I have concluded that it is time to move on from this blog that I was never very dedicated to keeping up to date to begin with!
We have started a new chapter of our lives with Ben and I want my new blog to focus on all of the positives in our lives right now. In addition, I didn't share the previous blog with many people IRL because I was never very comfortable broadcasting our IF struggles and all of my emotions that went with it, with our IRL friends.
So, please head on over to His Name is Ben and start following! I promise loads of cuteness there :-)
Monday, February 7, 2011
Thursday, November 4, 2010
At Long Last...
Benjamin's Here :-)
So this post is quite late, as little Ben turned two weeks old yesterday, but, well we can see that intentions don't do the work themselves.
On Monday, October 18th I made the trip to the OB's office for my 39 week appointment. I had started feeling a little off days before. Lightheaded, a little crampy, backache, and the swelling in my hands and feet had really increased and was causing pain. They took my blood pressure and it came back pretty high. The OB thought it best that I head up to the hospital for testing to rule out Preeclampsia. I was hooked up to some monitors for a non-stress test and had some blood drawn and urine tested. A couple of hours later, the OB met us at the hospital and did another ultrasound to make sure that Ben was still head down, he was :-)
They also discovered while I was hooked up to the monitor for the NST that my contractions were coming every 5 minutes. At that point, they checked me for progress and I was about 1.5 cm dilated. The OB gave me the option to be admitted and walk the halls at the hospital, or go home and labor there. That either way, she suspected that he may be coming that night.
I called my parents and let them know, since our plan was to have mom here to be a labor coach. I didn't feel very confident that he really was going to come that night, but they headed down anyway and were here by that afternoon. Mom and I walked the block and I bounced on my exercise ball to try to bring on active labor. Mom made a nice meal for us and we just sat around, waiting for something to happen.
Nothing did. The next morning, we headed back to the OB's office, as she wanted to see me if I hadn't gone into labor to check my blood pressure again. Once again, it was high. At this point, she mentioned to us that her preference would be to have me go to the hospital, walk the halls and shower to see if that would bring anything on. If not, she would be up there later on to "move things along". She also gave us the option to wait and see what happens, but mentioned that she felt that moving things along would be the best option with my high blood pressure.
We decided that I would head up to the hospital. J went back to work to shut his computer down and wrap things up while my mom and I met my dad back at the house and got everything together to take to the hospital with us. My dad snapped the last pregnant picture of me in front our house on our way out.
We settled into the hospital and dad headed back to the house. J showed up a little while later. I was hooked up to the machines and of course, the contractions were no longer coming regularly. We checked into the hospital around 11 am. By noon I was walking the halls and taking showers to try to make some progress. I wasn't feeling the contractions getting stronger pain-wise, but I was definitely having them and each one seemed a little more tight than the last.
All of the nurses were wonderful, except for one who I had most of the day that day. She made the decision to share with me that I wasn't in "real labor", she wasn't sure why the OB had me come to the hospital because I wasn't three cm and that she doubted that the contractions that I was having were making any progress with dilation. Talk about discouraging.
The OB met us at the hospital around 4:30 and checked to see if I had made any progress. That morning I had been 1.5 cm and at this point, I was now only 2. She mentioned to me that yesterday had been her day on call at the hospital and because she wasn't planning on being there that day, she had dinner plans. She asked if I minded if she left for the dinner plans and then came back later that night to break my water and get things started. She didn't want to start the process and then not be there as I progressed. I told her that was fine (even though I had been looking forward to the afternoon all day thinking that is when things would start). I was just grateful that she wanted to be there to deliver the baby and not another OB who was a complete stranger.
She didn't return until 11 pm. They had not let me eat anything all day, so I was pretty miserable. She came in and broke my water and the nurses started the pitocin 20 minutes later. They continued to monitor me and up the dose every 20 minutes. I labored like this for about 5 hours until I asked for them to check me. The intense pain that I was having had to be doing something! Only three cm. I immediately asked for meds for the pain. I wanted to see if there was a chance that I could avoid an epidural by trying the medication that they say "takes the edge off". They administered the stadol first. Within seconds of them pushing it through the IV line I felt like I had just drank a bottle of wine. The relaxation that came over me was fantastic. However no more than a minute later - the next contraction came. It didn't take the edge off of any of that pain. In fact, I felt like it prevented me from preparing myself for each on-coming contraction. I hated it and couldn't ask them to get me the epidural fast enough.
Luckily, the anesthesiologist was on the floor administering another epi, so it didn't take long for him to come into the room. I didn't anticipate how long the actual procedure takes, either. They made J leave the room (actually, they made him go out into the waiting area) while the two nurses that I had held me up on either side. I was so loopy from the Stadol that again I felt like I couldn't prepare myself for the pokes and prods of the procedure. I got a bit light headed but was able to lay down as soon as I thought I might pass out.
The epi didn't start working right away. In fact, the anesthesiologist came back in and pushed some through the line for some more immediate relief because the contractions were so strong at that point. They had to tilt me to the right because only the left went numb at first (such a weird sensation!). The relief was wonderful. I actually finally got some sleep at that point for a couple of hours. The OB came in around 7 am to check the progress. I was 9.5 cm dilated and fully effaced! The nurse that I had at this point had been a midwife and pushed for me to be able to do a "Passive Descend". Basically they just wait as long as possible before actively pushing to avoid stress on the mom and the baby.
Around 8:30 the OB and a few nurses came in and it was time to push. They set up a big mirror and a spotlight so that I could see what was going on down there through the birth. The nurse had me reach my hand down and feel the head. I remember thinking that it felt squishy, not hard and like a little ball. They wanted me to push whenever I felt pressure from a contraction. However, I really couldn't feel much, so it took a ton of concentration to try to decipher a contraction. I thought this was odd because I would have thought that they would tell me when a contraction was coming so that I would know when to push. They didn't. I asked them to, and they still didn't.
I think I must have been pushing for about a half hour when I started hearing some concern in their voices. Then the OB mentioned to me that she might have to use the vacuum pump to get him out. I told her to do whatever she had to do. It was at that point that they lost his heartbeat. They started moving the monitor all over my stomach trying to find it and nothing. That is when I heard them say to prep the OR. It was at that point that something came over me. I grabbed my own legs and pushed with everything that I had. He came out with three tremendous pushes. He started crying immediately and they placed him on my chest. He was there for almost an hour. It was the most amazing feeling I have ever experienced.
Benjamin Emory made his entrance to the world at 9:16 am on Wednesday, October 20th weighing 7 lbs 14 oz and measuring 19 inches long.
We spent the next two days recovering in the postpartum wing. We were extremely impressed with the hospital and all of the knowledgeable nurses. Ben ended up with a touch of Jaundice, but the nurse practitioner felt confident that he wouldn't need any light therapy after they drew his levels and they came back elevated, but low enough to just keep an eye on it. We were released on Friday afternoon. Ben screamed the entire way through the halls as J carried him in his car seat. Of course, people turned to look and smiled and I know that J was nervous and feeling like all of these people are saying to themselves that we don't know what we're in for! Of course, the second that his car seat clicked into its base in the car, the crying stopped and he fell fast asleep :-)
Dad had to head back to work later in the day on Wednesday and came back down on Sunday to bring mom back home on Monday. He brought along my nephew, Isaiah who is six years old and was dying to meet Ben. He did such a great job holding him and helping us change his diaper. He says that he is going to teach him "and lots of things, but not dangerous things because that would be bad."
Benjamin is a really good baby. For the most part he only cries when his diaper needs to be changed (screams when it is actually being changed), when he is hungry and fusses a little when he wants to be held. We had a couple of scary days when we couldn't seem to wake him up for anything. We used cold wash cloths, took of all his clothes, basically tried making him as uncomfortable as possible so that he would wake up and eat. All to pretty much no avail. When the visiting nurse came when he was about a week old, he hadn't gained back any weight and was still about 5% below his birth weight. She said that she was going to come back this past Tuesday (one day shy of turning two weeks) to weigh him again and make sure that he was gaining. However, she has had to cancel twice now - so we aren't sure when the second weigh in will be.
We spent a nice Halloween at home. Only wound up with about 5 groups of trick or treaters and I was feeding Ben for three of them, so I didn't get to see them :-( Now we have a giant bowl of candy that is making it's way into J and I's tummy! Ben seemed to enjoy his festive outfit :-)
We are in love!!
So this post is quite late, as little Ben turned two weeks old yesterday, but, well we can see that intentions don't do the work themselves.
On Monday, October 18th I made the trip to the OB's office for my 39 week appointment. I had started feeling a little off days before. Lightheaded, a little crampy, backache, and the swelling in my hands and feet had really increased and was causing pain. They took my blood pressure and it came back pretty high. The OB thought it best that I head up to the hospital for testing to rule out Preeclampsia. I was hooked up to some monitors for a non-stress test and had some blood drawn and urine tested. A couple of hours later, the OB met us at the hospital and did another ultrasound to make sure that Ben was still head down, he was :-)
They also discovered while I was hooked up to the monitor for the NST that my contractions were coming every 5 minutes. At that point, they checked me for progress and I was about 1.5 cm dilated. The OB gave me the option to be admitted and walk the halls at the hospital, or go home and labor there. That either way, she suspected that he may be coming that night.
I called my parents and let them know, since our plan was to have mom here to be a labor coach. I didn't feel very confident that he really was going to come that night, but they headed down anyway and were here by that afternoon. Mom and I walked the block and I bounced on my exercise ball to try to bring on active labor. Mom made a nice meal for us and we just sat around, waiting for something to happen.
Nothing did. The next morning, we headed back to the OB's office, as she wanted to see me if I hadn't gone into labor to check my blood pressure again. Once again, it was high. At this point, she mentioned to us that her preference would be to have me go to the hospital, walk the halls and shower to see if that would bring anything on. If not, she would be up there later on to "move things along". She also gave us the option to wait and see what happens, but mentioned that she felt that moving things along would be the best option with my high blood pressure.
