a little Fuller was born

It all started Monday at my doctors office, I went in for my 39 week appointment feeling like I was in labor.  Apparently I was just out of room.  I could not take it any more! After speaking with my doctor about the different options we decided to induce on Wednesday if he was not born Monday or Tuesday.  I was so excited I could hardly contain myself.  I immediately went home and started to get ready for his birth.  Monday and Tuesday drug on like there was no tomorrow, and after not being able to sleep Tuesday night 5:00am on Wednesday morning finally arrived.  I nervously and frantically packed the car and Jason and I headed to the hospital. 

                                                             (Last belly picture before birth)

They got the pitocin going around 7:00am.  The contractions slowly started but could barley be felt.  At 10:05am my doctor paid me a visit and broke my water.  Almost immediately my contractions went from a 1 on the pain scale to an 8.  I only lasted till 12:30 before I was demanding an epidural.  Once the epidural was administered it was smooth sailing.  I didn't feel a thing and was dilating right on schedule.  Cohen was positions "sunny side up" (the wrong way) so they kept moving me back and forth to different positions to try to get him to move.  The unfortunate part is you cant tell if he is in the correct position until the pushing begins -(sometimes even in this position they can still be delivered as long as they will fit through the birth canal).  Finally after what felt like an eternity we were ready to begin delivering Cohen.  At about 7:00pm they turned off my epidural so I could feel when I was pushing, the epidural medicine normally takes a while to wear off and they said they could turn it back on if needed.  So at 7:30 everyone left the room but my mom and Jason and we were ready to meet Cohen.  I pushed for over an hour and was begging for my epidural to be turned back on- it felt as if I was being murdered.  I have never felt so much pain in my life. The nurse went to look for the doctor but the other patient was delivering at the same time.  Once the doctor finally got in the room another 20min it was apparent that he did not turn and could not fit through the birth canal and I was rushed off for an emergency c-section.  I was like one of those screaming ladies you see on TV and movies.  Once in the operating room it only took a few minutes for the anesthesiologist to give me medicine to dull the  pain and the procedure began.  Cohen Jack Fuller was born at 9:20pm on Wednesday November 23, 2011. He weighed in at 7.8lbs 20 inches long.

Week 38

I think this is the hardest part of pregnancy so far.  I feel like I am just waiting and waiting for something to happen.  I no longer sleep very well not only because I get up to go to the bathroom every hour but every time I feel a pain in my abdomen I think oh labor is starting, then I wait a few minutes and nothing more happens.  The doctor says my due date is 11/28/2011 but according to my last menstrual cycle and the night of conception (so I think) my due date should really be 11/18/2011.  Whats funny is not one thing except for that first sonogram has lined up with the 11/28 due date, even the Chinese gender predictor says girl if born on 11/28. So with 11/18 quickly approaching (3 days) I cant help but think I am going to have this baby soon.  When I first found out I was pregnant I thought I would deliver on 11/17 so I am curious how close I will actually be. 
On the positive side, I am officially on maternity leave.  I do not think I could have worked another day, it was so exhausting and painful.  Yesterday I only left the house to go to the doctor and spent the rest of the day on the couch watching TV, cleaning and cooking dinner. Today I have close to the same plans, except I do have to go run a few errands. 
As I approach motherhood I realize I can not imagine a baby inside of me, I try to think about what he will look like but all I see is a cartoon character or a drawing of a baby, I can not seem to imagine that there is a full term human baby inside of me.  I also keep freaking myself out that something is going to be wrong with Cohen or delivery. I know these are normal fears but I cant seem to shake them. 

My belly has not grown that much over the last few weeks, as I think he has maxed out the allotted space but I swear my face keeps getting bigger and bigger.  My nose especially seems to be growing larger.  I really hope this goes away at delivery. I have gained a total of 28lbs though out this pregnancy which is better than I thought I would do.  I was scarred I was going to gain 40-50lbs. So 28 is not too bad  considering.  I bet I could have kept it around 20 if I didn't cave into my dessert temptation every night!


Hopefully by the time I blog next it will be the birth story and a good one at that.

