Yeah, I have no idea. The scale still consistently says that I have gained 1.2 pounds. Looks like a lot more to me! Oh well, I will definitely take it. I need to be better about what I'm eating. I don't eat a ton of calories, but what I have been eating is not the most nutritious. Cheese and crackers (I like sharp cheddar or cream cheese, not the best, I know), orange juice (50% less sugar and calories...no artificial sweeteners though), turkey by itself (I buy Dietz & Watson when it's on sale at Bi Lo...no fillers or preservatives), eggs, and strawberries and oranges. Ok, it's really not unhealthy I guess, minus the cream cheese and crackers. This weekend was bad though. That's probably why I feel so unhealthy. I made a couple batches of cookies, so I had a big helping of those.....for breakfast....and every other meal and snack in between. Ugh.
My morning sickness hasn't reared it's ugly head in at least a week, maybe two. Thank you, Jesus, seriously! That was horrible. I felt like such a bad mom and wife because I couldn't take care of the house, and I would let August watch has many cartoons as would keep him distracted. I just laid on the couch all day long. If I got up, I would feel sick. So I devoured Ritz (low sodium) crackers and ginger ale and just laid there. Thankfully, I am feeling mostly back to normal now.
I promise I am feeling movement. I was laying on my back on the couch the other day, and I saw the side of my stomach do a huge twitch, and I also felt it on the inside. I also feel movement at random when I am laying down. I felt August early too, even though no one believed me.
Yesterday afternoon, Adam and I found the baby's heartbeat with the Doppler! I was so excited! I tried to find the heartbeat around 8 weeks, but I couldn't find it. I figured it was a long shot that early. But we found it yesterday, down low, right in the center of my stomach, and it was fast and beautiful! Here is a clip!
I ordered my Doppler off of some website when I was pregnant with August. It was around $50 I want to say. Way out of our budget for these days, but that was back when I was working.
I finally made a prenatal appointment today. We just got our insurance last week, so I was waiting on that. I really couldn't decide if I wanted to go back to my old OB or not. I really liked that she let me have a vaginal delivery instead of C-section. But I also feel like she didn't listen to me in pregnancy. I had preeclampsia symptoms since I was 20-something weeks pregnant (seeing spots, swelling, blood pressure going up), but she didn't seem to listen to me. My blood pressure was still in the "normal" range, but it definitely wasn't normal for me. I usually have lower blood pressure, so the increase was a lot for me. But it wasn't verified that I had preeclampsia til I checked into the hospital to be induced. I am scared to switch doctors, especially since I like my OB as a GYN. But I made an appointment today with a CNM (certified nurse-midwife). I am hoping things go much differently this time around. The CNM works underneath OBs, so if complications were to arise, she would transfer me to them. The only thing is that these OBs are male, which is not something I am interested in. First of all, I don't want any men down there other than my husband. It would just be weird to me. Adam feels the same way. Secondly, how much can a man really know about a woman's body? He can know what he has read and what others have told him. But he has never had a period, never been pregnant, and will never have a baby. I just think a woman is much better suited for the job. Personal opinion though. Everyone is different. Did you have an OB? Midwife? Did you have a midwife after a complicated birth with an OB? Let me know. I like to hear other people's experiences.
Well, August is not wanting to nap, so I better go in there. Thanks for reading. :)
Loved hearing the baby's heartbeat!! You need to send me the link to the dopplar you got on Amazon - I really want that one for my next pregnancy (if God blesses us with another.) As for your question about midwives vs doctors and the male doc issue, I will tell you some of my experiences. Jason and I felt exactly the way you and Adam do about a male doctor, though that's changed slightly with time. Laura was delivered by a male doc b/c she was born on Christmas day and he was the only doc at the hosptial, but I was in so much pain I didn't even care at that point. I had a midwife with Ethan (LOVED her!) That was in PA. With my 3rd baby (born down here) I had a lady doc, and she was alright, but very business-like and quick during the birth, which I just didn't really appreciate. For my 4th, I had a midwife again, and she was absolutely wonderful for all of it, so I had her again for my 5th. However, when it came time to deliver, Julia was in fetal distress as soon as the water broke. Turned out she had a knot in the cord and it was wrapped around her neck, so the pressure of the contrations caused her heartrate to plummet. They immediately gave me medicine to stop the contrations, and called the doc for a c-section. The midwife had to hold her hand up inside of me to keep pressure off the cord and keep the baby's heartrate up. When the doctor got there, he did an emergency c-section - they lost the heartbeat right at the end so they had to put me completely under general anesthesia for it and get her out immediately - she was out in 4 minutes. Anyway, he did a fantastic job and also told me that he would do a v-bac if I had another baby (which we did) so I stuck with him the entire way through my 6th pregnancy, and he was great. I totally understand your feelings about wanting to stick with a female doc/midwife, as I felt the exact same way. I feel very comfortable with my doctor now, though, and felt better knowing he was right there in case we had another problematic delivery. In the office the only time he was ever "down there" was the first visit and the last (maybe the second to last, too) to do the initial exam and then check for dilation at the end. Both times it was very quick and a nurse was in the room the whole time. That being said, I loved having a midwife, too. In the end, all that matters is that the baby is healthy and safe. :) I wonder if you and I have the same doctors group...I will have to talk with you more about it in church! :)
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for letting me know your experiences! I love hearing about other people's pregnancies and birth. I don't think I knew that you had a C-section with Julia! Maybe I just forgot? That's great that you were able to have a VBAC. We very well might be talking about the same doctor's group. I would stick with that male doctor too probably since he knows your history and was able to do a VBAC. That's true that they really don't see you "down yonder" that much. I will talk to you more at church! :)
DeleteOkay so I just tried to comment on here from my phone and I was on my husband's alias google account (lol) and I pressed post and I don't know if it did or what.. but anyways.
ReplyDeleteI am so happy you decided to switch to a midwife! Obviously I am all about it and I totally believe that men don't know what women go throut emotionally or hormonally when it comes to pregnancy. I am so excited to hear how it all goes, I am about to read your newest post.
OH and I totally felt Gracie moving super early too. I want to say 10 weeks. I never told anyone besides Ben, but it was definitly her. Yay for movement!
Yay! I'm glad you felt her early! I'm not crazy! Haha. I'm excited about seeing the midwife, but I'm nervous too! She is just so different than what I am used to, but that's not a bad thing. I'm just not good with change. I usually stick to what I am familiar with and just go with the flow. So switching to a midwife is out of character for me! Thank you for your encouragement!
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