My profile

Hi, my name is Nicole. My username when I was pregnant was NICOLE24. I'm 25 years old. My husband, Derek, and I have been together for 5 years, and we're engaged for 3 1/2 years before we got married on my birthday March 28th, 2009! We have been ttc since 2006. We have unfortunately experienced 3 early m/c all before 5 wks. We were finally blessed with our miracle baby boy on February 9th, 2009!! His name is Derek too! (Hes a junior after his daddy) but we call him DJ for the most part. Hes the best part of our lives!

DJ's growth chart

Born on 2/9/09 at 8lbs 2oz and 20 inches long

Discharged from the hospital on 2/11/09 at 7lbs 2oz

First doctors visit on 2/13/09 at 8lbs 2oz (back to birth weight)

2 week visit- 9lbs 7oz and 21 1/2 inches

1 month visit- 10lbs 8oz and 23 1/2 inches

2 month visit- 13lbs 11oz and 24 1/4 inches

3 month visit- 16lbs 12oz

4 month visit- 19lbs and 27 inches

5 month weight at home- 21 lbs

6 month weight at home- 22 lbs

First cold and ear infection-August 2009

6 month weight and height at doctors office 8/28/09- 23lbs 7oz and 30 inches

8 month weight at home- 24 lbs

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My pregnancy mini-diary

LMP May 2nd 2008

Positive HPT on May 30th 2008

First blood work on 5/31/08- HCG 170, progesterone 42

Second blood work on 6/3/08- HCG 735, no prog.

Third blood work on 6/9/08- HCG 9,965.3, prog. 27.2

6/16/08- Saw baby for the first time on vaginal ultrasound!! Heartbeat was 130bpm

6/18/08- Saw the baby again on an abdominal ultrasound. Saw the heart beating!

6/26/08- Saw the baby on abdominal u/s. Saw the heart beating again!

7/21/08- Heard the heartbeat for the first time at the doctors office! It was 177 bpm. So amazing to hear finally!!

7/28/08- Had my NT scan ultrasound today! We found out we're probably having a BOY! we could see his 'stuff' pretty clearly so the u/s tech said theres a very good chance its a little boy! The NT measurement was 1.5 which is very good. His heart beat was 169 and he was moving so much! It was amazing!

8/1/08- Heard the babys heart beat at the doctors office! 168 bpm and he was moving a ton!

8/19/08- First definite movements from the baby!! Lots of tickles and taps all day!

8/22/08- Midwife appt went great! I've only gained 2 lbs since 12 weeks. Blood pressure was great. Babys heartbeat was in the 150's and my uterus is moving up towards my belly button.

8/25/08- Feeling the baby move everyday now! He/She has awake/asleep periods. When he/shes active I feel around 10 movements during that hour or 2.

9/4/08- Had the big ultrasound today! ITS A BOY!!! hes 7 oz and his heartrate was 154bpm. Hes measuring perfect for 18 weeks but they did find a tiny white spot on his heart so they want me to follow up with a specialist for a level 2 u/s on monday, but they said its really common and nothing to worry about since my bloodwork came out great for any risk of down syndrome. we're so excited!!

9/8/08- The appointment with the specialist went great! The spot is still on his heart but they are definitly not concerned about it. I dont even need any follow up for it! YAY! He was wiggling around the entire time like always, and we got 2 more confirmations that hes a boy :o)

9/19/08- Had my 20 week midwife appt today. I've gained 4 lbs since my last appt so I'm up 6 lbs all together. My blood pressure was 110/70. Babys heartbeat was 150 and he kicked the doppler off of my belly while she was listening :o)

10/17/08- Had my 24 week midwife appt today. I gained 6 lbs since 20 weeks so that puts me at a 12 lb weight gain all together! My blood pressure was great and the babys heartrate was in the high 140's-low 150's. He's measuring 2 weeks ahead of schedule which they say is fine for now and they will check on it again next time. My fiance and his whole family are very tall so i wouldnt be shocked to have a bigger baby!

10/24/08- Had to go to labor and delivery at the hospital cuz I didnt feel DJ move all day but he's totally fine, thank god! He was in a weird position and must have been kicking his placenta so I couldnt feel him very well. Pregnancy is way too stressful!!

