Sunday, March 31, 2013

1 Hour left of Week 9

While this has been by far the hardest week I have had I still want to remember it and what is going on with my body and baby!




 
Baby is the size of a medium green olive! She's gaining steam. At week nine, your fetus measures around .09 inches and weighs about .07 ounces. She's also developing more distinct facial features. And her heartbeat is getting stronger! Also, baby is now a fetus! Baby was considered an embryo -- but now she's a fetus! During the embryonic period, cells begin to take on different functions. The brain, heart, lungs, internal organs, and arms and legs begin to form. Once baby is a fetus, it's more about growth and development to prep for life on the outside. Happy graduation day baby!
 
 
How far along? 9 weeks
Total weight gain: down 3 lbs (Yes - I am eating, not a ton but I am trying.  I gained more than enough on the IVF meds that I think I am still losing that.)
Maternity clothes? I wear PJ pants and a t-shirt all day, every day as long as I don't have to leave the house.  If I leave the house it is a dress for sure
Stretch marks? Nope but using cocco butter to prevent them!
Sleep: Depends still on the day. I am exhausted during the day but even with no nap I can't always sleep at night.
Best moment this week:  Hearing the clot was gone!
Miss anything?  Honestly I would just love to be able to eat  a meal with getting sick/feeling sick.
Movement:  No but we did see the baby move for the first time on the ultrasound this week!  So the baby is moving!
Food cravings:  Carbs and oranges
Anything making you queasy or sick: Pretty queasy all day everyday.  Trying to push
through. 
Gender prediction: Still think girl! So we will see. 
Labor Signs: Uh, no.
Symptoms: Fatigue, sore boobs, overactive nose, all day sickness, constipation (Sorry TMI!)
Belly Button in or out? In
Wedding rings on or off? On!  But as it gets warmer here I doubt they will stay on.  Already ask D if he would buy me a cheap one I can wear once mine doesn't fit anymore, he said maybe:-)
Happy or Moody most of the time: This week I hate to admit it but I have been pretty moody.  I am ready to feel better:-(
Looking forward to:  Hopefully a good week with less excitement and less bleeding! 

Friday, March 29, 2013

Week 9: Please just end already!

Don't get me wrong I could not be happier to be pregnant seriously! I have wanted to be pregnant for years and we have worked so hard to get to this stage.  That been said this week has been a rollar coaster. 

On Tuesday I had an appointment with the research team I am participating in.  I don't think I have written about this.  Basically there is a large NIH study where they are looking at differences in women who get pregnant naturally and those who get pregnant through IVF.  You go for 9 visits and they pay you around $2,000.  Pretty sweet deal.  Anyways I went for my 3rd visit on Tuesday and the computers kept crashing, the Echo machine kept turning off etc so it took over an hour longer than it should.  To do the the study you can't eat from after midnight the night before until you finish around noon.  Needless to say I was very hungry and not happy because as a result of them running late I was running late to my first OB nurse appointment!  I got there just a little late and starving!  The nurses appointment went great, but they were not able to get in me for the ultrasound my RE had requested.  Therefore I went to my RE on Wednesday.  I love my RE so I happy go see him again. We found out in the ultrasound that the blood clot was completely gone! Praise God!  The baby is bigger than 2 weeks ago the heartbeat is great.  We were over the moon on Wednesday!  He told me I could go back to work and school with no restrictions. 

Thursday I went to see the Nurse Practioner at the OB.  She was great I really liked her.  She even tried to hear to the heartbeat on the doppler. It was too early she said and we could not hear it.  We still haven't heard to heartbeat, because the ultrasound machine at the RE's office doesn't do sound.  So Thursday was great!

This morning I woke up late, on purpose because we were suppose to go to the Gator baseball game for a friend's little boy's birthday party and then come home and watch the Gators play basketball at 10.  I figured I would not get a nap this afternoon, so I would go to work after lunch and just stay on campus.  Got up went to the bathroom and sorry if TMI I had apparently bleed through my underwear and my pants!  I did not even notice this.  I went to the bathroom and the entire toliet was full of red blood!  Of course I freaked.  This is the first time I have had anywhere near this much blood.  I texted my nurse immediately and she was not in the office today but gave me all of the back lines and said to keep calling until someone answered.  Finally talked to one lady I know well and she went to talk to my doctor.  He said to come in immediately.  DP was at work and I could not get in touch with him.  My mom finally did as I was driving to the office.  He made it before I went back.  I kept praying and thinking this is it we are losing the baby after all of this.  As soon as he started the ultrasound I could see the most amazing sight ever:  the baby's heart beating away!  Prasie God!  The baby is bigger than Wednesday and the heart beat is strong.  DP was there the whole time holding my hand and being amazing.  It was one of those times I could not ask for a better husband!  We are of course not out of the woods yet and I am back on bedrest.  He can't see where the blood is coming from.

All we can do is keep praying and trusting God, which is so much easier said than done!  Please pray for us and our little one.  I never really understood I could love this tiny grape/cherry sized baby so much but I do!  I don't just want a baby anymore I want THIS baby!  I want this to be our take home baby.   I know it may not happen and I keep thinking at least we have 4 frozens, but regardless I want this little one! Please pray God has the same plan I have!

