I had my 5th prenatal visit today. We did the gestational diabetes test. I drank the orange sugar drink and waited around for an hour for them to take my blood. I’m hoping it comes back normal, so I don’t have to go in for the 3 hour test. Otherwise it was a pretty typical appointment. Blood pressure was good, baby is head down, and her heartbeat is good. I’ve gained 30 lbs. so far! Yikes! I know- sugar is my enemy, but I really like ice cream… and candy. I walk most days, so hopefully I will be able to keep things under control for the next three months. I can’t believe that I’m starting the third trimester already. I start going every other week now, and then every week in September. This pregnancy is going by so fast!
The baby is getting stronger and kicking harder these days. It’s really neat and comforting. I was happy to know that she was head down. I’m feeling her feet on my right side by my ribs. I get another peek at her next week at my next ultrasound. I’m looking forward to seeing how much she has grown… and that everything is looking normal and healthy.
I went to my next prenatal visit today. I always get so nervous before an appointment, so I was stressed out yesterday. I got to meet a new midwife, and I really liked her. Everything seems to be going well, so there isn’t much to report! I have a few aches, but nothing unusual. They are checking my urine in case I have a UTI, but they think the pain in my abdomen is just growing pains. And, boy, am I growing! I am embarrassed to admit that I have gained 25 lbs. I wanted to die when I heard my weight. Yikes! I’m going to have to tweak some of my eating habits. I’m hoping to increase some of my exercising since I’m not feeling so sick from morning sickness. Yoga and walking have been wonderful, but I haven’t been consistently doing them. I’ll be 6 months along on Sunday! I’ve got 4 more months to go, and I only wanted to gain 30 lbs. for the whole pregnancy!
My next appointment will be at the end of the month, and it’ll be a long one since I’m doing the test for GD. I’m not showing any symptoms of GD, so I’m hoping that it’ll go well.
I can officially say that I feel the baby! Hurray! I wasn’t sure if I was feeling the baby for such a long time. It was always hard to tell if it was gas or some other bodily function. I was trying not to get stressed about this. I knew it would eventually happen… But, I can really feel her moving around now, and my DH can feel her, too. It was so cool to share that with him. He’s really been looking forward to feeling her move.
At my second ultrasound, I asked the doctor about not feeling much movement. He said that was because of the position of my placenta- it’s between my belly and the baby. The baby is typically is hitting the placenta, so I don’t feel it. This makes sense to me because I feel her only on my sides. I don’t feel the “butterflies” or “bubbles” that most women talk about. I feel two little feet kicking! It’s really neat. I usually feel her move once or twice a day. It’s really a weird sensation! It’s hard to focus when I’m in the middle of doing something.
I’ve had two unsolicited belly pats. Both sneak attacks were from people I don’t know very well. I’ve also had two people ask me if I am sure I’m not having twins. I just said that I imagine the doctor would have figured that out by now. I’m not sure what they expect me to say. Why can’t they say I look great and leave it at that?
I’m 22 weeks today! I really can’t believe how fast the time is going. I’m looking forward to my next prenatal visit- minus the weighing part.
I am halfway through my pregnancy! I can’t believe it’s been 20 weeks already. I’m feeling a bit better other than terrible heartburn- Yuck! I had my second ultrasound yesterday. Hurray- it’s a girl!
I was shocked. I really thought that we were going to have a boy, so I was surprised when the tech said it was a girl. I had already been calling the baby by the boy name we had picked.
All the anatomy looked normal, so I was relieved. The spine was good, and we got a clear shot of the baby’s palate. No spina bifida or cleft palates! I was so very happy! A little healthy baby girl! It was so neat to see her move around a bit. I saw most of her bones. I even saw her swallow. It was very cool!
The doctor was really great, and he answered all my questions. He said they wanted to have one more ultrasound in 6-8 weeks just to make sure everything was developing appropriately since I have a seizure disorder in my medical history. I was happy to get another look at my daughter before she is born. I didn’t expect that I’d get to see her again until delivery.
My MIL was able to come to the appointment, so it was fun to share that experience with her. We had fun going out to eat afterwards to celebrate. I ran and got pink balloons to surprise DH when he got home. I think he’s excited about having a daughter. We are all just so happy that she’s healthy!
I’m 17 weeks along, and my third prenatal visit went well. I didn’t cry, so that alone is an improvement. Morning sickness has left me for the most part, and I’m feeling more energetic and upbeat. I’m actually able to focus on the pregnancy and baby instead of focusing on feeling sick all the time. Everything seems to be going well. I’ve gained more weight than I anticipated, but thankfully, the midwife didn’t mention anything about it. I started doing a prenatal yoga DVD, so I’m hoping the extra exercise will help keep the weight gain under control. I’m starting to need maternity clothes a little more often. Not everything is fitting right anymore.
