October 19, 2009 - Samantha Lauren Has Arrived!

I had a planned c-section scheduled for Monday 10/19. My arrival time at the hospital was to be around 11:30am and the c-section was scheduled for 1:30pm. (I had a c-section with Joshua and had been debating VBAC for most of the pregnancy. Dear readers, you already know this. But then towards the end, I decided I was going to have the c-section unless "all the stars aligned" for the VBAC. Readers, am I boring you with what you already know? Basically in the end, I went through a long labor with Joshua, pushed for 4 hours and ended up with a c-section. I didn't really want to go through that again. Add in the small VBAC risks, and "voila" - repeat c-section).

I woke up at 7:00am on October 19th with the plan of taking a shower, running a quick errand, and then Keith was going to take us to the hospital at 11:30am. At 7:48am I had a contraction. 10 minutes later, I had another contraction, 10 minutes later, I had one again. They weren't super painful, just felt like a menstrual cramp, but I knew that they were real contractions. I finally called my OB at 10am, and he said to come to the hospital. Worse case scenario, they will move up my c-section time.

I arrived at the hospital around 10:45am, and the contractions had been varying between 5 - 10 minutes, and they still were at the same pain level. The L&D nurses hooked me up to the monitors and checked me out. I was 4-5 cm dilated and 90% effaced! Holy crap! I didn' expect that. I had mentioned to the nurses about a potential VBAC. They said that there is no more ideal VBAC situation than what I was in. I guess "the stars were aligned". Bring on the epidural! The nurses called my OB (who was thrilled by the way), and we went into the official L&D room to move forward with the VBAC.

I received the epidural, and the Anaesthesiologist said I should feel a pain level of a 1 or 2. At first, it was a 1 or 2, but shortly after, the pain turned into a 3 or 4. I could feel contractions not in my lower abdomen anymore, but now I felt them in my bottom. (Very strange and that hurt. If this is what delivery is like, maybe I should have gone through with the c-section). The Anaesthesiologist came back and reduced my pain level back to a 1 or 2. I then quickly dilated to 6 cm and then to 10cm. My water hadn't broken, and I asked the nurse about that. She said that she would be calling the doctor in to break my water. 2 minutes later, my water broke on its own. Then the pushing started which wasn't super terrible with the epidural in high gear. My doctor did have to give me an episiotomy, but I guess that is pretty common anyway. I pushed for a little less than 1 1/2 hours and then Samantha Lauren was born at 3:05pm.

Samantha Lauren born on October 19th at 3:05pm, weight was 6 lbs 10 oz, length was 19 3/4 inches.

To Be 39 Weeks Pregnant

I never thought I would get this far. I am 39 weeks and 2 days pregnant at this point. I really thought I was going to go sometime around 38 weeks as I did with my son. Yes, I know they say that each pregnancy is different, but I really thought that this baby would come early. The benefit of not going early is that I was able to attend my friends' wedding last night. It was a lot of fun and a lot of people were amazed that I was there and having the baby in 2 days. I kept having a lot of contractions at the wedding, but when I woke up this morning, they went away.

So, tomorrow is the big day. Our daughter is going to arrive via c-section. I went to see the OB on Thursday for my 39 week appointment. It was bittersweet that it was my last prenatal appointment. After the appointment was over, I scheduled my next appointment for November 2nd. My first postnantal appointment. At this appoinment, everything looked good. I have gained 25 lbs during the pregnancy, blood pressure looks good. Amazingly, I didn't really swell during this pregnancy. I am still able to wear my wedding rings (that almost never happens) and I can wear my regular shoes too. With Joshua, I was out of my rings by 25 weeks.

So, at this point, it is time to say goodbye to my pregnancy. Tomorrow, I will no longer be pregnant but have a new little daughter to love and adore. I can't wait to welcome her to the world. The pregnancy definitely went by fast. I can't believe it is all going to be over tomorrow. It seems so surreal and it has taken awhile for it to hit me. It has been a good pregnancy, and I have been very lucky.

I am kind of bummed that I didn't go into labor and get to VBAC. Yet, everyone has their own birth story. Going to the hospital on Monday October 19th and having a c-section with my second child is going to be mine!

To Be 38 Weeks Pregnant

10 days until D-Day (October 19)

I can't believe the day is almost here. It seemed so far away for so long, and now it can come any day. Really, the baby can come any day. Joshua arrived at 38 weeks, so I wake up every day wondering whether today is the day.

I am winding down with work and decided to take Tuesday off to try to get some "before the baby comes" errands done. It was great, because I had the whole day to myself and didn't have to drag a 2 year-old around to slow things down. I guess that I was running around so much that I didn't eat or drink enough. The next thing I know is that it is 4:30pm, and I realize that I haven't felt the baby move today. Not good. I called the doctor's office, and he wanted me to drink some orange juice, lie on my left side and see if that gets the baby moving. He said that if I didn't feel anything to go into labor and delivery. I did juice thing, and I didn't really feel much. So, I went to the hospital. They hooked me up to monitors to monitor fetal movement and monitor my contractions for about 3 hours. Everything looked good, so they sent me home.

I had my 38 week appointment today. Assuming I go on the 19th, I only have one more prenantal appointment left. I can't believe it! Basically, today everything was status quo. I am still 1 1/2 cm dilated and 0% effaced. Yet, that doesn' really give a good indicator as to when you will deliver as you can still go any time. I was 0 cm and 0% effaced with Joshua and then gave birth the next day. I am definitely having contractions now, and I can feel them. They are not regular, so I know it is not time yet. I am also having to pee more, but the baby has not dropped. I also feel the baby pushing at my cervix saying "let me out". Not too much longer now.

To Be 37 Weeks Pregnant

3 Weeks To Go . . . (16 days until D-Day, October 19th. Deliver y Day, C-Section Date)
I really think I am going to go before October 19th. I just have this feeling. Isn't mother's intuition usually right?

I actually thought she was coming sooner rather than later when I was having contractions on Thursday. The contractions seemed to be coming about 30 minute intervals but they weren't regular. I had cramping down in my pelvis since earlier in the week, but again not regular. So, no real labor at this point. I did get a pedicure last weekend, and I did get a haircut on Thursday, so I am ready for the baby to come. People at work predict that I will go earlier too. Joshua was born at 38 weeks, so who knows.

I had my 37 week appointment yesterday. Everything seems good. I am holding steady at 25 pounds gained, blood pressure looks good and baby seems to be good as well. I am also 1.5 cm dilated. (Baby coming?) I am o% effaced, though. It really doesn't mean anything at this point with how much you are dilated or effaced. (Unless, of course, you are 10 cm dilated). Women walk around for weeks like that. On the other hand, I was 0 cm dilated with Joshua when I went for my 38 week appointment. Then, I had him the next day. So, you never know.

To Be 36 Weeks Pregnant

4 Weeks to go ... or less



I should probably update that as I have a c-section planned for October 19th, and that is 3 weeks away not 4. My c-section is scheduled for 1:30pm, and I am supposed to fast for 8 hours before that. Therefore, I am supposed to fast all day until my c-section. How in the world am I going to manage that? I mentioned something to my OB, and he said, "how about I fast too until your surgery". Great, just what I need, a starving OB performing major abdominal surgery on me.



