My heart beats for Baby Bear

I had my second prenatal appointment this afternoon. The Ob said that my ultrasound (from a few weeks ago) looked good and since there was only a 4 day difference with the fetal age that they were going to keep my due date at June 6, 2009; calculated from my Last Menstrual Period. From my charting, I had it at June 9, 2009. Well either way, Baby Bear is due the beginning of June. I guess we'll see in time when Baby Bear decides to come into the world.

My bloodwork looked good as well. All in all everything is healthy and going well. I've gained about 5 lbs, which is normal (a little crazy for me, but normal). I also asked about running and the Ob said I could run, I just need to keep my heart rate under 140. I am pretty excited about that and glad I can run again. I haven't ran for the last month because the nurse practitioner told me not to. I didn't agree with her, but I was a good patient and listened. I am glad I asked again.

The best thing about the appointment was hearing Baby Bear's heart beat. I had no idea that I would get to hear the heart beat. It was so amazing, the Ob said that it sounded good. It took a little while to find the heart beat but once the Ob found the heart beat it was so great. My heart beats for my Baby Bear, I love you Baby Bear!!

Week 13: End of the first trimester

Baby Bear is now the size of a peach. Vocal cords are developing, but Baby Bear won't be crying anytime soon. Fingerprints have formed on your Baby Bear's tiny fingertips, the veins and organs are clearly visible through the still-thin skin, and Baby Bear's body is starting to catch up with the head. The head is a third the size of the body. Baby Bear has a big head :)

Baby Bump watch: week 13

I feel like I am totally showing and this just happened this week. I feel pretty big and I know I will only get bigger. People say that I am not really showing but look how big my bump looks. These pants barely button up. Stretchy pants are definitely my friend. Elastic is a great invention!

Now it is public

I am coming toward the end of the first trimester and it is time to let people at work know. I was a little worried but both of my bosses were very supportive and happy about the news. I am so lucky to have such great bosses and such great support.

Now that family, friends, and work knows the great news, I have no reason to keep this blog private or secret. It is so nice to have things out in the open.

Week 12: Organs are built

All of Baby Bear's organs are close to being developed and maintenance and maturation is to begin. Reflexes are beginning to develop, fingers will soon open and close, toes curl, and mouth will make sucking movements. Baby Bear is now the size of a plum. Mmmm, I like plums.

Another week and I will be in the second trimester. I hear things are better in the second trimester, I am looking forward to more energy and goodbye to nausea.

Week 11: Genitalia is developing

Baby Bear is now pretty much fully formed and busy kicking and stretching. Of course Baby Bear is still to small for me to feel any of this movement yet. Baby Bear is about an inch and a half long. Wow, Baby Bear is really growing! By the end of the week, Baby Bear's genitalia will develop. But is still too small to be able to accurately tell on an ultrasound. We do know one thing for sure, it is probably either a boy or a girl. :)

Week 10: The skeleton forms

Baby Bear's embryonic tail is gone (it's a human!) and the fingers and toes are separated (not webbed, yes, it's a human!). The skeleton is beginning to form and Baby Bear's brain is producing tons of neurons every minute!!

Baby Bear is about an inch and half long, about the size of a prune. The vital organs have formed and are now starting to work and they will keep on developing.

The worst pregnancy symptom

I have been pretty fortunate. I have not been extremely sick or vomiting. I deal with the fatigue and the nausea. But constipation really sucks! I have never really been constipated in my life. This is awful. Ugh! I have been taking Metamucil and more fiber and I really hope it kicks in soon. It really is the worst pregnancy symptom. I know if I could just poop, I also wouldn't be so bloated. I am just full of shit as Mr. Bear told me this morning.

Had to cave in

I had to do it. Today, I ordered some maternity pants. They were on sale on the gap.com. And my pants were really tight today and I needed to do something. Plus, I also had a coupon code for an extra 25% off (code: extra25).





