Supplements That *Might* Improve Sperm Health

I know that a lot of people stumble across my blog, thanks to google. Many of them are looking for hope and encouragement in their fertility journey. Since infertility will always be a subject close to my heart, I want to get this information out there in case it might be of help to someone. 

When we were trying to improve DH’s sperm count, motility, and morphology, I researched natural ways to help. It seems there is an overwhelming amount of information on the internet for natural supplements, but it’s all scattered around here and there and takes forever to sort through. As I sifted through everything, I compiled this list. 

Keep in mind, I have no medical degree and I certainly am not advising anyone to take this huge pile of supplements. In fact, I can’t even tell you that it will up your count or quality at all. All I know is, whether or not it contributed to the miracle conceptions that God blessed us with, it certainly didn’t hurt. Most of these supplements are good for your general health, regardless and are things DH needs to be on to keep other health issues at bay. So, here goes.

Vitamin C – 1,500mg

Vitamin E – 800iu (I prefer to use the natural version of vitamin E, vs the synthetic)

Zinc – 60mg

B12 – 100mcg (We actually take a b-complex that is methylated for better absorption. I’ll gladly tell you what it’s called if you want to know.)

Selenium – 200mcg

CoQ10 – 100mg

L-Carnitine – not sure of amount

Vitamin A – this was in a multi he was taking at the time, so I’m not sure on the dose of this either

Flax oil and/or Fish oil – 1,200mg 

L-Arginine – 500mg

Vitamin D – 5,000iu

Astaxanthin – 12mg

Obviously, you should check this list over with your dr before taking these things. Particularly if you are on medication as the supplements and meds could interact. I just wanted to put this list our there in case it could help someone else. 

*For reference, DH’s last semen analysis (he’s had many) was 1million, sub par motility and 0% morphology. We have gone on to have 3 successful pregnancies through ivf and spontaneous conception since that test. 🙂 

34 Weeks 4 Days – 2nd Pregnancy

Every single time, without fail, that I sit down to blog, I have to get up and down multiple times to do things. I have to plug in the laptop, the wi-fi needs plugged in, Tru needs something… It’s ridiculous. I am just ready to sit down and stay down until this baby gets here.

I don’t want to come off as whiny or complaining. I do realize how blessed I am and that this discomfort is something that I personally longed to experience and I also realize there are still people reading my blog who would give anything to be experiencing this end of pregnancy discomfort right now. So please don’t take it wrong or think me ungrateful when I say that I am SO uncomfortable. I cannot find a way to sit, lay or stand that does not cause one or all of the following – inability to breathe, my legs fall asleep (this is actually when I am standing especially bending forward so it’s kind of scary), I have the urge to pee so badly I am crossing my legs, my pelvis feels like it’s splitting in half and I have a hard time walking, getting up and rolling over because of that combined with the pain in my inner thigh that has been going on over 2 months now. It’s pretty intense!

I probably shouldn’t even blog today because I am in a bad mood. It snowed again this morning and I wasn’t able to go to my once a week job. As much as I was dreading getting Truett and myself out in the cold, I do need the money and considering that our pipes have been frozen for 4 days now, I would love to be somewhere with running water where I don’t have to keep running back and forth with milk jugs full of water to flush the toilet. It gets old quickly. I am also tired of washing dishes with water heated on the stove. Sponge baths also suck so I have been making a point to get a shower at either of our parent’s houses at least every other day between sponge baths.  And then I feel terrible that I am complaining because, we do have water! It’s not easy to get since we have to go beg, borrow and steal it from our parent’s (actually they don’t mind) and we have to haul it in the house etc, but we are fortunate because so many people in the world have NO water. Literally, none. And that is heartbreaking.

I did have a check up yesterday and it went very well. I saw one of my not favorite Drs but we actually had quite a good visit! It was just the basic stuff. She put in the order to switch me from Macrodantin (Nitrofurantoin) to Keflex, and from Lovenox to Heparin (starting next week) and ordered Levi’s growth ultrasound for next week and my GBS (group b strep) test. Now, here is another example of how different Drs have different ways of doing things and opinions vary greatly even in a group practice. At my check up 2 weeks ago, I asked the Dr I saw then if we were going to switch to Keflex since I knew I did with Tru at 32 weeks. She said no, she didn’t want me to switch. She was happy with me staying on Macrodantin through to delivery (and I assume breastfeeding too because I am always on a suppression dose of something). I was uncomfortable with that decision and decided to ask the Dr I saw yesterday because:

FDA pregnancy category: B Nitrofurantoin should be used during pregnancy only if clearly needed; use of nitrofurantoin is contraindicated at term (38 to 42 weeks gestation), during labor and delivery, and when onset of labor is imminent. Comments: Contraindicated because of possibility of hemolytic anemia due to immature erythrocyte enzyme systems (glutathione instability) …..Nitrofurantoin is excreted into human milk. Nitrofurantoin is considered compatible with breast-feeding by the American Academy of Pediatrics, although there is a theoretical risk of hemolytic anemia in neonates and G-6-PD-deficient infants. The manufacturer recommends that due to the potential for serious adverse effects in infants less than one month old, a decision should be made to discontinue nursing or discontinue the drug, taking into account the importance of the drug to the mother. – Taken from http://www.drugs.com/pregnancy/nitrofurantoin.html

So as you can see, the risk is minimal but I don’t want to take that particular risk. Better safe than sorry, you know. 

