22 weeks

Wow - sorry for being slack in the updates. I guess there really hasn't been much to report on. Things are still progressing quite normally for the second trimester. I have the achy back (mainly if I'm on my feet or walking too long) and I think BBM goes through random growth spurts b/c the mega hunger and debilitating sleepiness isn't really that consistent. Around 20 weeks, I started to feel him moving, and now I feel him at least 5 times a day (it's not uncommon this early to go without any movement for days, though). The feeling is not really that comfortable - it feels like my stomach is dropping, similar to the feeling you get on a rollercoaster. At first, I really didn't like being in public when it happened b/c it was a weird feeling and it usually makes me feel like I have to go to the bathroom. I've gotten used to the feeling now, but it's still uncomfortable at times. I'm just happy that I can feel him swimming around - makes me know that he's still there and growing. :)

On Tuesday, I had my monthly appointment (this time was with a midwife instead of a dr). Apparently, I'm gaining too much weight (even though I do some form of exercise 3-5 times a week and pre-pregnancy I didn't work out at all). I'm not sure what's going on with the weight numbers but here's what the midwife said: Pre-pregnancy they have me down as weighing 174. I'm not sure where they got that number since I had never seen them before I got pregnant. I don't remember them taking that weight so maybe they just asked me what I weighted and I told them what my home scale said.

The first time I was weighted at the dr office I weighted 182 (even though the home scale still said in the 170's). So, I've just been going by 182 as my base number. Yesterday, I weighed 192. I was happy at first, thinking I've only gained 10 pounds in 22 weeks, but when I talked to the midwife she said that they actually consider me as gaining 18 pounds! Shocked Since I'm overweight to begin with, I should have only gained 15-20 pounds total - not in the first half of the pregnancy!

I measured my thigh recently to see if I've gained any fat and my thigh is the same size (maybe a tiny bit smaller) than before I got pregnant. So, in my mind, I'm going to start counting from 182 instead of 174. ;)

However, I gained 5 pounds last month and I really should only be gaining 3-4 per month. So, it looks like I need to be a little better about trying to do at least a little bit of exercise each day (even if it's just walking for 30 minutes around the neighborhood) and I need to be better about what I eat. I've been slacking on allowing myself caffeine (it's so hard to completely give up the sweet tea when we go out to eat!). I think that things would be better if we didn't go out to eat so often since we have no idea what the meals are made with, but neither of us are big on cooking so it's hard to not go out to eat at least 4-5 times a week (mostly on the weekends). I'm not a big snacker when I get home (at work I snack a lot but it's just various fruits) so that's thankfully not an issue. Oh, and she said that I also need to get more iron so I'll be adding spinach to my lunch salads that I have every day at work.

I'm trying not to obsess about the weight gain b/c I know that I'm going to gain weight and that if I keep exercising, it'll be easier to take off after the baby's born (especially if I'm able to breastfeed), but I've been having issues (back, legs, etc) that I'm sure would be better if I didn't gain too much weight too quickly.

My next appt is the ookie gestational diabetes test. I really hope I pass the 1 hour test b/c I have a serious phobia of needles and the thought of having to get poked 3-4 times for the 3 hour test squiks me out!

18 weeks

Yesterday was a busy "baby" day. We saw 4 daycare centers, and so far we only like 2 of them. One of them was really impressive (they have an extensive curriculum including baby sign language when they're toddlers and Spanish when they're 2-3), but of course they're the most expensive ($1300/month). The other one that we liked was $270/week. They weren't nearly as nice as the other place, but they come *highly* recommended by other local mommies. The down side to them is that their wait list is really long (over a year). We're going to see if we can find others to visit, but so far it may be the really nice place since we liked them so much and their wait list isn't as long.

In the afternoon, we had the 18 week ultrasound and a regular dr appt. The ultrasound was great - Baby Boy Miller (BBM) was moving around a bunch, but the technician was able to get everything he needed to see. We were even able to get a 3D image, but he just looks like any other baby out there. Gary & I think he's talking on the phone. :)





There was a bit of a nervous moment though when the dr came in after the ultrasound technician was done. The dr told us that BBM has a choroid plexus cyst. The choroid plexus makes a fluid that protects and nourishes the brain and spinal cord. When a fluid-filled space is seen in the choroid plexus during an ultrasound, it is called a choroid plexus cyst (CPC). Dr said that it's not really common and can be a marker for Trisomy 18. However, since we already had the CVS and know that his chromosomes are ok, then there's nothing for us to worry about. CPC usually goes away in the 3rd trimester, but even if it doesn't, it supposedly won't affect him, his growth, or his brain functions. I'm going again in 10 weeks for another ultrasound to check the progress of the CPC.

After the ultrasound, we met with another dr to check in and see how everything is going. He went over the ultrasound results again and said that everything looked normal and right on target. BBM did measure bigger than an 18 week fetus, but not by much (19 weeks 2 days). Dr said that it's common and that they would only really be concerned if BBM was measuring more than 10 days bigger. Dr said that it doesn't mean that I'll be giving birth sooner, nor does it mean that BBM will be a big baby when born.

