Category Archives: pregnancy

Audriana’s Birth Story

Posted on July 10, 2018 | 9 comments

Audriana Sage was welcomed into the world on June 27th.  It’s amazing how much love you can have for someone the minute you meet them. She instantly captured my heart.

 

Audriana’s birth did not go as I had planned, but I got a healthy baby and that’s all you can really ask for.  This post was crazy long when I originally wrote it, so I edited out some of the details and a lot of my thought process throughout the experience.  I hope someone may find this helpful.

During my pregnancy I gobbled up birth stories on blog and youtube. I read so many stories of natural births that were difficult but ultimately successful.  I created what I thought was a short, realistic birth plan:

-Don’t offer epidural (I wasn’t set on going without, but I wanted to make the decision).

-If water breaks before contractions, wait 10 hours to induce

-If induction is necessary, start with breaking waters, then pitocin if necessary

– Immediate skin to skin

-Frank cuts the cord after the cord stops pulsing

After discussing with my doctor, it was modified slightly.  He explained that they would likely offer an epidural.  But they won’t push it on you.

In addition, due to the risk of infection, if my water broke before I was in labor, an induction would soon follow. I was fine with this, as it’s pretty rare that water breaks before contractions start.

Our doctor also explained that the waiting to cut the cord is really only helpful in preterm babies, which was not going to be the case for me.

In the end, my birth plan looked like this:

Revised birth plan:

-Preferably no epidural. I knew if I was induced, I’d likely need an epidural to manage the pain.

-In the event of an induction, break water, then pitocin

-Immediate skin to skin

-Frank cuts cord

I really wanted to avoid an induction, so when my due date came and went, I tried diy induction tactics: walking up to 7 miles a day, acupuncture, eating dates and pineapple, bouncing on the medicine ball several times a day, etc.

We met with our doctor at 40 weeks and 4 days, and I knew he would likely want to discuss induction timing. At the appointment, I was 1 centimeter dilated, which was progress but not much and certainly not an indication of imminent labor.  Our doctor remeasured the baby, who was 10 pounds according to the ultrasound and closer to 9 by our doctor’s estimate.

Due to her size, he suggested we check in for induction at 10pm that night.  At first I was surprised, but after processing for a few minutes, it made the most sense.  Our doctor was in the hospital the next day, so if we started the process that evening, he would deliver our baby.   While I wanted to wait and see if I would go into labor naturally, I knew induction was my best chance at avoiding a c-section.

As we left the appointment, out doctor suggested we go out to a nice dinner before heading to the hospital.

We went home, alerted our dog sitter, packed a few more things and then stopped by my sister-in-laws to wish her a happy birthday. Then we went to our favorite neighborhood spot, The Smith.  It was a fitting last dinner as a family of 2 + dog.  I went for all comfort food, their gooey roasted tomato soup and a flatbread with ricotta and zucchini.

We gathered our hospital bag, breast feeding boppy and a pillow and piled into an uber.  Side note: I thought I overpacked, but I used almost every single thing in my hospital bag.

Triage Room – Induction Begins – 10pm

We arrived at the hospital and did the check in process in the triage room.  The nurses were super friendly and made us comfortable right away.  We were the only people in triage when we arrived. During check in the nurse asked if I had signed a proxy form, so that Frank could make decisions in the event I became incapacitated. Shifts switched before we got to it, and we asked the next nurse about it. She said it wasn’t necessary, as Frank was already next of kin, and as I had no risk factors, I shouldn’t need it anyway.

The resident and another doctor from our practice came in and put in the IV, as well as the folley bulb.  Neither were painful. The folley bulb was a balloon that would stay in for the next five hours to dilate the cervix.

While we were there, all the beds in the triage filled up and we got a glimpse of what labor would be like from our neighbors.

At 3:30am, we started with a low level of pitocin to encourage things to get things moving.

My doctor arrived around 5:00am, increased the pitocin from 4 to 16 (the max is 30).  In about an hour, he came back and removed the bulb.  I was 4 centimeters dilated at this point.

Next up, my water was broken.  Immediately the flood gates opened, I felt like a bucket of liquid had left my system.

Labor and Delivery Room – 8AM

Around 8 am, 10 hours after checking in, we were moved to a labor and delivery room.

It was a massive room with a nice flat screen TV. Frank set up the diffuser and we got settled in.

I felt most comfortable on the ball, so I breathed through contractions with Frank by my side. Soon the pain team came in again and asked if I wanted an epidural, I said I would wait.

Soon after, the doctor checked me and I was still only 4 centimeters, no progress after 2 hours of contractions.  The pitocin was upped from 20 to 22. I was a little discouraged that I hadn’t made any progress.  I knew it was expected that I might deliver around 5 or 6 pm, so I had to decide whether I wanted to basically just survive the next 8 hours or if I wanted to be able to relax a little and actually be able to carry on a conversation.

After another hour, I decided to get the epidural.  This was by far the most painful part of my whole experience.  So many people described it as a bee sting, but I felt searing pain in my spine.   Honestly, it was a horrific experience and I immediately regretted it.  Well, until the drugs set in and I was comfortable, albeit confined to the bed.  The nurse suggested the peanut medicine ball, which basically went between my legs to ensure my hips stayed open.

An hour later, I was 5 centimeters, 60 percent effaced, -1 station. Two hours later I was 6 centimeters, 80 perfect effaced, still -1 station.  I asked the doctor how far the baby had to drop, and he said -5 is the outside world, still a long way to go.

Fortunately, we were able to relax and watch the world cup.

At 4pm the doctor checked me again and found that there was no progress.  He said it was time to consider a c-section.He explained that I had been on pitocin for so long that I was at risk for bleeding if I continued much longer.  In addition, my water was broken almost 12 hours before, which could increase the risk of infection..

As the baby’s vitals were still great, I tried to negotiate for more time and we settled on 2 more hours. At this point, we upped the pitocin to 26 (out 30) and sat the bed straight up  with my legs down, this is called throne position.  The pitocin was so high that I could feel the contractions and each was painful.  It felt like a ton of pressure on my pelvis, which I hoped was a sign the baby was moving down.

After an hour and 15 minutes, I felt my body was shutting down. I was in a lot of pain and couldn’t wait for the two hours to be up so I could be checked. When the doctor returned, he said that there was no change. He had brought in another doctor from the practice, probably expecting me to fight him on the c-section.  At this point, I knew I had to have a c-section. I was so tired and felt so weak, I didn’t think I could have continued under any circumstance. The doctor asked if I had any questions, and I said “how long until I meet my daughter?”

