Postpartum Check-up (March 27, 2008)

I just had my postpartum check-up this morning at Kaiser. I'm glad everything is progressing normally, as it should be. I actually lost all 10-15 pounds I gained during the pregnancy right after I delivered Sebastian and I continue to lose pounds some more maybe due to the combination of breastfeeding and lack of sleep. It's a good thing, I guess, since I started out on the plump side (I know, I gained a lot when I came here to California and couldn't get rid of excess lbs). The bleeding still comes and goes, but the nurse midwife said it's still normal to bleed until 6 weeks. Let's see when this stops.

Nancy, the midwife I saw this morning, was actually the one who delivered my baby. She was surprised to see Sebastian so big in such a small amount of time. A lot of people actually say he's big for his age, and he is! He's heavy too. And I'm glad to say he's as healthy as ever.

Happy 3rd Anniversary!!!

Today is our 3rd anniversary. Woohoo!!! We just had dinner out (with mom & dad) after my weekly prenatal appointment since we didn't make plans for this year due to the baby might be here anytime.

Speaking of babies... so our little guy still loves hanging out in his "home". I'm starting to think he's getting so comfortable in my womb that I might have to send him an eviction notice. LOL. I did, however, lose my mucus plug (clear, white, glue-like, stretchy glob) last Sunday morning and been having intense, sporadic contractions ever since. It's enough to keep me up at the wee hours of the morning but not enough to make me think I am in actual labor. Today, at the doctor's office, they did an internal (finally!) and I found out I am 2cm dilated and 60% effaced. It still doesn't say much, though. It could be anytime from now 'til a couple weeks from now, who knows? I did bleed/spot afterwards, which I think is normal after a pelvic exam/cervical check.

So who wants to bet he's gonna be here before the weekend? I honestly don't know what to think. We are so ready for him to come out, but I guess he's still not (no matter what I do to speed things up) so I'm just gonna try and be patiently waiting for him to come out. Like this quote I read somewhere: "My baby's gonna be born on his birthday, not on his due date." Maybe he doesn't wanna share his birthday with our anniversary. Wise!

President's Day

Today is a holiday. And I was kinda hoping to have given birth by this time so it would be one less day Bondi would have to take time off work. But the little guy had different plans and still stubbornly nests in his comfort zone. So, we just took a stroll in the park and get some fresh air...

Oh well... yesterday, after church, we decided to go on a drive to Monterey Bay. Mom and Dad haven't been there so we figured since it's supposed to be a nice sunny day, it would be perfect to go on a picnic by the beach. Plus, the long trip and some walking probably would do me some good in speeding up the labor process. No such luck there. Plus, the sun was hiding when we got there!

Anyway, here are some snapshots from yesterday:

The group: Vega family (Alvin, Gian, Grace & Gabie), Mom & Dad, Chen & Bondi

Lunch time!

Mom & Dad by the beach

Experimenting with the Seagull



The Lone Cypress


Close-up with Mr. Squirrel

With Dad

He still ain't here...

I am now 38 weeks 3 days and still very much pregnant. LOL. I can't believe how anxious one gets as time goes by. I just can't wait for our little guy to come out into this world even if it is just only 11 more days 'til his due date. Today, I had an ultrasound and was able to see him again. He was approximately 7lbs 10oz +/-18oz and measuring ahead at 39w1d. Whew! Nothing to worry about there. And I am 100% sure he's really a boy. Every time I have a scan, it has always been confirmed so I would really be surprised if it is otherwise. I have another weekly appointment set for tomorrow and maybe I'll get to know how the progress is in terms of me dilating and effacing. Hopefully I give birth soon. I just can't wait until my due. Seems like every due date buddy I know are having their babies to hold already. LOL.

Anyway, last weekend, we had a great weather! Sunny, clear skies, okay temperature... So Bondi, me, mom & dad headed off to San Francisco and took pictures by the Golden Gate Bridge. Here are some shots Bondi took of my big belly:

Mahangin sa labas!!!

Daddy's listening...

Group shot

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Oh, and how can I forget: my very last mugshot: 9 months!

More updates...

