33 weeks baby appointment!

Just wanted to do an update. We had our appointment with the perinatologist aka high risk baby doctor on April 3rd and we are 33 weeks completed, starting our 34th! How awesome is that! My weight is right on track and my blood pressure was good as well. They has me go for bloodwork and had gotten back the results and everything is good except for my platelets which are a little low at 129. There is something called gestational thrombocytopenia which can happen in the third trimester where your platelet count drops. Mine isn't too bad and we talked to the doctor about it and she was not concerned that it would affect the baby in any way. The only thing really to worry about right now is if they drop below 100 I will not be able to have an epidural which wouldn't be good. Try will check them again at 36 weeks to monitor my platelet count and see how my number are.  

I've been experiencing dizziness as well to the point where I was falling so they had put me on meclizine for dizziness at my last visit and it's helped with the falling but I still get dizzy so I have to take it easy still. 

They did an ultrasound and our first biophysical profile also at our appointment. His heart rate was 136 bpm and he weighs 4 lbs 4 oz!! He's growing big and strong and is in the 30th percentile! They also looked at the amniotic fluid, his movements, and breathing which were all great. 

Here is a picture of our little guy at 33 weeks and 1 day: 

From now on we go to the doctors every week until he arrives and they will do the ultrasounds and biophysical profile to monitor our baby boy.  Our next appointment is Thursday, April 10th which also happens to be my birthday. I'm excited that I get to see our son on my birthday that's a perfect present to see how he is doing <3 

Bye Bye Feeding Tube

Wanted to share a little back story and some exciting news... 

Since December 2012 I have had a feeding tube.  My gastroenterologist decided that it would be best for me to stop doing TPN which is what I was doing for the year before that to get nutrition through a central line and switch to a GJ feeding tube for my nutrition. So I went from being fed through my veins to being fed through the J part of my feeding tube which sends the formula through to my intestines. The G part of the tube I used for venting out my stomach when I was extra nauseous to help prevent vomiting. Once I got the feeding tube placed I kept my hickman (aka central line through my chest) to use for iv fluids at home and iv access since I have a ton of scarring in my veins from being poked and prodded the last several years. I've been doing tube feedings since 2012 because I was unable to eat anything by mouth and needed nutrition some other way to survive. Over the course of having a feeding tube I have had to have it replaced 4-5 times due to infections, having it flip, and getting holes in it. They placed my GJ tube in my abdomen and basically there are two tubes in my tube the G that goes to my stomach to drain out and the J that I use for feeding that send formula to my small intestine. 

Up until May 30, 2013 I went without tolerating anything by mouth so the tube was very helpful. May 30th I had surgery to replace my gastric stimulator battery which is implanted in me. This allowed me to slowly start being able to tolerate things by mouth, mostly liquids. Towards the end of July I was able to start tolerating small amounts of food by mouth. I cannot begin to express how exciting it was to be able to keep some things down finally. I would still get sick with the vomiting but was able to get some nutrition by mouth. 

Fast forward to now... 

I've still on tube feedings and hook up to my formula and machine at night and run it to get extra calories for baby and I. Well about a week ago I started having some pain around my feeding tube site, most likely because with being pregnant my body is stretching.. baby is growing and getting bigger and that means all the organs and things in my body are getting shifted around. 

This past Tuesday I went in to see my GI doctor about my feeding tube. We talked about how well I'm progressing with the pregnancy, with being able to maintain my weight and take in food by mouth. We also talked about the benefits and the risks of keeping the feeding tube in and the risks outweighed the benefits of having it so he decided it would be best to take it out. So Tuesday afternoon I had my feeding tube removed. Right now I have to keep the site bandaged up and put antibiotic ointment on it to make sure it heals properly. This is the first time in a very long time that I am not having to rely on having a PICC line, midline, hickman, NJ tube, NG tube, or GJ feeding tube to help me get nutrition. I'm just relying on my Gastric Stimulator to keep working and helping me tolerate food by mouth! If for some reason I start having trouble tolerating things by mouth throughout the continuation of my pregnancy and am not getting enough nutrition for baby and I then they will go ahead and place an NJ tube which is a feeding tube through your nose (not the most comfortable thing, but it works). It is unlikely that I will have to do that though since I'm doing so well!!

