So as I've said for the past few weeks, I've been feeling baby move. I've been getting taps, flutters, bubbles popping and such for a while but I always managed to doubt that I was actually feeling the baby. Well I recently had MOVEMENT from the baby that I can't deny.
Well we're down visiting our parents this weekend for father's day. My mom is supposed to help me with feeling the baby and my uterus as well as help me listen to the baby with a stethoscope. (Before going any further, I will admit that I have no idea where my uterus is right now and how it's supposed to feel.) So as I was saying, my mom helped my find my uterus (no, it wasn't missing). She showed me where it was now. I have to say that I'm quite shocked that it's only a finger's width or two underneath my belly button and off to the left.
After discovering the location of my uterus, we (really just my mom) went in search of the baby with the stethoscope. After listening and moving, and listening and moving (rinse, lather, and repeat several times for several minutes)....she doesn't come up with anything. (sigh) So she switched to just finding the baby with her hand to entice some kind of movement. Mom found baby scrunched up on the low left side of my uterus after only a few minutes. Apparently baby did not like being disturbed because just when my mom announced she found him/her the baby decided to roll to the opposite side of uterus. At the very moment the baby rolled, my mom asked if I was feeling this. Ummm.. Hell YEA!! This was the oddest sensation ever. I don't think I can even describe it. It kind of felt like when your on an elevator (or roller coaster) and your stomach drops except imagine that feeling sticking and rolling from one side of your stomach to the other like a bowling ball. Anyhow, mom watched as baby roll from one side to the other. She could actually see it from the outside.
At this point Mom suggested going to "play" at the hospital. I'm lucky she's a L&D nurse at a small community hospital. We (Mom, Torin, and I) drove over to the hospital and went to one of the labor rooms. I was strapped up to the fetal monitor which measures baby's heart rate and contractions. It took awhile for Mom to find a consistent heartbeat solely because dear baby was jumping around and wasn't still enough to keep it. Mom says the baby did not like all the noise of it's own heartbeat...I'll just have to take her word for it. Anyhow, we got to hear, feel and see a bunch of kicks or punches and flips. I actually got to see my stomach move for the first time.
So with the aid of my mom (aka Nana), I was able to really feel the baby. She was able to get baby up and ready to play. Baby has spent the last few hours moving away in there.
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Friday, June 18, 2010
Midwife visit #3...
We had our third midwife visit this past Tuesday. I should have the written the post out Tuesday, but I was too irritated with the whole appointment to blog about it.
Let's see the whole thing started off badly. We always request for the first or second appointment of the morning since we both have to commute at least 30-45 minutes to work and it's a hassle for both of our schedules to try to get off early to come to an appointment.
So...we scheduled this appointment for 9:15am, the second appointment of the morning. We get there at 9:10 and wait to be checked in. Of course I get in the line where the woman doesn't realize 5 people (ok just 3) are standing behind her and wants to call all of her husband's telephone numbers to check and see if she can take this appointment. Don't get me wrong, I'm all about having your husband there with you and checking his schedule but don't you think you can be a little considerate of the people behind you and write down some dates and then talk to your husband or call your husband and figure out his schedule before you get in line?
Hmmm...maybe that is way too much to ask of people. Anyhow, the minutes continue to tick by and by the time I actually check in it's 9:25. I'm not terribly behind schedule and it's only a 15 minute appointment it shouldn't take them that long to call me back. WRONG. It took the nurse(CNA, whatever) another 20 minutes to pick up my paperwork (9:45) and another 15 minutes to call me back into the room to get my vitals checked (10:00) and request my urine sample.
While checking my vitals, she asks if I have the lab form for the second part of the integrated prenatal screening. I tell her no and she begins to look for it. I guess at this point she couldn't find it since she stopped looking and told me to go the exam room. In the exam room, she enters all the information and does a dip strip test on my urine. Before leaving the exam room, she tells us that it will be another 10-15 minutes before the midwife would be in since she is still seeing another patient.
