Week 16

Week 16 has finally arrived!! I've been looking forward to this one since approximately last week when we frantically decided to reschedule the gender reveal party ;)

I had a dr's appt on Monday that went fine.  A resident did my exam and I babbled like an idiot the whole time... told awkward OB/GYN stories that we've heard from dad.  She was super sweet though so maybe I'll be lucky and have her as a resident next week when I start OB.  All they did was the fun lady exams and listened to heart.. beating at a brisk 166!  The only questioned I had was sleeping on my back - I go to sleep on my side but always wake up on my back and feel so guilty.  They assured me though by the time the baby/uterus gets heavy enough to possibly limit blood flow, it will be difficult enough to roll over that it will definitely wake me up.

Today was my last day of peds! They give us Thursday off to study and then exams all day Friday :(  So I will have a fun filled day of studying tomorrow as I try to memorize vaccination schedules and all that fun stuff.  It's going to be really hard for me to focus with something sooo exciting looming in the afternoon.....

....Our gender ultrasound! No, we will not actually be finding out the gender but we have our fingers crossed that the ultrasound tech will see the goods and be able to write it down in a little card for us.  Our appointment is at 5:45 and the bakery who is making our cake closes at 6... which means I will be in possession of the card for at least 12 hours.  I have heard a few people at home are betting on whether or not I will peek but I seriously promise that I'm not going to! I want to be just as surprised as everyone else... plus my face does not hide emotion well so I'm pretty sure everyone would know if I had peeked.  I am seriously nervous about the baby showing us what we need to see.  I've been drinking a lot of water and bought some orange juice tonight as they said if I drink it about an hour before the appt, it should help baby be up and moving around.  I don't have a firm back up plan if we can't see what we need to although it may involve just driving to etown and sitting in dad's office until he can figure it out ;)  Which means then it may not be a surprise for us but I don't want to reschedule the party again!  I'll just keep my fingers crossed that we see what we need to see... and that it's the same thing at our real 20 week ultrasound! ;)

For the party, I will be supporting team pink while Andy will be on team blue.  This decision was made because I have more pink in my closet and he has more blue.  As far as what it's going to be, I have no clue.  I did have  TWO dreams this week that it was a boy! I cut into a blue cake on the first night and on the second night, I saw his little boy parts on the ultrasound! So we will see what that means.  Olivia told me I ruined her morning when I told her about my dream ;)  ***breaking news, Andy is reading over my shoulder and informed me he is not sure if he's on team blue after all.  I'm going to go ahead and state that I am not necessarily wishing for a girl nor do I think it's a girl... I just have a cuter pink shirt ;)  Mom also told me she will be wearing pink as she is worried too many people will have on their UK blue.

I have done absolutely nothing for the party since I've been studying for my test but I do have it all planned out :)  Fortunately, Mom has offered to help me out a ton!  We're going to do yummy tailgate type food for apps/main course and then dessert will be all pink/blue goodies.  I have bought some cute decor and am SO looking forward to my exam being over so I can get to baking!! :)

It's possible that I may do a little weekend posting to update on the success of the gender reveal ;) We are so excited!! :)

How far along: 16

Total Weight Gain: 5-6... enjoy this until week 20 cause then it disappears ;)

Stretchmarks: None 

Sleep: Pretty great... been getting up early so I'm pretty exhausted when I hit the hay

Best Moment This Week: Heartbeat on Monday! and just being 16 weeks :)

Movement: No :( The dr. asked me if I had and unfortunately I still haven't!

Gender: In 3 short days!!

Labor Signs: Nope
Belly Button: In... Olivia told me she's going to Band-aid my belly button in whenever it becomes an outtie :(
What I Miss: Nothing :)
What I am Looking Forward to:Seeing baby on the ultrasound tomorrow AND the gender reveal!!

Milestones: Size of an avocado.  And I definitely have a little bump now... regardless of what I ate for dinner the night before ;)

I'm going to apologize for all these pictures.. I have to leave before Andrew is awake so these pictures are all getting taken after a long day and a gym workout :(

Week 15

Well hellllo week #15! :)  In the beginning of this pregnancy, I felt like hitting double digit week numbers would make it seem seriously real... and then in week 10 I just wanted to start the second trimester... week 15 does feel better, especially when I'm telling new people for the first time but I'm sure in a few months I'm going to look back and laugh and how much further we really had to go!  I'm pretty positive I have a definite bump that is even apparent in the mornings now.  My shirt is a little wrinkled in the picture this week but your eyes are not playing tricks, there is a baby growing in there.

I spent some time the other day googling when people normally feel their first baby movements.  From what I gather, most people feel them much earlier the second time around... I assume because they know exactly what they are feeling.  But then I read a little trick about some people feeling movement much earlier!  They said to drink OJ or something really cold and lay down really still and wait.... and if it doesn't happen, poke your belly a few times to see if you can stir up some action in there.  I tried it at school the other day... minus the laying down part.  We were waiting for rounds to start and I was sipping on my ice water when I realized maybe I could sit very still and focus on the baby moving.... Needless to say, it did not happen for me :(  Still waiting for that big day!

