pregnancy

I’m Clear!

/ Kayla Hutchison / 2 Comments

Today was my anatomy ultrasound and high risk consultation with UT hospital (Lisa Ross sent me there).

Needless to say, I was nervous. So nervous that I shot my own heart rate up. I guess they are used to that because they didn’t seem too concerned.

I almost forgot how long anatomy ultrasounds are, but I love them. I got to see all 10 of Baby Morgan’s fingers. I didn’t get to see toes since we don’t want to know the gender yet (my parents are surprising us) but I was told they are all there :). They checked to see how much oxygen is getting to baby, and she said it was great. It starts to feel so real once you finally hear the heartbeat and start feeling the baby move, but there’s just something so different about  ultrasounds. I can put a face to the little human that’s been squirming and kicking like CRAZY. Seriously. Harmony did not dance around as much as this baby does. Even the ultrasound tech looked at me and said, “Wow, this baby does nothing but move.”

I had a couple of “awwww” moments as well as teary eyed moments (thanks, hormones). Little one kept opening his/her mouth and yawning. Once when Harmony cried (she loathed the entire experience) the baby balled his/her hand up in a fist. I guess that should be my sign as to how their sibling relationship will be in the future. Totally kidding…kinda.

After that, the obstetrician came in to tell us how everything looked. When I scheduled this appointment through Lisa Ross, they made it seem like the consultation alone would last hours. The doctor walked into the room and said, “Everything looks great.” He then went on to ask about how I was feeling and such…and that was it. That’s not the best part. I don’t have to see a high risk obstetrician again unless Lisa Ross recommends that I should. When he said that I wanted to scream with happiness. As far as I am concerned, I will be having the birth of my dreams at Lisa Ross this time. I will not have a doctor decide the birthday of this baby. I am in my positive zone until further notice.

I’m so ready to meet this baby already. June 30 (or close to it) can’t get here any faster. I compared ultrasounds from this baby and Harmony when I was 20 weeks with her and I already notice a few differences. I think their nose is the same (my nose) but this baby has a huge head compared to Harmony’s as well as eyes. My mom sent me a text to tell me exactly what I was thinking…this baby has my giant head and huge eyes. There is a part of me that hopes we are right. Harmony looks just like Jeremy, it would be nice to have at least one kid look like me 😉

I have also scheduled a birth photographer this time. I didn’t with Harmony because I didn’t think I would want pictures…and now I realize that I do want photos. I am going completely natural this time and I would love to have that story told in pictures. With Harmony, everything felt so rushed, and it kinda was. My mom was able to get a few pictures once Harmony was born, but other than that she was there as support, and that’s exactly what I needed her for. All in all, I am a huge ball of mushy love at the moment, and I apologize to anyone that I make queasy in the span of the next few months. Okay, I’m not very sorry at all.

Below are the ultrasounds. The top one is Baby #2 and the bottom one is Harmony’s at 20 weeks. This baby looks way bigger in general? I feel like my due date may be wrong, personally. I guess we will see. It could just be that Harmony was just a small baby and this one will be a big squish. I wouldn’t mind a big squishy baby, honestly. I’ve seen multiple people post about having 9 and 10 lb boys and I find them adorable. The weight of babies tends to scare women thanks to the misinformation doctors give to us, but I have faith in my own body. I know my body is capable of way more than obstetricians give me credit for.

 

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Opinions: based on that top profile alone…can you guess the gender? Jeremy and I won’t know until Saturday, but the suspense is killing me. I’m hoping this baby high I have from finally see his/her face will last until then.

 

My First Trimester (the second time around)

/ Kayla Hutchison / Leave a comment

I am approaching the end of my first trimester with our second baby.

I have to say that things have been sooo much different this time around than with Harmony.

So, I wanted to make an official post about the differences I’ve noticed so far.

When I was pregnant with Harmony, I was sick CONSTANTLY. Seriously, I could think about food and it send me into a nausea frenzy. This time around I have not experienced morning sickness once. It’s been so grand and I am hoping it stays that way.

I’ve started to show sooner despite how I have gained no weight. I actually started this pregnancy 10 lbs below what I started out with Harmony, and I had already gained 5 lbs by the end of my first trimester with Harmony. I just looked bloated and like I had eaten a ton of tacos. This time around I’ve started showing a bit sooner (it’s normal) but I have yet to gain any weight. It’s weird to me because I am constantly hungry. I’m talking super hungry. I can eat all day long and not even feel full.

The only thing that has remained constant with both pregnancies is the heartburn. It could be because I have a love for spicy food. I know that’s probably it, but who can give up hot wings? I can’t.

Other than that, everything seems to be going well. I’m changing a few things this pregnancy like my diet and who I see for prenatal care.

I’ve been seeing a midwife instead of a ob/gyn for several reasons. I hated my experience in the hospital with Harmony. It was necessary because I had pre-ecampsia, but it was still awful. I vowed after Harmony that if I was healthy enough to bring a baby into the world naturally and not in a hospital, I would. I meant it. So far, I love the midwife experience so much more than the ob experience. I feel more at home at the birth center. I feel like they know me so well already and that they actually care and want to get to know me.

I’ve also changed my diet. I have taken myself off the sodas completely (it was rough) and I am eating a VERY high protein diet. One of the midwives suggested it due to the pre-eclampsia last pregnancy. There isn’t a high chance I will experience it again, but I don’t want to take my chances. Luckily, one of my major cravings is anything with tons of protein. Eggs, avocados, meat, almonds, black beans…all of it. I could eat all of those foods all day long everyday and not get tired of them right now. My daughter is probably getting tired of eating scrambled eggs for breakfast.

I got to hear the baby’s heartbeat for a few seconds a few weeks back. The midwife found it and then the little stinker moved and we couldn’t find it again. Only a child of mine can play hide and seek at the tender age of 9 weeks gestation (this was a few weeks back).

 

I’m so ready to find out the sex of the baby though. My nana has these weird Cherokee super powers (seriously) and she can guess the sex of any baby before any of us know we’re pregnant. It’s so weird and awesome. She’s saying it’s a boy though, and are my parents and they guessed right with Harmony as well.