Tuesday, May 23, 2017

Nuchal scan...rescheduled

I went to my appointment yesterday as planned only to find out (while I was in the ultrasound room!) that they scheduled the scan too early in the pregnancy. It has to be done between 11 and 13 weeks, and between 12 and 13 weeks is the best time to receive the more conclusive results. Since I was just shy of 11 weeks, we had to reschedule. It was kind of a bummer as I was looking forward to taking a peak at the little bean again!

Our new appointment for the nuchal scan is June 1; my next prenatal appointment is June 5. Unfortunately, there was no room in the schedule for me to have both appointments on the same day. So back and forth I will go. Thankfully, the drive is only about 20'ish minutes. I feel like I am always at the doctor's office, and I guess that will continue for a bit longer.

Tomorrow, I will officially be 11 weeks along. My nausea is continuing to wane, making it's debut much later in the day (or early evening sometimes!) now. My dizziness upon standing is lessening as it's not happening quite so often. And my shortness of breath is all but gone unless I spend too much time in the humidity. That time of year is coming but I'm hoping it's just a first trimester symptom and should be out of here before the heat really kicks in. Pregnancy fatigue is still kicking my butt; I'd be content to go to bed every night at 7p if I could! My pants are definitely starting to get a little snug, and I'm sure I'll be having to unbutton them before too long. Thankfully, I have several shorts with the elastic waist (think athletic shorts or linen shorts) and dresses that I think I can wear once the jeans get too uncomfortable. I'm heading into that "in-between" stage where my regular clothes are getting uncomfortable but I'm definitely no where near ready for maternity clothes. Of course I'll post bump pics when there's a bump to show -- at the moment, it just looks like I've been eating more than my share of cupcakes lately, ha!

Today is the official last day of school for my kiddos, and it's only a half day so they'll be home soon. Summer break begins tomorrow and I'm looking forward to not having to drag kids out of bed for early morning bus stop calls. They'll be out for less than 2 months, but I'm sure I'll be ready for them to go back by then. But for now, I'm looking forward to some slow mornings and lazy summer days in the sun by the pool.

Friday, May 12, 2017

9 week update

This week officially puts us at 9 weeks along! Our scan earlier this week went very well. Baby is growing and heart rate has jumped to 182! We are really just moving right along. P was able to be present at the appointment; we went out to brunch afterwards. It was nice to be able to spend some time together talking about all the exciting things that come with surrogacy as she begins preparing for motherhood!

My nausea is trying to subside it seems. It shows up from time to time, mostly when my stomach is empty or right after I've eaten something that disagreed with the pregnancy. It doesn't last all day any longer, so I'm thankful for that! I still battle a bit of fatigue (normal of course!) and I go to bed a bit earlier than usual these days, 9p most nights. I ventured back into the gym this week as I was beginning to feel somewhat achy from all the "rest" last week. I always feel better when I move. To my surprise, my energy level wasn't too low and no nausea at the gym. WIN! I'm interested to see how that changes as we move along.

My OB's office called me back with my lab results. To their surprise and mine, my iron levels are all normal: I am no longer anemic!! Wahoo!! I guess that iron infusion worked well and hopefully I can maintain good levels throughout. My OB attributes my earlier symptoms (dizziness, shortness of breath, headaches, etc) to simply "early pregnancy" and the fact that I'm "a little older" than I used to be. That's a nice way of saying that I'm just an old pregnant women, ha! She did say that pregnancy symptoms can feel worse as women age. So there's that.

I will begin tapering my medications next week. Basically, I'll be stopping the estrogen patches completely. I cannot say I will miss having all those stickies and their residue all over my skin. I will continue my progesterone injections, but only every other day as opposed to daily until May 31. Those will end completely at that time and I will be medication free!

My next appointment is May 22 for a nuchal scan. That is a scan to measure the fluid at the base of the neck which could indicate a chromosomal abnormality such as Down Syndrome. Even though the embryo was PGD tested, the doctors feel like this test is still warranted. I have had this test with prior carries (here and here); it is pretty routine. And of course any excuse to check on the little guy is always good! I will not actually see my OB at that time; she will call with her thoughts on the scan results and we will talk more in depth at my next appointment on June 5. (I feel like I have lived at doctors' offices this year!)

The school year is wrapping up for us in a little over a week so I will be busy with end of the year breakfasts, awards ceremonies, picnics, field days, and end of the year parties. You will definitely hear from me after our next scan!

Thanks for following along with my on this journey. 😊

Wednesday, May 3, 2017

First OB Appt

I had my first official prenatal appointment a couple of days ago. Although I haven't been released from the care of the fertility doctor just yet, I wanted to go ahead and see my OB and share some concerns with her. For the past week and a half, I have been experiencing some dizziness (that throws my balance), shortness of breath (with only minor exertion), chest discomfort (I assume from the breath shortness), and muscle weakness. All of that along with first trimester fatigue and nausea has had me DOWN for the count!

current situation...erry day
The verdict from my OB is that these are all normal symptoms of pregnancy with the addition of anemia. No real cause for concern except that it's kind of getting in the way of my life. 😐 A small sacrifice really though. Her suggestion is to basically "take it easy," no exercise or strenuous activity until the symptoms subside, which she suspects will be in a couple of weeks. That should also be when the full effects of the iron infusion should kick in. I hope so. I've always exercised throughout my pregnancies, so it's bothersome that I can't right now. But I will just keep telling myself that this is only a season and the gym isn't going anywhere.

I did get to see the little guy and his heartbeat beating away again. My OB has a portable scanner that she brought in the room to do a quick ultrasound. All is well! She also drew my blood to check the iron levels again. I am of course still waiting to hear back.

I will see the fertility doctor next week. We will discuss tapering medications as well as check on the little one again. That's still so fun to me! P is coming to that appointment as well and we have plans to grab brunch afterwards. I'm really looking forward to that!

See you all next week!