Here We Go...

Well, I was warned from day one when my GI said, "You'll probably miscarry, so don't freak out." (Yes, he really said that.)  So I expected that my pregnancy wouldn't be typical.

And then when I was hospitalized, everyone told me I'd go into preterm labor since I had active UC.  They were right.

At 3am on Saturday morning, I woke up feeling like I might be peeing a little bit!  After going to the bathroom and feeling like things were still kind of leaky, I started Googling.  Lots of women talked about having little pee leaks later in pregnancy, so I tried to convince myself that's what was happening and got back in bed.  But every time I shifted weight, it felt like I was continuing to leak a little.  (I'm telling you these lovely details because I really had never heard of this happening before, and would have appreciated a detailed account!)  By 7am, I knew that I was either going to have a really annoying final 2 months of pregnancy (peeing my pants constantly) or my water was broken. 

I paged my OB's office, and they told me to go to triage at the hospital.  After a very quick internal exam, they confirmed immediately that my water was broken.  At 32 weeks and 3 days, the doctors decided to give me two shots of steroids to develop the baby's lungs and begin two courses of IV antibiotics.  My GI suggested Gentimicin and Ampicillin as the least dangerous for IBD.  The goal is to keep the baby inside and prevent contractions until 34 weeks. 

At 34 weeks, they will induce me, because at that point, with low fluids, the risks to the baby begin to outweigh the benefits of keeping him in.  (Risks include infection or him crushing the umbilical cord.)

So that's the latest.  Here are my conclusions/the lessons I learned about all this:

• Apparently active UC disease can really mean preterm labor, just like the docs and research say.  
• If your water breaks, the baby can stay inside (and the fluids actually replenish!), but there are risks of infection to the baby because the membranes are broken and bacteria can get in.
• If the water is broken and you're close to 34 weeks, my docs won't stop labor if it begins.
• But if you can make it to 34 weeks, the baby is in pretty decent developmental shape (though he will have to spend time in the NICU).

Just sitting in the hospital bed now, trying to stay relatively horizontal because, "Gravity is not my friend" when it comes to contractions.

Cinnamon Rolls...decent

These cinnamon rolls are only like normal cinnamon rolls because they have cinnamon and they're in a roll shape.  Those details aside, don't expect a real cinnamon roll. They're more like rugelach. Crunchy.

Which is why I would suggest adding raisins.  With raisins, this recipe would be a million times better.  Without raisins, I wouldn't make it again (although I have eaten every last one of these...)

(Note: I didn't make the icing because I'm not a huge fan of coconut oil.  That might make the rolls better, if you like the coconut flavor.)

Ingredients:

Roll:

• 1 3/4 cup almond flour
• 1/4 cup coconut flour
• 1/4 cup of raisins
• 4 tablespoons butter (room temperature)
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon

Icing:

• 2-4 tablespoons honey
• 1/4 cup Coconut manna/butter (Melted)
• 1/2 teaspoon Vanilla
• 2 tablespoons Coconut oil (Melted)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Combine flour, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. Mix.
3. Add eggs and honey to the bowl. Mix.
4. Add butter and mix it well, until a ball of dough forms.
5. Using two Silpats (or two pieces of greased parchment paper) on either side of the dough, roll the ball into a 1/4-inch-thick rectangle.
6. Remove the top Silpat or parchment paper and sprinkle the dough liberally with cinnamon. 
7. Drizzle with honey.
8. Scatter raisins evenly over the dough.
9. Using the Silpat/parchment paper, roll the dough into a log.  Go slowly and repair any cracks along the way.  (Seriously, use the Silpat/paper! It's really helpful because it doesn't stick as much as fingers.)
10. Cut the log into 1.5-inch rolls and place each on a greased baking sheet.
11. Bake at 350 for about 15 minutes.
12. Melt the manna and coconut oil. Mix with honey and vanilla.  Allow it to cool a bit so that it hardens on the rolls.