13 Weeks: Easter Bump!

I think there's no more hiding my tiny bump. Here is me, my Squiggle and my Easter dress -- the first piece of maternity clothing I've worn yet. :)

12w4d: NT Ultrasound

This morning, we had our NT ultrasound appointment, which is also called a "first trimester screening." This is to check the fluids in the baby's neck and spine, which can show indications of having chromosomal  abnormalities. In the past, if the screening came back positive, the mother would have to get an amnio done, which is very invasive. Now, if it comes back positive, you can get the MaterniT21 test done, which is a blood draw that checks for the same abnormalities and confirms them as well as the sex of the baby.

I just looked at this as another chance to get to see my baby. The NT results were fine, but the experience was something else.

Turns out, I have a stubborn child. When we got there, s/he was facing straight up, staring at us, which is good to check on all the little limbs and to watch him/her wiggle around and kick and flail his/her arms around, but it is impossible to actually measure the fluids if the baby is face up. So, after we got to watch the baby move all around, the tech told me to turn onto my left side to try and get him/her to roll over. This didn't work. Next step? She told me to go empty my bladder, then walk around for a little bit.

I went ahead and did that and jumped up and down a few times for good measure. All the while, B was mocking me for the stubborn baby, saying that I pissed him/her off with the doppler, and now he/she wanted to be left alone. Whatevs.

When the tech came back in, we tried again, and the baby was facing down now...for like thirty seconds, before he/she rolled back over face-up. Hahaha. So, I had to do more rolling around, flipping from one side to the other, and FINALLY she was able to get the measurements.

The baby kept putting one of his/her hands up by his/her nose, as if to cover his/her face, which was definitely cute. She even did a close up shot of his/her little feet, but didn't give us that picture, unfortunately.

Oh, and all afternoon in school, I felt the baby moving around. I think he/she is mocking me. I'm much more aware of the sensation now, as infrequent as it is. It's beautiful, and I love it. I love every moment of it.

Here's the best of the pictures we did get. You can't tell the sex from the picture at all, so don't bother guessing. Baby's not fully developed down there yet, so there wasn't anything to see.

12 Weeks: Migraines and Movement

Yesterday, I got to see my best friend, Gina, for the first time in a little while. I was super excited to get to be with her while my husband played 24 hours of video games for charity. Somewhere around the middle of the day, I formed a low-grade headache that I knew would be bad news. I continued to drink water, and I even had a little bit of soda to ward off the migraine.

Sadly, at around 10pm, I lost the battle and the migraine hit me full blast. I went to bed early, which wasn't saying much since the charity gaming party was still going on, and I could hear everything through the wall. I used an ice pack to relieve the pain in the front of my head and prayed the Tylenol I took would work. It didn't work. In fact, lying down only made my head hurt worse.

At about three in the morning, I texted Gina, who was still awake and with the gamers, and asked her for more Tylenol. I only took half a dose before, since that was all I had left. She came in and gave me more Tylenol and switched out my ice pack for a new one. She's awesome. <3 She asked if I had to go to the hospital, but I didn't want to go. I feel so silly going to the hospital for a migraine.

About three minutes after she left, I broke down in tears. I was so frustrated because I hurt so much, and since I've suffered from migraines for many years, all the remedies I'd usually try...I can't try now. Gone are the days of squishing it with Excedrin, which didn't always work, but it would most of the time. Now, all I can use is Tylenol (a joke) and pray it away.

B in to check on me in the middle of my little breakdown. He stayed with me until I calmed down, and I told him that it really hurt, and I can't sleep because of it. I asked if he could bring me a can of soda. Caffeine was my last hope. Now, caffeine can either be a trigger for people who suffer migraines, or it can be a help to get rid of it. For me, it's always been a help. In fact, when all my other preventatives fail, I usually bank on a huge Coffee Coolatta from Dunkin Donuts. The cold and the caffeine combined would make it much more bearable.

My husband brought me the Coke, and I forced myself to drink half of it (since I didn't want to eat or drink), and then I got back into bed. Thankfully, the half can of Coke made the migraine more bearable, and I was able to fall asleep. When I woke up, the migraine was still there, but it wasn't painful (those of you who suffer from migraines know what I mean). I took more Tylenol to keep it from coming back around. That worked.

