Calling all the Pregnant PS''ers

[lliang_chi]

Pancake, hooray for little girls!!! How wonderful, you DH must be super excited. Glad you made it back from Europe OK. You must be jetlagged.

~LC (18W, 6D)

 

[somethingshiny]

You ladies are stunning! I love the belly pics!!

 

[Skippy123]

Blen, he is precious!!! love the picture of E Congrats!

 

[basil]

Congratulations, Blen! Glad your labor was so much easier! What a gorgeous photo of a gorgeous little baby!

 

[kelpie]

Congratulations PANCAKE and BLENHEIM!!!!

Dust worked for my sister too. Healthy girl, so much easier on Mom this time around!

 

[NewEnglandLady]

Blen, a huge congrats to you--little Edward is adorable! And wow, lady, you are my inspiration for delivering! You were checked at 1:30 and delivered by 1:44?? I'm just glad the doc was there to catch Edward just in time--you go, mama!

Pancake, congrats on getting news that it's a girl!! So exciting!

 

[Lauren8211]

Hello fellow incubators!

Sorry I haven't checked in for a while! Gah! Such a slacker!

Charbie - I know I said congrats on the unnamed site, but I just wanted to tell you again how beautiful she is, and how happy I am for you!

Blen - So glad you checked in! Congrats!!! Such a handsome little guy! Hope you're feeling great!

NEL - I'm so sorry about your pup. I remember last year when I was dealing with a very sick kitty for nearly a year, and it was SO hard. Probably one of the hardest things I've ever been through. Hugs coming your way! Byron is so lucky to have you. For the record, DH WILL be painting this weekend. And yes, I got my ethiopian... I'll probably need to go again soon.

PT - Sticky dust for you!!! Keep those babehs in there!!

LC - You look so cute! Glad you enjoyed your babymoon!! I didn't feel significant movement until about 21 weeks. Before that it was a lot of "was that it?" but week 21 and it was like BAM! Hello! He's been crazy ever since.

Pancake- Congrats on Team Pink!!! Yay!

Jcar - Your nursery is adorbs!

Freke - Glad to see you check in! Sorry things aren't going so well right now. On the upside, you can now shoe shop when you're depressed for a lot lower prices. Thank goodness for little girls!

Katy - Slacker! Glad to see you pop your head (Belly?) back in here!


Sorry if I missed anyone. My computer room is still occupied by a radioactive kitty, and I have to survive on this tiny netbook til next weekend! Gah!

AFM - 31w2d. Getting huge. Getting cranky. My heartburn is EPIC! I can't stress this enough. EPIC! And I am now literally peeing every 30 minutes. Wonderful. Just trying to ride out these last 8-10 weeks. Naps help for sure. The birth classes are going great and we're learning a lot. The nursery painting WILL be done this weekend, I've already made DH commit. Whew. Our two year wedding anniversary is coming up in a couple of weeks, but I doubt we'll do much more than a nice dinner. I can't really "hang" anymore. My body is typically done around 9 or 10 in the evening.

Belly pic for the masses. I feel like a house. Seriously.

 

[fieryred33143]

Aww Elle you look great. Pregnancy suits you

 

[Mannequin]

Hi everybody! Congrats Blen!!!!! Love the belly pics and JCar/Freke, CUTE nurseries! Sorry for the quick post, but I am finding myself getting really tired in the evenings and bed time comes much earlier than it did last school year.

Adding a bump shot to the thread from this week. Cruising along here, just passed 16 weeks. Belly is stretching outward, and is thankfully the only place on my body where I am seeing expansion right now. Some days, especially after a lot of direct instruction (on feet all day), the belly button area is sore. Excited about our upcoming gender ultrasound, which is scheduled for October 20th. Created an online baby pool for family, friends, and coworkers at http://www.expectnet.com - they have free and paid versions and it's fun to see what everyone is guessing for baby's gender, length, weight, and birthday! Have a great week!

