Enjoying Pregnancy

Hard to believe we're more than 17 weeks pregnant already! Two and a half weeks and we'll hit that half-way mark! I'm truly enjoying being pregnant now. I haven't been nauseous lately, and my energy level has almost completely returned to normal. I feel like I can keep up with my daughter now, and run errands as I need, and I even walk about a mile and a half around Taylor lake when the weather is nice! My belly has popped, and I have been feeling the baby moving and kicking every day. It's such an amazing feeling!


I'm not sure if anyone remembers this from my first pregnancy, but for some reason I got these horribly loud, squeaky hiccups when I was pregnant, that came just one at a time randomly throughout the day. Matt and I called them "raptor hiccups" because they sounded like something you'd hear in Jurassic Park. It's awful and funny at the same time. Anyway, they're back. I officially sound like a baby dinosaur again, haha!


My food cravings are starting to get a little funny. I remember when I was pregnant with Juliet, I couldn't get enough Hidden Valley Ranch dressing.. I'd eat salads and veggies just so I could eat the dressing with them (I wouldn't let myself eat plain salad dressing, as yummy as that sounded...). This time around though, salads with ranch dressing make me queasy. For a while, I thought it was just salads in general that the new baby didn't like, but it turns out that's not the case! I was at the hospital with Sarah when Liam was born, and I had some of her Greek salad, and ever since I can't stop eating them. I think its the tart dressing and the feta cheese and olives that does it for me. Speaking of olives, this baby really likes black olives.. I can put away an entire can of black olives in one sitting. They're delicious! Other than that, I've been eating a lot of carbs, mostly pastas.


About three or four weeks ago, I bought a fetal doppler to use at home for listening to the baby's heartbeat. It's just a cheap one, so I wasn't sure how well it would work, but it's amazing. I'm so happy I got it! I was able to find the baby's heart beat right away, and it's so comforting to be able to listen at home, especially with all of the issues we had during the first trimester. I only use it once or twice a week, just before going to bed. It's the most relaxing sound ever. I can also hear the baby moving around with it, which is really neat!



Speaking of the baby moving- I feel his or her movements every day now! It's so amazing. The little taps have turned into strong kicks, and the rolling and stretching is much more noticable! I'm pretty sure that others could feel the baby kicking now too, but we'll wait until Matt gets home next week to see. It's so hard for me to tell if what I'm feeling is from my belly, or if I'm actually feeling the kicks against my hand.



My belly is starting to show a little, which is exciting! I've spent the past three months knowing I'm pregnant, but not looking like it. Finally that's starting to change!



16 weeks:

17 weeks:
You may have noticed in the pictures that my belly button is already starting to pop out! It seems so much earlier than when it popped with Juliet, but maybe thats part of a second pregnancy. Regardless, I'm sure Matt will enjoy playing with it when he's home on RnR next week!

Along with the baby getting bigger comes one of the not-so-fun parts of pregnancy: having to pee without much notice. It's awful, I'll be going along just fine, and then out of nowhere, I have to go now! Haha, it's made for some funny moments.

Oh, and we'll find out if we're having a boy or a girl in one week!!!

One Very Long Night...

Before I get started on this post, let me warn you that the majority of it will be about our most recent medical adventure. For those of you who are either bored or squeamish with medical talk, I'd just skip this post, or at least jump down to the bottom. I'm writing it more as a way to record the major events of this pregnancy for my own reference later.


Last Friday, when (I thought) I was 12 weeks and 4 days into this pregnancy, I started bleeding pretty heavily. I was giving Juliet her bath when I first noticed it. At first, I handled it, but pushed it to the back of my mind and finished Juliet up in the tub, and while I was doing that, Matt's grandma got home from work. As soon as I started to mention to her what was happening, I broke down. I was so scared I could be losing this baby. She got Juliet dressed and in bed for me while I tried to get ahold of my doctor. Of course, I got a recording, and had no other phone number to reach them with. About half an hour later, about 8pm, I decided to go down to the emergency room to have the baby checked and find out where the bleeding was coming from. It had mostly stopped by that point, but I knew that I would drive myself insane with worry if I waited until Monday morning to see my regular OB.

I drove myself to the hospital, and got there at about 8:30pm on a Friday night. Not something I would recommend. Once I got checked in and registered, I waited until about 9:30pm to see a triage nurse. I should have known then that it would be a long night. After triage, it was back to the waiting room for another two hours I think. Thankfully, Matt's mom met me down there to keep me company!

