It's a Girl!!! Giovanna Maria

10/3/07

I have NO idea where all my entries went...their gone and I didn't delete them. That's a huge bummer. I guess I have to start over now....

I'm a 34 year old stay at home wife (soon to be Mommy...woo hoo!). My husband is a psychologist here in NY, he's 37.

Tomorrow I will be starting my 21st week of this pregnancy. We found out on Monday (finally) that we are having a girl...we are thrilled to say the least. Her name will be Giovanna Maria. So far she is only 13 ounces, but growing fast.

The pregnancy has gone well so far besides the small symptoms that we all get...headaches, major breaking out, swollen feet/ankles once or twice, backache etc...but it's all worth it for our little girl. I would go through that and more for her saftey as I'm sure you all feel the same way about the little one you are carrying.

So far I've only gained 5lbs, which me and my doctors are so happy about. I'm overweight to begin with, so they don't want me gaining too much. My hubby works with a woman who is two weeks ahead of me and she has gained 15lbs so far...so I'm doing pretty good, lets hope I can keep it up. The only concern so far was my blood pressure. They consider me to have chronic hypertension and my blood pressure was about 120/90 in the beginning, but it dropped to about 110/80 for two of the visits, then climbed back to 115/90. They aren't too concerned right now but will be keeping a close eye on it. My sister had pre-eclampsia with her first, so I'm a bit worried about that. I cut out all salt from my diet and hope that helps.

I guess that sums it up, hope I don't lose this entry too!!

Hope all of you out there are having safe and happy pregnancies...and to all the women TTC I wish you lots of luck...been there and I know how that feels (tried for a year and a half).

10/4/07 ***21 Weeks today***

Last night me and hubby went to Babies R Us to register. It was so fun to walk around picking out things we will be using for our little Gia!! We spent an hour and a half...could have walked around longer but the store was closing. Can't wait to put those cute little clothes on our baby girl!

Neil had to go to a meeting today in Manhattan, I hate when he has to go to the city, ever since 9/11 it just makes me nervous.

My back has started to ache a bit lately, thought it was kind of early to have that happen, but guess not. Good thing it doesn't last all day...as soon as I rest for a little while it feels better.

Tonight we are going to a spa to see about prenatal massage. Neil wants to make sure it looks "safe" to him, lol. So hopefully I'll be getting a massage soon!! Woo hoo!!

10/13/07 ***22 weeks***

So far everything is still going pretty good. It feels like the baby is kicking me in the bladder a lot lately, hopefully she'll move to a different position so she'll start kicking somewhere else, lol. We never got around to stopping by the spa the other week, hopefully we'll get there soon...I could so go for a massage pretty soon. I haven't been retaining water at all, only two times so far since the whole pregnancy began....so I'm hoping that's a good sign that I won't get pre eclampsia. It is one of my biggest concerns. I'm still able to sleep at night, I'm definitely not looking forward to when I can't get comfortable anymore and lose sleep over it. I have an appointment at the OB this Tuesday and since they do an ultrasound each visit I'll get to see Giovanna again, I can't wait!!! And another week or two after that I go back to the high tech ultrasound place and get to see her again, even clearer than on my doctors machine!! I hope they give me some more pictures to take home with me. They did last time, but I don't know if they will this time because it's a repeat visit to check her spine since they couldn't get a good look at it the last time.

10/17/07

I was supposed to see my doctor today (well now that I'm doing this entry at 12 am...technically the appointment was yesterday) but after sitting in the waiting room for about 15 minutes he rushed out saying he was sorry but had to go deliver a baby. So I'm rescheduled for this Friday. I was hoping to find out what the results were from the diagnostic ultrasound we'd had a week ago. They always tell us no news is good news, and we hadn't heard anything from them. So, hopefully everything was ok with Giovanna...we will find out for sure on Friday.

