35 weeks!

I went for my NST today. There was someone else in the room having their NST done so Shane had to wait until she was done. I had my usual blow pop because I didn't want Kathy to use the zapping device on Nayeli. Last time she did, Nayeli wasn't cooperative and moved around for over an hour. Nayeli looked great today. She was throwing a few punches and Kathy was able to take a few pictures. She weighs 5 lbs. 1 ounce. My fluid is at 41. I told Kathy I was concerned because I had some bleeding last night. Dr. Maier was on vacation so Kathy told me she would let Dr. Mark know my concern. After further discussion with Dr. Mark I was embarrassed because it turns out the bleeding was from a hemoroid. Shane wanted me to mention the hemoroid story he thought it was funny.

Twinkie and Molly are really enjoying me being home. They sit next to me and when I take a nap they are right there. I can still pick up Molly who only weighs 9 lbs. Twinkie doesn't understand why I stopped picking him up. He puts his head next to my belly and every now and then Nayeli gives him a kick. He just lifts his head and his ears and lays down again. It's funny to watch. We tried video taping but for some reason Nayeli is camera shy.

I have my next appt. on Friday. We will keep everyone posted. I hope my fluid goes down.

UCSF

We went to UCSF today. We had an ultraound at 9am, and then a fetal echocardiogram at 11am. We ate lunch on the UCSF campus on a terrace over looking the Golden Gate Park and the Golden Gate Bridge. We enjoyed the scenery and were hoping that we would hear good news from Dr. Rand. We met with Dr. Rand around 1pm. Shane said Dr. Rand would not be there on time I said he would be there on time (Dr. Rand was right on time and this impressed Shane). He went over the ultrasound and echocardiogram with us. Dr. Rand said Nayeli is faced down and her feet are up near my chest. He said that could change. If she decided to move before the induction date they would try to move her. The echocardiogram showed Nayeli to have a stong heart. Dr. Rand said the left artery going to the heart is small which is common with LCDH and the right artery going to the heart is smaller than normal due to heart being pushed over due to LCDH. This can cause pulmonary hypertension. Dr. Rand told Nayeli's LHR is between 2.3 and 2.7. We were happy to hear this but at the same time know we have to keep in mind that the LHR doesn't matter until she is born. Dr. Rand told us that Nayeli's stomach, intestines, and a sliver of her liver are up in her chest. Dr. Rand is concerned about my higher than normal level of amniotic fluid and doesn't want me to go into pre-term labor. He plans to induce me on October 19th and told me If all goes as planned, Nayeli will be born on Monday, October 20th. I started to cry because the news was just so overwhelming and it is only three short weeks away. We asked Dr. Rand a bunch of questions and he answered them all without rushing us at all. We really like him and Shane asked him if there was any way he could deliver our daughter (knowing he has a very busy schedule). He told us to ask the attending physician to page him when the time comes and he would be more than happy to deliver our daughter if he was available.

I called my mom and told her about the induction date. She told me that she would fly up with my dad from L.A and be there days before Nayeli comes into our world! I told her she should get ready to come soon because Dr. Rand thinks Nayeli might come before the 19th!

NST Today Good News!

I went for my NST today and my fluid went down to 40. Nayeli decided to move again. This time she is the way we would like her to stay. Her head is facing down and her feet are up near my chest. I saw Nayeli taking practice breaths. I made sure Nayeli was awake for the NST by having a blow pop. Kathy didn't think it would work the entire 30 minutes, it did! My little girl showed off! I only had one contraction while I was being monitored. That made me really happy! Thank you so much for the prayers. We are going to UCSF tommorow for our all day appt. We will keep you posted.

NST

I went to have my NST today and Kathy my favorite nurse told me that my fluid is at 44. I am so worried that it has gone up from 36 to 44 in one day. While having the NST I had three contrations which is what I have been having each time I go for my NST. I am getting more worried about my fluid getting high ever since our visit with Dr. Rand at UCSF. When Kathy did the ultrasound she said Nayeli had moved from her head being on the left side to her head being close to my chest, her butt is now on my right side and her feet are towards my abdomen. I am praying that my fluid goes down.

UCSF 34 weeks!

We went to UCSF today to meet with Dr. Rand. Dr. Rand is a great Dr. and runs the UCSF CDH research program with Dr. Lee. Dr. Rand discussed our birth plan and also planned to set an induction date. After meeting with Dr. Rand and having an ultrasound, he decided to wait to get further records from Dr. Maier at Kaiser Hospital. We are scheduled to meet with Dr. Rand again this Friday and he should then set an induction date. Dr. Rand wants to do another echocardiogram and level 2 ultrasound at UCSF so he can get a better look with his own eyes. Dr. Rand expressed his concerns to us about my fluid being too high. He said at our visit it was at 36. To me that sounded ok, but Dr. Rand he said it is very high. He also educated us about the fact Nayeli could become Hidropic (Hi-drops) and told me that there is a chance I can go into Preterm labor which can be very serious with all the fluid I have. In our ultrasound Nayeli is now in a breach position. Her head is on the left side and her butt is down towards my abdomen, after being head down for over 3 weeks she decided to move. Dr. Rand said it's easy for her to move around due to the high amount of fluid. Shane and I are praying Nayeli moves back to the head down position because as most of you know, if she doesn't, a c-section will be required. Nayeli is active and Shane and I are confident she will move to the head down position when the time comes. If things go as planned, Dr. Rand plans to do the induction during the 38th week. We will keep you posted on the when the induction date will be.

