Induction Day has happened

I have so many thoughts and emotions running through my mind at the moment I have no idea where to begin or even how to sort them, so let's start at the beginning.

On April 24th I had my usual monthly ultrasound with the specialist from Tufts, baby looked great however my vision and headache sptons were getting worse and worse as the weeks were going by from the preeclampsia. The Dr covering that day from Tufts called upstairs to where my OB was to discuss my case where they decided that the longest they could keep me pregnant was 36 weeks either as a patient at Tufts where they could monitor me to make sure I didn't have a stroke or seizure or at home. I had an appointment with my OB right after said ultrasound, my Dr was not comfortable keeping me pregnant that much longer ( I was 33 weeks and 3 days ) his plan was to see me that following Monday if things didn't suddenly change than an induction would take place on the day I turned 34 weeks which was Wed the 29th. Of course Monday rolled around with no changes, headache was still present along with the spots and I was dizzy. My blood pressure was nice and high too along with swelling of my legs.. It was on. 

Wenesday morning came and my favorite nurse walked me to labor and delivery, I was nervous. First things first getting the awful IV in place three tries later it was in, next on the agenda.... Magnesium. If you ever experienced this stuff you know how awful it is, if you haven't then let's say it's not the best feeling in the world. At this point my OB came to check on me and give me a run down on the game plan; some pill on my cervix, foley bulb, pitocin and we will see where the whole water breaking thing comes into play. The pill insertion, no big deal. The foley bulb pfft never want to see a latex balloon again thanks ! It blew up twice and it hurt, thankfully when the nurse came to pull it the first time it came out. 

Pain management got brought up since contractions were starting, I was scared of getting an epidural because of a bad  experience at a different hospital. After speaking to my OB whom I trust I went ahead with it... Thank goodness ! My OB was aggressive with the pitocen, he upped it every 30 min and had a tough time breaking my water. 

After all this was done I felt that pressure, and my daughter was born on April 30th at 4:15am. Since she was 6 weeks early she has been in Special Care aka NICU.

It was difficult leaving her at the hospital while I left. And it's hard every day splitting up my time. It's also hard on my mother who watches my almost three year old do I can go to the hospital. I haven't even slept at my house since going into the hospital, I feel better being closer. Hopefully soon she can come home. She is doing well though, breathing on her and regulating her body temp it's just her eating or lack of that's keeping her there. The nurses reassure me that it's normal and she will get it one day. For now I go up and cuddle for a couple hours a day.

Having my pie and eating it too !

Once again www.bzzagent.com sent me a yummy coupon, this time  to try a Mrs Smith's pie for free. I went with cherry with the original flaky crust. I really intended it to be for the family for Easter as one of the desserts, no really. However knowing the pie was in the freezer and knowing I had whipping cream in the fridge just weighed heavily on my taste buds. Give me a break I am pregnant !!

It was easy to prepare, just pre-heat your oven and pop the bad boy in till the crust is golden brown. If for some reason the edges cooked faster than the rest of the pie then cover the edges with foil ( I really should have done that but meh ) While the pie was going I whipped that cream into well whipped cream goodness. I was not very clever when it came to pairing it with something but it was still so good.

I did burn the edges of my crust ( I really should have covered the edges ) but it did not matter. It smelled so good. I covered our slices in cream and dug in. The cherries were nice and tart, the crust so buttery and good. It was nice and easy to make and could pass as home made. Next time I will try apple and share with the extended family ! 

Disclaimer: I did receive this product for free and I was not compensated for my opinions which are all mine. 

Excuses, Excuses

It's been over a month since my last post, how terrible is that ? My excuse...I am too tired and that is the truth ! I finally hit my third trimester and it's been nothing but a literal headache, seriously every day I have a headache some days are terrible such as today but I bit the bullet and here I am. 

My days are spent at the doctor's office it feels like, fine it's once or twice a week. Or in Labor and Delivery for a non stress test. I was there last week to receive steroid injections in case we need to deliver me at 32 weeks. We play it by ear week to week but at least I am steroid complete. I know this is my last pregnancy and should enjoy it but it's been so stressful ! And in all honesty I hate being pregnant the only good thing is feeling her move. But even at some of those times it hurts, girlfriend is practicing her ninja kicks or something. I am just not one of those women who enjoy being pregnant. 

On another note Happy Easter if you celebrate. My day was spent with family which was nice and Gina was excited to see the bunny came, she also got gifts/treats from family. I wish I could have enjoyed it even more but today was tough headache wise ( I know you could make a drinking game out of the number of times I write the word headache ) no matter how much Tylenol I took my head throbbed. I even took my prescribed meds ( which are OB approved while pregnant ) with no relief. If it were not a holiday I would have called the Dr or went to the ER for some relief it was that bad.  I did not want to put anyone out though I feel like I do it enough as it is. Hopefully tomorrow I will wake up pain free. It's crazy to think that next Easter I will have THREE daughters, it blows my mind. 

Any who, I promise to write more. I will not let the tiredness or headaches win. I do have a couple reviews up my sleeve for you so be on the look out for those !

She's having a baby

And by she I mean me ! It was a surprise to all including myself. I will be 23 weeks tomorrow and since I am at the "advanced maternal age" in my life I am considered high risk well that and high blood pressure. I see a specialist every 4 weeks who comes in from Tufts to give me an ultrasound.

