Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Ahhh, just what I needed to see

First OB appointment was a huge success.  My chugging of about 20 oz of water on the way to the doctor's office was perfect according to Jessica (our u/s tech) and Baby W popped up right away. I let out a huge sigh of relief once I saw the little peanut (or raspberry).  She took the measurements and baby is measuring exactly 8w2d, which is right on where I thought I was.  And even though we didn't get to hear the heartbeat we could see it flickering away right on the screen. 170 wonderful beats per minute.  I just stared at the screen and fell that much more in love with this little one.  J couldn't take his eyes off of it, either.

They printed out a bunch of copies of the pictures for us and gave us a disk with them on there as well. I'll take that disk back for the next u/s and they will add the new pictures to it.  Of course I'm not scheduled for another one until the big one at 20 weeks.  That is, unless we decide to do the NT Scan between 11.5 and 13 weeks. We haven't decided yet if we are going to do that test.

I have lab orders to go get my blood drawn so they can do the prenatal panel. I need to go do that sometime before my next appt (Sept 29th).  I need to decide if I want to get tested to see if I am a carrier for CF.  If I'm not then we have absolutely nothing to worry about. If I am then we only have to slightly worry if J is, too (only a 25% chance of Baby W having CF if we are both carriers).

Anyway, today did so much to ease my mind - and make this sooooo much more real!  So without further ado, here is Baby W!


I'm in love!

The waiting is the hardest part.


Tom Petty was definitely onto something there.  I finally have my first appt this afternoon, and needless to say - I am a nervous wreck.  I know the odds are that everything is fine. But I read about these women who go and have an u/s and there is no heartbeat or there's just nothing there.  I don't know what I will do if faced with that situation.

Luckily I am "working" from home today, so I have plenty of distractions to get me through to 3:00.  Currently I am doing some laundry, downloading some music, and trying on my bridesmaid dress for the wedding I am in in less than 3 weeks. Thankfully it still fits!  Now I just need to make sure I don't blow up in the next couple weeks.  I am pretty bummed about what I see as weight gain over the past week. Not sure what's up with that, but I'm hoping it was just crappy eating over the last couple days and not that I am going to gain 50 lbs with this pregnancy.

On that note, here is my weekly check in:


How far along? 8w2d - baby is the size of a raspberry.

Weight gain/loss: 3. Ugh! I think it's partially due to the bathroom issues I was having. Plus my crappy eating over the weekend.  Back to the gym for me!

Symptoms: I have bouts of queasiness every once in a while. And I went 6 days with no BM, so I guess that is a symptom.  Other than that I feel ok.

Sleep? Sleeping pretty well so far.  I haven't been overly tired, which is good.

Best moment this week? Having my first u/s today!

Movement: No – that won’t happen for a while!

Food cravings/aversions: I had to stop my morning smoothie since it was making me want to hurl.  I am loving the carbs right now and have  a weakness for gummy bears.

Belly button in or out? In, but still feeling kind of weird and hard on top.

What I miss? A normal bathroom schedule!  And getting to hang out with friends.

What I am looking forward to? My first appt this afternoon. Can't wait to see the raspberry and see a heartbeat!

Milestones: I hit 8 weeks!

What I'm nervous about: This afternoon's appt.  I just want to know that everything is ok in there.

Saturday, August 28, 2010

Epic fail


So, I decided to use the Milk of Magnesia last night.  I took the maximum recommended dosage (4 tbsp) and was ready for a night of relief based on what some other bumpies said on the message board.  Not so much.  So for dinner I had a nice big bowl of raisin bran, figuring that would jump start something.  Sure it did, some hideous gas pains.  Stellar.  My abdomen was so hard and distended that I already looked about 5 months pregnant. Ugh.

After rolling around on the couch and moaning while watching some highly entertaining episodes of 'Renovation Realities' (idiots trying to do their own home renovations - funny stuff), J took some pity on me and suggested mineral oil.  I of course ran to check google to make sure I could take it.  Go figure, it's not recommended for pregnant women since it can make it so you don't absorb the nutrients you need.  Screw it. I was only going to take one dose, not use it on an ongoing basis.  And desperate times call for desperate measures. 

