New Beginnings

14, 15, 16 Weeks

2014-03-24T03:34:00.001-05:00

14 Weeks

How big is baby? Lemon

What's happening right now? Baby is sucking his/her thumb and wiggling around in there. Kidneys are making urine, and languno (peach like fuzz) is growing all over baby's body and protecting him/her from all the amniotic fluid in there.

How am I feeling? Nausea has finally subsided and I'm able to eat somewhat normally again. And I'm starting to experience some of the not-so-glamourous side effects of pregnancy, particular skin changes.

Cravings? Diet Coke. It's so horrible for you in general, but it's my one vice. I have at least one a day when I'm working.

Weight gain? Getting back up to my pre pregnancy weight. I'm only a couple pounds down now.

Sleep? Ha! What's that? Coffee is a Godsend.

Significant events? Nothing really big this week. Got the paperwork in from my surgery that I had in 2010, and it looks like all I had done was a cyst removal, and not a fibroid removal like I though. So it looks like I won't have to have a C-section (for that reason anyways).

15 Weeks

How big is baby? Naval Orange

What's happening right now? Movement is happening on the inside this week!

How am I feeling? Very itchy. The skin changes in particular are very annoying.

Cravings? Still Diet Coke.

Weight gain? Slowly creeping up to pre pregnancy weight. Hopefully I'll be there by 20 weeks! Bump is becoming more defined. I might attach some bump pics soon to show the progression

Sleep? Naps are a glorious thing. I take them when I can get them.

Significant events? Nothing really big this week. Appointment with the OB MD is next week to look at my operative report.

16 Weeks

How big is baby? Avocado

What's happening right now? Baby can hear my voice and is forming taste buds. And hair is growing!

How am I feeling? Anxious to start feeling movement, although I know it might not happen for a while, but I can't wait to start feeling those little kicks.

Cravings? I had a milkshake for the first time in a while, and realized that it's the only thing that could help me get through those last few hours at work.

Weight gain? Got weighed officially at the OB office, and I'm almost there to my pre pregnancy weight.

Sleep? I can't wait to go back to night shift, hopefully it will help with the exhaustion, since I'm more of a night owl.

Significant events? No C-section! Woohoo! Although we did find out that I have an anterior placenta, which means I might not feel movement as soon as others. And we have a stubborn kid. The doc had trouble finding the HB at our appointment, so she got out the ultrasound machine, and found out the kid was hanging out low. So she got the doppler back out and was able to find it. Our next OB appointment isn't for another 8 weeks, but we have our anatomy scan in a few weeks (once we actually schedule it). And we have and elective on April 2 to find out the sex!

12 Weeks and 13 Weeks

2014-02-27T01:45:00.001-06:00

12 Weeks

How big is baby? Plum

What's happening right now? It's a big week this week! Most of the critical systems are fully formed, and baby is entering the growth and maturation stage (which means tissues and organs will grow pretty rapidly). And baby is also developing reflexes and opening and closing her fingers and toes.

How am I feeling? Tums is my best friend right now.

Cravings? Nothing in particular really. I still really like cheese.

Weight gain? I actually have lost 5 pounds in the past 8 weeks, which I'm not sure how that it is possible. I am bloating like crazy and starting to develop a little bump.

Sleep? Depends on the day. Some days I get great sleep, some not so much. I feel the best when I can sleep for like 12 hours straight, but that's not possible with my job.

Significant events? I had my first OB appointment this week! We met with the nurse practitioner who I am gonna be seeing, and I really like her. We got to listen to the heartbeat, and baby has a strong one at 160. We also discussed the possibility of me having a C-section because of scar tissue left from a surgery a few years ago. I will meet with an MD at my next appointment at 16 weeks to discuss the operative notes from that surgery to determine if a C-section would be the best option for me.

13 Weeks

How big is baby? Peach

What's happening right now? Baby is forming vocal cords and teeth, and now has fingerprints. The intestines are also moving from the umbilical cord into their more permanent place.

How am I feeling? I have a wicked cold/allergies so that's fun. I've had it off and on since the beginning of the first trimester, but it got a little worse this week. And Tums is still my best friend.

Cravings? I was craving hot dogs earlier tonight, and the only place I know of around here that serves decent hot dogs is Buffalo Wild Wings, so we went out there tonight. They no longer have them :(. I almost cried in the restaurant. I ended up getting burger slammers, but they weren't nearly as good.

Weight gain? Still holding steady at my 5 lb loss. I think that's gonna change soon as baby starts getting bigger.

Sleep? Depends on the day. Some days it's good, some not so much.

Significant events? I bit the bullet and started wearing my maternity ABUs this week. Best decision ever.

Our Facebook Reveal!

2014-02-16T01:43:00.001-06:00

I'm really happy with how our Facebook reveal turned out! We took the picture at the beach here on base, and used my iPhone, and then used Photobucket to edit it. Really easy, and it turned out really cute.

11 Weeks!

2014-02-15T03:51:00.002-06:00

How big is baby? Lime

What's happening right now? Baby is a-moving around this week. Obviously I still can't feel the kicks, but I know they are there. And fingers and toes are no longer webbed.

