35 Weeks and some Emergency Room Time

I bought some bistro paint pens... what do you think?!?

How far along? 35 Weeks

Total weight:  I'm still about 166 lbs.  

Maternity clothes?  Yes and Yes!  I have a couple of skirts and tank tops I can wear but shorts and pants must be maternity wear!    

Stretch marks?  I still get to say nope! :-)

Sleep:  This is not the week to ask me!!!  I will explain more below! :-) 

Best moment this week:  It's been a rough week but God has still been good.  Getting no bad news at the doctors office was good.  James and I getting Wyatt's dresser finally and his car seat/stroller travel system.  The morphine was awesome... see story below! 

Miss Anything?  NORMAL food and eating schedule!

Movement:  I'm telling you this boy can move and shake!  :-) 

Food cravings:  Everything that hurts me! 

Anything making you queasy or sick:  Not "queasy" but sick- almost everything. 

Gender: A BOY!!!  Mr. Wyatt James Davis

Symptoms:  Heartburn!

Belly Button in or out?   It's an inny! 

Wedding rings on or off?  I'm in my wedding band only because it's a tiny bit bigger than my engagement ring.  

Happy or Moody most of the time:  I've been kind of cranky this week but I still have been happy and joyful!  

Looking forward to:  Wyatt being here and no more heartburn! 

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This week has defiantly been one with it's ups and downs.  As I wrote about last week, I've had a bit of heartburn- I think Saturday night was bad, Monday night wasn't the best, Tuesday was fine, Wednesday was bad, Friday was the worst.  James came home Monday from work with some Tums for me to take.  I ate a couple of them and absolutely nothing helped.  So, I took a couple more.  I was thinking maybe I just need the max dose.  But nope, nothing.  Needless to say, I didn't get much sleep.  I'd start by laying down with James some but felt bad for moving around so much so I'd move to the couch.  He needs his sleep, he's got a 40 mile drive at 6am and work to do.  Then the couch would get uncomfy so I'd move to the recliner upstairs, James' desk chair and back to the couch.  Once I'd finally fall asleep on the couch for a while and wake up, I'd try our bed again.  (We have a really comfy bed and I miss it when we don't get to sleep in it!).  I think it was about 3 or 4 once I got back into bed and could sleep.  As you can imagine, my Tuesday was a bust.  I spent the day back on the couch napping on and off all day long.  I barely ate or drank anything for fear of being in that kind of pain again.  I tried all the things friends posted on Facebook but nothing was helping in any way.  

Tuesday night was fine and so was Wednesday morning.  Again, I hadn't eaten or had much to drink at all.  James and I had an appointment with Dr. Lo right after lunch.  We told her about the heartburn and she suggested the 150mg of Zantac, twice a day and if that didn't help, let her know.  Of course, on the way home, we stopped.  It was glorious!  I felt so much better.  I even had some couscous for dinner and strawberry ice cream for dessert.  Hmmmm... well, that lasted for a whole 6 hours.  A pill that should last 12-24 hours just lasted me 6.  Great!  So, I took another Zantac... nothing.  It did nothing.  I basically was up all night again!  Torture.  (By the way, I am fully aware that this is what life can/will look like soon with a new baby in the house.  I can handle the sleeplessness but not the sleeplessness and immense pain!)  So, once again, I'm roaming around the house trying to find places to get comfy and try to get some rest.  Again, about 4 or so, I get back into bed and fall asleep.  

Thursday morning I call Dr. Lo's office to say, "Zantac doesn't work!  Please, I need something stronger!"  I speak to the nurse.  She gives me a list of foods to avoid and other over the counter medications I am allowed to take and says she'll talk to the doctor and get back to me.  Well, I didn't hear from her.  Thursday wasn't bad.  I avoided napping so that hopefully, I'd be sooo tired that no matter pain or not, I would be able to sleep.  I stuck to the list of foods I can have and stayed super clear of the ones on the list of high acidic foods.  And Thursday night, I slept great.  