I am still anguishing over the VBAC vs planned c-section decision. You can probably tell as it has been a topic in my weekly posts over the past several weeks. I was so gung ho in the beginning, and then I started doing more research and now I am not so sure. The potential of a uterine ruptute, although small risk, is what is really leaning me toward a c-section. They say a successful VBAC is better than a planned c-section, and a planned c-section is better than a VBAC attempt that ends up as a c-section anyway. My thought at this point is that if I am still pregnant as of my scheduled c-section date of 10/19, then I will go through with the c-section on that date. If I go into labor before then, I will try to VBAC as long as I am progressing well and the baby is doing well through labor. I won't let them give me anything to promote labor such as Pitocin. They say that the drugs that induce or augment labor are harsher than normal contractions, so that can add to my risk of uterine rupture. I think that is a good plan. We shall see over the next few weeks what happens.



I had my 36 week appointment on Friday. In the early morning, I had an ultrasound. We actually had a 4D ultrasound, and it was really cool. I didn't think that we were going to have one as my OB office doesn't have the machine, but my OB office doesn't do ultrasounds on Fridays, and I wanted to have a Friday ultrasound so I didn't take off more time from work. Therefore, I got to see the 4D version. Definitely a cool experience. However, the coolness of it all was masked by the fact that I was feeling quite nauseaus, and lying on your back, feeling nauseaus with someone pushing something around your belly, not a good combination. Everything looked good and healthy with the ultrasound. The baby is measuring average, and they said she currently weighs 6 lbs 3 oz. I was shocked when they said that, because Joshua who was born at 38 weeks weighed 6 lbs 1 oz. I know that the ultrasound is only an estimate, though. At the ultrasound, I also found out that the baby turned and she is no longer breech. It is also less likely that she will turn back to breech, so that is good news.

My 36 week OB appointment was quick and easy. He gave me an internal exam, and I am still fully closed and not at all effaced. Last night I spent half the night awake and throwing up. I thought it was food poisoning, but the doctor said there was a stomach bug going around. Guess I caught that! I have been having really bad indigestion, I mean really bad. I feel like I have to burp all the time, and I have a bad acid feeling in my throat. It is awful. Once the baby drops, it should subside a bit or maybe I have to wait until the baby is out. Who knows. Yet, for now, the indigestion sucks and I didn't have it with Joshua.

To Be 35 Weeks Pregnant

5 Weeks to go ... or less

I am now down to weekly visits and had my 35 week appointment today. The appointment today was back to my regular doctor. It was a good appointment. I have been hovering around the same weight over the past few weeks, and the doctor said that is ok. I have gained about 23-24 pounds at this point. So, it is quite similar to the weight I gained with Joshua. I have to admit, I am a cute pregnant lady. :) At this appointment, the doctor said that he didn't feel the head up by my ribs, so it looks like she flipped again. Yeah, head down! Knowing that things keep changing, I asked my OB to schedule the C-section. The date is 10/19. (Ironically, my friend who is due a day after me also has a c-section scheduled for the same day and at the same hospital). My OB said that it is just tentative, and I can still VBAC if I want and if she is not breech. Next week, I have my 36 week appointment, and I will have an ultrasound to check her size and position.

The same day as my OB appointment, my son had his 2 year wellness check. When I told the pediatrician that I was looking to probably VBAC, she tried to discourage me from it. She just didn't feel it was as safe as having another c-section and she had seen some VBAC's go wrong which is a real danger to the mom and baby. I am still up in the air. I have a feeling that I will have another c-section, but we will see what happens when it gets closer. I think I am going to call my doctor and see if they have any recent literature. The internet information is only so good. Plus, it is not all accurate and current and a lot has changed over the past 10 years. My doctor is for the VBAC, yet he is smart about it. He is not going to let me go past my due date, he is not going to induce labor, and if she is breech, he is not going to do a version. So, we shall see how things play out.

To Be 34 Weeks Pregnant

6 weeks to go... or less

Now, I say probably less. I went to the doctor today for my 34 week check up. The baby turned back to breech. Ugh! There is definitely a chance that she can turn back to head down. However, I have to come to the realization that she could remain breech. That means I will have to have a c-section. I guess the baby is deciding for me whether I will VBAC or not. There is a procedure they can do with a breech baby to try to turn the baby. However, I don't want to do that. It only works about 50% of the time, and it is just not worth it. Today, I saw the 3rd doctor in the practice. So, in case I don't have my regular OB deliver the baby, now I have met them all. The doctor suggested when I see my doctor next week to schedule the c-section, so I can be put on the calendar. If she turns, I can always cancel it. My next appointment - next week! I can't believe I am already down to once a week appointments. Time really does fly.


How am I feeling? I still have the achy arm and leg muscles. I still have the indigestion. Not fun. Other than that, I am looking good. I am definitely a cute pregnant lady and handle pregnancy well. :)

To Be 33 Weeks Pregnant

7 weeks to go...or less

Probably less. I can't imagine going to my due date. It is possible for me to go to my due date of October 23rd, but I just feel that I will go 2 weeks early again. They won't let me go past the 23rd due to having a c-section with baby #1.

I had my 32 week appointment this past Monday. I saw one of the other doctors in the practice, Dr. Tran. She seemed nice enough, but I do want my doctor to deliver the new baby. I also had an ultrasound today. Since the baby has been breech, they wanted to check the position. If she stays breech, then I would definitely have to have a c-section. It is uncommon for breech babies to be delivered vaginally, but it can happen. When you have a previous c-section, they won't deliver a breech baby vaginally due to the risks. At the ultrasound today the baby turned. So, she is no longer breech. That is great news. Of course, she could turn back, it gets harder for the baby to turn as it gets later in the pregnancy.

I've mentioned in posts how this pregnancy seems a bit different than the last one. The lastest being the muscle aches. It started on Thursday, and my arm and leg muscles achy. The achiness you feel when you are getting the flu, except I am not sick. If it doesn't get better by Tuesday, I am going to call the doctor. I am not sure if it is a pregnancy symptom or not. Hmmm... The other symptom is indigestion. It is getting pretty bad. For this sympton, I definitely know it is the fun of being pregnant. I seem to get it with almost every meal. Ugh. Not too much longer now.

To Be 32 Weeks Pregnant

8 weeks to go... or less



This week we took a vacation with our son to a resort on the Chesapeake Bay. I guess you could even call it a "baby moon" although we had our almost 2 year old with us. The vacation was very nice, and it was the last vacation it would be the 3 of us before our little girl arrives. Summer vacation means pool and bathing suit. Maternity bathing suit. Yikes! Yet, at least I look very pregnant and not just some fatty in a bathing suit. I didn't feel as bad walking around in my bathing suit knowing I was a pregnant lady and didn't have to feel subconscious about my body. Hopefully though, people were looking at the little cutie I was dragging around rather than my fat tummy and thighs. We had some nice dinners while on our trip. Unfortunately, with the big dinners came big indigestion. They say that is a common symptom of someone at my stage of pregnancy. Unfortunately, I didn't have anything to take for it. In speaking with my doctor about it at the last appointment, he said Maalox is best. Next time I know, don't leave home without it.



The nesting phase has begun. (Keith is psyched about that). I am all about getting organized for the baby. I got a whole bunch of clothes from my friend and several weeks ago I did separate it by size. Today, I went into the newborn, 0-3 month, and 3-6 month size and listed all items for each size to see how many I have of each and what I still need. 32 onesies in the 0-3 month size. I think I can open up a onesie store! My friend had a May baby, and my baby is due in October, so she didn't have a whole lot of true winter clothes in the small sizes. I know I will get some clothes as gifts, so I am hoping for winter stuff. I did go shopping today and bought the baby a sweater for $2.70 at Macys. Score!



Next doctor's appointment is on Monday for my 32 week check up. I have an appointment with one of the other doctors in the practice. I also have an ultrasound to check for breech. At 30 weeks, she was still breech. I am hoping that she has turned. Unfortunately, I don't think she has turned head down yet. There is still time.

