Gender Reveal...

Well, I can now finalize the baby registry! I have been looking at things since the day I found out I was pregnant but now I can make the items more gender specific!!

This past Monday, I had my 16 week appointment. Unfortunately I wasn't scheduled to have a sonogram but just before I left the office, my midwife requested one. The sonogram tech was kind enough to check for parts (she wasn't supposed to until my 20 week appointment). At first, the umbilical cord was in between baby's legs so she wasn't sure... but then she was able to get a clear view and we found out...

We are over the moon to know that we are having a son! The name was chosen very early on in the pregnancy and we didn't even look for a girl's name. I just KNEW I was carrying a boy... call it mother's intuition. =)

Boy or Girl?

Now that I am in my second trimester (16 weeks, to be exact) I thought that it would but fun to share what my baby's gender would be according to some old wives tales! I did these tests over the course of several weeks, so let's check out the results!

1. Chinese Gender Chart - This chart takes the mother's age at conception paired with the month of conception. According to the chart, I'm having a girl.


2. The Mayan Method - For this, you take the mother's age at conception and the year the baby was conceived. If both numbers are even/odd, it's a girl. If one number is even and the other is odd, it's a boy. According to this, I'm having a girl.


3. Sleep Position - If you prefer to sleep on your right side, you're having a girl. If you prefer sleeping on your left side, you're having a boy. According to this, I'm having a boy.


4. Food Cravings - Craving salty things means you're having a boy. Sweet things? A girl is on the way. I've been wanting pizza and sandwiches. According to this, I'm having a boy.


5. Pendulum - For this test, you are supposed to take a necklace with a charm on it and hold it over your palm. If it swings in a circle, it's a girl. If it swings back and forth, it's a boy. According to this, I'm having a... well, this test was inconclusive- the charm swung back and forth and also went in a circle. But trust me, there is only one baby in my tummy!


6. Baking Soda Test - Ok... this description might be a little TMI but I have to explain the test. You put about a teaspoon of baking soda in a disposable cup and add your first morning urine to it. If the mixture fizzes and foams (like a beer), then it's a boy. Little to no reaction means girl. According to this, I'm having a boy.


7. Morning Sickness- Nausea and vomiting? Girl. No morning sickness? Boy. I was quite nauseous starting around 7 weeks so according to this, I'm having a girl.


8. Grace vs. Clumsiness - This claims that if a woman has been graceful during her pregnancy, she is having a girl. But if she has been bumping into and tripping over things, she is having a boy. Hmmm, let's see... I drop things and trip over absolutely nothing. According to this, I'm having a boy.


9. Toddler Interest - It is believed that whatever the gender is of the toddler who has taken a liking to you, you will have the opposite. Early on (in my 7th and 8th weeks of pregnancy), I had 2 toddler boys want nothing to do with me holding them. And then there was a toddler girl who looked at my belly, looked at me and smiled. So I guess that means I'm having a boy.




Let's tally these, shall we?
Boy: 5
Girl: 3
... and 1 inconclusive...

Thanks to my most recent sonogram, I know what I'm having! But you'll have to wait just a few more days to find out... see you on Friday!! =)

Second Trimester: Weeks 13 and 14

So... I know that I mentioned posting my weekly symptoms but as you can see by the title (and photo above), I am already behind! Where did the time go?? Anyway, I just decided that for this post, I would combine the symptoms of weeks 13 and 14.

The start of my Second Trimester was not as kind as I thought it would be! But eventually I learned how to manage most of my symptoms. I am currently 15 weeks along so below are my symptoms from the last 2 weeks...

* sore boobs

* sleepiness

* dry skin (specifically in one place above the waist... that's all I will say lol)

* headaches (just week 13)

* nausea (typically when I didn't eat fast enough for baby lol)

* swollen gums

* indigestion (started during week 14)

* itchy tummy

* dizziness (week 14)

* quickening
(during my last doctor's appointment just before 12 weeks, I found out that I have an anterior placenta- that means that the placenta is attached to the front of my abdomen and therefore creates like a cushion between baby and myself... they said I probably wouldn't feel movement until much later on in my pregnancy but I know I felt a couple of flutters during week 14)

Thankfully, my list of symptoms is not as intense as it was during my first trimester. Hopefully that means this truly will be the easier trimester. My next symptoms post will be for weeks 15 and 16; it seems to be better to just combine the weeks since there doesn't seem to be too much happening.

See you on the next post!

1st Trimester Symptoms

Goodbye, first trimester... and hello, second trimester!

As someone who is expecting for the first time, I thought it would be interesting to keep track of my symptoms. Some of these symptoms might be a little TMI but I wanted to share as much as possible for someone else who may be going through the same things during their first trimester. All pregnancies are different but sometimes we experience similar symptoms. So here are my symptoms from my first trimester:

Week 3

sciatica... leg cramps... fatigue... headaches... thirsty (ALL the time)... scratchy throat... 

shortness of breath... dizziness... implantation bleeding/light spotting... gassy

* these were all symptoms I had before I even knew I was pregnant!

Week 4

fatigue... sore nipples... bloated... gassy... nausea... sore boobs... food cravings (pizza)

Week 5

sore boobs... frequent urination... shortness of breath... pelvic pain... gassy... nausea... sciatica

* I had my first doctor's appointment during this week (at 5 wks, 4 days) and I saw the heartbeat!

Week 6

sore boobs... food cravings (pizza)... frequent urination... yeast infection... nausea... cervical twinges

Week 7

sore boobs... severe nausea... cold symptoms (stuffy nose, coughing, sore throat)... diarrhea

Week 8

sore boobs... severe nausea... fatigue... diarrhea

* I had my second doctor's appointment (at exactly 8 weeks) where I had a sonogram, pap & blood work. Baby's heartbeat was between 194-196 according to the sound waves the sonogram tech was reading!

Week 9

sore boobs... nausea... fatigue... diarrhea... frequent urination

Week 10

sore boobs... fatigue... metallic taste in mouth (just one day)... emotional (just one day)

Week 11

sore boobs... calf cramps (only the left leg)... food aversion (watermelon- even the idea of it)... headaches... frequent urination... indigestion... headaches... shortness of breath

* I had my third doctor's appointment this week (at 11 weeks, 2 days), where I had another sonogram & got to hear baby's heartbeat for the first time!

Week 12

sore boobs... calf cramps (still left leg only)... gassy... mild backache... pelvic pain... itchy boobs... cervical twinges... shortness of breath

For the rest of my pregnancy I decided I would share weekly updates, but each week of symptoms will come the following week. For example, the symptoms I experience this week (which is week 13 for me) will be posted next week. Make sure you are following my Facebook page!