Thursday pampering

Things are still going well! I'll try to give some brief update points so I don't bog you all down with too much boring detail :-) Had another growth scan - Brynn is growing well about 3 lbs 13oz which is fabulous. She continues to make good progress on a linear curve for her own growth so that is perfect. So the plan continues to let her grow as long as I am stable for the moment. The constant contractions and nausea and vomiting are not pleasant, but they are not any worse and I am stable. So the plan is to let her continue to grow and develop as best as possible. It is the least I can do for Brynn to give her the time to grow and develop as best as she can (at least until the end of next week - 35 wks).
My mom called and Neela our dog that my parents are watching must had fallen (who the heck knows how - she is always jumping on and off of things)and hurt her back leg and hip a bit. This involved a trip to our vet which is a good 45 minutes away and on the opposite side of the city from my parents. My husband and mom did doggie juggling and exchanged Neela in her duffle bag carrying case a few times yesterday to make an emergency appointment possible. Neela is fine- just kind of limping a lot and on a steroid dose pack for a partially compressed L5 disc. The vet said with rest - our furchild will be just fine and it's not a major injury thank heavens. But I felt terrible knowing that I couldn't help out when she was hurting - you know....doggie mommy guilt :-) Thank you to those who have asked how my husband is doing with everything. My husband is doing okay, but I know he is running on a low
tank most days. He packs up anything I might need him to bring to me for later in the day, tries to put in a day of work (north end of city), grabs dinner on the way to see me, and travels to the hospital (southern suburb), spends the evening with me and helps me with things I need, and leaves to go home to sleep on weekdays around 10:30. He then travels back home to the northern suburbs and repeats. On the weekends he tries to catch up on some of his laundry and mail, bills, etc, and picks up his dry cleaning dress clothes for the next work week. He also is my jello and broth runner backup to my mom, LOL! I am so thankful for all he does and I almost think it'll be easier once the baby gets here and we are all in one place together. My mom comes every afternoon to help me with things during that part of the day, bring me things I need, and help me take a shower so I don't ruin my precious IV sites. Did I mention I love my family? My grandparents, dad and sister have been in a lot to see me as well which is great. And tonight my great friend M might stop up - I can't wait to see her if it works out.

Today I kind of got a little selfish and spent part of the day pampering myself a bit. I think it did a lot to lift my mood - so I guess it was time and money well spent. Right now I feel guilty thinking about doing things for myself when I know most of the focus should be on our little girl - but I just couldn't help myself once I got started, LOL! I did some online shopping from Athleta - one of my favorite sporty clothing stores. I bought this coat, and then saw these hat and gloves I couldn't resist! All machine washable so if the little kiddo decides
to spit up I'll be all set. Next I ordered two pale pink stackable storage units from Land of Nod for Brynn's room that match her bedding and color scheme. Then I found some nice long sleeve T - shirts from Lands End that actually come in a size tall. I bought a few pretty colors of those as well.

Well, that's all for now. Thanks again for always checking in with us and as always the good thoughts and prayers. Our little girl and I really appreciate it and we think of everyone who takes the time to do so. Well - I know I'm speaking for Brynn. But you know she would love to be able to blow you baby raspberries in thanks if she could!

Tuesday - Rock, Paper, Scissors

This morning I woke up to the sound of sinks being turned out and nurses scurrying down the hall in labor and delivery to the C -section rooms. (my door was slightly cracked and my benadryl induced sleep cycle was beginning to melt away to meet the break of a new day.) I heard voices talking about a woman whose membranes had been ruptured for several weeks and them needing to deliver the baby right away because the mom was now septic despite people's best efforts. She was now only 25 weeks pregnant. I glanced down and realize my right hand was gripping the left side of my belly as if I was trying to shield Brynn from the early morning events going on around us. What an odd response on my part I suppose. Gosh...we have been so very blessed. I am constantly being humbled by what is going on around me to so many of these families. Why do some people draw the short straw in pregnancy russian roulette? While others of us come out on top during the game of rock, paper, scissors? I thankful that I have not drawn the short straw this time. But my heart aches for those who have.

