The BIG Ultrasound!
For many parents, the 20-week ultrasound is the time they find out if they are having a boy or a girl. But once again, the O'Neills are kicking it old school and not finding out the gender until we meet Baby Punkin!
Baby Punkin's 20 week ultrasound was on Saturday, October 29. I do have to admit, I was a bit more intrigued this time around - sorta hoping I'd see something, or clearly not see something. But alas, I'm not so good at reading ultrasounds so I couldn't tell anything. Plus, I think the ultrasound techs maneuver differently when the parents aren't finding out. The closest we got to a "peek" was when the tech showed us Baby Punkin's leg. But, it was hard for me to make out anyway so I didn't know which end was up to know where I needed to look for a *hint.
So all along since the beginning of this pregnancy, and heck - even before - I just had the feeling the second baby would be a boy. Mostly because, hey it'd be nice to have one of each and the "Simon tradition" is to have a girl, boy then a girl! So just feels natural that way.
But now, after the ultrasound, since I didn't obviously see anything, I'm wondering if it's a girl. I had similar doubts after Silly Baby's ultrasound. I didn't think I saw "it" but didn't want to be over confident and that is when I started wondering more and more if Silly Baby was a boy.So again, it's life great mystery and we'll find out in a few months :)
As for the ultrasound itself, we didn't get many good looks at Baby Punkin. They were curled up in a little ball, upside down and very low so the tech had difficulty. She poked my belly and moved the wand at all angles to get a better view. She even had me cough a few times in hopes that Punkin would move into better sights. No luck!
She got all the measurements she needed except for a few of the head, which of course are very important! So I had to go back four days later for another quick ultrasound to get those last few measurements.
Everything measured right on time and looked good. Baby Punkin's heart rate is in the 150s, so could indicate a girl since that is an old wives' tale that girls' heart rate is above 140 and boys' are below 140. So we shall see!
My next appointment is November 23rd, just a quick 24 week office visit.
Week 14
By Week 14, we had told everyone about Baby Punkin. Everyone, but my employers. When we first shared the news with our parents around week 11, our plan was to tell our friends next, once we hit week 12. Then, our jobs. Tim easily told his coworkers and bosses in week 12.
Well, the day after we announced the news to our parents, there were some big changes at my job- my coworker and boss were no longer there. So I went from not being nervous at all to tell my boss - knowing that I could do a ton of work ahead of time and I had a coworker who could easily cover for me on my leave. I had a close relationship with my boss, and we had even in passing talked about it me having more kids some day, etc.
But that morning everything changed. I went from being a part of a 4-person marketing department to a sorta 2-person marketing department. But the other person left was new and didn't know any of the work I did so would not be ideal for covering me while I was out. And, part of the dismissal of my boss and coworker was a strong trust in me to handle the entire marketing department's workload. That's not necessarily the best time to say, "Ok, well that's fine for the next 5 months - but then I'm going on a 12-week maternity leave."
But I wasn't about to pull a Katherine Heigl in "Knocked Up" and try to keep it a secret as to not jeopardize my career advancement, but I also wanted to get some good face time and prove my capabilities to the CEO (who was now my direct boss)before dropping that bomb.
So around week 14 I was getting to the point where I was going to start wearing maternity clothes soon, so before anyone suspected anything, I wanted to come clean. Plus, it was making me so nervous that I just wanted to get it over with.
I first spoke to HR who was very receptive to it and just explained my leave benefits and some paperwork. Then, the next day I went in to tell the CEO. I was so nervous as he had expressed how much he was relying on me in light of the recent changes, I didn't want to stress him out either! But, he was also very receptive and congratulatory. He's a family man himself so understands it. He appreciated me telling him so early on which has given us months to prepare and plan for how to handle my lead. So, whew! But this was definitely one of the most stressful moments of this pregnancy!
16 Weeks
(Snippets from my journal - 9/28/11)
It was a secret for so long and now all of a sudden, now that everyone knows - I'm in the thick of things...Literally! I'm busting into maternity clothes now. My nausea has subsided, but the appetite remains big.
