Belly Shot Chronicles - 18 weeks

I have really popped out the last two weeks. Probably not a huge difference from last week alone, but definitely a big change overall since 16 weeks. The good news is that all of the weight is still in the belly...where it should be! The gym and my Wii Fit are helping with that. I also signed up for a prenatal yoga class. It will start on April 27th and run through June 15th. It is only on Monday nights, but it will be a fun little addition to my routine. Outside of that, I have us scheduled for our hospital tour (which I will be attending alone...scheduling conflicts saw to that one), our labor basics class, and a breastfeeding class. I think all of them take place in June, but you have to sign up early if you want a spot. Crazy pregnant ladies!!! Still counting down the days until our anatomy scan on April 13th. Time is going very slowly...but it will all certainly be worth the wait.

Oh, and on another note...I have started to feel the baby move!!! How do you like that? I guess in the medical world it is called "quickening". It wasn't that easy to recognize at first, but I now know what it feels like. The mini has active spurts throughout the day where I am able to feel little "bubbles" or "flutters" in my lower abdomen. It is sort of surreal. I know I found myself in my own private little smile at Starbucks yesterday when it happened. I can't wait until Matt is able to feel it from the outside. It is too random for that to happen at the moment, but in the next few weeks I am sure those kicks, punches, and flips will get stronger, and Matt will have his opportunity!

Off to the gym now!

Sequential Screen Results

The Sequential Screen is a three part test that shows the odds of your baby's risk for Down's Syndrome, Trisomy 18, and other neural tube defects. The initial screen takes place in the first trimester and consists of a finger prick blood test and an in-depth u/s. The second part of the screen takes place after 16 weeks of pregnancy and consists of bloodwork. I just received the overall results of the screening, and our results were "screen negative", which is awesome news.

The nurse provides both the odds for defects based on age alone and the odds based on the actual screening. Based solely on my age, the risk for a baby with Down's Syndrome was 1 in 260. When they calculate the odds based on my screening, the odds change to 1 in 7800. That is awesome! The odds for Trisomy 18 were 1 in 10,000, and the odds for neural tube defects in general were 1 in 6000. The mini seems to be a healthy little one! No test is perfect, but these results certainly make us feel good about our situation.

Now we just need to know what we are having!!!!!!!!!!

17 Week OB Update

I just got back from my 17 week OB appointment. Today I actually got to see a doctor! I saw Dr. Colella, and I really liked him. He was fun and social, which is always a plus. Anyway, he said that I look great, my weight is good, my uterus is measuring well, and the heartbeat was great. Overall, he said things were "awesome". I like to hear that! I only gained three pounds over the course of 4 weeks, so that was wonderful news. I am keeping this pregnancy weight gain mostly in check...which will help down the road for sure!

The best news from today is that we are scheduled for our 20 week ultrasound. Sadly, they were fully booked when they wanted to bring me in...so my appointment had to be pushed over a weekend to a Monday. (SIGH...) I am sure we will live, though. The appointment is set for Monday, April 13th at 11:15am. Mark your calendars, because that is the day that we should be able to announce the sex of the baby. YAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYYYY!!! I am sure that I will be impatiently trying to pass each day until that point in time...but what a joy I am sure that day will be!

Belly Shot Chronicles - 17 Weeks

Here we are again...another week gone by...and another belly shot posted. As you can probably tell by the picture comparisons, I have definitely "popped" a bit this past week. It seems to happen overnight, I swear! I am still within my "limits" of weight gain for the month, so this is all baby. Good job, mini! Strangers are now recognizing and commenting on my pregnancy, which is a lot better than me walking around having people think I am just a fat little muffin.

Tomorrow is my next OB appt. Just a routine visit, but I will be sure to post following the meeting with the doc. Hopefully we get another good report!

Belly Shot Chronicles - 16 weeks!

Here we are at 16 weeks already. Time flies when you are having fun! Or when you are having morning sickness. Oh wait...then the time drags. Damn it...that is what I meant. Time is dragging. Whew, glad I straightened all of that out!

