The Pregnancy - Week 14

It's official! We made it out of the first trimester! Today begins the second trimester!

Can I tell you all real quick before we dive into "Week 14" just how lucky I think I am? I am so incredibly grateful to have such a wonderful man in my life. Ryan has been my best friend for a long time now and he has been amazingly sweet and helpful throughout the pregnancy thus far. He's been so great to take care of me and all the problems I've been having. I love him more than anything and am truly blessed to have him in my life.

:)

Anyhow, on to the point of this blog entry... "Week 14!" Please enjoy the read and check back next week for "Week 15!"

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"Beginning in the second trimester, fetuses (like the children they'll eventually become) start growing at different paces, some faster than others, some more slowly. Despite the differences in growth rates, all babies in utero follow the same developmental path. This week, that path is leading your baby--who is about the size of your clenched fist--toward a straighter position as the neck is getting longer and the head more erect. And on top of that cute little head, your baby might actually be sprouting some hair. Eyebrow hair is also filling in about now, as is body hair, called lanugo. Don't worry, it's not permanent. This downy coating of hair is there to keep your baby warm for now--like a furry blanket. As baby fat accumulates later on in your pregnancy, most of that hair will be shed--though some babies, especially those born early, still have a temporary fuzzy coating at delivery."
-What to Expect When You're Expecting, Chapter 9


http://www.babycenter.com

-Aubrey

Diabetes Clinic... Again...

Okay, so at my Tuesday appointment, the doctor set me up with a diabetes care team in Provo. His secretary called me yesterday and told me that my appointment was today at 3:00 with Dr. Robert Day.

So, we were supposed to be meeting Dr. Robert Day today. My appointment WAS SUPPOSEDLY SCHEDULED WITH DR. DAY. But guess who I was told I was seeing instead?

Rebecca Moyes.

My nemesis.

Ooh, how I loathed her the last time I saw her. The woman was awful. And as the receptionists looked for my paperwork that the hospital had sent to them, I told them that my appointment was with Dr. Day and that I intended to see him, not Rebecca Moyes.

I thought they had heard me out. But I was wrong. The nurse called me back and got my heart rate (which was high due to my being told my appointment was actually with Dr. Moyes, not Dr. Day), blood pressure, and my A1c. Then she took us to our room and said, "Dr. Moyes will be right in."

I was fuming. I was ready to get up and walk out I was so mad. But she came in and was much more pleasant than she was the last time I saw her (but I still don't like her). She didn't have much to go over because, well, I had another diabetes appointment two days ago at which time changes were made...

Things are too quickly examined there. They print out blood sugars but only at key times of the day. So regardless if I tested 17 times in one day (which I did once during the past two weeks), their computer would only pull up six numbers. I don't like this. I feel like what is actually going on is not being thoroughly investigated.

Anyhow, she made no changes because changes were made only two days ago AND my current A1c is 6.6%. Don't ask me how it could fluctuate that much in two weeks... But I'm proud of it. This is closer to the number I was looking for when I saw Julie Patterson. So I'm pleased. And also, Rebecca Moyes said that my average blood sugar for the past two weeks is 108, which would put me below 6% on the scale. :)

Anyway, enough venting for now...

Now I just need to figure out which doctors I am actually supposed to be seeing, because at this point, I have so many that I don't actually know...

Hope you all have a fabulous day. Check back Wednesday for the "Week 14" update!

-Aubrey

P.S. This was doctor appointment #7...

The Pregnancy - Week 13

We are officially in the last week of the first trimester! I'm baffled! It's gone by so fast!

I posted the picture of our first ultrasound in my last post, and it's funny for me to read about Week 13 and compare it to my own baby! For example, our baby was exactly 3 inches long when we did the ultrasound and it's head is exactly half the size of it's body measurement!

Anyhow, enjoy reading about Week 13 below!

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Photo courtesy of http://www.babycenter.com.

"As your first trimester comes to a close, your fetus (who seems to be working its way through the produce section) has reached the size of a peach, about 3 inches long. Your baby's head is now about half the size of his or her crown to rump length, but that cute little body is picking up steam and will continue growing overtime (at birth, your baby will be one-quarter head, three-quarters body). Meanwhile, your baby's intestines, which have been growing inside the umbilical cord, are now starting their trek to their permanent position in your baby's abdomen. Also developing this week: your baby's vocal cords (the better to cry with... soon!)." - What to Expect When You're Expecting, Chapter 8

Next doctor's appointment should be Monday, so check back then for more!

