Burning in my Esophagus!

Holy cow, so I really never had much sympathy for people with heartburn. Honestly, I don't think I've ever heard anyone complain too much about it or they just say, "oh, I need some Tums." I've always thought of heartburn with a nonchalant attitude. Well, I have a much different attitude when it comes to heartburn. Since Monday, I've really thought this baby is trying to burn a hole in my esophagus. I've never had heartburn so bad before! After downing Tums like candy and hoping it would go away, it didn't. So, I tried the small frequent meals, drinking water with baking soda, lying upright, sleeping with 3 pillows. Nothing! No relief! I've been up since 3 AM this morning all because of heartburn. It sounds stupid but holy cow, I've never been so uncomfortable. It's never ending.

I was relieved this morning to go to my Dr. appt and see my favorite Dr. Mellum and talk with him about this problem. I'm sure he hears it all the time from his patients, it's pretty common in pregnancy. I was relieved when he walked in the room and the first thing he said was "you look miserably uncomfortable." So glad I didn't have to be the one more woman complaining of heartburn, after all I figured there is much worse to complain about. After explaing to him that I can't sleep, it's constant, won't go away and I'm at my wits end over this, he offered a solution! Prescription for Zantac--extra strength. I'm so excited I can hardly wait to go get it!

Enough of the complaining of the heartburn. On a happy note, my AFI still looks good. I had another US today and he said my "pockets" of fluid are looking good. He didn't measure them to give me an actual number, he just said by the way it looks, it looks good for now and to keep doing what I'm doing. Anna looks great, growing big and strong right on track. I also asked about my total weight gain. I thought I had gained 18 lbs so far.....turns out, I've only gained 14 lbs. We had a little chat about that, he's not worried, as long as I feel good, baby looks good and I continue to gain until delivery he's happy. He's not as stuck on the 25-35 lbs most Dr's are. He did encourage a run to In and Out if I so desire though. Since my fluid looks good, I'll see him in 2 weeks on Feb. 12th then every week after that.......it's all coming to an end......if only the heartburn would stop so I can get some sleep!

The Power of Prayer and 33 weeks

Today I had another US with Dr. Mellum and my AFI is back up to normal. He didn't give me a specific number and honestly I forgot to ask what it measured at because I was so focused on whether or not it came up but he was relieved and said that I have "a lot more fluid than I did two days ago and noticeably more." He was suprised that my AFI came up so quickly especially over just two days! On Monday, I must be honest and say I left the office a little disappointed that he wasn't more concerned with the numbers and was a little non-chalant about it. He did encourage me that I did the right thing and that it was low but he just didn't seem too concerned. Today, while he was scanning me he was amazed at the difference over two days and said that he was very worried with the AFI on Sat. that was measured and the fact that Anna wasn't moving very much. He said he wanted to wait to tell me that so it didn't make me worry. He said he is very pleased with my AFI right now and is alot more comfortable with the direction this pregnancy is going. When he was done scanning me, he tried to get a 4D US picture of Anna's face just for fun but her head is so low in my pelvis and she was turned away. Bummer.....I guess we'll just have to wait to see what she looks like. (:

We are thanking the Lord today for his faithfulness to us and baby Anna. When we are faithful to pray, he is faithful to answer. It's amazing! Thank you for all the prayers!

A night of incredible blessing......

Last night, I had a baby shower at our church. There is a lady there that loves to throw baby showers for anyone and everyone that is pregnant. This tradition started at Sierra Bible Church when she moved up here and didn't know anyone and was pregnant herself. They threw her a shower and she was so blessed by it, she's kept the tradition going. So, before going last night I was honestly apprehensive and didn't know quite what to expect. They had posted the announcement of the shower in the bullitin but I wasn't sure how many people would actually show up because I only know about 3 people at this point in the church. I had absolutely no expectations for the shower because I didn't know if anyone would show up! Well, I got there and walked into a room of about 15 women, beautiful tables with candles an amazing flower arrangement, dinner, and a cake. I was overwhelmed that these ladies truly have gone out of their way to bless me and baby Anna.....and....all with out even knowing who we are! Within the first 10 minutes I met all 15 women who were all eager and excited to meet me. They were all so genuine, loving, accepting, and nurturing!

We sat down for a game, the diaper game with the chocolate in the diaper that looks like poop and you have to guess what chocolate bar it is. Then, we player diaperer and diaperee and had to make the most creative diaper out of toilet paper on your partner. Then dinner, a time of prayer, and then presents. I was overwhelmed by their generosity. Most of the women there last night were moms themselves with a spread of kids in ages 6 months to teenagers. Most of what I got in gifts was diapers! I was very excited about it! The ladies kept saying, "I know, not very exciting but you'll need all the diapers you can get." My favorite gift that just about made me cry though was from a lady named Carolyn. She just had her baby 6 months ago and was so great! She gave us diapers, wipes, a handmade knitted baby bunting, and her 5 year old daughter wanted to give Anna something that was hers. So, Megan picked out from her own personal stash her favorite blue bunny to give to Anna, she was so proud! (Carolyn had warned me it might need some washing but it was a gift from the heart) The bunting is beautiful! Before I opened it she told me I had to read the card to go with it. The card told the story of the bunting. It was made by the grandma of another couple in the church and their baby had outgrown it. So, they gave it to Carolyn when her daughter was born because they wanted to "keep it in the family" which they considered their body of christ at Sierra Bible Church. As Carolyn said, her daughter has now outgrown this beautiful bunting and to keep it in the family, it is now for baby Anna. An incredible way to bless us and welcome us in the family of Christ at the church! I love this story and probably will tell it over and over again. I don't think I have ever been so genuinely welcomed into the body as much as I was last night and with the genuine love of Christ these women showed to myself and Anna.

