Merry Christmas!

I realized this morning that it's been ages since I've posted. I'm so sorry!

Nio is absolutely perfect. He's gorgeous and sweet and smiley and cuddly and...perfect.

He's growing quickly. In fact, we're not buying 000 for him anymore. There's just no point. The 00s that we have aren't that big on him. We've already had to adjust the straps on his carseat three times!

He's a chatterbox too, always chatting about something. So so cute.

I just can't get over how quickly he's growing and how fast time is speeding by. It's just ridiculous!

We're taking him to the States to see my family at the end of March. We'll be staying for pretty much all of April, so he'll have his first Easter and turn 6 months old over there. I'm hoping that they still do pictures with the Easter Bunny because we so need one. Nothing like having a picture of a screaming baby on a 6 foot tall Bunny's lap. *LMAO*

The links for Nio's December pics and vids have been added to the links list over there.

--->

I hope everyone is doing well!

Luckier than we ever thought...

I wanted to wait a while (until some friends of ours had their baby) to post this...

Now that their son has arrived safely, I feel okay to make this post.

On 29 October, Louise had her surgical follow up with Dr K.  What he had to say brought me to tears, shudders, and makes me feel a bit sick.

Let me start off by saying, she's fine.  But, Nio's placenta wasn't so fine.

It was 25-30% calcified when he was born.  Dr K isn't sure that the pregnancy would've continued for another week, like we had originally wanted.  In fact, if it hadn't been for Dr Mangos (the hematologist), we would've pushed for the birth to be on the 18th.  There was nothing to show that there was a problem and Dr K didn't have an issue with letting us go to 38 weeks.

Dr Mangos wanted Nio born before 37 weeks...and was quite adamant about it.  Dr K took his advice and that's why Nio was born on the 11th.

It takes my breath away to think that if Dr Mangos hadn't been so adamant we probably wouldn't have Nio here with us now.

Also...

At our 12 week scan, the high risk OB guy there (who is really very talented, this is nothing against him at all) told us that there was no reason for Louise to be on Clexane and aspirin and suggested she come off of them.  I wasn't very keen on that at all...simply because maybe it was coincidence that we had achieved a pregnancy the first time after being on the blood thinners...but maybe it wasn't a coincidence.

Dr K and Dr Mangos both agreed.  The dosages of Clexane and aspirin that Louise was taking wouldn't hurt her or the baby...so why not just stay on it.  So, she did...and came off of at 35 weeks.

Dr K is of the opinion that if Louise had stopped the Clexane...the pregnancy may not have progressed.

Little Nio is definitely our Little Miracle.

The reality of how close we came to losing this perfect little boy is just numbing. 

Dr K said that if we decide to have another baby (and Louise falls pregnant again), he would deliver at 36 weeks. 

I'm not sure right now if I would be able to withstand another pregnancy...emotionally speaking, that is.  I was a nervous wreck throughout Nio's pregancy...and we thought everything was just fine. 

Someone was definitely looking out for all of us.  Of that, I have no doubt.

Thank you, Thomas.  We love you so very much.  ♥♥♥♥

Wow...

Today is Nio's official due date.

And he's 3 weeks and 1 day old.

Three weeks doesn't seem like that long, but in all honesty...I'm having a very hard time remembering what life was like without Nio in it.

Thomas seems to be making his presence known a fair bit lately.  Just little signs...a random song, a random butterfly or three, a flutter of his birthday balloon (which still hasn't gone done completely). 

I miss him so very much...and I thank him so much for looking out for his little brother. 

Sometimes Nio just lays in the bassinet, smiling at "nothing" as he waves his arms and kicks his legs.  I wonder if that "nothing" is actually someone that only he can see.

The thought of that brings a smile to my face.

Nurse Visit

The community nurse came to the house yesterday to have a look at Nio.

Everything looks really great and she's really happy with his development.

She didn't measure his length, but did measure his head circumference...which was 36cm.  It was 34cm at birth.

In other good news...he's up to 3.3kg!  Nearly back to birth weight.  He's put on nearly 300g in less than a week!  :D

Over the weekend, I started giving him a bottle of ebm (expressed breast milk) for his 6am (approx) feed.  I'm up anyway...and this way, Louise can get a bigger block of sleep.  It's also great for me...because I have an hour where it's just me and Nio (and Freya watching intently).

There's not much that is as beautiful as a baby looking into your eyes as he feeds.

I continue to be amazed by him every single day.

I also find that I'm thinking about Thomas more than usual too.  Maybe because Nio looks so much like him...maybe because I just miss Thomas so much...maybe both. 

Jaundice

They let us leave the hospital on Monday morning.  They said that Nio was a little yellow, but should be fine...just to keep an eye on him.

Tuesday was great.  Wednesday morning was great.

Late Wednesday morning (17 October), Louise was starting to get a bit worried because he hadn't had a proper feed since 6 that morning...and he was sleeping heavily.  She woke him up for a feed and noticed that his eyes were a bit yellow. 

So, she called the doctor and got an appointment for that afternoon.

Her mom took her and I left work early to meet them there.  The doctor was a bit concerned and suggested we take him to the hospital...just to get checked out.

We got to the hospital at about 4:30...he had had a 45 minute feed at 6 am, a 30 minute feed at midday, and a 5 minute feed at 3pm.  And he showed no interest in feeding...mainly because he was not waking up to feed. 

His reflexes were fine, he was just too tired to eat.

They put a cannula in his arm...and I cried as much as he did.  The most amazing thing happened though...he was crying and Louise put her hand on his head and said "Mumma's here, Nio..." and he calmed right down.  It was just beautiful. 

He was pretty dehydrated and more yellow.  They tested his bilirubin levels and they were at 308.  Borderline for being under the lights. 

Since he was only 6 days old and hadn't been feeding properly during the day, they decided to go ahead and put him under the lights for the night. 

Only one of us could stay the night...and that had to be Louise, since she's feeding him.  It was SO hard leaving them to go home... :(

As you can see, he looked quite comfortable...which made it a bit easier.  He was in the best place, having the best treatment.  They were keeping a close eye on him...it just didn't seem fair that we only had him at home for two nights before he had to go back. 

I went back in at 6 am the following morning and there was a huge difference in him.  He was more alert, not as yellow, and he had gained 20g overnight.  (Birth weight was 3.425kg, weight on Wednesday was 3.04kg, weight on Thursday was 3.06kg)

The midwife on duty gave Louise some great breastfeeding tips...and they worked like a charm!

By Thursday afternoon, Nio's bilirubin levels were down to 240...and they let us bring him home! 

Louise had to take him in on Friday for one last test and it had come down even more to 211.  The doctor is convinced that he's just fine.  After all, jaundice is pretty common.

It may be common, but seeing him so floppy and non-alert scared the hell out of me.

He's all good now, though!  :D

Birth Story - Part 2

I spent most of that day going back and forth between the nursery and Louise's room.  She obviously needed the rest and I wanted to be able to give her as many updates about our son as possible.

On my third trip down, I noticed that he had a tiny tube in his mouth.  One of the nurses came over and explained what was going on.  Apparently his oxygen sats had dropped again...and his heart rate was still a bit high.  They put in a small tube and suctioned some mucous out of his stomach...and instantly, his heart rate dropped to normal and his oxygen went up to 98%. 

The poor little guy was working so hard to get the mucous out, but just couldn't.

