17.5 weeks and Wildwood!

Some may wonder why I waited until now to do these posts...and really I don't have an answer other than lack of time and being unaware of where to start.

It took me not having to work, and realizing I really want to have a way to look back and tell Makenna about her journey later, for me to get motivated.

Our time at 17.5 weeks was a special and BUSY one.  This week, my husband and I were lucky enough to go to the beach together for the first time.

On the Dolphin Watching Boat...more about that below.

We had been wanting to go to the beach for forever but never got the chance. When we found out we were pregnant and the baby was doing well, we actually booked TWO different beach trips.  We figured, ONE, we had never been together so why not. And Two, it would be perfect to have some babymoons to enjoy together before our little one came and we didn't have the time, money or ability to go.

Our first beach trip was spent with Nick's Mom and Brother in Wildwood, NJ.  Nick used to go all the time as a child but I had never been so I was excited to participate in the tradition and see a "new" beach.

Our time at the beach was spent sight seeing, relaxing and EATING lol.  We went to the beach every day and Nick was nice enough to create me little ottomans in the sand so I could put my feet up. 

It was this week that my belly seemed to really pop...which was all the more noticeable in a clingy swimsuit.

17.5 weeks

Baby is the size of a Sweet Potato!

It was during this vacation that some of the most memorable moments of my life happened.  We decided on a whim to book a dolphin watching trip. It was something I'd heard of and when we found a coupon and read the amazing reviews, we knew we had to.

This boat was known as a "party" boat. They play music, go really fast, and the dolphins LOVE it. They come up behind the boat to swim and jump in the wake. The love to play and I guess they can since the vibration of the music in the water.  

SO. freaking. cool.

Safe to say, I was pretty stinking happy.  And then...it happened. For the first time, while on the boat with the vibration of the engine and water under me I felt a flutter. It was like it was so loud and the vibration was so strong that it made her move enough to be noticeable. BEST moment.  Later I joked that she must be a beach lover just like me, because I felt her move at the beach for the first time :)

After that, I would frequently feel her move, but mostly at night while laying on my back. And I had to be really still and focusing on it to feel it :) 

Other recaps- Still on nightly meds and the shots, still having a garlic/strong smell aversion- haha funny story involving a pizza shop, garlicky gyros, and the staff not believing I was pregnant, but morning sickness completely gone. Appetite comes and goes still.

Thanksgiving

It's pretty unnecessary to say how thankful I am....its just so amazing to be here.

I'm thankful everyday for this experience and the journey my husband and I find ourselves on!!

Today, I am two days past my Due Date according to the doctor.  According to my chart it is today.

Regardless, Makenna is still baking lol.

Nick and I are joking that we had so much trouble keeping her in there that she doesn't want to come out now. LOL

I've had lots of cramping and what not, but no definitive contractions since Tuesday. I plan on trying to clean a bunch today from Thanksgiving, and also possibly go on a long walk later if it warms up...just to try and see if I can get things moving.

My next appt is Wednesday 11/28. If she's not here by then, they will discuss inducing me and that will be either Thur, Fri, Mon or Tue.  Even then it could all depend because if the floor gets busy they cancel inductions, and they only schedule two a day.

My next recap post will probably be up at some point today :)

16.5 weeks

      The end of the school year is always really busy. I remember enjoying having finally "come out" per say to my co workers and friends....even though my co workers already knew. They were just nice enough to give me the time and be ready to talk about it.

By sixteen and a half weeks, I had an uber tiny bump going, and my nausea was finally starting to fade. Not all the way though...strong smells like garlic still did me in.

I hadn't really told the kiddos I teach yet, although I had mentioned it in on occasion if a child came running up to me or wanted to sit on my lap. I started to tell them to be careful of my belly. Many of them were noticing my frequent trips to the bathroom and asked if I was okay, and I would usually say yes and that my belly was upset.

Nick and I had the pleasure of being in a wedding of friends of ours this week as well...you'll see a picture from that below. It was quite the parallel being pregnant at her wedding and enjoying my bump in a gown, as the bride was pregnant in OUR wedding as well lol.

Here is a survey about this week:

How far along? 16.5 weeks (Apparently about the size of an Onion according to the bump)

Total weight gain: Still hadn't gained weight at all...probably still losing it at this point

Maternity clothes?! I was still using the belly band a lot and started wearing looser fitting tops and pants. I had a few maternity pants and things that I would wear once in a while at this point...but because my belly was still so little, they would constantly fall down lol.

