8 weeks

Krew's Measurements:
Head circumference: 41 cm (at birth, 34 cm)
Length: 59 cm (at birth, 53 cm)
Weight: 11 lbs 14 oz (at 4 weeks, 9 lbs 12 oz; at birth, 8 lbs 5 oz)

As you can see, he's been growing. A LOT. His eyes most definitely track moving objects now, though sometimes it seems laggy, and his most favourite object to stare at (besides me) are bright lights, either natural or artificial.

Krew dropped the midnight feeding a couple weeks ago and just recently dropped the 3 a.m. feeding as well. So this means that he lets me sleep until 4:30 or 5 a.m.! It's amazing how wide awake I feel when I go in to feed him. He also will sleep again after that feeding and wake up again around 7:30, but then wants to be up at that point. I hope this amazing change stays. It really messes with my system to wake up between 2 and 4 a.m. and then I just end up super cranky.

Krew also rolled over for the first/only time last week! I'm pretty sure it was accidental, but he did it in the little office cradle we have. Unfortunately, we both missed it, but Kevin did catch the movement out of the corner of his eye. The video below shows him attempting it (immediately after rolling over) but then he started to get frustrated.

In this next video you can see him smiling, as well as see how he focuses when he hears music.

The other day he was being super fussy, which was incredibly stressful for both me and him. He wouldn't eat more than an ounce at a time and then would screech horribly when I would try to feed him more. He finally settled down in the late afternoon and I was then able to feed him a full bottle. Just yesterday I noticed he did it again, but with a specific bottle. I poured his milk into a different bottle (one that I knew he liked) and he finished it. That means his issues were with his bottle and not him. While I'm happy that it's an issue that is fixable, I feel like a jerk for not catching on earlier since the bottle that Krew had finished was a different style from the ones he wouldn't drink out of.

When I was in the doctor's office, I asked her about my legs since they are still incredibly swollen, but also had developed rash-like markings near my ankles. She said they were broken blood vessels and that a woman's body is supposed to go back to normal after having a baby, not develop issues like swollen feet/ankles/legs. She said that I have good circulation in my feet, but I'm going to be getting some blood work done to rule out potential issues, with my thyroid for example. In the mean time I've (finally!) picked up some compression socks that should help keep the discomfort of the swelling to a minimum.

Good times.

Week #30

Hello, week 30. I just realized that I have a maximum of 12 weeks left. 10 till my due date, and an extra 2 in case he refuses to leave, at which point he will be forcefully evicted. I just hope he decides to show up earlier than that so I don't have to have to be induced or have a C-section.

I've been talking with a friend of mine lately about doing some maternity shots, which I am super excited about! We've been chatting about doing some dance poses, and since she took dance with me last year she will be able to make sure that I'm standing properly in the picture, lol.

I have decided that I can't wait till he's born; however, this sentiment comes from the knowledge that his birth will mean that I have my body (read: bladder) all to myself again. And for this, I cannot wait. I haven't been able to sleep on my stomach since probably month 3 or slightly earlier, since the pressure on my uterus was uncomfortable. He's also very fidgety, so if he's born he can flail all he wants and I don't have to know about it! I'll also be able to breathe properly again, which I'm very excited about. And tie my shoes. I've loosely laced my shoes so then I can just slip them on and off, but I hate loose shoes. The heartburn can just go diaf too.

On Thursday I went back to the lab for my confirmation testing of gestational diabetes. This involved having blood drawn (for a control, I assume), drinking another, more potent, sugary drink, waiting an hour before drawing blood, and then waiting another hour before drawing blood again. I hate needles, so this was not a good time for me. Actually, that's not true; I had just decided after the second needle that this wasn't so bad and that I must be getting better. And then needle 3 came along, and it seemed, imo, that the nurse look longer to finish drawing blood for #2, so I suggested a different arm. However, my left arm sucks and there really isn't a vein in the crook of my elbow, so the woman took it from the outside of my crease, towards my elbow. I thought that this was a novel idea and why had no one ever done this before?! And when she drew blood, I understood why: it hurts like hell.

The kid is now around 1.32 kg (or just under 3 lbs) and is around 40 cm (15.71 inches) from crown to heel. Good news: there's only 10 weeks left. Bad news: he, the placenta and my uterus are all going to keep growing until he makes his grand entrance.

