THE BIG DISCOVERY: The flu had been going around, and my MIL and dsd both had it. I had been experiencing some nausea and tiredness before the flu outbreak, but both symptoms increased around the time MIL and dsd were sick. On Monday morning at work, I got my normal cup of coffee. I nearly spit out my first swallow. I haven't touched coffee since. The thought makes me gag. DH suggested that I might be pregnant and asked me to take the test. I told him that I would, but there was really no need. I probably had the flu like everyone else. By the way, I stayed home on Tuesday feeling sick. Tuesday, I was going to take the test, but I said to dh, 'Why waste a test? It's the flu.' On Wednesday, I had some pains in my pelvis, which I'd already been experiencing, so I thought what the heck, and took the test. The first test was faint, but it appeared to be a plus sign. I IMed my dh and explained that according to the test I am pregnant, I think, but that I wasn't sure because the horizontal line was so faint but the vertical line was definitely there (as you can see in the picture). I was upset because I didn't want to be disappointed if I were misreading the test. I called my bff and told her the news, and she was thrilled as were her children, who danced around their living room and hooped and hollered. Dh brought home another test, and it showed a very clear plus sign. Confirmed!

The pelvic pain continued, so I was very concerned that we had an ectopic pregnancy. So, at 9 weeks we went to the doctor, who said it was not an ectopic pregnancy. We saw the baby and his heart beat and heard his heartbeat (171 bpm). The doctor gave me a due date of October 1, 2008, but I figure it is more likely September 26 - October 4, but my gut instinct says October 3 as January 12th or 13th are very possible conception dates. Of course, babies don't stick to schedules! Baby could be born on my BIL's birthday (9/27),dh's birthday (10/6), or even our anniversary (10/15).

HELPFUL ADVICE

(gleaned from others & experience)

Check out the wonderful advice from a member on this site. Her username is Debra. Also, check out my7thbabyduemay20th2008. Her blog has great advice.

INTELLIGENDER TEST (1) Do not have sex within 24 hours of taking the test. (2) Make sure you drink lots of fluids so that your urine is light-colored when taking the test.

TAILBONE PAIN! See a chiropracter, and invest in a birthing ball (exercise ball), which feels so good to sit down on.

MORNING SICKNESS ginger tablets!

PELVIC & VAGINAL PAIN Sit straddling a warm hot water bottle or heat pack. It will help the stretching muscles and ligaments relax.

SLEEPING A belly bag basically is a bean bag with a hole in the middle like a donut. It is great when your back is aching and you want to lie face down safely.

BREECH BABIES Check out www.spinningbabies.com . Also, an exercise in one of my books states that a woman should lie on her back with her knees bent and her hips raised 9-12 inches for twice per day, 10 minutes each time, on an empty stomach and bladder. Use firm pillows to lift the pelvis. This has an 89% effectiveness rate.

HEADACHES and CONSTIPATION. There is only one answer to both these problems. DRINK MORE WATER! You should be drinking at least 1/2 your body's weight in water. I drink the equivalent of 96 ounces or 6 standard-size water bottles. I weigh only 140, which means I should be drinking at least 70 ounces, but I discovered that I needed more. You can tell if you need more water by the color of your urine. Your urine should be clear or almost clear. A small glass of apple juice, plum juice, or prune juice per day helps with constipation, too, and qualifies as a serving of fruit. V8 is so excellent for constipation, too, as it has 4 grams of fiber in it. Also, put ice on your head and your feet in a bucket or bath of very warm water. It will draw the blood away from your head and help to clear the headache.

LEG CRAMPS quality magnesium supplement, either liquid (which works better) or in a pill form; I cannot go a day without the magnesium. I suffer if I do. I would not survive this pregnancy without it.

SWELLING Its not sodium intake; its lack of protein. We should be eating 100-120g per day. Raise your legs for 30 minutes each day to ease pressure on the lower back and to reduce puffiness.

ACID REFLUX use vinegar. Sip it and/or put it on food before you would normally feel it coming on. Its lack of acid in your tummy, not the opposite. Even salt and vinegar chips work or try something else that has acidic properties!

PRENATALS, of course!

RED RASPBERRY traditionally strengthens the uterus and entire reproductive system. It can coordinate uterine contractions in childbirth. It can decrease the chances of a miscarriage for premature babies. It may help the mother carry full-term. Take one capsule for each 25 pounds of body weight per day.

Iodine is as essential nutrient for the baby’s development and the prevention of post-partum depression. THYROID ACTIVATOR contains iodine-bearing herbs and can be obtained from Nature's Sunshine.

