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!"