17 weeks 1 day

Today happens to be a great day for both Matt and I. Not only are we finding out the gender of the baby but today is our fourth wedding anniversary. So it is a great day for both of us. We will be posting later as to the gender of baby Wolfsfeld #2 and a full update of the PCOS and pregnancy.

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Ultrasound at 14 weeks 2 days.

Here are my ultrasound pics from my Ultrasound on July 6, 2012 with baby measuring a day ahead.

15 weeks

I'm reaching 15 weeks pregnant. In finally feeling better thankfully. I will be finding out what the baby's gender is in just a couple of weeks. I have energy to chase Ayden.
I haven't gained any weight with this pregnancy nor have I lost any. But I'm feeling great.

Now that I'm 15 weeks I will be able to keep up on the blog easier and better. Thank you for the patience that you have had.

Christina

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Just about 11 weeks

I'm almost 11 weeks pregnant and I'm very excited to get past this last milestone. This will be my last milestone which is I had lost a set of twins at 11 weeks. As soon as we get past this last milestone that I will be able to relax better the rest of the pregnancy.

On one hand the hyperemesis graviduram is somewhat under control. As long as I keep on top of my medications and fluids then I'm doing pretty good and able to take care of my son.

My favorite foods include watermelon, kiwi, strawberries and pretty much any fruit other then blueberries. I have another appointment with my OB on the 18th and I'll update again.

Dealing with pregnancy and birthdays

Well to start I'm excited that my beautiful son turned one today. I had his birthday party at Matt's parent's house. It was a lot of fun and was very relaxing. The really hard thing is that I am still dealing with HG. I have had a handle on it until yesterday when I went for an ultrasound on the baby to check on the little one. I sadly started throwing up on the bus. :( My wonderful family have been very helpful with everything. I actually did really well even through I was sick most of the day. I am proud of myself for making Ayden's cake. Ayden had so much fun and it was really nice to have all of our family and friends that could be there with us was wonderful.

I am currently 9 weeks 3 days pregnant. Baby looked really good. I am posting some pics of both the baby and of the famous smash cake that I made for Ayden.

The photo above is of baby #2 Wolfsfeld at 9 weeks 2 days on 06/01/2012

8 weeks 6 days

Here I am right about to hit 9 weeks pregnant. The Hyperemesis Graviduram seems to be behaving itself finally. I am currently on 2 different Zofrans, 2 different Phenegran, B6 Vitamin, and Reglan currently. I am having more good days now thankfully. I saw Dr Monte back on the 22nd and was put of bed rest for 2 weeks for spotting. The 14th I had an ultrasound and the baby is growing and heart was beating at 160 bpm. That made me so excited to see that. So we will see him on the 18th again. I think I will be asking for another ultrasound since I'm still spotting. Other then that I have only gained 2 pounds but am quickly losing that since it's pretty much just water weight. The hardest thing that I am going through is not picking up Ayden. It seems to make the spotting worse. Hopefully I will be off bed rest soon.

BPM= Beats Per Minute

Please help

I know that this blog I started was to be about my journey with PCOS and pregnancy. I also have a very very close friend who has a daughter just 6 days younger then Ayden. My heart breaks everyday for her. Her daughter Calypso has SMA. And has been told that she won't make it long due to this condition. We are trying to help her as much as we can where she is states way. Please help.

http://www.kpic.com/news/health/I-refuse-to-let-her-lose-what-she-has-155420225.html?tab=video

It is hard to believe the difference between the two. On one hand Ayden is a healthy active little boy and on the other hand my friend is dealing with being a single mom to this beautiful little girl. Yes, Calypso has a special need but no doubt in my mind that she is beautiful. I am hoping that the research that is going on will save little Calypso's life. I hate to see how much this is hurting her wonderful and strong mom. Please again help with even a tiny donation. At this time anything will help. Donations are accepted at Wells Fargo under Calypso Vander Velden Medical Fund.

Thank you for taking this time and reading and watching the video.
Christina, Matt and Ayden

SMA=Spinal Muscular Atrophy

An HG personal share from my friend and fellow mommy Angela.