-Aubrey

First Ultrasound!

Remember when I asked if there was anything more amazing than hearing your baby's heartbeat? Well, there is. Seeing it hiccup!!

We had our first ultrasound today and the baby was hiccupping! SO cute!!

Baby's heartbeat today was 175 bpm and baby is measuring in at three inches. Right on track for tomorrow's "13 Week Update!"

Below you will find the photo of our cute little baby from our first ultrasound.


Our doctor today was Glenn Schemmer. He gave us a lot of really confusing information... What I did gather from him is that Dr. Willis will not be delivering our baby and so we need to pick a new OB, and that I need to go to a different diabetes care team...

To make paying attention harder, while I was laying on the table with my belt and pants undone (of course it would happen then, right?), my blood sugar went low. I started jolting and spasming. So they tested my blood sugar and it was 28. Last time it was 28 was the first time I ever went into shock when I was 10... So I was a little out of it as it was...

Anyhow, we also met Jill today from the American Fork diabetes care team. Not real sure what I think of her...

We were told today that starting at week 30, I will have to do stress tests for the baby twice a week in addition to my weekly visits to the diabetes care team and my many other appointments... We were also told that diabetics often have pregnancies that result in still births, so we will most likely be induced two weeks early. So that July 28th EDD is probably actually going to be July 14th.

Anyhow, that's all I've got to say for now! Check back tomorrow for the latest update!

-Aubrey

P.S. These were doctor's appointments #5 and #6!

Ba-Boom, Ba-Boom

Is there anything more amazing than hearing your baby's heartbeat for this first time?

That's what we did at our appointment today, and it was incredible! Ba-boom, ba-boom, ba-boom! The baby's heart was beating SO fast! 171 beats per minute (which is normal, for those of you who are wondering)! I really wish there was a way to record that sound. I wanted to bring it home with me and listen to it all night!

So an old wives' tale says, if your baby's heartbeat is over 145 bpm, the baby will be a girl, and if it's under 145 bpm, the baby will be a boy. Anyone believe this? Maybe I ought to start taking bets! :)

Also at today's appointment, Dr. Willis (my OB) said that now that we are 12 weeks along, we have a very low risk of having a miscarriage. Which is so good to hear! He also said that after our next appointment with him, he may refer me to the perinatologist permanently. So, at this point, we are not 100% sure who will be delivering our baby...

Anyhow, excitement from that appointment aside, I got a call from Jill Patterson's office today with my A1c results. It was at 7.2%. Ryan and I were both a little disappointed. My last one in October was 7.1% and I have worked a million times harder these past three months and so we were certain my A1c would be under 7% this time. But oh, well. All we can do now is work even harder!

I hope everyone is doing well! Check back on Tuesday to hear about the ultrasound!

-Aubrey

P.S. This is doctor's appointment #4!

The Pregnancy - Week 12

Can you believe we're at 12 weeks? I can't! Only two weeks to go until we're in the second trimester. Then hopefully I won't be nauseous and exhausted every day... ;)

Um, just so you all know, we are meeting with Dr. Willis on Friday at 4:00 to hear the baby's heartbeat and we are meeting the perinatologist on Tuesday at 3:45 to get our first ultrasound, so check back on those days for the newest updates! Also on Tuesday is my second appointment at the pregnancy diabetes clinic, though I'm sure that one won't be as fun to report!

Anyhow, below you will find as usual this week's update fresh out of What to Expect when You're Expecting and the weekly image from http://www.babycenter.com. Enjoy!

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"Your baby has more than doubled in size during the past three weeks, weighing in now at 1/2 ounce and measuring (crown to rump) about 2-1/2 inches. About the size of a large fresh plum, your baby's body is hard at work in the development department. Though most of his or her systems are fully formed, there's still plenty of maturing to do. The digestive system is beginning to practice contraction movements (so your baby will be able to eat), the bone marrow is making white blood cells (so your baby will be able to fight off all those germs passed around the playgroup), and the pituitary gland at the base of the brain has started producing hormones (so your baby will be able to make babies of his or her own)."


