What a Difference a Year Makes!

A year ago today, on August 26th, 2011, I got my positive pregnancy test. What a year full of change it has been. We've had so many wonderful things to celebrate but most of all a healthy baby boy! It is hard to believe a year ago we were just starting this journey and now Orion is 3.5 months old.

Positive pregnancy test from 8/26/2011

4 weeks pregnant 8/28/2011

My last pregnancy picture, 39.5 weeks, 4/30/2012

Orion 3 months old, 8/12/2012

Baby Brown Has Arrived

It's a boy!!!

"Your first breath took ours away". With joy we welcome Orion Alexander! Born May 5, 2012 at 7:53am. 7 lbs 15oz 20 inches. Mom and baby are doing well! More pictures and his birth story to come.

Maternity Clothes

Finding cute and stylish maternity clothes is quite the challenge. 12 years ago when I was pregnant with Brennan maternity clothes were even more frumpy. I was excited to be contacted by Seraphine, maker of stylish and fashionable maternity clothes. Their clothes are even a favorite among celebrities .

The hardest part about finding cute maternity clothes that fit well is the different stages of pregnancy. This being my 2nd pregnancy I began to show early, around 10 weeks along. I was pretty thin before getting pregnant and wore a size 4 or 6 depending upon the brand. According to all the maternity sizing charts this would make me a size small. I am also tall though so in pants and long sleeve shirts small typically doesn't fit me. I did buy some size small stuff at the beginning of my pregnancy because my pre-pregnancy clothes didn't fit and medium and large seemed huge at that point. Those things lasted until about 25 weeks when some of them began to feel very snug. I then invested a a few medium and large items which lasted me through the middle stage of my pregnancy. I am now 39 weeks pregnant and for the last few weeks not much fits or is comfortable anymore.

I decided to review the Blue Wash Straight Leg Maternity Jeans when I was first contacted by Seraphine, in my 22nd week of pregnancy. At the time it was cold outside and I have a few pairs of cute knee boots I was dying to wear but tucking my boot cut maternity jeans into them wasn't going to cut it. A cute pair of skinny jeans was just the right thing. Based upon their sizing charts of my pre-pregnancy size I would wear a Seraphine size 1 (US size 4) or Seraphine size 2 (US size 6). I went with the Seraphine size 2 because I had gained some weight and didn't want the pants to be too tight. Shipping was very quick but unfortunately the jeans were too tight to be comfortable. After talking with my contact at Seraphine and describing my fit problems they suggested going up two sizes to a Seraphine size 4. My contact indicated that the smaller sizes are cut slimmer through the butt and hips and that was where the jeans were too tight. I am glad I went with the size 4. They are comfortable even at this stage in pregnancy and don't look sloppy at all. Colorado has had an unseasonably warm spring so I haven't gotten to wear them with boots but I think they look cute with ballet flats too. Another thing I like about not having a full belly panel is that these jeans will work for the postpartum period when my pre-pregnancy clothes still don't fit but I don't want to be wearing frumpy, full belly panel, maternity jeans. 

Check out the pictures yourself, the jeans are super cute, even at 37.5 weeks pregnant!

Disclosure statement: I was provided a pair of jeans at no charge by Seraphine in order to facilitate this review. All statements and opinions are my own.

Baby's Nursery

Since we don't know Baby Brown's gender finding gender neutral nursery decor that Nate and I both liked proved to be difficult. At first there was nothing we liked and we considered holding off on decorating the nursery until after baby arrived. I am way too much of a planner for that idea to last long. Thankfully we both fell in love with the Bumble nursery set at Babies R Us and it was the inspiration for the baby's nursery.

We decided to skip the traditional bedding package with fitted sheets, crib bumpers, and a quilt. The set was expensive and I have mixed feelings about bumpers. I used crib bumpers with Brennan but as soon as they start to pull up you have to take them out of the crib. Also, in the last 12 years there have been concerns raised about the safety of crib bumpers in regard to SIDS. The quilt was beautiful but also due to SIDS concerns you are not supposed to have any soft bedding in bed with baby so it would only be for display not for real use. I did like the sheets included with the set better than the ones sold separately and the crib skirt was very cute but in the end we decided to just register for pieces of the set. We went with the fitted sheet, the mobile, the wall art, the wall decals, and the fuzzy blanket from the set. I had trouble finding a crib skirt sold separately that coordinated so I made my own, despite my limited sewing skills. We wanted to crib skirt to be green since the walls were yellow.