10/18/07 ***23 weeks today***

Tomorrow is my rescheduled doctors appointment. Another chance to see our baby girl, I can't wait. We should also get the results back on the ultrasound test that was done a few weeks back. The baby seems to have moved her position because it seems like lately she's been kicking me down lower than usual. Before she was kicking me on one side or the other. The other night I actually put my hand where she was kicking and I felt it on the outside...wish my husband had been there at the time, he would have had his first contact with the little one. I absolutely LOVE feeling her move, I stop what I'm doing and just enjoy the moment each time she starts kicking. I know this pregnancy will go by fast enough so I want to make sure I slow down and enjoy the special moments of it. I'm going to ask my doctor tomorrow when he thinks would be a good time for us to set up the 3D ultrasound. I don't care if we are paying for it ourselves, we both still want to do it. We can't wait to see our little angel!! The other night I ended up with a nose bleed...anyone else been getting those? The doctor said it's common in pregnancy, just a little surprising for me because I've never had one before. Other than that things are still going great. I'm hoping for a good reading tomorrow on my blood pressure...and hoping I haven't gained much weight. So far the total is 5 pounds...I want to keep it as low as possible since they only want me gaining 25 pounds at most.

10/19/07

So today was my doctors appointment...got to see our little girl on the ultrasound screen again, as well as hear her heartbeat...things that I can't wait for each month. My blood pressure was elevated (130/90), but the doctor still wasn't too concerned because the bottom number was staying consistent. I gained 5 pounds in the past 3 weeks!!! NOT good...but I'm so confused because I'm actually eating better than I was during the month that I lost 2 pounds. I guess I gotta work harder at it. The baby is weighing 1 pound 7 ounces so far...he said she weighs what she should weigh if I were 24 weeks (which I'm 23 weeks now). I wouldn't be surprised if she ends up being a big baby because I weighed 10 pounds 2 ounces (and my Mom pushed me out herself...no c-section!!!) and my husband was 8 pounds something. The results from the diagnostic ultrasound were all good, nothing wrong with any of her organs, her heart is good, kidneys etc. We asked him to double check and see if he thinks we are still having a girl...he's positive that we are...so that's good news. He gave us the referral to go have the diabetes test thingy...where you gotta drink that awful stuff...so the next chance I get I'll have to make an appointment at the lab to do that. After all I've read about it, I'm not looking forward to drinking that stuff. But, it will be worth it for the health of the baby.

10/29/07 ***24 weeks***

On Friday we went back for another ultrasound to check the baby's spine. Apparently last time they didn't get a good look at the heart either, which we didn't know, so they had to look at her heart again as well. The technician who was doing it said everything looked great and she is predicting the baby should be around 8 pounds at the time of delivery (going by the U/S). My mother in law went with us the last time and was there this time as well....even my father in law came in and was amazed by how far technology has come since they had their kids. The next day I had to go to the lab and do the glucose test. The drink actually wasn't as bad as I had been anticipating, it wasn't great either, but not bad enough that I threw up. I did feel a little sick after drinking it, but I think it was more that I was starting to feel hungry. I should find out the results from that test either Wednesday or Thursday. I've got my fingers crossed because I don't want to have to go back and do the 3 hour test...or find out that I have gestational diabetes. I know every pregnancy is different, but I'm hoping the fact that neither my sister or mother had it when they were pregnant might also mean that I won't get it either. But they were both in their early 20's when they got pregnant and I'm 34...so that could make a difference.

Last night my husband finally felt Giovanna kick for the first time. I had been telling him that I'd felt it on the outside with my hand many times but he didn't believe me because he thought it was too early. For the past two days I've been putting his hand wherever she was kicking, but it hadn't been strong enough for him to feel yet...she has times where she kicks harder than others...but finally last night I woke him up and put his hand on my belly where she was kicking and he got the biggest smile on his face. I was so happy because I wanted him to be able to share in that connection to her, one that I've been feeling for weeks now.

Tonight we are going to a concert in Manhattan, I hope I can make the 40 minute train ride without having to pee, lol. It will be Giovanna's first concert and I hope she enjoys it (I've heard that at this point in the pregnancy they can hear noises outside the womb).

11/6/07 ***25 weeks***

I have an appointment at the doctors today and I'm a bit nervous. I took the glucose test about a week ago and they never called me with the results. Usually they tell us that if we don't hear from them it's good news. So, I have my fingers crossed that it came back with my levels in the normal range. I'm also concerned about what my weight gain will be since last time it was 5lbs in only 3 weeks!! Before that I had been doing really well, one month I gained 2lbs...the next one I lost those 2lbs that I'd gained. So I was kind of shocked last time when it was 5lbs. Hopefully it won't be so bad this trip. I'm also getting more and more concerned about possible preeclampsia due to my blood pressure. So I'm always anxious to hear how my bp is and to make sure there is no protein in my urine test that they do at each visit. I've been having this pain in my pelvic region...even a little lower (trying not to get TMI on you guys, ha). So I'm wondering if that is normal or just what exactly it means. I hope it's not something that is just going to be there for the last few months of this pregnancy because it's really uncomfortable. I just haven't heard of anyone else on here having it so it does worry me a little (yes, if you hadn't noticed already...I'm a worrier, ha).