To Be 31 Weeks Pregnant

9 weeks to go... or less

Belly is getting bigger. It is starting to get rounder as opposed to looking like a compact watermelon. I am definitely getting bigger and starting to feel more uncomfortable. I feel my breathing be a little harder and sleeping is a little more uncomfortable. The sciatic nerve pain is still here, and I even sat on a heating pad all day at work on Thursday.

On Fridays, I take Joshua to a MyGym class. It is still pretty easy for me to run around the gym with him, so that is a good thing. I did put in the notice to freeze my membership for a few months, so September 18th is our last day at the gym for awhile. That is another sign that it is getting closer to due date.

Today is August 21st. 2 months from now - October 21st, I could have a newborn. Scary. Exciting. Lots of emotions.

To Sing For Your Supper

Or for your furniture...

In June, we went out and ordered the baby furniture. When we were there, they had a deal that if you did karaoke to a children's song, you would get 15% off a furniture item. Below is Keith's rendition of "Yankee Doodle". (Unfortunately, the sound didn't come out well as we used Keith's cell phone).

To Be 30 Weeks Pregnant

10 Weeks to go... or less

I had my 30 week appointment this week. We are down to doctor's appointments every 2 weeks now. At this appointment, the doctor said that the baby is still breech. He said the baby can still turn and it is not a huge issue at this point. He did schedule another ultrasound at my next appointment (32 weeks) to do a breech check. (If the baby is breech, I will have no choice but to have a c-section. I am really trying to have a VBAC if possible). At the next appointment, I will also be seeing another doctor in the practice. He said that is just to put another set of eyes on me and also to meet another doctor in case he doesn't deliver me. I am really hoping that my main OB doctor delivers my baby.

On Friday, I started getting sciatic nerve pain. (I did not have that when I was pregnant with Joshua). It felt like there was a sharp pain on the right side of my butt. Ouch! It hurt to walk. By the end of the day on Saturday, the pain let up a bit. I guess the baby was lying against the nerve. Hopefully, it won't come back too much.

To Be 29 Weeks Pregnant

11 weeks to go
(or less)

I guess I can start the count down. I was 2 weeks early with Joshua, so there is a good probability that I will deliver early with this one too. Every pregnancy is different, so you never know. What I do know is that I will not have the baby any later than October 23rd. If I don't go into labor by then, I will have a c-section. Any time before that, I am going to try VBAC.

I am still feeling ok. Belly is getting bigger, and I can feel the baby kick several times per day. I am thankful that I have not gotten swollen fingers or feet yet like I did with Joshua. By 25 weeks, I was out of my rings. Now at 29 weeks, I am still wearing them.

My almost 2 year old still doesn't know what is going on. I am not sure he even realizes that my belly is getting bigger. I tell him that Mommy is having a baby, and he is going to be a big brother and have a sister. I tell him that there is a baby in my belly and he used to be in my belly. What response do I get? Nothing. A blank stare. In one ear and out the other. You get the picture.

To Be 28 Weeks Pregnant

Welcome to the 3rd Trimester!

Wow, time is going by really fast. I can't believe I am 2/3 finished with my pregnancy. It seems like just yesterday I was keeping a secret from the world and had no belly to show for my pregnancy either. Fast forward, and here we are, 7 months pregnant. In just 2 1/2 short months, I will have a newborn and now be labled a "mother of 2".

This week was my last of monthly visits to the OB. I now go down to visits every 2 weeks. Things are really getting close. I have 2 full months of work left before I go into the final countdown mode. Scary. My big boss asked me when I was due, and I just said October. Of course, she then pried to be more specific, so I said "middle but I will probably go a little early as I did with Joshua". She then said, "Don't count on it. I was 2 weeks late with my second". Ugh. I have mentally checked myself out of work after October 1st, so I want everyone to know that. I don't want to say the "23rd" and then have work think that I will be there through most of October too. This has been an awful work year, and I just want it to be over and take a much needed break.

My 28 week OB appointment went well on Wednesday. I drank the glucose drink prior to arrival, and they took blood exactly one hour after I drank the juice. The juice tasted like fruit punch, and it didn't really taste that bad. (I remember drinking an orange flavored drink with Joshua for the test, and it didn't taste so good). They told me that the results would take about a week, and they would only call me if the results didn't come out good. I hate that. I would prefer to get a call either way. I had an ultrasound at this appointment too. The sonographer was a little surprised that I was having an ultrasound, but the doctor ordered it, and she said it would be fine. She was just a little worried as the reason for it and whether insurance would cover it. The baby's heartbeat was at 151 and sounded strong. When I got the ultrasound I was measuring 27 weeks and 1 day, and according to my due date, I was 27 weeks and 5 days. That is not really a big deal. When I got measured from the doctor with the tape measure, I measured 28 weeks. He said I was growing fine, and I am not going to have a huge baby. My husband and I are not huge, and it would make sense for us to have smaller babies. After all, Joshua was born at 6 lbs 1 oz and 19 inches and the average baby is 7 lbs 7oz and 21 inches. To me my belly looks big, but it also looks "compact" and I don't seem huge. I definitely have a big pregnant belly, but I am not carrying far out in front like a basketball, and coupled with my smaller size, it may give off a smaller appearance. I feel that I am carrying similar to how I carried with Joshua. If only I took better pregnancy pictures with him. The ones I took to show how far along I was at the time was not so flattering. This time, I started to take pictures wearing the same outfit at around 23 weeks to show the progression.

To Be 27 Weeks Pregnant

I am finally not too small for my maternity clothes.

My belly now fills out all of those maternity shirts with the ties in the back. (I remember thinking about that at 22 weeks and how those shirts were still pretty big on me. Not anymore.) I am fully into all of the maternity clothes and am looking bigger and bigger each week. They say that your belly grows a 1/2 inch each week. That just seems like a lot to me. If that is the case, I still have a lot of growing to do.

I have been having stomach pains on and off all week. It is more like pressure that doesn't go away and you kind of feel like you are full all the time. I called the doctor when I got off the train at the end of the day. (It was 4:45pm). The office closes at 5:00pm so I figured that I would be able to just talk to one of the doctors. The answering service picks up. Ugh, not what I was looking for. Although, it was 4:45pm and not 4:45am, so I guess they probably weren't that irritated. Someone calls me back (not a doctor) and tells me to go to the emergency room. Uh, not exactly what I had in mind. I was hoping for a quick phone conversation with one of the doctors who would tell me to take some Tums and rest for the remainder of the night. I guess the person who called me back was in the office, because the next thing I remember is one of the doctors from the practice on the phone with me. She, Dr. Tran, said that it is a GI issue and not a baby issue and I should take some Pepto Bismol, eat some bland food and monitor the feeling over the next few days. If it doesn't improve to set an appointment to come in. We had pizza planned for dinner that night. If I don't put the crushed red pepper on it, does that count as bland?

To Be 26 Weeks Pregnant

Big.

I finally look at my belly and notice a big belly. (Although, my cousin saw me on Sunday and said I was tiny). I definitely look bigger or smaller depending on what I am wearing.

I am also starting to get anxious to get this baby out of me. Keith's cousin had their baby about a week ago, and it made me anxious to want to finish up with the pregnancy as well. Since my belly looks big to me, it makes me feel that I am furthur along.

I am starting to feel Braxton Hicks contractions. They are really annoying. My upper abdomen tightens for about a minute and I feel pressure. Unfortunately, these contractions aren' going to go away. I should probably pay attention to them to make sure they aren't that frequent.

