Our appointment yesterday went well. The results from the quad screen came back negative which is great news. The results from the toxoplasmosis came back negative. Good news is our baby has not been exposed. On the other hand, that means I don't have antibodies. I'll have to continue to be careful around cats, not touch raw meat and Matt will continue primary laundry duty.
Listening to our son's heartbeat is always a welcome confirmation that he is doing okay. We have to wait 4 weeks until our next appointment and I will try very hard not to cave and buy a doppler. Pregnancy is a chance for me to really give up worries and practice a relaxed mind. It helps to know that if I get upset, baby gets upset, so getting upset is no longer an option.
At our next appointment, I'll be taking the glucose test. The test is to measure how well your body is processing sugar. It is not uncommon for women to get gestational diabetes, so this is a test that all women take during pregnancy. They give you a very sugary drink, have you wait an hour then test your blood sugar. The first test has a high false positive rate for diabetes, so if you don't pass the first test, they reschedule you for second test. For the second test, they give you an even more concentrated sugary drink and have you wait 3 hours before retesting your blood sugar. This second test is more definitive and will dictate what adjustments you'll need to make to manage your nutritional health to the end of the pregnancy. My only concern is to not vomit when I have to drink the solution at the next appointment. Other than that, I'm looking forward to a scheduled 1 hour of reading in the OB's office.
In 7 weeks, we go in for another anatomical ultrasound. Our boy is going to be huge by then! So far, I've gained 7 pounds in this pregnancy. I haven't had any specific cravings, but I need to be more mindful about eating greens and exercising. I need to start getting up early so that I can exercise every morning. It's too hard for me to exercise in the evenings when I'm exhausted from work and still have to get dinner done. Most of the time, I just want to go directly to bed.
As for the registry, Matt and I have made some progress. We've been cross-referencing every single item for necessity, quality, safety and parent ratings. My goal is to not buy anything that is not necessary. It's not a cost thing, it's a clutter thing.
We still need to register for birthing classes, interview pediatricians, make our birthing plan, buy baby furniture and decide what the heck to do about the carpet. At the very least we need to get the carpet cleaned. The cat has gotten bad about dragging wet food around the house and I don't think there is a square inch of living room where he has not either puked or peed. At this point, Matt and I have no intention of letting the baby be on the floor in the living room.
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Friday, September 25, 2009
Week 21 Update
Baby
Our baby seems to be growing quite a bit. I could really feel his weight when Matt and I went to NM last weekend. When we hit bumps on the highway, I felt him push down on my bladder. And at various times of the day, I feel him moving around. It feels like a swirl and gurgling in my abdomen. Once he responded to Matt talking to him from really close to my belly. He also moved when we played Help! to him in the car coming back from NM.
Our next appointment is on Monday.
How I'm Feeling
This week I started feeling heavy and stretched. I was getting round ligament pain last weekend, but that has subsided into just feeling huge. I've also gone up another bra size. As if a growing belly didn't make me self-conscious!
Work Demands
Work has been demanding on both Matt and me, but I've been able to end each day this week without an exhaustion headache. A very wonderful change. I have to check into work periodically this weekend which throws a wrench into my dreams of sleeping late. Let me rephrase this whole paragraph, work has been downright abusive to us this week. We are looking forward to the weekend.
Baby Stuff
I've started researching car seats. I really think I have it narrowed down to one, but I'm going to wait for Matt to do a little research and offer his input. The next major item on the list is nursery furniture. I have fallen in love with this crib:
The good thing about this crib is that it has no moving parts, is rated high in safety, is made of solid wood, is durable, converts into 2 beds, is guaranteed to be toxin-free and is gorgeous!
The bad thing is it so expensive, I can't bring myself to give you the name or the price. Let's say it's about 1/2 week's worth my salary. Or 5 times the cost of a budget crib from Ikea. Let me also say that the bed conversion kit is not included in the price. Meaning, I could probably buy a decent crib elsewhere (not as glorious looking as this one, but nice-looking and traditional) AND a conversion kit for about the same price.
Baby Names
We are still working on the baby names. If our baby was a girl, she'd be named by now. In fact, she'd have been named even before conception. Instead, our son is still being called Baby.