By now my little guy should be able to produce his own red blood cells, instead of by tissue groups called "blood islands." His brain is developing convolutions (ridges) which increases the surface area to hold more brain cells. His nerve cell transmission will speed up with the help due to myelin (fatty substance that coats the outside of the nerve cells), and his lanugo will be nearly gone by now. His hair (if any) should be in now, as well as his wee toenails.

How am I feeling? I was feeling incredibly tired at the beginning of the week. I also felt sick. That's passed though, so I'm feeling better and more motivated now.

What am I craving this week? Not too much.

Mood swings? No, not really. I only get those if something happens all the time and it just builds up until melt-down.

Any baby purchases? No.

What about the nursery? Same.

Doctor's appointment next week!

Doctor Appointment #8

From now on I'll be seeing my doctor every other week until week #36, at which point I will go every week until the baby is born. At least I think it's week 36 - I just tried double checking and gave up after 2 sites.

The doctor's appointment went well: I saw Dr. Brenckmann again. I've probably seen her the most frequently, and I really like her, so this is working out well for me. When it came time to check his heart rate, the kid just would not comply! Plus she got kicked for her efforts, lol. By the time she was able to find his heart, he wouldn't sit still and rolled twice on her. She decided that based on what she was able to hear it sounded good, and he was obviously doing well if he was moving that much.

I tested borderline for gestational diabetes - meaning I have to do a more comprehensive test soon. So while I didn't test positive...I didn't test negative either. This means that after a 10 hour fast I'll have to drink another sugary drink (which will be twice as potent) and then wait 2 hours before they draw blood. Goody, more needles.

If I do test positive, it's possible to control the diabetes with proper diet; but it also means that the likelihood of acquiring diabetes when I'm older skyrockets. (Note: having gestational diabetes does not give you diabetes later, but the strain of pregnancy brings it out, just like old age. Gestational diabetes is actually a glimpse into the future of your diabetic health.) Gestational diabetes, for those who don't know, means that my body is unable to produce enough insulin to keep up with high sugar levels, and the side effects on my child could be large birth weight, low blood sugar, and/or jaundice. Fortunately, if I do get it, it should disappear after giving birth (unless it rears its ugly head again in the future as Type II diabetes).

Week #28 - 7 months

7 months. Is it just me or is time slipping away faster now?

I finally did my glucose tolerance test on Monday and it wasn't as bad as I'd originally feared. I did drink a sugary orange drink - but it was very reminiscent of the orange pop that McDonald's used to serve. The drink did get nastier by the end, but it was still tolerable. I got pretty jittery after I drank it and later that afternoon I had a major sugar crash. The woman who drew my blood after the allotted 1 hour wait was pleasant and she's my favourite (she makes it not hurt). I haven't heard back about my results, but I am going to see my doctor next week, so hopefully I'll know then. Gestational diabetes only affects 2-7% of pregnancies, and rapid weight gain at this stage of pregnancy would be indicative of a positive result. However, I'm still growing at the same rate, so I'm hoping I'm ok.

Baby K now weighs in at just over 1000 grams (or 2.22 lbs) and is now 37.6 cm (14.80 inches). 11 weeks ago my kid only weighed in at 100 grams, so he now weighs 10 times what he weighed then. My uterus is now about 8 cm above my belly button and 28 cm above my pubic symphysis. At this stage my weight gain should be between 16 and 22 lbs (I'm at 19 lbs).

Baby K's brain has started to develop the characteristic grooves and indentations that are found in mature brains. His eyelashes and eyebrows are present, and his hair should now be growing longer. His eyes are now unfusing and should open sometime this week. He'll be able to see light and dark, but not objects. His fat deposits are growing, so he's starting to look chubbier. By now his little body should be made up of 2-3% fat. His muscle tone is improving and it is not uncommon for a baby's movements to wake the mother. So far I haven't woken up because of his movements; however, for several weeks I've had a harder time falling asleep at night because he's kicking.

How am I feeling? I have started waking up a little more frequently at night, so there are times when I feel like I didn't sleep well. However, I feel like I'm getting my body on to a schedule so then I can sleep deeper at night since I'm actually tired. If I am super tired I just stay in bed longer that morning. Also, realizing I have 3 months left (give or take) didn't send me into the panic that it normally does. I'm starting to become more excited about his arrival, but I still have my anxiety issues surrounding the change.

