I'm Back!

I was hoping to get the previous weeks of my pregnancy updated before telling everyone about my most recent doctor's appointments and current state of being. However, being the overly organized person that I am, I didn't want to post incomplete entries. So I am just going to continue on with the most recent bit of information, and I will fill in the blanks soon. Hopefully that doesn't end up confusing anyone who might possibly read this blog.

So, to begin with, on January 22nd I had my "pre-OB work up". I was 9 weeks, 2 days pregnant. This was probably one of the least "fun" appointments I've ever been to. Not that it matters that much. In it, I only met with the nurse, not my OB-GYN. She weighed me and recorded my height. Overall, I had gained 6 lbs since my pre-pregnancy weight. I knew that ahead of time, though. As a side note, in addition to those 6 lbs, I already knew that I had gained 3 inches in my bustline, 2 inches in my waist, and very few of my pants fit anymore. But they didn't do any baseline measurements at my appointment, which surprised me a bit. I just happened to already know those measurements.

From there, we sat in the office as the nurse went over everything informative. I received a note book "especially made" for me. It contains a list of all approved medications I can take during my pregnancy and what things I can do to combat certain symptoms. There is also a breakdown of my upcoming appointments. According to the notebook, I would have my first appointment at 12 weeks and then following appointments every 4 weeks until I got to about 28 weeks or so and then they would move to every 2 weeks, and finally once a week in the final month. However, I knew things would be off a little bit because my first real OB appointment was scheduled for the following week where I'd only be 10 weeks along. So, I wasn't sure then how it'd really break down. Anyways, each page described where I should be in my pregnancy at that appointment and what to expect to do there. There was a pamphlet for all of the maternity classes that my clinic offers, including lamaze-type classes, breast-feeding classes, and general parenting classes. All are completely free, and I've heard rumors that you receive a free pack of diapers at every class or even coupons that you can save up towards strollers or carseats. Either way, I've always thought it'd be a great idea to attend these classes, especially in my first pregnancy. And, finally, the notebook contained a section that allowed me to record important information for my pregnancy and delivery and to write down questions as they come up.

After that, I had 5 vials of blood taken. They tested my blood type (which I could've already told them since I used to be a regular blood donor). They tested me for AIDS and hepatitis, an immunity to rubella, and for syphilis. I had just been vaccinated for both hepatitis and rubella (MMR) in July, so I was certain both of those should be fine. And, knowing mine and Jesse's sexual history, I wasn't worried about the STD's either, which made for pointless tests, but I understand it's all routine. And, finally, I had to do a urine test so they could evaluate my protein levels, any bacteria for a urinary tract infection, and something else. The nurse said that I would have to repeat this urine test at every single appointment so that they could compare results and watch for any potential infections or gestational diabetes. She also informed me that I WOULD have a pelvic exam at my next appointment despite having had one less than 3 months earlier. Appearantly, every pregnant woman needs to be examined for gonorrhea and chlamydia because you cannot have a vaginal birth if you have either STD. Not only could you spread it to your baby that way, but you could cause them to be blind because of it. I wasn't worried about it, but now understand the need for it.

So, 6 days later, I came back for my first real OB appointment on January 28th. I was now 10 weeks 1 day pregnant and did meet with Dr. York this time. I was weighed again and had actually lost 2 lbs. This was mostly due to the sickness and loss of appetite that I had earlier in the week. I then met with Dr. York who went over my complete medical history again. I had done this as part of my gynelogical work-up, but she said that it had to be done again from an obstetric perspective. Overall, I think I'm an easy patient with very minimal family history of illness and no personal medical problems. I did have to do my urine test again. They said all of my levels appeared to be normal.

I also had to sign the paperwork for a cystic fibrosis test. If both Jesse and I had a history of cystic fibrosis then there'd be a good chance of our baby having it. The truth is, though, that Jesse and I have no family history of this disease and, if it was determined that our baby DID have the disease, it would not change our decision to carry this pregnancy to full-term. So, we opted out of having the test. In about 5 weeks, we'll have to determine whether we want to have another genetic test done. I believe it's a quad screen which will look for Down's Syndrome and spina bifida or abdominal wall defects. I have mixed feelings about these tests. On one hand, they aren't invasive or risky. They are just blood draws. On the other hand, though, the results will not change how we feel about this pregnancy, nor is there anything you can do to correct the problems until after the baby is born anyways. I've actually learned that the results are not really completely accurate either. They only indicate an increased chance of any disorder OR can mean that either your due date is miscalculated or that you are having twins. I heard of a Christian family whose test came back indicating Down's Syndrome and they chose to continue with the pregnancy only to find that their baby was 100% normal upon birth. How many other families terminate their pregnancies never knowing if the results were even true or not? So, I'm not sure if I want to have the test or not.

From there, they had me undress for my pelvic exam. This was very similar to the previous exam or your normal pap smear. And she was able to evaluate the size of my uterus and tell me that it was growing to be the right size. And then, for the best part of all, she let us listen for the heartbeat!!! I was hoping that she would do that at this appointment, but no one had said for sure. I even dragged Jesse along and made him sit through the pelvic exam, hoping that they would let us listen to the heartbeat and it'd all be worth it.