-Aubrey

Diabetes Clinic #1

Last time I went to REGULAR diabetes clinic was in October. I saw a new doctor, whose name is Alireza Falahati. He told me the next time I came in, I would see the nurse practitioner, Julie Patterson. That appointment was this morning.

Anyone looking for a diabetes doctor? Because Julie is amazing.

She also has diabetes. She's had it for seven years, she said. She is bubbly, friendly, nice, and helpful. I liked her a lot! And not only was she super excited to hear that I'm pregnant, but the two nurses who got my blood pressure and all that jazz were also super excited to hear it! It was a fun appointment.

Oh, and while at the appointment, I had to hop on the scale. I swear this one's off... It was higher last time and it was higher this time than my most recent weigh-in's at other offices. Anyhow, it said I'd gained three pounds from my previous visit, or about seven pounds from my other more recent visits to other offices. Anyway, I almost had a hard attack when I saw that big number... And of course Ryan started laughing hysterically when he saw my face. The girls just looked at him completely shocked! The one said, "You're not supposed to laugh! I can't believe you're laughing!" But everyone thought it was actually pretty funny once we did tell them that I'm pregnant.

Typically, I have these appointments every three months. Because I'm pregnant, however, she is having me come back to see her in two months. And it will probably be even more frequently after that.

They drew my blood to get my A1c, but they did it in the lab today rather than in the office. So I'm not sure when I get the results, but Julie said they'd call to let me know what my results are. So, I'll let you know when I get that call!

I'll post again Wednesday with the 12 Week update. My Tuesday the 12th appointment for the coming week was moved to Friday the 15th, so I will also let you know then if they found the baby's heartbeat!

-Aubrey

PS - This is my third doctor's appointment during my pregnancy (I didn't write about the first one on December 15th because I hadn't started this blog yet or gone public with the pregnancy, but it wasn't a big deal--they drew my blood, had me pee in a cup, confirmed that I was pregnant and started setting me up with new doctors). I'm going to keep a log because I know I'm going to have a ton!

Pregnancy Diabetes Clinic #1

Ryan and I went to my first pregnancy diabetes clinic this morning. There are a couple of doctors I'm supposed to be talking to at these clinics, but I only met one today. The doctor was okay, nothing special. Her name is Elise Christensen. She's a dietician so she wanted to focus on my eating habits and make sure I was getting enough of the foods I need. And guess what? I'm not!

Turns out I am supposed to get 9 to 15 one-ounce servings of protein per day. At most, I am currently getting 3 servings!

So, I am upping my protein intake. This is supposed to help my low blood sugars.

Speaking of which, I have not yet reported to everyone my recent horror stories...

My blood sugar has been going low a lot lately. I read that this is because while the placenta is being made, blood sugars run lower. Anyhow, this last weekend has been the worst by far. On Saturday morning, I went to work. I'd been there for an hour when all of a sudden, I got the worst stomach ache ever. It was awful! It hurt to walk and it hurt to have my belt pressing on my stomach. So, I removed my belt and stuffed it in my purse at work. This sucked because I was wearing some pants I just bought a size too big in preparation for outgrowing my current size of clothing, so my pants were falling down all day. I bought some chewable Rolaids and they just made my stomach gurgle more. So I went to the breakroom to be miserable for a while. I couldn't leave work because not only were we short-handed for truck day, but someone else had called in sick. Anyway, after sitting there for a while, I realized I was going to throw up. So I walked to the bathroom and threw up my breakfast. I felt better for about two minutes and then my stomach ache came back. I was miserable for most of the day and didn't feel better until around 2:00. I got home from work around 4:00 and got on my laptop. I hadn't even been on for an hour when my vision started going weird. Note: this is a symptom of low blood sugar for me. However, that didn't pop into my head. What did pop into my head was that I'd been on the computer for too long (why I thought that, I don't know--I've been on the computer for 12 hours straight before and have had no problems with my vision). Finally my vision was tripping so bad that I shut my laptop. Ryan was playing xBox and I decided to go upstairs. This was around 5:00. I don't remember making it all the way up the stairs, so I must have gone into shock on my way up. The next thing I remembered, it was 7:30 and I had orange juice all over my shirt and in my hair. I was freezing cold from being drenched in orange juice. Ryan told me I'd gone into shock and that he was trying to force me to drink orange juice and glucose gel, and as I typically do when I'm low, I viciously fought him. I can get violent when I'm in shock. I bite and spit and throw things given to me. I refuse to eat, which is what I need to do to come out of shock, so things can be pretty scary. Ryan didn't even let me shower and insisted we go get something to eat the minute I was fully conscious. So we did. I showered when we got back and before I went to bed, all the sugar finally hit me. My blood sugar was up to almost 500. So I gave myself some insulin to get it down (not even as much as I was supposed to, though) and tested again a couple hours later. This time my blood sugar was in the 200's. Again, I gave myself some insulin to get it down (and again, I did not give myself as much as I was supposed to). I figured since I was as high as I was going to bed, I wouldn't have any trouble during the night. WRONG! I again woke up in shock. My manager at work called me at 8:15 Sunday morning wondering where I was, since I was supposed to be there at 7:30. I wasn't even fully conscious until 8:30 or so and didn't make it to work until 9:00 a.m.