We decided that I would head up to the hospital. J went back to work to shut his computer down and wrap things up while my mom and I met my dad back at the house and got everything together to take to the hospital with us. My dad snapped the last pregnant picture of me in front our house on our way out.
We settled into the hospital and dad headed back to the house. J showed up a little while later. I was hooked up to the machines and of course, the contractions were no longer coming regularly. We checked into the hospital around 11 am. By noon I was walking the halls and taking showers to try to make some progress. I wasn't feeling the contractions getting stronger pain-wise, but I was definitely having them and each one seemed a little more tight than the last.
All of the nurses were wonderful, except for one who I had most of the day that day. She made the decision to share with me that I wasn't in "real labor", she wasn't sure why the OB had me come to the hospital because I wasn't three cm and that she doubted that the contractions that I was having were making any progress with dilation. Talk about discouraging.
The OB met us at the hospital around 4:30 and checked to see if I had made any progress. That morning I had been 1.5 cm and at this point, I was now only 2. She mentioned to me that yesterday had been her day on call at the hospital and because she wasn't planning on being there that day, she had dinner plans. She asked if I minded if she left for the dinner plans and then came back later that night to break my water and get things started. She didn't want to start the process and then not be there as I progressed. I told her that was fine (even though I had been looking forward to the afternoon all day thinking that is when things would start). I was just grateful that she wanted to be there to deliver the baby and not another OB who was a complete stranger.
She didn't return until 11 pm. They had not let me eat anything all day, so I was pretty miserable. She came in and broke my water and the nurses started the pitocin 20 minutes later. They continued to monitor me and up the dose every 20 minutes. I labored like this for about 5 hours until I asked for them to check me. The intense pain that I was having had to be doing something! Only three cm. I immediately asked for meds for the pain. I wanted to see if there was a chance that I could avoid an epidural by trying the medication that they say "takes the edge off". They administered the stadol first. Within seconds of them pushing it through the IV line I felt like I had just drank a bottle of wine. The relaxation that came over me was fantastic. However no more than a minute later - the next contraction came. It didn't take the edge off of any of that pain. In fact, I felt like it prevented me from preparing myself for each on-coming contraction. I hated it and couldn't ask them to get me the epidural fast enough.
Luckily, the anesthesiologist was on the floor administering another epi, so it didn't take long for him to come into the room. I didn't anticipate how long the actual procedure takes, either. They made J leave the room (actually, they made him go out into the waiting area) while the two nurses that I had held me up on either side. I was so loopy from the Stadol that again I felt like I couldn't prepare myself for the pokes and prods of the procedure. I got a bit light headed but was able to lay down as soon as I thought I might pass out.
The epi didn't start working right away. In fact, the anesthesiologist came back in and pushed some through the line for some more immediate relief because the contractions were so strong at that point. They had to tilt me to the right because only the left went numb at first (such a weird sensation!). The relief was wonderful. I actually finally got some sleep at that point for a couple of hours. The OB came in around 7 am to check the progress. I was 9.5 cm dilated and fully effaced! The nurse that I had at this point had been a midwife and pushed for me to be able to do a "Passive Descend". Basically they just wait as long as possible before actively pushing to avoid stress on the mom and the baby.
Around 8:30 the OB and a few nurses came in and it was time to push. They set up a big mirror and a spotlight so that I could see what was going on down there through the birth. The nurse had me reach my hand down and feel the head. I remember thinking that it felt squishy, not hard and like a little ball. They wanted me to push whenever I felt pressure from a contraction. However, I really couldn't feel much, so it took a ton of concentration to try to decipher a contraction. I thought this was odd because I would have thought that they would tell me when a contraction was coming so that I would know when to push. They didn't. I asked them to, and they still didn't.
I think I must have been pushing for about a half hour when I started hearing some concern in their voices. Then the OB mentioned to me that she might have to use the vacuum pump to get him out. I told her to do whatever she had to do. It was at that point that they lost his heartbeat. They started moving the monitor all over my stomach trying to find it and nothing. That is when I heard them say to prep the OR. It was at that point that something came over me. I grabbed my own legs and pushed with everything that I had. He came out with three tremendous pushes. He started crying immediately and they placed him on my chest. He was there for almost an hour. It was the most amazing feeling I have ever experienced.
Benjamin Emory made his entrance to the world at 9:16 am on Wednesday, October 20th weighing 7 lbs 14 oz and measuring 19 inches long.
We spent the next two days recovering in the postpartum wing. We were extremely impressed with the hospital and all of the knowledgeable nurses. Ben ended up with a touch of Jaundice, but the nurse practitioner felt confident that he wouldn't need any light therapy after they drew his levels and they came back elevated, but low enough to just keep an eye on it. We were released on Friday afternoon. Ben screamed the entire way through the halls as J carried him in his car seat. Of course, people turned to look and smiled and I know that J was nervous and feeling like all of these people are saying to themselves that we don't know what we're in for! Of course, the second that his car seat clicked into its base in the car, the crying stopped and he fell fast asleep :-)
Dad had to head back to work later in the day on Wednesday and came back down on Sunday to bring mom back home on Monday. He brought along my nephew, Isaiah who is six years old and was dying to meet Ben. He did such a great job holding him and helping us change his diaper. He says that he is going to teach him "and lots of things, but not dangerous things because that would be bad."
Benjamin is a really good baby. For the most part he only cries when his diaper needs to be changed (screams when it is actually being changed), when he is hungry and fusses a little when he wants to be held. We had a couple of scary days when we couldn't seem to wake him up for anything. We used cold wash cloths, took of all his clothes, basically tried making him as uncomfortable as possible so that he would wake up and eat. All to pretty much no avail. When the visiting nurse came when he was about a week old, he hadn't gained back any weight and was still about 5% below his birth weight. She said that she was going to come back this past Tuesday (one day shy of turning two weeks) to weigh him again and make sure that he was gaining. However, she has had to cancel twice now - so we aren't sure when the second weigh in will be.
We spent a nice Halloween at home. Only wound up with about 5 groups of trick or treaters and I was feeding Ben for three of them, so I didn't get to see them :-( Now we have a giant bowl of candy that is making it's way into J and I's tummy! Ben seemed to enjoy his festive outfit :-)
We are in love!!
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
36 Weeks and...
he's breech.
I had my 36 week appointment on Monday. I mentioned to the OB that I had been feeling some pressure down low, but not consistently. I explained to her that it felt as though he was kicking and punching me in the cervix, bladder, basically all body parts down there. Because she was already doing a swab for strep, she decided to check my cervix. It was completely closed and she couldn't feel a head. She felt my belly externally and determined that it is in fact his head that is consistently up in my right rib.
I go to my weekly appointments without J, as they are usually quick and easy. No reason for him to be there really. I really wished that he had been with me for this news because I was devastated. So much so that I completely forgot to ask all my questions about vaccinations. One of which I was prepared to get while I was there. She explained that she wanted to get an ultrasound and then she would see me next week to discuss an ECV or c-section.
We went back in today for the ultrasound to determine exactly how he is in there and it is confirmed that he is breech. Bum is in the pelvis. However, he is still a boy :-) and he currently weighs about 6 lbs 3 oz :-)
I have been thinking more and more about my initial reaction to finding out he is breech. Of course, it is upsetting news for anyone not wishing to have a c-section but I think it goes back to IF. I couldn't get pregnant "naturally" and now I am being robbed of the experience to give birth naturally? How is that fair? It makes me angry. But then, as fast as I got the news and got really upset about it for a day, the feeling passed and I am feeling a bit indifferent to it right now.
Do I want to be cut open, spend an extra 3 days in the hospital, go through the pain of surgical recovery, not get to hold and cuddle my little baby as soon as he makes his way out of the birth canal, allowing the cord to pulsate as long as possible, never have the experience of feeling a real labor contraction, not have some great story to tell about where and when I went into labor? Absolutely not. I would give anything to not have to make the decision to have the surgery.
But, the bottom line is that it is where I am right now and what I have to face. Attempting the delivery would be dangerous for myself and baby. Why the hell would I put either of us at risk after everything we have been through to get to this point? This is why I am passing on the ECV. If he doesn't turn on his own by the c-section date then c-section it will be. If he does, well, that would just be awesome.
I am trying to look at the positives of the surgery. If it is scheduled, I can schedule my last day of work and know that everything has been covered as I am walking out the door. My parents can schedule their visit to be with us and I can schedule it on a day that my sister can be here. They will want to schedule me for 38 or 39 weeks, which means that I get to meet him sooner. As much as I want to feel the pain of childbirth, it does take a bit of the nervousness off of wondering just how I will deal with the pain. As much as I hate the hospital and do not want to be there for even the two days that a vaginal birth would have us there for, maybe it will be nice to have the nurses there to help me learn how to breastfeed, not feel rushed in getting out of there, allowing me the time to think of all the million questions I may have. All in all, it may not be the worst thing in the world after all.
I had my 36 week appointment on Monday. I mentioned to the OB that I had been feeling some pressure down low, but not consistently. I explained to her that it felt as though he was kicking and punching me in the cervix, bladder, basically all body parts down there. Because she was already doing a swab for strep, she decided to check my cervix. It was completely closed and she couldn't feel a head. She felt my belly externally and determined that it is in fact his head that is consistently up in my right rib.
I go to my weekly appointments without J, as they are usually quick and easy. No reason for him to be there really. I really wished that he had been with me for this news because I was devastated. So much so that I completely forgot to ask all my questions about vaccinations. One of which I was prepared to get while I was there. She explained that she wanted to get an ultrasound and then she would see me next week to discuss an ECV or c-section.
We went back in today for the ultrasound to determine exactly how he is in there and it is confirmed that he is breech. Bum is in the pelvis. However, he is still a boy :-) and he currently weighs about 6 lbs 3 oz :-)
I have been thinking more and more about my initial reaction to finding out he is breech. Of course, it is upsetting news for anyone not wishing to have a c-section but I think it goes back to IF. I couldn't get pregnant "naturally" and now I am being robbed of the experience to give birth naturally? How is that fair? It makes me angry. But then, as fast as I got the news and got really upset about it for a day, the feeling passed and I am feeling a bit indifferent to it right now.