I don't think the bump has grown that much, and I still don't look "pregnant" most of the time. Something IS going on in that belly, though, because I AM gaining my one pound per week on average. It still shocks me when I get on the scale and see the weight gain because I am eating really well, exercising, and only having one "naughty item" per day. Guess that little mini is growing!

Although the nausea had been at least easing up, that situation has once again changed. Not sure what is going on, but I have been nauseous all day / every day for the past 3 to 4 days. I stopped taking all remedies as of yesterday since I was still feeling sick. No point in taking something that isn't doing anything, right? So, I have resigned myself to feeling nauseous forever. That way, if it ever does go away I will be pleasantly surprised. If it never does go away, at least I have set manageable expectations for myself.

Outside of that, today is Matt's 39th birthday, so be sure to wish him a happy one! One week and one day until my next routine OB appointment. Not much else going on.

The Red Ball - 2009

Last night Matt and I attended The Red Ball, which is a "red tie" event sponsored by the American Red Cross. The ball was held at the Please Touch Museum in Philadelphia, which is actually a beautifully architected and designed venue. It is an amazing place complete with an Alice in Wonderland room, transportation displays, a full size carousel, and so much more. It really was a unique location to host the event. There was food from local restaurants and a Ketel One vodka ice / martini bar. We had tickets to the VIP room, so we also had access to the carousel, more food, a cigar bar, and the Tommy Bahama rum bar. How crazy! Of course, the only thing I could have was the food...and Sprite mixed with grenadine. In addtion, they were hosting a silent auction and a raffle. I know we didn't win any of the packages we bid on, and I am pretty certain we lost the raffles. All for a good cause, though! Philly's CBS 3 was one of the sponsors, so the President of the local CBS station attended the event. There were also a handful of NFL players there who support the American Red Cross as a cause, and it was fun to mingle among all of the high rollers and local elite. Our backyard neighbors attended the ball with us, and we all had a blast. This is the third formal event that Matt and I have attended this year, so it has been a little surreal. We have enjoyed every minute of it, though, and I think the mini has been having a good time, too!

15 Weeks - Belly Shot Chronicles

Another week gone by, and we have hit the 15 week mark. The belly continues to grow little by little. I still mostly look fat in clothing instead of pregnant, and this will contintue to be my theme for awhile it seems. I still say in another month that will probably change. I am definitely in maternity pants now. I could get away with my normal pants using the bella band to hold them up, but they are not nearly as comfortable as the maternity pants. I am opting for comfort, to be sure.

The naseau is still manageable at this point. It is no longer consistently all day, every day. Instead it comes in small waves at varying points throughout the day. Afternoons and evenings seem worse for that than mornings. I am hoping by week 17 that I am completely rid of the nausea. That would be lovely!

Only two weeks away from our next OB appointment, and only five weeks away from the ever-important anatomy scan where we will find out the gender of our little mini! I have set up a poll on the right hand side of the page...feel free to participate in the vote as to what you think we will be having. So far it is unanimous that everyone thinks we are having a girl...hmmmm...we will see!

Belly Shot Chronicles - 14 Weeks!!!

Wow...I can't believe I am 14 weeks pregnant. It all still seems a bit surreal. I love the fact that we are in the second trimester. It brings a bit of comfort to this whole experience. The belly continues to round out / fill in each week, slowly but surely. According to books and "the experts", I should be gaining approximately 1 pound per week during the second trimester. Yikes! Really??? At this point, it all depends on what I am wearing if people around me can tell that I am pregnant or not. If I put a sweatshirt on...you can't tell a thing. If I put a clingier shirt on, well...you might guess that I am pregnant...or you might just think I am rolly-polly. Oh well. In another month, I am sure that there will be no guessing about it!!

(said in a whisper) I have been feeling a bit better the past couple of days. I am saying this very quietly as not to disturb the nausea gods. I am not completely back to "normal", but any improvement is welcomed at this point. Wish me well in that department!!! but, shhhhhhhhhhh.....

2nd OB Appointment

Today was my second visit to the OBs office for a routine checkup. I saw a nurse today, and she was really great. The first thing she asked is how I have been feeling...and I told her, AWFUL! I explained the all day / every day nausea...and how I try to fight it in varying ways (feeding it, being one of them!). She said that I should have called and that I should not be suffering. She prescribed a medication for me to try, Reglan. I am supposed to take it three times a day. She said that is has fewer and less severe side effects than the Zofran that the clinic had tried prescribing to me. So, we will see how that goes. With any luck, it will work, AND I won't need to be on it for long.

