As a woman with PCOS, I know that it can be embarrassing, exhausting, and expensive with little results and much frustration... I share my uphill climb with PCOS in hopes that I will help you laugh a little, share my story, share my trials and give you hope!!
Wednesday, December 30, 2015
Presenting....
Wednesday, September 23, 2015
38 weeks!!!
This week will be my last week of work until January. Its sooo exciting! I will be glad to be able to have lots of time to be productive, get things done and relax a little before the baby comes!
Yesterday was our 3 year anniversary! I am so excited to have spent the past 3 years married to my fella! Granted, it hasn't all been easy peasy but I wouldn't have it any other way! I can't wait to see what this next year will bring us seeing as how it will have a new addition to the family :-) We spent the day at work then had a doctor's appointment and then headed to Indianapolis to go to the temple. We have decided to start a new tradition of going to the temple on our anniversary just to live in the moment and remember the covenants we made to each other that day. It was absolutely special and I loved every minute of it!
This is a quick picture I snapped last night in front of the temple doors with my hot stud before we left to go back home :-) |
The OB appointment went well. We didn't wait long, which was nice. We also go to see one of the doctors we like so that was an added bonus! My weight gain is on target, my measurements are right on target, my BP was great and the baby's heartbeat sounded great. We discussed the swelling I have been having in my ankles and he told me to prop my feet up whenever I get a chance. He told me the swelling I'm experiencing isn't concerning to his since everything looks good vitally and in my urine cultures but he did run down a list of symptoms that if they occur, I need to call him ASAP because it could be a sign of something happening. He checked my cervix and I am all closed up and the baby is still sitting high... So high in fact that by feeling he couldn't tell for sure if it was a head or his butt so he felt around on my belly and found out he is still head down (thank goodness!!). So it looks like the baby won't be coming anytime soon, which I am ok with! I predict I will go pretty close to my due date :-)
I have another baby shower hosted by a couple wonderful women at my church on Saturday. Next week we will be going shopping for any last minute items that we'll need for the baby before he arrives.
Ryan got his stuff in the room cleaned up and put the bassinet on his side of the bed. I just have to get mine cleaned up. We've both gotten in a really bad habit of doing laundry, leaving the clean stuff in the basket and throwing dirty stuff on the floor. So we're fixing that. I also need to go through my clothes and donate the stuff I didn't wear before pregnancy so that I can clear out space. I have wayyy too many clothes and I don't even wear most of them. I would rather have less options and more organization than baskets and closets and dressers full of clothes!
Sunday, September 20, 2015
37 Weeks
37 weeks and counting... I don't think I look too bad! |
So last week the doctor told me the glucose in my urine was too high and she wanted me to get an ultrasound before my next appointment to check on the size of the baby and the amount of fluid. My measurements are coming up spot on every week but she thinks I may have developed GD in late pregnancy but wants to check the baby before she sends me for another glucose test or something.
Well, I got the privilege of seeing our little guy twice in one day! I also got to fall asleep to his heartbeat :-) Why you may be asking? Well, I got rear-ended on Wednesday (the 16th) on my way to church to meet with my Bishop. Fun fun! I was stopped on the road behind someone waiting for them to turn left and out of nowhere, this lady hits the back of my car going full speed (40-45mph). Her airbags went off. Her and her daughter (late high school/early college age) went to the hospital with very minor injuries but their car will be deemed totaled. Luckily my car barely moved, as apparently it is a tank/boulder/hoss! I have very little damage to my car and once insurance gets all settled out, it will be fixed in 2 days. We had to wait around for a while because their car's frame was wrapped around the ball hitch on my car so the tow truck had to pry her car off of mine... It was interesting to say the least. I did go to the hospital to get checked in case anything happened to the baby and they kept me overnight for observation and so I could get an ultrasound in the morning. They woke me up every couple hours to check my vitals and see how the baby was doing. His heart rate was great all night but he was being very stubborn and tried to move away from the heart monitor several times hahah I had the ultrasound and everything looked good, which is always good news. The hubby was wonderful enough to stay at the hospital with me all night and took the day off on Thursday to make sure I was doing ok. We got to eat breakfast at IHOP after we were discharged, which was delicious!