11/9/07 ***26 weeks***

You all have been holding out on me because that pain I've been feeling (in my pelvic area) is something a lot of pregnant women feel...at least that's what my doctor said. He says he hears about that all the time, but maybe women are embarassed to talk about it. I wrote to one of my friends and she said she had the same exact thing with her pregnancies too. So, I do feel better knowing it's completely normal, on the other hand it is a huge bummer knowing I have to feel this for the rest of the pregnancy. Again, it's all worth it to have a healthy baby to hold in my arms at the end. The results from my glucose test came back with my levels in the normal range...woo hoo!! I was a bit worried about that one and am thrilled I won't have to restrict my diet any more than I already do...I eat so much chicken I think I am growing feathers, ha. I found out I gained 4 pounds, which I wasn't happy about, but everthing else is going so well that I'm trying not to dwell on that. So far my total weight gain is 16lbs. This website says that by week 26 I should have gained 16-22lbs...so at least I'm at the lowest end of the range. I'm just worried that over the next few months I'm going to keep gaining like I have been the last two. The doctor said that I go back to the place that does the really good ultrasound pic's at 30 weeks, so I'm psyched about that since they do the 3D one's. If they don't do any 3D images for me at that visit then me and my husband are going to make an appointment at a private company that does them. I can't wait to see my baby girl's face with her chubby baby cheeks. Oh...I almost forgot...she weighs 2lbs now!! I know it's not much but it's so exciting to hear she has made it to another pound instead of being 1 lb 8 oz etc. I finally went for my prenatal massage last night, it was soooo nice!! Me and my husband got a massage at the same time in the same room so that was cool. But, I'm telling all you pregnant ladies out there...go get one!! I felt so good after (and during, ha). We are going back in month to get another one and I can't wait!!! Apparently Giovanna liked it too because she was kicking a lot during the massage.

11/15/07 ***27 weeks today***

So far everything has been going pretty good. I won't be seeing the doctor again until December 5th. Normally they have me come in every 3 weeks, but my doctor was going to be on vacation that week that I was due back so it's a full month this time. Which is kind of a bummer because I really look forward to getting a look at Giovanna on the ultra sound at every visit. I shouldn't complain though because I know I'm very lucky that I get an ultra sound done every doctors appointment. My feet swelled up a bit yesterday, I know I drank enough water so I'm thinking it's that I was on my feet cooking and cleaning without a break for longer than I should have. The doctor told me not to do much because of my high blood pressure, so I have to remind myself to slow down. Today I took everything out of and cleaned the entire refrigerator, but I made sure I took breaks in between to sit and rest for a little while. I'm thoroughly enjoying the pregnancy and feeling Gia move inside of me, but I can't wait to have my face be back to normal after the pregnancy. I've broken out terribly...worse than I ever thought possible. It's painful, and looks horrible. My skin is super dry so it ends up looking worse because it's all these dry patches where the acne is. I try my best to cover it up, but it's pretty obvious. I would do it all again though just to have Gia. It's more important that she is inside of me healthy and happy than it is for me to look good. Hope everyone's pregnancies are going well for them!!

