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Sunday, September 9, 2012

Hiatus

Everything is going great with baby S.  He turned 6 weeks on Saturday.  He now weighs 11 lbs and grew an inch since he was born.  Breastfeeding is going great and we are extremely happy.  Parenthood is everything I could have dreamed of and more.  It really is a dream come true and I am immensely grateful for every minute of it.  This is my last week home before I go back to work (I planned for 8 weeks off, but he was a week late, so I have ended up with only 7 weeks of leave).  The Bunny will be home till late-October, though - his job gives Dads 12 weeks off, paid.  Lucky guy.

I've decided to put the blog on a hiatus.  I started this blog to document my struggles with infertility and treatments.  Now that my dream of parenthood has been realized, I don't really feel like turning this into a parenting blog.  That wasn't the purpose of this blog.  I also will not have the time to keep it updated.  I will pick up the story again once I start treatment for baby #2 in about a year.  Till then, I'll be reading all of you and always grateful for your love and support.  Adios for now...

Tuesday, August 21, 2012

Birth story

Hey everyone!  Things are going great so far with baby S.  He's nursing well and has already gained quite a lot of weight.  He passed his birth weight, plus 6 ounces, by day 10.  He's up about 4 times a night to nurse, but he sleeps well between feedings and is up most of the day.  He has fussy time in the evening, but other than that he's very chill.  I've been working on the birth story for a while, here it is! 

