Week 12 is here!! This is typically the time in which the not so fun parts of the first trimester come to an end.  I am very excited to have less and less nausea each day and more energy.  This week I have had quite a few headaches…hopefully those go away soon as well!

Today we had our first meeting with our OB/GYN, Dr. Ritter.  The visit was wonderful.  It mostly consisted of me asking a lot of questions ranging from how much protein do I really need to eat each day, are my allergy pills safe to take, and how late into my pregnancy can I travel?  The questions weren’t too exciting, but Dr. Ritter provided great answers and explanation to all of them.  Since the last doctor’s appointment four weeks ago, I have gained 3/4 of a pound.  The doctor seemed happy with that and stated the goal would be to gain only 5 pounds during the first 20 weeks with the rest of the pregnancy weight gained during the last 20 or so weeks when the baby is actually gaining the weight.

The most special part of the visit today was hearing our little one’s heartbeat.  During our last appointment, the midwife was unable to pick up the heart beat through the doppler heart monitor.  This visit the doctor was able to locate it rather quickly.  It was an AMAZING sound to hear!  The baby’s heart rate was in the mid-150’s which is perfect.

Along with all of the exciting news, we also have the 12 week baby bump photo!  I am quickly growing out of comfortably wearing my jeans and pants.  I have opted for yoga pants for the rest of the summer.  Thankfully, Jennifer Nevers has loaned some of her maternity clothes to me so I will have a few things to start the school year off!  Maternity pants, here I come! 🙂

Last but not least, Andrew won the father of the day award from our doctor for getting his Tdap vaccination!  He absolutely hates needles, so it was a big deal for him to request the vaccination today.  I’m glad he can put his hatred of needles aside to help in keeping the baby healthy.