Update: 16 weeks, 6 days
Clearly I’ve been hit with pregnancy insomnia again (it’s 3:30am PT). This week has been tough. I was doing so darn well but something has happened and I’ve been waking up earlier and earlier and haven’t been able to fall back asleep until who knows when. Argh! It’s OK though – things could be worse 
In general, I’m sleeping better thanks to the addition of a couple of pillows – one behind me and one between my legs. I thought about buying a pregnancy pillow but these two seem to do the trick!
This week has been a good one. My energy is back for the most part and the nausea and morning sickness is greatly improved!
After I had my blood drawn the second time, I stopped by a consignment shop that sells baby gear, baby clothes and toys. They also happen to sell maternity clothes! I got a pair of maternity Citizens of Humanity for less than half the price plus a pair of cargo pants and a super cute t-shirt. All for less than half the price of a new pair of Citizens. I’m proud of my bargain shopping skills and I’m pleased to be the owner of a pair of designer maternity jeans – which by the way, fit me so much better than my Gap maternity jeans. My body image will thank me later
This week’s OB appointment was a good one (see earlier post for that update). She reminded us to register for the hospital childbirth classes as they fill up quickly and also to start thinking about choosing a pediatrician. WHAT?! It’s so early yet. We don’t know anyone here. How are we supposed to choose a doctor for our unborn baby when we don’t even have doctors for ourselves (other than this OB))? I must have had a funny look on my face because she quickly followed that comment by saying that the time between now and the birth will fly by faster than we expect and often times new parents forget to find a pediatrician…
I think I need to start a “To Do” list for this baby. I got the Baby Bargains book and it will be very useful when putting together our baby registry and the list of items we need. I’ve decided to keep it as simple as possible and get just the basics. As Roo gets older, we can add but there’s no need to buy everything right away (e.g., a high chair that isn’t needed until Roo is about 6 months old). I also started to read a book that I borrowed from the library called Home Birth in the Hospital. I’m really enjoying it and I think that I’ll have MH read at least parts of it when I’m finished. It’s making me feel empowered and hopeful that I can have the kind of birth that I want in the hospital that we’ve chosen. Based on our conversations with our OB, I think she’s going to be amenable to our wishes. I’ll write a separate post about my non-birth plan plan that is stuck in my head right now.
I can’t believe that tomorrow (Saturday), I’ll be 17 weeks pregnant. Roo is the size of an avocado:
How far along? 16 weeks, 6 days
Total weight gain: Up a total of 4.4 pounds since my very first OB appointment
Maternity clothes? Yes, I gained some new additions to my maternity wardrobe this week and I’m totally excited about them!
Stretch marks? None
Sleep: Off and on insomnia
Best moment this week: Hearing Roo’s heartbeat again and seeing MH’s face light up when he heard it for the first time (he wasn’t able to come to my last appointment)!
Miss anything? A plate of artisan salami and cheeses
Movement: I haven’t felt anything this week imagined or otherwise – hopefully soon
Food cravings: Strawberries, ice cream
Anything making you queasy or sick: Poultry
Gender Predictions: A girl (still!)
Labor Signs: None
Belly Button in or out? In but my belly button is flattening out
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy!
Looking forward to: Our 20 week u/s and finding out the gender
Bump
Drum roll, please……
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Now for the bump pic that you all have been waiting for quite a while now! I took this yesterday (16 weeks, 3 days) before I left for the doctor’s office. Sorry I haven’t yet accomplished how to take a photo of my own belly with my iPhone yet
Looking at it on the screen here, it looks so big! But, I can’t possibly be that big yet…
Roo!
This morning was our monthly appointment with the OB. At 16 weeks, they also planned to take my blood for the next level of testing and that was interesting…but I’ll get to that in a minute.
MH was able to go with me – yay! He hadn’t yet heard Roo’s heartbeat so it was nice he could go with me. Also, I was feeling particularly anxious because it’s been a while since we’ve been able to confirm that everything is OK in there. It didn’t help that I woke up early on Sunday morning (like 2am early) to some major pains in my belly. They went away by the afternoon but there’s no reason for them. Luckily today we confirmed that all is well in there!
Roo had a nice strong heartbeat and gave a little kick for us that we could hear through the doppler! I can see why some of you girls buy dopplers for home. It definitely gave me reassurance today. MH really loved hearing his little baby’s heartbeat too! His eyes lit up!
