30 Weeks

I've been a total slacker! I haven't updated this blog in what feels like decades! Rather than doing the normal weekly questions I think I'll just write about what has been going on in our lives.

The Center for Women's Health at Evergreen (the clinic I most recently switched to) is under going lots of changes. One of them being that the midwives at that office are leaving and going to EvergreenHealth Midwifery Care. Evergreen's very first midwife only clinic! You can bet that I'm following them there! The midwives that I've already been seeing, Shana and Michelle, will continue my prenatal care along with 1 other midwife. My first appointment at that office is on Tuesday, the 11th. I'm excited to be one of the first patients at Evergreen's first midwifery clinic!

Tommy and I have been hard at work on baby Ayla's nursery. If you're friends with me on facebook I'm sure you've seen plenty of pictures. Her room is almost completely set up and her closet fully stocked. I was hesitant at first to use pink, but honestly what little girl doesn't love a little pink in her life? :) All we need now is bedding, a few more organization bins, and a couple other odds and ends.

I was blessed to have a wonderful shower thrown for me on the 25th. My sisters in-law Mitzi and Kelsey threw a beautiful party and everyone was so generous! Thank you to everyone that came to celebrate Ayla with me. She is already one spoiled little girl.

(We're going to get a little more intimate in this next paragraph.) As far as pregnancy specific symptoms and feelings go, I've been feeling pretty good. I have experienced stretch marks, but not where I was expecting the first ones to show up. The "girls" have grown by 3 cup sizes (WOW!) and my skin didn't appreciate that very much. The stretch marks are still pretty faint and I'm sure they'll fade over time. Luckily none have strung up anywhere else yet. Baby girl is still breech (I'll be talking to my midwife at my next appointment about things I can do to help turn her), which means her little head is RIGHT under my ribs. Her head is also squishing my gall bladder which is causing even more discomfort. I spend a good couple hours a day with my hand at the top of my belly pushing her head down. Ayla has been so much more active over the past couple weeks. It might be that she is just getting stronger so I'm feeling every movement way more. I can't even explain how neat it is to feel her move. It's completely surreal to know that it's a tiny little human in there making my belly jiggle and poke out. Until next time I'll leave you with a couple video of baby girl spazzing out. Look toward the left side of my belly. I promise my next update won't be 8 weeks late!

I couldn't help but laugh. Those two big jerks at 50 seconds are me chuckling.

Switching Providers

I posted on facebook this past Thursday that I'm going to be switching my prenatal care over to an office at Evergreen Hospital. I'm just now finally getting around to writing up the blog post explaining why.

At my 20 week ultrasound we found out that I have a bicornuate uterus. Basically that means my uterus is a heart shape, rather than the usual pear shape. It dips in at the top creating a septum. The doctors can't tell to what degree because my uterus has already been stretched out from this pregnancy. Because of this I am at a higher risk for growth restriction of the baby, preterm labor, breech presentation, and cervical incompetence. There was also some concern because the placenta is attached right at the septum where my uterus comes down to form the heart shape. Which means I'm also at a slightly higher risk of placental abruption.

These risks and concern lead me to make a difficult decision. I was told by the midwives at the Puget Sound Birth Center that as long as I carry to 37 weeks and baby is head down I could still deliver at the birth center. However, having experienced a previous loss and seeing as the most important thing to me is a healthy baby I started contemplating other options. If something were to go wrong during labor and delivery I personally think I'd feel the most comfortable with a stellar NICU team available. So, I decided to go to the midwives at Center for Women's Health at Evergreen Hospital. I'm so happy that I have the option to continue all of my prenatal care under the midwifery model of practice. Also, with the changes coming to Evergreen in September, it sounds like I'll also be getting the midwife assisted delivery that I have always wanted!

Changing the game plan after being so invested and so excited about delivering at a birth center was kind of defeating. But I know my dream to have my baby naturally out of the hospital isn't more important to me than seeing my little girl healthy and safe.

This past Thursday we has our first prenatal appointment with Michele at Center for Women's Health. We are going to be checking my cervix via ultrasound every 2 weeks to make sure that it's not effacing or dilating. If my cervix starts to make changes we'll probably put in a cerclage. A cercalge is a stitch that helps keep the cervix tight and closed.

