Halfway!

Baby Raposa has officially made it to the halfway point!  I'd like to take a moment to point out that only ONE of my mom friends told me about women actually being pregnant for TEN months, versus the standard nine months everyone talks about.  So Donna, I owe you one!  The baby is officially the size of a small cantaloupe (although the ultrasound technician did say that Baby R is weighing in around 12 ounces currently).

I did pick up my Lovenox shots on Wednesday and my sister was kind enough to come over and give myself and Ben a tutorial about administering the shots.  Ben is a shoo-in to win the "Husband of the Year" award after the daily routine of me crying, covering my eyes, and then saying "Is that it?".  Bless his heart.

Now here is some exciting news (at least for me)!  I found out that my insurance covers the cost of one breast pump per pregnancy.  This is the Medela brand that is provided FREE of charge.  A few of my friends told me about checking my insurance coverage, but it was really shocking to find out that they will deliver one right to your door and you can keep it forever.  It's the small things.

Now for some non-baby related updates:

This past weekend was a busy one!  On Saturday, I co-hosted a bridal lingerie shower for my former boss, Sonia.  I promise not to disclose too much private information about the shower, but I have to show a few of my favorite details.

Favors/scratch-off game

Lingerie/bra cake pops

Myself, Sonia, and Melissa (co-host)

Melissa was a dream to coordinate a shower with!  We decided to have the shower at The Columbia in Ybor City.  Parking was easy and the room was already set up.  The servers were so attentive and the food was AMAZING!  I would definitely host an event there again. 

Ben and I also went to a friend's annual Oktoberfest party on Saturday night.  Unfortunately, the rain limited the log sawing contest that was set up and ready to go.  Here is a photo from that evening with some running buddies:

I was able to run 27 miles last week in addition to one swim.  The long-range plan is to run 12 miles next week and then taper down a bit before the Frankenfooter half marathon on October 26th.  Ben, Tracey, and I went to Flatwoods on Saturday morning to run our 11 miles.  There is a loop that is precisely 11 miles.  My goal is always just to run the entire time and not worry too much about my pace.  Our average pace was 10:18 for the 11 mile loop, which I was very happy with. 

While we were at a water stop, a woman ran up and was asking if this was my first pregnancy.  I told her that it was and people look at me like I'm a little crazy these days.  She said that she ran through both of her pregnancies and her one daughter just ran in the Olympic trials!  That's pretty promising future news for Baby R!

Shots! Shots! Shots!

Not very many people (beside Ben) know how much I love Lil Jon!  For real.  I really enjoy running to his music and actually faithfully watched him on Celebrity Apprentice.  He's actually very well spoken and a legitimate businessman.  So when I was thinking about writing this particular blog, this song came to mind...

So now my dirty Lil Jon secret is out in the open - judge if you'd like.

Anyway, Ben and I went to Tampa General on Monday morning to meet with Dr. Louis about the Factor 2 and 5 clotting disorders.  My doctor wanted me to get a second opinion, and referred us to Dr. Louis.  Our appointment was at 8:45, but the paperwork that was sent to me indicated that we have to arrive by 8:15 because we are new patients.  The plan was to drive to Ben's office (on Harbour Island) and then drive together to TGH.  

Let me just say that driving south on 275 to downtown Tampa in rush hour was nuts!  I have no idea how Ben manages to do that every day.  I'm pretty sure I would have a heart attack.  We made it to TGH just before 8:15, but the parking garage was a little more complicated than I had anticipated.  We finally parked (thank goodness we took my smaller SUV and not Ben's truck) and walked over to the USF Health building.  

Thank goodness they also included a map and parking instructions with the new patient information because I was referencing that sucker like it was my job! We finally arrived where were we supposed to be and only about 5 minutes off the 8:15 time we were supposed to be there.  Since I had already completed my paperwork, it was pretty simple and the nurse took us back in to a private room (this place is HUGE!) where she took my weight, blood pressure, etc..  She said someone would be right with us for the ultrasound.

Like I previously mentioned, we weren't exactly sure what this appointment was all about but we excited when we found out that we would be seeing the baby again.  The ultrasound equipment at USF Health was WAY better than the one at our doctor's office. The picture was much clearer, but the baby was not cooperating with the camera (as per usual).

