34 Weeks

I had a growth ultrasound yesterday, and it's left me more confused than ever. According to the ultrasound, Lucy's clocking in at 5 lbs 11 oz, which is higher than average. Also, the amniotic fluid is higher than average as well. I have to have another ultrasound at my 36 week appointment and following I'll meet with the OB (I have been seen strictly by the midwives to this point.) I made the mistake of researching excessive fluid online, and the possible results have me terrified. I'm afraid I'll have to have a C-section. I'm afraid my water will break/gush so fast I'll have cord prolapse. I'm afraid even if she comes on her own time that she'll be so giant labor will be awful. I'm afraid that the fluid level is indicative of a birth defect -- that's my major concern. It's possible I'm completely blowing this out of proportion, but I don't need another unknown, another anxious thought in my head. I just want her to saunter out on her own time (before my due date) and be a perfectly healthy baby.

Also on the negative side of today's appointment, I'm up 9 lbs from the past 2 weeks, even though I have been consistently gaining 1 lb a week the past 4 weeks. I'm pretty sure most of that has to be water weight (my lower extremities are just now tree trunks), but still -- ugh. That's a total weight gain to date of 42 lbs. :(

On the PLUS side of the appointment -- we got to see her again via ultrasound! We saw her hiccup even! And this floored me -- she has HAIR. I was convinced she'd be a baldy like I was. I can't wait to see what color it is! From the u/s it just looks like little spiky fuzz.

I'm pretty confident she'll be here early, possibly in October. Time is ticking away so fast now. And I don't feel ready at all. A part of me wants to stay pregnant forever as crazy as that sounds! But so much of me just wants to be able to hold her in my arms and kiss her head and her chubby cheeks and breathe in the smell of her. I want to be her mommy in every way. But we'll need to have a chat about how she plans to make her entrance...

30 Weeks

Three-quarters of the way to meeting my baby girl! Apparently she's the size of a cabbage. I'm guessing she's around 3 lbs by now. Based on what I saw at the 4D ultrasound, 2 lbs of her are her cheeks. :)

I had my 30 week midwife appointment today. I'm still measuring at 30, which puts me right on track. (I was measuring at 30 two weeks ago as well.) I put on 2 more lbs for a grand total of 31 lbs at 30 weeks. Her heartbeat is at 140 and the midwife also believes she's head down now.

No new symptoms. I'm still battling the round ligament pain and constant peeing. I move like an elephant in slow motion, and when I'm on my back, I'm definitely a turtle who's landed on her shell. I get swollen ankles and feet when I'm doing a lot of walking.

We really haven't made much nursery progress other than getting the rug. My dad is coming over this weekend to help me hang curtain rods, and then I'll be testing out some curtains. We're also going to try finding her, and maybe us, a dresser.

We have our maternity session coming up on Sunday, and I'm so anxious. I set really high expectations for myself when I book a pro shoot, and I spent three hours in the mall tonight trying to find a new dress with absolutely no luck. I hate when I have a vision that I can't make work. So I'm going to try to use what I have. I'm also coming equipped with lots of different props, so maybe that will disguise any poor choices in wardrobe I make.

Invites arrived today for my baby shower which will be in three weeks! 

28 Weeks

Highlights of the past week

• Baby girl attended her first bridal shower and bachelorette party! Though I did have to tell her she won't be attending another b-party until she's 21. ;) I had a minor freakout when I thought the loud music/bass was keeping her up and active too long (parenting is going to be soooo mentally exhausting!), but I was then reassured she was most likely bouncing around in the womb, having a blast. 
• I signed us up for our Saturday childbirth class -- we go in early October. The bad part about that is it's 7 hours long! 
• I took my one-hour glucose test -- and passed! I don't know why, but I had convinced myself I was going to fail it and/or be diagnosed with GD. Bullet dodged. Pass the cookies.
• But I should maybe pass on cookies, considering I went up another 7 lbs this month. OMG. I'm now a total of 29 pounds up from starting weight. Surprisingly I'm not freaking out. Yes, I could make healthier choices, but I believe my body is going to do what it's going to do to grow this child. Weight can always be lost. 
• More progress made on the nursery, i.e. there's a freaking CRIB in my house!!! It's so surreal. I guarantee I'll be spending a lot of time in her nursery just staring in amazement that soon there'll be a little girl in it. Blows my mind a little more each day. 

Me, baby, and the beautiful bachelorette!

CRIB!

It's a ....

I nervously woke up the morning of June 20th thinking "This day will change my life." The timing couldn't be better -- after all it was our three year wedding anniversary, and instead of giving each other presents, our present was seeing our baby! 


