High Risk Pregnancy Check-In 02/20

harleyquinn0621

How far along are you?

Why are you high-risk?

Any additional monitoring or testing this week?

Rants/Raves/Questions?

GTKY: Aside from necessities, what one thing could you not go a day without?

harleyquinn0621

How far along are you?

12w5d

Why are you high-risk?

diabetic, AMA, IC

Any additional monitoring or testing this week?

I had two appointments yesterday. First one was an ultrasound/ final cerclage consult... second one was my first regular OB appointment - 

she doesn't like being looked at... the last two ultrasounds she curls up after we start and makes it difficult to measure her, but once we got the measurements everything looked good  

Rants/Raves/Questions?

not really a rant... more of a, what else is going to happen.... at my OB appointment they found a lump in my breast... so now i have to get an ultrasound on that to see what it is.... i know it's probably nothing, just another level of stress

GTKY: Aside from necessities, what one thing could you not go a day without?
my cell phone... i would basically call that a necessity  lol

neeraja_k

How far along are you?

13w2d

Why are you high-risk?

AMA, GD, history of hypertension, previous miscarriage

Any additional monitoring or testing this week?

I have my first meeting with my MFM and dietitian in a couple of hours to go over my GD diagnosis. Hopefully they listen to me and don't dictate to me, I don't do well with orders. My home blood sugars have been relatively normal except when I knowingly splurge on a sweet, just to see how it affects the numbers. So hopefully they take that into account and help me maintain the normality of my diet thus far without added drugs.

Rants/Raves/Questions?

They nixed our rain chances for the day, so it's going to be beautiful, sunny, and super warm today. I can't wait to go shopping after my appointment. 

GTKY: Aside from necessities, what one thing could you not go a day without?
The internet, living in rural Indiana, it's my only connection to the outside world. 

mrsbubbles-2

How far along are you? 14+4

Why are you high-risk? Diabetes and AMA

Any additional monitoring or testing this week? Just emailed my diabetes team, see rant below

Rants/Raves/Questions? So I've been on a long-acting and fast-acting insulin combo for a few months now, long acting when I wake up and at bedtime, fast acting at lunch and dinner. So I've had a few lows and one crash that put me in the 40s. It was ok, a bowl of cereal brought me back to normal range but I was pretty shaky there for a bit. So last night after dinner DH was at a meeting and DS was asleep I started to feel really weird, not like my normal crash, more dizzy and light headed and was having trouble focusing. So I took my sugars and it said 25. I started cramming candy in my mouth and DH came home so everything was fine but I'm totally freaked out about what a level that low could do to the baby. And then I'm assuming I was sky-high later (I got my numbers back to 85 and went to bed, I was so exhausted from the crash) So just completely freaked and wish I had an ultrasound or appt soon to check to make sure baby is ok. Sorry for the novel, I'm waiting for the call back from MFM and every minute feels like an hour. Wah.

GTKY: Aside from necessities, what one thing could you not go a day without? Chapstick. I use it approximately 10000000 times a day.

mrsbubbles-2

@harleyquinn0621 - I'm so sorry you have the additional stress with the lump! I have everything crossed that it's nothing, please keep us posted! When is your ultrasound?

princesslockness

@harleyquinn0621 Thats never fun to hear about a lump.  FX its just a fat deposit or something equally not stressing. 

@mrsbubbles-2 I'm sorry that your numbers aren't working well for you. Would it be possible to set an alarm for like 2am to start checking then?

How far along are you? 16w1d

Why are you high-risk? IC, cerclage, Insulin Resistance, Multiple MCs, Previous PTL . . . . I think thats all. 

Any additional monitoring or testing this week? No. Probably should call and see if the regular OB will let me back in, or if I really have to follow up with MFM for the cerclage. Ugh being an adult sucks somedays. 

Rants/Raves/Questions? Short car + Snow + Wind + empty fields = High centered 2x on the way to daycare. Not a happy camper this morning. Luckily my principal is starting to understand how real life works, as his SAHM/W has started a shift job to keep her sanity. 

