03-4-2008 - Pregnancy updates 2-21-08 through 3-30-08

My mood while writing this blog: Determined

Pregnancy updates:

2-21-2008 - - BFP today!!!! I will call doc tomorrow. Not sure of official due date yet, but I will update!!

I am so excited! A little apprehensive, but excited none the less!! Let me tell you how I KNEW I was pregnant even before I tested....I HATE bell peppers, but on Monday the 18th, I was craving bell peppers!! I actually went to the store and bought a red and yellow bell pepper, sliced them up and ate them raw!!! Then, the next day I ate more!!! I was just laughing to myself because I have HATED those things all my life. Of course there were other (more definite) signs such as breast tenderness and frequent bathroom breaks. :) Got a super quick positive result on the first home pregnancy test I took (which was 30 days past last period). So...here I am...pregnant!!! It will happen for all you ttc'ers!!! I am just one piece of proof. We had officially been trying for a year!!

Well...called the doctor today. Off to do the official BLOOD test. Unfortunately, since it is friday, they say they won't have results till Monday morning. If everything looks good (and it will), they will want me to come in immediately on monday to begin the pregnancy stuff. Since I have had two misscarriages, they want to take quick action and watch this one carefully. :) Anyway...positive thinking and all the baby dust from everyone (thank you, by the way) and I am sure I am off to a good start!!!

2-24-08 - - Having my parents and brothers over for brunch today. As hard as it will be not to tell them my good news, I am not going to because I am cautiously optimistic at this point. I plan to tell family over my birthday weekend which is first weekend in May. I will be in my 2nd trimester at that point. I have already told my best friend of 23 years and my 10 year old daughter (and hubby of course). My other two children (6 and 7) are parrots and cannot keep a secret so they will have to wait until May like the majority of people in my life.

My breasts are sooooo sore and I need a bathroom break about every 3 hours. Sorry if TMI, but I want to remember this pregnancy forever!!! It is kinda bittersweet as I know this will be my last. This will be biological child number 2 for me, but child number 4 for our household. I love that I have sore breasts and pee alot. Can't wait for all the symptoms ahead because they all remind me that everything is progressing and I need to feel that. Wanna hear something funny??! Since I found out Thursday night that I was pregnant and had official blood test Friday and will not get results until Monday, I bought like 6 pregnancy test to take during the weekend to reassure me. Crazy maybe, but with 2 m/c's in the recent past, I need reassurance. I know this baby is gonna be in my arms in nine months, but I have to keep "seeing" the evidence I guess. Weird thing....I know it is a boy. And I have his name already, but I will wait to share that till later.

2-26-08 - - - Doc says numbers from blood test done last friday look great. As of now, my estimated due date is October 28th, 2008. My first appt. with doc is March 18th. We will have our first ultrasound and see our little guy that day, too. (I already "feel" like it is a boy!!!) Anyway....I feel great. No morning sickness. Just bathroom visits every two-three hours, sore boobs (nipples especially) and I crave spicy foods!!!

2-28-08 - - - Well...tomorrow was gonna be my last day at work, BUT I am so exhausted lately that I cut it short and made today my last day!! Work had a "going away" party for me and it was kinda sad and bittersweet. I told everyone there that I was pregnant and they were all happy for me and sure that I made the right choice to resign at this time in my life and with my history of m/c's. Social work is stressful and I don't need any added stress right now. Anyway...done!!! Gonna catch up on some much needed rest. I have been feeling fine, really. A bit of cramping off and on, but I tell myself that it reassures me that my little one is growing big and strong!! :) I get real tired after lunchtime. Hmmm....what else...still boob tenderness and they just feel HEAVY like boulders and I still pee all the time. Oh that reminds me....nighttime is a bit uncomfortable ALREADY as my boobs hurt and I have to get up to pee it seems like just when I fall asleep!! All in all...doing great. Nausea off and on early and late in the day. No "morning sickness" yet...still double crossing my fingers!!! :)

3-02-2008 - - - Not much to tell. Just wanted to add an entry. Still feeling fine. Still the normal symptoms (which I love) because they re-assure me, but we have already been over that in a previous entry. Anyway...one thing I have noticed.....I get period-like cramps from time to time (which I know are normal), but I have realized that (at least for me) eating helps relieve them! About every 3-4 hours (if I haven't eaten) I will get the cramps. So...I pee and eat something and sit down and I feel better!!! Maybe it is just in my mind. Who knows....works for me, though. Well...good night. I'm sleepy.