I still have a pair of jeans that fit, but my bloat has gotten in the way of my work pants from fitting. Since I have not told people at work yet I have been trying to hold onto wearing my non-maternity pants for as long as possible. I bought a Bella Band a few weeks ago and I have been using it since 6 weeks. It definitely has allowed me to keep wearing those pants.



I wanted to hold off from buying any maternity pants until the 2nd trimester, but I can't pass up a sale and it is definitely time to invest in some maternity pants for work. The pants I wore today were really tight and uncomfortable and I am starting to run out of options. Yikes!!

It's alive!

We had our first ultrasound and we saw Baby Bear moving and the heart beating. What an amazing experience. There really is a baby in my belly. It just seems so real now!!

Week 9: No longer an embryo

Baby Bear is now a fetus and entering the fetal stage. Wow!! Baby Bear is growing and growing, now about an inch long. Baby Bear is starting to move its arms and legs. But it is too early for me to feel anything quite yet. The heartbeat is getting stronger and the eyelid have developed but have fused together and won't open until week 27. The genitals are beginning to form, but it is still a little more time until we can find out the sex. So much is happening in this early stages of pregnancy.

We will find out tomorrow the more accurate fetal age of Baby Bear. I think I am pretty close but might be off a day or two. We'll see at tomorrow's ultrasound!

Everybody scream!

Saturday, we went to a 1-year old birthday party and told some good friends of mine. Funny thing was that I didn't even have to say a word. My one friend was sick and I told her not to get near me. She asked me why and immediately screamed knowing that it was because I was pregnant. Then the mommy of the birthday girl came to say hi and apparently the other girls just gave her a look and she screamed. It was so great how excited and happy everyone was. They have been waiting for me to get pregnant. They all have children (yes, plural!) so they have been telling me I am next.

JA gave me my first set of onsies and a soft blankie for Baby Bear. I love the onsies, they are of course Pooh Bear, my favorite bear!! It was awesome.



Sunday, I had dinner with KS and her aunt and uncle. They offered me a glass of wine and I, of course, refused. KS looked at me strangely and wondering. I told them why I couldn't drink and of course more happy well-wishes. I love telling people in person, it is so awesome to see their reactions and the genuine excitement they have for Mr. Bear and me.

I am so fortunate to have such loving people in my life!

Just scheduled my first ultrasound!

I am just so excited. It is next Wednesday at 6pm and I don't even have to take any time off from work. That is perfect. I can't wait to see the heartbeat and Baby Bear. I hope that we'll be able to see something. I know that since I am still early that it will be a vaginal ultrasound so I warned Mr. Bear about it. He is not so sure about it, but I think he'll come around. It will be so worth it!

The First Appointment

Today, I had my first pre-natal appointment. I did not meet with the OB today but with the nurse practitioner, which is standard for by OB/GYN office. Since they calculate the due date by the date of your last menstrual period, they have my due date as June 4th, 2009, which puts me at about 9 weeks. But since I was charting I know that I ovulated late and I believe that I am around 8 weeks. When I had my pelvic exam, the nurse practitioner said that it felt like I was probably about 7-8 weeks rather than 9. I told her! They will check at my ultrasound next week.

I cannot wait for my ultrasound! It is too early to hear the heartbeat with the Doppler, but the ultrasound will be able to detect a heartbeat. I can’t wait. This appointment wasn’t very exciting and I am glad I didn’t have Mr. Bear come with me for this one. There really was nothing for him. I had a pap smear and pretty routine exam. I gave a urine sample, which I learned that I will have to do at every visit. And I came away with a packet of information and nice goody bag filled with stuff. I will get to actually see an OB in 4 weeks and by then I will be out of the first trimester. I will see the OB every 4 weeks at first, and in the beginning of the third trimester every 2 weeks, and then from 36 weeks until I deliver once a week.

I am a little disappointed that when I asked about exercise, she said that I shouldn’t run. What?? I know several pregnant women who do run. She said that I can do pretty much any exercise that I was doing before pregnancy but she advises women not to run because you want to keep you heart rate at a certain level. I am little bummed out about that. But, she also said that running will not harm Baby Bear.

