The Turtle from Jenny

Jenny from All Things was my Lent prayer buddy.  She sent me a cute tiny turtle.  I decide to take a picture of it on my stomach since it's about the size Baby Blondie is right now.

First Appointment with New OB

I had my first appointment with my new ob yesterday afternoon at 8 weeks, 2 days.  The appointment went well.  I like the new doctor.  I was able to get an u/s.  It was abdominal so I couldn't see too much, but I heard the baby's heartbeat (176 bpm).  She also look at the SCH (the bleed) and said that I might have some spotting off and on but it'll likely be done by 14-16 weeks.   She actually does at least a quick u/s at every office visit.  My next appointment will be on Sept. 15 (10 weeks, 4 days); I had this past one extra due to the SCH.

I also got my every two week blood draw done for sending to PPVI for progesterone.  I tried to get it done before my appointment, but I had to leave after waiting 20 minutes and come back after the appointment.  Since the post office was already closed and I was hungry, I told them I'd just pick it up this morning.  I got over there (and I brought the little boy I nanny for) and someone had sent the blood up to one of the other hospitals in the system.  Now I'm waiting for them to send the blood back down and then we've got to go back and pick it up and take it to the post office.  I'm glad that they at least didn't run it; I would have been really angry since I had my PIO last night so I couldn't get the draw redone today.  I'm pretty sure the post office will be super busy when we go now.

Not a Fluke and More about Bras

I was hoping throwing up yesterday was just a fluke from gagging on my vitamins.  Nope, I have true "morning" sickness.  I threw up twice today and we were out at a restaurant, which was awesome. :(  Actually I feel pretty good in the morning, but I feel terrible in the late afternoon and evening.  I guess I was pretty lucky to make it to almost 8 weeks before actually throwing up, considering that I had nausea at 4 weeks, 2 days.  I think I'll have to try Unisom & B6; maybe I can get D do buy some Unisom tomorrow.

Well, it’s not quite as supportive as I would like (although I’m going to take the strap in some and it should be better, but I did find a camisole at Target that I could actually fit into and it’s on the longer side so it should help cover my tummy once I start showing.  It’s actually a low cut (well it looks a lot lower on me than the lady in the picture on the website) with a criss-cross and it’s not the tight sucking-in shelf bra.  It’s definitely more comfortable than the underwire that was digging in to me yesterday.  I didn't want to buy a nursing cami now and have it be too small once I'm actually nursing.  I would like to get a least one actual bra soon, so if anyone knows of a store/brand/style to look at for wirefree bras that are relatively inexpensive, not full coverage (hopefully closer to a demi cut) and come in larger cup sizes (it'll need to be D or DD).  I didn't see much when I went to Target yesterday, but I wasn't feeling up to searching every single rack.  

Bras, Part 2

I had to go buy a new "bra" (actually I bought two camisoles with built in bras).  I had bought a new bra (#1) about 12 hours before finding out I was pregnant, which only was comfortable about 4 days.  I bought a new bra (#2) about 3 weeks ago since bra #1 was uncomfortable.  Well, today bra #2 has become uncomfortable and I think I'm going to have to get another new bra (#3 and I'm not even and I'm not even 8 weeks yet). The main issue I'm having with the current bra is the underwire being quite painful.  I ended up get the camisoles since I'm not sure where to find a bra in my size (my current bra is 34 D and I'm not sure if I need to go up yet or not) that doesn't have underwire and isn't a full coverage bra. I hope I don't need to keep doing this every few weeks; that would be pretty ridiculous.  Hopefully the camisoles will give me a bit of time before I need something new.

I'd been having a lot of gagging the past few days, and I gagged on my evening pills and ended up throwing up.  I'm actually a bit surprised that it took me this long (7 weeks, 5 days).  We'll see if it's a one time thing or a trend.

Be Careful What You Wish For

I had one little spot on Saturday, but no more since then and I haven't had cramps at all.  PPVI said to stay at 100 mg PIO twice a week since I'm still in Zone 3.  I have an appointment with the new ob next Monday afternoon, but I don't know if I'll get an u/s or not then.