The day before, I had a non-stress test.  He passed but it took a long time.  I met with the doc, who said he hoped I would go into labor very soon.  I did a bunch of errands, then went home and cooked dinner.  After dinner, I vacummed and mopped the whole downstairs.  There were severe thunderstorms coming in, and the Bunny and I spent a long time on the back patio watching the dark clouds and lightning.  I didn't sleep very well, cause I kept getting woken up by storms.  S was more active than usual.
2:30 AM - I woke up as usual to use the bathroom.  When I stood up to flush the toilet, noticed something dripping down my legs onto the bathmat.  I looked in the toilet and saw green particles (meconium).  I was confused at first, then realized my water must have broken.  I woke the Bunny up and told him what happened then went downstairs.  I called the doctor and they told me to come to the hospital.  I was worried about the meconium but they said it's not a big deal.  I took a shower, ate a banana (big mistake - should have eaten a proper meal).  I quickly packed up our stuff and headed to the hospital.  The Bunny was groggy and out of it, after being woken from a deep sleep!
3:30 AM - I arrived at the hospital.  A midwife checked me - it was indeed amniotic fluid with meconium, they admitted me.  Zero dilated, 70% effaced.  I started having contractions every 5-7 minutes.  They gave me the first dose of cytotec.  I stayed in triage room and tried to sleep, which was difficult on a gurney with very bright lights. 
6:15 AM - Moved to L&D
7:45 AM - I saw Dr. M who checked me and said I was at nearly 2 cm, 70% effaced.  She was getting off her shift and let me know that Dr. C would be my doc.  I had never met him before, he fills in for my docs every few weekends.  Contractions were every 2 mins.  All the nurses said how great Dr. C is.
10 AM - Met Dr. C, what a great doctor.  Very handsome, sweet and laid back.  He gave me the option of taking a 2nd dose of cytotec or starting pitocin.  I chose the cytotec because I was contracting on my own and wanted to avoid pitocin if possible.  He seemed to agree with me.  I was 2 cm dilated.  They offered me morphine or Ambien, but I declined both at that time.  Mom, my sister and the doula showed up around this time.  They wouldn't let my sister in the room, she waited in the waiting room then ended up going home! 
At this point, having contractions every 2 mins and they were getting more painful.  I asked for some sleep meds and/or morphine, but they wouldn't give me it because S wasn't having enough heart accelerations.  They made me lay on my side, because he seemed to like that position better.  That caused me to have bad back labor.  They finally gave me morphine, which made me drowsy but didn't help the pain.  But, I got a little rest between contractions.
 3 PM - Given balloon catheter to speed up dilation.  Dr. C said it would put me at 5-6 cm "like magic." 
5PM - Checked and the balloon catheter did its work!  6 cm.  Requested epidural.  I complained to the doc that I was very hungry - he joked that he'd sneak me in something when the nurses weren't looking!
5:30 PM - Got epidural - what great relief after 15 hours of labor!  Doc said he'd let me rest and check me later.  There was still a possibility of getting pitocin if the epidural slows things down.
8 PM - Watched the Olympic opening ceremonies!
9:15 PM - 8 cm.  No need for pitocin, doc is letting things go.  I'm starting to feel the contractions again, especially on the right side and I can feel it when they check me.  Epidural was apparently wearing off.
1:30 AM - Checked, finally complete!  Doc gave me the option of "laboring down" for a while before I start to push.  I pushed a few times just to see what it was like, then labored down for about an hour.  Finally, I decided I wanted to push.  Was starting to feel more pressure and urge to push.
2:15 AM - Started pushing.  Nurse Awesome and Mom helped, the Bunny held my head.  Started out pushing flat on my back (which I didn't like much).  3 pushes per contraction (sometimes I did a 4th).  After a while, we tried pushing where I grabbed two handles on the side of the bed and pulled on them while I pushed.  I didn't seem to be making much progress, though the nurse said he was slowly moving down.  Tried that for awhile, then she put up a bar at the end of the bed and allowed me to squat and lean on the bar while I pushed.  I liked this best, but it still wasn't getting anywhere.  Doc suggested we do "tug of war" with a sheet, where I pull one end of the sheet and the nurse holds the other.  We tried that a few times.  In all, I pushed for about 2 hours straight.
4AM -  Doc suggested we try vacuum assistance.  He said he was fully confident that I could push the baby out - that I had room and wouldn't need a c-section.  But, if the vacuum didn't work, he'd have to do a C-section.  He said he'd try it twice, but if it kept popping off, he'd have to give up.  He put the vacuum on and S was delivered in about 4 pushes.  The vacuum actually did pop off a few times, but the doctor kept at it.  I started to tear so doc did an episiotomy.  I could feel a lot of it, but I don't really remember.  I just remember the nurse saying that he's coming out, keep pushing!  Finally he was out and they put him on my chest.  The Bunny put his head down on my shoulder and cried.  It was amazing, I just kept saying "I can't believe it!"  They took him over to the warmer to suction his mouth and nose really well due to the meconium.  The Bunny and my mom went over to get a good look and take pictures.  I had to kind of crane my neck to get a good look at him, while I laid on the table and the doc tried to deliver the placenta.  It took almost an hour for the placenta to come out.  I could tell Dr. C was getting nervous, it was the first time I had seen him be really serious.  He said we have to get it out soon, or else he'll have to either take me to the OR and surgically remove it, or reach in and pull it out.  Finally I was able to push it out, but it was a tense few minutes.  Then it took another 15 minutes or so to stitch everything up.  I was getting kind of annoyed because I wanted to hold S.  Finally they brought him over for skin to skin, because they wanted to stabilize his heart rate and breathing.  It immediately stabilized once he was brought over.  It was amazing to finally hold him and I started to cry.  They took him back for a few minutes, then brought him back again so I could nurse him.  He latched on right away and nursed for a few minutes.  At that point, the Bunny and my mom were absolutely exhausted and they both left and went home.  I didn't make the Bunny wait till they took me to the mother/baby room because I was worried about him driving home so tired (it's about a 30 min drive to our house).  Finally around 6 AM they took me to the room in a wheelchair, while I held S.  I was so tired that I could barely keep my eyes open!  I couldn't even focus my eyes when I spoke to the nurses.

Three weeks later, I'm feeling pretty good.  I'm getting 5-6 hours of sleep a night (no more than 2 hours uninterrupted, though).  I feel mostly recovered from the birth (it wasn't nearly as bad as I expected).  Bunny is home till late October and I'll be back to work in about a month.  I'm already doing some work from home and will pop into the office tomorrow.  (I have my own law office so it's hard to be away)  Because of the Bunny's help, life with a newborn has been much easier than expected.  I thought I'd be really resentful and unhappy about the lack of sleep, since I was used to getting 9-10 hours a night.  I've gotten used to the lack of sleep and frequent wakings, though, and have only had 2-3 three cries since he's been born, all in the first week.  It really and truly is a dream come true for us.

