HeatherO

Hmm . . . I wonder if Cherry Blue has some news.

Hello Vi's, It has been forever and a day since I have been online at all, although I imagine that will change now. I am sorry I have been out of commission for so long. I had the baby two weeks ago . . . everything went well and I was feeling better and better. I even logged in from the hospital. The Saturday I left from the hospital I was feeling a little under the weather. Since then I have been sick as a dog at home and am just starting to feel better. I am pretty sure the problems were band related in that I had been having trouble keeping anything down without vomiting/pbing/etc. I have been on a liquid diet for most of two weeks and this is just my second day of solids. It has been rough and I have been exausted and weak (on top of having a newborn). I swear there were many days there where I just wish I would have never gotten a band . . . it was that bad. Anyway, I am better now but I have to catch up on a gazillion pages of Vi' reading. I just wanted to check in quickly and let everyone know what was up :0). I've really missed all of you.

Thanks everyone :0). I will post more updates later as I have time.

Well, Ayla came last night at 10:52 PM. It could not have happened much quicker than that. I went from 3 centimeters dilation to 10 in less than 30 minutes as I was getting the epidural in and then it was time to push. I was not even having contractions until they started pitocin at around 6:30 PM. She is beautiful at 5 pounds and 7 ounces, 18.5 inches, light brown hair, teeny and very adorable and absolutely perfect.

Hello Vi's, I had a little trouble getting online at first and after I did many websites are blocked, such as facebook. I really was excited to tell everyone and didn't want to keep everyone waiting. Well, Ayla came last night at 10:52 PM. It could not have happened much quicker than that. I went from 3 centimeters dilation to 10 in less than 30 minutes as I was getting the epidural in and then it was time to push. I was not even having contractions until they started pitocin at around 6:30 PM. She is beautiful at 5 pounds and 7 ounces, 18.5 inches, light brown hair, teeny and very adorable and absolutely perfect.

Well, today is the day. I went to the OB and she said get thyself into the hospital ASAP. She tested it at the clinic and it is indeed amniotic fluid. She said since it happened so early this AM and labor hasn't started, they need to start me on pitocin right away. I'll keep everyone posted . . . as soon as I am not busy that is :0) Funny thing is . . . I couldn't wait for this to happen and now it is more along the line of OMG, I'm not readyyyy. Of course I am ready and my DH is upstairs shaving, lol. I told him I needed a few minutes to finish a couple of things and he wants to be ready for pictures, lol. The babies name will be Ayla. :0)

Well, today is the day. I went to the OB and she said get thyself into the hospital ASAP. She tested it at the clinic and it is indeed amniotic fluid. She said since it happened so early this AM and labor hasn't started, they need to start me on pitocin right away. I'll keep everyone posted . . . as soon as I am not busy that is :0)

Warning . . . maybe TMI. I think I am leaking today which is quite a shock. It is definitely not urine, clear and odorless, looks like water, and it is not continuous either. It only seems to come if I change position (like standing up) but then stops. It seems to be somewhere around a tablespoon when it happens but has happened 4 or 5 times this morning. Could this be it? My water never broke before and this is nothing like what I expected. There is no pain or anything to go along with it. I actually noticed it first when I woke up this morning and was laying in bed after hitting snooze . . . I just kinda felt a little wet all of a sudden and my first thought was that maybe I peed a little although it has not happened before . . . but I checked and I am sure it was not pee. I got a call into my OB, I just havent heard back yet. I am not sure if I should get excited or not. I feel exceedingly normal this morning otherwise.

Thanks Cherry_Blue & Gone_4_Ever, I think I am leaking today which is quite a shock. It is definitely not urine, clear and odorless, looks like water, and it is not continuous either. It only seems to come if I change position (like standing up) but then stops. It seems to be somewhere around a tablespoon when it happens but has happened 4 or 5 times this morning. Could this be it? My water never broke before and this is nothing like what I expected. There is no pain or anything to go along with it. I actually noticed it first when I woke up this morning and was laying in bed after hitting snooze . . . I just kinda felt a little wet all of a sudden and my first thought was that maybe I peed a little although it has not happened before . . . but I checked and I am sure it was not pee. I got a call into my OB, I just havent heard back yet. I am not sure if I should get excited or not. I feel exceedingly normal this morning otherwise.

