It was good to see TJ and Steph, especially since they brought a cool stuffed monkey for the baby. Here is a picture of the four of us. If you look closely, you will notice a rare sight... Jess standing up.
Christine Joy Kilps
1 week ago
31 July 2006
Visitors from NYC
My old college roommate, TJ, and his wife Stephanie were kind enough to stop by and visit us a couple Saturdays ago... only to be greeted by my improving, but still questionable stick-shift skills. With Jess on bed rest, it's all me, all the time, so they had no choice. But apart from stalling and almost drifting down a small hill into the car behind us, all was well.
It was good to see TJ and Steph, especially since they brought a cool stuffed monkey for the baby. Here is a picture of the four of us. If you look closely, you will notice a rare sight... Jess standing up.
It was good to see TJ and Steph, especially since they brought a cool stuffed monkey for the baby. Here is a picture of the four of us. If you look closely, you will notice a rare sight... Jess standing up.
Role Reversal
In a bizarre twist of events, Jess now lounges around the house all day, while Paul runs errands and does the laundry. That's right, Jess is now on bed rest.
This past Wednesday, Jess had a febofibofebrin (make that fetalfibronectin) test at the doctor's office... and she passed! That means a 15% chance of delivering the baby in the next two weeks. It also means the baby wants to come out early. So Jess is on some medication to slow contractions, she went in for two different steroid shots (she is really muscular now, but doesn't have a low voice, thank goodness), and is forced to lie on the couch all day, reading, watching tv, and having snacks brought to her on demand. While some of us have been dreaming of that type of life since kindergarten, for some reason Jess is feeling lazy and bored. So feel free to send her emails or letters or to give her a call. pauljessbratsch@hotmail.com She may be able to work you into her schedule.
This past Wednesday, Jess had a febofibofebrin (make that fetalfibronectin) test at the doctor's office... and she passed! That means a 15% chance of delivering the baby in the next two weeks. It also means the baby wants to come out early. So Jess is on some medication to slow contractions, she went in for two different steroid shots (she is really muscular now, but doesn't have a low voice, thank goodness), and is forced to lie on the couch all day, reading, watching tv, and having snacks brought to her on demand. While some of us have been dreaming of that type of life since kindergarten, for some reason Jess is feeling lazy and bored. So feel free to send her emails or letters or to give her a call. pauljessbratsch@hotmail.com She may be able to work you into her schedule.
23 July 2006
An Eventful Week
Well, it has turned out to be an exciting week for us. Last Saturday Paul and I went to our childbirth class. It was wonderful. Paul really learned a lot about what to expect and especially about what his responsiblities will be. I learned a lot as well and was very relieved to hear the views of the hospital regarding certain proceedures, it seems they are very open to natural childbirth and encourage women to go as long as they can without intervention. I really liked hearing that since I would like the labor and delivery to be as natural as possible.
The rest of the week was a very normal week. I had a doctor's appointment on Tuesday. Everything seems to be going smoothly. That is always reassuring to hear.
On Saturday I started having quite a few contractions, they didn't hurt so I just passed them off as Braxton Hicks contractions. Then my back started to get sore and I was feeling some pressure, it felt like the baby was lower and heavier. The contractions continued but I still didn't think anything was really wrong, the baby was moving around a lot and I thought maybe I just needed to rest. We went about the rest of our day. Then around 9:00 I realized that the contractions were still happening a lot so I thought maybe a walk would help, since that can help Braxton Hicks contractions go away (or if it's real labor it will help it progress). Nothing changed on the walk. When we got back home Paul and I decided to time the contractions, for practice and just to see how often they really were happening. So we started and timed for about 40 minutes. We looked at our list and realized that the contractions were happening about every 3-4 minutes and lasting about 30 seconds to 1 minute each. But I still wasn't too concerned since they didn't hurt.
At this point, Paul suggested that we call the doctor's emergency line, just to see what she thought. So I called and explained what was going on. After hearing about it she said she was concerned since they were so consistent and said she wanted us to go into labor and delivery to get checked out. So at about 10:30 we arrived at the hospital. The nurse hooked me up the the electronic fetal monitor to see where the contractions were at and how the baby was doing. The baby's heart rate was fine but we noticed I was still having a lot of contractions (4 in and hour is call for concern, I was having about 15). The nurse gave me a shot of terbutaline and monitored me for another 1 1/2 hours. The funniest part was, it was obvious the baby didn't like the monitors on my belly because s/he kept kicking and literally pushing on them the entire time they were there and continued for about an hour after they were taken off. I never felt movement in any other area the entire time, so needless to say we have a very smart baby! The contractions went away so at 1:00 in the morning we were sent home with some terbutaline pills and an order to call the doctor in the morning if the contractions started up again.
