Monday, June 14, 2010
The Results Are In...
We got the results of the quad screen test today: negative for everything (including Down syndrome, other chromosomal birth defects and neural tube defects)! Of course it's just a "screening" test, which means that they can't exactly rule anything out, but negative results are a very good sign! Thanks for your healthy baby prayers, and please keep them coming!!
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Doctor's Visit
My doctor's visit went well today. I was weighed (I'm up 6 lbs - I was right!), we listened to the baby's heartbeat, she felt my uterus (it's up to my belly button now!), and I got to ask all my pressing questions about my recent aches and pains. She said the hip pain is normal, and that some women get it so bad that they have to go to physical therapy. I certainly hope mine doesn't get that bad.
When she listened to the heart beat, she made her gender prediction... for a girl! She said she was just going by the old wives' tale that a baby girl's heart rate is consistently higher than 140. Our baby's is always in the 150s or 160s. We will find out for sure next Thursday!
When she listened to the heart beat, she made her gender prediction... for a girl! She said she was just going by the old wives' tale that a baby girl's heart rate is consistently higher than 140. Our baby's is always in the 150s or 160s. We will find out for sure next Thursday!
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
18 Week Photo
I'm continuing to grow... and I've now grown right out of my regular jeans; they don't even fit with the belly band anymore! Here I am in my new maternity jeans:
*Wolf whistle*
*Wolf whistle*
Monday, June 7, 2010
Quickening
I can feel the baby move! I started feeling it at 15 weeks, but juuuust barely. It felt sort of like gas bubbles, but different enough that I could distinguish the feeling. Today while sitting at my desk at work I had that same feeling, but stronger. The baby was playing the drums on my belly! Then I put my hand on my stomach where all the motion was, and I swear I felt a little thump against my hand. I very well may have imagined that part, but I'll keep trying to feel. I would love for Jeremy to be able to feel it too!
Saturday, June 5, 2010
"To sleep, perchance to dream"
Those words ring differently to me than ol' Hamlet intended them. Oh, how I wish for sleep - blissful, free of pain, uninterrupted sleep!
My first issue:
Since the very beginning of my pregnancy, I've been getting up during the night to relieve my bladder. I used to fight it, thinking I could go back to sleep and deal with it in the morning. But no, a pregnant lady's bladder is persistent and it is nearly always full. In the beginning it's due to the increased amount of fluid in our bodies (our blood volume increases 40% during pregnancy!), and our kidneys working more efficiently to expel waste from the body. Some say the frequency of potty breaks decreases in the second trimester, but I have yet to experience that. I've had to cut off my fluid intake at 8pm to minimize the frequency of nature's call while I sleep.
My second issue:
Pregnant ladies don't have many options when it comes to sleeping positions. I used to sleep on my stomach, which of course I can't do anymore. I started to wean myself off of it a few weeks ago by forcing myself to sleep on my side. I kept waking up to find myself on my back, which we're also not supposed to do, since the weight of the uterus can rest on the aorta and inferior vena cava, and you don't wanna mess with those. I bought a body pillow, which takes up a tremendous amount of the bed (sorry, Jerm!), but does make sleeping on my side more comfortable. That is, until my ear begins to ache because I've been lying on it too long.
My third (and worst) issue:
My left hip has been hurting pretty intensely since last weekend. This happened in my second month too, but went away with some yoga stretches. Unfortunately stretching isn't bringing me any comfort this time, so I may just have to wait it out. It hurts when I sit. It hurts when I lie down. It hurts when I breathe deeply or hiccup. The only relief I get is from standing up, and I don't think I can sleep standing up. I've done a little research and found that the pain may be due to the hormone relaxin, which relaxes the joints to prepare the body for childbirth - this can cause inflammation and pain. Almost everything I've read says this usually happens in late pregnancy (we're talkin' at 36 weeks or so), so I don't know if it could be affecting me yet. I plan to ask my doctor about it this week.
I hope to get some good nights' rests before the baby comes, since I know that once the little one is here, uninterrupted nights will be a distant memory!
