Good vibrations!

I've entered week #15 and am feeling great, but enough about me.

I'm calling all of my blog friends to conjure up "sticky pregnancy vibes"... remember those?

I've got a dear friend getting ready for a day #5 transfer and am hoping that you'll send them her way. So get those spirit fingers going and let the sticky vibes spread, it's time for another baby!

Oh the places you'll go!

Our little bean is becoming quite the traveled fetus. Although our pregnancy was most certainly planned, we were afraid to bank on the first round of IVF working and continued to plan our life as we normally would, filled with weekend and vacation adventures. As a result of this, we’ve got a few trips on the calendar this spring/ summer that we’re looking forward to.

This mommy-to-be is excited for the travel, but also nervous about finding the appropriate, expandable clothing for these trips and how the result of changing time zones will affect my sleeping patterns/ mood. Thankfully, this mommy-to-be is looking forward to exploring the many culinary adventures and not worrying about gaining weight while doing so! A girl has got to look at the bright side.

Our little adventure list:

-          March: Cancun, Mexico- Done! While 7 weeks pregnant, I was still learning to adjust to life without “all you can drink” at an all inclusive resort, life with sun-sensitive skin (hence the nice burn) and how to prevent food borne illness while in a foreign country.

-          May: Las Vegas, Nevada- We will be traveling with several of my “BFL’s”= best friends in life that I went to kindergarten with. We’re celebrating our 30^th birthdays. The question remains, where does a 20 weeks pregnant woman find club clothing? I keep replaying that scene in my head from Knocked UP:

-          July: San Diiiiaaaaggooo, California- Yes, I may say this the entire plane ride! I’m also hoping that they play Ron Burgundy on the plane ride out. This will be quite the tricky trip at 24/ 25 weeks pregnant because A) making a 4-hour flight through several time zones and B) it’s  a twofold work/pleasure trip that will last 9 days and that’s a long time for a temperamental woman to be away from her bed/ pillow. The first five days will be spent with the hubs traveling around California (we’re taking suggestions of what to see and where to go) and the second four days will be spent with a co-worker at a World Fitness Conference. Typically, I’d be spending 4 days working out 11 hours/ day- seriously 7am-6pm, but the brakes will be put on that just a bit this year. I’m going to begin apologizing to my colleague now for the incessant bathroom trips I’ll need to make during the middle of the night.

Anyhow, “the bean” (who will grow to be 6 inches this month, so I’m no longer referring to it as “little”) is becoming quite the little traveler. We know that life is going to drastically change this fall and that plane ride vacations are going to be much larger productions. In the meantime, I’m going to rejoice in our pack-and-go lifestyle and look forward to the day that the hubs is lugging a car seat and stroller behind me.

The first trimester (part #2)

The journey through the 2^nd half of the 1^st trimester has been much more pleasant. Morning (who am I kidding, all day sickness) virtually ceased after week #8 and I began to regain some of my energy at week #11. Prior to this, the hubs would joke that if I sat down on the couch for more than 5 minutes I was asleep. With the disappearance of sickness came an emergence of hunger and I’ve certainly had my fun indulging (when appropriate) and eating my way through pregnancy. I feel like the end of the 1^st trimester has finally brought about a leveling out of my appetite and a return to “normalcy.”

Week #7

We headed to an all-inclusive resort in Cancun, Mexico (our little one’s first trip abroad) for a little sun, fun and relaxation. I experienced the joys of “all you can eat” while my hubs and our friends enjoyed the “all you can drink” experience. I left for this trip having gained 1lb. and returned from the trip (reference week #8 photo) up 3lbs.- No, I do not attribute this to the baby!

Week #8

Week #9

The joys of a maxi dress! At this point in time my pants have become uncomfortable and I had to start getting creative. Warm weather makes this much easier, so sun, keep shining!

Week #10

This week was a shift for me whereby my appetite started to steady and I stopped only craving hamburgers, pizza and other assortments of junk food! Additionally, I began mini-workouts this week, consisting of cycling and incline walking.

