Grandma's Updates

My mom (who wants to be known as Meme or Mimi) has been updating her personal blog with details of the birth and emma's surgeries and recovery.

Please click on over there to pictures of my beautiful girl.

I'm still too exhausted to do much updating. Recovering from a c-section with a hospitalized baby can be really draining, physically and emotionally. I'm saving my energy for hospital visits with emma.

Updates from another website on Emma - sharing for details.

06-20-2007, 1:57 PM
Jessica delivered Emma Collette today (June 20) at 12:32 ct.
She weighs in at 7 lbs 13 oz and her Apgar was 8/9!

I don't have many details other than that. Jessica is doing well and they are stabilizing Emma for transport to the children's hospital.

Please keep my them in your thoughts and prayers...I am a Great Auntie now!! :-)
(updated by my Aunt Victoria)

06-20-2007, 5:29 PM
This is Jessica's sister Bethany; I'm sitting with her right here in the hospital room. Emma was born at 12:32 pm, central.

Jess wants to thank everyone for their thoughts, prayers and congratulations. She's recovering from the C-section, a little drugged up and still slightly numb.

Emma is absolutely beautiful. She was actually 7lbs 15.5 oz, even at two weeks early (HUGE!). She was also about 19 inches long with lots of hair on her little head. She looks a lot like the ultrasound pictures with a little button nose and beautiful lips. Her feet are huge, too.

Right now she's at the children's hospital and grandma is over there with her. She also rode in a helicopter for the first time at about 2 hours old. They've probably already started the first surgery to repair the gastoschisis. Jess got to see her right after she was born and they brought her by in the incubator before transporting her. I also got to spend time with her in the NICU, and except for her two anomolies she's absolutely healthy. She was crying and kicking her legs when I tickled her feet. It was amazing.

If we can figure out how to post photos, we will.

Thanks again for the continued support as Emma goes through her surgeries. Jess is hoping for a speedy recovery so she can visit Emma at the children's hospital. Please keep the staff, doctors and nurses over there in your prayers as well. Take care.

Lungs mature, heading to hospital for delivery

I went for the amnio today at 1:30. My sister was able to make it here by 10 am, and was with me through the ultrasounds (her first, and she was amazed at the 3D images) and the amnio. In fact, my sister held one hand, the U/S tech held the other. After the amnio, they hooked me to a monitor to check the baby's heartbeat and check if I was having contractions (the NST monitor). I was contracting, and they kept me on the monitor for about 40 minutes or so (after the paper broke and jammed twice). Every nurse in the place and the MFM came and checked it. I think the amnio may have triggered the contractions, which were coming 3-5 minutes apart and didn't really hurt all that much, though my back hurt.

(Oh, BTW, the doctor apologized today for his manner of presentation yesterday. Apparently, the nurse gave him a lecture about how he treated me!)

They decided I was okay to go home about the time my mom arrived. (Her bosses made arrangements for her to come down, provided she's back there by midday Friday.) They said they would call with results, and someone from my doctor's office would call me and discuss the results and where to go from there. To be on the safe side, they said no food, just fluids. My mom and sister got me home, got me laying down, and I got a little sleep (and the contractions subsided).

My regular OB is out of town, and I just got a call from her backup, saying the lungs were mature, and that it would be best to go ahead and deliver tonight. So, we're heading there now. I expect to be seeing Emma (unfortunately, not holding her) tonight or early tomorrow.

I'm scared. I know she'll be strong, and be a fighter, and that we are doing what is best for her.

Thank you for your continued prayers, and someone will update as soon as they can.

Emma may be coming early...

Today, like every Monday, I had an appt with the MFM. I'm currently 37w4d, and just got the call this morning from my OB's with the official C-section date (scheduled for Monday July 2).

Everything seemed to be okay with the U/S, the bowels (gastroschisis) were stable, though the enlarged brain ventricles had jumped up in size. Her weight was good (est at 8 lbs, though that is high because of the head size), BPP 8/8, FHR 153, amniotic fluid level at upper limits, and a good layer of fat on her tummy. She was practicing breathing, and, as per usual, had her hand on her face. (Actually, we got a really cute picture of her sticking her tongue out.)

Well, after the U/S, they set me in the consultation room to wait, and left me there for 30-40 minutes. Then the MFM doc comes in, and starts saying we need to do an amnio for lung maturity. When? Now would be good. And, if the lungs are mature, we need to take her early because of the change in her brain ventricles.

