28 weeks - Hello 3rd trimester!!!

A bit of this and a bit of that....

I'm in a lot of pain right now. I don't know what the hell is going on, but it feel like my hip joints are rotting from the inside out. I ended up sleeping with Jesse in his bed last night, and that's probably what did it. The right one is the worst. And my left ribs hurt too. So no matter which side I lie on, I cannot get comfortable. It really sucks.

On a lighter note, I had a crazy vivid pregnancy dream last night. These are very few and far between for me. I had 2 that I know of with Jesse, and now this one with Trouble. I dreamt that I had an unintentional unassisted twin home birth. How's that for wild? Apparently my midwife and her assistant were waiting for me at the hospital, but the babies came too fast for me to make it out of the house. It was actually quite a wonderful dream.

26 weeks 1 day - Hiccups!

I'll post a new belly pic later, but I just had to post this before I forgot! Baby has been getting hiccups! One of my favorite things about the last weeks of pregnancy (not that I'm near the end or anything). I noticed them the first time very early yesterday morning, at 26 weeks on the dot. I'll have to get them on video sometime.

25 weeks 3 days - a bunch of updates

I suppose I'll start with pics. Boy have I grown! I'm starting to feel pulling and stretching on my sides now. And it's no wonder, really. This was me 2 weeks ago.

And this is me now:

Big difference, huh? I think so anyways. I really feel like my belly has really popped out just in the past week. Even though I'm only up by 6 1/2 lbs, I'm definitely starting to feel pregnant now!

In other news, I had a good prenatal appointment with my midwife, Jayme, a couple of weeks ago. Belly is measuring right on target and baby's heart rate is in the 140s. Jesse had to get in on the action too...we had a listen to his baby with the doppler and measured his teeny tiny belly. He loved it. I got told off for not eating enough, so I'm trying to work on that. In my defense though, I had been sick and really hadn't felt like eating much at all. Some food had actually been making me gag. I also need to up my water intake, which I've been working on as well. It was also suggested that I add some spinach to my smoothies, which I've been doing. You don't even notice a difference! It's pretty good actually. I should post the recipe. I'm going to try some avacado in it tomorrow as well, I think.

I also had a prenatal appointment with Dr. D, who damn near broke my heart when she told me should would not be acting as back up for Jayme. She explained her reasoning, which is fine. I just wish I'd been told sooner, as I've been going to her clinic for 3 months now. So tomorrow I'm calling Jayme's usual back-up, Dr. M. I've worked with him before, as a doula, and he's absolutely wonderful, so I'm sure I'll be taken care of. Before she cut me loose though, Dr. D suggested I start on ASA 81 mg per day and calcium 1000 mg per day to ward off any issues with pregnancy-induced hypertention or pre-eclampsia. I had some blood pressure issues with Jesse, so I'd like to do what I can to prevent that this time. I need to look into it a bit more though before I start taking meds.

And lastly, I've been asked by a couple people about my newborn cloth diaper stash. So I figured I'd share what I have thus far. In the first pic, you'll see a dozen unbleached prefolds, 16 bleached prefolds, a small Bumstoppers fitted, 2 WAHM one-size fitteds, a small Imse Vimse cover and 2 small Swaddlebees covers. In the second pic, you'll see 9 small Fuzzi Bunz (these were Jesse's), 3 Swaddlebees Econappies, and a Bum Genius 4.0 snap dipe. I'm still waiting on 2 Blueberry Coveralls (one-size covers) to come in the mail.

I cannot wait to try these dipes out on Trouble! Oh the cuteness! :) I think I'll wait before getting more though...who knows, I may end up with a reason to buy some adorable girly fluff!

Just for fun...

I so totally have to update with belly pics and appointment updates and whatnot, but for now, this will have to do:

These are just a preview from our photo session on Middle Cove Beach this past Saturday with my very talented cousin Tracy Penney Pomroy.

22 weeks 1 day - sick again

Nothing much to report this week, except that I've been sick with another cold. I think Jesse probably brought it home from the sitter's and gave it to me, just as I was getting over the last one. I'm hoping the 3rd trimester will be illness free. Oh, and Jesse helped me with this weeks belly picture. It's a little blurry, but oh well!

