Happy Birthday, Kylee!

There is NO SUCH THING as too many birthday wishes, especially to someone so amazing and who has touched so many people’s lives!

You deserve tons of love and attention on this very special day, simply for being YOU.

You are a truly inspiring person without even trying and by just being yourself.  You make everyone around you feel special and are one of the most compassionate people I know, always being there for your friends to offer encouraging words or huge laughs. And speaking of laughs, yours is one of the best and super contagious!  You are genuine friend, an incredible mother, a loving wife, sister and daughter, and a remarkable person. I feel so lucky to call you my friend!

I wish you only the happiest of birthdays today and hope today…as well as all the rest are filled with tons of love and happiness!

Happy Birthday! 

Love,
Jenn

Talk to Me - Group B Streptococcus

So last week my Doctor ran a screening test for Group B Streptococcus (GBS).  This is done around week 35 and is done by taking a cotton swab and getting a culture, down there.  Last week at my Doctor appointment they told me I was positive for this.

So let’s talk about Group B Streptococcus because as of a few days ago I had no idea what this was and why I was getting tested.

What is Group B Streptococcus (GBS)?

It is a type of bacterial infection that can be found in a pregnant woman’s vagina or rectum. This bacteria is normally found in about 25 % of all healthy, adult women.  Group B strep colonization is not a sexually transmitted disease (STD).  Most women have no idea they have this and it is not harmful to them at all. 

If it is not harmful why do the test for it?

If you test positive for GBS this simply means that you are a carrier.  A mother can pass GBS to her baby during delivery and if the baby catches it can become very very ill.  Early onset GBS is usually known within the first 24 hours and is the most severe.  Late onset is usually found between 2 weeks and 3 months of the child’s birth and though will cause the child to be sick, is not as severe.  Either way, the child will need to be treated immediately if sick.

So since you are positive for it will your baby catch it?

No, not necessarily.  If properly treated it will greatly reduce the chances of your baby becoming ill.  Some statistics say 1 in 2000 others say 1 in 4000.  My Doctor just says it is very common and I shouldn’t worry :)

So how do they treat it?

During labor they will put the medicine directly into the IV to treat the mother and help protect the baby. 

  

So how do you feel about this news?

Well obviously if I had my preference I would prefer to not be positive for this.  However, I also know that this is fairly common and that the hospital knows what to do and will take all steps necessary to make sure that Henry is safe.  Yes, there is always a possibility that the medicine doesn’t work and he gets really sick.  But that is just like there is always a possibility that something else could happen during delivery or even after.  It is the scary reality that is associated with having a child.  For the most part, it is all out of my control and I cannot worry about it.  I know when he is born, we will both worry a bit until we know he is healthy….I am sure that is common among all new parents!  But at this point at least I know I am positive for it and there is something that can be done and that is all I can do right now.

So has anyone else been tested for this and diagnosed as positive for GBS?  Thoughts on it?

I just wanted to talk about it because I was so unfamiliar with it.  My mom had never heard of it and even women in the office didn’t know about it.  Not sure if it is something new they started testing for in the last 5-10 years or what.  It just got me curious!

I Love - Farmers Markets!

So I am a big fan of a Farmer’s Market, or really any outside local produce store.  It can be a small shop with just one farmer’s amazing produce, it can be a small Farmers Market with a handful a vendors, or it can be a large one with tons of vendors and local businesses.  I love them all.

Now I grew up basically in the heart of Amish country (it is our next door neighbor that lived only about 5-10 minutes away).  So growing up we would make many trips out to Amish country for good produce, cheese, trail bologna, baked goods….whatever!  And it was always delicious, homemade, and of course locally grown.  AWESOME.

In/near BG we have a few small stands that are on the side of the road that sell great local items.  We go to this one stand multiple times a year to get our corn, tomatoes, and any other special fruits and veggies.  We go to two other shops to get cider & apples in the fall as well as they have an arrangement of nuts, baked goods and other seasonal fruits and veggies.  However, there has been no one place where many of these farmers go (like a farmers market) to sell their products.

So you can imagine my surprise when I just happened to drive through downtown BG on a Wednesday after work and see what appeared to be a Farmers Market! WHAT?!  When did that get there?!  After a little research and asking, apparently this Farmers Market had been going on for some time on Wednesday evenings during the Months of May – October. Again….WHAT?!

