Baby BOY and a Two Vessel Cord

We found out a couple weeks ago that we are indeed having a boy. We are SO very excited!!! We had the big "20 week" ultrasound at 19 weeks 3 days where we found that out and then they went thru and measured all of his limbs and his head circumference and we saw his heart beating and all of that fun stuff. He looked great besides some fluid in both his kidneys that they said is very common in baby boys and almost always drains out by the time of birth. But they want to keep an eye on that.

Then they took a look at my ovaries and I have a small cyst on one of them. They discovered this at the 12 week ultrasound and said not to worry then, and then said not to worry now either. They said it was pretty small and should just disappear on its own. Then they discovered that my placenta was sitting a little too low, very close to the cervix. The cut off for being concerned about a low lying placenta is 3 cm and guess what, mine was right at 3 cm. The Dr said he was certain that it would move up and away from the cervix but it was something that warranted an extra ultrasound so they could make sure. I won't argue against extra ultrasounds!

Then they noticed something with my umbilical cord. I could tell during the ultrasound that something wasn't right because they were measuring everything with the baby and she would be like, "Here's the left femur" and then a couple minutes later, "Here's the right forerm" and then she got to the umbilical cord and said, "Here's your umbilical cord" and then she kept on looking at it and looking at it and getting different angles of it and it seemed like forever she was stuck looking at the cord so I figured something was going on with that. Sure enough, in meeting with the Dr about the pictures, he told me that I had a two vessel cord.

What is a two vessel cord? Basically in a regular umbilical cord, there are two arteries and one vein. For whatever reason, I only developed one artery in my cord. According to my pregnancy book, the one vein carries nutrients and oxygen from me to the baby and then the two arteries carry the baby's waste back to the placenta and my blood. So I am missing one of those arteries. Only about 1% of all single births develop a two vessel cord. Go figure I would get that! My primary OB said it was of no worry at this point. The growth of the baby will be closely monitored for the rest of the pregnancy. In most cases, the baby is delivered early, but completely healthy.

So we got to go back a week later to the Maternal Fetal Medicine center and got another whole ultrasound to check the growth of everything again. The fluid that were in his kidneys had completely drained out of one and had gone down quite a bit in the other so that is no longer anything they need to worry about. My placenta also moved up! It measured 3.14 cm away from the cervix so that also got crossed off the list. But I do indeed have the two vessel cord. This tech turned on the "color" which was the blood flow to and from in the cord and you could see where it was missing a line of color. It was neat to see tho. So the recommendation from the MFM Center was periodc ultrasounds and then at 31 weeks, weekly ultrasounds. As soon as the placenta quits supporting the baby, then he will be delivered. They also stressed this is not something to worry about, I can go about all my normal activities. They just monitor the growth closely because there is a chance he can be born with a low birth rate. The MFM OB also did say they would recommend a fetal echo on his heart because there is a 1% chance he could develop heart disease so they just want to make sure that is OK. But the baby was measuring right at 20 weeks, 3 days, right on track so for now we are good to go! :)

In other news, he is very active!!! His favorite times to move are right after I eat and after I lay down. I wish Mike could feel him. I laid on the couch last night to watch the Vikes game and he was all over the place so I told Mike and he put his hand on my belly. Twice I got a little kick or punch (I can't tell the difference quite yet) right where Mike's hand was but Mike couldn't feel it. It shouldn't be much longer before he can. :)

I think he already looks kind of like Mike. Based on this picture he looks like he has Mike's head shape and Mike's mouth. :) I can't wait to see him when he is born. Here is another of my favrite pictures:

Baby Feet willl get you everytime! :)

19 Weeks

I'm 19 weeks along tomorrow! Yay! Monday I get the 20 week ultrasound where we get to find out the sex of the baby. I am so excited to know one way or the other. I have found that people are very opinionated on whether you should find out or not. I find it a strange thing to be so opinionated about. I want to find out because 1) I can and 2) it makes it a little easier to start planning the room and thinking of names and 3) why not?? Someone I had a discussion about this with did not find out what they were having until it was born and made the argurment well you just paint everything yellow and green, neutral colors, and you pick out a couple names for both genders. They also said it was like having Christmas all over again when the baby is born and its a surprise. I don't know, I just want to know. Luckily Mike does too and so does everyone in our family so it was a no brainer for us. The baby just has to cooperate on Monday! :) Things seem to be going along fairly smoothly. I have battled a pretty bad cold most of this week but finally feel like I am on the other side of it so that is good. I know the baby is safe and cozy in there and still getting all the nutriets it needs. But I still feel bad I haven't been well. My bump doesn't seem to be growing any bigger but I suppose I scrutinize it everyday, every time I am in front of a mirror. :) I am going to a baby shower for another friend that is pregnant on Saturday and I haven't seen some of those ladies in some time so I am interested to see what they think of my bump. A friend of mine told me a lot of bumps don't really 'get going' until around the 6 month. So maybe then it will start getting big. :) Other than that, everything is just chugging right along. I can't believe I am already almost half way done with being pregnant. When I first found out I was pregnant, it felt like it would take forever to get to the 20 week ultrasound, and here it is, just a few days away. :)

20 lbs and Counting. . .