My husband and I married in October of 1996 and were pregnant within a month. We were excited about our 'honeymoon baby'.  I remember telling my mother-in-law that I hadn't had any morning sickness, but that I hoped to have some so I would feel pregnant. She said, "Don't wish for that! It's horrible!", but I went ahead and wished for it anyway. In all of the pregnancy books that I had read, it said that the window for morning sickness to begin was from 2 to 8 weeks. I had not one shred of nausea until the day after 8 weeks. I was positive I had skipped the window, and I was going to get away without any. Well, all my wishing came true, and the day after 8 weeks, I started vomiting, and Vomiting, AND VOMITING!!!

On Christmas Eve, we went to my Grandmother's house in the Colorado Mountains like we always used to. The way I had been keeping the sickness at bay was by drinking a lot of water. She had hard, well water. It made me sick to drink it. By New Year's Eve 1996, we were in the Hospital Emergency Room (watching the ball drop in Times Square on TV, and me holding an basin to vomit in if I needed) because I had vomited 12 times in 4 hours. I was severely dehydrated, and had 3 bags of IV fluids pumped into me. Then they sent me home with the admonition that I needed to keep on the BRAT diet (bananas, rice, applesauce, and dry toast) and to come back if I threw up more than 5 times in one day.

The next day, I was back. This time I was admitted. They gave me IV fluids, and anti-nausea drugs (Phenergan seemed to work for a while at least). I was put on the pediatrics floor because they handle the hospital overflow, and also because of hospital construction that was going on causing a room shortage. I was across the hall from several sick babies. One poor baby in particular cried and screamed all night. I remember thinking,

"What the HELL am I doing? First all of this sickness, and then I'll have a baby who will scream all night, and I'll get no sleep, and I probably won't be a good mother anyway." Funny how constant nausea and malnutrition, combined with pregnancy hormones can make you irrational.

The next morning, my doctor came to see me. My blood work apparently was not good. My hormones were VERY HIGH. She said that she thought I might either 1: be having multiples (more than twins for sure from the hormone count) or 2: be having a molar pregnancy (a pregnancy where the embryo dies very early and the placenta continues growing until it looks like a bunch of grapes and puts out a lot of extra hormones). In the case of a molar pregnancy, they would have to do a D&C. I was crying because I felt so awful and just wanted to have this pregnancy over with. I was secretly hoping that it was a molar pregnancy so they could suck out the offending growth, and I would feel better tomorrow. I am VERY pro-life and against abortion, so the fact that I was hoping my baby was dead (and even toying with the idea of an abortion if it wasn't dead) tells you something about how awful I felt.

She sent me for an ultrasound. First I was supposed to drink as much water as I could, so they could do the ultrasound. I kept throwing up the water, and so finally they took me down anyway. I was in a wheelchair, holding my box of tissues (because I was crying so much), hooked up to my IV, holding my basin to vomit in. I'm sure I was a site. The ultrasound technician could not find anything with the outside probe because my bladder wasn't full. So, she had to do an internal ultrasound. She never told me anything or showed me anything, and I could not see the screen.  When the technician was done, she helped me back into my wheelchair and called the pediatrics floor for someone to come pick me up. I started crying, and I didn't know why. She wasn't the most kind or caring, so I sat alone with my Kleenex and vomit basin and cried.

My doctor came up to see me that afternoon and told me that I had a normal, uterine, single pregnancy, and the embryo was 10 weeks along by the measurements (which was 2 weeks behind the previous dating, which meant when I started getting morning sickness, I was really only 6 weeks along). She said "Congratulations!! I bet you're relieved now." and I started crying. She asked me what was wrong, and I said to her,

"I don't feel like I'm pregnant. I feel like I have a deadly disease and everyone's keeping it from me."

"Well, that's silly, Angela. You're just having some complications. That's all. We'll get it under control. You saw the baby on the ultrasound, so you KNOW you're pregnant."

"No, I didn't", I said. "I couldn't see the screen". I said lamely in between sobs.

