30 weeks pregnant belly

A picture of my pregnant belly at exactly 30 weeks (30w0d). My belly looks so different in the morning than the evening. I have to remember next week when I take my picture twice that day. I will take one 1st thing in the morning at 7am while I'm getting ready for work which is on a completely empty stomach. Then I will take one later that evening at 9pm when I get out of work & have eaten. I'll have the same clothes on & I will put them side by side so you can really see the huge difference (literally, hehe) . My belly is huge at night & I feel so bloated. I'm so glad I've been taking my belly shots the 1st thing in the morning the entire pregnancy because I think they're more accurate.







30w1d

Getting beat up!

For the last 2 or 3 weeks this little girl is beating me up from the inside! I've read that you're supposed to sit down when your baby is the most active & count their movements. They are supposed to kick, wiggle, elbow, tickle, 10 times in a 2 hour period every day (and if they're not to call your doctor). This little girl probably "wiggling" 10 times in 10 MINUTES! I'm not really sure how she is laying in my stomach but I feel her all over the place mainly below my belly button. There have been a couple times I've felt her at or just above my belly button area but its always below. Sometimes it feels like she is jumping on my hip bone because then a second later I feel something like her head on the complete other side of my stomach. I'll look down & my belly is jumping. I watched a few videos on YouTube where people recorded the movements at around 35ish weeks & some of these videos are wild. It's like putting the baby under a sheet & watching the movements from the other side-- that's how some of these videos look. I have a feeling that's how things will be for me in a few weeks!
28w6d

28 weeks Pregnant Belly

My pregnant belly at 28 weeks (28w1d to be exact). It's crazy to look back at all my belly pictures. I should have taken a picture wearing the exact same clothes each time, standing the exact same way so I can do a flip-book type video so it looks like my belly is just growing....but you gotta be good in that kind of stuff for it to look good. Maybe with my next pregnancy I'll do that...HA!, already thinking of the "next" pregnancy & I haven't even had this baby yet!











28w2d

My 3D ultrasound

I had my 3D ultrasound the day before yesterday & it was truly amazing!! I knew from the 1st few weeks of my pregnancy that I wanted to have one but my husband was kinda freaked out about it. When we went for our normal 12 week ultrasound the sonographer had said that sometimes the baby isn't completely formed & people get freaked out by the 3D u/s. My husband really didn't like that so he didn't want to go & have the 3D u/s but I talked him into it anyway. I was allowed to have 3 other people come so my mom & sister came too.
They told me to come hungry & not to eat 4 hours before the appointment. On the way there I kept feeling the baby kick so that was a good thing. We finally get there & I was sooo excited!! They told us that we had to pay for our package 1st & that they get $50 out of it regardless of how the pictures come out. As soon as I got on the table the sonographer was on my belly for maybe 2 minutes...the baby's hands were in her face so the sonographer said to go get an orange juice & get something to eat then come back. As we are outside getting something I was cursing her out-- "she didn't even try or give it time", "this is bull", "they don't care because they will get $50 anyway".... We were prepared to flip out of she didn't give the next go a chance but this time the baby was pretty cooperative....

As we are watching the 4D part of it my sister & mom kept laughing which was then making me laugh. It's so weird seeing the baby's eye open, mouth open, arms/legs move... It's not good for me to laugh because it screws up the picture so I had to stop looking at them.
I also wanted to get a confirmation that we were having a girl so we said before we got there that we would not tell them & have them tell us. Well that was a waste because I'm so used to saying "her" that I kept doing it-- "Her arm is moving" "Her mouth opened" "OMG look at her tongue!". And I wasn't the only one doing it, so was my sister & husband....it's hard not to!

