40 Pictures

20 weeks 3 days

2008-07-04T20:45:13Z

It's a boy! Meet my son, Gunnar Alexandar Abalos. :)

Ok, you may be wondering why I am only 3 weeks further along after 5 weeks have passed. At the first sonogram, baby measured 2 weeks small. His growth at this ultrasound was consistent with that, so we have a due date of November 14th now (instead of the 2nd). Today I'm 21 weeks, but the pictures are from a few days ago.

Everything looks great with baby. He's perfectly healthy and sooo cute (and active!). In the beginning of the sonogram, he was yawning, and towards the end he was apparently hungry because he was sucking on his little hand (I was hungry at the time too, go figure). :) I will require additional ultrasounds however because I was diagnosed with grade 1 (of 4) placental lakes (maternal blood pooling in the placenta). Fortunately the blood flow to baby is excellent at this time, but they'd like to keep an eye on it. I'm kind of nervous, but for now I'm just going to focus on taking care of myself and getting the rock 'n roll nursery together for our little boy!

He didn't cooperate at the last ultrasound (legs crossed and umbilical cord under the butt!), but this time he gave us plenty of glimpses of "the goods."

Me at 20w 3d.

This is one reason I thought it was a boy: 5 months pregnant and I still have a waistline!

17 weeks 4 days

2008-05-29T18:49:51Z

I love my little belly. :)

This pregnancy seems to be going by so quickly. My first sonogram is in just 4 more days. I can't wait! Hubby and I really want to know what we're having, so hopefully baby will cooperate.

[Photos taken at 17w 2d]

The change week to week is just amazing.

Bare belly! (And my poor belly button. haha.)

40pictures @ 2008-05-22T18:27:00

2008-05-22T22:27:43Z

It's time for the LJ Advisory Board elections!

I am here to support jameth! I simply do not see a better, more qualified candidate.

For his platform information and experience, please see here.

Thanks you for your fealty!

-Captain, Dork Force and Zombie Brigade
-Member of Jameth '08 Campaign Advisory Panel

My 4D picture of Connor

2008-05-06T21:48:55Z

12 weeks

2008-04-22T19:50:40Z

I can no longer button my pants (they're being held shut by a hair tie), but I haven't grown enough to wear maternity pants. I also had my first appointment yesterday. :)

The hubby came with me to my appointment yesterday. Towards the end my doctor pulled out the Doppler to hear the little heartbeat. Eric was awed by it. I'm really glad he got to hear it, and so is he. :)

My doctor suggested I only gain 20-25 lbs. She also said that because of my size, she hopes for me to deliver a six-pound baby. That's so small! But then again, so am I. If the baby is too big, I'll have to have a cesarean, and I'd like to avoid that if possible.

My first sonogram is scheduled for June 2nd! In just 6 short weeks I'll get to see my baby and find out the sex. I can't wait!! :)

10 weeks 2 days

2008-04-08T03:35:22Z

Week 10:

I had my first prenatal appointment today. On a whim, the nurse decided she wanted to try to hear the heartbeat. It worked! I heard the heartbeat! It was an amazing moment. :)

In other news, my husband (who has been away at training for his deployment) had an appendectomy a week ago, so he won't be leaving for the desert just yet! In fact, he'll be flying home next week. We don't know if they're going to replace him or what so... hopefully we'll get a definite answer soon.

8 weeks 3 days

2008-03-26T05:44:03Z

Hello all! I'm Amber. I'm new here and pregnant with my first child. My husband was recently deployed to the M.E., but should be home in time for the birth (we hope!). We are so excited!

8 weeks exactly. I'm a tiny woman, so I guess I expected to have a little bump early on.

9 months

2008-03-22T21:24:20Z

I used to post pics of pregnant women here a few years back. Haven't had a photo-shoot with a pregnant woman in a long time... up until last week, that is.

40pictures @ 2008-02-12T07:55:00

2008-02-12T15:56:50Z

hi! i just did my first maternity photo shoot with my fiance's sister, rachel. rachel is 23 weeks with her second. she is having a baby girl!

i'll also being doing more in the coming weeks :]

17-19 Weeks

2008-02-06T02:19:35Z

Between 17 and 19 weeks, the bump has started to form...