 

[pancake]

Everyone is looking so fab!!!

Mannequin - you are looking fantastic. The 20 week scan is SO amazing, very exciting times! My belly feels a bit sore and stretched after a long day too, especially if I'm on my feet and walking all day.

Elle - are you taking something for the heartburn? I had quite a bit a few weeks ago although not as much lately (I'm sure it will rear its ugly head again soon though!) and ranitidine works wonders, it is a magic bullet for the discomfort! I know you feel huge, but you look just right, if that is any consolation.

LC - when your movements get a bit bigger, just grab your husband's hand and put it on your belly. There is NO WAY that it won't elicit a big grin and some excitement! Ever since he's been able to feel them, DH has his hands on my belly whenever I tell him the baby's being active, he loves imagining what she's doing in there. The scenery in that photo is breathtaking - what an amazing place! And you look fabulous in it, too

Sarah - I can totally understand why you would be irate! Don't feel guilty about your 14-monther. You can only do what you can do, and right now you need to make sure you're well. It must be very frustrating though, that your mind wants what it wants but your body won't comply.

JCarly - I hope your husband's new job is going well and that he's enjoying it! Re the prenatals... I stopped taking mine at around 12 weeks. In fact, I only took prenatal multivitamins for about 8 weeks, and they were just making me feel URGH, so my obstetrician told me to to drop them and just take folate, which I took until early in the 2nd tri. He was happy for me to stop it all at that stage, and I make sure my diet is replete so now I am only taking vitamin D.

NEL - I hear you 1000000000% re the raging hormonal mood swings! In fact I read that bit of your post aloud to DH last night, we had a bit of a giggle in solidarity. Did you guys do something nice for his birthday and your anniv?

AFM, I feel a bit embarrassed as my last post may have implied to those who don't regularly frequent this thread that I'd actually given birth, lol. We had our 20 week scan yesterday and it was just so fantastic, loved every second of it! Our little Mini-M looks perfect in every way and the ultrasound obstetrician told me that I am an "excellent transmitter of sound waves" We are slowly getting used to calling Mini-M "she" and "her" - it feels kind of weird after spending several months bonding with my baby-of-undetermined-sex! I had totally bonded with a gender-indeterminate Mini-M so it is almost like learning to relate to her again now that we know she's a little girl. DH is thrilled. MIL is thrilled. Everyone is thrilled. I do not think the thrill was dependent on what sex Mini-M turned out to be though, and I would have been just as surprised to find out that Mini-M was a boy.

Now we need to get to the business end of things - buying stuff, painting the nursery (?pale yellow ?pale green), getting supplies... thinking of a NAME!!! So much to do

 

[NewEnglandLady]

Jcarly, how is your DH liking his job after a couple of days? I know, too early to tell, but I'm hoping he's excited to start this next chapter of his life. I can imagine he was probably happy to get back in the office after being a house husband for a bit.

Elle, you do NOT look like a house. You look adorable! And woohoo for hubby painting the nursery soon--I know you'll feel better when that is done. What do you do for your heartburn? I'm starting to get it every evening after dinner. For now, I chew on Tums (I don't think I've EVER bought a bottle of Tums in my life prior to this), but I feel like I'm going to need something more aggressive soon. Sorry to hear about the heartburn, it really is very uncomfortable.

MQ, you look fabulous, my dear!! And what a great idea about having an online baby pool for the gender, I wish I'd thought of that! So far has anybody voted?

Pancake, glad to hear we're both in the land of crazy hormones. And I can soooooo relate to you on all the things "to do" now that you know the sex. I have put nearly everything on hold until we know the sex. No clothes. No furniture. No carseat. No though into names. D said to me the other night "I fear for my life once we know the sex of this baby. I know that the next two months are going to be a complete frenzy for you." Naturally, this annoyed me (what's new?) because I hate to think of myself as some frenzied mom-to-be, but I admitted he was right. So my goal is to not go nuts once we know the sex. We'll see how that turns out...and naturally, I wish you sanity as well!

