Exciting News!

WE'RE PREGNANT!

Yes, it's true.  It happened like clock work.
My doc gave us the go ahead to start trying after 2 regular cycles.
2 cycles passed and the magic happened.
I honestly wasn't expecting this to happen so quickly... I was actually shocked!
Two test later and our first doctor appointment down... it's 100% confirmed!

I've been a bit hesitant to announce our big news due to our previous miscarriage.
A week or so back I came across an article titled "5 Common Pregnancy Practices I Wish Would Go Away".
Intrigued, I clicked the link and read on. (The article can be found HERE)
The first "practice" the author discuss is the 12 Week Rule.
We have all heard that things can go wrong in the first trimester.
I'm a prime example.  1 out of 5 pregnancies ends in miscarriage.
The author writes - "I think this sets women up for complicated grieving process should miscarriage happen"
WOW!  I could totally relate to every word that I was reading.
Had I not had so much support from both friends and family, I think I would likely be in a funk still.

I clicked on a link provided at the end of the article to read about "Why I Hate the 12 Week Rule".
(This article can be found HERE)
The website I was taken to is a sanctuary for those going through the same things.
A place where you can go voice your feelings and have support from others.
Great site for others struggling with miscarriage.  Highly recommended.

I was honestly considering waiting until week 12.
I know first hand how great it was to have the extra support though.
I know that I would love to have the same support if something happens again.
I feel kind of needy or maybe selfish saying that but it's the truth.
I don't need the sympathy.  It's just nice to know there's support during tough times.

Anyhow, enough of the doom and gloom - I'm back to My Journey Into Motherhood! :)
I'm excited and nervous at the same time.
I know that there's a possibility of something not working out again but my hopes are high.
I think I worry myself more than needed.
This time around things have just felt different.
I often forget that I am pregnant.  I really don't feel like it - short of being EXTREMELY tired.

My boobs didn't start hurting until about a week ago.  Before it was almost immediate.
I haven't had the same acne problem that I did before.  My skin actually looks pretty great.
Like I said, I have been VERY tired.  Last time I wasn't really tired.
No puking.  I do feel a bit nauseous before I eat in the morning and then again after dinner.
I don't have the want to over indulge when I eat like I did last time.
I have had some CRAZY dreams.  I often find myself wondering where that thought came from!

I was able to lose almost 20 pounds prior to this pregnancy.
(Yes, I still have a ways to go before hit my goal weight and that's now on the back burner)
I don't want to flush all of my hard work down the drain so....
I'm sticking to my healthy ways and I plan on doing so throughout the entire pregnancy.
For the record, I'm not actively trying to lose weight.
The plan is to continuing eating healthy and to continue with my workouts.
I told James the other day that I'm actually a little jealous.
He will be losing more weight and getting buff and I'll just be getting bigger.
All for a good cause though.  I can't complain about that.  :)

I will be back to my weekly blogging - baby talk this time. 
I will keep you updated on new symptoms - the good or the bad.
I will be doing weekly photos too.

The doc says that the baby is measuring about 6 days ahead of what we were thinking.
They are keeping the due date at December 11th for now.
After the 20 week ultrasound measurements, they may or may not move the date to the 5th.
Regardless, Baby Bell is looking healthy.
We saw the little heart beating and could see a defined baby shape growing inside.
Here's what we got to see...

First "baby bump" (or not) photo - 8 weeks pregnant and feeling pretty great!
**Note to self... clean the bathroom mirror!  LOL! ;)

Pregnancy: Week 6

As I have been thinking throughout the past week about any new or exciting symptoms I've experience, I realized that I left out one thing from my last blog. So let me start with that: breast tenderness. Yes, they are as sore as sore can possibly get! With as sore as mine are, I don't know how I possible forgot to mention this last week! Walking up and down stairs is painful, especially when going bra-less. I swear, when my fiance even looks at them, I can feel the pain. After (or even shortly before) you find out you're pregnant, they become sore to the touch in a hurry. Possibly worse than any sore boob you've ever had. Pre-period tenderness has nothing on this! Good luck ladies! It's MAY be my least favorite thing so far.

My comment about boob tenderness possibly being my least favorite thing brings me to the next thing... ACNE!!! Acne is like a curse word in my books and comes to a close 1st place with the breast tenderness. It's awful and makes you miserable. My hormones are apparently raging and in turn has decided to rear it's ugly head in the form of acne. Not only is this acne on my face, but also my back and chest. These aren't just your normal, everyday zits I'm talking about. They are those deep, under the skin, hurtful kind. I swear there's nothing I can do to keep it at bay either. I have gotten into a really good ritual of washing my face morning and night. I limit my use of moisturizers to try to prevent any added aggravation to those nasty bumps that are already there. One of these days I am determined to find a good solution. If anyone has suggestions, I will gladly take them!

Since not everything about pregnancy is bad, I will share some crazy (and by crazy I really mean things that are actually kind of fun) things too. One new thing that I do find rather entertaining is the dreams. I've always heard that pregnant women have a tendency to have more vivid dreams but never thought that I'd notice much of a change. I have always had some crazy and fairly vivid dreams. The other night was probably the first of what I'm sure will be, many more crazy dreams to come. I remember specific details of the dream, colors and expressions on people's faces. I honestly just have to laugh about it. It almost make me excited to see what tonight will bring.

Another thing is the cravings. I personally haven't had any specific food cravings yet. I just find myself being SOOO hungry. I feel like I could eat a huge plate of food and then go back for seconds. This is only in my head it seems. I have the problem: MY EYES ARE BIGGER THAN MY BELLY. I and guilty. I have definitely filled my plate full and ate nearly (if not all) of it. The problem I have found with this is that I am overly full and just miserable. I get the instant feeling of wanting to make puke just to make myself feel better. I am getting better with this and have learned to eat only my normal portion size. Snacks here and there tend to help with the "I'm so hungry I could eat a horse" issue. I am very curious to see if I do end up having any specific food cravings though.

I feel as if I've mostly complained and made my first few weeks of pregnancy seem to be horrible. It's really not bad. I have still been feeling great. Still no morning sickness (although my belly seems to be getting a bit queasy at times) and I have yet to feel more tired than usual. It's exciting to think that there's something so tiny growing inside of me and that I'm solely responsible for nurturing it. It's fun to follow the pregnancy trackers and see the progress that the baby is making week to week. That gives me something to look forward to. There's still so much more to come!