Baby Update: 33 Weeks

I am still hanging in there with this baby. This afternoon I had my weekly OB appointment and Baby Moore passed the biophysical profile with flying colors. However, my amniotic fluid level is back up to 24cm (it was down to 21cm last week, but like I said before, these measurements are not perfect).

I can definitely tell that the fluid increased again... This week was pretty miserable compared to last week. I constantly have to pee (especially at night – like every 5 minutes – sorry TMI) and continue to be generally uncomfortable. My Braxton Hicks have also picked up again this week. This made me very anxious the night of our big snow when all of the roads off the mountain were essentially shut down. I will feel much better when winter is officially over!

This morning I had a dental appointment. The dental hygienist was short and had the chair very low with my head slightly below my feet. This was not an ideal way to spend 20 minutes when I already have extra pressure on my lungs, not to mention crazy heartburn! Drinking coffee before my appointment may not have been the best idea, but I survived. Even if I was a little light headed afterward.

I think that Jack and Sophie are determined to make me ready for the sleepless nights ahead. This week, Sophie has woken me up to go outside in the middle of the night and Jack has gotten up at 5:30am on several occasions. I'm not ready to give up my sleep yet!

The best thing from today's OB appointment is that my OB gave me a note to give to the high-risk OB if I was feeling bullied about any decisions. Essentially it says they have to clear anything through her before they tell me I need to deliver early or have a procedure like an amnioreduction. I am so glad to have a doctor that listens to me and has my back.

Baby #2, 33 Weeks

Comparison: Pregnant with Jack, 33 Weeks

Baby Update: 32 Weeks, What's It Like to Have Polyhydramnios

I have had some questions about how I am feeling so I thought I would share what it has been like for me to experience Polyhydramnios with this pregnancy. If you have missed my previous posts, I have too much amniotic fluid in my uterus which makes my belly really big and it also causes early contractions (and possibly labor) because my body thinks it is further along than it is. For me it meant a hospital stay at almost-30 weeks to stop contractions.

Yesterday I had my follow up with the high-risk OB. Their ultrasound measurements showed the fluid is currently 21cm (which is below the risk). The measurements are a bit of an art project with different people getting different numbers (last week I was still measuring 25cm). The doctor I saw said they will continue to measure and assess me on a weekly basis for now. According to him, once I make it to 34 weeks, they would not try to prevent birth if I went into labor. He also mentioned wanting to induce me at 38 weeks. We shall see... my regular OB thinks I can go to 40 weeks and doesn't seem to feel inclined to speed up the process. As with all of our previous ultrasounds, this baby is staying head down. 

 Baby #2, 32 Weeks 

 

So, how does it feel to have Polyhydramnios?

Big Belly.
At 32 weeks pregnant I look like I am much further along than I am (comparison photo of when I was pregnant with Jack at bottom of post). I get a lot of questions about my due date and then incredulous (or sympathetic) looks when I say that I'm not due until mid April. I have had a few joking comments about expecting twins, but mostly I get sympathy. Believe me, I know I'm getting big. At least (for me) you can't really tell I'm pregnant from behind...
 
Difficulty Breathing.
Starting around 20 weeks, I began experiencing a lot of instances of being light headed. For no reason, I will catch my breath and it feels like a giant weight is sitting on my chest. This feeling has progressed over the last 10+ weeks due to the excess fluid that is pushing on my lungs and organs. Thankfully I am not having actual problems breathing, but it can be really uncomfortable. This is also a major reason I continue to exercise. Aerobic activity improves the efficiency of the body's cardiovascular system in absorbing and transporting oxygen, which is important when your lung capacity is diminished due to extra fluid taking up space.

Eating/Heartburn.
Also around 20 weeks I noticed that I felt extra bloated. This continued to where eating even small amounts makes me feel generally miserable. I feel hungry all the time and eating just makes me feel crappy. The best way I can describe it would be how you feel at the end of your pregnancy, except I am only 32 weeks and have felt this way for the last couple of months. Worse, it gives me heartburn like I cannot describe. I take Nexium every morning and supplement with Tums. In the beginning Nexium really helped, now I am just managing as best I can. I can get extreme heartburn from something as basic as drinking water or even the smell of food.

