First Ultrasound

Well the waiting is over - we had our u/s this morning & yes we have a heartbeat & much to Brad's relief, only one.

Dr was very happy with progress, heartbeat was strong & baby measured at 8 weeks & 1 day, maybe a little larger but exactly my calculations.

We are both REALLY relieved & in a state of shock too - but mostly happy.

Here's a picture of our little bean....

7 weeks gestation

About Me

This week has been fairly quiet, I have been keeping a low profile, mostly due to the ongoing migraine. I was able to get some relief after a visit to my Chinese Massage Therapist for some ear candling & head, face & neck massage, then home for steam inhalation.

Anxiety increased this week with the lessening of my symptoms, after 3 prior losses its hard to not over-analyse everything. My breasts were not as sore but still fuller & more tender than normal & the nausea had all but gone.

I think it was more of a case of the migraine surpassing everything else. Once the migraine was gone, back came the sore boobs & the nausea was back with a vengance.

Whilst the nausea is constant (like sea sickness all day & night - worse in the afternoons & evenings) & is really draining, it is also reassuring. Whilst I have these symptoms there remains hope that things are progressing.

I still don't sleep through the night - only a few hours at a time then I HAVE to get up to pee.

The anxiety is still there especially since I have my furst ultrasound in 2 days (Wednesday 29th October). I am scared yet excited at the same time. I may get to see my baby for the first time & should hear the heartbeat, but then there is also the possibility (as past experiences have proven) that it may not be good news at all. But I am trying to remain positive & calm - this is the one, this baby will be healthy, normal & I will carry to term.

My Baby

I'm Tiny But Gaining Fast! The baby is about 1/3 of an inch, the size of a grain of rice. Development of the arms and legs continue although the fingers and toes haven't yet formed. The brain is growing as well as the lenses of the eyes, nostrils, intestines, pancreas and bronchi.

http://www.pregnancyguideonline.com/

6 Weeks gestation

About Me


The 6th week has brought along the first of the nausea & cravings.


Nausea strikes when hungry as well as once eaten, although so far it has been sort of light headiness & motion-sickness like only with no actual vomiting - yet.


The cravings are a little more difficult in that I just can't pin-point what it is that I want. I try all different things but am left with a dissatisfied feeling - I just can't scratch that itch, although cheese seems to be a front runner so far, that & the desire for a can (not a bottle its a totally different taste) of Coke - argh & its the one thing I can really have due to the miscarriage risk associated with the excess caffeine (not ready to give up my only 2 cups of coffee a day yet).


The bloating & cramps have slowed down - not gone entirely, but definitely slowed. But oh the boob-action. Have had to get a new bra already - it obviously is more supportive than my old maternity bra I had dug out of the back of the lingerie draw 2 weeks ago, because when I take it off to shower, the sheer weight & gravitational pull of my over-engorged breasts just about makes me cry. I have seriously contemplated wearing the bra still in the shower.


The exhaustion & sleepless nights are still happening & therefore so are the power-naps through the day. On the weekends it is nothing for me to sleep for 2-3 hours in the afternoon - only to be craving desperately for bed again at 7:00pm onwards.

This week went out with a bang, a sinus migraine that started off at full throttle for the last 2 days of the 6th week & well into the the 7th week.


About My Baby

My Heart Belongs to You!The first heartbeats have begun! The baby is now an
embryo and is about 1/17 of an inch long. Growth is very rapid this week. The
umbilical cord develops. The eyes and ears begin to form as well as an opening
for the mouth. The heart has begun to pump blood and most of the other organs
are well under construction. Buds form on the body that will become the arms and
legs.

http://www.pregnancyguideonline.com/

Up to 5 weeks gestation

About Me


So the first clues I had that maybe this might be "the one" was at around weeks 3-4 (1 week post ovulation) - extreme fatigue set in, as did cramping (more pulling & very similar to ovulation type pains).


The the "weepies" started & I was crying for no known rational reason & slowly but surely, the tender breasts & irritated nipples.


By the time I was ready to test, my breasts were super sore, I would fall asleep at the drop of a hat & was bloated beyond belief.


I was pretty sure that I was pregnant but too scare to share my thoughts, even with my husband in case it all blew up in my face as it had done so, so many times before.


I tested at DPO14 (the beginning of the 4th week) - that beautiful 2nd line came up straight away.


The next 2 weeks saw my breasts go from tender to downright ridiculously sore & enormous. The bloating continued to uncomfortable stages as did the extreme fatigue.


By the end of the 5 week, the sleepless nights started. That feeling of restlessness despite exhaustion. Waking up anywhere from 5-10 times a night & dreaming profusely, not really crazy dreams (yet), but just lots & lots of them.


The need to power-nap through the day has become a necessity of life now.


About My Baby

The developing embryo has three layers. In the top layer (ectoderm), the
neural tube will form which will further develop into the nervous system (brain,
spinal cord, skin and hair). In the middle layer (mesoderm), the heart and
circulatory system, bones, muscles, kidneys and reproductive organs will develop
- eventually. At this stage, however, the heart and primitive circulatory system
will rapidly form. In fact, the circulatory system is the first organ system to
function. In the inner layer (endoderm), a simple tube will develop into the
intestines, liver, pancreas and bladder.

http://www.pregnancyguideonline.com/

Early Test Results

So after a history of 3 prior losses (2 this time & 1 when trying to conceive our daughter in 2001), we have been carefully monitoring my HCG & Progesterone levels to see that all is progressing normally.


My results so far....


5wks 2d (DPO 22) - HCG 2677 & Progesterone 95.7

5wks 6 d (DPO 26) - HCG 8956 & Progesterone 99.7

6wks 2ds (DPO 29) - HCG 14,258 & Progesterone 84.9


This one is looking like a "stayer".

Success!!!!

These were the pictures that started it all......

So after 15 months, 2 miscarriages (one at 4 weeks & one at 6 weeks), lots of heartache & raging hormones, these were the sweetest lines you could ever see.

I tested whilst we were away camping with my family. It was the hardest thing ever to not tell them all, but after the losses (including a 3rd one when trying to conceive our daughter), we just did not want to jinx things.

So at the ripe age of 43, with husband Brad at 48 & daughter Georgie at 5, our family is set to expand & we could not be happier.