I took a 3 tbsp dose before bed. Let me just say that stuff is nasty. It doesn't taste bad, but it's so thick and kind of tastes like you are drinking cooking oil. Gross. I washed it down with a big gulp of water and headed to bed hoping for the best.  It said it should generally work in 6 to 8 hours so I was excited to wake up to some relief finally.

This morning brought nothing. I give up.  Of course now I am afraid to venture too far from some bathroom facilities on the off chance that any part of my combo kicks in at any time.  It's gonna be a great weekend. And yes, that is sarcasm.

Friday, August 27, 2010

Oh Crap... or lack thereof


I'm not sure which is worse - the queasy feeling from earlier this week, or the feeling that I have a bowling ball in my gut that refuses to pass on?  Not that anyone wants to hear about my bodily functions, but mother nature is playing a cruel joke on me at the moment and has taken away the ability to do my business on a daily basis. Or even an every other day basis.  It's been days.  And nothing.

So far I have tried:
  • Metamucil
  • Fiber Choice chewable caplets
  • Phillips stool softener (twice the oomph of Colace)
  • Fiber and Omega 3 bars
  • Drinking a TON of water
  • Eating apples, carrots, salads, and anything else that should get me going
  • Drinking my daily cup of coffee
Nada. Nothing. Zero.  I may have to pull out the big guns and go get some Milk of Magnesia.  I've heard that it does wonders, but it may not be a pleasant experience.  All I can say is it's gotta be more pleasant than the impending colon explosion if something doesn't give soon.  Wish me luck!

Monday, August 23, 2010

Queasy stomachs and pudgy fingers


Oh yeah - I think m/s is about to hit big time. I felt queasy all morning while getting ready for work and now I am sitting here looking at my smoothie and it does not look good to me at all. I could really go for some carbs to settle my stomach. I think I'm going to need to keep some crackers upstairs for me to munch on while I get ready for work. I think it's just my empty stomach revolting against me.

Other than that I feel fine.  Well, except for my sausage fingers on my right hand that are making typing a real challenge this morning.  In my infinite wisdom I decided to try to prune one of our date palms on Saturday, sans gloves.  Not smart.  After three pretty good stabs, some dripping blood, and quite a bit of swearing I gave up.  Shortly there after my fingers started to hurt and swell.  Now my index and middle finger on my right hand look like the Hamburger Helper mitt.  Not sure how long this will last, but I'm hoping it goes away soon.  And next time I will definitely wear gloves... or have J do it.

Here's my weekly check-in:

How far along? 7w1d - baby is the size of a blueberry.


Weight gain/loss: 0.5 lbs. I attribute that to my crappy eating and no exercise over the weekend, though. I'm heading back to the gym today.

Symptoms: Definitely feeling more queasy today. My breakfast smoothie is not the least bit appetizing to me today.  Other than that, just my heart racing periodically.

Sleep? Sleeping pretty good. I find myself waking up 30 mins or less before my alarm goes off in the morning, though.  Then I can't fall bask to sleep. Not cool.

Best moment this week? Nothing’s really happened yet.

Movement: No – that won’t happen for a while!

Food cravings: Still loving the sweets. And starting to have a crush on some carbs.

Belly button in or out? In – but it feels kind of weird. The top fold of it feels hard for some reason.

What I miss? Hanging out with friends. I feel like I am in hiding since I'm trying to not tell people yet. It's hard to be around everyone who is drinking and not look really conspicuous when I'm not.

What I am looking forward to? My first appt on 8/31 when I’ll finally get to see the little peanut

Milestones: The fact that I hit 7 weeks and am still pregnant

What I'm nervous about: I'm nervous that something is wrong and will be until next Tuesday when we have the u/s.  I really just want to make sure something is actually in there!

Sunday, August 22, 2010

My Sister the Psychic



Last night I was sitting here watching a movie and I texted my sister to ask her a question.  I thought I saw one of her former colleagues as an extra and I wanted to verify that it was him.  This is the response I got from her:

'Yes. Did you see him? I had another dream about you last night. Are you pregnant?'

