Pregnancy Week 25-29

On Wednesday 17th I had an appointment with the dermatologist. I had noticed some red spots in the last few months and I was due for a check anyway. It turned out well. The red spots were just little blood spots. The doctor said they may fade after birth. If they do not I can have them removed. 

Then on Friday I had an appointment at my normal OB-GYN. They only checked the heartbeat with the doppler, checked blood pressure and etc. I brought up being induced after the discussion with the MFM. The PA I met with said that the MFM had agreed with their recommendation even though the MFM had told me that they thought the recommendation was good but that they would work with me if that wasn't what I wanted. I think the notes likely said that we discussed it but I think the PA exaggerated that the notes.

I also tried to discuss what would happen during the induction. The PA said that it was too soon to discuss. That made me so angry. After all my sister's doctor had explained what he would do and he isn't my doctor. So how could it be too soon to discuss. I left pretty frustrated with them but scheduled for the 28 growth scan and gestational diabetes 1 hour test.

The next day I had a prenatal massage. My mom had a gift card that she needed to use and with covid numbers being down we felt comfortable going. It felt so 

Since late January early February I have had some pain in my pelvic bone. At first I thought it was a yeast infection. I generally do not have any symptoms with those but I thought it could be different when pregnant. But the pain did not go away from the treatment.

I didn't have any pelvis pain and when I did it was usually in the morning. It also hurt when I would move from one side to the other when sleeping. I wasn't too concerned at first since it wasn't too bad and not frequent. Then I was watching a vlog and someone said they had lightening crotch. So I thought that was what it was. Since it was in the area and even though I tried the description of the lightening crotch are pretty vague and variety. So for a while I thought I was having that. 

Around the first week of March week 27 I heard about symphysis pubis diastasis (SPD). It sounded like me so I looked it up and it is the separation of the joint without a fraction. During pregnancy your body creates more of the hormone that helps the pelvis relax and become stretchy but sometimes it becomes too relaxed and stretchy. If the bones pull apart too much or misalign to much then it can cause pain. It is normal to widen 2-3mm during last trimester but more than that can be uncomfortable. In rare cases if the gap is 10mm it can cause diastasis symphysis pubis which I think is similar to when abs diastasis during pregnancy.

My symptoms fit much more with SPD and if I do exercises and stretches for SPD it helps relieve the pain. However if I have a bad night turning over in bed several times then it seems like all my hard work gets wasted. I wake up much worse than the night before. But usually by the afternoon it will be more manageable and some days are much better than others. I would say the highest my pain has been is 4. If it stays like this it does seem tolerable since I have stretches now, so hopefully it doesn't get worse. Hypermobility runs in my family so I think it might be that we are more prone to being flexible and stretchy so that may have made it more inevitable. I read that 1 in 300 women experience spd but it might be closer to 25 percent of women. I know that I have yet to bring up to my doctor as it doesn't really seem like there is a lot they can do, I may see a physical therapist to help. They may be able to do adjustments or help with more exercises.

On the last weekend in February I got together with my sister and mom to plan the baby shower. I had been playing it by ear but with Covid numbers down and vaccines up I feel comfortable having a baby shower in April. At this point my sister and I have the biggest risks and since we are both ok with the risk I felt like it was ok to plan. I decided on a little cutie theme a while ago. I think probably it is a gender neutral theme however it is also a spring theme. So I wanted the bright spring colors. I am a naughty guest of honor though because I bought some of the decorations, party favors and invitations. It is fun for me to do that stuff and not so much my sister or mom. So I was trying to make it easier on them but also I like doing the planning so I didn't want to get left out.

On March 2, I had a follow up with the MFM it was week 27. It was only an ultrasound. The baby was laying transverse, (horizontal). The tech said oh she is laying so nicely and we need to do all these pictures for our annual evaluation can we try to get them with your baby. Of course I said sure because I love more pictures. So in addition to looking at the heart and a picture of the face she was able to get every other part, crown/head size, legs, arms, hands, feet, face, kidneys, cord etc. I don't think we would have looked at all of that otherwise. So I ended up with a few dozen pictures and videos. The tech also said the fluid was down even more than the first visit. When I looked at the scans later she was measuring at least 1 week ahead of her due date which was the 87th percentile.

I think it was after this visit that I decided to change obgyns. I was trying to decide between using the MFM or going with my sister's doctor. I liked the MFM but he wouldn't be my doctor now. I at least know a little bit more about my sister's doctor than the ob's at the MFM's office so I decided to switch to my sister's doctor. Since I wanted to see her doctor and he is a pretty senior doctor I had to book the appointment for the 19th. I didn't want to have a lapse in care so I didn't cancel my appointment for the growth scan or glucose test, with the glucose test I think it is supposed to be done by week 28. So cancelling might make it harder to test later.

The next day I had a meet and greet with a pediatrician that is part of the Phoenix Children's Hospital group. She was very nice and I liked her a lot. When I was leaving however I remembered that my pediatrician as a kid was pretty young and I thought maybe he was still working. So I looked him up and he is still working at the same place. So I scheduled a meet and greet with him as well. I loved him as a kid and I think using the same doctor will be fun. The office is a little farther away but I think it will be worth it especially after the first year is over with. If he is different than how I remember than I will probably use the doctor I visited on the 3rd.

Ten days after the follow up with the MFM I had the growth scan and my glucose test. The drink for glucose tasted like little hug fruit barrels from what I remember as a kid. So it wasn't terrible but it was a lot of sugar. It did make me a little nauseous until I ate something after the visit. The scan was not as fun as the MFM scan. The tech is definitely not as good. Plus the baby had her hands and feet in front of her face so the tech could not get the baby's face. She was also moving around a lot and the tech kept making me roll over to different sides. It hurt my pelvis to do that but I didn't say anything.

I had thought that the baby had moved so she was not transverse on that Tuesday because when she is transverse it feels like my stomach is pulled more but it felt less taunt on Tuesday and the night before there was a so many flutters and squirms. I was correct that she was not transverse but at the scan she was now completely breech. It stressed out my mom a little bit because I was breech, but she still has 36 weeks until she can no longer turn on her own, and it isn't until 32 weeks that there is a real concern. 

When I met with the PA after it was the one PA that I liked at the office. So I was happy about that but even with her I felt like I was being rushed through, brushed off and I felt like she hadn't reviewed my file prior to meeting with me. She said that their measurements for the fluid was still higher than what is normal but not by much and since the MFM has the better equipment/tech she was believed the MFM results more. She also said the baby was not measuring 34 percentile. I don't know how a baby goes down 50% in ten days but she that it was likely between the two but closer to the MFM numbers since they had better technology. I guess as long as the baby is not large or small for gestational age they aren't too concerned with the difference even if it's that big. 

They also sent me home with a kit to collect my urine over 24 hours. I think because at the MFM I filled out the form saying my dad had a heart attack and I'm over 35 the MFM felt that taking baby aspirin was a good preventative step against preeclampsia. However because of this MomDoc thinks that I need a baseline for protein levels to watch out of preeclampsia. My blood pressure has been really good thus far and none of my urine samples previously have tested high for the protein. So I don't know if it was really necessary to test for that but since I knew I was switching obs I didn't question it too much. I let them schedule me for two weeks later but I plan to cancel as soon as I am fully transferred to New Horizons.

