I've never been particularly good at falling asleep... sleeping yes, but the act of actually getting to that point, not so much. Ever since I was a teen when I'd decide to go to bed I'd toss and turn for at least 30 mins trying to shut my brain off before I actually get to slumberland. I've heard all the advice and wisdom from everyone who dares to offer it... "well you're just not tired yet so stay up and do something productive".. If I followed that advice I'd likely be up until 2 or 3 or even 4 in the morning every night. No matter of exhausted I get, my brain seems to have to go though this shut down period, where I create the next days to-do list, or reflect upon what happened today, or worry about things I can't control, before it gives up the battle.
The one saving grace for me has always been that I could lie on my tummy, snuggle up with my pillows and just melt into the mattress. I've been a tummy sleeper my whole life, literally (ask my mother). So, imagine my frustration with the fact that the little bun inside of me is no longer allowing this comfortable position. I feel like I'm the princess and the pea. I can't get comfortable. Period. I can't get comfy on my tummy, I can't get comfy on my back, and never having been a side sleeper, that position, either left or right, feels completely awkward and uncomfortable (where are your arms suppose to go?). I've tried the pillows and the blankets and being the big spoon and being the little spoon (cuddle wise with Rob). I've tried flailing about like a star fish, cocooning up into the fetal position, upside-down, right-side up, legs off the bed, feet dangling.... you get the point. Combine the fact that I can't find a comfortable sleeping position with the fact that I still have to get up to pee every 2 hours, and I'm beginning to wonder why they call the second trimester the honeymoon period.. and don't even get my started on the restless legs syndrome!
Yes, I realize its likely going to get worse before it gets better. Then I can trade this problem for the baby waking me up every two hours with its crying, but I must say, so far this has been the most annoying pregnancy symptom of them all. I suppose I should just be happy with the fact that the baby is growing, but man, what I wouldn't give for an uninterrupted 10 hours of sleep on my tummy!
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
14 weeks and growing
The belly seems to be sitting a little higher than it was in the 12 week photo... baby is moving on up :)
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Monthly Check In
I had my monthly check in with the ob today. Everything checked out on track. The results from my ultra sound last week had come back already and he said the baby is growing at a great rate and is healthy. That ultra sound was the first round of IPS screening where they check for down syndrome and neural tube defects. They measure the skin at the back of the baby's neck for thickness. Our measurement came out at 0.9mm and anything under 3mm is considered fantastic. We still have one more round of blood work to complete in 3 weeks before we'll have the official results but everything is looking a-ok.
Finally being into my second trimester he was able to hear the heartbeat via fetal doppler for the first time and I got to listen. That was very exciting. I had seen the heart beat at the ultra sound screens without sound but until your hear it out loud it doesn't seem as real. That made my day.
My favourite thing about this doctor is how prepared he is. I walked out of his office today knowing exactly when my next appointment was, when my next ultra sound was, when I had to go for blood work and with the paperwork to fill out for the hospital pre admitting program. He is always 3 steps ahead which really puts my mind at ease.
I'm really looking forward to the next ultra sound on September 13th as its the day we'll be able to find out the baby's gender. (providing he/she doesn't have its legs crossed) Although we plan on keeping the baby items as gender neutral as possible I feel that finding out the sex will help me with the bonding process.
The one thing I'll be having that most mom's don't get is a fetal echo ultra sound. Its only performed in Kingston and Toronto and its a close up scan of the baby's heart. I had a brother born with a hypo-plastic left heart, which is a rare genetic condition in which the left side of the heart is severely under developed and if not corrected the baby would pass away shortly after birth when the heart chambers close up. This ultra sound is just a safety measure to check and see if he/she possibly has a problem as its much easier to fix if its found before birth. The ultra sound takes place during week 22, so not until the end of September.
