8/22/08 1:15 am
By 11 pm contractions were not regularly 5 minutes apart but they were very intense and lasted almost a minute. They were 5-8 minutes apart but pain was becoming unbearable and we did not want to rush to the hospital in the middle of the night. So we decided to pack and leave for the hospital; with readiness to come back which did look like the possibility. We reached the hospital at around 12:05 and we parked in the visitors parking and took the spot closest to the door leading to the lobby. Closed. We walked around to the main entrance and there was a sign saying we should use ER entrance after 8 pm. I wonder if they ever told us that during childbirth classes. Anyway, so we walked around the building again and found the ER entrance. A sigh of relief. Took elevator A to 4th floor and registered immediately. They had our file ready since we had already called a few times previous evening already but delayed our arrival with the fear of having to go back if were not dilated to a point where they would admit us. After registration we will be taken to the triage room where they will make sure that we were worthy or getting a bed.
At the triage room they would also make sure that water had broken. They did the usual checkups and observed contractions. Then an assistant doctor came in to make sure that the water had broken. She will be taking a fluid sample and looking under microscope to make sure that the fluid has characteristics that would suggest that it was from inside uterus. She could not get far enough to get the sample and we will have to wait for the resident doctor. After a little while a resident doctor came in and took the sample and check how much was she dilated. 4 centimeters!! We had already transitioned into active labor and that, as per my knowledge from books, qualifies us to get a bed. We will not be driving back home. Not tonight. Sample under the microscope also suggeted that the water was broke. Congratulations.
8/22/08 3:15 am
It has been two hours since we were brought to the labor and delivery room. Contractions became stronger and were becoming unbearable. We had not even unpacked. Forget inflating the birthing ball or setting up music. There was no time and I would not be leaving her side. We talked to the nurse about our birthing plan; that we prefer for this to be as natural birth as possible and she would not want to be offered pain medications until she is ready. We will be breastfeeding and we do not want any pacifiers to be offered to the baby. By 2:15 labor pain had become unbereable for her. Contractions were hitting very hard and we had tried all positions. She was starting to give into pain and I could not blame her. I was only watching the numbers go by on machines and I was ready to offer her drugs or epidural if it was upto me. It was time to discuss our options. Nurse explained the two kinds and we decided to start with narcotics but she will have to call in experts to make sure it was right time and choice for her. It may take up to 20 minutes before she can get any pain medication. The resident doctor showed up at around 2:30 to see how far along we were. 9 centimeters he said. And we were like, 9 what? He said yes, 9 centimeters!!!
But there was some bad news with that. Bad news was that it was not advisable to take any pain medication now. Medications will take some timem to be arranged and then it will also be some time before medications kicks in. With the pace her labor was progressing at, it could be time to push by the time medication kicks in. We were 1 centimeter from fully dilated but pain was making her weak. Also, with no medication to help contractions were draining all energy out of her body. Minal could not bear the pain anymore and we asked for a narcotic. Before they could give her a narcotic the resident doctor came in to check her once again. He said there is no time. She is 10 + 2. I asked 10 + what? He said she is fully dialated and two steps ahead after full dialation. She can begin pushing if she wanted to. I was so excited. I looked at Minal and said it will all be over in a couple of hours. She was ready to push and we thought may be an hour more before a beautiful baby is in our hands.
8/22/08 6:15 am
After three hours of rigorous pushing we are still in labor and delivery room. With little bit of "cheating" we could see the head two hours ago. But since then there has been no progress. With every push the baby's head peeks out a little bit and then goes back again. We have switched from baby monitor on Minal's belly to one on baby's head. With contractions so intense and pushing so exhausting there was no way Minal could bear the nurse pressing on her belly every few seconds to keep a tab on baby's heart rate. Now baby's heart rate can be constantly monitored and, with every push, we see the wire come out a little and then go back as soon as the push ends. I am not sure where she was getting all the energy from to be able to push like that after so many hours in labor. May be it was the fear of C-section or excitement to meet our baby. One thing I was sure about; that I do not want to see Minal in so much pain again. Once all this is over we will forget about this every happened and at least I won't be thinking about a second baby.
At about 6:30 the delivery doctor showed up looking like he just woke up from a good night sleep. Careless about how much pain she was in he continued to glance through papers and screens to grasp in minutes what we had gone through in 9 months. Just felt like wacking him in his head!! Then the master spoke. He said it does not look like the baby wants to come out this way. He was in no doubt that Minal was doing a fantastic job pushing but with no progress in two hours we will have to take other measures. He mentioned the word C and that is last word neither of us wanted to hear or were prepared to hear. All 9 months of pregnancy we never, even once, thought that it could very well happen to us. We asked for other alternatives.
The doctor mentioned two. One was to try vaccum but that would still require Minal to keep pushing and did not look like she had any more energy left. The other was to let her take and epidural and rest for few hours. But after those few hours we may be back at this point. All of it was happening so fast. We had no time to think but Minal and I knew one thing. No C-section. We opted for vaccum since Minal agreed to push with all her strength. Everything was ready in 5 minutes and we tried to pull baby's head out for another 15 minutes. No luck. And doctor brought C word again into conversation. At this point the doctor was convinced that baby's head was in such a position that it will not be coming out through vaginal opening. I asked about the epidural option. But with epidural, he said, we will only be wasting time. During that time the baby will be uncomfortable and mom's labor will be stretched out unnecessarily. I could not believe we had no other option. We never even imagined we will have to go for C-section. From baby's development to moms weight gain to baby's head down position and full dialation without pain medication. It appeared everthing was going so well. And now we were left with no other choice. It seemed people with planned C-section were better off. We reluctantly agreed.