I had planned to update how I was feeling this week etc but this post is plenty long! I will try to do it before Monday and week 10!

Happy Good Friday and Easter!

Monday, March 18, 2013

8 Weeks

So excited to be at 8 weeks!  Here is what is happening this week:


 

*Here’s what’s going on with little bean this week, thanks to Baby Center!
New this week: Webbed fingers and toes are poking out from your baby’s hands and feet, his eyelids practically cover his eyes, breathing tubes extend from his throat to the branches of his developing lungs, and his “tail” is just about gone. In his brain, nerve cells are branching out to connect with one another, forming primitive neural pathways. You may be daydreaming about your baby as one sex or the other, but the external genitals still haven’t developed enough to reveal whether you’re having a boy or a girl. Either way, your baby — about the size of a kidney bean — is constantly moving and shifting, though you still can’t feel it.
You may notice that your bra is getting more snug. Soon you’ll likely need a larger size with better support. Rising levels of hormones cause breast growth and other tissue changes, all in preparation for lactation. Your breasts may continue to grow throughout pregnancy. Don’t be surprised if you go up a cup size or two, especially if it’s your first baby. Keep this in mind, and allow for room to grow when investing in a new bra.
Feeling fatigued? Hormonal changes — in particular, a dramatic rise in progesterone — may be contributing to your sluggishness. Nausea and vomiting can certainly cost you energy, too. And you may be having trouble getting a good night’s sleep at this point, especially if you’re uncomfortable or find you need to get up to pee.*

How Far Along? 8 weeks today

Total weight gain: -2 pounds

Maternity Clothes: Nope not really.  Wearing dresses and leggings mainly though.

Strecth Marks: Nope
Sleep: Getting a lot of it! Having a hard time staying asleep at night. Sleeping on the couch is most comfortable.

Best Moment of the Week: Seeing the ultrasound and the heartbeat for the again!

Miss Anything? Nope
 
Movement: A little early

Food cravings:  Still not very hungry, but when I eat I prefer carbs. 

Anything make you sick or queasy: Stil can't eat very much at all.  So many smells make me queasy. 

Gender/Sex Prediction:  Still think girl.

Labor signs: Gosh I would hope not!

Symptoms: Bloating, sore boobs, my boobs are getting way bigger too, nauseous that last all day and all night (even wakes me up!), exhaustion

Belly button in or out: In

Wedding rings on or off: On

Happy or Moody: Happy for the most part, still moody some.

Looking forward to:  Finding out how the clot is doing at our next ultrasound in about 2 weeks!

Monday, March 11, 2013

7 weeks!

I can't believe I am 7 weeks pregnant!  Ahhh so exciting. I have followed so many blogs for so long and I love everyone's weekly updates about what is going in with baby.  According to Baby Center this is what is going on this week:



*The big news this week: Hands and feet are emerging from developing arms and legs — although they look more like paddles at this point than the tiny, pudgy extremities you’re daydreaming about holding and tickling. Technically, your baby is still considered an embryo and has something of a small tail, which is an extension of her tailbone. The tail will disappear within a few weeks, but that’s the only thing getting smaller. Your baby has doubled in size since last week and now measures half an inch long, about the size of a blueberry.

If you could see inside your womb, you’d spot eyelid folds partially covering her peepers, which already have some color, as well as the tip of her nose and tiny veins beneath parchment-thin skin. Both hemispheres of your baby’s brain are growing, and her liver is churning out red blood cells until her bone marrow forms and takes over this role. She also has an appendix and a pancreas, which will eventually produce the hormone insulin to aid in digestion. A loop in your baby’s growing intestines is bulging into her umbilical cord, which now has distinct blood vessels to carry oxygen and nutrients to and from her tiny body.
Your uterus has doubled in size in the past five weeks, and eating may feel like a chore — or worse — thanks to morning sickness, which by now may be in full swing. (If you’re feeling fine, don’t worry — you’re lucky!)

You may need to pee more than usual, too, thanks to your increasing blood volume and the extra fluid being processed through your kidneys. (By now, you already have about 10 percent more blood than you did before you were pregnant. And by the end of your pregnancy, you’ll have 40 to 45 percent more blood running through your veins to meet the demands of your full-term baby.) As your uterus grows, pressure on your bladder will send you to the bathroom as well.

About half of the women who feel nauseated during the first trimester will find complete relief by about 14 weeks. For most of the rest, it’ll take another month or so for the queasiness to ease up. It’s unlikely, though, that the need to pee more than usual will ease up. In fact, research shows that both the frequency and volume of urine tends to increase over the course of pregnancy.*

How Far Along? 7 weeks today

Total weight gain: with all of the IVF meds I gained 6 pounds in less than a month!  I am back to where I was before the IVF meds so we are using that as my pre-pregnancy weight.  0 lbs gained.

Maternity Clothes:  My pants no longer fit, so I bought 2 belly band this week and they are great!  Other than that nope regular clothes.

