Wednesday, July 29, 2009

12-weeks Down!




On Monday (July 27th) we had our 12-week ultrasound and our first appointment with our OB. 12-weeks is a big pregnancy milestone, since the risk of miscarriage greatly decreases at this point because all the baby's major systems have been formed at this time in the pregnancy. We are breathing a little easier now!

We were all (me, Chris and Kira) a bit nervous about the appointment because we had gotten comfortable with our fertility doctor, Dr. Sahakian, and now had to start a new relationship with the OB, Dr. Poliakin. As soon as we got into the examining room (well, after Kira completed the MOUNDS of required paperwork), our fears melted away. The nurse was super friendly and as it turns out both she and the doctor are from New York. That created an instant connection! They spent a lot of time with us (the appointment lasted from 2:30 - 4:30 PM) and answered all our questions. The doctor took GREAT ultrasound pictures, including several 4D images (the baby looks a little like an alien in the 4D pics but they are super cool!) and gave us each a copy of one of the books he's written. It was a really positive experience.

The baby looked GREAT! On Monday, we were exactly 12 weeks pregnant but the baby actually measured at 12 weeks 4 days! Looks like he/she is going to be a tall little boy/girl! During the ultrasound the baby was very active and we caught him/her sucking their thumb several times. It was sooooooo cute and sooooooo amazing. It's hard to believe that in 6-months the little baby we are watching on the screen will be in our arms. Wow.......

Kira is still battling the morning sickness/all-day sickness that she's been dealing with since about week 5. It's been a bear, made even more challenging by the fact that she has a 2 very active kids to keep up with (3-year old Liam, and 1-year old Ellie). She has the best attitude about it though and knows that this is all part of the process and WILL end soon. Dr. Poliakin gave her a prescription for medication to help with the nausea, etc. so we are hopeful that help is on the way! Hang in there Kira....you're the BEST!

Kira, her kids and her mom are coming out to visit in a couple of weeks! They are going to fly to NY from the west coast and we will spend about a week together on Fire Island. Kira has never been to NY so it should be a great trip. We will make sure she gets plenty of time for some much needed R & R and know that the kids and her mom will really enjoy the beach, pool and beauty and serenity of Fire Island. 

Chris and I continue to be grateful and thankful to be on this wonderful journey together. It has been an amazing experience to share together and has reinforced for us just how much of a team we are. I could not imagine doing this with anyone else and am so thankful for my wonderful husband and the family we are creating together. 

We are in awe of this process and continue to pray that all continues to proceed positively for everyone. Please keep Kira, the baby and us in your prayers and thoughts.

Love and light to you all!



Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Graduation pics


Graduation

Yesterday, we had our 10-week ultrasound and it went great! The baby looks good and measured at 10-weeks, 2 days so he/she is growing a bit ahead of schedule. As I've mentioned before, each time you go in there's a little anxiety in anticipation of what you'll see so seeing the baby growing and hitting all the benchmarks is really a BIG relief!

Yesterday was also our last appointment with our fertility doctor, Dr. Vicken Sahakian. He has been with us since we started our journey with our initial medical screenings. He has been amazing and though we are THRILLED to be moving forward to the care of our Obstetrician, we will miss seeing Dr. S every couple of weeks. Thanks to Dr. Sahakian for all his help and support!

Kira is battling some pretty intense morning sickness but is handling it like a trooper. She never complains and is staying positive as she waits for it to pass. Generally, it disappears around the 12 - 14 week period so we all have our fingers crossed! We are really thankful to Kira for her positive attitude and are saying our prayers that the m/s passes sooner rather than later! 

We are looking forward to our first appointment with our OB on Monday, July 27th which is also the END of the 1st trimester! After that Kira will only be seeing the doctor once a month.

Thanks again for all your prayers and support! Keep them coming!

Hugs!

Wednesday, July 1, 2009

A MOVING Experience!


Today we are 8 weeks 2 days pregnant! Time is moving by really quickly and it continues to be an incredible experience on so many different levels. 

On Monday (June 29th) we had our 8-week ultrasound appointment. Each time we go in for an appointment, there is a certain amount of anxiety and nervousness as you wait to see the doctor. We ALL (me, Chris & Kira) believed that everything would be fine but we have that little voice (of reason I think) in the back of our heads reminding us that sometimes things go wrong. OK, now that I've honored that feeling, let's move on! Kira and I waited for the doctor to come in to the exam room to begin the ultrasound and were excited to see the growth of the baby since the 6-week ultrasound.

The doctor started the ultrasound and told me to come over so I could see the screen. I couldn't believe how MUCH the baby had grown in 2-weeks. At 6-weeks, the baby looked like a little pea but at 8-weeks, the baby looks like a baby (well sort of!). Then, it happened.......the baby MOVED! Not just a little move but a BIG (but very uncoordinated) MOVE. I almost burst into tears! It was amazing to see! At this point in the pregnancy, the baby moves almost non-stop and only stops moving for very brief intervals so I guess it's to be expected that I saw the movement BUT to me it was the coolest thing ever. 

The doctor gave us the baby's vitals. The baby's heartbeat is 156 beats per minute and the baby measured at 8 weeks and 3 days even though we were at 8 weeks on Monday (in other words, the baby is growing a little ahead of schedule). We were also able to identify the yolk sac  and the placenta and could see the blood flow throughout the baby's body. WOW!

It's hard to describe all the emotions we are feeling right now. We are grateful, joyful, humbled, reflective, inspired, scared and excited all at the same time. We are trying to remember everything we are feeling and to document it so that we can share this with our child when he/she is old enough to understand how much we wanted them and how excited we were to bring them into the world. 

This continues to be a MOVING (pun intended!) experience on every level.

Stay tuned and keep us in your thoughts and prayers.