When I explained (again) that I had nobody here (my folks live in Illinois, and mom was planning on being here for the scheduled section date), he was unsympathetic at best. He actually said, It's not like you are taking her home, and it's not like you are going home for a few days, so why do you need people here? Like, a) anyone wants to give birth, even by c-section, alone, b), what, am I going to drive myself to the hospital and leave my car in the lot for 3 days?, and c) the baby shouldn't have to be in a hospital across town without family there. He totally freaked me out, and I really didn't like way he presented it. I called my mom, and was talking to her about it when one of the nurses came in. I like this nurse; she's always been straight with me (and has two family members with hydrocephalus, so she knows a lot about it). She said I should talk to my doctor, and call them tomorrow once I had talked to my doc and my sister had gotten here.

So, tomorrow, I'm going to go into work, get some last minute transitional stuff done, and make sure my leave / disability paperwork is completed. Then I will go for the amnio. It should take a few hours for the results to come back. If her lungs are mature, Emma Collette may be making her entrance into the world either tomorrow (Tuesday 6/19) or Wednesday (6/20).

I suppose I always knew that this was a very distinct possibility. But things had been going well, and I just had started to think we could make it to the scheduled date.

So, I'm scared, freaked out, and totally not ready to deliver. And, yet, I have an amnio tomorrow and may deliver tomorrow.

Please keep myself and Emma in your prayers. Oh, and all our doctors, too.

Thanks for your support! It means a LOT to me.

Blessed are thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb

I have recently been going to church. Not consistently, every week, but as many Sundays as possible (and usually hitting the feast days, or the really long services, including the first communions a few weeks ago.)

It started in February when mom and dad came down here for the amniocentesis. Sometimes I go with my friend B, as the church is down the street from his house, and he was raised Catholic. Sometimes, I go by myself. Today, I went by myself.

Religion is a very personal thing, and yet a very public thing. It’s a personal relationship with god, and also a relationship with the community.

About a month or so back, I went to church on the Sunday that they were celebrating all the first communions. I ended up running into one of my roommates and her boyfriend, and sitting in the same pew as them. As I returned from the communion blessing, I saw a woman I had been in prenatal yoga with, and her newborn and family. After church, I went over to say hello and met her husband and other young daughter. This particular woman teaches the Bradley method of childbirth, something my mom did for years when I was a child. This woman had also just had a home birth with the local home-birth CNM, an online friend of my mother’s. We chatted for quite a while after church that day.

The next time I went to church after that was with my mom and sister and friend B on Mother’s Day, the day after my baby shower. They had a special recognition of mothers during the service, and I went up to the front with Mom. Again, I saw this woman, S, and her baby. After service, we got to chatting with them.

I can’t remember if I’ve been since then. I think, maybe, once.

Today I felt the need to go. I had a mitzvah befall me yesterday, and wanted to share and recognize God’s part in it. Plus, I’ve had a couple of stressful MFM and OB visits, and wanted to go and be a part of the community. So, I went by myself. When I walked in the church, the ushers greeted me warmly. Then the head priest himself, Father Val, came over and took my hands and welcomed to the church. Then, an usher reassured himself that I wasn’t going to give birth at church in a very amusing conversation.

I got seated, and as I was sitting there, saw someone walk by that I met about a month ago, and now I run into everywhere. (I met him at a baby shower for a girl from the salon I go to, then ran into him at Starbucks, and this week at church. Midtown, and Memphis, is a small world.) The service was good, there was no kids’ service, so there were tons of children and families around, which I find reassuring at church. I walked up to get my communion blessing, and Father Val laid his hand on my head and asked for peace for me and the baby. On my way back from communion, I saw the Bradley teacher couple, S and M, gave a little wave on my way back.

After service, I was feeling blood sugar shaky, so went to downstairs for juice and a donut, and then returned up to the church to try to say hello to S and M. I got to chatting to M, a little about theology and my beliefs and confusion and all that. He told me how wonderful Father Val is as a priest, and how he encourages community, and told a few anecdotes about S’s recent birth. M remembered that Father Val had performed an impromptu blessing over S when she was pregnant, and wondered if I would want one too. He set off to ask Father Val. Father Val returned with M, asked me a few questions, and then we all met by the baptismal font. Father went to find his book of prayer, and S and M and their two children joined me for the blessing. It was a moving experience, to say the least. Father Val asked how long I had left, if I knew it what it was (a girl), and to please be let known when she is born. I told him I knew a priest friend of his, and his face lit up. I’m pretty sure at the end of it all he hugged me.

