Visiting her grandparents - visitando os avos

First, I apologize for not writting last Sunday - I do have a valid excuse: I was hospitalized again due to another kidney infection.  I really believe the bacteria was not completely killed from the last time and the infection reoccurred.  This time my fevers were higher and tylenol wasn't working... After 3 days of antibiotics in my vain, the symptoms improved and I was discharged.  At least, I got to know the postpartum nurses very well!  Thank you for the prayers and the visits - they meant a lot to me and helped me recover quickly!

We are now in Atlanta visiting Mariela and Nelson, relaxing and spending time with all my in-laws.  It is so nice to be near them and talk about Gabi with them.  Mari, Tina, and Mary Jo are going to throw me a baby shower next Saturday - I am so excited about that!  After investing hours and hours in registering and regestering it will be fun to see some of the stuff that we selected for Gabi.  I am also looking forward to experiencing her 1st baby shower.  I will add pictures once I get back to Texas (6/6).

Desculpe-me por nao ter escrito o ultimo Domingo, mas eu estava no hospital outra vez pelo mesmo tipo de infeccao.... Acho q a bacteria que causou a primeira infeccao nao foi completamente eliminada e eu voltei a ter os mesmos sintomas... Depois de 3 dias de antibiotico na veia, a febre e a dor melhoraram e eu pude ir para casa.  Ja esou amiga das enfermeras!!  Muito obrigada por todas as oracoes - me ajudaram a sarar rapido!

Agora estamos em Atlanta visitando o Nelson e a Mariela, curtindo tempo em familia e relaxando!  Estou contente pois sabado vamos ter meu primeiro xa de bebe (que a Mariela, Tina, e a Mary Jo nos vao dar)!  Depois de muuuuiiiito trabalho e horas escolhendo e  refazendo a minha lista de presentes, vamos poder ver algumas das coisas que escolhemos.  Assim que chegar-mos no Texas, eu colocarei as fotos no blog!

6 months' OBGYN visit - Visita ao ginecologo (6 meses)

I saw the OBGYN last Wednesday and he did a through exam on me this time and ordered my blood sugar test - which I will get the result on Tuesday.  I am a little nervous because I do not want to do the 3 hour test again!  The lady at the lab was new and did not know what she was doing - she used the wrong needle and could not draw my blood... Someone else had to come and stick me again to complete a test tube.... My arm is still sore!

The doctor said everything looks good and the sonogram was normal.  Gabi was moving so much during it that the lady had a hard time getting her heart rate and good pictures... I will post them later (even though the quality was not as good this time).

Eu vi o meu medico na sexta e ele fez 1 exame completo em mim e ate tirou meu sangue para testar a glucosa.  Vou saber o resultado amanha.  Ele falou que tudo parece estar bem de acordo com o exame fisico.  A mulher que tirou meu sangue era nova e errou a agulha e nao conseguiu completar o tubinho ate que outra mulher teve que vir e tirar sangue do meu outro braco... RRRRR!!

O ultrasom foi bem rapido desta vez e a mulher mal conseguiu calcular o batimento cardiaco da Gabi de tanto que ela movia!  Ela se mexe bastante de manha e a noite (antes de eu dormir).  Depois eu adicionarei as fotos do sonograma (nao sairam tao claras desta vez...)

Babies"R"Us - Baby Registry

We finally finished our registry!!  I have probably spent 20 hours on it!  It takes a lot of planning, researching, and choosing to complete it!  We included everything that Gabi will need during her 1st year.  We have registered at Target and Babies"R"us.  Please click on the links below to access our registries: 
Babies"R"Us - Baby Registry
 https://www.target.com/registry/baby/37FLKW32AE1KD
We will have a shower in Atlanta hosted by Mariela and Tina with the help of Mary Jo (6/4); and one in Texas at Maureen's house with the assistance of Kathy Wolf (TBA). 

Nos completamos o nossa lista do enchoval e roupinhas para Gabi. Eu investi umas 20 horas para completar-la!  Demora muito pois eu nem sabia o que precisava e que marcas eram boas, etc.  Depois de pesquisar e pedir ajuda a minhas amigas, a lista ja esta completa!  Se alguem ai do Brasil quizer comprar um presente para a Gabi, por favor verifique estas paginas da internete para escolher algo:
 Babies"R"Us - Baby Registry
 https://www.target.com/registry/baby/37FLKW32AE1KD As coisas aqui sao muito mais baratas que no Brasil e muita delas nao cobram o frete.  Vale a pena comprar pela internete se voce compreende ingles e tem um cartao de credito internacional.  Adorariamos receber visitas tambem!  Assim vc pode vir fazer compras aqui!

Happy mother's day!

Nelson was a sweetheart and gave me a rose with a balloon and a very nice card!  That was my 1st mother's day gift! I also got chocolate at the church we visited this morning!
I wish all the mothers who read my blog a wonderful mother's day - You all deserve much more than 1 day per year!!

Hoje eu recebi meu primeiro presente de dia das maes! O Nelson me deu flores, um cartao lindo e me levou p/ um festival que eu queria ir!  Foi um dia otimo!  Ate ganhei chocolate da igreja que eu visitei!

