Videos

Here are a few short videos of Robby from this month! 

Emotionally Unstable Baby

Loves the mobile on his swing!

Reaching for the toys on the toybar of his bouncer

Talking to and smiling at the musical star!

First Two Months

Life has been crazy here in the Thielmann household!  Robby has been doing great- eating well and getting big!  After the first few weeks, we were able to eliminate all supplemented bottles and he has been exclusively nursing since.  This is much less stressful for mommy thankfully!  I've had what's called a 'foremilk imbalance' that has caused much fussiness in Robby so I've been working with a lactation consultant and luckily this issue is getting much better.  We've also determined that Robby has a dairy intolerance so I've given up dairy- which has made him much less gassy, overall happier, and cleared up the baby acne he had on his face.  Robby is still what I like to call a 'high maintenance' baby- gets fussy easily and goes through many phases where he doesn't want to be put down.  He only likes to sleep in his bouncer or on us... which makes mommy very exhausted!  Despite all this, he is an extremely smiley baby!  Many times at night I can't get him to go back to sleep because he is laying there smiling at me every time I look at him... So even though many times I'm ready to lose my mind, he makes up for it!  I'll keep him.  :)


Robby's getting to be a little chunk- at not quite 1 and 1/2 months he weighed 9 lbs 12 oz.  He has his 2 month check-up next week so we will know what he weighs currently at that time.  We can sure tell he's getting bigger by the day- he's getting a double chin and thigh rolls!  He is currently eating about every 2-3 hours during the day and typically has one 4-5 hour stretch at night (then usually wants to eat more often in the early morning).  He definitely has a fussy period in the late evening (which is made worse when he is overtired!) but even this has gotten better since we eliminated dairy.  Robby has recently started reaching for his toys on his toybar on his bouncer and when laying on his play mat!  He loves to watch the mobile on his swing as well.  His favorite thing to do is to push up and stand when you're holding him and 'flex' his muscles- I like to call it his Muscle Man!  Kona has been very good with Robby- she's very gentle, gives him kisses... however, she really would prefer it if we would just return him. :)  She's still adjusting to not having all the attention on her and she gets upset when Robby has a bad day and cries the majority of the day.  I keep trying to explain to her that once he is moving more she will love him because he will play with her!  Soon enough she'll understand...  Robby went on his first plane ride with mommy back to Chicago the week before Labor Day weekend and got to meet our families and friends.  He did great on the plane!  Slept through take-off and landing, took a bottle halfway through the flight, and pretty much slept the rest of the time!  We were so excited to be able to introduce him to everyone.

Practicing flying while sitting on Mommy's lap on the airplane!

Robby had a renal scan done at 5 weeks to check the function of his kidneys and to determine if there was damage to his right kidney.  This would also tell us if further testing needed to be done.  Poor guy was only allowed to have Pedialyte one time after 3:30am and the test wasn't until about 9am. When we got there, they had to place an IV since he had to be sedated for the scan.  This unfortunately was horrible as they couldn't get it placed.  His veins kept either blowing or disappearing as soon as they tried to place it.  Three different people tried for a total of 9 times.  One of the nurses finally got it placed... in his scalp.  :(  We felt so bad for him- but were so glad they were able to place it so we didn't have to be sent home only to come back and do it all over again.  According to the doctor, his kidneys are functioning great- left at 54% and right at 46%, which is normal.  There is no obstruction or kink in what connects the kidney to the bladder, which is good.  However, the urine could be refluxing back up to the kidney.  We have been referred to a pediatric urologist in Kansas City for further testing.  This doctor thinks it's very possible his kidney is just swollen and that it will go away on it's own.  But he still wants to do the testing to rule out reflux and/or anything else not seen on the first scan.  Let's hope this is something he can just grow out of and no surgery has to be done!

The past two months have been the most stressful and exhausting but also the most amazing two months!  We can't believe how big Robby's already getting and we love to see his personality starting to come out!  After everything we went through to get to this point, we are so grateful and amazed to finally have him here.

Here's some recent pictures of our little man!

Until next time!

Carrie

It's a Boy!

As I'm sure everyone knows by now...

It's a Boy!

Robert Lawrence was born on July 5th at 10:09am.  Robby weighed 6 lbs, 12 oz and was 19 3/4 inches long.  We are all doing great and adjusting to life with a newborn!

