I'm not quite sure if anyone can tell from my brief updates, but this pregnancy is so different than when I had Aidan. I'm not sure if it's because this is shore duty and I'm not stressing over my husband making it back in time. Or maybe it's the lack of testosterone I have in my body. Maybe it's because I know this is our last child. Or perhaps it's different because we've waited so long and tried so hard for this baby. Whatever the reason, I'm loving every minute of this pregnancy. At the risk of inducing some serious eye-rolling from anyone reading, I really am blissfully happy.
It's not that I wasn't happy when I was pregnant with Aidan, I know that I was looking forward to having him. But I think most of it was stress. Being pregnant and going to all the doctor's appointments and ultrasounds alone wasn't what I pictured my first pregnancy to be like. I knew my husband would be gone at some point, but when we decided to try for a baby, we really didn't think we would get pregnant so quick. Not to mention I didn't think he'd be gone for so much of my pregnancy. On top of that, I had pregnancy induced hypertension so I had to pay attention to my blood pressure while my doctors kept a close eye on Aidan's growth and development with frequent ultrasounds. I didn't mind too much because it meant I got to see him more often, even if it was on a black and white screen. I also spotted through most of my pregnancy. Every episode would induce gut wrenching panic, and the first few times it happened I rushed to the ER to make sure my baby was still OK. In the third trimester, that finally stopped, but I found out I had gestational diabetes. I was put on a strict diet and forced to check and record my blood sugar four times per day. And lastly, my husband went out on deployment at the start of my third trimester and wasn't due to come home until my 38 week point. When I started dilating at 36 weeks, there was no trying to relax...I was in a panic worrying I'd be giving birth to my first child half a world away from my family, with my husband MIA. Looking back, it was pretty much just one thing after another, after another.
Besides the stress, I think Aidan's pregnancy was also different because I had no idea what to expect. I knew I was having a baby, and I would love him. But I had no clue how much I would end up loving him. And granted, I was excited, but I didn't have anything specific to look forward to because I'd never been a mom before. Now, it's different. I already love Abby as much as I love Aidan, even though I haven't met her yet. I look forward to the little things that I enjoyed so much with Aidan. The first few days, when they're so tiny, you finally get to experience the things you wondered about for 9 months...the shape of their nose, whether or not they have hair, their tiny baby feet actually being small enough to fit into the socks you thought were impossibly small, and how their crying sounds more like a squeak than anything else. I miss the little yawns and the smiles you only catch when they're sleeping. And I look forward to experiencing the excitement of all the firsts...first smile, first giggle, first steps, and first word. I already know how it felt when we experienced it with Aidan, it makes me even more excited to know I get to do it all over again.
Not only do I already know all of the amazing things I have to look forward to, but this pregnancy has been so easy. Virtually no nausea, no reason to stress, only one episode of spotting that resolved on it's own, and everything with Abby is looking healthy. I have the usual discomforts, like braxton hicks and daily headaches. But even those minor pains can't bring me down, I'm still happy.....really happy and extremely thankful. I absolutely can't wait to meet our little Abigail :)
12 January 2012
03 January 2012
20 Week Check Up!
I had my 20 week checkup today. First I'd better backtrack because I just realized I never made a blog announcement about the gender of the baby. Most of you (if not all) already know what baby #2 is. But not everyone knows what happened or how it went down, which is an interesting story in my opinion. So I'll share that with you first, and then get down to the appointment.
On December 2, I scheduled an elective ultrasound to find out the baby's gender. I wanted to have one done before Casey left for his two weeks in Virginia (which meant he'd be gone for the growth scan at 20 weeks). My mom flew in that morning, we ate lunch, and killed some time shopping before my appointment at 1:40. Or so I *thought* the appointment was at 1:40. We got to the ultrasound place at 1:40, only to find out that my appointment was scheduled for 1:15 and I was SUPER late. Totally my fault, I don't know why I wrote down 1:40. The problem was she was completely booked and had an appointment for 1:45, so I basically missed my chance. Anyway, she took pity on me (we were all obviously excited for the session) and since I was just getting a 2D gender confirmation scan, she agreed to squeeze me in before her next appointment arrived. So the session, was pretty much rushed.
