Statistics:
30 Weeks 5 Days
Starting Weight: 135
Current Weight: 165
Issues: I can't sleep through the night.
Well, Christmas has come and gone and we had a great one. I really enjoyed seeing my family in California. It seems like so much has changed every time I go back "home." I ended up sleeping on the couch the majority of the time because my sister Kellie's bed just can't compare to our Tempur-pedic bed. It's not that it's a bad bed. Cody slept fine. But because I have to sleep on my sides, it wasn't too kind to my hips. To be fair, they are still pretty sore. I find myself waking up numerous times throughout the night to re-position myself. Sitting in a vehicle for six hours probably doesn't help much either.
We had an ultrasound yesterday, the 29th. Payslie is looking good. She has decided to be like her big sister though...she's very content in a breech position. Health wise everything looks great. She is a little on the petite side. The average of all of her measurements has her at about the size of a 29 week old baby...not a 30 1/2 week baby. However, they assured me at this point that it is still perfectly normal. She is in the 30th percentile...meaning 30% of babies at this gestational age are approximately her size. Considering Brooke was not a huge baby, I may just "grow" smaller babies. They estimated her to weigh 3 lbs 1 oz right now.
I had my favorite ultrasound technician, Kim. I request her because she is very thorough and is always honest about what she sees. She says my placenta looks great and we checked the flow of blood through her cord. All is good. We also checked to see if the cord was around the neck. Because Brooke had hers 3 times around her neck, I am very concerned about that crazy cord. Fortunately, it's just floating in front of her and is slightly going around her abdomen...definitely not tight or constricting and it is NOT around her neck. This was SO reassuring to me. So now that I know that the cord isn't keeping her from turning head down, I am content for her to remain in a breech position.
We are still looking at delivering around 38 weeks by repeat c-section. I will post on here as soon as I know the date my doctor has scheduled for delivery. In the mean time, I begin my non-stress tests next Monday. After the first NST, the following week I will begin doing them 2 times a week...Mondays and Thursdays, and on Mondays they will conduct an AFI in addition to the NST. The AFI is a test they do via ultrasound to measure the amount of amniotic fluid surrounding the baby. We also have another growth ultrasound on Monday, January 26.
I just want to say again how grateful I am for all of your prayers. Heading into the "final stretch" can be very emotional. I feel like my faith is being tested all over again. We are getting so close...and as we get closer, my heart is just so afraid of going through that pain again. I am so thankful for the care I am receiving medically, but also the emotional support as well. Please keep Cody in prayer as well. I am sure that he has some of the same fears...however, he holds himself together a lot better than I do. He has truly been SO supportive.
We are hoping to begin setting up her nursery tomorrow. My camera is broken so I need to take it in for repair. I will take pictures and post them as soon as I get it fixed. Thanks again everyone!
See Me Grow
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
28/29 Weeks
Statistics:
29 Weeks 5 Days
Starting Weight: 135
Current Weight: 162
Issues: My hips are getting super sore at night from sleeping on my sides.
Sorry it's taken me awhile to write a new post. I'm sure you all know how it is getting ready for Christmas. I spent all day Sunday baking cookies...and man, did my back feel it! Fortunately it was just a temporary soreness and it's gone away. Cody and I are going to California tomorrow for Christmas. I am super excited to see all of our friends and family. :)
Last time I posted I wrote about my 3 hour glucose test. Praise God! My results were normal...so I can continue to eat all of the Christmas cookies. :)
I had a doctor appointment yesterday that went very well. Payslie doesn't like to sit still to get a good reading on her heartrate. She always tends to manuever close to my pulse so the doctor picks up both of our heartrates. My doctor believes that she is head down right now. She is scheduling my non-stress tests to start next week. We also discussed delivery. She said that she normally schedules repeat c-sections at 39 weeks (one week before due date), but because of my history, she is going to schedule mine for 38 weeks. This means most likely that I will not get my VBAC. Honestly though, I am just getting to a point where I just want her to cook and get out of there. The important thing to me is that my baby comes home with me...it's not as important as to how she comes into the world. So she was going to have her staff schedule my non-stress test and my c-section and she said they would call me with dates.
Cody went with me to the appointment...sort of. He asked me what they were going to do at the appointment and when I told him, "the usual", he asked if it would be OK if he dropped me off and went and got my Christmas present. Haha. You have to understand...being in Wickenburg, everything is like 30 minutes away, so when you make a trip to the Valley, you need to make all the stops.
So Cody picked me up after my appointment and we headed over to Babies R Us to pick up Payslie's furniture. It is absolutely beautiful. Of course, we took it all out of the packaging at the store to inspect the quality...our first experience with trying to pick up the crib was disappointing. There were scratches on the finish, so we had to send it back. Fortunately, this time the crib and the dresser were in tact. We wrapped everything back up, loaded it in the truck, and drove home in the rain. We plan on setting up her nursery next week. I'm very excited to do this!
Of course the big highlight of next week is our ultrasound on Monday. This is another growth ultrasound, meaning it will be a long one. My last one was almost 90 minutes long, and this one will be no different. They spend a lot of time going over EVERYTHING to make sure all is good. It's very reassuring and it will be fun to see how big she has gotten.
Ok, and here is finally another baby bump picture. More next week...
29 Weeks 5 Days
Starting Weight: 135
Current Weight: 162
Issues: My hips are getting super sore at night from sleeping on my sides.
Sorry it's taken me awhile to write a new post. I'm sure you all know how it is getting ready for Christmas. I spent all day Sunday baking cookies...and man, did my back feel it! Fortunately it was just a temporary soreness and it's gone away. Cody and I are going to California tomorrow for Christmas. I am super excited to see all of our friends and family. :)
Last time I posted I wrote about my 3 hour glucose test. Praise God! My results were normal...so I can continue to eat all of the Christmas cookies. :)
I had a doctor appointment yesterday that went very well. Payslie doesn't like to sit still to get a good reading on her heartrate. She always tends to manuever close to my pulse so the doctor picks up both of our heartrates. My doctor believes that she is head down right now. She is scheduling my non-stress tests to start next week. We also discussed delivery. She said that she normally schedules repeat c-sections at 39 weeks (one week before due date), but because of my history, she is going to schedule mine for 38 weeks. This means most likely that I will not get my VBAC. Honestly though, I am just getting to a point where I just want her to cook and get out of there. The important thing to me is that my baby comes home with me...it's not as important as to how she comes into the world. So she was going to have her staff schedule my non-stress test and my c-section and she said they would call me with dates.
Cody went with me to the appointment...sort of. He asked me what they were going to do at the appointment and when I told him, "the usual", he asked if it would be OK if he dropped me off and went and got my Christmas present. Haha. You have to understand...being in Wickenburg, everything is like 30 minutes away, so when you make a trip to the Valley, you need to make all the stops.
So Cody picked me up after my appointment and we headed over to Babies R Us to pick up Payslie's furniture. It is absolutely beautiful. Of course, we took it all out of the packaging at the store to inspect the quality...our first experience with trying to pick up the crib was disappointing. There were scratches on the finish, so we had to send it back. Fortunately, this time the crib and the dresser were in tact. We wrapped everything back up, loaded it in the truck, and drove home in the rain. We plan on setting up her nursery next week. I'm very excited to do this!
Of course the big highlight of next week is our ultrasound on Monday. This is another growth ultrasound, meaning it will be a long one. My last one was almost 90 minutes long, and this one will be no different. They spend a lot of time going over EVERYTHING to make sure all is good. It's very reassuring and it will be fun to see how big she has gotten.
Ok, and here is finally another baby bump picture. More next week...
Monday, December 8, 2008
27 Weeks
Statistics:
27 Weeks 4 Days
Starting Weight: 135
Current Weight: 157
Issues: Nothing to really complain about.
So I've been writing mental notes in my head all week about stuff to include in this blog. I think it's going to be a long one. I am so looking forward to Christmas and have already begun some of my Christmas shopping. Fortunately I don't have to do too much. It really hit me the other day...I have a little less than 3 months until my due date! So exciting!
Ok, well what is there to share? If you look at the side of this blog, you will notice that I have embedded a link to Babies R Us. Even though I kept everything we received for our precious Brooke, I still have a registry up and going for Payslie. While I look forward to letting Payslie use all of Brooke's "hand me downs (haha, brand new ones)", I also think it's important for her to have some stuff of her own, as this helps me emotionally separate her from Brooke. You can find our registry simply by searching by either my name in the registrant category or Cody's in the co-registrant. I have included items that I do not already have, and would be very much appreciated. I do not plan on having a baby shower prior to Payslie's birth, but I know that a "meet the baby" party is in the works following her arrival. More details to come about that.
If any of you are wondering, I have finally found some cute maternity clothes. I bought my first pair of maternity pants at Old Navy 2 weeks ago and I absolutely LOVE them. I just ordered another pair along with some long sleeve maternity shirts as my summer maternity clothes just won't work in these colder temperatures.
I called my perinatologist last week to schedule another ultrasound. I just love her office. Originally I was not supposed to have another ultrasound until 32 weeks, but I really wanted to have my ultrasound sooner than that, just to make sure she is growing properly, to check my placenta, and to make sure her fluid levels are good. They were more than accomodating and moved my ultrasound up by about 2 weeks to December 29. It is going to be another 90 minute growth scan, which is great. I have another regular doctor appointment this Wednesday, as she is now seeing me every 2 weeks. Hopefully she will have the results of my 3 hour glucose test.
I ordered Payslie's crib last week and I just got a phone call that it is in. YEAH! I am going to be ordering her dresser this Wednesday, as I had two coupons for 15% off, one for last week and one for this week. That coupon saved us about $60 after taxes, so we were very grateful for it.
And now for some entertainment, I have included my saga of getting my 3 hour glucose test done last Thursday. I posted this to my cafemom webpage, so I hope you enjoy.
THE GLUCOSE TEST
Oh my! It's a good thing they didn't tell me before hand what that would entail because I most likely would have never shown up. I HATE having my blood drawn....like, seriously, HATE it. So I have to share with you all the humor of my day...
I picked up my orders for the 3 hour test yesterday from my doctor's office. Now, keep in mind, my doctor's office is an hour away, but since I was going to Babies R Us to order Payslie's crib, I thought no big deal. So I got the orders and noticed it was for a particular lab. This lab's closest building to my house is 35 minutes away, so I immediately called our local community hospital lab and asked them if they could do the draw and then send the samples via courier to this lab, to which they happily replied they could.
I knew that I would need to fast for the morning, so I didn't eat anything after 8:30 last night. So I got up this morning and stopped by the local community hospital, thinking I would just go in, get my blood draw, go get something to eat, go to work and come back in 3 hours for another draw. I was SO wrong.
I got to the local hospital and they told me that because these orders were written specifically for the other lab and there was no doctor's signature on the order that they couldn't pull my blood. They said I could call my doc and have her fax her signature over and then they could do it. I thought, "Well, it's only a 35 minute drive, so I'll just go get it done at the lab in Surprise." I called my boss who is super laid back and informed him about what was going on and that I would keep him posted. So off to the lab I go.
I arrived there at approximately 9:30 to a full waiting room. I was STARVING and when I checked in, the receptionist informed me that they could do the test, but that I would have to remain there the entire 3 hours and that I could not eat or drink anything (not even water, which I LOVE to drink water) for that whole time period. I was shocked and she asked me if I wanted to make an appointment for another day, but I figured that since I was already fasting and I had just driven 35 minutes, I would stick it out and do it. I also wanted to get this test done ASAP because I want to know whether or not I have GD so I can appropriately treat it.
Of course, here comes the mommy in me and I start crying in the waiting room because I feel so bad that my baby has not gotten anything to eat since last night. I go in for my first draw, which wasn't bad at all. The guy did a really good job. Then he whipped out that delicious orange drink (NOT). I thought, well, ok, I'm glad that's done with. Only one more draw. Oh no, he kindly told me that they would have to draw my blood 3 MORE TIMES...once every hour. Oh my....
One hour later they go to stick me again, except it was a different person doing the sticking and she stuck my right arm. I hate having blood drawn on my right arm because it just hurts. I know I'm a total baby, but OUCH, it hurt. The lady informed me AFTER I started crying that I should have told her to pull from the left, and I told her that I didn't say anything because I assumed they had to pull from the right since they pulled from the left originally. Needless to say, the next 2 draws came from my left arm.
So I was finally "released from prison" at 12:45 and I headed straight to Sonic and got a burger and some tots....I was so glad to have real food and to be able to drink water.
27 Weeks 4 Days
Starting Weight: 135
Current Weight: 157
Issues: Nothing to really complain about.
So I've been writing mental notes in my head all week about stuff to include in this blog. I think it's going to be a long one. I am so looking forward to Christmas and have already begun some of my Christmas shopping. Fortunately I don't have to do too much. It really hit me the other day...I have a little less than 3 months until my due date! So exciting!