I had my 16 week check in on Monday. I weighed in at 163 lbs which is 20 lbs since I got pregnant. The Dr said that 20 lbs in 16 weeks was on the high end of normal. He's not too concerned but asked me if there was anything in my diet that I could change. And there is. I just haven't been very mindful of what I am eating, which I can attribute to dieting and being so aware of what I'm eating all the time. . . You would think that would keep right on since I'm growing a new life inside of me, but it had the opposite affect. It was like a free pass to not be mindful. . . Which can be bad in the long run if I don't check it now. :) Mike and I are still getting to the gym 3 times a week and walking for 30 min. I've been able to still be walking at 3 mph which doesn't sound like a lot but when I'm chattering the whole time at Mike, I get winded pretty easily. But I am going to keep on walking as long as I can! I realized the other night that I weigh 163 lbs. . .I was 166 lbs when I started Slim 4 Life. How odd is that. This 163 feels nothing like that old 166. My watch still fits and is loose, my rings are still loose on my fingers (unless I swell up from the pregnancy which has happened a few times after I've gotten really warm), my face is not puffy and chubby. It is a very different 163 lbs. And what's most important is that I don't feel it. I was actually really shocked when he said I had gained 20 lbs already. Hopefully I won't go much over the recommended 35 lb weight gain for pregnancy, but if I do, I do. Even the Dr said everyone is different and I could be someone who gains the majority of the weight up front. We shall see. As long as I am doing my part with the walking and just being more mindful, I should be fine. As for the baby, it was beating in the 150's and sounded really good and strong. It is always amazing to hear that "whoosing" sound. :) We get to find out for sure if it is a boy or a girl in just two weeks! I cannot wait. :)

Masks and Laughter

I'll admit it. Pregnancy gas is something that no one talks about but everyone has. Including me. And it is B-A-D. At first it was kind of funny and we would laugh everytime I would fart and it was a little stinky. But now, it can clear a room. Even I have to get out of the room. So it has definitely taken a turn! I have been lucky in that I don't get it in the morning or during the day work (Thank God!) but by the time we have dinner and then especially afterwards, watch out! Last night Mike and I were doing the dishes and I started farting. He is always none the wiser until I start laughing uncontrollably. I cannot help that at all. I get that from Mom. :) Everytime Mom farted it was silent and you never knew she did it until she started laughing. So everytime I started laughing last night, Mike was like "Come on!" and I said "I know! I can't help it!" between laughs. :) So he was washing and I was drying and I had a particularly stinky one and his hands were full of soap so he couldn't pull his shirt up over his nose (like he usually does the second I start laughing) so he had to smell it. And it was not pleasant. So after that he dried his hands and said, "I'll be right back" and went downstairs. He came back wearing one of those safety masks that goes over your nose and mouth. I was just laughing and now it was my turn to say "Come on!" and he said "I can't handle some of these!!!" So he pulled it up on to his forhead and everytime I started laughing and giggling he pulled it down over his nose. :) I don't blame him, I really don't. I thought I had some bad farts after I did Slim 4 Life and was getting used to all the raw green veggies but pregnancy gas has that beat by miles! I ended up clearing both of us out of the kitchen a couple of times last night. It was ridiculous. :) After one fart, the dogs came up and started smelling it and then Herbie licked his lips! Now if you don't think that is a sign of a BAD fart, then I don't know what is! ;) This pregnancy journey has been pretty fun so far overall tho. I haven't really had any problems and the baby has been nice to me so far. I'm so glad that Mike and I can laugh and make fun of the "stinky" moments of pregnancy tho! There is no one else in the world I would want to be on this journey with. :)

