I can finally breathe!

7/25/08

I am finally able to breathe a sigh of relief, the ultrasound went great!!! WHOOHOOO!!! The ultrasound tech, and Dr. Jamie both said our baby was a picture perfect model. Remember went went to the maternal fetal medicine specialist because of Owen's one nonfunctioning kidney. Here is a side profile shot of our beautiful baby. I can't wait to meet him or her.

We got to see all four chambers of the heart, a closed spine, completely formed arms and legs, all 10 fingers and toes, a closed palate, a closed lip, a normal brain, TWO GREAT KIDNEYS, a normal bladder, great amniotic fluid levels, and a perfect umbilical cord. The answer to your next questions, no, we did NOT find out the sex of the baby. We looked away from the screen when the doctor was in that area with the wand, but she did tell us that everything in that area looked fine as well. With Owen, the ultrasound techs would always ask me if I drank a lot of caffeine because he was sooooo active. Same story with this baby. The tech had a hard time getting a good look at the spine until the very end because the baby was all over the place. At this office, the tech takes a lot of pictures, and then the doctor comes in does another ultrasound to take a look for herself. Dr Jamie was very nice, and she recommended getting ultrasounds every 6 weeks just to keep a close eye on those kidneys. With Owen, they noticed some renal pelvis dilation of both kidneys from about 18 weeks, until it resolved around 30 weeks. At that point they stopped checking him with ultrasounds, and we didn't discover he had a problem again until the ultrasound at 40 weeks. I am fine with having the ultrasounds done, I like looking at the baby and knowing that everything is fine in there. : ) Dr. Jamie also confirmed that my placenta is on part of the front wall on the left hand side, and that is the reason I have not been able to feel movement as much as a did with Owen.

The baby weighs 11 ounces, and the measurements of its head, femur (long leg bone), abdomen, and the humerus (long arm bone) were all in the 40th-50th percentile. Based upon this ultrasound, I should be due on December 14th. So when I go to Beth Bary, the midwife, I am going to try to get her to change my due date back to December 16th, from the 10th, so I will have more time in the end if I ended up being overdue. The heartbeat was good and strong and beating 154 times per minute. What a great sound to hear! This ultrasound has just made my day, no, I mean week. I am so glad to hear great news before we go on vacation. Before we left, George said, "see I don't you so. I knew everything was going to be fine. You were worrying over nothing." I think working in the pediatric ICU for so many years makes me think about all the possible defects way more than most people. WHAT A RELIEF!!

The picture on the top is a hand, and the one of the bottom is a foot, just in case you couldn't tell.

Week 20 Update

7/22/08

The baby should now weigh about 10.5 ounces, but we should find out for sure in just 2 days. YAY!! Since the baby has been so curled up, all length measurements up to this point were from crown to rump, but now will go from head to heel. The baby should be about 6.5 inches long, or about the size of a banana. His digestive tract is starting to practice working by swallowing amniotic fluid. He is also starting to make meconium, the black, sticky, newborn poop. George just loves cleaning all the goop off of baby butts. I am pretty sure he uses a whole tub of wipes with one diaper change! : ) I can't believe the ultrasound is almost here!!

I am already half way through this pregnancy, if I only go 40 weeks. You just never know, I may go 42 weeks. I have gained a total of 8 pounds, and am feeling pretty good about that number. I guess all that healthy eating must be paying off. I must really look pregnant now, because people are starting to ask when I am due. Most people don't dare want to ask that question "are you pregnant?" without being pretty sure of the answer. One of these times I should say, "no," just to see what they say! Wouldn't that be funny? This week I have been eating tons of blueberries. Owen is enjoying them as well. I just bought a big container 2 days ago, and it is already gone. I sent George out for an even bigger container this evening. We leave for our Phoenix vacation on Saturday, and I plan on packing some blueberries in my carry on bag, if that is allowed. I am going to have to check the airline website since the rules have become so stringent.

If you didn't already notice, you can vote on what sex you think the baby is, on the top left of the web page. This pregnancy has been so completely different than the first, sometimes I think it has to be a girl. Other times I think I want a girl so bad, that it will end up being a boy. I was feeling like the baby was a boy the day I voted, but I change my mind almost daily. This pregnancy I had horrible morning sickness (all day), and with Owen I really only felt nauseous maybe one time a week or so. With Owen I had acne at the beginning of the pregnancy only, and this time I have had it the entire time. George told me, "welcome to my life!" He is always saying, "I thought acne was supposed to stop once you got out of your teenage years!" He really over exaggerates about the issue. With Owen, from about 14 weeks until the very end, I had horrible heartburn everyday, almost all day. This time around, I have only had a couple spells of heartburn, and it was when I waited too long to eat, and then stuffed my face. I was fatigued last pregnancy, but this time it was 10 times worse. I am sure having a one year old running around, and still breastfeeding him played a little role in being tired all the time. Thankfully that is now better. This may all be nothing, and I am having another boy. I guess we only have about 20 more weeks until we find out. George is convinced I am having a girl. He refers to the baby as Adyline all the time. He never says "he". We really have to start thinking about another boy name. We both love Jack, but it is WAY to popular right now. George likes Grant, but I am not so sure. I like the name Miles, but Miles Shultz does not sound well. To many S's. I am going to take the baby name book with me on our trip, and maybe we will come up with something.