LC, I realized I forgot to answer your question from last week (about my hair being up). It's just short. I had a pixie cut this spring, but am growing it out now (I hate it). I envy your longer hair! Hope you're well!

AFM, anatomy scan tomorrow!!! So get this, D has decided he doesn't want to find out the sex at the doc's office. He wants a more intimate setting. So he wants the doc to write the gender on the card, then we can open it on Saturday when we're at our fancy anniversary (4th wedding anniversary was yesterday)/his birthday dinner. On one hand, I get it. On the other hand, I have to wait an additional 24 hours.

I'm going to attach my 18 week pic today in case I don't get a chance to sign on tomorrow. I felt some shifting in my stomach this morning right after waking up, so I'm hoping tihs is the beginning of feeling some consistent movement!

 

[Lauren8211]

Mannequin you look great!

Pancake, now all of the fun stuff begins! Nursery design and clothing really helped me bond with baby. Once I knew boy or girl, I started to get really, really attached! So exciting!

NEL - Thanks lady! I love other people's big bumps too - but on me, its just different! I don't think I look cute anymore! I miss 20 weeks! Haha! I've been taking Prilosec before meals, and Tums when its just random heartburn out of no where. I even get it when I'm hungry and haven't eaten. Its getting out of control. Make sure to tell your U/S tech ASAP that you don't want to know right then. We saw our baby's "junk" right away, without her even trying. He wasn't shy, and she landed right on the spot. We didn't need any help deciphering. So you may want to look away at first while she gets situated, or you might get a glimpse. If its a boy, and its the correct angle, you WILL know. Also, I'm loving your cute little belly! You look fantastic!

Fiery - Thank you! You are too sweet!

 

[lliang_chi]

Elle, you look fantastic!!!! So sorry your heartburn is no joke (not that it ever has been). Hooray for painting the nursery!!! What color? I picked Sherwin Williams Watery I've got white overhead shelves and still need to pick out furniture etc. Hope you have a nice anniversary. DInner out sounds like a great way to celebrate.

MQ, you look great! Love the baby bump pic. What a cool idea for the baby pool. Maybe DH and I will do the same. Hope you get some rest after teaching all day.

Pancake, aw, so cute your DH is all about feeling movement. I'm sure J will be excited when there's more to this pregnancy than just me getting rounder. He said that I looked cute yesterday on he way out. I still feel totally round. Hooray for Team Pink! Sounds like everyone is totally excited. And little girl stuff is so stinking cute!

NEL, your DH sounds like quite the romantic. I know the wait will probably be KILLING you, but it makes me go AWWWWW! Hope you get some nice views tomorrow of the baby.

So people are now straight up asking me if I'm pregnant. My neighbor is 6 wks behind me. The cleaning lady at work asked me, she's a really nice Polish lady that has two older (teenage/tween) kids. I had a Girls' Night with friends yesterday. That was super fun, my sister hosted. It was pot luck style and we all stayed and hung out till WAY late.

Work was crap today, but it's Friday tomorrow!

Going to hop in the shower now. My skin's been totally itchy! It's kinda annoying.

~LC (19 wks today!)

 

[lliang_chi]

Adding a belly pic for Friday.

 

[NewEnglandLady]

Hey, all, sorry for the me-centric post, but today's ultrasound did not go well.

So our baby has a hyperechoic bowel, which just means it's showing up brightly on the ultrasound. It is very, very likely that this means nothing and that the baby is just fine, but there is a small, but not insignificant chance that something is wrong (around 10%). The sources of the issue could be:

1. Down's Syndrome. I did have the NT scan and the accompanying bloodwork at 12 and 16 weeks, which revealed that the probabilty of the baby having DS were very low (around 1:2,000). The doc and the genetic counselor both told me that my bloodwork looked "beautiful", but that it doesn't mean my chances are 0.

