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.