12/24/09 -12 Weeks Pregnant
As you move into the second trimester, baby shifts into the growth and maturation stage. After weeks in the critical development stage, almost all of baby's systems are fully formed.
Baby is now the size of a Plum!!!
Total weight gain/loss: Hovering between 2-3 lbs. So glad because I have gained the proper amount of weight for the first trimester. I already feel like a good mom.
Sleep: Have not been sleeping well this week. Getting maybe 4-6 hours a night when I need 10 hours. Its very frustrating. I spoke to a nurse and she said that insomnia gets better in the second trimester.
Other Symptoms: I really only have nausea right now. I continue to have to keep some food in my tummy or else I get sick. I try to eat just small meals throughout the day. I don’t have much of an appetite.
Best moment last week: I had my first OB appointment on Tuesday Dec 22, 2009. Everything went very well. Baby is healthy and growing just fine.
But...I cried all day long - Happy Tears! It started when I stepped foot in my OBs office. I just couldn't believe I was there for a pregnancy. For so many years, I dreaded going there and seeing all the pregnant women. I would cry sad tears whenever I left thinking that it would never be my turn. Anyway, so then I cried when I saw the nurse b/c she started talking about the hospital where I will deliver and all the classes you can take and I just was so happy that I get to go to child birthing classes. Then I sobbed when I actually saw my OB. She was so happy for me and just hugged me and congratulated me. Then I got to HEAR the heartbeat for the first time and that just pushed me over the edge and I sobbed. Then my OB did an ultrasound and saw the baby moving and shaking and I cried again. I cried on the way home, at lunch...you get the idea.
It was one of the happiest days of my life. How did I become this lucky and blessed?!
Food cravings/aversions: Cheeseburgers! So weird but they’ve been sounding and tasting so good lately. I wish I could crave something healthier. Oh well…
What I miss: Champagne and Santa pop.
What I am looking forward to: The day has finally arrived. I get to tell my family! I’m so beyond excited. For years, every fall, I would always think to myself – Wouldn’t it be just great if I could get pregnant and then be able to share the news with my family on Christmas eve?! It has been a dream of mine for years and now it is about to come true. My only fear is that they will be mad at me for keeping it from them for 12 weeks. Hopefully they will understand and just be so happy for me. Merry Christmas!!!
Milestones: First OB appointment!
Week 12 Belly Picture:
--------------------------------------------12/17/09 -11 Weeks Pregnant
Your fetus currently enjoys a 1:1 ratio between body and head, and has skin so transparent that blood vessels show right through. But, fingers and toes are no longer webbed, and hair follicles, tooth buds and nail beds are forming -- setting up a significantly more attractive future.
Baby is now the size of a Lime!!!
Total weight gain/loss: Actually down 1lb so 2lbs total. Must just be all the running around at Christmas time..
Sleep: Had some good nights of sleep and some bad nights. It’s probably crazy but I can feel my uterus stretching and pulling during the night. Keeps me awake sometimes.
Other Symptoms: Still getting more energy back. Not really dizzy anymore. Still nauseous.
Best moment last week: We told Dan’s family last weekend. I got lots of congratulations and hugs. I cried. It was great!
Food cravings/aversions: Crunchy veggies and salad just don’t sound good to me. I’ve been cooking veggies for dinner instead.
What I miss: As we get closer to Christmas, Champagne…again.
What I am looking forward to: My first OB appointment is next Tuesday! So excited to walk into that Drs. office pregnant!!! For so many years, I would dread going there because of all the pregnant ladies. It made me so sad. Now it is my turn!!
Milestones: Getting close to being out of the first tri. Just a few more weeks.
Week 11 Belly Picture:
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12/10/09 -10 Weeks Pregnant
With bones and cartilage starting to form and vital organs beginning to function, baby is making major progress. Body length will almost double in the next three weeks, and arm joints are now working. (Soon, legs will start working too.)
Baby is now the size of a prune!!!
Total weight gain/loss: Weighed myself this morning and still just 3 lbs.
Maternity clothes: I bought something this week that has been a great purchase. It’s called a bella band. You put your pants on and leave the top button unbuttoned so your belly has a little more room. Then you pull the bella band over your tummy and over the top part of your pants, the unbuttoned part. It looks like you just have a cami on under your shirt. The band is so comfortable. It smoothes out my tummy and holds my pants up while giving my tummy a little more room.
