22 Weeks!

As we approach 23 weeks, we are also experiencing triple digit weather.  Needless to say, it has not been the most enjoyable few weeks with the weather being this hot.  But I know that this is only the beginning, and that it will only continue up until...we have Natalia! At least the prize for making it through this summer is going to be the best gift a person could receive.

Since I haven't posted in over a month, here is a compilation of some of the belly pictures.  Nothing too exciting yet. I'm growing very slowly, but baby is doing well! So that's all that matters. I have only gained about 5 pounds, so that is all baby so far!

This week I have definitely noticed an increase in my appetite. I want to eat constantly.  It's been difficult to find nutrient dense foods that satisfy my appetite, but I'm managing.  Homemade smoothies have been great because I know what I put in them and don't add any extra sugar.  Still really haven't been having many cravings, although I am often in the mood for raspados.  

At 19 weeks we went in for the official gender sonogram.  There they confirmed that Natalia was indeed a girl and nothing had grown since we had the 4D sonogram done at 14 weeks.  I was very nervous, we had already bought many girl clothes and told everyone what her name was going to be.  Of course, they weren't able to get all of her measurements.  I had woken up and went straight to the appointment, so I'm thinking that she was also sleeping and taking her time waking up. She was all curled up and wouldn't budge no matter what the tech did to my belly. Which I must say was not the most pleasant experience. Everything that they were able to see was progressing normally, and there weren't any problems.  We go back for the follow up sonogram in 2 weeks. Which is exciting, cause then we get to see her! Her stubbornness just means we get another sneak peak at our growing baby! 

Week 19 also brought Natalia some clothes from Italy.  Grandma and Grandpa Anderson went there on a vacation, and brought her back some lovely pink clothes, as well as an adorable Italian bedding set! 

And our most recent exciting moment was at week 22.  I was lying on my back one night, and Natalie was kicking a lot! She got off some good kicks, and Matt was able to feel her! It was very cool for both of us, and now I know she really does not like it when I'm on my back. Although sometimes I have to in order to get some pain relief. So far a little back pain is all I've experienced, and it hasn't been much more than I usually experience. So I am very thankful for that.

 

18 Weeks!

As summer approaches, I am going through a lot of schedule changes.  I am working with the University of Arizona's Center for Excellence in Women's Health for a few weeks on some HPV perceptions research.  I have been located at the Campus Health Women's Center, and all the medical staff has been really supportive.  It looks like we should be able to finish the study in the next week and analyze the data.  As that comes to an end, I am going to begin working with the Maricopa County Department of Public Health from Tucson.  I will be working with them and the SAFER program on outbreaks over the summer, compiling infectious disease data from the past year, and rewriting surveys so that they are more beneficial to public health.  It is going to be a busy summer but I am very excited to start working with the SAFER program, as the control of infectious diseases is one of my main interests.


On the baby front, not much has changed! We are still thrilled to be buying little pink clothes.  I am starting to show a little, which has been interesting to deal with this week, I feel like I can only wear half of my shirts.  Things that are cut a certain way just don't look good.  May have to go purchase a few different shirts over the weekend.


I have also started to have cravings.  The first one that was really strong was last night, when I really wanted Funyuns.  Of course it happened once we had already gotten into bed and were watching some TV before going to sleep.  Matt ventured out into the night to get them for me though! They tasted wonderful!!!

Natalia Annaliese

On Thursday, April 19, we found out that our little bean is a little baby girl!

Natalia at 15 weeks

Our families were under the impression that we were going to have the ultrasound appointment on May 14, and that the Gender Reveal Party would be May 20.  As much as I wanted to have a party, we just couldn't stand it.  Knowing that we could find the gender out was killing us, and since we were almost at 16 weeks we just decided to go for it.

Leading up to finding out our baby was going to be a girl, we wanted to decide on a name for both sexes. The night before the ultrasound, we stayed up for hours trying to come up with a boy middle name that we could both agree upon.  On the way to the appointment the next day we were still discussing what that middle name should be.  These discussions ended up being futile since the little baby had 3 lines instead of a triangle!

We decided to wait until Friday to tell our parents, which was awful since we had gone to Phoenix to have the gender determination.  That whole night we had to keep it a secret, luckily that was made a little easier by going to the Clippers/Suns game.  We could barely speak to anyone the whole night due to the noise of the game, and then we had to leave right afterwards for me to get home...and finish some homework that I had been putting off until the very last minute.

Announcing the name to our families, and that it's a girl to everyone! 

Baby bump at 16 weeks.

Friday afternoon, Matt and I quickly took a picture of us together holding a little girl outfit that Matt had gone to the Disney store at the mall on Thursday and picked out.  We sent that to our parents, and they were thrilled when they saw what we were having! We also got the shopping bug, so we went to Babies R Us and registered for some products...and also came home with some clothes.  We went shopping again later that night and came home with even more clothes for Natalia.  Sunday we decided that we were going to tell our families and friends the name that we had chosen for the baby.  At Matt's parents house, Matt and I went outside and wrote the name on their wall.  (This is definitely the chalk announcement baby!) When they came out, they loved it! We then took the photo and sent it to my parents.  Once we had sent it out, we posted it onto Facebook so that everyone could see it.  We got a wonderful reception from our friends and family and are very excited for what lies next knowing that we have a little girl on the way!!!