10/27/08- We had our 3d u/s done tonight and the pics came out amazing! We got a 20 minute video of the entire u/s which is the best part. We can watch that anytime we want! He was opening his mouth and putting his fingers in there. He had his arms and legs above his head which doesnt seem too comfortable but apparently he likes it. He looked like a little man reclined back all comfy :o)

11/14/08- Had my 28 week appt today. I've gained 5 more lbs. so I'm up 17 lbs all together now. DJ is measuring almost 29 weeks which is still a little ahead but they said its totally fine. His heartrate was in the 140's. My blood pressure was 120/70. I took my GD test today so I'll know the results on monday. the drink was actually really good and the needle didnt hurt much for the bloodwork!

11/17/08- I passed my GD test! my results were 114 and anything under 130 is great. My iron level was a little low though so I'm going to start taking a supplement on top of my prenatal vitamin for that

12/2/08- Had my 30 week appt today. Ive gained 4-5 more lbs so im up at least 21-25 lbs now! i feel huge! my blood pressure was great: 110/70. DJ's heartrate was in the high 130's. Hes actually head down now which is a relief! Let's hope he stays like that! My urine was perfect. Im measuring right on target and everything else is going great!

12/6/08- we had our baby shower today and it was amazing!! we got SO MUCH and we are SO thankful! i cant wait to sort through it all!

12/16/08- My 32 week appt went great! DJ is measuring right on track still and his heartrate is in the 130's-140's. My BP was 120/80 and i gained 2 lbs since my last appt. Only 7 and 1/2 weeks left til we meet our little guy!

12/30/08- My 34 week appt was today. The babys head is already engaged and very very low! My midwife told me to make sure my bags are packed and to keep an eye on any contractions since they can cause me to start dilating soon! Im so scared! The rest of my appt was great. My BP was 110/70, DJ's heartrate is perfect and hes measuring right on target for almost 35 weeks. Only 5 more weeks (maybe less!)

1/13/09- My 36 week appt was today! I'm 1cm dilated and 50% effaced already! My midwife doesnt think ill go another 3 weeks! I gained 3 more lbs so that puts me at a total of 35 lbs. DJ's heartrate was great and my blood pressure was 120/80!

1/19/09- Im still the same dilation and effacement as last week but thats ok. I found out that my group B strep test came back positive so I'll need some antibiotics before I deliver and my blood pressure was a little on the high side both times they took it so we'll see what it is next week. I gained 1 more lb and DJ's heartrate was in the 130's.

1/28/09- My blood pressure was still high today and I had some protein in my urine so I got some bloodwork done and I'll know the results in a couple days. Im 1 and 1/2 cm dilated and she did a cervix stretch while she was checking me so i'm having a little bit of bloody plug coming out. I feel really crampy and my lower back is killing me so im hoping this will jumpstart labor!

1/30/09- My bloodwork came back showing that my platelet count is on the low side so we'll see what they say at my appt on monday. My liver and kidneys look great tho- no effects of the high blood pressure yet so thats good!

2/2/09- We spent a few hours in L+D cuz of contractions every 2-5 minutes for over a few hours but my cervix still isnt dilating past 1 and 1/2 cm! They did more bloodwork so I guess I'll find out the results thursday when I go in for my next appt! My BP was high yet again so we'll see!

2/5/09- My platelet level dropped from 143,000 on wednesday to 130,000 on monday night in L+D. i got it rechecked again today and ill know the results in the morning. If it drops any lower then im demanding to be induced! Theres a risk of hemorrage and heavy bleeding if the level goes below 100,000 plus I wouldnt be able to get an epidural cuz of that risk! My BP was good today tho- 110/70. Still dilated to 1 and 1/2.

2/9/09- Derek Allan Nunes Jr was born at 2:47am after 14 hours of labor with 2 and 1/2 hours of that pushing!! His head was delivered after i got an episiotomy with the cord wrapped tight around his neck. Then his shoulders wouldnt deliver fast enough as his heart rate was dropping so another doctor stepped in and ripped him from my body giving me a 4th degree tear down below! But hes perfectly healthy despite his abrupt entrance into the world. Im healing up nicely too. I didnt even have any pain from the cut/tear at all. Just overall body soreness from pushing so long. Hes the light of my life! I love being a mommy and my fiance has been so amazing! i couldnt have done any of it without him!