...as long as it's healthy

I don't know how many times I hear this or read this in the run of a month. Some expectant mother is asked, "Are you hoping for a girl or a boy?" And she invariably responds, "Oh, I don't care, as long as its healthy!" And I hate it. Once again, I'm sure to be accused of being overly sensitive. But really, would you love your child any less if it wasn't healthy? As someone who has a child with "special needs", who has seen more specialists and therapists than most senior citizens, I can absolutely say that such a child is a blessing in disguise. You come to appreciate those milestones and successes so much more than the parent of a normally developing child...because you don't take it for granted that walking/talking/playing/reading/whatever are just going to happen naturally. And it truly teaches you more about yourself and your capabilities as a parent than almost anything else possibly could.

So when I'm asked whether I'm hoping for a boy or a girl, I usually respond with something ridiculous like, "Oh, I don't care, as long as it doesn't have 2 heads." Gender does not matter to me. And whether or not the baby is healthy doesn't either. Quite honestly, I'd have another 10 just like Jesse if I thought that I could keep up with them!

21 weeks 1 day - BELLY!!

Here's a belly slide show for ya! Sorry for the crappy alignment. Blogger's being a bitch. :(

21 weeks 1 day - Not a Polkaroo!!!

Unlike Jesse, Trouble is not a Polkaroo!!! Steve felt the baby kick for the first time yesterday morning (or was it the morning before?) Jesse, while being more active than this baby, always stopped moving whenever Steve came near me. So Steve is quite happy, I think, to be able to feel movement already.

An update on the pants front...My bella bands have saved the day. I really bought them to keep my scrub pants up for work, but decided I'm going to have to use them with my other maternity pants as well. Hopefully as my belly gets bigger, my pants will be able to stay up on their own.

Also, I had a prenatal appointment with Dr. Duggan's new resident this week. It was kind of awkward. She's not nearly as personable as Dr. Duggan, or the last resident was. But I've scheduled my next appointment for when Dr. D is there, so that should be good. I also got my prenatal records for Jayme (the midwife). All was well with Trouble at the appointment though, and Jesse slept through it, which meant they got a normal blood pressure reading!

20 weeks 3 days - Rant

I did take a 20 week pics (a few days late - oops!) but I don't have time to edit it and post it at the moment. Instead, I need to vent for a minute.

WTF are maternity clothing designers thinking?!!!

I cannot, for the life of me, find maternity pants that #1 fit and #2 don't fall don't over my ass and #3 don't pull my underwear down in the process. 

Since my maternity pants from my previous pregnancy don't fit me that well (wish I could say they were too BIG, but we all know that's not the case) I've had to go buy new ones. I've bought 3 pairs of pants. One pair are "secret fit belly" jeans. Another are "under belly" that are super low rise, but will sit nicely below the belly, if only they'd stay up over my butt. The last is a pair of black "under belly" cords. And I haven't had luck with any of them! Seriously! Oh, and let me say that having my underwear riding half ways down over the crack of my ass is on my list of "least favorite things in the world"....right next to pap smears. 

I'm about ready to # 1 go commado or wear a thong and #2 wear maternity overalls.

Oh, and please don't leave a comment suggesting I give leggings a try. Little Miss Know-It-All at Motherhood Maternity tried to suggest just that when I visited the place over the weekend. These legs and leggings do not an attractive picture make TYVM.

ARGH!!!

19 weeks 1 day - Already?!!!

I think I'm starting to get some Braxton Hicks contractions. I know, I know, it's super early. I started getting them at 22 weeks with Jesse though, and I'm 19 weeks with this one, so it's possible. I'm definitely feeling some tightening/uncomfortableness. It's harder to tell this time though, as I have a little more "padding" than I did with Jesse. I guess it'll become apparent soon enough....

