Gynae visits - 2

HELLO!!

The LONGGGG awaited checkup has come and gone. I was anxious about the 8th week checkup following the last miscarriage. So I scheduled this one to be after 8 weeks 1 day. Initially we were supposed to see her yesterday (Wednesday) but due to an emergency, all appointments were pushed to Thursday morning instead.

Sooooo... Finally, I lay down and fixed my eyes on the ultrasound machine, saw the sac, but didn't know where to look for the heartbeat!! Then the doc said, ahhh, there's the heartbeat. Very nice indeed. And then my eyes caught sight of the blinking dot. Beating so so so fast!!!

Gynae said that the estimated due date is 8th June 2010. =D All we can say now is, LORD YOU ARE SO SO SO SO GOOD!!! PRAISE YOU!!!

Baby spurts - Week 8

Welcome to Week 8!




This week:

• The embryo measures about 18 mm (3/4 inch) in length.
• Their arms and legs are growing and location of the elbows and toes are visible..
• The feet and hand buds have appeared.
• Starts to practice moving (not felt by mom till week 20)
• The stomach is being made from part of the gut.
• The face is beginning to take shape.
• Your baby's mouth and nostrils are starting to develop.
• Teeth begin to develop under the gums.
• The eyes can now be seen as small hollows on each side of the head.

See the big picture

New this week: Webbed fingers and toes are poking out from your baby's hands and feet, his eyelids practically cover his eyes, breathing tubes extend from his throat to the branches of his developing lungs, and his "tail" is just about gone. In his brain, nerve cells are branching out to connect with one another, forming primitive neural pathways. You may be daydreaming about your baby as one sex or the other, but the external genitals still haven't developed enough to reveal whether you're having a boy or a girl. Either way, your baby — about the size of a kidney bean — is constantly moving and shifting, though you still can't feel it.
Do visit this site to see what's going on in the uterus this week. =D

Note: Every baby develops a little differently — even in the womb. Our information is designed to give you a general idea of your baby's development.

How your life's changing:

You may notice that your bra is getting more snug. Soon you'll likely need a larger size with better support. Rising levels of hormones cause breast growth and other tissue changes, all in preparation for lactation. Your breasts may continue to grow throughout pregnancy. Don't be surprised if you go up a cup size or two, especially if it's your first baby. Keep this in mind, and allow for room to grow when investing in a new bra.

Feeling fatigued? Hormonal changes — in particular, a dramatic rise in progesterone — may be contributing to your sluggishness. Nausea and vomiting can certainly cost you energy, too. And you may be having trouble getting a good night's sleep at this point, especially if you're uncomfortable or find you need to get up to pee.
Walking to beat fatigue "Taking a short 15- to 20-minute walk helped me cope with the overwhelming fatigue that hit me in the first trimester. It was the only way I made it through a day at work without a nap!" —Gabriela

Source: Babycenter.com

Momma bump - 7 weeks

Hehehehe! Here's momma bump week 7!

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Walking with the Maker - 2

I'm sitting here wondering why I'm typing this... In the past God spoke through my mindless typing.. I'd sit and just type what my fingers felt like (literally) and then read what I had typed... Countless times, I'd realise that God had spoken through my fingers.. yeap... I guess today I'm desperate for something from God...

Yesterday morning, I noticed 2 pink spots on my chest... I proceeded to shove any negative thoughts away. Then in the afternoon, one more appeared on my elbow... Still negative thoughts were shoved away. After supper, 4 new bright pink spots had appeared.. 2 on each leg. That's when I broke down. Flashbacks came flooding in and I felt like I was trying so very hard to hold down the floodgates to keep the flood of emotions, fears, negative thoughts, and flashbacks that would pour in. But every minute required more energy. Every time I saw the spots my heart ached. And all I said was God No..... I want this baby! I read the Bible and all that was there was a call for me to draw closer to Him.... I cried and that was the end of the night.