35 weeks

2008-01-14T02:53:31Z

3 weeks PP

2007-11-08T21:12:31Z

3 weeks post-partum...

...and from the front.

x-posted

SHE'S HERE!!!

2007-10-15T02:28:47Z

Introducing...

CARYS BETHANY

Born October 12, 2007 at 8:38 PM
7 lbs, 11 oz
21 inches

We came home today, and we're both doing well. I'll post more pictures and her birth story (for those who are interested) later.

x-posted

Being induced tomorrow...

2007-10-12T01:26:12Z

Thought it would be only fair to give everyone one last glimpse of my big ol' belly...

So, here they are...my FINAL belly pictures:

39 weeks, 1 day
HOLY STRETCH MARKS, BATMAN!!

39 weeks, 1 day - Clothed
And this shirt BARELY covers my belly...

39 weeks, 1 day - Front
Stretch marks aren't as apparent from this angle, I guess...

So, there you have them. Tomorrow, either the husband or I (or likely both of us) will be posting pictures of our LITTLE GIRL (to my private lj)... Stay tuned.

x-posted

36 weeks

2007-09-19T19:48:22Z

See my belly button sticking out there?

Clothed.
(And you can still kind of see my belly button sticking out.)

Front.
Please don't laugh at my belly button. : (

x-posted

34 weeks, 1 day

2007-09-07T00:58:01Z

Here are my belly pictures for this week,

34 weeks, 1 day.

34 weeks, 1 day - clothed.

34 weeks, 1 day - front.

x-posted

Just for fun...

2007-09-02T21:46:18Z

Our little cat was sleeping on my belly earlier and it was too cute, so we took a picture.

33 weeks, 4 days
I'm sitting down, so you can't see how LOW my belly is. And there's a (not so) little (anymore) kitten sleeping on top of it.
And I know you all love my classy Bud Ice shirt... ; )

x-posted

33 weeks.

2007-08-29T17:37:22Z

vs.
Today (33 weeks) vs. 2 weeks ago.

vs.
Again:
Today (33 weeks) vs. 2 weeks ago. (Clothed)

vs.
And finally:
Today (33 weeks) vs. 2 weeks ago. (Front)

So, someone tell me that I'm not the only person who can see just exactly how much she's dropped...

x-posted

31 weeks, taken on Wednesday...

2007-08-17T06:09:25Z

31 weeks.

31 weeks, clothed.

31 weeks, front.
If it wasn't before, my belly button is now a thing of the past.

x-posted

Appointment Update and 30 Weeks Pictures

2007-08-09T16:29:29Z

At our appointment this morning, I went through all the motions. Pee in a cup, get weighed (I gained 2.5 more lbs!), wait in the little room. Carys' heartbeat was 157 today, and I'm measuring right on schedule. They want me to start doing kick counts this week, until the end of the pregnancy. I don't know where I'm going to find time to do them, but I will... They also provided me with a whole bunch of information on postpartum birth control. Dan and I have already talked about it and, since I'm going to be exclusively breastfeeding/pumping, I'm not going back on hormonal birth control until Carys weans herself. Even then, we're not a hundred percent sure, but it's a good possibility that I will because, the reason that I went on the Pill three years ago, in the first place, was for cramps, not it's birth control properties... *shrug* We've got time to figure it out, I'm hoping to breastfeed for at least a year.

Anyway, without further ado, here are the pictures (since I know that's what everyone's looking for, anyway).

I don't know if you can really tell here, but my belly button is halfway inside out. It's only the top half, though, and only when I stand up or lay on my back.

pictures and appointment update x-posted

36 Weeks 5 Days

2007-08-09T10:11:44Z

T-10 weeks, 6 days... And counting.

2007-08-03T06:11:43Z

Well, I guess that, at this point, it's T-10 weeks, 5 days...but that's just a technicality. At any rate, without further ado, here they are, for your viewing pleasure:

Was she up higher than usual, or is that just me?

I mean, come on... It looks like I'm trying to smuggle a basket ball under my shirt, or something.