Everything turned out perfectly and I couldn't be happier with our adorable bee themed nursery!

 Baby's crib and the crib skirt I made

 Close up of the crib. The fuzzy yellow blanket will come with us to the hospital. The bear is a sound machine from my mom that is attached to the crib bar with velcro.

 Rocker with handmade ABC quilt from Brennan's grandma (on his dad's side)

 I love how the wall decorations turned out!

 And a quick peek at how Baby Brown is looking these days. 37.5 weeks, 4/16/2012.

C'mon baby, we're ready to meet you!

Maternity Photos

On March 10th, when I was 32 weeks pregnant I had maternity photos taken. The very talented Maren Miller of Maren Miller Photography took the photos for us. She took family photos for us this summer that turned out great (and are in my header) so I contacted her to do maternity photos and she'll be back to take newborn photos of the baby once they arrive.

Our gender predictions! Nate (girl), Me (boy), Phoenix (girl), Wynter (boy), and Brennan (boy)

30 Week Pregnancy Update

Can I say it's hard for me to believe that I'm already 30 weeks along and in a little over 2 months we'll be meeting our baby? It's crazy how quickly the time goes! I'm trying to enjoy every minute since I know this will be the last time I'm pregnant. Pregnancy is hard work though.

30 weeks along

Side view

Due date: May 4, 2012


How far along: 30 weeks


Maternity clothes: Ha! With a belly like that it has to be maternity. The shirt in the photo is a size small maternity top and it isn't going to fit another 3 months.


Baby bump: See for yourself in the pictures.

Gender: We aren't going to find out the gender. We are really excited to announce both the gender and the name once the baby is born.


Heartbeat: My 30 week appointment was on Friday and the baby's heartbeat was in the 140's.


Movement: I do have an anterior placenta which was confirmed at my ultrasound. I don't feel as much movement as people generally feel at this stage of pregnancy though the baby's movement is consistent and increasing. I still haven't felt the baby get hiccups yet but I know that is coming too.


Symptoms: Overall I still feel great and honestly feel really blessed to have avoided terrible morning sickness in both my pregnancies. My back hurts at the end of most days but it depends on my activity for the day. If I've been sitting a lot it tends to be worse. Sleep comes and goes for me. It is definitely better than it was from 8-18 weeks which I had horrible insomnia. About once a week I have a night where I am up for and hour or two but overall have been sleeping better. Last night I slept for 7 hours almost straight. For someone who needs 9-10 hours to function well that isn't a lot but compared to being up for 1-2 hours in the middle of the night I'll take it. We finished our 6 week Hypnobabies childbirth preparation course last week and the self hypnosis and relaxation techniques really help me sleep better.

Tests and midwife appointment updates: After the drama of my 26 week appointment, both my 28 and 30 week appointments were pretty low key. Last Friday was my 30 week appointment. I had lost a pound (yay, since I have gained more than I'd like already), baby was measuring 31 cm, and my blood pressure was still great (116/74). At both my 28 week and 30 week appointments I still did have trace amounts of white blood cells and protein in my urine but neither midwife seemed concerned since I passed the 24 hour urine screen with only moderate amounts and all my blood work came back normal. I'm glad to not have to worry about protein levels and increase in blood pressure for now. My next appointment is at 32 weeks with one of the midwives I haven't seen since 14 weeks so I am looking forward to chatting with her more.

Exercise: My 2nd session of prenatal water aerobics just ended and they canceled that time slot :-( I am now going to try dropping in to the other prenatal water aerobics class that isn't at a very convenient time and also dropping into a classic water aerobics class and just doing some modifications for pregnancy since I am familiar with the routines at this point. I'm still hoping for some nicer weather so the kids and I can get out and walk but lately there hasn't been much. The days in the 40's have had 40-50 MPH or greater winds so that doesn't make for great walking weather.

