Early Hospital "Tour"

We have our hospital tour set up for mid-May, but I didn't realize I'd be making a visit sooner than that.

On Thursday night, I got home and did what I normally do...made dinner with J, did a few loads of laundry, watched tv, but around 8:30pm, my heart starting racing. Not even sure racing is a good word to describe it, as it felt as though my heart was going to jump out of my chest and in fact, if you looked at my chest, you could see it pounding through my shirt. I figured it would slow down, so I sat down to relax. It was about 10:00pm and my hands started to tingle and that's when I really started to worry. I wasn't out of breath and my chest didn't hurt, but I knew this was bad. I went and got J and told him that something was very wrong and we needed to go in. He put his hand on my chest and immediately got dressed and got the car ready; he also knew this was not normal. While I got my shoes on and grabbed my purse, I almost passed out. We were very close to calling the ambulance but knew that since we lived so close to MG Hospital, we'd probably get there faster than waiting for the ambulance to arrive.

So Jason had his test-run drive to the hospital and he did great. He stayed calm (other than driving 75 mph the whole way) and tried to keep me calm. By this point I was bawling and so very concerned about Baby B. If my heart was beating this hard, what was this doing to him/her?!

We got to the Emergency Room in record time and they immediately wheeled us up to the Labor & Delivery floor. Again, I was NOT ready for a tour of this floor; I'm only 26 weeks!! They got me into an examination room and hooked me up to a baby monitor so we could watch the baby's heartbeat for any irregularity. As the nurse was hooking it up, it took her a few minutes to find the heartbeat. I was hysterically bawling and SO scared. Thankfully she found the heartbeat and the relief we felt was indescribable. Baby B was just fine, his/her heart rate was totally normal. Now it was time to worry about Mom.

I was wheeled back to the Emergency Room and quickly put on heart monitors where it was easy to see there was something very wrong. A normal heart rate is between 60-100 (dependant on age, gender, etc) and mine was erratically jumping from 120 to high 150's. To track the heart rhythm and further diagnose and treat, they did an EKG, which made them believe I had Atrial Fibrillation. Although this isn't unheard of, I posed a problem to the staff. I had a baby in my belly so there were two lives to worry about. They couldn't do the regular treatments and needed to consult with a cardiologist and OB before doing anything.

The ER Dr. was continually on the phone with the on-call cardiologist and OB to discuss what our next steps would be as he couldn't just let this continue on. My heart was working much too hard and allowing it to happen too long could cause long-term damage.

Their first attempt at trying to get my heart into rhythm was by putting a drug into my IV that would stop my heart and re-start it. Yes, STOP MY HEART. I continually questioned the Dr. to ensure my baby would be safe. I had to be hooked up to defibrillator pads as a precaution in case my heart wouldn't re-start and the room was now full of staff to be there in case of an emergency. At this point I lost it. I don't think I've ever been so afraid in my life. Seeing my husband at my feet, rubbing them to console me, a room full of hospital staff staring at me and defibrillator pads on my chest....was this really happening?! I calmed myself down as I knew I had to do this, and knew I needed to be calm to do it. After a few deep breaths (and prayers), it was go-time. Perhaps it was a good thing I didn't have a lot of time to really think about what was going to happen.
The drug hit my veins and the feeling was horrible. I felt my whole body go limp, like I was falling. I guess passing out is the closest feeling and as soon as it hit me, I could feel the blood flowing in my veins again and unfortunately, my heart racing again. It didn't work. We attempted this one more time (and I was much less scared), but again, it didn't work. I immediately requested to hear Baby B again, and was calmed hearing the consistent, healthy heartbeat. Baby B was a fighter indeed.

The next step was to shock my heart back into rhythm, but with Baby B on board, this wasn't an option right now. So we decided to get me on an IV drip with a medicine that would gradually slow my heart so it could get itself back into rhythm. I was going to be admitted to ICU and monitored all night and finally at 2am, we had a room and were exhausted. But how do you sleep when you feel like your heart is going to jump out of your chest and your blood pressure is being checked automatically every 15 minutes?!
There were Dr's and nurses checking on me continually throughout the night, though I think I got about 2 hours of sleep, as did Jason on the little couch in our room.

The morning started early and I was able to hear Baby B again then had an echo cardiogram (ultrasound of the heart). Of course the tech couldn't tell me anything and just like a regular ultrasound, I couldn't really figure what I was looking at and if it was normal. So now we just had to wait for the cardiologist and OB to make their rounds.