She had a dream earlier in the week that I was trying to repair the ice maker on our fridge and got electrocuted (that didn't happen, by the way).

Luckily it was over text message so I was able to respond and say 'Not yet' and not get busted.  If it had been face to face there is no way I would have been able to not fess up.  I really wanted to tell her, but I'm only 7 weeks and still feel like it's too early.  Especially since I keep seeing all these women who have a miscarriage at 8, 9, or even 12 weeks. I couldn't deal with having to un-tell everyone about this pregnancy if god forbid something horrible happens.

So, I will continue to bite my tongue for at least another 5 weeks.  Maybe once we see the heartbeat on 8/31 I will relax a little. But for right now I am still guarding our big secret.

Friday, August 20, 2010

Be Careful What You Wish For


Ok, I may have spoken a little too soon yesterday with my "I don't have any symptoms" post.  Today I feel like I am going to hurl.  I figured it would go away once I had my breakfast smoothie, but no such luck.  I am at my desk being a complete pregnant woman cliché and munching on some saltines while saying a silent prayer that the next 3 hours go fast so I can go home.  I really hope this isn't a hint of what's in store over the next weeks...

Thursday, August 19, 2010

So far so good... But is it too good?


Like any good mom-to-be I have spent countless hours perusing the message boards on thebump.com.  I like that I get to "chat" with other ladies that are going through the same things that I am - especially since very few people even know that we are expecting (and won't for a few more weeks at least).  It calms my mind a bit to know others feel the same way, but...

I see so many women talking about how they are so bloated that their clothes are already not fitting at 5 weeks.  And people who are so sick they can't find anything appetizing and every single think in their fridge makes them want to gag at 6 weeks.  And how their boobs are so sore it hurts to even think about wearing a bra pretty much from the instant they got their BFP.  And how it is just a struggle to make it through the day without taking multiple naps and they need to sleep 12 hours a night.

Things like this have me worried. I pretty much have zero "symptoms". Sure, I get a little bloat now and then, but I blame that on salty food or just over-indulging.  A quick run at the gym knocks that right out (for the most part).  I've had a couple queasy feelings here and there, but I attribute that to just being hungry.  Even before I knew I had a bun in the oven if I went too long on an empty stomach I would feel sick.  Ask J - he knows I need to be fed at regular intervals or I am one cranky woman!  My boobs are fine and (thankfully) have not grown... yet.  And sure, I am a little more fatigued, but it hasn't stopped me from going to the gym 4 days a week and still doing stuff around the house.  I don't know - maybe I just have super-ute and will breeze right through the next 33 or so weeks with no problem. Hey, a girl can dream, right???

Monday, August 16, 2010

Holy crap - we're going to be parents!




Wow - I can't believe we are actually going to have a baby. It's really still sinking in even though it's been over two weeks since I got the BFP (July 30th).  So far we haven't told anyone and I'd like to keep it that way at least until after the first appt (8/31). It's been sooooo hard hiding this and I feel like I am just avoiding everyone since I know they will question why I'm not drinking.  The "I'm the designated driver" excuse will only fly for so long!


I don't think it's really sunk in for J yet, either.  I'm hoping once we see the little peanut on the u/s on the 31st that it will be more real for both of us.


Here is my weekly check in:


How far along? 6w1d - baby is the size of a sweet pea.


Weight gain/loss: 0. I’d probably actually be down some if this stupid fiber would kick in!


Symptoms: None really to speak of right now. I was a little queasy early last week, but now I feel fine.


Sleep? Sleeping great so far – actually sleeping better than prior to the BFP.


Best moment this week? Nothing’s happened yet.


Movement: No – that won’t happen for a while!


Food cravings: Sweets – can’t get enough sour gummy worms


Belly button in or out? In – and it better be for a long time


What I miss? Being able to hang out and have a beer


What I am looking forward to? My first appt on 8/31 when I’ll finally get to see the little peanut


Milestones: Nothing yet


What I'm nervous about: Just nervous that this is too easy so far. No symptoms to speak of and it’s worrying me a bit