Friday during the day was okay as well.  Again, I tried to stick to the right foods, sitting up and not laying down for a while after eating.  All the while, still taking my Zantac twice a day.  Friday night was the worst.  I was in so much pain and so tired from the week that I was inconsolable.  I was up and down and no where worked.  The only thing that even lightened any pain was James rubbing my back.  He was awesome but he couldn't do it all night long.  Showers helped some.  I think I ended up taking 3 long showers, just letting the water hit my neck and back.  (That doesn't include the one I take to actually get clean before bed!)  I was sobbing and my mind was going crazy.  I think at one point I even tried to lay down with Ronix... Poor James didn't get much sleep.  He probably got the most rest while I was in the shower.  I toyed with the idea of going to the ER all night long.  I didn't know what to do.  Finally about 6 am, I could not take it any more.  I was beyond reasoning, I felt horrible for keeping James up all night, I couldn't sleep, usually by this point the pain had stopped enough for me to be able to lay down and go to sleep and nothing.  It was as bad as it was at 9pm the night before.  I called into Dr. Lo's office.  I felt horrible waking up Dr. Santiago (Dr. Lo's partner- she was on call this weekend) but I had to know what to do.  She said this much pain and lack of sleep warrants a trip to the ER to get some relief.  So, James and head on over to the closest one.  I'm still hysterical at this point because I feel like James is thinking I'm crazy (he wasn't, I just wasn't comprehending anything properly) and I didn't want him to be upset with me.  

We get to the ER and thankfully no one is there.  They heard 35 weeks pregnant and chest pains and got me back right away to make sure I wasn't having a heart attack.  I think immediately there were like 4 different people in the room hooking me up, sticking me with needles and asking me questions.  I had an IV line put into my arm, an EKG to check my heart (which was fine), the oxygen thingy put on my finger and blood pressure band on my arm (which was super HIGH for me, mine is always great).  It was a whirl wind but all worth it in the end.  I got some prescription heartburn meds put through the IV.  They said it usually takes about an hour or so to feel a difference.  I think at about 30 - 45 minutes after that, they asked about my pain and I said it's not much better so they came in with some morphine.  I don't think I've ever had morphine before but let me tell you, I can see why people get addicted!  It was awesome.  She wasn't even finished giving it to me and all my pain went away.  I could lay down and rest.  In fact, I had to lay down right away because my head was like whoa!  And I had some totally crazy images pass through too.  

Anyway, they kind of argued with us about sending up by ambulance to their other location so that Wyatt could be monitored.  They had already taken his heart rate- it was great, as usual and we weren't concerned.  Apparently this ER is not equipped to handle deliveries.  I didn't have any signs of labor so James and I signed an "Against Medical Advisement" to not be transported over.  The doctor gave me a prescription of Lansoprazole to be taken once a day with the Zantac, hydrocodone for any more pain, some anti nausea medicine because the hydrocodone can make you feel sick, and some Nitrofurantn for the beginning of a UTI they found in my urine sample.  Oh my!  We went ahead a filled the heartburn and UTI meds but not the other 2.  If the prescription works like it should and I watch what and how I eat, I should not need the heavy narcotics.  And so far, I haven't needed them.  I have however taken some Tylenol here and there.  Some of the side effects include headaches and such.  

Saturday, after the ER, James and I came home- I slept, he went and got my prescriptions filled and worked some.  I got up here and there to get some food and water in me.  James would make me sit on the couch and sleep sitting up so that I didn't lay down too soon.  He loves and cares about me but I also think he doesn't ever want to go through a night like that again.  I got up up mid afternoon so that I would be able to sleep that night.  And boy, did we both sleep!  It was so amazing.  Yesterday (Sunday) we still just kind of laid around taking it easy most of the day.  I took a shower and had really good intentions of getting ready but I ended up back in bed.  Finally we got up and went to Ikea to get Wyatt's dresser and BuyBuy Baby for his stroller/car seat travel system.  We got that for free.  I'm a gift card hoarder and I had like $200 saved up to Bed Bath & Beyond (thanks to a couple of years of my mom, James' mom and g-ma) so we just used that.  I like to use them on "rainy days" and that was perfect!  