Anyway, that little side story being told, the increase in protein in my diet is supposed to help. Also at this doctor's visit, we found out that I have to go these pregnancy diabetes clinics at least once a week for the entire pregnancy. Supposedly as hormones change, so do blood sugars. And they change constantly during pregnancy. So I have to see a doctor every week to adjust my insulin levels. In addition to these weekly visits, I also have to see my family physician, who is also my obstetrician, at least once a month for now. So far I still see my regular diabetes doctor only every three months (I have an appointment with him tomorrow--I'll let you know if once every three months changes), and I have not yet met with my perinatologist, and I'm not sure how often I will have to see her.

Anyhow, that's about all there is to report from the doctor's appointment today. My next appointment is tomorrow and I'll let you know how that one goes.

Hope everyone is doing fantastic!

-Aubrey

The Pregnancy - Week 11

Hello everyone! We are officially at Week 11 in our pregnancy. I have a pregnancy diabetes clinic in about an hour, so I'll post a report from that later on today as well.

Again, the information below is from What to Expect When You're Expecting and the photo is from http://www.babycenter.com/.

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"Your baby is just over 2 inches long now and weighs about a third of an ounce. His or her body is straightening out and the torso is lengthening. Hair follicles are forming, and fingernail and toenail beds are beginning to develop (nails will actually starts to grow within the next few weeks). Those nails are forming on individual fingers and toes, having separated recently from the webbed hands and feet of just a few weeks ago. And though you can't tell baby's gender by looking yet (even with an ultrasound), ovaries are developing if it's a girl. What you would be able to see, if your womb had a view, is that your fetus has distinct human characteristics by now, with hands and feet in the front of the body, ears nearly in their final shape (if not final location), open nasal passages on the tip of the nose, a tongue and palate in the mouth, and visible nipples." Hope you enjoyed the update! Check back later today for more, and possibly tomorrow (we have another doctor's appointment tomorrow)!

-Aubrey

The Pregnancy - Week 10

Hello! My name is Aubrey and I am married to the most wonderful man in the world. His name is Ryan. We started dating in May 2004, got married in September 2008, purchased our first home in September 2009, and found out in November 2009 that we are expecting a baby in July 2010!

I was planning to start a blog once the baby arrives, but because our families are so huge and most of them will want updates on our pregnancy, I decided to start it early. This way, we can keep everyone posted on our doctor's visits and how our pregnancy is progressing rather than tell 20+ people the same stories at various times!

This week is Week 10. Below I am posting "Week 10" from What to Expect When You're Expecting as well as a photo from http://www.babycenter.com/. Enjoy!

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"At nearly 1-1/2 inches long (about the size of a prune), your baby is growing by leaps and bounds. And in gearing up for those first leaps and bounds (and baby steps), bones and cartilage are forming--and small indentations on the legs are developing into knees and ankles. Even more unbelievably for someone the size of a prune, the elbows on baby's arms are already working. Tiny buds of baby teeth are forming under the gums. Further down, the stomach is producing digestive juices, the kidneys are producing larger quantities of urine, and if your baby's a boy, his testes are producing testosterone (boys will be boys--even this early on!)."

-Aubrey