The Operating Room – 6:00pm

He said that if the operating room was open, it would be about 25 minutes. I nodded.  From there, a flurry of activity began.  The doctor and Frank packed up the whole room in like 3 minutes.  I was moved onto a stretcher bed and wheeled into the OR. Before I knew it I was being scrubbed down and a curtain was being set up so that Frank could be by my side, but wouldn’t have to see the actual surgery.  An epidural is used for pain management, so they made some adjustments to mine and asked me if I could feel things in certain areas.

Everything moved incredibly quickly and I was pretty overwhelmed, a little scared and mostly sad that I wouldn’t be able to do skin to skin or have Frank cut the cord.  I wish I could say I went in to things with a better mindset.  As I like to research everything down to the last detail, I was completely unprepared for a c-section. I had read nothing about them beyond the very basic facts.

Within 10 minutes, Frank was in the room and a role call of the team of doctors, residents and nurses began.  Then there was an overview of the scope of surgery and  then everything began.  I could feel pressure in my abdomen, some more significant than others, but it wasn’t painful. Honestly, it was strange being so aware of what was happening, hearing the doctor instruct what I assume was a resident was really disconcerting.  However, in what seemed like a couple minutes, I heard screams ring out and my doctor announced, “congratulations, you have a 3 month old.”  At 9 pounds, 1 ounce, Audriana looked huge coming out me.  C-section babies do take on a lot of fluids, so she was probably a half pound more than she would have been if it had been a vaginal birth.

Someone from the pain team took a bunch of pictures for us, and then she was brought over in swaddle and placed in Frank’s arms. I was completely overcome with emotions of finally seeing my baby.

The doctor explained that the baby was disengaged and not entering the pelvis.  In addition, she was sunny side up, which would have made a vaginal delivery of a baby that size quite complicated. At this point, I was just happy to have my healthy baby welcomed into the world.

The Recovery Room – 6:50pm

Once I was closed up, we were wheeled into the recovery room and I was able to hold her.  Soon there after, doctors were checking my vitals and I felt a huge blood clot pass, and then another. I knew exactly what had happened based on a youtube video I watched.  I informed the doctors that I thought I had passed two blood clots, and suddenly like 12 people were in the room.  They were weighing the blood I lost and determined that I had lost enough that I might need a blood transfusion. Poor Frank saw things no partner should ever have to see from the hard wooden chair next to my stretcher.

Around this time, I started to feel extremely weak.  I was going in and out of consciousness and felt like I was in a black out or dreamlike state.   Nevertheless, I really wanted to breastfeed my baby, so I kept asking to.

Meanwhile, all kinds of things were being pumped into me. My fluids were upped by 7 fold and I was put back on pitocin. Doctors and the pain management team was running in and out. I was asked a ton of questions and lots of labs were run.

I asked if I could have something to eat since I really wanted to feed the baby and I knew I needed some calories in order to have enough energy to do so.  Fortunately, our amazing nurse in the labor and delivery room had ordered dinner for me before the kitchen closed for the night, even though I told her I wasn’t hungry a half an hour earlier. I had an ensure apple juice, some broth and a few bites of rice.

Perhaps the one thing we laugh about now is that Frank was pretty much immediately handed the baby and held her for the next five hours. He had never held an infant, so he was thrown into fatherhood in more ways than one.

Finally it was time to bresatfeed.  I was handed the baby and a nurse stood on either side of me and Frank at my shoulder. They helped me breastfeed for the first time.

Testing and checks continued, much of which was ensuring my uterus was firm by pressing on it – ouch.  Around 11pm and Frank said that I had gotten a lot paler.  The doctors and nurses called the head doctor back in. Another round of labs were ordered. This time they did not come back normal  and showed extremely low iron levels. I had been anemic when I came in, but apparently now it was particularly concerning. The doctor said it was probably best to do a blood transfusion that night. I felt terrible at this point, so I didn’t even question it.

Once the blood transfusion started an hour or so later, I felt so much better within a short period of time. I looked over at Frank who was still holding the baby and told him that he should get some sleep. I remember wondering if the conversation was a dream or not.  I then told him to ask for a bassinet.  Soon we had a bassinet and I could look over and gaze at the baby next to me.

Around 2am, we were told weren’t going to be able to get a room that night since I couldn’t leave the recovery room, which like the triage area, was shared and quite loud, until the transfusion was finished and a new set of labs came back.

Poor Frank had another night in a hard chair, at least they brought him a second chair so he could at least put his feet up.

We both tried to get some sleep since we had been up for 36 hours at this point.  Around 8am, my labs came back normal and I was officially ready to go to the mommy/baby unit.

Mommy/Baby Unit

In the hospital room, I still had a catheter and an epidural, so my ability to move around was really limited.  Fortunately, the nurses were so helpful in making sure I could still breastfeed and care for the baby. I’m happy to say she was fed exclusively my breastmilk and didn’t need any bottles or supplemental milk/formula.

When I was able to get out of bed the next afternoon, I saw myself in the mirror for the first time and I didn’t even recognize myself. My face was incredibly swollen.  Swelling is a side effect of the fluids you are given from a c-section, and as long as the swelling is even, it’s considered normal.  Given how much fluid I took like between the c-section and transfusion, it’s not surprising that I had crazy levels of swelling over the next 3-4 days.  At one point, Frank noted that my calves were as big as his.  By the next day, my calves were bigger than his. I also developed cute rolls of fluid around my ankles.

While the recovery  in the hospital felt slow since I had so many IV ports, the epidural and a bunch of medications that constantly needed to be administered, everything was worth it when I looked at my baby.

We ended up getting a private room for the third night, which was amazing.  We had great views of the east river and the three of us ordered pasta and salad, relaxed, and watched the Yankees beat the Red Sox.  It was a perfect night.

The next day, we were discharged and made our way home.

I can’t thank the hospital staff at NYU Langone enough. They were incredible and took such good care of Audriana and me.  I would deliver there again in a heartbeat.

While it wasn’t the delivery experience I expected, I’m happy to say the Audriana is doing great.  At nine days, she is already back to her birth weight and doing a great job eating and growing. She is in the 84th percentile for weight and 81st for height.  Our doctor said that since she is clearly getting enough food from breastfeeding, we no longer need to wake her up every three hours during the night.  I am still trying to stick to every three hours during the daytime.

My recovery is going pretty well. Almost two weeks in, I’m walking around normally and off all the heavy pain meds. Other than some soreness and not being able to lift heavy things, I feel mostly like myself.

I’m so excited to watch Audrey grow and develop and share her personality.  Life has changed so much in a little over a week and I couldn’t feel more grateful for our little family of four.

