My back aches, my skirt's too tight....

"How are you feel?"  Is a question I get a lot!  I usually say "fine" to spare the nice person from knowing my real feelings (and their thoughts of me not being grateful of my pregnancy).  However, I do feel like saying well "my back aches, my skirt's to tight, my booty (now bigger booty and belly) shakes from left to right."

I am truly grateful to be pregnant and know this weight gain is for a wonderful cause (Nick has been great with his encouragment with this; he know my fear of weight), but it does come along with feeling fat.  I don't yet have that "cute" baby bump, but I have gained 5 lbs.  Some of you may be thinking, "5lbs...big deal."  However, I am 5'2'' (on a good day...in heels).  5 lbs on me is 10lbs on a tall person.  I have retired some of my "regular" clothes.  In fact, the outfit I wore here was officially retired on Monday until the winter (too tight..yikes!). 

The only way I know to compare it is...do you know how you feel after eating a big buffet dinner?  You know how you un-do your pants on the ride home to give your belly some room (you know you do it!)?  Well, that is how I feel now, but all day in my regular clothes (I switched over to the trusty leggings today!...Work appropriate? Not sure.). 

My weight gain has been in my mid-section and thighs, so pants are where I feel it the most.  Dr. Villers said a 5 lb weight gain is fine at this stage (15 weeks).  She said that she usually doesn't mind if her patients gain 15 lbs by week 20.  She said with a normal pregnancy, one should expect to gain around 30 lbs total.  I asked her if she would tell me if she thought I was gaining too much.  She said "yes," which makes me feel great.  I like for someone to hold me accountable, and also not let me get too far gone.  She said that 30lbs is a reasonable amount of weight to still be healthy to deliver and manage postpartum when trying to work off that baby weight. 


*For those who are confused by the title, I was a little league cheerleader in my day (it stopped after little league).  The title is part of a cheer we used to do-" My back aches, my skirt's too tight, my booty shakes from left to right, say OOH, AHUH we got that spirit, we do....say OOH, AHUH we got that spirit, we do!

Is it safe to ice-skate while pregnant?

It was raining on Sunday, so we were not able to make it out to the Flowertown Festival in Summerville, SC this weekend.  We didn't want to be stuck inside all day, so we decided to go ice-skating!  I am glad I didn't "goggle" is it safe to go ice-skating while pregnant because this among other things came up telling me how unsafe it is.  Of course, an expert is not going to get on Babycenter.com and tell you "sure...break a leg...get out there!" But honestly, if you "goggle" to see if any activity is safe while pregnant, you will be sitting on your *tushy* for the next 7 months eating ice cream sundaes!

This is where I think us, pregnant ladies, just have to make good judgment.  You know yourself (cluts level), and you know that you aren't going to go out there and use the ice rink like a "slip and slide" as we did when we were kids!

I had business to take care of on Sunday.  I have high expectations for our little one, so we have to start him/her out young (14 weeks gestation).  We are training the next Olympian after all.  We're thinking we'll have the next Apolo Ohno or Dorothy Hamill after our ice skating adventure!

We had tons of fun at the Carolina Ice Palace.  Nick fell down a few times, but he pushed himself to the limits and wasn't scared to fall.  I slowly went around dodging all the little kids with the "ice-skating walkers."

This "sport" really gets the heart rate up.  Since it is 57 degrees in there, I didn't realize I was getting some exercise, as I wasn't sweating.  We took a break, and I could feel my heart was pounding!

For those who know me from Soirées & Shenanigans, you know I didn't go there without a coupon!  Click here to get free skate rentals. 


**Reader Footnote: I felt comfortable going ice-skating this weekend, but I'll have to see in future weeks, as I know my balance will be off with the baby bump.  I'm going to use good judgement each time before putting on a pair of skates.  However, I'm not going to be that person that sits at home and does nothing!

Update: Second OB visit

This is week 15 of my pregnancy, so it was still too early to tell what the baby's sex (darn it!).  At my next appointment (April 30th), they will do another 4D ultrasound and will be able to tell the sex then.  April 30th seems like a long way off, but I am sure it will be here before we know it.

I'm including links to 3 videos taken during this visit.  Videos 1 and 3 are 6-7 minutes long, so grab a bag of popcorn before watching!