Sorry to have just bored you with all of that. You really didn’t need to know, I just wonder why opinions vary so much and why it’s so hard to get consistent information.

How far along? 34 weeks 4 days – in other words 8 and a half months! 🙂 

How big is the baby? As I mentioned, growth ultrasound next week Lord willing. But I feel like he is already as big as Tru was when he was born. There’s a lot of baby in there! 

Total weight gain/loss? About 29-30 pounds.  

Sleep? I can’t really get comfortable. Levi doesn’t like me to sleep on my left side. Oftentimes he will push out on both sides very hard until I roll to my right. The aching in the pelvis and the pain in my thighs when I roll over is pretty intense at times. 

Best moment this week? DH took the day off work and we took my brother clothes shopping after we all went to my NST and AFI appointment. (The U/S tech said my AFI was 18.1 – last week it was 11.2 and the week before, it was 12. I know that she measured the area that both previous techs said baby’s umbilical cord is. The same thing happened several times with Tru. They do this every day! How do they mess up and measure the cord area? I didn’t say anything. We will just wait and see what it is next time. It’s no big deal because baby looked great on the NST. She also showed us his butt cheeks and let me just tell you, they are adorable!!) 🙂 We went out to eat at a buffet – not the best place for a person who gets full after 1 plate of food, but it was delicious! 

Symptoms? You can read all my perfectly normal end of pregnancy complaints above. I might also add that I had consistent  BH contractions the other evening/night when DH was unable to get home from work and had to stay with his cousin. I didn’t freak out about it, but I sure was thinking, this would happen to me. The Dr said she is happy that I had so many contractions because she hopes that means my body is starting to get things ready so we can have this baby naturally. She said if we get to 39 weeks and no cervical changes, we will have the c-section talk, but if I have started to dilate and they can break my water and start pitocin, they will. But we both are hoping that I will go into labor naturally before then. We also talked about me breast pumping once I hit 37 weeks. Nothing extreme. Maybe once a day. Not before 37 weeks though. 

Food cravings? Sweets and it is not a good thing. I have been eating protein bars instead whenever I can because I’m sure that’s what my body really needs. Not reese’s cups. I also want Taco Bell. We could just eat Taco Bell soft tacos from now until forever. That is fine with me. 🙂 

Gender? Baby Boy. 🙂 

What I’m looking forward to? Kind of looking forward to labor if it happens naturally. I get a little rush when I think about how I would feel if I ever went into labor. I’ve never experienced that before so it would definitely be interesting. Ask me again how I feel about that after a few hours of REAL contractions. 😉 

Milestones? Every step I take feels like a mile dragging a hundred pounds of stones. 

Bump? I don’t think I took a picture. Maybe I did, I don’t know. But I’m NOT getting up to go look. You’re welcome actually. 

Dear God, forgive me for my bad attitude and complaining about the weather and the cold. I thank You for our warm house and for all of our blessings. Thank You for the little boys You have blessed me with. In Jesus’ name, amen.

33 Weeks 4 Days – 2nd Pregnancy

I always have all these silly things I think of that I want to put in my updates but then when I go to post, I can’t remember what they were….

 

How far along? 33 weeks 4 days 

How big is the baby? If he’s really gaining a half pound a week, he should be close to 5 and a half pounds now. Feels about like it! 😉 I was on my feet all day last Friday and the next morning, the bottom of my belly was sore! As a side note, his fluid was 11.2 at my last AFI. Still good and his placenta was still grade 1. 🙂 

Total weight gain/loss? Still yo-yoing but I started to drop some of the water associated weight. I am up anywhere from 27-29 pounds. I really have to make sure I am drinking enough water. 

Sleep? Not bad. Just having a hard time staying comfortable and breathing through this stuffy nose. 

Best moment this week? This hasn’t been an overly good week for me… I am in the phase of pregnancy where I start to get super worried. But I did have a good visit with my grandma today. I don’t hardly ever go see her just us without all the family which is a rotten shame. So Tru and I went to see her after I got done taking care of the lady that I watch once a week. It was fun talking pregnancy with her especially hearing her story about having her identical twin girls without ever knowing she was expecting twins. She gained the same 40 pounds as she did with her other 7 pregnancies. She carried them to full term. Both over 7 pounds. Apparently they shared an amniotic sack and probably placenta too. That would be a high risk pregnancy for sure nowadays but her dr never knew she was having twins. They had trouble finding a heartbeat on the baby which is kind of funny considering there were TWO in there. She also had a negative pregnancy test when she was probably about 2 months pregnant!  So as she was delivering, they said it was time to get the other baby out. She was so confused for a second there. Imagine that shock! 

Symptoms? The pelvic girdle pain and inner thigh pain are no joke! It is hard to roll over or raise my right leg. Which is dandy since my car door will not open and I have to climb through the passenger side and over the stick shift and e-brake. It is interesting to say the least getting in and out of the car. But honestly, aside from that pain and breathlessness, this week has been pretty symptom free! 

Food cravings? I want greens really bad. Especially if they are fried in bacon grease (yeah, that really drops the health factor) but I think I could eat my weight in kale. Maybe my body is craving iron?