On Thursday (17th) I had my OB appointment scheduled and the ultrasound before that. The ultrasound tech (who we love) said he looks great and his fluid levels are normal. He is in the 75th percentile for weight, weighing in at an estimated 7 pounds, 1 ounce, so he is a little bit bigger but nothing concerning. I have always thought he would be somewhere between 8 to 8.5 pounds when he was born, so it doesn't surprise me or concern me. The funny thing is that I had no glucose in my urine this time, which proves that my theory of how the glucose got in my urine that day is probably correct. Who knows? More good news: my group B strep test came back negative! Woot Woot! I was worried about that one because it means I can't do most of my laboring at home, which is where I'll be most comfortable, I would have to do it in a hospital... Which is no fun!
On Saturday (the 19th) we went to Cleveland for my great grandpa's 90th birthday! He is such a magnificent man. He has been through so much in his lifetime but still manages to keep a happy attitude, positive spirit and be loving to everyone. He is truly an inspiration. At 90 years old, he and his wife still live on their own in a 2 bedroom condo in a retirement community. He manages the community garden; restores various furniture; builds cool things like model log cabins from scratch complete with furniture; paints beautiful pictures; is on their community counsel; is single-handedly responsible for the community getting new (and more) fire hydrants, street signs and stop signs; and so much more... All things he has done in the 15 years he has lived in that community! We had to leave after the party so Ryan could get home in time for work on Sunday morning.
I had another baby shower today (the 20th) hosted by Ryan's mom. It was a fun time! She did a brunch and totally outdid herself on the food! She had everything from standard muffins, croissants and fruit to biscuits and gravy, hash brown casserole and soooo much more! There were a bunch of games and everyone walked away with a prize (even the kids).
I will be back next week with another update :-)
Thursday, September 10, 2015
36 Weeks
We are beyond excited for him to come into our lives! The girls are counting down the days (probably more so than we are!) I am so happy that they are so excited! Their teachers keep telling us how much they talk about the baby on a regular basis so we know they aren't just putting on their fake excited faces for us!
These days, I am getting up every 2 hours in the middle of the night to pee... I'm surprised at just how much urine my body can produce. I have a strong bladder and can hold it for hours if needed but now with this baby! I am doing pretty well on the comfort level. I do need to make sure we get to church in time for us to get a "cushy" seat as we call it as opposed to the hard metal chairs in the back... If not, I can't make it through the first hour of church! I am still able to wear my engagement ring with no problems in the swelling department (I do check at least once a day to make sure I can still get it off pretty easily). The wedding bands have been gone for some time because I got so freaked out that they would get stuck... All 3 of the rings together takes up almost the whole bottom of my finger so I think you can see why I was so freaked! I have swelling in my ankles and calves every now and again but nothing a little propping up of the feet can't fix. I did notice that if I am walking around a lot, I do not have swelling so I have been trying to walk around a little more at work (my job is very sedentary and in front of a computer so it makes it a little hard).
This morning I did go to my regular doctor and it turns out I have tonsillitis... Which is fun... NOT! At first I thought it was a cold or something but it just kept getting worse and I started to lose my voice, have a raspy cough and anytime I coughed it felt like knives stabbing me in the throat. But I am able to take antibiotics given to me by my doctor and apparently Delsym is safe for pregnant women so I have been able to take that to help with the cough. We'll see how it goes with getting better!
