I've noticed an increase in traffic, specifically to the WPW posts. If you're reading my blog because your kid has it, please leave a comment, or email me, akdryan at yahoo.com. I'd really love to talk to another parent dealing with this condition.
As of February, Jackson had no evidence of WPW on his EKG I(though he had no evidence even hours after an episode), and no episodes since January 2011. This does end, whether from outgrowth or ablation. Jackson needed no ablation, just weaned his meds. If you're dealing with this, please talk to me. It's a rare condition, in a weird, better than CVICU but worse than everybody else place.
If you're dealing with this, I'm so sorry. It's so scary, in the moment, and even years later, when every fast heart rate makes your own heart race. Please contact me, I need you as much as you need me.
Tuesday, April 16, 2013
Friday, June 1, 2012
19 Weeks
I'm probably halfway there at this point. I don't see going all the way to my due date. I could probably post a non-embarrassing belly picture at the point, but I'll probably forget.
Weight: I've gained about 2 lbs. Not so bad.
Maternity Clothes: Definitely 100% of the time, except for some very low-waisted or very elastic bottoms.
Cravings/Aversions: Nothing, really
Symptoms: Headaches! I get these awful headaches that last 3 days. NOTHING works to make them feel better. The doctor gave me this new prescription, but I haven't tried it yet. Hopefully it'll do something. My feet and ankles have been swelling some, too, when it's really hot outside.
Sleep: The insomnia is much better lately. The problem now is just peeing 342042394234 times a night. Even Jackson slept through the night last night! For the first time ever! Oh my god I hope this little girl sleeps better than her big brother.
Health: I get to do a lovely 24 hour urine test this week, for a baseline measurement. My bp still looks good though.
Movement: Last night Madeline was moving so much I thought I was having contractions. I think I was, but as much as she was moving it was hard to tell what was what. It feels so different without the anterior placenta blocking things. Christopher thinks he might have even felt something very faintly from the outside, which is pretty cool, since he didn't feel anything with Jackson until I was about 22 weeks. It was on Father's Day. I don't know if Jackson will ever be able to top that present.
Best Moment this Week: Feeling Madeline last night. She's been moving a little here and there, but last night I could really feel her flipping all over the place and giving me strong kicks.
Looking Forward To: The anatomy scan on Monday! Although it makes me as nervous as excited. I hope everything is going well in there.
Weight: I've gained about 2 lbs. Not so bad.
Maternity Clothes: Definitely 100% of the time, except for some very low-waisted or very elastic bottoms.
Cravings/Aversions: Nothing, really
Symptoms: Headaches! I get these awful headaches that last 3 days. NOTHING works to make them feel better. The doctor gave me this new prescription, but I haven't tried it yet. Hopefully it'll do something. My feet and ankles have been swelling some, too, when it's really hot outside.
Sleep: The insomnia is much better lately. The problem now is just peeing 342042394234 times a night. Even Jackson slept through the night last night! For the first time ever! Oh my god I hope this little girl sleeps better than her big brother.
Health: I get to do a lovely 24 hour urine test this week, for a baseline measurement. My bp still looks good though.
Movement: Last night Madeline was moving so much I thought I was having contractions. I think I was, but as much as she was moving it was hard to tell what was what. It feels so different without the anterior placenta blocking things. Christopher thinks he might have even felt something very faintly from the outside, which is pretty cool, since he didn't feel anything with Jackson until I was about 22 weeks. It was on Father's Day. I don't know if Jackson will ever be able to top that present.
Best Moment this Week: Feeling Madeline last night. She's been moving a little here and there, but last night I could really feel her flipping all over the place and giving me strong kicks.
Looking Forward To: The anatomy scan on Monday! Although it makes me as nervous as excited. I hope everything is going well in there.
Monday, May 14, 2012
17 Weeks
It's a girl! We went in for an elective gender determination scan last week, and while she didn't really give a super clear shot, baby looks to be a girl! We're going back tonight to double check, but what we saw was pretty convincing. We're going to name her Madeline Gale. The middle name is my grandmother's name. She passed away right before Jackson was born, and I'm very happy to be able to name my little girl after her.
