A Pregnancy in Pictures

Two blastocysts, ready for transfer. 11/28/2011 - 2 weeks 5 days

A beautiful sight! 12/3/2011 - 3 weeks 3 days

One little embryo. 12/16/2011 - 5 weeks 2 days

                ER trip for stomach pain, suspected ectopic pregnancy. All was OK and we saw the heartbeat! 12/23/2011- 6 weeks 2 days

Christmas Eve dinner on our Disney cruise. 12/24/2011- 6 weeks 3 days

Already looking like a baby! 1/3/12 - 7 weeks 6 days

Last sonogram at Shady Grove, 1/11/12 - 9 weeks 0 days

Ryan Adams concert at Strathmore, 1/24/12 - 10 weeks 6 days

Gender prediction test said girl - not quite! 2/3/12 - 12 weeks 2 days

2/6/12 - 12 weeks 5 days

Palio for Valentine's Day.  2/14/12 - 13 weeks 6 days.

In maternity clothes! 3/6/12 -16 weeks 6 days

3/6/12 - 16 weeks 6 days

Sweet little foot. 4/2/12 - 20 weeks 5 days

5/1/12 - 24 weeks 6 days

New York with my sisters. 5/5/12 - 25 weeks 3 days

Goodbye old house. 5/19/12 - 27 weeks 3 days

Hello new house! 5/19/12 - 27 weeks 3 days

Touching his foot to his head. 5/29/12 - 28 weeks 6 days

6/5/12 - 29 weeks 6 days

6/15/12 - 31 weeks 2 days

6/26/12 - 32 weeks 6 days

7/5/12 - 34 weeks 1 day

7/5/12 - 34 weeks 1 day

2 days before being born. Est weight 8 lb 6 oz 7/24/12 - 36 weeks 6 days

Little did I know this was my last day being pregnant! 7/25/12 - 37 weeks 0 days

7/26/12, 2:23 pm, 7 lb 15 oz, 21.5 inches - 37 weeks 1 day

Henry's Birth Story

He's here! Henry Spencer Watts made his entrance into the world on July 26 at 2:23 pm, weighing 7 lbs 15 oz and 21.5 inches long.

Since I was only 37 weeks along I was not expecting to go into labor so soon. I hadn't preregistered at the hospital and I hadn't packed my hospital bag or Sawyer's overnight suitcase - I was planning to do that the next day. I hadn't even made it all the way through my Hypnobirthing course. I had never been checked by my OB so I had no idea if I was dilated or effaced or anything. I never got really uncomfortable this time the way I did when I was pregnant with Sawyer, in fact I had just mentioned to my sister the day before that I felt so good that I wouldn't mind being pregnant for several more weeks. So of course I went into labor. 

Around 4:45 a.m. I got up to use the bathroom (my third visit that night - thank you third trimester!) and after I had emptied my bladder something kept coming out of me. I knew right away that my water had broken because the exact same thing had happened with Sawyer, only at 3 a.m. instead. I woke Eric up and told him it was time to go, then called my OB who told me to head on over to labor and delivery. I wasn't having any contractions yet (again, the same as when I had Sawyer) so we didn't rush. I took a shower and packed my bags - not the easiest feat when your water's broken and it's early in the morning - while Eric got Sawyer ready to go.  He was a bit disoriented about being woken up so early but excited when we told him baby brother Henry would be born today! Around 5:50 we were finally on our way to Leesburg to drop Sawyer off with my sister. She met us in the hospital parking lot. Eric was getting hungry at this point, and knowing that they wouldn't let me eat anything once I was admitted to the hospital, we made a quick stop at Chick-Fil-A to get some breakfast. I wasn't hungry but ate a bit anyway because I knew I would need the energy soon.

By the time we got to labor and delivery it was almost 7:00. They got me registered (they actually already had me in the system from a hospital visit in 2000! Funny, I have no memory of what that was for) and a nurse checked if my water had broken - it had - and checked if I was having contractions - I wasn't. Well, I sort of was, but they were several minutes apart and very mild. I was 1 cm dilated and 50% effaced. At 7:45 they officially admitted me and took me to a labor room, where my nurse Vanessa started me on pitocin and penicillin since I was group B strep positive. She also took some blood to see how well I was clotting. I had taken my last heparin shot at 10 p.m. so they needed to make sure all was good in case I wanted an epidural (I already knew the answer to that question. Ha!) 