Food aversions? Nope. But I noticed that I am really not as interested in seafood as I normally am. 

Gender? Baby boy Levi. 🙂

Labor signs? No, but I have to admit that as nervous as I am getting, I am starting to feel like he needs to come sooner than 40 weeks. Not right now, but maybe 37-38 weeks if he is ready. I feel bad to say that because I want him to have as much time as he needs, but we are at the stage where I just freak out over everything and he keeps cutting his kick counts way to close for my comfort (he passed with ONE minute to spare the other day)  and he doesn’t move in the night when I get up to pee like he used to and he just moves much less in general. Yesterday at my NST, the nurse moved him 3 times to get his heart to accelerate. I was very uncomfortable with that because I want his heart to accelerate on it’s own. He did eventually but technically it was when the NST was supposed to be over but the nurse was busy with another patient so she hadn’t unhooked us yet. So all in all I was not happy with how that appointment went…. I am definitely feeling paranoid now. 

Belly button in or out? Out, sore and hot to the touch. 

What I miss? The second trimester when I was much more comfortable and less worried. 

What I’m looking forward to? A healthy, happy, birth. 🙂  

Upcoming Appointments? My next 3 check ups are scheduled with the only 3 Drs in the practice that I truly do not like/feel comfortable with. It’s not that I don’t like them personally, we just don’t jive. I guess it could be a good thing though because any one of them could be the Dr delivering Levi so I really need to build up a little better relationship if possible. They are the only Drs available on the days that I am already in for my NSTs so I just have to go with it. I got a call today that my primary Dr is wanting to get together and discuss a birth plan on march 12th. I would be almost 38 weeks then if I don’t have him before that. I’m pretty sure my plan by that point would be get him out please! Like I said, nervous!

Bump? I don’t know if Levi actually has dropped or if my belly is just sagging. All I know is that his feet and butt don’t feel like they are as high in my ribs as before and my belly button is almost pointing downwards now. I don’t feel much pressure down there now though so…. Not sure what’s going on.

 

I remember in the beginning of my pregnancy when I put this shirt on and it was HUGE on me…. 😉

 

Dear God, Thank You for bringing me and Levi safely this far in this pregnancy and I pray that You will continue to watch over us through the rest of pregnancy and delivery. I pray that he will be born when where and how You want him to be. I thank You and I praise You for the miracle and blessing of carrying him these 8 months. In Jesus’ name, amen.

 

 

30 Weeks 4 Days – 2nd Pregnancy

Wrote this on time and never posted it… 

How far along? 30 weeks 4 days…. It’s hard to believe that I am in the 30’s now! Less than 7 weeks away from when I delivered Tru. This little guy could very well come later than that but it’s crazy to think how close we are either way.

How big is the baby? We should find out soon since I have a growth scan scheduled for next week. 🙂 I’m just now starting to be able to feel a little of his outline. Mostly I just feel a foot or elbow but last night I was pretty sure I felt his butt. 

Total weight gain/loss? Holding steady this week at +22. 🙂 

Maternity clothes? Here I am, in the last weeks of pregnancy and I finally found a pair of maternity jeans yesterday that fit AND feel comfortable! So now maybe I can wear those last 2 or 3 maternity shirts that still fully cover my belly and give those 3 same dresses that I wear every time I leave the house a break. 

Sleep? Not so good. I have been having a lot of discomfort keeping me up. I sleep GREAT on my back…. but that isn’t good at all. 

Best moment this week? Hmmm… Not sure. Maybe just realizing that we are so close to the end. In a way, I’m not ready for it to be over. I love being pregnant. And I’ll miss it. Don’t get me wrong, it’s hard and uncomfortable and very nerve wracking for a worrier like me. But I do love having my little baby in there all to myself. I especially love the kicks! But I am uncomfortable enough at this point that the idea of meeting him on the outside soon is sounding better and better. I am so excited to see who he looks like. I also found out that I passed my glucose test at 110! 🙂 Yay! No yucky 3 hr test this time! 

Symptoms? I don’t want anyone to think I’m complaining, because I’m not. Just keeping a record. I am starting to get morning sickness again. It is coming back as an all day queasiness. I’m not too thrilled about that. I can stand it being this bad but if it gets like it was in the beginning…. I just don’t know how I would cope. I was so miserable then. I look back on it and just cringe. But for now, I am fine. I also have been having a lot of pain with the SPD/pelvic girdle pain thing. I saw the chiropractor but he can’t do too much now since the baby is head down in the pelvis. It isn’t advised to go cracking the pelvis too much at this point. But he did suggest a pregnancy belt. I’m just too cheap to buy one. They’re $35!! I have a feeling it may be worth it though. I also booked a prenatal massage for this week. 🙂 I’m excited to try that out. I am definitely getting a lot more poking pains in my errr, whoo ha. Other than that, I have felt great. Heavy and fat but great! 🙂 

Food cravings? I am still game for eating anything but it’s definitely slowing down with the nausea. I can only eat a little bit before I am full and having acid reflux. We went to dinner last night and I ordered a half portion and ate about half of that. It’s a good thing though because maybe it will naturally keep me from gaining too much here at the end. 

Food aversions? Nope. Not really. 

