Tuesday, April 22, 2008

So Far (Through 17 Weeks)

Many of you have asked how Teresa's been feeling.  We're at 17, almost 18, weeks now.  She's been feeling great so far!  The first two weeks brought a little bit of nausea and trouble with smells (anything!) bothering her. Luckily, though, she never had actual morning sickness.  After that subsided, which happened over night one day, there has been some noticeable fatigue but that's about the extent of it.

Our first few doctor's appointments have been great so far.  We are happy to be seeing Dr. Holland at Physicians for Women of Greensboro.  He's a mild-mannered, soft spoken doctor who doesn't rush up through appointments, but doesn't fill us with unnecessary information or discussions either.  He's great to thoroughly answer any questions we've had and explain what's happening at each stage.

At our 11 week appointment we anticipated being able to hear the heartbeat for the first time. They traditionally use a Doppler device on the outside of the belly.  However, after some uncomfortable pushing and poking, Dr. Holland could not find the heartbeat.  Teresa felt a little uneasy about that at first, but we were quickly reassured when Dr. Holland suggested we do an ultrasound to make sure everything looked OK.  After waiting over an hour (no wonder they schedule ultrasounds separately!), we went in for the ultrasound and were able to hear that marvelous sound for ourselves.  For those of you who have never heard a baby's heartbeat like this, it sounds sort of like rushing water with a constant wave pulsing through it.  The heart beat registered at 169 beats/minute.  If you're one of those people who trust in old wives tales, you might think this high heartbeat indicates that the sex is a girl.  But, only God knows! We also walked away with the first photo of our little one.  It was a perfect profile view.  We intend to post the photo up soon, so be sure to check back for that and subsequent u/s photos.

All other appointments have shown mother and baby to be in great health. Teresa is pleased to have not yet gained any weight.  Since she started out on the, well, lovable squishy side, the hope of both doctor and mommy is to keep weight gain to a minimum.  To help this goal, Teresa has enrolled in a water aerobics class at our local YMCA twice a week.  Our only slight concern is that Teresa's blood pressure has been elevated somewhat over the past few appointments.  At the latest appointment, we asked Dr. Holland about this and he is not yet concerned.  Supposedly, this can happen to moms during the first half of the pregnancy then level off until the end.  We'll keep an eye on it and pray that hers does just that.

Our next appointment is Monday, May 5 during which we will have our next ultrasound and hopefully discover if we're having a bouncing baby boy or giggly baby girl.  If you want to know the truth, both momma and daddy to be have a strong feeling that the little critter is a girl - and have felt that way from the very beginning.  However, you know how those things go.  We'll be thankful and ecstatic to simply have a healthy baby.  We hope to announce the big news soon, so check back often!  More to come...

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

What a great way for everyone to keep up to date with things! Can't wait to see the pictures! All 3 of you are in my prayers!

Love to all ~

Mama

GPOOPAH said...

Me too sweetie, keep us posted.

G'pa

AuntyCyndi said...

This is awesome! I think this will be great for everyone to keep up. Very cool idea. I am so excited to find out what it is (but we know it's a girl!) - I can't hardly wait!!! hehehe

Love you both (and the little beaner).

~Aunty Cyndi

Mrs. Edugator said...

Great idea guys! I love it! You are all in my prayers.

Kristen

Lynn's Rich said...

Wow, what a great idea. Thanks for the up-date, we will be checking back for future postings. By the way, I will make sure to pass on the "little critter" title to your lovely child as soon as they can appriciate it. :)

Uncle Richard and Aunt Lynn

Lisa said...

YEAH!!! Now I don't have to bug momma to be with emails about how she is feeling all the time!!You are in my prayers! Miss you and love you!

Lisa

Heather said...

This is great! If you want to see more of what your can look forward to check out our blog at www.theheatherdaniellemaggsblog.blogspot.com. It is amazing and totally as exhausting as everyone tells you! If you have any questions that I can help with, let me know!

And tell Teresa not to worry too much about weight. I was shocked at how much came off so fast. I'm pretty much back to my normal point, just a bit flabbier. Only 10 days after birth!

Love you guys. I'll be checking often!

Unknown said...

Wow. Congrats to you both. This is sooo wonderful and I am so happy for you. My friends Liz and Rick just had a baby last month as well as my Cousin- it is the season for little ones!!! I am looking forward to the blog. God bless you both- even more than he already has.