The tube didn't stay in for long and soon after they had taken it out, I was able to take him back to the room for a cuddle and a feed.  We kept him in the room with us for a little over an hour and then I had to take him back.

Louise had a sleep...I went and found something for dinner.

It kind of felt like we didn't have a baby...because he wasn't right there with us.  A few hours later, I went and got him for another feed and the nurses told me that they'd more than likely release him to the ward the following morning.

I could have stayed the night, but Louise needed to get as good of a sleep as she possibly could...and I needed to get home to feed the furkids.

So, after I took Nio back to the nursery and got him settled in for the night, I went back to the room and made sure Louise was settled in.  It was hard leaving, but I knew that neither one of us would get a decent rest if I stayed.

The following morning, they brought him into the room...and he's been with us ever since.

Pretty uneventful birth story, compared to some others that I've read.  But, our uneventful story resulted in a live, healthy baby...and that's all we care about.

:)

Birth Story - Part 1

With a new job and a new baby, it's a wonder I'm able to get anything done anywhere.  *LOL* 

Okay, so here we go...

We got to the hospital at 5:55 on the morning of Thursday, 11 October 2012.  I dropped Louise off at the front door and I went to park the car at the train station (free parking!).  She messaged me to let me know that she was in a private room.

At first I was nervous...because in the back of my head, a private room for a pregnant woman doesn't make me feel all that secure.  I finally get to the maternity ward and a midwife told me that she was in room 6. 

Room 6 is next door to room 7.  Room 7 is where Thomas was born.

Walked in and she was sitting calmly on the bed.  I rubbed her belly and told our little boy that we'd be meeting him soon.  After all, we were first on the list...and they start at 8am. 

At a few minutes past 7, another midwife came in and handed me a pair of scrubs.  We were getting ready to leave for the operating room.  It wasn't long before an orderly arrived to wheel Louise's bed out of the room.  She had been doing so very well until that moment...and then the reality of what was getting ready to happen hit her. 

They took her into the operating theatre...and made me wait out in the hall until they got her ready.  It felt like forever that I was sitting there, but in reality...it was probably only about 15 minutes or so.

At 8, they took me in and everything was all set up.  They directed me to a stool next to Louise's head and said "You have access to that hand", meaning her right one.  I grabbed it pretty quickly and we just chatted for a little while. 

At 8:30, I was starting to get a bit worried because it was taking so long to get him out.  At 8:38, Dr. K said "Get your camera ready, he's almost out"...and then I heard him cry.  The most beautiful sound I've ever heard. 

At 8:39, our Nio was here.  And screaming about the injustice of it all. 

The took him over to an examination table and told me to come over so I could trim the cord.  I got that done and then just stood there...in awe of this amazing being who was screaming.

Within a few minutes, the decision was made to take him to the special care nursery.  He was okay, he was just having some issues with his breathing and his heartrate was a bit higher than they liked.  I asked Louise what she wanted me to do...and she told me to go with him. 

I followed them down to the nursery and they were all wonderful.  They could tell I was scared and did everything they could to reassure me.  It was all precautionary. 

I sat next to him and talked to him and gently stroked his arms and legs....and waited for Louise.  Because they said that they would bring her through on the way back to our room.

Sure enough, a few minutes later, the orderly wheeled her bed right through the nursery and stopped right in front of our son.  It was then that we confirmed to each other (and everyone else standing there) that his name was definitely Nio.  It just suited him.

Louise could only stay for a few minutes, but it was wonderful to watch her eyes light up when she looked at our son...this beautiful little boy that she created.

I had intended to write the whole story, but it's nearly time for me to go home...and since my computer died, I can only do this at work for the time being.

I'll write Part 2 tomorrow.  :)

Wombat has arrived!

I'll write the story later (because I want to get to the hospital), but for now...pictures!!!

Nio MacDonald Oatley Harrison
8:39am 11 October 2012
3.425kg
52cm

Today is the day!

Leaving in about 10 minutes to head to the hospital.

Hopefully there have been no emergencies overnight....we're first on the list!!!

In just a few short hours, we'll finally be meeting our son!  :D

TWO Sleeps!

El had her pre-admission clinic yesterday...everything looks good and the anesthetist is recommending a spinal tap for the caesarian.  She was telling me how he had described it...and I had to sit down as it was making me feel a bit faint.  LOL.  This has nothing to do with the procedure itself, it just made me think about the spinal injections I had to have before I had my back surgery a couple of years ago. 

Installation of the new lino for the kitchen and the new carpet for the living room is today.  In fact, the lino guys are there now.  I'm not going to recognize the place when I get home tonight.  :) 

While moving furniture out of the rooms last night, I needed a place to put the pram.  So I put it in the car.  And it made everything seem so real.  There's a pram in our car!  :D

I'm hoping that we'll get the car seat in tonight.  If not tonight, DEFINITELY tomorrow night.  Because...El's my instruction reader, so I need her there.  ;)

I'm hoping that in 48 hours from now, we'll be holding our son...and being completely overwhelmed by how amazing he really is. 

TWO MORE SLEEPS!!!

Four Sleeps!

Four more sleeps and then we'll meet our little boy!

Last night, I put the pram together.  I had planned on getting the car seat in the car this afternoon, but I ended up taking a longer-than-intended nap instead.  :(

Tomorrow I have to get all of the furniture moved out of the living room and the pantry moved out of the kitchen.  New carpet for the living room and new lino for the kitchen on Tuesday!

Tuesday night I'll have to move all of the furniture back into the living room.  *LOL*

Wednesday morning, we'll go to our last Subsequent Pregnancy Group meeting before Nio arrives. 

Wednesday night will probably be kind of sleepless...

FOUR SLEEPS!!!

OB Appointment

Everything still looks really good.  Dr. K says that Nio is definitely above average for size.

He's actually in the 90th percentile.  *LOL*

He didn't bother doing a pelvic exam, because there's really no point.  He's nowhere near engaged and definitely not in the right position.  Before he did a scan, Louise said "I'm pretty sure he's gone posterior again..."

Dr. K confirmed that. 

So, caesarian it is.  It's actually quite good to know now.  No surprises, we know what we're dealing with.  I think the only "bad" part is that there can only be one person in the delivery room with her since it's a surgical procedure.  That one person is me and there's no way I'm giving up that spot.

But, it would've been nice if Sue (Louise's mum) could be there too...especially since she was there for Thomas' birth.  I wish my mom could be here.  :(

This weekend are steroid shots...one at 10:30 on Saturday morning and one at 10:30 on Sunday morning.  This is normal protocol now for any caesarian.  She'll have to go to a pre-admission clinic early next week and then we'll have to be at the hospital at 6 am on Thursday. 

We don't know what time the birth will be because she's going on the "emergency" list.  Not really sure why...I think I missed that part of the conversation while I was having a silent panic attack...*LOL*  I think it has to do with the public health system...maybe?  The important thing is nothing is wrong.

So, we'll get to the hospital, get checked in and then when there's a free time slot...we'll go get Nio.  :)

There is a slight chance (if someone else has an emergency) that the birth might be pushed to Friday morning, but that's very slight...according to Dr. K.

All Americans reading this:  if you can remember his birthday is in October, you'll be able to remember his birthdate.  Start with 10 and count up...10/11/12.  *LMAO* 

And now...the major countdown begins.

SEVEN DAYS!

Time is crawling...

Eight days to go.

