Another baby picture - Baby is growing!

I had to go to the doctor again today to follow up after my Friday in the ER. Everything looks ok except that I have a really bad cold and feel nasty. :( The doctor told me that as of last week it was safe for me to stop taking the progesterone (which I did anyway after my last ER visit). So, I really haven't felt nauseous since I quit taking it! YEAH!! I have still been really really tired, and with the cold it's kind of hard to tell what is what. I'm hoping that my pregnancy symptoms are kind of going away and I will start feeling myself again since I am entering the second trimester.

The baby has grown A LOT in the past two weeks! The doctor said he/she is already four inches long from head to toe. Baby was moving a little bit this time but I think we interrupted nap time. (They have cycles of sleep and alertness just like they do when they are born.) But, no leaps or jumps like last time. The heart rate still looks good and I have attached a picture: (click it to make it larger.) This was also a good visit because Michael was able to be with me and see the baby move this time!

And now for the cool news! I asked my doctor about it today and she said it was fine. I found a Doppler fetal heart monitor online for $115 and it had really good reviews from users. It's the kind the doctor's office uses, only a lower megahertz. So, I ordered it so we can hear the baby's heart and you can also hear it move and kick and stuff. It works as early as 8-10 weeks and I will be 12 weeks on Sunday. The cool part is that we can plug it up to the computer and record the sounds and share it on our baby blog! It should be here in a few days and you know when it gets here I will be ripping the box open and using it right away. Check back (if you aren't subscribed to my blog) in a few days if you are interested in hearing the baby. :) I'm excited!!

The doctor said that on my next visit on the 18th we MIGHT be able to find out if it is a boy or a girl already. We'll keep you posted!

To the ER AGAIN!

Last night was not a fun night. I started taking the Progesterone again on Wednesday night. Thursday, I had a headache all day and was really tired. Mid-day, the headache progressed into a migraine. From that point on, I started getting nauseous and could not eat or keep anything down. Friday, my migraine and nausea had gotten WORSE so I called my doctor to see if they could give me anything for the migraine. Since I was unable to keep liquids or solids down since the night before they were worried I was dehydrated again and told me to go the emergency room. I was so tired I didn't want to go the ER. But, at 3:00 PM we went to the ER AGAIN and they confirmed that I was dehydrated. Getting an IV and having your blood drawn when you are dehydrated is NOT fun . . . I do NOT recommend it. My veins kept collapsing so they were having a hard time. UGH! So, I had another IV of fluids and Reglan. Then, I felt better, but we had to stay there FOREVER!!!!! We finally got home around 7:00 or so and I was so happy to be back! I didn't take any Progesterone and now I feel fine. I'm calling my doctor again on Monday because they have to follow up on some lab work that was done in the hospital and hopefully they can give me some insight into my Progesterone levels - on their own without the medicine. They said this early that the risks to the baby are very minimal to none, but if this continues on into the pregnancy, it can throw you into labor. Hopefully this stuff will be over soon, especially since we think we have found the cause of it.

More info on doctor's visit yesterday

Well, I am feeling better today so I can actually stand to sit at the computer and type! I found out one of the reasons why I have felt worse lately. The old doctor's office had put me on Progesterone because they said my levels were low. They did a blood test after they put me on the pills to check my levels again and then never called me back about it. The new doctor's office was reviewing my files when they noticed my last blood test showed that I had very HIGH progesterone levels. Progesterone can make you nauseous, dizzy, cause stomach problems, and make you extremely fatigued (all of which I was feeling and it was getting worse!) They said I could cut back to just taking one pill at bed time and then at the end of my first trimester (December 31st) I could come off of it. YEAH!!! So, last night and yesterday I made an executive decision to not take ANY for a day or so, and today I feel better than I have the whole time I have been pregnant. I will have to take the pills at night, because without proper levels of progesterone to sustain the pregnancy, you can have a miscarriage. But, given that mine were so high, I want to let it level off a bit before I start taking it again. So, I may start taking it again tomorrow night. YEAH new doctor!!
So, today is the first day that I have felt myself again in FOREVER. I was able to go to school and get my textbooks for next semester. I was able to go out to eat and to the bank. I didn't drive to any of these places, but for the first time I didn't get car sick! (Before all I could do was pretty much just lay in bed.) I'm a little tired now that I have been out, but I still don't feel sick. HALLELUJAH! Let's just pray it stays that way!
I have another doctor's appointment on the 18th of January. I will be having some tests done then, which will require another ultrasound if I am not mistaken. So, I will have more pictures up then. :)
Hope to see you people back in the real world soon!
P.S. My bathroom scales at home were WAY off from the doctor's. I have only lost about 9 pounds instead of the 16 I thought I lost. That sounds more realistic. :)

