aubreys-blog

8/27/2010 Pregnancy Post

Fri, 27 Aug 2010 20:44:29 +0100

Hello! I am officially half way through my pregnancy!!! I am so sorry that I haven't posted in a couple of weeks, it has been crazy around the Friedly house! Today the hubby and I started our last project before the baby comes-putting in hard wood floors in our condo. I have always wanted to do this since we bought the place 5 years ago, but we just never had the money nor the time nor the will power. Now that in 4 1/2 months we will be super poor, we decided to just do it! Although, I haven't been able to help much, as I don't know what to do, and Levi doesn't want me to be too involved seeing as how I am pregnant. The floors are nice-a darker cherry and man I am so excited to have them done! But it will probably take a while to put in, as ther is a lot of cutting and measuring involved.
So far, my second trimester has been all that the docs said it would be-the best part! Except the growing and the bodily changes, but I am taking it day by day. Some days I feel great and have no emotions, and others, I feel like a teain wreck! The hubby and went to the Broncos game this past Saturday (we have season tickets) and it came to my attention that thisfootball season may a little hard for me to go to all of the games, as I have to get up/stand up every hour or so to get the blood circulating! My body is just feeling so much different than anything I have ever felt. I can actually feel my uterus moving around inside of me, and my hips and butt are killing me in the morning, as I can only sleep on my sides and I switch sides about everyhour throughout the night. But it is all soooo worth it! Levi and I have been going for walks every morning with our dog, just to get some exercise and help things losen up from the night before. It has been so nice to walk with him, as it is just another way for us to bond and be close.
Names have been tough, as we like about 4-5 names. We have accepted that we won't know who the little man is until we meet him, so we just call him baby right now, or baby boy.
My mom has been in town this past week for my gram's 80th birthday. She left Wednesday. I love my mom very much and it was so great to see her, but man can she ever drive me crazy! I took her to Babis R Us to show her the crib that we want and all this other stuff that we like/want/need and man if she didn't put down everything I showed her! She said that I didn't need all this stuuf because she didn't need it or have it when she had babies (which was about 25 years ago). It was just a little hard to hear. And she didn't understand why I wanted where I was to bre registered at on my baby shower invites-she wondered why people ouldn't just buy me what they wanted to. Which they all well could, but then I would end up with a dozen of what I don't need and nothing of what I do need. I did find it funny that she didn't know that people register for babies!
I have been noticing when I am vitamin deficient. Some days I don't eat as much as others and I find myself to be tired and cranky. I take my prenatal vitamin or drink a glass of milk and feel better. It's great how my body is designed to warn me that I need more vitamins, or maybe my baby's telling me!
Ahhhh, I do think that I have been feeling the baby! Just in flutters mostly (which is hard to distinguish between gas sometimes!) but wow is it ever cool. I just cannot wait to have the baby be big enough to wiggle around and have Levi feel it! I am looking forward to it so much!
Levi, as I say every time, has been amazing. He went out to get us icecream one night, as I had a craving for cookies and cream, and he brought back cookie dough. Feeling terrible, he ran back out and brought back mint cookie icecream (yummy) and chocolate milk as a "sorry". Man, he is so amazing and supportive and thanks me for taking care of our boy.
Last but not least, we have started the doula interviewing process-although being a doula and knowing almost everyone in Denver who is a doula, I kind of already have an idea of who I would like to interview/hire. I am a very private person, so I need a doula that I can listen to and one that I am not to much of friends with, otherwise I may not ba able to be naked in front of them.
Well. that's all for now. I apologize in advace for anything that didn't make sense!
More to come
Aubrey

8/10/2010 Pregnancy Post

Tue, 10 Aug 2010 21:35:26 +0100

It's a BOY!!!!!! So much for waiting haahaaahaa!!!! Oh well, everyone is so excited and also happy that we caved and found out the sex of the baby so they can start buying us clothes :)
The doc appointment went very well, the baby looks very healthy and is growing right on schedule, as am I. The doctor said that I should expect to gain about 1 pound per week from here on out, as the baby is going to start accumulating fat as well-right now he is just skin and bones! The only thing that the doctor found that he will recheck for in about 10 weeks is that the placenta is covering part of my cervix. If the placenta was covering all of my cervix her would be very concered about placenta previa, which means I would not be able to have the baby vaginally. However, he was very optomistic that the placenta will move up as my uterus grows, because it was only covering part of the cervix and looks to be in a position to move up. So, I am not worried at this point.
Sleeping has been getting more rough, as my hips are "killing me" by the morning, and I haven't been able to sleep as long as I used to. My knees are also starting to bug me a little bit as I walk, as my body is not used to carrying the extra weight, even though I haven't gained much. it's still more than my body is used to. I cannot wait to feel the baby move though, which should start happening sometime in the next couple of weeks!!!
We had a very emotional weekend this past weekend, as our dog hurt himself and may need surgery. We got some reassuring news today from an orthopedic surgeon, and eased our minds a bit about having to come up with a couple thousand dollars for surgery.
More to come,
Aubrey

8/5/2010 Pregnancy Post

Fri, 06 Aug 2010 01:08:15 +0100

I realized today just how lonley I feel now that I am pregnant. I feel like I have no one to share my pregnancy with. Levi has been really great about things, but seeing as how he is the bread winner of the family, he's not home during most of the day. My mom lives in Michigan and I call her pretty much everyday but has been really busy lately with friends. My sister lives in Florida and I can't ever seem to get her on the phone to talk and I haven't seen any other of my family members-aunts, uncles, cousins- since I found out I was pregnant- I am almost 18 weeks preggo. I guess it just feels that no one (besides Levi and me) is excited about this baby; it is the first baby on my side of the family from anyone my age, so shouldn't it be a big deal?? I was the first one of my friends to get married (which I was ok with since I was 20), but 6 years later, somehow I am the first to have a baby, and I just feel like I can no longer relate to them anymore. One of my close friends doesn't even know if she wants children, so I find it hard to think that she can be excited for me, especially since in about 22 weeks, I will have to join my friends for dinner with a +1.
I am really not trying to have a pitty party, it has just been a little difficult. I was at Target today looking at baby stuff and realized that I had no one to call and talk about what I liked and what would be the most practical purchase. I texted Levi some pictures, but I don't want to bother him at work. I bought my first maternity clothes today and that was hard for me. I feel like I have no clothes to wear (other than sweatpants), but don't see the logic in buying maternity clothes. I bought a belly band to help hold my pants up and a couple of shirts, as my mom was "repelled" by the t-shirt I was wearing when I text her a picture of my belly.
We live in a condo in Denver and the HOA is having the building painted over the next couple of weeks and the place reaks of paint. Though I am not trying to inhale the paint, it's hard to get outside without smelling the paint and that bothers me, as I know paint isn't exactly the best thing to be smelling when you are pregnant. Also, we just had our car repainted and now that reaks of spray paint and I have to have all of the windows down when I drive so I don't inhale the spray paint. I know I can't stay away from everything, and I guess some of this worry can just be that of a paranoid first time mom. Well, I guess that's all for now. Our next doctor's appointment is on Monday, for our 18 week appointment. The doctors are going to look at the baby and they will be able to know what it is. As of right now, we are still not finding out the sex of the baby-but things may change when we are at the appointment. Wish us luck!
More to Come
Aubrey

7/28/2010 Pregnancy Post

Wed, 28 Jul 2010 21:12:08 +0100

Well, it has been 2 weeks since my last post- I am so sorry! Life has been busy. Levi had 4 days off this past weekend (which he never has) and we just hung out. I am almost 17 weeks pregnant!!! yay!!!
How am I feeling? Well, I think that I am starting to feel pregnant. It's getting to the point that I feel very uncomfortable after about 2 hours of sitting (which makes class and the bus ride home a little difficult) and I feel as if my legs aren't getting enough circulation. Our midwife said that this would start happening. I also am having a hard time sleeping-partly due to what I mentioned above, and partly because I can no longer sleep on my back, which just so happens to be my favorite position to sleep. My hips begin to hurt, so I feel my self shifting from side to side about every half hour or so. My days of sleeping 12 hours appear to be over..."just wait until the baby comes, you won't sleep at all!" people have been telling me.
Eating has been getting a little better-although I have craving the ugliest foods for me-taco bell, nachos, pizza-and I feel so awful and guilty after I eat them. I feel that I have been experiencing a little prenatal depression lately, I feel guilty about everything and can't seem to get over the tifts that me and Levi have. I feel like I am not being a good enough wife and I fear that it will get worse once the baby comes. I realize that me recognizing this is already a good thing so I can work on it not happening, but it doesn't keep me from feeling depressed. I am also having a hard time with getting bigger. I accepted that it would happen when I got pregnant, I was actually excited for the baby bump. But, at this stage, I just feel and look chubby, and wish that those who may be giving me dirty looks and judging me can feel my tummy and see that it's hard and not goopy-to know that I am pregnant and not fat. I guess that happens to a lot of pregnant
women...???
On the up side, I will hopefully be able to feel the baby move soon, the doc says between 17 and 20 weeks, so I am hoping for the sooner date :)
I am extremely excited for this part of my life and decorating our condo for the baby. We are planning on renting a storage unit to house the things that we don't need but can't bare to part with with. We already have most of everything packed up and ready to move in there, just waiting as long as possible to save money. We, hopefully, have picked out our crib. Babies R Us has mini cribs and would fit perfect in our bedroom. They are so beautful and I can't wait to get it and set it up-although I have to keep telling myself that we still have about 26 weeks to go, and we also still have my baby shower, Christmas and my birthday to get all the supplies we need. I am so excited and feel so blessed to have the support that I do.
More to come,
Aubrey

7/14/2010 Pregnancy Post

Wed, 14 Jul 2010 21:27:15 +0100

Well, it's official- I am an emotional rollar coaster! I have cried 4 times so far today-and Levi has been very patient about it but I think that it was taking a toll on him today, because I just couldn't stop. He held me for a while, which helped but as soon as he'd let go, I start to cry again! It's very weird, as I almost just feel sad and depressed. And that's been going on for about a week now.
My taste buds are also off- everything that I eat is so bland I can harly swallow it! My weirdest craving yet has been the salad bar in the cafeteria at Rose Medical Center-the italian dressing and cheese sprinkles to be exact! Don't laugh! It seems that if I eat what I crave, then I can taste it. But if I eat anything else, it is just awful. I sure drove Levi crazy last night, trying to find something that sounded good that I wanted to eat-we weren't having any luck at all. Everything that I thought sounded good, sounded awful 2 minutes later.
We had our 14 week doctor appointment on Monday. Everything looks good. Heard the baby's heartbeat and it's very strong! It's so nice to hear it, so reassuring! At our next appointment they will be able to see the sex of the baby, which right now, we still don't want to know. However, a doula friend told me that it's easier to bond with your baby when it's inside you if you know the sex, so you can start calling it by name. So I am torn on if we should hold out and not find out or if we should "bite the bullet" and find out if we are having a little levi or a little aubrey. We will see
More Later
Aubrey

7/7/2010 Pregnancy Post

Wed, 07 Jul 2010 21:34:27 +0100

Oh my, do I feel worn out! My body is completely changing and it's a weird feeling. I entered into my second trimester on Monday, so I am a little over 13 weeks pregnant today as I write this. My appetite has gone way down, as my morning sickness has gone way down. I was eating quite often during my first trimester to try and keep from feeling natious. My stomach is starting to stretch and is getting hard! Man it feels weird! I am worried about stretch marks though (as I am sure all women are), so if anyone has any ideas, shoot me an email!
I started my second trimester out with a very rollercoaster of emotions of a day and cried in Levi's arms for a good half hour. As silly as this sounds, it felt good to cry!
My clothes are starting ti fit funny, but only in the tummy, so I am thinking about buying one of those elastic bands th keep my pants from falling down so I can unbutton them to sit down! My cravings have been a little weird though-the last real one that I had was Bloody Mix and ice cream! Oh, if you haven't tried those single serving shots of ice cream, you sooooo need to try the caramel one-it's delicious!
As I have mentioned, we don't plan on finding out the sex of the baby, so the element of suprise is waiting! I have been refering to the baby as a "he", but I think I am just compelled to say that since everyone thinks it's a boy, and I may have convinced myself to go along with it. But 2 nights ago, I had a dream that I went over to my brother's house for dinner, I was pregnant in the dream, and he made pink mashed potatoes and spaghetti-a little unconcious clue maybe???
My last private client is due Friday, so I will not be taking anymore clients after this mama. But I do plan on staying on call for the Birth Center and Lutheran Hospital (With Women) up until my 3rd trimester, so I will have the chance to enjoy being pregnant, and still get to be around birth a little while longer :)
Ugh, one thing that I have not enjoyed (besides getting up at 6am sharp to go to the bathroom) is the feeling that I have pee'd my pants by the middle of the day (sorry to gross you out). The excess discharge is very annoying. I keep hearing and reading about women feeling so sexy and sexually charged during pregnancy, but the "wet" feeling makes me feel so undesirable! Hopefully it won't last forever.
I have been reading Ina May's Guide to Childbirth and it's a great read, one that I recommend to all of my clients. I actually got angry last night while reading it, just so upset about childbirth in hospitals today that I had to put the book down and talk to my baby to help calm me down. I have been talking a lot to the baby lately. I talked to it about the Rockies game last night and the incredible inning they had to win the game! I also talk to it about how wonderful its dad is, and how loved its gonna be! Oh and that the baby will be a Denver Broncos fan (if it already isn't one)! It wll get to hear many cheers this fall when I will take it to games in my belly!

6/26/2010 Pregnancy Post

Sat, 26 Jun 2010 17:40:04 +0100

Hello All! Well not much has happened this week, just getting a little bigger. I am still not at the point where I am showing, but I think that I am. My eating has actually gone down a little bit, I think that's in part to not taking my prenatal vitamins, haven't had to eat to not be nautious :) I am very excited though, 2 more days and I will be 12 weeks pregnant! So exciting! I am so looking forward to being able to go to the gym (not feeling utterly exhausted and sick all the time) and actually start a normal diet. I hope the transition from first to second trimester happens like the books and others have said-you just wake up one day and you feel so much better. So here's to hoping that the next 3 months are awesome! I am also looking forward to working on our condo, moving stuff around (and out) and getting it ready for the baby. Levi and went garage saleing and got a stroller (practically brand new) and a ton of baby clothes- we obviously don't know what we are having yet, so we just got a bunch of green, yellow and white stuff, so cute!
Hopefully this next part doesn't gross you out, but I know other mama's out there can appreciate this: today I texted Levi and told him that I was so relieved, I pooped today! (I hadn't pooped in like 3 days) and he called me a poop camel-how mean! And yet, it was funny. He's been so great, talking about things with me, but also having fun at the same time, These 9 months are supposed to be so enjoyable and intimate for us, and I think that he is doing a great job being there for me and enjoying this time with me.
More to come!
Aubrey

6/16/2010 Pregnancy Post

Wed, 16 Jun 2010 22:22:54 +0100

Levi and I had our first doctor's appointment on Monday and we heard the heart beat for the first time!!! We also got our first ultrasound pictures!!! So exciting!!! The ultrasound was done internally-very weird, but once I saw the baby I could hardly tell. The doctor says that the baby has a very strong heartbeat-171 beats per minute and that he is growing right on schedule! It is 3.5 cm long. Actually, 2 days early, so the baby is now due on my birthday-very cool, and yet a little weird. If it's a girl, then it will definately be a little Aubrey :) I know the theory out there is that boys have stronger heartbeats, well in a little under 7 months we will see!
Ah, we really like the care at Rocky Mountain Women's Care-the midwife was very nice and listened real well, and the 2 docs that will deliver my baby are amazing! I feel very comfortable about having the baby at the hospital, even though I will have to give up a few perks I would have if I were to deliever at home.
Levi and I went "window shopping" today for baby stuff-I wanted to wait until I heard the baby's hearbeat before I jumped into buying baby stuff. We went to a baby store by our house and found an amazing pack n play for $59- it also had a changing table on top, we LOVED it. But, it was the display and no one knew how it colapsed, so we had to leave it at the store. I guess it wasn't the right time. I cannot wait to go garage saleing and start buying some baby clothes! I even went to a thrift store to see what kind of furniture they had-but they didn't have any.
My nausea seems to be getting a little better, now that I have eased up on the prenatal vitamins. My midwife said to stop taking them until my morning sickness goes away, as the vitamin B in it is making me feel more sick. I liked that she suggested that because I have been having to cut them in half to take, as they gag me every time :)
Food has been very weird this week- nothing sounds good at all! And what I think sounds good only makes me sick after about 2 bites. Very weird, but I guess that's how it goes. I will post images of the ultra sound later!
More to come
Aubrey

Friday June 11th, 2010-Pregnancy Post

Fri, 11 Jun 2010 21:15:59 +0100

Hello! Man a lot has happened this week! Levi and I have made a decision about our birth plans. Although it is very important to me to have a natural home birth, I really just don't think that we can make it work financially. So, after having a long talk with a fellow doula (thanks Ana!), I feel comfortable birthing at the hospital, and that I can have the natural childbirth that I want (well, maybe not exactly, but close). We have decided to birth at Presbyterian St. Luke's downtown, and the recommendation for that hospital calmed me down tremendously. Levi works for Rose Medical Center, and I am sure that many will assume that we will birth there; however, he and I had a long talk last night and I am so happy that he heard me and what I wanted for my birth. Amoung other concerns, one thing that really concerned me was that I would be naked and "exposed" in front of people that he interacts with on a daily basis, and well that made me uncomfortable. So, my dream of a home birth is going to have to wait until we have our second baby-and hey, maybe we will have a house by then!

Nausea has been really bad this week. I was at a prenatal meeting last night and the mama and the other doula were a little concerned as I was looking "green". I embrace it though, as it just means that everything is working and hopefully my baby is doing just fine. According to the book that I am reading, my baby is the size of a medium green olive. So very cool! It might be that small, but I already feel big-my clothes are already starting to feel different, and I can definately tell a change in my tummy. Oh boy.

I have been going to the bathroom A LOT! especially during the night. I can usually count on going about 3 times from when I go to bed, from when I finally decide to get up. Very annoying, and of course when I get up, I get nautious. Oh but I am enjoying knowing that I have a little person inside of me and that I am nurturing the best that I know how. And I owe a lot to my hubby, as he has been working so hard to make sure that I can be at home, resting and growing our baby. I love him.

Well, I have my first doctor's appointment on Monday, so more to come. I will be 10 weeks preggo on Monday-YAY!
Aubrey

Monday June 7th, 2010-Pregnancy Post

Mon, 07 Jun 2010 22:05:03 +0100

we had a pretty good weekend-levi has been working a lot, so I have been spending a lot of time by myself, which has been nice, but I get lonely and pretty lazy. Pregnancy exhaustionhas been very weird-I will have one productive day and get a lot of things done, and then will need to sleep for the rest of the week. I also have been feeling very sick at night time, right around 10:30 (which of course is when levi gets home from work). So I have been bringing a piece of whole wheat bread to bed with me to try and ease the nausea, and lets not forget peppermint oil!

So I am 9 weeks pregnant today and Levi and I gave ourselves until next monday to decide where to giev birth-the hospital or at home. It's a very hard decision to make. My very first option would be a home birth, as I will admit hospitals scare me, but money is tight right now and our insurance has not out of network benefits and the hospital would be 100% paid for. A home birth, in Denver, would average about $3000.00, and we are having a hard time trying to figure out where that money would come from. Guess we didn't prepare for that. Any ways, keep us in your thoughts and prayers as we try and make this decision. I really do want to birth at home, but I am trying to mentally prepare myself for the other option.
More to come!