WTF...Are you serious right now? Who the hell is she seeing? The 9:00 patient still or have they moved on and started seeing the later patients? By this point I'm livid (I really should write a separate post about my temper these days) and pacing in the little ass exam room. I was irritated enough that Torin actually got up and proceeded to dance with me in the room just to calm me down. Gotta love the man especially since he hates dancing.
Anyhow, promptly at 10:15 the midwife walks in...no apologies for running late...just hi how you doing like we haven't been waiting an hour to see you. The rest of the visit was uneventful. The baby had a steady heartbeat in the high 150s again. I'm (aka my uterus is) measuring on track, there's no protein or sugar in my urine (yes I had to ask) and my weight gain is good. She tried to figure out why the last midwife wanted me to change my ultrasound scan that was scheduled for next week...Lady I have no idea.
I was also told I needed to get labs drawn for the second part of the fully integrated prenatal screening. She went off to get me a new form when she realized I didn't have one with me.(Apparently they lost my form before and had to fill out a new one.) Of course, the midwife wanted me to do it that day since I was already here and have time. I really wanted to reply "Umm...I really don't have time. I would have had a lot more time if y'all weren't messing around for an hour." (sigh) But instead I was passive aggressive about my complaint and said I would try to stop by the lab today but I really didn't expect to be here for over an hour especially since my appointment was scheduled for 15 minutes. Her response...I know, I'm sorry.
Let's see the whole thing started off badly. We always request for the first or second appointment of the morning since we both have to commute at least 30-45 minutes to work and it's a hassle for both of our schedules to try to get off early to come to an appointment.
So...we scheduled this appointment for 9:15am, the second appointment of the morning. We get there at 9:10 and wait to be checked in. Of course I get in the line where the woman doesn't realize 5 people (ok just 3) are standing behind her and wants to call all of her husband's telephone numbers to check and see if she can take this appointment. Don't get me wrong, I'm all about having your husband there with you and checking his schedule but don't you think you can be a little considerate of the people behind you and write down some dates and then talk to your husband or call your husband and figure out his schedule before you get in line?
Hmmm...maybe that is way too much to ask of people. Anyhow, the minutes continue to tick by and by the time I actually check in it's 9:25. I'm not terribly behind schedule and it's only a 15 minute appointment it shouldn't take them that long to call me back. WRONG. It took the nurse(CNA, whatever) another 20 minutes to pick up my paperwork (9:45) and another 15 minutes to call me back into the room to get my vitals checked (10:00) and request my urine sample.
While checking my vitals, she asks if I have the lab form for the second part of the integrated prenatal screening. I tell her no and she begins to look for it. I guess at this point she couldn't find it since she stopped looking and told me to go the exam room. In the exam room, she enters all the information and does a dip strip test on my urine. Before leaving the exam room, she tells us that it will be another 10-15 minutes before the midwife would be in since she is still seeing another patient.
WTF...Are you serious right now? Who the hell is she seeing? The 9:00 patient still or have they moved on and started seeing the later patients? By this point I'm livid (I really should write a separate post about my temper these days) and pacing in the little ass exam room. I was irritated enough that Torin actually got up and proceeded to dance with me in the room just to calm me down. Gotta love the man especially since he hates dancing.
Anyhow, promptly at 10:15 the midwife walks in...no apologies for running late...just hi how you doing like we haven't been waiting an hour to see you. The rest of the visit was uneventful. The baby had a steady heartbeat in the high 150s again. I'm (aka my uterus is) measuring on track, there's no protein or sugar in my urine (yes I had to ask) and my weight gain is good. She tried to figure out why the last midwife wanted me to change my ultrasound scan that was scheduled for next week...Lady I have no idea.
I was also told I needed to get labs drawn for the second part of the fully integrated prenatal screening. She went off to get me a new form when she realized I didn't have one with me.(Apparently they lost my form before and had to fill out a new one.) Of course, the midwife wanted me to do it that day since I was already here and have time. I really wanted to reply "Umm...I really don't have time. I would have had a lot more time if y'all weren't messing around for an hour." (sigh) But instead I was passive aggressive about my complaint and said I would try to stop by the lab today but I really didn't expect to be here for over an hour especially since my appointment was scheduled for 15 minutes. Her response...I know, I'm sorry.