Quite honestly, it was a moving experience. A very special one. I’m really beginning to feel like I’m part of the community at this church, and it has been years since I’ve felt that way. This is the church I want to have Emma baptized at, and I think that, having met Father Val, I can get her baptized there (as well as possibly getting some hospital visits from him).

And who knew there was a prayer in the book of prayers for pregnant mothers / unborn children?

MFM visit, 05/07/07

U/S tech, Janet
Weight - 4 lb 1 oz (1844 g)
Right ventricle - either 2.14 or 2.61 (two varying readings)
Left ventricle - either 2.51 or 2.74 (two varying readings)
3rd ventricle - no reading
Head circumference - 30.80 cm (85.2%)
Abdominal circumference - 27.46 cm (46.3%)
Femur length - 5.99 cm (25.7%)
Overall growth percentile - 46.3%
Heart rate, 160
8 of 8 on fetal well being (BPP)
Fluid level 9

My weight - 163
my BP - 98/56

there is some dilation of the bowel near the cord insertion (near the belly), so the doctor (the main one) has changed the appointments to weekly to more closely monitor the bowels.

And, now, the pictures!

a nice profile picture with her sweet nose and lips.
If you look closely at the chest, you can see her little heart.

She's got both hands in her face, one in her mouth and one rubbing her eye.

Her hand is again near her eye, and she is sucking on the other one.

how cute is her nose and her mouth?

This one may have fuzzy details, but the important thing is that she has her eye open.
I actually saw her blinking on the 4-D animation.

So, I'm a little freaked out by the change in appointments to every week, but I have to trust the doctors. The change means that, should something (either the intestines or the enlarged brain ventricles) change, she may have to come out sooner than I'd like.

Something else great came out of this visit. I asked my favorite nurse there to call the children's hospital and help me arrange a tour of the NICU. By the next day, I had a phone call from the NICU director, who agreed to give me and mom and my youngest sister a tour of the NICU / hospital at 8 PM on a Saturday while they are here on a visit. Now we just have to have all our questions prepared and ready.

Emma P 3's

I posted about this back in March, and I'm just following up on the idea.

Here's the basic idea, again:
I would like to compile recordings of everyone important to me (and therefore to Emma, both family & friends) reading a story, reading a poem, telling a folk tale, or singing (or any combination thereof).
At the beginning of the piece, you would give a brief introduction of yourself, and your relationship to me/her (Hi, this is Grandma, or Hi, this is Uncle G-Dog, or, Your Aunt So-and-So).
Then, your piece(s).

I've gotten one back so far, from G-dog, which I haven't downloaded or listened to yet. It's simply labeled "story".
What people have volunteered for so far / been requested by me:
Mom - Dona, Dona (singing and playing guitar); Animal Fair (singing again)
Dad - Goodnight Moon (?)
Grandma Pat - nursery rhymes, read and sung
Deirdre - reading "Jabberwocky", singing "Rose/Ah Poor Bird/Hey Ho"
N - Dr. Seuss or Curious George, if she can find recording equipment
Juan - something en espanol
T - something, unsure (favorite children's story?)

Have I forgotten anyone's volunteered efforts? post your comment or email me and let me know, and I'll update the list.
I would particularly like my siblings to participate, so Emma knows her aunts and uncles voices. :)

Again, the ideal would be for you to record it as an MP3 and email it to me. If you can't do that, until I leave work, I do have access to production rooms and can dub cassettes or microcassettes or CDs to MP3.

Thanks for caring! I hope to compile a nice selection of stories for Emma.

OB visit, 05/03/07

Emma's weight, 3 lb 10 oz
fluid level good (tech seemed surprised, as gastro babies often have low fluid levels)
tentative c-section date: Monday, July 2 (which could change, and which my OB won't schedule as a firm date until two weeks out)

a little story about the visit...
I went in for my bi-weekly appointment with my regular OB. Got there, peed in the cup, and proceeded to sit around for a half-hour. Then a nurse comes by, and does the blood pressure and weighing thing (110/60, 161.5). She says something about going back to wait, and I say, aren't I due for a BPP ultrasound? They say, the chart doesn't say so, and I explain it. My doctor is there, taking a page, and she nods. So, the nurses scramble around, and squeeze me in with the U/S tech. Apparently, when I saw another doctor last week, she forgot to notate the chart to schedule me for a BPP U/S and a doctor's visit. The U/S tech was supposed to already be leaving (for her teen son's baseball game), but did the readings and even got me a few good pictures.