Do I want to be cut open, spend an extra 3 days in the hospital, go through the pain of surgical recovery, not get to hold and cuddle my little baby as soon as he makes his way out of the birth canal, allowing the cord to pulsate as long as possible, never have the experience of feeling a real labor contraction, not have some great story to tell about where and when I went into labor? Absolutely not. I would give anything to not have to make the decision to have the surgery.
But, the bottom line is that it is where I am right now and what I have to face. Attempting the delivery would be dangerous for myself and baby. Why the hell would I put either of us at risk after everything we have been through to get to this point? This is why I am passing on the ECV. If he doesn't turn on his own by the c-section date then c-section it will be. If he does, well, that would just be awesome.
I am trying to look at the positives of the surgery. If it is scheduled, I can schedule my last day of work and know that everything has been covered as I am walking out the door. My parents can schedule their visit to be with us and I can schedule it on a day that my sister can be here. They will want to schedule me for 38 or 39 weeks, which means that I get to meet him sooner. As much as I want to feel the pain of childbirth, it does take a bit of the nervousness off of wondering just how I will deal with the pain. As much as I hate the hospital and do not want to be there for even the two days that a vaginal birth would have us there for, maybe it will be nice to have the nurses there to help me learn how to breastfeed, not feel rushed in getting out of there, allowing me the time to think of all the million questions I may have. All in all, it may not be the worst thing in the world after all.
Monday, September 13, 2010
Hurry up and wait
So the past few weeks have been busy, busy, busy and I haven't had a moment to wind down and have time to post. I feel like once we have most everything we need for the baby and have the nursery ready, time is going to crawl. Hence the 'Hurry up and wait' title of this post.
Today marks 34 weeks so first things first:
Total Weight Gain: 38 lbs
Symptoms: Belly is LARGE! It is kind of taking over everything at this point! I go to stand at the sink or scoot in at my desk and it doesn't quite let me get there. As far as it being uncomfortable, I can't complain at all. There are some days when I get braxon hicks pretty often that can be uncomfortable and after awhile start to take a toll on my back, but they come and go.
The most uncomfortable thing at the moment is the acid reflux. Depending on what I eat, it can get really bad. I tried Rolaids and they didn't seem to be doing the trick, so I grabbed some Mylanta and it seems to be helping this evening. The lasagna I ate for dinner last night and lunch today didn't help that at all, I am afraid.
Stretch Marks: None! but the belly button has popped :-)
Sleep: Still sleeping well and feeling rested when I wake up. Starting to have to pee more often now, so it is interrupted more than usual but I can't complain.
Best Moment Last Week: Traveling to VT for the baby shower! The shower was beautiful, my mom and sister did a wonderful job. We got so much stuff. This baby will be the best dressed on the block, that is for sure. We also celebrated a sort of 'baby-moon' and Anniversary together by staying in Stowe for a couple of nights. We got a free upgrade to a suite, it was very nice.
Movement: All the time. I can tell by the way the movements feel that it is starting to get tight in there.
Food Cravings: No cravings, but I am liking egg and cheese on an english muffin and yogurt right now.
What I Miss: Still missing having the energy to keep busy all day on the weekends, but I am getting better about it. I can more easily recognize when I need a bit of a break and get it in before the pain sets in.
What am I looking forward to: Another shower this weekend! My wonderful friend Nicole is throwing me a shower down here in RI. My mom and sister are even driving down from VT to attend.
Next weekend will be our trip to Maine for another friends wedding. Mom and Dad will be coming along for this, so it should be a great time.
Milestones: We started and have made tremendous progress on the nursery. I am waiting to post pictures until I feel like it is completely done. There are a couple more items needed that I think we will have after this weekend.
How is Daddy? Daddy is good. He is away on training for work in PA this week and will get home Friday evening. He is loving being able to feel the baby move all the time and trying to guess which body part is rolling around under his hand :-)
Now, for the maternity photos that J did a wonderful job taking. We had a beautiful back drop in the trails behind the hotel that we stayed at in Stowe, in addition to some great shots at the site where we were married 3 years ago.
Today marks 34 weeks so first things first:
Total Weight Gain: 38 lbs
Symptoms: Belly is LARGE! It is kind of taking over everything at this point! I go to stand at the sink or scoot in at my desk and it doesn't quite let me get there. As far as it being uncomfortable, I can't complain at all. There are some days when I get braxon hicks pretty often that can be uncomfortable and after awhile start to take a toll on my back, but they come and go.
The most uncomfortable thing at the moment is the acid reflux. Depending on what I eat, it can get really bad. I tried Rolaids and they didn't seem to be doing the trick, so I grabbed some Mylanta and it seems to be helping this evening. The lasagna I ate for dinner last night and lunch today didn't help that at all, I am afraid.
Stretch Marks: None! but the belly button has popped :-)
Sleep: Still sleeping well and feeling rested when I wake up. Starting to have to pee more often now, so it is interrupted more than usual but I can't complain.
Best Moment Last Week: Traveling to VT for the baby shower! The shower was beautiful, my mom and sister did a wonderful job. We got so much stuff. This baby will be the best dressed on the block, that is for sure. We also celebrated a sort of 'baby-moon' and Anniversary together by staying in Stowe for a couple of nights. We got a free upgrade to a suite, it was very nice.
Movement: All the time. I can tell by the way the movements feel that it is starting to get tight in there.
Food Cravings: No cravings, but I am liking egg and cheese on an english muffin and yogurt right now.
What I Miss: Still missing having the energy to keep busy all day on the weekends, but I am getting better about it. I can more easily recognize when I need a bit of a break and get it in before the pain sets in.
What am I looking forward to: Another shower this weekend! My wonderful friend Nicole is throwing me a shower down here in RI. My mom and sister are even driving down from VT to attend.
Next weekend will be our trip to Maine for another friends wedding. Mom and Dad will be coming along for this, so it should be a great time.
Milestones: We started and have made tremendous progress on the nursery. I am waiting to post pictures until I feel like it is completely done. There are a couple more items needed that I think we will have after this weekend.
How is Daddy? Daddy is good. He is away on training for work in PA this week and will get home Friday evening. He is loving being able to feel the baby move all the time and trying to guess which body part is rolling around under his hand :-)
Now, for the maternity photos that J did a wonderful job taking. We had a beautiful back drop in the trails behind the hotel that we stayed at in Stowe, in addition to some great shots at the site where we were married 3 years ago.
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Scary day
We have been lucky that this pregnancy has been practically complication-free with the one exception of the low-lying placenta which was confirmed at the 28 week appointment has moved and is no longer a concern.
This morning however, we were not so lucky. I will start with saying that the baby is fine, I am still pregnant and this experience likely didn't affect him in the least (with the exception of a slightly elevated heart-rate that he could likely sense).
I had high hopes for this weekend. My plan was to get my hair cut, which I have been excited about and waiting for for quite sometime. This was to be followed by some maternity photos that J was going to take for me. I stopped by the craft store on my way home to pick up some props for this shoot and even had the camera professionally cleaned last week for the occasion.
This morning I woke up and got in the shower. I was feeling fine until I was getting dressed and seemed to catch the light coming through the window in my eye in a weird way that caused a spot that wouldn't go away. I tried to shrug it off, put my make up on and be on my way, but my body had other plans. I came in and sat on the couch, told J what was going on and he had my lay on my side and got me some tylenol while I drank a little coffee, thinking that this was likely the start of a migraine. I started feeling better after about 20 minutes or so, so I picked up the phone to call my mom. The conversation started out fine and as normal until I started having trouble getting out the words that I wanted to say. Then when I would try to say them, either a different word entirely would come out or it would come out slurred. Mom started to get worried and J could hear what was going on and made me get off the phone. He sat in front of me for a little while, trying to hold a conversation with me to see if it got better. It did, but it took about 45 minutes. At that point I was scared, he was scared and my mom was of course scared because there was no explanation for it.
I laid down for a little while longer and then my right hand went numb. Then it moved to my face, then to my tongue. I got up and walked around outside for a few minutes in the case that they had just fallen asleep or something, but once it got to my face and tongue I knew I had to call the doc.
I called the OB's office and the on-call doc wanted me to head to the ER. He gave them a heads up that we were on the way and as soon as we got there they brought me into triage, then to what they were calling an MCU room (which I have no idea what that stands for - I just know that it was the same area that they brought J when he had to be in isolation due to being severely neutropenic). They came in and took some neurological tests, brought someone in from OB to read the baby's heart beat, which took a good 10 minutes to find and scared the heck out of me. Except, all the while she was looking for it, he was moving away from the probe so that was giving me some comfort. They finally got it with an ultrasound and that showed that all was well with him.
The gave me an IV, drew blood, hooked me up to a bag of fluids, some stuff for nausea (which I told them I didn't need) and then a bag of magnesium which they said would help the headache. It took awhile, but it did take the headache away. When I started to feel better, I got a little antsy because I wanted to leave. However, they came in a few hours later and wanted me to give an MRI. We were nervous because we had no idea if this could have a bad effect on the baby. Our fears were comforted by both the doctors and by J's mom who worked at an MRI office for years. Luckily, the scan only lasted about 25 minutes and we were done. The reason that they chose MRI over CT scan was that there was not radiation with the MRI. The worst part was waiting again back in the ER for the results. Luckily, they were fine and we were released.
Diagnosis - an A-typical migraine.
A-typical because of the speech problem and the numbness. They said that if it happens again, I should see a neurologist so they still don't really have any idea why those two things happened.
I am home now and feeling better, just really worn out and tired. The baby is moving away, as he has been all day so at least that is not a worry. I did spend most of the day yesterday out and about on then working on the nursery so I was on my feet a lot. There really is no way to tell if that might have contributed, but just to be safe it looks like I will be taking it as east as possible from here on out.
