Weeks Three, Four, and Five Overview.

Right now I am five weeks and three days pregnant and I love it... given nothing is really going on during these early weeks, but still, I'm doing great.

On my last post I stated I was two weeks pregnant, but I was really four. My doctor told me to take the first day of my last menstrual cycle (July 23, 2013) to help determine my due date...as opposed to taking the most fertile day during ovulation (which was August 9, 2013). This is why I was two weeks off.

Women are usually pregnant for forty weeks, so actually, that's ten months. However, a mother isn't considered "pregnant" until week three when the blastocyst finished traveling through the fallopian tube and has officially planted itself into the uterus. Which makes being officially pregnant for 9 months, but it is a ten month process. Confused yet? If so, reread the paragraph.

You good? I hope so...Here is an overview on weeks three, four, and five:


WEEK 3: Tommy and I told family and friends. I called the doctor to make our first appointment, which is September 9, 2013.

The baby: The blastocyst planted itself in the uterus and is now an embryo. The embryo will continue to grow and become a fetus.

Mommy's Health: I had no appetite all week. I was soo hungry, but anytime I thought of food, I’d lose my appetite, but I was not nauseous. I still ate. I had whole grains, veggies, Greek yogurt, chicken, eggs, and tons of fruit to help with possible constipation.

I had cramps all week, apparently it's just my uterus growing and stretching. Yummy.

I still exercised regularly. I use the elliptical and or go for long walks. I no longer increase my weights anymore, I only increase the reps.

I drink 10-12 glasses of water and take my prenatal vitamin every night.

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WEEK 4: Tommy and I took our "week 4" pictures. We even started to narrow down baby names.

The baby: The embryo was the size of a poppy seed.

 

Mommy's Health: I still did not have an appetite. I still ate: whole grains, veggies, Greek yogurt, granola, chicken, eggs, and tons of fruit to help with possible constipation. (I don't think constipation will even be a problem considering the amount of fruit I eat)

According to my BMI (body mass index), age, height, and current weight, I should gain anywhere from 25-35 pounds. Not too bad!

I still had cramps all week. This uterus has a long way to grow. Get it?

I'm doing exercises on my back while I still can, once I’m in my second trimester, the baby is too heavy. I will not be able to sleep or do exercises on my back because the baby will be heavy enough to push blood veins against the backbone, or other internal body parts. This causes the baby's blood flow to slow down or even stop. NO THANKS.

I still drink 10-12 glasses of water and take my prenatal vitamin every night.

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WEEK 5: (my current week) Tommy and I really TRIED to narrow down our baby names. I'm pretty sure I have them picked out. We also made a list of things we will need when the baby comes so we can start buying things little by little. Items that aren't usually given at a baby shower, for example, baby thermometer, baby gate (mostly to keep my Chihuahua, Chloe, out of the hallway so I don't have to worry about tripping over her), and a baby monitor.

We are taking our "week 5" pictures tomorrow!

The Baby: The embryo is the size of an apple seed. Seriously!! From a tiny poppy seed dot to an actually visible apple seed...IN ONE WEEK! UNBELIEVABLE!

 

ACCORDING TO MY "Baby Bump" APP: The embryo is now dividing into three layers of cells. The top layer will become the central nervous system (the brain, spinal cord, spinal nerves, and backbone). The middle layer will develop into the circulatory system. The bottom layer will develop the lungs, intestines, thyroid, and other major organs.

Mommy's Health: I'm rarely hungry. I think it's because I’m eating more frequently to avoid the headaches I’ve been getting this week.

My sense of smell has increased greatly. I already have a nose like a bloodhound before I was pregnant (not the size of my nose, just my sense of smell...very funny). NOW my sense of smell is like a bloodhound and a shark combined. There are no clear reasons why a mother's sense of smell heightens when pregnant. Some say it's a "maternal instinct" to protect the baby. If something smells rancid from afar, the mother knows not to go near it.

I do have a little tiny BELLY bump. But don't get too excited...it's only water weight 

I still drink 10-12 glasses of water and take my prenatal vitamin every night.

I still exercise regularly. I do not increase my weights, I only increase the reps. I don't want to lift weights that are too heavy and end up hurting myself.