19 weeks

I had my first appointment with the midwife, Jayme, and her assistant, Erin. It lasted for nearly 2 hours! They came to our home last evening and were able to meet Steve and Jesse. We talked about my medical history, my pregnancy with Jesse, and how this new pregnancy is going. They checked my blood pressure, which was fine, measured my belly, which was 19 or 20 cm (I can't remember), and we just talked. It was so nice to just talk about birth! I love it. They gave me a ton of paperwork to fill out, and Jayme will be emailing me the contracts and all. I think it's starting to hit me now that this home birth is going to happen!

I also took a pic today! I didn't post the one from last week, so I'll post them together now. I'll post my 3 week pic as well to compare:

I think I'm definitely starting to pop out a little, which is nice. I'd rather look pregnant than just plain fat. My new maternity clothes that just came from Motherhood Maternity should help! Maybe I'll take some pics as I wear my new outfits. Well, really, it's just shirts. 3 shirts and a sweater came today, and I'm expecting 2 more shirts to come as well. I really need to buy another couple pairs of pants. I just wish I could find some that didn't haul my underwear down. I'm about to say "screw it" and start going commando!

18 weeks 3 days - "19 week" ultrasound

For some reason I'm having trouble typing today. My fingers just aren't working right. Good thing I have pics to fill this post!!!

We had our "19 week" ultrasound today. Our tech was new to obstetrical ultrasound, having spent the first part of her career looking at livers and kidneys. So she had to take her time, which was nice, actually. She was really sweet. And now, without further ado, here's all 18 weeks and 3 days of Trouble:

Hand on chin

Alien baby

There were two other pics that they gave us, but they're just variations of the above two pics. I wish they had printed the pic of the feet. That was the sweetest ultrasound pic I've ever seen. Sad panda. Overall it was great though. My placenta is fundal and a bit posterior, so that's good news. Baby is breech, but there's still plenty of time to turn. I'm going to make a doctor's appointment for some time in the next couple of weeks and hopefully there won't be any surprises in the ultrasound report.

Oddly enough, I still really don't feel pregnant. Baby still isn't moving much (though I'm getting a few jabs here and there). He or she is definitely more chill than Jesse. At Jesse's 19 week ultrasound he was doing log rolls and would not stop moving. This baby will totally calm and relaxed. I'm hoping the movement pics up soon so I can stop worrying so much!

17 weeks 6 days - WIGGLES!

I'm happy to say that I'm now absolutely certain I'm feeling baby wiggles! About damn time! It's definitely helping me not feel too sorry for myself right now....I'm on day two of a really friggin horrible headache (migraine?).

ExpectNet Game

I have a link posted to my ExpectNet Game to the right on this blog. Please post a guess!!! It was so fun with Jesse. Of course, with him, no one came close. The point totals were hilarious due to the fact that he was so far postdates.

So, feel free to click and have at it. :)

Ugh

How do you "do" pregnancy with a toddler?! Seriously! Jesse is gonna have me killed! I think the kiddo knows EXACTLY where my round ligaments are and knows how to kick/punch/headbutt/steamroll over me to activate that intense pulling pain that I just can't stand!!! Does bedtime really have to be this painful?

17 weeks 1 day - Belly pic update

Finally!!!

My 3 week pic is actually my 1 week progress update pic from the 30 Day Shred. I'd just lost 8 lbs!!! I think I got my first positive test the next day...can't remember for sure though. Anyhow, here they are:

I guess I'm looking more pregnant than I thought. Funny, because I don't really feel very pregnant at all.

17 weeks - appt update

I had my "16 week" appt yesterday with the GP resident, Dr. B (I'm not even going to attempt to spell her name...it's French). It went well. I'm measuring 17 weeks and Trouble's heartrate was in the 140s. No weight gain yet. Blood pressure was fine, though a tad up from the last appt...which was to be expected considering I had to bring Jesse with me. They were fabulous about him being there though. When he wouldn't sit still for me to talk to Dr. B or get the exam done, Dr. B took him out to the receptionists and they and the Public Health Nurse there kept him occupied for me. And they seemed happy to do so. What a complete 180 from my regular GPs office. I also mentioned that I'm not sure that I've even felt this baby move yet. Every time I think I have, it ends up just being gas. She reassured me that the average is about 18 weeks, so it's nothing to worry about. I have to keep telling myself that Jesse was just an incredibly active baby. Maybe this one will just be super chill. That would be lovely!