Next Appointment: Thursday, March 8th.

Here is the link to the Baby Center: Your Pregnancy: 30 Weeks Some of the highlights: your baby is about 15.7 inches long and almost 3 pounds. A pint and half of amniotic fluid surrounds her, but that volume decreases as she gets bigger, and takes up more room in your uterus. Her eyesight continues to develop, though it is not very keen; even after she's born, she'll keep her eyes closed for a good part of the day. When she does open them she'll respond to changes in light but will have 20/400 vision - which means she'll only be able to make out objects a few inches from her face. 

27 Week Update

I can't believe I haven't updated since 20 weeks! Here are some of my pregnancy photos from this last week.

 The 26 week belly, 1-29-2012

26 week profile shot, 1-29-2012

Due date: May 4, 2012


How far along: 27 weeks


Maternity clothes: Ha! With a belly like that it has to be maternity. The shirt in the photo is a size small maternity top and it isn't going to fit another 3 months.


Baby bump: This last week I definitely "popped" again. Between 26-27 weeks I started to feel huge and there is no question I have a big baby bump. I can't even imagine how much bigger it will get in the next 3 months. Hubby and I were looking at Brennan's baby book and I'm about the same size as I was at 35 weeks with Brennan.

Gender: We aren't going to find out the gender. We are really excited to announce both the gender and the name once the baby is born.


Heartbeat: The baby is getting bigger and their heart rate has slowed a bit. At my 26 week appointment it was 145-150 depending upon if the baby was moving or not. This last time the baby didn't want to stay still and let the midwife get a good heart rate.


Movement: I do have an anterior placenta which was confirmed at my ultrasound. I don't feel as much movement as people generally feel at this stage of pregnancy. I do feel at least 10 spontaneous movements throughout the day but rarely feel more than 1 kick or punch in a row. Yesterday the baby was extremely active and moving all over the place so maybe the baby is finally getting big enough that I can feel the movements despite the placement of my placenta. This past week I've definitely gotten some rib jabs and punches to the cervix. I've haven't felt the baby get hiccups yet but I know that is coming too.


Symptoms: Overall I still feel great and honestly feel really blessed to have avoided terrible morning sickness in both my pregnancies. I have been sleeping better these past few weeks. We started our Hypnobabies childbirth preparation and I think that has really helped me to relax and sleep better since we do our practice before bed. I'll write a separate post about why we chose Hypnobabies and what our experience with it has been so far. My back is starting to hurt, especially at the end of the day or if I have to do any extended periods of sitting. 

Tests and midwife appointment updates: Baby was back to measuring right on track after measuring 2 weeks ahead at my 22 week appointment and 5 days ahead at my ultrasound. I guess the baby must have just been in the middle of a growth spurt around 22 weeks. At 26 weeks I had my gestational diabetes screen which I passed with flying colors. The solution wasn't as bad as I remembered it though I did request lemon lime and drank it ice cold. At my 26 week appointment there was a moderate amount of protein in my urine as well as trace amounts of white blood cells. Due to my first trimester high blood pressure this warranted further testing. My midwife explained that there was a note in my chart to due the testing at 28 weeks due to my first trimester high blood pressure and that due to the protein it was safer to do it now rather than wait two weeks. My blood pressure was still 116/74 so at least that was good. in order to officially have pre-eclampsia you have to have both high protein levels (mine were moderate) and high blood pressure (mine was still normal). I had to do a 24 hour urine screen and a metabolic panel, both pre-eclampsia tests, to make sure that wasn't beginning to develop. I was stressing out over the weekend about the tests and the possibility of developing pre-eclampsia this early in my pregnancy since the only cure is delivery of the baby. I ended up getting several bad headaches but was able to determine they were sinus (and probably stress too) related. I completed the test Sunday since I had to essentially be home for 24 hours straight which rarely happens. Monday afternoon I heard back from the midwife and got some decent news. First my blood test results were all great and someone developing or who has pre-eclampsia should have markers in their blood to indicate that as well. My protein results were only ok. A normal result would be 50-70, mine was 168, but the 24 hr protein level has to be 300 or greater to be considered pre-eclampsia. My midwife said I would have to repeat the 24 hour urine screen and blood work at 28 weeks but to not worry and carry on like normal until then. She said it is possible with my Crohn's and medication I take that my baseline protein number is just simply higher. I'm slightly unsure about that because according to the in office screen at 8, 10, and 14 weeks I didn't have an protein in my urine (I transferred care at 14 weeks and this midwife practice doesn't routinely screen your urine in office until 26 weeks). Reading online there is a small possibility that a UTI can cause protein or white blood cells to show up in your urine. It doesn't seem like the likely cause but I am going to ask at my next appointment whether my urine was tested for a UTI and if not request it is before we do another 24 hour urine screen. Send prayers and good thoughts my way that this is just normal for my body and not the beginning of pre-eclampsia. Also in monitoring my blood pressure at home this week it has been slightly higher but staying under 130/85. My midwife did not seem concerned about this at all since she said they said now that I'm in the 3rd trimester that they expect my blood pressure to return to 1st trimester levels which for me were high. Every pregnant woman has lower blood pressure during the 2nd trimester due to hormonal changes in pregnancy. 

