11 weeks and Dopplerific!

Sorry I've been MIA for the past few days. I have been feeling so crummy. I've had quite a bad bout of the afternoon-evening sickness and just generally feel like pooh. I stopped my estrogen pills a couple of days ago and that seems to have made a difference for the good. Hopefully when I stop my progesterone next week that will help even more.

On a better note, I got my doppler :) It came on Thursday but the probe was broken so they overnighted me a replacement. I was so nervous about trying so Ed and I agreed we'd do it today, when I was 11 weeks. All we could hear at first was my heartbeat. It took about ten minutes but we finally found Nugget's heartbeat!!! It made me tear up instantly and then I started to giggle. I was trying not to because it was hard to hear with the probe vibrating from my laughing. This is the first time I've ever heard my baby's heartbeat and it was just amazing. Ed was speachless. I'm going to try not to do it every day. But maybe the two of us can do it together a few nights a week.

It's music to my ears.

Oh, my blood pressure

I forgot to add to yesterday's post about my blood pressure.

122/92

Yikes.

I believe they like the denominator to be under 90. The nurse said it was high but she didn't seem concerned. I wasn't given any instructions on lowering intake of salty foods (but I will of course) or anything else to help lower by BP. This will definitely be a question for my peri in two weeks. Ah, just one more thing to stress over. Like there isn't enough already. Sigh.

Oh, and I ordered my doppler. It should be here by the end of the week :)

First OB visit

Everything went well at my OB visit today but it was kind of rushed. We saw the baby, but the OB had a hard time finding it...he is no expert with the dildocam! At one point I told him he had to put it in farther. Normally the nurses do that. And he didn't give us a heartrate. Or do any measuring. Maybe since I was in to see my RE on Friday he figured everything was ok??? Whatever. No sense stressing over it.

He did refer me to the perinatologist in the practice since I'm high risk. That also means I'll be going every two weeks (yeah!) instead of the standard four weeks. So in two Tuesdays I will go to yet another new doctor. Hopefully this one will be a little more forthcoming with info. It was like pulling teeth to get today's OB to cough up any information. And his answers to my questions were very short, although I do have to say he was extremely nice. So, needless to say I'm hoping this other new guy has a little more time to spare.

He also told me about stuff to take for my nausea...Emetrol, or something like that. I'm going to take my first dose now so I'll let you know how it goes. I puked again this morning and have been feeling gaggy all afternoon so I need to try something. It's just wearing me down so much and I want to be sure I'm nourishing the baby enough. My OB said not to worry about it, but of course all you read about is how important it is to eat healthy when you're PG. I don't think our little nugget will grow big and strong on the Pepperidge Farm Goldfish I'm hooked on. LOL.

10 weeks

I'm ten weeks today and totally flabbergasted at how I got this far. I am thankful every day for my growing baby!!! The little nuggest is the size of a prune right now, about 1.5 inches.

Ed and I went out to dinner last night. We haven't been on a "date" in a while and I was excited to go. I was feeling a bit icky but I thought once I ate I would be ok. Wrong-o-la. The restaurant was so crowded and hot I thought I was going to pass out. We had just finished eating our meals and ordered dessert. But then I told Ed I had to wait outside for him and to get my dessert to go. I thought I'd either puke on my plate or pass out and I needed to get out of there ASAP. The restaurant was about 45 minutes from our house but the ride home felt like 2 hours. I was so miserable. I had the AC blasting on my face but I just cool myself down. As soon as we got home I changed into my comfy clothes and started to settle down. There is nothing like being home to make you feel better.

I spent the rest of the night on the couch watching Sweet Home Alabama, a nice quiet evening is really what I needed. We were supposed to go out to dinner with Ed's parents tonight but instead we're just going to their house and getting take out from somewhere. I can't stand the thought of another crowded restaurant right now and everyone was (of course) happy to just stay in and order food. I should be sure to bring a barf bag alone for the car ride. LOL.

My own Pomp and Circumstance

Ladies, I graduated from my RE :) :) :) :) :)

Nugget and I had an awesome appt today. My best ever. As soon as the dildocam went in, I could see our little baby waving his/her arms and legs. I have never been so pregnant before and have never seen my baby actually move. It was amazing and breathtaking. Nugget has a strong hb of 162 and measuring right on track. I just can't even believe I'm almost 10 weeks. It's truly a miracle.

My RE even got choked up, which took my Mom and I by complete surprise. He's always been one of those "machismo" kind of guys, complete with slicked hair and a nice sports car. Never would I think he'd be capable of such emotion. He gave me a letter to bring to my OB's on Monday and sent me on my way.

