18 Weeks & Old Wives Tales

I know I've probably said this already, but geez, pregnancy is weird! I've got it all going on, continued "morning" sickness, headaches, middle of the night insomnia — and it all sounds so terrible, but for some reason, I am really okay with it all. Truly, I am just so happy being pregnant and out of this world excited to meet our little bundle of joy. Our little one is growing like a weed and that is all that matters!

Baby Size: Our baby is the size of a sweet potato, weighing 6.7 ounces and is about 5.6 inches long.

Weight Gain: At my appointment this past week, I gained five pounds, totaling in eight!

"Morning" Sickness: Still staying off the zofran and my OB suggested taking an extra B-6 supplement. I'm still dealing with the nausea and vomiting, but I do think it is better than earlier in this pregnancy.

Excited For: This past week's OB appointment, we scheduled our 20 week ultrasound appointment — May 12th! Boy or Girl?

On Thursday, my Mom and Husband joined me at my OB appointment — and my Mom got to hear the baby's heartbeat for the first time! Also while we were there we got on the subject of old pregnancy wives tales and how they relate to the baby's gender. So thinking more about it, I thought it might be fun to see what they say about the baby I'm carrying!

Morning Sickness: Yes or No

Cravings: Sweet or Salty

Mood: Moody or Happy

Headaches: Yes or No

Heart Rate: >140 or <140

Up until this last appointment our baby's heart rate was always over 150 bpm,

but this last appointment, the heart rate was 134

Mom's Skin: Acne or Clear

Husband's Weight Gain: Some or None

Girl: 2

Boy: 6

All in good fun, but we'll find out for real in just a short three weeks (even though in waiting time, that seems forever)!

17 Weeks

I'm finally getting to the point in this pregnancy where people who don't know, are looking at me and asking when I am due! It is a pretty strange thing, really. Then they ask "how have you been feeling?" Um, well to be honest, not that great. — And that is usually not what they expect me to say. But they asked, right? Pregnancy for me has been the most bizarre experience. I have been so elated, that even though I've been battling "morning" sickness and was hospitalized, I actually really have been savoring pregnancy. Yes, there are points when it hasn't been fun, but overarching, I like it. I guess in my head, I know that these months have been a struggle, but once this little baby of ours arrives, it will all be worth it.

16 week photo

Quote: To be pregnant is to be vitally alive, throughly woman, and undoubtedly inhabited. — Anne Buchanan & Debra Klingsporn

Baby Size: Our baby is the size of a pear, weighing approximately 5.9 ounces and measuring 5.1 inches!

Weight Gain: After being admitted into the ED last week, I had a follow-up appointment with my primary OB, at my weigh-in, I had gained two pounds, totaling in three!

"Morning" Sickness: As I've mentioned before, I was prescribed zofran to help me maintain my nausea and keep down my meals, and it was working! Until I got two put-me-out-of-commission migraines...So today is day three without taking the zofran. Without the medication I've been battling the nausea and some vomiting, but not as bad as before. Hopefully sometime in this second trimester I'll get over the "morning" sickness stage and get back to feeling 100%. Time will tell! In the meantime, I'll continue snacking on toast and hope my doctor allows me to stay off the zofran.

Excited for: Three things...
1. To hopefully, sometime soon, start feeling the baby's movements.
2. Tuesday I have the day off work with Husband and we are going to work on our registry. I'm super eager because we rarely ever have a day off to be together!
3. Thursday I have another doctors appointment and my mom is going to join us — she wants to hear our little pear's heartbeat!

Thankful for: I am overwhelmed how caring all my friends, family, coworkers and Husband have been through these first few months. Nothing could replace how remarkable they each are!

Next up for my Saturday, I need to plan this week's menu. This whole pregnancy, menu planning has been a huge struggle! As you know, especially since this blog usually is mostly about food, I love menu planning, grocery shopping and cooking. But, oh boy...now it is like pulling teeth! Maybe it has something to do with the fact that nothing even sounds that good to eat. This past week Husband uncovered our grill and I made veggie kabobs and herbed quinoa. If anyone has any great, simple menu ideas, I am all ears!

Happy Saturday!

Praying for Boring

Most pregnant women are eager for the excitement of their first pregnancy — I was too. Excited to be pregnant. Excited to know, boy or girl? Excited to feel those first kicks. Just plain excited...Don't get me wrong, I am still eager for those same things, but more than that, I am praying for boring.

This pregnancy started out great, then turned into "morning" sickness. Then...yesterday...a fun admission into the emergency department. But let me start from the beginning:

Sunday was a beautiful day. My mom and I leashed up our pups and took advantage of the sunshine and warmer weather. I had a headache but didn't think much of it. I just took note to drink an extra glass of water when I got home. Maybe a bit of dehydration, I thought. As the afternoon progressed, so did the headache. I struggled to make dinner as the pain became increasingly worse and sent me to bed. The following morning, Monday, I woke up with a still significant headache but had a full schedule at work. I got through my morning routine and arrived at work. At this point, I just want to say how thankful I am that I work at a hospital and am surrounded by wonderful healthcare professionals. Struggling to work through the headache, I mentioned it to my boss and she suggested that I run down to the emergency department to have my blood pressure checked. Personally, I hadn't thought much of the headache being a risk for my pregnancy, just a terrible headache. So, I took a trip downstairs to the ED, not expecting much. I was streamlined into triage for a blood pressure reading. As it turns out, my reading was significantly high and they admitted me. Let me note, I always have quite low readings... I called my dearest Husband who quickly made the hour drive to my hospital. I was swiftly given a room in the ED, they hooked me up to a blood pressure cuff for readings every 15 minutes, took vile upon vile of blood, a urine sample, gave me IV fluids and eventually sent me for an ultrasound.

Praise the Lord that the ultrasound was good, baby's heart rate was a healthy 153 bpm. Over my 4.5 hour admission, my blood pressure was brought back down to a normal and healthy range, I got rehydrated and all my labs came back with a stamp of approval to go home for rest. This morning I have a follow-up appointment with my OB and I am simply praying for boring...or simply the right kind of excitement. All your prayers are much appreciated!