At dinner, I met Krista who is Pastor Wayne's daughter-in-law and she invited Peter and I to start coming to a small couples bible study that her and her husband are starting with just one other couple on Wed. nights. I am so excited about this! Both couples agreed that they wanted to invite us first to join them because they want to get to know us and also help us get plugged in. Krista leads MOPS, the mothers of preschoolers group at the church and she invited me to that and was so sincere in wanting to get to know me, and support me through the journey of mommyhood. I can't even describe the blessing I felt when I left last night. These women are amazing! I am so thankful today for the gift of last night, the Lord truly blessed me in everyway he could.

To end....here is the prayer they prayed over baby Anna, I loved it and wanted to share.....

Lord, you have blessed baby Anna with a sweet, guileless, and giving nature. What a gift she is to Peter and Alli. She's a tender lamb, a harmless dove, but look at the world we’re in, Lord Jesus! My prayer today is that you would keep her spirit from hurt and harm. Mature her so that her tenderness doesn't render her gullible or foolish (Hos. 7:11). Underneath her sweet exterior, make her astute and perceptive (Matt. 10:16).

Bless her with a beautiful strength, a wise innocence, a shielded vulnerability (1 Pet. 3:4-5). How much you could nurture, heal, comfort and encourage others through such gifts, Lord!

Bring her a husband in your time who will cherish her, honor her, and protect her for exactly these wonderful qualities. For her whole life, I claim these truths for her from Psalm 91: You will be her true dwelling place and refuge; under your wings she will find covering and comfort; you will save her from terrors and fears; you will protect her from physical and spiritual diseases; you will give your angels power to guard her; you will answer her when she calls, because you love her. Yes, Lord, you will always treasure her even more than I do. I thank you and bless you! Amen

8 points in the tank.....

An update of our appt this morning at Dr. Mellum's office.......

After an eventful weekend, we headed to Dr. Mellum's office this morning and had a NST (non-stress test) and another ultrasound to measure the amount of amniotic fluid I have. The NST was just ok in the beginning, the strip wasn't as reactive as they would have liked meaning Anna's heartrate didn't have great variability with accelerations. Basically, they would like to see her heart rate fluctuate quite a bit going up and down with movement and what not. Anyway, toward the end of the test, she started having accelerations and giving the nurse the strip that she would like to see. So, that meant we passed! From there, they unhooked me from the monitor and I had another ultrasound. My AFI (amniotic fluid index) has come up to an 8 from a 7 so big praises! Still, they would like to see me at a minimum of 12 for the AFI. Dr. Mellum didn't seem too concerned for now. He did say he wants to continue to watch me a couple times a week for NSTs and US until my AFI comes up but for now, and 8 is better than a 6 and a 7 and I'm making progress. They are hoping that with rest and not working this week that my AFI will come up on it's own and the rest will give me a little time to produce some more fluid. 8 is considered on the "low end of normal" according to Dr. Mellum. So, we'll see on Wed. if my fluid level has come back up and just keep going from there! I'm really hoping he let's me go back to work, especially if my AFI is coming up. He hasn't mentioned time off work yet, I just happen to have this week off until Thursday night, lucky me. So, we'll see, I'll keep you all posted. Thanks for your calls and prayers......Praise the Lord for 1 more point!

Scary Day......