 Stretch marks? Not yet...

Sleep: I was fully sleeping only on my sides at this point, and finally starting to get use to it...but not sleeping soundly because of it.

Miss anything? I didn't really miss much because I didn't really care and was so excited to be at this point. But I guess sleeping on my stomach was the biggest thing.

Movement: A few tiny moments where I thought...maybe that's baby?? But nothing definitive yet.

Food cravings: Still craving lots of fresh fruit and veggies....and also craving chocolate pudding and chocolate milk now.

Anything making you queasy or sick: strong smells, garlic

Gender:  we didn't know yet and I hadn't had any strong feelings either way which is different from my prior two pregnancies

Labor signs: none obviously

Symptoms: fatigued and still didn't have an appetite

Belly button in or out? Still In

Wedding rings on or off? On.

Happy or moody most of the time: generally happy

Looking forward to: At this point I was looking forward to going on vacation in a few weeks as well as finally feeling the baby move.

NT Scan and Second Tri!!!

On May 10, 2012 , we had to go to the Maternal Fetal Medicine Office in Harrisburg for our Nuchal Translucency Scan.

It included genetic counseling to talk about the testing, an ultrasound and some blood work.

The ultrasound went great. I remember being SO excited to get to see the baby again.

Waving Hi!! :)

Her gorgeous face and tiny button nose :) It had been less than a month since our last ultrasound and she changed SO much.

Forgive the quality, they are pictures of pictures...I didn't get a chance to scan them in to the computer and I'm not sure where they are right this second lol.

A few weeks later we got word on everything. We found out I'm not a carrier for Cystic Fibrosis, so that wasn't a possibility and the combo of the bloodwork and ultrasound put us at less than a 1 in 10,000 risk for both Trisomy and Down's. I would have loved my baby regardless of any disability but to hear something was going RIGHT after all the meds and ups and downs, was just SO refreshing. 

Then...after we were successfully into the Third Trimester...I did something I never thought I'd be able to do.   We were spending the day watching What to Expect When You're Expecting with baby girl's future godparents...who now also have a baby girl as well. 

Makenna's God Parents. Our Best Friends- Melanie, Josh and their daughter Kira who we call Makenna's best friend :)

I put it on facebook (!!) and announced our miracle baby girl, "Our Little Turkey", as she became called. 

Lindsey Albright

May 19 via mobile

Well....we've read all the books, figured might as well see the movie too. We are in fact expecting, Baby Albright will be here November 2012!!!!! :D — with Nicholas Albright.

4554Like ·  · Tag Friends

The response we received was OVERWHELMING.  I'll never forget it. I posted a thank you response and it got almost just as many likes and comments!

     

13 week Bump Shot. Second Trimester!

Baby is about the size of a peach!

The First 12 Weeks...

Figured I'd fill out a little survey about the first ten weeks of the pregnancy and some of the basics...what I could remember any way :)

About the Mommy! Name: Lindsey Age: 27 Hair Color: Brown Eye Color: Hazel

About the Daddy! Name: Nick Age: 27 Hair Color: Black Eye Color: Brown

Finding Out!!
What day did you find out?: First line positive-March 10th. First digital positive March 12, 2012
How did you feel when you found out?: Happy, but mostly really scared.
Who was with you?: I was by myself, Nick was at work.
Who was the first person you told?: Nick!!
How did they react?: He was happy too, and told me to call the doctor lol.

About the Pregnancy!!!
When was your first appointment?: I believe it was April 16, 2012, this is not counting visits to the lab or office just for bloodwork.
When is your due date?: November 21, 2012
Have you had any ultrasounds?: Yes, five I think.
Have you heard the heartbeat?: Heard it for the first time at the first appt, and then MANY times after that.
What was the heartbeat?: During the first ultrasound it was 161 beats per minute.
Sex of the baby: Girl! Which we found out on June 25, 2012. We had a gender reveal and everything it was so much fun...there will be a post on that I'm sure...

