6 weeks!

I look terribly large here. I need a waist belt!

There's something about this milestone that has me excited! My baby still looks like an alien, and is the size of a sweet pea, but it's growing rapidly. :) My symptoms are still the same (belly issues, fatigue, and a hunger that can't be satiated) although, I do have a new craving: chicken nuggets. Words can't explain this need. I though it was a one time thing when I ordered a 20 piece chicken nugget at McDonald's, but it wasn't. It's everyday now. I've been chugging water like a mad woman, but it's not fun when I'm feeling nauseous. Oh, forgot about that! The nausea has reared it's ugly head. It comes in waves and just makes me feel yucky, but I have yet to get sick. Hopefully this is the worst of it. 

In other news, my first ultrasound has been scheduled with the midwife! June 17! I'll be two days shy of 9 weeks. Erik and I decided that if the baby is 100% healthy (which it will be, of course) then we will share the news immediately. The reasoning behind this is that I will go to Pittsburgh soon after and be there a month, so by the time I come back and have another ultrasound, I'll be in my 2nd trimester anyway. I can't wait to share the news! Staci Kennedy is photographing our pregnancy announcement photos on June 3. I can't wait to see how they turn out and share them with everyone after our appointment, along with our first ultrasound.

Our First Appointment

Erik and I went to have our first "prenatal visit" today, although it was actually just a sit down. After our arrival, we got seen by Dr. Dunk, the same doctor I had to get my Mirena removed, so that already set the mood comfortably. He congratulated us and asked me the date of my last period; he confirmed our due date of January 22. He told us we had no need to take a test since my lack of period, symptoms and 5 positive pregnancy tests was enough proof that I was expecting. Of course, typical OCD Courtney-style, I came with questions via my Ipad. 

What I learned:

- I can't clean the cat box. (Yay!)

- Cant eat raw meat.

- I can enjoy my morning coffee (just a cup or two)

- I can continue to workout, just must listen to my body.

- My cramping was normal.

- I need to stay off the Internet. (It paranoids me)

- I'll be seeing a midwife from this point forward.

He pretty much said nothing I didn't already know because of my obsessive researching. The appointment may have been somewhat pointless, but it did somehow subdue my anxiety. I am feeling comfortable and ready to take on this pregnancy. I even got a nap in followed by a full body strength workout. I've been pinning pregnancy workouts all evening onto my Pinterest. I'm loving that I can continue to stay active!

So, tomorrow I will call and make my first appointment with my midwife which is supposed to be somewhere between 8 and 10 weeks. I go home at 12 weeks, so I'm hoping to have an appointment right before and after. We will see what the midwife says.

As always, I'll keep you updated! Can't wait to make this public and share our joy further! :)

Symptoms: mild pinching on left side, frequent peeing, fatigue, stronger sense of smell

Cravings: pizza, pickles (so cliche, but so real)

Aversions: nothing as of yet

5 Weeks & Prenatal Exercise

So, the weird angle turn I have does nothing for my bod and I'm super bloated, but here we are!

As of today I am 5 weeks and 1 day into the 6th, which means I am 5 weeks along. My baby is the size of an apple seed now and will grow to be a small pea by the end of the week. My appointment is in two days and I couldn't be more anxious. Words can't express how badly I want to hear the doctor say that everything is okay and that I can relax. To help me relax some today, I decided to go ahead and create my first "prego circuit". I've always created exercise circuits, but this time I modified some exercises so that I felt safe and comfortable.
 

1. Modified burpees
Instead of jumping up you would just raise your hands and instead of jumping back you would reach out each leg one at a time, then bring them back in and stand back up.

2. Squat and shoulder press

3. One-legged squat with opposite foot tap back

4. Opposite leg

5. Sumo squat with lateral raises

6. Push-ups (regular or modified) with dumbbell row (or leave out dumbbells)

7. Chest press
I do these on my stepper that way I have a better range of motion.

8. Overhead tricep extensions
I also do these on my stepper, but you can do it standing.

Complete each exercise for 30 seconds each. Do 3 rounds.Stretch and hydrate after.
You should have no issue getting your heart rate up to achieve cardiovascular work. I wore a heart rate monitor and tried to keep my heart rate under 160. If I went over my maximum heart rate, I would take a breather. Normally I would go up into the 180s, but it's better to be safe for you and the baby! Also, you can definitely do this workout if you aren't pregnant. Make the burpees regular, increase dumbbell weight and move a little faster.

I also just got 10 Minute Solution Prenatal Pilates which I am pumped about as well as prenatal yoga and Gabrielle Reece's prenatal workouts. I want to have a healthy and active pregnancy! :) From what I've read on every baby site ever, exercise is great for pregnancy. Exercise can help with aches and pains, sleep, stress, excessive weight gain, labor and bouncing back post-natal. I'm thrilled that I'm able to keep up with my workout routine.

Symptoms & Nerves

Being so elated with the amazing news we received about being pregnant, I can't help but to put my guard up to protect my vulnerable heart. This is such incredible news that I can't help but to be nervous. I keep thinking I'm going to wake up one morning and no longer be pregnant. It's terrible to think that way, I know, and it's only going to stress me out, but here I am. This is the reason why we are not sharing our news with the world until our 13th week aka 2nd trimester. We will be home for that which is super exciting.

