Week Fifteen

Happy Valentine’s Day!

 

Glen and I are celebrating Valentine’s day together at an exquisite seafood restaurant in Hershey called Devon. I made reservations in the late afternoon with the intention of making a dessert at home in the evening and watching a movie. I’m hoping that Netflix sends us Despicable Me. Rarely do Glen and I splurge on anything, so we decided to treat ourselves this weekend. I’m incredibly excited to be spending Saturday evening alone with my one and only Valentine, Glen.

 

Something very magical happened this week, I felt the baby move! It was to my complete surprise that I felt the baby move this early on, and definitely not what I expected. After going through a year and a half of analyzing my body and really getting to know it, I feel very sensitive to foreign happenings. I woke up early on Wednesday from a deep sleep, laying on my back. I typically don’t sleep on my back, but I must have rolled over while I was sleeping. I remember waking up and not being able to open my eyes because I was so tired and they were somewhat fused shut. So, I just stayed in that position very still and feeling completely relaxed with my eyes closed. All of a sudden I felt something strange and beautiful. For me, it felt like bubbles popping every 2 seconds or so in my lower abdomen. I guess you could compare it to gas bubbles you get in your abdomen, but softer and with more pattern. I just stayed completely still, with my hands on my stomach and enjoyed the bubbles until I fell back to sleep. I feel like maybe this was the baby’s way of saying “Hi Mom! I’m doing great in here but I can’t wait to see you in a few months”.

 

Our NT testing results came in this week. All of the tests came back normal. So that eliminates the probability of Down’s Syndrome and other chromosomal abnormalities.

 

Glen and I went window shopping this weekend at the Hershey Outlets. On our journey, we noticed that baby clothes are incredibly overpriced. Sleepers are $10-$25 each, and socks are $7-$10 each. Even baby essentials are incredibly expensive. Looking at these steep prices makes me feel grateful for all of the people in our lives who had children in the past year that are willing to give us some hand-me-downs. We also just had someone offer us their swing that was barely used for free. We just hope that we can continue to pass the gently used items that we receive on to our friends who will have children in the future.

 

During week 6, I remember thinking how far away the baby was from being an orange. I was particularly looking forward to this week’s fruit because I love oranges. For the record, I’m equally excited for next week, the avocado, since I love avocados! I do hope that everyone enjoys my wacky weekly baby comparison photos, I enjoy eating the fruit of the week after the photo is taken. I suppose that’s a little odd to “eat my baby” every week. 

 

 

Week 15: Naval Orange

Average size: 4 inches, 2.5 oz.

 

Continuing the march towards normal proportions, baby's legs now outmeasure the arms. And, finally, all four limbs have functional joints. Your fetus is squirming and wiggling like crazy down in the womb, though you probably still can't feel the movements.

Fifteen Week Bump photo

 

 

Week Fourteen

Even though the second trimester is a blessing, it also brings on some extra stress. I have officially lost all of my symptoms and with this came some concern. I just wanted to know that my baby was still there, and doing ok. I was really looking forward to this week’s NT scan, just so I could have reassurance.

 

On Sunday, my Mom and I decided to go test out some strollers and look at some baby supplies in Lancaster. We didn’t end up finding the particular stroller that I wanted to test, but we did find a bunch of cute nursery sets and furniture. We scanned the pack and plays and car seats and even looked at baby clothes. It was a nice way to spend the afternoon. After we returned from Lancaster, we ate out at the Cracker Barrel restaurant, which hit the spot completely. I think that their raspberry lemonade is my new favorite drink.

 

On Monday (1/31/2011), my Mom and I had lunch at Café Fresco, then we headed over to the hospital for my NT scan. We waited around for about 15 minutes until my name was finally called. Wendy Glatfelter, the genetic councilor, took us back and went over the reasons for the test and what to expect. Basically, they are going to be looking for signs of chromosomal abnormalities such as Down’s syndrome and Trisomy 18 and 13. After talking to the councilor, we were taken back to the waiting room until our ultra sound tech, Kristy, came to get us for the ultra sound. The purpose of this ultrasound is to take measurements and look for signs of abnormalities. It was a nice, long ultra sound that was really enjoyable to watch. My Mom and I were “ohhh-ing” and “ahhh-ing” throughout as the baby moved around. We could see a nice strong heartbeat of 157 bpm, and the baby even did some flips and flops. When we first saw the baby, it was drinking the amniotic fluid, which I thought was adorable. The baby also showed off its hands, legs and feet. We could vividly see that baby had all ten fingers and all ten toes. The doctor came in shortly after to confirm that the measurements looked very good and brought in a nurse who took my blood. I had to get a finger prick, which is probably the worst way to have your blood taken, in my opinion. I just hate having my finger pricked! Even though I haven’t received my full results of the scan, I feel that everything is fine with baby Charron.