The visit was very good all and all!  Our baby still progressing as it should, and everything looks normal. 

Reviewing my list of questions (See Here)



2D ultrasound (Doppler) to check on the baby (check out the difference between this video and the 12 week 4D video...4D really makes a difference!).  Heart rate has slowed from the 170's to 158, which is normal to slow down a bit.  As with the last ultrasound, our baby had its legs crossed again!!



Follow up questions with Dr. Villers and after-visit chat.

Second OB visit

Good Morning....stay tuned to the blog later today.  I have my second OB visit with Dr. Villers at 8:45.  I plan to Flip Video it, and maybe...just maybe we can take a look to see if we can find out the sex of the baby!! 

A few questions on my list so far:
-Headaches (I'm having a lot lately and don't like taking a lot of meds)
-Back Pain on my left side
-Weight gain (where should I expect it beside my belly....pants are fitting tight these days)
-Prenatal Vitamins (I have been taking Prenate Elite, but have Concept OB and Concept DNA samples.  Want to know which is better or if I should stick with the one I am on).
-What to expect next as far as appointments.
-Review bloodwork

Fashion Friday-Leggings

I am a HUGE fan of leggings!  I wasn't at first; it took some convincing for sure (Thanks to my friend, MM!!).  When trying leggings for the first time, make sure you complete the outfit.  Don't just go to the store and slip on a pair without a cute top. You must see it as an outfit.  I am sure if I would have only tried the leggings, I would have been completely "grossed out" at the way I looked and ripped them off (and never looked back).  These were my first "maternity" purchase.  Most leggings come one size fits all, so I am hopefully they will stretch to fit me at 9 months and look as good as they do at 14 weeks (time will tell...I'll keep you posted)!

Here are a few tops I think would be cute to pair with some leggings!

Click Here to view this Pea in the Pod Tunic

Click Here to view the Lavish Tunic by Heidi Klum

Click Here to view Loved By Heidi Klum Dropwaist Tunic

Lions, Tigers and DAYCARE oh my!

I've always heard "rumblings" about getting a child (especially the first) into daycare, but I never paid much attention (after all, that subject didn't pertain to me!). As you know, I found out I was pregnant at 9 weeks, and I really didn't tell anyone (other than those I just can't keep a secret) I was pregnant until 12 weeks.
As soon as I started telling people (especially those with small children), their response was "wow, congratulations; you need to look into daycare." I thought to myself, "are they serious; certainly it isn't a problem. I'm only 12 weeks along, and we don't need daycare right at 6 weeks" because Nick is going to keep our child until March 2011 (our time frame for child care is January 2011-March 2011 since Nick has a light schedule in the winter and would like to stay home with our little one).
Their comments got me thinking; then it got me stressed out! Especially when looking on the internet to find daycares in Charleston, none of these places have a website. We actually found the yellow pages to be the most helpful (talk about stepping back in time) and asking friends where they take their children (and where friends of friends go)!

After my First Trimester Screening appointment, we set out to tour a few daycares. We toured Ashley River Baptist Child Development Center (Savannah Hwy), Little Christian Day School (Wappoo Road), and Charleston Day School (South Windermere). All of these places had its pros and cons, but we would feel comfortable leaving our child at any of these places.

Ashley River Baptist ($160/ week with option of vaca week after 6 mos) is our first choice. We liked how clean the place was, the healthy lunches served, no TV (except for a treat), it comes highly recommend from friends and family, and most of all, the structure they provide (curriculum and schedule).
We put down our $25 deposit to be placed on the waiting list that 12-18 months long (WHAT?!?). Doing the math while sitting in the church office, didn't make me comfortable at all. 18 months from now is June 2011. Although that is our first choice, the director encouraged us to get on 2 other waiting lists.

Since Little Christian Day School ($140/week with no vaca week option) was our second choice, we decided to put down the $60 deposit (which guarantees us a spot anywhere from January-March 2011). We do like this program. Everyone seemed very friendly, the director was very involved with the children, overall the place seemed pretty clean, cheapest ($1,000 less/ year than ARB), and they serve breakfast and lunch to the kids. Some things that made it our second choice was the kids were watching a movie (because it was Friday...not a treat), their menu was not as healthy, and the children's curriculum didn't have structure until 4 years old.