Gender? Sweet little Levi. 🙂 

What I’m looking forward to? Growth scan. I am scheduled to start twice weekly NSTs (non stress test), and weekly AFIs (amniotic fluid index) next week. That makes everything feel really imminent.

Milestones? 30 weeks! That’s 3/4 of the way done! 

Bump? It’s so much different and lower than with Tru. A lot more squishy.

30 weeks 4 days

An awful picture but it shows the belly shape better…

 

Big ‘ol boring birth “plan” musings below. 

I had a check up yesterday and I asked if we do get to have a VBAC, can daddy catch baby. They said no. 😦 But, I bet it depends on what dr you ask. I am not suggesting that he deliver the baby, just that once it is flying out of there, if all is going well at that point, he could just lift him up to me. They said that he can cut the cord (Which he didn’t get to do with Tru since Tru wasn’t crying at first and they cut the cord in the process of getting him to the isolett thing obviously. That is understandable in that situation of course.) but I’m thinking that’s like going to Red Lobster and having someone say “Now you can’t order an entree but you can eat the biscuits.” We will see what happens. My ultimate goal is healthy and alive baby no matter how they get him out of there. IF I was allowed to have a birth plan (not allowed where I go but that doesn’t mean I won’t make requests as I am either pushing out the baby or being sawed in half) my birth plan would be:

• No epidural if I go naturally. I don’t want it. Unless I’m being sawed in half – in that case YES PLEASE! I hated the way the spinal made me feel and shake and I am not keen to try an epidural. If my Dr really wants me to have a line placed (and they do pending the whole time-since-lovenox-shot/blood-test thing) for the possibility of a c section being immediately necessary, I would agree to that. But leave it off please! I’m pretty sure….
• I want to be allowed to labor in any position I want. I want to be allowed to stand and walk and get on my knees, bounce on the ball etc. I absolutely HATE the idea of laboring while lying down. I don’t think it would be good for me or baby. I really would hate that I think.
• Showers or tub sounds great. That’s my go-to during nightmarish endometriosis periods and it always helps then.
• I’ll take an IV or whatever. I really don’t mind that. I was group b positive last time anyways.
• I am happy to have monitoring. I would obviously greatly prefer that it is wireless or whatever they call it that way I can move around.
• Not a fan of episiotomy. Just let it rip. At least then it will only rip as much as it needs to I hope.
• I DO NOT want to be lying on my back pushing. No, a hundred times, no! I can’t even fathom how that works. Gravity is our friend – not usually, but this time.
• Delayed cord clamping as long as baby is ok.
• Daddy cuts cord.
• Daddy catches baby.
• If I have a c section, I would really be fine with a lower curtain so I can see the baby when they pull him out. I know they are keeping things sterile and all that and I really appreciate it but if it’s possible, I would like a view.
• Immediate skin to skin. Even if I have a c section, I would be happy to do this. They wouldn’t work with me on it last time when I asked them prior to delivery. I read blogs where women do get to do that and I think it should be standard unless there is a problem with mom or baby.

It’s important to remember that this is my hypothetical birth plan if I had a birth that went “normal”. Either VBAC or cesarean, in the end, healthy and alive. That’s what matters. But this stuff is nice too. 🙂

 

Dear God, I ask that You will continue to watch over Levi and guard and protect him throughout the rest of this pregnancy and birth. I pray that he will be delivered at the right time in the right way that keeps him healthy and safe and brings glory to You. In Jesus’ name, amen.

28 Weeks 4 Days – 2nd Pregnancy

I had my 28 week check up yesterday. The visit itself was very routine. Pee in a cup, get weighed, talk to dr. I did get to have a growth ultrasound though but unfortunately I was almost 20 minutes late thanks to snowy roads. So, that meant that the tech rushed my ultrasound so that she could get me on to my dr appointment in time. It was kind of sad because we had no time to look at anything and she went so fast, I was afraid her measurements were way off. Seriously, I’ve never had a growth scan take probably 10 minutes if that. But Levi did measure well as did his fluid level. I had an AFI (amniotic fluid index) of 14cm and a single pocket measurement of 5cm. That’s probably on par with or maybe better than Truett’s was at this point so that is good. Also, baby is head down (!!!) and I am now certain that these poky things in my ribs are indeed feet and the poky things in my side are knees, elbows and hands. Truett was never head down after 23 weeks and being a frank breech baby, I didn’t feel much from his feet since he couldn’t really kick with them right in his face.

We discussed having a VBAC. It seems that some of the Drs are right on board with it and others, while they say that they are equipped for VBACS and that they are supportive of that choice if baby is not experiencing distress or anything negative like that or breech presentation, they also don’t really seem like they are that into me pursing that route. I have talked about it a little at almost all of my check ups and it seems that their main concerns are:

• Me going past my due date and having no positive cervical changes – they can’t induce with anything other than Pitocin and they can only induce with that if I have a favorable cervix. So going past my due date and no labor seems to equal c section.
• If I go into labor naturally and it hasn’t been enough hours since my last blood thinner injection and/or my blood test comes back bad, they can’t give me an epidural/spinal for labor or c section. I am actually fine with that for labor since I won’t be tempted to get one and then later possibly regret that choice (not saying it’s the wrong choice, just knowing myself, I know I might regret it) if it’s not an option. On the other hand, I am afraid if I have to get a c section, I would have to be put under general anestheia. This was a concern with Truett too and God provided that for the first time in my entire pregnancy, I forgot my Heparin shot the morning he was born and I was able to be awake for his birth. So I am going to try not to worry about that.
• I can’t schedule a natural labor and birth around my shots. Pretty much this is just the same concern as above. I understand that it is nice to know that all your bases are covered. For me though, I cried for AGES after scheduling my c section to have Tru (which I didn’t make it to that date after all) because it felt SO WEIRD to know when he was coming. I liked that God chose the date. DH on the other hand, loves the idea of being able to mark it on the calendar. It’s all in your personality I think. I am not much of a planner. I am spontaneous lol.

