The birth story

So before I go into the whole sordid story I'll just preface this with the fact that this story is not for the feint of heart :)....

On Wednesday morning Oct 6th at about 5 am I started going into labor. I began having contractions and more and more of my mucus plug began to come out. My water didn't break though even though I was having strong contractions. From the start, my contractions were pretty painful and my lower back was already burning. I had been fearful of back labor because I'm pretty sensitive to back pain and unfortunately that's the card that was dealt to me. I tried to lay in bed and rest as per the midwife's instructions, but already the contractions were way too intense to sleep through. Ryan actually went into work for an hour or so to get some stuff done and by the time he got back I needed him to massage my back through my contractions because it hurt so badly. He was such a champion, and when I would pace through the house to ride out the contractions he would literally follow me around rubbing my back. At 1 pm my water broke and the contractions started coming fast and strong. We called the midwife to update her and she ended up coming to the house around 3:45 pm.

Ryan and I were so excited that midwife decided it was time for her to come to the house. We felt like we were making good progress and we'd have our baby soon! When she got to the house she checked my cervix and told me that I was between 7-8 cm dilated already. We were SO excited to hear that. THEN she gets a funny look on her face and goes "huh, that's interesting." Never a good sign. She told us that when she was checking my cervix she felt a butt not a head...the baby was breech. The midwife assured us that we weren't in any more danger having the baby at home and that she was comfortable delivering him in this position so we decided to continue with our natural home birth.

From there things began to slow down for some reason. I had started pushing almost immediately upon the midwife's arrival because I was feeling the urge with my contractions and she told me that I should listen to my body and if I felt the urge, go ahead and push. This was definitely not a typical birth where you wait until you're 10 cm and then you push right at the end to get the baby out. I was "pushing" most of the time I was in labor since that was what felt right for me. As the hours wore on I tried changing positions, took lots of hot showers and tried to talk to Cooper and encourage him to make his appearance in the world!

The hours wore on and on and my contractions actually started slowing down. There was a fine balance between being up and moving around to encourage my cervix to open those final few cm and exhausting my body so that it started shutting down. The midwives and Ryan had all been encouraging me to eat and drink but I had zero appetite and was slightly nauseous. Then the midwife suggested some subcutaneous oxytocin. I'm not sure what time that started but she filled a multi-dose syringe with 10 doses and over the course of the next few hours I got the full syringe. It was truly incredible how fast the medication hit me. Some of my contractions lasted over 2 minutes after a dose of oxytocin. Still, however the last tiny bit of my cervix refused to soften and fold back and so through all of my pushing he was barely moving down.

Around 2 or 3 in the morning, everyone was exhausted and sleeping all over the house. The midwives were suprisingly hands off during my labor and left Ryan and I alone most of the time. They would come with a hand-held doppler machine and listen to the baby's heartbeat about every 15 minutes but even when I was on the bed pushing with my legs open they'd come and check and leave us to it since nothing imminent was happening.

Finally around 8 am (I think), after everyone had some coffee and perked up, Ryan and the midwife could see the baby's bottom as I was pushing. I ended up pushing over the toilet for a good amount of time using gravity to help the baby come down. FINALLY after pushing since 4 pm the day before, Cooper's bottom was coming out and even staying out while I wasn't pushing, he was finally almost here! The midwife moved me to the bed and everyone started getting all the essentials ready for his arrival. Receiving blankets were warmed, washcloths were soaked with warm water, we were ready to go!

Since he was breech he came out tushy first folded in half. The midwife maneuvered his legs out and then just his arms and head were still inside. His arms were above his head (like in a diving position) so that took a bit more maneuvering and then they were ready to get his head out. At this point things became a little more difficult because I stopped feeling any pressure to push against. They were telling me to push and push and push because his head was not coming out but I just couldn't. The midwife assistant jumped on the bed and pushed down hard on my pelvis while the midwife wiggled his head free and he was finally out! His body had been out with his head still inside for about 4 minutes and so when he came out, while he wasn't blue, he wasn't breathing or crying. He was hooked up to oxygen for about 2 minutes and vigorously stimulated with warm receiving blankets, and after what felt like an eternity, he started making noises and let out a little cry. Our baby was here, alive and healthy!