On Saturday we decided to visit my Grandma in Tucson. She has been isolated for almost a year. She only goes to chemo, doctors, and most of her visits consist of my Uncle delivering groceries. She turned 90 in December and we didn't get to celebrate with her. When she turn 85 she had done 10 pushups on her knees when my Uncle and cousins all did an bunch of them. The last 5 years she caught up more with her age. She is still living on her own but she agrees that she is ready to move to an assisted living of some kind. She has a hard time keeping up with the chores at the house, she also will be able to socialize with other residence and do activities, and it can help with medical care. So that might be what happens in the next year or so with her. I think everyone is a little reluctant since people in assist living have been even more isolated in the last year. So no one is in a rush to move her. Now that she has a hearing aid she does much better keeping up with conversations so her mind isn't declining more than normal. 

Visiting with her was very nice. We all chatted and were happy to see her. My aunt and Uncle came over as well. Naomi was very friendly with them but she also wanted to explore the house. We were only there for the afternoon but it was a lot of fun being with everyone again. Dad, Uncle and Grandma are fully vaccinated and my Mom and Aunt both have one dose so they will be fully vaccinated soon. So it was also nice that we didn't need to distance too much. Oh and the night before the mountain got snow on it so it looked really pretty from my Grandma's back porch.

I had to reschedule my meet and greet with my old pediatrician because of a conflict at work so I didn't get to visit Dr. Aaron on Wednesday. On Friday I had my appointment with my new doctor. I went into the appointment and every one was super nice. Since I was transferring the staff went over the cost of the birth and appointment. It was pretty much the same amount as at MomDoc so not surprising. She asked me why I switched practices so I just said that I felt unsatisfied with care and ignored. I didn't want to be too harsh, but I didn't change on a whim either.

I was then called back and the PA checked the heart 140 bpm. She didn't even have to move the doppler and she found it right away. Then she checked blood pressure before leaving. She also asked why I changed doctors. I waited a little longer for the doctor but he came in. He asked why I had switched too. I told him and I also said that he was my sister's doctor. I knew she liked him and I felt comfortable switching at almost 30 weeks because of that. So he asked about my sister and I think that helped him remember the conversation he had with her in January about me. He also remembered my mom from over a year ago! He already had already looked over all my records (I had requested the transfer after the glucose/growth appointment) the night before so he was familiar with my file. He saw the scans with the fluid on the heart from my doctor and the MFM as well. He said that he felt that everything looked good there but he wanted to schedule an ultrasound, the next for his own look. He can do high risk pregnancies but the fluid might be too high. 

Then he said that since I was "advanced maternal age" that starting at 32 weeks (about 2 and a half weeks from then) that I would go in twice a week. Once for a non-stress test (NST) where they put sensors on belly and monitor for 20-30 minutes and once for an ultrasound also 20-30 minutes. At the ultrasound they are looking at the fluid in the sac and placenta. The two tests can help tell them if I might be going into labor or if I need to be induced or have a c-section. The appointments are either Monday and Thursday or Tuesday and Friday so there is only ever 4 days between appointments. I liked that he explained what would happen and why it would happen. It's not exciting to go in twice a week but now that I understand that makes it better. Hopefully with all this monitoring I can maybe push to delaying an automatic induction at 39 weeks if everything is still looking good then. However, I think since I feel more comfortable with this doctor already and they explain things to me in a reasonable way I will be more willing to accept being induced early. I feel like they are interested in making sure that we are both receiving the best care and that will help me trust being induced more.

After that he did a pelvic exam and measured my stomach. My cervix was still high and closed so that is good. The cervix moves closer as delivery approaches and obviously opens as well.

The lady checking me out scheduled my scan for this Friday. I also needed to sign another medical release since the glucose test results had not been transferred over. She said that she would work on getting me all scheduled out for my bi-weekly appointments. She asked if I preferred Monday/Thursday or Tuesday/Friday more. I have meeting some Thursdays so I said Tuesday/Friday. She asked about time preference, if I could be scheduled at gilbert location and if I needed to see Dr. Swarup every time. I said I preferred mornings, that I would go to Gilbert if I have to but it is pretty far from me, and I like the doctor I saw but seeing a different doctor sometimes was ok. At the hospital I don't really have a choice on which doctor will be there and the doctor I saw only works at the hospital every other Tuesday. So meeting the other doctors is ok with me.

 On the 21, my mom, sister and I got together to get some things done for the shower. We finished ordering decorations, ordered the cakes (one cake and a few cupcakes for gluten free friends), planned the games and made a decision on the food which will be ordered this week. It was fun but walking around the stores so much made my pelvis hurt a lot more last night and today.  

Pregnancy Week 24

It has been a crazy month since I last updated about my pregnancy. On the 22nd of January, I had the second anatomy scan to get a look at the parts that the tech couldn't get with the baby laying on her tummy. I was also meeting with main delivery dr for the hospital that I like. I invited my sister to come with me this time as I am allowed 1 guest and any child under 8 so my niece came as well.

Week 21 Day 4

We went into the ultrasound pretty quickly after getting there. The baby had been moving a lot the night before and was laying on her back this time. So the ultrasound tech could get the face, hands, feet, chest and heart. They also do 3-d scans of the face. The baby loves to have her hands by her face and suck on her thumbs, but luckily she was moving around enough to get a good shot of her close up.

After the ultrasound, we waited in the exam room for the OB and that took forever, maybe 45 minutes or an hour. We even thought they might have forgot about us. The appointments with the dr after the ultrasound are scheduled as a separate task so there was a little time between the ultrasound and the dr appointment, but also the dr was a little late. I was ok but Naomi was grumpy about being in the exam room for so long. 

My sister really didn't like my ob. She thinks that she was rude. I think she was a little short, but my sister kept interrupting her explanations to ask questions. So I think they were both being a little rude. My opinion is that the labor and delivery nurses do a lot of the work and I will interact with them the most so I just like a Dr that can handle anything crazy before or after delivery. 

There were a few concerning issues with the second exam. The first, was that the cord was inserted into the placenta at 1.9 cm and it should be at least 2 cm. Since 1.9 is so close it is not a big deal but something to monitor because the baby might not get as much nutrients.   

The second thing, was an EIF (echogenic intracardiac focus) which is a calcium deposit on the heard and shows up as a bright spot. It is a soft marker of down syndrome because EIFs show up more in babies with down syndrome, but EIFs are also seen in typical babies. Since, I already did the genetic screening for down syndrome then there is no concern about down syndrome. I could do a more invasive and risky test to be 100% sure instead of 99% sure, but I don't think the risk is enough for 1% difference. 

The final thing, which is the most concerning was that there was fluid on the heart. The doctor was concerned about this but she wouldn't speculate about what that would mean without sending me to a maternal fetal medicine doctor for a closer look. She said that she just wanted to "cross the t's and dot the i's" so I shouldn't lose sleep over it. Ha! Having less information proved is not very good for me in the coming weeks.

Other than those, I learned that because of my advanced age that the OB office I go to induces at 39 weeks even if everything looks good. I was not sure how I felt about that. I really wanted to at least get to 40 weeks May 31st even if I have to get induced at that time. I left feeling concerned about the baby's health but also contemplating switching obs if other options were available. Since my sister had a follow up the next week I asked her to talk to her doctor about what they do.

At home, I was at first ok with being patient and waiting for more information, but I decided I wanted some more information. So I requested my records from the anatomy scan appointment. On Monday I called my OB office and asked about the referral. They said that the referral wasn't marked 'stat' so they had a week to do the referral, but they would note that I called to see if they could get it done early. Hearing again that it wasn't urgent was a relief but I am glad I called because they texted me that night with the referral information. 

First thing on Tuesday, I called the perinatal office to make the appointment. They hadn't even opened the email yet about the referral, but they let me schedule. I was able to schedule for the following Tuesday. I think if I had waiting for the normal turn around time it could be another week before the appointment. It was nice to know that it wasn't a rush but regardless I was still thinking about it all the time.

