7 wks already...time is flying by!

How your baby's growing:

The big news this week: Hands and feet are emerging from developing arms and legs — although they look more like paddles at this point than the tiny, pudgy extremities you're daydreaming about holding and tickling. Technically, your baby is still considered an embryo and has something of a small tail, which is an extension of her tailbone. The tail will disappear within a few weeks, but that's the only thing getting smaller. Your baby has doubled in size since last week and now measures half an inch long, about the size of a blueberry.
If you could see inside your womb, you'd spot eyelid folds partially covering her peepers, which already have some color, as well as the tip of her nose and tiny veins beneath parchment-thin skin. Both hemispheres of your baby's brain are growing, and her liver is churning out red blood cells until her bone marrow forms and takes over this role. She also has an appendix and a pancreas, which will eventually produce the hormone insulin to aid in digestion. A loop in your baby's growing intestines is bulging into her umbilical cord, which now has distinct blood vessels to carry oxygen and nutrients to and from her tiny body.
See what's going on in your uterus this week.

1st Prenatal Visit went FAB! @ 6w4d

I'm so happy, I got to see my little butter bean again today...looking great, nice and healthy and strong with a HB of 130bpm!  I had a regular first check up: Blood work (6 vials..yuck); pelvic exam; pap smear; breast exam; weight check; blood pressure; urinalysis, and the ultrasound.  I love my doctor's office u/s room and the tech is the sweetest!  Scott and the boys went with me and were all able to go into the u/s room and see the baby on the big screen!  She took her time and pointed everything out to them, we got to hear the HB, then she printed each of the boys out their own pic of the baby. Awwww.... *smile*. 
The doctor said she was just going to keep an eye on my cysts for now.  She said most times pre-existing cysts will "balloon" during pregnancy then go away on their own.  The smaller cyst on my right had actually gone down some and the bigger one looked the same.  I go back in 4 wks, I'll be 10wks then, and I'll get another u/s (YAY!).  I should be able to hear the heartbeat with the fetal Doppler as well.  I'm thinking about renting my own too, so I can listen anytime I want.  They do those really cool 3 & 4D u/s at my doc's office but they're like $225 extra...so don't know about that, but that would be really cool! 
I'm so glad my appt went well today and my little Rainbow is growing!

BABY'S FIRST PHOTO SHOOT



Little Scare

Why oh Why do I always have to get the crap scared out of me when I'm PG?!  I went out with a friend last night to a homeschooling event and got home around 10pm.  I went to the bathroom and noticed some light brown spotting in my underwear and again when I wiped.  With the fear of the MC still lingering I figured I better be safe than sorry and go get myself checked out.  So, around 10pm me, Scott and the boys piled into the car and heading to EJ Hospital Emergency room.  They took a blood and urine sample, and also did a pelvic exam.  The attending ER doc, said everything appeared to look okay, he saw no red blood.  Afterwards, I had a transvaginal u/s in which I was able to see my little sweetie's heartbeat for the first time *smile**tear*.  The baby looked great and measured right on time around 6wks3days with an EDD of June 13th, with a heartbeat of 129. The u/s tech checked everything else out in there and noticed a nice size (about 3cm) cyst on my left ovary, which she said was normal and most likely the corpus luteum from the pregnancy.  She wasn't able to view the right ovary, so she switched to the regular, on top of the stomach u/s probe.  She was able to find a very large cyst on that ovary.  Back in Feb. when I had a hospital stay for horrible pain in my abdomen, they did a CAT scan in which they saw the same cyst but at that time it only measured about 4cm.  Normally, they do not like to see a cyst get over 5cm.  My doc and I both assumed, and hoped, it would resolve itself like most cysts do.  Well, that same cyst has increased in size to 5.5cm.  I was discharged shortly after with orders for bed rest and to follow up with my doctor.  My dear family ended up trying to sleep in the car in the parking lot and we ended up finally getting home around 3am.  I have not had any cramping at all, and the spotting has seemed to lighten up even more, to barely even visible.  All appears to be well as of right now...little to know spotting (brown blood at that), no cramping or pain, baby looks good and strong.  So, thank Father!  Now, I just have to hope and pray this cyst issue will be resolved quickly and easily and will not affect my pregnancy in any harmful way.  I have my first Prenatal appt. this Tues, but will be calling my nurse Monday to alert her of everything that has gone on.  AFM, I will be bed bound the rest of the weekend and will continue to be praying for a very healthy and strong pregnancy.  Hopefully this first trimester will go by very quickly and no more scary situations will arise!
P.S. We had to tell the boys last night that "Mommy has a baby in her belly", before we left to got to the hospital so they could understand what was going on.  They are really excited.  We prayed together before we left and were relieved to hear the good news that baby looks good.  They were real troopers at the hospital and waited for me very patiently.  I love my boys, they are such a blessing!

