UPDATE On My Bloodwork

Well at last weeks appointment I had blood work done to check a few things. The one we were waiting on the results for was the test to see if I had antibodies for the fifths disease the boys had over the holidays. Alittle background, fifths disease is a super common childhood disease. It starts off with cold like symptoms, (runny nose, sore throat, cough) and then about a week to ten days after the symptoms you get a rash on your cheeks. It's also known as "slapped cheeks syndrome" because a rash will appear on your cheeks and it resembles the look of being slapped on the face. Once the rash appears you are no longer contagious, hints there is no way to avoid exposure! It's so common that on average 75% of people have it in adolescence and like the chicken pox, once you get it you never get it again!

So Justin came down with it first right before Christmas, probably being exposed at school before break. Then about 4 days after Christmas he got the rash and then about a week later Nick and I got the rash. When the pediatricians diagnosed Justin after the rash appeared they advised me to get in contact with my doctor to be tested to see if I had the antibodies for it, meaning I would have had it as a child, or if I was at risk of getting it.

Now fifths is virtually harmless to a child and to an adult, but can be very bad for an unborn fetus if the pregnant mother contracts the disease. So I called my doctor and they reassured me that more than likely I had it as a child and had nothing to worry about. But to be safe we would take blood and test at my next scheduled appointment, aka the one last week!

OK so it takes about a week to get the results back. My doctor gave me a call yesterday, I should have known since she called me and not my nurse Corina! She tells me that my "acute" levels were indeed high, meaning basically I tested positive for Fifths Disease. Of course I had done research online while waiting on the results so I knew what was next. She assured me that she felt everything would be OK. And that even though I tested positive there was a slight chance that MAYBE I was exposed as a child and just being exposed again around Justin and Nick my antibodies went crazy, but that because it was positive they have to treat me as if I have it!

So now we start the observation process on Miss Emily. I go in on the 16th of February for another level 2 ultrasound. We will be looking for fluid build-up on her heart, belly, or brain. I was upset with the news so my doctor did not go into alot of detail, just that we would do the scan and go from there. She stressed that she felt everything would be fine and that treating it aggressively and watching baby closely would allow her and me both to sleep easier at night, I guess you could say we are being extra safe than sorry! But from what I have read and found out basically Fetal infection is rare. However, when a fetus does become infected, the virus can disrupt its ability to produce red blood cells, sometimes leading to a dangerous form of anemia and pooling of fluids called "fetal hydrops". There is more but I rather not go into it because I know in my heart Miss Emily is going to be just fine.

When I first heard the news my heart sank and I think I hit a low with this pregnancy. As most of you know this pregnancy has been the hardest thing in my life I have ever gone through. Thankfully every obstacle we have faced to this point we have overcome and we are not about to stop now. Please if everyone could send up a thought or prayer for Emily and that she is OK and does not get this disease I would greatly appreciate it. There is a saying that is becoming true in my eyes that we are never given more than we can handle. Joe and I and the boys and Miss Emily are going to hit this hard. I am going to bake this little girl till she is full term and she is going to come out healthy as a horse and bossing her daddy and brothers around from day one!

P.S. And just to make everyone smile (because I know I need one) here is a picture of all three of my BOYS playing Rock Band 2 on Wii, it's tooooo funny to watch! And I promise to let everyone know how the ultrasound turns out in a couple weeks! HUGS - SUZY

The BOOOOOYS

Well it seems I do alot of "baby" talk on here so I want to take a moment and brag on my boys. Lets start with Justin. Today my big boy got yet another round of awards. Joe and I are so proud of him. Every six weeks since he started Kindergarten he has received the "Stallion Star" award. It's given to kiddos that get only "S" and check marks on their report cards. The past 3 six weeks he has received the "good citizenship" award also. So today mommy FINALLY got to go watch him get his awards. The first six weeks I was in the hospital and the second six weeks I was at the doctor. Today mommy had the day alone and got to watch her little man in all his glory. Also I want to brag at how much Justin takes after his daddy.Besides the charm and good looks ( ;) ) he has inherited his daddies math skills. He tested in the 89% on his math score for the first semester testing. He LOVES math and tends to count everything. SO PROUD!


Now for mister Nicholas. Well my little bear is growing up so fast. He comes bolting out of school today screaming "Mommy I got in the treasure box". Now to do this they have to keep all their "stickers" through out the day, and for Nick that's easier said than done. But today (one of like maybe 3 days so far) he was able to keep his stickers and receive a trip to the "treasure chest". He was so proud and so am I! Also here recently Nick has become in LOVE with his upcoming sister. I am still amazed at how much he talks about the new baby and really seems eager to meet her. I know he is going to be an amazing big brother like Justin and I can't wait to watch him play out the role! I also wanted to post a picture of his "curls". Everyone can't get over how curly his hair is since we have let it grow out. But now that its over his ears daddy is eager to get it trimmed, so after his bath today I snapped one last photo of the "do"..

