Week 9: The Size of a Grape

 HOW FAR ALONG? 9 weeks 1 day

THIS WEEK THE BABY IS THE SIZE OF A: Grape - nearly an inch long and weighs just a fraction of an ounce.

DUE DATE: December 11, 2012
TOTAL WEIGHT GAIN/LOSS: 0 pounds - maintaining right now. :)
MATERNITY CLOTHES? Nope.  My regular clothes still fit a bit loose.
SLEEP: I have been sleeping like crap.  I'm doomed.  I have at least one potty interruption each night.
BEST MOMENT THIS WEEK: Sharing our news with friends and family.
MOVEMENT: None yet.
FOOD CRAVINGS: Sweets right now.  I am craving chocolate especially.
SYMPTOMS: Nothing too horrible.  I get a bit nauseous in the evening and tender boobies.
GENDER: Too early to tell.  James hopes for a boy.  I'm good either way.
BELLY BUTTON IN OR OUT?  In... I think it will remain this way throughout.
FEELINGS TOWARD PREGNANCY: I'm thoroughly enjoy it.  Very excited at this point.
WHAT I MISS: I occasionally wish I could have a glass of bubbly.
WHAT I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO: Hearing the heartbeat.
SMELL AVERSIONS: Blood.  GAG!!! (story below)


That pretty much sums everything up in a hurry! 
Not too much more to talk about now.  ;)

I am still a bit nervous about a miscarriage until I can hear the heart beat.
I try not to worry too much but I think it's inevitable.
I will admit, I purchased a cheap-o baby heart rate monitor off of eBay.
That should be arriving today - if the post office is operating like they should.
The device claims to be able to detect a heart rate between 10-12 weeks. 
I'm not expecting to hear anything right off since I'm only 9 weeks along.
I'm honestly not expecting it to work that great, period.
I guess we shall see how it works.  

So the aversion to the smell of blood....
We have two dogs.  Our boxer, Frankie and our doberman, Betty.

Sweet Frankie and Betty sun bathing.

Well, Betty has a blood condition that is common among dobermans.
This makes it harder for her blood to clot and so she tends to bleed uncontrollably if injured.
When we got her ears cropped,  we experience first hand how difficult it is to stop her bleeding.
Problem is Betty likes to play, and play rough. 
James has an electric RC car and Betty LOVES to chase it.
It's great exercise BUT Betty runs after it and usually ends up with scratched up pads on her feet.
They bleed and bleed and the only way we've been able to control it is by wrapping them with coban tape and gauze.
We made a rule that she's no longer allowed to chase the car on the sidewalks or streets.
Well, There's a dirt field near our house that we though would be fun to take the car and the dogs to play.

Betty with a mouth full of dirt after chasing the car.

Apparently the dirt has the same effect as the pavement.
Betty's feet weren't scuffed up nearly as bad but she still bled a bit.
When we got home, I got down on the floor to clean up Betty's wounds and wrap her feet.
I lifted her paw up to see what damage was done and got smacked in the face with the smell.
You know, that strong smell of iron that comes from blood.
Yeah, I gagged.  I had to turn the other way and breath clean air for a minute. 
That's probably the closest I've come to puking while pregnant.
I now know to steer clear of blood!

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! ;)

Week 10: Thoughts

Here I am, already to week 10.  This week has been a bit rough and I've apparently been slacking at getting this post up.  I've been SOOOO tired and can't seem to get the restful sleep I need at night.  I think this could partly be my lovely fiance's fault, as he is a massively loud snorer!  Between my need to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night and his snoring, good sleep seems to be something I may never again become too familiar with.

Other than my not so restful sleep, there really isn't anything new to report for the week.  Instead of posting about changes and such (since I haven't experience anything to speak of), I decided that I will discuss some of my thought and feelings.

The one thing that seems to be on my mind constantly is child birth.  Yes, I've still got a long way to go, but there are different options and choices that each mother has when it come to child birth.  For me, it's between an epidural and going natural.  Most days I believe that I can do it without drugs.  I have read that it's a fulfilling experience for mom and you have a sense of great accomplishment.  Not only that, but I've read and heard that the recovery can be quicker and the baby is usually more alert after birth. 

Now, that being said, I don't know about the pain.  My sisters joke that I can't stand to have my hair brushed so how would I be able to make it through childbirth without drugs?  (Note: as a kid I HATED having my hair brushed.  I would whine and cry every time.  Apparently I have a sensitive head or something).  It'd be nice to not really have to deal with much pain but I often think that the sense of accomplishment and other perks of natural childbirth have won me over.

I'm sure this is going to be something that I toss back and forth the entire pregnancy.  It may even end up being something that I'll decide in the moment.    Who knows.  I've got several months before the baby comes so I'm sure I'll be doing more research and such before coming to my final decision.

Another thing that crosses my mind semi-frequently is the classes that the hospitals provide for parents.  My doctor told us that she thinks the classes are great, especially for first time parents.  I think it would be something that I could enjoy.  The problem I see, James has already said that he doesn't want to do the classes.  If I do them, I'd want his support and for him to be there with me.  I'm sure I could change his mind though.  I just don't know if they really are something beneficial to first time moms or not. 

I've heard people talk both ways of the classes.  Some say they're great, other say they didn't really make a big difference.  As the time gets closer, I will have to see how prepared I feel and see if I think the classes would be something that would come in handy for both James and I. 

I have found that there are so many thoughts that cross your mind when pregnant.  Maybe more so for me.  I'm very much so the type that like to have things planned out and know what to expect so I can handle the situation accordingly.  I have realized that I'm not going to be able to do that with all things anymore.  I'm going to have to just sit back and enjoy this ride.  This ride into motherhood.