Still Waiting!

This is Allison, Michelle's friend.

We're still waiting! Carly is taking her time, but it's getting close. Carly is sunny-side up (facing up, not down, as she's supposed to be).
Michelle is resting fairly comfortably, she's getting really close to pushing.

We'll post again once the baby's here!

At the hospital

We are at the Hospital! They have the Pit going, and my contractions are about 1-2 minutes apart and getting stronger. I think they are going to finally give me the Epidural about noon, YEAH. Hopefully Carly makes an appearance before to long... Updates to come.

okay

I went to the Dr. at 2 and he checked me out and said I was okay. I just need to continue to watch my symptoms and call again if needed. I don't want to call again. I just want to show up on Monday and have my baby. I do have another non stress test at 2 tomorrow. I am hoping this one goes better than the last. We are going to see Spider Man after the test and I want to be on time. Well I am really tired so I am gonna leave this one short.

Tired of the Doctor's Appt

Well, you know they have been watching me for pre eclampsia. One of the signs is seeing spots or flashes of lights. So, this morning I wake up and what do I see, flashes of lights. Why me? I mean we have a date that is not too far away. Monday. I am excited. We are getting the house the rest of the way clean for Carly. Now I have to go to the doctor again at 2. I know he is going to be tired of seeing me. I didn't want an appointment, I just wanted to let him know. I took my blood pressure and it was fine. Again, Why MEEEEEEEEEE?

I will update this evening or tomorrow.

Monday, Monday, Monday

Okay. So I had a great visit with the doctor yesterday. He came in and looked at me and said, "we have to get this baby out." Zach and I were both like yes we do. So he said that since I was 39 weeks on Sunday I needed to be at the hospital at 8am on Monday. Zach and I were cheering. I didn't want to be induced but with so much stuff happening I think this will be for the best. I am just so excited. I am ready to meet my daughter.

The funny thing is that when I first thought I was pregnant, I thought my due date was May 7. So this works out quite well. May 7 is my father's birthday and it was Zach's grandfather's birthday also. So Carly will have a very special birthday.

This also works out to where she can be dedicated on Mother's Day. I know, I know it will be very early in her little life. I will only go to the church for the dedication and then leave. Otherwise, she would have to wait until she is a year old.

I am just so excited.

Non Stress Test

So today I had my third non stress test. The last one only took 20 min so I was thinking no problem. Well today was a different story. It took 2 hours. The monitor was not picking up her heartrate properly and she wasn't moving enough. They made me drink cold water and then apple juice. They shook my belly. Then they buzzed her. In other words, they took this little machine and pressed it to my belly and it buzzed loudly and vibrated at a very fast pace. She didn't like that. They finally had to call Dr. Parker and he sent me home. I am used to that. Now tomorrow I have an appointment with Dr. Parker, so I will see what he says.

Zach had a softball game tonight. I really enjoy going and watching the team and socializing with other wives and girlfriends. Unfortunately the guys lost tonight. They played a reallly good team. But hey, you win some, you lose some. I just enjoy the time.

Dr.'s Appt

So we went to the doctor's office yesterday. My numbers are getting better since I started eating the more diabetic diet. That is really good for Carly. He said that he doesn't feel like I will go all the way to May 13. I guess we will see. He said that if he were to induce me there was a 50% chance that I would need a c-section. So, I don't want to try that. He said he would not let me go much over my due date though if it came to that. My next appt is next Mon.

I had another NST (non-stress test) today. It went really well. She was moving a ton. I had just eaten so I figured she would be. We only had to stay like 20 min as opposed to 1hour on Mon. We go back for another one on next Monday.

I am just so ready to meet my little girl. I want to hold her in my arms and see the little feet that kick me. I want to feel her little hand wrapped around mine. I am also looking forward to seeing Zach hold his daughter. I think that will be one of the greatest things I have ever seen.

This weekend would not be good timing for her to come. My best friend Summer (who is supposed to video the delivery) is going out of town. It will be her grandfather's 80th birthday. My parents are also not coming up this weekend. They have been up the last 3 just in case. I told all of them that if she starts coming I will not try to stop it. I just can't wait. I think maybe it will be next Tuesday or so. Why, you ask. Well see at Christmas I gave Zach's grandmother a birthstone baby. You know the little silver charm in the shape of a girl or a boy with the birthstone as the body. Well I gave her a May girl. I also purchased one for me. So if I have her beforeTues, I will have to get new ones. We will see.