36 Weeks and Counting

One more day and I am officially considered full term! Finally, these last few weeks have drug on and I thought I would never get here. Over the last few days my Braxton hick’s contractions have gotten more regular and intense.  I keep wondering is this the real thing? Everything I read and everyone I talk to says you will know.  I am starting to wonder if I will really know.  Take for example yesterday.. I woke up feeling strange and crampy.  I went about my day, got dressed went to work, came home made dinner, went to the store (I figured if this was the beginning of labor it would last a while).  Right before sitting down to eat dinner, my back started aching (I have not had any back pain thus far) and my "cramping" got so bad I had to sit down.  Jason pulled out the timer and I had 2 back to back contractions that were 5 minutes apart lasting around 30 sec each, I was nervous and could not stop thinking should I call my doctor, should I grab my bag and head to the hospital?  Instead I went and took a hot bath and the contractions stopped. I guess my body is preparing me for the real deal, but how will I know.  I really do not want to wait so long that I end up with a baby in my pants (Best episode ever of "I didn’t know I was Pregnant".)

Last week at my doctor’s visit I brought up the discussion of maternity leave again, and she told me to make it one more week then we will evaluate my swelling and pain and most likely we will start maternity leave early. Since I could not get a doctor’s appointment on Friday I have to wait till Monday but I am hoping Tuesday will be my last day of work till the New Year.

Here are my belly pics from week 36.  I am not sure there is any more room to grow.  I might tip over! 

Week 34

Almost there! Tomorrow I am officially 35 weeks.  It seems like it has taken forever to get to this point and now I am just counting down the days until Cohen's arrival.  Jason and I went to a childbirth class this last weekend, which was really informative on helping us prepare for his birth.  I have to say that I am nervous! Am I going to go to the hospital at the right time?  When will I know if my contractions are real?  What if my labor is 30hours? I still do not quite understand how it is physically possible to birth a baby. 

 My belly is starting to get really big and in the way.  A few weeks ago I burnt myself while ironing and I keep turning on the gas stove with my stomach. One good thing is that my belly button has not turned into an outie yet and unless he grows a lot over the next few weeks I think I get to keep an innie!  It has started to get extremely uncomfortable to do everyday tasks.  Cohen has dropped and is now in position with his head down.  He has been kicking or elbowing a lot lately but I have not been able to catch it on video.  I am hoping to see a whole foot or hand. 

Week 32

Saturday, I had my final baby shower.  Alyssa, Debbie, Sara and Elisa all hosted it at Alyssa's house.  It was great!  Elisa made the food which was of course delicious....I am wishing I had left overs right now! Chicken nuggets. Yummmmmm.  The theme was giraffe (my nursery theme) which was really cute, and went with the invitations that Debbie made.  It really meant a lot to me that my mom was able to come.  She flew in at 8:30am and I took her back to the airport at 2:30pm. It was a short trip but we had a lot of fun.

After working on the nursery for a a few days I finally covered the glider, ottoman and made a pillow.  After covering the ottoman I wanted to throw my sewing machine at the wall.  I had to sew then take it apart several times to get it to fit correctly.  There is one corner that is not perfect, but it is the best it is going to get. Now all I have to do is organize everything and put things on the wall.   I am really stressed out about organizing the nursery.  Every time I walk in there I look around and wish I could hire someone to fold the clothes and organize them.  I keep waiting for the nesting instinct to hit me, so I will want to do these things. 

Jason always knows how to entertain me.  I was sitting in the nursery working on the skirt for the glider when in came Bugsy in the walker Alyssa and Debbie got us. 

Finally, here are by baby bump pictures for this week. It is getting so big!! It looks like I have a basketball in my stomach. I do not quite understand how it is going to stretch any further. 

Week 32 baby scare

 It all started on Monday night while in San Antonio for work.  I got sick on the way to dinner, at dinner and after dinner. After a few hours of toughing it out I decided to call my doctor because I started to have stomach pains (not like normal cramps) they were every few minutes and lasted only a few minutes each.  The on call doctor told me it was best to go to the hospital to get checked out.  Turns out I had food poisoning or a stomach bug which caused dehydration which in turn caused contractions.  They hooked me up to several machines and monitored my contractions and Cohen for the night.  They gave me some medicine to make me stop throwing up which in turn caused me to become agitated and restless (I could not sit still (at one point I tried to leave- apparently this is a side effect).  So they gave me a pain killer to help counteract the medicine, which caused me to become sick again.  Finally after hours of being in pain and uncomfortable the pain meds kicked in and I finally fell asleep.  The doctor came in at about 7:30 and said everything was ok and as long as Cohen's heart rate was normal and I could keep down food I could go.  I was finally released at 9:30am.  After being in the labor and maternity area of the hospital for the night I think I am more scared about child birth than I was before.  At about 3:30am a lady came in ready to give birth.  She was too late for drugs and had to go all natural..... I heard things NO ONE should ever have to hear.  I do not understand how anyone forgets the pain of labor, I can not get her screaming out of my head! 

