Glowing, Glowing, Gone...

  You know that pregnant glow everyone talks about? Supposedly it's caused by extra oil production in the skin and gives normal women that dewy, radiant look. Not me. I'm a very oily person anyway. I often joke that my face is the dermatological equivalent of Saudi Arabia. But pregnancy hormones have caused my face to produce the equivalent oil of all the OPEC member countries combined! It's so gross! I look like an adolescent boy! My hair is greasy and plastered to my scalp and I've developed cystic acne on my face, backne and chestne! I've given up on wearing makeup and started using a daily clarifying shampoo. It's helping some, but not a lot. I feel pretty gross. Combine that with the heat and humidity and I'm really scary!  I'm trying to stay away from the ED lest I be mistaken for some vagrant and shuttled off to a homeless shelter...
   I did get a nice surprise today! I called Mom as soon as I got out from work and she told me that I had received a package. I wasn't expecting anything, so, I asked her to open it. This was inside:

Summer Infant Connect Internet Baby Camera Set

  Thanks, John!!! Now I will be able to peek on baby while I'm at work, John can see baby from wherever he happens to be, and ND grandparents, aunts and uncle can also look!  (My family has issues using electronic devices, so they won't use it!) Very exciting. The only issue is that I can see myself going into the baby's room at 0300 post-call, half-dressed to find out that John's dad had insomnia and decided to check in. Poor man, they would find him dead in his chair, I'm sure!
   Funny story- I was walking by some elderly ladies in the hallway today and I heard one whisper to the other, "Is that doctor pregnant or just fat?" I started to say, "both!" and keep walking, but decided that would be unprofessional. Ladies, until recently, I wasn't exactly sure myself!


 

  Wow, I am whipped! I thought my energy was slowly coming back, but it's definitely gone again! I've been running all over the hospital for the past two days and it finally caught up with me!
  I also haven't been sleeping well, either. A lot of other women with my due date on thebump.com are also having insomnia this week, too. I'm not sure exactly what's bothering me, but I think I'm starting to get a little uncomfortable. I seem to toss and turn all night. If I lie on my back, I get nauseous and short of breath. Same thing for lying on the left side. And forget about lying on my stomach! It feels like trying to sleep on a hard rubber ball that's tender, as well as still very tender breasts. So, that leaves sleeping on my right side, which has never been very comfortable. And it's only going to get worse...It may be time to invest in one of those pregnancy pillows.
  Now for some exciting news, I'm pretty sure I can feel the baby moving!!! I noticed it a while ago, but thought that there was no way I was feeling movement this early, but it's definitely still happening! Whenever I lay down, it feels like champagne bubbles fizzing in my lower abdomen. I've never felt anything like it before and it's really neat! I poke on my belly to see if I get any response like increased movement, but so far, nothing. I can't wait until I can feel it more regularly!
  I had kind of a freak out last week, thinking that I would get so busy with work that I wouldn't have time to get ready for the baby. I reassured myself that I could probably keep the baby in a laundry basket for a few weeks, if push came to shove. Actually, I have just about everything I need and some stuff I don't need. I've been buying things over the years as I've come across good deals. I think one thing that's getting to me is not having a permanent place to live. I've actually been "homeless" for 13 months and almost all of my worldly belongings are scattered between my parent's house, my aunt's house and a storage unit. Supposedly my new apartment will be ready to move into sometime next month. I honestly can't wait. It will be so good not live out of a suitcase and to actually sleep in the same bed every night as opposed to a different one almost every two weeks! I think once I get settles in and can take stock of what I have and what I need, I will feel much better about the situation. That said, I did go shopping with my friend Katherine and picked up a Pack 'N' Play on sale:

I've been reading Baby Bargains, a book that has come highly recommended by several of my friends with kids. So far, just about everything I have purchased has been on the "Best" lists that are provided in the book. I feel pretty confident that I'm not getting things I won't use and/or getting swindled.

Several people have commented (including a Target employee) that I'm shopping too early. That could be true, but I know my life is about to get even more insane than it is already and I probably won't have time to do any shopping at all later in the year. Also, I have made it a habit to start preparing early for a lot of things because I know time goes by so quickly. I'm the type of person who has all of their Christmas gifts bought and wrapped by December 1st every year. I just don't have large amounts of concentrated time to dedicate to these things!

