Septate Uterus: 31 weeks- Welcome Patrick Andrew!

Septate Uterus/Every Pregnancy Ever: The waiting game begins

I am nearly 31 weeks pregnant, much earlier than anyone would want to have a baby, but I can't help feeling like the waiting game has begun. I had Jr. at 36 weeks and the nurse practioner has pointed out more than once that there is a chance that I will have this baby earlier. Obviously, I'm not wishing for this baby to come any earlier than 36 weeks, and full term would be a welcome miracle, but pregnancy hormones (or the mothering mind) won't let me not think about all of the possibilities.

Septate Uterus: Prenatal Appointment, 21 weeks

If I haven't already mentioned this, having a septate uterus (especially a suspected vascular septate uterus) means that there's a good chance that not a lot happens until near the end of the pregnancy. At the beginning there's some excitement about what side the baby is on and if it's your first pregnancy going over all the ins and outs of what could happen, what the game plan is, and what preterm labor will feel like. The nearer you get to your due date more things could possibly occur. They may detect some growth restriction, your child could be in a compromising position, like Jr., or you can have premature rupture of the membranes and/or preterm labor. In between there's a good chance that nothing much is happening, which is the lovely phase I currently find myself in.

Raspberry Coffee Cake

Because raspberries.

If you're friends with me on Facebook, you would have seen pictures of the raspberry Danish braid I made on Sunday and may be wondering why more raspberries? Well, simply put, Kroger had them on sale: $0.99 for a 6 oz package! The best part (besides the price)? They actually looked good, which is not always the case at Kroger when it comes to any produce, especially if it's on super sale. Maybe they've been listening to all the critical feedback I've been giving on those surveys they print on the receipts.

Septate Uterus: Prenatal Appointment, Week 19

For a normal person this Wednesday would mark the half way point in a pregnancy, for me I'm past that but there's no knowing how far past. But no matter what, the reality of it all really starts to set in around the halfway mark. During a fitful night of sleep last night (for Jr. and therefore me too), I began to worry about what we were going to do with Jr. during the day while I'm in the hospital. My husband can't skip all of his classes and work just because I had a baby. After all, he'll need to miss at least two days of classes/work in the spring for Holy Week. But I know that everything will work out, but it's all part of the pregnancy crazies.

Septate Uterus: Prenatal Appointment, 17 weeks

Everything remains at status quo, though my appointment at the end of this week may be interesting since I may have overdone it while dancing at my brother's wedding. Oh well, live and let live. :)

Septate Uterus: Prenatal Appointment, 14 weeks

Well, as expected nothing much happened at this appointment. Most of it was spent waiting and the biggest chunk of remaining time was spent in ultrasound.

Septate Uterus: First Prenatal Appointment, 10 weeks

I had switched OBGYNs a couple weeks after I found out I was pregnant. In our area we have two hospitals, one has a NICU, the other does not. My original OBGYN only delivered at the hospital without the NICU and I really didn't want to deal with transferring the baby and myself should the baby need to be in the NICU. So naturally I switched to the OBGYN team that is directly affiliated with the hospital that has a NICU. I was even able to get set up with their high risk OB team right away instead of doing my initial visit with a regular OB.

Septate Uterus: A Brief History/Anatomy Lesson

My Müllerian anomaly journey began during my first pregnancy. At my first appointment I managed to talk my OB into doing an ultrasound (I was 8 weeks pregnant and they normally didn't do them until 12 weeks). During the ultrasound the technician asked if anyone had ever mentioned anything about a bicornuate uterus to me before. Since I had never had an ultrasound the obvious answer was no. She and my OB explained to me the basics I needed to know about bicornuate uteruses. They're shaped funny, can sometimes contribute to fertility issues, and are often unwilling to stretch for the baby, which can lead to preterm labor. I was briefed on the signs of preterm labor and told to call if any of those signs occurred.

A New Series

I've decided to start a running series of posts all relating to my septate uterus. Sounds awesome, right? I'll give you some more information and hopefully you'll then see it as an awesome idea.

Links to Recipes and Birth Plan fixed

Just a quick update: I recently realized that no one could open the links to the recipes and birth plan. I didn't realize that they were set on private. They should all be working properly now.

My Experience with Breastfeeding a Preemie

I definitely will not claim to be an expert on the topic, and really neither should anyone else, because every child is different, but I had been meaning to write something on the topic when my sister, who's pregnant with twins, requested a post about breastfeeding little babies.

Preparing for Birth: Creating a Birth Plan

Preparing for the birth of your child is a big process, especially if this is your first time. There is a lot you can do to prepare physically and mentally, from getting the nursery ready to kegel exercises to deciding how you want your child to be born.

Preparing for Birth: A Lesson in Flexibility

The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry.

I heard this more than once from my OBGYN during my delivery and recovery, and Robert Burns could not have said more true words. 

Baby Food: Sweet Potatoes

I decided early on in my pregnancy that I wanted to make Jr.'s baby food, more for cost savings than anything else. I can buy a 5 lb bag of sweet potatoes at Sam's club for just under $4. I found a price online where a grocery store was selling a 4 oz. jar for $1. My last batch of sweet potatoes yielded 74 ounces. That's about $0.05 per ounce. If I bought the same amount in a store it would have cost me $18.50. It's not quite like calculating the cost savings between breastfeeding and using formula, but it still adds up.

Baby Registry: Part 2

As the title says, this is part 2 of my attempt at helpful tips for creating a baby registry. You will find that part 1 is the previous post.

Again, my biggest tip is to seriously consider lifestyle, parenting style, and space. Don't register for things you won't use (car seat-stroller set when you don't have/use a car), items you don't have room for, or just because someone says you need it or that it was their saving grace.

Baby Registry: Part 1

I love planning. Planning my wedding and planning for the birth of my son were quite fulfilling and I found it to be a lot of fun. Who knows maybe event planning is my true calling.

Over the next two posts I'll go over my tips for creating your baby registry, which is a big chunk of preparing for the arrival of your little one. Of course no registry is hard and fast, but hopefully these posts will get you to think wisely about your registry and use it to the best of your advantage. (Which, in hindsight, sounds selfish, but your family and friends want to buy stuff for your baby, so you might as well ask for stuff you want.)

Shepherd's Pie

Since it's the feast day of St. Patrick, I decided to post one of our favorite ways to use ground beef: Shepherd's Pie. We're not big beef eaters and we have a few standard ways to use it, this being a personal favorite.

Traditional Shepherd's pie would be made with ground lamb or a mix of lamb and beef. From what I've gathered, it seems that using only beef would be considered Cottage Pie not Shepherd's Pie, but I see that as splitting hairs. 

An Outlet

Blogging.

I can't believe that I've already reached this point in my short time as a mother, but it has become apparent that I need an outlet. Because let's be serious- Facebook is not an outlet, but rather a time vacuum.

I need a way to use my brain. I will not pretend to be a great writer. Nor will I pretend to have a life that the world cares to read about. I'll throw around my two cents and talk about things I know about (or am learning about) hoping that it helps someone else.

I'll cover a variety of topics from baby gear reviews to recipes to DIY projects.

But at the moment... baby calls...