Drum Roll Please....

JOSIAH will be here next WEDNESDAY!!! 

 

Holy smokes, I can't believe it!! I know we are down to the wire anyway but to actually KNOW when you're going to have a baby is exciting and nerve racking at the same time...

 

I had my weekly visit at Dr. Pohl's this morning. I went in expecting that Dr. Pohl might mention we would discuss a date for induction at my next apppiontment, but never would I have thought I would

be walking out today with a business card that had the date and time of a scheduled induction date for next week! My blood pressure was again around the same as it was last Friday. I asked Ms. Pam if that seemed high, and she said "well it's a little on the high side, especially if you compare it to what yours normally is". I also asked if it was normal for your blood pressure to rise a little bit the closer you get to delivering, and she said not usually.

 

Once Dr. Pohl arrived, he measured me and checked Josiah's heart rate. He then checked to see if I had dialated anymore. I am still 50% effaced, Josiah is still engaged at a -3, and I'm at 1 1/2 maybe pushing 2 cm. dialated. So really, not much has changed, but Dr. Pohl was still very pleased and again stated that this was good for a first time mom. The next words that came out of his mouth I was totally not expecting..."Well it looks like we should plan on having a baby next week!"

What!?!?

I asked if he was serious and then said "well it sounds good to me. It's real now". I think I was still in somewhat of a nervous shock. I shouldn't be, I mean Josiah has to come out at some time, but I guess I was just thinking we would get closer to his due date. The main reason for inducing next week is because Dr. Pohl believes I might possibly have a slight case of preeclampsia, based on my elevated blood pressure, a little protein leakage (not too sure what that is, but I'm guessing he was talking about the protein in my urine), and my low platelet levels.

 

The plan is to go in Tuesday evening at 7:30 pm. Dr. Pohl said he would break my water come Wednesday morning and we would have a baby sometime after that! He will also notify Dr. V and the NICU so they can be ready and there for when Josiah makes his big arrival. I called Anthony after my appointment and explained everything to him. I don't think he was expecting to hear me tell him we would be having a baby next week! Now we for sure need to finish that childbirth book, haha!

 

WOW, I can't believe that's only 5/6 days away!! I am definitely ready to meet my little man and for him to have more room to stretch out, I'm sure the feeling is mutual =)

 

"Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
his love endures forever"

~ 1 Chronicles 16:34

Week 37 OB and Specialist Appointments

I was officially 38 weeks Tuesday! I can't believe Josiah will be here in 13 days or less...wow! So, I've been on the routine of OB appointments on Thursdays and specialist appointments on Fridays for a couple weeks now, and usually they consist of the same ole, same ole. This past week turned out to be a little more interesting then usual...let me explain...

Thursday:
I had my appointment with Dr. Pohl at 9:30 last Thursday. Everything looked good (blood pressure, weight, etc.) Dr. Pohl didn't check me this time because he said usually nothing major happens within a week, fine with me! I did have to sign the consent form for the hospital. And let me say...I think I could have gone the rest of my life without knowing some of the risks they listed for a vaginal birth! I know they have to list every possible thing that could happen, but still, not the best way to start the morning! The only thing Dr. Pohl mentioned was that he wanted to recheck my platelet count. It was apparently somewhat low back in July (man that sounds SO long ago) when they ran all my bloodwork. He mentioned it was at 181,000 and that the anesthesiologist usually won't give an epidural (if you decide to get one) if it is below 100,000. I asked him why it would be low, and he said that sometimes when you get pregnant, your antibodies will attack your platelets...lovely. Before I left Ms. Pam took some blood to recheck my platelet count to see if it had changed.

Friday:
My appointment at Maternal Fetal was at 1:15. They seemed to be extra busy, but the nurse called me back pretty quick. Here, the nurse will usually ask if I've had any: cramping, contractions, headaches, vision changes, swelling, etc. I answer No and then they take my blood pressure and check my heart rate. For the record, I have never had a high blood pressure reading. It is usually average or a little low. For whatever reason, today my blood pressure was a little on the high side. This kind of caught me off guard, because I had just had my blood pressure checked yesterday at Dr. Pohl's and it was fine. I also mentioned to the nurse about my platelet count and she wrote that down on my chart. After this I was taken by an ultrasound tech back to another room to do a scan of Josiah. Everything looked great and we even got a couple cute pictures of his face! Oh, and his estimated weight was 7 lbs. 2 oz.! After the scan I was off to yet another room to wait for one of the doctors (I never know who I'm going to see). Shortly after, in came one of the nurse practitioners. I've seen her before and she's very nice. She mentioned Josiah was doing great and that we couldn't ask for anything better =) She then went on to say she did notice that my platelet count had come back low (the results from yesterday had come in too). My platelet count had gone from 181,000 to 108,000 (an average count for a woman is 266,000). Because of my low platelet count and my blood pressure reading a little on the high side, she mentioned that she wanted to completely rule out preeclampsia. Apparently low platelets can be a precursor to preeclampsia.
How do you rule out preeclampsia you might ask...good question! Let me tell you about my little experience on Monday, called a 24 hour urine sample!

