Trucking Along

I am 17 weeks 2 days today & I think I’m going to start posting these updates (when I remember!), so feel free to skip over them if you so choose! I'm not keeping any kind of pregnancy journal so I want to have something to look back on during this part of my journey. I'm learning that time goes very quickly, so I don't want to forget any of it! Plus I barely took any documenting photos so this will work.

Size of baby: Baby is the size of a Pomegranate or Onion or Turnip, it all depends on the App you are on. Your baby weighs 5 ounces now (about as much as a turnip), and she's around 5 inches long from head to bottom. She can move her joints, and her sweat glands are starting to develop. Your baby's skeleton is changing from soft cartilage to bone, and the umbilical cord – her lifeline to the placenta – is growing stronger and thicker

Symptoms: Still throw up at times….I never know when these days. I'm also still super tired all the time.

Weight Gain:  Not sure, will know at the next apt at 18 weeks 3 days.

Cravings: None

Aversions: It depends on the day, most days everything

Sleep:  Not too bad other than the nightly potty breaks I have to take.  I'm ready for bed by 6:30 or 7:00 , awake at 2 for a snack and them down at 4 to be back up at 6!

Maternity Clothes:  It's a work in progress, my clothes do not fit and the things I did buy 1 dress and 1 pant are too big so in turn it makes me look bigger.  

What I Miss:  Eating what I want…..but it is worth the sacrifice right now!

What I'm Looking Forward To: My 18 week sonogram.  Haven't seen the little one since 16 weeks because I did an elective scan at an outside facility.  If not the last scan was at 12 weeks 3 days for the NT. Also, the OB practice does them 6 weeks at a time. Hate that.

Special Pregnancy Moments: Telling my friends this weekend. They took it well considering I waited until so long but they also understood which is why I love them so much. Everyone was so excited and happy for us! I was really happy to be able to tell them in person.

Bump Update: One minute I look huge and the next the bump disappears.

Exercise: What’s that? Anyway I keep saying I am going to start walking but when I get home I crash. It is a shame considering I have a treadmill in my tiny living room and it is in front of the TV, surely I can walk for 15 minutes………

Actually after I got it I realize I prefer to walk outdoors. It has been collecting dust for 8 or 9 months now. It will need to go when baby is here. We just do not have the room for it.

16 Weeks and a Solar Eclipse

I have been horrible at documenting this pregnancy. What is wrong with me ( well besides being sick still) I thought I would take weekly pictures but no such luck.  I will pledge to do better or at least try to do better.

There are so many things happening this week, Solar eclipse, OB appointment, & me being in a wedding out of State.

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• For most American scientists it is perhaps the most accessible total solar eclipse since the last one to touch the lower 48 states in 1979. And in those 38 years, their equipment and ability to study the phenomena have greatly improved.

 

Awesome the last one came the year I was born, and now this one is here the year I conceived, how cool is that?

 

Now onto the Babe, yesterday at 15 weeks 6 days I got violently ill after eating shrimp. I was throwing up so hard tears were running down my cheeks. Hubby was not impressed and demanded I take the pills I was prescribed weeks ago for this. I defiantly have been avoiding them, just trying to stay away from drugs. It is bad enough I crave and drink coke which is horrible and I cannot help it, I try to drink water and it makes me ill. I think I get 1 bottle in per day. I want this to change, I use to drink close to a gallon a day so this is really rough. I have tried flavoring the water which helps some...I use ginger, lemon, and mint. My goal is at least 2-16 oz bottles per day, sick or no sick I will have to get it down.

 

How far along?  16 weeks!  4 months folks.

Baby's size? An avocado! measuring 4.6 inches long and weighing in at 3.5 ounces.

Weight Gain? I have no idea I have been going up and down 2 pounds.

Maternity clothes?  Not really but I could use some. My stomach looks small in the morning but bigger by dinner

Sleep? Hit or miss, some days I sleep down to the morning, others I am up between 2 am-4am and cannot go back down.

Food?  Not really, some things make me sick and I don't know until I try.

Best moment this week? Solar Eclipe, Doctor Appt & Going out of State for my friends wedding.

Movement? Not sure, I have felt a few flutters but again I have no idea if that's the kid.

Symptoms?  Still not sure what to eat,  acid reflux, laziness and irritability. 

Gender?   It's a girl, it's fun to hear my close friends tell me they think it's a boy though. I remain with my lips sealed. I am not sure how long I can hold out because the plan is a gender reveal baby shower.

What I miss? Eating and drinking water. 

What I'm looking forward to? Appointment with our OB on 8/24.

Milestones: Another week down.

Recap & 15 Weeks

Recap
On Wednesday 8/9 I went to the OB for a Doppler check. It was a no fee visit that was just to hear the Doppler tones. The idea was to put my mind at ease between appointments since they are 4 weeks apart. What this visit did instead was give me anxiety....why? It took the nurse a while to find the heartbeat cue silent freak out. In the end she did find it and it was pumping away at 156 bpm. Thank you god. I am not so sure I want anymore of these.

Another weird thing also happened last week. While I was sleeping I felt a sharp pain? Pull? Stretch? something which caused me to yelp and my husband to run out of the bathroom.

15 Weeks

  

Your baby is about the size of an Apple or Navel Orange depending on the app you are using. Baby's brain now controls all the muscles in her body; she is able to move. Yes, she'll even do somersaults! But if this is your first baby, you probably won't feel him moving for several more weeks.

Baby's Length: 3.98in.