What am I craving this week? To be quite honest, I feel as though my appetite has changed and that food tastes differently - but not necessarily for the better. I find I notice texture more now than before and that I can taste the salt in everything. It isn't appetizing.

Mood swings? I've been really irritated with Facebook lately - and the passive-agressive bitchiness that seems to be going on. I just wish I could get rid of the whole thing and not have to deal with those who annoy me. So, I've taken liberties to "hide" people instead. Now my Facebook feed is only from those who don't piss me off.

Any baby purchases? No.

What about the nursery? No change.

Doctor Appointment #4 & Fetal Heart Rate #1

I heard the heart beat today. *loves!*  According to Dr. Fredeen, the average speed was 155 beats per minute and he even said that he could hear the baby moving around.   Also, according to this website, I'm having a girl based on the heart rate!  LOL!  Anyone want to change their guesses for the baby pool?  ;)  I'm getting my 18 week ultrasound done on November 30 (which would actually put me at nearly 20 weeks. /lame) but we've requested gender identification.  Actually, having it done a little later might mean that it'll be easier to tell - unless the kid squirms a lot, lol.

I nearly had to do another round of blood testing, since the lab didn't send the clinic my results.  I would have been really upset if I had to go back, considering how much it hurt last time.  Luckily, the receptionist was able to find it all.  The results of the blood work were that everything was normal; I'm HIV negative (no real doubt, but it's always nice to know for sure!) and I'm producing tons of rubella antigens, which is good since I was vaccinated against them when I was younger.

(Oh, and PS - I asked the Dr how fast the heart rate is, but it was very faint in the video, so that's what the 155 is when he answers).

All around, excellent day, except for the horrible bout of morning sickness this morning. :(

Week #9 + 4 days

So, I did blood tests on both Friday and Monday, with a follow-up Dr's appointment this morning to see what was going on.  And?  They don't know.  My results were up slightly higher on Monday than Friday, but still lower than average (while still being in the normal range).

The Doctor (Dr. Cosio) then decided to feel my uterus - but it turns out that it tilts backwards, so she was unable to feel it to see if it was the normal size for how far along I am.

Out of hope, we tried to find the fetal heartbeat, but were unable - which is common for under 12 weeks pregnant since the uterus sits behind the pelvis until then. 

Dr. Cosio managed to pull some strings so I could get an ultrasound this afternoon - at 1:30 pm - so I guess we'll know more definitely then.  In the meanwhile, I'm going to have to pretty much drown myself so that I'll be hydrated enough (while not going to the bathroom) to see the baby - and hopefully its heartbeat.

Last night I was asked to step down as manager, which I did willingly since I was going to step down anyway.  He said that he could see how stressed I was and when I explained that I was pregnant, he said that I definitely shouldn't be so stressed.  I'll be paid out till the end of the month, regardless of how much I work, plus I have a ton of vacation pay coming my way.  In the meanwhile, I'll try to relax and find another job.  On the plus side, I'm completely freed up to go to my Dr's appointments as needed, especially the ultrasound this afternoon!  And if we find no sound where there should be a heartbeat, I'm going to need a few days to recover.

I'll just re-iterate that Dr. Cosio is optimistic because my levels did go up, so I'm hoping for the best, while preparing for the worst.

Week #9 & Doctor Appointment #3

So, I know I'm a day late posting this, but I had a really good reason.  Having said that, I'll go over the reason after I'm done talking about the development.

This week the baby has doubled in weight from 1 gram to 2 grams and has grown to 2.3 cm (about the size of a medium green olive).  The flippers look like arms now, complete with long fingers that nearly touch over the waist.  The legs and toes are still developing and the neck is more erect.  External ears are developed and the eyelids are almost finished forming.  The baby has even started moving around now!  Another bonus?  It even looks more human than last week.

My uterus is about the size of a grapefruit, which explains why I can't sit forward as well as I used to.  And my weight gain should be increasing.  I already think I have a little bump, but that could just be mainly me, lol.  As it is, my waist line will be going up along with the numbers on the scale.

Vitamin C is very important and aids in tissue development, iron absorption and may prevent pre-eclampsia (with eclampsia being seizures and convulsions).  In other words, vitamin C is good, but only as long as you don't exceed the 85 mg daily dosage.

How am I feeling?  Right now?  Better than yesterday.  However, work has been so stressful for me lately, and between dancing and work I barely have time to eat.  I'm exhausted more often than not (I even fell asleep twice on a 3 hour car ride!) and I find it uncomfortable to sit upright or even leaning forward.