What my little sweetie looks like right now...

How your baby's growing:

This week's major developments: The nose, mouth, and ears that you'll spend so much time kissing in eight months are beginning to take shape. If you could see into your uterus, you'd find an oversize head and dark spots where your baby's eyes and nostrils are starting to form. His emerging ears are marked by small depressions on the sides of the head, and his arms and legs by protruding buds. His heart is beating about 100 to 160 times a minute — almost twice as fast as yours — and blood is beginning to course through his body. His intestines are developing, and the bud of tissue that will give rise to his lungs has appeared. His pituitary gland is forming, as are the rest of his brain, muscles, and bones. Right now, your baby is a quarter of an inch long, about the size of a lentil.

I'm 6 wks!!

I still can't believe I'm even expecting and with every week that passes it becomes more and more real!  I'm so unbelievably happy!  This weekend couldn't come fast enough, now I just need to get through it and on to Tues!  It's been torture keeping this secret from my mom and my kids, so I can't wait to tell them after my appt.!  More to come.....

5wks. 3days today...

Just wanted to touch base, but not much to report.  I'm surprised I haven't had the usual symptoms I've experienced with my other pregnancies.  No sickness, No frequent urination, etc.  Not complaining though, especially on the sickness, but it is still fairly early on so I'm not writing it off yet.  My main symptom has been sore boobs, and that's predominantly in the evening and during the night.  I still feel little pains and things in my uterus, but I know there's a lot going on in there. :-)  I can say I've had constipation as well...if coffee's not doing the trick I have to be PG!...lol.  Still very low energy and it takes alot out of me to do a little, so I haven't been doing a whole lot, at least not at one time.  I can be very emotional from one end of the spectrum to the other and tear up at the littlest things.  I've been craving Mexican more than normal and treated myself to dinner for one at my local Mexican restaurant the other night!  It was SO good!  I'm counting the days down to my first appt and can't wait to get a peek at my little one!  8 more days to go!  I'm trying really hard to stay in a positive frame of mind and am expecting to see my baby in the perfect nestled spot with a rapid little heartbeat.  <3

5 wks. Today!

How your baby's growing:

Deep in your uterus your embryo is growing at a furious pace. At this point, he's about the size of a sesame seed, and he looks more like a tiny tadpole than a human. He's now made up of three layers — the ectoderm, the mesoderm, and the endoderm — which will later form all of his organs and tissues.
The neural tube — from which your baby's brain, spinal cord, nerves, and backbone will sprout — is starting to develop in the top layer, called the ectoderm. This layer will also give rise to his skin, hair, nails, mammary and sweat glands, and tooth enamel.
His heart and circulatory system begin to form in the middle layer, or mesoderm. (This week, in fact, his tiny heart begins to divide into chambers and beat and pump blood.) The mesoderm will also form your baby's muscles, cartilage, bone, and subcutaneous (under skin) tissue.
The third layer, or endoderm, will house his lungs, intestines, and rudimentary urinary system, as well as his thyroid, liver, and pancreas. In the meantime, the primitive placenta and umbilical cord, which deliver nourishment and oxygen to your baby, are already on the job.

1st Prenatal Appt. Scheduled!

