Everli Mae: A Labor Story

Everli Mae Jones was born Friday May 8th at 6:30 in the evening. She weighed 6 pounds 4 ounces, and was 18.5 inches long.

Here's how the day went:
at 9:30 that morning i went to my dr's appointment, he wanted me to come in to check and see if i was still having issues with high blood pressure because the last time i went to the hospital my readings were too high... and because of another consecutive reading of high blood pressure in his office, he decided to induce me. after dropping Bayli off with family, we headed to the hospital.

at 10:30 i got admitted to the hospital, walking past the triage rooms we had visited way too many times and straight to our delivery room was such an amazing feeling.

at 11:30 we started pitosin to get my contractions going stronger. i was only at 1.5 cm dilated and 80% effaced when we started. (the same dilation and effacement i've been for the past three weeks)

at 12:45 the dr came in and broke my water. when he did this, i was 2 cm dilated. as i laid in bed I could for sure feel the contractions, but i had been experiencing the same kind of pains for the past few weeks, so i was doubtful they would be doing anything with helping me dilate. My family came to visit and distract me, bayli was there for a bit before she went to my parents house to nap, once my family left, I went for a walk around the hospital to try and get things moving along. i did this for about an hour or more and then went back to bed to try and breathe through the contractions as they continued to get more intense. i distracted myself by watching videos on youtube of men trying to endure through simulated labor pains.

by now it was 4:00 and i was only at 3cm dilated. figuring i was in for the loooong haul since my labor was progressing slower than id hoped after having my water broken, and enduring the pain for as long as i could, and even trying to help them along by walking, i asked to get the epidural.

after getting everything with that taken care of it was about 4:45 and my nurse wanted me to lay on my right side to help the baby's head get into the correct position, she said the plan was to have me switch sides each hour to kind of "corkscrew" her head into the right place. i laid on my side for an hour while i almost dozed off to sleep because the relief from the epidural was so wonderful.

at 5:45 we switched sides. she checked me and i was dilated to a 4, we both were thinking it would be hours until i delivered. she went to go get the new nurse that would be replacing her since it was almost 6:00 (shift change happens between 6-7.) so that she could start explaining what was happening with me and my labor's progression to the new nurse before she left.

around 6:15 as my first nurse was in the room explaining things to the new nurse i started feeling some changes occur in my cervix. i wasn't feeling the same kind of pressure as i felt with bayli, but i knew that something was different. she hadn't even finished explaining the stuff to my new nurse but i interrupted her anyway and asked her to check me, she checked me and said i was dilated to a 7. surprised, she told me that things would be happening fast now, and that in an hour or less i'd have my baby! so we texted my parents and told them to hurry and bring Bayli to the hospital. the nurse quickly finished explaining things as they got the room ready.

at 6:25 i started feeling much more pressure, i doubted that i could have dilated even more in such little time, i had literally been checked only 10 minutes before, but i said i was feeling ready to push anyway, and she checked me and i was at a 9, we did one practice push to get me to a 10. it worked, and with perfect timing, our dr came in. we did two pushes through the next contraction. i used a mirror so i knew that she was crowning. then he explained that i would need an episiotomy again, which didn't surprise me, as i felt the next contraction coming on, i pushed, he cut, we did another push which got her head out, then the last final push and...

at 6:30 pm out came the rest of her.

in summary:
it took 3 weeks of prodromal labor,
6 hours of early labor after being induced (the last 2 hours of which i had an epidural)
15 minutes of transitional labor
6 total pushes through 3 contractions.
and we had ourselves a baby.

they laid her on my chest and started to clean her off. she was tiny, and covered in vernix, just like bayli was. but she was also different. lots of blonde hair, not a big crier, she nursed almost immediately and this entire time while i delivered my placenta and got stitched up, she and i just laid there together, i cried happy tears, she whimpered infrequently. turns out i needed 16 freaking stitches to repair my two tears, but i didn't feel or even think about any of it. we said goodbye to our first nurse. as she left she said "thanks for hurrying so that i could see that beautiful babe."