2. An infection. More accurately, either toxoplasmosis or CMV. I don't know much about either, except that my dog gets a vaccine for toxoplasmosis, which isn't very helpful in this context. CMV is the more serious infection as it puts the baby at risk of being deaf and/or blind. Also, CMV can't be treated in utero.

3. Cystic fibrosis. The likelihood of this is also very low because I was tested and not a carrier. Still, D had some bloodwork done to make sure he is not a carrier, though even if he was, it shouldn't affect our baby since I am not.

4. Bowel formation abnormality. I feel like if something is wrong, this might be the best-case scenario because it's likely they could fix it after the baby is born.

Anyway, I'm a little overwhelmed because I wasn't expecting any of this. And now I have to decide how I want to move forward. I can either do nothing and keep my fingers crossed. Or I can do an amniocentesis. The issue with the amnio is that it would only give us answers for the down's and infection...and you can't really do anything about either of those conditions. We wouldn't terminate, so for us the amnio would only be informational and it's hard to justify taking any risk with the baby for information only. But the thought of worrying for another 5 months kills me.

So anyway, we still don't know the sex (had the ultrasound tech write it on the card), but I really just don't care at all right now. In fact, I feel bad for ever caring.

 

[monkeyprincess]

NEL, oh I'm so very sorry that everything didn't go perfectly. In your shoes, I'm not sure what I would do regarding the amnio. Will you be getting another ultrasound to follow-up? Maybe that will put your mind at ease. Reading this, I got a very strong feeling that everything is going to be just fine with your baby, but I'll be keeping you and your DH in my thoughts. Hugs. I hope you are still able to celebrate tomorrow when you find out whether your baby is a boy or girl.

LC, that is the first picture of you that I can really tell that your belly has popped. Looking great!

MQ, you're looking good as well. I can't believe how far along all of you are now.

Pancake, congrats on your little girl!

 

[lizzyann]

NEL, deep breath darling. I know this is quite overwhelming. When I was pregnant with my DS, I had a slightly elevated NT scan and from there I had to do all kinds of level 2 ultrasounds, echo/heart checks, and I was quite nervous as you are today. For me, I preferred to have more info than none at all. As each ultrasound, echo, blood work was done, I got more and more at ease that everything was going to be ok. Things like this really put you in perspective, doesn't it? Did your Dr. make any strong suggestions to you on how to proceed? Did he have any gut feelings on what could be the cause? I have a friend that her baby actually had her intestines/bowels growing on the outside of her body. I know there is a technical term, but I can't think of it. Anyways, they did surgery right after she was born and she is a perfectly healthy 10 year old today. Would a level two ultrasound help to show any additional views of the issue to help eliminate any of the possibilities? That might be a non evasive start. Thinking of you....

 

[parrot tulips]

NEL - I'm so sorry about the upsetting ultrasound results. I know very well how hard it is to be told that there's a possibility something may be wrong with your baby. Please hold onto the fact that the odds are greatly in your favor. As for the amnio - I would feel safe getting one if you believe it might truly bring you peace of mind. I realize that there's a risk factor, but those risks, with a seasoned doctor, are probably much lower than average statistics might have you believe. If you don't believe it'll make much difference, then it might not be worth it, though. And there's nothing wrong with getting excited about hearing whether you're having a boy or a girl. Complicated pregnancy or not. Sometimes, when I worry, I like being able to talk to the babies and refer to them by name (DH and I were lucky that it was easy to pick them out). Sounds silly, but it really does make me feel better.

 

[NewEnglandLady]

Thank you, ladies, it's very comforting to have a place to talk about this kind of stuff with since it's probably not something I'm going to share with many in real life.