Doctor's Visit

Here's pictures of our baby at 10 weeks. (Click them to enlarge. Be sure to scroll down on the long one. The last one shows the left half of the baby's face - an eye, a cheekbone, and half of the mouth. The baby's arm is covering the rest of its face. It's kind of turned downward in that picture.) The baby was very active today and was "dancing" around moving its arms and legs. Then, I guess the ultrasound scared it or something because all of a sudden it JUMPED up and then floated back down. These images are 3D so they are a little harder to understand, in my opinion, than the regular 2D image that I also got too see. But, in the 2D image, you could see the whole baby laying there with its little arms and legs waving around and its heart and placenta beating. It was really exciting. Just in case you are trying to make heads or tails (literally) out of these pictures, the baby's arm and hand is covering its face. The baby's heartbeat was something around 164 beats per minute, which is good, average, and healthy. Everything else looks good they said! I've been sick again today so I will try to post more later.

New Doctor on Monday

I have decided that I want to have my baby at Parkwest hospital. It is much closer to us and I have heard great things from many people who have had babies there. That is also the same hospital where we went to the emergency room and we had a very good experience there. So, I have found a recommended doctor that delivers at Parkwest and is also closer. I have an appointment on Monday the 17th with her office. Hopefully I will have more ultrasound pictures to share at that point. We should actually be able to see something this time (something more human like and less of a blob)! I will be sure to keep everyone updated.

I have been running a low fever this past week. Tylenol doesn't seem to help, but its not high enough to really be a concern. Its just strange. Maybe I have a sinus infection.

Who needs Jenny Craig when you've got the morning sickness diet?

Well, I have officially lost 16 pounds in 5 weeks! I guess the sick and nauseous diet works better than Jenny Craig! I don't FEEL any thinner. I certainly don' t think I LOOK any thinner, though Mom says my face has slimmed down. Well, I guess I better enjoy it while it lasts because I hear my appetite will return in the second trimester and the weight will start piling on . The doctor said it's normal for women to lose weight in their first trimester due to nausea and "morning" sickness. I'm hoping the weight I gaine will all be "baby" related weight and not FAT! I guess we will see!

Sick to Sicker

Last night was a terrible night. I had a migraine since Monday and starting Monday night I threw up everytime I ate or drank. Finally, my migraine and nausea got so bad that I couldn't stand it anymore. I called my Doctor and he said if I was in a lot of pain to go to the ER. So, we went to the emergency room at Parkwest around 8:30 and were there until about 10:30. They were really good and took me right in and we didn't have to wait. They said that I was dehydrated so they gave me an IV of fluids, demoral for my migraine, and then Phenergan for the nausea. I felt better until I woke up at 3:30 in the morning with my head killing me just as bad if not worse than before. I took more medicine and laid in bed all day until Mom came and got me. Just about the time we were ready to go to the doctor, my headache magically disappeared! At that point, I didn't feel like sitting in the doctor's office for 2.5 hours so I just had her take me home to Morristown so she could take care of me. So, that's where I am now for a few days until I feel better! The doctor in the ER said that this is quite common and that some women spend their whole first trimester in the hospital or on bed rest. So, I guess it could be worse!