This morning, the same number of spots remained... till afternoon, then 2 new ones appeared on my shoulder. I spent the whole day trying to keep the floodgates as tightly closed as possible... as well as trying hard to keep gastric reflux at bay. Needless to say, I was just so tired by the end of the work day.

My students stayed back after school for worship practice. Delaney the worship leader shared why she chose the song "Evermore" and how it had touched her. On May 21st, the morning after we found out we had lost our first baby, I went to work, and the pianist on duty did not know how to play the song "Evermore". So I went up to take his place. The words read... "As I look upon Your name circumstances fade away... now my soul, my soul cries out, You are Holy"... Evermore my heart my heart will say, above all I live for Your glory... I did not want to sing those words. I did not want to live for His glory, I just wanted my baby back. But nevertheless I still played and my mouth still sang. The pain was... indescribable as I uttered those words that above all I live for Your glory.

A few weeks back, for conversation sake, I asked Justin... what if we loose this one as well? He said... we'll try for another... and I said no... He then went on to say.. then we'll just continue living for His glory until we go to heaven and be united with our family...

Now I'm standing at a crossroad. I have 2 viable choices: 1. Continue thinking that I have lost this child and worry; 2. Know that my pink spots are back, know that there is a chance that I may miscarry again, but also know that God is God, and He's holding me now as He always have.

I'm choosing option 2. It's hard... because my next appointment is next Wednesday (past the 8 week 1 day mark)... and I have not heard an audible voice of God saying all will be well, neither have I seen visions or dreamt dreams that my baby will be well... But I have His promises that He always has my best in mind, He will make my joy complete, and a promise that His grace is above so much...

To those of you who have lost children.. born or unborn... you'll understand that the pain is so deep... especially if you know there is nothing you could've done to prevent it... May you continue to hold on to God even though choosing so does not make any sense.

Till my next appointment and ultrascan, I'm believing that my child will live, my child is now being fearfully and wonderfully made. In short... I'm believing that I am having this child!!

Baby spurts - week 7

Welcome to Week 7!





This week:

• The embryo is around 13 mm (1/2 inch) in length.
• The heart is beating with one chamber.
• A dividing wall is formed in the heart.
• Arm and leg buds begin to grow.
• The lower jaw and the vocal cords are beginning to form.
• The mouth opening is formed.
• The inner ear is being created.
• The digestive tract is developing
• The navel string is being created
• The following organs are being formed: the lungs, the liver, the pancreas and the thyroid gland.

See the big picture

How your baby's growing:

The big news this week: Hands and feet are emerging from developing arms and legs — although they look more like paddles at this point than the tiny, pudgy extremities you're daydreaming about holding and tickling. Technically, your baby is still considered an embryo and has something of a small tail, which is an extension of her tailbone. The tail will disappear within a few weeks, but that's the only thing getting smaller. Your baby has doubled in size since last week and now measures half an inch long, about the size of a blueberry.

If you could see inside your womb, you'd spot eyelid folds partially covering her peepers, which already have some color, as well as the tip of her nose and tiny veins beneath parchment-thin skin. Both hemispheres of your baby's brain are growing, and her liver is churning out red blood cells until her bone marrow forms and takes over this role. She also has an appendix and a pancreas, which will eventually produce the hormone insulin to aid in digestion. A loop in your baby's growing intestines is bulging into her umbilical cord, which now has distinct blood vessels to carry oxygen and nutrients to and from her tiny body.

See what's going on in your uterus this week.

Note: Every baby develops a little differently — even in the womb. Our information is designed to give you a general idea of your baby's development.

How your life's changing:

Your uterus has doubled in size in the past five weeks, and eating may feel like a chore — or worse — thanks to morning sickness, which by now may be in full swing. (If you're feeling fine, don't worry — you're lucky!)

You may need to pee more than usual, too, thanks to your increasing blood volume and the extra fluid being processed through your kidneys. (By now, you already have about 10 percent more blood than you did before you were pregnant. And by the end of your pregnancy, you'll have 40 to 45 percent more blood running through your veins to meet the demands of your full-term baby.) As your uterus grows, pressure on your bladder will send you to the bathroom as well.