Tuesday, July 31, 2012

He's here!!

He's here!  Baby S was born on July 28 at 4:19 AM.  8 lb 2 oz, 21.25 inches.  It was a long, hard labor (water broke at 2:30 AM the 27th, he finally delivered with vacuum assistance at 4:19 the following morning) but worth every second.  He's been great so far, is calm and mellow, and breastfeeding is going fantastic.  Here's a quick pic:

Photobucket

Labor story and much more to follow!

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Nada

I just saw the doc and there's no progress since last week. She was going to try and strip my membranes, but she couldn't even get into the cervix because it's closed. They're scheduling me for an induction next week, I'm waiting for the call.  I had a NST yesterday (went fine).  I'll go for the NST Thursday and then one final doc visit on Monday. Send labor thoughts my way! Feeling very discouraged, I just want to meet my little guy.

Friday, July 20, 2012

Still nothing!

Still nothing happening.  Due date is tomorrow!  I saw the doc yesterday and I'm still completely closed, partially effaced.  I'll start having non-stress tests twice a week, starting on Monday or Tuesday.  I thought I was starting labor on Wednesday (I was having a lot of BH contractions and lower back pain that I hadn't had before).  I rushed home from work, ate lunch, and it all stopped.  Doc says when I'm actually in labor the contractions will hurt like hell and I'll be able to tell when they start and stop, so at least I know a little more what to look for.  I'm drinking raspberry leaf tea literally by the gallon and sitting on the exercise ball as much as possible.  Send labor vibes my way, please!  I may have to resort to this:

Monday, July 16, 2012

Nothing doing...

39 weeks and still nothing happening.  At my doctor's appointment last Wednesday, I was not dilated or effaced at all.  She thinks I'll go at least till my due date Saturday.  I'll keep you guys updated!

Saturday, July 7, 2012

38 weeks

I'm really in the homestretch now!  I can't believe he will be here in about 2 weeks.  I'm not going to do any more of those weekly updates, cause it repeats a lot of info from week to week at this point.  I'm feeling pretty good - actually, better than I felt in the last update.  He has moved down a bit, so the rib pain has subsided a lot.  I'm sleeping well and only getting up twice in the night to pee.  I'm still having a few BH contractions every day, but nothing painful.  His head seems to be pretty far down, but he's still not fully engaged according to the doc.  When he is moving around I occasionally get some pain and weird feelings in the cervix / vagina area, but nothing super painful.  I gained another 5 lb in the last 2 weeks, but I shouldn't gain much more at this point.  I think I've gained about 30 lb at this point, which I'm happy about.  My hands and feet are pretty swollen, but I can still wear flip flops.  It's worst when I wake up in the morning.  It is SUPER HOT here in New Jersey (over 100 today) so I'm staying indoors with a large quantity of decaf iced tea!  Click here for the obligatory belly pic.

Things are getting exciting - I'll keep everyone updated!

Thursday, June 21, 2012

35 weeks

I'm one month till my due date!  I'll be 36 weeks on Saturday and I'm in a whole new phase of pregnancy.  The third trimester is pretty intense.  Not that I'm complaining!

Total Weight Loss/Gain:  As of my last doctor's appt, I've gained 29 lbs.  Not too bad!  I'm gaining faster than any other point in the pregnancy, I gained 6 lb in 2 weeks as of my last appt.

Maternity Clothes:  I'm wearing mostly skirts and dresses now, thank goodness it's summer.  If I had to wear pants I'd be really uncomfortable.  I have two pairs of shorts but I find them pretty uncomfortable due to the panels.

Stretch marks:  Still none that I can see, though my belly is starting to to turn an odd shade of purple.

Sleep:  Still hit or miss.  I'm sleeping in the spare bedroom at this point because the bed is softer and also because I'm snoring and it wakes the Bunny.  I've been waking up at around 5am some mornings and unable to get back to sleep, so I just get up.

Movement:  The movement has totally changed.  He is now really crammed in there, with not much room to move around.  His butt and feet are right below my boobs, and he is pushing up on my belly with all his might!  It's a weird feeling and a lot of pressure and shoving, not like the little kicks from before.  The skin at the top of my belly is really sore from being so stretched, it feels like sunburn.  His head is down below, so I can also feel him moving in my lower abdomen and down near my cervix. 