This thread moves so quickly and my life is so busy it is kinda hard to keep up sometimes. I hope you will forgive my sporadic posting, lol. Luluc - Hang in there. Stress tightens up my band for sure so I know how that goes. It is really great that you can be there for your friends during this difficult time. G4E, Sorry it has been so rough going for you as well. My thoughts are with you and I hope you find a great job soon and your back is better. Beth - Cleaning out the closet is great . . . I love that feeling of having new space to fill with better and more flattering clothing, lol. Heartfire/Michelle, I am doing some container gardening this year and love it. I used to keep a huge garden which was frequently obliterated by deer and racoons. I remember the racoons were the worst because they would go through the sweet corn, knock it over, peel open a cob, take one bite and then move on to the next. It was more mass destruction than anything else. Fanny - I hope you have an absolutely marvelous time, you deserve it. You are now in the most fun stage post banding . . . where life really starts taking off and everything becomes more interesting. I definitely don't have the guts for a brazilian wax yet, lol. It can't be comfortable (although it is probably 10x worse in my imagination then in reality, lol). Ebony, good luck on the job search. SMS, engaged . . . wow, congratulations. I am definitely missing out on Facebook. I have some of you as friends but am missing quite a few as well :0).

Jane, Can you check in your recycle bin on your computer to see if a deleted file is still there with your 2009 data? Perhaps it is stored in a temporary file somewhere. Laura, Phooey on Russ for not going all out for mothers day. The ring sounds beautiful. Haydee, Baby is still in . . . coming someday but I guess maybe not today, lol. I am doing much better this morning but I think late pregnancy is like super PMS. It sounds like you had a marvelous weekend with Pamela and Michelle. Michelle, Was it easy or hard to write a resignation letter? I am sure it is a great relief to have it out of the way but hard to say goodbye in a letter form after so many years. TracyK, Macy is such a cutie and she must have had a great time at gradualtion. I really want to come to the 'Bama trip . . . count me in for next year wherever it ends up being. :0)

I think even Mommie Dearest could look like the perfect mum if she filmed herself and her family, lol. How realistic could it ever be with Octomom rolling the film??? It sounds like it will be boring and cutesy and a total waste of time.

Your both right . . . :0) My emotions are just a little out of sorts right now. I went home for lunch with my dh and starting crying because I didn't know what I really wanted to eat, lol. I didn't even have a good reason, nothing was wrong, but I had felt it coming on for a couple of days. I think it is just stress from working full time and being in graduate school while in my 39th week. I need a bit of a breather, lol. Isn't it the baby who is supposed to be crying, not me. Laura, did you get emotional over nothing at the end?

Hello Darby, Congrats on the pregnancy . . . you don't really have that much more to go. :0) I had an OB visit yesterday where they talked about inducing me the time before. Turns out that with the fetal heart monitoring and the ultrasound, the baby scored a 10 out of 10 so no need for being induced unless I really wanted it. She is still small, but as healthy as can be and I really didn't want to be induced, or did I? Actually it is really strange that I have such mixed emotions. Of course I wanted everything to be perfect and for it to be unnecessary to be induced and to have control over it. So why did I feel sad about it afterwards . . . maybe I just was excited to finally see her or to be done toting around a huge whopping belly again after working so hard to get rid of it before, lol. Oh well . . . I guess she will come when she comes and not a moment before. So now everyday I wake up and think . . . is today the day??? I have a feeling this maybe one of the longest weeks of my life, lol.