Maternity Clothes

From the time I got pregnant everyone has been asking, "Are you going to stretch out your shirts as long as possible?" Or telling me to just buy regular clothes in a size up or to just wear Mike's t-shirts. I have dreaded buying maternity clothes. . .but it is time. . . I have issues with clothes and body image. After all, I did do Slim4Life and lost 50 lbs and you just don't shake away those feelings and you keep that distorted body image even after you lose the weight. So up until now I have been wearing my regular shirts, but did get maternity jeans. The shirts were just not cutting it anymore. Some of them I had to keep pulling down over the bump and they just made me feel like a fat blob. Even my Columbia I had when I was larger that I couldn't justify getting rid of because it was expensive. . .it was becoming increasingly difficult to zip it over the tummy much less be able to move. I felt like a giant pink marshmallow in it. And I hate clothes shopping to begin with because of the distorted body image. I'm certain I'm going to be a large or a size 13 still and really I'm a medium and a size 6 or 8. :P So Mike and I got to MOA bright and early this past Saturday and hit Old Navy which used to have a pretty impressive maternity section, years ago, when I was not pregnant, and now it was rather disappointing. Just a couple racks of shirts and pants, a few dresses, two different styles of sweaters. And of course, a medium in one cut of shirt did not fit the same as a medium in slightly different cut, so I had to try on everything I was thinking of purchasing. Shirts were super cheap tho, $7 so I couldn't complain about that. So I got a few shirts there. Then we made the voyage to Motherhood Maternity which has adorable things, but expensive prices. I got a pair of yoga pants which I desperately needed. The gym was another place I felt like a GIANT. My pants were cutting into my stomach and my sports bra is too small so I'm pouring out over the top and underneath so it looked like I had three rolls of fat between my bra and my pants. Very unflattering. And I'm at the point where people are looking at me and I can't tell if they are looking because they think I am fat or looking because they can tell I'm pregnant. Let's face it, everyone looks at a pregnant belly when you know its pregnant. :) So I also got a new coat which makes me feel so much better and some much needed correctly cut and sized maternity bras and underwear. I now feel like my clothes fit and accentuate my pregnant belly and I don't feel fat, but pregnant. It is a good feeling. :)

70% Sure

We have been eagerly anticipating our 20th week so we can find out if we are having a boy or a girl. We got a pleasant surprise when we went to our first trimester screenings ultrasound (11 weeks 6 days). . .the ultrasound tech asked us if we would like to know the gender of our little miracle! We said "Absolutely!" We did not know they could tell this early on! So she put the gel on my tummy and then there it was! But is was face down in the corner of the screen. Then she was looking all over and said "See this big black space? This is your bladder and it is FULL!" So I had to go empty my bladder and then when I came back and we could see the baby again, it had tons of room and was punching and kicking and popping all over the place. It was amazing yet so strange because I could see it moving but couldn't feel it. The tech laughed and said the baby was happy again. :) No more holding it when I have to go pee, the baby doesn't have any room in there! She also said that it was a wild baby and very active! The purpose of the ultrasound was to test for nuchal translucency which came out to be in the normal range which was good. So the tech was getting the baby to move around and finally it caught on and decided not to move so much. . .she was looking to see if it was a boy or a girl. She finally said "I'm 70% sure it is a boy and that was my first instinct." As you will see in the picture labeled 'boy?' that part is flat and parallel to the spine if it is a girl at this stage and angled up if it is a boy. She said the baby's wasn't as nice of an angle as she would be like to see but it wasn't flat either so she is going with boy which makes us happy, that is what we would really like to have. Its fun to see how small the baby was at 8 weeks and then see him again at 11 weeks and see how much it has changed. I can't wait until the 20 week ultrasound when we get to find out for sure if it is a boy or a girl, as long as it cooperates! ;) It is the size of a peach right now. I feel pretty good, have my energy back and we are getting to gym a few times a week to walk so that is definitely helping. I am in maternity pants now so it makes me feel a little more like I have a baby bump and not just a bump. LOL. More to come later, and I promise, I will update on a more regular basis!

A Growing Belly & Belly Bands

So the first picture you see is me today, at 7.5 weeks and the picture underneath is at 6 weeks. I was 'sucking in' in the first picture. . .that's a hrad habit to break after all of these years!!! ;) It sure looks like something is happening tho in my picture from tonight! :)

So I got a belly band. It is AMAZING. For the last two days I have worn pants that I can no longer zip or button up and it has held my pants up and is actually really comfortable. I've heard this will help me be able to wear my regular pants much longer into my pregnancy which will be nice.

It just seems like all of a sudden my belly has started to pop!!! It is much too early for it to be doing so. A lot of the books I am reading state that most people start showing around 16 weeks and if you are showing any earlier it is because you have a large uterus. . .or. . .are carrying MULTIPLES!!!!!!! OMG I don't know what we would do if we were carrying multpiles. LOL. It would certainly be interesting. I am 7 weeks and 6 days so pretty much 8 weeks. . . I would think I should look like this in 8 more weeks!