Oh, and my belly button? A thing of the past...
(Some people at work told me that they won't be surprised if it starts turning inside out, soon...)

So there you have them. Coming next week, 30 weeks... Scary, no?

x-posted

40pictures @ 2007-07-31T23:18:00

2007-08-01T03:18:52Z

So I posted about all the negative stuff in a seperate post. So here's all the baby stuff and OB stuff and all that... :)

35 week appointment
Before I left Maryland, I got my Group B Strep test at 35 weeks from one of the partners in my OB's office because she was on vacation. The substitute doctor was really rude and blunt and I didn't like her. I posted all about that. I was put on bedrest and no sex because I was starting to efface and she said I should hold off any further progress until at 36 weeks. My fundal height was measuring 35cm, right on target. There was a "trace of protein" in my urine that the doctor said was small enough that I shouldn't worry. She complained about my weight gain but I can't even remember how much it was at this point (too much has been going on) but I remember that I was having a lot of swelling at that point, so I wasn't worried about the gain. I figured much of it was probably the extra water. My blood pressure was fine. I posted about all that before as well. I was scheduled to come back in a week to see how things were progressing.

36 week appointment
I went back at 36 weeks. I was taken off bed rest and sex restriction and told I'd effaced more and the baby was dropping a bit. She could feel his head. His heartbeat was great and everything was going well. There was a trace of protein in my urine for the second week in a row, but again, she said it wasn't enough to worry about. I'd lost about a pound or two. Everything was pretty good. However, my fundal height was measuring at 38cm/weeks instead of 36cm like it "should" be. The doctor said the baby was probably nearing 7lbs.

37 week appointment (around 36w6d)
When I came to Florida, I had an appointment at 36w6d I think. They said there was sugar in my urine, which was odd because I'd never had that problem. My 1-hour glucose test had come back fine weeks ago. So she asked what I'd eaten for breakfast and I'd had a kind of sugary cereal, so they weren't worried about it. They said they were guessing the baby was around 7lbs at that point and they wanted me to go for an ultrasound that Monday. My fundal height was about 39cm/weeks. My blood pressure was good. The baby's heartbeat was strong. They checked my hemoglobin/iron level. I was on the low side at about 10.2 or something. They gave me a prescription to take iron pills.

The doctor said she didn't see a reason to do a pelvic check this time around but they would check my cervix at the next appointment if my ultrasound said the baby was indeed on the large side so they could see how much I was progressing in case they wanted to start discussing induction. I wasn't liking all this induction talk. But I agreed to go for the ultrasound. They also talked to me about what kind of birth control I might be planning on using after I give birth and whether or not I was going to be breastfeeding. I liked this part because my doctor in Maryland never talked about any of these things. I suppose she may have if I'd continued seeing her in the last weeks of my pregnancy, though.

Ultrasound (37w5d)
When I got to the hospital for the ultrasound, the tech found it pretty silly that they were sending me for a dating u/s at this point in pregnancy. I told her how they were talking about induction and she was like "oh, induction is rough." So anyway, in the end she said he was measuring about right and he was about 6lb, 10oz. She would've given me pics, but he was face down the whole time and he was definitely cramped in there!

38 week appointment (38w2d)
I was actually scheduled for my 38 week appointment at 38w0d exactly. However, I got a case of the pregnancy brain and completely forgot and slept right through it! I called to reschedule when I realized it and they said it was fine because then at least I would get to meet my "primary" doctor - the one who would be delivering me at the hospital whom I'd heard so many good things about. So I was excited about that. She has her own office and she's in the health department only every 2nd and 4th Friday of the month. If I'd been in FL this whole pregnancy, I probably would have been seeing her at her own office the whole time but I came back LATE to say the least. Anyway, I went in that day. My urine test was fine, my blood pressure was fine, I'd gained a few pounds (not good), and I was sent to the room to wait for the doctor where I was asked to put on the nice little paper skirt. Well, while I was waiting, the doctor ended up having to leave for a patient in labor. I only got to see one of the nurses who checked the baby's heartbeat, my fundal measurement (40cm), and that was pretty much it. So, the whole time, I sat in the paper skirt until it was over. They apologized for her getting called away. I understood, but I was still frustrated. I was supposed to be scheduled for a week from this, but they only had another appointment open in 4 days. So I took it.