On Friday, when I was having the spotting, I was also less nauseated than I had been and the combination worried me (even after seeing Baby Blondie's lovely little heartbeat).  I wanted I had the reassurance of the nausea, and of course it returned with a vengeance.  I still haven't had any vomiting, which actually really surprises me since the nausea kicked in pretty early (4 weeks, 2 days) and I've felt pretty close quite a few times.  The fatigue has been pretty rough the last few days too, and last night we stayed up late and I slept horribly.

Since my parents live out of the country and have a crazy spring/summer next year (Baby Blondie's birth in April, youngest brother's graduation in May and oldest of my brother's wedding in Hawaii in June), I've started thinking about and getting information regarding Baby Blondie's baptism.  We are planning on getting Baby Blondie baptized in Houston at the parish where we met and got married since it'll be easier for more of my family to make it than if we did it here.  I've already got the information on what we need to get from our local parish, the times for the Baptismal Prep seminar, etc.  D and I haven't talked about godparents yet, but we need to do that pretty soon since they will live out of town and have to attend the Baptismal Prep at their local parish and have to get their Baptismal certificates and a letter from their current parish.

Red Spotting, please pray *updated *2nd update

I'm having red spotting.  No cramping or anything.  Please pray that Baby Blondie continues to be ok.

Update:
I have contacted my local ob and PPVI (both right after I saw the spotting) and I'm waiting for a call back.  My progesterone was drawn Monday and I had my PIO injection last night.

Follow Update:
I got an u/s.  The heartbeat is still looking good.  I do have a subchorionic hematoma.  PPVI said my progesterone is 28.4, which is still good, but it did drop from the 40 I had earlier.  They are going to talk to the drs since I told them about the spotting/subchorionic hematoma and see if I need to go back up, but they may not be able to let me know until Monday.

It's official

D posted on FB, so the pregnancy is now official.
Here's his status:
two surgeries: $6000
pills and vitamins: $1000
special diet: $500
Finally after three years getting double pink lines: Priceless
[Mrs. Blondie S] is pregnant and due in April so excited, my little tax break is on the way


He obviously used my real name though.  So cute.

First OB appt.

Baby Blondie's first picture

Baby Blondie's little heart is beating at 122 beats a minute and he/she is measuring at 6 weeks exactly (I'm 6 weeks, 2 days) although the baby was really close to my uterine wall which made it harder for the tech to measure.  D was there for the u/s but not the rest of the appointment because he had to get back to work.  I'm so glad D was able to be there even though it put him behind for the rest of the day.  He took the u/s picture with him back to work, but brought it home so we could scan it.  He's going to keep it on his wall at work.  I haven't had any more spotting since Saturday.  I had my progesterone draw for PPVI and I'll be getting my PIO injection this evening.

I did decide to switch obs since my ob basically said if I want to do a natural birth I'd be better off switching to a different ob and even gave some recommendations.  I made my appointment with the new ob and it'll be on September 15.  I've got to call and see if they are going to do an u/s with the appointment (and try to convince them if they aren't planning to).  

I'm feeling quite nauseous, but I still haven't had true morning sickness quite yet.  Last night and this morning were pretty close though.  I can't eat meat (or really talk much about it).  I'm pretty tired and I have get up a lot during the night to pee.  I don't really have any breast tenderness or anything.  I'm feeling bloated, but I don't think that I've actually really changed any yet.  I have still be having pressure mainly on my left side, but my corpus luteum is on my right ovary so I don't know what that's from.  It's really funny that the baby so much smaller still than the corpus luteum but already has a heartbeat.

D would like me to let everyone know that he's awesome (and a goofball).  D is awesome because he's in cleaning the kitchen and making my dinner while I sit on the couch and rest.

My brother took D's old car (D's now driving our truck and I still have my car) so he could drive back to school (here's Friday's post about the accident...he's fine).  My parents are talking about basically transfering that car into their name and then D and I would get a new car (new to us at least) once my parents get the check and they'd help us with the down payment or whatever.

Prayer Buddy Reveal, Summer Edition

During the Summer Edition of Prayer Buddies, I've been praying for a woman who has a beautiful little boy and is currently expecting her second child.  She had some big things with regard to her family that she needed prayers for.  She's very busy trying to finish her graduate work before her second blessing arrives.  We have a lot in common with regards to our husbands and our prayers for them.  I was praying for Wheelbarrow Rider.  I offered my weekly adoration hour for you and your family as well as praying for you during Mass and whenever else I had prayer time. You'll continue to be in my prayers.

Brown

It was just a tiny bit, but I had some very little brown spotting this morning and it freaked me out.  I called and talked to one of Dr. H's fellows and they said just pelvic rest and plenty of water.  I don't have any cramping.  I really need it to get to Monday and our u/s quickly.  I just need to know that Baby Blondie is ok.  Baby Blondie and I (and D too) could use some prayers.  It's probably nothing but it's still scary.  I'm 6 weeks today.

Scary stuff (not pregnancy related)

My youngest brother, who is ok, got into a car accident today (and he was at fault) and possibly totaled his car.  I was driving behind him and saw the whole thing happen.  It was really scary; I wasn't sure that he was going to be ok.  I parked my car and ran over to check on him.  The other driver was older and went to the hospital, but I don't think it was serious.  Thankfully D came over from work and helped get everything sorted out.  My brother is supposed to be leaving to drive up to school in Ohio on Sunday, but we don't know how he's getting back yet.  My parents haven't gotten back to their house overseas yet from their trip to the states, so we haven't been able to talk to them.  They hopefully will be back in the next couple hours.  I'm very glad I wasn't in the car, or I'd be over at the hospital getting an u/s.

Updates, possible ob switch?

I'm still having lots of nausea, but the actual morning sickness has not made a full appearance yet.  I have to pretty much eat constantly to keep the nausea at bay and it generally returns pretty quickly after eating.  I have a small bowl of snacks on my nightstand so that when I wake up to go to the bathroom during the night, I can eat something.  Ginger seems to help a lot; I'm almost done with my second box of ginger chews.  Meat in any form doesn't sound at all appetizing.  I tried to have fish on Sunday, but I couldn't finish it.  I'm having to pretty much go vegetarian with lots of beans, grains, and I'm eating spinach quite a bit.  I had some weird pressure for most of Monday in the area of my ovaries, but it seems to have calmed down.  I tend toward insomnia anyways, but I'm having even more trouble sleeping than usual.

My ob appointment is in 5 days, on Monday, but that seems so far away!  I'll have an ultrasound, and hopefully we'll be able to see a heartbeat (I'll be 6 weeks, 2 days).  I've got quite a few questions for my ob about how comfortable she is with minimal intervention during labor and delivery so we'll see if I'm going to stick with her, or switch to a different ob who would be more natural birth friendly (and I've got some leads on that).  I have found out which hospital in the area is most natural birth friend, and she does have privileges there.  Whether I switch obs or not, I have decided where I'll deliver.  There aren't any midwives in my city and I don't want really want to drive 45 minutes for prenatal care or delivery, especially since I'll probably have the little boy I nanny at most of my appointments.  I've contacted a couple of local doulas, but I'll have to see whether D is willing to spend the money.

I called to find out about our insurance coverage for maternity and I learned that for 2010, since we already met our deductible and out of pocket maximum for the year due to my surgery, all we really have to cover is copays, ultrasounds will be covered at 100%.  For 2011, we will have to deal again with meeting the deductible, and then they will pay 80%.

When we were on the way home from our friends' daughter's baptism, D brought up how he is excited and ready to meet our little one, but he also wants to experience all of the excitement of going through the pregnancy.  He can't wait until our ultrasound, and he's really ready to get out of the first trimester.  He's a bit freaked out by the fact that the loss rate is higher in the first trimester.  He has started reading the blog somewhat regularly, so if you have any reassurance that would be great.

D and I will be calling Baby Blondie SC until we have the gender ultrasound.  SC comes from the boy's name and girl's name that we have picked out.  We picked out names about 3 months after we started dating, so we've had them decided for a while.  I probably won't share the name until after the birth.

5 weeks and wish list

I'm 5 weeks today.  No new symptoms yet, and I'm feeling pretty decent in general.  I'm still currently able to keep the nausea at bay by constantly eating and I hope that will continue for at least a little while longer.

I have a bit of a "wish list" of things I would like to do with regard to labor and delivery and after birth:
-Cloth diapering: D and I have already talked about cloth diapering and he's good with it.  I've been researching off and on for years.  The little boy I nanny for is cloth diapered.  I'm probably mainly going to go with prefolds and covers, but I'll get some pocket diapers for times when they are more convenient.  Check out this cloth diapering series that I found through Shannon's link.
-Natural childbirth (no epidural/pain meds): I would really like to have a natural labor with no pain meds.  I know my mom did it with at least 2 if not all 4 of her pregnancies.  I haven't picked out what method, Bra.dley, Hy.pobirthing, etc., I'm most interested in.  I have no problem with other people choosing to use epidurals, but I would really prefer to not have one.  At my ob appointment, I'll definitely talk to her about how supportive she is of laboring without pain medications and under what situations she would recommend a c-section.  I would also like to wait to have the cord cut until it stops pulsing so that the baby can get all the blood, etc., possible.
-Baby wearing- I love slings and carriers.  I'm probably going to get a couple.  Carrying around a child in a sling is much less tiring than using your arms.  I've used slings a few times when nannying and I really loved it.
-Make my own baby food or baby led weaning- It's less expensive to make your own food and I like to cook our food mainly from scratch, so why not do the same for our baby?

I know it's pretty early, but I've been thinking about these things since we started trying three years ago.  If anyone has any suggestions on any of these topics feel free to share.

Zone 4, Baby!

PPVI called with my progesterone results this afternoon.  My progesterone on Sunday, P+15, was 40.7, which is Zone 4, and my CRP was low, which is good, so no signs of infection.  I'm down to 100 mg PIO twice a week instead of 200 mg, which is good since when the prescription from the mail order pharmacy comes I'll be using 50mg/ml instead of the nice 100 mg from the compounding pharmacy.  Thankfully the copay is pretty decent, so I'm fine with that.

I did end up going to T.ar.get and buying a cheap bra since my old one was falling apart and the new one was uncomfortable after just 4 days. The nipple pain has officially kicked in, while I was trying bras and camis on.  I also got a prenatal yoga video that I'm going to try to do.  It's too hot to go on walks before about 8pm since it's over 100 pretty much all day and it doesn't get below 90 until after dark and the low is just under 80 (and that's at like 4 am) so I'll wait until the weather cools down some before doing walks.

I'm still only at the nausea stage, but even eating constantly isn't settling my stomach as well as earlier in the week.  When I wake up in the night to go to the bathroom, I have to have a couple rice crackers when I get back in bed.  I'm pretty sure true morning sickness isn't far off.  I'm hoping to make it until at least Monday (5 weeks, 2 days) before it kicks in since we are going out of town for a baptism (D's best friend's baby) on Sunday.  I really would prefer not to be sick on the 4 hour drive.  I definitely will need to pack lots of snacks for the ride.  The fatigue isn't too bad, but I'm pretty sure that tomorrow I'll be pretty tired since I'm getting my PIO tonight.

I'm still kind of following the endo diet since I feel better when I'm not eating gluten or dairy.  I pretty much eat the endo diet at home and don't worry as much when we are traveling, etc.  We'll have to see how it goes once morning sickness officially kicks in.

I'm about to have my pregnancy evaluation with TCIE!

What we did this cycle, and trying to keep it off FB * Edited

Here are the meds and vitamins that I was on this cycle:
T3 22.5 mg twice daily
cortisol 5 mg four times daily
prenatal vitamin, plus additional vitamin C, E, folic acid and iron, daily
cod liver oil (830 mg) and flax oil (1000 mg) daily
vitamin B6 500 mg sustained release daily
Pain and Brain supplement for inflammation, 3 capsules twice daily
antibiotic for both me and my husband, this cycle CD 6-15
mucinex 600 mg twice a day from CD 10 until P+3

benadryl 1 capsule twice a day from P+5 to P+9 (Little Joann and TCIE mentioned this on the Catholic IF yahoo group I read)


I had two acupuncture treatments, one with ear points only P+3 and one with the full treatment P+6.   


