It's a boy!!! (arriving in January)

HI folks, just checking in. I had my 21 week appointment yesterday, some good news some bad. Doc was happy with everything. The ultrasound showed some more blood still so I am still on bed rest and am scheduled for another level 2 ultrasound with the high risk guy in a week and a half. Also they couldn't get clear enough pictures of baby's brain (most likely because of my big extra skin on my belly) So they want the specialist to take a look at that too. If the high risk guy says so I will be allowed off bedrest at that point but it is up to him. Either way shopping is still vetoed so no more fabric or furniture hunting for me yet, oh well. The great news is the baby's weight is estimated at 15 ounces so I don't need to fret so much that my weight loss was hurting baby. That's a perfectly normal weight to be, not too low and they saw all the organs, heart chambers, all the other things they look for (except the brain details). Doc answered all my silly questions and the not-so silly ones. She did say with my placenta issues I shouldn't take anymore tylenol from now on which I'd been using for really bad headaches, dental pain and a nerve pain I get in my thighs. That sucks, but if it's best for baby then I'll just deal with it. The tech gave me a videotape and 12 different prints of the u/s! she was so nice and thorough and the funniest part was when hubby said something and cracked me up, I have this deep belly laugh and as I laughed baby's arms flailed and the whole head and body just bounced like baby was on the world's wildest wave pool or something. "That woke baby up!" I said and it occurred to me as much as I laugh I bet baby doesn't get much sleep hahaha!! We got some great shots of baby waving arms, sucking thumb, kicking, yawning and oh yeah, It's a boy!!!!!!!!!! good thing I didn't start sewing baby jumper/pinafore patterns I saw great profile pictures of my baby and he totally has Daddy's nose! My husband looks like an exact duplicate of his father and grandfather so it looks like junior will be carrying on the grand tradition of generation clones of Spenglers. here is the future Edward Charles III He'll be Ned for short or maybe Chad or Trey (ie tres like the number three since he is the third) http://home.xnet.com/~countzi/baby/21wkscan-1.jpg http://home.xnet.com/~countzi/baby/21wkscan-2.jpg http://home.xnet.com/~countzi/baby/21wkscan-3.jpg http://home.xnet.com/~countzi/baby/21wkscan-4.jpg http://home.xnet.com/~countzi/baby/21wkscan-5.jpg Colleen

I just wanna say first Congrats on the new baby comming,and you look great,and cute bunnies .What i wanted to know was did you try to get pregant before you had the surgrey?,and do you think you got pregant cause you had the surgery and lost the weight? Im asking cause im hopping for alittle hope too. That maybe when i have the surgery down the road i will get pregant too.I have heard alot of cases like this.Thank you for any input,and I hope everything turns out all well with you and your family..

thanks Chandra! (love your name by the way! it was on our possible list if we had a girl) We have tried for the last 15 years and have always lost the babies before 6 or 8 weeks, mostly because of progesterone issues and endemetrial issues. This lil miraccle is 100% here because of the surgery! The most important thing in my opinion is to wait until your weight loss stabilizes before you get pregnant. This has been SO difficult getting in enough food and I had dental emergencies that made it so chewing hurt horribly and in the 2 weeks after that I lost 13 lbs, NOT good for the baby! If you go back into ketosis during pregnancy the baby cannot just pull the proteins it needs from the fat you are burning so you have to reallly push the calories then. the ketones also go right thru the placenta and are not good for the baby. That shouldn't scare you so long as you can make sure not to get pregnant before the first huge weight loss stage is over with. It should also make you VERY determined to follow the food plan from whatever nutritionist or doctors are seeing to your care. I read about the women who get pregnant right away and just feel awful for them. It's so hard for me and I waited exactly 1 year before we got pregnant. we only had to try for 1 month before it took this time around and i raced to the OB to get progesterone supplements and that is what made this one stick around for the party. Birth control is extremely unreliable for post-ops so we actually abstained entirely from penetrating sex until I was 7 months post-op and then we used 2 or 3 methods just to be sure. No matter what previous doctors have said about not being able to get preggo, ignore it and assume you can (unless you;ve had total hysterectomy or both ovaries removed) and take precautions, double precautions even. I still have a ways to go to get to goal (at least 50-60 lbs) and this baby puts my plastic surgery off at least 5 years (for healing, another baby attempt next year and financial reasons too) so folks should think about that too. But wls surgery gives your reproductive system a jump start for the next couple years. for some of us that is just a joyous thing and we can't wait, but if you get preggo too soon you really are losing a big chunk of the weight loss stage so reallly take care of yourself to get to the best health and weight stability before the pregnancy makes eating right difficult if not impossible. None of my weight has come back, in fact I am still 10 lbs below what I was when I found out I was pregnant, and that is with gaining back 5 lbs by pushing the carbs and other calories. I have to eat from when I wake up til when I sleep so it is a big job. IT will totally be worth it though so good luck with your journey and you can email me anytime with more questions Colleen Open RNY 5-9-03 361/225/160 (after delivery) 21 wks pregnant Edward Charles III due 1-23-05

