Milkshakes and Body Pillows

I had a doctor's appointment last night at my OB/GYN. We listened to the baby's heartbeat on the ultrasound machine, and even got to see Bebs! S/he was hanging out in there, upside down. :) Bebs looked like a skeleton and it was a little freaky. The heartbeat was perfect!

We saw a different doctor this time--Dr. Kainz. So far we've seen someone different each time we've gone in. At first I didn't think I would like this, but I actually do! Each person we've met--nurse practitioner, midwife, doctor, even the secretary who schedules my appointments--has seriously been awesome. Dr. Kainz was the first man I've seen, and though I was a little skeptical at first, he was great. I felt really comfortable talking to him, he was funny, and he was wearing trendy glasses. :) He also introduced himself as "Greg" and knew our names right as he entered the room. I told Dr. Kainz about my headaches, and he was able to prescribe Fioricet--a stronger form of Tylenol that has caffeine in it. He said the side effect may be that my headaches still occur. Since they're still happening anyway, I figured I would give Fioricet a try regardless. Hubs is picking it up for me at the pharmacy tonight and hopefully my headaches are gone forever and I will never even need to use it!

So while everything is looking great with Bebs, there is a slight issue going on with me. Apparently I haven't gained any weight since my initial appointment; I'm 113.6 lbs and holding. Dr. Kainz assured us that the baby was getting everything s/he needed; s/he is just stealing the nutrients from me. So even though my belly is definitely bigger, I must be losing some of my weight somewhere else.

Dr. Kainz's prescription? Milkshakes! He suggested a lot of milkshakes, those Ensure breakfast drinks, and plain ol' "indulging" myself. I have two months to gain 12-14 lbs to stay on track with where my weight should be for both my sake and for baby's sake. If I still haven't gained weight by the next appointment, I'll have to talk to a nutritionist to help me figure out a better way of eating.

So, in keeping with the doctor's recommendation of "indulgence," Hubs and I went to Carrabba's for dinner last night after the appointment. Again, I felt ok eating some meat (chicken parm--my favorite!) so I'm hoping at least that food adversion is over with. :)

Now that I've reached the 16 week mark, I have to stop sleeping on my back and/or stomach. It hurts to lay on my stomach now, so I'm ok there. Sleeping on my side is really difficult! I can't get comfortable. I read some suggestions and have heard from other moms that sleeping with a body pillow helps.

When I graduated from high school, my friend's mom made body pillows for all of her daughter's friends in the colors of the college they were going to. (Great gift idea!) So I used my maroon and yellow body pillow in my dorm the first year of college, and then my brother used it when he went to the same college as me. So now this body pillow smells like a mix of my brother Ryan and my parent's house, haha. Neither are bad smells! I just think it's cute.

My parents dropped off the pillow last night (as well as a gift of onesies with mittens for Bebs!) and I attempted sleeping/wrestling with it. I went up to bed around 9:30 and saw the clock at 12, 3, 4, 5 and finally 5:30 a.m. So, first night side sleeping was a little tough. Hopefully tonight goes better and I don't wake up on my stomach like I did this morning! :-O

13 Weeks

Here I am at my desk!

Bebs: Baby is the size of a shrimp this week...which is probably fitting because I've been craving seafood lately! This past week I've had crab cakes, crab legs, crab dip, shrimp and lobster bisque...oh my! :) Bebs now has fingerprints on the tips of his/her tiny fingertips! Veins and organs are also clearly visible through his/her thin layer of skin. Bebs' head makes up just a third of his/her body size now. Bebs is 3 inches long and weighs nearly an ounce. I still don't believe I've felt any definite movement yet, but I can tell something is going on in there!

What's going on in there?

 Hebs:  I felt pretty sick this week. I stayed home from work on Monday due to some morning sickness issues and an intense migraine. Hubs and I went to the beach over the weekend with my family and I wonder if I got over-heated or dehydrated? So I spent most of my time Monday in the bathroom or on the couch. I also called the chiropractor a few times (with no answer) to see if I could get in to get adjusted to help relieve my headache. I am going to call back later this week and hopefully get through so I can make an appointment. I've been having headaches everyday and Tylenol just isn't doing it for me, and I am unable to take anything stronger.

Aside from feeling a bit sick, Hubs and I had a great time at the beach with my family! We played games under the "E-Z Up," got a few slices at "Macko's," and enjoyed time on the beach, boardwalk, and mini-golf!

Sequential Screening, Part 1: July 10

Bebs had a photoshoot last week! We went to the hospital to the Maternal Fetal Medicine department to do the first part of our two-part sequential screening. A sequential screening is an ultrasound and bloodwork that is done in your first and second trimesters to determine if there is a chance your baby may have a genetic disorder, such as Down's Syndrom or Trisomy 18. The ultrasound tech measures the thickness of the baby's neck; the more fluid in the neck, the higher the chance of the baby having an abnormality. The ultrasound results, as well as bloodwork from the Mommy, are then sent to a lab to be analyzed.

Bebs at 11 weeks 6 days. Big difference than the first ultrasound!

The ultrasound tech and the doctor both said that everything with the Bebs was looking great! S/he was SO incredibly wiggly in there! S/he kept moving around, kicking its tiny legs, and kept trying to cover his/her eyes with his/her hands! It was really adorable. We got to hear the heartbeat again--165 beats per minute--which the tech told us was normal. I then had to have one vial of blood taken to be tested. Thankfully, I didn't pass out! I may be getting better at this! :)


"Hi Mommy and Daddy! I'm doing ok in here!"
(Hubs's favorite picture)

OB/GYN Check-up: July 12

My visit to the doctor last week was pretty uneventful. They took my weight and blood pressure (both normal) and said the ultrasound from the sequential screening looked good! The doctor also used a doppler to listen to the baby's heartbeat. It took her awhile to find it, since the baby kept squirming around and moving too much for her to get an accurate read. Once she found it, we heard the heartbeat loud and clear. I love hearing that sound!

Only 51 days until we find out if we're having a boy or a girl!! But, who's counting? ;-)

**Big thank you to Jeff, the photography guru, for editing the ultrasound pictures!**