Being pregnant, I need to eat every 2 hours at least or I start getting a horrible headache. I had just started feeling like I should eat something around 11pm, and Kathi went and found me some chips from a vending machine. After handing me the bag, she went to ask the receptionist where she could find some water. She came right over and told me I wouldn't be allowed to eat until the doctor saw me, as I was seconds away from pulling the bag of chips open. Talk about frustrating!

Thankfully, shortly after this, they called me back to see the doctor. I thought for sure the end of this crazy night was near. After all, when I was pregnant with Juliet and had bleeding, I would go in, they'd run blood work and do a quick ultrasound to check things out, and I'd be on my way. Apparently, the ER I was at did things very differently from the hospital in Hawaii. I had to get into a gown, and wait for what felt like an hour for someone to come in. When the doctor finally did come in, she told me that I would be having an ultrasound that night, and afterwards, a pelvic exam. At this hospital, you can't have an ultrasound without having a catheter put in, so that they can inflate your bladder in order to get a better image. Fantastic. I wanted to beg not to have the catheter. I had to pee so bad as it was, it just didn't make sense to drain everything, just to fill it right back up. I was also hooked up to an IV. After yet another long wait, the nurse came in to put in my catheter. Then more waiting, and finally the ultrasound tech showed up and took us down to the ultrasound room.

I was expecting a quick ultrasound, looking for a heartbeat and possibly the source of the bleeding. Instead we were in there for at least half an hour, although it felt like much longer to me, since my bladder had been blown up twice as full as it had ever been in my life. First, she found the heartbeat, which was beating strongly at 154bpm. I was so happy! She wanted to measure the size of the baby to determine how far along I was. First, she measured the circumference of the baby's head, which was at 13 weeks and 6 days. My mother in law and I both said at the same time, "big head!" Then she checked the diameter of the head, which measured at 14 weeks and 1 day. We both said "really big head!!" and got a laugh! After this, she continued to measure different parts of the baby's body, the abdomen, legs, and so on, and kept getting dates right around 14 weeks. Even after measuring each body part several times, the average age was 14 weeks and 1 day. I trust this date more than the first date that was given to me, because the ultrasound was so detailed and triple-checked every measurement. At 7 weeks, the crown-to-rump length was measured just once. So, Hello Trimester Two!! :) The ultrasound was also fun to watch (aside from having to pee so bad it hurt and having someone mash on my belly) because the baby was very, very active! We were watching him or her flip around and look all over and kick and wave. The tech was a little annoyed because it took her longer to get her measurements, but I thought it was fun!

After the ultrasound, I was wheeled back to my exam room, where we waited on my nurse to disconnect the catheter and IV, and then for the doctor to finish with the pelvic exam. Everything checked out fine, even though they never found out why I was bleeding to begin with. I was just happy to know my baby was safe! It was around 3:30am when I finally got home, and I was exhausted. Thankfully again, Matt's grandma woke up with Juliet the next morning and let me sleep in. It's so comforting to have family to help out in these situations!

Since that horribly long night one week ago, all issues have resolved, and I've been feeling just fine! The baby has been kicking a little, but mostly rolling and stretching. I'm loving every minute of it. It's an amazing feeling to have a tiny 4 inch baby playing around inside of you. We're now a couple days into the 15th week, and our new due date is July 8th, a week or two before Matt is due home from Afghanistan. I'm hoping he'll be able to make it home for the birth somehow, but we'll have to wait and see!

Speaking of Matt coming home, I'm pretty sure we've decided that Juliet and I (and my belly) will be moving back to Hawaii early, before he gets back. I hate that our extended family wont be able to see the new baby right after the birth, but it seems like the best choice for us. Hopefully we'll have visitors after the baby gets here (hint, hint!).


Before I wrap up this post, I want to congratulate my baby sister, Sarah, on the birth of her son, Liam Alexander Hutcherson. He was born on January 12th, 2011 at 12:49am, weighing in at 7lb4oz and 19in long! He's perfect in every way!

As the First Trimester Comes to an End

After almost three weeks since my last post, I have a lot to cover!

We're now 12 weeks and 1 day into our pregnancy, just under two weeks left until the second trimester!! I'm hoping that it will bring with it the energy that I've been lacking so much lately.. The good news- fatigue is my only real complaint over the last few weeks! I haven't had any real morning sickness in a few weeks now, for which I am so thankful. I get tired easily- a good shopping trip to Target or the grocery store and I'm spent, but as long as I listen to my body and rest when it needs it, I'm usually fine. I'm so happy that this pregnancy has gone so much smoother than my first so far!

I haven't gained any weight yet, but at the same time I also haven't lost any weight either. This time last pregnancy, I was sitting at about 10lbs under where I started! I have started noticing a bit of a difference in my belly, and half the time I have to use a hair-tie to fasten the button on my jeans. Anyone who's been pregnant before knows what I'm talking about! I'm just barely starting to show, and not very much- usually later in the day is when I notice my belly. I'll have to start taking pictures.