About half of the women who feel nauseated during the first trimester will find complete relief by about 14 weeks. For most of the rest, it'll take another month or so for the queasiness to ease up. It's unlikely, though, that the need to pee more than usual will ease up. In fact, research shows that both the frequency and volume of urine tends to increase over the course of pregnancy.

Source: baby2see.com & babycenter.com

Whale-ly Updates 7

Hello again.

I'm currently at Week 7 and 2 days. I had a good break from gastric/nausea from last Wednesday to Saturday evening. Yesterday (Sunday) was bad... I had so much pain, nausea, and a few almost vomit sessions... spent the whole night not being able to sleep well... And this morning, I finally vomited. Felt much better after that but I'm worried about trying to keep the Progesterone pill in. Haven't been able to take much food today... water is worse... at most I can only take a few sips before feeling queasy again. =/

Oh well... I told God, please... may this only be confined to the 1st trimester. I want a beautiful 2nd trimester! So that would mean that I have about 4 weeks and 5 days more of this.

Oh my baby... you better love mommy!!

Momma bump - 6 weeks

Here's the (non) bump at 6 weeks =)

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Baby spurts - week 6

Welcome to Week 6!

Note: There are 2 ways of counting pregnancy weeks: 1. week 1 starts from the first day of the last period; 2. week 1 starts from the first day of fertilization. I shall be using the latter. =)

Week Six: The heart begins to beat

This week: The embryo has reached a size of about 8 mm (1/4 inch) in length. The spinal cord, which until now has been open, is beginning to close. The first blood cells and blood vessels are developing. Blood moves through these primitive vessels connected to the yolk sac. A pipe-shaped heart is formed and begins to beat. The brain begins to divide into 5 parts. Optic pits form the start of the developing eye. The cells destined to be the arms and legs are in place. You might not be able to stop yawning long enough to read this! Your baby develops rapidly during the first few weeks of pregnancy, which is why women tend to feel so tired in the first trimester. To help your baby thrive, you need plenty of rest and early nights, as well as fresh air, regular exercise and a healthy diet. Sleeping in a jog bra can help the breast soreness. Many of your symptoms are the same as last week. Some women may also get headaches from the rise in hormones. There are also a lot of women who will have none of these symptoms. They will sail through early pregnancy without vomiting or being light headed. For a lot of women this can be normal as well. Do not panic if you do not have pregnancy symptoms, although you should contact your care provider if you suddenly lose your pregnancy symptoms. At this time the embryo is still smaller than the size of a raisin. Low on the sides of the head are two folds of tissue that will become the ears. Although not completely developed, all the major body organs and systems are formed. The heart also forms, and it begins to beat on the 25th day after conception (about 6 weeks after the last menstrual period), and a heart beat can already be detected. The neural tube enlarges into three parts, that will soon to develop to become a very complex brain. Also the placenta begins functioning, known as the chorionic villi and the umbilical cord, through which the baby will receive nourishment and oxygen. The spine and spinal cord grows faster than the rest of the body at this stage and will give the appearance of a tail. This will disappear as the baby continues to grow.

Gynae visits - 1

We first saw the gynae on 2nd Oct when we were 4 weeks and the abdominal ultrasound (US) showed a gestational sac (GS) diameter of 0.89cm.

Second visit was on 5th Oct because of the dizzy spells caused by Progesterone pills and another US was done where GS was 1.03cm.

Third visit was today 14th Oct and an abdominal US showed a GS measuring 1.92cm (5weeks 5 days), but no heartbeat could be detected as it was still early. So we opted for a transvaginal US which showed a very clear picture of our baby, with a good strong heartbeat! It also showed that the crown to rump length (CRL) measured 0.9cm and baby was in fact 6 weeks and 4 days old! Our baby's growing on track! PRAISE THE LORD!!