It's a really strange looking picture & I would never in a million years figure out that this was her private area but she seemed to know what she was talking about.
She also did all the measurements of the baby & they all measured out perfectly. My husband was saying "did you see how when she was doing the measurements they all measured out perfectly! Only a day or two difference.". At the end of the measurements the average of them was my exact time. That made me happy because I keep thinking I'm gonna have a big baby because I'm eating like a pig & I've already gained 30 lbs with 3 months still to go. The weight of the baby is 2 lbs 5 oz.
My husband really enjoyed it too. When we got to the place he wasn't excited like I was, he wouldn't even help me pick out the package & kept saying "this is your thing". I think he was kind of nervous so it kept him pretty quite even my mom asked if he was ok. While we were in there he really perked up. He kept saying how amazing it was & he was excited. When it was time to pick out our 6 printed pictures at the end he was really into it. When we got home & were were looking at the picture he would say "she has my nose". I really think she has his lips too. Even yesterday after work when we were at dinner he was looking at the pictures I put on my phone & he was saying "this is really amazing". I had asked him if he knew the outcome would be like this would he do it again & he said yes :)
This was definitely a really exciting time & I'm really happy we did this. It was well worth the $125 (plus tax). The sonographer really knew what she was doing & I was quick to judge her in the beginning...I can blame my pregnancy hormones, I'm allowed!
27w4d

Bonding (?)

For a little while now I've been having a different kind of feeling. It's really hard to explain, especially in writing, but I'm gonna give it a try.....

Lately when I'm going somewhere or or doing something that I don't want to do I think about how I have my little baby with me. An example is going to work. I hate going to work...I mean really hate it especially on the weekends. I work 12 hour shifts (really 13 hours) so it's 3 days a week & very long days. I have to work every other weekend & the weekends are (usually) the only days I have to work 2 days in a row so I really dread those 2 days. Even though I hate having to go, it feels kinda different because I know I get to take my little baby with me. It's not like I can play or even look at her, it's just knowing that she is in there & I feeling her squirm around inside my belly. It's kind of like a 'complete' or 'whole' feeling in my heart.

I hope that made sense. Maybe when I can find the right words to how I feel I'll make a better post.
27w4d

26 weeks Pregnant Belly

A bit late with posting this but here is a picture of my pregnant belly at 26 weeks & 5 days (26w5d). For some reason it looks kinda smaller than it really is & from last weeks picture....I guess it was the angle I took it at.















27w4d

Braxton Hicks Contractions

I've read many times about these "Braxton Hicks Contractions". I found it strange that they say that these BH contractions are preparing you for labor BUT they don't hurt. It really confused me for a while how a "contraction" doesn't hurt until I felt it for myself.
Yesterday while I was at work walking I felt a tightening in my lower abdomen. The entire area about an inch below my belly button to my pubic bone got all tight for about 1 minute (to *maybe* 2 minutes) then gradually relaxed. It happened twice yesterday just while I was walking. It was a really strange feeling but as they said it didn't hurt.

26w5d

Terrible thoughts

Until I had my halfway through ultrasound I was constantly worrying that my baby was gonna have Down Syndrome or some other problem. I wasn't letting myself enjoy my pregnancy because I really thought something was going to be wrong. It was like I was preparing myself for the worst. After having that ultrasound at around 18 weeks & finding out that everything looked good I was able to clam down a bit & just worry like a normal person instead of a total freak. I've actually started enjoying my pregnancy, looking at baby stuff, thinking of names and all that good stuff....
Last night I woke up at about 3 am freaking out! I kept thinking about my baby having Autism or something. I couldn't get this out of my mind & I couldn't fall back asleep. This went on for about a 45 minutes. I kept picturing an out of control baby like you see on TV when they talk about it. It was such a terrible feeling last night & I really hope it doesn't happen again.
25w5d

6th month appointment

My monthly OB appointment went well. I always get nervous just before I'm about to walk in the door at the office, I don't know why.
My blood pressure was good & so what the diabetes test. The baby's heartbeat was nice & loud and she said I was measuring out good.
For the next appointment she game me a glucose drink

and I have to drink it an hour before my blood is going to be taken. My appointment is at 9am which means I gotta drink this at around 8am. I'm not very good with bad tasting stuff so early in the morning. Also my veins are VERY hard to find & taking my blood is a at least a 30 minute job of sticking & sticking so I'm wondering if I should drink is 30 minutes before my appointment. Ahhh, I'll figure it out.
All in all things are going great!
25w4d

