11 Weeks

Not too much happened in the past week. I began to notice that my nausea was starting to get better and that's when I jinxed it. A few days into my 11th week I suddenly started to feel really nauseous and came home from work with a headache two days in a row. I wasn't sure what was going on but knew something was wrong. On the third and fourth day I paid close attention and came to the conclusion that if I didn't have something small to eat every two hours, my nausea would return full force. I definitely wasn't happy about that but what could I do? Since then I've been feeling better. No headaches and just some minor nausea.
As for my lil' bean, he/she is now the size a plum and all the organs are now up and running. I've passed the dangerous time of development and only my ultrasound can tell me if everything is OK. The hair follicles started to form this week and even though the eyelids are fused shut, there are iris' forming behind them. There is also a skeleton, nerves and blood circulation. The external genitalia is now visibly male or female and a very skilled ultrasound technician may be able to tell the difference but, he/she is still too small and it's highly unlikely. For now all I can do is wonder...

10 Weeks

The major event this week is that I had my first prenatal appointment with my midwife. It was everything I expected and nothing like the appointments with my GP. It started with a bunch of questions about my health and the history of our families. Then she explained how midwifery care worked. Each mother is placed in a "pod", which is a group of 4 midwives. Throughout my pregnancy, delivery and for 6 weeks postpartum I will see only those 4 midwives. I will be delivering in a hospital that the midwives are associated with which will most likely mean less medical intervention. But, if I did suddenly need it, the doctors aren't far away.

My appointments are always an hour long instead of the usual 15 minutes which I was thrilled about. They've also got their own "library" in the office so I've got plenty of recommended reading material and dvd's at my fingertips. When it came time ask if I was going to have testing done, she actually went through all the steps involved. She explained when each test was to be done, and all the risks that came with them. That was something my GP never went through with me. This really has been an eye opening experience for me and I'm really looking foreward to the rest of my appointments.

Speaking of... I've got my first ultrasound in three weeks!! It'll be for the nuchal translucency screening and of course to set my fears at bay. The midwife did try to hear the heartbeat with a Doppler but I had put body lotion on and there was too much static. I'll just have to wait until my ultrasound.
Well my lil' bean has grown to be the size of a kumquat and is officially a fetus now! There is no more webbing between the fingers and toes and the nails are starting to form. The vital organs have started to function and he/she is swallowing amniotic fluid. Although his/her size has doubled in the last 3 weeks, it's not stopping here. It will double again in the next few weeks. I'm almost at the end of my first trimester and so excited.

9 Weeks

Hormones are a bitch. Even PMS isn't this bad. And oddly enough it's work that's been keeping me bent out of shape. I keep telling myself that I'm being too sensitive but mostly I can't help myself. The lady that works the day shift has been having some personal problems and has told me about it. Although I do feel for her situation she makes it hard for me to really sympathize with her because all she does with her negative energy is complain about everything I do. And the thing that really gets to me is she doesn't say a word to me about it. I haven't changed the way I work, or the way I leave our "office" when my shift is over but nothing seems to be good enough for her. I work in a small company so gossip travels fast and that's how I know what's going on. Even though everyone thinks she's overreacting and they are siding with me, I still can't help but feel stressed about it. My coping mechanism is just ignoring her. I usually say hello when I get there and start working right away instead of asking how her day has been. If she starts telling me about stuff I usually just give short answers when a response is expected and I never engage or encourage her to continue. I'm sure she thinks something's up but I know she won't ask me about it and that's all I want. She can keep to her business and I'll keep to mine.

And now I'm going to change the subject before I get all worked up. I've got my midwife appointment on Thursday and I'm really looking foreword to it. I hope it's what I expected.

My lil' bean is almost an inch long now and it's tail is nearly gone. His / her internal sex organs are formed but externally they won't be distinguishable as male or female for another few weeks. And still they won't be able to see the difference in an ultrasound until about 18 weeks. The facial features are becoming more distinct and the tiny teeth buds have started to grow beneath the gums. There's cartilage and bones forming as well as the intestines moving into place. With all these body parts working to become completed I'm sure to be due for some weight gain. So as far as I can tell my pregnancy seems to be progressing normally :)

8 Weeks

Another week has gone by and there's only one major thing to report. My winter wardrobe is almost nonexistent. I'm left with a few pairs of jeans, short-sleeved shirts that are visibly snug but still fit and a few hoodies. Whoever said you don't gain any weight in the first couple of months is full of shit. And the weird thing is I haven't really added and extra meals. I've cut out a lot of stuff like caffeine, sweets, and most of the junk food I used to eat. Although I have been drinking a lot more milk & water throughout the day. Well anyways, my point is I've added about 1 1/2 inches in my waist in the last 8 weeks. It would be fine if people knew I was pregnant but they don't. I'll just have to deal with it for the next month or so.
In the mean time, the good news is that my lil' bean is now the size of a kidney bean and acting like a jumping bean. Although I can't feel it yet he/she is moving around. There's knees & elbows and little webbed fingers & toes growing out of those paddles from last week. The nerve cells in the brain are beginning to connect and the face actually looks like a face now, on a giant head of course.

I'm feeling OK, no major changes from last week. I still get nauseous throughout the day and fatigue is still a problem, although it has gotten a little better. I've learned to take it easy if I'm tired and to rest when I can.
I'll be seeing the midwife in 10 days for my first prenatal visit and I'm excited for that. I think I'll start a list of questions to ask her because I'll probably end up forgetting them if I don't. The baby excitement is growing with every week that passes and it's getting harder to hold it in. Once or twice a week P will ask me if I'm getting excited and my response is always yes. I can't speak for P but I think he feels the same. The other morning I woke up to him rubbing my belly and it was great. I know there will be lots more belly rubbing to come but the thought of there being a baby there is so unreal at times. Mom is definitely a word that's going to take on new meaning to me and one that's going to need some getting used to.

PregTASTIC!

I was setting up my iPod for the day and decided I needed to blog about this wonderful podcast I listen to. It all started when I found out I was pregnant for the first time back in March. I immediately began searching for podcasts and found many with the help of Podcast Alley and iTunes. As I began listening to all of them I was able to quickly weed out the bad ones and was left with only a hand full. The one I found myself returning to almost daily was PregTASTIC. And even after I lost that first baby I kept listening.

This weekly show is based out of San Diego CA, and is basically a round table discussion between the host, pregnant women and most often an expert on the show topic. Topics vary from breastfeeding and prenatal fitness to strollers, c-sections, and my favourite, "what to do with these nipple shields?" The women on the show return week after week as their pregnancy progresses and when a baby is born, the couple return for the Birthing Story. I love this part. Not that I don't enjoy the regular shows because I do, and I take away so much from them. But the birthing stories really show that every woman is different and every birth is unique.

I highly recommend this podcast and hope you'll give them a shot. Just visit PregTASTIC to subscribe. They've got a few pod catchers you can choose from.