16 week appt

I know my pregnancy posts are getting boring...and if you're still in the trenches fighting IF please know that it will not hurt my feelings if you stop reading my posts for awhile.  I so understand...I avoided some preg after IF blogs for a few months when times were tough.  Just know I love you and am rooting for you.

I had my 16 week check up today and it was perfect! I'll do bullets to update:

• I am down another half a pound (so down 1 lb total from pre IVF weight).  YAY!  I started out about 30 lbs overweight so I am so happy I'm not out of control.  The Nurse Practitioner asked me if I had any diarrhea or vomiting and I said, "Nope, not once this whole pregnancy, just dry heaves."  So she said I'm good!  Her only worry was whether I was eating and drinking enough.  BOY am I!  I drink water constantly (and a couple of iced teas a day) and eat probably anywhere from 2000-3000 cals a day (probably 2300 approx usually, more if it is a 'sweets' day:).  
• Heartbeat was wonderful.  Quote from the NP, "What a nice, strong heartbeat".
• My uterus is about two fingerbreadth's below my navel (which equals about 18 weeks) so I'm measuring about 2 weeks ahead (normal is 2 weeks either way so I guess I'm growing a biggie...maybe that's where all the calories are going!).
• My urine sample was negative....no protein, no glucose (so far so good..I am deathly afraid of gestational diabetes only because some days all that sounds good are carbs....if I had to be carb restricted I think I'd cry!).
• B/P 116/70
• My M.R.S.A. swab from last visit was negative (I have had one Methicillin Resistant Staph Aureus abscess in my life so because of that I need to be tested 3 times to make sure I'm not colonized...if any of the 3 come back positive I will be in isolation when I deliver...LOL).

All in all a perfect visit.  She even kinda sucked up to me it seemed...said that I was going to have the perfect pregnancy - not too big during all of this ridiculous heat and by the time I'm huge it will be winter. This visit was really good for my self esteem!

Next visit in 4 weeks will be for the 20 week ultrasound!  I CANNOT WAIT to find out what we're having!  I go back and forth on what gender I'm hoping for so clearly I am happy with whatevs!!

I STARTED FEELING MOVEMENT A FEW DAYS AGO!  AHHHH!  COOLEST THING EVAH!  Enough caps, I know.  It totally doesn't feel like butterfly wings to me.  Feels like a fingertip tapping lightly.  SO amazing!  I only notice it lying flat or just after sitting.  

Oh and for those of you that want a bump pic...I don't know what it is, I haven't taken a single one.  Not even for my private eyes.  I'm certainly not ashamed...maybe just feeling guilty?  A couple of weeks ago my too small tank top was riding up in front and DH said, "You're showing!" and I tugged my shirt back down and felt weird - like my heart started beating funny and I blushed.  It feels so personal.  Maybe when I get bigger and used to it I will take some pics and post a few?  Maybe I have PTSD from infertility? :)

ONE LAST THING (damn this is a long rambling post, you deserve an award for reading this whole thing if you are:).  We picked a nursery color!  It is a very light light green with a hint of blue, perfect for either sex.  Paint was on sale at Sherwinn-Williams so we got it.  Now DH just needs to paint!

xoxo

Bump

I feel like in the span of 3 days I went from looking chubby to looking pregnant.  But I think it's too early for me to have 'popped'.  Hmm.  Maybe it's all the fiber bars I've been eating (which has totally saved my life from const. hell :).  

My family is coming into town today-I'm so stoked!  They haven't seen me pregnant so I am wearing maternity clothes today for maximum bump effect :)

I know my blog has become a boring pregnancy blog.  I'm sorry.  I still feel infertile and I don't think that's ever gonna change.  

I hope that all of my dear infertile sisters in the blogging world will one day get a chance to publish a boring pregnancy blog.  It's really something.

So obsessed with this stroller...

So we bought it yesterday!  Talk about jinxing myself, I am now addicted to buying baby stuff :)

Here is a link to it - http://www.google.com/products/catalog?q=eddie+bauer+trailmaker+travel+system&hl=en&safe=active&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=shop&cid=4589943445580094759#

It was on clearance at Target.  I love it because it's modern, gender neutral and VERY EASY to fold up.  Also I am already sick of pastels and this is a bold pattern. 

I never thought buying a stroller would be so damn much fun!

Skittish

A friend of mine gave me a huge bag of maternity clothes today - and they are all washed, dried and hung up in my closet.

