I think this will probably be the last pregnancy update for our blog. After this it will be all baby news and maybe even something about US!
I have my last monitoring tonight for the baby and my blood pressure. If everything is fine I will spend tonight at home. I am scheduled to report to the hospital at 8 AM Thursday to start the induction process. I believe it will be a gel to start and then some medicine through an IV. The baby should come sometime Thursday or Friday, maybe Saturday. I didn't really get a clear answer on how long it will take, I only spoke with the midwife as shifts were changing. I plan to ask the doctor Thursday. I was assured once I went in Thursday I would be having the baby before going home.
Today is going to be a long, long day as I did all the last minute stuff yesterday! I am praying a lot for a healthy baby and an uncomplicated delivery. I am also slipping in some prayers about him not being TOO big! Josh is at work today but he will be with me the entire time in the hospital and then all next week. I am so happy he is able to take some time to spend with us in the very beginning.
We should be home Sunday or Monday, I believe they keep us for three days after the birth. Josh has TWO cameras, multiple batteries and thousands of pictures worth of space so I am sure he will post plenty of pictures next week.
Have a good weekend and the next post will be about the BABY!
Showing posts with label pregnancy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label pregnancy. Show all posts
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Monday, August 27, 2007
Finally, some baby news!
We finally have some baby news! I went in this morning to have the baby monitored and my blood pressure checked. Once again the baby was perfect, moving around a lot and with a strong stable heart rate and my pressure was 116/56 (C'est parfait, as the French are so fond of saying). While I was there I also saw my doctor who has returned from vacation. He is slightly concerned because my uric acid is higher than normal and rising with each blood test. Tomorrow we go back for another blood test and monitoring. If my uric acid is still going up he will give me a gel to soften my cervix and then he will induce labor on Wednesday. If the blood work is okay I will go in Wednesday night for the gel and he will induce Thursday. Of course I can still go into labor at anytime but no matter what happens it looks like we will have the baby by this weekend!
We are so excited at the thought of having the baby soon! The hospital requires that I stay for three days following the birth so we should be home Saturday or Sunday. Josh will take off next week to help with the baby. The following week my mom arrives for two weeks so I will have plenty of help for the first three weeks.
We do have a new problem with one of our cats, Jingle. He seems to think we have set up the babies bed for him. We keep finding him curled up asleep in the bassinet. We have had the bed set up for weeks and he just discovered it. We are now trying to come up with a plan to keep him out of the bed. Besides for that I think we have everything ready at home for the baby. He has lots of clothes and plenty of blankets and a few toys. I am sure we will have to go shopping once he gets home and we realize the things we have forgotten. We have a baby store about two doors down and another one a couple blocks up from our apartment so there should be no problem.
We will try to keep everyone posted about the birth, if I come home tomorrow night I will post. Otherwise I will be at the hospital having the baby!!
We are so excited at the thought of having the baby soon! The hospital requires that I stay for three days following the birth so we should be home Saturday or Sunday. Josh will take off next week to help with the baby. The following week my mom arrives for two weeks so I will have plenty of help for the first three weeks.
We do have a new problem with one of our cats, Jingle. He seems to think we have set up the babies bed for him. We keep finding him curled up asleep in the bassinet. We have had the bed set up for weeks and he just discovered it. We are now trying to come up with a plan to keep him out of the bed. Besides for that I think we have everything ready at home for the baby. He has lots of clothes and plenty of blankets and a few toys. I am sure we will have to go shopping once he gets home and we realize the things we have forgotten. We have a baby store about two doors down and another one a couple blocks up from our apartment so there should be no problem.
We will try to keep everyone posted about the birth, if I come home tomorrow night I will post. Otherwise I will be at the hospital having the baby!!
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
Another Pregnacy Update
I promise once this baby comes I will blog about something other than being pregnant! Then every blog will probably be about THE BABY.
I had my doctors appointment last night, the one we scheduled on the slight chance I wouldn't have the baby by August 14. The appointment was at 9 PM because my doctor was in town for only one day. He did an exam and said the baby was big but not too big (at the last appointment he was REALLY big). I have cut out sugar and tried to modify my diet after having high glucose so maybe this made a difference, I am not sure. The baby is actually measuring at 38 weeks so for the first time he is on target with the due date. The doctor also said the baby is still high and I haven't started labor yet (not dilated or effaced). So much for having the baby early.
After the exam he sent us up to maternity to have a fetal stress test to check the baby was okay because I said he wasn't moving as much as before. The test was great, they baby is doing exactly what he should. I am also great, no contractions and my blood pressure is "perfect". I think maybe I just forgot how much the baby moved before compared to know, I am not sure. I did forget to put my shoes back on after my exam so I don't really trust my memory right now.
The maternity ward is beautiful. It just opened this summer and everything is brand new and lovely. I had my test in a birthing room which has a jacuzzi tub, an lots of cool buttons on the bed and a flat screen TV. Josh was under the impression the tub was for him after he goes for a run while I am in labor, I had to set him straight about that. The test was given by the midwife who was really nice, I hope the one I get is as sweet. I am glad I got a chance to see where I will have the baby before just arriving at the hospital.
I was somewhat disappointed just to go home. I was kind of hoping they would tell me I was ready to have the baby or something. After the last appointment I really thought he would come any day but now it seems he is going to be on time. It is great that everything is going well and we are both healthy but I am so anxious to meet the little guy! I have an appointment with the midwife for August 24, I think she will check me then and let me know how things are progressing. My doctor returns from vacation on August 27 so I need to call him that day and make an appointment (if the baby isn't here yet).
