15 Weeks

How far along? 15 weeks

Maternity clothes? Still no, although pants are definitely getting tight in the waist! Most I leave unbuttoned...might be time for a belly band!
Movement? Still waiting... :)
Cravings? I discovered lime popsicles over the weekend and I'm addicted! I also gave in to my chocolate cake craving over the weekend since I'd wanted some for over a week- if you've never had Newk's chocolate cake w/ chocolate icing...um, yum.
Anything make you queasy or sick? No, however, I think I've discovered some forms of red meat (for me, spaghetti sauce and taco meat) are not a good idea for me...

Sleep? some nights great, some nights not so much
Best moment this week: Once again, getting to hear Baby E's heartbeat at our 14 week appointment (this time around 155-160) and got a prenatal massage Saturday- and I'll definitely be going back!

Gender: getting very excited to find out as we count down the weeks! J definitely wants a boy. I sort of think it's a girl, but when I imagine telling people, I'm hearing boy and seeing blue...interesting. We will see! I just want a healthy baby!
Labor signs? Nope  
Symptoms? energy level feels almost back to normal and the nausea is getting much better, yay! And it's safe to say I'm a little hormonal...yesterday I got mad at J for eating the LAST sugar free lime popsicle (and as I walk in the room as he's finishing it off, he tells me "you're right, these ARE really good!") Yeah, I KNOW! Iit's a long story, but in his defense, I had gotten another box, but they weren't sugar free so I wanted to save the sugar free ones. Lesson learned: never eat the last of what your preggo wife is craving without asking first! (and don't worry, he also went out and replenished the empty box of popsicles :)

Belly button in or out? in

What I miss: Not much right now!  
What I am looking forward to: Feeling out baby move...maybe next week?!
And another lime popsicle :) and shaved ice stands to open!!! 
Weekly wisdom: See above. Wisdom for dads to be ;)

Milestones: there's a little bit of a bump starting to show! And nausea is sloooowly going away- hoo.ray. 

14 weeks- hello 2nd trimester!

How far along? 14 weeks! I've been looking forward to this one for a while (8 1/2 weeks to be exact ;)

Total weight gain? Umm, since this is my blog and I can do what I want, I think I'm going to take this one off. I know it's normal to gain, but it freaks me out a little!

Maternity clothes? Not yet! Last week I probably shouldn't have said I have room to grow in a lot of my clothes, because that's not totally true...my jeans are definitely getting tight in the waist area, my work pants are a little looser, but I don't think it's going to be long.  
Movement? Not yet...come on baby, just give me a good flutter!
Cravings? nothing new!  
Anything make you queasy or sick? No and so grateful!

Sleep? same ole, same ole...although I did somehow sleep through the night both Friday and Saturday and it was amazing!!  
Best moment this week: Well, there have been a few! Getting to hear Baby E's heartbeat (listen to it below- 148!), welcoming the 2nd trimester with open arms (please be as wonderful as everyone says you are!!), and totally unrelated to the pregnancy, a lost dog showed up at our house and we were able to find and return her to her owners- such a great feeling!

Gender:  ???  
Labor signs? Nope  
Symptoms? energy is still slowly coming back and I think the nausea might be getting a *little* better..maybe

Belly button in or out? in

What I miss: Not much right now!  
What I am looking forward to:  we have another appointment this week (yes, the joys of high risk pregnancies :) and possibly "officially" (and by officially I mean Facebook, sad I know!) letting the world know! I know friends and family are about to burst!  
Weekly wisdom: I'm not feeling very wise today...   
Milestones: 2nd trimester, we've made it!!

First Trimester...check!

13 Weeks

How far along? 13 weeks- last one of the first trimester!
Total weight gain? Not a clue...my appointment last week was canceled, so I haven't stepped on a scale in almost 3 weeks! I go back this week though, so I'll know soon enough. Eek!

Maternity clothes? Nope- still have some room to grow in my "normal" clothes
Movement? not yet, but seriously cannot wait!
Cravings? chicken salad, oreos, chocolate, and strawberries still. Also REALLY looking forward to shaved ice places starting to open up for the season- I need one! Like, everyday. 
Anything make you queasy or sick? nope!

Sleep? about the same- have a hard time going back to sleep after waking up during the night and can't seem to sleep in very late on the weekends anymore...I'm hoping this changes so that I can get as much in as possible before I can't sleep in ever again! :)
Best moment this week: anytime I get to hear our baby's heartbeat is the best moment! Got to hear it last week- 154
Gender: ???
Labor signs? no
Symptoms? still pretty tired, but I'm definitely getting some energy back and can stay up later (although I probably shouldn't!) and still having some nausea in the mornings

Belly button in or out? in

What I miss: sleeping in!
What I am looking forward to: our appointment this week and finishing up the first trimester!!!
Weekly wisdom: don't smell prenatal vitamins- blech!