Hoping to reschedule my hair cut for sometime this week before the shower next weekend and so that we might be able to fit in some of those maternity photos in beautiful VT while we are there :-)
I have an OB appointment tomorrow with the doc that is covering for mine while she am out. I have to bring along the paperwork from today's ER visit and see if there is anything further that they want to check. Hopefully it will just be routine and I will see them again in another two weeks!
This morning however, we were not so lucky. I will start with saying that the baby is fine, I am still pregnant and this experience likely didn't affect him in the least (with the exception of a slightly elevated heart-rate that he could likely sense).
I had high hopes for this weekend. My plan was to get my hair cut, which I have been excited about and waiting for for quite sometime. This was to be followed by some maternity photos that J was going to take for me. I stopped by the craft store on my way home to pick up some props for this shoot and even had the camera professionally cleaned last week for the occasion.
This morning I woke up and got in the shower. I was feeling fine until I was getting dressed and seemed to catch the light coming through the window in my eye in a weird way that caused a spot that wouldn't go away. I tried to shrug it off, put my make up on and be on my way, but my body had other plans. I came in and sat on the couch, told J what was going on and he had my lay on my side and got me some tylenol while I drank a little coffee, thinking that this was likely the start of a migraine. I started feeling better after about 20 minutes or so, so I picked up the phone to call my mom. The conversation started out fine and as normal until I started having trouble getting out the words that I wanted to say. Then when I would try to say them, either a different word entirely would come out or it would come out slurred. Mom started to get worried and J could hear what was going on and made me get off the phone. He sat in front of me for a little while, trying to hold a conversation with me to see if it got better. It did, but it took about 45 minutes. At that point I was scared, he was scared and my mom was of course scared because there was no explanation for it.
I laid down for a little while longer and then my right hand went numb. Then it moved to my face, then to my tongue. I got up and walked around outside for a few minutes in the case that they had just fallen asleep or something, but once it got to my face and tongue I knew I had to call the doc.
I called the OB's office and the on-call doc wanted me to head to the ER. He gave them a heads up that we were on the way and as soon as we got there they brought me into triage, then to what they were calling an MCU room (which I have no idea what that stands for - I just know that it was the same area that they brought J when he had to be in isolation due to being severely neutropenic). They came in and took some neurological tests, brought someone in from OB to read the baby's heart beat, which took a good 10 minutes to find and scared the heck out of me. Except, all the while she was looking for it, he was moving away from the probe so that was giving me some comfort. They finally got it with an ultrasound and that showed that all was well with him.
The gave me an IV, drew blood, hooked me up to a bag of fluids, some stuff for nausea (which I told them I didn't need) and then a bag of magnesium which they said would help the headache. It took awhile, but it did take the headache away. When I started to feel better, I got a little antsy because I wanted to leave. However, they came in a few hours later and wanted me to give an MRI. We were nervous because we had no idea if this could have a bad effect on the baby. Our fears were comforted by both the doctors and by J's mom who worked at an MRI office for years. Luckily, the scan only lasted about 25 minutes and we were done. The reason that they chose MRI over CT scan was that there was not radiation with the MRI. The worst part was waiting again back in the ER for the results. Luckily, they were fine and we were released.
Diagnosis - an A-typical migraine.
A-typical because of the speech problem and the numbness. They said that if it happens again, I should see a neurologist so they still don't really have any idea why those two things happened.
I am home now and feeling better, just really worn out and tired. The baby is moving away, as he has been all day so at least that is not a worry. I did spend most of the day yesterday out and about on then working on the nursery so I was on my feet a lot. There really is no way to tell if that might have contributed, but just to be safe it looks like I will be taking it as east as possible from here on out.
Hoping to reschedule my hair cut for sometime this week before the shower next weekend and so that we might be able to fit in some of those maternity photos in beautiful VT while we are there :-)
I have an OB appointment tomorrow with the doc that is covering for mine while she am out. I have to bring along the paperwork from today's ER visit and see if there is anything further that they want to check. Hopefully it will just be routine and I will see them again in another two weeks!
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
30 Weeks!!
Total Weight Gain: 32 lbs - blah.
Symptoms: Getting bigger by the day! I will get extremely tired out of the blue. Running an errand such as going to the store for an hour wipes me out and I just feel like sitting down in a corner and crying! I threatened J the other day (while wearing a moo moo dress, by the way) that I was going to hop on a scooter at the grocery store. I don't think he took me as seriously as I really was. Luckily (for him) there were none at the door when we walked in and the cool air conditioning inside the store made the quick trip bearable.
Oh, and the hunger has kicked in. This week I am constantly feeling hungry and not completely satisfied with each meal. I was hoping that the weight gain would slow down at the end, not speed up!
I have had slight bouts of heartburn and indigestion, but nothing unbearable.
The #1 annoyance overall is how hot I am all the time. I had to get a desk fan for work even with the ac blasting all day. The humidity and record breaking heat this summer is not helping.
Stretch Marks: None. Fingers still crossed.
Sleep: Sleeping is getting a little more difficult as my back starts to ache from staying on one side too long. Also, I wake up having to pee at least once per night, but I am guilty of holding it until I am ready to get up in the morning because the master bath does not currently have a toilet as it is under renovation. I know, not good to hold it in but with the size of my stomach these days and how off balance I am the second I wake up, it might be more dangerous for me to try to make my way down the stairs and back up without falling.
Best Moment Last Week: Lets see, Week 28 we had an ultrasound and fond out that the placenta is no longer low-lying, so that is fantastic news. We also got to see what the tech pointed out as hair! We are so excited to meet this little guy in approx. ten short weeks. Also, sister and nephew came for a visit this past weekend and it was nice to see them! S couldn't believe how much bigger my belly had gotten since I had seen her last.
Movement: Pretty constant. I believe that he has his days and nights confused right now. Although, I know that they say that you notice the movement more when you are laying down relaxing - he really does wait until bed time to do his acrobatics in there. I love laying in bed and watching my belly move all over!
Food Cravings: No cravings in particular. I do like my ice cream at night after dinner, however. This still holds true.
What I Miss: Being up and about all day long on the weekends, being able to run errand after errand without getting tired, my regular fitting clothes, laying flat on my back without getting dizzy, bending over like a normal person!
What am I looking forward to: Starting the nursery! Yes, we are a little late in getting this started, but we had to hold off on converting the guest room into the nursery because I am hosting a party for a close friend this weekend and we need the space for guests. Also, with the bathroom remodel, the room that is to be the guest room had a toilet and vanity occupying it until a day or two ago.
We should be getting word any day now that the furniture is being delivered. The estimate when we ordered was 4-6 weeks and as of Monday, it was 4 weeks. I guess the delivery is curb-side even though I paid extra for special care shipping so we wait for UPS to call to let us know when they are coming.
Another thing I am looking forward to is heading to VT on labor day weekend for a nice little getaway and my first baby shower!
Milestones: 30 weeks! Apparently the baby has a pretty good chance if he were to be born now, but it would be a long, hard road. We won't think about that, because he is staying in until at least 39 weeks ;-)
How is Daddy? Daddy is good. Working hard on the bathroom to get that project out of the way sooner rather than later.
30 Week belly shots
Sister and Nephew
Symptoms: Getting bigger by the day! I will get extremely tired out of the blue. Running an errand such as going to the store for an hour wipes me out and I just feel like sitting down in a corner and crying! I threatened J the other day (while wearing a moo moo dress, by the way) that I was going to hop on a scooter at the grocery store. I don't think he took me as seriously as I really was. Luckily (for him) there were none at the door when we walked in and the cool air conditioning inside the store made the quick trip bearable.
Oh, and the hunger has kicked in. This week I am constantly feeling hungry and not completely satisfied with each meal. I was hoping that the weight gain would slow down at the end, not speed up!
I have had slight bouts of heartburn and indigestion, but nothing unbearable.
The #1 annoyance overall is how hot I am all the time. I had to get a desk fan for work even with the ac blasting all day. The humidity and record breaking heat this summer is not helping.
Stretch Marks: None. Fingers still crossed.
Sleep: Sleeping is getting a little more difficult as my back starts to ache from staying on one side too long. Also, I wake up having to pee at least once per night, but I am guilty of holding it until I am ready to get up in the morning because the master bath does not currently have a toilet as it is under renovation. I know, not good to hold it in but with the size of my stomach these days and how off balance I am the second I wake up, it might be more dangerous for me to try to make my way down the stairs and back up without falling.
Best Moment Last Week: Lets see, Week 28 we had an ultrasound and fond out that the placenta is no longer low-lying, so that is fantastic news. We also got to see what the tech pointed out as hair! We are so excited to meet this little guy in approx. ten short weeks. Also, sister and nephew came for a visit this past weekend and it was nice to see them! S couldn't believe how much bigger my belly had gotten since I had seen her last.
Movement: Pretty constant. I believe that he has his days and nights confused right now. Although, I know that they say that you notice the movement more when you are laying down relaxing - he really does wait until bed time to do his acrobatics in there. I love laying in bed and watching my belly move all over!
Food Cravings: No cravings in particular. I do like my ice cream at night after dinner, however. This still holds true.
What I Miss: Being up and about all day long on the weekends, being able to run errand after errand without getting tired, my regular fitting clothes, laying flat on my back without getting dizzy, bending over like a normal person!
What am I looking forward to: Starting the nursery! Yes, we are a little late in getting this started, but we had to hold off on converting the guest room into the nursery because I am hosting a party for a close friend this weekend and we need the space for guests. Also, with the bathroom remodel, the room that is to be the guest room had a toilet and vanity occupying it until a day or two ago.
We should be getting word any day now that the furniture is being delivered. The estimate when we ordered was 4-6 weeks and as of Monday, it was 4 weeks. I guess the delivery is curb-side even though I paid extra for special care shipping so we wait for UPS to call to let us know when they are coming.
