Update on Katie

My doctor is out of town this week, which means I had to meet with a different doctor yesterday. I was a little uneasy about seeing a different doctor, especially since this pregnancy hasn't been an ideal pregnancy. However, it turned out fine. He is really smart and a very kind person. Even though he was just seeing me one time and it was just a check-up he seemed genuinely concerned about our pregnancy. He gave us suggestions to help with the morning sickness, and hopefully within a couple of days we will see some improvements.

I had to go back to the doctor today. My uterus is still measuring small and the doctor wanted to have some more tests along with a sonogram to check on the baby. The way that these doctors appointments go is that I meet with the sonographer first and then I meet with my doctor. I had my sonogram done and was a little concerned, because I could see Katie's measurements and I knew that they were smaller than they should be. After the sonogram I had to sit in the waiting room for over half an hour waiting to meet with the doctor. The whole time I was sitting there worried about Katie. Finally I met with the doctor. He said that the baby was measuring at 32 weeks and 6 days instead of 35 weeks and 2 days. This means that she was measuring 17 days smaller than she should be. In the past she was measuring 8 days smaller, so this is a significant difference. The doctor said that even though she was 2 1/2 weeks smaller than she should be, he felt comfortable not making any decisions right now. Since he is not our normal doctor, it would make sense that he wants to wait and have our doctor make any major decisions, and it is comforting that he feels confident that it is safe to wait a week to do anything.

In previous meetings with our doctor, she thought that due to the size of my uterus eventually Katie's growth would decline and it would be safer to induce labor than to have her stay inside me and have her growth restricted. When I met with Dr. Tovar today, he had the same reaction, but wanted to wait a week until Dr. Collins came back to make the decision. This means that Katie isn't in any immediate danger, but that being induced next week is more of a reality than we had originally anticipated. This doesn't mean that we will for sure be induced next week, it just means that we know that her growth is declining.

This is not the ideal situation, but we are thankful that it is not as bad as it could be. Right now we could use all of the prayers that we can get, and are trying to think positively. If Katie has a lot of growth progress this week, maybe we can keep her inside a little longer. Although we would prefer to hold of on delivery for a while, in the end we just want her to be healthy. We trust that God will be with us through all of this and that in the end all will be okay.

Marybeth

Sleep...or lack there of

I have reached the point in my pregnancy where I can't seem to get comfortable when going to bed, no matter what I do. I know that they say you should lay down on your left side, but anytime I lay on my side (left or right), Katie starts kicking and won't stop until I move. You are not supposed to lay on your back because it affects the blood flow to the baby, and for obvious reasons I can't lay on my stomach. I think part of the problem is the lack of growth of my uterus. Katie doesn't have that much room as it is, and when I lay on my side it takes some of that space away. I can get over the pain that I feel when I lay down and how every position seems to be uncomfortable, but having someone kick you constantly until you move, I just can't get used to that. It also makes me a little worried. I don't want to lay in a position that might be harmful to Katie...I know it may be unlikely to harm her, but with my lack of growth, you just never know. Last night I ended up moving to the chair in the living room to sleep. I woke up sore, but at least I was able to find a position that didn't cause Katie to go crazy.

I suppose we weren't meant to be comfortable in our last month of pregnancy. I mean, could you imagine wanting to stay pregnant forever? I sure couldn't. I know someone who was worried about becoming a mom and wanted to stay pregnant. She said that taking care of the baby was easier when it was inside her....she must have had a better pregnancy then me. I have a hard enough time making sure that the baby gets the nutrients that she needs, let alone being able to provide nutrition for myself. Don't get me wrong, I know that taking care of a child is no piece of cake...I worry all the time about what kind of mom I'm going to be. Will I know what I need to do? How many mistakes am I going to make? What if I don't know some of the important things that all mothers know? However, not only am I excited about meeting Katie, but I am excited about not being pregnant anymore. I am ready to not feel sick everyday, and I definitely feel like I have more control of Katie when she is here as opposed to when she is inside me. I know that probably doesn't seem to make much sense...but I can tell you right now that Katie has more control over me right now than I have over her.