Baby Shower/Tea Party!

On Sunday, September 21st. My Kiwi friends Harris and Marge had a tea party/baby shower for me. I loved it! I enjoyed having the tea party with everyone gathered around at the table having tea, food and playing games. I had a great time! I lost count on how many egg sandwiches, cucumber sandwiches and tuna sandwiches I had. I couldn't stop eating. Thank you for this special day!

33 weeks and 5 days!

I had an NST on September 15th everything looked great! My fluid was 33. I had an appt. with Dr. Maier on September 17th. Dr. Maier showed us Nayeli's lungs in the ultrasound and they looked like they were rocking back and forth and he said that is Nayeli taking practice breaths. I was so happy to hear that! Dr. Maier also told us Nayeli weighs 5 lbs. My little rose bud is growing. Dr. Maier was concerned of blood pressure being high and my ankles being swollen more than usual. I had blood tests done, they all came back normal. I had an NST today and my fluid was 38. I was concerned, Kathy my favorite nurse told me it's ok and not to worry. She always makes me feel better.

My last day of work was today. Dr. Maier decided to take me off. He wanted to take me off over a week ago but I insisted to work a little longer. I am looking forward in taking it easy and spending more time reading, singing and talking to Nayeli.

NST and Dr. Visit

On September 11th I went in for my NST. I have the same nurse each time that does the test and she is so nice and makes me feel at ease. Nayeli has been very cooperative with her heart monitoring until that appt. The nurse Kathy was having a hard time keeping up with Nayeili. She wouldn't stop moving around. It took over an hour for her to finally stay still and get a good heart monitor. Nayeli's heart looked great! After the NST I had an appt with Dr. Maier. We talked about my appt. scheduled with UCSF on Sept. 22nd. I am scheduled to meet with USCF to set an induction date. Dr. Maier did an ultrasound and he told me Nayeli's liver is partly up along with her stomach, spleen and intestines. I knew that but I ask each time I go. I have hope that maybe one of these visits he might say everything is ok. Nayeli looks like she has a raised fist of CDH defiance in the the ultrasound as though she is telling us she is tough and ready for the battle. My little baby girl is giving me a sign already that she is going to be a fighter!

Parents To Be Party!

On September 7th we had a Parents To Be Party (aka coed babyshower). My parents were visiting for the weekend from L.A. I was so happy they were here. We are so grateful to Heidi, Sonya, Alex, Mario, Pam and my parents for putting this party together for us. We had a great time! Pay close attention to the third picture down. Shane and I proudly introduce the godfather and godmother for Nayeli, Alex Hidas and Amy Harris. Thank you both for graciously accepting this resposibility!

Ultrasound Pics from week 6 to 31 1/2 weeks

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

3D/4D Ultrasound

On September 5th I went to have a 3D ultrasound. My parents drove up from L.A for the weeekend. They were excited to come see my 3D ultrasound. My friends Sonya and Harris also joined us. Shane took pictures of our our group and we were both so excited to see our baby girl Nayeli. I was a bit teary at first but the excitment took over that I was in Awwwww moment. I couldn't believe how beautiful our baby is. We were all so happy to share this special day with each other. Here are pictures of us before the 3D viewing.

First Non Stress Test (NST)

On Septemeber 5th I had my first NST. Everything was great! My amniotic fluid is down to 34 it was 35 a week ago. Nayeli's heart was monitored for 20 minutes and the Nurse said it looks very strong. They did an ultrasound and she looks great! Shane wasn't allowed to go in with me because they had two other patients being monitored. I couldn't wait to tell him the great news. I love getting great news. I am scheduled to go in for NST twice a week starting next week. We pray each day that Nayeli gets stronger to fight this CDH battle.

Los Angeles Visit

On August 29th Shane and I rented a car and drove down to LA with Molly and Twinkie. We stopped several times to stretch my legs and go to the restroom. It was a hot day and it took us almost 6 hours to get to my parents house, it usually takes us 4 1/2.

On Saturday I took naps several times naps with Twinkie, Molly and my parents dogs Sparky and Ducey. We went to Venice Beach to cool off in the afternoon on Saturday. We went to see the houses that are on the canal at Venice Beach. It was a great day!

Sunday was my brother's re vowing wedding cerermony. It was at an Italian Restaurant in West LA. The ceremony was outside on a patio. The ceremony was nice. My brother and his wife Gabby danced with my niece and nephew to special songs they picked out.

We flew back on Monday. Molly and Twinkie stayed with my parents until the following weekend when they drive up for our Parents to Be that are friends are giving us on Sunday. We are keeping busy and enjoying being pregnant each day!

Dr. Visit 31 weeks

On August 27th we went to see Dr. Maier. Dr. Maier did an ultrasound. We love having these done we get to look at our beautiful daughter!

Dr. Maier told us our daughter looks great and everything is going as planned. Nayeli is the size and weight she is supposed to be, and the Dr. said she is swallowing. The only area of concern at this point is the increased amniotic fluid in Liz's tummy. This build up of fluid is normal with CDH babies because even though they swallow, they are not at a normal level of fluid intake. This creates the amniotic fluid build up. The Dr. told us Liz's amniotic fluid level should be around 15 and it is about 35. With this increased fluid, Liz is at risk for pre-term labor. At this point, the good news is all other aspects of Liz's belly are normal and there are no signs that pre-term is a concern now!

With this good news, Dr. Maier told us it was ok to go to Los Angeles to visit family and attend Liz's brother Andre and his wife Gabby's re-vowing ceremony.