Still able to keep down my kick butt jello and some broth - my mom even brought me some homemade broth with some less sodium so I don't swell up like a balloon. Heavenly. She also helped me wash my hair today, double heaven! We took a photo of our bathroom beauty shop session, but blogger won't let me upload pictures. I'll see if my gestational twin Meredith can help me with that later. If you have a second go give her a little hello and encouragement for all of her hard work with bedrest and her crazy pregnancy. She not only have done an amazing job dealing with her own crazy journey, but everyday (literally) she helps me deal with mine - and without
any complaints!

Had a BPP yesterday after the little girl looked a little sleepy on the monitor - but all is well. Brynn always pulls through with her end of this pregnancy! My grandparents are near 90, but are coming to visit me in a few minutes so it is a good day. My mom is going to dress Neela our dog up as a pumpkin for Halloween and she'll help my dad hand out candy. I'm sure they'll all have fun, LOL! I miss her so much. Growth scan tomorrow on the little baby girl and just hanging in there still. Thank you again for all the prayers- I can never emphasize that enough!

Musings of a Jello Queen

Just a quick note to say that I've had a pretty good weekend. Still keeping down my jello and water - no PICC line or PPN needed yet so life is good! Brynn is continuing to look great as well - so tomorrow is another new day. One day at a time, right? I feel run down and kind of out of it - but extremely grateful. Thanks again for all of the prayers and good thoughts. I'll try to update tomorrow once I see more of what Monday brings. Hope everyone had a great weekend!

Friday and interesting last two days

Kind of crazy last few days. Both some really great and some really not so great news. Good news first is Brynn had her growth scan and is thriving away like a champ. She showed good growth of a couple of more ounces from her previous scan which was only days before. So that is wonderful. Our little girl looks great on the monitor, and passes with flying colors.

Bad news is a complete change of plans in the works, or else rather that the plan seems to change day by day which has me on a bit of an emotional roller coaster I believe. While Brynn's health is thriving, mine is slowly continuing to slip.

I'm currently having problems eating things still and am spilling large amounts of ketones in my urine. These ketones are not due to dehydration or problems with elevated blood sugars that some people have. Basically I am not able to get enough glucose or sugar sources orally without vomiting that my body is breaking down all of my protein from my muscle. If I can't keep jello and water down and my electryoltes get way off - they may likely stay that way even for a tad
bit after Brynn is born. And that doesn't leave me very stable for a C-section if it is needed. Basically in medicine you always try to "optimize" the patient, and get as many problem fixed as possible before surgery or a major even like a birth is coming up. And as long as Brynn looks okay and is thriving, and not in distress....then they will keep her in and can't actively induce labor or do a c-seciton if I don't go into full blown labor on my own. Baby before mom has always been the practice often in medicine if it's not life or death situation. And that is the case here - not the best, but could always be so much worse I keep telling myself. So they are trying to keep me "optimized" right now. If I can't keep jello and water down (I can a bit somewhat today) then they can increase what they give me through this IV or PICC line (peripherally inserted central cathetar) if they need to put one in on the weekend. Basically it's a central line inserted peripherally.

You can see where I am going with this. My IV access has also been a major problem. Normally I am an easy stick - but with everything that has happed recently - even my CRNA and anesthesiologist friends have had some trouble placing the common peripheral IVs patients recieve. They're currently discussing placing a PICC line if need be since I'll need a dedicated line for labor anyways (independant of my current nutrional status). Once this is in they can even give you something called TPN and lipids through the PICC line. This would be the most extreme case and only if my health continues to deteriorate. This is not something I want at
all, but since things may not improve for a few days even after her delivery and because placing me in a good nutritional state also places her in the best nutritional state ...this makes me realize what I need to do. Besides to not is to basically say I would rather make myself extremely ill - and waste away in an anorexic like state. And I know that doesn't make sense either. Plus if it
gets me better in the long run - I have to do whatever it takes I guess.