This is the reason for me not writing as often as I was; my first trimester I was miserable with morning sickness and fatigue then I hit my second trimester and felt good for a week or two then BAM fatigue hit again this time the cause was Anemia. I know that when you are pregnant you are more likely to become anemic but I never had the issue with my other two. Iron pills it is then about two weeks ago I get a call from my Doctor informing me that I am developing preeclampsia already. Call in the the headaches and spots floating in my eyes. We are playing around with different blood pressure medicines, my Doctor whom I trust is confident he can keep the baby cooking while keeping me safe. We did talk about IV therapy but that means hospitalization, that would be a last resort for me. I do not like being in the hospital knowing my daughter would be wondering where I am, that would break my heart. I am not one to jump to the hospital for everything unless necessary. If it is necessary I do have a plan in place for care. I like being prepared for as many scenarios as possible !

I tell you it's tough being pregnant with a rambunctious 2.5 year old while keeping up with the house. I have had some help from a good friend and family but it's still tough. As much as I would like to sleep the day away I cannot and do what I have to do to be a good mom. This has been the most difficult so far; with my oldest I had the morning sickness ( in another country might I add while on vacation ! ) but other than that it was smooth sailing till the end where I was stuck on bed rest. With my middle one no sickness at all ! I just had to deal with the fact she had a two vessel cord, she was missing an artery in the umbilical cord. thank goodness she is alright and was born a decent size.

It feels good finally coming out about this pregnancy. Now I can talk to others about it, maybe another mom or mom to be is dealing with preeclampsia and want to connect. I was hesitant about writing about it at all because ....my husband and I are still separated. There I said it and I was a bit embarrassed but it happened and I am welcoming this little girl with welcome arms. Did I mention it's a girl ?!  God or some higher being wanted her here with me so that is where she will be. 

Its's too bad that I did not save everything from when my youngest was an infant, I held onto just a few things. Speaking of said child, she is not so open to welcoming a new baby into the house, as she puts it she " is the baby" ! She is getting there though. And on that note stay tuned for more on this adventure.  

Chocolate and Peanut Butter...enough said

Seriously that is the best combination, in my eyes at least. Influenster recently  sent me the Reeses Peanut Butter and chocolate spread to try and review. It was good timing too, I am FINALLY feeling better after months of morning sickness and sluggishness. 

Naturally the first thing I did was stick a spoon in it and gave it a good taste, it is so delicious plain on it's on. Then I headed to Pinterest to see what other peanut butter chocolate concoctions were being done. I had it spread on an english muffin with cut up banana, I used it on top of a waffle instead of syrup, I also spread it on fruit such as strawberries and of course bananas. And are you ready for it....I used it to make an ice cream sundae ( that was my favorite use for it ) It's good on graham crackers and next time I make bacon I am going to dip it in this spread. 

This is a fantastic spread and I highly recommend you seek it out especially if you love the chocolate and peanut butter combo ! 

Home made goodies made in NY !

I was recently sent some amazing hand made soap and roll on perfume. I was super excited to receive them and now review them. And the sweet woman named Minnie who is the woman behind it all is generous enough to give you, my readers 50% any regular priced item using the promo code RAMBLING ! 

With that being said I was sent soap chips in the "Satin Berries" scent. I adore the scent it was sweet and not over powering. The chips are a great size for showering and I feel like I am not wasting soap, for some reason I feel like cutting off smaller pieces of a bar of soap makes it last longer ! The soap did not dry out my skin nor did it make it feel tight like some soaps can do to you. My toddler liked the chips, I gave her one to play with in the tub and she had a blast with it, perfect size for her ! I highly recommend the soap chips. 

In addition to the soap chips I was sent roll on perfume in " Sage Dream ". I like that it is in roller ball form, so easy to apply and a great size for your purse. I applied this scent in the morning and it stayed strong all day long. As for the scent itself it was quite calming and light, my nose is really sensitive at the moment and was a little iffy about wearing any kind of perfume ! I cannot tell you how much I adore the scent and wish I could spray some on your pulse points through the computer so you can sniff for yourself. 

I love the fact that there is an actual person behind the company and making these things by hand and made right in New York. If you are looking for quality products which include body butter, lip and body scrubs as well as soap subscription boxes in addition to the soap chips and perfume go check out www.nycmetrogirl.com and do not forget the 50% any regular priced item just use promo code RAMBLING

Tis the season for giving- Let's help Titan !

I am not one for asking for money however if you know me then you know my love for animals ! In addition of my love for animals I am a Lush addict with all of this being said let me tell you about Titan and how Lush has anything to do with this post.

I adore Lush and follow fellow Lushies on Instagram, one person in particular @floral_queen recently posted about her dog Titan. Titan recently was playing with his sibling and was not paying attention to the stairs, poor little guy fell down the whole flight and hurt his leg badly. So badly that they were given three choices; send young Titan over the Rainbow Bridge, remove said leg or have surgery to set the leg with pins. They obviously chose the surgery, after all Titan is only 6 months old and he is their fur baby ! The surgery has been done and now poor Titan is restricted to his crate the whole day only to be let out to use the restroom to ensure the pins stay in place. Do you know how hard that is for a rambunctious puppy ! So far so good and just a couple more weeks to go.

Now let me tell you about @floral_queen, she is a sweet person who is quite generous. She also takes the best photos ! She has a Go Fund me page set up for Titan ( correction it's her I believe boyfriend that set the page up ) and she is having a giveaway for anyone that donates at least $5 to Titan. For every $5 you donate equals one entry into her giveaway on Instagram. I posted a pic below of everything included. Another Lushie donated items as well for the giveaway ( see how caring and giving the Lush Community is ! ) I am late writing this post so if you want to donate and enter do so by tomorrow since tha is when the giveaway ends. But don't just donate for a prize do it for a sweet young puppy that hurt himself. And go follow @floralqueen, seriously it's a great account ! Here is the link to the Go Fund Me page http://www.gofundme.com/hs5sag

Quick update: the giveaway has been extended to December 15th and open to Canada ! Also poor Tiran had a set back, his leg got infected which added another $500 onto his bill to treat it.