We didn't put a deposit on Charleston Day School ($175/week) since Little Christian said our deposit guarantee us a spot. The ladies who run the newborn room were absolutely fantastic, and they change every child's diaper before letting them go home! We were most impressed with their newborn staff. What made it our third choice, was the location (busy area), the place seemed really dark and was the least clean (by no means was it filthy, so don't get me wrong. I would still leave my child there).

We did call Lutheran Church of the Redeemer's daycare, and their waiting list was so long, they weren't even taking names anymore. I was shocked by that since we weren't asking for daycare until March 2011. She informed me that she has babies that are due in October already on the list. I was thinking to myself "did these women test themselves everyday to see if they were pregnant?"
She did allow me to fill out a waiting list form for their daycare, but it came with no promises. She said she would follow up to let me know if I made it on the waiting list or not after they do their fall enrollment. I went ahead and filled it out since it didn't cost anything. The Lutheran Church would be the only other option if we made it on the list.

I feel pretty good about the daycares that we toured and am certainly glad that we didn't wait any longer to put our name on a list. "Lions, Tigers, and DAYCARES oh my!"

It ain't easy being queasy!

Confession-I stole this title from The Women's Speak Blog.  This blog has a lot of great women topics, so if you have a question, instead of "googling," try this source first (I did, and it worked)!

I am still struggling with this "Afternoon Sickness" (my equivalent to morning sickness).  A girl friend at work sent me to Dr. Jill Mauldin's (a follower of this blog, I may add!) post "It ain't easy being queasy!"

Here are some helpful hints I tried after reading, and it worked!
-Avoid fried!  I've been sick 3 times, and two of them was after (one during) eating fried foods.  I am now going to steer clear of anything fried. 

-Do not lie down for at least 2 hours after eating! After reading this, I thought, she is nuts, and thought to myself "who is going to do that?" Well, let me tell you...after 3 times in a row of getting sick in less than an hour yesterday, I thought I would try this trick to keep down some headache meds.  It worked!!!
The other common thread when I get sick is I get an awful headache.  Keeping down meds was my main motivation yesterday, and this helpful hint got me through it.

-Carbonated clear sodas are a good option!  This is what I used to take my headache meds.  I think a combo of sitting up and drinking some carbonated soda made me get over the "queasy" feeling!

Circes from Mimi

On Friday, we got a big box in the mail from "Mimi," my husband's mom (that's her grandma name).  It was a pretty day on Friday, so we took the package outside to open it and enjoy the nice weather.

Graham was right in on the action; he was trying to figure out which one was his!

We got two cute mugs.  Mine said "New Mommy to blessed to be stressed," and Nick's said "New Daddy get ready to have your world rattled."  We also got some rubber duckies (which Graham was VERY fond of and thought were his), Peeps, and my favorite, the "Baby to Bee" photo frame!

We put our week 12 Ultrasound picture in it and placed it on the buffet right by our front door!  I had never seen one of these frames before, but absolutely love it!  Mimi got it at Hallmark just in case you know a mommy or daddy to "bee!"

Reader footnote: I've had some questions about the word Circe.  "Circe" (pronounced 'Sir See')-this is a French or Scottish word for small gift (mainly used in the South). I have also seen it spelled sercy, circi, surcy, & searcy (mainly a spoken word).

Read this link (mid way down the page) regarding the word Circe (my choosen spelling) and its possible history.

Attention All Mrs. Pregnants in the Lowcountry

Tomorrow (3/23/10) is FREE Cone Day at Ben & Jerry's!  All Charelston locations are participating (Market Street downtown and Isle of Palms).  No coupon or purchase needed to get this great offer, so take your cute pregnant self down to Ben & Jerry's tomorrow for Free Cone Day!

This offer goes along great with the stereotypical cravings of a pregnant lady, Pickles and Ice Cream!

If not in Charleston, find the nearest location to you.  Click Here!