FELIZ DIA DAS MAES A TODAS!  VOCES MERECEM MUITO MAIS DO QUE UM DIA DE CELEBRACAO E RECONHECIMENTO!!

Hospitalization/hospitalizacao

I had my 1st pregnancy complication - my urinary tract infection (UTI) led to a kidney infection...  I was hospitalized for 3 days and was on IV fluids and antivbiotics.  Although I improved quickly, I had to stay there until I was 48 hrs fever free. I am very mad that they were giving me 540 kcal of pure dextrose when I was eating perfectly well... I don't know why they had to do that...  The hospital stay was not too bad except for the fact that they wake you up every 4 hours.  I don't know who decided to take daily weights at 4 am... I certainly disliked that!  Overall, I had a very good feel for the postpartum nurses and room, which I will most likely be after delivering.  I did like all the 5 RNs that assisted me, they were all very nice.  I liked that each nurse had to come check Gabi's heartbeat, which was normal for the most part.  It was a little accelerated when I had a fever, but it went back to normal.  Apparently, she dislikes that noise bc she always moved once they found her heartbeat.  She even moved the monitor once!
The kitchen always messed up my orders, but the food was acceptable.  I am glad to be home and well, no longer hooked to an IV!  Thank you so much for all your prayers - they worked well!  On the same day I was admitted into the hospital, Nelson had a car accident but thanks to God nothing happened to him.  Praise God for his protection!  I believe we will need a new car...

I planned to add a picture, but the camera died the second that Nelson was clicking on it....  I will have it uploaded by Wednesday.  I will see my OBGYN on Friday and will have more news then.

Esta muito tarde e eu preciso dormir.  Se alguem ai do Brasil nao entender o q eu escrevi a cima, por favor diga-me para que eu possa traduzir o texto depois (escrever no "comments").  

Baby's Development (~23 weeks) - O desenvolvimento do bebe (~23 semanas)

Check out this video to see how Gabriela should be growing according to her gestational age:
http://www.babycenter.com/2_inside-pregnancy-weeks-21-to-27_10312242.bc
She now must be more than 11 inches long and weighs just over a pound (about as much as a large mango).  Blood vessels in her lungs are developing to prepare for breathing, and she can hear sounds that are loud enough! Nelson now needs to start playing for her! Check this picture:  http://www.babycenter.com/fetal-development-images-23-weeks

  I finally started feeling her move!  She moves a lot at night usually.  Nelson has also been able to feel her by putting his hand on my belly!  It is very exciting! 

 Se voces quiserem ver como a Gabi esta se desenvolvendo de acordo com sua idade gestacional, assista este video: http://www.babycenter.com/2_inside-pregnancy-weeks-21-to-27_10312242.bc
Ela ja deve medir uns 28 cm e pesar 1/2 kg.  veja a foto: http://www.babycenter.com/fetal-development-images-23-weeks.  Ela ja pode escutar e o Nelson vai ter que comecar a tocar violino p/ ela!  Os pulmoes ja comecaram a desenvolver-se, a preparando para respirar depois.

Nos agora estamos podendo sentir-la mover-se na minha barriga!  Ela se mexe bastante a noite!  E muito legal poder finalmente sentir-la se mover mais frequentemente. 

Hospital or Birthing Center???

I was bad and did not get to update the blog last Sunday - my appologies.  It was Easter and I went to my friend's house (25 minutes away) and got stuck there due to a storm/tornado warning...

This past week I visited a birthing center here in Denton, which I loved but it is "out-of-network" with my insurance, thus, it will cost more than the hospital.  I will contact my insurance to see if I can get an "out-of-network" exception, which may be possible since this place it is so much more economical than a hospital.  I was pleased to learn that this place has medical equipment in case the baby needs to be intubated (can't breath) or resuscitated (which I am sure will not be the case).  If I end up needing medical intervention, I could be in a hospital within 5 minutes. In addition, the midwives at this facility are very experienced and well prepared to deliver babies - they receive extensive training. If you like, you can find more info by checking their website: http://www.inannabirth.com/


Yesterday, I went to the hospital where my doctor delivers (Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital) due to an urinary tract infection (UTI). I have started antibiotics and am fighting a fever now...
I was stuck there for 2 hours just to get a prescription... Thus, I did not have a very good impression.  However, I was pleased to find out that the nursing staff supports breastfeeding, there is a lactation consultant there, and they encourage skin-to-skin contact during the 1st 30 minutes after birth.  If someone is in the room with me (awake), I can keep the baby there to facilitate breastfeeding. For more info, here is the website: http://www.texashealth.org/default.cfm?id=1

I have not yet decided rather we will deliver at the hospital or a birthing center.  I need to evaluate the pros and cons and do some more research about the negative effects of an epidural - so I can be convinced to go all natural...  I do like my doctor quite a bit but I also like the flexibility and the environment of the birthing center.  I will let you all know once we make a decision.  Feel free to express your opinion and past experience.