"Well, you should have asked to look," she scolded me. At that point I pretty much shut up. No one understood how I felt anyway. This hyperemesis gravidarum makes you feel very alienated and completely alone. Like no one has any idea of how you feel.

The next day, with a prescription for phenergan suppositories in hand, I was discharged from the hospital. Hubby took me home, and as soon as we got there, I started vomiting again. I do believe stress can be a factor in HG, though I didn't want to hear that at the time. Home was a stressful place for me. By January 8th, I was vomiting and dehydrated again. The phenergan suppositories weren't helping, so I called the doctor. Once again, she told me to go to the ER and she would deal with me at the hospital. They admitted me (once again to the pediatrics floor) and started an IV. Within 8 hours, the vomiting had stopped. They kept me in the hospital for 3 days to make sure. While I was there, I was very lonely. I cried most of the time. The Nursing Assistant kept bugging me to take a shower. I didn't have the energy. She suggested the bathtub. I sat in the tub, and didn't even have the energy to wash my hair. I had to pull the call light for the C.N.A. to help me.

My mother stayed home from work the next day and came to the hospital to be with me. She read to me about what the baby looked like and was doing now, and she brought my father's huge kimono robe that he got in Japan. She helped me get dressed in it and pushed my IV pole up and down the hallway so I could see the fish tank and get a little exercise. I felt kind of like I was stuck in never-never land. There were all kinds of childish decorations on the walls, and even in the fish tank. I have to say that was probably the kindest thing she had ever done for me since I was a young child.

My doctor decided that it was the IV fluid that was helping so much. When you are sick and you get dehydrated, the nausea gets worse. It is a terrible cycle.  After finding a medication that worked (Reglan®, metaclopramide), she sent me home with orders for a home-nurse to visit me and a home-IV. That evening, the home health care people dropped off 3 huge boxes of IV bags and other paraphernalia, and the next day a home nurse showed me how to change my IV bags and regulate the fluid intake. We lived in a tri-level. Our bedroom was in the basement, and the living room and kitchen on the main level. Doing the stairs when you are weak from malnutrition and carrying an IV pole is NOT fun! It had been over 2 weeks since I had eaten anything substantial. After a week of IV's and nurse's visits, I wanted to take the IV out. I was feeling much better, and wanted to go shopping. The nurse said I had to take my IV bag with me, if I wanted to go. Well, I went over the nurse's head and called the doctor and said I felt great, and could we please take my IV out. She said if I really felt good, we could take it out, and the nurse would continue visiting 2 times a week in case I needed a new IV put in. She would also be on call if I vomited more than 5 times a day, I could call her to put in an IV, and stay home instead of going to the hospital. That was the beginning of my "recovery". Every day after that, I vomited 5 times on the button, and sometimes less. I think my brain was on my side enough to at least keep me from getting stuck with a needle again. I continued to lose weight, but didn't need any more IV fluids.

Between the beginning of pregnancy and the 5 month mark, I lost 60 lbs.  From 5 months on, I think I only vomited less than 10 times all together. I also started working at a sit down job for a place that made electronics. I plugged wires together, and put connectors on them, etc. I sat the whole time, and that made it better as far as energy wise (I was still so low on energy from all the time I had spent starving and losing weight. I was still nauseous all day, just not vomiting, but not eating much either).

By the time my daughter was born 8 days after her due date, I had gained back 20 lbs. So I finished my pregnancy 40 lbs lighter than I started it.

Around 3 hours after Hannah was born, I suddenly thought that I wanted to eat. I was hungry. Food sounded good for the first time in months. The nurse went to the employee lunchroom and bought me a chicken salad sandwich. It was the best sandwich of my life. The 24 hour nausea was gone as quickly as it had come on.

One word of wisdom from my experience. The Reglan increased my prolactin during pregnancy, and then when my doctor took me off of it at 36 weeks, my prolactin fell. I didn't realize this at the time. I had a hard time breastfeeding my daughter and took a long time to get things working well. Please remember doctors aren't God. They make mistakes too. Discuss any medication changes and possible side effects with them thoroughly instead of just assuming they know what they are doing. My doctor didn't think about the prolactin issue at all, but maybe she would have if I had been more thorough in my questions.