I've also been doing "Kegel" exercises. These are exercises that strengthen the pelvic muscles. This muscle supports urethra, bladder, uterus, and rectum. These exercises help with birth because it strengthens the uterus and the mother's muscle tones in the vagina. I'm sure most of you are lost and thinking, WHAT THE HECK ARE KEGEL EXERCISES. Do I really need to go into HOW to do these exercises? FINE, I will.

~~MEN DO NOT TRY THIS; YOU DO NOT HAVE A VAGINA!! PLEASE SKIP TO THE NEXT PARAGRAPH~~

Alright ladies, first start with an empty bladder. Hurry up, go pee. Ok, now imagine you are urinating and push. Now, pull back up like you are trying to stop yourself from peeing. Feel the squeeze? Hold it for five seconds. Now release and do it again. Make sure you’re squeezing and lifting without using your tummy, bottom, or squeezing your legs together. Only use your vagina. (For the guys that did not take my advice and move onto the next paragraph..having fun?) Pregnant women should repeat these "squeezes" thoughout parts of the day in sets of five. Ya know if your sitting there bored in a meeting, just squeeze your vagina and pull up. It's a fun time. I'm such a good Kegel exercise instructor. Is that even a profession?? Where to I apply? I can offer it online!! Lindsay: Certified Kegel Exercise Instructor. It does have a nice ring to it. Alright, let's bring the men back.

WELCOME BACK MEN!

FOR WEEK 6 AND OTHER WEEKS TO FOLLOW: Let's just all assume i'm drinking 10-12 glasses of water, taking my prenatal vitamin every night, using the elliptical or taking a long walk everyday, lifting weights, stretching, and doing my Kegel exercises...until told otherwise. Writing them over and over every week will get old fast. And i'm sure you'll get tired of reading it.

Can't wait to see what week six will bring me!


 

THE NEWS YOU ALL HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR!

I haven't even started writing this post yet and I'm crying. I know I promised not to announce my pregnancy unless I reached three months. HOWEVER, there are doctors appointments, ultrasounds, blood work, and millions of other things to blog about. Well, if you haven't figured it out already...

I'm PREGNANT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And as you probably already know, my husband and I are...I can't even think of the word to describe how excited, ecstatic, beyond joyful, blessed, jumping up and down, crying every two seconds, screaming, crying, you get the idea.

Let me just remind you... didn't I tell you I wanted to be pregnant in August so I could have the baby in May? We arrived, we fought, we conquered. Who gets pregnant the first official month they try?? My husband is the best.

OK, so, let's get down to how I found out. Monday (August 19, 2013) was four days before my missed period. I had breast tenderness and sensitivity, no appetite, and hot flashes. I had one test left and knew the odds were against me, but decided to take the test anyway. I peed on the stick and waited my three minutes. I looked at the test and it was blank. No lines. I looked at the instructions and reviewed the results: one line= not pregnant, two lines= pregnant, no lines= invalid. The instructions said to wait an extra ten minutes. I had to be at work by two in the afternoon and it was eight in the morning. So five hours later, before I left for work, I checked the test one more time. It was blank so I threw the test out. My husband got home from work an hour before me. I walked in the door and he said "Did you see the test you threw out??" And I answered "Yeah, I waited five hours and no lines showed up." He gave me a weird look and said he saw two lines. He showed me the stick and there were two lines. Very very very very light light light tiny tiny lines. I looked at him and told him that must have appeared ten hours after I took the test..It was more than invalid, this test was crazy. You seriously had to shine a light and hold the stick two inches from your face to see these lines. Something inside made me question the test. Why would the test detect the pregnancy hormone causing the second line to show up? Even if it was ten hours later.

That night Tommy went to the store to pick up more tests. I told Tommy that I would take another test in the morning after he left for work. I told him to not call me throughout the whole day because If I was pregnant I wanted to tell him in a special way. We went to sleep early Monday night because I wasn't feeling good. I had/have a bad cold. So around two in the morning on Tuesday (August 20, 2013) I had to pee so bad. I was debating whether or not to take the test. Tommy was still home and didn't have to go to work for another three hours. I had to take the test during the first pee of the morning because that's when the hormones are most detectable. There was no way I would have been able to wait three more hours. If the test showed two lines, how could I keep my mouth shut and go back to sleep?! 

