before i'd go...

Three of my friends contacted me at Facebook recently after knowing of my pregnancy who were unfortunately still without a child after more than a year of trying to conceive. My husband and I are especially thankful to God for hearing our prayers and for allowing us to pregnant. As in my previous post, I had realized that getting pregnant is not as easy as I thought it would be. With all the rumors and events of unwanted pregnancy, I thought it would be as easy as coitus during your ovulation. But in our first 3 months of trying... I was proven wrong. In a way, I can feel for these women since those three months seemed so long for me... the fear that I may never get to be pregnant closes in but I need to remind myself that God is in control and that He has nothing but the best for me. ... that has eased my anxiety. There was a time when I actually think that maybe... just maybe... I wasn't meant to be a mother to one or two children... maybe I was destined to be a mother to more than that as I am so in love with children and I seem to be gifted with kids (as in a mother in the orphanage or in the classroom). But anyway... we are expecting a baby boy by the end of July. And we hope and pray that he will be healthy ^^< Back to the 3 women, I got to share my article on getting pregnant. And I do pray for them, along with other wives who have long waited for those two lines in their pregnancy test kit. The first one, whom I talked to last January, is now 6 weeks pregnant with twins! God be praised indeed! The other two, I had them read it this March (the 3rd one, just today), I really hope that the article would be of help. But in all these, I trust in God's perfect timing. There is grace in waiting. I believe that with all my heart. If God had granted our prayer of a baby on our honeymoon night (yes, I was ovulating then), I wouldn't be able to have an idea on how difficult it is to conceive. And, my husband and I wouldn't have that bonding in prayer of begging to God for a baby. And in that wait, we realized that this baby in my womb is indeed God's gift!(which is why we were to name the baby LIA had he been a girl) So, with this pregnancy, God be exalted! (JORAM's meaning)

for today...

We are celebrating Josh's (my cousin) graduation today with a family dinner. Then, we're off to sleep over at my in-laws. And tomorrow, my hubby's dropping me off at the airport before he goes straight to work. Yes, I am off to Davao tomorrow! And I am excited! I feel bad of having to leave Dennies alone though. He'd surely miss me as he would be coming home to an empty house for the next 5 days. Thanking God for the internet and mobile phones though... then, we can keep in touch. I already miss him...

4th Month - 15 to 18 weeks AOG

A pregnant woman may experience any or all of these symptoms at one time or another: □ fatigue -- indeed! I always feel tired even when I wasn't really able to do a lot of things around the house. I really salute those pregnant women who still manage to work full time! It must have take a lot of discipline and determination. □ decreased urinary frequency, constipation -- I still get to void frequently since I am into drinking a lot of fluids... which does me good since I have no problem with constipation during my pregnancy. Before, I used to have my bouts of constipation especially when I'm on to something at work or if I am travelling... so, with this pregnancy, I increased my fiber and water intake just to help out my excretory system :) I don't want to increase my chances of getting hemorrhoids. □ an end to or decreased in nausea and vomiting --  AMEN! I really thank God that I had said goodbye to morning sickness by the end of my 1st trimester. There are indeed some women whose nausea and vomiting persists way until the end of their pregnancy. My mother-in-law had her bouts of vomiting even at the hospital while they were preparing her for C-section. □ continued breast enlargement, but usually decreased tenderness and swelling -- I have never been one of those girls with gifted bosom. And the hormones of pregnancy give me larger ones! I now have a cleavage to show... too bad this goes gone after breastfeeding and would likely sag unless I'd do some chest exercises.  □ occasional headaches, faintness or dizziness, particularly with sudden change of position -- which is why it is necessary to shift positions slowly... especially when you plan to get up from a lying position. Which means, you get up to sitting position first, count to ten, before getting up.  □ nasal congestion and occasional nosebleed; ear stuffiness -- I'm past my four months and I hadn't felt this. Thank God. □ "pink toothbrush" from bleeding gums -- This I still experience. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to have prior dental visits during my pregnancy but I do have an appointment with my dentist next week. □ increasing appetite -- Indeed! With everyone (friends and family alike) encouraging you to eat along with the increased hormones and demands during pregnancy, there is an increase in appetite. □ varicose veins of legs and/or hemorrhoids -- I am praying that I won't be getting any more varicose veins. I had mine on my foot way before my pregnancy because most socks would tend to constrict my ankles when I was still in school. And I sure pray that I won't get any hemorrhoids... I heard that they are painful. □ mild swelling of ankles and feet, and occasional of hands and face -- I check my ankles and feet for swelling or edema as this may be a sign of fluid retention or too much salt intake. So far, so good ^^< Just today though (I'm on my 21wks now), I noticed my fingers being more plump... which I'd take that I really need to cut down on my salt intake unless I'd want to have any edema soon. □ slight whitish vaginal discharge (leukorrhea) -- Pregnant women should be able to understand what 'slight' is. Since, a little more than that would mean a urinary tract infection or something... which needs to be reported to our OB especially if it is accompanied with painful urination or itchiness and foul odor. □ fetal movement near the end of the month -- I felt my baby's movement as early as the 14th week AOG... or maybe I was imagining that I had to check my pregnancy journal & the internet if indeed it was fetal movement already or a very angry stomach. It turned out that some feel the earliest movement at 14 or 15 weeks. It felt like butterflies in your stomach. But it was more regular to me by the 17th week. If you haven't felt your fetal movement yet, then maybe you'd feel it around the time that most women do: sometime around Week 18-20.

planning

... well, planning to blog down - the baby's progress in utero - what to do/eat - what to expect on the month's prenatal visit - what to watch out for i'd want to start from the 1st month down to the nine... but since i'm currently on my fifth month, but I guess I'd start at the 4th since that's when pregnant women are likely to feel the baby move ^^< which is the first and closest thing to sensing the baby, ultrasound aside... and well, maybe when i'd feel like it.. go back down to the previous months...

ultrasound: 21 weeks AOG

Posted as promised!

These are the clearest shots that our OB sonologist got.

His right forearm was over his face most of the time... he didn't move it away when our OB was taking still photos. So, that was the clearest one that we've got.

His nose is already projecting. Our OB even described it as "matangos" looking over Dennies and I to see if from whom he got it.

His chin is also prominent and I am really trying to think whose facial contour he got. He reminded me a lot of Jobbie, my little bro, though. (Maybe because he was the only baby that I had really cared for in a long period... or that I miss my not-so-baby brother a lot & he's birthday's upcoming.)

But his face's shape could easily be from Dennies too or mine. :)

biparietal diameter (head), right; femur, left
The other one is of the head (at right) and the femur (at left) which is the longest bone in our body (that is the one in our thighs). These two measurements would give the doctor an estimate on the expected date of delivery.

This is the photo of his heart when the OB sonologist was assessing his cardiac functions. The two hollow spaces are 2 of the 4 heart chambers since this is on the lateral side. And the other hollow space, beside the 2, is probably the stomach. All the measurements from the ultrasound got us close to July 30 with an allowance of 2 weeks prior or later, which correlates to our 1st trimester ultrasound as well as with my last menstrual period.