I celebrated my 31st birthday last Wednesday and truly began realized that I am a mother. I had a wonderful birthday and Hayden got to celebrate with me, as he will for many years. Ben made it extra special!
He surprised me with an ice cream cake from Dairy Queen (a tradition for my birthday since I was younger) and a gift certificate for an hour long prenatal massage. I had been thinking for a few weeks about wanting to get a massage, but hadn't said anything to Ben about it. The sweetest thing is that Ben had to work overnight at his 12-hr shift job and got done with work at 6:30 AM; however, he stayed out until past 11 AM to pick up the cake, telling me he had to work late. I am so incredibly blessed to have this wonderful man as part of my life! When he got home, he put candles on the cake (a 3 & a 1, 31 candles would be too many lol), lit them and sang happy birthday to me in bed. I worked the night before and was resting for work that night. We had cake, which for a pregnant woman, ice cream cake first thing after waking up was amazing! Later on, Ben took me out for lunch to Chili's and then I headed off to work. I truly wonderful day!
I got to celebrate with my mom and grandma on Friday. I went straight to my grandma's house after work on Thursday (early Friday morning). We went out to Rogers, which for those who don't know is a large flea market in Ohio not far from my grandma's. Mom and I found a woman selling baby clothes for $1/piece. We got quite a few outfits for Hayden! Friday night my grandma made macaroni and cheese and my mom made hot sausage for my birthday dinner - I had been craving both. They surprised me with cake also. Saturday, Mom and I went shopping for my birthday and got some maternity clothes for me.
Hayden got to share in all this excitement and I can truly say it was more thrilling for me to feel him move than anything else. A couple days last week he danced around my whole drive to work. I don't know if it was the music, me singing or both, but he was a happy little guy :) All and all this is a birthday I will always remember, so many wonderful things and so many wonderful things to come :)
This coming weekend is my baby shower. My mom and sister are putting it all together and I'm so excited to visit with family and friends and share in this wonderful occasion in Ben and I's life. Living in PA, as most of you know, you plan things around the weather and therefore, we are having the shower a little earlier than is tradition. Since Hayden is due in February, the shower would have had to be held in December, not a good month for many reasons - snow, holidays, busy schedules, etc.
I have had individuals reach out to me and ask about PCOS and my pregnancy and my job while pregnant, so I thought I'd touch on that briefly. I am not termed a "high risk pregnancy", the doctor is treating this as a normal pregnancy, unless something arises, which has not yet. The biggest problem for women with PCOS is actually getting pregnant. Once they do become pregnant, the risks are the same as a woman without PCOS. We do have a tendency to get gestational diabetes, but at this stage of my pregnancy it is too early for the doctor to detect. We will be testing for it, as all pregnant woman do, in a month or so.
The doctor is very happy with the baby's development and my health currently. They monitor everything closely and give specific instructions, as they do for all pregnancies (PCOS or not), to call with any concerns or changes. I see doctors through UPMC/Magee Women's Health - a top hospital for women's health in PA, as well as the country I do believe.
There have been concerns surrounding my job from a few followers. My job is very labor intensive; however, for a woman with PCOS that is pregnant the exercise is good for me. I have been told that by both the first doctor and the second doctor. I do have limitations, but they are set by me and what I feel comfortable with doing. Since I was doing this job before I got pregnant, there is no concern that I can do it while pregnant. Lots of literature states whatever you did pre-pregnancy, you can do during pregnancy and the doctor has re-iterated this information to me. My boss is well on board with adjusting my work as needed. As I progress further into pregnancy, we've talked about moving me to a more stationary position without any heavy lifting or work on a machine. Currently he is leaving it up to me when I transition. I work with a wonderful group of people who already are looking out for me and don't let me do too much. For example, last week when restocking the shelves, one of the guys took a certain area because it tends to contain heavier product so I didn't have to lift a lot.
I'm taking everything day by day. No one knows my body as well as me and I have learned from the past and having PCOS to read my body very closely. Currently my body is feeling great and as things change I will change with them. Hayden is my #1 priority and I won't do anything to jeopardize his development.
