Long-due update

Hi everyone!

I haven’t had much to write about since our exciting 12 week ultrasound, but I suppose I’m due for an update 🙂

As soon as I hit my second trimester, I started feeling better immediately. The nausea hasn’t subsided completely, and seems to show up in rare but short and intense bouts of violent vomiting. I had one of these episodes on on the day before Christmas Eve, and ended up pissing my pants in the process (what fun!). I’m starting to amp up my Kegels (I do about 5-7min daily), but I have a feeling all this progesterone is just loosening everything and that maybe partial incontinence is just a part of this pregnancy (gah!). I also had intense nausea after Christmas Eve dinner just as Santa was coming to deliver presents (no vomiting this time), but luckily my mother-in-law, who’s a doctor, gave me some acupressure treatment over in a corner, and I was eventually able to join in the present opening madness.

My belly is also growing. I’ve graduated from just kind of feeling fat to feeling and actually looking pregnant. Of course my belly isn’t that big yet, but it’s definitely a belly. And it feels funny to hug people. Because I was feeling so sick throughout my entire first trimester I was barely able to train at the gym, and was just teaching the bare minimum of my classes. I was also kind of forced to just eat what I could keep down, which wasn’t always necessarily the healthiest choices. So… I’ve gained not so much weight, but body fat. (And yes I know it’s supposed to happen…)

As a short backstory, I was depressed some years back and the combination of that and the medication made me gain a bunch of weight. In the past year and a half preceding our TTC project, I was able to lose around 15kg (just over 30lbs) while gaining muscle mass. I was in quite muscular, buff shape last spring…and felt amazing about my body. Then when getting pregnant got more difficult, it was obviously something we had to focus on, and I just didn’t have the mental capacity or energy to focus on my body anymore. With all the injectable hormones to boot, I started gaining body fat last march-april…and I was just getting back to my “normal” self after our summer break, when we started the IVF process… and the rest is history. Now I know gaining weight and body fat is a part of the pregnancy, and I’m trying very hard to find peace with it. But the combination of not being to exercise or eat properly for a personal trainer… it’s tough! Anyone else having some trouble with accepting your changing body…? Needless to say, I’m excited to FINALLY get back to the gym this week.

Anyway, I AM enjoying my bump. I’m elated that most of the nausea is gone. I’m super excited about listening to our baby with the Doppler, because NOW, you can clearly hear the different chambers of the heart! It’s no longer just an even thumping, but a distinct: Ka-THUMP, Ka-THUMP, Ka-THUMP… AND the sound is so loud now that our baby is getting bigger. Baby is also quite active–once you locate the heartbeat, you have to keep moving the sensor because baby does NOT want to stay still 🙂 And I’m convinced I’ve felt the baby move a few times. Like a faint little tickle in my belly 🙂

And as a treat, a belly picture!

Holy Moly Baby!

So this morning we had our 12 week scan, the second time we’ve seen our baby since it was a tiny 9mm blob at week 7.

All I can say, is wow!!. Our tiny blob has since developed into an actual baby with 10 fingers and toes and brain lobes and an umbilical cord and a cute belly. And with voluntary movements like sucking its thumb! can you believe it? Little one is 63mm from head to rump, just under 6,5cm and is already sucking its thumb!!

When the midwife started the scan baby was turning around doing somersaults and was truly showing off every part of this newly developed body. We could barely get a picture because of how active it was! At one point i tried to coax baby to show us her profile view so the midwife could measure the neck–to determine risk for Down’s etc.–and baby put both hands over its ears as if (already) refusing to listen to me! heheee! Baby is very much alive and there’s no sign of chromosomal abnormalities. I’m so relieved!

Also Monday I’ve had sudden d nearly total relief from the nausea and fatigue. Boom!

EDIT: I had originally posted a picture of our ultrasound, but I started to feel like maybe it wasn’t a good idea to publically post something that feels so private. I also don’t want to find our picture floating around the internet, though the picture would have made a beautiful example of the 12 week ultrasound. So.. no picture this time, at least not until there’s a privacy setting that let’s me specifically choose who gets to see it.

Maternitywear!

Last week I finally started showing a little bit, and this weekend it seems like my belly is really starting to come out. By now the uterus should have lifted up and out of the pelvis, so my lower abdomen is clearly starting to distend and round out. (As a result, I can’t stop holding my hand on my belly and just touching it! It’s so incredible!)

Last wednesday during orchestra rehearsal I started to feel very uncomfortable sitting (rehearsal is 3 hours) and realized that even the low waistband of my jeans presses against my belly. This pressure just feels incredibly uncomfortable–kind of like you just have this need to stretch out all the time…. and…

then a few days later I tried to wear a different set of jeans, which come up much higher on the waist, and I realized after spending several hours in them, that they just weren’t going to work anymore.

So today, we dared the christmas shopping masses, and ventured out to a mall and I finally tried on some maternity pants! What relief and comfort! In a few days I’ll be jumping into my second trimester, so this is perfect 🙂

This weekend I also picked up a packaged from the post office containing a few maternity shirts (for when I’m a bit further along), which feel amazing!

In other news it seems like the nausea might actually be subsiding a little. At least I’ve gotten a few easier days in there every now and then.

Week 11 Update

I’ve been pretty quiet recently, mostly because all I’ve got to say is more of the same, more of the same.

I’ve just begun my 12th week of pregnancy (11 weeks+ 0 days-11 weeks+6 days). The little life inside me will by about 5cm by the end of the week and all of its organs are not only finished developing, but start to function this week! The placenta should be taking over this hormone production giving me a break—but so far, I’m still as nauseated as ever. Oh Sunday was fun–I could barely be upright without throwing up. I didn’t feel better until around 11pm.

After nearly 3 months of feeling sick, I can tell you I’m tired of it. I’m still exhausted, and my body is clearly telling me to rest. I just decided that at work I’ll no longer carry or move weights for my clients-they get to do all of the carrying from now on. Lifting heavy things makes me puke.

My lower abdomen is clearly rounding and I’m actually starting to show a little! Normal clothes feel uncomfortable on my belly–everything has to go over or under. I just spent a bunch of €€ on new work (sports) clothes to accommodate this growing belly and swelling… everything. I’m certain that by Christmas there will be no more question about my pregnancy. And even though it’s been just nearly 3 months, even though I’ve been so sick and have experienced pretty much every pregnancy symptom on the planet, it’s still hard to believe I’m going to be someone’s parent. I don’t feel like a mother. I’ve just been at awe at my body’s changes without too much concern for the (not so distant) future.

Next week on Wednesday we have our next ultrasound, where we’ll finally get to see our baby again! Thankfully, we’ve got our little nifty Doppler, with which we’ve been able to listen to the comforting sounds of a quickly thumping heartbeat. There’s really someone there!