Weight: No gain yet. I cannot believe it. I'm ridiculously happy about this. At this point I can gain a pound every week from now on and tops gain 23 lbs. Less in the likely event I deliver early.
Maternity Clothes: I'm almost 100% in maternity clothes. Regular clothes just look funny because my belly is already so big.
Cravings/Aversions: Nothing.
Symptoms: I swear I wouldn't even know I was pregnant. A little heartburn, a little tired, but that's it. The heart palpitations are gone. I did have some swelling in my feet last night though.
Sleep: Lots of insomnia still. It's really annoying.
Gender: Girl!
Health: So far so good!
Movement: I've felt a few bumps here and there!
Best Moment This Week: Announcing it's a girl!
Looking Forward To: Seeing the baby again tonight as a double check.
Weight: No gain yet. I cannot believe it. I'm ridiculously happy about this. At this point I can gain a pound every week from now on and tops gain 23 lbs. Less in the likely event I deliver early.
Maternity Clothes: I'm almost 100% in maternity clothes. Regular clothes just look funny because my belly is already so big.
Cravings/Aversions: Nothing.
Symptoms: I swear I wouldn't even know I was pregnant. A little heartburn, a little tired, but that's it. The heart palpitations are gone. I did have some swelling in my feet last night though.
Sleep: Lots of insomnia still. It's really annoying.
Gender: Girl!
Health: So far so good!
Movement: I've felt a few bumps here and there!
Best Moment This Week: Announcing it's a girl!
Looking Forward To: Seeing the baby again tonight as a double check.
Friday, March 16, 2012
8 weeks
and 2 days.
I had another ultrasound on Tuesday, and we saw a baby that was a perfect size with a heart beat! No movement yet, but probably soon. My next ultrasound will be between 11-13 weeks, the NT scan. I'm very excited. I wish you could get ultrasounds every 2 weeks or so until you start to feel the baby move all the time. I have a fetal doppler, but I won't be able to hear anything on it for another week or so. I mostly got it for closer to term, to make sure the new baby isn't in SVT. Which they won't be, but for my peace of mind, I'll have to check.
In other news, Jackson has some awesome new dance moves. He likes to spin around in a circle, and he learned how to roll his arms around each other watching one of those sign twirlers. That was funny, he was watching the guy spin the sign and starting copying him. He can say over 30 words now, which is just crazy. It's amazing to be able to actually communicate with him. He likes to wear Chrisopher's and my shoes, too, which is hillarious. Most babies say mine, but Jackson never really heard that word, so he says I NEEEEEEED!
I'm sort of working on weaning Jackson. My supply is absolutely tanking, so he's a lot more willing to drink milk from a cup. It's strange and kind of sad, but I'll be glad to have my boobs to myself for a few months before nursing a newborn again. I really can't imagine nursing with a giant pregnant belly. That can't be comfortable. I'm planning a Disney trip with my sister in law for next month, and we're going to cut both babies off cold turkey and let the over stimulation of Disney distract them. Neither of them nurse much when they're out and about, so hopefully 3 days of crazy will get them both out of the habit. 3 days seems like the magic time frame for babies. We'll see how it goes. It should be fun either way.
Weight: No gain yet. I have hope! By this time last pregnancy I had gained 2 or 3 pounds because the only thing keeping me from puking was constantly shoving food in my face.
Maternity Clothes: I don't really need to wear them yet, but they're so comfortable.
Cravings and Aversions: I've been craving sweet chocolate, like doughnuts with chocolate icing or Cosmic Brownies. I also have a thing for fruit, especially berries and grapefruit. It was actually kind of ridiculous how excited I was the other day when I found a grapefruit hiding in my fridge. I'm not averse to anything in particular.
Symptoms: Morning sickness is basically gone, which is a wonderful relief. Hopefully this will prevent the carb-loading induced 1st trimester weight gain. I've been having heart palpitations, which is strange. I only notice them when I'm sitting or laying quietly. I'm assuming it's just changes in my cardiovascular system due to pregnancy, but I guess I should mention that. I don't get short of breath or pain or anything, and it only lasts a couple minutes, so I'm not really worried about it. Maybe I'll get to be cool like Jackson and wear a Holter monitor.