The past 5 days have taken about 2 weeks to get through, it seems.  :(

Trivia Night

This past Tuesday night, we participated in a trivia night at work.  Louise and I were on a team with our beautiful friend Katie, her husband Aaron, and a few other people who work at the Uni. 

Because we're all awesome, we WON!  Katie wanted a picture of the winning team, so we all got together and Katie took the picture on her phone.  Turned out it was an awesome pic...and Louise just looked so adorably pregnant in it.  :)

L to R: Katie, Aaron, Siva, Dan, Me, Nio, Louise, and Alice

Nio the Wombat

We had our size and development scan this morning and Nio is looking absolutely wonderful!

He has the cutest little chubby cheeks! 

He's measuring at 36w6d...nearly two weeks ahead.  He's a big boy...3.067kg at the moment, long legs, big hands and feet, nice sized head.  He's completely proportional, which is great.

The more I think about it, the more I'd be surprised if this isn't going to be a caesarian.  He's still not in the "optimal" position, but his size is making me lean towards a c-section. 

It doesn't matter to us how he gets here.  We just want him here safe and sound, happy and screaming.  :)

Tonight is Louise's last Clexane injection.  She took her last dose of aspirin this morning.  All of the blood thinners will be out of her system in plenty of time before the birth. 

I'm just so excited that in 13 days we'll be able to kiss those gorgeous chubby cheeks!  :D

Clexane and Aspirin

Louise gave the hematologist, Dr. Mangos, a call yesterday to discuss the protocol for coming off Clexane and aspirin before Nio's birth.  He called her back last night and...she's to come off of them this Friday.

I know it's going to be a relief for her...35 weeks of daily injections can't be fun.  I know what the Clexane is like because they gave it to me when I had my thyroid removed.  But, that was what...3 days?  That's nothing compared to the amount that Louise has had to endure. 

So...3 more injections and that part is finished.  Until after the birth...and then I think she has to go back on them for 5 days - if she has a caesarian.  I think that's what she said...I'll clarify that in a bit.  :)

Swimmers

Louise took a really good picture of the swimmers I mentioned in the last post...

How crazy cute are those?? 

We also found a picture of another pair of overalls that we bought a few weeks ago.  They're a bloomer style and just absolutely gorgeous. 

Little Nio is going to be one stylin', well-dressed little boy!  :)

Purchases...

We did a bit of shopping today, nothing hugely expensive or anything...but things we/Nio need.

We found a baby bag that we both like.  It's the Kapoochi Cruz Hobo...

We also got a couple of towels...which are really cute - white with an embroidered turtle on them...and a pack of face washers.  Louise found an ADORABLE little swimming trunk/boardshort thing.  I'll try to remember to take a picture of them tomorrow. 

Then we went to Pumpkin Patch...just to look.

*cough*

I'm not sure that I've been able to go into Pumpkin Patch and not come out with something for Nio.  *LOL*

Today, it was this:

On our way out of the shopping centre, we decided to go into one more store.  Just to get some ideas about his coming home outfit.  We walked through the baby section, looking at this and that and finding all kinds of cute outfits, but nothing was screaming that it was the right thing.

Until we saw this hanging there, quietly and unassuming.

I instantly fell in love with it and I think Louise did as well.  She found a matching t-shirt to go with it...

We walked around for a bit longer, but nothing was nearly as cute and fitting as this little outfit.  So, he'll be coming home in it.  :)

There's probably all kinds of important things for me to talk about, but really...I'm all about cute baby clothes tonight.  :D

Appointments and Such

Yesterday's OB appointment went really well.  Nio is living up to the nickname 'Wombat'...*LOL*  He's very long and Dr. K says that we'll probably be having a 3kg baby.  Considering that he's going to be 3 weeks early...that's pretty big.

We have a date penciled in for his birth, too!  :)  It's the 11th of October, which means that it'll be easy for my family and American friends to remember his birth date...providing they can remember he was born in October.  And then, it's just...10/11/12.  Obviously, that formula doesn't work for those friends/family who write dates as day/month/year...*LOL*

We still don't know if this is going to be a natural birth or caesarian.  It all depends on his positioning.  He needs to be head down, centered properly, and with his spine against Louise's stomach.  If that's what he is, Dr. K will induce.  If he's anything other than that...Dr. K will do a caesarian.  Right now...he's head down with his head to one side of Louise's pelvis and his spine is against Louise's spine.  1 out of 3...if we were having him now...we wouldn't even consider an induction.

We have a scan next Friday to check his size and placental function and amount of fluid and such.  I'll be interested to see what they estimate his size to be.  :)  Another visit to Dr. K in two weeks.

And then Nio will make his arrival the following week! 

We still have a few things to do/buy/pick up...but, we'll be ready. 

I think. 

Nappies, Nappies, and More Nappies...

As explained in my last post, we've decided to go with cloth nappies.  We ordered the starter pack from Ones&Twos (which has 5 white, 5 colored, and 2 2 packs of extra soaker pads)...later that day, I went on eBay and found someone who sells bulk all in one cloth nappies (and lets you choose your colors).  So, I bought 20 more...10 white and 10 various other colors.

We washed them all today and hung them out on the line...

I don't think I've ever seen our clothesline look so cute before.

o_O

The nursery walls, window sills, door, and baseboards have been painted.

The dresser has been assembled.  The cot has been put up.  The rug has been bought.

As I was painting the change table, El called to tell me that Dr. K's office had called her.  You know how we were thinking that Nio would be born around the 18th of October?  That's been amended.

Looks like he's going to come around the 11th.

Our little boy is going to be here in just over FOUR weeks!!

I think I just had a minor freakout.  *LOL*

In other news, I think we've decided to go with cloth nappies.  I bought these today...

If you'd like, you can read about them here.  We'll get some flushable liners to go in them, too.  I found a place that sells rolls of 100 bamboo liners for $10. 

If we like these nappies as much as we think we will...we'll probably buy another one of these packs (5 colors, 5 white), if they still have them.  If they don't have them, they do sell the white ones in packs of 5 on their own.

I really like these because they're all in ones...no covers needed.  A bigger cost to start up with cloth, but in the long run...they'll probably be a bit cheaper and much better on the environment. 

There was probably more that I was going to say, but...I can't remember right now.  *LOL*

Mover and Shaker

At our last OB appointment, Dr. K asked if Louise was feeling 15 movements throughout the day.  She laughed...because Nio moves a LOT.

Tonight, when she got home, she mentioned that he'd been moving a lot.  I put my hand on her belly and felt 15 kicks and quite a few rolls...in under a minute.  *LOL*

Busy, but happy

You'd think that I'd spend my week of unemployment doing not much, wouldn't you?

You'd be wrong.  *LOL*

Yesterday I spent about an hour in Bunnings and then came home, armed with supplies. I cleaned the walls in Nio's room and then undercoated the window frames and door frame.  This was followed by doing the washing up and bringing the laundry in.  That may not sound like a lot, but it really was.  I made sure to take breaks so that I didn't end up hurting my back.  I succeeded and my back is feeling surprisingly good today.

This morning, I painted the ceiling and cornices in his room.  I've just had lunch and in about half an hour I'll head back in and start on the walls. 

At this rate, I'll have his room painted by tomorrow!  Then it's just putting furniture together and putting the decals on the walls.  Looks like his room will be done before he comes home, after all.  *LOL*

Cousins

Nicholas says hello to his little cousin, Nio. ♥♥


Click for full-size cuteness...

??

30 weeks today and still a pumpkin?