Shelia, my Dr's nurse just called again, she said Dr. Allison looked over my numbers and thinks they look good.  Before I had found out about the pregnancy I had scheduled my Annual Pap for Oct. 25th.  She said to go ahead and keep that appointment and it will be my first Prenatal visit.  I will be about 6 1/2 weeks at that point.  So, I should be able to see my little bean on TV for the first time!  So excited! 15 days and counting!

2nd Hcg Results...

Well, It appears to be good news and evidence that my babe is growing rapidly!  Here's the low down:

1st test @ 11dpo (3wks. 5days) : 100
2nd test @ 13dpo (4wks)          :  325

The Hcg level should double every 2 days and mine over tripled!  Whew! *major sigh of relief*

I'm supposed to be hearing back from my doc this afternoon to hear what the next step will be.

So, far, not much in the way of symptoms, just low energy and sore boobs (still).  Had another temp rise today, so temps look nice and high.  Praying my little rainbow continues to grow strong and healthy!  Oh So Thankful!

Today I am 4wks.1day!

Your pregnancy: 4 weeks 

 

How your baby's growing:

This week marks the beginning of the embryonic period. From now until 10 weeks, all of your baby's organs will begin to develop and some will even begin to function. As a result, this is the time when she'll be most vulnerable to anything that might interfere with her development.
Right now your baby is an embryo the size of a poppy seed, consisting of two layers: the epiblast and the hypoblast, from which all of her organs and body parts will develop.
The primitive placenta is also made up of two layers at this point. Its cells are tunneling into the lining of your uterus, creating spaces for your blood to flow so that the developed placenta will be able to provide nutrients and oxygen to your growing baby when it starts to function at the end of this week.
Also present now are the amniotic sac, which will house your baby; the amniotic fluid, which will cushion her as she grows; and the yolk sac, which produces your baby's red blood cells and helps deliver nutrients to her until the placenta has developed and is ready to take over this duty.

DH received the good news last night!

My plans to wait and tell DH went up in smoke last night when he finagled the news outta me. :-(  As you know, I'm really nervous this go round, so I'm really not wanting to "rock the boat" so to speak right now *clears throat..sex*.  I knew me not wanting to oblige would eventually be a problem and send up a red flag for him.  Well, last night the conversation came around and I had to fess up, he knew something was up.  Of, course I got the same ole reaction I've gotten in the past with all my baby news...SHOCK.  But, he wasn't upset, he was surprised I'd been keeping it from him and wanted to know all the details he'd missed.  We joked about it being a girl and his comment was, "That would be a whole new ballgame" And he's right about that.  lol... I am a little disappointed I couldn't share the news in the special way I had planned, but I am relieved that now he knows and he'll be able to understand why I've been so tired and why I don't want to DTD right now.  I'm still going to wait to share the news with everyone else, for a while, and I'll still get my kicks telling them. :-)

Can't believe I have a little baby in my belly!! I'm so happy! 

1st Lab results

Just got a call from Shelia.  She said my Progesterone levels are "excellent" (25.1 whatever that means), she she wants me to go down to one Prometrium a day instead of two, which will work out perfectly!  I can take it at night, when it's okay to be sleep and my half filled prescription will last me double as long.  See, it always works out!  And, she said my hcg levels look just fine for being so early in my pregnancy, they are currently at 100.  She wants me to go back to the lab tomorrow and give another sample so they can make sure it's rising and progressing properly.  The sucky part is, tomorrow is Friday, so I won't no anything until Monday, but I'm confident that my numbers will look great.  FYI: They are supposed to double every day, so by tomorrow they should at least be in the 200's. So, once I hear back again from Shelia on Monday, I guess she'll inform me of the next step and when Dr. Allison will see me.  I'm so happy with the news so far, every bit of good results just builds my confidence more and more with the pregnancy.  Thank you, Abba!

Still Pregnant!