Maybe the lack of control that I have over Katie has something to do with my need for order in the house. I think I need something to have control over. I feel the need to have everything clean. Yesterday I spent hours making a calendar with a list of chores that need to be done daily, several times a week, once a week, or 1-2 times a month. I have been thinking about the whole nesting thing a lot lately. Is it really a desire to have everything clean and safe for the baby? Will an infant really be affected if I don't scrub the kitchen counters several times a day? I mean, she is not exactly going to be up and moving around and probably won't even come near the kitchen counters for a while. Is nesting really a way for women to gain some control. I mean, from the start of a pregnancy, a woman loses a lot of control over her body. It grows, no matter what you do (unless of course you are me). You get sick all the time. You have to pee all the time. In reality, you have no control over your own body. Maybe we do it for the sense of control. In the end it is probably a good reaction; preparing for the arrival of a child is important. It just makes me wonder if we really do it for that reason. I suppose I shouldn't dwell on it and I should just fulfill my desire to have a clean house. I mean, why question a good thing? Why put something positive in a negative light? Why delude yourself into thinking that you have any control when in reality, from the time that this baby was conceived, all control was lost. Have I mentioned that I love Katie :-)

Talk Radio

I'm a music guy. I played drums for four years, piano for six years, and trumpet for the last eighteen years of my life. So when I'm on my way home from work, what do I do with the car radio? Of course, I flip on some talk radio.

For the last year I've been listening to this fella name Michael Medved. He's a very conservative talk show host, which instantly turns some people off. And even though most would describe me as something similar, I have come to greatly dislike the Rush Limbaughs and Glenn Becks of the world. But this Medved character is different. First of all, he actually has discussions with his guests and callers rather than interrupt them as soon as a single idea pops into their his head. He doesn't have to say something shocking and controversial or rely on a persona to attract an audience. He has logical discussions and invites listeners from around the country to participate. People that have complete opposite view points love to appear on his show and call in. Every day when I flip it on, I get to hear different view points debated on a large range of subjects. There aren't many shows on TV or radio that make me think on a daily basis. And this show makes me think about things that are important. (...unlike some shows that make me think about smoke monsters and time travel. Thank you J.J. Abrams.)

I can't really do Mr. Medved's show justice in a little blog post though. All I can say is that it keeps me on my toes and helps me to continue to think and learn about our society, culture, religion, government and politics.

First day of summer

There is just something wrong about it being 93 degrees outside at 8:30 in the morning. I took my mom's truck to get the oil changed and it said it was 93 degrees outside. I know that since I am "in a family way" I am more affected by heat than other people, but thinking about the fact that it is only June and that is only going to get hotter makes me want to cry. Yesterday was the first day of summer and the high was 99 degrees. The FIRST day of summer...that's ridiculous!! I think 6 more weeks of being pregnant in the summer will kill me. However, there is something else I dread just as much, if not more. In all of the books that I have read it says to keep the house between 69 and 72 degrees when you have a newborn because they have trouble regulating their temperature, that is really going to put a dent in our electric bill. Right now we keep it around 78 degrees, so keeping it at 72 when it is 103 outside is going to be expensive.

Matt and I took Miles for a walk yesterday and decided that the heat has had a big impact on the amount of obese children in Texas. I remember being a kid, and when I was bored I would go outside and play with my brothers. We would spend all day outside. If I were a kid now, I would rather stay inside and play some sort of video game in the air conditioning than run around outside. It is hard to get the recommended amount of exercise when it is 100 degrees outside and feels like it is 110. Not only are kids missing out on the exercise that they need, but they are missing out on the social contacts that they need. I think that hanging out with other kids provides children with lots of things that aid in their development and maturity. If you spend all day inside by yourself playing video games you are missing out on so much. Being able to communicate and relate with people is very necessary in life, and I think that we learn a lot from playing with friends. I just feel like kids are missing out on so much because of the heat, and I feel like I will miss out on things with my daughter because of the heat. I mean, how often am I going to take Katie to the park when it is hot outside? How many walks are we going to go on? How often am I going to take her out on her bike? I just worry that the heat is going to cause me to miss out on a lot.

To sum up my position...I HATE THE HEAT!!!

Doctor's Appointment

My appointment today was interesting. I went in and the doctor took my measurements and checked the baby's heart rate, after which she decided that I needed to be hooked up to monitors. The nurse came in 10 minutes later to check on me and said that the heart rate was low. She came back 10 minutes later and checked...no difference. She left and talked to the doctor and then came back and asked me to drink some "juice" which turned out to be the nasty orange stuff that they have you drink for your glucose test. I guess it was supposed to wake up the baby and get her moving, but all it seemed to do was make me sick. When the nurse came in again she had me move around and ultimately lay on my other side, but there was still no change. 10 minutes later the doctor came in and looked. She didn't seem overly concerned and said that the baby was just sleeping...which is interesting because normally the only time she really moves is when I am laying down. She said to try to keep track of the baby's movement and to call if there were any problems, but she said I was okay to go home.

