25 week update

The time just keeps flying by!

All is well and moving right along.  I saw the doc last week, and Baby is growing just like he needs to be.  His heartbeat was perfect, I got a prescription for heartburn meds (whew!), and another script for some really HOT compression hose.  I notice that my feet are starting to swell slightly at the end of my shifts at work and I'm going to need the hose when we fly back east in October.  Might as well make use of them now....

I also had to do my one hour glucose test.  I have a history of gestational diabetes with my first pregnancy (I'll get to THAT in a minute), so my doc does the test about 4 weeks earlier than "normal".  I was lucky enough to pass the 1 hour my second, third, and fourth pregnancies; this time not so much.  :( I "failed" it by 15 points- either because I was sick with a stomach virus when I took it, because I didn't have any protein before the test (thank you stomach virus), or because I was destined to have GDM.  Again.  Ugh.  So that meant I had to come back for the three hour test.

Fast forward to this week.  The syrupy, gross glucose drink they give you for the one hour is bad enough.  For the three hour test, you have to drink three times as much of the stuff! You have 5 minutes to get it all in, but really  it's just best to chug it all down.  You have three flavor choices: orange, lemon lime, and fruit punch.  Pretty sure the stuff could pass for sno-cone syrup....  I chose the fruit punch for my one hour (maybe THAT was the problem, I always choose orange) and I "failed", so I went with the orange for the three hour.  Gag.  Oh!  And you have to be fasting for 10-12 hours before hand.  All that sugar hitting an empty stomach.  So, I went in, had my fasting blood draw- not a finger poke, but an actual blood draw, drank my syrup and then waited. 

By the one hour draw, I had a bit of a queasy unsettled feeling in my stomach.  By two hours I was nauseous, headachy, and a little light headed.  By three hours I felt super gross and was ready to bolt out of there and get something to eat.  Luckily I had plans to meet a friend for lunch at a local Mexican place.  With a nice, carb filled tortilla wrapped burrito.  Best. Burrito. Ever.

But I passed!!!  No gestational diabetes for me. 

I did have one value that was high- my second hour, which strikes me as odd.  But one elevated value out of the four draws is allowed.  You are diagnosed with two or more abnormals.  So, back to my first pregnancy....  I am positive that I only had one abnormal with those 4 draws, too.  I was at a different clinic at the time though, and they diagnosed me and made me do all the gestational diabetes things.  I have a friend who recently delivered who sees a doc in my old clinic- she had to do her three hour test as well and had one abnormal, and her doc tried to diagnose her too!!!  She checked her (perfectly normal) blood sugars for 4 days though, and talked her doc out of the diagnosis.  Smart lady. 

In other news, the baby is big enough now that we can see him move.  And Chris and the kids have all felt him move too.  They think it's pretty cool.  And so do I.  :)

23 and counting

23 weeks today!  The time just seems to be sliding by.  I was talking to a friend earlier this week and was a little surprised to say that I only have 4 months left before Baby comes....  It's going to go by SO fast!  The kids will go back to school in a couple weeks, we'll be getting the house ready for our puppy then going to pick her up, then our trip out to DC.  After that it's holidays, and birthdays, and then the baby. I'll blink and it will be here!

Everything has been going well the last couple of weeks.  I'm feeling good, and the baby is growing.  One of my patients at work was horrified when I told her I wasn't due until December- she asked if there were "two in there".... Lol.  Lucky for me, I think those comments are pretty funny and I don't get offended.  I've always said I'd rather be obviously, roundly pregnant than one of those you have to guess about. 

We're at the very outer edges of viability, so I'm hoping these next few weeks go by rather quickly.  I generally try to NOT wish away any time during my pregnancy, but these weeks can be the scariest.  I'd pretty much be happy if I could stay home in a bubble for the next 2-3 weeks.  I don't have a history of preterm labor or delivery at all, but I think every labor nurse (or ex labor nurse) worth her salt is a little nervous around this time.  Little Mister in there needs to stay put.  Until the end of November at the earliest. 