Alongside of making the appointment, I was looking up fluid on the heart online. This resulted in two main outcomes. The first is Fetal pleural effusion. A fetal pleural effusion is when there is fluid around the heart greater than 2 mm. It can be concerning because it can take up room where the lungs need to develop and pushes them aside. However, from a few studies even at 7 mm of fluid the outcomes look good. They might need to insert a needle in to the uterus and drain the fluid from the heart if it was really keeping the lungs from developing or they might drain the fluid after birth. However, for many cases they don't do a lot of intervention. So this seemed like ok news and it also sounded most like what was going on with me.

The second result is about hydrops. It is much more concerning with worse outcomes. However, for hydrops to occur two or more areas in the baby need to have fluid, like the heart, kidneys, abdomen or near the lungs. It can happen for several reasons one is caused by an immune response if the mother lacks an RH factor. I have an RH factor so hydrops wouldn't be caused by an immune response. There are also non-immune factors the most common cause is parvovirus. My ob did ask if I had a cat and I said no and that I do have dogs but I used a claw to pick up the poop so I don't have direct contact. Actually I didn't even pick up the poop during the first trimester just in case! I had a lot to pick up in December however. It can be caused by other viruses as well as down syndrome, turner's syndrome and other chromosome abnormalities. So, because I already did the genetic screenings, I didn't have a cat, and the fluid was only in one spot I didn't think hydrops was likely but it was still a possibility. 

I also looked up inducing at 39 weeks for older mothers. I didn't find a ton of numbers for women over 35, but one UK study said that for 35-39 mothers who get induced at 39 weeks it prevents 17 stillbirths a year. There are more births in the US so I estimate maybe it would be about 100 stillbirths in the US. So there is a benefit but it is pretty low for an individual. 

On Friday the 29th, my sister had her follow up. She had a great appointment. The placenta had healed and the clot was gone. Hooray! Also, the baby was bigger again so her due date was changed again to August 27th. Which matches my sister's dates so it probably won't change again. She also asked about what their policy was for induction at 39 weeks. Her Ob says that week 39 births are less risky, but what they do is they have you go in during the 39th week. They do a ripening and that may put you into labor but it may not. She said if it doesn't happen that they wouldn't move on to full on induction.

I looked up ripening on Mayo clinic, it is considered a type of induction, but it is not like they are breaking the water or giving medication to induce. So I am tempted to change OBs.

That week, I also learned that my Aunt had colon cancer. She went into get a routine check and they found the cancer. Colon cancer can be very deadly but that is because by the time symptoms show up it is already 4th stage. So everyone is hopeful that because she didn't have symptoms yet that it was an earlier stage and easier to overcome. She was lucky to get in for a surgery on Wednesday the third. They would remove the cancer and some of the nodes.

So the first week of February, was just as eventful as the last week in January.  On Monday the appointment records arrived. I was able to see that the fluid was measured at 3.4 mm. That made me feel that the fluid was an effusion and not hydrops. Also, between 2 mm and 4 mm is considered a low amount of fluid (above normal). The results of low fluid gave me a lot of relief that no intervention would be needed. 

On Tuesday, I was able to bring one guest to the MFM. It was pretty far from my house but because of the freeways I was able to get there in 45 minutes. I met with my mom so that we could go the rest of the way together. She offered to drive which was nice because I was nervous. The MFM office was very nice and clean. I had filled out a lot of the forms online but there was an additional questionnaire that needed to be filled out. I also had to give a urine sample. 

Week 23 day 1

We went back to the ultrasound first. It was like another anatomy scan! The tech looked at everything again. Of course she took a lot of pictures of the heart and because of all the research I saw the fluid this time and saw when she measured. I also got more 3-d pictures of the face which is so clear. At the end of the ultrasound the tech told us that less than 3 mm was considered normal and that the fluid was measuring less than 3! So she was not concerned about the fluid!

I was so relieved to hear that news. It was great to know that the fluid levels were normal and everything was looking good. The tech led us to an exam room to meet with the MFM. While we were waiting a staff member came in to let us know that the appointment was booked for 10 so it might be a little bit of a wait, but as soon as the dr was done with the current patient he would be in. It was so nice that they came into the room to let us know that there would be a bit of a wait, even though it was only about 15 minutes. 

It was nice to decompress a bit and my mom and I discussed what questions we had. I wanted to ask about inducing and 39 weeks and my mom wanted to know about covid vaccine especially for my sister who cannot work from home. She also thought maybe I could switch my OB to that office even if I don't need to see the MFM in the office I could see an OB at the office.

The doctor came in. He went over all the results including the placenta cord (which I hadn't even told my mom about before that opps). He was not concerned because the baby was weight 1.8 lbs and that is considered in the top 91%! So the baby is getting all she needs otherwise she wouldn't be so big. He talked about the EIF but because I have the genetic screening and no other soft markers he is not concerned. Then he said the fluid looked good. There should be some fluid around the heart because it lubricates the heart as it pumps and the level of fluid is within normal.

Cushions for Window Seat, Nursery

Then, we asked out questions. He said that a baby doesn't get any more benefit being in the womb at 39 weeks vs 40 weeks and that there is a reduced risk of stillbirth, preeclampsia, and reduced c-sections. However, he said that it was my decision if everything looked good and I wanted to wait then they would wait. 

So we asked about switching obs. I don't think he wanted to steal business from my doctor, but of course I could do that. Also I could do a hybrid approach. Their office doesn't not have admitting privilege at the hospital I was thinking of, but the hospitals they admit too are great ones too. I like the first hospital because my brother and niece were born there. So I know that it is nice and it does have an NICU. However the one he admits to is one that my friend went to. I know it is nice too and the NICU is even better. I am still not sure if I will switch or not but I did like the MFM better than the OB at my office. I have a follow up appointment with them in a month. So I have time to decide.

As far as covid vaccine, he said that if it was him, he would get it when it was available to him because the risk of hospitalization, incubation and death are high for people with covid if they are also pregnant. I don't know when it will be offered to me and since I work from home right now I think I can make it to my due date before getting the vaccine. I do want to get it after I give birth even though I plan to breastfeed.

On Wednesday, my Aunt had her surgery. They removed the cancer and also a few nodes. The dr thought they looked like the cancer had spread to a few of them, but they will biopsy them. If it did spread that is considered stage 3 but it doesn't look like stage 4. Stage 3 survival rates look much better than stage 4. She is already scheduled to do chemo. 

After all the good news from earlier in the week. I woke up on Saturday and was relaxing with my coffee. I looked over at my 14 year old dog, Reggie's and I saw that the white parts of his eyes were yellow. I checked his ears and they were yellow too. I knew that was not good news. 

In the last few weeks, he had been declining. It was hard to get him to eat even if it was just liquid broth. He was wheezing a lot at night. He also had lost a lot of weight, but he started out overweight so he wasn't underweight for his breed. He still wanted to eat treats, or if I had yummy chicken he wanted to eat it. He was also still active. He would get up to the couch and bed. he would still bark at me if he wanted something or at the door if he heard amazon. So while he was declining he was still happy and not in pain. 

I called his vet but they were almost closed for the day and they couldn't take him until Thursday. So I thought maybe I could wait until Monday to bring him to Jojo's vet. Reggie's vet is near my parents house because he lived with them for most his life and Jojo's is near me but they allow walk ins. So I spent the afternoon painting the remaining walls of the nursery white. I probably could have spot painted but it was pretty quick with the roller and I had did the trim the Saturday before. Reggie stayed in the room with me or right by the door because he didn't like the tarp. He was annoyed that he couldn't be on the couch but he still was being active.