Baby's Weight: 2.47oz

 

At 15 weeks pregnant your baby is quickly growing bigger each week — he's as long as four inches right now.And with each passing week, your fetus is also looking more and more like the baby you're picturing in your dreams. By now, the ears are positioned properly on the sides of the head (they used to be in the neck) and the eyes are moving from the side of the head to the front of the face — where they'll soon meet your loving gaze.

On Monday 8/14 at exactly 15 weeks I did another elective ultrasound.........yeah it's out of hand but oh well. Anyway little girl was jumping all over the place and wiggly. This time I received a CD of the ultrasound and a picture. She was measuring 2 days ahead, this makes me happy because I have been eating like CRAP.  I will do a whole post on expectations and reality of pregnancy.

Today I am 15 weeks and 2 days and I have to say you do not have to be nauseous to throw up. If I eat something that is not right it will promptly be seen again. I feel much better so I am now combing my hair and looking decent for work again... I do need more clothes but will keep squeezing into my Express wardrobe for now....... I should add I was squeezing into them anyway :-)

14 Weeks

 

So today I am officially 14 weeks. I will shamefully admit that I did an elective ultrasound yesterday, but it was the best $50 ever to hear my daughters heart beat. She was super active yesterday, so active that not only could we not get a profile pic but none of her face. She flipped, kicked and kept turning & facing my back. I have been feeling flutters but everything I have read said I wouldn't feel anything until much later so I just completely disregarded it. The tech said while yes it is mostly much later some people do start feeling flutters starting now. My cute kid was kicking up a storm I tell you, I felt so proud. This is so surreal for me....I have been waiting for years to feel this.

I know I have such a long way to go to meet her but January is not getting here soon enough. My due date is 2/5/2017 however I am now measuring a week ahead so I am assuming she will be here by mid January. Please God, nothing sooner and no NICU is my hope, prayer and goal. I am having a hard time with finding clothes for myself but have also been lazy with going to consignment shops.

Thredup.com seems to be a good place to start as well as Ebay. I did go to Goodwill at the advice of a friend and didn't see anything but then only spent maybe 5 minutes, the store had an odd smell. A mixture of dust, & old things. There is a more modern location closer to my home so I will try that one to see if it is better. Either way I will need some new clothes and soon. I am in my fat pants and those are tight.

 

At 14 weeks pregnant, baby is as big as a peach, measuring 3.4 inches and weighing in at 1.5 ounces. Baby has almost doubled in weight since last week, and keeps on growing at super speed at week 14.

 

You are now in your second trimester and your baby is beginning to be a real 'individual' – even down to gaining their own unique set of fingerprints!

 

Total Weight Loss/Gain: I haven't weighed myself but from the doctor I was down 2 or 3 pounds.

Maternity Clothes: I ordered a dress, a pant and a shirt. This week is a must. Everything is too tight and hurts.

Stretch marks: None from pregnancy, I had some before

Sleep: It hasn't been bad

Movement: I think I feel flutters, maybe it is stretching sensations but who knows. First time experience so hard to tell or decipher.

Cravings/Aversions: Basically nothing is appealing really, I just try to eat to see what stays and what I will never touch again.

Gender: Girl, I did an NT scan and genetic testing.

Symptoms: The lower back pain and sore breasts continue but I feel pretty good everywhere else. I have been having slight cramping every now and again. Feels like period cramps, but all the books say that it's more ligament stretching. It was bad Friday night...

What I miss: Not having heartburn, it truly sucks.

What I look forward to: Feeling the baby move!

Milestones: 2nd Trimester!!!!!! Hooray!

Genetic Results

 

I received the best call this morning....

The Harmony genetic test results are in, I have low risks across the board for all abnormalities. I didn't ask numbers nor do I need them because I believe in God's report, not statistics. While it is great to hear confirmation that nothing is wrong I had already declared it was not so and rejected all negatives against my pregnancy. My Faith waivers because I am human but I know in the toughest of times I have to hold fast and keep my mind on God and his word.

They told me the sex of the baby as well and since I called and told hubby I can share here as well... I am having a.....



In between

Written 8/2/2017

13 weeks and 2 days

Being on this side of infertility is uncharted territory, what do we do now?  No more tests, no more, surgeries, no more calling in to the clinic. It is like sitting out in a world of nothing.  I have the Doppler, I took it out the box once and tried to find the heartbeat and gave up after 10 minutes. It was not my intention to get it and I knew it was going to be more of a pain than help. I stopped PIO shots a few days ago and didn’t look back, and then last night I started to worry. I also haven’t been taking my prenatal vitamins; this is more because I keep forgetting. I swear when I get home, I take a shower and my eyes are closed before I even know it.  I will HAVE to do much better with this, it is very important for baby. I hate the kinds I have but still I am eating crappy so the vitamins will need to provide the right nutrients.

Working is hard while pregnant; I am always so sleepy and tired. I just want to go to bed right now. (Yawn)

I did a little online shopping for Maternity Clothes and didn’t think anything of it…at first. After I hit complete order then my head went into over drive. I am showing, to be fair I already had a chubby tummy after stimming but it was still ok, now I cannot even pull in my stomach.  I think I am going to be huge.

I received a call 8/1/2017 from the nurse at the OB,  that the genetic testing facility was on hold asking about my donor egg ivf.  “Uhhm  excuse me what?” They needed the age of the donor. Well that Donor is me and IVF was this year.  All of this should be on the notes there….**sigh**So clearly someone obviously messed up the information sent for the genetic testing.

Let me say there is absolutely nothing wrong with Donor Egg IVF, I would have gladly used that option if I could afford to and also if it was the next step.  It was just a weird question considering I never told the clinic that information.  Let's just wait on the results they have me all worried....well kind of I will go pray instead.