To say I am frustrated is an understatement. I am going to call my midwife tomorrow and talk about my options. There are a few out there for pregnant women, but some of them, like anti-depressants, are not an option for me.

In other news, on the way to Philadelphia, while I was sitting in the car, I felt a little *bloopbloop* in my upper pelvic area. It definitely wasn't gas, but it didn't occur to me at first that it was my baby. When it did, I was so happy, and I told Brandon, who promptly joked around and told me it was probably just gas. But, I have a very active baby, so it wouldn't surprise me if he or she was doing a somersault, and I just so happened to feel it. The RE told me that I could feel the quickening as early as 11 weeks, but most first time moms don't understand what they are feeling and miss it. I totally didn't miss this. :D

Doppler Kick Video!

11w4d: Kicking on the Doppler

So, it is the neatest thing to listen to your baby's heartbeat on the doppler. Once I week, I spend time listening to the baby, connecting with him or her, and just loving the state I am in.

Today, I set up my doppler, laid down in the bed and listened. It's easier now to find the baby, but my baby likes to move around a lot, so once I find him or her, the baby swims away and I have to go searching again. While I was listening today, I kept the doppler in one spot and just listened to how the baby moved around. Sometimes there was a "swoosh" noise when he moved, and sometimes the heartbeat just faded away and them came back louder than ever.

But, something new that happens is the little "pops" that break the rhythm of the heartbeat. That's the baby kicking. Or punching. Whatever he's doing. I caught it twice in ten minutes, and it made me laugh. I have a little super hero in there, I think. :)

I will try and record it sometime to post on the blog, it's just hard to hold the doppler and the phone at the same time. But, it's really cool, so I want to share. Maybe after work today! :D

11 Weeks!

Man, I have never wanted to wish these weeks away faster. I am so close to the second trimester, and yet, it seems so far away.

So, what has happened this past week? Lots! As you have read, I ended up in the hospital because of a migraine, but at least it was just a migraine. Yesterday, I had severe back pain that almost had me in tears at one point. I felt so miserable, but I wanted to be with my friends, so I pushed through it.

When I got home, I went straight to the heating pad and went to bed with a heated...thing that I called my "snuggie." It's one of those things you put in the microwave and heat up, or you can put it in the freezer. I used that so I could sleep with it and not have to worry about leaving the heating pad on all night long.

Thankfully, it let up today. I was preemptive with it by propping something between my back and the couch, and by resting a lot. I suppose this is just the beginning of it all. :)

We also bought a new warm humidifier that you can pour the menthol vapor stuff in. I've been having a hard time sleeping at night because I am congested from the pregnancy as well. That, and my husband's sinuses are always awful, so I made the executive decision for both of our noses to get a new humidifier. I'm excited to use it, and I hope it makes sleeping more comfortable.

I am also going to order my pregnancy pillow, since I really need to stop sleeping on my back, which is probably why it hurts.

Oh, and I am officially off ALL MY HORMONES! FOR THE FIRST TIME IN MONTHS! I AM SO HAPPY!

Otherwise, I am feeling GREAT. I don't feel sick anymore, and my energy is up more than it was before. I feel like I'm in the "glowing" part of my trimester. Glow, mama, glow!

I will post a new belly picture soon!

Trip to the Hospital

For the last three days, I've had a dull headache that wouldn't go away with tylenol, warm showers, sleep....nothing. Today, after a rough day of school, the headache exploded into a full-blown migraine. I immediately came home from work and got into bed.

After sleeping for two hours, I woke up feeling sick. I didn't eat anything since 11 am, and at that time, it was 7pm, and I wasn't hungry at all. I read through my pregnancy packet from my OB, and it stated several times that if I have a headache that doesn't go away with Tylenol to call the office.

So, I called the office, since I was sick of the headache, and now not thrilled with the migraine. My midwife called me back and told me that I should go to the hospital. And that's what I had to do.

For the most part, everything was okay at the hospital. The baby's heart rate was 161, but my blood pressure was soaring when I first got in. I forget the top numbers, but my bottom numbers went from 101 down to 80 within an hour or so. But it wasn't good to be up at 101 at all.