8/22/08 7:15 am
We heard a cry. It was our baby's first cry. It was amazing. Tears went down our cheeks while I sat behind a curtain holding Minal's hand. The nurse wrapped her and brought her to us. A beautiful baby girl was in my hands. She looked like a big girl for mommy. I don't believe words can ever describe the feeling when we saw her for the first time. She was perfect.
Minal was still feeling guilty. She thought she could have avoided the surgery by pushing harder. Little did she know that even after complete exhaustion she pushed so hard that baby's head was half way through. The doctor looked over the curtain and said - "There is no way she was coming out through vaginal opening. She was 'sunny side up' (facing the ceiling) and you did the best you could do which is evident from her cone shaped head. So stop feeling guilty." She weighed 8 lbs and 2 ozs. A big girl for our mommy. Her belly was mostly baby and no more.
Doctor's will take some time to sew her up and I accompanied the nurse to the nursery where basic measurements and other basic exams will be done.
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Water broke, 8/21/08 @ 9:37 pm
I did not think this is how I will learn about her water breaking. She went to the loo and felt a gush of water flowing through. She flushes it out and then tells me her water broke. I had more dramatic scenes run and re-run in my mind about how and where her water will break.
So there is some progress. Talked to the doctor a couple of times before the water broke and they still want us to watch for 5-1-1. Or we could go to the hospital and get checked with readiness to return home if we are not that far in labor. Well, now the water broke so we are coming. May be we will time contractions one last time before we go. But the doctors should know that water broke.
So there is some progress. Talked to the doctor a couple of times before the water broke and they still want us to watch for 5-1-1. Or we could go to the hospital and get checked with readiness to return home if we are not that far in labor. Well, now the water broke so we are coming. May be we will time contractions one last time before we go. But the doctors should know that water broke.
Mucus plug gone, still waiting
Neither I nor she has any idea what is going on inside her body. Contractions are definitely not 5-1-1 which is what the hospital wants before they can take her in. They should be 5 minutes apart, each should last about a minute and this should go on for at least an hour. We have called the maternity a couple of times but have been asked to wait until we reach 5-1-1.
The problem is that we are seeing two different sets of contractions. When she is lying down contractions are very intense, last longer but are still probably 6-8 minutes apart. When she sits up contractions are less intense, last only about 35 seconds and are 6-10 minutes apart. So we are confused. At least we know that mucus plug is now dislodged and water could break next.
The problem is that we are seeing two different sets of contractions. When she is lying down contractions are very intense, last longer but are still probably 6-8 minutes apart. When she sits up contractions are less intense, last only about 35 seconds and are 6-10 minutes apart. So we are confused. At least we know that mucus plug is now dislodged and water could break next.
8/21/08 5:05 pm
It has been almost 16 hours since contractions started last night. This could be called the longest early stage of labor. All morning and also until couple of hours after lunch contractions were coming in but stayed between 35 and 45 seconds. Whether relaxing on bed or sitting up chatting contractions continued to come anywhere between 5 and 15 minutes apart.
Late afternoon the intensity increased and Minal has been fighting with that. Not only that but she also took readings from 3 and 4 pm while I took a booster nap. Contractions are now lasting between 50 and 60 seconds ranging from 6-10 minutes apart. Hoping to get to 5 minutes apart in next couple of hours and get those dots in a straight line.
Late afternoon the intensity increased and Minal has been fighting with that. Not only that but she also took readings from 3 and 4 pm while I took a booster nap. Contractions are now lasting between 50 and 60 seconds ranging from 6-10 minutes apart. Hoping to get to 5 minutes apart in next couple of hours and get those dots in a straight line.
8/21/08 10:00 am
Contractions became long between 7 and 8 am lasting between 45 and 55 seconds. Also we noticed a few being 5 minutes apart. So we said lets get ready and then count them again. Both showered and I shaved, cancelled meetings, took the day off and most of the stuff in car. By that time the intensity got less with each contractions lasting for about 30-35 seconds. So we decided to have breakfast. It has been half hour past breakfast and contractions have lost the frequency, intensity and are not lasting that long either. So we wait. May be most of the day will go by.
Minal says the baby is going to be like me. Because I am always early to whereever I need to get to :)
Minal says the baby is going to be like me. Because I am always early to whereever I need to get to :)
8/21/08 4 am
Contractions are still only lasting for about 30 seconds. Good and bad both happened between the last post and this post. Good thing is that we decided to sleep; and we did for some time. Bad thing is that when she woke up around 3:15 she noticed some discharge and we aren't sure whether it was just the mucus plug that popped or the water broke.
Does not look like the water broke because there wasn't as much water. I am calling the office in the morning because they should know if the water broke. What do we tell them? That we are not sure? May be they will ask us to come in for a checkup and then we will know.
Back to bed
Does not look like the water broke because there wasn't as much water. I am calling the office in the morning because they should know if the water broke. What do we tell them? That we are not sure? May be they will ask us to come in for a checkup and then we will know.