Diabetes, Pregnancy, & Steel Magnolias

Like I said in a previous post, I watched Steel Magnolias over the weekend (if you haven't seen it, spoiler alert below!). I have heard people refer to this movie when talking about diabetes and/or pregnancy. No wonder so many have a distorted view of diabetes and a healthy pregnancy! So just in case you may be wondering, I thought I'd try to clear up a few things. I'm not a medical professional, but I do have 20+ years experience as a type 1 diabetic and have learned a lot over the past year when it comes to diabetes and pregnancy. And because I have had my share of hearing "Isn't it harder for diabetics to get pregnant?" "Are you going to have a big baby?" etc etc, so I thought I'd just share a little about where I'm coming from and what it means to be pregnant and a type 1 diabetic.


#1. Healthy diabetics can have very healthy pregnancies and healthy, "normal sized" babies. It is recommended to have an A1c (a number that correlates to your average blood sugar over a 3 month time) of 6% below before conceiving and while pregnant. A woman with an A1c of 6% or below carries as much risk (as far as birth defects go) as a healthy woman without diabetes. My last A1c before getting pregnant was 6.8%. While this was not optimal, my risk is only increased by 1% (I know every bit counts, but just to show that it is not drastic). I have not had my A1c checked since finding out I was pregnant, but will soon and I suspect it will be much lower.

#2. High blood sugars=big baby. As long as a diabetic woman keeps her blood sugars in tight control, her baby should be born at a "normal" weight.  When mom's blood sugars are up, this causes the baby (who does not have diabetes) to produce more insulin, which isn't needed because the mom is taking insulin, and this extra insulin is stored as fat. This is why I check my blood sugars an average of 12 times a day  :) Also, diabetic women are immediately considered high risk pregnancies. While it does sound scary and puts a lot more responsibility on the mom to be (along with making sure she's eating enough, getting enough nutrients, watching weight gain, drinking enough water, etc, she also has to check blood sugars more frequently (for example, before I checked 6-8 times a day- now 10-14), be in contact with the doctor's office weekly to review blood sugars/make insulin adjustments, counting carbs correctly, more frequent doctor visits), it does allow mom and baby to be more closely monitored and probably the healthiest mom has ever been. Which.I.love. From the first appointment at 6 1/2 weeks, I have gone to the doctor every 2 weeks AND already had 2 ultrasounds! This means we get to hear the baby's heartbeat on the doppler every 2 weeks, I'll take it! And at 32 weeks, I will start going twice a week, every week for a non-stress test and an ultrasound (more check ins and looking at baby? Yep, I'm there!). They also monitor the baby's size at these appointments, so they can induce before baby gets TOO big!

#3.Will your baby have diabetes?
The chance of our baby having diabetes is pretty low. The risk is different for each person with diabetes. For example, our child is at less risk since the diabetes is on the maternal side and not paternal (risk is higher if dad has it). However, he or she is at a slightly higher risk since I was diagnosed at a young age (8). I am hoping that since my diagnosis was so random (I am the only known person in my entire family- past or present- to be diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes), that the risk is very, very low.

So no, diabetes does not make it harder to get pregnant. It does not make you have big babies. Yes, it does cause you to be at a higher risk for some issues, but there are still more healthy diabetic pregnancies than not. Is there a lot more to deal with? Yes. But is it worth it? MOST definitely!!

Although they don't go into it much in the movie, Shelby had to have been a very brittle diabetic. AND they mention that the doctor told her not to have children because her body couldn't handle it...BUT she didn't listen to the doctors, and therefore led to a grim outcome. My diabetes has never been in excellent control, but when J and I started thinking about wanting to have kids, I knew I was going to have to buckle down and get serious. I wanted to do everything I could ahead of time to create a healthy environment for our future baby. Of course diabetics, like anyone else, can get pregnant without planning to, but with diabetes it is very important to plan and get your body ready for pregnancy. Once we knew we were ready to really think about having a baby, we made an appointment with a Maternal Fetal Medicine specialist to go over all of the risks, what to expect while pregnant, and where I optimally needed to be health-wise (they didn't even want us to try before I got my A1c down). That was in April of last year- months before I would even stop taking birth control pills. I immediately started zoning in on my blood sugars to get them under better control and get my A1c down...it took several months, but it was slowly but surely making it's way down! We actually got pregnant a lot faster than expected, but after so many months of really working on my blood sugars I was in a good spot and things have only gotten better since! I posted a link to an article below, but like she says "Nothing mattered more than keeping myself healthy so that my daughter would be healthy." Exactly. When it's in the best interest of your baby, it's not hard to say no to treats when you have to or checking your blood sugar umpteen times a day and changing your insulin requirements weekly. All worth it!