GTKY: Aside from necessities, what one thing could you not go a day without? Music or books. I'm pretty interchangeable between them, but I can't just have silence without something to focus on. 

harleyquinn0621

thank you everyone the ultrasound is Thursday morning so i will keep you updated. I'm hoping its just a fatty nodule from weight loss (i lost 67 lbs last year) or a fibroid cyst from the hormone changes in the pregnancy. 

harleyquinn0621

@mrsbubbles-2 25 is a super scary crash! my understanding is lows don't hurt the baby- but of course they can hurt you- when i was on insulin i got down to the 30's once and felt like i was dying... hopefully they adjust your insulin so this doesn't happen again! 

mrsbubbles-2

Just heard back from the diabetes counselor, we're dropping my fast-acting dinner dose and lowering my long-acting night time dose so hopefully this will stop the crashes. I send in my numbers weekly and when they saw my sheet there were a lot more lows than I thought! So yay!

@princesslockness - thanks girl! I'm usually up at 3-ish because this insomnia is something else, awesome idea to test then! I'm up anyway lol! I hope you can go back to your regular OB - I think you said your MFM is a few hours from where you live?

@harleyquinn0621 - so glad they're getting you in soon! Will be stalking like crazy for an update. And fantastic job on the weight loss!!! That is not an easy thing to do!

princesslockness

@mrsbubbles-2 They are 3ish hours away, so its a major PITA to get to them. The regular OB didn't seem to have an issue scheduling me for next Tuesday, and my AS got scheduled for March 27th!!!!!! 

Hopefully if you can get numbers from your insomnia times you can better info to base your insulin doses off of. 

mrsbubbles-2

@princesslockness - YAY!!!! So excited for A/S coming up for so many of our members!

harleyquinn0621

@princesslockness yay! the anatomy scan is so exciting    mine is scheduled but far off- April 9th....  

princesslockness

@harleyquinn0621  I'm super excited, but that makes me like 21 weeks and I hate waiting past 18 for them. oh well. Its in there for Spring Break so I have plenty of time to dream before coming back to work.

nll0803

How far along are you?

14w3d

Why are you high-risk?

Active crohns disease, autoimmune liver disease, and autoimmune arthritis

Any additional monitoring or testing this week?

Just biweekly bloodwork, until ob and mfm apts next Friday. 

Rants/Raves/Questions?

Trying to manage keeping hydrated, and nourished (and out of the hospital) feels like a fulltime job. Crohns and morning sickness are kicking my butt. At least its 70 degrees and sunny out. 

GTKY: Aside from necessities, what one thing could you not go a day without?
Eh. I guess aside from the necessities, books. I always have at least 2 going and try to aim for 250 a year. 

hoodwink89

How far along are you?

13w 4d

Why are you high-risk?

Type 2 diabetes, insulin dependent. 

Any additional monitoring or testing this week?

Meeting with my nutritionist and then nothing until March 14th

Rants/Raves/Questions?

I think morning sickness is starting to fade but now I am having some crazy dreams and they have all been nightmares, totally not fun. 

We did find out yesterday that we are having another little girl. I was a little bummed at first but we are all really excited. This is our last one and hoping to have one of each. Now to come up with a name. DD is Austyn.

GTKY: Aside from necessities, what one thing could you not go a day without? 
My kindle. I love having a choice of a book right at my finger tips! Plus I am a total bookworm!

hezzer78

How far along are you? 14w2d

Why are you high-risk? 2 MC's, Corrected Septate uterus, cerclage, ancient. 

Any additional monitoring or testing this week? I had my post-cerclage appointment yesterday. It took all of about 15 mins from the time I walked in the door, which is nuts considering I typically wait at the OB for like 20 mins before they even see me.  No more appointments for a month!! So weird to go that long without a checkup or US when the first tri I was being seen every week it felt like. 

Rants/Raves/Questions? Not really - I ranted about this somewhere else, but H really wants to post our announcement on FB but I'm not sure I'm ready to. Not really sure why I'm hesitant - unless the PGAL brain just hates me.

GTKY: Aside from necessities, what one thing could you not go a day without? 
Probably books - or chocolate  

hezzer78

@harleyquinn0621 FX for you the lump is nothing to be worried about - and congrats on the weight loss!! What a great accomplishment.

@nll0803 250 a year?? Crap! How do you do that? I tried to read 40 books by my 40th birthday (which is in april). I started in October - I think I've read 15? :P In my defense, they're all really long!! (600+ pages). 

@mrsbubbles-2 I'm glad they adjusted your numbers - hopefully that will help! 

