Toucha Toucha Toucha Touch Me...

Earlier this week I went to an awards breakfast - lots of folks there both from the franchise I work for and a lot of folks I know from other offices. About half way through the morning tea I realised that my tummy was getting patted and stroked a lot! And...I really liked it! I didn't find it intrusive or offensive at all - it was just people who cared about me showing their joy in this baby. Kinda nice :-) I mean - I pat my bump all the time, but it's lovely when other friends do too!

Hubby and I saw the obstetrician yesterday - she is pleased with progress and gave us a quick scan - baby waved at Daddy! He/she was sitting bum down, legs up, and despite coughing I couldn't get him or her to move to a better angle. But I must say how cute peanut (or mini P) looked! After that appointment I went and had my blood drawn for the maternal serum test which will hopefully give us a good result and get us up over that 1 in 300 risk factor (currently 1 in 290). I don't have a lot of anxiety over that, I think the NT scan really showed that my risk was very low considering my age.

One of my blogging buddy's of old, Mony, shared her poem for Mylanta with me (below) written when she was pregnant - she is now the proud mother of a gorgeous wee man, and I heart her! After speaking with my doctor I now have my very own packet of the darn stuff. Hopefully it will help with some of the reflux and heartburn! Thanks Mony!!!

My Tribute to.....Mylanta

My innards growl all night and day,
Intestines...bowel in disarray.
Belching acid on the hour,
...regretting what I did devour.
Indigestion! Oh so dire!
My Oesophagus! It burns like fire!
MYLANTA! ....mystic tummy fixer,
Chalky white, supreme elixir.
How I crave your offensive taste,
Spoonfuls gulped with messy haste.
You alleviate the torment well,
And rescue me from heartburn hell.
My trusty friend.... all bottled blue,
Sweet reflux slayer...I heart you.

Woo hoo Second Trimester

So...today is fourteen weeks, and according to most books, the beginning of the second trimester. Wow. The second trimester! How exciting is that!

Hubby got home from the US on Wednesday - such a relief having him home while I am still really tired and hitting the sack around 7pm most evenings. It's just bliss having him home - not just for the help with the house and dogs...but just having him there. Lovely. And it means our flatmate Muzz has someone to talk to when I sneak off to bed!

So...I am still very tired in the afternoons and evenings. Some days are better than others, there seems to be no real rhyme or reason to it. I am getting a lot of twinges - I assume these are growth or stretching - round ligament pain type things. Not pleasant but usually eased by a change in position. I've had a lot of burping - much to the amusement of my co workers. Not so pleasant after taking my naturopath pills - those things are nasty on the way back up! Apart from that, only a little nausea occasionally and a bit of reflux. All in all I think I've been pretty lucky so far.

Mid week we see our obstetrician for our routine appointment - Rupes is coming with me so I hope we get to do a quick scan or at least have a listen to the heartbeat. I can feel my uterus now below my belly button - so that's quite exciting. Or maybe only if you are me and any sign is an exciting one! Tummy is definately sticking out now. I pat it a lot :-)

Emotionally - all over the show. So hopeful, so excited, cannot believe this is happening. But at the same time nervous - is that fibroid going to interfere, is that twinge the start of something bad, I don't feel tired - am I going to lose the baby? Those kinds of thoughts - usually at around 2am when those dark fears can creep in. All I can do is keep marking off the days and weeks and take comfort in the fact that this baby is growing well. I am so blessed.

My favourite photo...

See the wee shoulder? And the hands? And the side of the face?

:-)

Happy happy Pixxiee

NT Scan

Woke up this morning at 4am...really nervous. And starving. Hehe. Went for my scan this afternoon after what seemed like a REALLY long morning at work...has a clock ever moved so slowly?

Upshot is...we have one active wee baby...at 12wks and 6 days it is measuring 13wks and 3 days. My risk of Downs based on my age is 1 in 43. My new amended risk based on the measurements is 1 in 290. That may change still further when I have maternal serum blood tests in a few weeks.

Despite baby flipping over on to his/her stomach all the time they also managed to get a good nasal bone measurement, and all in all the radiologist was very happy with the way things are coming along. What a relief. I felt really drained afterwards. Just tension leaving my body...it felt so good to get this over with.

I can feel my uterus now above my pelvic bone - very odd. And feel like I am showing a little more each day - it will be interesting when hubby gets home from the US middle of next week and what changes he notices after not having seen me for 2.5 weeks.

I also had one of those cool 3 or 4d pics, so will post that shortly!