Ok, well what is there to share? If you look at the side of this blog, you will notice that I have embedded a link to Babies R Us. Even though I kept everything we received for our precious Brooke, I still have a registry up and going for Payslie. While I look forward to letting Payslie use all of Brooke's "hand me downs (haha, brand new ones)", I also think it's important for her to have some stuff of her own, as this helps me emotionally separate her from Brooke. You can find our registry simply by searching by either my name in the registrant category or Cody's in the co-registrant. I have included items that I do not already have, and would be very much appreciated. I do not plan on having a baby shower prior to Payslie's birth, but I know that a "meet the baby" party is in the works following her arrival. More details to come about that.
If any of you are wondering, I have finally found some cute maternity clothes. I bought my first pair of maternity pants at Old Navy 2 weeks ago and I absolutely LOVE them. I just ordered another pair along with some long sleeve maternity shirts as my summer maternity clothes just won't work in these colder temperatures.
I called my perinatologist last week to schedule another ultrasound. I just love her office. Originally I was not supposed to have another ultrasound until 32 weeks, but I really wanted to have my ultrasound sooner than that, just to make sure she is growing properly, to check my placenta, and to make sure her fluid levels are good. They were more than accomodating and moved my ultrasound up by about 2 weeks to December 29. It is going to be another 90 minute growth scan, which is great. I have another regular doctor appointment this Wednesday, as she is now seeing me every 2 weeks. Hopefully she will have the results of my 3 hour glucose test.
I ordered Payslie's crib last week and I just got a phone call that it is in. YEAH! I am going to be ordering her dresser this Wednesday, as I had two coupons for 15% off, one for last week and one for this week. That coupon saved us about $60 after taxes, so we were very grateful for it.
And now for some entertainment, I have included my saga of getting my 3 hour glucose test done last Thursday. I posted this to my cafemom webpage, so I hope you enjoy.
THE GLUCOSE TEST
Oh my! It's a good thing they didn't tell me before hand what that would entail because I most likely would have never shown up. I HATE having my blood drawn....like, seriously, HATE it. So I have to share with you all the humor of my day...
I picked up my orders for the 3 hour test yesterday from my doctor's office. Now, keep in mind, my doctor's office is an hour away, but since I was going to Babies R Us to order Payslie's crib, I thought no big deal. So I got the orders and noticed it was for a particular lab. This lab's closest building to my house is 35 minutes away, so I immediately called our local community hospital lab and asked them if they could do the draw and then send the samples via courier to this lab, to which they happily replied they could.
I knew that I would need to fast for the morning, so I didn't eat anything after 8:30 last night. So I got up this morning and stopped by the local community hospital, thinking I would just go in, get my blood draw, go get something to eat, go to work and come back in 3 hours for another draw. I was SO wrong.
I got to the local hospital and they told me that because these orders were written specifically for the other lab and there was no doctor's signature on the order that they couldn't pull my blood. They said I could call my doc and have her fax her signature over and then they could do it. I thought, "Well, it's only a 35 minute drive, so I'll just go get it done at the lab in Surprise." I called my boss who is super laid back and informed him about what was going on and that I would keep him posted. So off to the lab I go.
I arrived there at approximately 9:30 to a full waiting room. I was STARVING and when I checked in, the receptionist informed me that they could do the test, but that I would have to remain there the entire 3 hours and that I could not eat or drink anything (not even water, which I LOVE to drink water) for that whole time period. I was shocked and she asked me if I wanted to make an appointment for another day, but I figured that since I was already fasting and I had just driven 35 minutes, I would stick it out and do it. I also wanted to get this test done ASAP because I want to know whether or not I have GD so I can appropriately treat it.
Of course, here comes the mommy in me and I start crying in the waiting room because I feel so bad that my baby has not gotten anything to eat since last night. I go in for my first draw, which wasn't bad at all. The guy did a really good job. Then he whipped out that delicious orange drink (NOT). I thought, well, ok, I'm glad that's done with. Only one more draw. Oh no, he kindly told me that they would have to draw my blood 3 MORE TIMES...once every hour. Oh my....
One hour later they go to stick me again, except it was a different person doing the sticking and she stuck my right arm. I hate having blood drawn on my right arm because it just hurts. I know I'm a total baby, but OUCH, it hurt. The lady informed me AFTER I started crying that I should have told her to pull from the left, and I told her that I didn't say anything because I assumed they had to pull from the right since they pulled from the left originally. Needless to say, the next 2 draws came from my left arm.
So I was finally "released from prison" at 12:45 and I headed straight to Sonic and got a burger and some tots....I was so glad to have real food and to be able to drink water.
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
26 Weeks
Statistics:
26 Weeks 6 Days
Starting Weight: 135
Current Weight: 155
Issues: My ribs are getting sore from sleeping on my sides.
I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving. Cody and I really enjoyed having 5 days off of work and we had a great Thanksgiving. It POURED here last Wednesday night, much to our joy since it's a nice change. By Saturday the weather was back into the upper 70s and it was just beautiful. I ate quite a bit of pie (the sweet stuff of course) and all the other food.
I had my 1 hour glucose screening at my doctor appointment last Wednesday. I got the news yesterday that my levels were elevated, and my doctor wants me to go in for the 3 hour test. BOO! I was very concerned at first, especially since I didn't have this issue at all when I was pregnant with Brooke. However, I am glad that the doctor is on top of it and also after speaking with a few women, I've heard it's not so un-common to fail the 1 hour test. 96% of women who fail the 1 hour test end up passing the 3 hour, so I hope that is the case.
If I fail the 3 hour test, it means that I have gestational diabetes. From what I've read, it can be well controlled during pregnancy and the effect it could have on Payslie is a high birth weight (a.k.a. fat baby) and some insulin issues directly after birth. I'm trying to be humorous about the situation: what a time of year to get diagnosed with diabetes. All the cookies and pies and oh my!
However, I am still extremely grateful to be pregnant with Payslie and I will do whatever I have to do on my part to make sure she is healthy. After next Thursday, I will officially be in the third trimester...an exciting and yet if I allow it to be, scary time.
My doctor's visit went well and she is going to be seeing me again next week, the 10th. My appointments are now every 2 weeks and she said that she is going to begin my weekly non-stress testing at 32 weeks (early January). She says that if they do it any earlier, the baby really hasn't settled into a consistent heart rate pattern yet and any discrepencies (indicators of stress) are best picked up after 32 weeks. I also need to call the perinatologist to set up my 32 week ultrasound/growth scan. So that's the update on that.
I will post another update next week.
26 Weeks 6 Days
Starting Weight: 135
Current Weight: 155
Issues: My ribs are getting sore from sleeping on my sides.
I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving. Cody and I really enjoyed having 5 days off of work and we had a great Thanksgiving. It POURED here last Wednesday night, much to our joy since it's a nice change. By Saturday the weather was back into the upper 70s and it was just beautiful. I ate quite a bit of pie (the sweet stuff of course) and all the other food.
I had my 1 hour glucose screening at my doctor appointment last Wednesday. I got the news yesterday that my levels were elevated, and my doctor wants me to go in for the 3 hour test. BOO! I was very concerned at first, especially since I didn't have this issue at all when I was pregnant with Brooke. However, I am glad that the doctor is on top of it and also after speaking with a few women, I've heard it's not so un-common to fail the 1 hour test. 96% of women who fail the 1 hour test end up passing the 3 hour, so I hope that is the case.
If I fail the 3 hour test, it means that I have gestational diabetes. From what I've read, it can be well controlled during pregnancy and the effect it could have on Payslie is a high birth weight (a.k.a. fat baby) and some insulin issues directly after birth. I'm trying to be humorous about the situation: what a time of year to get diagnosed with diabetes. All the cookies and pies and oh my!
However, I am still extremely grateful to be pregnant with Payslie and I will do whatever I have to do on my part to make sure she is healthy. After next Thursday, I will officially be in the third trimester...an exciting and yet if I allow it to be, scary time.
My doctor's visit went well and she is going to be seeing me again next week, the 10th. My appointments are now every 2 weeks and she said that she is going to begin my weekly non-stress testing at 32 weeks (early January). She says that if they do it any earlier, the baby really hasn't settled into a consistent heart rate pattern yet and any discrepencies (indicators of stress) are best picked up after 32 weeks. I also need to call the perinatologist to set up my 32 week ultrasound/growth scan. So that's the update on that.
I will post another update next week.
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
25 Weeks
Statistics:
25 Weeks 5 Days
Starting Weight: 135
Current Weight: 154
Issues: Battling a cold this week.
Yeah for Thanksgiving! As I am writing this, it is cloudy outside and I am two days away from eating to my heart's content. The weather forecaster says we should be getting almost an inch of rain which makes me super happy. I am spending Thanksgiving with Cody's side of the family. I am in charge of making pies. Ohh...yummy.
I am so glad my doctor appointment is tomorrow so that way all of my weight gain from this weekend will not show, haha. I don't really know what to expect at tomorrow's appointment. I will be doing my glucose tolerance test which is a screening for gestational diabetes. I didn't develop it during my last pregnancy, and I have gained less weight this time, so I am hoping the results will be the same. I do not look forward to having my blood drawn though...eeek. Please be praying for clarity and strength for me in discussing all of my third trimester monitoring with my doctor. At my last appointment, she told me they would begin doing weekly non stress testing somewhere between 28 and 32 weeks...I am going to be very firm in asking that it begins at 28 weeks (which is in 2 weeks). I also want another ultrasound done, just to make sure Payslie is growing OK and that there are no issues w/my placenta or the cord. I do honestly get a bit intimidated once I get in the exam room, so please just pray for strength for me (and Cody) and that I won't have to put up a fight, not that I anticipate that, but you just never know.
As I posted under my issues section, I am battling a cold. YUCK. I started to get it last Friday when my mom came to visit. We went to the Women of Faith conference in Phoenix and we had a great time, although I wish I was feeling better. By Saturday night the cold was full blown. I remember that Sudafed (the real stuff, not the PE) was OK for me to take during pregnancy, but I am being much more cautious about what I put in my body this time around and to be honest, I just don't want to introduce something that in large amounts makes meth into Payslie's bloodstream. So I've been sleeping with the humidifier on, using lots of Kleenex, using a Netti Pot (which is very interesting), drinking lots of tea and eating chicken noodle soup. No fever, which is good. I've just got to ride it out. I hope it will be all gone by Thanksgiving. Right now I've pretty much just got a post nasal drip, but I don't have to blow my nose as often.
Payslie continues to be pretty active. She is starting to get into little sleeping patterns. I find that she is most active at night before bed and at about 5:30 AM she starts to get moving quite a bit too.
Well, that's about it for now. Happy Thanksgiving and I will post more next week!
25 Weeks 5 Days
Starting Weight: 135
Current Weight: 154
Issues: Battling a cold this week.
Yeah for Thanksgiving! As I am writing this, it is cloudy outside and I am two days away from eating to my heart's content. The weather forecaster says we should be getting almost an inch of rain which makes me super happy. I am spending Thanksgiving with Cody's side of the family. I am in charge of making pies. Ohh...yummy.
I am so glad my doctor appointment is tomorrow so that way all of my weight gain from this weekend will not show, haha. I don't really know what to expect at tomorrow's appointment. I will be doing my glucose tolerance test which is a screening for gestational diabetes. I didn't develop it during my last pregnancy, and I have gained less weight this time, so I am hoping the results will be the same. I do not look forward to having my blood drawn though...eeek. Please be praying for clarity and strength for me in discussing all of my third trimester monitoring with my doctor. At my last appointment, she told me they would begin doing weekly non stress testing somewhere between 28 and 32 weeks...I am going to be very firm in asking that it begins at 28 weeks (which is in 2 weeks). I also want another ultrasound done, just to make sure Payslie is growing OK and that there are no issues w/my placenta or the cord. I do honestly get a bit intimidated once I get in the exam room, so please just pray for strength for me (and Cody) and that I won't have to put up a fight, not that I anticipate that, but you just never know.
As I posted under my issues section, I am battling a cold. YUCK. I started to get it last Friday when my mom came to visit. We went to the Women of Faith conference in Phoenix and we had a great time, although I wish I was feeling better. By Saturday night the cold was full blown. I remember that Sudafed (the real stuff, not the PE) was OK for me to take during pregnancy, but I am being much more cautious about what I put in my body this time around and to be honest, I just don't want to introduce something that in large amounts makes meth into Payslie's bloodstream. So I've been sleeping with the humidifier on, using lots of Kleenex, using a Netti Pot (which is very interesting), drinking lots of tea and eating chicken noodle soup. No fever, which is good. I've just got to ride it out. I hope it will be all gone by Thanksgiving. Right now I've pretty much just got a post nasal drip, but I don't have to blow my nose as often.
