I've been meaning to post for a while now, but I've been lazy!

So now I'm 17w3d. This is according to my "actual" dates - when I know I ovulated. My obstetrician has it in his notes that I'm six days behind this, but that was according to my first 12w ultrasound. You may remember that I had to go back a week later to have another as Little M was measuring 6 days behind. When I went back, bubs had caught up and was measuring just 2 or 3 days behind. So I'm sticking to my original due date.

A week ago I woke up during Friday night with some quite strong cramping. The next day I felt like my uterus had been stomped on, bruised and sore. The cramps continued for a few more days, and on Monday night I had some "brings tears to your eyes" type cramping. Ouch!! I was using the Doppler every day and Little M's heart was good and strong, so I wasn't totally panicking. But I was worried enough to ring up the obstetricians office on Tuesday to ask if it was normal. They ended up giving me an appointment the next day so my obstetrician could check me out.

The scan at my appointment was a little nerve-wracking at first. He didn't say anything for the first minute or so, just looking at the screen and moving the probe over my tummy. I was looking desperately for the heartbeat, but I couldn't see it and baby wasn't moving. But then, we both saw the heart beating at the same time, what a relief! He said everything looked fine. I really struggle with his ultrasound machine, it seems like such a crappy picture compared to the ones at the ultrasound place. I can't make out what things are, it's very grainy. He couldn't really explain the pains, just that they were probably just round ligament pain and stretching pains.

So I cancelled my appointment for Friday 18th Feb and my next appointment is now 8 March. One month between appointments seems so far away! But I've got lots coming up to keep me busy between now and then.

This weekend is a long weekend (yay) so only a 4 day working week next week. DH is unfortunately working all weekend, including Monday, so I'm by myself for most of it. I pick up my stepson tomorrow arvo though, but then DH's mum is taking him to the regatta on Monday. I have plenty to keep me busy this weekend - both chores and a few fun things planned.

After my 4 day working week this coming week I then have 2 weeks holidays. Yay! DH has a whole 4 weeks off (a little jealous!). In the first week DH and I are taking a trip in our new camper trailer and will be away for 6 nights. I can't wait, planning on lots of reading, relaxing, gentle walks, a bit of sight-seeing.

Then back home as we get DH's son back (we have him week on, week off). He'll be back at school by then (grade 3!) but we are taking him out for two days and are spending three days in Melbourne. This trip is mainly for him, to give him something special before baby comes along. So we'll do all the fun kid things, like the zoo and the aquarium. Should be fun.

The day we head to Melbourne, we have a busy day as we have the 20 week morphology scan as well as booking in to the hospital. We are hoping that Little M cooperates and we get to see if we're having a boy or girl. DH is hoping for a daughter, I don't really have a preference. DH's mum is absolutely DYING for a little girl to spoil. Hope for both their sakes we have a girl in there, but it will probably be a boy!

In other news, I bought myself my first maternity clothes! Not that I have much of a baby bump yet (just my normal pudgy belly). However, my bump does seem to grow over the course of the day and is definitely bigger at the end of the day than the beginning. I wore my cargo maternity pants to a party last night and spent the whole time pulling them up. When I walk or even bend over they fall down! They are the right size, maybe when I get a bigger belly I won't have the problem.

Back to the washing and bed-changing now...

I'm writing this on my way to Coffs Harbour where I'm going for work meetings being held over the next couple of days. I'm sitting in the qantas club at the moment watching everyone boozing along, probably drinking more than they normally would just because it's free.

It's Australia Day, so Happy Australia Day. If I were home, I'd probably be at a friends house for a BBQ or down at the beach.

My next obs appointment is 18 Feb. It's my last day of work before two weeks holidays. I can't wait! DH will also be on holidays (he gets a month though). In the first week we are going to do a little trip with our camper trailer. In the second week we have my stepson. I have booked in for my 20 week scan which will be on 2 Feb. Hopefully we'll get to find out if we're growing a girl or a boy. That day we are also doing a tour and booking in to the hospital we have chosen. After that we'll pick up J from school and then we're off to Melbourne for three days as a bit of a treat for him (and us). It's going to be a great couple of weeks.