 Baby #2, 32 Weeks Baby Profile

 
Braxton Hicks.
I had some Braxton Hicks with Jack, but not enough to really be of note. Around the time I started feeling this baby kick (18 weeks) I started having Braxton Hicks. They happen regularly throughout the day and do not hurt at all. They did land me in the hospital when I had them non-stop, every 2-minutes, for 12+hours straight (I was almost 30 weeks). They do not cause me any pain (I've had paper cuts that hurt worse) but they are uncomfortable. At this point we are praying they do not jump start real labor. A few of the things that cause my Braxton Hicks include: standing up, sitting down, laying down, working out, grocery shopping, driving my car, walking, not drinking enough water or having a full bladder... I think this is also considered having an irritable uterus.

Very Hard Belly.
I have experienced a very hard belly since the beginning of my second trimester. This makes it really hard to give myself my daily shots in my belly. It also makes it very uncomfortable (and sometimes painful) when Jack wants to be held or if he wants to cuddle by laying on my belly. He has learned to be very gentle, but it is very difficult for me to have him lay on or beside me. This makes me sad because I want to be able to cuddle and carry him.

Putting on Shoes.
With Jack I remember having difficulty putting on my shoes some time in the third trimester. With Polyhydramnios, this sensation came much earlier (25 weeks-ish). Any kind of bending over is very uncomfortable due to the hard belly, Braxton Hicks and heartburn. In addition to bending, it is very difficult to roll over or get up from laying down with any kind of grace. This is a normal thing for later in pregnancy, it has just been uncomfortable and hard from a much earlier point for me. Shaving my legs is not gonna happen until after this baby arrives.

Heavy Belly.
Also starting around 20 weeks, I noticed that my belly felt incredibly heavy when I would lay down. It required extra pillows for support. All of the extra fluid just makes everything hurt. I don't really recall this with my first pregnancy.

Comparison: Pregnant with Jack, 32 Weeks

So, I guess the best way to describe having Polyhydramnios is experiencing typical end-of-pregnancy symptoms, just worse and much earlier. I still have 8 weeks to go with all of these lovely symptoms.

Baby Update: 31 Weeks

Due to my increased risks with this pregnancy, I am going to be writing weekly updates for my benefit and for family and friends who want to know how things are going. I am incredibly grateful to have another week under my belt and that baby is sitting tight for now.

 Baby #2, 31 Weeks

To kick off this week, we all got a stomach bug (thankfully it only affected me for 12 hours). I just need to catch a break with this pregnancy! Yesterday I went to my post-hospital, follow-up visit with my OB and received some good news. My belly size (fundal height) and the amount of amniotic fluid in my belly have not increased in the last 7 days. This is encouraging since the last few visits have shown significant growth. My fundal height is currently 36cm and the amniotic fluid is 25cm. Both of these measurements keep me in the category of having Polyhydramnios but it is not progressing at this point.

Baby #2, 31 Week Ultrasound

  
As anyone who has googled symptoms of illnesses knows, the internet can be a scary place and Polyhydramnios has some frightening potential complications. Thankfully my doctor put to rest a lot of my concerns  – like explaining why cord prolapse is unlikely to happen to me. She is very pragmatic and used my pregnancy with Jack to remind me that I carried him to term and therefore my body has proven it has a strong uterus. I am currently not on any restrictions, I just need to listen to my body. As for the ongoing Braxton Hicks contractions, well they are going to keep happening. It's just a part of this pregnancy. Next week I will see my high-risk OB for her assessment. It looks like I will be having weekly follow up visits with both doctors until this baby comes. We are praying Baby #2 stays put for the entire 40 weeks, but we would be thrilled with a little more time in utero!

Comparison: Pregnant with Jack, 31 Weeks

Hosptital Stay at 29 Weeks, 4 Days

It has been quite the 48 hours. On Wednesday afternoon we met with the high-risk OB to assess the fluid in my uterus and get some updated measurements of Baby #2. Things started out well, we made sure to tell the ultrasound tech not to spill the beans about gender. 

As she measured our baby, we both noticed that there were some variations on development. The extremities all seemed to be growing at the expected due date rate, while the head was measuring big. Neither of us were surprised since Jack had a huge head and we both thought that this measurement might be throwing off the overall measurement. Our doctor later told us that the belly was also measuring big and they aren’t sure why (my OB says we just have a big baby). 