A few minutes after starting on pitocin the contractions were coming fast and furious, 2 minutes apart and intense. I listened to my Hypnobabies tracks and they really helped me focus and relax. Eric was wonderful, rubbing my back and letting me squeeze his hands. Because I was on pitocin I needed to have continuous fetal monitoring, which I was fine with, but it actually made it much harder to concentrate. They gave me a wireless monitor so I could walk around freely and be in any position - great in theory but in practice it was horrible, because the monitor kept moving around and losing the baby's heartbeat, which would send Vanessa rushing into the room in a near panic to adjust it. I just about lost it when she came in while I was on the toilet (the body tends to, um, clean itself out in early labor). As it turned out it wasn't too long that I had to deal with the ever shifting monitor, because at 10:00 she told me the anesthesiologist would be available soon. Since it was 12 hours since my heparin shot I was in the clear to get one, so I told her I was ready for it. The pain was very intense at this point and Hypnobabies wasn't helping anymore. I felt like I could have gone for longer but didn't want to risk waiting too long. At 10:15 my epidural was placed, and I had several contractions during the procedure - they were coming a minute and a half apart and lasting more than a full minute each. Some choice words may have come out of my mouth. Thankfully I had complete relief about 15 minutes later and soon I was smiling again and texting friends. It. Was. AWESOME.

Loving my epidural

Around 11:00 Vanessa placed my catheter and checked me for the first time since they checked me in triage. I was 3 cm and 90% effaced. For the next couple of hours Eric and I chatted, called family members to update them, and relaxed. He went and grabbed a bite to eat. Around 12:30 I started feeling pain on my right side - the epidural was wearing off. Vanessa had me shift to my other side hoping that would help but it didn't, so another anesthesiologist came in and she gave me another dose of medication. It worked to numb the right side, but unfortunately made my left side REALLY numb. Like, no sensation whatsoever numb, which was a really weird and slightly disconcerting feeling. I started feeling nauseated and shaking, so Vanessa checked me again suspecting I might be going through transition. I was 6-7 cm and completely effaced.

Not feeling great

At 1:20 the nausea got very intense and she checked me again, and I was nearly complete. We waited a while for Dr. A to show up and to let the baby descend a bit more, and at 2:15 it was time to push. I had a moment of panic when I tried to pull my legs back and realized I was now completely numb on both sides all the way up to my chest; I couldn't feel what my muscles were doing at all and I thought there was no way I would be able to push. But apparently my body remembered what to do. I had requested no counting or yelling for me to push, and Dr. A seemed amazed that I knew when I was having a contraction even though I couldn't feel any pressure. Truthfully I couldn't have consciously said when I was having one, I just somehow knew when to push. At one point Henry's heart rate dropped dramatically and I could see on Dr. A's face that he was scared, which scared me too, but thankfully it came right back up when the contraction was over (I kind of suspect it might have been that annoying monitor again.) I had a mirror so I could see what was happening which helped with the pushing because I could see when I was making progress. As he was crowning I reached down and felt the top of his soft little head - amazing! We were excited to see his dark hair. A few pushes later, and Henry was born, screaming and curling his cute lower lip. I pulled him up onto my chest right away while we waited for the cord to stop pulsing so Eric could cut it.

Then the nurses weighed him and cleaned him off while I delivered the placenta (although I don't really remember that happening, I know it came out because Eric took a picture of it. Don't worry, I won't share that here.)

After he was all clean and wrapped up I held him and nursed him for the first time. He took to it right away and was very alert and gazing at both of us. I was feeling great at this point (adrenaline is an amazing thing!) so we told our family they could come visit as soon as I was in recovery. Henry went to the nursery and the nurses helped me get cleaned up and go to the bathroom, which was quite an adventure given my dead legs and the fact that my bladder always seems to stay offline for a long time when I have any sort of anesthesia.

A few hours later Megan came to the hospital and Sawyer got to meet his new little brother. When he came into the room I tried to hug him and ask him how his day was and he had no time for that - he just wanted to see Henry.