Payslie continues to be pretty active. She is starting to get into little sleeping patterns. I find that she is most active at night before bed and at about 5:30 AM she starts to get moving quite a bit too.
Well, that's about it for now. Happy Thanksgiving and I will post more next week!
Monday, November 17, 2008
24 Weeks
Statistics:
24 Weeks 4 Days
Starting Weight: 135
Current Weight: 151
Issues: Sleeping on my side.
Well, there's nothing really new to report on this week. Payslie continues to be very active and my belly is getting bigger. I was trying to avoid maternity pants because they make my butt look flat, but I'm thinking that I may have to give in and get some pants.
I'm thankful for cooler weather here in AZ. It's much easier to incubate a new life when it's not 100 degrees outside!
I have my next doctor appointment next week, the 26th. I will be taking my gestational diabetes test at that point (aka, they're going to pull more blood, yikes). If I remember correctly, the drink (which is pure sugar), taates like a flat Sunkist and it makes the baby dance like crazy in there. :)
I am looking forward to Thanksgiving next week and I hope everyone eats a lot of food and enjoys their time with friends and family.
Here is my most recent belly picture.
24 Weeks 4 Days
Starting Weight: 135
Current Weight: 151
Issues: Sleeping on my side.
Well, there's nothing really new to report on this week. Payslie continues to be very active and my belly is getting bigger. I was trying to avoid maternity pants because they make my butt look flat, but I'm thinking that I may have to give in and get some pants.
I'm thankful for cooler weather here in AZ. It's much easier to incubate a new life when it's not 100 degrees outside!
I have my next doctor appointment next week, the 26th. I will be taking my gestational diabetes test at that point (aka, they're going to pull more blood, yikes). If I remember correctly, the drink (which is pure sugar), taates like a flat Sunkist and it makes the baby dance like crazy in there. :)
I am looking forward to Thanksgiving next week and I hope everyone eats a lot of food and enjoys their time with friends and family.
Here is my most recent belly picture.
Friday, November 7, 2008
22 Weeks/23 Weeks
Statistics:
23 Weeks 1 Day
Starting Weight: 135
Current Weight: 149
Issues: Trying to stay on my sides while I sleep.
So I forgot that it has been over a week since I posted any information, so this is a combination post for 22 and 23 weeks.
I had a doctor appointment last week (October 29). Payslie is growing right on track and her heartrate varied in the 140s to 150s. I talked to my doctor about the possibility of doing another c-section. She said that if they do schedule a repeat c-section, they will do it at 39 weeks, which is one week before my due date. I explained to her my concerns about going into labor at home since I am 1 hour away from the hospital. Even though I know millions of women have babies every day and endure the labor process, I am very afraid of something happening to Payslie during labor. I asked her how many c-sections I could realistically have and she said 4 or 5 is usually a good number, which made me feel better since we would like more kids. I'm still undecided as to how I want to deliver...it's a good thing that I have about another 15 weeks before I need to make a decision. I think a lot of it will be based on how I'm feeling at that point and also how well Payslie is doing with all of the non-stress tests and biophysical profiles.
My doctor said that she will probably begin weekly non stress testing anywhere between 28 and 32 weeks. I would like to start at 28 weeks. I am much more vocal this time around about what I want done. I definitely want to take advantage of the medical technology we have to just have some kind of physical reassurance that she is ok.
Emotionally, I think my hormones are crazy. If you can't tell, I had MAJOR anxiety issues last week. It's so hard to describe what it is like going through another pregnancy after a loss. Women who have been in my situation completely understand. Once again, I had lots of tears and lots of prayers, and I am feeling much better now. I am just reminded that Payslie is ultimately God's child. He reserves the right to do whatever He has in mind for her. He knows how much we want to bring her home...I guess I'm just struggling with really getting attached to her for fear of the worst...not that it would make it any less painful to lose her, but the mind is a very strange and sometimes bad thing. Sometimes I get angry that that fear is there. Fortunately, God is always there for me and He just reassured me that everything is OK. My circumstances do not change who I forever am in Him.
On a positive note, she is back into her active phase. She feels different in there than Brooke did. I know that sounds weird. She's kicking more frequently and definitely lets me know when she is hungry. Her kicks are also getting higher. When I am sitting down, they are almost into my ribs. She still prefers the right side, but I heard most babies do.
Cody is hunting for deer this weekend. Oh my! I am hoping that we will go shopping for Payslie's nursery furniture within the next few weeks. I will get a belly picture up here probably next week. That's it for now. Thanks for all of your continued prayers.
23 Weeks 1 Day
Starting Weight: 135
Current Weight: 149
Issues: Trying to stay on my sides while I sleep.
So I forgot that it has been over a week since I posted any information, so this is a combination post for 22 and 23 weeks.
I had a doctor appointment last week (October 29). Payslie is growing right on track and her heartrate varied in the 140s to 150s. I talked to my doctor about the possibility of doing another c-section. She said that if they do schedule a repeat c-section, they will do it at 39 weeks, which is one week before my due date. I explained to her my concerns about going into labor at home since I am 1 hour away from the hospital. Even though I know millions of women have babies every day and endure the labor process, I am very afraid of something happening to Payslie during labor. I asked her how many c-sections I could realistically have and she said 4 or 5 is usually a good number, which made me feel better since we would like more kids. I'm still undecided as to how I want to deliver...it's a good thing that I have about another 15 weeks before I need to make a decision. I think a lot of it will be based on how I'm feeling at that point and also how well Payslie is doing with all of the non-stress tests and biophysical profiles.
My doctor said that she will probably begin weekly non stress testing anywhere between 28 and 32 weeks. I would like to start at 28 weeks. I am much more vocal this time around about what I want done. I definitely want to take advantage of the medical technology we have to just have some kind of physical reassurance that she is ok.
Emotionally, I think my hormones are crazy. If you can't tell, I had MAJOR anxiety issues last week. It's so hard to describe what it is like going through another pregnancy after a loss. Women who have been in my situation completely understand. Once again, I had lots of tears and lots of prayers, and I am feeling much better now. I am just reminded that Payslie is ultimately God's child. He reserves the right to do whatever He has in mind for her. He knows how much we want to bring her home...I guess I'm just struggling with really getting attached to her for fear of the worst...not that it would make it any less painful to lose her, but the mind is a very strange and sometimes bad thing. Sometimes I get angry that that fear is there. Fortunately, God is always there for me and He just reassured me that everything is OK. My circumstances do not change who I forever am in Him.
On a positive note, she is back into her active phase. She feels different in there than Brooke did. I know that sounds weird. She's kicking more frequently and definitely lets me know when she is hungry. Her kicks are also getting higher. When I am sitting down, they are almost into my ribs. She still prefers the right side, but I heard most babies do.
Cody is hunting for deer this weekend. Oh my! I am hoping that we will go shopping for Payslie's nursery furniture within the next few weeks. I will get a belly picture up here probably next week. That's it for now. Thanks for all of your continued prayers.
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
21 Weeks
Statistics:
21 Weeks 5 Days
Starting Weight: 135
Current Weight: 148
Issues: Still trying to stay on my sides while I sleep.
Well, I keep saying I'm going to go get maternity pants, but since it takes me an hour to get to the mall, I just keep postponing it...and I think my jeans want to cry. :) I really think I will do it this weekend.
Payslie is doing some funny stuff lately. I think she is possibly going through a little growth spurt. She will have hours of no movement (at least none I feel) and then she will be very active and then quiet down. Just when I think she gets into a pattern, she'll change it. Lately she's been more active around 9:30 to 11...then like nothing for a few hours...then more crazy movement in the afternoon (particularly yesterday when I was getting a relaxing facial...), then she quiets down...and a little bit more before I go to bed. It is VERY reassuring to feel her move around, so I hate those times when I don't feel her as often. I just keep reminding myself that A) God is in control (that gives me A LOT of peace) and B) Brooke most likely did the same thing...I just didn't keep track of her movement as much at this stage in the pregnancy.
Cody got to feel her kick for the first time last night. We were laying in bed and she decided to give her daddy a few kicks while his hand was on my tummy.
I have a doctor appointment tomorrow. I hate stepping on the scale there. YUCK. Haha, I still think I'm smaller at this point than I was with Brooke, which is kind of weird because everyone says you get bigger with the second pregnancy. Of course, I ate everything in sight during that pregnancy...I've got that more under control this time around. I also have been keeping up with going to the gym. I just walk on the treadmill for like 45 minutes, but it keeps me feeling like I'm in shape and it gives me energy. I actually went at 6 AM this morning (after Cody left for work) and I feel very accomplished.
Ok, well that's it. Please keep me in your prayers at my doctor's appointment...I still get nervous everytime I step into a doctor's office.
21 Weeks 5 Days
Starting Weight: 135
Current Weight: 148
Issues: Still trying to stay on my sides while I sleep.
Well, I keep saying I'm going to go get maternity pants, but since it takes me an hour to get to the mall, I just keep postponing it...and I think my jeans want to cry. :) I really think I will do it this weekend.
Payslie is doing some funny stuff lately. I think she is possibly going through a little growth spurt. She will have hours of no movement (at least none I feel) and then she will be very active and then quiet down. Just when I think she gets into a pattern, she'll change it. Lately she's been more active around 9:30 to 11...then like nothing for a few hours...then more crazy movement in the afternoon (particularly yesterday when I was getting a relaxing facial...), then she quiets down...and a little bit more before I go to bed. It is VERY reassuring to feel her move around, so I hate those times when I don't feel her as often. I just keep reminding myself that A) God is in control (that gives me A LOT of peace) and B) Brooke most likely did the same thing...I just didn't keep track of her movement as much at this stage in the pregnancy.
Cody got to feel her kick for the first time last night. We were laying in bed and she decided to give her daddy a few kicks while his hand was on my tummy.
I have a doctor appointment tomorrow. I hate stepping on the scale there. YUCK. Haha, I still think I'm smaller at this point than I was with Brooke, which is kind of weird because everyone says you get bigger with the second pregnancy. Of course, I ate everything in sight during that pregnancy...I've got that more under control this time around. I also have been keeping up with going to the gym. I just walk on the treadmill for like 45 minutes, but it keeps me feeling like I'm in shape and it gives me energy. I actually went at 6 AM this morning (after Cody left for work) and I feel very accomplished.
Ok, well that's it. Please keep me in your prayers at my doctor's appointment...I still get nervous everytime I step into a doctor's office.
Monday, October 20, 2008
20 Weeks
Statistics:
20 Weeks 4 Days
Starting Weight: 135
Current Weight: 146
Issues: Just enjoying feeling her move around.
Nothing too new has been going on this week. Payslie is getting more active and her movements are getting stronger. It's funny because in my mindset I still think of her as being the size of a lime or something like that...where as in reality from the top of her head to the bottom of her feet she is somewhere in the ballpark of 10-10.5" long. I guess because my stomach still isn't popping way out there it just doesn't hit me. I am looking forward to Cody being able to feel some of her kicks from the outside.
I went to a baby store in Scottsdale on Friday as I was killing time running some other errands. They had some beautiful baby furniture and I felt some of the softest blankets EVER. I think I am going to go back and get one! Cody and I will probably go back to order her crib and dresser/changing table from this place, as their furniture is quality made and we want it to last through a couple more kids too. :)
I am so excited to put her nursery together. I need to be patient though, since our house is only 2 bedrooms, I don't want any guests not to have a comfy bed to sleep in while they visit for the next 4 1/2 months. I am so excited that Thanksgiving and Christmas are coming up...this time of year always seems to go by so quickly.
Each day I am just getting more and more accustomed to the idea of this little girl. I wonder who she will look like...I honestly believe she will look a lot like Brooke at delivery since most parents say their children look the same as newborns. Brooke was pretty much the spitting image of Cody...but I have a feeling that as Payslie gets older, she's going to take on more of my features. Only God knows.
I have met a lot of wonderful ladies on a website called cafemom. It's like a myspace for moms/women. When I first went on there, I joined a group of women who also endured 3rd trimester pregnancy losses (aka stillbirth). It was amazing how many women had gone through similar circumstances (I thought I was so alone) and I really am thankful for my new "internet friends. " Quite a few of us are pregnant again, and some have already delivered healthy babies. This past weekend a friend of mine had a little girl (she had a stillborn son about a month before I delivered Brooke). She posted a picture on her site right after her daughter was born and it was probably one of the most emotional pictures I have ever seen. The relief on her face (and her husbands) to FINALLY be holding her screaming child...it was just priceless. I imagine God will take a snapshot of my face when I have Payslie...I hope it's the same.
Anyways, that's about it for this week. More to come next week.
20 Weeks 4 Days
Starting Weight: 135
Current Weight: 146
Issues: Just enjoying feeling her move around.