My appetite has been a little funny lately. I'm always hungry, but never for anything specific. I don't think I've ever been so indecisive about what I want to eat. I'll spend half an hour standing in the kitchen staring at the pantry and fridge, pick something that sounds decent, and by the time I've gotten whatever it is out and ready to start cooking, I've changed my mind and don't want it anymore. Talk about frustrating! I usually end up settling on something quick and easy and not so healthy (part of that is because of me getting tired so easily).

Anyway, enough about me, lets talk about this baby!

Two weeks ago I took the Intelligender test, the at-home test that tells you (with 90% accuracy) if you're having a boy or a girl. I took the same test when I was pregnant with Juliet, and it was right for her! This time around, it says we're having a BOY! Matt will be home in just under 5 weeks, and we'll have an ultrasound done then to confirm. I'm very excited, and would love to have a little boy this time around. But of course, I'll be just as happy with another little girl!

Today we had our 12 week appointment at Trinity Women's Care. The appointment went very, very well! We started out with an ultrasound that just took my breath away. I knew the baby would be much more developed than the last time we saw it three weeks ago, but I wasn't quite expecting to see a baby just yet. I already have such a cute little baby in there! He or she is measuring at 6.7cm from head to bottom- that's almost 3 inches! I could very clearly make out the nose and other facial features, a round little belly, arms and legs moving all over, and hands and feet complete with all it's fingers and toes! And of course, that incredibly reassuring flicker of the heart beating away! The ultrasound put the baby at 12 weeks and 6 days, about 5 days ahead of where we are now. Our little one has been very busy growing lately! It's still too early to see if we're having a boy or girl with the ultrasound. At least that's what the tech told me, she didn't actually look to see. It's alright though, I'm still excited about waiting until Matt gets home to find out for sure! I'll be 17 weeks when he gets here, so we'll have a definite answer then! After the ultrasound, I saw one of the midwives for the regular check-up. She did a pap and an internal exam. Based on the internal exam, she said everything looks and feels "perfect" and that I have a "great pelvis!" She showed me where to feel on my tummy to feel exactly where the baby was, which I thought was very neat. So all in all, the baby is doing great, and I couldn't be happier!

I think my favorite part of pregnancy is being able to feel the baby moving, and guess what?? We're there!! For the past few days, I've definitely felt my little baby wiggling and tapping me lightly. There have been a few times over the past couple of weeks where I thought I might have felt him or her, but I wasn't positive. This week though, I know it's the baby moving. I first felt Juliet moving at about 12 and a half weeks, even though everyone told me I was crazy and I couldn't possibly be feeling the baby so soon. Well, I watched those same feelings get stronger and stronger over the weeks and eventually turn into kicks, so I know what I was feeling was her. Now that this is my second time around, I definitely know the difference between my own tummy doing its thing and the baby saying 'hi' to me! It's still pretty random, and doesn't last too long right now, but I absolutely LOVE those little moments where I can just sit perfectly still and feel this amazing life inside me moving around on its own.

We do have a new decision we need to make at some point. Matt and I will be going back to Hawaii for a while after he gets back from Afghanistan, so we need to decide if I will be going back early and having the baby in Hawaii, or staying in Florida and having the baby here, and then moving back to Hawaii when the baby is old enough to make the trip. There are a lot of pros and cons to both choices. If we have the baby in Hawaii, I'll have to move in May, before I'm too far along in the pregnancy to fly. A friend has offered to let us stay with her until we find a new place and are ready to move in there. Summers in Hawaii are not nearly as hot or humid as summers in Florida, which will mean a lot when I'm 8 and 9 months pregnant! I've read that Tripler Army Medical Center (where I would deliver) does support VBAC deliveries. We would be able to get settled, for the most part, in our new home before the new baby gets here. I think the biggest perk to going back early is that Juliet and I will be able to meet Matt as soon as he gets back from Afghanistan, and he'll have a chance to be present for the birth of our second child. The downside of going back early is that if Matt isn't home in time for the birth, I'll be doing it on my own, and the family here in Florida won't be able to meet our second baby right away. Also, I'll be 7 months pregnant and flying to Hawaii with a toddler which could be difficult. If we stay in Florida to have the baby, the family can be there when he or she is born. I'll be able to stay with the same obstetrician and midwives for the entire pregnancy and delivery. The downside is that Matt will more than likely miss the birth, and he'll have to fly to Florida to help me bring the kids back, since I won't be able to travel on my own with a toddler and a newborn. I also hate that he would be home from Afghanistan and I still wouldn't be able to see him, after being separated for so long. We have some thinking to do, but I know that in the end, we'll choose what's right for our family.

