Baby Update #1: 1st Trimester

A just want to say a HUGE thank you to all of the sweet messages, comments, and tweets I’ve received about our exciting baby news!  We are  thrilled and also slightly terrified about adding a 3rd kid to the mix. Going from man-on-man to zone defense is going to be an adjustment.

So now that the first trimester is coming to a close (and thank God for that) — here’s an update on everything that’s REALLY been going on…

Tuesday morning… I can surprisingly still button my pants, but my shirts look weird

Unlike my previous pregnancies, I actually had absolutely no idea that I was pregnant. I got back from my trip from Norfolk at the end of August and while I was really tired, I thought it was from traveling. WRONG. Honestly, I probably would have gone another week or so not realizing anything was going on if I hadn’t looked at my calendar. My cycles are SPOT ON and on Friday, August 31st I looked at the date and thought, “Holy shit – I am 3 days late!” Now, this pregnancy is not a surprise. Back in May or June I intentionally had my IUD removed. Still, it blew my mind when I took a pregnancy test after I got home from work and it was positive. Of course, I was by myself and I couldn’t get ahold of Dan and I was seriously FREAKING OUT. In the end, I told him over text (this was after calling him several times). Of course, he read his texts. I then freaked out some more and emailed Paula and my BFF Kate. Even though they knew it was a possibility, I think they were just as surprised as me.

Don’t get me wrong, I am truly happy and excited about this – but the first thing running through my head was “WHAT HAVE I DONE???” Good thing we’re given 9 months to adjust!

Starting around 5.5 weeks the nausea started kicking in. I was not excited about this, as you can imagine. I was already completely wiped out and going to bed at 8pm (seriously – the kids would go to bed and then 5 minutes later it was my turn) and didn’t know how I was going to deal. I didn’t experience any nausea with B, but I was exhausted. With L I was ridiculously nauseous until about 16 weeks, but I had energy. This time it seems to be a mix. Thankfully, this pregnancy has not been as harsh. The nausea was not as severe (it mainly strikes after I eat and at night) and it had already tapered off.

One thing I didn’t realize is how much of a social drinker I am. Dan even commented that everyone was going to know I was pregnant because I never say no to drink. What? Like that’s a bad thing? Of course, this meant that almost all of my friends knew by like 6 weeks. I swear everyone and their brother decided to schedule happy hours in September. I ended up skipping a few (mainly because I felt like shiz) and then faking it at a few. Have I mentioned I’m a really bad liar?

At 8 weeks I had my first Dr. appointment and ultrasound. Now, I’ve been going to the same Dr. for 8 years and every time I’ve been pregnant there’s been a new protocol. I guess it’s good that they are keeping up with the trends, but I seriously never know what to expect. This time was no different. The good news is that all was well with the baby and I was able to share the good news with a few more people without feeling paranoid about it!

I had another appointment at 11 weeks to meet with the OB coordinator (??) and give 19 pints of blood. Blood work is also so fun! At this appointment, I also got to hear the baby’s heartbeat for the first time. Yep, that never gets old.

After I heard the heartbeat we told our immediate family, with the exception of the kids. I do think it’s weird that a large majority of my friends and coworkers knew about this baby before our family did – but at the same time, we didn’t want everyone to get excited and then hear bad news (plus, I was hoping to tell them in person – which didn’t necessarily happen with everyone).

This leads me to Tuesday when I had my 12-week ultrasound (aka the Nuchal Translucency Screening).

Same baby, 4 weeks later. Crazy how much changes in 4 weeks!

We decided to wait to tell the kids until AFTER this appointment, just to err on the side of caution. The ultrasound combined with blood work helps to identify genetic and chromosomal abnormalities – specifically Turner’s Syndrome, Trisomy 21, Trisomy 18 and Trisomy 13. Thankfully, the baby looked extremely healthy (and was moving around a ton) and the sonographer pointed out the nasal bone (technology is AMAZING), which is a HUGE indicator that the baby does NOT have Down Syndrome. Of course, it’s just an indicator – but we felt comfortable enough with the results to finally tell the kids!

We do anything exciting to share the news – but I showed them the ultrasound pictures and their reactions were pretty much what we expected. B gave me his “I am not impressed face” and then went back to playing. L, on the other hand, was SUPER excited and wanted to “see” the baby now. She is not going to be patient about this.

Both kids said they wanted a baby brother — which is what I think this kid is. HOWEVER, we (ok, maybe I – Dan’s just going along with it) have decided to NOT find out the sex beforehand. We figure we already have one of each and, really, what is there to plan for??

As far as everything else goes – it’s been pretty par the course. My workouts have been less frequent – but I’m still fitting 3-4 in a week. When you feel like crap and have zero energy that’s a WIN! I plan to keep running as long as can. The miles I have been doing are much slower and include frequent walk/stop breaks – but I still feel really good. I am fully committed to running both half marathons that I am registered for (OUC and ZOOMA) — I may be doing a lot of walking, but you WILL see me on those courses come December and January!! After January, I can’t promise anything. Even though I am tall, I have the waist of someone who is much shorter and the baby has nowhere to go but out. There will be, however, plenty of spin/indoor cycling and all-over strength training. Being fit and healthy is a priority – and not just for me, but the baby too.

Here’s a summary of where I’m at here at the end of the first trimester…

• Weeks: 12w1d (that’s pretty much the equivalent of 3 months, but not quite)
• Cravings: Come and go and are really random. They have included: apples, San Pellegrino (Pompelmo is my FAV), frozen yogurt, steak, steak, and more steak.
• Morning Sickness: More like all day and night nausea – thankfully it started tapering off at 11 weeks
• Energy Levels: Mixed. From 4-9 weeks I was in bed early every night, 10-12 it varies
• Weight Gain: 0lbs (not sure how this is possible, I obviously drink too much wine)
• Bump: It was super bloat until probably last week and now it’s for realz. Looking at the u/s picture in comparison to my u/s with L’s I am not surprised. My uterus is HUGE (<–more than you ever wanted to know).
• Baby’s Heartbeat: 161 bpm

One more thing I feel like should say is that I don’t have intentions on making this into a baby blog. My plans are to talk about my pregnancy and this baby just as much as I do everything else in my life — in moderation. I realize I am not the first person in the world to have a baby and while I think it’s a very fun and special time, not everyone cares! I do plan on updating every few weeks – and taking belly shots when I remember — so I hope you can tolerate my really bad iPhone shots. I’ll try not to share too much skin!

Otherwise – life is pretty much the same. We are headed up to Tallahassee tomorrow for an “adult only” weekend with college friends. I might even indulge in a few (or one) non-alcoholic beer. That’s right, I’m living on the edge.