29 Weeks

The holidays have flown by!! Chris and I had a wonderful Christmas with my family. It was the first Christmas Chris and I ever spent together. It was so nice having him with me and made it extra special for all of us. We all kept saying how exciting it's going to be next year with baby Stella!!! I can not wait! The good news I received before we left for Christmas is that I do not have gestational diabetes. I'm so glad that I don't have that to worry about. The other cool thing that happened is that my friend Missy had her baby boy Noah last weekend. What a great Christmas present! I started to get teary eyed looking at the pictures of her perfect little prince. I can not wait for that to be us!

Third Trimester ~ 7 Months

I went to the doctor on Tuesday and had a million and one questions about SUA. I was once again reassured everything looks great with Stella and we shouldn't be concerned. I will get another ultrasound in 4 weeks. Then I get hit with the news that I "failed" the glucose tolerance test which is a screening test for gestational diabetes. I mean seriously? So I had to go for a 3 hour glucose test to see whether or not I have diabetes. Not fun. Basically I had to fast and then they took blood 4 times after making me drink this syrupy drink. I was starving and cranky. Hopefully everything will come out alright. The last thing I need right now is a diagnosis of diabetes. It is fairly common - really just the body's response to the pregnancy. But then I will have to be on a diet (or possibly insulin if I have a bad case - which I'm sure I don't). How much would it suck if I had to go on a diet while pregnant!!!!! But I think everything will be fine because my glucose level was only 11 points over the cut off. It could have been from dessert the night before. So I remain hopeful that this is just another small bump in the road. Get the results next week.

Lately I have really been feeling the weight of the pregnancy. I am nearing 160 pounds which is 30-35 over my normal range. I can't even believe how my hips are handling it! Actually my back has been killing me. And my belly is ginormous! I wonder how I will look to months from now. Yikes! But it is all worth it so long as my baby Stella is a happy and healthy baby;) I really can't wait to meet her. We've been working on the nursery and it makes me so happy. I know that I am ready to be a mother because of the simple fact that this year for Christmas all I want is stuff for my little princess!! I am definitely in the nesting mode now and just want everything to be perfect in preparation for her arrival;)

The scare of our lives....

I went for another ultrasound this past Wed. morning. I was a day away from being 27 weeks. It was great - I don't think it can ever get old seeing your baby while she is still inside of you. She looked great and we even got to see some cool 4D pictures of her (below). Everything seemed to be going well. We were told by the tech that she looked good, my placenta appears to no longer be in the danger zone, and Stella is approximately 2.6 pounds (which is 3 oz. over the average for a 26 weeker :). Then the doctor came in and nonchalantly told us that I have a single umbilical artery. Well she didn't even name it that - I found out later what it is called. Basically, most umbilical cords have 2 arteries and 1 vein. They don't know why, but some cords form having only one artery. No big deal right? Especially because she glossed over it and basically said that the baby appears healthy so its nothing to be concerned about.

I updated my mom who called later and told me to do some research on the SUA. Boy was I scared after reading up on it. First of all it occurs in only about 1% of pregnancies (scary in and of itself). They have no idea why it happens (because of course I was wondering what I did). Most importantly, they say that babies with SUA can be more at risk (25%) for all kinds of abnormalities, including heart problems! Of course I started freaking out and crying just imagining the worst. But the good news is that babies who have otherwise normal test results, such as the high level ultrasounds I've had, are probably fine.

So I called my doctor and had to wait until yesterday morning to speak with her. Of course this was after much sadness, anxiety, and fear on my part. Chris, as usual, was very positive about the whole thing. While I, as usual, was scared out of my mind! My doctor basically said that the only real concern they have with babies who have SUA is growth restriction, and that is a theoretical concern. She said that clinically that has never been her experience. When I asked about the litany of other problems I had read about, she told me that those would have definitely been picked up on ultrasound. From the report, she said, the baby looks great. She said they will continue to monitor me via ultrasound every 4-6 weeks, which is great because otherwise this would have been the last one I had. So all is well again. This ordeal made me realize that nothing else matters but the health of my baby. It really puts every other worry or concern in perspective. She is such a perfect little peach and I can't wait to see her in a few months. But I know that only when I see her will I stop worrying, well actually then a whole new wave of worrying will just be beginning- for the rest of my life! But that comes with the territory of being a parent. I just thank God that she is doing well!

Her profile. She has her little face resting on the placenta.

Her perfect little foot!

Her profile. Little nose!

26 Weeks....

26 Weeks: My little girl has been practicing some serious karate moves lately!! Seeing my stomach move from the inside sure is strange. We just got back from my parents for Thanksgiving. Chris's parents also came. As always, it was great spending time with family. Chris and I kept being amazed that this time next year baby Stella will be joining us for the holidays. Everything will be new for her....her first of everything! I can not wait to experience it with her. What an amazing gift!!!!