Lex and Learn

Post written when I was 16 weeks + 2 days pregnant. Feb. 15, 2013

This is the last of the pre-announcement blog posts I have to share with you all. I hope you’ve enjoyed the look back on our journey thus far and will continue to follow along as we prepare for “sprout’s” arrival this July.

Our 16-week appointment was Wednesday and all went well. Sprout (seems to be sticking in my head as a “we don’t know the sex nickname”) had a strong heartbeat between 150 and 160.

My appetite is increasing and thankfully I still have no food aversions. I also have no intense cravings other than fresh fruit. I can’t eat enough fruit. I’m grateful to be getting to the gym four to five days a week for yoga, yoga sculpt and spin classes. However, I can tell I will need to start modifying certain poses soon as the bump sets in.

Yes, I am showing. Thankfully, word is out at work and to most of my clients. I have yet to break down and buy new pants so the rubber band trick is holding me over, but it’s getting old. Today I wore a loose dress but with regular tights, and let me tell ya. Those Spanx tights get mighty uncomfortable after a meal. Ouch!

So far I’ve read On Becoming Babywise and Mike is almost done with it too. I realize the theory of Babywise is much easier to follow in our heads than with a screaming little nugget, but we’re both committed to giving it 150 percent because we both very much want a baby on a schedule, with the goal of sleeping through the night (no co-sleeping) in his or her crib as soon as possible.  I have tremendous respect for other approaches, but after much debate we both feel starting with Babywise is the best for us, our parental style goals and my return to work full time after a 12-week leave. I am completely prepared for a million set backs and moments of “this Babywise thing is nuts” breakdowns at 3 a.m…but we’re going for it from the start. Luckily, I have some incredible Babywise mamas in my life to help guide us when we have to put what we read into practice. I hope they are prepared for many pleading phone calls and urgent texts.

I am also reading – and loving – Bringing Up Bebe. A lot focuses on the toddler years but even the newborn philosophies are fascinating. I can’t wait to reread certain sections when sprout arrives this summer.

Fingers crossed that we’ll make the big announcement here and on Facebook within the next few weeks!

Post written when I was 11 weeks pregnant. Jan. 9, 2012

Accordingly to BabyCenter I’ve got a wee little fig in my belly. Quite the change from a poppy seed weeks ago but I know we have a long, long way to go. At this point I am counting the hours and minutes until 2pm next Wednesday, Jan. 16. That is when we have our 12-week appointment and Sequential Screen ultrasound and blood draw to test for Down’s Syndrome and other genetic disorders. To say I am on pins and needles is an understatement.

Symptom-wise, I feel like the luckiest pregnant lady around. No morning sickness. Minimal fatigue that is only really apparent on the weekends when a nap is an option. I am even making it to my “normal” bedtime of 9:30pm or 10pm again.

I’m not showing but I am starting to notice less room in my jeans by the end of the day or after a big meal. By morning I’m back to normal but something is definitely changing.

The holidays are past and I’m grateful to have the energy to really get back into my workouts – including spin and yoga sculpt. Nutritionally, my biggest focus has been getting enough protein without adding meat back into my diet. Quinoa and various beans have a much more prominent place in our pantry than ever before. And Oreos dipped in cold milk taste like heaven.

A few of our friends now know the secret but we (and our families) are chomping at the bit for the “all clear” to begin sharing the news. I am especially eager to tell my coworkers since so many have kids and will undoubtedly be a huge resource for us.

One more week to the milestone of 12!

Post written when I was 8 weeks pregnant. Dec. 19, 2012

I’ve been feeling great. Like really great. Like sometimes I forget I am pregnant great. So naturally instead of rejoicing in a first trimester without morning sickness or extreme fatigue, I began to panic last week that something was wrong.

Thankfully all my worry was unnecessary. We had our first more detailed ultrasound with a technician today and she said everything looks absolutely perfect. The pictures revealed “a little peanut” with a heart rate of about 174 (normal for this stage) and totally healthy insides of mama (me!). All of my blood work taken last week to monitor my body’s response to the twice-daily blood thinners injections also came back 100 percent normal. My stomach looks like the stomach of a junkie, but that’s for another time.

Cue giant sigh of relief.

The tech confirmed I’m growing just one baby – phew! Although Mike said, “I’m kind of disappointed. I was ready for twins.” I rolled my eyes. We are not prepared for twins.

Our next appointment is on January 16 – hooray for a four-week break from doctors – and that will mark 12 weeks, when we can breathe a deeper sigh of relief and finally announce to coworkers, extended family and friends. I don’t want to wish away the holidays but I truly cannot wait for the outcome of that appointment. Now I just have to stay positive and not obsess over every cramp or lack of miserable symptoms.

No cravings yet, though Mike is monitoring my daily food intake like a hawk and promptly delivering me more food, snacks or tall glasses of milk if the craziness of work has kept me from eating good throughout the day. It is so sweet, but also a bit overwhelming. I am not comfortable with people worrying about me so much. I just want to yell out, I AM FINE!

I am still in disbelief that we saw a “teeny sprout” today. It’s becoming more real and more precious every day.

Post written when I was 6 weeks + 2 days pregnant (confirmed!). Dec. 7, 2012

Today we went back to the doctor because as mentioned in the previous post, I found out so early that I was pregnant and couldn’t date it myself. I was expecting a 5-week estimate and no visible heartbeat yet. So, imagine our delight when I measured at 6 weeks and 2 days, and the doctor found the heartbeat “glimmer” almost immediately. Even though it is still very early and we’re still in that “we can’t wait until we’re 12 weeks phase,” I breathed a huge sigh of relief. I know Mike did too.