Pregnancy Pillow

I got this pregnancy pillow from Walmart.com The main reason I picked this one is because of the position the lady is in in the bottom right picture. I really like sleeping on my back but slightly on my side & having the pillow all around me really lets me stay in that position. I also sleep like the 1st picture on left & kinda hug the pillow.
At first I was worried that this pillow would be too bulky in my queen size bed with me, hubby & my 2 dogs--well, really the dog that's 70 lbs because the little one is only 5 lbs & sleeps above our heads. It's actually no problem at all. Then I started thinking that they put a really small lady in the picture & made the pillow look much bigger than it really is. The picture is pretty accurate--I'm 5'8" & now 180 lbs so I'm not small.
I'm really happy I ordered it & I'm not sure I'm gonna wanna give it up when I give birth!

25 week pregnant belly

A picture of my pregnant belly at 25w4d. I took it this morning on my way out to jury duty. Boy oh boy am I looking slobbier & slobbier every week!

24 week pregnant belly

I've been slacking with blogging. Mainly the reason is because I was settling into a new apartment.
This is a picture of my 24w2d pregnant belly.

Hip Pain

I have been sleeping absolutely terrible at night, especially the last few weeks. There are 2 major problems, my hips are in severe pain & I have to pee. I'm not quite sure which one is actually waking me, but when I wake up all I know is I'm hurting & I also have to go to the bathroom.
Before getting pregnant I was always one to sleep on my side, especially on my left which is a major plus for preggers because doctors say it improves circulation. My 2nd sleeping position is on my back & occasionally on my right side. Sleeping on your back after the 1st trimester is a major no no when pregnant because the baby's weight can press on your major vein & can diminish blood flow to your brain and uterus, and can make you dizzy, short of breath, or nauseated. So at night I try & stay on my sides, especially my left side. When I wake up both my hips are in so much pain, especially the side I was sleeping on....so I get up, walk to the bathroom which will stretch things out a bit, pee then go back to bed & lay on the opposite side. I do this about 6 times a night. I googled about this & it was recommended putting a pillow between your knees which I started doing. The pillow I was using was very thin & didn't seem to be helping much. My bed is also a firm bed so I'm sure that's adding to the pain too.
I can't take much more of this so I went online last night before bed & bought the All Nighter Total Body Pregnancy Pillow by Leachco from Walmart, especially since I still had $45 left from a $100 Walmart gift card I got for Xmas. I couldn't decide between the one I got & the Snoogle, they both had great reviews. I picked the one I bought because one of the positions the lady is in in the picture is on her back. I don't plan to lay directly on my back but kind of on a slant so this is the one I bought. I can't wait until it come & when it does I will definitely write a review.
Last night was the first night in a few weeks that I slept really good. Well, better than normal...I only woke up about 3 times instead of 6+ & I wasn't in terrible pain. I had also used a fluffier pillow between my legs & I had worked all day so when I got home I was super tired so that might have helped a bit. I'm sure the *real* reason I slept well was because after a huge chunk of sleep I woke up on my back which I am very unhappy about. I then went back to sleep on my side & used the bigger pillow that really seemed to help a lot. When I woke up this morning I felt the baby kicking so I'm guessing the laying on my back this time didn't do anything to my little one, thank god. Lets see if this will continue or if it was just a one time deal. I will continue to use the fluffier & see....I just can't wait to get my pregnancy pillow!

UPDATE: using a thicker pillow between my legs made a big difference....I really didn't have pain in my hips since using a thicker pillow...yay!