Megan brought us Cafe Rio for dinner, which is quickly becoming the traditional postpartum meal in our family. I was still feeling a little nauseous but I enjoyed it much more than the hospital food I would have had otherwise! And Eric definitely appreciated it. We were sad that the hospital wouldn't allow children to come in and Caroline, Mary Grace and Emery had to wait in the lobby, but happy that Henry at least got to meet his Aunt Megan. A little bit later Spencer and Samm, and Erin and Josh came by to meet Henry and hold him for the first time. We are so blessed to have such wonderful family members nearby to celebrate these times with us!

Soon it was time for Eric to take Sawyer home to bed and for me to try to get some sleep. Not so easy in the hospital, since they were still checking my vitals fairly often and I had to ask for help to go to the bathroom. Also because of my blood clotting risk I had to wear pressure boots on my legs, which noisily inflated at regular intervals. Not so restful. But I managed to catch little bits of rest in between feeding Henry. The nurses in recovery were amazing, so helpful and kind. And Vanessa came over to check on me, which was so nice. All in all I could not have asked for a better birth experience. I feel so lucky to have Henry in my life and can't wait to find out what kind of person he will become.

Tired but happy to be the parents of two!

Time to Suck It Up

I saw Melinda the midwife again this morning. And my cervix is being a little bastard. Despite all the evening primrose oil and raspberry leaf tea I've been taking, I'm only 50% effaced and 1 cm dilated. My midwife told me to increase the EPO to 1500 mg three times a day (total of 4500) and have lots and lots of sex. Yay. I told her we haven't been doing it much because it's so uncomfortable for both of us and she said, "Girl, this isn't about pleasure! This is business! Suck it up and get the job done!" Hmm, where did I ever get the whacky idea that sex was supposed to feel good?

The original plan was to wait until next Wednesday to check me again, but I whined pathetically enough that she took pity on me and had me schedule a quick appointment for Friday. She also poked around a bit more than usual during my internal check, and I'm pretty sure she stripped my membranes (it was rough enough that I yelled "Ow!"). So we'll see if anything happens in the next little while. I've been feeling really crampy for the last couple of days, like when my period's about to start so hopefully that means something is going on in there.

Here's a picture from last week (37 weeks) to prove to you how huge I'm getting. First is my 32 week picture so you can compare. Yowza!

Come On, Cervix!

It looks like I may be saved from waiting too much longer. At my appointment this week, my perinatologist suggested that I be induced at 39 weeks. I asked my OB about this and he agreed. The reason they would be willing to do this is that I'm currently taking Lovenox injections every day to manage my blood clotting disorder. It's not a good thing to have a shot of Lovenox right before going into labor for a couple of reasons. First, since it's a blood thinner it could cause me to bleed too much during delivery. And second, I can't get an epidural within 24 hours of having a shot. The medication does something to the spinal space that can cause blood clots to form if spinal anesthesia is administered, and that can cause paralysis for life. Obviously, they don't want to mess around with that. So if I had just given myself an injection of Lovenox and went into labor in the next couple of hours, chances are I would not have the option of having an epidural. With an induction, they can schedule me to stop the Lovenox exactly 24 hours before starting labor so my options would be open.

Wednesday I have another NST and they will do an internal exam to see if my cervix is "favorable" for induction. They want it to be dilated and effaced to a certain point. If my cervix is unfavorable, it's a no go because my chances of winding up with a C-section would be too high. If it's favorable, they'll schedule me for an induction the next week, sometime around the 10th.

So of course, I'm doing everything I can to make my cervix "favorable". Enter herbal remedies. I'm using evening primrose oil capsules and drinking raspberry leaf tea. My midwife also suggests having intercourse every day (I'm sorry, but all I can do when I think about that is laugh.)

The bottom line is, we may be less than two weeks from D-Day. Send favorable cervix vibes my way!

Would You Like Some Cheese With That Whine?

(Ooh, yes please, especially if it's chèvre with Herbes de Provence spread on a warm baguette. YUM.)

Warning: Here comes another post about how hard it is to be pregnant. Feel free to skip it if that bugs you! And keep in mind that I am still very, very grateful to be experiencing all of this. Seriously. I guess it's just that I see whining about pregnancy as part of the whole experience. So even though it was so hard for us to conceive and I could not be happier to be at this stage, I reserve the right to whine about the parts of it that suck!

