13 Weeks & Counting!

Today I am 13 weeks!  That still just seems crazy to me.  For a while, I doubted that I would ever get to see a positive result on a pregnancy test, let alone make it through those early first weeks.  Not a day goes by that I am not completely in awe of this pregnancy.

Last week was significant in more ways than one:

1. It was the last full week of the first trimester - second trimester begins the middle of this week!
2. It was the first real break that Paul and I have had away from work, doctors' appointments, and the never-ending to-do list since last summer.  Yes, we've squeezed in some vacations and weekend trips here and there, but always carefully scheduled around my cycle and various appointments.
3. It was when we shared the news with the majority of our extended families and close friends.

Let's see... where to begin?  I suppose I'll start with some pregnancy updates.

Symptoms:

• Nausea and food-related issues seem to be improving again.  I had been a little nervous about traveling while dealing with nausea and aversions to food, so it was a relief to have that more or less resolved before we left last Saturday.  In fact, throughout the entire week, I only had a couple of brief spells of feeling nauseous and was able to eat pretty much anything.  Victory!
• Sleep is still a bit elusive...  Some nights are better than others.  But that could very well be attributed to sleeping in three different locations on unfamiliar beds.  I have had a lot of very complex, detailed dreams.  Some of them have been pretty weird too, but then, I've always had very weird dreams.
• Cravings?  Hard to say.  Food, in general, sounds better than it has in recent weeks.  But really the only specific craving I've had lately has been for toaster strudels.  As in, the breakfast pastries made by Pillsbury and found in the freezer aisles.  In particular, the ones with the cream cheese-and-fruit filling.  I occasionally used to get random cravings for those when I was PMS-ing, which makes me wonder if there's some connection?  No idea.  Anyway, not exactly the healthiest craving, I know.  But I did discover that they're lower in fat than most kinds of chips (I'm a chip-a-holic) so that makes me feel a tiny bit better about eating them when the craving hits hard.  Also, I've never been much of a sweet tooth, but I've found myself craving sweets slightly more often than usual (which may explain the toaster strudel thing).  Last night, we went to my favorite frozen custard place and I ordered a sundae with caramel, hot fudge, and marshmallow cream.  That is definitely NOT my usual order.  I decided to name it "The Flash" since I'm pretty sure it was his/her idea.
• My biggest complaint though is lower back and hip pain.  Which probably also contributes to the poor quality sleep.  I'm sure some of this is due to our road trip and the hours spent in the car and/or sitting on a boat.  But I also know that it is to be expected as things stretch and expand, putting pressure on different nerves and affecting posture, etc.  I usually go to my chiropractor once a week, but missed last week due to vacation.  Needless to say, I'm very much looking forward to tomorrow's appointment!  His wife recently gave birth to their first child, so he is very well versed in treating the aches and pains of pregnancy :) 

The Bump:

I'm still not convinced it is a real bump at this point.  Nevertheless, there is definitely something going on, as evidenced by clothes feeling snugger.  I do have to be strategic about what shirts I wear.  You can see a bit of something if I wear regular t-shirts or any kind of fitted top.  I would assume, to a stranger, I might just look a bit chubby; but to those who know me, I think it is starting to become more obvious.  It is hard to tell how much weight I've gained.  I've always fluctuated widely over the course of a day (sometimes as much as 3-4 pounds).  But as near as I can tell, I'm still in the range of an additional 2-3 pounds.  I think I'm going to start weighing myself more frequently at set times so I can come up with an average for each day.

I have taken a few pictures over the weeks, mostly out of curiosity.  I won't post them all because a) I took them of my reflection in the mirror with my phone's camera so they're really poor quality, and b) some of the shirts I was wearing make it hard to distinguish what is going on.  But just for comparison, here's a couple:

This is at 5 weeks 6 days.  I was still recovering from the 

OHSS at this point, so anything that might resemble a bump is 

actually just bloating and post-IVF chubbiness.  Ha!

This is at 11 weeks 4 days (right before we left for vacation).  

This is one of the looser-fitting dresses I bought recently to hold me 

over until it is really time to buy maternity stuff.  It looks kind of 

huge (to me) in this pic but that is partially the print and partially the 

fact that I'm holding the skirt down to see the full outline.  It didn't 

look nearly that obvious when I was just walking around normally 

at work that day.

I don't have anything more recent then that.  But I think I'm going to start officially "documenting" every  two weeks, so I'll probably take one later this week.   

Upcoming appointments:

1. Tuesday I go in for the screening, which is essentially just more bloodwork and an ultrasound.  Dr. E outlined our options at our first appointment back in June:  1) screening, 2) CVS sampling, 3) amniocentesis, 4) none of the above.  Her recommendation, based on our backgrounds, was that we we at least consider the screening.  She did say that if we decided, 100%, that we would never even consider an amnio, regardless of the screening results, it probably wouldn't make sense to even do the screening.  Paul and I talked about it, and we're not entirely comfortable with the idea an amnio at this point.  We both strongly feel that the results of the screening will not, in any way, impact our decision to have this baby.  Yes, this can be a touchy subject and everyone approaches it from a different viewpoint.  This is just how we feel in our situation.  That being said, one thing I've learned throughout my IF journey is that while it is fine to have opinions and preferences ahead of time, it is important to allow yourself the flexibility to adjust according to circumstances.  Obviously, nothing about getting to this point has been according to "plan."  It is entirely possible that an amnio might medically necessary at some point down the road, in which case our feelings towards the procedure may be altered.  You just never know.  Our philosophy is just to take it a day at a time, and cross each bridge as it comes.  For now, we're moving ahead with just the screening.  And I won't lie - a big part of it for me is so that we can do the ultrasound.  Is that a good enough reason to screen?  Some might say not, and that's fine.  Once again, this is our decision based on our feelings in our situation.  So for me, yes, it is a good enough reason.  The potential risk of finding out we have a higher probability of certain diseases is, for me, lesser than the potential benefit of seeing Flash again.  For me (and for Paul), that visible reassurance of his/her existence is important.  If the results do show anything of concern, then we will decide at that point how to proceed.  But am I worried about this?  Actually, no.  I'm really not.
2. A week from Tuesday (the 17th) is my next OB check-up.  Which reminds me, I have several forms that I'm supposed to fill out before then.  Should probably work on those!  

This post has gotten rather long, so I think I'll stop for now.  The heat finally broke last night and it is almost pleasant out, so I really should take advantage and go work in the garden.  Or maybe I'll take a nap instead...  Either way, I'll try to post more later about vacation and sharing the news with family and friends!