Hello Vi's, I had an OB visit yesterday where they talked about inducing me the time before. Turns out that with the fetal heart monitoring and the ultrasound, the baby scored a 10 out of 10 so no need for being induced unless I really wanted it. I didn't want to be induced. I have a presentation on micro-lending in Bangladesh and how women's rights were impacted using catholic social theory. Who would want to miss that, right??? Actually it is really strange that I have such mixed emotions. Of course I wanted everything to be perfect and for it to be unnecessary to be induced and to have control over it. So why did I feel sad about it afterwards . . . maybe I just was excited to finally see her or to be done toting around a huge whopping belly again after working so hard to get rid of it before, lol. Oh well . . . I guess she will come when she comes and not a moment before. My husband cooked dinner last night on the grill. It was a casserole kind of dish with potatoes, eggplants, chicken legs, fresh garlic, jalepenos and bell peppers, with tomato and pepper paste mixed in chicken broth. He went through all this effort to make me a special dinner and I wasn't even hungry . . . then I took a bite, lol. It was absolutely wonderful and I went from 0 hunger to eating two helpings lol. It was hot & spicy but burned just right and was pretty healthy if you go light on the potatoes. I also worked yesterday, spent 2.5 hours at the OB clinic, spent about 2 hours on a paper for class, did two loads of laundry, renewed my gym membership and planted tomatoes and peppers with my DH. I can't believe I had such a productive day (my typical energy levels would maybe, just maybe, allow me to make it through 2 of these tasks, lol). So now everyday I wake up and think . . . is today the day??? I am all for the -5 pounds a month as soon as this baby pops out, lol. I really work best with goals. I have a feeling I might be able to take off at least 5 pounds for June with no effort, lol . . . but that is kinda like cheating, right? Laura, Carson doesn't look like a newborn anymore, lol. He is a baby now. It is strange how quickly it changes.

I don't think I will be watching. I am already tired of her.

Hello, I am so happy you are joining our happy group. I remember asking the doctor about Ramadan fasting when I first got banded. They said it would be very difficult to get in sufficient liquids with tight restriction if I am only drinking at night (and sleeping for most of that time). However, I was determined that I would give it my all by the time Ramadan arrived. My first Ramadan banded did not go well at all. I was at my sweet spot with good restriction for many months by that point in time and had lost most of my excess weight. I was OK for a few days but I started having problems at night. I started having really bad symptoms of acid reflux and heartburn but I think it was from the late dinners . . . sleeping, early Breakfast . . . sleeping. I was tight enough that in the mornings before Ramadan that I would usually have a shake for breakfast because it would go down and my band would loosen up during the day. However, this tightness did not really allow me to eat much of anything during Ramadan. So it wasn't long before I would eat mostly Soup at any meal and would pb it a lot of the time. Liquids started becoming a problem for me and I got progressively tighter and tighter until I had to have an emergency unfill. I also conceived a child last Ramadan (I am due in one week :frown:) and that may have contrbuted to the extreme band tightness that came out of nowhere along with other dietary upsets. So perhaps my issues occuring during this time may have been attributable to both pregnancy and fasting but I am not sure how much could be associated with either factor. I have decided for the future that I will not fast with a tight band. I think I will schedule an unfill every Ramadan to prepare for fasting and top it back off after it is finished.

* lost it *

It is not so bad. Just tell them you are on a special diet to kickstart weight loss. Considering that I was obese at the time, no one thought it was unusual that I would be on a special diet. I would also still go out with friends after but very occasionally and order soup or something very light. Once I was on solids, a salad is good in that you can pick off the protein and scoot it around your plate quite a bit. All in all, there was only a single occasion in all that time where someone said something. A friend said, "Heather, you have been eating that salad for almost an hour and it doesn't look any smaller" . . . I just said I was feeling a little under the weather and that was sufficient.

