Week 13

Date: 3/20/15

How far along: 13 weeks

Fruit-size comparison: Peach

Maternity clothes: Not yet. 

Weight gain:  I had another appointment on Monday and I hadn't gained any additional weight so I'm still at 3 lbs. over my pre-pregnancy weight. 

Stretch Marks: Not yet.

Sleep: I had a couple rough nights of sleep this week and I'm not sure why.  Today I noticed when I woke up that my back hurt quite a bit.  I probably shouldn't sleep on my stomach now that my boobs and belly are getting bigger.:)

Best moment of the week: I heard the baby's heartbeat on the Doppler on Monday.  So reassuring!

Movement: Not for awhile, unfortunately.  

Cravings: I haven't had any lately.  In fact, I find eating can be hard for me.  I expected to be hungry all the time while pregnant and lately nothing sounds that good. 

Gender: I can't wait to find out.  

Anything making you queasy/sick: I still have a little nausea, but it's not that bad and it's not every day.

What I miss:  Not a whole lot.  I'd give up almost anything for a healthy baby. 
What I’m looking forward to: My next doctor appointment.  My next appointment isn't until April 16 and it seems like such a long stretch. I've been monitored so closely because of IVF and the bleeding so it seems strange to go so long without seeing or hearing that heartbeat.  I'm also looking forward to my trip to Seattle on the 18th.  I have a work conference there and Nate gets to come with me.  It will be really nice to get away. 

Symptoms:  There haven't been any new symptoms.

Emotions: I'm feeling good.  I'm so happy to have made it through the first trimester and I'm so lucky to be feeling as good as I do. 

Week 12

Date: 3/20/15

How far along: 12 weeks!

Fruit-size comparison: Plum

Maternity clothes: Not yet, although I feel like baby and I had a growth spurt in the last week.  I definitely have a belly now.   

Weight gain:  3 lbs!  I was a little shocked the last time I got weighed, but 2-4 lbs. is a normal weight gain in the first trimester so I'm right on track.  

Stretch Marks: Not yet.

Sleep: I'm tired all the time and I'm mostly sleeping well.  

Best moment of the week: I unexpected got to see my baby on an ultrasound again on Tuesday.  It was so good to see him/her wiggling around!  

Movement: Not for awhile, unfortunately.  

Cravings: The last couple days it has been potatoes.  

Gender: I can't wait to find out.  

Anything making you queasy/sick: Yes.  I haven't had much nausea this pregnancy, but the last couple days I've had random bouts of it.  Usually if I just have something to eat, I'm fine.  

What I miss:  I still miss knowing what is going on in my body.  I had another bleeding scare on Monday night.  It was very similar to last time, but slowed down even faster.  My doctor wasn't concerned, but did let me have an ultrasound to check the placenta.  Both baby and the placenta were developing normally.  What a relief!
What I’m looking forward to: Being open about the pregnancy.  I'm hoping to tell people at work next week and then announce on Facebook.  

Symptoms:  There haven't been any new symptoms and I'm hoping the fatigue and nausea will go away soon.

Emotions: I'm feeling so happy right now.  It's the first day of spring and the beginning of the second trimester.  

Week 10

Date: 3/9/15

How far along: 10 weeks, 3 days

Fruit-size comparison: Prune

Maternity clothes: Not yet.  

Weight gain:  I just got weighed at my doctor appointment this morning and I'm still at my pre-pregnancy weight.  

Stretch Marks: Not yet.

Sleep: I'm tired all the time and I'm mostly sleeping well.  

Best moment of the week: I unexpected got to see my baby on an ultrasound on Friday.  It was so good to see him/her wiggling around!  I also got to quit my progesterone shots on Friday.  No more shots in the butt!

Movement: Not for awhile, unfortunately.  

Cravings: Sort of.  I want sweets and carbs all the time, but that's pretty typical of how I like to eat anyway.

Gender: I can't wait to find out.  

Anything making you queasy/sick: Nope

What I miss:  I miss feeling like I knew what was going on with my own body.  I had a bit of a scare on Thursday, which is why I got to see my baby on Friday.  I started bleeding bright red, which gradually slowed down to brown spotting.  My doctor squeezed me in for an appointment on Friday.  She said my cervix was irritated, but didn't know exactly why.  She did say the blood was mine and not the baby's.  And we were able to see proof that the baby is just fine.  She said I'll have to continue to watch for more bleeding because it could be an issue with the placenta, which could result in some restrictions for me.  Obviously, I'll do whatever I need to for the health of my baby, but let's just hope the bleeding is done!  Bleeding makes any pregnant woman nervous.
What I’m looking forward to: Being done with the first trimester.  I can't wait to be open about the pregnancy with everyone and to feel a little more confident that I really will have a baby to take home.  I'm also looking forward to my next appointment in two weeks.  I'll get to hear the heartbeat again.  

Symptoms:  There haven't been any new symptoms.  In fact, I would say that some of the symptoms are easing a little.  I'm starting to get a little more energy and I don't have headaches every day all day anymore.  

Emotions: I'm feeling really grateful at the moment.  I really like my doctor and I'm so thankful for her reassurance.  She had me come in again today, although she had just seen me on Friday.  She wanted to check my cervix again and give me an opportunity to ask any questions that may have developed over the weekend.   She kept saying over and over that she wanted to reassure me because she knows what it took for me to get to this point.  It's nice that she gets it and that she's willing to see me again in two weeks, rather than the typical four weeks that most pregnant women get.  

Week 9

This morning I had my first ultrasound at my OB's office.  It was so nice to see my baby again, even though it had only been a week since the last time I saw him/her.  Baby is 1 inch long and had a strong heartbeat again.  According to the due date the fertility center gave me, I'm 9 weeks, 3 days today.  The baby was measuring 9 weeks, 5 days so they want to move my due date up a couple days.  I find it amusing that they want move the date up even though I know exactly when the baby was conceived.  I'll probably just ignore whatever date they give me and go with my original due date.  I know that my baby will  likely be born several days after my due date so it probably doesn't matter anyway. 

This past week of pregnancy has been the most difficult yet.  I hadn't had any nausea until Friday and then I ended up throwing up once during the night and once in the morning.  I assumed I was developing a late case of morning sickness, but I took my temperature later in the afternoon and had a slight fever.  I happened to have work off that day and ended up laying in bed for most of the day because I had no energy.  By the next day, I felt more like myself so I still don't know if it was pregnancy hormones, the 24 hour flu, or a combination of both.  I have had a little more nausea today and yesterday so I'm not quite sure what's going on.  Pregnancy is weird.  

In addition to the nausea, I continue to have headaches almost all day and the fatigue has gotten worse.  I had my appointment with the nurse educator on Friday and she mentioned that I could be developing nausea if I'm overly tired or eating too much at a time.  So I'm trying to get plenty of rest and not eat too much. The food aversions I've been having made accomplishing this much easier.:)  

Overall, I'm so grateful for how this pregnancy has gone so far.  I just hope there comes a time in this pregnancy when I can relax and stop worrying so much about the health of the baby. I saw a friend the other day who had had no trouble getting pregnant and had two healthy pregnancies and she said she never worried about losing her babies.  I'm so jealous of her experience.  I'm always worried I'll start bleeding or there will be no heartbeat when I look at the baby on an ultrasound.  I think it's the nature of pregnancy after a loss, but it's hard.  Hopefully each week that things are going well, I'll feel a little more confident.