No Fetal Tones? Oh, No Biggie. (2nd Trimester)

          Part I 

            I had barely stepped into the 2^nd trimester. Matt was always able to take time away from work to go to our baby appointments. I was very thankful for that and really appreciated that he always wanted to go…that was until this particular appointment. I probably would have been better off if he would’ve stayed at work and I had gone solo.

           

            My appointment that morning was your typical monthly checkup…urine test, weight check, blood pressure, ask a few questions, and then listen to the baby’s heartbeat. I hopped up on the table and patiently waited as Dr. Price searched for the heartbeat…we waited a little longer and a little longer. She pushed a little harder and moved all over my stomach. Where was the heartbeat? She asked me to hold my breath, so I did. Nothing. I started to panic. I glanced over at Matt (hoping to get a little reassurance) but he was busy checking his watch to make sure he wasn’t gone too terribly long from work. After what seemed like an eternity, Dr. Price tells us she can’t find the heartbeat so she’s going to send us to the Perinatal Center for an ultrasound. She hands me a paper and asks us to wait in the waiting room while they call the Perinatal Center to see if I could come over right away.

            As we sat in the waiting room, I had nothing to say. I was nervous. I looked at the paper and those 3 words stared back at me, “No Fetal Tones.” Matt on the other hand was “hoping they’d hurry up so he could get back to work.” At one point he leans over and says, “I hope they don’t schedule it until after I get off work or maybe you’ll just have to go by yourself so I can get back.” Really, Matthew? I just glare at him thinking, “he really has the nerve to say that?”  At that point, it was very tempting to pop him in the face…but I didn’t want to cause a scene, so I didn’t. The nurse comes out and says it’s ok for us to head over. Matt said he was walking down to the department to let his boss know that they were sending us over for an ultrasound and that he’d meet me there. (My OB Dr was in the same hospital that he worked at.) I walked out to my car, in tears, worried about what was about to happen. Pulling into the Perinatal parking lot, through my tears I see Matt...waving like a lunatic, with a goofy smile on his face, pointing to a front row parking spot. (Here would’ve been punch #2.)

            We walk in, hand the receptionist my paper, and take a seat. I kept telling Matt how nervous I was, that I was scared, and so worried. He nonchalantly says, “Why?” Finally I was like, “You aren’t nervous or worried at all?? How can you not be?” It wasn’t until I mentioned that Dr. Price had written on the paper “No Fetal Tones” that his demeanor changed. Now we were on the same page. We’re called back. I sit down; pull my shirt up, and the ultrasound tech starts. It didn’t take long at all to find Giblet...who by the way, actually looked like a real baby now! : ) Those tiny, tiny arms were “fist pumping” in the air, legs were all over the place, and Giblet was literally bouncing all over the place. (No wonder she couldn’t pick up a heartbeat.) It wasn’t until that moment that I was able to breathe a huge sigh of relief!

            So, Matt’s take on the whole situation and why he was so “la-dee-da” about it…the Doppler reminded him of a kid’s karaoke machine. Not only that, but he figured it was just “a crappy piece of equipment.”  “Besides,” he said, “One of us had to hold it together.”  : )

More 2nd trimester stories to come! : )

~Renee

Happy Birthday to Me! (The 1st Trimester)

           When a group of females work together, for some strange reason, they always end up on the same “cycle.” That was the case when I worked at SarahCare. Gina, Anna, and I would start that wonderful thing within a day or two of each other…well, until January of 2011. Everyone did but me. Immediately, Gina said, “You’re pregnant.” I'd tell her, “No…i think you’re wrong. I can definitely tell it will be here soon.” I’m pretty sure this battling back and forth went on for a good 3 weeks before I finally decided that she may be right. 

            Matt and I had just finished watching a Steelers vs Ravens playoff game on a Saturday night. I had been delaying “going to the bathroom” the entire game by using excuses like, “When the game is over I’ll go,” or “I really don’t have to go.” When the game ended, so did my excuses. I went. “Is that really a second line or are my eyes making a second line? “But that line is really faint.” Not being 100% sure, I nervously yelled for Matt. After he checked it out, he also saw the second faint line. The next morning, we went to Wal-Mart to pick up another test…you know, just to make sure. Sure enough, it confirmed what the first one had, that I was “pregnant.”