Next up:  My one hour glucose test next week.  Fingers crossed against gestational diabetes, folks!

And it's a........

BOY!!!

We had our anatomy scan, well a couple weeks ago now.  Between work and vacation, I haven't been the greatest at updating what's going on.  The scan went better than expected, as my appointment was just a smidge early at 18.4 weeks.  The tech was able to see all the parts she needed to, and everything was in perfect working order.  We looked at Baby's heart, brain, spine, internal organs, blood flow, cord, placenta, and a few others I'm sure I'm forgetting.  Then we had the "fun shots" where we got to see hands and feet, and a little face.  And of, course, that all important "It's a Boy!" shot. 

I'm still not feeling this kiddo move as much as I like.  He is moving for me, and it's getting stronger by the day.  But that dang anterior placenta is really hampering my ability to feel him.  I've had anterior placentas before, but this one must be in just the "right" spot. 

I'm done with all the first trimester symptoms, though some days I still find that I'm really tired.  Those days, I just tell myself that he is growing.  My heartburn is pretty well under control- as long as I remember to take my meds, and my appetite is back to normal.  My itching is getting bad again, similar to when I was pregnant with Mia.  I don't really like a lot of fabrics- or anything- close to my skin.  So I've really appreciated being able to wear a lot of loose dresses and skirts this summer.  There have been many times in the last few weeks where I have wished I could wear them to work, too!  I've been enjoying Eggo waffles for breakfast almost every morning- a food I never eat when I'm not pregnant, and I'm starting to crave red meat again.  In past pregnancies, this has been a sign of anemia in me, so I'll have to have that checked out at my next appointment. 

I can't believe we're halfway through this pregnancy!!! 

Here is the profile pic the tech got at the anatomy scan.  It's a little blurry, but kiddo was very active too.

We're "expecting" too!!!

Wait!  What???  How can our family be expecting too?  Well, we finally decided that it is time to add a puppy to our family.  We have decided on a Siberian Husky, and are waiting on a littler that is due on the 17th of this month.  So hopefully sometime in the next week!  Then we will have to wait until September to bring our puppy home. 

What does this have to do with surrogacy, you ask?

Well, when you're pregnant and adding a baby to your own family there is definitely an air of excited expectation.  Your family has to get ready- choosing a name, buying supplies, getting a room ready... all those kinds of things.  Carrying a surro baby, our family really doesn't have those things to look forward to.  Instead, we get to see Seth and Johnny making these preparations.  I'm having so much fun hearing about how they are going to decorate the nursery, and speculating about whether they are having a boy or a girl.  And it's driving me crazy that they won't tell me the names they have chosen!  I mean, I'd even take the top three!!!  ;)  Chris and I have even been invited to attend their baby shower in October- so we're making plans to be there. 

Now we have this puppy coming home to our family, and the puppy isn't even born yet.  So (in a very small way, I'm sure) I feel a bit like I imagine intended parents feel.  I'm anticipating the delivery, checking the breeder website multiple times a day for updates.  Chris and I have been talking about what changes will have to happen in our house for the puppy to come home.  We've been looking at crates, and toys, and dog runs.  And it took us almost two weeks to decide on a name that we are both happy with.  Very reminiscent of when we had our children....

Wishing that my breeder would update her website more often reminds me to keep the guys in the loop with what is happening here.  We're definitely in that calmer part of the pregnancy where something new doesn't happen every day.  And while this is my fifth pregnancy, it is still their first.

Here's to happy waiting all around!!!

This is our puppy's mom, Kady.

And this is our puppy's dad, Matar (like the "Mater" in Cars.)

If you are interested in peeking at our breeder site, the address is:
www.phichas-siberians.com

Just some pictures

Here are some pics I've gotten over the last few weeks.

Hmmmm.....  Yep, that was at 13 weeks.  I still say my tummy looks huge because of the angle.  I was turned toward the mirror a little.  But still.....  

 And here we are at 15 weeks.  Told you it would be a pretty undeniable baby belly by then......

