Being that I’m now in my 26th week the time had come for every pregnant woman’s favorite prenatal test, the glucose tolerance test.  Lucky me!  When I had the test done during my pregnancy with Maya I failed (just barely) the 1 hour screening and had to go in for the dreaded 3 hour test, which I thankfully passed.  So, this time around I was a little more nervous.  I knew what to expect. I remembered the foul taste of that glucose drink. I remembered the waiting.  I remembered how much it sucked to hear from my doctor a few days later that I would have to do it all over again.

This time around I’m hoping I pass this first 1 hour test so I don’t have to suffer through the 3 hour test again.  Fingers crossed.

I went in this morning for the test.  I had to go to a testing facility here in Brisbane, similar to the testing facilities, like LabCorp, that we have in the United States.  I met Lorne at his office building and he took Maya to the park for an hour while I headed to the lab for the test.  The staff at the lab were super friendly and helpful.  A change from most of my experiences at similar labs in St. Louis.  They gave me my drink and told me to drink it all within 10 and they’d come back to get in 1 hour for my blood draw.

When I had the test done during my pregnancy with Maya the drink I had to drink was a super sweet, overly flavored, flat orange drink.  It tasted like orange soda but without the fizziness.  I remember thinking at the time that the drink would be so much easier to drink if it was carbonated, just a bit.  The drink I had today was so much better.  I wouldn’t exactly call it tasty, but it was certainly a lot better than my previous glucose drinks.  This one was lightly carbonated for starters, and I was right, it made it much easier to get down.  It was still crazy sweet, but the flavor was much more mild, another thing in its favor.  It was easy to get the drink down in the alloted time and I didn’t feel like I was going to throw up right after.

I passed the 1 hour quietly reading in the waiting room.  Finally I was called back for my blood draw.  Blood draws don’t bother me so that part was a breeze.  I chatted with the phlebotomist while she took the required 3 viles of blood for my glucose test and a couple of other screenings being done.  It was a pleasant experience for a test that isn’t really my favorite thing to do during pregnancy.

Now I wait, fingers crossed, for the results.  Hopefully I don’t hear from my doctor at all and am told at my next appointment in a couple of weeks that I passed the test just fine.  If I do hear from him and have to go in for that 3 hour test I may cry.  At least I know if I have to do it again the drink is more tolerable this time and the staff at the lab is pleasant to deal with.

On Tuesday I had my first appointment with the obstetrician I’ll be using while we are here in Australia.  It was my 20 week regular monthly appointment.  At home that would have meant a super quick and easy appointment that consisted of a urine screen, weigh in, blood pressure reading, fundal measurement and listening to the baby’s heartbeat.  In and out in 15-20 minutes tops.  However, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect at my first appointment here in Australia.  I wasn’t sure how similar their prenatal care is to our prenatal care in the United States.  I expected a bit longer visit since it was my first meeting with this doctor but other than that I went into it blind.

I had a hard time sleeping the night before my appointment.  I was nervous about meeting the new doctor and what to expect from my appointment.  Luckily, we had spent some time over the weekend figuring out the bus route to there and finding exactly where the office was so it was super easy for Maya and I to get there Tuesday morning. It gave me one less thing to worry about.  My appointment was scheduled for 9:30 so we headed out the door a little after 8am to catch the 8:25 bus.  The bus was running a bit late but got us to the hospital bus station right on time (sometimes you gotta love public transportation and crazy Australian bus drivers!).

Since we had walked by the office building on Saturday I knew it was a very nice looking office and I was anxious to see what it was like inside.  It was gorgeous.  The office is fairly big, they staff 4 OBs and 3 midwives.  The waiting area is full of super comfy chairs, a bathroom (because we pregnant women need bathrooms everywhere!) and a great little play area for the kiddos.  Let me tell you, the play area is a godsend for those of us who have to bring our little ones along.  Maya had a great time playing with all the toys and reading the books.  She actually didn’t want to leave when it was my turn to go back with the doctor.

