Monday, July 28, 2014
Godparents
On Friday evening, July 25 (Katie's 29th birthday), we asked James and Katie if they would be the godparents for our little one. :) They accepted. We know the baby will be in good hands and they will pray for him/her!
Monday, July 21, 2014
Recap of Weeks 17 through 22
Life has been really busy lately and I haven't made the time to update the blog, so I thought I'd do a quick recap today of what I can remember from the past several weeks!
17 weeks - I don't remember anything of much significance, except I think I finally started to feel better between 17 and 18 weeks. :)
18 weeks (Monday night, June 16 -- the night before I "turned" 18 weeks, based on a November 18 due date) - I felt the baby move for the first time! It felt like someone had flicked me gently from the inside. I felt it a couple of times and it made me feel soooo much closer to the little one!! I felt like I could start getting to know the baby and was so happy to feel some "feedback" to affirm that there was a little living being in there. :)
19 weeks - We went to Colorado with Mom and Dad. The drive out there was pretty uncomfortable on my back and I was really stiff that first night (June 22). The short night before we left and the long day of travel was absolutely exhausting and I kind of fell apart the night we got there - it felt like my body shut down and I just needed to go to bed as soon as possible! Other than that, the trip wasn't bad at all. And Baby got to go on his/her "first hike". ;-)
20 weeks - Mom came with me to my prenatal appointment on Tuesday, July 1. We saw Norla that day and Mom recorded the baby's heart tones, so that John could hear them later. :) Private video here: https://www.youtube.com/
I measured 20.5 cm at that appointment and baby's heart tones were in the 150's/160's (Norla thought that may have been because the baby was moving around). My weight was 177.5 (eek! An 8-lb weight gain in 5 weeks)... up 12 pounds from my first appointment at 10-1/2 weeks. I think my blood pressure was 112/80 or something like that at my 20-week appointment.
I've been working out a couple of times a week pretty faithfully since I was about 16 weeks. Here's a little bit of evidence from July 7 (20+ weeks). :)
21 weeks - We had our anatomy scan on Thursday, July 10. That was so exciting! John took a long lunch from work and we were able to spend quite a bit of time looking at Baby's head, hands, torso, legs... even down to taking a measurement of the fingers, which measured 22w0d (so maybe they'll be long?). :) I found out that my placenta is currently anterior, which explains why I don't feel as much movement as others report at this point in the pregnancy. I feel most of the kicks low down or off to the left side of my belly; but never feel much in the middle or to the right side.
We resisted the temptation to find out gender, so it'll be a surprise at birth! Dad changed his mind from his original boy prediction to saying that he thinks we'll have a girl, after he saw the ultrasound pictures (they didn't show the give-away goods) - but wouldn't elaborate on why he changed his mind. I also feel more convinced that it might be a girl, because the baby just looked a little more "dainty" on the sonogram... the legs were crossed, and the hands were up by the baby's head. That doesn't really mean it's a girl; but I'm leaning that way. :) John said he's up in the air; he has no idea what it's going to be. Here are a few pictures from the sonogram. :)
22 weeks - On Monday night, July 14, John felt the baby move for the first time! It was a really sweet moment and very exciting. :) He tried to feel the baby every night the following few days and he/she wasn't cooperating/moving; but he finally felt the baby the second time the following Saturday night (July 19) and Sunday (July 20).
Here is my 22-week picture. :)
Mary's baby shower was Sunday, July 20. She was 36 weeks and I was 22+. We got a blurry picture together. :) Hopefully we'll be able to take a better one before she has her baby!
(23 weeks) -
According to the sonogram due date of Tuesday, November 18, I'll be 23 weeks tomorrow. According to my LMP/ovulation dates (due date of Friday, November 21), I'll be 23 weeks on Friday, July 25.
I had a prenatal appointment today, and the midwife said that they hadn't changed my due date because it was such a small discrepancy. So while I've been counting my "weeks" on Tuesdays, I guess I'm still officially due on a Friday.
All that to say that that is why the week-age in this post is sort of vague. :) I guess babies come when babies come, and the due date is really a technicality anyway. :)
In conclusion, I had my most recent prenatal appointment this morning (with Eileen this time). I measured 23 cm (at 22w3d), which she said was perfect. My blood pressure was 117/70. Weight was 177.0 (yay! No weight gain the last 3 weeks; so the 8 lbs I gained the previous 5 weeks averages out to 1 lb/week which is "textbook"). Baby's heart tones were in the 130's/140's and Eileen said the baby was moving around in there while she tried to pinpoint the heartbeat.