Bah on you Lilypie ticker!  Bah on you!

No one deserves to be a pumpkin for 3 straight weeks!

OB and Scans

The appointment with Dr. K on Thursday went very well.

He's very happy with Louise's weight, her blood pressure, her Vitamin D level, her thyroid levels, her iron levels...her sugar level was a bit high on the normal side, but he thinks it's fine.  He said that she can be retested at 32 weeks if she wants.  He's also very happy with little Nio the Wombat.

Nio has turned into a liver-kicker...which I am told is a very painful thing.  I'm not sure that I want to experience that because it sounds unpleasant. 

We see the OB again in 3 weeks...and we'll pretty much set a date for Nio's arrival then.

He's thinking sometime between 17-22 October, if I remember correctly.  So, he'll definitely be a Libra.  I find it kind of funny that I was supposed to be a Libra, but was late...so, I'm a Scorpio.  Nio is supposed to be a Scorpio, but is going to be early...so, he's a Libra.  *LOL*

We had our 4D scans on Saturday and oh my....he's so cute.  And he has big feet.  Thomas had big feet for his size too.  We got a couple of pictures of him sucking on his cord...which he apparently is quite fond of, since we've seen him do it a few times now.  :)

You can see the rest of the scans here. 

I know that I'm probably biased and all, but really...he's so so cute. 

Shoes....

Okay, so I couldn't find the exact pair of shoes I wanted, but...

I did get these:

They're very very cute.

I lied actually...I could and did find the ones I wanted (from the gender reveal post), but I refuse to pay nearly $40 in shipping from the States.  The weird thing is, I could find heaps of the pink ones with really reasonable shipping rates.  Maybe it costs $20 more to ship blue ones?

*LOL*

I'm happy with these.  :)

Something just occured to me...

We're in the third trimester now!

I'm not sure how I missed that milestone.  *LOL*  I guess I was too caught up in everything else...

28 weeks today...and apparently Nio is the size of a pumpkin.   Which, again, isn't all that descriptive.  Especially when the ticker shows a picture of an orange pumpkin...

Have you seen the size of some of the Jack o'Lanterns...*LMAO*

Oh, Lilypie tickers...you make me laugh with your fruit and veg comparisons!

>:(

Remember the shoes I used in this post to announce the gender of little Nio?

If Nio was a girl, I'd have no problem whatsoever buying a pair of them.  However...finding a boy's pair?

Ridiculously hard. 

I'll keep looking though.  'Cause that's what I do.

Another Purchase...

Things are starting to get real now.  We're buying big stuff, like furniture and safety stuff...

Today, we bought Nio's car seat

 It's an Infa-Secure Luxi Crown.  We saw it in the Mothercare shop a few weeks ago and pretty much decided that it would be the one we'd get.

I was just looking at their website and saw that it's on sale...and comes with a free first aid kit that's worth $40.  So, we ordered it and it should be here within 5-7 working days.

Here's the information on it:

The Infa Secure Luxi Crown is Australia's only newborn to eight years child restraint, converting from a car seat to a booster seat.

Features:

• The 0 to 8 is the most versatile of any car seat: offers a single solution design
• Includes Multi use inserts for baby's comfort and enhanced safety, as baby grows, they are removed, making the 0 to 8 suitable through to eight years old
• The compact multi-recline action means the 0 to 8 in rearward facing mode fits most cars comfortably
• The 0 to 8 features five shoulder slot heights making it suitable for a vast range of different sized children, from premature babies through to most tall or large four year olds, it can then be converted into a booster seat for use through to eight years old
• It is the most extensively tested car seat for compliance in Australia: it was tested with seven configurations of dummies (from newborn to ten years), a total of 39 dynamic crash tests, and it exceeds the most stringent safety standards in the world
• Features an air-filled double skinned headrest, offering an enhanced level of side impact protection
• Nine recline positions for baby's comfort
• Integrated blow-moulded technology, designed to absorb the energy generated in a crash, and allows the child's body to cushion into the seat at a reduced force
• Lifetime warranty on the super strong shell and base

Height maker instructions:
Rear Facing Mode - Child's shoulders must be under the Lower Height Marker (approx 31cms) to use the seat in Rear Facing Mode
Forward Facing Mode - Child's shoulders must be over the Lower Height Marker (approx 31cm) and under the Upper Height Marker (approx 37.5cm) to use the seat in Forward Facing Mode
Booster Mode - Child's shoulders must be over the Upper Height Marker (approx 37.5cm) and under the Booster Height Marker (approx 43.5) to use the seat in Booster Mode
Cease Use - Once the child's shoulders reach the Booster Height Marker (approx 43.5cm), the child must not use this seat


The part we really liked?  The 0-8 years part...one car seat, that's it. Hope it's comfy for him 'cause he's stuck with it until he's able to sit in the car like a big boy!  *LOL*

My Girl is Crafty

Louise has been knitting and crocheting heaps of things for little Nio.  A few different types of hats (including one that's a moose and one that has bear ears that she's done in Virginia Tech's colors for me :D) and the most gorgeous little jacket.

His photoshoot is going to be so much fun.  Especially since he'll be wearing things that were made with so much love for him by his mum. 

Progression - Part 2 (and 26 Week Scan Results)

I'll start off with some clickable thumbnails...


5 days


6 weeks 5 days


11 weeks 6 days


19 weeks 1 day


26 weeks

We got to see Nio sucking and swallowing today. It was SO adorable. He was sucking on his cord at one point...pretty much the cutest thing I've ever seen.

He's measuring at 27w2d, which is terrific. Especially since he's going to be born at around 37 weeks. His heartrate was perfect...and everything looked perfect. Checked to see if he's still a boy...and he is. *LOL* His heart now looks like a proper heart...and not just something that flutters.

It's just amazing how much he has changed in such a relatively short amount of time.

He still looks a lot like El though. :D

According to the ticker, he should be around 875g. Nio is currently over a kilo. 1086g, I think it was. :) Our little over-achiever...

Music Time

Last night, I put my headphones on El's belly and played some music for Nio for the first time.

He likes music.  :)

Last night's playlist included (but isn't limited to, 'cause I can't remember them all):

Standing Out in the Universe - Paul Weller
Illuminuation - Paul Weller
Leafy Mysteries - Paul Weller (one of Thomas' songs)
Little Wonders - Rob Thomas (Thomas' other song)
Fallin' to Pieces - Rob Thomas

While he enjoyed those and kicked a few times, he went crazy when we played Bizarre Love Triangle by New Order.

El has a theory that it was the bass...which is probably true.  So then we played a few songs that were bass heavy...and he went dancing.

Pretty awesome.  :D

Think I'm going to play some Powderfinger for him tonight.  And Coldplay, of course!

I think I'll probably make a playlist for him today...

So Far, So Good

Last night's appointment went very well.

Louise's blood pressure is good and normal.  Her weight is exceptionally good.  And Nio is perfect.

His heartrate was around 140bpm, which is perfect.  His size is perfect.  His movements are perfect.  We got to see him kick, which would've probably been really strange to see and feel. He's currently (or, last night was) in a breech position with his head on the right and his feet on the left. 

And he's super cute.  Have I mentioned that before? 

The glucose tolerance test is in about 3 weeks...which I'm dreading for her.  She did the small one and felt horrible afterwards.  This is the full one...hopefully, it's not too bad for her.

