Meet Baby Jones

He’s still not coming out. It’s time for a Cesarian.

And pushing.

She’s ready.

Mom doesn’t like intense pain a whole lot. Especially after 11 hours.

Mom has been in labor for the last 10 and 1/2 hours.

And counting.

Take your time, Avery

We’re in the hospital and the contractions are now less than 5 minutes apart.

I can’t wait to meet you, Avery

Hey Avery!

We’re getting really close to meeting each other face to face, huh? I can’t tell you how excited I am to see you. I know your Dad is just as excited as I am, but I don’t want to speak for him. I’m sure he’ll express his emotions to you when he’s ready

So, I went to my prenatal appointment yesterday. I saw Dr. Chasteney and as usual, I really enjoyed my visit with him. Everything has basically remained unchanged which is a great thing. This means that although my cervix has thinned, I’m still not dilated. There are a lot of people putting their bets in on when you’ll make your grand appearance. The EKG technician at Temple was sure I was going to deliver you last month (that wouldn’t have been too good, huh?), Dr. Roberts thinks you’ll come out at 36 weeks, Debbie the ultrasound technician thinks I’ll carry you to term, and Dr. Chasteney thinks that I’ll carry you until around 37 - 38 weeks. Well, my bet is that I’ll carry you to 38 weeks and I think you’ll weigh 8 lbs. at birth. We don’t have long to see, eh?

My gestational diabetes is being well controlled with diet. I’m glad because from what I understand, G.D. affects the baby much more than the mom in the short term. You could be born a giant, struggle with hypoglycemia during the first few days after birth, and other complications that I don’t even want to discuss here. My nurse, Karen, came for a visit on Monday and she assured me that everything looks great so far as it relates to the G.D. Our insurance has agreed to have her come out 1x/week for 4 weeks. I guess it’s good in a way because even though I don’t particularly care for her, it’s a good way to monitor both our well beings.

Well, I’m going to run. Your dad is going to be home very soon and I have yet to jump in the shower so I think I’ll do that now.

Love you,
Mommy

Sorry I’ve been inconsistent with updating. It’s probably hard to imagine that I would be too busy (with me being on bedrest and everything), but it’s true — I have been unbelievably busy. Basically, I’ve been manning the fort from our bed, taking care of most of the details that is part of our very complicated life.

So, here’s the update:

1. Pregnancy - I’m still on modified bedrest, but my docs have informally told me that I could increase my activities. They weren’t really too specific about this, so I’ve kind of just designed my own ADLs (Activities of Daily Living). Basically, I’ve been doing more cooking for both Melvin and me, laundry, cleaning and also running errands.

Avery is still very active in my belly. Just within the last few weeks, Melvin has been able to really feel his kicks (they are that strong). Most times, we can even make out Avery’s anatomy, being able to feel his feet, his back and his tush. One of our favorite things to do now is spoon in the morning and night with Melvin in front of me. My belly would be right on his back and most times, Avery will start to kick and jab right away. Melvin sometimes gets suprised with how strong the kicks are. It really has been one of the most joyful, bond-forming experiences we’ve been able to share together.

And now to the Gestational Diabetes. A Registered Dietician (Helen) came by last Friday to talk to me about the diet I need to be on. At first, it didn’t sound like something I could handle, but after a few days of being on it, it really isn’t that bad. Basically, I just need to space out my meals so I’m eating frequently but with less quantity so my blood sugar is constant. Concentrated sweets are out, of course, and more protein than carbohydrates at each meal. I’m also supposed to be checking my blood glucose 6x/day (in between meals), but my glucometer has not arrived yet.

Finally, the discomforts I’m feeling right now. Let’s see here, besides taking 5 minutes to roll out of bed (I mean, I literally have to roll out of bed), constantly feeling like a ton of bricks is sitting right on my chest, having to go to the bathroom 5x/hour, having the sensation when I am standing or walking that a giant watermelon is in my pelvis and feeling very moody lately, it really hasn’t been that bad. Just a typical day most days in the life of a pregnant chick.