How am I feeling? Heartburn has taken the place of lovely nausea, and I feel like I've gone through more Tums in the past week than I did in my entire life before I got pregnant. And caffeine is a god send.

Cravings? Now that nausea is pretty much gone, I've noticed that I really like cheese. And meat. Pretty much anything with protein.

Weight gain? Scared to step on the scale because I feel like I have gained, but that is getting checked at my appointment next week, so I'll wait until then.

Sleep? I'm starting to go to bed at more reasonable times now. I think now that I have this pregnancy pillow thing figured out, my sleep is improving.

Significant events? First OB appointment next week! So ready to get started on the appointment schedule. We decided not to do an NT scan and the other testing because we aren't considered high risk for anything, and we can also see abnormalities at our 20 week anatomy scan.

Part III: Weeks 7-10

2014-02-15T03:43:00.002-06:00

7 Weeks

How big is baby? Blueberry

What's happening right now? Baby is generating hundreds of new brain cells every minute. Arms and legs are also starting to form.

How am I feeling? Nausea really started to take hold this week. If I didn't eat enough or quickly enough when I got hungry, I got nauseous. If I ate too much I got nauseous. I couldn't win.

Weight gain? Still haven't gained anything. From what I understand, weight gain starts picking up in the second trimester.

Sleep? Insomnia started this week. My days and nights were all mixed up. Exhausted during the day, but couldn't sleep for shit during at night.

Significant events? Spotting finally started tapering off this week, which really helped my nerves.

8 Weeks

How big is baby? Raspberry

What's happening right now? Arms and legs are starting to move and taste buds are forming. And baby doesn't have a tail anymore!

How am I feeling? Nausea is in full force, but I hadn't puked (yet).

Weight gain? Yep, nothing so far.

Sleep? Still not sleeping for shit.

Significant events? Had my OB intake appointment this week, and went over all my paperwork. We made my first official appointment for the HB check, and a physical. So excited, but it's so far away :(.

9 Weeks

How big is baby? Olive

What's happening right now? There is debate about when this actually happens, but according to The Bump, baby is now a fetus! More distinct facial features are forming, and heartbeat might be picked up by a fetal doppler.

How am I feeling? Nausea sucks. And backs and hips started to hurt around this point. And I started to get some serious nasal congestion this week. And constipation is a bitch.

Weight gain? Still nothing, but I know that is gonna be short-lived.

Sleep? Eff-you insomnia. And your friend, daytime fatigue.

Significant events? Nothing really. This week was pretty uneventful.

10 Weeks

How big is baby? Prune

What's happening right now? Baby now has working arm joints, and vital organs are now fully formed. And baby is kicking up a storm!

How am I feeling? Nausea started to let up this week. And I finally convinced Jon I needed a pregnancy body pillow, and it was a godsend for my hips and back. And constipation is still a bitch.

Weight gain? Not sure, but I feel like I started to gain this week. I am afraid to get on the scale.

Sleep? God bless the person who invented the pregnancy body pillow. I got my first full night's sleep when I finally got one. It was awesome.

Significant events? Towards the end of this week (10w5d) we got a "pregnancy confirmation" ultrasound at a place here in town. And we got to see our little bean and finally get a heartbeat reading. It was so cool to see him/her kicking and punching, and the tech sent us home with a couple of pictures and emailed us a lot more (along with a video).

Here is our little jumping bean!

Part II: Weeks 3-6

2014-02-11T03:57:00.000-06:00

Jon and I found out we were expecting earlier than most people. I got the positive pregnancy test on December 20, 2013, which put me at 3 weeks 2 days. It was on a Friday evening, so we had to wait through the weekend to call the clinic here on base to get a confirmation blood draw. My parents were coming in for Christmas on that Sunday (the 22nd), but we weren't ready to tell them quite yet, which was easy since I was hardly showing any symptoms (or so I thought).

I was still spotting, so I had to keep an eye on that to make sure it didn't get worse, and I was so damn tired. Like I couldn't even be in a car for more than five minutes without falling asleep. That and I drank water like it was going out of style, which made me have to pee.

We had our confirmation blood draw on Christmas Eve, and I was glued to my phone for the entire morning afterwards to wait for the phone call that everything was good. We got the phone call around lunch time, and decided to tell my parents that night. My mom pretty much said she knew it from the moment she saw me (the fact that I hadn't had a drop of alcohol since they got there also tipped her off...I typically have a drink with dinner if we go out to eat). That and the fact that every time I turned around I was having to go pee.

We called Jon's parents and grandparents and told them the news the day after Christmas (didn't want to run the risk of them being around family we weren't ready to tell yet). They were excited, but we told them that we weren't quite ready to start telling everyone else yet.

4 Weeks

How big is baby? Poppyseed

What's happening right now? Baby is technically a blastocyst right now, splitting in to the cells that will eventually from the embryo and the placenta. The neural tube is already formed, and the amniotic sac and fluid are forming a protective cushion for baby.

