14 Week Update

It's been an uneventful week for me, but this is perfectly acceptable! My bump seems to have popped and I'm starting to look pregnant. It's a very welcome sign!! I'm going to post a picture on here. I've been taking pictures since week 10 (this is the week I finally started to believe in this pregnancy) and sending them to family/friends each week. Our family all lives in the Midwest so it's a great way to stay connected. I cropped my head out of the photo because you just never know who is looking at this and I don't want my face all over the internet.

I've been filling out my pregnancy journal as well. I absolutely love writing down everything that's happening right now because so much changes from week to week. In case you are looking for one, I bought The Belly Book. It has weekly sections to fill out, spots for ultrasound pictures, spaces for monthly cravings/aversions, and a long section to recap each trimester. The early pages were a bit ridiculous (i.e. when did you think you were pregnant? how did you tell your spouse?) Obviously these don't apply to us infertiles, but once I got passed the initial questions they became more broad. I don't want to forget a single thing about this pregnancy!

I ordered two books from Amazon this week, When You're Expecting Twins, Triplets or Quads: Proven Guidelines for a Healthy Multiple Pregnancy and Raising Twins: From Pregnancy to Preschool. The first came recommended by fellow bloggers and both had very high ratings on Amazon. You know me, I can't buy something unless the ratings are there. I cannot wait to pour over the material. I have a nutrition book I have been reading and according to it, with multiple births you're supposed to pack on the pounds during the first and second trimester to help the babies grow as much as possible since they will arrive early. I'm only up 3 pounds! I'm going to start following the books guidelines for nutritionally dense snacks and meals; it even has recipes and menu planning.

I don't go back to the OB until next week. The wait is driving me insane! I have been told I may be able to get an ultrasound at work if the ultrasound department isn't busy. I was hoping I could score a freebie scan last week, but they were very busy! I'm hoping I can get one this week.

I kept forgetting to blog about this topic, so now is the time. A few days after my last OB appointment I received a call from a nurse saying I had Streptococcus in my urine and they wanted to start me on antibiotics. She seemed very nonchalant about it, but I was panicking. I didn't get much info out of her besides it was a common occurrence and there was nothing to worry about. Not good enough. Of course I scoured Google for more answers.

According to my research, testing for Group B Streptococcus is routinely done around weeks 35-37 on everyone. As much as 40% of pregnant women carry the bacteria in their vagina and/or rectum but it causes no symptoms to the mother. During birth, their is a slight risk the bacteria can be passed on to the baby and they can develop most commonly pneumonia or sepsis or less commonly meningitis. Typically if a women tests positive the course of treatment is to give her IV antibiotics prior to and during delivery. If treated this way, the chances of passing on the bacteria are about 1:4,000. It seems like a relatively common occurrence and nothing to worry about (too much). However, I'm wondering why I got tested so early for this? I couldn't find anything online, aside from forums/blogs, regarding women who were tested prior to 35-37 weeks. I guess I'll have a few questions next week regarding this situation...if anyone has any experience with this or heard of it feel free to share your insight!
My OB RN friend stressed it was very common that women are given IV antibiotics for this infection. I also have another friend who said her sister was treated for this during her delivery and everything turned out fine. However, it's still another thing to worry about...

Aside from the streptococcus, everything is going well. The babies are the size of clenched fist this week and are starting to grow hair. Amazing. I think about them all the time. Collin and I talk about them constantly. I continue to pray and remain thankful for this blessing.