Sleep: I have been so ridiculously tired lately, and I can't sleep at night. I just lay awake. I can't get comfortable, and I get too hot or too cold. I don't know what's up with that. It's getting pretty old.
Gender: I'm getting more convinced this is a girl. The baby is implanted slightly to the left of center, so that is apparently 98% girl. We'll see. I'm not as sure as I was with Jackson.
Health: No updates, BP still is low.
Movement: Not any phantom kicks this week. I'm so excited for this part.
Best Moment This Week: Seeing the heartbeat!!
Looking Forward To: The NT scan and Disney World!
I had another ultrasound on Tuesday, and we saw a baby that was a perfect size with a heart beat! No movement yet, but probably soon. My next ultrasound will be between 11-13 weeks, the NT scan. I'm very excited. I wish you could get ultrasounds every 2 weeks or so until you start to feel the baby move all the time. I have a fetal doppler, but I won't be able to hear anything on it for another week or so. I mostly got it for closer to term, to make sure the new baby isn't in SVT. Which they won't be, but for my peace of mind, I'll have to check.
In other news, Jackson has some awesome new dance moves. He likes to spin around in a circle, and he learned how to roll his arms around each other watching one of those sign twirlers. That was funny, he was watching the guy spin the sign and starting copying him. He can say over 30 words now, which is just crazy. It's amazing to be able to actually communicate with him. He likes to wear Chrisopher's and my shoes, too, which is hillarious. Most babies say mine, but Jackson never really heard that word, so he says I NEEEEEEED!
I'm sort of working on weaning Jackson. My supply is absolutely tanking, so he's a lot more willing to drink milk from a cup. It's strange and kind of sad, but I'll be glad to have my boobs to myself for a few months before nursing a newborn again. I really can't imagine nursing with a giant pregnant belly. That can't be comfortable. I'm planning a Disney trip with my sister in law for next month, and we're going to cut both babies off cold turkey and let the over stimulation of Disney distract them. Neither of them nurse much when they're out and about, so hopefully 3 days of crazy will get them both out of the habit. 3 days seems like the magic time frame for babies. We'll see how it goes. It should be fun either way.
Weight: No gain yet. I have hope! By this time last pregnancy I had gained 2 or 3 pounds because the only thing keeping me from puking was constantly shoving food in my face.
Maternity Clothes: I don't really need to wear them yet, but they're so comfortable.
Cravings and Aversions: I've been craving sweet chocolate, like doughnuts with chocolate icing or Cosmic Brownies. I also have a thing for fruit, especially berries and grapefruit. It was actually kind of ridiculous how excited I was the other day when I found a grapefruit hiding in my fridge. I'm not averse to anything in particular.
Symptoms: Morning sickness is basically gone, which is a wonderful relief. Hopefully this will prevent the carb-loading induced 1st trimester weight gain. I've been having heart palpitations, which is strange. I only notice them when I'm sitting or laying quietly. I'm assuming it's just changes in my cardiovascular system due to pregnancy, but I guess I should mention that. I don't get short of breath or pain or anything, and it only lasts a couple minutes, so I'm not really worried about it. Maybe I'll get to be cool like Jackson and wear a Holter monitor.
Sleep: I have been so ridiculously tired lately, and I can't sleep at night. I just lay awake. I can't get comfortable, and I get too hot or too cold. I don't know what's up with that. It's getting pretty old.
Gender: I'm getting more convinced this is a girl. The baby is implanted slightly to the left of center, so that is apparently 98% girl. We'll see. I'm not as sure as I was with Jackson.
Health: No updates, BP still is low.
Movement: Not any phantom kicks this week. I'm so excited for this part.
Best Moment This Week: Seeing the heartbeat!!
Looking Forward To: The NT scan and Disney World!
Thursday, March 8, 2012
7 weeks
I'm really afraid of having two kids. This pregnancy was definitely planned, but I find myself worrying about how on earth I'm going to keep up with a baby and a toddler. Just being pregnant with a toddler is difficult. It's not as easy to just lay down when I'm feeling crappy, and having someone giggling hysterically while you puke is odd. I can't wait for the 2nd trimester. This part of pregnancy just sucks. I know once we get to the part where the new baby is walking around and playing, it's going to be awesome to have them this close together. And I really can't wait to see Jackson as a big brother. He adores babies.