Due date? July 31, 2013. Another July baby to join the family…my birthday is July 25, though the baby will now always trump my birthday.

Because of the Factor V Leiden condition I previously explained, today was also our first visit with the OB who will be our doctor instead of the midwife I’ve seen at this practice until now. She was very kind and patient so I know she’ll be a great fit for us.

Today also marks the first day in our treatment of the Factor V throughout my pregnancy. After several hours on the phone with our insurance company, pharmacists and the doctor, we were finally able to get a prescription filled that will not cause us to go bankrupt before the baby is even born. Starting tonight I have to self-administer shots of a blood thinner called Lovenox, though next week I’ll be switching to Heparin because of the cost difference. Unfortunately, I’ll have to fill the syringes myself as only Lovenox come pre-filled (and $1,000/month with insurance just wasn’t going to work). Don’t even get Mike or me started on insurance companies right now. Based on my blood work I was also put on an extra prescription B vitamin pill, which I’ll have to take daily in addition to a pre-natal and DHA supplement. For being young and healthy I sure know how to make a first trimester a case study.

Our parents and Mike’s sister are thrilled. We will tell my Aunt Jan, who I am very close with, this weekend and maybe one or two more family members. Everyone else will have to wait for a while still, which is incredibly difficult. I don’t think I did a very good job fake drinking at a work event last night, so suspicions are probably already rising.

Knock on wood; I still feel great 99% of the time. No morning sickness or sickness of any kind. I just want to take a nap every afternoon and am falling asleep before 9 p.m. most nights. If that’s the worst of it, I’m totally game.

I can’t wait until I can publish this!

Post written when I was 4 (we thought) weeks pregnant. Nov. 29, 2012

Where do I even begin? Apologies in advance for how long this post is…

Well, Mike and I talked (and talked and talked), and then analyzed some more, of when to start trying. For most of 2012 we decided on January 2013 as our “go” date. But then as more babies started to surround us by the minute and we listened to our hearts instead of our pragmatic heads, we couldn’t deny that we were both ready…ready for whatever the ups and downs of trying would bring.

A quick fast forward and we’re expecting. It is not lost on me for one moment how incredibly we lucky we are for that.

On Nov. 10 the call of “lady nature” hadn’t come so I decided to take a test to be safe. Negative. Two weeks later I was feeling really strange with a few symptoms, but I won’t spend too much time on since my dad reads this blog. The tipping point? On Thanksgiving morning I woke up and walked into my parent’s kitchen to say hello, only to almost fall over from the overwhelming smell of vinegar. Yet when I asked what all the vinegar was for, my mom replied that she had only used a dash.

My sense of smell was in absolute overdrive.

I quickly volunteered to run to the grocery store to buy the remaining Thanksgiving items on her list and dragged Mike with me. When we got into the store I told him I needed to take a test, while admitting that I was probably just acting crazy.

When we got home my mom jumped into the shower and my dad left to pick up my grandmother. I took the test and it turned immediately.

“Pregnant” appeared on the screen in seconds. I stared at it for at least a minute, maybe more. I then wandered into the TV room and Mike laughed when he saw my face, which was (in the spirit of total honesty) pretty freaked. He knew what the stick said before I even told him, and then he couldn’t contain his smile or nervous laughter. I took the second test in the box about an hour later and it had the same result.

We opted to stay mum all day and I proceeded to fake drink my mimosa and wine at the family Thanksgiving gathering. Mike took some gulps and I poured some out in the bathroom. Sorry Aunt Karen.

That night we decided to tell me parents. We prefaced it by saying, “we wanted to tell you this trip that we are trying to have a baby, but instead we might actually be having a baby.” My mom cried and we talked for hours. The next day she and I stopped at the store again and bought a different brand of tests. Two more tests, and two more of the same results.

When we got home to Colorado I took the last test I had on hand from Nov. 10. Yes, if you are counting, I took 5 tests.

Today the doctor saw us because we had no clue about the conception date and learned we’re likely four weeks along, but they can’t be sure. So we go back next Friday (12/7) to try again. A little glimmer of something is definitely there and from what they saw it is moving along well.

But I have what’s called Factor IV Leiden so today’s appointment was already dense with “high risk” information. It is a genetic disorder that causes deep vein blood clots. I experienced these after a knee surgery. However, I was also very lucky that they passed naturally and did not form anywhere other than my leg.

What does this mean for a pregnancy? For starters, the midwife I see and adore cannot be my doctor. I need to be with an OBGYN for my entire pregnancy. If next week’s ultrasound shows the embryo to be “viable” (note, I now HATE that word) I will endure twice daily injections (that I give myself) of Lovenox in my abdomen from next week through delivery. I knew this was a possibility before we started trying, but I always figured it would be the last month of the pregnancy. But I can’t lie, 35+ weeks of twice daily shots has me spooked.

We’re staying positive and cautiously optimistic. It is killing me to walk around with this secret but I need to get used to it, since we shouldn’t announce until 12 weeks. The people who know me well will realize just how hard this is on me.

4-Week Symptoms/Experience

• More frequent trips to the ladies room
• Random, quick jolts of pain in various areas of my abdomen, which I was assured were normal
• A few really awesome pimples

More to come!