Thank you so much for all your info and i will take all of it in mind.Good luck with the baby.We will pray for you cause you truley have a angle coming your way....

Congratulations!!! I hope everything goes well. Those are some really great ultrasound pictures. I wish mine had come out like that when I had my daughter. I could never really make out my pictures. Joy Lap RNY 8/31/04 391/365.5/150

Congratulations Colleen! Those pictures are awesome!!! Follow your dr's instructions!! LOL I know you will. Can you post the next set of pictures? Those are the best ultrasound pictures I have ever seen.

thanks! I'll definitely post the next pics too. I am really happy with thee shots as they totally show his profile and personality coming out. too bad he didn't do the macarena this time like he did at 14 weeks! hahah! truly! his hands were waving bahind his neck, the legs were kicking, what a dancer! Colleen

Oh Colleen! You know I am so excited for you!!!! I hope you get off bedrest. I know it's driving you batty! Can't you go to walmart and sit in the vroom vroom cart to look at fabric? LOL Keep us updated! There are a lot of ladies on here that are wanting to get PG after surgery and you are putting a lot of their minds at ease! Love ya babe! Melissa

thanks Melissa! well, I did sneak out to walmart for fabrics after the nutritionist appt last week, stayed in my scooter (mostly) and we picked out some great fabrics, but when doc saw me monday and she said I could go out to lunch if I kept it short, hubby then told ehr about the shopping and she shook her head and said no way! that a lot Chazz!!! i did kick him for it hahahah!!! But at least i have a few things to start with and I had a ton of fabricss already too, lots of fleece stuff, really cute prints, so I can do simpled serged blankets and then plan the fancier stuff that needs notions, specific thread colors etc for later. I did this last night, http://home.xnet.com/~countzi/baby/catbanky.jpg and hubby had picked out a few of these for baby sleepers and bankies http://home.xnet.com/~countzi/baby/bbfabric2-1.jpg http://home.xnet.com/~countzi/baby/bbfabric2-2.jpg Chazz really liked the ble green leaf one. not your standard baby print but we are SO NOT pastels or gingham parents. more like purple paisley! I dislike the pastel shades, but that blue man in th moon one is charming. I have to really like the print to forgive a baby blue background ahahhaa!!! And we adore the bug/butterfly prints. here are a few other fabrics I got last week. http://home.xnet.com/~countzi/baby/bbfabric2.jpg http://home.xnet.com/~countzi/baby/bbfabric3.jpg http://home.xnet.com/~countzi/baby/bbfabric4.jpg http://home.xnet.com/~countzi/baby/bbfabric5.jpg http://home.xnet.com/~countzi/baby/bbfabric6.jpg And this will be what we use for the curtains and room accents (crib skirt etc) http://home.xnet.com/~countzi/baby/bbfabric1.jpg with some dragonflies stenciled or airbrushed between the flowers. We might change our mind again, but it is a nice airy light fabric. I have til late november to finish everything (that's when I want the nursery all done) so plenty of time to change our minds. Anyway so no more fabric hunting for me til I get out of bedrest but I do have some good projects to start. Me and my serger and sewing machine will be okay hahaha! Colleen