Nothing too new has been going on this week. Payslie is getting more active and her movements are getting stronger. It's funny because in my mindset I still think of her as being the size of a lime or something like that...where as in reality from the top of her head to the bottom of her feet she is somewhere in the ballpark of 10-10.5" long. I guess because my stomach still isn't popping way out there it just doesn't hit me. I am looking forward to Cody being able to feel some of her kicks from the outside.
I went to a baby store in Scottsdale on Friday as I was killing time running some other errands. They had some beautiful baby furniture and I felt some of the softest blankets EVER. I think I am going to go back and get one! Cody and I will probably go back to order her crib and dresser/changing table from this place, as their furniture is quality made and we want it to last through a couple more kids too. :)
I am so excited to put her nursery together. I need to be patient though, since our house is only 2 bedrooms, I don't want any guests not to have a comfy bed to sleep in while they visit for the next 4 1/2 months. I am so excited that Thanksgiving and Christmas are coming up...this time of year always seems to go by so quickly.
Each day I am just getting more and more accustomed to the idea of this little girl. I wonder who she will look like...I honestly believe she will look a lot like Brooke at delivery since most parents say their children look the same as newborns. Brooke was pretty much the spitting image of Cody...but I have a feeling that as Payslie gets older, she's going to take on more of my features. Only God knows.
I have met a lot of wonderful ladies on a website called cafemom. It's like a myspace for moms/women. When I first went on there, I joined a group of women who also endured 3rd trimester pregnancy losses (aka stillbirth). It was amazing how many women had gone through similar circumstances (I thought I was so alone) and I really am thankful for my new "internet friends. " Quite a few of us are pregnant again, and some have already delivered healthy babies. This past weekend a friend of mine had a little girl (she had a stillborn son about a month before I delivered Brooke). She posted a picture on her site right after her daughter was born and it was probably one of the most emotional pictures I have ever seen. The relief on her face (and her husbands) to FINALLY be holding her screaming child...it was just priceless. I imagine God will take a snapshot of my face when I have Payslie...I hope it's the same.
Anyways, that's about it for this week. More to come next week.
Monday, October 13, 2008
19 Weeks
Statistics:
19 Weeks 4 Days
Starting Weight: 135
Current Weight: 144
So by now I'm sure you have seen that we are expecting another little girl. We are so excited! I was really surprised when the ultrasound tech said she was a girl...I was totally prepared for a boy. My ultrasound lasted for almost 90 minutes and they were very detailed. My ultrasound tech's name was Kim and she was the same one who did my ultrasound about 8 weeks ago. She is so kind and another Christian woman. I really liked that she was honest about what she saw. Some techs won't tell you anything...they just say, "I can't tell you anything. Only the doctor." She said she doesn't believe in that and she told me exactly what she was looking at (sometimes it just looks like gray space) and if it was healthy. Payslie got a clean bill of health so far. I'm sure they are extra cautious because of what happened with Brooke.
These past couple of days have been full of emotional highs and lows. I can't really put into words how joyful I feel about having another girl. I went shopping on Saturday with my mother-in-law Judi and my sister-in-law Brandie, and my nieces Lacie and Baylie to pick out nursery bedding and a bassinet. I'm glad we held onto everything we got for Brooke...but part of my heart breaks just thinking of putting Payslie in the things that were meant for Brooke. I know these things would have been handed down anyways, but it still hurts. It goes to show that one little girl can't replace another. I feel good that we've already gotten some things that are just for Payslie...and I think Brooke would be happy to share "her stuff" with her little sister.
Well, I'm going to go make dinner and try to go to the gym. Here's a picture from our ultrasound. This is Payslie's skinny little face. She doesn't have much meat on her yet...not until the end, but for now, here's a sneak peak.
19 Weeks 4 Days
Starting Weight: 135
Current Weight: 144
So by now I'm sure you have seen that we are expecting another little girl. We are so excited! I was really surprised when the ultrasound tech said she was a girl...I was totally prepared for a boy. My ultrasound lasted for almost 90 minutes and they were very detailed. My ultrasound tech's name was Kim and she was the same one who did my ultrasound about 8 weeks ago. She is so kind and another Christian woman. I really liked that she was honest about what she saw. Some techs won't tell you anything...they just say, "I can't tell you anything. Only the doctor." She said she doesn't believe in that and she told me exactly what she was looking at (sometimes it just looks like gray space) and if it was healthy. Payslie got a clean bill of health so far. I'm sure they are extra cautious because of what happened with Brooke.
These past couple of days have been full of emotional highs and lows. I can't really put into words how joyful I feel about having another girl. I went shopping on Saturday with my mother-in-law Judi and my sister-in-law Brandie, and my nieces Lacie and Baylie to pick out nursery bedding and a bassinet. I'm glad we held onto everything we got for Brooke...but part of my heart breaks just thinking of putting Payslie in the things that were meant for Brooke. I know these things would have been handed down anyways, but it still hurts. It goes to show that one little girl can't replace another. I feel good that we've already gotten some things that are just for Payslie...and I think Brooke would be happy to share "her stuff" with her little sister.
Well, I'm going to go make dinner and try to go to the gym. Here's a picture from our ultrasound. This is Payslie's skinny little face. She doesn't have much meat on her yet...not until the end, but for now, here's a sneak peak.
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
18 Weeks
Statistics:
18 Weeks 6 Days
Starting Weight: 135
Current Weight: 142
Issues: I'm trying to avoid sleeping on my back, which is really hard for me to do!
Well, nothing too new to report on this week. I celebrated my 24th birthday last Thursday with my family here in Wickenburg, and then drove home to California for a few days to visit family and friends there. It was so nice to see everyone and I had a great time.
We are two days away from my mid pregnancy ultrasound and I am getting so excited, but a little bit nervous. First, I hope that the baby is healthy and that it has everything it should have at this gestational age. It has been a very active little baby. I am feeling movement stronger and more frequently each day which makes me so happy. I think within the next couple of weeks I will be able to feel this movement from the outside, which means Cody will be able to feel him or her moving around in there.
This pregnancy seems to be going by so quickly and yet not quick enough. I just want to meet this little one, but I also want it to be healthy. That's why God is in charge and I'm not. :)
So I must reveal to all of you what my gut instinct is about the gender of this baby since I am only 2 days away. Since I stand a 50% chance of being right...we'll see. My prediction is that it's a boy.
I appreciate everyone's prayers. Our ultrasound is at 1 PM on Friday. Check back on here in a few days as I will post when I get home from the appointment. Hopefully I'll have some good ultrasound pics too.
Below is my monthly belly shot. This was taken on Monday and I was 18 weeks 4 days.
18 Weeks 6 Days
Starting Weight: 135
Current Weight: 142
Issues: I'm trying to avoid sleeping on my back, which is really hard for me to do!
Well, nothing too new to report on this week. I celebrated my 24th birthday last Thursday with my family here in Wickenburg, and then drove home to California for a few days to visit family and friends there. It was so nice to see everyone and I had a great time.
We are two days away from my mid pregnancy ultrasound and I am getting so excited, but a little bit nervous. First, I hope that the baby is healthy and that it has everything it should have at this gestational age. It has been a very active little baby. I am feeling movement stronger and more frequently each day which makes me so happy. I think within the next couple of weeks I will be able to feel this movement from the outside, which means Cody will be able to feel him or her moving around in there.
This pregnancy seems to be going by so quickly and yet not quick enough. I just want to meet this little one, but I also want it to be healthy. That's why God is in charge and I'm not. :)
So I must reveal to all of you what my gut instinct is about the gender of this baby since I am only 2 days away. Since I stand a 50% chance of being right...we'll see. My prediction is that it's a boy.
I appreciate everyone's prayers. Our ultrasound is at 1 PM on Friday. Check back on here in a few days as I will post when I get home from the appointment. Hopefully I'll have some good ultrasound pics too.
Below is my monthly belly shot. This was taken on Monday and I was 18 weeks 4 days.
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
17 Weeks
Statistics:
17 Weeks 6 Days
Starting Weight: 135
Current Weight: 142
Issues: None. I love feeling the baby move.
I'm sorry I waited so long for a post this week. I had a doctor appointment today, so I wanted to be able to write about it in this post. Everything is going great. After sitting through traffic, I got to my appointment 5 minutes before I was scheduled. Cody was already there (he works in Phoenix so we just meet there). They weighed me, took my urine sample, and took my blood pressure. Everything was normal. Then the doctor came in and asked how I was feeling and measured my belly. I didn't really notice how much my belly has changed until I was leaning back on that exam table and the whole lower portion of my belly just poked right out....more so on the right side than the left. It was quite obvious where the baby was. It is being just like its big sister. Hanging out on the right side! She took my measurements and my uterus is measuring right on track for where it should be. Then she took out the doppler to get a reading on the baby's heart beat...found it right away (not that it was hard to see where the baby was) and it was 143 BPM. I think this little one is going to be feisty. It did a nice kick during the doppler reading which sounded like a "whoosh" and the doc said, "Oh, there's a nice strong kick."
She said that she is going to leave my ultrasounds up to Dr. Kuhlman (the perinatologist) since I am classified as a high risk pregnancy and she said that because Dr. Kuhlman is an expert in that field, she has control over that portion of my care. She shares her results with Dr. Heard-Vaughn (my regular OB), so they are updated.
I also talked to her about delivery (I know it's early) and my plans to VBAC (have a vaginal birth after cesarean). She said that she does do them, however, the docs who are on call for her do not...so it's kind of in limbo. She said that my circumstances are different and the patients she has already consented to do that for she will do. I also reminded her that the perinatologist thinks it best not to do a repeat c-section unless necessary because of the Factor V Leiden, which would make me more prone to a blood clot after surgery and the fact that my primary c-section was due to breech positioning, not failure to progress. She agreed....so as of now, if I go into labor before my due date, I will get to attempt a normal delivery....however, if baby is not out by then, we are going to schedule a repeat c-section, most likely the day after my due date. So, I hope baby will make its debut before my due date (not too early). God is in control...and it will be on His timing.
I'm going to CA this weekend to see family and celebrate my birthday. Whoo hoo! I am so excited for my ultrasound next Friday...hoping baby gives us a clear shot, but more importantly, that it is healthy.
17 Weeks 6 Days
Starting Weight: 135
Current Weight: 142
Issues: None. I love feeling the baby move.
I'm sorry I waited so long for a post this week. I had a doctor appointment today, so I wanted to be able to write about it in this post. Everything is going great. After sitting through traffic, I got to my appointment 5 minutes before I was scheduled. Cody was already there (he works in Phoenix so we just meet there). They weighed me, took my urine sample, and took my blood pressure. Everything was normal. Then the doctor came in and asked how I was feeling and measured my belly. I didn't really notice how much my belly has changed until I was leaning back on that exam table and the whole lower portion of my belly just poked right out....more so on the right side than the left. It was quite obvious where the baby was. It is being just like its big sister. Hanging out on the right side! She took my measurements and my uterus is measuring right on track for where it should be. Then she took out the doppler to get a reading on the baby's heart beat...found it right away (not that it was hard to see where the baby was) and it was 143 BPM. I think this little one is going to be feisty. It did a nice kick during the doppler reading which sounded like a "whoosh" and the doc said, "Oh, there's a nice strong kick."
She said that she is going to leave my ultrasounds up to Dr. Kuhlman (the perinatologist) since I am classified as a high risk pregnancy and she said that because Dr. Kuhlman is an expert in that field, she has control over that portion of my care. She shares her results with Dr. Heard-Vaughn (my regular OB), so they are updated.
I also talked to her about delivery (I know it's early) and my plans to VBAC (have a vaginal birth after cesarean). She said that she does do them, however, the docs who are on call for her do not...so it's kind of in limbo. She said that my circumstances are different and the patients she has already consented to do that for she will do. I also reminded her that the perinatologist thinks it best not to do a repeat c-section unless necessary because of the Factor V Leiden, which would make me more prone to a blood clot after surgery and the fact that my primary c-section was due to breech positioning, not failure to progress. She agreed....so as of now, if I go into labor before my due date, I will get to attempt a normal delivery....however, if baby is not out by then, we are going to schedule a repeat c-section, most likely the day after my due date. So, I hope baby will make its debut before my due date (not too early). God is in control...and it will be on His timing.
I'm going to CA this weekend to see family and celebrate my birthday. Whoo hoo! I am so excited for my ultrasound next Friday...hoping baby gives us a clear shot, but more importantly, that it is healthy.
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
16 Weeks
Statistics:
16 weeks 5 Days
Starting Weight: 135
Current Weight: 140
Issues: None really except that my clothes are getting really tight.
Well, I went looking at maternity pants this weekend. I think they are going to become a necessity within the next week. It's hard though because I know I am going to get a lot bigger, and I don't want to get pants that fit me now and then not later. I hope that made sense. Ha! My mom was here visiting this last weekend and it was so good to see her. I took her along with me to Babies R Us to show her the crib and combo changing table/dresser I picked out for the nursery. It is so pretty. I am so excited to find out the sex of this little one so I can start REALLY shopping! We of course saw so many cute outfits...they even had a little camouflage skirt for a little girl...Cody thought that was awesome!