We will be doing another ultrasound in 3 weeks, however the genetic counselor told me that once the condition has been detected, I'm considered "at risk" regardless of whether or not they see it again. Still, I think that if they were not to see it in three weeks, it would still put my mind at ease a little. If it's still detected at that point, I think I'm going to seriously consider the amnio. I'll talk with D about it more this weekend, for now I'm trying to sort through all of this myself.

Again, thanks for all the positive thoughts and for understanding. I need to keep in mind that the odds are in the baby's favor that he/she will be fine.

 

[lliang_chi]

NEL, I'm sorry that you're under all this stress. Hugs and deep breathes. The odds are in favor of your baby, but as a mother, of course you're going to fret and worry. The U/S in 3 wks is definitely a start. Also as Parrot said, under a very skilled doctor, the risk from amnios are much lower. Take your time this weekend to talk it over with your DH. I'm sure he's just as concerned as you are, and it sounds like you're both on the same page baby-wise. Maybe Pancake can chime in too. Hugs to you and your DH. And don't for a second feel guilty about being concerned about the gender. Make sure to take a step back, and enjoy your anniversary dinner and the gender unveiling.

~LC

 

[charbie]

NEL: first of all, hugs hugs hugs. Second, take a deep breath, and realize its all going to be ok. I know its hard to do, but try to not worry too much about the unknown, but most of the time, these things really do end up being unnecessary stress. And unnecessary stress isn't good for you or the baby!
Most of all, do not let this taint your pregnancy or your feelings. Don't beat yourself up or think wanting to know the sex is trivial compared to a possible bowel problem...you still have every right and should be just as excited as ever! Since finding out about Bre's heart, I let myself a few breakdowns to get out my frustrations, confusion, and worry, but then I remember to still enjoy every moment bc they are so precious moments to have. Enjoy your pregnancy. In the grand scheme of things, you'll only be pregnant for a fraction of your life...don't waste those moments worrying about the unknown. They will figure out if there is a problem (or even better that there may not be one at all) and modern medicine is pretty incredible.

At first, I was kinda pissed that no one caught that Bre had this heart defect. I mean, its been there since her heart started beating...surely it showed up at our u/s? Now, im grateful that maybe I didn't know as much...id have spent half my pregnancy a basketcase, and then id be a wreck until her surgery. You're feelings are raw right now, but trust me, it will get easier, even if there is an issue.

 

[Laila619]

NEL, you have my sympathies. My husband and I were in a similar situation, except my blood work wasn't even as good as yours. Our little one's risk for Down syndrome was 1:800. I was extremely worried and didn't know what to do. Ultimately, DH and I decided that the amnio was not worth the risk. I would never have been able to forgive myself if it caused a m/c. So, just like you said, the thought of worrying for the next five months was horrible, but it's what we did. And it was not fun to say the least. But fortunately, our son was born completely healthy! The relief that washed over us when he was first born was like nothing I'd ever experienced. What a roller coaster.

 

[Lanie]

NEL--I'm so sorry to hear you are worried. You have gotten good advice already, but I wanted to add in my 2 cents. I had 1:90 chance of D/s after my NT scan. So pretty much your same odds of something being wrong. I felt awful bc before I found out about that, I was consumed with thoughts over what bedding I was going to choose. Bedding? Really Lanie? I felt so damn guilty after that and I was so angry at myself for being so superficial. I opted for a CVS, not bc we would terminate, but bc I wanted to know. For me, I would have rather been armed with info so I could be prepared, so I could maybe find a daycare that could care for him if he had d/s, etc. The CVS was awful, I'm not going to lie, but I'm so glad I did it. Hugs to you and you will make the best decision for you and your family. I hope to hear good news in 3 weeks! And I hope you post the sex tomorrow!

