Week 10: Cravings & the Ickies

Week 10 kids.  

Although he/she is the size of a date -- an inch and a half long, from head to bottom -- and weighs less than a quarter of an ounce, the baby now has completed the most critical portion of its development. This is the beginning of the fetal period, a time when the tissues and
organs in the body rapidly grow and mature. If we could take a peek inside the 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.

Nausea and exhaustion keep rearing their ugly heads and I'm counting down the days until 2nd trimester when, apparently, we enter the pregnancy promise land- no nausea, more energy, and starting to look as pregnant as I feel.

Meg has been super supportive of me during "icky times", "sleepy times" and "bitchy times"- mostly when she plans a meal and I can't stomach it and then can't tell her what I want.  But I do have cravings.  Cheeseburgers.  Ice cream.  Bananas.  I really miss having caffeine.  And I'm sure I'm going to get weird looks when I get my venti decaf iced coffee... cream, 1 splenda because who really likes the taste of straight coffee anyway?

I started to miss booze recently for the first time- mostly because it's getting warmer outside and all I want to do is sit outside with the biggest glass of white wine in the land.

And someone recently asked me about our birth plan...

I plan on asking for any and all drugs, legal otherwise, and then telling them to squeeze me like a Crest tube.  Bravo to the women who go the natural route and want to "feel" the joy.  You enjoy that.

Week 9: Abs of Strudel

Week 9 y'all!  Lil Bit is an inch long — about the size of a grape — and weighs just a fraction of an ounce. His (or her) essential body parts are accounted for and the heart is dividing into four chambers, and the valves start to form.  The baby's organs, muscles, and nerves are kicking into gear. The external sex organs are there
but won't be distinguishable as male or female for another few weeks. She (or he!) has tiny earlobes, and her mouth, nose, and nostrils are more distinct. Now that the baby's basic physiology is in place, it is poised for rapid weight gain.

As for me, my abdominal area feels like I just did an abs of steel workout (didn't do it) and, occasionally, like my inner female parts are being stretched like taffy.  This is extra great when I'm trying to sleep.  So adding the sleep deprivation to the daily sleepies I already had leaves me unable to form complete sentences.  Another thing about the abs:  A lot of women who are small in stature can see baby bumps progressing by this point.  Having the "equator" that I have makes the bump less obvious, but... this is what this blog is for right?  So here we go:

Nausea is still kickin' and food/smell aversions are much more prominent.  Why is it broccoli that smells like rotten garbage to me and cheese is still delicious?  Just cruel.  Don't worry- Meg is helping me "make good decisions" as far is food is concerned, but she also knows when to back the hell up and let me have a craving.

I've also become a little addicted to pregnancy apps.  I may have a couple that I check every day- they mostly give similar info, but some show you visuals aids and, let's face it, why read when someone can read to you?

Baby Bump: This one is good for weekly video updates and some educational videos.  It also has a thriving community so when you think something is a little too crazy to share with your partner you can post it there.

Pregnancy ++: This one is also great for info and daily updates.  You can also see week by week digital imaging of what the baby may look like.  It uses a graphic design version, a contributed 2d scan and a contributed 3d scan (which scares the crap out of me because it looks like a gecko).

My Baby Beat: This is a new one.  Using the mic of your iPhone you can perform a pseudo Doppler audio ultrasound.  Our Baby's Heartbeat At Week 9

We continue the wait until our next sonogram (May 5)- MARGARITAS FOR ALL (except me)... In the meantime...there's a mug of cookies and cream ice cream calling my name.

Week 8: Pregnancy Nausea, Give Me All the Carbs

Week 8 y'all!  The babe is just over 1/2 inch long, about the size of a kidney bean. New this week: Webbed fingers and toes are poking out from the hands and feet, eyelids practically cover the eyes, breathing tubes extend from the throat to the branches of the developing lungs, and the "tail" is gone. #science In the brain, nerve cells are branching out to connect with one another, forming primitive neural pathways.  And the heart now has 2 chambers! #googledthis




I'm dealing with the nausea... and although I've been lucky enough that I'm not actually getting sick, it doesn't mean that I don't look like a "post-frat party freshman the morning after" every day.  So sorry in advance for that.  I just try to graze all day- mostly on carbs (thanks pregnancy).  I did a reading at a wedding this weekend and OF COURSE a wave of nausea hit me just as I was standing up in front of everyone.  Amidst a beautiful passage on love and devotion I was thinking "Would it be tacky to pop a Ritz"?

