To my complete surprise, my gut intuition was very wrong this time! We're having another girl!
She was very open about showing us her parts, but she decided to keep her pretty face completely hidden hehe. She was facing my spine and had both hands up on either side of her face, almost as if she were saying, "SHH I'm trying to sleep!" The ultrasound tech told me to try and cough or poke my belly a little to get her to flip over, but she was being stubborn (Me? Have another stubborn little girl? Of course not!). We did get a little peek at the side of her nose and her ears. That's okay, she has lots of photoshoots as it is and deserves a little break!
My husband and I are beyond thrilled with the news. Even though I was hoping for a boy because that was what I felt my gut was telling me, maybe I was just scared to have another girl for some reason. All I know is that this little darling is being well looked after by her big sister and if she were here I know they would be inseparable <3.
Yesterday I had appointments with both of my doctors and they went very well. My first was with my specialist. I was only supposed to have an internal ultrasound to check my stitch but the tech. was very nice and wanted to take a quick look at the baby with a regular ultrasound as well. She said that she feels comfortable telling the gender after 16 weeks, and asked me if she could see anything, would I want to know? My reaction was, "OH YES PLEASE!!" Well, little one decided to be very shy and curled their legs all the way up to their cute little butt. The tech. said that she thinks that baby could be a girl, but she wasn't at all positive. I didn't see the famous three white lines on the screen that would show a girl, and any boy parts could have been tucked away. That's okay though because the scan was only for about 2 minutes which wasn't much time to see more, and tomorrow will be another chance for us all to see :).
Then she did the cervix check and that went well also! I'm still measuring over 4 cm and there is absolutely no change, everything looks healthy. My specialist came in and told us that from now on we won't be discussing measurements because things are looking so good, and unless there is a concerning amount of change I don't need to worry myself over numbers. I'm okay with that :).
I also got the go-ahead to get myself back to my normal activities. I put myself on mostly bed rest for the first trimester to make sure I didn't hurt myself or baby in any way, and was doing a little bit between weeks 11 and 13, and then went on full bed rest from weeks 13+6 until about last week. So, needless to say my muscle tone is pretty much gone hehe. As long as I am continuing to show no changes I will be trying to walk when I can (and rest when I need to) and do some very gentle prenatal yoga at home.
The last part of my visit there was quick. I got my first 17P shot in the behind and that wasn't so bad! The area is sore and the first day it burned quite a bit but now it just feels a little bruised. I also got a vile of blood taken for a second trimester defect screening (I can't remember what it's called).
We then made our way over to my regular OB/GYN and I had a nice visit there as well. I had a new male nurse check for baby's heartbeat (a strong 140+ after breakfast) and he asked me a lot of questions about my pregnancy with Evelyn. We had a long heart-to-heart chat about her pregnancy complications and how we lost her, and he was so kind and supportive to tell me that he has such a good feeling about this pregnancy, that my husband and I are very strong people (I so needed to hear that), and he agreed that she must be watching over this little one. I also learned that his wife is currently pregnant after suffering a miscarriage. It's amazing how sometimes opening up about our loss to strangers leads to a deep conversation and understanding between us about how precious life really is.
Overall my visits made me feel so happy and appreciative that we continue to have good health and fortune with this baby. Only one more day until we (hopefully!) find out what we will be naming our tummy tenant. I'm so excited to see him or her in a 3D ultrasound! The poll is leaning towards boy still at 13 to 8, only time will tell now :).
I'm officially in my fourth month of pregnancy. I'm so excited that every day is a day closer to this baby being born (in October, and not any sooner, you hear me baby?!).
I can no longer wear my jeans without using a hairband to hold them together hehe. My belly is feeling a little hard to the touch now, and my hips and pelvis aches a LOT after any duration of walking, most likely from round ligament pains. I'm still taking it easy though. When it comes to my cerclage I don't even feel it anymore, which is a relief after about two weeks of consciously feeling it. My appetite is out of this world, if it's in front of me, I will most likely be indulging in it! Also I am feeling little squirms here and there from our little one and some thumping but not enough to consider them big kicks just yet :).