Other than that, everything was fairly routine. At this point I haven't gained any weight, although I feel as though I've put on about 10lbs, but the scale says otherwise. Its likely due to the fact that I've completely lost my appetite during the last few weeks but the doctor assures me that's completely normal and that some people in fact lose weight in their first trimester. I'm sure I'll start gaining soon as this little baby is growing so quickly :)
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Boy vs Girl - Old Wives Tale Experiment
The big debate started pretty much the second we discovered I was pregnant. Rob swears its gonna be a boy and I was hoping for a girl. Several of my friends have voiced opinions on the matter and so far were one up for a boy. Two of them are convinced without a doubt that its a girl, but three are convinced its a boy.
Once people find out you're pregnant they start telling you all these wives tales about how to determine the sex before birth. My best friend Jess, using her sister (who has 2 children, a boy and a girl) as a guideline feels that since I have no acne and now morning sickness and last time she saw me I was "glowing" that its definitely a boy.
Our good friends from Mexico, Fransisco and Maria, said that in Mexico when you are pregnant and you hang around young children, if little girls are more drawn to you then you are having a boy, but if little boys are drawn to you then its a girl. To test that theory the following weekend we visit my niece aged 5 and my nephew aged 3 to observe what happens. Immediately when I walked in the door my niece runs up to me and jumps into my arms screaming "Aunt Jenn!" while my nephew following quickly behind her stops short of my arms and asks "Where's Uncle Wobbie?" and then continues running past me straight into his arms. Over the next few hours my niece drags me around the house showing me her room and books and toys while my nephew couldn't care less if I was there.
Thinking maybe this was a fluke situation, we stop by our other friends who have young children. They have a daughter aged 2, who has met me on regular occasions over the last 6 months and never really came close or wanted anything to do with me, but within 20 mins of being there this time she was my shadow. Following me around the house, standing on stairs so she could look at me face to face, wanting up all the time.... Ok, chock one up for a boy if Mexican theory is correct.
With a significant amount of free time on my hands these days and being as curious as it gets, I googled a found a list of the 52 most common wives tales about pregnancy. Now some didn't have anything to do with gender prediction, but I'll highlight some of the ones that did....
As mentioned by Jess the lack of acne points to a boy. Lack of morning sickness also points to a boy. If you craving salty instead of sweet that apparently means a boy. Being that I could not be more turned off by the thought of ice cream and chocolate, but wouldnt pass up a pickle if you offered it to me, I'd say im all about the salty.
More scientifically speaking, if the baby's heartbeat that is lower than 140 bpm, means boy. My baby's has yet to reach 140 bpm, and upon first hearing it registered at 125 bpm.... anyone else becoming convinced?
Carrying high and round vs low and straight out. I know its still early on, but I am carrying low it seems, which again points to a baby boy. That along with being clumsy as heck, which also apparently means a boy.
For giggles my friend Sarah convinced me to do the ring on a string test. Hold the ring over your belly and if it goes straight back and forth its a girl and if it moves in a circle than its a boy.... verdict says, round and round we go for another point in the boy column.
There is an old Mayan tale that says if you add the mothers age at the time of conception along with the year of conception and get an even number its a girl, odd number means a boy. Being that I'm 25 and its 2010, that would make it 2035... odd number. Boy!
One I found rather odd was the skin under your left eye test. If you look in a mirror and pull the skin under your left eye down and see a "v" or "branches" in the white part of your eye than you're having a girl. I have no such V's or branches... that's another boy point.
If you have dreams of your baby during pregnancy and you dream that you are having a boy, you will have a girl. If you dream about having a girl, it will be a boy. Dreams show the opposite of what you are having. In all of my dreams where a baby is involved, the baby has been a little girl. So again, that points to a little boy inside me.
The side you sleep on... If you lay on your left side then its a boy. If you prefer your right side then its a girl. I've always been a left sided sleeper, so I don't know how accurate this one is for me. Plus I've heard that you're suppose to sleep on your left side during pregnancy because its better for the baby. Either way, I suppose this is another win for a boy.
If the father to be gains weight with you, its said to be a girl. If he stays the same then its said to be a boy. Sorry to sell you out on this one Rob but he has recently been complaining that his pants are a little tighter than normal. Finally a point in the girl column!