Sleep: Still waking up early in the mornings, well, I always have to tinkle and then I can’t go back to sleep. Im just so excited as it get closer to telling everyone. It’s hard to sleep.
Other Symptoms: Starting to get some energy back. Not quite as dizzy as I have been. Still get nauseous if I don’t have food in my tummy. When baby wants to eat, baby wants to eat, just like Peyton-Ashley!
Best moment last week: Our ultrasound!!! It was amazing. We got to see the baby and it had little arm buds and leg buds and the baby was moving! It was incredible. I just laid there on the table crying and crying. Even now typing this, I am crying happy tears. I just can’t believe it. The ultrasound made it seem more real. I also met with the nurse practitioner and she gave me some information and sent me on my way to my OB!
Food cravings/aversions: No cravings really this week but smells are still bothering me. I have a super sensitive smeller.
What I miss: Coke – As Christmas gets closer, in the past I always let myself have some “santa pop”. That is coke with santa on the can. Im trying to still avoid caffine so no coke for me.
What I am looking forward to: We are telling Dan’s family on Saturday! I am sad that we haven’t told my family yet but it will be worth it to wait for Aaron to come home.
Milestones: Made it 10 weeks. I feel so lucky to have been able to experience being pregnant now for 10 weeks. Amazing!
Week 10 Belly Picture:
---------------------------------------------12/3/09 - 9 Weeks PregnantYour little embryo has now officially graduated to fetus-hood. Adding to the excitement, a Doppler ultrasound device might be able to pick up the beating heart. With basic physical structures in place and increasingly distinct facial features, baby is kind of starting to look like...well...a baby!
Baby is now the size of a green olive!!!
Total weight gain/loss: Still just 3 lbs. Yay.
Maternity clothes: Some pants are not longer a possibility. Thank goodness for low cut jeans. My waist is definitely getting thicker.
Sleep: 10 hours per night and hopefully a nap in the afternoon. Wake early in the morning and not able to go back to sleep. I just lay in bed and pray and thank God every morning for this miracle growing inside me.
Other Symptoms: Still very dizzy and nauseous. If I am hungry I am really nauseous. I have to keep on top of making sure I have something in my stomach.
Best moment last week: Walked through Babies R Us for a shower gift and was so happy to think that soon I’ll get to shop there. I still can’t believe it.
Food cravings/aversions: I’ve been wanted to eat Italian food all week. It sounds so good. Also Mac and Cheese.
What I miss: Red wine to go with that Italian food.
What I am looking forward to: Our next prenatal appointment is tomorrow Dec 4th. Can’t wait to see our little one on ultrasound!
Milestones: Probably just that not all my pants fit anymore.
Week 9 Belly Picture:
-----------------------------------------------11/26/09 - 8 Weeks PregnantYour baby is growing like mad, putting on about a millimeter every day and continuing to straighten out in the trunk. Though you can't feel it yet, baby is moving those little arms, legs and (now only slightly) webbed fingers and toes like crazy.
Baby is now the size of a raspberry!!!
Total weight gain/loss: Still just 3 lbs. Yay.
Maternity clothes: Some Jeans are still snug. Weird, it’s like I have gained all 3 lbs just in my stomach.
Sleep: 10 hours per night and hopefully a nap in the afternoon,
Other Symptoms: Still very dizzy. Getting more nauseous which is awesome! That means things are going well.
Best moment last week: Bought a frame for our ultrasound photo. Displayed on the frame is the word “miracle”. That is exactly what this is. We framed the first picture of our precious little one.
Food cravings/aversions: The smell of bacon is sickening! I found that out twice this week. Once at home and once at a sandwich place. Blech, just gag me right now.
What I miss: Champagne! Tomorrow is Thanksgiving and no champagne for me. It’s ok though.
What I am looking forward to: Our next prenatal appointment. It is December 4rd. I’ll be 9 weeks at that time. If everything looks good, I get to go back to my OB. Yay for being normal!!!
Milestones: Made it 8 weeks. I can’t believe it!
Week 8 Belly Picture:
-------------------------------------------11/19/09 - 7 Weeks PregnantBaby's brain -- both hemispheres! -- is growing fast, generating about 100 new cells every minute. Arms and legs are emerging as joints start to form, and a permanent set of kidneys (baby's third!) is now in place.
Baby is now the size of a blueberry!!!
Total weight gain/loss: 3 lbs.