She read the report from my sonogram and said that everything checked out and looked good. She said that they didn't mention any evidence of the small bleed I had had. That was the first I had heard of it; but she said that my first sonogram report had indicated a small bleed that seemed to be self-resolving at that time... and must have resolved soon after, since no mention was made of it in the second sonogram report. (Good to know!)
I asked her what her thoughts were on Dr. Christopher's Birth Prep pills (which I've heard of people around here taking). She said a lot of their patients take them and they do seem to help; she just mentioned that, because they contain red raspberry leaf tea among other things, they don't recommend starting them earlier than directed (which is 34 weeks) because they can and do cause/increase contractions. I asked her about taking glucosamine and/or collagen supplements (Rose said they help her rebuild more quickly after a workout and she thought they might help my body cope with the stretching and changes of pregnancy). Eileen didn't know offhand what effects they might have, but said she'd look it up.
We also went over the signs of pre-term labor: menstrual-like cramps, backache, increased discharge (and/or watery leaking) from the vagina, and/or a lot of pressure down low. She said that if I experience any of these, they would recommend drinking a glass or two of water, taking a bath, and/or lying down to rest since those symptoms can be caused by dehydration or over-exhertion. If such symptoms persist, I shouldn't waste any time in contacting them as pre-term labor can be serious. I had actually just experienced something like that before my appointment - I was really crampy-feeling before this morning's WOD, but I drank 25-30 oz of water and the cramps went away.
She asked if I had found a pediatrician yet, and I told her I was going to ask my dad/Dr. Carroll if he'd be okay with being the pediatrician for his grandchild. :) She hadn't made the connection that Dr. Carroll was my dad, and thought that was really neat. She did remember that my sister-in-law was also a patient of theirs. In the course of conversation (and asking about glucosamine, etc), I mentioned that my dad, sister, and I (and brother - though I didn't say that :)) do Crossfit, which she seemed to have heard of and thought that was really neat. She said, "Your dad sounds like a pretty incredible person, from everything I've heard about him!" I just said, "He definitely has that reputation!"
Since I am 22+ weeks at this point and they like to do the glucose test at 28 weeks, we decided that I'd come back in 4 weeks for a 26-week appointment and then start coming every 2-weeks after that to get back on schedule. (Usually, the every-two-week appointments are after 28-weeks; so we're just starting a couple weeks early.) So my next appointment is Tuesday, August 19 at noon. (Maybe Mary will have had her baby by then!!)
A summary of symptoms that I have and haven't had ~
Heartburn - although I've had acid reflux a couple of times, I haven't had full-fledged heartburn. Very thankful for that!
Constipation - not really a problem for me (yet?). Both Dad and the nurse today (Rochelle) told me that that is one of the most common complaints at this point in pregnancy. Thankful that I don't have that either!
Back Pain - I do have back pain (and pain into my tail bone, through my hips and down in the middle of my pelvis, where it feels like the baby would come through) off and on. That has probably been the worst symptom so far. Last night and a few nights ago, I had quite a bit of pain through the middle of the pelvis and in my hips that interrupted my sleep; but it isn't every single night.
Leg Cramps - I have warded off a couple of near-cramps in my left leg by flexing my foot before they had really gotten underway; but I had a strong cramp in my left calf Sunday morning (July 20) as my alarm was going off. I had to jump out of bed at top speed to stand on it and it took a minute to calm down. My calf has been sore since then (the last 36 hours) and it kind of feels like there is a knot in it. I'm going to "monitor" that a little bit, since I know a lot of clots happen in the leg and definitely want to catch a blood clot if I get one (Heaven forbid).
Hormones/Emotions - I feel like I've made it to this point without the stereotypical pregnancy mood swings and emotions; but this past weekend had a touch of them for sure. I was super-sensitive on Saturday and cried when John asked me a simple question about cleaning up the kitchen. I have felt on the verge of tears a few times since then, have been noticeably more irritable and I felt overwhelmed by everything all weekend - especially by the mental to-do list that was running through my head, including everything from the bridesmaid dresses I'm working on to making a baptismal gown for Baby to getting things ready for this weekend's consignment sale to preparing Christmas presents for everyone in the family to the retreat I'll be going on next week. Today (Monday) has been a little better, although I started the day feeling very overwhelmed. The WOD just seemed like it would be too much and I felt like I had no steam for it, but it ended up being okay and I felt a little less overwhelmed afterwards. Guess I can only try to take things one day at a time!