When it was my turn I was greeted in the waiting room by the actual doctor!  I had expected to be called back by a nurse.  They actually don’t have any nurses on staff, the doctors and the midwives do everything.  I sat with the doctor in his office for a while going over my medical history and reviewing my records from my doctor in the US.  He had to pull out his calculator several times because all the weight measurements on my charts are in pounds and he is used to kilograms.  It stumped me too when I hopped on the scale and it weighed me in kilograms.  He broke out the calculator again to let me know what my weight was in pounds.

After our long talk about my medical history and prenatal care history for this pregnancy the appointment continued exactly like it would have had I been visiting my OB in the US.  He took my blood pressure, had me get on the scale to be weighed (I haven’t gained any weight since my last appointment in the US but he didn’t seem concerned), then he felt my abdomen and listened to the baby’s heartbeat with the doppler.  He explained what to expect at my next appointments and it sounds like the prenatal care is exactly like it is in the US.  The one exception is that they don’t do a urine screen at every appointment, they only do urine screens if there is another indicator, like higher blood pressure than at previous appointments.

After I met with the doctor he had me sit down with one of the midwives so I could get to know her and she could go over the do’s and don’ts during pregnancy in Australia.  The midwife was so nice.  She went over everything with me as far as what exercise is permitted, the foods to avoid, etc.  It is all the same as the do’s and don’ts rules in the US.

It ended up being a great appointment.  Everything is progressing well with the pregnancy, Baby Girl 2.0 sounded great and I’m all set for another month.  I really liked the doctor, the midwife and the front desk staff.  Everyone was super friendly and nice.  Turns out I had nothing to be nervous about.

Today was our big anatomy ultrasound.  Although the baby did try to hide the goods from us at first we were able to find out what this little monkey is.

Drumroll please…

When we got into the room the ultrasound tech asked Maya if she wanted a girl baby or a boy baby. She answered the same way she has from the very beginning “Girl Baby”.  She got her wish, she is going to have a little sister.  We are so excited.  I have been thinking girl all along, and I was right!  Lorne is really out numbered now

This little girl, just like her big sister, tried really hard to hide the goods.  The ultrasound tech got a shot that I thought looked like little girl parts but didn’t say anything. She went about taking more measurements and then tried for the potty shot again and sure enough it was definitely girl parts.  We had a third look right at the end of the ultrasound just for good measure and reassurance.

The baby is currently breech.  Not a big deal since she will likely flip around several times between now and her big arrival, but it sure does explain why I’ve been feeling so many of her kicks down low.

It was so sweet seeing her little face on the ultrasound screen and watching her little squirms.  I’m glad all three of us got to be there.  We can’t wait to welcome this new Little Miss in July.

Here is our Baby Girl 2.0

So, I know my guess was right.  Was yours?

Yesterday I hit the 16 week mark of this pregnancy.  I’m 4 months into this pregnancy.  It is hard to believe I’m already 4 months pregnant, but, at the same time, it sometimes feels like I should be further along.  I have been feeling SO much better the last few weeks.  The morning sickness is finally gone and I have most of my energy back.  I’m still quite moody (poor hubby) and I’ve been getting a lot of headaches, but all in all I feel pretty good.

I had my monthly appointment with my obstetrician this morning.  It went perfectly.  I got to hear that lovely sound of the baby’s heart beating away in there.  I discovered that this little baby is very much like her or his sister. Every time my OB found Maya’s heartbeat with the doppler she would move. She hated the doppler wand and the wand for the ultrasound machine too (hence the need for the sonographer to spend 45 minutes trying to find out if she was a boy or a girl!).  This baby is exactly the same. The OB found the heartbeat the first try with the doppler but the baby promptly moved and he had to look for it again (this happened 3 times).  It made me giggle and I said “Just like Maya!!”.  My blood pressure was great and I even managed to put on a whole 5 pounds.  That was music to my doctor’s ears since he wasn’t all that impressed with my .5 pound of weight gain last time. It is much easier to put on weight when you aren’t constantly struggling to get any food in your mouth and then struggling to get it stay down.

