I Love My Doctor

I had an appointment today with my own doctor and it was much better than last Friday's appointment. He did not think bed rest is necessary, thank God. He did say that if he were to put me on bed rest it would only be for the next 4 days until I hit the 34 week mark. He then said that if I wanted some time to myself he would be happy to tell Xan that it is necessary for the next few days. I thought this was very funny and as tempting as it was to take him up on his offer, I declined. He also was not the least bit concerned about the positive fFn test that was done last Friday. He told me that the test is only reliable if it comes back negative and a positive result really doesn't mean much but it does make everyone have to scramble to take the necessary precautions to "cover your ass" in case I were to go into labor, hence the steroid shots. He said that it wasn't a bad call to give me the shots since I have been having contractions as a just in case. We also discussed the whole C-Section thing. The doctor I saw on Friday seemed pretty certain that I would need one. After talking to Dr. Moulton today, he feels that I will be just fine to go on with a regular delivery. He said yes my placenta is low lying and yes there is a chance that I might have some bleeding but that most women do just fine. He said I do not have a true previa so a vaginal birth will be just fine. All and all it was a great appointment and I am so happy to have such a wonderful doctor in control of my care. I trust him 150% and I think in the future, if I should have to see a different doctor I will be declining any tests that he has not OK ed.

Positive Pre Term Labor Test

Last Friday I went in to see the doctor because I had taken a spill down our stairs. Actually, Xan was walking behind me and slipped and ended up taking us both out. Luckily, he braced my fall so I did not hit very hard at all. Poor Xan was really bruised up since he put all of his effort into cushioning me instead of catching himself. Anyways, when I called the doctor the office said I should come in and get assessed just to be safe. My own OB is out of the office on Friday so I saw a different doctor in the office. She was very nice and took good care of me. She ordered an ultrasound and also did a test on me that is suppose to predict if I am at risk for preterm labor since I have been having all of these contractions. When she first said she wanted to preform this test I thought to myself, "I wonder why Dr. Moulton (my own dr.) hasn't brought this up to me?" but I just went with it and they did the test. The test is suppose to be very accurate in determining if you will not be going into labor anytime in the next 2 weeks. She was pretty optimistic that mine would come back neg., indicating I was not at risk for going into labor in the next 2 weeks since my cervix is still closed and is still high and thick. Anyways, she said it would just ease her mind. The ultrasound showed that the baby was just fine but we did fine out that my placenta is very low lying. It has always been low but the doctor did not seem too concerned about it earlier in my pregnancy because he said about 90% of the time they move up as the baby gets bigger. Well, mine has not moved up, it has in fact moved down. They want it to be at least 2cm away from your cervix to indicate a problem free vaginal delivery. Mine is 1.4. What does this mean? The doctor I saw on Friday said it very well could mean that I am headed for a c section but that she would let Dr. Moulton talk to me about that. I have done a lot of research this weekend on this, which they call a moderate placenta previa and most of what I have read suggests that most doctors will let their patients with this type of previa labor on their own as long as they are laboring in a OR room so if problems do arise, a csection can quickly be done. I will talk to Dr. Moulton about this and see what he thinks but would like to avoid a csection if at all possible.

So back to this preterm labor test, which is actually called a fetal fibronectin test, I got a call back from the doctor and mine came back positive. Now what does this mean? Well, it means that I am at a higher risk for preterm labor in the next 2 weeks (30-40% is what I was told). So with this information we had to go on and proceed with precautions in case I am to go into labor. I went in on Friday and got a round of steroid shots to help to develop the baby's lungs and then I went to get my second round on Sat. They also preformed a non stress test to make sure that the baby is reactive. The baby's heart rate looks just perfect. The doctor also put me on bedrest for at least the weekend until I see Dr. Moulton on Monday. She said that if I were her patient I would be on bedrest until 36 weeks but that each doctor has a different take on bedrest. I am hoping that he does not think it is necessary to continue bedrest for the next 2 and a half weeks, as it is very difficult to do this with Tanner and Sami. I want to be up interacting with them, but at the same time, I need to do whatever I can to make sure this little peanut is healthy and stays put for a few weeks more so I will follow the doctor's orders whatever they may be. Anyways, that is the update for now. I will update more tomorrow after my appointment with Dr. Moulton.

