My Lil’ Parasite Baby Blog

23 Weeks May 23, 2008

I just had my week 23 appointment with the OB and our little guy’s heart rate is an excellent 141 beats per minute. My blood pressure is nice and normal at 108/70. The wee bairn is writhing around in my belly quite a bit now, which feels similar to riding a roller coaster, or going over a hill in a fast car. My fundal height is currently at 23 cm, which is right on target. Peanut’s first baby shower is this Memorial Day weekend, and we’re really looking forward to seeing everyone again. One of Brian’s co-workers was nice enough to give us some baby clothes, and we’ve already accumulated some toys and baby books. I can see we’re going to need a bigger house before too long! Speaking of Brian’s co-workers, a woman who just started working there this week is due the day after me. Crazy, huh? I guess Christmas was a romantic time for a lot of other folks, too…

Sorry this is kind of boring, but there’s just not a whole lot to report right now. There are no new pictures or anything, so the anticipation of seeing our boy is driving me crazy! I’m trying to get used to all the extra weight I’ve gained (22 lbs. - yowza!) and the other weird stuff that happens to you when you “fall” pregnant, as the Brits say. All in all, it’s been very easy so far, but I know I’ve got a long way to go still.

In three weeks I’ll have a blood glucose check, which I’m anticipating will be normal since everything else has been up to this point. Until then, the Captain and I bid you adieu.

19 Weeks, Almost Half-way There! May 1, 2008

Well, I’m posting this up a week and a half late, so I’m actually over the 20 week hump now. On Monday, April 28, 2008 I felt Captain PeanutbutterBananapants (this kid is going to be weighed down with a lot of nicknames) kicking for the first time. I’d been having the fluttery, bubbly sensations other women describe, but I could never be quite sure whether he was moving or I just had gas. Well, I shall wonder no longer! I can tell the Capt. has a lot of energy and will be running circles around my uterus in no time. All the pictures below came from our Level 2 Ultrasound appointment. They made me go in for a thorough work-up that lasted over an hour. This was to make sure no birth defects resulted from my taking RetinA for a few days when Capt. PB was still a piece of flotsam in my uterine canal. I didn’t think there would be any issues, but those doctors get off on scaring the bejeezus out of us pregos. Anyway, everything looked fine, and if you couldn’t tell from perusing the pix, we found out that we’re having a boy. Brian and I are both really excited! As for my health, I’m feeling pretty good and have a lot more energy than I did a month ago. My belly is growing and I’ve gained about 17 pounds since I found out I was pregnant. Yeah, that’s a lot, but what are you gonna do? I’m trying to hold steady, but it’s hard since I’m hungry all the time. I’m embracing the weight gain and love showing it off in all my new maternity clothes. Well, that’s all for now. Our next appointment is the first week of May when we will go in for a fetal EKG, just to be absolutely sure that everything is developing nicely. I’m starting to get sick of all these appointments, but it’s nice to hear that our baby is looking good!

15 weeks…this one’s a keeper! March 27, 2008

Well, today we had visit #5 to check the status of our hero, Captain Peanut. As I said to Krista earlier this week, it’s probably time to give our dear Captain a new nickname since he/she has grown so much in the last few weeks. Admiral Avocado, perhaps?

Anyway, today’s visit to the OB was great. I had a different doctor this time, and she was older and less tense. I’m giving my other doctor the benefit of the doubt and will assume that it was merely coincidental that she always seemed to be having a stressful day! We didn’t have an ultrasound this time, just a heartbeat check using a handheld Doppler device. The rate was 152 beats per minute and the doc said the rhythm was strong and LOUD. We heard that for ourselves, and Brian and I were both grinning from ear to ear. I got to ask lots of questions today and found out that our hospital is very nice and that they let you assume whatever positions you want to ease the pain, as long as it’s not risky to the baby or me. I think I’d like to give a birthing ball a try. I can’t say I’m not going to have an epidural, but I’m certainly not going into this determined to be on drugs. Methinks we’ll play it by ear!

So, we’ve got 3 appointments scheduled for the month of April: 1) The first is in a week and a half when they will do an AFP test, which just involves drawing blood. They looks for abnormalities that may indicate birth defects. I’m not too worried about that, though, since all our other tests have come back totally normal. 2) In 3 weeks we go for a Level 2 Ultrasound, which will look for any physical defects. Again, I’m not too concerned, but the docs encouraged it since I took Retin-A for a week before I knew I was prego. That is in the same class of chemicals as Accutane, which causes severe birth defects. However, to my knowledge, no birth defects have ever been correlated to Retin-A use. Bonus: At this visit, we may get to have a look at Captain Peanut’s/Admiral Avocado’s “goods” and see what we’re having. How exciting! 3) 4 weeks from now we’ll have another regular office “tummy check” to give me the once-over and make sure things are still moving along.

I’ve gained 9 pounds so far, which is about where you should be when you are 5 months pregnant. Whoops! Once again I am ahead of the curve! The doc said I was okay though and “didn’t look too puffy.” Brian and I both thought that was pretty funny. Here’s to staying not too puffy!

See you next time!

3rd/4th Appointment March 8, 2008

Well, it’s been a while since I’ve updated this site. I really wanted to do a weekly update, but it seems like things keep coming up. That’s one thing I wish: that life would slow down for a while, but I doubt that’s going to happen anytime soon.

