High Risk Doctor: Update 31 weeks

This is my last visit with the high risk doctor.  I was so excited because we were able to get another ultrasound of the baby!  At first the doctor was concerned since I have been having braxton hicks contractions.  I had a vaginal ultrasound first to make sure I wasn't going into labor early.  This was the main concern and the reason for seeing this doctor in the first place.  Luckily everything was just fine and I have not been dilating or thinning out.  They think I should be able to carry Aubree full term and there is no need to see them anymore.  I was so happy that everything is going good, but bummed at the same time because I like getting the ultrasounds.  At this visit I am 31 weeks.  Aubree is weighing an astonishing 4lbs and is 17 inches long!!  They are predicting her to be around 8.5lbs if she goes full term.  All I could think about when I heard that was "that's a big baby!" LOL

Defeated Again!

Today I suffered another defeat.  But, first I must tell you what happen a month ago.  I know that the farther along you go in your pregnancy the less you will be able to use your abdominal muscles.  With that being said this is what happened.  I was on my way to a birthday party with my husband.  He was driving and I decided to adjust the back of the carseat....that was a mistake.  As soon as I hit the lever my husband accelerated on the gas.  As he did this I went flying backward, I was stuck flat on my back with no hope of getting up.  That is when I first discovered that my abs were no more.  As I laid there trying to get up without success all I could do was laugh at myself.  Eventually I was able to get back up with the help of my husband.  This was my first encounter with unusual accidents.

This brings us to present day.  I was getting some clothes out of the dresser in our bedroom.  Of course what I am looking for is in the lower drawers.  After I get out the shorts I needed I went to close the drawer back, but it was overstuffed.  I proceeded to tuck things in, as we all do, in hopes that it would close.  Let me remind you that I was in a squat while doing this.  As I shoved the drawer forward the momentum knocked me off balance.  The next thing I know I am a wobbling mess as I hit the floor, back first.  I just laid there for a moment realizing what happened.  I have literally been defeated by my dresser... 

Cardiologist Update: Echo

Today was an uneventful day.   I went to get the scheduled echo and it only took around 10 minutes.  The lady said that she wasn't a doctor, but to her everything looked good.  I seen her write down mild on the paper which is were I have always been with my mitral valve.  I'm so happy that the pregnancy hasn't seem to effect anything.  I will get a phone call sometime next week to find out the results.  I'm not worried about anything, but it's always best to be safe. 

I also think that Aubree is going to be a morning riser!  She woke me up at 4am this morning moving and kicking.  I decided since I was already up I should go ahead and do kick counts.  It didn't take but a couple of minutes to do because she was so active!   I just hope that it's not this way when she actually joins us in this world.  She usually wakes me up every morning between 5:30-6:00am anyway.  The doctor said it sounds like she will be a morning person.  I can thank my husband for that he is the same way!  I already told him that he can get up with her because he is the reason she is like this anyway!!  LOL 

Doctor Appointment: Week 29

Went to the doctor today for my monthly checkup.  This was my last visit going monthly and now I will be going every 2 weeks.  I had a weight gain of 6lbs since my last visit.  She told me that my gain is right on target!  That's always good to hear, I would love to be able to get back into shape soon after Aubree comes.  I was measuring were I needed to be also.  Overall, the baby was perfect and had a had a heartbeat of 160bpm.  

As for me I didn't sleep well again last night.  I keep getting numbness and tingling again.  I thought it had passed because I hadn't had it in a few weeks.  My hips are starting to hurt too when I lay on them for longer than an hour.  So it's been really interfering with my sleep.  The nurse said I had mild swelling in my legs and feet.  Besides that everything is good with me too.  

The doctor spoke with me about getting induced since my due date is on Thanksgiving Day.  I told her that I didn't want to be induced unless it was medically necessary.  I don't really care that it's around a holiday.  She said that she couldn't let me go over a week past my due date, so if I haven't went into labor by Nov. 29 that will be my induction day.  She also said that she thinks I have been having Braxton Hicks contractions, but they are nothing to worry about.  She said when I can't walk or talk during the contraction, it's the real deal.  I was also told to make sure to do kick counts, which I have already been doing.  If the baby hasn't moved 10 times within 2 hours she told me to go the hospital.  Aubree seems to be getting on a schedule and it's been easy to count her movements so far.  I go for an Echo tomorrow.  I'm sure that everything will be fine with that too.  

I feel so thankful to God that our baby girl is healthy! 

Post-Baby Exercise

I have always been into working out.  Every since I was a little girl I have been in some type of sport growing up.  I must say that one of the hardest things about being pregnant is the lack of exercise.  For those that read this and exercise regular know exactly what I'm talking about.  It's almost addicting and if you don't do it then you feel bad.  My husband has been doing the Insanity workouts for about the last 6 weeks.  I must say I am jealous because I want to be doing them with him!  For me right now taking a 20 minute walk it exhausting.  So, I have decide that I'm going to give myself a post baby workout challenge!  

