Crib? Check!

Yikes... we officially purchased a crib and dresser!!!  We'd been looking around for a few weeks, and it was about time we finally made a decision since the clock is definitely ticking, but there was something about actually placing the order that was scary!  I know many of my pregnant peers already have their entire nurseries ready by this point in time, or sooner, and I am very impressed by their organization and drive.  The truth is though that I am a bit of a procrastinator in life -- due equally to my incurable indecisiveness and my aversion to change!!  I know this baby is coming, and there is nothing I would ever want to do to change that fact, but I've been having a really hard time actually picturing what life is going to be like once our little one arrives.  Submitting the order for such an important purchase was like giving in to the change about to come into our lives, and admitting that WE'RE GOING TO BE PARENTS IN ONLY A COUPLE MONTHS!!!!  We're going to be solely responsible -- 24/7 for at least the next 18 years -- for the physical and emotional care, safety, health, entertainment, development and love of a tiny little person that's completely dependent on us.  Talk about scary...

Well, before I freak myself out any further, let me show you our future baby's nursery furniture!

It's nothing fancy, but we like it.  The room we're using for a nursery is very small {I'm talking 6' x 8' small}, so we can't fit much in there but we're hoping {knock on wood} that these 2 pieces don't look totally cramped in the little area.  We also ordered a changing station that attaches to the top of the dresser, but it's anybody's guess as to whether we actually end up using that piece.  ;)

As I mentioned in a prior post {link here}, we're focused on safety above all else, and so have been looking into various non-toxic options for the nursery.  After a response comment from UL Environment on my prior blog post {thanks for reading, UL!}; I did a bit more research on Greenguard certification and we decided that for our situation the Greenguard-certified products are worth the additional cost to us.  Our future nursery is an internal room, which means there isn't a window in there, and so we're hyper-sensitive to the potential for any chemicals to be given off by the furniture.  For that reason, we decided that this option was best for us.

And since we are spending a bit more for the super-non-toxic-certified crib, we figured it would be a good idea to get an equally non-toxic mattress, so we're going with the Naturepedic organic cotton waterproof crib mattress:

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No, this isn't an infomercial, but I realize that it's starting to sound that way.  Sorry about that!  I'm just so relieved that we finally made these decisions, so I wanted to share!

We placed the furniture order before we left for our babymoon, because (1) we figured setting a deadline was the only way it would get done and (2) the pieces were supposed to take anywhere from 6-8 weeks to be delivered.  BUT, we already got a call this week from the store letting us know that they're in and ready for delivery!  Double yikes!!  But because we weren't expecting them to arrive so soon, now the store has to hold them for us until we get our butts in gear and decide on paint colors for the room...  Ah, the "to-do list" never ends!!!

I passed!

Since I didn't hear anything from my OB's office, and wanted to ensure I could indulge in some virgin frozen drinks and otherwise enjoy our babymoon without worry, I gave the nurse a ring before we left for our trip to check up on the results of the glucose and iron tests done at my latest appointment.

The great news is that I passed my GTT with flying colors!  Woohoo!!

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Though that orange drink they had me chug was not exactly my first choice of beverage, I didn't feel any different physically after drinking it, but I didn't know if that meant anything or not in terms of what the results would indicate.  I've heard of otherwise healthy women who find themselves diagnosed with gestational diabetes out of the blue during pregnancy, so was very relieved to learn that I passed the test.  Phew, one hurdle under my belt!

In terms of my iron levels, this is something I've been pretty concerned about lately, for several reasons:
(1) I've had iron-deficient anemia issues in the past few years, pre-pregnancy.
(2) I've noticed lately over the past month or so that my fingernails have a special talent for turning very blue/purplish, on what seems to me like random occasions, moreso than they normally do when I get extremely cold.
(3) I'm super tired, but what else is new.  ;)
(4) I've heard several horror stories at work about women who were iron deficient, who almost died, or needed several units of blood transfused, due to extreme blood loss during delivery.

Apparently my iron measurement was 10.9, and the normal range is 11-15, so I'm just under the normal range.  The nurse wasn't concerned, and explained that the doctor hadn't seen the results yet, but would be in touch if any follow-up was needed.  Since I haven't heard back from the doctor, I don't think they're going to prescribe me any iron supplements to take, so I've decided to take it upon myself to increase my iron consumption through food where possible.  Quaker has a cereal called "Oatmeal Squares" that has 90% of the daily required iron.  It comes in Cinnamon flavor and it's actually pretty tasty!

