This morning I took the boys for their semi-annual dental exam and cleaning. It took a bit to get them all moving and ready to go, so we ended up leaving about 10 minutes later than I had wanted to leave, but we still made it to the appointment on time. And this was even after being stuck behind the guy who thought more than 5 mph below the speed limit was a good idea. I guess it's a good thing I overestimate how much time it will take to get there.
Ben was pretty nervous about the appointment, and when they called him back first, we had to all walk back with him to help him feel a bit more confident. We didn't have to stay with him though, so that's a good thing. And he did really well and said it wasn't bad at all.
Alex got called back shortly after Ben went back, since they were having different hygenists work on them. It was much nicer that way. It cut down the time we'd have to be sitting in the waiting room. Alex had no fear and went right back with the hygenist and also did well for his appointment.
Chris kept wanting to go back and be with his brothers and didn't think it was fair that I was making him stay in the waiting room with Daniel and me. They have a cute little play area in the office, so I thought that would keep them fairly entertained, but they didn't want to spend a lot of time in there. He was glad when Alex was done with his appointment and he got to go back for his turn. He also went right back with no fear, which was good.
Daniel got a bit bored waiting for his brothers, but it was a lot nicer to be able to have the room for him to wander around and the play area to try to distract him, which made it not so bad. The last time we went to the dentist, we had to all go back and wait and watch everyone take their turns and it got frustrating to try to keep kids from pushing buttons they shouldn't be pushing and getting into things they shouldn't be getting into. So I was much happier this time when the kids were fine going back on their own.
And the good news is that none of the boys had any cavities, so that's it until their next cleaning and check-up. I was a little worried about having to squeeze cavity fillings in with having the baby and all the other stuff we've got going on.
After the appointment, we got to go and take Bryce to lunch. The boys thought that was pretty cool, since they don't get to see much of their dad during the day. Ben especially liked it. He's out of school this week for Spring Break and liked the extra outing.
So the appointments that I had been dreading a little bit because of the last time went well, and I'm glad we don't have to do it again for a while.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Monday, March 16, 2009
Today's doctor appointment
I did go to the doctor today, as you know if you read my last post. Of course I always plan on leaving early enough to get there a little early, but for some reason when I have to go to the downtown office, I can never get off as planned, so I end up being a few minutes late. At least it was only a few minutes though.
When they took me back, I basically went straight for the ultrasound room (after they asked me to give them a sample, which they never actually used). My doctor came right in and started the ultrasound. He did some body measurements, then measured the amniotic fluid, then measured how hard it is for the blood to push through the umbilical cord. Basically all the things I expected him to be measuring. Everything looked good and right where it should be. He said the baby measures at about 4 pounds, 14 ounces right now, which is about the 50th percentile. And yes, she is very clearly still a girl.
After he finished the ultrasound, I asked him how high the titer level numbers have gone up. They've told me that they've been going up a little, but haven't told me how much. He said it was easier to show me than just tell me, so he showed me the numbers in the chart. It basically started at 1 and 10 (there are 2 numbers they go by, but I think the first number is a little more important than the second). It then went up to 2 and 13, then 2 and 15, then jumped up a bit (I can't remember exactly what this number was) to something like 6 and 18, and the last one was at 8 and 23. So it has been steadily going up. After he showed me the numbers, he went out to call a perinatolgist for kind of a consultation on whether or not he'd need to see me sooner than next week, since everything with the ultrasound was normal. When he came back, he told me that he'd just need to do an ultrasound basically every two weeks to make sure there were no signs that the baby is being affected by the antibodies (and as long as the numbers stay within the 1 to 10 range), and probably check my titer levels the weeks in between. Since I have another appointment already scheduled in the downtown office for next Thursday, which is a week and a half away, he will go ahead and do another ultrasound then.
With the numbers going up as much as they have, especially when they only went up to a 2 with Daniel (I can never remember what the second number was with him), I keep expecting to have to have this baby sooner than 2 weeks early. She's doing fine so far though and isn't being affected by the antibodies, so she could make it that long. I'm still glad my doctor is on top of it and is watching to make sure so we can take care of things before she starts to be affected by it.
And on the up side, I didn't have to have my blood drawn today, so my arm gets a break from needles for a week.
When they took me back, I basically went straight for the ultrasound room (after they asked me to give them a sample, which they never actually used). My doctor came right in and started the ultrasound. He did some body measurements, then measured the amniotic fluid, then measured how hard it is for the blood to push through the umbilical cord. Basically all the things I expected him to be measuring. Everything looked good and right where it should be. He said the baby measures at about 4 pounds, 14 ounces right now, which is about the 50th percentile. And yes, she is very clearly still a girl.
After he finished the ultrasound, I asked him how high the titer level numbers have gone up. They've told me that they've been going up a little, but haven't told me how much. He said it was easier to show me than just tell me, so he showed me the numbers in the chart. It basically started at 1 and 10 (there are 2 numbers they go by, but I think the first number is a little more important than the second). It then went up to 2 and 13, then 2 and 15, then jumped up a bit (I can't remember exactly what this number was) to something like 6 and 18, and the last one was at 8 and 23. So it has been steadily going up. After he showed me the numbers, he went out to call a perinatolgist for kind of a consultation on whether or not he'd need to see me sooner than next week, since everything with the ultrasound was normal. When he came back, he told me that he'd just need to do an ultrasound basically every two weeks to make sure there were no signs that the baby is being affected by the antibodies (and as long as the numbers stay within the 1 to 10 range), and probably check my titer levels the weeks in between. Since I have another appointment already scheduled in the downtown office for next Thursday, which is a week and a half away, he will go ahead and do another ultrasound then.