The best part of the appointment was finally scheduling the “big” ultrasound.  As of right now it is scheduled for February 22nd, unless of course we end up leaving for Australia before then and it needs to be pushed up a bit.  I can’t wait to see this little baby moving all around on the screen, I remember it being such an amazing experience with Maya.  And, of course, I can’t wait to find out if we are having a girl or a boy.  Any guesses?

A subchorionic hematoma (also commonly referred to as a subchorionic hemorrhage) is basically a pool of blood that collects where implantation has taken place.  It forms between the uterine wall and the placenta.  It can cause early pregnancy bleeding as the pool of blood, blood clot, or bruise leaks.  Which, for a woman in early pregnancy when the miscarriage rate is at its highest can be very scary.

For many women the blood will be reabsorbed with no bleeding at all and no negative impact on the pregnancy.  For some women the most common symptom, and what often leads to the diagnosis of a subchorionic hematoma, is vaginal bleeding early in pregnancy.  The presence of a subchorionic hematoma doesn’t not necessarily mean there will any negative impact on the pregnancy, however, it does increase the risk of miscarriage.  As such your doctor will likely monitor you more closely during early pregnancy and may even prescribe pelvic rest until you are “out of the woods”.

At my first ultrasound at 6 weeks I was diagnosed with a subchorionic hematoma.  I didn’t at the time know anything about them.  My doctor stated to watch out for bleeding and if any occurred to call him immediately.  I was asked to come back in 2 weeks for another ultrasound so they could monitor the status of the hematoma and check on the pregnancy.  My doctor highly downplayed the risks of a subchorionic hematoma and I left his office thinking I had nothing to worry about.  At my next appointment at 8 weeks the ultrasound showed the hematoma had greatly reduced in size and was no longer a threat to my pregnancy.  I was incredibly relieved, especially since I had also been one of the lucky women who did not experience any bleeding as a result of my subchorionic hematoma.

A subchorionic hematoma does not mean your pregnancy is going to end.  The risk of miscarriage does increase but not significantly.  The larger the blood clot the more risk to the pregnancy.  There is nothing a pregnant woman can do to prevent a subchorionic hematoma and there is really nothing you can do once you receive the diagnosis.  The best thing you can do is listen to your doctor, follow his or her orders and wait and see.  Be sure to discuss your concerns with your doctor.

Life is full of sweet sounds.  Sounds that become music to our ears.  Sounds that warm our hearts, make us smile, make us giggle or just simply make us sigh.  The other day I got to hear what I consider to be one of life’s sweetest sounds, the sounds of a tiny baby heart beating in utero.  That lovely whoosh, whoosh, whooshing.  A sound that warms my heart and instantly calms me.  A sound that reminds that there is an actual baby growing in there.  I still remember hearing Maya’s heart beating away for the first time.

On Tuesday I had my 12 week follow up appointment with my obstetrician.  It was the first appointment that I was far enough along for him to use the doppler to hear that baby’s heartbeat.  I’ve heard that heartbeat a couple of times already through the ultrasound machine, but there is just something about hearing for the first time on the doppler that makes the pregnancy feel more real.  I can’t wait until my next appointment so I can hear it again.

Everything checked out great at my appointment.  I was actually able to put on a half a pound in the last 4 weeks.  Both my doctor and I were very impressed given how horribly nauseous I have felt and that I’ve was vomiting almost daily for most of that 4 weeks.  So, I’m very proud of that half pound my body was able to add on.

Now that I’m almost out of the first trimester I’ve actually been starting to feel a bit better.  Some days are still really bad, but most days this week I’ve been able to avoid the nausea until about 4pm in the afternoon and I haven’t vomited in almost a week now.  Hopefully in the next couple of weeks the nausea will go away completely and I’ll start feeling more and more like myself.