17 weeks - I don't remember anything of much significance, except I think I finally started to feel better between 17 and 18 weeks. :)
18 weeks (Monday night, June 16 -- the night before I "turned" 18 weeks, based on a November 18 due date) - I felt the baby move for the first time! It felt like someone had flicked me gently from the inside. I felt it a couple of times and it made me feel soooo much closer to the little one!! I felt like I could start getting to know the baby and was so happy to feel some "feedback" to affirm that there was a little living being in there. :)
19 weeks - We went to Colorado with Mom and Dad. The drive out there was pretty uncomfortable on my back and I was really stiff that first night (June 22). The short night before we left and the long day of travel was absolutely exhausting and I kind of fell apart the night we got there - it felt like my body shut down and I just needed to go to bed as soon as possible! Other than that, the trip wasn't bad at all. And Baby got to go on his/her "first hike". ;-)
20 weeks - Mom came with me to my prenatal appointment on Tuesday, July 1. We saw Norla that day and Mom recorded the baby's heart tones, so that John could hear them later. :) Private video here: https://www.youtube.com/
I measured 20.5 cm at that appointment and baby's heart tones were in the 150's/160's (Norla thought that may have been because the baby was moving around). My weight was 177.5 (eek! An 8-lb weight gain in 5 weeks)... up 12 pounds from my first appointment at 10-1/2 weeks. I think my blood pressure was 112/80 or something like that at my 20-week appointment.
I've been working out a couple of times a week pretty faithfully since I was about 16 weeks. Here's a little bit of evidence from July 7 (20+ weeks). :)
21 weeks - We had our anatomy scan on Thursday, July 10. That was so exciting! John took a long lunch from work and we were able to spend quite a bit of time looking at Baby's head, hands, torso, legs... even down to taking a measurement of the fingers, which measured 22w0d (so maybe they'll be long?). :) I found out that my placenta is currently anterior, which explains why I don't feel as much movement as others report at this point in the pregnancy. I feel most of the kicks low down or off to the left side of my belly; but never feel much in the middle or to the right side.
We resisted the temptation to find out gender, so it'll be a surprise at birth! Dad changed his mind from his original boy prediction to saying that he thinks we'll have a girl, after he saw the ultrasound pictures (they didn't show the give-away goods) - but wouldn't elaborate on why he changed his mind. I also feel more convinced that it might be a girl, because the baby just looked a little more "dainty" on the sonogram... the legs were crossed, and the hands were up by the baby's head. That doesn't really mean it's a girl; but I'm leaning that way. :) John said he's up in the air; he has no idea what it's going to be. Here are a few pictures from the sonogram. :)
the little, crossed feet :)
a shot of the face - baby's mouth was open, and you can see the fists near the lower jawline
22 weeks - On Monday night, July 14, John felt the baby move for the first time! It was a really sweet moment and very exciting. :) He tried to feel the baby every night the following few days and he/she wasn't cooperating/moving; but he finally felt the baby the second time the following Saturday night (July 19) and Sunday (July 20).
Here is my 22-week picture. :)
Mary's baby shower was Sunday, July 20. She was 36 weeks and I was 22+. We got a blurry picture together. :) Hopefully we'll be able to take a better one before she has her baby!
(23 weeks) -
According to the sonogram due date of Tuesday, November 18, I'll be 23 weeks tomorrow. According to my LMP/ovulation dates (due date of Friday, November 21), I'll be 23 weeks on Friday, July 25.
I had a prenatal appointment today, and the midwife said that they hadn't changed my due date because it was such a small discrepancy. So while I've been counting my "weeks" on Tuesdays, I guess I'm still officially due on a Friday.
All that to say that that is why the week-age in this post is sort of vague. :) I guess babies come when babies come, and the due date is really a technicality anyway. :)
In conclusion, I had my most recent prenatal appointment this morning (with Eileen this time). I measured 23 cm (at 22w3d), which she said was perfect. My blood pressure was 117/70. Weight was 177.0 (yay! No weight gain the last 3 weeks; so the 8 lbs I gained the previous 5 weeks averages out to 1 lb/week which is "textbook"). Baby's heart tones were in the 130's/140's and Eileen said the baby was moving around in there while she tried to pinpoint the heartbeat.
