Third Pregnancy Recap - First Half

Even though I haven't blogged in FOREVER, I want to at least get this info in writing before I forget it all.

I had a suspicion I *might* be pregnant towards the middle to end of February, but every test I took was negative.  I was crampy, nauseous, moody, and had twinges in my uterus I had only felt when I was pregnant before.  Finally on Monday, February 27th, I got the faintest of positive tests.  I then proceeded to take 3 more that day, and they all showed up as positive.

I told Joshua that Monday night after he got home from Lane's basketball practice and the kids were asleep.  We were both shocked, but excited.  I had always wanted a third child, but this came as quite the surprise!

Over the next few weeks I had multiple blood draws to check my HCG and progesterone levels, which took a while to increase.  I also started supplemental progesterone as a precaution.

At our first ultrasound, baby measured 6w1d and we saw a heartbeat, but it was slow (~95bpm).  We were then told to come back two weeks later to recheck, and when we did everything was progressing as it should.

I spent the first 10-12 weeks very nauseous and exhausted.  It was hard to keep the secret at work because I just felt so miserable all of the time, plus my belly always starts to pop right away.  We also held off on telling the kids until after the first trimester.

Because of my history of preterm labor/delivery with Owen at 32w6d, I started receiving the Makena injections at 16 weeks to hopefully reduce the risk of this baby being a preemie.  The first shot was given in the office, and every other one Josh has given me at home.  This will continue until the end of my 35th week or baby is born, whichever comes first.  Owen thinks its hilarious that Daddy gives me the shot "in the butt" (intramuscular injection in the back of my hip), and Lane is terrified whenever I have to get it and hides in the other room.

Also around 16 weeks I started having Braxton-Hicks contractions quite frequently, so I try to really keep my water intake up, lie down whenever I can, and just listen to my body.

I have an anterior placenta this time around, which has made feeling this baby much more difficult; its like all of the movements are muffled instead of stronger like with my last two pregnancies.

We found out during our 20 week anatomy scan that this baby is a little GIRL, which completely surprised me.  I was so sure we were having a third boy, and I even had his name picked out.  I cried when the tech told us her gender, because I was so surprised and excited.  It seemed so strange at first to be expecting a girl, but it now feels "right" and like she was always meant to join our family.

That's about it for the first half of this pregnancy!  I am trying to savor every moment, no matter how uncomfortable, because this is likely our very last baby.  Fingers crossed we make it well into the third trimester before we meet this little girl!

Week 11: Meeting Our Doctor and We Have a Heartbeat!

Tuesday, March 15th we had an appointment to meet our OB for the first time. I had only previously met a nurse and an ultrasound tech, so we were looking forward to putting a face with a name.

Dr. S came in and introduced herself, and the first thing I noticed was how much she included Josh in the conversation.  She made eye contact with him constantly, asked him questions directly, and really made me feel like I'm not in this alone.  Maybe every OB is like this, but I was really happy to see how she treated him.  She asked some basic questions, asked if we had any questions, and then told me that I'm Rh negative, meaning its possible my blood won't be compatible with the baby's blood.  This means I'll be getting a Rhogam shot at 28 weeks, and then again at delivery.  Also, if I were to be in a car accident, or have a fall, or get hit in the stomach, they would give me another shot then.  It really doesn't seem to be that big of a deal nowadays, and if we find out if Josh is Rh negative as well, we can avoid the shots altogether.

Then. Dr. S pulled out the doppler, and I pulled out my BlackBerry, and we were able to hear our little kiddo's heartbeat for the first time!  I asked if I could record it on my phone, and she said of course.  It was beating away at 167 bpm, and was such a neat experience.  Josh and I both lit up and couldn't stop smiling.  So nice to know that between our ultrasound and this appointment the baby didn't fall our or get lost!

We go back in on April 12th, which will put us right around 15 weeks.  She said at that appointment we'll get to schedule our "big" ultrasound and find out if we are Team Blue or Team Pink!  I think it goes without saying that we are counting down the days until that point!

PS-  This "belly" is getting harder and harder to hide from my patients!  My boss knows, but I haven't told any patients.  This secret will be out before I know it at the rate its been going!

Week 9: Our First Ultrasound

When I met with the nurse from my OB's office for the first time, she mentioned that they wouldn't be doing an ultrasound until the "big one" around 20 weeks, to determine the sex and check all of the anatomy.  I think she could tell from the look on my face that this freaked me out a little.  There I was, only 7 weeks pregnant, and being told I had to wait another 13 weeks to even make sure there was a baby in there.  So, she agreed to do a "dating" ultrasound at 9.5 weeks to measure the baby according to how big it should be at that point.  We were scheduled to do that on Thursday, March 3rd at 8:40 AM.

