Life Is Good: 22 Weeks 4 Days

Sunday, March 14, 2010

22 Weeks 4 Days

Weeks Pregnant: 22 weeks 4 days

Weeks to Go: My goals have changed some after this past weeks events: 7 weeks 3 days till 30 weeks, 9 weeks 3 days till 32 weeks, 11 weeks 3 days till 34 weeks, 13 weeks 3 days till my ultimate goal of 36 weeks, 16 weeks 3 days till the farthest I'm allowed to go, 39 weeks.

Gender: Boy...Evan Alexander Stanfill

Baby Statistics: Evan is measuring right at 1 pound and on target for exactly 22 weeks. It seems he might be a little smaller than Ryan was at this time. Ryan weighed 1 pound 8 ounces at birth, 23w 5d. I don't see Evan gaining half a pound in less than 2 weeks time, but then again ultrasounds are only an estimate and can be off by up to a pound either way. Regardless, I don't have any intentions of discovering his actual weight until much later. He's still hanging out very low.

Movement: He's a wild one! He's been really active over the last few days.

Momma's Ever-Changing Body: I'm not feeling the greatest tonight. I think I picked up a little of the stomach bug. Thankfully I haven't had to hug the toilet any, but I've still spent plenty of time in there. I sure hope the pukes stay far away from me. It scares me to think of all the pressure required for that act. I'm still adjusting to strict bedrest and moving from a reclined position to a flat position...head down, hips elevated as much as possible. My back is protesting the change more than anything else. Pillows are my best friends right now. Positions please. Positions Please! Heartburn has become a new and persistent visitor since I've been flat. Again...I'll take it all! Sorry for the complaints this evening though.

Belly Button/Stretch Marks: Normally it's an innie, but it's more like a "flatty". Stretch marks--yep! Got 'em!

Food Cravings: For some reason this week I have really craved Puppy Chow. And I don't mean the dog food. You know...the cereal covered in chocolate and peanut butter sprinkled with powdered sugar. Thankfully my sister came through for me and I've been enjoying the delectable snack off and on throughout the day. Until I started feeling a little sick. :(

Sleep: I haven't been sleeping very well for several nights.

Projects: I'm still working on the blanket for Evan. I've finished my first skein of yarn and will be starting my second tomorrow. I'm hoping that 4 skeins will make the blanket the perfect size.

Coming Up: I have a doctor's appointment with my OB on Tuesday morning. Unfortunately he is not going to be there, but I already warned the nurse I was coming with a load of questions. I'm fairly confident that if she can't answer them she'll contact the doc asap for the answers. I'll be having my glucose tolerance test and other blood work. Other than that it's just a general check-up.

Medications/Doctor's Orders: I'm on bedrest...just graduated from modified to strict this week. I'm quite certain I'll be on bedrest until I deliver or 36 weeks...whichever comes first. I'm taking prenatal vitamins, fiber supplements, and prune juice. I get a shot of progesterone in the hip each week. I'm planning to discuss medications/interventions for contractions with the nurse on Tuesday.

Contractions: I'm averaging 1-2 an hour every day. They seem to be less since I've starting laying down all the time. Some days are better than others.

2 comments:

jennifer Y said...: are you still staying at your moms during the day?? I need to come visit. I know you have to get bored! LOL! Please let Dave or I know if you EVER need anything!!; March 15, 2010 at 8:09 AM
Hilary said...: Praying in Texas ;); March 15, 2010 at 9:48 AM

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Brandy Danielle

Brandy is our firstborn, our precious angel baby girl. Her entry into this world wasn't without excitement. At 26 weeks I started preterm labor with contractions 5 minutes apart. With 10 weeks of strict bedrest, most of which were in the hospital, she made it to 36 weeks.
Brandy was diagnosed with "possible/probable" heart defect around 28-30 weeks gestation. After her birth she was whisked away to the NICU for monitoring and after a few days her defect was formally diagnosed and labeled...atrial septal defect and a cleft mitral valve.
Brandy, upon indications of failure to thrive and pulmonary hypertension, underwent her first of 2 open-heart surgeries at 4 months of age. A week after her surgery on the day of her anticipated discharge home Brandy coded for 13 minutes...a stoke.
From that point on Brandy's life was full of doctor's visits, endless crying, pain and suffering. She underwent another heart surgery, fundoplication and g-tube surgery, treatment for infantile spasms, and a mountain of tests and procedures. Her brain damage was extensive.
Upon counseling of our wonderful, most amazing heart surgeon, Dr. Christopher Knott-Craig, and many hours of prayer, we finally called in hospice and called off all of the extensive medical interventions and surgery needs that would prolong her suffering while possibly prolonging her life. Brandy, our precious baby girl...our angel...passed out of our arms and into the arms of her Saviour, Jesus at the tender age of 17 months.

Ryan Andrew

Ryan, our micro-preemie miracle, is a ball of life. After nearly a year of trying to conceive imagine our delight when we finally knew he was on the way. My pregnancy with Ryan was uneventful at first. It seemed perfect and with all of the precautions for preterm labor being taken and monitored we entered this pregnancy with cautious anticipation covered over by a whole love of naive excitement.
At 20 weeks we discovered our "Baby Peanut" was going to be a little boy. We began to make plans and began dreaming about the day we would meet our son.
Almost 2 weeks later everything changed in our lives. It wa a whirlwind of fear and emtions as I began to bleed, was sent for monitoring in L&D and eventually had an appointment with my OB only to find out that it was serious. I had incompetent cervix with hourglassing membranes. The doctor admitted me to the hospital immediately and an emergency cerclage was placed. The statistics were grim, but the hope was to keep our son inside for at least 10 more weeks. We only made it 10 more days.
Early in the evening of February 11, 2007 our son, Ryan, came into this world in emergency fashion at only 23 weeks 5 days gestation. He weighed 1 pound 8 ounces and was 12 ½ inches long. He was so tiny. All I could think of was “oh my goodness is he really that tiny? And is there any way he could actually make it?” I tried to hold on to hope, but in all honesty I had never met anyone with a baby born that early and that small that ever made it.
Ryan did make it! It was a long, hard road, but in the end he spent 90 days in the NICU. He was on a ventilator for 2 months. Finally on one fine glorious day in May we bundled up our 4 pound 4 ounce baby boy and went home...May 11, 2007.
Ryan is now a spunky, lively, strong-willed little boy. His laughter is contagious and his spirit is compelling. He is our miracle. There are no words strong enough to share our delight and joy that God has blessed us with this little boy.

Evan Alexander