23 week pregnant belly

A picture 1st thing in the morning of my pregnant belly at exactly week 22 & 5 days (22w5d). I probably should take it on the same exact day each week but I don't. I'm lucky I remember to take it at all ;)

We have a name!!

I'm so happy to say that we FINALLY have a name for the baby! After weeks of looking for girls names on the credits from TV shows, reading baby names books, looking at my baby names iPhone applications, listening to the names of the TV characters (especially on soaps) we have finally decided on a name!! There is a TV show on USA called Burn Notice that we both like a lot & we like the female character's name a lot.
Our last name is very Italian & I want to have an Irishy first name. We are both born in America--I'm Irish & he's half Irish & half Italian. I had also mentioned in a different blog post that we (I) don't want a popular name. Me growing up with a very popular name there was always another girl in my class with the same name. I also don't want a unique name or a name that always gets pronounced wrong. My husband thinks I'm putting to many requirements on picking a name...I'm sorry if I don't want the name to be the same as my cousins, or sound exactly the same as our niece that will be around 8 months old when our baby is born--of course if we had really love the name & had said for years that when I have a baby I wanna name it this, then I would think about it but that's not the case at all. I'm also doing all the thinking! Grrrr!!
Well all this has finally come to an end! I will no longer be driving myself crazy thinking of a name. Now this name isn't written in stone, I'm not gonna start embroidering her onesies with the new name but I am no longer thinking for a name. If someone asks us what her name I'm gonna tell them....

"Fiona Ashley"

All different sites & books kinda have different origin/meaning but most of them have basically the same thing....
Fiona--the name origin is Irish/Celtic (I actually seen a website say Scottish). The meaning is: fair, pale, pretty/beautiful. It's not a popular name here in the United States but it is kinda popular in Ireland so that's cool.
Ashely--the origin is English. The meaning is: from the Ash Tree field. Not really sure what that means but the name sounds really pretty together. We were thinking of Ashley as a 1st name but it's of course a pretty popular name at #13 on the SSA for 2007 (the list for 2008 wasn't available yet).

I am just so happy to finally have a name! Her nickname will be Fi (Fee)....sooo cute!

Seeing movements

This is one pregnancy milestone I was NOT expecting so soon! I'm sitting on the couch & the baby is kicking a lot. I pulled up my shirt & looked down at my ever growing belly when I saw my belly jiggle in the spot I feel the baby kick. It's so wild! I told my husband to look at first (as usual) he didn't see it but then he did! It's such an amazing feeling! You can see the VERY VERY slight move on the right side between second 7 & 8...and I mean very slight. If I get a better video within the next few days I post another one. It seems like when I'm ready to record she kicks like crazy, if I have the video recording she doesn't wanna kick.

Pregnancy, Labor & Delivery Books

I'm not a book reader but since I'm pregnant I've been reading books. Usually what I do is read before I go to bed--I could read a chapter or I could read 2 pages. When I first got pregnant I was CLUELESS about pregnancy. I am an Licensed Practical Nurse but I've only worked in nursing homes since having my nursing license. Also when learning about it in school, the year was almost over so we VERY quickly went over this stuff...and I mean quickly.
The first book I bought was the famous What to Expect When You're Expecting. I read the month before the month I'm at-- so if I'm 5 months pregnant I'll read month 6. A pretty ok book but I'm not crazy with the way it's set up- I don't really like the 'question & answer' format.
My favorite pregnancy book was Jenny McCarthy's Belly Laughs. I've always liked her style so I knew I'd like her book. She made my laugh the entire time & everything she says is so true. It's a really good book for fun & brief information about pregnancy but I wouldn't read it as my only pregnancy book, just not enough information. If you like her style then I would definitely get her book.
The book I am currently reading (only have like 2 pages left) is The Girlfriends Guide to Pregnancy. This book is pretty good. There is definitely a good amount of information in it. What I'm finding with it is she brings up things I would never have thought or worried about...so it's basically making me worry a bit more. One example is when she speaks about worrying about the results of an amniocentesis. After results ruling out Downs Syndrome (which I was worrying about big time for some reason) she mentioned how we will start worrying about other things like a strawberry birthmark or cleft palates. I would have never really thought about that!
L&D Book I'm looking for:
Now that I'm 22 weeks pregnant, more then halfway there, I'm looking to get a Labor & Delivery book. I want something that will talk about everything--what will exactly happen from the start of labor to when the baby is out of my body (and whatever else I may need to know). What options I will have. I do have to have the baby in the hospital, I can't have a home birth because of the medication I'm on. I wanna know about contractions, pain techniques, pain management, available medication-what are my options & what's the side effects, birthing options that are available in hospitals (I know it differs from place to place), emergencies that might come up, what to look for....everything & I mean everything that I need to know about hospital births.
If you know of a good book please leave a comment with the name. Thanks!