If you want at little too much info: TPN = total parental nutrition (basically a big old yellow bag of vitamin water and iron) and lipids is a white bottle with fat in it. They run it through an IV - PICC line. Sounds appetizing. I wonder if it comes mexican flavored through the IV - or if I could order a margarita to be mixed in "on the rocks, salted glass?" Maybe I could take my TPN in a key lime ice cream flavor.....hhhhmmmm???? I'm hoping it doesn't come to this. But if it did - I don't think it would be for a few more days. And I may need this whether Brynn is born in 4 days or 10, you know? GI doc thinks the lining of my stomach is all inflamed due to the constant vomiting and may take a bit to calm down. And that the constant vomiting was due to contracitons and the position of the uterus near my bowel and bladder. Things are a bit squished down there I know due to the pregnancy. Plus I have a right pelvic kidney just to cram stuff in more. But with the UU I know I should be happy at least I have two kidneys and not one. They started a new IV med to help with that as well today - so I can only hope? I'm already taking Zofran and Reglan around the clock as well as Bendadryl so hopefully the newly added med with this will help.

Thank you for all of your help with prayers and kind words. They are really appreciated - especially now. They have done wonders for Brynn, and I know that if they can help her....then all of the support helps me as well. I keep thinking that the end is still in sight, I'm trying not to get hung up on details of exact time frames. Just one hour at a time. That is manageable. I just want to be a good mom for our little girl, and all the bumps are worth it. Yesterday I had an extremely down day - but I know I can't stay that way either. So forward we go...and thanks for following along with us as we do so. You are all truly the best! (And Meredith - as always...thank you for your being my constant lifeline and connection to the outside world!)

Wednesday 33 weeks

Just another quick update (seems like that's my favorite way to start posts these days!) We have another growth scan and ultrasound BPP around dinnertime tonight - so I'm excited to catch another glimpse of our little girl and to see how she's growing. Still hanging in there contracting away similar to my strip I posted in my last post. Still vomiting quite a bit - I just wish I could get it to stop. We talked about possibly not waiting until early next week when I turn 34 weeks now if I continue to lose more ground due to not being able to keep anything down. Just trying to take my zofran and reglan around the clock and even benadryl here and there due to it's slight antiemetic effect. I can still do water and jello sometimes which is something at least I guess. I want so badly just to suck it up and just get to 34 weeks because I know that is what everyone really wants for her. I think a lot will depend on our little girl's growth scan later today as well. Thank you again for all of your kind words, thoughts and prayers. They make all of the difference in the world.

33 weeks and holding....UPDATED Monday

Just wanted to send a quick update to say thanks for all of your good thoughts and kind wishes! Still thinking of everyone often. Meredith - thank you for being my connection to the outside world! Here is a photo of how our little one and I spend most of the day - she's the top strip with her heart beating happy and oblivious away, and the bottom strip is me contracting away.

Photo of our little girl at 33 wks - I'm so proud of her for making it this far! She's about 3 lbs 3 oz they told us today - her growth rate is slow but is continuing so that's why they want her to cook until 34 weeks if possible.


Today seems to be a bit of a better day because I finally gave in after much prodding from all the docs and took something to help me sleep last night - and was actually able to catch a couple hours together. I hate doing that, but I'll literally do anything to help get us to next week. Still on the procardia and just trying to take thing an hour at a time. Nausea and vomiting are kind of my main battle right now, but there are some times I can keep things down and others not so much. My mom and husband have brought me jello in every flavor imaginable - you would be amazed with how creative they can get! Anyways - hope everyone is doing well, and thank you so much for keeping us in your thoughts - it is so appreciated.