Maternity clothes: No but some jeans are getting a little snug
Sleep: 10 hours per night and hopefully a nap in the afternoon,
Other Symptoms: Still very dizzy. I get nauseous if my tummy is empty. My GI system is very confused. Some days, things are speeding, other days, things are getting backed up. Usually very hungry in the mornings and not so much at night. Sometimes at night after I eat my dinner, I feel sick.
Best moment last week: Seeing our baby for the first time!! We did our first ultrasound and saw our precious little son/daughter. We got to see it’s little heart flickering away. So amazing!!! Is this actually happening???
Worst moment last week: I fainted in our kitchen. I got up in the morning, went potty, went to the kitchen, washed my hands and was standing there in front of the stove drying my hands with a kitchen towel and the next thing I know I wake up with my head in Dan’s arms and he is talking to me. I’ve never fainted before. It was very strange. I’ve been very dizzy and felt faint but I guess this time it was too much for me. I smacked my head on our tile floor and still have a large bump. I think it scared the wits out of Dan.
Food cravings/aversions: crunchy veggies sound gross to me which is weird. I love crunchy veggies. Day old garlic smell is the worst. If we ate something garlicky the night before and I was too tired to do the dishes, I can smell it from our bedroom and it is disgusting!
What I miss: Champagne!
What I am looking forward to: Our next prenatal appointment. It is December 3rd. I’ll be exactly 9 weeks at that time.
Milestones: Finding out we are just having one perfect little baby.
Week 7 Belly Picture:
----------------------------------------------11/12/09 - 6 Weeks PregnantGrowing like crazy, baby is starting to sprout eyes, ears, nose, cheeks and chin. Those little hands and feet- still webbed like paddles- might wiggle by week's end, the heart is beating (almost twice as fast as yours!), and blood is starting to circulate.
Baby is now the size of a sweet pea!!!
Total weight gain/loss: Ugh. Yes, I’ve think I’ve gained a couple lbs. Boo. I’m only supposed to 2-5 lbs in the whole first tri and I’ve already gained 2! I hope I can slow down. I can’t go to the gym, and I’ve been so hungry, it is a challenge to gain a healthy amount.
Sleep: Still very, very tired. I feel like I sleep more deeply too than I normally do.
Other symptoms: Same as last time and hasn’t really increased.
Worst moment last week: I changed the “best moment” to “worst moment so I could tell this story. Saturday morning 11/7/09, I woke up in excruciating pain on the left lower side of my back. I’m talking, crying, writhing on the floor, I’m going to die pain. So I call my doctor’s office and they bring me in immediately. I’m freaking out thinking the worst (ectopic pregnancy). They did an ultrasound and found a baseball sized cyst on my left ovary. The baby is okay. Thank God!
I had taken some Tylenol that morning and it seemed like the pain was getting better. The doctor said that the cyst would most likely get smaller and if Tylenol was helping, he shouldn’t do anything about it. So I go home and later Saturday night, the Tylenol is not cutting it. I’m in a ton of pain again so I call the after hours emergency line that my doctors has. The nurse called in some Tylenol w/ codeine for me and told me to come back in the morning and if the pain got worse, I would have to go to the ER. Poor Dan, he had to go to the 24hr Walgreens at 10:30 and at night and get my prescription. Anyway, The codeine knocked me out but I woke up in the middle of the night last night with the same horrendous pain. I took another Tylenol w/codeine and managed to make it until the office opened this morning.
Dan and I flew over to the doctor’s office. At this point the Tylenol w/ codeine isn’t even touching the pain. I’m crying in the office waiting for an ultrasound room to be ready. Finally they do the ultrasound and the cyst had gotten even bigger. So the doctor decided we needed to do emergency surgery and aspirate the cyst. I wasn’t allowed to have any anesthesia. They stuck at 12 inch long needle through my cervix and into the cyst and extracted the fluid.
Holy pain. I’ve never been in so much pain in my life. Anyway after the surgery within minutes I felt relief. They wheeled me upstairs into the actual surgery center and gave me an IV with fluids and some pain meds. Within 20 minutes, they pain was almost completely gone and stayed gone once the medication wore off. Baby is still okay but was a nightmare.
The doctor said that in 10% of women, the hormones that are produced tell the cysts that are left over from ovulation to keep growing instead getting smaller. And an even smaller percentage of those women can have pain and discomfort from these cysts.
Food cravings/aversions: Pickles sound disgusting.
