8 Weeks

I am 8 weeks along now in my pregnancy. I don't have too much to report. Everything seems to be going good except I have more nausea than last week. I meet with my midwife for the first time this week, and I have another ultrasound in a week from today. My mom is in town visiting from Seattle. She is at her sisters this week, but is coming to see us on Saturday for a few days, so I am looking forward to seeing her. She is going to come along for my ultrasound. I have talked to Little Lucky Bud (age 2) about the baby since I am always gagging and puking and he was concerned. I tell him that the baby is tickling my tummy and it makes me puke. When I am nauseous he tickles the baby back, then "tucks it in" and says,"shhhh, shhh, shhh" so it will go to sleep and not tickle me anymore. He also likes to show with his hands how the baby will get, "bigger, bigger, bigger....hold the baby." Today Little Lucky Bud woke from his nap and Baby Lucky Bud was still sleeping, so we watched videos of the development of a baby. He liked it a lot, and wanted me to put the videos on for Mr Lucky Bud when he got home. It was very cute.

Development:
your baby is developing at an amazing rate during these early weeks. Eyelid folds and ears are forming. Your baby\'s eyes are still very wide apart on the sides of her head, but will eventually center themselves out. The tip of the nose is actually present at this time as well. On ultrasound you can see that the aortic and pulmonary valves of the heart are present. The tubes that lead from the throat to lungs are branching and your baby\'s torso is getting longer and beginning to straighten out. Just a few weeks ago, your baby\'s arms were tiny buds. Now the elbows are actually present and the arms and legs extend forward and have grown longer. Fingers and toes are becoming visible also.

10 Day Countdown

Only 10 more days remain until I am able to have my 9 week ultrasound. As each day passes I am starting to feel more and more confident that things are going to be okay. I just feel like it will be a huge sigh of relief to have a good 9 week ultrasound and then, as my Dr said, I can start to get excited.

7 Weeks

Well I am 7 weeks along today. It is starting to feel a little more real that I am pregnant, although I still can't believe it. I haven't had many pregnancy symptoms except for nausea, and that comes and goes all day. It is not too bad for now though. I basically feel same as always. I am still pretty anxious especially when I think about the three miscarriages that my sister had last year. I really have no idea what we would do next if anything happens. IVF or using an adopted frozen embryo are our only fertility options, and I just don't think I am up for a third round. My Dr said that I can feel more confident after my 9 week ultrasound, so I am really looking forward to that.

Development:
This week your baby has an amazing growth spurt. At the beginning of this week, your baby is approximately 4 to 5 mm and by the end of the week it has more than doubled to 11 to 13 mm! Your baby weighs approximately 0.03 ounces. Most women are ready for the world to know they are pregnant. Whenever you are ready to spread the news with your friends and family, consider the many unique and creative ways of doing so to make this a special time in your life! Even though you have not changed very much yet, it will come soon! You might have gained a small amount of weight by now, but it should only be a couple of pounds at this time. It is not unusual to lose a few pounds or remain the same though. Internally, cervical mucus is thickening and will form a plug in the cervical canal. The plug seals your cervix throughout the pregnancy and it will be expelled prior to delivery when your cervix begins to dilate. 

Within your developing baby, leg and arm buds are longer now and they have divided into segments where the hands and feet will be. The hands and feet also have an area where the fingers and toes will begin to form. At this point of your pregnancy, the heart is bulging from the body and it has divided into right and left chambers. The hemispheres of the brain are continuing to grow and the air passages into the lungs are visible. The eyes are beginning to get pigment at this time as well. The nose is developing and the beginning of the face can be seen. Likewise, the abdomen is developing quickly and the appendix and pancreas are already present. As the digestive tract is beginning to form, the hindgut is present. The shape of the tail can still be seen, but it will fade in 3 or 4 weeks. 

6 Weeks

Well I am 6 weeks along and my due date is June 8th! I am still very cautiously hopeful. It is hard to get my hopes up too much when my Dr. is so hesitant. He says not to get excited until after my 9 week ultrasound. I have my 6 week ultrasound tomorrow and I can't wait to see how it goes!!! I really hope that everything is okay! The Dr said that he expects it to be one baby from my HCG levels, although you can never know for sure. I guess we will find out tomorrow! My biggest fear is that I will go in, and nothing will show up at all:(

Development for this week:
Facial features are visible, including a mouth and tongue. The eyes have a retina and lens.
The digestive system starts forming, beginning with the first cells of the stomach and the intestine. 
There are small indentations in the head, ready for the development of facial features, eyes, and ears. The outline of the jaw starts to form.

6 Week Ultrasound

I had my ultrasound today! I honestly didn't expect anything to show up on the screen. Something did though, and we are expecting one baby! We even got to see the heartbeat. It is very exciting! I am going to try to stay positive and not worry too much. It is hard when the odds seem stacked against us at times. It is so exciting to actually see it though!

Second Beta Results

Beta #1 was 138 Beta #2 (3days later) 489! Hooray!!! I am so relieved. I am still very scared though. Last summer my sister had a miscarriage at 13 weeks, followed by two chemical pregnancies, so the possibility of a miscarriage seems so real. Also, after 6 years of TTC, it doesn't seem possible that I can actually be pregnant. It is funny, I can easily imagine adopting again. I can see the whole process from start to finish. I just can't visualize being pregnant, getting a belly, having morning sickness, or giving birth at all. It is really hard to believe that I could really be pregnant! I am so happy though, and so excited. I can have my 6 week ultrasound on the 11th. That is crazy! That is just a week away! I am leaving on a road trip to Michigan with the kids on Wednesday and won't be back by then, so I will probably schedule it for the 13th. I am so excited to see how many babies are in there! I am going to write the donor couple tonight to let them know I am pregnant. I am a little worried that it might be emotional for them. Often people make the decision to donate their embryos, but then once there is actually a recipient, it makes it all so real and there are a lot of emotions that come with it. I know that they struggled some during the whole decision process, but decided that it was the logical thing to do. It all happened relatively quickly on their side, (we selected them, they agreed, I did my cycle a few days later, and BAM! I am pregnant!) so I hope it doesn't come as too much of a shock to them that I actually became pregnant on the first try. I am sure they will be very happy for us though.
Week 5 Development:
As early as this week, the plate that will become the heart has developed. Your baby's brain, spinal cord, muscles, and bone formation are also beginning to form. The baby's skeleton is forming at this time as well. The embryo has a distinct organization that has a top, bottom, left, right, front and back.