I've also tried to eat a little more red meat, spinach and egg yolks, all of which contain iron.  So, I'm hoping that by concentrating on eating more foods with iron, I can raise my iron levels on my own enough to put me in the clear.  Wish me luck!

27 Weeks

Guess who's nearing the end of her second trimester?  This girl!  Here I am, in week #27, with a fetus the size of a rutabaga {whatever that is!}...

I had my monthly OB appointment yesterday, and so far, so good!  The doctor measured my fundal height as a tad on the large size during my exam, so I got a surprise ultrasound to check on the growth of the baby.  The little one is currently clocking in at 2 lbs. 7 oz., which puts him/her in the 68th percentile.... pretty much right on target!  Though on the larger side of "normal", the measurement wasn't enough to affect my current estimated due date, so Shep has lovingly been referring to baby as "our little chubster" ever since.  While I'm certainly not concerned about having a large baby at this point in time, this does help explain why my tummy has felt so gosh darn full for the past week or so.  It always feels like I've just gulped down a gallon of water in that "a bit hard to breathe deeply" kind of way.  In addition to the size, all of the baby's body parts looked good, the heart rate was strong, and we got another photo for our sonogram collection, so I'm a pretty happy camper!

In addition to my regular exam, I also took my 1-hour glucose tolerance test and had a blood draw to check my iron levels.  I'm not sure exactly when the results will be back, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I passed with flying colors!  :)  And last but not least was the Tdap vaccine.  Apparently this is given to women in their last trimester, to vaccinate against pertussis {a.k.a. whooping cough} in particular.  The baby will get its own Tdap vaccine upon birth, but since whooping cough get be life-threatening to infants and the U.S. is currently experiencing an epidemic, it's best to receive the immunization during pregnancy.  I'm all for vaccinations, but booooooy did this sucker hurt!  36 hours later my arm is still SO sore that it hurts to dress myself or really do anything that requires lifting my arm more than a few inches.  I get the flu shot every year and am used to some soreness after that, but this Tdap soreness is a whole new meaning of sore!  Ouchy mama!  I hope it goes away soon!

I realized while looking at my calendar today that my due date is exactly 3 months from today {May 25th}, and my last day of work is exactly 2 months from today {April 25th}, so things are definitely "getting real", real quickly!

Here's a photo for anyone on bump watch!  Any new or revised guesses as to whether baby will be wearing pink or blue once born??  :)

27 Weeks

26 Weeks

Source: The Bump

Today is the last day of my 26th week being pregnant, which means I've been pregnant for 1/2 a year!!!  There was one point in time when I feared I'd never make it this far, and now that I have it's a little shocking that the time has flown by so quickly lately!  With just about 3 months to go, things are starting to get really real around here!

As Shep mentioned earlier this week, our little bambino has been up to some gymnastics in its little womb home.  Sunday night it felt as if the baby was taking a running leap and then body-slamming itself against my tummy.  That or having a private bowling match where s/he was getting all strikes.  I swear I felt multiple body parts hit the wall of my tummy at once, and we could actually see little bumps pushing out my sweater simultaneously!  The strength of the movements was a bit shocking to me to be honest, but knowing that the baby weighs around 2 pounds I guess it makes sense!  Not to mention that all the strong kicks and punches earlier this week were a bit ironic after a little scare we had toward the middle of last week when I felt decreased activity for a couple days and called my OB in a panic for a visit to check things out.  The doctor examined me, then hooked me up to the fetal monitor for 20 minutes to check the heart beat, and then gave me a quick ultrasound as well just to ensure all looked okay.  Well, there are certainly no shortage of movements this week!!

In other scary news, I had a fever this week that put my totally out of commission for more than a day.  It was 99.5 F, so not quite at the 100 degree threshold my OB would be concerned about but made me nervous nonetheless.  That is of course when I was actually conscious...  I spent all of Wednesday in bed, mostly sleeping, waking only to visit the loo and force myself to drink water to prevent dehydration.  I had no appetite, but otherwise no real symptoms -- no sore throat, no vomiting (except when I tried to swallow Tylenol for my fever), no aches and no more of an upset stomach than I normally have.  I had a slight headache with dizziness, but that's typically in pregnancy land.  I'm not really sure quite what I had going on, but thankfully I'm better now.