They gave me some IV fluids and Reglain (sp?) to help with the migraine. It went away pretty quickly, but I had to continue to lay there while the IV fluids were pumped. Once it was all in, I was discharged from the hospital. Funny, because as soon as they hooked me up to the IV and started to push the meds and fluids, I got hungry right away. So, I came home and ate a peanut butter and jelly sammich, and now I'm going to bed.

Hopefully, I don't have to go back there anytime soon!

The End Of An Era (Thankfully)

Tonight, my husband administered my last hormone shot!

 For those of you playing at home, I have been taking hormone shots of progesterone and estrogen since around the 15th of January (I forget the exact date). That means that for around 58 non-stop days I have been administered shots of hormones.

Tonight, I got to close my sharps container for good, and put my bag of syringes and needle tops and vials of progesterone and estrogen away. I get to erase the alarm on my phone that is set for 7pm every night to remind me to take the shots.

For some reason, this is a very emotional moment for me. I shouldn't say "for some reason." There's a good reason. I've been putting myself through all these shots and hormones to get to this point. All those times I posted in this blog, in tears, because I was so weary of them, so tired of them getting in the way of my life...it is over. It is over, and my body is doing what it is supposed to be doing all on its own.

I am so blessed.

And I am so happy to kick these needles. ;)

This is my trusty sharps container. It lived on top of my refrigerator next to the alcohol swabs. Tonight, I got to seal the container shut and prepare it to be discarded.  

This is the view from the top of the container. Look at all those needles! There is literally no more room for any needles. I have been through two of these this cycle alone.

Goodbye, needles!

First Midwife Appointment

I had my first midwife appointment today, and it went well. I am really impressed with the office so far! I told the midwife about the SCH/empty sac issue and how the RE didn't write it down. She flipped on the sonogram machine and took a look to see what was going on since it would make me (and her) feel better. It was my very first adominal scan too!

We saw my Squiggle flapping around and shimmying back and forth. The midwife said his heartbeat looks good and he's doing lots of moving, which is also good. She couldn't find any evidence of a SCH or another sac, though, so she told me not to worry about it. Maybe it just doesn't show on an adominal scan, I don't know, but if it wasn't there, than I'm happy with that and can stop worrying.

I am going to schedule my NT scan in a few weeks, and around the same time, I'll have my next midwife appointment.

Yay!

10 Weeks!

I'm 10 weeks today! Yay!

I also got new bras today, because my bewbs are getting bigger. Because everyone needs to know that!

The morning sickness has mostly gone away. I went a whole week without feeling crappy!

Here's a picture of my belly from last week. I don't see a difference, but, then again, I really shouldn't so that's okay. I haven't gained any weight so far. In fact, I was at my lowest point at the beginning of the week. But, that's normal.

OB Appointment, Ultrasound #3 and Release!

Today was a busy day for me. This morning, I had my very first OB appointment at my new OB office. I showed up a half hour early, figuring that since I'm a new patient, it would take longer to get my paperwork together. Well, it didn't really go over that way. I arrived at 9. My appointment was at 9:30. 9:30 passed by. Other women were seen before me. 10 am passed by. More women were seen. Finally, at 10:30, I was seen by the nurse practitioner, who seemed to not be all too convinced of where she was. She went through the normal stuff with me, and we talked about my blood pressure, which she thankfully doesn't think is an issue. She gave me a bunch of reading materials and scheduled me to see the midwife on Tuesday. Because of my weight, I will also have to come in Monday morning for my glucose test, since my last one was done over a year ago. Fun.

After the OB, I had to go to work, which was stressful because the kids were being ridiculous. I planned to leave at 3 because my RE appointment was at 3:30. Of course, as teachers know, I didn't get out of there at 3, but rather at 3:15. Somehow, I managed to get to the office on time. Woot.

I was seen pretty quickly at the REs office. Dr. W. saw me today, which I was glad, because I like her. She showed me my little Squiggle, and immediately I could see the difference ten days made! Squiggle has little arm and leg buds now, and eyes that can be clearly seen. And? The most amazing part? Squiggle was MOVING! In was in a cute, stupid way, wiggling back and forth and back and forth, as if he knew I was watching him. We were all laughing because it looked so ridiculous. Squiggle's heartrate is around 170, which I already knew from my doppler, and he is measuring just fine. Dr. W. even did some 3D pictures, which was fun!