Week 30 and The Nursery

The Nursery

One of the most exciting days this last week was Tuesday when my custom bedding (ordered from Etsy) arrived.  It is perfect.  I love the colors and she did a fabulous job on the construction.  I still have a lot of work to do on the nursery but I have all of the main pieces in place.  I ordered extra fabric that matched the bedding and I am going to attempt (or pay someone) to recover the chair and ottoman, make a pillow, and a valance.  I will post pictures of the progress over the next few weeks.  Other than that I need to get the pictures framed and hung on the wall, then the nursery should be complete.  

Only 10 more weeks! I am counting down the days.  Since the beginning of this pregnancy I had a feeling I would not go 40 weeks but deliver somewhere around the 37-38 week mark.  My hope was he would decide to make an entrance on 11-11-2011, but the closer I get I keep fearing that he is going to stay in for 40+ weeks, and not come till December.  I know there is nothing I can do to change when he is going to come but I do not know if I (or Jason) can handle being pregnant for over 40 weeks. 
Changes in the last few weeks:

1. For 2 nights now my sleep schedule has been rudely interrupted by having to go to the bathroom EVERY HOUR.  I could stand the 3-4 times a night, but 6-8...it is starting to get ridiculous. 
2. I have noticed Cohen is not moving around as much as we was before.  This keeps scarring me and I am moments away from calling the doctor but then I drink some caffeine and do a kick count, check the heartbeat and everything is in line for what the doctor told me to watch for.  I guess he is just running out of room and likes to sleep.  My next Dr appointment is this Friday so I am going to bring it up and see if they will do a sonogram to put my mind as ease.  For some reason they do not like to give out sonograms, I do not understand why, so it might be difficult to coax them into one. 
3. It is getting harder and harder to walk or should I say waddle around.  It is extremely depressing when I cant go shopping for more than 2 hours.  Not only are my feet pounding but I get winded just walking around.  I cant wait for my body to go back to normal. 

Baby Shower

This Last Sunday Ali, Debra and Diane hosted my first baby shower at Cibus in Dallas.  It was AMAZING!  First of all we had an great turn out of family and friends. Almost all of my family showed up which was great since it has been a while since seeing everyone.  Second, the food was a combo of everything I love- Pizza, Chicken Pesto Pasta, Sandwiches, Tomatoes and Mozzarella, Fruit Salad, Potato Salad, Cup Cakes and Cookies.  They also served peach blinis that I will defiantly be going back for after Cohen arrives.  To top everything off Ali also brought petit fours from Steins Bakery- These did not last long. 

Finally, I have to say it was great getting a few essential items for Cohens arrival.  I will post pictures of the nursery and bathroom once I finish setting everything up.  

I did not want the day to end.  

Mrs Fuller for 2 years now

Jason and I celebrated our 2 year anniversary on Tuesday. When I came home from work he had flowers and junk magazines waiting for me. Bonus points for the junk magazines! Then he took me to a great dinner at Ranch 616. Yummy!

Week 28

I am almost there... I have finally reached my third trimester.  Everyday my belly seems to be growing bigger and bigger. I was looking in the mirror last night and noticed it was starting to look very egg shaped.  It is so strange!  I keep waiting for the Doctor to tell me to lay off the cookies but they say I am right on track.  I really hope taking off the baby weight is as easy as putting it on! I am signing up for Bikram Yoga and a new gym membership as soon an Cohen arrives. 

While at the doctor I was asking when I can take off work, for some reason I had in my head that your could stop working a few weeks before the due date-but no, the doctor said I will be working until I deliver. I tried to argue saying that I drive to San Antonio everyday but that didn't change her mind, she said it was close enough that it shouldn't matter.  So now I am constantly terrified I am going to go into labor while driving the Monster van down the highway.  Is this normal?  I understand labor is a long process but seriously that just seems dangerous and crazy! 