39 week appointment (38w6d)
I wasn't sure what to expect this appointment. I was squeezed into the schedule of another doctor. I ended up going and getting the usual because the doctor i was scheduled with had a schedule that was way too busy. So, urine sample was taken and the lady said she thought she saw some blood and that was a "good sign" so I thought maybe I was starting something. But I haven't seen anything since or before that, so I think she just was seeing things, lol. My blood pressure was good again, I lost a couple of pounds (my total weight gain is 28lbs), fundal height was still measuring 40cm, the baby's heartbeat was in the 150s, and everything seemed fine. I thought I was going to cry when I got done there. I really have been wanting to know what my progress has been like even though I know it doesn't always MEAN anything. I've been getting PMS-like cramps and sharp shooting pains in my cervix for WEEKS. I just would like to know. They told me I could make another appointment with the doctor who will be delivering me, but the next time she is in, I'll be 2 days overdue and that's 12 days from now. So, they made that appointment, but I also have an earlier appointment at 39w5d. So, maybe then I'll get checked, haha. I'm thinking I might pass my due date anyway though, so maybe I will get to see the doctor who will be delivering me...

Symptoms and stuff
For weeks now, I've been having shooting pains in my cervix. I've been having some PMS-like cramps. Just in the past few days, I've noticed the baby moves less often, but still just as strongly when he does. The heartburn continues. My body aches terribly almost always. My pelvis clicks and hurts most of the time and is just sore in general. I wake up too many times a night to count to go pee and to turn over because something aches. I've noticed that when we do have sex, I have some pains in my cervix if I'm on top or in a position where he is even somewhat deep. My nose is so stuffy, I can't breathe well most of the time. I am thirsty almost always and I have a water bottle next to me at all times. There's a lot more, I'm sure. Basically, I'm just waiting...

The pictures...
I've missed some pictures and others are stuck on my cell phone that crapped itself, lol. But here's some recent ones...

Belly casting (not yet decorated) 35 weeks

37w1d

38w5d

38w6d (39w in about 45 min)

He's finally here!

2007-07-27T16:54:51Z

On July 23rd at 10pm my water broke. I called Jason at work and just said, "my water broke" he said he would call me right back after he told his boss. Jason apparently sped home while calling every family member he had. Proud papa came rushing through the door in a frantic fury and was ready to go. I forced him to hang out for about 30 minutes or so, just to make sure we had everything and were being rational about what to take instead of jetting off.

Evan Poet was born on July 24, 2007 at 11:35am

....after the epidural kicked in it wasn't as painful as a thought....but, if you had asked me before...I would have winced at you....

After dialating to 10cm I pushed for 45 minutes and I watched the enitre miracle happen in a mirror. Jason was a trooper and pretty much worked as the doctor's assistant. he held one leg as I pushed. Everytime the doctor would count to 10 she would want me to push again.. Trying to get 3 good pushes out of each contration...but then she would say..do you have one more in ya? And everytime I would give the 4th push. I dind't want to stop becasue I could watch him crown and I didn't want to wait any longer.

After the epideral I was about 5-6 cm here...I like the name tag I am wearing...

First time holding my son <3

Family portrait

6lbs 13 oz 21.5" long

First bath...the only time he ever cried on his first day in the world (except the cry out of the womb, which I have been waiting to here ever since I found out I was pregnant).

My beautiful men

Nap time

Finally home.

I don't think life could be any sweeter than it is right at this moment.

27 weeks u/s and 28 weeks

2007-07-27T05:19:24Z

Please excuse the grossness on the mirror in these first three... I had to take the pictures myself, because Dan was at work, and I didn't realize how dirty the mirror was until after I'd already taken them.

28 weeks.

28 weeks, clothed.

28 weeks, front.

And I have ultrasound pictures, too! Yay!

Carys - 27 weeks, 0 days

Carys, profile.

She's DEFINITELY a girl!

So, I'm sorry that it took so long to post them, but wasn't it worth the wait? (If you can't see her face in the first ultrasound picture, let me know and I'll help you out...)

x-posted