I am starting to feel the baby move every day now. If this was my first pregnancy, I'm sure I would think they were gas bubbles, but because I know what to look for, I can definitely tell that's not what they are. :) The baby is more active in the evening, but as I write this I can feel him or her moving in there.
I'm still trying to pay close attention to my eating habits, although I ate A LOT this last weekend. I have a doctor appointment next Wednesday, the 1st. And my 24th birthday is on the 2nd. Whoo hoo! I plan on going to California October 3-6 to visit friends and family. Cody is going to quail hunting camp with his brother...I have no interest in attending that, so I figured it would be a good excuse for me to get away. Ok, well that's all for this week. I'll keep you updated.
16 weeks 5 Days
Starting Weight: 135
Current Weight: 140
Issues: None really except that my clothes are getting really tight.
Well, I went looking at maternity pants this weekend. I think they are going to become a necessity within the next week. It's hard though because I know I am going to get a lot bigger, and I don't want to get pants that fit me now and then not later. I hope that made sense. Ha! My mom was here visiting this last weekend and it was so good to see her. I took her along with me to Babies R Us to show her the crib and combo changing table/dresser I picked out for the nursery. It is so pretty. I am so excited to find out the sex of this little one so I can start REALLY shopping! We of course saw so many cute outfits...they even had a little camouflage skirt for a little girl...Cody thought that was awesome!
I am starting to feel the baby move every day now. If this was my first pregnancy, I'm sure I would think they were gas bubbles, but because I know what to look for, I can definitely tell that's not what they are. :) The baby is more active in the evening, but as I write this I can feel him or her moving in there.
I'm still trying to pay close attention to my eating habits, although I ate A LOT this last weekend. I have a doctor appointment next Wednesday, the 1st. And my 24th birthday is on the 2nd. Whoo hoo! I plan on going to California October 3-6 to visit friends and family. Cody is going to quail hunting camp with his brother...I have no interest in attending that, so I figured it would be a good excuse for me to get away. Ok, well that's all for this week. I'll keep you updated.
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
15 Weeks
Statistics:
15 Weeks 6 Days
Starting Weight: 135
Current Weight: 139
Issues: Trying to get used to sleeping on my sides instead of my back.
Nothing new to report on this week. My jeans have grown VERY tight around my belly, but still not tight in the hips, butt, or thighs which makes me very happy. That's where I gained all of my weight with Brooke, so I'm hoping this baby will be all belly. I've been trying to sleep on my side more than on my back because supposedly my uterus is getting heavier and it puts more pressure on my nerves in my back causing pain. Plus the baby gets better circulation with me on my side, especially the left side.
I just ate a meatball sandwich and now I feel exhausted. I know it doesn't sound like it, but I have really been trying to focus on eating more fruits and veggies...especially veggies because I just love them so much. NOT! I went out and bought the cookbook "Deceptively Delicious" by Jessica Seinfeld. She wrote it to show moms how to sneak veggies into your kids food without them knowing it. Well, I decided that I'm the kid who hates veggies and the only way I will get them in is if I sneak them into my favorite foods. So I spent my day off on Monday puree-ing butternut squash, cauliflower, and sweet potatoes with the food processor my mother in law Judi got me. I guess she wants to make sure her grandbaby gets all its veggies too.
I'm starting to feel flutters more often....particularly in the late evening and at night or after a meal. Some days I don't really feel them though...which at first caused some uneasiness...but after reminding myself that God is sovereign and in control, I calmed down...and of course then I would feel some flutters. At this point, baby is still so small that I can really only feel flutters depending on where it is positioned in my uterus.
Ok, well that's the update for now. 3 1/2 more weeks until we find out if the baby is a boy or a girl. YEAH!
15 Weeks 6 Days
Starting Weight: 135
Current Weight: 139
Issues: Trying to get used to sleeping on my sides instead of my back.
Nothing new to report on this week. My jeans have grown VERY tight around my belly, but still not tight in the hips, butt, or thighs which makes me very happy. That's where I gained all of my weight with Brooke, so I'm hoping this baby will be all belly. I've been trying to sleep on my side more than on my back because supposedly my uterus is getting heavier and it puts more pressure on my nerves in my back causing pain. Plus the baby gets better circulation with me on my side, especially the left side.
I just ate a meatball sandwich and now I feel exhausted. I know it doesn't sound like it, but I have really been trying to focus on eating more fruits and veggies...especially veggies because I just love them so much. NOT! I went out and bought the cookbook "Deceptively Delicious" by Jessica Seinfeld. She wrote it to show moms how to sneak veggies into your kids food without them knowing it. Well, I decided that I'm the kid who hates veggies and the only way I will get them in is if I sneak them into my favorite foods. So I spent my day off on Monday puree-ing butternut squash, cauliflower, and sweet potatoes with the food processor my mother in law Judi got me. I guess she wants to make sure her grandbaby gets all its veggies too.
I'm starting to feel flutters more often....particularly in the late evening and at night or after a meal. Some days I don't really feel them though...which at first caused some uneasiness...but after reminding myself that God is sovereign and in control, I calmed down...and of course then I would feel some flutters. At this point, baby is still so small that I can really only feel flutters depending on where it is positioned in my uterus.
Ok, well that's the update for now. 3 1/2 more weeks until we find out if the baby is a boy or a girl. YEAH!
Sunday, September 7, 2008
14 Weeks
Statistics:
14 Weeks 3 Days
Starting Weight: 135
Current Weight: 139
Issues: My hips were hurting pretty bad the last few nights.
So what's going on in Week 14? Nothing too new, yet there is stuff going on. We celebrated Cody's 26 birthday yesterday with lots of spaghetti and this really good pumpkin pie cake thing that my SIL Brandie made. It was good!
I had a doctor appointment with my regular OB on Wednesday. All went well, except I have decided that the only scale I like is the one at home. I try to make all of my appointments in the afternoon because Cody gets off work between 2:30 and 3 and I really like him to be able to come. But you know what the problem is in the afternoon? Everything you have eaten throughout the day is just sitting in you digestive track...so I weigh 3 lbs more than when I weigh myself in the morning. UGH! Oh well, not the end of the world. My doc is really nice. Her name is Dr. Heard-Vaughn. I was a little anxious because I knew they would be attempting to hear the baby's heartbeat with an outside doppler at this appointment. She talked to me for a few minutes about how everything looked good so far, and then she whipped out the doppler. Sometimes at this gestational age it is hard for the docs to find a heartbeat, and I was afraid that that would happen to me (as if I really needed that). Well, the baby was ready for showtime again. The doc found its little heartbeat within 5 seconds of putting the doppler on my belly. We listened to it for about 30 seconds...enough time for her to get a good rate on it. She said it's heartrate ranged from the 150s-160s (beats per minute). Now, the old wives tale is that anything over 149 is usually a girl...lower is a boy. So I of course yelled out that it's another girl....Cody is still holding out that it's a boy, and the doc assured him that it could just be an active little boy. Really, all I cared is that there was a nice strong heartbeat, which there was!
So my next appointment with the regular OB is scheduled for October 1 (the day before my birthday). It will be another routine appointment, and then she said at my following appointment (so late October/early November), she will conduct her mid-pregnancy ultrasound to make sure the baby is developing ok and we will find out the sex....bummer right? WRONG. My perinatologist, Dr. Kuhlman, is conducting her mid pregnancy ultrasound on October 10th...I will be 19 weeks then and if the baby cooperates, we should find out the sex at that appointment. I am hoping this baby will take after her big sister and give us a clear shot during that ultrasound. For those of you that don't know, Brooke was no question a girl. She was ready for that big ultrasound, so I'm hoping Baby #2 does the same.
Ok, well, we're off to small group. Here are my latest belly shots for you all to enjoy. The jeans I'm wearing are the last ones I can button comfortably. They're really low rise.
14 Weeks 3 Days
Starting Weight: 135
Current Weight: 139
Issues: My hips were hurting pretty bad the last few nights.
So what's going on in Week 14? Nothing too new, yet there is stuff going on. We celebrated Cody's 26 birthday yesterday with lots of spaghetti and this really good pumpkin pie cake thing that my SIL Brandie made. It was good!
I had a doctor appointment with my regular OB on Wednesday. All went well, except I have decided that the only scale I like is the one at home. I try to make all of my appointments in the afternoon because Cody gets off work between 2:30 and 3 and I really like him to be able to come. But you know what the problem is in the afternoon? Everything you have eaten throughout the day is just sitting in you digestive track...so I weigh 3 lbs more than when I weigh myself in the morning. UGH! Oh well, not the end of the world. My doc is really nice. Her name is Dr. Heard-Vaughn. I was a little anxious because I knew they would be attempting to hear the baby's heartbeat with an outside doppler at this appointment. She talked to me for a few minutes about how everything looked good so far, and then she whipped out the doppler. Sometimes at this gestational age it is hard for the docs to find a heartbeat, and I was afraid that that would happen to me (as if I really needed that). Well, the baby was ready for showtime again. The doc found its little heartbeat within 5 seconds of putting the doppler on my belly. We listened to it for about 30 seconds...enough time for her to get a good rate on it. She said it's heartrate ranged from the 150s-160s (beats per minute). Now, the old wives tale is that anything over 149 is usually a girl...lower is a boy. So I of course yelled out that it's another girl....Cody is still holding out that it's a boy, and the doc assured him that it could just be an active little boy. Really, all I cared is that there was a nice strong heartbeat, which there was!
So my next appointment with the regular OB is scheduled for October 1 (the day before my birthday). It will be another routine appointment, and then she said at my following appointment (so late October/early November), she will conduct her mid-pregnancy ultrasound to make sure the baby is developing ok and we will find out the sex....bummer right? WRONG. My perinatologist, Dr. Kuhlman, is conducting her mid pregnancy ultrasound on October 10th...I will be 19 weeks then and if the baby cooperates, we should find out the sex at that appointment. I am hoping this baby will take after her big sister and give us a clear shot during that ultrasound. For those of you that don't know, Brooke was no question a girl. She was ready for that big ultrasound, so I'm hoping Baby #2 does the same.
Ok, well, we're off to small group. Here are my latest belly shots for you all to enjoy. The jeans I'm wearing are the last ones I can button comfortably. They're really low rise.
Sunday, August 31, 2008
13 Weeks
Stats:
13 Weeks 3 Days
Starting Weight: 135
Current Weight: 136
Issues: None really. My pants are all getting too tight.
Well, I thought I wasn't going to need maternity clothes until a little further down the road, but I was wrong. It really is true: you "show" a lot faster with your second. I woke up a few days ago and glimpsed at myself in the mirror and thought I could suck it in. Nope. So my "pooch" is turning into a little belly. It's still not an obvious pregnancy belly, but it's enough for me to notice it. I'm still not wearing maternity clothes yet. I'm just using the old rubber band to keep the button on my pants connected. I've noticed that a lot of the shirts that I have and that are in fashion right now provide a loose fit around the tummy area, so that helps in the fashion department as well.
As I mentioned last week, I thought I began to feel movement about a week ago. Every day at random times, baby lets me know that it's there. It's not the "big" movements I will be feeling later on down the road, and the flutters are not even as strong as they will be in a few weeks...but because I know what to look for now, I'm feeling very subtle flutters. It's a pretty neat feeling, although right now there's really no pattern to it. I have to be very still, such as lying down or sitting in one place for a while to feel them. It's way cool.
I've decided that I really like my perinatologist, Dr. Kuhlman. I was a mess after finding out that I had Factor V Leiden because all I could think of was how it was going to affect this baby. Because it brought up a lot of thoughts about Brooke, I think that just propelled my emotions and I became very scared. After fretting for two days, I finally called her to just have a few questions answered. I wanted to know why I was only on baby aspirin and if I do develop a clot that would affect the baby (i.e. in the placenta or the cord), would they be able to know? She was so kind in answering my questions. She didn't make me feel dumb at all (like many doctors do) and invited me to bring ANY concerns I have to her. She said I only really need a baby aspirin because I personally have not had any problems with a blood clot and of the seven clotting conditions she tested me for, only 1 came back positive. Even after having a c-section I didn't develop a clot (most people w/this condition are prone to develop them after surgery). She said the baby aspirin should be good to just thin my blood a little bit. As far as my concerns about the baby, she said that there wasn't any problems with Brooke's placenta (it was analyzed after delivery) and she doesn't anticipate any with this baby. However, she said they will be watching the baby's growth and other factors, such as my amniotic fluid levels, very closely in the final two months of my pregnancy. If they detect something abnormal at that time, she said then they would have reason to suspect something wasn't right. I felt very good after talking with her, mostly because she didn't make me feel dumb.