Baby Names

WOW! I can't believe how difficult it is to pick a name for the baby! When you hear a name it makes you think of someone you grew up with, someone ugly or someone mean so you don't want to name your baby that. This is a VERY difficult thing to do....this is one thing this girl will have for the rest of her life! She will be 90 years old & will still have this name! One thing we are lucky for is that any name will pretty much go with our last name.
My husband likes a certain name & so do I but, his sister just had a baby in November '08 & the only difference is the 1st letter--like "Kacey" & "Lacey" (sorry not a great example but you get the idea). I don't want 2 cousins that aren't even gonna be a year apart with names that sound almost the same.
Then we both like the names Emma & Ashley. Both of these names are on the top 10 most popular names. Me growing up with a *very* popular name there was always another girl in my class with my name, kinda annoying. I just know there would be another Emma in her class.
Now thinking I'd really like to have an Irish first name since our last name is really Italian (I'm Irish & he's half Irish & Italian--we are both American tho). We both like the name Fionna. It's a very pretty name & not popular. I don't want a "unique" name I just don't want a very popular name...it can be #200 on the list of names instead of #3 like Emma is. Today I found a really cool website BabyNamesOfIreland.com. The list of names for girls & boys has audio so you can hear how it's pronounced. I TOTALLY fell in love with a name--Ryanne (pronounced Rye-ann) I text messaged my husband to tell him & he's not really sure, he said he has to think about it. His friend's son's name is Ryan so he's kinda iffy about it. I told him if he says yes then that will be the name, I will not change it. I'm crossing my fingers!!

22 week (21w6d) Pregnant Belly

My week 21 & 6 days pregnant belly picture. I haven't really noticed much of a difference this past week, maybe slightly. According to a picture in my "What to Expect When You're Expecting" book I'm carrying low...which shows that that Old Wives Tale is false for me because I should be carrying high since it's a girl, lol! BUT I am getting wide so the Old Wives Tale for that is true.

Kicks from the outside!

As I lay on my back on the couch I can really feel the baby kicking pretty hard--I still think it's supposed to get harder from what I read, this kind of kicking won't wake me up at nite. I'll put my hand there & I think I can actually feel something but since I feel it in my stomach I'm not sure if I'm actually feeling on my hand too or if it's in my head. I told my husband to put his hand on my stomach about 2" below my belly button & just leave it there for a bit. At first when I felt the baby he said he didn't.....then the kicks seemed to get a little harder & he thought he did felt something but he wasn't sure...all of a sudden the baby let out a few stronger kicks & he said "yeah, I felt that one!", then again!! It's so cool for him to feel her...I'm also feeling her much stronger today too! Maybe she's kicking saying "hello, I'm hungry!" because I'm starved, time for dinner.....