So, this morning I woke up and started my day just like any other day. I got a little concerned about an hour later realizing that I hadn't felt Anna move in a while. So, I ate a huge breakfast--our usual Sat. morning if Peter and I have the day off together. I laid down for about an hour and started a kick count like Dr. Mellum has told us to do every now and then. I was a little suprised to find that she only moved about twice that hour. A little worried now but not trying to freak out, I told Peter it was time to go for a little walk to get the baby moving! So, we headed out in the snow and walked for about a half an hour. When we got back home, I drank some water, had some juice, and ate some more even though I wasn't hungry just trying to get Anna to move. Then, I laid down again. For another hour, I counted some more. Only about 4 this time. By now, it was time to try to take a nap because I had to work tonight. So, I laid down and took a nap figuring Anna is a healthy baby so far and that she was probably just having a lazy day. When I woke up, I ate something more, got ready for work and headed to work with the peace of mind that I could listen to her heartbeat and sneak down for another ultrasound and just make sure that everything was ok. Amidst the business of a Sat. night in the ER, step one.....doppler, heartrate 160's and very regular. This is good! Step two, Dawn, my favorite ultrasound tech was on tonight. She never works Sat. nights so I was extremely excited she was on tonight, she's one of the best. I knew the Lord was looking out for us tonight when Dawn was on. So, again, step two, ultrasound, not so good. Dawn found that my AFI (amniotic fluid index) was only a 6. Doctors would like to see it in at least the teens. For those who are not familiar with this, a 6 is no good. Also, Anna wasn't moving. She did a biophysical profile also which tests fetal well being and she was a 4 out of 8. Also, not so good. So, Dawn talked with the radiologist and we all decided, it was time to head upstairs to labor and delivery to get monitored. So, I reported off my patients to another nurse and headed upstairs. They put me on a monitor and Anna actually does look pretty good. Her heart rate is perfect and she started moving a lot more. She did the 10 kicks minimum which made me feel so much better! On the downside, I had a couple contractions that made her heart rate dip below the comfort level of the doctor.

To sum it all up, Anna looks good for now. Her biophysical profile came back up to an 8/8 which is good, and her heart rate always looked great. Dr. Westphal (on call for Dr. Mellum) was pretty concerned on the other hand. I can't go back to work until I see Dr. Mellum first thing Monday morning and now I'll be in the office 2-3 times a week for ultrasounds and non-stress tests to make sure Anna is doing ok. They want to monitor my amniotic fluid level very closely and make sure it doesn't drop. Worse case scenario......if it drops to 5, I'm at a 6-7 now so not far off, they start talking delivery. So, prayers from all if you could. We are so not ready for this baby yet.....I'll keep you posted!

A weekend with "friends"

Through the hussle and crazy times that Christmas and the holidays bring, we have managed to survive another year. This year for Christmas, we went to LA and then to San Diego to spend time with Peter's family.......always a special time for me. Not growing up in a close knit family, I love the dynamics that are involved when everyone gets together. We had a great time with family down there and then went to Chico for a couple days after Christmas to be with my family. Although, this ended up to be quite different than what we had expected as my family ended up leaving to go to the bay to be with my aunt. Nevertheless, Peter and I had a great couple days catching up with friends in Chico. For New Years, friends came up to Truckee......most of Peter's friends, and they all had a great New Year's party while I was at work. Which by the way I can't wait to take a break from! The move to the new ER has quadrupled my job and expectations, it's disorganized and management is ignoring the needs of the staff. A frustrating place to be right now! Enough of that topic, I could go on for days.....

To come back to where I was starting with this blog was to say that we had a great weekend with new "friends." We spent time with a couple named Jesse and Alli for two nights in a row! It was so fun! Since we were both basically snowed in and couldn't go far from home, we all spent time together weathering the snow storm. While Peter helped Jesse shovel snow, Alli and I spent time catching up since we haven't gotten to spend any time together for the past three months, she's been so busy with school! After that, we all had dinner together, watched a movie and then played a game of Cattan or Settlers. I swore I would never play this game because I've seen many get upset with one another over this stupid game but with this couple, it was perfect. Since we are all still learning how to play, we had a great time! On Sunday, Peter headed out for a day of ski ministry. He does this through a church in Tahoe City. He gets free passes to the resorts on Sundays he is signed up for and then gives a message and leads worship at the top of the mountain for any who want to come to a Sunday service while skiing. I headed to church and for the first Sunday since we've moved up here, I was completely awake and excited to be there! I've been off work for a couple days so I'm back to normal during the day and not wrapped up in how many hours of sleep I'm going to get or if I have to go back to work. It was great to meet a bunch of new people that Alli introduced me to and I met another really nice young couple like us....Alicia and Nate. They invited us to dinner already next week but sadly, I'm working. I'll keep you all posted on how this goes. When Peter got home he asked me what I did on Sunday and I beamed proudly telling him I made new friends. Sad how exciting this can be for us right now. We have been praying so hard that the Lord would bring new friends into our lives. We've been missing friendships so much!! I know it takes time to get to know people, so, we are taking the steps to get out there. Sunday night, we headed back to Jesse and Alli's for another Settlers "rematch" as Peter called it. It's his new favorite game. Again, Peter helped Jesse shovel snow, funny how he doesn't mind it at all and he's almost like a little kid who gets excited to go out in the snow. I wonder how long this will last....All in all, it was a great weekend, and for once I felt "settled" here for the time being. Ok, maybe not settled but content and at peace. I felt encouraged.

On an update of growing Anna, I'm now 31 weeks. I have an appt. on Jan 14th and then start going every 2 weeks for only 1 more appt. then every week! When I think of it in that way, this is coming a lot faster than it seems! We have our crib, I'm hoping to make her bedding this week sometime, we have our stroller, and we are set for clothes at least for the first 3 months. As each day passes, I am growing more and more anxious to meet this little person that Peter and I created together and is such a treasured gift from the Lord.......