Not too much excitement around here lately... we've both been studying a lot as I have an exam next week and Andy is studying up for his CFP test.  My peds rotation continues to go well - our attending this week is the most laid back person ever which makes rounding on all our patients much more enjoyable.  One of the guys in newborn nursery this week told me they went to a newborn resuscitation for a 24week baby that weighed only 12 ounces!  The baby miraculously was breathing on it's own and is now in the NICU getting mask oxygen.  He said the baby was the size of his palm.  The attending working with that baby told us that babies born that early have a 40% chance of survival and a <10% of surviving without major deficits.  So, so sad! I'll be keeping that little guy in my prayers this week!  I found out why the mom had to deliver so early and the syndrome she has manifests in a lot of ways but one is high blood pressure... so when I got home tonight I took my BP!  I was running around 102/68 tonight so that made me feel a little better.  It was 126/84 at my last appointment which is relatively high for me!  Probably because I know I'm getting weighed and an unfriendly exam every time I walk in there.  They give me white coat hypertension.

My next appointment with the OB is Monday.  Andy will not be joining me as I am getting said unfriendly exam... not real excited for that.  But hopefully she'll listen to baby's heartbeat for me! 

I can't believe how quickly we will be finding out gender... it's sneaking up on us quickly.  We decided to go with a party during a UK bball game with a Pink vs. Blue theme!  I figured that will help entertain all the boys but I am a little concerned that our attendees will all wear blue.  Olivia assured me that she will be fully decked out in pink to make up for the lack of pink :)  Andy and I were unsure if we should wear pink/blue or go with something neutral?  Everyone asks me if I have a sense of what it is and I honestly don't.  I definitely felt like in the beginning it was a boy but that's because everyone calls it "him."  Olivia calls it by the girl names we have picked out so frequently that she may be brainwashing me into thinking it's a girl.  Either way, we are thrilled to have either sweet little baby entering our lives :)


Here's our little weekly update and a picture!
How far along: 15

Total Weight Gain: 5

Stretchmarks: None 

Sleep:Sleeping great

Best Moment This Week: Feeling so much better! no nausea episodes at all and way more energy when I'm home at night

Movement:Not yet

Gender: Feb 25th is the official day!

Labor Signs: Nope
Belly Button: In... Olivia told me she's going to Band-aid my belly button in whenever it becomes an outtie :(
What I Miss: Nothing :)
What I am Looking Forward to: Dr. appt on Monday!

Milestones: Size of a navel orange!  Hair is also getting dark... if it's meant to be dark.  I am anxious to see how much hair baby has.  I don't think I've ever seen Andy's newborn pics but I had a ton of dark hair when I was born!

Lastly, this is completely not pregnancy related at all but I made the most delicious, healthy recipe this weekend that I found on Pinterest!  We ate it first over rice then used the leftovers to make burritos.  It was fantastic plus it's so nice having dinner ready in the crockpot :)  Crockpot Chicken Taco Chili - http://www.skinnytaste.com/2008/11/crock-pot-chicken-taco-chili-4-pts.html

Week 14

Happy Week 14, baby! :)  Not too much exciting has happened this week.  Moved to the inpatient peds wards this past week... it's been good.  Kind of sad seeing some of the sicker kids but overall they've all been relatively healthy.  I failed to mention last week one of my responsibilities on newborn nursery..... giving the discharge counseling to the new moms.  This means I was the only one telling them about carseats, how baby should sleep, how to know if they're feeding enough, signs they should call the doctor, etc.  I'm not sure how I will react if one of my classmates walks into my room in July to rattle off the info!

I think I've diagnosed my knee pain... patellofemoral syndrome - apparently it's super common in young female athletes and although I really didn't think my knee pain fit the description, the treatment for PFS has really helped.  I've just been doing a couple of weightlifting thing to strengthen my quads and stretching and I've been running 2 miles with hardly no pain at all.  Our daily walking has decreased since it's been so chilly and we've both had so much studying but I have been making it to the gym daily.  Mom informed me today that Dad tells his patients that however much weight you gain in the first half of pregnancy, you typically double that in the second half................... lol  So now I have a little goal number in my head for week 20 :)

We haven't really had any fun baby stuff going on lately - I did get a super cute UK football jersey onesie a bit ago that we are going to keep for a boy or girl! If it's a girl though, she's getting a cute little tutu added :)  I am so anxious to find out boy/girl!  We are going to wait for our original party date as I'm going bridesmaid dress shopping with Bailey on the Saturday in January we were considering.  Olivia doesn't have a soccer game on Feb 25th so she'll be able to come as well :)

I've started thinking about registering and all that fun stuff! One of our very sweet friends in Etown has already offered to host a shower - it feels kind of weird to be doing bridal showers last June and baby showers this summer but I definitely can't complain :)  It's hard for me to visualize the things we want until I know if it's a boy or girl but I feel like I'll be in full force after that!