While I was getting the scan, Daniel and I both grew a little concerned as the tech spent about 15 minutes looking at the heart. It felt like too long to spend looking at one organ. Eventually she said the doctor would finish the scan and she left the room. My mind immediately flashed back to the day we found out that I would miscarry. 

A few minutes later she returned, not with the doctor but with another tech. The new ultrasound tech was immediately able to locate whatever our tech had been looking for and we got an all clear for the heart. 

At the end of the scan, the high-risk OB came in to take a look. She initially said that the amniotic fluid was measuring 20cm (what we thought our tech had told us the previous Friday), but her experience and the fact that my fundal height is huge and the baby is measuring big (3lbs14oz) made her keep looking. As she looked she realized that there were small pockets of fluid that were throwing off the measurement. Then she found a pocked that measured 17cm deep. This one measurement made my fluid rate jump from 20cm (safe) to 27cm which means I got an official diagnosis of polyhdramnios. 

As I continued to lay there and talk with the doctor, I started to have what I thought were Braxton Hicks. She immediately noticed my discomfort. As we continued to talk, the contractions kept coming. They didn’t hurt, but I was obviously responding by squirming in the chair and breathing differently. She checked my cervix and it was closed and long and did not appear to be shortening. But she told us that she would feel best if I went to the hospital for monitoring… 

We asked if we could grab dinner before checking into the hospital and she said that was fine. We called our friends who were watching Jack and they immediately offered to keep him overnight. So we did what all couples do when they find themselves with some unexpected time on their hands… Date night!!!

(we have a thing about eating steak before trips to the hospital)

After eating we headed to the hospital. The Labor and Delivery unit at the downtown hospital involves a decent amount of walking. All I could think about is that when I go into real labor, there is no way I will be able to walk the entire way to L&D. I guess we will cross that bridge when we get there.

We settled in as much as we could (we had nothing with us since I was 29 weeks and 4 days and we have not thought about packing hospital bags yet). I was immediately hooked to monitors that had to be constantly checked... all of the extra fluid in my uterus meant the baby has it’s own private swimming pool to move around in. I barely slept all night because the monitors were uncomfortable, contractions were every 2 minutes and the nurse kept having to come adjust everything to find the baby’s heart rate. Thankfully the baby handled everything fine. My night #2 nurse told me that she was working in Labor & Delivery during my Wednesday nights stay and she happened to see the print out of my contractions. Evidently I had more contractions than everyone in L&D combined... I'm just glad they weren't painful.

Two hours after our arrival I took another glucose test to double check about gestational diabetes. Again, we learned that I am not diabetic. It seems that there is just a big baby in there!

After that I started the medicine Indocine. This medication helps me in two ways: 1) it slows down the contractions and 2) it reduces the amount of amniotic fluid in my uterus. Win win.

Wednesday night we skipped my Lovenox shot as a precaution in case I had to get an amniocentesis the next day to drain some of the fluid. I was kind of excited to be getting to skip out on my daily shot. Then the nurse came in with a steroid shot for the baby’s lungs. This is all precautionary in case I do go into real labor, they want those lungs to be developed. So much on getting to skip out on a shot.

And then, as if I wasn’t hooked up to enough things, they came and put compression stockings on my legs for blood clot prevention. This is basically like the pressure cuff they use to monitor your blood pressure, but it was on my legs. It alternated compressing and decompressing each leg all night long. Did I mention that I didn’t get any sleep?

Daniel brought me some stuff for the hospital (important things like my pillow, laptop and a book!) and then he went home to get some much needed sleep. Meanwhile Jack was a trooper at his very first sleepover. If nothing else, this was a good trial run for our little family for when the real time comes.

Storm Trooper Jack and friends having an indoor campfire at his first-ever sleepover. 

Thursday morning Daniel brought Jack to the hospital for a quick visit and we all went to my ultrasound scan together. My fluid had dropped to 26cm, but that wasn’t really a significant drop. The doctor and I agreed that since I don’t seem to be bothered by the extra fluid we didn't need to do the amniocentesis to drain any fluid, but they wanted me to stay one more night for monitoring to see if the fluid went down any more.