So, that day rolls around, and my boss was on vacation for the week.  Meaning I was in charge of our two fill-in therapists and the clinic.  I showed up at 7:30 AM that morning, ready to unlock the clinic, switch the phones over, start a load of laundry, and generally get the clinic ready for the therapist and patients to arrive.  When I opened the door that morning, however, I discovered the clinic was freezing cold, and our heat pump wasn't working.  Terrific.  So I'm calling my electrician-dad, my boss, and the company that installed the unit, trying to get it working so all of my patients don't freeze.  I managed to get out the door on time for my appointment, and raced across town while trying to chug the 1 quart of water required before my ultrasound, all the while attempting to not pee my pants.

Josh met me at the office, and we walked in, both nervous and excited.  The tech called us back, had me lie down, dimmed the lights, and squirted warm ultrasound gel on my stomach.  She put the wand on my stomach, and we immediately saw our kiddo.  It was the most amazing sight I could ever imagine seeing.  We could distinguish the head and eyes, and its little arm stubs, and the torso.  It was wiggling around, and we could see the heart flickering on the screen.  The tech measured the heartrate, at 167 bpm.  She printed off a couple of pictures for us, and we were done.  Josh and I couldn't stop smiling and giggling, and we both walked out of there on a complete high.  We each took a copy of the picture, and he showed everybody at work that day.  He's such a proud daddy!

We still have to wait until closer to 20 weeks to find out if I'm carrying a little boy or girl, and right now that seems like a loooooonnnnggggg ways away.  We're very much looking forward to that day!

Weeks 4-9: A Summary

Weeks 4-9 were much of the same, day in and day out. Lots of nausea, lots of throwing up, lots of cravings, and lots of hormones.  I lost a few pounds, and have since gained them all back.  I saw the nurse at my OB's office, and went back to my cardiologist for my ongoing heart issues.

We didn't take any photos of me during this time period, mostly because I felt too crummy, and there was either no change or I was so bloated that I looked 7 months pregnant.

I would like to start posting more frequently (maybe 1-2 times a week?)  with photos of the growing belly.  I'm starting to get more energy, so hopefully this will pan out!

Friday, January 28th, 2011: Telling My Parents

*I forgot to post this before I posted the Jan. 30th post, hence the out-of-orderness.  Oops.

Tonight, we had plans to go over to my parents' house for pizza.  We normally get together with them each week, at some point or another.  We eat dinner, watch TV, and just catch up.  So, this Friday seemed like nothing out of the ordinary.

We had decided we wanted to tell my parents tonight about the newest addition we are adding this fall, so I had picked up "The Idiot's Guide to Grandparenting" book as a joke.  Also, a few weeks prior, Mom and I had been at Ikea and I mentioned wanting to use some of our tax refund to redecorate our spare bedroom (this was prior to me knowing I was pregnant).  I printed out a picture of a nursery from online, and left it in the envelope from the photo-printing place, and put the book in a paper bag.

We got to their house, and we were all lounging in the living room.  I handed Dad the bag and said, "I saw this at the store and thought of you."  And then I gave Mom the envelope and casually mentioned I decided how I wanted to decorate the spare room.  They opened them at the same time, and Dad just giggled and said, "No way!".  Mom said, "You're having a baby?!  Are you serious?!  I'm going to be a grandma!!".  She then declared right away that they wanted to buy the crib, and she wants to babysit.

We spent the rest of the evening talking about it, and Mom whipped her laptop out so we could look at baby stuff online.  Needless to say, they were (and still very much are!) excited!

Sunday, January 30th, 2011: Telling Josh's Parents

*NOTE:  These next few posts (with dates as titles) were written on the day of the title's date, but I didn't want to publish them until after we had told all our friends/family.  So, I'm playing catch-up for a little while!

Today is the day we told Josh's parents. We had to go to his dad's house to pick up his trailer, and while we were there Dan asked if I was going to be walking in the Susan G. Komen 3 Day for the Cure this year. I just said "Maybe..." and then Josh said, "You're going to be a grandpa!". He was shocked, but still so excited. He wrapped me in a huge hug multiple times, and his love for us really showed.  He said it would take a few days for it to sink in, and he later called Josh and told him he went inside and laid down to absorb it all.

