Makes our feet and fingers glow...
Before I begin our January, I need to fill in something from December. I had mentioned that Hubs was trying to join the National Guard. After our appointment confirming the pregnancy, either in that day or the next day's mail, he received a packet from the VA. It stated that he had been found 70% disabled. We now knew why it was taking so long to get the appointments for Raleigh set up. The people on that end could see the VA claim was still pending, and we had no idea. Hubs had to call his recruiter and let him know that he had indeed been found above 30% disabled. The recruiter then had to "officially" inform him that he was no longer eligible for any military service. While it was nice to know that we would be getting some sort of an income, it was frustrating to find out that what he had been depending on for our health care was no longer an option. The more we talked about it, we decided it was a blessing in disguise because the unit he would have been stationed with was preparing for deployment early in 2013 and would be going on training exercises all summer and fall. With a baby now on the way, Hubs admitted that he was feeling less reluctant about having to deploy.
Now on to January....
As I left off before, we brought in the New Year with my parents in Fayetteville. During our meal on the first, Momma asked everyone what their resolutions were. When it got to me, I just grinned and said "My resolution is to survive the next 9 months!" If only I knew how true that statement would become.
We got home late afternoon on the first, and JJ had school the following day. We also had plans for our dear friend Julie and her son Sheldon to come and visit us for the month. Julie and Sheldon arrived on the third, bringing with them tons of wind and cold! That first week of January was killer. We all stayed bundled up and inside the house! That first week back, Hubs and I also went to the Health Department to get me signed up for Medicaid and WIC. We hated having to get assistance, but we knew that it was for something bigger than either of us. I would need prenatal care to make sure that the baby was growing properly. I had started taking a prenatal vitamin the day I took the home test, and I had been given a one month supply when we went to take the pregnancy test. I continued to pray every night that the baby was healthy and that the pregnancy would go well.
January 10th finally arrived! Hubs and I went to the Health Department, and he had to wait in the lobby. We weren't sure how the appointment would work. When I had been pregnant with JJ, my first appointment consisted of an ultrasound that measured the baby, and we were able to hear the heartbeat. I had assumed that would be what happened this time. I did have to have a pelvic exam because it was time for my yearly exam. The dr was super nice, and he told me that it looked like the November time frame of conception was correct, putting me at about 9 weeks along. My blood pressure had been high (169/109) when they did my vitals. The nurse redid the pressure manually on the other arm, and it was lower, but not by much. I told her that my blood pressure had been high during my first pregnancy (but not THAT high), and that I was eventually diagnosed with pre-eclampsia in my third trimester. The dr ordered an ultrasound for me and put in a referral for me to go to Maternal Fetal Medicine in Wilmington.
The ultrasound was scheduled for January 12th, so we waited again before going public on Facebook. Our appointment wasn't until 4pm, but we had to arrive by 3:30pm. I was also instructed to drink 40oz of water 30 minutes before my appointment because a full bladder made it easier to view the baby on the ultrasound machine. We arrived at 3:20pm, and I already could tell I was going to have to pee soon. I finished drinking my 40oz by 3:35pm. We had signed in and were in the waiting room, with only a few people ahead of us (some were waiting for x-rays). By 4:10, I had to stand up and move around because I had to pee so badly. By 4:20pm, the receptionist gave me the instructions to pee until the count of 10 and stop. I was in pain. I went to the restroom and peed, and I ended up just emptying my bladder because trying to hold anything caused more pain. I finished in the restroom, and as I walked out, I noticed Hubs standing with my stuff next to an ultrasound technician. I apologized that I had an empty bladder, and the tech told me not to worry.
We got to the little room, and I got comfy on the little bed. Hubs had a seat where he had a perfect view of the monitor. I wasn't able to see anything. There was no sound, so I didn't even get to hear a heartbeat. Hubs did make the comment that the baby was far more devoloped than the first ultrasound that we had had with our son. The tech said "Ya, there are little arms and legs...the heart is beating perfectly...and this baby is super active!" I laughed and said that I had been feeling flutters everywhere, so that made me feel better to know I wasn't crazy. He finally turned the screen for me to see, but he didn't turn it all the way, so I had to hold my head at an awkward position. Trying to lay still and look sideways is not easy. When I saw the baby, my heart filled with relief. There is just something about not knowing before that first ultrasound that made me feel anxious. I asked how far along I was, and the tech told me that the baby was measuring at 12 weeks and 1 day. WOW! That was really not what we were expecting! I had actually been expecting to find out that I wasn't as far along as the dr had told me. Then we found out that I was already at the end of my first trimester. Our due date changed from August 13th to July 25th. We were not offered a picture.