At first glance, she said she was pretty sure it was a girl. I said no way, I was convinced it was a boy, I was going to need a clear shot to be proven wrong. But baby just kept giving us their backside, so it was difficult to say for sure. She measured the baby, and I was right on track, baby measuring 7 inches long and 5.5 ounces. I saw all the great things you look forward to seeing, like the profile and little hands and feet. We waited for the baby to turn, and sure enough, for a split second we saw two legs with nothing in between. The tech pointed out three lines (which took me FOREVER to see when I played the video my mom took over again) and confirmed we were having a girl! With her next appointment already waiting, we were whisked out of the room (in shock), paid the fee, and left.
It took a while to set in....I was really really really surprised. Casey was completely freaked at the prospect of having to spend money on girl things instead of passing everything down everything Aidan has outgrown. And my mom was over the moon happy. But I was nervous because the shot we had wasn't very clear at all, and I know it's possible for techs to be wrong. Even still, we went ahead and announced what we were having on Facebook, knowing we'd have confirmation at my 20 week growth scan.
Almost two weeks later, I went to my growth scan, completely pretending that I didn't know the gender. Casey, who was in school in VA, was still holding out hope that they'd say "You're having a boy!" and that the penis had just been hidden somewhere in the last ultrasound. Meanwhile, I started to become afraid that they WOULD tell me it was a boy and I'd be so disappointed because I'd become excited about having a little girl. Either way, one of us was going to have to make an adjustment!
So, the growth scan took much longer because she was measuring every little thing. I got to see the heart pumping away, the blood flowing through the cord and the kidneys, little tiny hands again (but that never gets old!)....and then the tech asked, "Do you want to know what you're having?" I said, "Yes please!!!" She froze a shot of the two legs, again void in the middle, and said, "It looks like a girl..." but the baby was yet again in an awkward position. We wanted a clear money shot, so we waited. All of the sudden we were being mooned on the screen and clear as day, you could see we were having a girl! It was official in my mind, there's no place for a little wee wee to be hiding in that picture!! Here's a picture of the shot that sealed the deal:
After seeing that shot, even Casey admitted there was no arguing that one, we were definitely going to have to paint the spare room pink! Needless to say everyone is excited for us. It's been easy to shift my thinking from "he" to "she", and we already call her Abby. She also seems to have her brother's profile (I think they'll look alike), with that cute button nose:
So there it is, we're expecting Abigail Maria-Jane. I'm hoping (and thinking it's possible) I go into labor in late April, so she can have the awesome birthstone of diamond, but we'll see. So far I've been wrong on every aspect when it comes to being pregnant, both times. I swore Aidan was a girl (he is most definitely all boy), I swore I was going to have to be induced after going past my due date (I went into early labor and finally had him at 39 weeks), I swore Abby was going to be a boy...I'm not doing so well on the mommy intuition front.
As far as my check up goes, everything looks great. Abby's HR was in the upper 140s, and my fundal height is right on track. No complaints, other than getting woozy when my braxton hicks come around. But the midwife said it's normal and to make sure I've eaten and keep hydrated. If they come frequently, do the opposite of what I'm already doing (rest if I'm up and moving, get up and move if I'm resting), and to call if I have more than 6 in an hour. My bp is awesome and I gained some weight! I weighed myself the night we got back from Louisiana and saw a 9 lb increase since I had left 2 weeks earlier. But because I lost a few pounds earlier in the pregnancy and again since I got home from Louisiana, I'm only officially up five pounds since the time I got pregnant. It's not much, but it's something! I'm just glad I'm gaining, makes me feel better about Abby's health.
So that is all for now. My next appointment is Feb. 1 and I'll be 26 weeks by then. I can't believe time is flying right by...she'll be here before we know it!!!