Since I was already on my bed all we had to do was drag me back to the pillows and I got to rest in my own bed for about 2 straight days. That was so fantastic. I loved being in my own bed and not at the hospital :). At the end of the day I am glad that we did the home birth even though labor was 28.5 hours long. I would have certainly gotten a C-section at the hospital and, not to say that that is bad, but I have a wonderfully healthy baby who was born naturally at home so who's to say one way is better than the other.

Now we are just working on bonding, nursing, and loving each other :)

Update (39 weeks 3 days)

Quick update!

So the first sign of something possibly starting has finally happened! Yay! My mucus plug came out Saturday afternoon! Saturday also happened to be the second anniversary of the death of my grandfather for whom Cooper is a namesake (his name was Max). I said all along that if I don't have the baby on the 2nd then something will definitely happen and it did! It gave me chills :)

As exciting as it is for something to happen, I know it doesn't always mean much and you can go days if not weeks before labor starts. But I have been bouncing on my exercise ball (supposed to help you dilate) and going for lots of walks with the dogs. I'm still hoping to go early, I'll take even a few days! I'm having lots of Braxton-Hicks contractions, pretty much all day long but nothing real so far and obviously my water hasn't broken.

Our next appt with the midwife is on the 12th should I go that long so I'll finally get an internal exam and see if I'm dilated, which I'm sure I am. And again, doesn't mean much. Just have to wait until the real thing comes along. We're taking any and all good labor thoughts and vibes that we can get at this point so send them all this way!!

Getting Ready! (37 weeks 2 days)

So I can't believe it but I am now full term! This baby can literally come at any second! I know realistically I still have a few weeks to go but I can't help but try anything I can do to help him along :) I go for lots of walks (good for me, the baby, and the dogs!), and try to stay good and hydrated. I am going to start investigating some spicy food, although we all know I can't tolerate anything too too spicy, and maybe some pressure points I read about online. I figure since I'm done working and just hanging out at home why not!

The baby's room is FINALLY ready. I still have some decorating I want to do, but in terms of items of necessity we have it all (except the glider which I hope to get this week)! The crib has a mattress and sheets, we have the changing table all set and ready to go (the only thing I realized we're missing is wipes!), and the dresser is all set up and has some clothes in it! I can't believe we're just weeks away from meeting our little guy. It seems so close yet so far. It actually still feels very surreal and I'm pretty sure it will until labor really sets in and there's no turning back...not that there's any turning back now.

We made it to and back from Michigan just fine this past weekend. I'm so glad that we decided to make the trip for our friends' wedding. It was such a wonderful weekend and we had a fantastic time. It was also great to see friends that we haven't seen in a long time and with the impending arrival don't know when we'll get a chance to see them again. I also think that staying active and dancing up a storm at the wedding really helped the baby to move down. All of a sudden I'm definitely going to the bathroom more, and when we got back one of the pharmacists at work said I looked a bit lower than before I left. So hopefully things are progressing and Cooper will be here sooner than later! Can't wait...stay tuned for updates :)



At the wedding in Michigan!



Crib and outfit all ready for Cooper when he gets here!



99% of the furniture is here! Still waiting for the glider though...



Me in the baby's room.

Too big for my britches (33 weeks 2 days)

Literally...lately I have noticed that with my increasing bump my clothing options that I bought in the early stages of my pregnancy are dwindling. I was very resistant to buying new clothes so close to the end of the pregnancy. I mean I guess it's logical, as a pregnant lady you're only going to get bigger and bigger but for some reason I really really didn't want to buy more clothes. I guess it's the old, I'm a girl and I don't want to have to buy more clothes because I'm getting fatter way of thinking. Luckily my sister was here this weekend and we shopped together and I was able to get over myself and we had some good retail therapy at the Gap :) I guess I have also been a little upset over the fact that at my last midwife visit I had gained a pretty significant amount of weight in a short time. Although most of it is water weight, I'm pretty freakin' swollen, and from what I hear around this time gaining so fast isn't unusual. The new midwife assured me that I'm on track and haven't gained too much. I like her so much already :) And at yoga today the teacher and other student in the class couldn't believe I was 33 weeks, and well that always feels good!