About the Birth!!
Do you know what you are taking with you?: I'd better seeing as I'm due in a week! Lol...finally got everything packed in the car last week.
Who is going to be with you?: Nick...and my Mom for the first part to take pictures.
Are you going to videotape it?: oh heck no. lol
Natural or Medicated?: I'd like to go natural for as long as possible, but seeing as she could be close to 8 pounds, I'm open to meds.
Do you think you will need a c-section?: I'm hoping not...but it's okay if I do.
My main goal is to get her here healthy and safely.
Will you cry when you hold your baby for the first time?: That's a dumb question. Of course...this has been a VERY long time.
Do you think Daddy will cry?: I think he'll at least tear up.
Do you know what you will say to the baby when you first hold him/her?: I'm tearing up just thinking about that moment...I don't know.
Do you have a name picked out?: Her first name is Makenna...revealing the rest later.
Is your baby going to be named after someone?: No.

10 weeks
Baby about the size of a prune!

About the first 12 Weeks: 
Weight Gain? I was very sick in the beginning of my pregnancy. I think a combination of the extra hormones and normal pregnancy nausea and lack of appetite helped with this but I actually LOST weight. I think at this point I was five or ten pounds under my original.
Maternity Clothes? Not yet, just my "fat pants" and I used the rubberband trick with the buttons. Towards the 12 week mark I busted out the belly band.
Stretch Marks? Not yet...that would change
Sleep? My sleep was okay up until about week 11...at that point I had to change to sleeping on my side, which was a big transition for me because I'm a HUGE stomach sleeper.
Symptoms? Nausea, vomiting, lack of appetite, fatigue, and lots of food aversions. Mostly with anything that had a very strong taste or smell...some of the worst offenders were oranges and garlic. Movement? Not yet.
Food Cravings? Strawberries and Fruit Salad were my first STRONG cravings...other than that I just craved fruit and veggies for the beginning.
Labor Signs? Not at this point (12 weeks remember?)
Belly Button in or out? In
What I am looking forward to/Best Moments? I was so excited for the 2nd trimester! And getting to announce to all of our friends!

12 weeks
Baby about the size of a plum!

Other Random Questions!!
What was your first symptom?: Smell aversion to garlic and Nausea/lack of appetite.
What is the baby’s room theme?: Pink, grey, black and white...very vintage meets modern girly
What was the first thing you bought for the baby?: hmmm besides the meds I had to take??? I'm not sure! I didn't end up having to buy a lot because when I finally did announce people came out of the woodwork wanting to give us stuff...Oh the Doppler!!! We ordered it after a stressful day of not knowing, and it had been a long stretch between appointments. BEST purchase EVER!
BFing or Formula?: I'm hoping to be able to exclusively breast feed for a while.
What is your favorite pregnancy book?: I really only used what to expect when you're expecting and honestly didn't even like it that much...I liked all the tracker apps I downloaded to my phone more. What do you look forward to doing again once you are no longer pregnant?: "Sleeping" ;) on my stomach, and eating lunch meat!!!
What features do you hope baby will get from Daddy?: His skin tone, his smarts, and his sense of humor are all big hopes. His face structure/shape too...if that makes any sense lol.
What features do you hope baby will get from you?: It'd be awesome if she had my eyes...and I'm pretty sure she has my nose from ultrasound pics. I'd like her to be loving and laid back like me.
Is he ready to be a Daddy?: He's going to be AMAZING...so excited.
Are you ready to be a Mommy?: I think so! I've been waiting for a very long time...

Shots, Shots, Shots! Oh Wait...

Oh how life can change...

I've never been the drinker or the partier in my group of friends, and even when I do drink, its not very often...

It's funny to think of all the parallels...having a child really does help you "grow up", and fast.
After our initial ultrasound, my awesome doctor's continued to monitor my hormone levels on the medication. At first check, 16.9....two weeks later 22.6....four weeks later, it surprised every one and took a nose dive.

It dropped by half. (11 something) The terror I felt when I heard that was like none other...I was terrified that I was losing ANOTHER baby...and this time after hearing a heartbeat. I was frantic. Luckily, they decided to put me on progesterone shots.

We went to the doctors where they taught my already highly knowledgeable paramedic husband how to inject me with 200 mg of this stuff. It's thick because it is in vegetable oil...so when you inject it you have to do it slowly...like a minute or more...otherwise you get really painful welts...they suck. Trust me.

The injections themselves weren't bad...and I honestly didn't care. All I wanted was to save my baby. Had they not given me the shots when they did....It probably would have continued to drop and I would have experienced miscarriage number three. The thought that I could have lost this baby...it boggles my mind. Makes me think back to the other doctor...the one who would do NO supplementation and wonder, if I had still been with them...what would have happened...

I went for monitoring every two weeks of my levels from then on and stayed on the shots until I was about 30 odd weeks or so...it was a yo yo at times, dropping down to once a week, going back up and then finally finding a happy medium of less milligrams...but through it all, the bruising and scarring included...I only thought of one thing. The miracle of our baby. I also stayed on the nightly meds every night...until about 34 weeks....when my body finally started to show promise that it was handling everything on its own....

I could care less about going back to my partying and drinking days and having shots. These shots...the shots that saved my daughters life...were the best shots I ever HAD to have....

Our Miracle Baby

Upon changing doctors that December...I had a really good feeling. They were very supportive and hands on and told me that progesterone supplementation was used in their office all the time.

After meeting with the doctor, they recommended that we start a charting program to more closely watch my cycles and monitor my hormones that way. I don't remember when that was, but I do remember paying for the program. I was bummed to be waiting even longer, but willing to do whatever I had to do to get us to a baby. I was also already familiar with many aspects of charting from our time trying to conceive on our own. We were told our charting program would begin in April, and we would need to abstain for two-three months during that time, in the crucial weeks, until we knew what the problem was.

 That March, we decided we would take it easy and enjoy our last month of freedom without doctors appointments and having everything timed. I went to the charting classes, and paid for the program. In fact, I remember being at the class a few days away from the dreaded testing day wondering. We never imagined what would come next.

After spending money on the charting program, going to the class....it was a few days later I got the first positive test. It was very faint and showed up after the "Testing time". I tried again the next day with the same result. I was terrified. The next day was Saturday and I had to go to a work training at Messiah College. I was only 10 days past ovulation but I decided to try a digital and a line test. When the line test came up positive within the time frame, I used the digital. Seeing the word pregnant on a digital test was something I'd never seen before...I was scared, nervous, and excited all at the same time.

March 12, 2012

I quickly called the on call doctor and left them a message explaining my history, progesterone concerns and the test. I remember failing miserably at not being suspicious that day. I was so excited! I went in for bloodwork that Monday, but it was so hard being quiet that day. I was on pins and needles waiting to hear back, when I did, my numbers were actually pretty good, my progesterone a tiny bit lower than they wanted. And...because of my history they put me on progesterone, once a night. They'd seen me ONE time...it was months ago....and here they were giving me a fighting chance. I'll never forget that feeling. I started the meds right away and things continued to progress well. I was definitely pregnant. The anxiety I felt in the weeks following was incredible. I didn't want to tell ANYONE. And then at around 9 weeks pregnant, we went in for our first ultrasound. Something we NEVER got to experience before either. I'll never forget what happened when she put that wand on my belly. As soon as I saw the baby moving I teared up...then we heard the heart beat. I couldn't stop crying! The heart rate was strong too, 160 bpm. We didn't get any pictures that visit, but I was able to capture video of the heart beat on my phone. The ultrasound machine's printer was down :(

Baby is about the size of a green olive :P

"First" Belly shot. 8 and a half weeks. Wanted to get a shot before the belly started... Taken April 13, 2012!

 April 16, 2012.  Almost 9 weeks!
That's a big olive lol

I had experienced some light spotting and went into the lab for an ultrasound because my Dr's office is awesome. No cause for concern was found!

The Journey That Brought us Here...Part 2

So, if you didn't know already, you've figured out that this journey did finally lead us to a baby...but trust me when I say it wasn't easy. I am going to continue where I left off in our last post...This may be long, but I want to be able to look back and remember what got us here. I want to remember to stay thankful.

After our first miscarriage I changed around doctors a lot. I knew I didn't like the one I had, and heard good things about another doc that people I worked with went to. It was a weird time in my life because very few people had known about the pregnancy because I guess I was worried about people's reactions to us being pregnant and not married. But it was also hard for me to keep the hurt a secret. Thank God for the few people that did know and supported us. I know I wouldn't have made it without them. Looking back I also remember them telling me in the hospital that my HCG was VERY high, but my progesterone was low...this would be vital later.

Our previous Doctor had told us after the first miscarriage that we needed to wait three months until we tried again, which would put us at August. At that point we knew we just weren't emotionally ready and decided to just enjoy our lives, and plan our wedding. We knew that when we WERE ready we would know. We also knew that we didn't want to have a baby too close to the wedding so we ended up just deciding to wait until closer to the wedding to even think about trying again. The way we both looked at it, especially after being pregnant once, was that if it happened we would embrace it but if it didn't we wouldn't be worried either.