Week #11

I presented at my first fitness conference as an American Council on Exercise and Aerobics and Fitness Association continuing education provider, a long time goal for this mommy! Thankfully the bean allowed me to teach for 3 hours that week with little trouble.

Week #12

Although a bit larger and a bit more in charge, 10lbs. to be exact, I had a great sense of relief at the end of the 1^st trimester. Additionally, I started to get energy back and feel more like myself this week. Note: I have no clue how this 10lbs. crept on me it wasn't there one day and the next day, hello scale!

Weird food cravings:

-          Ice cream, strawberry specifically.

-          Hot and spicy things, we’ve been enjoying a lot of chili and tacos in this house.

Food aversions:

-          Salmon

-          Sweet potatoes

Ironically I ate both of these the 1^st week I found out I was pregnant, perhaps a coincidence?

Things I miss the most:

-          My waistline

-          Half of my closet

-          The ability to sleep through the night without having to go to the restroom 1-2x.

I have a secrete!!

Shhhhhh! 

While at our first trimester screening today, which went fabulous, the baby bean was quite active AND…. revealed its gender. Well, Daddy actually guessed its gender with some coaching from the sono-technician. Unfortunately, 12.5 weeks is very soon to be calling a baby he/she, so we’re going to wait until our next perinatologist ultrasound (in 4 weeks) to confirm. I’ll be having another growth scan on Monday with my OB (routine) and am going to see if she thinks the sono-tech, and the hubs were on target.

For now, I’ll leave you with this sweet face:

The art of ..... in a cup!

As promised, this blog remains an “unrated” and comical full disclosure of pregnancy with diabetes. That’s your warning, read on if you dare…..

This weekend I had the pleasure of practicing the art of peeing in a cup. You heard me correctly! Beginning early Sunday morning until early this morning I collected and stored (in the refrigerator) every ounce of urine coming out of me. For those of you who have been pregnant before, you know that this is quite the collection! Additionally, I had to keep the urine collection cool while traveling to my in laws for Easter. Oh what fun to tote around a cooler of your goodies!

This morning I dropped off the specimen at my OB’s office and had corresponding blood work. Instead of toting the large, orange urine container in the office, I stored it in a Wegmen’s recyclable shopping bag. The receptionist asked where my specimen was and thanked me for disguising it; she said that it often makes others in the waiting room uncomfortable to tote it around in your arms…. I thought, no $hit!

The above test/ collection is to measure the amount of protein being spilled into my urine. All diabetics have a small amount spilled into their urine and this is also how they test for pre-eclampsia in the later stages of pregnancy. My medical team wanted a baseline to work from so that they did not unnecessarily freak out if in month #8 when they saw protein in the urine. I for one got some practice in aiming this weekend which is helpful for the urine collection that occurs each time I’m at the OB and endured embarrassment (in my home, on the road, at my in laws, in my OBs office) all in the name of the bean. The things you’ll do for love! Hehe….

Pregnancy and Sickness

Yesterday marked the start of my 12^th week of pregnancy and finally the push toward the end of the first trimester. I know that this is really only just the beginning, but there is a certain amount of relief that comes with being beyond the “danger zone.” Unfortunately, along with this marker has come a sinus infection. I originally thought it was the onset of allergies, which I’ve never had before, but hey, your body changes during pregnancy. I knew last evening that it was more than allergies and that it was time to go to the Doctor. After consulting my OB this morning and visiting my PCP, I left with azythromycin “Z-pack” and a confident thumb up from both providers to begin the antibiotic regimen. After a confirmed sinus infection, they assured me that it was worse for my body (a diabetic body) to fight the infection, causing my blood sugars to wonk out rather than taking the antibiotics. I left feeling good about my decision to medicate, until I got home. It’s now 8 hours later and I have yet to take an antibiotic. I’m going to try a few other suggested remedies first (from my mommy friends) such as saline spray and resort to the antibiotics as a last resort. Thus far my blood sugars have remained steady and although feeling like crap, my focus has remained on the health of this bean cooking inside of me. Speaking of, now that the bean is the size of a plum, I may need to come up with a new, more appropriate name…. perhaps a bushel of beans?!