Back to bed
Contractions kicked in
8/21/08 1:27 AM
Contractions have started. They came in out of the blue. Or may be I triggered those. I am known to have 'Kaali Jabaan'. Minal and I had a bet on a bollywood song which she won and started doing her dance moves. This was at about 11:30 pm and I said ' Don't dance too much; it might induce labor'. It was a few months ago at a local Pizzeria that she had felt what she thought was a contraction. But it was too early. Since then she had not even felt any Braxton Hicks. And right after midnight her contractions started. At first they were 6 minutes apart and lasted only a few seconds. Then she had a little bit of blood in her urine and sure I called the doctor to find out if it was normal. It is.
Contractions are now lasting longer (about 40 seconds) but frequency seems to be decreasing. Now they are about 12 minutes apart. We will be watching those and hopefully Minal can get some sleep and get through the night. I hope the intensity increases only after day light. I will be working from home.
Here comes another one - 7 minutes after the last one. But this one was short (~30 seconds) and not that intense. So may be we can get through the night.
Contractions have started. They came in out of the blue. Or may be I triggered those. I am known to have 'Kaali Jabaan'. Minal and I had a bet on a bollywood song which she won and started doing her dance moves. This was at about 11:30 pm and I said ' Don't dance too much; it might induce labor'. It was a few months ago at a local Pizzeria that she had felt what she thought was a contraction. But it was too early. Since then she had not even felt any Braxton Hicks. And right after midnight her contractions started. At first they were 6 minutes apart and lasted only a few seconds. Then she had a little bit of blood in her urine and sure I called the doctor to find out if it was normal. It is.
Contractions are now lasting longer (about 40 seconds) but frequency seems to be decreasing. Now they are about 12 minutes apart. We will be watching those and hopefully Minal can get some sleep and get through the night. I hope the intensity increases only after day light. I will be working from home.
Here comes another one - 7 minutes after the last one. But this one was short (~30 seconds) and not that intense. So may be we can get through the night.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Is my brain multitasking?
I have always liked to think that my brain can multitask but on several occasions I have found that it does not. Like if we had a big vacation coming in a couple of days or some other personal project coming up I found myself thinking about it even at work. Not just thinking but planning and just plain waiting for it and not doing much at work.
I am back to that now. Two days to due date and I find myself idling at work. Thinking about all things relating to baby, labor and delivery and not concentrating much on what needs to be done at work. My brain is not a multi-tasker after all. I just sit here pretending to work while writing away blog entries.
I am back to that now. Two days to due date and I find myself idling at work. Thinking about all things relating to baby, labor and delivery and not concentrating much on what needs to be done at work. My brain is not a multi-tasker after all. I just sit here pretending to work while writing away blog entries.
Not enough pictures
During early weeks of pregnancy I was keen on taking pictures but Minal wanted to wait until her belly had grown enough to make her look pregnant. When belly started showing she wanted to wait until her belly was in 'perfect round shape' as she had seen on some of magazine covers. Then we got busy with moving and other projects at work and what not. After her parents arrived her mom wanted to click at all times but Minal will want her to wait until her hair and outfit were worthy of a good picture. Result? We do have some pictures of her pregnancy but not that many.
It was last night that we realized that soon her pregnant belly will be gone and that we won't have enough pictures. She blamed it on me and I agreed. I should have been clicking more not caring about whether her belly or outfit is photogenic or not. Lets see how many can we click until the baby decides to come out. Two days to the due date!!
It was last night that we realized that soon her pregnant belly will be gone and that we won't have enough pictures. She blamed it on me and I agreed. I should have been clicking more not caring about whether her belly or outfit is photogenic or not. Lets see how many can we click until the baby decides to come out. Two days to the due date!!
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Counting down to the due date
Countdown that you see here has been on our desktops since past week. A few moments ago I pressed Windows key + D on my keyboard to access some document from my desktop and my eyes just got stuck on this. I noticed that the baby inside that movie has started moving faster, for some reason. My heart is racing right now and I do not know why. May be it is just that paranoid feeling that I get everytime - that may be I am forgetting something. Something that should be done but has not and I don't know about it yet. Or may be it is realization that the day is getting closer and I am scared by the thought that we will be responsible for a life for next 16 years, at least. I used to scare Minal with this but never thought I will get scared too when it is time.
I don't remember when I last felt this scared. My heart is just pounding away.
I don't remember when I last felt this scared. My heart is just pounding away.
An ultrasound; yet another
After 36 weeks into pregnancy prenatal visits switched to being every week. Since then I have been able to accompany her to only one of those and she went to others with her mom. She went alone last Monday. The first time she went with her mom she wanted the doctor to confirm whether the baby was still head down. They did an ultrasound and figured the baby was in fact head down. Mom, not being able to understand the language, didn't realize the purpose and was concerned.
For past week she has been feeling relatively less movements but there are still probably 10 movements every 2 hours which is what is required. On her last visit she did not say the latter part and the doctor recommended an ultrasound. The nurse found the baby head down, further descended and most active of babies she saw that day. Everything fine and on track. But the fact that they did an ultrasound got her mom concerned yet again and she would not relax until I explained that it was the only way for them to look inside and make sure everything was ok. And they were only doing that to investigate Minal's concerns about baby not being head down or not moving enough.
1 cm dialated but no effacement. Huh? Is that possible? I guess it is and I have not gone back to books to find out. But 1cm dialated means the time could be anytime this week. Hospital bag is zipped and sitting in the corner of the room. Depending on how she progresses in next couple of days I may start working from home after Wednesday.
It is happening. It was only 2 and half years ago when we left behind single life and moved on to embrace 'us' and 'we'. It is now time to move on to 'our little one' and 'our family'.