So I go pee in a cup and stick the new test in for five seconds, of course waking Tommy up in the process. Almost immediately I saw the second line and began freaking out. Tommy asked if everything was alright. It took EVERYTHING in me to not blabber about what I just saw. I ran out the bedroom door and into the hallway for a few seconds to pull myself together. When I entered our room I told him it was negative, that I was upset, and to not ask any questions and go back to bed. He asked if I was okay and I told him yes that my nose is stuffed and it was hard to breathe.  Looking back now It worked out that I was sick because, really, I was crying. Thank God he isn't a morning person, he fell right back to sleep.

I, of course, did not go back to sleep and stayed up on Pinterest for three hours, looking for ways to tell Tommy I was pregnant. 5 a.m. rolled around and Tommy got up to get ready for work while I pretended to sleep. He finally left and I had to pee again. I took another test to make sure. It came out positive again and on my SECOND pee of the morning!

I was set on telling Tommy the way I planned on initially. So I went to the craft store and bought decorated blank baby shower invitations, stickers, and a silver pen. I wrote a beautiful letter from the "baby," put the letter in the envelope, and put stickers all over the envelope. Knowing Tommy would want to travel  the world to everyone's house to share the best news of our lives, I called Tommy's boss and we worked out a way to have him home by noon.

Tommy was home by noon and because he works with sewers and drains he routinely comes home, puts his clothes in the laundry room, and takes a shower. This gave me time to put the letter on the kitchen table and get my video camera ready! I wish I could upload the video, but there is an "error" every time I try! Probably because it's too long. I will TRY putting the video on my Facebook. Bad news is unless you're friends with me on Facebook, you won't be able to see it.






But, I do have footage of Chloe, our chihuahua finding out she is going to be a big sister. THIS IS TOO CUTE!

We told all of our family and friends we are expecting and I even posted it on my Facebook and Twitter.



These were all taken at different times between Tuesday and Wednesday. The test on top has the darkest double lines...it's my most recent test.



I called my doctor Wednesday (yesterday) and told the receptionist I was pregnant. She asked when the first day of my last menstrual cycle started. After I told her she figured out I was three weeks pregnant and would not need my first appointment until I was six weeks pregnant. My first appointment is 9/9/13. My doctor will discuss what to expect and send me to a lab to get blood work and an ultrasound done. Then my next appointment is 9/25/13 to discuss the blood work and ultrasound.

I've been sleeping a lot and drinking tons of water to fight off this cold. I have little appetite, but trying to eat every couple of hours. I also have cramps because the blastocyst (it's not even an embryo yet) is still traveling through my fallopian tube (that's right it's not even in my uterus yet)

I'm so excited to blog about my pregnancy so early so I can share everything. We are so blessed from all the love and support. I know it's early, but I'm extremely healthy and ready to grow a baby in my belly!! LOVE YOU ALL!!!

MOM, DO NOT READ.

The award for the most disappointing thing about trying to get pregnant goes to MY PERIOD! We just started last month and I was only off my birth control not even a month before trying, so I'm not surprised. But it still sucks! And yeah yeah I know "YOU CAN STILL BE PREGNANT EVEN THOUGH YOU HAVE YOUR PERIOD!!!" When observing my period, nevermind, I'm not going into detail... just trust me, I'm not pregnant.

 

Getting pregnant usually happens within a year. I've read all the tips and did my research to try and help this process move along. I haven't blogged about what ways are best when trying to get pregnant, so here we go!

 

First I would like to say these tips were based on doctor's opinions via WEBMD to help couples get pregnant faster.

 

Tip 1: Use various ways to determine ovulation days. Do not just use an ovulation calendar to determine when ovulating, especially if you are as irregular as me, it is not 100% accurate. Your smart phone isn't smart enough to know what is going on inside the body. The ovulation app "predicts" when a woman is ovulating based on past periods and if the periods are irregular, then it becomes harder to determine ovulation days. They are still good to use because it's better to have a predicted ovulation day rather then just picking a random day to have sex.

