Grinning Ear to Ear and New Ultra Sound Pics! :)

Tummy, leg and foot!

Profile. Think he/she has my nose?? :)

Profile and thumb sucking.

Ahhhhh.........mental relief. I had my level II ultra sound today with people that have a brain and actually know what they are talking about! :) It was at a separate facility and they teleconference with the main hospital in Little Rock to a physician there who is trained and specializes in reading ultra sounds.

I am happy to report our little baby is 100% healthy (barring any enzyme or blood disorders that can't be detected by the ultra sound!)!! The baby is growing exactly at the rate it should be....and everything is in perfect proportion. :) YEAH!!! I looked away when they verified gender...I am so looking forward to our suprise! For the record, I have said all along it's a boy. Keep having boy dreams. :)

The other good news is that the fibroid is getting smaller and is in the BEST location possible - right under my belly button. So, they don't think it will interfere with delivery or the baby for the duration of the pregnancy. The doc said there MAY be some additional pain and discomfort on and off as a result of the fibroid and they can treat the symptoms but can't do anything about the fibroid. Because it is shrinking, the likelihood of pain or other complications is low. My pre-term labor contractions two weekends ago were from the blood supply getting cut off to the fibroid and causing it to degenerate (as I read online). They ALSO said every thing else looked great and they told me it is A-OK to exercise!

I walked out of the appointment floating with happiness...our baby's heart, stomach, lungs, kidneys, skull, legs, arms, face...all are perfect! Such a relief. Ahhhhhhhhhh. I couldn't stop smiling. Unfortunately the DH was out of town and I tried to reschedule the appt but they couldn't get me in until April. Yikes. But I got some great pics and he was just happy to hear all is well.

Got home tonight and did Body Pump....man, I missed working out. Felt really good. Kept my weight moderate and really watched myself on some of the exercises. I am going to do some treadmill time in the am and see how that feels.

Hope you guys are having a kick ass week! Since I am back at the workouts, I will be keeping my rolling log updated on the right side of the blog. :)

Love you guys!
Jess

What a Difference Two Weeks Made!! New BUMP Pics!

I told you guys my bump popped! Holy cow! It looks so crazy in just two weeks! WHOA! :) Kinda fun though...I am actually starting to look a little pregnant. Which I like...as opposed to looking chubby - I like pregnant! :) And I wore maternity clothes last week which was a little weird. Click on the pic above if you want to see it BIGGER!

I wanted to thank EACH of you for your kind words, thoughts and prayers. As I have said 1,000 times, I am so lucky to have you all in my life and I am blessed to have this support system. I only shared the story with you b/c I knew you would each view it with compassion and empathy. I am sure your prayers and thoughts are one of the reasons nothing more has happened. :)


I am feeling SOOOOOO much better - no thanks to my old doc. I have slept the last three nights without hardly any discomfort or pain (night time was always when the pain peaked) and haven't had to take anything for the pain. I don't feel 100% but I feel about 90% which is awesome. Makes me very happy. Yesterday I was much more active than I have been any other day this week - just standing more, walking around the house, cleaning, etc. I also decided to go to the gym with Jody and just lift some really light weights and do exercises that don't involve the core or the pelvic area. I did seated bicep curls with 10lbs, seated overhead presses with 15lbs and dips. I also did straight bar curls and then did overhead presses with a straight bar. FELT GREAT!! I was definitely paying very close attention to my body and I didn't feel any strain or tension. When I spoke with the nurse at my new doc's office, she told me to do light exercise and just pay close attention to how I was feeling - and that's just what I did. :) Man, I miss working out. Holy cow

For those of you who DIDN'T see what I put in comments from my last post...here is what I know so far doing my own research online:

have a uterine fibroid, roughly the size of a small tangerine. Fibroids are fairly normal for a lot of women however most don't know they have them and with pregnancy, the hormones that "grow" the uterus also "grow" the fibroid. What I read this week (on forums and websites) is that usually fibroids stop growing after about 4-5 months and sometimes at that same time the blood supply gets cut off to the fibroid and then the fibroid starts to degenerate which is what causes the pain. This is just one option.

The other option is that the fibroid is just causing massive discomfort and pain because of HOW it is attached to my uterus. I read a terrible forum post about a woman 19.5 weeks along who miscarried after having a week of intense pain as a result of her fibroid and the doctor ignoring her concerns. It just infuriates me that I had to find that information on my OWN and that I don't know anything more about how my fibroid is affecting me.

The good news is I see the new doc a week from Monday and the nurse there was reviewing my chart in its entirety and will call me tomorrow if she sees any reason for me to come in ASAP.

So the hubby pointed out something pretty insightful...I have done a crappy job of showing my weight gain over pregnancy which is probably something you guys and other pregger women want to see. So here is my weight in a little chart for you:


I don't know how well you can see the chart (click on it to see it larger) but basically I have gained 8lbs over 20 weeks. Average is 12lbs so I am pretty happy with where I am tracking. I know now I will probably gain around a lb a week till the end (or more) which will put me around 28-30lbs. Most recommendations are around 25-35 a week (although my former LOSER doctor told me I could gain between 50 & 70lbs - I should have known at that exact moment she was coo coo for cocoa puffs) so I am feeling pretty darn good about my weight gain. I never go hungry and eat good, nutritious whole foods all day long.

Have a great week you guys! Work has been a little nuts for me but it should be slowing down a bit this week. :) Love you guys! Keep reaching for the stars!!

Jess

Honeymoon is Over

Hey guys,

Sorry I have been MIA for a few days...and I wish I had better news for you guys but unfortunately I have had a bit of baby and mommy trouble. Baby is safe and I am ok but my perfect pregnancy honeymoon is officially over.

Here is the skinny....I spent the day on Sunday in the hospital (again, baby and mom are ok). The short story is that I was having pre-term labor and contractions apparently due in part to a fibroid (had no idea I even had one) that is sharing space with my baby that has enlarged to the size of a tangerine.

The pain started Friday night, was strong Saturday and in particular Saturday night (couldn't sleep it hurt so bad). Sunday morning my stomach was hard as a rock and felt like a baseball was under my belly button. When I finally called the doc on call on Sunday morning, they told me to come to hospital immediately. Jody was really upset and worried and put me in the car immediately. When we got there, I heard the baby's heart beat right way and it was strong (that was the scariest moment for us – waiting to make sure the heart beat was still there) and they hooked me up to the contraction node thing that measures contractions with a needle graph (think lie detector). The pain I was experiencing was in fact, contractions. I was having one every 3-5 minutes when I arrived.

They also did an ultra sound and everything appeared to be fine – in fact, we got lots of awesome pics - but the ultra sound did expose the fibroid - which is a non-malignant tumor/mass of cells that feeds off of pregnancy hormones and grows b/c of the hormones. They gave me some ibuprofen and did urine, blood tests and everything was fine. The ibuprofen decreased the swelling and slowed down the contractions. When I was examined (sorry, I know WTMI), on-call doc said she WAS concerned because my uterus was thinning out (which as you know is what happens before you start dilating).

I, of course, asked 1,000 questions - one of which was if exercise could have possibly caused this and the doc said absolutely NOT - that clearly something else is happening with the fibroid but she wanted me to talk to my regular doctor so gave me little info. After confirming that my contractions had slowed and I wasn't in danger of miscarrying, they released us at 4:30pm - again with very little information or explanation for why I was having contractions (outside of the ultrasound tech who said that she has known people who have fibroids and go into preterm because the body is trying to reject the fibroid).

I felt ok when I left but the pain was excruciating that night so I took some more ibuprofen (doc approved) which thankfully got me through the night and I got some sleep. Monday I felt good in the morning but by about 1pm I was in serious pain again and that night the pain was horrible and the only thing that made me feel better was getting in the bath tub. I took ibuprofen to sleep.

Yesterday I had a doc appointment with my regular OBGYN and I was very disappointed. Basically she, as suspected, treated me like a whiny wimpy first time pregnancy. "The baby is fine. The pain it probably just your uterus and ligaments changing position. This is just part of pregnancy. I will give you something to help you manage the pain if you absolutely MUST take something." Then she asked me if I could take some time off work....my response was that I sit most of the day anyway so what would taking time off work do and of course, she didn't have an answer. She said my cervix and uterus looked fine. The more I asked, the more irritated she got with me. I will see her again in four weeks. Gave me a prescription for Percocet. No explanation for why Sunday happened or any information about the fibroid or why I am having so much constant extreme pain.

Throughout my pregnancy, I have not been impressed with her when I have asked more difficult or in depth questions. I could give you guys lots of examples but the BEST example is the fact that I was in her office for all of about 7 minutes yesterday and walked out with absolutely no more information on what happened on Sunday and what that meant for my body going forward.

Needless to say, I have been asking around to get a new OBGYN and am switchign immediately. I have two doctors that I will be considering....but it has really been a struggle. My cousin, an OBGYN nurse with years of experience, summed it up for me: "Cuz (she is from deep, deep Louisiana), there are good doctor's out there and bad doctor's, jus like there are good cooks and bad cooks, good singers and bad singers....and your lil ole doc, she jus wants to deal with textbook pregnancies. Minute she gets a prob'm she just gets that patient right out the door. But girl, you got to get somebody you can talk to....you need some answers girl!"

And she is exactly right. :) I am MOVING on.

As you can imagine, I am having lots of emotions. It is really scary, especially after not having ANY problems. I am so happy the baby is healthy....of course, the doc did tell me to take it easy until I started feeling better so I am officially off of the workouts - which I am ok with since I have said all along I would stop when my body or baby told me to stop. And who knows what the future holds but for a few more months I can hang tight and just enjoy the extra time I have to focus on other things - reading, blogging :), talking to friends, sleeping, preparing for baby!

Today has been better for pain...didn't really start until around 4pm (normally starts around 12 or 1pm)...and I am curious to see what happens tonight when I try to sleep. I slept last night without any pain meds (YEAH!) and I really don't want to take Percocet - even if she prescribed it. Maybe this is just a blip on the radar screen...I hope so but I am going to do everything in my power to make sure the baby is safe and sound.

Through it all, Jody has been amazing - as always - asking how I am doing every 30 minutes. He is really worried and wants our little baby to be happy and healthy along with mommy. And it is great being married to your best friend in situations like this. He is awesome, of course.

Sorry I haven't been on all of your blogs lately...hope you all understand. And if ANY of you have any insight or have had a similar pregnancy experience....would love to hear your experience. Email if you don't want to post in comments.

Love you guys...

Jess

P.S. I have a major baby bump. It literally just popped out on Monday but now that I know I have a baby AND a tangerine in there, it makes sense to have a bump. :) Can't wait to show you pics.

Whew! What a week!! And I heart you all!

Hey guys!

Just wanted to post a quick one....I am having one of the weeks I used to have...crazy, nutty, out of control with client requests and fast time lines. Today I had 7 hours of back to back meetings...no breaks - thank goodness I pack my food eh??

I took today off from working out (hadn't had an off day in 2+ weeks) and I am really glad I did. Sometimes the body just starts to get overtrained and a day off can be JUST what the doc ordered! My body is saying AHHHHHHHH.

I will post this weekend with baby bump pics but if I don't do it BEFORE Valentine's Day I just wanted to wish you all a wonderful Valentine's Day! If you have someone special in your life, make sure they know you love them and take the time to show them how much. Be grateful for all the people in your life that you love....if you DON'T have someone in your life, then give yourself some love. After all, if you don't love yourself how can you expect someone else to love YOU?? :)

LOVE YOU GUYS!!!
Jess

Baby Bump Pics Part Tres and Weekly Recap! It's a Big One!

Good morning all! Happy Sunday to you!

So notice anything about my baby bump pics??? Well, I will give you three things:

1. I was half a week late (remember, weekly baby bump pics)
2. I have on my GREEN shorts, not my blue ones
3. I am getting a BUMP! :)
   

Let's discuss the WHY behind each of those:

1. Crazy, crazy busy week at work. Nutty. So I didn't have a chance to blog or catch up on blogs. So my apologies to those of you I am still haven't gotten to...I will today...promise. Work was crazy and so between that and getting in my workouts I had very little free time. Hopefully things will be better next week.
2. You aren't going to BELIEVE this but somehow the blue shorts have been misplaced AGAIN. We actually think that last weekend when we went through all of Jody's t-shirts and gave like 50 to good will that perhaps the shorts were on the floor and got thrown into the bag. It is like some terrible joke with these shorts!!! GRRRRR. Maybe they will turn up - regardless, it is frustrating b/c I wanted my bump pics to look the same in each pics (except the first one :)). Sorry for the inconsistency - I DID try to put the shorts in the same hip position but I think they are a little high still.
3. I am definitely getting more of a bump. I am still in my regular clothes but barely. It is kinda fun. At night it sticks way out. It is fun! :) But the biggest news of all is that I am feeling the baby now. It feels like little bubbles in your belly. So cool.

Next week I enter MONTH 5!!! How crazy is that?? I am so excited to start showing more and to have Jody feel the baby move. I know 5 months seems really far along but here is how pregnancy works (I am explaining this for those of you who don't know because it is really confusing how pregnancy math is done):

Weeks/Month
1-4/First (and it starts from the day of your last period so technically you aren't preggers until like week 3 but this is how all the docs, books, etc. calculate it)
5-8/Second
9-13/Third
14-17/Fourth
18-22/Fifth
23-27/Sixth
28-31/Seventh
32-35/Eighth
36-40/Ninth

I will tell you this is the hardest part of pregnancy - when you don't really look pregnant and aren't ready for pregnancy clothes - so you just feel and look chubby. The funny thing is when you are in this stage, no one is going to ask you if you are pregnant cause they really just think you look thick through the middle. So I look forward to getting through this stage and into the "OH, she is pregnant" stage. :)

Anyhoo, I had an pretty good workout week - I only got in two total body body pump workouts although I am planning on doing a double class today since my goal if four week. But I have got in all my cardio workouts so that is good. Eating has been about 85%. Had a couple of bad meals but they were worth it! :) No yoga so far this week but we are hoping to get one in today.

Here is my weekly recap for the week:

Monday: 45 minute treadmill @10% incline 4.4 MPH AM
Tuesday: Shoulders - 45 mins PM
Wednesday: 45 minute treadmill @10% incline 4.4 MPH AM; Body Pump 60 mins PM
Thursday: 45 minutes treadmill @10% incline 4.4 MPH AM; Spin class PM
Friday: 70 minute Body Pump workout (double arms) followed by 30 minute stead state cardio PM
Saturday: 45 minute AWESOME SPIN class! AM
Sunday (planned workout): 110 minute body pump class

Running Weekly Totals:
6 cardio
4 lift: 3 Body Pump, 1 body part :)
0 stretch

And the last thing I wanted to share with you guys is an excerpt from Self Magazine on Thinking Yourself Thinner (it is part of a bigger program that involves eating right and working out). It is the mind/body connection that is often the biggest part of the battle so I wanted to share a couple of their healthy behaviors hints with all of my girls out there...since I know we all battle with some of these:

1. Flatter yourself. It is a fact that women who see themselves as heavy have a harder time losing weight. Every time you think something bad about yourself, write down 10 things that are positive.
2. Find a release valve. If you eat for stress, find something to help you with the stress that isn't food. Talk a walk, crank up the music and dance, watch a movie...lots of different options. :)
3. Slow down. Focus on eating slowly so your mind and body connect to the fact that you are eating food and are nourishing your body.
4. Celebrate. When you achieve your goals (and make sure to set little ones along the way), make sure to celebrate. Reward yourself for your hard work!

Have a great Sunday everyone! ROCK OUT your goals and achieve what you KNOW you are capable of!
Jess

Weekly Recap/Month in Review - January

Cathe Friedrich rocking out her Muscle Max (just like Body Pump) workout! WOO HOO!

Happy Monday y'all!! It is the beginning of the month and the beginning of a week and that means weekly/month recaps! A chance for me to look back and see how I fared for the month!

Here is the weekly recap from last week....SUPER happy with my commitment last week. I felt great and clearly that shows in some GREAT workouts (have I mentioned how AWESOME the 2nd trimester is?? J):

Monday: 45 minute treadmill @10% incline 4.4 MPH AM; Body Pump 60 minutes PM
Tuesday: Light cardio 30 minutes plus 25 minutes power yoga
Wednesday: 45 minute treadmill @10% incline 4.4 MPH + 30 minute P90 Yoga AM; Body Pump 70 minutes PM
Thursday: 45 minute treadmill @10% incline 4.4 MPH AM
Friday: Body Pump 70 minutes PM
Saturday: 55 minutes treadmill @10% incline 4.4 MPH (620 cals) AM; Shoulders/legs/abs supersets 45 minute followed by 30 minutes elliptical PM
Sunday: P90X Yoga - 45 minutes AM; Body Pump 60 minutes PM

Weekly Totals:
Cardio Sessions: 6
Weights: 4 BP; 1 Superset WO (shoulders and legs)
Yoga/Stretching: 3

And my monthly totals for January:

• Total days: 31
• Total cardio: 31
• Total lifts: 18
• Yoga/stretching: 3
• Days off: 3

Compared to December:

• Total days in month: 31
• Total cardio sessions: 14
• Total weight training sessions: 17
• Total workouts: 31
• Days off: 10

Difference in Dec vs. January:

• 17 additional cardio sessions (can you tell my energy came back???)
• Same number of lifting/weight sessions
• Added in yoga stretching - only 3 sessions but it counts!
• 7 fewer days off

Overall, I feel really great with where my January ended up. I wanted to increase my cardio - CHECK! I wanted to change to total body workouts - CHECK! I wanted to incorporate some stretching and/or yoga - CHECK! I love the monthly recap...definitely makes it easier to look at improvements, successes, etc. How do YOU look at your progress? Are you reviewing your workouts to determine areas of focus?

Have a great week y'all! New baby bump pics on Thursday! :)
Jess

More detailed monthly summary:

January 1st:
Thursday: 45 minute treadmill uphill walk, back and chest w/o
Friday: Trail run with my DH, 5.5 total miles but we only ran 4. Held hands and enjoyed the wonderful weather for the last 1.5!
Saturday: Back and biceps followed by 6.2 mile run with my cherub (about 55 minutes for the run, I struggled big time)
Sunday: Light leg workout, no cardio.

Week of January 5th:

Monday: 45 minute treadmill walk at 10% incline 4.4 MPH AM; planned a PM workout but was SO sleepy, went to bed at 9!
Tuesday: 45 minute treadmill walk, 10% incline, 4.4 MPH AM; 30 minute SPIN class + 45 minute shoulder/tricep workout PM (shoulder press behind the head, arnold press, side and front raises, close grip chest press, rope press down, french press)
Wednesday: 35 minutes treadmill walk, 10% incline, 4.4 MPH AM
Thursday: 45 minute treadmill walk, 10% incline, 4.4 MPH, AM; 45 minute SPIN class PM.
Friday: Day Off
Saturday: 60 minute back/bicep/ab workout w/45 minutes cardio after
Sunday: 30 minutes cardio
Totals: 8 cardio, 2 lifts

Week of January 12th:

Monday: 45 minute treadmill @10% incline 4.4 MPH AM; 30 minute leg w/o followed by 40 minutes spin class PM
Tuesday: 30 minute intervals on treadmill alternating between 10 minute miles and 7 minute miles - 60s on/120s off AM; 60 minute shoulder/tricep/abs workout
Wednesday: 45 minutes treadmill @10% incline 4.4 MPH AM; Spin class 40 minutes
Thursday: Body Pump Class - 60 minutes PM
Friday: 45 minutes treadmill @10% incline 4.4 MPH AM
Saturday: Awesome leg workout followed by 30 minutes cardio
Sunday: Rest day
Totals: 7 cardio, 4 lifts

Week of January 20th:

Monday: Light cardio, 30 minutes
Tuesday: 45 minute treadmill @10% incline 4.4 MPH AM; Body Pump 70 minutes + 15 minutes of abs PM
Wednesday: Missed AM cardio so 25 minute shoulder workout followed by 45 minute treadmill @ 12% incline 4.4 MPH LUNCH; 45 minute spin, PM
Thursday: OFF
Friday: 30 minutes cardio AM
Saturday: Body Pump + Abs - 70 minutes followed by 45 minutes cardio
Sunday: Shoulders & core work - 60 minutes followed by 45 minutes cardio
Totals: 7 cardio, 4 lifts

Week of January 26th:

Monday: 45 minute treadmill @10% incline 4.4 MPH AM; Body Pump 60 minutes PM
Tuesday: Light cardio 30 minutes plus 25 minutes power yoga
Wednesday: 45 minute treadmill @10% incline 4.4 MPH + 30 minute P90 Yoga AM; Body Pump 70 minutes PM
Thursday: 45 minute treadmill @10% incline 4.4 MPH AM
Friday: Body Pump 70 minutes PM
Saturday: 55 minutes treadmill @10% incline 4.4 MPH (620 cals) AM; Shoulders/legs/abs supersets 45 minute followed by 30 minutes elliptical PM
Sunday: P90X Yoga - 45 minutes AM; Body Pump 60 minutes PM
Totals: 6 cardio, 5 lifts, 3 stretching/yoga