For now everything looks great and baby girl has more than enough room. She has been moving around like crazy! I swear she is using my bladder as a trampoline. Tommy hasn't been able to feel her move yet. I give it another two or three weeks and he'll be feeling her just as much as I am. She is still favoring the right side too. I can see my lopsided tummy every morning before I get up and start moving around. I love her already :)

21 Weeks

How far along? 20 weeks 6 days

Total weight gain/loss:  160, a total gain of 13 pounds.

Hip Measurement: 40.5  inches, a total gain of 3.5 inches

Waist (belly button) Measurement: 37.5 inches, a total gain of 3.5 inches

Maternity clothes? Yes, on most days. I can still rock some of my work pants with my bella band though.

Stretch marks? Nope.

Sleep: Pretty good, but with bathroom breaks through out the night.

Best moment this week: Seeing our little girl on an ultrasound :)

Miss anything? Having a bra that fits right. I'll be going and getting fitted pretty soon, I won't be able to stand wearing the ones I have for much longer.

Movement: Yes! All the time! She is a little kicker.

Food cravings: No intense cravings.

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope.

Have you started to show? Yes :)

Gender prediction: Just found out it's a girl!

Labor signs: Nada.

Belly button in or out? In, but getting more shallow by the day.

Wedding rings on or off? On.

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy.

Looking forward to: Getting the nursery ready.

It's a GIRL!!

I added the  little bow. Isn't it cute? :)

We had our anatomy ultrasound a week ago on Thursday, June 21st. The ultrasound tech told us that we're having a little girl!! Unless she is born and doesn't at all look the part, her name is going to be Ayla Morgan Felts. It was amazing to see this tiny little baby moving around on the screen. She was all over the place. At times it was even hard for the tech to get the measurements she needed. I could have sworn we were going to have a boy. I didn't have the intuition that some mothers have. All I was going on was that everyone else was hoping for a girl and I just had a feeling no one would get what they wanted. I was so wrong. Of course, I knew we'd be over the moon regardless of the sex of our little one. We just want to be parents! :)

Of course being the woman that I am I've already done a tiny bit of shopping for my little Ayla. Tommy and I are both on the same page. We would love to see our little girl in pink, but we also don't want her to look like the sparkling pretty magical pink unicorn princess threw up on her everyday. I know at times it will be unavoidable and we're okay with that. On my lunch break the other day I stopped at a consignment shop to look around. I found the cutest girly, but not too girly outfit. This is the first outfit I've purchased for Ayla :)

We also got the chance to register! I'm sure things will be added here and there, but for the most part our registry is complete. It was so much fun walking around Target and Babie'R'Us looking at everything! If you're curious what we put on our registry there are links over to the right.

Starting the Nursery

We've always known a baby would go in our middle bedroom. We just didn't exactly know when. Now that there is a baby on the way we're just waiting to find out if it's a he or she so that we can really start getting ready! Most of the big things we are planning on getting are gender neutral. Mostly because we want to be able to use them again with another baby in the future. Plus, I personally just like the look of neutral colors anyway.

Getting Inspired:
I've been putting together some ideas for both boy and girl. I'm surprised to say that I'm leaning toward pink a lot more than I thought I would if this baby is a girl. Not crazy amounts of pink, but pops of it here and there. I know for sure whether it's a boy or girl I want to paint the ceiling. Here is my pinterest idea board for a girl: Girl Nursery. For a boy I'm favoring greens a lot, which I knew would be the case. Here is my pinterest idea board for a boy: Boy Nursery. The room is very small! And by small I mean enough room for a crib and changing table, and possibly a small chair. We'll definitely be utilizing the closest for clothing storage since there won't be a dresser.

Our First Big Purchase:
So, this purchase was actually made last year. It was posted on craigslist for a killer price. So, naturally we couldn't pass it up. This matching set still sells at Babies R Us for over $250 and we got it for $80! (Just so you know we've been using this bedroom as a storage unit for awhile. It's a little messy.)

Graco Sarah Convertible Crib- Cinnamon

Graco Sarah Changing Table- Cinnamon.
There are few scuff marks but other other side looks great so I'll probably turn it around.

Another Purchase:

This is the swing that I picked up at a consignment sale in Lynnwod. Everyone should check out the Just Between Friends consignment sales around Seattle. I've seen some amazing deals. This Graco swing, it's totally adorable by the way, was only $45!

We find out in exactly two weeks if we're expecting a little boy or girl. You can bet that within a few weeks time I'll be putting the whole nursery together. I can't wait!