To Be 25 Weeks Pregnant

Different.



They say that every person's pregnancy experience is difference and no two pregnancies are alike. They say that pregnancies are diffrerent whether you are carrying a boy or girl. They even say that you will experience pregnancies differently for each pregnancy you go through. I was tying to think of that myself and figure out how this pregnancy is different than when I was pregnant with Joshua. I definitely think there are similarities, but there are differences as well. I wish I kept a blog or journal and could refer back to those, but unfortunately I only had about 3 entries into a journal. You would think that for the first pregnancy I would be better, but I wasn't. That is just like they say that you take a million pictures of your first baby and then when the second baby comes around you hardly take any. Hopefully, that isn't the case.

With Joshua I had no morning sickness. With this pregnancy, I did have morning sickness. I had elevated amniotic fluid with Joshua and so far as of my 20 week sonogram, the amniotic fluid level is normal. (Of course that could change). My fingers also swelled a lot earlier with Joshua's pregnancy than this pregnancy. That is not to say that my fingers won't swell, but by now with Joshua's pregnancy, I was growing out of my rings. With this pregnancy, my rings are still ok. I also didn't have many cravings with my last pregnancy. With this pregnancy, cravings come often. I also think I am more emotional with this pregnancy. I know I was a little bit emotional last time, but I feel it is much more extremem this time. (Should I admit that when I heard "Beat It" on the radio the day after Michael Jackson died, I cried. I wasn't even a huge MJ fan). With my last pregnancy, I broke out like a teenager. Can you say eww back acne? This time, pretty much clear.

To Be 24 Weeks Pregnant

It really took awhile for my belly to really take shape. For me to "grow". Now, I have the belly, and it is getting bigger every day. It is a real belly now and not just a small bump. I don't think I have the "is she?" or "isn't she?" look from strangers. I have the "when are you due"?

I had my 24 week appointment this week. Everything is looking good, my weight, the growth of the baby, etc... My next appointment is 28 weeks, and then the wind down begins. Wow, that was fast. I feel like it is flying by. The first trimester went so so slow. Now, I blink and am getting close to the 3rd trimester. Where did the time go? At my appointment, my doctor was even talking about the rest of the pregnancy and how things play out. So scary. I am ready for the end of the pregnancy. But, it is mainly because I need a work break.

To Be 23 Weeks Pregnant

Time to start putting more thought into names. Although, we probably have about 15 - 17 weeks to finalize names. (I actually doubt we have 17 weeks as I do not think I will go the full 40 weeks).

We are working on a name for our little girl. With Joshua, we agreed on the name and both liked it very much. That was that. Pretty easy (I think). Keith liked another name too, but he really liked Joshua, so it worked out well. This time around, we are having a little more difficulty. Keith likes a short, sweet name (S4). I like that name too, but it is a biblical name as is Joshua, and I don't want a biblical name this time around. The name that I really like is (S8). I think it sounds good with our last name and is a good, strong name. It also has a cute nickname. It is a name that I have liked for a really long time and liked it even before I knew I was pregnant with a girl. I think I even liked it way before pregnancy was even a reality, "Someday I would like to name my daugher (S8)."

We have a long last name. It is 10 letters and 3 syllables. Keith is worried about having such a long name for our daughter. That is the only reason he has reservations about (S8). Otherwise, he likes the name too. He is afraid that our daughter is going to have issues on tests when you have to fill in all the bubbles cooresponding to the letters of your first and last name. He is afraid that poor (S8) is going to be still filling out the bubbles while John Wu is already on question 5. Are you serious?

I promise to keep you posted on new developments.

To Be 22 Weeks Pregnant

The belly is coming along. When you look at me from the side and the front, I really have a pregnant belly. I am in full maternity clothes now. While some of the shirts that have the ties in the back are too big, I can't really get away with the belly band anymore and wearing any of my prepregnancy clothes.

We bought the furniture today for the baby's room. We went with the brand Munire, and the collection is called Urban. We were originally looking at white furniture; However, we talked ourselves out of it. I am glad we did. I think we saved ourselves a lot of heart ache in the future with marks and scraches and chips. We went with a natural color. Keith and I are happy with the purchase, and it is nice that we agreed.

I now believe that I feel the baby move every day. During the day, I am so busy and running around, that I don't always notice it. However, over the past few weeks it has been fairly sporatic. I think it is more regular now.

To Be 21 Weeks Pregnant

Uneventful.



This has been a pretty uneventful week. No crazy symptoms. No funny stories. Nothing really interesting to report. I am having some cravings this time around that I didn't really have with Joshua. Last week at 11:30pm as we were going to bed, I had a craving for coffee ice cream. It was one of those cravings where I asked my husband to go to the store and get me some. He went downstairs and decided to make me an ice cream sundae with the mint chocolate chip flavor we had in the house instead. I will give him an "A" for effort and I didn't turn into one of those crazy, moody pregnant ladies crying, "I wanted coffee" while throwing the wrong one across the room. I thanked him, ate it, and silently wished for coffee ice cream and not mint chocolate chip.

To Be 20 Weeks Pregnant

I am "showing". It's about time. I went to a client meeting on Wednesday, and the client asked me "when are you due"? I also had a few people in my office approach me the same day too who apparently didn't get the memo - "Barbara is pregnant" until that day. I have to admit to my readers that I was wearing a basic maternity dress as opposed to my regular suits. But even so, it felt good to know that I am now pregnant to people and not someone who hits the McDonald's drive-through too often.

I had my 20 week OB appointment and things are going well. He went over the sonogram with me and said things are progressing normally. I responded, "That's great. And, I am having a girl". (Note the huge grin on my face from cheek to cheek). My doctor looks at me with a puzzled face and says, "Um, you're having a boy. It says so right in your chart here". Oh, my OB is such a jokester. Apparently, he wasn't joking. The results read Genitalia: Male. I start freaking out a little bit. Are my hopes of having the cute little girl going down the drain? Both the Sonographer and the doctor at the ultrasound said it was a girl. I know they can be wrong, but even so. My doctor said not to worry and that it was probably a drop dpwn menu that they inputted wrong. When I got home, I immediately called the place where I had the ultrasound. I told them my dilemma, and she asked me to hold on. It seemed like forever. She came back on the line, and said that she showed my ultrasound pictures to another doctor who was in the office, and he said that it is in fact a girl. Relief!

To Be 19 Weeks Pregnant

I am just about at the halfway point. That seems unbelievable to me. It seems like just yesterday I was finding out I was pregnant, and it takes so so long to get out of the first trimester and start to "show" and really feel pregnant. 20 weeks is technically the halfway point, but with Josh, I delivered at 38 weeks. Therefore, that would make 19 weeks the halfway point. I have a local wedding 6 days before my due date, so I am hoping to hold out until after the wedding.

I definitely have a pregnant belly to me. To a stranger on the street, I may still be in the "Is she or isn't she" stage. I keep looking for those cute pregnancy clothes that I see people wear that show how cute and pregnant they are. For me, I can't seem to wear those clothes the same way. T-shirts seem to just hang and not accentuate the belly. Maybe it will be a little better when I am a bit more pregnant. I am getting out of the phase where I am able to wear the belly band. My suit pants don't zip at all anymore, and the zipper is hurting, so I am going to have to ditch the pre-pregnancy suit pants. The only issue is that I am still lacking in the options of clothes as my maternity dresses are still too big. I think I just have to get through another 2 weeks and then I will be able to really start wearing some of the dresses.

