Migraine and a Dark Line

Well today I have a migraine...I rarely got them before...very rare...so who knows where this came from. I am sitting in my office with no lights on and my sunglasses on....I look very cool! I tried to rest it off this morning, but it is a no-go. I was given a list of approved over the counter meds from my doctor...so if it is not better by the time I go home, I'll take some Tylenol.

My Mom said that when she was pregnant with my brother she got migranes quite frequently...shoul've known he was going to be trouble! (haha...just kidding James!) So perhaps this could be the sign of a boy?? Who knows....only 10 more weeks till we find out (ugh..seems like forever).

In the meantime, I noticed today that I have what is called 'linea nigra'...aka... Dark Line (creative, right?). It is a line from my belly button down. I've heard a couple people get this. It is apparently more common in darker-pigmented people (not as common in fair skinned peeps)...so I guess I have my Italian roots to thank? It can be caused by a lack of folic acid....I am getting some through my prenatal vitamin, but I will go home and eat some leafy greens just to be safe. :) However, it is also rumored that this is a sign of a boy...hmmmm....

Not showing yet...just an extra layer of 'chub' I've created by being car sick and stopping at fast food places...although I am stopping that...it's bad news eating all that bad stuff.

Other than that, there is nothing too new here!!! Just staying happy and pregnant!!!

My 1st OB appointment

Today John and I went to our first OB appointment.

We reviewed medical history....I had an exam and then we got another ultrasound...the absolute BEST ONE YET!!!!!!!!!!!

So we saw the heartbeat right away....then our eyes were quickly taken by what finally appears to be a baby!!!

Oh, we saw a head with two parts of a big brain, two eyes, a nose and a mouth...however the picture doesn't show it as well as in person.

We saw arms...look at those long arms...looks like he or she is going through a roller coaster...weeee!!! And look at those beautiful fingers!!! Our baby was waving to us!

We saw legs....long legs (go figure with John being 6'4 and me 5'7).

But one of the even better parts of it was we SAW THE BABY MOVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Oh it was soooooooooooo cool....The baby was wiggling around and around....John and I were laughing...we were just so tickled by this! I think we have a gymnast on our hands (John claims a football player)!

Our doctor was wonderful...very nice, bubbly, informative...all around wonderful. She is one of seven doctors that will be at the hospital to deliver the baby....so that being said, each doctor appt. going forward I am going to try and meet each of the doctors...I don't necessarily want some strange girl or guy being a huge part of the best day of our lives without having met them at some point. That being said...I really hope that I like all of them!!!

Our doctor did inform us that the gender is 50% boy or 50% girl. Ahaha!!!!

We got a 'gift bag' full of goodies on behalf of Enfamil. So while I plan on breastfeeding...I would like to thank them for a gift! I got a mini-journal to keep track of doctor appts. and random daily things. :) And as an early 3rd trimester gift I got a travel bag complete with a free sample of Similac. So I guess I will keep in on hand just in case for some reason I am not able to breastfeed...as I've heard that formula is sooo expensive...any free sample will help. :)

It is so cool to have a few little baby things around the house.

Watching our baby move was just the absolute coolest thing to see to date. The pregnancy just got a little more real for me. I so wish they would allow us to take a video...I would love nothing more than to watch our baby move any time of the day I wish...until I can feel the baby...I will just have to daydream about it. :)

Week 10

Okay so, Saturday the 5th marked my official 10 Week milestone (every week is a milestone to me).

The morning sickness has lessened....I still get it, but it is not nearly as severe as it was the last couple weeks....however the car sickness is just not good. If I am on straight highway, I am fine...however stoplights, stop signs and traffic are just a kick in the pants!

I haven't had to fly yet for my job....but the time will come in mid-May, if not sooner....so I am really hoping that flying is not as bad....and am hoping in general that the morning sickness and car sickness comes to a halt! :)

While up in Wisconsin this weekend, my nieces did the 'Pencil Test' and the test claims that I am having a girl this time....then I'll have a boy, then another girl (the same order my Mom had her kids!).

We'll see if it was right....

I can drink milk!

Most people can drink milk though, right?????