18(ish) Weeks

It's been a couple weeks since I've posted anything. Things have been pretty busy around here. Our anatomy ultrasound is schedule for June 21st. We have about 2 weeks until we can call this little one a he or she. I can't wait! We are doing a gender reveal party on the 23rd for family and close friends. Tommy and I will already know the gender, but we think it will be a super fun way to tell everyone else. I also can't wait to get started on the nursery!

How far along? 17 weeks 4 days

Total weight gain/loss:  154, a total gain of 7 pounds.

Hip Measurement: 39  inches, a total gain of 2 inches

Waist (belly button) Measurement: 37 inches, a total gain of 3 inches

Maternity clothes? Yes. My hips have widened and my regular jeans aren't very comfy anymore. I can still wear my work pants the bella band though.

Stretch marks? Nope.

Sleep: Sleep is still pretty good, but with bathroom breaks through out the night.

Best moment this week: Listening Tommy talk to the baby :)

Miss anything? Peeing less frequently if that even counts, ha.

Movement: Possibly, but I'm not 100% sure.

Food cravings: Still no big cravings, but from time to time certain things sounds good.

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope.

Have you started to show? I think so!

Gender prediction: Everyone is still saying girl. I still have no idea.

Labor signs: Nada.

Belly button in or out? In, but getting more shallow.

Wedding rings on or off? On.

Happy or Moody most of the time: Excited!

Looking forward to: Finding out the gender on the 21st!! :)

14 Weeks (almost)

We came out on facebook! We had been discussing waiting until we found our the gender, but I just couldn't do it. Like always I got too impatient. Story of my life, haha. This is the picture we used for our announcement.

I'm pretty proud of my cheesy announcement :) And on to this weeks bump photo. (Anyone think I could have picked a pair of sweat pants with a saggier butt?)

How far along? 13 weeks 6 days

Total weight gain/loss:  151, a total gain of 4 pounds.

Hip Measurement: 38.5  inches

Waist (belly button) Measurement: 36.5

Maternity clothes? I'm rocking the bella band pretty constantly. Not wearing a ton of maternity clothes yet.

Stretch marks? Nope.

Sleep: A little bit of tossing and turning, and still one bathroom break every night.

Best moment this week: I picked up a baby swing at the Just Between Friends consignment sale in Lynnwood. It's super cute!

Miss anything? Nope :)

Movement: No.

Food cravings: No big cravings.

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope, but I did throw up the other day from smelling sour milk. Blech!

Have you started to show? Possibly. I can't decide if it's baby or just bloating. I call it my "blump" (bloating/bump).

Gender prediction: Everyone is saying girl. Wishful thinking I'm sure ;)

Labor signs: None.

Belly button in or out? In.

Wedding rings on or off? On.

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy!

Looking forward to: Getting bigger.

12 Weeks

We had an appointment on Thursday last week (4/19). We heard our little bean's heartbeat! It was so awesome. I recorded it on my phone and listened to it over and over for about 30 minutes the entire way home :)

I'm not thrilled about this picture, but whatever...

How far along? 12 weeks

Total weight gain/loss:  Still weighing in at 150, same as the last update.

Hip Measurement: 38  inches

Waist (belly button) Measurement: 36, getting bigger.

Maternity clothes? Wearing a few maternity shirts, but only because I'm lazy and didn't do the laundry. I had nothing else to wear.

Stretch marks? Nope.

Sleep: Tossing and turning a bit more, and at least one bathroom break every night.

Best moment this week: Hearing the heartbeat at my appointment last Thursday! :)

Miss anything? I want a bloody mary pretty bad.

Movement: No.

Food cravings: Not really any yet.

Anything making you queasy or sick: Not so much anymore. Yay!

Have you started to show? Maybe just a bit. A few people have pointed out my "pooch".

Gender prediction: The midwife called the baby a she the other day.

Labor signs: None.

Belly button in or out? In.

Wedding rings on or off? On.

Happy or Moody most of the time: I got a little hormonal tonight and almost cried about something totally stupid. However, I was in a great mood earlier today.

Looking forward to: Getting a belly :)

10 Weeks (almost)

I'm finally eating the way I want to again (for the most part). Meat and veggies are back on the menu in full force! Tonight we has pork meatballs and mushrooms. Yummy! I'm still battling some morning sickness, but I feel like it might be easing up. My most recent favorite food is sauerkraut. I'll eat it out of the jar with a fork. I also downed about 10 pepperoncinis yesterday.