For past week she has been feeling relatively less movements but there are still probably 10 movements every 2 hours which is what is required. On her last visit she did not say the latter part and the doctor recommended an ultrasound. The nurse found the baby head down, further descended and most active of babies she saw that day. Everything fine and on track. But the fact that they did an ultrasound got her mom concerned yet again and she would not relax until I explained that it was the only way for them to look inside and make sure everything was ok. And they were only doing that to investigate Minal's concerns about baby not being head down or not moving enough.
1 cm dialated but no effacement. Huh? Is that possible? I guess it is and I have not gone back to books to find out. But 1cm dialated means the time could be anytime this week. Hospital bag is zipped and sitting in the corner of the room. Depending on how she progresses in next couple of days I may start working from home after Wednesday.
It is happening. It was only 2 and half years ago when we left behind single life and moved on to embrace 'us' and 'we'. It is now time to move on to 'our little one' and 'our family'.
Thursday, August 14, 2008
From 20th to 40th
It is amazing how time flies. I am sure it did not as much for Minal as it did for me. The last update was at 20th week and we are at the door of 40th now. 8 days to go! Lots of things happened during these 20 weeks (jeez 20 weeks sounds less but it has been 5 months!!!)
- We did move to a new apartment in Royal Crest. Thanks to all friends how helped out otherwise third floor and no movers would have been a recipe for suicide. Although we did not like the apartment and I managed to fight with the management a couple of times, we did eventually forget about the apartment and started concentrating on more important things ahead in life.
- Minal had to give blood twice for her gestational diabetes test. The first came out to be positive which we could not believe and scared the hell out of us. Next round of blood sucking tests showed everything normal.
- Minal also stopped flying at about 28 weeks which was a relief; for her. With no more luggage to drag around and no more flights to wait for and ride she was able to save some physical energy. But she did not rest enough even at home since she would be working non-stop from home. She is a real workaholic but then she enjoys her work a lot.
- My in-laws arrived on 18th of June (can't believe it has been two months since they arrived). They were completely syched at how much Minal works even being at home but soon they realized it is part of her life. They brought a lot of baby clothes and other baby items. Obviously they are excited at the thought of being grand parents. With our completely different life styles we have had interesting anecdotes, conversations and arguments. We have had several trips to grocery stores, nearby lakes and gardens as well as to nearby farm for berry picking. My mother in law has managed to scare her teeth of any berries now. That is how many unripe berries she has had. Sad thing is we have not had a chance to take them out on any decent trip and chances are we are not going to be able to until a month after the baby is born. So hang in there mom and dad!
- During these 20 weeks we also attended a classes on breastfeeding, child CPR and childbirth. Last week we finished our last in series of 5 classes on childbirth and got ourselves a certificate!! We are ready it seems.
- The baby has been growing at a steady rate and we have gone from hardly feeling any baby movements to baby elbow poking her ribs and making arcs from inside her belly. Baby's bones have been getting stronger and her hiccups have not stopped. Mom has gone from gaining a 3 pounds every two weeks to gaining a pound every week. She is now at around 163. I have not be able to go for last 2 prenatal visits and mom-to-be and her mom have had a chance to get out spend time together.
- We also managed to surprise our mom-to-be with a successful baby shower. You can see the pictures. It was a lot of fun and I managed to completely sych people with my answers to questions in one of the games. It was to find out how much dad-to-be knows mom-to-be. And I aced it! Ok getting off of the soap box. But thanks to Aps and Raji without whose support we would not have been able to pull the surprise. Mom and dad were happy to see that we *do* socialize a bit.
- A week before the baby shower we had the traditional 'God Bharai' at home. This is a tradition where mom-to-be is showered with gifts and blessings. Usually performed by her mom. You should be able find pictures here.
- After baby shower there also has been a lot of shopping, lot of returns and lot of shuffling through gift cards and coupons. It has just been crazy with the shopping and mom-to-be :). Returns is what really drives me crazy but hey I should complain only if I can grow a baby inside me. So she deserves it!! As a result of so much shopping and hopping around we think we have all the essentials at home. We did moved things around in our bedroom and also put a few things up to make it look like a baby is also going to be dwelling in the same room. We got the car brakes repaired and also have the car seat installed. We are good to go!
Phew! lots of updates. But above paragraphs cannot even come close to summarizing how many emotions have flown through during past twenty weeks. Minal has been an amazing mom-to-be not only taking care of herself and the baby but also keeping an eye on and making sure everybody else at home is comfortable. I am glad that she now has some breathing time since she quit work last Friday. Two weeks is the least she deserves after 38 weeks of office and house work during pregnancy. She can at least take afternoon naps. I wish her all the luck and strength to cope with labor. Of course I am gonna be at your side honey!
Finally managed to talk to the nurse at the pediatrician's office. We have now decided who is going to be our baby's doctor. One battle still continues and I think it is going to go on until the baby arrives. And that is baby's name. Not just first or last but also about the middle name. I don't suppose we have a final verdict on any of the names yet (first, middle or last). It is ultimately going to be whatever mom wants. She deserves to name our baby whatever she wants.
- We did move to a new apartment in Royal Crest. Thanks to all friends how helped out otherwise third floor and no movers would have been a recipe for suicide. Although we did not like the apartment and I managed to fight with the management a couple of times, we did eventually forget about the apartment and started concentrating on more important things ahead in life.
- Minal had to give blood twice for her gestational diabetes test. The first came out to be positive which we could not believe and scared the hell out of us. Next round of blood sucking tests showed everything normal.