I have come to the conclusion that worrying does more harm than help, so I am not going to worry until there is undeniable proof that there is something to worry about. As of right now, my uterus is still really small (the doctor made a comment today about how I don't look pregnant at all when I lay down), and I am down to the lowest weight I have been since I got pregnant. The baby is a good weight and length, but her heart rate is lower than desired...although I guess not low enough to really be concerned about. It is not the ideal situation, but it is also nothing to get too worked up about right now. I know that there are lots of people praying for Katie and I, and I am trusting that everything will be fine. With the close eye that the doctor is keeping on us, I am sure we will be fine. It was just an awkward appointment and a lot to process.

I know that there is a lot that I still need to do, but I think the best thing I can do today for Katie is to relax. I am going to try to eat something and then take a nap. You wouldn't think that this would be a challenge, but for me it is :-) Wish me luck!!

Marybeth

Nesting

I have definitely gone into my nesting phase, which isn't necessarily a bad thing since my house could really use the cleaning. For the first time since...well, probably since Matt and I got married, every single piece of clothing, towels, etc. is clean. I have even re-washed all of the baby clothes that we have. I vacuumed the living room twice yesterday, and even contemplated vacuuming the dog. You wouldn't think that he would shed that much, since he is a short-haired dog, but we have black hair everywhere. I have put up a baby gate in the nursery room doorway, so at least that has kept the dog hair our of the nursery. I have started brushing Miles everyday, so hopefully that will make a significant difference.

I have also started getting rid of EVERYTHING that I think I don't need anymore. Clothes, books, you name it. I just wish I went through this last week so I could have donated everything to the church garage sale. I am trying to free up as much room as possible for Katie. The funny thing is, Katie is going to end up with more room than Matt and I, which is stupid because she is really small and for a while will be in the same room as us almost 24/7. This, as well, is not necessarily a bad thing. Sometimes I have a hard time letting go of things, and Matt is more of a packrat than I am, so we really do need to get rid of things. For some reason I'm okay with getting rid of things now, I suppose because I know that Katie is more important.

So I've been thinking...this pregnancy has made me lose weight, get my house in order, and get rid of all of the stuff in my house that I don't need. This pregnancy may be the best thing to happen to me, even before Katie makes her arrival.


Marybeth

My First Blog

Well, I am not really sure about this whole blog thing. I've considered blogging for a while now, but I have always felt that my life wasn't interesting enough to write about. However, seeing as how Matt and I will have a new addition to our family in less than 2 months, maybe there will be more to write about. This also probably means that I won't have as much time to write about things, but we'll see. I guess I could start off by talking a little about how the pregnancy has been going.

We are having a girl, and we have decided to name her Katelyn Elizabeth Coen (although we will call her Katie). Right now I am 33 1/2 weeks along, with my due date being August 2nd. I suppose that you could say that this pregnancy has not exactly been a normal pregnancy. Like my mother, I have been sick ever single day since I got pregnant, and it's not just morning sickness...it's afternoon and evening sickness as well. The doctor has prescribed me some medicine to stop me from throwing up as often, but I still have a feeling of nausea. Funny thing about nausea, the definition is "sickness at the stomach, esp. when accompanied by a loathing for food and an involuntary impulse to vomit." I feel like I am the only pregnant woman to hate eating, but it's hard to want to eat when you feel sick all the time. I have been pregnant for 7 1/2 months and have lost 17 lbs. Now, I was overweight to begin with so I didn't need to gain as much as most, but losing weight while pregnant is never ideal.

In addition to the sickness thing, I have also had problems with the growth of my uterus. It is not growing like it should, so I don't look as pregnant as I should. I've got a little bit of a bump, but if you didn't know that I was pregnant you would probably guess that I'm just overweight. I would say that I look like I'm about 4 months pregnant. This lack of growth has caused concern for the baby, and I have had to have a sonogram every 2-3 weeks for several months now. They have been charting the baby's growth to make sure that she is growing steadily and consistently. So far she is 1 week smaller than she should be, but growing at a constant rate, so there's not a whole lot to worry about. Their concern is that as we get closer to the due date her growth will start to decrease. If this happens, they will have to induce labor immediately. As I said before, right now everything looks good and there is absolutely nothing I can do to change the situation. Right now we are just praying for a safe and healthy baby and trying not to worry.

Well, that's all the news I have for now about Katie. I hope my first blog wasn't too long or too boring.

Marybeth