But there was an obstacle in the course. At 9:30 am, my OB left me a voicemail: "Hi Amy, we're going to have to cancel your ultrasound today because the tech is sick and is going home with the flu." Commence epic meltdown. I begged the secretary and a patronizing office nurse, asking through sobs if there  ANY way I could just get a quick boy/girl check today. I literally couldn't wait one more minute, let alone another 5 days.


After seeing me cry, my work bestie emailed the office coordinator in OB about me (remember I work for the same health system).  Long story short, I was able to get my husband to come in 45 minutes later before the tech left. And without further ado...

I admit I was floored! Ever since conception I felt I was carrying a boy. I'm having a hard time mentally adjusting to the siwtch, but I'm still really happy. Best of all, she checked out healthy!


I feel like I can relate/handle a little girl better, plus the shallow part of me is thrilled to have a little lady to dress up in lace, ribbon, and bows and share my love of dresses. We're also close to a name. We had a top contender before we found out she was a girl, but we're not 100%. We are still using it, letting it roll of our tongues rather easily, so I'm pretty sure it will stick at this rate. 

Now we can really begin preparing!

16 Weeks

16 weeks! Just four more to halfway. Symptom-wise things are smooth. My food fixations are completely gone and I feel like I can make normal choices again ... ones of my own volition.

Sleeping is becoming a little rough, and I'm still crashing pretty early most of the week. Sadly I think it's the end of my tummy sleeping, which I'm devastated about; tummy sleeping was the easiest way for me to fall asleep. And I still somehow end up on my back, which is also against the rules.

My biggest complaint body-wise is that I feel like my back and other joints are rigid. Bending over is a chore already.

I had my 16 week midwife appointment Wednesday. I got to hear the little peanut's heartbeat again -- now in the 130s/140s (see video). The only negative? I'm already at a 10 lb. weight gain. I can't say I'm shocked -- after all, my appetite since week 5 has been incredible and let's just say I wasn't indulging in salads and steamed  veggies the past few months. I'm trying to focus on making better decisions now that I'm more in control of my cravings.

Our anatomy scan is scheduled for June 20 -- coincidentally our three year anniversary! <3

12 Weeks

Pregnancy is becoming more real. Or maybe it's hearing the heartbeat at this week's exam. I was feeling pretty guilty before this... like a robot for not feeling a bond with my baby yet. There are so many unknowns right now. As a Type A, planner type it's hard for me to plan ahead -- to know who this little person will be once on the outside. What will he/she look like? Act like? What kind of human will they grow to be? Will they be smart, athletic, funny, introverted, artistic? How will we be as parents? How will I survive the drawbacks of parenthood everyone seems to warn me about?

 It's sometimes easy to forget I'm physically pregnant -- I'm not quite showing, my symptoms are not strong, and no nursery or baby gear in sight. But when I find myself alone, I rub my belly and softly whisper to the little peanut. And it's then the overwhelming emotion washes over me.

The past two weeks I've been furiously buying maternity clothes. Getting dressed in the morning is my biggest nightmare anymore, so the more I can diminish that aggravation the better!

Hoping to get our reveal shoot done this weekend. If we do, our little peanut becomes Facebook official on Monday!

Baby's Hearbeat

Limes and Lab Work

I didn't pay much attention to the weekly fruit comparisons until 11 weeks, which puts my fetus at the size of a lime. A lime seems so much bigger than a prune! Yet when I hold the lime against my belly it seems so small. :-/  

Tomorrow I have my first physical with a midwife. I'm assuming they'll also try the doppler on me then to hear the heartbeat which is something we didn't do at my first ultrasound. I'm hoping the midwife won't mind if I pull out my iPhone to capture the sound of it. I want to play it again and again until the next time. I thought about investing in my own doppler, but based on my friends' experience, I think it would just make me more neurotic than I already am. Though I am MUCH more relaxed now than in early pregnancy. But now the labor and parenthood fears are cropping up. I assume that doesn't go away at any point.

First tri labwork I can check off my list! 9 vials of blood loss later, I'm actually feeling pretty good. I hear the next blood draw isn't until the glucose test, so my poor veins can rest easy for a bit. 

I had wanted to shoot our announcement photo this weekend, but the weather didn't cooperate. This may put my timeline a little back, but that's okay. As comfortable as I am about the viability of this pregnancy, I foresee some panicking after I hit "post." 

Early pregnancy fatigue is creeping back around; I'm exhausted by 7 pm. Also experiencing a little more nausea too. Those specific cravings have mostly subsided too. Maybe now I can finally eat more salads or something! :)