Less Stress !!!

Wooo Hooo !!!! I have officially finished the hardest semester of college I have ever endured!! It's challenging enough to work full time and take two night courses at a community college under normal circumstances....add in being pregnant with your first child and suddenly a good challenge becomes an extremely hard challenge!!! My first trimester was really rough and I was just so sick it was difficult to get to class a lot of days let alone do all the homework assignments and studying for exams. However, I am proud to say that I did it and feel so relieved that it's over. With the help of my wonderful husband I completed both classes and thanks to Doug being the computer genius that he is, I am also proud to announce that he/I/we will be getting an A in my computer class. My other class might be a little iffy since I had to handle that one all on my own but I think I still managed a high B so that would be great. I'll know for sure when I receive my much anticipated grades in the mail. I will be returning to school for a 10 week summer class at the end of May but it should be a fairly simple class needed for my program and most importantly I won't be dealing with early pregnancy symptoms as I am starting to feel much better.... Thank goodness !!! I am looking forward to the month break I've got from school and Doug and I are both looking forward to a fun and exciting summer getting ready for the baby. Hope all is well with all of you!!!!

Advice for the day!

Be nice to your kids. They will choose your nursing home one day.

Week 16 Doctor Appointment

Another mini milestone accomplished!! Week 16 doctor's appointment went very well and very quick!! I think we were there for maybe a total of 30 minutes and that included our waiting time. It doesn't matter though, no matter how quick and easy the appointment is I feel like such an accomplishment has been made. Each time we're at the doctor's office I know it's another step closer to our big day and I absolutely love hearing the baby's heartbeat...thats always the highlight for me!!! We met with a new doctor this time, as they will start rotating my visits so I get a chance to meet and spend some time with each of the 4 doctors in the practice. This way no matter which lucky doctor is on call when I go into labor, I'll know and be familiar with all of them. Oh man will that doctor be in for an exciting day when I go into labor and give birth to our little one. I'm such a quiet and unexcitable person I'm sure it will be pretty uneventful!! NOT !! Once again everything looked fine and the doctor was pleased with our progress. I donated another tube of blood and we were outta there! Besides hearing the baby's heartbeat I think the most exciting part of this doctor's appointment was checking out and making the next appointment.....this will be the big visit where we will be able to find out if we are having a little boy or a little girl, and I can not wait!!! As long as the baby cooperates, on May 11th at approx. 9am we will see a weiner or a bun!!! I am so excited I can hardly stand it, and I think i'm driving Doug a little crazy!!! It will be a big day for us and I can't wait to share the exciting news with all of you...until then...take care and enjoy the spring!!!!

Whew!! Dodged the Needle...

Dad was able to dodge the needle, at least this time after a meeting with his doctor. Fortunately, dad's newest doctor was able to find not only the letter to dad, but also the lab results sheet from several years ago. A copy of the lab work was requested and received so now mom can take it to her appointment. Although dad avoided the needle, unfortunately, mom will see the needle at least one extra time than normal. It should be confirmed this Friday, but mom will need the Rhogam shots during the 28th week of pregnancy and depending on the blood type of the baby, a second one just after birth. In the grand scheme of things, the extra shots will be peanuts in comparison to what else will be going on. We will get the real scoop during the appointment on Friday...

Dad's Giving Blood?

Mom won’t be the only one giving blood. Mom recently found out that she has an A negative blood type. In general, this is not of concern in a person’s daily life, but it does when a female becomes pregnant. If a negative mom mates with a positive dad, the baby has the potential to be positive. This difference can potentially cause RH disease. So, dad’s blood needs to be tested to confirm what blood type he is. Dad has documentation for his blood, but a previous doctor’s note is a little illegible and may not meet mom’s doctor’s requirements. Dad’s notes are that he is A positive.

RH disease is basically when the mother’s body develops antibodies to the RH positive blood. Although this is generally not an issue during a first pregnancy; it can be for future pregnancies as the antibodies become more abundant in the mother’s body. The mother’s and baby’s blood remain separate during pregnancy, but may be mixed if an amniocentesis is performed and/or during birth and a few other instances. Prevention of the antibodies forming is treated by giving the mother a shot between the 26 – 28th week of the pregnancy and then again right after birth. The shot basically inhibits the mom from creating antibodies which could cause the mother to fight the baby.

We will find out more during our next doctor visit on April 13th, but attached are a couple of links that better explain this new development.

http://www.healthsystem.virginia.edu/uvahealth/peds_hrpregnant/rhdiseas.cfm
http://health.discovery.com/centers/pregnancy/americanbaby/rhdisease.html