I have had to have 3 emergency unfills during this pregnancy until I was emptied completely in January. Pregnancy hormonal changes made my band so tight it was almost unbearable. It was definitely pregnancy related and it wasnt morning sickness as much as sporadic tightness. I am now at the end of pregnancy and have gained around 25 pounds (but I am sure a good percentage of that will be gone within the first month after delivery). I know you said you refuse to pay to have it loosened, but you already sound like you are miserable and if you are having trouble with liquids that is an emergency situation. There is a poster by the name of Chimboree that sadly lost her band during pregnancy so it is possible to have a major issue with the band during pregnancy (you can find her posts easily enough in the pregnancy threads). If you are carrying spit cups around, it has already gone too far and you are putting your band at risk. If you have to have emergency surgery to have it removed, that is not good for the baby either. Please, go get at least a partial unfill for both you and your babies sake.

I had a doctor's appointment last Thursday and expressed some concern in that I was not feeling as much movement. They did a biophysical profile (fetal monitoring with straps around your midsection for 20 minutes along with an ultrasound and baby measurements) on the baby and she scored a 10 out of 10. The weird thing is, I could see her kicking on the screen but I couldnt feel it. How weird is that??? The tech said she is kicking into the placenta so that might be part of the reason that movement has gone down so much. Also she is too big to move around or change positions anymore. Anyways, one thing I did find out is that she is very small. She is estimated at 5 pounds 7 ounces which could vary in either direction when she is born. That puts her in the 3rd percentile (meaning out of 100 babies she would be the 3rd from the smallest). Because of this, they now want to do ultrasounds and fetal monitoring every visit and the doctor wanted to see me a few days later rather than the usual week between visits. She said if anything looked funny at all when I go in on Monday, she will want to induce me at that point . . . so maybe a baby on Tuesday but I am not sure.

Wow I am so jealous of the pictures. Haydee, Pamela and Michelle look wonderful (and are drinking things that look mighty tasty I might add). Laura, that was great news with the formula being covered by insurance. I never even would have thought to ask. If you can't take that case of other formula back, I think you might be able to sell it (although I remember Craig's list or whatever you were using gave you a lot of angst with weird people). As far as donations for those in need, I think they are covered under programs that provide all formula for free if they use the program. My sisters husband got laid off and she now receives all of her formula for free. I think the people that need it the most are those that make a limited income and are living paycheck to paycheck. I had a doctor's appointment last Thursday and expressed some concern in that I was not feeling as much movement. They did a biophysical profile on the baby and she scored a 10 out of 10. The weird thing is, I could see her kicking on the screen but I couldnt feel it. How weird is that??? The tech said she is kicking into the placenta so that might be part of the reason that movement has gone down so much. Also she is too big to move around or change positions anymore. Anyways, one thing I did find out is that she is very small. She is estimated at 5 pounds 7 ounces which could vary in either direction when she is born. That puts her in the 3rd percentile (meaning out of 100 babies she would be the 3rd from the smallest). Because of this, they now want to do ultrasounds and fetal monitoring every visit and the doctor wanted to see me a few days later rather than the usual week between visits. She said if anything looked funny at all when I go in on Monday, she will want to induce me at that point . . . so maybe a baby on Tuesday but I am not sure.

It was taken in Niagara Falls, Canada in the Ripley's Believe It or Not Museum. It is supposed to be a chair made specially for the tallest man in the world. Although . . . to be perfectly honest, I would have much rather have been exploring Thailand :0). You are lucky to have had that opportunity.

OK, I never usually post links because everyone likes different things . . . but perhaps this one is worth it if you haven't heard it before. This song just strikes an emotional chord with me (or maybe everything does when you are preggers, lol). YouTube - Johnny Cash - 'Hurt"

Actually I really loved the Ring of Fire performance. It is not often that a really great song is redone in a way that is as interesting or better than the original. I felt that same way about Johnny Cash's version of Hurt which I think was done by Nine Inch Nails originally. I loved the remake and it was better than the original to me. There was such feeling in it and I was really impressed. I hope Carson's coming around and will feel much better very soon. I am also jealous . . . I could really go for a girls weekend as well.