Finally the cardiologist came around 1:30pm. Time for some answers. She assured me that everything we were doing was okay for the baby but we needed to make some big decisions. The echo gram showed that my heart was still functioning as it should, again re-assuring me that Baby was getting all the blood flow it needed. Thank Goodness! I won't go into detail on what Atrial Fibrillation is, or how the heart works with it, but to sum it up, this wasn't anything abnormal and my life wasn't at risk, but we needed to treat me without harming Baby B. We had a few options:
1 - continue current medication to slow the heart so it could convert back into rhythm and meet with cardiologist on Monday. If I wasn't back into rhythm by Monday, she would do a scope (down my throat) to confirm there were no clots, and then knock me out and shock the heart back into rhythm
2 - do the scope and shock that afternoon

We choose Option 1. We knew it was less risky and were fine taking it slow. They boosted my Potassium and Magnesium levels (which were low and this could help my heart convert) and then bumped up the meds a bit. So now it was time to sit and wait.

Around 3:30pm, our Pastor stopped in to say hello and say a prayer with us. My Mother had obviously already done her chain of calls :)  It was a nice visit and made us both feel good. Amazing how the presence of a Pastor can calm you. After he left I got up to use the restroom and stretch my legs and when I sat back down on the bed, Jason said "Whoa, look at your heart monitor!" I surely owe the Pastor and God MUCH gratitude as our prayers were answered.
My heart rate was under 100...and not going anywhere. Could this be happening?! Did my heart convert back?! I told him to sit down and not look at the monitor for a bit, I didn't want to jinx it! But sure enough, it was back to normal!!!

Just then, the OB came in to meet with us and we eagerly told the ICU nurse the OB the good news! But first we needed to talk to the OB about all that went on and get reassurance that Baby B was going to be okay. She had gone through my charts and approved everything the ER Dr and cardiologist had done and said the risk of anything happening to Baby B was very small. Again, great news!!

So here we are, 20 hours later with a normal heart rate and a safe baby in my belly. SIGH...we can now breath and relax...and go HOME!

I'm now on medication to control my heart rate and will still meet with the cardiologist on Monday as a follow-up. We're not sure how long I'll be on the medication and have alot of questions on how to prevent this from happening again (if possible), etc. But for now, I'm just happy to be home and that it's all over. J was such a trooper and never left my side. I could see the worry in his face while this was all happening, but he kept his calm and comforted me. I couldn't have done this without him and love him more and more every day.

Here is more information on Atrial Fibrillation.  They aren't sure why it happened or if it'll happen again. It could have been triggered by the pregnancy since my heart is pumping 2-3 times more blood than normal and I could've had an episode in the past and not known it since my heart put itself back into rhythm without medical intervention. We also don't know if this was a fluke or it will happen again. All I know is I will continue on with my life as I did before and am thankful it wasn't any worse!

Fakin' It

So the swelling continues....
I was getting used to my new sausage feet and starting to come to terms with the idea of having cankles this summer, but now it's worked it's way up to my hands. Why does it target all the extremities?!

With that said, the wedding ring has been officially retired until post-baby. After having a panic attack and almost ripping my finger off trying to take off my ring, I decided it was time to give in and put it away in safe keeping for a few months. I didn't want to risk having it stuck and getting it cut off.

After wearing a ring 24 hours a day, 365 days a week for 4 years, it's a very naked feeling not having it on, and many times I caught myself thinking "Oh My Gawd! Where is my ring?!"...then to remind myself that it's safe at home, whew. (gotta love pregnant brain)
I also felt awkward without a ring on. Wondering if people were judging me with an obvious baby belly and no wedding ring. Not that I should care, but turns out I do. So time to fake it.

It's not even close to my real ring (and a bit bigger..hehe), but will do for the time being.
In the meantime I'll get my real one re-plated and polished and look forward to our reunion!

Poopy Prepared

I'm a planner and like to be prepared. This may get a bit worse with  Baby Barrett on the way :)

I started the diaper stockpile when I was about 12 weeks along. When I asked around to my mom friends on how many to buy in what sizes and what brands, a few of them thought I was crazy to start buying diapers so soon, but others knew exactly what my plan was and had either done it, or wished they had.

Every time I had a coupon and was doing a Target run, I'd buy a pack or box of diapers. I've guessed along the way of what sizes and how many of each we'll need, of course knowing J will be making diaper runs when needed. And knowing you go through about 10 a day in the beginning, it was nice to spread out the cost a bit.

