14th Week

I'm a lemon this week!  Not much to report actually.  Things are moving along well.  For the most part I'm feeling great although I've been pretty tired lately...most likely due to some late nights. 

I think I've been feeling little baby flutters for the last couple of days.  I'm not positive...it is pretty early still....but sometimes it feels like a little roll then bubbles popping.  A couple times it made me laugh out loud.  OR, it could just be gas?!  : P  I guess the little kicks will just get stronger to the point it becomes obviously NOT gas!

I've been having some back/pelvis pain that was making me waddle like a pregnant duck WAY before my time.  I decided to go back to the Chiropractor to see if he could offer some relief.  He said it was a sprain of my sacroiliac joint and most likely occurred due to the pregnancy hormone "Relaxin".  Its job is noble...to prepare the pelvis for delivery...but often causes injuries.  We will just keep an eye on it throughout the pregnancy so that it doesn't cause me grief towards the end.

This coming Monday I have my second prenatal screening blood test. I'll be 15 weeks 4 days.  Hopefully the results will be ready by my next ObGyn appointment in late July. Fingers crossed for good news.

What is new with baby this week? "Baby is 3 ½ inches long, crown to rump (head to butt) and weighs about 1 ½ ounces. Her skin is very translucent, although she is beginning to develop a downy, very fine hair called lanugo over her body for insulation. She will have this hair until she develops enough fat deposits to regulate her temperature, usually shortly before she’s born. This week, baby is strengthening her muscles by moving and kicking a little more. She is becoming more flexible and stronger every day. She is even practicing moving her facial muscles, as she frowns, grimaces, and squints. Baby is in the midst of an impressive growth spurt. Within the next month or two, she will triple in length and grow to reach the one-pound mark."

Only 173 long days to go.....

13th Week

I'm a peach this week!  I have a peach sized human being in my uterus!? :s  Weird!  I’m still in shock.  You don't fully realize how incredible it is till it's happening to you. And I don't take one second of it for granted since I gave up believing that it ever would.  Some days I think that it is so monumental and miraculous that the world should just stop spinning for a minute and I wonder why people aren't stopping to stare…pointing at me and saying "that's the girl who is pregnant"!  lol  But alas, the world keeps turning and no one has pointed in my general direction yet! (At least not because I'm pregnant!)

I found out this week that there isn’t a second ultrasound as part of the 15 week IPS testing.  Only more blood work.  (Which means I won’t get another glimpse into the secret little world until 20 weeks!) The blood test is looking for some strange protein that I would secrete if I was carrying a baby with a chromosomal abnormality. Plus my Doctor wants my immunity tested to paroviris (fifth's disease) and a multitude of other scary things. Surely as a medic  I have immunity to just about EVERYTHING…Sheesh!  Oh well, apparently my blood volume has increased by 20% so I certainly have enough to spare.

I finally had my first ObGyn appointment this week. I met  my new doctor who is very nice…mostly because she said I looked young. She used a Doppler on my tummy and I heard Baby's wee little heart. I was too stunned to count but it sounded like ~140-150bpm.

Boy or girl?  AF and I have been referring to Baby Bean as a boy from the start.  Not very scientific I suppose.  There are lots of old wives tales about using heart rate to predict sex.  But our rates have been right in the middle.  Not too fast, not too slow.  Hmmm.  Perhaps when my tummy really pops, we can entertain the other wives tale about carrying high or low.

I been looking into the “newish” technological offerings of 3D ultrasounds.  The images are so clear that you can see their features as if it were a photograph.  The optimum "viewing" time is ~28 weeks which puts me into September .  I’ll have to remember to book mid summer so I don’t miss my chance.

I found an iPhone app that acts as a mini Doppler.  You start the application, press the speaker against your belly, and listen through the earphones.  So far all I've heard is the rumbling symphony of my own intestines but I’m hoping to pick up BB's heartbeat in the coming weeks.  It also has a neat feature that allows you to record! (Anyone want to hear my intestines??)

What’s happening with baby this week? “Your little one is now about the size of a jumbo shrimp, 3 inches long and weighing about  an ounce. But make no mistake; this is no shrimp. Although your baby is tiny, he is a fully formed baby. His head is becoming more proportional to his body every week, and it now makes up about 1/3 of his size. Eyes and ears continue to move to their rightful places, as they develop. Your baby's neck is also getting longer, so that the chin is no longer touching his chest. Reflexes are working; and if you were to touch him, he would squirm. Hands and feet also respond to stimuli, as they open and close.  Your baby has fully formed fingerprints, which make him like no other.”

Only 183 days to go....

12th Week

Ahhhh…I can breathe a temporary sigh of relief.  Just home from my 2^nd Ultrasound and everything looks fine!  Baby measures 2.6”, and has a heart rate of 158 bpm.  Baby was dancing a little jig in there…surprising that I can’t feel it yet.  Maybe in a few more weeks.  I saw the lobes of the brain, the full spinal cord, and all the fingers and limbs!  (Didn’t see the toes)  Having done a little pre-research, I was very happy to see that  the nasal bones were present, and that the Nuchal meausurement was <3mm.  (1.3mm) Following the the scan, I had some blood drawn to test for certain protein levels. Those results coupled with today’s scan (and another at 15 weeks) will calculate my odds of chromosomal abnormalities.  BTW, my due date is getting closer to Grandma’s Birthday.  With the new CRL (crown to rump length), they put me at 12 weeks 4 days.  Now the due date is December 15^th.

Went shopping for maternity clothes the other day.  I picked up a couple pairs of shorts, and a shirt. They are VERY comfortable but NOT cheap.  Ah well, I guess they don’t exactly have a lot of competition to keep the prices down.  A girlfriend told me that there is a “Thyme Maternity” outlet store over in Gatineau.  Perhaps I’ll venture over there some weekend to check it out.

I’ve been noticing that my hair seems to be falling out.  Which is very disconcerting considering I don’t have ANY to spare.  And definitely a slap in the face considering all the articles I read talk about how pregnancy gives you flowing, gorgeous locks.  Sigh!  I guess it happens to a poor few (ME) due to fluctuating hormones.  Add to that the massive shed post partum…and I will most certainly be bald! :s  At my 1^st Ob-Gyn appointment this Friday, I will make sure to get my Thyroid tested as pregnancy can induce hypothyroidism. Hair loss is a sign as is cold intolerance.  (I have been freezing since finding out I was pregnant!)

What’s going on with baby this week?  “This week your baby weighs about ½ an ounce and is about 3 inches long.  If you could see your baby, you’d see quite an active little one – twisting, turning and kicking.  The baby is completely engulfed in amniotic fluid at this point.  This fluid is about 1.5 ounces in volume.Baby now has a chin and a nose and a facial profile. Vocal chords are complete, and the baby can and does sometimes cry silently. The brain is fully formed, and the baby can also feel pain. The baby may even suck his thumb.  The eyelids now cover the eyes, and will remain shut until the seventh month to protect the delicate optical nerve fibers. Hair is on the head and the fingers and toes have developed soft nails. The kidneys are developed and begin to secrete urine.”

ONLY 194 days to go!!!