Our Doctor's Visit & Nursery Update

We just got home from my first outing since bedrest began.  We had a doctor appointment this morning, and I had a little extra time out.  My car had to have some work done, so I went with Daniel to take the car and get a rental before our appointment this morning.  All was going well, until I felt carsick on the way there.  I thought I was going to be okay, but then the office we sat in for a few minutes was really hot and stuffy, so that sent me over the edge.  So, by 7:45 this morning, I had puked for the first time in over a week.  Great start to my "outing," huh?

After leaving the car dealership, we went straight to the doctor.  It started out normal...weight, urine test, and blood pressure.  It's been 2 1/2 weeks since our last visit at the office, and believe it or not, I have lost a pound.  That brings us back down to 7 pounds gained overall.  Daniel and I both were surprised, but it is what it is.  I guess that the couple of days I was really sick in the hospital really took a toll.  The urine test and blood pressure were both good, so that's good news.

They took us back to a room, and checked Bentley's heart rate, which was fabulous.  It was about 145 bpm, which is right about what it was in the hospital.  They asked if I had any changes, and I explained that my contractions were about the same, but I had a lot of cramping yesterday.  She decided to do another ultrasound of my cervix to check for changes before checking me.  They found that the length of my cervix had decreased.  The first time they checked it weeks ago, it was at 3.8 cm, then 2 1/2 weeks ago it was at 3.5 cm.  While at the hospital it was just over 3 cm, and today it barely measured 2 cm.  The length of the cervix is supposed to be at least 2.5 cm, and until today, we were doing good with that.  They are little concerned that my cervix is shortening, but they also said some people go for weeks measuring less than 1 cm. 

After doing the ultrasound, the doctor measured my belly, which measured about 29 weeks.  She's not concerned, though, because Bentley measured 30 weeks last week on the ultrasound.  She also checked my cervix for dilation, and it doesn't seem that anything has changed.  So, I'm still at 2 cm dilated.  Finally, she did a Fetal Fibronectin test, which tests for the possibility of preterm labor.  If negative, there is a 99% chance that I will not go into labor in the next 2 weeks.  If positive, I could be one of about 30% of women who do go into labor within the next 2 weeks.  We will get the results of that later this afternoon.  She said that there is a chance that, if the test if positive, I might have to go back into the hospital for observation and monitoring.  We'll see.  We are really hoping for a negative.

As I've been typing, I got a call from my doctor.  She said that based on the exam and ultrasound, I need to continue bedrest, continue procardia meds, and resume progesterone meds.  All these things combined will give Bentley the best chance at staying in my belly for as long as possible.  Then, she followed all this up by telling me that my Fetal Fibronectin test came back positive.  While it would be better to get a negative, the test is one sided in that the positive only means there is a "chance" that Bentley could come in the next 2 weeks.  It doesn't necessarily mean he will.  I guess we'll see.

So, overall, the news if okay.  No more dilation is a really good thing, and I think that the main thing they look at, so at least that part of the visit went our way.  Now, you haven't had a belly shot in a while, so here's our latest pics.  


Here is Bentley at 30 weeks and 4 days.



Here's the two of us.  This is the first time in a week that I've worn something besides sweats or PJ's.  Enjoy!!

Now that you're all updated on Bentley's progress.  Check out our progress with the nursery.  I've been an observer during the whole process, but here's what he have so far.


Here are Russ, Cyndel and Daniel painting the dreaded dark blue.  Here, they are working on the first coat of paint.




Daniel is still working on the first coat.  Getting ready for his BABY BOY!!




Cyndel got the fabulous job of edging (NOT), and Russ took over that later.




This might have been the last coat.  After one coat of primer and three coats of paint, I think we lost count.



Ahhhh....Almost finished!!

 The painting was an all day affair, but I am so thankful for my wonderful husband and our best friends (and family) Russ and Cyndel for their help.  It looks wonderful now, and and I'm so excited to see my little man in that lovely room. 

We had the room trimmed with a chair rail and crown molding, as well.  As a matter of fact, the trim guys were there hanging trim while we were on our way to the hospital almost two weeks ago.  We painted the trim before it was hung.  We figured it would be a lot easier to touch up the paint rather than trying to paint all of it up on the wall.  That was a good move.

As far as the furniture goes, Daniel and Russ moved everything into the room while I was in the hospital, and we've since moved things around to what we think is the best set up.  The only think missing is the nightstand, and we're not really sure of when it will come in.  Daniel touched up the trim and wall paint yesterday and got everything set back up, so here's the nursery so far.



The nightstand will go beside the chair, and you can barely see the dresser, but we'll have better pics when it's all put together and finalized.  Right now, we are dealing with what we have.



Here's a different view of the chair, chest, and crib.

You may have noticed the box sitting in the crib.  That's Bentley's bedding, and we can't wait to put it on the bed, but we have to have a mattress first.  As soon as we get more of the room put together, I'll post more pics, but for now, this is all you get! 

Now that you've been updated on Bentley's progress and his room, I guess I'm out of news.  Just keep praying for us, and know that we are so grateful for the friends and family that are taking care of us!