I only gained one pound since our last appointment but that’s not too surprising since I haven’t had much of an appetite at all over the past month. My doctor isn’t concerned. She said that my body will make up for it starting around 20 weeks. However she said that it was OK to buy protein powder and add it to a shake or a smoothie once a day. In general, she said that pregnant women need to only add 300 calories per day so it isn’t too many more each day.
Finally, I was supposed to get my blood drawn today for the next level in testing to make sure that Roo is perfectly healthy. But the nurse wasn’t able to get any of my veins to cooperate. She stuck me three different times. I finally just asked her if I could come back tomorrow. I couldn’t believe it! That’s never happened to me. My doctor dad would be so disappointed that she didn’t get me on the first stick. After all the infertility testing that we’ve been through, needle sticks don’t bother me but three?! Really?! So, I’ll go back tomorrow and we’ll try again!
All in all, Roo seems fine. I’m OK. The doctor is pleased and so are we!
I can’t wait until our next ultrasound on March 12 when we find out the gender!!
Wanted to Be Team Green
Being team green would mean keeping Roo’s gender a surprise until the delivery room. I think the sex of a baby a secret is one of the last true surprises that we can have in life.
However, MH is steadfast on wanting to know if Roo will be a boy or a girl now. He offered to find out for himself and keep it a secret. Between the two of us, if anyone would be able to keep it a secret from the other, he would be the one. On the other hand, I would find out and an hour later would somehow manage to tell MH. I thought about agreeing to him finding out alone but I know that I would just so jealous that he knew that I’d break down and beg him to tell me. So, we agreed to find out for this one and IF (yes, that’s a BIG if) we have a second one we will be team green for our second.
I then decided that we would keep the gender between us but then I realized that there’s no way I could keep it a secret from my mom and then I would start to slip up with everyone else, so I think we’re just going to tell. It’s too hard! But, whether we share or not is definitely still up in the air.
We find out on March 12!
Did you find out or were you team green? If you did find out, would you keep it between you and your husband?
Identified a Culprit
My acupuncturist suggested that I break temporarily from taking my prenatal vitamins and see what happens with the morning sickness symptoms. I did for a little more than a week and in that week I’ve felt better than ever. Then yesterday I took it and I felt terrible. Using my (expert, of course) CSI skills, I deduct that my vitamins are making me sick.
Any suggestions on a prenatal vitamin that doesn’t cause or increase chance of morning sickness?
Update: 15 weeks, 5 days
Wow – this week has been a good one (knock-on-wood, fingers crossed). For the first time in a while, I’m starting to feel back to normal. I seriously am afraid to do anything differently though because I fear that I’ll do something that takes me back a step or two in the road to feeling good. In the meantime, I’m taking advantage of this good feeling
I still don’t have my appetite back and I can’t wait until it does because I’m just tired of not having my taste buds working properly. I hope they come back soon!!! I also am terrified to eat any poultry because of my aversion to it. I might have to try some soon but I don’t feel in any hurry to do so. I have to admit that I’m hungry sometimes because I’m too scared to eat in fear of gagging or dry heaving. Argh.
In the meantime, my bump is getting bigger. No, I haven’t taken any photos yet. I don’t know why. I really want to because this might be the one and only time that I’m pregnant and I want to remember what I look like throughout! I need to get MH on board and have him remind me to do so but I don’t think he’s as into it as I am as he isn’t much of a photographer. I might have to learn how to take them myself.
The Baby Bargains book is on its way to me. I’ll get it tomorrow – thanks to Amazon Prime! I can’t wait to start reading it. We probably won’t start buying anything until we find out the gender in a few weeks – more on that later.
I also had a long talk with MH about my “professional” life and he talked me off the ledge of needing to know right now what I am going to do career-wise. It helps to know that he’s supportive but I do know that I need to keep thinking about what to do. We are fine financially without an income from me but our quality of life would be MUCH better with it especially because my earning potential is at least equal to his and possibly greater if I keep on track. So, we’ll see what happens but the pressure is off. Thanks to you all too for your advice and thoughts. I have a lot to think about for what I want for myself and our family.
In the meantime, I can’t believe that today I’m 15 weeks, 5 days pregnant! It’s incredible! I still don’t love being pregnant but I love being pregnant – if you know what I mean Roo is the size of a naval orange:
I decided to change my “topics” from the previous updates to some new ones:
How far along? 15 weeks, 5 days
Total weight gain: At my last appointment, I’d gained three pounds – we’ll see how much I’ve gained since on Tuesday!