I'm never sure if the ultrasound techs can tell the gender, but I assume they can.  They have all been really careful not to linger in the obvious areas, but we literally have no idea what we are looking at most times anyway.  We did get the following pictures of the head and tummy and feet:

It's one thing to know that you are pregnant, but a whole other thing to actually see a baby on the computer monitor.  It's such an amazing/surreal experience.  Let me just say that this little guy or gal loves moving around inside there.  The little hands and feet literally melt my heart!  The ultrasound was much longer than we are used to, but I honestly could have laid there and watched the baby all day.  Unfortunately, that was not an option.  The woman printed a few pictures for us and then brought us back to the holding room to wait for the doctor.

Dr. Louis called us in to her office after a while and we began looking at the baby pictures again.  She said that the baby looks great and was really happy to see that I was still exercising and being active.  She said the one downside of women who exercise during pregnancy is that sometimes their babies tend to be on the smaller size, but that doesn't seem to be a problem with our baby.  Then came the bad news - she said that basically I have two mutations of the blood.  One gene in the factor 5 and one in the factor 2, it makes me slightly more at risk to form a clot than a person just possessing one gene.

So, she recommended that I begin administering shots of Lovenox once per day until six weeks postpartum.  I was happy that Ben was with me, because I didn't really expect to hear this news.  Dr. Wenk initially had said that it most likely would not be necessary until after the baby is born, but Dr. Louis specializes in maternal/child care.  Ben assured me that this is a "better safe than sorry" scenario and he will help me make it a part of our normal morning routine.

I asked the doctor what would happen if I had to have a c-section, and she said that as long as the c-section isn't planned the Lovenox is such a small dosage that it would not affect anything.  (Our plan is to avoid a c-section at all costs, but I know that in some cases it will not be an option).  She said that I had 33 good years getting away with not tending to this health issue, being on estrogen-based birth control (which I should have never been) and now it's time to face the music.  Dr. Louis also said that in the future, I have to be really careful about long car trips/plane rides or any type of activity that requires sitting for an extended period of time.

So the challenge now is learning out to administer the shots (Not the good kind that Lil Jon likes)!

19 weeks!

At some moments, it's crazy to think that I'm already 19 weeks.  Other moments, it feels like I've been pregnant for much longer!   This past week was super busy!  On Saturday morning, Ben, Tracey and myself went to the Upper Tampa Bay Trail to get in a few miles before our long(er) run on Sunday morning.  Parking was a little scarce, but we got our miles in and heading home.  It's always nice to see our "regulars" at the UTBT on Saturday mornings.  We have what we call the "trifecta" which consists of a woman who jumps rope, a grown man who skateboards, and a guy who wears a tuxedo t-shirt.

Ben and I headed over to Orlando on Saturday afternoon to meet up with a man who is a model builder at Tampa International Airport in order to drop of some age group awards for the upcoming race that Ben is putting on.  John and his wife, Jeanine, asked us to go out to dinner and then wanted to take us over to a spot that they spend quite a bit of time volunteering.  I honestly had no idea about The Village they were talking about over dinner.

The Village is just outside of Orlando and is 72 acres and 144 villas that provides memorable, cost-free experiences for children (and their families) with life-threatening illnesses.  It was really overwhelming to see the only carousel in the world that can accommodate children in wheelchairs, an ice cream bar that is open all day long, and the "House of Miracles" where each visiting child gets their own star for permanent display.  None of the accommodations have corporate sponsorship's, they are all named after the children who have visited.  There is also a Gingerbread Run (virtually or at Medieval Times) that the Village hosts on November 8th.

We started listening to the Florida/Kentucky football game in the car on the way home.  We immediately turned on the game when we got home.  It was pretty intense (and if you know Ben, he can get pretty worked up about Gator football and basketball), and the game went in to TRIPLE overtime.  The Gators did win, but the game wasn't over until midnight.  It was quite a long day.

On Sunday morning, myself, Ben, Tracey,  Dougie, Anna and Travis heading over to FITniche (Wiregrass) for their first ever Sunday Pancake Run.  There were several different routes, and we all had different distances that we wanted to pursue so we decided to start off with a 7.6 mile route that was mapped out (pictured below).  The route was really nice and we even saw a hot air balloon on the run.

We did a little modified 2.4 mile route and I called it a day after 10 miles.  Dougie is training for a full Ironman in November, so he was running 2 hours 20 minutes. Everyone else took turns doing a few miles with him.  The pancakes (and the volunteers that cooked the pancakes) were really good.  I would have totally done the run without the promise of pancakes afterwards.  It was a nice way to spend a Sunday morning.  

On Tuesday, we had a doctor's appointment and ultra sound.  Here is the latest picture of our little babe:

He or she is currently weighing in at 11 ounces (typical size around this time is about 8.6 ounces, but I'm totally blaming Ben's long legs).  The baby appeared to be waving at us from the ultrasound and was very active while we were looking.  After some time, he or she turned their back to the "camera" and all we could see was the spine.