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40 Weeks + Nursery Tour

Posted on June 22, 2018 | Comments Off on 40 Weeks + Nursery Tour

I’ve officially reached my due date.  A bit anti-climatic as I’m still prego, but apparently only 5% of babies are born on their due date. We’re so trendy over here.

I started off my morning with a 3 mile walk over the Williamsburg Bridge and back.  It was a cooler morning and the walk felt good.  After the walk I got ready for my 40 week appointment.  We stopped for a quick breakfast at the Clinton Street Baking Company, which was surprisingly packed for a weekday morning.

We arrived my OBs office with our hospital bag in tow (just in case).  Fortunately, the bag was not needed, baby girl passed the non-stress test no problem.  My fluid levels and heart rate were also good, so home we went with another appointment scheduled for Tuesday.  As a side note, I took Emily Oster’s advice and drank a ton of water before the appointment, in hopes of not having any issues with the fluid test.  Mission accomplished.

She is still very comfortable, no dilation or effacement whatsoever. More on this in a minute.

Yesterday was my last official day at work.  I’ve been so focused on finishing everything up that I’m happy to know be able to focus on the baby more fully.  I also think that being able to move around more (rather than sitting in a chair for 8 straight hours) may help get things moving. Since I have very limited maternity leave and vacation time, it’s a bit dicey to leave before the baby comes but working a full day at 39 weeks and 6 days seemed like it was a good stopping point. I may work from home a bit next week depending on how things go this weekend.

Speaking of which, at my 39 week appointment, my doctor asked me how long I wanted to be pregnant.  I said I’d like to give it at least a week after my due date.  He suggested closer to the middle of next week, which would be 40 weeks and 5ish days.  The reasoning is that the baby was measuring quite big at my 36 week appointment, and waiting longer won’t make it any healthier at this point.  While I really want to avoid an induction, I’d rather go with pitocin over a c-section, so I think I’m (semi-reluctantly) on board with the plan to induce middle of next week if necessary.  As an aside, my practice’s c-section rate is around 13% compared to 30% average in Manhattan overall.

In the meantime, I’ve been trying to rev things up naturally with bouncing on the exercise ball, walking, squats and eating pineapple, dates, etc.  I may try to acupuncture on Monday if need be.  If anyone feels like they tried something that really worked, let me know!  I’ve been feeling a fair amount of contractions for the last few weeks, but they are still braxton hicks.

In other news, we finished the nursery this week!  We’d been waiting for a mirror to come in from RH for almost 3 months and it finally arrived.  Here’s a quick tour:

We went with an animal theme that was inspired by Angela’s amazing design.

The focal point is the set of animal prints from the Animal Print Shop Little Darlings collection, if you are on pinterest looking for anything nursery related, you’ve definitely seen these!  They were a gift from my sister-in-law.  I believe the frames are from West Elm.  We used Ikea mosslanda picture ledges for the bookshelves. 

The faux sheepskin rug is also from Ikea and the chevron area rug is from PB Kids.  The rug’s border is really the only pink in the room, as I was going for gender neutral.  I realize the room is very neutral! I do have some cute decals  for when she’s older and will probably add some pops of color through art and keepsakes over time, but for now, I really like the calming atmosphere of the space.  Maybe I’m just boring!

Finding the right mobile took me quite a while. There were a lot of good options on etsy.  Ultimately, I went with this animal one from RH.  It’s one of my favorite pieces in the room!

The animal themed quilt is from PBKids -it’s actually on sale right now.  

Our dresser and crib set are the Graham collection in heritage fog from PB and they are really solid and stately. I ordered these before I knew the sex of the baby and they work well for anyone.  And the aforementioned mirror is from RH. I’m glad we like it after waiting so long and cutting it so close to the due date! This room used to be so dark, but the large mirror reflects a lot of the day light from the windows, which is great. 

This perky giraffe toy bin adds some fun to the room.  It doesn’t store a ton, but it works for book overflow!

Because this is a very narrow room, I wanted a rocker or glider that wouldn’t overwhelm it or me! After much debate, I settled on the Joya. There are a lot of good knock offs in darker colors, as well. It’s actually quite small, so if you are tall, it might be too low to the ground for you, but it’s great for pettitte folks. I also like that it doesn’t scream nursery, and should work in  a kid’s room or playroom when the time comes.

As I mentioned, this room can be very dark.  Our last overhead light fixture was basically worthless from a light perspective.  I splurged on this crystal flushmount, which floods the room with light and also creates a really pretty pattern on the walls. This picture doesn’t do the light justice at all!  I also wanted at least a few feminine features in the room and this is girly glam without being totally over the top.

So that’s the nursery.  A lot of the decor and storage were shower gifts, as were the crib and dresser. However, every item we purchased we got on sale -with the exemption of the Ikea items.

Pottery Barn is amazing with sales – never pay full price.  Also, Ashley told me about the Key Rewards program.  It’s free to sign up, and you get 3% cash back on all purchases.  We ended up getting the chevron rug for $25 when combining a discount code with the rewards redemption.

I also decided to join RH’s membership since it meant we got 25% off all purchases.  We did end up returning a shelving unit, but between the mirror, light fixture and mobile, it more than paid for itself and saved us a few pennies too.

Crate and Barrel is stingy with discounts on furniture, so it’s a matter of shopping early and waiting (and waiting) until a rare sale or discount comes along.

Have a great weekend!

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Third Trimester Weeks 32-37

Posted on June 10, 2018 | 1 comment

Two weeks to go (hopefully!).  It’s hard to believe we’re almost to the end, and yet, I’m definitely ready physically to be at the finish line.

For most of my pregnancy, I felt pretty great. The last few weeks have definitely been the most difficult.  While I love my bump, navigating the world when your body has changed dramatically and you are carrying a huge bump around is different.

Yet another no makeup bump pic!

I get so so many comments from strangers and coworkers alike commenting on how huge I am and saying “you’re about to burst.”  It’s real cute.  I get it, I am huge, but why is suddenly okay to comment on someone’s body?  Anywho!

Feeling

Overall, I’m still feeling pretty good.  I am so busy at work that I generally get through the work week just fine. I do tend to spend a fair amount of my weekend time napping.  Sleeping at night isn’t the easiest, so the second I am on the couch in the afternoon watching tv, I am pretty much down for the count for at least an hour or two.  If I am out and about, I’m okay.  If I go horizontal, it’s all over.

Baby Updates:

My 36 week appointment went well.  I tested negative for strep B and the baby’s heart rate is still strong as ever. I discussed a few of my birth preferences with my doctor, who was mostly on board with my desire for as few interventions as possible.  The only exception is if my water breaks before contractions, it seems like they are hesitant to let you go too long (like at all) before induction due to the risk of infection. I was hoping for 10 hours, but ultimately I care the most about a healthy baby and we’ll cross that bridge when we get there.