After the ultrasound, I had been scheduled for some labwork. I had also been ordered a 24 hour urine test to check for pre-eclampsia. I was given the directions, and I asked "Do I come in on Saturday to turn back in the urine sample?" The nurse said "I think someone will be here. You can come by and see." She didn't sound very sure that someone would be there on a Saturday, so I decided to wait until Monday.
Hubs parents came to visit us Friday night and Saturday morning. We exchanged Christmas presents and had a very good visit. For those two days only, I had morning sickness throughout the day. The rest of the weekend, we spent hanging out with Julie and Sheldon, having a great time. Monday was MLK day, so we decided to wait until Tuesday. Tuesday morning we headed back to the lab only to find out that the urine sample needed to be turned in withing 24 hours of my last void. :sigh: Why hadn't they told us that in the first place? They gave me another pee jug, and we headed home. I began the pee collection the next morning.
Thursday the 19th, we had a follow up appointment at the Health Department. We had to go early that morning and turn in my pee collection and get more blood drawn. They assured me that the results would be in by the time I had my 11am appointment at the Health Department. We got to our appointment, and my blood pressure was 167/107. Boo. I went in and talked with a nurse and was able to hear the baby's heartbeat. Sadly, the only thing I could think to say was "Man, I wish my husband could be in here; we were told he would be able to hear the heartbeat the first time we listened to it." The nurse wasn't very friendly. Someone else came in and wrote me a presciption for blood pressure medication (labetalol), and they let me know that I would be seen at a dr out in town from now on. I was also informed that my referral to Wilmington had gone through, and we would get a phone call later in the day letting us know when our appointment would be for.
We made it home, exhausted. Appointments always wear me out. Rushing to the appointment so that we can wait forever. Story of my life! It wasn't that much longer once we got home that my phone rang, and it was a nurse letting me know when my appointment for out in town would be (January 25th) and when the appointment for Maternal Fetal Medicine would be (February 17th).
We called our family when we got home, and the next afternoon, we made the official Facebook annoucement: JJ was going to be a big brother!!! Baby Aleman was due to make a debut around July 25th :) Our excitement was extremely contagious!!!
Julie and her son were still visiting, and we were having such fun with them. We were anxiously awaiting word that her husband was on his way home. We played games on the Wii and on Facebook :) We stayed pretty busy!
The next Wednesday morning, Julie took JJ to school because our appointment was at 8am, and we had to be there 30 minutes early. We arrived, got checked in, and settled in for the wait. We actually didn't wait long before we were directed to the lab. My blood pressure had come down in the (almost) week that I had been on the meds: 135/84. Still not the best, but definitely lower than the previous week! Hubs was able to be in the room with me, and the nurse checked the heartbeat. She couldn't get it to register on the little machine, but she showed me that there was definitely a heartbeat. It was reading 156 beats. When the dr came in, she was able to find the heartbeat, and we were able to listen. The baby was so incredibly active. We could hear the sound moving in and out as the baby bounced around my belly. The heartbeat was strong still at 156 beats. We discussed our birth plan with the dr. I wanted to deliver naturally, but because of my previous c-section with JJ, the dr wasn't sure that would be an option. She said that we would keep our options open, but for me not to be surprised if another c-section was scheduled. It made me sad, but I wanted to do whatever was needed to have a happy, healthy baby. Our next appointment was scheduled for February 22nd. I let her know about the appointment in Wilmington, and she said that would probably be the "big" ultrasound where we would find out the sex of the baby.
The rest of January could not pass quickly enough. Hubs and I were awaiting our "big" ultrasound on February 17th, and Julie was awaiting the arrival of her hubby from his year long deployment. There was MUCH excitement in the Aleman household. Julie's hubby arrived home at the end of January :) I felt the baby move all over the place, and I was so ready for Hubs and JJ to be able to feel the baby move when they touched my belly...
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