So, right before I got married, I was diagnosed with Chron's disease...ick. Since then I've had to take at least 12 pills a day...sometimes it was 16. I believe they caught it fairly soon as I've heard some cases are a lot worse than mine.

With the Chron's did come some eating restrictions. The restrictions are not the same with every person...you kind of had to figure them out on your own.


I had always love milk, but that was one of the first things to go. Sad, but hey, 'paying for it' when I drank it was not really worth it.


I had always asked my Gastroenterologist (Chron's doctor) what would happen when I got pregnant. He mentioned that I should keep taking my pills and that it was anyone's guess how I would respond. Apparently 33% of women get much worse with Chron's when they're pregnant...33% stay about the same....and 33% got better.


I am happy to report that SO FAR I am in the 33% that got better....my first test, I can drink MILK!!!!!


In the past 7 years, John and I would buy a half gallon and sometimes that would go 'bad'. Now we go through a gallon well before the expiration date! I hope that I'm able to drink milk after the baby arrives as well....I've missed it. :)

Boy was I WRONG!!!!

Okay, so I will admit that the prenatal vitamin made me nausea a lot worse (thanks for the tip Kelly about the vitamin, iron and calcium!)....it definitely was not the only cause.

The past 2 mornings and half of the afternoon and sometimes part of the evening I've been nauseous. Since I've been nauseous, I've slept in an extra 2 hours each morning (very thankful I have flexible hours at work)....however this morning I had to get to work early....I woke up after eating a saltine or two....and I rolled out of bed and brushed my teeth. YIKES...one false move of the toothbrush (which is fine all other times) and that was it....I will spare the details, however John (being the ever so supportive one he is) mentioned something along the lines of 'it sounded like I was being attacked by aliens'. And this was inbetween laughter and actually sincere comments. :) Love ya!

I think I figured it out

So during the week my commute in the mornings is a killer and then the next 5-6 hours is no picnic either. However, today it was different. True, it is Spring Break and there was a ton less traffic (so less stop and go)....but today I was not sick on my way to work. Then I realized that I had not yet taken my pills...which consist of 6 pills for Chron's (that I will take for the rest of my life), prenatal vitamin, baby aspirin (that I will take until 12 weeks of pregnancy), and an iron supplement pill (since I have low iron).

I took the pills after I got to work and within 10 minutes didn't feel well. I have heard that other pregnant women have gotten sick from their prenatal vitamins so it is not uncommon.

I am going to start taking my pill at night...hopefully that should help. :)

Second Ultrasound!!!

Isn't he or she beautiful? Okay, so after you take the black and white ultrasound picture and scan it, you do kind of lose some of the zest....but I'll try and fix that tomorrow...

We had our second ultrasound today and our exit interview with our fertility clinic. It was great! We were taken in right away and as soon as she got the ultrasound fired up, there our baby was....twice as big as last time!!!! We sat and stared at the beautiful black & white picture on the screen and watched that heart go crazy! The nurse was kind enough to keep the screen tilted my direction and take her measurements (usually the pull the screen away, then bring it back when they're done).

So we were able to see how she measures the baby from 'crown to rump' (I've read that as soon as the tail disappears in a couple weeks they baby will then be measured 'crown to toe'...but right now there's a tail). Then we got to see how the heartbeat was calculated...it was so neat. So, they zoom in real close on the heart (which was beating so beautifully) then she pushes some button and the screen splits in half...on one half you see the baby and the heart beating and the other half of the screen has a BUNCH of lines running across the screen. It was very confusing...but John was able to pick up pretty quickly how the heartbeat was in fact being measured. Every time the heart beat a little gray-ish black circle would appear in between these many lines. Then she would measure from one circle to the other...and presto it told us that the baby's heart was beating at 154 beats per minute...EXCELLENT! (Way to go little baby!) Anything above 100 is out of the 'scare' zone. Last time the heartbeat was 120 bpm....and we were told that it would get stronger...and it did!!!!! Woo-hoo!!!

We brought our camera (which has a video camera on it) and asked if we could take a video of the heartbeating. She did have to leave the room to ask and we were told no for liability reasons...but we tried; we thought it would be cool. I suppose that memory would just have to stay with John and I; we will cherish it forever.