Thursday, June 17, 2010
18 Weeks down...22 to go?
As I said last week, the fatigue and exhaustion are slowly disappearing, however, I have a shit load of housework to do. I just barely unpacked from our trip to Texas, there are dishes flowing out of the sink and lets not even talk about the mountain of laundry Torin and I both have. (sigh) I can't wait until we move so I can pack and get a fresh start on being clean in a new (well not necessarily new) and bigger place. I'm not sure how we managed it but we outgrew our large 2 bedroom 2 bathroom condo. I blame it on lack of storage space. We have a nice amount of square footage but little to no storage areas. Although, I'm sure Torin would disagree on lack of storage and blame it on us having to much stuff (which I won't fully deny). With our expectations it might be hard to find a bigger place to rent, we might not be moving during our ideal time period June, July, first part of August. We might just have to move later or we might have to suck it up and stay until the baby gets older and we find a place we want to stay for awhile. Anyhow...on to the survey. I'll be sure to include some development aspects this time around.
How far along are you? 18 weeks aka the start of the 5th month...
How big is baby? According to the bump..a sweet potato. On average babies at this stage are 5.2 to 6 inches long and weigh 7 ounces.
Development: The buds for the permanent teeth are forming behind those that have already developed for the first teeth. Your baby's nervous system and brain development continue at a spectacular pace. By this week, your baby's motor neurons, which connect muscle to the brain, have grown into place so that your baby can consciously direct her movements. They will spend hours yawning, hiccuping, rolling, twisting, kicking, punching, sucking and swallowing. And, baby's finally big enough that you'll be able to feel those movements soon. Your baby's ears are now placed on the sides of her head and her limbs are now in proportion. Your baby's tiny foot is just one inch long, but is in perfect proportion to the rest of her leg. Your baby can hear your voice and recognize it.
Maternity clothes? Been wearing the the maternity pants and jeans most days. Have a couple of maternity tanks that I wear with my layers but still in regular tops.
Weight – Loss or Gain? +3.5lbs from pre-pregnancy weight. I'm down 1.5lbs since last week. Yay for pooping. Plus the swelling went down. According to Dr. I'm up 5 pounds total. I tend to disagree but that's a whole other topic.
Stretch marks? Same old same old.
Sleep: Hit or Miss. Some days it's divine other days I'm not sure I'm actually getting any sleep.
Best moment this week: Hearing the baby's heartbeat. Absolutely love hearing it. Celebrating my 3 year anniversary with Torin.
Any Movement?: As my mom has deemed, I have a lazy baby...s/he only makes his/her presence known after I have eaten. But once I eat it's like constant movement for a couple of hours. Apparently, I was the opposite I would move all the time before food to let my mom know I was hungry and then crash and sleep after she ate. Oh yea, I think I may have felt something from the outside. I feel like I imagined it. Torin is too impatient to sit and wait with me for any outside movements.
Food Cravings?: Nothing really.
Food Aversions?: Still not a fan of sweets right now. It's disappointing when work has donuts and muffins instead of bagels on Fridays.
Gender:? Torin still thinks boy but now is cautiously contemplating the idea that it may be a girl. I just started feeling boy but I know for sure I could be wrong. Still on team surprise. The idea to find out and just not tell anyone was nixed immediately by Torin.
Belly Button in or out? In. I'm not sure it will ever come out. I think it may have gotten deeper.
What do you miss: Still...not being so emotional. I had a meltdown last weekend that had Torin worried.
What are you looking forward to: Our anatomy scan/genderreveal secret ultrasound next week (6/24) and our mid pregnancy class next Saturday (6/26)
What was the BEST part of this week? Hearing babies heartbeat (needed some reassurance), celebrating anniversary, the fact that both my docs are gone for a week.
What was the WORST part of this week? 1.) The hour wait for my prenatal appointment. WTH did I make the appointment for 9:15 if I wasn't going to be seen until 10:15?? 2.) The fact that everyone in my office is gone on vacation except me.
Weekly Wisdom: Patience is a virtue. I never really had it before pregnancy but I sure as hell need to learn it quickly!