I feel so unprepared. I feel like I'm not ready for this. Honestly, I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop. I scared to get too hopeful for fear of "jinxing" myself. Many of you know just what I mean by that. How do you let yourself get excited? At what point do you accept that you may actually have a baby in a few months? Will I ever get to that point or will it not come until I'm literally holding my baby? I got sick again this morning (only third or fourth time this pgncy) and I couldn't decide if it was from the baby or my nerves. At any rate, I'm going to have to learn a way to control my nerves. I can't allow myself to totally freak out every time I start to have doubts. That's not good for me or my Nugget.

Whatever the case I am eternally grateful to be at the point I am today. I'm pregnant today and I love my baby.

Love and hugs to you all.

Q & A Session

My last RE appointment is this Friday. Of course I'm freaking out over it. I've been seeing an RE since October 2006 and this one since April 2007. That's a long time of almost constant monitoring. What will I ever do without him? More importantly, whatever will I do without the awesome nurses?? They have helped me through some of the toughest moments of my life. Including literally holding my hand through my most recent D&C. I swear there is a special place in heaven for some of those ladies.

I'm trying to think of every possible question I should ask him before "graduating". I'm sure he'll give me instruction on my dosages of E2 and P4 and when I'm supposed to stop taking them. I'm thrilled beyond words that my first OB is Monday. That way I only have to go a few days before another check-up...not enough time for me to get worked up with too much worry again.

And then I'll need a list of questions for my first OB appt. My very first question will be to ask (well, beg) that I be seen every two weeks for the next couple of months. I don't know if my nerves could handle every four weeks. I just know I'd give myself a heart attack. LOL.

Of course I'm still freaking out that we'll get awful news this Friday. I am praying to see a nice steady heartbeat and get the "ALL CLEAR!".

You all know the drill...
Keep me and the little Nugget in your prayers that we get a great send-off this Friday!

I thought I was being smart.

My revenge on my queasiness while trying to brush my teeth...


I had a good suggestion made to me to try a smaller kids toothbrush with a fruity flavored kids toothpaste. I thought it was brilliant! But have you ever tried something like the Colgate strawberry flavored stuff? It is so friggin sweet I don't know how it doesn't GIVE cavaties. LOL. But the smaller brush was fabulous! And the strawberry was much better than regular minty toothpaste.

Today's is my Mom's birthday so I took her out to lunch. It was really nice (she loves just the two of us going out). Then I dropped her off and work and I thought I was going to be sick. I had a plastic bag from CVS in my car and I kept it close by on the ride home. I guess my stomach didn't like the chicken cheesesteak or onion rings. But those were the best onion rings I've ever had! They were HUGE and had a real thick batter. Mmmmm.

Now I'm having a hard time thinking of what to make for dinner. We were supposed to have steak but that's totally grossing me out right now. What sounds really good is a PB&J sandwich. Extra crunchy peanut butter it is!!

I seem to do fine when I first wake up but then around 10-11 am I start to feel icky and it progresses through the afternoon. I try to keep food in my stomach every few hours but sometimes I'm just not in the mood for anything. Water used to help but now that's making me feel worse. I've heard some women say they take extra vitamin B6 so I'm going to ask my RE about that this Friday.

Although, I'm still glad when I feel sick b/c that makes me believe everything is ok with the little Nugget.

Growing Pains

For the past two days I've had a shooting/stabbing pain in my right side just about where my ovary would be. Tracy has dx'ed me with Round Ligament Pain (thanks to her Google MD, LOL). Some of you know what that is, but I'll explain for those who don't.

Babycenter.com says:
"The round ligaments surround your uterus in your pelvis. As your uterus grows during pregnancy, the ligaments stretch and thicken to accommodate and support it. These changes can occasionally cause pain on one or both sides of your abdomen."

It can be a very sharp pain, which would normally be very alarming, but once again I'm glad to have symptoms to let me know I'm PG and progressing normally.

Oh, and I got the best fortune last night at dinner: Soon a visitor will delight you!!

How important in hygiene really?

If you can't stand reading about throwing up, don't read today's post.
Consider yourself warned :D

Today has been pretty uneventful. I'm sure it's from the stress of worrying about yesterday, but I'm exhausted today. I spent the afternoon the couch and finally (4:00 in the afternoon) got showered and dressed.

And then I brushed my teeth.

And almost died.