How far along? 9 weeks 6 days

Total weight gain/loss:  +3 more, 150 total

Hip Measurement: 37 1/2  inches

Waist (belly button) Measurement: 35 1/2 inches, increase of 1/2 inch

Maternity clothes? Nope.

Stretch marks? Nope.

Sleep: Good. More trips to the bathroom at night.

Best moment this week: I believe I might have possibly heard the heartbeat with a stethoscope at work!

Miss anything? Not really.

Movement: No.

Food cravings: Not really cravings, but favorites that I keep going back to yes :)

Anything making you queasy or sick: Just getting over feeling queasy constantly!

Have you started to show? Maybe? I think it's still just bloating though.

Gender prediction: Most people have said girl recently.

Labor signs: None.

Belly button in or out? In.

Wedding rings on or off? On.

Happy or Moody most of the time: Irritable with a side of pissed off, haha.

Looking forward to: My next prenatal appointment on Thursday the 19th. We get to hear the heartbeat! :)

Ultrasound!

We saw our little bean today! The ultrasound tech measured the heartbeat twice. She got 153 the first time and 152 the second time. I'll be 8 weeks tomorrow. Our little one is measuring right where he/she should be and looks healthy. My step-mom says the baby looks like a little frog :)

7 Weeks

I'm soooo tired today! I'm literally like a zombie. Tommy keeps asking me if I'm okay. Beside that I'm doing pretty well. Food has been a challenge this past week. Everything on God's green earth that is not good for me is the absolute most appetizing thing I've ever laid eyes on. Anything that's packed with awesome nutrients makes my stomach turn by just looking at it. It seems like a pretty twisted joke if you ask me.

I had my first prenatal appointment yesterday at the birth center. I got to meet Tonya this time. She looked a lot like I do in that picture down there. She had just delivered TWO babies the previous night and had little to no sleep. What an awesome lady! After sitting and talking about my health history and answering my questions for close to 45 minutes. I peed in a cup and a student midwife (I forget her name) took my blood pressure and did a blood draw. I can't even express how much I love the atmosphere at the birth center. I love that I get to spend my entire visit with my midwife. Unlike a doctor's office where you only see the doctor for 10-15 minutes. And instead of going into a stuffy little lab to get my blood drawn, I got to stay exactly where I was. Plopped on a comfy couch, resting my arm on a pillow. I love the homey feeling. I also love the idea of pregnancy being a normal occurrence and not treated like a medical condition.

Tonya wanted to address my fears with this pregnancy because of my previous miscarriage. I told her overall I'm handling things very well, but I have been a little uneasy and wondering if everything is still alright. She offered that I get an ultrasound to help ease any doubts or worries that I might have. So, it sounds like we'll be going in for an ultrasound next week. Yay! Until then I'll leave you with a bump picture and my regular weekly questions.

Baby? Bloating? Both?

How far along? 7 weeks

Total weight gain/loss:  Still weighing in at 147, after being sick and losing some weight, then gaining it back.

Hip Measurement: Still 37 1/2  inches

Waist (belly button) Measurement: 35 inches, increase of half an inch

Maternity clothes? Nope, but I'm rocking a bella band at work some days depending on the pants.

Stretch marks? Nope.

Sleep: Good.

Best moment this week: My first prenatal appointment! :)

Miss anything? When food actually sounded appetizing, haha.

Movement: No.

Food cravings: Pretty much anything that isn't good for me. How awesome right?

Anything making you queasy or sick: Feeling queasy randomly, mostly when I see food or think about it.

Have you started to show? A lot more bloating the past 2 days that hasn't gone down. The beginning of a bump maybe?

Gender prediction: I'm still going with girl.

Labor signs: None.

5 Weeks 2 Days

So, we told family and a few close friends this past week. Apparently I'm not the personality type to be able to keep these things under wraps. I'm just too excited :)

Check out all that bloating! There's no way that's baby yet!