Cravings/Aversions:  I'm eating more now than I did any other time during the pregnancy.  Still eating lots of fruit, juice, and carbs.  I'm ashamed to say I haven't had the healthiest diet recently, I'll be totally overhauling my diet once he is born!

Gender:  Still a boy!

Symptoms:  The third trimester is a whole different ballgame!  It's been really hot here and everyone warned me about being pregnant in the summer, but it's not bothering me too much (mostly because I'm spending about 23 1/2 hours indoors).  My hands, feet and ankles are getting swollen, though I don't have total cankles yet!  I'm still having a few BH contractions every day, nothing major though.  I think he's starting to move down against the cervix, cause I'm having more feelings down there.

What I miss:  Being able to drive comfortably (still plagued with rib pain!) 

What I look forward to:  Seeing my baby's face in a few weeks!

Moods:  Still pretty good.  I've been in a better mood during this pregnancy during all my battles with infertility, that's for sure.

Milestones: I'll be full term next week!

Medical concerns:  None at this point.  The baby is looking good, measuring just right and in the right position.  The doc estimates that he'll be a good 7 pounds.

Misc:  We hired our doula and have two meetings set up with her in the coming week.  We'll also tour the hospital next week.  My shower was last Saturday and it was very nice.  We got a lot of the stuff we still needed so I'm feeling more prepared for his arrival.  This weekend I'll be trying to unpack and organize the nursery, pack my hospital bag, and cook some meals for after he is born.

Thursday, June 14, 2012

In the clear

Just a quick post from vacation to let you know that the ultrasound on Friday revealed that the umbilical cord has moved out of the way!  He is head down and everything looks fine.  So, sigh of relief on that front.  No more ultrasounds, now it's just waiting for the big arrival.

Tuesday, May 29, 2012

32 weeks

Total Weight Loss/Gain:  As of last week, I've gained 22 lb so far.  I'm sure I'm up to at least 25 by now, I've gained more in the last few weeks than in the first 2 trimesters combined.

Maternity Clothes:  All the time!  A few things that fit well earlier on are getting tight.

Stretch marks:  Still none, but I'm starting to get a linea negra!

Sleep:  So - so.  I get about 7-8 hrs a night, but it's hit or miss.  I can only sleep on my left at this point.  If I sleep on my right, I get the rib pain which has been the bane of my existence for the last 2 months.

Movement:   All I can say is "oof!"  I'm really getting some strong jabs at this point, as he runs out of room.

Cravings/Aversions:  I've been eating more lately, especially since the heartburn has gotten under control via Zantac 2x a day.  Lots of pasta and rice.

Gender:  Still a boy!

Symptoms:  Not to complain, but I'm getting into the "dog days"!  More back and rib pain.  I can't sit comfortably in any chair, no matter how comfy, for more than about 20 minutes.  Long drives are starting to really get hard (and I drive frequently for work between 3 offices in 3 counties).  I have frequent BH contractions, especially when I go from sitting to standing.  It's getting harder to bend or crouch down.  On the positive side, the heartburn is well controlled and my hair is so thick and luxurious!  I will miss it when it inevitably falls out!

What I miss:  Being able to sit comfortably! 

What I look forward to:  The next ultrasound (which is Friday June 8) so I can see what's going on with the baby's cord.  We'll probably get a better idea about bedrest / c-section at that time. 

Moods:  Also so-so.  Trying to be cheerful as possible but getting a little snippy at work!

Milestones: None this week, but every week that goes by he's more ready to be born! 

Medical concerns:  Just the issue with the cord placement, we'll see about that on June 8.

Misc:  My shower is in 3 weeks and can't come soon enough.  I'm feeling pretty nest-y and not very prepared for his arrival.  We did just get his crib and dresser, but no mattress or sheets yet.  We have very few clothes, a few hand me down diapers, his carseat and stroller, that's about it!  Still can't quite wrap my head around the fact that we'll (God willing) have our baby at home in about 8 weeks.