19 Weeks
(Snippets from my journal - 10/18/11)
I'm starting to feel pregnant and starting to show a bit too. I can still conceal it in certain shirts and to the general world it's not obvious. But when I wear a maternity shirt, I really do look pregnant, which is good because I'm really starting to gain weight! I'm up 8lbs from all the weight I lost in my 1st trimester. Yikes!
Baby Punkin has been moving around. I felt it slightly around week 16, not always certain it was Punkin. But by week 17, I felt the little pokes. I'm used to it now but it gave me the heebie jeebies at first just like with Silly Baby.
Mommy Punkin's first prenatal appointment was set for July 19th. I took the positive test on July 9th, but as I mentioned in my earlier post , I wasn't quite sure how far along I was - I could have been very early on, so didn't want to jump on an appointment so quick because typically they do not want to see you until your 7th week or so.
But, when I called to make the appointment, according to my last period I was 6 weeks pregnant so I set the appointment for about 10 days just to be safe in case I was not 6 weeks along.
When we went in for the ultrasound, I explained that I might not actually be over 6 weeks along because of my odd cycle, but the tech said they'd be able to determine from the ultrasounds measurements.
She first attempted the ultrasound from the outside but saw nothing, other than the sac to confirm that I was indeed pregnant! So I had to have an internal ultrasound, like I did with Silly Baby,but unlike Silly Baby, I did not see Baby Punkin immediately. In Punkin's defense I was only 6 weeks along versus with Silly Baby I was already 10 weeks! The tech had to point Baby Punkin out to us and the only thing I could really make out was the flicker of the heartbeat. Definitely a different experience than with Silly Baby which was more like "BAM, Here's a baby!!" Baby Punkin was so tiny and early on it seemed like it would be forever until I was *really pregnant. But I think having that mentality right away has served me well to not rush through the pregnancy, or have it feel like it's dragging on. It also helps that I know each step of the way what's going to happen next and this time around there is much less to prepare for to create any extra stress.
S
ince I was so early along, the Dr wanted me to come back again in a week so they could get a better look at Baby Punkin. So one week later I got to see Baby Punkin again...they were still pretty little - basically just a little bit bigger of a dot than the first ultrasound.
The next appointment a few weeks later was the big blood work one. With Silly Baby, I fainted after all this blood was drawn, so this time I was prepared. I told the nurses right away that in the past I've fainted, so they took me into an exam room and had me lay down. Two nurses came in with me and one just chit-chatted with me the whole time. I felt sorta silly requesting special treatment, but it worked! I wasn't even light headed or nauseous like in times past.
The next appointment was at 12 weeks, I had more blood work done because a few tests were missed the first time around (ugh).
I got to see Baby Punkin again for a very quick ultrasound to measure the neck, etc. By then, Punkin was definitely a little peanut baby - much better than the little dot! The Dr went over my blood tests and found that my thyroid was a teensy bit high so they needed to test the other components (I don't know exactly, it was a lot of medical speak!) So - more blood work for me. BUT again I did just fine, so maybe my phobia is weakening! The end result of the further testing was just fine, thankfully!
So that's a recap of my first trimester doctor's appointments. Nothing too exciting - the second and third trimester appointments are much more entertaining!
I'm gradually catching up here...Next post, I'll dive into the 2nd trimester!
Secret, Secret
One of the hardest things about my 1st Trimester with Baby Punkin, was keeping it a secret. With Silly Baby, I didn't suspect pregnancy until week 6, didn't take a test until week 8 and our first doctor's appointment was at 10 weeks. We told our parents in week 11 and all of our friends in week 12! In that time, there was only one gathering (a game night w/friends)where I had to hide it and pretend to drink - otherwise I had it pretty easy!
Not so much this time around. Since I suspected it in week 4, took the test right away and had our first doctor's appointment just before week 6, I had 6 weeks of secret keeping ahead of me. And, of course this time, we were in the midst of one of our busiest summers to date! Every weekend we had some sort of gathering or event, so every weekend I had to come up with a plan on how to hide it and pretend to drink/hide the fact that I wasn't. This also made me realize, even though I'm not much of a drinker anyway, it amazed me how alcohol was suddenly a huge part of our social life. The difference is that even though I'm not a big drinker, I'll usually have one or two - and we all know that's the first red flag to go up when you see a woman not drinking at all!