The best news was that I didn’t have to be on constant monitoring any more. I actually got a bit of sleep my second night in the hospital. I also got one last steroid shot for the baby's lungs and continued the Indocine for another 24 hours. The best thing is that the baby is doing fine and the contractions basically stopped. The nurses and doctors kept asking me about my pain with the contractions and it really stayed at a 1 or 2 on a scale of 1-10 the entire time. They didn’t hurt at all, not like true labor. It was just really uncomfortable. I think the main concern was that, even it if didn’t hurt, it could trigger real labor and open my cervix.

As of 9pm Friday night, the steroid shots will be fully effective and the baby's lungs should be in good shape if I do happen to go into real labor. Though at almost 30 weeks, we would prefer this baby keep cooking a little longer. 

A Friday morning scan showed fluid had dropped to 25cm and they said I could be discharged. My only real restriction right now is no exercise for a week and to take it easy to let my body finish recovering. If nothing else, this little scare makes me realize that we need to get in gear and figure baby names; get baby gear and clothes out; furniture set up; put the car seat in the car and pack our hospital bags!

Finally I wanted to say thank you to everyone for the support we have felt – online and in real life. We have lived in Chattanooga for about a year and I continue to be pleasantly surprised by our friends (old and new) who have checked on us and offered to help with Jack. It means so much to me to know that so many people care about us and continue to check in on us. It has truly been a blessing. 

 Some of my friends from Boot Camp

Measuring Big, A Baby Update

29 weeks, measuring 36 weeks according to fundal height

I mentioned in my last pregnancy post that I was measuring big and that my OB wanted to follow up with an ultrasound to see what was going on. Thankfully I passed my glucose test, but my follow-up ultrasound showed that I am continuing to get bigger than what is considered normal.

According to Friday's ultrasound, the baby is measuring 3lb 4oz and approximately 32 weeks. I should only be 29 weeks. Measurements can be wrong and babies (especially second babies) can be big. But my fundal height jumped from 30cm (two weeks ago) to 36cm on Friday. In theory, the fundal height should correspond with the number of weeks in your pregnancy. If I'm 29 weeks, I should be close to 29cm, not 36cm.

So what does that mean? In addition to a big baby, the ultrasound showed that I have too much amniotic fluid with this pregnancy. Too much amniotic fluid can cause a slew of problems. If you want to know more, you can read this article on the March of Dimes website about Polyhydramnios. Thankfully the ultrasound showed a perfectly normal baby, but we are going to see a high-risk OB this week to see what she thinks. In the meantime, we are focusing on not worrying until we have a chance to get an opinion from the high-risk doctor. 

The good news is that the extra amniotic fluid explains a lot about this particular pregnancy. Around 23 weeks, I felt like I was suddenly huge and started having a lot of issues that I didn't remember with Jack. There have been constant Braxton Hicks contractions, I started to struggle with putting my shoes on much sooner, I have had ongoing light headedness and shortness of breath, extreme heartburn (worse than with Jack), an inability to eat much in a single setting, pain in my chest, and my belly would ache from the extra weight any time I lay on my side. All of this can be explained by the extra fluid putting pressure on all of my organs and lungs.

The other night Daniel and I went to the movies and I happened to time my Braxton Hicks contractions. I had 15 of them that lasted 15-20 seconds each over the course of a 2-hour period. Thankfully they aren't painful, but definitely not fun either. My sister (a labor and delivery nurse) tells me that I am in for a lot of the same for the rest of this pregnancy due to the extra amniotic fluid, and that I don't need to worry about pre-term labor until the contractions are 40+seconds each and occurring 6 or more times in an hour.

To be clear, I have not officially been diagnosed with Polyhydramnios (just extra amniotic fluid) and I do not currently have any restrictions. My plan is to continue working out (with my doctor's blessing) until I have a medical reason to stop. We will find out more at the high-risk OB and are praying for the best.

Pregnancy after Miscarriage

This post is going to be fairly personal. I wanted to share what it was like to be pregnant after going through a miscarriage and then dealing with uncertainty. I have talked with a surprising number of women who have had similar experiences and feel like this topic needs more attention since it isn't often discussed. While components of miscarriage are unique to each person, the similarities connect us.