The baby is measuring large, which surprised me. I could have a 9 pound baby on my hands.  But the doctor said that I’ve controlled my weight gain (25 pounds to date) and as long as I continue to do what I’ve been doing everything will be fine.

I’m still carrying so high. I keep wondering when she’ll drop!

Classes and Random Things

We took a birth class through our practice and one of the things the nurse suggested was bringing to the hospital was a diffuser for labor.  This sounded so over the top at first, but I have become sort of obsessed with fresh, clean smells, so I started thinking more and more about it.  I asked my doctor if it would be an obnoxious thing to do, and he said, if I walk into your room and it smells nice, I won’t be mad about it. So I bought a diffuser and some essential oils and I’m thinking eucalyptus may be nice.

Speaking of packing for the hospital, my bag is 90% packed, so I’ll try to do a post on what I’m bringing based on what our practice suggested and reading many fellow bloggers’ posts.

To date we have taken:

-a hospital orientation

-dog prep class

-4 hour birth class

-3 hour breast feeding class

They were all worthwhile and very affordable or free through our hospital.  I think the birth class was really good to attend as a couple, since there are so many unknowns and possibilities, it’s good to have a shared common knowledge of what could happen. It was also nice to have someone else explain some of the grosser aspects of pregnancy to my husband.

Favorite Maternity Brands

It’s impossible to find super flattering clothing at this point, but Rosie Pope and Ingrid and Isabel are pretty great maternity lines. I think I’ve rented everything RTR has by Rosie Pope!

Staying Active

During the week, I’ve generally been having trouble sleeping and then trying to get into work early, so my structured workouts have been slim to none the last few weeks.

I do my best to fit in a few long walks, a short prenatal strength workout and a spin class each week. It’s weird to go from being fairly active to fairly sedentary, but you can only do what you can do.

Things I’m excited about:

-Meeting and holding the baby – of course

-Having the nursery almost done. I’m just waiting for the dresser mirror which is now on extended back order.  I love the softness of the nursery so much and find spending a few minutes in there each day to be calming.  Apparently, Pettitte does too.

-Sleeping on my stomach again

-Finishing up all essential work, so I’m not so stressed at the office. My goals is to do this by Thursday, so my last week at work is a bit more low key.

-Baths. I take a bath every few days and really enjoy those 15 minutes. I had never used our bathtub previously.

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Pregnancy Update: Weeks 25-31

Posted on April 23, 2018 | 2 comments

I always like to post these updates right after a doctor’s appointment. It’s nice to have reassurance that everything is still on track. Today’s appointment was approximately 10 minutes, as per usual.  Urine sample, blood pressure, weigh in, then the doctor comes in for the baby heart rate and a few minutes of questions. My 34 week appointment will be the same, but 36 will include a few tests, an ultrasound, discussion of birth plans, labor and delivery.

In some ways, it feels like nothing has changed, but really so much has.  The biggest change is in my body.  The bump is large and in charge, and is definitely slowing me down a bit.  All the hills in the Almafi Coast were rough.  Stairs are killer!  It’s hard to believe that I’m going to continue to grow for 9 more weeks +/-.

Other body stuff, really the only thing thing that has really bothered me is some upper back pain. It’s right around where my bra band goes and sometimes it is brutal. I’ve tried a bunch of bras and really only found one that I can tolerate for the majority of the day.  All the others I want to rip off my body after a few hours, minutes if I’m being honest.  Being so short, there is just nowhere for the bra band to go since my belly is basically right under the girls at this point.  Sorry if this is TMI.  Anyways, that’s probably the most uncomfortable part of pregnancy so far.

I have been able to reduce a lot of the back pain by keeping my handbag as light as possible.  Icy hot is also great in a pinch. I used 8 hour icy hot patches on the long flights and it was magical.

Counting Kicks/Movement

I asked my doctor if I should count kicks, and the answer was a firm no. In fact, the exact phrase was “please don’t.”  So I haven’t.  I will say that while we were traveling the movement seemed to be way less, which was a little concerning.  Perhaps it was the time change or how active we were or maybe I’m just nuts.  Anyways, since we’ve been back, her movement has been frequent and strong…and very reassuring. I’m definitely curious to know what position she is in as I feel kicks/movement at the top and bottom of my abdomen.

Exercise

While we were traveling, I didn’t do a single formal workout.  We were very active walking between 15,000-28,000 step every day…often including lots of hills!

I’ve tried to get back on track by easing back into my normal routine.  Since returning, I’ve have done 1 TIU daily moves workout, 1 barre class at Flex Studios, 1 OTF and 1 Flywheel class.  From everything I’ve read, staying active in the third trimester is super important, so I’m doing my best to keep up the routine even though I have to modify a lot at this point!

I’ve stopped running. It just didn’t feel comfortable anymore and it seems like a lot of impact on the body now that I’ve gained about 20 pounds. Plus, I can still get my heart-rate up by power walking/power waddling.

I also put my OTF membership on hold starting May 20th. I figured that last month, I’d have to modify so much, it wouldn’t be worth it.

Diet

My diet was basically pizza, pasta, gelato, pan con tomate, manchego, and patas bravas while abroad, so I’ve been making sure to eat lots of fruit, salads and healthy fat since returning.  Clementines and baby carrots are two of my favorite foods right now! On a side note, I find that no matter what I eat in Europe, I don’t gain much weight. I gained half a pound the week I was there, but somehow gained almost 3 pounds since being back.  The mind reels.

What I’m Nervous About

I think I have the general anxiety that most women have while pregnant. By the week before I have a doctor’s appointment, I’m usually pretty anxious to make sure everything is still looking good.

What I’m Excited About

I am very excited to meet her!  I have no patience whatsoever, so the fact that the first 30 weeks went so quickly is great. I have a feeling the last 10 will drag!

Sleeping on my stomach again, if I’m being honest.

Also, we found a fantastic nanny! I’m really excited to have the checked off the list!

Education:

The books I’ve read in detail are: Bringing Up Bebe, Expecting Better, What to Expect When You’re Expecting.  I just started Happiest Baby on the Block.

If you have recommendations, I’m all ears.

Apps: my favorite is Ovia!

Newsletters: Lucie’s List and Pregnant Chicken.   This article from PC terrifies me a bit.  There are so many things about pregnancy, labor, delivery and recovery that seems so secretive until you are experiencing it. One thing I will be stocking up on, pads.

