Ultrasound and gender guesses

We had the Nuchal Ultrasound today and so far, knock on wood, all looked well. Little one was lying down just chilling, ocassionally kicking their legs up but otherwise so still. At this stage, W was a constant twisting little bundle, and remains so today. I wonder if personality can be observed so early in the womb. We heard the heartbeat, and everything looks good and the doctor supported my decision to stay on Lovenox and I got a fun little surprise that I'm not 12 weeks pregnant but actually 13 weeks pregnant. So, I think I'm at the end of the first trimester? Yipee! That went faster than the last time!

I get to stop Metformin which makes me all kinds of nervous as I wonder if I should stop eating sweets or simple carbs of any kind, anyone reading who got off Met? Curious if you altered your diet after? Doctor said not to restrict anything but I can't help but wonder if I should.

The ultrasound tech was looking around and then we saw what looked like a boy-bit and I shrieked its another boy! And she nodded and said it was quite obviously a boy and its funny because I say all the time I'd be happy with a girl or a boy, just give me their health and their happiness and what more does anyone want? But in that moment when I thought it was a boy, I was surprised that I really felt that way, just happy and excited. After we hugged and smiled, the tech frowned and said well, wait, maybe its a girl. Apparently the protrusion was not the perpendicular tell-tale of a boy, but instead she showed us, and we clearly saw three horizontal lines which indicate a girl. She did not call it either way at the end saying it could be either way as it was still early and honestly, it doesn't matter either way, just a healthy baby and I will do a jig of joy, but its fun to wonder. Wish I knew how to work my scanner so I could show it to you guys, maybe I'll get it figured out soon.

Things are calming down, per your advice I decided we'll tell the inlaws of my pregnancy. At 13 weeks its not unusual to share especially with family and like you said, I got the preggo-card, may as well use it. Thanks again for all the advice.

Random Updates

It's late and I should sleep. Hoping by writing a few things out here in my safe space I can get some shut eye before little guy begins chirping bright and early. I'm not one for bullet points on my blog but it seems fastest.

• The source of my cramps was finally explained late last week when my doctor informed me I had BV. I am really uncomfortable with taking antibiotics in the first trimester as research used to show that you absolutely should not do so but now new research says you can. This makes me feel squeamish but I talked to a bunch of pharmacists and got second opinions and everyone said not taking it will do more harm than good so I'm taking it.
• The side effects of the antibiotic are brutal. Nausea like nothing I've experienced. Heartburn that made me honestly feel I might be having a heart attack. And my whole stomach issue is bad to the point I'm hoping I don't get dehydrated severely.
• My Nuchal Ultrasound is Thursday. I'm nervous and scared but I think this is normal. Fingers crossed for good news.
• We will be discussing stopping my lovenox. My doctor is leaning towards it. But I'm leaning towards sticking with it. I figure I had a healthy baby once with it, and two miscarriages without it. Sure the two miscarriages could have just been a fluke but we don't know either way what gave me my son. Why mess with what worked? I'm hoping my doctor will support me. I get the feeling she will. I just feel like a hypochondriac asking for it because I can tell she thinks I don't need it. . . but I dont get why this time would be different from last time?
• I've had a lot of family issues with my parents [not me with them, but them with one another]  and its been rough and emotional and I'm still completely shaken and hurting and just as I finally am getting my bearings we found out my inlaws, all of them, are coming to our house this weekend. I havent spoken to my SIL or BIL in a year after a really bad argument and now they're coming to our house. I'm scared of what will happen because pregnancy hormones can get me angry so quickly I can't control it. Honestly, I really can't once I'm riled up. And I just hope that the weekend can go as okay as possible with peole I haven't spoken to in over a year. I know my son will love seeing his cousins. . . and its for him that I'm allowing this to happen. . . but the thought of hosting and serving and dealing with the awkwardness makes me feel ill. Debating telling them Im pregnant so maybe they will ease up. At the same time I don't feel they deserve to know.

Not a sunshine and roses post. Need to get my happy back.

Cramps

It's been a rough few days for a variety of reasons and yesterday I realized that for the past three days I had no symptoms, no nausea, no exhaustion, or the other lingering symptoms that were my constant companion. This made me nervous as my stress levels have been, on a scale of 1-10, an 11 and when I lost my first pregnancy my stress levels were similar and I worried about the correlation. I planned to make a doctor's appointment in the morning and this morning when I woke up to call, as I went to get my phone I was seized by a huge painful cramp. Not a uterus-stretching-feel but a cramp. I am familiar with the sensation. Luckily they fit me in first thing in the morning and I live a mile down the road so K and I quickly headed over. The cramps continued but very light now and sporadic.

Thank God the ultrasound showed a 164 heart beating little baby. My cervix is closed. The doctor thinks all is okay. He thinks that the fact that we, ahem, did the deed two days earlier may be a reason for my weird symptoms. I'll be 11 weeks tomorrow and I have to admit I'm a bit worried by the ultrasound picture. He did not measure the size of the little one since they were doing a heart beat check, but next week is my nuchal test and I remember seeing a very well formed little guy at my 12 week scan last time around. . . . this ultrasound showed pretty much a . . . blob how much more formed will s/he be next week, are they lagging? Also next week I'm going to have an abdominal scan but this week they had to do a vaginal one? So small that they couldn't see it abdominally just a week prior? I asked the doctor and he said this was not a concern. Maybe they take different angles for the nuchal? I also felt concerned since the ultrasound showed a little one with a head, torso, sort of formed arms, and a big dark spot in the middle of the forehead. This freaked me out, but K reminded me that the baby is um, growing and forming in there, so not to read into perceived holes in places there shouldn't be in fully formed humans.

The cramping is still going on and off. I'm trying to keep my feet up and rest as it does get less when I'm off my feet and worse if I'm walking around for a while.

Hopefully things will be okay. Fingers and toes crossed. I've been so much calmer with this pregnancy than the last one and I'm slightly disappointed that the crazy is rearing its head again. This too shall pass though.

Spotting and popping

I called the nurse today and explained to her the situation. She told me that because we had a good ultrasound last week and the spotting was brown and has since receded that all is probably well and to come in if it returns. She did offer to schedule me in if I was worried and they could do a scan just to make sure and I said that's okay I'll keep an eye out if it returns but I'm good for now. And then I sat in shock that such words escaped from MY mouth. But, the spotting is gone. And since that spotting and the pain I felt, my stomach has sort of popped out a bit. This could entirely be the Pad Thai I ate [and the slice of chocolate supreme cake, and the watermelon, no not bowl, the watermelon-- something about pregnancy my brain flies out the window, still unbelievably I'm restraining myself far more than last time and will hunker down more starting today!] but part of the pop is hard, pregnant like. I heard you pop sooner with a second and I'm 20 pounds lighter so it could be this. . . but either way I'm thinking the spotting had to do with this sudden pop and some irritation that happened as a result. It helps that I'm nauseous and exhausted and want to cry about the dead mosquito on my window sill. I know symptoms can carry on even when a pregnancy is lost but at the moment I'm taking comfort in the symptoms, the lack of spotting at the current moment, and hoping for the best. Thank you so much for checking in and for your reassurances, they keep me sane, really and truly.

Spotting

I got up to take a walk and my right side of my body had a sharp searing pain in the uterus area. I felt a wetness. I checked and its spotting. Reddish and brownish. Hoping its not what I think it is. Should I keep my feet up? I think I will. Should I call the doctor or is reddish-brownish okay? They can't do anything right now, I guess tomorrow I'll make an appointment. Sorry for weird prose. Weird state of mind. Hoping all is going to be okay. . . just hoping that, well, you know.