I had some cramping initially while awaiting my period, but once my period didn't come, I realized that cramping could mean my womb is growing. Once I found out that was the case, I began thinking into it. Why am I still cramping? Is this cramping normal? Why is it mostly on one side? Is there something wrong with me or this pregnancy? Yeah, I'm neurotic. I knew I had no choice but to wait it out until our first appointment on May 24 and Google to my heart's content. Google is both a great tool for allowing me to compare my symptoms and a curse for making me over think.

Slowly but surely the cramps just went away, like I read they would, and that I may feel twinges throughout my entire pregnancy. As long as they weren't painful or accompanied by bleeding, I was probably fine.

So here I am, into my 5th week, waiting to start my 6th on Wednesday. I am having a few symptoms like nipples that feel as though they were sandpapered and let's just say some stomach issues that I read about but only realize that magnitude of now. Of course, I still have fatigue, but that's not going anywhere anytime soon. Also, now that I'm  feeling more comfortable and less crazed, I'm beginning to workout again. Legs, arms, low impact and light cardio. My dad seems to think I'm going to be some Pregnant CrossFit Goddess, but he needs to keep dreaming. I can do what I was already doing when I got pregnant but just less intense. Insanity is a no go with too much jarring around and risk for injury. TurboFire, yes, but I'll have to modify some of the calisthenics. Nike Training Club, yes, but again with modifications. Also, thanks to Pinterest, I have an array of prenatal workouts that are 100% safe that I'm testing out today. I'm thankful for my heart rate monitor now to ensure I don't go above 140 bpm, but I won't lie, that's going to be hard seeing as how I usually reach 179 +. I just want to carry out a healthy pregnancy; I want to eat well, exercise comfortable, give into cravings and pamper myself. I'll be done babysitting at the end of June so I can focus on myself, my marriage and my school work.

That's all for now, unless something new shows up to tell, my next post will be on my first appointment day. Of course, no one will even be reading these until the end of July. I can't wait to tell the world! :)

We're Pregnant!

I awoke yesterday morning like any other day, but now I realized that being pregnant could be a possibility. I didn't want to jump to any conclusions, so I went on to to have my morning coffee. This day marked the third day of strange cramping so my friend, Danielle, convinced me to take a test.

I've taken these exact tests probably close to fifty times and each time it's the same result; one solid like and stark white everything else. This time I naively thought that the same would occur as it usually did. WRONG. I noticed a faint line, stared at it for a few minutes to be sure my eyes weren't deceiving me, and shouted Erik's name down the stairs. Erik was still working on waking up to go to work, so he was a little startled by my yelling. I don't remember what I said to him, but I think I made it clear that my pregnancy test wasn't the usual BFN (big fat negative). I had a few mini panic attacks and then was finally convinced to take another after two more cups of coffee. Another faint line. That CAN'T be a coincidence. Danielle and Lauren (the mother of the kids I babysit) brought me tests. I took Danielle's First Response, and immediately the test showed two lines. They both then forced me to realize I was pregnant, because for some reason I wouldn't. I called Erik at work (I was so anxious from the initial tests, I couldn't wait) and told him the good news. He shared it with Rick (our neighbor and very good friend) and otherwise kept it quiet.

FINALLY! Erik arrived home and I was greeted with kisses from Erik and a big hug from Rick, it was then that it felt so real. After we talked about it for a while, sharing our excitement, he left to go get a hair cut. During that time I thought, "The first three positive tests aren't enough, I must take the last one." So I did - immediate positive. When Erik walked in the door, I showed him the fourth and final test, and though he thought I was crazy, I was relieved. We decided that we couldn't hold the news in for two more months, so we decided to tell our parents and family-like friends.

Last 2 tests. (May 16, 2013)

This wasn't in any specific order.

First was Momma, Erik's mom. After her initial "hello" and Erik asking her how her day is she says, "Is Courtney pregnant?" and we busted out in joyous laughter that proved her intuition correct. She was over the moon to be a Gramma for the first time.

Next was my Dad, and I couldn't tell you what to expect. I knew he'd be busy at work, but I had to drop the bomb on him anyway. I told him that Erik and I had an early Father's Day present for him. "What's that?" he said. "It's more of a grandfather's present, actually, I'm pregnant!" He was in shock, but was so happy. Of course, typically Dad style, he wanted to be sure I was still going to be in school. (haha) After I assured him, he expressed his happiness and recent desire to hold babies, coincidence? I can't wait to talk to him more when he's not so busy.

Then we called my Mom, who had by far the best reaction ever. First, you must know that my mom is SUPERBLY bubbly, to the point where it puts my cheer to shame. We pulled the "grandmother's day" bit on her and she answered with "sooo.... what are you saying?" "I'm pregnant!" She shouted a bit and pressed a bunch of buttons (which I believe was the result of her dropping the phone) and checked her calender to be sure it wasn't April Fool's Day. She was so happy to hear that she'd be a Gramma for the first time as well.

I proceeded to call my step-parents, Larry and Cecilia, even though I knew they'd find out, but I thought they should be filled in on the excitement as well. Everyone promised to keep it a secret until we reached our second trimester. I'm not sure how I'm going to be able to wait that long, but it helps knowing that my second trimester will begin while we're home visiting in Pittsburgh, so we can share with everyone!

Words can't express the joy and love that Erik and I have in our hearts for this sesame seed sized baby in my womb. I am currently a tender 4 weeks and 3 days (according to my calculations) and am going in for my first prenatal visit one week from today (May 24, 2013). If conception time is correct, Baby Peterson will be arriving on this earth in January 2014! I can't wait to share with you my stories, symptoms, photos and memories of our first pregnancy.

Mommy & Daddy love you already, Pumpkin. We can't wait to meet you. <3