Monday Must-Have: Oh, wait... It's Tuesday.

Sorry mommas. We realize that we are a day late for our Monday Must-Haves, but we promise it’s for good reason. This week’s must-have is simple: relaxation. Do you even remember the last time you truly relaxed? I mean kick your feet up, veg out on some delicious snacks, snuggle up to your hubby & puppy, and watch hours of mindless tv? Well, yesterday that was just what the doctor ordered-- literally.

I have spent the last few weeks making mental checklists a mile long, managing deadline after deadline at my job, planning a nursery, completing house renovations, attending birthday dinners and social events, and feeling guilty when I finally sit down to rest. I am self-admittedly Type A and a worry-wart, and to top it off my hormones have been raging for the past week making me feel even more crazy. There were no signs of stopping this freight train I was driving non-stop to my due date… that is, until yesterday.

My husband and I had an appointment yesterday for a fetal heart echo due to 2 failed anatomy screenings. It seems as though our baby girl is quite the gymnast, tossing & turning nonstop making it nearly impossible for our previous ultra sound techs to check all of the necessary images off of their list. So we were off to the maternal fetal medicine doctor to get a closer look at our sweet little one’s heart.

When we walked in we were greeted by this incredibly funny, witty, and brilliant doctor. A doctor from Thailand was also there to perform some additional measurements on Baby Pete which she needed for her own personal studies. Everything started off incredibly smoothly, with our doctor telling us that everything looked great on our little babe and she was growing right on track. I truly believe God works in mysterious ways because had we not had two failed attempts at our anatomy scans or seen this doctor on this particular day when he had someone in from Thailand who needed extra measurements for her own use, we wouldn't have learned about our little girl’s heart. It turns out that our little girl was experiencing extra heart beats (also known as PAC- premature atrial contractions). When our first doctor checked her out everything was beating normally, but as the 2^nd doctor began her scan the irregular beats became more and more frequent.

After further explanation we learned that a few extra beats is normal but frequent extra beats needs further monitoring, which was the boat we were in. Our doctor asked if I was a nervous person. YES. He asked if I drank caffeine. No, not regularly… a glass of decaf tea once a week is just about my limit. Did I eat chocolate? Well… yes. And do I use cocoa-butter? No. That last question about cocoa butter may seem strange to many pregnant women, but it is the 2^nd time I have been asked. And this maternal fetal medicine doctor has zero tolerance for cocoa butter. It makes sense to me, cocoa butter is derived from chocolate which is caffeine-based, and many pregnant women practically bathe in it to avoid stretch marks. So with the news of our little one’s extra heart beats, I was placed on a strict no caffeine, chocolate, cocoa butter, and stress plan.

We will return for a follow up next week to monitor our baby’s heart, and we pray that it corrects itself on its own. If not, we will be seen weekly until it goes away. There are some risks involved if it gets worse, so we are praying and asking for prayers that our little dancing bean stays healthy and her heart begins to beat in a normal rhythm.

Until then, I am taking it slow, calming my nerves, and keeping me and my sweet baby as healthy as I can. Maybe God was giving me another lesson on patience. I don’t need to rush every project- I should enjoy these projects especially the ones that have to do with my growing family. It’ll all get done, it always does. It may not happen at the time I want it to, just like this delayed post, but it will happen in due time.

Oh and today... today I got a pedicure. And trust me, this was EXACTLY what the doctor ordered. 

XO Krista