I can hear your heartbeat....wouldnt you agree baby you and me got a groovy kinda love

Today I had my second trimester appointment with my midwife.
I have an appt. every 4 weeks for now, until my pregnancy progresses further.

My blood panels came back. I have O positive blood. So, with an A positive husband, we do not need the RH shots. I am free of any major disease. The panel scans for HIV, Hepatitis, Chlamydia, Diabetes, and proteins in your blood and urine.
I have lost yet another pound, but the midwife is not concerned.
My Blood Pressure was 102 over 72...very good.

My uterus is growing and expanding upward and outward to house a growing baby...that is now 3 1/2 to 4 inches long, the size of a lemon.

I am, according to the midwife, a very healthy mom.

Then, Cindy, my midwife, gave me a wonderful gift. She had me lay back and put jelly on my baby bump, she turned on the doppler and told me to not get my hopes up, but that we were going to try and hear the baby's heartbeat.

Jim and I heard the heartbeat at our 6.5 week emergency ultrasound. It was at 117 BPM.
That was 6.5 weeks ago and it was an internal ultrasound with a baby the size of an appleseed.

Cindy placed the doppler on my far right lower abdomen and within 2 seconds...we had contact.
Our baby's heart was beating at 146 BPM.
Cindy moved the Doppler 2 more inches to catch up to our active baby. She said "wow...for 13 weeks, this little baby is in there moving and ashaking!"
I like to think that it is in there dancing.

And suddenly, after weeks of being exhausted and so very sick and incredibly worried, this is all so much more real to me. Cindy asssured me, her "worried mommy" as she likes to call me, that everything is perfect and my baby is inside of me, happy and healthy and growing...and everything is gonna be alright.

I breathed my first sigh of relief today, a deeper breath than I have breathed in 13 weeks.
Then, I headed to the Hoagie place and ate a 12 foot turkey hoagie....the baby was hungry and we needed to celebrate.

God is good.

Poop

As I progress with my pregnancy..it seems that if there is something to complain about...it is happening to me....and I WILL complain about it.

Today's complaint: POOP, or my lack there of.

Kudos to my bald, beautiful husband...my hero, the love of my life.
He just came back from the grocery store..where he quickly and graciously walked the aisles and got me a pregnancy safe stool softener and darted back home. PS: I have many pregnant friends, so in answer to your question, COLACE, is the safe one.

I have never experienced constipation before I became pregnant. Seems like a silly side-affect; but I warn you it is nothing to mess with when you have a baby in your belly. Feeling as if I have to expel a log that is stuck sideways in my rectum, is by far the most unpleasant experience I have ever felt the need to blog about.

I should state now to all the readers....I have decided that this is the place I can be...and will be.. most candid about my life as a mama to be. So, if you are shocked by my subjects and descriptiveness..you may be best to wait to receive my email updates, because for me...this is therapy.

The scary wonderful journey called becoming a parent...

Pregnancy is such an emotional experience. I have never been filled with more concern; and I so want to replace that with excitement. I am 100% responsible for this little human...who is now 2 inches long and is developing all of it's major organs. The slightest change in my body races me to concern. I havent felt as sick this week...and that concerns me. I realize that the morning sickness eases...but what if it is an indication that something is wrong. I don"t feel as bloated today and my belly doesnt feel as hard...and instead of being grateful for a "feel good day", I park myself on the couch and research every possible reason for concern on the internet.
I have found a few people who have eased my mind when I state my continuous concerns...because they too have had similiar worries.
Am I getting the right nutrients, am I taking in too much sodium, should I be exercising more, am I sleeping in the wrong position, am I drinking enough water, am I neglecting my husband or being mean to him, am I scarying my friends with no children into not wanting to embark on this journey because of my stories, am I laying everything that I should be at God's feet and trusting that he will lead this little spirit into the world as a healthy new life.
We have our second official appointment on the 27th...so 11 days away. I will be at week 13 then...entering my second trimester. All I want to do is hear the baby's heartbeat and see it...and be reassured that this little life is growing strong inside me.
This week, I had my blood panels done and my RH Test. Results to follow. Note to friends..once they find which arm gives blood...let every person know for future reference. My right arm doesnt give blood...so now my arm looks like I have track marks.
I am leaning against opting for the CVS testing and Amniocentisis. Jim and I will decide in the next week.
For now...I am craving strawberries and dip....so off to the store to fulfill my dream!!

Having my Baby....what a lovely way to say that you love me.

This is our first post...and what a post it is.
We are having a baby...expected due date August 7th, 2009.
I am at the start of week 10 today. Nobody tells you that a pregnancy is actually 40 weeks, until you find out that "Surprise!...you're pregnant!"
Although, our pregnancy was not a true surprise to us. We never figured that after just 2 months of "trying" we would be blessed with a baby this fast.

So, here we are.
I have had morning sickness ( all day/mostly evening sickness) for about 4 weeks now.
At our 6 week and 8 week ultrasounds, the baby has a flickering beat of a heart and in that short time span almost tripled in size.
I, on the other hand, have lost about 9 lbs since the beginning of the pregnancy. The midwife is not concerned, as long as I keep hydrated. I laugh when a woman says that she "never felt better than when she was pregnant". I am not "feeling good", but I am elated to be on this journey. I believe that I will feel good soon enough.

We are very excited to share this journey with you...the journey of "The 3 of us".