After the transvaginal US, I went to pee, and discovered blood on my panties. Fresh blood... So we went back up to the gynae and she gave me an injection to stabilize the pregnancy (more hormones) and told me to go back for bed rest. She mentioned that it could be nothing more that just the effect of the transvaginal scan, so she concluded that to be safe, she won't do anymore transvaginal scans. =(

the blood stopped a while ago. It was like a one off thing. And the most amazing thing was, I felt a deep calmness throughout. So much peace. So I knew everything's going to be perfect! =) God is good!

Gastric reflux

Here's some facts about gastric reflux. I tried drinking milk and it seemed to help =)

Gastric Reflux

Posted Jun 02 2009 4:40pm

What is Acid Reflux?
Acid reflux is a condition where gastric juices containing acid travel back from the stomach into the esophagus (gullet or swallowing tube). Symptoms of acid reflux include:

• Heartburn (a burning feeling rising from the stomach or lower chest up towards the neck).
  
  
• Regurgitation (bringing food back up into the mouth).
  
  
• Chest pain.
  
  
• Difficulty in swallowing (dysphagia).
  
  
• Hoarseness, dental erosion and asthma (because acidic juices can make their way into the throat, mouth and air passages of the lungs).
  

How do you get Acid Reflux?
Some people experience this problem regularly and have a condition called gastroesophageal reflux disease or GERD.

The food in the stomach is partially digested by stomach acid and enzymes, which are special chemicals that help to break down food so the body can use it.

Normally, the partially digested acidic content in the stomach is delivered by the stomach muscle into the small intestine (bowel) for further digestion.

In patients with acid reflux, stomach acid content travels backwards into the esophagus, causing inflammation and damage.

Factors contributing to acid reflux include fatty foods, cigarettes, chocolate, caffeine, alcohol, obesity, pregnancy and delayed stomach emptying.

Obesity and pregnancy increase pressures within the abdomen (body trunk), pushing the stomach contents back into the esophagus.

Some patients have stomachs that empty their contents into the intestines very slowly.

A stomach full of food and acid is more prone to reflux, especially when the patient lies down (supine)..

How serious is Acid Reflux?
For most people with acid reflux, the discomfort associated with symptoms can affect quality of life and everyday activities, including work. Acid reflux is also the cause of heartburn and in severe cases, this can be very troublesome. When esophagatis is present the lining of the esophagus is damaged and may become ulcerated and can result in narrowing, making swallowing of food and, sometimes, liquids, painful and difficult.

How long does Acid Reflux last?
Acid reflux can last several months or longer if not treated. Drug treatment is often only needed for a short time although it may have to be repeated since some symptoms may re-occur.

How is Acid Reflux treated?
Medications commonly used in the treatment of acid reflux include:

• Acid suppressants, such as histamine2-receptor antagonists (blockers). Histamine is a chemical released in the body under different conditions, but particularly during inflammation. In the stomach it can release more acid, so blocking it reduces acid production.
  
  
  
• Proton pump inhibitors, which reduce the production of acid in the stomach by acting on cells in the stomach wall that make acid and release it into the stomach.
  
  
  
• Prokinetic agents, which promote emptying of the stomach so it does not overfill. They work by increasing the pressure of the lower esophageal sphincter (the muscular valve between the lower end of the stomach and the small bowel)
  

• Antacids are over-the-counter medicines that are commonly used to treat mild acid-related symptoms, like heartburn or indigestion, and work by neutralising acid in the stomach. However, they are not usually recommended to treat the frequent heartburn suffered by people with GERD.

Psalm 71

On an off I worry. I'm 6 weeks along now and at the back of my mind I know my first baby went home to the Lord at 8 weeks and 1 day. I try keeping blinders on, and they've been helping. But there are days where the preggers symptoms are lesser and I worry (cause with the last one I totally lost all symptoms within 3 days). Sometimes I feel weak... like I have no strength to keep this up.. this fighting. But that's the beauty of Grace of Our God. That when I am the weakest, I know He is His strongest always.

