Will this pain ever end?

Well week 15 is here and I feel like I am dying. Ok not really but I was almost in tears today. My lower back/lumbar/pelvic area hates me. It is out to get me and that is one thing for sure. Some days it takes a break from the torment but on days like today I really wonder what I did to create such bad feelings between me and my back. The pain shoots from one side of my bum to the other with no warning. Walking becomes difficult and getting up from a sitting position is crazy painful. This is part of pregnancy I had not planned on.

On the plus side I got some stretching tips from a chiropractor friend of our pastor that I can do on my own and that Jon can help with. It's amazing what counter pressure can do to alleviate the pain. I checked out his (the chiropractors) website today for some added tips and found this really interesting link: http://trinitychiro.com/media/Gods_view_of_Childbirth.pdf

Week 12

Our baby looks like a baby! I had my second appointment on Monday and it went great. The OB was so nice and even though it was an exam appointment (not so fun) she did not make it uncomfortable at all. After the exam she got the doppler out to listen to the heartbeat but couldn't really find it so she got out the utlrasound machine. I got to see our little one and wow was he/she moving. Before I could even see the screen my ob said "no wonder I couldn't get it with the doppler" Hands were waving and feet were kicking. Of course only being 12 weeks I couldn't feel it which is probably good with how much our kiddo was moving. After a couple seconds the little baby calmed down and we were able to get a pretty good picture.

I was excited to see the growth in only 3 weeks. What a miracle. God is so good to create us perfectly in the womb. I have always loved spring and watching 'new life' begin to grow but it is even cooler knowing that God had this little one planned out perfectly before I had even met Jon. So awesome! Anyway once the baby calmed down a bit we went back to the doppler and were able to get a good reading of the heart rate: 170's. I have some friends saying 'oh that means it's a girl' but I've still got no inclination either way.

It is good to know that everything is looking good and that the baby is healthy so far. I probably won't get another ultrasound until week 24 or so, and we still haven't decided to find out the gender or not. Either way I am looking forward to the enormous changes that will happen from now to then.

I still don't have much of a tummy so not me pictures yet. I'll post some next month probably.

Strep B

I received a call from my OB yesterday informing me that I have Strep B. No it's not strep throat but it is a bacteria. So here is just a little bit of the information I was able to find on the internet.

Causes

By Mayo Clinic staff

Many healthy people carry group B strep bacteria in their bodies. Group B strep bacteria aren't sexually transmitted, and they're not spread through food or water. You may carry group B strep in your body for just a short period of time, they may come and go, or you may always have them.

Some individuals, such as older adults and those with chronic health conditions, can develop a more serious infection from group B strep. However, the reason this occurs in some people but not others isn't known.

Group B strep can also spread to a baby during a vaginal delivery if the baby is exposed to — or swallows — fluids containing group B strep.

From the AMERICAN PREGNANCY ASSOCIATION

Group B streptococcus (GBS) is a type of bacterial infection that can be found in a pregnant woman’s vagina or rectum. This bacteria is normally found in the vagina and/or lower intestine of 15% to 40% of all healthy, adult women.

Those women who test positive for GBS are said to be colonized. A mother can pass GBS to her baby during delivery. GBS is responsible for affecting about 1 in every 2,000 babies in the United States. Not every baby who is born to a mother who tests positive for GBS will become ill.

What if I test positive for Group B Strep infection?

If you test positive for GBS this simply means that you are a carrier. Not every baby who is born to a mother who tests positive for GBS will become ill. Approximately one of every 100 to 200 babies whose mothers carry GBS will develop signs and symptoms of GBS disease. There are, however, symptoms that may indicate that you are at a higher risk of delivering a baby with GBS. These symptoms include:

• Labor or rupture of membrane before 37 weeks
• Rupture of membrane 18 hours or more before delivery
• Fever during labor
• A urinary tract infection as a result of GBS during your pregnancy
• A previous baby with GBS disease

In this case your physician will want to use antibiotics for prevention and protection.