the doctor finally finished my stitches, and we could hear my parents talking outside our room with Bayli, i couldn't wait for her to meet her sister. as soon as the dr left and i was covered again we let my daughter and my family in the hallway come in. i had had tons of time holding Everli, but i hadn't even realized that Garrison hadn't held her yet. so after he helped bayli up onto my hospital bed to take a look at her new sister, garrison finally took his turn at holding his new daughter.

for about an hour or so we had so much fun in our delivery room letting everyone take turns holding her. more friends and family came over, i ate dinner, and Everli this whole time just hung out kinda still covered in vernix, but beautiful as ever, and totally pleasant. she seriously never cried.

the time came for us to go to the mom and baby floor, and for Everli to go get her bath and get checked in the nursery. i was feeling wonderful, and i wanted so much to be able to watch her first bath, so my nurse pulled some strings and i got permission to go down with my husband and both of us could be there watching the happenings in the nursery. i was told that i had to stay seated in the wheelchair, which i felt was unnecessary, but still if that was the requirement, i was willing.

the nursery was amazing. once she was all clean, and deemed healthy, we went back to our room, said goodnight to Bayli (who had been watching from the hallway) and all 3 of us fell asleep. seriously my recovery has been awesome, i really love this whole second child thing. it's like my body knows what its doing and how to fix itself this time around. I really have been so lucky to be blessed with a smooth easy recovery, and to have been given such an amazing, beautiful, healthy, well tempered new daughter. (she loves her sleep and we love her for it.)

parenting a newborn has been like riding a bike, everything came flooding back, how to nurse, how to change a diaper, how to avoid being peed on, how to burp, what the different cries mean, and even the schedule. it all came flooding back and it was as if she'd always been a part of our lives.

i love her so much, and Bayli has transitioned into being a big sister beautifully. when i watch the two of them interact i feel like my heart is going to explode. Nothing with this pregnancy or delivery went the way i thought it would. but it turns out i got everything i didn't know i wanted.

Everli is such a joy in our family. it's safe to say we are all obsessed with her.

Baby Diary: a letter to the future you.

i found this jewel, while going though my old posts today and decided it was worth sharing.

(Written on September 26th 2011)

Dear Baby:
    There are a lot of things that a mother wants to tell her kid. So I figure, why not start 3 months in the womb? Here are just a few things I want you to know about me, your dad, and your future life.

     If there is ever an argument in our house over who loves you more. Just know, we love you the same amount, just in different ways. (but, if it counts for something, i've loved you the longest.)
    Today, I caught myself dancing with my tummy hoping that you would sense the love I have holding you in my hands.
    You were an "oops", "accident" whatever else you want to call it. I won't deny it, we weren't planning on bringing you into the world just yet, but... that just proves that you are way more like your mom then you even know. no one else would make an entrance like that unless you were as impatient and dramatic as I am. :)
     Your going to think that "modern family" is for old people but it's really not that much older than you are so don't hate me and your father for loving it so much, you may in fact just have to cry for a minute while we laugh our eyes out.
    Your dad will always provide for you. provide someone to laugh at. provide the food you spray all over our kitchen, provide the hugs and kisses before you go to bed at night. provide the happy attitude you see in mommy because he just loves her so much. provide the discipline that will make you a happier person in the end, and most of all, provide a constant and reliable friend and companion like he has for me, and like his dad has provided for him.
     You are always allowed to stain daddy's shirts and clothes with your spit up. not.
     you better be a cuddly monkey because im pretty sure with all our friends and family that already love you, you will never have to be put down.
    if you ever want to know why we raised you like we did, go ahead and read babywise and see if it doesn't convince you too!
    you will have over a thousand pictures taken of you before you are a week old. im almost positive of that, just get used to it. and smile big for mommy!
    im sure your dad will have about as many nicknames for you as he does for me. just say hello and give him hugs and no matter what he calls you, you'll be ok. promise. if it sounds bad, it's not. i've been through "chugga", you can get through anything.
    wear your seatbelt always. always.
    I WILL cry on your first day of school, just expect it.
   there are rules for certain places, no yelling in church, no screaming in the library, no temper tantrums in front of people im trying to impress, no running at grandma's, no leaving grandpa's without a hug, and no going to bed without brushing your teeth. these are just the basics, you'll learn more along the way.
    i would appreciate it a ton if you would make your birthday as easy for me as possible. the faster you come the better. just be easy on me. im scared.
    you are the oldest kid, which means that you will probably have it the hardest, just appreciate the person it makes you. and your allowed to call your younger siblings spoiled. i did.
    you will have your own lullaby. don't be jealous if you like someone elses more than yours. someday, they will be just as jealous of yours.
    im sorry, if landon ever becomes a "girl name". we tried our hardest to pick a manly one. and if your a girl, Bayli Grey is my favorite. don't diss.

