11 Weeks

When I was uploading this picture, I pulled up my 6 week one to compare.  I can finally admit that things have grown a bit!  My non-fitting pants should have made that obvious, but...  I have to say that I am constantly shocked that there is actually a baby growing in there.

We attempted to have our NT scan on Friday.  Yes, I said attempted.  We showed up at Maternal Fetal Medicine, filled out all the paperwork, and the sonographer started the scan.  It was a relief to see that Freebie was in there alive and literally kicking.  The baby was wiggling around like crazy!  Keith was pretty shocked, he thought that at this point they just lay around in there.  Like I said above, when the baby popped up on the screen, I was surprised again to see that that was actually in me.  It's still so unbelievable.

Anyway, I said we attempted to have the NT scan.  We definitely got to see our baby, and we actually got to hear the heartbeat for the first time (!), buuuuuuut...  Baby got Keith's short genes and was about 2mm too small to fit their criteria for eligibility for the neck measurement.  Boo.  But this means that we get to see our baby again in less than a week!  We go back Thursday to try again.  I also have my 12 week prenatal checkup on Wednesday, so it will be a busy week for me at the hospital.

Last week was a busy week, too - I had to go once for the NT scan, but I also had to go to the lab on Wednesday to get blood drawn, since apparently I was exposed to Fifth's Disease at school.  If you're pregnant, don't google this.  It will scare the crap out of you.  Chances are good that I've already been exposed to it, but I'm laying low & hoping it turns out to not be a big deal.

I'm 2 days away from 12 weeks, which means that my first trimester of pregnancy is almost over.  Hard to believe.  The nausea is still ever present (in fact, I had to toss my cookies this morning), but I am hopeful there is a light at the end of this tunnel.  I also told my boss about the pregnancy (she was SO excited for us), and we'll be coming out to the general public very soon.  Also, I've been working on my cloth diaper stash (more on that later).  Things are getting real around here!

Week 11 stats:

How far along: 11 weeks, 5 days

Total weight gain/loss: the scale at MFM tells me I gained 2lbs.

Maternity clothes?: yes, pants, or regular pants if I feel like dealing with the BeBand

Strech marks?: no

Sleep: would be better if I didn't wake up feeling nauseated in the middle of the night

Best moment this week: seeing our baby - who looks more like a baby than a blob now!  We saw arms, legs, feet, and his/her stomach!

Movement: not that I can feel, but there's a very active baby in there

Food cravings: um... nothing?

Gender: I think boy, Keith thinks girl (still)

What I miss: not feeling barfy, having clothes that don't make me look fat

Milestones: we're in the 100's!  Only 198 days left until we get to meet Freebie!

10 Weeks

Little Freebie continues to grow in there, and I continue to dislike pre-pregnancy pants!  =)  I am rocking maternity jeans in the pic above.  Yesterday I made the mistake of wearing normal jeans.  I was just running out to the store, and they were low-rise, and I could get them zipped...  Yeah, sitting in the car with them on was not fun.  I promptly took them off when I got home and put on pajamas.

This week was kind of tough.  One night I had an evening parent meeting at the school, which ran past my normal pregnancy bedtime.  I made it through without falling asleep, but there was one point where I was talking that I started to feel really nauseated, so I totally rushed it so I could stop talking and sit down.

I also got my first cold while being pregnant.  Booooo.  Lots of the kids have had them, and as soon as my throat started hurting, I knew I was doomed.  So far, throat drops, TONS of water, and rest have helped keep it from getting to a full-on state of misery.  The weekend came just in time, and I'm crossing my fingers that this work week won't wear me down.  

I spent $70 at Target on Friday.  I was stocking up my "pregnancy medicine cabinet".  I also needed to refill my thyroid medicine, and let me tell you, that took forever.  Two funny things though:  First, I needed new shampoo & conditioner.  Not because I ran out, but because I totally developed an aversion to the one I had.  $20 worth of Yes to Carrots later, and I am a happy camper.  The other funny thing was, I had to pee SO badly when I came in the store, but the bathroom was out of service for cleaning!  I almost had my first pregnancy meltdown, but thankfully it opened before I peed on their floor (not before I sent Keith some panicked text messages though).