Week 26

Wow...I cant believe I am already 26 weeks.  This week I felt a lot of movement from Baby C.  I think he really likes/dislikes Brittany Spears cause every time she comes on the radio he starts kicking/punching. I personally think he is dancing but Jason thinks he wants me to turn the channel.
 Not a lot has changed except for I am so hungry all of a sudden.  I never feel full and just want more to eat after I finish my meal.  I chalk it up to the fact that he must have had a major growth spurt.  Even my belly started to look bigger this week.  Most weeks I can barely tell a difference but this week it defiantly grew.  I just hope it keeps growing out instead of wide. Pretty soon my belly button is going to pop out and I will no longer have an innie. :(

I got my invite in the mail for my first baby shower  and I can hardly contain myself I am so excited.  Will September  hurry up and get here??  I also just finished my hostess presents...which I cant wait to give them to the girls!I wish I could post a picture because of how well they turned out but that will have to wait till after the showers.

Week 25

Today I hit week 25 which also means if baby Cohen were to be born today he actually has a chance of survival.  He is about the size of an eggplant and weights a little over 1lb. 
I think I am getting payback for not getting morning sickness.  I have every pregnancy related problem that exist (non- serious) .  First, my feet are still swelling and it does not seem to go away.  Yesterday I went shopping for 3hrs and I had to spend the rest of the day with my feet propped up because they hurt so bad.  I already am wearing a whole size bigger.  Yikes! Can you imagine if they keep growing....it will look like boats on my feet, what 5ft person wears a size 9 or 10!Seriously. Secondly, I have pregnancy induced carpal tunnel syndrome which makes carry things difficult.  My arms and legs are also constantly in pain and falling asleep which wakes me up in the middle of the night.  I also had Charlie horses in the middle of the night twice last week.  Finally, I think I have to give up spicy foods because I now get heartburn!!! What happened to this being an easy pregnancy??
On the positive side, I am feeling him kick or punch more and more.  The other day Jason and I saw my stomach move when he kicked.  It was strange but amazing at the same time. I keep trying to catch it again, but it hasn’t happened. 
I can’t believe I am already 6 months and only have 3 more to go.  The more I think about it the more real it feels.  I really have to get on the nursery; so far I have a crib, a changing table and a glider and lots of stuff just sitting in the room.  I need to start hanging and organizing.  The baby is going to be here before I know it!

Week 23

So today I finally got in to see the doctor.  She did not seem worried at all about the swelling since my  urine and blood pressure were good.   Just told me to watch my sodium, put legs up as much as possible and wear support socks when on my feet for long periods of time.  Another good note is the nurse was able to pry off my ring! It took over 20min and hurt like crazy but it finally came off.

Other notes from the week.  I THINK I felt him move (hopefully in the next week or so I will be certain.)

My belly is growing everyday...It is crazy how fast your stomach can stretch.


Since I have had to struggle with foot swelling, I have spent a fortune on shoes.  About once/twice a week I am at the shoe store buying another pair just to try to make it though the day.  They seem comfortable for few hours then it is pure agony.  So I thought of an invention- pregnancy shoes...shoes that can be adjusted  depending on the amount of swelling.  They have to have a small heal 1-2in and feel like clouds on my feet as I am walking.  I think I could make a fortune if I only knew how to designing and manufacture shoes.

The Nursery is coming together

I just ordered my bedding for the nursery and I am so excited.  We decided to go with the giraffe theme, but could not find any ready made bedding that we really liked.  After weeks of searching through the Internet I decided to go ahead and get the bedding custom made.  I mean this is my first child (maybe my only) so might as well go a little overboard.  I also created some pictures to hang on the wall of these giraffe images.  Now I just have to figure out how to recover the glider so it matches.  In the picture the giraffe fabric will go in place of the zebra.

Week 21

Today I hit the 21 week mark and it is starting to sink in that I am really pregnant!
Wednesday this last week I wore my regular work pants to work...I think that was the last day.  Maternity clothes (at least pants) are a must from now on! I was scarred all day that my pants were going to rip and I would be stuck out in Oklahoma wearing ripped pants.  Luckily I made it through the day and was able to run to the store and pick up some maternity essentials. 

I thought I was one of the lucky people who were going to breeze right through there pregnancy without any issues, but starting a few weeks ago my feet started to swell.  I thought swelling didn't start until at least the 3rd trimester.  Some days are worse than others but it is making it nearly impossible to stand on my feet all day.  At the end of the day not only have I developed CANKLES but my feet will not even fit into my flip flops.  Yesterday I went shopping and about 2  hours of walking around nearly put me out for the rest of the day.  I am not used to spending time on the couch and resting....I have too much to do. So not only are my feet swelling, but  my fingers have started as well and now my wedding ring is stuck.  I have tried just about every trick in the book, but it looks like I will have to get it cut off. :(

It's a ........

