooms are brand new and GORGEOUS.. they're LDR rooms so you won't be moved. You'll labor, deliver and recover in the same room.

It also mentioned in our hospital paperwork, that as long as both mother and baby are healthy, our hospital has a 6 hour discharge option. If interested the mother and baby will be allowed to be discharge 6 hours after delivery, IF both mother and baby are healthy and had a normal delivery and the mother has help at home.

I'm debating this idea, however, with this being my first, I'm scared to go home early. Even if all goes well, I'm scared that going home so soon would make something happen. I'm also wondering if the extra time in the hospital will help me with breastfeeding since there will be people there to help, if needed. I'm just nervous as this is my first time and I just want things to go okay. We'll have to see how I feel after I deliver and see how the breastfeeding goes.

3 comments:

  1. Labor and Delivery rooms (or suites) are great! The rooms I stayed in during births was like a hotel suite. It was great! The only time I left the room was for the actual c-sections. The prep, recovery, and everything else was all in my room.

    Sounds like you are thinking ahead very well!

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  2. a) I am glad to hear (read?) that everything is going well. Congratulations on the weight gain; it's always such a relief to hear that your body is doing just what it should do at just the right rate for you and baby =)

    b) Wow, a six-hour discharge? SIX HOURS?!

    I know we don't know each other, but for what it's worth, I'd stay longer than six hours if you can. That has nothing to do with breastfeeding - after all, you can always schedule a lactation consultant to come by your house or to discuss breastfeeding with you at the pedi appointment, and you can always ask other women you know who have breastfed for their help - it's just that delivering is exhausting. Having the help of a nurse when all you want to do is sleep and when you aren't sure what is normal and not normal for your body postpartum (i.e. having the ability to ensure that the cramping or bleeding is not too severe and that there is not an infection, etc) is priceless. Or rather, the peace of mind that comes with it is priceless.

    That said, I stayed for 2 nights and sincerely felt that I was good to go after the first night.

    Ah, I'm so excited for you and congratulations again on everything going so smoothly so far!

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  3. P.S. If you have trouble breastfeeding, like I did, if you're sore and if you have a tendency to scab up: cabbage leaves. Cabbage leaves are MIRACLES.

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