We used P-1 (and kind of used P-2...if you remember this post), but we didn't use Peak day or any of the count of 3.  


I had bleeding (not just spotting) from P+4 to P+9.




We have told our families, who have told the extended family, but we are waiting until at least the u/s to share with anyone else.  However, I've had to delete to posts from my wall on FB (thankfully I saw them quickly) from various family members congratulating us.  I had to let them know that we appreciate the support, but we don't want it all over FB this early.  One of my cousins sent me a private message on FB since she saw there weren't any posts about it, and I was so thankful that she thought to do that.


This is D's FB status currently: ‎572b*48=1104b.  Can you guess what it means?  

Beta #2, Bras and more

I got my second beta drawn this morning, P+17, and it was 1104.  That's almost double and the draws were less than 48 hours apart so I'm feeling good about it.  The doubling time, according to this handy beta doubling calculator, was 43.22 hours, which is about what is expected.  I also had them run the ob panel now so that I don't have to get any extra blood draws, since I've already had 3 blood draws in the last 10 days and  I'm going to be getting blood draws every two weeks.   Last night I got my first PIO shot.   The mom that I nanny for taught D how to give the shot (I have been so lucky with my nanny jobs).  D did really well, and it didn't hurt until later.

I'm feeling pretty good.  I have to eat pretty much constantly, but it's keeping the nausea at bay.  I did stand up too quickly earlier and I got dizzy.  I feel a bit bloated too.  I think the fatigue is starting to kick in too.

Like I mentioned in an earlier post, I had to buy a new bra on Saturday since I manage to leave mine at home.  I'm concerned that this bra will not fit very long (I of course went and got an expensive VS bra since they actually carry my size).  The bra was snug when I bought it and it's feeling even more now.  About long was it before any of you ladies had to get a new bra and how many have you gone through?  Any other bra advice?

D was reading some of my blog yesterday and was asking about various acronyms.  He was also asking about betas and their doubling.  He's be reading the book I got him and has learned quite a bit already.

Does anyone need a bottle (it's opened) of sustained release B6?  I just bought a new bottle less than a week ago and I'm not going to be taking it for quite a while.

I'm going to post my meds, etc. I was on this cycle tomorrow.

I'm probably going to take a commenting break for a little while.  I'm still reading, but really can't pull anything together to say.  I'm still out here praying for all of you.

Updates from calls to doctors * Updated

If you didn't see my previous post with the story of the BFP, my first ob appointment and u/s is two weeks from today, Monday, August 16.  I'll be bring the little boy I nanny for to my appointment (I already checked with his mom).  I got my local ob to order a beta for tomorrow, and the normal ob screen (I figured they'd be drawing blood then so I might as well the screen run then instead of waiting).

I also talked to PPVI.  The nurse is checking on whether Dr. H wants us to do any more antibiotics and whether I should take the Pain and Brain supplement (I stopped after the positive test until I heard from him).  They faxed the order so that I could send the bloodwork to them and that's been sent to Omaha.  He did put me on PIO and I'll be picking that up from the compounding pharmacy soon.  I'm not sure if I'll need to continue the supplementation since the local lab (I'm have it run both places) said the progesterone is greater than 40; we'll have to see what numbers PPVI gets and if they think I'm safer with supplementation.

I'm tired so I'm going to take a nap now.

Updated: Yes, I was on my first round of cyclical antibiotics this cycle.  I have no problems doing PIO the whole pregnancy if necessary.  I definitely want to do everything possible to keep this pregnancy safe.