Monday, May 14, 2012

30 weeks

Just a quickie this time.  I had an ultrasound today to check on the location of the placenta.  It's a good news / bad news situation.  The good news is that the baby looks great and placenta has moved away from the cervix, so no more placenta previa.  The bad news is that the cord is attached on the side of the placenta closest to the cervix and is therefore in between the baby's head and the cervix.  (He's not fully head down yet, his head is at about 5'oclock if you were facing me.)  If the cord doesn't move out of the way, I'll have to have a C-section because of the risk of umbilical prolapse (aka cord coming out before baby)  There's still 10 weeks for it to resolve and I'm hoping it resolves itself because I really don't want to have a C-section.  But, there's nothing I can do about it, so I'll just have to wait and see.  It was nice to see the baby and how he has grown since the last ultrasound 6 weeks ago.  He's weighing in at around 3.5 lbs.  They didn't do a 3D but I got some good profile pics - click here and here to see them.

There was some very sad news yesterday in the infertility blogosphere.  One of my very favorite bloggers, Jennepper, lost her sweet Ainsley a few days ago.  She and her family have been on my mind all day and I can't even imagine what they are going through, especially after already losing Ainsley's identical twin.  My thoughts and prayers go out to the Knepper family.

Friday, May 11, 2012

Passed!

I passed the 3-hour test.  Hooray - no GD!

Monday, May 7, 2012

Spoke too soon...

I failed the 1-hour glucose test!  The 3-hour is Wednesday.

Thursday, May 3, 2012

28 weeks

I can't believe I'm 28 weeks and in the 3rd trimester!  Where did the time go?  Time for a long-overdue update.

Total Weight Loss/Gain:  As of yesterday, I have gained 19 lbs so far.  After a pretty slow start, I'm starting to gain in earnest!  I gained 4 lb since my last doc appt 2 weeks ago.

Maternity Clothes:  I have 2 pre-pregnancy tops I can still wear, other than that all maternity clothes.  Some of the clothes are getting tight (especially pants) and the full-panel pants are getting more and more uncomfortable. 

Stretch marks:  Still none!

Sleep:  Pretty good lately, getting up 1-2x a night to use the bathroom, but I can get right back to sleep.

Movement:  Lots of movement every day.  Since yesterday, I have started feeling (I think) his actual knees or elbows as he shifts from one position to another.  He's definitely growing and kicking stronger, though I don't know what position he is in.  I'll find out at my ultrasound on May 14.

Cravings/Aversions:  Not much of an appetite these days, mostly because the heartburn is killing me.  I have been taking Zan.tac 150 daily and eating Tums like candy, the doc gave me the OK to take the Zantac 2x a day.

Gender:  A boy!

Symptoms:  The worst one is the heartburn.  It used to start around 2pm, now it is starting after breakfast.  The medicine controls it though.  I have sciatica pain when I get out of bed at night and leg cramps in the morning.  I'm having a lot of pain in my ribs, especially while seated.  It's getting harder to put on socks, tie my shoes, pick things up off the floor, etc.  Really feeling "pregnant" at this point!  (NOT that I'm complaining, I'm grateful every day for this pregnancy, really!)

What I miss:  Being able to move around, bend over, crouch down easily and sit on the sofa comfortably.

What I look forward to:  My next ultrasound, so I can see how he has grown!  My shower, which will be June 16.

Moods:  Pretty good!  I've been a little snappy with poor Bunny, but I've been mostly in a good mood.

Milestones: I reached the 3rd trimester last week!  He's also now considered "viable" though would still be very premature if he was born now. 

Medical concerns:  I'll have an ultrasound May 14 to see if the placenta has moved away from the cervix, hopefully it has.  I passed the gestational diabetes test, so we're all good there!

Misc:  Lots going on since the last post.  We moved to a new home last week!  It was a lot of work but we're making good progress every day in unpacking.  It is a beautiful home and we're very happy there.  Now we just need to sell our place!  Our nursery is totally empty, as we still have no furniture.  I have the glider and crib on the registry, we'll probably buy just the dresser ourselves.  We still don't have much baby stuff, because we're expecting to get a ton of stuff at the shower.  I still don't feel like this is really real - I probably won't until after he is born.  Thanks for hanging in there with me!

