The first 5 months of pregnancy in a nutshell of a post

Many of you have asked me to post updates here, and I would have been happy to started this earlier however I have been either exhausted or working and in any down time, I have been working on a computer that was dying a slow death. That computer has reached it's ultimate demise and I have a new laptop purchased by my wonderful parish! So for those who are interested, here is the pregnancy story from conception to week 25:

Weirdly enough, week one and two are preconception so we will skip to week 3...

Week 3 - nothing to report
week 4 - strang things begin to happen... We had our graduation Mass folowed by a luncheon. That was normal. I didn't have a chance to eat during all the hoopla of the day, but I brought home the leftovers dropping off a platter of food at my aunt's house (she lives alone since my favorite uncle passed away and loves 1. visitors and 2. when visitors bring a meal or two so she doesn't have to cook ... my uncle was the cook over there) Then a platter of food to my mom, dad, sister and nephew. My sister also appreciates 1. me visiting and 2. the food delivery as it means she doesn't have to cook for a couple of meals. Then I made my way home with the remaining food for Jim and I to consume during the week ahead. I was so excited to make a sandwich with the most delicious looking roast beef and the freshest rolls... made my sandwhich... sat on the couch... turned on the TIVO to catch up on some shows ... took a bite of my sandwich ... and promptly spit it back out. Hmmm. that was weird... So I threw that sandwich away and made a ham and cheese option ... same thing, I spit out the first bite. Hmmm. That is really weird. I googled "food aversions" and the first return was "food aversions in pregnancy" so I grabbed my calendar to see if I could possibly be pregnant and yes, it was a possibility so we would need to wait and see.

week 5 - Took the test and yes! we are pregnant!
(FYI this news, while exciting also caused some ... well A LOT ... of fear because we did have a miscarriage before which was just devestating)

week 6 - week 7 began to tell close family and friends. We had an appointment with the nurse practioner at my dr. office. She gave us a folder of information and went through all the complications that can arise due to pregancy at my age. It was a VERY overwhelming appointment. I tried to put my mind elsewhere, but I could not escape her doom and gloom talk about 1 in so many babies born with X, 1 in so many babies born with Y, etc. It seemed to go on forever. Then she went through the testing that is available and recommended to detect any abnormalities. I already knew that I didn't want an amniocentisis as it has a risk of miscarriage and I don't want to do anything to increase that risk. But she explained a test that is done by taking an ultrasound and a blood test that is about 85% accurate in predicting certain abnormalities. I thought that would be a good one since it would either give us peace of mind or time to prepare for whatever we might be facing. THen we did a weight and blood pressure check. My weight was down and my blood pressure was up (I wonder why the BP might have been elevated, hmm let's think about it.") We scheduled that testing appointment with the nurse on our way out and when she was entering our information she said, "Wait, this can't be right. What is your date of birth?" I asid "2-10-68" She said, "Really? You are 40? You look so much younger!" ps - I love her.

week 6 - We had our first ultrasound just to make sure things were progressing well before Jim and I embark on our cross country drive from MA to MS which was supposed to take 24 hours and actually clocked in at somethng like 32 hours. They had to tell us what we were looking at because we really could not tell. It looked like a tiny little teddy bear but they pointed out the 2 arms and 2 legs and the sac that develops before the placenta to supply the baby with the proper nutrients. Everything looked good and that sac had developed nicely so they felt good about hte pregnancy which eased my mind a bit too.
This drive was in a box truck filled with luggage from the kids in Acton and Wayland for the upcoming 2 weeks of Mission Trips. We decided to drive because last time I was pregnant at almost the same time frame and I flew to MS for the same mission trip I sufferred a miscarriage 2 days later. I know that flying can be dehydrating and can cause early labor in the 3rd trimester, so I didn't want to take any chances. Also airlines were starting to charge for the 2nd bag and that cost was offset by the cost of the truck so it was a win/win all around.
Oh, 3 days before our departure on this long raod trip my "morning sickness" kicked in. Perfect timing for a road trip with a man who has the world's worst puke phobia. I "" morning sickness because it was never necessarily restricted to morning.

week 6 - 8 Mississippi Mission Trips and Road Tripping So this whole morning sickness thing was taking over my life. I learned a few tricks to outsmart it, but ultimately it seemed to outsmart me in the end. None of the youth on the Wayland trip knew that I was pregnant so it was pretty tricky trying to keep it a secret with my tactics for keeping the puking at bay. I had to arise very early (not a problem as I was getting up multiple times per night to pee) and eat a package of peanut butter crackers and a cranberry juice. I ate these while sitting on a bench outside of the ladies room just in case I had to make a run for it. Then I would sneak back to bed and get up with everyone else. I took on more of a supervisory role during my week instead of doing the actual labor intensive part which I THOUGHT was a good cover. I had to take a nap before dinner every night which was not fun since I would rather have been in the pavillion with the kids playing cards and such. And I found that I REALLY needed to sleep at night... sometimes before lights out actually happened, again not my style, but I was not the one in control of my body and I had to do what I had to do.
On Jim's week more of the youth knew cause Jim had a little bit of trouble keeping the secret. He really doesn't do secrets well at all actually so this was not a surprise. However, I did find out later that a few of his newer kids thought I was lazy. LAZY? Sister you have no idea how difficult it was for me to NOT throw up on your shoes!!!