The majority of women I know hate having to shave their legs. I'm sure the first person to come up with a product that slathers on and comes off and takes the hair with it and doesn't let it grow back for months or better yet, EVER, will have the world at their fingertips. That being said, if you find your leg hair growing even faster than ever while pregnant, that a sign that you're carrying a boy. Being that I should take stocks with Gillette for all the razors and shaving cream I'm having to buy, we're giving the boy pile another point.
They say that if you experience and increase in the amount of headache you have while pregnant that also means a baby boy is on board. My head has pretty much been pounding since the day I conceived. Excuse me while I reach for a tylenol!
And finally, the baby name debate. It is said, that if you can only think of and/or agree upon specific names for one gender of baby then that's the gender you're having. Checking in on our baby name list, we pretty much have one name for a boy. It was one of the firsts mentioned and it hasn't changed. For a girl, we have about 2 dozen names and it changes daily. Guess its a good thing all signs point to boy.
In conclusion to the Old Wives Tale Experiment, we come out of this with a whopping 14 outta 15 points for a boy, and 1 point leaning towards girl. I guess I can start picking out Tonka trucks and dinky cars.
We'll be finding out for sure in a few weeks at the 20 week ultrasound if it is indeed a boy or girl. It will be interesting to see if any of these wives tales ring true.
Once people find out you're pregnant they start telling you all these wives tales about how to determine the sex before birth. My best friend Jess, using her sister (who has 2 children, a boy and a girl) as a guideline feels that since I have no acne and now morning sickness and last time she saw me I was "glowing" that its definitely a boy.
Our good friends from Mexico, Fransisco and Maria, said that in Mexico when you are pregnant and you hang around young children, if little girls are more drawn to you then you are having a boy, but if little boys are drawn to you then its a girl. To test that theory the following weekend we visit my niece aged 5 and my nephew aged 3 to observe what happens. Immediately when I walked in the door my niece runs up to me and jumps into my arms screaming "Aunt Jenn!" while my nephew following quickly behind her stops short of my arms and asks "Where's Uncle Wobbie?" and then continues running past me straight into his arms. Over the next few hours my niece drags me around the house showing me her room and books and toys while my nephew couldn't care less if I was there.
Thinking maybe this was a fluke situation, we stop by our other friends who have young children. They have a daughter aged 2, who has met me on regular occasions over the last 6 months and never really came close or wanted anything to do with me, but within 20 mins of being there this time she was my shadow. Following me around the house, standing on stairs so she could look at me face to face, wanting up all the time.... Ok, chock one up for a boy if Mexican theory is correct.
With a significant amount of free time on my hands these days and being as curious as it gets, I googled a found a list of the 52 most common wives tales about pregnancy. Now some didn't have anything to do with gender prediction, but I'll highlight some of the ones that did....
As mentioned by Jess the lack of acne points to a boy. Lack of morning sickness also points to a boy. If you craving salty instead of sweet that apparently means a boy. Being that I could not be more turned off by the thought of ice cream and chocolate, but wouldnt pass up a pickle if you offered it to me, I'd say im all about the salty.
More scientifically speaking, if the baby's heartbeat that is lower than 140 bpm, means boy. My baby's has yet to reach 140 bpm, and upon first hearing it registered at 125 bpm.... anyone else becoming convinced?
Carrying high and round vs low and straight out. I know its still early on, but I am carrying low it seems, which again points to a baby boy. That along with being clumsy as heck, which also apparently means a boy.
For giggles my friend Sarah convinced me to do the ring on a string test. Hold the ring over your belly and if it goes straight back and forth its a girl and if it moves in a circle than its a boy.... verdict says, round and round we go for another point in the boy column.
There is an old Mayan tale that says if you add the mothers age at the time of conception along with the year of conception and get an even number its a girl, odd number means a boy. Being that I'm 25 and its 2010, that would make it 2035... odd number. Boy!
