This blog isn't going to be anything like my old one, and I'll explain why in just a minute, but before I do.. I want to say
Sit down, buckle up, and enjoy the bumpy ride!
So, Why isn't this going to be like my old blog? Because this blog is going to simply be used to track my pregnancy. Ohh, did I just say that? I hope everyone reading this already knew.
That's right. As of today, I'm 8 weeks and 3 days pregnant (yes, I do count to the day). That means, I have 222 days to go until my little Jellybean is due. For those of you who are wondering, my due date is June 29, 2014, which is kind of relieving. Why? Because in my family most of the birthdays are winter birthdays. I mean my almost three year old son,my fiance, my mother, four of my sisters, my grandfather, my dad, my nephew,one of my little cousins, and I all have birthdays between December and the end of March. So, the winter months are a little packed. that's 12 birthdays, 11 of which are between January and March. So, yeah. Summer birthday = relieved mommy-to-be.
But anyways, I'm getting off topic. First I want to update you on where my little Jellybean is today, and then I want to tell you all about the craziness of finding out I was pregnant, and I, for sure, want to tell you about some decisions that the fiance and I have already made. I may also talk about some of the crazy dreams and nightmares I've had lately.
So, here we go:
My Little Jellybean Today
Today (as stated before) I'm 8 weeks and 3 days pregnant. I have 222 days until my due date (June 29, 2014). Development in a fetus is calculated by weeks, so I'll only be able to update this section once a week. But here we go.
This week my baby is the size of a kidney bean (a little over 1/2 of an inch long). The baby is constantly moving, but it's so small that I still can't feel the movements (I'm waiting for that day)! The baby now has webbed fingers and toes sticking out from it's little hands and feet. The baby has eyelids, that almost completely cover its eyes.The breathing tubes that will connect to the baby's lungs are forming, as well as primitive neural pathways. The baby's tail is almost gone (that's right, baby's have tails in the womb).
To me, the baby still kind of looks like an alien, but the baby is MY alien, so it's okay!
All this information was found at: http://www.babycenter.com/6_your-pregnancy-8-weeks_1097.bc
If you're pregnant, or trying to get pregnant, I highly recommend this site. There are all sorts of articles, forums to talk to others, and all kinds of fun stuff to use to aid in the pregnancy. Look at it!
Finding Out We Were Pregnant
My fiance and I had started talking about having children around the middle of June. At first I was kind of apprehensive, I mean I am still in college full-time and working full-time. We finally decided that we would try, and if it happened it happened, if it didn't... well it just didn't, so I quit taking my birth control. I also quit taking it because it was making my stomach upset all the time. After I quit taking the birth control, I had a short cycle, and then had a full (long and terrible) cycle at the end of July. I had expected it to be pretty gruesome, because my body was getting used to not having any extra hormones. After July 31st, I didn't have anymore cycles.
After about a month and a half (two weeks after my missed period) I started to think I could be pregnant. So I took a home test, negative. I decided I'd wait a week, negative. I took at least FOUR more tests... negative, negative, negative, negative.After 6 failed tests, I called my OB/GYN. They scheduled an appointment for October 17, and left it at that.
The morning of October 17, I got up and decided I would try one more test. I took the test, and thought.. today will be the day it says I am... I had all the signs: nausea, tender breasts, fatigue. NEGATIVE.That negative result was about enough to send me over the edge. All I could think was, "What the hell is wrong with me?" I let it go, and went to the doctor.
My doctor said I had Poly-cystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS). This means that my hormone levels weren't going to be normal, and that instead of ovulating I grew cysts in my ovaries. She asked if we were actively trying, and I said yes. She said that it would be extremely hard for us to ever conceive, not impossible, just extremely difficult.She accounted the pregnancy symptoms to other causes, because the test I had taken that morning had come back negative. The tender breasts were from needing to ovulate, the constant nausea was probably some minor food aversion caused by anemia (I'm anemic), and the fatigue was my hormone levels not being correct. She ordered some lab work, and sent me on my way.
I had the lab work done, they drew 9 vials of blood, and said it would be about 3 or 4 days for the doctor to have all of the results. The doctor called the following week, and scheduled an appointment for October 24. I went into the doctor and found out that my estrogen and testosterone levels were high, but that wasn't what bothered the new doctor I had been switched to. What bothered him was another hormone that was off the charts. The high range during PCOS is usually 350-375, and my hormone count was at 496. At that appointment he prescribed me 2 medications: Metformin, to help regulate my cycle, and Provera, to force the first cycle to start. He also scheduled another appointment with an endocrinologist, and an appointment for an external and internal ultrasound so he could view my ovaries.