  

Baby Diary: when's my due date???

(wrote on August 29th 2011)

i don't know if my "morning sickness" has gotten so much worse because i now know that i am pregnant and so it's like, my brain registered. "ok guys, she found us out, let's hit her with the good stuff now" or if its just always been like this and i've tried to work through it more, where as now i give myself the "im pregnant" excuse and allow myself to stay in bed for hours on end focusing on NOT seeing what i ate last night, end up in the toilet. but, besides the morning sickness, i've realized something new.

im probably farther along than i thought initially. because we weren't trying to have a baby, and get pregnant, i was just focusing on taking my pills and not really focusing on when i had a period or not. ever since i started birth control my periods have been super messed up. ranging from two months without a period (i checked for pregnancy then and it came out negative, so you can see why i wasn't worried this time), to a two week long bleeding session, so.... you can understand that nothing has really been "normal" anyway, too much information.  but.... all that proves, is that in the past few days i have realized that i have no clue when my last period was. it could have been three months ago! which would mean that i have a high likeliness of being way farther along than i initially thought.

this just makes things way more complicated. let me give you the details

because of this new, un-planned pregnancy i have had to do months and months of research in just a few days, that is one benefit of being baby hungry and planning a pregnancy. you have the TIME to look up articles, and find out what doctor your family and friends have enjoyed, and know what foods to eat and vitamins you need to take, and have a house that's appropriate, and signs of something going wrong, and sooo much more. 

well, we have a HUGE to do list, (i will share that later, more for my benifit than yours, so that i can write all this stuff down and sort it through) but the thing at the top of the list is finding a doctor and getting an appointment, not only will this doctors appointment allow me to find out how far along i am, but it will also be the place where we find out what my blood type is, and what garrisons blood type is and we can find out if we have "_______" disease. it runs in garrisons family, so i'm pretty nervous. and your supposed to get the shot that fixes things at your ten week appointment, well, if i'm farther along than ten weeks then would things get worse? would i lose the baby? would he/she have major complications. it's just stressful! i feel like im already failing as a mom. 

But, before we can figure any of that out, we have to switch insurance, we are trying to do this without letting our families know that we are pregnant. this is a big debate in our house right now. Should we let them know so that we don’t have to do this on our own? So that I can ask all these important questions, so that they can be excited with us and bring up a perspective that we wouldn’t have thought about before? Or… do we wait because 9 months is  a long time to wait, and it would be nicer for them? and because neither of us want all the questions and to talk about the baby sooo much. (it just feels like it will be the same thing as when we told them we were getting married, then all of a sudden, no one asks how your day went or how the weather is, but instead. How are the wedding plans coming? Are you excited or nervous, what can I help with, how much longer do you have to wait, etc. and those questions, though nice and helpful, really do become this overtaking bubble in your life and you just don’t feel normal anymore) and, because we really don’t know the answer to that vital question…. How far along are you? which will be everyone’s first question. So… we are thinking, let’s do the doctor thing all on our own (without advice of which hospital to go to, or doctor to see… aaaahhhh) and find out how far along we are, and then, once we know we can determine when to tell the family. 

