18 weeks 6 days

I had my monthly OB appt today. Dr. S was really positive and seemed happy with how things are going. My uterus measured right where it should be, right below my belly button. He checked the HB and said it was great, but didn't give me a heart rate number. He assured me again that my cervix was fine last week. He reminded me that my fetal survey is next week (like I could forget!). He asked if I had thought about a birth plan and if I am interested in Childbirth Classes. I told him that I am open to an epidural, but haven't thought much about anything else. I gave me information on Childbirth Classes, which happen at the hospital a few weeknight on a drop in basis and on the weekends once a month. Todd and I agreed that we wanted to take them so I signed us up for a Saturday class on April 21st. It is 5 hours and you learn about childbirth techniques and options. At the end you take a tour of the labor and delivery and get to see what it's like there. I'll be around 27 weeks then so it will be interesting to learn about. So we have that to look forward to!

Todd's mom also offered to throw us a shower for his family and friends in NJ the weekend before. We'll have a shower with my family over Memorial Day weekend. Todd's friend Ed also called earlier this week and offer us a crib that his daughter has outgrown. People are being so generous, it's great! On Saturday last week, we went to a consignment store to check out what they had and got great deals on a diaper pail and a really nice blanket that was originally from Pottery Barn.

Here is a picture of the blanket:

I like that it's a dark purple so it can be used for either a boy or a girl. If the baby is a girl, I am thinking about developing the rest of the room around the purple.

Coming up:

3/1- Fetal Survey
3/22- Next OB appt

17 weeks 3 days

I had another cervix check today. It was shorter but the doctors/nurses said it is still within normal range. I was worried so I called my OB's office, my high risk dr's office, and the high risk ultrasound dr to make sure it was okay. They all said yes, it is fine. So I will go back in 2 weeks for my fetal survey and they will check it again then.

I got a few new pictures today!

In this one, the head is to the left and then you can see the spine to the right. The little dots below the spine are the legs

Again, the head is to the left and the spine to the right, but in this one, you can also see the ribcage and the little feet on the bottom right. On the bottom left, you can see my bladder, which the baby was kicking the entire time they were looking at it!

16 weeks 6 days

I've decided to start sharing bump pics. I'm not sure if I'm showing yet though. What do you think?

Here is 9 weeks 4 days at Christmas
And here is today at 16 weeks 6 days
Please don't mind my stupid looking hair and pale skin...ick.

15 weeks 3 days

I had my first cervix check ultrasound this morning. They want the cervix to be more than 3cm long. Mine was 5.2 cm, so great! I'm not sure if that is shorter than last week, but I have read that it can change over the weeks. They are just watching to make sure it doesn't get shorter than 3cm.

After they got the measurements they needed, she took out the external ultrasound want and did a quick scan of the baby. I noticed that it wasn't moving and mentioned it. She said, "It's asleep!" She poked it with the wand and it squirmed but didn't really wake up. Its heart rate was 124 beats per minute. Taking after its mother already I see!

The baby woke shortly after I left the office and started moving all around. I have thought I could feel it moving since last week or so, but now that I knew just where it was, I'm sure of it. I only occasionally feel it and mostly when I'm sitting or lying down.

I go back on 2/16 for another cervix check.

14 weeks 6 days

I forgot to post about this sooner. On Tuesday I had an appointment with a high risk specialist to discuss possible problems with my cervix from my surgery. She was really really nice. She looked at my ultrasound shots from the NT scan and said that my cervix is measuring fine right now. She did an internal exam and said that it seems low and very hard, which is good. I tried to explain my surgery to her and she had never heard of it so she consulted with an ultrasound tech who agreed that they should monitor me for cervical length shortening. I will start with ultrasounds of my cervix every other week. If a change is noted, they will increase to every week. If it is getting too short, she will immediately schedule me for a procedure to sew it closed. However, she said that based on right now, she doesn't think I will have a problem.