My plan is start workout again ASAP after Aubree comes.  I know that I have to wait 6 weeks after labor to be able to do this.  So, when I am able to go for walks again that will be my first step.  Then after the 6 weeks is up I am going to jump right into doing Bodyrock again.  I told you guys about this before.  I really think it had a huge impact on me getting pregnant and sorting out my hormone levels.  I will continue to do this for a month.  They offer monthly challenges and I will do one of those.  After that I am going to go all out and do the Insanity challenge.  It's around 60 days and will be perfect.  I'm sure that in between all this I will start running again.  It's something I have always like to do and is great for just clearing my mind.  

I'm going to record my progress as I go and those that want to follow along and give words of encouragement are more than welcome.  I'm going to take the last picture while pregnant and have that to show how much weight I have gain throughout the pregnancy.  Then I will take one after the baby comes.  I know many times your body will go down, but you still aren't in shape.  Then once I can start the Bodyrock challenge I will take a before and after.  The same will go for the Insanity Challenge.  I feel very confident that this will help me to get back to were I was before pregnancy.  I really hope to get support from everyone reading this.  I have already spoke with my husband and is on board to help me any way he can.  I can't wait to get this started!  

For those that want to follow my husbands progress with his Insanity challenge I will put a link below.  Also, I will link Bodyrock in case you want to start your challenge now!  ENJOY!  

http://thewayoftheartist.blogspot.com/ 

http://www.bodyrock.tv/

Hiccups!

I have been hearing that at any time I could start to feel hiccups from the baby.  I know that some women never feel them, so I wasn't expecting to be able to.  Well, the other night I went to bed and starting feeling little movements.  They were rhythmic, so I knew it had to be hiccups.  After a few minutes, Aubree started getting mad about it.  She starting kicking and moving around the whole time.  They lasted around 5 minutes and she wasn't happy at all!  I got the biggest kick out of it.  I really think that she is going to have an attitude!

I also wanted to share my newest picture that I took.  I am 29 weeks and actually got to take this one with my husband! I look really tired because I am!  I feel like I never sleep all the way through the night anymore.  I've resorted to taking morning naps again after my husband leaves.  Unfortunately it doesn't seem to help.  I just keep telling myself that it's only going to be for a few more months and of course it's all worth it. 

Life Changing Decisions

I was talking to my husband the other night about our future.  He has a little over a year left with his enlistment.  He hasn't decided whether or not he wants to reenlist for another four years.  So we decided to talk about all the options we have and weigh them out.  

The first option is for him to reenlist.  If he does then what would he do?  That is the main question.  There are five options that he is considering if he stays in the military.  

The first is to retrain into another job.  What this job would be we don't know yet.  But, it would mean going to Mississippi for him and getting more schooling.  I would be staying in Oklahoma until he gets placed to his new duty station. This would last for a few months, so it wouldn't be a long time away.

The second would be to become a recruiter.  If he did this there would be a chance of us go back to the East coast.  We aren't a huge fan of the Midwest, so this is a big plus for us.  We would have to stay one year longer in Oklahoma after his enlistment is up.  But, in the long run I think it would be the best option. 

The third option is for him is to become a teacher.  If he did this it would mean moving back to Mississippi.  He would teach men and women right out of basic training and those needing to continue their education.  I wouldn't mind this to much and it would be four hours closer to our family! 

The fourth option is for him to become an officer.  This has pros and cons with it.  The pros would be double the salary and increased respect from others.  The cons would be OTS training, which is 3 months while I stay in Oklahoma.  Then we would move to another state for 6 months for more training, sort of another tech school for him.  Then we would go to his permanent duty station.  Once he becomes an officer he would deploy more often and we would move every 3 years.  To me this isn't much of an option, but to him it is. To me I would rather have my husband at home as much as possible.  The money doesn't mean anything to me if my family would be apart.

The last option is for him to find a job outside the military.  If this was chosen the main question would be what job would he find.  With the degree he has we still probably wouldn't go back to the same state as our family.  Just because there isn't many job opportunities there for his line of work.  Finding a job that offers all the military does would be hard in the civilian world. 

We didn't come to any conclusions, but it is good to talk about.  I'm sure there will be many discussions before we make a final decision.  Luckily, we have some time left before we have to decide.  Are there any other military wives out there with this coming up in your lives?  If so, what are you going to do?  

Cardiologist Visit

Today I went to see the cardiologist, finally!  For the last two weeks my heart rate has been running higher than normal.  I have a blood pressure monitor at home so I can keep an eye on my husbands blood pressure.  I have been checking mine too lately.  My BP has been good, but my heart rate is running around 99 bpm.  This is when I'm resting so I wanted to make sure I asked the doctor about that today.  Also, I have been having shortness of breath when I lay down at night. 

I got into the doctors office this morning and had an EKG first thing.  The doctor came in and told me that everything looks and sounds fine.  I asked him about the increased heart rate.  He said that was normal with pregnancy, it's just from my heart working harder pumping more blood.  He also believes that the shortness of breath is just from pressure on my diaphragm when I lay down.  He suggested changing positions to relieve the pressure. 

I have to go next week to have an Echo done.  The main concern with someone with mitral valve prolapse is increased regurgitation.  He explained to me that when you are pregnant your heart enlarges.  Due to this and the increased flow he is afraid that the valve may not keep the blood from flowing back into my heart.  The Echo will show if there is anything structurally to worry about, especially for the labor and delivery.  This is something else that is precautionary, but better to be safe than sorry!