Many pregnant women don’t think about their dental health.  The focus is on the growing the baby and the physical symptoms being experienced.  Your teeth probably aren’t front and center in your mind.  However, keeping on top of your dental hygiene during pregnancy is very important.  Many of the changes in your body that are causing the symptoms you are experiencing are also causing some problems and changes in your mouth as well.  Those pregnancy hormones are responsible for a whole lot of crazy things during pregnancy.

The hormonal changes that take place during pregnancy cause pregnant women to become more susceptible to the gum disease gingivitis and increase tooth sensitivity.  Those rage hormones can also cause your gums to bleed more easily, your teeth to become slightly loose and increase acidity in your mouth which causes tooth decay.  As a result of these changes taking place in your mouth it is important to take good care of your teeth during pregnancy.

• Brush your teeth at least twice a day with a soft bristled tooth brush.  Ideally you should brush after each meal if possible.
• Floss your teeth at least once a day. You may need to take extra care when flossing as your gums may bleed more easily.
• Rinse with a fluoride mouthwash twice a day.
• If you vomit as a result of morning sickness during pregnancy be sure to rinse your mouth very well afterwards as the increased acidity in the mouth can lead to tooth decay.
• Visit your dentist regularly during pregnancy.
• If you develop any dental issues or problems discuss them with your prenatal care provider and your dentist.

If you have questions about dental health during pregnancy be sure to discuss them with your dentist and your prenatal care provider.

In the early part of pregnancy the idea that a small little person is growing inside of you can be difficult to imagine.  The baby inside is still very surreal.  You can’t see him or her (unless you have an ultrasound, of course), you can’t touch him or her and you can’t yet feel him or her moving inside of you.  Hearing the baby’s heartbeat at a prenatal visit or seeing his or her fuzzy image on an ultrasound monitor are your only real glimpses of the life being created.  Feeling your baby move for the first time is such a magical time of pregnancy.  It is those first faint kicks, those little flutters that tell you someone is in there.  Those little flutters that will become large, sometimes uncomfortable kicks, are your connection to the baby.

When you feel those first faint movements will vary widely from woman to woman and even from pregnancy to pregnancy.  Often times women will be able to recognize the faint flutters of movement earlier in second and subsequent pregnancies since they already know what to look for.  On average a pregnant woman can expect to feel her baby moving sometime around the 15 to 20 weeks of pregnancy.  The baby begins moving as early as 7-8 weeks but since it is still so tiny at that point you won’t yet be able to feel the movements.  Your size can also impact when you feel the first movements.  Larger women often don’t feel the first movements until closer to the 20th week of pregnancy or later.  While petite women may feel the baby move earlier.  When I was pregnant with Maya I felt her move for the first time during my 14th week of pregnancy.  It felt like tiny little flutters, sort of like popcorn popping inside my tummy.  It is definitely a very cool feeling.

As the baby continues to grow and take up more space inside your abdomen you will begin to feel stronger more regular kicks.  You’ll begin to recognize your baby’s cycles.  There will be certain times of the day when the baby is very active, like just after you’ve eaten or when you are relaxing or trying to sleep.  Other times of the day the baby will be very still.  Recognizing these patterns will help you identify if something is wrong.  If you haven’t felt the baby move at his or her regular times you’ll know to call your doctor.   A general role of thumb for fetal movements is at least 10 distinct movements in no more than 2 hours.  You don’t need to constantly count the movements but occasionally, during a regular active time for your baby, sit quietly or lay on your side and time how long it takes to feel 10 movements.   Call your doctor if you do not feel 10 movements in 2 hours.

Feeling those movements, even though they can sometimes be uncomfortable or keep you awake at night, is the best feeling.  Those little hands and feet moving away inside giving you a glimpse of the person you will meet on delivery day.  Enjoy those kicks, they are definitely one of the things you will miss about being pregnant.

