Prenatal Blood Screening

Jan/30/2013

13 weeks 5 days

So I got a call from my midwife today to discuss my blood test results. 

I was sure that my iron must be low because I have been more tired than ever, but she told me that my iron levels were the best she had seen in over two years! She also told me what my blood type is and that my haemoglobin, thyroid, and blood clotting factors were excellent. I also tested negative for all STIs and she said that I have nothing to worry about. 

I have to go back in a few more weeks to do my second blood draw to determine if the baby has any chromosomal or neural tube defects. Fingers crossed that those results will be excellent as well. I am confident that they will be, as I saw my baby at 11w4d and it was healthy and perfectly formed then. 

13 Weeks!!!!!

13 Weeks!!!!-Lemon Baby

Jan/25/2013-Jan/31/2013

Size of baby:  Our baby is almost 3 inches long (the size of a medium shrimp) and weighs nearly an ounce.

My baby this week: Fingerprints have formed on your baby's tiny fingertips, his veins and organs are clearly visible through his still-thin skin, and his body is starting to catch up with his head — which makes up just a third of his body size now. If you're having a girl, she now has more than 2 million eggs in her ovaries.

Maternity Clothes: Yes, however I did try on my old jeans to find that they fit perfectly! I guess the bloating is wearing off and the real belly is forming. 

Sleep: I've been sleeping pretty well, although I am still having nightmares sometimes. 

Best Moment of the Week: So many great moments this week! Having my due date moved up a week and getting to hear my baby's heartbeat on the doppler at the midwife's office, as well as getting my gender scan booked, telling the world about our baby, and going baby shopping! 

Movement: The baby is moving around but I can't feel it. 

Food cravings: Whatever I feel I can stomach that day. Sour candies and slurpees always seem to go down well, although not the healthiest thing to eat lol! 

Gender: Not sure yet. Most people tell me they think it's a girl. 

What I Miss: My old clothes. 

What I'm Looking Forward To:  The gender scan on March 15th!!!!!! 

Milestones: Making it to the second trimester!

Emotions: I've been kind of an emotional mess lately-so many hormones is making me crazy sometimes. 

Symptoms:  Nausea, vomiting, acne, exhaustion, dizziness. 

Telling The World

Jan/23/13

12 weeks 5 days

Another very exciting thing that happened today was that we got to tell the world about our baby! Have  you ever tried to keep a pregnancy a secret? Well it is hard...not only due to the obvious physical changes, exhaustion, and vomiting, but also because it is the most exciting thing ever! 

I did end up letting it slip to a lot of people before I made my grand announcement-but now the cat is officially out of the bag! 

Jamie and I were blessed to receive several likes and many positive and congratulatory comments! 

This is the picture we put up on our Facebook:

Second Midwife Appointment

Jan/23/2013

12 weeks 5 days

Today I had my second appointment with the midwife, which proved to be very exciting. 

Firstly they took my blood pressure, which was great, and secondly, they used the Doppler to find the baby's heartbeat! I have never used a Doppler before so it was an exciting experience! When I had my ultrasound, the tech put the probe down very low in my pelvic area and that is where she put the probe today but had to move it higher because my baby is higher! So exciting to know that the baby is growing so much and moving up into my abdomen!!!!! I also got to record the heartbeat and send it to friends and family and I get to listen to it whenever I want! 

They spent a lot of time asking me a bunch of questions that the government uses to collect information for their census-so I was asked questions about my employment and level of education, along with health information. 

They also gave me the forms I need to get all my blood work done. They test you for blood type, STIs, haemoglobin, and they run a separate panel to check for any developmental/neurological problems in the baby. So I'm hoping to go get that done on Friday so I can get it out of the way.

They discussed the results of my ultrasound and they said that based on my scan, my due date has changed a full week!!!!! Which is soooo exciting to know that I just gained a week of pregnancy and that puts me only two days away from the second trimester and one full week closer to finding out the gender! 

So if anyone is wondering why there is no week 12, that is why! 

11 Weeks!

Jan/18/2013

11 weeks-Prune Baby! 

Size of baby:  Just over 1 1/2 inches long and about the size of a fig.