I bought a boppy maternity sleeping pillow today.

And I wonder if I'm jinxing myself? 14 weeks today and (knock on wood) so far so good!

2nd trimester

So I am beginning the 2nd trimester - either today at 13 weeks or next week at 14 weeks, depending on the source.

This is supposed to be the magical trimester, right?  Oh I hope so :)  I can definitely tell a difference between now and a few weeks ago.  The nausea is occurring less often, is less intense and almost never causes dry heaves anymore.  If this constipation would just abate then life would be perfect.  Thanks for all of your advice friends.  It really helped!  I pretty much cleaned myself out with 3 stool softeners, 2 fiber pills, and a max dose of milk of magnesia.  2 weeks ago I did just about the same thing.  Now I just want to prevent it from getting that bad again.  The hubs and I are both on a mission to get me as much fiber each day as possible - fiber cereal, fiber one bars, etc.  I hope it helps.

Big news - I am showing more and more each day.  My belly has always been flabby, I gain weight like a man - in my beer gut :)  But now there is a definite bump with definition to the lower abdomen.  I have found myself purposely wearing clothes that accentuate it - so much fun!

3 weeks until our next appt, 7 weeks to the next ultrasound.  If it wasn't for the doppler I would absolutely lose my mind.  I check in on the bambino a few times  a week - it is so much easier to find the heartbeat now than it was at 10 1/2 weeks which is awesome!

I hope everyone is having a good summer.  All in all this is the best summer of my life thus far.  I remember last summer - a good friend visited me while she was 18 weeks pregnant.  I tried to have fun, I tried (and mostly successfully) to be happy for her, but I was so unbelievable jealous.  That was in August.  This August I will be 18 weeks pregnant.  It is just mind-blowing.

xoxoxo

Backed up

I'm getting desperate.  PLEASE send me any tips/tricks/voodoo spells that help with constipation during pregnancy.

I'm now officially eating no cheese, taking colace stool softener 3 times a day, eating prunes when I can stomach them and drinking pear juice.  STILL ALMOST NOTHING!  AUGH!!!!

2nd OB appt

Was a major disappointment.  We waited over 45 minutes to be taken back for a 3 minute appt.  I peed in a cup, was weighed, she listened to the heartbeat, she asked us if we had any questions and badda boom badda bing we were ushered out.  We went ahead and made our appts through 30 weeks and I am glad to say the way my schedule worked out the next 2 appts are with the nurse practitioner, then one appt with my OB, then an appt with a different OB in the practice.   The doc we saw today is my regular obgyn who is usually awesome - I don't know what was up today.

I thought I'd fill out a what's going on this week thing for posterity - feel free to skip!!!

How far along? 12 weeks

How is Mommy feeling?  Nauseated at some point every day but nowhere near as severe as it was.  My energy level is coming back up.  I have noticed that every week that passes my anxiety level gets lower and lower...which is a relief!!

How is Daddy feeling?  Boy that's a toughie.  He is excited...he has told just about every single person he's ever met about the baby.  BUT we are kinda having trouble adjusting to this pregnant wife/expectant father situation.  I am MUCH whinier/bitchier than either of us ever thought I would be.  I have wanted to be pregnant for so long that I thought it would be like winning the lottery - I would be happy and blissed out all the time.  In reality I spend moments in sheer awe and wonderment but find myself hormonal and edgy quite often.  SO DH is obviously not liking that.  In my defense he did leave the toilet seat up for the bazillionith time today which made me go off like a madwoman.  We had a good talk today that I think should help.

Total weight gain?  I am down a half pound since starting IVF.  Go me!  Since I started this process about 30 pounds overweight I am relieved that I haven't already blown up like a whale.

Symptoms?  Tired easily, sore nipples (boobs aren't really sore anymore), leukorrhea, constipation, gas, left hip pain (?), trouble sleeping, nausea, severely chapped lips (?) and dark veins all over my chest.

The belly?  Just starting to look like a baby might be hiding in there instead of just chub.  The bottom of my abdomen is firm and I LOVE placing my hand there.

Boobies?  Bigger, sensitive nipples, when I squeeze my nipples I get a clear discharge out of them (?), and dark veins.

What I miss?  Waking up and just doing what needs to be done or what I want to do and not having to worry about whether it's gonna be a day where I feel awful.  BUT I know it's worth it.

Big news this week?  DH has finally agreed that we can find out the gender!!  Unfortunately my next u/s isn't until 20 weeks!!!!!!!