As I previously posted, I went in on Wednesday, July 4th at 7pm to start preparing for the induction process.  They inserted the cervidil at about 8pm that night (which was very painful as Robby's head was so low they had trouble reaching my cervix around him!) to start softening my cervix.  Before they inserted it, they checked me and I was 1-2 cm dilated and 75% effaced.  The nurse also saw that I was having contractions on my own before even placing the cervidil.  She asked the on-call doctor if she was sure they should place the cervidil because the nurse really thought it would make me go really quickly.  Monday at my doctor's appointment I wasn't really dilated at all, so since by Wednesday I had dilated to 1-2 cm, the nurse was sure this was going to be quick!  We didn't know how right she was...

We went to sleep that night, and I woke up about 2:30am able to feel the contractions.  They weren't exactly 'painful,' but they were uncomfortable enough that I wasn't able to sleep through them.  I was worried about not getting any sleep and then having to go through the whole induction in the morning.  The nurse assured me I would be able to nap after getting the epidural the next day- which put my mind at ease so I just dealt with the contractions I had throughout the night...

At 6:30am the cervidil was removed and the nurse again checked me to see how I had changed.  I had been having regular contractions all through the night that were anywhere from every 2 to every 9 minutes apart.  So we were all surprised when they checked me and I hadn't changed- still 1-2 cm dilated and 75% effaced.  Bummer.

At 7am they started the pitocin at level 2.  They explained that they would increase the dosage by 2 every 15 minutes and it could go up to level 30.  Immediately, I started feeling STRONG contractions.  I was extremely surprised as I figured it would take a while to get going before I would really start feeling them.  After about 15 minutes (pitocin had been increased one time to 4 at that point), the contractions were barely bearable and I knew I wouldn't be able to make it much longer... I was so disappointed in myself for needing the epidural so soon and when I was (what we thought) only 1-2 cm dilated- but the nurse explained that they didn't want me in too much pain due to my high blood pressure.  So she set me up to get the epidural, which included pumping me with fluids for a half hour before the epidural.  By the time she got the IV going... I was in excruciating pain with contractions that were coming in 'couples'- two in a row with no break in between, then maybe a 30 second break before the next couple.  I was barely able to catch my breath in between!  By the time the anesthesiologist placed the epidural, I was in so much pain I felt no relief from the epidural.  After 15 minutes it should have kicked in, and I still felt no relief.  The doctor couldn't figure out why as I should have been feeling a lot better by then.  At this point, it's around 8:45am and I'm starting to feel pressure with every contraction.  The nurse checks me.... and I'm at least 9 cm and ready to start pushing!  I went from 1-2 cm dilated to ready to push in two hours... That explained why I was in so much pain and why the epidural wasn't able to kick in!  The pitocin only got to level 6!

I started pushing and luckily the epidural started to kick in (I was still able to feel everything and move my legs but the pain was nothing compared to earlier!)- which made pushing actually enjoyable!  After about an hour of pushing, out came our baby BOY- screaming his head off!  It was so surreal...  Nick went out to tell our parents it was a boy- and all I heard from outside the room was screaming!  It was such a wonderful experience.

Robby had his two week checkup- which went great!  He was back up to his birth weight, he was 21 1/4 in long, and his circumcision looked great.  We are still working on exclusively nursing as we had to give him breast milk from a bottle when he first got home from the hospital because he just wasn't strong enough to nurse long enough and was getting dehydrated.  So now he sometimes gets frustrated nursing because it's not as easy as the bottle.  But he's getting there and he's gaining weight and doing great!  We also have an appointment with a urologist next week to check his kidney.  If there is anything more serious going on we will have to go see a urologist that specializes in babies in Kansas City.  Fingers crossed it's nothing serious!

Here are a few more pictures of our little man!

Carrie

Final update before baby!

Last week we had our follow-up Biophysical Profile done when I was 37 weeks, 1 day.  Over all it went well- the baby got all the points it got last time, but once again did not show signs of practice breathing (doctor once again explained that babies don't NEED to show this on an u/s, as long as they get all the other points along with passing the NST, we know that not showing the practice breathing doesn't mean anything).  We were put on the Non-stress test again, which the baby passed no problem.  On this BPP they didn't check growth or kidneys as one week later isn't enough time to re-check these things (they would normally check every 3 weeks, but we will be delivered by then).  So overall, this appointment went well!


Then today, at 37 weeks, 5 days, we had a follow-up appointment with my regular dr.  We got the results of the urine collection and bloodwork done early this morning- looked great again!  My protein level stayed just under 300 (today was 296) and my labs continued to look great.  So no new worries there!  Baby again passed the Non-stress test, though it was definitely not 'non-stress' for us (we were in there for over an hour when a NST is supposed to take 20 minutes... first we think they forgot about us, then I wasn't hooked up correctly and we weren't getting what we needed... Nick thought I was going to go into cardiac arrest as my BP was already a bit high when we got there!  But it turned out just fine- baby passed which is what matters!)!