My baby this week: Your baby is now almost fully formed. His hands will soon open and close into fists, tiny tooth buds are beginning to appear under his gums, and some of his bones are beginning to harden.  He's already busy kicking and stretching, and his tiny movements are so effortless they look like water ballet. These movements will become more frequent as his body grows and becomes more developed and functional. You won't feel your baby's acrobatics for another month or two — nor will you notice the hiccupping that may be happening now that her diaphragm is forming.

Maternity Clothes: Yup! Now I can actually feel my belly hardening. 

Sleep: Terrible.  Still getting up every morning to pee but I sleep pretty well. What gets me are the horrible vivid nightmares that freak me out! 

Best Moment of the Week: Having our second ultrasound and finding out that our baby is perfect and healthy and seeing it move! 

Movement: The baby is moving around a lot in there but I can't feel it yet. 

Food cravings: My cravings change everyday. This week I was craving a blue Hawaiian cupcake from    Cupcakes but I never got it. 

Gender: Girl I think. 

What I Miss: Wine. A nice glass of white after a long day of work. 

What I'm Looking Forward To:  My next midwife appointment on Wednesday. 

Milestones: One more week until I make my official announcement. 

Emotions: Less moody this week thankfully. 

Symptoms:  Cramps, acne, round ligament pain, nausea, vomiting, exhaustion. 

Second Ultrasound

Jan/15/2013

10 weeks 4 days

I am ELATED!!!!! 

I just got home from my second ultrasound and now I can breathe a huge sigh of relief! The baby looked perfect! Baby was moving around and I could see their little heart beating away! The heartbeat was 163 BPM and I am measuring three days ahead at 11 weeks exactly. The baby had a perfectly formed little face and body and looked so amazing! 

I can't believe that the baby looked like a little person already with arms and legs and a nose and mouth.  It was by far one of the most amazing things I have ever seen and to know that this little one is growing inside me strong and healthy makes me so happy! 

This Week's Exciting Baby Purchase!

Jan/11/2013

10 weeks 

So today my husband drove over an hour to pick up this amazing glider and ottoman that I found on Craigslist. I have been wanting to get one since before I found out I was pregnant and I was really happy to find it slightly used for way cheaper than the original price! 

It looks so perfect in the nursery and it is the most comfortable chair EVER! I can't wait to sit in it and rock my baby to sleep. 

10 Weeks!

Jan/11/2013-Jan/17/2013

10 weeks-Lime baby! 

My baby this week: Your baby has now completed the most critical portion of his development. This is the beginning of the so-called fetal period, a time when the tissues and organs in his body rapidly grow and mature. He's swallowing fluid and kicking up a storm. Vital organs — including his kidneys, intestines, brain, and liver (now making red blood cells in place of the disappearing yolk sac) — are in place and starting to function, though they'll continue to develop throughout your pregnancy.  If you could take a peek inside your womb, you'd spot minute details, like tiny nails forming on fingers and toes (no more webbing) and peach-fuzz hair beginning to grow on tender skin.  In other developments: Your baby's limbs can bend now. His hands are flexed at the wrist and meet over his heart, and his feet may be long enough to meet in front of his body. The outline of his spine is clearly visible through translucent skin, and spinal nerves are beginning to stretch out from his spinal cord. Your baby's forehead temporarily bulges with his developing brain and sits very high on his head, which measures half the length of his body. From crown to rump, he's about 1 1/4 inches long. In the coming weeks, your baby will again double in size — to nearly 3 inches.

Size of baby:  Though he's barely the size of a kumquat — a little over an inch or so long, crown to bottom — and weighs less than a quarter of an ounce

Maternity Clothes: Exclusively. Even my yoga pants are uncomfortable. 

Sleep: Sleeping a lot and having some crazy dreams. I had a really bad nightmare one night and woke up in tears. 

Best Moment of the Week: Getting my hair cut-It has gotten so dull and dry from pregnancy. And going to see The Hobbit!

Movement: No. 

Food cravings: Been trying to eat more fruit and veggies. Having to eat quite frequently, which is really annoying, especially since I don't have much of an appetite. 

Gender: Not sure. 

What I Miss: Being able to spend all my extra money on me...each paycheque I am buying a few things for the baby. 

What I'm Looking Forward To:  My ultrasound on Tuesday! I will be 10w4d. 