I also went to the OB this afternoon for my 36 week appointment and to have the Group B Strep test. We waited for over an hour for this doctor. I really didn't like her much at all. I have had no problems with any of the other doctors in the practice except her. We got put in a room after waiting in the waiting room for an hour then I had to wait on the table, half undressed for 30 more minutes! Ugh! I hope next week isn't the same! She comes in tells me there was a good amount of glucose in my urine and she wants me to have an ultrasound to make sure everything is okay with the baby's growth and that he isn't growing to quickly or that he doesn't have too much fluid around him. So I have to do that next week. I don't think there will be any problems. I am hoping so at least... I don't want a huge baby and I also don't want anything to be wrong with him!! I am measuring on target again with my growth. The Group B strep test was uncomfortable.... I'm pretty sure she stuck the swab up my butt lol anyways, I have to wait about a week for the results to come back for that so we shall see if I am positive for it. I hope not. I would love to not have to be tied down to an IV machine for antibiotics while I'm trying to make my labor more comfortable.
I have not had any Braxton Hicks, so here's to hoping I continue to not have them. My mom told me that she didn't have them when she was pregnant with any of us, her labor just kind of came one day with my brother and I, and for the younger 2 she had to be induced for medical reasons.
As of this week, I have 3 weeks left of work. My boss has given me the week before off, which is nice because I can get last minute things done and focus on preparing myself for labor. It kind of stinks though because I would love to have one of those "I went into labor at work" stories lol
Other than that, I don't have much else to update at the moment. I will update later next week after my appointment to let you all know how things are going!
Thursday, September 3, 2015
35 Weeks
As of 35 weeks, my little nugget is squirming around rather than kicking and likes to rest his butt on my ribs. He is still head down and has been since I was about 23 or 24 weeks along. He loves when I eat fruit and drink ice cold drinks. He squirms like crazy when I eat a Snowie (for those who aren't familiar, its basically a snow cone but with super finely shaved ice and delicious flavor combinations). He loves hearing his dad's voice and seems to recognize it now and will squirm when he hears him come home. Nugget is just being good. I am still having my groin pain and occasional heartburn but nothing crazy.
I had my first baby shower on August 15, 2015, which my mom hosted and it was fun (despite being in Florida until that morning with my brother for the birth of his baby). I won't lie, I was nervous that it wouldn't turn out because she had been in Florida for a week at that point and wasn't here to do anything for it. Luckily, she had a plan and family that was here were able to pitch in to help execute the plan she had. The party was superhero themed and so is the nursery. We're trying to keep it classic superhero and not the newer versions of the heroes. We are also not being picky on DC or Marvel, we want him to like them all! Here is the cake that my cousin made with one of the signs that was décor but we got to keep to hang up in the nursery.
We got quite a few different gifts from the people that came, which we are thankful for. I was a little disappointed that many people who said they were coming didn't show. That is one of my pet peeves. I understand emergencies happen (one person had to bail for an ER visit for their kid) but when you just don't show up without an explanation, that's just rude!
Tuesday, August 25, 2015
34 Weeks!!!!
At this point right now, I am 34 weeks. I don't look as pregnant as most people would expect I do... The photos below are from when I was 12 weeks and 34 weeks, respectively.
Wednesday, July 15, 2015
Pregnancy Progress
I wanted to write a quick update though to let everyone know how my pregnancy is going. Summed up in one word: perfect. No joke.
I have had zero nausea or vomiting. I have had only slight pain in my round ligament area and lower pelvic region (nothing a brace and a little heat can't fix!). I was able to go camping (yes in a tent) on the 4th of July weekend with no problems except the rain being a bit of a damper. Went on a 2 hour, 2 mile cave tour with no pain or shortness of breath (except for the end when we had to go up 450 very steep steps... but even the most fit person on the tour was a little winded). Have been doing yoga every week. Working like regular. No crazy cravings except for fruits and veges and peanut butter on graham or regular crackers and giant amounts of salad. No excessive weight gain (I actually lost a couple pounds in the first trimester and my doctor just told me Monday that my weight gain is perfect and exactly where it needs to be). No complaints from me. My husband tries to tell people I have been an angel or perfect through the entire pregnancy thus far, but no one seems to believe him lol
As of today, I am 28 weeks and 2 days. I started feeling my wonderfully perfect baby boy kick me on May 25, 2015 and Ryan was able to feel it as well on that day. He is an active baby. He apparently loves hockey already just as much as we do. We were watching the Stanley Cup Playoff games (our team Chicago Blackhawks were in the playoffs and eventually won the cup) and every time Chicago would score a goal, he would kick. When they would win the game, he would go crazy. Not because we were going crazy, in fact all we did was high five each other because we didn't want to wake the girls up as they were asleep during all but the final game. I can't even tell you how crazy he went when the Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup... Needless to say, I felt like a human punching bag for about 5 minutes hahah
The placenta is located in the anterior position so he is sitting towards the back. I started feeling him move under my ribs when I was about 22 weeks along. Now the movements I get are under the ribs, normal kicking/headbutting to the side, front and down low, and I get creepy crawly movements that just feel odd because they aren't like the kicks- they are him moving around to get comfy.
