Our first day!

At 8:28pm, on Christmas Eve 2011, I became a Mom and Ryan became a Dad. 

After the birth, Ryan went off to watch our son.  At our hospital, the baby is taken from the labor and delivery wing to the nursery to be weighed and checked and taken care of.  So Ryan (after sneaking a peak around the curtain to see the big operation!) followed our baby boy out of labor and delivery and off to where our family was waiting to meet him!

Eli, fresh out of the womb!

As it was Christmas weekend, my Mom, younger brother and sister-in-law were in town to celebrate the holiday (remember, we had not planned to meet Baby Wynne for 19 more days!).  Ryan's Mom and Dad also drove in for the night.  So just after Eli was born, he was able to meet Grandma Ellen, Aunt Kelly, Nana and Pop-pop!  Ryan was very excited to show of our new son!

Ryan was a very good dad and hung out with Eli while they checked him over and made sure he was OK.  Despite being a bit early, he was 19 inches long and weighed 7lbs 1oz!  Because I had gestational diabetes, they had to test Eli's glucose levels and give him some formula because he had very low sugar levels (this happens with GD babies).  Ryan snapped some photos and started spreading the good news!

While that was happening, I was being stitched and cleaned up and then shipped to the recovery room.  I had to stay there for a few hours while the drugs wore off and they got my postpartum room ready. 

I remember trying to move my legs and not being able to.  That was weird.  Also, my face itched like crazy!!  Apparently, this is a side effect of the morphine.  It started while I was still on the operating table and kept getting worse as I recovered.  It was so hard not to itch my face!  They gave me some benadryl via IV which helped a little, but not completely!

I also really, really wanted to see Eli, but couldn't yet.  This led to crying, even though I was not sad (crying despite not being sad happened a bit over the next few days -- damn hormones!)!  Finally, Ryan came in to see me and fill me in on how awesome our new little boy was!!

We watched the end of It's a Wonderful Life and they finally wheeled me off to my room.  I was so excited to see Eli and hold him!!
 

Mommy's first snuggle!

I may be biased, but I think he is the most adorable baby ever!

We didn't get to hang out very long.  Eli had lots of mucous because he was a c-section baby and he was very cold, so they wanted to take him back to the nursery.  And I still had lots of drugs in my system and I couldn't get out of bed yet, so they weren't keen on leaving him in my room all alone all night.  But we enjoyed those few minutes together!

Eli's first little smile!!!

I have to admit, my night alone was not fun.  Ryan went home (we live 3 minutes away) and I was stuck in bed and without Eli.  The pain meds started wearing off and I definitely felt some pain.  I was itching like crazy, but didn't want any more benadryl because it had made me loopy.  I was checked on every few hours and everything was going well with me, but I definitely missed my Eli!

When Ryan arrived early the next morning, I was so happy to see him (again, more crying ... I guess it takes a while for the hormone levels to re-adjust!) and he went to go check on Eli for us (as I was still stuck in bed)!  Within minutes, Ryan brought Eli to my room and I got a few more minutes with my little man!

Christmas morning with our little miracle!

It was definitely the craziest Christmas morning of my life.  After Ryan and I spent about 20 minutes with Eli, they came in to get Eli for his circumcision (Merry Christmas, buddy!).  Then the nurse came in to get me out of bed -- which I was very happy about and practically jumped out of the hospital bed (I do not recommend this after a major abdominal surgery!).  I was still hooked up to an IV (for more pitocin and fluids) but I could move to the chair and eventually go down the hall for visiting with family!

Just before lunch, a doctor (whom I had not yet met) came in to talk to us about Eli.  Luckily, he was smart enough to start his speech with "Everything is OK with Eli now, but ..." and then mainly talked to Ryan since I was still dealing with the hormones/crying-for-no-reason thing.  Apparently, Eli choked on his superfluous mucous during the circumcision.  And turned blue.  Yes -- TURNED BLUE!  Day 1 of life and the kid is already giving Ryan and me heart attacks!  As the doctor said, Eli was fine ... but the episode led to a whole slew of tests that were then performed to be sure he didn't have pneumonia or any other respiratory issues (which he did not).  This all meant we couldn't see him again for many hours. 

Like I said, definitely the craziest Christmas morning of my life!

Dr appt Week 35 -- virtual edition

Another email/phone call "appointment" with my GD dietitian. 

During this 2-week span, I have noticed that my glucose levels have gone up a bit.  Not much (still below the "threshold" most of the time), but consistently higher.  I haven't changed my diet at all, so I was slightly concerned. 

Now that we're getting so much further along, I have found sleeping to be a little more difficult.  I do go to the bathroom pretty often, but I also struggle falling asleep because it's just hard to get comfortable.  Also, with the last weeks of work, I am still up at 5:30am, regardless of how little sleep I get!

This reduction in sleep apparently may be one reason why my glucose levels went up.  Sleep = good!  :)

Also, I guess it's not uncommon for insulin resistance (which is what GD is) to increase as the pregnancy goes on.  We only have a month left, so the insulin resistance may continue to increase as the baby grows and I put on another couple pounds!

The dietitian was full of assurances that this is all normal and I shouldn't worry.  She suggested a bit more walking around and more sleep!  Nap time sounds great to me!  :)

Two more (real) doctor appointments this week ... and then at least one appointment a week until Baby Wynne arrives!  We're really getting close now! 

Dr appt Week 33 -- virtual edition

As part of the GD, I am supposed to meet with a diabetes nurse and dietitian.  I met with the dietitian during my Week 31 appointment (for less than 10 minutes) and we agreed that there was no need for me to come in again as long as I emailed my weekly logs of diet and glucose readings (yay!). 