Shortly after I miscarried, a video on 99 balloons was shown in church (google up the story!) And this was the verse that came up in their website. I've been holding on to this since then. If anyone's reading this and you've feeling or experiencing similar things, I hope this encourages you. Remember the GOD we serve is Mighty and All Powerful.

Psalm 71

God the Rock of Salvation

¹ In You, O LORD, I put my trust;
Let me never be put to shame.
² Deliver me in Your righteousness, and cause me to escape;
Incline Your ear to me, and save me.
³ Be my strong refuge,
To which I may resort continually;
You have given the commandment to save me,
For You are my rock and my fortress.

⁴ Deliver me, O my God, out of the hand of the wicked,
Out of the hand of the unrighteous and cruel man.
⁵ For You are my hope, O Lord GOD;
You are my trust from my youth.
⁶ By You I have been upheld from birth;
You are He who took me out of my mother’s womb.
My praise shall be continually of You.

⁷ I have become as a wonder to many,
But You are my strong refuge.
⁸ Let my mouth be filled with Your praise
And with Your glory all the day.

⁹ Do not cast me off in the time of old age;
Do not forsake me when my strength fails.
¹⁰ For my enemies speak against me;
And those who lie in wait for my life take counsel together,
¹¹ Saying, “God has forsaken him;
Pursue and take him, for there is none to deliver him.”

¹² O God, do not be far from me;
O my God, make haste to help me!
¹³ Let them be confounded and consumed
Who are adversaries of my life;
Let them be covered with reproach and dishonor
Who seek my hurt.

¹⁴ But I will hope continually,
And will praise You yet more and more.
¹⁵ My mouth shall tell of Your righteousness
And Your salvation all the day,
For I do not know their limits.
¹⁶ I will go in the strength of the Lord GOD;
I will make mention of Your righteousness, of Yours only.

¹⁷ O God, You have taught me from my youth;
And to this day I declare Your wondrous works.
¹⁸ Now also when I am old and grayheaded,
O God, do not forsake me,
Until I declare Your strength to this generation,
Your power to everyone who is to come.

¹⁹ Also Your righteousness, O God, is very high,
You who have done great things;
O God, who is like You?
²⁰ You, who have shown me great and severe troubles,
Shall revive me again,
And bring me up again from the depths of the earth.
²¹ You shall increase my greatness,
And comfort me on every side.

²² Also with the lute I will praise You—
And Your faithfulness, O my God!
To You I will sing with the harp,
O Holy One of Israel.
²³ My lips shall greatly rejoice when I sing to You,
And my soul, which You have redeemed.
²⁴ My tongue also shall talk of Your righteousness all the day long;
For they are confounded,
For they are brought to shame
Who seek my hurt.

Whale-ly Updates 7

Hello again!

I'm currently at Week 6, and my body is slowly but sure morphing!

Updates this week:

My boobs have grown =( , last night I woke up twice to munch on something cause the gastric was just too unbearable, I've been feeling tired and gastricy throughout the day. Dizziness has been mild so that's a plus point. My abdominal area is still tender and I've grown a little (must be all the food I've been eating =( ) So I've been unable to put on my jeans now, and the number of shorts i can wear comfortably are... running out.

Till next time

tata!

Momma bump - 5 weeks

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Whale-ly Updates 6

Hello again!

My days now consists of waking up in the middle of the night to munch on Jacob's cracks because of gastric juice build up. Then waking up in the morning because of the same. Justin then cuts a kiwi for me to munch on before I get out of bed, because it is not advisable to get out of bed with an empty stomach. The activity only further excites gastric juices and causes me to go into a gagging-almost-vomiting phase. And once that phase takes place, it will carry through the whole day regardless of what I do to appease the angry stomach.

So note to those like me: Jacob cracks (or any other saltine biscuits) work. Always munch on something before getting out of bed. And try to drink at least 2 liters of water a day. If you can't keep water down (or it makes you queasy like me) try Ribena or some other fruit juice.