On Friday Jason and I had our 18-20week scan.  During the scan they check to make sure the baby is growing, all limbs are there, there are no deformities, and that the internal organs are in place.  Everything turned out perfect.  We have a  growing baby BOY.  I have to say I was in shock when the doctor said it was a boy, I thought for sure I was carrying a girl.  I said to the Doctor "these aren't 100% accurate right??", and she said "if you end up having a girl, she is going to need some help, because she has male genitals."  So it is confirmed baby F is now baby Cohen.

The bottom 2 pictures are the ones that confirmed gender (??)

Now that I am having a boy I feel lost.  I have no idea what to do with the nursery or anything about boys.  I keep throwing around nursery ideas:
1. Music themed
2. Giraffe...(this is my top pick)
3. No theme, just boyish colors.

I love these design boards for the giraffe theme from http://www.hostessblog.com. 

Things are defiantly changing in my body.  I have not gained that much weight total, but my belly is staring to get BIG! The picture on the left is week 17 and the right is week 19.  I have started sleeping with a maternity pillow so I can get used to side sleeping, but it is so large it takes up 3/4 of the bed.  Sorry Jason! I am not sure if it is the side sleeping for my growing belly but my sleep has not been the best lately, so I am still tired during the day.  They say that your 2nd trimester is the "honeymoon" phase.  If this is the honeymoon, I do not think I am prepared for what is to come. 

-Scooter-

Week 15

I started this blog thinking I was going to update it weekly, but as the weeks pass I notice that I haven't had much to blog about.  Over the past 3 weeks I have started to get a little baby bump.Picture on left is 12 weeks  and the picture on the right is15 weeks. It is not that noticeable  in regular clothing yet, but I am sure everyone who sees me and does not know I am pregnant think I have been packing on the pounds.  Actual poundage has only been 2.5lbs so far, but my body has gone from hourglass to apple.  My waist is almost completely gone now and it is defiantly thicken up.  I just have to keep telling myself that there is a baby in there!

Other notes from the last few weeks.
Pregnancy brain is REAL!!!
I have a great sense of direction and remembering street names, but I have found myself lost on multiple occasions lately.   I even forgot that my doctors appointment was at the hospital location and found myself waiting in the waiting room at the wrong office when the receptionist said "Ashlie....Dr Schneider is not at this location today." I had been there for 20min already.
I haven't had any real cravings yet not felt felt the baby kick, but the doctor says those are right around the corner. 

More updates from Baby F to come in the following weeks.
.

Week 12

Yesterday I went to have the first screen done, where they check for down syndrome- and really the only reason why I had the test done was so I did not have to wait another 6 weeks for a sonogram.  Since I haven't had any morning sickness, sometime I wonder as I still pregnant....well YES! Baby Fuller is doing great, he/she is measuring right on track (about 2in).  They could not tell the sex so it looks like I am going to have to wait until I am 18 weeks. 

Pregnancy Survey

1. Are you happy About your pregnancy or just dealing with it? It has been hard changing everything all at one time, but the further along I get the happier about the pregnancy I become. 

2. Have you felt your baby move yet? No, but according to the sonogram Baby F moves a lot! Won’t be too much longer before I can feel every movement.

3. Do you think the baby will look like you or the daddy or a combo of both of you guys? I have no idea. I am hoping a little of both.  Like Jason’s blue eyes and my dark hair and olive complexion.
4. Do you know what you are having? No....I cant wait to find out!

5. What place an time did you find out you where preggers =]? The second day of SXSW at home.  I took about 4 test just to make sure it was accurate.

6. Do you want a c-section or natural or painkiller assisted birth?  Dont watch the "Business of Being Born" because it is really convincing that you want a natural birth, but I want an epidural and you cant get that when going all natural.
7. Are you going to be a nursing mommy or a formula mommy? 100% nursing...how else am I going to lose the baby weight??
8. What do you want your baby to be boy or girl? I really want to buy big bows and tutus (so a girl) but I will be happy either way. 
9.Any back pain or nausea? No
10. How many weeks are you today? 12…1/3 of the way there!