 How did I not know about this?  Well probably because I avoid downtown BG during most months because of all the students and just take the back way home from work.  But a Farmers Market, albeit a small one, in my town is totally worth taking a look.  So Wednesday night, when it was a beautiful 75 degrees outside, I stopped by to take a quick look.  Basil, tomatoes, baked goods, freshly made breads, corn, flowers, even candles….all so lovely and available for me to purchase.

Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately) I didn’t really know what to expect so I didn’t bring much cash with me, but I did have enough to get a few things.  I got some large tomatoes; I can already taste the basil, tomato, and mozzarella salads I will be making this weekend.  I got these extremely sweet yellow cherry tomatoes….seriously they are almost like candy!  I got some sweet local corn – YUM.  And I got some homemade salsa from Willy’s Famous Salsa in BG.  I have had this stuff many times before and it is SO good.

Overall there were around 10-15 different vendors out selling their products.  So it was by no means a huge Farmers Market, but had more than enough to get what you would want/need all in one place.  The hardest part was choosing which of the 4 places that sold tomatoes should I pick….seriously, I felt guilty and wanted to buy from ALL of them and of course they all want you to come over and buy from them.  Now that I know what to expect and what vendors are there, I feel I won’t be so overwhelmed and I am totally going back next Wednesday, with a little more cash in hand to get some more items.  There were these homemade breads that looked amazing.  And do you know how hard it was to walk past the baked goods and not even buy ONE cookie!! 

I absolutely love supporting local farmers and small businesses and think this is such a great way to get the community out to not only support the farmers but also the local businesses in a small downtown like ours.  There was a good crowd of people there and I hope they do really well at this so it can continue and grow.

YAY for Farmers Markets!

Terry and I even already decided this would be the perfect place to venture out and visit after Henry is born this fall!

Who Wants Play Along?! Guess Henry’s Stats!

Let’s have a little fun, shall we?!

As I am now about 32 days away (give or take) from meeting our little boy (Insert excited squeal here!!!) I thought it would be fun to guess when Henry will be here and how big he will be! 

As a reminder my due date is September 9^th.  My uterus is measuring about 2 weeks ahead size wise.

So, what do you think?

1.) What day will Henry make his grand entrance?

2.) What time will Henry arrive?
3.) How long will he be?
4.) How much will he weigh?

Pregnancy – 35 Weeks

Your baby doesn't have much room to maneuver now that he's over 18 inches long and tips the scales at 5 1/4 pounds (pick up a honeydew melon). Because it's so snug in your womb, he isn't likely to be doing somersaults anymore, but the number of times he kicks should remain about the same. His kidneys are fully developed now, and his liver can process some waste products. Most of his basic physical development is now complete — he'll spend the next few weeks putting on weight.

What the baby looks like this week.

Your uterus — which was entirely tucked away inside your pelvis when you conceived — now reaches up under your rib cage. If you could peek inside your womb, you'd see that there's more baby than amniotic fluid in there now.

 Blood Pressure: Down again, YAY!  126/80

Weight: Up 3 pounds this week.  You would think hearing this it would prevent me from going into work the same day and eating a bunch of peanut M&M’s.  However, my Dr. also told me that I hadn’t gained any weight in the 4 weeks prior to this visit so really (in my mind) it was like I had barely gained any weight at all. Bring on the peanut M&M’s.

Henry: His bpm is 140 and his heart sounds good.  She also ran a physical check-up on me and said it feels like his head is down! 

Exam: Besides checking the position of the baby they did a standard check for the bacteria called Group B streptococci (GBS). I will know the results next week.  (By the way, I had NO idea I was having a physical exam and was not prepared…down there.  Nothing catches you more off guard then going into to hear a heartbeat and instead having to get an exam!  And since Terry does not like to miss a single appointment, he got to be a part of it too….I am sure he was excited for that.)

Food Cravings/Aversion: No aversions that I can think of, but I am ALL about sweets….which is not normal for me as I am usually all about salty foods.  But I basically *need* something sweet every day since being pregnant.  There really is no passing on the dessert for me!

Overall: When the Doctor checked me out and said she could FEEL our son’s head, I think the realization that this is getting close really kicked in.  He is getting ready, my body is getting ready, we are trying to get ready at home….all because our son will be here so very soon.  I want him to fatten up a little more, but I must say we are SO ready to see him.