Felling the baby move is still infrequent for me. With Joshua, I didn't feel him move for real until 21 weeks, at 19 weeks now, I am not worried. The woman who did my ultrasound said that the placenta is lying high, so that may be why I don't feel the kicks really yet. Speaking of ultrasounds. I had the biggie on Wednesday. Everything looks great. The baby was cooperating, so we were able to find out the sex. IT'S A GIRL!!!!!!!!!!!!! I can't tell you how thrilled I am about that. I was crying happy tears at the ultrasound. I asked the ultrasound lady if she was sure, and of course she said it is not 100%, but it definitely looks like a girl. Then, the doctor comes in and highlights the ultrasound for us afterwards, and I asked him if it was really a girl, and he said, "Yes, those are girl parts". I am on cloud 9. Of course, I was psyching myself up to have 2 boys. Prior to the ultrasound, people kept asking me what my instinct was about having a boy or girl. The honest answer is that I really didn't know. I didn't have a hard feeling one way or another. I really wanted a girl, so that I have one of each, but I kept thinking that it would just be a boy. Plus, most of Keith's family are boys and Keith said, "I make boys". So, I didn't know what to think really. When I was pregnant with my son, I had a few dreams about having a boy. With this pregnancy, I didn't have a lot of dreams about the sex of the baby which would give me a telltale sign. Most moms want a little girl. There is just something about that. I am extremely excited. Now, onto the hard part, names!

To Be 18 Weeks Pregnant

I don't think I "popped" yet. I definitely am starting to "show" , but to me, I don't think it has fully come out yet. With my first pregnancy, this was around the time I popped.

I had a blood test today for a modified sequential screen. Basically, it is a little more sensitive of a test than the first trimester test. I had an AFP test when I saw the OB 2 weeks ago. He called me with the results today and said it was good news which means I tested negative for Spina Bifida. I asked the nurse who was drawing my blood what the test today was all about. Basically, since I had the AFP at the doctor's office, this test was probably not necessary. Lovely. It is so fun to get blood tests just for the hell of it.

I am pretty sure I started to feel the baby move. I remember the inital feelings last time around and not realizing it was the baby moving when I felt the first inital flutters. You would think I would know better this time. However, I think it is hard in the beginning anyway, because you don't know if it is the baby or your stomach growling or doing something similar. I think I have felt it a few times, but it is not consistent, and that is how it feels in the beginning.

Next Wednesday is the BIG ultrasound day. As long as the baby cooperates, we will find out the sex. I can't wait to find out. Wednesday can't come soon enough!

To Be 17 Weeks Pregnant

Getting out of the "feeling fat" phase. Finally.

At work, I am still wearing my regular suits with the belly band. On the weekends, I am in maternity pants. My suit pants are starting to feel uncomfortable, so I am not sure how long I can last with the belly band. I have gained a lot of weight in my butt and thighs, so to me I look so heavy on the bottom. Yuk. I guess once this is all over, that will be the first place I start to focus on with exercise. If I nurse the new baby like I did with Joshua, that will help to take the belly weight off. That was the best exercise ever!

To Be 16 Weeks Pregnant

My belly is starting to take shape.

I haven't popped yet, but I am slowly starting to move from the "I feel fat" phase to the "I am pregnant" phase. My belly is still pretty small, though. With my last pregnancy, I popped between 17 and 18 weeks. They say that you really start to show earlier with subsequent pregnancies, so we shall see how the next week or two goes.

I have moved into maternity pants on the weekends. During the week, I am still wearing my regular suit pants with the belly band. At this point, I am still wearing regular shirts. I have also, for the most part, switched to maternity underpants. TMI? I am having cravings. I didn' t have cravings with Joshua at all really. They aren't weird cravings, they are just cravings for different types of food at different times.

I had my 16 week doctor's appointment yesterday. I have gained 3 pounds since my last appointment and my blood pressure was normal. My doctor got the report from my last delivery and said that we can try a VBAC. Of course. anything can happen. The one thing is that I can't go past my due date. So, if I don't go into labor by October 23, then I will have to have a C-section. I asked the doctor if we can at least keep the baby inside for October 17th so I can go to Kathleen and Plevan's wedding, but he said he had no control over that. Oh well. At least I tried.

I scheduled my BIG ultrasound for May 27th. At that appointment I will be able to find out the sex. I am so excited. I do want a girl so that I have one of each. However, I bet it is a boy and then I will have 2 boys plus Keith plus PJ and be completely outnumbered. We started throwing around boy and girl names. We haven't really agreed on anything right now. I am sure it will come together when it gets closer.

To Be 15 Weeks Pregnant

Still in the feel fat and don't feel necessarily pregnant phase.

Last weekend as I mentioned in my last post, I put on maternity pants for the first time this pregnancy. I am still a little small for true maternity clothes, but none of my regular pants fit. My regular tops still fit ok. Last week I took a 14 week picture and compared it to my 14 week picture from my pregnancy with Joshua. I think I do look the same. They say you pop out sooner with your second child. I think that is true as I noticed my pants started not fitting earlier. However, as far as truely "showing", I think I am still where I was last time.

When Joshua was 6 weeks old, I joined a "new moms" group. Basically, it was 8 of us who had our first babies at the same time and got together once a week for "support". It was a nice network and great way to actually get me out of the house. Almost 2 years later, I am still friends with these great women. It turns out that 2 of the other girls are pregnant again too. What is even funnier is that one is due the day after me, and the other is due 3 days after me. It is nice to have local friends to go through second pregnancy with right now.

To Be 14 Weeks Pregnant

Pretty uneventful week.

I am still feeling "fat" as opposed to having a cute pregnant belly. I don't feel like my belly has grown too much, but my regular pants are not fitting very well. I do have the belly band, but it doesn't work for all of my pants. This is an annoying time where I just don't know what to wear and am really lacking in the wardrobe department. I did put on maternity pants for the first time yesterday. I still am not ready for any maternity tops.

My morning sickness has been gone for awhile, and knock on wood, I don't think it will come back. I seem to be having some cravings here and there. (I didn't have any cravings with Joshua). Earlier this week, I craved a steak sub and a couple of days ago, I craved cheese curls. I don't eat cheese curls! I am still tired but do seem to be a bit more awake than in the first trimester.

To Be 13 Weeks Pregnant

Feel fat and not necessarily pregnant!

You know that stage? It is the stage where your pants are starting to not fit, yet you are not big enough for maternity clothes. You just feel fat, and you don't look pregnant. My pants, especially my work pants are not buttoning anymore. It is really annoying. I started to wear my belly band so that I can still wear my regular suits, but the belly band is pretty annoying.

I finally got my results back from my first trimester screen. They said it would take 7 days for the blood test, and it took 11! I was so mad. Add the pregnancy hormones, and I was pissed!!! On day 8 (last Friday) they told me they didn't have the results and if I didn't hear from them on Monday afternoon to call them. Monday afternoon came and no phone call from the doctor's office. (This isn't my OB office. It is a specialty OB office that handles all the testing and ultrasounds). I called at 3pm and left a message for them. When I called to find out when they closed (knowing that I would probably have to call back), they told me they would be in until 5pm. I called them back at 4:40pm, as like I guessed, they did not call me back. I got their automated voicemail saying that they closed at 4:30pm. I was fuming, especially when they told me they would be in until 5pm. I had already waited the whole weekend for the results and all day Monday. I was not going to wait another day! Calling the answering service was no help. They said they didn't have a "back access" to reach the office once the phones were rolled to them. After that, I left a message on the cell phone of the genetics counselor who we had met with last week voicing my frustration with everything. She ended up calling me back and said that she did have the results. Ugh, it is about time.

