Updates and finally 10 week u/s pic

I've been reading the blogs, but I've been a terrible commenter due to lack of time, feeling tired and nauseous, and not really having much too say.

I had my ob appt today at 12 weeks, 2 days.  Everything is looking good.  The heartbeat is 169 bpm.  The baby was stick its little bottom forward today so the pictures weren't that great.  The doctor has a suspicion as to the sex of the baby, but it's too early to be sure.  We hopefully will find out at my next appointment at 16 weeks, 4 days (October 27) which will be the big u/s with the u/s tech (the doctor does the u/s during the regular appointments).  Hopefully D will be able to go to the appointment, but it's the morning before we leave in the evening for his cousin's wedding in NJ.  

I finally got on some anti-nausea medication (generic Zofr.an) and I'm feeling so much better.  I have nausea still without the medication, but the nausea on it is only if I don't eat frequently enough.  I haven't had any vomiting since starting it and I was having quite a bit before starting.  I can also eating a bit more variety and can open my fridge without gagging.  

I still have a lot of fatigue and I'm trying to nap almost everyday (I nap when the little boys nap when I'm working if I can).  I was off today, but I couldn't get a nap due to timing of stuff.  

10 week ultrasound

10 Surprising (?) Things About Me

Wheelbarrow Rider tagged me for the 10 random things meme.

1.  I love to read historical fiction.  It's probably my favorite genre, especially when combined with mysteries.  I love the Ly.n Ha.milton archeological mysteries and I was sad to read that she passed away.  Any suggestions on good historical fiction are always appreciated.
2.  I graduated college in 3 1/2 years (just like TCIE).  None of my brothers, sisters-in-law or husband graduated in 4 years even either.  One of my brother graduated in 5 years, one in 3 1/2 years and the youngest will graduate in 3 years.  My husband graduated in 4 1/2 years, one of his sisters graduated in 3 1/2 years and the other in 4 1/2 years.
3.  I was in graduate school for 2 years for Developmental Psychology and studied language development.  I really hate writing papers and it was not going to be a good fit for me.
4.  I was a teacher for a little more than two years.  I taught second grade, jr. high science and then 5 grade math/science.  I really don't like the classroom management aspect.  I love tutoring and and I'm really hoping to homeschool.
5.  I make jewelry.  I haven't done it in a while since the local bead store closed and I haven't had much money to do it either.  I have a necklace and earrings to coordinate with most outfits that I own.  I haven't bought a premade necklace or earring in years since I learned to make my own.  I also make most of my mom's jewelry as well.
6. I generally where the same shoes everyday.  Black sandals in the summer and black Sketchers once it's cooler.
7.  I love science & history shows and many sci-fi series.  I loved Quantum Leap, Sliders, and Stargate and we watch Warehouse 13 and Eureka.
8.  I only were makeup for events, church, etc.  I wore makeup everyday when I was teaching, but I don't wear it now that I'm nannying.  I wear mascara a few times a year.
9. My family lived in England when I was really young.  We moved there when I was 18 months old and moved back when I was almost 6 years old.  I went to Kindergarten there and two of my brothers were born there.  I travel to many place in Europe as a young child, but I can't really remember it.
10.  I was about 15 feet from Pope John Paul II as he came into World Youth Day 2002 in Toronto.

(Baby) Likes to Move It, Move It

I had an OB appointment today, 10 weeks, 4 days.  It was really quick since I had the little boy I nanny for with me and he was awake, just blood pressure, weight, urine sample, and a quick ultrasound.  I had some spotting Friday and Sunday, but Baby Blondie is still looking good.  The heartbeat is 179 and I even got to see him or her moving which was really awesome.  You can actually see that it's a person in there now.  I could see the little arms and legs moving.  I'll scan the picture in a bit later.  The placenta is growing nicely and attached nice and high.  If I have spotting, I'll go back in two weeks on September 30, otherwise it'll be four weeks.

For your viewing, King Julian from Madagascar singing "I Like to Move It, Move It".  So funny.

Latest progesterone level (just a quick update)

I'm still in Zone 3, the level was 34.7 ng/dL at 8 weeks 2 days.  I'm still on 100 mg PIO twice a week.  It's odd to me that I'm still lower than I was at P+7 and P+15.

I'm dealing with vomiting most days now (almost always in the evening) and I'm eating constantly so I don't know that there's anything I can do.  I hope that I start feeling better in the the second trimester (about 2-3 weeks, I'll be 10 weeks Saturday).  There is so little that I can eat (and some stuff makes me gag just to think about it).  I'm also tired of losing my dinner; it's seems like such a waste when it's almost every night for the past 10 days or so.  I'm thinking I need to offer this up for all of you still waiting.

That wasn't ideal

I was at the baptism today for the little boy I nanny for and I started feeling really funny and a bit warm (and it's generally a bit cool in there).  Well, I almost blacked out as I was walking out of the sanctuary.  There were quite a few people around so they got me some water and crackers, and I got a ride home (D was working all day today).  I really hope that was a one time thing.  Other than that it was a great baptism, and they did a full immersion (he wasn't too happy about that).

A Spiritual Bouquet

For all our Sisters in Christ who are in the midst of their journey with infertility, loss, and adoption...please know you have our continued support, love, and prayers! 

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!