Tip 2: Take your basal temperature. This is when you take your temperature AS SOON AS you wake up. Yes, before you pee, or even sit up. You simply reach out for the thermometer (without moving anything but your arm) and take your temperature. The basal temperature detects small changes in body temperature, like when ovulating. A woman's temperature usually changes when ovulating and if the temperatures are documented everyday, you can easily detect when ovulating.

Tip 3: There is a way to tell when ovulating by using "cervical mucus" (CM). You use your vaginal fluids to help determine if you are ovulating. I'm just going to quote this website:

 

"...For most of the cycle, CM acts as a barrier to sperm. It protects the cervix chemically–with white blood cells fighting foreign bodies–and mechanically–acting as a plug and closing the cervical canal. But during the fertile phase, the consistency and composition of CM changes. Instead of being a barrier, CM now aids and accelerates the sperms’ passage through the cervix. CM during the fertile phase also extends sperm longevity, allowing them to live for up to five days within the female body. (Sperm lives in the female body for five days...yummy) The CM even acts as a quality control device, screening the sperm and catching any with irregular or curved swimming.

By observing CM to pinpoint the fertile phase, women can help increase their chances of conception. Changes in CM will indicate the days leading up to ovulation, and sexual intercourse during this time will ensure that sperm—nourished by fertile phase CM—will be present when the egg is released." WOW SUPER MUCAS TO THE RESCUE!!

What to Look For
A woman can monitor her CM by feel or appearance. The sensation of CM in the vagina–dry, moist, or wet–is one clue to follow for detecting impending ovulation. The color (white, creamy, cloudy or clear) and consistency (sticky, or smooth and slippery)

The chart below gives the information for de-coding CM to detect ovulation.

Phase	Sensation	CM Appearance
Pre-ovulatory	Dry	No visible mucus.
Fertile	Moist or sticky	White or cream colored, thick to slightly stretchy. Breaks easily when stretched.
Highly Fertile	Slippery, wet, lubricated	Increase in amount. Thin, watery, transparent, like egg white.
Post-ovulatory	Dry or sticky	Sharp decrease in amount. Thick, opaque white or cream-colored.

Tip 4: Using ovulation sticks are probably best. Pee on the stick, the test indicates yes, you are ovulating and BAM! There is the answer. Go have sex. Done. If only they weren't so expensive. It doesn't hurt to do all four of these ways to determine ovulation. As of today, I only have the calendar because I'm trying to make this happen naturally and we are having fun doing so!

 

Tip 5: Have sex before ovulating. The egg is only vulnerable for around 24 hours, so waiting until you are actually fertile could cause you to miss that opportunity. REMEMBER: the sperm can live up to five days (usually 3 days) inside the woman. So this is what I do and plan to keep doing. Have sex every other day for the whole month, period comes, period goes, have sex every other day again. Have sex before, during, after ovulating. SEX ALL THE LIVE LONG DAYS! (sorry mom) So even if you are irregular like me, there are no missed opportunities. But If I am going to be that extreme, why not just have sex everyday? The male body needs time to recreate new sperm. Plus, give me a break, jeez.

Tip 6: Do not put "love-making" on a schedule. That sort of contradicts tip 5, but think about it.Trying to hurry the process along will cause couples to become stressed and that affects hormones. Just enjoy each other, make love, and don't worry about getting pregnant. Be in love!

Tip 7: PILLOW THERAPY! My doctor actually recommended this to me. Use a pillow to prop your pelvis up after intercourse. Lay there for 20-30 minutes to help the sperm move through your body. Ya know, have sex, lay there propped up with a pillow while watching an episode of Judge Judy or something. GOOD TIMES.

Tip 8: Does the sex position really matter? The research out there is seriously 50/50. Some say that the sex position matters, usually mentioning the man on top or missionary/doggy style, others say it doesn't matter as long as the woman orgasms. My doctor said it doesn't matter, but I believe in gravity and not willing to take any chances. I advise the woman to be on her back with the pillow close by ready for service!

Do I have any last words? Mom, I hope you didn't read this.