Milestones?: 18 weeks...almost halfway there!
How far along are you? 18 weeks aka the start of the 5th month...
How big is baby? According to the bump..a sweet potato. On average babies at this stage are 5.2 to 6 inches long and weigh 7 ounces.
Development: The buds for the permanent teeth are forming behind those that have already developed for the first teeth. Your baby's nervous system and brain development continue at a spectacular pace. By this week, your baby's motor neurons, which connect muscle to the brain, have grown into place so that your baby can consciously direct her movements. They will spend hours yawning, hiccuping, rolling, twisting, kicking, punching, sucking and swallowing. And, baby's finally big enough that you'll be able to feel those movements soon. Your baby's ears are now placed on the sides of her head and her limbs are now in proportion. Your baby's tiny foot is just one inch long, but is in perfect proportion to the rest of her leg. Your baby can hear your voice and recognize it.
Maternity clothes? Been wearing the the maternity pants and jeans most days. Have a couple of maternity tanks that I wear with my layers but still in regular tops.
Weight – Loss or Gain? +3.5lbs from pre-pregnancy weight. I'm down 1.5lbs since last week. Yay for pooping. Plus the swelling went down. According to Dr. I'm up 5 pounds total. I tend to disagree but that's a whole other topic.
Stretch marks? Same old same old.
Sleep: Hit or Miss. Some days it's divine other days I'm not sure I'm actually getting any sleep.
Best moment this week: Hearing the baby's heartbeat. Absolutely love hearing it. Celebrating my 3 year anniversary with Torin.
Any Movement?: As my mom has deemed, I have a lazy baby...s/he only makes his/her presence known after I have eaten. But once I eat it's like constant movement for a couple of hours. Apparently, I was the opposite I would move all the time before food to let my mom know I was hungry and then crash and sleep after she ate. Oh yea, I think I may have felt something from the outside. I feel like I imagined it. Torin is too impatient to sit and wait with me for any outside movements.
Food Cravings?: Nothing really.
Food Aversions?: Still not a fan of sweets right now. It's disappointing when work has donuts and muffins instead of bagels on Fridays.
Gender:? Torin still thinks boy but now is cautiously contemplating the idea that it may be a girl. I just started feeling boy but I know for sure I could be wrong. Still on team surprise. The idea to find out and just not tell anyone was nixed immediately by Torin.
Belly Button in or out? In. I'm not sure it will ever come out. I think it may have gotten deeper.
What do you miss: Still...not being so emotional. I had a meltdown last weekend that had Torin worried.
What are you looking forward to: Our anatomy scan/gender
What was the BEST part of this week? Hearing babies heartbeat (needed some reassurance), celebrating anniversary, the fact that both my docs are gone for a week.
What was the WORST part of this week? 1.) The hour wait for my prenatal appointment. WTH did I make the appointment for 9:15 if I wasn't going to be seen until 10:15?? 2.) The fact that everyone in my office is gone on vacation except me.
Weekly Wisdom: Patience is a virtue. I never really had it before pregnancy but I sure as hell need to learn it quickly!
Milestones?: 18 weeks...almost halfway there!
Belly Pic: From the Front
Belly Pic: From the Side
Friday, June 11, 2010
17 weeks...
So I'm starting to feel better. Since the fatigue and exhaustion is slow disappearing I think I should venture away from only completing my weekly posts or at least add a little more to the weekly posts.
This last week has been interesting since I went to a family wedding in Dallas for an extended weekend. My bump is actually there (as you saw in previous post). It gives my mom the giggles and makes my aunts and uncles super happy since my nickname is belly. Traveling wasn't as hard as I thought. I was able to bring a water bottle on the plane (32 oz) and the flight attendants were always accommodating and nice to fill it up on each plane (we had a connection so a total of 4 planes). I wasn't as good about drinking water the last few days I was there and that combined with the food I was eating and the heat led to little sausage feet. My feet were killing me by the time we got back to CA. They're back to normal now and I've been extra good about drinking more water.
How far along are you? 17 weeks
How big is baby? According to the bump..an onion. =)
Maternity clothes? Been wearing the the maternity pants and jeans most days. Can still fit in most of my regular pants but definitely not as comfortable.