Last week I was trying to set up a better time with my specialist for my appointment this week so that Daddy could make it for the gender ultrasound. As it turns out, the people at the front desk who set me up with the appointment were WRONG that this week would include the anatomy ultrasound, and when they asked my specialist he said he would feel more comfortable waiting until 18+ weeks for that scan. I'm not angry with them for being wrong, but I was very annoyed that I had gotten my hopes up for Dylan to be there with me for this one only to find out that I'd be waiting an additional two weeks. My visit this Thursday will only be a cervix check, blood work and my 17P shot.
The good news is that we ended up calling our local Miracle in Progress ultrasound place and they will be giving us a 3D scan this Saturday for the gender! Some family will be there and we will all get to watch this cutie squiggle and squirm and hopefully if they are not shy we will be knowing which name we will be using!
The poll is leaning towards boy, 11 to 7. Only 5 more days until we find out :).
On Friday (exactly one week after my stitch) we had a very scary ordeal. I had walked a little bit more than usual during the day, and by that I mean barely at all, but around 8-9:00PM after using the bathroom I had a sudden loss of blood. It wasn't a huge amount but it was a lot for a pregnant woman to see! I was so scared that I just yelled to my husband, "I'm bleeding, a lot!!! Get in the car we have to go to the hospital!!" He kept me somewhat calm the whole drive (it was only about 15 minutes) and I kept my feet up on the dash with the seat leaned back. It was one of those moments when I thought that it was over, and that frightened us both.
My parents met us at the hospital and we got me admitted to the ER. To my surprise I wasn't going to be looked at in the Labor & Delivery, they explained to me that I would only go there after 20 weeks, which I don't understand in the least. So instead we spent hours getting my blood drawn, giving samples, checking my blood pressure and temperature, signing paperwork, etc. I was finally seen about 3 or 4 hours later.
They brought me back, alone, to the ultrasound room. I was not allowed to see the baby or hear the heartbeat, and apparently I wouldn't be allowed to know whether or not baby was doing well until AFTER, but I had a WONDERFUL technician sneak me some good news every so often and lift my spirits. She said baby was moving all over, heartbeat was in the 140's, and my cervix was completely closed with a perfectly in-tact stitch.
Afterwards they sent me for a pelvic exam to check the stitch and they confirmed that it was held in place, no tearing or dilating, which was great. I was still bleeding though but it wasn't nearly as red or plentiful as first noticed. They called my specialist and I was told to lay flat as much as possible and to go in to see him on Monday for a follow-up. Sadly the next day I was planning on going with my family to the March of Dime's March for Babies walk (in memory of my daughter) that I was fundraising for since February, but we got out at 1:30AM and there was no way I would get enough rest to wake up at 5:00AM or even try using the wheelchair that I had ready just to be safe. Our health is most important right now and I'll do whatever it takes to make sure this baby stays put. Maybe next year we can make it extra special <3!
I turned 15 weeks on Sunday:
So I have officially gained 10 lbs. from my pre-pregnancy weight. I have a noticeable tummy now and my hips have been aching from my stretching body parts hehe. The nice thing is that my skin is really much more clear now, but on the other hand my skin is so dry, especially my hands! One more week and I will be 4 whole months :)!
Today I had my follow up appointment with the specialist on call. The bleeding tapered off finally this morning. The baby looked healthy and squirmy as ever and my cervix looked great. The best news is that my cervix actually got longer! It went from 3.9cm to 4-4.5cm today! Let's hope that it stays this way for a long time coming! He said that the cause of the bleeding could have been from the stitch shifting slightly and causing irritation. I'm still going to be resting until I see my actual specialist on the 8th so he can see for himself how everything is doing before telling me to go back to normal activity, but right now I am so grateful that everything is going so well.
Also, have you guessed the gender yet? It's tied at 5-5 :).
I went in to see my specialist a day earlier than scheduled due to having some minor cramping. They told me to ease my worries I could just move my whole appointment over to today, and I'm glad that I did! First we got to see our little bundle and (s)he was playing with his/her hand, and looked like thumb-sucking! (S)He measured in right on track at just under 4 inches long from crown to rump. Heartbeat was in the low 140's.
During this video my mom was giving me some flack about my shock to my recent weight gain haha. I am a very slender girl, but to my surprise in just over 2 weeks I shot up from 109 to 113 lbs.! I do need some weight on me but I also want to keep the gain steady, don't need to add gaining too much weight too fast onto my chart now haha!
