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| 13 Weeks! I had just eaten when we took this picture, so some of that bump could still be food related. G definitely thinks I'm starting to show a little bit, though! |
Fatigue: Mild to Moderate
The progesterone pills are still messing with my sleeping schedule, but I haven't been as tired during the day once I start moving around. There were a couple of restless nights this week, but nothing too severe.
Food Aversions: None
Instead of food tasting badly to me, it seems like every food (regardless of type) tastes so amazing to me. Has food always tasted this good? I don't know about that, but I do know that eating has been a real pleasure!
Cravings: Mild?
Again with the question mark, I know. Food tastes delicious right now, so I still can't be sure if I'm just really enjoying every meal, or if I'm craving something. I did have a spontaneous desire to eat some of that powdery parmesan cheese on top of spaghetti recently (which I ended up having at a friend's house). There still hasn't been anything that I would call a legitimate craving, though.
Nausea: None
I ate dinner with G at On The Border last week and a few hours later my stomach felt a little unsettled. However, there wasn't much - if any - nausea.
A Few Thoughts
On Wednesday, G and I met with the perinatologist to discuss the cerclage procedure. Both of us were a little nervous about the appointment, because we weren't sure what he would say or if we would like him. Fortunately, he was very friendly and informative! We also asked lots of questions (I had a list), and were very happy with the answers we received. Everything that was decided - at least in my mind - was the best-case scenario for my situation. I'll only have to have the standard cerclage procedure as opposed to a transabdominal one, and he will be using two purse-string stitches ("McDonald" cerclage) rather than sewing into the cervix. He felt there was no need for me to be on pelvic rest right now, or after the cerclage is installed. There will be a period of two weeks following the procedure where I will have to take it easy, but that's just to ensure that there are no problems with the cervix. He said that I could resume my normal routine after that for the remainder of the pregnancy. This is news that we weren't expecting since I thought I would have to take strict precautions, but nothing about the way my pregnancy has progressed so far (even the issue with the subchorionic hemorrhage) seemed to concern him. I was told that light yoga and swimming were okay, but that I should still avoid strenuous exercise. Add that to the walking that I was limited to before and I should have plenty to keep me (and Baby) healthy. I assumed that because this specialist saw absolutely no need for me to be on pelvic rest, my OB would agree and allow me to resume my normal activities. Unfortunately, when I messaged her online and told her what the perinatologist recommended, then asked if I would still be required to remain on pelvic rest, she said yes. That certainly isn't the answer I was wanting, but I understand she's just being cautious and that it's better to play it safe in situations like this.
One piece of interesting information we got from the perinatologist is that he isn't confident that I have issues with incompetent cervix. He says that women typically exhibit specific signs of either preterm labor - which he said I certainly experienced - or symptoms that would imply cervical incompetence. My situation is not quite as common, because there is no way to know whether my cervix had issues that led to my preterm labor, or whether I went into preterm labor that caused my cervix to dilate. For that reason, he said my cerclage would be precautionary since the actual cause of what happened with Addie is unclear. My OB told me ahead of time that I would probably need to take weekly injections of progesterone, and that's exactly what is going to happen starting at 16-17 weeks. He is going to treat a possible incompetent cervix with the cerclage, and a possible tendency to preterm labor with the progesterone shots. Interestingly enough, we were told that Hubby could give me some of the injections. G assured me he gave a lot of shots to livestock when he was growing up, and that it shouldn't be too different! The next appointment with my regular OB is on February 3rd, just a couple of days before the cerclage procedure that will take place on the 5th. So, the cerclage will help with a possible incompetent cervix (or cervical issue), and the progesterone shots should help protect against preterm labor.
The best part of the appointment with the perinatologist was getting another look at Baby! After we signed in, a nurse took us back to a room with an ultrasound machine. She spent time checking on the baby's organs and taking measurements, and she also checked on my cervix (which she said looked perfectly normal). This was the neatest ultrasound room I've been in so far because it had a separate screen where I could see everything she was looking at on her monitor. It was really special to see a little bean-shaped baby wiggling around. The technician also said that the baby whacked its own face with both fists several times, which makes me suspect that this baby may take after me! She told us that with all of the ultrasounds I'll be having over the coming weeks, I will probably find out a little earlier what the sex of the baby is. With each appointment, I find myself growing more and more excited about this new little one. It's hard to imagine that in just a few short months, we'll be holding this baby in our arms! My latest due date is August 1st, and since there are a lot of August birthdays in my family, I'm curious to see if we'll be adding another one to the list or if he/she will end up coming a little earlier.
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| I saw this baby's profile for the first time, and was struck by how similar this ultrasound photo is to Addie's! It's definitely not the same baby, but you can certainly see the resemblance. |
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| Our little bean-shaped baby! |
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| This photo shows Baby's tiny little hand and arm. So cute! |
This week was overall a good week.
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