 

Ever since Monday, I’ve been thinking about an Ice Cream Snickers bar. I probably haven’t had one in years, and all of a sudden, I really had to have one. After days of fighting my temptation, I finally asked Glen to pick one up from the store. Glen has been really supportive and accommodating throughout the pregnancy so far, so gladly agreed to get one for me. Once he brought it home, I decided that I no longer wanted it. I think the hardest part about having cravings, is that they soon turn into food aversions and if you don’t act right away, you’ll miss your opportunity completely. Luckily, I have an understanding husband!

 

So this week, I’m really craving pickles, Oreo cookies, BLT’s, grape Gatorade, white fish, and shrimp. I’m still hating chocolate candy and most meats are not appetizing. The thought of a hamburger or piece of chicken makes me feel sick to my stomach. Greasy foods aren’t really agreeing with me moment either.

   

 mmm...pickles

 

 

I attached some ultra sound photos, including the infamous “hand” photo. I hope you enjoy them!

 

And here is a video of our baby drinking. 

 

Week 14: Lemon

Average size: 3.4 inches, 1.5 oz.

 

Your adorable little fetus is busy with thumb sucking, toe wiggling, and (not so cute but equally amazing) making urine and breathing amniotic fluid as the liver, kidneys and spleen continue to develop. Lanugo (thin, downy hair) is growing all over the body for warmth.

 

 

Week Thirteen

At thirteen and a half weeks, I’m officially in my second trimester. The second trimester is often referred to as “the honeymoon stage” because your sickness usually completely disappears, you have much more energy, and you’re not too big that you’re incredibly uncomfortable to sleep. I have definitely been looking forward to the start of this trimester and I hope that it doesn’t go too quickly.

 

So what’s on my 2^nd trimester agenda? Well, a lot, actually! To start things off I have a NT scan scheduled for 1/31/2011. NT stands for Nuchal Translucency and basically it’s a scan to check for potential abnormalities such as down’s syndrome. Initially I wasn’t going to get the NT scan, but after thinking about it, I decided that a) I want to be prepared and knowledgeable should my baby have a potential abnormality and b) because I’m greedy and I just really want to get another ultrasound. I’m going to include these results and photos in my week 14 entry, even though I will be getting the NT scan done at the conclusion of my 13^th week.

 

After this, my next regular OB visit is set at 16 weeks on 2/16/2011, then a few weeks following that I will have my “big” ultrasound where the anatomy may be revealed. Hopefully we can get a pretty definite answer on the sex of the baby so we can start planning out the last month and a half of the second trimester. If things go as planned and we know the sex, Glen and I will be busy shopping, putting together baby’s nursery, picking out names, and possibly even starting a gift registry with Babies R Us. I’m also looking forward to sporting a cute baby bump and shopping for maternity clothes.

 

I don’t have too much to share other than I’m starting to feel like a normal person, and my bloat has gone way down, leaving me with a miniscule little bump (which in all reality, is probably just my uterus). 1 trimester down, and I’ve gained 3 pounds, which is right on track for my ultimate desired weight gain.

 

Everyone seemed to enjoy my week 12 post about my maternity top, so I thought I’d share week 13’s maternity purchase. I had a credit from a previous purchase I made at Ann Taylor Loft, which I was able to finally use on a sweet Summer-y maternity dress. My intent is to wear this to some upcoming weddings, one in Late April and the other in early June. 

 

 

 

 

Also, to update you all on my work happenings, my title change and status change to “exempt” are officially going into effect for the next payroll. No more worrying about taking my paid time off or working extra long hours to try to make up for lost time for lengthy appointments. 

 

I hope you enjoy the week 13 peach photos. I was feeling silly this week!

 

 

Week 13: Peach

Average size: 2.9 inches, .81 oz.

 

Your fetus is forming teeth and vocal cords... savor this, their non-functional phase. Baby is approaching normal proportions, with a head now only one third the size of the body. Intestines are in the process of moving from the umbilical cord to baby's tummy. (Much more convenient.)

 

 

 

Week Twelve

Wow! I can’t believe I’m 12 weeks already! This is quite a milestone.Why is it a milestone? Well, "they say" (not sure who "they" is but whatever) that the chance of miscarriage drops significantly to less than 2% after week twelve.