I have lost a pound or so this week, but that's probably due to not eating normal meals for 1-1.5 days, so I'm not too concerned, especially since I can feel baby moving and shaking in there!  I have noticed a small space re-forming between the top of my abdomen and my breasts, which is a relief.  My chest is not that big to begin with, so it's been very weird having my boobs basically resting on my stomach for the past 1-2 weeks.  I wonder if this means that my tummy is starting to drop?  Whatever is happening, I feel like it's now a little easier to breathe, so I'm going to take it as a good sign.  The only other new thing body-wise I have going on lately is the start of some serious back pains.  Not great but not surprising since I've never had super strong back muscles and I'm carrying around a lot of extra weight out front lately.  Luckily my hubby has been kind enough to give me some back rubs when things get really bad.  :)  And of course there's the still-present nausea, but that's definitely not new!

... On to Week 27!!!

100 Day Countdown!!!

Only 100 days to go until baby is expected to arrive!  And given that only 5 percent of babies are born on their actual due date, for all we know it could be sooner than that {though I hope not much sooner of course}!  Can I get a YIKES?!

Although this pregnancy has felt at times as if it's been passing by too slowly -- mostly due to my pregnant-after-a-loss nervousness and never-ending physical symptoms {yes, nausea, I'm talking to you!} -- the 100 day countdown makes me realize that it's passing by much too quickly!  We still have soooooooo much left to do to prepare for our little one's arrival.  There are classes yet to be taken, birth plans to be decided, registries to finalize, a small nursery to fix up from paint to furniture, books to read, exercises to be done, time to be spent with one another as a twosome before we officially grow our family into a party of 3...  I'm overwhelmed just thinking about all we want or need to do in the next 3 months!  But I know that time will keep passing, and there's nothing I can do about that, except to try and enjoy every minute of waiting for this baby that Shep and I both already love so much.

P.S. -- This isn't the first time this clock has marked an exciting countdown for us.  We used the same timer {with a different face plate} as we anticipated our wedding day, just about 5 years ago!  Here's a "throwback thursday" photo:

Let the countdown continue!

25 Weeks

25 weeks and counting!

Source: The Bump

I gained 2.5 pounds since last week {yikes!} so am now up a total of 17 pounds.  I hope this weight gaining speed doesn't continue over the next 15 weeks!  This week I'm going to try to focus on eating fewer desserts {starting tomorrow, since I had vanilla froyo in addition to a peanut butter cookie bar today after lunch} and more fruits and nuts for snacks between meals.

My symptoms haven't really changed over the past week {fatigue, stuffy nose/nose bleeding, intermittent nausea, reflux & gas?  still present!}, though I have been dealing for almost a week now with a very annoying soreness in the very upper inner thigh of my left leg.  It feels like the type of pain one would experience the day after doing 1,000 walking lunges.  Or riding a horse for 16 hours straight.  Seeing as I haven't suddenly started training for a new sport, I assumed maybe I'd pulled something getting into or out of bed one sleepless night.  But, once the discomfort was still hanging around after a few days I turned to Google.  Some of the posts and comments I read had me about to head to the ER, thinking I might have DVT.  But, the more likely explanations are: the baby is hitting or causing pinching of a nerve, it's caused by my ligament stretchings, or it's Symphysis Pubis Dysfunction.  Just for my peace of mind, since I've been experiencing this pain for about a week now, I'm going to place a call to my OB this week to ask whether they think I should come in to get checked.  I have a feeling they'll say it's no big deal -- it sort of annoys me how nonchalant they seem sometimes -- but I'll give it a shot.  Wish me luck!

24 Weeks

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Wow, a cantaloupe!!!  That's pretty big!  No wonder I often feel a little bowling bowl rolling around knocking pins over inside my tummy.... oh wait, no, those are the baby's {many} kicks!  ;)  Kicking is still happening with great frequency, and I admit at times it's been a little bit painful.  I'm sure the kicking will only get stronger from here on out, as the baby grows and as my uterus gets a little more cramped!

Earlier this week at my 24 week check-up, my OB measured the length of my abdomen with a measuring tape, and while I don't know what the number is or what they compares it to {since this was the first time they measured me in this way} my measurement was "on target" which is good news!  To date, I've gained a total of 14 pounds and my waist has grown 5 full inches, though it feels like so much more!  Over the past 1-2 weeks I realized I was starting to walk a bit differently, and now I have a full-out pregnant lady walk.  It's only a matter of time before it becomes a waddle.  ;)

In other belly news, my linea nigra has now officially passed the top of my belly button.  And baby's heart rate at this week's check-up was around 145 bpm.  According to some old wives tales, the extension of the linea nigra indicates I'm have a boy.  But the heart beat indicates I'm having a girl.  I guess one of them is right!  ;)

I scheduled my glucose tolerance test for later this month, so will be crossing my fingers from now until then that all goes well sugar-wise.