2/23/09- DJ is 2 weeks old today! hes been doing great except that we just switched his formula for the second time. He was started on Enfamil lipil in the hospital but once we got home and started using the powdered formula he got extremely constipated and gassy so we had to switch to Similac Advance Early Shield but he was still so gassy on it!! His pediatrician said to try the Similac Sensitive to help with that so we started it today and we'll see how it works! His cord hasnt fallen off yet but its hanging on by a little bit so hopefully he'll lose it soon so we can give him a real bath! He's eating 3oz every 3-4 hours and does some good burps afterwards. Hes usually pretty great about going right back to sleep after eating but since he started having the gas and constipation its getting harder to put him back to bed at night. He has another doctor appt on Friday to check his weight. I cant wait to see how big he's gotten!

Madame Zaritska's reading

Madame Zaritska, our resident clairvoyant, wants to help you prepare for the arrival of your child. Here she does her best to predict certain aspects of your labor and birth experience.

What she senses for you
The day you deliver, outside will be overcast. Your baby will arrive at night.

After a labor lasting approximately 19 hours, your child, a boy, will be born. Your baby will weigh about 7 pounds, 9 ounces, and will be 20 inches long. This child will have light blue eyes and some very fine hair.

But there is more. I sense that you have thought about labor in the water. You ask yourself, "Why do women find it helpful?" I think you should look here to find out more.

Pregnancy survey (Updated 2/2/09 at 39w3d)

Name: Nicole

Age: 25

Height: 5'6''

Eye color: Greenish-Brown

Hair color: Dark brown

Pre-pregnancy weight: 125lbs

Current weight: 170 on my due date!

Occupation: stay at home mommy

Nationalities: 50% Italian. 50% French Canadian

Father�s Name: Derek

Age: 24

Height: 6'0

Eye color: Hazel

Hair color: Dark brown

Occupation: laborer/welder/driver for a high-temp alloy metal company

Nationalities: 50% Portuguese, 50% Polish

Is this your first pregnancy? Unfortunately, no. We experienced 3 early m/c from 2006-2007

When did you find out you were pregnant? May 30th, 2008

Was it a planned pregnancy? We wanted to try again but it happend by accident! It was a big surprise!

How far along are you right now? 39w3d as of Feb 2nd, 2009. Due on Friday Feb 6th!

What was your first reaction? OMG! I knew it!!!

Who is the first person you told? Derek was looking at the HPT with me, then I called my mom and told my best friends a little while after

What was your first symptom? sore boobs, just not feeling quite right

Have you started to show yet? yup! i got my baby belly during my 4th month!

Do you have any cravings? Tomatos! I eat them on grilled cheese sandwiches, BLTs, in salads or just all by themselves! and pomegranates! I've been eating at least 3 a week since they came in season and lately clementines! i eat at least 2 a day haha

What food can you absolutely not eat? nothing seems so bad yet. Sometimes I just totally lose my appetite for anything at all

Have you had an ultrasound yet? Yes!! We've had 7 so far! First one at 6w3d, second and third during week 8, fourth at 12w3d, 5th at 17w6d, the sixth at 18w3d, and the 7th was a 3d u/s at 25w3d

Have you seen/heard the heartbeat? Seen the heartbeat during the first 3 ultrasounds. then heard it for the first time at my midwife appt. at 11w5d and heard it at all my appts and ultrasounds since then

When is your due date? Feb 6th, 2009

Are you hoping for a boy or a girl? We're having a little boy and we're both so excited!

What kind of birth are you planning for? A quick and painless one! lol I'll definitely get an epidural

Who will be in the delivery room with you? Derek and my mom. Prob Dereks mom too!

What is the first thing you will say to your baby? I'll prob just say OMG OMG over and over at first

Do you have any names picked out yet? His name will be Derek Allan after his daddy. Hes gunna be a junior and we're gunna call him DJ for a nickname