It was a dark and stormy day...

In fact, a perfect day to spend a quiet Saturday at the office in catch up mode. My miracle pregnancy has coincided with the company I work for merging with another company - and oh my desk is groaning with piles of paper and things to do.

I woke up around 4am (thanks Toby, who decided that he was cold and trying to get under the blankets with Mum was the way to go)...laid there and just smiled. 12 weeks today. What a milestone. It just feels so good to be at this stage, and only a week away from the NT scan. It's been a fairly quiet week, just work and resting and doggy walking and chores - it looks like hubby's return from the US will be delayed by a week, but I'm doing fine although missing him.

Went up to my neighbours last night to watch a DVD (Seven Pounds, had a good cry at the end) and to play with her gorgeous 18 month old. We are so lucky in being really good friends with our neighbours - we met them before we even moved into the street, through our dogs at the park, so it's a blessing having them there. Just having someone to talk to, or being able to drop Toby off to play with their dog Kong, while I walk Katie. Or just to hang out on a Friday night for dinner or a movie - with only a minute needed to walk home!

No other real news - saw my naturopath yesterday and he has altered my dosage slightly - that will continue through to sixteen weeks, then taper off and stop around twenty weeks. I wonder how big my tummy will be there - I am certainly showing now. Must get around to taking a belly shot or two!

Next update will be probably a week away after the big scan - am slightly nervous, but not as bad as I thought I might be. Keep your fingers crossed, the prayers coming and those good vibes heading my way :-)

11 weeks and 1 day

I'm starting to get excited. Each day that passes I feel a little more secure. Even the NT scan in two weeks is not stressing me, I just feel very happy and calm. I'm starting to allow myself to imagine holding this baby, our baby. To having a family, finally, after all these years. It just still feels a little unreal. Maybe when dreams come true that's what it feels like. Like you are being given everything you ever dreamed of, hoped for.

I'm tired. Some days are worse than others, but that does seem to be passing. Some days I can't even bring myself to watch TV in the evenings - I just want to lay down in bed. It's made for some very early nights, and then being awake in the wee small hours. I don't mind that so much - I just rub my tummy and chat to the peanut. I've been lucky enough so far to have very little nausea, but I do wake up very hungry at the moment!

However, I've got a really sore calf and am having physio twice a week - and that is bugging me. Because when I wake up it aches, and keeps me awake. Very annoying, but hopefully that will be fixed up soon.

Hubby is off to the US this afternoon - one week of work, one week of seeing friends and going across the states by train. I'm going to miss him, not least because he is looking after me so well. It will be a very quiet week while he is gone, and then a friend is moving in to stay with us for a while so we will be an interesting household of four cats, two dogs, three adults and a baby bump!

So. Pixxiee Is Pregnant...

Wow, some lovely old names in my comments list - so glad you guys are still around to share this with me!

So...I found out on the 11th of May I was pregnant. Was feeling very off colour, a bit emotional. And thought surely not? So I did a home test, and sure enough I was. To be honest, I was just gobsmacked. I sat in the toilet and cried.

Went to the doctor the next day and had my first beta test - I've popped the dates down here for posterity (and because my wee notebook is falling apart)

LMP 18th April
Conception 30th April (yeah, yeah!)
Spotting 8th May (implantation?)
BFP 11th May
HCG 111 11th May
HCG 334 14th May
4 weeks - 16th May
HCG 1842 - 18th May
HCG 5850 - 21st May
5 weeks - 23rd May
HCG 21392 - 25th May

On the 27th of May I had my first scan - baby measuring .310 cms and 5wks and 4 days - perfect. Heartbeat of 102

Then, on the 29th of May...on the Friday afternoon of a long weekend, panic. Bleeding, clots...although it had stopped by mid evening. We went to A and E but were told there was a 6-7 hour wait and by then I was just tired, so we went home. We got in for a scan the following Tuesday, and hubby came with me - all was fine, and heartbeat was 128 and baby was measuring a day ahead (6wks 4days).

And then we had our scan last Friday that I have posted the picture of :-)

So...that's you lot up to date! Well, apart from today's first appointment with the specialist - who did a very quick scan and told me that the baby is moving around A LOT and is very "feisty" in her words - and that she believes we have a 95% chance of no miscarriage this time around - even though we aren't quite at the magical 12 weeks yet.

So...Pixxiee is currently 10 weeks and 5 days pregnant - and cannot quite believe it. But is very very happy and excited and somehow very hopeful and calm about this one.