 

[pancake]

NEL, I'm so sorry that your ultrasound wasn't all smooth sailing. I have several friends who had babies with echogenic bowel on ultrasound and had the same concerns, and their babies have been fine. I know that is just anecdotal, but I think in that situation it is nice to hear some real-life good news stories. WIth CF, they cannot test for every mutation that causes the disease, but it is unlikely if you do not carry one of the more common mutations. As it is autosomal recessive, it is not possible for a baby to have CF unless both parents carry a mutation (does not have to be the same one) - the only exception is if one parent is a carrier and the baby has a de novo mutation in the other copy of the gene. Re toxo and CMV - have you had your bloodwork done to see if you are acutely infected? I hope that you and your husband come to a common and balanced decision about amnio and we will of course all be supporting you here whatever you decide. As the others have said, the risk associated with amnio is centre- and clinician-dependent, so the commonly quote figures are only an indication of the risk, in a large tertiary centre it is lower. You have a bit of time to think, so make sure you use it and work through it to your satisfaction. Hugs from down here!

MP - thank you, you are such a sweetheart. I am still barracking for you even though I don't post on TTC any more.

AFM - Target is having a big baby sale here so I went this morning and bought a few basics - plain cotton onesies (short sleeved and sleeveless), a few terry gro-suits, some singlets, socks, some striped cotton gro-suits, a 240-pack of baby wipes, a couple of Tommy Tippee bottles (was just going to get the regular Avent ones but the TTs were 150ml and came with teats whereas the Avents were only 125ml and didn't come with teats, so it worked out both more versatile and cheaper) and some cot and bassinet sheets. Steered clear of pink!! Cotton On Kids also had a great sale rack so I got some little things there. Going to hold off buying any more clothes for Mini-M now because I think we will be gifted/handed down a LOT of stuff from friends and family. Can you believe my mother kept our bunny rugs, a lot of our baby clothes, etc?? My brother, the youngest in our family, just turned 20!!

 

[janinegirly]

NEL: I'm sorry to hear about the U/S--it's tough to receive any questionable news when everything was perfect up till then and there are no specifics. First of all, like everyone and you have said, this seems to be most likely nothing. I can't tell you how many women hear some kind of news during u/s's and everything turns out perfectly fine. BUT I also know that if it were me I'd still be going nuts and reading everything on the internet (not always a good thing) so I can understand all the emotions.

Just to give you my perspective on the amnio - I think it is a perfectly good option for peace of mind and does in fact test for CF (even though this is unlikely like you said since you are not a carrier). So the amnio would detect or rule out 3 of the 4 possible scenarios. I had the same NT figures as you (1/2500) this time around, mostly due to age (was 1/10K a few years ago) and was told these were fantastic numbers, yet I still wanted peace of mind. With the right doctor, it is an extremely safe procedure and the m/c figures are sometimes inflated since they are based on a national average and include all m/c's around that period (18-22wks), even ones unrelated to amnio. This is just what I gained from my own research. I'm sure there are top doctors in Boston and I can give you the name of who I used in NYC (she is acclaimed in CVS and does amnios several times a day). Of course it's YOUR choice, but I think it is always good to hear from all sides.

On top of that (or instead of amnio), a follow up u/s should tell you a lot more. So the one in 3 weeks will be helpful..they may see nothing or at least narrow down what is is they are saying. Again, feel free to do extra research and find the u/s provider who is most skilled in detecting these conditions,etc.

Overall I think this is just a little hiccup in the road and all will be fine - but no one worries more than preggo ladies (and new moms) so focus on trying to get as much information as you can so you can have that peace of mind and enjoy the rest of your pregancy! And I am SO excited to find out the sex of the baby, let us know soon!!!!!

 

[zoebartlett]

NEL -- hugs to you. I can only imagine how you must be feeling right now. There's still a very good chance that the baby will be perfectly healthy, right? Thinking of you.

 

[NewEnglandLady]

Thanks again, all.