Baby Hoecake

 So, I had my first official OB appointment yesterday. It actually turned out to be just a nursing visit where they got my history, drew some blood, etc. I didn't even meet the doctor, which was disappointing because I'm not even sure I want to stay with this practice. Mom went with me and she was disappointed as well because she was really hoping they would do an ultrasound. At any rate, everything looked good as far as my vitals. My blood pressure was 122/72, which I'm very happy with since Mom had preeclampsia with all of her pregnancies and I'm worried about developing it. I've also lost some weight, which is a bit concerning because it can be a sign of diabetes. The nurse wasn't too worried, though. She said that can be normal for some women. Mom said she didn't know how I could possibly have lost any weight since I'm pretty much eating constantly. Hopefully, my body just knows what it's doing!

  Mom and I went shopping after the appointment, which is really rare for us! I'm really enjoying spending time with her looking at baby stuff! We went to Marshall's and I got an awesome Angry Birds swaddling blanket for $5! I had been watching it at BabiesRUs where it's been on clearance for $16.99 for a while! I was very excited about that! I love Angry Birds stuff!

  When we got back home, Mom was talking to my aunt on the phone. I overheard their conversation which went like this:

Aunt: "Well, she's got a bun in the oven."

Mom: "That ain't no bun, this is a Southern baby. She's got a biscuit! A big biscuit! She's growing a hoecake!"

And thus, my baby will now be called "Hoecake" for the duration of my pregnancy. For those of you unfamiliar with the term, here is how Wikipedia defines hoecake:

Hoecake[edit]

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the term hoecake first occurs in 1745, and the term is used by American writers such as Joel Barlow and Washington Irving.^[12] The origin of the name is the method of preparation: field hands often cooked it on a shovel or hoe held to an open flame. Hoes designed for cotton fields were large and flat with a hole for the long handle to slide through; the blade would be removed and placed over a fire much like a griddle.^[13]

 My family defines it a bit differently. You know how, when you make biscuits, sometimes you have a little bit of dough left over at the end? It's usually not enough to make two biscuits, but is more than what you use for one biscuit. So, you end up with a giant, misshapen biscuit that everyone usually tries to get. That's the hoecake. It's the best part of a pan of biscuits.

This is just amusing in so many ways

All that talk of biscuits yesterday caused me to dream about them last night. I dreamed I was staying in a podiatrist's house and I woke up to what sounded like an explosion. To my surprise, there was a busted can of Pillsbury biscuits in the middle of the floor. I had no idea how they got there. I didn't know what to do with them, so, I decided I would bake them. I did, and then went back to sleep and went to work the next morning. Only, I couldn't remember if I had ever taken them out of the oven and turned it off or not. I worried about it all day and then came home to find a lovely pan of biscuits on the counter and some muffins, too. For some reason, that was upsetting. Any guesses on what that all means?

My Bump, My Bump...

  14 Weeks today! Woohoo! This week, baby is the size of a lemon! And, I have an honest to goodness lovely baby bump! It feels ginormous, but when I look in the mirror, it's not really that big. But, strangers know I'm pregnant. A very kind pharmacy tech made an extra effort to show me where the bathrooms were around the hospital conference room, because she "remembers what it was like to be pregnant", which I very much appreciated. I'm actually feeling pretty good right now, just a little tired. I tried to go for a walk yesterday, but it started raining. I took a nap instead.

  I wore my first all maternity outfit today because nothing fit anymore. I was actually shocked that the shirts fit because, only a few weeks ago, they were WAY too big!

  I'm currently sitting at Panera Bread having a carb fest. I tried to resist. I really did. But, my stomach was grumbling and I happened to be in the vicinity...I started out with a cup of Summer Corn Chowder and a salad with baguette. But I was still hungry. So, now I'm working on the bread bowl of Summer Corn Chowder! I can't get enough of it! SO amazing! Hey, at least I had a salad!