In evening I was concerned about waiting all the way until Monday to get him to the vet. Sunday was superbowl and I wouldn't be with him all day. So if something happened I wouldn't be able to take him to the vet. So I asked my sister where they brought their dog when she had a heartattack. She sent me back the vet and I called to ask if I could wait until Monday. They said I should bring him in.

I just knew then that it was not going to end well. So I put Jojo in my room in order to get Reggie in the car by himself. He was excited to get in the car. He was even more excited when I put the leash on him. He was very happy in the backseat, looking out the window and going for a ride. The vet was about 30 minutes from my house. I kept looking back at him and looking at him with the mirror. When I got to the doctors we waited in the car as I called from the parking lot. 

The tech came out to get him and have me sign some forms. He barked at her a little bit, but was nervous when she opened the door to get him out. I told him it was ok and watched him go. I wish I had hugged him once more and snuggled him when we waited. 

After about 20 minutes the vet called and said that Reggie was yellow and he wanted to blood work to

Reggie

look at his liver enzymes. That would take a few hours so I was able to go back home. I really didn't want to go home but I needed to because my phone battery was low. I was finishing dinner when the vet called again. He said that his one enzyme that normally would be under 400 was at 7,000. He thought he had an obstruction in his gallbladder but he would need an ultrasound. He was so surprised that his levels were that high especially because Reggie was so active even barking at people. He couldn't believe he was so active. Usually if he was that active he would sent him home until the ultrasound the next day but with the levels so high he thought the gallbladder might erupt at any time.

Anyway after a difficult conversation, I called my parents to let them know what was going on. I had texted them a few times that day but they had not responded. I knew it was bad and I needed to get a hold of them. They didn't answer but I left a tear ridden message and they called back. I explained what was going on. My mom said that she could be the one to get the information and make the decision. So after we hung up she called the vet and he explained everything to her.

My dad called after the conversation and said that after a long conversation the vet had said that it was either liver cancer which at his age would not be treatable or gallbladder obstruction (which was the most likely) he could have gallbladder surgery but it is a hard recovery for any dog especially one so old. He said if it was his dog he would put his dog down. He said there was also a risk of eruption of the gallbladder and that would be a very painful death. So we had to decide if we should put him down that night or in the morning. We, including my sister and brother, decided that it was better to do it that night. Reggie would be scared and uncomfortable all night being at a vet office. We just didn't think it was right to make him go through that. Luckily we were able to go see him one last time.

It was bittersweet though because they had to sedate him prior to the visit. He was awake but he was very out of it. Also we could only go in two at a time. So my sister and mom went in first, then my dad and I went it. It was decided that we would be in the room when they put him down. I went into the room by myself. Reggie was laying on the table in a blanket. He was really out of it. I put my hand by his nose and when my dad came in the room I saw him look over and his eyes did light up but it was just a barely. It was so hard to see him like that. It would have been nice if he was active like he had been that evening, especially for my family who hadn't seen him that day. 

I just wanted to pet Reggie for as long as I could, but I knew it was more for me than for him. I told him I was sorry and hugged and kissed him. After sometime my dad said he was ready when I was. I said I was ready. I wasn't ready, but I knew I wouldn't be ready. So I said ok. He got the vet who administered the drugs. It was very fast after that. I did see when the light left his eyes. It was a little after his breath stopped. While the drugs were being administered the baby was kicking me a lot! Maybe she knew I was upset and she was saying goodbye too. The vet checked his heart and said he passed. We were able to stay after that. We said some final goodbyes. He was still soft and warm, but it wasn't Reggie anymore.

After we went back to the car with my sister and mom. We spent some time in the car talking about Reggie. He had been in our lives for 14 years. We all had great stories about him like he brought a dead bird into my sister bed, he knew all of our names, and he was super smart. He learned to ring a bell to go outside and knew when you told him that you put leftovers in his bowl. He was young when my brother was in HS and he went to all the parties that my brother had in the yard, but when my brother went to college he was getting older. So he would just hang out with Dad and in his middle and late ages. 

It was hard to let him go. I think maybe if I had just waited until Monday I would have got one more day with him, but the results would have been the same. However, his gallbladder might have erupted and I'm glad he wasn't in pain. 

It is different without him in the house. He is more of a cuddler than Jojo is. Also I think Reggie and I had a strong bond. I usually could figure out what he wanted when he barked at me, and he is better at reading my body language. I woke up this morning and the blanket smelled like Reggie. It is an big feeling for sure. I know it was the right decision even though it was a hard one. I will miss and love him for the rest of my life. 

I am relieved about the good news about the baby and my aunt, but I am still feeling bummed about losing Reggie too. 

Week 23 Bump

I have still been having heartburn in the evening and at night. It doesn't happen every day, but a few times a week. It even makes me a little nauseous. I also have my hands are sometimes numb when I'm in bed and I have been trying to stretch my shoulder blades to help. I have had some round ligament pain but not as often or long.

The last thing is that I was touching my stomach on Saturday and I felt that it got hard! I couldn't feel
anything on the inside, but I think it still counts as a Braxton hicks. My sister was the 23 weeks and 5 days when she started getting contractions. Hers were not considered Braxton hicks but they were not labor contractions. Her contractions were more consistent and often also some of them were a little painful. I also felt a hard stomach once today, Monday the 8th! So I think that is a second one.

Pregnancy Week 21

 It has been so long since I have posted anything. It was hard to post during the holidays and there hasn't been a lot of new information to post. But I thought I would probably like to look back at this later so I should try to add a little more.

So last time I revealed the gender is a girl. I had thought that I was having a girl from the beginning, and I'm glad to have it confirmed. The first week of December I watched my niece so that my sister could go to dinner with her husband on her birthday. She had taken steps before that but that week she was really walking so she spent most of the night dragging me around the house showing me her toys and the dog water bowl. Running around with her wasn't the most comfortable on my back but other than that I haven't had too much back trouble.

I also started watching my parents dog while they moved into their new house. After a few weeks my mom asked if I he could stay with me indefinitely. They don't have a fenced in yard and she doesn't want to mess up their new house. I agreed to take him. He is almost 14, so he sleeps a lot and he doesn't hear and see as well as he used to. His breath was stinky so I gave him some denta sticks but they were making him sick. He used to be able to eat different treats and food easily but he is having more trouble now. I think that is another symptom of him aging. At least I'm got practice cleaning up puke.

On the 11th I had a doctor appointment. There wasn't an ultrasound so I went on my own. They used a doppler to listen to the heartbeat. I started to get a little nervous because it took the tech a little while to find it. But once I could hear it it was a relief. Since I wasn't having a lot of symptoms at that time it almost felt like I wasn't pregnant. So it was nice to hear. The beat was 154 which was very good. The PA came in after and said that I needed to gain more weight. My weight was the same as my first appointment. I think I was bloated during that appointment so I do think I gained weight based on my pre-pregnancy weight at home. She said that it was sometimes in the first trimester it was hard to gain weight but to try to gain some now. I also scheduled my 20 week anatomy scan for 4 weeks in the future. 

