So I have been researching HELLP Syndrome since I had Bennett. At my initial post-baby OB appointment, the MD told me that the chances of having the same thing happen in a second pregnancy are very low. He said there was nothing to do to prevent it either. Well, my own research turned up the possibility of "underlying disorders." I did not understand this well at first. I asked my midwife about it at the six week appointment and she was doubtful that such things existed. Her thought was "if it is possible to predict HELLP, wouldn't we do the test on everyone?" She did say she would look into it and get back to me.
So, more research ensued. I came across the Pre-eclampsia Foundation forums on the internet. Apparently, these underlying disorders are various genetic clotting issues and autoimmune diseases (such as Lupus) that can be found through blood tests. The science of it all is very fuzzy to me, but when a person has one or more of these issues, they are more likely to suffer from Pre-eclampsia and HELLP. There is no solid proof that they cause the problems. But they can give a person a better idea of their odds of having issues. If one is found to have any of these disorders, a second pregnancy is still a good possibility. However, many specialists will suggest that you take Lovenox of Heparin (blood thinners) shots throughout, as well as a low-dose Aspirin. While the idea of injecting myself on a daily basis for thirty or so weeks is nasty, it's better that getting ill and having a premature baby. These medications have their own set of risks and the benefits must be greater before a doctor will take this course of action.
I had started to lose faith that my MD would get back to me with his own findings. I planned on pursuing a specialist appointment sometime this week. Then, he called me today and left a message with something to the effect of "Turns out there are some blood tests we can do. I will send an order over to the lab and you can get blood drawn at your convenience. " Ha! It feels good that I was serious about researching this on my own and I turned out to be right. The situation reminded me that general practitioners do not often have all of the specialized information-even in their own field. It made me happy that he was willing to look into it and not just write me off.
Needless to say, I will be going to the lab tomorrow to have the blood drawn. I have heard they take 15-20 tubes. Fun! I'm also in the process of donating some of my breast milk that I pumped while Bennett was in the NICU. More blood to give for that on Thursday. Hopefully they leave me with enough.
On a happier note...Bennett's eyelashes are growing in! For the longest time he didn't have any. He is relaxing in his swing right now halfway between awake and sleep.
Monday, January 26, 2009
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Baby info overload
I am about to bore your with a few paragraphs about everything Bennett-related in our lives lately which pretty much amounts to everything.
Today is his due date! I should have been huge, lumbering, and complaining up a storm at this point. He is also two months old today. I know this sounds ridiculous, but ever since I had him I have felt a bit robbed. I have been sad that I did not get to finish the pregnancy through to it's natural end. These thoughts do not consume me on a daily basis but they have been lingering. I am thankful that Bennett is healthy and growing (more on that later). I hope now that the due date is passing, I can stop thinking about it.
On Tuesday, we noticed that when he tries to cry at a high pitch his voice is hoarse. It was very strange so we called the MD on Wednesday. He was not worried and told us to bring Bennett in on Friday for a weight check and to make sure he is doing well. His voice seems a little better, but it is still hoarse. The MD did not think it was anything serious and wants to just watch him. He does not have a cough, runny nose, or fever. Maybe it's a case of baby laryngitis? Who knows. He does weigh 7 lbs 12 oz though which is a nice healthy birth weight. He gained 21 ounces in 10 days which is quite a bit considering an ounce a day is normal. He does eat a lot though...usually 4 ounces every 3 hours. This weight gain came on breast milk only. The MD says there must be something good in it!
Speaking of breast milk, we are officially trying to switch to breast feeding. Today I have not given him a bottle since 8am. It has been somewhat difficult thus far because I don't think he takes as much as when he eats out of a bottle. Then he doesn't sleep as long. We'll see how it goes, but I think he may eat every 2 instead of 3 hours. Is no pumping worth it? I don't know yet. Monday I plan to take him to the lactation consultant and do a feed and weigh to see how much he is taking in.
I got my evaluations from teaching back yesterday. They were very positive which was nice. I thought there may have been more complaints than there were. Overall, the students seemed to enjoy the class and learn something from it.
Oh, I hear some squawking...time for round four!
Today is his due date! I should have been huge, lumbering, and complaining up a storm at this point. He is also two months old today. I know this sounds ridiculous, but ever since I had him I have felt a bit robbed. I have been sad that I did not get to finish the pregnancy through to it's natural end. These thoughts do not consume me on a daily basis but they have been lingering. I am thankful that Bennett is healthy and growing (more on that later). I hope now that the due date is passing, I can stop thinking about it.