Finally, I got a letter in the mail this week from SRM.  It said that my beloved RE, Dr. O, is leaving the practice.  Noooooooo!  I love Dr. O!  This news made me incredibly sad, and I don't think it was just pregnancy hormones.  He's hands-down my favorite doctor I've ever had.  I sincerely hope he stays in the area, because if we need him again, I'm going to hunt him down no matter what practice he is at.  This news manifested itself in one of my bizarre pregnancy dreams - in which I apparently went to HIM for our upcoming NT scan, and then yelled at him for leaving, cried, and demanded he tell me (in secret) where he was planning to go.  Haha.

Ok, enough talk.  Here's the week 10 stats:

How far along: 10 weeks, 5 days

Total weight gain/loss: no scale this week, though we've been borrowing Laurel's scale for a work in the classroom.  It says my weight goes up and down by 5lbs every other day though, so it can't be trusted. =)

Maternity clothes?: the pants are awesome.  I have to be selective about my shirts.  Keith said, "You look pregnant!" for the first time this week, so I had to cover up the belly.

Strech marks?: no

Sleep:  same old early bedtime/insomnia

Best moment this week: getting a bunch of cloth diapers and my Halloween costume in the mail!

Movement: not that I can feel, but apparently baby is moving around in there.

Food cravings: bagels, Annie's mac & cheese, and cinnamon toast.  That's about it.  Eating is really really challenging.

Gender: no clue

What I miss: food, not being exhausted.  I'm also looking forward to not having to keep this a secret anymore.

Milestones: baby is a prune this week.  I've never been so happy to see a prune!

9 Weeks

I look ridiculously fat & not cute in this picture.  But hey, this is reality, right? =)

Yeah...  That blob up there is responsible for my pants being really uncomfortable right now.  I took this picture at the end of the day - and I was sucking it in a little bit.  Eek!  If that's what I look like with bloat, what will it be like when it's really baby in there?!?  Yesterday I went to this huge consignment sale, and ended up with 3 pairs of maternity pants for $9.  Not bad, huh?  I am going to start wearing them because I am so so uncomfortable at work.

Here's the week 9 stats:

How far along: 9 weeks (barely!  I'll be 10 tomorrow, oops!)

Total weight gain/loss: no scale this week.

Maternity clothes?: starting to break into the pants.  I am too uncomfortable.

Strech marks?: no

Sleep: I seem to be stuck in a cycle of falling asleep early, having crazy dreams, waking up to pee, then having insomnia.  Still.

Best moment this week: spending all of Saturday in my pajamas.

Movement: not yet

Food cravings: nothing.  Food is horrible right now.

Gender: My friend Sara is totally 100% convinced it's a girl.  Haha.

What I miss: food, not being exhausted.

Milestones: baby is an olive this week - and also not an embryo anymore!  We have a fetus!

8 Weeks

It's hard to believe that Freebie is almost 9 weeks old.  Our NT scan is already scheduled for less than 3 weeks from now, at 11w3d.  I'm really looking forward to seeing baby again, although I definitely feel pregnant today.  Lots of nausea (and actually, I threw up this morning too).  Also, I'm rocking a BeBand in this week's picture.  I can button my pants, but they are uncomfortably tight.  Friday was an inservice day at school, so I wore jeans.  Mistake.  Luckily, my coworkers (that know about the baby) are awesome, and encouraged me to walk around with pants unbuttoned!

Here's the week 8 stats:

How far along: 8 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: the verdict is in!  I have gained zero pounds.  Which is kind of funny, because my pants definitely don't fit.

Maternity clothes?: just a BeBand.  I ordered a pair of Gap maternity jeans when they were having a major sale.  They arrived yesterday, and while they're too big right now, they are VERY comfortable & inviting!

Strech marks?: no

Sleep: I seem to be stuck in a cycle of falling asleep early, having crazy dreams, waking up to pee, then having insomnia.