I've been having a lot of trouble sleeping over the past several weeks.  At this point, the bags under my eyes are taking over my face.  I can't get or stay comfortable, despite the cushy pregnancy pillow my hubby bought me, and I wake up at least once but usually twice and sometimes even THREE times per night to pee.  {I guess I'm practicing for feeding time?!}  During this stage of pregnancy, I'm not supposed to lay on my back and I'm not a great side sleeper, so it's been a bit of a challenge.  I frequently wake up startled, realizing that I'm on my back, and then have to turn to my side and try to fall asleep again.  I've also started to get some minor foot/leg cramps and some minor hip/back pain.  It's all for a good cause though, so I'm trying to hang in there!  :)

Here's my 24 week snapshot.  Don't mind the sweatshirt, it was taken on SuperBowl Sunday after all!  {I'm actually not sporty at all -- I just felt particularly "loungey" that day!}

Babymoon = Booked!

Shep and I looooooove to go on vacation.  We're certainly not certified jetsetters by any means, but compared to a lot of couples out there we've definitely had our fair share of trips together.  Some of my favorite places that we've visited together include:  Aruba, Napa, Mexico, Hawaii, Newport RI, Greece, France, and Turks & Caicos.

We realize that once baby comes along it's going to be much more difficult to travel, and we certainly won't be lounging carefree in a hammock on a beach with umbrella drinks in hand for a looooooong time to come....  We also won't be able to decide on a whim to fly to San Diego approx. 48 hours before departure like we did one summer several years ago {crazy, we know}.  Yes, babies are portable, and yes, families with children travel all the time, but it's going to be a lot more work and require a lot more preparation.  I do have a special knack for being able to fit 2-3 times as many pieces of clothing than a normal person needs into my suitcase at about midnight before we leave each time we go away, but babies require a LOT more stuff...

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We realize that our lives are going to change in a multitude of ways once our little one arrives, and while we'll surely miss our days of traveling carefree, it's a change we're trying to prepare ourselves for.  But that doesn't mean we can't have one final fling, just the two of us, before May arrives!!!  And a soft sandy beach with plenty of sun, shade, sapphire blue water, and available umbrella drinks {non-alcoholic for me!} sounds like the PERFECT way to enjoy some precious time together as a twosome.

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Planning a "babymoon" as they call it has been on our pregnancy to-do list for months.  {Just ask The Bump which yells at me each time I sign on for constantly being overdue on this and about 10 other items!}  But thanks to a combination of our work schedules, my propensity for indecisiveness/over-thinking things, my relentless nausea and the 100 other things that have been on our mind the past 3 or 4 months, we couldn't get it together.  That is, my friends, until this week!

Originally I wanted to go to St. Lucia.  It sounded like the perfect romantic Caribbean getaway, and neither of us have been there before.  I looked up a couple resorts, checked into flights, and as of a few weeks ago it was totally doable.  But then I had to research water safety, pasteurization practices, food menus, proximity to the airport, and try to seek via TripAdvisor opinions from pregnant travelers who'd been there, which took a while.  I didn't want to take any chances though.  When I finally narrowed it down to a resort that fit our criteria and that got positive reviews from other babymooners, the resort was sold out.  Through the end of March.  So were all affordable non-stop flights.  Ouch.  I wish I could say this is the first time something like this has happened, but alas it is not, and, if I'm being honest, it certainly won't be the last.  ;)

So there we were, in mid-January, with the clock ticking, pricing literally rising by the day, and having to formulate a new babymoon plan.  Well, I'm happy to say that surprisingly, after tears this weekend and an attempt to just give up -- we pulled it off.  Luckily, Shep snapped me out of my funk and back into the planning game.  This is our LAST opportunity for a trip together before baby comes, after all!

So, in about a month, we're going to....

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THE CAYMAN ISLANDS!!!  And I'm psyched!  We had to do a little finagling with dates and call my OB to double check that our travel dates were still copacetic {which they are} since we're going a little bit later than originally planned, but the plane tickets and hotel are booked and I'm sooooo looking forward to this trip!  Especially since the high temps around here have only been in the teens for what seems like years already...

Calgon, take me away!!!

23 Weeks

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Well, baby is certainly moving around a lot!  My mom has nicknamed her future grandchild "the karate kid" because of how much kicking s/he does all the time, and I think that's an accurate description!