Between my daughter's birth and my pregnancy with my son, I did a lot of research on HG, as well as pregnancy and birth and put together a 'morning sickness remedies' list. My second and third pregnancies (which were boys), I was nauseated 24/7 for several months and vomited some with my second. But we never reached full blown HG. Here are the things I found. They may or may not help you. Some helped me and some didn't, but it is worth having a big list of things to try!

-Drinking or eating something high in protein every time I got nauseated, or after I vomited. Also right before bed, and having hubby bring you an instant breakfast before he leaves for work.... drink it before you sit up.... this was a life saver for me. I would drink it before  I was even fully awake (with a bendy straw), and by the time I had to get up  to pee, I was feeling better.

-Wearing Sea Bands (motion sickness wrist bands)

-Taking B-Complex pills especially B-6 (this helped me immensely with both of my pregnancies after my daughter)

-Raspberry leaf tea (with sugar or honey.. whichever you prefer), though don't drink more than 2 cups or glasses a day before the beginning of the 2nd trimester. Some women get uterine contractions if they drink too much... the contractions haven't been proven to hurt anything, but in first trimester, you don't want to take chances.

-Ginger.... eaten, taken in pills, or dissolved in your bath water. I found the best to be fresh ginger grated into a cup, adding hot water, and then straining out the particles. It leaves a ginger flavor and the ginger juice without the stringy stuff.

-Hot tamales candy. It apparently short circuits the brain so that all you can feel is the hot-hot-hot in your mouth, not the sickies in your tummy... it worked well with my first son.

-digestive enzymes from the health food store... in pills or gum

-mint scents or tastes.... maybe doublemint gum to chew when you feel nauseous. Or a really minty toothpaste to brush your teeth with when you feel nauseous or right after vomiting.

If you are reading this blog because you have HG right now, please know you are not alone. Even though it feels like it will last forever, it really is a small portion of your life. My daughter is now almost 15 and is taller than I am and has been a very healthy person her entire life.  I have a 2 1/2 year old son and a 2 month old son, and both of them are amazing. I would go through HG again for any one of them. You will love your child more than your own life, and this pregnancy is worth it. All of it.

Angela Woerner


(I want to thank Angela for taking the time to share her story about dealing with HG. It can be very hard to handle and besides what I have found and researched. Angela shared somethings that has helped her and I have as well in the previous blogs. Again thank you Angela for sharing your story and things that have helped you with your more recent pregnancies.)

Hyperemesis Gravidarum

I wanted to share the information that I have found by doing my own research on this. I was officially diagnosed with hyperemesis as of last night 5/10/2012 while being in the hospital due to vomiting and not able to keep food or fluids down. I saw Dr Monte today and we are trying some of the treatments that I have outlined in this before doing IV Hometreatment which means that I will have hospics come in home to treat me. I'm currently 6 weeks and 2 days pregnant with baby #2. I suffered with some morning sickness with my son, Ayden, until I was around 12 weeks along. This pregnancy has been harder on me. I'm happy to learn more and that I'm will to keep myself and my baby healthy no matter what I have to due. As it sits I am on 3 medications to treat this. I have two different Zofran and two different Phenergan.

Both Matt and I have talked about wanting to share information when it comes to different things that comes with pregnancy. As we learn more I will be happy to post as we go through the pregnancy and journey to my VBAC with baby #2.

Nearly all women suffer from Morning sickness during pregnancy. Morning sickness is a some amount of nausea or vomiting normally during the first 3 months of pregnancy also known as the 1st trimester. It is believed that the rapidly rising blood levels of a hormone called HCG ( I covered what HCG stood for in a previous post), absolute cause is still unknown. Extreme nausea and vomiting during pregnancy can happend if you are pregnant with twins or more.

Usually nausea and vomiting peaks between 2 and 12 weeks of pregnancy and goes away by the second trimester or second half of pregnancy. With the proper identification of symptoms and careful follow-up, this condition rarely presents any serious complications.

