I had the NT scan this afternoon and everything with bubba was perfect!! Finally I can take a breath. My risk level was 1/17,500 - apparently the same risk level as a 15 year old, the lowest their chart goes!! What a huge relief. Not that I was expecting there to be a problem, but I can't help but worry after all we have been through to get here.
The sonographer was really great and talked us through the whole scan, pointing out all of bub's 'bits'. Heart rate was good at 153bpm and it was actually measuring 3 days ahead at 13w2d! Bub now measures just over 7cm so has more than doubled in size over the last 3 weeks.
No pics yet though, I completely forgot to ask about a pic while we were there we were so overwhelmed by the scan. She took heaps of still photos so hopefully we will get a pic from the OB when I see him about the full details on Friday. I now have all my blood test results to discuss with him as well.
The scan was just the most amazing experience. Sitting in the waiting room was absolute torture with my bladder feeling like it was going to explode, but once I was in there and lying down seeing the bub I forgot all about it. I can't believe how much bub has grown and developed since we last saw it. The most adorable part was seeing bub doing backflips on the screen!!! Absolutely incredible to watch! She got a great shot of the face too, it is just indescribable seeing a healthy moving baby inside me - I still have trouble believing that there is a human life doing backflips in my belly!
Oct 30, 2007
Oct 29, 2007
Cooking
I have lost my ability to cook!! Normally I am quite a good cook. I wouldn't say I was a gormet chef or anything, but I like to cook (well, I like to eat the food I cook!), generally I prefer my cooking to most takeaway and I can usually make most dishes with relative ease. I have even been experimenting and have come up with a few of my very own dishes that I have made up as I went along.
But I now feel as though I have lost any cooking ability I once possesed. The last 2 nights in a row, my attempts to cook dinner have failed miserably. And the meals were not difficult ones. Saturday night was crumbed steak with homemade chips. Very basic and a meal I just love. Had been looking forward to it all day. Somehow I managed to ruin the chips and overcook the steak so much that it tasted like rubber. Oh and all the crumbs were falling off and it took half a roll of paper towel to soak up the excess oil. Last night I attempted roast chicken with roast veges and gravy. The chicken was undercooked and was returned to the oven 3 times. When it was finally cooked, it was stringy and dry from the meat being exposed to the oven. The veges ended up cold and mushy waiting for the chicken and my attempts to reheat the gravy turned it lumpy.
After two nights in a row of tears of frustration while trying to cook a simple meal, I have temporarily resigned from cooking duties. Hubby has offered to take over for at least a few days until I am ready to try again. He is not what I would call a chef, but hopefully with some verbal help from me he will get through it better than me right now. Chicken & mushroom crepes are on for tonight, hopefully we will get through it without the drama of the last couple of nights.
But I now feel as though I have lost any cooking ability I once possesed. The last 2 nights in a row, my attempts to cook dinner have failed miserably. And the meals were not difficult ones. Saturday night was crumbed steak with homemade chips. Very basic and a meal I just love. Had been looking forward to it all day. Somehow I managed to ruin the chips and overcook the steak so much that it tasted like rubber. Oh and all the crumbs were falling off and it took half a roll of paper towel to soak up the excess oil. Last night I attempted roast chicken with roast veges and gravy. The chicken was undercooked and was returned to the oven 3 times. When it was finally cooked, it was stringy and dry from the meat being exposed to the oven. The veges ended up cold and mushy waiting for the chicken and my attempts to reheat the gravy turned it lumpy.
After two nights in a row of tears of frustration while trying to cook a simple meal, I have temporarily resigned from cooking duties. Hubby has offered to take over for at least a few days until I am ready to try again. He is not what I would call a chef, but hopefully with some verbal help from me he will get through it better than me right now. Chicken & mushroom crepes are on for tonight, hopefully we will get through it without the drama of the last couple of nights.
Oct 25, 2007
12 weeks!
Finally, 12 weeks today!! Here is my 12 week belly shot...
And just to compare - this one was taken at 7 weeks...
And just to compare - this one was taken at 7 weeks...