Classes: I was really on the fence about classes.  They are really expensive.  However, I ended up signing up for 3:

  • 1  session Childbirth Class through our practice
  • 1 session breastfeeding class
  • Dogs and Storks class

Other stuff: I’ve been watching some youtube videos on breathing and visualization techniques and also think prenatal yoga is probably a good idea.

To Do List:

Think about a birth plan

Get the nursery ready…still so much to do

Order my breast pump

Finalize maternity leave plans and submit paperwork

Finish a bunch of thing we’ve been meaning to do around the house

 

 

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Friday Faves {3/23/18}

Posted on March 23, 2018 | Comments Off on Friday Faves {3/23/18}

First snow day of the year!  Wahoo.  Since I never get to work from home, working from home at a relaxed pace was a real treat.  I wish I could always cuddle with the dog while answering emails!  Really the worst of the snow seemed to be around 11am and we never got the crazy winds that were forecast.  Pettitte never minds the snow, although salty sidewalks are another story.

Blog Love

I guess I’ll kick off my faves with a post from Theodora.  Her 10 Ways to Be Happy post is really uplifting, practical and easy to implement.

I also liked Sarah Fit’s post on planking (or not planking) while pregnant. I first heard of diastasis recti from Running Bun, then learned more from the Fitnessista and now SarahFit.  It’s definitely something that I want to avoid if possible –the thought of surgical repair seems extremely painful. Diastasis recti seems like it’s more of a concern with second/third pregnancies, but I don’t see a huge reason to do a lot of core work now.   I’ve been focusing on legs, back and arms, which are my problem areas anyway; they could use a little extra work for the next few months.

Reading

I finished The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo recently. It was an easy read and a page turner, especially at the end.  I liked the perspective on love. In particular, I liked that it makes you think about the challenges that the LBGTQ community  faced both in the 50s and 60s, as well as today.  However, some of the plot was pretty far fetched. But overall I found it to be a very enjoyable read.

MacBook Update

Five days in, I love a lot about the MacBook.  The smaller screen doesn’t bother me, but the keyboard feels a little cramped.  The jury is still out on MacBook VS MacBook Pro.

Bump Styling

As I was poking around on youtube last night, I found a few videos on styling the bump that gave me some inspiration for repurposing pieces I already own.

The first is from Rachhloves, who is a youtuber I follow actively.  She also has a lot great pregnancy/baby videos on her RachhLovesLife channel.

While I was watching this one, youtube kindly recommended another video from Alexandrea Graza, which I found pretty helpful. I actually immediately went out and bought the Lululemon Align II pants.  It’s been years since I’ve been in lulu. The pants are comfortable, but my old navy leggings were $10 and these were $98, I’m not sure they are 10x as comfortable! That said, my lulu stuff does last forever, so I should be able to wear them well after pregnancy as well.

Weekend Plans

My sister gets into town tomorrow night, so I’m excited to hang with her.  We have tickets to Bitch Sesh on Saturday, which should be pretty funny for this real housewives of everywhere fan!

That’s all for this week! Hope you have a great weekend.

 

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Failing the Glucose Test

Posted on March 14, 2018 | 2 comments

Warning, this is a long post.  I hope it may be helpful to some.  If you’re not interested in pregnancy posts, this is definitely one to skip.

Prior to being pregnant, I read glucose screen/tolerance posts pretty casually. I didn’t really understand the difference between regular and gestational diabetes, or the impact it has on the mother and baby. It wasn’t until after my initial glucose screen that I did due diligence.

Starting from the beginning, at my 20 week appointment my doctor gave me a glucose tolerance beverage to take home with me and drink 45-50 minutes before my next appointment in 4 weeks.  He said that it didn’t have to be fasting and to eat normally. He also suggested that I put the drink in the fridge the day of, as it apparently tastes better cold.  I thought little of it, and threw the drink in my purse.

Four weeks later, I was happy I was able to remember where I put the drink and also happy I remembered to put in my bag before work the day of my test.  To give myself further props, I also remembered to transfer to my work fridge when I got to the office.  Things were going so well!

It ended up being a super stressful day at work.  I had a huge project wrapping up the next day and I was scrambling all day long.  I had cottage cheese, lots of berries and a healthy handful of kashi go lean crunch for breakfast.  Around 1:30, I realized I hadn’t eaten lunch yet, so I had some of the spaghetti squash, sautéed peppers, homemade tomato sauce and parmesan.  I was hoping to leave the office by 3 and get on the train to my 4:00pm appointment. This way I’d be able to start my drink on the train at 3:15 and have a cushion in case there was any train traffic.  At 3:17pm, I hightailed it out of the office and to the train.  Given that I was behind schedule, I started my beverage at 3:23 on the train platform.

 The first sip reminded me of the gatorade I had at rec soccer. It wasn’t so bad.  Why do people make sure a big deal out of this? It’s like Hi-C. Two minutes in, I realized how quickly the sweetness becomes overwhelming–50 grams of glucose, woof. I managed to get the drink down within the alloted in 5 minutes, finishing at 3:27pm.  I got on the train just after finishing and made it to my appointment by 4pm.  I felt slightly queasy, and remember thinking, I hope I never have to do this again.

I checked in, had my vitals taken and hung around for a bit. At 4:25pm, they took my blood.

I chatted with the  doctor for a few minutes, feeling pretty carefree. Then I went on my way.

The next morning, I was in a meeting when I saw my doctor was calling. After the meeting, I listened to his voicemail and was pretty shocked to learn that I had failed and needed to come in for the 3 hour tolerance test as soon as possible. I was feeling pretty sad, but tried not to get to worked up.

The 3-Hour Glucose Tolerance Test

I scheduled the 3 hour test for Friday morning (two days later).  I was advised to fast (no food or water) after midnight on Thursday.

Thursday night, we went to dinner at the Smith. I got the steak salad with goat cheese, tomato, arugula and balsamic vinaigrette. I also had a few of Frank’s fries, okay quite a few.  They actually brought us a  complimentary apple tart dessert, which I did not try, but it looked delish.

I finished dinner around 8 and began fasting.

The next morning I arrived at the appointment around 7:50am.  They took my blood and gave me a 100g glucose drink.  I finished that within the allotted 5 minutes, around 8:02am.  Honestly, it didn’t taste notably sweeter than the 50 g drink. I wouldn’t say I was feeling fantastic over the next hour, but I had my laptop, so I did work and the hour went by pretty quickly. At 9:02 I had my blood drawn again, new arm!  I went back to the waiting room and worked for a bit, before calling my parents to chat.

10:02 rolled around and I went back to the lab for another drawing.

