Happy Easter!

Happy Easter!

Love,

The Schinkel's

36 weeks pregnant and days....and a baby boy on the way!

Well, since my last post, there have been quite a few changes.  I had an ultrasound on March 30th that showed that my amniotic fluid level had gone from about 17 to 6.5, not scary, but borderline.  My doctor admitted me to monitor baby, blood pressure and do a NST (non-stress test), which baby boy passed with flying colors.  I was sent home to return on April 2nd for a follow up ultrasound.  After discharge, I explained to Marc that the doctor asked if I could be dehydrated, no of course not, I drink 100+ oz of water a day.  But Marc was like we spent all weekend outside doing yard work and in the heat, so maybe that was a cause?!?!  Well on my follow up on 4/2, the fluid level was back up to 10 and no longer a concern.  However, my BP was slightly elevated.  So once again my OB admitted me for observation saying that at 35 weeks 1 day, we likely wouldn't chase the BP, she would just deliver if meds did not work.  Well thankfully, after 6 hours in the hospital and one round of meds, my BP numbers started going back down.  So once again I was discharged, with instructions to call in if anything changed and to see her again on Monday 4/6.  Well that weekend I made sure to finish up any work, get my hospital bag packed and finish up any pre-baby stuff cause I was convinced I had pressed my luck far enough.  Well my appointment on 4/6 went great, my BP was under control still on the meds, my 24 hour urine test came back fine, my blood tests all read fine and my fluid level was back to 17!  So things were looking good! My doctor highly suggested moving up the delivery date by a week, so instead of at 38 weeks, she wanted to deliver a 37 weeks, and with everything going on, I agreed that it would probably be a good decision.  So this is how we are just days a away from baby boy making his grand appearance.

Because of my high risk status, my high risk and OB both suggest a repeat c-section to reduce the risk of prolonged labor that could result in BP issues and also the risk of placenta abruption, so that is where we are at.  4 days from now, we will check into the hospital at 5:30 am for a planned c-section at 7:30 AM on 4/15.  I have one more appointment with my doctor on Monday 4/13, so there is still a slight chance she would keep me then if there were any issues, but we hope to make it to Wednesday!  

So please join us in praying for a safe, healthy delivery for me and baby boy.  For no NICU time, for Marc to be able to be with me during delivery and for a relatively easy recovery!  

Needless to say, we are beyond excited to have made it this far in the pregnancy, and are thrilled to get to meet our little man sooner than later!  For those inquiring, we still have not decided on a name, so stay tuned for that!  

Had to capture this huge belly and my precious baby before she becomes the big sister!  

34 weeks pregnant

Yall I have made it to 34 weeks pregnant!  When you experience an early pregnancy, it is hard to fathom ever being more pregnant than that!  We had a lot of doctors telling us it was possible and even highly likely that we would make it further and maybe even to term (which for me is 38 weeks--we always knew we would never go past that point).  Starting out this pregnancy I had a 75% chance of getting to term, and 80% chance if I followed the aspirin regimen.  With my past history, I was repeatedly told that even if I did develop preeclampsia, it would be likely be later and less severe.  Part of the reasoning there being that I am on the look out for it--daily blood pressure checks and much more monitoring--I have two doctors instead of one and have/will have 8 ultrasounds verses the normal 2 per pregnancy (with Olivia I did have 3 and daily bedside ultrasounds once admitted).  But despite how much your head hears it, it is hard for your heart to feel it.  So for months on end, my response to invitations would always be, I will be there, as long as we haven't had the baby!


Well guess what?  Now I don't even have that excuse cause COVID-19 has basically shut down any potential get-togethers.  To say this is a scary time to be pregnant is an understatement.  Threats of dad's not being allowed to meet their babies at birth, thoughts of having to do the first 3-4 days alone as a mother without my daughter or husband nearby is scary.  I sure hope it does not come to that, but it is a reality for some & even my next appointments with my doctor are limited to me only.  In addition, I have been reading about many NICUs that have limited visitors to one parent only and some to not even allow mothers and fathers to see their kids.  We press forward with faith that our God will see this through, and maybe a reminder or two from my hubby about not looking at Facebook and news stories in the middle of the night when baby boy is kicking me for the 100th time (also, can I just say what a sweet feeling that is--I got to feel Olivia kick a few times before she was born, but nothing like this guy--it warms my heart every time even if it is 3am!)


So with all that being said, we are 4 weeks (or less if he decides to arrive early) to meeting this little man and we do not know what the world will hold for us then.  Can you join us in praying that Marc and I will be able to be at the hospital together to meet him?  That our family remains well and we have someone to care for Olivia during this time that we are away.  And of course to pray for our medical staff, nurses, scientists, and leaders as they navigate the toughest path of all--for a solution to this crazy virus and for minimal damage in the process!

And remember--wash your hands and stay home if you can!