Best moment this week: surprise ultrasound!

Movement: not yet

Food cravings: baked potatoes - I discovered my microwave has a potato button.  My quality of life has just improved.

Gender: I'm thinking girl.

What I miss: food

Milestones: baby is a raspberry this week - almost an olive.  We made it another week!

1st Prenatal Appointment

My first appointment with the midwives was today.  Prior to it, I was kind of feeling like "Oh no!  I miss my RE!"  But it turned out to be a great appointment.
After peeing in a cup (something I need to get used to, as I'll have to do this at every appointment), the medical assistant takes all your medical & family history.  It turned out that she used to work for Dr. O!  She told me that he used to tell stories in the breakroom about how he'd have a consult with a couple, and then they'd end up pregnant before treatment.  He'd be all, "Yeah, I can get them pregnant just by talking to them!"  It was pretty funny.
Since I've been under the care of an RE, I've already had all of the blood work that screens you for diseases (it's like 6 vials of blood), and was current on pap.  So my midwife was like, "Well, we actually don't have a lot to do...  Would you like an ultrasound so that you don't worry?" (we'd been talking about how it's hard not to worry, especially after dealing with fertility issues).  It turns out, the midwives have a portable machine that they can use whenever they want, so she just wheeled it in and we got to take a peek at Freebie!

This was a lot lower-tech machine, and done on the belly, so baby is just blobby.  We saw the heartbeat though, and the yolk sack as well.  Baby is still looking good, and measuring right on track.  She also checked for any bleeds in there to keep an eye on, and there were none.  That ultrasound really DID make me feel better!  I wish Keith had been there, but Nurse Shana printed out pictures for him.  =)

Tomorrow I can call Maternal Fetal Medicine and set up our NT scan.  That will be sometime between 11-13 weeks, and we'll probably get to do our next prenatal appointment the same day (since they're both at the hospital).  Still hard to believe, but there really is a baby in there! 

7 Weeks

Holy bloat, batman!

Week 7 has been a big week for us.  We got to see Freebie on the ultrasound, and graduated from the RE.  

Like a good little mommy-to-be, I called up my midwife practice the day after we graduated to schedule my first prenatal appointment.  I told them who I was, that I was a patient of the midwives (I'd seen them previously for annuals), and that I'd been under the care of an RE, but was now released to come over there.  When the scheduler asked my due date, I told her, and she said "Oh.  Well, we're closed to May due dates."

What?

I re-explained that I was an existing patient, and didn't really understand why she would say that to me.  She agreed that that was sketchy, and told me she'd leave a message for the midwives and someone would call me back.  So, of course, I was very annoyed.  And worried!  There are really no other CNM practices nearby!

When one of the midwives called me back, I got good news and bad news.  The good news was, of course they'd see me.  I was already their patient!  The bad news, however, was pretty bad.  A couple of the midwives are leaving the practice next month, meaning there won't be enough to have a full-on group.  Which means that I can still see them for my prenatal care, but the midwives and OBs will share the call rotation.  So I could get to deliver with a midwife, but it could be with an OB.  

I was pretty devastated.  I want to try for a natural, drug & intervention free delivery, and I just don't know if I can do it on my own without my midwife there through my whole labor.  I decided to go ahead and schedule my appointment anyway.  At this point, the possibility of a chance at having a midwife is better than no midwife at all.  =(

Here's the week 7 stats:

How far along: 7 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: we don't keep a scale in the house, so I'll only know when I have doctor's appointments

Maternity clothes?: not yet!  BeBands were on sale at Target this week, so I picked one up for when I need it (soon).

Strech marks?: no

Sleep: was going better, until last night when the old insomnia came back.  Also, I am having really vivid dreams!

Best moment this week: seeing our baby & heartbeat on the ultrasound

Movement: not yet

Food cravings: Wendy's baked potatoes

Gender: last night I had a dream it was a girl

What I miss: being able to eat regular food.  I threw up twice this week, and food & I are not friends right now.

Milestones: seeing that heart beat and graduating from the RE!