12 Weeks

I was looking back at the “secret” blogs that I’ve been keeping, and it looks like after the 9 week post I fell off the wagon.  Whoops.  Luckily for all of us, I sent my Mom and my Mother-in-law  an “update e-mail” after my 12-week appointment, which refreshed my memory on the events that occurred.

I guess the only thing to report from then until now is that I had a doctor’s appointment at 12 weeks and had part one of my “first trimester screening” done.  See explanation of what they test for from my first pregnancy, but basically I weighed in and gave a urine sample as usual, saw the doctor, had some blood drawn and got an ultrasound.  I saw Dr. G this time around, whom I love, and she was in and out very quickly.  My blood pressure was still fine, and was still lower than last pregnancy, which I was pleased about (although I can't remember/didn't note the exact number).  Dr. G was pleased as well, although she did disclaim that preeclampsia does not typically present this early in the pregnancy.  My urine was protein-free, and at 12 weeks I had gained 2 pounds.  I was pretty proud of this fact until I looked back at the blog and noted that I hadn't even gained a full pound at this point last time around.  Sigh.  

The ultrasound portion of the appointment was obviously the most fun, and we got some great photos.  It appeared per the ultrasound that our chances of Downs or Trisomy 13 are very low and that Baby Baum 2.0 is perfectly healthy, but the blood work would confirm.  Baby’s heart rate was 154 beats per minute, which they said was normal.  I looked back and found my post about Lilly’s first trimester screening and her heartbeat was 148 bpm at that appointment, so who really knows what that means.  This baby also appears to be very mellow compared to Lilly.  I remember that even before I could feel her moving, at every ultrasound L was a wiggle worm and moved all over the place.  This baby just chilled the entire time.  The ultrasound tech even said, “Well, it appears that this one is going to be your mellow baby.”  I guess we’ll see!

The ultrasound tech was able to see a lot and the baby was cooperative, so we got a lot of 12-week photos.  Looks like Baby Baum 2.0 may already be a thumb sucker in utero just like his/her big sister!  We brought home around 10 photos, but I'll just post the photos below where you can tell what you're looking at, ha.  Disclaimer: sorry for the poor quality iPhone photos!

Dan thinks it looks like a boy.  He keeps saying things like, "don't you think this one's ultrasound pictures look more like a boy?"  I hate to break it to him, but at this point I still think sweet Baby Baum 2.0 still looks like an alien.  We'll let him hope/dream.  

I also just realized that I have been terrible about weekly updates (as in there aren't any yet), so I need to get on the ball with those at some point.  I did find two “bump pictures” on my phone that I sent to my Mom and sisters.  I can’t figure out how to tell exact dates when they were taken on my iPhone because I am technologically challenged, but the first two are from somewhere in the 11-week time frame and the last one was taken sometime between 13-14 weeks:

For comparison purposes, here is what sweet Lilly looked like at 12 weeks:  

I have learned quickly that you show a LOT sooner the second time around.  I could still button my normal pants at 12 weeks this time around, but I needed to make sure to wear looser-fitting shirts to avoid the muffin top, and maternity pants were already more comfortable than buttoning my regular pants.  All of my doctors, nurses and girlfriends have told me that this is totally normal, but it’s the one thing so far that has been different from last time – pretty sure my bump wasn’t that size until the end of October with L.  As a result, I have NO weather-appropriate maternity clothes.  Luckily my sister let me borrow a few of hers.  I just hope I am not carrying around a tiny whale/elephant in there, oy!

At the end of this appointment, I scheduled an appointment for 16 weeks.  I asked if I got an ultrasound, to which they replied no, so that either means they'll make me wait until 20 weeks for the gender OR they will let me come in for just an ultrasound at 18 weeks (fingers crossed).  

That’s all for now, and I think I’m almost caught up wahoo!!  