I am a pretty even keel person. I don't get my feathers ruffled and approach life in a fairly pragmatic way. After my miscarriage, we waited the appropriate amount of time that my doctor recommended before trying to get pregnant again. I was determined that everything would be normal.

Here's the thing, after you have had a miscarriage you have a degree of innocence stripped from you. You recognize that not every pregnancy equals a baby at the end. It's something you can't shake. I remember being afraid when I was pregnant with Jack, but there was no real understanding of what that fear might equate. Now I knew, with full certainty, that there were multiple outcomes to becoming pregnant and not all of them are happy. Furthermore, the starting over is exhausting. If I hadn't miscarried, we would be getting ready to have a baby around Thanksgiving... instead I am only 16 weeks pregnant. 

When I first discovered that I was pregnant with this child, Daniel and I were both excited. But as the news settled in, I began to feel apprehensive.

I told a friend (who had had multiple miscarriages years ago) and she was very supportive and encouraging. She would regularly ask me how I was doing. I didn't have many symptoms in the first 9 weeks and there were days that it was hard not to feel panicked. Telling her helped assuage many of my fears. 

As I mentioned in a previous post, I started spotting around 7 weeks. This sent me into a bit of a tailspin. I became convinced that I was going to miscarry again. I don't cry very often, but I found myself sobbing in the shower, praying to God that I wouldn't lose this baby. Praying for peace. The fear is palpable when you have already lost a baby.

I understood that miscarriage wasn't my fault, but that didn't stop the doubt from creeping in. What if I could have done something different. What if? What if? What if? There was also the little voice that would tell me I wasn't really fit to be a mom to two. That I was failing at mothering. So much doubt in myself and in my body.

After several days of spotting, I called my OB and she offered to see me that day. Thankfully Daniel was home and we were able to drop Jack off at a friend's house for the afternoon. Going into that OB appointment was terrifying. 

The ultrasound tech called us in right away. I wasn't sure what to expect since I was 7 weeks pregnant. Also, this was the place I had previously learned that I would miscarry. Daniel held my hand tight as the tech started the scan. 

I held my breath as we waited to hear the heartbeat. When we heard that quick ba-bump, ba-bump, ba-bump, it was all I could do to not burst into tears from happiness. She then showed us what appeared to be a couple of clots in my uterus. She didn't know what it was, and while it was worrisome, we were just grateful to see that heartbeat and an early glimpse of our little one.

My doctor let me know that I might continue to spot, but that I shouldn't be concerned unless it was bright red. We discussed exercising and agreed that I needed to work out for my own peace of mind, and slightly modifying would help me feel in control. We scheduled a follow up ultrasound for 9 weeks and prayed that the clots would absorb back into the uterus.

At 9 weeks, we went back for a follow up visit. Again, the ultrasound tech saw us immediately. Since we have spent a lot of time with her (through the miscarriage), she asked if we wanted her to tell us – good or bad – what she saw. We both agreed that we needed to know, regardless of the outcome. 

Again, we saw a strong heartbeat and breathed a collective sigh of relief. But, the blood clot from 7 weeks no longer appeared to be a blood clot. It was a mass that was the same size as the baby and it had its own blood supply. 

 

So, what do you do with news like that? We called the mass the "roommate" and my OB told me not to Google. In the information age, that was like asking me not to breathe. I don't know if it was because of the miscarriage or just the unknown, but I would find myself awake in the middle of the night, googling every symptom I had, desperate to discover what might be in my uterus... what might be wrong.

Before I left the doctor's office, they drew my blood and then we were off. Two days after the discovery of the mass, we went on vacation. My OB told us to go on our vacation. Live our lives. Do what we would normally do. There was nothing we could do to prevent whatever was happening. She said that we could only wait and see.

Vacation was a good distraction for me. Being with my family helped ease my fears. This was the week I also started to have some morning sickness. Nothing like being in the bathroom gagging while your family eats breakfast.

A week after vacation, I was at the 12 week mark and feeling good. We had reached the second trimester and the risk of miscarriage dropped. I was feeling some serious relief. And then I received a frantic call from my OB. The blood test I had before vacation came back with really high hormone levels. She wanted me to come in for a secondary blood test.