James was hungry so we stopped by Fudrucker's (a hamburger place).  He ate a yummy looking turkey burger with sweet potato fries while I had some graham crackers and cantaloupe.  Talk about a sucky dinner compared to his but my heart didn't hurt so it was worth it.  

By the time we got home though, something was wrong... I had a low grade fever.  Where in the heck did this come from?  It's not often I get a fever and I hadn't had one since I'd become pregnant.  It only got up to 100.2 and it was gone by the time we went to bed at about 9:30.  I was freaking out that this was going to be emergency room visit #2 for the weekend.  I think I stuck that thermometer in my mouth every 5 minutes.  I also didn't want to call the on call doc again.  I already felt bad enough doing it at 6am on a Saturday morning and I knew we'd have to go on down to Parkland for this trip, if needed.  But like I said it's been gone since 9:30 last night and it's now 9 in the morning.  

That's a long weekend story!  I'm just happy we seem to have the heartburn under control and Wyatt is doing well.  I just wanted to leave you with a song that's been stuck in my head for a couple of weeks.  If you remember the show Ally McBeal, it's kind of been my "theme song".  I like to sing it and think about fighting for the Lord and how no matter what my path or story looks like, I am going to fight for Him and his glory and find joy in all situations.  He will not give me more then I can handle.  I could listen to this song all day long!  God is good no matter what!!! 

James and I go in tomorrow to see Dr. Lo tomorrow morning for our weekly check up!  Then I think I'm going to work with James and/or hanging out with a long time friend I haven't seen in forever!  :-)  

A Little Heart Ache, Baby Shower #2 & Keepin' it Real

OMGosh!  Let me begin by telling you that I've tried to make it a point to not really complain about any pregnancy symptoms, publicly anyway.  James might feel like I have but I've tried to be realistic about it all.  :-)  And to be honest I missed out on a lot of the negatives of it all.  I didn't get morning sickness.  I haven't gotten any headaches.  Sleeping has been okay, until recently.  My boobs of course did their thing and were sensitive but nothing bad.  I had to use the restroom more but still nothing to write home about.  I am a teacher and so I have a bladder like one (for those of you who don't know about all that, teachers tend to know how to hold it!)  I already had some skin problems because of my PCOS.  I've had good test results on my thyroid (until now) and gestational diabetes.  I haven't gained too much weight... I could go on.  In all honesty, I am just thanking God for all of this.  It's definitely put into perspective all my blessings.  I feel like it's God's relief to just let me focus on Wyatt's CDH.  I will say it can be super frustrating to get on facebook or twitter and see tons of "pregnancy woes" of I'm so ready to not be sick and such and such.  I just want to remind all the mommies that you signed up to be pregnant and that's something that comes with it.  I would gladly trade Wyatt's health for me feeling sick or any/all of the above listed.  Yeah, it would suck but it'd be worth it for him to not have to go through what he's about to have to go through.  I just have to ask God for some grace and keep my mouth shut!  :-)  

So, here is the one true complaint that I am allowing myself to post publicly!  Saturday night I got my first bit of heartburn.  And when I say "bit" I really mean my chest felt like it was cracked open and put on fire.  Sleeping obviously didn't happen.  I could not get comfortable.  Sunday, once I actually got out of bed, I was alright.  Monday was good.  Then at some point while sleeping on Monday night, it came back.  I didn't think I ate anything bad but let me tell you... It did not go away or let up one bit until this morning.  I tried Tums, milk, water, eating bland (which sucks, I love good food and I've got some good stuff in the fridge), sitting up, standing up, laying down, getting on all 4s like a dog to see if letting it all "hang loose" would give my body parts some relief, propping myself up with pillows, going upstairs to lay in an actual recliner, laying in bed, making a donut with pillows so I can lay on stomach (doesn't work that well, they squish down...) and I even tried to get myself to throw up.  I was desperate.  It brought me to tears- the pain and just the mental craziness of not knowing what to do.  I would have called the doctor but we have an appointment this afternoon so I figured I'd wait.  If I have to eat bread for the next 30 days I will.  Whatever it takes.  That was the worst ever.  End complaint...