Vommy Mommy
I was VERY nauseous from the very beginning with Baby Punkin. July and August were awful. The nausea subsided in September and completely ended by October.
With Silly Baby, I was nauseous almost every morning, but as long as I ate some crackers or cereal, I was fine and by 10am it would be gone for the day. With Baby Punkin, it would come and go at the drop of a hat. I almost always felt sick when I woke up.
However, same as Silly Baby, I didn't actually throw up all that often. A couple times with Silly Baby, and a handful of times with Baby Punkin. But the hard part this time was that it would come out of nowhere. I would be feeling just fine and BAM! I'd get lightheaded, nauseous and have to stop what I was doing. And of course I had to act as though I felt just fine when it would hit at work or at a gathering!
It was worse on the nights and weekends at home, most likely because I was up and about much more than at work playing with Addison and doing housework. Tim got used to me doing housework one minute, and the next minute laying on the couch looking like death. [TMI Warning] The nausea was so bad some days that I wish I could just throw up to make myself feel better! But usually, I couldn't even make myself throw up. My gag reflex was very sensitive so brushing my teeth became a very difficult task. Same with anything that I thought looked/smelled or sounded gross. If I saw or smelled food that I didn't like it wasn't just an "ew" thought like normal, it would floor me and I'd have to leave the room. The thought of whatever the food/smell was would leave me nauseous for like an hour! And sometimes, I'd be enjoying a meal, then halfway through - all of a sudden it would gross me out and I wouldn't be able to finish it. So then that food had to be added to the "I guess I don't like this anymore" list.
The worst was the weekend before we finally got to tell our parents about Baby Punkin. I could barely get off the couch all weekend. Some food would sound good, then bad and nothing I did could prevent another onset of nausea 20 minutes later. BUT, after that weekend is when it all settled down to just a once or twice a day mild annoyance. I am so happy those days are over!
Baby Punkin is a Teenage Boy?
Actually a boy or girl, we don't know. But that's certainly how Baby Punkin made me feel this summer. On top of the up-and-down nausea discussed above, in Mommy Punkin's first trimester, my appetite sky-rocketed. It's a wonder how I lost 6 pounds in July and only gained 4 back in the entire first trimester.
Similar to the attacks of nausea I talked about above, this often times coincided with attacks of hunger. Sometimes even just 30min after I'd eaten, my stomach would start to growl and ache as though I hadn't eaten in 8hrs. There was no mild hunger pains, I'd go from 0-100 on the hunger scale immediately. To combat that, I just found whatever quick food was nearby to shove in my mouth. Many times I had to eat when I didn't even feel like it or have a craving for anything. I thought for sure I'd gain 20 lbs in a month.
On top of the hunger attacks, I also only craved salty crap food. Frozen pizza was my go-to. Some of it had to do with wanting convenience foods, because many times nothing sounded good to me, so I'd just fall back on junk food. But other times it was a craving - it would pop in my head and I had to have it. Some of my impulse cravings were Italian subs, Combos, Pizza Rolls, burgers, Super Pretzels/Auntie Anne's, sweet & spicy kettle chips and Cocoa Puffs.
Thankfully, my impulse cravings - and the heavily teenage boy-driven ones have subsided somewhat. I've also made a point to get more nutritious food into my diet. For lunch at work I've been having Healthy Choice meals that come with a side of veggies, and have been trying to get back into preparing dinners at home for the week. Most of our meals lately have had veggies on the side so that's a good start. I've been taking pre-natal vitamins since the day I found out, but I know there's more I can and should be doing!
I know this entry sounded like an awful lot of complaining, but hey - isn't that what the first trimester is all about? Feeling lousy and complaining about it ;)
I kid, but all in all I've been very happy this whole pregnancy, and I know my suffering pales in comparison to many women out there who have had a much rougher time in their 1st trimester and beyond, so for that I am thankful!
I am gradually catching up here, so stay tuned for my next entry where I recap the 1st Trimester Dr's appointment!
Thanks for reading!