Sarah

First Trimester Screening

I know, I know...I have been slack about posting for the past few days!  It has been an insanely busy few days between work, traveling home from out of town and my doctor appointment, but I hope that this post will  make up for it. :-)

Today I had a pretty big ultrasound - my first trimester screening.  It involved a blood test combined with an ultrasound to scan for Down Syndrome, Trisomy 13 & 18 and Cystic Fibrosis.  For those of you who don't know (I didn't) - Trisomy 13 & 18 are both caused by chromosomal defects.  13 occurs in about 1 out of every 10,000 newborns and interferes with normal development.  Symptoms include, but are not limited to: cleft lip or palate, clinched hands, extra fingers or toes, seizures, and mental retardation among other things.  18 is a disorder which occurs in about 1 out of every 3,000 births and is more potentially life-threatening - it results in a lot of stillbirths.  While none of these disorders would change our mind, most are mandatory tests, and either way we are OK with being prepared.

Because of the nature of the tests, they had to be done between weeks 11-13.  I am almost to week 13, which is unfortunate because we didn't really have a lot of time to work with.  I've been traveling for business and could not come home mid-week, which limited us to Mondays or Fridays.  Also, Dan was out of town for "work" (I use the term "work" lightly, as he is in NOLA with a bunch of his work friends for some sort of lobbyist cult event), so he had to miss it!  I was so bummed, but my Mother was not, as I invited her to come with me to the appointment.  She and Aunt Niecey made the trek to Raleigh last night, and we had a fun-filled girl night of homemade peach daquiris (virgin for me, of course) and watching the Nick Lachey & Vanessa Minillo wedding special (loved it!).

I went in and peed in a cup and weighed in like normal, and then went to talk to a Doctor (first time I've seen a Doctor at this practice - so far it's only been nurse practitioners and ultrasound technicians).  Today I saw Doctor Buckley, who was very nice.  He walked me through the tests and what they entailed, and explained a little about each.  We won't know the results for a week, and he noted that a positive test does not necessarily mean anything - it may be a false positive or it could simply mean that I am at higher risk - and he cautioned me not to worry about anything (he clearly doesn't know me).  Little did he know what he was getting into when he asked how the pregnancy was going - I am pretty sure he almost fell out of his seat when I told him I think there's enough backed up poop clogging up my colon to fill up a whole street block (What?  TMI on the pooping again?  SBI...kinda.).  Enter a prescription for a prenatal vitamin with stool softener, as well as instructions to take a fiber supplement, Miralax, and drink 6-8 cups of water DAILY.  In case you are a visual person, here is what constipated looks like:

Add to that the prenatal vitamins and water, and I'll have a whole medicine cabinet taking up my kitchen counter.  The water should not be a problem; I've been pretty good about drinking 6-8 glasses/day so far - the other stuff should be interesting.  Let's just hope it works, before I have to call nice Dr. Buckley back in a state of gestational psychosis and "flat lay a cussin' on him," as my Granny would say.

Next was the fun part - the ultrasound!  I really hate that Dan couldn't make this one, because it was by far the coolest one yet.  It was the longest - they were taking lots of measurements - and the most exciting part was, Baby Geronimo actually looks like a REAL BABY instead of a peanut-looking-blob-like-thing (side note: Dan, if you are reading this - the ultrasound technician assured me with 100% certainty that we are in the clear - no twinsies for us!  WAHOO!)!  Again, for your viewing pleasure:

Look!  Real live baby!  Head is to the right, and you can see his/her little arms and legs, too! 

Another full-body shot - I can't tell if that alien looking thing is a hand, or what, but it looks kinda cool, right?



This is a sort of aerial view from the bottom - legs & feet!

 

Another full-body shot, with the heart rate measurement along the bottom

Another side note: I've been trying to figure out how to put some of my pictures side by side, but I am technologically challenged and can't get it to work right.  Maybe I will bribe someone into teaching me.  Anyway, Baby Geronimo is measuring at 7 cm - it's amazing that the whole body is so defined now for it to still be so small! - and his/her heartbeat is a perfectly healthy 148.  The baby squirmed and moved for the duration of the ultrasound, and it was truly incredible to watch...I told Dan that the baby can't sit still and must take after him in that regard!  Of course Mom cried, but not as much as I did - I am a sap and could not contain the tears today!  They were worse than normal, if you can believe it.  Thanks, Mom, for coming to the appointment with me - how special that we got to do this together!  My next appointment is actually next Friday, but it's just a check-up, so I'll be talking with the nurse practitioner again. I think the one after that will be to find out the sex.  Who wants to help me talk Dan into a fun gender reveal party for family and close friends?  COME ON it would be SO FUN!