Monday, April 9, 2012

25 weeks

I know I sound like a broken record, but sorry I haven't kept up very much with the blog.  To be honest, I've felt a little funny about posting about my pregnancy on this blog, which I started to talk about my infertility.  There's been a lot of controversy online lately about the recent creation of the "Parenting After Infertility / Loss" (PAIL) subsection of the infertility community, because some believe that you don't really "belong" in the community after you are pregnant or parenting.  JW Moxie has posted some great articles about this issue - go read them.  Anyway, when I first announced my pregnancy, several bloggers I used to read posted about how sad / disappointed they were about recent pregnancy announcements on several infertility blogs they read (including mine, I imagine).  Anyway, I'm sure I lost a lot of readers when I announced my pregnancy, but I'll continue to post at least until the baby is born.  I'm really trying to move on from infertililty and leave that chapter of my life behind, at least until we inevitably are unable to conceive our second child.  I hope a few of you are still interested to see what is going on with me!


Anyway, on with the update!

Total Weight Loss/Gain:  I've gained about 13 lbs so far.  I'm surprised I haven't gained more, but I imagine the last trimester is when I'll really start to gain more quickly.  People comment how "small" I am considering I'm past the 6-month mark at this point.  I'm quite surprised, because I'm 5'2" and always thought I'd blow up like a balloon, but I think I'm carrying him more "internally."  Here's a belly shot taken last week if you're interest. 

Maternity Clothes:  Pretty much all the time now!  I have 1 or 2 pre-pregnancy tops that still fit though.

Stretch marks:  Still none!

Sleep:  This week it has been good.  It really varies from one week to the next.  There was a period of time where I was waking up for 1-2 hours in the middle of the night (I think it was more stress related than anything, it was right when we were closing on our new house).  Now I'm back to sleeping through the night, only getting up once to pee, amazingly.

Movement:  Lots of movement, all day!  It's great!  I can see it on the outside sometimes.  I am starting to feel him higher up into my rib cage.

Cravings/Aversions:  Still eating lots of fruit and yogurt.  Craving sugar and sweets (unfortunately I'm succumbing to the cravings). 

Gender:  Still a boy

Symptoms:  I'm having heartburn daily, especially in the afternoon and evening.  Tums, enzyme pills and Granny Smith apples help usually.  I can no longer take a very deep breath. 

What I miss:  Alcohol and sushi!

What I look forward to:  My shower (which will be in mid-June) and getting the nursery set up.

Moods:  Pretty good.  I was in a crappy mood after getting back from vacation, but I feel better this week.

Milestones: I hit the 6-month mark last week!

Medical concerns:  I still have a low-lying placenta and marginal insertion of the umbilical cord.  I had an ultrasound last Monday and both issues seem to be resolving themselves.  The doc is not concerned at all.  I'll have my next ultrasound in mid-May.

Misc:  Lots going on!  Our vacation was great and it was hard to come home to a busy office and all the work related to moving to a new house.  We closed on our house in late May and will move at the end of this month.  We're still trying to sell our house, so we're going to be stretched a little thin financially once we start paying both mortgages next month.  Work is crazy as usual and it will only get worse in the weeks leading up to my due date, as I try to get all my cases taken care of before I go on leave.  Thanks to those who are still reading, I'll try to update more often!

Saturday, March 24, 2012

Babymoon!

We're headed on a Caribbean cruise this afternoon for one week - our babymoon!  I promise I'll post when I get back, for now just imagine me here:

Friday, March 9, 2012

21 weeks

Sorry for the lack of updates!  I've been working night and day over the last 2 weeks, so I haven't had time for much else!

Total Weight Loss/Gain:  Not keeping very close track, but I think I'm up about 10 lb.

Maternity Clothes:  Pretty much all maternity clothes at this point.  I have some tops I can still wear, but very few.  A friend gave me a big bin filled with her maternity clothes last weekend - bonus!  It's mostly winter clothes, but I definitely found some good stuff!  I bought a maternity bathing suit last weekend for our upcoming cruise, but I don't plan to buy any more maternity stuff if I can help it.  Once the weather warms up it will be all skirts and dresses, all the time!

Stretch marks:  None yet (thank goodness).  The belly still isn't huge, though.  I'm still at the phase where people don't really notice I'm pregnant, I could just have a big gut!