Morning Sickness (or evening sickness or all day sickness)

Emails from Friday:

Hi Dr Villers,
I got sick for the first time yesterday (came over me all of a sudden while eating lunch...pretty embarrassing), and ever since then, I just haven't felt well. I had to take a lost patient to the ER yesterday that had the symptoms of the norovirus (my nonclinical, paranoid diagnosis). It has made me paranoid...then getting sick today, when I thought I was getting out of the phase of the chance of morning sickness (1st trimester). Any advice or reason I'm got sick?
See you on the 29th for my next appointment!
Meredith

*Note to my readers: I work at MUSC Children's Hospital (the best Children's Hospital in the world in my book!), and since finding out I am pregnant, I tend to have an extra paranoia of getting sick.

Dr. Villers' Email:
"You should be past the morning sickness stage. Most morning sickness starts around 7 weeks and ends by 14 weeks. Although some women do have nausea and vomiting that persists longer.
Morning sickness (or evening sickness or all day sickness) usually is self-limited. You feel nauseated and may or may not get sick. But then you may feel ok for the rest of the day. A virus will make you sick constantly all day long. Plus you may have diarrhea and other associated symptoms. Also, other members of the household also may be sick as well. Although you may want your husband to experience morning sickness, it just doesn’t happen (ha ha...Dr. Villers might know me better than I thought!).

If you come in contact with a sick person, you need to wash your hands thoroughly. If you know that someone is sick, you should just avoid being around them if you can. If you get a virus, you should just make sure you stay very hydrated – drink, drink, drink. There is not much else you can do except give the virus time to resolve.

If you have pregnancy nausea, ginger tea can help settle your stomach. Also Vitamin B6 can help with some nausea. Some women find that the acupressure bands that you apply to your wrist for seasickness will also help relieve the symptoms. If that still doesn’t help, there are prescription medications for nausea that are safe for pregnant women. I usually recommend an acid blocker such as Zantac to help with the “sour stomach” feeling. Zantac also works well for women who get that nasty bile taste in the back of their throats (yikes...that sounds ROUGH...I hope I don't experience that!).

I hope this helps answer some of your questions. Your blog looks great!" (oh my!  my doc is reading!! cool huh!)
Margo (aka Dr. Villers)

First Trimester Screening-Blood Results Are Back!

This post is an update from Friday's ultrasound post (First Trimester Screening).  Take a listen to hear my conversation with Sally Shield, MUSC Prenatal Wellness Center genetic counselor about my results, more about the First Trimester Screening and the results obtained from this elective test.

First Trimester Screening for Down Syndrome (extra copy of chromosome 21) and trisomy 18 & 13 is a test offered to women in their first trimester of pregnancy to determine the chance that they will have a baby with Down Syndrome and/or trisomy 18 & 13. It cannot detect all birth defects or genetic conditions.

The screening combines measurements from both a blood test and an ultrasound examination (see YouTube video, "First Trimester Screening").  My results were all negative or normal, and I have a 1 in 10,000 chance of having a baby with the above conditions.  We are very excited to hear the good news!

Pregger Pickles

When I saw Zaxby's advertising these, I wondered if these were made for us, pregnant ladies.  Personally, I love Zaxby's, but will not be trying these.  The thought of these make me feel ill, but according to the stereotypical craving of pickles and ice cream, I am sure there are some out there rushing to the nearest Zaxby's drive thru (through...grammar).

According to About.com, 68% of women experience cravings at some point in their pregnancy.  Personally, I haven't craved anything that I didn't want before (candy, chocolate, anything sugar, etc).  Before knowing I was pregnant, I would certainly restrict myself from giving into these cravings (the fear of getting fat), but I must say, I have given into some of those cravings lately!

More so than craving things, I have certainly found that there are some foods I used to LOVE, but now I don't want to be around.  One of those is pasta sauces.  The thought of lasagna, spaghetti or any red sauces make me cringe!  Pasta dishes are a staple in our home, but my husband has been eating those on his own lately.  I even don't like to sit near him when he is eating it. (weird!)

Meat, at times, I have the same feeling.  I was never a huge meat eater before, but now, I have a strong aversion towards it.

What are/were your cravings or food aversions?

And for those who know me from Soirées & Shenanigans, you know I wouldn't end this post without a coupon!  Here is a link to sign up to receive a FREE meal from Zaxby's.  I have done this, and it works!

13 Weeks....189 days to go!

“Shrimp is the fruit of the sea. You can barbecue it, boil it, broil it, bake it, sautee it. There's, um, shrimp kebabs, shrimp creole, shrimp gumbo, pan fried, deep fried, stir fried. There's pineapple shrimp and lemon shrimp, coconut shrimp, pepper shrimp, shrimp soup, shrimp stew, shrimp salad, shrimp and potatoes, shrimp burger, shrimp sandwich... That's, that's about it.” (What movie is this from???)

According to BabyCenter.com, our baby at 13 weeks is about the size of a medium shrimp (at 11 weeks, it was the size of a fig and at 12 weeks, a lime).  A lime at 12 weeks seems bigger than a medium shrimp 13 weeks.  I can assure you that this baby is not shrinking in size!  This is the first week I am starting to show a "bump."  My husband and I can tell, but everyone else says they can't tell. 

Check me out here...see for yourself:

I am still wearing my regular clothes, and think I have a few more weeks to wear my regular paints (tops, I feel, will last me longer). 

Here is what else BabyCenter.com said about week 13!
"Fingerprints have formed on your baby's tiny fingertips (I was surprised about this one), her veins and organs are clearly visible through her still-thin skin, and her body is starting to catch up with her head -- which makes up just a third of her body size now. If you're having a girl, she now has more than 2 million eggs in her ovaries. Your baby is almost 3 inches long (the size of a medium shrimp) and weighs nearly an ounce. As you start your second trimester, most of your baby's critical development will be completed and your odds of miscarriage drop considerably."

I joined BabyCenter.com after tons of girlfriends recommend the site and weekly emails. 

You're Pregnant?

I am glad I didn't wait too long to tell people I was pregnant.  The feared rumors of "WOW, Meredith is putting on some lbs" was enough to make me start telling people. 

Below is a cute card that I got in the mail yesterday from my friend, M-M!  The "You're Pregnant?" sign was spring loaded with glitter, which made the card extra cute (It's a Hallmark card for those curious)! 

Some of the comments I have received since telling my big news:

The Funny Ones:

"Congratulations....if you are into that kind of thing!  Guess we will need to get in our double date soon."

"Oh my gosh CONGRATULATIONS!!! I can totally see the Vera Bradley diaper bag."

The What is That Supposed to Mean ones:

"Well, you didn't have any trouble at all." (thanks...I guess?)

The Inappropriate One:

"Congrats on the fetus..." (you just have to know him...he means well, but....)

Super Sweet Ones:

"CONGRATS!!! I'm so happy for the both of you and the new adventure ahead of you!"

"CONGRATS! This is going to be a big baby year for the Sanders!"

"Yeah!!! I'm so excited fir the two ( three) of you!!! Congrts!!!!"

"Congrats! What a lucky kid."

"Congratulations! I look forward to seeing you and your cute little pregnant self :-)"

Talking about Super Sweet...I got this "Circe" first thing this morning

(the plate is already missing one two...oops!). 

First Trimester Screening

Everything went really well at the first trimester screening Friday, and everything looks normal. We'll have the full results when my bloodwork comes back in about a week. The ultrasound tech at MUSC Prenatal Wellness Center, Juli, was AWESOME!

Our little one had its legs crossed the whole time (very proper just like its mom!!), so we don't know what it is yet! Juli tried everything to try to get it to move, but he/she was comfortable where it was! Juli asked me if I ate Turkey before the appointment because the baby was not budging from its position.  She said I should eat something with sugar or drink a soda or juice before my next ultrasound to get our little one moving!  Nick quickly said "oh, she will have no problem with that!"  He is right; I don't need an excuse to eat sugar. 
 

Although we weren't able to tell what the sex of our baby was at our appointment, I am told and know of people who have found out the sex of the baby at their frist trimester screening when going to the Prenatal Wellness Center (PWC).  The PWC has a "super-duper" ultrasound machine that can see more than the normal office ones.  After comparing my 12 week ultrasound pictures to others at 12 weeks, I feel I can see a lot more!

 

We also Flip videoed my ultrasound.  Here is a "flip clip!"

Dr. Villers, How's My Bloodwork? What Did You Hear about the WPW?