I didn't think much of it. Daniel didn't even go into the doctor's office with me – he and Jack had gone to Starbucks to pick up a coffee for me. The nurse drew my blood and then took me back to a patient room and told me to wait for my doctor.

What was going on? I didn't even have Daniel there for support. My OB came in and explained that the high hormone levels, coupled with the unknown mass, were worrisome and she wanted me to see a high risk doctor right away (it was Friday and we scheduled the high risk appointment for Monday). 

I asked her to shoot straight with me. I wanted to know what was going on. I told her I had done some digging of my own and none of the information was good. She asked what I had found and I mentioned molar pregnancy. She agreed that this was her biggest concern as well. We discussed that I didn't have the classic symptoms for molar pregnancy and the ultrasound mass hadn't looked like a mole, but we needed to rule this out.

I left the OB, thankful for the update but numb about what this could mean. My OB had said that termination would be the only option if it was a molar pregnancy. This was shattering. We had made it to 12 weeks, I should be in the safe zone and now I might find out it was over. It was a very hard weekend for me. On Sunday night, we asked our small group from church to pray for us.

On Monday, Daniel took off work to go to the high risk OB with me. I was so nervous. He squeezed my hand tightly while I lay on the table and the ultrasound tech went to work. Right away she found the baby and the heartbeat. We were elated.

Again, I tried not to cry. We explained about the mass in the 9 week ultrasound. The tech looked and looked and couldn't find anything. She brought in the high risk doctor, who also looked, and nothing. All we could see was a baby and hear its strong heartbeat.

We had been praying for peace and resolution and that is what God provided. There was no mole, no mass, no clots, just a baby with a strong heartbeat that was measuring the appropriate size. 

My first trimester was a huge roller coaster ride. The doubt, the fear, the guilt, the uncertainty, the peace. I know I would have found peace, whatever the outcome was, but I am so thankful that things continue to be on track. 

Starting around the 10 week mark, I finally started to experience some serious pregnancy symptoms. While typical symptoms like morning sickness are no fun, it was good to feel pregnant and not worry as much. Now that I am 16 weeks, I am feeling good again.

If you know someone who has been through a miscarriage, I would ask that you just be supportive and encouraging to them. It isn't their fault. Let them talk if they need to talk. Give them a hug, if they need a hug. Talk to them about normal things, let them know you care.

Baby #2: First Trimester

So I don't know if I will document this pregnancy to the same extent that I documented being pregnant with Jack (weekly updates may be too much this time around), but I would like to track my experience, and my blog seems like the best place to do that.

It's really hard to believe that I am 14 weeks already. Like before, I am high risk for blood clots, so I get to give myself daily injections in my stomach. This is probably my least favorite part of being pregnant.

Minus a few scares in the first trimester, this pregnancy hasn't been too difficult. That being said, it is different. I have had about 3 weeks of mild morning sickness, I eat a lot of pickles to combat a metallic taste in my mouth that always seems to be there, and have had a decent amount of fatigue. Like my pregnancy with Jack, I am working out 4x a week and plan to continue until I give birth.

Here is a brief recap of my first trimester:

Week 3-4: Pregnant? 

Suspected I was pregnant when I had hip pain and an excessively strong sense of smell and a periodic metallic taste in my mouth.  

Week 5: Positive. 

Confirmed that I was pregnant. Had typical early growing pains and heartburn. 

Week 6: Nauseous. 

Thankfully no throwing up. I felt like I was starting to show right away, but I was probably just hypersensitive. Below you can see the start of a baby bump at 6 weeks (or maybe I was just bloated).

Week 7: Anxious. 

This was a week marked by lots of anxiety. At the beginning of the week, I had some brown discharge/spotting. This was very scary and I was convinced that I was going to miscarry again. We went to OB a week early and saw the baby and heard a strong heartbeat of 150, which was encouraging. There was also a potential blood clot in my uterus with the baby that was worrisome (though it explained my spotting). 

Week 8: Hopeful. 

No real spotting this week. I started to share my news and it felt good to let go of the fear. I had an ongoing metallic taste in my mouth – pickles seem to neutralize the bad taste. I have been eating lots of pickles throughout this pregnancy. The medical term for this is dysgeusia, and I have it bad.