@neeraja_k Let us know how the appointment went! FX everything is great..

neeraja_k

I posted my experience over in the random's thread. 

nll0803

@hezzer78 DH travels roughly 120 nights a year, and on those days/nights a lot of reading gets done. I'm sure it will substantially drop when baby comes. Most of mine are 300-400 pages.  To make up for it, I don't watch much TV (only about an hour a day), and minimally read about two hours a day. My eyes hate me for it, though with having Crohns, reading has become a great therapy when I can't leave the house. 

harleyquinn0621

@hezzer78 thank you! also, I love your ticker in your siggy!!!

harleyquinn0621

i'm jealous of all the ladies who get so much reading done... i feel like i can never start a book anymore

mrsbubbles-2

Hey @harleyquinn0621 - just in case I'm not able to bump in the morning just wanted to say good luck at your appointment tomorrow morning! Will be thinking of you, update when you can

harleyquinn0621

@mrsbubbles-2 thank you! 

**update** the radiologist said everything appeared normal.... no masses, cysts or fatty nodules. He said breasts feeling "lumpy" is normal in pregnant women due to hormonal changes and i may notice changes as the pregnancy progresses. He said if my DR feels something that doesn't feel smooth or doesn't move when felt then to come back and get checked again

mrsbubbles-2

@harleyquinn0621 - HELLS YES!!!!!!!! Girl, I'm so frickin happy for you!!!!!!!!

Whew! That's fantastic news

harleyquinn0621

has anyone else checked their labwork from their OB appointments? My WBC is a little high 12.5 

Reference Range: 3.4-10.8 x10E3/uL  and Neutrophils (Absolute) 10.3 Reference Range: 1.4-7.0 x10E3/uL  (I know neutrophils will be high whenever WBC is high)

i've been told by my DR office it is normal for WBC to be a little high during pregnancy but i am admittedly paranoid of infection since we found an infection in the amniotic fluid with my last loss. I don't know if i should be pushing harder to get antibiotics prior to my cerclage (a preexisting infection before the cerclage causing an infection in the cerclage itself is my biggest fear) - i know we aren't DRs here but i was hoping if anyone else has comparable numbers perhaps i'd feel a little better

hezzer78

@harleyquinn0621 My WBC count was a wee high as well last time. I chalked that up to a cold I was nursing when I got the blood work done, but I read somewhere that pregnancy in general can make the WBC count a little higher. I don't remember where I saw that so I may be mistaken.

My doc gave me a z-pack after my cerclage surgery to combat any chance of infection. I'm sure your doc will do the same. 

Oh and congrats on the good results!!! 

harleyquinn0621

@hezzer78 thank you he is going to give me some sort of antibiotics after the cerclage, he also said something about an antibacterial vaginal wash he likes to use when he goes in to place the cerclage ..... just crossing my fingers that's enough and my regular OB is right and that it's normal 

princesslockness

I wouldn’t assume that you’ll have any certain standard of care after a cerclage. From my two experiences with in the same practice they are entirely different from each other and from everything else I’ve seen others post about

harleyquinn0621

yeah i had to push hard for him to even agree to give me antibiotics after the Cerclage.. i told him not only do i have a history of infection with my loss but i'm diabetic which makes me higher risk for infection anyway, and that's when he relented ... i reminded him again at our last appointment too... haha i'm not an easy patient 

neeraja_k

@harleyquinn0621 Good for you! Someone has to advocate for your care, and it might as well be you. Although it's kind of baffling with that in your patient history he wouldn't already be on board with antibiotics. Strange.

I have to do that every time I go in for some sort of procedure where they do want to give me antibiotics. I have a history of C.diff infections and certain antibiotics are known to "trigger" it into the active stage, for lack of a better term. So I have to remind them why I need specific antibiotics, rather than the standard amoxicillin or whatever else they want to give me. I'm sure I'm a pain in their ass, but I do NOT want C.diff again, I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy.

meeks2020

How far along are you? 14 weeks today 

Why are you high-risk? Ds was born with numerous birth defects

Any additional monitoring or testing this week? I had my meeting with mfm and reviewed the trauma from ds and concerns for this time. We did an nt scan that turned out a lot better than ds's and left me feeling better. We're optimistic about this time but we have a 4% chance of it happening again. 

Rants/Raves/Questions? Raves about my new mfm. Truly amazing compared to my last one

GTKY: Aside from necessities, what one thing could you not go a day without?