Week 9 - morning sickness continues ... has developed a pattern of every other day. At least I know the day on which I will puke. I also realized that toothpaste caused the gag reflex to happen. I switched to the children's toothpaste that tastes like bubble gum and has sparkles in it. Yum and fun all in one. That helped a bit in the morning.

Week 10 - Dr. appointment with our actual ob/gyn. We love her. She is so great. At this appointment we noted how I am still losing weight. I forget how much at this appointment, but during the first trimester I lost 16 pounds. She said that was fine but in 2nd a nd 3rd trimester she would like to see me gain about 1/2 pound per week. That would be like 13 pounds which still gives me a net loss of 3 pounds ... not bad! My blood pressure was a little elevated again on this appointment but honestly I have been taking it at WalMart and it was fine. I think it is white coat syndrome.
She talked to us about the test we had scheduled with the nurse practitioner. She asked what we would do if it was determined that the baby had an abnormality. We said we would still carry to term. She then asked what about if the baby had a condition that was incompatable with life outside the womb. We again said we would carry to term. She asked why we had scheduled the test since would carry to term no matter what. I said I thought it would offer some peace of mind. She told us that the test uses the ultrasound, blood test, and age of mother to determine the possibility of an abnormality. Based on my age of 40, this test had a good chance of coming back with an abnormal result. She told us that she had a couple in her office this morning who had this test done for the same reason. The results were back today that there was a possibility of an abnormality. Now that couple was faced with the decision to have the amniocentisis to rule abnormalities out or just take the pregancy as it comes with the thought that there could be a birth defect. She recommended we not put ourselves through that. It was such a difficult decision to make. She told us to think about it and even if we decide on the day of the test not to have it done, just don't show up. It is not a problem at all. The test was scheduled for 3 days later. We opted to not have the test done.

Week 11 - Jim went back to Mississippi with his new parish and I stayed home and enjoyed the big king sized bed all to myself. It was very comfortable. I still continued to have my every other day morning sickness. But everyone was telling me that I will only have it for 2 more weeks. I believe the exact statement was, "On week 13 it is like you wake up and a light switch is flicked. You stop getting morning sickness and you get more energy and you get your appetite back." Woo hoo, I think, bring on week 13

Week 12 - 13 Every other day... every other day .... it's almost over .... every other day... Oh and I have had to buy some maternity pants as mine no longer button despite my record weight loss. My shirts are still okay though, they are long enough to cover the elastic tops on the pants. Boy are maternity pants comfortable!!!

Week 14 - my light switch is broken! I am still getting sick on a regular basis.

Week 15 - away for the weekend with my mom, dad, sister and nephew. I still have one pair of pre-pregnancy shorts that I can wear luckily as I do not want to buy materninty shorts since most of my pregnancy will be fall / winter. Nausea stays with me in the mornings but I luck out and do not actually get sick. Could it be ending?
Also, I have started to feel the baby moving. It feels like a swarm of butterflies fluttering around. A very strange feeling, but kinda cool.

Week 16 - nope. not ending. but getting more spaced out. We went to Camp Agna in Wareham. The day we arrive so does an ecoli scare for the public water. So no brushing teeth unless bottled water etc. This was kind of scarey while pregnant, I am not gonna lie, but luckily we had to go home Saturday night to help Gabe & Una with the afterparty for his bro's wedding. So we left a little early and took showers at home. I waited on Sunday to shower at home also.

Also, appointment with nurse practitioner again. I asked to do the BP first and it ws near normal. She had a folder full of releases for me to sign since we decided not to have the tests done. This gets them off the hook for any birth defects that could have been determined with the tests. It was a very nagative feel for the appointment. She told me that I should probably start to feel the baby moving by the next appointment. I told her that I have actually already felt it. She said, "Ya, a lot of women think they are feeling the baby moving but it is actually other bodily functions that you are more aware of now. I am not saying that you are not feeling it, but usually it is something else." (meanwhile I was thinking, b***h, I know what I am feeling!!) I have now taken to calling her "Dr. Death" since she always has the bad stuff.

Week 17 - I officially tell the DRE Cluster that we are expecting. FYI still feeling the baby move...

Week 18 - I start to leak out to families at the parish the news that we are expecting. I told one family, they asked if it was secret still, I said since I was really starting to show that the secret was out. We had our Outdoor Mass that weekend and many people were congratulating me. This kind of news gets around fast I guess. Still feeling the baby move...

Week 19 - Morning sickness is happening approx 1 time per week now. Unpredictable. What is predictable? I am still feeling the baby move...