Weight: I'm fluctuating between the same 3 lbs still. I'd love to get out of the 1st trimester with minimal weight gain.
Maternity clothes: None needed.
Cravings and Aversions: Same as last week, and also the smell of meat and cheese is disgusting.
Sleep: I'm just going to bed really early, like 9 or 9:30, and I'm very tired by late afternoon.
Gender: 9 weeks until we can find out! That's not so long, right?
Name: Nothing new here, still probably William or Madeline
Health: Oh yea, apparently if my blood pressure stays high at appointments I get to do a 24 hour urine collection. Awesome.
Movement: The phantom kicks are driving me crazy. I know it's nowhere near possible to feel anything from my 7 week old, 3/4" embryo, but I am getting "kicks" and "flutters" all the time.
Weird Symptoms: New this week! I have round ligament pain and Braxton Hicks contractions already! Both suprised me, because I didn't get them until the 2nd trimester last time.
Best Moment This Week: This week kind of sucked, but Jackson discovered stickers, and he loves them. That was cute.
Looking forward to: The ultrasound on Tuesday. Did you know they put a condom on the wand to keep it clean? True story.
Weight: I'm fluctuating between the same 3 lbs still. I'd love to get out of the 1st trimester with minimal weight gain.
Maternity clothes: None needed.
Cravings and Aversions: Same as last week, and also the smell of meat and cheese is disgusting.
Sleep: I'm just going to bed really early, like 9 or 9:30, and I'm very tired by late afternoon.
Gender: 9 weeks until we can find out! That's not so long, right?
Name: Nothing new here, still probably William or Madeline
Health: Oh yea, apparently if my blood pressure stays high at appointments I get to do a 24 hour urine collection. Awesome.
Movement: The phantom kicks are driving me crazy. I know it's nowhere near possible to feel anything from my 7 week old, 3/4" embryo, but I am getting "kicks" and "flutters" all the time.
Weird Symptoms: New this week! I have round ligament pain and Braxton Hicks contractions already! Both suprised me, because I didn't get them until the 2nd trimester last time.
Best Moment This Week: This week kind of sucked, but Jackson discovered stickers, and he loves them. That was cute.
Looking forward to: The ultrasound on Tuesday. Did you know they put a condom on the wand to keep it clean? True story.
Thursday, March 1, 2012
6 weeks
So I took a belly picture, but there's no way I'm putting it on the internet. Once there's an actual baby bump, I'll do belly picture. I had my first OB visit Tuesday. It didn't really go all that well. Christopher couldn't make it, so I had Jackson with me alone. Jackson was about to throw a tantrum in the waiting room, so I offered to nurse him.
He actually does this cute new thing where he nods his head yes and says mmmhmmmm! but he kind of breathes it out so it sounds more like fum fum, and each fum gets its own head nod. He doesn't always stop at two. Really funny. Anyways.
Well as soon as he latched on the nurse walked out and called me back. As I'm trying to wrangle him around and into the stroller so I can be weighed (awesome) and the urine sample (my fave), she starts telling me that I need to quit breastfeeding. This caught me totally off guard. I would expect that advice from a great grandmother, but pretty much every one else living in this century realizes that advice is moronic. Not to mention, inappropriate to give if you are not a doctor and the person you are advising is actively wrestling a 1.5 year old trying to meet with an actual doctor. I said something to the effect of no, but I'll be sure to talk to the doctor about it.
Obviously, the doctor didn't have a problem with it, provided I take a prenatal vitamin. Duh? I've been taking those since 2010. She also offered me an elective c-section, because Jackson got sort of stuck on the way out. I'm not entirely sure I'm going to stay with this practice.
The bad part though, was the ultrasound. The baby is measuring 5 days to a week behind (different parts measured different dates). I'm not wrong about my dates. There is absolutely no way I'm not as far along as I thought I was. I got a positive pregnancy test 10 days past ovulation. It's really just not possible to get a positive even 5 days earlier than that. The thing is still in your fallopian tubes at that point. She wouldn't order beta levels, and I have to wait 2 weeks for another ultrasound. I'm trying to make peace with this. Hopefully it's just because it's so early that the measurements are easy to screw up, but the tech measured twice. There was no heartbeat. I mean that's a possibility, but I've heard of people seeing a heartbeat earlier than I'm supposed to be.