11/29/07 ***29 weeks today***

I haven't updated for a little while. The holiday kept me busy. I also had my baby shower the Saturday after Thanksgiving...it was awesome. The baby got so spoiled. She has so many clothes I don't know that she'll even get to wear them all. We also got the Peg-Perago stroller we wanted from my Mom. We got the crib, matching dresser, baby swing, bouncer chair thingy, matching baby car seat that goes with the stroller, the high chair and a bunch of other stuff I can't remember right now. My mom and Aunts drove the 4 and a half hours in and back just to be there which meant the world to me. It wouldn't have been the same without my them there. Neil came at the end of the shower to get something to eat (we had it at an Italian restaurant here in Bklyn). So he got to see all the gifts that his little girl got. We were so overwhelmed by all the gifts she received, we have very little that we need to get ourselves now. Everything with the pregnancy is still going well, my back is starting to ache a little but isn't too terrible. My next doctor's appointment is next week. I think we'll be sent for another high tech ultrasound at 30 weeks, at least that's what he said last time, so I'm excited about that...last time they did a 3D picture for us so I'm really hoping they'll do another one. This past Monday we went to our first birth preparation class and it wasn't what we thought it would be. I guess I've learned most of what the lady was saying through all the pregnancy books I have. So basically all it did was update me. We have two more classes to go and we'll be done with that one. I also want to sign up for the breast feeding class they offer at the hospital...hopefully that will be more informative. We are getting closer and closer to meeting our little girl and I cannot wait!!

12/20/07 ***32 weeks today***

I can't believe how quickly the time has gone by. My little girl is 4 pounds 4 ounces so far, and still have 8 more weeks to go. Everyone is thinking she is going to be a big baby and the doctor said that this is the time she starts to really put on the weight!! I actually thought it slowed down near the end so I wasn't too worried. The ultrasound technician said that babies gain 1 pound every two weeks. So by that calculation Gia will weigh about 8 1/2 pounds. But when we saw the doctor the other night he said near the end they can gain 3/4 of a pound a week (instead of 1/2 a pound like the ultrasound tech said). So, she could be a 9 pound baby!! The good news is that she is healthy. At our last doctors appointment he said she is super active and it's a very good sign. Her heart rate is still good too. My blood pressure actually went down this time (my husband thinks it's because it was the first time in a while that we hadn't been fighting before we went to the doctor, lol). The reading was 110/80 which is a huge difference from last time when it was 130/90. Only thing is, I gained 7 pounds in only 2 weeks time!! The visit before that had been 4 weeks in between appointments and I'd only gained 3 pounds...so I was pretty shocked by 7 lbs in only 2 weeks!! But the doctor thinks that it is mostly water retention. I hope it is...well, not that I want to be retaining water, but it would mean less I had to lose after the baby is born. I'm actually still feeling pretty good. Heartburn is rare, so are the backaches. I'm still sleeping through the night with no problem (execpt the frequent trips to the bathroom). I've been getting the braxton hicks contractions now and then, but nothing alarming. Baby Gia is moving SO much and I feel her all the time, it's great. I still haven't gotten to the point where it's painful to have her kick or move. She has been keeping away from my ribs so far...got my fingers crossed. The crib and dresser Neil's parents ordered for us way back in October should be here any day now. I can't wait to finally be able to set her room up with all the things we got from the shower and that we have picked up on various trips to Babies R Us (which we practically live at these days, lol).

12/28/07 ***33 weeks***

The water retention begins...it hadn't been too much of an issue during the whole pregnancy as long as I drank enough water. At this point it doesn't matter how much I'm drinking, my feet and ankles are swelling. With only 7 more weeks to go I guess I can't complain...but I do anyway, lol. We have a 3D ultrasound set up for this Saturday and I'm hoping to get some pic's of my baby girl's face. Last time she was facing my back, so I'm worried that she is still in that position and we won't get any pic's. Next Sunday we have the tour of the maternity ward at the hospital. We also have an appointment to meet with a pediatrician next Monday. We have to find one before the baby is born, so we have finally started looking. My next doctors appointment is Friday the 4th...hopefully it will continue to be good news.