I don't exactly remember when it was but I think it was February or March when we stopped actively preventing but we weren't actively trying either. We got the SHOCK of our lives when we found out we were pregnant again, two days before our wedding on Cinco De Mayo. The doctors wanted me to wait until I had actually "missed" my cycle before getting blood work done. I have a lot of unanswered questions about that time, wondering if I would have gotten it done sooner, if we could have stopped something...but I also stay grateful that I didn't know what would happen...

I had a lot of sickness from the get go with my second pregnancy...throwing up constantly! It made me glad because I never had many symptoms with my first. This time we told even LESS people than before, knowing what could happen. On May 13th I got a call from my Dr's office that I should expect to miscarry due to my blood work results. I went home early from work that day and the next day, just a week after my wedding I miscarried for the 2nd time. This time I was 5 weeks and 2 days along and I didn't need to go to the hospital like I had before. It was over fairly quickly. The next day my doctor called me from home apologizing for the blood work. He was surprised to learn it was already over and wanted me to come in for an appointment and further blood work. At that appt the doctor told me he wanted me to get a procedure done known as an HSG.

The HSG in basic terms showed that my uterus and fallopian tubes were functioning normally. The blood work I had done, known as a Repeated Pregnancy Loss panel, took awhile to come back but when it did we learned I was something called ANA positive. In the beginning it was very scary because there were so many things it could mean. The doctors were pretty sure this was why I was miscarrying, although I still had my progesterone suspicions. They sent me to a rheumatologist who after 12 tubes of blood ruled out serious diseases such as lupus and rheumatoid arthritis. I basically was non specific. We don't know why I have it, only that I do. It does complicate pregnancy, as it can attack any pregnancy because the body recognizes it as a foreign invader. I was also told I had a Vitamin D deficiency. From that point on I started taking a baby aspirin every day, a prescription Vitamin D supplement and extra folic acid.

In December of 2011, my levels were up to a good spot and all my bloodwork was back. We decided we would stop preventing at that point. Cycle after cycle, nothing was happening, and I still had a feeling that something was going on with my progesterone. My doctor was not willing to supplement my progesterone...so once again, I changed doctors. To be Continued... ;)

The Journey that Brought Us Here-Part 1

Nick and I met and started dating on November 28, 2008.

Nick was working full time in Dillsburg and I was working in a childcare facility in Maryland. I quit my job in Maryland and began working at a Daycare in York City to be closer to him. We moved in together in February of 2009. Or I should say, I moved into his Mom's house, with him. We moved into our first apartment together in June of 2009, and our furbaby Lexi, came with us!

We lived in an expensive, TINY one bedroom apartment in Mechanicsburg.

Nick and I both started new jobs after our move. Nick continued to work part time at Dillsburg and also started working full time as a paramedic in the West Shore Area. In August of 2009, I started work full time as a Head Start preschool teacher in Harrisburg, PA. We got Engaged on February 14, 2010. It was amazing and is still one of my favorite memories.

We found out we were expecting our first baby in late March/Early April 2010. We went on our first REAL trip/vacation in Mid April 2010, with our best friends.

The summer after our vacation was a hard one. My grandmother, or Mom Mom, passed away late that April. Shortly after, I miscarried for the first time on May 1, 2010. I was 8 weeks and 2 days along. The baby was due December 10, 2010. I believe that that baby was a boy and have had dreams of my Mom Mom holding him in a blue blanket in heaven.

In June of 2010, Nick and I moved yet again, this time to Carlisle. Nick transferred EMS stations and I VERY happily transferred classrooms. We loved our spacious condo. Unfortunately, we had to leave Lexi with my Mom, as the new place does not allow pets. The move to Carlisle was good for both of us. We were less stressed, saving money and enjoying our new place. We were able to start wedding planning!

On Father's Day of that year my dad was involved in a horrific motorcycle accident on Father's day. While we were in NJ supporting my Dad and all that entailed, Nick's grandfather passed away.

Coming back from that tragic span of time was one of the hardest things I ever had to do. I did it though, with lots of support from Nick, friends and family, and a few therapy sessions. It was really hard on Nick too, although he tries to stay strong for me, I know he struggled with the fairness of it all. But we did it, and I truly believe we are stronger as individuals and as a couple because of it.

To Be Continued....