2. Baby Shower - I feel terrible about this, but I don’t think we are going to have a baby shower for Avery. My friends had one planned for April 7th that I cancelled, and today my Uncle Darryl called Melvin to ask when the best time to host one for me but we had to decline that as well. See, with being on bedrest, I’m just nervous about overexerting myself. Things could still change within the next 7 weeks, but as it stands, no baby shower. We are, however, planning on having a Welcome Baby party a couple of weeks after Avery decides to arrive.

3. Odds and Ends - Our long-time tenant Deb, moved out last week. It was sad to see her go, but I guess it was time. She had been renting from us since May, 2001, afterall. So now, as if Melvin was not busy enough, he now has to tend to that property and make sure it gets rented. My poor husband

I had my weekly prenatal appointment today with Dr. Chasteney. As I’d suspected I would, I’ve chosen him as my favorite doctor in the practice. Not only does he refer to me by name when I see him, he also takes his time to explain things to me. Also, I think I am most compatible with his personality because he is lively, outgoing and funny.

So anyway, at this week’s appointment I was informed that I failed my 3-hour glucose tolerance test. Translation: I have Gestational Diabetes. My levels were as follows: Fasting - 90; 1 hour - 254; 2 hour - 211; 3 hour - 139. Yeah, pretty bad. I was bummed, of course, but Dr. Chasteney was not too worried about it. Per protocol, I’ve been assigned a Registered Dietician to go over my diet and also a Registered Nurse to show me how to use a glucometer and also to go over my new diagnosis with me. I already know how to use a glucometer so I really don’t need the nurse for that, but I wouldn’t mind her going over G.D. with me. I’m supposed to check my glucose levels for a week (6x/day!!!!) and then Dr. Chasteney and I will talk further about the plan for me when I see him again next Friday. He doesn’t think I’ll need insulin injections, but he does think I’ll need to be started on an oral hypoglycemic ie. glyburide.

Besides the G.D., we also discussed my return to work tentatively scheduled for April 11. Yes, we could use the extra income, and yes, being at home all the time is making me sick. But the reality is, my pregnancy-related discomfort has really increased. These days, it is harder and harder for me to get up from a sitting/lying position. Everything below my chest aches or cramps. When I’ve been standing for too long (more than 15 minutes), I get really crampy in my abdomen and buttocks area. And really, how am I supposed to follow this new diabetic diet and also make sure I stay well-hydrated during the day at work? In my unit, you take a break when you can, not when you would like or need to. Also, you can forget about drinking water because guess what? A potty break is sometimes really just not possible. It sounds like I’m making excuses for not wanting to return to work. It’s really not that. The only real fear I have is that I’d be sacrificing Avery’s health just for that job. And when I look at it that way, the tug-of-war in my head disappears and everything becomes crystal clear.

Lastly, we talked about how my pregnancy is progressing. Avery is measuring 1 week ahead based on my belly measurement. Yep, he’s a biggun! As a matter of fact, he already weighed 4 pounds at my 31 week ultrasound. Just to give everyone an idea, normal babies are this weight at the beginning of 33 weeks. My perinatologist said that if I carry Avery to term, he’ll be more than likely be 8.5 - 9 pounds. OUCH!

One blustery winter day, a man stood outside shivering, wearing nothing but a tattered T-shirt made of paper.

A passing stranger wearing a warm, wool sweater stopped and offered help.

“It’s really cold out here. You okay?”

“Of course I’m okay,” replied the man in the paper shirt. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

“I just thought you might be cold. If you need a sweater or something, I can show you how to get one.”

The man in the T-shirt suddenly became defensive: “Why would I need a sweater? My parents gave me this shirt as a kid and told me it would protect me in any weather.”

“It’s just that I saw you shivering. I thought you might still be cold,” the sweater man replied.

“This shirt has mystical powers that you couldn’t possibly understand! Who are you to question it? It keeps me warm in sub-zero temperatures and cool during the summer. It’s all I need.”

“Gosh, it’s starting to rain now. I mean, your shirt is falling apart. Really, I don’t mind loaning you my sweater if you want it.”

The man in the paper T-shirt became outright hostile.

“You’re one of those crazy Sweater People, aren’t you?! I was warned about your kind! I heard that your type is a slave to the temperature and that you go on and on about how cold weather affects people. I told you, my mystical T-shirt is all I need!”