With the numbers going up as much as they have, especially when they only went up to a 2 with Daniel (I can never remember what the second number was with him), I keep expecting to have to have this baby sooner than 2 weeks early. She's doing fine so far though and isn't being affected by the antibodies, so she could make it that long. I'm still glad my doctor is on top of it and is watching to make sure so we can take care of things before she starts to be affected by it.
And on the up side, I didn't have to have my blood drawn today, so my arm gets a break from needles for a week.
Friday, March 13, 2009
Another update
As many of you know already, especially if you read my last post, I went to the doctor on Wednesday for another blood draw. It was a pretty quick visit and was kind of fun to be the last one in the crowded waiting room and be the first one called back and be able to leave before anyone else was called back. And getting one little vial of blood usually isn't too painful, although it's not particularly fun.
Anyway, today my doctor's office called again, and yep, the titer levels are still creeping up a bit. So I get to go in to their downtown office on Monday morning and get another blood draw and get an ultrasound. I had kind of been hoping that I wouldn't have to do this this often like I did with Daniel, but looks like I'm out of luck. At least I only have 7 weeks to my due date, so probably more like 5 weeks until she's born. I can handle going every week for that long.
Anyway, today my doctor's office called again, and yep, the titer levels are still creeping up a bit. So I get to go in to their downtown office on Monday morning and get another blood draw and get an ultrasound. I had kind of been hoping that I wouldn't have to do this this often like I did with Daniel, but looks like I'm out of luck. At least I only have 7 weeks to my due date, so probably more like 5 weeks until she's born. I can handle going every week for that long.
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Update
So at about a quarter after 5 today, our phone rang and my doctor's office was on the caller-ID. I knew then that it meant that my titer levels had gone up again. Yep, I was right. It was one of the nurses, Calista, calling to first ask me if I thought the note that my doctor had written on the results was really what he wanted me to do since I have another appointment on the 26th, and then to tell me to go to the office sometime next Wednesday and get another blood draw. When it went up when I was pregnant with Daniel, my doctor had me go in to their downtown office so he could do an ultrasound too, but he hadn't said anything about that in the note, so this time I just get to drop by their lab and get more blood taken. She said the titer level just went up a little bit (which it's done for the two appointments previous to this one too), so it's probably not anything to really worry about. I wonder if this means I get to start my weekly appointments early again.
I'm not worried about it at all, since it seems to be par for the course here. Hearing about it on a day when we weren't all sick might have been a little nicer though.
I'm not worried about it at all, since it seems to be par for the course here. Hearing about it on a day when we weren't all sick might have been a little nicer though.
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Latest doctor appointment
I had another doctor appointment today and as many of you already know, I got to take all 4 boys with me because some of them were sick and I couldn't really justify leaving them with someone to get them and/or their kids sick too. I even had my vt comp call and offer to take them for me, but she did appreciate my declining when I told her they were sick. I thought it was very nice of her to call and offer though.
I walked in the office building at basically the same time as my doctor. He was walking behind me at first and I saw him adn told Ben that he was there, so Ben wanted to hide. Since I was walking with 4 kids however, my doctor was a bit faster and passed us. Luckily, that meant that we were his first appointment and wouldn't have a long time to wait. I think the kids were a little disappointed, since they brought along books to read and didn't really get a chance to read them.
The doctor appointment went pretty fast and was a normal appointment. He checked my blood pressure, measured the growth, and listened to the baby's heartbeat. The boys didn't think it sounded like the train that my doctor said it did, so they had a discussion about that for a minute.
Apparently my titer levels did go up a tiny bit again last month, so he did check them again today to make sure they're not going up too high. I had expected the blood draw anyway, so it was no big deal. And the boys were entertained with the suckers they got at the end of the appointment.
I go back again in 3 weeks if my titer levels stay low enough. He said we'd do 3 weeks, then 2 weeks, then every week after that. I'm not sure if he actually realizes that I'll be about 37 weeks along when he'd have me come back in 2 weeks, but I guess that doesn't really matter. I wouldn't complain about not having to go quite so many times.
The boys were good enough at the appointment that we stopped on the way home and got some donuts. They were pretty excited to get them and pretty happy that my appointment didn't take a long time. :)
I walked in the office building at basically the same time as my doctor. He was walking behind me at first and I saw him adn told Ben that he was there, so Ben wanted to hide. Since I was walking with 4 kids however, my doctor was a bit faster and passed us. Luckily, that meant that we were his first appointment and wouldn't have a long time to wait. I think the kids were a little disappointed, since they brought along books to read and didn't really get a chance to read them.
The doctor appointment went pretty fast and was a normal appointment. He checked my blood pressure, measured the growth, and listened to the baby's heartbeat. The boys didn't think it sounded like the train that my doctor said it did, so they had a discussion about that for a minute.
Apparently my titer levels did go up a tiny bit again last month, so he did check them again today to make sure they're not going up too high. I had expected the blood draw anyway, so it was no big deal. And the boys were entertained with the suckers they got at the end of the appointment.
I go back again in 3 weeks if my titer levels stay low enough. He said we'd do 3 weeks, then 2 weeks, then every week after that. I'm not sure if he actually realizes that I'll be about 37 weeks along when he'd have me come back in 2 weeks, but I guess that doesn't really matter. I wouldn't complain about not having to go quite so many times.
The boys were good enough at the appointment that we stopped on the way home and got some donuts. They were pretty excited to get them and pretty happy that my appointment didn't take a long time. :)
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