7w2d- SICK!

Wow, Caitlin is far more sick during this pregnancy.  Week 7 has started off challenging in the morning sickness department.  Often Caitlin is VERY hungry, but keeping the food down is another thing!  After she pukes, she feels much better....but having vomit spew out of her nose is making for trying times.  Caitlin says it feels like something has invaded her body!  (Ummm, yep!) Another symptom that she noticed today was lactating boobs!  That didn't happen until she was about 7 months pregnant with Gracyn!  Maybe it is due to the fact that she breastfed Gracyn and her boobs just know what to do this time?  Who knows!  At least all these symptoms are signs that the pregnany is progressing nicely!  And.....it's been a week since the last spotting episode! :-)

7 WEEKS PREGNANT!!!!

Dear Baby Thompson,

Do you know that Mommy and Daddy have already picked names for you?  If you are a boy, you will be named Emerson James (after your late grandfather on your Mommy's side of the family).  If you are a girl you will be named Emersyn Mae (after your Great Grandmother on your Daddy's side of the family).  Either way you will be nicknamed Em!

Mommy had a roller coaster of a week with you, spotting, whacky HCG numbers and emotions.  The ER doc said she had a SCH (bleed), the elective ultrasound tech believes you were a twin and the second baby didn't stick...the bleed was a second sac!  The OB ultrasound tech said the vanishing twin syndrome made sense with all of the evidence (hcg, and bleed), but found no evidence in the uterus.  meaning all has resolved....We will never really know the truth, but I am leaning towards the twin theory!  Bittersweet theory, but we are lucky to have one healthy baby with a strong heartbeat!!!!

Mommy has all of the usual pregnancy symptoms....Heightened sense of smell, sore breasts, bloated belly, heavy feeling in her uterus, some cramps, constipation or diarrhea, tons of nausea and vomiting several times a week, plus extreme tiredness....especially after lunch!  She just wants to sleep, but with a toddler at home....that's impossible!  But taking care of Gracyn is helping the days pass quickly!!!!

As for you, you are the size of a blueberry! Your intestines are developing, the chambers in your heart are forming and your brain is expanding!!!!  Your eyes, ear buds, arms and leg buds are forming!  You also have an appendix and pancreas!  SIMPLY AMAZING!  A MIRACLE!

We love you!

BIG SISTER!

OB ULTRASOUND!

The baby is measuring in at 6w0d with a heartbeat of 111 !!!!   36 hours ago it measured in at 5w6d with a heart rate of 105!  We were able to hear the heart beating this time!  AMAZING!!!!!  The Ultrasound tech was pleased.  She looked for the SCH but couldn't find one!  Caitlin shared that at the ER visit she thought she saw two sacs, but only one baby....when they said it was a bleed, she didn't question them.....Caitlin did not reveal the fact that the elective ultrasound tech found a second sac, but she did tell this tech that she had a theory of the vanishing twin....especially since there is no second sac present today!  After listening to the whole idea with initial quadrupling beta, then the last questionable beta, plus seeing the second sac earlier, this ultrasound tech said her theory could be right!  She did double check for a second sac or bleed and nothing is visible now!   WOOT WOOT!  One thing we do know for sure....no chance for placenta previa this time.....this baby is not even close to the cervix!  She also thinks the placenta is posterior (Gracyn was anterior), so Mommy may not feel movement as early as she did with Gracyn, which is to be expected.  Even with the baby measuring behind, he/she is still within the normal range of development, so they are sticking with the original due date of March 6th, which makes Caitlin 6w5d pregnant!  The OB said she has a friable cervix (blood engorged cervix) with this pregnancy as well, which may cause spotting, so pelvic rest is still in place....likely for the whole pregnancy.  He also doesn't want her lifting heavy things and generally taking it easy!  ..... In today's picture you can clearly see the yolk sac!

1st ELECTIVE ULTRASOUND!

