12wks3days

Note: My husband and I are currently expecting our first baby after 7 years of infertility and 3 cycles of IVF. I have been writing blog posts since we found out but not publishing them until now (I’m currently 13 weeks). I’ll be posting one a day until I ‘catch-up’ to current time. I ask that if you know me ‘in real life’ that you not post about this on Facebook, because while we are ecstatic to be this far, we are still being very cautious.

Written January 20, 2012

We made it to 12 weeks! I know we still have a very long way to go (around 28 weeks) but this is a pretty damn big accomplishment. My 12 week appointment was on Tuesday, I gained some weight (ugh) I don't remember exactly how much because my scale at home is off from the scale at the doctor's office but my doctor didn't seem too concerned. However, it was motivation enough for me to start going to the gym the next day and start keeping a food diary. I've never been skinny and my weight hasn't really fluctuated, but I've always been a little overweight. After IVF failure #2, I lost a little weight (mostly due to depression) but I kept it off. Once IVF cycle #3 started my physical activity plummeted and has been almost non-existent since I got the first positive pregnancy test. At any rate, I don't want, nor do I need, to gain very much weight. I'm hoping to gain a maximum of 15-20 pounds (which I think is appropriate based on what the Mayo Clinic guide says). I'm not dieting by any means, but I'm being much more mindful of my choices, specifically lowering my carb intake and increasing my protein intake (which was the doctor's advice). I also decided it's much easier for me to go to the gym during lunch because the gym we belong to is closer to my work than our house. It's more difficult for me to drag myself back out once I've gotten home. The best thing about the gym is that they have brand-new equipment with personal tv screens so while you're on the treadmill/elliptical, etc. you can watch tv or surf the web, etc. Pretty great.

We didn't get an ultrasound on Tuesday but she did use the Doppler to hear the baby's heartbeat, which was nice and strong. Our next OBGYN appointment is February 14th, I'll be 16 weeks. Our NT scan with the MFM is on Monday morning. I'm nervous, I just want so badly for this to be the healthy baby we've waited so long for.