I guess if I implanted 2 days later than average, got a freakishly early positive test, and the 5 days early measurement were the correct one, it would only be a difference of 3 days, which I could much better handle. I just don't know how I'm supposed to walk around for 2 weeks with the idea that this is not a viable pregnancy in my head.. The doctor wasn't worried, but she also isn't the one whose baby is way too small.
On the plus side, I'm getting more symptoms, so that's a good sign. Hopefully the measurements are just off and in two weeks I'll see a caught up baby with a heartbeat that we can even hear. In the mean time, I'm working under the assumption that I'm still pregnant with a baby I get to keep.
Weight: Down 1-3 lbs.
Maternity Clothes: None needed.
Cravings and Aversions: No cravings other than what I crave when I'm not pregnant. Aversions are more obvious. The smell of garlic makes me feel sick, but it still tastes just as delicious. If I eat garlic though, I get awful heartburn, so maybe I should listen to that aversion. I also am averse to any food in the morning, but if I don't eat, I start to feel sick. This is all much better than last time, when I had to eat constantly to avoid throwing up. There's still plenty of time for that though.
Sleep: I accidentally fell asleep with Jackson last night, at 9:30 or so. At 8 this morning when Jackson woke up I felt like I hadn't gotten enough. He was up all night though. I'm ready to pass out by 3 or 4.
Gender: Baby was exactly midline at the 6 week ultrasound. At least there was only 1 though. I'll try again at the 8 week ultrasound. I'm thinking boy, I think. I'm really really undecided this time. With Jackson, I'm pretty sure the pregnancy test told me it was a boy. I was very sure.
Names: We think we've settled on William Gale or Madeline Gale, after my grandmother. We can't pick a nickname for William yet, either Will or Liam.
Health: Well my blood pressure was something ridiculous like 140/80, but that's because Jackson was not happy about not having his blood pressure taken, and I had just been walking and wrangling around. At home it's low and getting lower as my circulatory system changes. 111/74 this morning!
Movement: Not anywhere near that point yet.
Best moment this week: Jackson is off all medicines officially and doesn't have to see cardiology for a YEAR!!! We're going to have a party next weekend. I'm going to have a cake made, but I'm not sure of what yet. I'll take pictures.
Looking forward to: Hopefully finding out that this baby is okay.
He actually does this cute new thing where he nods his head yes and says mmmhmmmm! but he kind of breathes it out so it sounds more like fum fum, and each fum gets its own head nod. He doesn't always stop at two. Really funny. Anyways.
Well as soon as he latched on the nurse walked out and called me back. As I'm trying to wrangle him around and into the stroller so I can be weighed (awesome) and the urine sample (my fave), she starts telling me that I need to quit breastfeeding. This caught me totally off guard. I would expect that advice from a great grandmother, but pretty much every one else living in this century realizes that advice is moronic. Not to mention, inappropriate to give if you are not a doctor and the person you are advising is actively wrestling a 1.5 year old trying to meet with an actual doctor. I said something to the effect of no, but I'll be sure to talk to the doctor about it.
Obviously, the doctor didn't have a problem with it, provided I take a prenatal vitamin. Duh? I've been taking those since 2010. She also offered me an elective c-section, because Jackson got sort of stuck on the way out. I'm not entirely sure I'm going to stay with this practice.
The bad part though, was the ultrasound. The baby is measuring 5 days to a week behind (different parts measured different dates). I'm not wrong about my dates. There is absolutely no way I'm not as far along as I thought I was. I got a positive pregnancy test 10 days past ovulation. It's really just not possible to get a positive even 5 days earlier than that. The thing is still in your fallopian tubes at that point. She wouldn't order beta levels, and I have to wait 2 weeks for another ultrasound. I'm trying to make peace with this. Hopefully it's just because it's so early that the measurements are easy to screw up, but the tech measured twice. There was no heartbeat. I mean that's a possibility, but I've heard of people seeing a heartbeat earlier than I'm supposed to be.