Sleep:  So - so.  Some nights I sleep great, other nights I'm up with heartburn.  I found a natural heartburn treatment made with cider vinegar that works pretty well, also these papaya enzyme pills work pretty well.  I'm trying to keep it natural, but I will pop a Zan.tac 75 if nothing else works.  Amazingly, I'm back to getting up only once a night to pee.

Movement:    Feeling him moving around every day!  Some days more  than others, but he's definitely getting bigger in there.

Cravings/Aversions:  Nothing new since last time

Gender:  Still a boy!

Symptoms:  See above re: heartburn.  I'm starting to have more lower back pain and I get sciatica pain when I get out of bed in the morning.  Other than that, feeling totally fine!

What I miss:  Drinking alcohol and eating sushi.

What I look forward to:  Bunny being able to feel the kicks from the outside.  My next ultrasound.

Moods:  Feeling great!  I've been much more energetic and more productive at work.

Milestones:  None this week.

Medical concerns:  I have partial placenta previa, which will hopefully resolve itself as the pregnancy continues.  I also have "marginal insertion" of the umbilical cord (see last post for explanation) but it's not a major concern either.

Today I had a fetal echocardiogram, which they recommend for all IVF pregnancies.  The baby's heart looked fine, except for a very minor defect (called a VSD) in one of the ventricles which is quite common at this stage of development.  It should close up before the baby is born.  The doc didn't even see it on the regular ultrasound, he had to use the really fancy equipment to see it.  He's not worried about it.  As a bonus, the doc gave me some 3D pics of the baby's face!  Click here if you want to see one.

Misc:  Lots going on in the upcoming weeks.  Next week we close on our new house!  We were supposed to close in January, but it has been delayed due to some repairs on the part of the seller.  It worked out fine for us, though, because our house is still on the market and shows no sign of selling anytime soon.  We'll move in mid-April.  We are also getting ready to go on our cruise at the end of the month!   Can't wait for that!!

Friday, March 2, 2012

Anatomy scan results

The scan went pretty well - it's a boy!!  He's measuring totally normal and all his parts look fine.  My mom, husband and MIL were in attendance and were excited to see their grandson.  Two minor issues were discovered, however - my placenta is very close to the cervix, so I may have partial placenta previa at this point.  But, this can resolve itself as the uterus grows.  The other issue is that the umbilical cord is attached at the very edge of the placenta (it's usually right around the middle) and is also quite close to the cervix.  Again, it won't cause any issues now, but could cause complications later in the pregnancy.  My next ultrasound is in 30 days, on April 2nd.  I'll have a fetal echocardiogram next Friday (this was only recommended due to the fact that I  had IVF, they don't think there's any issues with the baby's heart.



I'm not going to post any more sonogram pictures directly on the blog, out of sensitivity to my infertile friends, click here and here if you'd like to see some pics.

Thursday, March 1, 2012

Anatomy scan is tomorrow...

I'm unbelievably excited.  Stay tuned...

Friday, February 24, 2012

So, so pissed off!!

I thought I'd be posting the baby's gender and 20 week ultrasound pics this morning, but there was no ultrasound! The doctor's office never put in the order with maternal-fetal medicine for my 20 week ultrasound, so I showed up there this morning looking like an idiot with no ultrasound scheduled. I just had a regular OB appt. Meanwhile, both my mom and MIL came (both from out of state) to see the ultrasound. I embarrassed myself by breaking down in tears in front of the whole office when I found out they screwed up. Apparently, I'm just supposed to "know" that I should have gotten a call from MFM to schedule the u/s, the OB doesn't take care of all of it for me. I don't even know when they will be able to do it. I've been waiting for this day for weeks! I'm SO PISSED OFF!!!

Saturday, February 11, 2012

17 weeks

Total Weight Loss/Gain:  According to my home scale, I've gained about 6 lb so far.

Maternity Clothes:  I have 1 pair of pre-pregnancy work pants left that I can still wear, other than that it's all maternity!  I can still wear most of my non-maternity tops, though they're starting to be a little short and snug.  I'm still not super obviously pregnant, but the belly is growing for sure.