This was my first month as manager with lia sophia, and it is GREAT! It is really going to give me the opportunity to quit my nursing job and stay at home with these two babies. The fiscal month is just about over, and I am going to end up with $10,000 in personal sales!! WOW!! This will be my highest month of sales, and what perfect timing that I am now making 40% commission instead of 30%. I am so blessed to have found this wonderful life changing opportunity. It also makes me feel good that I have been able to share this outstanding company with many other women. I hope that it becomes as much of a blessing in their lives as it has in mine. I think I will continue to work until October or November, and then put in my notice. I will be the third RN to leave the small until all thanks to lia sophia. Our manager no longer purchases lia sophia jewelry, and I think I know why. : 0

I will be posting new belly pics and news from the ultrasound on Friday. WHOOHOO!

19 weeks already??

7/16/08

Am I really 19 weeks already?!?! I can't believe this is flying by so fast! The baby's senses are starting to develop. Her brain is starting to develop specialized areas for taste, touch, smell, hearing, and vision. She may be able to start hearing our voices. I guess she will start getting used to hearing Owen crying, and the dogs barking. She is about 8.5 ounces and 6 inches long (head to bottom), about the size of a heirloom tomato. A waxy coating called vernix is now covering her body to protect her from the amniotic fluid.

I am starting to have some round ligament pains if I make a fast movement. This most often occurs when I am lying in bed, and roll over to change positions. These round ligaments are stretching to accommodate my expanding uterus. I have been using my big body pillow for about the past month. I am pretty sure George hates having that big thing between us. : )

I have been feeling great for another week. I just feel like I am eating ALL the time. I eat breakfast around 7:00am, lunch around 10:30am, another lunch around 2:00pm, dinner around 5:30pm, and a snack around 8:30pm. I am afraid if I keep this up I am going to be 200lbs!!

I went for a consultation with a new midwife, Beth Bary. A few things had happened with the other midwife, Jessie Anderson, that I was not particularly happy with. I felt like things were not open for discussion, but instead were very one sided. I also felt like she was putting my health as well as the baby's health at risk making me get a Pregnancy Category C, TB skin test, that was not totally necessary. When I went for the consult with Beth, she said if I didn't want to get it, no problem she would write me a note. I didn't want to be in labor with Jessie, and not be able to have a discussion with her about my concerns. I feel better about my care now that I have switched to Beth. More to come about this switch in a later post. For now, I am off to eat dinner. : )

18 weeks

7/9/08

18 weeks

The baby is now about 5.5 inches long (length of bell pepper) and weighs almost 7 ounces. He is busy flexing and extending his arms and legs, and I have started noticing the movement more and more everyday. If this baby is a girl, her little uterus and fallopian tubes are now formed. If I am having a boy, all his parts would be noticeable now on ultrasound. During ultrasounds, Owen was not shy about showing everyone he was a boy! : ) He would have his legs spread apart, with his feet up by his head. Seems real comfortable, huh? The big ultrasound for this baby is coming up, and I am so ready for that day to be here. I just want to know that everything is okay in there.

My appetite has really picked up, and I find myself eating all the time. I try to make healthy choices so I don't end up gaining a ton of weight. So far, I have gained a total of 6.5 pounds. I am hoping to gain 25-27lbs like I did with Owen. That weight seemed to come off really quick, especially with breastfeeding, which I plan on doing again.

I have had a couple issues come up with my midwife that I was not particularly happy about. I am considering changing practices once again. I have a consultation with another midwife in the southern Indiana area this Thursday. Hopefully it will go well. I just want to find someone that I mesh well with, and is respectful of my wishes. I am still hoping for a totally different delivery this time around. George and I have decided to try the Bradley Method again. We are not going to take the entire course, since we really just took it last year. We are going to take about half of the course to refresh our memories. The trouble is going to be trying to find someone to watch Owen once a week.

