Prenatal checkup: Week 19

Sorry it’s been so long… I’m the worst at writing on here. I never feel like I have anything interesting to say. But today I do!  And I’ll try to do better from now on.

Today we went for our monthly checkup and our mid-way ultrasound. My OB also wanted to do an early glucose tolerance test due to my PCOS, meaning I already have a tendency toward insulin resistance. So I drank the awesome bottle of sugar glucose drink this morning before we headed to the doctor. My flavor options were Lemon/Lime (Sprite), Orange, or Fruit Punch. I opted for the Fruit Punch flavor because (1) I normally drink Sprite Zero and a Diet Orange drink so I thought those would be TOO similar and seem extremely sweet and (2) I rarely ever have fruit punch so I wouldn’t have a daily reminder of the bad glucose drink. My glucose level was 116 after an hour, which is good because they want it below 140. However, I will have to retest around 28 weeks because the doctor says gestational diabetes can develop around then due to hormones. So I have that to look forward to again :(

Our ultrasound today was good. Everything looked great. The baby was VERY active, probably due to the giant bottle of sugar I drank beforehand. The baby kept putting his/her feet over his/her head, which probably would have given us a good shot to find out the gender if we had wanted to. But we are not, even after the many attempts at persuasion by some! When we told the nurse that today, she was SOOO excited. She said nobody does that anymore. So at least someone is excited for us!

Anyway, the tech got all of the pics and readings she needed. The heartrate was 158 bpm and the baby weighs about 13 oz. Here are a few pics from today:

We also took a video of the ultrasound and as soon as we get it ready for the Web (hopefully by tonight), I’ll put up another post with it.

Our next checkup is July 7, which is getting extremely close to my sister’s due date. So try not to go into labor that day, Candi. If you do, of course, I’m coming down there and skipping my appointment! I wouldn’t miss that for anything (unless you labor too quickly). Remember, I need 2 1/2 hours!

Decisions, decisions…

The last few weeks, Eric and I have discussed possibly looking into finding another OB. At my last OB appointment, we discussed our birth plan with the doctor. I want to have natural childbirth and, if possible, would like to do water birth… or at least have the option of laboring in a tub. My doctor was very upfront and said that he didn’t know of anyone that would do water birth in Mississippi. And so I asked him, if could find a tub to rent, would he be willing to deliver that way. And of course, he said no. He also seemed to become very defensive and gave the ‘medical’ spiel about how some things are medically necessary and if something happens, he didn’t want me to become depressed if things didn’t work out the way I planned them to. Of course, I understand all that… and if some medical emergency arises, I will trust in the doctor’s medical expertise. But I would also like my doctor to be supportive of me and what I want for my birth plan. Besides, I know God is in control and we are praying and trusting that His will will be done.

I’ve talked to several ladies in my community group and 2 of them have seen OB’s at the East Lakeland Group. They both were very positive about this group of doctors. My boss (and friend) Marianna said that they were all christian women and she thought they had more of a non-traditional mindset for delivering, meaning more natural birth minded. I’ve also heard from several people that they have tubs at River Oaks Hospital in Flowood. I’m not sure if any doctors will allow water birth, but at least it may be an option. And I want to find out for sure.

So, I’ve called and talked to some people at the hospital there and also the East Lakeland clinic. I have a consultation appointment with a doctor there on Friday morning. I ask that you pray for Eric and I as we make a decision about whether or not to switch. It really is a big decision, especially since we have to take into consideration the financial costs as well. But I am hoping to at least find someone that is supportive, encouraging and positive about what I want for my birth plan.

Pre-natal checkup: Week 11

Today, we went in for our monthly pre-natal checkup. They said everything was good. They tried to get the heartbeat on the doppler, but didn’t have any luck. So they had to do another ultrasound to hear it. I didn’t mind because we got to have another peek at our little one. Of course, I’m sure we’ll have to pay for it too! But it’s just money, I guess. The nurse said that they had to hear the heartbeat at every appointment, so that’s why they did the ultrasound.

Baby Buzzbee (BB) looks good and, according to the ultrasound tech, was very active. I guess she looks at them all the time and could tell more than I could. We did see BB’s feet and hands moving a little though. It almost looked like BB was scratching his/her head. I’m going to get spoiled being able to see the baby every visit. Next time, I won’t be so lucky. But I think in 2 visits they will do my ‘half-way’ ultrasound to check all the necessary things then. So we’ll get to see BB at least 1 more time before October.

BB’s heartrate was 169 bpm and measured about 2 in long (about 11 weeks 3 days according to the system). Here’s a few pictures that we got.

Another week… Another symptom…

For the last week or so, I’ve started feeling nauseated each day. Not to the point yet of actually throwing up or anything. Just that queasy, uneasy feeling in my stomach. It’s at it’s worst when I’m hungry. But I think I have a pretty good grasp on dealing with it so far. I used to take a medicine called Byetta for my PCOS and one of the main side effects was nausea. So I think going through the year or so on that medicine kinda helped me learn how to deal with being nauseated.  One plus, though, is that being nauseated definitely keeps me from eating too much. So I hopefully won’t gain too much weight. I’m actually hoping to lose some during my pregnancy. I definitely need to! Anyway, that’s what’s been going on with me and Baby Buzzbee. We go back to the doctor on April 5, the day after Easter.

It’s Official! We’re going to have a baby…

This morning, Eric and I went for our first OB appointment. I have been a little anxious the last few weeks waiting for this day. I’ve been ready to get that “medical confirmation” that I’m really pregnant. You’d think the 3 pregnancy tests I took already would’ve been enough… But since it’s been a long journey (at least it seemed that way for me), I was just ready to know for sure.

Today marked week 7 of my pregnancy and my OB said that they would do an ultrasound to check everything. It was so exciting to be able to see the baby for the first time. Although it doesn’t look much like a baby yet. But we could see & hear the heartbeat, which was AMAZING! I think it’s fascinating that something the size of a grain of rice has a beating heart! How awesome is our God!

I wish we would’ve brought a video camera to get that captured on film (er… digital “film”), but we didn’t even think about that until later. Oh well. Eric said if we had the iPhone 3G S, we could’ve used our phones. Hmm…. maybe there’s an upgrade in our future ;)

Anyway, here’s our first picture of Baby Buzzbee!

Welcome

This is the first post to our new site. As a starting point to blogging (again), I will be using this site as a way to chart my first pregnancy, both for myself and for my family and friends. I hope that you’ll follow along with me in my journey and every once in awhile offer up friendly, loving advice to new soon-to-be parents. Happy reading…