Another thing I am looking forward to is heading to VT on labor day weekend for a nice little getaway and my first baby shower!
Milestones: 30 weeks! Apparently the baby has a pretty good chance if he were to be born now, but it would be a long, hard road. We won't think about that, because he is staying in until at least 39 weeks ;-)
How is Daddy? Daddy is good. Working hard on the bathroom to get that project out of the way sooner rather than later.
30 Week belly shots
Sister and Nephew
Monday, July 5, 2010
24 Weeks
Total Weight Gain: 22 lbs
Symptoms: Feeling good. Beginning to feel the burden of the extra weight that I am carrying around when doing day to day tasks, but nothing too bad. On the days that aren't too hot, I like to walk and the last couple of times I have experienced a little swelling in the fingers and ankles. Nothing that a large glass of water and kicking the feet up can't help when I return home. I have been getting really hot over the past few weeks. I can't seem to get enough AC when normally I can stand the heat pretty well or am always cold. I can't make up my mind which is better (hot or cold). In the middle sounds nice, but that is rarely the case these days.
Stretch Marks: None. Fingers still crossed.
Sleep: Still sleeping well. My body pillow is truly a lifesaver. I do wake up and find myself on my back quite a bit but I can always get comfortable again by rolling to my left side.
Best Moment Last Week: Mom and dad coming to visit for the 4th and having both mom and my 5 year old nephew feel the baby kick.
Movement: While I did have a slight sense of worry last week for a couple of days because I had what felt like regular movements for a couple of weeks and then it seemed as though they had decreased, it was like he sensed my worry and decided to let me know that he is A OK in there. I tend to feel him the most at night when I lay down in bed. Last night I actually had a dream that I could see his hand when he pushed on my belly and all of the sudden his hand came through my stomach and I had to pull him out! Messed up. However, when he was out he was the most beautiful, perfect little boy that I had ever seen :-)
Food Cravings: No cravings in particular. I do like my ice cream at night after dinner, however.
What I Miss: I still miss beer. I can't wait to have a nice, tall one in a few months. Also, I am starting to miss just feeling like myself a little. Kind of a feeling like I can't wait to have my body back. However, I get over it pretty quickly when I remind myself exactly what my body is doing.
What am I looking forward to: Looking forward to ordering the nursery furniture so we can start getting the room ready. Also looking forward to our monthly appointment on the 15th and ultrasound at 28 weeks.
Milestones: Viability!
How is Daddy? Daddy has been busy doing projects around the house. He likes to talk to the baby and see if he gets a reaction with a kick. He has also been picking up his guitar more often and teaching himself kids songs, which he occasionally will play and sing to the belly.
20 weeks vs. 24 weeks
Symptoms: Feeling good. Beginning to feel the burden of the extra weight that I am carrying around when doing day to day tasks, but nothing too bad. On the days that aren't too hot, I like to walk and the last couple of times I have experienced a little swelling in the fingers and ankles. Nothing that a large glass of water and kicking the feet up can't help when I return home. I have been getting really hot over the past few weeks. I can't seem to get enough AC when normally I can stand the heat pretty well or am always cold. I can't make up my mind which is better (hot or cold). In the middle sounds nice, but that is rarely the case these days.
Stretch Marks: None. Fingers still crossed.
Sleep: Still sleeping well. My body pillow is truly a lifesaver. I do wake up and find myself on my back quite a bit but I can always get comfortable again by rolling to my left side.
Best Moment Last Week: Mom and dad coming to visit for the 4th and having both mom and my 5 year old nephew feel the baby kick.
Movement: While I did have a slight sense of worry last week for a couple of days because I had what felt like regular movements for a couple of weeks and then it seemed as though they had decreased, it was like he sensed my worry and decided to let me know that he is A OK in there. I tend to feel him the most at night when I lay down in bed. Last night I actually had a dream that I could see his hand when he pushed on my belly and all of the sudden his hand came through my stomach and I had to pull him out! Messed up. However, when he was out he was the most beautiful, perfect little boy that I had ever seen :-)
Food Cravings: No cravings in particular. I do like my ice cream at night after dinner, however.
What I Miss: I still miss beer. I can't wait to have a nice, tall one in a few months. Also, I am starting to miss just feeling like myself a little. Kind of a feeling like I can't wait to have my body back. However, I get over it pretty quickly when I remind myself exactly what my body is doing.
What am I looking forward to: Looking forward to ordering the nursery furniture so we can start getting the room ready. Also looking forward to our monthly appointment on the 15th and ultrasound at 28 weeks.
Milestones: Viability!
How is Daddy? Daddy has been busy doing projects around the house. He likes to talk to the baby and see if he gets a reaction with a kick. He has also been picking up his guitar more often and teaching himself kids songs, which he occasionally will play and sing to the belly.
20 weeks vs. 24 weeks
Monday, June 7, 2010
20 down, 20 to go!
Total Weight Gain: 17 lbs.
Symptoms: Still feeling good for the most part. It was really humid this past weekend and we don't have central air in the house, so I had to take lots of rests from housework with ice water and the fan. It seemed to wipe me out pretty quick and cause me to get overheated more than normal.
Stretch Marks: None. Fingers crossed.
Sleep: Sleep is beginning to get a little harder. Last night was a doozy. We got a new bed so we switched the bedroom around and now I am in front of the window fan and couldn't make up my mind if I was too cold or not. In addition, I am tossing and turning trying to get as comfortable as possible without laying on my stomach or back.
Best Moment Last Week: Finding out that we are having a baby BOY!!
Movement: This little boy loves to move. The movements started around week 18 and were pretty consistent by the end of that week. He moves in the morning on my way in to work and when I get to my desk, in the afternoon around snack time and then again around dinner time. I have a feeling that this kid will love to eat :-)
Food Cravings: Still really haven't had any strong cravings. Which is strange considering the 17 lbs that I have packed on. I am trying hard to make good, healthy food choices and not overeat.
What I Miss: Good nights sleep on the belly, nasty processed deli meat, Zumba and beer.
What am I looking forward to: deciding on nursery furniture and getting the projects completed around the house so that we can focus on putting the nursery together.
Milestones: Half-way there! We also went to BB-r-us and finished out registry over the weekend. That was a relief.
How is Daddy? Daddy is doing great. Being very helpful with all of the projects around the house and I think growing more and more excited knowing that he will be having a son!
20 Week belly shot (this angle makes me look huge!) I don't think it really looks this big when I am clothed :-)
How far along: 20 Weeks
Symptoms: Still feeling good for the most part. It was really humid this past weekend and we don't have central air in the house, so I had to take lots of rests from housework with ice water and the fan. It seemed to wipe me out pretty quick and cause me to get overheated more than normal.
Stretch Marks: None. Fingers crossed.
Sleep: Sleep is beginning to get a little harder. Last night was a doozy. We got a new bed so we switched the bedroom around and now I am in front of the window fan and couldn't make up my mind if I was too cold or not. In addition, I am tossing and turning trying to get as comfortable as possible without laying on my stomach or back.
Best Moment Last Week: Finding out that we are having a baby BOY!!
Movement: This little boy loves to move. The movements started around week 18 and were pretty consistent by the end of that week. He moves in the morning on my way in to work and when I get to my desk, in the afternoon around snack time and then again around dinner time. I have a feeling that this kid will love to eat :-)
Food Cravings: Still really haven't had any strong cravings. Which is strange considering the 17 lbs that I have packed on. I am trying hard to make good, healthy food choices and not overeat.
What I Miss: Good nights sleep on the belly, nasty processed deli meat, Zumba and beer.
What am I looking forward to: deciding on nursery furniture and getting the projects completed around the house so that we can focus on putting the nursery together.
Milestones: Half-way there! We also went to BB-r-us and finished out registry over the weekend. That was a relief.
How is Daddy? Daddy is doing great. Being very helpful with all of the projects around the house and I think growing more and more excited knowing that he will be having a son!
20 Week belly shot (this angle makes me look huge!) I don't think it really looks this big when I am clothed :-)
How far along: 20 Weeks
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Frogs and Snails and Puppy Dog's Tails
That's what little BOYS are made of! :-)
By the way, why is it that boys are made of gross objects and little girls are made with "sugar and spice and everything nice"? I beg to differ.
We are so thrilled to be having a baby boy! I had my reasons why I wanted a boy and reasons why I wanted a girl. Will I miss the cute little frilly dresses and adorable little bonnets? Probably, but I have BFF's baby girl for that! In addition, I am so excited to be giving J a son. He is going to make the best father ever and I just know that this little boy will look up to him so much.
We went to the ultra sound appointment in East Greenwich at 1:00, which is when we found out that it was a boy. Then we had an appointment with the doctor in Providence at 4:00. While we were at the ultrasound, the tech noticed that my placenta is laying pretty low. Apparently, it is within 1.6 mm (or is it cm, I can't remember) of the cervix. She said that the doctor will likely have us come back in about 4 weeks or so for another ultrasound to make sure that it is correcting itself.
Well, when we got to the doctors office, of course they didn't have the results (because it must be too difficult to fax from one office to another) so I had to explain to the doctor what the tech said regarding the placenta. I got NO information from the doc regarding this other than "Ok, we will just give you another ultrasound at 28 weeks." I was trying to pry any information I could from her about what it means, what are the risks, should I be avoiding lifting, walking, etc.? I got NOTHING. I also wasn't able to get any indication of the results of our NT scan and series of blood tests (which I had to literally chase the doctor down the hall after she spent no longer than 3 minutes in the office with us to ask about). Apparently two weeks isn't long enough to get results back from the third blood test and no one will contact us with these results unless they aren't good.
SO, all of this being said - we are transferring OB's. I just have to fill out and sign the release form, fax that to the office and call the insurance company to give them a heads up. Hopefully they will send my records over to the new office with no delay.