They drew some blood for the Second Trimester Screening. I have the ultrasound for that in a few weeks. I’m nervous for the outcomes, but I’m very excited to find out the gender. I’m also excited to feel the baby sometime soon. I think I feel things that could be the baby, but I don’t really know for sure…
I also started my HypnoBabies cd’s. I really like the relaxation/hypnosis scripts. I love the pregnancy affirmations. It’s really neat, and I’m hoping to have a positive experience with the method.
DH and I went to a large kids’ consignment sale at a church last night, and we got some things knocked off our registry for such a great price. I was so excited! I got a Boppy pillow, a bumbo chair, a bouncer, some onesies for all under $10 each. I almost got a cradle, but I really like this pack’n'play I’m registered for at Target. It was like going to 10 different garage sales at one time!!
I’ve been looking into different birthing methods. I want to have a natural birth. I know that there are medical options for pain management, but I would like to avoid them if I can since my baby is already exposed to medication. I really don’t want a C-section, and I know that it could be a slippery slope to a C-section if I use an epidural. There are times when epidurals don’t work, so I don’t want that to be Plan A- I won’t have anywhere else to go! I know a little bit about each of the main methods. I think I’m going to end up using a little bit of each. I did invest in the self-study of HypnoBabies, and a family friend will teach us a modified child-birth class which is a combination of both Lamaze and Bradley Method. I’m hoping I’ll have enough tools to use when it’s time to actually give birth!
From what I have gathered, Lamaze teaches relaxed slow, relaxed breathing. When contractions starts, take a deep and cleansing breath. Throughout the contraction, breath slowing in and out. When the contraction ends, take another deep and cleansing breath. If you need more support, you can vary your breath with two or three “hee’s” and a puff. For example: breath in, hee, hee, puff. They also talk about finding a focal point to focus on, finding helpful positions, and other natural relaxation techniques.
I don’t know as much about the Bradley Method. It seems to have more of a focus on teaching strategies to the birthing coach. The course is about 12 weeks long, and it covers all aspects of pregnancy such as nutrition, exercise, and the different stages of labor. This seems like a great option if you don’t know anything about pregnancy, the stages of birth, or what to expect in the hospital.
This method uses a form of hypnosis to help manage pain during labor. It provides a self-study course if you can’t find an instructor in the area. I ordered the different CD’s for the self-study program, and I am looking forward to getting it in the mail! What I liked about this is that you are able to move around with your eyes open.
This method focuses on deep relaxation, visualizing, and self-hypnosis. You aren’t out of it, just deeply relaxing. It talks about how the pain is from fighting against the contractions and not relaxing and working with each contraction. From what I understand, it focuses more on laying down and having your eyes closed.
I had my second prenatal visit yesterday. It was so much shorter than the first one- maybe 20 minutes. I got there, and they weighed me (ugh!). I gained 7 lbs. I was bummed, but what can you do? I’ve been trying to eat healthy and exercise, but morning sickness is getting in the way. They took a urine sample. After that, we went to the exam room. The nurse said my result were normal from the blood work they did at the last visit. I had figured since I didn’t get a call from them. She took my blood pressure. I wasn’t feeling good, and started to cry. I was just so upset about being nauseated all the time. The nurse was very sweet. She got me a mint and some water. The OB came in, and we talked a little bit about results. She said they got a fax about my First Trimester Screening, and everything was normal. I was relieved. She didn’t have a ratio for me, so I’m assuming that I will get that next week when I hear from the office that did the screening. We talked about my morning sickness. The last few days have been terrible, and I’ve been throwing up at work, which was really stressing me out. She gave me a prescription for an anti-nausea medication. After, we listened to the baby’s heartbeat, which was so neat. The baby seems healthy, so that makes me happy! I start week 13 tomorrow. I’m hoping morning sickness lessens in the coming week!
I had my First Trimester Screening on Tuesday. It was an interesting experience. Big surprise, I was feeling nauseated. After I checked in, I had to use the restroom since they wanted me to have an empty bladder for the ultrasound. When it was my turn, a nurse took me to a small conference room. We talked about my history and any risk factors I may have. She explained that they would be combining my family history with my age, blood work, and ultrasound measurements. She said I would get the results in a week. Since I was almost 30, she said my ratio was already 1:500. She explained that the Second Trimester Screening would look at the anatomy and gender. They would also take blood at that time. They would get an idea of my risk for cleft palate and spina bifida. If the baby was leaking spinal fluid, then it would show up in my blood. I’m not sure if I got all the details correct- the nurse talked so fast. I’m sure she’s been going through that speech at least 20 times that day!