I've posted before about my sensitive gag-reflex as a PG symptom and even if I'm having a good day, it shows it's ugly head when I brush my teeth. Usually, as the day goes on my m/s gets worse. I start to have a yucky feeling in my stomach and become very tired. I thought the shower would wake me up and make me feel better.

It didn't. I was starting to have the "hard swallows" and was concentrating on trying to settle my stomach. The very thought of brushing my teeth was making my head swoon. But this task is something that must be done every single day. It's not like a shower where you can skip a day (well, as long as you're not particulary offensive to your DH, LOL). So, I loaded up my toothbrush.

I have an electric toothbrush so the toothpaste gets nice and lathered up. As soon as the brush hit my teeth I knew I was in trouble. And in an instant I was doubled over the sink puking up the goldfish I had just eaten. Then I gasped for air and inhaled all of that frothy toothpaste. I was unable to breath. I saw my cell phone on my vanity and thought I need to call 911. Then I thought, well I can't speak so that wouldn't do me any good. I could text Ed to call 911 but what if he doesn't get it??

So I started banging on my chest to get the fluid loose and it all came back up. My throat is burning and feels like I swallowed nails, but at least I'm breathing.

I'm going to have to figure out how to get this toothbrushing thing down or else this will be a long few months with stinky breath. LOL.

MAJOR Milestone Today!!

Hey ladies, thank you all for your continued prayers and support. We had a fabulous check-up today! The heartbeat has picked up to a healthy 154 and the baby is measuring right on target. PHEW!!

Today (8w4d) was the point of devastation in pgncy #2 so this has now become my longest pregnancy out of the four. Am I naive to say that I have high hopes for this one? Could the Lovenox really be our ticket to babydom??

The only downside was that I didn't "graduate" today. My RE asked when my first OB appt was and I said Monday 6/23. So he wants to see me on Friday 6/20 one final time. Maybe he'll be looking for movement or maybe he just wants to see me at the latest possible point before I move on without his care? I really don't mind as I could go for a u/s every day just to see my little nugget's flickering heartbeat :)

My nausea has kicked back in today and I'm "feeling" pregnant again. So, needless to say, I'm happy!

Can you spare a square?

I know I ask you ladies for prayers and good thoughts every week, but I have to ask again for today's appt. If all looks good I should be graduating from my RE.

I am 8w4d today. Back in Sept. I went for an appt on 8w4d and that is when we saw no more heartbeat. I have a terrible feeling in my gut that I'll be experiencing deja vu.

Please pray our little nugget is still doing well.

Heeeellllooooo?

Where did all my symptoms go? For the past two days I've been stuck on the couch with major nausea. Today, I'm fine. No horrible gag-reflexes going on here. This lack of symptom thing is so scary.

Some of you may remember me as the freak last fall/winter who has the Big O in her sleep and obsessed that is caused my losses. Well, it happened again last night. So of course when I wake up to no symptoms I lose my mind and think this "wet dream" (as Ed calls it) has caused my fourth loss. I was doing just fine with staying positive and believing everything was going smoothly with this pgncy. I do have an RE appt tomorrow morning so at least I only have 24 hours to freak out about this, but you can all guess what a long 24 hours this is going to be for me.

If I can start to feel nauseous again this afternoon maybe that will calm me down? Is nausea a totally weird thing to wish for???? Rolling my eyes at myself.

MEME

I've been tagged by the newly PG Nine.

The rules of the game get posted at the beginning. Each player answers the questions about themselves. At the end of the post, the player then tag people and posts their names, then go to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know they’ve been tagged and asking them to read your blog.

1. What was I doing ten years ago?
I was a sophomore in college and loving every minute of it!


2. Five things on my to do list for today
* Sleep
* Try to eat
* Try not to gag
* Stay in the AC all day because it's over 100 degress outside
* Try not to gag some more


3. Snacks I enjoy
Right now I love any kind of salty carb. I'm in love with the idea of Pepperidge Farm Fish and my Mom is brining me some after work today :D

4. Things I would do if I were a billionaire
Buy a house on a huge amount of land and fence it all in for Jimmy. Pay off my immideiate family's mortgages and set up college funds for nieces and nephews...and my little nugget :D Go on a bunch of vacations. SHOP TILL I DROP!!!!!

5. Places I have lived
Philadelphia, North Jersey, South Jersey, Philadelphia suburbs

6. People I want to know more about.
Katie
Kristin

Ahh, the quiet

I'm not feeling so great, pretty queasy, and I'm having a hard time eating very much. I know I need to eat properly for Nugget but for now toast and a cherry popsicle will have to do. What do you ladies eat/drink to be sure you're getting enough vitamins and nutrients when you have bad food aversions?