I got to feel a few really strong kicks last night while giving Louise her injection.  It amazes me every single time.  I've been talking to him as well...I'm not sure if he can hear me yet, but I'm definitely talking to him.  I'll start playing music for him soon.

I was joking a while back about how cool it would be if he were to be born on 9 October...'cause that's John Lennon's birthday.  But, then it hit me yesterday that it would be doubly cool if he's born on the 9th...since his nickname is Nio and all.  It's definitely a possibility.  :)

Is it 5pm yet?

It's been four weeks since we've seen Nio.  We've felt him...but, since we had the good news of not needing fortnightly scans, we haven't seen him. 

I mean, it's great that the scans aren't needed...but...I've missed watching him.

We'll get to see him tonight though.  And 5pm seriously can't get here soon enough!  :)

Luckily, we won't have to go 4 weeks without seeing him again.  We have a growth scan in a couple of weeks...then we'll have the 4d scan a couple of weeks after that.  Then it'll be time for another OB visit...and by then, we'll probably be on fortnightly visits instead of monthly. 

We should probably do some shopping at some point.  Time to start spending money...new carpet for the living room (God knows how old it is!), new lino for the kitchen ('cause not only is it OLD and broken in places...it's UGLY!), new blinds for Nio's room (and the living room).  We'll need to go to some carpet and blind stores soon to have a chat with people...fun days.  *LOL*

We did buy a chest of drawers for his room...hopefully, that'll be delivered this week. 

The boys (Allonsy and Weller) will definitely be evicted from their apartment this weekend.  Their 'apartment' is Nio's bedroom.  :)

Nio's Photoshoot

Nio's photoshoot with Garland Photography was tentatively scheduled for 22 October, which is a Monday.

I was a bit worried that there might be a chance that I wouldn't be able to make it.  So, I emailed the lady and asked if she would happen to have any weekend slots available. 

Fully expecting her to say no, imagine my surprise when she said that she has one available on the 27th.  The next available weekend shoot is 8 December!

Someone's looking out for us, I think.  :)

I went ahead and booked that Saturday shoot...because I really really don't want to miss it!

Another Milestone...

Today, we're at 24 weeks.

Today, Nio is considered to be a 'viable' baby.

Obviously, we want him to stay right where he is for another 13 weeks, but...he'd have a chance now.

One of the tickers had been annoying me. For the past two weeks, it said that he was the size of a banana squash...whatever the hell that is. I'm glad to see that this week he has graduated to cauliflower. *LOL*

*LOL*

Apparently, to Freya "say hi to the baby" means "give a quick nudge and then go sit in front of your treat jar". *LOL*

*cough*

Garland Photography

Deposit has been given and a tentative date has been set for the shoot.  Obviously, that can change once Nio arrives safely.

Anyone wanting to buy anything for the baby is more than welcome to send a donation for the pictures in lieu of clothes or toys.  *LOL*

Professional photo shoots - reasonable in price.
Prints/Digital files from professional photo shoots - bloody expensive, but so very worth it.

Weekend Shopping

On Saturday, I went into Target to look for a pair of sweatpants for me.

Finding none (or not willing to pay $40 for a pair - WTF?!), I was leaving...and walked past the baby section. On an endcap were the cutest little 3-piece clothing sets. As if I could say no...especially when they were 20% off. *LOL*

Go in for something for me, come out with something for Nio. I should probably get used to that, huh? :)

The pictures were quite big, so click the thumbnails to see them.







Now while those three pictures are cute...and the long-sleeved romper was the one to catch my attention. The back of the pants sealed the deal for me...



Seriously, CRAZY adorable!

Wow!

Last night something really amazing happened.

I felt Nio move and kick for the first time!

Louise was saying that he was moving heaps and I asked if she thought I could feel him.  She said she wasn't sure, but showed me where he was.  I put my hand on her abdomen and waited.

I could easily feel her pulse.  Thump...thump...thump.

And then after a few seconds, I felt...thump...thump...thumpthumpthump...thump.

And then a little while after that, I felt a definite kick!

At 21w4d, I felt him for the very first time.  Definitely something to blog about.  :D

This afternoon is the 'blood guy' and then after that is the Sids and Kids Red Nose Memorial Service.  Hopefully, we're out of the doctor's office in time to get there.

All is well

We had the OB appointment on Monday and everything looks really good. 

He said that Nio is a very healthy little baby.  :) 

He doesn't see any need to continue with the fortnightly scans.  I think if there was going to be a problem with the cervix, it would've already happened.  I see it as confirmation of the idea that the shortening of the cervix during Louise's pregnancy with Thomas had to do with the irritations and not incompetent cervix.  This is a good thing.

We see him again in 4 weeks...on 16 July.  We'll have another scan about 2 weeks later.  And then the 4d scan 2 weeks after that. 

Next week, there's an appointment with Dr. Mangos.  He's the "blood guy".  I never can remember what his medical title is.  Louise needs to see him because she's having Clexane injections.  The last time we saw him was at 12 weeks or something like that. We'll see him next week and then at 32 weeks, I think. 

I was working on a list of things that need to be done/things to get...

And, OMG!  We have less than 17 weeks to get stuff done!

I had a slight (very slight) freak out a few minutes ago.  And then I remembered that the main things we have to do are to have the carpet replaced in the living room and get the iBaby Monitor (I've decided that I am going to get it!).  Nio will be in our room for a while, so if we don't have the nursery done by the time he's born...it can always be done after. 

Another sigh of relief...

20 weeks.

We're finally at 20 weeks. 

It feels like it has taken forever...but, it feels like just yesterday we saw the pink line on the pregnancy test.  How does that happen? 

We still have about 17 weeks to go, but this is a HUGE milestone for us. 

I can't help but think that Thomas is around....watching out for his little brother and us. 

Another Scan

We had the morphology scan this morning.

Heart - 4 chambers, beating beautifully at 142bpm
Placenta - 10 cm away from the OS.  Yay!
Cord Insert - perfectly inserted into the placenta
Brain - perfect
Kidneys - perfect
Spine - perfect
Legs - two of them :)
Arms - two of them too :)
Cervical length - one measurement was 3.4cm and another was 3.9cm.  Either way...both were well over the 2cm that they want to see.

Nio was moving around HEAPS and having a fun time in there, it seemed.  Kicking and flailing, flipping and flopping.  It was absolutely beautiful.

He was measuring at 20w3d...which is a bit ahead of the actual 19w6d, but perfectly normal. 

I did get a bit teary at one point when I saw GA=20w3d (GA is Gestational Age) written on the screen.  Because...Nio is now measuring older than Thomas was when he was born. 

Everything is looking really good.  We'll see what Dr. Krishnan says on Monday, but...I'm feeling pretty good about it all for the moment.  :)

EarlyView Scan

We went for our Gender Plus scan yesterday. And of course, Nio was taking a nap. *LOL* He eventually did wake up and participate a little.

We got some really good pictures and the people were very lovely.


Click on the picture to go to the full set of scans. :)

We went ahead and scheduled our 4d scan afterwards. That'll be in 10 short weeks...which I'm sure will feel like an eternity!

Frustration

As we were leaving to go to our Morphology scan, Louise's phone rang.

The sonographer called in sick and they didn't have a back up...so, our appointment was postponed.

To next Thursday.

*sigh*

I'm glad this pregnancy is seemingly going well, because the appointments for scans aren't. 