So then we met with Dr. Jacobs for our exit appt. He walked in the room and said 'Thank You'....he thanked us for not making a liar out of him. He said that with a girl young as me with great quality embryos he was still so surprised that we didn't get pregnant in October. In our post-negative result visit, he mentioned that a 'girl my age with great embryos' typically takes 2 tries to get pregnant with IVF. That did put some pressure on.....but we pulled through!

At the time of our appointment I was a bit nauseous (still haven't thrown up yet, but I do get nauseous about 4-5 hours throughout the day)...so Dr. Jacobs suggested a 'sea-sick bracelet' (which oddly enough, John's sister, Sandy had just suggested it this past weekend when I got so car sick going up to the Chili party). So ran out to get one...we'll see how it works tomorrow.

Dr. Jacobs mentioned that the baby was growing at a great pace. The baby measured 15mm - just between a half-inch and three-quarters....right on target with my daily book.

He also mentioned that 97% of miscarriages would have happened by now...so we shouldn't worry.

I did ask if the heartbeat could read anything into boy or girl at any point....he said 'have you ever heard of the term B. S.?' Hahaha! Okay, okay....I know that many people says it works, but I also know several people that have said it was fast, but a boy or vice versa. He said that we'd have a better chance of guessing the gender this early on by throwing a dart on a board.

OOh, ooh.....one other cool thing...I mentioned that I couldn't wait to see the arms and legs (right now the book says they resemble 'paddles'). The tech said well, let's see....and there they were....tiny, tiny little arms....I swear the baby was waving to us showing off his/her proud little arms!!! It was very exciting!

Despite all these wonderful things, this is still such a surreal experience. When I see the baby on the monitor, it is so cool to think that this baby is actually inside of me. But on a daily basis and even almost every second that I think about it...I still can't believe it!!! I just keep thinking...patience....for over half the pregnancy I'll be able to feel the baby move and I cannot wait for that feeling!

After the appointment, I went back to work and told everybody at work....only a couple people knew. Everybody was very excited for us. They hadn't known how long we've actually been trying (since I've been there just under a year)....so I briefed them on the story, but it's still so much more. :) I was very excited!!!!!

We are so blessed.

The fruits begin....

So mid-last week, I stopped at Babies R Us. I wanted to get a pregnancy journal (even though I am posting most things here). I found one that goes day by day and tells me what is happening with the baby....it is great!

So today.....the baby is about 1/3 inch big....our baby can fit in a dime.....or is the size of a blueberry!!!! I've heard from friends that books often measure your baby's size in fruits. Up until now the baby has been a sesame seed...then a grain of rice...then a lentil bean. So we are finally in the fruits! I can't wait to read which fruit is next!

I heard that the baby is growing so fast that if the baby grew as fast after it is born as it is doing now, the baby would be 15 feet tall by the end of the first month! Holy smokes!!!! I'm glad the baby stops growing that fast....already I think that babies grow so fast as it is in their first year!

While I was at the book counter at Babies R Us, I found a book for John. It is called 'What to Expect when your Wife's Expanding!'. It appeared to be a pretty humorous book, so I got it for him 'from the baby' stating that the baby wants to make sure that you take good care of mommy. John read pretty much the whole thing in one night and the book is currently on his nightstand...I'm so glad that he's so excited about this baby (he better be!) and is involved to know what is going on. I probably should have read some of the book first so I knew what comments to expect. The book is meant to be humorous for the guys and give the advice on things...but John was laughing a little too much at some parts....but didn't necessarily want to share the 'secrets' of the book too soon...Hmmm.... :)

I did take a quick stroll around the rest of the store....man, there is a lot of stuff out there! John and I are going to take a visit there soon just to check it all out together to get our minds rolling and to get even more excited!

It was bound to happen....right??

Yes...morning sickness appears to have set in.

So, I have never truly been the best back seat car rider (I'd like to thank my Dad for passing this on)...however, in the past few years, I have found different 'ways' to make things better and have been able to tolerate the back seat pretty well in most circumstances.