Maternity clothes? Yes, I’m wearing maternity jeans and cords plus some t-shirts – they’re so much more comfortable! I don’t know how some women can wear their regular clothes with the help of the belly band or a rubber band – it’s just too darn uncomfortable for me
Stretch marks? None yet but I’m religiously slathering on shea butter lotion
Sleep: Off and on insomnia but I started sleeping with a pillow between my legs and that’s helping a lot
Best moment this week: Realizing that my m/s is getting better
Miss anything? Deli meat, sushi
Movement: In my head I think I’ve felt Roo move (I’ve felt something [too hard to explain] two different times but both in the evening) but I realize that it could be gas or just my body growing
Food cravings: Strawberries, sandwich meats (bummer), carbs
Anything making you queasy or sick: Poultry
Gender Predictions: A girl based on my sudden acne, m/s and friends who’ve had girls with the same exact experiences with these “side effects” of pregnancy
Labor Signs: None, thank goodness!
Belly Button in or out? In
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy!
Looking forward to: Our 20 week u/s and finding out the gender
Happy Valentine’s Day!
After the train of a miscarriage, a roller coaster of infertility (DOR, elevated natural killer cells, etc.) and the very welcome and happy surprise of a BFP followed by extreme fatigue and terrible nausea, I have a lot of love for my husband. MH has held my hand and been by my side every step of the way. There were times when he probably could have walked away because I was riding the crazy emotional train and didn’t know how to use the brakes but he didn’t. MH took everything in stride. I seriously have more love for MH than I did when I accepted his marriage proposal. Our vows promised to love and cherish each other through sickness and in health, etc. He has come through for me and then some. I love this guy. Can you tell?
We celebrated Valentine’s Day with a weekend escape to Vancouver, British Columbia. Canada is just a two-hour or so drive from Seattle. It’s so easy! I’ve been to Vancouver once – a few years ago, I ran my first of two marathons in Vancouver and thought it was an awesome city. I remembered correctly!
We ate some fantastic food (most of which I barely ate because my appetite is still missing), explored the city’s different neighborhoods and drove up to Whistler, which is not far at all! We stayed at a gorgeous boutique hotel called The Loden, which I highly recommend. It’s in a quiet yet central neighborhood that’s within walking distance from a lot of the sights including Stanley Park and one of my most favorite cupcake shops ever, Cupcakes!
We went to dinner on Saturday night and when toasting (me with a mocktail) we realized that next year we will be celebrating Valentine’s with Roo – who will be 6 months old! WOW!!!!!!! That’s perspective for you, right?!
We were back at our hotel and I was in bed every night about 9:30pm every night because I was so exhausted but it was a good exhaustion. I felt better than I had in weeks, which was awesome because I was worried that I’d be dry heaving and gagging every five minutes while we were on this mini vacation. It all worked out!
So, my friends. In the world of infertility and life after infertility, I want to ask you to please stop by some of my friends and give them some good wishes and love:
- Mrs. E is on bed rest in the hospital hoping that her twins stay in her belly for as long as possible (plus she is dealing with gestational diabetes)
- Mrs. Green Grass had another BFN after another IUI and is feeling down
- Marwil who is letting her little boy go way before his time following a devastating diagnosis at 19 weeks of hypoplastic left heart syndrome
There are so many others who I could list but I’m especially thinking of these girls right now.
Happy Valentine’s Day everyone! Lots of love and good wishes to you on this special day!
Update at 14 weeks, 5 days
Having a loss and unexplained infertility still makes it hard for me to believe that this is really happening still and that everything is still OK. I can’t believe that I’m 2 days away from being 15 weeks pregnant but when I forget I get a reminder that I am especially the past few days. Morning sickness is in full force – worse than ever before with vomiting and all! Joy oh joy but I’ll take it! MH reminds me as he is comforting me that I’d rather feel this way than not be pregnant. It’s true but it still really sucks. I’m wearing sea bands as I type this in hopes that they will help. I might break down and take the Zofran even though Doctor Dad has encouraged me not to take it – MH and I are heading up to Vancouver for a long weekend and I want to enjoy our time there. I’ve been literally horizontal for the past two days because it helps me a lot. My body aches from laying down for so many hours in a row so today I’m sitting in a chair in hopes that I can manage to keep away the nausea and dry heaving that seems to hit me every hour at least two or three times. Ugh! Again, I’m happy to have these signs that Roo is doing well inside me but it still sucks.
My brother and sister-in-law had a baby girl yesterday morning. You might recall that I’ve struggled with them especially her since before they got married. That struggle continues (she said some bitchy comments to me when I told them that I was pregnant) but I’m very happy about the birth of their little girl. The baby is HUGE and has the cutest chubby cheeks! She was six days late!