Weight – Loss or Gain? +5lbs from pre-pregnancy weight. Yes you read that correctly I gained 3 lbs in one week. I blame the delicious but unhealthy food I had on my 5 day trip, the swelling I've been having and the fact that I can't remember the last time I have pooped.
Stretch marks? Same old same old.
Sleep: Horrible but considering that I slept in 4 beds in 7 days I think it was probably not as bad as I thought it was.
Best moment this week: Seeing my extended family. Everyone is SUPER excited about the baby.
Any Movement?: Apparently the babe likes care rides or Sonic Freezes. Not sure which one...but s/he was moving all around vibrating, tapping, rolling throughout the whole trip from Dallas to Houston (roughly 4 hours).
Food Cravings?: Bagels with jalapeno cream cheese, burgers with jalapenos....yes I think I may be starting a theme with spicy food.
Food Aversions?: It's not a super strong aversion but I'm noticing that I really don't crave anything sweet like I used to. I was the first to get cake at work functions now I'm the first to pass. If I do get something sweet like ice cream....I never finish it.
Gender:? Torin still thinks boy. I'm starting to get that feeling but we won't be finding out until delivery. In the back of my mind I still wonder if we should find out and just not tell anyone.
Belly Button in or out? In
What do you miss: Still...not being so emotional. I'm high, I'm low, I'm sad, I'm pissed, I'm happy...all in the span of 5 minutes. It's pretty f'ing ridiculous. I feel bad for Torin since he is usually the one dealing with the swings.
What are you looking forward to: Our appointment next week (6/15) and our 3 year anniversary (6/16).
What was the BEST part of this week? Seeing my mom. Looking at the pictures and realizing I really look pregnant.
What was the WORST part of this week? 1.) The whole deal surrounding the wedding. 2.) Seeing the pictures and realizing that not only do I look pregnant...but thinking that I look sort of fat also.
Weekly Wisdom: Think Positive!
Milestones: 17 weeks, almost halfway there!!
This last week has been interesting since I went to a family wedding in Dallas for an extended weekend. My bump is actually there (as you saw in previous post). It gives my mom the giggles and makes my aunts and uncles super happy since my nickname is belly. Traveling wasn't as hard as I thought. I was able to bring a water bottle on the plane (32 oz) and the flight attendants were always accommodating and nice to fill it up on each plane (we had a connection so a total of 4 planes). I wasn't as good about drinking water the last few days I was there and that combined with the food I was eating and the heat led to little sausage feet. My feet were killing me by the time we got back to CA. They're back to normal now and I've been extra good about drinking more water.
How far along are you? 17 weeks
How big is baby? According to the bump..an onion. =)
Maternity clothes? Been wearing the the maternity pants and jeans most days. Can still fit in most of my regular pants but definitely not as comfortable.
Weight – Loss or Gain? +5lbs from pre-pregnancy weight. Yes you read that correctly I gained 3 lbs in one week. I blame the delicious but unhealthy food I had on my 5 day trip, the swelling I've been having and the fact that I can't remember the last time I have pooped.
Stretch marks? Same old same old.
Sleep: Horrible but considering that I slept in 4 beds in 7 days I think it was probably not as bad as I thought it was.
Best moment this week: Seeing my extended family. Everyone is SUPER excited about the baby.
Any Movement?: Apparently the babe likes care rides or Sonic Freezes. Not sure which one...but s/he was moving all around vibrating, tapping, rolling throughout the whole trip from Dallas to Houston (roughly 4 hours).
Food Cravings?: Bagels with jalapeno cream cheese, burgers with jalapenos....yes I think I may be starting a theme with spicy food.
Food Aversions?: It's not a super strong aversion but I'm noticing that I really don't crave anything sweet like I used to. I was the first to get cake at work functions now I'm the first to pass. If I do get something sweet like ice cream....I never finish it.
Gender:? Torin still thinks boy. I'm starting to get that feeling but we won't be finding out until delivery. In the back of my mind I still wonder if we should find out and just not tell anyone.