Today has been very peaceful without Reilly. Don't get me wrong, I miss her terribly, but man do I love the quiet :D Jimmy and I just took a very nice nap. It's about 100 degrees outside today so we're just vegging inside in the AC.

Here is a picture of Jimmy and Reilly when I woke them up yesterday morning to take Reilly to her new home. I'm going to miss the cuteness of these two...

The good, the awesome and the gross.

First off the awesome...we have a heartbeat!!!! I was almost in tears and my Mom actually was. The little nugget is growing at the perfect rate. Phew. I go back Thursday and that may be my "graduation day"...God willing.

The good...I don't have to do PIO shots anymore!!!!!!!!! Woo-hoo!!!!! Now, this is "good" and not "awesome" because this means I have to switch to the suppositories which some of you know are pretty icky. Better than the shots, but still not a walk in the park. I would shine my RE's shoes if he told me I could do the pills. Sigh.

The gross...I puked this morning while brushing my teeth. My Mom and Ed said it was from Nugget but I swear it's from my nerves. LOL. It was awful. Not only was puking part gross, but then I had a mouthful of toothpaste. Oh my, I'm making myself gag just thinking about it. That's all I have to say about that.

Well, have a great weekend and thank you all for carrying me through another stressful week!!!

Oh, and Reilly goes to her new home on Sunday. I know I'll cry but I will be glad to start getting some decent sleep (she likes to sleep ON me!).

Just wanted to share...

Here are Jimmy and Reilly on my back deck soaking up the sun (Jimmy's the big one). After I stopped bugging them with the camera, they put their heads down and fell right to sleep. They love to "spoon".



You ladies pulled me through last week so I'm calling on your powers again. Please say prayers and send good vibes that we see a nice strong heartbeat tomorrow. It's so scary to think that once again my world can change forever during that u/s. Hopefully it's for the better.

Cheers and Jeers all wrapped in one.

We found our foster dog, Reilly, a new "forever home". While I'm thrilled that her new home seems so perfect, I am so gonna miss her.

This was our second time fostering her and I thought for sure she was a keeper this time. But the little bugger likes to climb over our fence. I would be devastated if she got out and either lost or hit by a car, so I know it's best for her to go somewhere safer. Her new home has a 6-foot privacy fence so there is no way this little girl can escape that yard! Our post-and-rail fence (with wire meshing) just lost the battle with her. LOL.

The new family has another dog and a young daughter to play with so I know she'll have lots of fun. I've spoken quite a bit to the wife and she's so excited about getting Reilly. She's cute as a button so I know they'll fall in love with her just as quickly as I have.

I think Jimmy will be glad to see her go. He's loved playing with her, but I think he wants my and Ed's attention all to himself again.

In baby news, I go this Friday for another u/s and I'm praying constantly that I see the heartbeat. I've had moments of queasiness, but no steady m/s or anything. I'm hoping if all is ok with the baby, that my RE will let me stop my PIO injections and switch to either the pills or supps. That would be music to my ears!

Dear my insurance company: BITE ME.

I got a letter in the mail today from my insurance company stating that effective July 1, 2008 my OB/GYN and RE will not be covered under my plan anymore. They are dropping their practices completely because they charge too much.

I'm kind of ok with the RE being dropped. God willing, things continue to go well and I will only have to see him unil mid-June anyway. But I would have assumed I'd use him again if we decided to try for another child down the line.

But my regular OB/GYN...I love her. I adore her. She's great. She was very aggressive with me seeing an RE after only 6 months of TTC and dx'ing myself with LPD. Most drs make you wait the standard 12 months; plus they usually dismiss LPD. I would have gone batty if she made me wait that long.

How do I go about finding a new OB now that I'm already 7+ weeks pregnant? I guess it should be easy enough, but this new dr won't know about my struggles. Will he/she be as compassionate as my old dr? Will he/she "get it" when I beg for weekly check-ups during the first trimester? I'm sure they've heard it all before, but it's probably from patients they're familiar with and not just some newbie strolling in off the streets.

This is just something I never saw coming and would never have guessed that I'd have to worry about.

I won.

Ed made me a toaster strudel yesterday morning :D

I asked for one, he gave me a sour look, I said "Nugget wants it" and he smirked and went off to the kitchen to make me one.

It was delicious. I was two seconds away from licking the icing off my plate ;)