How am I feeling? Exhausted and tired of spotting. I wanted to eat everything in sight, and somehow I was still hungry. Little did I know how much that would change.

Weight gain? At this point I don't think I had gained anything.

Sleep? (see above)

Significant events? I told my boss and my flight chief this week. They were really supportive, and assured me that they would keep quiet until I was ready to tell the rest of my coworkers.

I will add more as the weeks go on. There's really not much going on the first few weeks.

5 Weeks

How big is baby? Appleseed

What's happening right now? Baby is now measurable, and will double in size over the next week. Already starting to form major organs. Towards the end of the week, you might be able to see baby with a transvaginal ultrasound and get a heartbeat.

How am I feeling? Still spotting at this point. I had returned to work at the beginning of the week, and didn't realize how tired I was until I had to work a 12 hour overnight shift. And I was informed that we were switching back to days the next week. I started to get nausea towards the end of the week. Oh, and still peeing every five seconds (I kid...but I was peeing a lot). And bloat sucks.

Sleep? Yes, please. I was thankful for the days we got breaks at work.

Weight gain? Still none. I think I started losing actually (not much, but I was a couple pounds down from my pre-pregnancy weight last time I checked).

Significant events? None that I can think of.

6 Weeks

How big is baby? Sweet pea

What's happening right now? Baby is growing like crazy right now. Heartbeat should be visible on ultrasound right now. The little bean is also starting to sprout a nose, eyes, ears, and chin.

How am I feeling? Still spotting. And still exhausted. I was starting to reevaluate my decision to completely cut out caffeine at this point. I think later this week was when I caved and had my first soda or cup of coffee. It was life changing. And nausea was in full swing this week. I hadn't thrown up yet.

Sleep? I can still sleep at the drop of a hat

Weight gain? Again, not quite sure, but I know that I lost weight the first few weeks.

Significant events? One of the days we had a PT break at work, I decided to go for a short run. Big mistake. My spotting turned into bleeding that night, and we made the decision to go to the ER to get checked out. Good news is that we had a healthy intrauterine pregnancy with a strong heartbeat. The hospital couldn't give us a measurement (heart rate or gestational age), but they did tell us to follow up with the OB and come back if it got worse. I was 6 weeks 5 days at the time.

The First 10 Weeks: Part I (TTC and the BFP!)

2014-02-11T03:03:00.000-06:00

First and foremost, we are having a baby! Eeek! We are due September 3, 2014, and I'm currently 10 weeks and 5 days along.

So I was really horrible and didn't do ANYTHING with this for the majority of the first trimester (which ends in a few weeks). I had every intention to, but I suck. I'm gonna try and divide this up into multiple posts so it's not an endless stream of word vomit.

Part I: The Decision (some of this might be TMI)

Jon and I decided that once we hit our one year wedding anniversary in August that we were going to start trying to add to our little family. I had an official Air Force Physical Fitness Test in October, so we decided that would be when we officially started trying. I got some prenatal vitamins from the clinic here on base so I could start taking them early (as recommended by the doctor I saw).

That first month was more of a "let's just wing it and see what happens." I had a minor anxiety attack (okay, a complete and total freakout) at the end of October when I would have tested because I had no idea what was going on and was over analyzing every single symptom. I ended up testing multiple times, and got Big Fat Negatives (BFNs) every day until my monthly visitor came a calling.

During this time, I joined The Bump, and started posting on the Trying to Get Pregnant board. The ladies on there have a lot of information, and there is an awesome blog that some of them put together for newbies. I read that blog and participated on the board, and learned so much about my body in the two week wait (TWW) I had in October.

Once I hit Cycle Day (CD) 1 at the beginning of November, and figured out that I wasn't knocked up, I decided to start tracking my Basal Body Temperature (BBT) to try and figure out when I was ovulating and when to actually start testing. I also tracked some other secondary symptoms just to get the hang of it.

Jon was in Texas getting our cats set up to come over to Hawaii, and was there the entire month, so we took a break. I read up on everything I could trying to conceive (TTC) related, and armed myself with information to be prepared for next month.

When Jon got back at the end of November, I was ready to go. CD 1 for December came, and we were anxious to get started. I temped, and recorded the temps and other fertility signs in Fertility Friend (an awesome website), and we did the deed (DTD) every day the three days before I ovulated...then came the fun part of waiting.

I was having some spotting issues right after I ovulated, so I immediately started to get discouraged. At that point I was just waiting to get it over with so we could try again next month. A little part of me said not to give up, so I still continued to have a little hope.

The Test
Nine days after I ovulated, something in me told me to test (I had been obsessively testing a few days before that, but I knew it wouldn't yield anything). I took a Wondfo test (cheapie Internet test) and got a super squinter, so I decided to wait a few hours and then try with a pink-dye First Response Early Result (FRER). I got a pretty immediate pink line, but Jon didn't want to believe it until I tested with a digital, so I did just that. It came up positive, and shit just got real.

(To be continued with Part II: Weeks 3-7)