Belly Button in or out? In
What do you miss: Still...not being so emotional. I'm high, I'm low, I'm sad, I'm pissed, I'm happy...all in the span of 5 minutes. It's pretty f'ing ridiculous. I feel bad for Torin since he is usually the one dealing with the swings.
What are you looking forward to: Our appointment next week (6/15) and our 3 year anniversary (6/16).
What was the BEST part of this week? Seeing my mom. Looking at the pictures and realizing I really look pregnant.
What was the WORST part of this week? 1.) The whole deal surrounding the wedding. 2.) Seeing the pictures and realizing that not only do I look pregnant...but thinking that I look sort of fat also.
Weekly Wisdom: Think Positive!
Milestones: 17 weeks, almost halfway there!!
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
The Belly Comparison...
I've been somewhat diligent about taking belly shots at least every 2 weeks but I've been too lazy/tired to get them off my camera, on to Picasa, and then on to my blog. I finally found the energy/time to do all of that. So here's a belly pic comparison from weeks 4, 8, 12, and 16 clothed and unclothed. Please excuse the dirty mirror in one or two of the pics.
I figure that since I've "popped" and you can now easily tell I'm pregnant that I might should at least do pictures every week. Not sure if that will actually happen but I will try to aim for every 2 weeks at the very least.
Friday, June 4, 2010
16 Weeks..
How far along are you? 16 weeks
How big is baby? According to the bump..an avocado. =)
Maternity clothes? Been wearing the the maternity pants and jeans most days. Can still fit in most of my regular pants but definitely not as comfortable.
Weight – Loss or Gain? +2lbs from pre-pregnancy weight. Only a half a pound up from last week.
Stretch marks? Same old same old.
Sleep: Pretty Ridiculous...DH has offered to buy a snoogle. I think deep down he's hoping that it will help me sleep better and subsequently he can sleep better.
Best moment this week: Feeling the babe.
Any Movement?: Felt light tapping and rolling after going to the bathroom at about 5 in the morning. Hard to go back to sleep after that. Nothing but light flutters here and there since then.
Food Cravings?: Sushi =(
Food Aversions?: Nothing at the moment.
Gender:? DH still thinks boy. I'm starting to get that feeling but we won't be finding out until delivery.
Belly Button in or out? In
What do you miss: Not being so emotional. I was pretty miserable the whole 3 day weekend. Stupid pregnancy hormones!
What are you looking forward to: Seeing my extended family this weekend.
What was the BEST part of this week? See above...Feeling the babe.
What was the WORST part of this week? Dealing with David's Bridal. I swear they must hire incompetent people at all of the stores.
Weekly Wisdom: Never say never and never judge another mother/parent. You never know what you will be dealt.
Milestones: 16 weeks!!
How big is baby? According to the bump..an avocado. =)
Maternity clothes? Been wearing the the maternity pants and jeans most days. Can still fit in most of my regular pants but definitely not as comfortable.
Weight – Loss or Gain? +2lbs from pre-pregnancy weight. Only a half a pound up from last week.
Stretch marks? Same old same old.
Sleep: Pretty Ridiculous...DH has offered to buy a snoogle. I think deep down he's hoping that it will help me sleep better and subsequently he can sleep better.
Best moment this week: Feeling the babe.
Any Movement?: Felt light tapping and rolling after going to the bathroom at about 5 in the morning. Hard to go back to sleep after that. Nothing but light flutters here and there since then.
Food Cravings?: Sushi =(
Food Aversions?: Nothing at the moment.
Gender:? DH still thinks boy. I'm starting to get that feeling but we won't be finding out until delivery.
Belly Button in or out? In
What do you miss: Not being so emotional. I was pretty miserable the whole 3 day weekend. Stupid pregnancy hormones!
What are you looking forward to: Seeing my extended family this weekend.
What was the BEST part of this week? See above...Feeling the babe.
What was the WORST part of this week? Dealing with David's Bridal. I swear they must hire incompetent people at all of the stores.
Weekly Wisdom: Never say never and never judge another mother/parent. You never know what you will be dealt.
Milestones: 16 weeks!!
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