Birth Story!

Today is the BIG DAY!! November 16, 2010!! Our dream will come true!!

I got the call from the hospital at 6 in the morning to be there at 730am for induction. We got to the hospital, checked in and I was in a room at around 8:30am. By 9am Dr G got in and checked me and I was at 3cm, so he broke my water and started Pitocin.

My Dr came in at 10am, Dr P, he said he will check me again at 1pm to see how I was doing. He upped my Pitocin and my contractions picked up!! By around 11am I asked for the epidural, the Dr and the nurse both told me it was better so that I was not in much pain by the time I asked for one. My contractions were 3 minutes apart and apparently very strong.

At 1pm when he checked me I was 4.5cm... not much progress, and Arella was still sunny side up. So they made me move from side to side and checked me at 2pm... when I was 5cm and she was still in the same position. He said he will wait until 430pm to decide if we needed a c-section.

At 430pm he checked me, and I was 5.5cm, so not progressing much, and she was still sunny side up and on station -1, he tried to rotate her a couple of times but nothing worked. So we decided by 5pm it was time for a c-section. I really wanted a vaginal delivery, but I had to trust my Dr that this was the best for us and the baby, all we wanted was her out happy and healthy.

My husband came with me, and my cousin Caro too, she is studying to be a anesthesiologist and they let her in!! The anesthesiologist gave me the anesthesia even before we got to the OR... I was prepped fairly quickly!

At 5:36pm Arella was born!! She was 9lb 1.2 oz and 20.5 inches!!!! She is perfect in every way and we couldn't be more happier!! We feel soo blessed!! She has a head full of hair, after so many u/s saying she had none!! Now we know why she couldn't go down, she was sooo big!! Even the Dr was impressed of how big she was!!

Recovery was not that good... I got the worst shivering for about 2hrs non stop!! I also think they put me a lot of anesthesia because I couldn't open my eyes until about 3am!! The pain wasn't that bad.. they took my catheter out at around 7am but I need to have it back on at 2pm but they took it out right away. Pain was worst the 2nd and 3rd day, but after that I started feeling better every day.

At the hospital, we sent her to the nursery, we were advise to do it so we could get some rest, I was also in pain too. On Friday we came home, and even though its exhausting its the best feeling in the world!!

All the wait was worth it, our little princess is more than what we ever asked and dreamed of!!

Thank God for our little miracle!! :)

I will post pics soon!

39 weeks!!!!

I cant believe we are on week 39!!! Time is going too fast!! I love being pregnant and have enjoyed every minute of it!! I cant wait to see her, smell her and hold her, but I will miss feeling her inside me!!! I'm still sleeping great... the only pain I have is on my belly buttom... OMG that HURTS!! Is basically when she turns sunny side up... this week she has gone from anterior to posterior 3 times!!!!

39 wks: BP was 132/80, gain 1 lb, HB in the 145-150s, belly measured 40 weeks. 2cm and 100% effaced, head down and engaged but sunny side up!!!! Started to loose mucus plug... yellowish.

39w1d: Contractions every 5 minutes, not painful.. for about 5 hrs. Went to L&D, I was having labor contractions but not feeling them, still at 2cm and 100% effaced. They made me walk for 1 hr, was on the monitor for another 2hr... didn't progress... Dr Horst asked if I wanted to be induced but suggested to wait it out... we decided to wait... baby was in perfect position, no more sunny side up!!! They told us she moves a lot!!! Of course we know that!!!

39w2d: feeling great... contractions on an off!! Lost ALL my mucus plug!! Bloody show! She moves a lot and no signs of her coming out!!!

39w3d: she turned to sunny side up again!!!!!!!! still contracting but no pain... Arella doesn't want to come out!!

39w4d: she turned to regular position again!! YAYYY!!! not many contractions, diarrhea!

39w5: She turned sunny side up AGAIN!! Drs appointment, up another lb from swelling... HB was great but we had a hard time getting it, she was moving all over the place! BP was great, and induction was set! I'm 3cm and 100% effaced!! Tomorrow is the DAY!!!

Here is my 39 wk belly pic!! Tomorrow is D-DAY!!! Prayers please for a healthy and fast delivery and most important a healthy baby girl!!!!!!!



Exhausted!



With a contraction!

38 weeks update!!

A little late of an update!! But here are the details of this week!

Reflux is back and constipation too!! Im still sleeping like a baby though, wake up to go to the bathroom often, but then back to sleep without any problems!! Im enjoying my last days being pregnant!! I love my belly, I love feeling Arella move, this is such a blessing!!!!

Appointment this week went great... BP was perfect, I lost 1 lb, HB was in the 150s. Im 1cm dilated, and 90% effaced, baby is engaged and head down. Looks like she is sunny side up as well.. my belly buttom hurts like crazy!!!!!! and I get horrible back pain!!! Dr thinks she will come any time, but we doubt it!!!

Here are the pics for 38 belly pic!!!

37 weeks, FULL TERM!!!!!

We are full term!!!!! I'm soo happy my little girl has stayed inside without any problems!! Each day she gets stronger!!!!!!! She has been moving a lot!! I think she is very comfortable in there!!

I have been having more contractions, from 10-20 minutes apart, they don't hurt though. But I do have a lot of pain in my back... if I walk too much I get this unbearable pain in my back, through my hips, I feel like if I have kidney pain!! I have been getting it more often... I was actually on bed during the weekend, since I didn't want a Halloween baby!! I was so scared it was the beginning of labor... I have been working this past 2 days as well... so now I'm ready to start walking again, not for her to come out, but more because I know is good for labor.

I have been having some mild cramping as well.. and since Monday Nov 1st... some stomach ache.. like if I ate something bad. I have these but I think they are unrelated to contractions, the pain I feel is more constant and the contractions come and go.

I had my 37th week appointment, and everything went great except for...

I guess mothers intuition sometimes is right! SHE IS SUNNY SIDE UP! i knew it!! he told me a couple of exercises, hoping it will work!! He says that most babies turn even during labor, so I'm praying that is my case!

Other than that... bp was 123/69, HB was 140, belly measured 38, up another lb... all good!

I'm 80% effaced and 0.5cm dilated!! Baby is in -1 station. I think is great for being 37 weeks and a first time mom! Hoping next week I will progress more!! I'm not ready to pop yet, of course if she wants to come she is more than welcome :) But I'm glad my body is doing something!

He said I could give birth tomorrow, or in 2 more weeks! He said if she is more than 8lbs it will be very hard for me to give birth vaginally because I have a narrow pelvis, so he will induce me on the 9th, which is a day before my 39th week. I really want to go in natural, but I also want my best chance to deliver vaginally, so I'm going to trust him :)

I got my flu shot today, I was debating on it... but he strongly suggested because he says she is getting it too.

Next appointment is on the 3rd, Wednesday, but with another Dr since he will be out of town until Sunday 7th...

Cant believe she can be here at any time!!

Please pray she turns, I have heard sunny side up HURTS!

And here are the belly pics!

36 weeks update!!

One more week and we are full term!!! WOW time is flying!! I'm glad I'm getting more accomplished!!! I finished the nursery this week!! I just have some papers to fill out, install the car seat and finish my bag, but mostly everything is done!

Constipation was back this week... UGH!!! I'm waking up to the bathroom every two hours, sleeping is very uncomfortable too, but I manage to sleep all night. I need to take a nap every day! Thank God I'm working from home, I feel exhausted!! I want to work until the last minute, but I'm thinking that next Friday the 5th I might just stop. For the last 2 weeks I have been sleeping in Jorge's t-shirts! My pjs don't fit anymore, well my pants do but not the shirts. I'm getting soo big!! Everyone keeps asking me when are you going to pop! My belly is so round and pointy that everyone keeps asking if I'm having a boy! Its just Arella's position, I'm glad we were able to confirm so many times she was a girl, I would probably be having a heart attack by now with so many people telling me its a boy!!

I had my weekly appointment... Everything went great, HB was great and he said from the Doppler he could tell I have great amniotic fluid! BP was 110/80, no protein in the urine, belly measured fine, he said I dropped too! My strep B was negative too!!

He checked me too, I'm not dilated, but starting to efface and my cervix is very soft, she is very low too. He thinks she will come in 2 weeks max 3... beginning of November... we will see if her plans are the same :) If she is still on the 75-80% like she has been, he will induce me at 39 weeks, he says I'm small so he doesn't want me to have a 8-9lb baby. He is out of town from Nov 2-7th.. and he is on call on the 1st and on the 9th... so I'm hoping she is born on the 1st or after the 8th when he is back! Of course that is what I WANT, not what she wants LOL... I'm happy with her in my belly as long as she wants, I'm enjoying my pregnancy so much, that I'm sad that is ending! Love feeling her!!

I also had an u/s at 36.5 and Ms Arella weights approximately 7.5 lbs! She is on the 80% !!! She is a big lady!!! They estimate her to be up to 9 if I get to 40 weeks!! I'm glad is just an estimate, and I'm hoping she is born on the 7lb range!!!

From the u/s I think she really looks like her daddy, at least her mouth and feet!! We will see!! She had her foot in her mouth!! I guess that is why I feel her movement so much!!! She was swallowing amniotic fluid the whole time too, never stopped! I think she is sunny side up, because we were able to see her face and also because of her movements, I will ask the Dr on my next appointment.

I think she is soo cute!! We finally saw her face!!! and she was swallowing the whole time!! I'm in love with my little girl :)

She moves like crazy!! I don't know how she can still move soo much!! I might need plastic surgery in my belly buttom, I'm not sure if its her foot, elbow, hand or something but OMG my belly buttom is going to explode!! LOL... I feel her all day, which I'm glad since I'm never worried, but I'm really hoping she is not that hyper when she is born!!!

Next appointment, October 28th at 2:15 with Dr P!

Here is the video

www.youtube.com/watch?v=1YKP4i5G6r0

Here are the pics for this week!!

Ultrasound

Belly pics

Nursery

35 weeks update and appointment!

In about a month Arella will be here!! I still cant believe it!! I love being pregnant and I don't want it to be over!! I waited soo long for this that I'm enjoying every minute!

And I'm trying to buy last minute things for Arella... the nursery is not done yet, I haven't packed the bag, installed the carseat, interview with the pediatrician... so I still have some things to do. Not to mention I have to fill up some paperwork for my short term disability, to get 3 months off not paying the student loan, fill up her book, etc...

I'm going now weekly!! I cant believe it!! We are on the home stretch!!! I have gained 24 lbs... Im soo hungry this last days! HB was great, baby Arella moves a lot even though she is cramped in there!! Dr believes she is over 6lbs already. BP was 111/71 which was great, no protein in the urine, belly measured 35, she is head down, VERY low but not dilated. I had my strep b today as well. I saw another Dr today, didn't like her too much so I'm hoping I don't get her! She was on a rush... barely answered my questions.

She said she doesn't think she will come before 37 weeks, but no guarantees. I was telling her that my husband was out of town until Sunday. I'm not ready, so I'm ok with her staying longer :)

I'm feeling good, barely sleeping, with reflux, tired, and with a heavy belly, but I LOVE IT! I'm enjoying my pregnancy every day.

Everything is going great... I cant complain, after years of secondary infertility, multiple miscarriages and many disappointments, God had grant us with the best pregnancy ever, I cant complain just thank him for this little miracle.

Dr said she dropped already... I do see my belly lower but was expecting it to be MUCH lower... here are the pics!! Everyone is already asking me if I'm almost done!! Apparently she is a big lady!

34 weeks update !!!

Time is flying now!!!!!!!!!! Jorge is in Hong Kong and I cant wait for him to be back!! He will be back on the 17th... I'm hoping Arella will stay put at least until he is back. I really dont feel she will be in early though.

Im feeling great, my constipation is gone! And having more Braxton hicks.. but nothing to be concern. I do feel more tired and get exhausted after doing a few things, so Im not getting much accomplished.

I'm working from home and that is helping, but I need a nap every day and that makes me fall behind at work... I have to work during the weekend to catch up on what I didn't do during the week.

Here are the belly pics for the week! I'm getting bigger by the minute!! Arella is HUGE!!!!!!!

33 wks update and Drs appointment!

Pregnancy is going great and baby Arella is growing like crazy!!!

Sleeping is much more difficult now, since I either have reflux, need to wake up to go to the bathroom, and I cant find a comfortable position. But I'm still enjoying it!

Im getting more BH... sometimes even a little cramping... my belly gets soo hard at the end of the day!! So I'm taking it easy... working from home and waiting for Jorge to be back! YUP he went to HONG KONG and BEIJING! Not the best time of the year to do it, but no other choice! He will be back on the 17th of Oct and I cant wait... I will be starting my 36th week then!!

Had a Drs appointment on Friday Oct 1st. My belly measured 1 week ahead, and he said she was definitely lower. BP was great at 110/74 and HB was at 145. I gained 1 lb in the last 2 weeks which is good, for a total of 22 lbs. He did a cervical check also, he said no dilatation but she is VERY low, he could feel her head right away. Dr said he thinks when is time I will have a quick labor, I'm really hoping he is right!!!!!!!! He said no much driving and walking until Jorge is back, he wants to make sure she doesn't make her appearance until we are full term. So for now I'm working from home and taking it easy. Watch us being past due and induced!! LOL... he thinks I wont make it to 40 weeks but we will know better later on.

Next appointment is on Oct 13th but with a different Dr since he will be out of town... and then I start going every week!!!! I cant believe we are getting soo close!! I love being pregnant, even though I'm at uncomfortable stage, I still don't want it to be over!!! I love feeling her move and watching my belly, so I'm enjoying this last month!

Not yet ready with the nursery, I'm hoping by next week!! Also tomorrow, Oct 6th, I have the hospital tour which I'm going with my mom. I will start washing her clothes soon too, and packing our bag.

Here are the belly pics for week 33, which I took today! and I'm really 33wks and 6 days!! But I totally forgot to take one last week!

32 wks update, Drs appointment and u/s!!!

We are getting close!! Starting the 8th month!!

I had my baby shower on the 18th!! I will make a special post for it with pics :)

Pregnancy is going great, Arella moves like crazy, she is a non-stop little lady! She is getting heavy!! This week I had one day LOTS of BH and I felt she was shifting!! OMG I was soo sure she moved to a breech position, Drs appointment couldn't come soon enough!!

I started having some pelvic pain too, my hips starting hurting and my lower back as well. I'm having more BH too. Since Jorge is going to Hong Kong from the 4th until the 17th which means he will be back right before I turn 36 weeks, the Dr decided to take me off work, well mainly to take me off driving since I commute about 2 hrs a day... and gave me a note to work from home. I will be giving the note to my boss on Friday, so I'm hoping he agrees, because I really need the income to finish buying all the stuff for baby Arella!

Appointment went fine, HB was great, BP was 110/70, belly measure right on target, but I gained 4 lbs in 2 weeks!!!!!! Up to 21 in total! Dr said it was fine, he thinks I'm having a big baby so he sent me for an u/s. The best part was he said she was HEAD down, looks like all that moving was her getting engaged! So relief I still have a chance of having a natural birth!

Next appointment will be Friday at 33.2 weeks, its a bit less than 2 weeks like before, but since Jorge is leaving he wants to check my cervix and make sure everything is looking fine!

U/S was at 32.5 wks and baby Arella measured 35! Weighting more than 5lbs! So looks like the Dr is right and we are having a chubby lady :) She is also engaged and very low!! She has great amniotic fluid!! She was facing my back, so we couldn't see her face!! They also told us she has very little hair, so all in all great u/s! We will see what he says on my next appt.

Oh and I got the worst COLD!! and I have a throat infection... so I'm on antibiotics... I feel horrible and the coughing is terrible!!! Hoping I start to feel better soon!!

I haven't dropped yet, its too soon, but my belly definitely looks lower...

31 weeks update!

This past weeks have been crazy!!!! I have a lot of work, since many audits are due by September 30th!! I also had my baby shower on the 18th!

Pregnancy is going great but I'm not sleeping that well anymore, cant find a comfortable position! I'm having some reflux, but with Zantac it goes away quickly!! I'm waking up more often to go to the bathroom too, every 2-3 hours!!! My belly is getting huge, Arella is growing like crazy!!!

I finally started working non-stop in the nursery, I bought a few things online so I'm waiting on those!!

Jorge is going to Hong Kong on the 4th... not looking forward to that! He is going for 2 weeks! But we are waiting to make sure the Dr gives him the OK to go! Arella is the one that decides if he is going or not... we are still early but we need to make sure she is nowhere near to arriving!!

Here are the belly pics for this week!

30 weeks update and Drs appointment!

I cant believe we are 30 wks!! Tomorrow we will be starting single digits! These last few weeks have gone fast, but on the other hand I'm so ready to meet my little princess!!

Her room will be painted by the end of the week!! My baby shower is this weekend coming up, Sept 18th, and I'm so excited!! After that is time to start putting everything together!!! I feel like time is flying and I need more time to set everything up!!!

Arella loves the right side of my belly, you can see her kicks mostly on that side!! Her hiccups are down low so I'm hoping she is getting into position.

I had a Drs appointment on Sept 9th, I cant believe we are going biweekly!! Belly measured perfect (30-31), HB was 155, BP was 115/72, no protein and no UTI, I have gained a total of 17 lbs which he said it was perfect!! We are aiming for a max of 25, we will see!! Im eating a lot more!

Next appointment will be on Sept 22th at 4:00 pm. And we will be having a growth u/s by week 35. By measuring my belly and previous u/s he thinks she will be 7-8 lbs, so he wants to make sure she is not that big so that we can attempt natural birth, I really hope so! :)

He said I can travel until week 32, we were hoping to go to Kentucky on the 23rd, but Jorge has to wait and see if he sells his horse first, so that we can go to buy another one. If not, maybe we will go to Ocala in a few weeks, we definitely need a last getaway before Arella gets here!!

I'm having such a hard time at work, I hate the driving, about 2 hrs a day... and I'm feeling more and more tired... and all I have in my head is all I need to get done before she gets here!! I'm hoping to stop working around my 35th week... we will see what the Drs think and if we can handle loosing my income that soon...

Here are the belly pics for week 30!!!

29 weeks update!!

I'm super late for my 29 wks update!!! Things are going great, but I'm starting to feel more tired.

I have been working on her room too, mostly buying things I need for her, and I will soon start putting everything together. We just have the crib and the glider setup.

I have started to get lots of reflux... no heartburn though... mostly at night!! I'm trying to eat less at night and I read is good to sleep in a more seated position, but then my back hurts so much! My feet hurt too at the end of the day, I feel like I have walked all day long! I'm not swelling yet thank God.

Arella is growing very well, my belly is getting huge!! I'm having people asking me if I'm almost there!! Nope still 2 months to go! She is still very active, you can see from the outside how much she moves! She gets lots of hiccups too!!!

Got my maternity pics done too! I will post them very soon :)

I started my TO DO list before Arella gets here, and OMG I'm overwhelmed with all I need to get done!!

Here are my belly pics from week 29!

28 weeks!! Welcome 3rd trimester!! and 3d U/S!!

Third trimester is here!!!!!!!!! WOW I cant believe it, it still seems so unreal!! This last weeks have flown by!!!!

I had a great week, we finally got approved to move in!! So this past weekend was horrible... I was soo exhausted at the end of the day! I felt like when you go to Disney and walk all day long! We moved as much as we could from Friday to Sunday... then on Monday the movers came in to move the big stuff... so we were finally able to sleep in the new house! My room is still a mess... I have about 5 boxes and 3 bags to open, and many things to hang!! But I'm taking it one day at a time! It is actually a suite... so I have a little kitchen and living room. I will post pics once its set up.

Arella is moving a lot... she now puts herself into some weird positions you can even see her from the outside! It gets so uncomfortable sometimes that I need to push her a little so she can move from that position!!! I feel her legs around my belly buttom, and her hands very LOW! She is head down according to our 3d... hoping she stays that way :)

I had my 3d u/s on Wed... Aug 26th. It was 30 minutes, from which she cooperated about 5-10... but at least we could see her sweet face! She was smiling a lot too... and covering her face with her hands.. and OMG she was putting her foot in her mouth many times, its incredible how flexible they are!!! The tech said she looks much bigger than 28 wks!! I guess we will see on our 32 wks u/s!! Everyone says she looks like Daddy... I cant tell much by the pics... but I think she has my mouth... not too long before we see her :)

Pregnancy is going well... I'm still constipated but dealing with it OK. My belly gets very hard at night and I do get a couple of BH too. I'm starting to feel heavy too! No heartburn yet.. and I'm still walking up earlier and just once a night to pee. I actually woke up 3-4 times a night until 14-16 weeks and then no more than once... but I'm sure I will start walking up more often now! My Drs appointment was on Thursday but I moved it to next Thursday... this is such a busy week that I cant miss more work!

I'm going to get the crib this weekend, finally!! I'm hoping to start on the nursery... Im hoping to paint and set up the crib and put some of her clothes away this weekend... Its a long weekend, so I'm hoping I get a lot done!

I'm having my maternity pics on Friday!! Cant wait!! I still haven't decided what to wear!! I feel so huge that there is very few things I like! Hoping Jenn can do some miracles with the camera :)

So here are the belly pics for week 28th and the 3d u/s!








PUTTING HER FOOT ON HER MOUTH!




THIS IS MY FAVORITE! SMILING!

27 weeks update!!

Cant believe 2nd trimester is over!!!!!!! Our little girl will be here in no time!!! :)

I had a great week! She moves more and more every day!! Oh my God she is soo active and I love her so much!!

She has been having hiccups too, its so funny! She gets them very often though... like at least once a day! I'm feeling her kicking close to my ribs... so I'm hoping that means she is head down!! We will find out at our 3d u/s!!!

Registry is finally done!!! and invitations for the baby shower sent! Baby shower will be on September 18th!!!

We are getting an answer on the house, hopefully by the end of the week! Cant wait to move and start on the nursery!! We are also buying her crib this weekend!!!! So excited!

Constipation is the same.. and no much heartburn. My back hurts... but it hasn't gotten worse. I'm still sleeping pretty well... but I'm waking up once to go the bathroom.

I get BH when I'm stressed out! My belly gets as hard as a rock! But other than that I'm feeling great!!

Oh and I'm super hungry! Eating more than before, so scared to weight myself!!

And the belly pics for the week!!

26 weeks update!!!

WOW, time is definitely flying now!!

Miss Arella moves a lot, I'm now feeling her kicks by my belly button, so I'm hoping that means she is head down! We will see at our 3D u/s next Thursday, Aug 26th at 7:00pm!!

I'm having some stretching pains too, and my belly itches!! I think I'm growing by the minute!!

We finally found a HOUSE!!! Its a 5 bedroom, and we will have our own suite with walking closet, private bathroom, small kitchen and independent access!! Arella will have her room as well!! We are just waiting on the association to approve us, hopefully we have no problems there! :)

I have had less braxton hicks since we found the house, so I definitely now they are stress triggered! I need to stress less... for my little lady, so I'm trying my best!

I'm also eating A LOT! I mean, I'm hungry ALL day long! I hope that doesn't mean I will be putting too much weight in this next 3 months!

Constipation is much better, I think the iron is actually helping instead of making it worse. I'm also eating LOTS of fiber, so that is contributing too.

Back pain is better too, I think I finally found a better way to sleep! I'm barely waking up in the middle of the night, so that is giving me more rest! I'm much much tired though.. I think I can sleep all day long!

Work is getting tedious.. UGHH... I'm having a much harder time concentrating and I'm forgetting everything!! If I don't keep an agenda, I have half of the things done! Definitely a pregnancy brain here!!

Everything is going well.. I'm soo happy and cant thank God enough! We are getting closer to meet our miracle princess!!

Here are the belly pics from week 26... you can definitely see how much I'm growing!

25 weeks update!

WOW less than 100 days to go!!! Time is flying but on the other hand it feels slow since I cant wait to meet my little princess!!

Arella moves A LOT! I feel her all day long! At night you can actually see from the outside how much she moves!! I'm growing like crazy too, I'm even getting questions like are you close to having your baby?? mmm just 6 months here!

I have been having lots of BH... my belly after 4pm gets EXTREMELY hard that is so uncomfortable... I need to lay down in bed to feel better... but when I get up it doesn't go away. I feel better in the mornings.

I have had added stress with the house issue too... basically I live with my parents, and they have been renting there for almost 8 years... and not that house is in foreclosure. And we got a notice last month that we need to be out by the 21st of Aug! So that is next week! My dad has been going to court to see if we can extend the date at least another 15 days... but we don't have an answer yet. We have been making offers on other houses too.. but for one reason or another it hasn't work. I'm going to my aunts and my stuff to a storage until we find a house. But is so stressful thinking Arella will be here in less than 3 months and I need to start on her room! Also, as I get bigger packing and unpacking gets more complicated! We are hoping we find one soon, we trust God.. so we know we will. Maybe this added stress is what is causing all my BH.

Yesterday I cried because I didn't like lunch... LOL! First time I cry for basically no reason! It was between crying and laughing at the same time!

Still very constipated, and now I'm taking iron but fortunately it hasn't worsen. Back pain is still there, but I'm managing it better. I haven't had anymore leg cramps either. I started getting some heartburn... maybe my little girl is growing some hair!!

Oh and I book my maternity session!! I'm soo excited!! It will be on September 3rd! I just filled my PTO form, so that I can get the day off!! I have a Drs appt that day too at 145... but I want to do my hair in the morning! So a day off will definitely work!

Baby shower is set for September 18th at 3pm! YAY we finally have a date. Now I'm gathering the addresses and my best friend is doing the invites, hopefully soon they will be send out, we still have time!

And here are the belly pics for week 25!

Passed my glucose but...

I got a call from My Drs nurse, I passed the glucose test!! YAY!! I got an 87 which she said was perfect :)

But... I'm anemic! I have never been anemic in my whole life! I eat VERY good, I'm such a good eater! I'm still eating great, protein, fruits, vegetables, beans, milk... and I have been taking my prenatals every day! She said I'm a bit anemic, but I need to start on iron pills because as the pregnancy progresses it could get worse. So I'm taking one tablet of slowfe a day and I guess they will check my iron again on my next appointment.

I'm also eating lots of fiber, I have heard that iron makes you even more constipated! Like if I don't have enough with my constipation! So I'm hoping it doesn't make it that bad!

Everything else is going great, Arella moves a lot and is soo reassuring! I do get lots of braxton hicks, specially at night... but what can you expect when I'm in the middle of packing and moving :)

Drs appointment at 25 weeks

My monthly check up was today!!! I cant believe Im 25 weeks!!! Appointment went great!!

HB was 148, blood pressure 105/63, no protein in urine, belly measures 26, and I gained 3 lbs for a total of 11 lbs, which the Dr said its great!!

I had my glucose done today as well, I will get the results tomorrow!

Next appointment is on September 3rd at 1:45pm at 29 weeks. I will then go at 32 and we start the 2 week appointments! Soo excited!! He did say that since she is measuring a bit bigger, we will have an u/s done at 32 weeks to check for her growth, he keep telling her that she needs to be a 7 lb baby not a 9lb like her mommy :)

I will continue on baby aspirin until 32 weeks, he said I could take 2 Colace a day for constipation and that a massage and heating pad will work for my lower back! I have a prenatal massage on Saturday, I cant wait!!

Everything is going well!! Praise God!

24 weeks and Great Cardiologist Appointment!

We have reached viability!!! Not that I want her here anytime soon, but its great to know she has a chance to survive outside the womb! Even though that thinking scares me to death, I really want her to be full term!

I think the best about this week was knowing that she is perfectly healthy! Also, she moves sooo much, I enjoy her all day long, she never stops!!! I also enjoy seeing how much my belly is growing! I feel huge already, cant imagine how big it will get once I reach 9 months!

I do have lots of lower back pain, sometimes so much that I cant get off bed! I have sciatica pain sometimes too specially on my right leg. Constipation seems to be the worst part, doesn't matter how much fiber I take, I still have a hard time. New this week, is EXHAUSTION! I'm falling asleep at 9pm, that is soo not me! I usually go to bed by 11-12!! Also at the end of the day I usually feel more pressure down there too, so I know I need to lay down and relax, my belly tends to get very hard at night as well. But no complains here, I would do it all over again for her, pregnancy is hard but well worth it.

Best news was at the pediatric cardiologist Dr Mass yesterday, our little princess has NO MORE ARRHYTHMIA! Praise God!!! She thinks it was part of her growth spurt! I will be bringing her at 2 months old, just for a follow up checkup. I quit the caffeine as well, not sure if that has anything to do with it, but it cant harm. I'm not a bring coffee drinker, but I have a cortadito sometimes in the afternoon, but no more!

Here is a pic of her u/s yesterday! They didn't weight her again, because we just had one done last Friday, but she said she looks like a big baby and definitely long legs and arms! Maybe she will be like Daddy! She was sucking her thumb, well both of her thumbs!! She was moving a lot too and cooperate very well, so they were able to get all her measurements again!



And I'm growing by the minute!! Here are my belly pics!!









Tomorrow is my monthly checkup! Hoping I didn't gain more than 4 lbs! We will see! I will be having my glucose testing as well!!!

U/S at Dr Q

Dr Q was the Dr I was referred to for our NT scan and anatomy scan. On our anatomy scan at 18 weeks they couldn't measure everything, so they had me go back at 21 weeks. We keep joking saying that she doesn't like this Dr, or his tech, because she will be in a position that make it impossible for them to measure all her parts. They couldn't see her from the front, so they couldn't get a good measurement of the heart, and thought it was maybe deviated to the left. So he referred us to Dr Mass for a fetal echo cardiogram and then he wanted to see us again for a last u/s to make sure she was growing fine.

Our echo cardiogram was on Wednesday, and she was a perfect baby, she let them take all her measurements, she changed from having her head down low on the right of my abdomen to being on a breech/vertex position with her head on the left close to my belly buttom. Well just 2 days after that, today, she was back to that same position she has been on the last 2 u/s at this place! She is definitely a stubborn little lady, and I'm sure now that she doesn't like this Dr at all!! He was saying, Oh wow we are never going to be able to see her face! :)

On a good note, the Dr said he wasn't concerned about the arrhythmia, he said is very common and that there are no other signs of a problem, he is 99% sure if will go away on its own. YAY!

She weights 1.8 !!! She is on the 40% for some things and on the 70% for others! She is growing perfectly fine, and measures 2 days ahead!

We are still going to the cardiologist on Tuesday for a last peak and then I have my regular OB appointment on Thursday, I will be having the glucose testing that day as well.

All in all great news, and we couldn't be happier!! For the 10th time I believe I made them check she was still a girl, and she is all PRINCESS! :)

Fetal Echo Cardiogram appointment

We had a fetal echo cardiogram appointment yesterday with Dr Mass. First of all the reason they sent me was because Arella was not cooperating in the past 2 u/s and he couldn't get a good view of the 4 chambers and the position of the heart, he thought she might have it a little deviated to the left.

We waited about 2 hrs to be seen, but the Dr was great and Arella definitely liked her and the technician. She was now in a breach/vertex position, but she was moving ALL over the place. They were able to take all the measurements they wanted and got very good pictures.

They congratulate me for all the water I'm drinking, they said I'm doing a great job! And that she has a penthouse in there and has a lots of room, no wonder I feel huge. They didn't weight her nor measure her, but they thought she looked like a big baby girl. The tech was amazed of how much she moves, he said I have a little dancer in there!

Diagnostic: She has a perfect anatomy and position of the heart, they were able to get a perfect view of her four chambers, aorta, and everything was flowing perfectly. She did notice though that she has a little bit of fetal arrhythmia or an extra beat but its very infrequent, she said its very common and that most of the time it resolves when she is born. She also said that maybe she just grew a lot in this past 2-3 days and that next week she probably wont have it anymore, so we are getting another look on Tuesday. If she still has it, we just have to check her when she is born and make sure that the valve is closed.

We trust in God 100% and we are sure if will resolve on its own, she is perfect and I'm glad it was nothing serious. I cant wait for tomorrow to see how much she weights! I will post the pics of the u/s in a few... she was opening and closing her mouth, sticking her tongue out and yawning, so cute!

23 weeks update!!

After the scare from last week with the Braxton Hicks, this week was much better. I do get them once in a while specially at night, but I think its normal.

I'm still having trouble with being soo constipated, maybe that also causes the BH... don't know.

I started packing some of my stuff, even though we don't know yet where we are moving. They didn't accept our offer to the house we wanted, so we are back to square one. We are also looking for 2 bedroom apartments in case we cant find a house to move in with my parents. We have to be out by August 15th. We will be much much tighter if we move on our own, but we might have no other choice.

Arella is moving a lot, I love feeling her!! Even with that it is still unreal sometimes, we waited and prayed so long for this, that I still cant believe this is really happening to us.

Today is my fetal echo cardiogram at 230, I cant wait for it to be over and go home with great news!! I'm leaving it to God, and hoping our little princess is just perfect! Maybe a little stubborn though... :)

I'm growing by the minute, here are my belly pics!!!

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22 weeks update!!!!

A little late again!!! This was an eventful week, so here is the update!

The good things: Arella moves a lot, I feel her all day!! I can feel a kick and a punch at the same time!! My belly is growing by the minute, and now everyone notices I'm pregnant!

The not so good things: First my lower back is killing me! I have a lot of pain, specially when I lay in bed and try to stand up! I have been having prenatal massages and it helps but just for that day. I also bought a maternity belt specially for when i walk, but I haven't use it yet. Constipation is horrible as well... I take Colace every day and prunes, and I still have lots of trouble. And I started having some braxton hicks and pressure down there as well, story to follow.

On Monday July 19th, I had a lot of tightness and pressure down there in the afternoon. When I got home from work I went to the park to walk thinking that it will help, WRONG! It made it worse. Got home, took a shower and went to sleep, next day I woke up feeling MUCH better! So I went to work, that afternoon I started feeling some pressure again and my belly was so tight, but I wasn't sure what this was all about. Those two days I was trying to find a house to move in so I guess the stress caught up and made that "pressure" worst. Next day, on Wed, I called the Dr just to make sure everything was fine, and they made me go in. They did an u/s and my cervix measured 3, amniotic fluid was perfect, bp was 111/74, everything was fine. He did say he didn't want me driving for 2 days and to try to be home as much as possible. He believes the stress, driving, working and packing was too much, he said I over did it. He told me that every time I feel like that, I need to lay down and relax, so I'm following his orders :) Arella still needs to cook much longer!

All in all everything is great! I have been adding and taking out things from my registry EVERY day!

I hope we can find a house soon too, so please say some prayers!!

And here are my 22 weeks belly pics!

21 weeks update!

I'm late again! So sorry!! Life have been a little hectic! We are trying to find a new house with an extra room, and it had been impossible! I'm also starting to pack as much as I can so that when the time comes I have some stuff ready!

Pregnancy is going great, Arella moves a lot and I'm soo thankful for that!!

I'm walking 3 to 4 times a week for about 45 minutes and that is going great, but I get home and pass out soo quickly!!

I'm still having lots of back pain specially when i lay down in bed, I had a prenatal massage this weekend but the lady was so afraid to do that she barely put pressure, so it did NOTHING!

I guess the worst part for now, its constipation! I'm having such a hard time with this! I'm eating prunes, lots of fruits, water and taking colace, it helps but it is still not normal...

I bought a couple of things for the nursery this week! Mainly the bedding and some accessories, we will be buying the crib this weekend coming up! Here are some pics of my favorite things :)

Bedding:



Lamp



Dollhouse Bookcase




And here are the belly pics for week 21! I'm getting big but no complains here! :)