I'm so excited about our new baby, I can't wait to meet him or her. For now, I'm going to fall asleep feeling him or her wiggling around, since it feels like its playtime now!

A Lot of Good News!

After a long and busy two and a half weeks, we're now 9 weeks and 4 days into our second pregnancy! So much has happened, but things are going really well so far!

I'm still feeling better than I was when I was pregnant with Juliet, but morning sickness has definitely been rough. I've had a few days where I've just stayed on the couch in my pj's, not eating anything. One of the chiropractors I see, Dr. France, gave me Sea Bands and some ginger lozenges a few days ago, and they've made a HUGE difference. Instead of being nauseous and sick every morning, I'm mostly hungry. Although I still get worn out easily and feel a little weak, it's a huge improvement on how I'd been.

I had my second ultrasound on December 13th. Two days before that, I had started spotting lightly. I know the doctor had told me to expect this, but it was still very scary. I'd spent the week and a half before then growing more confident that everything was fine with the baby, and as soon as this happened, all that confidence was gone. I was terrified all over again. Needless to say, as I was laying on the bed waiting for my ultrasound to start, I was so nervous I was shaking. I teared up as soon as I saw the little heart still beating away at an amazing 189bpm! The bleed that they had seen two weeks before was still there, but significantly smaller, almost completely gone! The doctor said this is a very good sign, and she is very happy with how things are looking. The baby is growing right on target, measuring at exactly 9 weeks at the time. I could also see the baby moving around like it was stretching, and I could make out tiny arms and legs already! It was so amazing, and so incredibly relieving!

A week before the ultrasound, I was visiting Sheena, and I got a call from my midwife telling me that the doctors had reviewed my records from Hawaii and had decided that I would not be allowed to attempt a VBAC delivery. Their reasoning was that the incision in the uterus was closed using a single closure instead of a double closure. According to them, this made the risk of rupture higher, and therefore I wasn't a candidate. I was heartbroken when I heard that. Another c-section meant so many other things.. recovery from another surgery, even less chance for VBAC with future kids, higher risk of complications and miscarriage with future pregnancies, and on and on. I became even more determined at that point to find someone who would give me a second opinion. My gut told me that my current doctor was just feeding me excuses for something that they never intended to do anyway (They had told me that their policy is to do a repeat c-section for anyone they dont have a history with, and that they didn't want to pay to have an anesthesiologist and surgeon to be on call the entire time I'd be in labor, rather than just the hour or so it took to do the surgery. We also found out from another source later on that their insurance wouldn't allow them to do VBAC deliveries). So I did some research, and while there is some controversy over the safety of a single vs double closure, there have been several studies done that showed there was not an increased risk for rupture with a single closure. This made me feel much better, after all, a safe delivery is ultimately most important.

While I had been researching that, Sheena had been looking for doctors in my area that support VBAC deliveries. The first doctor she found was Dr. Dinsmore in New Port Richey, about 45 minutes away from my house. I read some reviews and decided to make an appointment and see what she had to say. I figured if someone who supports VBACs and has a high success rate with them told me that I wasn't a candidate, then I'd feel a little better about having to have another c-section.

My appointment was on December 15th. I brought Juliet with me, and I'm glad I did. Dr. Dinsmore is great. She was joking around with me and playful with Juliet. She did a quick ultrasound to get a look at the baby (who is still doing great!!) and talked with me a little bit about their practice. They are very supportive of VBAC deliveries (even in patients who have had more than one c-section), as well as alternative healthcare. I feel very confident that they'll allow me to have the delivery I want. Dr. Dinsmore went over my medical records from my previous c-section with me, and said that I should have no problem at all with a VBAC. I specifically asked her about the single closure, and she said it wouldn't be a problem. They will do an ultrasound around 34 weeks to check the incision and make sure its still looking good, and as long as it is, I'll be allowed to go into labor naturally. I am so very thankful that I trusted my gut and got a second opinion!

Since things are looking so good with the pregnancy, and the baby is doing so well, Matt and I decided it was time to tell everyone about the baby (those who didn't already know, of course). So, together, we let all of our friends and family on facebook know about our wonderful news. I was very happy that we were able to be online together when we shared the news. There is so much of this pregnancy that he can't be here for, and sharing that with him meant a lot to me. Of course, our friends and family are very happy for us!

The next appointment is January 4th, around 12 weeks! I'm hoping that some time around then I'll be able to feel the baby moving around! I felt Juliet around then, and I've read that a lot of second time moms can feel their baby move much sooner. I'll let you know!