The hardest part about having had a stillbirth is that there are so many unknowns. While Brooke's death was ruled a cord accident, I still feel like there is still so much unknown about what really happened. And the only one who knows is God. I still struggle with losing her, although I know I've come a long way, I will just never be the same again. There's just so many emotions that I can't fully explain after going through something like that.
I felt like I took a dive in my faith walk after that episode. I just had to be reminded that God is in control...not me...not my doctors. There is nothing I can do that will alter His plan for me or this child. He had me reading some scripture in my Daily Bible that just reaffirmed that notion, and I knew He was speaking to me. So after asking forgiveness and expressing a heartfelt cry, I felt much better. To make things even better, He answered some things I have been praying for for a while this week...almost like He was like, "See, I hear you." Not that He has to do that...He's God...but it's so awesome that He loves us enough to do that.
Regular doctor appointment is this Wednesday. I have my next ultrasound with my perinatologist in the beginning to middle of October. Hard to believe....but if the baby cooperates, we will find out if we are expecting a little girl or a little boy at that ultrasound. So exciting. :)
13 Weeks 3 Days
Starting Weight: 135
Current Weight: 136
Issues: None really. My pants are all getting too tight.
Well, I thought I wasn't going to need maternity clothes until a little further down the road, but I was wrong. It really is true: you "show" a lot faster with your second. I woke up a few days ago and glimpsed at myself in the mirror and thought I could suck it in. Nope. So my "pooch" is turning into a little belly. It's still not an obvious pregnancy belly, but it's enough for me to notice it. I'm still not wearing maternity clothes yet. I'm just using the old rubber band to keep the button on my pants connected. I've noticed that a lot of the shirts that I have and that are in fashion right now provide a loose fit around the tummy area, so that helps in the fashion department as well.
As I mentioned last week, I thought I began to feel movement about a week ago. Every day at random times, baby lets me know that it's there. It's not the "big" movements I will be feeling later on down the road, and the flutters are not even as strong as they will be in a few weeks...but because I know what to look for now, I'm feeling very subtle flutters. It's a pretty neat feeling, although right now there's really no pattern to it. I have to be very still, such as lying down or sitting in one place for a while to feel them. It's way cool.
I've decided that I really like my perinatologist, Dr. Kuhlman. I was a mess after finding out that I had Factor V Leiden because all I could think of was how it was going to affect this baby. Because it brought up a lot of thoughts about Brooke, I think that just propelled my emotions and I became very scared. After fretting for two days, I finally called her to just have a few questions answered. I wanted to know why I was only on baby aspirin and if I do develop a clot that would affect the baby (i.e. in the placenta or the cord), would they be able to know? She was so kind in answering my questions. She didn't make me feel dumb at all (like many doctors do) and invited me to bring ANY concerns I have to her. She said I only really need a baby aspirin because I personally have not had any problems with a blood clot and of the seven clotting conditions she tested me for, only 1 came back positive. Even after having a c-section I didn't develop a clot (most people w/this condition are prone to develop them after surgery). She said the baby aspirin should be good to just thin my blood a little bit. As far as my concerns about the baby, she said that there wasn't any problems with Brooke's placenta (it was analyzed after delivery) and she doesn't anticipate any with this baby. However, she said they will be watching the baby's growth and other factors, such as my amniotic fluid levels, very closely in the final two months of my pregnancy. If they detect something abnormal at that time, she said then they would have reason to suspect something wasn't right. I felt very good after talking with her, mostly because she didn't make me feel dumb.
The hardest part about having had a stillbirth is that there are so many unknowns. While Brooke's death was ruled a cord accident, I still feel like there is still so much unknown about what really happened. And the only one who knows is God. I still struggle with losing her, although I know I've come a long way, I will just never be the same again. There's just so many emotions that I can't fully explain after going through something like that.
I felt like I took a dive in my faith walk after that episode. I just had to be reminded that God is in control...not me...not my doctors. There is nothing I can do that will alter His plan for me or this child. He had me reading some scripture in my Daily Bible that just reaffirmed that notion, and I knew He was speaking to me. So after asking forgiveness and expressing a heartfelt cry, I felt much better. To make things even better, He answered some things I have been praying for for a while this week...almost like He was like, "See, I hear you." Not that He has to do that...He's God...but it's so awesome that He loves us enough to do that.
Regular doctor appointment is this Wednesday. I have my next ultrasound with my perinatologist in the beginning to middle of October. Hard to believe....but if the baby cooperates, we will find out if we are expecting a little girl or a little boy at that ultrasound. So exciting. :)
Monday, August 25, 2008
12 Weeks
Stats:
12 Weeks 4 Days
Starting Weight: 135
Current Weight: 135
Issues: Just normal pregnancy hormones!
Well, Cody and I are back from our wonderful trip to the White Mountains. It was so nice to be in cooler weather. We got some rain up there and that really made things nice and cool. I had to actually use my sweaters and I had some hot chocolate at night too. I can't really explain how beautiful it all was. I took lots of pictures though. Too bad the fan motor in Cody's truck went out yesterday, so you know what that meant. No A/C in the truck! It wasn't bad for the first 3 hours of the trip because we were in high elevation mountains. But once we got to Phoenix....forget it! What were we doing driving in August in Phoenix with no air? Crazy.
Well, my perinatologist, Dr. Kuhlman, left two messages while I was gone. I had my blood pulled before we left because as I wrote in my last post, she wanted to have my blood tested for any clotting issues. I had seven tests done and it turns out that I have a genetic single mutation known as Factor V Leiden which makes my blood slightly more susceptible to blood clots. This specifically is what I wanted to be tested for because there is a history of blood clots in my family and I have met a few other women on the internet who had stillborn babies and afterwards had their blood tested and they too had this mutation. When I initially met with Dr. Kuhlman, she said that Brooke's umbilical cord possibly was not as strong as it should have been, making it more prone to being compressed and cutting off flow. A problem with the blood flow (i.e. blood clots) through the placenta could have caused this problem. So I don't know FOR SURE that's what happened last time, but it is all making sense to me. She said that right now, I just need to take a baby aspirin once a day to slightly thin my blood. She says there is no need for any other blood thinners at this point, unless I go into pre-term labor or anything like that.
I asked her if having this mutation in my blood means that I should not attempt a VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarean) and just schedule another c-section delivery. She said no. In fact, surgery increases my risk for developing a blood clot (jeopardizing my health) and she still thinks a VBAC will be fine. She gave all of my lab reports to my normal OB as well and said she wants to see me again between 19 and 20 weeks for my mid-pregnancy ultrasound.
So that's what's going on with my weird blood. I don't want everyone to get too excited yet....but I believe I am starting to feel a little bit of movement. I've been feeling it very slightly the last two days. They say that with your second you feel movement earlier because you know what to expect. I started feeling movement with Brooke at about 15 weeks...so maybe because I know what to look for I'm feeling it a little earlier now. Who knows?
Well, I'm going to go eat and get some rest.
12 Weeks 4 Days
Starting Weight: 135
Current Weight: 135
Issues: Just normal pregnancy hormones!
Well, Cody and I are back from our wonderful trip to the White Mountains. It was so nice to be in cooler weather. We got some rain up there and that really made things nice and cool. I had to actually use my sweaters and I had some hot chocolate at night too. I can't really explain how beautiful it all was. I took lots of pictures though. Too bad the fan motor in Cody's truck went out yesterday, so you know what that meant. No A/C in the truck! It wasn't bad for the first 3 hours of the trip because we were in high elevation mountains. But once we got to Phoenix....forget it! What were we doing driving in August in Phoenix with no air? Crazy.
Well, my perinatologist, Dr. Kuhlman, left two messages while I was gone. I had my blood pulled before we left because as I wrote in my last post, she wanted to have my blood tested for any clotting issues. I had seven tests done and it turns out that I have a genetic single mutation known as Factor V Leiden which makes my blood slightly more susceptible to blood clots. This specifically is what I wanted to be tested for because there is a history of blood clots in my family and I have met a few other women on the internet who had stillborn babies and afterwards had their blood tested and they too had this mutation. When I initially met with Dr. Kuhlman, she said that Brooke's umbilical cord possibly was not as strong as it should have been, making it more prone to being compressed and cutting off flow. A problem with the blood flow (i.e. blood clots) through the placenta could have caused this problem. So I don't know FOR SURE that's what happened last time, but it is all making sense to me. She said that right now, I just need to take a baby aspirin once a day to slightly thin my blood. She says there is no need for any other blood thinners at this point, unless I go into pre-term labor or anything like that.
I asked her if having this mutation in my blood means that I should not attempt a VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarean) and just schedule another c-section delivery. She said no. In fact, surgery increases my risk for developing a blood clot (jeopardizing my health) and she still thinks a VBAC will be fine. She gave all of my lab reports to my normal OB as well and said she wants to see me again between 19 and 20 weeks for my mid-pregnancy ultrasound.
So that's what's going on with my weird blood. I don't want everyone to get too excited yet....but I believe I am starting to feel a little bit of movement. I've been feeling it very slightly the last two days. They say that with your second you feel movement earlier because you know what to expect. I started feeling movement with Brooke at about 15 weeks...so maybe because I know what to look for I'm feeling it a little earlier now. Who knows?
Well, I'm going to go eat and get some rest.
Thursday, August 14, 2008
11 Weeks
Statistics:
11 Weeks
Starting Weight: 135
Current Weight: 135.5
Issues: Digestive issues...
First, thank you to everyone who prayed for us on Monday. As I posted last week, Monday was Brooke's first birthday. I did very well. I just treated it like any other day. I went to the Phoenix Zoo (which was not crowded but VERY HOT) with my family and we had a great time. One year ago, I never thought I would be this happy and peaceful. God's everlasting kindess and love is amazing!
I met with the perinatologist on Tuesday. I was a little nervous, but everything went GREAT. The hospital is approximately one hour from Wickenburg, so as I was driving there, pregnancy bladder struck! I had to pee so badly and of course, I hit every red light once I got on Thunderbird Road. Those 4 miles were torture! Haha, so I got to the hospital and had to go through admissions before going in for my ultrasound. That process was kind of hard for me, because I literally was doing the same thing one year ago...and I came out 4 days later with no baby. I just kept thinking positive and the lady was really nice, so that was good.
I then went down the hall to the perinatologist's office. I was waiting for Cody to show up (he had some issues with parking) and the ultrasound tech came out to greet me. We met Cody at the entrance and we walked back into the room. I started to cry just going in there. The tech was so kind to me and understood my crying. I think I'll get better with the ultrasounds once I start to feel movement. Anyways, they proceeded with the ultrasound and there was our baby. It no longer looks like a peanut. It had little arms and legs and it knew it was time to perform. It was kicking, punching, and rolling around. Cody and I were just ao amazed at how active it was. And then it took it's right hand and put it on top of it's head like, "Oh, that was so exhausting!" The heart rate was 172 BPM and the tech said the baby was positioned in my uterus exactly where it should be. She also said that the baby's growth was 3 days ahead of schedule, but when she did the transvaginal ultrasound measurements, it was 1 day. Either way, she said it's perfectly normal.
Many of you know I was concerned about my uterus possibly being abnormally shaped. The doctor who did my c-section with Brooke said it appeared bi-cornuate, or heart shaped. Well, after a good 20 minutes of examining my uterus by ultrasound, the tech and the perinatologist agreed that my uterus IS NOT heart shaped. She said that perhaps how the placenta attached last time could have given my uterus a heart shaped appearance.
So after a wonderful ultrasound, Cody and I met with the perinatologist in her office. She went over my records with me and just listened to my concerns. She said that 25% of babies are born with the cord around the neck, but a triple nuchal cord (what Brooke had) is very rare, and even more rarely do babies die from it. She said that Brooke's death could have possibly been a combo of things.... cord wrapped around the neck with low amniotic fluid could have caused her to more easily compress her cord or my placenta may not have been functioning as well as it should have in those final weeks. She said that while Brooke's size was not abnormally small (6 lbs 3 oz 19 in), it is a little on the low side for a 40 week baby. She thinks that maybe in those final weeks, Brooke was starting to fall off the growth chart. So because of my family history with blood clots and just to rule anything out, she is having some blood tests run on me to rule out anything in my blood that may cause future problems. If there is anything, she says that there are so many treatments available.
So off I will go to get my blood drawn. Yippee! If everything turns out OK with that, she says that they will start monitoring me at around 32 weeks with non-stress tests and biophysical profiling, in addition to ultrasounds to check on baby's growth. All reassuring things. She is also supportive of letting me attempt a VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarean) which made me glad.
So that's what's been going on. Cody and I are headed up to Greer this weekend and we will not be back until the 25th, so my next post will probably not be for another two weeks. Below is a pic from the ultrasound. It's not as clear as the last one, but it will work. :)
11 Weeks
Starting Weight: 135
Current Weight: 135.5
Issues: Digestive issues...