My urine sample came back fine. My iron count is "normal" but on the low side, so she wants me to increase my intake of iron rich food, if I can. My blood pressure was great. My weight...well, I have gained 5 pounds so far. The nurse was fine with that and said it was normal, but it is a couple pounds more than I would have liked. Guess "feeding the nausea" is really only good for packing on the pounds! Hopefully if I start feeling better that situation will work itself out.

The nurse wanted to check the heartbeat of the baby, and she said she would "see if she could find it". Well, she didn't even have to "look". As soon as she turned the Doppler on, there it was! So, she said the baby is feeling great, even if mommy isn't. The heartbeat is strong and exactly as it should be.

I got to ask all of my questions. And, I AM OK TO GET MY HAIR HIGHLIGHTED AGAIN...FINALLY...YAY...WOO HOO!!! I am also off all restrictions...I am REALLY a normal OB patient. I can have intercourse (which only really matters to a couple of us! tee hee hee) I am able to exercise in moderation, as long as I keep my heart rate under 140 BPM. I am able to lift, within reason. I can take baths. I can travel. I can just "be". Wow! How scary and wonderful, huh? The only restrictions I have are within 5 weeks of my due date, and at that point I am not able to take baths, have intercourse, or travel. But...that doesn't happen until two weeks into the month of July!!! Look at me!

I will go back again on March 19th for another "routine" OB appointment...after that comes the big u/s at 20 weeks where we find out the sex of the baby. Only a couple of long months until that happens! Guess we will have to be patient...

Belly Shot Chronicles - 13 weeks

Well, they say that the uterus at 13 weeks no longer fits within the confines of the pelvis. In its enlarged state it moves its way up and over the pubic bone. I guess this must be true, as I am noticing that my "pooch" has certainly grown since last week. I am filling out a bit more, although I still mostly just look "fat" instead of pregnant. It all depends on what I wear if you can even "notice"...but I haven't rounded out to the point that it looks like a baby bump. It really looks more like I have spent too much time with my ass on the couch and my hand in a potato chip bag. Only the first part is really true. I don't even like potato chips that much right now!

Anyway, the "clothed" photo was taken yesterday. The other two belly photos are from this morning, when I officially hit the 13 week mark. (As you can see, I certainly look different from varying angles.) I am moving into my second trimester, and it is a welcomed victory for us, to say the least! I will also welcome the disappearance of my nausea any time now. Hopefully that comes sooner rather than later. It is getting old!

Tomorrow is my second OB appointment. There will be no u/s, only listening to the heartbeat using the Doppler. I am really not sure what else they will do (weigh me, measure my belly, take my BP???). I will let you know after the fact!

Thanks again for sharing in our journey and our little miracle!

Feeling the LOVE

Matt thought it would be a neat idea to head into downtown Philly and have our picture taken in Love Park for Valentine's Day. He comes up with great ideas! So, off we went...and had our picture taken with the famous LOVE sculpture. We also (upon my request) had a very "romantic" lunch at Jimmy John's. I do love their tuna subs! They really are the best! Yum! What can I say...I can be a cheap date! Well, I would have been if it didn't cost us $20 to valet the car at the hotel across the street from Jimmy John's! I guess parking is scarce on a holiday! Oh well. It was a really nice day.

Belly Chronicles - 12 Weeks

Not a huge change since last week, but the pooch has gotten a bit bigger. Please note yet another lovely pair of pajamas in this photo! By the end of this week, I should start to "pop" a bit more as my uterus moves up and out over the pubic bone (according to pregnancy calendars, at least!). I am sure in the next month I will start to look a bit more like a pregnant person. We will see.

First Trimester Screening - u/s pics!!!