One I found rather odd was the skin under your left eye test. If you look in a mirror and pull the skin under your left eye down and see a "v" or "branches" in the white part of your eye than you're having a girl. I have no such V's or branches... that's another boy point.
If you have dreams of your baby during pregnancy and you dream that you are having a boy, you will have a girl. If you dream about having a girl, it will be a boy. Dreams show the opposite of what you are having. In all of my dreams where a baby is involved, the baby has been a little girl. So again, that points to a little boy inside me.
The side you sleep on... If you lay on your left side then its a boy. If you prefer your right side then its a girl. I've always been a left sided sleeper, so I don't know how accurate this one is for me. Plus I've heard that you're suppose to sleep on your left side during pregnancy because its better for the baby. Either way, I suppose this is another win for a boy.
If the father to be gains weight with you, its said to be a girl. If he stays the same then its said to be a boy. Sorry to sell you out on this one Rob but he has recently been complaining that his pants are a little tighter than normal. Finally a point in the girl column!
The majority of women I know hate having to shave their legs. I'm sure the first person to come up with a product that slathers on and comes off and takes the hair with it and doesn't let it grow back for months or better yet, EVER, will have the world at their fingertips. That being said, if you find your leg hair growing even faster than ever while pregnant, that a sign that you're carrying a boy. Being that I should take stocks with Gillette for all the razors and shaving cream I'm having to buy, we're giving the boy pile another point.
They say that if you experience and increase in the amount of headache you have while pregnant that also means a baby boy is on board. My head has pretty much been pounding since the day I conceived. Excuse me while I reach for a tylenol!
And finally, the baby name debate. It is said, that if you can only think of and/or agree upon specific names for one gender of baby then that's the gender you're having. Checking in on our baby name list, we pretty much have one name for a boy. It was one of the firsts mentioned and it hasn't changed. For a girl, we have about 2 dozen names and it changes daily. Guess its a good thing all signs point to boy.
In conclusion to the Old Wives Tale Experiment, we come out of this with a whopping 14 outta 15 points for a boy, and 1 point leaning towards girl. I guess I can start picking out Tonka trucks and dinky cars.
We'll be finding out for sure in a few weeks at the 20 week ultrasound if it is indeed a boy or girl. It will be interesting to see if any of these wives tales ring true.
12 week baby bump
As we finally approach the second trimester (which seemed to take forever to get here) I thought I would post a picture of the changes that have occurred since I posted the 8 week photo. Things are finally beginning to take on a more pregnant shape. I'm still carrying quite low so we'll see if that changes. They say the most noticeable changes occur during the next 2 months, so I'm looking forward to seeing my bump get larger and larger with every passing week.
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
12 Week Ultrasound!
We made it to the 12 week ultrasound. It was fascinating to see how much the baby had grown from the 6 week ultrasound. He waved at u s and kicked his feet and we were able to see his tiny heart beating away. What a moment! So glad Rob was finally able to be in the room for this ultrasound. It made his day!
Monday, July 19, 2010
Finally Registered!
Yesterday on our way home from a Wedding in the Niagara Region, Rob and I decided to stop at Babies r us and set up our registry. My best friend Jess is already in the process of organizing a baby shower for sometime in November, and wanted to include the registry number on the invitations that she will be sending out in the next few weeks.
After being assigned a number, given a list and being passed a magic wand (scanner) that would add all items we pointed to onto our registry we set out amongst the aisles to load up on baby items.
The first few clicks were easy. We scanned a crib and a change table, easily picked out the bedding theme and decor items. Thinking to ourselves that this was easy, we continued down the list onto other major items. We found a stroller travel system, a play pen and a high chair. Thinking the most difficult decisions were behind us, we headed to the front of the store where things drastically took a change.
Bottles.... we stand staring at a wall that appears to go on forever, jaws dropped, in stunned silence. How can there be this many options? How are you suppose to choose? Plastic or glass? Vented or Angled? Silicone or Rubber nipples? Natural touch or Eco Friendly? Playtex or Avent or Nuk or Tommee Tippee or Mam?? The choices really were overwhelming. Same goes for pacifiers. All we really could do was scan a few different brands and different type varieties and hope we made a decent choice. The baby is really going to be the one deciding in the end.