Only 1 hour to go.  The waiting part was far less painful than I imagined. I did a little more work, read a book for a bit, and watched patients come and go until it was time for my fourth and final blood drawing.  When I finished, the nurse said, I think you have one more, I assured her that was #4 and was quickly dismissed from the office.

I met Frank and Chopt for an early lunch.  By this point, I was feeling a bit light-headed and my stomach felt like it was being stretched like a balloon–felt and looked!

Back at work, I didn’t feel great, but things got better as the day went on. I even made it to an evening Orange Theory class.

 

Unfortunately, it being Friday meant the earliest I would hear back with results was Monday. The weekend was super busy, so I didn’t have too much time to dwell, but I did learn more about gestational diabetes.  I’m still not an expert by any means, so if any of the following info is inaccurate, please feel free to correct me.

Apparently, women who are over 35 (I’ll be 35 soon) are at higher risk for gestational diabetes. Even if you have no risk factors for GD, pregnancy hormones changes how your body processes sugar, which is probably why pretty much everyone does the glucose screen.  For example, a pregnant women needs 3 times more insulin to regulate blood sugar than a non-pregnant woman.

Your body passes sugar through the placenta, but not insulin. If you’re body isn’t properly regulating your blood sugar, excess glucose/sugar is passed on to you baby. The baby has to make its own insulin to compensate for the extra energy and anything they aren’t able to process may be stored as fat.  This commonly results in a big baby.  Big babies can make giving birth more difficult for the baby and the mother.  There are a number of other possible complications, such as respiratory disorders and preclamsia.  In any event, the good news is that gestational diabetes can be managed through diet and medication during pregnancy.

Monday morning I received a call from my doctor with the results.  Of course, I missed the call again.  But his message said I passed the 3 hour test with flying colors, meaning my glucose level was within acceptable range after fasting and before the drink and 1 hour, 2 and 3 hours after the drink.

He did say that since I won’t be having my blood sugar monitored regularly and my first test results indicate I may have some issues regulating blood sugar, I was not off the hook completely. I found out after my second test that I seriously failed the first one.  My reading was 159 and the cut off is 130 at my office.

My doctor suggested adopting a diet as if I did have gestational diabetes, for example, no refined flour or “bad carbs” and less carbs in general.  This was his recommendation from the very start, so I guess I should have taken it seriously. I feel like a selfish jerk for not providing my baby only the most nutritious foods from the start.

I’ll be honest, while I had no problem giving up juices, smoothies and red meat almost completely, I have been going quite carb heavy and my portion sizes have been larger than necessary. While I try to always make whole wheat pasta at home, it’s not usually available when I’m dining out.  I’ve also eaten a lot more pizza than I normally do, and our first and only homemade whole wheat pizza attempt was a total fail.

It’s time to buck up and finally get rid of refined flour in my diet, which is probably something I should have done a long time ago.

While I don’t eat much dessert, there are sugar sources in my diet that I can easily eliminate, such as:

  • La Columbe Vanilla Draft Lattes (they have unsweetened versions, but I haven’t found them in stores)
  • Greek yogurt with fruit (I only get this if the 0% plain isn’t easily available, but that’s no longer an excuse)
  • Kashi Go Lean Crunch.  Cereal has been a comfort food for me during pregnancy, but I can easily eliminate it or pick a no sugar option.

I really never expected to have any issues with sugar or felt as though I was sensitive to wheat or gluten, but I’ll definitely be adopting some healthy changes going forward.

If you have any advice on managing carb cravings (pregnancy-related or otherwise), I’d love to hear it.

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Pregnancy Update Weeks 21-24

Posted on March 11, 2018 | Comments Off on Pregnancy Update Weeks 21-24

I wasn’t sure I’d do another pregnancy post before the end of the 2nd trimester, but I feel as though quite a bit has happened in the last 4 weeks!

Perhaps the biggest news is that we found out that our baby is a girl! At our 20 week ultrasound our doctor wrote the sex of the baby on a card for us, and we opened it while on our baby moon.

I ordered some nursery furniture the morning before we found out, and at the time, I think I subconsciously thought it would be a boy!  Everything is pretty neutral, but I may have picked something slightly different had I known. In any event, we’re super excited and can’t wait to meet her. When she’s good and ready of course.

Perhaps just as exciting is that I am feeling so much movement now. I hadn’t known until about 23 weeks if what I was feeling was the baby, but there is no question now.  I have to say, the kicks are more startling than I imagined, but they are also my favorite part of pregnancy so far!

Around 22 weeks, I was flipping through What to Expect When Your Expecting, when I noticed a travel sidebar that mentioned that most cruise ships won’t let you board after 24 weeks.  While I’m embarrassed to say we didn’t confirm before we booked our cruise, it’s the truth.  We got the okay from our doctor and looked up flight restrictions, both of which suggested travel up to 36 weeks would be fine, so we thought we were good to go!  Coincidentally, my parents were supposed to go on the cruise and had to cancel due to unexpected surgeries.  Fortunately, Royal Caribbean was very understanding about the situation and gave us a full refund. While we are disappointed that we won’t be able to go on the first real sailing of the Symphony of the Seas  next month and get to visit Mallorca, Marseilles, Rome, Florence and Naples, we’ve planned a new trip to Barcelona and the Almafi Coast that I’m just as excited about.  We’ll have to set sail another day!

How am I feeling?

Pretty great! I’m starting to notice a slight wane in my 2nd trimester energy boost, but still so much better than the first trimester.  I’ve also noticed muscle fatigue and some back pain, but it’s all manageable. The U-shaped pregnancy pillow has made a huge (positive) impact on my sleep.  I call it the tooth because it looks like a molar. While it’s ridiculously large and takes up more than my half of the bed, it makes it so easy to sleep on my side. I think the snoogle would serve the same purpose and take up less room, but this does make it simple to switch sides without rearranging anything.

Cravings/Aversions

I’m really into clementines lately!  I go through a bag a week.  Other than that food generally sounds good, and my appetite has definitely increased lately.  All you can eat situations are pretty dangerous these days. Still no aversions.

Clothing/Weight gain

Weight gain has also increased quite a bit, and I’ve gained 14 pounds as of 25 weeks. I definitely believe that the baby is the size of a cauliflower and my uterus is the size of a soccer ball! I’ve also switched to mostly maternity wear. I ordered a ton of items from Old Navy and a few things from CallaDream, which I’ll post about when everything arrives.  I will say, I love the Old Navy pixie pants, I may have to order them in more colors–everything is currently 40% off. Maternity clothes do tend to make you look really pregnant, but I care about comfort more than style, so I’m okay with that.

Exercise

Still pretty much the same, 4-5 workouts a week. My intensity has dropped and I modify almost all ab exercises, but it still feels good to move!