We do still have the EarlyView scan tomorrow, but I'm not sure when the next OB appointment is going to be.  If it's rescheduled for anything other than next Thursday or Friday, I'm tempted to say "Just keep the one on the 13th as well" because we haven't seen him since 7 May...and we're supposed to see him every 4 weeks.

It makes me wish that we hadn't cancelled the appointment that we had for a cervical length and growth scan on the 6th.  Because now...we're going to be a week behind on those checks.

And that freaks me out.

:(

ETA: OB appointment has been rescheduled for Monday, 18 June.

Active?

I just got this message from Louise:

"Nio is going to be a soccer player or a river dancer."

I LOL'd...for real.  I'm assuming that this means our little boy is being quite active today. 

I'm also hoping for a soccer player...a Michael Flatley, Lord of the Dance is not what we need.  *LOL*

The Name Game

So, you know how I'm not supposed to be mentioning names until 20 weeks?

Yeah, I'm not doing so good at that.  *LOL*

But, I think it's good...because then Louise can go ahead and say "No." and I won't get my hopes up for using that particular name.  :)

Saying that...I do have a Top 5 list that I update when a name really strikes me.  Sometimes the names I mention to Louise don't even get a chance to make it to the list.

I kind of wish "Nio" was a proper name...

In other news, I read that during this time the baby has recognizable active and rest periods.  I mentioned it to Louise and she responded with "Active period, around 1-2AM". 

Poor Louise. Hopefully, once he's born it won't take him long to figure out that 1-2 am isn't playtime. 

A little shopping...

We were at the shops last night...and ended up in Pumpkin Patch. 

We were quite happy just looking around...until I saw this.  And then I had to have it.

It's a sleepsack...and it was on sale...and we found one for 6-12 months, which is how old he'll be before he needs it.  *LOL*

Here's a close-up of the front

As we were standing there waiting for our turn in line, El found something else that we both fell in love with...

 

Pretty cute, huh?  :)

Revelations....

We had our scan this morning and the most important thing is that Nio is just perfect and measuring right on target.

This was also pretty important...



Click the Adidas baby shoes to reveal the gender!

*whew*

I breathed a sigh of relief yesterday at 7 in the morning.

That's because at 7am at 15w6d in Thomas' pregnancy, El told me about a bleed.  We were at the hospital by 7:30, where we spent the day watching the bump move back and forth across El's abdomen. 

There was no bleed yesterday morning.  There was no bleed at any time yesterday.

Today marks 16 weeks...and Nio is apparently the size of a grapefruit. 

I hope it's a Ruby Red, because I'm not all that keen on the white ones...

Anxiety

I think this week will be the hardest for me.  Especially Thursday, which will be 15w6d.

At 15w6d, El had the first bleed with Thomas. 

I'm nervous.  But, I think that if we get past Thursday without any hiccups, that will be a huge step for me...emotionally.  Kind of like one hurdle crossed.  It doesn't mean that I'll magically be calm about the rest of the pregnancy and feel "safe", but it would mean that we are one step closer to bringing a healthy Nio home in October.

I really want to jump that hurdle. 

*LOL*

I have dubbed today "Freak Out Day"...and so far, it's been living up to its name.

So, we've been kicked out of RPA...because we're out of area.  We said that to begin with, to which Prof Hyett responded "I don't care".  Well, apparently the Director does care.

After a mad few minutes of each of us calling different places, we've finally found a place that's close to home and had an opening at a decent time...who won't charge us over $300. 

Yeah, you read that right.  That was a quote I got from one place.  Then she followed that up by saying..."You'd get a little back from Medicare."  Oh?  How much? 

$65.

I was like 'um...call ya back, okay?'

The place that Louise found through calling Dr. Krishnan's office said we'd be out of pocket about $50.

We're going with that place.  *LOL*

I need a drink.

Baseline Scan

Everything is all good!

Nio is perfect.  Cervix is perfect.  That's pretty much what we wanted to hear.

I did tell the tech that though I knew we weren't technically there for any other reason than a growth and cervical length assessment, if she so happened to see anything...such as gender...we were more than happy for her to tell us.

She laughed.

In the end, she did have a look and couldn't say with 100% certainty one way or the other due to the way Nio was laying. 

So, we still don't know...but, we very well may find out at the next scan.

Speaking of the next scan...we were making appointments for the last 5 scans with the seemingly hopeless counter guy and he says..."You said 23 May at 12 for your next one?"  El said yes.  He said..."There's nothing in the system under the name Harrison." 

So...it sounds like our appointment got deleted and then someone else took it.  El's going to call today and talk to the non-hopeless (and quite accommodating) counter gal and see what's going on.  When Hopeless started trying to rebook the appointment that we're supposed to have on the 23rd, he kept saying "Nothing there...nothing there...nothing there..."  and then he said "28 May..."  and we were both like, "NO, that's too late.  It HAS to be in that week."

He was SO slow that the medical staff were coming out looking for patients.  Seriously, I've had to wait for doctors to see me...I've NEVER had DOCTORS waiting to see me.  We sat there for over 30 minutes waiting for him to call our number so that he could get our paperwork ready for the staff.

We were number 3.

I'll probably call today and make the appointment for the morphology scan.  I think we'll pay for that one so that we can get really good pictures of Nio and such. 

Just wanted to let everyone know that things are continuing to look good so far.  :)

The Name Game

So...Louise has banned me from mentioning any names until we hit 20 weeks. 

You have no idea how hard this is for me.  *LOL*

I have a Top 5 for each gender...and I'm updating them as I come across something I like more.  Hopefully soon we'll know the gender and I'll be able to concentrate on only one Top 5. 

Of course, Louise said that even if we find out before 20 weeks (which we probably will), I'm still not allowed to mention any names. 

Interestingly, I have a feeling that if Nio is a girl...her Top 5 won't be changing. 

Chances are, either way he/she will be called Nio for ages...and it very well may be a nickname that is carried along for years to come.  :)

I did buy a baby name book yesterday...

Time is contradicting itself...

We're 14 weeks today!

I can't figure out if time is crawling or speeding.  *LOL*

It feels like the past 12 weeks have flown by, but...I distinctly remember feeling (at the time) that it was going so slowly.  Very strange.

Louise is feeling flutters...as she has been for a few weeks now.  I'm jealous that I can't feel them...as I have been for a few weeks now.  *LOL*  I think she's starting to look pregnant now.  She would disagree with that, I'm sure.

She's not showing, but...you can tell she's pregnant.

Wow, that seems to make less sense than the time thing.  *LMAO*

I think we're going to start moving the boys (Allonsy and Weller) out of 'their' room.  'Their' room is actually the nursery.  It was going to be Thomas' room and when we brought the boys home, they needed a place that could be theirs.  I always told them that they were just borrowing the room, but I'm not sure how well they understand that.  I guess we'll find out soon.

I'm thinking that when I get paid next, I'll be doing some shopping.  I need balsa wood...and I'm thinking a Dremel.  Using a Dremel would be heaps easier than a mini-hand saw and a utility knife.  And what I'm building is going to consitute a fair bit of cutting.

I was going to go balsa shopping last month, but I wanted to wait until the nuchal scan had been done.  Not that I think there's ever a safe point in pregnancy now.  But, apparently...it's safer now than it was 3 weeks ago.  

Dulux has a very cool paint at the moment that will be perfect for my project.  It's called Dulux Design Rust.  It's a two part process, but...it'll work perfectly!  I suppose I should go ahead and get that too. 

