Tag Archives: Pregnant

26 Week OB Appointment and Scan – The 411

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Yesterday, I had my 26 week OB appointment with Dr. Karamitsos.   I have gained 4 pounds this pregnancy and the baby is doing incredible.  She is very active and her heartbeat is strong, 165 bpm.   Dr. K put in a script for Vitapearl with DHA prenatals, ordered a CBC panel, vitamin/ protein level check, and tsh in the lab.  While I went to the lab, Dr. K ordered a copy of my last sonogram record so that he could double check to make sure everything was good.  I went downstairs to the lab, got my blood work and requested to see my Internist, Dr. Witt to say hello when done.  Dr. Witt sent for me and when he saw me, gave me huge hug.  I haven’t seen him this year and will not see him for my annual until September.  I went back upstairs and waited for Dr. K and he came out and told me everything is good and if I have any problems, I can just walk in to see him.  Next visit, I get my whooping cough vaccine and I have to now see him every two weeks until the end of August and then I have to come weekly.
This morning at 8 am, I had my sonogram for 26 weeks. I was disappointed when found out that we are doing a vaginal and a normal tummy sono.

The baby was very active during the sonogram, as I kept saying, she is sideways across my tummy instead of up and down like she was…  The sonogram shows that she weighs 1.12 pounds and she has a strong heartbeat. My amniotic fluid level is great and measurements were taken of the baby’s head and limbs.  During the transvaginal ultrasound, which HURT, it shows that my placenta previa is still there.   Hopefully it will move up, but honestly, it does not matter since I am having a scheduled cesarean.

After leaving my appointment, I stopped by the office for my health insurance company and dropped off a letter they needed with my estimated due date so that they could add the baby to my insurance plan.

Twenty Five Weeks – The 411

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How my baby’s growing

Head to heels, my baby now measures about 13 1/2 inches. Her weight – 1 1/2 pounds – isn’t much more than an average rutabaga, but she’s beginning to exchange her long, lean look for some baby fat. As she does, her wrinkled skin will begin to smooth out and she’ll start to look more and more like a newborn. She’s also growing more hair – and if you could see it, you’d be able to discern its color and texture. Also, her skin is finally gaining some color. Her hands are fully developed by this week, fingerprints and all! And at 25 weeks, the structure of the spine is beginning to form (33 rings, 150 joints, and 1000 ligaments)!

25 weeks: Your baby is about the size of a rutabaga

 

How mommy’s life’s changing

Your baby’s not the only one with more hair – your locks may look fuller and more lustrous than ever. It’s not that you’re growing more hair, but thanks to hormonal changes, the hair that you’d normally shed is sticking around longer than usual. Enjoy the fullness while you can – the extra hair will fall out after you give birth.

You may also notice that you can’t move around as gracefully as before. Unless your healthcare provider has advised you otherwise, it’s fine to continue to exercise, but follow a few safety rules: Don’t work out when you’re feeling overly tired and stop if you feel any pain, dizziness, or shortness of breath. Don’t lie flat on your back, and avoid contact sports as well as any exercise where you’re apt to lose your balance. Be sure to drink plenty of water, and make time for both warm-up and cool-down periods.

When you have your glucose-screening test at 24 to 28 weeks, a second tube of blood may be taken at the same time to check for anemia. If blood tests show that you have iron-deficiency anemia (the most common type of anemia), your healthcare provider will probably recommend that you take an iron supplement.

BABY STATS:

How Far Along?

25 weeks !

How Big Is The Little One?

My baby is the size of an rutabaga

Total Weight Gain / Loss?

I have gained 4 pounds total, 2 pounds since last weeks weigh in and I lost 27 pounds during the first trimester

Maternity Clothes?

My regular jeans are now a bit snug in the waist.  I am now wearing my exercise clothing around the house and maternity clothing otherwise

Sleep?

The insomnia seems to have slacked off a bit.  I am able to sleep for a few hours at a time.  The baby still moves around in the middle of the night, but I am getting used to it

Best Moment of the Week?

This week has been pretty uneventful.  The highlight of my week was attending the prescreening of Independence Day, The Resurgence.  It was a good movie, just not as good as the first.

Symptoms?

Other than heaviness at times in my pelvis, I have no experienced any new symptoms.

Food Cravings?

I have not had any food cravings.  My appetite is still nonexistent.  My doula has me eating oatmeal once a day and also I baked some awesome lactation oatmeal cookies that I have been nibbling on.  The apple cinnamon oatmeal and the cookies are very soothing to my tummy

Food Aversions?

I still can not tolerate salty foods nor overly sweet foods.

Gender?

Baby girl !

Labor Signs?

None

What I Miss?

My booty ! My butt has gotten wider and my middle is wider too.  I miss NOT having sore boobs.

What I Am Looking Forward To?

14 more weeks when my baby arrives.  I am also starting to get excited about my baby shower.

Bump?

I have a half a soccer ball now !


Navel In/Out?

In and I am noticing that after my showers, I have to dry my navel out with a q-tip now.

Baby / Mommy Purchases?

The only purchase I made this week was the Shea Moisture Baby Wash/Shampoo, Baby Lotion and Oil.  It smells divine !  The Burt’s Bees set I bought, I gave to my little nephew.  He seems to love it, but it doesn’t have enough of a scent for me.

After IVF & The BFP – What To Expect – The 411

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After IVF & The BFP - What To Expect - The 411

Finally, after treatment with IVF, pregnancy has blessed your family. Congratulations! Here’s what to expect during the early stages of an IVF pregnancy.

Feeling Excited — But Also Scared

You’ve most likely been trying to get pregnant for years, and you may have even gone through many cycles of fertility treatments. Finally, you’ve achieved a pregnancy. While you think that you should be happy, instead, you may be feeling scared.

This is completely normal. Especially if you’ve lost previous pregnancies through miscarriage, feeling nervous and not too hopeful about the pregnancy is understandable. Don’t feel guilty for feeling scared, but do find someone — whether a friend or a therapist — to talk to about your feelings. It will help.

Continued Progesterone Support

Your doctor may keep you on progesterone hormone support if pregnancy is confirmed. How long he will continue progesterone treatment will be dependent on your particular situation.

If you’re taking progesterone in oil through injections, you may be able to switch to vaginal suppositories or gel. You can ask your doctor about your options.

** Note that after a positive beta, health insurance will cover progesterone meds. You may have to have your doctor submit preapproval based on medical necessity. Crinone 8% is $300 a week for me since I use 2 applicators daily. My doctor sent orders to my insurance company and they approved it under my medical plan !

Continued Blood Tests for Monitoring

Your fertility doctor will also likely continue to check your hormone levels via blood work for at least a few weeks following a positive pregnancy test. There are a few reasons for this:

– to look for rising hCG hormone levels (pregnancy hormones), in order to ensure the pregnancy is healthy and to look out for very high levels (which may indicate a multiple pregnancy)
– to monitor estrogen levels, especially if symptoms of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) are present
– to monitor progesterone levels

Ultrasound Follow-up

Before releasing you to a regular obstetrician, your fertility doctor will most likely order an ultrasound or two during early pregnancy. This is mainly to check for a multiple pregnancy.

Depending on what week the ultrasounds take place, you may even get to see the baby’s heartbeat.

If You Have OHSS, It’ll Take Time to Feel Better. If you unfortunately developed a case of OHSS during treatment, your symptoms may last several weeks, and may even get worse.

Be sure to stay in contact with your doctor, and let her know of any worsening symptoms right away. OHSS can be dangerous and life threatening if left untreated.

Release to a Regular Obstetrician

Usually an IVF pregnancy is handled by a regular obstetrician (OB), and not a high-risk obstetrician. Your fertility doctor will transfer you over to the regular OB at about the 8-week mark.

You may feel excited to be going to a “normal” doctor – finally! But you may also feel nervous, going from the intense monitoring of your fertility doctor to the more laid back, once-a-month visits of a regular OB/GYN.

If you’re feeling extra nervous, don’t hesitate to talk to your doctor. If an extra ultrasound would help calm your nerves, go ahead and ask. Your doctor knows how much you’ve gone through to get pregnant, and feeling nervous is completely normal and understandable.

It Is Official …. I AM PREGNANT !!

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It Is Official .... I AM PREGNANT !!

I went in for my first beta yesterday and it started as the day from hell ! I left at 2 am enroute to NYC and of course, after the torrential rain storms, there was a major accident on I 95. We sat on the interstate for 1.5 hours, so I got to NYC an hour and half late. I intended to make my appointment at 7 am but I got there at 8:30am instead.

I got my beta and rushed downtown to get to Penn Station to catch a 9:30 am to leave for DC. To make matters worse, I only had time to grab a bottle of juice on the way out.

I got to DC and my fertility clinic called to make sure I went in to Lenox Hill Center for Human Reproduction for the beta. They then called them to see if the results were in. I got a call fifteen minutes later from the nurse at CNY and she said the results of the labs were not back and they close early on Thursday, so she would call the next day.

WHAT? WHO is going to wait until tomorrow? Hmmmmp !

I called Lenox Hill and asked that they have Dr. Singer call me. He called last night, after I sat around moping thinking something must be wrong since the nurse could not give me results over the phone… I had started planning my next cycle in my head LOL.

Dr.Singer called and said CONGRATS !! You are pregnant !! Your beta is 68 and progesterone is 11.something… that is all I heard ! lol

CNY doesn’t know yet, so they will call me when they open after 7 am. I am pretty sure I go back for the next beta on Monday. I hope there is more than one in there !