In terms of symptoms, my tummy has really popped!  I look like I swallowed a soccer ball, so it's now pretty clear to people who see me that I'm pregnant.  Right now, I'm still able to fit into my long down winter coat, and I'm hoping I can keep wearing it because it has been COLD here.  I'm also able to fit into most of my longer pre-pregnancy sweaters, along with the maternity sweaters I have, so I'm still doing pretty well in terms of clothing options.

It's odd because though I'm obviously pregnant to anyone else who sees me, sometimes in my head I forget my stomach protrudes as much as it does.  In our apartment we have a mirror on the bathroom wall at the end of a hallway, and when the door is open I can see myself walking toward the mirror.  In a 2 dimensional reflection, from the front it doesn't look like I'm really that pregnant at all but then when I turn and see my profile I keep getting surprised!

I still feel pretty nauseous on a regular basis, and am planning to try acupuncture out again to see if the second visit does that trick.  I also still have incessant stuffy nose, and definitely have experienced bloody nose blows {thanks expanding blood vessels!}.

This weekend we're planning to go to a local baby store to test drive some strollers -- I hope it goes more smoothly than our first Buy Buy Baby visit!

Week 22 Recap

Well, we made it to the end of Week 22!

Source: The Bump

We experienced a few big milestones this week:

• We started our baby registry.  This was a lot more overwhelming and stressful than I imagined it would be.  There are just too many darn cute things out there!  Shep and I spent 2 hours last weekend scanning random onesies, washcloths, and bath supplies at Buy Buy Baby.  We then finally made it to the back of the store where the cribs were located, only to realize that all the convertible cribs in the store were humongous and likely wouldn't fit in the tiny room we have designated as our baby nursery. ... Cue the pregnancy hormones - slash - anxiety combination platter ...  After feeling totally defeated, we exited the store, frustrated, marching right past the car seats and strollers.  Good thing we spent all our time on the totally unimportant items and got zero accomplished in terms of necessities!

• We announced our pregnancy news to our social network connections.  This was a big step for me.  I spent dozens of hours over the past couple weeks creating our video announcement and then literally sat with my finger on the button for what must have been 15 minutes, totally afraid to post it once it was ready.  Shep finally convinced me to do it, and I'm glad I did.  Here's the video if you want to check it out:
  
  

• We attended an information session at the hospital we're planning to deliver at.  One of the Labor & Delivery nurses ran the 90 minute session, which included a virtual tour of the delivery unit, an overview of what to expect from the hospital staff during delivery and afterwards, and other important tidbits.  The whole thing was very surreal.  I realize that 4 months is going to fly by and that May will be here before we know it, but for some reason while we were sitting there everything seemed so hard to really picture.  Am I in denial?  Possibly.  I haven't really been thinking too much about the actual birthing process and hospital stay, and I think I need to start doing that.  I realized when the nurse was talking about pain management and labor pains that I am completely unprepared emotionally for that part of the process.  But then I started thinking:  is anyone ever prepared for the actual process of giving birth???  I guess that's what Lamaze and other classes are meant to do, but like I said, it just all seemed so foreign to me... almost like I was watching a movie about what some other couple was going to experience.  I better snap myself back to reality soon because the goal is to take home a healthy baby in late May and in order for that to happen I need to get it outside my body first!  ;)

In terms of symptoms, my nausea actually wasn't so bad the first few days of the week.  Just like during Week 17, I thought maybe it hit the road for good, but alas it showed it's ugly head again later in the week.  Oh well!  Other wonderful symptoms on the menu for this week -- warning: severe TMI alert -- included gross flatulence, burping, and of course the fantastic irregular bowel movements.  Luckily, I haven't had any constipation but things are a bit looser down there than I would like.  Enough said.

My belly has DEFINITELY popped out a bit more, and for the first time someone offered me their seat on the train.  My belly button is also in the midst of popping out -- right now it's at a weird stage where it doesn't really look like an "innie" or an "outtie", but a "flattie"!

Apparently our baby is sleeping about 12 to 14 hours per day, though you'd never know it from all the kicking!  I definitely felt some black-belt-worthy roundhouse kicks this week.  It's a good thing baby is still small enough that the kicks don't hurt as much as surprise me, but I'm worried that once s/he is bigger these kicks might get really painful!

Alas, it's all for a good cause!  If nausea, powerful kicks and embarrassing bathroom odors are the worst I have to deal with in order to grow a healthy baby, I'll do it!

Pregnancy Gingivitis?!

