Pregnancy Update: Week 29

It’s been 10 weeks since I've done one of these pregnancy questionnaire thingy’s, and my oh my has lots happened since then!

How far along: 29 Weeks and 1 day!

Gender: A baby girl :)

Total weight gain: 20+ lbs. Heh, surprisingly I’m not complaining because I’m a little curvier! The first thing to expand was my entire lower body and chest… My only concern is that I don’t know if I’ll be able to fit in my pre-pregnancy jeans again.

Maternity Clothes:  Yep! I have been rotating a couple of maternity jeans with several non-maternity leggings. A couple of weeks ago I ordered a nice variety of maternity basics from target and also been able to wear longer pre-pregnancy shirts.

Sleep: Lately I've been having a bit of insomnia…I’m not at the point where I’m struggling to find a comfortable spot, I've just been having a hard time turning off my thoughts!

Miss Anything: The ease of waking up and being able to throw together a nice outfit without a ton of effort; nowadays I’m forced to sort out what still fits/looks appropriate the night before. I also miss being able to exercise the way I used to.

Cravings: Runny eggs, popcorn, toast with avocado and cranberry juice.

Symptoms: Feeling tired again, getting cramps in my thighs and aches in my hips.

Belly Button in or out: It’s trying to come out. Right now it’s looking like a cinnamon bun.

Mood: Mostly excited!

Best Moment this week: Hmm... I made really good chex mix and also red quinoa with spicy peanut tofu stir fry. (I feel like I put something food related for the last post...) 

Looking forward to: We just entered a new year! I’m looking forward to seeing my family next weekend, the upcoming hospital tour, childbirth classes and my baby shower in February. And obviously March! The arrival of Lydia seems to be on my mind quite a lot and I can’t imagine how I’ll feel when she’s finally here in my arms… Ah, I’m going to be a mom!!

Exercise: Since I started getting cramps in my pelvis from doing plyometrics (sometime last month), so I decided to take a step back and do lower impact cardio interval training and have been able to do that 2-3x a week. On other days I mix it up by doing strength training at the gym or home, barre/Pilates and making sure I stretch every day.

On My Mind: Right now I feel blessed! A couple weeks ago we learned that I had the antibody Kell in my blood from recent blood work. Not knowing what that meant I did what any American would do and googled it. (My explanation might be a bit choppy so please bear with me!) I learned that if I have the antibody and if Michael carried the antigen then Lydia might be at risk. I also learned it’s possible that I got the antibody from a previous blood transfusion. A nurse from the department of fetal medicine called and scheduled us an urgent ultrasound and a consultation with high risk doctors to learn more about Kell. I immediately prayed to myself, and then I told my mom and she asked people from her church to pray and we told people from our church to pray for us too. Surprisingly I didn't feel worried but mostly at peace because I knew God was in control and that our questions would be answered that upcoming Tuesday. I thoroughly believe that God prepared our hearts for this.

At the appointment we got to see Lydia via ultrasound and learned that she is healthy, active and has no signs of anemia. After the ultrasound we met with the doctors and learned more about antigen Kell. We learned that if Michael had the antigen that it could mix with the antibody in my blood and cause the blood in my placenta to attack Lydia’s red blood cells. My pregnancy would require monitoring and if she showed signs of severe anemia they would have to give her a blood transfusion while in utero. I found that fascinating. Fortunately the doctors reassured us that because in her previous ultrasounds showed no signs of anemia meant that she could be in the clear and not need future transfusions. But in order for them to know they needed to test Michael’s blood to see if he even has the antigen. 

After the appointment we both felt at peace with the situation and prayed that his tests would prove him Kell negative. On Christmas Eve while printing out pictures at Walgreens, I got a call from the nurse and learned that Michael was Kell negative! Prayers were answered and we were so happy knowing that Lydia wouldn't need any further testing or blood transfusions. It really was that simple. Praise the Lord! And now I’m back to thinking about seeing her again..

xo, Jessica

Recovery Update!

It’s been exactly one week and one day since I’ve had my spur of the moment bilateral hip replacement. I call it “spur of the moment” because everything happened so quickly! It all started on January 17^th  while sitting in the doctor’s office with my parents and Michael. After Dr. Alexiades came to the conclusion that I needed a bilateral hip replacement, he told us he would probably be booked until May or June to do my procedure; unless of course there were cancellations... After hearing that I said a quick prayer in my head as we waited in his assistant’s office to schedule my surgery date. She told me there had been some cancellations and then asked me how soon I wanted it done and I was like, “as soon as possible!” So after a little waiting and plenty of praying, she asked me, “how about on Monday?” and I said “yes” without hesitation. Monday was only four days away and I would be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous, it was my first serious surgery after all. But I was calmed after hearing rave reviews about The Hospital for Special Surgeries and the overwhelming flow of prayers I had been receiving.  God revealed His mercy to me and it couldn't have worked out better, after the surgery I felt like a huge weight had been lifted off shoulders, or in my case both of my hips.

At the moment, my pain is at bay and I’m feeling pretty great considering I had both of my hips replaced. In fact, I should be off my crutches by next week and switching to a cane for another couple of weeks which is exciting progress. The swelling on my thighs, butt (oh my word was it huge…) and pelvis went down significantly! I can finally tell that I’m standing and walking without a wobbling, and notice that my legs are now even. Unfortunately I think the only thing compromising the pace of my recovery is the Coumadin I have to take on a daily basis; which is a blood thinner which prevents blood clots but like anything else it has its side effects. It makes my skin very vulnerable and more susceptible to cuts and bruises. For example I’ve noticed a heck of a lot of bruises on my knees, calves and inner and outer thighs, making it uncomfortable for me to sleep. But I’ve been sleeping on my back and with fewer blankets on me which is different, but very helpful at the same time! I also have to limit eating too much vitamin K which is the antidote of Coumadin. So this means I must go easy on the kale for the next three weeks. Wah!

Aside from getting random bruises on my legs and a little swelling, I’d say I should be ready to roam about unassisted, by my next follow up visit on February 21^st. I’m so thrilled to be able to be active again, and enjoy being 20 years old without experiencing arthritic pain and always feeling fatigued. Most importantly be able to do the merengue at my grandmothers 80^th birthday party in April, oh it’s going to be a whole new world for me! A la Aladdin. In other words my life is going to change a lot this year in more ways than one!  Now I am going to enjoy some reading followed by a nap, I promise to continue keeping everyone posted on my recovery status. Peace!
-Jessica