Week 9: Peace. 

By the end of the week, I was feeling oh-so-very-tired! Which is a good thing, right!? Ultrasound at end of week showed a baby that was on track in growth and had a strong heartbeat of 182. We also saw what appeared to be a blood clot at 7 weeks was actually a mass with its own blood supply. This was cause for greater concern, but we did our best to be at peace with this development.

Week 10: Beach. 

Enjoyed a relatively relaxed vacation (for us). I discovered that walking on sand does a number on my pelvis and hips. Everything hurt! I was also extra tired all week and experienced some mood swings and the start of some mild morning sickness. It's a good thing I told my family beforehand that I was pregnant... there was no hiding a slightly pregnant belly in a swimsuit!

Week 11: Tired. 

This was the most tired I felt in this pregnancy so far. I also experienced several headaches, but that might have been from working out and then not eating or drinking enough. Working out felt really good this week. I thought it would be hard to come back after a week of vacation, but working out always makes me feel better. Continued morning sickness this week.

Week 12: Relief. 

We saw a high-risk OB after some concern about high hormone levels (coupled with the mass in the last ultrasound). There was talk of a partial-molar pregnancy, which is enough to scare anyone. Thankfully, our high-risk ultrasound showed us a perfect baby. No mole and no sign of the mass that was apparent in the 9-week ultrasound. We were incredibly relieved. God is good. We believe in the power of prayer. This was my worst week of morning sickness yet.

First Trimester Overview:

So far I have had zero weight gain, though I am starting to have a more obvious baby bump. I haven't had a lot of cravings this trimester – the thought of food makes me not want to eat. However, I am eating lots of pickles. I don't think this is a true craving, it just balances out the metallic taste in my mouth. So far I have had a lot less heartburn than I had with Jack. 

That about sums it up. I will have periodic updates throughout this pregnancy. 

Baby #2 First Trimester  |  Second Trimester  |  Third Trimester 

Practice Run

First off I just want to state that we are all fine, but we did have a bit of a scare this morning...

On our way to church we had the unfortunate experience of being rear ended while sitting still at a red light. Not exactly how we planned our Sunday morning to go. Thankfully our trailer hitch seemed to absorb most of the impact, but it was still enough force for our seat belts to tighten and my head to be thrown forward.

The woman who hit us immediately got out and apologized – she was swapping out a DVD for her daughter in the back seat at the time of impact. Her main concern seemed to be whether or not she would get a ticket. We were concerned about the shape of our vehicle and what this accident might mean for me since I am 25+weeks pregnant.

Daniel called the police so that we could file a report and I called my OB to see if we should be concerned. Thankfully the lap part of my seat belt did not tighten and the chest part compressed mostly to the left and above my belly. I was feeling fine with just a bit of tenderness where the seat belt had tightened, so my doctor and I agreed that I didn't need to go to the hospital. HOWEVER if I started to experience contractions or bleeding, I needed to call her immediately. Our other concern was that if I did have any problems, I was about an hour from the hospital – not really enough time for any type of worse-case scenario.

Anyways after the police left and Daniel and I had a chance to regroup, we discussed it further and decided that as a precautionary measure, we would feel better if we at least went to Chattanooga to spend the day. We wouldn't go to the hospital unless we really felt something was wrong, but if I did experience contractions or bleeding, we would at least be in the right city and not an hour away. My OB said that any problems would present within 24 hours with the most concern being in the first 1-4 hours after the accident.

So we drove to Chattanooga, hoping and praying that the worst-case scenario of a C-section at 25 weeks would not be on our day's agenda.

We arrived in Chattanooga around lunch, so we went to The Terminal {one of our faves}. Following that we went to see a matinee at the dollar theater. Finally we ran a couple of errands and decided that after 4 hours in Chattanooga with no signs of distress for me or our baby that it was probably okay to go home.

This little incident made me realize how little control we have over our lives and also how we are not prepared to be thrust into parenthood at this exact moment. If it were to happen that way, we would do what needs to be done, but I pray that God will give us a little more time to prepare for the entrance of this little one {preferably until November!}.

On a side note, this is the THIRD time Daniel has been rear ended in this Altima.