3-5-2008 - - - Well, I don't know if it was in my mind or what, but yesterday I felt like things had changed inside me. I called the doc with my concern. He sent me for another blood test to confirm that numbers were going up like they should. Last night I had a hard time sleeping and not because I was nervous for the results, but because I felt sick and uncomfortable. Even though I didn't have the results yet, while going to sleep last night I knew everything was ok. Well...this morning doc personally called me and said my numbers looked great and that if I don't always feel sick/pregnant I should consider myself lucky. He then offered for me to come in for an ultrasound tomorrow morning even though my first appt. is not officially until 3-18. What a nice guy! He knows my history and my apprehension and he wants me to feel better. So, tomorrow I get to see our little one and HOPEFULLY hear out little one!!

3-6-2008 - - - Today turned out to by my first official prenatal appointment and I am happy to say....we saw a heartbeat!! Since I have another appt. in two weeks, doc did not go too much into detail with the ultrasound. For example, I didn't get to HEAR the heartbeat (I am not sure if I even could so soon), but we did see the TINY heartbeat moving quite nicely. The little guy was tucked way up into the top corner of my uterus. I think he was snuggling. Anyway...everything looks good. I think I can remain content now until the next ultraound on the 18th. How exciting. Our little one is growing inside me!!!

3-10-2008 - - - Started my new job today. Just working part-time for a physical therapist 5 days a week doing the billing. Real easy work and real flexible. I am feeling ok, but morning sickness has snuck its way in a bit more lately. The way I look at it, though, is that whenever I feel a bit sick I know the baby is growing!! Speaking of growing....my boobs are nicely large. Just the way I'd like them if I could buy some. Perfect C cups now and growing. :) Hmmm...what else....I have gained 6 lbs already. Frightening, huh?!?! I just feel better when I eat something. Well...it's off to put kids to bed and myself!! Good night.

3-13-2008 - - - What a day!!! Let me start at the beginning....I began spotting (very lightly) yesterday afternoon. I decided to just watch it instead of calling the doc. Then, this morning I noticed another spot or two so I decided to call the doc. Because of my history doc decided to order a high-tech ultrasound at the hospital to make sure everything was ok. Well, the radiologist would not tell me anything other than that there was a heartbeat and it was nice and strong. She said to call the doc later in the day to get full results. Well....I was hungry so hubby and I went to In-N-Out (the best burger joint!) and while we were eating doc called me!! I was sure he was just gonna inform me everything was ok. Sure enough, doc said everything was ok AND that I am expecting TWINS! He had not seen the other baby when he did the scan in his office last week so it worked out that we had the scan at the hospital. Doc said one baby's heartbeat is 167 and the other little one's heartbeat is 170. Good and strong. Says he likes heartbeats at this stage to be between 160 and 180 so mine are perfect!!! Hubby and I are still in shock. We already own three great kids. Now two more!!! Totally unexpected! What a day. No wonder I have gained 6 lbs. already and no wonder my 7 week pic has a good size little bump already!! Next doc appt. is Tuesday. I'll be sure to update!

3-15-2008 - - - My oldest daughter turned 11 yesterday!!! ELEVEN!! She will be such a great help with her new brothers/sisters. Last night I was restless and couldn't sleep because I kept thinking about my slowly dropping progesterone levels. My HcG quant levels are rising very nicely. Up to 101,000 from 28,000 last week but my progesterone started at 36 at week 4, then was 28 at week 6 and is now 20 at week 7. Nurse had told me yesterday that they don't worry about supplementing progesterone until the level is below 15, but I was still worried at the decline. Maybe I know too much for my own good having been in the medical field for over 8 years, but sometimes you have to advocate for yourself. So---I had doc paged last night to ask him about his thoughts on the dropping progesterone level. (If you don't know, progesterone is produced by your body to support your pregnancy until the placenta takes over beginning around weeks 10-12. If your progesterone level drops too low a miscarriage is possible). Doc called me back and he decided he'd go ahead and supplement some progesterone for me because of my history of miscarriages. He also said to keep taking the baby aspirin once a day along with the progesterone. Needless to say I ran off to the pharmacy, swallowed my little progesterone pill and went off to finally sleep peacefully. I am so happy I have an appt. Tuesday which will reassure me everything is ok.

