That's right! We are officially 9 weeks into this pregnancy! Part of me can hardly believe it, and another part of me wants to complain that it's taking so long. I'm so ready to meet my little one, and I'm looking forward to getting to the fun part of being pregnant (like the kicking and seeing the ultrasound) instead of the not-so-fun parts (like the nausea and exhaustion). But I know when I look back it will be just like Jay's 8 month deployment. It felt like it was taking forever when I was going through it, but by the end it felt like it flew by before I knew what was going on!
According to my Bump phone app the baby is the size of a large olive and:
"This week the embryonic tail disappears. The hands and feet look a lot less like paddles and have more formed fingers and toes. These changes give your baby a more human shape. Your baby's head is still larger than the rest of the body and the eyes are fully developed, but are covered by the eyelids which are fused shut for the next 16 weeks or so. Inside your baby's body the internal reproductive organs are starting to form but will not be quite distinguishable until the next couple of weeks."
The biggest milestone so far has been finding our midwife! I got a recommendation from a family friend and made an appointment for this past Monday. I was prepared with a whole list of questions, everything from how far beyond my due date I would be allowed to go without being induced, to the hospital's policy on IV's. But as soon as I got in the room, I knew that there was no need to ask them.
After a quick introduction, she asked if I had any questions. I told her that most of mine had to do with her and her practice's views on natural childbirth. Instead of bristling like my OB did, she was very relaxed and told me that their philosophy was that women have been birthing babies for many, many years without modern medicine, and that in the majority of non-high risk pregnancies, that she believes the body and the woman can birth without any interventions necessary. I told her that I didn't want to spend the next 7 months trying to convince everyone that I'm not crazy, and I can do this without interventions and pain meds. I wanted to work with someone who believes that I could do this as much or more than I did. I didn't want people looking at me like, "Oh she'll change her mind as soon as she goes into labor". She said that with the research I had done, and all the time and effort I've put into this decision over the years that she has no doubt that I'll be able to have the birth I so desire. She also said that the hospital we will deliver at is the most natural childbirth-friendly hospital in the area! Whew! So, hopefully, no nurse asking me every 5 seconds if I want my epidural yet. And it's is nice to know that I'll have a team leader who I can trust and if she says we need to start thinking about using Pitocin to speed up labor or a c-section that I know we've tried everything else! She also said that nothing will ever be done to me. All decisions and procedures will be discussed and we will come to a decision together. So!Thank!Ful!
So... we finally have our main team member! Yay!! They are going to have my records transferred from the OB's office, so hopefully I won't have to redo any of the blood work, but I will have to have the information session with the nurse again. That appointment is in 4 weeks, and afterwards we'll meet with the midwife for a check up. We should be able to hear the heart beat then! Yay!!!! She tried on Monday but it was too early. She said it was a long shot, although always worth a try. :-)
Physically, I'm doing well. I seem to have avoided the dreaded morning sickness, and I am thankful every day for that! I do however, have to eat every 2 hours (or less). If I don't, then I will get increasingly nauseous. I laugh and tell Jay that he already has this baby on his side when it comes to my bad habit of not eating! He'll pat my belly and say, "Good baby!" For a while i was having problems staying hydrated. Room temperature water (the only way I've ever liked drinking water) was turning my stomach, and I'd had so much Sprite that it was starting to be associated with nausea. Plus I didn't want to be drinking soda all day long. But after reading some posts on a message board I decided to try ice water with a straw which had apparently been the trick for a bunch of other women. And ta-da! It worked. So now I drink straight water all day long, with a soda here or there. I'm still feeling overly tired, but thankfully, have recuperated from the cold I had a couple of weeks ago, so I was at least able to get off the couch over the weekend.
Emotionally, I've been doing very well. Better than I expected actually! With my history of mood difficulties, and diagnosis of Type 2 Bi-polar Disorder, I anticipated having more problems than I am. But thankfully, my meds seem to be keeping up very well. I've noticed a few moods swings similar to PMS, but nothing more major than that, and I am easily able to identify what I'm feeling, alert Jay to it, and take the time to get more rest and not take the feelings out on anyone around me.
Jay is doing wonderfully! He loves talking to the baby and touching my stomach. He refers to both of us often. Usually saying "I love you guys!" or asking what "we" want for dinner. It's adorable and so encouraging. I love knowing that I have a fully committed partner in this adventure.