I'm also feeling exhausted, still, all the time.  Meg is super happy because I finally want to go to bed at 9pm, which is her preferred bedtime anyway! But I'm serious.  If I've just eaten, or it's 2pm (sorry job)...or 8pm... I'm gonna yawn all over you.  I may even "rest my eyes". #thanksforthatonegrandmamasselli  The interwebs say to not fight it, so please understand, at least for the first trimester, that I'm gonna party hard, but only like an 8 year old cause I'm gonna crash your party and not in the Lindsay Lohan way.

What I Feel Like Sitting On the Table In
The "Gown"

Yesterday I had my first appointment with my OB/GYN since being discharged from the reproductive clinic.  First of all, I have perfected standing in nothing but an ill-fitting tie-up gown  (I can NEVER remember whether the nurse told me to have the opening in the front or the back) and some footies.  There's really nothing quite like someone giving you a breast exam while they're asking about your regularity as you stare at the calendar images of kittens in a tiny hot air balloon.


After more blood work (how is it possible I have any blood left?) and some bathing suit area inspections I was told all is well.  I also received more paperwork than if we were signing a mortgage on a home and was informed about some future testing options that we can opt to have, or not have. We'll cover those another week.  Our next ultrasound is at the 12 week mark (which is where the miscarriage rate drops to 5%) where we should be able to hear the heartbeat. The ultrasound is scheduled, appropriately, on Cinco de Mayo. Party hard or go home, right?

Week 7: Morning Sickness, Mother Nature's Hazing Ritual

Hey team.  We are at the 7 week mark and our little nugget is the size of a blueberry.  It is producing brain cells at 100 cells a minute and developing arms, legs, and the mouth!




I'm still exhausted at all times of the day and have now successfully slept on all modes of transportation, in two time zones and through half of a conference call.



I'm also starting to feel things expanding and stretching.  It's like your uterus is tired of living in a studio and it has decided to flip this house into a duplex.  I struggle with the internal desire to start showing and I can't stop thinking about what I will look like.  For right now I'm just gonna say I'm carrying it in my ass.




The "crazies" are starting to surface a little more each day.  It feels like forever until you have your first ultrasound so there's nothing but blood work to calm the psycho within and remind me that yes, I'm still pregnant.  So I maaaaay have taken a couple more pregnancy tests through the past couple weeks. ( I know, I know).


I've been experiencing some food aversions this week and, sadly, nausea.  It's a weird thing to feel as I had gastric bypass when I was 18 and I think I've only gotten sick once since (tequila is a beast from hell).  So my body basically fights the urge to get sick- it's a vicious cycle.  The first real bout of "morning" sickness hit on my plane trip back from Virginia.  You don't know fear until you feel morning sickness at 33,000 feet.

Monday we went in for our first ultrasound at 7 weeks + 2 days.  It was both awkward and amazing at the same time.  The ultrasound tech located the baby quickly and, in all honesty, it looks like someone sneezed on the screen.  It's a little blip, but it's our little blip.  We were able to see the heartbeat and I really can't describe what that's like.  Imagine meeting Barbra Streisand, Idina Menzel and Bette Midler at a Nutella bar.  Then imagine your future child's beating heart.  That's all I got.  All things looked good- heart rate at 137bpm and is measuring out for its due date of November 15th.

Meg and I agreed not to buy any baby things until we're at least 3 months along, but man is it hard to resist! Since we graduated from the reproductive clinic (yay!), the next step is to see the OB next Monday. Stay tuned!

Week 6: Boobs of Fury

What you feel like when you go up a cup size.

