Week 10

They say that each woman is different when it comes to when her pregnancy feels "real".  For some it feels real the moment they see a positive test, others when they have their first ultrasound, for some it's hearing the heartbeat, or feeling the baby move...or MEETING their baby in person!  Up until this point my pregnancy has felt very...clinical.  Medical.  Like we go in for our appointments and do our ultrasounds and it just feels kinda almost the same as if I was having my teeth cleaned.  I mean, ok don't get me wrong - of course this is amazing.  But I haven't felt a strong emotional pull during any appointment (and I mean, I don't when I get my teeth cleaned either, hence my comment...)  However, yesterday we had our 10 week ultrasound which also *sob* happened to be my last appointment with Dr. A.  Everything looked GREAT with the baby.  Heartbeat was 173 bpm and tracking 9 weeks 6 days (I was 10 weeks yesterday).  But near the end of the ultrasound, as Dr. A was moving on to check my ovaries and cervix she suddenly exclaimed "it's moving!!  Baby's moving!!!" and zoomed back in on my uterus.  And THAT, my blog friends, is when this all seemed very REAL to me.  We sat (well, I laid) there and watched the baby, which looked a little more like a teddy bear, kick its legs, wave its arms, twist its body.  Essentially Baby was dancing up a storm!  It was amazing.  And it now really feels real.

Like a dancing teddy bear!!

How far along: 10 week, 1 day
What did baby do this week: Baby is the size of a kumquat or small plum.  Week 10 is something of a “momentous” week.  It marks the end of the “embryonic period” and the beginning of the “fetal period”, when the tissues and organs rapidly grow and mature.  All of Baby’s vital organs have formed and are beginning to function and the most critical portion of development has completed!  Baby is growing tiny fingernails and toenails and there is no more webbing.  Baby is swallowing amniotic fluid which tastes a little like what I’m eating.  It has developing taste-buds but they will not finish developing until 13-15 weeks.  Baby is kicking/moving a lot (as we saw in our ultrasound!)  But it'll still take me a few more weeks to feel it.
Total weight gain: 4.2 pounds
Symptoms:  I'm feeling pretty fortunate really: no constipation, no heartburn, no sore breasts, not overly sleepy/tired, no silly pregnancy brain/forgetfulness....at least not YET.  I still have 3/4 of my pregnancy to get through, but I will celebrate these little milestones along the way.  My sense of smell is kinda ridiculous.  Hubby says I have "Super Hero Sense of Smell".  It's basically awful when people are wearing perfume or cologne or something smells particularly bad...blegh.  Definitely have some food aversions - but they seem to change through the day.  Sometimes it's VERY hard to think of something that sounds good to eat or what to make for dinner.  However, usually if food is in front of me (and as long as it's not something too savory too early in the morning) I can eat it.
Queasy or Sick:  Last Thursday was probably my worst day ever.  I felt pretty queasy and had to rally just to get myself out of bed to eat some breakfast.  Then with my food aversions and still feeling queasy, the ONLY thing I could fathom eating (that I could actually manage to get for myself) was a McDonald's cheeseburger.  I managed to get into the car and get myself through the drive-through, but I felt awful.  Felt WAY better after eating.  But then crappy again later in the day.  However, after that day I've really been feeling a lot better.  As I've mentioned in previous weeks, my morning sickness has not been noticeably bad.  I was feeling a tad bit queasy in the mornings but usually felt better after eating.  For the most part I didn't have to miss anything due to how I was feeling (other than last Thursday - basically took the day off work.)  I have however, been feeling quite lazy.  Spent a couple of weekends mostly on the couch.  So just the last 4-5 days I feel almost like I have my regular energy back.  As long as I don't get too hungry (OR eat too much) I feel great.  My acupuncturist said it’s good that the queasiness I've been feeling has been mostly just in the mornings.  It means it’s hormonal and not GI related.

Sleep: Not bad.  I can usually fall back asleep pretty easily after getting up to pee multiple times at night.  I'm not as sleepy/tired during the day either.  I can't figure out if this is pregnancy related or progesterone shot related since I started to feel less tired a few weeks back when we switched to every-other-night shots.
Best moment this week: Seeing our baby dance around on the ultrasound!!  SO AMAZING!!  Barely second to that though?... Dr. A telling me that we are DONE with the progesterone in oil shots!  Hallelujah!!!  That was some of the best news I've had in months.  We also got the okay to stop all embryo-transfer related meds: estrogen and Crinone too.  I know it's such a small thing, but I'm just looking forward to feeling a bit "normal" again.  Like not-having-to-wear-a-liner-all-day-every-day normal. :-|  And not having to keep checklists all day long of all the things I need to remember to take/do or which night to do our shot.  All I have left is my vitamins which I take when I brush my teeth - easy.
Hardest part of the week: Last Thursday that I just felt awful.
Looking forward to: Settling on an OB.  We've been looking around and have an appt and a consult with 2 different ones in the area, but it's going to be very hard going from Dr. A to a "regular, boring" OB.
Movement: Our baby is a dancer!  Waiting for ~week 15-18 to feel it though.
Food cravings: Pizza.  McDonalds cheeseburgers (not fries!)  Why can’t I crave healthy food?  Eating lots of fiber cereal in the mornings (Frosted Mini Wheats and Raisin Nut Bran) with a lot of milk.  Dill pickles.  Totally craving FRUIT like it's going out of style!  Apples (which I never really like that much), tangerines, mangoes, strawberries, pineapple, pears.  I want it all!  More than sweet desserts, which is also not like me.
Happy or moody: Maybe a little moody - especially when I'm not feeling well.
Labor signs: No
Maternity clothes: Pants, belts and things around my midsection are feeling tighter.  I had a girlfriend ask if I'm showing yet and I told her "I'm not showing in the morning, but I kinda am in the evening...after eating all day long!"  I'm actually not sure I'm ready to buy maternity clothes (pants) but will probably need to buy some new larger work pants soon.  I've been wearing a lot of dresses, but I feel like dresses make me look a little MORE pregnant.
Belly button in or out: In
Wedding rings on or off: On
Stretch marks: No

10 week ultrasound.  The dancing teddy bear!
Amazing how much it grows in 2 weeks. 1.25"!

Learnings from the week: I have a handful of books I've been reading since even before our transfer.  I think this is my favorite so far.  Instead of most pregnancy books, which go month by month, this one gives you a small, short chapter to read each week.  Both Hubby and I read the current week each week and I think we're both enjoying the book a lot.
Final Thoughts: I've been noticing my nails and hair have been growing so strong and fast.  I'm not sure if it's pregnancy related, or all the vitamins I'm taking (Calcium, Prenatal, Fish Oil, Folic Acid).  I literally have to pluck my eyebrows more often too.  And my nails NEVER break anymore - I have to cut them almost every two weeks!  This is the first week my belly has felt a little more "protrude-y" than I've ever noticed before.  There's definitely a small pooch there which I just can't suck in.  Been slowly telling a few more friends and a coworker too.  I read somewhere that the chance of miscarriage drops to 3% after a 10 week ultrasound so I'm feeling really comfortable sharing the news with some of my closer friends.  And now they know I'm not just getting fat from being lazy too!!!