This past week George has been on vacation, and he has let me sleep in everyday. He gets up with Owen, and allows me to get some much needed rest. A couple days he even cooked breakfast for me once I got up. I am so lucky to have such a wonderful, loving husband.

Here are some recent pictures of my growing belly. I finally had to bring out the maternity pants. The rubber band around the button just wasn't working anymore. : )

17 weeks

7/2/08

As of today, I am 17 weeks. I am going to start alternating which sex I use each week when I am refering to the baby, instead of saying "it". I just don't like calling my baby, "it". So this week the baby is going to be a girl. : )

Here is a little bit about the development of the baby this week. Her skeleton is changing from soft cartilage to soft bone, and the umbilical cord is growing thicker and stronger. She is now about 5 ounces, and about 5 inches long. She is the size of a turnip. All of her joints are now able to freely move, and the sweat glands are starting to develop. Owen obviously takes after his Daddy on this one, he sweats a lot. When he is outside playing, he will have little sweat beads on his nose, and I will not even be close to breaking a sweat. I hope this baby gets my genes in the sweat department. : )

I went back to the midwife for my 4 week check up, and got a real scare. She put the doppler on my abdomen to find the baby's heartbeat, and she kept searching, and searching, and searching, and nothing. At one point she thought she might have heard it, but I said, "no, I am pretty sure that is my heartbeat, because mine is now racing." She felt my pulse, and sure enough, the heartbeat she heard was mine. I was really starting to panic. After looking for the heartbeat for a couple of minutes, she went to go get the ultrasound machine. George looked at me, and told me that everything was going to be alright. Of course, I was still really worried. Finally she got the machine hooked up, and the ultrasound wand on my belly. I could see the baby's arms moving around instantly. The arms were up above the head waving all around. The heartbeat was then visable. We could see the heart beating quick and strong. The midwife said that everything looked great. While doing the ultrasound, she also found the reason she was having a hard time picking up the heartbeat. The placenta for the baby has formed on the front wall of my uterus. So it is covering the part of my uterus closest to my bellybutton. The baby was laying right behind the placenta making the heartbeat difficult to pick up. I guess we ended up getting to see the baby's face out of the deal. : ) I hope she will be able to pick it up right away at my next appointment so we don't have to go through all that again. We had to schedule my next appointment for 5 weeks instead of 4 since George, Owen, and I will be in Phoenix. WHOOHOOO! Our big anatomy ultrasound is on July 25th, and I am counting down the days. I just want to know that all those tiny little organs have formed the correct way, and everything is fine. We have the ultrasound on Friday, and then leave for Phoenix bright and early Saturday morning. I can't wait!!! Can you see the side profile of the baby's face in the ultrasound picture? George said it really looks like a girl. I am not so sure. We only have about 159 days until we find out on the "birth"day!!

16 weeks 1 day

6/26/08

Wow, I can't believe how fast this pregnancy is flying by! In just a few more weeks I will already be half way. Since I love being pregnant, I don't want it to go by too fast! I am now feeling the baby move every day, and it is so exciting. George put his hand on my belly yesterday, closed his eyes, and tried to concentrate on feeling the baby move. He still didn't feel movement, but I am sure he will any day now. I had a real moment of weakness 2 nights ago. George was out working extra, and I called him at 10:00pm, and said, "I really need a Banana Cream Pie Blizzard!" How rediculous is that to eat a Blizzard at 10:00 at night?!?! After I said it out loud, I realized how silly it was, and told George to forget about getting me one. I am sure this baby really does not need a Banana Cream Pie Blizzard, even though they are pretty dang good. I feel like over the past two weeks, my little pooch has really grown into a pregnant looking belly. I hope I am no longer looking like I have just picked up some weight.

CAUTION!!! CAUTION!!!! CAUTION!!! CAUTION!!! CAUTION!!! CAUTION!!! CAUTION!!! CAUTION!!!

THE FOLLOWING IMAGES MAY BE DISTURBING TO SOME VIEWERS. VIEWER DISCRETION IS ADVISED! VIEWERS UNDER 18 MAY NEED TO STOP SCROLLING!

Pictures were taken at 15 weeks and 5 days. I plan on posting weekly pictures of my growing belly.

Now for some information about the baby. He/she is now about the size of an avocado, about 4.5 inches long, and weighing 3.5 ounces. It is about to have a huge growth spurt, doubling its weight, and adding inches over the next two weeks. The toenails have started to develop as well as the hair pattern. I hope this baby doesn't have a double crown, and be destined to cowlicks like George. Thankfully, Owen did not get this trait.

