Woohoo...3rd Trimester!

Another milestone date...28 weeks!
I am happy and excited to be at this point and going into the third trimester. Things have been quite stable the last two weeks. I have gone in to have my shot each week and am continuing with my other medication 3x's a day to keep everything settled :)
I will see the doctor again tomorrow and I'm not sure yet if he is wanting to schedule another follow-up ultrasound to check the fluid levels but I FEEL like I am still big and growing bigger so that's a good sign. I now have some maternity shirts that I CAN'T wear anymore because they are getting too short. I guess that means the belly is growing. I should take some pic's today and add them to this post...if not, I'll do it shortly :)
What a blessing to be at the point where we can start planning for baby...looking through baby clothes and buying some diapers and that sort of stuff. Brad is just happy we didn't find out what we're having because I might be too tempted to be shopping online all day for cute little outfits :0 But hey, we'll know soon enough!
We are still working out the names...can't seem to come up with a boy name that we both love so maybe that means it's a girl...who knows! It's still fun to come up with ideas and I'm sure we'll narrow it down soon enough so the poor little one doesn't go home as "baby K". If we leave it up to our lovely son at home though he would love to name a little brother, Pablo :0 because apparently he says, "no one in our family has that name" haha!!
So for now, that's all...if there is anything new from the doctor I'll update soon!!

26 weeks

Look at this...another post...I am getting kind of consistent here...not bad!

I had a follow-up ultrasound today to check the amniotic fluid around the baby and then an appt. with my OB doctor. The doctor wanted to check the fluid levels because the medication that I am on to control the contractions and cramping can sometimes lead to decreased fluid. All is well though, my levels are on the high end of normal!! Yay! What great news! They also checked out the cervical length and it was great, even better than a month ago...wow. I am so thankful that the ultrasound appt went so well. The doctor was also very pleased! He said that as long as things are stable then "keep doing what you're doing" and he won't worry about a consult in Seattle with the perinatologist or having steroid shots just yet. He was even brave enough to say that I don't need to come see him for two weeks. (we'll see how that goes...haha) I'll be in the office anyways to have my shots on thursdays so he knows he'll probably see me then anyways while I am in to see the nurse! :)

I am so very thankful to our wonderful God for answering so many prayers for a sustained and healthy pregnancy at this point. He is great!! There are so many worries and I really try not to worry about what hasn't happened yet but with my frail human mind it is sometimes hard to keep only today's worries for today. I think that because of our previous loss of our little Emily at 24 weeks and our other subsequent difficult pregnancies and early deliveries it takes a lot of the naivety out of a pregnancy for me. I am however, constantly amazed that through faithful prayer, God gives me (and Brad) the strength to face every day with hope and excitement!!

By the way, the ultrasound technician today took some fun 3D shots of the baby and those are the pictures I'm posting here (one of a leg - with a foot tucked under it and one of the profile) :

25 weeks

Well, here we are a week later! Yay!

I saw the good doctor today and here's a little update. He wants me to stay on the motrin (600 mg every 6-8 hours) for the next week. It seems to work fairly well, doesn't take away the contractions alltogether but does lessen them as well as decreases the cramping. I should be laying down as much as I can. (easier said than done of course but Brad is acting as the bedrest police) :)

Next Tuesday I will have an ultrasound to check the fluid levels because the nsaid's (non-steroidal anti-infamalory drugs) like motrin can affect the baby's fluid and if it has decreased then I will need to switch medications. So far the doctor seems to think that there is enough fluid yet, I measure about 2 weeks bigger than I am at. Great news, another big Kuik baby :)

The doctor also discussed the benefits of starting a course of steroid shots (2 shots administered 24 hours apart) sometime in the next weeks. He may send me for an consult appt. in Seattle with a perinatologist (high-risk OB doctor) before doing that or switching medications. The benefits of the steroid shots (which I have had with the last two pregnancies) are quicker lung development for the baby. They do nothing for PTL (pre-term labor) or for the mother but are just to benefit the baby. The thing is they have the most effect when used within two weeks of delivery. They still have some effect after that but not as significant and they can only (should only) be given once in the pregnancy. So it's always a bit of a debate to decide when is a good time to administer. The doctor of course would like to see me stay pregnant for another 8+ weeks, as would I but also neither of us want to lose that window of opportunity to administer the steroids.

So, he'll see me again in one week, right after the ultrasound to decide on some of those things, providing that I behave this week and things are still going fairly well.

Thanks for keeping our family and our little one in your prayers!

hugs,
Kristi

24 weeks

Wow...can't believe it's been a month since I posted...I must've been so busy! (haha) I guess things have been moving along nicely for the most part. The first month after starting my 17p shots went really well. I noticed a difference that seemed to improve each week. For some reason the day before I was due for my fifth shot I started having some mild cramping and some more contractions. I figured it was because I was due for another shot but even after having that shot the next day the following week I felt about the same. Mild cramping, quite a few contractions and a general feeling of tightness, especially at night. So rest seems to help and it has been hard. Life seems to keep getting in the way :) but I am so excited to be at this point and that time hasn't been standing still like I thought it might!!

I saw the doctor this past thursday and he told me what to watch for and when to come in or call. So I will keep taking it easy (which is a little easier during the week when the girlies are at school) and hope for another good month. I feel like it might be here before I know it. (28 weeks...woohoo - can't wait). Plus, the doctor made me promise not to have the baby in the next month so I guess I won't :)

I told Brad the other day that so much of my thoughts / time is spent on trying to stay pregnant that I sometimes forget or lose sight of the fact that in few months we'll have a little baby sleeping in our room and cuddling with us! WOW! It's kind of surreal. Maybe also because until I am at this point in the pregnancy I always wonder if I'll even make it this far. Well, here I am! Hopefully another month or so and we can really start planning and buying a few things. Can't wait!