Baby Powder

Who ever invented Baby Powder is a great great person! Ha, all kidding aside...
I'm a nurse in a nursing home & I'm at work for 13 hours (I work 3 days a week). In those 13 hours I'm on my feet walking for probably 11.5 hours. With all the weight I've gained so far with my pregnancy lots of the weight went to my upper thighs & butt....so now there seems to be lots of heat (ahem, and sweat) in that area. Also the scrub pants I wear kinda hang in the crotch just a little so there's friction from my legs rubbing & it starts getting very uncomfortable. After a while of this happening I thought of trying baby powder. I have never really used baby powder before but I figured let me give it a try....boy oh boy that stuff is great! The irritation that I was getting stopped & makes me feel so fresh! Now I started using baby powder under my boobs, under my armpits & in my shoes too....this stuff is great!!

5th Month appointment

Had my monthly doctor's appointment today. She weighed me at 176, oh lord another 5 lbs....thank god I'm pretty tall (5'8") so it doesn't show badly....even my doctor said "where are you hiding it?" hope it wasn't just to be nice, lol! We went to listen to the heartbeat & wow! The heartbeat was strong & so clear, it was a beautiful sound. She also measured my belly for the 1st time. She asked how I was doing & after I told her everything she said to "keep up the good work" which I found funny. It was a nice quick visit.
I had asked her about getting another ultrasound...the tech at the last u/s said that she didn't think they would need me to come again unless the doctor ordered one. The doctor said the insurance only pays for 3 & that one was my 3rd. She said we will see how things go & the doctor could always come up with an excuse if we needed one--- I took this as seeing if I will actually really need one & if I won't then we will make up an excuse to have another one....maybe wishful thinking. Anyway I do plan on having a 3D/4D ultrasound at about 26-27 weeks so I'll get to see my girl then...yay!

Baby movements

At the beginning of week 18 I started feeling something & thought it could be the baby. Since this is my 1st baby I'm not really sure what kicking feels like. The pops & tickles I was feeling wasn't often & I only felt them when I would lay down & concentrate on it real hard. It wasn't something I felt everyday either...I would feel it one day then I wouldn't feel it again until a few days later.
Well lately, as I entered my 20th week, I'm really starting to feel things. The feeling I'm having still aren't hard kicks but more like the butterflies or bubbles...kinda like a fart under water, lol! I'm feeling it almost every time I'm laying or sitting down & I don't really have to concentrate on them as hard as I was before. This is very exciting! My baby girl is definitely getting stronger, soon enough I will be feeling those kicks that will wake me in the middle of the night.

20 week Pregnant Belly

My belly is growing! Here is another morning shot of my pregnant belly at 20 weeks. It's crazy how big it looks at the end of the day...the food & bloating makes my belly look like I'm 9 months pregnant! It's really a crazy difference so I will continue to take my belly shots in the morning before I eat or drink anything.

I really think my belly really started to look pregnant between 18 weeks & now at 20 weeks. I can really see a difference...it's really exciting! If you look here you can really see the difference in a week. I've been getting very wide in the hips & my butt has gotten really big. When I'm at work the ladies ask me if the baby was growing in my butt, lol! Oh well, the joys of pregnancy!

Moving!!

For the past 2 years we have been saving so that we can get out of our 1 bedroom apartment and buy a house. We are sick of paying rent...why give the landlord money every month, that could be going towards a mortgage! We also knew when we started that we were gonna have kids some day.
Now that I'm pregnant we really need to get out of this 1 bedroom apartment. We went to the bank to see what the chances of getting a loan & it didn't look very good. With this economy the banks are not giving people loans, especially people like me & my husband that killed our credit with all the years of partying and not paying our bills. So we decided we'd really try & fix our credit before applying but in the mean time what would we do with the baby when she comes?!
Well we are getting a new apartment!! We are moving a couple blocks away into a 3 bedroom! I am so excited about this....I'm gonna have a nursery! I honestly thought we would be here in this apartment when the baby came and we'd have to stick it out for a couple months. But when you really think about it there is no room! Yeah the baby would fit BUT nothing else would! We are also going from a 4th floor walk up to a 2nd floor private house.
I am just so happy!!! I'm gonna have a NURSERY!!