In other good news we have made some good progress on Cooper's room!! It's all painted and the chair rail is up temporarily (just to see how it fits it still needs to be painted and then cut properly in the corners). It's a good thing I married a handyman...even if he is a slow one :). I posted some pictures below of the room, one with the chair rail in place and one without. As excited as I am that his room is coming together, I noticed the other day that the furniture we decided on is no longer available online. Eeek! I will have to go to Babies r us next weekend and see what we can get on short notice. I know sometimes these things can take 6-12 weeks to order and well, we don't have 6-12 weeks! I guess worst case scenario we'll get a bassinet and Cooper will sleep in our room until we can get him a crib...poor child won't even have a crib to sleep in when he comes out! My parents are visiting next weekend and I'm hoping to get a lot of this nitty gritty stuff done while they are here helping.

I keep thinking I have all this time to get stuff done but really my due date is only 6.5 weeks away...that means only 3.5 weeks till full term...whaaaaat! Anyone remember when I was complaining about not showing and how slowly the pregnancy was moving along...yeah, definitely not complaining about that anymore! These next few weeks will be all about getting the house in order and getting myself ready for baby! I think/hope that I will go into labor a little earlier than my October 8th due date. I know every single pregnant lady hopes for that but I feel pretty strongly that I will, similar to how I felt I was having a boy and I was right about that so we'll see if I can go two for two :). I'm beyond excited to have this little boy, I used to be so nervous about the labor and delivery part of being pregnant and over the last couple of weeks the fear as really all but completely faded and I'm just plain excited. It still feels surreal that there will be an actual physical child to hold and cuddle and kiss when all is said and done. SO CRAZY!

Enjoy the pics below...for those of you who saw the original paint splotches months ago here's what we finally decided on!

...and it showered babies...(30 weeks 3 days)

Two Sundays ago I got to have my baby shower! Two friends from school very graciously put a whole bunch of my favorite stuff together (mainly friends, candy, and CAKE!) and we showered it up at my house and out in the yard. It was blazingly hot, and a storm affected some drives home but other than that I would call it a roaring success. We got lots of cute stuff and with any luck we'll have a finished room to put it in soon! Ryan's parents stayed a few days post-shower and got started on the room for us! It's all taped up, and the trim paint is done. Man this baby thing is starting to feel real! We actually have a car seat sitting in our living room...weird.

On the birthing front we have essentially decided to do a home birth. We finally heard from the new midwife again and have our first appointment for a few weeks from now. I'm very excited because I wasn't sure if we'd be able to do this so late in the game and of course once I decided this was what I wanted to do, we had a little trouble getting an appointment. In the meantime I had a regularly scheduled appointment at the midwife practice I've been going to and, while I wasn't going to bring it up, the midwife we happened to be seeing that day said something about homebirth and so we started talking about it. She had both her kids at home and was telling us how many of the other midwives and labor & delivery nurses that they work with all had their children at home. Ryan, who had been somewhat hesitant about the whole thing, just kind of looked at me, and was like, why are all the people who deliver babies as their profession in the hospital having their babies at home...? And it just kind of clicked. We're really excited to meet this midwife in a few weeks and finally get that long list of questions answered!

On a not so exciting note I have been having some pretty severe back pain that has made me pretty cranky (I apologize to anyone who has experienced the backlash of this…mostly Ryan). I was able to determine that it wasn't necessarily muscular pain, but didn't feel like nerve pain either since it wasn't tingly or burning. A friend of my mom's told me her niece went through the same thing and they figured out it was the spreading of all the ligaments around her back and pelvis that was causing the pain and she ended up doing some PT to get it better. I'm willing to do just about anything at this point. I've never experienced chronic pain and let me tell you it's pretty draining. I don't know how people live with it for years on end. I'm hoping to chew off the ear of a PT friend (I'm looking at you, Maria:) and maybe invest in some sports therapy massages or something…anything…to make it better. I don't want to be miserable for another two months. I'm also going to start slowing down at work. Up until now I've pretty much been working regular 40 hour weeks and with back pain and an hour commute each way on top of that I'm getting pretty exhausted. I need to get lots of rest and be in tip top shape not only for delivery but for when the baby's here since sleep will certainly be something of the past!

A good baby shower pic below…thanks again to everyone who planned, attended, and sent gifts!!