The Cat
Oh, I have to mention, that the cat thinks his name is Baby. He followed me into the living room last night when I announced to Baby that it is reading time. Neo, our cat, sat on the floor facing me and listening as I read Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? He started drifting off when I finished that book and started in on Heaven is Having You. Isn't that silly? He is going to be extremely jealous when our son is born.
Apparently, other women have pets that are acting strange since pregnancy. Like ours, their cats are walking around the house whining for attention. Good grief!
Our baby seems to be growing quite a bit. I could really feel his weight when Matt and I went to NM last weekend. When we hit bumps on the highway, I felt him push down on my bladder. And at various times of the day, I feel him moving around. It feels like a swirl and gurgling in my abdomen. Once he responded to Matt talking to him from really close to my belly. He also moved when we played Help! to him in the car coming back from NM.
Our next appointment is on Monday.
How I'm Feeling
This week I started feeling heavy and stretched. I was getting round ligament pain last weekend, but that has subsided into just feeling huge. I've also gone up another bra size. As if a growing belly didn't make me self-conscious!
Work Demands
Work has been demanding on both Matt and me, but I've been able to end each day this week without an exhaustion headache. A very wonderful change. I have to check into work periodically this weekend which throws a wrench into my dreams of sleeping late. Let me rephrase this whole paragraph, work has been downright abusive to us this week. We are looking forward to the weekend.
Baby Stuff
I've started researching car seats. I really think I have it narrowed down to one, but I'm going to wait for Matt to do a little research and offer his input. The next major item on the list is nursery furniture. I have fallen in love with this crib:
The good thing about this crib is that it has no moving parts, is rated high in safety, is made of solid wood, is durable, converts into 2 beds, is guaranteed to be toxin-free and is gorgeous!The bad thing is it so expensive, I can't bring myself to give you the name or the price. Let's say it's about 1/2 week's worth my salary. Or 5 times the cost of a budget crib from Ikea. Let me also say that the bed conversion kit is not included in the price. Meaning, I could probably buy a decent crib elsewhere (not as glorious looking as this one, but nice-looking and traditional) AND a conversion kit for about the same price.
Baby Names
We are still working on the baby names. If our baby was a girl, she'd be named by now. In fact, she'd have been named even before conception. Instead, our son is still being called Baby.
The Cat
Oh, I have to mention, that the cat thinks his name is Baby. He followed me into the living room last night when I announced to Baby that it is reading time. Neo, our cat, sat on the floor facing me and listening as I read Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? He started drifting off when I finished that book and started in on Heaven is Having You. Isn't that silly? He is going to be extremely jealous when our son is born.
Apparently, other women have pets that are acting strange since pregnancy. Like ours, their cats are walking around the house whining for attention. Good grief!
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
The Placenta Question
Finally! A question that I didn't expect. What will we do with the placenta when the baby is born? I'm leaning towards leaving it at the hospital. Some people take the placenta home and bury in their yard (under a tree or at the threshold of the house) for good luck. Others eat the placenta by making a soup of it or dehydrating it to take as a supplement to fight of postpartum depression.
One woman is thinking of having an herbalist dry the placenta and make pills from it. That sounds like a good idea. I just don't know if I'm that natural.
One woman is thinking of having an herbalist dry the placenta and make pills from it. That sounds like a good idea. I just don't know if I'm that natural.
Monday, September 21, 2009
Halfway There!
We are so excited about today. Today, we are 140 days along with 140 days to go! We would write more, but our A/C is broken and we're still in the 90s. We're going to see what we can do to get it fixed soon. I hope tonight so that we can sleep.
Friday, September 18, 2009
Chocolate Belly
Last night, I got a giant-sized drumstick ice cream. It was melting faster than I could eat it. I decided to eat it over the sink so that I wouldn't spill any on my shirt. Yummy ice cream. My hands got pretty messy so I went to the bathroom to wash them. What did I see on my shirt? A gargantuan lump and smear of dark chocolate where my pregnant belly protrudes the most. Oh, welcome to pregnancy. =)
Monday, September 14, 2009
September 14 (part 2)
Matt and I went directly to work after our ultrasound, so we couldn't scan and post the images until we got home. He's making dinner right now so that I can post to the blog.