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Friday afternoon I had a regularly-scheduled dental cleaning, which I typically look forward to with glee but have been dreading a tiny bit because my gums have been sooooo sensitive the past few months.  Well, I almost felt out of the chair when the hygienist broke the news to me that I have ... dun dun dun ... "a good old-fashioned case of pregnancy gingivitis".  Say wha?!?!?!?!

Yep, the super-sensitivity, not to mention the gum bleeding I was experiencing pretty badly in the past 1-2 weeks, was all thanks to pregnancy gingivitis!  Gulp!  Thanks a lot, hormones!

How could this be???  I'm the girl who awaits with excitement my semi-annual cleanings -- I just LOVE that professional clean feel.  I experienced my first cavity just last year {hooray for 30+ years of positive check-ups!} and I always say that if I ever won the lottery one of the first things I'd splurge on for myself is a personal hygienist to professionally clean my teeth once a week.  {I know; I'm weird.}  I can't help it -- dental health is high on my priority list!  Hence the nearly falling out of my chair to learn I've been affected by pregnancy gingivitis...

Apparently somewhere between 50-70% of women will develop gingivitis during pregnancy, so it seems I'm in good company.

The good news is that my case is apparently mild -- many times growths called "pregnancy tumors" can form on severely irritated gums, and my hygienist has seen a lot of that so I'll count my stars and try not to complain too much.  The other good news is that it's not a permanent condition; the extra sensitivity and gum irritation should subside after delivery once my hormones go back to normal.  And, since my cleaning, I haven't noticed any more bleeding while brushing!  My hygienist said that my plaque build-up wasn't that bad {for which I thank my handy dandy electric toothbrush}, so I'm not exactly sure WHY the bleeding has stopped since the cleaning, but you won't hear me complain!  Nope, I'm pretty much a happy teeth camper once again!

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My advice?  When pregnant, DO NOT skip any dental appointments!!!  In fact, many sources recommend visiting your dentist at least twice if possible during your pregnancy to avoid damage to gums caused by the extra hormones in your body.  And if you think you may become pregnant soon, get thee to the dentist as well!  It's always good to ensure you don't have any cavities that need to be treated or any other serious dental conditions before pregnancy, since diagnosis (i.e. x-rays), treatment and medication options may be somewhat limited during pregnancy.  I also read somewhere that dental issues during pregnancy if left untreated can cause preterm labor, so it's definitely worthwhile to ensure you're starting out with as healthy of a mouth as possible!

Now smile and say cheese!  ;)

Anatomy Scan

This past Friday was our 20-week Anatomy Scan and I'm soooooo relieved to report that it went well!  Baby measured right on size and all the parts seemed to be present!  Similar to the Fetal Echo appointment, the sonogram technician said our baby was "very active".  Unlike the Fetal Echo though where the technician had to chase the baby all around my abdominal area, the Anatomy Scan technician joked that all she had to do was hold her wand in one place because the baby was turning so much that he/she was showing her everything.  At least it wasn't another wild goose chase all over my belly!

When the sonographer said our baby was "very active", I jokingly replied that I wonder where it gets that from, because I'm pretty lazy myself.  Her response?  "Not for long!!!  You better buy yourself a pair of roller skates!"  Gulp!!

As we mentioned in a previous post, we did NOT find out the baby's sex.  I realize this puts me in what seems at least in my life as the very minority of pregnant women, and I also fully realize that in some ways we're making things a little harder on ourselves by not finding out early, but what's done is done!  We are committed to being surprised, and {although I caught Shep momentarily trying to sneak a peak at the monitor while the sono technician checked out the lower half of our baby's body} surprised we will be!  Don't worry, he didn't see anything -- I made sure of it.  ;)

Here's one of the photos we got to take home:

Like a proud papa-to-be, Shep sent the photo to our moms and some other family members when we got home, and my mother-in-law replied that the baby has my nose.  Not sure how she could even tell from a photo that small and blurry, but I'll take it!  Either way, I think he/she is very cute!  ;)

This pregnancy is now {finally} starting to get very real to me!  I was a bit nervous going into the appointment, no doubt thanks to PGAL brain, but feel a bit more relaxed now.  Now I'm just realizing there's so much to do and dwindling time to do it!!!

Fetal Echo Appt

Today was our Fetal Echocardiogram appointment and, much to my relief, it went well!  A fetal echo is a detailed scan of a baby's heart to look for congenital heart defects.  We underwent this non-invasive procedure due to an aortic valve defect on Hubby's side, which can be inherited.  The purpose of the exam was to determine whether any heart issues are currently presenting in our baby, and if so, what treatment options/risks would be.