I haven't posted for a week now because I have been feeling absolutely awful. Last weekend I came down with a bad cold that a few days later became a nasty sinus infection. Along with all the late term pregnancy stuff I've got going on, it's really knocked me over. All I want to do is lie around and watch TLC with a hot washcloth on my aching head.

A couple of days ago I took a mental inventory of how my whole body was feeling. Starting from the top:

1) Head - Hurts from my sinus infection.
2) Upper back and shoulders - Hurt from the weight of my bazongas. My shoulders have started falling asleep at night too for some reason.
3) Breasts - Hurt from being so big and they're tender.
4) Belly - Itchy from my skin being stretched out so much, and I'm having lots of Braxton-Hicks contractions, which despite what all the pregnancy books say, are NOT painless.
5) Hips - Feel like they're being pulled apart every time I change positions and when I'm walking.
6) Lower back - Hurts thanks to the weight of my ginormous front.
7) Pelvic area - Feels like I'm carrying a bowling ball between my legs because the baby's head is so low.
8) Thighs - Sore from my Lovenox injections and the subsequent bruises.
9) Knees - Hurt because I'm carrying around 30 extra pounds.
10) Calves and feet - Sore from the swelling I get all the time. The same thing happens in my hands, when I get up in the morning I can barely make a fist.

So looking on the bright side, my elbows feel great.

I've always heard pregnant women complain a ton near the end of their pregnancies but I never knew why. For me it didn't get really uncomfortable until the baby dropped. Up until then I felt fabulous. A little heavy and awkward yes, but nothing like how I feel now. My mom told me that this is nature's way of helping you get through labor; she said by the end of her pregnancies she would have been willing to cut herself open with a kitchen knife just not to be pregnant anymore. I haven't quite reached that stage of desperation, but I can definitely understand how one could get to that point.

Just a few more weeks to go.

Darn You, Céline Dion!

You know that song "A New Day" by Céline Dion where she sings about having her baby? Who coincidentally was an IVF baby and a boy? Well it just came up in my music rotation I have playing and wouldn't you know - I completely lost it. I had to listen to "Drop It Like It's Hot" three times just to be able to stop crying.

Be warned: pregnancy hormones and Céline Dion do not mix!!!

More NST Drama

Yesterday I had a routine midwife appointment with a non-stress test. Since I've had like a zillion of them by now I'm getting pretty good at interpreting the test results, so I wasn't too surprised when the midwife Melinda told me I'd have to go over to the hospital to Labor and Delivery for more testing. Again. This time I took my time getting there and went to eat lunch first so I wouldn't have to have hospital food for as long as possible. I also called Eric and asked him to bring me some pillows from home just in case I had to stay the night again so this time I'd be more comfortable. (See, I've learned some things!) Luckily all the preparations turned out to be unnecessary. They ran another NST and this one was picture perfect, for the first time ever! I'm convinced it was the double cheeseburger I ate immediately beforehand. I always eat before having an NST but now I know I have to really stuff myself! Not a problem.

Also, I learned at my appointment that the baby has definitely dropped. Melinda could feel his head right against my cervix. And I'm one centimeter dilated. Which doesn't really mean anything, but it still makes me excited. Things are happening!

Dropping the Baby

I think I'm dropping my baby! Actually, I think the baby is dropping himself. I woke up this morning feeling enormous pelvic pressure and soreness, kind of like someone had been repeatedly kicking me in the crotch all night long. (I realize that sounds funny, but trust me, it doesn't feel that way.) And today whenever I stand up from a sitting position it feels like my hips are going to split apart. They say in first-time moms the baby usually drops between 2 and 4 weeks before labor begins, which is about right according to my due date, although I'm secretly hoping I'm on the 2 week side of things. Either way, it won't be too long now!

Shower

Saturday night I had my first baby shower. My sister, high school best friend, and mother-in-law put it together for me and they did a fabulous job. The decorations were all based on the jungle theme from our nursery, complete with monkeys hanging from the ceiling and tribal music playing in the background. The desserts all had interesting names like "Tiger Tails", "Monkey Mess", and "Zebra Balls" (YUM). A lot of ladies came, including some of my mom's friends. I love being around women who have lots of experience with being moms and lots of wisdom to impart. I really felt supported by all of them and that helps so much in bolstering my confidence that maybe, just maybe I will be able to do this.