After that, they took be back to the waiting room to wait for an ultrasound room to be available. I took another trip to the potty to make sure my bladder was empty. When they called me back, I was taken to the ultrasound room. They used a doppler on my belly. I had to pull the top of my pants down so they could goop me up with gel. The ultrasound was amazing. I could see the heartbeat, and I even got to hear it. I saw the baby move around. It was surreal! It really looked like a baby. It was amazing how much he changed since my first ultrasound 4 weeks ago! I saw arms and legs. He was so cute. The tech said it was too early to tell gender. I couldn’t tell what was umbilical cord or gender, so I’m taking her word for it. They did a 4D view for a little bit, but it didn’t look as cool. I can imagine 4D looking amazing what the child is bigger. DH wasn’t able to go, so I was so happy they put the whole thing on DVD. It was so fun to watch it later at home. They also gave me a few pictures.
After the ultrasound, the a nurse came in to take my blood. I was feeling woozy since it was close to lunch time, so I laid down. The doctor came in for about 30 sec. to let me know that things looked good and to answer any questions. He said the results would be ready in a week. After that I scheduled my second trimester screening, and the appointment was over. I’m interested to hear the ratio. I left feeling positive about the experience and my chances of having a healthy baby.
Filed under: Baby Worries, Pregnancy Symptoms, Second Trimester | Tags: Pregnant
I finally made it to 12 weeks. Wow- this went by so fast, and so terribly slow! Morning sickness really takes it out of you. I didn’t throw up that much- maybe three times, but feeling nauseated all the time is tiring. I’m not even going to talk about diarrhea. All of it involved some crying on the floor of my bathroom. Not quite the image I had of the first trimester, and certainly not what you see in the movies! I felt like all I could do was sit on the couch. Even that was too much some times. Foods that made me feel better at first started to make me feel sick. Mornings are hard still, but yesterday was the first day I felt like myself. I actually cleaned the counters in my kitchen… which doesn’t sound like much, but I hadn’t touched them in almost 8 weeks. I vacuumed too. We have two dogs, so I was just happy I didn’t break the vacuum. I feel normal today, too. I’m crossing my fingers that things will ease up over the next few weeks.
On Tuesday, I go in for my First Trimester Screening. I’m a little nervous, but I’m excited to get another look at the baby. They are going to take blood as well. All the information they get will help them determine the baby’s risk for having chromosomal abnormalities. I’m mostly concerned with neural tube defects and cleft palate because of the medication I am taking, but it would be so wonderful to rule out chromosomal defects as well. If this screening is good, then hopefully, I won’t be interested in further, more invasive, testing. My fingers are crossed that everything looks good…
Filed under: Baby Worries, First Trimester, Pregnancy Symptoms | Tags: Pregnant
I went to my first prenatal visit today. I was so scared and nervous, especially because of the seizure I had earlier this month. My morning sickness has been more under control, so I was afraid that meant the baby wasn’t doing well! I don’t want to be sick, but I don’t want to not be sick!!!! I’ve just been so nervous about a miscarriage because of all that has happened.
The appointment was a whirlwind of activity. I was so happy that my DH was able to come. After taking my height and weight, I had to pee in a cup, but there were about five steps involved in this: clean self with wet nap twice, pee a little, then catch pee midstream in cup, stop halfway, don’t pee on sides of cup. I’ve never had so much to think about as I peed- it was a little overwhelming! After that, we did the interview. The nurse asked all the first visit questions about me and family history. After that the midwife came in, and we did some more interviewing. She talked about all the do’s and don’ts. We talked a little bit about prenatal tests for genetic abnormalities and so on. I got to ask my questions. Then we did a pap smear and breast examination. Then, the exciting part- we got to see the baby! It was amazing, and I couldn’t help but cry a bit. He was moving around a little, and we could see the heart beat. We listened to it for a little bit. The midwife said that everything looked perfect, and at this point our chance of a miscarriage drops to about 3%. She said it would be safe to tell people. I said that’s good because I’ve already had to tell people because of the seizure, and I was so worried that I was jinxing myself! After that, the nurse came back and took a ton of blood. They gave us a packet of information for first time parents. Then we made our next appointment in March. I think that I am going to get a First Trimester Screen, but I’m still reading about what that entails. I have some time until I have to make up my mind about it. My DH and I are going to go out for a quick dinner to celebrate- I’m hoping the morning sickness eases up so that I can enjoy myself.