"Everything looks great. Your iron count is wonderful!! You’re doing a great job with the prenatal vitamins.

I asked Dr. Jill Mauldin in Maternal-Fetal Medicine about WPW* (Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome). She said that there is probably a very small risk that your baby would inherit that condition. She said that you should get a fetal echocardiogram at around 22-25 wks of pregnancy to make sure that the baby’s heart looks normal. Otherwise, don’t worry about it. She also said that since the cardiologist (visited Dr. Peura last April to get my heart checked out since I was entertaining pregnancy ) thinks you are healthy that you will probably not have any problems with pregnancy."

Margo (aka Dr. Villers)

Side Note:
WPW* - I was born with WPW.  Throughout my childhood it was a hindrance (never knowing when my heart would start beating really fast, never being able to play sports, and always having minor procedures in an OR because no physician wanted to take the chance on me).
I had an Ablation when I was 19 years old.  I was in college and had exhausted every medication to try to keep it under control.  At the time, I was living by myself, and had an "episode."  My parents got really nervous of me living alone, so two months later I had the procedure.  This month will mark 10 years that I have been symptom free!!
While I have remained symptom free after the Ablation, WPW is something that is on my mind throughout this pregnancy.

9 Week Ultrasound

Thanks for stopping by Mrs. Pregnant in the Lowcountry Blog. This post gets more traffic than any other...how are you coming to this post? Please leave a comment when you stop by!

At 9 weeks, they still perform an internal (transvaginal) ultrasound.  I wasn't prepared for this, but the baby isn't big enough at that point to see it when doing an ultrasound on top of the belly (I think she said it was about two centimeters long).  Dr. Villers did the ultrasound, and we actually found out by the measurement of the baby's length that we were 9.3 weeks along.  I'm told, the measurements of the baby are pretty accurate when estimating the gestational age.  Also, we saw the baby's heart beat, and it was beating around 160 bpm.

Immediately, my husband, Nick, whipped out his Blackberry to start counting back the weeks to see when this all started (such a guy thing), while Dr. Villers whipped out this date wheel to see when we would be due. 

Nick's date was December 15, 2009.

Dr. Villers' due date was September 21, 2010.

WHAT...I'm 9 Weeks Pregnant?

On February 18, 2010, I found out that I was pregnant.  This news was certainly unexpected, and at the time of hearing Dr. Viller's Tech, Tammy, say "the test is positive," and then she showed me this stick with two lines on it.

I immediately came back and said "what does that mean?"  Tammy said "you're pregnant!!"

At first, I didn't know whether to "jump for joy" or cry.  I am not one for surprises (I'm a planner and preparer), and this certainly was a HUGE surprise AND UNplanned.

So, the doctor's orders of putting me on Progesterone to "jump start" a cycle after coming off of birth control was now null and void!  Dr. Viller's tore up the prescription for Progesterone and wrote me up a lab sheet to get lots of blood work done.

After leaving my appointment, I was still just stunned about the news.  All the thoughts of "am I prepared to be a parent," "crap, I'm not on prenatal vitamins," "when did this happen," "how far along am I," "oh my, the glass (bottle) of wine I had last week...the Excedrine, the Sushi, etc." were all going through my head. 

I immediately called my husband on my way back to work to tell him the news.  I think I said "apparently, I'm pregnant!"  He wasn't as shocked.  I think he said something like "well that would explain a lot!" 

We decided not to tell anyone until I got the blood result back (just to make sure the test wasn't a false positive). 

Dr. Villers was great, and emailed me that night to tell me "You are pregnant!! Your pregnancy levels are high enough that we should be able to see a baby on ultrasound. I’m thinking you are at least 6 to 7 weeks pregnant. I'm in the office tomorrow afternoon. Do you want to come over for an u/s?"
Of course, I instantly replied asking to come in.  We had our first ultrasound on February 19, 2010, and we were actually 9 weeks and 3 days along.

*The picture above is a picture of a picture. The u/s photo are from an in-office machine.

Getting Set Up

I'm currently getting Mrs. Pregnant in the Lowcountry set up.  My hope is to be up and running by mid week.  Check back with me to follow me through my pregnancy journey and learnings of how to be a new mom!