And the most important part of any shower: the stuff! We got piles of cute clothes that everyone ooh'd and aah'd at as they were opened. And we got some practical things too, like diapers, medical stuff, and bath accessories. Now my living room floor is covered with gifts that I need to sort through, put away and write thank you notes for. Which is actually a good thing because I still have a few weeks left and I'm starting to get impatient. Staying busy helps. I keep waiting for my nesting instinct to kick in and inspire me to deep-clean the whole house, but so far the closest I've come is idly brushing Oreo crumbs off the couch as I'm watching Dr. Phil with my swollen feet up on a pillow.

It's Called a "Non-Stress Test"... but I'm Definitely Stressed

It's been a crazy week. I've been going to my midwife/ob office once a week for non-stress tests to keep an eye on the baby and make sure he's OK. They hook me up to a monitor that measures the baby's heart rate and movements. What they are looking for is what's called a "reactive" test result, meaning that the baby's heart rate shows at least two periods of acceleration in 20 minutes. Last Wednesday I had a non-reactive test with only one acceleration and a few decelerations that concerned the midwife. She sent me straight over to Labor and Delivery so they could do some more testing. I spent the rest of the day hooked up to monitors for more NSTs and a complete biophysical profile which came back borderline (I scored a 6 out of 10; with an 8 you pass and below a 6 you fail). There was some discussion about the possibility of inducing me the next day if the results didn't improve. All I could think was "But my baby shower is next week! And we don't even have the carseat installed yet!" Of course there are much bigger problems to worry about when a baby is born at 34 weeks, but that's how my mind works I guess. Over the course of the day the NST results improved slightly, but not well enough that they would let me go home. They kept me in the hospital overnight and gave me an IV to make sure I was hydrated. The next day I had two more NSTs and at about 1:00 my lovely perinatologist Dr. Ghidini was able to come see me and he did an ultrasound. To our relief, everything looked fine. Eric took me home a couple of hours later and I pretty much slept for the next two days.

Being in the hospital and worrying so much was exhausting and I feel like I'm still recovering from the whole ordeal. There's something about being hospitalized that makes me feel sick even when I'm perfectly healthy. Plus I had a semi-private room and my roommate was up all night chatting on the phone so even if I hadn't been worried to death I doubt I would have been able to sleep. At 3:30 a.m. she was in what sounded like a very heated debate about abortion laws. Oh, and my IV kept coming loose so I had to hold my right arm perfectly still or I'd doze off and then wake up in a puddle of saline and blood (that happened at about 4:30.) That one night has convinced me that I want to stay at home during labor as much as possible, because as grateful as I am for the medical technology we have, I hate being in the hospital.

Today I had another NST, and thankfully, it was better than last week's and I got to go home after my appointment. I'll keep going once a week until I deliver and we'll keep hoping and praying that we don't have another scare like that again.

A Stroll Down Mammary Lane

Warning: This post will discuss my breasts. If you are uncomfortable with that, skip this one! (Dad, this especially means you.)

Pregnancy has surprised me in many ways in terms of its effects on my body. In your pre-pregnancy days, no one bothers to tell you that it's normal to be very constipated most of the time, or that when the baby punches you in the cervix it hurts like the dickens. And who really wants to mention that in the last half of pregnancy it's difficult to laugh, sneeze or cough without wetting your pants? It's not the sort of thing that comes up in polite company. So there have been many surprises along the way. But the one thing that has surprised me the most is the change in my breasts.

I expected them to get a little bigger, but I was completely unprepared for what "a little bigger" would actually mean. I've always been diminutive in the chest area, and very happy that way. There's so much freedom in being small breasted; I could go anywhere without a bra with no problem, I looked delightfully perky in any bathing suit, it didn't hurt to run, and basically they just never got in my way like some of my more buxom friends described.

Fast forward to my second month of pregnancy. In a matter of about two weeks (although it felt like two minutes) I grew from a cute 34 B to a voluptuous and heavy 36 DD. Now, at 34 weeks, I've far surpassed that measurement. (I'd tell you what it is now, but it doesn't matter, it will change in about 5 minutes anyway.) I'd be lying if I said that Eric was upset about this. He sees it as a merciful God's compensation for having to put up with my mood swings.