I am already feeling better about making this change. The woman on the phone at the new office was so nice and the practice is much smaller. I will actually get to see the same doctor each time that I go in and that will most likely be the doc that will deliver us. In addition, I will be delivering at a hospital closer to home that I think will be able to give us more personalized care and just be a better fit for us overall. I am tired of just being considered a number at the baby factory.
Ok, enough of that, my blood starts to boil just thinking about it.
In other news, we have started to register for things and now that we know to expect a little boy - we bought a little outfit last night for him.
Baby Gap
Baby Gap
The shorts are actually little pants, they didn't have a photo of them online.
Without further adieu, here are the pics from yesterday, including the money shots!
Profile facing up and profile with face buried toward back.
Face straight on and another profile shot
Money shot and a little wave
Another Skeletor shot and profile
The goods.
By the way, why is it that boys are made of gross objects and little girls are made with "sugar and spice and everything nice"? I beg to differ.
We are so thrilled to be having a baby boy! I had my reasons why I wanted a boy and reasons why I wanted a girl. Will I miss the cute little frilly dresses and adorable little bonnets? Probably, but I have BFF's baby girl for that! In addition, I am so excited to be giving J a son. He is going to make the best father ever and I just know that this little boy will look up to him so much.
We went to the ultra sound appointment in East Greenwich at 1:00, which is when we found out that it was a boy. Then we had an appointment with the doctor in Providence at 4:00. While we were at the ultrasound, the tech noticed that my placenta is laying pretty low. Apparently, it is within 1.6 mm (or is it cm, I can't remember) of the cervix. She said that the doctor will likely have us come back in about 4 weeks or so for another ultrasound to make sure that it is correcting itself.
Well, when we got to the doctors office, of course they didn't have the results (because it must be too difficult to fax from one office to another) so I had to explain to the doctor what the tech said regarding the placenta. I got NO information from the doc regarding this other than "Ok, we will just give you another ultrasound at 28 weeks." I was trying to pry any information I could from her about what it means, what are the risks, should I be avoiding lifting, walking, etc.? I got NOTHING. I also wasn't able to get any indication of the results of our NT scan and series of blood tests (which I had to literally chase the doctor down the hall after she spent no longer than 3 minutes in the office with us to ask about). Apparently two weeks isn't long enough to get results back from the third blood test and no one will contact us with these results unless they aren't good.
SO, all of this being said - we are transferring OB's. I just have to fill out and sign the release form, fax that to the office and call the insurance company to give them a heads up. Hopefully they will send my records over to the new office with no delay.
I am already feeling better about making this change. The woman on the phone at the new office was so nice and the practice is much smaller. I will actually get to see the same doctor each time that I go in and that will most likely be the doc that will deliver us. In addition, I will be delivering at a hospital closer to home that I think will be able to give us more personalized care and just be a better fit for us overall. I am tired of just being considered a number at the baby factory.
Ok, enough of that, my blood starts to boil just thinking about it.
In other news, we have started to register for things and now that we know to expect a little boy - we bought a little outfit last night for him.
Baby Gap
Baby Gap
The shorts are actually little pants, they didn't have a photo of them online.
Without further adieu, here are the pics from yesterday, including the money shots!
Profile facing up and profile with face buried toward back.
Face straight on and another profile shot
Money shot and a little wave
Another Skeletor shot and profile
The goods.
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Movement
So, sometime last week I was able to feel our baby move for the first time. I don't know exactly early when it was because it took me a little while to distinguish that the baby is actually what I was feeling and not you know, gas.
I can't tell you how amazing this feeling is to me. I admit, I was a little nervous about it. There have been a couple of times in the pregnancy that I have gotten a little freaked out by the fact that my body is growing a human being inside of it. When you stop to think about it, I mean REALLY think about it, it IS a little freaky, right? These feelings usually only last a few minutes and then I go back to being ecstatic about what is to come. So, for that reason, because I wasn't sure what to expect in feeling the baby move, I was slightly nervous about it.
Now, almost a week and a half later I find myself wanting to feel it ALL the time. I love it. It absolutely amazes me that I am actually feeling our child MOVE. It's hands, feet, arms, legs - it has them all!
I had my first dream last night about the baby. Some may think this is weird, but I most certainly do not after all of the crazy dreams that I have been experiencing lately.
I am not experiencing movement enough to feel it while I am sleeping, but I almost wonder if that is what triggered the dream subconsciously. I was laying on the couch (I think my parents old love seat, actually) and all of the sudden I was having the baby. There was no one else around me and it was the most calm, beautiful thing ever. I felt no pain and it was over in seconds (no, I am not naive ,I know that this was just a dream and the reality will likely be much, much different). Almost like a cat does when they deliver kittens, there was a sac around it that I had to wipe off, then deliver the placenta (all of which I just placed on the floor) and then, I just laid there with the most beautiful baby in the entire world laying on my chest as we stared at each other.
Then the dream got really weird. I had no clothes for it and I knew I had to get it to the hospital to be checked out, but I also had no car, so I had to walk. It was 90+ degrees and the sun was beating down (which wasn't so weird, considering the weather yesterday). The baby was getting sunburned and I was freaking. All the while, however, the baby remained in my arms, calm as can be just looking up at me the whole time.
Now that I write it all out, I wonder if that last part was just a little bit of anxiety about becoming a parent and the responsibility that comes with it. But that baby had the utmost trust in me the whole time. It was so content with me. I will take it as a sign that no matter what the circumstance, we will know what to do. We will figure it out.
We are headed to VT for the long weekend to visit family and friends. The weather is supposed to be nice and there is nothing better than VT in the summer. I am hoping that it will be a little distraction from the anticipation building up for Tuesday's doctor appointment and anatomy scan. We will (hopefully) get to find out the sex of the baby at this appointment and I am SO excited to start planning the nursery and picking up little things here and there.
We also might be faced with trying to choose (or should I say agree on) a name should it be a boy. We have decided on a girls name, but for some reason, we can't agree on a boy's name. J is convinced that this baby is a girl and he has said that from the beginning. Maybe it's a sign that he is right. Who knows. Who cares. It is our little miracle and that is all that matters :-)
Photo from 17 weeks
I can't tell you how amazing this feeling is to me. I admit, I was a little nervous about it. There have been a couple of times in the pregnancy that I have gotten a little freaked out by the fact that my body is growing a human being inside of it. When you stop to think about it, I mean REALLY think about it, it IS a little freaky, right? These feelings usually only last a few minutes and then I go back to being ecstatic about what is to come. So, for that reason, because I wasn't sure what to expect in feeling the baby move, I was slightly nervous about it.
Now, almost a week and a half later I find myself wanting to feel it ALL the time. I love it. It absolutely amazes me that I am actually feeling our child MOVE. It's hands, feet, arms, legs - it has them all!
I had my first dream last night about the baby. Some may think this is weird, but I most certainly do not after all of the crazy dreams that I have been experiencing lately.
I am not experiencing movement enough to feel it while I am sleeping, but I almost wonder if that is what triggered the dream subconsciously. I was laying on the couch (I think my parents old love seat, actually) and all of the sudden I was having the baby. There was no one else around me and it was the most calm, beautiful thing ever. I felt no pain and it was over in seconds (no, I am not naive ,I know that this was just a dream and the reality will likely be much, much different). Almost like a cat does when they deliver kittens, there was a sac around it that I had to wipe off, then deliver the placenta (all of which I just placed on the floor) and then, I just laid there with the most beautiful baby in the entire world laying on my chest as we stared at each other.
Then the dream got really weird. I had no clothes for it and I knew I had to get it to the hospital to be checked out, but I also had no car, so I had to walk. It was 90+ degrees and the sun was beating down (which wasn't so weird, considering the weather yesterday). The baby was getting sunburned and I was freaking. All the while, however, the baby remained in my arms, calm as can be just looking up at me the whole time.
Now that I write it all out, I wonder if that last part was just a little bit of anxiety about becoming a parent and the responsibility that comes with it. But that baby had the utmost trust in me the whole time. It was so content with me. I will take it as a sign that no matter what the circumstance, we will know what to do. We will figure it out.
We are headed to VT for the long weekend to visit family and friends. The weather is supposed to be nice and there is nothing better than VT in the summer. I am hoping that it will be a little distraction from the anticipation building up for Tuesday's doctor appointment and anatomy scan. We will (hopefully) get to find out the sex of the baby at this appointment and I am SO excited to start planning the nursery and picking up little things here and there.
We also might be faced with trying to choose (or should I say agree on) a name should it be a boy. We have decided on a girls name, but for some reason, we can't agree on a boy's name. J is convinced that this baby is a girl and he has said that from the beginning. Maybe it's a sign that he is right. Who knows. Who cares. It is our little miracle and that is all that matters :-)
Photo from 17 weeks
Monday, May 10, 2010
16 Weeks and feelin fine!
I stole this quiz from Em over at A hope and a wish for a gift from a petri dish. I think it is a great way to document milestone weeks. So, don't mind if I do :-)
How far along: 16 Weeks
Total Weight Gain: 12 lbs.
Symptoms: I feel great right now. The boobs are still pretty sore and continue to grow (I am convinced that they are determined to conquer the universe). From time to time I have some fatigue and my belly is definitely growing (finally!). All in all, I am enjoying the pregnancy much more than the first tri.
Stretch Marks: None. Fingers crossed.
Sleep: I am a great sleeper. The only time that my sleep is affected in the least bit so far is getting up to pee about two hours before my alarm goes off. If I wait too long, it hurts and I start dreaming about getting up to go pee. SUCH relief when I finally build the energy up enough for the 10 foot walk to the bathroom :-)
Best Moment Last Week: Getting the heartbeat doppler in the mail. The sound of that heartbeat is the best sound in the entire world.
Movement: I have been feeling flutters here and there that I like to think are the baby. Nothing consistent and I am sure it wont be for a good month or so.
Food Cravings: I haven't had any of those crazy cravings where I just HAD to have something right at that moment. There have been a few times that out of no where I have thought "that would be really good right now" and then pick it up the store the next time I am there. Over the past few weeks those have consisted of Falafel, Olives, Pad Thai and mexican food in general.