**A little warning. This whole 24 hour urine sample thing may sound pretty gross, and that's because it IS gross, so I appologize in advance**

Before I left Maternal Fetal, I was given a "goody bag"...more like a Kmart bag filled with an orange jug and directions...The nurse explained what I needed to do and I was on my way. Anthony had worked a little overtime but was home by the time I got back from my appointment. I couldn't wait to explain to him what I had to look forward to all day Monday. Long story short...starting from the time I woke up on Monday until the same time Tuesday morning I had the fun job of having to collect my pee EVERY time I went to the bathroom, SICK! But wait, it gets better...I had to store the orange jug in the refrigerator!! Oh my word..talk about an experience. I couldn't go anywhere because I pee every 10 minutes. I did however, fix 2 meals to put back in the freezer for when Josiah gets here.

Anyhow, Tuesday morning finally got here. Thank goodness, for 2 reasons: 1) I was tired of the whole process and 2) I would have needed another jug if I had to collect anymore pee! As soon as I showered and got ready I started toward LabCorp to drop off my "urine specimen" and to get some more blood drawn. Luckily one of the LabCorp locations is in the 575 building across from the Chick-Fil-A so it was close, unfortunately it was a gross day out and here I was having to lug around this container of pee and an umbrella. Now, I'm pretty use to awkward moments as I feel I experience them a good bit sometimes, but this moment might possibly make my top 5 list...nothing beats walking into a relatively small waiting room filled with people, with a huge orange container filled with pee, going up to the desk to sign in, asking what I should do with this jug, and knowing everyone is staring at you....how embarassing!! Anyhow, they called me back fairly quick and drew some blood and I was on my way.

Just in case you're curious here's the "orange jug"

I will be completely fine if I never have to go through that whole experience ever again. But, I am happy to report that my results came in yesterday and everything looked fine! No preeclampsia for this Momma! My platelet count even went up a little bit from 108,000 to 116,000. Please say a little prayer that that number continues to go up as Josiah's due date approaches. Dr. Pohl said he wanted to recheck it so we will see.

Thank you everyone who has been praying for us and our little man. He will be here before we know it and I can't wait to introduce him to all of the prayer warriors that have been so fervently praying for him. We love you all!!

Remembering Baby Shiloh

A week ago today (January 4) was the 1 year anniversary of miscarrying Shiloh. I can't believe it's already been an entire year...I guess life has just become a little hectic since then and has made time fly. To be completely honest January 4th came and went and it didn't even hit me. Last weekend we had our last 2 showers and the one on Saturday was at our house. That meant we had to do some cleaning and straightening up and with all of that going on, I hate to say it kind of slipped my mind. I hate the way that sounds, as I don't ever want to forget about Shiloh. He or she was our first baby and always will be, even if it was for a few short weeks...

When I finally had time to take a breath this week, I reminisced about the day we found out we were expecting. The excitement of seeing that positive pregnancy test (and the second and the third..) and seeing Anthony's reaction. The anxiousness of scheduling that first doctors appointment, and the heartache that followed the day after my first appointment. I don't think I'll ever forget all of those emotions, and that's okay I don't think I want to. Forgetting all of those feelings and days that followed would feel like I would be forgetting the impact Shiloh had on our lives. A picture of the pregnancy test is the only physical thing I have to remember Shiloh so remembering those feelings is just another way of reminding myself about Shiloh.

Shiloh,

I am so thankful the Lord chose me to be your Mommy. You filled our hearts with such joy for those few short weeks I was able to carry you. I can't wait until the day when I get to see you and put a name with a precious face. Until that day we will keep you in our hearts forever. Your brothers and sisters will always know that they have a brother or sister waiting for them in Heaven. 
Enjoy your days with Jesus and we will see you soon!

"He heals the brokenhearted
and binds up their wounds."

Psalm 147:3 

3 More Weeks...This is Getting REAL

I realized today that we are truly in the home stretch! 3 more weeks..seriously?? I don't think I'm ready. Let me take that back, YES I am ready, I sometimes just don't feel like I am. Being ready means facing reality, but it also means a LOT less trips to the bathroom, being able to sleep on my back and stomach, and to finally be able to tie both shoes without having to take a break in between!!

