158 days to go

That’s right…we are in our 18th week now, reaching the half way mark!!

Last few weeks have been good in terms of energy levels and appetite..I can see myself eating a lot more now! Last week I had some quinoa chickpeas salad and a few minutes later I felt someone was inside me. It was very similar to someone poking or wiggling from inside..I didn’t really believe it until it happened a couple more times but last two days it’s been so quiet. I have been trying hard, had more chickpeas but no response to that! (but I had my own discomfort with the excess chickpeas…oh well!!)

By now most people at my work place know…thanks to maternity wear(!)

We still haven’t made any announcements on FB and I am still putting it away until after 20 weeks..I don’t why...but somehow am not too comfortable at this point to do that.

Spider veins…yes that’s what I see all over my feet and ankles. My swelling has reduced. I get only if I give a break to exercise or drink a little less water. But spider veins look horrible..my doctor says its hereditary and I need to take 5 min walks every hour. Very hard at a job like mine where we sit at a computer all day!

We are planning to take some time off in September (yay!!) and go for a nice 4 day vacation. We haven't decided the destination yet...but if all goes well with our anatomy scan in 2 weeks...off we will go! And the big surprise will be revealed in 2 weeks :) cant wait!! 

I have been trying to get more protein into my diet. The recommended amount is 50-70g per day and with a vegetarian diet its quite hard to reach that mark every day. I hear very different views on taking protein powder during pregnancy..do any of you know if its safe? ot may be a safer brand that you are taking?

Second trimester!

13 weeks 5 days today. I am officially in my second trimester. Can't really believe we made it so far! If not for this miracle baby, we would be waiting for our first IVF results around this time. Life is so much better now but anxiety and fear lingers on...

We had our NT scan last week and the results are within the normal range. It took almost an hour to get the measurements as she/he was having hiccups for some time and then started stretching. We could see legs and arms and a big belly :)

Right after the NT scan we spoke to a genetic counselor which was part of the process. She went over our family history and any genetic conditions that are likely to affect the baby. One thing that was brought into attention was my 'high DHEAS' problem. During my infertility treatment I went to a medical endocrinologist to find the cause for high androgens (high DHEAS). To keep it short this was our finding - after several blood tests we found that my adrenal gland does not function normally. Genetically I am missing a certain enzyme that would regulate our Cortisol and DHEAS levels. Due to the missing enzyme my DHEAS levels are high which causes hyperandrogenism which is also regarded as PCOS.

I was put on Dexamethasone which regulates androgens externally. I was asked to stop taking it from 12 weeks as it would affect/suppress adrenal gland of the baby. This is a genetic disorder and there are good chances of passing it to my children. So coming back to our conversation with the genetic counselor, she offered us genetic testing for this disorder. It doesn't really matter if I am having a boy since this disorder does not affect males (they are designed to have high androgens). But if I am having a girl we need to be cautious. We are not sure if there are any medical interventions during pregnancy to reverse it. Our plan is to have this reviewed with our medical endocrinologist in two weeks. I really hope I don't pass on this disorder to my baby....

My first trimester symptoms have all faded now. I no longer have any aversions to food or nausea. I have already gained 7 pounds and I am not on Metformin so my diet has to be devoid of refined grains. Two days back, we went shopping after work and when I got home I noticed that my feet and ankles were swollen. That really scared the hell out of me. I called up my doctor. She says it could be edema and happens if we are on our feet all day and if the weather is too hot. She asked me to double my water intake and put my legs up whenever possible. The swelling has reduced now but I still have a swollen ankle. Did anyone experience this so early in pregnancy? I hope it’s just edema and not something related to preeclampsia.

Some random stuff

Falling sick during pregnancy is something that really drains all your energy out. Last week ended up being so tiring - so this is what happened. My little niece in California brought home this viral infection from her day care. She passed it on to my mom-in-law and my mom-in-law arrived in NY last week and the virus had two parasites waiting to thrive on - me and my hubby. We ended up getting this awful sore throat and cold. Off we went to the doc and he said its viral so no antibiotics will work...it will have to subside by itself :(

We were speculating so much about our Cape Cod trip but ended up going and the vacation turned out to be very relaxing. Beaches were beautiful!!

Right now my mom-in-law and hubby are almost fully recovered but I am still coughing and lost my voice phew!! The doctor mentioned I would take longer to recover due to lower immunity during pregnancy. I read somewhere that babies develop sleep and wake cycles from 10-11 weeks and each time we cough or sneeze we alert them or wake them from deep sleep to semi sleep state. I get a feeling am waking up this little bean just too much these days!!!

11 weeks 2 days today! Very excited about reaching the 12 week milestone… Can't believe we made it this far! We are planning to tell our immediate relatives and close friends sometime next week.

Still awaiting a call from my medical endocrinologist on the repeat blood work… We have our NT scan on July 12th. The days between these appointments just seem too long.

Hope everyone had a great weekend!!

P.S - I created a new page for Our little miracle. Please feel free to skip it if the pictures bother you in any way.