A week after the implantation transfer on Feb. 14th, I was in New York on business and had to ride in the backseat for about 10 minutes 2 times a day. It made me pretty nauseous and while it was winter there, I forced the other 3 guys in the car to put the air on (cool air blowing on my face makes things a bit better)...although for about an hour after we arrived, I still didn't feel so great. I really didn't think much of it.

The other day on lunch, I traveled 3 miles away from work with 2 other girls from the office. I did ask to sit in the front seat since it was very sunny and warm out (and typically that is when I'm at my worst in the back seat). For just that short ride there and back...I didn't feel well for at least another hour or so after I got back...hmmm.

Then this past Saturday, John and I drove up to enjoy a Chili-cook off party at Andy & Brittany's (which was quite yummy by the by...). I looked at about 3 pages of pictures in my magazine....and uh, didn't feel well at all. John pulled over and got me some 7up and some salty fries. It helped a little, but it felt like a long hour and a half ride!!!

So I thought, okay...perhaps car rides are not the best. Truly the past couple days I had even noticed when I drive if I am changing lanes or merging and have to spin my head around quickly, it hasn't felt the greatest...but I could still tolerate it...

Then Sunday morning came...okay, everything's fine...ate breakfast and we were getting ready for puppy school for Buddy....then Buddy (who we could tell wasn't feeling well) threw up. Thankfully I did not see it...and John typically cleans it up (thanks John!!!). It wasn't too long afterwards, that I started to not feel so hot myself. And I don't think it was just cuz Buddy wasn't feeling well....normally it grosses me out, but this was just different. I never 'tossed my cookies'...and I only spent a little time next to the 'big throne', but mainly I just laid on the couch with my eyes closed and half-slept. It lasted a couple hours....and after I felt better, I started feeling bad again. But I think about 3 hours later, I was good to go. (And for those of you wondering, by the evening Buddy was feeling better too....he got a hold of one of my ice packs from the shot we do at night for me....and tore a hole in it...so I think he got some of the gel...it is not toxic, but it still probably didn't sit too well. It was my fault and I felt really bad about it....and John didn't let me forget all day that I made our dog sick...thanks John.)

This morning, I slept extra late....it's not that I didn't necessarily feel bad, but I didn't necessarily feel great either. After I showered and started getting ready...the nauseous feeling came to get me....again, nothing 'transpired', but the feeling was there. Luckily, it didn't last too long...only about 30 minutes...then a couple of random, very small snacks helped a bit more.

So, we'll see how this goes. While nobody ever wants to 'feel' nauseous....I still feel super blessed to have this experience and would go through whatever symptom it takes for this little baby to get here!!!!! John is wonderful and has been taking good care of me...he's been really great.

So I suppose it's time for me to go back to my books and tips & tricks that I buzzed right over about morning sickness. I kept thinking I don't have it...no worries! Then I found out from a couple friends and my sister-in-law, Melissa, that you don't necessarily get it right away (I thought you did...so I thought I was in the clear....nope!).

(In case anybody is paying super close attention...I started this post yesterday...then started getting nauseous...and finished it up Monday morning. So it says it was posted on Sunday...and I reference 'today' as Monday....so it could be confusing if you were paying that close of attention...)

Update

So after I got my results and beautiful ultrasound picture on Monday, my nurse called to tell me that there was a misunderstanding with when I was getting discharged (kicked out) from the fertility clinic. I thought I was getting kicked out on Tuesday, which in my mind was WAY too early...and I had expressed my thoughts on this to both my nurses and finally they must have realized just how right I was.

So my next and last appointment with the fertility clinic is next Thursday, March 20th at Noon. I will have another ULTRASOUND...yay...I am SO excited about that! I wonder how much he or she grew?? On that date I will be just a couple of days shy of 8 weeks...so I'm expecting to see a little bit more than a shrimp. Of course, I will be excited just to see that little heart beating again.