Anyway, now on to the fun part!  On the Saturday the 16th, some amazing friends hosted a beautiful and simple baby shower for me.  I felt loved and special.  Here are some shots from the party!  :-) 

If you've been following James and I for very long or you've gone back and read, we've got some funny moments and we share to "keep it real".  I wasn't planning on posting this but I shared the story with a friend and she suggested I do because it's funny. So here it goes...

I like to get pedicures.  I like my toes to look pretty and usually I only get one every couple to few months because the expense can add up and it is a luxury that I can do without.  I'm pretty good at painting my toes but with a giant baby belly in the way, it makes it difficult so I've been going about once a month.  Last week I went in to see my super cool lady, Michelle and she noticed the wart I've got on the end of one of my toes. I've had it for a while.  Tried some over the counter stuff a while back (before baby) and it didn't work.  Went to the dermo for some other stuff and totally forgot to mention my wart.  It doesn't hurt, you can't see it and with Wyatt I didn't want to do anything about it so I've left it alone.  Well, Michelle was like I know how to get rid of that thing!  I'll take care of it as soon as we're finished.  She said burning incense would make it go away.  I didn't think much about it was like "okay, whatever".  

She finishes my toes, and beautifully I might add and walks over to a cabinet grabs a few sticks of incense and a lighter.  She lit one of them up, held my foot and touched it to my wart.  OUCHIE!!!!!!!  That's not what I expected.  Whoa.  Let me tell you, just like anything hot and on fire would hurt when you touch it to your skin, so does incense that has just been lit.  I didn't yell, cry or anything.  I just got really, really hot.  She continued to relight the stick and put up to the wart.  I continued to sit there and sweat.  (I almost typed swear instead of sweat just then- that was probably appropriate as well...)  She finished and now instead of just a wart and pretty toes, I have a black wart and pretty toes and my toe is actually throbbing.  haha.  She told me I have to do it 3 days in a row or it doesn't work.  Something in the incense kills the wart.  She said if James or I can't do it ourselves, for me to come back in and she would for me.  Oh, James is what I'm thinking at this point.  How am I going to tell him I let this lady, not a doctor, try to burn my wart off.  I was thinking he'd flip out.  

So, I get up to pay and leave and when I stand up, I realize all the sweating is showing.  I was wearing a cotton skirt.  The backs of my legs and bottom were soaked.  I had to get up and walk out like that... embarrassing.  Michelle was laughing.  I was trying to be like "I told you I was hot and sweating".  Ugh... I lived though.  

On the way home, I called my friend Laura.  She lived in China for 5 years and I joke that she's half Asian because of that.  I asked her if she'd ever heard of that particular remedy for warts but she hadn't.  She did say, Easterners usually have some old remedies that us westerns don't have that usually work so it's worth a try.  And we both laughed about what James would say.  

I debated telling him right away or not... but ended up doing so because I toe was hurting.  He actually reacted very differently than I expected.  He was totally on board with me continuing to try burning it off.  I think he just hates it and wants to see it gone.  I haven't tried again yet because I knew on Saturday I was getting maternity pictures and I didn't want a big black dot showing up in them.  But I will do this week.  

I'll post an update from Dr. Lo if she has anything new and get a 35 week picture up over the weekend.  I've already made my chalkboard so I just have to take the picture. 

Happy Hump Day to all!