This morning I sent off the last 2 weeks of data to the dietitian and nurse for them to check over.

The reply:
"keep up the good work!"

I hope that all continues to go well with the GD over the last weeks of the pregnancy.

I also hope that my insurance company and I were not billed for this "appointment". 

Dr appt Week 33

Another visit with the perinatalogist.  We go to this specialist to get ultrasound measurements of Baby Wynne to be sure that the Gestational Diabetes (GD) is not affecting growth (some GD babies get too big, which can cause problems). 

This is truthfully my favorite doctor to visit because we get to watch Baby Wynne on a big TV screen for 20-30 minutes while the ultrasound technician tries to get measurements of our stubborn baby (who doesn't like to turn at the correct angle for the majority of the measurements needed!). 

I was also happy that Ryan was able to make it to this appointment and enjoy the show.  The techs always love when Ryan is there to ask questions!  And Ryan kept asking for photos so this tech printed out so many for us! 

All is great with Baby Wynne!  Everything looked good and she/he is not too big yet.  The tech predicts that Baby Wynne will be a bit over 8lbs if she/he arrives full-term.  This is a bit larger than average, but totally what I expected given family history.  The doctor was happy with the measurements and with how I am managing my GD diet.  

We go back for another appointment during Week 36 (which may be the last with the specialist before Baby Wynne shows up!). 

MEASUREMENTS:
Baby's Heartrate: 150 bpm
Baby's Estimated Weight: 5lbs 4oz (60th percentile)

Side view ultrasound of Baby Wynne's face!  Week 33



Creepy 4D ultrasound of left eye and part of right hand (and umbilical cord?)



Creepy 4D ultrasound of left eye and part of right arm

Still a bit creepy, but cutest 4D sonogram of Baby Wynne, with cute left eye and cute little nose! 

Dr appts Week 31

The pregnancy has been great, so I really can't complain.  But in Week 29 I was diagnosed with Gestational Diabetes (GD).  I was not surprised, as I had a few risk factors (overweight, runs in my family), but still disappointed.  I feel totally fine, but it is a worry and I must now be monitored to make sure Baby Wynne is fine. 

This monitoring involves a lot of doctors and in the last week, I have been to two appointments: one with a diabetes nurse and one with a nutritionist.  Both are at a hospital about 25 minutes from my house (and over an hour from work). 

I met with the nurse first to get started testing the glucose level in my blood.  That whole finger pricking thing.  I was set-up with a food diary and I now write down everything I eat and test my glucose level an hour after every meal.  Easy stuff.  She explained it all to me ...very ... slowly.  Does she not realize she is asking a scientist to collect data??  Hello!  This is actually almost exciting for me!  :)

Basically, I need to avoid super sugary foods (cookies, ice cream, chocolate, candy, syrups, etc) and super refined carbs (think white bread and white pasta).  Seriously -- not a problem.  We don't really eat that stuff anyway.  I may be the only pregnant woman that does not crave ice cream. 

So all week I wrote everything down and only had one "high" glucose reading.  I then emailed my food diary to the dietitian to review before my appointment with her.

I show up for my appointment (after leaving work early and driving through NYC traffic for 1.5 hours) and meet with the dietitian for about 8 minutes.  She basically says "good job" and sends me on my way.  Sigh.

The good news is that all is well and I can just continue on my current diet and Baby Wynne should be OK.  No medications and hopefully no more appointments with the nurse or dietitian (we are going to communicate via email and phone!).

No new Baby Wynne statistics for you, but I do have yet another appointment tomorrow.  And then another one next week with the perinatalogist to have another ultrasound and check Baby Wynne's size. 
Seeing Baby Wynne will be a very nice Thanksgiving present for Ryan and me!

A note on Health Insurance, Pre-approvals, Doctor Referrals, and a complete lack of Customer Service

All things listed in the title of this post could really be on a list entitled

"The things that have annoyed me most about being pregnant"
or
"The annoying things about pregnancy that I did not anticipate"
or
"Why the Wynnes might move to Canada someday"

I could write a novel about each, but, for now, I just wanted to let you know that all is great with Baby Wynne despite the new constant run-around for Mommy!

Dr appt Week 29

Another doctor's appointment, another long wait in the waiting room for a quick and rushed meeting with the doctor.

The worst part of the appointment was finding out that I have gestational diabetes.  Two weeks prior, I took the 1-hr glucose test, then got called in for a 3-hr glucose test (which are stories in themselves!).  Looking at the test results, I am just over the threshold for the level of glucose that should be in my blood.

Why am I not excited about this? 
First, this can affect Baby Wynne (because he/she will make too much insulin as a result of the excess sugar in MY blood).  Usually this results in babies that grow bigger ... but their organs (specifically, the lungs) still develop at the normal rate.  So Baby Wynne might be a big baby that still needs to incubate!
Second, I can deal with the diet changes (less carbs ... I don't really eat sweets as it is), but just the thought of all the EXTRA doctors appointments are killing me already.  I hate doctors as it is and now I have to set up multiple appointments with multiple doctors/techs/nurses (and try to fit that all into a full-time work schedule, along with my normal OB appointments).  Oh well, I will try not to complain about it, because I love Baby Wynne.

What's the positive of it all?
We get a few more ultrasounds of Baby Wynne!  We need to check her/his growth a few more times, so it'll be great to see Baby Wynne!  If I get photos, I will be sure to share!

Next appointment is this week ... then probably next week ... then definitely the week after that ...



MEASUREMENTS:
Mommy's Weight Gain: +3.5 lbs (6 lbs total)
Baby's Heartrate: 145bpm