Michael and I are a little disappointed with the perinatal center I am going to and are contemplating switching to another facility that can give me more individualized care. We'll keep you posted!

Catch up

Well, as of today I am 8 weeks pregnant. Our official due date is July 13th, 2008. Today I found out that all of my college roommates from my freshman year are also pregnant and expecting their first child. How weird is that? Julie is due April 8th, Kenzie is due in March 13th, and Cheryl is due around the same time I am due in July (We think the 14th). So, there was my "shout out" to the pregnate rommate club! This is how I found out about the baby blog!

So, Michael and I found out that we were pregnant 3 weeks into the pregnancy. It was an accident and we were not planning it, but I knew there was a "possibility" of "exposure" (if that's what you want to call it) so I started testing as soon as I could. I started taking folic acid "just in case." I took a test on a Monday and it was negative. That very same Friday, I had a positive test. Woopsy! So, that very same day I made a doctor's appointment and went to the Perinatal Center. We were a little concerned at first because I had been taking some medication that could be detrimental to the health and development of the baby. But, at our second visit, we found out that taking it within the first three weeks would not have an effect on the baby! YEAH!! The first ultrasound was so early there was nothing to detect. But, the second one at six weeks yielded a little blob the size of a grain of rice and a REALLY REALLY fast little heart beat. YEAH! IT'S ALIVE!!! Hearing the heart beat for the first time really made everything register.

Aside from hearing the heartbeat, I guess you could say the pregnancy has been "real" to me because from the Sunday after we found out until now I have been super sick. The doctor gave me nausea pills which keep me from throwing up but do not keep me from still feeling like I am about to throw up. Other than that, I have been extremely exhausted. I can't cook, clean, go shopping, or barely drive. I get car sick and tired. I tried going to the store twice. Both times I had to sit down in the floor to rest. I can't really eat either. I'm hungry but as soon as I eat, I feel sick again. And, nothing tastes good. If I do have a food craving, I ask Michael or Mom to run and get it because that usually means I will actually eat. . . and I do! But, cravings are rare right now. I have actually LOST weight since I first got pregnant. The doctor's said that is normal in the first trimester if you are sick a lot.

I tried teaching at first. But, pretty soon it became clear that my body just did not have the energy or the stability to stand up in a classroom of kids all day long. I could barely get out of bed and take a shower! As of November 19th, I have been on medical leave and will be out for the rest of the semester. The doctor's say that I should start feeling better in my second trimester (December 31st - I'm counting the days) and I can start taking my medicine again. So, hopefully, by January 7th, I will be feeling more like myself again and can FUNCTION! Right now I am home in Morristown so that Mom can help take care of me. I'm kind of high maintenance right now. :)

Monday we went to the doctor again. My progesterone levels were low so they had to put me on some pills, which sort of made me more sick. We got to hear the baby's hear beat again. This time it was 7 weeks and four days old so it wanted to make sure we heard it. It was LOUD, FAST, and CLEAR! We found out today that my screening for Cystic Fybrosis came back negative, so that's good!

So, at the time I am writing this, we really haven't told many people that we are pregnant. The first thing the doctor said to me when I saw him was, "You know, one in four women have a miscarriage." And then he proceded to tell me all of the aweful details. I was horrified! It was really hard to be excited with those grim statistics. But, I was told that after establishing a heartbeat, our chances for a miscarriage have gone down to less than 9%. So, I think I feel like it is safe to tell people now.

We have our next visit on the 20th for some more screening and I should have another ultrasound picture then too! I'll be sure to post an update and a new picture if we have one.

I know no one will read this right NOW, but when we share this site, I want to be sure to thank everyone for their prayers and support. We need it! I'm not a huge fan of Hillary Clinton, but I think she was right when she said "It takes a village to raise a child." (Even before they are born!)