First, thank you to everyone who prayed for us on Monday. As I posted last week, Monday was Brooke's first birthday. I did very well. I just treated it like any other day. I went to the Phoenix Zoo (which was not crowded but VERY HOT) with my family and we had a great time. One year ago, I never thought I would be this happy and peaceful. God's everlasting kindess and love is amazing!
I met with the perinatologist on Tuesday. I was a little nervous, but everything went GREAT. The hospital is approximately one hour from Wickenburg, so as I was driving there, pregnancy bladder struck! I had to pee so badly and of course, I hit every red light once I got on Thunderbird Road. Those 4 miles were torture! Haha, so I got to the hospital and had to go through admissions before going in for my ultrasound. That process was kind of hard for me, because I literally was doing the same thing one year ago...and I came out 4 days later with no baby. I just kept thinking positive and the lady was really nice, so that was good.
I then went down the hall to the perinatologist's office. I was waiting for Cody to show up (he had some issues with parking) and the ultrasound tech came out to greet me. We met Cody at the entrance and we walked back into the room. I started to cry just going in there. The tech was so kind to me and understood my crying. I think I'll get better with the ultrasounds once I start to feel movement. Anyways, they proceeded with the ultrasound and there was our baby. It no longer looks like a peanut. It had little arms and legs and it knew it was time to perform. It was kicking, punching, and rolling around. Cody and I were just ao amazed at how active it was. And then it took it's right hand and put it on top of it's head like, "Oh, that was so exhausting!" The heart rate was 172 BPM and the tech said the baby was positioned in my uterus exactly where it should be. She also said that the baby's growth was 3 days ahead of schedule, but when she did the transvaginal ultrasound measurements, it was 1 day. Either way, she said it's perfectly normal.
Many of you know I was concerned about my uterus possibly being abnormally shaped. The doctor who did my c-section with Brooke said it appeared bi-cornuate, or heart shaped. Well, after a good 20 minutes of examining my uterus by ultrasound, the tech and the perinatologist agreed that my uterus IS NOT heart shaped. She said that perhaps how the placenta attached last time could have given my uterus a heart shaped appearance.
So after a wonderful ultrasound, Cody and I met with the perinatologist in her office. She went over my records with me and just listened to my concerns. She said that 25% of babies are born with the cord around the neck, but a triple nuchal cord (what Brooke had) is very rare, and even more rarely do babies die from it. She said that Brooke's death could have possibly been a combo of things.... cord wrapped around the neck with low amniotic fluid could have caused her to more easily compress her cord or my placenta may not have been functioning as well as it should have in those final weeks. She said that while Brooke's size was not abnormally small (6 lbs 3 oz 19 in), it is a little on the low side for a 40 week baby. She thinks that maybe in those final weeks, Brooke was starting to fall off the growth chart. So because of my family history with blood clots and just to rule anything out, she is having some blood tests run on me to rule out anything in my blood that may cause future problems. If there is anything, she says that there are so many treatments available.
So off I will go to get my blood drawn. Yippee! If everything turns out OK with that, she says that they will start monitoring me at around 32 weeks with non-stress tests and biophysical profiling, in addition to ultrasounds to check on baby's growth. All reassuring things. She is also supportive of letting me attempt a VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarean) which made me glad.
So that's what's been going on. Cody and I are headed up to Greer this weekend and we will not be back until the 25th, so my next post will probably not be for another two weeks. Below is a pic from the ultrasound. It's not as clear as the last one, but it will work. :)
Saturday, August 9, 2008
10 Weeks
Statistics:
10 Weeks 2 Days
Starting Weight: 135
Current Weight: 135
Issues: Still a little nausea and fatigue.
I can't believe I'm already at 10 weeks. By now, I'm sure all of you have seen "Peanut." Cody and I were just so thrilled to show off our baby to all of our friends.
As I write this, I have just returned from a long day trip. My mom and my sister are visiting from California. Cody decided to go on a fishing trip with his brother Lane to Yuma (who wants to hangout with the girls anyways), so we took an all day road trip. We went up to Prescott, then visited the small town of Jerome, Cottonwood, Sedona, and then hit our target, Flagstaff. Oh, it was so nice to be in much cooler weather. We were at an outdoor mall, when, the monsoon struck. It started raining SOOOO hard. Who thought I would have to put a sweater on in the middle of August? It was so beautiful and we really had a good time.
On a different note, Brooke's birthday is in two days and so far I feel pretty good. I think of her every day. It's still hard to believe it's already been a year. Having another baby on the way helps with the grief, but I still miss Brooke. :(
I've been spending a lot of time looking at boy clothing, not because I really feel like the baby is a boy, but because I am already familiar with all the adorable clothing available for girls. I was feeling very discouraged with boy clothing, as I don't want to dress him in sharks, bugs, or puppy dog ears. Why don't they make the same kind of cute stuff for boys? It's like they devote 3/4 of the baby section to girls, and then the boy section is the remaining quarter and it can't even compare in cuteness. I did see some really cute boy clothes at Old Navy though. They had these little onesies with guitars all over it, so if this baby is a boy, we will be picking that up. Like father like son...
I have my first appointment with the perinatologist on Tuesday. I will be having an ultrasound and then a consultation. A perinatologist is a doctor who specializes in high risk pregnancies. Don't be alarmed. Nothing so far is indicating that this is a high risk pregnancy...but because of my stillbirth, my OB wants me to meet with her so that I may have more peace of mind. She is the head of the Maternal & Fetal Medicine Unit at Thunderbird Hospital (the hospital I will be delivering at) and is part of Phoenix Perinatal Associates. From her bio, I also understand that she is a Christian, which is very encouraging. Anyways, she does more in depth ultrasounds and will probably be overseeing my biophysical profiles and non-stress tests later on in the pregnancy.
Ok, well, that was a lot. Below is my ten week photo of my belly. Still no weight gain, but my pants are starting to fit a little tighter.
10 Weeks 2 Days
Starting Weight: 135
Current Weight: 135
Issues: Still a little nausea and fatigue.
I can't believe I'm already at 10 weeks. By now, I'm sure all of you have seen "Peanut." Cody and I were just so thrilled to show off our baby to all of our friends.
As I write this, I have just returned from a long day trip. My mom and my sister are visiting from California. Cody decided to go on a fishing trip with his brother Lane to Yuma (who wants to hangout with the girls anyways), so we took an all day road trip. We went up to Prescott, then visited the small town of Jerome, Cottonwood, Sedona, and then hit our target, Flagstaff. Oh, it was so nice to be in much cooler weather. We were at an outdoor mall, when, the monsoon struck. It started raining SOOOO hard. Who thought I would have to put a sweater on in the middle of August? It was so beautiful and we really had a good time.
On a different note, Brooke's birthday is in two days and so far I feel pretty good. I think of her every day. It's still hard to believe it's already been a year. Having another baby on the way helps with the grief, but I still miss Brooke. :(
I've been spending a lot of time looking at boy clothing, not because I really feel like the baby is a boy, but because I am already familiar with all the adorable clothing available for girls. I was feeling very discouraged with boy clothing, as I don't want to dress him in sharks, bugs, or puppy dog ears. Why don't they make the same kind of cute stuff for boys? It's like they devote 3/4 of the baby section to girls, and then the boy section is the remaining quarter and it can't even compare in cuteness. I did see some really cute boy clothes at Old Navy though. They had these little onesies with guitars all over it, so if this baby is a boy, we will be picking that up. Like father like son...
I have my first appointment with the perinatologist on Tuesday. I will be having an ultrasound and then a consultation. A perinatologist is a doctor who specializes in high risk pregnancies. Don't be alarmed. Nothing so far is indicating that this is a high risk pregnancy...but because of my stillbirth, my OB wants me to meet with her so that I may have more peace of mind. She is the head of the Maternal & Fetal Medicine Unit at Thunderbird Hospital (the hospital I will be delivering at) and is part of Phoenix Perinatal Associates. From her bio, I also understand that she is a Christian, which is very encouraging. Anyways, she does more in depth ultrasounds and will probably be overseeing my biophysical profiles and non-stress tests later on in the pregnancy.
Ok, well, that was a lot. Below is my ten week photo of my belly. Still no weight gain, but my pants are starting to fit a little tighter.
Saturday, August 2, 2008
9 Weeks
Statistics:
9 weeks 2 Days
Starting Weight: 135
Current Weight: 134
Issues: None that are too bad. Little bit of nausea, sore boobs, and sore hips.
So yesterday was our first doctor appointment and it went great. I was really nervous just waiting for that first ultrasound. The doctor came in and first asked me how I was feeling. She wasn't as concerned about physically as emotionally, which was really nice. Cody accompanied me to the appointment and it was so awesome to have him there for support. I told the doc how emotionally, I want to be excited, but it's still kind of hard. I still miss my little girl, and this baby can not replace her.
So they did an internal physical exam of me. She tried feeling my uterus to see if that would give away any hints as to how far along I am. Well, it's tilted slightly to the back, so it wasn't giving much information. She had me get dressed and then they pulled my blood...which I just LOVE (NOT). Fortunately, the nurse doing that did a good job and talked to me about church and stuff like that.
Then it was into the room I had been so fearful of all day. The ultrasound room. Cody and I were waiting in there about 5 minutes before she came in. They had to do what is called a transvaginal ultrasound because the baby is still so small that they can get better measurements using a wand up...well..you know where.
So the big moment came. I was afraid to look at the screen, but Cody was staring right at it. Then the doctor said..."Look, there's your baby." I still didn't want to really look until I asked her, "Is there a heartbeat?" And with that she responded, oh yes, a very good one. So then I just started crying and talking to the baby and sure enough, it's little arms and legs started moving. Cody and I were just so happy. Then she turned on the sound and we could hear the heart beating. I have been waiting almost a year to hear that sound again, and it was just so awesome. She said the baby was measuring exactly where it should be and the heartbeat was at 180 beats per minutes, which is where they normally are at that stage.
Because I can't feel this baby moving yet, seeing it was just so awesome. Now I KNOW there is a baby in there. I also got a pretty cool goody bag full of brochures, supplements, coupons for baby stuff, and magazines.
So my next appointment is September 3. In the mean time, my doctor referred me to consult with a perinatologist (a doctor that specializes in high risk pregnancies). I mentioned that I wanted to have some genetic tests performed just to rule out any future complications with this pregnancy. I also want to get to the bottom of the question of whether or not my uterus is heart shaped or not. My doc said a consultation with the peri will help me get answers to these questions and put my mind at more ease. So I will call on Monday to make an appointment with the peri and see what happens from there. The two doctors will work very closely together.
So, here's the first look of baby. Isn't it funny to think we all started out looking like this?
9 weeks 2 Days
Starting Weight: 135
Current Weight: 134
Issues: None that are too bad. Little bit of nausea, sore boobs, and sore hips.
So yesterday was our first doctor appointment and it went great. I was really nervous just waiting for that first ultrasound. The doctor came in and first asked me how I was feeling. She wasn't as concerned about physically as emotionally, which was really nice. Cody accompanied me to the appointment and it was so awesome to have him there for support. I told the doc how emotionally, I want to be excited, but it's still kind of hard. I still miss my little girl, and this baby can not replace her.
So they did an internal physical exam of me. She tried feeling my uterus to see if that would give away any hints as to how far along I am. Well, it's tilted slightly to the back, so it wasn't giving much information. She had me get dressed and then they pulled my blood...which I just LOVE (NOT). Fortunately, the nurse doing that did a good job and talked to me about church and stuff like that.
Then it was into the room I had been so fearful of all day. The ultrasound room. Cody and I were waiting in there about 5 minutes before she came in. They had to do what is called a transvaginal ultrasound because the baby is still so small that they can get better measurements using a wand up...well..you know where.
So the big moment came. I was afraid to look at the screen, but Cody was staring right at it. Then the doctor said..."Look, there's your baby." I still didn't want to really look until I asked her, "Is there a heartbeat?" And with that she responded, oh yes, a very good one. So then I just started crying and talking to the baby and sure enough, it's little arms and legs started moving. Cody and I were just so happy. Then she turned on the sound and we could hear the heart beating. I have been waiting almost a year to hear that sound again, and it was just so awesome. She said the baby was measuring exactly where it should be and the heartbeat was at 180 beats per minutes, which is where they normally are at that stage.
Because I can't feel this baby moving yet, seeing it was just so awesome. Now I KNOW there is a baby in there. I also got a pretty cool goody bag full of brochures, supplements, coupons for baby stuff, and magazines.
So my next appointment is September 3. In the mean time, my doctor referred me to consult with a perinatologist (a doctor that specializes in high risk pregnancies). I mentioned that I wanted to have some genetic tests performed just to rule out any future complications with this pregnancy. I also want to get to the bottom of the question of whether or not my uterus is heart shaped or not. My doc said a consultation with the peri will help me get answers to these questions and put my mind at more ease. So I will call on Monday to make an appointment with the peri and see what happens from there. The two doctors will work very closely together.
