By Jacqueline Presley, a mommy in progress

We just found out at our ultrasound appointment that we are having a baby girl! We have decided to name her Katherine Marie Presley. Also, she may be about 5 days younger than we first thought or just a little girl (like I was. I was only 6lbs, 4 ounces!), so we’ll see come the end of April! Now I’m ready to get that room painted. Most likely pink stripes (like wallpaper). I’m thinking of something like this:

I’m looking for a mini chandelier and I am looking for fabric for the baby bedding and drapes, so I can get it all to the seamstress. So exciting!

I wanted to share a few things I’ve figured out so far:

Old Navy has some great maternity undies. $12.99 for 3 pairs, but right now they’re on sale for half that, although the lacy ones are more comfy than the plain cotton ones. In my opinion, Amy Michelle makes the best diaper bags. You can find them at Two Chic behind McAllister’s. Or online. The Rodeo Drive, Madison Ave. & Broadway are the bags I like best. They run about $50-$70 depending on where you look. These bags are very ergonomical. They’re like a messenger bag, but have no flap that goes over, so there’s easy access. There are tons of pockets and they are pretty lightweight and not bulky like a lot of bags are.

This is my favorite — Broadway.

The pants I’ve been wearing the most are not even maternity pants, but they are comfortable. They are Land’s End No-waist Boot-cut Cotton Lycra Pants. They run about $19.50.

I bought a brown pair & a black pair and I wear them out! They come under your belly and they’re stretchy.

I also got the Bella Band which totally helps keep up jeans that are unbuttoned or maternity pants that are too big or just keeps you from revealing your belly when you lift your arms up! You can find them at Target for $16.99.

Anyone have any good tricks for sleeping comfortably?

Jacqueline writes about adventures in pregnancy on her blog, Mommy in Progress, on nwaMotherlode.com. Click HERE to see her previous posts.

By Jacqueline Presley

I had been thinking about having a baby for a couple years before we actually started trying. I quizzed my friends about their experiences and tried to become as educated about the progress as I could ahead of actually getting pregnant, so I could make informed choices about maternity care.

The more I listened to my friends and thought about the situation, certain things became important to me. I knew I wanted to try to avoid medication as much as possible during labor & delivery. I also wanted to be able to get up & walk around while I labored & only be monitored intermittently. I wanted a provider who wasn’t quick to do episiotomies or pressure me to get tests, procedures or medication that were unnecessary. After some asking around, it seemed like a Certified Nurse Midwife & Advanced Practice Nurse at Washington Regional Medical Center was the best choice for what I wanted. Since my doctor bills under a doctor there, it’s covered under my insurance. I chose to have the baby at the hospital rather than at home because I feel more comfortable being right there if something were to go wrong. I love that Washington Regional has a midwife on staff.

When I first went in to see her, I had a long list of questions that had been swirling around in my head. She quickly quieted my concerns one by one and I really felt at home with her. Seeing a midwife has been very much like seeing a regular doctor, although she’s more available because she sees fewer patients. Most likely, she will be able to be present for my delivery whereas other doctors may be with someone else while you are delivering & you then have to go with the doctor who is on call at the time. It puts me at ease to know the person I have been meeting with all through my pregnancy — the one has heard my preferences & concerns — will be there when I deliver.

My next appointment with her is next week. I will then be 19 weeks & we’ll probably get to find out the sex of the baby!! We’re happy with whatever we get, but it’s still exciting to find out.

By Jacqueline Presley, first time mama-to-be

Week 13. What an interesting week that was! Huge bursts of energy, not nearly as much nausea. Actually being to tackle some of that housework that has been piling up. That was until the very last day of that week. I got into my car feeling just fine about to drive to work when a huge wave of nausea (which up until now I have always been able to handle) came over me and THANK GOD I opened my car door in time! I thought I was going to go through this whole pregnancy without throwing up one time. Nope.

On Halloween (15 ½ weeks) I have my next appointment with my midwife and we do another ultrasound. She thinks we MIGHT! get to find out if it’s a boy or girl in there. It sure does seem like FOREVER between finding out that you’re pregnant and finally finding out the gender!

I’m so ready to have the nursery painted, but I’m holding out until I find out which color to go with. I am going for a fairly gender neutral color either way (maybe sage?) as I am aware that we could still be in for a surprise. I have a friend who just had what was supposed to be a Naomi Ruth and ended up an Ian Robert. Yes, they had ultrasounds. They also had a lot of pink in that baby’s room.

So, I’ve been shopping for maternity clothes and have been thoroughly disappointed by the lack of good maternity clothes in Fayetteville! Did you know that Dillard’s doesn’t even have a maternity department? To my knowledge there isn’t even a maternity store in Fayetteville. Target and Old Navy seem to the best selection. Though I had to go to the Promenade to Motherhood to find anything at all that was for petite mommies. Am I missing out on some great store? If so, please share! Thankfully, I have got some great friends who have lent me quite a selection of maternity clothes. Still could use some more pants. Let me know if you know of anywhere else I can get some petite maternity pants.

By mama-to-be Jacqueline Presley

Let’s talk about week 10. That week I yelled at my husband and my mother, and I bawled my eyes out twice. What a mess! From what I’d read on various websites (sites like: BabyCenter.com, www.pregnancy-weekbyweek.com & pregnancy.babygaga.com) and what I’d heard from my friends, week 10 is when your hormones are spiking, so they said don’t be surprised if you are experiencing the craziest PMS-like symptoms you’ve ever had.

I had also read that I might be stressing out about the future, wondering if I’d be a good mother, having mood swings, getting distressed easily, and having feelings of unattractiveness and inadequacy. Um, yes. That is exactly where I was.

Now it’s week 12. As the placenta is developing, the hormones are supposed to switch to the baby rather than me and things should be getting a lot better at this point. I’m also starting to show a little. Just the other night I had someone notice for the first time that I was pregnant without having to tell them. It’s nice to know I look pregnant rather than just fat =)

Below is an actual size picture of a 12-week-old fetus. I printed this out and I’m carrying it around with me to show excited friends and family. Every once in a while I hold it up to my belly to get an idea of how big the baby is in relation to my belly. I’ve read that my uterus in now the size of a grapefruit.

My husband has been a superhero through this whole process. He makes me breakfast, he runs all sorts of errands at a moment’s notice, he is understanding about all my bizarre symptoms and behavior, he does little things for me all the time, but I think last night was his breaking point. Pregnancy is tough on the husband, too! His wife doesn’t feel well most the time, wants to go to bed early, can only eat certain things for meals, is grumpy and can’t sleep through the night (so he also is not sleeping through the night). I think we both need a little break from my hormones!

Jacqueline is our newest Motherlode blogger and is chronicling her first pregnancy. Watch for Mommy in Progress updates every other Wednesday. Jacqueline, may your mood swing upward this week!