In other news, my morning sickness seems to have gone away. I haven't thrown up in almost 2 weeks! I still gag occasionally when I'm hungry My lower back has been bothering me. I think it's my sciatic nerve. It bugs me when I get up from sitting for a long time, but it's not so bad. I am also starting to get a little bump, but it's kind of lopsided because of my chubb. No pictures yet, but maybe in a few weeks when it pops out more.

Coming appointments:

2/1- cervical length check
2/24- OB appt
3/1- Anatomy scan

13 weeks 5 days

We had the Nuchal Translucency scan on Thursday this week. The tech said that everything looks good. They want the amount of fluid in the neck to be less than 2, and it was 1.5. Baby showed no markers for Down's Syndrome. Yay! Baby was also measuring a couple days ahead so the due date was changed again to July 21st. I am sticking with the 23rd though because I don't think it really matters, it's just an estimate and baby will come whenever it wants.

After the scan, I saw my dr for my monthly appt. He said that everything on the scan looked great. This was the first time I had seen my regular doctor and he congratulated me on getting pregnant without meds and making it this far without any other intervention. He discussed that I was positive for carrying Cystic Fibrosis and told me that we can forgo any further testing because we wouldn't want to abort the baby even if it tested positive because CF runs on a range so the baby could have no or little symptoms. He then discussed my high risk appt next week. I have to see a high risk specialist because I had surgery as a baby and my cervix may not be strong enough to keep the baby in as it gains weight. He said that the doctor I am seeing is the best in the city for cervical issues and she will monitor me every few weeks and perform a procedure to sew my cervix closed if she notices any changes. Lastly, he discussed my weight. He said that since I was heavy before pregnancy, he doesn't want me to gain more than 5-10 lbs while pregnant. So far I have gained 1-2 lbs. He said that he will check my weight at every visit and yell at me if I gain too much. He asked if I wanted to see a nutritionist, but I said that I was seeing one before I got pregnant and she was very thorough and I think I understand what I need to do, so no need to see one now.

Upcoming appts:

Jan 24- High risk specialist
Feb 24- next ob appt
March 1- Anatomy scan/ finding out the sex of the baby!

Now, on to the pictures!


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3D view of the spine

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11 weeks 1 day

We just got back from vacation with our families. We told them all about the baby.

When we got to my parents' house, I handed my mother the box with the scrapbook in it. She asked why she was getting a gift early. I told her that we found the box in the car and she should open the card. She opened it- it read "Dear Gramma, could you make this for me? Love Baby S." She started screaming and hugged both of us. Then she called my aunt and grandmother and told them. On Christmas eve, I made her a star that read "Grandma to be" and she wore it to the Duckett family Christmas party to share with everyone. Everyone was really excited for us and we were the center of attention a lot. On Christmas day, we told the rest of the family on my mother's side. For my birthday, we went out to lunch and my aunt got me Chicken Soup for the Expectant Mother's Soul. I also got a Kindle for Christmas and read Pregnancy Sucks, which was a really funny book about the troubles that come with pregnancy.

On Wednesday, we went to Todd's mother's house. We unpacked a little and then exchanged gifts. She opened the charms we got her for her charm bracelet, including one that said "Promoted to Grandma." She studied them for a few minutes, then put them down and started into the rest of her gifts. Todd asked her if she understood what they meant. She went back and read them all aloud. She was silent for a few minutes until Todd said, "Mom, we're not talking about the dogs." She looked at me hard for a minute, then started screaming.

I'm so happy everyone is as excited as they are about the baby. But I'm starting to dislike the attention. We have a lot more people to tell so I'd better get over that!

While we were at my mom's, she brought up the surgery that I had when I was 8 days old. She explained that the doctors had to create my cervical sphincter because the muscles weren't connected. She said that they told her that I will likely have an incompetent cervix when I went to have children. I will need a procedure called Cerclage to prevent early labor and delivery. This is when they put a few stitches in the cervix to hold it closed. I am going to talk to my doctor about it at my next appointment.