28 weeks pregnant

Today is an interesting day in my pregnancy cause I am at the same point that I was when I was hospital admitted with Olivia.  It is hard to believe that just 2.5 years ago, I went into my normal 28 week appointment and did not leave the hospital until I had a baby! It still blows my mind looking at my sweet little girl today that she started so fragile and delicate. 

This pregnancy has for sure had some similarities but many differences.  So far everything looks great for me and baby and we are hoping it stays that way for the next 10 weeks (my delivery will be at 38 weeks due to my high risk status).  But this pregnancy has brought so many more challenges for me than Olivia's.  With Olivia, I dealt with nausea, but not vomiting.  For this pregnancy, I threw up most days from about 6-8 weeks until 24 weeks, which is 4 months of vomiting for those not good with math.  In addition, I have battled sinus infections, a few colds, two ear infections (with Olivia), and most recently the flu.  The irony of the fact that I had no medicine or illnesses my first pregnancy and it ended early, is not lost on me!  This pregnancy, I have had nausea meds, vomitting meds, baby aspirin, blood pressure meds, antibiotics, cough medicine, and tamiflu and this baby seems to tolerate and take it all in stride.  To date, my blood pressure has been routinely good and seems to be holding steady going into my third trimester. 

This picture makes me laugh, in both pictures I am really like 27 weeks and a few days, but in the first I did weekly shots with my cute sign (starting at 10 weeks pregnant), this pregnancy it is more likely bump shots sitting on the sofa or in the mirror, only a few have had a cute sign.  Second child problems!!!

We have been told time and time again that my blood pressure will likely creep up during the third trimester, so we are ready for that and are keeping eyes on things.  So we are hopefully, but cautiously optimistic as well!  I have another ultrasound scheduled for Thursday so we will get to see baby boy then and see how big he is getting.  As a reminder when Olivia was born she was 2lbs 4 oz (at around this time), so it will be interesting to see if he is bigger or smaller than big sister.  Based on his past measurements, I am guessing bigger, cause he has consistently been measuring 7-10 days ahead of schedule.  He also appears to be much much more active than big sister, which is great when you are wondering if he is doing well between ultrasounds and he gives a resounding kick, but not as great when he doesn't want to stop moving at 1am! 

Overall, I genuinely thought I would have a lot more anxiety this time around, knowing the possible outcomes, but it has not yet set in.  I feel like we know our odds, we are in good hands, and trust that God has all this in His control anyway.  I think learning so much about preeclampsia has helped to take some of the pressure off.  Knowing that if I will get it, it has already been decided as implantation is when the placenta will or will not take well, so for 28 weeks my body has or has not been dealing with a full term or short term placenta and only time will tell.  I am trying to take things as they come.  Of course, I feel like we need to get baby boy's nursery done like yesterday, but I am also trying to listen to my body and rest when I can and take things in stride, which is of course super easy to do with a high energy toddler!  But we are so thankful for all the family and friends that offer help as needed, it truly takes a village and we have the best village!


My Baby App, shows baby's size each week, and here are the options for this week, baby should measure about 16" long and about 2.25 pounds (which is almost exactly what Olivia was at birth):

Merry Christmas!

A very Merry Christmas 

from our family to yours!

Over half way there!

This pregnancy seems to have both flown by and then also parts seem to be dragging on!  We did find out the gender (early actually due to some blood work suggested by my OB), and we are excited to welcome a little baby Boy to the mix next year!  

I will be 21 weeks pregnant tomorrow and since my doctor plans to deliver at 38 weeks, that means I have 17 weeks left to go.  I have begun to feel the little flutters and kicks, which makes this pregnancy all the more real.  Until you can feel the baby, I always have a hard time believing they are really in there (any other moms deal with this?).  At our 20 week ultrasound the Tech confirmed that he was indeed a boy, so we are excited that the blood work and gender ultrasound both confirm things.  Baby boy is looking good and is measuring 5 days ahead of schedule (and weighing in at 13 ounces already), which for a mom that delivered her last baby early, is a great thing!  Any additional growth we can get (within normal range) is awesome!  

Because of my high risk status, I had to do an early glucose test and that came back negative, but I will have another one around 28-32 weeks just to confirm things are still fine with my blood sugar.  My BP numbers remain good and I have actually gone down from 400 MG labetalol to 200 MG daily.  You are allowed to go up to 2400 MG daily, so I have lots of wiggle room there if needed.  We have been told repeatedly that my BP numbers would likely drop in my second trimester than slowly creep up in the third, so we are preparing for that anyway.  But at my risk factor, my doctor will actually let me numbers get up in the 150s/90s before considering upping my meds.  They let people with "Chronic hypertension" run a little higher than most because the baby is conceived in an environment with fluctuating numbers anyway and it actually puts them more at risk to medicate too much and let the numbers drop too low.

Also because of being high risk, I get to do ultrasounds every 4 weeks, so we go back in mid-January for another one.  With Olivia, I had low amniotic fluid levels, along with the preeclampsia, and her distress in womb near the end, so they can monitor all of babies activity and fluid levels via the ultrasound.  Plus I will take every opportunity I can to see the little guy!  