**Click on any image to enlarge it**

First Trimester Screening

It is morning, and I am now feeling well enough to be able to take the time to update you all properly about our first trimester screening. All I can say is that it was amazing and surreal, especially after everything we have been through on our journey to this point. The screening itself is to test for predictors of Down's Syndrome, Trisomy 18, or other neural tube defects. It is a three part screening: an u/s for NT measurements during the first trimester, a blood screen during the first trimester, and a blood screen during the second trimester. Well, the NT measurements done during the u/s came back just fine...so that is all well and good. We will have to wait on the blood screen results until they come back in the next week or so.

Outside of that, the tech gave a full u/s (my first abdominal u/s ever!). She measured the mini, who is now measuring approximately 5 days ahead! Go mini! She also took the heart rate of the mini which came back at 161 bpm. She told us that she wished every baby was so "good" for the u/s and that we had a great "poser". The baby cooperated fully so she was able to get all of her measurements very easily. She also said that it was nice that I was "so thin" because it made her job easy. Hey, I will take that "compliment" even if it means that every other woman she has seen is morbidly obese...it made me feel good in the moment!

The mini was extremely active during the scan, which was so fun for Matt and I to observe. He/she was dancing around, waving arms, and trying to stick a fist in its mouth. This was all such a huge feeling of triumph and relief for us, and we just kept commenting on how amazing it all really was. I think we left with perma-grins. How could we not???

The tech also took measurements of my ovaries and the corpus luteum cysts that are still sticking around. These "cysts" are the sacs from which the eggs were retrieved. They have been responsible for progesterone production leading up to when the placenta and baby could take over (right around now). The good news is, even though they are still large from me being hyperstimulated, they are breaking down. Hopefully they will shrivel up in the next couple of months.

I will go back on March 16th for the second trimester blood screen. That will be the last of the tests for this screening, and the results as a whole will give us a prediction for the odds of defects with 90% accuracy.

Lastly, the tech saved and printed off eight still shots of the u/s for us which we are gladly able to share with you all. Enjoy our little miracle!

Belly Shot Chronicles - 11 weeks

Ok, people have been begging me to start taking belly shots...just to have a chronicle of how my pregnant belly grows, I guess. So, here it is...my very first "belly shot" at 11 weeks. Not much to be seen at this point, except a little "pooch" where the mini has snuggled in. Oh, and please try not to hate on my pretty pants...obvioulsy I haven't made it out of my PJs yet today. I promise it will happen before noon!

Not much else going on here. Still struggling with feeling sick and tired, but I am nearing the end of the first trimester, so I hope things will start to improve over the next few weeks. Please!!!! Outside of that, we are really looking forward to our first trimester screen coming up on Monday of next week. That will give us a great idea of how our mini is growing and progressing...hopefully really well! And, hopefully they send us home with a new u/s picture that we can share, too.

Sweet Music...

On the recommendation of a few "fertility friends" that now have little ones, I decided to rent a "Doppler" machine from an online company. This company is called Baby Beat. They either rent out or sell the doppler machines to crazy pregnant women like myself. The Doppler allows you to listen to your baby's heartbeat in the privacy of your own home...on a daily basis, if you would like. Given our past history, and also given that it is so long between OB appointments, I thought this would be a great way to calm and reassure ourselves that everything with the mini is going fine.

Well, my Doppler arrived via UPS today. I was waiting for that stinkin' big brown truck all day! As soon as the Doppler showed up, I of course wanted to test it out! You can pick the h/b up as early as 10 weeks...which is exactly what I am today. It took about five minutes, but I found that mini's heart beating away in the depths of uterusland! Ahhhh...what sweet music! I managed to make a decent recording of it that I can play over our speakerphone pretty well (mom, dad, and Matt all got a listen). The heartbeat basically sounds like a train going over railroad tracks. You can easily distinguish the baby's h/b from your own because the baby's is about twice as fast (usually between 140 and 180 bpm). Just amazing...

Now I think I can more easily get through the wait until my u/s and first trimester screening on February 9th. That is a wonderful thing!

Peeing in a Cup

Well, yesterday I received a call from the lab at the OB's office that my urine sample I gave last week showed bacteria in it. They requested that I come back in today to give another sample so that they can do a bacterial culture. I guess I better get used to peeing in a cup on a regular basis. Oh, the joy! I will find out late on Friday afternoon whether or not I have a UTI. I am hoping I don't, but if I do, it is no big deal.

