Better Safe than Sorry

I thought I'd do an update from my 22 week OB appt. At my appt on Friday, I was told that my blood pressure (bp) is creeping up a bit and so is my weight (though the nurse said I'm right on track)! You'd think I'd be more concerned about the bp but really, it's the weight gain. I'm up 11 lbs. UGH. I really don't feel fatter but dh oh so sweetly said that I don't look too different but he can feel it when he touches my arms/legs. EWWW....gross. I really didn't think I'd mind gaining weight but reality has set in. I'm going to get a lot bigger/fatter and I'm not so OK with it as I thought I would be.

At the appt I also mentioned to Dr. S that I've been having a lot of heart flutters/palpitations lately. I also had a freaky episode of having heart flutters every 5-10 seconds for about an hour two weeks ago. Now, I do have a heart murmur that shows up only when I'm pg (and is VERY common in pg women) so I didn't think too much about the flutters until they started happening every day, when I lie on my left side, and when I drink cold liquids. Dr. S sent me to a cardiologist today. He said, "It's better to be safe than sorry." And, I agree.

At my heart appt today, my blood pressure was normal but my EKG was not. Honestly, it was scary seeing ABNORMAL written all over the report. From what I can remember, Dr. E said my heart is slow at pushing out enough blood and one ventricle is having a hard time keeping up (He showed me my heart rhythms and saw what he meant.) Dr. E said that he usually sees that with patients with high blood pressure and thinks it's weird that my bp is fine. He thinks my heart flutters will go away once I deliver but the abnormal EKG is what is making me go in for several more tests. I have to have a heart echo done next month (basically, a u/s of my heart, then a stress test, and then another u/s of my heart) and wear a heart monitor for a MONTH (but I can't start that until Tricare approves it.)

I'm glad that I mentioned the heart flutters to my OB and that I was able to see Dr. E about it. I'm glad to be taken seriously when it has to do with my heart...even if it turns out to be nothing.
I also want to mention that so far, our skittle is growing well and is healthy! My u/s report showed that everything is measuring spot on for our little one and has no markers for chromosomal abnormalities.

I'm not sure if anyone is still reading this blog and that's OK if that's true (and if you are, THANK YOU!!!). It always makes me feel better to write out what's happening and I'll have a bit of a journal from my pg. :)

It's a boy! or so I thought

Last week-April 15-I got to drink a butt load of water (I'm talking 16 oz of water every 15 minutes for an hour), feel as though walking may burst my bladder, and have a probe pushing on my stomach/bladder for 45 minutes threatening a stream of urine all over myself and the exam table. Good times! Obviously, it was all worth it to see our little skittle again at our anatomy u/s but wow, that hurt. As the tech was finishing taking femur, head, stomach, and fluid measurements (which looked fine to me-but we won't know anything until my next OB appt on the 23rd), she scanned down to the pelvis. I asked her, "How's he doing?" She looked completely STUNNED and said back to me, "What would make you think that this is a boy?" Uhhh, because that's what I was told at my last u/s!? I said that I had had a private u/s in Tucson because I knew you guys wouldn't tell me the sex...I was right in that she wouldn't/couldn't tell us and could not even print out pictures of a gender shot or put the gender in the report to my OB. The tech kept saying over and over, "Who did your u/s? Was the machine good? Why would he tell you a boy? It is VERY obvious what this child is!" Of course that got our minds spinning. She said to google the image and we will know for sure. The picture was the classic "hamburger" shot with three distinct girly lines with no hint of a penis or scrotum. As we walked away (after I literally cried during the first time I was allowed to go to the bathroom) we were completely convinced that we were having a girl. Talk about a complete change in thought!

First u/s scan done by a private place in Tucson:

Once I got home I posted that pic of our first u/s on fertilityfriend.com to my friends and explained the story. I got a lot of responses that it very well could still be a boy (and that they can't be sure because I wasn't able to get a print out from the second u/s)! WHAT!?!? I honestly don't care the gender of our baby but I just want to know either way! I will be getting another u/s May 6 and I hope we'll get a clearer picture of what this child is! I'm also quite anxious to get the measurement report back and see how our skittle is doing/growing...only a couple more days for that.

On a complete separate note, a friend of mine drove down from Kingman this past weekend to bring me some baby boy (As her son is 2 years old and is due next month with a girl. She swears they are done having kids...) and maternity clothes. I've never seen so many baby clothes in one place before! Dh keeps saying that a Babies R Us exploded in our house. We are so blessed! If we do have a boy, this child will not need any clothing for at least a year.

Here is a pic to prove it (Indy had to be there too): The bins behind me are completely full too...

It's a....

...BOY!!! We are so incredibly thrilled! At the elective u/s, baby was head down but face up. We didn't get a very clear shot of his goods but the tech was extremely sure HE was a HE.

I'm also at my half way victory lap!!! 20 weeks! I go for the level II u/s next week to make sure baby is growing properly and his organs are looking good. I'm excited to see him again!

Today is the day!

Today is the day that we get to *try* and find out if this baby is a boy or a girl!

I think I should start at the beginning and tell you what happened...

I went in for my 18 weeks doc appt, this time with Dr. S and not Dr. K and it lasted oh, five minutes. Everything was on track for 18 weeks and I was sent home with two labs slips. One was for my triple screen blood test and the other was for a u/s! I have to get both of those done on base so I went that day to go schedule them. I did my blood work right away and headed over to the radiology dept. I had this wonderful idea that I would be able to get an appt for the next week, which happened to be my 4th wedding anniversary...ahhh, wouldn't that be perfect?? What a present! Well, when I was talking to the receptionist she informed me that the tech who does u/s is on leave for the next two weeks and the earliest I could get in would be April 15. Now, I know that a level II u/s is for measurements and fluid levels and all that good stuff but I thought they would be able to tell me the sex too! I started to tear up as I just had my heart set on April 2. (Yes, I'm hormonal.) I would have to wait three more weeks! I was so incredible disappointed that when I got home I started looking over the paperwork and it says, and I quote, "The tech will not tell you the sex of your baby, so DON'T ask." Sure, maybe the tech would slip it out somehow but I could not be satisfied with that. Oh no! I called up the only private baby u/s place in Tucson and requested an appt, which is for TODAY!!! I do have to have proof that I've had a u/s already (hopefully the one at 11 weeks will count!) and drink a billion gallons of water but I can't wait!!!

I'll be posting an announcement on FB but I'll also update this when I can for those of you who aren't on FB.

I'm off to drink MORE water...

ETA:
I will NEVER and I mean NEVER drink 16 oz of water in less than two minutes EVER again...It was an experience I never will forget!