I did have one fail so far but it was to be expected a little bit. Now I preface this by saying, I have been doing really, really well with my diet during the pregnancy. I have tried to do my best (and everyone has agreed) to feed myself and the baby properly. I took my one-hour glucose test and failed. I will also state that I screwed it up. The nurse who gave me the solution to take home told me I could eat beforehand- she never warned me no carbs or that it had to be at least an hour before. So me, being the genius that I am, ate two pieces of whole wheat toast with a smidge of butter about 5 minutes before drinking the solution. Based on the results, my doctor believes that the eating messed it up but either way, I do have to go in for the 3 hour glucose test this Friday morning. I am crossing fingers that I pass this. I really, really don't want GD!! I know it is very common and not unexpected in women with PCOS but it doesn't mean it sucks any less! I would love to be able to not have to super watch what I eat, have a super big baby or have to have a C-Section because of his shoulders. Please say a prayer that I don't have to do that!
Other than the GD test, I have been doing amazingly. I can no longer fit into my pre-pregnancy pants without a waist expender thing. I can still fit into a lot of my pre-pregnancy tops, which is great!
All in all, I have no complaints during this pregnancy. I do however need to get my butt moving on the office transition. We're combining the office with the craft room but the office is a huge mess because it also became our catch-all room when we didn't have time or a place to put something. Luckily, it is coming along. I have the goal to have it all cleared out by the time this weekend is over since we don't have anything else going on (Ryan will be working). I want to get the monsoon of baby furniture, clothing and toys out of our front room as quickly as we can.
Oh and speaking of nursery, we have planned that we are going to do a vintage superhero themed bedroom. We got a dresser that we are going to paint with blue, red and yellow to match the theme (hopefully the dresser can double as our changing table, if not, we'll just have to get one). Ryan's aunt is graciously sewing the bedding and curtains out of this cool fabric Ryan's mom found online that she was going to order for us. We were able to already buy the crib, rocking chair and dresser for his room. We have a ton of clothes to wash and hang up that we got from my dad's girlfriend (she has 2 grandsons that have grown out of all of it) and more to come from my aunt and uncle who had a boy in November. His room will come together nicely!
And before anyone asks, no we don't have his name picked out yet... We agree on a lot of names, the hard part is choosing what your child will be identified as for the rest of his life. Lots of pressure there!
He is already so spoiled and loved by everyone. I can't wait for him to arrive in October!! I will try to be better about updating! I will post pictures of his nursery once everything is complete. We will also be having a 3d/4d ultrasound at my 30 week appointment because the girls want to see him move around and see what he looks like. They haven't been to any of the appointments and I didn't realize our last ultrasound would be my anatomy scan so we're going to pay a little but they are beyond excited to be able to go and see him.
Wednesday, May 27, 2015
Gender Reveal Party
Monday, April 27, 2015
Update
As of today, I am officially 17 weeks along! My oh my how time has flown by! It seems like not that long ago that we were telling everyone when I was almost 7 weeks!
I haven't weighed myself in quite sometime because my scale isn't exactly the most reliable so I don't even weigh myself anymore. Last I checked though, I was up 5 pounds from my pre-pregnancy weight. I have really been trying to eat healthy.. It also helps that I have been craving fruit and veges at various times so I have been stuffing myself full of good stuff! I have had the occasional piece of candy or cake or ice cream but nothing more than usual... Sweet stuff has been too sweet for me since I got pregnant! I will admit, I have not been the best at taking my vitamin everyday... I'm not one that remembers medicine. I need to get better about it and put it next to my bed so I can remember to take it at night before bed or something.
