First Ultra Sound

I had my first ultrasound today (Natalie is 11 months today!). Everything looks good -- we got to see the heart beat and confirmed that there's only one baby! As I expected, Dr. Anya thinks I ovulated later than regular cycles and so the baby is measuring smaller than based on my last menstrual cycle (LMP). Based on my LMP, my EDD would be December 3 and I would be 9 weeks pregnant but based on the size of the baby, I'm only 8 weeks 2 days pregnant. So Dr. Anya has moved my EDD to December 8, 2009. My next belly photo will not be until next Tuesday now.

Unfortunately, Dr. Anya only gave me one u/s photo and it's not even a close up. If you look back at my ultrasound with Natalie, we got to see a really close-up view of her but not today. This is a different office than when I was 8 weeks pregnant with Natalie --

maybe they have different quality of equipment. I think with Natalie I had to go to a separate place for my u/s whereas this one was in the doctor's office.

Dr. Anya also didn't tell me the heart rate; she only said everything looked good when I asked after. I know the heart rate doesn't tell you what you're having but I would have liked to have it for my pregnancy book and to compare to Natalie's. I'll have to make sure to ask at my next appointment. I will be going in for an NT scan in the next few weeks (not sure of the date yet) and my next doctor appointment is not till June 18th (I'll be 15 weeks).

We did discuss the probability of me doing a VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarean) - something I'd really like to try given I feel like I missed out on something by having a c-section. Dr. Anya thinks my chance of success with a VBAC is only 40% (meaning I'm more likely to end up with a c-section anyways) based on how my body responded to labor last time. She believes that because my body didn't start picking up my contractions after I went off pitocin (because Natalie wasn't handling pitocin well) that my body may not labor well this time either. She does think we can wait and see if my body goes into labor on its own by my EDD and then, if not, schedule a c/s. Or I could plan to schedule a c-section up front (between 39 and 40 weeks). We have plenty of time to think about it though.

Week 8 -- 2 Months Completed!

Wow...2 months already. This week I met with the OB coordinator at my doctor's office. She went over the insurance information, gave me a bunch of reading material on being pregnant (obviously not something I need), and went over the schedule of tests and appointments for the next 7 months. Then I had to give quite a bit of blood and a urine sample. I really dislike giving blood and four vials of it is a lot! My next appointment is with my doctor next Thursday when she'll do my first internal ultra sound.

I'm definitely starting to feel more pregnant now. Mostly I'm pretty bloated and moody (I'm sure Emile can attest to that one). Although my weight hasn't changed from before I got pregnant, it sure seems like my stomach is already sticking out further. Given the baby is the size of a piece of rice and under my pelvic bone, this belly is all related to bloat and my uterus growing. I'm guessing it also has something to do with the fact that I had a c/s previously and my ab muscles were cut apart so they pretty much have no strength to hold anything in. Plus, I've heard you start looking pregnant sooner with the second and subsequent babies.

So far I haven't really had any signs of morning sickness. Like with Natalie, I've really only had a few days were I felt a little queasy but nothing more than that. I hope that remains the case!

I did start doing prenatal pilates again this week. Unlike with Natalie, I'm also hoping to still run on the weekends until it's uncomfortable to do so. The OB coordinator said this fine to do and I did run this past weekend with no problems.

An ultrasound done at this stage should show a fluttering heartbeat. Elbows are beginning to form in the arms and fingers are starting to develop. The leg buds have begun to show feet with tiny notches for the toes. Our baby's face continues to change as the ears, eyes and the tip of the nose is appearing. The intestines are starting to form in the umbilical cord. Teeth are developing under the gums.

Week 7

I'm 7 weeks pregnant today. There haven't been a lot of changes this week (as expected). I do feel more bloated, and I've become very emotional and moody (I swear I wasn't like this with Natalie). My abdominal muscles are still feeling achy but other than that, I can't really tell I'm pregnant (nor could I at this stage when I was pregnant with Natalie). It still doesn't feel that real to us but I'm sure it will kick into high gear after my first ultra sound in two weeks.