I can't believe how much my body is changing already! The last week or so I have really started to notice my belly popping out. It is becoming very difficult to hide and especially as the weather is heating up, I am running out of clothes that I can wear that do any kind of job of hiding my belly. I think there are quite a number of people at work that pretty well know now - I was at our head office yesterday where I used to work and I had one person ask me if I had good news to share, another asked me how my family planning was coming along. I have never shared any kind of ttc stuff with them so somehow it seems my pregnancy has leaked. It never ceases to amaze me the power of gossip in a large workplace!
I'm not too bothered though, really I am the only one who can confirm this pregnancy and I will do it when I am good and ready. At this stage I am thinking that I will make the announcement at work on Friday next week - my 12 week scan is on Tuesday, then my appointment with the OB to get the results is on Friday morning. I am due to go to head office on Friday afternoon so I'm thinking I will have the discussion with my manager at that stage, then let all the other staff know and hear all the 'I knew it' comments.
I'm not too bothered though, really I am the only one who can confirm this pregnancy and I will do it when I am good and ready. At this stage I am thinking that I will make the announcement at work on Friday next week - my 12 week scan is on Tuesday, then my appointment with the OB to get the results is on Friday morning. I am due to go to head office on Friday afternoon so I'm thinking I will have the discussion with my manager at that stage, then let all the other staff know and hear all the 'I knew it' comments.
Oct 23, 2007
Sleepless nights
I am starting to really dislike going to bed. I have always been a light sleeper but lately I have been tossing and turning most of the night. Until I wake up at around 2am and find myself completely unable to sleep at all for at least an hour or so. Then by the time 6am comes around (sometimes earlier), I'm up again. I then feel so tired during the day that it's hard to motivate myself to do anything, let alone a full day's work.
So far I've tried going to bed later, going to bed earlier, napping during the day, not napping during the day, hot milk before bed, watching tv before bed, not watching tv before bed, reading, not reading, fan on, fan off, window open, window closed. I've even tried using different pillows! Next on my list to try is a relaxation CD that I don't yet own. If anyone has any ideas, I am more than open to suggestions!!
So far I've tried going to bed later, going to bed earlier, napping during the day, not napping during the day, hot milk before bed, watching tv before bed, not watching tv before bed, reading, not reading, fan on, fan off, window open, window closed. I've even tried using different pillows! Next on my list to try is a relaxation CD that I don't yet own. If anyone has any ideas, I am more than open to suggestions!!
Oct 18, 2007
A very special holiday
I've always had in my mind that once we fell pregnant I would want to plan a very special holiday - a last romantic getaway for me and hubby. Realising that most likely everything about our relationship will change once this baby arrives, I want one final escape to celebrate the 8 years that hubby and I have been a family of two.
After spending a couple of weeks trying to co-ordinate a trip to a tropical island, we started to come across too many obstacles due to the logistics of holidaying while pregnant. After much discussion, we have finally decided on a weekend destination which is now officially BOOKED!
We will be staying at Palazzo Versace at the Gold Coast for a weekend in January. We have booked a special package that they have especially designed for couples like us. It's called 'What's Kicking' and it includes 2 nights accomodation, buffet breakfast each morning, 2 items from their 'in room cravings' menu, Versace bath towels and a Versace teddy bear for baby. Here is a pic of the resort:
We have also upgraded our room to a superior suite - this is the room type we will be staying in:
After spending a couple of weeks trying to co-ordinate a trip to a tropical island, we started to come across too many obstacles due to the logistics of holidaying while pregnant. After much discussion, we have finally decided on a weekend destination which is now officially BOOKED!
We will be staying at Palazzo Versace at the Gold Coast for a weekend in January. We have booked a special package that they have especially designed for couples like us. It's called 'What's Kicking' and it includes 2 nights accomodation, buffet breakfast each morning, 2 items from their 'in room cravings' menu, Versace bath towels and a Versace teddy bear for baby. Here is a pic of the resort:
We have also upgraded our room to a superior suite - this is the room type we will be staying in:
I'm looking forward to this holiday so much already. It is the perfect place for our romantic getaway. I have always wanted to stay here for a special occaision and I can't think of one more perfect. The whole weekend will be spent alternating between relaxing in our beautiful suite and spa, lying on the sand by the lagoon sipping cocktails (well, mocktails for me!) and swimming in the blue water of the lagoon. What a perfect weekend!