We have a baby measuring 5w6d with a strong heartbeat of 105!!!!  ......but let me tell you how this day evolved......it was stressful!!!!  The whole weekend was stressful with spotting on and off!  Today, Caitlin  waited patiently for the beta call from the OB's office.  Noon rolled around with no call, so Caitlin called and left a message....3:00 NO CALL..... I got off work and went to the OB office and the receptionist pulled up the notes.....not good....hcg is rising but not doubling. We were hoping for 4,900. And it came in at 3740......the OB wants to see her for an ultrasound on Wednesday, which is their first available appointment......WHAT!?  OMG how can she wait that long!  Next best thing...call a local private ultrasound place for an appointment. That place squeezed us in at 7:45 tonight!  We were preparing for the worst news.....especially when the abdominal ultrasound did not pick up anything.  Caitlin emptied her bladder and became friends with the internal cam.  With a tilted uterus it took a few minutes and my heart was already in my throat.....then all of a sudden it was there with a strong heartbeat flickering away!  We could not see the yolk sac, but the ultrasound tech assured us the baby had to be on top of it and hiding it....telling us that no yolk sac would mean no baby!  It was measuring 5w6d which is 4 days sooner than we thought!  How in the world can Caitlin get a positive HCG on 7dpo?  Well, the tech believes she has the answer!  She believes the pregnancy started out as twins, which would account for enough HCG to be detected that early!!!!  In the picture below, she pointed to the flickering baby (which made our hearts sing and tears flow).... Then she pointed to the white line just right of the baby.....that is a membrane which separated the two sacs!  The second sac is small and empty!  OMG!!!!!    We questioned the SCH that the emergency room doc referred to.....she didn't see it, and thought maybe what they saw as a bleed on the screen was actually the second sac!  Caitlin said the sac is much smaller than what she saw on the screen last Wednesday....soon it should be absorbed, and Caitlin may continue to spot due to the loss of the twin!  Bitter sweet news....but soooooo excited to see one lovely strong heartbeat!!!!  Now we can sleep tonight!  Tthe ultrasound tech has the date listed at top of pic at 6w5d....I reminded her we thought Caitlin was 6w3d....but she didn't change the screen...and baby Thompson  reminded all of us that guessing on last period can can cause undue stress.....especially when coupled with the fact that Mommy ovulates late....so 4 days off is not a concern!  Especially with a strong heartbeat!  The tech said that if we came in one day earlier, we may not have seen the HB!  WOW!!!!

6w1d- MORE SPOTTING :-(

Caitlin woke up to use the restroom this morning.  When she wiped, she had red blood on the tissue.  Two wipes later, brown old blood, then no blood.  :-(. This pregnancy is mirroring Gracyn's pregnancy except for the slower doubling time on the betas. Continued nausea and vomiting daily is a good sign that the pregnancy is progressing nicely...... Praying we see a nice healthy heartbeat on Wednesday!

6 WEEKS PREGNANT!!!!

Dear Baby Thompson, 

This week, you should be growing like a weed!  Your nose, mouth and eyes are beginning to form on your oversized head!  You also have arm and leg buds!!!! Mommy will have an ultrasound next week and should be able see your heart beating with blood running through your body!  Right now you are a quarter of an inch long!  What a miracle!  

5w5d- SPOTTING! :-( and 5th BETA!

Oh no! Tonight after dinner, Caitlin started spotting pink, which eventually turned to brown when she wiped. Since it was after hours at the OB's office we went to the emergency room for piece of mind.  First good sign, the cervix is still closed!  Second good sign, she is not actively bleeding bright red and filling pads.  Third good sign, the ultrasound showed a gestational sac with a yolk in the uterus! And finally the last GREAT sign, Caitlin's HCG numbers continue to rise appropriately. Monday's beta at 5w3d was 1749 and today at 5w5d the beta was 3268!!!!  With 53 hours between blood draws, that is a doubling time of 58.77 hours!  Well within the 2-3 day window!  The ultrasound tech was not very friendly and didn't share much with Caitlin.....she was even short with her when Caitlin asked if she could see a fetal pole.....the tech said NO it is wayyyyy toooo early for that!  Well we know differently! But what is the point of arguing.......right now, knowing there is a gestational sac with a yolk sac and good hcg numbers gives us piece of mind!  So what is causing the spotting?  There is definitely a   bleed just above the gestational sac, called a subchorionic hemmorage (SCH), which is not uncommon in cases with clotting disorders like Caitlin has (MTHFR - two copies- thus the reason for the daily baby aspirin).  Next steps are to follow up with OB for more blood draws and an appointment to monitor the bleed. 

5w5d- SICK!

At work today, Mommy was feeling pretty weak, like she needed to eat something.  She grabbed some "straw fries" from the vending machine to fill the hunger pang.....but it didn't stay down long....even came out of her nose!   YUCK!  But then again, I guess this is a good reassuring sign that the pregnancy is progressing normally!

4th BETA

Caitlin got the 4th beta number for 5w3d of 1749. This is 63.8% with a doubling time of 67.55 hours.  The lady at the office told Caitlin they were pleased with her numbers....so no more blood draws.  Caitlin had to ask for the number.....the office doesn't usually give them out....probably because people like us analyze them wayyyyy tooooo much!  Caitlin isn't pleased with the doubling time because she continues to compare the numbers with Gracyn's pregnancy. But we are choosing to remain positive since the doubling time is within the 48-72 hour window and the OB office seems pleased with her progress!!!!  

FAMILY

This is the first picture for the new"Family of Four"!

BEST FRIENDS!

5w0d- HAPPY 4th of JULY 2014!

I think it is safe to say that Mommy is SUPER PREGNANT!  The picture below is a 24 hour window on the HPT.  Notice that the pregnant line is now stealing color from the control line!!!!  This makes Mommy soooooo happy!  In the belly picture below, Mommy's pants are officially unbuttoned for comfort.  The belly is popping quicker this time around due to a few factors.  First, the belly muscles are not what they use to be pre-pregnancy with Gracyn. Secondly, there is a definite progesterone bloat!!!!!  Mommy said that she definitely can no longer suck in the belly!!!!  