Well I am going to go now. I will update when I have more news.

Michelle

Fishing

So today I woke up and decided that I was tired of sitting in a house all day. I wanted to go fishing. This is not something I had done in several years but I wanted to do it. So after lunch Zach and I went fishing. We had one rod and reel and a tackle box ; so we had to get another rod and reel. Then we went to the lake. For those of you familiar with Clemson we went to the Larry Abernathy Park. There is a little dock there that you can fish off. We fished for a while btut nothing was biting. We thought maybe it was the heat. We also thought maybe it was the bait. We didn't have any live bait. We were using bread and the jelly worm things. So we decided to give up.

We went to supper at Fudruckers (yummy)! Then we rode up to Walmart. See my reel was not working very good b/c it was so old and rusty. And we got me a fishing license so that I could legally fish. We also found some live bait at Walmart. So we went back fishing. And guess what... we didn't have any better luck. I caught one fish. It was tiny. I mean like the size of a cell phone small. I also caught a turtle. I was about to cry. I made Zach get it off the hook while I turned my head. Fortunately , the little turtle seemed fine as he swam away.

I don't know if we'll have time to fish tomorrow or not. But I had a lot of fun today and so did Zach. I have an appointment tomorrow at 8:45. So I will update on what the Dr says then.

First Non-Stress Test

We had our first non-stress test today. It was no big deal. They hooked us up to the same monitor as the one that we have been hooked up to the three times we went with me in labor. I stayed about an hour. Then Dr. Bledsoe said everything looked good so we were able to leave. We go back to the doctor on Wed morning. I am hoping to get Dr. Parker to give me a date that if I haven't had the baby by we will induce. We have less than 3 weeks till our due date. I am just so tired of contractions and not being able to sleep. My back is hurting alot more because she has dropped and my center of gravity has shifted.

I got my pump yesterday. One of the ladies at church sold me hers. It is the really nice Medela pump. I just have to get the replacement parts. I guess I will have to go to Babies R Us. Maybe I will feel like it later this week. I just hate riding in the car for more than 30 min right now. My legs get really tired and swollen from hanging down in the car.

On another note my 87 year old grandmother had major surgery today. She had to have one of her kidneys removed b/c it had a cancerous tumor in it. My momma said that they were able to get all of it and that it was contained. I just pray that everything will go good tonight and that she will do well. I really hate that I can't be down there to see her. I know she understands though.

Well I have to go for now. Updates to come soon.

Update

I am so tired of going to the hospital and getting turned back home. Last night at 6:45 Zach and I went to the hospital because my contractions had gotten pretty strong and were about 5 min apart for an hour. So as soon as I get to the hospital they slow down. It would be several minutes and then I would have 3 in a row about 5 min apart and then several minutes would pass. So they told me to go back home. It is very frustrating. I just want to meet my baby. I know, I know that I need to wait till she is ready. I am trying but it is not easy. See this month is right at 3 years since Zach and I decided we wanted to have a baby. God is truly teaching us patience through the whole ordeal.

Today I am not having many contractions but they are still here. I just feel so tired all the time. Zach and I went for a walk today. It was not too bad. We figure if I want to progress and get my water to break at some point in time we need to walk more. I have to balance it with my "bedrest" though. I don't want to cause my swelling to increase. I still have to take my blood pressure several times a day. It is still maintaining. I am just really ready to talk to Dr. Parker next Wed. He is my primary and should be able to tell me more than the dr yesterday.

updates

Okay so here are some updates. Yesterday I went to get an ultrasound to check on Carly's size. She is measuring 38-39 weeks using the tape measure. She looks like she weighs 6 lbs 12 oz. The "problem" is that she has a very rotund tummy. The specialist said that he feels like this is due to me having a sugar intolerance. So I have to cut back on carbs. The dr told me that if her tummy gets much bigger it could cause problems with delivering naturally (thus needing a c-section).