Ultrasound Update

Well our great news is that babies level 2 ultrasound scan came back clear. The doctors said her heart/bowel/spine/etc. all looked good! We had a rather eventful appointment yesterday, our regular 15 minutes turned into two hours. First off my blood pressure was alittle high. The doctor thought it was probably due to being alittle worried about getting the results back and so she wasn't too concerned.

Then our regular pee in the cup came back showing I was still really dehydrated and also besides spilling the keytones I was spilling some blood also. She said it was probably do to an infection (kidney/bladder/something) and so she sent off a more invasive test on that.

After that we went over some concerns I had been having (not feeling the baby move much, etc) so she did some more test and exams and also sent us for yet another ultrasound to check babies fluid levels. Good news is I am not leaking amniotic fluid, and the ultrasound showed baby swimming in perfect amounts of fluids. Oh and the little heffer has switched back to the frank breech position again with head under one rib and feet under the other and her butt down in my pelvis.

We also started a new test this visit. It is called a Fetal Fibronectin test. Basically its a test we will do every visit from now on till baby is born. It detects if there is any presence of fetal fibronectin (a protein produced during pregnancy and functions as a biological glue, attaching the fetal sac to the uterine lining - The presence of fFN during weeks 24-34 of a high-risk pregnancy, along with symptoms of labor, suggests that the "glue" may be disintegrating ahead of schedule and alerts doctors to a possibility of preterm delivery.) So basically if the test ever comes back positive then that means I would more than likely be going into labor within a two week period. If its negative we can relax and are pretty sure baby will not come within 2 weeks of the test. This along with the 17 Hydroxyprogesterone shots will hopefully help us bake this baby a long time. If it comes back positive before 36 weeks I will be treated as if I'm going into labor and get steroid shots, go on bed rest, etc to help keep me from having the baby early.

And the last thing for the day was some blood work. She sent off blood for two different things. One testing to see if I ever got the fifths disease the boys came down with about a month ago. If I did they will monitor the baby via ultrasound to make sure she stays healthy. My doctor also sent blood off for anemia. Well that one came back already and level 35 is considered anemic, with them worrying at levels 30-32, well I came back as 31.5, so now I have these new horse Iron pills I get to choke down no matter what. She is going to check my levels again when I go back in 3 weeks. But she said that explains the dizzy spells and exhaustion I have been feeling the past few weeks.

So I guess you could say Joe and I had a rather interesting appointment yesterday. We are so happy that our baby girl is looking healthy. I'm on meds for the infection and the low iron. I will update as soon as I hear from the fifths screen test. And also I have an amazing OB that is determined to bake our baby to full term..lol So that's about it.. HUGS

She is still a GIRL!

So we went in today for our repeat ultrasound on little bean. Of course the ultrasound lady isn't really allowed to tell you anything, but she made sure to point out babies bowels and told us what all she was measuring. It was amazing how much more detailed she was with the whole scan. She spent alot of time just measuring the heart, spine, and fluid levels. We should know by next weeks doctors appointment if they found anything wrong. I'm going to call and ask if they can call before then if the results come in, but they had mentioned it takes about a week to get them back.

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So from what they could tell baby is still a girl. She has changed positions and is almost head down, with her little head smooshed into the placenta. She also had her legs crossed again, but this time at the top kinda like a lady sitting in a chair. The ultrasound tech was able to come behind around her butt and get a shot of the goods. Now she and Joe said they could tell it was a girl, the tech even putting an arrow at the labia. But I have a hard time reading these things and can't see anything.lol

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Well here are the pictures they gave us today, not many, but I was happy I got a few. Little baby didn't look much different to me, but Joe made sure to point out her feet have gotten bigger. Yep she got her daddies and brother big Lannom feet.

Hi Everyone!

Big Feet

The GIRL Goods

Half Way There!

Well technically I am 21 weeks today, but either way we are half way DONE. I'm getting so excited, yet so nervous. I can't wait to see our beautiful baby girl, but I also want her to bake as long as possible and come out perfectly healthy! Some fun news is Joe and I have started her nursery, she better still be a girl at our ultrasound on the 12th!!! Joe cleared out the room and cleaned the carpets. I also have her bedding, I got a GREAT deal on it. Target was clearing out for there incoming spring stock and I got her crib and room bedding marked on clearance for about $30.00 less than it originally was. I will post pictures when we are done, but we still have TONS to do.

Hope everyone had a great new years! Here are some pictures of me at 20 weeks!