I asked about my weight gain to make sure that I'm on target and not gaining too much (since I was overweight to begin with). I think so far I've only gained about 4 pounds and the dr said that it's great - nothing to worry about. I should only gain about .75 pounds a week between now and labor so that I don't gain too much (which can cause an oversized birth weight). I just need to continue getting exercise 3-4 times a week and I should try to cut down on the sugar (it's just so difficult sometimes though!).

Now seems to be the "boring" phase of the pregnancy except for weight gain. I've been feeling better (for the most part), but the painful gas is still there. I'm not as tired as before, but I do still try to go to bed around 9:30-10 each night so that I can get at least 8 hours of sleep. The next dr appt is in 4 weeks, but that's just a regular check up (weight, blood pressure, etc), and after that is the ultrasound in 10 weeks. Boring stuff. :)

FMLA part 2

Well, apparently the HR person spoke too soon. I would have needed to work 500 hours as a temp for my time to count, but I was only at 300ish. So, I don't really know what this all means. The HR person wants me to get the dr to fill out paperwork at my next appt (which is Tuesday) and then I'll meet with her to go over everything. We're going to figure out how much sick time and vacation time I have available to me and see if that pushes me over the 1 year mark. Hopefully everything will work out ok.

Personally, I'm feeling better, but ugh I'm getting big! I can no longer fit into any of my regular clothes except for workout stuff and shirts. All of my skirts and non-drawstring pants are to be put away for a while. I have 6 maternity dresses, but I think I'm going to see if I can make myself go through the humiliating experience of trying on pants soon. I guess it would be nice to have some casual outfits so I don't feel I need to walk around in public with my work out gear. :)

FMLA

I just had a meeting with my HR person about maternity leave. Apparently, you have to be employed for 12 months to be eligible, but she doesn't think I'll have trouble since I worked 2+ months as a temp last summer. I was worried about it for a second since I'm due Oct 23 and my year anniversary at this job is Nov 11. Now I just need to make sure that I don't have to have bed rest before going into labor!

Another bonus about being at Duke is that I take 3 weeks of vacation/sick time, and Duke pays an additional 3 weeks. That's still a lot of time that's unpaid, but I wasn't aware of the extra paid 3 weeks at all so it's just a bonus!

Digging the heart monitor

I'm trying to not abuse the fact that we can hear our little booger's heart any ol' time now that we have a fetal heart doppler. But, we listened again last night, and I like hearing his heart beat.

heart monitor

Last week, I was feeling unnecessarily nervous about the pregnancy. The constant urge to go to the bathroom had subsided, I was generally feeling better, and I wasn't starving all the time. It made me wonder if there was something wrong. I tried to tell myself that everything was fine - no bad signs like cramping or bleeding, and that the second trimester is usually the best. I think Gary ended up a bit worried b/c of my concerns, so we bought a $20 heart monitor at Babies R Us on Friday. Of course, the thing looked pretty chintzy and we weren't surprised that we weren't able to hear the baby's heartbeat. Additionally, since I'm only 15 weeks, it's difficult to hear the heartbeat anyway. I think what made me worry a bit more than normal is that it's been a while since we've been to the dr and our next appt isn't for another 3 weeks.

Sunday was not a good day for me. I think the combination of McDonald's for breakfast and indian buffet for lunch did a number on my stomach. I had the worst stomach ache that lasted until 2am. I slept for about 2 hours in the afternoon and then spent the rest of the day/evening on the couch. Thankfully, the stomach ache went away and I was able to sleep most of the night.

Monday (yesterday) I felt some cramping that just wouldn't go away. It didn't hurt - it felt more like someone was constantly poking me in the lower stomach. I became concerned and the longer I sat at work, the more I was thinking that I just needed to have a quick heart beat scan to make sure that everything's ok. I called the Ask A Nurse and she said that it's probably b/c the uterus didn't have enough water. She suggested that I drink 2 big glasses of water in 10 minutes and wait an hour. If the cramps didn't stop, I was to call her back and we'd figure out where to go from there. Well, the cramps stopped and now I'm drinking tons of water to make sure it doesn't happen again. :)

I told Gary about what happened (and that there's nothing to worry about). However, he ended up searching for a better heart monitor and found one on Craigslist for $40 (normally $250). We picked it up last night from a *very* scary looking couple in a trashy looking yard/house. We didn't want to get our hopes up that it would work since I'm still not that far along, but thankfully I was finally able to find the heartbeat! Gary was unable to find it and it took me a while to find the "sweet spot" but it was definitely there! :) I don't imagine we'll use the monitor often - just in times that I feel like I need that reassurance b/c something weird is going on.

So, now I feel better about it and I think I can handle waiting another 3 weeks for the appt. Hopefully the heartburn, stomach aches and other issues lessen b/c it's definitely not easy to be in pain so often. :P

Second trimester = trudging through desert

We purposefully put our next doctor's appointment and a standard ultrasound at the same time "for convenience." But, now I think we're both regretting it, because after having seen the doctor so many times in the first trimester, this second one is moving at a snails pace! Three more weeks before we see the baby again via ultrasound or hear his heartbeat through doppler.

Clearly too far off from the last one, because we're both antsy!