On Tuesday, we noticed that when he tries to cry at a high pitch his voice is hoarse. It was very strange so we called the MD on Wednesday. He was not worried and told us to bring Bennett in on Friday for a weight check and to make sure he is doing well. His voice seems a little better, but it is still hoarse. The MD did not think it was anything serious and wants to just watch him. He does not have a cough, runny nose, or fever. Maybe it's a case of baby laryngitis? Who knows. He does weigh 7 lbs 12 oz though which is a nice healthy birth weight. He gained 21 ounces in 10 days which is quite a bit considering an ounce a day is normal. He does eat a lot though...usually 4 ounces every 3 hours. This weight gain came on breast milk only. The MD says there must be something good in it!
Speaking of breast milk, we are officially trying to switch to breast feeding. Today I have not given him a bottle since 8am. It has been somewhat difficult thus far because I don't think he takes as much as when he eats out of a bottle. Then he doesn't sleep as long. We'll see how it goes, but I think he may eat every 2 instead of 3 hours. Is no pumping worth it? I don't know yet. Monday I plan to take him to the lactation consultant and do a feed and weigh to see how much he is taking in.
I got my evaluations from teaching back yesterday. They were very positive which was nice. I thought there may have been more complaints than there were. Overall, the students seemed to enjoy the class and learn something from it.
Oh, I hear some squawking...time for round four!
Sunday, January 18, 2009
My mom came to town yesterday. It was a difficult trip picking her up from the airport on my four hours of interrupted sleep. Friday night was the first time I was with Bennett alone while Bernie was on an overnight shift. There is usually a three hour interval between when he starts eating and eats again. It takes about 40 minutes to feed, burp, change, and put him back to bed. Then, depending on his gas situation, he will go right to sleep or grunt and groan for 30 minutes. Then I have to pump before I go back to sleep. So, in the end I sleep about an hour and a half between feedings. I was sufficiently exhausted. When I was driving to the airport, I missed the exit and had to go through two extra toll booths. Then, on the way home I missed another exit and to top it off I drove through the last toll booth without paying. It's a good thing they switched to license plate tolls on January 1st or I might be looking at a $450 fine. I was not in a good state of mind for driving.
Last night was better. I got up the first two times and my mom got up the last time so I got about 3 hours of uninterrupted sleep. It felt pretty good although I will still need a nap.
My mom is cooking her life away. She made tacos and muffins yesterday (double good banana muffins-they are amazing if anyone wants the recipe). Today she is making some kind of gingersnap pumpkin creme tart and manicotti. I don't know what will be on her list tomorrow. But I'm not complaining.
She is cuddling Bennett every chance she gets and is already plotting how they can gang up on me when they are older. She says that they have a common enemy. Fun times ahead.
The oxygen lady came on Friday. We did a test while Bennett ate without the oxygen to see how he did. He levels immediately dropped. He will definitely still need it while eating. We are going to try 4 hours of no oxygen today while he is sleeping and awake to see how he does. If he keeps the levels up, he will only need it while eating. I have a feeling, he still needs more time. If he does not pass, the lady said that he may need it for another 2-6 months. I was hoping for a shorter time, but he needs what he needs.
Mmm....I just ate a warm gingersnap cookie. I am going to enjoy being food spoiled for the next couple of days.
Last night was better. I got up the first two times and my mom got up the last time so I got about 3 hours of uninterrupted sleep. It felt pretty good although I will still need a nap.
My mom is cooking her life away. She made tacos and muffins yesterday (double good banana muffins-they are amazing if anyone wants the recipe). Today she is making some kind of gingersnap pumpkin creme tart and manicotti. I don't know what will be on her list tomorrow. But I'm not complaining.
She is cuddling Bennett every chance she gets and is already plotting how they can gang up on me when they are older. She says that they have a common enemy. Fun times ahead.
The oxygen lady came on Friday. We did a test while Bennett ate without the oxygen to see how he did. He levels immediately dropped. He will definitely still need it while eating. We are going to try 4 hours of no oxygen today while he is sleeping and awake to see how he does. If he keeps the levels up, he will only need it while eating. I have a feeling, he still needs more time. If he does not pass, the lady said that he may need it for another 2-6 months. I was hoping for a shorter time, but he needs what he needs.
Mmm....I just ate a warm gingersnap cookie. I am going to enjoy being food spoiled for the next couple of days.
Monday, January 12, 2009
Ham hock
Bennett had his doctor's appointment today. He weighed in at 6lbs 7 oz! Huge! Okay...maybe we are a bit sheltered from the real world of baby size, but he's huge to us. He was 19.5 inches long, up from 16 when he was born. He should definitely be at average weight and height when he gets to 40 weeks (except that he'll be 2 months old). It will be odd to track his development by his age and by his adjusted age. While a full term baby might roll over at 2 months, Bennett might not until 4 months.
He just had his first full-fledged fit and still hasn't settled down completely. We're not sure what's wrong, but he had his first set of vaccinations today. He's probably pretty sore. Bernie just went out to get him some Tylenol, so hopefully that will help. My heart just about falls out of my body when he screams like that.
