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.