It didn't take long to find. In the first spot, she found a heartbeat that sounded more like mine. So she just shifted it a little lower and found the baby's heartbeat pretty quickly. I knew what to expect because I had heart other heartbeats before. I could've listened to it for hours, though. Just hearing it so easily and so steadily solidified that everything is going well. Dr. York said it was about 160 beats per minute, which is perfect.

As a conclusion, we discussed my upcoming appointments. You see, my appointments should've been at 12 weeks, 16 weeks, and 20 weeks (with 20 weeks being when they'll tell us the gender of our baby). But since my first appointment was at 10 weeks, then I wasn't sure if all of my appointments would be 2 weeks earlier or if they'd make me wait 6 weeks until coming back. Instead, Dr. York said for me to come back in 5 weeks, which is perfect timing for the quad screening, and then again at 20 weeks, which is perfect timing for the gender ultrasound. While you can sometimes determine the sex earlier, Dr. York said that it's not as easy and waiting will make the results easier to determine. And then I'll be back on track.

I also had to meet with a lady in the business office and set up a payment plan for all of my OB appointments and upcoming delivery. Overall, it's not too bad. I just didn't really expect to be paying on it now, but so far we've gotten off easily without paying a single cent towards all of our infertility testings. So, I'm glad, at least, to have a manageable payment plan for the upcoming months.

Aside from the appointments, I've been feeling overall great. I didn't have any morning sickness until I was 9 weeks along. At that point, I started having what I call "gagging attacks". I'd feel completely fine and then all of the sudden start gagging. At first, I knew I wasn't going to throw up and just had to push through it and then I'd be fine. By week 10, though, I started feeling kinda nauseous from the moment I woke up. I quickly learned that I need to get something on my stomach as soon as possible in order to avoid feeling sick. I've also learned a few techniques to calm my body down to prevent throwing up, but if I start gagging, I don't always know now if I'm going to actually get sick or not. Last Sunday night, I came home with a slight headache. For the past few years, even the slightest headache that lasts more than an hour makes me feel really nauseous. So, I try to combat them as soon as they come on. However, I lost my Tylenol so I just tried to sleep it off. I woke up at midnight, though, and threw up. I took the day off of work and got sick again later that day. And then, despite having bought Tylenol, I went to bed the next night with a headache. I woke up every few hours with my head still hurting. So, I took one more day off to recuperate. That, mixed with the morning nausea I experienced the rest of the week contributed to my 2 lb weight loss at the doctor's office.

Other than the nausea, the constipation, sore boobs, and fatigue have seemed to lessen. My body is definitely achier, though. I get sore backs and get physically exhausted easily. I am finding that sleeping on my stomach is becoming more and more uncomfortable, and my stomach hurts if I stretch it too much. None of it bothers me too much, though. I know how blessed I am to be experiencing this pregnancy and I treasure every single day. I know 6 other people who got pregnant within weeks of myself. Two of them lost their precious little babies early on. Both of them had already experienced the heartache before. Out of the remaining 5 of us, 3 experienced at least one scare so far where they've either had some pain or bleeding that has caused them to go to the doctor scared of a miscarriage. They all seem to be fine right now, but one of them has experienced a miscarriage before. That leaves only two of us who have neither had a previous miscarriage nor had any scares in this pregnancy. I don't take it for granted. Not a single minute of it.

Jesse and I have been getting more and more excited about the reality of having a little baby within months. Last week, we babysat my best friend's 10 month old daughter. Jesse was adorable with her. He was so attentive and playful with her. He picked her up and she just laid there in his arms, playing with his face as he made noises and funny faces at her. He even said, "I'm gonna have one of you soon." My heart just melted. I knew he'd be a good dad, but I always thought he'd be more the fun, playful dad, while I was more the nurturing mom who changed all fo the diapers and did all of the feedings. As the time gets closer, though, I see Jesse stepping up more and being more willing to tend to the baby's needs when we are babysitting. I even catch him walking up to my cousin's baby when she's sitting in a chair by herself and playing with her. The other day, I found these videos of a baby in the womb and how it develops. I showed them to Jesse and he was just in awe of them. That night, we prayed together, as we always do, lifting up our baby to God and praying for the health and wisdom we need in this pregnancy and as parents. He kissed me goodnight and said that he loved me. And then he leaned down towards my belly and said, "And I love you!" It was the first time he's talked directly to my belly, and especially to say, "I love you". It makes me more and more excited. My pregnancy doesn't always feel real. I spend more time just going through the motions, talking about it and preparing for it, and I look forward to the days when my belly is noticeably larger and I can feel my baby kicking inside me. I especially can't wait until we discover if we're having a boy or girl so that we can start calling him/her by name and stop saying "it".

There's more that I could say. I have almost 7 weeks of stuff to update on, but this is getting pretty long. So, I'll hold off and add more later.