Then, it was back to the waiting area. When I finally got into the exam room, the nurse had to do a doppler (the U/S tech didn't realize I hadn't already had one), so it was more goop (my friend T figures I'm probably responsible for at least two bottles of that stuff being used up already with all the U/S I've had). More goop, a good heartbeat at around 150, and then the nurse says I'm due for a Pap. I politely argue with her that the chart notation is wrong, because I last had a Pap/colpo in March, and we had discussed a 3-month follow-up. So, she says she'll wait for the doc. The doc comes in, I ask my questions (another iron pill scrip, swelling, tentative date for C-sec). She mentions the Pap, I politely argue with her again, and she says, we'll do it anyway, and hands me the sheet. I go to the bathroom, and while I'm gone, the doc is re-reading the chart. Turns out I was right, and didn't need the Pap.

The moral of the story is that you have to take care of your own medical care. Keep track of your own stuff, and be your own advocate.

Photos from visit to be posted when they are scanned. Some cute ones from that visit (of course).

In other news:
My mom met someone at a conference who is from Memphis who wants to be a midwife. This woman gave mom the name of a chiropractor who is good with pregnancies to pass along to me. Yesterday, I looked up the Chiro on the net, and gave them a call. Turns out they are down the street from my office, and take my insurance. I have an appointment for next week.

My shower is set for next weekend. I'm so excited to see everyone who can make it, including my mom and baby sister. I'm also extraordinarily thankful to the person who is throwing it.

Maternity leave headaches

I'm trying to figure out my maternity leave situation. I talked to the HR dude here at my office, and this is what I have determined.

FMLA allows 12 weeks, unpaid.
Employer says you have to take currently accrued sick / vacation at beginning of leave.
Short term disability (STD) provider gives 6 weeks vaginal delivery, 8 weeks c-section (at 60% of your salary), and has a 2-week waiting period (which should be covered by the accrued sick / vacay).
During STD leave, employer requires employee to pay their portion of health insurance costs (which will increase with the addition of a dependent, which must occur within 30 days of birth).
Emma is expected to be hospitalized for 2 months, maybe longer.

The only way to get the STD coverage (2/3 pay) is to take ALL my leave at the beginning. Then, when she comes home, I'll have whatever time remains from the FMLA coverage to stay at home and bond, unpaid (and still having to pay my insurance costs and rent and everything else).

All this and the expected medical bills too. (and no expected other income)

I'm trying to get organized, see all the right doctors, get all the right questions answered. But I feel like I'm drowning.

MFM visit, 04/23/07

U/S tech, Janet
(T wasn't there, so Janet gave me a screen print of the stats)
Weight - 3 lb 2 oz (1426 g)
Right ventricle - 2.16
Left ventricle - 2.33
3rd ventricle - 6.4 mm
Head circumference - 28.52 cm (67.6)
Abdominal circumference - 25.82 cm (57.1%)
Femur length - 5.36 cm (9.8%)
Overall growth percentile - 38.8%
and she has hair on the back of her head, 1.1 cm

8 of 8 on fetal well being (BPP) - she was practicing breathing like a champ, moving and grooving, and generally not staying still long enough to get readings or good pictures.

Actually, to get all these pictures, I had to keep rolling from side to side so we could get a decent angle, and maybe trick her into unblocking her face and showing her cuteness.

a regular U/S profile, with some of the exposed bowel near her face.
She was all rolled up on herself for most of the exam, with her chin tucked into her chest and her mouth near the exposed intestines.

FOOT! See the pointed out big toe.

FOOTPRINT! So, so cute.

There's the hair on the back of her head.
There is measurement thingie, showing 1.1 cm of hair.
(So, she hopefully won't be a bald baby like her mommy was.)

It's kind of alien baby looking.
But you can clearly see her hand and her nose across her face.
And, I believe you can sort of see a little intestine too.

She's got her finger and thumb across her nose.
(during this series of photos, the tech said she was opening and closing her eyes.)

She's wiping her nose with her thumb.

now she's blocking her face with her forearm.
I call this series of pictures, "No paparazzi photos, please."
It's like she knows we are trying to get pictures, and is blocking our efforts.

Met with Jedi doctor again. Asked a bunch of questions. He told me I should go into medicine, what with my knowledge and the questions I asked. I like Jedi doctor. He's funny and friendly.

(and the next day I had an appointment at the Pediatric Surgery Center to meet the doctor who will be performing the gastroschisis repair. This particular doc came recommended by both the MFM office and my OB. He was good, and was young, but not too young, knowledgeable, a parent of two, and from a two-doctor family. He answered most of my questions, and reassured me. He said she could wear normal clothing once she was out of the hospital, and would have minimal scarring, and be basically a normal child. That's the gastroschisis part; now I just have to meet the neuro and take two hospital tours.)