Owen is really making the transition from baby to little boy. I miss my little baby, but I also love the boy he is becoming. He now knows when he is doing something wrong, and when George or I say, "Owen," he takes off laughing and running. He usually will run into the kitchen or laundry room. He loves being chased around the house, and thinks it is so funny. Every time he hears music he starts dancing, by bending his knees and bouncing up and down. He is now waving at strangers, and will continue to wave until the wave back. It is so cute. Sometimes he is will wave with both hands, just in case they didn't notice him waving with one hand. : )

15 weeks

6/18/08

I know I have been very bad and not posted anything lately, but it was kind of the same story, different day. I was really, really exhausted and still very nauseous. I am happy to say those days are now over!!!! Now, I have moved on to the great stage of heartburn. Before, I was constantly eating to avoid being nauseous, now I am constantly eating to avoid being too full or too empty and thus creating horrible heartburn. I have not gained any weight so I must be eating the appropriate things. I have pulled out my Bradley Method eating journal to make sure I am eating everything I should, and I am following it pretty well. I am over the salad kick, but am still eating lots of citrus fruit.

George, Owen, and I went to my midwife appointment on June 4th, and everything went well. I love getting to hear the heartbeat, but I always dread the event of finding the heartbeat with the doppler. I get so nervous, and literally start sweating if they don't find it right away. Like magic, she put the doppler on my abdomen, and immediately we were able to hear the swoosh, swoosh, swoosh of the tiny heart. It truly is the best sound to hear, except for maybe that crying scream the baby makes right after delivery. I go back for another appointment on July 2nd.

We have been given 3 different due dates since finding out I was pregnant. We were told December 10, December 12, and December 16. The midwife said, "this is crazy, we need to come up with one due date, and stick with it." I am not one of those pregnant mothers that is glued onto their due date, so I really didn't care. As I learned from my experience with Owen, babies truly come when THEY decide it is time. I think some of our family also realized this during their long stay in the Baptist Hospital Labor and Delivery waiting room. Wasn't that fun?!?! Well, the midwife decided based upon the ultrasound measurements that we were going to go with Decemeber 10th. I had been telling everyone Decemeber 16th, so that moved me up almost a whole week. I hope this whole moving the date thing doesn't come back to bite me in the butt later when I am overdue and they want to induce. I will say, "let's go back to the due date of December 16th, that I way I will have a little more time." I really don't want to be induced this time, and will do everything I can to make sure it doesn't happen. I have adjusted the baby picture at the top of the page to correlate with my "new" due date.

The baby now measures about 4 inches long from crown to rump, and weighs about 2.5 ounces. To put that in perspective, it is about the size of an apple. The baby is busy moving amniotic fluid through its nose and upper respiratory tract. This will help the primitive air sacs in the lungs begin to develop. It can also move all of its joints and limbs. Although the eyelids are still fused shut, the baby can now sense light. If I shine a flashlight at my abdomen, for instance, the baby is likely to move away from the beam. At this point we would also be able to tell if we are having a boy or a girl, but remember it is a surprise!!! Yes, a ture surprise, even for George and I.

The most exciting event happened on Monday (14w5d)...................I felt the baby move for the first time!! This is such an exciting time during pregnancy. Their is nothing I can say to describe the feeling of having another life moving around inside of me. It is really amazing. About this time with Owen, is when I started to become less worried about the pregnancy. I am pretty sure I started feeling movement with Owen right around 16 weeks. They always say the second time around you feel it sooner because you know what to expect, and not just pass it off as gas. The doctors say that I feel it sooner than some because I am thin. I am not feeling movement all the time, and George is unable to feel the baby at this point, but it won't be long.

I am trying to cherish each and every day since I don't know if this will be the last time I am able to experience being pregnant. I have always said I would like to have 3 children, but George has been set on 2. As Owen grows, and becomes more and more interactive and playful, maybe George will change him mind. George says all the time that Owen is becoming more fun. They now chase one another around the house. They are so cute playing together.

On another note, I finally weaned Owen from breastfeeding. The last time I fed him was June 9th. I was going to be leaving out of town for the lia sophia conference on June 11th, and I really didn't want to have to pump while I was gone. George and I thought it was going to be the best time to completely wean since I was going to be away for 4 days, and maybe that would help Owen with the transition. I think in the end, Owen did better than I did. I was really sad about that part of his life being over. He really is not a baby anymore. I feel blessed that I was able to provide him with the best nutrition possible for 1 year and 2 weeks. I am going to miss that one on one bonding time I got to have with him. I can't believe the year flew by so fast. I guess I only have 6 more months, and I will be starting the journey all over again with baby #2. Selfishly, I do enjoy the freedom of not having to be around every time he needs to eat. I would say, it is nice to have my body back, but somebody else already moved in and took over. : )