70-80% experience some type of morning sickness. Recent studies show that at least 60,000 cases of extreme morning sickness called hyperemesis gravidarum (HG). Only about 20% of the women continue to have HG or some type of morning sickness through the entire pregnancy.

Usual symptoms are:
1) Severe, persistent nausea during pregnancy, often leads to weight loss
2) Lightheadedness or fainting.

Here are the difference between Morning sickness and Hyperemesis Gravidarum.

Morning sickness:
Nausea "sometimes" accompanied by vomiting
Nausea that subsides at 12 weeks or soon after
Vomiting that does not cause severe dehydration
Vomiting that allows you to keep some food down.

Hyperemesis Gravidarum:
Nausea accompanied by "severe" vomiting
Nausea that does not subside
Vomiting that causes severe dehydration
Vomiting that does not allow you to keep any food down.

Signs and symptoms of hyperemesis gravidarum:
1) Severe nausea and vomiting
2) Food aversions
3) Weight loss of 5% or more of pre-pregnancy weight
4) Decrease in urination
5) Dehydration
6) Headaches
7) Confusion
8) Fainting
9) Jaundice
10)Extreme fatigue
11)Low blood pressure
12)Rapid heart rate
13)Loss of skin elasticity
14)Secondary anxiety/depression

Signs that drs look for is usually a physical exam, blood pressure maybe low and pulse may be high. As labs are run to check for signs of dehydration by checking your Hematocrit and Urine Ketones.

Here are some of the different treatments that can be done to help with any type of morning sickness or Hyperemesis Gravidarum.
1) Small, frequent meals and eating dry foods such as crackers may help relieve uncomplicated nausea.
2) Drink plenty of fluids. Increase fluids during the times of the day that the nausea is at its least. Usually fluids is Seltzer, ginger ale, or other sparkling waters. (I usually drink plenty of water, crystal light and juices.)
3) Vitamin B6 (no more then 100 mg daily) only if your OB approves this. Mine has suggested using this along with the medications that he currently has me on for HG.
4) Medication to prevent nausea is reserved for cases where vomiting is presistent and severe enough to present a potential risk. In severe cases, you may be admitted to the hospital, where fluids will be given through IV.

This is in some of the cases of Hyperemesis Gravidarum:
1) Intravenous fluids (IV)-to restore hydration, electrolytes, vitamins, and nutrients.
2) Tube feeding- a)Nasogastric-restores nutrients through a tube passing through the nose and to the stomach. b) Precutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy-restores nutrients through a tube passing through the abdomen and to the stomach; requires a surgical procedure.
3) Medications-metoclopramide, antihistamines, and antireflux medications**
Other treatments may include:
1) Bed rest-This may provide comfort, but be cautious and aware of the effects of the muscle and weight loss due to too much bed rest.
2) Acupressure-The pressure point to reduce nausea is located at the middle of the inner wrist, three finger lengthes away from the crease of the wrist, and between the two tendons. Locate and press firmly, once wrist at a time for three minutes. Sea bands also help with acupressure and can be found at your local drug store.
3) Herbs-ginger or preppermint
4) Homeopathic remedies are a non-toxic system of medicines. Do not try to self medicate with homeopathic methods; havve a doctor prescribe the proper remedy and dose.
5) Hypnosis

**When it comes to medications, it is very important that you weigh that risks and the benefits. Some drugs may have adverse effects on you or the development of the baby. Discuss the risks and sude effects of each drug with your doctor.



HCG= Human Chorionic Gonadotropin
HG= Hyperemesis Gravidarum
VBAC= Vaginal Birth After C-section

5 weeks 4 days

Here we are at 5 weeks and 4 days. Morning sickness has been bad. Landing me in to the ER twice in a week. I have also had 4 blood draws for HCG Betas. On the 1st one which was on 4/24/2012 was at 114, 2nd one which was on 4/27/2012 was at 515, 3rd draw which was on 4/30/2012 was at 983 and my 4th draw which was on 5/3/2012 was at 2,043. So my numbers are doing well and doubling great! We had an u/s done on the 5/3/2012 and finally shown us the sac. The gestational age was at 4 weeks 6 days-5 weeks exactly. So now is the wait to get into our OB. I have been put on bedrest which does sucks. But hopefully won't be on bedrest for long. I will keep everyone updated.