I've been slacking lately with working out (it's not easy with a 10.5 mo old; I can't imagine how I'm going to get in shape after baby #2). I'm hoping to still run on the weekends and start doing prenatal pilates again soon. Natalie and I do go for walks after work when the weather is nice.

Our baby is about 1/3 of an inch right now, the size of a grain of rice. Development of the arms and legs continue although the fingers and toes haven't yet formed. The brain is growing as well as the lenses of the eyes, nostrils, intestines, pancreas and bronchi.

Like last time, I've added a poll to the side of this blog for everyone to take a guess as to what gender Natalie's little sibling is going to be. We hope to find out around July.

Week 6

My first belly photo! Although I'm back to my pre-Natalie weight, my abdominal muscles still aren't back in shape since having a c-section. So it goes! Although I'm still weeks away from showing, I have read that women typically start showing earlier with subsequent pregnancies. I started showing with Natalie at 15 weeks. We'll see if I show before that with this one.

I go into meet with the OB Coordinator at Blue Ridge OB/Gyn on April 20th. Unfortunately, this appointment is to just go over my history, sign some forms and for them to give me pamphlets, prenatal vitamins and answer questions. I think this appointment is unnecessary given that I've been pregnant before, already take prenatal vitamins because I'm still breastfeeding, I don't need a pamphlet and I don't have any questions. My first appointment with Dr. Anya is April 30th (Natalie will be 11 months old that day!) in which she'll do my first internal ultra sound to date the pregnancy. Emile will be going with me to that appointment.

At 6 weeks pregnant, our baby's heartbeat will have begun! The baby is now an embryo and is about 1/17 of an inch long. Growth will be very rapid this week. The umbilical cord is developing. Our baby's eyes and ears are beginning to form as well as an opening for the mouth. The heart has begun to pump blood and most of the other organs are well under construction. Buds form on the body that will become the arms and legs. --- Wow, it's starting to feel more real now!

We're having another baby!

Wow! We have just entered the "2 under 2" parenting group! I'm pregnant! Natalie is going to be a big sister. I'm a bit in shock right now. We're very excited but didn't think I would get pregnant so fast given I am still breastfeeding Natalie. My OB, Dr. Anya, seemed pretty relaxed about the whole idea of me going off the mini-pill when Natalie was 9 mo. old. She thought it would take a few months before my cycles were regular and because I'm breastfeeding that more than likely I probably wouldn't get pregnant until closer to Natalie's 1st birthday when I plan to wean her. But apparently that's not the case -- I got pregnant the first month trying!

We had wanted our children to be close in age -- between 18 and 24 months apart. Looks like Natalie and our next little one will be 18 months apart. Right now, my due date is December 3, 2009 - day after my nephew, Hayden's, 5th birthday, but I think it will be pushed out a week after my first ultra-sound. I had been testing since cycle day 28. If I was back to my normal 28 day cycle, I should have gotten a positive test result much sooner than I did. Instead, I didn't get a positive until CD 38 which more than likely means my cycle was still irregular from breastfeeding and I probably didn't ovulate until CD 21 or so. Typical EDD (estimate due dates) are based on a regular 28 day cycle with ovulation occurring around day 14 or so. I'm expecting that the u/s will show the baby to be smaller than the calculated EDD would imply due to ovulating later (and thus, conceiving later). It doesn't look like I'll be getting in for my first u/s appointment until around 8-9 weeks. Things work a little different here at the NC office I go to than in NYC. Based on a December 3rd EDD, I am 5 weeks 3 days today.

So far my only "symptom" has been the achy abdominal feeling I had when I was pregnant with Natalie. And I also had implantation spotting around CD 35. I'm hopeful that I have a laid back pregnancy again like I did with Natalie, minus the itchy skin rash.

We told our parents, Kendra and Hayden over the webcam again. This time, we had Natalie put on a shirt that says "I'm going to be a Big Sister". I also told my brother over the phone (we need to get him a webcam). They were all pretty excited.

I decided to start a separate blog for my second pregnancy. Given that I don't yet want to tell everyone I'm pregnant (not until after the first trimester), I thought this would be a way to still post belly photos and update everyone on how I'm doing without putting it on Natalie's blog.