Here's a sample view of a normal fetal heart, courtesy of the UPenn Medical Library:

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The echo portion took about 20 minutes, during which the technician did lots of measuring and took photos at different angles using what looked and worked very much like a regular ultrasound wand.  We also heard the heart beating, which for me is always a huge relief.  I was pretty impressed that the technician was able to get all the info he needed relatively quickly despite the fact that baby kept flipping and darting around the whole time!  It appears we have a "very active baby" on our hands -- wonder where baby got those genes from?!  Certainly not me...  ;)  Despite our baby's heart measuring in at a mere 1.5 cm {which is normal, but so small to think about!}, the technician was able to identify clearly the four chambers of the heart and all appropriate major valves and vessels.  Phew!

After the technician performed the echo we met with a pediatric cardiologist to review the results.  The doctor advised us that everything looked good, and that although it is too soon to spot a bicuspid aortic valve at this point, in most cases a healthy 20 week scan means the baby will be born with a healthy heart because most of the time {I think he mentioned an estimate of 80%} left heart defects manifest themselves by 20 weeks.  The inheritance rate for left heart lesions is currently estimated in the 10-20% range, while other heart defects are typically inherited only ~ 3-5% of the time.  Left heart lesions can evolve before birth though, so as a precaution, he recommended that we return for a follow-up echo in 8-10 weeks to ensure that everything has grown appropriately and the aortic arch looks good.  If they spot something odd at the follow-up appointment, they'll have a specialist examine the baby at the hospital after delivery.  But, if all looks good at the follow-up appointment -- which is what we're hoping for -- then there's likely no need for any further concern and we'd just get a pediatric cardiologist to examine the child sometime within the first few years of life just to triple check everything.

So, for the time being we have every reason to hope for the best and try not to worry!  :)  Though I'm starting to realize that as a soon-to-be parent that is much easier said than done!!

As a side note, both the sonogram technician and the doctor were incredibly nice and explained everything clearly.  Despite being at a top medical facility with lots of patients, they each entertained all questions we had, and did not rush us at all.  We also were not kept waiting any longer than a few minutes beyond our original appointment start time.  This is all quite a novelty in NYC!

If you're interested, you can read more about Fetal Echocardiograms here.

Here, you can find some facts and information on congenital heart disease and pediatric heart conditions.

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Exercise During Pregancy

I was a Zumba lover before I got pregnant.  Work would sometimes get in the way of me making it to a class, but there were periods over the past 1-2 years where I would Zumba consistently 2 times a week, sometimes 3 if I could squeeze in a weekend class!!!  The rule with exercise during pregnancy seems to be that if you did it before, you can likely safely do it during pregnancy.  I remember one of my favorite Zumba teachers shimmying throughout her pregnancy, up until about a month before she delivered!  I remember thinking she was amazing and hoped that I'd be able to do prego Zumba too!

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Alas, here I am, nearly 19 weeks pregnant and only having gone to the gym a measly ONCE so far.  October 13 seems so long ago.... though I can still remember very clearly the nausea I felt when I got off the elliptical machine that day...  It seems like it hasn't let up since then!  ;)

Well, couch potato no more!  Hubby and I went to the gym together today!  {He really has been the one guilting encouraging me to go back for weeks, since all the pregnancy books try to trick you into believing that once the first trimester is in the rear view mirror so is the fatigue and nausea...}

I walked for 30 minutes on the treadmill and then did about 2 sets of 10 bicep curls on each arm using a 5 pound dumbbell before I had to call it quits.  Although I drank a full 16 ounce bottle of water while walking and didn't walk too fast or on too steep of an incline, I somehow wound up feeling pretty crappy by the time I left.  I had a little of a cramp in my side {possibly from the water, though I made sure to sip it slowly} and couldn't even bring myself to lift each arm another 10 reps.  I was a little disappointed, but I guess that's not too bad for my first visit back to the gym in over 2.5 months.  Let's hope it's not another 11 weeks before I make it back again...

I really want to work on some more arm toning and definitely some stretching and other prego-friendly exercises over the next few months.  There are a number of benefits to exercising during pregnancy.  They say that having a baby is like running a marathon, and there's noooooo way on God's green earth I'd ever be able to do the latter, so I'm thinking I need to prepare as best as I can with my remaining "training time" to make it through the delivery!!!   Plus, some studies show that pregnant women who exercise and/or stay fit have shorter labors.  Yes, please!

The Bump website has a pretty handy exercise workout guide {click here} that I'm going to *try* to use for the remaining few months of my pregnancy.