Stretch marks:  None that I have seen yet!

Sleep:  Sleeping like a log.  I bought this side sleeper pillow on a whim recently and love it.  Getting up about 2x a night to pee, but no problem getting back to sleep.  I'm sleeping later on weekends and having a hard time getting up for work.

Movement:   This is exciting - I just started feeling some little flutters this week!  I wasn't sure if it was gas or something else, but it has gotten more consistent over the last few days. 

Cravings/Aversions:  Still eating well and no real aversions.  I'm eating a lot of fruit and dairy products.  I went through a dried apricot phase over the last few weeks.

Gender:  Still don't know for sure!

Symptoms: I'm starting to get more lower back pain over the last few days.  Trying to exercise to reduce it and strengthen my back.  Still only going #2 about once every three days.  Other than that, I'm feeling pretty good.

What I miss:  Drinking! 

What I look forward to:  Feeling the baby kicking more and knowing the gender.   The anatomy scan is in less than 2 weeks.

Moods:  Good spirits, both at work and at home.  Let's hope it continues.

Milestones: It was nice to reach the "4 month" marker last week.

Medical concerns:  None

Misc:  We're still in a holding pattern about our move.  It's looking like we won't be closing on the new place until mid-March, and not moving until early April.  We just booked our "babymoon" today - a Caribbean cruise!  We've never been on a cruise before so we're excited.  They only let you on the boat prior to 24 weeks, so we'll just make the cutoff when we travel the last week of March.  It will be our last trip before the baby is born.  Still not quite believing this is all real!

Thursday, January 26, 2012

14 weeks!

I decided to start doing these updates.  Some of the other bloggers do them and I love to read them.  So, here goes the first one!

Total Weight Loss/Gain:  I've gained about 4 lb since the transfer.  I gained 1 lb since my last OB appt about a month ago.  Still not obviously showing.

Maternity Clothes:  I still fit into about half my non-maternity pants (the larger / stretchier ones) and pretty much all my regular shirts.  I can wear my jeans with a bella band.  I have bought three pairs of maternity work pants and one pair of maternity jeans (which I wore once or twice and don't like - they are these ones and they feel like they're falling down).  I'm going to buy a full-panel pair from the Gap.  I also bought this dress, which I love and can't wait to wear.  I'll probably start wearing the maternity stuff more in the coming weeks. 

Stretch marks:  None visible so far! 

Sleep:  Sleeping OK.  Getting up twice a night to pee, but usually able to get right back to sleep.

Movement:  Thought I felt a little something the other day, but it's still early.

Cravings/Aversions:  No real aversions but a lot of cravings.  Eating a lot of apples and oranges.  I've also had a craving for candy - the really bad, corn syrupy kind.  I've only given in a few times, I know that's really bad for me and the baby.  I would eat Indian food every day if I could.

Gender:  Possibly a boy, won't know for sure until the end of February at the anatomy scan

Symptoms:  Boobs are still big and sore, starting to get heartburn every day!

What I miss: Drinking alcohol!! 

What I look forward to:  A bigger belly and feeling the baby move

Moods:  So, so.  I can get cranky at work.

Milestones: None this week (but I had an OB checkup and heard the heartbeat today!)

Medical concerns:  None

Misc:  We were supposed to move houses in the coming week, but the closing has been postponed for one month because the new house needs to be re-stucco'ed.  Better for us, as we just put our place on the market and are hoping it will sell very soon.  We've worked our butts off getting the house presentable (not easy with 3 cats).  We'll have a lot of changes in the coming months!

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

12 weeks

Sorry for the absence, I keep meaning to post an update but then I get sidetracked by work/house/chores/sofa.  We're in the process of putting our house on the market and moving, so things have been pretty hectic.

I had my 12 week ultrasound and first trimester screening yesterday.  The baby looks great and is still a week ahead of schedule.  They moved my due date back 1 week to July 16.  The nuchal translucency looked normal, the bloodwork will come back in about 1 week.  Best of all, I don't have to take Crinone or Estrace anymore!  Yay!  I've been released from the RE to my regular OB.  I will definitely miss the frequent ultrasounds, but I'm happy and grateful that now I'll be considered a "normal" patient!  Here are some pics.

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