besides all the stress, after reading alot of articles, and checking out baby web sites, and apps for my phone that give lots of advice, i'm realizing that one, im not the first and only person in the world to get pregnant, and so everything that im going through, or will go through has been experienced by someone that's written about it in their blog, or facebook, or made a youtube video about it, or written an article, or made a website, and so there is for sure answers to everything out there. the internet is the best. and... i've got the best husband in the world to be by my side and help me through this. he is so supportive and is working so hard to make this as easy as possible for "his babies" (im not just "baby" around the house any more, im "babies")

(the card says "I love you babies! -daddy aka Garrison) i got this on the day we found out after i came home from a long long day of work.

and... the biggest realization of all. eventhough i am scared out of my mind and nervous and honestly don't think i am ready. someone upstairs does. he thinks im ready, and that we are ready, and trusts us with this choice spirit of his. and there is no greater feeling, nothing greater than to get a glimpse of god-hood, and feel the love he has for us, and the approval he has on this family. i am starting to understand little things that i've never thought before, or felt before, and that, is what makes me get through this. that is what makes this worth it. 

Baby Diary: is this real life?

(wrote on September 12th 2011)

Garrison slept in, and I got up early so that we could make it to our 9:00 appointment with the doctor this morning. It really was the basics, peeing in a cup, filling out paperwork, taking blood, asking questions, giving my insurance card and photo id to everyone like ten times. Having to tell them. "I don't know" whenever they asked how far along I was. (it was asked 4 times) and finally after all the prodding, and poking, and asking, we were told that we would be able to have an ultra sound in an hour after I drank my weight in water so that my bladder was full. (it's necessary to push my uterus up towards the surface of my belly until im "showing" more) so, after a run to sonic to get 3 large drinks for my welcoming bladder since I had JUST emptied it by peeing in a cup... I chugged, and drank, and sipped while we played at the park imaging out little he/she playing with us in a few months. After a while my brain, and then lips, and then upper body froze from the ice water and cream slushies I was drinking, combined with the chilly september air. So we went back to the car and drove to the doctors, with the few minutes left to spare we watched the funniest cat videos on you tube.

Finally, the procrastinating, and drinking, and day dreaming had ended. we signed in and were called back to the very sophisticated and technically advanced room called the "ultra sound room." Yeah. Awesome. If there's ever a moment when you feel cool, it's that one. The moment when your about to see and hear through skin, and organs, and blood and amniotic fluid and look at this tini little thing they call a fetus, and you call your baby.

You know that thing you hear in your head after you've run a little too hard, or got a little too mad. It's called a heartbeat. Imagine it pumping twice as fast and sounds strangely like a muffled recording of a galloping horse and you've got it. Proof, that the image your looking at really is alive. Though his/her hands and feet may not be moving much yet, that little heart is working as hard as it can to stay alive so that it can come meet me, Garrison, and this world we call home.

Then, it ended. I seriously could have stayed in that room for hours, days maybe. It was so procedure and usual for the nurse. She was just measuring, and recording and snapping pictures and placing "BABY!!" above some that were for us. and weird numbers and letters on the ones that were for them. But, that experience today that we were able to have was anything but ordinary. She confirmed a hope, a desire, a thought that we had. Maybe there's a baby in here. Maybe we actually do have the ability to create life. Maybe. We peed on a few sticks and they said that we did, but honestly what do sticks know? A few symptoms that could just as easily be caused by bad food? That was my biggest fear, that we would go in there and be all excited and talk about how we think we are pregnant and have it turn out to all be in our heads. But, she, that little nice nurse that was just doing her job, changed our lives. She gave us the proof we cannot deny. The darn sticks were right.

It was just a squirt of some liquid on my slowly growing tummy and .1 seconds later there is a baby on screen. Obviously she's done it a few times from how quickly she knew right where to put it. She knows where my uterus is better than I do! and without warning, the audio turned on, bam. shooshoo shooshoo shooshoo. The heartbeat.


