Our Little Raspberry: Week 8

I'm feeling much, much better about things this week, thank goodness!

We had a great doctor's appointment on Thursday and the doctor said that all looks good. No need to stay off my feet or worry. Whew!

I'm really tired tonight (surprise!) so this post is going to be super short and sweet.

Our little love bug is really starting to take shape this week and he/she is growing like crazy (1 mm each day!)  See below.

8 week ultrasound!

Baby is the size of a RASPBERRY this week. Measuring in at .63 inches and .04 oz. It almost looks like you can make out the baby's head. How cool is that!?! His/her heartbeat is a whopping 167 beats per minute and all is going well. Grow baby, grow!

8 weeks!

There's still not much to see, but it looks like my belly is growing a little bit (or I just had a really big breakfast).

How far along: 8 weeks

Baby's size: Raspberry

Weight gain: Nothing really yet.

Symptoms: Nausea continues, and it comes and goes. Yesterday I felt pretty good all day, today not so much. My stomach was queasy pretty much all day. I just lose my appetite or need to eat dry, bland foods. It's not terrible, no vomiting (knock on wood.) Overall, I feel pretty good. Very tired, sore boobs, but that goes with the territory.


Pregnancy perks: Resting, relaxing and not feeling bad about it. I'm making a baby in there, and it's hard work! And obviously, we're still overjoyed with the news (and can't wait to share it soon!).

Food aversions/cravings: For some reason, milk is just not doing it for me. I determined if I have a bowl of cereal in the morning, it makes me nauseous. Odd, right? Most dairy products (besides cheese) don't sound good... no cravings yet. Maybe juice? I've never been a big juice drinker, but I was craving OJ this morning like crazy. Gotta get that vitamin C.

Speaking of food cravings, let's just say my husband was lamenting this week that I haven't had any cravings yet... and what fun was that for him!?! Ha :) You just wait...

More to come soon!

Lucky Number 7: Week 7

We're 7 weeks! Woohoo. 1 week closer to the end of the first trimester. 7 weeks down, 6 weeks to go!

This week was a bit stressful, not going to lie. I went in for our weekly appointment on Thursday and my doctor was OOO on vacation, so one of the nurses did my ultrasound. I am always excited and anxious for our appointments, as I can't wait to see how much our baby has grown and I'm anxious to hear that everything is okay. But, this week's appointment left me feeling a bit uneasy.

As I was laying on the table, legs in stirrups (which is always just the most comfortable experience) and the nurse was doing the ultrasound, it seemed like she was having a difficult time. She was waving the probe around inside me, back and forth, all over the place, and not saying anything to me. Hello, I am a person here. I'm laying on the table in front of you, want to tell me what's going on?

I was a bit concerned.

Finally, she pulled up the image of the baby (he/she is growing, see the ultrasound pic below!) and got the baby's heartbeat. A strong 111 beats per minute. Whew, we have a heartbeat. The baby is okay!

Ultrasound at 7 weeks!

"Everything looks good. My only concern is that I saw something over here." She points to the monitor, where there was a darker area outside of the yolk sac. "Have you had any spotting?" she asked.

"No, I haven't had any spotting." I responded.

"Okay, good. Well just try and rest whenever you can and stay off your feet. Call us if you get any spotting." She told me.

"Is there something I should be concerned about? Is everything okay?" I asked

"Nothing to worry about, everything is fine. Just try and take it easy."

Try and take it easy? Rest whenever I can. Stay off my feet? What does this mean? Do I need to be on bed rest? Can I still go to work? WTF!?

Of course, my mind was racing and I started thinking about worse case scenario. Is my baby okay? How am I supposed to relax after she tells me that? I called Lukas to tell him about the appointment and he was just as concerned as I was. SO, I called the doctor's office back and asked if they could elaborate. Can I still go to work? What do they mean by stay off my feet?

The nurse reassured me that everything was fine, and that I could still go to work. But, I should just to rest whenever I could and stay off my feet for long periods of time, and to call if I had any spotting. Okay...

SO, I tried my best not to worry about it and told myself that if something were REALLY wrong, they would do something about it right away, and not just let me go about my day. I've done my best to try and keep my mind off it... but let's just say that I REALLY look forward to our appointment next week (when my doctor returns) so we can finally get some answers.

7 weeks!

There's nothing much to see yet, but Baby Yant is growing! He/she has doubled in size from last week.