So today we went to the OBGYN. We were prepared to talk about inducing b/c I don't want to risk having a c-section. Well the doctor I saw today said that he thought everything going on with me was "normal". He said he would not consider inducing until I was 39 weeks. this really frustrated me. I also have some protein in my urine now but he said that it was not enough for preeclampsia. I have been contracting since early this morning. It is much more painful than the last time. We are just waiting until they get to around 5 min apart for a little while before we go to the hospital. I tried to get the doctor to check me this morning but he wouldn't. he said that there was a risk for infection. I just wanted to know if I was progressing. I am just so frustrated right now. I so want to just see my doctor from now on. I don't want to deal with the others. It seems like there is not continuity of care. I feel like the doctor I saw today didn't even really look over my chart and see what was going on. then he tells me that I am "normal" but orders 2 non stress tests a week until delivery. That just doesn't make sense to me.

Well I will update you when I either do or don't go to the hospital. Of course, if I do it will be a while before i use the computer.

Dr.'s Appt

Tuesday we had an appt with Dr. Parker. He said that I am softening but still not dilating. He is a concerned with my swelling. I was retaining 9 lbs of fluid from Saturday evening. He wants me to watch my blood pressure. I also have to call him if I get a headache, swell more, or have pain over my liver. Well yesterday I was a little more swollen so I called him to see how much more swelling before I need to worry. Well he wasn't in the office so I had to go in today for another appt. He said I look okay but he wants to get a 24 hour urine and a growth ultrasound b/c Carly is measuring bigger than my weeks. So now I have an appt Tues for the ultrasound and another doctor's appt Wed. Hopefully, we will find out something and I would really like it if we had a Carly.

Well my parents are coming up this weekend. I am going to see if my mom wants to go to Babies R Us for their Breastfeeding and Maternity Fair. She will probably say that I need to stay at home with my feet up, laying on my left side. I hope she will go though. We will see.

Trips to the Hospital

Okay, so Zach and I have been to the hospital twice now. Friday night at 7pm I started having contractions. They were pretty far apart at first. We called the doctor and he said for us to come to the hospital when they were about 5 min apart. So at 4am we headed to the hospital. I had already spoken to my parents and they were on their way up here. So they met us at the hospital. I was hooked up to a monitor and "checked". They said that my cervix was 100% closed. And then after I was having contractions that were about 2 min apart they came in and came me a shot to stop the contractions since I am only 35 weeks. I was very frustrated. However, I know it is best for Carly. so then we came home and slept (we got home about 7am).

On Sat at about 1pm I started having contractions again. We called the doctor again and he said to come to the hospital when they were close together again. So this time we went to the hospital at 7pm. They hooked me up the monitor and my contractions slacked off a little bit. After an hour Dr. Parker came in and checked me. He said that my cervix had softened a little bit but that I was completely closed. So he gave me some options. I took the option of coming home and taking a pain pill and going to sleep. he said that I could do this for a week or more. I asked him when they would "help" dilate my cervix. He told me that until I was 37 weeks there was nothing he would do. So 2 more weeks if I don't dilate on my own. I have an appointment Tues where he will check me again.

In the meantime, I am still having contractions. They are no fun but not so bad that I have to stop what I'm doing and really breath. I just have to wait until they are earth shattering before I go back. I just thought you would like the update.

I need sleep!!!

Is there anyone out there who can tell me how to sleep? So I know that you lay down and close your eyes for anyone who is trying to be "smart". What I need to know is, how do I get comfortable? I have tried everything in my power. I can't get comfortable, I am so hot, I can't breathe. What can I do? I just want to be able to lay down and fall asleep again. The really bad thing is that I know when my body gets back to being kinda comfortable I will have a beautiful baby who will be screaming and needing me up to feed and change her. Wow, being a mom takes a lot out of a person but I know it will be so worth it.

I didn't tell you that on Tuesday night during our tour of the hospital we saw a cute little newborn. She only weighed 4 pounds. It was quite eye opening when I realized that my little Carly was about that size now. I tried to tell her to not grow a whole lot bigger. I do want her to be healthy so I guess she will grow as big as she needs to.