This has been a pretty good week for me both in real-life and in pregnancy world. Let me start with the pregnancy stuff. One very big change in pregnancy world is that my morning sickness is dissipating. I still get waves of nausea throughout the day, especially if I’m hungry, but it’s a huge improvement from weeks prior. I’m definitely still feeling fatigue, especially in the afternoons around 2:00pm, but I feel so much better now that I’m not nauseous all day. My pants are getting tighter as the weeks go by and I’ve started to unbutton them the entire way and wear longer shirts this week. I wouldn’t say they are too tight, I would say that it’s just uncomfortable how they fit around my rapidly growing waist. It’s hard to believe that in another 8 weeks, I’ll have a definite baby bump and I’ll know the sex of our little sweetie.

I started browsing maternity tops this week and found one that I really love! I found it on the Motherhood Maternity website. Again, I’m not too keen on most maternity clothes because a lot of them remind me of tents so when I find something I actually like, I’ll probably pick it up as long as it’s within what I’m willing to spend. The shirt that I really love is dark purple and more fitted. It’s also something I would wear in real-life without a baby belly which really appealed to me. I went to two different Motherhood stores in the Harrisburg Area and couldn’t find it at either so I ended up ordering it online. I posted a photo for those that are curious. Ha, a day after I wrote this blog entry, all sizes were sold out with the exception of XL. I'm so glad I jumped on the small's while they were still available!

 See, isn't it cute?    

This is also the week that Glen and I got to share the big news with some of our closest friends. My good friend, Emily, arranged a girls night at a new sushi grill which was a golden opportunity to share the news with the girls. Glen then got the guys together for wings and told them our news. Everyone seemed really excited for us and we both had a great time. I really wanted to let my closest friends know a few weeks ago and I was pretty stuck on wanting to tell them in person but I never had the opportunity until now. I feel like a weight has been lifted from me in a way, because we can be a little bit more open about it and we know that we have a lot of love and support from everyone.

The one not-so glamorous side of this week is that I have a bacterial infection (BV) which I needed to be placed on antibiotics. The antibiotics leave me with an awful metallic taste in my mouth and they are hard to swallow. The metal taste usually goes away within 2 hours, but those two hours are brutal! I just try to hide the taste by eating loads of Skittles.The bad thing about BV is that if untreated, it can cause miscarriage in the 2nd trimester and pre-term labor, so I'm taking my yucky meds as directed.

So my non-pregnancy news includes a nice new raise in salary! I found out this week that my position was slightly underpaid and the company decided to make the salary for my position more competitive in the market by bumping me up a pay grade. To go along with this, my supervisor is trying to get my title changed along with changing me to an Exempt status in a few months. What this could mean is that I would get paid a flat weekly salary instead of being paid hourly. The benefit to this is that I am not required to work a set amount of hours, so when I have doctor appointments, I can leave for them and come back without taking vacation or making my hours up. Right now, I’m either using vacation or I’m flexing my time and working longer days on days that I don’t have appointments. This is manageable, but honestly, it would be so much easier if I was made exempt.

All in all, this was a pretty wonderful week. 

 Week 12: Plum

Average size: 2.1 in, .49 oz

As you move into the second trimester, baby shifts into the growth and maturation stage. After weeks in the critical development stage, almost all of baby's systems are fully formed. 

Week Eleven

This week I had two OB/GYN appointments. The first appointment was on 01/13/2011 with the OB nurse, Pam. Pam was super nice and sincere. She asked me a lot of questions about my medical history and family history, as well as Glen’s. She then went over a couple of materials and tried to calculate my due date, although wasn’t successful due to my cycles being irregular. I had some blood work done, my weight checked, and got to pee in a cup (which I always seem to miss and get my hand, doh!) The nurse then went over foods that I couldn’t have such as fish high in mercury, soft cheeses, and deli/processed meats. I don’t know if I’m really craving these items, or if I just want them because someone tells me I can’t have them, but I would just LOVE to bite into a turkey sub or have some sushi! My new sushi substitute these days is a simple cucumber roll with extra ginger. The roll helps curb my craving and the ginger on top eases my nausea.

My second OB appointment was on 01/14/2011 with nurse Bristol and nurse practitioner, Amy Stauffer. Bristol was wearing Hannah Montana scrubs, which made me giggle. Amy Stauffer was extremely nice. She answered all of my questions and gave me a list of over the counter drugs that I’m allowed to take as well as some tips for morning sickness. I can’t wait to go home and review all of the pregnancy materials.

Amy did a couple tests and gave me a ultra sound “just for fun”. At first nothing showed up on the screen, then as she slowly moved to the left we finally saw the baby. It was hanging out on the very far left of my uterus, she also said the baby was positioned “up front” (whatever that means). I couldn’t believe my eyes! My baby looked like a baby for the first time ever! The little arms and legs were waiving around and it was positioned head pointed down. She took a few photos for me and checked the heartbeat. I was pleasantly surprised to hear the heart rate at 180 bpm. Amy said that it was a very strong heartbeat which indicates a strong baby. Our little sweetie is measuring 39 mm, which is about 1.54 inches-just perfect! Amy then confirmed that the baby is measuring 11 weeks and 2 days! This is a little ahead of schedule giving me an official due date of August 4^th, 2011.