SO…. enough of all that. Basically, he is head down. It means nothing and it means everything. We won’t know until we get there. He could still turn breech again although most babies are getting into their little spots around this time. He might be natural, he might not. A lot of it is hanging on what his fluid levels and placenta do as we get closer to the date. If he even thinks about going into distress or if his placenta even thinks about shriveling up before he is born or if his fluid gets too low then you can just find me scrubbing myself in for a c section thankyouverymuch. It’s all up to God anyways. Whatever is in His plan for this little guy to come into this world. 🙂 I don’t regret Truett’s birth. I was hoping to go natural but I had an “easy”, necessary c section.

How far along? 28 weeks 4 days 

How big is the baby? Levi weighed an estimated 2lbs 14oz in the 53rd percentile. 

Total weight gain/loss? Mommy, on the other hand, weighs an estimated lotsmore pounds than Levi in the lotshigher percentile. Meaning I think I gained 2-3 pounds this week. So 19-20 pounds up from pre pregnancy weight now. 

Maternity clothes? I bought a pair of maternity leggings. They are the most comfortable pregnancy clothes you will ever wear. I don’t blame you if you never take them off again. 

Sleep? Terrible. I have had a stuffy nose for months now but it’s getting worse. I can’t get comfortable. My boobs keep playing hacky sack with each other. I keep waking up on my back…. But if I do fall into a deep sleep, it’s wonderful. 🙂 

Best moment this week? Finding out how big my newest little man is and seeing that he is head down. Feeling his feet in my ribs is adorable. I have also loved how Truett comes up and lays his head on my belly. He has no idea his brother is in there but it’s like he has some kind of affection for the belly. It’s precious. 🙂 

Symptoms? Pelvic/hip area is starting to hurt more especially if I sit for hours like I did today in the car. I bounce and roll my hips on the yoga ball a lot and do some stretches. It really helps. Aside from the usual contractions etc, I felt very heavy and tired this week but it’s just normal at this stage so it’s all to be expected. So worth it when I think of the little baby growing in there. 🙂 

Food cravings?  I went on a binge the last couple weeks… a “clean up our diet after the holidays” binge. It includes lots of vegetables and healthy recipes that I hope to share soon! I feel very healthy eating this way. 

Gender? Boy! 

Milestones? I am 7 months pregnant and in my third trimester now no matter what any silly website says!!! 😉 

Bump? It’s out there! 

Dear God, thank You for a good check up and ultrasound today. Thank You for the little baby kicks in my ribs. I always wanted to feel that and I finally am and it’s precious. I pray that Levi will be in whatever position is healthiest and safest for him and that You will provide us with the birth experience that You want for us to have. I pray that he will be born safe, healthy and happy no matter how he comes into the outside world. Thank You so much for him and for this whole very special experience. Please continue to watch other and guard and protect us. In Jesus’ name, amen.

27 Weeks 4 Days – 2nd Pregnancy – Happy New Year!!!

Wow! I feel like the time has been flying by for the last several weeks. I’m just a few days away from 7 months pregnant! I just turned 6 months pregnant didn’t I?

 

Thank you all for your comments on my bra recommendations post. I want to look through all the suggestions and maybe try some of the bras out and then do an updated post on my favorites. 🙂

 

As a fun little way to ring in the New Year, I decided to get sick yesterday. 😦 I have a sore throat and Tru keeps having some kind of diarrhea business and a runny nose. Well, I knew we probably wouldn’t escape the winter months without some kind of sickness. If this is all the worse it gets, I won’t complain. So many people have the flu right now in our area, I am down right afraid to go out in public at this point. I really would love to get through the winter without barfing!!

 

I have started collecting items for my hospital bag. Last time, I didn’t have it fully packed before I had the baby which meant that I didn’t have a coming home outfit for me and I had to wear clothes that really weren’t that comfortable. I have new tooth brushes and tooth paste (so we don’t have to grab ours at the last minute, we can just open a new tooth brush at the hospital), lots of pads (the ones at the hospital are ridiculous!), my MIL got me a pj set for Christmas that I plan to pack and I ordered a new SD card… I have a lot of stuff that I need to get still. DH thought it was kind of early to start packing but the fact is, there will be a birth at some point. Might as well get prepared!

 

How far along?  27  weeks 4 days! 

How big is the baby? My guess is, huge! I feel him kicking my right rib while I feel him hiccuping in my… butt actually. It’s a weird feeling. I think he turned head down… at least until last night. He seems to have moved yet again and now I have no idea how he is laying. Hopefully still head down. I have a growth scan next week Lord willing and we should know more then. 