We are going to make an appointment with an occupational therapist tomorrow to ensure that he is developing properly. We are also getting a room air challenge tomorrow, so keep your fingers crossed that he can get rid of the oxygen. It will be nice to be able to take him around the house without having to change to the portable tank and haul it around.
Breastfeeding has been somewhat rocky, but we seemed to finally get it right today. My nipples weren't screaming and he seemed to be satisfied at the end. Hopefully the pumping and bottle feeding can be over soon. The MD gave us the okay to stop the two times per day formula. Now we will do all breast milk and check his weight again in two weeks.
What else?? Bernie's birthday is on Thursday. He will be 31 and we plan to go out to dinner. It will be our first non-medical related outing with Bennett since he came home. It will also be the first time Bernie and I have been out together. We have been taking turns leaving the house since he has been home. I better start getting used to the idea of being at home with Bennett alone because Bernie is going back to work on Friday.
My mom is coming on Saturday and staying until Tuesday. She is ultra-excited to cuddle Bennett, as you can see by her comments on the photo page. Bernie and I will get to go out alone for dinner while she is here. Exciting stuff, I know.
He just had his first full-fledged fit and still hasn't settled down completely. We're not sure what's wrong, but he had his first set of vaccinations today. He's probably pretty sore. Bernie just went out to get him some Tylenol, so hopefully that will help. My heart just about falls out of my body when he screams like that.
We are going to make an appointment with an occupational therapist tomorrow to ensure that he is developing properly. We are also getting a room air challenge tomorrow, so keep your fingers crossed that he can get rid of the oxygen. It will be nice to be able to take him around the house without having to change to the portable tank and haul it around.
Breastfeeding has been somewhat rocky, but we seemed to finally get it right today. My nipples weren't screaming and he seemed to be satisfied at the end. Hopefully the pumping and bottle feeding can be over soon. The MD gave us the okay to stop the two times per day formula. Now we will do all breast milk and check his weight again in two weeks.
What else?? Bernie's birthday is on Thursday. He will be 31 and we plan to go out to dinner. It will be our first non-medical related outing with Bennett since he came home. It will also be the first time Bernie and I have been out together. We have been taking turns leaving the house since he has been home. I better start getting used to the idea of being at home with Bennett alone because Bernie is going back to work on Friday.
My mom is coming on Saturday and staying until Tuesday. She is ultra-excited to cuddle Bennett, as you can see by her comments on the photo page. Bernie and I will get to go out alone for dinner while she is here. Exciting stuff, I know.
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
We're all still alive...
and well even. We have kept Bennett healthy and we haven't killed each other yet. We are a bit lazy however. There are many things we could be getting done while we are both a home for such a long stretch, but we spend a lot of time watching stupid TV.
Bernie is in a football pool for all of the bowl games and may actually tie for first out of 125 people. When the bowl games are over on Thursday, he may get a bit bored.
I have my six week follow-up appointment tomorrow. I plan to talk to my midwife about seeing a specialist about the HELLP Syndrome. My doctor felt that my chances for it were not any higher in a second pregnancy. However, my own research says that the recurrence rate is 5-7%, which may not seem high, but it does when you consider the overall rate is .5-.7%. On top of that, the chances of other complications (regular pre-eclampsia, IUGR, etc.) may be about 40%. There may be some blood tests they can run to assess my risk, but I'm not sure. I just want to know as much as I can.
Bennett gets his first bath at home tomorrow. We have had to wait while his circumcision heals, so he is definitely ready. I'm not sure he'll enjoy it as much as in the hospital since we don't have the fancy heat lamp.
I went by the rec center and ice rink yesterday (where I worked very little before I had Bennett) and picked up a few shifts over the next few weeks. I think it will be good to get out and talk to other people in the real world. Plus, the free gym membership is worth it.
Bernie is in a football pool for all of the bowl games and may actually tie for first out of 125 people. When the bowl games are over on Thursday, he may get a bit bored.
I have my six week follow-up appointment tomorrow. I plan to talk to my midwife about seeing a specialist about the HELLP Syndrome. My doctor felt that my chances for it were not any higher in a second pregnancy. However, my own research says that the recurrence rate is 5-7%, which may not seem high, but it does when you consider the overall rate is .5-.7%. On top of that, the chances of other complications (regular pre-eclampsia, IUGR, etc.) may be about 40%. There may be some blood tests they can run to assess my risk, but I'm not sure. I just want to know as much as I can.
Bennett gets his first bath at home tomorrow. We have had to wait while his circumcision heals, so he is definitely ready. I'm not sure he'll enjoy it as much as in the hospital since we don't have the fancy heat lamp.
I went by the rec center and ice rink yesterday (where I worked very little before I had Bennett) and picked up a few shifts over the next few weeks. I think it will be good to get out and talk to other people in the real world. Plus, the free gym membership is worth it.
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