Roo is the size of a lime (edit: ummm…that’s a YELLOW lemon down there not a green lime…pregnancy brain?!):
Symptoms: Wow – all the bad symptoms have come back in full force and worse than ever
Food aversions: Pretty much everything; I’m subsisting on apple sauce and plain yogurt with grape nuts and fruit
Food cravings: Nothing – just wanting to be able to eat anything and keep it down
Mama’s physical changes: Bump is growing! At least one of you has asked for a bump photo and I promise I’ll start to take photos soon
Next milestone: OB appointment on February 21 (week 16); I can’t wait to feel Roo move inside me!
Baby Bargains – website or book
As I venture into planning for Roo’s arrival and as I’ve started to share with friends that we’re expecting, I’ve been getting lots of tips and hints on what to buy, what not to buy, etc. I don’t know where to begin. A couple of friends have shared their spreadsheets for planning and those in themselves are a little overwhelming (leave your email when leaving a comment if you’re curious about those spreadsheets and I’ll share one of them with you). I’m tempted to just copy what they bought but that might be overkill especially since one of my friends has twins! I’m just kidding about just copying what they bought (sort of).
The truth is that I was made aware of the Baby Bargains book and website. I’m interested but am curious about your experience with Baby Bargains if you have read and used this book. Is the book worth buying or should I just borrow it from the library? Is the website better than the book because it is more up to date?
I’m one to do my research from trying a new restaurant to trying a new beauty salon, I like to not only read a professional review, if available, but also user reviews. Yes, it might seem by reading this blog that I can’t make a decision on my own and that might be true but, truth be told, I like input from those who have gone before me. In real life, I’m often very opinionated!
An MBA with a new baby?!
It may have come up in a previous post or two that I’m struggling with what to do professionally. I am an independent PR consultant and I spent the last two years building my business. Since I got pregnant last November, I’ve been struggling with morning sickness (all day) and fatigue. Two of my clients wrapped up their projects in December and because of the first trimester woes, I didn’t do anything to fill those empty client spots. Now that I’m starting to feel better I’m disappointed in myself for not having any clients except for one pro-bono client, a non-profit cancer organization.
Knowing that I’m pregnant and thinking ahead to my future with a baby, I’m confused. I don’t know what to do about my career and professional life. I know that I’d like to keep working and ideally the best position would be a part-time position so that I have the flexibility to spend as much time as I can with Roo, when he/she is born.
The problem is that PR is a very demanding career with clients needing your attention at all times of the day and sometimes night. When I was working full-time, I worked 7:30/8am-7/7:30pm and sometimes later. I also was traveling a lot. It is not something that is sustainable as a new mom (at least for me).
The questions that I’ve been grappling with the past few months are:
- Do I keep trying to get new clients and only do shorter-term projects knowing that I give birth in six months?
- Do I look for a part-time job in an office environment?
- Do I recreate myself and find a different, more mommy-friendly lifestyle career? If so, what do I do?
- Do I take my professional career to the next level and take the GMATs (yikes!) and apply for business school next year (Roo would be one if I got in for a Fall 2013 start)? Is it even a rational thought to consider business school with a little one? If so, it would be an evening program or an executive MBA program – I need to learn more about the differences.
I’m hard on myself. Through the years, I’ve been pretty lucky but I’ve also struggled to find balance in my life. I have been very successful professionally – many of my high school girlfriends have said that they envied my career. But, I was always dreaming of how to make my personal life a little better. When I met MH, I slowed down. I realized that at 34 years old that if I wanted to get married and start a family that I needed to make a change. So, I left my six figure PR job. Three months later, I was engaged.
I don’t regret the decision because now my personal dreams are all becoming a reality but I am realizing that I also want to not forget about my professional ambitions….Ambitions, which are evolving as this pregnancy advances. How do I get to a place where I can be satisfied with both my personal and professional life? Is it OK to let go of my professional life temporarily? Will I be able to get back on track? How do I find the right balance?
Do you have any advice? Do you need any PR support (I know someone with great recommendations)?! 
Is working towards an MBA with a little one a ridiculous thought?
I apologize for the long post but I need to get this off my chest. MH is very supportive but he keeps telling me that everything will be OK. Yes, I know it will be but I need some focus and direction and I don’t feel like I have it, which frustrates me and causes me more angst. I need to let go of my type-A personality, right?!