  I have my first OB appointment tomorrow. I'm a little nervous that something has gone wrong in the seven weeks since I had my last ultrasound. I'm also nervous that I've developed gestational diabetes. (Probably since walking into Panera. There's no way my pancreas can keep up with the onslaught of glucose I'm taking in right now!) I did purchase one of those inexpensive dopplers and I've been able to pick up a heartbeat, so, that makes me feel a little better. But, I will continue to be nervous until tomorrow and I'm reassured that everything is okay. And then I will cease being nervous for about 15 minutes and then resume. Probably for the rest of my life.
  I just calculated the calories of my meal and it had about 1,500 calories. That's more than I normally eat in a day!!! No wonder my maternity clothes are fitting so well! Good grief! I gotta slow down on the eating...
  So, anyway, I think that's all for now. I will update tomorrow after my appointment.

13 Weeks!

   Happy Father's Day and Happy 13 Weeks to my baby! I spent the day with my dad, an avid indoorsman, watching Clint Eastwood movies.  I didn't get to see the newest father in my life, John, which was disappointing, but, I was able to give him his gift and card to take with him so he could open it today. I got him a book. He said he liked it.

  Yesterday, I was able to spend the ENTIRE day shopping for the baby with Mom! This is such an unusual event and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I'm the only girl in my family and my two youngest brothers were born when I was a teenager, so, we never really had any girl time. Now, Mom is busy with the farm and my (now) teenage brothers and we rarely get to do anything together, much less all day. But, yesterday the stars aligned and we got a lot accomplished! I'm trying to get most of my baby shopping done before residency starts, because I doubt I will have time after residency starts. Once Upon a Child was having a great sale- 70% off of most clothes and 70-30% off of everything else! We made out like a pair of bandits! I was able to get myself a lot of maternity clothes- 2 pairs of jeans, 1 pair of denim capris, 1 pair of Gap khaki capris, 2 pairs of work slacks (one pair is Liz Lange, brand-new with tag!) and a dress from Motherhood! All for $1.95 each! And, of course, we also got a LOT of baby clothes! Most of the clothes were 75 cents! It was kind of a free-for-all, so we were basically just grabbing stuff that we thought was cute. When I got home, I noticed that most of the stuff we got was for a girl, some of it was gender neutral and zero of it was for a boy!!! I think this probably reflects the cuteness factor of the clothes rather than a premonition of what this baby is! Oh well, if it's a boy, there will be more sales and more clothes and I can donate the girl clothes to the crisis pregnancy center. 

     Speaking of whether this baby is going to be wearing pink or blue, yes, I want to find out. John doesn't. It just seems like it would be more fun to know and make the baby more of a person before he or she gets here. Also, I'm decently good at reading ultrasounds (something I really enjoy) and I could probably tell anyway. And I know that I couldn't keep it a secret! My family is 100% convinced that this baby is a girl. Mom is usually very good at predicting and that's what she says. But, I think it's a boy. Here's why:

1. As I mentioned before, I've had terrible morning sickness, which is a sign of a boy. All those male hormones wreak havoc on a mom's system! (Who knew a "wiener" could make you so sick?)
   

1. I've got acne. This is less reliable since I ALWAYS have acne, but, again, those male hormones cause it in pregnancy. My skin actually cleared up at first and I was delighted, but at about the time a male baby starts making testosterone, it came back. Suspicious. 

1. The heart rate was 159 when it was measured. A high heart rate indicates a girl and a lower one indicates a boy. 159 seemed on the lower end of the fetal heart rate spectrum to me, so….This is an old wives' tale, but who knows. 

1. Gut feeling. 

  Oh, I also bought a stroller! I already have a Chicco travel system that I got for an amazing price on clearance a few years ago (I figured someone would use it or I could resell it). However, I wanted Mom to have her own stroller that would be compatible with the carseat, since she is going to be babysitting for me. I guess that's maybe overkill, but whatever. Anyway, I got the  Chicco stroller that I wanted for $59! 

    I finally had a dream last nite in which I knew I was pregnant! I dreamed I was married to Chris Hemsworth (aka Thor)! Some guys were messing with me and I told them that my baby's father was going to beat them up and that he was HUGE. This all took place in a church bathroom. If I needed another sign that this is a boy, that's probably it! Chris (We're on a first name basis) is the ultimate masculine figure, in my opinion. So, dreaming about him being the father may mean that I'm conveying a sense of masculinity to my child. Or, maybe it just means that I think Chris is super hot and I wish he was the father of my child! (J/K, John!) 