The doctor said that everything looked good and just to slow down a little on the weight gain (total of 11 pounds so far).   He also recommended that I get a flu shot (which I was not very happy about).  We have a follow up appointment with USF Health on Monday morning about the Factor 2 and 5 clotting disorder.  The doctor said to bring the lab report, but the nurse said that we are getting another ultrasound.  So, we aren't entirely sure what is going to happen on Monday.

The nurse said that we won't get another ultrasound until about 25 weeks and our next doctor's appointment is not until October.  I went ahead scheduled a tour of the hospital along with a Breastfeeding class and a Child-birthing/Parenting class.  There really are so many things to do!

The really cool thing is that several (about 6) of my friends are expecting as well.  It's been really fun to watch/listen/talk to them and hear about the different experiences.  Oh, and if you are expecting and you have not seen the movie "What to expect when you're expecting", it's a must see!

Until next time, y'all!

The Struggle is REAL!

What does that even mean?  Here is Urban Dictionary's definition: A (generally) ironic saying used in place of saying, "first world problems".  Has slightly more urban undertones than "first world problems".  Denotes a situation where the user wishes to express that they are encountering some sort of undesirable difficulty, but dealing with it.  With irony, it has a comical effect of dramatizing a non-critical, yet undesirable situation.

So what is my struggle you ask?  Getting dressed for work in the morning!  Ugh, why aren't yoga pants acceptable to wear everywhere?!  I'm at a point now in pregnancy that my normal clothes do not fit properly and maternity clothing looks a little ridiculous.  Every morning (with Ben as my witness), I feverishly try on shirt after shirt.  I always end up a sweaty mess by the time it's time to leave.

One of my coworkers, Sarah - who has two beautiful little girls, told me pretty early on about the all important belly band!  (Side note - a HUGE thank you to Sarah for the two gigantic bags of maternity clothes that she gave to me!).  Anyway, the belly band and I have become fast friends.  However, the band sort of makes you feel like a sausage...  But you can wear your normal clothing without buttoning or zipping all the way up as the band holds your bottoms in place (as shown below):  

Ben has been very helpful (and actually has a really good fashion sense)!  This past Tuesday, I was tossing clothes on the floor, the bed, etc... and he helped me piece together an outfit.  When I finally got to work, my boss asked me if I had a job interview because I looked so nice.  (!!)  Not only that, but I got a ton of compliments on my outfit and jewelry.

I've found some tips for staying fashionable during pregnancy:

• Wear jackets and/or sweaters 
• Scarfs are helpful to distract the eyes from going to your stomach or your new additional cleavage
• The maternity tank top is your friend, and easily worn under work clothes or sweaters
• Jewelry/accessories are your friend and easily used for distraction as well

Here's a photo from after work today.

I had to go to our main campus in New Port Richey for a meeting on Friday (where I had worked for 6 years until recently), and not very many people knew that we were was expecting.  I was a little surprised because I feel like it's pretty obviously.  But my coworkers have all been really supportive and seem to think that Ben and I will make great parents (we are working on that still).  

I'm officially 18 weeks now and the baby is now the size of a sweet potato (so delicious!).  This past week I ran a total of 28 miles and have been enjoying as many naps as I can possibly squeeze in.  I did feel my first baby kick yesterday, which felt a little weird at first, but is really such a cool feeling.

Pregnancy so far

Several people have been asking me how I've been feeling, what I've been craving, etc..  So here is the run down of all the commonly-asked questions:

What have you been craving? Watermelon!  I would go to Publix at lunch and get the small containers of watermelon chunks and eat that for lunch

How are you feeling?  I've been feeling really good!  Naturally, I'm tired most days but otherwise, really good.  I was lucky not to experience any morning sickness and just had a few days when I felt a little nauseous.

Are you still running?  Yes!  I've been able to maintain about 20-25 miles per week.  My pace is much slower than before, but it feels really good to get outside and sweat a little.  I first asked the doctor about running when we went to the initial visit and he said that running is fine (especially since I was a runner before pregnancy), but just to make sure that my heart rate is in check.  He also cleared me to run the Frankenfooter half marathon on October 26th.  I feel like this may be the last race for me and the little one for a while.

• Sidenote on running - many thanks to Ben and my bestest running buddy, Tracey Tripp, for slowing WAYYY down to accommodate my heart rate, tiredness, etc...

How much weight have you gained?  So far, 5 pounds.  I feel like I don't look pregnant just yet, just a little chunky.

