Monday, July 10, 2017

Our Journey... Part 10, 3rd Trimester and More Shots...

Good Monday Morning Gang!

Well we are currently 29.5 weeks and into the 3rd Trimester!
How crazy is that?!  We are so getting very excited, nervous, and nesting is
in full swing!  We might be crazy, but we are about to undertake a huge remodel
to the entire 2nd level of our house with almost 10 weeks (hopefully) left!
That will include all 3 bedrooms, bathroom, and stairway!  I am excited to
get a move on and finally have a room for baby...
even if it isn't done when baby arrives!  It is what it is.. right?!?!

Pregnancy is going smoothly!  Doc says I am gaining weight perfectly, my blood pressure is just as perfect as always, no major food cravings, sleeping like a champ (even though I pee a lot! lol), baby is right around 2.5 lbs, and she is moving around like crazy all day, but seems to sleep all night :)
We got all registered for what we need for baby.  We are cloth diapering, which makes me extremely excited (hippy maybe?).  But I have been stocking up on those so we are ready when baby comes home!  OMG, let me just say that they are the CUTEST little things I have ever seen!  Cloth diapers are not as scary as people think they are, I promise!  I will be posting about them coming up soon!  Got my breast pump already, so that is exciting!  We decided to go with the Spectra S1 Pump with rechargeable battery.  It has seriously great reviews and cost the same with insurance as the Madela! (HINT:  call your insurance company, they should be covering your breast pump!!)

You don't realize all the things that go along with getting ready for baby
until you sit and actually start writing it out!  Here are a few hints on things that
you SHOULD make sure you have figured out before baby comes.

1.  Call your Health Insurance to find out what you need to do to add baby to your policy.

2.  Think about a life insurance policy for baby!  Even if you don't have one for you, you will want to have something set up!  Just in case something would happen (heaven forbid it does) or if your child would happen to end up with some sort of complication that later in life might make it more difficult for them to get life insurance.

3.  Call the hospital to find out if you can pre-register for your birth.  If possible it would be nice to not have to be filling out paperwork while you are in full on labor!

4.  Make sure you have a car seat that FITS in your car!  Trust me, we drive a very small car and they don't all fit!  Get it and try it out beforehand in case you need to exchange it!  Also as someone reminded me, really, a car seat is the only thing that you MUST have in order to take your baby home from the hospital, it is kind of a requirement ;)

5.  Have a good idea how you are planning to announce to close family and friends about your new arrival!  Sounds kind of dumb I know, but if you are like me and want to be able to have time with baby and daddy alone before visitors ensue, you may want to talk to hubby to make a plan!

6.  Have a plan for your other kids or pets!  You don't know for sure how long you will be in the hospital or even WHEN!  Have someone on call that you can call anytime and they
will know what to do!

7.  Have meals ready in the freezer for when you get home.  We are going to have at least 20 freezer meals ready to go at home and also have quick snacks available such as your favorite bars, protein shakes, nuts, fruit strips, etc.  Here are a few items I won't be without:  Chocolate Dipped Coconut Luna Bars,  Aloha Chocolate Plant Based Protein, Oven Roasted Almonds, Pomegranate Fruit Strips, La Croix Water, as well as plenty of fresh fruit and veggies for snacking!

8.  Make a list for your hospital bag so that you don't forget anything!  I am one to not pack too early because I need most of the items, so a list and and an empty bag ready to go will help me pack last minute if I need to!  Don't forget your phone charger, car seat, and DAD'S BAG!
He will need some necessities also!

I know that there are things that I am forgetting, but this is my list of things that, so far, I am working on getting accomplished!  What are some things that you moms can add to my list?  I would love to hear what else I need to be sure to have done!

Ok, so "More Shots".   Man do I wish that these shots were the alcoholic type, but unfortunately they are less fun that that.  These are the IM injections of Progesterone that I receive twice a week right in the rump.  I have had a lot of questions regarding why these are needed and what they are for, so I thought I would give you all a little background on the importance of Progesterone in pregnancy.

So what is Progesterone?
Progesterone is a steroid hormone that a woman's corpus luteum produces during the 2nd half of her menstrual cycle.  It is the hormone responsible for thickening the lining of the uterus after ovulation so that a fertilized egg is able to implant.  If there is not enough progesterone, the lining will not be able to accept the fertilized egg and menses will begin (menses also happens if no fertilized egg was available to be implanted).  High levels of progesterone does not allow ovulation to occur, this is why it is only available AFTER ovulation.  Estrogen is high before ovulation and progesterone rises after.  Make sense??  Ok, so what happens if a person is not producing enough progesterone to start with?  You will likely not be able to conceive as the lining of the endometrium will not be thick enough to accept an egg.  This is when a Dr. may prescribe Post-Peak Progesterone supplementation, usually in the form of a cream or oral capsules (my case).

Some symptoms of non pregnancy related low progesterone include missed or abnormal menstrual cycles, abnormal bleeding (premenstrual and postmenstrual spotting), frequent miscarriage, PMS symptoms, and infertility.  My cycle changed drastically with the addition of post peak progesterone.  I no longer had spotting, I had a cycle, boom, there it was... and it was shortened drastically due to no more spotting.  I also had better symptoms in regards to my mood pre-menstrual.

If you are able to conceive and continue to have low levels of progesterone, you run a higher risk of miscarriage or pre term delivery because progesterone is also the hormone that helps to maintain pregnancy!  Normally, the placenta begins to produce progesterone during the 2nd and 3rd trimesters which should help to maintain your pregnancy, BUT 1.  you have to get that far, and 2. this doesn't always happen to the level necessary to maintain the pregnancy.  This is where our IM injections have come in to play.  NaPro Technology has a scale that they use throughout pregnancy to monitor progesterone levels every 2 weeks.  I have labs drawn bi-weekly, send them to the National Hormone Laboratory in Omaha, Nebraska and they determine what my levels are.  From there, Dr. Pakiz will decide if I am where I need to be on their scale.  We started out great and needed only 1, 100mg dose a week, but that changed constantly during our pregnancy.  At one point we were up to 200mg dosage 2x/week plus 300mg suppositories nightly... Let me just say, I HATE needles, but those suppositories are for the birds!  Forget that crap!  I couldn't even explain how much I appreciated my body finally not needing that junk anymore! I will receive progesterone as long as deemed necessary this pregnancy, but will likely need until 37ish weeks.  Keeping this nugget cooking is all I care about!

So for now, this is what I get to have done twice a week!
Thank goodness the hubby is such a great nurse and can do them for me!!


The NaPro Technology website has a great article regarding the use of Progesterone Support During Pregnancy and the safety of it as well.  There is also a copy of the chart they use to determine what level you should be at during each 2 weeks of pregnancy.  This is something that many Docs are not aware of the benefits, so they may question it during your pregnancy.  If you have a NaPro physician monitoring your levels, they are a great resource for your OB to discuss your case with.

If you have symptoms that you feel are related to progesterone insufficiency, I highly recommend you find a Creighton Practitioner that can teach you how to chart your cycles which will very likely show any progesterone related issues as well as many other health related conditions that may be affecting not only your fertility but your day to day life!  I truly believe that our bodies are amazing at showing us what is going on with it, but we just aren't always looking at those signs!  I am slowly working on a blog post regarding Creighton Charting, bear with me, it's going to be a good one :)

If you want more information on Creighton Practitioners in your area check out the
Fertility Care Centers of America Website
or if you are in Northwest Iowa, please check out
Guiding Star Orange City

This is so much more than your fertility!  This is about quality of life!
You know your body better than anyone else!  Do NOT accept "it is normal" when you
know that it is NOT normal for you!  You have options!