After the abdominal ultrasound to check on the baby I had another one to see how my stitch was doing. First of all, the cramping is completely normal and mild (no contractions), and my cervix is measured at 3.9cm which thankfully that hasn't changed in almost 6 weeks. Anything over 3 is perfect :). My doctor was even joking with us saying, "How weird is it to have a job that compliments someone on their cervix? It sounds a little creepy, I must admit!"
My next visit will be in two weeks, and this one will be a busy one. I have an anatomy ultrasound (including finding out the gender!), another cervix check, another blood screening for abnormalities, and my first progesterone (17P) shot. Phew! Dylan may or may not be able to be there for this one as his job needs him for another trip to Reno, but I'll be sure to get a DVD for him regardless!
So now I can have a little fun in the meantime. What do you think the gender is? After my ultrasound I'll announce here and change the color scheme of the page ;).
Today I am 3 days post-op from my cerclage. On Friday I went into the hospital with my mom and step-dad at 6:20AM. I wasn't allowed to eat or drink anything since the night before so I was a bit cranky hehe. They hooked me up to an IV for liquids/antibiotics and a blood pressure monitor and asked me a ton of questions about my medical history. By the time 8:00 rolled around they wanted to hear the baby's heartbeat on a doppler, and (s)he was steady and strong in the upper 140's.
My Perinatologist arrived just before 9:00 for my procedure and he and my nurses wheeled my bed to the operating room. They had me walk up to the table for my spinal block which I was already familiar with. The nurse who took care of me was so wonderful; when the anesthesiologist had me lean over for the shots she wrapped a warm blanket around me and cradled my head. Before I could even lay down my feet were already going numb. Then they hooked me up for heart rate and oxygen monitors, and gave me nasal oxygen.
After all of this it finally turned 9:00 and my specialist came in to start the procedure. There was a radio playing music and I was awake for the whole time, but within 3 songs he was already finished! I barely felt anything at all, maybe a few dull sensations here and there but there was no pain. When they were finished with clean-up they lifted me up and put me back onto my bed and wheeled me back into my room. The entire time I was out of my room was literally only about 20 minutes.
The recovery time from the spinal is what kept me there for another 6 hours though! My lower body was completely numb and it slowly wore off. I was only going to be allowed to leave if I could stand up/walk steps on my own and use the bathroom, which took forever. They also monitored my belly for contractions which thankfully there were none. I was FINALLY able to eat and drink. They started me off with ice chips and water and after I devoured that I moved onto a muffin and decaf coffee, amongst many other things :P. They then listened to the baby's heartbeat a second time and little one was still doing great. Finally around 3:30PM I was feeling ready enough to get discharged. They gave me a wheelchair and my awesome nurse brought me out of the hospital.
Overall the entire procedure and hospital experience was much nicer than I expected it to be. I did have some flashbacks when on my way to the bathroom I thought my water broke (which was a false alarm of course), and then seeing a little blood afterwards was very hard for me. Thankfully I had a LOT of loving and supportive nurses there for me whenever I had a concern.
I did have some pain but I was given some pain medicine at the hospital and I took just one Tylenol when I got home. I am going to be on mostly bed rest this week and I'm not allowed to lift anything over 10 pounds for now. I have a wonderful man in my life that has taken great care of me so I am very grateful :).
This picture was taken on Sunday at 14 weeks:
And just before Easter dinner at my mother-in-law's place :).
I have been feeling some small flutters here and there this week. I also have another ultrasound/post-op appointment on this Thursday and I'm so excited to see our little one again. The very next ultrasound will be to find out the gender and for that one Dylan will be taking off work early to be there. Also that week will be the beginning of my progesterone shots (17P) and those will be given at the specialist's office weekly to help prevent preterm labor/contractions. Whatever it takes for a healthy baby!
This is my 13th week and I am officially into my second trimester. I'm still having trouble believing that all of this is really, really, REALLY real, but seeing my belly grow every week has given me some peace of mind that our baby is doing well.
Tomorrow I will be going in for my cerclage and I have to admit I am very nervous. It will only take about 10 minutes to do the actual procedure (if that) but I will be in the hospital before and after for a total of about 5-6 hours or so. When I get home I'll be in bed resting for at least 2 days and up to 1-2 weeks. I'm prepared for this though and have already bought several ready to make meals :). Thankfully Dylan is off of work for the weekend and can help me with anything I'll need!