I'm getting excited about starting my project.  I'm not so sure that Louise will be excited to see the return of the construction zone.  *LOL*

Still Good

Last night's appointment went well.

We got to see and hear little Nio and all looks and sounds perfect.

We are extremely low risk for all of the main Trisomy problems (13,18, and 21)...the placenta is in a good position...and we don't have a date for the birth yet, but it will definitely be a planned birth.  And we were right in thinking that it would be mid-October.

He wants her to have a scan at 14 weeks (next week) just to get a baseline on the cervical length.  He doesn't seem to think that the problem was an incompetent cervix because it sounds like Louise went into early labour with Thomas.  We just don't know why.

I have a theory, but I don't know if it's just something that I think to make myself not go crazy or if it's plausible.  And to be honest, I'm scared to ask the doctor because if he says that he doubts that's what happened, I'm just going to start panicking at every turn.

My theory is this.

There was an SCH (subchorionic hematoma) that developed under Thomas' gestational sac.  It never dissipated...we saw it on every single one of his scans. My theory is that because of that SCH, his placenta wasn't able to attach properly...which caused a slight abruption...which caused the irritations...which triggered preterm labour.

Now, it makes sense to me.  But, I'm not a doctor.

You may remember that we had an SCH with Nio as well.  It was to the left of the gestational sac...and we haven't seen it since we went to the EPAS clinic at 6w6d.

He gave us a few referrals for the scans and Louise is going to call today about getting one set up for next week.

We see Dr. Krishnan again on the 28th.

Edited to Add:

We have the baseline cervical measurement next Thursday, 10 May.  

Peace of Mind Scan

Before you read any further, know that Nio is perfectly fine and so is El.  :)

El has been having some...sensations.  Not pain, just...strange feelings.  Because they've been constant, she was beginning to worry.  When she worries, I worry.  So, she called the hospital and talked to a midwife.  She said that it sounded normal to her, but she could understand the concern considering our history.

So...we headed off to the ER yesterday afternoon.

After nearly a 2 hour wait, they called us back and wheeled in a portable ultrasound machine.

Of course, there was a problem with that particular machine.  Just as we saw Nio (and the heartbeat), the battery died.  *LOL*

Second (and smaller) machine gets brought in.

Nio's heartrate was 150bpm (perfect) and he/she was flailing around (double perfect).  Nio seems to be much more active than Thomas was.  The spine looked perfect too...we got a really good look at it.  :)

We also saw the placenta.  With Thomas, we never really got to see the placenta.  It was low-lying and Thomas liked to use it as an all-body pillow.  Nio's placenta is positioned well away from the cervix, which is something else we were happy about.

The important things are...

Nio is perfectly fine.  El is perfectly fine.  The pregnancy is perfectly fine.  And...the doctors understand our neuroses.  :)

OB appointment this evening where we'll discuss the blood results from the nuchal.

I'll update when we get home from that.  xx

I feel like I should post something...

But, there's nothing much to post.  *LOL*

We have the appointment with the OB on Monday, 30 April to discuss the results of the bloods taken on the day of the nuchal scan.  They said that if there was a problem, they'd call on Friday.  We weren't expecting a call and we never got one.  So...I would assume that there's no problem. 

El has been feeling Nio move around.  Apparently, he/she is as active as he/she was during the scan.  :)  I'm happily jealous. 

I wouldn't have thought it was possible to feel the baby move at 12 weeks (actually, earlier...), but when El described what she was feeling to the ultrasound tech, it turns out that what she's been feeling is the baby moving.  Amazing!

I dug out Thomas' scans from the same gestation...just to compare them. 

I found this quite amazing as well...

Thomas David Harrison

Nuchal Scan

Nio Harrison

Nuchal Scan

There's definitely a familial resemblance going on.  Not only with the profiles, but...Nio has extremely long legs just like Thomas too.

I hope he/she has El's hands.

I'm really looking forward to Monday.  I doubt we'll get pictures, but the OB will have a look...which means, we'll get to have a look.  :)

Progression

Because I thought it'd be cute (and possibly lame, but still cute)...

How quickly babies change:

5 days

6 weeks 5 days

11 weeks 6 days

Crazy, huh?

Not so alien like anymore...

Today was our nuchal scan.

First things first...Nio looks wonderful!

He/She spent most of the time doing little rolls and jumps and kicks.  Very much like watching a dragonfly fly around.  :)

The important stuff...

They like the nuchal fold to be 3mm or less...Nio's was 1.5mm.  All of the nasal bones were present as well.  If the nuchal measures more than 3mm and/or they can't see the nasal bones clearly, it could point to chromosomal problems...such as Down Syndrome. 

The heartrate was nice and strong at 151bpm and the CRL (crown to rump length) was 6cm.  Measuring right on target!  :)  The skull, brain, spine, stomach, and abdomen all appeared normal.  Both hands and feet were visible...and he/she has very long legs like his/her brother.  *LOL*

They want to do scans every two weeks from 16-26 weeks...just to check Nio's growth as well as the cervical length.  There's nothing at all wrong, this is purely precautionary due to Thomas' pregnancy.  We're perfectly happy to do this.  :D

I'm sure I'm forgetting things, but I can't really remember much else right now.  So, I'll end this...with a picture of our beautiful little Nio.  <3<3<3<3

Zofran = YAY!

I'm not going to jump the gun and say that Zofran has been a 'miracle cure' or anything, but...

I will say that El actually ate dinner with me last night...and it's been a while since that's happened.  :)

Nuchal scan tomorrow.  I'm wavering between being stupidly and annoyingly excited and completely terrified.

All-Day Sickness Woes...

Poor El...she's been so very sick.

Luckily, she hasn't lost any weight...she lost 5kg in the first trimester with Thomas.  But, she's been violently ill every night.  She was pretty sick with Thomas too, but she wasn't feeling too bad during the day.

With little Nio, she wakes up feeling sick...fights the urge to vomit all day...vomits at night...and then goes to bed.  :(  Not fun.

So, she called Dr. Krishnan today and he's sending out a prescription for her.  I would imagine it's for Zofran.  Hopefully, it helps.

Ginger just isn't cutting it this time.

Hopefully, she had her last blood test to check her progesterone levels this morning.  On Saturday, it was 83...they like to see it at 25 at the least.  So, the placenta is doing what it needs to do.  It could also be the reason why she's as sick as she is.  We don't know what her progesterone levels were with Thomas, so I can't compare them.

Getting really excited for Thursday.  :)

13 April 2012

I'm seriously considering getting one of these:

You can read more about it here.

Chances are that I normally wouldn't even think of spending this kind of money on a baby monitor, but...this can be accessed worldwide. Which means that all Mom has to do is download the software for it and she can check in on Nio whenever she wants. It also limits the number of users to 4, which I like.

At the end of the day...it's really not all that expensive for what it does. A few years ago, it probably would've cost well over $1,000.

In other news...

11 weeks today and, according to a website that compares the baby's size with fruit and vegetables, Nio is the size of a lime. :-)

10 April 2012

El had to go in for a blood test on Saturday to check her progesterone level. It was 56 (up from 40 the previous Monday!), so they said for her to drop down to one pessary a day and to come back on Monday for a repeat test.

On Monday, we got up and headed back in for another blood test. El called for the results that afternoon and it was 80! This is good...this means that the placenta is taking over and doing what it's supposed to do!

She goes back in on Saturday for another blood test...and if that looks good, she'll be able to come off the progesterone altogether because the placenta will be producing enough to sustain the pregnancy.