According to the CDC, if you have tested positive and are not in the high risk category, then your chances of delivering a baby with GBS are:

• 1 in 200 if antibiotics are not given
• 1 in 4000 if antibiotics are given

Baby Quick

Well as most of you know Jon and I are expecting the first addition to our Quick family. We found out about a month ago and had our first appointment today. I am 9 weeks exactly and doing well.

I have had nausea here and there but no vomiting. I keep telling God that nausea I can handle and so far I think he thinks so too. I am very tired and hungry about every 2 hours or so but other than that no real crazy pregnancy stories yet.

We have started talking about names but have no conclusions or ideas even and are debating on whether or not to find out the gender. Jonathan wants to know really bad and I really want to wait. Luckily we have several weeks before a firm decision has to be made.

Today's appointment was pretty basic. We met with an OB nurse and she pretty much just went over our medical histories and gave us some basic information about what Riley has to offer for pregnant women. I am really excited because they do something called group prenatal care and it's where 8-10 women due around the same time get together and meet with a midwife, do mom and baby check-ups, have individual time with our health care providers, and the coolest part for me is that at the end there is a reunion where we all get together once our babies are born. I am going to learn more about it at my next appointment which is on March 29th.




We weren't sure if we were going to get to see the baby or hear the heartbeat today so we asked towards the end of the appointment. The nurse was very nice and took us back to the room where we got to see, that's right SEE, the heartbeat. What a good feeling to know our little one is beating away inside me. :)

SO here is our little one. Just the size of a peanut or a green olive. It is hard to believe that he/she is only about an inch but it is such a blessing to know our baby is doing well.

Kansas living

Wow what to say? It has been a LONG time. Right now I am sitting at home while the boys (Jon and Kevin) are out riding the quads. Yes, that was plural, I gave in and we know have a quad. I just hope no other organs will be hurt by this form of recreation.

Jon has been home a month now, and it is still strange. People are always asking me how the transition is going and all I can say is it is bumpy. Things are not bad but only being married for two months and me not working at all before he left makes things hard to adjust to now. Overall though things are going ok. Student teaching is CRAZY!!!!! I never thought it would be this hard or demanding. Just last night I was at the school until 11:30 at night writing lessons.

Anyway here are some pictures of things that have been taking place over the last month or so.

The new car

Jon had just walked in

when it rains it pours, and hails

So still no camera. But we had a crazy crazy storm here this week. I have seen hail before, but west coast hail. (So the small dip 'n dot size hail, maybe a little bigger) Well we had a flash flood warning the other day which means lightning and thunder too. I had been reading on the tv that some places had watches for golfball size hail then all of a sudden I heard klinking on the walls and windows of the house.

I had to go outside to see just how big the hail was here. Thank goodness for phones with cameras because i couldn't believe the size. It wasn't really that big, but the largest i've ever seen.

home sweet home?

This is going to be brief, but I thought it'd be good to give a little update.

Currently I am horribly failing at falling asleep with a cold. Things are going well though. Re-deployment preparations are full force (and no that does NOT mean Jon will be getting deployed again already; it's the army's crazy way of saying they are coming home) and I could not be more excited. In fact, excited doesn't begin to describe it.

I miss my family terribly and quite honestly do not think I would do very well living on my own forever. The house is almost done, had it not been for my cold, I would have the flattened boxes out and ready to go to the recycle center and pictures ready to post... but those will have to wait.

Student teaching is complicated.... to say the least but I am looking forward to it. Jonathan is doing well for those that have been asking. He is VERY ready to be home! He even purposefully did not sign us up for the ball in order to spend a romantic evening with me, not the 1,000 guys he just spent a year with.

My camera unfortunately broke, so I will leave with one of my favorite pictures from the drive out to KS.
We stopped at Rocky Mtn National Park.. it was like 12,000 about sea level or something.