Belly Progression
I'll be updating this pic from time to time, but here it is.
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May 26, 2007
May 22, 2007
23-week update!
Wow - 23 weeks already. I know, I say that every week.
We had another midwife appointment this week, so that was great - there was only one woman in the practice I hadn't met yet, so now I've had appointments with all three. The baby's heartbeat was easily found and was 150. I always get a little nervous right before they find it. My blood pressure was nice and low again, as I had noticed it creeping up just a bit at my last visit and hoped that wouldn't keep heading in that direction.
I also got to discuss the ultrasound. It was almost a month ago but I hadn't been in since then so I never got the result, though I assumed everything was normal since I hadn't heard. The baby seems to be growing well, with a head around the 85th percentile, a body around 75th percentile and thigh length around 56th. So it's got a big head and short legs! But it's completely normal to be a little disproportionate here and there - aren't we all? My impression is that the figures/proportions aren't really indicative of much except that it's growing as it should and isn't completely off the charts one way or the other. The baby is only a pound now (so probably a lot less 4 weeks ago) so there's still lots of growing to do. Let's just hope that head stays in check though!
I also found out that I have an anterior placenta, which means it's at the front. Most people have it at the back. I had suspected it was anterior since I always seem to be a bit lopsided when lying down, and I figured the baby couldn't always be on my right. An anterior placenta doesn't really affect anything, but it is surprising how early I felt the baby - even Julian could feel it by 18 weeks if he was really patient.
I'm finally starting to feel a bit better and have not been so tired this week. Keep your fingers crossed that continues. The midwife had some good recommendations about cutting back on sugars, like juice, as a way to keep fatigue in check. She also warned me to be careful about the way I get up so that my stomach muscles are protected as they can sometimes separate during pregnancy. I am learning to roll like a big beached whale when I get up off my back, rather than using my abs. She also recommended that I take some calcium magnesium to ward off Braxton Hicks, which I have been getting for weeks, so I've been doing that and haven't noticed them so much in the past few days.
I have noticed that the baby has become a lot more predictable in the past few days. If I eat a square of chocolate, which I am inclined to do now and then (hey - it's practically health food these days, right?) I get a lot of kicks. Also, after eating, s/he's pretty active. Before, it was just sort of random.
Anyway I better get to work as I started my bar course today and I want to stay ahead of the game to avoid the last-minute panic I experienced in April. Should be a lot easier now that I am feeling better.
May 21, 2007
23-week belly
All muscle definition gone! Not quite standing up straight here... woops. Likely the last time I wear those jeans for many, many months.
May 15, 2007
22-week update
Wow - I can't believe it's already Week 22. We are now just 4 months away from the due date - one small season. The smallest ever baby to survive was born at just under 22 weeks - those are her feet there. (Not that it's optimal of course - babies born that early are at high risk for brain damage and other issues.)
This week has been pretty eventful baby-wise. First, I attended a "Healthy Pregnancy" class, which was included as part of my prenatal classes. I missed the first one, and I wasn't sure how much use it would really be since I've ready about 18 books about pregnancy, so I feel pretty educated. However, I did learn a few good things
(1) I'm allowed to eat sushi! In B.C. apparently the Health Code requires they freeze it before serving it in restaurants, which means that the risk of listeriosis whatever icky thing you get from sushi is so small as to be negligible, so long as the restaurant is "reputable." So yay for that, especially since, er, I already ate some. Only once mind you. But I might need some seconds - though I will be picky; there are quite a few sushi restaurants around that I wouldn't consider reputable...
(2) Exercise - I learned that exercise is not only good for moi, but it is really good for the placenta, as it tones it, just like it does for the heart. Cardio exercise increases oxygen reserves in the placenta, which makes labour easier on the baby. So that was a good motivator as I had taken the week off from doing much of anything; I'm sort of between exercises right now - running isn't quite as enjoyable as my feet hurt when I run, but I haven't gotten around to looking into a pool now that I'm no longer a UBC student. Still I was able to run a 5K this weekend, which was great. An eight-year old did beat me, but still.
(3) Back labour - I learned that sitting reclined can cause back labour because the baby gets into a position with its skull facing your spine. Not so much of a concern now when there's still lots of room in there (a good thing, since I am currently lying on the sofa) but as I get later in my pregnancy I will be more conscious of it, since they become accustomed to certain positions.
Anyway, that's it for the pregnancy class... we also did some babysitting and attended a one-year old's birthday party, which was quite a lot of fun. I changed a diaper, which I hadn't done in quite a while, and was pleased to find it wasn't any more difficult than I remembered. And Julian and I looked at cribs and found one that we really liked, though we have yet to make any major purchases like that.
I'm still having lots of fatigue - I slept 15 hours the other day; and my emotions are definitely very close to the surface - I'm feeling rather thin-skinned, but am able to recognise that it is purely hormonal.
I'm still waiting for the elusive honeymoon stage, but I'm sure it's coming, right?
May 10, 2007
Growing
Hmmm... may have to rethink this outfit since I didn't realise quite how "Peter Pan" it is. Still, here's the proof that the belly has landed. Got my first seat on the bus yesterday, albeit not without a bit of glaring.
May 07, 2007
21-week update
Yay - so now we're really and truly at the halfway mark. I just read somewhere that baby's tongue is now fully formed, so that's the milestone this week. I think all the major stuff is pretty much done now, so now it's just the minor stuff like tongues and nails.
We are still debating names; Julian recently ix-nayed one of my favourites, so I will have to head back to the Baby Name Wizard and do some more thinking.
The belly has landed this week - it finally popped. Strangely, teenage girls at a shop where I was trying on clothes last week STILL did not notice I am pregnant, but everyone else says it's fully and truly there.
This week was pretty good energy-wise, but Saturday and Sunday required loads of napping. I attribute that to a growth spurt because when I woke up Friday, the belly was noticeably bigger. I couldn't stop marvelling over it. On Sunday, we saw some friends we'd seen the day before and they said they thought the belly had grown even in those 24 hours.
Sleeping has gotten a bit more painful - all my joints hurt. I need to dust off the prenatal yoga video and do some more stretching.
Ooh - another thing; if our baby is a girl, she already has all her eggs! Which means that if she ends up having a baby of her own, 50% of our future grandchild is already in my tummy. Bizarre.