On December 2, I scheduled an elective ultrasound to find out the baby's gender. I wanted to have one done before Casey left for his two weeks in Virginia (which meant he'd be gone for the growth scan at 20 weeks). My mom flew in that morning, we ate lunch, and killed some time shopping before my appointment at 1:40. Or so I *thought* the appointment was at 1:40. We got to the ultrasound place at 1:40, only to find out that my appointment was scheduled for 1:15 and I was SUPER late. Totally my fault, I don't know why I wrote down 1:40. The problem was she was completely booked and had an appointment for 1:45, so I basically missed my chance. Anyway, she took pity on me (we were all obviously excited for the session) and since I was just getting a 2D gender confirmation scan, she agreed to squeeze me in before her next appointment arrived. So the session, was pretty much rushed.
At first glance, she said she was pretty sure it was a girl. I said no way, I was convinced it was a boy, I was going to need a clear shot to be proven wrong. But baby just kept giving us their backside, so it was difficult to say for sure. She measured the baby, and I was right on track, baby measuring 7 inches long and 5.5 ounces. I saw all the great things you look forward to seeing, like the profile and little hands and feet. We waited for the baby to turn, and sure enough, for a split second we saw two legs with nothing in between. The tech pointed out three lines (which took me FOREVER to see when I played the video my mom took over again) and confirmed we were having a girl! With her next appointment already waiting, we were whisked out of the room (in shock), paid the fee, and left.
It took a while to set in....I was really really really surprised. Casey was completely freaked at the prospect of having to spend money on girl things instead of passing everything down everything Aidan has outgrown. And my mom was over the moon happy. But I was nervous because the shot we had wasn't very clear at all, and I know it's possible for techs to be wrong. Even still, we went ahead and announced what we were having on Facebook, knowing we'd have confirmation at my 20 week growth scan.
Almost two weeks later, I went to my growth scan, completely pretending that I didn't know the gender. Casey, who was in school in VA, was still holding out hope that they'd say "You're having a boy!" and that the penis had just been hidden somewhere in the last ultrasound. Meanwhile, I started to become afraid that they WOULD tell me it was a boy and I'd be so disappointed because I'd become excited about having a little girl. Either way, one of us was going to have to make an adjustment!
So, the growth scan took much longer because she was measuring every little thing. I got to see the heart pumping away, the blood flowing through the cord and the kidneys, little tiny hands again (but that never gets old!)....and then the tech asked, "Do you want to know what you're having?" I said, "Yes please!!!" She froze a shot of the two legs, again void in the middle, and said, "It looks like a girl..." but the baby was yet again in an awkward position. We wanted a clear money shot, so we waited. All of the sudden we were being mooned on the screen and clear as day, you could see we were having a girl! It was official in my mind, there's no place for a little wee wee to be hiding in that picture!! Here's a picture of the shot that sealed the deal:
After seeing that shot, even Casey admitted there was no arguing that one, we were definitely going to have to paint the spare room pink! Needless to say everyone is excited for us. It's been easy to shift my thinking from "he" to "she", and we already call her Abby. She also seems to have her brother's profile (I think they'll look alike), with that cute button nose:
So there it is, we're expecting Abigail Maria-Jane. I'm hoping (and thinking it's possible) I go into labor in late April, so she can have the awesome birthstone of diamond, but we'll see. So far I've been wrong on every aspect when it comes to being pregnant, both times. I swore Aidan was a girl (he is most definitely all boy), I swore I was going to have to be induced after going past my due date (I went into early labor and finally had him at 39 weeks), I swore Abby was going to be a boy...I'm not doing so well on the mommy intuition front.
As far as my check up goes, everything looks great. Abby's HR was in the upper 140s, and my fundal height is right on track. No complaints, other than getting woozy when my braxton hicks come around. But the midwife said it's normal and to make sure I've eaten and keep hydrated. If they come frequently, do the opposite of what I'm already doing (rest if I'm up and moving, get up and move if I'm resting), and to call if I have more than 6 in an hour. My bp is awesome and I gained some weight! I weighed myself the night we got back from Louisiana and saw a 9 lb increase since I had left 2 weeks earlier. But because I lost a few pounds earlier in the pregnancy and again since I got home from Louisiana, I'm only officially up five pounds since the time I got pregnant. It's not much, but it's something! I'm just glad I'm gaining, makes me feel better about Abby's health.
So that is all for now. My next appointment is Feb. 1 and I'll be 26 weeks by then. I can't believe time is flying right by...she'll be here before we know it!!!
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