Anywhos. I have been keeping a pregnancy journal as the weeks come and go to see changes and size differences. I am now measuring at 42 1/4 inches around my hips and 48 inches around my belly button. I'm not sure what I was pre-pregnancy for my hips but my pants still fit, so that's a good thing for now. I can't wear all of them, just the ones that were previously larger or stretchy. My belly has expended significantly, although I just can't see much of a big difference. I was about 41 inches pre-pregnancy so clearly the baby is growing. I can see the pooch form just below my belly button that shows kind of where my uterus is sitting because it kind of goes out then in.. its weird hahah
I have had a very easy pregnancy (insert hisses and boos here). I have had no morning sickness, no crazy cravings, nothing makes me nauseous when I see it or smell it (except the occasionally nasty gas released from the body of my hubby or the girls), I'm still able to fit quiet a few of my pre-pregnancy clothes. The only pain in the butt thing to me is the increased testosterone (which has slowed down a little on the increase), the quickness with which my body hair grows and the darkening of some hairs that were not there before. Also, my acne has gotten worse... My guess is it is caused by the increase in testosterone. I have grown a whole cup size by the time I was 12 weeks. Luckily my boobs haven't increased since then but they are stinking huge and heavy! I was very tired in the beginning... As in falling asleep/ready for bed at 8 or 9pm and wanting to sleep through my alarm clock and try not to fall asleep during the middle of the day! I'll take sleepy over nauseous any day!!!!!!
I am starting yoga classes tomorrow. I tried to start water aerobics classes but no one would call me back for like 3 weeks so I gave up on that one. My grandparents take a yoga class at their church for a very inexpensive cost so I figured I'd jump on that board rather than pay $15/class. I'm excited because I love yoga! It will help maintain fitness and keep my weight in control.
On another note, we have our anatomy scan on May 13th. We're also having a gender reveal party on May 23rd and we're very excited for it! We'll have different colored foods, my cousin is making our cake and we'll have games. We're having everyone dress in the color of their vote so we can divide the teams up for the games. We're going to find out with everyone else so that will make it that much more fun. We're playing with lots of ideas for the big reveal... We just need to settle on one so we can get in planned and in the works! I think its a girl. Honestly, I would be extremely happy with either as long as the baby is healthy. I know its cliché but its true. I've been waiting so long and I just am so excited! There are benefits and downfalls of having either gender so it doesn't matter... I just have this feeling and have since before we conceived that we would have a girl first. We'll see! I will make a whole blog post about how we revealed the gender :-)
I think I felt the first little kick/flutter yesterday while at work. It felt so surreal, nothing I've felt before. I was bent over at my computer at work because I was tired of sitting straight up (it was hurting my back) so I leaned over and when I bent down, I felt this crazy feeling. It stopped when I sat up and happened again when I bent over. It was probably telling me to stop squishing it hahaha
I'm honestly loving being pregnant so far. I have no complaints! I love being pregnant! I can't wait for our bundle of joy to be here though. I'm excited to hold our baby, feed it, dress it, bathe it, play with it, spend time with it and wake up to its cries. I can't wait to bring a life into this world and raise it to love God, live righteously and be a kind, caring, wonderful person that will contribute to the world and not just live in it!
I will update in a few weeks after our anatomy scan!
Wednesday, April 15, 2015
How we told
So timing wise, we had our first ultrasound the week of Valentine's Day. Lucky for us, my mom has kept a tradition going in our family every year to have dinner for Valentine's Day. Well this year, she had to make the choice to either go to the Cyclones game that the girls were playing hockey during a period break or Valentine's dinner... She chose the first option (which was a good choice!). Ryan and I knew this ahead of time. She has also always given us all gifts, something small like chocolate and a candle or a stuffed animal, etc. This only made things easier to play out!