I miss: Still pumpkin spice lattes and coffees. Diet Pepsi and Light Beer.
What I am looking forward to: My ultrasound – 4 days away now!!! Can’t wait to see my little baby(s)!!
----------------------------------------------11/05/09 - 5 Weeks PregnantYour Baby (looking kind of like a tadpole) is starting to form major organs (heart, kidney, liver, stomach) and systems (nervous, circulatory, digestive). Baby's presence in your uterus triggers production of hCG (the hormone detected by pregnancy tests)... which triggers production of other hormones like estrogen and progesterone... which trigger all those great symptoms you've probably been noticing!
Baby is now the size of an apple seed!!!
Total weight gain/loss: No weight gain yet but trying to eat healthy since I can’t work out right now.
Sleep: YES! I’m exhausted!!!! I’ve been sleeping 10+ hours a night plus a 1-3 hr nap in the afternoon.
Other symptoms: Breasts are still very sore and getting bigger I fear. Also, very dizzy almost all the time, even when laying down and starting to get nauseous at times. I seem to feel better in the mornings and get worse as the day goes on. So happy to be feeling all these peculiar feelings – Something is happening.
Best moment last week: My husband brought me flowers and a card to celebrate. Also just thinking about all the wonderful things that are in store for me. I’m so excited to think about maternity clothes, baby showers, nurseries etc.
Food cravings: Pickles a little still but I’ve started to get nauseated so I don’t have a very big appetite for anything.
I miss: Still pumpkin spice lattes and coffees.
What I am looking forward to: My ultrasound!!! Can’t wait to see my little baby(s)!!
Milestones: I told Peyton-Ashley that I’m going to have a cousin for her to play with. She’s promised not to tell (She’s 4 months old) HaHa!!!
Week 5 Belly Picture:
--------------------------------------------10/29/09 - 4 Weeks PregnantIn week 4, now safe in your womb, the ball of cells (blastocyst) splits in two, becoming the Baby and the placenta. The amniotic sac and fluid are forming around baby, and will act as a cushion for the next eight months.
Baby is now the size of a Poppy seed!!!
Total weight gain/loss: I haven't weighed myself, but hopefully nothing yet although I haven’t worked out in a month so I probably have gained a couple pounds just from that. All my clothes fit fine though.
Sleep: I’m very tired and fall asleep around 9pm but then have been waking up around 4am and I starting thinking about all the wonderful things that are in store for me and I can’t sleep. I am taking some naps though which I never do.
Best moment last week: Getting my positive pregnancy test – Thursday 10/29/09, then hearing that my HCG had doubled. When I got the call that my test was positive I was in the car driving home from my sister’s apartment. It was an unusually big October snow storm. All the schools were closed that day. The nurse called and said “Ashley, how many stocking do you have for Christmas?” I said, “2”. She said “Well you are going to need one more, you are pregnant”! I couldn’t believe it! I burst into tears and said “I’m going to be a mommy”! and “Thank you” over and over again. My nurse told me she had goose bumps from my reaction.
When I hung up the phone, I just cried out to God. God and I had our own private moment. I could feel him smiling down on me saying “Now is the time Ashley. You have been faithful to me and I am fulfilling my promises to you.” I just felt His embrace and I cried and said thank you and praise you.
Anyway, the nurse also said that they like to see the HCG number over 50 and mine was 157. I went back two days later for another blood test and the number and more than doubled to 340. I am definitely pregnant! I also took a Home Pregnancy Test. I have wanted so much to see a positive home pregnancy test. I just could resist and sure enough, 2 lines! I took a picture of it! I also took my first belly picture. (see below) Obviously, there is nothing to see yet but I also couldn’t resist. Oh I also took another home pregnancy test 2 days later, just for fun.
Symptoms: Sore breasts, some lower back pain, fatigue and some twinges in my lower abdomen.
Food cravings: Pickles! And other sour stuff.
Gender: Dan wants twin boys. I want twins but one boy and one girl. Most of all we are both just happy to know that we are having a baby and we don’t care if it is one or two, boy or girl!
I miss: Pumpkin Spice Lattes and other coffee drinks, Red wine and Margaritas.
What I am looking forward to: My u/s!!! It is scheduled for 11/16/09. Can’t wait to see my little baby(s)!!
Milestones: Getting Pregnant after 5 years of waiting.
My first ever postive home pregnancy test:
Week 4 Belly Picture:
