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Baby Rabies

pregnancy & parenting

  • Start Here
    • About Baby Rabies
    • Baby Registry Top Picks
    • Favorite Pregnancy Apps
  • The Book
  • Pregnancy
    • Birth Stories
    • Perinatal Mood Disorders
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      6 Stunning Photos You Would Never Guess Were…

      February 11, 2019

      Photography

      Simple Tips For Editing Snow Photos On Your…

      December 13, 2018

      Photography

      I Wrote A Photography eBook And This Is…

      December 6, 2018

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      Creative Lighting Ideas To Help You Take Great…

      November 27, 2018

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      Learn How To Take And Edit Photos On…

      November 19, 2018

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      December 19, 2018

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      October 1, 2018

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      August 22, 2018

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      August 13, 2018

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heartbeat

PregnancyThe Story

Boy, oh boy! No more worries.

by Jill December 2, 2007
written by Jill

Whew! What a week! Sorry for the lack of posts lately…the holidays and all. Not that I don’t have plenty to write about. Let’s see…we’ll dedicate this post to the biggest news I have for you – IT’S A BOY! But there’s so much more to the story than just that.

I’ve touched on this before – that worry is something that consumes so much of you when you’re pregnant – okay, maybe using “you” is an over generalization…maybe it’s just me that worries this much. I will just say that before I got pregnant I always thought I’d be the most laid back pregnant woman. I mean, I’m type A and all and love to plan, but I generally try not to worry about things I have no control over in other areas of my life. So I NEVER thought I’d spend the whole first trimester fearing the sight of spotting every time I had to pee, or putting myself on bedrest “just in case” the first few times I did experience spotting. Yes, I know that that didn’t prevent anything, but at the time it was the only thing that I could control and made me feel like I was helping, being cautious, being a good mother. Just to expand a little more on this first trimester experience – I spotted from week 5 through week 8 nearly every day and then sporadically for a few more weeks after that. It was terrifying and stressful and really opened my eyes to how different pregnancy was making me. I was responsible for another life, and even though that life was still so incredibly new, that didn’t make it any less important than if I was trying to keep a grown child alive, at least in my mind.

I eventually stopped spotting and thought my worries were behind me. I was almost through the first trimester and “in the clear”. Our 12 week appointment was supposed to be a really exciting milestone for us – hearing the heartbeat for the first time. I admit that the nurse did warn me that not everyone can hear it that early and to not freak out if they couldn’t find it. Well….they couldn’t find it….and I sure as hell freaked the fuck out. It seemed like an eternity until she came back in the room with the ultrasound machine and located the heartbeat on the screen. Tears of relief streamed down my face. My husband said he didn’t understand what I was so worried about. I didn’t expect him to.

We finally heard the heartbeat on the doppler at 16 weeks and were thrilled to schedule the “BIG” ultrasound for 18 weeks 3 days. However, I was pretty surprised to find that over the course of the two weeks between appointments I wasn’t nearly as excited about the ultrasound as I thought I would be. This was going to be the big moment…boy or girl! How could I not be excited? The thing is, I didn’t care if it was a boy or girl…I just wanted everything to look good, healthy, in the right place. And so the worry began again…

I usually get apprehensive about appointments about 48 hours in advance. It doesn’t consume me or anything, just passing thoughts and concerns. The hour before the appointment is the worst, and sitting in the waiting room never seems to help. When we got called in to the ultrasound room I was on edge and put off by how short the tech was with me. I thought, “I don’t have the patience to deal with not nice people today.” I laid back on the paper covered half bed, slightly annoyed, but it all melted away when she put the wand on my belly and there it was – a very clear picture of a baby. My baby finally looked like a baby, with legs and arms and a sweet face! No more blob for us!

After thirty minutes of checking out his bones, brain and organs she finally asked if we wanted to know and then zoomed in on what was very clearly a little penis. It’s a boy! She left saying she needed to check that she got all the pictures our doctor needed and that she’d be right back. My husband and I took in the news and in a few minutes she returned with a doctor…my stomach dropped. This could not be good.

It turns out our baby boys bladder is on the cusp of being a little too full and may not be emptying properly. The doctor explained that she wanted to see us back in the third trimester to see if it would correct itself. If it doesn’t, he will need treatment after he’s born. Of course, in my panicked state I thought the worst. Is this a sign of something bigger? Is he deformed? Will he live? I was calmed minutes later when she explained that it’s common among boys and will not hurt him for the time being. That tech even redeemed herself by doing her best to set my mind at ease.

At lunch after the appointment I managed to snap myself out of it. Our baby is healthy. He is surviving and thriving and we are so lucky, and my constant worrying had nothing to do with that. We could have received news much worse than that. So I have decided to try really hard to not let worry get to me the rest of the pregnancy. Yes, I’ll still have my concerns, but instead I’m going to focus on the positive and let go of what I can’t control – like I do with nearly everything else in my life.

Now that I’m saving so much time not worrying I have lots of time to think about having a boy! OMG, a boy! I don’t think I have the slightest idea of what to do with a boy. One thing is for sure though, if he’s anything like my husband and all his brothers, I can kiss every nice thing I own goodbye. I am currently researching the cost of all rubber furniture.

18 weeks 5 days

December 2, 2007 8 comments
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PregnancyThe Story

2nd trimester update – the good, the bad and the gassy

by Jill November 13, 2007
written by Jill

I’m well into the second trimester now. I have quite a cute baby bump to show for it. Nothing huge yet, but I’m definitely looking more pregnant than fat and can finally fill out those maternity shirts I’ve been hanging onto. The upside to this new stage is I physically feel pretty good. The food aversions are definitely gone, and have been replaced by an incredible urge to eat almost anything every three hours. Perhaps that explains why I have gained as much in the last four weeks (5 lbs) as I did the whole first trimester!

Yeah…I’m kind of alarmed that I’m already up 10 lbs at 16 weeks. I guess pregnant women really can’t eat whatever they want whenever they want ; ) I’m hoping my recent cravings for fruit and vegetables paired with my prenatal water aerobics classes (which are actually 90% senior citizens with one or two pregnant gals in the mix) will help me get everything back in control. Don’t get me wrong, I know gaining weight is part of the process, but I’m not going to just let myself go for the next five months. I know I’m far too lazy to trust that I’ll take it all off after the baby if it’s too large of a number.

I also have a considerable amount of energy back (I only sleep 9 -10 hours a night now and hardly need a nap) and the belching has drastically subsided (only because the gas is now choosing to escape via other avenues, I’m sure). And yes, the books are right when they say the sex drive comes back in the second trimester. It’s not like I’m pouncing on him…more like not running the other direction. However, I ask this question – what good is a surge in the sex drive if I am constantly in a bitchy, unpredictable mood?

Yes, this is the downside of the second trimester for me. I do not know what it is, but it takes absolutely nothing for me to turn from a cheerful, kind version of myself to an irrational, agitated bitch. Seriously…I will just be walking and all of the sudden find myself in a terrible mood. Since my husband is usually the first person I see, he gets the shitty end of the deal and is constantly confused by my state of mind. He even mentioned to me this morning, “You know, those weekly baby emails I’ve been getting have done nothing to prepare me for these mood swings.” So ladies…warn your husbands. I think he finds it quite comical though. He will just bust out laughing at how ridiculous it is that I am so flipping pissed off that the ice cream shop doesn’t have mint chocolate chip. I have to say, I eventually laugh at it too. In doing a little experimentation and research on the subject, I *think* these mood swings happen when I need to eat or need sugar. They always seem to coincide with some crazy craving, and as soon as I get what I want I’m happy again. I think I may need further testing to prove this theory. I’ll be sure to report back.

As far as other updates go I have to say that the most exciting thing to date was when we FINALLY heard the baby’s heartbeat at our 16 week appointment yesterday. I seriously freaked out at 12 weeks when they couldn’t find it with the doppler and was only slightly relieved to see it flashing on the u/s screen. I just wanted to HEAR it. The nurse found it yesterday only 20 seconds after lubing up my belly. It was the most reassuring sound ever. I really need to spend a whole post talking about worry and how much it changes you during pregnancy. I have a feeling that will be a long one though, so I will save it for a rainy day.

And to end this on a funny note I will elaborate more on the gas escaping via other avenues situation – I have never been a loud farter, and I don’t think my husband has ever heard me fart. It’s not like I hold it in and run to the other room to let it out. It just has never been very audible. Well, let me tell you – that’s changing. So now after nearly 7 years of never farting in front of my husband I’m almost scared to! I don’t know why. It’s not like he’ll be disgusted by it. I’m sure he’ll find it hysterical. I just need to….uhmmm…break the seal – just fart and get it over with. So I’m just waiting for the day that I let it rip in front of him. I know it’s got to come soon or it’s going to be a very uncomfortable 5 months ahead of me. I also learned recently that I really should avoid Morning Star sausage crumbles. I had them for dinner the other night and had such bad gas while I was sleeping that the next morning my husband thought one of the dogs had shit in the bedroom! I didn’t even have the balls to fess up.

16 weeks 1 day

November 13, 2007 5 comments
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