Honestly I didn't think that it would come to a point where I would be able to solely get nutrition by mouth again. I thought I was going to have to rely on being fed through other methods forever with the way things have been the past 5 1/2 years with my health. I know that I won't always be this healthy and that there may be a time where I do have to go back on tube feeds or other methods of nutrition and thats alright. I'm just going to appreciate this time of where I am able to do well and my Gastroparesis is under control. I still get sick from time to time but its not near as bad as its been. It really has taught me through fighting each day to be thankful for everything.. the good, the bad, the big things, and the little things. 

Ultrasound pictures, baby school & third trimester!

Baby appointment:

We had another baby appointment, this was at our 25 weeks completed. Our baby boys heart rate was 150bpm and he weighs 1lb 11oz! We saw him open and close his mouth in the ultrasound which was amazing! He is practicing swallowing the amniotic fluid in preparation for when he is born and learns how to breathe! My weight is gold and my vitals were all normal. Usually around this time is when pregnant women have the glucose test to check for gestational diabetes;however, the nurse and doctor decided that I didn't have to do the test because they didn't want to put me through anything extra and now each time I have an appointment they will just check my blood sugar and monitor that instead. We  go back to the doctor on March 4th. Here are some photos from our ultrasound of Scott Isaac:

Child birth classes: 

Jonathan and I attended baby school as we like to call it. We went to child birth classes at the hospital where I'll be delivering and it was really helpful. I didn't know exactly what to expect going but it made me feel a lot better about labor and learning about different options and relaxation techniques. I'm glad that he went with me and it was great to know I had that support from him every step of the way. Here is a photo with our certificate of completion: 

Third trimester:

We are in the last and final trimester now!! Yay! I took this screenshot on my phone once we hit the start of the third trimester.

Now we are 27 weeks completed and starting our 28th week! Only 91 days until Scott Isaac's due date!! 

Coming up later in the week we have our 4d ultrasound! It's an early birthday present for me and I'm super excited to go on Saturday and see what he looks like! I'm so grateful that we get to do a 4d ultrasound and have so many thoughts and emotions about it.  I'll definitely post pictures for everyone to see. :) 

Here are some random pictures from the past couple of weeks :)

Thanks again for reading these little random updates and for all of the sweet messages, comments, prayers, and support! 

Update :) 22 weeks!

Hello everyone,

Well apparently its been awhile since I have updated my blog and while I'm sitting here with my feet up  listening to music and relaxing I thought it would be a perfect time to do so!

Today is Sunday, January 12, 2014, which means its a new year, the year the our son Scott Isaac will be born! I am currently 22 weeks pregnant and in my second trimester (more than halfway done!) This past week was exciting because we had another baby appointment and got to see Scottie on the ultrasound! Everything has been going really well which has been such a blessing. My health has been under control with my Gastroparesis, I still get flare ups but nothing like it was before I was pregnant. I'm always nauseous though so zofran is something I take everyday to help keep that under control. Luckily my weight has been increasing like it is supposed to and with doing the tube feedings still through my G/J tube and eating when I am able to I'm getting enough nutrition for baby and I. YAY!!

Baby Scottie is growing like he is supposed to and is already at 13 ounces! His heart rate was 138 bpm at the last appointment and he is doing so well. One of my favorite parts about seeing him this past time on the ultrasound was seeing his leg and his little foot kick and then being able to feel it as well. It was really amazing to see on the ultrasound what I've been feeling lately with his little kicks. Right now they are till tiny kicks but they are getting stronger and stronger each day. Jonathan is able to put his hand on my belly now and feel Scottie kick now that he is growing strong enough to feel him.

Alright so now for the fun part.... Pictures!! :)

Sleepless Nights

Tonight is a sleepless night for myself. I've had a rough day with nausea and vomiting because I am out of my nausea medicine and am trying to make it two more days until I can get it refilled. Every time I tried to eat or drink today I got sick. Its frustrating because not only does it hurt to get sick but I'm not keeping down the food I need to eat for our baby boy. I am trying to do my tube feedings through my G/J feeding tube and had to decrease my rate down so that I can tolerate my feeds to get some nutrition that way. I've been trying my preggie pops which are hard candies that have ginger in them which is supposed to help with nausea, mint, and smelling rubbing alcohol but so far nothing is helping. I'm hoping that I can try and get some sleep and maybe that will help me feel a little better... On the bright side we did put our Christmas tree, Christmas village, and other decorations up today! I wasn't able to help as much as I wanted to and had to take breaks but was glad that I was able to do a little bit of decorating. Last year in December I was just getting my feeding tube placed and had complications with it getting infected and then flipping so I didn't get to help decorate for Christmas and spent most of December in the hospital. I was home for Christmas though and even though it was a challenge for me to get through with recovering and slept through most of it, it will be nice that I will be able to enjoy it more this year. I'm trying to get through the night since I'm not feeling well by focusing on the good things and the fact that I get to celebrate and enjoy Christmas this year and thinking of how next Christmas baby Scott Isaac will be here to celebrate his first Christmas!

