My morning sickness has decreased (still having spells of being nauseated if I don't eat right or on time) and I am so thankful for that. Now the challenge has been sleep. I had continued to sleep on my belly up until a few weeks ago, because that is the most comfortable way for me to sleep. I have always slept on my tummy, since I was a baby. Well, the comfiness of it all has changed. I have attempted to sleep on my side, but I always end up on my back. After reading articles and "What to Expect When Expecting" I am now having horrifying nightmares about sleeping. In my dream I wake up on my back and immediately freak out because I obviously killed my baby... thank God it's all just a dream. I've tried everything to be comfortable and while I end up staying mostly on my side I am now experiencing back pain. Boy oh boy... I just can't win.
My skin has been a big challenge as well. I have been breaking out since November. I typically have pretty clear skin, for the most part, but in the 4 months I've known I've been pregnant my skin has not cleared up once-- I am going through puberty all over again, except worse. Even in my teenage years my skin was not this bad. One day I walked into my mom's work and she looked up from her desk and gasped, "what is wrong with your face!?!"
Thanks Mom. Luckily I have the coolest aesthetician in the world and he has been trying so hard to help me out. Hopefully this face clears up soon. I hear that all these silly hormone changes can go on for months-- including AFTER baby's arrival.
Well, that about covers the challenges... on to the good stuff. I have seen the doctor three twice so far during my pregnancy. From the first appointment until this last one (yesterday) I have maintained almost the exact same blood pressure and I have not gained any weight. I've decided this might be a really good diet plan, as I was told yesterday my baby is 8 ounces... well if the baby is 8 ounces then I must have lost 8 ounces of my own weight... right?!?! Isn't that how it works?
Yesterday we saw our baby for the first time. We had an ultrasound and everything went really well, sorta. Turns out our baby is a lot like us. The baby was snuggled in real good and was causing some issues for the technician. She was not able to see everything she necessarily wanted to see, but then again she got a lot of photos. They saw the heart, the kidneys, a leg, a hand, the face, the head... but not so much anything to tell us if baby is a boy or girl. While I've been told by many people how annoyed they would be and even my husband being a bit frustrated by not knowing... I am so excited to not know.
Initially when we discussed finding out I flat out said no. My mom & Ryan wanted to know and we talked to the doctor. They talked me into finding out because they appealed to the planner in me. How am I to plan for my baby without knowing if we're having a boy or girl!?!? The reason I didn't want to know is because I wanted to not be swayed by gender when we got the crib, the bedding, the highchair, the bouncer/swing, the stroller, the carseat, the everything else we could use if we had two or more children. Our baby will be born in July-- it'll be very warm-- what kind of clothes do I need for my baby right away? A few onsies and sleepers probably. I mean, it's not like we're going to leave the house for the first two weeks, right?! So why stress out about it all. When it comes to crib bedding the baby will just need sheets at first, although my plan is to let baby sleep in the Pack N Play (gender neutral) in our room, so we can be close if I breast feed. It sounds to me like maybe baby knew what I wanted and was being VERY cooperative for me. Of course, according to Ryan, baby & I have been talking and plotting against his wishes. Teamed up against him already. Yeah, this baby has to be a girl. Sounds a lot like my mom & I. My Dad is always in trouble when my Mom & I agree about something and he's on the outside of that discussion. He just can't win!
Our precious baby was so curled up the technician commented on how our baby was going to be "such a good cuddler!" Well, Ryan immediately said this baby was perfect for me. I have spent the last few months obsessed with cuddling our puppy Rusty! He's so sweet and so wonderful that I get so sad when I have to leave him. I text Ryan earlier in the day and said "I can't leave my puppy, he's too cuddly!!" When the tech mentioned how cuddly our baby would be Ryan had a smile on his face for a brief moment, then perhaps some panic set in. Yes honey, it will be VERY difficult for me to go back to work after spending 6-12 weeks (to be determined) at home with my baby AND my puppy, all snuggled up, all day, every day!!
Our little one was lying on the belly, pressed face first into the placenta. The tech mentioned how that couldn't be comfortable. I agree lady. But it reminded me of Ryan and his need to cover up from head to toe in blankets with his face smushed into a pillow. The baby had the hand close to the face, almost as if he or she was thinking about sucking his or her thumb, but not yet. The hand was resting, almost on the forehead, very dramatic-like. Boy or girl, it doesn't really matter, we're so happy that everything looked good and I'm doing so well so far. 21 weeks to go (hopefully less) until we see our little one!! Until then...
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| Our Cuddle Puppy |
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| Our Cuddly Baby |