Well I leave tomorrow morning to go to Orangeburg. I have my last shower on Saturday. I am very excited. Maybe when I get back I will finally try to post some pictures.

AT HOME

I am now homebound. Last week I discussed with one of my doctor's my swelling problem. At the end of the day if I work my ankles get to be about 12 inches around. After a lot of discussion we decided that I should stay at home. This way I can rest when needed. If I wasn't an OR nurse it would probably be different, but I can't just sit with my feet up whenever I want to. I have been home 2 full days now and it is good so far. I am slowly working on getting the house ready for Carly. I have been washing clothes. Esp, Carly clothes. She has so many cute dresses. I can't wait to see her in them.

Zach and I went to our third Child Birth Education class last night. We took a tour of the hospital and talked about packing our bags. We also practiced some relaxation techniques. I definitely want a ball (basically a big excercise ball). It will help to have one to sit on. Zach practiced massaging my back. It felt really good. I am just looking forward to seeing my baby born.

i'm back

So you thought I had forgot all about this didn't you? I haven't. So here is the news, I only have 10 and 1/2 weeks left. Yayyyy! It doesn't seem real. I just have to keep thinking that I will be holding my own little girl in a few weeks. And yes it has been confirmed that she is a girl. Our little Carly Renee Lentz. Monday we have a 3 D ultrasound so there will definetly be no question. I am so excited.

We had a doctor's appointment yesterday. He said that everything looks good. The only concern at this point in time is that I am swelling a lot. This is to be expected because of my job but I still have to be careful. He put me down to 8 hour days, 40 hour weeks. that means I can no longer take call. We are now going to have to start going to the doctor every 2 weeks so they can keep an eye on my swelling.

My first baby shower is this coming Sunday at the church. I am so excited.

They had a girl!!!!

Allison and Marshall had a beautiful baby girl. She was born at 6:17 pm Dec 4, 2006. She weighed 8 lbs 3 oz. She is so beautiful. Technically Allison was in labor for a long time. However, she didn't feel tooo much because of a nice thing called an epidural. I just wanted to update everyone so they weren't left hanging from yesterday.

At the hospital...with a friend

I am at the hospital with one of my best friends Allison. They have induced her and now she is just waiting for her little one to arrive. I can't wait. They (Allison and Marshall) did not find out the sex of the baby so we are all excited to finally know. Only a few more hours.

Watching her prepare yesterday let me know that there are a lot of things that we (Zach and I) have to plan for. I am really hoping to be able to go into labor naturally so I will not have any idea of when it will happen. I will have to have everything ready at the end of April I guess.

I am so excited for Allison and Marshall. They went through a lot of what Zach and I went through so I am know they are ready for this.

It's A Girl.....We Think

So we did an unofficial ultrasound last week and we are almost 100% sure that our baby is a girl. Her name will be Carly Renee Lentz. We are very excited. We have tons of pink stuff now. We just have to wait until Dec 19 to confirm our beliefs. If it's not a girl I hope everyone is not disappointed. I promise I will post pictures soon.

15 weeks and counting

I am now a little over 15 weeks preggers. Morning sickness still kicks my butt almost every morning. Unfortunatly, that may mean that I will have morning sickness throughout this pregnancy. NO FUN!!! But when I think of the end result it is so totally worth it. So I really need to post some pictures I know. I need to get my friend Allison to take some pictures of what my belly looks like now and start recording it for all to see. Some days I feel huge, although I am still down several pounds from my initial weight. My feet are also growing. I mean all my shoes are so uncomfortable.

We went to the doctor this past Wed. I finally got to see my original doctor from Seneca,
Dr. Parker who has joined the practice with Dr. Jennings and Dr. Bledsoe. He was so happy to see me and see me pregnant. He said that everything is looking good and that the baby's heart is good and strong. He did suggest that I do a level 2 ultrasound because one of my brother's has a mild case of Spina Bifida. So we schedules that for Dec 19. The next Dr's appt is Dec 13. We may go and have a 3d/4d ultrasound on Dec 9. I have to check it out this weekend and see if we are going to do it or not. I would love to. Then we would get to find out if it was a boy or a girl.

Well I better go for now. I will try to start posting more regularly.

Michelle