How far along? 5 weeks 2 day
Total weight gain/loss:  I've gained a pound back and I'm now 147
Hip Measurement: 37 1/2  inches
Waist (belly button) Measurement: 34 1/4 inches
Maternity clothes? Nope.
Stretch marks? Nope.
Sleep: Good. Just an occasional bathroom trip.
Best moment this week: Meeting one of my midwives!
Miss anything? Not a thing.
Movement: No.
Food cravings: Not really.
Anything making you queasy or sick: Feeling a tiny bit queasy, but nothing bad.
Have you started to show? Just bloating that comes and goes.
Gender prediction: The Chinese gender chart says boy.
Labor signs: None.
Belly button in or out? In.
Wedding rings on or off? On.
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy, happy, happy!
Looking forward to: My first prenatal appointment on the 22nd and possibly getting an ultrasound scheduled!

Puget Sound Birth Center & Spilling the Beans

I met one of my midwives today! I immediately felt like this was going to be the right place for us when we walked in. We were seated in one of the HUGE birthing suites when we arrived. I'm telling you it reminded me of my hotel room at Luxor in Vegas. We got to look around the room a little bit. There was a massive jacuzzi tub, a private bathroom, a queen size bed, couches and seating, etc. Here is a link to a photo tour of the birthing suites.

We met Nicole, one of the midwives. She sat and talked with us for awhile and answered our questions. She also informed us that one of her patients had shown up for her regular prenatal appointment in active labor. She had to follow her patient home to attend the home birth and wasn't going to be able to spend the full hour with us. I was very happy to hear that her attention was directed in the right place. Overall, our experience there was phenomenal. I can't wait for my first prenatal visit in 2 weeks!

Tommy and I were planning on waiting until 10 weeks to tell family, but that didn't last long. We were just too excited after our meeting with Nicole today. We went to dinner and discussed it some more and decided that if anything were to happen with this pregnancy we would want their support the same way several family members offered it when I miscarried before. So, we walked over the Ron and Megan's tonight to spill the beans. I brought over the resource binder that I was given at the birth center today and announced that Tommy and I visited somewhere super cool this afternoon, then I put the binder down for everyone to read the cover. It wasn't very exciting, but everyone got the idea. There were congratulations and smiles all around. It's nice knowing that I can talk about it now. It was tough keeping it to myself for the past week and a half. I'm sure the next 5 weeks would have felt like forever!

First Symptoms! 4 weeks 1 day

I'm very happy to be feeling these pregnancy symptoms, but of course no one ever likes feeling icky. Today is the first time that I've felt pregnant since finding out on Monday that there is a little Felts in the making. I'm super gassy (no joke, you could hear my tummy rumbling from across the room), have a decreased appetite, and as of this evening I'm feeling quite queasy. But I wouldn't trade if for the world! :)

How far along? 4 weeks 1 day
Total weight gain/loss: -1 pound, now weighing in at 146
Hip Measurement: 37 inches
Waist (belly button) Measurement: 34 inches
Maternity clothes? No, but I did try on the few I own for fun today :)
Stretch marks? Nope.
Sleep: Good, maybe getting up to pee once if I drink anything before bed.
Best moment this week: Telling Tommy that he's going to be a DADDY :)
Miss anything? Nope. I'm happy to be growing a human!
Movement: Not for awhile I'm sure.
Food cravings: None.
Anything making you queasy or sick: Feeling queasy, but not from anything in particular.
Have you started to show? Just a bit of bloating.
Gender prediction: I'll say girl the entire time I'm sure.
Labor signs: No way Jose.
Belly button in or out? In.
Wedding rings on or off? On and lose from losing some weight the past couple months.
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy, happy, happy!
Looking forward to: Meeting the midwives at the Puget Sound Birth Center on Thursday!

Already Shopping

I stopped at Target today to kill some time and ended up in the maternity section. How strange ;)

Showing off my 4 week bloating, haha.

I picked up some pretty killer gray maternity work pants for $10! Yay clearance section! :) On a different note I heard back from my second blood test today and my hcg levels have tripled in 2 days! This little bean is growing up a storm in there already. My levels were 31 on Tuesday and as of this afternoon they were 94. Grow baby, grow!

Pregnant :)

We're expecting! I found out on Monday, February 27th after taking a pregnancy tests and getting a very faint line. I took another test later that day and the line was still there! After confirming the pregnancy with my doctor via blood work we knew it was for sure. This little bean is due to arrive on November 9th!!

I have an appointment set up at the Puget Sound Birth Center on March 8th to meet the midwives and make sure it's going to be a good fit for us. I won't be going back to the Center for Woman's Health due to some changes they made that can't guarantee a midwife assisted delivery in the hospital. I'm so excited about the idea of delivering in a birth center and I can't wait to meet the midwives.