And the results were.... Drum roll please... Excellent! The first trimester screen evalutes you on the likelihood that you are carrying a child with Down's Syndrome, or Trisomy 13, 18. The results give you a value. Prior to the test, you start with a basic value that equates to the odds for women your age. I received results equivalent to a 20 yearl old! Awesome! Keith, you are married to a 20 year old.

To Spread The News

Great.

I am not a patient person. I hate waiting for things and often times, I ruin things, because I can't wait. You know that saying, "good things come to those who wait". I have a lot of trouble with that saying. Knowing that around week 12, I should be able to spread the news to family and friends about my pregnancy made me anxious to get to that day. Every day seemed to go by so slowly, and I thought the time would never come.

I can keep a secret when someone tells me to keep a secret. However, when it is my secret, I definitely get the urge to tell someone. Since I found out I was pregnant, way back in February, I had wanted to tell someone. It was so hard to not tell people. When it got very close, I left a few obscure status updates on Facebook. I know a few of my friends picked up on it, but I didn't say anything. If anyone asked me if I was pregnant (not due to Facebook but just in general) I would state, "I have no news to report". That answer keeps my answer to the truth. I am not saying yes, but I am not exactly saying no and lying. I hate lying to my friends.

At my 12 week doctor's appointment, my doctor said that I was free to spread the news. He said that my miscarriage rate was no higher now than at any stage of the pregnancy. Yeah, exactly what I wanted to hear. I made a bunch of phone calls and shared the news with friends and family. It felt like a weight was lifted off my shoulders to be able to tell people and now be able to talk about the pregnancy with everyone. I think now that I am able to openly talk about the pregnancy, I will start to feel pregnant more. When I couldn't talk about it with people, I think it took away a little from the expereince and feeling pregnant. I also think that once I get a true belly, it will help the pregnancy feeling as well.

To Be 12 Weeks Pregnant

This past Tuesday I had my First Trimester Screen which consists of a blood test and an ultrasound. I actually took the blood test the prior Thursday but the results weren't back as of Tuesday. I had read on the website of the doctor's office that you could take the blood test a week early and get the results at the ultrasound. Unfortunately, I didn't read the website until it was shorter than a week's time before my ultrasound. It would have been nice to know when I scheduled the appointment that I could do that. (It actually ended up not fully mattering as what I really wanted was the results back in time for my 12 week OB appointment which would be 8 days since the blood test. As of Friday afternoon, no results. Don't they know I have no patience?)

The doctor's office told me to come to the appointment with a "full" bladder. My appointment was scheduled for 9:15 or 9:30. I scheduled one time and they left a message with a different time, so I wasn't realy sure which time and it was too late and then too early to find out. I drank my 32+ oz of water and left with Keith for the appointment.

When I got there, I had a nice full bladder and was ready to see my baby "on the big screen". They tell me that I am going to have a meeting with the genetic counselor first thus prolonging my time to use the restroom. Not happy about that but not uncomfortable at this point so I sat in the office and talked about the odds with being 35 and pregnant. Fun fun fun.

After that appointment, I went from "full" bladder to pain. I skipped the "I need to pee and this is a little uncomfortable" stage. They said I was next for the ultrasound and it would just be a few minutes. I waited 10+ minutes and was in incredible pain. I then went into the ultrasound room, Keith scoped out the quickest route to the bathroom for when I was done, and the sonographer put the blue jelly on my belly to begin the ultrasound. My bladder was so full that my belly was so round I looked over 20 weeks pregnant and not 11 1/2 weeks. When the sonographer started the process, she said "your bladder is TOO full. Go to the bathroom". Thank you! The rest of the ultrasound was a joyous process as I physically felt better and it was, of course, really cool to see the baby that is growing inside my belly. I heard the heartbeat too, and it was a strong 165 beats/minute. Yeah. So that morning didn't start off the greatest, but it ended well.

I had my 12 week OB appointment today. This appointment like the next few are very routine. Weight check - I gained 6 pounds in the first trimester. (Ugh! No wonder my pants are already starting to not fit). Urine test, blood pressure, and hear the heartbeat. The doctor put the doppler on my belly and he couldn't find the heartbeat. Uh, scary. Yet, I wasn't totally freaked out for some reason. The doctor said it is not uncommon to not hear the heartbeat at this stage through this method. I read on a pregnancy blog about someone else having that issue, so maybe that is why I wasn't in hysterics. Hey, it gave me the opportunity for another ultrasound. During the ultrasound, I saw and heard the heartbeat, 165 beats per minute plus the baby was measuring at 12 weeks and 0 days. (At the appointment on Tuesday, the baby measured 11 weeks 4 days, so that is a great sign). The doctor gave me the green light to start spreading the news and said a miscarriage at this point is no greater now than at any other point in the rest of my pregnancy. So, I feel comfortable starting to tell more family and friends now.

Next step, spreading the news!

To Be 11 Weeks Pregnant

Anxious.

Only about 1 week to go, and then I can spill the beans. I just want to let everyone know already and stop keeping the secret. I hate keeping secrets, especially when it is my secret and I am dying to tell someone. We did tell our parents a couple of weeks ago and swore them to secrecy for now. The October 09 Mothers-to-Be message board on a pregnancy website secretly know too. (Although, my identity is pretty anonymous and it is really just an outlet to learn about what other women who are at my stage in pregnancy are going through and comparing notes). My blog readers have already known for the past month and a half. Yet, do you want to know who my blog readers are? No one. This blog isn't published yet. I am the only one reading and writing this blog.

I became so anxious the other day that I pushed my first trimester screen up 2 days to find out the results sooner. As I was reading on the doctor's website about the first trimester screen, it says that you can take the blood test a week in advance so that you can get the results when you go in for the ultrasound. (Why didn't they tell me that when I called to schedule the appointment? Didn't they know they were speaking with Ms. "Impatient" Barbara? When they set the appointment with me, they scheduled to get the blood test on the same day as the ultrasound so then I would have to wait an additional week after that for the results. No way.) Once I found out that I could take the blood test earlier, I went straight to the doctor's office the next day (yesterday) and took the blood test. My appointment for the ultrasound is on Tuesday and most likely the blood test results won't be back, but I was able to push up the results by a few days. I have my 12 week appointment with my OB next Friday and should have the results back by then. After that, I should be able to tell the world, "I'm Pregnant!"

To Be 10 Weeks Pregnant

Almost time for my belly band.

You know what I am talking about. It is a piece of stretchy material that resembles a tube top. I wear it around my waist to hide the fact that I am not buttoning my pants. That is a belly band. Then, when I can no longer pretend to fit in my normal clothes, I raise the belly band up over my chest and it turns into a cleavage hider. Why is it that all maternity tops are so low cut? I am married and pregnant, do you think I am really trying to attract strange men with "the girls"? I think not!

I think I am going to start wearing the belly band on Monday with my suit pants. For most of last week, I wore my suit pants unbuttoned. Not that you can really tell with my shirt over the pants, but my suit pants don't just zip with a button like men's pants. All of my suit pants have a piece of material that covers the button with a hook. I guess it is supposed to make it more stylish when you are tucking in your blouse. Who knows. Yet, it makes it more difficult to leave my pants unbuttoned if I have a flap hanging out. Oh well. Soon enough, this awkward in between stage will be over and I will be in full-fledge materity clothes. Then, the real fun begins.

To Be 9 Weeks Pregnant

It is getting hard to keep the secret.

