H1N1 Scare...

So as most of you know I work with a class full of snotty nose four year olds all day. The chance of getting sick while pregnant is not in my favor, needless to say. Yesterday at school we got a phone call from a parent saying that the brother of one of my students has H1N1. Great. I immediately worry about baby Harper. At our prenatal class they told us that if you come in "direct contact" with someone that has H1N1 they will treat you for it with a low dose of tamiflu as a preventative. I called my doctor yesterday kind of in a panic and they assured me that I hadn't had direct contact. They said if one of my kids actually gets then they might have to do the treatment. Whew... I'm so nervous about this whole being responsible for another life thing.

While on the topic of H1N1 I have a question that I need some input on.... Do you think I should get the H1N1 vaccine when it becomes available? Here is my concern: of course since it is a new vaccine our doctors really don't know if, or how it could affect (or effect?) our baby. They assume that the CDC made sure it would be safe for pregnant women, but I haven't heard anything about what they think it would do to the baby growing inside of me. And really, there is no way for them to truly know until several pregnant women have had the vaccine and given birth. So, for now....this is what I'm thinking....Don't get the vaccine unless our school has an outbreak. What do you all think?

What is Going on Inside of Me?

I have actually been feeling pretty good! I've had my moments of lower stomach pain, and just not feeling quite like myself. If you ask James he'll tell you I've been a little overly emotional from time to time. hahaha And of course I've been super tired. This school year I am working from 6 in the morning until 12:30 in the afternoon. Because I'm getting up a 4:30 every morning I'm tired anyways, but being pregnant is making me exhausted! Luckily I have had plenty of time to take a little nap every afternoon :)

After going to the prenatal class and reading my book I've learned a lot about baby Harper. After just four weeks the embryo has developed most of it's major organ systems. As month one ends the baby has a heart beat, the beginings of lungs, the gastrointestinal system, and the liver are deveolping. The foundation of the baby's nervous system and parts of the brain are continuing to grow. The first layer of skin has appeared along with some facial features. Baby Harper is starting to grow little arm and leg buds, along with the beginings of hands and feet. This all is so amazing considering he/she is about the size of a raisin. Wow... this is going to be such an exciting journey!

Prenatal Class

I called my doctor the Monday after we got our pregnancy test and was shocked when they told me they don't have you come in for your first appointment until 10 weeks... I believe my response was something like, "What? But I have like a million questions and things I NEED to know before then." The lady at the appointment desk then reassured me and told me that we would be attending a prenatal class to help answer and questions we had. I took a deep breath...and then scheduled the class for this past Thursday. James and I were both very excited to go and learn all about what was going on with our little one! Of course when I got home from work on Thursday I was so anxious I went to the bookstore and bought The Everything Guide to Pregnancy. I just couldn't wait to figure out what all was going on with me. So, needless to say when we got to the class I felt like I already knew everything they were going to say. I was a little disappointed when the nurse said that as a "pregnant person" (why wouldn't she say woman or something... like maybe some of the men in there were pregnant or something? That drove me crazy during the whole class.) you shouldn't drink anything that as artificial sweetener in it. As most of you know... I need a diet coke in the morning, and I like to have one in the afternoon as well. James has got me down to just one a day but now I'm being told I can't have any at all. According to her I could have a regular coke in the mornings, but I hate those. When I asked why she said that research shows that NutraSweet and other artificial sweeteners are really bad for you, and that you really shouldn't have them any time, pregnant or not... So, I'm trying to figure it out....Do I not need to drink the cokes for the baby's sake? All of you reading this blog that have had kids did you drink diet drinks during pregnancy? I'd love to hear your thoughts!

We're FINALLY Pregnant!!

As most of you know James and I have been trying to get pregnant since September of 2008. I had lots of issues throughout the process...no periods...then had to have my periods induced...then I wasn't ovulating...next came the hormone drugs, but 3 months went by and I still wasn't pregnant! We decided to give the artificial insemination a whirl. We tried it once, and then tried it again for a second time on September 6th, 2009 (almost exactly one year since we started trying) And on that very special day James produced a superb sperm sample and I had developed two huge eggs that were ready to ovulate. The stars were finally all aligned! On September 20th I should have been feeling the begining signs of my period but I wasn't. I was feeling something different....I couldn't quite put my finger on it. By the afternoon I was convinced that I wasn't about to start so James and I went out and bought a pregnancy test. I was going to wait until the following morning to take it but my lack of patience got the best of me. We were getting ready to leave the house to go see a movie and I decided I couldn't sit through the whole movie wondering so I did the test. The first line came up quickly and I immediatley had tears in my eyes...another negative test. But, then to my surprise I began to see another little line....or was this my eyes playing tricks on me? I ran downstairs to get a second opinion. James said it looked like a positive to him! We were shocked and excited, but not convinced. The line was so faint we just weren't sure. James says, "Just call the doctor tomorrow morning and go in and have them do a test." And I reply with, "Are you kidding me? I cant wait until tomorrow morning!" So, we head off to the movie....I sat there for two hours wondering what was going on inside of me. After the movie I insisted that we stop at the drug store and buy another test. Ten dollars and a fool proof digital pregnancy test later we were reading the words PREGNANT! We are absolutly thrilled and can't wait to meet our lil' Harper. Right now the approximate due date is June 1, 2010.