HCG= Human Chorionic Gonadotropin

Morning sickness...

One thing I really dislike about pregnancy is the Morning sickness. With Ayden, I only had it when I ate eggs, and anything spicy. This pregnancy at has been 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. I ended up in the ER for dehydration and severe nausea. I've had two blood draws as well for my HCG Betas. Tuesday was 114 & Friday was 515. I have a follow up with my PCP today and will be getting another HCG Beta draw again. Hopefully this will settle down. My OB has stated with Ayden the more morning sickness you have the better chance the baby has to continue growing. I just wish that it would behave itself a little better then  being sick all the time.

HCG= human chorionic gonadotropin
PCP= Primary Care Physician

Currently 4 weeks Pregnant!

Here we are just 2 days after confirming that we are expecting our 2nd rainbow baby. As I have posted that I have been having early pregnancy symptoms from nausea, vomiting, headaches, loss of appetite, having to pee more often.

Today while we were out to replace our modem for the internet I had stopped into my favorite shop "Motherhood Maternity" and my friend Holly says "Congrats" and that is looks like I'm bloated  So the very first signs are here and are very present in day to day living. I'm currently scheduled to see my OB on the 22nd of May while I'm waiting on my pregnancy medicad to go through. If I get my cards sooner then I can call to get in sooner which I'm hoping for.

BFP!!!!!!

Well this morning after I had posted the blog earlier I took a pregnancy test. And it came back positive. I'm so happy just now trying to get into my Dr's office.

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Coming to the end of cycle #1

Well the of the first cycle is only 4 days away. I'm still really nauseated and waiting to hear from the doctor's office if I can come in and be tested for pregnancy. I'm crossing my fingers that we are expecting. If we are then our EDD will be January 2-5, 2013!!! Here is hopefully a H&H9!!!

EDD= Estimated Due Date

H&H9= Happy and Healthy 9 months!

Days away from testing.

Well we are just days away from testing. This is the first cycle after ending birth control and we are 6 days away from testing to see if we get a BFP. We are hoping so. I have been getting early symptoms that I had even with Ayden. So here is to hoping that we got the BFP for our first winter baby.

BFP= Big Fat Positive

We are starting our journey.

SECOND. I knew that I had PCOS back in July  2006, but want officially diagnosed until May 2010. During that time I suffered from one miscarriage. But didn't know that I was pregnant until I was rushed into the er doubling over in pain. During Valentine's day 2010 I suffered from two cysts ruptured. The OB I was seeing couldn't see me for three months. I went to my primary care doctor was not happy about my care with that OB and had me switch to my current and wonderful OB that we have now. I saw my OB April 26, 2010. He ran tests on me from blood work, pap and ultrasound. Which proved that I had PCOS. I started treatment of mitformin in May. I got pregnant in June with my twin angels. Lost them in August. I got pregnant right away with my wonderful son who was born in June last year.

Anyways there is a short history on me.

We got the official okay to start trying for baby number two. Our officially six baby but our second full term live birth baby.

So this blog is our journey to pregnancy and birth. With our son I had a c-section with him so I'm also trying for a VBAC. And second rainbow baby.

For those who don't know the terms and abbr are:

PCOS= PolyCystic Ovarian Syndrome

VBAC= Vaginal Birth After C-section.

Rainbow baby= is a baby who is born after any type of loss. Be it miscarriage, second term loss, still birth or infant loss.

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Here is our very first post.

My name is Christina and I have been dealing with PCOS for the last 6 known years. I was officially diagnosed in April 2010. Since then I have been able to conceive with just using Metformin. Yes, I know a diabetic drug. But it has also been proving to help with the symptoms of PCOS along with helping with getting pregnant.