11 Any non food item cravings or nono food during pregnancy cravings? Sweets... all I can think about is sugar!

Week 10 will it be a girl or boy?

Went to the doctor on Friday for my first official prenatal visit.  Everything went well and Jason and I got to hear the heartbeat. It was a major relief because the only sign of pregnancy I am feeling is being tired all of the time, so I am constantly worrying if I am still pregnant.  The doctor told me not to worry and that I was one of the "lucky" people who do not suffer from morning sickness.

One thing  I am looking forward to the most is finding out the gender of our baby so I can prepare the nursery and buy just a few little bitty outfits.  I have done almost every wives tales in the book and they all come back with girl! This weeks test was the Fetal Heart rate for gender predication, which as the old wives' tale has it, if your unborn baby's heart rate is higher, above 140 beats per minute, that means you're carrying a girl. A lower heart rate below 140 bpm means you're having a boy. So according to Fridays 160 bpm,  we are having a GIRL.  I wont know for sure for a few more months, but it fun to guess.

Week 8

Not much has changed since my last post.  The only thing that is really hard for me to deal with is the tiredness! By the time I get home from work I have to immediately go lay down for a 45min nap or I feel like I am going to die.  I really wanted to keep up my workout routine but being this tired has made it extremely difficult.  I am 0 for 4 this week.  Oops. 
My new obsession..... shopping for strollers.   Last Sunday Jason and I spent the whole day going store to store trying out different strollers.  My favorite by far is the Mamas & Papas Urbo stroller.  Now I am on a mission to find it gently used and 1/2 the retail price.

First Doctors Appointment

Today I had my fist doctors appointment.  Everything went well...and they confirmed I AM PREGNANT! My due date is 11/27/2011.  Which is great  because I will get to be home with the baby and family around the holidays.  My next doctors appointment  in 4 weeks will be my first official prenatal visit, where we will hear the heartbeat, blood work; test for abnormalities, and so forth.  I wish this appointment wasn't so far away.  As it will also be close to the end of my first trimester and my chances of miscarriage reduce significantly. 

I have been so tired lately... I am  actually considering going to bed before 10pm on Friday night!

Pregnant Survey

How far along? 6 weeks 5 days

Total weight gain/loss:  I don't want to know..hopefully 0

Maternity clothes? Not yet, but I really like my sweats and stretchy pants.

 

Morning Sickness: No, but the doctor told me I am not out of the clear yet. 

 

Sleep: Tired all of the time, need daily naps, but then I cant sleep at night and end up tossing and turning. 

Food cravings: Sweets- all I want is cake, pies, candy, cookies, pretty much anything where sugar is the #1 ingredient.  This is strange for me because I have always been a salty food person who rarely ate dessert. 

 

Gender: According to the Chinese Astrology calendar it is a GIRL...but we wont know for sure for a few more months. 

What I miss: My waistline, beer,  ENERGY

What I am looking forward to: Showing so I actually look pregnant and not just fat or bloated.

 

Other thoughts from the week: I am forgetful lately.  I thought this happened  later pregnancy, but I have found myself already forgetting to do things and "spacing out". 

The Flu

So this past week I was diagnosed with the flu.  Now, 5 days later I am feeling better but now both of my dogs are coughing a storm and I think they have "canine flu", everything I read says it is not possible to spread human flu to dogs, but this is strange.  Guess Jason and I will be making a trip to the vet tomorrow. 

I am Pregnant!!

The good news is I am pregnant! The bad news is I have no idea what I am doing!
I have gotten a lot of comfort from my friends who say they have gone through the same emotional roller coasters, but man this is rough. 
I have taken about 10 pregnancy test since the initial + test just to make sure I am still pregnant.  My doctor wont see me until I am 8-10 weeks along so I have another few weeks before my initial appointment on April 8th.   All I can do for now is read, read, read.
Yesterday I went to Half Price Books and bought not 1 but 7 books on pregnancy.  OMG! there is so much that you can not have or do when you are pregnant.  I have to say that the book " The Newly Non-Drinking Girls Guide to Pregnancy" is by far my favorite.  I am already 3/4 through it. 

I have so many emotions going through my head right now! When do I tell people? Do I wait till the 2nd trimester or go ahead and let people know.  I have 2 work trips in April and as soon as I order a glass of water everyone will suspect something is up, so should I just come clean after my first doctors appointment.  Anyways, I could keep on talking about the thoughts racing through my head...but I will leave that for another post.