My first issue:
Since the very beginning of my pregnancy, I've been getting up during the night to relieve my bladder. I used to fight it, thinking I could go back to sleep and deal with it in the morning. But no, a pregnant lady's bladder is persistent and it is nearly always full. In the beginning it's due to the increased amount of fluid in our bodies (our blood volume increases 40% during pregnancy!), and our kidneys working more efficiently to expel waste from the body. Some say the frequency of potty breaks decreases in the second trimester, but I have yet to experience that. I've had to cut off my fluid intake at 8pm to minimize the frequency of nature's call while I sleep.
My second issue:
Pregnant ladies don't have many options when it comes to sleeping positions. I used to sleep on my stomach, which of course I can't do anymore. I started to wean myself off of it a few weeks ago by forcing myself to sleep on my side. I kept waking up to find myself on my back, which we're also not supposed to do, since the weight of the uterus can rest on the aorta and inferior vena cava, and you don't wanna mess with those. I bought a body pillow, which takes up a tremendous amount of the bed (sorry, Jerm!), but does make sleeping on my side more comfortable. That is, until my ear begins to ache because I've been lying on it too long.
My third (and worst) issue:
My left hip has been hurting pretty intensely since last weekend. This happened in my second month too, but went away with some yoga stretches. Unfortunately stretching isn't bringing me any comfort this time, so I may just have to wait it out. It hurts when I sit. It hurts when I lie down. It hurts when I breathe deeply or hiccup. The only relief I get is from standing up, and I don't think I can sleep standing up. I've done a little research and found that the pain may be due to the hormone relaxin, which relaxes the joints to prepare the body for childbirth - this can cause inflammation and pain. Almost everything I've read says this usually happens in late pregnancy (we're talkin' at 36 weeks or so), so I don't know if it could be affecting me yet. I plan to ask my doctor about it this week.
I hope to get some good nights' rests before the baby comes, since I know that once the little one is here, uninterrupted nights will be a distant memory!
Friday, June 4, 2010
Bell Pepper Baby
18 Weeks (from BabyCenter):
And a cool photo courtesy of www.i-am-pregnant.com:
ETA: "What to Expect When You're Expecting" says that the baby can now yawn and hiccup!
How your baby's growing:
Head to rump, your baby is about 5 1/2 inches long (about the length of a bell pepper) and he weighs almost 7 ounces. He's busy flexing his arms and legs — movements that you'll start noticing more and more in the weeks ahead. His blood vessels are visible through his thin skin, and his ears are now in their final position, although they're still standing out from his head a bit. A protective covering of myelin is beginning to form around his nerves, a process that will continue for a year after he's born. If you're having a girl, her uterus and fallopian tubes are formed and in place. If you're having a boy, his genitals are noticeable now, but he may hide them from you during an ultrasound.
And a cool photo courtesy of www.i-am-pregnant.com:
ETA: "What to Expect When You're Expecting" says that the baby can now yawn and hiccup!
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Maternity Clothes
I am getting dangerously* close to fitting into my maternity jeans! Devon was kind enough to lend me a huge heap of her maternity clothes, which were practically falling off of my hips at that time (about 2 months ago). I tried them on tonight and they were just barely too big! I think in another week or two, I will have grown out of my "belly band" and into my official maternity clothes. The funny thing is, I now have more pairs of maternity jeans than I have regular jeans!
My doctor should be happy to see my belly at next week's appointment. Last time I saw her, she questioned if I was eating enough and said she wanted to see me gain more weight. I had only gained two pounds at that time; I think now I have probably gained five or six. She wants me to gain 30 pounds in total, which quite honestly scares me to death! When Jeremy and I went to Jamaica, I carried a backpack as my luggage, and it weighed at most 25 pounds. It was exhausting carrying that extra 25 pounds around!! My legs felt numb just walking short distances while wearing the backpack. I can't imagine having that weight sitting mostly on my front-side.
* The word "dangerously" was, of course, used only for dramatic purposes ;-)
My doctor should be happy to see my belly at next week's appointment. Last time I saw her, she questioned if I was eating enough and said she wanted to see me gain more weight. I had only gained two pounds at that time; I think now I have probably gained five or six. She wants me to gain 30 pounds in total, which quite honestly scares me to death! When Jeremy and I went to Jamaica, I carried a backpack as my luggage, and it weighed at most 25 pounds. It was exhausting carrying that extra 25 pounds around!! My legs felt numb just walking short distances while wearing the backpack. I can't imagine having that weight sitting mostly on my front-side.
* The word "dangerously" was, of course, used only for dramatic purposes ;-)
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