Strecth Marks: Nope

Sleep:  Getting a lot of it! Having a hard time staying asleep at night.

Best Moment of the Week: Seeing the ultrasound and the heartbeat for the first time!

Miss Anything? Nope

Movement:  A little early

Food cravings:  Not very hungry but carbs when I am (pizza and mac and cheese mainly)

Anything make you sick or queasy: Just about all foods!  Even the smell of nail polish.

Gender/Sex Prediction:  In my field of research we make a very clear distinction between these two terms!  Sex is the correct term but I know most people think that sounds funny in this context.  Anyways I think girl because DP and I have always talked about how great it would be to a have a boy first so a girl can have a big brother.  I am sure that makes God laugh so I am going girl.

Labor signs: Gosh I would hope not!

Symptoms: Bloating, sore boobs, nauseous that last all day and all night (even wakes me up!), exhaustion

Belly button in or out: In

Wedding rings on or off: On

Happy or Moody: Depends a little bit of both this week

Looking forward to: Wednesday for our next ultrasound:-)

Wednesday, March 6, 2013

First Ultrasound

We had our first ultrasound today!  I was so nervous going this morning and hardly slept last night. I have had so much bleeding the last few weeks that I felt it was 50/50 on having had a miscarriage. Well I have not had a miscarriage! I am still pregnant and our little tater-tot has a heart that is beating away:-) We didn't hear the heartbeat, he actually did not even try to hear it since it is still early.  We could see it beating away and that absolutely amazing!  In addition, we found out the cause of my bleeding.  I have a blood clot in my uterus.  I am not very familiar with what causes blood clots or really many of the details of them. This what I do know: we are not out of the woods yet.  Our doctor indicated that it could go either way.  He said everything looks really good with the exception of the clot.  We go back next Wednesday to see how the clot looks and to see how the baby is growing.  I am not on "bed rest" per se but he told me to rest as much as possible.  I told work I would not be until after next Wednesday's appointment.  I will spend the next week laying on my couch doing school work, as I have plenty to do. 

Regardless, today was first: seeing our baby's heart beat! I loved every minute of it and can't wait til next week. 

Monday, March 4, 2013

Time moves slowly

Isn't amazing how slowly time can move when you are really looking forward to something!?!  Wednesday can't get here soon enough.   The past two weeks have been pretty good, some concerns but that is to be expected I think. 

We told my family when they all came to visit for my dad's birthday.  It was really sweet and exciting.  They knew we were doing IVF so it wasn't a "surprise" but they were are very excited that it "worked" the first time.  They all understand we don't want to share it with others yet.  They have been great so far. 

We then went the same weekend to DP's parents.  They also knew we were doing IVF.  This trip was not as much fun.  While they are very excited, his mom has wanted a grandchild since before we were engaged, they apparently don't get a few things.  First, his dad smokes and has for over 40 years and he has MS.  DP and I have always agreed that once I am pregnant his dad will basically get an ultimatum, quit smoking or quit seeing me and the baby once it's born.  Well the time finally came for this wonderful conversation.  His dad seems to understand what we are saying and promises to try to stop.  Well trying isn't going to cut it.  I know I sound mean and heartless but this is not a debatable issue for me.  His mom simply makes excuses for him saying we don't understand how hard it is blah blah blah.  Well it is going to be even harder to not see their grandchild.  We made it clear I would not be back down (it's only an hour and a half away) until he has completed stopped.  We will see what happens.  Anyways, we told them I was pregnant and made it very clear we did not want to tell the family yet.  My MIL even ask if we were telling my grandparents/aunts/uncles and we said absolutely not!  Before we could even tell his sister, I get a facebook message from his cousin saying Congratulations! Now I love his cousin he is awesome and I don't blame him for any of this.  Well I denied being pregnant to his cousin and ask would told him, his mom had and DP's mom had told her!  Needless to say we were pissed!  DP confronted his mom about it and let's just say it didn't go over very well.  Oh well lesson learned as far as who we can trust and who we can't.

As for me: I have had tons of nauseous for the past 2 weeks or so.  I feel the worst late afternoon into the night so I try to eat mostly during the morning and early afternoon.  I am drinking a ton of ginger tea and that seems to help (isn't hurting at least).  Small meals really help too and making sure that my stomach is never empty is good too.  My clothes don't fit!  I gained several pounds on all of the IVF meds and my clothes haven't really fit since then but they are only getting worse.  I am not sure what I am going to do about pants....

One concern:  I have been spotting since before I even tested positive.   The bleeding has only gotten worse and sometimes comes with cramping but usually not.  I have talked to my nurse several times and she has not been really concerned since most of the bleeding has been brown (sorry if TMI). This weekend I had some that was more red than brown so of course that makes me nervous.  DP and I have realized that the more I am up and moving around the worse the bleeding gets.  Lucky for me this is Spring Break week for us and while I am suppose to be at work I called in for today and tomorrow and will see what happens Wednesday morning at 9:45.  Praying this little tater-tot (my sister nicknames everyone and that is what she nicknamed the baby!) sticks around because it is amazing how much you can seriously love someone who is the size of a mustard seed!