And yeah, I know this shouldn't be such a shock. I had to know that this day would come eventually. But today was just different. It's now undeniable. just. different.

better.

Baby Diary: Bodily Changes (my favorite, honest, long and informational post)

(wrote on September 17th 2011)

I feel like there are a lot of "common symptoms" of pregnancy that everyone, men, women and children all know. Those being: missed period, fatigue, sleepiness, getting a huge belly, cravings, and "morning sickness". But, I had NO idea all of the other weird symptoms that are associated with it. let me explain so that when the time comes for you to be pregnant, or, when the next pregnant lady is speaking with you. You will not be as surprised as I was when they say "oh yeah! that's TOTALLY normal". (because let me tell you, it does NOT feel normal)

"any-time-of-the-day-and-possibly-all-day" sickness: morning sickness is the stupidest term ever. i do not know who started it and why we all decide to call it that when i have heard from so many other pregnant women that it wasn't just in the morning for them either. "morning sickness" comes from your body needing so much food, yet, due to how tired your body is from working so hard making the baby, you don't really feel like eating because you are nauseous, it's a vicious cycle. generally, if you eat you feel better, but food smells weird, so you don't want to eat it. your body is too tired so you don't want to make it or even get up to walk to the fridge sometimes, so you don't eat. also, after waiting too long after realizing that you are hungry, you get nauseous, so you don't eat it. But.... if you do ignore the smell and bite into it, or gather the strength to make your favorite dish, or force yourself to eat just because you know you have to. YOU THROW IT UP. (or for me, dry heave all day long) yeah. that's really how it is. granted, this is not going to be the case for everyone. like me for example. i didn't ever actually throw up. but i dry heaved EVERY time i brushed my teeth. and often when food did not sit well with me or i caught a whiff of something rancid. the reason it is called morning sickness is because when your stomach is empty from the nights sleep, you almost always wake up with nausea. but, if you eat a light snack just before bed like toast or crackers or a glass of milk, that will help. and, the best news of it all.... morning sickness usually ends around 13 weeks (the 2nd trimester) because by that time the placenta is fully developed and doing most of the work for you so, you are not as tired, and therefore do not get as sick.

Heartburn: they should call it "heartfire" because if you usually get heartburn, you get it even worse when your pregnant, and if you have never had heartburn before (like me) then you will experience it pretty bad first hand. this, unlike morning sickness lasts all throughout your pregnancy. mostly at night when you are finally relaxing and falling asleep. the stomach acid and extra saliva you produce heads into your esophagus and decides to keep you awake for a little while longer in pain. awesome. the only solution i've read to this one is to not lay in bed until you are almost asleep. (so if you watch t.v. or read, or talk with your spouse, or do homework before bed. do it sitting up) and when you do actually lay down for sleep, make sure to keep your head elevated with lots of pillows  to keep your head about 6 inches off the mattress. that way gravity will keep those lovely fluids down in your stomach where they belong.

"Anti" Cravings: for the first trimester (weeks 1-12) you rarely have cravings, those come during the second trimester (weeks 13-26). so instead of having cravings like everyone thinks you should. (because cravings are a common symptom remember) instead, for the first three months, you have what i call anti-cravings. instead of saying, hmm... pickles and ice cream would be nice. you think. i don't care what i eat as long as it isn't: onions, dark chocolate, watermelon, anything that smells like fish, casseroles, spicy, anything that comes in a noisy bag, jam unless it was made by my mom, yellow, has too many flavors, etc. notice: when you crave something, you are usually craving a food item (or non food item like: dirt). but when you anti-crave something, you dislike not just the item, but possibly how it was made, what it looks like, the packaging it comes in, or who makes it. the possibilities are endless! brands become specific. ("no! it has to be tillamook cheese!!!") the time of day in which you eat it. (i can't eat macaroni and cheese for breakfast, even though that sounds good-ish) and the tiniest little things like expiration dates that you never paid attention to before. you start smelling things before you buy it like the rich snobs that you sometimes see in walmart. you buy stuff that is good to snack on, but nothing actually makes a meal, and in worst case scenarios, if you are someone that throws up your food. you think about what it would look like partially digested in the toilet before you eat it. yeah. ENJOY!