So, here's to the start of the 3rd month. Looking forward, we should be able to hear the heart beat in only 4 weeks, and then just 7 weeks later we should be able to find out if we are having a boy or a girl! So many exciting things to come!
According to my Bump phone app the baby is the size of a large olive and:
"This week the embryonic tail disappears. The hands and feet look a lot less like paddles and have more formed fingers and toes. These changes give your baby a more human shape. Your baby's head is still larger than the rest of the body and the eyes are fully developed, but are covered by the eyelids which are fused shut for the next 16 weeks or so. Inside your baby's body the internal reproductive organs are starting to form but will not be quite distinguishable until the next couple of weeks."
The biggest milestone so far has been finding our midwife! I got a recommendation from a family friend and made an appointment for this past Monday. I was prepared with a whole list of questions, everything from how far beyond my due date I would be allowed to go without being induced, to the hospital's policy on IV's. But as soon as I got in the room, I knew that there was no need to ask them.
After a quick introduction, she asked if I had any questions. I told her that most of mine had to do with her and her practice's views on natural childbirth. Instead of bristling like my OB did, she was very relaxed and told me that their philosophy was that women have been birthing babies for many, many years without modern medicine, and that in the majority of non-high risk pregnancies, that she believes the body and the woman can birth without any interventions necessary. I told her that I didn't want to spend the next 7 months trying to convince everyone that I'm not crazy, and I can do this without interventions and pain meds. I wanted to work with someone who believes that I could do this as much or more than I did. I didn't want people looking at me like, "Oh she'll change her mind as soon as she goes into labor". She said that with the research I had done, and all the time and effort I've put into this decision over the years that she has no doubt that I'll be able to have the birth I so desire. She also said that the hospital we will deliver at is the most natural childbirth-friendly hospital in the area! Whew! So, hopefully, no nurse asking me every 5 seconds if I want my epidural yet. And it's is nice to know that I'll have a team leader who I can trust and if she says we need to start thinking about using Pitocin to speed up labor or a c-section that I know we've tried everything else! She also said that nothing will ever be done to me. All decisions and procedures will be discussed and we will come to a decision together. So!Thank!Ful!
So... we finally have our main team member! Yay!! They are going to have my records transferred from the OB's office, so hopefully I won't have to redo any of the blood work, but I will have to have the information session with the nurse again. That appointment is in 4 weeks, and afterwards we'll meet with the midwife for a check up. We should be able to hear the heart beat then! Yay!!!! She tried on Monday but it was too early. She said it was a long shot, although always worth a try. :-)
Physically, I'm doing well. I seem to have avoided the dreaded morning sickness, and I am thankful every day for that! I do however, have to eat every 2 hours (or less). If I don't, then I will get increasingly nauseous. I laugh and tell Jay that he already has this baby on his side when it comes to my bad habit of not eating! He'll pat my belly and say, "Good baby!" For a while i was having problems staying hydrated. Room temperature water (the only way I've ever liked drinking water) was turning my stomach, and I'd had so much Sprite that it was starting to be associated with nausea. Plus I didn't want to be drinking soda all day long. But after reading some posts on a message board I decided to try ice water with a straw which had apparently been the trick for a bunch of other women. And ta-da! It worked. So now I drink straight water all day long, with a soda here or there. I'm still feeling overly tired, but thankfully, have recuperated from the cold I had a couple of weeks ago, so I was at least able to get off the couch over the weekend.
Emotionally, I've been doing very well. Better than I expected actually! With my history of mood difficulties, and diagnosis of Type 2 Bi-polar Disorder, I anticipated having more problems than I am. But thankfully, my meds seem to be keeping up very well. I've noticed a few moods swings similar to PMS, but nothing more major than that, and I am easily able to identify what I'm feeling, alert Jay to it, and take the time to get more rest and not take the feelings out on anyone around me.
Jay is doing wonderfully! He loves talking to the baby and touching my stomach. He refers to both of us often. Usually saying "I love you guys!" or asking what "we" want for dinner. It's adorable and so encouraging. I love knowing that I have a fully committed partner in this adventure.
So, here's to the start of the 3rd month. Looking forward, we should be able to hear the heart beat in only 4 weeks, and then just 7 weeks later we should be able to find out if we are having a boy or a girl! So many exciting things to come!
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