OB visit, 04/18/07

Biophysical Profile, score 8 of 8
AFI - 9.9
weight - 2 lbs 10 oz (1191 grams)
overall - 42%

BPP / ultrasound performed by the sonographer who has bad beside manner.
She was nice enough to print ALL SORTS of pictures, and to take requests as to photos I wanted.

cute little foot. :)

another shot of a cute little foot.

the exposed bowel (gastroschisis).

profile, with her little face and everything.

more of her face.

I can't get enough shots of her face.

you can see the nose and lips and everything in this one.

that sweet little face, lips, nose, eyes.
and her hands are near her face.

now she looks like she's smiling and sleeping.

Also, the doc I saw was not my normal OB. I liked this woman, though. She trained in NY, and worked with midwives, and said when she moved to Memphis, she didn't understand why there weren't midwives here. When I asked about being backed up (they put me on iron pills for pregnancy-related anemia, and that's what happens, thank you very much), rather than recommmend pills, she recommended adding flax seed to my diet.

MFM visit, 04/09/07

(from T's wonderful notes)
New U/S tech, Janet
head down (position changed)
hair on back of scalp
placenta still anterior
Fluid level 7
Blood flow through cord is good
Heart rate 148 (perfect!)
right ventricle - 1.9
left ventricle - 1.7
3rd ventricle - 5.4 mm
gastroschisis - fluid in the loops
weight - 2 lb, 1 oz
8 of 8 on fetal well being
growth percentile, overall - 31%
femur - 8th percentile
head - 54th percentile

Now, the pictures!

not sure why this is sideways, it happened in the scan.
great profile, and you can see a little of the exposed intestines.

another great profile. That nose just always gets to me.

Sort of alien baby, sort of really cute face shot.

eyes closed, great nose, paused animation. Little adorable nose again.

profile with nose and lips. darling.

profile with face, placenta (at top), a view of her beating heart, and a little bit of the exposed intestine.

A successful visit, at which we started the Fetal Well Being / Bio-Physical Profile assessments. They look at four factors, and score a total of 8 points.

A description of the BPP / Fetal Well-Being assessment:
The biophysical profile (BPP) is an ultrasound scan that evaluates your baby's well being. It looks at your baby's body movement (body rolls from side to side), tone (movement of the arms and legs), breathing movements (movement of the diaphragm or "practice breathing") and the amount of amniotic fluid. Each of the observations is assigned two possible points (8 total).

You'll notice that Emma scored an 8 of 8.

Met with normal doctor, who insisted on giving me a hug when we left. I love the people at that office. Every single one of them is nice.

(one side note observation - you would think people who worked in health care would know about the risks of tanning, but one of the U/S techs and one of the RNPs look like they've spent a little too much time getting brown.)

Updates, no photos (yet)

I have three sets of ultrasound photos to be scanned in and explained. But I rely on my roommate for this, so I can't post them until they are scanned. And I'm not pushing her on it. Let me just tell you, though, the most recent set are amazing. She's got her hand in front of her face, and it is just the CUTEST thing.

Over Easter, I flew to IL to visit my folks (and Bebe, who came for the holiday as well). We also were visited by my Aunt C, her husband E, their two foster kids, and my Gram (great-grandmother). Mom, Bethany, and I went to Target and registered for a bunch of baby stuff. The "big stuff" is all Graco in the "Family Tree" pattern (it's green and has jungle animals). Oh, I've also registered (just a little bit) on Amazon (mostly for books and the like). I tried to do a Babies R Us registry online, but got stymied and figured I'd stick with the two.

As for registry items and sizes, I'm expecting Emma to be hospitalized for (roughly) the first two months of her life, so things in the 0-3 range (and up) is fine. She isn't expected to be that small, other than the fact that I am small, and ran below the growth charts (though not in "failure to thrive" ranges).

I met yesterday (4/24) with the pediatric surgeon who will be performing the gastroschisis repair, and he said that she should be able to wear normal onesies and clothing once she comes home. I have to make an appointment with the pediatric neurologist / neurosurgeon and find out how the hydrocephalus might affect things before I say definitively that she can wear certain things, or fit into certain items (car seat / stroller / etc). He also reassured me that her surgeries (for the gastro, at least) shouldn't be too long or drawn out, and that my research has served me well. (If you have further questions about that meeting, ask.)