Ultrasound- 7 Weeks

  Baby looks more like a little chicken embryo than anything human in these ultrasound pictures. In the 3D one, you can see the little eye, and, if you look closely, you can see little limb buds. Still, very cute if you ask me! I can't wait for our next ultrasound to see how much our little one has grown and changed! 

Tooth Troubles

  There's an old wives' tale that says you lose a tooth with every baby. Or perhaps, like my brother suggested, I've been living in West Virginia for too long. Whatever the reason, I had the delightful experience of having a tooth pulled yesterday. A big one. My #3 molar. And, because I'm pregnant, I had it done with only local anesthesia. All in all, it wasn't really all that bad. My doctor was actually great. But it's not something I would want to do every day. Or ever again, actually. I am glad that I had the tooth pulled, though. It's been giving me a fit for well over ten years and after several fillings and two root canals, I just said enough is enough. It had abscessed and caused a lot of damage to my jaw that will need repaired after the baby is born, but for now, I don't have to worry about it! Such a relief!

  Aside from anesthesia, another thing that I've had to miss out on due to pregnancy is cole slaw. I've been craving it, and they had it today in the hospital cafeteria. It looked soooo yummy and I got a bowl of it for myself. I was about to shovel a heaping forkful into my mouth when my attending, an infectious disease doctor, pointed out that it contained mayo and probably wasn't safe. Another doc walked by the table and said, in a ominous tone, that nothing is safe from Listeria. It was with great reluctance that I put my fork down and threw the slaw away. Oh, the sacrifices I am making for this child!
  Now I think I will take a nap. I wish I had saved my tooth. Does the tooth fairy still visit when you're a broke adult? It's worth a try...

   I woke up this morning with an ocular migraine. For those who have never had the pleasure of experiencing one of these, an ocular migraine is a migraine that affects your vision. I have one of these babies about twice a year and I always lose the vision in my R eye. It comes back after a few hours and is usually followed by an excruciating headache. They are a very strong predictor for having a future stroke, which is wonderful. So, after my vision came back, I went to see the doctor, mostly to have my BP checked and to make sure everything was okay. I was assured that I'm fine and that, while some women get relief from migraines during pregnancy, some women experience them more frequently. I guess I'm going to be the latter. Fantastic. And the real kicker to this whole thing is that the only thing I can take for the pain is Tylenol, which does exactly diddly-squat for my migraines. Fun, fun all around!

An interpretation of what your vision looks like during an ocular migraine

   I was dreading having my weight checked at the clinic for fear that I've gained another ton-and-a-half, but, to my surprise, I've lost six pounds! That brings my total weight gain to seven pounds, which is about right. That makes me feel a lot better about the possibility of developing gestational diabetes and giving birth to a 14-pound baby. I think I've been eating a lot better overall since I started taking Zofran, so, I got some more of that today, as well.
  While waiting for my prescription to be filled, I wandered around Wal-Mart. Always a treat in Lewisburg. People of WalMart would have a field day in that store, let me tell you! Anyway, I checked out the carts of other preggos and I noticed they were filled with Oreos, frozen pizzas and other highly-processed junk food. Of course, this is the typical West Virginia diet, but I was kinda hoping to see more of a try from the pregnant set. However, all of those women were noticeably sporting a bump. Maybe all of the women who are not showing yet, like myself, are eating nutritious food and as the pregnancy progresses we will end up giving up and going for those S'mores Pop Tarts. Which looked amazing, btw...

Pregnancy Questionaire

How far along? 12 weeks, 2 days
Maternity clothes? Sadly, yes. Just pants, though. They are so comfy!
Stretch marks? Yep! I gained an enormous amount of weight right away and they popped up! I'm using Cocoa Butter twice a day, so, hopefully that will help. I'm also drinking at least 2L of water each day.
Sleep: Yes, please! Can't get enough!!! No crazy pregnancy dreams, yet.
Best moment this week: Ummmm, getting to take lots of naps!
Miss Anything? Coffee and soda! I allow myself a little caffeine each day in the form of tea, but I still miss my morning cup of joe. 