How far along: 7 weeks

Baby's size: Blueberry

Weight gain: Nothing yet... my doctor said I lost 1lb this week, but that's not true. On my scale, I weighed the same. My weight fluctuates based on time of day, what I ate, when I went to the bathroom... all that jazz. SO, I just need to make sure that I'm eating enough for our little love bug (300 more calories a day)

Symptoms: I'm beginning to feel more nauseous this week. The day that week 7 hit, my nausea increased. It comes in waves, but it's made me lose my appetite and food has not been as appealing. Otherwise, everything is the same. Tired, moody, breakouts. Lots of fun stuff :)  

Pregnancy perks: Honestly, I still can't believe we're pregnant! There are times when I go about my day, and I almost forget... and then I think, OMG, we're going to have a baby! It's been a roller coaster of emotions. My hubby has been wonderful and doting, and he won't let me carry anything... so that's been very sweet.

Food aversions/cravings: I made the mistake of eating eggs this week when my stomach was uneasy. Not good. I knew I needed to get my protein, so I thought I would give it a shot. Bad decision. Chicken, also not appealing. Or yogurt... something about the texture... Let's just say we stocked up on saltines this week.

Send positive vibes our way!

My Heart Skipped a Beat: Week 6

We had our first ultrasound this week. And, it was AMAZING!

Nothing quite prepares you for the feeling when you look on the monitor and see a glimpse of your baby for the first time. Albeit as teeny tiny and he/she may be, it was unbelievable.

Here's a picture of our little sweat pea at 6 weeks.

Ultrasound at 6 weeks!

He/she doesn't look like much yet. But it's there, and growing. The black blob is the yolk sac and the little white circle inside is the embryo. It's pretty amazing to think the a little life is growing inside of me.

After seeing our little pea the doctor asked if we wanted to hear the heartbeat. The heartbeat. At 6 weeks, this teeny tiny little embryo already has a heartbeat. How cool is that? It's unreal. 104 beats strong and growing.

So far, everything is going well and I'm feeling good. As you can see, I can't contain my joy! We continue to be cautiously optimistic, since it still is very early, but we feel confident that we're in good hands. Due to our situation, we go in weekly for ultrasounds and blood work, and I'm very thankful for that. It's reassuring to know that we're being monitored so closely. Keep on keeping on, Baby Yant!

6 weeks

How far along: 6 weeks

Baby's size: Sweet pea


Weight gain: Negligible (nothing really yet)

Symptoms: Pretty much the same as last week. Tired (can I take a nap, please!?!). A little moody. A few waves of nausea, but nothing too terrible. Hopefully it continues this way!


Pregnancy perks: Since we saw our little sweet pea this week, I am just SO happy and so so thankful that we're pregnant and that everything is going well so far. We've waited a long time for this to happen, and I'm so thankful that it finally has :)

Overall, the hardest part has been keeping this a SECRET! We told our families, but otherwise we haven't told anyone else. Many of my close friends know that we're going through fertility treatment and are probably wondering if we're pregnant or not... I've been fielding phone calls (sorry friends!) as I am the worst liar (ever!) and have a feeling that I'll automatically spill the beans. I'm going to *try* to wait a few more weeks before we start sharing the news.

The Phone Call: Week 5

Little did I know that one phone call would change my life life forever. 

"Are you sitting down... are you ready to hear the good news?" My heart raced as I began to realize what was happening...

"You are pregnant!" My doctor said. "Congratulations!" 

I automatically burst into tears (which seems to be my M.O. lately) as I couldn't believe it. OMG. OMG. We are pregnant! We are pregnant! The procedure worked. We are finally pregnant!!! OMG.

The rest of the phone call was a bit of a blur... the test results were great so far... a nurse would call to schedule an appointment... congratulations... I tried to utter a semblance of gratitude to my doctor between sobs... or at least I hope I did. I was in shock. The best and happiest form of shock there is.

WOW.

I immediately called my husband at work and burst into tears all over again as I relayed the good news.

"We're pregnant!" I blurted as soon as he picked up.

"What?"

"We're pregnant!" I said again.

"What? We are!?!" Lukas said in shock. "I think the expression on my face is scaring people... people are looking at me funny..."

It took a few minutes for those words to sink in. We are pregnant. We are going to have a baby. We are going to be parents. WOW.

It was the BEST news. EVER.

And, so it begins... our long awaited journey to parenthood has finally arrived!

We are in the very early stages of pregnancy. 5 weeks and 2 days, to be exact. SO, we are very cautiously optimistic at this point. But,  I wanted to start from the very beginning and chronicle our story. Our baby's story.

Here we go!

5 Weeks

How far along: 5 weeks, 2 days


Baby's size: Orange seed

Weight gain: 0 lbs (nothing yet, but I'm working on it!)


Symptoms: FATIGUE. I'm tired!!! And, my boobs are sore. They're slowly getting bigger (yay!)

Pregnancy perks: Milkshakes (with a side of burger and fries)! Letting myself rest, relax and watch "Pretty Little Liars" (no judgement) with no shame...

Overall, I'm feeling good. No nausea yet (knock on wood). Let's hope it continues. We go in for our 6 week appointment (and our first ultrasound!) next Thursday. More news to come!