To birth at home or the hospital...that is the question (27 weeks 6 days)

My latest obsession has been about whether or not I want to think about giving birth at home. I can't decide if this is a totally crazy idea or possibly the sanest thing I'll have done in a very long time. Before I ever got pregnant I knew I wanted to use a midwife because I felt that I would be more likely to get the birthing experience that I wanted than with a tradition OB. So for the last six months I have been going to my midwives and I have to say it really doesn't feel any different from going to the doctor. I still go to the big office, have to wait half an hour, have nurses take my vitals and urine and then spend all of two minutes talking to the midwife of the day. Since it's a whole practice I see a different midwife every time and you never know which one will be on call the day you go into labor...why am I doing this again?

While I'm frustrated with my current situation, and am not seeing the benefits to having a midwife at the moment, I do believe that once I'm actually in labor there will be a difference in having the midwife there versus an OB (at least this is what I hear from other people). However, at the same time, I feel that just by the nature of having to go to the hospital and giving birth there I still won't exactly have the experience that I want. I want to be able to walk around during labor if that makes me feel better, shower, take a hot bath...whatever it may be, and those things most certainly won't be options at the hospital. I also don't like the idea of so many unfamiliar faces starting down my privates every hour and during delivery. People give birth at home with one midwife and maybe a doula all the time so why do hospitals insist on a bajillion nurses being there, and traipsing in and out? And you're in labor so long that with the change of shifts you've had 20 different strangers staring you down by the time it's all over.

So now I've been looking into private midwives in the area and am really considering home birth. While there is definitely a risk that goes along with it, I'm not so sure the risk is really any greater than being in the hospital (since we all know that comes with its own risks). I truly feel that being in a relaxed and comfortable environment will help resolve a lot of the little things that go wrong during a hospital birth. It also helps that we live approximately 5 minutes away from the hospital so if something really did go wrong we'd be there in a flash. I have a bajillion questions for this new midwife when she emails me back and I'm hoping to shed a lot of light on my current dilemma. Part of me can't envision feeling comfortable doing it at home and the other part of my can't envision feeling 100% comfortable in the hospital either. I'm hoping for some omens/signs in the near future to help me make a decision that I feel totally comfortable with!

Rounding third! (27 weeks)

Happy 6 months to me!! Yesterday I was officially 6 months along and today I am 27 weeks marking the end of my second trimester! I can't believe I'm in my third trimester already and at the same time I can't believe I still have three long months to go. I'm feeling bigger and bigger and it's definitely getting harder to move around. I have a feeling I'm going to be a ginormous whale knocking lamps off tables by the time this is all done!

I've been working for a couple of weeks now, and other than being very tired at the end of the day, everything is going pretty well. Luckily they are flexible with me and said whenever I feel it's too much I can just pull back. I'm really hoping to work till I pop though since the money is pretty nice :)

I have been a little overwhelmed lately since it seems that everything is starting to pile on. The baby's room hasn't been touched since I painted the color swatches on it, we don't have daycare set up yet, nor do we have a pediatrician lined up. When I think about it all it makes my stomach turn. I'm trying to tackle it little by little but working an hour away from home gets in the way of making phone calls during business hours. Maybe I can get Ryan to make appointments to meet with pediatricians...yeah right...

On the up side I have still been sleeping pretty well (when the dogs let us sleep through the night that is). I still only get up once a night to pee if at all so I'm hoping maybe it will stay that way although I highly doubt it! I have my oral glucose tolerance test coming up that has to be done some time this week so keep your fingers crossed that it turns out well! When I first found out I was pregnant I had a huge fear of gestational diabetes so I hope that I've been treating myself and my baby right and we'll get the all clear! I'm also really looking forward to my baby shower in a few weeks! I got to go to some really awesome showers for my friends and I'm excited for my own!

Enjoy the latest belly pic below, and a huge thanks to Leah for some awesome maternity clothes!

Goodbye little belly (25 weeks 1 day)

...and hello bigger belly! I'm definitely getting bigger by the day. I have to say it's quite an odd phenomenon to have your body change so rapidly. As soon as I get used to being one size I'm bigger before I know it. The good news is I'm not too big according to the midwife. I didn't gain any extra weight more than I should have in Croatia! I'm gaining about a pound a week which is exactly what they suggest. I'm still hoping, in my own vain little way, to not gain enough to surpass Ryan's weight :) I've posted a new belly pic below...I just got back from a walk on a hot Maryland evening so please excuse the red cheeks and very messy hair :) In the leggings and tight t-shirt it was a good belly outfit so I figured I'd better seize the opportunity.