On a side note: Neither my husband nor I can pin down even one other case of twins in our family's histories. Weird. I guess it has to start somewhere. My friend told me that God is smiling down at me and saying, "Well here ya go...you wanted to pregnant so bad...here's TWO!" I started laughing.

3-18-08 - - - Went to 8 week doc appt. today. I was so excited and had been looking forward to seeing both little ones and their beating hearts. However, doc could only "find" one baby with his machine!!!! The one he did "find" is measuring right on 8 weeks with a perfectly beating heart. I was a bit disappointed and confused as to why 5 days ago the hospital machine found two beating hearts and he could only see one baby today. Bottomline....good news is we are sure one baby is perfectly well and thriving. For all we know the other one is doing just as well but was well hidden!! I am also very aware of the other possibilities but choose not to voice them until we are sure. So...for now...we continue to treat the pregnancy as if there are two. Doc put me on calcium supplements (because I hate dairy products), he chose to continue the baby aspirin and progesterone daily as well as the prenatal vitamin (of course). I go back in two weeks for another scan on his dumb machine and HOPEFULLY will we SEE or hear baby #2 at that point. If not, I will request another scan with the hospital's machine to make sure we know what we are dealing with. Until then....I am VERY happy with todays news and the knowledge that I will be a new mommy again in October we just have to wait a bit longer to confirm the number of new babies!!

On a side note I must add.....doc told me he has another lady pregnant right now who he found one baby with his dumb machine at week 8....then he found 2 babies the next visit and 3 babies her third visit!!! So...I am optimistic that I am still expecting 2 and I will treat my mind and body as if that is the case.

I would love to hear back from anyone who has ever had a similar experience and the outcome!!! Heck...I'd love to hear back from anyone!!! I love to share and have other share with me!!! :)

3-21-2008 - - - Not much to update. The fatigue seems to have gotten worse this week, though. I work only 3-4 hours a day outside the home (thanks to my wonderfully supportive husband), but that is enough!! I usually leave work by 1pm at the latest and by then I am exhausted...and I know it is not the work I do because it is far from hard work. After work I'll come home and eat then take a much needed nap until 3pm when I have to pick-up the kids at school. Then after doing homework with them and cooking dinner, I am ready for bed the minute lights are out at 7:30pm and I can "sleep" until 6:30am no problem. 11 hours plus a daily nap!! Also..the nausea sticks around (off and on) all day long!! Stronger in the morning and evening hours. That's about it, though...fatigue and nausea. The always hungry feeling has seemed to lessen this week, though. However, I need to drink more water. I have cut out caffeine entirely (even chocolate) and I only drink water and juice (and the occasional caffeine free soda if I am craving the fizz). Next doc appt. for another ultrasound is April 2nd. Can't wait. The babies are growing so fast!!

3-30-2008 - - - Wanted to share with you ladies that I rented a fetal heart rate doppler monitor to use at home!! I love this thing. (I hated it the first day it came because I could not find a heartbeat), but after some practice and patience, my 11 year old daughter and I found two heartbeats last night!!!! I was able to hear one off to the left side and one off to the right side of my LOW abdominal area. The doppler I rented has a digital read-out of the heart rates so you don't have to count!! We got one rate of 144 and the other of 150. However, I do have to say that the heart rate we heard on the lower right side was real quick and then the little guy moved away. The one I got on the lower left side stayed right where he was....even long enough to record the sound on my cellphone!! Anyway...I love my new toy!! I can listen to my babies whenever I want. There are many, many, many fetal doppler rental sites on the internet. I ordered from Stork Radio and paid for 3 months use up front and the total was only $60...that's just $20 a month!!! Free shipping and free return shipping. My next US with doc is Wednesday!!