- Minal also stopped flying at about 28 weeks which was a relief; for her. With no more luggage to drag around and no more flights to wait for and ride she was able to save some physical energy. But she did not rest enough even at home since she would be working non-stop from home. She is a real workaholic but then she enjoys her work a lot.
- My in-laws arrived on 18th of June (can't believe it has been two months since they arrived). They were completely syched at how much Minal works even being at home but soon they realized it is part of her life. They brought a lot of baby clothes and other baby items. Obviously they are excited at the thought of being grand parents. With our completely different life styles we have had interesting anecdotes, conversations and arguments. We have had several trips to grocery stores, nearby lakes and gardens as well as to nearby farm for berry picking. My mother in law has managed to scare her teeth of any berries now. That is how many unripe berries she has had. Sad thing is we have not had a chance to take them out on any decent trip and chances are we are not going to be able to until a month after the baby is born. So hang in there mom and dad!
- During these 20 weeks we also attended a classes on breastfeeding, child CPR and childbirth. Last week we finished our last in series of 5 classes on childbirth and got ourselves a certificate!! We are ready it seems.
- The baby has been growing at a steady rate and we have gone from hardly feeling any baby movements to baby elbow poking her ribs and making arcs from inside her belly. Baby's bones have been getting stronger and her hiccups have not stopped. Mom has gone from gaining a 3 pounds every two weeks to gaining a pound every week. She is now at around 163. I have not be able to go for last 2 prenatal visits and mom-to-be and her mom have had a chance to get out spend time together.
- We also managed to surprise our mom-to-be with a successful baby shower. You can see the pictures. It was a lot of fun and I managed to completely sych people with my answers to questions in one of the games. It was to find out how much dad-to-be knows mom-to-be. And I aced it! Ok getting off of the soap box. But thanks to Aps and Raji without whose support we would not have been able to pull the surprise. Mom and dad were happy to see that we *do* socialize a bit.
- A week before the baby shower we had the traditional 'God Bharai' at home. This is a tradition where mom-to-be is showered with gifts and blessings. Usually performed by her mom. You should be able find pictures here.
- After baby shower there also has been a lot of shopping, lot of returns and lot of shuffling through gift cards and coupons. It has just been crazy with the shopping and mom-to-be :). Returns is what really drives me crazy but hey I should complain only if I can grow a baby inside me. So she deserves it!! As a result of so much shopping and hopping around we think we have all the essentials at home. We did moved things around in our bedroom and also put a few things up to make it look like a baby is also going to be dwelling in the same room. We got the car brakes repaired and also have the car seat installed. We are good to go!
Phew! lots of updates. But above paragraphs cannot even come close to summarizing how many emotions have flown through during past twenty weeks. Minal has been an amazing mom-to-be not only taking care of herself and the baby but also keeping an eye on and making sure everybody else at home is comfortable. I am glad that she now has some breathing time since she quit work last Friday. Two weeks is the least she deserves after 38 weeks of office and house work during pregnancy. She can at least take afternoon naps. I wish her all the luck and strength to cope with labor. Of course I am gonna be at your side honey!
Finally managed to talk to the nurse at the pediatrician's office. We have now decided who is going to be our baby's doctor. One battle still continues and I think it is going to go on until the baby arrives. And that is baby's name. Not just first or last but also about the middle name. I don't suppose we have a final verdict on any of the names yet (first, middle or last). It is ultimately going to be whatever mom wants. She deserves to name our baby whatever she wants.
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Mommy got a promotion!
Minal's two years of hard work at IBM has paid off. She has been promoted to band 8, which puts her in same band as most of project managers she has worked with. There is at least some reward for those early morning flights, long working hours and being away from home.
Congratulations Mommy!
I know how much Minal loves her consulting job and she would love to continue consulting; only if it did not require traveling. It remains to be seen how things will shape up when, and if, she decides to go back to work. Right now she should be looking forward to a long long vacation and months and months of bonding times with our girl that she so badly wanted.
PS: Daddy got one too!
Congratulations Mommy!
I know how much Minal loves her consulting job and she would love to continue consulting; only if it did not require traveling. It remains to be seen how things will shape up when, and if, she decides to go back to work. Right now she should be looking forward to a long long vacation and months and months of bonding times with our girl that she so badly wanted.
PS: Daddy got one too!
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
20th week update
Prenatal visit at 19 weeks and 3 days
As Minal is cruising around (relatively speaking) in her second trimester there was not much dialog expected during this visit. This was supposed to be a formality (again, relatively speaking) than anything else. Her weight gain is in normal range; something that she does not believe since people keep telling her that she is not showing. Urine test showed everything normal. And we are done!
But wait, there was one that was to be highlight of this visit and one that we were looking forward to. That was results from Sequential Screening Test. We were to know results from Ultrasound and blood work at around 13 weeks combined with results from blood work around 15th week. This was to make sure the baby does not have any genetic disorder or Spina Bifida - abnormalities in baby's spine. The doctor discussed the results in detail and everything, according to the doctor, was normal and there was no reason for any concern whatsoever. We would have loved if she had stopped there. But she was "obligated" to discuss even more. So she started explaining numbers.
