9 Weeks!

Today marks 9 weeks of pregnancy for us! I can't wait for the first trimester to be over and behind us so the chance of miscarriage decreases significantly! I will always have worries though until this little angel is out and screaming!!!

Tomorrow I have my first appointment with our high risk perinatologist. I am so excited to see our tiny tadpole again and am praying that he/she will measure right on track with where it should be. They have great ultrasound machines and flat screen tv's on the wall so you can see everything the tech sees! I am so thankful that God put this DR in my life. I had heard his name before and while I was pregnant early on with Joshua, there was a huge article in the PNJ about him and the high risk patients he sees. I thought that alot of the things he treated patients for sounded like my symptoms, so I insisted that my OB refer me to him. They tested me for everything in the book and did genetic counceling with us as well. I was elated to finally have a explaination for the losses we had gone through. They gave us a course of treatment and we had a healthy, wonderful angel boy in the end!

I am so excited to try a product I saw on Good Morning America. It is a baby gender predictor that is sold over the counter and says it can be used as early as 10 weeks. You pee in the cup full of chemicals/hormones and after 10 minutes, it turns orange for a girl and green for a boy. The website says it is 90% accurate in labs and 82% in real world studies. So yes....I am falling for the "As Seen On TV" scam. It is a whoppin $35 but my curiosity gets the best of me! I can't wait to waste my money on this product!

I hope to have many ultrasounds to share tomorrow showcasing our healthy beautiful tadpole!

A few changes...

Well, before I post my 9 week update tomorrow, I thought I'd chronicle my journey through the last few days. I don't think I mentioned in my last post about my visit to the ER last week. It was on Friday morning in my 7th week, as soon as I woke up I knew something wasn't right. My stomach was hurting so bad and I thought I just had a virus or food poisoning but after about an hour, I was finally able to coach my 2 year old Joshua on where to find the phone and bring it to me. I called Jeremy at work from the hallway floor. I was crying so hard I don't think he even knew half of what I was saying but he knew I was in pain! So, he rushes home and has to pick me up out of the floor and dress me. I have never been in so much pain in my life- even labor with Nathan when I was screaming "let me die!" didn't hurt this bad. It was low down in my stomach on the left. My OB said to go to the ER immediately because it could be an ectopic pregnancy.

Jeremy dropped me off at the door and I walk in hunched over and all I could get out of my mouth was, "I'm pregnant and I'm dying." They rushed me back and wheeled me through the hallway on a bed- wouldn't even let me walk. They started an IV, then started sucking my blood out left and right. Then, they proceed to put a catheter in me which I thought was going to be the death of me! In the midst of this, they push Jeremy out of the room and tell him that they need to make sure they aren't dealing with life or death. He was crying and I was screaming in pain! Finally, I was able to get some morphine which slowly started to work!

They sent in a lady to do an ultrasound. She filled my bladder through the catheter which is HORRIBLE in case you've never had that done! She wouldn't let me see the screen or tell me if there was a baby in there or if it was alive or dead. I remember calling her a robot and telling Jeremy that the robot was trying to kill me. I also remember crying out loud and saying, "I don't have a mama..." Not sure if I've ever been given morphine before but I wanted some to take home! haha!

In the end, they had no explanation for the excruciating pain I had. They told me a possible twisted ovary or ruptured cyst. Whatever it was, I don't want ever again!!

So, I called my work when I got home Friday afternoon about 2:00. I talked to the new front desk lady who clearly has a problem with me for no reason. I tell her what happened and that I didn't think I should come in the next day because I'm usually alone on Saturdays at work and didn't want to get stuck there in the floor of the office if it happened again. She told me "No problem, I'll take care of it. You just get better." So, apparently, she just told everyone I was sick...I'm sure they thought I called out because of morning sickness or something stupid.

Well, I go to work last week on Thursday. I give my boss some earrings she had ordered from me. Everyone seems normal. I see the broker in the elevator and we have friendly small talk. They send me to lunch, then send the new girl when I get back. I went to the bathroom while she was gone and had some spotting/ really light bleeding. I messaged my boss upstairs and told her that I had a little bleeding and thought I should probably go home and call the DR. She writes back, "I'll be right down."

When she comes down, there was never any question about whether I was hurting or if I was ok...NOTHING! She says to me that they had "budget talks." I said "Ok, I know, there is no reason to have 2 people working on one day." She tells me that they would try to call me back in December or something...

Please keep in mind I had been promised time and time again a raise in October. They pay the other 2 ladies $5 an hour more than me. I liked the people I worked with and my job, so I hung in there and thought my patience would pay off.