            Matt and I decided that we would wait until I went to the doctor before we told anyone. The earliest appointment I could get was a week and a half away! Anyone who knows Matt and I really well, knows exactly how hard it is for us to keep a secret. (Especially something really exciting…like...umm...waiting to open Christmas presents ON Christmas day.) We did somehow manage to get through Monday. I seriously sat in my office, keeping myself extremely busy, to avoid Gina, Anna, and my boss, Kelly. I knew at any given moment I would blurt it out. (The RN, Becky, that had just recently started, asked me that morning if my husband and I ever wanted kids…I simply stated, “One day.” : ) ) A whole day of holding it in likewas enough! We wanted our parents to be the first to know. That evening we caved in. We called our parents and our siblings, and told them the “unofficial” news. Thankfully, on Tuesday, I didn't have to sit in my office all day, avoiding everyone. : )

            A week and a half later, I had my first OB appointment. Typically, at your first visit they take a pregnancy test, right? Well, apparently not. They simply took my word for it, I guess. Basically, the nurse took a ton of information, gave us some nice pamphlets, books, and magazines, and then sent us on our way over to the lab for blood work. “Ok, so they’ll tell me from the blood work then?” With this being my first time, I didn’t know what to expect or how they did things. It wasn’t until a week later at our following appointment that it became “official.” (And then it was only because I asked the nurse if I needed to take a pregnancy test.) : )

            Soon after we found out I was pregnant (I would have been about 8 weeks along)I could definitely tell I was pregnant. That wonderful morning/afternoon/evening sickness started to set in; I had thrown up (just once, thankfully!); I’d be out like a light by 6:30pm; and taking naps on the weekends (sometimes all day Saturday and Sunday) started to be the greatest thing ever…especially when a typical weekend consisted of me driving Matt crazy by trying to get him out of the house to go do something fun. (I’m pretty sure he was secretly happy that I was sick to my stomach from sun up to sun down; at least I left him alone. : ) )

            On February 7^th, we had our first Ultrasound appointment. The Ultrasound tech picked up that little heartbeat in no time! Right before our eyes a little “peanut,” aka GIBLET, appeared on the screen! It was by far, the greatest birthday present that I had ever received! : )

Stay tuned for the 2^nd trimester adventures!

~Renee

Full Time Mommy/Part Time Coordinator

For the past 6 months, being a stay-at-home-mommy has been amazing! There’s nothing better than cuddling up on the couch with Mady several times a day for a nap, or “waiting until tomorrow” to do housework, or watching her little personality develop, or watching her learn how to hold onto things, and sit up all by herself. She is quite the unique individual and I have enjoyed every second of it…well, almost. It would be a lie if I said I enjoyed every second of it.  Not every day was filled with sunshine and rainbows. Some days, dark clouds hovered over us…specifically on the days before we knew she had acid reflux.  But over all, there were rainbows and sunshine.

Those days, I will miss. A few months ago, I had decided that I would eventually go back to work. April sounded like a good month to me.  After job searching online, I discovered that Cumberland really didn’t have much to offer in my line of work. Matt had been keeping an eye out for me when he came across a “Volunteer/Bereavement Coordinator” position with the Hospice program at WMHS…the hospital he works at. The position looked perfect! Part time, daylight hours, Monday thru Friday. Exactly what I was looking for! I applied. A week later I was on my way to an interview, which went great! I got in my car to drive home and thought to myself,” This is way too good to be true! It would be perfect for Mady and I.” (I say “Mady and I” because we may be "slightly" attached. Yes, Matt did cut the cord, but her and I have become SO attached to each other over the past 6 months.)  I didn’t want to get my hopes up. I tried not to, but the more I thought about the position, how friendly everyone was during my interview, the hours, etc, the more my hopes went up. Waiting to hear from HR may have been the longest time ever!

Yesterday, HR finally called and offered me the position. As of now, I start April 9^th…which is orientation at the hospital. (The actual office I will be working out of is on Industrial Blvd, where “Hills” was at one point.) Thoughts and prayers would be greatly appreciated as I start this new job…mainly that both Mady and I will have an easy adjustment and that we will survive the “change.” I mean, mommy’s go back to work all the time and they survive, right? : )

~Renee

Here Goes Nothing...or Maybe Something.

I have always wanted to start a blog, but thought, "what could I possibly write about?" and "do I even have anything to write about?"  (When I asked Matt to help me come up with a creative name for my blog, his exact words were, "Is our life that exciting?") We may not live a very exciting life at times, but there certainly lots and lots of moments that I want to remember forever and store somewhere so they are never forgotten. Therefore, I'll look at my blog as a "Giant Sticky Note ." : )

Also, another "encouragement" in starting my own blog (though she doesn't know it) was from my Aunt Dianne, who recently started a blog. Through her blogs, I realized two things... It's a great way to learn more about someone (say for example, like, umm, how someone chooses to dress, or not dress, within their home) and also that you can seriously write about ANYTHING. So, Dianne, Thank You! for the silent encouragement and for the many laughs that you have given me from reading your stories. :  )

Ok, so I'll be honest. Majority of my blogs will probably end up being about something absolutely cute or funny that Madalyn did recently...but, it's a moment that I'll want to remember so I'll "make a note of it." And speaking of Madalyn, aka: Mady, Mady Lu, LuLu, LuLu Beluga Bear, (insert other random names she has acquired over the past 6 months) she is where we…I mean Matt, came up with the name for my blog, “Lu Bear Tales.”


I hope you'll enjoy my future "tales..."

Here goes nothing!

~Renee