You are now the size of an orange seed and you look similar to a tadpole with a head and tail! Your heart is forming two chambers called heart tubes, which is already beating, but may not be detectable on an ultrasound yet.  You are also developing a circulatory system and your neural tube, which will soon connect your spinal cord and brain!  A miracle in progress!!!!! We are in love already!!!!!

4w5d-HPT

Looks like the hcg is continuing rise ! WOOT! WOOT!  4th beta is on Monday, July 7th!  :-).  We are hopeful that this is a healthy pregnancy !  All signs are positive sooooo far!  PRAYERS !

4w5d- YUCK

Well the heightened sense of smell has kicked in....washing dishes was a chore for Mommy last night....made her neausous! Today lunch came right back up!  Poor Mommy!  She also noticed a light brown discharge this evening.  Hopefully it doesn't turn into bleeding and spotting like she did with Gracyn the first half of the pregnancy. Prayers!!!!

4w4d

This is a 48 hour HPT, the line continues to get darker!.....This makes Mommy sooooo happy!

3rd BETA (4w3d)

The third beta came in at 312! If measured by the first beta, the doubling time is  37.05 hours, which is GREAT! ( I predict the first beta was on 3w5d, not 4w0d as chart shows, but this was the lowest day on the chart, so the trend line is actually above the red line).....We also know that the second beta was 108 on Friday (4w0d) At 10:00am and the 3rd beta (4w3d)of 312 after work on Monday, around 5:00 pm. which is 79 hours later.... The chart shows the doubling time 51.62 hours, which is still in the normal range of doubling every 48-72 hours! ....so if all in the normal range, why do we worry????? Worried that the doubling time is slowing down....with Gracyn the HCG numbers more than doubled every 2 days!...... The next beta is on Monday, July 7th.  Hopefully the numbers continue to rise appropriately!!!! PRAYERS!

HCG (4w0d)

Beta number 2 is in from 4w0d at 108!!!!  If you remember the first hcg count two days ago was 29!  That is a doubling time of 25.3 hours!!!!! Mommy is also getting her blood drawn one more time tonight!  But she finally has piece of mind that this is a healthy pregnancy!  The nurse set an appointment date of July 21st which will make you 7w3d at that time!!!!  Hopefully she gets to see your beautiful beating heart on an ultrasound at that appointment!  Update: Mommy moved the appointment to July 24 so Daddy could go!  You will be 7w6d (if Mommy ovulated one day late, like she did with Gracyn)....sadly, no ultrasound at this appointment, unless the OB is concerned.

4w3d- OBSESSED WITH HPTS!

Notice the picture below is over a 48 hour window .....Hcg continues to rise nicely. We get the second beta from Friday back today! We are hopeful the number is 58 or HIGHER! I forgot to mention that her progesterone was upped to 3 times per day rather than 2 given the fact that she miscarried the last time. The OB wants to be proactive this time.  The hard part is that the pills make Mommy dizzy with blurry vision for about an hour after taking them.  Luckily it is only during the first trimester and not the whole pregnancy!  Mommy is also watching her diet trying to prevent gestational diabetes like she had with Gracyn. The OB will monitor her more closely with this pregnancy!

4w2d- HPT

Today the pee line is darker than control at 4w2d!!! The picture is a 48 hour window to show comparisons. Looks like Hcg continues to rise appropriately!!!! Woot! 

4w1d

The obsession continues!  The 48 hour photo shows a big difference. The difference between the last 24 hours is not the deepness of the line but rather in the differece when line appeared. Yesterday the two lines developed around same time. Today the line appeared before the control line!!!!  POSITIVE VIBES!

2nd BETA DAY!

I am going with my gut of one day late with ovulation like with Gracyn, which makes this 4w0d! The second Beta is today, by the hpt tests, I'd say it is safe to assume the numbers are doubling like they should!  Prayers !

4w0d!!!!

3w6d- BETA

On 3w5d Caitlin got a positive test result with a test that can detect HCG as low as 15.....on 3w6d her HCG is 29.  The nurse said this is normal for such an early blood draw and by the chart below, she is in the normal range. The next blood draw is tomorrow (4w1d), which will include progesterone levels.  In looking back at Gracyn's tracking (which Mommy did down to the exact ovulation date), she ovulated on day 15, not 14...... If the same is true this time around, everything is one day off! So tomorrow's draw is either 4w0d or 4w1d. We won't get the results until Monday! :-(. So far, pregnancy symptoms include severe gas, constipation, sore boobs, nauseous at dinner time tonight and tiredness!!!! All positive signs that things are progressing normally. 

Fwd: GUESS WHAT!!!!!

 Ovulation was not tracked this month, but last period was on May 29th  so guessing ovulation was on June 12 which makes today 11dpo ....Thursdays should be the turn date, which means in two days, Mommy should be 4w0d with EDD on March 5, 2015!!!!!! We are cautiously optimistic.....Mommy has had TERRIBLE gas the last couple of days...just like she did with Gracyn.....now we pray for rock star HCG numbers! Mommy is also taking the same medication .....prenatal vitamins with extra frolic acid, low dose baby aspirin, and progesterone pills!!!!! PRAYERS!