Belly Update- 15 Weeks

Well somehow we're already in the 2nd trimester! Where is this pregnancy going? I am feeling a lot better with no nausea at all, which is GREAT! I'm still pretty tired but I know that is to be expected and I'm not sure if it's just the baby or the two older boys that run around my house all day long! :o) I still grab naps here and there and Kris is great about sending me off to rest in the afternoon. I've never been a big power napper, but it's amazing what even 45 minutes of getting off my feet can do!

We saw the Dr. on Thursday. My blood pressure was high again, which was ridiculous because I'd just taken it before we left and it was totally normal. He asked if I was rushing to get there (which I wasn't) and I brought out my log of blood pressures that I'd taken at home nearly every day for the last 3 months- all of which were normal. He took one look at my paper and said, "Oh so you're one of those White Coat Syndrome people huh?" Basically I freak out as soon as I get to the office. I told him not to take it personally b/c I really liked him. He said that after seeing all my normal readings he had no concerns about my blood pressure and that I didn't even have to continue monitoring them at home as often if I didn't want to. This was so wonderful to hear. In the past two pregnancies I'd go to my appts and my blood pressure would be high, so the nurse would ask me to lay down for a few minutes. Before she came back I'd lay there willing it to go down, trying to relax, worrying about the baby, etc. So of course she'd come back and retake it and most of the time it would still be high. This partly resulted in a diagnosis of PIH Pregnancy Induced Hypertension and large doses of a heavy muscle relaxer during labor with both boys. And this was some nasty stuff! I so deeply appreciated the Dr.'s validation that I am normal and that I'm not doing any harm to the baby. Obviously I will keep monitoring it and he will be keeping an eye on it too, but I just have so much more peace about it now!! He also checked the baby's heartbeat which was easier to find since he said he could tell that baby had been growing since my appt. two weeks ago (even though I hadn't gained any weight). The heartbeat was good and strong. He didn't recheck my placenta and said that we would check it at my big ultrasound but that there wasn't anything to worry about concerning the placenta until it neared time for delivery. Again this was a HUGE relief to me. I'd been super concerned about it. All my blood work came back normal too. Praise God!!

As for the big ultrasound... our appt is scheduled for June 13th and though I will only be 18 1/2 weeks, Dr. says that we should be able to find out if there's a boy or girl in there if baby cooperates. So I'm hoping baby is not feeling shy and I'm hoping that it's a GIRL- I love my boys but we gotta get some more estrogen in this household! :o)

So here's the belly shot taken at 14 1/2 weeks! Chewy sure is growing!