I've been getting moderate dizzy spells on and off. They last for about 10 minutes or so. A remedy is to put your head between your legs in a crunch position to promote blood flow. =)

I've been surviving. Thank God for a supportive and loving husband who's willing to wait on me hand and foot. Still trying to get him to post something on this blog though. He's just too busy =/ Come on future daddy, the readers want to read what you have to say too! *hint hint*

Whale-ly Updates 5

Hello!

Since the start of this week, I've been feeling as though I've slept through the days... In the previous pregnancy, I was dead tired towards the night and slept at 9.30. This pregnancy, I'm tired throughout the day! Especially after lunch. Real bad.... Yesterday I dozed off halfway through peeing. =/

I watched a video by a renowned gynae in an introduction to the second trimester. She mentioned that "while you may feel that you've been sleeping through your first trimester, the second trimester promises a renewed energy level". How true... I'm really looking forward to the second trimester.

I'm also going to start a new category of writing about baby developments called "Baby spurts" =D

Whale-ly Updates 4

Hello!


Started taking Utrogestan 100mg (progesterone) on Friday and everything was normal. Pink spots went away on Saturday!! =) But Saturday morning was freaky. Half way through music practice, I felt like I was almost fainting. Couldn't control my body and it was swaying! Started having sweaty palms, vision was fuzzy, and I just felt like my body was turning to Jell-O! Imagine my fear! Rushed to gynae's office right after practice and I was number 42, they were serving number 21. So we left for lunch and came back 2 hours later to discover they were only at number 30! In short, we didn't get to see her on Saturday.

I still continued with the supplements on Sunday and I felt quite normal. But Monday, half way through lunch, it happened again! Finally met gynae on Monday evening and she said this was normal... caused by the dilation of blood vessels and a lack of blood to my head... Lack of blood = lack of oxygen = fainty. Wow... I have to keep eating this until I'm 12 weeks. Hmmmm This is week 5, so there's another 7 to go. =/

But I'm rest assured that this is good for baby and that baby is doing GOOD!

Baby's gestational sac measured 0.89 cm on Friday, it measured 1.03cm yesterday (Monday). Talk about rapid growth.

Week 5, I have 35 weeks more to go. Yipee!

Whale-ly Updates 3

Hello!


This morning we had a scare again... I saw pink spots.... Yes pink spots. Ever since getting my period many years ago, I noticed pink spots. These pink spots (non itching, non painful, no feeling) always were present before or during my menstrual. Which means some hormones which signal my period signal the pink spots. And hormones that signal menstruation work against a pregnancy. So, I saw pink spots and my heart raced, I almost cried, and I prayed so hard...

After talking to my husband and parents, I decided to go see the gynae. Waiting in the gynae's office for 1.5 hours was painful... The last time I waited anxiously in her office, I found out I had lost my baby. My hands shook, I was cold, and I was basically very very very anxious... My dad gave me a book on scriptures I could read and I kept reading those scriptures to myself over and over again.

The gynae was pleased when she saw the gestational sac or baby's 'house' as she called it. It was small, so she concluded that I was only about 4 weeks pregnant. No heartbeat seen yet cause it's still too early. She kept repeating that I should relax and not be worried. I had 2 bits of good news: 1. I am indeed pregnant, and the baby is implanted in the right place. THANK GOD.

But then I brought up the issue of my pink spots and how they emerged during menstruation and how it was present the week I found out I was pregnant. She was so nice and patient enough to look through my file, upon which, realised that I had polycystic ovaries. She explained that having polycystic ovaries meant that I had progesterone deficiency. Which was bad, cause a pregnancy is sustained by progesterone.

In conclusion, she prescribed me progesterone pills to be taken twice a day which would help sustain the desired progesterone level and sustain the pregnancy. Thank God for a good health care professional who was patient enough to listen to me and calm my nerves. Thank God for great promptings to see the gynae today... Only God knows what would have happened if we saw the gynae only in 4 weeks' time.

My next appointment is in 2 weeks, where a fetal heartbeat would be seen. =) Following which, she'd prescribe another medication to promote blood flow to the baby.

I just thank God.... I really thank God and supportive family members. =)