Week 17 Prenatal Visit

Today we had our monthly prenatal visit.  Typically they check the baby's heartbeat with a doppler machine.  At our last monthly visit she couldn't find the heartbeat with the doppler so we had an ultrasound.  We were really hoping the same would happen today so that we could get a glimpse of the baby's sex, but the doctor found the heartbeat in about half a second.  She said it was a good, strong heartbeat and we all listened to it for a bit. Even with all the physical changes with my body, it is still reassuring to hear confirmation that there is a baby in there!

On Tuesday I slipped on our wood stairs and fell down the staircase.  I spoke to the OB on the phone and she assured me the baby would be ok.  Based on the subsequent headache, vomiting and bump on my head, I think I probably had a minor concussion from the fall.  Despite the OB saying the baby was fine, it still made me feel a lot better to hear the heartbeat today!  I'm sporting a 3 inch bruise on my bum and it hurts to sit, but otherwise I think I'm doing ok.  

At today's visit I also had blood drawn for the quad screen.  This is a set of tests that look for genetic defects, such as Down's Syndrome.  I assumed this test was done as a matter of course, but we were given the choice to have it or not.  We saw no reason not to have the test, so we signed the consent form.  The OB said if the results are positive we'll hear in about 3-4 days.  She said otherwise it takes weeks to get the results.

Our next visit is on Feb 19th, for the big 20 week ultrasound.  This is when we'll find out the sex of the baby, assuming Qbert is cooperating and presents the appropriate pose!  Don't forget to vote in our poll in the upper left corner of the page!

Prenatal Massage

Here we are in our 17th week and my body is starting to feel out of sorts.  After a few weeks of contemplating how nice a massage would be, I finally went today to get a prenatal massage.  The cost was daunting, but my back has been crying out for some TLC.  I really didn't know what to expect --- I envisioned a massage table with a big hole in the center where the baby bump goes.  Needless to say, this is not how they do it.  Instead, I was propped up on a myriad of pillows and just sank into them on my side.  The massage felt great.  The massage therapist taught me how to "roll under" when I want to flip sides during the night.  Instead of heaving the baby over you by rolling onto your back, you get on all fours and then shift to the other side.  I'll have to try that tonight and see how it works.  For the final portion of the massage she had me on my back, lying on two wedges.  This felt incredible.  She said I could sleep this way at home, but I'm not sure I could get myself out of the wedges on my own.  The only part of the massage I didn't really enjoy was when she said it was time to massage the baby and she started massage my bump (and, ahem, maternal fat stores).  I think she noticed I tensed up.  This was partly due to the fact that she was putting pressure on my bladder, which hadn't been emptied for at least 30 minutes.  She quickly moved on to other areas.  I think I'll definitely go back, as budget allows, for additional massages.

We received our first onesie and bib today!  A few weeks ago I went to Tom's office for lunch and they were having a health fair.  We wandered around and found a booth with baby stuff on display.  His company contracts with this company to provide a myriad of services - health care referrals, financial/legal referrals, etc.  They also offer a pack of books for pregnant couples.  The pack arrived today --- 4 pregnancy books, the onesie and bib.  I've been having to hold myself back from buying cute baby clothes, so it is fun to finally have *something* that is baby-sized!

Week 15

As of today we are 15 weeks pregnant, starting our 16th week.  We are 3/8 of the way there!  There hasn't been too much to report --- my belly "popped" over the weekend, or so I think.  My waistline has vanished.  I'm starting to waddle ever so slightly, which has me concerned.  It seems entirely too early to be waddling!

I was looking through old pictures and realized I never posted our home pregnancy test photos.  We actually took 5 tests.  The first one had the faintest, faintest, faintest line on it.  Subsequent tests taken over the next few days continued to show light lines, so we finally went the digital route.  It was after the digital confirmation that I pounced on Tom at some ridiculously early hour, screaming "We're pregnant!!!!".  Despite 5 tests, he still didn't believe it!  :)

We've settled on a rough design for our home remodel.  I am ever so hopeful it will be done before the baby is.  Hope springs eternal.  Tom and I are remodeling the nursery ourselves.  Tom demolished the built in sink and cabinets over the weekend.  We have yet to order new ones, but we still have 6 months to go.  I started ripping up the linoleum, although we're holding off on that until we have the new floor to put down.

Don't forget to vote in the boy/girl poll in the upper left of the page!!

For a better start in life...

"Laboratory tests over the last few years have proven that babies who start drinking soda during that early formative period have a much higher chance of gaining acceptance and 'fitting in' during those awkward pre-teen and teen years. So, do yourself a favor. Do your child a favor. Start them on a strict regimen of sodas and other sugary carbonated beverages right now, for a lifetime of guaranteed happiness."

So why won't my OB/GYN let me drink more than 1 diet soda a day???

Week 13 Checkup

We had our monthly prenatal checkup today. They couldn't find the baby's heartbeat using the Doppler machine so we had an ultrasound instead. This was our first abdominal ultrasound and it was certainly more comfortable than the transvaginal ones. Qbert was dancing up a storm in there! S/he waved to us at one point which was just awesome to see! The heartbeat was strong. Apparently the placenta is low-lying which could correct itself in time, we just have to wait and see. If it does not correct, it could lead to placenta previa. The doctor told us she wasn't telling us this to worry us, that it could correct on its own. Right, like I'm not going to worry... We should know more at our 20 week ultrasound.

Still, it was great to see the baby again and watch him/her move around!

2nd Trimester

Well, we've just about done it.  Or we have already done it.  Or we're in the middle of doing it.  It all depends on what method you use.  However you slice it, we're somewhere near the 2nd trimester.  I tried an online calculator to tell me when the 2nd trimester begins and it gave me the following answer - second trimester begins either Jan 3, Jan 13 or Jan 22, depending on if we're calculating by development, gestation, or conception.  Well, that clears things up.  However, we hit a big milestone over the weekend - 12 weeks!  This is the point when the risk of miscarriage falls considerably.  After our early scare at about 5 weeks this is an exciting benchmark.  We have a regular prenatal appointment on Thursday.  There won't be an ultrasound but instead we get to hear the baby's heartbeat via Doppler.  After that appointment, Tom is going to announce to his work that we're expecting, so it is a pretty big appointment for us.

We went to another baby store yesterday, "Baby Super".  It isn't as flashy as Babies R Us, but they seem to have a huge selection of furniture and strollers.  We really liked the quality of their cribs.  I read some online reviews that said they can take forever to ship furniture, so we'll probably have to pick something soon.  We did find a bedding pattern that we (meaning me) love.  Tom seems agreeable to the bedding pattern...  I think he's more focused on the cool features in the strollers.  My main concern with a stroller is that I can lift it into the car without putting out my back.

Here's the bedding pattern:

 

In other news, I exercised for the first time since the morning sickness started.  I finally felt well enough to go for a 3.5 mile walk.  I'm sure I'm going to crash this afternoon, though.

This evening we're signing the design contract for our home renovation.  I'm sure the contractor is going to laugh when I tell him I want everything done before the baby arrives.  Ah well, a woman can dream...

Disturbing Crib

Not much new on the baby front this week. Still having nausea, but it is getting better. I'm still exhausted most of the time and climbing the stairs completely winds me.

I looked at cribs online today and saw the most disturbing crib. It looks like the cages they use at the animal shelter for poor homeless critters. It is designed to hold 4 babies:
It is baby prison! This just seems wrong on so many levels.