Back to the whole reality thing...let me be clear, we haven't given up on belief that the Lord can heal Josiah, and that's what we're praying for. I find myself praying mostly for His will to be done. Ultimately it doesn't matter what I want, it's what the Lord wants. As January 29th gets closer and closer I find myself day dreaming more about what life will be like shortly. It can get overwhelming if you let it. I have found a few families out there that have babies with HLHS. I've learned to not put all of my hopes in one family's success story or all of my fears in another family's devastating experience. Every family that I have followed has had a completely different journey. One family I have really been following lives in Louisiana. Their son, Carson, is 7 weeks old and has been in the CICU since he had surgery the day he was born. I ask that you keep this sweet baby boy and his family in your prayers as they have a long road ahead of them. Pray for healing, strength, and understanding as I can only imagine what they are going through.

I now have weekly appointments at both my OB and the specialist. The specialist appointments are starting to get old...real fast. Thankfully I only have 3 at the most left! Last Thursday Dr. Pohl tested for GBS and also said I was 1 cm dialated, 50% effaced, and Josiah was fully engaged...now if that doesn't make things seem right around the corner I don't know what would. Dr. Pohl also mentioned that he didn't want me going past my due date (January 29th) so we know little man won't be coming late! His reason for this was he didn't want to risk anything (ie: meconium stained amniotic fluid) for the sake of Josiah's heart condition.

Sleeping is still miserable! I wake up to pee/turn over around every hour and a half. My pelvic bone will sometimes pop as I roll over, awful feeling! My heartburn has slowed down a good bit, so no complaining there =) I don't think I've had any false contractions, at least none that have gotten my attention. Other than the whole sleeping bit, life has been pretty normal! I've slowly but surely been getting the hospital bag ready, but some things you just can't pack until the last minute. Now that all of the baby showers are over we have been organizing and putting things away in Josiah's room. While doing so, we've realized this kid has more clothes! I'll have to change him 3 times a day so he can wear all of his 0-3 month things =)

Now time to go get ready for our hospital tour, so exciting!!

"Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him."

~James 1:12~

Can I Step on my Soapbox for a Minute?

**This week has been busy but slow all at the same time! I had 3 doctors appointments this week, 2 for the specialist and 1 at my OB. Dr. Reed (the specialist) was worried about Christmas messing up my routine appointment so he had me come in on Friday...haha, whatever! But, I'm sure poor Josiah is tired of being poked with the ultrasound machine!! It's like he knows everytime we're at the doctor. He refuses to move when we're there, but as soon as I leave or get home he's squirming all over the place!**

Anyhow, this morning before I started my mission of baking peanut butter brownies, I was watching a little tv and eating breakfast. Anthony was getting ready to go play a round of golf...he might be a little crazy since it's cold and windy out! I can't remember what I was watching (or if I was even really watching, I was also trying to finish up a crochet project) but a commercial came on for the "HurryCane". It's an all-terrain cane that can also stand up by itself. Anthony by this time was in the kitchen and he heard the commercial and said "we should have gotten that for you mom for Christmas!" He was completely kidding of course. However, it did get me thinking...

Many of you may or may not know that I was adopted (that should be a whole other blog post), but to make a long story short I have a huge family because I keep in touch with both of my biological parents. A lot of people find this very interesting but to me it's just normal. It's always fun to answer the question "do you have any siblings?" Well...yes I do...lots: I have 3 older brothers and then I have 5 biological half brothers and 3 biological half sisters, but I basically grew up as an only child. So, how does that work? I have 3 older brothers, but they could technically be my dads! The youngest one is almost the same age as Anthony's parents I believe.

It can be quite a confusing to try and explain my whole adoption story. The easy short way is: it was a private open adoption. The long confusing way if you're up for it is: My mom's (and when I say mom I'm talking about my adopted mom, because she IS my mom) brother married my biological mom's aunt. Of course my mom and biological mom didn't know each other tho. Anyhow, my parents had just married off the last of my 3 brothers and had attempted to adopt a sibling group, but that fell through. Shortly after that my mom's brother contacted my parents and asked if they would be interested in adopting a baby. That baby just so happened to be me. So...had I NOT been adopted I would still be related to my mom's brother by marriage (he would be my great uncle), and I probably wouldn't even know my parents. But, since I WAS adopted, he is my uncle. Confused yet?? That's alright...it doesn't really matter anyway, we're just one big happy family!!