Movement: Twice I thought I've felt something. Like little bubbles in there. But who knows what that is?
Food cravings: Mashed potatoes, cole slaw, biscuits and fried apples. I'm growing a Southern baby!
Anything making you queasy or sick: Nothing specific. Well, I did smell some burnt coffee that turned my stomach, but it always has.
Have you started to show yet: I'm not sure. Only one person said she could tell I was pregnant from looking at me. I think mostly I just look really fat.
Gender prediction: My family is saying a girl, but I think we're having a boy
Labor Signs: No! Hopefully not for a while!!!
Belly Button in or out? I haven't seen my belly button in decades. I don't even know if I still have one...

Happy or Moody most of the time: Neither. I'm just tired. And I miss John.
Looking forward to: Medical school being over (finally!!!), moving into a new apartment and seeing John in August!

Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes

  I'm not sure exactly what I expected pregnancy to feel like, but it certainly was not how I'm feeling now. This morning, as I was dry heaving in the hospital hallway, a male medical student made the comment that he was sure glad he didn't have a uterus. At that point, I was kinda wishing I didn't have one, either!
  The first time the thought that I could be pregnant even crossed my mind was at the gym. I had been training for a 10K this summer, and, being in Anchorage, I was training on a treadmill. I was following a program that gradually cranks up speed and time and as I started that day's workout, I just couldn't keep up. I turned down the speed and incline on the treadmill, but I was still feeling winded. I just couldn't do it. I thought, "maybe I'm pregnant" and then, "no, I probably just caught a cold from a patient".
  That weekend, John and I took a trip out to Homer and stayed in a yurt on Katchemak Bay. On the way down from Anchorage, we stopped at a gas station and I saw some Gardetto's snack mix. Suddenly, it was all I could think about! I had to have it! I managed to call on some reserve of willpower and walk away, but I thought about that salty yumminess all weekend long! On the way back to Anchorage, I stopped at the gas station, got the snack mix, and proceeded to eat THE ENTIRE BAG! This was completely atypical behavior for me as A) I'm normally not a salty snack person and B) I don't normally eat junk food. After that, I had a sneaky suspicion about what was going on. When we got home, I took a test, and sure enough, I'm pregnant!

  It was a few days after the positive test that the nausea came to visit. And decided to stay. I remember asking my friends with kids if morning sickness felt like regular nausea. They said that it did. However, this nausea is completely different from anything I've ever felt. It's really hard to describe. It's like the pain you get when you're absolutely starving combined with the awful pain and nausea from  gastroenteritis. And eating relieves it temporarily.  And so, I started eating. And eating and eating and eating. And I gained...13 pounds!!! Almost overnight! That's actually more weight than the guidelines recommend that I should gain for the entire pregnancy! That scared me and I was so miserable that I decided to go ahead and take an anti-nausea medication (Zofran). It has helped a lot! I just ran out of it last Thursday and the nausea came right back, but it's a little less awful than what it was. Perhaps because I also started taking Vitamin B6, which is supposed to help.
  Other than the nausea, I'm also exhausted. Way more so than usual. I've pretty much given up exercise entirely because I just have zero energy. And I get so short of breath. Walking across a parking lot just about does me in. I feel like I have COPD and Congestive Heart Failure! After work, I've been coming home and collapsing.  John has tried so hard to get me to get up and participate in life, but about the only thing that can get me out of bed these days is food. I sleep until my rumbling tummy just can't be ignored anymore! And sleep just feels sooooo good!
  Other than exhaustion and nausea, I've been feeling pretty good. Now that I'm in the 2nd trimester, I'm hoping my energy will come back soon! Just in time to start residency...

Hello, and Welcome to our Baby Blog! 

I'm starting this blog to keep all of our friends and family, far and near, in the loop on all things baby. I also wanted to share our thoughts as we experience our first pregnancy.
Baby Hetzel is due December 21, 2013. He or she will be born, hopefully, at home with the care of a midwife. We are already so in love with this little person and can't wait to meet him or her!