Milestones: My baby is officially a fetus this week!  He graduated from embryo status.

Emotions: Freaking out that something is wrong with the baby and worrying over my upcoming ultrasound. 

Symptoms:  Bloating, acne, dry hair, lack of appetite, nausea, vomiting. 

Does this end? Please tell me it ends!!!!

Jan/9/2013

9 weeks 5 days

Probably the most annoying and frustrating pregnancy symptom I currently have is my constant need to eat. I have been eating all day and it doesn't matter what I eat, I am hungry again like a half hour later! If I keep going at this rate, I will be obese by the time I deliver. I really don't want to gain a whole bunch of extra weight that I have to lose on top of dealing with a newborn. And when I say I have to eat, I mean it. If I don't eat when I start getting hungry then I get very nauseous and I start feeling sick. Hopefully this goes away soon.

Vaxing and Cloth Diapering

Jan/9/2013

9 weeks 5 days 

I'm not even ten weeks pregnant yet and so far I feel so overwhelmed by all these choices I have to make. I know I have seven more months before the baby is due but the pressure is on!

I'm supposed to decide what to do with this little person growing inside me and knowing that I am going to be responsible for someone else's life is very nerve-wracking.

It seems that there are so many more choices when it comes to parenting than there were a few decades ago. I never used to hear about people deciding on whether or not to vaccinate their kids. It seems like everyone just did and that was that. I think it's amazing that there is a cure for life-threatening diseases like meningitis, polio, rubella, measles, and mumps. I feel blessed to live in a place where my children can receive these immunizations for free and be protected from these diseases. I haven't done the research yet for myself so I really don't know why parents choose not to give their children these vaccinations. When I was in high school, a 15 year old got meningitis and died. So...I'm leaning more towards vaccinating. Also, it seems that most children get vaccinated and it is common practise in Canada-I'm trying to have some faith that there are more pros than cons.

I also never used to hear about cloth diapering-as far as i know, that was something of the dark ages. But...more and more mommies out there are choosing this option for their baby. I have done a lot of research on the whole cloth vs. disposable debate and I can say with confidence that cloth diapers are WAY cheaper, environmentally friendly, and healthier for the baby. A parent can save approx. $2000 per baby by cloth diapering. That in itself is a reason to consider it as an option. If you decide to cloth diaper, you need to buy at least 18 diapers with inserts. Also, you need to buy special diaper cream and laundry soap-as regular cream and soap will degrade the diaper. Another item that must be purchased with cloth diapering is a diaper sprayer that you use to spray soiled diapers in the toilet. Other items parents may want to consider getting when using cloth are wet bags, which are reusable and washable fabric bags that you can pet dirty diapers in when you are on the go. Buying cloth wipes are also an option-but that is a lot of commitment. All that said, cloth diapering is a big initial expense. A diapering package like this can easily cost around $500. Even with the long-term savings, there are a lot of cons of cloth diapering. Just like with disposable diapers, a parent may have to try several different brands before they find one that fits their baby properly. Cloth-diapering mom's recommend that you buy 2-3 of several different brands so you can find ones that work the best, but doing this will cost a lot of money and you may end up with a whole bunch of expensive diapers that you can't use. If you find that only a few diapers you bought worked, then you have to spend hundreds more dollars on more diapers. Other cons include doing laundry daily or at least every two days...Can you imagine the stink of diapers that have been sitting for days and having to put that in your washing machine? I also don't relish the thought of scraping poo out of diapers either. Changing diapers is nasty is enough without having to worry about spraying them off and taking them apart to be washed. And are you supposed to be carrying your baby around with you so you can get all this done? Another con is travel and childcare. No one I know would know how to use a cloth diaper, nor would I want to subject anyone who is nice enough to watch my kid to having to deal with cloth diapers. And when it comes to travelling, cloth diapering is not an option, as they have to be washed everyday or two and you can't really do that while "on the road." Even parents who cloth diaper will have to use disposable diapers at some time. And while cloth diapers are much more environmentally friendly-I honestly just don't care enough about the environment to scrape poopy diapers each day-I'll recycle instead.

And then there's the whole controversial topic of circumcision-which I won't get into unless I find out I'm having a boy!