About My Pregnancy:

MOTHER: Marcie
AGE: 27
HEIGHT: 5'6
PRE-PREGNANCY WEIGHT: 138lbs
FATHER: Devin
AGE: 28
HEIGHT: 6'5"
IS THIS YOUR FIRST PREGNANCY: Yes!
WHEN DID YOU FIND OUT YOU WERE PREGNANT: October 17, 2007
WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST REACTION: I was completely speechless, after my two miscarriages, I couldn't imagine that I would actually get a positive result.
HOW FAR ALONG WERE YOU WHEN YOU FOUND OUT: Just over 4 weeks
WHO WAS THE FIRST PERSON YOU TOLD: My husband
HOW DID THE PARENTS REACT: My mother exploded and my mother-in-law started to cry. Both sets of parents were very excited to say the least.
WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST SYMPTOM: Sore nipples. Nausea and bloating followed soon after.
WHEN IS YOUR DUE DATE: June 16, 2008
WHAT IS THE GENDER OF YOUR BABY: Its a boy!!
WHAT NAMES HAVE YOU PICKED: We both like Robert and Samuel. If I get my way (which I'm not banking on) the name will be Robert Clark. I love Clark as a middle name.
HOW MUCH WEIGHT HAVE YOU GAINED: So far at 19 weeks, I've gained around 8 lbs.
DO YOU HAVE STRETCH MARKS: Not yet
DO YOU FEEL THE BABY MOVE: Yes! I feel him kicking in there and doing all kinds of gymnastics.
HAVE YOU HEARD THE HEARTBEAT: Yes! I've heard it at all 4 ultrasounds so far! He has a nice strong heartbeat!
HOME OR HOSPITAL BIRTH: Hospital
NATURAL OR MEDICATED BIRTH: I'm pretty sure I'll do medicated. I took Cytotech with the last miscarriage and if the pain it caused is only 1/10th the pain of real labor....I'm getting myself an epi!! I'm still going to take some natural labor classes, just in case the unexpected happens.
WHO WILL BE IN THE DELIVERY ROOM WITH YOU: Just my husband and me, unless he passes out (which is a real concern, he doesn't do well in hospitals) then I'll want my mom in there too.
WILL YOU BREASTFEED: If possible! I'd like to try and breastfeed for at least the first 6 months, but I'll have to see how it goes.
WILL YOU NEED A CESAREAN SECTION: I hope not.
YOU LET SOMEONE VIDEOTAPE THE BIRTH: Never in a million years!
ARE YOU EXCITED ABOUT THE BIRTH, OR SCARED: I'm so excited for my baby boy to get here! Of course I'm a little scared about the process I have to go through to make that happen...

June 5, 2008

38 weeks!! Woohoo!! My exam was yesterday. My OB said that I'm not too big (that's good), she estimated that the baby is somewhere around 7 or 7.5 lbs right now (not too bad) and then she checked my cervix and I'm 3.5 cm dilated and 70% effaced (that's awesome!). She told me that for a first time mother, having that much progress is really good. She almost seemed surprised and told me that she was glad she checked. She also didn't seem to think it would be that shocking if I went into labor this week. I've been feeling like crap lately, so I hope this kid comes out sooner rather than later. From other women I've spoken to, feeling like crap is a really good sign that labor is coming soon. I felt so sick yesterday, I was disappointed when I didn't go into labor last night. I guess I just need to be patient. Ugh, it's so hard to be patient when you feel so incredibly sick and achy and sore and just yuck!!

May 14, 2008

I'm 35.5 weeks!! I had my first weekly appointment this morning. Looks like I'm about 1 cm dilated and about 60% effaced. Robbie hasn't dropped yet, and considering that he likes to shove himself towards my ribs at night, I doubt he'll drop any time soon. Last night I had to get on all fours and try and jiggle him loose so I could breathe! Yay for dilation and effacement though, I guess that means things are progressing. He is definitely falling into sleeping and waking cycles. He used to be awake and active so randomly and I would wonder at times if he ever rested. Now though, I would say that he sleeps more often than not, but he is definitely awake at certain times of day (and night).

I'm so excited for this little boy to get here! I'm slowly getting things ready for his arrival. The nursery is about 75% completed. I need my husband to put in a light fixture and we are going to go ahead and buy a crib this weekend. Unfortunately for me, all of the cribs look alike, so I have no clue what one to choose. I know I'm looking for something simple though. We are also getting an old dresser from my parent's house. After the furniture is in, I'll just need to have my husband hang the mobile and we'll be set. Of course, I still have so much to buy. It's amazing how many things a tiny person needs. I'm lucky though, I got most of the big things at my showers. Plus, I've discovered how cute little boy clothing can be!