Sara is still in L&D and has limited internet access. I am cutting and pasting from an update I got from her Friday night. Meredith

From Sara:
I was taken off Mag Friday night. That's a great thing. I'm contracting away like a mad woman however transitioning over to pro.cardia so I'm either thinking that they'll put me back on it for another day or two (which I'm actually okay with since they hurt so badly and I can't sleep or eat with them) or else bump up my pro.cardia if possible. Since I was already just on the Mag - I'm kind of still okay with being on it for a bit longer if need be. I never knew contractions could hurt so badly - or else I'm way more of a wimp than I thought, lol! I finally got a direct answer out of my doctor as we're finally closing in on 34 weeks - which would be a week from Monday for me (Halloween week) the 27ish? Basically, if I continue to contract they might try Mag with me until that date. Once I hit that date or really near it - they'll finally cut my cerclage and just deliver me. Phew - that's in like 10 days!!! That is super close - can't believe it. It's the first time they've given me a answer of when the end in sight might be. I feel so relieved in a strange way. She would be totally fine now. A lot of time those little ones go home when the mom does. That would be like surreal and unbelievable. Even if she stayed it would only be for a short time I'm sure. That has me VERY excited.

Another update for Sara

Just another quick note to Sara's devoted fans... She is holding strong on the mag with no changes. So basically, no news is good news.

Amazing, isn't she?

Update for Sara

This is Meredith from auterusdivided... Just here to sum up some text messages I got from Sara today.

Sara has been moved to Labor and Delivery today after increased contractions and started on the magnesium again. She is 90% effaced and 2 cm dilated. If the mag works to stop the contractions, then Sara's cervical cerclage can be left in place. That is the hope.

Brynn is just fine. No worries there.

Please send Sara all your good thoughts and prayers through this rough patch. I am sure she would love your well wishes and comments, and I hope her evening will be dull enough that her husband can check them for her later.

Rockin it out at 32 weeks!

I feel badly if I don't update every couple of days or so. Gladly I still have absolutely nothing new to report or update other than we're 32 weeks today and still kickin it! Weekend passed very uneventfully and I'm glad to say that the most exciting thing that happened was that my stomach actually felt good enough for the first time in four months to eat Mexican food that my husband got as takeout for us. We chowed down and watched the new Zohan movie with Adam Sandler from Netflix and it was kind of like pure bliss. This nice lady that works at the place I get my hair done offered to wax my eyebrows for me since I had been complaining I feel kind of like a hairy wildebeest woman. Since I always joke about my unibrow that is always threatening to make a comeback this was so appreciated, LOL. She did a good job and even I've never used her before, since she was nice enough to offer to come do this for me - I think I may have to actually go to her in the future as well.

My husband wrestled with the infant car seat and he thinks that it might actually now be in place in the back seat of my Lincoln - all ready for the day we get to bring the little monkey girl home. Well, that's about all for now. Seems like my life is kind of revolving around movies and what I find to eat these days, but that's okay with me. Brynn seems to be getting the hiccups a lot more these days so maybe her day is revolving around what I find to eat as well. She very oddly feels transverse to me last night and today instead of breech. I have another ultrasound tomorrow so we'll see if the little gymnast is trying to somehow miraculously turn vertex in her little unicornuate uterus home. As long as she doesn't get any funny ideas about using her umbilical cord for leverage, I don't care what angles she finds to maneuver in. I'd be bored hanging out in one position for weeks on end now too - so I can't blame her.

Hope everyone is off to a great week and thanks again for always checking in to say hi and see what's new - you're the best!

No news is good news

Thank you for all of the very sweet comments about my last post where I mentioned my godmother. I do feel very blessed to have had her in my life for the short time we had together. I feel like I've had some great examples of amazing women in my life whether it be my grandmother (whom I mentioned here), or my godmother, or my own mother. My godmother first was diagnosed with skin cancer which later spread to become breast and bone cancer as time went. Prior to her diagnosis of skin cancer - I was an avid sun worshiper, but cut back a bit after her seeing her experience. By my second year of college I noticed I had a few suspicious looking large freckles or moles on my back. Of course because I was a nursing student I was sure I was just being a worrywart and we had just had our lecture on the "ABCDs" of irregular skin growths to boot. Regardless, I paid a visit to my dermatologist who had helped me with the typical acne crisis most high school students face at one point or another. After glancing at my back, she wanted to biopsy two of those "suspicious freckles" as I had called them, and sure enough - they came back as malignant melanoma. A couple of visits later, as well as removal of more margins from those two sites as well as a third mole - my dermatologist felt that she had gotten all of the melanoma areas. I was 19 at the time - and to date I have never had any problems with it since. Thankfully melanomas like these are pretty much 100% curable when caught early, and I honestly think I only went to the doctor when I did because I had seen someone whose melanoma was not caught early and the devastating results.