Until next time, lots of love to everyone out there!
Always,
Sheri, Ben and baby Hayden
I'm just a worrier by nature, and Meaghan has PCOS, so I've read a lot about the danger of PCOS and pregnancy. I'm glad you've made it this far, that says a lot. Meaghan has a book that says 65% of pregnancies in PCOS women end in miscarrage in the first trimester. I'm glad you are feeling well and I hope you continue to. But I believe in being educated... Sharing for your benefit... Please continue to be safe, and I really think you should be seeing a perinatologist.
ReplyDelete"Professor Nick Macklon from the University of Southampton writes in an accompanying editorial, "It is clear that women with polycystic ovary syndrome should be considered "high risk" obstetric patients and that midwives, general practitioners, and obstetricians should monitor these women as such."
Does PCOS affect pregnancy?
Women with PCOS are at higher risk for certain problems or complications during pregnancy. In addition, infants born to mothers with PCOS are at higher risk of spending time in the neonatal intensive care unit or dying before, during, or right after birth. Complications of pregnancy associated with PCOS, such as preeclampsia, could be a reason for these risks. Also, conditions common to PCOS like metabolic syndrome and increased androgens may increase the risks affecting infants.
Pregnancy complications related to PCOS include:
Miscarriage or early loss of pregnancy. Women with PCOS are three times as likely to miscarry in the early months of pregnancy as are women without PCOS. Some research shows that metformin may reduce the risk of miscarriage in pregnant women with PCOS. However, other studies have not confirmed that metformin reduces miscarriage risk, so more research needs to be done.
Gestational diabetes. This is a type of diabetes that only pregnant women get. It is treatable and, if controlled, does not cause significant problems for the mother or fetus. In most cases, the condition goes away after the baby is born. Babies whose mothers have gestational diabetes can be very large (resulting in the need for cesarean, or C-section [surgical], delivery), have low blood sugar, and have trouble breathing. Women with gestational diabetes, as well as their children, are at higher risk for type 2 diabetes later in life.
Preeclampsia. Preeclampsia, a sudden increase in blood pressure after the 20th week of pregnancy, can affect the mother's kidneys, liver, and brain. If left untreated, preeclampsia can turn into eclampsia. Eclampsia can cause organ damage, seizures, and even death. Currently, the primary treatment for the condition is to deliver the baby, even preterm if necessary. Pregnant women with preeclampsia may require a C-section delivery, which can carry additional risks for both mother and baby.
Pregnancy-induced high blood pressure. This condition is due to an increase in blood pressure that may occur in the second half of pregnancy. If not treated, it can lead to preeclampsia. This type of high blood pressure can also affect delivery of the baby.
Preterm birth. Infants are considered "preterm" if they are delivered before 37 weeks of pregnancy. Preterm infants are at risk for many health problems, both right after birth and later in life, and some of these problems can be serious.
Cesarean or C-section delivery. Pregnant women with PCOS are more likely to have C-sections because of the pregnancy complications associated with PCOS, such as pregnancy-induced high blood pressure.9,10 Because C-section delivery is a surgical procedure, recovery can take longer than recovery from vaginal birth and can carry risks for both the mother and infant.
http://health.usnews.com/best-hospitals/area/pa/magee-womens-hospital-of-upmc-6232460
ReplyDelete-Ben
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ReplyDeleteThe above website is the 2013 US news and world report of hospital rankings. UPMC as a health system is #1 in Pennsylvania, and #10 in the country. I know this because on 10 October, we all wore our '#10 nationally ranked tee-shirts'. Magee womens hospital is also ranked as one of the best in Diabetes & Endocrinology, Obstetrics, and Gynecology.
ReplyDeleteYour concern is appreciated. But, don't worry, we are with a fantastic hospital, we have phenomenal providers, and believe it or not, your little brother has a plethora of medical education himself. So, please rest assured, that Sheri and Hayden are being well taken care of!!
- Ben