The nurse did mention that I was also going to have bloodwork done (very typical of these visits), but that they were going to stop measuring my HcG levels as they usually plateau once a heartbeat is found. That's good for me....because otherwise, I will keep comparing those numbers and I don't want to worry if it doesn't double in a specific timeframe... :)

Let's see....no morning sickness to report. I'm tired more on some days and other times I am just as tired as I was before I was pregnant. Some days it seems I am soooo hungry and other days, I am hungry just like normal. I am trying to eat more fruits and vegetables and drink milk. I love milk, however with my Chron's diagnosis back in 2000 I learned that drinking milk really upset my stomach and made me feel just awful. Since I've learned I was pregnant, I've drank several glasses of milk throughout the couple weeks and have felt fine. Sometimes it makes me bloated, but for the most part it is okay. I've also started letting yogurt back in my diet...and that is working well too. I really don't ever 'need' sweets. Before I was pregnant, there were definitely times that I would eat a cookie or brownie....but now, I see it and think....eh, I don't really feel like that taste right now. Which makes me sad, cuz I know they're so delicious...but happy, cuz I know that wouldn't help with gaining weight!

It is weird....I talk about this and it's so weird to know that there is a little person inside my belly. John and I love to look at the ultrasound picture...we both smile huge when we see the little baby on the picture....but it's still so surreal to me that there is actually a live, growing, beautiful baby inside me. I think once I start showing and feeling the baby move then it will become a bit more 'real'.

First Ultrasound!!!

It's a BABY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (with a heartbeat)

(In the picture, you will see a black circle...that is the yolk sac where the baby will hang out. Inside the black circle is the baby...the picture on paper is a bit clearer....but essentially that is the baby...I couldn't begin to tell where everything else is as you saw in my last post everything is still growing right now). :)

Haha....yes, we have one little miracle in there. The ultrasound tech looked around for a second one....but low and behold we will have one bundle of joy in November. We couldn't be more excited! We had a feeling it was one and honestly when she showed us the heart flutter I forgot to even look to see if there was a second one...I just thought it was the coolest thing ever!!!

So the baby kind of looks like a little shrimp. The baby is measuring at 4.7mm long...right on target for 6 weeks, one day (give or take a day....which puts us at Nov. 1st...our due date).

She turned the screen so John and I could see and right away I saw the heart. It is very small, but kind of glows and is beating fast! The tech said that the heartbeat was about 120bpm (beats per minute)...which is practically perfect! The range is usually between 90-160, so we're looking good! She said the heartbeat will probably get faster in the coming weeks.

Oh it was just so cool. I shed a tear as she was getting all other kinds of measurements, just thinking about how real it is all becoming. When you don't show and don't have strong symptoms like morning sickness, you just wonder constantly....and me especially since it's been such a long wait already; I am so paranoid. But now that we've seen the heartbeat we can see that things are moving along just fabulously! I just want to have an ultrasound machine at home and watch the baby grow all the time!!! There is so much that happens every week...at least the Internet has all kinds of good information out there to tell me each week what is happening.

Oh yay!!!!

Week 6

Yay, this past Saturday I was 6 weeks along....hooray!!!!

This week I've ready that the baby's heart is 'built' and working. The baby is about a quarter of an inch long and has dark spots where the eyes and nostrils will be....the baby has little marks for ears and the arms and legs are protruding buds! All the little organs are being built as we speak (I hope this poor baby doesn't get my icky Chron's).

What is amazing to me is how all that can be happening in a quarter of an inch long baby!!!! It is truly, truly a miraculous event and I am so excited that we are able to experience it.

Ultrasound Postponed

So, we decided to postpone the ultrasound to Monday (it was the original date we were going to do it anyway). Apparently my insurance (while amazing coverage) wants me to have an ultrasound at 6 weeks, then get 'kicked out' of the fertility center. So after long talks with the nurse, we think it is in our best interest to SEE the heartbeat before I get the boot....so we decided to give the baby (or babies) a couple of more days to make their heartbeat super strong so we can see it on Monday.

I thought I would be more bummed having to wait...but I know I would've been just crushed if I wouldn't have seen the heartbeat today....and would have to wait until my OB could 'hear' it....I would be a nervous wreck...and that's just not healthy for anybody.