The verdict?!

We will be getting induced starting this Wednesday, July 4th (I'll be exactly 38 weeks at this point).  When my dr checked my cervix at our appointment, she said I am pretty effaced, but just slightly dilated.  The baby is in position- she said low and in my hips (which I can definitely feel!).   So we'll go in Wednesday night to start Cervadil- this will help prepare/soften my cervix, which will help it to start dilating.  This will be done overnight and then Thursday morning we will start Pitocin to really get things going!  If everything goes well, the dr said the baby should be here Thursday evening!  Of course, there's no way to know how long it will really take- but here's to hoping!


This will be the last update before the baby is here!


Until then- here are a few pictures we took from our last dinner out, just Nick and I, before baby arrives!


Carrie

37 weeks, 3 days

Me and my first baby- she has no idea what is about to be thrown at her!

Quick Update

Just wanted to write a quick update with a bit of better news!

I had a follow-up doctor's appointment with my regular OB yesterday.  The results were in from the urine collection and lab work I did on Sunday/Monday (earlier that day).  Good news: the protein level in my urine went DOWN and my labs still looked good!  My dr said she is not removing the diagnosis of pre-eclampsia, but this means that right now it's not getting worse.  My bp at the appointment was also great, the lowest it had been, which means the meds are continuing to work (it is still inconsisent periodically throughout the day when I check it, which is why bed rest is so important).  The baby looked great on the Non-stress test as well.  We had assumed, along with our doctors, that my protein level and labs would all look worse, necessitating the amnio and/or induction at the end of this week.  Since not only did nothing look worse, but actually better, my dr sees no need to go through the amnio and induction at this point.  She is not worried about the baby's growth dropping in percentile right now as 28th percentile is not considered growth-restricted, and they wouldn't induce for just weight until the baby is considered growth-restricted (under 10th percentile).  We want the baby to get as big as possible before being born as there will be much less tests that have to be performed on the baby and less issues expected overall (of course as long as it's also safe for me to have baby stay in the womb).

The plan right now: repeat the Biophysical Profile on Thursday to ensure the baby is continuing to grow in the womb and repeat the urine collection/lab work on Sunday/Monday.  As long as that all looks okay, we will set the induction for July 5th or 6th at 38 weeks.  At this point we won't have to worry about performing an amnio since I will be 38 weeks.  Of course, if anything looks worse prior to that date we will do the amnio and induction as soon as possible, but we are hopeful that we will make it another week and a half!

Keep praying that all continues to go well this week and next so baby can stay safely in until the end of next week!

Carrie

37 weeks tomorrow!

(We still haven't taken any official belly pictures- which I plan to do this week and next before baby is born... but in the meantime here is another from my cell phone!)

And it continues...

Here's the latest...

Last week, I was doing good with the meds and bed rest, until my bp started spiking in the evening a couple days in a row.  One time ended with us in triage in the ER.  They were able to get my bp down and baby looked okay, so I was sent home.  At this point, my doctor increased my meds to 3 times a day instead of 2.  So far, this has been working and I've not had any more spikes in bp.

Unfortunately, as of Sunday, it's officially pre-eclampsia.  My blood work came back good, so at that point, my body and/or organs are not being affected.  But there was enough protein in my urine to officially diagnose pre-eclampsia.  We saw the specialist this week and they did a Biophysical profile on the baby.  This is similar to the APGAR scores they do on the baby after birth, but in the womb.  It helps to determine how the baby is doing in the womb with everything else going on.  First off, baby's right kidney measured much larger this time.  Doctor still isn't overly concerned as she said even with how dialated it is, it can still clear up on it's own after birth.  So really we won't know any more regarding the kidney until an u/s is done on the baby after birth.  Our last u/s with the specialist, three weeks ago, baby was in the 40th percentile for growth/size.  This time, however, baby was estimated to be in the 28th percentile.  Which means, while baby is still growing and putting on weight, growth is starting to be affected.  Movement, blood flow through the umbilical cord, heartbeat, everything looked good but the baby didn't show signs of attempting to 'breathe' during the time allotted for the profile (which is not uncommon for babies not to show this.  Hiccups would have also counted... which baby gets all the time!  But of couse not when we need it to.).  So we were put on the monitor for a Non-Stress test, at which point baby looked great and made up for all the point it missed on the profile.