Exercise: I'm doing much better with exercise! I love my prenatal water aerobics class. It is great to have 2 days per week with a full hour of physical activity. It is nice to get out of the house and spend time with other pregnant women. My first session ended and I just started a 2nd session this week. We've also had several days  of weather in the 40's and 50's and the kids and I have been going for walks of about 2 miles or so. Between the walking and water aerobics I am getting 4-5 days of exercise which makes me happy. The water aerobics class isn't very strenuous but it is still a full hour of physical activity so I'll take it.

Next Appointment: I'm in the third trimester now so I have appointments every 2 weeks. My next appointment is on Friday, February 10th. Last appointment was the first pregnancy related thing hubby couldn't make it to. Now that my appointments are more frequent I am going to schedule them for Friday mornings because it is hard for him to get out of work at 3:30pm and then we have the problem of who is going to watch the kids. He's met a few of the midwives and I'll make sure at the end of the pregnancy when I schedule appointments with midwives he hasn't met to make the appointments for when he can go.

Here is the link to the Baby Center Your Pregnancy: 27 weeks . Some of the highlights: your baby weighs about 2 pounds now (size of a head of cauliflower) and is about 14 1/2 inches long with her legs extended. She's sleeping at regular intervals and waking at regular intervals and opening and closing her eyes and perhaps even sucking her thumb. Your baby's brain is very active. While her lungs are capable of functioning outside the womb with a lot of medical help they are still immature. Hiccups are common for babies at this point in pregnancy. At this point in pregnancy back pain and leg cramps are common.

Introducing Baby Brown

The baby's first photos! We had our first and likely only ultrasound on Tuesday. It was the 20 week anatomy scan though we waited until I was 22 weeks 4 days so it would be in the 2012 plan year for our insurance deductible.

It was so amazing to see the baby. My favorite part was the tech got an up close shot of the baby's little lips and nose, and they looked just adorable. The tech said everything looked great and got all the measurements we needed. We left there with about 15 profile photos of the baby and a live action DVD of the whole thing. Technology has definitely improved over the past 12 years since I've been pregnant!

We also got a call from our midwife yesterday going over the ultrasound report and she said everything looked perfect. We have a healthy baby growing in there! I wasn't worried something was wrong but hearing those words, "your baby looks perfect" sure felt great.

At my 22 week appointment I was measuring 24 weeks or 2 weeks ahead according to fundal height. At the ultrasound the baby was 1 pound 4 oz and measuring 5 days ahead. Since we're past the first trimester and babies grow at all different rates according to their genetics they will not adjust my due date but I'll likely have a bigger than average baby. Brennan was 8 lbs 1oz and I was 8lbs 12oz and hubby is 6'0" tall and 180 pounds so I wasn't expecting a small baby to start with. We were just happy to hear everything looks great and get a sneak peek at the baby. The day was even more special because hubby and the kids all got to be there to see the baby too. I can't believe the baby will be here in a little under 4 months!

Mommy and baby photos

Side view

The frame for our dresser

Baby

Love this profile shot!