We shared our good news with the world today in an official Facebook announcement - sooooo addicted to social media, I know.  It was both incredible and humbling to see the outpouring of love, support and congratulations we got.  Baby B, you are already so loved and you're not even close to making an appearance!  Speaking of, if you want a good old-fashioned ugly cry, head over to my bestie's blog and check out the super sweet post that she dedicated to Dan and I and Baby. I am warning you, it will start you out rolling on the floor laughing, but do not be fooled - by the end you'll be all snot-nosed and puffy-eyed.  We love you guys!

We don't have any huge weekends plans, and I'm excited about that because it will be the last in-town-non-busy weekend for a while.  Tonight, we're grabbing dinner with our besties.  Tomorrow or Sunday I am ***hoping*** to get around to cleaning out my closet to make room for and organize the maternity clothes I've already been given.  And tomorrow we are going to a pool party and cookout for our friends Grant & Emily so that we can meet their baby girl Olivia.  We are so excited!  The last thing on our agenda is to hop back on the church-hunting train - a daunting task since I love my church family from Charlotte so much and have never know anything else!

That's all for now - baby's getting hungry for Mexican or pizza.  Happy Weekend to all!

Sarah

12 Week Update

I can't believe we're already to the 12 week mark!  Time is FLYING by, and it's stressing me out a little!  Somehow "28 weeks to go" sounds like so much less than "40 weeks to go."  My how it flies! 

I've (sort of) recovered from the other night's hotel debaucle and am excited to give you all the 12 week update:

Size of Geronimo: A plum!  He/she is getting bigger by the day.

Weight Gain So Far: I haven't checked this this week, because I'm kind of scared to.  I am feeling extra gross about myself and feel like I've been eating a TON.  I'll have to weigh in on Friday, so I'll report back in next week's update unless I've already graduated to whale status.

Cravings: Still varies, but ice cream is the most consistent thing I want all the time.  I have found that I'd much rather eat junk food - anything salty or sweet - than things that are healthy for me.  Not sure if that's normal or even considered a craving.

Aversions: Still nothing to report here, except this week there was an incident.  I ordered a margherita pizza the other night at dinner and it was smothered in pesto (do they always have pesto on them?  I didn't think they did and I guess I didn't read the menu very well). I legitimately thought I was going to barf right there on the table when it was delivered to me.  Luckily, my co-worker, Eric gave me a slice of his pizza (it was pepperoni), but just the smell of the pesto pretty much ruined my dinner - I didn't have an appetite after that.

Symptoms: Still constipation, ugh.  Also still tired, but hoping that the second trimester will bring extra energy like all of my girlfriends say it will.  Nauseated feeling is still pretty consistent, too.  Recent additions to this category are headaches - a lot of them - and dizziness.  There have been a few times when I was sure I was going to pass out from being so dizzy.  I'll just have to get up more slowly, I suppose.  I'm not complaining, I know it's all worth it!

What I Miss: Being able to stay up past 9!  I am such an old lady.

Things I am Thankful For: Our amazing support system.  This week we told our parents that it was okay to start sharing the good news, and we've gotten such sweet and thoughtful e-mails and phone calls.  We are so grateful to be surrounded and loved by all of you, and we can't wait for Baby Geronimo to meet you all.  I am also thankful for the best investment we ever made: our tempur pedic bed.  Dear bed, I cannot wait to come home to you (and Dan and Layla too, of course)!

Signs of a Bump: It is still teeny, but it's definitely there!  See for yourself:

I had a serious internal debate over whether to post thise picture (it was taken last week).  I sent it to my Mom, Dan, Mother-in-law and sister-in-laws last week to see if they could see anything and they said yes, so I decided it was ok to post.   I'm so excited to have a bump, even a teeny tiny one, although my sister-in-law Andrea has assured me that I will be sad I wished for one in roughly 5 months.  I still can't really tell whether the current bump is just (a) me getting fat, (b) a lot of bloating, (c) the baby, or (d) all of the above.

Next Doctor Appointment: Friday!  This one's a big one, so I'll post an update afterwards.  I can't wait to hear the baby's heartbeat and see how big he/she has gotten!

I violated the "no bathing suits in front of co-workers" rule last night and we all went for a swim after dinner.  It was SO nice.  I wish I had a float and could have slept in the pool!  

Happy hump day!

Sarah