We decided to host Valentine's day dinner at our house. We also invited Ryan's parents who aren't used to the tradition but they love coming over for dinner and socializing with my family. My aunt and uncle couldn't come because they were all sick with the flu but my cousin could come because she had been at her mom's house and wasn't sick (we called them and told them after everyone else found out). Since my mom loves taking photos of every event we have, I played it as if I was taking photos of everything for her so she can feel like she is part of the dinner. I took photos of everyone sitting around, eating, and the big reveal!
We made mugs and/or wine glasses for everyone, depending on their taste with their new titles on them and either a bottle of wine or a bottle of sparkling juice. My mom got a wine glass that said "They call me Nana" and a mini bottle of wine. Ryan's mom got a wine glass that said "They call me Mamaw" and a mini bottle of wine. Ryan's dad got a coffee mug that said "They call me Pap" with a mini bottle of sparkling juice. My grandpa got a mug that said "The best grandpas... become GREAT grandpas!" with a mini bottle of sparkling juice. And my grandma got a mug that said "The best grandmas... become GREAT grandmas!" with a bottle of sparkling juice. All of the bottle of sparkling juice/wine had a tag that said "Do not open until October 2015" on them and were placed inside the mugs and next to the wine glasses. I put them in a pink paper bag and taped them shut. After dinner but before dessert we gave them their presents and said "Mom wants me to take pics of the gifts, so just open them like normal... You know how she is!"
They opened them up and my grandpa pulls out his bottle of sparkling juice and says "October 2015? That's weird". Ryan's mom got her glass out and immediately started crying and asking if it means what she thinks it means. Well it did lol Ryan's dad started tearing up and my grandma was very confused because she hadn't even gotten her bag open yet (she is one of those take the tape off then open the bag/box nicely kind of people... everyone else are rippers lol) Once she realized what it meant, she immediately came over and gave me a huge hug. Ryan took a video and I think his brother's reaction was the greatest! He just stood there and looked around very confused and then started crying and saying (in a confused tone), "I'm going to be an uncle?!" They all LOVED it! I've attached photos at the bottom for your viewing pleasure (there is even a moving one to get the real feel for how it kind of went lol). I didn't get any pictures of the mugs/wine glasses because I'm a goof.
We went up to Ft. Wayne to see my dad the next day. He moved up there at the end of December because he got a promotion at work. We only went up to have dinner with him to tell him but we ended up getting snowed in up there and stayed the night at his house... It was a lot of fun! For my dad, we gave him a yellow onsie that said "My grandpa is a rockstar" and a pair of binkies that say "Mute Button" and "Pull to Sound the Alarm". He laughed and loved it. He is like me in his emotions, he will smile but he is not a crier or a screamer. I could tell he was happy. He called his girlfriend on the way back to his house to tell her the news and she said he was overjoyed. I think its bittersweet for him... His baby is very clearly growing up lol
Cody and Ryan cooking dinner |
Ryan's dad, my grandpa and my grandma watching a V-Day movie |
Marissa (my cousin), Isabel, Aaryn (Ryan's brother) and Cynthia (Ryan's cousin) |
My grandpa, my grandma and Kira (Cody's girlfriend) eating dinner |
Aaryn, Elizabeth, Ryan's mom, Ryan's dad, Isabel, Cynthia and Ryan |
Isabel and Skylar (Ryan's cousin) dancing |
Dancing again... They were busting a move and putting on a show |
Grandpa and Elizabeth |
The start of the BIG REVEAL! |
Grandpa discovering his sparkling juice bottle |
Sherri standing up and starting to shake |
Sherri in the process of hitting Doug telling him what it means... Meanwhile my grandpa is smiling because he knows |
Loving the pure reactions of grandma, Sherri and Doug. |
Its so much better in motion! |
Couldn't trick my dad into taking pictures... He gets skeptical like me. We even had to tell him the present we brought was a housewarming present! |
This is how we told the FB world and the rest of our friends and family. Hockey is our life so it only made sense. |