My reaction hasn't been quite as enthusiastic. Between my chest and my belly, I've never been so front-heavy in my life, which has caused me a lot of back pain. It's hard to find bras in the right size, and the ones to be found are not very cute. No little lacy push-ups for me; we're talking heavy duty industrial strength hammocks. Also, it turns out that growing several cup sizes in a short amount of time can cause stretch marks. I don't have a single stretch mark on my belly but my new bazongas are covered with them. They've faded a bit in the last couple of weeks, which is good, although I shouldn't really care. Eric doesn't mind, and he's the only one who sees them; I'm pretty sure I won't be starting a career in topless dancing any time soon.

So to sum up, having huge pregnant breasts is at best a mixed blessing, at least for the one who has to carry them around.

Perinatologist Fun

I just got back from my 32 week perinatologist appointment. They did a sonogram to check the placenta and the baby's growth. Everything looks perfectly normal! Every time I have an appointment I leave relieved, because there's always that chance that they will find something wrong. I've been so lucky that I've had no complications. He's measuring in the 40th percentile for growth; not too small, not too big, but juuuust right at 4 lbs 4 oz. This time we didn't get any pictures because the little guy was asleep and face down. His feet were crossed and he looked so cozy in there. At least one of us can sleep comfortably!

Heavy Belly = Hurting Back

OK, time for some more pictures! Here's the latest of my growing front, at 32 weeks.

After seeing myself here I can tell why I'm having lower back problems! I really need to work on my posture. My poor back's not used to having to support all that weight.

And here are a few of the nursery. I still have a few finishing touches to work on but it's pretty much done. The theme is "Welcome to the jungle"! Eric wants to rig it so when you open the door the Guns n' Roses song plays, which I'm sure would be oh so soothing to a newborn. Actually, now that I think about it, to our child it just might be.

Big and Loving It!

That's the title of the chapter about the 7th month of pregnancy in one of my books. Incidentally, this particular book was written by a man, so I don't know how the hell he knows what it feels like to be seven months pregnant, but whatever.

Personally, I love being pregnant, but I don't love being big. In fact, I really, really, really don't love it. In the last few weeks I've developed sciatica from the baby putting pressure on my sciatic nerve, which sucks big time. I can't walk two steps without getting shooting pains down my lower back, hips and the backs of my legs. Plus my belly is just plain heavy. I never imagined it would feel this cumbersome. I keep looking at pictures of myself a year ago (or better yet, five years ago!) and wistfully remembering wearing size 6 jeans and sleeping on my stomach. The other day I was grocery shopping, wearing sweatpants and no makeup and dragging myself around the store like a dying animal when a woman with a young child approached me. "You look great!" she said. "Really, you look fabulous!" I could have kissed her. I'm sure she saw me and thought, "Wow, that girl looks like she's about to pop right here in the cereal aisle, I should give her some encouragement." And you know what? I'll take it.

But I have to repeat: I really do love being pregnant! It has its discomforts for sure, but nothing is better than feeling my baby kick me and do somersaults and get hiccups. It's absolutely the coolest thing I've ever experienced. So if I have to have the fatness and the sciatica and the fatigue, that's totally fine with me.

Smiling Fetus

This morning I had a visit to my wonderful perinatologist. Because of my blood clotting disorder (Factor V Leiden and MTHFR), they monitor me every so often to make sure the placenta is doing what it's supposed to and the baby is growing correctly. It's always more than a bit nerve-racking lying on the table with squishy gel all over for my belly, waiting for the doctor to tell me if my baby's OK. This morning's appointment couldn't have been better. Eric came with me, which always helps calm me down. I love my perinatologists. There are two of them in the office, and today we got Dr. G. He's Italian and apparently one of the best peri's in the country. He's also very warm and good at answering my neurotic questions, which is a really big deal to me. There is nothing worse than a doctor who doesn't take you seriously and brushes off your concerns, particularly when they have to do with the well-being of your unborn child.

Anyway, today Dr. G did a long scan where he measured each body part and scrutinized the placenta - sort of an extended Level II ultrasound. He hummed a song from "Carmen" the whole time, which made me less nervous, because I knew he wouldn't be humming opera if something was horribly wrong. Everything was measuring right on target, except for the head, which is measuring two weeks ahead. YIKES. Eric assures me this is typical of the babies in his family, which gives me new respect for his mother. Also, we've taken to calling the baby "Heed!" in honor of our favorite scene from "So I Married an Axe Murderer."