Total weight gain/loss? Up by 17 pounds as of yesterday. My parents bought me a scale for Christmas. You don’t suppose that they got tired of me borrowing theirs do you? 😉 

Maternity clothes? I can’t understand how it can be possible that the regular t-shirts that I squished myself into all the way up until Truett’s birth, don’t fit me at all at this stage. I still weigh a little less now than when I delivered him and my belly is certainly smaller so how is it that these shirts don’t fit? 

Sleep? So hard to sleep with a sore throat! I tossed and turned for hours this morning because my restless legs were so bad. (Although it was only in my right leg and arm.) The chiropractor showed me how to relieve  it by using pressure on the back of my hip but it wasn’t helping. 

Best moment this week? Thinking that baby was head down and getting excited about that! Feeling his little feet was so cute. They feel big already! 

Symptoms? Restless legs. Little patches of rash popping up everywhere. Some of it is very itchy!! Contractions that are more and more uncomfortable. They are causing pressure in my butt and pelvis. I plan to talk to the Dr about this because it concerns me a little. Tail bone still hurts off and on. Suddenly, I feel SO HEAVY!! I was booking along, not even feeling pregnant. Cleaning, organizing, nesting , rearranging, shampooing carpet…. Now I feel like I have no energy and very little ambition. Some of that may be because I am sick but my belly just feels so heavy to carry around all of a sudden. It’s getting hard to breathe and I can’t carry on a conversation while I am walking very well because I get too out of breath. But I really can’t complain. I had a great while there where I felt amazing and had so much energy and stamina. It’s time to start winding down and that is A-OK! I have most of the stuff done that I needed to do anyways. 

Food cravings? I have been waiting for my appetite to slack off like it did with Tru. Sure enough, The last few days I can’t eat much without getting acid reflux and feeling full really soon. But up until I got sick, everything is still sounding yums!! 🙂 

Gender? Little boy Levi. 🙂 

What I’m looking forward to? Growth ultrasound! 🙂 

Milestones? By some accounts, I am in my 3rd trimester now. Some say I have been for a week and some say I won’t be until 28 weeks. I feel 3rd trimester so I am going with that. 

Bump? I shamefully didn’t take a picture. I am frustrated with myself for slacking on that. Maybe I will still get one this week. It makes it hard when I can’t get DH to stand still for 2 seconds to snap the picture. 

 

Dear God, please continue to watch over this sweet little baby and I pray that he will get into the position that is best for him and if that also happens to be head down, that’s wonderful. I pray that I will have the birth that You want me to have with this baby and that he and I will both be safe and healthy throughout the whole experience. I thank You for little Levi and for the blessing of carrying him. In Jesus’ name, amen.

20 Weeks 4 Days – 2nd Pregnancy

It’s so strange with this pregnancy having the placenta on the front. I can’t feel all the little flutters and I can’t really make out individual body parts. It’s kind of early for that anyways and I do have extra belly padding this time but I know with Tru, I was able to feel a lot more definition by now. I’m just so happy that I’m finally feeling regular movement and that it’s strong enough to feel from the outside now. 🙂 I really have no idea if he is head down or not but the stuff going on at that top feels like bigger body parts.

 

How far along? 20 weeks 4 days 

How big is the baby? I read that he is 10 inches head to toe. But they also say he is 10.5 oz this week and we already know that he measured 11 oz at his last ultrasound… 

Total weight gain/loss? I have consistently weighed 138.2 every morning for days now which puts my weight gain at just about +8 pounds. By the time I go to bed however, I have gained 4 more pounds which I’m assuming is all the water I am waking up to pee out all night since I wake up 4 pounds lighter. I am happy with an 8 pound gain though. 🙂 

Sleep? Plagued by very vivid nightmares. I tried taking half a Unisom last night before bed and I slept wayyyyyy better than I have lately so I think I may have to continue doing that. Otherwise I am fidgeting and tossing all night.

Best moment this week? Finally getting DH to feel the baby. The little guy was really showing off for his daddy flip-flopping around in there. 🙂 

Symptoms? Still the heart stuff going on. Yesterday it was awful and I was getting a little worried even though I know it’s normal. It just feels so different! I’ve noticed that it actually seems to calm down if I am really active. It’s not because I don’t feel it as much, it just literally calms down when I really get the blood pumping. I have no idea why… Restless legs are still here at times. Definitely feeling those round ligaments and just like with Tru, the left side is worse. I’m thinking we may have to get back to using the Webster Technique just to loosen it up a bit. But all in all, I really can’t complain. I’m not at the hugely awkward, heavy stage yet. I still have times where I feel totally normal until I look down and see a belly poking out. 😉 Just enjoying this second trimester, being able to eat, and feeling a lot like I normally do. 

Gender? I think we are all well established on the fact that he is a boy. A nameless boy. *sniff* But I think we are probably going to go with Bruce Shay because I love the name Shay and DH and I both agree on the name Bruce for a first name and when he kicks, I just feel like he’s a Bruce. I asked DH what name he got when the baby kicked him. “BRUCE!” I was like “I know!! Me too!” SO that’s probably his name. *Subject to change at any time* 😉 If I was going to be really pushy, I would push for Shay as the first name, but as long as it’s in there somewhere, I’m happy. 