I read this article today and thought I would share! I have a while longer to go in my pregnancy, but I can definitely relate to a good portion of her story.

12 Weeks

How far along? 12 weeks

Total weight gain? no clue...I feel like I haven't gained any in the past couple of weeks, but we'll find out at the doctor Thursday!

Maternity clothes? nope, clothes are fitting well. However, jeans usually have to be unbuttoned at the end of a meal!
Movement? not yet, can't wait for that!
Cravings? I REALLY wanted shaved ice this weekend. Apparently, February isn't a good months for shaved ice cravings :( And chicken salad. I don't have many consistent cravings (except for wanting strawberries pretty much anytime), the others just hit me and I have to have it!
Anything make you queasy or sick? luckily, no

Sleep? wish I could get more- still having trouble falling asleep after waking up in the middle of the night to empty my bladder and check blood sugar. The latest I've been able to sleep in lately is 9am, which is not very late by my standards! :) But I will take what I can get!
Best moment this week: getting to tell a few more friends and after our appointment this week, we will officially let the secret out! :)
Gender: don't know yet! And really don't have a feeling either way...
Labor signs? nope
Symptoms? tired (getting better though, I think!), breaking out (was really hoping these hormones would improve breakouts, but so far no luck), headaches, and nausea (all of a sudden came back every.single.day last week, but fortunately still haven't actually gotten sick)- funny story, J and I toured the Belle Meade Plantation yesterday, and while standing in one of the parlors of the 1850s mansion, surrounded by antiques, I thought "oh no. I am going to be sick. The first time I am going to be sick and it is going to be in front of our tour group all over this old, gorgeous home!" I ruled out using my purse since I had my camera and phone in there...the door to get out was blocked...I didn't know what I was going to do! I just took several deep breaths and thank goodness, it went away! But that was close!!

Belly button in or out? in

What I miss: Sleeping through the night and sleeping in on the weekends!
What I am looking forward to: sharing our news with EVERYONE later this week!! 
Weekly wisdom: I love turkey sandwiches. I literally probably don't go a week without having one. I see so many other bloggers who fill out this type of survey saying they miss turkey sandwiches or cold turkey sandwiches- so I just thought I'd share this piece of wisdom from my doctor. It is ok to eat deli turkey as long as it is heated for 30 seconds or until steaming. For cold sandwiches, when you buy a pack of turkey, go ahead and heat it up and put it back in the fridge. After it's been heated up once, the bacteria is dead and doesn't have to be heated up again! Yay :)

Also, I watched Steel Magnolias all the way through for the first time yesterday (gasp, i know), and wow. No wonder people get freaked out about diabetics having babies! A post about this is coming soon!!
Milestones: The bump is slowly making it's way out. J and I can both tell. It really only shows in fitted clothes and looks more like I have a chubby belly than a bump, but it's getting there!! AND almost through the first trimester!!!

11 Weeks

How far along? 11 weeks
Total weight gain? 5 lbs :/

Maternity clothes? nope, regular clothes are still fitting without any problem
Movement? Not yet...I wish!
Cravings? Still loving strawberries/strawberry flavored things or any of the flavors of the fruit chillers tubes!
Anything make you queasy or sick? so far, so good...

Sleep? I actually slept through the night last night! This was the first time in over a month...but I'm still pretty sleepy.
Best moment this week: had my every other week appointment last week and they were able to pick up baby's heartbeat on the doppler! We only got to hear it for about 5 seconds before baby moved, but that's good enough for me. The doctor seemed surprised we were able to find it since we were only 10 weeks along, so I'm hoping this means we have a very healthy baby, with a good, strong heart :)
Gender: no clue...but we'll know in 8 weeks!
Labor signs? no
Symptoms? nausea (down to just a couple days a week now!), tired

Belly button in or out? in  
What I miss: I definitely miss the occasional glass of wine! And I'm ready to have some energy back...should get better in the next few weeks though

What I am looking forward to: being done with the first trimester and finally telling our good news to everyone!

Weekly Wisdom: don't eat too much at once...ouch

Milestones: hearing baby's heartbeat on the doppler...140!