Dad's Night at School

Xan got to go enjoy a night at ECC with the kids. He got to eat pizza, go to music and spend some time in each of their classrooms. It was a little tricky this year since we have two children there and their Dad's Night was on the same night. Luckily Bop was able to go along too and help divide up the time. Tanner was insistent that Bop go to music with him because he thought it would be really funny to see Bop sing and dance. They had a great time. Here are some pictures we took before they left.

Sami's 3rd Bday

We had our first "not at our house" birthday party today and I must say, I will never be having a birthday party for Tanner or Sami at our house again. I loved going someplace, having everyone come, having the staff run the party, having the staff clean up, and then coming home to our house.....ALONE:) Now our little one on the way will have his/her 1st and 2nd birthday party at our house but the big kids..........SOME PLACE ELSE!! I would have paid double the amount to not have all of those 3 year olds at my house to entertain. It really was a blast. The kids had fun, the parents had fun watching, and best of all, I have no cleaning up to do.

Snowy Day Fun

You know, I really really really dislike snow. I would be happy if I could go the rest of my life without ever seeing snow unless I chose to go to a mountain to go skiing. What is it about the snow I dislike so much? First off, it means that we cannot really be outside playing. The kids love to be outdoors and the cold is just not very conducive to this. There are many more reasons as well. Yes it is pretty when it first falls but then it is just dirty. Dirty cars, dirty coats and clothes from brushing up against dirty cars. Dirty carpet from walking in dirty snow and coming inside or getting in the car, slick sidewalks, wet shoes and wet bottoms of pants from walking through the snow. The list really goes on and on. With that said, we decided to make the best out of the snow and head out for a short period of time to play. The kids like to play in it for a little while but once it gets on their little faces or makes its way under the mittens, the fun is over. Anyways, here are some photos from our fun in the snow.

3D Ultrasound Pics

Eventful few Days

It has been an eventful few days at the Spiecker House. Xan left last Friday to go to Phoenix for some football bowl game. Very exciting to him, but not so exciting to me as you can tell since I do not even remember the name of the bowl game or who was even playing. Anyways, on Sat. night I started feeling weird. Short of breathe, thought I was having contractions, a little faint, just weird. I decided just to go to sleep so hopefully I would feel better in the morning. Sunday morning came and no improvement. I went about my day, taking the kids to McDonald's for a play date and then decided that I better call the doctor after I realized I was having about 7 or 8 contractions an hour. Of course the doctor said I needed to come in and see what was going on. I called my sister, because of course Xan was gone and so were my parents, and she came over to watch the kids and off to the hospital I went. They hooked me up to a nonstress machine to check out what was going on. Sure enough, I was contracting about every 3 or 4 min. They watched me for about 3 hours and the contractions slowed down. They didn't go away but slowed down. Luckily, they were "nonproductive" meaning that they were not causing me to dilate. They gave me the option to stay over night or go home. Of course I chose to go home. the baby looked excellent. His/her heart is very strong and was fluctuating much more than a baby of almost 29 weeks normally would. The doctor was very happy with this and said that he/she couldn't have looked any better. I went home and the contractions continued through yesterday. Today I am feeling much better today thankfully. This baby needs to stay put for at least another 6 weeks or so. I would prefer 8 weeks but will take 6.

All of this put a big damper in our plans. We were suppose to go to Denver for my brother in law's wedding on Wed. Of course my doctor said there would be no travel in my near future. Xan decided that he would take the kids with him so I could have a few days to be completely off my feet. Well this morning Sami woke up sick so of course now she cannot go either. Needless to say, Tanner and Xan are off on an adventure by themselves in the morning and Sami and I will stay here and rest up. The moral to this story, flexibility is the key when you have children.