Category: Work

Partial contractions, stuffy nose and a very active baby!

22 weeks! About a week and a half and baby reaches viability!

I’m definitely bigger now than I was with my first. In fact this pregnancy has been very different from the others. Aren’t they all?!

When I was pregnant with my 6-year-old, it was the first pregnancy I had where I carried a baby past the first trimester. My daughter was in my right uterus, the bigger one. As it stretched, I don’t really remember it contracting in weird places throughout the second trimester… but to be honest, I was pretty overwhelmed by the entire thing. EVERYTHING was new. It could have happened, but I was so concerned about a bat colony that had made its way into our house, a hemorrhoid that needed surgery and my emergency cerclage that I easily could have missed it.

Those partial contractions, however, are happening with this pregnancy. I compare it to that “first” one because this baby is in my left uterus. That uterus has never been pregnant before, it’s never been stretched by a growing human. But this time I’m a veteran. The bat colony no longer exists, I’ve figured out how to keep the hemorrhoid situation under control, and this is my third go around with a cerclage. Perhaps now I’ve allowed myself to notice different things.

My high risk doctor says it’s TOTALLY NORMAL. And, to be honest, these contractions have been happening for a few weeks now. What I mean by “partial” is that it’s a small part of my uterus that gets tight. I promise you’re freaking out right now more than me.  Sometimes it’s on the left, sometimes it’s on the right, sometimes it’s high, sometimes it’s low. It does not hurt, but it’s a little uncomfortable and does cause me to pause for a moment, especially if it’s low. I manage it by rubbing my belly, giving it a little massage, and in a few seconds it goes away. My doctor says that it’s just that organ trying to “warm up” for the real thing. Most days I don’t notice much, but some days it happens a lot. Today was one of those days.

Unfortunately, today it took my breath away a bit and a couple of my coworkers and viewers noticed it on the air. I apologize! It doesn’t help that this pregnancy has also caused my nose to be constantly stuffy. Plus, this baby is measuring a full week ahead of schedule, so it’s growing quickly and taking up more space. All of those things are making it more difficult for me to manage my breath at times. I, sincerely, appreciate everyone’s patience.

For now, the cerclage is holding wonderfully. Baby looks healthy every time we peek at him or her. And the baby is kicking like CRAZY! I love it. 🙂 My four-year-old son likes to listen to the baby. He’ll put his ear on my belly while the baby kicks. He might get a swift kick to the face, but says he can hear it. LOL

My belly is getting high enough that acid reflux is a big issue this time around. Medicine is helping, but if I’m not careful it will make me sick… which by the way, is still happening every morning. YAAAAAAAAYYYYY.

Coming up next week, I get to see the baby again! My high risk doctors are doing growth scans once a month. They want to make sure that when growth does slow down, the baby is still getting enough nutrients. They believe that growth slows more significantly because the umbilical cord and placenta are not as efficient as they were earlier in the pregnancy when the baby wasn’t taking up so much space.  Both my daughter and son were fast growers at first, measuring well ahead of schedule, then quickly falling behind during the third trimester. While both were small, they were both very healthy so that’s good!

This baby looks to be following in big brother and sister’s steps. He or she is measuring a full week ahead of schedule! We’ll see how that growth has continued next week.

 

August 2, 2017 Severe Weather Risk

080217 severe wx threat

 

Strong storms are possible across parts of Colorado today. The picture above shows the categorical risk for severe weather, issued by meteorologists at the Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Oklahoma. For those who are unaware, the categories for risk include: Marginal, Slight, Enhanced, Moderate and High.

Here is a quick definition of what each category means:

Convective Risk Categories Defined.JPG

You can also click here for a more in depth look at SPC products.

So, what does all this mean for the forecast for today…  Today’s risk is SLIGHT for far northeastern Colorado, and MARGINAL for locations just outside of the Denver area.

As of this posting, a cold front was sitting north of Colorado, over Wyoming. This front will push south into our state late this afternoon/evening. Showers and thunderstorms will develop ahead of the front on the eastern plains, specifically in far northeast Colorado, close to 3 p.m. As they build, they will be moving south/southeast.

Storms on our far eastern plains have enough support in the upper levels for the development of severe weather. Large hail and damaging wind will be the primary threats. However, there is also a small chance for an isolated tornado. These storms will gradually exit southeastern Colorado late Wednesday night.

For Denver and the Front Range: isolated thunderstorms are possible. However, we do not have as much upper level support for strong storms. Isolated storms have already begun to form in the foothills and mountains. These storms are moving to the southeast and contain heavy rain and lightning. They will cross I-25 late this afternoon, around 3 p.m. We will see a threat for lightning, heavy rain and small hail as storms cross the interstate.  Most of the shower and thunderstorm activity in Denver will be over by 3 a.m.

The threat for severe weather in Denver is low. However, still watch for one or two storms to become severe.

NOTE: Models are also showing a second wave of showers and thunderstorms moving through the Denver area early tomorrow (Thursday) morning. This bears some watching so see if consecutive model runs pick up on this. It could mean some slick driving conditions for commuters early Thursday.

 

Escape Routes – Costa Rica

You may be asking yourself, “Why is Becky talking about a vacation to Costa Rica in the middle of the SUMMER?!”