Congestion: because my brain is slowly being stolen by my child, i can never think of the word! so instead i usually end up calling it "constipation of the nose" but, seeing as constipation is actually talked about in this post, i'll refrain from writing that word twice. haha. instead, im going to talk about congestion. nasal congestion. you get this little cold every night. and blowing your nose doesn't help. it's not all gross and green like it is when your sick. it's just... bothersome. it just makes it hard to get a full breath of air, and makes you snore, and sometimes wakes you because one of your nostrils or possibly both have completely closed off. some people think that it is because lots of things are swelling  when your pregnant, and so your nasal passage might be one of them. but, besides making you wake from sleep, or making it more difficult to sleep, or causing your voice to sound different on the phone, it really doesn't do much more than that. and let's face it. you've got a baby coming. you might as well get used to waking up from your sleep anyway.

Constipation: self explanatory. just know that it is actually fairly common and no. just because your pregnant every organ in your entire body isn't going to freak out. Oh wait. Yeah, it does.

Urgency to pee: this is something common for the last few months of pregnancy when the baby's body is literally sitting on your bladder, but rarely do you expect it to bother you within your first few months. remember, Urinary Tract Infections are common and more likely for the first trimester of pregnancy so, if peeing becomes an issue. go and have a urine culture done at your doctors office to test and see if you need medication but, if your culture comes back clean, just remember... this is "totally normal" with all the hormonal changes, and bloating, and your desire to drink more water, peeing more even this early in pregnancy is expected.

Gas (and bloating): although you don't expect your pregnant belly to form until a few months into the pregnancy, you can expect some bloating right from the get go. this does not look like a cute prego belly, it just looks like fat. like you did when you were bloated while on your period. and, you guessed it. gas comes along with it. so, hopefully you and your husband have a good enough of a relationship to let one loose in front of him because you just might need to more frequently now that your pregnant. because, although some gas-x might look very appealing right now. be careful, that medicine is affecting your baby now too so talk to your doctor first, and most likely, he will suggest you just grin and bear it.

Having to sleep on your left side: doctors don't say you NEED to until your 20 weeks into the pregnancy, but, you should get started from the start just so that you can form the habit. sleeping on your left side allows the blood to flow more freely to the uterus and keep your baby healthy. sleeping on your stomach will not be possible in the last months of pregnancy, and will be painful for the months before hand (it feels like a sore muscle being ripped sometimes) and, sleeping on your back when you are farther along and your baby and uterus weight puts pressure on your organs. and, last option, sleeping on your right side instead of your left blocks blood vessels that carry nutrients to your uterus. the vessel you want to favor is the one on the right side of your body, leave that one free and clear without pressure by sleeping on your left side. you can use a body pillow to help with the transition.

Saliva overload: i haven't found any article that explains why this happens, but, it does. you are creating more spit. all the time. this doesn't help with nausea because your body creates more saliva right before you are about to vomit so... you kinda feel like your going to vomit all day long. but, just keep something to suck on like mini candies or mints (not gum) handy at all times. it really does help. especially at night.

Being a horrible wife:  for the first few months or years of marriage i think all women try to make sure that their husbands come home from work or school to a meal and a clean house. well, i've noticed that a lot of pregnant women have no desire to cook or clean due to smells. i had a hard time of doing dishes with all those mixed smells, and laundry! every time i pulled out another section of clothing a waft of associated smells would come right out of the hamper with it and into my un-welcoming nose. this also fades away as the weeks tick by. but, try to force your way though it because an overwhelming load of clothing, or piles of dishes not only makes the entire room smell but... you end up having to do it anyway. plus, it's alot easier to just sleep, or try to relax (which is what your body really needs) when you don't have a list of chores to worry about.