Week 20 - The first 2 days of this week I could literally count 12 - 15 movements per hour all day long. It is pretty clear that I knew what I was feeling before. I am just saying... However the next two days nothing. No movement at all. We had an appointment on day 5 of that week anyway, so I waited to call the Dr. office. But I was really scared that we were going to find out that we lost the baby at that appointment. However, at that appointment, we have our 20 week ultrasound and you can actually see a baby now. THe technician explained everything she was seeing... heart with 4 chambers, right arm and hand, left arm and hand, spine, legs and feet. The baby was breach so she was having difficulty getting al the pictures she needed. She tried the banging on the tummy trick and the roll on side trick but the baby was stubborn and would not move. After we had an appointment with our doctor to review the U/S. She said everything loked good - the baby was growing at the right rate. Everything looked great, but they could not get 2 key pictures that they need; full face and cerebellum. She said that this was pretty typical and not to worry, but we needed to come back in a week or so and have another ultrasound. She cheerily said - the good news is you get another peek at your baby! (Really all I heard was we could not see the cerebellum ... which I googled ... and panicked)
My BP was high again and I told my dr. that when I take it at WalMart or on my dad's BP monitor it is much lower consistantly. She asked me to track it at home. I bought a BP cuff for at home.
The feeling of movement came back at the couple of times a day rate. I think the baby way having a party those 2 days of big movements... dancing and bouncing of the walls like a moon bounce ... hey maybe that is why little kids like those moon bounces, it reminds them of their early days...

Week 21 - Silently prayed a novena to St. Gerard for the health of our baby.
- Back for Ultrasound. This technician was cold - she barely talked at all. At one point I said to Jim - Can you tell what you are looking at? hoping she would catch the hint and tell us. She didn't. She also was having trouble getting the baby to move into a good position and had to do the side roll and the banging tricks. Finally she said - okay we are done and she handed us the 3 pictures - all almost identical. I asked her if she got all the pictures she needed and she said yes. I still didn't know what that meant so I asked when we would hear the results. She said well if you don't hear anything by next week give the office a call. Great another week of waiting and wondering... Gosh, don't they know how scarey this whole process is?!?!?!?!
Hey wait - it has been almost 2 weeks since I last puked ... could it be over?
Oh and we began middle school youth ministry this week. I think I did too much as I woke up the next day with a horrible pain where the leg connects to the body on the inner leg. Really horrible. It hurts to walk, turn over in bed, get dressed, and oh stairs are a killer.
Plus note - BP is okay at home

Week 22 - Got 5 cold sores on my bottom lip ... apparently this is normal due to the excess hormones ... called my dr. office to find out if I can get a presription for it, oh and by the way, how were those U/S pictures? Yes, and the pictures were great - everything is fine. whew!
We had a middle school trip to laser zone ... in a school bus, ya, so I will avoid school busses at all costs for the rest of the pregnancy...
I was whining to Jim about the lip issue and the leg issue and he said "At least your not throwing up anymore." I made the mistake of saying, "I would rather be throwing up than dealing with these two things." The next morning...it's baaaaaaaaaaack. So I get all 3 at the same time. Ya fun.
BP okay at home.

Week 23 - I went to LIFT on Tuesday night as I really do enjoy the praise and worship music and the adoration. The talks are good sometimes and othertimes not so much. So on my way out the door at the end I ran into Fr. Matt who asked how the pregnancy was going. I said good. Hes thought that didn't sound too convincing so he pressed and I told him that I have had literally every symptom in the book, but that the baby was developing just fine and that was really what mattered, so I could deal. He prayed over me the most heartfelt prayer I have ever heard consecrating the pregnancy to Our Lady and asking her to be with me and the baby during the remaining time and to alleviate every symptom plaguing me while protecting the baby from every harm. I swear it was like a 5 full minute prayer and he was joined by a couple of other religious standing around with a laying on of hands during the prayer. It was really moving.

Week 24 - We had an appointment with "Dr. Death", but for the first time she was completely upbeat and positive. My blood pressure was normal, my weight was up 2 pounds (althought this was because we had been at the Mellos over the weekend and I ate excessively - it happened a couple of weeks ago and I ended up losing it again by the end of the week) THe baby's heartbeat was strong and you could hear the baby kicking too. Also, this week ended with our anniversary. That morning I woke up feeling the movements from the outside. Yup kicks and punches from the inside are now able to be felt from the outside. I tried to get Jim to feel it too but he has no patience at all and wouldn't sit still and wait. Every time he would take his hand away the baby would kick. It was kind of funny.

Week 25 - We scheduled some classes to help us get prepared for actually having a baby to care for as well as our tour of Beth Israel so that we will know where to go when the time comes. In November we will take a 75 minute breast feeding class and a 7 hour Preapared Childbirth class; In December, we have our hospital tour and a 2-hour infant CPR class and in January (cutting it a little close) a 3-hour Newborn Essentials class. A little overwhelming, I know, but I am just that type of neurotic person that needs to do this, and Jim is just going to have to suck it up and accompany me along the way.

And now, my friends, you are up to date on the whole pregnancy so far.