I've started working pretty much full time now which is really exciting. Besides actually really liking what I do, having a second income is going to be soooo fantastic...and obviously pretty necessary with Cooper on the way! I'm finally in the real world, I realized that my first day of work was really my first day of work for the rest of my life, no more summer breaks or Christmas vacations...I guess at almost 27 it's about time to enter the work force! I held out for a pretty long time though :) I also consider myself lucky that I'm not pregnant and working long hours in a retail position. I'm able to sit as much as I want in the pharmacy and everyone there is SO nice! They love asking me about the baby and constantly make sure I have food or something to drink and somewhere to sit, they're so great.

So tomorrow Ryan and I are finally going to REGISTER!! I'm beyond excited! I wanted to do this months ago, hehe. I've made a list and I'm all prepared but I also know once I get into the store I'll get a little gun happy :). I also have two very good friends planning a baby shower for me and I'm super excited about that too. I'm lucky to have people local who love me enough to do that and I'm super excited to hang out on my deck with a bunch of good friends and eat and drink till we're stuffed! Should be lots of fun!

Enjoy the belly pic below and I'll probably post more after we come back from our mini-vacation to Michigan for July 4th. Have a happy holiday!

Back in the real world (23 weeks 5 days)

So unfortunately we are back from our wonderful vacation in Croatia. We spent eight full days seeing the sights of Dubrovnik, Split, Bled, and Zagreb with some small stops in between. Croatia is beyond beautiful and we had a wonderful time seeing the sights, meeting the people, and eating the food...particularly the food. Croatia has many Italian influences and so a lot of the food is pizza, pasta, and seafood...and GELATO! Yum! I definitely let myself indulge while on vacation, and with a midwife appointment looming this Friday I'm a bit scared to hop on the scale!

Otherwise, the trip was great, being pregnant really didn't slow me down at all. I was able to do all the walking and see all the sights. I really barely feel the extra weight. I was having some back problems before we left but that cleared itself up and I swear I don't feel pregnant until it gets in the way (bending over, reaching to grab something, etc.) We even did a little pampering and I managed to score a prenatal massage in a spa on Lake Bled in the Julian Alps! My only little set back was having to pee all the time! But seeing as the average age on the trip was pushing 60 I wasn't the only one having to go a lot!

Now that I'm back I have noticed that my hands and ankles are a tiny bit swollen and I'm hoping to stave it off by staying off my feet as much as possible and getting my diet back in order! I really don't want to have to take my rings off for months or have cankles :(

Cooper is definitely making himself known in my belly...he moves around A TON! Definitely after I eat and then in the evenings/night time of course when I want to go to bed. Sometimes he kicks so hard we can actually see it from the outside! I'm not big enough to pick out the different body parts yet, but you can see a distinct jiggle...it's CRAZY, definitely feeling a little alien invasionish. Part of me doesn't want to actually believe that I will have to push this child out of me...eek. I also have to be honest, whenever anyone asks if he is kicking I say yes and the first thing they say is "oh isn't it the best feeling in the world?" And my honest answer is...no! I don't really like the kicking, it feels so weird especially when he kicks inward instead of outward toward my belly. Don't get me wrong, I love knowing that he's awake and moving all his parts but as for the actual feeling of the kicking...no I don't really like it...does that make me a terrible person/mom? If so, too late now I guess.

I will try to get some more good belly pics and post more. I imagine I'm gonna start getting bigger much faster now. I still feel pretty small for 5 months, which I'm happy about, but who knows what the next 4 months hold! For now (until work starts) I plan on resting, relaxing with my feet up, and FINALLY getting around to registering and decorating the room!



Looking over Lapad Bay in Dubrovnik



Walking the walls of Dubrovnik

Over half way!

So graduation and 20 weeks are all behind me. (Yes, you can just call me Dr. :) We had lots of family here and did lots of stuff and I am just plain exhausted. Every night I couldn't believe how tired I was come dinner time, I didn't think I'd be able to make it much later. I guess this pregnancy is affecting me a little more than I thought! I'm in that nice stage where I'm not so big that my daily activities have become a chore and I feel so good that if I didn't look down I wouldn't even know I was pregnant! The one thing I have noticed though is that I get hungry VERY often and I get very hungry very quickly. Yes I had snacks in my dress pockets at graduation :)

On a bump watch note I've finally started showing! I really think I popped on graduation day! That morning I was still riding the line between kinda fat and maybe pregnant and now I definitely think I'm moving toward the definitely pregnant side of that line (see picture below).