My friend had a birthday get together last night in DC. Where was the party? At a sushi bar. Not just a restaurant where you have sushi, but it is a karaoke bar. Needless to say, lots of drinking goes on at the bar. Sushi and alcohol - 2 things I can't have. How in the world am I going to keep not drinking and not eating sushi from my best friend? So hard. I called her on Thursday (her real birthday) and left her a voicemail wishing her a happy birthday and mentioning on the message that I have been sick and had the voice to prove it. Good set up. Now, I could just say that I was on a Z-Pack and can't drink. As far as the sushi, I will just look for veggie or "safe" rolls. When I got there, I stuck to my water and it seemed to be ok. I was coughing a lot, but I wasn't faking that. I am at the end stages of a cold. One of my friends said to me, "you are drinking water and only having veggie rolls, is there a #2". Ut oh. "No, I have no news to report. I have been sick". Whew, close call. My best friend did not seem to pick up on it. Although, she was too busy getting drunk off sake bombs that she probably didn't realize what was going on with me. So, I think I am safe for now. Only about 3 more weeks and then I can spill the beans.

My cousin also called to say that she was sending her pump to my cousin in California. Nooooooo. I will need that in the fall. I couldn't exactly tell her that. We also are going shopping to the outlets next week, and I really want to pick up a few maternity clothes. So, maybe next week I will tell Jeni the news.

I am starting to get to the uncomfortable pants stage. In the morning, my clothes fit fine, but by the end of the day, they are tight. I don't feel I am ready for my belly bands. I don't think I started the belly band until 11 or 12 weeks last time, but I do understand that you start to show sooner with #2. Oh well, I might have to suck it up and get the belly bands out of storage.

To Be 8 Weeks Pregnant

Still no external signs that I am pregnant. My morning sickness (or rather all day sickness) seems to come and go. I am now having weird pains in my chest, but I think it is part of a cold or stress. Maybe a mix of both. I am extremely exhausted. By 3pm each day, I am ready for bed.

Today, I had my first prenatal visit. I have gained 2 pounds. I met my new OB, and he is great. I really like him and feel real good about the switch. Today's appointment included an ultrasound which was really cool. I didn't have one until 11 weeks with my first pregnancy. I saw and heard the heartbeat (167 beats per minute), and that made me feel better. It finally made the pregnancy feel real. I am 8 weeks pregnant per the ultrasound and my due date is 10/23/09. (Exactly what I predicted).

To Be 7 Weeks Pregnant

Worse than 6 weeks pregnant.

The "morning sickness" that only seemed to come in the early evening has decided to arrive when I first wake up in the morning and not go away until I go to bed. So much for "morning" sickness. Maybe it's a girl?

To Be 6 Weeks Pregnant

I was looking forward to writing "the same as it felt at 5 weeks". A few days ago, that would have been my post. However, after that, something changed a little bit. I started getting morning sickness. However, it is not "morning" sickness as my nausea is typically in the early evening around dinner time. (I think that will help with me survivng work).

I still don't seem to have gained any weight and my body looks the same as of right now. I am not sure how many more weeks that will last.

To Be 5 Weeks Pregnant

The same as 4 weeks pregnant....

I don't really feel any symptoms. Well, I take that back. I am feeling one symptom. I am very emotional. Every little thing is "touching" to me. It is either a happy tear/cry or sad tear/cry. Other than that, I am not really feeling any other symptoms. Well, I take that back. My boobs are a little sore. However, I do stress "little sore". That is a typical pregnancy symptom.

I think there are 2 reasons I am not really feeling many symptoms. The first reason is that it is still pretty early, and often, symptoms don't start settling in until 6 - 8 weeks. The other reason is that my virus/cold symptoms are masking anything else going on. From my sore throat to cough to congestion and fever, my body doesn't have any room for any other symptoms at this point.

Here's to my illness going away and true pregnancy symptoms appearing. Bring It On!

To Be Sick and Pregnant

It Sucks!!!! Actually, it sucks bigtime!

I have been home sick from work for 3 days with a cold/virus, and I can't take anything. If I was allowed to take something, I am sure that I would be sleeping better at night and not missing 3 days of work. I am still in the first trimester, so it really isn't good to take any medicine. That is the hard part. I pretty much have to let the illness run its course. I called my OB, and she said I could take some Tylenol, but I am still not thrilled about that. I have only taken 3 of those pills in the past 3 days when my temp was over 100 and not going down. I have been awake at night for 3 nights straight now too. Typically, I would take some kind of decongestent at night like, Nyquil. That is a big no no when you are pregnant. So, I am suffering. I haven't called my Mom yet to tell her I am sick, because she will ask "What are you taking for it?" "Nothing, Mom". "Why aren't you taking anything?" See the bad road that conversation can go down?


This illness has made me a little worried about the health of the baby too. When Keith and I conceived, I got a yeast infection. (TMI? Well, what do you expect from a pregnancy blog? If you can't handle it, then you probably shouldn't be reading it). Now, 2 weeks later, I have a virus (that may actually be turning into a sinus infection). Can you see my concern? I am just about 5 weeks pregnant and am having these health issues. The first 12 weeks are crucial in the baby development. So, I am praying that everything will be ok. I am sure it will be fine and I am just paranoid. I still check for miscarriage every time I go to the bathroom. It is a first trimester habit. Don't call me gross or anything like that as I know you did the same exact thing in your first trimester.

Well, considering I was up all night, it is time for a nap and then some Jewish Penicillin. That type of medicine I can take.

To Be 4 Weeks Pregnant

It feels no different than if I was not pregnant at all.

I took another digital test this morning. Yep, still pregnant. It is still really early as I just found out on Wednesday. (3 days ago). I have my first exam on March 11th which will put me at 7 weeks. First exams are usually set between 7 - 10 weeks, because the doctors want to make sure that the pregnancy sticks. Many miscarriages occur within the first few weeks, so they don't want appointments scheduled unneccessarily. I am praying that I do not have to cancel my appointment. Pray for me too, ok? Although, at this point no one but my husband even knows I am pregnant, so I guess I don't have a whole lot of people out there that can pray for me. Oh well!

I remember freaking out on the phone with the person trying to schedule my first prenatal appointment with baby #1. "What do you mean you don't schedule appointments until then? This is my first child and I don't want to wait until the end of the first trimester. The first trimester is the most important and I have so many questions". Can you imagine me, the crazy newly pregnant lady, on the phone with this poor appointment setter? She finally let me come to the office and pick up all the literature that they usually give out at that first appointment. Phew, much better. I remember that day. It was also a Wednesday, and I dragged Keith to Target to buy Prenatal vitamins and every pregnancy book ever written. I still have those books, so I am good to go. However, there is one more I need to buy this time around, "Your Pregnancy at 35". Ugh!

To Find Out You Are Pregnant With #2

It was the greatest feeling!!!!

That is how I felt. I was smiling all day long at work yesterday and trying not to make it obvious that something was going on with me. After all, I still have to keep this secret for another 2 months from most people. Ugh, I don't know how I am going to do that.

Keith felt a little differently than I did initally. It was a different feeling than when #1 was on the way. There is definitely a difference between your first baby and second baby, but each one is special in their own way. As I mentioned yesterday, Keith was just a little apprehensive with finances and managing everything. However, it very quickly became a different story. He has already started rattling off some baby names. (No, we are not naming our child Bart). He talked about the 2 kids rooms and he talked about how we are going to get everything organized before the baby comes to make things easier. This time around, we don't have as many stressors, so it should make things a little easier. (Last time, we were renting out our condo, buying a new place, packing the condo, moving into the new townhouse, etc...)



I called Keith today at work, because I had to "tell him something". Basically, it was that I did a faux pas on our condo list serve. Keith thought I was calling because I might have messed up on the test and I wasn't pregnant. (He saw the test said "positive". I don't think I could have messed that up). Anyway, he was upset to think that I wasn't pregnant. How sweet! I guess he came around very quickly and the little things don't really matter. You make it work.