Milestones? 20 weeks is considered halfway since pregnancy is measured as 40 weeks. Of course, babies can come a couple weeks sooner or later and be just fine so it’s a relative thing. But it’s still nice. 🙂 

Bump?

20 Weeks 1 Day

 

Dear God, please continue to watch over this sweet little baby and protect him. Thank You for this gift of getting to carry this little boy and I pray that my body will do a good job taking care of him all throughout this pregnancy. In Jesus’ name, amen.

 

Link to 20 week pregnancy post with Truett.

15 Weeks 4 Days – 2nd Pregnancy

I think you have all heard me whine enough this week about my previa concerns. I’m still quite scared but I’m just taking it easy, limiting the number of times a day I pick Tru up, making him crawl or helping him walk everywhere and just praying alot. I drafted an email to the Dr that I saw in triage to ask her if I needed to be checked sooner than 4 weeks but I didn’t send it. I figure that there’s nothing I can do right now anyways besides rest, pray and wait.

How far along? 15 weeks 4 days

How big is the baby? About 4 inches or so plus legs. By the way, you might notice that I always say “plus legs”. That is because it drives me crazy that the legs are not measured in the babies length until around the 20th week. Drives me crazy!

Total weight gain/loss? I think I am back to -/+ 0 but I might be up a pound. Since I started out weighing more this time, I think my body has been taking advantage of using up my extra pounds. 🙂 I feel like I weigh more but that’s just the belly talking. I’m certainly eating enough!

Best moment this week? I don’t know… This week has been pretty scary for me. Maybe just the fact that I am finally over morning sickness. Yesterday I was a little queasy but I’m not sure that was morning sickness related. I have stopped taking my Unisom except for here and there. 🙂 I’m actually feeling a bit more like planning meals and cooking! I’m sure DH is grateful. 😉

Symptoms? Very sore and firm boobies, feeling of fullness “down there”, lots of menstrual type cramps, lots of Braxton Hicks contractions which are actually a little painful, stuffy nose and I’m not sure I ever mentioned it before but ACNE on my face and especially in my hair. Eww!! 😉

This isn’t really a symptom but, my heart is always pounding so hard that I can feel it most of the time. I’m not sure what is up with that. I can feel it pounding in my entire belly area and it is so strong you can actually see my belly moving up and down when I’m laying on my back. And the other night I woke up with my heart racing so fast! It had to be 130’s or higher. I wasn’t having a bad dream or anything. It was pretty weird. I’m not sure if this is just another little pregnancy quirk or what but I never had anything like this with Truett.

Food cravings? Nothing in particular. I’m just back to eating almost everything.

Food aversions? Chicken unless it is fried. All other forms of chicken make me want to throw up and I absolutely cannot eat it.

Belly button in or out? The top is out. The bottom where my laparoscopy scar is still hanging in there but getting more flat.

What I’m looking forward to? I don’t really bother to look forward to anything because it’s such a let down when it doesn’t happen. Like looking forward to my next appointment just so I can get some crabby Dr who is running 20 minutes behind and won’t spend 2 minutes on my concerns because they are trying to get to their next patient…. Not all the Drs are that way but I seem to be really good at picking them.

Bump? I don’t feel like it’s really grown in the last few weeks but I can feel my uterus has reached my belly button now so I know it certainly has grown just not too noticeably on the outside.

15 weeks

Dear God, You know that I have been worried this week but the life of this baby is in Your hands and that is the safest place for it to be. God I ask that You will please watch over this baby and guard and protect it and sustain it’s life according to Your will. In Jesus’ name, amen.

12 Weeks 4 Days – 2nd Pregnancy

I am not feeling well today at all so I apologize if this is a moody update. I am having intense bladder pain and I don’t know if it is an Intersistial Cystitis flare up or not. I finally emailed the Dr this evening after dealing with this for days. I am on day 7 of Macrobid and this is the last day of my prescription before I am supposed to cut back to once daily suppression. I don’t really think that this is UTI pain though even though that’s what it feels like because it got much worse after starting the antibiotic. Oh, and yay, I think I have a yeast infection now too. 😦 Sigh. I am not at all happy with my bladder right now. I feel a lot better in the morning sickness department but I’m still in so much pain now with the bladder issues, I don’t want to get off the couch.

See, that was encouraging. Plus I’m feeling super worried about the baby now because of all these possible infections going on down there. And thanks to all the very distracting pain in my bladder, the baby would need to be kicking with elephant force for me to feel it which I know it’s super early anyways but I am officially on flutter watch now and I can’t concentrate. Yeah, I know. Big problems. But still, it sucks.

But I do have even less morning sickness this week than last week. I don’t know if it is a coincidence that the morning sickness went from terrible flu to mild/moderate motion sickness at the same time as I started taking store brand Unisom Sleep Tabs, but I will say that I am not about to go off them yet and find out!! I can’t believe that it actually helps! I was so skeptical, I didn’t start it until at least a week after the NP told me to try it. I regret that now. It seems so weird but whatever works. Especially now as it’s kind of important to keep the fluids going in.

How far along? 12w4d – almost the end of the first trimester!

Total weight gain/loss? I think I am just -1 now.