The great news - things looked so normal that Dr. G decided we don't have to go back for monitoring until I'm 32 weeks - 6 weeks away! I also discussed with him what had been suggested to me several appointments back, that I would probably need to be induced because I'm taking Lovenox. (Lovenox is an injection I give myself every night. It helps prevents clots from forming in me or in the baby. If I were to go into labor spontaneously having taken it in the previous 24 hours, giving me an epidural could paralyze me for life. That would suck if I wanted pain relief and couldn't have it, and it could be really dangerous if I needed an emergency C-section because they would have to use general anesthesia. Also, because it's a blood thinner, Lovenox increases the risk of hemorrhaging during delivery, which wouldn't be good either.) Dr. G said he thought it would be perfectly safe for me to discontinue the medication at 36 weeks. I'll be monitored twice a week, and given that I've never had a blood clot, things should be fine and I'll go into labor on my own. That was a huge relief to me, because I would rather not be induced if it's at all possible.

And the best part - we got to see our baby again, and now he's really starting to look like a baby. We got some new pictures to take home. I don't know if it's even possible, but I swear in the first one he's smiling. What do you think?



And a profile shot. It's a little blurry because he didn't want to hold still.



I'm totally amazed at how much I already love this little guy. I can't even imagine what it will feel like to actually be able to hold him in my arms.

Belly Shots

Yep, there's definitely a baby in there! Or maybe a growth-enhanced alien of some sort...

Here's me at 19 weeks, the day before we found out the gender:


And here's me today, at 24 weeks.


24 weeks from the front. AHHHH!!

Time to Catch Up

Once again, I've fallen seriously behind. So here's my half-assed attempt to catch up.

December 20th: We had our Level II ultrasound, The Big One. Everything looked healthy and robust. The baby tossed and turned and kicked and waved so that we got a good look at every inch of that little body. Then when the tech needed to get a good shot of the spine, the baby very uncooperatively curled up and fell asleep. No amount of poking, prodding, jumping, walking up and down the hallway or drinking cold water would wake it up. "Yep," said Eric, "that's YOUR baby." And the big news: it's a boy! I was shocked when the tech told us, because I was sure it was a boy, so sure that I was convinced I must be wrong. I've never been so surprised to be right. Maybe there is something to this "mother's intuition" stuff after all. Or maybe I had a 50% chance of being right no matter what.

December 21st: We flew to Utah to visit my family for the holidays. It was an amazing trip. My parents wouldn't let me lift a finger. The best Christmas gift I got was that my morning/all day sickness magically subsided a few days before we left. I found myself suddenly having an appetite again, just in time for mom's cooking. She made roast beef with mashed potatoes, lemon chicken, clam chowder, steaks on the grill, all of my favorites, and man oh man did I eat! I made up for lost time. At Christmas Eve dinner we announced that we're having a boy by giving my parents a wrapped picture framed with a card inside that said "Congratulations Grandma and Grandpa...You're having a grandson." Mom and Dad both cried, and the siblings all screamed and jumped up and down, even my 10 year old sister Tanne who was hoping for a girl. The best part of the trip was being with my whole family. It was the first time we had all been together for Christmas in a long time. Tanne said it best: "Gathering our family together is my favorite thing in the world."

January 9: I had my first monitoring appointment with our perinatologist. She did an ultrasound of the placenta and major blood vessels to make sure the blood flow to the baby is adequate. Everything looked fine, and she reassured me by saying that after carefully reviewing my history she has every reason to believe that this baby will be born full term and healthy. I will still be monitored carefully because of my Factor V Leiden/MTHFR issues, but she expects a good outcome.

Today: I can't believe how big I am getting. Eric gapes at me when I'm getting dressed and I don't recognize my own body anymore. The baby is very active, and his kicks and punches are getting stronger. Last night while I was in the bathtub he kicked me and my whole belly moved. It startled me and I squealed, then laughed. I'm feeling wonderful, tired most of the time, but so good compared to my first 19 weeks that I'm like a different person. And I have an appetite! I'm starving an hour after I've had a big meal. My focus has to change from trying to get the scales to move up, to making sure they don't move up too far.

