Woosh...woosh...woosh...the most beautiful sound in the world!

I had my first appointment at the Birth Center this week and it was a fantastic experience! The midwives are so knowledgable, but they're also patient and reassuring. They really take the time to make sure you're feeling comforted...body, mind, and spirit. My first official weigh-in since 8 weeks confirms that I've gained 10 lbs. so far!!!! This seemed like a lot to me, but the midwife said this was right where they wanted me to be. My uterus measured in just right as well...right at 16cm (although the midwife said I looked like I was showing like an 18-weeker). She said there's just nowhere in my petite torso for my uterus to go, so it has just pushed everything straight up and straight out! The absolute highlight of the visit was being able to listen to our little bambino's hearbeat with a Doppler. It made this perfect "woosh...woosh...woosh" sound at a rate of 146 bpm. As soon as I heard it, this huge smile spread across my face and when the midwife saw it she put the Doppler back on my belly and let me listen a little bit longer. I could have listened to that sound all day long. It's just so amazing to think that there's a little tiny person in there with a little tiny beating heart!

The only bad news of the day was that I tested positive for Group B strep. About 20% of women are carriers for Group B strep and I just happen to be one of them. It has no effect on me at all, but it can be dangerous for the baby if he/she contracts it during delivery. It could cause pneumonia or meningitis in the baby after delivery. I've started antibiotics and I'll be tested again at 36 weeks. If I'm positive again, I'll need to be on IV antibiotics during delivery and the baby will have to be monitored afterwards. With antibiotics, the chances of complication are 1 in 4000. I was hoping to be IV-free for labor, but obviously it's pretty important so I don't mind too much.

This week, our little bun is 4 1/2 inches long and weighs 3 1/2 ounces...about the size of an avocado. His/her head is nearly erect and the pattern of hair follicles on his/her head is almost complete, even though there is no hair. This is so amazing to me...it reminds me of that verse that says that God knows the number of hairs on our head. Even now, God knows the exact pattern of hairs on our little baby's scalp!!! That little heart that I was listening to yesterday is now pumping an average of 25 quarts of blood per day...a number that will continue to increase throughout pregnancy. With legs now proportional to the arms, and developing muscles, Baby Frueh is kicking and punching up a storm. I haven't felt any of these kicks or punches yet, but most first-timers don't recognize them until 18-20 weeks. I'm eagerly awaiting those first movements! For now, I just keep replaying that "woosh...woosh...woosh" in my head.

15 Weeks and Counting...

We've reached 15 Weeks and the inevitable wardrobe crisis. Up until now, I've been able to squeeze by, literally, with some big jeans from high school, my BellaBand, and some too-big t-shirts. It's not working out so well this week. I've been fortunate enough to have found a great number of maternity clothes items at very reasonable prices through friends, consignment shops and the wonders of Craig's List. However, I'm currently at that unfortunate stage where I'm too large for most of my pre-pregnancy pants and blouses, but I'm still swimming in most of my maternity clothes. I'm sure the extra room will be welcome in a few months, but right now it just looks a little ridiculous. It takes quite a while to get dressed in the morning because I have to pre-screen all my outfits. I try in vain to make some of my old clothes look normal on me without making it obvious to the entire world that I'm walking around with my pants unbuttoned and unzipped. Then I try, in vain again, to find a shirt that doesn't cling to every curve and ride up all over. Eventually I concede and slip into a maternity top and "BAM!!!". . . instant preggo. There's something about putting on a maternity top that makes you instantly look about 10 lbs. heavier. Believe me, I LOVE my pregnant belly. I think it's absolutely gorgeous. I just don't want to end up wearing the same clothes over and over again for the next 6 months. Oh well, the maternity clothes era has begun...ready or not...here it is!

The Frueh Baby is now about 4 inches long from crown to rump, about the length of the palm of your hand, and weighs 2 1/2 ounces. He/she is practicing breathing motions by moving amniotic fluid through his/her nose, mouth, and lungs. This helps to mature the air sacs in the lungs. Last week, Baby Frueh's arms were longer than his/her legs, but this week, the legs have caught up and surpassed the arms in length. They're now both proportional in size to the body. The taste buds have also started to form on his/her tiny tongue and Baby Frueh may even develop a preference for food flavors passed to him/her in utero. If I had an ultrasound this week, we could FINALLY tell if our baby is going to be a boy or a girl!!!! Unfortunately, we'll have to wait a few more weeks until my scheduled ultrasound. I will be so excited to finally be able to refer to our little bambino by name! Guess that means I better hit the books...the baby name books, that is...

We have arrived...2nd Trimester!

I'm officially into my 2nd Trimester and Baby Frueh has definitely made his/her appearance. The pregnant belly is now absolutely unmistakable, although I believe the disappearance of my first trimester nausea is partly to blame. I now want to eat anything and everything I can get my hands on...at all hours of the day and night. My new must-have favorite foods include gala apples with cheddar cheese, cereal (at any time of day), popcorn, and chocolate ice cream. I literally have not purchased ice cream in years...we just don't eat it at home. But I was grocery shopping the other day and ice cream was on sale. So what did I do? I bought FOUR half gallons! I think Eric decided he'll "help" with the grocery shopping from now on:-) I also had quite the feast on Sunday night as I watched my Steelers win their 6th Super Bowl victory...GO STEELERS!!! Something about that nail-biting fourth quarter sent me into a nervous eating frenzy that may have contributed to the roundness of this belly!

Speaking of great news, I was accepted this week at the Women's Birth and Wellness Center in Chapel Hill for my prenatal care and delivery. I'm so excited!!! WBWC is the only free-standing birth center in the state and it just so happens that we only live 30 minutes away. The midwives there are absolutely fantastic and their practice matches my views on natural childbirth with limited intervention. I think they'll really help my childbirth experience be something that I look back on with positive memories. My first appointment is in 2 weeks so I'll keep you updated.

This week Baby Frueh has grown to 3 1/2 inches in length and weighs 1 1/2 ounces. He/she is sprouting hair just about everywhere...on top of the head, eyebrows, eyelashes. There is even a fine layer of fuzzy hair all over his/her body called lanugo. It's kind of like a fuzzy blanket that keeps the baby warm, but it will all shed during the third trimester. The liver and spleen are fully developed and functional, producing bile and red blood cells respectively. The brain is also maturing nicely and the baby can make various facial expressions depending on what he/she is experiencing. My body is going through many changes as well...the diameter of my arteries is increasing and my blood volume is doubling in order to carry enough nutrients and oxygen to the baby. This caused a slight problem this week as one change happened, but not the other. My arteries are expanding, but my blood is trying to catch up, resulting in a very low blood pressure. Consequently, I've had a couple scary bouts of dizziness as I get out of bed in the morning. I've been assured this is totally normal...just a bit unsettling. Hopefully by next week, my blood will have caught up with my body!

Graduation - Week 13

I'm basking in the final week of my first trimester. Saturday is graduation day as we move on to the second trimester. Sometimes it's hard to believe that this journey is already 1/3 over...at other times it feels like it can't move fast enough. I just can't wait to meet this new member of our family! He/she is already 3 inches long from crown to rump, about the size of a peach, and our little brainiac has quite the head, which right now is about 1/2 the length of his/her body. Not to worry though...over the next few months, the body will catch up and, by the end of July, that huge head will only be 1/4 the body length. A new development this week is our little peach's vocal cords! And I'm sure those little vocal cords will get quite the crying workout in those late night hours after birth. Another new development this week was the addition of elastic-waist maternity pants to my wardrobe! They're not the most fashionable jeans in my drawer, but boy are they comfortable!!! It's like wearing sweatpants all day. I love it!

There's not much about the first trimester that I mind leaving behind...nausea, vomiting, exhaustion. I may miss the ability to see my shoes in a few months, but right now I'm just so excited for the second trimester! I'm looking forward to getting my "pregnant look". Sometimes I wonder if people look at me and wonder, "Is she pregnant or is she just getting fat?" It'll be nice to have that unmistakably beautiful pregnant belly. I'm also looking forward to more energy and a larger appetite. But, my list-topper of exciting developments in the second trimester is definitely finding out if we're having a boy or a girl. I'm so tired of saying "he or she" and I can't wait to call the baby by name. I think everything will feel a bit less surreal when our little bambino has a gender and a name. In the meantime, I just pray he/she is enjoying his/her stay in my warm and watery womb and that everything is progressing as it should.

In other news, we enjoyed quite the North Carolina snow storm this week, along with a lovely day off of school. We snatched the opportunity to go for a walk in our own winter wonderland and snap a few memorable photos...Enjoy!

What's up in the life of Baby Frueh? - Week 12

The physical changes to Mommy Frueh have been visible and obvious to the world in the last few weeks, but what's been happening in the life of Baby Frueh? Well, thanks to "What to Expect When You're Expecting" and Babycenter.com, we can take a peek at what's been happening in Baby Frueh's watery world for the past few weeks.

Our baby has more than doubled in size during the past three weeks, weighing in now at 1/2 ounce and measuring about 2.5 inches from crown to rump. About the size of a large fresh plum, Baby Frueh's body is hard at work in the growth and development department. Though most of his or her body systems are fully formed, there's still lots of maturing to do. The digestive system is beginning to practice muscular movements needed for digestion later on (practice makes perfect!); the bone marrow is making white blood cells (to fight off all the germs he/she will enounter in this world); and the pituitary gland has started producing hormones (which will contribute to a bit of strife in 13-14 years!!!)

Movement and reflexes are another big development this week. Our little bambino can open and close fingers, curl toes, clench his/her eye muscles (although the eyes will stay fused shut for quite a while yet), and his/her mouth can make tiny sucking movements...another practice-makes-perfect scenario. Baby Frueh can even squirm in response to prods on Mommy's abdomen, although I probably won't feel the tiny squirms for another 6-8 weeks or so. Finally, Baby Frueh's ears have traveled close to their final positions on the sides of his/her head. Just a few weeks ago, those same cute ears were located down on the neck!!! I, for one, am thankful for that development!