Are you having a boy or a girl? Ben and I have decided not to find out the gender of the baby.  We figured that we will not get very many surprises like this in our lives (potentially ever again).

• Follow-up question - how are you going to plan the nursery or clothing if you don't know the gender?!  Sigh.  I've found it really hard to be diplomatic while answering this question, but simply we will be utilizing gender neutral colors in our preparation.  Grays, yellows, greens, etc...  I've learned that some people just ask really rude questions and I've been trying my hardest to bite my tongue.

Have you decided on a name? Yes and no.  We have decided on a girl's name and have a running list of boy's names that we are still undecided on.  Our close family and friends know the directions that we are going, but we don't want to "release" the names until our little onion has arrived.  I feel like when we see the baby's face we may change my mind anyway.

Now, all my friends have been asking for belly pictures!  Here is one from week 14:

If you have any other questions, just let me know ;)

Keeping up with the Raposa's

As a way of keeping in touch with family and friends who do not live locally, this blog will start with pregnancy updates and then detail the life and journey of our little one.  Currently, our little peanut is approximately 17 weeks and 6 days and the size of an onion.  Due date is February 13, 2015 (which just happens to be the six year anniversary of our first date!).

Here is the latest picture of our little one:

This photo was taken at about 14 weeks.  We will have another ultrasound on September 16th and get to see the babe again.  If you're thinking to yourself that this seems like a lot of ultrasound action, you would be correct!  Here's the story behind that:

When I first met with my OB/GYN, Dr. Ancheta, (who went to Michigan State University and refuses to wear Orange and Blue in the delivery room) I explained that I had a family history of a clotting disorder and that I had not been testing for the disorder.  Of course, he wanted to get the testing done right away to see if I did in fact have any clotting issues.  He said that if/when he found out the results that we would determine if I would be considered "high risk" (i.e. find a new doctor).  

I called around and by sheer luck/good fortune was able to meet with Dr. David Wenk.  Dr. Wenk was so understanding and personable (and not terribly ugly, either).  He told me about his own personal experience with his wife and trouble she was having getting/staying pregnant (and then immediately whipped out his iphone and showed me his adorable 9 month old daughter).  He ordered about 9 viles of blood to be drawn and just said that when he got the results he would call me and we would discuss any additional concerns.

Later the following week, Dr. Wenk's nurse called me and said that he wanted to meet with me in person to go over my results.  I knew at that moment that the news was not going to be great.  Ben has been really amazing about going to all my doctor's appointments with me, but I told him that I could go to the appointment by myself (since it was in New Port Richey on a Monday morning).  The test results showed that I have Factor 2 AND 5 Leiden (read more about Factor 2 here and factor 5 here).

Basically, both are genetic mutations of the blood that cause blood clots.  The clots are more prevalent during pregnancy and if you are on estrogen-based birth control (which I was).  I have known for about 5-6 years that my sister had factor 5 and have been putting off getting tested because I "thought" since I was active/fairly healthy that it wouldn't necessarily be an issue for me.

So, Dr. Wenk told me that this disorder is very common among the Caucasian population (about 8% of the total population is affected) and that the test result means nothing to the baby/pregnancy.  However, after childbirth, I will have to administer shots of an anticoagulant to prevent any blood clots from forming.  That same week, I had a severe calf cramp in my left leg that would not go away.  I asked Dr. Wenk about the cramping and he felt my leg and then ordered an ultrasound of my leg ASAP (or STAT, if you are in healthcare).

Let me just say, I should have never gone to this doctor's appointment by myself.  Walking out of the office and having to figure out where I was going to be an ultrasound right away was terrifying.  I called Ben from the parking lot and completely lost it.  He told me to head over to Wesley Chapel and we would try to get in to Florida Hospital at Wesley Chapel.

I had not been to the new Florida Hospital yet, but it was beautiful and they were able to get my in right away to get an ultrasound.  (We did have to wait a few minutes, but nothing extreme considering we just walked in).  Turns out that it was not a blood clot and we could rest easy, but let's just say that it was a rough morning.

The following week, we were scheduled to meet with Dr. Ancheta.  I was super nervous that he was going to give me the boot upon reading my test results.  However, he simply said that he knows what we are dealing with now and we will just make sure that after childbirth I receive the proper care.  I was SO relieved to hear those words.  I already had a game plan in my head about what to do if he said he wouldn't see me anymore.

So, the good news is that we get to see the baby more often than most expecting couples!  That is all for now. More of the trials and tribulations of pregnancy later...