In the following weeks I got ready for the holidays by getting gifts, wrapping them, decorating a little bit. On December 20th I asked my sister if she needed to go to target because they were going snowboarding for the holidays and she usually has to get something, and I had to get new bras. Mine cups were getting too small. So we went to Big 5 so she could get a snowboard outfit, she usually would borrow from our parents. She did a lot of the shopping. I walked around with Naomi as she walked around the store and tried to put things in her mouth. But I was able to help her decide on a coat and pants. Then we went to target where we got some outfits for Naomi for the snow. We also got a lot of other clothes for her. Then we got two maternity bras that work for nursing too. We also got some stocking stuffers and household essentials. When I went home I was so exhausted. For the most part I don't get tired anymore but long days can make me tired even though I know I wouldn't be tired if I wasn't pregnant.

Month 4 Christmas Bump

I also started to notice some flutters but I wasn't sure if they were kicks or gas. They felt like little bubbles and sometimes I would have gas a little bit after. So I can't be sure when the first kick was but I felt some kicks on Christmas eve that I'm going to count as the first kick. During Christmas and New Years weekends I visited Mimi and Papa's new house every day. We did walks, ate Christmas dinner two days in a row, played pickleball and mahjong and watched Christmas movies. We would usually visit my G'ma as her birthday is the 26th and she turned 90. However, covid numbers were very high and none of us wanted to risk giving it to her. She is getting the first dose of the vaccine on January 21 and will plan a 90 year old birthday party for this spring. So it was a low key holidays but very relaxing.

I was starting to suspect that my sister was also pregnant around this time. I knew that she wanted to have a second baby soon so I knew she would be trying soon. She had her first period after giving birth a year after Naomi was born. She has irregular periods so they are hard to predict but I was thinking she should have a period by then but she hadn't. One day in mid-December she called me and asked what my earliest pregnancy symptom was. That made me think she was asking because she was trying to figure out if she was pregnant. Then I noticed when we met to exchange gifts she didn't have anything to drink! None of these are suspicious on their own but together they were. 

So on January 3rd, I went over to my parents house to watch the Cardinals game with my Dad. She and my mom had gone to walgreens when I arrived so I texted her and told her to get a pregnancy test. So she got one and took the test. After 3 minutes she didn't go straight in to look at the test so I did because I learned that if you don't look at the test at the right time there could be an evaporation line that makes the test look positive. I picked up the test and there were two lines! It was positive. Even though I had been suspicious I was shocked and I felt bad about seeing it first. So I walked out of the bathroom and said "you should look at the test." Then I walked away. 

My sister and mom called me back in the bedroom because of my reaction. Turns out that my sister already knew she was pregnant she knew since the day we went to target. Earlier that morning my Dad saw a bracelet on Naomi's wrist that said 'Big Sis' so they all knew already. Naomi had been napping the entire time I got there so I didn't see the bracelet. 

Since I knew so much about the tests because of my journey, I said something like the test line was light but it still counted as positive which got my sister worried because she didn't know it needed to be dark. So she called her doctor the next week to get her first appointment changed. They scheduled her for the 15th but since she was concerned she was moved to the 8th which w
as the same day as my anatomy scan!

Our OBs are on separate corners of the street with the Chandler hospital at the third corner between them. My OBs covid rules is that you can bring a guest and any child under 8 so I invited my mom to come to the scan. My sister's OB doesn't let guest or kids in right now. So we were going to bring Naomi to my appointment, but my brother in law ended up watching her. 

At my appointment the baby was laying on her stomach and her head was near my belly button on the right side and the legs were by my hip on the left. Because of he position the tech got to see the skull, kidneys and the potty shot, but she wasn't able to get her face, chest or heart. So I had to get rescheduled for Friday the 22nd. Her heartbeat was strong and the PA said that she was weighing around 11 oz but it is hard to tell that early. My mom asked about seeing the delivery doctor. So this coming appointment will be with the main doctor that delivers at the Chandler hospital. I don't mind seeing the PAs but it is nice to meet the doctor later this week.

There was one issue which was that the baby's placenta partially covering my cervix. It is called placenta previa. If the placenta is within 2.5 cm of the cervix that can cause bleeding and when giving birth it could mean that the placenta is born first which is bad because the baby can't get oxygen or anything if the placenta is detached. I have noticed a little bit of spotting, but only when wiping and sometimes it is hard to tell if it's blood or just dark urine. It wasn't really a concern because everything I read says that it should be more like period flow. Most of placenta previa will resolve later in pregnancy. The way it was explain is that if you imagine a balloon with words on it. The words might look like it is near the part you blow in, but when you blow up the balloon the words more out of the way. So as the uterus grows the placenta will move away from the cervix. Since mine is only partial previa it will probably go away and I will be able to have a vaginal birth. I was put on pelvic rest which means no sex and avoiding pelvic exercises. 

At my sister's appointment, she had a blood clot and the blood clot made the placenta tear a little bit from the wall. Usually that will have the symptom of bleeding, but my sister hadn't experienced any bleeding, but she had some more cramps than the first pregnancy and she felt hot in her uterus. The doctor was concerned he scheduled a follow up for a week, the 15th.

On the 15th appointment the doctor was much more optimistic. The baby's heart rate was up and it grew more than what is expected in 7 days. There was still some bleeding and a tear but it looked much better. She has a follow up in two weeks. So she is 8 weeks and 1 day along and I'm 21 weeks along. I think the baby is a boy, so I will use he to refer to him from now until we find out the gender. He is due August 29th. Since she hasn't told anyone but us and her husband I won't be posting this publicly until after other people know, but I wanted to write about it while it was fresh.

Nesting - Painting

Last week I had heartburn a few days in a row but by the time I bought tums I didn't really have any heartburn, but we will see if it returns. I have also been feeling the baby move a lot more. I don't have to think if it's gas or not. I have also been having round ligament pain. I went to my sister's no Tuesday and walked with my niece to the park twice. It isn't too far but it is hilly. The next morning I had pain. I think because of all of the activity the day before the ligament got tight over night so when I stood or turned it would be sore. 

Week 20 - Nesting

The other time I had the pain was today! Last week I kind of started nesting, so I decided I wanted to paint the nursery. I found an ombre wallpaper that looked so pretty and I found tutorials on how to paint it. Since I was so determined my parents came over to help. We only painted one accent wall that color. I might go back and paint the rest of the walls white since they are a little scuffed from over 10 years of living in the house. After we painted I made lunch and my dad fixed my pooper scooper and then picked up the poop. After lunch we went to look if we needed to do another coat. We decided the top white part was too big and created another transition color to make it fade a little more. Then gave the dogs baths. While they were drying we cleaned up the paint and put the crib together. Kelsi's son just grew out of the crib so she brought it over on Friday! After my parents left I did laundry all night and organized my drawers. So this morning I felt some round ligament pain too. It wasn't as bad as last week. I saw that Pidgeon pose is a good stretch for this pain and you can do it easily in bed on your back. It only takes about 20 seconds on each side and it feels much better. 

Today I also think I might have felt some hiccups. I have been feeling more movements, but these felt more consistent and in the same spot, but I also just read about feeling hiccups at this stage so I could just be kicks.

Gender Reveal

 I am doing the gender reveal tomorrow. So I wanted to look up some wives tales and see what those say.

1. During my first ultra sound I tried that Ramzi Method. Online it is said to be accurate but it is not better than chance when studied. But during 6-8 week ultra sound you look for what side the placenta is on the left of the baby it is supposed to be a girl and on the right it is a boy. Mine was GIRL.

2. I also tried to look during the last ultra sound for the "nub" which people can see during week 12-14. My scan was at 11 weeks and 4 days so a little early. It is supposed to be pretty accurate. What you do it look to see if the nub is pointed up towards the face (boy) or down away from the face (girl). I looked but I couldn't really see any nub. I thought maybe I saw something once, but it may have been the chord. That was pointed up for BOY.