My friend at work Lisa, and I, were tossing around another idea about why this bump could be appearing so early. Since I'm so short and kind of smushed in the middle to begin with, it could be that the extra just has no where else to go but out at this point so that's what it's doing. My friend Emily told me to just not worry or get too excited, some ladies just show extremely early. :)

Multiples would certainly be intersting. There are no multiples on either side but according to my books approximately 1 in 100 births results in multiples. If there are multiples on the mother's side then you have a higher chance of having them yourself.

I have had two dreams now that we are having triplets. . . We go in for the first OB appt and the Dr listens for the fetal tones and starts to laugh and says "We need to do an ultrasound so I can confirm this" and sure enough there are three little peas bouncing around in there. In a little over a week we have the first appt and are hoping we will only hear one fetal tone. :)

Pregnancy Ticker

So you will notice a little ticker up at the top that is a countdown to my estimated due date, 04/23/10. I stumbled across this and thought it was cute so put it on here. :) This is just all so exciting. I can't wait until we go for our first appt in a couple weeks. We are really hoping the Dr will try to listen to the fetal heart tones. I think once we get to actually hear the heartbeat, all of this will feel a little more real. Well back to my healthy lunch!

Utter Exhaustion

Well we are in week 7. The baby is supposedly the size of a blueberry this week. Last week it was a nail head and this week a blueberry. I peeked ahead in my book and next week it is a raspberry. Its nice to have these little visuals to think of the baby as. This little blueberry is still kicking my ass in terms of keeping me tired. I am not a napper. I never have been. I hate taking naps. And I now take a lot of naps. I took a nap on Saturday and then again yesterday. Yesterday was bad. We got up at 8 and had breakfast with Mike's grandma and I was back in bed at noon. Mike woke me up at 1:00 and we went outside and gave the dogs a bath and I was ready to go back to bed. I stayed awake but all we ended up doing was sitting downstairs and doing nothing. We should have used the extra day off to get working on the house but I was just so tired it made me not want to do anything. Mike tried to get me to do something but I just couldn't get off the chair so finally he just joined me on the couch. :) And then of course I got a second wind about 9:00. :P But Mike made light outs at 10:00 and I slept hard. I only got up once to pee (usually I've been getting up 2 times) and I overslept ALL the alarms and woke up at 6:30. FANTASTIC. I have to leave for work at 7:00. But I was still too tired to be crabby about it. I put on my workout capris and a crap long sleeve t-shirt and Mike was like "what are you wearing?" and I just feel too tired to try to find something cute for today. My work is flexible and I'll stay in my office most of the day so it works. I've heard the tired feeling dissapates in the second trimester. I sure hope so. I hate not having much energy and just being so tired. I guess it is a good thing tho because its a sign that my body is hard at work providing for this little blueberry.

Its a YES!

We decided almost as soon as we made the plans to go to Memphis for summer vacation 2009 that when we got back we would try for a baby. There is more than enough love in our house and we both felt extremely ready. It was an odd series of events that led up to when we actually started trying. We were originally going to go to Memphis at the end of July but due to circumstances with work schedules, we ended up going near the end of June. Coincidently, my last pack of birth control pills ended the week before we went to Memphis. If we had gone in July, I would have been in the middle of a pack. We took this as a sign from above. It just worked out too perfectly. So we decided to try after Memphis in June, rather than waiting for the end of July. Mike had been particularly concerned about not having a fall or winter baby. There are already too many events. . .our anniversary in October, his birthday and Thanksgiving in November, my birthday, Christmas and New Year's in December. . .it is just too much! So there was a bit of planning on our end to try to get this to take so we would have a spring or summer baby. This would also enusre no delivery or birthdays would land during duck or deer hunter opener. So things just were feeling different for me this last couple weeks. I have been exhausted, and Mike will tell you that I am NEVER in need of a nap, much less tired before 10:30 at night and I was feeling extremely bloated and getting heartburn after nearly everything I ate. My period did not appear when it was scheduled to so we took a pregnancy test at home. It was a +/- test. . .and showed up with a very faint + sign. I was estactic and started jumping all over the place. Mike was not so convinced by the faint + and requested we try another test. On Tuesday we went and got a digital test that said Yes or No and we took that and there was a clear YES in the window after two of the longest minutes of our lives. :) Mike believed it this time so he celebrated with a beer and then we had a gigantic bowl of ice cream. We have a Little Pea (LP we call it for short) growing! It is sooooo exciting. I have a pre-natal class next week for new Moms thru my clinic and my first appt will come at my 9 week mark in September. :) It still does not feel real.