Easter, and a lot of PICTURES!

Easter weekend was fabulous for out little family.  It started on Good Friday.  My mom came down and took me to lunch, and then we went shopping for some maternity clothes! It's so nice to have some pants that are super comfortable.  I almost think everyone should wear them on holidays so they don't have to loosen their belts, their pants just loosen for them! She also brought an adorable basket with all things baby in it!

That same day our Easter present came from Matt's parents, and then his dad put it together the next day.  I even helped.  I made sure all the cushions were on the chairs so we could sit in them! 

This morning we took a belly picture, which isn't really much of a belly.  Thought it would be fun to document anyways.  I'm sure it will start growing soon, and at least I will have these pictures to look back at and remember that I wasn't always huge.  I also uploaded one from a couple of weeks ago that I forgot to do anything with. 

14 weeks

12 weeks 

And finally, here is one of the adorable onsies that baby got today from Grandma and Grandpa Anderson! 

This week we told everyone that we were pregnant! This is the photo that announced it to the world. We sent family and close friends this on a postcard.  They were absolutely adorable. So glad we decided to tell them this way.  We also posted it on Facebook to let all of our friends know we were expecting.  Everyone was just as surprised as we were.  It's been a great first trimester, and as the second trimester is approaching quickly, we are looking forward to sharing the joy with our friends and family.

Ensuring my Babies Health Through Breastfeeding

I feel that I am in an extraordinary spot when it comes to preparing myself and my family for a nutritionally sound life.  My International Nutrition Course has taught me more than any prenatal/parenting class could about the important of good nutrition for a pregnant woman, as well as the best feeding strategies for an infant/growing child.  The topic of today's class was breastfeeding and child feeding.  The breastfeeding issue is hotly debated in the United States.  It is perceived as the best choice for a newborn (and research supports this view), but there are so many barriers that a modern woman faces.  I am not going to get into the arguments surrounding it, because journal after journal has published papers on its benefits.  I will breastfeed, and am hoping that I am able to breastfeed exclusively for the first 6 months of our child's life, which is highly recommended by nutritionists and doctors worldwide.  The first few days, the infant gets colostrum from its mother which is full of antibodies.  This, along with the breast milk for the next 6 months will reduce the incidence of acute and chronic infections (formula fed babies have a 5x greater risk of respiratory infections alone).  Breastfeeding also reduces the risk of ear infections (otitis media), because of the way that the childs' head is positioned during feeding, reducing the amount of milk that gets into the inner ear where the bacteria colonizes.  During this time, it is also important to decide how the baby is going to be weaned, and what weaning foods are appropriate.  Given the amount of obesity that is occurring in the United States, the rice "cereal", which could otherwise be seen as sugar that you add water and flour to in order to form a nasty paste, could be contributing to the epidemic.  Our digestive systems were not created to be ambushed with simple sugars/carbohydrates.  A healthy alternative would be to make our own rice cereal (which can be ORGANIC!), followed by vegetables, beans, and fruits that can easily be mashed up to feed to baby (1 at a time, and each food gets about 2 days of exclusive feeding to test for allergies).  At this point it will be important to remember that introducing new textures to the baby is very important, as we want to raise a child who is not a picky eater.  It is also important to let them explore the foods on their own to encourage their dexterity and hand eye coordination, while ensuring that adults do not overfeed them but instead letting the baby regulate its own caloric intake.  It does not need American portions, it needs healthy portions.  A baby off the charts for weight is not a healthy baby.






My professor also suggested a book, Bringing up Bebe, written by Pamela Druckerman.  (He suggested it based on French feeding practices) I have only gotten through the first chapter, but it seems like a great parenting book to start with.  I am most interested in how French women get their children to sleep through the night at 2 months of age!! I also want to read this book because from being out in public, it is obvious that many American parents have lost control of their children, and I do not want to be that kind of parent.







Our next prenatal appointment seems to be approaching rapidly, as does the end of the semester.  As of now everything is going great, and we are going to start sharing the news with family and friends at the beginning of April!

Baby's First Picture!

On Tuesday, March 12, we got to see our baby and take its first picture.  It's amazing that life can be so small.  We were able to hear its heartbeat, as well as see the "flicker" where the heart was beating.  It was extraordinary for such a tiny thing, measuring in at only 2.12 cm.

On my part, I have actually lost weight (hoping I can reverse that a bit), and have not had more than a few days of nausea.  The worst pregnancy symptom that I'm having is exhaustion, but I am learning to cope with that.  There's no room to complain when that's the worst thing that has happened with this pregnancy so far.