So, here's the first look of baby. Isn't it funny to think we all started out looking like this?
Thursday, July 24, 2008
8 Weeks
Statistics:
8 Weeks
Starting Weight: 135
Current Weight: 133
Issues: Nothing really new. Still tired and the occassional nausea and hip soreness.
Well, let's see. There's nothing too new to report on this week. I'm still feeling quite exhausted and I have nausea strike in the morning and the evening. It's funny though because then in the middle of the day I am STARVING. I have really taken a liking to pizza, which I loved anyways, but now I really like it. I'll usually eat a big meal mid-day, and then small snacks throughout the rest of the day because I don't feel like eating a huge meal.
I've been trying to keep going to the gym. My goal this time is to gain no more than 30 lbs. I gained 53 lbs with Brooke and it was hard work to get it all off, so I am trying my best not to gain that much this time. It's really hard, especially when I get my cravings in the middle of the day. I think having my gym membership is going to help a lot. I walk on the treadmill for 45 minutes or do the elliptical, but I have to be careful to not let my heart rate go above 140 beats per minute. I've toned down my weight lifting until I talk to the doctor about what is safe.
Speaking of the doctor, my first appointment is next Friday and I am looking forward to it. Cody and I are going together and that is such a relief to me. I'm excited to see our little peanut growing.
Something new this week. My hips are sore every once in a while, almost like stuff is stretching. I don't remember feeling that this early, but hey, every pregnancy is different.
Well, no new pictures. Not surprisingly, I'm not "showing" yet, although I can look like it after I eat a big meal. More next week...
8 Weeks
Starting Weight: 135
Current Weight: 133
Issues: Nothing really new. Still tired and the occassional nausea and hip soreness.
Well, let's see. There's nothing too new to report on this week. I'm still feeling quite exhausted and I have nausea strike in the morning and the evening. It's funny though because then in the middle of the day I am STARVING. I have really taken a liking to pizza, which I loved anyways, but now I really like it. I'll usually eat a big meal mid-day, and then small snacks throughout the rest of the day because I don't feel like eating a huge meal.
I've been trying to keep going to the gym. My goal this time is to gain no more than 30 lbs. I gained 53 lbs with Brooke and it was hard work to get it all off, so I am trying my best not to gain that much this time. It's really hard, especially when I get my cravings in the middle of the day. I think having my gym membership is going to help a lot. I walk on the treadmill for 45 minutes or do the elliptical, but I have to be careful to not let my heart rate go above 140 beats per minute. I've toned down my weight lifting until I talk to the doctor about what is safe.
Speaking of the doctor, my first appointment is next Friday and I am looking forward to it. Cody and I are going together and that is such a relief to me. I'm excited to see our little peanut growing.
Something new this week. My hips are sore every once in a while, almost like stuff is stretching. I don't remember feeling that this early, but hey, every pregnancy is different.
Well, no new pictures. Not surprisingly, I'm not "showing" yet, although I can look like it after I eat a big meal. More next week...
Thursday, July 17, 2008
7 Weeks
Statistics:
7 Weeks
Starting Weight: 135
Current Weight: 132
Issues: Still extremely tired and beginning to experience a little nausea.
So I think I got my first craving today. Actually, it started last night when I went to bed. I wanted Jack in the Box tacos and onion rings. Not just any onion rings, but the ones sold at a local place called Rancho Bar 7. So what did I do at 11 o clock today? I went and got both. I ate 3 tacos and about 5 onion rings...I've still got some left over and I'll probably eat them later. Never has food tasted so good... I think Cody is also getting cravings because he informed me today that he was going to get like 12 chili dogs from Weinerschnitzel...haha, sympathy cravings I guess. This little one sure does like to eat.
The last two mornings I have been experiencing a little bit of nausea. It was more noticeable this morning. I've been experiencing food aversions, especially after I have eaten, I have no desire to see food. I remember feeling this way with my last pregnancy. The other night I made dinner and had to ask Cody to put away the leftovers because just looking at the food grossed me out. I'm trying to avoid any embarrassing episodes. I remember when I was pregnant with Brooke, I had just eaten breakfast and taken my prenatal when I felt like I had to burp. So I burped and oops...up came in the orange juice right there while I was standing in the kitchen. I just remembered thinking, "What was that about?" So, I'm trying to remember that episode when I get that urge. Haha, sorry if that grossed you all out.
On a more serious side, I have been struggling a little bit with missing Brooke. Being pregnant again is so exciting and it's what I've wanted for quite some time, but it doesn't take away the pain of losing her. I've already had this conversation with some of you, but in many ways, it's a new part of the grief process. I know that the first time I see this one will be bittersweet because I will think of the first time we saw Brooke as a little bean. I know she's with Jesus, but some days, the hurt is still very real.
My first appointment is coming up in about 2 weeks. Once again, mixed emotions about that. Cody and I are both very scarred from the last ultrasound we had with Brooke, so please pray that God will just put our fears to rest and give us peace as we venture into this again. It's one of my hurdles to get over. I've experienced so many in the last year, and I tend to get anxiety before one approaches, so if you could please just keep us in your prayers, we would appreciate it.
That's all for now. No new pictures because there's no real physical change.
7 Weeks
Starting Weight: 135
Current Weight: 132
Issues: Still extremely tired and beginning to experience a little nausea.
So I think I got my first craving today. Actually, it started last night when I went to bed. I wanted Jack in the Box tacos and onion rings. Not just any onion rings, but the ones sold at a local place called Rancho Bar 7. So what did I do at 11 o clock today? I went and got both. I ate 3 tacos and about 5 onion rings...I've still got some left over and I'll probably eat them later. Never has food tasted so good... I think Cody is also getting cravings because he informed me today that he was going to get like 12 chili dogs from Weinerschnitzel...haha, sympathy cravings I guess. This little one sure does like to eat.
The last two mornings I have been experiencing a little bit of nausea. It was more noticeable this morning. I've been experiencing food aversions, especially after I have eaten, I have no desire to see food. I remember feeling this way with my last pregnancy. The other night I made dinner and had to ask Cody to put away the leftovers because just looking at the food grossed me out. I'm trying to avoid any embarrassing episodes. I remember when I was pregnant with Brooke, I had just eaten breakfast and taken my prenatal when I felt like I had to burp. So I burped and oops...up came in the orange juice right there while I was standing in the kitchen. I just remembered thinking, "What was that about?" So, I'm trying to remember that episode when I get that urge. Haha, sorry if that grossed you all out.
On a more serious side, I have been struggling a little bit with missing Brooke. Being pregnant again is so exciting and it's what I've wanted for quite some time, but it doesn't take away the pain of losing her. I've already had this conversation with some of you, but in many ways, it's a new part of the grief process. I know that the first time I see this one will be bittersweet because I will think of the first time we saw Brooke as a little bean. I know she's with Jesus, but some days, the hurt is still very real.
My first appointment is coming up in about 2 weeks. Once again, mixed emotions about that. Cody and I are both very scarred from the last ultrasound we had with Brooke, so please pray that God will just put our fears to rest and give us peace as we venture into this again. It's one of my hurdles to get over. I've experienced so many in the last year, and I tend to get anxiety before one approaches, so if you could please just keep us in your prayers, we would appreciate it.
That's all for now. No new pictures because there's no real physical change.
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
6 Weeks
Statistics
5 Weeks 6 Days
Starting Weight: 135
Current Weight: 134
Issues: My boobs still occasionally ache and over the last two days, I've noticed that I'm a lot more tired.
Nothing really new going on this week. As mentioned, I am getting a reminder of how tired pregnancy makes me. I have been sleeping until almost 8 o'clock every morning and when I get home from work at 2, I'm exhausted again. Usually I'll nap for half an hour and I go to bed at 9:30.
There's something wrong with our hot water heater, so I've been taking my showers at the gym. Fortunately it's literally right down the street from us, so it's not too inconvenient, but man, it makes you appreciate your hot water.
I went and bought some red raspberry leaf tea to drink once a day. It's supposed to be really good for my uterus and I took a lot of it after my c-section. It can't hurt.
Overall, I'm still feeling pretty good. I have had a few moments over the past week of thinking of the "what ifs." I also think that because this is my second pregnancy, I know what's coming up...when I'll probably start feeling movement, when I'll "show." It's still exciting, but those things make the first trimester not seem as exciting. I am so looking forward to this pregnancy. I ran across a piece of scripture I highlighted some time ago, and I know God pointed it out to me for this very reason.
"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take you stand against the devils schemes. " Ephesians 6:10-11
Of course, the armor of God is my arsenal of memorized scripture. When I focus on Him, it reallys puts those fears to rest.
Below is my first belly photo. We took this last night after I went to the gym. I'm really not showing yet, way too early. That little pooch is just left over from my pregnancy with Brooke. Haha, I know my tummy will never be completely flat again, and I am perfectly OK with that.
5 Weeks 6 Days
Starting Weight: 135
Current Weight: 134
Issues: My boobs still occasionally ache and over the last two days, I've noticed that I'm a lot more tired.
Nothing really new going on this week. As mentioned, I am getting a reminder of how tired pregnancy makes me. I have been sleeping until almost 8 o'clock every morning and when I get home from work at 2, I'm exhausted again. Usually I'll nap for half an hour and I go to bed at 9:30.
There's something wrong with our hot water heater, so I've been taking my showers at the gym. Fortunately it's literally right down the street from us, so it's not too inconvenient, but man, it makes you appreciate your hot water.
I went and bought some red raspberry leaf tea to drink once a day. It's supposed to be really good for my uterus and I took a lot of it after my c-section. It can't hurt.
Overall, I'm still feeling pretty good. I have had a few moments over the past week of thinking of the "what ifs." I also think that because this is my second pregnancy, I know what's coming up...when I'll probably start feeling movement, when I'll "show." It's still exciting, but those things make the first trimester not seem as exciting. I am so looking forward to this pregnancy. I ran across a piece of scripture I highlighted some time ago, and I know God pointed it out to me for this very reason.
"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take you stand against the devils schemes. " Ephesians 6:10-11
Of course, the armor of God is my arsenal of memorized scripture. When I focus on Him, it reallys puts those fears to rest.
Below is my first belly photo. We took this last night after I went to the gym. I'm really not showing yet, way too early. That little pooch is just left over from my pregnancy with Brooke. Haha, I know my tummy will never be completely flat again, and I am perfectly OK with that.
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
5 Weeks (Almost)
Status
4 Weeks 6 Days
Starting Weight: 135
Current Weight: 135
Issues: None really yet. I find myself having to pee more frequently and my boobs are occasionally sore.
So here it is the day after we found out, and I'm starting to let it sink in that, yes, there is a new life growing inside of me. We were so excited to share the news with everyone yesterday. Surprisingly, the fear that I anticipated for so long is not there. I just feel different this time around. I thought that I would be really scared and wanting to be in the doctor's office ASAP, but I really don't. My first doctor appointment is on August 1, so I should be around 9 weeks at that time. I must be honest, there is a tiny bit of fear that I will go in for the ultrasound and there will not be a heartbeat. I guess I'm still scarred by that image with Brooke.
I am so looking forward to another pregnancy. God knows how much I have wanted this, and I realized today that the reason God made me wait longer than I originally wanted to is so I could enjoy the pregnancy this time because I have His peace. I am avoiding pregnancy website forums, because they really create more anxiety for me than doing good. I now prefer to call them "worry boards."
I also plan on posting pictures of my belly this time around. There are so many things I am looking forward to, but I am just enjoying each day at a time. Please continue to lift us up in prayer that this peace will remain with us.
Below is my big fat positive test result!
4 Weeks 6 Days
Starting Weight: 135
Current Weight: 135
Issues: None really yet. I find myself having to pee more frequently and my boobs are occasionally sore.
So here it is the day after we found out, and I'm starting to let it sink in that, yes, there is a new life growing inside of me. We were so excited to share the news with everyone yesterday. Surprisingly, the fear that I anticipated for so long is not there. I just feel different this time around. I thought that I would be really scared and wanting to be in the doctor's office ASAP, but I really don't. My first doctor appointment is on August 1, so I should be around 9 weeks at that time. I must be honest, there is a tiny bit of fear that I will go in for the ultrasound and there will not be a heartbeat. I guess I'm still scarred by that image with Brooke.
I am so looking forward to another pregnancy. God knows how much I have wanted this, and I realized today that the reason God made me wait longer than I originally wanted to is so I could enjoy the pregnancy this time because I have His peace. I am avoiding pregnancy website forums, because they really create more anxiety for me than doing good. I now prefer to call them "worry boards."
I also plan on posting pictures of my belly this time around. There are so many things I am looking forward to, but I am just enjoying each day at a time. Please continue to lift us up in prayer that this peace will remain with us.
Below is my big fat positive test result!
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