We're still very excited about hearing the news of our little baby boy who will officially be known as Cooper Max Stevens when he arrives in October. I still feel like this is all pretty surreal but I'm loving being pregnant so far and can't wait to look even more pregnant...yes yes I know I'm crazy and when I'm huge and uncomfortable I'll wonder why I wished any of this on myself :) I'll keep posting pics as I get bigger!

SPOILER ALERT (19 weeks 3 days)

If you aren't interested in knowing the sex of the baby then don't read any further!!!


IT'S A BOY!!! I knew it all along :) I'm so ecstatic because I really was starting to think of the baby as a "he" and I always referred to him as that from day one. I can't wait for him to start moving around in there a little more and to see if I can get a little glimpse of his personality. As my mom says, this makes it so much more real! I sort of felt like everything was on hold until we could find out the sex, now we can shop till our hearts content and decorate the room!

It came at great timing too since both sets of parents and my sister will be here this week for graduation. No one has seen me since I look somewhat pregnant now. I saw my family around when I was 12 weeks and we have not seen Ryan's family since we've been pregnant. Can't wait to celebrate with the family!

I will post belly pics and sono pics later (probably tomorrow!)

And now it's even more appropriate...GO BLUE!

Baby's first HIYA!

I know I just posted yesterday but I'm pretty sure I felt the baby move for the first time last night! Actually it was the wee hours of this morning I was lying awake in bed and felt two "flutters" as they say in my very lower belly. Everyone says that you can feel the baby as early as about 16 weeks but it's really hard to determine what is baby and what is just grumblings in your tummy. If you're me your stomach is pretty much always making some sort of noise or commotion, but this morning it was a distinct feeling only in my very lower stomach! Who knows if it really is baby but I like to think it is so that's my story and I'm sticking to it! Now I really can't wait for the sonogram on Monday!!

CHICAGOLAND! 18 weeks 3 days

This past weekend I was given an amazing opportunity to jet off to Chicago, very last minute, to visit some good friends! It was soooo much fun, but I can't believe how exhausted I am. I was happily surprised with how much I was able to keep up with my friends on very little sleep no less! This was the first time seeing a bunch of my friends since spreading the pregnancy news and it was so cute to see how excited they were. Everyone kept touching my belly and making sure I had a water or Shirley Temple at the bar.

Luckily, over the past few days I feel like I have actually grown a little belly that people can actually rub. It's still not the "baby belly" that I think of when I think of a pregnant person, but my stomach is definitely getting hard and I think within a couple of weeks I will look pregnant! I have finally gained a couple of pounds so I feel like things are finally headed in the right direction. I have a midwife appointment this week and then next Monday we find out the sex! We'll see if my new motherly intuition is on the mark or not...I'm seeing blue, so we'll see what the sonogram says!

Baby Fever! (16 weeks 2 days)

So I may not have a big baby bump yet but I definitely have baby fever! Today we went to home depot and tried to pick out some paint colors for baby's room! We picked out two blues and two pinks, one dark and one light in each color. I have some pictures of the swatches posted below...but here's the vision I have in mind. The bottom half of the wall will be painted a chocolate brown, then there will be a bright white chair rail across the middle with either the blue or the pink on top. I saw it on a home makeover show probably over a year ago and wrote the idea down and I still love it!

Of course, Ryan and I like different shades of both of the colors. I like the lighter colors, what I think of as classic baby boy and baby girl blues and pinks and Ryan likes the darker colors. I really liked the light pink in the can but it looks a lot more lavendar on the wall and in the photos, although I was painting on a cream-colored wall and not a nice white primed wall.

We certainly don't have to make any decisions yet (although we do find out the sex three weeks from tomorrow!) it was really fun to do some more baby-related things.

Other than painting and getting the baby's room ready I'm really looking forward to registering! I can't wait to go to the store and pick out all the cute things for our little bubs! It's so crazy, such a dream come true, I still can't believe I get to do it all now :)

If you have some time check out the pics and leave some comments/opinions/advice about the paint colors!

