Ahh, the (Unexpected) Joys of Pregnancy

I've said this many times in my blog thus far, but I'll say it again. I really don't have reason to complain much about my pregnancy so far; everything has been fairly easy and great (uh hem, knock on wood)! However, my bladder is not my friend these days. It's always been a bit of a joke to family and friends when it comes to my bladder (which I'm convinced has got to be pea sized), and the fact that I always seem to have to 'go' all the time. So, I hadn't thought much of it the last few days when I would visit the restroom, yet 5 minutes later, I have to go again.

What tipped me off was the pain I would feel while walking to the restroom, like a feeling I wouldn't make it there.....then to get there and have barely anything happen. Quite annoying. So, I decided to give in and let my doctor know, since I have read that urinary tract infections can be more common during pregnancy. I called late yesterday afternoon and left a message, and not 10 minutes later did they call back and advise that I come in right away. So, I rush out of work and (cautiously) speed the whole 20 something miles to the doctors office. My nurse practitioner tested me in the office (urine, kidneys, bladder), and everything was normal. But, she's sending everything to the lab just in case. If all is well, then it would just be my luck to have a kid that thinks it's fun to jump on my bladder all day long! She said even though the baby is small, it's not unreasonable to think that is what's happening.

I also learned that they apparently found a small fibroid in my uterus during my scan last week. I haven't done much research yet, but these are fairly common during pregnancy (and in general). They can, however, cause problems if they get too large or grow into the cervix. I will certainly have to ask my doctor about his next week at my appointment, but my nurse didn't seem overly concerned.

What made all this torture tolerable was when she whipped out the Doppler to check on the little nugget! She found the heartbeat very fast, which surprised me - and hearing it made me burst out laughing (a better option for me than weeping) so she had to start over and find it again to count the beats per minute. Right on track at 150 bpm. She even measured my stomach for growth, which is the first time I've had this done, and I'm also measuring right on track at 14 weeks! I'm still in such awe that my body is creating a new life. I think this attributed to my laughter...it's all just so amazing!



Speaking of 14 weeks, this next week the baby can now squint, frown, grimace, pee, and possibly suck his/her thumb! Thanks to brain impulses, the facial muscles are getting a workout as his tiny features form one expression after another. The baby can grasp now too and I'm hoping at our next ultrasound, we might get a shot of the wee one sucking their thumb! I just think this would be the cutest thing to see. From head to bottom, the baby should now be around 3 1/2 inches and weighing in at 1 1/2 ounces. Growth spurts over the next few weeks will be crazy, I should really start to show here fairly soon! I sure hope so, because right now I just look really bloated, ha!