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Week 12
Milestones: Baby is now about 2.5" long (CRL) and weighs about 14g. Baby is doing lots of cool things like swallowing and "peeing" and is still working on those little details like tooth buds and fingernails! Very important milestone in the physical development is that it is the placenta that has taken over the job of producing hormones. My Journal: Wow. Wow. I am so amazed and in awe of making it to this point that I am almost speechless. I think I need a good pinch to wake up, it feels like it may take a while for this to sink in! But of course, I am excited too! I was saying to Paul that even though we found out we were pregnant so many weeks ago when we saw those two pink lines, it feels like now we are in the process of truly finding out if we are having a *baby*. Like those two pink lines of actually being able to carry this baby to term are slowly showing themselves (as we wait impatiently in the "bathroom" of our lives?). Sorry for the terrible metaphors, but I think you get what I mean. I am still enjoying the fact that I have a little mini-milestone every few days to keep me thinking positively and just making it another few days, another few days. After making it to 11 weeks, I got to go in to see my OB at 11.5 weeks, and got to hear the heartbeat via doppler!!! I have only had to wait a half week since that time to reach the 12-week mark, and now will only have to wait another half week to see my baby at the next ultrasound! Although I'm starting to be able to relax a little more each day, enjoy the pregnancy a little more, I'm still very cautious, very protective of the little life I've been blessed with the priviledge of nurturing. So those half-week milestones along the way have been such a relief. Part of the realization that I will actually be parenting a new little baby (oh yeah, it's not just about the pregnancy, that's just been the huge focus since it was such a challenge for us before!) has lead to the beginnings of all those plans and preparations I hadn't really started to think about much until now! Paul and I started doing a little baby shopping (sorry, that is, shopping for baby *items*! He has already said "But we already have a baby!!!" when I call it "baby shopping!). I'm also thinking about birthing options, etc. and at this point would really like to do everything possible to make a VBAC happen. And of course, we really need to start thinking about names, we don't really have any clear choices that we agree upon yet (but then again, we haven't really started looking very much yet either!). At my last OB visit, I finally got to participate in all the "regular" pregnancy things like being weighed and getting my blood pressure checked, and getting the hospital information package and pre-registration forms, etc. So all of this has been really exciting, and helps make the pregnancy feel very real! We also have to start thinking about parenting styles and learning, etc. So for Father's Day last weekend, "the baby" got Daddy a funny parenting book called "How Not to Completely Suck as a New Parent" - definitely a recommended buy! He's read a few parts of it to me aloud and it is just such a funny book! But it also gives new dads a humourous way of learning about the basics of what having a new baby around is like! Sometimes it's hard for me to communicate exactly what it will be like and exactly what we'll need to do. Like when I first told him that when I nurse the baby, I would like him to get me a glass of water or juice. He laughed because he thought I was joking (being pregnant, I started to cry of course - yay hormones!), but once I explained to him that it was because breastfeeding does make you very thirsty and you need to keep your fluids up to produce lots of milk for the feeding and future feedings, he understood why he could be taking on that job while I'm busy with the job of feeding the baby. I think he'll pick things up pretty quick, hopefully we can take a parenting class and prenatal class together too! He already does a great job with Harmony and I know he'll be a wonderful father to this baby too. Test Results/Ultrasounds: Those tests results weren't back when I was at my appt. so who knows where they got lost! Nothing too serious anyways, making they are just taking a long time. I heard that the "immunities" one could take a while. My OB also sent me for additional blood tests just to check blood iron levels and routine things like that. I did recover nicely from the amenia I had last winter, and hopefully the prenatal vitamin I've been taking since day 1 has made sure my iron levels stay okay, but we'll see. Next ultrasount appt. is Thursday. Since I got to hear the heartbeat last week, I was okay with waiting another week to actually see how the baby is doing. But I'm still excited and impatient to see how my little one is doing, especially since at this ultrasound we'll be able to see him/her moving around and everything! I also found out that we will still have the regular ultrasound at 18-20 weeks. Since my u/s clinic is taking holidays and has reduced hours the first couple weeks in August, we scheduled the appt. for 20 and a half weeks. Physical: Well, I was right about staying the same for a couple weeks after the last "pop", I haven't had another one since the time I woke up one morning just before 10 weeks to find a bit more belly there! So I am basically the same size I was at 10 weeks, just feeling a bit more "solid" underneath, especially in the belly button area! I also find I am starting to carry "high", like my upper belly is really starting to stick out! Didn't have this as much with Harmony which is part of what has me convinced I'm having a boy this time around. Oddly enough, I don't really have any new stretch marks, just the old ones becoming more noticeable.
As for the other physical things, the morning sickness hasn't calmed down yet, although some days it feels like it's starting too! Then I comment to someone that I had a good non-sickie day and think that maybe the morning sickness is over, thereby jinxing myself, and of course throwing up the next morning! But it shouldn't be too much longer now, and I'm doing okay with my little diet of mostly breakfast foods, with tons of water, milk, and diluted juice. Weight Gain/Food: Well, the weight continues to change, but as long as it's not going steadily up too quickly, I'm more than happy. It has been fluctuating between a 2-5 lb gain. As of this morning, I'm at a total gain of just 3 lbs! What a lucky pregnancy I've been having - haven't gained a lot of weight and I haven't been super sick either! Cravings are still nothing too powerful or overwhelming, just little fleeting "Ooooh, that would be so perfect right now!" moments. Mostly either salty or sweet (or both at the same time). Since I'm still dealing with morning sickness, I haven't been eating too many treats (sometimes, nothing sounds appealing!). Emotional: Hormonally, I would have to say that the highs seems to be getting higher and the lows seems to be getting lower, but luckily it wasn't too bad to start with, so it's not too bad right now either. But I have had a few days where I've been feeling a little "blue", a little more worried, and I definitely find that anything negative will tend to "haunt" me a little and be hard to get out of my head. It's been a real challenge to stay positive or to distract myself with happier thoughts sometimes, if there are negative things dragging me down. But on the other hand, the highs are affecting me more too, which is nice sometimes to feel that excitement and truly be enjoying the happy moments of this pregnancy, which are getting to be more and more! After hearing the baby's heartbeat last week, I just kept getting all teary-eyed with happy emotions every time I thought about that beautiful sound, later on that day and in the week. I love the texture of how thick my hair is getting, I get excited when I see my belly changing, etc! We did a bit of looking around at baby supplies and just picturing how our baby will look in that swing or playpen, etc. brings such a warm feeling of happiness to me - like everything is finally happening as it should be, like everything is finally "right". These are all such nice feelings to hang onto.
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