The other day my husband and I caught ourselves cracking up while I was trying to take a shower in my hospital room. Rather than being mounted on the wall, the shower heads are the hand held type, and don't really mount well on the wall in any type of holder like some hand helds do. So with the IV and being tall, and pregnant and clumsy - it's a little challenging to wash your hair without soaking everything in sight. Drumroll please - husband to the rescue. He can hold the handheld showerhead when I get to that point in the shower when I want to do my hair and he is kind of like a human wall mount for the water spout. The shower usually ends with him being wetter than my hair, but he doesn't complain (too much, LOL!).

What we were laughing about was how similar this moment was to when we were both back in college during that story I just described. After I had the melanoma removed off of my back in college I had to keep the suture sites dry which were located right in the middle of my back. In a college dorm room while trying to wash your hair - you could see how this would be a challenge. Once again - husband to the rescue. Even when I was 19, my husband was a good old sport and helped me do something as silly as wash my hair over the sink in my dorm room while we were dating. I should have known then he was a keeper. True, I had to move my sweetmate's beer bong out of the sink first - but I still think of that moment with a smile. (We later used that very beer bong while on spring break - but that is a blog entry for another day LOL! Don't worry - I had very few bonging days - I wasn't a big fan and I much prefer my margaritas or martinis nowadays anyways, hehe!) Since then we've been through all of our ups and downs together and I'm glad he still is willing to be my "shower helper." Poor guy - most guys in their college years to early 30s think that when their wife asks them to "come join me in the shower" that they are in for a treat. Mine knows I usually mean something else by now!

Thanks for letting me regress. Right now, I have the no news is good news thing going on. I have no exciting updates for you - which I'm so happy about. Still on the procardia, still bedresting, baby still breech marching forward towards another week. Still having NSTs. My OB did the sweetest thing on Wednesday. The other day when we were talking, we both mentioned how much we love fall and all that goes with it. He felt bad that I couldn't be out enjoying some of the great cider mills or pumpkin patches we have nearby or apple orchards that are easy to find here in the midwest. So during part of the day when I am put back on the monitor for awhile and have my NST portions of the day - he ducked into my room with a cup of yummy warm apple cider (type or make he said was fine) and some pumpkin bread with cream cheese that his wife had made and we just chatted for awhile. I swear it was the best NST ever - much better than the few stressful moments I've had on other monitoring times when Brynn pulled her little decels. Pumpkin bread is one of my favorites - I even like it better than the brown sugar donuts most people prefer this time of year. My OB really helped put me at ease which I thought was very nice.

So that's what is new for now - I'm looking forward to a very boring weekend. Now if only the stock market would go back to being boring as well! I hope everyone has a great weekend too, and thank you so much for being such a big part of me feeling like I have some stability and calm right now.

Great day and one of the best gifts ever

This week is off to a great start. We had a BPP and growth scan yesterday and our little girl is finally 3 pounds! Music to my ears. She still looks great as far as not having any prolonged drops in her heart rate decel wise and my contractions are definitely tolerable on the procardia still. Still every 5 minutes or so, but tolerable. Sleep has still been going well because my contractions are under control and as before I've been able to only get woken up maybe 4-5 times with stronger ones. What a relief and a big difference getting some sleep makes these days!

Brynn currently has decided that her most comfortable position is the frank breech (butt down - feet up near her head) position. We all joke about this because she has been nestled in this position for quite some time now and despite my uterus's nasty attempts to expel her from inside - Brynn seems quite content resting in this position and not wanting to leave her sleeping quarters, lol! I think Brynn is also happy that if she is going to be stuck in one position in my small uterus - at least she got stuck with both her feet and her arms near her face. She seems to love to still suck on her feet and now she has 24 hour access. No wonder she is happy staying put - she probably is as satisfied with having access to her favorite treats 24 hours a day in the same way I get this rush of happiness over Starbucks that are open 24 hours.