To Conceive The Second Time Around

It was a little different the second time.

Keith and I talked about having baby #2. We kept going back and forth for a little while as one baby is hard enough to manage that having a second baby was going to be that much harder. However, we do know the benefits of 2 children and didn't really want Joshua to go through "only child" syndrome. So, we decided that we were going to try for #2.

2 years apart seemed like a good age difference. Plus, I was about to turn 35, so we didn't want to wait too long. The next step was to figure out my body and if I was ready for #2. I was back to my prepregnancy weight, so that was good. It was just a matter of getting my "internal" body in order. I nursed Joshua for about 14 months, and didn't even get anything remotely to a period until October. (That was 13 months postpardon). Yes, I was so so lucky. To go just about 2 years without a period was awesome. However, it is not so awesome if you want to get pregnant again. Of course, they say you can get pregnant without a period and while nursing, but it is much more difficult and less likely.

During the December/January cycle, I decided to start charting my temperature in the morning to see if I was ovulating yet and what my cycle looked like. Prior to this cycle, I only had one other cycle, so I had no clue if I was back to normal or how long it would take to get there. During this cycle, things seemed to be going ok. My temp rose around day 17 day and stayed up... But, then on the 27th day, I got my monthly visitor. So, 9 days with a higher morning temperature is not enough to sustain a pregnancy. Oh well, I guess my body needs a little more time.

Apparently, it didn't need much more time, as I got pregnant during the January/February cycle. This was the first month where we "tried". Of course, we didn't expect it to happen the first time around. However, it happened the first time with Joshua. So, this shouldn't have come as the biggest surprise. I guess you can call me "fertile mertile".

It probably was a good thing that we got pregnant the first month. I am really an impatient person. The two weeks or so between when you ovulate and when you find out that you are or are not pregnant is torture. I bought an Answer Pregnancy Test on Sunday 2/8 when I went to the grocery store to pick up a few forgotten things with Keith. When we are paying for the test, Keith says outloud, "do you think you are pregnant?" It was so embarrasing. No, I didn't think I was pregnant and it was a little too early to test, but I wanted to have the test around so that I would be prepared and not have to run out to the store when I was ready to take the test.

That night, I had a dream that I took the pregnancy test and got 2 lines (pregnant). So, the next morning, I decided to take the test. I knew it was a little early, day 25, but the tests say that they can detect 4-5 days before your missed period. So, I decided to give it a shot. I only got 1 line (not pregnant). Oh well, I didn't think I was or wasn't pregnant. I just tested too soon and wasted a test. (Actually, I didn't think I was going to be pregnant this cycle). The next night, I had some symptoms that I get a day or 2 before my monthly visitor comes. So, in my head I am thinking, "This sucks. I am going to get my period". However, I decided I was going to take a test the next morning as it was Joshua's 17 month birthday, and I thought it would be cool to find out I was pregnant on that day. (Also, I went to Chef Geoffs for lunch on Tuesday. I went to Cheff Geoffs the day before I found out I was pregnant with Joshua, and it was also a Tuesday. I took the pregnancy test and got a positive result with Joshua on a Wednesday too. Ironic? Hmmm... Probably not. Most people probably think I am acting silly about that).

On Wednesday morning, day 27, I took the second Answer Pregnancy Test. I waited the torturous 3 minutes and looked at the test. "Is that a second line or isn't it?" I waited another 3 or so minutes and then looked at the test again. "Is that a second line or isn't it? Nah." I thought. Yet, I wasn't really sure, so I took Answer's customer service number with me and decided I would call them when I got off the train in DC. Assuming I wasn't pregnant, I even took my stash of tampons with me to work in case they were going to be needed later today.

I got off the train, and assuming I wasn't pregnant, I went into Firehook and ordered my medium coffee (with caffeine). The only problem was that for the first time that I have ever ordered coffee there, they were in the middle of brewing a fresh pot and didn't have any regular coffee. I waited for a few minutes and then they said, "we have decaf ready". Was this a sign? I took the decaf and walked out of the coffee shop.

After I left the coffee shop, I called Answer customer service and explained my dilemma. Of course, without the guy on the phone looking at the stick, he couldn't tell me for sure. "How faint does the line really have to be in order to really appear?" He said any line is an indicator and suggested that I wait 48 hours and test again as the hCG levels multiply over the first few days and that is what triggers the positive response. Of course, I don't really have the patience to wait 2 days. So, I walk down the street to CVS which is the opposite direction from my office and pick up a digital test. Hey, with a digital test, any dummy can read it saying "pregnant" or "not pregnant". I didn't need to interpret whether there was a plus sign or second line. I walked another 2 blocks away from my office to the JW Marriott and went into the women's bathroom. I peed on the stick and waited another 3 torturous minutes in the stall for the hour glass to turn to either pregnant or not pregnant. (Of course, it could show "not pregnant" and that might still mean that it was a little too early to test. I decided that if it didn't show "pregnant" that I was going to wait until Saturday to test again. Not that I am superstititous, but I really didn't have a desire to find out the fate of my pregnancy on Friday the 13th). After 3 minutes, the test showed up "pregnant". I looked at it for several seconds in utter shock and walked out of the stall. I looked in the mirror in the bathroom, smiled, and left the hotel and walked to my office.

I arrived at my office much later than expected. My little escapade took much longer than anticipated. I was hot from the walk to the office. (Hot flashes already or was it just that I was wearing my wool coat as I didn't realize today was going to be 70 in February?) I sat down at my desk with a smile on my face telling the world, "I have a secret!"

I decided how I was going to deliver the news to Keith. Of course, it was really hard to keep it from him during the work day. I emailed him 3 little things, but he didn't pick up on it at all. I told him that I didn't want sushi for Valentine's Day dinner. I told him that I didn't want to eat turkey sandwiches anymore, and I told him that I wanted my steak well done. OK, so maybe most people wouldn't pick up on those, but even so... My plan was to make a sign in nice marker that said "I am going to be a big brother in October" and pin it on Joshua for Keith to see. That plan didn't exactly work as when I got home, Keith was outside on our front stoop with Joshua. Plan B, still can do the note, but it needs to be more of the notebook paper and pen version.

I went upstairs and changed out of my work clothes and penned the note. "I am going to be a big brother in October. I am so excited". I came downstairs and sat at the dinner table and we began to eat. I gave Joshua the note and said, "give this to Dada". Of course, Joshua wasn't really interested in following those directions, but he did take the note, and I told Keith that Joshua has a note for you. Keith looked at me strangely, took the note and opened it. He was shocked. He thought I wasn't pregnant as he saw me take my "tampon bag" out of my cabinet this morning and he said to me, "I guess you aren't pregnant". He didn't know about the earlier dilemma with the Answer Test.

I am still in utter shock, but I am thrilled. Keith is in shock too, but he is also a little apprehensive right now. The feeling I felt when I found out I was pregnant with Joshua is how I feel right now. Although, I am a little nervous too. I know that Keith is a little apprehensive too because he is worried about finances and just managing with 2 little ones. I tried to assure him that everything is going to be great, and I know he is going to fully come around very quickly. Tonight, I went downstairs and dragged out my "What to Expect When You are Expecting" book and "Your Pregnancy Week by Week" from the downstairs bookcase. Pregnancy with Joshua didn't seem like it was that long ago, but it was 2 years ago and it does seem like it has been awhile. There are many things that are going to be so new to me. First order of business, set up an appointment with a new OBGYN.