Be sure to talk to your doctor if you are at all concerned about your baby’s movements.

Infant mortality is a difficult subject to talk about.  No one wants to think about the bad things that can happen.  It is often easier to sugar coat the statistics and pretend like it is something that only happens to other people.  However, in order to combat problems like preterm births and stillbirths we have to talk about them.  We have give those tiny babies and their families a voice so that hopefully one day it won’t happen at all.

Globally, 13 million babies are born premature and approximately 3.2 million stillbirths occur.  Preterm birth accounts for approximately 1 million infant deaths yearly and is the leading cause of infant death worldwide.   Though preterm births and stillbirths are more common in low and middle income countries they are growing problems in higher income countries, like the United States.  In the US approximately 1 in 8 babies is born prematurely and the health care costs associated with preterm births accounts for more than $26 billion annually making it the 7th leading healthcare expense in this country.

The Global Alliance to Prevent Prematurity and Stillbirths (GAPPS) recently funded a study conducted by maternal and child healthcare experts from around the world that looked at the causes of both premature and stillbirths and the possible interventions that could be used to help combat preterm and stillbirths globally.  The study found that not enough is known, globally, about what causes most preterm and stillbirths and calls for action, particularly in the area of research.  The more people know the greater the chances of preventing both stillbirths and preterm births will be.

However, researchers lack access to quality tissue samples in order to conduct the research necessary to determine the most common causes of preterm and stillbirths and ultimately what measures can be taken to help prevent them.  As a result, GAPPS is partnering with hospitals, research labs, universities both here in the United States and around the world to establish a tissue repository.  The hope is collect a large cross sample of specimens from pregnant women and newborns from around the world so researchers have access to the date they need.

Infant death is a tragic and heartbreaking issue that we need to talk about, think about and address.   The more we know the better off our children will be.  I hope one day we know enough to prevent these tragedies from occurring so every pregnant woman will know the joy of holding her healthy infant in her arms and every baby gets the best start at life.

Taking good care of your teeth during pregnancy is very important.  The hormonal changes caused by pregnancy increase your risk of developing gum disease.  As your hormones change during your pregnancy your can lead to additional swelling and bleeding of your gums.  Gum disease has been linked to an increased risk of premature labor and birth.

It is, of course, always important to practice good oral hygiene, but, given the risk that gum disease poses to your pregnancy it is even more important during pregnancy.  Making sure you brush and floss regularly, visit your dentist for regularly scheduled cleanings and check ups and avoiding sugary snacks and carbonated sodas that can lead to tooth decay are all ways that you can maintain good oral health.

Many women are concerned about visiting the dentist during pregnancy.  Regular dental care, such as regular check ups and cleanings, cavity fillings, etc are all safe during pregnancy.  It is safest to get dental work done during your second trimester due to comfort levels for you, as well as decreasing any potential risk on the growing fetus.

During the first trimester many women experience the ugly pregnancy symptom know commonly as morning sickness.  This feeling of nausea and sometimes vomiting make you want to avoid brushing your teeth, especially since the taste of toothpaste can often trigger the nausea and vomiting.  However, it is important to still continue brushing your teeth regularly, especially after vomiting as the acid in vomit can lead to tooth decay.  There are bland tasting toothpastes on the market that may making the deed of brushing your teeth during the early months of pregnancy that much easier.

Good oral hygiene and regular dental check ups during pregnancy are vital, however, there are a few things you should avoid during pregnancy.  They include: routine oral x-rays (unless necessary to deal with a dental emergency), dental procedures like fillings should be avoided during the first trimester and later half of the third trimester, although oral anesthesia is safe you should avoid high doses of the anesthesia so be sure to talk to your doctor and your dentist before having any dental treatments done that require anesthesia.

So, the bottom line is, brush, floss, check in with your dentist on your regular schedule and take care of those teeth.

If you are concerned about whether something is safe or not be sure to discuss it with your doctor and your dentist before proceeding.