Before any tests actually take place pre-test numbers are arrived at based on ethinicity, genetic history etc. And then those numbers are compared with numbers from actual tests. For Spina Bifida, our pre-test numbers were 1 in 900. So far so good. But our post-test numbers indicated our baby had 1 in a 450 chance of developing abnormalities in spine. There goes "everything is normal" out the door. Minal starts gulping air and I start asking questions and trying to prove how those numbers could be wrong. The doctor did say that everything was normal. So what was that based on? Sure enough pre and post test numbers showed that chances of our baby having spine abnormalities had increased but 'everything is ok' was based on Ultrasound that she had 18th week. Ultrasound (visually and based on other measurements) showed that the spine was developing fine and was perfectly normal. Phew!
But that definitely does not do it for the first time expectant parents. The doctor could see the stress and concern on our faces and suggested that we could go for another ultrasound a few weeks later to re-confirm that everything was ok. Sure enough we opted for a second ultrasound.
About the rash
The rash has started to subside and is actually almost gone. Eucerine did it. Although it may take a long while for the pigmentation to give way to normal skin color. No more cream to prevent stretch marks (ouch!). Although she will continue to use Aveeno which help in stretching and hopefully she won't get any marks on her belly. Better than some scary looking rash that we don't know how it will affect the baby.
Boy or Girl
Yes we know! This is actually old news because we found out during Ultrasound at the 18th week. Remember how I had completely brainwashed Minal and led her into believing that we are having a boy no matter how much she wants a girl? Well, she won. We are having a baby girl!!
I do not know how God has been picking up signs but his system seems to be picking up wrong signs. During our long drives I used to pretend to have conversations with our imaginary child. And during those conversations I used to try to turn our child against the mom. And guess what name I gave to our imaginary child. Pinky. So there. Pinky is on her way. This is just like when we said ok, we are ready to have a baby and boom! Sure He is picking up wrong signs. I know what you are thinking. That this guys does not seem to be happy to have a girl. Well, that is not true friends. I am as much thrilled to have a girl as I would have been to have a boy. Just that I was wrong!
Other updates
We are almost packed and move is scheduled for next week. With having lost my right hand (Minal that is) I was thinking of calling movers. But a bunch of friends have offered to help and this week is our last week in Framingham. I am sure we will miss the convenience of all stores, malls and restaurants within a couple of miles from our apartment. But then Royal Crest Estates is a nicer place where Minal will get enough ground for her walks and it will also be a pleasant location for our folks. That reminds me Minal's parents are scheduled to arrive next month. But we are thinking of moving their arrival out by another month since Minal won't stop traveling may be until middle of June.
As Minal is cruising around (relatively speaking) in her second trimester there was not much dialog expected during this visit. This was supposed to be a formality (again, relatively speaking) than anything else. Her weight gain is in normal range; something that she does not believe since people keep telling her that she is not showing. Urine test showed everything normal. And we are done!
But wait, there was one that was to be highlight of this visit and one that we were looking forward to. That was results from Sequential Screening Test. We were to know results from Ultrasound and blood work at around 13 weeks combined with results from blood work around 15th week. This was to make sure the baby does not have any genetic disorder or Spina Bifida - abnormalities in baby's spine. The doctor discussed the results in detail and everything, according to the doctor, was normal and there was no reason for any concern whatsoever. We would have loved if she had stopped there. But she was "obligated" to discuss even more. So she started explaining numbers.
Before any tests actually take place pre-test numbers are arrived at based on ethinicity, genetic history etc. And then those numbers are compared with numbers from actual tests. For Spina Bifida, our pre-test numbers were 1 in 900. So far so good. But our post-test numbers indicated our baby had 1 in a 450 chance of developing abnormalities in spine. There goes "everything is normal" out the door. Minal starts gulping air and I start asking questions and trying to prove how those numbers could be wrong. The doctor did say that everything was normal. So what was that based on? Sure enough pre and post test numbers showed that chances of our baby having spine abnormalities had increased but 'everything is ok' was based on Ultrasound that she had 18th week. Ultrasound (visually and based on other measurements) showed that the spine was developing fine and was perfectly normal. Phew!
But that definitely does not do it for the first time expectant parents. The doctor could see the stress and concern on our faces and suggested that we could go for another ultrasound a few weeks later to re-confirm that everything was ok. Sure enough we opted for a second ultrasound.
About the rash
The rash has started to subside and is actually almost gone. Eucerine did it. Although it may take a long while for the pigmentation to give way to normal skin color. No more cream to prevent stretch marks (ouch!). Although she will continue to use Aveeno which help in stretching and hopefully she won't get any marks on her belly. Better than some scary looking rash that we don't know how it will affect the baby.
Boy or Girl
Yes we know! This is actually old news because we found out during Ultrasound at the 18th week. Remember how I had completely brainwashed Minal and led her into believing that we are having a boy no matter how much she wants a girl? Well, she won. We are having a baby girl!!
I do not know how God has been picking up signs but his system seems to be picking up wrong signs. During our long drives I used to pretend to have conversations with our imaginary child. And during those conversations I used to try to turn our child against the mom. And guess what name I gave to our imaginary child. Pinky. So there. Pinky is on her way. This is just like when we said ok, we are ready to have a baby and boom! Sure He is picking up wrong signs. I know what you are thinking. That this guys does not seem to be happy to have a girl. Well, that is not true friends. I am as much thrilled to have a girl as I would have been to have a boy. Just that I was wrong!
Other updates
We are almost packed and move is scheduled for next week. With having lost my right hand (Minal that is) I was thinking of calling movers. But a bunch of friends have offered to help and this week is our last week in Framingham. I am sure we will miss the convenience of all stores, malls and restaurants within a couple of miles from our apartment. But then Royal Crest Estates is a nicer place where Minal will get enough ground for her walks and it will also be a pleasant location for our folks. That reminds me Minal's parents are scheduled to arrive next month. But we are thinking of moving their arrival out by another month since Minal won't stop traveling may be until middle of June.