So, this morning I woke up around 7:00 and noticed I was having a contraction. I stayed in bed for about 1/2 hour just to keep track. They had started up again, about 1 every 4 minutes. I decided to take a shower and drink some water to see if that would relax me and slow the contractions. But it didn't. So at 8:00 I took a pill and called the doctor. She said she wanted me to call her back in about an hour to let her know if anything had changed. So Paul and I went to church and I kept keeping track of the contractions. At about 8:30 they started to slow down to 1 every 10 to 15 minutes, I thought this was a really good sign. I called the doctor back at 9:00 and told her. She was still concerned that this was too many so asked us to meet her at the hospital. Just as we pulled up (30 minutes later), I realized that I had not had a contraction in the past 1/2 hour. So I called her back to let her know and she said to go home and rest and call again if they went back up to 4 in and hour. So now I have been resting at home taking terbutaline every 4 hours, which makes me so shakey, but the contractions have slowly come to a stop.
The rest of the week was a very normal week. I had a doctor's appointment on Tuesday. Everything seems to be going smoothly. That is always reassuring to hear.
On Saturday I started having quite a few contractions, they didn't hurt so I just passed them off as Braxton Hicks contractions. Then my back started to get sore and I was feeling some pressure, it felt like the baby was lower and heavier. The contractions continued but I still didn't think anything was really wrong, the baby was moving around a lot and I thought maybe I just needed to rest. We went about the rest of our day. Then around 9:00 I realized that the contractions were still happening a lot so I thought maybe a walk would help, since that can help Braxton Hicks contractions go away (or if it's real labor it will help it progress). Nothing changed on the walk. When we got back home Paul and I decided to time the contractions, for practice and just to see how often they really were happening. So we started and timed for about 40 minutes. We looked at our list and realized that the contractions were happening about every 3-4 minutes and lasting about 30 seconds to 1 minute each. But I still wasn't too concerned since they didn't hurt.
At this point, Paul suggested that we call the doctor's emergency line, just to see what she thought. So I called and explained what was going on. After hearing about it she said she was concerned since they were so consistent and said she wanted us to go into labor and delivery to get checked out. So at about 10:30 we arrived at the hospital. The nurse hooked me up the the electronic fetal monitor to see where the contractions were at and how the baby was doing. The baby's heart rate was fine but we noticed I was still having a lot of contractions (4 in and hour is call for concern, I was having about 15). The nurse gave me a shot of terbutaline and monitored me for another 1 1/2 hours. The funniest part was, it was obvious the baby didn't like the monitors on my belly because s/he kept kicking and literally pushing on them the entire time they were there and continued for about an hour after they were taken off. I never felt movement in any other area the entire time, so needless to say we have a very smart baby! The contractions went away so at 1:00 in the morning we were sent home with some terbutaline pills and an order to call the doctor in the morning if the contractions started up again.
So, this morning I woke up around 7:00 and noticed I was having a contraction. I stayed in bed for about 1/2 hour just to keep track. They had started up again, about 1 every 4 minutes. I decided to take a shower and drink some water to see if that would relax me and slow the contractions. But it didn't. So at 8:00 I took a pill and called the doctor. She said she wanted me to call her back in about an hour to let her know if anything had changed. So Paul and I went to church and I kept keeping track of the contractions. At about 8:30 they started to slow down to 1 every 10 to 15 minutes, I thought this was a really good sign. I called the doctor back at 9:00 and told her. She was still concerned that this was too many so asked us to meet her at the hospital. Just as we pulled up (30 minutes later), I realized that I had not had a contraction in the past 1/2 hour. So I called her back to let her know and she said to go home and rest and call again if they went back up to 4 in and hour. So now I have been resting at home taking terbutaline every 4 hours, which makes me so shakey, but the contractions have slowly come to a stop.
15 July 2006
It's not the humidity, it's the unbearable heat!
In honor of today's 100+ degree heat...
It's THE BLIZZARD!3 speeds!
Breeze mode mimics random gusts of wind!
Timer can be set for up to 7.5 hours!
Oscillating grill to direct the air flow!
Directions in French!
08 July 2006
Twenty Nine Weeks
We are getting closer to our baby's arrival all the time. Only 11 more weeks until the due date! I am now 29 weeks pregnant and starting to feel big, although I know the baby and I still have a lot of growing to do. This week the baby is about 2 3/4 lbs and 16 3/4 inches long (head to toe).
I think in the last week or so my belly popped! A lot of people have been commenting that I am looking a lot bigger this week than last week.
In the background of these pictures you can see some of the wonderful gifts our families have blessed us with. Our nursery is coming together, all we need is the baby! I love going in there and just imagining what it will be like. It is such a relaxing room (although this may not be for long).
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