Fifteen weeks....feels like an eternity

For what it's worth, here is my latest "belly pic." A few qualifiers...(yes I'm qualifying my own belly pic...can you say high strung?).
#1 I didn't exactly start out pre-pregnancy at 120 lbs and a flat tummy
#2 Depending on the pair of pants or skirt that I'm wearing and where it hits me, this "bump" looks different every day...some days it's there some days it's not.

Ok so there were only 2 qualifiers, but I thought I'd at least try to put up a visual to go along with my frustration from my last post.

Meanwhile the nausea has started to come back in small bits, unfortunately. I'll be fine for 3 or 4 days and then I'll get home one night and just feel awful until the next morning. It's definitely linked to hunger mostly, but in order to avoid being nauseous sometimes I'd literally have to eat every second of every day! It's crazy. I'm used to trying to limit how much I eat not eat all the time!

I'm also still pretty tired, although I have been exercising a ton and that has helped with my energy level...or at least makes me feel that the occassional nap is more justified :)

Still haven't gained any weight so keep your fingers crossed for me that I will start gaining some weight and looking more pregnant while continuing to feel good!

Frustrated at 14 weeks!

So I've been feeling really frustrated lately...I'm not really showing yet but I don't exactly have my pre-baby body either. I just feel kind of chunky and it's super frustrating b/c I want to have a belly to show off, not just a shirt that is too tight! Ryan keeps wanting to take a belly pic, but there's not really anything to take a picture of. I think my fat is just kind of redistributing and so I have one kind of bump above the belly button and then one bump underneath....so unflattering! I still haven't gained any weight either. Never thought I'd be excited to gain weight but I'm just itching to look pregnant! I guess when I think of a pregnant woman in her 2nd trimester I just always assumed I'd be showing by now! I know one day I'm just gonna wake up with a belly and in a month or two when I'm huge I'm going to wonder why I ever was wishing this upon myself, but I just can't wait anymore! Guess there's not much else I can do, though....

1st trimester screening! (13 weeks)

We had our first trimester screening today and we got to see the baby in full form! He (again I assume it's a he) was sucking his thumb, had his legs crossed and moving around quite a bit! It was soooo incredible to see him acting like a baby when I don't even have a belly yet! I can't even imagine what the next six months will bring. I also think I saw a little pee pee! The technician said that female parts can be dilated at this time and this is why they don't give a 100% positive anatomy result at this time, but I was convinced from day 1 that I was having a boy and now I'm even more convinced!

I've been feeling better and better lately and yesterday I actually had no nausea at all, woohoo! I'm trying really hard to stay healthy but it's also really hard to turn down those ice cream cravings since I've not only not gained weight but I've lost since being pregnant.

I will post pics of the sonogram today, I was having some editing issues...need the hubby to come home and help me :)

11 weeks 3 days

So yesterday we officially spread the news worldwide (i.e. we posted it on facebook where there are no secrets anymore)! I was nervous to put it up since I'm not technically 12 weeks but I figured most of our close friends knew already anyway. I just couldn't hold it in any longer!!

Next week we go for our first trimester screening and I'm really looking forward to another sonogram. Last time we saw the baby he/she/it was just a little blob and all my friends keep telling me how much it will actually look like a baby this time!

I'm feeling pretty good these days. The nausea has definitely started to wane, now it's more like nighttime sickness instead of all-day sickness. I haven't started to gain any weight yet, all my pants still fit like normal. Although I have to say I think I'm starting to fill out below my belly button a little bit. Like every female I fight with that bellow the belly-button bulge but these days mine seems to be just a little bigger than normal...and kinda solid not flabby! It's so weird! :) I'm looking forward to getting a belly, I feel like a fake pregnant lady at this point.

That's pretty much it for now, will update next week after the sonogram!!

We're having a baby!

So after years of wanting a baby (I've wanted once since I was approximately 10 years old) I'm finally pregnant! It only took us 3 months to get pregnant...a little faster than we had anticipated but we are ecstatic! We had our first sonogram when I was 7 weeks pregnant and got to see baby's heart beat! Today (3/10/10) I'm 9 1/2 weeks pregnant, and my due date is October 8th! I already can't wait to meet the new little Stevens!