On another note, Dr. Swift from the OB's office called right after I got home this morning. I sort of panicked, because why would one of the doctor's be calling me...unless something was wrong?!? Turns out I was worried for nothing. She was just calling to inform me that all of my bloodwork that they did last week came back fine. The only thing it red-flagged is that it showed I had RhoGAM in my system...but, since I had a shot of RhoGAM...that was only to be expected! All else was completely normal, so they will just see me back for my next routine visit on February 19th. Ok!

Hooray for our Insurance!!!

At my first OB visit the nurse-midwife discussed screening options for the pregnancy. One: don't do anything. Two: do the typical 2nd trimester Quad screening. Three: do the new 1st trimester sequential screen followed by the Quad screening in the 2nd trimester. I liked the sound of the third option, however, the nurse also mentioned that most insurance companies do not cover this screening yet, as it is still fairly "new".

Well, hooray for Aetna because they DO cover the 1st semester screening. Yay! I am now scheduled to go to the Antenatal Unit at Virtua Hospital on February 9th for the testing. It consists of a finger prick / blood test and a special ultrasound that measures the nuchal fold translucency. This screening can predict with 85% accuracy the fetus' risk of having Down's syndrome, Trisomy 18, or another form of neural tube defects. It gives patients an earlier view on the staus of their fetus, and I like that. I also LOVE the fact that we will be having an actual u/s of the baby prior to 20 weeks! That will (hopefully) give us reassurance that all is going well in uterus-land. How nice that will be!

So, here is to the sometimes (albeit rarely) wonderful insurance companies and their benefits.

Boring Old OB Patient

That is what I am now, according to the nurse-midwife that I saw today. I am no longer the pampered fertility patient who receives weekly ultrasounds at weekly visits. I am just a boring old OB patient. I guess I will take that!

So, this visit today was just a basic first pre-natal visit. There were no ultrasounds. There were no Dopplers to listen to the heartbeat (it is too early...need another week for that). There was just a lot of paperwork, explanations, bloodwork, a brief pelvic exam, and that was about it.

My cervix is firm and closed, which is great. My uterus is measuring as it should, which is also great.

The phlebotomist apologized for using a small vein to do my blood draw. I put a lot of pressure on it and caused quite a bit of swelling. I was told to come home and ice it, which is what I am doing right now. It does hurt quite a bit, but oh well.

I will go back in 4 weeks (February 19th) for my next appointment. I guess that I now have to take a specimen of "first morning urine" to every appointment. Isn't that fun? At that appointment they will definitely bring out the Doppler to listen to the heartbeat. I am anxioulsy looking forward to that.

We may or may not be doing a "first trimester sequential screening", which would involve an u/s and a finger prick. If our insurance doesn't cover it, we may not do it and just do the Quad Screening at 16 weeks. We will have to speak with Aetna prior to making any definite decisions on that one.

For now, I just go about as if all is well and good. That isn't easy without my weekly u/s, but I will have to accept that, I guess!

A Post from The Husband

I thought I would toss a post out there. Since our "hit count" keeps rising, you might as well have something new to read.
I am off to St. Louis on Monday for a week long conference. That's right, I will be missing Megan's first OB appointment. I can't wait for a lifetime of teasing from my child when they realize I missed the first appointment to go to "exotic" St. Louis in January. For those of you that don't know, St. Louis in January looks like it could be a cover page for the magazine Afghanistan Today.

On another note, I want to thank all of the friends and family that continually check the blog for updates and who root/pray for a successful pregnancy. Your comments are heartfelt and they mean a lot to the both of us. We will continue to update you as this journey progresses. Right now, my wife is fighting nausea on a fairly regular basis. Mornings are the worst and every time I open the refridgerator when she is nearby, it results in severe bitching thanks to odors that make her ill. Heck, even the smell of dishwasher soap made her ill today. Yikes! I just hope all of you know that this pregnancy is as tough on me as it is on her. ;-) Or not.

Well, off to pack for St. Louis. Thanks again for checking the blog and for your comments. Megan and I appreciatethe support more than you know. Stay tuned for an update this Thursday after Megan returns from her OB appointment...by herself.