Pregnancy: 20 Weeks

Due date: May 4, 2012

How far along: 20 weeks

Weight gain: 17 pounds. I think my 16 week update was a little off with 10 pounds because I was up 17 at my 18 week appointment. I gained 10 first trimester and still am hungry all the time. I've just come to terms with the fact I am going to gain 40 pounds again this time. Luckily with Brennan it came off right away with no work. Hoping for slow and steady the rest of my pregnancy.

Maternity clothes: All maternity clothes. A couple pre-pregnancy shirts and dresses fit. The dress and tank in the pictures above are not maternity.

Baby bump: Between 13-14 weeks my belly definitely "popped". While it has gotten bigger since then I think it has been more gradual. It also depends a lot upon what I'm wearing.

Gender: We aren't going to find out the gender. We are really excited to announce both the gender and the name on the day the baby is born.

Heartbeat: We got to hear the heartbeat at my 18 week appointment again. The baby had a nice strong heartbeat of 152 BPM. I can't wait to hear it again next week!

Movement: Still waiting to feel lots of movement throughout the day. Brennan and Wynter were able to feel the baby move around 18 weeks when the baby was really hyper. Nate and Phoenix still haven't been able to feel it :-( This last week I have been feeling a bit more spontaneous movement throughout the day which is exciting. I'll be interested to see if I have an anterior placenta at my ultrasound because that can muffle the movement of the baby's kicks. Either that or I just have a really chill baby. The baby is still most active around 9pm.

Symptoms: Overall I still feel great! I'm happy to report my blood pressure has been great since early November! After several weeks of normal readings at home and a great reading at my last appointment I have stopped monitoring it. I think worrying about it non-stop doesn't help and now that it has been normal I don't worry. I still severely limit my caffeine intake though I have been cheating more this past week. I also still take all my heart health supplements and the liquid iron and herbs the acupuncturist recommended and will continue those throughout my pregnancy as a preventative measure. After 4 sessions of acupuncture I have stopped that now due to cost and that my blood pressure is normal again. I would definitely consider it again in the future if my blood pressure goes up. I also happy to report the mid-pregnancy headaches that I complained of last update have subsided too. I'm still tired if I do a lot during the day and occasional sneak in a 30 minute nap but I can stay up late getting stuff done if need be. I did have horrible pregnancy insomnia from about 8 weeks until about 18 weeks. I tried to just chalk it up to normal pregnancy stuff but it was starting to wear on me. After chatting with some other women at similar stages of pregnancy the biggest things I've done is add a snack right before bed so I don't wake up hungry, limit water intake after dinner which was hard because I am a water-o-holic, and sleep with a body pillow. The body pillow helps a lot more than I thought. I still toss and turn a bit and often I don't wake up with the body pillow but I always start with it. I really can't complain much though, just like with Brennan I am having a pretty easy pregnancy!

Exercise: I am still doing horrible with exercise which is disappointing to me since I was so active before. The cold weather really is my enemy! I signed up for an hour long prenatal water aerobics class two days per week the entire month of January so I hope paying for that and putting in on my calendar will keep me accountable. I need to get running again because I know if I take 6 months off it will be harder to pick up postpartum. Anyone want to be my running buddy? I run really slowly, especially pregnant ;-)

Next Appointment: Friday, December 30th. I'll be 22 weeks and Nate and the kids will all be coming. The kids don't have school so I thought I'd take the opportunity to let them meet the midwives and hear the baby's heartbeat. I know they can't wait. I hope the exam room doesn't feel too crowded with 6 people in it. Our ultrasound is scheduled for January 3rd and the kids get to come to that too!

Here is the link to the Baby Center: Your Pregnancy: 20 weeks. Some of the highlights are: baby is now 10 1/2 ounces and 6 1/2 inches. He is swallowing more these days and his digestive system is getting some practice. Your uterus is now level with your belly button and you've likely gained around 10 pounds (ha!). Expect to gain about a pound or so per week the rest of your pregnancy. 

Pregnancy: 16 Weeks

I can't believe it has been 6 weeks since my last pregnancy update.

 The baby belly is giant already!

