Wow, I cannot believe I am writing a post at 18 weeks pregnant. I could only ever imagine getting this far along in a pregnancy, and having things going {seemingly} well. Since my last update, all that has been going on are weekly check-ins with my OB to listen to Cletus’s heartbeat. At every appointment, the results have been good. Cletus has a strong heartbeat and we can usually hear the little baby kicks from the twisting and turning that is going on inside my belly. Another good item to report is that I have been bleed and spotting free for 18 days, so we are assuming the subchorionic bleed has healed. However, until we verify it is indeed gone at the 20 week ultrasound, we will not be able to be “un-diagnosed” from this issue.
One other thing I did confirm with my OB was my “due date”…technically, I will be 40 weeks on August 4th. But, because of being on Lovenox, we will begin the labor process a week early. So, when someone asks me my due date, I tell them July 28th as this is the date {for now} my OB is targeting.
In other exciting news, last week I think I felt some kicks and then a couple days later a few flutters. I tried to tell myself it was just gas bubbles, as to not get too excited. But I couldn’t convince myself that it wasn’t kicks. So, for now that is what I am going with! The countdown is on now, though. In one more week I will get to hear Cletus’s heartbeat again and in two weeks we will have our 20 week ultrasound where we will find out if the subchorionic bleed is gone, how Cletus has grown, and what the gender is. Oh, and Graham moved the dresser {that we will be using as the changing table} into the nursery this weekend and started painting it. It is so weird to be working on the nursery {when there was a time in my life I never thought we would be able to}, but it is oh so exciting!
One other thing I have been thinking about a lot recently is how blessed we are to have the relationship with my OB that we do. She is amazing! But, it is not just her, the entire staff at the clinic is amazing.
There are so many points of advice that anyone that has gone through a pregnancy can give, but if I had to choose just one piece of advice to give to someone looking to start their family, it would be to make sure you are comfortable and happy with your OB. Granted, I have seen my OB a lot more than the average person will see theirs, but I know for a fact we wouldn’t have been able to get through the past four years without Dr. Effie and everyone at the clinic. They show compassion yet give us the real {non-sugar coated} answers.
In any case, that is pretty much it! The next two weeks will be focused on getting to the ultrasound. But so far, so good!
{image from the bump.com}
All about my 18th Week of Pregnancy :
How far along today: 18 weeks, 1 day (only 147 days left!!)
The baby is the size of a: A sweet potato (holy moly!)
The baby is working on: Cletus is working his muscles and practicing all kinds of moves. Cletus is yawning, hiccupping, sucking and swallowing!
Gender: Unknown {I still feel like it is a boy and Graham’s guess is a girl}
Maternity clothes: I did have to unknot my pajama pants this week to make sure they would last a couple more week!
Stretch marks: Not yet, but itching like crazy as the skin is stretching
Belly button in or out: Still in!
Sleep: Sleeping okay
Best moments this week: Getting the opportunity to hear the heartbeat each and every week!
Worst moment this week: Nothing really (yay!)
Miss anything: Still missing coffee and Diet Coke
Movement: Unless it was just MAJOR gas bubbles, I think I felt some kicks last week
Cravings: Still a BIG fan of milk (I am up to about four or five glasses a day)
Queasy or sick: Just really bad heartburn, but Dr. Effie had me start taking Zantac and it has helped tremendously
Looking forward to: The 20 week ultrasound!!
If you want to get caught up on our four-year-long story that lead up to this pregnancy, make sure to check out my posts as a part of the “Surviving Infertility” category.
——————————————————————————————————————————————————
My Entire Pregnancy Story
This post was all about being pregnant with my first son, Laughton. After a complicated, high-risk pregnancy, he was born on Mother’s Day 2014 at 28 weeks with a rare condition and passed away shortly after birth. If you would like to read about what my husband and I experienced during the pregnancy, and as we began the grieving process, here is a list of all the posts in order for you:
5 Weeks Pregnant :: pregnancy announcement
6 Weeks Pregnant :: morning sickness cure
7 Weeks Pregnant :: cramping, betas, and a heart-shaped uterus
8 Weeks Pregnant :: normal spotting and a 3D ultrasound
9 Weeks Pregnant :: a calm week
12 Weeks Pregnant :: subchorionic bleed
14 Weeks Pregnant :: the check after the subchorionic bleed
18 Weeks Pregnant :: the first kicks
19 Weeks Pregnant :: the gender guessing game
20 Weeks Pregnant :: when the abnormalities were discovered
22 Weeks Pregnant :: having to make a tough decision
25 Weeks Pregnant :: excessive amniotic fluid
28 Weeks Pregnant :: too beautiful for earth – surviving infant loss