I get a call today from an agent who talked to the broker last Friday. He told her that they let me go because I wasn't happy and I didn't like it there. Plus, there was alot of things I couldn't do now like moving tables and chairs. This agent said to him, "You know she's pregnant right?" He responds, "Oh yes, but she can't do those things that we need her to." And, she proceeds to tell him, " You know she has lost 2 babies, right?" Of course he didn't know and I hope he felt like a (excuse this) ASS! He also said that I started not showing up and calling in sick. Out of a year that I worked there, the day after my ER visit was the only day I called in sick. I also took a day off for my son's birthday. So, I don't know where that is coming from. I just hope he sleeps well at night with the decisions he made. I also love how loosely he translates the company motto of "God first, then family, then business." However, I'm sure what goes on in the "small people's" lives is no concern for him....

8 Weeks!

Today was my first real OB apointment. They didn't do much other than the pee test, weight check, and blood pressure. The doctor took me back to look with the ultrasound machine, but my bladder was empty and my uterus was tilted so she couldn't see anything. She did manage to get the lady at the hospital to squeeze me in at the end of the day. I had to chug alot of water to fill my bladder and waiting about an hour. She still couldn't see much with the abdominal ultrasound, but was able to get an overall view of things. Then we resorted to the old fun vaginal ultrasound.

She did 2 different measurements to confirm my due date. By my last period and 100% certain day that we conceived, I would have been 8 weeks along today. One of her measurements came out with me being 6 weeks and 4 days and the other (crown to rump measurement) was 7 weeks. As you can imagine, I wasn't happy with either number- especially when I know for sure what my dates were. Plus, the 6 week measurement would mean that I would have gotten a positive pregnancy test when I was 2 weeks pregnant which anyone who has been pregnant knows that your first 2 weeks of pregnancy, you really aren't pregnant at all, it accounts for your period and ovulation. Which makes her 6 weeks 4 days measurement completely impossible.

Needless to say, this is discouraging for me, but non the less, there is a baby in there with a strong heart beat (which was a whoppin 161!)

So pray that my baby is fine and normal and really 8 weeks along and will continue to grow and is just a little runt!

7 Weeks!

So today marks 7 weeks for our little baby! The weeks just cannot go by fast enough for me!! We will finally go to our real first OB appointment a week from today, where they should do our first ultrasound! I cannot wait for all of my worries and fears to hopefully be put to rest! We were talking about how easy this has been so far. I practically have no symptoms of pregnancy, as far as not being nauscious, or having heart burn (which I had from day 1 in all of my other pregnancies). Jeremy said yesterday, "What if the baby isn't growing?" Which made me also think, "What if the baby isn't growing...?" Then made me want to slap him, so I reply with, "Well, something's growing in there cause my stomach is growing!"

I keep going back and forth with when I should shout it from the roof top that we're expecting another baby. I just don't know what the right time is, and it is becoming pretty obvious VERY FAST by my appearance! I think I will come clean to all of our friends and the people I work with next week after we know everything is progressing like it is supposed to.

So, I have no news to report for 7 weeks other than my body is rapidly expanding. I'm gonna start putting spare change away for my tummy tuck after all this!

6 Weeks!

So, check out my stomach! I am convinced that I am going to birth octopulets! There is no way I should be this huge already. Maybe I'm harboring some massive tumor or something because this just isn't normal! None of my clothes fit anymore but I refuse to wear maternity clothes this early!

Nathan's birthday was this weekend. He had a good time, but cried later in the day when I asked if he had a good birthday. He was upset that no kids came (well, 1 girl did). It breaks my heart because he is so desperate for friends. I wonder if you can put out a "personal ad" for friends for your children?

My first official OB appointment is still 2 weeks away. I've already done everything that they typically do at the initial appointment except the ultrasound! I can't wait!!

5 Weeks!

Got the call from my OB today... My HCG levels went from 69 to 149 in almost 3 days. I know they are supposed to double every 2 days so I would have liked to see a larger second number, but the nurse said it was fine. My progesterone was a 41 which she said couldn't be better. She did say that my HCG levels were low but it is ok because it's still early. Not reassuring enough for me though!

So, I am still hanging in terror, but at least I have proof that it is progressing. My stomach is already way more huge and bloated than normal...I know I'm fat, but not usually this fat! (Notice the bruises I'm already getting from these stupid shots!) I don't know if I'll be able to walk 8 months from now!

Jeremy is convinced that our tiny baby will be a girl because I have not felt sick and haven't had any heart burn (except once). I had severe heart burn with both boys from the time they were conceived! So, he's hoping for a girl! By the way, our baby's heart should have started beating this week!