Fatigue my eye, its EXHAUSTION!: i don't think most people -especially your spouse- understand how hard it is to make a baby. maybe this will put it into perspective. your heart is working 4 times harder just from sitting while pregnant. that's as hard as your heart was working if you were running when you weren't pregnant! all day, all night. running. no wonder you feel so tired and want to nap and sleep all day! no wonder your nauseous, i'd be throwing up if i was running that much anyway! you need to take deeper breaths to get your baby oxygen, your heart needs to work overload to get more blood circulating down to your uterus, your cells are being deprived of nutrients so that you can give them to your parasite that you love. your bowels are going constipated so that they can suck out every possible nutrient because you and your baby need all the help you can get. every organ is working as hard as it can, and using up all the tricks it knows. no one is slacking. imagine your body as the workplace and the ceo of the company from new york is coming to town to visit your branch. yeah. the ceo=baby. branch=your body. everything gets moved around, cleaned, everyone is on their best behavior, baby's bossing everyone around telling them to work harder and bring him lunch. soon though, this ceo get's it's own personal assistant called the placenta. once it is fully developed (as i mentioned before in week 13) everyone calms down, baby is happy, and you notice, a lot of those symptoms you hate and had to deal with before go away as your nausea goes away, you get your energy back and you take a much needed vacation called a "babymoon"!

NO MEDICINE!: there are very few over the counter drugs that your OBGYN will actually suggest while your pregnant. no ibuprofen, no advil, no nothing. take your vitamins! don't stop those! and if you have any prescriptions make sure you notify all your doctors and tell them that your pregnant so that they can either have you go off your medication, or change the dosage, but if your dealing with pain, cramps, headaches, fever, colds/flu, extreme nausea, or any other things that you would usually take medicine for, talk with your doctor and he can recommend something fit for both you and your baby. (it will usually be found down the children's isle ie:baby tylenol) but, if all else fails, stick with eating your fruits and veggies, drinking water, resting, and letting the sickness take it's course.

Frozen hands and feet: due to the heart working so hard as i said before, your hands and feet might swell and be cold, or possible fall asleep because the blood is focusing on flowing to the baby that your extremities sometimes take a hit, and get pushed to the side lines, a little exercise helps this it's also a perfect reason to convince your hubby into giving you a nice massage. but make sure you are wearing appropriate (flat) shoes that aren't too tight. Also, you might want to take your wedding ring off or replace with a temporary larger size now before it's too late.

other tidbits to keep in mind:
-eating for two actually does not mean 4,000 calories instead of the usual 2,000. you are only supposed to eat around 100 more calories per day than you normally would. and the average pregnancy should only gain around 25-30 pounds. and if your wondering when you'll start showing. usually that's between weeks 14 and 18 (earlier if it's not your first child)
-depending on your weight, height, genetics, and bone structure. how your belly looks, weather you get stretch marks, where you gain and weather you lose your baby weight fast or slow all is personal and fit to you. don't compare.
-listen to your body. if your tired, take a nap. if your hungry, eat some food. if you feel like somethings wrong, call your doctor or just head to the hospital. you and your motherly intuitions that are slowly forming are the best things you can listen to.
-the internet is here for a reason. if you have a question, google it!
-involve your husband,partner and family. they are just as intrigued about your body's changes as you are.
-with all these new hormones you are basically going through puberty again so you can expect acne, and mood swings to follow.
-some of those hormones are good! they produce healthier, shinier, and thicker hair and nails. embrace this while you can because as soon as pregnancy is over... your nails chip and crack, and hair falls out in handfuls (commonly.)
-your lungs are adapting and changing as well, they are growing to allow more air and deeper breaths. so, they might feel sore or tight. but just realize it's to give your baby the oxygen he/she needs. it's worth it.
-if you find that you keep forgetting things or can't finish your sentence, that's "totally normal" just start writing things down. a blog is a good idea for this, or sticky notes, or a dry erase marker list on your mirror. anything that works for you.

Happy Changing! and good luck!!!