Glen didn’t get to go to the appointment because he was home sick with the stomach flu, but he was really excited to see the photos and said “Wow, it looks like a baby!” and “I can’t wait to hold it”. We are both really excited to be parents!

 

Week 11: Lime

Average size: 1.6 inches, .25 oz.

Your fetus currently enjoys a 1:1 ratio between body and head, and has skin so transparent that blood vessels show right through. But, fingers and toes are no longer webbed, and hair follicles, tooth buds and nail beds are forming -- setting up a significantly more attractive future.

11 week/2 day Ultrasound Photo

Week Ten

This week was definitely my most “interesting” week so far. Monday morning I was severely throwing up everything I ate. Initially, I thought it was a bad morning sickness day, but as the day went on and vomiting increased (both in size and frequency) I concluded that something else was wrong. I ended up going home at 2:30pm (remember that I had been at work since 7am and vomiting since 6am). Once I got home, I had a fever and couldn’t get warm. I had 7 blankets on me and was shivering! With every sip of water I took, ten times that amount came back up seconds later. I ended up taking it easy and resting as best as I could. My so-called rest was really tossing and turning so much that I formed one giant dread-lock in my hair. I ended up combing that out two days later and losing a ton of hair…oops!

 

On top of all of the stomach bug sickness, I also caught a head cold. The cold itself was tolerable, but the headache that came with it was brutal. It felt like I had drank a bottle of vodka the night before and I was experiencing a hangover headache. I gave in and finally took a Tylenol.

 

Thursday morning I woke up to my nose running. When I went to blow my nose, I discovered that it was gushing blood. I probably haven’t had an actual nose bleed for 20 years. I actually didn’t even know what to do because it’s been so long. I ended up stuffing a wad of tissues up there until it subsided. So, when I say I had an interesting week in pregnancy, I mean that it was pretty terrible. Even with all of that, I’m still in good spirits!

 

I’m really looking forward to the end of this week! I have two OB appointments, one with the ob nurse, and another with a nurse practitioner. I’m eager to hear the heartbeat and to be assured that my little sweetheart is doing just fine.

 

 

Week 10: Prune

Average size: 1.2 inches, .14 oz.

 

With bones and cartilage starting to form and vital organs beginning to function, baby is making major progress. Body length will almost double in the next three weeks, and arm joints are now working. (Soon, legs will too.)

 

Week Nine

Happy New year!

I had made plans with one of my best friends to have Chinese and exchange gifts at her house. She has a beautiful, comfy house with a nice roaring fire. We ordered our food and opened gifts. She got me my very first maternity outfit and it’s really cute! When I think of maternity clothes, I typically think of decorative tents with bows and lace. This outfit was really modern and super comfortable, something that I would wear when I wasn’t pregnant if it would fit! Maternity jeans are extremely comfortable! These have a low waist band, not one of those super long, go up to your boobs, bands that I think would be uncomfortable.

Because we had such a laid back New Years Eve, We decided to have people over for pork, sauerkraut and board games the next night. We made homemade strawberry ice cream that was out of this world and played a fantastic game of Apples to Apples.

I felt really good this night…strangely good. Actually I didn’t remember feeling sick the day before. Then, I started to panic. Where did my symptoms go? Where is my constant vomiting? On Thursday of last week, I remember feeling sharp pain in my lower abdomen, almost like I had to go number 2 but with no success. I was so uncomfortable, that I left work early and laid in bed most of the day. I called a nurse and she thought that it may be constipation. So, now, I feel great, I’m not even tired, and I had this pain on Thursday-oh no. What if something is wrong with the baby. I finished out week 8 in a little bit of a panic but knew that I wouldn’t be able to do anything about it if it was bad news. This isn’t the best way to start out a new year.

Sure enough, two days later, just days into week nine, I felt the nausea come back and with a vengeance. I haven’t been this sick for quite some time. Although happy to feel at ease with the pregnancy, I’m feeling pretty rough and I know that I can’t look good. I’m just trying to drink fluids and stay optimistic. This will be over soon!

 

Week 9: Green Olive

Your little embryo has now officially graduated to fetus-hood. Adding to the excitement, a Doppler ultrasound device might be able to pick up the beating heart. With basic physical structures in place and increasingly distinct facial features, baby is kind of starting to look like... well... a baby!