Use OMEGA 3 for baby smarts.

FOOD ENZYMES helps DIGESTION.

5W from Nature's Sunshine five weeks before the due date to further help our bodies get ready for labor.

Remember to get VITAMIN D and CALCIUM (Calcium Plus Vitamin D can be obtained from Nature's Sunshine). It is crucial to our own bodies and to our babies' development. If you don't have enough calcium and trace elements for the child, there goes your own hair and teeth! Additionally, your child is laying down its bones & teeth throughout the pregnancy. Sufficient calcium and protein also prevents pre-eclampsia and toxemia, a serious complication of later pregnancy. Calcium is critical in pregnancy!

For more information about Nature's Sunshine or other herbs and vitamins for pregnacy, just leave me a comment requesting information. HAPPY PREGNANCY!

If you are searching for a name, check out the list below:

boy girl

Elliott, Jack, Owen, Lamont, Shannon, Bryce, Oliver, Sam, Oscar, Asher, Hank, Sandy, Kirby, Logan, Wade, Cade, Ethan, Travis, Neal, Kelly, Simeon, Simon, Reuben, Gilbert, Eli, Lance, Quincy, Quinton, Julian, Gideon, Giles, Jamie, Scott

Pamela Joan (could be called Pam or Joan or Joanie if she's peppy and confident), Nyla Pearl (for a sophisticated, sexy name), Lila (w/ Jean, Leigh, Lynn, Ann, and the possibilities are endless depending on what your lifestyle is), Betsy, Glenys (meaning pure and holy), Meredith, Michelle, Agatha, Beatrice, Lucy, Alayna, Nola, Liza, Ellie, Ellen, Beverly, Rosalynn, Kanisha, Arneetra, Donna, Rosalie, Jenna, Twyla, Lois, Janell, Natasha, Sunny, Edie Aubrianna, Jackie Maxine, Anna (w/nearly anything Belle, Claire, Kate, Marie, Gayle, etc.), Raya (meaning friend), Wendy (meaning friend), Kendra (such an easy name to hear, spell, and pronounce), Atalanta (At ah lan tah, meaning unswaying -- a very strong name), Dilys (de LEES, meaning genuine), Jill (meaning sweetheart, girl), Charlotte Naomi, Bonnie (a very sweet, feminine name), Holly, Raquel, Jorja, Tabitha, Josie, Caroline, Rachel, Diane (works well as a middle name), Louise (works well as a middle name), Connie, Laura, Constance, Jane (works well as a middle name), Tamara, Shelly, Cassidy, Annissa, Ada Taylor, Rose, Audra, Elise, Audrey, Amanda, Susan, Renee' (works well as a middle name)

Flower Names: Camillia, Ivy, Fern, Rose, Lily, Hyacinth, Flora, Pansy, Daisy, Iris, Petunia

combos: Jackie Maxine (protect/greatest), Edie Aubrianna (treasure/noble,strong), Nyla Pearl (winner/pearl), Bonnie Naomi (pretty, good girl/delightful, pleasant), Rachel Christina (innocent lamb/Christ-bearer) Natasha Camille (rebirth/verdant and blooming), Charlotte Naomi (feminine/delightful, pleasant), Annissa Jill (companion, faithful friend/sweetheart, girl), Ada Taylor (noble, happy/tailor). Other names in the list above could be paired together, such as Meredith Michelle and Audra Elise.

names for pets: Cookie, Cowboy, Sonnet, Nugget, Daisy, Penelope, (Dinky -- for a daschund or other small dog), Mississippi, Liza, Tootsie, (Nyla-- for a cat), (Happy, Peppy, Sunny, Skippy -- for a beagle) (Bat, Pedro -- for a chiuaua), (Fred Astaire -- for a pig), (Hazel, Fred, Montgomery, Lillian, Fluffy -- for a rabbit)

Happy name hunting!

3/20/08 I saw my midwife (MW) for the first time today. I spent 2 hours and 15 minutes talking directly with her. When I went to a doctor four weeks ago, I spent 30 minutes or less talking with him and 3 hours in his office!

Baby's heartbeat is a healthy 160 bpm, and mine is 68 bpm. She explained that the bigger the baby is the lower his heartrate will be. By birth the heart rate should decrease to about 120 bpm. It has nothing to do with gender. While trying to find Baby's heart beat, I heard bleep sounds occassionally. MW said that it is the baby flipping. She said that babies don't like the soundwaves, so they try to get away from it. lol

My blood pressure is 110 over 62. My urine test was perfect on most accounts except for hydration, which turned out that I was (out of about 8 degrees) the last degree--meaning severely dehydrated. In addition to the 48 ounces of water and 16 ounces of cranberry juice I drank before I arrived, I drank 1 quart and 24 ounces of water after my visit with MW.