Sleep? I think the Unisom is helping me fall asleep faster. I have definitely slept better the last week or so. 

Best moment this week? Being 12 weeks is pretty exciting although I don’t put as much stock in dates as I used to. 

Symptoms? Bladder pain, light nausea mostly, bladder pain, round ligament pain, probable yeast infection (I know – gross), and did I mention very unpleasant bladder pain?

Food cravings? Not so much cravings as just finally feeling like I want to eat again. I really had to have a Subway Vegi Sub last week. It was just as good as I imagined. I want another one right now! Also, ranch. I want things that I can put ranch on. Like celery. Or deep fried pickles. I am almost out of ranch!!! Somebody get me some RANCH! … I guess I am having cravings a little. 

Food aversions? I don’t want to talk about store brand Ramen noodles in the styrofoam cup. So gross. 

What I’m looking forward to? Still just really waiting for those flutters in there. 

Dear God, I ask that You will please take away any bladder or yeast infection that I might have right now so that it will not affect this pregnancy or this sweet little baby. I pray that You will please sustain the life of this baby according to Your will. Thank You for letting me carry this precious little life that You have created. I am so in awe of the miracle of life. In Jesus’ name, amen.

11 Weeks 4 Days – 2nd Pregnancy

First, I just want to say that I have a Truett update in my drafts waiting for me to add the pictures… Maybe tonight if I get a chance to upload them. 

 

I had an OB appointment yesterday. (I know it’s getting confusing – 2 appointments at 6 and 7 weeks with the RE’s office, an intake at 9 weeks with the NP at my OB’s office, and now an OB appointment at 11 weeks with the actual OB.) It was frustrating. The OB I saw is my primary OB. I only saw her once in my pregnancy with Tru and I don’t plan to purposely see her again with this baby. Which is kind of a shame because she’s really nice and funny and we get along great as far as 2 people go, but our patient – Dr relationship is not comfortable for me. I feel like I can’t trust her. We spent a great deal of my appointment talking about how much she believes I need to go off of my Lovenox/baby aspirin even though she is the only Dr in the practice (there are 11 OBs in the practice currently) who has said at any point that I should quit either of those things. In fact, after I was delivered, as I have mentioned before, I was told that in any future pregnancies they would be upping my dose of Lovenox. Which they did. When I called the nurse to tell her I was pregnant, she had the NP call in a prescription for Lovenox and instructed me to begin it that day. The reasoning that the OB gave me yesterday for not believing I need blood thinner is because “I looked over the pathology report and your placenta had no clots.” Uh, yeah I should hope not. Ya, know, seeing as I was ON BLOOD THINNER AND ALL!! Not to mention that my regular Gyno says I should never go off of aspirin pregnant or not. So, that was a fun discussion.

After that stupid exchange, we talked for awhile about how I don’t want the NT scan/first trimester screening. I already know we have a family history of Down’s. It’s possible. But I told her if it’s not something that we can potentially treat then I will be declining it so I can hopefully avoid that extra worry if something does come back not so good. I want to enjoy this pregnancy as much as I can. 

Aside from her taking a quick peek at the baby on the handheld ultrasound (I could see the heartbeat but I’m really not sure what else we were looking at – the baby looked bigger and crowded), we talked for a minute about the probability of a c-section and our plans to avoid it if the baby is looking happy and head down so as to not cause too much more scar tissue, that was pretty much the gist of the appointment. She did say she thinks I will go around 37 weeks this time also with the possibility of even going as early as 35 to 36 weeks which of course 37+ is much more preferable if we have a happy baby in there. 

 

How far along? 11w4d

How big is the baby? A key lime? With legs. 😉 

Total weight gain/loss? I think I am still down about 3 or 4 pounds. 

Maternity clothes? My jeans still fit but some of my shirts are a little tight. Maternity dresses ROCK! 

Sleep? I’ve been having a little trouble falling asleep but I think it might be the full moon.

Best moment this week? Hearing the baby kick with the doppler. I think I was 11w2d.

Symptoms? Still lots of morning sickness that gets worse as the day wears on and just feeling like I have the flu. My back hurts, cramping, round ligament pain, cold chills, headaches, very tired, constipation turned into loose bowels, nose of a dog – I smell everything!

Food cravings? Still nothing really. I bought some pickles to deep fry but I haven’t yet. I decided I needed lentils and split pee soup so I made lentils last night and they were good but didn’t sit as well on my stomach as I had hoped. 

Food aversions? Basically everything sounds gross. I think my stomach is the size of a walnut because I can only eat a few bites at a time really. I got a kids meal when DH took me out to dinner the other night and I was stuffed afterwards! I felt so sick, I had to carry a cup around in my purse just in case haha. 

What I’m looking forward to? Feeling baby’s movements in there. 🙂 

Milestones? Beginning to wean off progesterone but I plan to take my sweet time. I think I was around 14-15 weeks when I finished it with Tru. 

Bump? I missed 2 weeks of taking pictures 😦 which makes me really sad. But I will say, after everything “loosened” up in there (ahem), my belly shrank by a lot! 

 

Here is a link to my post with Truett.

 

Dear God, I ask that You will watch over this sweet little baby according to Your will. I pray that I will do a good job taking care of both this baby and Truett. Thank You for them. In Jesus’ name, amen.