Source: The Bump

Hubby also got me a great workout video for my birthday that I'm going to give a shot, too.  {Even though my current work-out clothes may or may not look like skin on bologna...}

Here's to more exercise in 2014!

Team Blue or Team Pink?

One of the first things almost every person has asked when they found out we're expecting, after "When are you due?" is...

"Are you going to find out early whether 
you're having a boy or a girl?"

And the answer is..... nope!  We're going to wait until the delivery to be surprised!

A lot of people have found our response surprising!  Especially in this day and age, when almost everyone I know finds out as soon as possible, I get it's a bit unusual that we're choosing to wait it out.  One of my favorite replies was from a co-worker who proclaimed:  "You?!  Preparation Patty??  You're not going to find out???"  I got a real kick out of that.  I'll be one of the first to admit it -- there is a part of me that is very organized, detail-oriented to a fault, and possibly a bit of a control freak.

But here's the thing -- on the flip side there is a HUGE part of me that just loooooooves surprises.  I mean L.O.V.E.S.!!!  I was disappointed when I thought I'd figured out when and where my "surprise" bridal shower was {though oddly still was surprised when I walked in and saw all those people smiling at me -- even though my hunch was right!}.  A few years ago when I accidentally stumbled upon an unwrapped Christmas gift hubby had hidden from me, when looking for an extra blanket in November, I almost cried and got so mad at myself!  I'm the kind of person who keeps a wrapped gift box containing a piece of jewelry in my nightstand drawer for 6 months.  Yep, you read that correctly.  For our anniversary in May, Hubby bought me 2 gifts, which I thought was too much, so I only opened one of them and said I'd save the second gift for another time.  A couple weeks and then months passed and I told him not to get me anything for my birthday, and that I'd open the second box then.  Well, my birthday came and Hubby had bought me something else, so I decided to wait until Christmas to open it.  Yes -- I voluntarily have decided not to open a whit bow-tied little blue Tiffany box, just because I love the suspense and thrill of knowing I have a forthcoming surprise!

So, although I'm absolutely curious to know whether we'll soon be parents to a baby boy or baby girl, for now we're staying Team Green, ladies and gentlemen!!!

At least that's the current plan.  At 17.5 weeks we still have a little time to change our minds, but I don't think I'm going to change mine.  Hubby originally said he wanted to find out, and threatened to bribe the ultrasound tech to tell him without me knowing!  There's no way that he could keep that secret from me though, so that plan is not going to work.  ;)  While I'd certainly be willing to be convinced to see his side of things -- this is his kid too! -- when I pressed him to share with me any good arguments he had why we should find out the baby's sex before the birth, he didn't really have anything convincing {sorry, Hubby!}.  He said he was 50% sure he wanted to find out early but I'm about 90% sure I want to wait, so I think the math works out in my favor for the moment...

I recently saw a post on a message board, advising a mom who was asking whether she should find out her baby's gender, that said:  Do you shake wrapped presents? If no, stay team green.

That seems like very fitting advice for me!  ;)  Team Green we are!

13 Weeks

Hello.  I'm the husband.  Nicole's husband and proud (and very nervous) father-to-be.  Ms. Preggers asked me to post an update on this blog about how she's doing.  She's doing well, and just hit 13 1/2 weeks. Apparently our baby is the size of a peach.

What's with all these fruit analogies?  Last week it was a lime, and then a kiwi the week before that or something.  It seems like every week we hit another section of the produce aisle.  Anyway, our little pomegranate has still been causing Nicole continued nausea and tiredness. Nicole hasn't had it easy, because she was sent to London (UK) for work and travelling is not fun with our little kumquat.  Hence the lack of blog posts.  We are both in London now (I'm just tagging along) and should be back in the US next week right before Thanksgiving.  She's asleep right now!  Nicole and I went to her doctor's just before we left for the UK and the doctor said everything was fine.  The doctor listened to our coconut's heart beat with a little stick and said it was normal.  Oh, and Nicole got pants with an elastic waistband.  Wait, am I supposed to say that?  I mean, I don't know.  Besides the nausea and tiredness (which I understand *might* start to wane now that we're in the 2nd trimester) Nicole is in good spirits, though nervous about every little twitch and pain, which I understand after what happened previously.  I try to be supportive as best I can for her sake and the sake of our happy little strawberry.  I love them both very much.  We haven't told our extended families yet but plan to do that at Thanksgiving.  So that should be fun.  I hope that's a decent enough update for everyone.

PS  No, we haven't seen the Queen.  Yet.