We wanted to wait to announce the gender until we called our parents. My mom's birthday is today, so she was the first we told.
Here is Daddy, so happy that we have a healthy baby!
And Mommy, pleased that her baby is growing!
Our baby at 19 weeks, facing upward.
It was difficult for the technician to get a clear picture of our baby's face, because of all the wiggling. Once our baby got moving, there was no staying still. =)
We are so happy to announce that we have a baby son on the way!
We wanted to wait to announce the gender until we called our parents. My mom's birthday is today, so she was the first we told.
Here is Daddy, so happy that we have a healthy baby!
And Mommy, pleased that her baby is growing!
Our baby at 19 weeks, facing upward.
It was difficult for the technician to get a clear picture of our baby's face, because of all the wiggling. Once our baby got moving, there was no staying still. =)
We are so happy to announce that we have a baby son on the way!
September 14
Today's ultrasound went very well. Our baby is healthy and beautiful. The technician was able to confirm that the spine, both lungs, bladder, head, mouth, nose, kidneys and limbs are all healthy. The amazing, amazing thing that she could verify was that the blood flow through the umbilical cord and from the placenta is good.
The heart looked great and they were able to see each chamber, but we will have to go back in 9 weeks to verify that the blood flow through the heart is indeed fine. Everything looks healthy, but since they couldn't get a definite picture of the flow, we'll be going back. Don't worry. The only reason they couldn't get a good image was because our little one had her/his spine facing the ultrasound.
Daddy and Mommy were super amazed and proud that our baby is measuring at 11oz. Almost a pound! Wowie!
I'll be posting the ultrasound images this evening, along with the gender verdict. We are just thrilled that our baby is healthy and active.
The heart looked great and they were able to see each chamber, but we will have to go back in 9 weeks to verify that the blood flow through the heart is indeed fine. Everything looks healthy, but since they couldn't get a definite picture of the flow, we'll be going back. Don't worry. The only reason they couldn't get a good image was because our little one had her/his spine facing the ultrasound.
Daddy and Mommy were super amazed and proud that our baby is measuring at 11oz. Almost a pound! Wowie!
I'll be posting the ultrasound images this evening, along with the gender verdict. We are just thrilled that our baby is healthy and active.
Friday, September 11, 2009
Nearing the Halfway Point
150 days to go! What have Daddy and Mommy done to get ready? Not a whole lot, but the nursery was painted weeks ago and it is ready for baby furniture. I'm not sure where to start with the shopping. We do have coupons for diapers and since we just read that we will need ~600 diapers for the first 6 weeks, that is probably a good place to start.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Heartburn: How Could I Forget?
Today, it's extra bad. I didn't even finish my sandwich at lunch. Who am I kidding? It all started when I drank cranberry juice this morning. I've been drinking cranberry juice or some combination 5 days a week to keep my kidneys and urinary tract healthy. I only wish I'd remembered to pack TUMS in my laptop bag this morning. Ugh.
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Baby Names
It's time for us to start coming up with those baby names. Matt and I have decided on a girl's name, but if we find out next week that our little one is a boy, we've got some name-crunching to do! We are trying to make a list of boys' names, but it's so hard to find a name that A) isn't ridiculously common or B) doesn't sound either pretentious or hippie.
This week, I'm feeling growing pains just below my baby bump. I keep neglecting to go out and buy a body pillow to help me sleep more comfortably at night. The growing weight of my belly may be what finally drives me to Target.
The pregnancy symptoms that I still have are:
As I write this blog entry, Matt is picking up the slack with dinner. I better finish up and help him with dinner. Below is Baby and Mom at 18 weeks and 1 day.
This week, I'm feeling growing pains just below my baby bump. I keep neglecting to go out and buy a body pillow to help me sleep more comfortably at night. The growing weight of my belly may be what finally drives me to Target.
The pregnancy symptoms that I still have are:
- needing the bathroom every 15 minutes (1-4 times during the night)
- hiccuping all the time
- crying when I see something happy on tv
- craving sugary foods
- sensitivity to odors
As I write this blog entry, Matt is picking up the slack with dinner. I better finish up and help him with dinner. Below is Baby and Mom at 18 weeks and 1 day.
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