Oct 15, 2007
Baby's first pic
Firstly, I'm sorry that it has taken so long to get this onto my blog. We had some shocking storms last week and one of them managed to damage my modem so I've had no internet at home to be able to upload this entry. What a time for it to happen!
My OB appointment went really well last week. He was really lovely and his rooms were just beautiful. He took a brief medical history, then it was up onto the bed for a scan to check out bubby. Here's bub's first pic:
Even though I kind of knew what bub would look like at this gestation, it was still a surprise to see it look like a baby instead of a tiny oval blob like the last scan. The best part was as soon as he put the scanner on me, we saw bub wriggling around! It was just so adorable! We could see it's little heart beating as well. The OB was very happy with bub's progress, in fact it was measuring one day ahead at exactly 10 weeks.
I can't stop looking at the pic, I just can't believe it was taken inside my body! I've seen pics like it before, but never ones taken from inside my own body! It truly is a miracle to watch our bub grow from a tiny mass of cells into another human being.
My OB appointment went really well last week. He was really lovely and his rooms were just beautiful. He took a brief medical history, then it was up onto the bed for a scan to check out bubby. Here's bub's first pic:
Even though I kind of knew what bub would look like at this gestation, it was still a surprise to see it look like a baby instead of a tiny oval blob like the last scan. The best part was as soon as he put the scanner on me, we saw bub wriggling around! It was just so adorable! We could see it's little heart beating as well. The OB was very happy with bub's progress, in fact it was measuring one day ahead at exactly 10 weeks.
I can't stop looking at the pic, I just can't believe it was taken inside my body! I've seen pics like it before, but never ones taken from inside my own body! It truly is a miracle to watch our bub grow from a tiny mass of cells into another human being.
Oct 9, 2007
Another book!
I caved and bought another pregnancy book...
It comes highly recommended by many and looks great! Can't wait to get stuck into it!
It comes highly recommended by many and looks great! Can't wait to get stuck into it!
Oct 8, 2007
Maternity leave
I've spent the last week going through and considering my options about when to take maternity leave. Weighing up the value of the money earnt by each additional week's work, against the time off to prepare for bub's arrival and to really enjoy the last part of my pregnancy. Looking at our financial situation and the money needed for me to stay at home full time to care for our baby until they are at least 12 months old. Discussions with hubby about his business plans and earnings for that period of time and how he feels about the situation. Taking into consideration the current stress at my workplace and the day to day tasks expected of me and my body.
We have come to a decision that I will finish work at 30 weeks. This may seem early to some, but the more we thought about and discussed it, the more that we realised just how much more valuable the time spent at home will be. We have both worked very hard over the years to be in a good position financially so that we are in a position to be able to do this. I have given up a career and deliberately gone from job to job so that I could focus on our family and the children we have always so desperately wanted.
My current job is causing a great deal of frustration and stress for me at the moment. I don't mind the actual job, the flexibility and money were fantastic for IVF, but there are a lot of obstacles in my way that are extremely frustrating and disheartening. I wasn't planning on doing this job for very long in the hopes of falling pregnant, but I have been here nearly a year and it's starting to wear me down. Plus I am also expected to be out and about visiting clients during the day - after doing this through summer while pregnant, I will need the break.
My last day at work will be the last day of February. My sister is expecting her baby a couple of days earlier, it will be nice to be able to spend a bit of time with my niece or nephew as well as being able to be there to give her a hand if needed. It will give me a chance to finish preparing the house for our baby, cook some meals for the freezer so hubby doesn't starve while I'm in hospital (or overdose on pizza!) and so that I won't need to cook every night when we arrive back home. To enjoy the last quiet time at home before bub's arrival and to allow my body to rest so that my baby has all the energy it needs to continue to grow and develop through the final stages.