OK, now I'm caught up and can post like a normal person. Ultrasound pictures and shots of my ginormous belly coming soon!

I'm baaack!

Since I've been gone from the blogging world for over a month now, I'll give you a quick summary of what I've been up to.

1) Moving. Luckily I've already blocked most memories of this event in an effort to keep my sanity, so you'll be spared the details. The best thing I can say about it is it's OVER.
2) Throwing up. Yep, after eleven and a half weeks of nausea with no puking whatsoever, I graduated into the Nausea With Upchuck phase. Now I'm at 16 weeks and still going strong, despite the assurance of my midwife that once I got past 13 weeks or so I would feel much better. I'm luckier than some of my friends who can't keep anything down, but not nearly as lucky as those who feel healthier and sexier than ever before during the second trimester. To those women, I eloquently say, "Bite me."
3) Growing. Although at my last doctor's appointment I had lost 5 pounds, I am definitely growing in pregnant ways. My little bump is decidedly bigger and there's no way I could zip up my old jeans anymore. I'm living in maternity pants. And my breasts have pretty much taken over, which is a completely foreign experience for me. I miss my old ones. So all of this makes me wonder: where am I losing the weight? (Please be my butt, please be my butt!)
4) Feeling the baby move. This is by far the coolest part of pregnancy I've experienced yet. I can't feel kicks yet, but for about a week or so I've been feeling little flutters when I'm lying on my side.

Believe it or not, that's pretty much it. See, you weren't really missing much after all. It's good to be back.

Eleven Weeks and Moving

Up until just a few days ago I didn't look pregnant. My friends can tell that I've been getting bigger since about eight weeks, but people who don't know I'm expecting probably just think I've been eating too many Pringles. Well, here I am at eleven weeks and I now have a definite bump. I suspected I would show early because I have a short torso; there's not anywhere for my belly to go but out. I was right, and here's the proof.



I'm going to be scarce for the next week or so because we're moving to be closer to Eric's work. It will be a good change, but I'm not looking forward to the packing/loading up/moving process (who does?) Especially since my nausea is getting worse every day. I barely have the energy to do a load of laundry so I have no idea how I'm going to pack all of our belongings. I'll post about it soon, but it might take me a while to do it with humor.

Trying to be Normal

Yesterday I had my first appointment at my OB/Midwives office. It was my first step in transitioning from IVF patient to regular pregnant person, and I was more than a bit disoriented by the whole thing. I realized how accustomed I had become to my RE's posh office with leather furniture, expensive artwork, great magazines, a cappuccino bar, and free samples everywhere. I guess because their patients are all paying thousands of dollars out of pocket they feel like they have to present a luxurious day-spa like environment. Often I would get so comfortable in the waiting room with my feet up in a reclining chair that I would forget I was about to have metal objects stuck in my nether regions, feeling instead that it was about time for my facial and seaweed wrap. So by comparison my new OB's practice looks extremely ghetto. Where were the sugar cookies on the table? Why didn't the receptionists and nurses all know me by name? Did they really expect me to wait on an ugly orange tweed chair that had probably been there since 1968?

Once I met the midwife, Karen, I felt better. She was extremely nice and seemed almost as excited about my pregnancy as I am. The more I learn about this practice the more I like it. There are 5 doctors and 8 certified nurse midwives. It's a collaborative practice so I'll see each doctor and each midwife at some point during this pregnancy. When I go into labor there will be a doctor and a midwife at the hospital. The midwives deliver, or as they say, "catch" 75% of the babies born in the practice; the doctor is there the whole time, but he only assists in the labor if there is a complication. The midwife is there with you the whole time you are in labor, as opposed to nurses popping in and out to check on you every once in a while and a doctor coming in at the very end to deliver. I feel good about having the support of a midwife, but also having the extra comfort of having doctors involved because of my Factor V Leiden (a gene that contributes to excessive blood clotting and miscarriage). The doctors will also be consulting with a perinatologist to make sure I'm being treated correctly during pregnancy, labor and delivery.

At this first appointment they checked all the basic things, urine, cervical cultures, breast exam, and fundal height. I didn't need to have bloodwork done because I had so much done at the RE. The thing that freaks me out is that my next appointment isn't for four weeks. I'm accustomed to going in at least once a week. What am I going to do with all this extra time?