Ahhhh! So.. I’m pregnant again!! BEST NEWS EVER. October 11, 2017 is the day I got my first positive, though VERY faint line!

Last time I found out I was pregnant I was having some symptoms that I had never felt before (dizziness, pelvic pain, and my face got really dry all of a sudden) but this time, I wasn’t really feeling anything out of the ordinary. I took the test because we were wanting to go out Oktoberfesting that weekend and I wanted to know whether I could drink beer, or if I should stick to water! Well, to my surprise, the second line showed up and I jumped for joy!

As I write this, I am in my 11th week and I am feeling much more confident than I was in the beginning. I was a bit of a nervous wreck for the first 4 weeks of knowing!

This time around, I told my husband as soon as I saw those two beautiful lines on the test!!! Last time, I was all creative and made him a shirt that said ‘Brewmaster’ and a little onesie to go along with it that said ‘Home Brewed’ (which we still have, and will still use because they are super cute!) and wrapped them up along with the pregnancy test to tell him.

Over the next few days, I continued to take pregnant tests and each time the lines got darker and darker, which eased my anxiety a little bit, but I was still SUPER nervous that something was going to go wrong again.

 

That Saturday (October 14th), I had a bit of a meltdown. I cried for a long time and was convinced that I was having a chemical pregnancy and that I wasn’t actually pregnant. I don’t know what caused it, or if anything set me off, but I was just in a very sad place.

I called my doctor on the Monday but wasn’t able to get an appointment until the 27th because they had a busy couple of weeks. In my head, I figured that it was a sign. Either my pregnancy would end before I got to go in, or I would still be pregnant and he would be able to send me for all the testing.

Over the almost two weeks that passed, I started to feel nauseous in the evenings and my boobs were super sore all the time. I took these as great signs, and welcomed any other symptoms that my body wanted to put on me!

When I went to see my doctor he was very optimistic. He sent me for the Beta HCG blood test this time, rather than just the urine test to confirm pregnancy and also for a dating ultrasound that he asked me to book 2-3 weeks from then. My hcg levels came back at 11,975 (at that point I calculated that I was 5 weeks 4 days pregnant). My levels were average for that point in pregnancy, which was great, but looking back, I wish I would have asked him to send me for another test 24-48 hours later, so I could have seen my numbers doubling.

The ultrasound clinic was in the same plaza as the blood clinic, so I went in to make my appointment. When I mentioned to them that I had had a previous miscarriage they recommended that I come in for an ultrasound two weeks later! (YAY) I booked it for November 10th and those two weeks couldn’t have felt any longer!!!

I was a nervous wreck the day of the ultrasound. I couldn’t eat, my heart was racing, I was shaking and I just couldn’t wait to see our beautiful little baby on that monitor. (Tip for any new mamas out there who are nervous about their pregnancy: book your ultrasound in the morning so you don’t have to wait all day for your big moment!)

Luckily, it wasn’t busy when I went, so even though I showed up 20 minutes early, they took me in right away!

AND THEN THE BEST THING I’VE EVER SEEN SHOWED UP ON THE SCREEN!!! Our little baby, measuring 1 day ahead of my calculations at 7 weeks and 5 days!

Once they had taken all the measurements, they brought my husband in and let him snap a quick picture (above ^)! We even got to see the little heart flickering on the screen! I will never forget this moment, as it was honestly one of the best moments of my life!

The rest of that day was pretty much a blur for me. I sat there staring at the ultrasound pictures for hours, so happy that our little bean was doing well!

 

I’ll share a little bit about how I’ve been feeling during the first 3 months of my pregnancy below for those who are interested. I’m going to try and do weekly, or at least monthly updates moving forward so let me know if there is anything you would like me to add!

Baby Size

As of week 12, our little bean is the size of a plum! It’s so crazy that from week 4 to week 12 baby has grown from the size of a poppy seed to the size of a plum! That seems like such a huge amount of growth in just 8 short weeks!

How I’ve been feeling/Symptoms

I feel as though I am one of the lucky ones because I haven’t been super sick! I mean, I’ve for sure been nauseous, but it sort of comes and goes and doesn’t last long most of the time. I haven’t thrown up at all, though I’ve come close 2 or 3 times. The last couple of weeks, I’ve been having trouble finishing my dinner, as I get nauseous about halfway through, but the other meals seem to be okay so far.

Starting in about week 6, the fatigue hit me like a truck. If I wasn’t in bed (and asleep) by 9 pm, I would really struggle to get up in the morning. At my job for the last 4 + years, I have been working 9 hours days during the week and 5 hour days on Saturdays but luckily, I have been able to hire somebody to help me out during the week! I will get all the work that I can done in the mornings, and usually take off a little bit early to get home and make dinner so I can get to bed at a decent time. Even though I am only working in the mornings most of the time, I still find myself needing to take breaks often because I feel exhausted. I’m hoping this symptom will pass soon and I will get that second trimester energy boost that everyone talks about!

I’ve also been super crampy around my pelvic area. I talked to my doctor about it and he said it is just because my uterus is growing and is totally normal!

Cravings and Food Aversions

I haven’t really had any of those weird food cravings that people talk about but I’ve really been enjoying anything that tastes ‘fresh’ (fruit, fruit juices, green smoothies etc.).

As for aversions, I wouldn’t say that anything specific has turned me off but a lot of the time, nothing sounds good. Even if something does sound really good, by the time, I make it (or buy it) and sit down to eat it, I can usually only get through about half before I start feeling sick to my stomach.

What I’m loving right now

ONE WORD. SNOOGLE. This pregnancy pillow has been a lifesaver for me! In the early weeks, I wasn’t sleeping well as I could never find a comfortable position. Once I started sleeping with the snoogle, my sleep improved a ton. I still have rough nights where I toss and turn and can’t get comfortable but they are happening much less. Also, my back used to be sore all the time when I would wake up and lately, it hasn’t been as sore! That could also be the new mattress we bought finally kicking in, too.

What I’m missing

Wine. I miss wine. Lol. But obviously it’s totally worth it! It’s just hard when I smell it all day, every day (I make wine for the living, in case you didn’t know). I also miss sushi. We made our own at home a few weeks ago, but it just wasn’t the same!

Weight

My doctor weighed me at my first appointment and I was 123 lbs. At my next appointment I was 121 lbs. and just this past week, I was at 120 lbs. Not sure why I am losing weight, since my belly is definitely growing, but my doctor doesn’t seem concerned.

Mood

I feel like I have been pretty good as far as mood swings go. I have gotten a little grumpy at times, but other than my little meltdown in week 4, I can’t think of anything out of the ordinary.

And obviously I am getting more and more excited as the weeks go on!

Here’s a picture of our little bean at my 12 week ultrasound.

 

A very talented friend of ours took some photos for us that we used to announce to the world that I am pregnant! Here are a few of my favourites.

(https://www.facebook.com/sarahaphotographs/ see Sarah’s page to see some of the other amazing photos she has taken!)

 

I hope you guys enjoyed this update!

xox. -K