I'm excited and confident about our decision and think it is the best thing for our family. The more we prepare and make decisions about our baby, the more this is starting to feel real.
We have come to a decision that I will finish work at 30 weeks. This may seem early to some, but the more we thought about and discussed it, the more that we realised just how much more valuable the time spent at home will be. We have both worked very hard over the years to be in a good position financially so that we are in a position to be able to do this. I have given up a career and deliberately gone from job to job so that I could focus on our family and the children we have always so desperately wanted.
My current job is causing a great deal of frustration and stress for me at the moment. I don't mind the actual job, the flexibility and money were fantastic for IVF, but there are a lot of obstacles in my way that are extremely frustrating and disheartening. I wasn't planning on doing this job for very long in the hopes of falling pregnant, but I have been here nearly a year and it's starting to wear me down. Plus I am also expected to be out and about visiting clients during the day - after doing this through summer while pregnant, I will need the break.
My last day at work will be the last day of February. My sister is expecting her baby a couple of days earlier, it will be nice to be able to spend a bit of time with my niece or nephew as well as being able to be there to give her a hand if needed. It will give me a chance to finish preparing the house for our baby, cook some meals for the freezer so hubby doesn't starve while I'm in hospital (or overdose on pizza!) and so that I won't need to cook every night when we arrive back home. To enjoy the last quiet time at home before bub's arrival and to allow my body to rest so that my baby has all the energy it needs to continue to grow and develop through the final stages.
I'm excited and confident about our decision and think it is the best thing for our family. The more we prepare and make decisions about our baby, the more this is starting to feel real.
Oct 4, 2007
Oct 1, 2007
Happy Birthday to Me!
Ok, so I have a lot to catch up on with this blog entry, but how could I resist using my birthday as the title!
Firstly, I am extremely happy to report that all of my close family now know our wonderful secret. Telling the grandparents-to-be went wonderfully, I was so happy with the cake that we ended up with - this is it:
Firstly, I am extremely happy to report that all of my close family now know our wonderful secret. Telling the grandparents-to-be went wonderfully, I was so happy with the cake that we ended up with - this is it:
They were very surprised, but obviously very excited to hear about their new grandchild-to-be. My sister came to stay with us for a couple of days over the weekend as well and we got to tell her the news on Friday night. She is only around 10 weeks ahead of me in her pregnancy so she was very excited that we are both expecting so close together. I phoned both my brothers to let them know of the news as they were both interstate. Both were very surprised and happy. We also got to tell my grandparents on Saturday morning. I gave my Grandma a present for her birthday - a silver baby-themed frame. I said nothing after I gave it to her, expecting confusion with the gift, but she picked up on it straight away and was very happy for us, as was my Grandad.
I have really enjoyed sharing our news with everyone over the last couple of days, and I love the fact that they all now know. It felt awful having to hide such wonderful news from them, and putting it out there is helping to make it seem more real. As was seeing my sister at 18 weeks pregnant - I haven't seen her since the very start of her pregnancy, and it was weird to think that in just 10 weeks I may have a similar size preggy belly.
I should also put a note in here about my birthday, seeing as how that is what I've titled this post. It was a lovely day, hubby gave me a gift voucher for a 5 hour treatment with the works! I'm thinking it will be a wonderful way to welcome the second trimester! My parents bought me the CSIRO Total Wellbeing Diet book - will be fantastic to help me eat healthy throughout pregnancy, as well as lose some of that leftover IVF fat. Will be great for post-pregnancy as well. They also got me two baby-themed charms for my charm bracelet that I have been building up ever since my 18th birthday! They will be a wonderful addition!
We all went out with my Grandma for lunch which was really nice, but we could only manage a small serving of Thai for dinner after eating such a big meal. Mum and Dad had even organised a birthday cake, complete with candles and a 'happy birthday' song. All in all, a lovely day.
Normally I am wanting to plan out very special things to do on my birthday, but this year I really wasn't all that concerned. It didn't worry me what we did I would have enjoyed my day. I got what I could have only dreamed of for my birthday. It's amazing how much this little miracle is already putting things into perspective.
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