We got a new due date based on a more accurate assessment. MW uses two methods--the spinning wheel like the doctor uses and Woods method. The spinning wheel is calculated only for 28 day cyles, meaning that the 14th day after the first day of AF is the calculated conception date. Not all women have 28 day cyles; mine can be from 28 days (rare) to 39 days.

The doctor said October 1, giving me a conception date of January 7. Thankfully, I was using a fabulous calendar at the time, so I had written down ovulation dates and dates my husband and I had sex. TWO THINGS: no ovulation on the 7th and no sex anywhere near the 7th. I told MW that I ovulated and had sex on 1/12 and 1/13, so those were very possible dates. She first guessed October 7 as a dd and then changed it to October 6 when I told her about those dates, but she said that we are going to say it is October 4. She also advised always taking the later date as the date to tell others because if I am one day late, people will begin to nag, worry, and try to pressure me into going to the hospital.

MW supplied me with tons of information and gave me two workbooks. Has any doctor ever done that? She also gave to me a plastic baby that is the size and appearance of an 11 week old baby.

I found out, too, that in Alabama, it is illegal for midwives to deliver babies. My MW delivers babies in Mississippi and Florida. It is a crying shame that women in Alabama do not have the option to choose good healthcare for themselves and their forthcoming babies. I'm sure that law is money-related; big drug companies and doctors don't want to compete with midwives, so they lobby. Pray for Alabama to reverse the absurd law.

5/9/08 Hooray! We have a textbook perfect baby. That is, our baby measured exactly at 19 weeks by the finger test and had a perfect measurement on the measuring tape test. Also, baby's heartbeat is 150, and sounds very strong. My heartbeat was 68, and my blood pressure was 100/62. I have gained 9.5 pounds. My urine test was perfect. My husband was with me this time!

We asked MW about different scenarios of why she would transport me to the hospital, and she said that if my water breaks and the water is extremely and all green, if the baby's heartbeat falls below 120, and something else that I can't remember. Of course, transports are rare.

We wondered if she would deliver breeches and what she would do if a cord was around the baby's neck. She told us that she delivers lots of breeches, and that 40% of the babies born have the cords around their necks. She showed us detailed pictures of deliveries she has made with breeches and corded babies. Recently, MW delivered one breech baby in the backseat of his daddy's truck. We saw the pictures. We feel very confident in her ability to deliver our baby in any situation.

I asked her why she wanted me to wait until 28 weeks to have an ultrasound. MW said that at 28 weeks the placenta will be and stay in the same place for the remainder of the pregnancy. Anytime before that, the placenta will move. If the placenta is at 28 weeks low-lying, it will remain that way. However, it will not necessarily remain low-lying at anytime before that. She said that when doctors tell women early on that they have low-lying placentas, it scares the women, and the doctors redflag them for ceseareans, which most are unnecessary. At 28 weeks, she can make a diagnostic determination about delivering the baby.

My husband and I spent 1 hour 45 minutes with her this time.

WEBSITES THAT I HAVE FOUND HELPFUL

(sorry it isn't in a list; it took up too much space on my page)

Parenting.com i-am-pregnant.com (postnatal like I am pregnant website *awesome for parenting)parents.com (breastfeeding, bathing, massage, etc.) verybestbaby.com (breastfeeding, taking care of baby) jusmommies.com (calendar) americanpregnancy.org (great info. on everything) missississippi department of health.com (breastfeeding, misc. info.) spinningbabies.com (birth positions, getting your baby to turn to the anterior position) realsavvymoms.com (postnatal information week by week) pampers.com (postnatal baby development) crystalscreations.webs.com (announcements) commtechlab.msu.edu/sites/aslweb/browser.htm (sign language) armsreach.com (baby furniture) familyresource.com babycenter.com mybirthcare.com pregnancy.com pregnancy.org pregnancyandbaby.com angelfire.com earlychildhoodlinks.com fonz.com coloring.ws kidshealth.org (weaning and other parental info.) womenshealth.gov babyzone.com (shower games, gifts, etc.) i-am-pregnant.com (shower games, birthplan, etc.) activitiesforkids.com (awesome site for activities, travel tips, etc.), hypnobirthing.com