We moved on, trying to recover, to clothing. It was hard not to buy everything we touched. The clothing options were just adorable! The only hard part here was trying to find gender neutral items. Even though we plan on finding out the sex of our baby, we still want to try and keep the majority of items gender neutral in case our second child is the opposite sex of our first. We really don't want to be buying another stroller or playpen if we happen to have a boy first and a girl second.
After scanning at least 165 items we decided to call it a day. We handed in our scanner and the associate printed out our list and gave us a gift bag. It was filled with 2 types of bottles, some soaps and baby creams, tons of coupons and samples of diapers and wipes. We have officially started stock piling for the baby. I just really hope we don't run out of room before he/she gets here!
After being assigned a number, given a list and being passed a magic wand (scanner) that would add all items we pointed to onto our registry we set out amongst the aisles to load up on baby items.
The first few clicks were easy. We scanned a crib and a change table, easily picked out the bedding theme and decor items. Thinking to ourselves that this was easy, we continued down the list onto other major items. We found a stroller travel system, a play pen and a high chair. Thinking the most difficult decisions were behind us, we headed to the front of the store where things drastically took a change.
Bottles.... we stand staring at a wall that appears to go on forever, jaws dropped, in stunned silence. How can there be this many options? How are you suppose to choose? Plastic or glass? Vented or Angled? Silicone or Rubber nipples? Natural touch or Eco Friendly? Playtex or Avent or Nuk or Tommee Tippee or Mam?? The choices really were overwhelming. Same goes for pacifiers. All we really could do was scan a few different brands and different type varieties and hope we made a decent choice. The baby is really going to be the one deciding in the end.
We moved on, trying to recover, to clothing. It was hard not to buy everything we touched. The clothing options were just adorable! The only hard part here was trying to find gender neutral items. Even though we plan on finding out the sex of our baby, we still want to try and keep the majority of items gender neutral in case our second child is the opposite sex of our first. We really don't want to be buying another stroller or playpen if we happen to have a boy first and a girl second.
After scanning at least 165 items we decided to call it a day. We handed in our scanner and the associate printed out our list and gave us a gift bag. It was filled with 2 types of bottles, some soaps and baby creams, tons of coupons and samples of diapers and wipes. We have officially started stock piling for the baby. I just really hope we don't run out of room before he/she gets here!
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Dreams gone wild
Now fully into my 10th week of pregnancy, the one symptoms that stands out above all others, is the very vivid dreams I experience nightly. I've always been an active dreamer, but very rarely do I remember the details upon waking.
This past week alone, I dreamt that I slept for 2 days straight (should have been waking up monday but the cell phone said it was Tuesday already). I've been golfing with Ryan Phillippe and Leonardo DiCaprio. I've escaped to a historic mountain resort somewhere in the Rockies with 20 people I've never met before in my life and I've had a dream that I was being attacked by a murderer and 911 couldn't locate my address, so I was forced to kill him myself, with a cleaver..... Obviously the latter being among the strangest dream thus far.
This past week alone, I dreamt that I slept for 2 days straight (should have been waking up monday but the cell phone said it was Tuesday already). I've been golfing with Ryan Phillippe and Leonardo DiCaprio. I've escaped to a historic mountain resort somewhere in the Rockies with 20 people I've never met before in my life and I've had a dream that I was being attacked by a murderer and 911 couldn't locate my address, so I was forced to kill him myself, with a cleaver..... Obviously the latter being among the strangest dream thus far.
The thing about these dreams is while they are occurring it feels completely real. I can hear myself having conversations and feel the differences in air temperature or if I'm holding something. Its quite the experience.