I am now having weekly prenatal appointments, so today I met with a certified nurse midwife since I wasn't able to get a sched with my regular OB. Midwives deal a lot differently with patients. They have more time, so they don't rush you, and they are very much detailed. Like for example, my weight gain wasn't an issue with my OB, since it seems the baby's developing healthy and normally. But with a midwife, she's concerned I lost 2-3 pounds since last week's appointment (I wasn't even trying!). I swear I haven't been starving myself - I eat when I want to eat and what I want to eat, but I don't really know how I could have only gained 4 pounds from my first weigh-in during the first prenatal appointment on my 2nd month (if I base it on my average pre-pregnancy weight I would say I gained around 12 pounds though). The midwife palpated my abdomen and felt the baby, measured my belly, and then ordered a sonogram to check on the baby's growth just to be on the safe side, she says. I'm guessing the baby would take after me and just be a 6 pounder like I was. I'm not really that worried, though. I still feel this little one's active movements, my OB wasn't really concerned, and the midwife was saying she's not too overly concerned as well. We'll see what happens in the ultrasound.

So it looks like this little one's not coming early, and in fact might be a little late. I haven't been checked for any dilation and effacement, and I don't know what station the baby's at right now, so I absolutely have no idea what's going on down there. I want to see him soon, but I may have to resign myself to waiting a bit longer, and honestly, I don't really know if I haven't forgotten anything in preparation for his arrival so maybe it's best for him to come out around his due date.

On another note, my dad's finally coming on the 7th! He originally planned to be here February 1 but then my grandma passed away on January 29 and they had the burial February 2, so he had to postpone his trip. :( It's sad that I wasn't even there to visit her when she was in the hospital, and when she died, but I am just thankful that I know she's in heaven with the Lord right now, pain-free and just rejoicing in His presence. I miss her so much.

Anyway, a new life will be added in our family a few weeks or days from now and that's another reason to rejoice. Bondi and I rearranged our room to accommodate our new baby. It's not much, but here are some photos of his stuff:

What's up with me?

Ok, so having a headache for 11 straight days was no fun at all. Good thing today, the 12th day, was a better day, and I think it's slowly getting better. Two days ago, I had my prenatal appointment with my OB. Nothing much, she just did the routine group B strep test, did another ultrasound and confirmed that baby's head is already engaged. For the headache, she prescribed vicodin for the pain and benadryl to put me to sleep. Needless to say, it didn't work and I woke up still in pain. The Benadryl didn't put me to sleep either. I tried the sudafed in the morning, in case it's a sinus issue. Still, the same thing. So yesterday she had me looked at by another specialist to see if there's something with the headache issue. (Last week, I was seen by the nurse to rule out preeclampsia and clearly I don't have it, seeing as I don't have any swelling issues, my BP has always been low/normal - I check it myself at home as well, and there's no protein in my urine.)

After different tests and deliberation between the doctors (internist, neurologist, and OB), they couldn't find anything alarming. That's a huge sigh of relief. So they figured it must be my old "migraine" or whatever type of headache I had way before I got pregnant. It could just be the pregnancy making it worse or longer than I usually have. Before the MD sent me home, he had the nurse give me a shot of narcotic in my behind, in the hopes it would stop the cycle of pain and put me to sleep. I did feel a bit wobbly and sedated, but it wasn't enough to actually put me to a deep sleep. I felt a little better, less pain, and very relaxed.

I woke up at 5am though, still with that throbbing headache (accompanied with a nosebleed on my left nostril - again! Forgot to turn on the humidifier, maybe that's why!). So, following the doctor's advice, I ate a very early breakfast and doubled the dose for the vicodin and took benadryl, hoping it would do the trick. I think it kinda did. I feel a little better now, still with the headache but not as painful as the past few days. In fact, I was able to go out, drive and do a little shopping. Not bad, huh? Hopefully, I wouldn't have to take any more meds. I know it should be safe for the baby at this stage of my pregnancy since it was ordered by the doctor, but I still wouldn't want to risk anything.

So, I am hoping and praying that the recovery would be continuous. I don't want to have to go through labor with that nasty headache. I imagine it being hard and painful already, and I don't want it to be more painful and uncomfortable than it should be. I am actually considering an all-natural birth and I hope I'm able to push through with it. Hopefully! Please pray for me. :)

By the way, Bondi and I were just goofing around and he made an attempt at some maternity shots. Here it is:

I am officially in the waiting game. Any time soon, little one...

Headache!