April 19, 2008

I'll be 32 weeks tomorrow!!!! One of my friends told me that after 32 weeks they just consider them "growers". I'm so happy that I've made it to this point. I've been so paranoid almost this entire pregnancy and it's good to know that even if he was born right now, he would most likely survive even though he'd have to be in the hospital for a little while. At this point, my little boy could be here anywhere from 5 weeks to 9 weeks. I can't believe it!!! He's almost here!!!

My family has begun throwing me some showers. Everyone has been so generous. I had my first shower last week and I'll have another this next week. I never knew that I could be so excited about a Pack n' Play. I've also discovered that someone has purchased my travel system (stroller and car seat). I can't wait! I know that we'll still have a lot to buy even after the showers. It's amazing how much such a little person needs.

We are completing the nursery and some other work on the house this next week. It will be such a relief to have my little boy's room completed. I've been anxious to get all of it done.

Robbie has been being a little nerd lately. He doesn't like to be head down, or feet down for that matter. I'd love it if he were vertical, but unfortunately, he loves to lay horizontally. He likes to shove himself up so high that I can actually see the lump of both his bottom half and his head. It makes my stomach look so lumpy. We call it his lumpy position (original I know). I try to push him a little sometimes, but that just makes him mad. It's terribly uncomfortable for me, I wish he'd just go head down and be done with it.

I'm more and more excited for him to be here every day!!

April 2, 2008

29.5 weeks and going strong. At my OB appointment today everything looks great. I've gained about 19 lbs now according to the Dr. According to MY scale, I've gained more than that, but then again, I think I believed I weighed less before I got pregnant than I actually did. :) Looks like I've got a lot of weight to lose after I get this kid out of there. I'm actually getting really antsy to work-out. Unfortunately, I got really out of my work-out routine when I got pregnant, so going as hard as I'd like would definitely be too much now. So, I guess I'll just keep being lazy and then ramp it up after Robbie is born. :) (I'm not exactly sure if I'll have the motivation, but we'll see.)

I passed my glucose test! No GD for me! Apparently, my iron levels are a bit low though, so I've started on an iron supplement. My antibody screen also came out clean. YAY!

Robbie is being a little stinker lately. He likes to jam various parts of himself under my ribs and then he'll push hard. I was not prepared for how active he is. It really hurts sometimes and I imagine that he is starting to get frustrated with the fact that it's not as roomy in there as it used to be. I wish I could help him out, but no such luck kid, you'll have to deal with it. :)

March 19, 2008

I'm 27.5 weeks today. I went in for my first 2 week OB appointment. I've now scheduled all of my appointments out until the baby is born. It was soooo weird looking at my calendar and having all of those set.

I've also signed up for a childbirth class, breastfeeding class and I'm going with a friend to a baby massage class in a couple of weeks. I've also started devouring books left and right. I just finished "The Second Nine Months" which read somewhat like a horror story, but it turned out alright in the end. Now I'm reading "Babyproofing Your Marriage" (subtitled: " How to laugh more, argue less and communicate better as your family grows"). It's an interesting read so far, but it's making me nervous for how I'll actually react when the baby is born. I have "Belly Laughs" waiting for me at the library as well. I hope all of this reading pays off and that I'm a little more prepared for this kid to come into the world. :)

Today's appointment was loads of fun. I got to drink my 50 grams of glucose for the GD test. After my check-up (everything is measuring great and I've only gained 16 lbs.) I got my blood drawn for the GD, Iron Levels and something else too I think (I can't remember now what it was). I then had to go back to my doctor's office to get my Rhogam shot. Huzzah! I don't mind needles so much anymore, but the phlebotomist was young and inexperienced. Both of my arms are all bruised now. :( I sincerely hope that after all of that, I actually pass the 1 hour GD test. I do not want to do the 3 hour.

Baby Robert (Robbie) has been extremely active over the past 3 days. I would be happier about that, except that my digestive system has been all out of whack and my back is killing me, so the added movement in my abdomen doesn't help me out all that much. :) Okay, I'm glad I can feel him moving around in there, I just wish my body weren't hating life so much right now. :) Unfortunately, I've got 13 more weeks of this, and I'm only going to get larger and more uncomfortable.

My doc has started asking me all of the questions I don't have answers to. For example: "Have you thought about a pediatrician?" and "What are you thinking about birth control after the baby comes." Oh, and "Are you going to have an epidural?" I guess I need to decide on those things. I also need to decide if I want to have Robbie circumcised. I really don't know!

March 5, 2008

Week 25 and still doing well. We went in for our appointment today. I'm measuring perfectly, I've gained about 14 lbs. and the baby's heartbeat was about 150. I was irrationally anxious a couple of weeks ago about the baby, so my husband suggested that we rent a doppler. I'm so glad that we did! Now I get to listen to his heartbeat every day. He's definitely getting bigger and growing stronger.