D and I talked about it more last night. We read several studies in online medical journals, which helped. Ultimately my thought was the same as Laila's: even though the chances of a miscarriage with amnio are very small, I would be riddled with guilt if anything were to happen. And since nothing could be done with the results, it wasn't worth the risk (for us). As Pancake mentioned, I can do a blood test to see if I have any antibioties for the infection. It's not as accurate as an amnio would be, but since I've decided against it, it's the next-best thing. Also, Pancake, you hit the nail on the head with the uncommon mutation of CF issue. D tested just to see if he might be a carrier--chances are slim, but if he is, we'd do more testing on me to see if I have an uncommon mutation.

All in all, I'm feeling better today. I strongly feel the chances of it being down's are very slim based on my bloodwork and all the other measurements the doc took (femur length, humerus length, etc.), which were normal. The chances of CF are extremely slight and I'm doubting an infection, though I'll feel better after the bloodwork. So I'm feeling good.

So, D and I decided to go ahead and open our card tonight and...

it's a girl.

I openly admit that I cried a little because I wanted a boy so badly, but I'm trying to get used to the idea

 

[pancake]

NEL, I'm glad you're feeling more settled today. Once you have your blood results and the next scan, you'll have a bigger bank of information to work from, too. Re the sex - I totally get that you would have a moment of feeling let down to start with! I didn't when I found out, but I was kind of taken aback - sort of an, "Oh...okay!" moment, which makes me think that maybe I was expecting the baby to be a boy? I'm not sure. But once you've had a while for your brain to adjust and to reframe your decorating ideas in your head, it'll become exciting again. After I went out and bought some stuff yesterday I definitely felt like reality is starting to hit.

 

[lliang_chi]

NEL, hooray Team Pink! I know you really wanted a boy, but I'm sure you're just readjusting, not that you're "not excited." I'm glad you're feeling better today. You and D seem to have a good head on your shoulders. I think with the additional U/S and blood tests you'll have as much information as you can. So.. what are the plans with the nursery now?

 

[moxie.moo]

Hi NEL- I am no longer prego but I wanted to chime in and let you know that we waited until delivery to find out the gender and I was still SHOCKED I had a girl. I literally said, "Wait, you have a vagina, you were supposed to be a boy!" when they laid her on me. The nurse might have thought I'd lost my mind. I don't know why I was so convinced Lucy would be Thomas--I think because we had a boy's name but couldn't settle on a girl's name, and all these strangers kept telling me I was having a boy since I had a basketball belly. I even bought mostly boy clothes since they seemed more "gender neutral" to me... It took us 48 hours to name her and it took me a week or so to get used to the fact that I'm the mother of a baby girl. (And now everyone thinks she is a boy because she is dressed in alligators and turtles and puppy dogs 90% of the time... Who knew those animals screamed boy?!) Now that I'm 2 months in I can tell you that she is the absolute sweetest--she's feisty and curious and I feel like she already has a fabulously ironic and dry sense of humor (even though I know that's impossible...) Don't feel guilty for being surprised and a little let down even. We all imagine what it will be like to parent and who our child will be and sometimes (okay, maybe it's more like usually for me) reality doesn't line up with that, and your feelings are normal.

Finally, as impossible as it is, try not to worry too much about the ultrasound results--it is such a shock to feel that parental worry even before the baby arrives. You have so little control, and staying as positive and calm as possible will benefit you and the baby (and your husband and pups, too I bet.) We had a few scares early on with her heart when her circulation would shunt back to "in utero" mode and she would de-saturate and get bradycardic. I was so overwhelmed with worry and the crushing fact that there was nothing I could really do, I was a total mess--not sleeping, not wanting to take my eyes off her for one second for fear she'd be blue again... It was a disaster early on. Now we just roll with the punches and try to stay as upbeat as possible when issues or scares pop up, and it's been easier, especially now that I can sleep again. She is going to be fine, and we are more competent parents everyday. Good luck, mama--I bet you will raise and AWESOME little girl. And I also bet you will fall in love with your husband all over again through your little girl's eyes. Hang in there and congratulations!