So before I get to the usual update stuff, I feel like I need to mention this. Just in case it could be helpful to someone. I had my doctor appointment this week for my Glucola test. So I drink the juice, I'm waiting for the hour to be up so they can draw my blood and, in the meantime, I see my doctor for the usual part of the appointment where she checks baby's heartbeat and all that jazz. So she's checking the heartbeat and it's, very noticeably, off. Like it's skipping a beat. My heart drops, as I'm watching her reaction, Jose's reaction, to see if they notice it too. Then she says the baby's heartbeat is irregular, which just confirms what I was hoping I just wasn't hearing right or something. So they hook me up to the NST machine and aren't really able to get a reliable read on the heartbeat. Fortunately, they were able to get me in for an ultrasound right away because, at this point, I'm a freaking wreck, thinking the absolute worst. The ultrasound tech was immediately able to rule out hydrops fetalis which was the doctor's main concern. My understanding is that hydrops fetalis basically means the baby's heart is failing, so we were glad they were able to rule that out so quickly. So she's looking over the baby's heart and says that everything looks fine structure-wise and that the only thing that's off is the heartbeat. So the doctor comes in and says they want to refer me to another local hospital that would be able to do a more advanced ultrasound of the heart in particular. Seriously by the grace of God, they were able to get me in later that afternoon. (She said sometimes it can take a couple weeks to get in.) If I would've had to wait a couple weeks, you guys, I would've gone completely insane. So of course, between my appointments, I'm Googling everything I can find about what this could mean. Side note: When Holden was in the hospital for his surgeries, anything I would Google would absolutely devastate me. I should've learned my lesson, I guess, but in this case it actually calmed me down a bit. There were quite a few threads I found where people had this same thing happen and it basically was an issue that corrected itself before the baby was even born. So that gave me hope. But a few people mentioned that it could be related to caffeine intake. Now I've been able to give up coffee, no problem, minus a little decaf here and there. But one thing I've always craved pretty heavily when I've been pregnant is pop. (Which is funny, because I don't really have a hard time with pop when I'm not pregnant.) And, at the risk of anyone reading this totally calling me out for being a terrible person, I've definitely indulged myself here and there. Not like, crazy amounts, but just definitely more than I normally would. I've tried to stick with mostly caffeine-free root beer but, to be honest, I guess I didn't realize the whole caffeine thing was so serious of an issue. Unfortunately, I also read that lotions with cocoa butter that have even the smallest trace of caffeine in them can effect this as well. If you've been keeping up on my posts, you know I've used cocoa butter lotion and oil for all three kids so far. You guys, I've sworn by this stuff to avoid stretch marks. I get that it has cocoa in it but, since it's advertised as great for stretch marks, I guess I assumed it would have to be safe for pregnant women. Not that it's not safe, and I think if this was the only form of caffeine I was exposed to, it would be fine. But I think in any cases where it's been an issue, it probably was combined with another form of caffeine. Needless to say, I won't be using it anymore while pregnant. So anyways, we go into our appointment and the ultrasound tech is looking everything over and, after a few minutes, mentions that the heart looks good and asks me about my caffeine consumption. I've seriously never felt so horrible, but was totally honest with her that I didn't think I'd gone crazy with it, but that I definitely didn't totally avoid it either. She didn't say that that was definitely the cause, but she said it could be and that's what makes sense to me right now, I guess. She pretty much reiterated what I'd read online, that it appears to be an irregular heartbeat that will likely correct itself, but that avoiding caffeine from here on out would be a good idea. The doctor came in, basically said the same thing, and told me they didn't see any reason why they'd need to follow up with me there and that I was good to go. I felt so relieved and so freaking awful at the same time. I'm still super hesitant to click "Publish" on this post, but if anyone can learn from it, I'll feel at least a little better. Anyways, on to the usual stuff...
How far along? 29 weeks
Maternity clothes: Comfies, maternity pants, jeans & tanks
Stretch marks? None. While I won't be using the cocoa butter lotion or oil for the remainder of my pregnancy, I've reverted back to the body lotion I typically use every day, which is Keri lotion. Honestly, I've used this stuff forever and love it so much. The only reason I ever switched to the other lotion and oil was to avoid stretch marks. Hopefully this stuff will do the same. It's amazing for dry skin and you only need to put it on once a day. Side note: I'm totally not dissing the stuff I was using for stretch marks. I don't even know for sure that it had anything to do with the issue we had the other day. I just won't be using it to be on the safe side and wanted to let people know, since I was such a big advocate for it. That is all!
Sleep: Still good, for the most part
Best moment this week: Finding out on Tuesday that, what could've been a huge issue with the baby, was really something pretty minor definitely takes the cake. Aside from that, Holden had a great appointment at the beginning of the week, which I'll do an update on soon, and Jose's been making some crazy headway with some projects around the house that I'll be sharing as well. Oh, also, I passed my Glucola test! Woohoo!
Miss anything? Not anymore. I've been feeling pretty good these past few weeks, so just glad for that!
Movement: Lots from this little guy! Even in my ultrasounds on Tuesday, they couldn't believe how active he was!
Food cravings? Only things I can't eat, even if they were things I didn't really eat before (hot dogs, lunch meat sandwiches, sushi...)
Anything make you queasy or sick? Nope!
Gender prediction: BOY!
Labor signs: I've had a tiny bit of cramping, maybe Braxton-Hicks related?
Symptoms: (Read above)
Belly button in or out? Mostly outtie!
Wedding rings on or off? On
Mood most of the time: Pretty happy lately, for the most part!
Looking forward to: Christmas -> Baby -> Disney
Total weight gain: ~29 lbs.
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