Well, the last few weeks have been somewhat surreal. After battling several issues with Crohn's over the last few years, Deven and I finally got the "green" light to start thinking about a family in February (2012). Just when I was beginning to think we might have to look at alternative options, I saw the two lines (meaning...oh my gosh - I'm pregnant?!?!).
Work was a blur as a tried to squeeze in inconspicuous calls to the doctor so that I could actually confirm that this was real! February 8th, I met with my nutritionist and GI doctor, who all said that things seemed to be looking good. Then, on February 12th, we had our 1st OB(!) appointment. Looking at all of the babies and expectant moms in the waiting room, I was still having a hard time letting it all sink in.
After the routine paperwork, questions, and exam, I asked if we could tell that I was infact with child. The doctor looked at me and smiled, and said, yes, you're pregnant, but we could do an ultrasound that afternoon to see (ooooh, yes!! :) ).
The ultrasound was an experience in itself, but the skilled technician pulled up our little bean, measuring ~ 6.5 weeks, confirming that if all went well, the baby would be here in the first week of October. Still too small to hear, we were able to see the "heart" fluttering at 133 bps. Wow - this really is happening, is all I could think to myself.
This picture is of the embryo (ovalish shape near the top of the darker area) and the yolk sac (circle shape near the middle), which is where it will get nutrition until the placenta forms.
That afternoon, Deven and I tossed around ideas of how to tell our immediate family. I had been dying to tell the people closest to me, but being high risk with the Crohn's and PSC, we thought it'd be best to get at least one more ultrasound in before sharing the news. We thought it did at least make sense to share it with our parents and brothers, so we settled on it being our "gift" to everyone for Valentine's Day. We were met with so much emotion and excitement, it finally started to feel real. That and my overly-heightened sense of smell!!!
Fortunately, I haven't really been sick (knock on wood), but I certainly have had intense waves of nausea that seemed to be calmed by fruit (mangos, cherries...) and salt (crackers, chips, etc...). I'm trying to be diligent with my pre-natal vitamins, sleep, and eating habits, which is much harder when Deven is traveling, but it's working out ok. We'll see what the next few weeks bring, but here's what's going on with our Kidney Bean this month...
"The baby is now ~5/8 of an inch long. Webbed fingers and toes are poking out from his hands and feet; his eyelids practically cover his eyes; breathing tubes extend from his throat to the branches of his developing lungs, and his "tail" is just about gone. His arms have lengthened, too, and his hands are now flexed at the wrist and meet over his heart. His knee joints have formed, and his feet may be long enough to meet in front of his body. In his brain, nerve cells are branching out to connect with one another, forming primitive neural pathways."
While the blog will probably refer to a him or her, we'll have to wait another 10 weeks until we can see if P&D's little bean is a he or a she!