I guess if I implanted 2 days later than average, got a freakishly early positive test, and the 5 days early measurement were the correct one, it would only be a difference of 3 days, which I could much better handle. I just don't know how I'm supposed to walk around for 2 weeks with the idea that this is not a viable pregnancy in my head.. The doctor wasn't worried, but she also isn't the one whose baby is way too small.
On the plus side, I'm getting more symptoms, so that's a good sign. Hopefully the measurements are just off and in two weeks I'll see a caught up baby with a heartbeat that we can even hear. In the mean time, I'm working under the assumption that I'm still pregnant with a baby I get to keep.
Weight: Down 1-3 lbs.
Maternity Clothes: None needed.
Cravings and Aversions: No cravings other than what I crave when I'm not pregnant. Aversions are more obvious. The smell of garlic makes me feel sick, but it still tastes just as delicious. If I eat garlic though, I get awful heartburn, so maybe I should listen to that aversion. I also am averse to any food in the morning, but if I don't eat, I start to feel sick. This is all much better than last time, when I had to eat constantly to avoid throwing up. There's still plenty of time for that though.
Sleep: I accidentally fell asleep with Jackson last night, at 9:30 or so. At 8 this morning when Jackson woke up I felt like I hadn't gotten enough. He was up all night though. I'm ready to pass out by 3 or 4.
Gender: Baby was exactly midline at the 6 week ultrasound. At least there was only 1 though. I'll try again at the 8 week ultrasound. I'm thinking boy, I think. I'm really really undecided this time. With Jackson, I'm pretty sure the pregnancy test told me it was a boy. I was very sure.
Names: We think we've settled on William Gale or Madeline Gale, after my grandmother. We can't pick a nickname for William yet, either Will or Liam.
Health: Well my blood pressure was something ridiculous like 140/80, but that's because Jackson was not happy about not having his blood pressure taken, and I had just been walking and wrangling around. At home it's low and getting lower as my circulatory system changes. 111/74 this morning!
Movement: Not anywhere near that point yet.
Best moment this week: Jackson is off all medicines officially and doesn't have to see cardiology for a YEAR!!! We're going to have a party next weekend. I'm going to have a cake made, but I'm not sure of what yet. I'll take pictures.
Looking forward to: Hopefully finding out that this baby is okay.
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
5 Weeks
I have no idea why this is different from the rest of the blog. I also have not taken a picture yet. Working on it.
I'll try and add a belly picture later today, but just for comparison purposes. All I look like right now is bloated and still fat from Jackson. Also, my ab muscle are still seperated, so that makes my stomach look awful.
I'll try and add a belly picture later today, but just for comparison purposes. All I look like right now is bloated and still fat from Jackson. Also, my ab muscle are still seperated, so that makes my stomach look awful.
Weight gain: Scale arriving today. I'm kind of scared.
Maternity Clothes: I got a bunch of new ones during an Old Navy super sale. The way the bloat's going, I have a feeling I'm going to want them just for comfort sooner rather than later. I'm also afraid of waking up and having nothing to wear that fits. That's demoralizing.
Cravings and Aversions: No real cravings. I have an aversion to whole wheat crackers. For some reason they taste like a prenatal vitamin and it makes me feel gross.
Sleep: The fatigue kicked in full force yesterday. By 4:30 I barely wanted to move. Then Jackson kept me up all night. Yuck.
Gender: Finding out as soon as possible! I don't care which this baby is, but I'm looking forward to not having to say it anymore. I'm going to ask which side of my uterus my placenta is on, because apparently that's 97% accurate. We'll see!
Names: We bought a name book. Much harder this time around. We're still liking the same girl names, and we like Callum for a boy now too. I really like it, but I don't know if it's too weird to be paired with Jackson.
Health: I freaked myself out because my feet swelled a tiny bit the other day. It's nothing, but it reminded me that I'm scared of this pregnancy!
Movement: Nothing at all.
Best Moment This Week: Discovering I get to plan and put together a real nursery this time.
Looking Forward To: My first OB appointment and ultrasound on February 28. And for Jackson, a cardiology visit with the LAST holter monitor to make sure he's definitely outgrow his WPW!! This hasn't changed since last week.
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