I saw the tiny + sign. I took a deep breath as my heart was pounding. That tiny little symbol changed my life. I must admit I was scared. There was lots to do and think about. There still is, but it is all less scary and now extremely exciting. My first step was to see my doctor. Check! Now it was official. I left the doctor’s office with a bag full of paperwork and magazines. It was all overwhelming to say the least. So here we go!
A week later Wes and I went to our first doctor’s appointment. I had only met with the nurse before. So we had our first exam, ultrasound, and family history discussion. Whew! Wes downloaded a Sprout pregnancy app to the i-Pad and brought it with him to the appt. so he could take notes as well as ask some questions we had. He is such an organized daddy. Our first ultrasound was amazing! Even though I weighed 120 lbs. and had no bump there was a little person living inside me. We could see the heartbeat of our little peanut and it was glowing on the screen like a star. The doctor declared that I was 8 weeks and due December 14th. Whew! We have time to plan.
Now the life changes started. Decisions needed to be made. First off, I had to stop all vitamins and supplements I was taking and start taking prenatal vitamins. As per doc’s recommendation I am taking Centrum prenatal vitamins. I was in my third semester of graduate school with Drexel. I could not continue my studies because with the first trimester symptoms and working full time I couldn’t manage the work load. I withdrew. This doesn’t mean I don’t still want my Master’s. I just need to take a break. Additionally, due to my medical history the doctor advised me not to run. This was quite hard to accept. I had worked so hard to build strength and endurance. I ran my last race in April, the Guns n’ Hoses 5K, where I achieved my fastest time yet, 27 minutes. So just like that I stopped running. This was for a good cause of course. I have gone walking on my running route, which I can tell you is hard mentally to do because I have so many urges to sprint. I have also been lifting some five pound weights to stay in shape. I stopped running but not exercising. Anyway, my mother has purchased us a jogging stroller with a car seat (travel system), which I am beyond excited about and can’t wait to utilize in 2013. I would like to set a goal to complete a 5k six months after I give birth.
So here I am. We have reached 21 weeks! I cannot believe I am more than halfway. Lots has happened.
First of all, I downloaded the babycenter app to my phone. It is really cool! Each week I get an update of what’s going on with the baby’s development. Each day I get a pregnancy health tip. I bought the What to Expect When Expecting book and two friends have given me the Mayo book as well as a Your Pregnancy week by week. I have found the What to Expect When Expecting book to be the least useful. In fact I haven’t looked at it in a long time. The other two books I read weekly. Wes and I are constantly amazed when reading about all the intricate changes that occur each week. Wes also downloaded a baby names app. Picking a name has proven to be a hard process. We have not settled on one yet but have some top contenders. One of the funniest names we saw on the app was Hamza. Wes teased me about naming our baby Hamza for a while. Somehow Hamza has turned into a nickname for the baby. It is such a weird name! Anyway Wes decided that we needed to organize our top names somehow so he created a magnificent Excel spreadsheet. He typed in our top first and middle names and then created a formula that put each first name with each middle name. Finally, he created a rating column so we could rate the combinations. Yes, he is amazing like that!
We heard the baby’s heartbeat for the first time on June 8th. It was incredible! It was beating so fast, like a runner in a marathon. Go baby! July 13th was our second ultrasound as well as the day we got to find out the sex of the baby. We had been waiting impatiently for this day. It felt like it took forever to come. Wes was holding my hand as we got to see the baby on a big t.v. screen. When the nurse told us we were having a boy both of us had tears in our eyes. It didn’t matter if it was a boy or girl. Somehow though that day the baby just became more of a person. He is our little person. That day we received 10 photos of our little guy. Some were even 3D which blew our minds. On August 3rd we went to the doctor for a checkup and heard the heartbeat again. The doctor said we have a very active boy, which is a good thing. She had to keep moving the device because he kept moving.
So now we buy blue! Wes had already decided that he wanted an airplane nursery. We found a complete baby aviator nursery linen set at a nearby thrift store. Score! Other than that friends have generously given us heaps of baby stuff. Additionally, I obviously no longer fit into my size 2 clothes. I bought the BeBand from Target and it has proven to be awesome. I can still wear my size 2 bottoms without buttoning them. The BeBand fits over top and holds up my pants and shorts. I have also been shopping at Round Robin and other thrift stores for maternity clothing. I have found some cute things. I refuse to spend a ton of money on a temporary wardrobe.
UPDATE:
I’m excited about: On August 6th we felt the baby kick for the first time! I have felt him moving for a few weeks now but last night was the first time we felt him kicking. It felt weird and beyond amazing.
I’m nervous about: our next doctor’s appt. and going back to work next week. Doctors always make me nervous. Teaching while pregnant makes me nervous because it is a demanding job.
How do I feel? I feel great! I get tired easily but that is normal. I have not vomited once! Whew! However, I can tell you I have learned a lot about round ligament pain, but that topic is for another post.
Weight: 127 lbs I have gained 7 lbs since I found out I was pregnant.
Eating: I love food! Most of all I love peanut butter and frozen yogurt but not combined. I recently treated myself to some almond butter too. Yum! I haven’t changed the portions of my meals but have been snacking a lot. Wes makes us an amazing breakfast almost every morning like he has always done with egg whites, toast, fruit, and turkeysausage. For a snack I usually have a banana and peanut butter or nuts. For lunch I usually have a sandwich and some fruit. My afternoon snack is usually a yogurt or a granola bar. I just bought Kashi’s new peanut butter dark chocolate bars. Oh my! For dinner I have chicken, salmon, or pork with veggies and/ or whole grain pasta or rice. I have also fallen in love with sweet potatoes. After dinner is where the low fat frozen yogurt comes in. Yum! Oh and I drink heaps and heaps of water. No wine for me for a while. I have never liked juice or soda (which is bad to drink anyway) so water it is.
Exercise: I have been doing a lot of walking and stretching. I have also been doing tricep and bicep exercises with some 5 lb. weights. Usually this ends up being a 30 minute workout.
Baby Center Week 21: Your baby now weighs about three-quarters of a pound and is approximately 10 1/2 inches long — the length of a carrot. You may soon feel like she’s practicing martial arts as her initial fluttering movements turn into full-fledged kicks and nudges. You may also discover a pattern to her activity as you get to know her better. In other developments, your baby’s eyebrows and lids are present now, and if you’re having a girl, her vagina has begun to form as well.
What do I have to say to the baby? Everyone is so excited to meet you! Your daddy is so organized that he is planning how to finance your college career. You inspired me to paint a beautiful pregnancy silhouette, which we are going to hang in your room. xo
WHAT HAVE WE LEARNED: Lots of exciting changes and challenges come with pregnancy.