Here's the stockpile so far!
Newborn: 72
Size 1: 430
Size 2: 538
Size 3: 246
Size 4: 60

I hear you can't really prepare for what's to come, but I'm surely going to try!


 

"Good Morning!"

This morning I had the best wake up call. Usually I'd say something like "so and so kitty came up and snuggled me", but not today! This morning Baby Barrett had the hiccups!!

I've been waiting for this moment for awhile and knew it was coming, but wasn't sure how I'd be able to tell if it was hiccups or just some daily aerobics going on in there.

I first thought maybe it was a heartbeat I was feeling, but knew that wouldn't be it since I haven't felt it before (and not sure you can feel the baby's heartbeat?), plus Baby B was also being active while this consistent thumping was going on. I knew it was the hiccups. I layed there at 5:30am, with my hand on my belly, and the biggest grin on my face. It was a great moment for me...and I was a bit selfish since I didn't wake up J to tell him. Even more selfish since he still hasn't felt Baby B move; every time he tries, the baby stops! I wanted this moment for me, knowing it will happen again and I can share the excitement next time :)

Funny how I hate getting the hiccups, but feeling them is the BEST!

Lost Sole

I love shoes. Always have. I may not have a collection of Jimmy Choo's or Stuart Weitzman's but I like the shoe collection that I do have, especially the heels. I'm always in heels and usually feel more comfortable in them than I do in flats. Though his past year I have expanded my shoe collection to include flats, as they are more convenient when traveling and are much cuter than they've been in the past. Little did I know those would surely come in handy.

One of my pregnancy fears was my feet. We've all heard the horror stories of swollen ankles and feet that can only fit in flip-flops and slippers and those really unlucky ones that end up with feet a shoe size (or more!) bigger than they were pre-pregnancy. No way that would be me I thought. Wrong. Here I am, barefoot and pregnant. Literally.

I feel like a Lost Sole with a closet full of cute shoes (and heels!) that my chubby feet just won't fit into. And even when I've forced the shoes on and worn them, I've surely regretted it soon thereafter. (thankfully I was always smart and put a pair of flats in my bag)
I haven't determined if my feet have actually grown or if they are just swollen, but to make it easier on myself, I've started putting my cute heels in bins with my pre-pregnancy clothes. Out of sight, out of mind....right? And good thing flip-flop and sandal season is just about here; I have a great excuse to beef up that collection this summer.

I hope for a joyful reunion in about 6 months when I unpack those bins and slip on those heels and prance around the room. And if not, then I'll do some sole searching and start a brand-new collection. And hey, maybe it'll be better than before!

Baby Capital USA

Two weeks ago, I was in Salt Lake City for a Digital Marketing Summit; my first time visiting this beautiful city nestled between two mountain ranges. The only thing I knew about Salt Lake City was that it was the home of the Mormon church, which I only know a fair bit about. Let's just say I watched Big Love but I'm smart enough to know that it's not a fair view of the religion.

After two very full days of conferences, I had some downtime on Friday before my flight home to bum around the city and check things out. I was traveling with my work buddy (who also happens to be pregnant!) so it was even better to have someone else to explore a city with...and fully understand the need for hourly potty breaks! We checked out the Mormon Tabernacle and discovered they have the largest and free library for genealogy. If only I had the time to work on my ancestry, but it was still fun to go as far back as my great grandparents. With a whole afternoon left, we decided to check out the new shopping area that opened up downtown. A perfect way to spend the rest of our time in the city. Not only did we have our first Chick-Fil-A (which was delicious!), we also discovered that Salt Lake City is truly Baby Capital USA.

After seeing handfuls of young, fit mothers pushing a stroller with an infant, having two toddlers in tow, all while being pregnant, we decided we needed to keep track of how many we'd actually see. Let's just say we used up all our hands and lost count. One thing I know was proved, Salt Lake City is ALL about babies! And no lie, these mothers are young and fit...a tad jealous. It was almost humorous after seeing them all. At first I thought it was only because we were pregnant and we noticed them more, but after seeing SO many of them, we realized that wasn't it at all. So what do two internet marketing people do? Yep, Google it.

Turns out the median family size in the US is 2.6, while the median in Salt Lake City is 3.24. So it's proven, Baby Capital USA. Could it be because alot of Mormons live there and they typically have bigger families? Could be. Or could be they just are happy people and enjoy their families. Either way, it was a fun place to be...especially pregnant.