Nearing my due date and having these terrible headaches. No amount of Tylenol can relieve this "migraine" for three days in a row. I just wish it would go away so I can do more stuff instead of lying down to rest.

Anyhoo, these are my latest belly pix. I have grown so much in the past few days and baby's active as ever!

Almost there...

I can't believe I'm on my 36th week now. Today, I'm 35 weeks and 2 days and it just seems like yesterday that we got our positive HPT. There's still not much changes lately, except my belly is growing rapidly, and I feel my ribs are already sore from all the kicking he's doing in there. My bellybutton is almost flat now, and I'm still blessed with no stretchmarks and edema yet, and a very light linea nigra so far. I hope I get to have some maternity photos before I give birth since I think my belly's big enough for a pictorial now, but let's see.

I've gone through my to-do list and I'm almost done with my errands, including thank you cards from the shower and shopping for more last-minute baby stuff. We have pretty much everything we need, except for some minor stuff which can be bought anytime, but I already did the baby laundry, and boy does he have tons of clothes! I already set up the "nursery" (will post pix later) and started packing our hospital bag. All we need is just install the carseat and we're all set!

After my baby shower last week, there's still lots of invitations to parties and gatherings for the next month or so, including two baby showers which unfortunately I couldn't go to. We actually just got home from our niece's dedication and 1st birthday party celebration. I'm so tired right now, I'm gonna go ahead and nap for a while. Later!

Some Pix:

Me... today at 35w2d

Walking towards the venue: Gerry's Grill Union City

Gabriela Santos Vega

Gabie with Uncle Bondi

Child Dedication

1st Birthday Celebration

Delicious Food!

Bye!

Pain?

I originally planned to have a very fruitful day today, with a long "to-do" list in preparation for baby's arrival. However, after a few errands in the morning, I felt tired and then had this terrible gas pain. I just slept on it in the hopes it would just go away, and with the baby constantly moving, it wasn't really hard to recover from it. I was suddenly awaken by a different kind of pain, though. At 3pm, I was in pain in the lower right quadrant of my belly. No matter how I position myself, it won't go away! And it seems to get more painful (but bearable) as I move. Then I couldn't move at all. It also radiates toward my back (still at the lower right side), to my right butt, then my right thigh. I know I'm not in labor because I don't have any contractions, and there's no leaking, no water breaking, no blood whatsoever.

So I called Kaiser OB hotline for advice. After ruling out any other possible scenarios, the nurse midwife asked me to try to take Tylenol first, then soak in a warm-to-hot bath. After 45 minutes, I was feeling good again, except for some intermittent pain when baby moves. I palpated my left abdomen and it was soft, but my right abdomen is hard, and the baby took up residence in that small quadrant. It probably resulted in pressure to my veins, tissues, pelvis, or whatever, thus causing a discomfort. The whole ordeal made me so tired and sleepy (plus the hot bath made me feel so relaxed) that I took another long nap afterwards. There goes my day!

At least I know the baby's fine. He's just so active in there, and he's actually moving nonstop as I type. But it's okay, baby. You can move as much as you want, reassure us that you're doing okay. Because I know all these discomforts are gonna be well worth it. We can't wait to finally meet you!

Baby Shower #2 (Jan. 12, 2008)

Yesterday was my second and final baby shower before the baby's out. There were a total of 60 guests, including Bondi & I. Everyone has been so amazing. We're truly blessed and we're so thankful to my CPC community group for putting up such a wonderful shower, everyone has been organized and so generous, providing food, prizes, help in setting up - and to Jeff & Ailei for the clubhouse. I would also like to thank Trisha for head-organizing the event, and to Jen & Marty from the Twenties for also doing a big part in organizing this event. It definitely was a fun experience not only for me, but also for the guests who came in to celebrate our baby's coming.

The place was fantastic, the food was overflowing, the decors were great, all the details were excellent, and the games and raffles and prizes - wow! Jen & Marty made a pretty diaper cake displayed on the info table as well, and it was really sweet! We got good presents we could definitely use and so we just can't wait for our little one to come out and finally enjoy it.

So anyway, no matter how I say it, no words could give justice to this perfect fun-filled event we all just enjoyed. Thanks, guys!

Marty & Jen at the entrance/info table:

Trisha hosting the games & raffle:

The party:

Some games:

Some guests:



Music:

There's tons of pictures! I'll see if I have time to upload it all... :)