Second Appointment

I just got back from my second appointment. Today was the icky pap smear appt. I know, TMI. But I got to hear the heartbeat for the first time! I was actually worried because it took her a while to find it... at first I thought there wasn't going to be one and was getting a little freaked but she found it! 153 bpm. Then she was feeling all over my abdomen and said the uterus was perfect size and that the bone structure of my pelvis was perfect for childbirth. I guess that means I've got wide hips lol. Anyway, it was a pretty basic appointment. I've lost 2 more pounds but my p.c. midwife said I've got "plenty of reserves" so the baby is fine. LOL. Yeah, yeah, yeah... just say it... I'm fat. She wants me to gain a total of 25lbs throughout the entire pregnancy. Right now it seems so hard since the meals I eat are tiny... I'm full after a few bites. I eat more often but my body's not used to it!

The next ultrasound wont be until mid to late December. Next appointment is December 2nd and will be the same as most: pee in a cup, listen to hearbeat, weigh-in, blood pressure and ask questions. Today I also did bloodwork for the first round of optional screening for some birth defects and diseases. We opted out of an NT scan which is an ultrasound where they look for Down's Syndrome or a risk of it... but given that we wouldn't terminate because of it we figured there was no need for it... plus the Dr. said we're at a really low risk and didn't see the need for it either and the blood test will also give us an idea if we're at risk of Down's or Trisomy 18.

Not to get too technical but if you're interested, the blood test will measure "free beta-hCG" and "PAPP-A" (a protein) and if the PAPP-A levels are lower than usual and the hCG levels higher than usual it means a risk of Down's. There will be another blood test somewhere around 18 weeks for other things.

Anyway, that's the latest. I'm feeling a little better lately. Especially on my days off. I'm trying to get out of the house more too and that seems to help... keeping busy and walking around. I can eat more things without getting grossed out but I still don't care much for chicken. It's really weird. I hope I like turkey in time for thanksgiving!

First weird craving??

So I haven't had much to update lately. Still feeling crappy and nauseous and still tired. But I thought I'd let everyone know what I had for breakfast today....

Nachos with mustard. Took some tortilla chips, shredded cheddar cheese and melted them in the micro... then dipped them in mustard. Delicious. Although towards the end the chips were too salty so I peeled off the cheese and ate the cheese dipped in mustard. (It's not really that weird if you realize it's my own "gluten free" version of a Cheese on a Stick from Hot Dog on a Stick)

So far that's my weirdest craving. Not too weird yet though... like Christine's peanut butter and pickle sandwich!

(And don't worry, I had two glasses of V8 Fusion to get some veggies and fruits in on the meal)

Well, I still haven't taken a picture of the ultrasounds but dad was able to send me the picture Brian sent him from his phone... so here's a preview =)

(Just so you know, the baby isn't missing it's right arm... it's on top of the chest... baby was waving!)

Our First Appointment!

We got to see our little gummy bear! Today at our first prenatal appointment they did an ultrasound. As soon as the midwife turned the monitor our direction we saw a very clear picture of our little blob. She first showed us a "snapshot" she took to measure the baby. Baby was 2.78cm from "rump to crown" and that meant baby was 9weeks, 4days... about 3 days older than we expected so our new estimated delivery date (due date) is May 8, 2010. Then she switched the monitor to "live" movement. The baby was moving much more than I expected... I really didn't expect to see much movement this early. While we were watching the baby move it appeared as though the baby was waving at us. It was so cute! It was really weird watching the movements, thinking about how the baby was inside me and growing into a human that I would hold eventually... and take care of and raise, and watch first steps, hear first words... way cool. It made the pregnancy so much more REAL. The baby stopped moving and the midwife was saying, "Move baby, they like watching you move" and proceeded to "stimulate" the baby with the ultrasound wand and baby started moving again. How neat!

I'll be posting the ultrasound pictures as soon as I can. I don't have a scanner at the moment so I'm going to have to get creative. I might just have to take pictures of the pictures... we'll see how that comes out.

Just checking in...

So, I had mentioned keeping the pregnancy a secret because Brian's mom doesn't know... She knows now! He finally told her over the phone because we couldn't keep it in any longer! So, it's no longer a secret from anyone... although I still have only told a handful of people at work.

And our appointment is this coming Wednesday! I can't wait!