So some wives tales:

3. A few weeks ago my sister went to a baby shower and they all did the ring gender predicting game. My sister's predicted one girl and then two boys. My sister only wants two kids the predictive powers of the ring might be lacking. She made me do the ring game, but guess what, the ring didn't move at all! I tried different rings, different chains and etc. I have an essential tremor so my hand isn't that steady. So my ideomotor movements should have predicted like 20 kids for my. But I had none. In the end it was moving very slightly but not really in an direction but I said it looks like a BOY.

4. The Mayan gender calendar/Chinese Calendar says if your age and the month of conception are both even or both odd then you will have a girl and if its the opposite you will have a boy. So for me it will be a GIRL.

5. Sweet or Spicy/Salty. I usually want spicy food but I have been averse to the idea. But other than that I think I am getting mix of wants. Some days I want fruits and ice cream other days I want pickles and pastas. However, pickles and pastas are more like my normal died whereas I don't usually have ice cream at the house. I have also wanted a lot of pancakes and that is unusual as well. So I would say I want sweets more than normal so I have a sweets cravings. Sweet is for GIRL.

6. Citrus craving? Yes GIRL

7. Thicker leg hair for boys. I have not noticed thicker leg hair. I have not needed to shave more often. So this one is GIRL.

8. The baby's heart rate at the last ultrasound was 167 and that is above 140 so that is supposed to mean GIRL.

9. More morning sickness is associate with girls and even though I had some times I got sick I didn't really feel nausea outside of those times and also if it had been a while since I ate. I also felt sick if I took my prenatal until I started taking it before bed. So I would say for me I didn't have morning sickness so that is BOY.

10. One tale says that a girl steals your beauty! I haven't noticed any breakouts or bad skin. I usually have good skin so it would be noticeable if I had a breakout. So that is BOY.

11. This also applies to hair. Fuller and shiny hair is for a boy. I haven't really noticed but my mom said it looked nice a few times even though I hadn't really done it. So I will count that as BOY.

 12. A change in body temp is supposed to be a predictor. If you are cold and icy it is a boy and if you are hot and sweaty you are having a girl. I am generally not a person that gets cold or hot when indoors. So I was surprised that my feet and legs got so cold in the beginning. But I did have a sluggish thyroid at my first blood pregnancy test. A symptom of a low thyroid is being cold. Even still I will say that means I am having a BOY.

13. Pregnancy dreams. Whatever you dream about the gender is supposed to be the opposite. I haven't had any dreams about the pregnancy, but while planning how to do the gender reveal I have had some day dreams that it would be a boy, so the opposite is GIRL.

14.-15. So it is a bit early for me to be showing and I have lost weight 4 lbs from when I weighted in during the 4th week when I started using my pregnancy app. I think I was probably bloated that day because my current weight is more like what is has been throughout the year. So I think it was just the hormones. Still I think my stomach is out/up now compared to earlier this year. So out BOY and up is for GIRL.

16. Darker nipples? No GIRL.

17. Which Breast is bigger? Left GIRL

18. If you look in a mirror for a minute and your eyes dilate then you are having a boy. I just did that and nothing happened. GIRL.

19. Is skin dry or soft. It is not dry even though it is winter and usually gets dry, but I don't really know what soft means. But since its not dry then it is a GIRL.

20. Headaches? I have headaches normally, but I think I have had a few more recently. I think it's because I have been sleepier and have had coffee aversions. I even had migraines at least three times. I will have migraines normally anyway, but I don't know how regular they are, but it can be a few in a shortish time. So I will say it is a little more than normal. BOY.

21. Sleep on left or right? I think I want to sleep on right more often but I read that left is better...though it isn't huge especially this early in pregnancy. So I do go back and forth from left to right, but I think I prefer the right. GIRL.

Final Count

Girl 13 - Boy 8

I'll update this post tomorrow with the reveal.

Pregnancy Week 13

 I know that is has been a few weeks since my last post. I have been very busy in my real life plus one of my main symptoms is being very tired. I think if I wasn't working from home/social distancing I would be exhausted as that happens when I have a to go outside of the house. So I am grateful for being able to be at home. 

My grandma has been doing chemo treatment for over a year now. She has a type of leukemia that is chronic and many people live with it for a long time, but when/if it develops to acute it can kill very quickly, a few months. So the treatment is to maintain the chronic leukemia not to get her in remission. She has been able to go from 5 days every three weeks to 4 days every three weeks and a smaller dose which is good because the chemo does make her feel poorly near the end of the week, but makes day-to-day better than how she felt prior to chemo. Well on the 9th she was doing her treatment but she felt very sick from it and she had to go to the hospital for a few days. After some tests the doctors didn't see anything that would cause her to feel bad except and she was already feeling better (but not as well as she was on the 8th) so they sent her home. My sister who is a PT decided to go down to Tucson to visit her and try to help her with the nausea and dizziness. I went with her to help her with Naomi while she helped.

It was the first time that year that we were able to visit. We all wore masks and I kept my distance too. I have been social distancing and working from home so I don't think I have been exposed but I did not want to get my Grandma sick. While there my Aunt, Uncle and Cousin's wife and second cousin once removed also came to visit us. They haven't seen Naomi since prior to the pandemic. So I was able to also work from my Grandma's house. It was so fun. Naomi had been taking a step or two prior to that but without realizing it, so this was the first time that she walked on purpose and she took 7 steps! It was so cool to see. She also loved seeing my cousin's daughter who is a year and a half older than her. She hasn't interacted with a lot of other babies/toddlers because of covid. 

My sister was able to help G'ma with some exercises but she didn't know why she was dizzy it wasn't from vertigo or a normal cause. G'ma had an appointment with a PT the next day which she was reluctant to go to because she thought the exercises would be too hard now that she was feeling bad, but my sister explained that the PT would do different exercises then the week before since she wasn't doing well. So at least Caitlin was able to convince her to go.

That night I was so tired that I went to bed before 9 pm. That is one instance why I know that I would be more exhausted if I wasn't working from home/social distancing.

At the end of week 7, I had another ultrasound. My OB wanted to do their own ultrasound for their own records. I like to see the baby so I didn't mind. They let me bring 1 guest and any children under 8. So I invited my Mom to go with me. The baby looked reptile like or baby bird like. But it was moving around and had more noticeable parts than the first. I could even see a tail! I got to hear the heart beat again! 161 BPM! So cool. They also said that the baby was measuring like the due date is May 29th (my birthday), but the day of my last missed period makes my due date May 31st. Since there isn't a big difference most OBs will go off the lmp. They were willing to go off the May 29th day, but I decided to go with May 31st. In expecting science website they said that 280 days is not the average number of days of gestation, nor is it the mode, nor is it the most common (mode). It is 280 because someone decided that Mary was pregnant with Jesus for 10 lunar months (28 days). The average day is a little complex because the increase use of scheduled c-sections (which usually happen in week 39), but taking out those or looking at averages from the 1990s first times mom's average 284 days and two or more mom's average 282. So you should really count 282 from lmp. So I would much rather have the later due date then the earlier, even if it's only two days. 

I decided to do a NT scan which would scan the back of the neck to look at the fluid and the bridge of the nose. These scans can tell you if their is an increase risk of chromosomal abnormalities. I was not too concerned because my only risk factor is my age and I have been reading that 37/38 is when the risk really increases. I still wanted to do it because it was another scan. It was scheduled for November 13th. So long.

