10-Week Belly and Ultrasound

Had my follow-up appointment today so the doctor could take a look at the blood clot. Thankfully, it's gone and the baby is growing very nicely. In fact, he/she finally looks like a human baby rather than alien offspring. Woo hoo!

The morning sickness is starting to subside, although I still have bouts of nausea and spontaneous gag fests. Fun, fun, fun. My stomach, which has been finicky for the last 10 years, is irritated ten times more now that I've thrown pregnancy in the mix. I've been banished to blandville when all I want is some salsa, pizza, pasta and everything else I can't have. But I suppose it's better than dealing with reflux all day.

Below is a picture of my 10-week ultrasound and my 10-week belly.

10 weeks 3 days

9-Week Belly

Here's a picture of my sexy belly bloat that we took yesterday at 9 weeks 2 days.

9 Weeks

My pants no longer fit over my stomach. I've had to devise creative ways to keep them up using paper clips and hairbands. I'm not big enough for the real deal - maternity clothes - and I refuse to buy anything a size bigger because the only thing that's bigger at this point is my stomach, not my hips or thighs (thankfully!).

I'm at the stage where I'm still in the throes of morning (a.k.a. "all day") sickness and despite the fact that I should be eating every few hours, planning meals is virtually impossible. What sounded like a good idea at 10 o'clock might be revolting at 10:15. Although, I have been able to find comfort with McDonald's cheeseburgers and sicilian pizza from the local pizzeria. Certainly not the healthiest of choices but I'm just glad that something sounds good.

I also noticed that I can't eat a full meal anymore. This is Kenny's new favorite joke. I'll complain that I'm STARVING and then I'll get something to eat, take a few bites and complain that I'm too full to finish. I cannot wait until I can eat like a normal person again.

Below is a picture of our ultrasound done at our 8-week appointment. The doctor said our little creature is growing nicely and the blood clot is much smaller so that's a big relief. She wants to see me at 10 weeks and then after that we'll go to the normal every 4 weeks schedule.

This was our first "official" baby appointment so they did the whole shabang with us. The PA reviewed 9 months of information in roughly 15 minutes. Then I was ushered to the lab where I begrudgingly gave 8 vials of blood. Yes, eight!! We go for a scan between weeks 11 to 13 where they can tell us if our baby is at risk for Downs Syndrome or Trisomy 18. A little scary. At 18 weeks we'll get to do the anatomy scan where we found out if we're having a boy or a girl. Can't wait!

9 Weeks

All's well that ends well

We had a bit of a scare today. I had some spotting on Saturday but just once and then nothing the rest of the day or all day Sunday. Last night I woke up to pee and I was spotting. Then I woke up this morning and each time I went to the bathroom I was spotting.

I called the dr but kept getting the answering service. I called my mom who works in the same building as my dr and she went downstairs and told them what was going on and gave them my number. I was able to get in this afternoon to have an ultrasound. Thankfully Kenny was able to get the rest of the day off and come with me.

I was a wreck. Anxious, heart racing, jittery, so tense - I didn't know what to do with myself. We got to the dr at 1:00 and were in the exam room by 1:30. But as with any dr's office, just because you're in the exam room it doesn't mean the waiting is over! The dr finally came in at about 2 and started the ultrasound.

Within about 30 seconds she said that she saw a healthy baby with a good heartbeat and I broke down. I can't even begin to describe the unbelievable relief I felt when I heard her say those words. We got to see the baby a.k.a blob on the screen and saw the flicker of the heartbeat. Amazing. Completely surreal that this little tiny being is growing inside me. She measured the baby at 7 weeks, 1 day, so one day behind what I was estimating. That moves our due date back one day to July 13th.

She found a blood clot and said that was probably why I was spotting and that it would probably bleed out a little at a time. She told me to take it easy - no heavy lifting or exercise (no problem there!) and to get lots of rest. We will go back next Tuesday for our regular 8-week appointment.

So now I'm just going to focus on taking care of myself and laying low for a while. Kenny burned some meditation CDs for me so I can relax at night after work. Hopefully those will do the trick!

7 weeks 1 day

Life at 6 Weeks Pregnant

So the morning sickness started out nice enough at 4 weeks - just a little nausea in the morning if I didn't eat by a certain time. I am now at the point where it's not constant but it kind of just shows up off and on throughout the day without warning. Which is really just plain rude. I have yet to tell anyone at work so I'm thanking God that I have a semi-private officle (our company's idea of an office which is basically a glorified cubicle) for when the gagging starts and that the girl who sits next to me is only part-time.

I have to eat - constantly - otherwise I start to feel sick, which is seriously not helping my waistline. Did I need the bacon on my egg sandwich yesterday morning? Maybe not. But the baby wanted it and whatever baby wants, baby gets. I'm eating fruit and vegetables every day (yay for me!) which I very rarely did before I got pregnant so this makes me feel better about myself. Sort of.

I also want to add that I. am. so. tired. All the time. I've read this is normal in the first trimester. This little fun fact doesn't help my expanding waistline as I've lost any desire to go to the gym after work for about the last two weeks. I bring a bag of gym clothes to work with me every morning. And then I carry said bag of gym clothes back home at the end of every day. (Maybe this can count as a workout?)

Now don't mistake my moaning for not being ecstatic about being pregnant. Other than the new fat roll I've acquired I have no real outward signs of being pregnant so I kind of forget every now and then. And then I remember and I'm so unbelievably grateful that I've been blessed with this incredible miracle growing inside my belly.

6 weeks

My List

I realize I’m still very early on in my pregnancy and haven’t yet hit the worst part of the first trimester (i.e., praying to the porcelain Gods) but I’m making a list anyway.

Things that make me happy:

• Being pregnant!
• Bowel movements
• My husband cleaning the pile of stuff that’s been loitering on his side of the room since we moved in 4 years ago.
• Being pregnant!
• Getting to sleep in on the weekends

Things that I could do without:

• Bloat
• The need to burp every 5 minutes
• The smokers who hover outside the building at work
• The need to “skip to the loo” every hour
• The cold weather (the “girls” added this one – at ease ladies!)
• Waking up in the middle of the night (refer to the 4th bullet above)

4 weeks 6 days

Introducing myself...

It’s official. Hubby and I are expecting a little bundle of pudgy goodness in about 8 months. We labored away for a good 6 months and finally got our thumbs up this past Monday. The three pregnancy tests I’ve taken so far say it’s so. I still have another 3 tests just sitting around in the cabinet so I plan to put those to good use too. It’s kind of fun seeing the plus signs and the word “pregnant” on the digital ones. I just like a little affirmation.

Truth be told, I’m a bit OCD and some might even say I have issues with control (my therapist for one). So this whole experience is either going to drive me to insanity or completely change my perspective. I can’t imagine having absolutely no control over what happens to my body, like whether or not I get morning sickness, whether the “girls” will be touching the floor when all is said and done (okay, that’s a slight exaggeration considering I’m not exactly Pamela Anderson - or anywhere near her for that matter) and all the other joys that come with pregnancy. But I’m really excited and looking forward to this wild ride.

4 weeks 4 days