The ultrasound was scheduled for October 30, and it was probably the worst procedure I have ever went through. Well, at least the external ultrasound was. I had to begin drinking water at 12:00, and the appointment wasn't until 2:00 pm. I had to have at least 32 ounces of water drank before 1:30. By the time I arrived at the hospital I had to use the restroom so bad, I couldn't even sit down. Luckily, the registration process and the waiting in the imaging department didn't take very long. The ultrasound itself, however, felt like it took a life time. After the external exam the ultrasound technician informed me that the doctor also wanted internal photos. I was allowed to use the restroom and then had to go back out in the room.
The internal exam wasn't terrible. The gel was cold, and it smelt funny, but other than that there really wasn't any pain. She listened to the blood flow to my ovaries, took pictures, and then right in the middle of the exam she stopped. Just because it wasn't terrible, didn't mean I wanted the wand inside me any longer than it had to be. The lady looked at me and said, "Uhm, I'm gonna show you this." That was when every thought of everything bad that could be happening hit me. I nodded, said, "okay," and she turned the screen.She pointed out my cervix and my uterus and said, "And this, I believe is a gestational sac." I didn't know what to say. I knew what she meant, but all it looked like to me was a black hole. I looked between her, the screen, and my fiance about 30 times before she asked if I had any questions. I told her no and she let me go change. Then I thought of one. I asked her about the medications I had been prescribed and whether I should still be taking either of them. She called my doctor, and he said no.
We left. I was still kind of in shock, didn't really know what to say, but I wanted chocolate milk. We stopped at Hy-Vee right down the street and while we were there my fiance got a phone call. He answered and it was the doctor. They wanted to know if we had made it home, and since we hadn't, they wanted me to come back to take a blood test to be sure my body was producing HCG (the pregnancy hormone) and the black hole wasn't something bad.
I went back to the doctor's office, had the blood drawn, and left. My fiance and I had decided (even though we weren't 100% sure yet) that we were going to celebrate. We went to Los Agaves for dinner.The woman at the lab had said that if they doctor hadn't called by 4:50 to call them and ask if the results had come back. When they hadn't called, I went to the bathroom to call them. I spoke with the nurse and she said that everything had come back normal, my body was producing HCG, but they were worried. The ultrasound didn't show anything, it literally was just a black hole, and based on what my hormone levels were at there should have been more showing. The doctor ordered another blood test for that following Friday (two days later).
I had that blood test ran, and it was a terrible experience. It took 3 people to finally hit a vein, the second lady burst a vein, and it was just not fun. After the blood tests were done Aaron and I left. I had to work, and came in around 1130. Right before I clocked on, the doctor called back. My hormone levels were doubling as they should be, and everything looked great. But the doctor was still worried about the ultrasound pictures, so he scheduled another one for a week later. On Friday, November 8, I got to see my baby (it looked like an alien) for the first time. There was actually stuff in the gestational sac, and the baby's heart was beating. It was so amazing to see.
And from then on, it's been official.There will be a little baby, in my near future.
Decisions We've Made Thus Far
Perhaps the biggest decision I've made so far, is the decision to NOT tell people the sex of the baby. Do I want to know? YES! Do I want others to know? NO! Why? There are multiple reasons. 1: It'll be fun to hear people guessing all the time using old wive's tales. 2: I want to use it as a baby-shower game (make a bet, guess the sex, date, weight, and length of the baby. winner gets 50%; mommy and daddy-to-be get 50%). 3: I feel like I'll get more practical items at my baby shower instead of a ton of frilly dresses or sports themed onesies. Don't get me wrong, I'm a firm believer of the thought it was what matters, but baby's grow quickly and having a ton of clothing is impractical.
We've also decided on names (YES, this early). If the baby is a boy, we'll be naming him Gavin Elliote. The first person I told questioned the "e" at the end, so I'll explain. When I first learned my fiance's middle name was Elliote, I automatically thought, "E-l-l-i-o-t-t." Then I saw it on paper and was instantly in love. So, Elliote it is. If it's a girl we have decided on Adelynn Grace. Auntie Brenna helped pick this one out. She put in her spelling of the name I had already picked and.. well I fell in love.
The last decision, and so far the most controversial (especially with my mother) is the nursery theme. We've decided on Star Wars, boy or girl. If we have a boy, the color scheme will be red and black (Sith, duh). If the baby is a girl, the color scheme will be purple and white (Jedi).
I've decided to skip out on telling you about my dreams/nightmares for today, as this blog is getting pretty long. However: I will be back, if not tomorrow, then in a couple days to tell you all about them, because I know you're just dying to hear. Did I mention that crazy dreams are normal for pregnant women? So if you want to hear about the craziness I think up in my sleep, tune in!
Have a great day everyone!
-With love,
Auni and Baby
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