 If you are having a tough night, can't sleep, not feeling well, or whatever it may be I hope that you are able to focus on something good to help you through the tough times! Stay Strong! 

Megan

Matthew 11:28 "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest"

Week 15

Question Time... Gastric Stimulators with Pregnancy and Morning Sickness

Today I thought I would go ahead and answer some questions from people that have sent me messages about my pregnancy and GP. This is why I started the blog so that maybe in some way it would be helpful to those that are concerned about these topics. I'm in no way a doctor and my answers are based on my personal experiences. 

Question: "I bookmarked your blog and can't wait to follow this baby's progression, can I ask you a question, are they concerned at all about pain with the location of the gastric stimulator (aka gastric pacer) battery back as your tummy grows? I'm a pacer and a tubie as well, so your journey will be an inspiration for me one day hopefully!" 

Answer: I think the person that was most concerned about the pain with the location of the Gastric Stimulator (aka gastric pacer) as my tummy grows is me. That was one of my biggest fears not knowing how that would come into play as I progressed in my pregnancy. The doctors said that it should not affect the baby at all when it comes to the stimulator and the stimulation because it stimulates my stomach only and is not near my uterus. As for if it will move when I grow, it is stitched in its own 'pocket' and I have excess leads to allow room for growing. The battery pack itself is placed lower on me near my waist line on the left side. Some people depending on the surgeon and their bodies have it placed higher on the abdomen so it might be different but I am not quite sure. The doctors said for me that my body will grow and adjust with the stimulator and my GI doctor and OB/GYN are not too concerned about it, which made me feel more at ease. Medtronic, the company that makes my gastric stimulator does not have a lot of information so far on the topic of having Gastroparesis with the treatment of their gastric stimulator while being pregnant; however, their website does have awesome information about the Gastroparesis and the gastric stimulator. 

Question: " I am having a hard time with Gastroparesis and morning sickness. Was there anything that helped you get through it? I feel like it's never going to end and that I'm just going to feel like this forever. I can't deal with it. Any advice would be appreciated! I don't have a stimulator and I'm not tube fed and I'm very concerned about getting the nutrients. Thanks so much!"


Answer: First of all congratulations on your pregnancy! That is so exciting and I wish you all of the best for you, your baby, and your family! I went through horrible morning sickness like you are going through when I was in my first trimester. I too thought that it was never going to end and was worried about getting nutrients in since I was having a hard time keeping them down. My morning sickness lasted throughout the day and into the night especially in weeks 10-12, I think those were the hardest. I tried a lot of ginger things, ginger ale helped if I took little sips and they also have these hard candies called Preggie Pops that are natural and are supposed to reduce morning sickness and nausea. They have ginger in them and they worked well for me; I kept them with me at all times. I first got them at Babies R Us in a pack but then ordered them off of Amazon as well. They have good tasting flavors like raspberry, tangerine, apple, and lemon. If you can't find those maybe try some other hard candies that are easier to find. Try and drink liquids more too if you are having a difficult time with solids, maybe even chicken broth if that works for you. It was basically trial and error with me, but once you get out of your first trimester it should start getting better. I had lost 2 pounds from all of the vomiting and was concerned but my high risk OB nurse said that it was alright and just to keep trying. I take zofran to help with nausea as well since it is a safe medicine during pregnancy to help with my nausea. I know that it is scary when you are afraid that you are not getting enough nutrients and are vomiting, but if you do have concerns always call your doctor and ask. I've called a couple of times with questions that I felt so much better about after talking to the nurses. Good luck!

I hope that this is helpful not only for the people that asked these questions, but for people that may be wondering the same thing. I hope that everyone is having a wonderful weekend!

~Megan

"Only in the darkness can you see the stars" - Martin Luther King Jr.