In the meantime, I am a very hungry lady!!! Although, the baby does not have any specific tastes...so I am finding it a bit difficult to see what to shove down my throat! Right now crackers and grapes are pretty good fallbacks. :)

No morning sickness to report....so that's great!

Okay, I'll post the ultrasound picture on Monday after we get a good look!!!

3rd Test - STILL Pregnant!!!

Okay, so I must admit that while I've had the last two pregnancy tests and my levels were good....it is still such an UNBELIEVABLE feeling to still be pregnant. I mean, I truly think all ladies out there that got pregnant right away were so lucky. But, really sitting down and thinking about the last 5 years of trying so many things and just 'waiting'.....well we just feel so incredibly blessed to finally experience this magical time! Sorry I sound so corny, but it's just so hard to believe.

So two of my good friends, Abbey & Kelly, insisted that even though I've had some positive blood tests, I should still pee on some 'sticks'.....so after my 3rd positive blood test....I did!!!!! And it was very exciting to see the word 'Pregnant' for once!!!!!!
Yes, today I had my 3rd pregnancy test to check all my levels...especially since last time my progesterone went down a bit. My results were as follows:
HCG=1,352 (up from 189 on Thursday...anything above 800 would have been just lovely)
Estrogen=1,180 (up from 829 on Thursday...still very good!!!)
Progesterone=35.7 (up from 27.7 on Thursday, which is very good!)

Wow, so it looks like so far this kid (or kids) is sticking! How exciting!!!

Next steps...
On Friday (yes, this Friday, 3.7.08 we have our first ultrasound!!!). I thought we'd have to wait until the following Monday, however they surprised me today with scheduling it for Friday...awesome!!! On this date, I will be 5 weeks and 6 days along....crazy!

Then the following Tuesday (3.11.08) we have our exit appt. with Dr. Jacobs our fertility doctor...ah....they're kicking us out of the fertility clinic already! Things are moving so quickly from this end...I've developed sort of a comfort zone with that place....although, trust me I am glad to leave on these excellent circumstances!

Now, however I need to find myself an OB!!!! After we had switched insurance companies, my primary care doc (who is on maternity leave right now) gave me the referral to the fertility clinic...and I bypassed the OB. Plus I want to switch hospitals to the one that is closest to our house....so much to do before next week....I don't just want to pick any random schmo to deliver my miracle baby!!!!

Today was also the first day that I felt a little queasy....had I not been pregnant, I would've thought I was getting the flu. Hey, I'll take any symptom just as long as I have a healthy and successful pregnancy!

Later! I'll be sure to post the 1st baby ultrasound on Friday!

Paige

2nd Test Results - Thursday!

So on Thursday, 2/28 I had a second pregnancy test. The goal of this blood draw is to make sure that you are still pregnant and that all the levels are rising...in fact, the HCG should double every 48 hours.

In the afternoon, I got the call. Yes, I was still pregnant! Yay...it hadn't been a dream!

My HCG, which was 66 on 2/26 had almost tripled to 189!!!! Great!
My estrogen, which was 150 on 2/26 had done a lot and was now 829!!!! Holy smokes!
My progesterone, which was 34 on 2/26 had actually gone down and was now 27.7.

The nurse mentioned that both the estrogen and progesterone can fluctuate, but just to be safe they upped my 'Progesterone in Oil' shot that I get in the butt each night to 1.5 cc (instead of 1cc). Hey, no big deal to me!

I asked if it was too early to tell if there was more than one baby in there (although my numbers are 'higher than normal' they aren't extremely high to scream that there's another baby in there)...and she agreed, she said that the first ultrasound will show if there's one or two... :) At this point, we don't really care either way....we would love one or both...although, I am certain that 2 will be a lot more work! :)

I am due November 2, 2008 and am currently about 4.5 weeks along (since they count from the first day of your last period...although since my cycle was not 'normal' due to IVF they count from date of conception....again not quite normal since my dear embryos were in the freezer....but they know what their doing).....yay!!!!!!

My next appt. in Monday, March 3rd to confirm that my numbers are still doing well....I will post more when I have those results plus the next steps!!!!

Keep on praying!
Paige