What now?  Well, I'll be doing another urine collection to check the levels of protein in my urine along with more labs to check my organ functions on Sunday/Monday.  We'll do another Non-Stress test on the baby on Monday.  At that point, we will also schedule an amniocentresis for that Friday or the following Monday to check the maturity of the baby's lungs.  I'll be 37 and 1/2 weeks at that point.  If the results come back that the baby's lungs are matured, they may induce me that day.  If they aren't matured yet, the longest they'll let me go is 38 and 1/2 weeks (which would be around July 9th).  Another biophysical profile will be done on the baby next week as well.  If my protein levels/lab work come back not looking good, or if baby starts to not look good, there is a chance they may decide not to even wait for the amnio and just induce me right away. So while we are getting closer to a 'gameplan,' it's still pretty up in the air- depending on how things progress/maintain.

Bottom line is, we want to make it another week!  Longer baby stays in the womb (as long as its safe for both baby AND me), the better.  But if things aren't looking good, baby is also okay to be delivered now, though a much higher chance of a stay in the NICU, which of course we'd love to avoid.

So that's it for now!  I'll update more as we know more.
Carrie

Roller-Coaster Ride

Well, this is going to be a long, eventful update!  It's been a bit of a roller-coaster around here.

First off, we had our 33 week u/s to check on the baby's kidneys.  The baby was measuring right on track, estimated to weigh approx 4.11 lbs.  Heartbeat was 144 bpm.  Kidneys were proportionally the same- right one continues to be larger but my fluid levels continue to be good!

My blood pressure at this appointment was high again so my dr wanted me to continue to take it daily to monitor it.

Throughout the u/s the baby was hanging out on left side so my belly was extremely  lopsided the entire time!  And once again, baby had a hand up by face/forehead!  Baby's favorite position!  So overall, this u/s checkup was a positive one!

We went home for our baby showers in the beginning of June, when I was about 33 and 1/2 weeks.  Our showers were WONDERFUL!  We were so spoiled by everyone and are so grateful and lucky to have such wonderful families!

Nick drove back to our Springfield home on Monday and I stayed for the week.  Throughout the week I was checking my bp as I was supposed to be doing.  It would go up and down, but never high enough to worry.  It was an extremely busy week and I was on my feet a lot so I assumed the varying bp was attributed to that.  Friday I went with my parents to the lake and spent the day there.  That evening, I checked my bp and it was OVER 140/90, which is what my dr said is too high.  I got myself extremely worked up because I was afraid of something happening without Nick being here.  At that point, my bp sky rocketed and it wasn't coming down.  We decided I need to go to the hospital.  Which as it turned out, was a good decision.

Once I got to the hospital, my bp was extremely high.  They admitted me and began to monitor my bp and the baby.  Baby was looking good, but my bp was not coming down.  We decided to have Nick fly out Saturday morning to be there in case anything happened (i.e. they needed to take the baby).  I had to do a 24 hour urine collection in order to check for pre-eclampsia, which is where there is protein in the urine and the kidneys aren't functioning correctly, along with high bp.  This affects how the placenta is functioning and can be very serious for baby and mom.  My bp continued to raise throughout the day on Saturday, even though I was only laying in bed all day.  At this point they decided to put me on bp medication.  Sunday morning my results came in- and it was NOT pre-eclampsia at this point.  I was diagnosed with gestational hyptertension (pregnancy-induced high blood pressure).  They had my bp under control with the medicine and allowed me to make the drive home to Springfield and continue my care with my regular dr.

They did an u/s of the baby at the hospital to check growth- baby looked great!  It was measuring right on track and fluid looked good.  Baby was moving around and had it's feet right up under my ribs- a favorite position!  Until, baby decided to put a foot right up by it's face... yes, I said face!  It was so cute.  We also got to see that the baby had HAIR!  Doesn't necessarily mean it's a LOT of hair by any means, but there was hair nonetheless!

We were glad to see baby wasn't affected by this whole situation.  It was an extrememly scary and stressful weekend but we made it back safely, thankfully!

Once we got back, we met with our regular dr.  She wants me to continue on my bp medication (which has been working to keep my bp at a normal level).  I will have to do a 24 hour urine collection and have my blood drawn weekly in order to check for pre-eclampisa. As long it doesn't turn into pre-eclampsia and my bp continues to stay under control, I will be induced around 38-39 weeks, most likely around July 4th (if any more complications arise, baby's lung development will be checked to see if I can be induced earlier).  I'm currently on bed rest (not strict, total bed rest- I am able to get up and do things, but majority of the day I have to be sitting with my feet up.  Luckily it's only for a few weeks!).

Needless to say, it's been an eventful couple weeks!  I just have to take it easy so I can keep baby in as long as possible so he or she is as healthy as possible when born!  We haven't been very good at keeping up with the belly photos with everything that's been going on so I don't really have much to update there.

32 weeks (picture taken from my cell phone!)

I will update more as anything new develops- let's hope nothing more quite so eventful!

Carrie