I've now been initiated into the baby-kicking-bladder clan. I can't believe how hard he can kick me there. I complained to my OB and she reminded me that soon he'll be kicking my ribs and it will most likely hurt worse. He likes to sit really low and I've been wondering how to encourage him to move up. I guess, I should be glad he isn't constricting my breathing yet. It really is wonderful to feel him moving around in there. He thumps me regularly, especially in the morning when he doesn't like the way I'm laying.

I'll now be getting check-ups every two weeks. Next time, I get to do the glucose test and my Rhogam shot. YAY! I'm so very excited for both of those.

We've decided to name the baby Robert after my husband (it's his middle name). Currently, we are trying to transition from calling him Herbie to Robbie. It is surprisingly difficult considering the fact that I would never think of naming my son Herbert. Now we are in heated discussions over a middle name. I'm hoping I get my way, but I guess I'm willing to compromise if my husband finds a name he really likes and also one I don't absolutely hate.

I can't wait to meet my little boy! I'm having really strong nesting urges, but am resisting, since I'd like to wait until the weather is a little better to start on the nursery. We need to paint and re-carpet and I'd like to be able to have the windows open if needed. I guess we'll start that in April. I've made all of my plans though, so it's just a matter of getting it done! I'm so ready for work to be done and for June to be here!

February 8, 2008

We had our 20 week appointment this week (really 21.5 week). Little "Herbie" (that's what we are calling him for now, it had better not stick) has a nice strong heartbeat and we could hear him kicking in there. My doctor told me to start paying attention to when he is active and not active, because that will be a strong indicator of when nap-times will be when he is born. It was definitely not nap-time during the appointment. He is thumping around in there and getting stronger every day! My husband has been able to feel him kick a few times now. The other morning he was literally going nuts in there, I could actually see my stomach ripple with every kick.

It's a little disturbing feeling him kick and yet it's really cool too! I'm getting slightly concerned by his activity level though. I'm starting to feel him quite a bit. I don't know how it will feel by the end. My husband is 6'5" and was 9lbs 2oz and 22" long when he was born (HUGE). I hope there's enough room in there for this little guy...it could get scary if he takes after his dad (and I hope he does).

Turns out that I have been having Braxton Hicks contractions. My doctor said that she would only be concerned if I had 6 or more in an hour. I've only been having 3 to 4 that I can feel a day, so I guess it's nothing to be concerned about.

I'm sleeping much better now. I've finally found some comfortable positions. I still feel like crap in the morning, but I am feeling better than I was....I actually feel somewhat active during the day. It's a nice change from a few weeks ago.

January 25, 2008

Last night was miserable. I had searing round ligament pain and had a devil of a time sleeping. It was awful. I've also been having some occasional cramping and tightening in my lower abdomen. I spoke with my doctor's nurse and she said that it was most likely not Braxton Hicks contractions, but probably just my muscles and ligaments trying to keep up with my growing uterus. I went in this morning and ruled out any kind of bladder infection just in case. She told me to take it easy over the weekend and to keep hydrated. I'm wondering if my adult tap class played into my painful belly last night. Maybe I'll lay off of that for a little bit.

January 22, 2008

IT'S A BOY!!!!!!!!!!! I'm so excited to report that we're having a boy and he looks so healthy!! He wasn't his little active self during the ultrasound and thus, very uncooperative, but, we got all of the information we needed. He looks perfect! My theory about his activity level is that I sugared him up hoping to make him more active and he ended up crashing from his sugar high just before the ultrasound. Poor baby, he kept putting his hands in front of his face as if to say "Get out of here, I'm sleeping."

Hmmm, now off to the naming game. If I can only talk my husband out of naming him Atlas....

January 21, 2008

Tomorrow we're going in for the big Fetal Well-Being Ultrasound!!! I'm so excited and also very nervous. I find that the further I get from one ultrasound and the closer I get to another the more irrational fears I have about something being wrong. I guess when you know what could go wrong, you can't help thinking about it.

We are hoping to find out the gender tomorrow. I was told by a friend to make sure and drink some 100% Juice before the ultrasound to ensure that the baby will be active. I don't want any crossed legs, so I'll be pounding the juice. I have a pretty strong boy "vibe", but we'll see. Lately my husband and I have been discussing names and after hearing his ideas for a boy name, I'm now praying for a girl. :) In reality, I'll be so happy just to have a healthy baby that I can't imagine caring if it is a boy or girl. I'll just continue crossing my fingers that the baby looks perfect in there.

January 17, 2008

After trying to conceive for 2 and a half years and 2 first trimester miscarriages, my husband and I are finally pregnant!!! This time I think it's the real thing! I'm so excited for this adventure and so ready. I have to admit that I'm constantly anxious about how things are going in there. I'll be crossing my fingers for the next 20 weeks!