 Whose belly is bigger mine or Phoenix's?

Already in love!

Due date: May 4, 2012

How far along: 16 weeks

Weight gain: 10 pounds

Maternity clothes: All maternity clothes. From about 10 weeks on I've been in maternity clothes.

Baby bump: 2nd pregnancies are no joke. My belly started rounding out around 6 weeks and I was obviously showing by 9-10 weeks. When I was pregnant with Brennan I wasn't showing this much until 26-27 weeks. Good thing I have Babycenter and Facebook so I can see my big bump fits right in with all the other 2nd time moms. Now if I could just get my family to stop teasing me about having twins we'd be good.

Gender: We aren't going to find out the gender. We are really excited to announce both the gender and the name on the day the baby is born. The waiting may kill the older kids and some of our other family members but we are super excited for the big surprise. My intuition from the beginning is that it is a boy. Hubby says he thinks it is a girl. We'll see in about 24 weeks who is right.

Heartbeat: We got to hear the heartbeat at my appointment on November 3rd. I was 13 weeks and 6 days. The baby had a nice strong heartbeat of 160 BPM. It was an amazing sound to hear and I loved seeing hubby's face light up when he heard it too.

Movement: I first felt the baby move on November 4th when I was 14 weeks along. I noticed other 2nd time moms saying they could feel the baby as early as 12 weeks then I finally read in one of my pregnancy books that 2nd time moms can sometimes feel the baby at 14 weeks so I decided to give it a try. Last time I was pregnant I didn't feel Brennan until about 20 weeks along. My doctor then told me to eat a snack, lay down and be still and focus on feeling the movement. I did the same thing this time and sure enough I could feel some nudges and even some tumbling going on. I still can't feel the baby move during my day to day activities but if I lay still and try to feel the baby move I can. The baby is most active right before bed around 9pm at night. I hope that doesn't mean we're going to have a baby who doesn't want to sleep.

Symptoms: Overall I still feel great! I noticed a significant boost in my energy levels around 12 weeks. I still get tired, especially if I do a lot during the day, but now instead of falling down in bed at 8pm because I can no longer function, I am tired but can stay up until 9:30 or 10pm getting done what needs done. I've had a few instances of round ligament pain but usually it is a dull ache if I do too much. I've had more headaches the past few weeks but not too many. The breast tenderness has subsided. The always feeling hungry has subsided too though I now try to eat a lot more protein especially in the morning so I stay fuller longer. My blood pressure has still been a little high. When I take it now it tends to be in the mid-upper 120's over upper 70's or lower 80's. I had 4 acupuncture sessions which helped. I'd continue those but we won't be meeting our deductible this year and will have a lot of out of pocket costs next year so I can't keep paying out of pocket for acupuncture. My original blood work didn't say I was anemic but the acupuncturist suggested adding a liquid iron supplement from Vitamin Cottage and I think it is helping keep my blood pressure down.

Exercise: I've been doing horrible with exercise since it has gotten cold. Brennan and I went on a 5 mile bike ride yesterday but on average I am only exercising 1-2 days per week. I'd really like to continue running my entire pregnancy so it is easy to pick up postpartum. There is a prenatal water aerobics class through the city I am going to sign up for. I figure paying for a class will be motivation enough to get me there and be 2 days a week of exercise. If anyone has any great cold weather/no exercise partner suggestions for keeping me motivated I'd love to hear them. I also have Your Shape on the Xbox and occasionally do the yoga or cardio but honestly don't love exercise videos.

Next Appointment: Friday, December 2nd. I'll be 18 weeks and I scheduled it for when Nate isn't working so he can come along too. Our ultrasound is scheduled for January 3rd. It is the standard anatomy scan since we won't be finding out the gender though I am excited to see the baby.

Here is the link to the Baby Center Your Pregnancy: 16 Weeks Some of the highlights are: get ready for a growth spurt your baby will double in size in the next few weeks. Your baby is the size of an avocado (4 1/2 inches and 3 1/2 ounces). His legs are more developed. His eyes have moved closer to the front of his head. He's even started growing toenails. His heart is now pumping 25 quarts of blood each day and this amount will continue to increase as he develops.