@harleyquinn0621 I'm so glad you had a good ultrasound and it came back fine! Have you contacted your Dr again about antibiotics? 

harleyquinn0621

@meeks2020 yay for a good NT screen!!! 

i did talk to my DR today.... she said i was tested for various infections and everything came back normal, so she doesn't believe i have an infection and my slight WBC elevation is normal pregnancy elevation (and she responded to me via email, so at least i have all that in writing) 

i know my MFM will be putting me on antibiotics after the cerclage so i am going to trust at this point those will prevent any sort of infection from starting ....   i'm counting down the days until that cerclage is placed and i can feel more confident in my cervix 

ave1012

How far along are you? 16wks+2

Why are you high-risk? Pregnancy induced thrombocytopenia, AMA, Preeclampsia

Any additional monitoring or testing this week? AFP (blood draw for neural defects)

Rants/Raves/Questions? We have a small house but it is on a quiet street and we have privacy from our neighbors, and a large yard. Though we are in no rush to move (decided our girls can share a room if needed), we have been looking for a larger home (really one with a better basement and better storage). There is nothing around us that is not on top of the neighbors or it has zero yard. I know that my husband and I are picky about what we want but it has been very disappointing that there is nothing close to our check list.

GTKY: Aside from necessities, what one thing could you not go a day without? I can go without not getting everyday but I have been getting Chick-Fil-A frosted coffee several times a week when I would hardly ever get them!!! They are so good and the right pick me up in the afternoon.

nll0803

@neeraja_k ooo another person under the age of 80 with history of c.diff, lol. It seems like after being diagnosed with crohns 7 years ago, I get it close to once a year. Luckily my doctors are well informed, and are understanding of my requests. 

neeraja_k

@nll0803 Haha! No kidding. I ate at a Chipotle and ended up with horrible food poisoning, like, I didn't even make it the 3 hour ride home before asploding. I think I spent like 2 hours in a gas station bathroom, because I was afraid to leave. 

But it never went away...1 week, 2 weeks, 5 weeks, 3 months... I'd lost like 30 lbs at this point, I looked like death warmed over. My GP just thought I had IBS and didn't want to help me, just told me to stop eating "roughage". Dude, I'm barely eating broth. So in desperation I switched doctors, and he started taking samples, but they all came back "normal" every time.

I finally ended up at a gastroenterologist and had a colonoscopy and he took a sample waaay up in there and that one came back positive for C.diff. This was at about the 7 month mark since I ate that fateful burrito. Two separate rounds of Flagyl and I felt like a human being again. 

None of us have any idea how I ended up with C.diff without having taken any antibiotics anywhere near this time frame, which I think is why none of the doctors initially wanted to take it seriously. But man, awful, awful bug. Which is why I tell anyone I know if you end up on antibiotics and have diarrhea that never goes away, take it seriously and talk to your doctor, C.diff is no joke. 

redheadbride15

@neeraja_k ugh that’s awful it took so long for you to be diagnosed with C. diff! That stuff is nasty. I’m very, very suspicious of antibiotic use. Of course they’re necessary sometimes but I try really hard to avoid them and think they’re overprescribed most of the time. I kind of like to brag that the first (and only) antibiotics I’ve taken in my entire life was for GBS when my son was born (which ended up being futile because his delivery was precipitous and they’d barely hooked me up to the IV when he popped out). So my point is it’s smart to ask twice when you’re prescribed antibiotics about whether they’re really necessary and/or if an alternative type of antibiotic is reasonable, and especially if you’ve had C. diff.

redheadbride15

How far along are you?

14 weeks today! Hi second trimester!

Why are you high-risk?

History of pregnancy-induced hypertension and fetal growth restriction, AMA.

Any additional monitoring or testing this week?

Nope. Got my cell free fetal DNA results back and they look good! What a relief! I won’t have any extra testing until 3rd trimester as long as my BP remains stable (so far, so good)

Rants/Raves/Questions?

Rave: learned we’re having another little boy! I’m excited for brothers. It feels right.
Rant: I have been having the worst headaches... I bitched about that in the symptoms thread too.

GTKY: Aside from necessities, what one thing could you not go a day without?
Coffee, of course!! My single morning cup is a sacred ritual. 

meeks2020

@redheadbride15 I had pregnancy induced hypertension last time too, along with my son had iugr. How is your blood pressure this time? Mine didn't set in until third tri last time so fx it either stays away totally or waits until then again. Bed rest with a toddler will not be very possible

harleyquinn0621

After going back and forth on if we wanted to, we finally decided to go ahead and announce on Facebook ❤️

mrsbubbles-2

@harleyquinn0621 - what a beautiful announcement

nll0803

@harleyquinn2923 I LOVE your announcement! It's so sweet! Our cats are Batman and Robin, and I already have a few Batman related baby items.