My first trimester symptoms have just about completely subsided I think.  Nausea occurs very rarely and I'm not nearly as tired! I'm also eating a much better diet and not only cereal and crackers :)  I did buy some Tums this week at the grocery since I've been having little bouts of heartburn here and there.  I'm still not rocking much of a bump but have a feeling it's just going to pop up out of nowhere some day soon.  I've also been googling when people usually feel the first movement.  I'm pretty antsy for that.  The longer I go between doctors appts and ultrasounds, the weirder it feels that there's a person inside of me especially when I can't see or feel it!  Next doctors appointment is in a week and a half though so we don't have too long to wait to hear another heartbeat :)

Here's our update for the week!
How far along: 14

Total Weight Gain: 3-4lbs... I decided today that this line is disappearing soon... it's going to get too depressing

Stretchmarks: None 

Sleep: Like a rock this week! Been pretty sleepy :)

Best Moment This Week: Getting a lecture from a resident about how it's just better to go ahead and have babies in med school and residency cause it's definitely not going to get any easier when you're trying to make money out in the real world
Movement:None yet... I try to feel it from the outside but that obviously is not happening

Gender: Feb 25th is the official day!

Labor Signs: Nope
Belly Button: In... Olivia told me she's going to Band-aid my belly button in whenever it becomes an outtie :(
What I Miss: turkey sandwiches
What I am Looking Forward to: next doctors appointment
Milestones: Lemon - apparently baby can suck its thumb now! :) How cool is that

Week 13

Hola! I'm a couple days late on my 13 week update... it's been a busy week being back in school.  I can't tell if I'm suffering from continued laziness from Christmas break or am just exhausted from my 5:30AM wakeup calls but either way, I've been a slug at night!

Two of my pregnancy apps consider 13 weeks to be the 2nd trimester while the other one thinks it's the last week of the first trimester.... I'm choosing to agree with the ones who officially place me in the 2nd trimester! :)  Really when you make it to 13 weeks, you have completed 13 weeks totally and are working on your 14th so that makes sense to me.  For some reason I was expecting a bump to sprout this week... unfortunately that is not the case.  Although I think I can see a little bump forming, I'm hoping the general public does not agree with me.  Nausea is definitely subsiding dramatically.  I've been extremely tired this week but I think that has more to do with getting back in the swing of things.

I started on inpatient peds this month and got to spend this past week in the newborn nursery! It was so fun :)  The babies are so sweet and love being held all day long... unfortunately for me, UK is trying to promote the babies rooming in with the mothers so they don't really spend too much time in the nursery, unless mom already got discharged.  But I'm sure I'll be fine with that come next July :)  I was also happy to report that in general the nurses are not too rough with the babies though I feel especially bad for the ones with respiratory distress who have to go under heaters immediately after birth because they dont get to be held for at least a couple hours. :(  They are so pitiful looking!  My only major concern is the med students.  I'd prefer they stay far away from my baby... unless they have kids of their own. haha.  We had to do a graded physical exam on a baby and the resident let three of us perform the exam on the same baby... she was not a happy camper.  The nursery does have an open door policy so I might just meander down to check on baby if it does not return to my room promptly after exams. 

It was amazing how many babies we had whose moms used drugs during pregnancy.  Today, of the 5 babies born, 4 of them had moms with drug issues.  It's so, so sad... especially when the babies get to go home with these mothers.  They are so perfect and innocent and it's really hard to think about the future :(  It's also amazing how you can treat your body so horribly during pregnancy and still churn out such a normal, healthy baby!  Makes me feel a little less guilty when I wake up in the middle of the night laying on my back :)

I realized today that I could potentially get a 16 week ultrasound down at some pregnancy spa in town on the 25th and then schedule the party for the following weekend... I'm seriously tempted by this but will have to discuss with Andrew tonight.  I'm trying to make sure the party falls between rotations for me so it would be in 3 weeks or 7! The problem with doing the 16 week is that if baby doesn't cooperate, the party might not happen... I might have to just learn some patience.

I never got a call about my first trimester screening so I looked up those results and they were great.  With all the bloodwork, ultrasounds, history, etc. the risk of trisomy 18 and 21 is <1/10,000.  Everything looked pretty great!

Here's my little update for the week!

How far along: 13

Total Weight Gain: 3-4lbs... I decided today that this line is disappearing soon... it's going to get too depressing

Stretchmarks: None 

Sleep: Good for the most part, except the middle of the night guilt when I wake up and I'm laying on my back

Best Moment This Week: Officially through the 1st trimester
Movement: So either I felt it last night, or I dreamt that I felt it... probably the latter ;)

Gender: Feb 25th is the official day!... unless it gets moved up 4 weeks
Labor Signs: Nope
Belly Button: In... Olivia told me she's going to Band-aid my belly button in whenever it becomes an outtie :(
What I Miss: Nothing
What I am Looking Forward to: gender!
Milestones: Size of a lemon or a jumbo shrimp