All good!

My appointment went well, not much of huge interest to report. We did a quick scan and saw the heartbeat and Little M waved at us. He was pleased with how everything is going and my next appointment is in a months time.

14 weeks

Well now I can say I am definitely in the second trimester. I've been a bit confused about when the second trimester actually starts. Some books/websites say 12 weeks, some say 13 weeks and others say 14 weeks. But I'm definitely out of the first trimester now, even according to the later dates.

I'm doing pretty well. Nausea seems to have almost completely stopped. My energy levels are on the up again, I can actually stay awake after 8pm now and I'm no longer yawning continously all day. I think I now have a little baby belly, but it is very hard to tell under my blubbery normal tummy. But it has become a bit "pointier" and definitely harder.

We listen to the heartbeat on the Doppler most days. Now we can actually hear Little M moving about by the heartbeat suddenly moving away, then it's back again a short time later. It's very reassuring to hear, especially now the heartbeat is easier to find and much louder.

We're starting to think about buying some baby gear, pram, cot etc. We don't want to have to find the money for everything all at once, so we'll buy it gradually. You can probably tell that I am feeling a lot more relaxed about things now, and beginning to really imagine how life is going to be in 6 months time.

Next obs appointment is on Friday arvo. This time DH can't come as he has long-standing plans to go to a one day cricket game, Australia vs someone(?). I think he is more disappointed that he can't come to the appointment than I am!

Life is good!! (apart from having to go to work which I am not enjoying at all at the moment, my mind is taken up with other thoughts hese days!). Shall post again on Friday night to update on my appointment.

Today's scan

Everything is looking good! Little M wasn't very cooperative though. We tried an external and internal scan, but little M was in the wrong position to get the NT measurement. So we waited in the waiting room to see if bub would change positions. Tried again and bub had turned over but now it had it's face buried in the placenta. So to the waiting room again, then a final try. Success! Baby was now the right way up and we got the NT measurement. It was somewhere between 1.6 and 1.7, which apparently is fine. Just have to wait for my blood test results now, which should have been back already. Bub had caught up a bit in size and is now measuring 12w5d. I'm very happy and my positivity is back!

Lacking positivity

At the moment I am really struggling to have positive thoughts about this pregnancy. It is really frustrating me, but no matter how hard I try, I just can't get past my feeling that this pregnancy is doomed. I am just waiting and expecting something to go wrong. The latest stress factor is being 6 days behind in bubs measurements and it's really got me down. Just last week my obstetrician told me how important he thought positivity is. I believe that too, but I just can't make myself feel positive.

:-(

NT scan update

Well it didn't end up being an NT scan at all because Little M was measuring too small to do the NT measurement properly. I'm not sure if I should be worried or not (but of course I am worried) but Little M was measuring 6 days behind at 11w1d (I'm exactly 12 weeks today). She tried to get a position where Little M stretched out a bit, but that was the longest she could get (4.51cm). Everything else looked goo. Little M was moving around and the heartrate was 158bpm. We could see the brain developing in the head (which measured at 12w2d so big headed short baby?) and it apparently looked as it should. We could see the blood pumping through the four chambers of the heart (which was on the correct side and orientated in the correct direction). We could see arms and legs. So I am trying very hard not to worry about the measurement being 6 days out, considering everything else looked great. I guess the positive is that we get to have another scan in a weeks time.


Here's a 3D picture. A bit hard to work out what is what, but the head is at the top and a little arm is covering his/her face. Down the bottom you can see a bent leg, with the foot at the very left of the picture. Not sure what all the other lumpy, bumpy bits are.


And another pic looking from above baby. I must say the head looks a bit like an alien.