Friday, March 28, 2008
Is it a boy?
Since the day we found we were pregnant Minal and I have been debating whether we should find out sex of the baby. I have always wanted to know. And all this time I have only been pointing her to signs that will lead her to thinking it is a boy. I think I have succeeded in making her believe we are having a boy. Truth is I have no clue but I am hoping for a boy. Not that I prefer boy to a girl but only because whenever I think of a baby of our own I can only see a boy. Does not matter that Minal has had a picture of a baby girl above her desk at home and that she also hopes for a girl. I just can't see a girl.
Up until yesterday Minal kept saying that I should find out if it is a boy or a girl and she will still want to be a surprise. Only because she thinks I will be able to bond more with the baby if I knew baby's sex. And I believe she is right. But doctor isn't going to tell us only because I want to know. It is her word that counts when it comes to whether or not we want to know the sex. In fact only her word counts throughout pregnancy unless when she is incapable of making decision. So all I need to do is prove that is not capable of making this decision. Hmmm how do I do that?
Anyway, last night Minal said that we should find out because she can't wait either. Knowing what we are having will only double the joy. So I think we are going to find out. Monday is our big day. She will be around 19 weeks and 4 days into her pregnancy and ultrasound is scheduled for that day. Stay tuned!!
Up until yesterday Minal kept saying that I should find out if it is a boy or a girl and she will still want to be a surprise. Only because she thinks I will be able to bond more with the baby if I knew baby's sex. And I believe she is right. But doctor isn't going to tell us only because I want to know. It is her word that counts when it comes to whether or not we want to know the sex. In fact only her word counts throughout pregnancy unless when she is incapable of making decision. So all I need to do is prove that is not capable of making this decision. Hmmm how do I do that?
Anyway, last night Minal said that we should find out because she can't wait either. Knowing what we are having will only double the joy. So I think we are going to find out. Monday is our big day. She will be around 19 weeks and 4 days into her pregnancy and ultrasound is scheduled for that day. Stay tuned!!
She now has a buddy
Minal has never been one of those people who believe friends are a must in life. So I am not surprised to find that she has not made friends with many. I mean she is friends with my friends and my family friends but I am talking about friends-friends. But everybody likes a pregnancy buddy right? And I did not think she was going to find one since none of my friends were thinking of starting a family yet except M and P; but they had a baby girl a few weeks ago.
Last weekend brought pleasant surprises. B and V paid us a visit and we thought this was because we had not met since we shared the news of our pregnancy. But that was not that. They are going for another baby and B is 14 weeks pregnant! Boom, there is Minal's pregnancy buddy. I could already hear them talking pregnancy. I know they probably won't be on phone with each other everyday but at least they know they can talk to each other knowing that the person on the other end knows exactly what she is talking about. You would think that is a husband's job and you may be you are right but we can only provide moral support. We can't relate to being constipated or to pain caused by sciatic nerve!
Last weekend brought pleasant surprises. B and V paid us a visit and we thought this was because we had not met since we shared the news of our pregnancy. But that was not that. They are going for another baby and B is 14 weeks pregnant! Boom, there is Minal's pregnancy buddy. I could already hear them talking pregnancy. I know they probably won't be on phone with each other everyday but at least they know they can talk to each other knowing that the person on the other end knows exactly what she is talking about. You would think that is a husband's job and you may be you are right but we can only provide moral support. We can't relate to being constipated or to pain caused by sciatic nerve!
Monday, March 24, 2008
Updates
Belly Rash
Hydrocortisone was working at an amazinginly slow pace. Or so we thought until Minal started getting itchy around her lips. She thought it could be a side effect from the cream and she went online to check if there were any side effects. Not only she found that that could be one of the side effects she also found that Hydrocortisone had a FDA rating C and was not recommended for use by pregnant women without consulting their doctors!!! This is because it contains steroids that could potentially pass through the skin into the placenta and can be harmful to the baby! She got so mad. I mean here we are trusting our doctor and she goes on suggesting something potentially harmful to our baby without even mentioning side effects. I was pissed off too and I called immediately to get an appointment with a Dermatologist for Friday.
At the Dermatologist we found that her skin being sensitive was reacting very quickly to steroids and was depositing pigments very quickly. Which is why all affected areas were getting all brownish. Basically her entire belly. But the rash apparently was an early break out of PUPPP that usually is seen after 30 weeks of pregnancy. The nurse suggested using natural alternatives such as Aveeno Oatmeal bath and/or Eucerine. She assured that use of steroids so far is not going to affect our baby in anyway.
Minal has been using Eucerine for a couple of days and that seems to be taking care of the rash. But we are afraid that brown color from pigment deposits is going to stay for a long long time.
Lesson learned: no matter how trusting you want your relationship with you gynaecologist to be, you always have to explicity ask about the side effects of anything that he/she suggest. And, do not use anything in pregnancy withough Googling on it.
Is the baby moving?
Probably not. Although she has felt those exact movements a couple of times on different days it is probably not the baby moving. We will have to wait and watch for obvious (or mysterious) signs of baby moving. Probably a feeling of bubble floating around in the belly? Or may be we will have to wait until skin has thinned enough and baby is big enough for us to see his moving elbow making running impressions on her belly. I guess we just wait.
