Thursday, June 28, 2012

13 Weeks

Good-bye first trimester - hello second!

I thought it might be time to share a bigger update than just the standard weekly info.

Weight Gain: None. Well, about 3.4lbs since egg retrieval, but my weight was fluctuating so much around IVF that I have no idea what my starting weight really was. I have not gained anything in the last 8 weeks. This is actually not a good thing. I have plenty of fat stored up that I am sure the babies are getting everything they need, but I am not eating right and I can't quite seem to get myself on track. In my normal life, I eat two meals per day. Usually two unhealthy meals at that. I have kind of carried that over into my pregnant life too. At my OB appointment next week, I am going to ask for a referral to see a nutritionist. I need to get this under control sooner rather than later. As a plus size gal, I really shouldn't gain that much, but I want to make sure I am eating healthy and getting all the right amounts of nutrition for these babies.

Sleep: Sucks! I haven't slept through the night since I started IVF. I am still practicing my night owl tendencies. When I try to go to bed before midnight, I just lie there unable to sleep. I am usually up once an hour for the first 4 hours to pee. But I get so thirsty that every time I wake up, I drink water. It's a vicious cycle. After about 4 hours, sleep usually stretches into 3 or 4 hours for the last cycle. I am still exhausted like I was in the beginning of the first trimester. I take two naps per day. Usually a 2 hour nap a few hours after I wake up in the morning and then another 1 or 2 hours in the afternoon. This really cuts into my working time which is bad. I am self-employed so I only get paid if I am working.

Other Symptoms: I am so thankful that I never really had any morning sickness. I still have the occasional mild afternoon queasiness, but it's really not that bad and I can totally handle it. I am still exhausted. I am also really starting to feel my uterus stretching and growing. It's a very weird sensation and I do not like it at all. Now that Summer is setting in and we are getting afternoon temps over 100 degrees, I am even more exhausted.

So far, I am on the fence as to how I feel about pregnancy. On on the one hand, I am so incredibly grateful to have these two babies growing inside of me, but on the other hand, pregnancy is really not all that fun. I am hoping it gets better in 6-7 weeks when I find out the sexes of these babies and I can feel them moving around. I think then I will be more easily able to identify with them and bond with them. They will be more like babies to me and less like symptoms of some strange disease.

I am starting to feel ready to make the big Facebook announcement, but part of me is paranoid that I might have done something wrong to them when in Vegas (I didn't and I am sure then are fine). My next OB appointment is Tuesday. I will be 13w5d. That sonogram will make me feel much better and then I will be ready to announce.

Off to try and get some sleep. I have a client meeting downtown in the morning and it takes me and extra 15-20 minutes to get ready in the mornings now. I am starting to slow way down.



your baby's the size of a peach!
She's about 2.9 inches long and weighs about .81 ounces, and -- proportion-wise -- her head's now about 1/3 the size of her body (remember? It used to be bigger!).


your baby at 13 weeks
  • Can you believe she's forming vocal cords and teeth?!
  • And even though she's still teeny, she already has fingerprints.
  • Her intestines are moving from the umbilical cord to their more permanent place, in her tummy.

Monday, June 25, 2012

12 Weeks

This post is a little late as I was in Vegas all weekend. Complete Vegas recap  coming soon. It was an amazing vacation. And probably my last vacation for a really long time.

Here is the 12 week info...


your baby's the size of a plum!
The average fetus at 12 weeks is about 2.1 inches long and .49 ounces. Now that she's got pretty much all her parts, her main job is to keep on growing.


your baby at 12 weeks
  • Most of her critical systems are fully formed!
  • She's about to enter the growth and maturation stage, in which her organs and tissues will grow and develop rapidly.
  • She's now developing her reflexes -- if you poke her body, she'll likely move.
  • She's opening and closing her fingers and curling her toes, too.
  • Her brain is developing fast!

Thursday, June 14, 2012

11 Weeks


your baby's the size of a lime!
Your fetus is about 1.6 inches long, and she's got about a 1:1 head to body ratio. She now weighs in at about .25 ounces.


your baby at 11 weeks
  • You can't see it, but she's moving fluidly and gracefully in there.
  • Her skin is see-through, but she's on her way to looking more like a baby.
  • Her fingers and toes aren't webbed anymore.
  • Tooth buds, hair follicles and nail beds are forming.

Sunday, June 10, 2012

10 Weeks

A little late this week, but...

your baby's the size of a prune!
Now, she's about 1.2 inches long and weighs about .14 ounces. Her body length will almost double in the next three weeks.


your baby at 10 weeks
  • Baby has working arm joints, and her cartilage and bones are forming.
  • Her vital organs are fully developed and they're starting to function.
  • Her fingernails and hair are starting to appear, too.
  • Plus, she's swallowing and kicking in there. (Can you believe it?!)















In other news. I had my first OB appointment on Tuesday at 9w5d. Everything went well. I had a sonogram and got to see both babies moving around. It looks like Baby A is catching up and doing just fine. Baby A had a heart rate of 168 and Baby B had a heart rate of 173. I met my OB and I really like her - she has twins of her own. We both agreed that we thought Baby A would be a boy and Baby B would be a girl. I just have to wait about 8 more weeks to find out. 

Today, my mom went with me to Buy Buy Baby to test drive double strollers. That was quite the eye opener. This will definitely be my most expensive purchase. Wow!

My nausea is getting a little bit worse, but I think it is in part due to the sinus infection I am also fighting right now. I had heard nausea was supposed to peak around 9 weeks, but for me, it got worse at 10. It's still not that bad though. I really shouldn't complain. I'm lucky. Extremely lucky!

Saturday, June 2, 2012

9 Weeks


your baby's the size of a green olive!
She's gaining steam! At 9 weeks, your fetus measures around .9 inches and weighs about .07 ounces.


your baby at 9 weeks
  • This is a milestone. She's no longer an embryo -- now she's a fetus!
  • She's developing more distinct facial features.
  • And she might now have a strong enough heartbeat to be picked up by a fetal doppler.