First Trimester

I am now 16 weeks pregnant. Eli and I went to the doctor this morning and heard the heartbeat for the first time. It is the best sound, and way different from just seeing it flutter on the ultrasound. The doctor said everything was going along perfectly, so we’re happy with a good report.

Since I’m officially past the first trimester, I thought I would do a recap of what’s been going on since I found out I was pregnant.

I know some of you are probably wondering about my lap-band. When I got pregnant my surgeon took most of the fluid out of the band. This allows me to eat foods I wasn’t able to eat before, like bread. I can also eat more to allow for the baby to get nutrition. This came in handy when it came to morning sickness, which was 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The nausea never went away. I have horrible food aversions, so for a while I was literally eating whatever came into my mind that I didn’t think would make me gag. Needless to say, it’s nice to not have restrictions to what I can eat. Luckily, things seem to be getting better. I still have nauseous days a couple of times a week, but that is completely doable compared to everyday.

Since I started out a little overweight, I’m only supposed to gain about 30 lbs throughout the whole pregnancy. I am perfectly prepared for the fact that I need to gain weight and that it is healthy and normal. However, I try very hard to stick to the limits my doctor has set for me. I am convinced that I can ONLY gain 30 lbs, and have figured out how much I can gain per week. Trust me, I won’t switch to protein shakes or do drastic workouts if I go over, but I will feel down about it. Now that I’m able to eat without gagging, I’m able to eat healthier. Plus, Eli and I walk several miles almost every day. Besides, six weeks after the baby arrives, my lap-band gets tightened up again and we start all over. At least I will have a tool to help me lose the baby weight.

Here’s a reminder as to why I had my lap-band surgery in the first place. It was to help me lose weight after a long battle with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome. My main goal was to avoid the health problems that have plagued my family, but also to be healthy enough to have a baby. PCOS can cause fertility problems, especially if you are overweight. About six months ago my doctor suspected my PCOS had pretty much been reversed due to my weight loss, but there wasn’t a real way to tell until I tried to have a baby.

I didn’t even know if I could get pregnant. Eli and I both went into this thinking it would be a long battle and tried to prepare for the possibility that we may not be able to have children. A month and a half later I was pregnant. I feel as if I have been fighting one battle after another the past few years, and I didn’t expect this to be any different. It is such a relief to know I am able to have children. I have gone through the past 10 years, truly not knowing if it would be possible.

This doesn’t mean I am not a nervous wreck. It took until we saw the baby moving its legs on the three-month ultrasound to really get excited. Of course, the idea of a baby was thrilling, but I was too scared to get too excited. I was terrified that something would go wrong. I still am, but less so now than before. I truly am not a negative person; I just like to be prepared for all situations.

In a way the first trimester is a very lonely time. I am not an extremely private person and love to talk to people about what is going on in my life. Outside of my family, no one knew. There is something special about the fact that that my husband and I had this secret for several weeks (until the families knew), but outside of that it sucks to keep a secret that big.

Most people now days keep it a secret for fear of something going wrong, so you don’t really know a lot about what to expect during this time. I read books and information online, but nothing could take the fear away. I almost felt guilty for not being excited enough. I was very cautious to start planning or getting too excited, because I was so scared something would go wrong. All you ever hear about is how the miscarriage rate is so high. I just needed a couple of ultrasounds to see the baby developing for my mind to ease a little. I hope the people that have been pregnant before know what I am talking about, because the last thing I want is for people to think we were not over the moon about having a baby.

There you have it; the first three months. Throw in about four business trips and a cruise, and you have everything you missed. FYI, don’t go on a cruise while eight weeks pregnant. While I had medicine made for people going through chemotherapy, it was not a miracle drug. This brings me to my next point; assume you will get pregnant immediately upon making the decision to have a baby.

A few additional comments from Stacy’s hormones:

1) Just because I used to be fat doesn’t mean I have a maternity wardrobe. I only need extra room in the stomach area for now. If I put on a size too big, it would be big all over. Stop asking.

2) Don’t downplay my morning sickness. I felt like death all day everyday for three months. Most people didn’t notice, because they don’t spend every day with me and I was traveling a lot during this time. Just because I didn’t blow off work, doesn’t mean I felt ok. For example, don’t tell me I’m probably having a boy, because I haven’t been that sick. Shut it.

3) I love my baby and will not do anything to harm it. I’m very well versed on things I can’t eat or medicines I can’t take. Also, I am cleared to lift up to 20 lbs, so don’t give me hard time about lifting 5 lbs. I know you mean well, but I am a very independent person and do not like feeling useless.

Exciting News!

We are so excited to finally share the news that I’m pregnant! I just started my twelfth week, and Baby Alcala will be here around May 12.We just got back from the doctor. We didn't get to hear the heart beating because he/she was hiding. We did get to do an ultrasound and see the heart beating and the legs kicking. The doctor said everything looked great!

We are going to find out the sex the week before Christmas. My super organizational, slightly OCD being needs to know. I. Must. Plan.

If I had to put money on it, I would say I’m having a boy. So much so that I will be in complete shock if I found out it is a girl. Eli thinks he wants a girl, even though I explained to him how much trouble we are. I would think being married to me would be lesson number one. I am kind of leaning towards wanting a boy, because I fear I will have a girl who loves pretty pink princesses and ballerinas. Nothing wrong with any of that, but I would be so far out of my element. Let’s face it, once a tomboy, always a tomboy. Obviously, we will be thrilled with whatever God has in store for us.

One problem I foresee is this child is going to be so spoiled. I can’t even explain the level of spoiled this child is going to be. You see, this is the first grandchild on both sides. All four parents are in their 50s and have long been hinting at how nice a grandbaby would be. Somewhere along the way, the granddog stopped being good enough.  Plus, Eli and I both have siblings that are excited to be aunts and a brother-in-law who will be a great uncle. Eli’s sister has already told me not to buy any books for the baby, because she will cover the essentials for the library. I got a text from her husband (the great uncle-to-be) that wanted to know what children’s movies I already own. My sister, the great bargain hunter, can hardly wait to start shopping. Throw in a lot of friends who have already offered to babysit (we’ll see if that promise holds up) and spoil him or her, and this child is already rotten.

Speaking of spoiled … I might be a little. Eli has by far surpassed my dreams of what a husband should be. He has always possessed qualities I wish I had in myself. The past few months have not been easy (even though he won’t admit it). I have been sick most of the time. The worst of my morning sickness is at night. That means the few hours he gets to see me, I feel like dog doo. He has been taking care of everything you can imagine. He now does the grocery shopping, because I have awful food aversions. The one time I went I wasn’t able to eat any of the food we bought. He has let me pick every meal for this same reason. He has taken care of me completely. As I type, delete and retype this paragraph, I know I’m not doing him justice. He eases my fears about having a baby. Above all, I have no concerns about what kind of father he will be.

That’s all I have for now. By now my Facebook post announcing this has probably started drifting around the office, so I expect squeals shortly. I have a lot more I want to tell you about, but I think this is enough for now. I will be blogging about the journey along the way. I know a lot of you enjoy my blog due to my honesty. I will do my best to stick to that. As usual, no promises that I won’t have a few TMI moments. Hey, it’s part of why you love me.