Other then the exhaustion I have been feeling pretty well. I haven't felt to nauseous since changing my prenatal from lunch time to bed time. I did physically get sick 4-5 times but it was usually because I was eating something that I was averse too. Like I made a Sunday roast one week and I had left overs for a couple days. But by the third night my body was said no to more pork! I froze the rest of the pork but I was able to finish the veggies. I have notice that one of the time when I ate something that was a something I ate recently. Like I usually eat salad kits every lunch time, but if I have a salad kit more than twice I will feel nauseous or get sick even if the kit is a different flavor. I still want to eat salads but I try to do every other day/every few days. Of course I have no problem eating oatmeal or other cereals every morning, so go figure. 

Another symptom I have experienced was being thirsty. It is very frustrating because even when I'm drinking water I feel thirsty. I was extremely thirsty last week (week 12) my lips were very chapped too and I felt like I was getting a cold sore one night. So I got out of bed to put sunscreen on my lips which can help you not get a cold sore if you feel it coming! Then I went to fridge and drank a cup of water (but no more I know if you drink too much water at once you will just pee it out and not quench thirst), Well I think the sunscreen really helped me feel less thirsty too. So I started putting sunscreen on my lips once a day and that has helped. I don't know why this has helped, but I think since chapped lips are sometimes caused by being thirsty, moisturizing my lips with sunscreen had my brain thinking I was not as thirsty. I guess I should still wear sunscreen even if I'm at home all day since I don't usually moisturize with anything else.

Last week I had more breast tenderness than any other week. It wasn't like the muscles were sore more like the skin was raw/hurt. I notice my breast fill my bra better especially the left side which is typically the bigger side in women. I haven't needed to go up a cup size yet and I don't need to go on the farthest clip. 

I have also started to have some tenderness/soreness around my abs and also in my hips. It is like sore muscle pain but sometimes can be sharp. It hurts more if I change positions. I know this is more common in the second trimester so I think I will probably be a person that gets sore in third trimester.

Those are my main symptoms (urination too but that might be because of being thirsty). So I really like the scans since I don't feel pregnant. 

On the 24th, my cousin texted to say that he, his wife and daughter would be in town for the day (they needed to pick up something from his mil) so he wanted to meet up after Naomi and Ainsley's meeting at G'ma Lulus. So we met at my sister's and craved pumpkins. My cousin brought beer and a flavor that I normally love! So it was hard to refuse without giving it away. Plus I had a headache/migraine that day (is that a pregnancy symptom?) so I had to ask my sister for Tylenol and not aspirin/ibuprofen, My cousin's wife saw that so I thought it was suspicious but my sister said it didn't sound that way. 

Naomi and Ainsley had fun playing with Naomi's toys, Ainsley pushed Naomi around in a toy cart for a while before we started carving pumpkins. The kids were too little to carve pumpkins but the rest of us did it. 

The next weekend was Halloween, my brother had a party at his house. I wanted to go but I didn't want to be around a bunch of youths who could have covid all night. So I went over early to help set up and only his roommates and one early arrival was there. I dressed up kinda like Wednesday Adams. I stayed until my sister, Naomi and Dave came which was when more people were arriving and left when they left about an hour or so later. There were more people than I thought would be there at that time, but not as many as ended up being there. My brother had told all his roommates that I was pregnant and then kept telling people all night. I don't really care that his friends know, but if you want something to be a secret don't tell Tyler!

Both these weekends were other examples of how tired I can get from a few hours of stimulation. I have been doing a lot of other day to day things but nothing exciting enough to blog about, but I'm grateful that I am working from home because I think not commuting and interacting with a lot of people helps.

Around week 9 I wasn't feeling well enough to keep doing my yoga, but in week 12 I was able to do it two day. I did the week 9 and 10 yoga though because I don't want to skip. I will catch up to my current week soon and try to do every day again. My app said that around week 10-11 your hormones aren't as high because the placenta starts to take over so a lot of the first trimester symptoms go away, but it doesn't happen over night. Like I said the week that I was the most thirsty was week 12!  

So on week 11 I had my most recent ultrasound. The one that scans the back of the neck and nose. Everything looked really good. The fluid was perfect and I could even see the bridge of the nose. The scan was much more like a baby, there was no tail and a clear head/body as well as limbs tho the limbs were skinny and the head is still bigger than the body. The heart beat was 167 so the wives tale says that is a girl right? At first the baby was still but started moving around a lot probably because baby was being prodded with a ultrasound wand. 

After the PA (doctor?) asked gave me a few options for the blood test and I decided to get the NIPs test. I would give my blood and that would be sent to a lab then the baby's dna from the placenta are separated from my blood. Then they look for extra copies of 13, 18 and 21, as well as X and Y chromosomes. So I would also get to know the sex. During the blood draw I was told it would take 14 days, but guess what I got the results in 7 days. Maybe the labs aren't as busy with covid going on. So I will be doing a gender reveal on Thanksgiving with my family and a zoom call. My brother is going to livestream for facebook. I haven't told my Aunt, Uncle or cousins that I'm pregnant so this should be fun.

Pregnancy Week 6

 The last two weeks have been difficult. I haven't been able to take a pregnancy test, but I haven't felt too pregnant yet. I haven't seen any bleeding so that was good, but I think the progesterone might prevent or delay that since I always needed to stop using it to get my period in the previous attempts.

Last week was particularly difficult to wait for my ultrasound. I just tried to eat healthy, do my prenatal yoga and be ok with not knowing. Last Wednesday, I sat down to do my yoga at lunch time. I use the video from Harlow's Earth on youtube. I was just breathing in and out, with my hands on my heart and belly when I had to get up and rush to the bathroom. I yack my entire lunch and I think I even saw some of my breakfast at the end of it. 

I had only been feeling a light nausea before that and mainly caused by taking my prenatal. This time I had taken the prenatal about 30 minutes before and thought I was ok, but I guess I wasn't. I moved my prenatal to night time close to when I go to bed and so far I haven't been sick since. 

Even though it sucked to be sick I was kinda glad to see a symptom of pregnancy even if it didn't last for the rest of the week.

This week I have had more nausea feelings. I have to wake up and take my thyroid then I have to wait at least 30 minutes but it's better if it's an hour and so I will usually feel light nausea during that time, but I generally feel better once I have breakfast. I will also get nauseated around lunch time, but it's not super strong. I was feeling it today and I ate a peach to help after I let that rest for ten minutes or so I was able to eat the salad I had planned for lunch.

Generally I don't feel too bad in the afternoon or evening, but it does show up sometimes. I have heard that having protein should help, but I generally don't like to meat at all my meals and I'm not sure if I can handle an egg. I think I am doing well enough now that I don't need to force that but I will keep it in mind if it gets worse.

As for other symptoms I haven't had too many others, may be lower back pain, but since I'm working at home I think that could just be because I am sitting a lot of the day. I try to get up at least once an hour which a lot of times I need to go to the bathroom at least. 

I also think my areolas are a bit different, but I haven't had too much tenderness. I will sometimes feel sore or achy, but I don't feel like it is the same as some have described so I think it might still be coming.

I have noticed that I am a little stuffier in my nose in the morning. It might be allergies, but I read that the blood circulates more during pregnancy and cause swelling in the nose that leads to congestion. Because I am social distancing I am sure it is not a cold, plus it doesn't stick around all day. 

So probably the most exciting part of the two weeks is my ultrasound on Thursday the 8th. It was at 2:30 and I was a little nervous that they would yell psyche! Or something. But it wasn't like that at all. I went in Kristina Bauer is the nicest PA there (imo) and so I was happy that she was doing the ultrasound.

The ultrasound was transvaginal and first she looked at the uterus the fluid was measuring at 6 weeks 5 days and she showed me the yolk sac and the baby. I could even see the baby's heart beating. 

