It's time to say it

Sooooooo, I'm pregnant!!!!!

Since hardly anyone I know reads this and those who I knew that did haven't in eeons, I'm thinking I'm safe to say it. As you can see from my ticker below, I'm newly pregnant. Today we went to the doc and saw the baby's heart beating at 130bpm. I'm going through a range of emotions including happiness, fear, excitement, worry, etc. I also have some heartburn and am very tired. I don't feel like doing anything on most days and I'm pushing past that right now. We aren't letting the floodgates open to people until we're at least 13 weeks. I originally thought I'd wait until about 20 weeks after the scan, but I don't think I can hold it that long and will likely be showing by then. June 9th, we'll be 13 weeks but we'll also be in Vermont so maybe when we come back we'll spill the beans.

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Been Such a Long Time...

Well, the last time I posted to this blog, I was really excited about my pregnancy. I haven't posted here in a while because things went downhill since the last post.

On November 18th I saw my doctor and we heard and saw the heartbeat. The baby didn't move much but the Dr said he/she may have been sleep. That night, I got sick. I woke up out of my sleep choking and trying to catch my breath. I calmed down and eventuall went back to sleep.

On November 20th, I went for my 20 wk scan. We were so excited and the nurse came and started to take a look and there was silence. She kept looking and then said the worst words possible, "I don't see a heartbeat". I immediately started to cry, loudly and hard. I couldn't believe it. We just saw the heartbeat two days ago. The nurse called a Dr in who confirmed it. She said the baby was measuring small so it may have just stopped growing.

On November 25th, I had a D & E while unconscious. I was in pain that night and the next day, which happened to be Thanksgiving. The range of emotions I felt were vast. The support I received from family and friends felt monumental. The stories that women shared about their experiences with 2nd & 3rd trimester miscarriages soothed me some.

Well, I trusted in God and new that He is ALWAYS in control and we got through it. When I went for my follow-up I learned that we had a baby girl. I also learned that there were no chromosomal issues as my doctor thought. This left me feeling a bit empty not knowing exactly what happened. So, my doctor ordered blood tests on me to see if there was anything else that could be found.

Last Thursday, I found out that I have Prothrombin Factor 2 and I may have APS. This would explain it! This condition makes me more apt to clot. The doctor said it is likely that there were clots in my placenta that cut off nutrition to the baby causing it to stop growing. It may be odd to think this but Ifelt SOOOOOOOOO relieved. Now, I can pinpoint the problem instead of wondering what it could be. I have to see a hematologist to confirm bu my doctor said the next time I'm pregnant I will have to inject Lovenox daily to prevent any clotting. I've also read that I will likely take baby aspirin daily.

I'm in a really good place now and looking forward to seeing the hematologist and starting my way to my next pregnancy.

Thank you to everyone for your love and support through this difficult time!

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Labor & Delivery Tour

So yesterday we went on the Labor & Delivery Tour at Lankenau Hospital and I was somewhat impressed. The unit is new and all the rooms are private. I don't particularly like the fact that after birthing I will have to move to another room (at Paoli you could stay in the same room). They have two birthing suites that have jacuzzi's which of course are on a first come first served basis. You can order your food from a big variety and I've heard that it's good.

I don't like that the baby has to go to the nursery after an hour but I understand why. While they are transferring you to the new room and getting you cleaned up, the baby goes there to make it easier. I'm just going to make sure Kim is with the baby the whole time.

The one thing I didn't like was about the tour, not the hospital. Clearly, the tour guide saw that we were a couple and yet she kept using the word husband and Dad. I even asked a question using the word partner and she continued with husband and Dad. I should've said something to her afterwards to ask her to use friendlier non-biased language but I didn't. I'm hoping it won't be a problem when we get there. The other hospitals we toured used neutral language.

Anyway, I'm doing well. I've started to feel the baby kick more and we get an ultrasound next week. I still don't want to know the sex but Kim does so we'll see what happens because we're at the point where we could find out.

Oooohhh, the heartburn is back. Let me go and take some TUMS and call it a night.

Toodles!

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It's been a while!

Between work and sleep I haven't even thought about posting. It's 12:16am right now and I'm happy to say that yesterday I got my Hypnobabies Home Study Course. I'm really quite excited about it and will definitely share my thoughts.

I had a tv date with my bestie yesterday and she shared with me that she too would like to birth naturally when it comes time, something I never knew about her! Yet another thing we have in common.

Wednesday we went to the doctor and heard the baby's heartbeat. The ultrasound machine wasn't available so we couldn't see the baby, but I was glad to at least hear the heartbeat. We also heard the baby kick!

Yesterday was the first time that I felt a kick on my own without Kim talking to the baby or pushing down on my stomach to feel something. It was kind of exciting to distinctively know that the isolated pain was a kick.

I think I just felt another one!

Anywhoo, I'm going to get ready to go to bed. I'm looking forward to a great homemade breakfast of fried apples, scrambled eggs and toast with butter & jelly. Yummmmmm!!!!

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I'm tired...

So, this week we went to the Gyn and saw another shot of the baby. The baby's head was laying on the placenta and the hand was up saying high. Also, we saw a kick and the doc said I would feel that in a couple of weeks. It was funny that he said I may feel it as a flutter right now but will think it's gas. A few days ago, my partner Kim was talking to the baby and I thought I felt a flutter. She continued and I told her it must've been gas.

So I've been getting up, going for a walk, eating breakfast & coming into the office. But when I get here, I'm tired as if I've had very little sleep. It especially hits me after lunch. If I worked from home right now, I don't know if I'd be selling many houses. Right now I feel like going home, cuddling up on the couch and taking a good nap. I didn't get to walk this morning so I'm going to do so after dinner this evening.

I've got 17 listings that need to get sold before Christmas. I've got two under contract, which is always good but I've got to work on getting a few others there as well. This morning, I met with Congressman Sestak to talk about extending the $8,000 tax credit. He is pushing for it and wants to do a press conference in front of one of my listings Monday, so stay tuned for a link to the interview.

I also need to figure out how to post a video here. I'll try later.

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Acne... Really?

So, yes I am experiencing an increase in Acne in my chin area. I'm like great, this must be a symptom of pregnancy. I'm so glad that it's not permanent because I don't like Acne at all.

I haven't posted in a while, I've had a bit of nausea, lightheadedness and fatigue. I'm 13 weeks, 2 days now and beginning my second trimester! Yeah!!!! We go see the Dr again next week and will be able to see the baby again. I've read that the baby now has ears formed and can hear us. My partner especially likes this because she talks to the baby daily.

I'm watching, "I didn't know I was pregnant" and wow I can't even imagine. We just came from choir rehearsal and I'm winding down now. I just wanted to check in.

Today, I heard of a teenager that was killed in Chicago coming out of school. They were talking about it on the radio and said that it is important for boys to have their fathers. My partner and I talked about it tonight. We think its important that if we have a boy that there is a male presence in his life to teach him how to be a man. I know single moms have done it and are doing it well, but we still think it's important. I think it's also important as a parent to stay involved in your child's life all the time, not just the beginning years. This way, you can stay on top of them and make sure they are going in the right direction.
Peace out!

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We've found a doctor!

Ok, so we went and saw Dr. Bailey yesterday and loved him! First of all he gave me some medical advice that was not pregnancy related based on another surgery I had years ago. Secondly, he started a sentence with "If you have to have a c section, and I don't see any reason why you would have to, ..." which  means it was not automatic for him to just assume it would be that way. Third, he doesn't' do episiotimies. Fourth, his c section rate is lower than the hospital's, around 20%. And lastly, he said I could do alternative birth positions and he has worked with midwives in the past. Also, he thinks natural childbirth is better for everyone.

So, my doc is 5 minutes from my home. Barring no emergencies outside of Philly I will deliver at a hospital 5 minutes from my home and I will have the support to deliver naturally if that is what I choose. I'm so happy that this search is over and I'm going to take the advice of Nik-E and start looking for a pediatrician next.

Ok so here's the real exciting part....... wait for it...... we heard the baby's heartbeat for the first time!!!! The baby was quite active too jumping all over the place. A friend of ours said the baby's going to be a gymnast but my partner said it means that we won't be able to catch him/her when they get in trouble. Great.

Another great thing about this practice is that they scheduled all of my appointments up to my due date. So I don't have to worry about it every time I see the doc. He also spent a lot of time with us talking about what to expect and answering our questions. Such a difference from the last doc!

So in other news, I have begun the process to legally hyphenate my last name to add my partner's last name to mine. We're going to use her last name for the kids so it's important to me to have that done before the baby arrives. I actually already use the name now in certain situations so it will be nice to have it be legal.

Well, I should get off of this site and prepare for a listing appointment I have in another 2 hours. I look forward to posting more soon and adding some pics.

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