Anywho, I worked last night, and am working tonight, so no pic today. I'll make sure I do one this weekend though.

Oh, and just so I can look back on this and remember, here's a link to some pics of Hurricane Igor from a local photographer. It's been an eventful week!!!

16 weeks

I so need to take a belly pic! This child is seriously getting gyped!

I'm doing pretty well. Not looking very pregnant though, which is surprising me. I figured I'd be really showing by now. But I'm still losing weight, so I guess that's it? I'm at 206 lbs now. I'm not trying to lose weight. It's just happening. I'm sure that'll turn around soon though.

I think I'm going to wear my new maternity jeans tomorrow. Maybe that'll help me look pregnant?

I did it

I cancelled my appointment with the Fertility Clinic. ***gulp***

I'd been putting it off for so long because I didn't want to jinx myself. I didn't want to delay any more though, since I wanted someone else to be able to make use of that appointment time.

Fingers crossed I should never need that appointment...

15 weeks

Seriously. I'm 15 weeks. That's nutty!

So, I think I'm starting to feel movement. Not sure yet. I was by 14 1/2 weeks with Jesse, so I'm a tad worried, but not much. I'm sure I'll feel it soon.

In other news, I'm down to 207.5 lbs. Which, yeah, is a lot. It's actually right about what I weighed when I had Jesse. But it's down from 218 pre-pregnancy. I'll be quite happy if I don't go over that number.

I guess that's it for now. Nothing too exciting.

I think I'll work on a belly pic in the next week or so. And work on finding some decent mat jeans. I'm getting desperate here!

14 weeks!

So I guess, by everyone's standards, I am now in the 2nd trimester! Woohoo!!! I'm feeling pretty good, except for the exhaustion. But I guess that's par for the course when you have a toddler to chase after as well.

Not much news this week except that baby has gone through a growth spurt! I'm still just looking like I polished off an all-you-can-eat buffet, but I can tell my uterus has really grown! It's about up to my belly button now! Wild, huh? It's all still very weird, because I really don't feel very pregnant. I guess once I start feeling movement that'll click in.

Oh, wait! There is news! The midwife has moved home and is willing to take me on as a client! I'm so, so, so ecstatic to be planning a homebirth! It's just amazing. I thought it wasn't even going to be an option, but now it most definitely is! I had been dreading having another hospital birth, and now I'm really looking forward to welcoming this baby into the world in our own home. So exciting!

13 weeks!

Holy hell! Where'd the first trimester go?! I'm feeling pretty good. We can find the baby's heartbeat easily, though we haven't really felt the need to do so very often. My uterus is clearly growing, and I'm quickly growing out of my clothes!

OK, so the big news....I had my u/s on Monday, August 23rd!!! The student u/s tech who did the u/s was fabulous! She turned the screen so I could see the baby really well. Trouble was just moving all over the place! It was surreal! Anywho, a pic of Trouble:

Personally, I think it's a boy. There was a butt shot at one point and I think I saw a little dickey bird. I really don't care much either way though. I'd just like to be able to buy cute girly clothes for once!

I had an appointment then on Wednesday, August 25th. It was at Dr. Duggan's clinic, but she wasn't there. I saw her resident Dr. Boudreaux instead. She was wonderful, and I'll get to see her another 2 times. She looked up the report from the u/s and there was nothing out of the ordinary noted, so I guess the source of the bleed will remain a mystery for all time. What matters is that the baby is OK now though, right? 

Anywho, must sign off....big brother will be waking up from his nap soon!

11w0d

11 weeks?! Seriously? How the hell did that happen?! Craziness.

OK, so updates...
...ultrasound is booked for August 23rd. I hope to God they'll give me pics this time!
...I've been referred to Dr. Duggan again. I'll probably see her around 14 weeks.
...I can now feel the top of my uterus and the heartbeat is much easier to find.


...Jesse likes to kiss and hug "the baby"
...The baby in my ticker looks like an actual freaking baby! Holy crap!