What I Miss: Not being able to ride my bike. When the weather is really nice, that is all I want to do. That and a nice glass of wine or ice cold beer on a warm, sunny day.
What am I looking forward to: Anatomy scan on June 1st. We WILL (hopefully) be finding out the sex. Primarily because I can't wait to plan the nursery.
Milestones: Under 200 days to go!
How is Daddy? Great! He is just as much in awe of the heartbeat as I am when we use the doppler and has been non-stop researching for the safest, most recommended baby products on the market :-)
How far along: 16 Weeks
Total Weight Gain: 12 lbs.
Symptoms: I feel great right now. The boobs are still pretty sore and continue to grow (I am convinced that they are determined to conquer the universe). From time to time I have some fatigue and my belly is definitely growing (finally!). All in all, I am enjoying the pregnancy much more than the first tri.
Stretch Marks: None. Fingers crossed.
Sleep: I am a great sleeper. The only time that my sleep is affected in the least bit so far is getting up to pee about two hours before my alarm goes off. If I wait too long, it hurts and I start dreaming about getting up to go pee. SUCH relief when I finally build the energy up enough for the 10 foot walk to the bathroom :-)
Best Moment Last Week: Getting the heartbeat doppler in the mail. The sound of that heartbeat is the best sound in the entire world.
Movement: I have been feeling flutters here and there that I like to think are the baby. Nothing consistent and I am sure it wont be for a good month or so.
Food Cravings: I haven't had any of those crazy cravings where I just HAD to have something right at that moment. There have been a few times that out of no where I have thought "that would be really good right now" and then pick it up the store the next time I am there. Over the past few weeks those have consisted of Falafel, Olives, Pad Thai and mexican food in general.
What I Miss: Not being able to ride my bike. When the weather is really nice, that is all I want to do. That and a nice glass of wine or ice cold beer on a warm, sunny day.
What am I looking forward to: Anatomy scan on June 1st. We WILL (hopefully) be finding out the sex. Primarily because I can't wait to plan the nursery.
Milestones: Under 200 days to go!
How is Daddy? Great! He is just as much in awe of the heartbeat as I am when we use the doppler and has been non-stop researching for the safest, most recommended baby products on the market :-)
Thursday, May 6, 2010
15 weeks and Counting
172 days left. 108 days so far. Wow.
We had our monthly check up on Tuesday. It was pretty uneventful. We finally got to go to the office closer to where we live rather than travel up to Providence and it was nice. The staff, nurse and doctor were much nicer than the main office and I definitely felt more comfortable there.
The nurse took my blood pressure - 110/62. Good.
The doctor listened to baby's heartbeat - 159. Excellent.
They weighed me - Up 12 lbs. Ugh.
Of course, with this weigh in, the big giant block was moved over to the next set of 50 lbs and made me gasp. However, I have to keep reminding myself that I STILL weigh 11 lbs less than when I started my weight loss journey in 2007. I do have to admit that, while I know the gain is for the best cause ever, I am having a little bit of a hard time with it. I have worked really, really hard over the past three years to maintain most of my loss and to see it coming back so quickly is tough.
The doctor wasn't in the least bit concerned. She said that the gain was normal and I should be looking for about 1 lb per week from here on in. Yes, I have done the math and know exactly what that number is. Will I fixate on it a bit? Probably. Will I make myself be hungry at all through the remainder of this pregnancy or avoid a delicious ice cream desert after dinner? Absolutely not. So in the end - what will be, will be.
Enough about that.
I broke down and bought a doppler. I love it. We have had absolutely no problem finding the babies strong heartbeat right away each time we have used it. This is probably because my placenta is apparently on the back side of my uterus, so I don't have to fight it to find the babe.
I am finding that just knowing that it is there and I can listen whenever I want has calmed my fears a bit. Kind of like when you have anxiety when flying, so you put an ativan in your pocket and just knowing that it is there is comfort enough to not need it, you know?
Our anatomy scan (the day that we hope to find out the gender) is scheduled for June 1st. I can't wait. I am sure that the next 3 1/2 weeks will go by very, very slowly in anticipation of this appointment. People ask me all the time if we are going to find out what we are having and I respond "absolutely" and I don't think that it is because I am too impatient to wait the 9 months, either. I am thrilled to death to be having EITHER. I am just more of a planner and I like for things to be organized and ready to go. As the time nears, I am sure that will mean that all of the clothes will be washed and hanging in the closet and the nursery will be decorated exactly how we want it, etc. I guess it will just make me feel more prepared.
I have been feeling great lately, with the exception of some fatigue here and there, but it is a million times better than the first trimester, that is for sure. I am really looking forward to the weekend. Mom and Dad will be visiting through the weekend and we will be walking in the 5th annual 12,402 Steps to Cure Sarcoma Walk for the Jennifer Hunter Yates Sarcoma Foundation.
This foundation is very near and dear to our hearts, as it directly benefits the hospital, doctors and nurses that saved J's life. Every year, we line up at the track in Hudson, MA and listen to J's doctor speak about the new and exciting treatment options that have been discovered over the past year, forums and conferences that he has been able to travel to and learn about these new trials (thanks to dollars raised by this foundation), and I could go on.
All of the survivors wear gold shirts and stand at the front of the line as the ribbon is cut and we start on our walk of 12,402 steps,which represent the number of days that Jennifer Hunter Yates lived her life to the fullest before sadly succumbing to the disease at 33 years old in 2004.
It is a magical sight to see the survivors in their Gold and among them (the most magical sight of all) my Husband.
We had our monthly check up on Tuesday. It was pretty uneventful. We finally got to go to the office closer to where we live rather than travel up to Providence and it was nice. The staff, nurse and doctor were much nicer than the main office and I definitely felt more comfortable there.
The nurse took my blood pressure - 110/62. Good.
The doctor listened to baby's heartbeat - 159. Excellent.
They weighed me - Up 12 lbs. Ugh.
Of course, with this weigh in, the big giant block was moved over to the next set of 50 lbs and made me gasp. However, I have to keep reminding myself that I STILL weigh 11 lbs less than when I started my weight loss journey in 2007. I do have to admit that, while I know the gain is for the best cause ever, I am having a little bit of a hard time with it. I have worked really, really hard over the past three years to maintain most of my loss and to see it coming back so quickly is tough.
The doctor wasn't in the least bit concerned. She said that the gain was normal and I should be looking for about 1 lb per week from here on in. Yes, I have done the math and know exactly what that number is. Will I fixate on it a bit? Probably. Will I make myself be hungry at all through the remainder of this pregnancy or avoid a delicious ice cream desert after dinner? Absolutely not. So in the end - what will be, will be.
Enough about that.
I broke down and bought a doppler. I love it. We have had absolutely no problem finding the babies strong heartbeat right away each time we have used it. This is probably because my placenta is apparently on the back side of my uterus, so I don't have to fight it to find the babe.
I am finding that just knowing that it is there and I can listen whenever I want has calmed my fears a bit. Kind of like when you have anxiety when flying, so you put an ativan in your pocket and just knowing that it is there is comfort enough to not need it, you know?
Our anatomy scan (the day that we hope to find out the gender) is scheduled for June 1st. I can't wait. I am sure that the next 3 1/2 weeks will go by very, very slowly in anticipation of this appointment. People ask me all the time if we are going to find out what we are having and I respond "absolutely" and I don't think that it is because I am too impatient to wait the 9 months, either. I am thrilled to death to be having EITHER. I am just more of a planner and I like for things to be organized and ready to go. As the time nears, I am sure that will mean that all of the clothes will be washed and hanging in the closet and the nursery will be decorated exactly how we want it, etc. I guess it will just make me feel more prepared.
I have been feeling great lately, with the exception of some fatigue here and there, but it is a million times better than the first trimester, that is for sure. I am really looking forward to the weekend. Mom and Dad will be visiting through the weekend and we will be walking in the 5th annual 12,402 Steps to Cure Sarcoma Walk for the Jennifer Hunter Yates Sarcoma Foundation.
This foundation is very near and dear to our hearts, as it directly benefits the hospital, doctors and nurses that saved J's life. Every year, we line up at the track in Hudson, MA and listen to J's doctor speak about the new and exciting treatment options that have been discovered over the past year, forums and conferences that he has been able to travel to and learn about these new trials (thanks to dollars raised by this foundation), and I could go on.
All of the survivors wear gold shirts and stand at the front of the line as the ribbon is cut and we start on our walk of 12,402 steps,which represent the number of days that Jennifer Hunter Yates lived her life to the fullest before sadly succumbing to the disease at 33 years old in 2004.
It is a magical sight to see the survivors in their Gold and among them (the most magical sight of all) my Husband.
Saturday, April 17, 2010
We made it.
As of tomorrow, we have officially made it to the second trimester. I am pretty much still in disbelief that this is actually happening.
I keep thinking that every hurdle that we pass might make it a little more real, but it just doesn't seem to be the case.
We just made the "announcement" to many of our friends that we don't talk to/see on a regular basis and while their excitement and congratulations make me smile, I can't help but keep feeling like a fraud. My heart skipped a beat when I sent out the email, like I was jumping the gun or was not telling the truth. Telling people has (by far) not been my favorite part of this to date. I feel so awkward and in a way it makes me feel exposed. However, I wanted to get it over with. We probably could have waited a little longer, since I am not really showing yet - but why? We made it to the second trimester. That is what people wait for, right?
Anyway, I am feeling good. The ms hasn't completely left yet. It moved to nights just before and after dinner. It isn't nearly as bad as it was in the beginning, but it is definitely still lingering. I am hoping that it will make it's way out the door soon.
We had the NT scan on Thursday. Unfortunately, J couldn't make it because he had to attend training out of state. Boy did he miss out. The u/s tech was really nice and left the doppler on my abdomen for no less than 1/2 hour. She got all of her measurements out of the way right off the bat. The measurement was a 2.1, with a 3 or more being a sign of a positive for Down's, so it looks like our chances are good that the baby will not be at risk. However, we have to wait for two sets of blood test results to come back, the second round of which I will not have done until between 14 and 16 weeks. So, it will be a little while until we have the results.