Our Second Child's First Photo

Today's ultrasound went pretty well. I am 7 weeks and 1 day pregnant with one precious baby. Baby #2 is expected to arrive on July 18, 2011. He or she has a very fast, very strong heart beat, beating at 168bpm! Such a wonderful sound! When I told Matt about our due date and what the baby's heartrate was, he responded with "Well that's all good news, but isn't fast heartbeating = girl?!?!?!" Haha! We'll have to wait a few more months to find out for sure!

The obstetrician is a little concerned because the ultrasound showed a subchorionic hematoma, which is a collection of blood between the placenta and uterine wall. She said that a lot of the time, these just go away on their own without causing any problems. Sometimes that's not the case though, so to be sure, I have a second ultrasound scheduled in two weeks to see if the bleeding has resolved. I'm a little nervous about this, but I know that stressing wont help anything, so I'm taking heart to the fact that the baby's heartbeat is so strong, and I'm going to take it easy as much as possible and just hope that everything turns out ok.

Juliet and I are leaving in two days to go visit Sheena and her family in Pensacola, FL for a long weekend. I haven't seen Sheena in about two years, so I'm very, very excited about this trip. Plus, I think it will be just what I need to keep me from worrying too much.

Getting Anxious

Well, it's been almost two weeks since my last post. I still haven't gotten sick really, but the mornings are pretty tough these days. For the first hour or two after I get out of bed (sometimes longer, depending on the day), I feel incredibly faint and lightheaded if I'm up and moving around. If I can just relax or lay down, I'm usually ok. Oh wait, I have a 10-month-old. Try resting in the morning with a baby who wants to eat and play and demands 100% of your attention. Better yet, try feeding, and playing with, and giving 100% of your attention to a baby when you feel on the verge of passing out at any given second. Haha. Once I get past the mornings though, I'm usually fine. This is still a million times better than my first pregnancy, so I honestly can't complain too much.. Just for that first hour or two each day.

It's Sunday night, and my ultrasound is Tuesday morning! I'm really getting anxious about this. I'm so excited to actually see my new little one, to see his or her heart beating. But there's also that part of me that is worried there might be a problem somehow. I think every pregnant woman, especially in her first trimester, must have these same thoughts. I know I did when I was pregnant with Juliet. I'm thankful that I'm able to have such an early ultrasound done, so that I can have that peace of mind. I'll also get our due date!! I'm hoping for late July, which will give Matt a better chance to be here for the birth. I know I shouldn't get my hopes up, but that's so much easier said than done, haha!

Hello, Old Friends

I'm guessing I'm around six weeks pregnant now, and my dear old friends, Exhaustion and Nausea, have stopped in to say 'Hello.' Yay. I've spent the past few days falling asleep on couches and fighting wave after nauseous wave, but thankfully haven't gotten sick. Yet. I'm still holding out hope that this pregnancy will be much easier than my first. They're supposed to be different, right??

I've been window shopping for double strollers lately. I think I've found the one I'm going to get! It's the exact same stroller as the one I have now (which I love), except its a double. It has awesome reviews (which is super important!!), and it's relatively affordable. Then, I had this thought that I can't seem to get out of my head: What if I'm having twins??? I'll need a triple stroller! A triple stroller?! Yikes. Three babies under two years old? BIG yikes. Surely there is only one baby in there :)

Juliet and I got back today from our visit to Aunt Kelly's. We had a great time, and I was so happy to be able to share the news of Baby Reif #2 with her in person. I also finally had the chance to meet her fiance, Jon, for the first time. I'm definitely very happy for her, he seems like a great guy. Jules loved him too!

The day before we left for Georgia, I had my first OB appointment. Everything went well- It was a regular exam, followed by the standard pregnancy blood work. Thankfully, everything looks normal. I have a dating ultrasound on November 30 so that we can find out for sure how far along I am, and get a due date for our new little one (and make sure there is just one baby). I pretty much can't wait. We also discussed the possibility of attempting a VBAC, since I'd much rather avoid another surgery if possible. The midwife I saw said that usually, they automatically do a repeat c-section if they have no history with the patient. Um, I have a bit of a problem with that. But, the midwives and doctors will review my medical records from Tripler at their next "High Risk Patient" meeting, and see if they feel comfortable allowing me to attempt a VBAC. I really hope that they will. I guess we'll just have to wait and see what they have to say, or possibly shop around for a different practice?

Also, because I'm a little crazy sometimes (and because I had an extra test under the sink again) I took one last test before my appointment, about a week after the last ones:

I think it's safe to say, I'm definitely pregnant :)