All going well so far.

Except for the morning sickness...which is not restricted to mornings at all. :(

30 March 2012

I made my first purchase for Nio...

Why, yes... Those are denim Converse. :)

30 March 2012

El called and made the appointment with Dr. Mangos (the obstetric medicine specialist). We see him on 11 April.

That just so happens to be on the same day as the Subsequent Pregnancy Support Group and SIDS and Kids. We're both taking the day off and going to the group for the first time. I'm nervous and excited about it.

Nervous because we've been members of the Stillbirth Group since March 2011. So it's that 'venturing out' kind of nerve thing. Excited because...well, we're FINALLY able to move into the 'having another baby and scared to death about it' phase. :-)

We know a couple of people who are either already in the group or will be going in soon, so that makes it a bit better.

29 March 2012

Today was the first appointment with the obstetrician...and it went great.

We had a chat with the doctor (more about him in a minute) and then he said "Let's do a quick scan and have a look..."

No pictures, but we saw how much little Nio has grown (saw legs and arms!) and HEARD the heartbeat. It was measuring perfectly at 140-150bpm (he didn't measure, but he listnened). It was the most beautiful sound I've heard since we heard Thomas' heartbeat. I nearly cried.

He wants El to see a specialist concerning the medical side of her pregnancy (mainly because she's on so many blood thinning drugs) and gave us the form to fill out to book into the hospital. We'll be going to the same hospital where Thomas was born because Dr. Krishnan confirmed that this pregnancy is going to be considered high risk (which we're completely happy about) and the other hospital isn't really good for high risk pregnancies.

Our technical due date is still 2 November, but we'll be having the baby at 36-37 weeks. We're okay with that too. This means that we only have 28 weeks until we're holding our baby!

Now about the doctor...

He's the doctor we saw when we found out that El had retained product following Thomas' birth. He ordered the D&C and he was so lovely that we decided at that moment that he would be our doctor for our next pregnancy. He referred to Thomas by name today...and that makes me realize that he's the right doctor for us.

So...that's where we are at the moment. Our next appointment is on 19 April and that's our nuchal scan. We'll see Dr. Krishnan again on the 30th.

El's morning sickness is in full swing and as bad as it is...I'm so very happy that it's there. :)

There will be more to follow. :D

15 March 2012

Slight scare this morning...which led to two panicked mothers in the EPAS clinic.

The lovely midwife who runs the EPAS clinic sent us for another ultrasound...just to make sure everything is okay.

We saw Nio immediately again...as well as his/her heartbeat. It was registering 157bpm, which is excellent.

I really want to enjoy this pregnancy, but I'm so scared and nervous. Don't get me wrong, I'm so happy and excited about everything. It's just...I wish I had that ignorance back that I had with Thomas' pregnancy. You know...where you just trust that everything's going to be okay because it is?

The important thing is..little Nio is just fine at the moment. :)

We have our first OB appointment on 29 March and we scheduled our nuchal scan for 19 April. The reason we did that is because at the hospital where we had this morning's scan, they have a medical study going on. They collect data from the nuchal scan to see if they can work towards pinpointing certain genetic problems at 12 weeks instead of the current 19 week scan. As a result, there is no cost for our nuchal scan and our data will be pooled with everyone else's...and hopefully help make some advances in fetal medicine.

I'm looking forward to seeing little Nio again. :)

14 March 2012

We had our first scan this morning. Nio had a perfect heartrate of 122bpm and was 7mm long. Right on target for the gestational age (which is 6 weeks 5 days)! Estimated due date is 2 November, but I suspect we'll have an October baby.

Green arrow = head
Red arrow = heart
Blue arrow = bottom

14 March 2012

It's ultrasound day!

I'm terrified and excited. Hoping like hell we see a heartbeat.

There's nothing to make me think we won't, I'm just...nervous.

:)

13 March 2012

In 26 hours, we should be in the scanning room getting ready to see our little one.

Nervous, excited, terrified...yep, that's me. *LOL*

10 March 2012

25dp5dt...

Soon, I'll start counting in weeks properly. But, not until we see the heartbeat.

But, today we had our fourth and final beta. The number jumped from 1,039 to 15,000...which is absolutely perfect!!!

Everything seems to be looking good and El's symptoms are reflecting the jump in numbers, which is also good. :)

Ultrasound is Wednesday the 14th!

3 March 2012

El went for the blood test at the clinic on Wednesday and the number came back at 1,039. This is pretty much perfect. She's still doubling at 51 hours, and I'm quite happy with that!

It seems as though full-blown morning sickness is right around the corner.

I feel a little bad about feeling excited about El being sick.

Next bloods are next Saturday, 10 March. Unless we request another one. I think the clinic realizes that we're overly aware of everything, even if it's normal by their standards. They're being very very good and understanding.

I really like the nurses at our clinic. :)

And I think we've decided what we're calling this little baby. You may remember that we called Thomas 'Four' because he was the fourth transfer.

This little one was been nicknamed Nio. Nine in Swedish. El suggested it last night on the way down to Nowra for the Mums Like Me Trivia Night and I really, really liked it.

28 February 2012

Slight scare yesterday, though to be honest...maybe it wouldn't have been as scary if we hadn't lost Thomas.

There was a slight bleed. I freaked out, El freaked out, the clinic was pretty much 'oh, these things can happen...come in on Wednesday for a blood test'.

Wednesday?!?

I asked El to call our GP to see if she could do a test that afternoon...just so we could check the numbers.

Got the results today.

The number should double within 48-72 hours. So, I was looking for a 570..to be safe.

It came back at 580. I was stoked! It doubled in like 51 hours, which is perfect. Both numbers are above the median scores for their respective dates on betabase.info as well.

El will have blood taken again tomorrow (might as well, since they're doing it!), so hopefully her numbers continue to rise appropriately.

We also got the paperwork from the clinic today.

She was scheduled to have her second beta on 10 March. ?!? Two weeks apart? I think that would've driven me crazy!! I really do think that we had another test not long after the positive that we got for Thomas. I don't think we had to wait 2 weeks...I could be wrong though. I didn't really know anything about the numbers back then, so I wasn't looking for them.

Anyway...more bloods tomorrow, then on the 10th. Ultrasound on the 15th and more bloods on the 31st.

I'm really hoping that things go smoothly from here on in.

In regards to the bleeding...

When I sit down and really think about it, I shouldn't be surprised. She's on a high dose of progesterone pessaries (which can cause bleeding), plus daily Clexane injections (which is a blood thinner), plus an aspirin a day. Chances are really good that this is the culprit of the bleeding. The fact that yesterday's number was so good tells me that this little one has made itself a cosy home.

I'm much calmer than I was yesterday. :)

25 February 2012

And it's confirmed...

Blood test earlier today.

hCG = 287!!

Anything over 20 is considered pregnant by our clinic.

OMFG!

I'm over the moon. Seriously, over the moon!

24 February 2012

We were both feeling nervous today, so I kind of talked El into going to the pharmacy to get another test. She did and then called me a while later and said that she'd messed up. I started to panic, but then she continued.

She had bought a different brand, but assumed (as I would've too) that the directions would be the same. The tests last night needed to be in the urinary stream for 5 seconds. The one today needed 10 seconds. Ten?? Really??

Anyway, here's today's 'messed up' test:

Considering that the test was only halfway done, I'm pretty stoked with the result. :-)

Blood test tomorrow!