The Story * Updated

This weekend we were in our hometown for a friend's wedding.  Saturday was P+14, which is when I usually get my period.  I had had spotting from P+4 to P+9, which sadly isn't unusual for me.  What was unusual was that it stopped after that.  All day Saturday I was going to the bathroom expecting to see pink or brown if not red, but I saw nothing all day.  I had some slight cramping, which I don't usually have before my period.

We got home after the reception and I posted that I hadn't see any spotting and it was the end of P+14.  JBTC insisted that I stop keeping everyone in suspense and go POAS (well actually a cup), so I obliged at about 11pm.  Thankfully, I had brought my last remaining dollar tree test.  To my great surprise, there were actually two lines.  I took the test downstairs and showed it to D, asking if he saw the second line.  He said he did and asked what it meant.  I told him it was a pregnancy test.  He gave me a big hug and kiss.  He was alternating between laughing and crying and told me he won't be able to sleep that night out of excitement.

After a few minutes, he said he wanted to go get some more tests, so we went to the grocery store and had to get the cashier to get the manager to open the locked case in the pharmacy were the tests were.  We got home and I tested again and again there were two lines.  After the second test, D sent text messages to his two best friends and told them (even though at this point it was after midnight) and we told D's younger sister who was home for the wedding.  We finally went to bed, but it took me quite a while to fall asleep.  I woke to go to the bathroom and test again (still positive but lighter, though my beta shows that the color of the line doesn't necessarily mean anything since it was 572 less than 12 hours after that test).  I couldn't go back to sleep and ended up just getting up.  I probably slept about 3-4 hours.

We had breakfast with his parents and D finally told the the news as we were about to walk out the door.  The suspense was driving me crazy.  After we got in the car, I had D give me his cell phone and I called both my parents (one on each phone) because they were in different states at the time (they're together now).  I called my former boss, the urologist, and got her to help me get sorted out on the bloodwork and progesterone.

I also called the mom of the new family I'm nannying for and told her.  I will be very busy after April since I'll be talking care of the little boy they just adopted (he'll be about 9 months), the one she's pregnant with (due in late December, will probably be between 3-4 months), and my own child.  They are very excited for me and have already started thinking about coverage for when I'm out after the birth.

Yesterday we told our siblings (although one of mine isn't back in the country yet) and our grandparents.  Everyone is very excited.  This will be great-grandchild #12 for my dad's parents, #2 for my mom's, and #1 for both sides on D's side.  It's the first grandchild from both my parents and D's parents.

I finally got to give D the announcement present that I bought before the wedding.  I was orginally planning to give it to him to tell him about a pregnancy, but after 3 years I had lost track of where it was hidden and he got it out yesterday.  It had some cute turtle baby towels, etc and the Everything Father-to-be Book, which he started reading last night.

I'm still amazed that this is really happening and thank you all for your congratulations and your prayers (especially you, prayer buddy, whoever you are).

My current symptoms are bloating, slight nausea and food aversion.  The nausea seems to have kicked in after taking the progesterone.  I woke up to go the bathroom about 2:30 and decided that I better eat something.  I need to go shopping later today.

I'll be calling my local ob/gyn momentarily and PPVI in about an hour and I'll update later today with what I learn from them.

Updated:
I forgot to mention that I had to buy a bra on Saturday (before get the BFP) because I left my bra at home since what I was wearing Friday had a built-in bra.  I have a feeling this bra won't fit for too long.

My first ob appointment is on Monday, August 16 and I'll have an ultrasound.  It's at lunch time so D will try to make it.

Beta #1 (run locally)

My friend, the doctor I used to nanny for, helped me get  bloodwork drawn to be run locally and also to be sent to PPVI as soon as I can get in touch with them tomorrow.  I got the HCG number just a few minutes ago and P+15 it's 572.  I'll post the story of everything so far later, but I'm going to evening Mass in a few minutes so this is just a quick update.  I got a progesterone prescription (suppositories, can't get PIO on Sunday) and I'll start that tonight.  The local lab should have the progesterone in the morning and I'll update once I hear.  I'll be calling both PPVI and my local ob/gyn tomorrow and I'll let you know what I learn.

P.S. Does anyone have a link for a chart of average HCG days post ovulation?