17 Weeks

I am laying here in bed and can feel the baby moving around a lot right now. I have started noticing it moving around at night when everything has calmed down and I am lying still. I am still not really showing. I will have to take a pic next week. My good friend is also pregnant and exactly a month behind me and is showing much more than I am. I am very exited to see a baby bump as well.

This week I have just been thinking about things to prepare for another baby around the house:
     Mr. Lucky Bud has been working on installing a washer and dryer in the upstairs of our townhouse. Hurray! He is almost done converting our linen closet into an awesome laundry for me and the washer and dryer will arrive next Saturday!

     Baby Lucky Bud, now 1 is an official walker now! He started a little at 10 months, but really started walking over crawling just a week ago, and finally is starting to get it down and is doing a great job! This is exciting because he is a heavy boy, weighing the same as Little Lucky Bud, and I was hoping he would be steady on his feet before I am big.
     This week I started thinking about how unorganized the storage room and the closets in the bedrooms were, so I went through EVERYTHING and made a HUGE mess. Now I just need to get it all back into order in the basement and I will be all ready to decorate a room for baby #3.

The biggest change for me this week is that I have been starving! I can't seem to eat often enough, and am too hungry to fall back asleep without a snack anytime I wake up in the night. I have noticed that I need more protein and am making that my big goal for next week.

Until then... Have a HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

16 Weeks

I had my 16 week apt. today and got to hear the babies heartbeat again. My midwife found it right away this time and I am so happy right now. I am not really showing yet, and not feeling sick anymore, so it is nice to have a reminder that there really is a baby in there! It is really amazing, I still can't believe it. Our baby should be around 4 1/2 inches from head to rump (about the size of an avocado), and 3 1/2 ounces. Some things that I am looking forward to are: *I signed up for some Bradley childbirth education classes today, which start in mid February. *My next apt. with my midwife is on January 19th, and she will give me an order for my ultrasound. I am really looking forward to getting more information about how the baby is growing, and hopefully the reassurance that everything is fine! (167 days to go!)

14 Weeks

We are officially in the second trimester! Our baby can now squint, frown, grimace, pee and maybe even suck it's thumb! That is amazing! I am feeling great this week. My nausea isn't all the way gone, but it is not bad. I don't really have anything else to report for the week. I am just happy to have passed another week with everything fine. Going off my progesterone after 11 weeks was scary, but it was all fine too. I am so grateful to be pregnant!

Stopping Progesterone

After maybe my 5th blood test, my nurse says I get to go off the progesterone for good. I am a little nervous stopping without testing again to make sure that the placenta starts producing it, but she said that at 13 weeks it would be and that I am done. I am happy to not have to take them, but a little on edge and hope that everything stays fine.

13 Weeks

Today I am 13 weeks pregnant. Our baby is about 3 inches long from crown to rump now. December 3rd marks the start of my second trimester, which is wonderful news. I am feeling so much better these days. I still get sick occasionally, but I am able to hold down meals for the most part, and I don't have the constant feeling of nausea all day that I used to feel. Really I am feeling great right now!

12 Weeks

Today I am 12 weeks into my pregnancy. Here is what is new! 1. Midwife appointment- I had an apt. with my midwife yesterday. It took a while for her to find a heartbeat. At first I was chatting the student midwife, so I wasn't thinking too much about it. Then I started to notice how long it was taking and I started to worry. She did find a good heartbeat though just after and I was so happy. The heart rate was 155 beats per minute. I could hear it so clear, I was so relieved. 2. Progesterone- I went off of my progesterone a week or so ago. In the first trimester when you do IVF, or a FET, you need to supplement your progesterone. If you want to know why you don't have progesterone naturally during IVF go here. Around the 10th to 12th week or so though, the placenta takes over the production of progesterone, so you can go off of the supplements. My levels before I went off the injections were 90. After they were 15. They said that it is natural to have a drop, but then the placenta should kick in and start making it, and if it doesn't, I need to go back on the injections for a bit longer. I took my follow up blood test today, but they forgot to order it as "stat" so I won't get the result until Monday. I called my fertility clinic and they told me to go back on the PIO twice a day until I get my results back :( It is disappointing to have to go back on the shots, but I feel better about going back on them, just in case, since my levels were borderline. 3. Nausea- My Nausea was getting so bad, that I decided to get a prescription medication from my midwife. Today was my first full day taking it, and I feel like a new person. I feel soooo much better. I wasn't able to hold down one meal for three days straight, and was getting very weak, not to mention worried about providing nutrition for the baby. My midwife said that it is 100% safe for the baby, so I wish that I had tried this sooner. 4.Buds- I am currently referring to my kids as Baby Lucky Bud and Little Lucky Bud... but then what do I call baby #3? Any Suggestions????? I could also switch up the names of our Little Buds..but am not sure what I would call them. Let me know if you have any ideas!!! Little Lucky Bud Baby Lucky Bud Name me! 5. Baby Development- This week our babies biggest development will be reflexes. It will start curling toes, opening and closing its fingers and making sucking motions with her/his mouth. S/he is just over 2 inches from crown to rump, and looks something like the photo above.

Look how tiny you are!

Week 11

Today marks the beginning of my 11th week of pregnancy. Not much has changed in the last week. The biggest news is that today I heard from my nurse and I can stop taking my meds!!!! I am so happy! I will take another blood test in five days, and if everything is fine, then I will be out of the care of the fertility clinic, and just overseen by my midwives. I am still nauseous a lot, but trying to stay optimistic that I will feel better soon. We are starting to get past our fears of miscarriage since our doctor told us we could feel better about it after our 9 week ultrasound, so we have told our families. We have also not been too careful about waiting, and have told a few friends, but plan on waiting a couple more weeks before letting everyone know. This week our baby is the size of a small lime, or a fig.

Development:
This is the last week of the embryonic period. From now on, your baby will be called a fetus. As development continues, the fingernails appear this week. External genitalia are beginning to show distinguishing features and the development of male or female will be complete in three weeks. Theplacentas blood vessels increase to provide your baby with the nutrients and oxygen he needs for continued growth. The ears are gradually moving from the neck towards the sides of his head. Inside of the developing abdomen, the intestines are developing. Because the intestines are so large, some of them project into the umbilical cord and they will return to the abdomen within the next week or two