Saturday we entered week 6 of pregnancy and although it hasn't been a ton of time, a lot is happening!  First of all, my knockers are getting huge.  They are also very sore. If you hug me tighter than a slightly awkward bro hug, I will probably punch you in the pancreas. But I figure- flaunt it while you have it.  Second, by 2pm I am willing to nap anywhere.  Legit. If I yawn while I'm with you, it's not you, it's me... unless it's you. You know what?  Just bring me some sort of cheese related food and we'll all be fine.  Also, please excuse the hormonal induced prepubescent acne festival that is happening on my chin.  Much like the US with Justin Beiber, I'm doing what I can with it, but we're all just waiting for it to recede and it will probably leave an ugly scar.

By now our little kinder is the size of a pea!  Currently, it has a beating heart and blood is running through Sweet Pea's (new name for the week) body.  It is also starting to develop a nose, mouth and ears.  It's probably looking similar to a newborn puppy with fins. The intestines and the tissue that will become the lungs are also forming. And the brain and bones are soon to be completed.  Guys.  I can't even finish making a gym playlist in the time all this stuff is happening.

Next step: Ultrasound on March 31st.

5 Weeks Pregnant, or, I'm Just Gonna Nap Right Here

Since our last post I have traveled to Cincinnati, Kentucky and New York (twice in one week) and in somewhere in there I've been stuck with a needle not once, but twice.  Go hard or go home right?  At least I got to be in the same room as Idina Menzel this weekend <swoon>... but back to the blog about our baby.  The Monday following our good news, and then again today, the doctor had me come in to check my HcG levels (the pregnancy hormone your body produces when a fertilized egg attaches to your uterus #science). Let me break it down for ya'.




Week 4 (3/8-3/14)- The baby was as big as a poppy seed (Meg referred to it as Poppy).

Week 5 (3/15-3/21)- The baby is as big as an apple seed (I nicknamed it Lil' Mac... like a Macintosh apple #nerdalert).

On Monday I went into the doctor's office first thing in the morning, had blood drawn and ran home to finish packing. Then I grabbed a cab and headed to Logan airport to fly out for a business trip all week.  Said trip was planned before we got the good news.  Cause, honestly, the last thing I wanted to be doing was sitting on a crowded (and delayed) Delta flight with a 1oz bag of complimentary nuts.  The office called me right before I boarded the plane to inform me that my HcG levels had been 81 on Friday and they were up to 191 on Monday! That's definitely within the "normal" range. Awesome news.

I spent most of last week in Cincinnati for business meetings and had to tell my boss and accompanying co-worker that I was pregnant for multiple reasons.

1. Business trips are code for little bit o' meetins, then lot o' bit o' drinkin', on the company dime.  And I couldn't.







2.You're going to constantly be rubbing your chest. (sorry, boss)  When they say that your boobs are gonna hurt, they mean it.  Scientifically speaking, your jugs are preparing to become milkin' machines.  They also begin increasing in size sometimes as fast as a cup size in the first week/2 weeks.(you're welcome, boss).


3. You're gonna be exhausted. I never take naps.  Ever.  Meg has even stated that she has never seen me sleep when it's light outside.  I am now falling asleep everywhere.  I slept on a plane with a "frequent leg crossing shifter" behind me that kicked my chair like they were trying to try out for the World Cup.

When you're trying to make it to a
bathroom with a full bladder.

4. Bathrooms.  You must always know where one is.  Because you're going to have to go all the time.  You will wake up at 12:59am (aka last night) and fear you won't make it. There's a lot happening in that nether region and it is starting to take over the neighborhood putting pressure on your bladder, so that's fun.

5. Emotions.  You haz them.  Not to mention hot flashes.  I was in NYC during 15 degree weather and someone said I look like I got a sunburn in a matter of 10 seconds.  I'll enjoy it now before it gets so hot I try not to move from the wall A/C unit unless food or peeing is involved.

Today I went in for more blood work and my levels increased to 2,341!  Woohoo!  Next is an ultrasound on March 31st to see how Lil' Mac is doing.  If all looks good our reproductive clinic will discharge us to our OB/GYN!  Stay tuned.