What I Miss

There’s nothing I miss terribly. Don’t get me wrong, I’d love to be able to order a glass or two of wine without a care, but overall, it’s been easier than I imagined to give it up.

What I’m Looking Forward To

Getting the nursery ready.  It seems so early to get it ready, but I’ve noticed a lot of things are back ordered or take a long time to ship, so I’m hoping to get most things ordered this month, so we have a few months to get everything set up and organized. I’m hoping to swatch paint today!

Also, good weather, I’d love to be able to wear wrap and maxi dresses rather than pants!

Glucose Tests

In less exciting news, week 24 included 2 glucose tests.  Yes, two.  Meaning, I failed the first one. I’ll be writing more about the whole experience when I get results from the 3 hour test, but please send good vibes that I passed!

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Babymoon Recap

Posted on February 24, 2018 | 1 comment

If I had known how awesome a spa weekend could be, I wouldn’t have waited so long to do it.  It’s been on my bucket list forever–and a babymoon seemed like the perfect occasion! On some level, the idea of baby moons is pretty ridiculous –that said, we enjoyed every minute and I’d do it again!

On Monday morning, we drove to the Poconos.  We stopped at the Settler’s Inn for brunch.  It was a super cute restaurant in a historic inn with a lovely menu.

I ordered the avocado, pear, bacon and goat cheese omelet. It.Was. Massive. 

On our way to the Lodge at Woodloch, we noticed a brewery.  We attempted to go into check it out, but it was packed!  If you’re in the Hawley, PA area, the Wallenpaupack Brewery seems like the weekend place to be.

We arrived at the Lodge and it immediately felt like an escape.  The staff was so friendly, they gave us a quick tour, totes and water bottles and showed us to our room. I had specifically selected the babymoon package and were some treats waiting for us in our room!

A bag of “late night cravings treats”

And an adorable bunny and book! The bunny is now named Woodloch, of course!

I forgot to take pictures of the room before our stuff got all over, but it had woodsy inspired decor and a king bed.  I live for king beds on vacation! I took advantage of the pillow menu and ordered the body pillow.

It was a great way to test out a body pillow. It turns out this was way too high for me to comfortably hold on my side.  Frank enjoyed using it though!

We had a nice view from our balcony!

I should mention that you weren’t supposed to use your phones outside the room, so I tried to be subtle about taking pictures.

We had spa appointment booked for the afternoon, so we enjoyed some time in our respective spa areas.

Throughout the resort there were snacks, fruit, an amazing selection of teas, and fruit to infuse your water.  I was probably the most hydrated I’ve ever been on this trip.

I enjoyed a nice prenatal massage before heading out to the pool. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to take advantage of any of the three hot tubs, but I did enjoy being cozy pool side.

When you think spa, you generally think light meals, but Woodloch offered something for everyone, no matter how light or hearty your appetite.  I find lately that I’m not necessarily hungry until I sit down to eat. Once there is food in front of me, I can eat for days.

We sat down to dinner and were treated to an amuse bouche and bread service.  I selected a roasted carrot soup (unpictured) for my first course.

Then I moved onto a nice pear, beet and goat cheese salad.

I had the short ribs for dinner, which were served with polenta. Roasted, caramelized vegetables with tender short ribs is pure comfort food for me.

Since all food was included and you could order as much as you wanted, we ordered the cauliflower steak with lentils as a side to share.While it doesn’t photograph well, this was amazing, so many great textures and flavors!  I’ve never been able to make a good cauliflower steak at home, I don’t know how they do it!

Finally…and I do mean finally, we had some gelato for dessert.

That night, we enjoyed some time outside by the fire.

The next morning, we hit the gym for a few minutes before going to breakfast.  I grabbed a little bit of yogurt, fruit, ground flax and chai seed from the garden bar, mainly to get in those omegas.  I also ordered an open face english muffin with egg, pico, avocado and cheese.

It was delicious. I need to try making my own english muffins because these were incredible.  They reminded me of the australian toaster biscuits I ate as a kid. I don’t think that brand is still around.

One of the things I really loved about Woodloch was the activity schedule, there were fitness classes, outdoor activities, yoga and crafts all day long. True to form, I signed us up for a bunch of the outdoor options.

After that we went on a nice guided 3 mile hike around the property. It was very cold, but very pretty!

We read by the fire for a bit before lunch.  Do you see the eating theme?

I forgot to take pictures, but I had a panko crusted salmon and a delicious salad from the salad bar. I’m a very casual person, and yet I didn’t necessarily feel comfortable wearing my robe around outside the spa. I found it pretty funny that people were wearing their robes all over the resort, including to meals.  Dinner was the only meal that required resort casual attire.

Next up was fire making!  We learned three primitive fire making techniques, which got progressively more difficult. I’m not sure how anyone ever started a fire with the rubbing sticks method!

Since there wasn’t enough snow for the snowshoeing activity we’d signed up for, we went back to the gym for a bit. Then I took the most indulgent, epic nap ever.  I really haven’t napped at all in the 2nd trimester, but I guess all the cold weather activity took it out of me.

Wouldn’t you know, it was time to eat again?

I had a burrata bruschetta to start, followed by a roasted root vegetable salad with warm shallot dressing.

After that I enjoyed the paparadelle pasta with lobster.To finish everything off, I had a chocolate cookie gelato.

It was fairly late by the time we finished dinner, so we watched some of the olympics in the room before hitting the hay.

The next morning, we had another hike planned. But first, breakfast.

This hike was much more challenging, there were a lot of steep parts and some icy patches to avoid. However, the 3 bald eagle sightings were the real highlight.  The views at the top weren’t bad either.

It was a lot warmer than the day before, so I was sweating in my four top layers and two layers of leggings.

Before we headed out, we took advantage of our last lunch on property.

Another great salad from the salad bar. How do they find such sweet tomatoes this time of year?

I also had one of these edammame dumplings.
And a few pieces of caprese flatbread.

It was a wonderful weekend and I was sad when it came to an end. Woodloch ended up being perfect because there was time to relax and enjoy great spa treatments, and there was also plenty to do. Actually there were more activities  I wanted to try than we could even fit in our schedule. Plus, the food ended up being great and quite plentiful!

I definitely recommend Woodloch. Can you tell?  It was a big splurge, but we did save some money since we were able to drive rather than fly and all our meals, activities, and spa treatments were included in our package.

I joined their last minute club, so hopefully we can take advantage of some off-peak special rates and/or day package options in the future.

I can’t believe it’s already the weekend already! I hope you have fun plans.