Then she said she was going to do the boring stuff before trying to get hear the heart beat. So she went over to look at the ovaries. She said that I ovulated from the right ovulate. After ovulation the follicle becomes a corpus luteum. The corpus luteum helps produce hormones to help pregnancy during the first trimester, the placenta will eventually take over. Kristina showed me how she could see the blood flowing around the ovary so that's how she knew which ovary ovulated. She said there might have even been two follicles on that side that erupted! There was a that maybe follicle remember? She checked the left ovary too and it didn't have the corpus luteum so the egg didn't come from that side. How cool it that to know. Also I read a study that the right side may favor pregnancy.

Then we went back to look at the baby she measured from crown to rump and said that the baby was measuring at 6 weeks 4 days and that baby had implanted in the "perfect spot." I am not sure if there really is a perfect spot but it was nice to know that it was at least in a good place. Then she was able to pinpoint the sonogram to listen to the heartbeat! It was so cool to hear. It didn't sound like a whoosh, whoosh like I imagined but more like a thump thump. She could only hold it in place for a little bit but she was able to get the heart beat twice. It was going 126 bpm. The PA said they were looking for over 100. But I have read that over 120 in the 6th week is even better. If you have a greater than 120 heart beat between 6 weeks 3 days and week 7 day 0 then the chance of miscarriage is 4.9%. If it is be 119-110 it is 19% and if it is 101-109 then it is a 43% chance. Below 100 is 100%  miscarriage rate. So you definitely want to be higher than 100, but over 120 is better. Since I didn't really have to worry about the dates being off with having an IUI, I am pretty confined that I was 6 weeks 4 days like she said based on my lmp it was 6 weeks and 3 days, but so either way it wasn't 6 weeks 2 days no matter what. But if you don't have an IUI your dates could be off and if you are under 6 weeks 2 days that a heart rate in the 100s is ok too.

So I was so happy to see that the baby was heartrate was so good. She printed out some photos. I will try to post a few but they are kinda boring right now. I then dressed and went out to sign the release form so that my file would be sent to my OB doctor. They told me to contact my OB and schedule an appointment. So I scheduled the appointment on Friday, and they were able to take me on this Saturday at 2:40 pm. 

On Saturday my appointment didn't include an ultrasound. It was just a breast exam and a vaginal exam. I also gave a sample of urine. I also am going in next Saturday for an ultrasound since my OB wants to do their on viability scan. I am sure it will be just as cool as last time. I'm allowed one guest so my mom is going to come.

This weekend I became a little obsessed with looking up the Ramzi method of determining gender. Online sources says that it is 97.5% accurate for girls and 97.2%  accurate for boys. If it was really that effective I am sure OB's would be using it.
But it is fun. 

So what is Ramzi method? During an early scan before 9 weeks what you do is look for the placenta. You can ask the tech where it is if you want to. If the placenta is to the right of the womb then you're having a boy and if it is on the left of the womb then you're having a girl. I didn't ask my tech, but I think the placenta is on the left. I will try to ask next week. The thing to remember is that if you are doing an adnominal scan then the image is mirrored so you have to reverse the sides in the pictures.

Baby Name List

 Previously I gave a list of 7 names that I like. Last month I started to get more serious about it. I will likely need pick one within the year. So I am being more serious about it.

I have always thought that I wouldn't pick a name until I meet a baby. I think a name has a lot of meaning and power. I don't think I can decide a name without ever seeing the baby. However, I can still eliminate names I don't like and compile of the remaining names. I think being able to review and look over the list during the pregnancy will help me decide when the time comes.

Filtering for Popularity

As you know my main requirement is that the name isn't too popular. My name is pretty unique and I never shared the name with someone in my class, grade or even school. It was only a few years ago that I shared the name with a co-worker. While I don't need a name that is that unique, I want to aim for a name that the baby won't share with classmates at least. 

So what I did was I went back to the social security website and looked up the top 1,000 names for girls and boys in for each year from 2010, 2012, 2014-2019. I put all of them names and the number of people who were given that name in excel. Then I had excel add the numbers together by year. There ended up being 1,251 girl names and 1,224 boy names in the top 1000 sometime in those years. 

Then, I sorted by top names. Liam for boys and Emma for girls. I decided to highlight the names in red if I didn't like them and orange if I was interested in them. I immediately made the first 100 names in girls and boys names red. While I wouldn't mind using a name with was number 90, but a name that is 90 in the last decade might shoot up to top 25 in the next decade. That is what happened to my sister, Caitlin. There are that many Caitlin's her age, but a it became pretty popular in the next decade or two. So I want to try to avoid that if I can. 

After that I went down the list and highlighted the cells orange or red depending on whether or not I liked it. There were a few names that were the same as the top 100 but with different spellings, so I looked out for that too.

When I went through all of the names I realized some of the names that I have been jotting down in the last few years weren't on the list so I added those to the bottom.

Middle Names = Family Names

You might know that I am a genealogist. I have a tree on Ancestry and it almost has 4,500 people on it. I also have the tree cross posted on a some other sites, but I don't updated them as much. I was lucky because my Grandma and her cousin did a lot of work on their side of the family and my Uncle had a lot of information on my Dad's side of the family. So it was easy to grow the tree after I entered their information. I always think it's so cute when parents name a child after grandparents (first or last names) or great grandparents (first or last names). Although it can be frustrating if the person's 10 other siblings also name their child after their parents. Luckily, people don't tend to reuse names in this day an age. 

I mainly want to use Melissa after my Mom and Bernard after my Dad and his Dad. Some names will not go with Melissa or Bernard so back up middle names that I have are, below:

Louisa - my grandmother's middle name which was her great grandmother's name. 

and

Walter - Grandma Mary Louisa's father's name 

These were the top two backup names, but if Walter and Louisa also didn't go with the first name then I used the names below:

Grace - Grandpa Bill's grandmother's name

Helen - my Aunt's name

Hazel- Grandma Mary Louisa's mother's name

Frances- Hazel's mother

Harriet- After meeting Harriet Beecher Stowe, my 4th great grandparents named their daughter Harriet and she named her daughter Harriet as well.

William - my grandfather's name

Eli - Walter's middle name and his father's name

Arthur- William's grandfather's name

Leonard- Grandmother Rose's maiden name

Griffin- Frances's maiden name

If the name didn't go with my top two middle names I just looked at my family tree and tried to find a middle name that suited the first name. So there is no reason why I picked on over the other. I also used some relative names as first names as well. There was one middle name that was not a family name. It is paired with the first name of Louisa and I was having trouble finding a good name to go with that. Since Louisa is a family name I think it's ok to use a different name.

On telling my brother my idea for middle names he said he liked the name Louisa. So I might have to rethink using that as a middle name. I will have to determine if he would really use it or not before giving up on it.

Baby Name's List

After I narrowed down between names I would never use and possible names. I sorted by color I had 85 girl names and 66 boy names. So I took another look at it and sorted between names that I thought were okay and names that I might actually use. I changed the color to yellow if I thought I would actually use it. Then I ended with 35 girl names and 40 boy names. So I put in middle names for all of the yellow cells. 

I wanted to be able to share my list with people and get opinions from people. I have noticed with couples they can bounce ideas off of each other and that can help narrow down the names. Since I am doing this on my own, I wanted to get input from other people. I added the names to babynames.com. It allows for 100 names so I added orange names to the list to make it 50 girl names and 50 boy names. So you won't know which names I like more than other. Also, I don't know why the list is in the order that it is. I might also put a poll on the blog.