What was curious this time around was that she zoomed in on a second sac and asked me if anyone talked to me about it yet. I told her that no one did, and she pointed out that it was either a gestational sac at one time and stopped growing, or it is a SCH, or a Subchorionic Hematoma , which is a bleed between the uterus and the placenta, sometimes made during implantation. She told me either way, it's not an issue, since I've not had any bleeding, and if I didn't by now, I probably wouldn't. Crazy to think, though, that there might have been two in there, though, I seriously wonder how they could have missed that the first two times. It was fairly big...

That was my last visit to the RE, though. Dr. W. released me to my OB and even told me I could stop my progesterone shots and switch to the inserts until 3/15. I feel like I've graduated, and I am so happy to not have to go back to the RE. At least not for a few years. :)

Well, here are the last pictures I'll have of Squiggle for a little while. If I understood the nurse practitioner correctly, I won't have another ultrasound until around 20 weeks, which is crazy. But. Whatever!

This is a face-on view from the top. You can sort of make out the eyes, but definitely see his little arms and legs. This was the view that we saw him squirming back and forth. It was really the cutest thing ever.

This is a 3D image of Squiggle.You can see his arms and legs sticking straight out!

And here is another 3D image where you can see the umbilical cord and an eyeball!

Cysts?

That bloated, stretching feeling from the other day has turned into a cramp on my left side. I've had the cramp since yesterday, and it continued into today. It's by my left ovary and feels much like what a cyst does when I get them.

So, I emailed my nurse and told her about it and mentioned that it felt like a cyst near/on my left ovary, and asked if I should be worried. She emailed back and told me that I DO have a cyst on my left ovary, but it's nothing to worry about. So, they knew this from my previous ultrasounds but didn't bother to tell me. Grr. But, in a silly way, I felt awesome because I guessed what I was feeling! The cyst is a typical corpus luteum cyst, which is what is normally left behind after a follicle bursts. I am not sure if I had ovulated somehow, or where this CL cyst came from, but it's there, and it's helping to make progesterone, so that's good!

Sadly, though, it is discomforting and annoys me when I am sitting down and its squished into my pelvis. I hope it shrinks sometime soon, but if not, I go to the RE on Thursday, and I'm sure he'll let me know what's going on if I complain about it enough.

I listened to Squiggle's heartbeat again today, but this time it was harder to find. He wasn't in his usual place, but was up higher now, which is great, because it means my uterus and my baby are growing. Yay! Here's a little diagram, because I am a visual person!

9 Weeks: I feel like I'm stretching

After a bout of morning sickness last week, it seems to have let out. This morning, I woke up feeling hecka bloated, and that feeling lasted all day long. Though now, I feel more like my insides are stretching and less like they are bloated, if that makes sense. My uterus is the size of a grapefruit now, and I'm sure this is my body realizing it has to start adjusting to make up for my bossy uterus taking over. It's such an odd, stretchy feeling, though.

This week we have testing at school. That means that I have to test my kids for more than two hours straight. Within the first 45 minutes, I had to pee so bad, but I didn't want to bother anyone to watch my class. Thankfully another teacher came in, as if he had read my mind, and asked if I needed a break. I looked at him so gratefully and said, "YES!" The bloated feeling doesn't help with holding out until the end of the day to use the restroom.

I am excited about my appointments on Thursday. I have my initial new patient OB appointment in the morning, then my (last?) RE appointment in the afternoon. I get to "graduate" from the RE if all goes well on Thursday, and it will be a wonderful feeling to not have to report there every week...at least not for another couple of years. :)

And when I find a moment, I like to use my doppler. I've learned where my Sqiggle likes to hang out, so it's easier finding him now. I just think it's so amazing that something the size as a cherry has its own heartbeat. What a beautiful thing. <3

Baby's Heartbeat!

For your viewing pleasure! I am at the end of 8 weeks, so finding a heartbeat is still not easy to do. It took me three sittings of twenty minutes to finally find the little squiggle. <3