 

16 weeks!  Sethbryo is definitely growing.

                                    Baby is waving hello!  Pretty awesome shot of a little hand. 

Little flutters

The thing I love the most about being pregnant is feeling the baby move and wiggle.  I can put up with all the usual (and a couple not so usual) discomforts for that unique feeling of life growing inside of me.  I'm a little bit of a worrywart until I can feel Baby moving, too.  Thankfully I work in a place where I have access to a doppler and other instruments to check up on kiddo from time to time. 

One of my friends, who is a week further along than I am, asked me if I was feeling anything yet- probably about a week ago.  I told her a few little flutters here and there, but nothing definite or consistent.  She said, "Oh I feel flutters every now and then too.  And then 10 seconds later I fart."  I laughed and laughed.  That's one of the great mysteries around feeling the first "quickening" as the experts like to call it.  Is that the baby, or is that just gas?  Luckily there does come a time when there is no doubt that you are feeling Baby.  That time is just a little different for everyone. 

In the last two days, I've been pretty sure I'm feeling Sethbryo in there.  The movements are small, and not predictable or consistent, but that's how it always starts for me.  I could lay on the couch for hours just trying to pay attention to what is going on in my uterus.  I don't, because there's not enough time in the day, but I could.  It may take me a few more weeks to feel any bigger movements, though.  My placenta is anterior (again) this pregnancy.  Out of the 5 times I've carried, I've had 4 anterior placentas- so this is nothing new to me.  "Anterior" just means that my placenta is hanging out in the front of my uterus- right in the part that curves outward to make that beautiful baby belly.  It also means that it usually takes longer to feel good movement out of the baby.  The placenta is in there, like a pillow, between the baby and the outside of my tummy.  So the baby kicks, and it hits my placenta instead of the wall of my uterus- so it will take a stronger kick for me to feel anything.  With my last pregnancy, I had my first ever posterior placenta- meaning that the placenta was on the opposite wall of my uterus, toward my back.  I could feel little Miss Mia all the time by the time I hit 15 weeks, where I am now. 

So, I'll have to be a little more patient.  And pay attention to those little flutters I feel down low or to the side.  By 18 weeks, I should be able to say that I'm feeling Sethbryo all the time, and I can't wait for that.  It's one of my favorite feelings in the world. 

Into the mundane

12 and 13 weeks.  Whew!  Made it through the first trimester....

In the beginning, I feel like we're never going to get to this point.  Meds and transfer, more meds and ultrasounds, going to two different doctors, constantly waiting for the results of something.  With that all going on, who could think that the first trimester would drag by?  Me.  I'm always so glad to get to the end of the first trimester; Our risks for many different things decrease, I start to feel better, the baby gets much bigger, and I start to relax about it all a little more. 

Awesome things that are happening:  I'm done with all the clinic meds!!!  No more shots, no more "gels", and no more extra pills.  I'm on to just taking a prenatal vitamin and my daily acid reducer.  I'm just starting to eek out of that "chubby" stage (well, to me anyway).  I feel like things in the belly area are starting to look pretty round, and my patients are starting to give me the "are you pregnant, too???" eyeball.  My nausea is pretty much gone, and the appetite is back to normal.  This could be considered good or bad.  ;)

The little discomforts:  Well, I have raging heartburn if I forget a dose of zantac; good thing I stay prepared for that.  I have more trouble day sleeping now between work shifts.  This happened with my last pregnancy too.  I sleep great for the first four or five hours, but if anything wakes me after that, I have a really hard time getting any more sleep.  Staying hydrated is a challenge for me; but it always has been and it probably always will. 

Things are going well, right on track.  It won't be too much longer and I'll start feeling the baby move for sure.  I get little flutters now, but hey, that may just be gas.  This is the time that I say we slide into the mundane.  Life slows down without a ton of doctor's appointments, everything gets pretty much back to normal, and I forget to blog.  The milestones are fewer and farther between, and not a whole lot changes week to week.  I might just have to start telling stories about my crazy kids instead.....