My baby shower date is set, and I believe invitations are going out this week. Please understand why I can't post that information here. If you want details, email me privately (don't post a comment).

I've gained nearly 25 pounds, and still have another 10 (or so) weeks to go. It is mostly showing up front (boobs and belly). I've also got edema (swelling) in my feet and hands, and the swelling has brought back my carpal tunnel in heretofore unknown strength. I wake up some days and can't feel the fingers on my right hand at all. It's a very pins-and-needles feeling. All the doctors can say is get a brace (I invested in a brand-new one for my right hand, recommended by my sister Leen). Mom suggested I soak in tubs and swim. (I need to get a maternity swimsuit; I think I'll buy one at Old Navy Maternity online.)

I passed my glucose screen at the end of March, so no gestational diabetes. I do have anemia, though, and I am now on Iron pills to keep those levels up.

Only two more weeks of prenatal education classes. Tonight is breastfeeding; next week (the final class) is Infant First Aid and CPR. I still need to find out about a prepared c-section class.

So many things to get done in the next 2 months, including meeting with more doctors and taking hospital tours (multiple). Please continue to keep us in your prayers; knowing people are thinking good thoughts for us helps me when I get down.

Pictures of a Flexible and Active Baby

Pictures from the bi-weekly (or is it bi-monthly) visit to the Maternal Fetal Medicine (MFM) doctor.

Props to T for coming along to all my doctors' visits and taking notes. She said at this visit that she is just a secretary, but she's much more than that. I appreciate her support at every visit, and she's there watching Emma grow right alongside me, and asking the good questions.

This visit was Monday March 23, and here are the vitals:
Heart rate 146
She is practicing breathing, and they don't expect to see that until 28 weeks, so she is ahead of schedule (the visit was at 25 weeks).
Right brain ventricle: 1.68
Left brain ventricle: 2.0
Third brain ventricle: .43
"prominent anterior horns" in the brain
no measurements at this visit, but she was on schedule with weight
Cord looks good
She is still breech, and is expected to stay that way
gastroschisis is stable

Onto the ultrasound pictures

a great profile, and you can see her little heart in the picture.
Can you also see the cute little nose and lips?

another sweet profile.

that limb? the tech said it was her leg.

the tech really liked her profile. another beautiful one.

that's her arm by her head (again).

see that little hand by her (alien-looking) head?

another angle on the hand-head shot. A little fuzzier, but still sweet.

a regular resolution shot of her foot. She wouldn't cooperate to let us get the picture of her feet. She barely cooperated to let the tech get the pictures she needed of the gastroschisis. (Which she was very protective of. Which is a very common reaction from gastro babies; they don't want to show the tech the exposed bowels.)

oh, the U/S tech changed back to the first one I had at this doctor's office. All the U/S techs and nurses and office staff at this doctor's office are GREAT!

We met the partner doctor at this visit. He's a funny guy, and started out making us laugh. He also tried to use a Jedi mind trick, and I caught on. He recommended against doing steroid shots at 28 weeks.

Another Test - Glucose Tolerance Test

I went Wednesday for my Gestational Diabetes Screening (Glucose Tolerance Test) and hematocrit.

(funny side note - I told my boss that I had to go take a glucose test, and he asked me if I studied for it.)

The drink is gross, like overly sweet orange punch for kids. On the advice of the nurse at my OB's office, I ate only protein for breakfast (during work), so I wouldn't have a sugar-carb spike, and I was SO hungry! I drank the drink, sat there for an hour and watched all these random guys come in to do urine drug screens. After an hour, the very nice and friendly lab tech took my blood, 2 vials worth.

Relatively painless, though I got a BIG OLD bandage on my arm. (I can't wear the band-aids, they hurt me worse than the needle sticks.)

The blood will be sent off to a lab, and then my OB's office will contact me with results. It could be a couple days, though. As far as I know, I'm not at risk for gestational diabetes, based upon family history. But there is a long history of type 1 diabetes in my family.

But it's one more thing down in the random pregnancy testing.

Big Idea - Need everyone's help!

I've shared this with a few people, and the more I talk about it, the more excited I am by it.

The idea started when I was playing Emma her evening lesson, and couldn't stop thinking about my mom singing a song and playing the guitar. Also, I've been reading about people playing music and reading and talking to their babies, or playing them tapes of people, and how beneficial they found it. (With benefits like the baby recognizing important voices and turning their head toward the familiar voice in recognition and smiling.)

So, here's the idea. I would like everyone (family and friends) to record themselves - reading a story, reading a poem, telling a folk tale, or singing (or any combination thereof). At the beginning of the piece, I would like to have a brief introduction of yourself, and your relationship to me/her (Hi, this is Grandma, or Hi, this is Uncle G-Dog, or, Your Aunt So-and-So). Then, your piece(s).

There are certain specific things I would like.
I want mom to record "Dona", playing the guitar and singing, and any other songs she might have sung to us as kids.
Favorite kids' stories are good - Goodnight Moon, Guess How Much I Love You, The Velveteen Rabbit.
Children's poems - Shel Silverstein is great, as is Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland & Through the Looking Glass (my favorites are Jabberwocky and the Walrus and the Carpenter).
Your favorite children's storybook - I know my sister C likes Harold and the Purple Crayon. And my dad used to read Goodnight Moon every night before bed to the three youngest girls.
My favorite Dr. Seuss is "One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish" (which I know N still thinks was his lesser effort). But, really, any Dr. Seuss.
Curious George Stories. Amelia Bedelia. If you give a mouse a cookie... (and related titles). Those Mo Willem books that T is fond of for her girls.
Reading or Telling a folklore story.
Singing your favorite song.

I'm not sure whether I'll play these for her prenatally, in her hospital incubator, or both.

If you have the ability to record digitally and send to me as MP3, that's super-awesome. Otherwise, until I stop working, I have access to production rooms if you need to record onto a cassette or minicassette tape, and then I'll load them as MP3. As MP3, I can load them to my ipod and play them to her before she's born, or burn them to a CD which can be played to her at the hospital.

If you want to participate in the great Emma mix-tape, post a comment here or email me, and I'll get a list going. I'm looking forward to this!

Baby Expo and My Weekend in Emma

So, I went to the local baby expo yesterday. It was sponsored by the local hospitals and local children's paper. The teacher of my hospital-run childbirth class gave out free passes, though I had planned to go anyway.


When I walked in, the first booth I saw was for the local high-priced maternity boutique, Haute Mama. I went in there a few weeks ago, and talked to the owner, who is awesome. She was selling some really cute slogan t-shirts from 2chix. I tried on two different styles, and envied another.


Here's the one I bought. It's a tank top that says "Babyfat":




I tried this one on, but high-necked tees look weird on me:




And I like this one, but I couldn't figure out when/where I'd get to wear it:

I walked around for a bit, stopped at some booths and got the free stuff, signed up for more. I saw a booth for midwives, and stopped to chat. I was talking to one of the other people at the booth, saying my mom is a midwife, but they don't have CNMs here. The girl said, she's a CNM, and the woman asked me who my mom was. When I told her, she got up and hugged me. This woman, Andrea, is an online friend of my mom's who knew my story. She asked how I was doing, how the baby was doing, and told me I had a whole online midwives board praying for me. It was great to finally meet her, as she attended the birth of my old Pilates instructor's daughter, and is well-known around town.

I walked around some more, and met a private practice pediatrician who has a Lactation MD on staff. I told her that I wasn't ready to choose a pediatrician until after I talk to and interview the surgeons (pediatric and neuro), and after she is born.

Then, the next booth over was a County Breastfeeding Coalition. The nurses who were working the booth were nurses at the children's hospital, and made me feel much better about the care Emma will receive when is going through her gastro repairs. They also encouraged me to pump and freeze during her hospitalization, and were impressed that I had already planned to pump.

Lastly, I saw a booth for the hospital I deliver at, encouraging mothers to do tummy-time, sponsored by the physical therapy and rehab nurses. I told them my story, and they tracked down an ICU nurse who regularly attends on complicated births like I am expecting.

Lastly, I got a quick massage and hand treatment from these in-home spa treatment ladies. A nice relaxing end to the whole day. Oh, and the local dairy was giving out free pickles and ice cream, but I just got chocolate ice cream. (Even pregnant, I'm not a big fan of pickles.)

I left the expo feeling reassured about what's ahead. I've met nurses from both hospitals, who explained the processes. I've been told I will get to hold her, though not immediately after she's born (they have to stabilize her, and I have to have my c-section closed).

I felt so good, I went shopping afterward. I bought a pair of shoes at a discount shoe store (I even, with the help my aunt on the phone, answered a trivia question that saved me three dollars). I went to Kohl's, where I've never shopped before, and found they had a maternity section. I tried on a bunch of things, most of which fell into the "tent" category of maternity clothes, and some of which fall into the "doesn't cover the boobs enough" catergory. But I found one top, a black cross-front top with ties in the back, that I think will take me the rest of the way, and work as a dressed-up or dressed down option.

So, that's my weekend in Emma. She's been moving and partying a little bit. She seems to be responding when I give her her "Baby Plus" lessons. My mom bought it for me to use for Emma (from Amazon). I'm also occasionally playing her some Beatles from my ipod, using an old pair of headphones.

The every-two-weeks ultrasound is tomorrow. I should have some new pictures of Emma up this week.

Thanks to everyone (friends & family) who checks this and keeps Emma and I in their thoughts. I appreciate it more than you know.

Another fine set of pictures of a beautiful girl

I had a whole post written, and blogger ate it... Hopefully, I can re-write this...

Went to the High Risk OB on Monday, March 12th.
Everything seems to be going okay. They are watching the gastroschisis and the enlarged ventricles.
Measurements from Monday:
Heartrate, 143
Brain ventricles - 1.6 cm right, 1.5 cm left, third ventricle 2mm.
Head circumference is 24.5. Head measured at 23 weeks, 1 day (gestational age on the day was 23 weeks, 4 days).
Weight - 1 lb, 5 oz.
Femur length is right on, 23 mm

At the appointment, I asked the sonographer for a few souvenir pictures. At the end of the exam, when she grabbed the printout, she realized she had printed too many, and told me to hide them so she didn't get in trouble.

Oh, and I almost passed out at the exam. Emma wasn't cooperating with the sonographer, so it took a long time. (My friend said that she's stubborn like me.) I apparently was on my back too long, as I started getting faint and flushed. I had to sit up, they turned on the fan, and I had to lay on my side for the remainder of the exam.

Her adorable legs and feet, in 3D.

A great profile shot, in normal ultrasound resolution.


I swear she's not an alien. It's the 3D!


Normal ultrasound picture, but she's a little curled up. Look at that skull!


She's all curled up, with her legs by her head. A gymnast!


the rest is blurry... but look at that face!


It looks like she's smiling, and there's the hand by the face!


those lips, that nose... and that hand!


is that a smile, or what?

That face is so precious. Those lips, that nose, and the hand by the face.
She's definitely my daughter!


In the rest of the week in pregnancy:
I'm definitely showing. But I'm holding out on taking out my belly button ring until i absolutely have to. But I barely have an innie anymore, it's almost an outie.
I had a prenatal massage on Thursday. Wonderful, relaxing, and well-worth it. I highly recommend. I followed the massage with a nice stroll around a bookstore, at which I met a woman near the pregnancy books and recommended a few titles to her.
Prenatal Yoga on Thursday nights. Love it! And one of the women, a Bradley instructor, is about 2 weeks from delivery, and she's huge.
Today, I went to my attorney's office and completed a Will and Medical Power of Attorney. If (God forbid) something were to happen to me, Emma will go to my parents, her grandparents.

Completely or Universally Victorious

I got curious and started looking this up. I think it's neat to know the meaning of your chosen name.

Name: Emma
Gender: Female
Origin: German, English, Finnish, Dutch
Meaning: Whole. Complete. Universal. All-containing.
Famous: name was borne by the mother of Edward the Confessor and by an 11th-century German saint. also the name of the central character in Jane Austen's novel 'Emma', the matchmaker Emma Woodhouse.

Name: Collette
Gender: Female
Origin: French, Greek
Meaning: Necklace. Victorious. Variant of Nicolette.
Famous: Saint Colette was a 15th-century French nun who gave her money to the poor. also the pen name of the French author Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette.

Blood work: negative

The nurse from the MFM doctor's office just called, with the results of my blood test.
We were testing for exposure to two things: cytomegalovirus, and toxoplasmosis (the cat box virus). When mom and I were researching the diagnoses, exposure to those came up as possible causes for both anomalies, gastroschisis and hydrocephalus.
Well, I came back negative for exposure to both, either past or present. And I got a warning from the nurse to stay away from sick kids, as they are the most common carriers of CMV.
So, what do we know now? We know that we may never know what (if anything) caused these problems. Sometimes things just happen.
Keep thinking good thoughts for Emma. May she continue to be a fighter!

Ultrasound pictures 02-26-07

the most recent ultrasound pictures of Emma, from yesterday's visit to the Maternal Fetal Medicine Doc (aka, the High Risk OB):

(above) Normal ultrasound, but you can totally see her facial features.

3-D image, she's got her hand to her head.

My boss said she's saying, "Oh, god, my mom is in radio!"

3-D image, a little freaky looking, but look at that cute little nose and lips!

She has the most adorable feet!

Also, please link through to mom's summary:
emma update