Hahaha...it still doesn't seem real!  Yesterday I went to the Lab to get my blood drawn for my doctor and am expecting to hear back from her office today.  She may want me to go back tomorrow morning and give a second sample to make sure my levels are doubling properly.  I have a really good feeling this time and believe with all my heart...this pregnancy will go along perfectly.  I was surprised to get a call from her nurse, Shelia, yesterday afternoon.  She was calling to ask me for my pharmacy info, so she could call me in some Progesterone.  I told her I thought Dr. Allison was going to wait until after she saw my blood results, but she said, No, she just wanted me to go give the sample first, that she was going to call me in some anyway because of my past history, I'm guessing she was referring to my losses.  I was really happy to hear that I could start taking the Prometrium right away, it just reassures me to know that I'm helping my Progest. stay high throughout these fragile, early weeks.  Shelia warned me they may make me feel "yucky", in which I quickly asked what she meant by that.  She said they may make me a little nauseous or give me a headache.  I stopped by CVS later that evening to pick them up and was shocked to hear the price was $280!!  And that's for just a 30 day supply!  After the pharm. tech saw the "deer in the headlights" look on my face, she said she could give me half and discount the price.  I thought that was a good idea, seeing that I should be getting renewed for my Medicaid any day now, then I can just go pick up the other half later.  So, I paid $125...whew..still a nice chunk of change, but I will be getting that re-reimbursed eventually, so it's all good.  I took my first one last night and the only side effect I noticed was it made me really sleepy, which I've heard from other girls it did to them too.  I can handle that!  It might be a little more difficult to handle during the day, when I need to stay awake, but I won't complain about one thing during this pregnancy, especially since it will mean I get my little bundle of joy at the end. 
It's only been 2 days since I received the good news and I'm already wanting to tell Scott so bad!  But, I'm really going to have to try to keep my secret hidden, for a while longer.  I just hope he doesn't get mad at me for not telling him right away and he'll understand my reasoning. 
Will update later when I hear back from my doctor....

S-U-C-C-E-S-S!!!!

It's been a looonngg, emotional, roller coster of a ride these past 9mths....but the ride has slowly come to a stop!  The storm clouds have parted revealing my long, awaited for RAINBOW!!  I'm am beside myself right now, filled with joy, excitement and overwhelmed with thankfulness. 

As you know from my last post, I had a really good feeling about my temps this cycle.  Last night I decided that if my temp was high agian this morning I would test first thing...and sure enough at 10dpo, I see a beautiful BFP starring back at me!

The first thing I did was get on my hands and knees and, in tears, give Glory to my Heavenly Father who has opened my womb once again and provided this Blessing.  I begged and pleaded with Him to let this baby grow and flourish, to be completely healthy and Full-Term! 
Words can not express how unbelievably happy I am.  I'm going to Believe with all my heart that this Pregnancy will go perfectly and THIS baby I WILL hold and cuddle in my arms in June 2012! (EDD: 6/15/12)

Okay, now I'm going to go let this marinate for a while...I'll be back with more later!  YYYIIIPPPPIIIEE!!

Cycle 8...9dpo...Could this be it??!!

This cycle has seemed the most promising so far, so if this isn't it I'm going to be seriously disappointed!  First of all, for some unknown reason, my Pre-O temps have been higher than normal, which is good.  Then at 7dpo I had a huge temp drop.  Implantation Dip??  Could be!  Afterward my temp went back up and this morning surged upward 4 points!  I'm not experiencing any symptoms of Hcg though. 
Last cycle was the first cycle I was able to go through without using an HPT and it felt SO good to not have to see a bfn starring back at me.  But, I was able to tell by my gradually falling temps that AF was on her way. 
This time, based on my temps (so far), things appear very hopeful.  I am VERY tempted to test in the AM!  If it's a bfn, of course I'll be disappointed but at least I won't be sitting here like a dope for the next few days thinking I could be PG. 
On the other hand, I only have TWO tests left which I would hate to waste. 
I think I'm just going to see what my temp is like in the morning and decide...if it stays high..I'll test...if it starts to drop..I'll wait. 
I just scheduled my Annual Pap appt. today for in a few weeks.  If I am PG this cycle, it will give me a good excuse to have an early prenatal appt. to check on things, If I'm not, it will give me a chance to speak with my doc about my TTC journey so far and my options.

God, I hope my journey has ended!  Stay tuned....