I have been reading up on it and it is okay to run but you do need to be careful with the possibility of overheating yourself. I guess I can maybe do a slow jog/walk. I work out a lot and I was doing very high intensity exercises prior to pregnancy in addition to running. She said I could do aerobics and anything else but, a lot of those are high impact, high intensity activities that were very similar to running. I don’t think she did a very good job at getting to know what I actually do.

I have still been exercising, but I have toned it down. In step class, I have gone down a step and I don’t do the plyos. In yoga, I don’t go into or attempt the intermediate/advanced poses like I used to. In my strength training, I use light weights. It has been a little difficult since I do want to go all out and stay fit. But I also know that I need to do what is best for Baby Bear and listen to my body. I am glad that I can still exercise.

Week 8: fingers and toes

Baby Bear has grown from a blueberry to a raspberry. Growing oh so fast! Baby Bear is looking more and more like a baby (human baby, that is). From the hands and feet are coming fingers and toes. The heart is beating faster and the womb is growing.

Nausea and no appetite

I had been feeling so well and this afternoon the nausea returned. Ugh, not feeling so well now. I guess I should not complain since I have been very fortunate for feeling so well. But nothing sounds good to eat either. Ugh, I feel so blah. I was lucky but I knew that wouldn't last forever.

I am looking forward to my first appointment on Thursday! After that I think we will tell other family and close friends. I am excited to tell some people. Mr. Bear has already told quite a few people already. Our parents, however, have respected our (my) wishes to wait a little before going public. They are very excited and dying to tell people, as am I. I guess Mr. Bear has been pretty excited as well and really hasn't done to well keeping this little secret. I am happy that he is excited.

I do think I will wait a little longer before revealing my pregnancy at work. I want to give myself a little time with my new job to prove myself.

Been feeling pretty good

Not great all the time, but not too bad. The other day I really wanted a Big Mac so we had McDonald's for dinner. The funny thing is I'm not even a big fan of McD'S. But the Big Mac, fries, and strawberry shake (I needed my calcium!) was really good. Potato chips have been great too.

I am very lucky that I haven't had any morning sickness yet. I know it may still come, but I sure have been eating a lot of junk. During the day I do try to make healthy food choices. But it can be hard when I eat at college dining hall with many choices on most days. But I have been pretty good for the most part. It is in the evenings when I start to feel more blah and pretty much nothing sounds good so I end up eating very little or junk. I guess I can't complain. At least, I am not vomiting all the time. I can deal with a little nausea and cramps.

Week 7: Hands and feets

Baby Bear's hands and feets (yes, I know feet is plural without the s, but I like to say feets instead, haha) are emerging from developing arms and legs. They probably don't really look like hand and feet yet. Baby Bear has doubled in size since last week! And Baby Bear is 10,000 times bigger than a month ago! Wow how fast Baby Bear grows, now about the size of a blueberry! My little blueberry how I love you.

A lot is happening with Baby Bear beside the hands and feets. The brain is growing and so the head is growing too! Baby Bear has an appendix and a pancreas, which will eventually help in digestion. The umbilical cord is starting to carry oxygen and nutrients to and from Baby Bear blueberry sized body.

Photo Source

Baby Bump watch: week 7

My first baby bump picture. Well, it is all bloat and not much of a real baby bump and it doesn't look as big as it feels. I feel so fat right now and knowing that Baby Bear is only the size of pea makes me feel even fatter. Can't wait until this bloat goes away and it is a really baby bump. (Sorry for the messy room)

I am a large breasted starving woman

My boobs are huge! Mr. Bear noticed yesterday that my boobs have grown. I have always worn "miracle" padded type bras. Not anymore, I have to tone them down a bit so that it is not so noticeable. Wow!

On top of that I am starving all the time. The students I work with must think I am a little piggy. I am constantly snacking at my desk because I am starving. I need something pretty much every hour and it seems like there is no end in sight. Funny thing is even with all this eating, I haven't gain a pound yet. Very strange to me. I better be pregnant, because if I am not there is something wrong with me.