After that was out of the way, she did a complete anatomy scan which showed that the babys brain is developing properly, has two arms, two legs, 10 fingers, 10 toes, all of the internal parts are in the right place, etc. It is still too early to tell the sex. They say 16 weeks is when you can tell, but I am not sure that we will have another scan until 20 weeks. Our next appointment is on May 5th, so we will find out then.
The tech proceeded to print out numerous pictures of the babe for us, half of which were 4D and oh so cool! She left the 4D up on the screen for a minute or two while the baby was dancing and it was the coolest thing I have ever seen.
Without further adieu, here's the bean lookin like a baby!
I keep thinking that every hurdle that we pass might make it a little more real, but it just doesn't seem to be the case.
We just made the "announcement" to many of our friends that we don't talk to/see on a regular basis and while their excitement and congratulations make me smile, I can't help but keep feeling like a fraud. My heart skipped a beat when I sent out the email, like I was jumping the gun or was not telling the truth. Telling people has (by far) not been my favorite part of this to date. I feel so awkward and in a way it makes me feel exposed. However, I wanted to get it over with. We probably could have waited a little longer, since I am not really showing yet - but why? We made it to the second trimester. That is what people wait for, right?
Anyway, I am feeling good. The ms hasn't completely left yet. It moved to nights just before and after dinner. It isn't nearly as bad as it was in the beginning, but it is definitely still lingering. I am hoping that it will make it's way out the door soon.
We had the NT scan on Thursday. Unfortunately, J couldn't make it because he had to attend training out of state. Boy did he miss out. The u/s tech was really nice and left the doppler on my abdomen for no less than 1/2 hour. She got all of her measurements out of the way right off the bat. The measurement was a 2.1, with a 3 or more being a sign of a positive for Down's, so it looks like our chances are good that the baby will not be at risk. However, we have to wait for two sets of blood test results to come back, the second round of which I will not have done until between 14 and 16 weeks. So, it will be a little while until we have the results.
After that was out of the way, she did a complete anatomy scan which showed that the babys brain is developing properly, has two arms, two legs, 10 fingers, 10 toes, all of the internal parts are in the right place, etc. It is still too early to tell the sex. They say 16 weeks is when you can tell, but I am not sure that we will have another scan until 20 weeks. Our next appointment is on May 5th, so we will find out then.
The tech proceeded to print out numerous pictures of the babe for us, half of which were 4D and oh so cool! She left the 4D up on the screen for a minute or two while the baby was dancing and it was the coolest thing I have ever seen.
Without further adieu, here's the bean lookin like a baby!
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Thirty, Flirty & Thriving
That is what was on the banner that my lovely co-workers placed on the wall in the conference room yesterday at 3:00 when we celebrated with cake and candles. Oh! and how could I forget the beautiful jeweled crown with the big 3-0 glued to it :-)
I haven't spent a whole lot of time thinking about turning 30. I guess you can say that my mind has been full enough with other preoccupations that there has been no room for that 3-0 to creep in and haunt me.
Honestly, I could never, ever imagine turning 30 when, as a teenager, I did have time to sit and think about the future and getting older. In some ways I thought maybe this meant that I never WOULD turn 30. But then, I never thought about the alternative either.
Alas, here I am. This past weekend, J decided to once again remind me that I would be turning into an old "geezer" in just a couple of days. For as many times as he has said this to myself and his other "geezer" friends - he has always said that he is going to embrace turning 30. That he cannot wait. (J will become a geezer on August 31st this year). I have always wondered why exactly he was so excited to turn 30. In my mind, I had interpreted this as his yearning to be accepted as an adult. Not viewed as a child by his peers, and old enough to be considered "wise". He has never said this, so I don't know where that came from - just my take on his reasoning.
After all there has to be SOME reason why someone would look forward to turning 30. Right?!
Well, I asked him the question yet again this past weekend and I finally got an answer that I am happy with. An answer that took no more than a few words and not another word out of my mouth in response. One that made me decide to celebrate turning 30 vs. wallowing in getting older.
When I asked "why" one more time, I received this simple, powerful response: "Because it means that I am still alive."
And you know what else will be celebrated in the 30th year of our lives? His 5 year mark. The mark that means that he beat his cancer and can finally be considered CANCER FREE and not "in remission".
This, my friends is the best reason of all to turn 30.
It will be the best year of our lives.
I haven't spent a whole lot of time thinking about turning 30. I guess you can say that my mind has been full enough with other preoccupations that there has been no room for that 3-0 to creep in and haunt me.
Honestly, I could never, ever imagine turning 30 when, as a teenager, I did have time to sit and think about the future and getting older. In some ways I thought maybe this meant that I never WOULD turn 30. But then, I never thought about the alternative either.
Alas, here I am. This past weekend, J decided to once again remind me that I would be turning into an old "geezer" in just a couple of days. For as many times as he has said this to myself and his other "geezer" friends - he has always said that he is going to embrace turning 30. That he cannot wait. (J will become a geezer on August 31st this year). I have always wondered why exactly he was so excited to turn 30. In my mind, I had interpreted this as his yearning to be accepted as an adult. Not viewed as a child by his peers, and old enough to be considered "wise". He has never said this, so I don't know where that came from - just my take on his reasoning.
After all there has to be SOME reason why someone would look forward to turning 30. Right?!
Well, I asked him the question yet again this past weekend and I finally got an answer that I am happy with. An answer that took no more than a few words and not another word out of my mouth in response. One that made me decide to celebrate turning 30 vs. wallowing in getting older.
When I asked "why" one more time, I received this simple, powerful response: "Because it means that I am still alive."
And you know what else will be celebrated in the 30th year of our lives? His 5 year mark. The mark that means that he beat his cancer and can finally be considered CANCER FREE and not "in remission".
This, my friends is the best reason of all to turn 30.
It will be the best year of our lives.
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Coming out of the dark
Can I just tell you how much I hate morning sickness?
I never knew that my stomach could be so hungry and so nausea's all at the same time. Since the middle of week 5, I have been having to stuff my face with food almost every hour to avoid the dreaded feeling of mush that would overtake my belly and make me feel so sick.
I am reading a great book that my girlfriend passed down to me that is supposed to tell me things that the doctor may leave out and that really, only girlfriends would discuss with you. One of these things was that the author believed the morning sickness is actually "progesterone poisoning". I can't tell you how much sense this made to me reading it while shoving 300 IU's of progesterone in my vag every day.
Granted, the RE's office did tell me that I could stop the progesterone supplements cold turkey at 8 weeks. However, I was a victim of google. Therefore, I had read horror stories of people who stopped taking their progesterone supplements too early. No way was I going to jeopardize this pregnancy by something so stupid as stopping progesterone supplements.
After another week of pure sickness, I decided that I could probably taper off of them. Once I realized how good I felt no taking them, I pretty much wound up stopping them cold turkey as of Monday when I hit 9 weeks.
Hence, the title of this email. I am starting to feel better. The nausea is still there, but much less so than the past four weeks. I feel like my mood is improving (though J might not agree with me on that), which is allowing me to feel a bit more excited about everything. Of course, I have been ecstatic all along - but just never felt good enough to bask in it. I think *hope* that there won't be much more of it, though I know there is a good possibility.
We had our first OB appointment today. We won't see the doctor until Tuesday, but we had an u/s with the nurse, which was fantastic. The clinic has a monitor up on the wall so we could see everything. She made us wait for what seemed like forever as she took all the necessary measurements of my uterus and ovaries. Apparently I still have a fibroid, but they aren't worried about it.
J and I were both in complete awe. We both cried (well, I did and I know J at least got a little teary) when we finally got to see the baby. It was the most beautiful sight I have ever seen. The baby has legs and arms and fingers and toes. It even danced a little jig for us!! I know you are all in anticipation, so I won't keep blabbing any longer...
I never knew that my stomach could be so hungry and so nausea's all at the same time. Since the middle of week 5, I have been having to stuff my face with food almost every hour to avoid the dreaded feeling of mush that would overtake my belly and make me feel so sick.
I am reading a great book that my girlfriend passed down to me that is supposed to tell me things that the doctor may leave out and that really, only girlfriends would discuss with you. One of these things was that the author believed the morning sickness is actually "progesterone poisoning". I can't tell you how much sense this made to me reading it while shoving 300 IU's of progesterone in my vag every day.
Granted, the RE's office did tell me that I could stop the progesterone supplements cold turkey at 8 weeks. However, I was a victim of google. Therefore, I had read horror stories of people who stopped taking their progesterone supplements too early. No way was I going to jeopardize this pregnancy by something so stupid as stopping progesterone supplements.
After another week of pure sickness, I decided that I could probably taper off of them. Once I realized how good I felt no taking them, I pretty much wound up stopping them cold turkey as of Monday when I hit 9 weeks.
Hence, the title of this email. I am starting to feel better. The nausea is still there, but much less so than the past four weeks. I feel like my mood is improving (though J might not agree with me on that), which is allowing me to feel a bit more excited about everything. Of course, I have been ecstatic all along - but just never felt good enough to bask in it. I think *hope* that there won't be much more of it, though I know there is a good possibility.
We had our first OB appointment today. We won't see the doctor until Tuesday, but we had an u/s with the nurse, which was fantastic. The clinic has a monitor up on the wall so we could see everything. She made us wait for what seemed like forever as she took all the necessary measurements of my uterus and ovaries. Apparently I still have a fibroid, but they aren't worried about it.
J and I were both in complete awe. We both cried (well, I did and I know J at least got a little teary) when we finally got to see the baby. It was the most beautiful sight I have ever seen. The baby has legs and arms and fingers and toes. It even danced a little jig for us!! I know you are all in anticipation, so I won't keep blabbing any longer...
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