10w3d

We've been finding the h/b again! Yay! It's just higher than I thought it would be. :)

I'm starting to get kind of comfortable with the idea that I'm actually pregnant.

9w5d - Worry

I haven't found the heartbeat for 2 days in a row now. I'm not freaking, but still worried. Hopefully the little one is just being a bugger.

8w6d

I've been so busy lately! At last I've found time to update.

So yesterday, at 8w5d, WE HEARD THE HEARTBEAT!!! We found it with our doppler. Crazy, huh? Gonna have another go at it today.

Haven't heard back from the doc's office on the u/s. It's driving me nuts.

7w3d - Jumping the gun...just a little

I am a lunatic. I tried to find the fetal heart beat with the doppler today.

Needless to say I was not successful.

7w2d - BLAH!

I have mild to moderate nausea and NOTHING looks good to eat. Certainly nothing that's gluten free.

6w5d - Doctor's Appointment

Dr. Wagoner is on holidays this week, so I saw her replacement today. A strange cat named Dr. Jones. She was nice but....odd. She didn't have my chart (Dr. Wagoner must have it home with her) so I had to tell her all of what had gone on. She felt my belly and I still have that pain on the lower right side. Hopefully it's nothing. She's going to check on the u/s (the office hasn't received an appointment time yet), and she filled out a bloodwork requisition. I think she tested me for every damn thing on there! She wanted me to do a fasting blood glucose too, but I declined. I won't be doing it later in pregnancy either, so I don't need a "baseline" as she called it. I have a return appointment for next week.

Other than the appointment, there's not much to tell really. Still nauseated here and there. Tired. Bloated. Sore boobies. All the usual stuff. Peeing ALL.THE.TIME.

Only 3 weeks til I may be able to find the heart beat on the doppler. If there is one.

Stunned

I had someone come by to draw my bloodwork this morning. My doctor just called with the results. My bHCG is now at 6746. Since last Monday the average doubling time is 49.95 hours. That's just about perfect! Holy crow!!!

Oh, and I bought a couple of Bella Bands on ebay today....I wasn't sure I'd need them, but I had my fingers crossed. I got them for about $50 CAD shipping included. Not too bad. I can't wait to get them!

So....I think this is really happening....

Trouble

That's what I've decided to nickname this pregnancy, or baby....if there actually is one. By LMP, I'll be 6 weeks pregnant tomorrow. By ovulation, I'm probably 2-3 days behind. But I can't be sure since I didn't chart or use OPKs this cycle.

So, why "Trouble" you ask? Well, it seems appropriate. This baby was conceived right around when our basement flooded in early June. We did the deed once. We had too much company (my brother and then mother) staying with us, and were under too much stress with the basement issues and then my flu, to really try. So we both thought the cycle was a lost cause. And then I started spotting. And spotted and spotted and spotted....for several days. I usually only spot for a day or two and then Aunt Flo arrives. But she didn't come. So on June 22nd, I decided to test. A few times.

I know you probably can't see the lines, but they're there.

The next day, June 23rd, I tested some more and got better lines:

Then, on June 24th, I got the confirmation.

I also started bleeding that day. I saw the doc and had a VE and there was active bleeding but my cervix was closed. I was sure my progesterone was in my boots and I would miscarry. My doctor gave me a requisition to get my bHCG done and at 3 PM that day, my result was 28. That wasn't good, but technically OK for where I was, cycle-wise. The bleeding continued the next couple of days. I had my bloodwork repeated on Saturday, June 26th, at 10 am, and it was 78. A doubling time of 29 hours, which was great. On Monday, June 28th, I had another draw at 6 am and it came back at 173. I was still bleeding though, and continued to do so until Wednesday, July 2nd.

I've been occupied and out of town since then, and haven't had a chance to have the beta redone. I'll be having another draw tomorrow morning. I guess we shall see from there if it's still increasing appropriately. I know that it's continued to increase, since my pregnancy tests have continued to get darker. But I'm not sure if it's risen enough. We shall see, I guess.

So that's the story of why I'm calling this, whatever *this* is, "trouble." Hopefully it will become a term of endearment.