I got the nicest surprise from my mom the other day. Growing up - I was very close with my godparents. My godmother was my mom's best friend from childhood, they then went to high school together, both became nurses, and our families grew up around each other as well. Both my mom and my godmother worked as labor and delivery nurses over the years side by side at the hospital I now work at as well. It's also the same labor and delivery department that I've spent several weeks at during this pregnancy. My mom has long since retired, and my godmother no longer works there either. But part of this things I feel blessed to have is to be cared for by nurses and staff that worked with both my mom and godmother over the years - people who knew them both. About 10 years ago my godmother lost her battle with cancer. Watching her struggle with that battle was difficult for everyone, but of course I know most of all for her. She had just seen the last of her four children grow up and complete college before her passing. It's almost like she felt her job as a mom - the job she valued over any other job she did - was somewhat complete and it was okay for her to go now. Not that a job as a mother ever ends, but she maybe felt satisfied knowing her youngest was done through a major point in her life.

My godmother cared for me as she did all four of her own children. She was truly like having another mom to me. The other day my mom gave me a package that my godmother had put together for me when she was sick, near the end of her battle with cancer. Inside I found a baby blanket she had made for me, along with a note, and a photo. My godmother had wrapped all of them up to be given to me when I had my own child one day because she knew she wouldn't be around when that time came. The blanket is beautiful - but the note and photo is what I will cherish most. In the photo it is her holding me when I was born because my mom was very sick for a few days after delivering me. My mom had uterine inversion with me and had lost a lot of blood in the delivery with me requiring her to go to the OR and have a few rough days following my birth. In her note, my godmother wrote how even though she wouldn't be around when I had my first child, she would always be watching over us and to know that she would always be with us.

I don't think I could ever put a price tag on this package my mom gave me from my godmother. I have felt so many times over the last few months that we had a little guardian angel or someone watching over us, and I know she is one of those people. When I first needed to pick an OB as a teenager because I had a problem with ovarian cysts that I ended up needing a surgery for - my godmother quickly told me who to go to. Since she had worked in labor and delivery as a nurse and knew the doctors like the back of her hand - she recommended a "great new OB, just out of his residency who hopefully I could see for years to come." She described him as both a very good doctor, but more importantly one of the nicest most caring ones she had seen come through in years. So of course this is who I started seeing, and this is the same doctor who I so fondly talk of now and is my current OB through this bumpy pregnancy. I often wonder if part of why we have gotten so far is at least partially due to my OB being on top of things from day one. Once again, kind of like she has continued to help me long after she passed away.

Most of all, I now understand that what she gave me also is a great example to try to follow. There is nothing she didn't do for her family and her children. Anyone who knew her knew all about her children even if they had never met her kids. My godmother talked constantly about all four of them - so anyone she met felt like they knew her kids as well. I know I will never be half the mom she was - but she has left me with a great example of what one can be.

Saturday

Just a quick update to say that we're still hanging in there and doing very well. Since being off of my Mag Sulfate, the procardia seems to be holding my contractions well. I am still having contractions every 5-10 minutes, but they are not all uncomfortable and are not causing any further change in my cervix. That is the golden ticket! Truly I only have 4-5 an hour that I feel are stronger contractions - but no are no where near like the ones I came in with last week. The last two nights I've been able to catch some decent sleep and only woke up due to the contractions maybe 5 times a night or so - what a relief. It's amazing what being able to get some sleep does for your peace of mind and mood! Also, we're still doing the p17 (progesterone) shots throughout this time since I've been on them since early second trimester.