Then, it was time to tell Josh's mom, Stacie.  I was meeting his mom, two aunts, and grandma for lunch and a movie to celebrate some birthdays, and Josh drove me to the restaurant.  We watched for Stacie, and as soon as she arrived we took off for the door to try to head her off.  She made it inside before we caught her, and was already at the table with the girls.  So, Josh told her to come outside for a minute, and I followed.  We stood outside the entrance to the restaurant, and told her she was going to be a grandma.  She teared up, and hugged us both, and seemed genuinely excited.  From the table inside, the girls could see what was going on, so when we went back inside, we were ambushed.  "Are you having a baby?!"  was what we were met with.  We answered yes, and everyone cheered and hugged.  The rest of the time at the restaurant was spent discussing details, such as how far along we are, when the due date is, if we plan on finding out the sex, etc.
Josh left the restaurant, and went and told his grandpa and sister, Amy.  Both were equally excited!

It is such a relief to have our families know, and to have their support. 

Wednesday, January 26th, 2011: Beta

*NOTE:  These next few posts (with dates as titles) were written on the day of the title's date, but I didn't want to publish them until after we had told all our friends/family.  So, I'm playing catch-up for a little while!

I called the doctor's office yesterday morning to request to be sent to the lab for a blood draw to check my hCG levels. The last time Josh and I were pregnant (nearly two years ago!), and at the same point (4 weeks 3 days), my beta was barely 100. Two days later than number had dropped nearly in half.

We waited around all day and into the evening for a phone call with the results. I even called the office to see if they were ready yet. We were told it would probably be morning before they had anything for us.

Around 9:30AM today (Wednesday), TFPC called while I was on the phone with Josh. I quickly answered their call, and was told we are "definitely pregnant", with a beta of 337. That's three times as high as last time! We are still going back in tomorrow (Thursday) for another draw, and then have an appointment tomorrow evening with my PCP, Doug, to go over the results. Doug used to be the Team Doctor for Tumwater High School (Josh's alma mater), and Josh and Doug know each other very well.

We are keeping our fingers crossed for numbers of over 600 tomorrow night!

Monday, January 24th, 2011

*NOTE:  These next few posts (with dates as titles) were written on the day of the title's date, but I didn't want to publish them until after we had told all our friends/family.  So, I'm playing catch-up for a little while!

This has been a whirlwind of a weekend.  I had a sneaking suspicion I was pregnant, but also felt like I didn't have any "symptoms".  So, I figured I just wait it out until Aunt Flow made her appearance.

My period was due Saturday, and never came.  Sunday, I decided to test, and was expecting a negative result.  Low and behold, however, I got an immediate positive!  There was no waiting for the recommended 3 minutes to read the results; it showed up instantly!  In addition, the "pregnant" line was dark - much darker than even the control line!

I decided I needed to tell Josh in a semi-creative way.  I had bought a yellow onesie that says "Mommy + Daddy = ME!" to give to our friends who are pregnant, and also a guidebook for expectant fathers.  I decided maybe we needed it more than they did right then.  So, I interrupted Josh's movie watching and told him I had a gift for him.  He sat on the couch, and I came out with the book and onesie behind my back, and sat on the floor in front of him.  I told him this was a custom-made gift, and it was non-returnable.  He asked if it was something I made, and I replied, "Sort of.".  I then asked him to close his eyes, and I placed the gifts in his hands.  I took a deep breath, and told him to open his eyes.  Its worth mentioning that I was squeezing a pillow in my arms, covering up my mouth, nervous of his reaction.  He opened his eyes, looked down, and then looked up at me and said, "Are we... pregnant?".  And I just nodded my head, while he kept asking, "For real?", and, "You're not playing a trick on me, are you?".  He then asked if I still had the test, which I went and grabbed to show him.  His response?  "Yep, there are definitely two lines there!".  He hugged me, kissed me, and told me how excited he was.

Over the next two days, Josh continually (and jokingly) asked, "Are we still pregnant?" and kept saying to himself, "Wow, we're having a baby.  I still can't believe it!".

He has been attentive, protective, caring, funny, loving, and everything else I could ask for.  We both have so many questions, and have been reading the baby books we bought non-stop.  We lay in bed at night reading, and every few minutes he'll giggle and read something to me he finds funny.  Mostly gross bodily things that I find embarrassing, and he finds hilarious.

So, our first doctor's appointment is scheduled for Thursday the 27th at 6 PM, but that is with my primary family doctor. We are trying to get a blood draw done before then to check out the hCG levels, but are unsure if that will happen.  We go in for a nurse's appointment on Valentine's Day at the OB/GYN clinic we chose (my normal OB/GYN doesn't deliver at the hospital we want), and then for an actual doctor's appointment on February 23rd.  That appointment will be right at about 8.5 weeks.

We are estimating that the day we found out (Sunday, January 23rd), I am/was 4 weeks 1 day pregnant.  Our estimated due date is October 1st, and we honestly could not be more excited.

I'm looking forward to documenting everything along the way here, so keep checking back for updates!