So, our 3rd appointment with the doctor was kind of disappointing. Not because anything was wrong with the baby–it had a heartbeat of 165 bpm and was 4 cm long, which was right on target–but because our obstetrician had an emergency at the hospital and our meeting was very rushed. I understand that things come up, but 66% of our time together so far has felt like I’m a burden and/or wasting her time. I know that OBGYNs are dropping the OB certification in droves to dive into cosmetic surgery and other less risky specializations, which really has me worried about what prego’s are going to do in the future. Maybe Americans will be forced to embrace midwives and doulas like other countries do. Anyway, as for me, I’m really starting to question if I’ve chosen the right doctor. I asked Brian if he thought we should get a midwife, but he said he didn’t think so. I’m very conflicted: on one hand, I’m not really prepared to lay my and Captain Peanut’s lives over to someone who isn’t trained to perform emergency procedures, but on the other hand, I was really hoping that this being pregnant thing would feel magical and bring me closer to Mother Nature and other women. Well, now I see I was deluded and this is not a fairy tale. I just feel like a big, fat host for my little worm. It’s not the baby’s fault I’m feeling this way–as a matter of fact, I feel great now that I’ve given up taking my pre-natal vitamins and switched to Flintstones chewables (should have listened to my sister-in-law, Becky, right from the start!) and now I don’t even feel pregnant. Except for the gut (it’s not a belly yet!) and seeing the little bugger on the sonogram, I’d have no idea I was harboring a legal alien. I just wish I felt more cared for by our medical team. I’ve got an appointment with a different doctor at the end of March and, hopefully, she coddles me a bit more and lets me ask questions slowly rather than rapid-fire, frantically trying to get them all out before I’m thrown out the door.

Our fourth doctor’s appointment was spent at a pre-natal diagnostic clinic in Roanoke, VA. We went there for an optional Nuchal Translucency test. It involves looking at the back of the baby’s neck on a sonogram and measuring the amount of fluid, which tends to be higher in babies with Down Syndrome. Well, to spare you the suspense, our swash-buckling Captain Peanut appears to be normal! The technician only got one good shot at first (tha’ Cap’n is rather shy and kept a hand to his/her face the whole time), so she pounded on my belly with the transducer trying to get our little one to move, but Captain Peanut moves for no one! She said that our fetus was very stubborn and asked who that trait came from and Brian just pointed at me. I admitted it was true, of course. I actually think the Captain was just catching 40 winks and has a great ability, like I used to as a child, to sleep through most anything. Let’s hope that keeps up even after he/she sails out into the world this Fall! Oh, and it appears based on this visit that the due date has moved up 3 days to September 15. I’m hoping this kid pops out of my EasyBake oven well before Brian goes to the H20 car show the last weekend of September. Daddy’s gotta sell his shirts and get his fill of VWs to carry him through the winter!

Til’ next time…

2nd Appointment - 7 Weeks January 31, 2008

Well, the doctor’s appointment went swimmingly today!  Captain Peanut’s heart rate was regular and had increased to 146 bpm, which is in the normal range. We saw what we thought might be some limb buds forming, but it’s hard to tell at this stage of the game.  All of my blood tests came back normal (yay, I don’t have syphilis!), but we’re still waiting to hear about the one for cystic fibrosis.  We’re not anticipating any problems there since no one in our families have it, but you never know.  

I’m starting to get nervous about the prospect of becoming a mommy.  Being so tired and nauseous all the time is really bumming me out, too.  I’m eating every 2 to 3 hours to keep from getting sick, and it’s showing!  I haven’t worked out in a couple of weeks, but I know I need to in order to stave off putting on a ton of weight so early like my mom did.  She gained 40 lbs. in the first trimester, or so she claims.  ;)  That scares me worse than anything because I’m having a hard enough time getting around with the extra 5 pounds I’ve put on already!  The stairs at work were already tough, but now they are damn-near-impossible. Argh! Don’t misunderstand me; it’s not that I care about gaining weight, it’s just that I want to keep it to a manageable level so I’m not grossly uncomfortable.  Is that too much to ask, little one?  Quit making me sick and I promise to buy you a pony some day!  Our larva at 7 weeks:

First Pictures of Mommy’s Lil’ Bug January 30, 2008

These are sonograms of Captain Peanut at 6 weeks and a day, despite the fact that the pics say 7 weeks and 3 days. I ovulated a week late–hence the incorrect date. Based on its size, our bug is due on Sept. 18, 2008. We got to hear the heartbeat even though it’s still so early, which was really thrilling! We’re going back for a second appointment tomorrow to check the progress of the heart rate. It was only 102 bpm at the first appointment and the doctor said they like to see it up around 120 at 7 weeks, which is tomorrow. We’ve got our fingers crossed that everything goes well. More updates to follow…

Greetings!

This is my first foray into blogging. I’m only about, oh, 3 years behind the trend, and that’s how I like it! So, Brian and I are having our first baby–The Lil’ Parasite mentioned in the blog title. Before anyone gets too upset at my calling it a parasite, let’s be nerds and consult the dictionary. According to http://wordnet.princeton.edu, a parasite is defined as:

“an animal or plant that lives in or on a host; it obtains nourishment from the host without benefiting or killing the host.”

Sounds about right, eh? Being an entomologist, of course I’m going to look at this pregnancy with an analytical eye rather than a dewy one, so don’t expect any sappy stuff around here! The hormones are making me softer (literally and figuratively), but I hope I don’t turn into a complete cream puff, which sounds delicious right now, by the way.

This is an illustration from ExplodingDog.com entitled “They told me I was pregnant…” I think this sums up my reaction to impending motherhood quite nicely! Click on it to get a better look.