Our little girl is still breech and will likely remain that way the later things progress. I'm not too shocked since many girls who belong to the unicornuate uterus club or have other uterine abnormalities have malpresentation like this. We've basically planned for a c-section from the beginning so I'm not too bummed. Ideally of course it would be nice to avoid the uterine scar for further pregnancies especially since mine seems to like to contract so much - but if it's not in the stars I understand. We also have another growth scan Monday morning so I'm pretty excited to see how much Brynn has been bulking up. They also want to glance at my amniotic fluid levels since they dipped a bit from our last two BPPs, but we're still not in the "danger zone." Our AFI is still greater than 5. So I am hopeful that they will be fine. I understand that many people deliver large healthy babies with very low fluid and ours honestly isn't that low at this time compared to many women I've seen come through labor and delivery while working over the last few years.

My husband is going tomorrow to get a few basics for the baby that we haven't purchased so far. Most stuff I'm not too concerned if we have - but he's going to pick up stuff like our infant car seat and my breast pump. We'll both have something new to play with and to figure out how it works when we need it in the weeks ahead - him meaning the car seat and me the breast pump, LOL! (I promise I'll just be looking and no funky pumping will be going on, hehe!) Today he picked up some diapers and wipes so things are starting to come together down this home stretch. We figured we'd try out these two and see how we like them - can always switch to something else if we don't like them.

I hope everyone is having a great weekend. I finally got to see the Sex in the City Movie my husband brought to me. Of course I loved it even though many people had told me all about it. It was something I planned to do weeks ago - but haven't been able to coordinate with everything going on. I was so delighted to discover some great news over the last few days. Even though I only know of a handful of girls with a unicornuate uterus or abnormality here in blogland, I heard that three of them received wonderful news all this week! What a crazy coincidence - but surely a great one. If you get a chance go over and offer them a big congrats - each of them have faced a long road with infertility. Nutmeg96 got her positive results and Elizabeth just found out that their surrogate is pregnant from their cycle this month. Surrogacy is a journey many women with a unicornuate uterus may travel and she has handled things like a pro. Mel at Life in a Holding Pattern also discovered those magical two pink lines and I'm so excited for her as well.

Hope everyone else's weekend is going great too, and as always mine was a bit nicer because of you all!

Life beyond Mag

My friend Tracy passed along a pregnancy good luck charm. She recently delivered her beautiful twins after years of trying and a bumpy pregnancy herself. My husband got it in the mail and brought it to me in the hospital - so now we have just one more reason for things to continue to go well and fly over any obstacles, right? Thank you Tracy! (I look a little glazed over because I was still on my Mag when he took the photo, lol!)

I like my life beyond Mag Sulfate. Since I updated last I have transformed into a new woman - the new Sara is well fed, showered, and has been up to use the bathroom several times :-) Warning: the next sentences contain a bit too much info. I also am delighted to have finally done something else as well. Since Mag Sulfate relaxes muscles other than you uterus - it also causes things to slow down a bit - like your bowel. Well, with not moving around much over the last days, and having your bowel slow down due to the Mag...well you can see where this is going. Sometimes going hmmmm "number 2" for the first time afterwards is quite challenging (plus it is when you're pregnant anyways, lol!) And to answer what you might be thinking - even though I was not eating real food - clear liquids still make you feel like you need to go if you know what I mean. So I'm proud to say I've accomplished this task as well! Yes - I know that you probably didn't want to hear all about that. But this is some of the things a girl on bedrest, and a girl on bedrest who's been on Mag is really proud of!

I promise no more talking about poo - well at least not for this post. (You know how us nurses love to talk about poo, lol!) Brynn is doing great as well - there has been very minimal decels. What she has had has been short and nothing to be alarmed about. So for now I'm going to forget that she ever pulled those little shenanigans and I'm going to pretend that was just some isolated events never to reoccur again. The procardia is working well at controlling my contractions so basically I couldn't ask for anything more.

My goals for the moment are for both Brynn and myself to continue to gain some weight. I'd love to hear that she reaches the 3 pound mark one of these days, and I'm trying to shovel anything in my mouth that I can keep down. The zofran and reglan seem to be holding my nausea and vomiting at bay now that I'm off of Mag - so things are looking good on that front as well. Thanks again for your kind thoughts and prayers, one day I'll tell Brynn about your kindness as well.