Let the bedrest begin

We had a busy day at the doctor's office and hospital today.  Wednesday and Saturday are the days I have my NST's done.  So far they've been pretty uneventful, which is good.  I show a lot of contractions but no more than 6 an hour which is when you need to do something about them.  This past Saturday I had an increased amount and it was a doctor that's not mine on call and she had the nurse check to see if I was dilated.  I wasn't, but the cervix was thinned.  After talking to my doctor today she said that's a good thing and should be happening at this point in the pregnancy.  My blood pressure was high at the beginning of this NST so the nurse cycled it a few times during the appointment and it normalized.  But since it was a doctor who wasn't familiar with me on call, she ordered ANOTHER 24 hour urine test for preeclampsia.  Because, really, who DOESN'T enjoy those?

Unfortunately, Monday evening I got a call after hours from my doctor's office (which is never good) in which they said I was heading towards preeclampsia and needed to go on bedrest immediately.  Of course I didn't get to talk to them and both the doctor and the nurse were going to be out on Tuesday.  So I called into work for Tuesday and took it easy with the idea we'd get clarification on everything at today's appointment.

JM and I thought today's NST might get a little interesting today because Ali did some major readjusting and I had a couple of harsh contractions with it, but turns out it was fine. I think she just knew she was being recorded and wanted us to notice her.

Then we went to our doctor's appointment.  Side note, our doctor will be in town for the birth, so we're thrilled.  She clarified that the bedrest is strict bedrest.  I don't have to lay down, but I shouldn't be up for much more time than to potty, shower or make myself a quick snack.  The way the message was left, I thought I was just 'threatening' preeclampsia, but the level of protein needs to be over 300 to be preeclamptic and I was in the 400's.  She said it's mild, severe cases are over 5000.  She was still planning on inducing us at 39 weeks, but we basically started begging.  I obviously don't want to have her before she's ready, but any time I'm on bedrest takes away from the time I get with her after she's born.  Plus, when I'm not at work, I don't get paid.  To have me laying/sitting on the couch for the next 4.5 weeks, not bringing in any money, and not taking care of a baby will really hurt us.  The doctor said she would look at the ultrasound we were having later and evaluate a few things and then let us know when she can induce.  I'm assuming she'll let us know at our appointment next week. 

After that we had our ultrasound.  The new nurse had me empty my bladder during the doctor's appointment so we couldn't get a good look at Ali's face.  She is head down but the ultrasound tech said we're not far enough along to guarantee she'll stay like that.  Every time the tech would get a glimpse of her face she'd turn and hide it in my pelvis.  The tech said she'll be a baby that likes to cuddle and sleep with something against her :-).  Her spine, abdomen, head and femur are all measuring about a week and a half ahead of time, which isn't all that big.  But, her weight should've been around 5.5 pounds at this point and it was 6.6.  The tech even said that means she's chubby.  Just what every parent wants to hear about their daughter.  Ali did have these little chubby chipmunk cheeks though, a lot like JM's. 

So now we wait.  My hope is that (as long as Ali's ok with it), they'll induce me when I'm technically full-term, which will be in 2.5 weeks.  It'll be a long 2.5 weeks, but better than the 4.5 we're currently looking at.  If you're in the area please feel free to stop by!  It's one of my first days and I'm already going crazy.  JM works most every evening so I'm especially bored then!

Bunnies bunnies bunnies

Actually, there are 4 babies that were born in our yard at some point yesterday. Most of you know that there is a neighborhood bunny that seems to have a pact with Kodi. Kodi chases it a little, then lays down and watches it eat in our yard. Obviously, she found this to be an invitation to come have her bunnies in our yard.

Last night, Kodi was laying outside for a very long time just enjoying his yard.  Then around 9:30 he starts barking and barking and barking.  I yell at him, he stops, then starts up again.  I go outside and can tell he's scared of something in the yard (his eyesight isn't great at night and anything he sees scares him) because he keeps leaning towards it, barking, then jumping back.  I saw brown/gray-ness and assumed one of our doves was injured in the yard so I grab Kodi and drag him inside.  All the while I'm freaking out...because that's what I do with injured animals.  Luckily JM came home shortly after and I made him go check it out (poor guy had been working outside for about 9 hours and came home to a possible dead animal in the yard that he had to take care of RIGHT NOW).  He comes back in laughing saying, "well, it's not dead..."

Yep, 4 baby bunnies in a nest.  I have a feeling Kodi didn't even notice them till Momma came for the nightly feeding.  Or, she came to deliver them and it was her he was barking at.  Either way, when I got out there this morning I couldn't find any trace of them, just some dead grass.  So I stupidly let Kodi out and he sticks his big nose right into the dead grass which turned out to be a pretty decent hole...with bunnies in it.  I had to drag him back inside (keep in mind, while I do all this, I'm waddling) and then make JM go back out and fix the nest covering that Kodi messed up.  He checked and all 4 bunnies were alive and accounted for, but still new enough they don't have their eyes open.

Kodi has never been a dog to jump over or into anything.  When he was a puppy he used to get out of his gated area in my apartment by climbing the baby gate.  JM couldn't find any garden fencing last night when I sent him out at 11 pm (what a guy), but when I went to Menards today I lucked out that they had (albeit very tacky) garden fencing on clearance for $2.  I bought 2 rolls of it and this is what I "built". 

It's hard to see, but I have it open to our fence because I know Momma can get in and out through there (and the neighbor doesn't have a dog).  I also left it open to the tree because that's the tree Momma likes to hide in.  I took Kodi out and the fence is high enough to make it more of a hassle for him than he chooses to make, but it's wide enough that Momma can get between it or at least over it.  I know the babies are little enough to get out.  That big brown spot in the bottom left of the picture is the nest.

After setting up 40 feet of this fencing, I was soaked.  The heat index is currently 102 degrees and the sun is boiling. There was a little opening in the dead grass above the nest and I could see the babies squirming. So I put our lightweight tarp over it with the front and back open so that the breeze would still get through but block the sun. I'll take it down when the temperature goes down and before Momma comes back for feeding time. Let's hope it works!

Ali's 7/21/10 Ultrasound

Here's some pictures from our little baby's 31 week ultrasound.

This is her face, she's laying on her left side looking at the camera.


The squiggly lines show all her hair...which the US tech said she has quite a bit of (yay)!!!


The bottom of her her foot.


And here's her fist. She already knows how to make a correct fist, that's her thumb sticking up in the air.