Okay, back to my point. My parents were grandparents when they decided to adopt me. I mean, dad was about to turn 50 and mom was 47/48 when they brought me home! To most of you that probably sounds absolutely crazy!! Many times throughout my life (mostly just through school) I had people ask if those were my grandparents, haha! It never really bothered me tho. The only thing I still give them a hard time about is that they were always party poopers when it came to New Years Eve! Other than that..my childhood on up was the same as any other kid. Mom was able to stay home with me and then eventually worked part time while I was in school. Dad still worked and coached me for many years in softball...he was even my catcher when it came to pitching lessons...poor guy I think he still has a bruise on his leg from all those drop ball pitches...sorry about that dad!

So what am I ranting about? Over the past couple of months I've either had or heard a few different conversations where people have said things like "there's no way I'd have another kid at this age" or "I'm through with mine, it's my time to enjoy now". Now I'm not saying going out and adopting a baby at the age of 50 is what everyone is suppose to do. But, it just irritates me that some people think they've earned the right to their "own" time once they hit a certain age. To so quickly dismiss the idea if a child was to end up on their doorstep is just sad to me. They have no idea what they could be missing out on. I count it an absolute priviledge to have had "older" parents. I grew up listening to the oldies on the radio with my dad, I definitely know a few "older" sayings, and I think I learned to hold a higher respect for the older generation (where some kids today have absolutely none). Not only do I think I benefited from having older parents, but I believe my parents benefited as well. If you were to run into my parents today I guarantee you would not guess their age correctly, or that they have 7 great grandchildren and almost 9 grandchildren. They have been very blessed with great health and have aged fantastic. I fully believe when you let yourself "get old" then you most certainly will. Something happens to a person when they stop being active. I'm sure I certainly kept my parents on their toes for many years! Not tooting my own horn, because I think the benefits were mutual. Now, look at these pictures and tell me if you'd ever guess mom is 72 and dad is 74!! Sorry mom, don't kill me for posting your age, but you look GREAT so you shouldn't be ashamed!



This picture was taken in April '12

This one is a few years old, but trust me, he hasn't changed!

This is probably the most recent one of both of them

The Bible tells us that children are a blessing (Pslam 127:3-5). It should not matter what age you are. There is no age limit for a person to stop having or adopting children (granted I'm not saying someone should adopted a baby at the age of 80, let's have some common sense). And, please don't tell me you want to have all of your children at a young age so you will be able to enjoy them and your grandchildren and not be "too old"....

And now, I will step off of my soapbox! All of that from a silly cane commercial...I better go check to see how my brownies turned out!!


Specialist Appointment

I had an appointment with the specialist this morning (Dr. Reed) and mister Josiah is doing great! I had another new ultrasound tech but she was super friendly. We attempted to get some cute 3D pictures, but of course little man decided to be difficult and keep his hands in front of his face...this has been the norm for him the entire pregnancy, haha oh well if he enjoys having them up there then that's fine =) She did get a pretty good shot of his foot...

Maybe that's the foot that enjoys kicking my right rib cage!

Josiah weighed in at an estimated 5 pounds (38th percentile) the ultrasound tech said she believes he'll probably be around 7 1/2 pounds or so, sounds good to me! He also scored and 8/8 for the different things they look for to make sure he is doing alright (fluid levels, movement, etc.). From now on I'll be heading to the specialist weekly, WOW, that means things are getting seriously close!

As of tomorrow I will have 6 weeks left...and I feel like I have SO much left to do:
*I'd still like to get some pictures taken
*I need to start thinking about what I want to pack for the hospital
*I'd like to see if we can talk to someone in the Gwinnett Medical NICU, just to ask a few questions (one question in particular is to see if I can at least hold Josiah before they take him to the NICU, so long as he is alright right after he is born)
*I need to call the insurance company to ask a few questions
*Pre-register at the hospital
*Finish reading a book I started about natural childbirth (we have chosen not to do any childbirth classes..no specific reason really..mostly we just haven't had the time)
*Get my hair done...this should be at the top of my list...my hair is driving me CRAZY!

As far as pregnancy goes, I'm still enjoying it for the most part:
+ I still haven't had any crazy cravings, which is fine with me!
+ I have a good bit of energy (minus today..I've been super lazy!)
+ I love feeling Josiah move around, especially when he's pushing his knee/hand/butt out and part of my stomach is harder because of it
+ Overall I feel pretty good!