She read the report from my sonogram and said that everything checked out and looked good. She said that they didn't mention any evidence of the small bleed I had had. That was the first I had heard of it; but she said that my first sonogram report had indicated a small bleed that seemed to be self-resolving at that time... and must have resolved soon after, since no mention was made of it in the second sonogram report. (Good to know!)
I asked her what her thoughts were on Dr. Christopher's Birth Prep pills (which I've heard of people around here taking). She said a lot of their patients take them and they do seem to help; she just mentioned that, because they contain red raspberry leaf tea among other things, they don't recommend starting them earlier than directed (which is 34 weeks) because they can and do cause/increase contractions. I asked her about taking glucosamine and/or collagen supplements (Rose said they help her rebuild more quickly after a workout and she thought they might help my body cope with the stretching and changes of pregnancy). Eileen didn't know offhand what effects they might have, but said she'd look it up.
We also went over the signs of pre-term labor: menstrual-like cramps, backache, increased discharge (and/or watery leaking) from the vagina, and/or a lot of pressure down low. She said that if I experience any of these, they would recommend drinking a glass or two of water, taking a bath, and/or lying down to rest since those symptoms can be caused by dehydration or over-exhertion. If such symptoms persist, I shouldn't waste any time in contacting them as pre-term labor can be serious. I had actually just experienced something like that before my appointment - I was really crampy-feeling before this morning's WOD, but I drank 25-30 oz of water and the cramps went away.
She asked if I had found a pediatrician yet, and I told her I was going to ask my dad/Dr. Carroll if he'd be okay with being the pediatrician for his grandchild. :) She hadn't made the connection that Dr. Carroll was my dad, and thought that was really neat. She did remember that my sister-in-law was also a patient of theirs. In the course of conversation (and asking about glucosamine, etc), I mentioned that my dad, sister, and I (and brother - though I didn't say that :)) do Crossfit, which she seemed to have heard of and thought that was really neat. She said, "Your dad sounds like a pretty incredible person, from everything I've heard about him!" I just said, "He definitely has that reputation!"
Since I am 22+ weeks at this point and they like to do the glucose test at 28 weeks, we decided that I'd come back in 4 weeks for a 26-week appointment and then start coming every 2-weeks after that to get back on schedule. (Usually, the every-two-week appointments are after 28-weeks; so we're just starting a couple weeks early.) So my next appointment is Tuesday, August 19 at noon. (Maybe Mary will have had her baby by then!!)
A summary of symptoms that I have and haven't had ~
Heartburn - although I've had acid reflux a couple of times, I haven't had full-fledged heartburn. Very thankful for that!
Constipation - not really a problem for me (yet?). Both Dad and the nurse today (Rochelle) told me that that is one of the most common complaints at this point in pregnancy. Thankful that I don't have that either!
Back Pain - I do have back pain (and pain into my tail bone, through my hips and down in the middle of my pelvis, where it feels like the baby would come through) off and on. That has probably been the worst symptom so far. Last night and a few nights ago, I had quite a bit of pain through the middle of the pelvis and in my hips that interrupted my sleep; but it isn't every single night.
Leg Cramps - I have warded off a couple of near-cramps in my left leg by flexing my foot before they had really gotten underway; but I had a strong cramp in my left calf Sunday morning (July 20) as my alarm was going off. I had to jump out of bed at top speed to stand on it and it took a minute to calm down. My calf has been sore since then (the last 36 hours) and it kind of feels like there is a knot in it. I'm going to "monitor" that a little bit, since I know a lot of clots happen in the leg and definitely want to catch a blood clot if I get one (Heaven forbid).
Hormones/Emotions - I feel like I've made it to this point without the stereotypical pregnancy mood swings and emotions; but this past weekend had a touch of them for sure. I was super-sensitive on Saturday and cried when John asked me a simple question about cleaning up the kitchen. I have felt on the verge of tears a few times since then, have been noticeably more irritable and I felt overwhelmed by everything all weekend - especially by the mental to-do list that was running through my head, including everything from the bridesmaid dresses I'm working on to making a baptismal gown for Baby to getting things ready for this weekend's consignment sale to preparing Christmas presents for everyone in the family to the retreat I'll be going on next week. Today (Monday) has been a little better, although I started the day feeling very overwhelmed. The WOD just seemed like it would be too much and I felt like I had no steam for it, but it ended up being okay and I felt a little less overwhelmed afterwards. Guess I can only try to take things one day at a time!
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