I've read that this is completely normal during pregnancy, likely due to the increased hormone activity, and its nothing to worry about, so I won't worry. For now ill just rest my head knowing ill be taken to places far away from home where I'll meet plenty of new people. Perhaps in one of these dreams I'll be able to meet my unborn baby :)
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Beginnings of a Baby Bump - 8 week photo
I've heard that some people pop early and I appear to be one of those people. Checking in with my mom and how her pregnancies were, she also started to pop around the 8 week mark, so I guess as my family goes, I'm right on track. I can't wait to get to the stage where its extremely noticeable that I'm pregnant and not just looking like I've had to many cookies :)
OB or Midwife???
I had my first visit with my OB last week. Back when I found out that I was pregnant I tried to get into him, but had to wait 3.5 weeks because he was so busy. I ended up seeing a midwife in the meantime who went over my general health and ordered the two ultra sounds already posted.
When I arrived at the OB's office, this nurse weighed me and ushered me into a private room to wait for the Doctor. I maybe waited 5 mins before he arrived. He went over full family history, mine as well as Rob's, and asked plenty of questions about symptoms and feelings on pregnancy. He manged to have copies of my ultrasounds and informed me I was further along then originally though. I was now officially 8 weeks instead of 7. He answered all our questions and was very personable. Before I left his office he had ordered my 12 week ultrasound, and set an appointment with him for the week following to discuss the results and check in for my monthly appointment. He ordered a full round of blood work and a physical as it hadn't been done by my regular Doctor.
Rob and I walked out of there impressed with how on the ball this doctor was. We knew exactly what the next few steps in the process were and what we could expect from him in terms of being available for the birth and how ofter we would have appointments during the pregnancy.
Having been to both the OB and the Midwife, we are now trying to decide which route to take. Providing the pregnancy is normal and low risk, there is no reason a midwife wouldn't be completely capable of the job. Part of me is partial to the midwife for the fact that they are more likely to be the one attending the birth, and they have excellent post birth care... the OB on the other hand likely wont be the one attending the birth, as he is only available between 8am and 6pm on weekdays, and he doesn't see the baby after birth, you have to return to your regular doctor right away (which for me is out of town). On the other hand, the OB was much more on top of his game in regards to booking the next appointments and discussing the ultrasound results with me, whereas the Midwife has yet to book a next appointment and I haven't even heard the results of my last ultrasound from them, which they ordered.
We really are unsure of what to do, so for now we are going to make it through our 12 week ultrasound, and providing everything is normal, we will decide from there.
When I arrived at the OB's office, this nurse weighed me and ushered me into a private room to wait for the Doctor. I maybe waited 5 mins before he arrived. He went over full family history, mine as well as Rob's, and asked plenty of questions about symptoms and feelings on pregnancy. He manged to have copies of my ultrasounds and informed me I was further along then originally though. I was now officially 8 weeks instead of 7. He answered all our questions and was very personable. Before I left his office he had ordered my 12 week ultrasound, and set an appointment with him for the week following to discuss the results and check in for my monthly appointment. He ordered a full round of blood work and a physical as it hadn't been done by my regular Doctor.
Rob and I walked out of there impressed with how on the ball this doctor was. We knew exactly what the next few steps in the process were and what we could expect from him in terms of being available for the birth and how ofter we would have appointments during the pregnancy.
Having been to both the OB and the Midwife, we are now trying to decide which route to take. Providing the pregnancy is normal and low risk, there is no reason a midwife wouldn't be completely capable of the job. Part of me is partial to the midwife for the fact that they are more likely to be the one attending the birth, and they have excellent post birth care... the OB on the other hand likely wont be the one attending the birth, as he is only available between 8am and 6pm on weekdays, and he doesn't see the baby after birth, you have to return to your regular doctor right away (which for me is out of town). On the other hand, the OB was much more on top of his game in regards to booking the next appointments and discussing the ultrasound results with me, whereas the Midwife has yet to book a next appointment and I haven't even heard the results of my last ultrasound from them, which they ordered.
We really are unsure of what to do, so for now we are going to make it through our 12 week ultrasound, and providing everything is normal, we will decide from there.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)