Hydrocortisone was working at an amazinginly slow pace. Or so we thought until Minal started getting itchy around her lips. She thought it could be a side effect from the cream and she went online to check if there were any side effects. Not only she found that that could be one of the side effects she also found that Hydrocortisone had a FDA rating C and was not recommended for use by pregnant women without consulting their doctors!!! This is because it contains steroids that could potentially pass through the skin into the placenta and can be harmful to the baby! She got so mad. I mean here we are trusting our doctor and she goes on suggesting something potentially harmful to our baby without even mentioning side effects. I was pissed off too and I called immediately to get an appointment with a Dermatologist for Friday.
At the Dermatologist we found that her skin being sensitive was reacting very quickly to steroids and was depositing pigments very quickly. Which is why all affected areas were getting all brownish. Basically her entire belly. But the rash apparently was an early break out of PUPPP that usually is seen after 30 weeks of pregnancy. The nurse suggested using natural alternatives such as Aveeno Oatmeal bath and/or Eucerine. She assured that use of steroids so far is not going to affect our baby in anyway.
Minal has been using Eucerine for a couple of days and that seems to be taking care of the rash. But we are afraid that brown color from pigment deposits is going to stay for a long long time.
Lesson learned: no matter how trusting you want your relationship with you gynaecologist to be, you always have to explicity ask about the side effects of anything that he/she suggest. And, do not use anything in pregnancy withough Googling on it.
Is the baby moving?
Probably not. Although she has felt those exact movements a couple of times on different days it is probably not the baby moving. We will have to wait and watch for obvious (or mysterious) signs of baby moving. Probably a feeling of bubble floating around in the belly? Or may be we will have to wait until skin has thinned enough and baby is big enough for us to see his moving elbow making running impressions on her belly. I guess we just wait.
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
The baby moved, she thinks
Minal called me this morning and asked 'What does your reading say about how it feels like when the baby moves?'. I said is this a test or something? Yes I have been doing my part of reading books but I do not remember everything I read. But I had to know this one since we are in our 18th week and baby's first move can be anytime between 16 and 20 weeks of pregnancy. The problem is that books don't clearly describe how it feels when the baby moves the first time. Women who have been pregnant before can easily tell baby's first move from gas bubbles but not the first time pregnant women.
Anyway, so I told her it feels like gas bubbles moving inside your belly. And she goes - but the gas bubbles are supposed to be inside stomach while the baby is in uterus. Isn't it? And I am like 'ummm... feels like gas bubbles'. She has been feeling what she calls small kicks or pats from inside on the right side below her belly button. That is where we also expect the uterus be at this time. And she has felt those a couple of times since morning. So yes it could be the baby moving!!!
Lets wait and see if the feeling persists through tomorrow and we will definitely know.
Anyway, so I told her it feels like gas bubbles moving inside your belly. And she goes - but the gas bubbles are supposed to be inside stomach while the baby is in uterus. Isn't it? And I am like 'ummm... feels like gas bubbles'. She has been feeling what she calls small kicks or pats from inside on the right side below her belly button. That is where we also expect the uterus be at this time. And she has felt those a couple of times since morning. So yes it could be the baby moving!!!
Lets wait and see if the feeling persists through tomorrow and we will definitely know.
Sunday, March 16, 2008
About the rash
We showed Minal's belly rash to the doctor on our second prenatal visit last week and the doctor did not think it was any serious rash. It is probably an allergic reaction from the cream to prevent stretch marks and she suggested that we apply Hydrocortisone cream for a week and see how it goes. If that doesn't do it then we may also want show it to a dermatologist.
It has been three days of applying Hydrocortisone and the rash seems to be fading away. But it is working at an unbelievably slow pace and my concerns are not completely gone. We will wait and watch for a couple of days more before I call our Primary Care Physician to get a reference for a dermatologist. May be I should get an appointment anyways for next Friday/Saturday so that we have when Minal returns Thursday night.
It has been three days of applying Hydrocortisone and the rash seems to be fading away. But it is working at an unbelievably slow pace and my concerns are not completely gone. We will wait and watch for a couple of days more before I call our Primary Care Physician to get a reference for a dermatologist. May be I should get an appointment anyways for next Friday/Saturday so that we have when Minal returns Thursday night.
Thursday, March 13, 2008
It could be August 22nd
We got results of our first round of Sequential Screening Tests. First round included an ultrasound and some blood work. Everything is normal but ultrasound showed us at 13 weeks and 4 days on the day of ultrasound which was 2/19/2008. Minal said that 11/23/2007 as LMP was also an educated guess and actual date of LMP could be a couple of days earlier. Since due dates based on ultrasound in first semester are more accurate we decided to go with the new due date. So it is August 22nd now.
Minal gave some blood for second round of screening and we also scheduled for our next ultrasound which is supposed to be between 18 and 20 weeks. With new due date an appointment 4 weeks from today would put us over 20 weeks; which is not ideal. So we got March 31st for our next prenatal visit and also for next ultrasound. March 31st is a Monday and our appointment is at 11 am. So I guess Minal will have to lose a working day that week and take a flight out late afternoon.
Minal gave some blood for second round of screening and we also scheduled for our next ultrasound which is supposed to be between 18 and 20 weeks. With new due date an appointment 4 weeks from today would put us over 20 weeks; which is not ideal. So we got March 31st for our next prenatal visit and also for next ultrasound. March 31st is a Monday and our appointment is at 11 am. So I guess Minal will have to lose a working day that week and take a flight out late afternoon.
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