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Friday Faves {2/16/18}

Posted on February 16, 2018 | 2 comments

Last week, I didn’t have enough to say for a whole Friday Faves post, but this week, I have a ton of random things to chatter on about.

Lip Service

All winter I’ve had the worst chapped, peeling, cracked lips.  Nothing I’ve tried has helped at all.  Then I remembered I had this tiny sample of Kiehls #1 Lip Balm in my vanity. This stuff is magic.  My lips were 90% better the next day.

This quote.

Currently Reading

I’m simultaneously reading a bunch of books right now, but I think I’ll finish this one over the long weekend.

Good Vibrations

I received this little SoundBot wireless speaker for Christmas.  I think it’s really for the shower, but I brought it to work.  I forgot how happy it makes me to listen to music during the day. I typically listen for a few hours while doing administrative work, and it really adds some pep to my work day.  They are only $15 on amazon, if you’re in the market.

Dry Brushing

I don’t think I ever mentioned it, but I’ve become big fan of dry brushing.  I’ve only been doing it regularly for a few months, but I think I’m starting to see a  difference in the amount of cellulite on the back of my legs.  I just brush my calves, thighs and bum in an upwards circular motion for a few minutes before hopping in the shower. I do suggest doing this on days you don’t shave and using a moisturizer or body oil after.

Valentine’s Day

Last night Frank and I decided to cook in rather than go out.  We got a little carried away with our menu, which included surf and turf, kale sourdough panzanella salad, brussels sprouts and mac and cheese.  After 2+ hours of cooking and all the dishes afterwards, I was beginning to think fancy pre-fixe menus weren’t so overrated after all.  But it was a delicious dinner and we got to share the night with our furry valentine.

Maternity Haul!

I finally got a chance to go to Seraphine. I stocked up on two sweaters (which I love) and my first pair of maternity jeans! Buttoning and unbuttoning jeans always seemed like a non-issue until I realized the joys of an elastic waistband! I also ordered the Bump Kit, which includes a skirt, leggings, a wrap dress, and a top. The online reviews were right, the quality is not as high as it is with the items you order individually.  I think I’ll get a lot of wear out of the wrap dress, but I’m not sure I’ll ever wear the skirt.  I’m also waiting for this dress, which apparently Kate Middleton was a fan of, but it seems to be back ordered.

This weekend we’re off for our babymoon at the Lodge at Woodloch.  Snowshoeing wasn’t what I expected for a babymoon, but I’m really excited to get away.

Have you tried dry brushing?

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Pregnancy: Weeks 14-20

Posted on February 9, 2018 | 1 comment

The first half of the second trimester has been pretty fantastic!  It’s nice to be able to tell people and to feel more confident in the pregnancy.

Weeks 14-16 were great. I had tons of energy and felt really productive.  I’ve never had such a desire to clean and organize in my life!  Around week 16 I also told my supervisor that I was expecting.  For weeks I very nervous to tell my boss, as I’ve only been at my job 11.5 months.  But she was incredibly supportive and excited for me.  Huge relief.

Week 17 is when I feel like I started to show, not just look bloated. Not much else to report.

Week 18 I came down with a bad cold, thus being sort of miserable in general.  After a workout at Switch Playground, I started feeling some abdominal pain, sort of a dull ache. (Side note: the timing was coincidental and ended up having nothing to do with the workout.) I was out and about all day, but decided to put in a call to my doctor’s office.  The doctor on call suggested that I come in the next day if I was still experiencing pain or to go the hospital if the pain intensified.

The next day, I was feeling more of a stabbing pain, so I made an appointment to see my doctor.  After a few questions, he suggested I be tested for a UTI, which are apparently more common in pregnancy.  He also checked the baby’s heartrate and said everything sounded good.

Week 19, my UTI test came back negative, but I was still experiencing some pain. In addition, I had a very minor fall/more of a hard landing over the weekend. At the time it didn’t seem much, but ended up causing me an unreasonable amount of anxiety. My kind and patient doctor suggested I come in again for a quick ultrasound.  Thank goodness for insurance! The ultrasound confirmed there was no bleeding and all looked well.  Honestly, I am so glad I called and went in again, the peace of mind was priceless. I still don’t know what caused the pain, possibly just round ligament pain, but as of 20 weeks, I am pain free.

The phrase “with great power comes great responsibility”  keeps floating through my head. I think it’s so amazing that as a woman I get to carry my child and grow a human inside me.  However, I wasn’t prepared for how responsible I’d feel about every action I take.  Almost everyday, I think of something I’ve done that might potentially impact the baby, going through airport security, getting a filling replaced, chewing sugar-free gum.  I didn’t expect how the responsibility would make me feel, though I wouldn’t trade it for the world and I realize how lucky I am.

(I feel like I’ve doubled in size since this picture last week)

Week 20!  The best week yet.  The day of our full anatomy scan was a babython.  We started with the scan at a hospital.  All of our ultrasounds had been approximately 1 minute, so this was the first time we could really see the features and had time to really take it all in. I’d read that they may request a full bladder for the scan, but they actually asked me to empty my bladder beforehand. The scan itself took about 40 minutes, which was longer than I expected.  The baby was moving a lot, so it took a while to get a few of the shots.  Despite all the movement we saw on the screen, the technician said I couldn’t feel anything since the baby wasn’t reaching the wall yet. Darn, I’ve been looking so forward to the first “flutter.”

The technician was pretty quiet except for pointing out different body parts, so we weren’t really sure what all the measurements meant. At the very end, a doctor came in and confirmed that everything looked great and the fetus was measuring at exactly the 50 percentile (13 ounces).

Next up, we saw my actual OB.  It was just a quick visit to confirm all was well. I also received a glucose drink to take home for my test in 4 weeks!

After that, we went to Pottery Barn Kids.  Several friends have very generously offered us their strollers and cribs, so I’m not sure what we’ll be buying new, but I wanted to check out Pottery Barn’s mini cribs to see if they’d be a better fit for our nursery. Ultimately, I think the standard size will be fine and will give us a much easier time finding bedding!

We wrapped up the baby portion of the day with a hospital orientation, which took place in a packed auditorium.  It was incredibly informative and I took notes like a madwoman. I had been very interested in understanding my monitoring options, pain management options and their skin to skin/breastfeeding philosophy, all of which was covered.

After that we ended up at Marta for a delicious pizza dinner.

We decided not to find out the sex of the baby at the anatomy scan. It felt strange to have the technician that we have never met deliver the news. Instead we asked our doctor to write the sex on a card, which we plan to open on our baby moon a few weeks.

If you are interested in what foods I’ve added to my diet, as well as an update on weight gain and exercise, you can check out this video:

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