Any weird cravings?  I'd say cookies, but that isn't weird for me!  I find that I get very spontaneous cravings and I nearly obsess about it until it is satisfied.  Luckily for me, I'm able to get it myself since I'm usually out and about.  And if not that day, then the next.

Mood swings?  Still weepy, but that could be caused by stress too.

Any body changes?  I do feel like I have a little bump, since it is firmer than it was a couple weeks ago (unfortunately!).  However, I do think that it's my own ponch forced outwards by my growing uterus.

Now on to the news.  On Thursday night before I went to bed I noticed blood on my underwear - and immediately burst into tears.  I did read in my Mother of All Pregnancy Books book that bleeding, coupled with cramping, could be a symptom of miscarriage.  Which is why I freaked out.  However, it did also say that it could just be bleeding, so the next morning I called the clinic and made an appointment for that morning.  I was fortunate that Kevin was also able to take some time off and support me through this.  I called in sick and let my friend know (who also knew I was pregnant) that I wasn't going to be coming in that morning.

At the clinic the doctor did a cervical exam and noted that the blood was coming from my cervix; however, the cervix, while slightly open, wasn't completely open, which is another sign of miscarriage.  Her suggestion was to move on to the next step, which was tracking the pregnancy hormone Bhcg through blood work.  If I was still pregnant, the hormone should double daily.  Since it was Friday, we did the blood work then and will do it again on Monday, with the results discussed on Tuesday. 

I am optimistic though; I was only ever spotting, I didn't pass any tissues and the bleeding has since stopped.  Plus, the cramping never occurred, so I'm hoping that it was just first trimester bleeding.

This was definitely the scariest moment of my entire pregnancy and made me realize how much I wanted the baby to survive.  There have been times when I didn't think I could handle it and that maybe it would be best to miscarry so we could have more time for this or that, but now I'm convinced that I want this baby.  I've also decided to step down as manager of my Cafe - even though I took the job so I could have the baby!  I think I need to put myself first and a pay cut with 1/4 the stress is so worth it.  I've already told the previous manager that I'm ready and she's fine with stepping up now instead of April.  I just need to tell my own boss! 

Even since I found out I was pregnant I've been ready to move on and I'm convinced that the stress that I've been under for the past month and a half has not been beneficial to my growing baby.  I need time for myself, and I especially need time to relax!  I plan to find another job and work part-time, which would free me up for online schooling. 

I also want to thank my fabulous friends for being so supportive!  You're awesome!

Blood Work

I hate needles.  With a passion.

I went in today to get some bloodwork done - the standard stuff.  And I was already anxious about it, so when the nurse told me that she needed to do both arms, it figured.  It really did.  She looked at the vein in the right arm and said she should've started with that arm, but it hurt!  I could feel it the entire time and I guess I should be glad I didn't hyperventilate.  So, now I have two sore arms and they'll probably bruise, that's how awesome it felt.

How often do I have to get this done? 

Doctor's appointment on Friday for the physical.  What an awesome week.

Doctor Appointment #1

I had my first doctor's appointment today - Aug 26, 2010 - and it was just a medical background check, question period.  And I can't remember the guy's name.  And I think he said he was just filling in, so I'm assuming that I'll be seeing someone the next time??  If not, I'll find out his name!

I received a huge stack of booklets, pamphlets, etc:
*Baby's Best Chance: Parent's Handbook of Pregnancy and Baby Care (BC Goverment)
*Prenatal Genetic Screening pamphlet (Provincial Health Services Authority)
*Your Baby's Journey: Prince George's guide to services and information from pregnancy to parenting (Northern Health Authority)
*forms for blood work
*Parents Canada magazine
*Prenatal registry

Wow.  So, we talked about health history, both mine and my family's, as well as drink/drug/smoking usages.  Since I don't do any of those, I think we're good to go.  We did discuss prenatal genetic testing - which would test to see if my baby could have trisomy 25, down syndrome or spinabifida - but usually those tests are more relevant if the mother's age is over 35.  Since those tests are invasive, they're only helpful if the baby is at risk of a genetic defect.  And if you plan on doing anything about it (abortion, adoption, etc).  If you're just curious, it would definitely not be recommended.

I have another appointment scheduled for September 10th and I should definitely have my blood taken by then, so we'll do a physical exam as well as discuss results from that!