- I'm tired of feeling like I wear the same clothes over and over..but there is no sense in going and buying anything new now
- Heartburn can go climb a tree! It's usually the worst if I eat a little too much or if it's something spicy. Sometimes it will randomly act up, and it can get to the point where it makes me have to cough/feel like I'm about to puke in my mouth!
- Sometimes my heart will decide to race and it will feel like I just ran a mile, I've noticed it tends to happen if I have my hands over my head for a short time (like washing my hair in the shower)


Other than that, not much has been happening in the Barfield household! I am super ready for Christmas, it's definitely my favorite holiday!! I just kind of wish it would get a little colder to make it feel like it's actually winter...I wouldn't mind a little snow either =)
Only 8 more days until Christmas, and I can't help but be thankful for the true meaning of Christmas...I am so thankful for my Lord and savior Jesus Christ and that we have the freedom to celebrate his birth!!

No More...

...Pediatric cardiologist prenatal appointments!!! I had my last appointment with Dr. V last Thursday, and it was crazy to think that the next time I see Dr. V we will have mister Josiah here! The appointment went great (as in there were no changes from the last time I was there). Dr. V said there is still some narrowing of his PFO, but that he could still see that blood was passing through to the right atrium, so that's a good thing. There is still a possibility that it could become more narrow by the time Josiah arrives, but we're just going to pray that it stays the same or even corrects itself!

I was kind of bummed that Michelle (my ultrasound tech) wasn't there. I actually had a couple of questions for her, but she was sick. I had a very sweet girl do the ultrasound for me and I could tell that she was still somewhat new. Michelle and I usually carry on all sorts of conversations while she's scanning. I asked this girl something when she first started and she didn't answer for like 2 minutes, haha! I can't imagine how long it probably takes to get really good at doing fetal echos though...everything tends to look the same to me but it's obviously not. I remember this girl did tell me that everyone refers to Dr. V and Michelle as the "dream team"...that's definitely nice to hear =)

For the past 3 appointments I've gotten used to having some sort of medical student shadowing either Michelle or Dr. V and Thursday was no different. When Dr. V came in he had a medical student with him and he watched as Dr. V took over the scan. It felt like this scan took extra long, but I guess Dr. V wanted to get one, good last look at Josiah's heart before he's born. This also answered my question as to why I had to keep going to both the pediatric cardiologist and the specialist. Since this is my last appointment with Dr. V, I will continue to go to the specialist up until I deliver so they can monitor Josiah's heart and make sure everything is still going well.


No More...
...Enjoying sleep! Up until about a week ago I really couldn't complain about how I was sleeping (besides the normal middle of the night bathroom break). NOW..is a different story. I no longer enjoy going to bed. I can't get comfortable, I think I turn over back and forth about 12 times a night, and I no longer take 1 bathroom trip but 2!!..I hope it doesn't get to 3 buy the end of it all, wishful thinking?? I know I've heard over and over you arn't suppose to sleep on your back. However, I asked Dr. Pohl about this early on and he said as long as I wasn't passing out, getting light-headed, or having trouble breathing I could sleep on my back. Again, about a week and a half ago it became uncomfortable to lay on my back for more than about a minute, ugh! Tums and I have become very close friends recently...that old wives tale better come true...Josiah you better come out with a head full of hair, buddy!


No More...
...Enjoying food! Okay, just kidding...I can't give up my nightly bowl of cereal (which has really been the only continuous legit craving I've had so far). But seriously, I feel like I look at food and I gain weight now. I know I'm not, but maybe I just feel like I am because I feel HUGE! I've honestly done much better than I thought I would with gaining weight. I think I'm right around 18-20 pounds at 32 weeks. Of course that estimated weight comes from weighing myself right after I wake up, pee, and I'm in my birthday suite...come on ladies..don't lie, you know that's how you do it too ;) Too funny, I had this conversation with 2 friends a few weeks ago and we were dying laughing because we all said that's what we do. And, when we go to doctors appointments we pick out the lightest weight clothes/shoes...anything to save a half a pound!


Alright, enough complaining. Here are some things that I'm still able to do or enjoy doing:

*Wear the same size shoe:
thankfully my feet haven't swollen or gotten any bigger/flatter
*Wear my wedding rings :
unless I've had a little too much sodium the day before..that usually happens on Monday, because of what we eat on Sunday
*Work:
still substituting
*Do a little exercising:
even though it's not always at the gym
*Wear pants that I wore before getting pregnant :
with my belly band of course! Thankfully my butt and legs haven't gotten bigger and I can still fit into them besides zipping/buttoning
*Go on dates:
Anthony and I are actually going on one this weekend to see Chronicles of Narnia the Musical at the new Buford Community Center, I can't wait...yes I'm a nerd
*Feel my little buddy inside kick away:
poor guy is starting to get a little cramped I'm afraid

**We are down to 8 weeks!! I'm sure they will drag by and fly at the same time!**