I’ll tell you why… because winter is fast approaching. I am well aware of what the calendar says: Fall begins September 22; Winter begins December 21.

But here’s a few more stats…

Denver typically sees it’s first snow by OCTOBER 18th. Denver’s average October snowfall… 4.0 inches. If you want to go extreme, the Blizzard of 1997 came October 24 – 25th. Almost TWO FEET of snow fell over that time frame.

October weather 1997

If you’re superstitious, Denver has not seen snow during the month of October for the last 3 years. That’s the first time that’s happened in Denver weather history. We’re due.

October weather

If snow is falling, then it might as well be winter. So let’s all agree that winter in Denver starts in OCTOBER, which is now only 2 months away.  By the time January rolls around, we’re right smack in the middle of winter, despite what the calendar says. And I don’t know about you, but by that time I’m ready for a warm break.

As I look at the family calendar, a January trip to Costa Rica sounds tempting. In full transparency, I have never been… but I’ve wanted to go for years. And this meteorologist doesn’t go anywhere on vacation until I’ve researched its weather. According to what I’ve found, Costa Rica is a pretty great place to be when Denver is looking mighty chilly.

Their “green season”, or winter, runs from May to mid-November. It’s called the “green season” because of all the rainfall. Costa Rica averages 100 inches of rainfall every year… with some mountain areas getting more than 25 feet. During “green season”, you’ll wake up to sunny skies with rain showers developing during the afternoon. If you like to surf, some of the largest swells come during “green season”. And full rivers make for great white water rafting. Not to mention, it’s a little less expensive to visit when there is so much rain! However, that four wheeling trip you are wanting to take might not happen due to some roads becoming impassable. Can you imagine zip lining in the rain? When rain hits you at high speeds, it burns! I don’t enjoy the feeling of small rocks pelting my skin. Constantly. And what if you want to be lazy and hang out at the beach? Not happening if it’s raining all afternoon.

That brings me back to January. It’s 5 degrees outside in Denver and you have 5 layers of clothes on to keep you warm. The Broncos are great (hopefully), but the forecast is bleak… calling for a slow warm-up back to the 30s in five days.

January Denver

Meanwhile, in Costa Rica…

January Costa Rica

It’s dry season… especially along the Pacific Coast. Temperatures along the beaches of the Pacific Coast average from 86 to 94 degrees. Average temperatures in the mountains around the central valley range from 75 to 85 degrees. A few rain showers are possible… but are brief in the afternoon or evening.

Yes, please. Maybe a quick, long weekend trip to the Pacific Coast of Costa Rica in January is just the break I need. 🙂

(NOTE: In January, the northwest part of Costa Rica gets windy as cooler air dives in from North America. And the Caribbean side of the central mountains is still rainy. Cooler air pushes across the Gulf of Mexico, collides with warm, humid air over the northeast side of the country… and results in days of rain locals call “temporales del Atlantico”.)

 

This Blog turns 1!!

I cannot believe that one year ago today I launched this blog! To be honest, I had a few anxiety attacks over it. But I knew I was doing the right thing. It was so important to me to share my own, high risk pregnancy experience.  I wanted others, who were either going through the same thing or something similar to have a real-life example to compare to, and to ultimately know that you are not alone.

I never expected it to grow to more than 8000 subscribers, or to receive the messages and emails from other people experiencing the same way. I feel like I have gotten more out of this experience than I ever gave. So, thank you!

While I am no longer pregnant, I still deal with all of the issues that made it hard for me to get pregnant in the first place, and made my first, second and third trimesters so stressful.  I still have uterus didelphys, Factor V Leiden, my endometriosis can return, and so could my uterine polyps. 

So, now I’m focusing on being a good mom, taking care of my health and finding ways to help others in their journeys as well.

Knowledge is power! And I firmly believe that the more thoughtful conversations we have, the more we share, the more power we give ourselves to make our lives better.

My “disgusting” belly

The lost blog…

I meant to post this while I was still pregnant.  Alas, Colin arrived 4.5 weeks early, and I never got around to it.

People are funny. You can’t please them all.  I realize that not everyone likes to look at a pregnant woman.  I understand if you just can’t because you’re having problems getting pregnant yourself, or have suffered miscarriages.  I’ve been there.  You do what you need to do to cope.

But for the Negative Nancy’s: Come on… complaining about my growing belly, and calling in to call its appearance on live television “disgusting” is extreme.  There are more important things to life, people.  Get over yourselves.  If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all.

What do you want me to do? Hide my belly?? Fine. Is this better?

image“The magic blue screen” – Nothing like hiding that belly with a little blue painter’s tape!

image“Pardon me while I walk around with this giant landscape!”

image“My best friend Peyton” – Nothing like using your good, super tall buddy to hide that growing belly!!

Missing photos:

“The Redneck” – belly hiding at its best in duck hunting camouflage.

“The mumu” – Granny would be proud.  There’s no way you’re finding any kind of shape in that get-up.

Yeah… none of these are going to work.  I’m proud of my belly.  And I’m proud I’ve made it as far as I have. So deal with it.  It’s not like it’s forever anyway.