Day 166 - 23 Weeks/Day 6

114 more days!
Baby size : 11.5in large mango
Weight : 1.1 lb
(per BabyBump app)

Doc apt today went good.  Sono went well...they are of course still saying he is bigger....sono tech fella says he thinks he weighs about 1 lb 12 oz and measures larger than 12in.  Nurse practitioner also measured length of my belly and she says it's measuring bigger too, so there's that.  I swear I'm not going to make it to my due date.  Honestly I have a gut feeling I will be surprised if I actually make it to August, but we'll see when little bebe wants to make his earthly appearance.

Everything else is going ok.  My blood pressure is still normal to low which is good and it was normal in the doc office today (whew!).  Indigestion is KILLING ME!

I'm starting to feel a little more tired than I have been lately and having a more difficult time getting out of bed.

Only doing yoga once a week now...it's just too much for me.  So I have to ramp up my walking.  I've just felt so bleh about exercising the last week or so, but I know I need to do it.

Hammering down the names.  I've got it narrowed down to a couple....just trying to sit with them a little longer before I make my final decision.

Nothing else too new to report.  Probably going to have the baby shower around mid June, so that's exciting.

I have completed my baby registry and gotten a diaper changing table and infant car seat as well as some other odds and ends.  It's starting to get real.  Little poot is flipping and fluttering non-stop.  He does seem to sleep when I sleep though, so that's good, but as soon as I'm awake, he starts flipping around too.  So in love with this little guy.  Here's the sono pic from today.  I can't even with the little profile.  So exciting!  I love you little boy!!!  Can't wait to meet you!

Day 157 - 22 Weeks, Day 4

Baby Size : 11 in - spaghetti squash
Baby Weight : 1 lb
123 more days!
(per BabyBump app)

Not a whole lot to report of significance.  I've been on my BP pills for a couple of weeks now and feeling good.  My BP has been normal to low every time I've checked it, so that's a positive.

Still have plenty of energy and feeling good for the most part.

Indigestion is killing me.  Every time I lay down especially at night, I feel like everything is sitting in my chest ready to just spew out at any moment.  Bleck.  I swear I think water gives me heartburn.

Tummy continues to grow.  Little bebe is just as active as ever.  My daughter watched him flip around a little bit last night when I was laying down.  It freaks her out, but I know she's secretly excited. :)

I've been eating a lot better and making sure I get more balanced meals throughout the day.  Still no major cravings.  I like smoothies and shakes though - crave those a bit more than normal, but I think a lot of that is because it helps with the indigestion.

Still narrowing down names.  Have several strong ones picked out, just trying to nail it down.

I'm getting more excited as the days go on and I know every day is closer to holding my sweet boy in my arms.  For now, I am trying to cherish this time with him comfortable and protected inside me and feeling the connection we already have developing.  With every movement, a reminder of my tiny little human developing more and more each day.

I'm starting to think about what he may look like.  Is he going to have dark hair, light hair, a button nose?  I'm reeling just thinking about how cute he will be.

Starting to finish up my baby registries and thinking of everything I will need once he's here...although it's still about 4 months away, it will be here before I know it!

Here's a photo of my bump from today.  I have a doc apt next week, so I will post an update then.

Day 146 - 20 weeks Day 7

A little over 1/2 way through!

Baby size : 6.5 in - small cantaloupe
Baby Weight : 10.6 oz
(per BabyBump app)

Went to the doc and got a sono on 3/30.  They are still showing the baby measuring about a week bigger.  Still no change in due date, but I doubt I will make it to 8/19, but who knows.

Had quite a scare at the doctor...my BP was really high and once I found out, I couldn't get it down and went into full blown panic attack mode.

Up until this point in time, my blood pressure has been completely normal.  I have been checking it every few days and it's been normal or below normal.

However, being off of my anxiety/depression medication, it is leaving me a little more vulnerable to becoming anxious.

Doc came in and prescribed me some BP medication to get it back under control.  Discussed getting back on SSRI, but I am not ready to do this.  As long as my BP is under control, I feel like I am doing really well with the anxiety/depression with the alternative "therapy" that I am currently using.  (ie: yoga, meditation and Al-Anon)

When I got home that night, I took my BP and it was low at 106/74.  So I was weary about taking the medication.  I had a follow up appointment on 4/4 to check it and to bring my 24 hour urine test to the office.  They had me do this to make sure there wasn't anything abnormal (ie: protein) to determine if it's simply just hypertension or if it's a further problem such as Preclampsia.  So I monitored my blood pressure every 2 hours for the next 3 days.  Most readings were at or below normal with a couple of higher spikes, but nothing I thought as a concern until Sunday especially when I was starting to get anxious about going back in and them taking it again.  I was going into panic mode already.

My urine test came back fine, but the nurse practitioner reviewed my BP and we decided to go ahead and get on the medication - it's a low dose.  I am monitoring my BP around twice a day now and it's been low since I started the medication on Monday averaging around 102/68.  So as long as it doesn't dip down to 80/40, I should be safe.  I still think my higher blood pressure readings are a direct result of my anxiety as opposed to full on chronic hypertension, but I digress.  I need to do what's best for the baby right now, so doctor's orders.  Once he is born, I plan on visiting my regular general practitioner and actually getting down to the bottom of it.  I know my doctor is only concerned about me being healthy for the baby and I'm fine with it for the pregnancy, but I think my general practitioner will be a better avenue to really figure out what is causing some of the spikes as it isn't all-the-time chronic hypertension.

Without going into much detail, the situation on 3/30 was a stressful one for me and I think it was directly resulting my high BP reading, so I've had to remove myself from being under any stress particularly with this direct situation and need to insure that I remain calm and healthy for the remainder of the pregnancy.

I have also gained a little more weight than they would like to see already (which I know is a result of me not making an effort to eat as healthy as I should and NP thinks quitting smoking + the high blood pressure may play a factor.  I know the quitting smoking sure as hell does).  Sooooo, with that said, I'm making an effort to really watch what I am eating and try to eat as healthy as I can and maybe a cheat meal once a week or so as opposed to as frequent as I was doing.  I am remaining active, but that only goes so far when I'm eating like crap. :/  First trimester was survival mode to stomach anything healthy, but now that I'm feeling good, I can definitely eat better, so I'm doing so now.  :)

I've been having some gas pains/pressure and a bit of constipation, but all normal.  Trying every thing I can to help it.

Everything else is good with the baby.  He's an active little guy.

The good thing about having the higher blood pressure now, they are having me do sonos once a month, so that's a plus :)

Here's the photos from 3/30: