5 Week Bumpdate

*Originally written on June 12, 2017*

I can't believe I'm doing bumpdates again. The last week and a half has been very surreal and it's still hard to believe we're pregnant. 

How far along? 5 weeks

Baby is the size of an: Appleseed.

Total weight gain: I weighed myself the first day I got a positive and since then, I've lost a couple of pounds. 

Stretch marks? No. 

Maternity clothes? No, but this first trimester bloat is no joke and maternity clothes sound really nice! 

Sleep: I've been sleeping pretty good, which should have been one of my biggest clues that I was pregnant. I sleep very soundly in the beginning. I get up maybe once to go pee, but I'm dead to the world when I fall asleep.

Best moment this week: Getting our second pregnancy blood test back and seeing the numbers increase. 

Miss anything? An ice cold Mexican beer. If I had any idea/clue I'd get pregnant on my own, I would've indulged on Memorial Day! 

Food cravings: Nothing yet. Nothing sounds good to eat. I'm forcing myself to eat just because I know I need to and I'm making it a point to eat healthier, fresh foods. 

Anything making you queasy or sick? Nope. I don't think that'll kick in for another week (hopefully later or never!) 

Gender: I'd really love another boy, but I'll be happy with whatever we're blessed with because they were obviously meant to be in this world!

Labor signs: Hopefully not for a very long time! 

Symptoms: I was really thirsty during week 4, but that has seemed to subside. This week my boobs have been aching on and off, achy/crampy lower abdomen.  Quick, sharp pains in my lower abdomen that go away as fast as the came, but man they catch me off guard every time.  Some heartburn, which I wasn't expecting until later on in pregnancy and lower backache that seems to come and go, no appetite, fatigue has hit me hard. I have no energy to do anything. And man have I been moody! Like PMS times 10. I don't remember being this moody/hormonal with Caleb but Chris said he does! 

Belly button in or out?  In.

Wedding rings on or off: On.

Happy or moody most of the time: Mooooooody!

Looking forward to: Our first ultrasound on June 22nd. 

It has been so hard to keep this pregnancy a secret. We want to tell EVERYONE, but are also very cautious because it's so early and we want to hear the heartbeat before we share the news. My OB GYN's office can't get me in until some time in July and that's just unacceptable to me.  When I found out I was pregnant, I contacted our fertility clinic to let them know because this is all so new to us and completely unexpected. Our IVF nurse asked me to get labs done for my HcG, estrogen and progesterone. HcG is the pregnancy hormone that confirms pregnancy.  My OB's office wouldn't order the labs, so I contacted our family doctor who I absolutely adore and she was more than willing to order the labs for me.  

I had my first labs done on June 6th (16dpo) and my HcG came back at 441!  My first HcG test with Caleb at 15dpo was 229.  My estrogen was on the lower end, 64, and my progesterone was great, 20.34. My fertility doctor called in a prescription for Estradiol to help boost my estrogen and Prometrium as a precaution for my progesterone because it won't hurt.  My estrogen was on the lower end with Caleb too, so I'm trying not to worry about it.  My second HcG test at 22dpo came back at 4,421 and it doubled about every 43 hours- they want to see it double at least every 48 hours so that's good! My progesterone was 31.85 and estrogen was 150.

We went ahead and scheduled an ultrasound with our fertility doctor for June 22nd, I will be 6 weeks 3 days and a heartbeat should definitely be seen/heard.  We have to pay out of pocket for that, but it is nothing compared to the 20k we were going to spend for our next IVF cycle.  And it will give us peace of mind that everything is ok.  

We are so excited to tell our families and share our amazing news with everyone.  I've been taking daily pregnancy tests because it still doesn't feel real and seeing those lines is the only confirmation that I'm pregnant. I'm praying daily that this baby sticks around and we get to meet him or her in February.

Alissha