In other news Kristen, Scott and Eric left this morning. It was really nice to see them and catch up after so long. We will see them again in November when we go out to California for Thanksgiving. Our friend Maureen is coming this weekend which will be great. I wish we had the baby to introduce her to but it seems like he is going to take his time. I have decided to leave the apartment more and get some exercise, I am not going too far or without Josh but I have to GET OUT! The baby is at full term so I don't think it can hurt for me to be a little more active. Maybe just a walk around the neighborhood in the evenings when Josh gets home from work.
Hopefully my next post will have baby pictures!!
I had my doctors appointment last night, the one we scheduled on the slight chance I wouldn't have the baby by August 14. The appointment was at 9 PM because my doctor was in town for only one day. He did an exam and said the baby was big but not too big (at the last appointment he was REALLY big). I have cut out sugar and tried to modify my diet after having high glucose so maybe this made a difference, I am not sure. The baby is actually measuring at 38 weeks so for the first time he is on target with the due date. The doctor also said the baby is still high and I haven't started labor yet (not dilated or effaced). So much for having the baby early.
After the exam he sent us up to maternity to have a fetal stress test to check the baby was okay because I said he wasn't moving as much as before. The test was great, they baby is doing exactly what he should. I am also great, no contractions and my blood pressure is "perfect". I think maybe I just forgot how much the baby moved before compared to know, I am not sure. I did forget to put my shoes back on after my exam so I don't really trust my memory right now.
The maternity ward is beautiful. It just opened this summer and everything is brand new and lovely. I had my test in a birthing room which has a jacuzzi tub, an lots of cool buttons on the bed and a flat screen TV. Josh was under the impression the tub was for him after he goes for a run while I am in labor, I had to set him straight about that. The test was given by the midwife who was really nice, I hope the one I get is as sweet. I am glad I got a chance to see where I will have the baby before just arriving at the hospital.
I was somewhat disappointed just to go home. I was kind of hoping they would tell me I was ready to have the baby or something. After the last appointment I really thought he would come any day but now it seems he is going to be on time. It is great that everything is going well and we are both healthy but I am so anxious to meet the little guy! I have an appointment with the midwife for August 24, I think she will check me then and let me know how things are progressing. My doctor returns from vacation on August 27 so I need to call him that day and make an appointment (if the baby isn't here yet).
In other news Kristen, Scott and Eric left this morning. It was really nice to see them and catch up after so long. We will see them again in November when we go out to California for Thanksgiving. Our friend Maureen is coming this weekend which will be great. I wish we had the baby to introduce her to but it seems like he is going to take his time. I have decided to leave the apartment more and get some exercise, I am not going too far or without Josh but I have to GET OUT! The baby is at full term so I don't think it can hurt for me to be a little more active. Maybe just a walk around the neighborhood in the evenings when Josh gets home from work.
Hopefully my next post will have baby pictures!!
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Maternity Leave
I officially started my maternity leave yesterday. I went to the doctor on Friday afternoon and he told me I had been doing too much (again). When I told him I was doing nothing besides going to work he told me it was time to stop working. I expected to start singing or dancing in joy but in the end I just said thank you.
I am excused from work until delivery but I also was told to stay very calm and to lay down in the afternoons. I am not supposed to go up and down our 5 flights of stairs so I am pretty much stuck in the house. He prescribed some medicine to relax my uterus because he thinks I might be having contractions and not realize it. So, as Josh likes to say I am stuck up here in my ivory tower.
I am very grateful to be in France where women start maternity leave 6 weeks before the birth. I am only 1 week ahead of that so nobody blinked an eye at work. I can't imagine leaving 7 weeks early in the US. I also get 16 weeks after the baby is born so it is really, really generous and I am very lucky. The only downside is I actually have to have the baby in France away from my friends and family.
I am going to the American Hospital which is a great facility. The only downsides are the extraordinarily long waits for appointments, always over an hour and often two. Also, many doctors and nurses don't speak English, which I thought would be a requirement with it being the AMERICAN hospital. My doctor does speak English which is super BUT he is probably going to be on vacation when the baby comes so I can only cross my fingers and hope for the attending doctor and midwife speak English.
In other news we have a friend coming to visit this weekend. A friend of Josh's from college who I have never met will stay with us for a couple of days. I have heard about him for years so it will be nice to finally meet him. It also gives me something to do between now and Friday, change the sheets on the guest bed. I have to be pretty bored to look forward to changing sheets!
Now it is time to start my exciting day of laundry, cooking, CSI downloads and napping. The fun I will have!
I am excused from work until delivery but I also was told to stay very calm and to lay down in the afternoons. I am not supposed to go up and down our 5 flights of stairs so I am pretty much stuck in the house. He prescribed some medicine to relax my uterus because he thinks I might be having contractions and not realize it. So, as Josh likes to say I am stuck up here in my ivory tower.
I am very grateful to be in France where women start maternity leave 6 weeks before the birth. I am only 1 week ahead of that so nobody blinked an eye at work. I can't imagine leaving 7 weeks early in the US. I also get 16 weeks after the baby is born so it is really, really generous and I am very lucky. The only downside is I actually have to have the baby in France away from my friends and family.
I am going to the American Hospital which is a great facility. The only downsides are the extraordinarily long waits for appointments, always over an hour and often two. Also, many doctors and nurses don't speak English, which I thought would be a requirement with it being the AMERICAN hospital. My doctor does speak English which is super BUT he is probably going to be on vacation when the baby comes so I can only cross my fingers and hope for the attending doctor and midwife speak English.
In other news we have a friend coming to visit this weekend. A friend of Josh's from college who I have never met will stay with us for a couple of days. I have heard about him for years so it will be nice to finally meet him. It also gives me something to do between now and Friday, change the sheets on the guest bed. I have to be pretty bored to look forward to changing sheets!
Now it is time to start my exciting day of laundry, cooking, CSI downloads and napping. The fun I will have!
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