1/14/07 ***35 weeks + 4 days***

Everything went good at my last appointment. I actually lost weight...only one pound but I'll take what I can get. So my total gain during the pregnancy is 25lbs...not too bad. My bp went back up to 120/90 (last time it had surprisingly went down to 110/80). But the doctor is not concerned since it is still within the range that it's been during the entire pregnancy. There was no protein in my urine either, also a good sign. My hubby expressed concern over my losing weight and the doctor said he was happy because if there was a significant weight gain then he'd be worried that pre eclampsia was going to set in. Baby was looking good (woo hoo!!) she weighed 5 and 1/2 pounds, still a week ahead of schedule in terms of growth but it's a good thing as far as I'm concerned. When I first learned about my high blood pressure I read up on it and couple of websites said that women with chronic hypertension tended to have babies that grew slower and weighed less than they should...so I'm happy she is a week ahead in her growth/weight. We have been beyond busy getting ready for our little one's arrival. Just this weekend we set up the crib, put all the bedding on it, attached the crib toy that lights up and plays music. Also packed my bag for the hospital. Last week I washed all her clothes and put them away. I was worried I wouldn't have enough of her little things to make even one load so I was shocked when it turned out to be six loads worth of laundry for her...she has more clothes than all of us in this house!! : ) We took a breast feeding class last week and I'm very excited to be nursing Gia when she gets here. After the class I felt much more confident that I can do this for her. We have an infant cpr and parenting class coming up as well. Then we will be all done with classes...thank god! I'm just now starting to feel uncomfortable. I feel lucky that it wasn't until now that it really set it. Getting out of bed to pee every hour during the night is a lot harder...I have to inch my way to the edge of the bed and roll my way out. Turning over from one side to the other during sleep (what's that? lol) is another comedy act. I think I could spend the day sleeping and still not have a problem going to bed that night...I'm always tired. I'm also getting very worried about labor and the pain involved. I think at this point it's the whole unknown factor...but then again once I'm pregnant the second time (if there is a next time, lol) around I'll probably still be worried and then it will be because I do know exactly what to expect, lol. I guess either way every pregnant woman gets more concerned about the delivery as the time gets near. I just pray that Giovanna is delivered safely no matter what I have to go through. And, at least there is a prize at the end of the ordeal...getting to hold my baby girl in my arms for the very first time!! By the way she is moving lately it seems like she is trying to break out of the womb already!! I love feeling her move because it lets me know she is ok, but it is starting to get a bit uncomfortable at times...making me wonder just exactly what she is doing in there. This Wednesday is my next doctors appointment and I think from this point on I'll be going once a week. They are doing the GBR test to check for that bacteria that can be harmful to the baby when she comes in contact with it during delivery. I wonder if they will do an internal while they are down there...I'm curious to know what is going on with my cervix...if I'm dialated at all or effaced or whatever. If there is some action down there then maybe it means I might go a little early!! Not that many people read this (if any, lol) but if you managed to get this far into my latest entry just thought I'd give you all a good tip I learned from my hubby's cousin. She told me to buy one of those table cloths with the flannel backing (and plastic top) to place on the bed so that when/if your water breaks you don't end up ruining the mattress. We have a king size so we bought two of the biggest table cloths they have and put them on the bed a few nights ago. We put it under the mattress pad so it helps to keep it in place. It sounds funny any time we move on the bed, but will be well worth it to save our mattress. His cousin said she was at her Mom's house spending the night and her water broke while sleeping and her mother had to throw the mattress out!! Ok...end of my longest entry ever, lol.

***37 weeks & 6 days***

Last Friday Giovanna weighed in at 6 and a half pounds...she's still putting on the weight. I lost 1/2 a pound...I'll take what I can get, lol. I can't believe that as of tomorrow I'm only about 2 weeks or so from giving birth!! I tested positive for that GBS thing which means during delivery I'll need antibiotics to keep the baby from getting it from me as she's born. She still hasn't dropped yet and I keep wondering if she ever will. The doctor also told me that due to my blood pressure he won't let me go more than 2-3 days past my due date before inducing me. I guess it's good that I have a definite end in sight. At the same time I'm hoping my body does this on it's own...I've heard that inductions can often lead to c-sections and I'd like to avoid that if possible. I'm still sleeping good (besides waking every hour to pee, lol). Finally bought one nursing bra, now I need to get a few more, the place I went only had one style so I only got one of them. I packed up a diaper bag already, we have a house with 4 floors including a fully renovated basement with kitchen, living room etc (which is our main living area) and the attic which is where Neil and I are. So the diaper bag will be kept in the basement so we don't have to carry all that stuff down everyday once the baby is here. I'm getting excited to finally see my baby girl, it still amazes me that it has gone by so quickly when it felt like it was dragging way back in the beginning. In a matter of weeks (or days) our life will be changing forever. I'm hoping to get in one more dinner out with just Neil and I. I know it won't be happening for a long time once the baby is here. Next doctors appointment is this Friday. Hopefully she'll drop soon!!

Below is scan of Gia at 20 weeks.

Below are the latest scans of Giovanna at 24 weeks.

Here are some pic's of me and my husband...

3D pictures of Gia at 34 weeks, she's sucking on her big toe...so cute!!