The nausea/morning sickness from my earlier post continues and at my 20 weeks appointment, my doctor confirmed what I already suspected, that if you are still dealing with it at 20 weeks, it will likely stick around your whole pregnancy.  I have no idea what causes it (foods, etc), but for awhile I was vomiting daily.  Thankfully, it seems to be lessen a little (every other day or every third day), so I will take the streaks when I can get them, though the nausea and food aversions persists.  As such, at almost 21 weeks pregnant, I am actually 3 pounds less than I was before I got pregnant, so though the bump continues to grow, the scale does not reflect that.  Thankfully, my doctor is not overly concerned as I am not purposefully withholding calories (haha who does she think I am???) and the baby's growth is going just fine.  A women's body is an amazing thing of nature to be able to provide for such a little one even when my nourishment is down. 

People often asks if Olivia knows what is going on, and to be honest, we aren't sure.  We tell her almost daily about her baby brother and she will sometimes offer a kiss to my belly.  Her new thing is to ask me to "Open" my belly, meaning pull down my jeans so she can see my belly.  I have tried to show her ultrasound pictures of the little guy, but they seem to scare her rather than impress her.  And I imagine we could take her to the ultrasound with us, but that seems like a disaster to try.  I know she would want to touch everything and the 45-60 minute appointment might be a little much to try to entertain her.  So we continue to hope that she will adjust relatively well (though she does seem to be possessive of mom when other babies are around).  

So for now, we just continue on the course and hope to make it to 38 weeks with no issues!  We certainly appreciate those who pray with us for a much smoother pregnancy this time around and for a healthy baby boy!

2 years old!!!

It is hard to believe that our little baby girl is TWO!  I always seem to find that parenthood is like a black hole, it seems we jumped in and now its two years later, but at the same time it is hard to remember life before kids.  Our lives are so filled with this little bundle of joy that it is hard to imagine life without her.  Although, I do seem to remember a lot more sleep and energy before I had a high energy toddler that let me know what real energy was.

Olivia is a doll like 90% of the time and a terror the other 10%.  It is amazing how quickly her attitude can change and it scares me a little bit a lot about what the terrible twos or terrorist threes may look like. 

She has simultaneously become more lovable and snugly and also more defiant and opinionated. She is obsessed with airplanes and helicopters, baby dolls, and puppies and kitties.  We enjoy nightly walks where she is quick to point out the sounds of airplanes and can spot a puppy from a mile away (I think she gets this one from her mom).

Since my last update, she continues to grow and mature and it has been fun to see.  She has moved into the 2 year old class at daycare, a class she will get to stay in for almost a year and has become quite the teacher's pet to at least one of her teachers.  Miss Dorian (or REN as Olivia calls her), will regularly put down or move other kids when Olivia comes in so she can snuggle her.  Both Olivia and Miss Dorian share a mutual love for cats, so it is no wonder they are fast friends.  We are so very thankful for great teachers to date, but Miss Dorian has an extra special place in Olivia's heart.



Olivia is now regularly using two and three word "sentences" and it is fun to be able to communicate more and more with her.  Her words have surpassed the 50 word mark so I stopped keeping track, but she is quick to repeat words, so Mommy and Daddy have to watch what we say around her!  Our current favorite is when she says "Thank you, Mommy" or "Thank you, Daddy"

A few highlights since her last update:

* We went to Tennessee to see my dad and a bunch of family, we also made a stop in Blacksburg





* Enjoyed the last days of our Busch Gardens pass with Tiffany and her kiddos

* We spent two weeks at Myrtle Beach where Olivia went from hating the ocean and sand to tolerating it by the end of the week, also, she survived her first hurricane!

* She had fall pictures at school and I snapped some at home!



* She went to the State Fair for her second year in a row

* We enjoyed a reunion/play-date with some VT friends, where Olivia made her first trip to Uncle Andy's bar

* We went to the pumpkin patch!

* Her baby doll collection has grown from about 2 to probably 8 now (thanks grandparents!)
* Olivia has now developed the super human strength of 7 men when it is time to go in the car seat, she is like a ninja and will flip over in 1/2 a second so she doesn't have to be buckled in.  I am always slightly amazed while simultaneously being completely annoyed.  Moms, any tips?
* She was the star of Halloween, as many of our neighbors had special treats just for Olivia (yes, she is super spoiled by our neighborhood), she even learned to say "trick-or-treat" by the end of the night

* And most notably, she has been promoted to BIG SISTER!

 

I think it is no coincidence that she was born just the day after World Prematurity Day, so it is a constant reminder where she started and where she is now.  I say it all the time, but all babies are miracles but Olivia was a special kind of miracle.  When I see other moms that are still struggling with feeding tubes, breathing issues, and other linger effects of NICU life, it continually reminds me of just how blessed we have been with Olivia's success and I do not take it for granted!  Our precious baby has truly become a little lady and we could not be happier about it!