20 Weeks Pt. 2

Although I'm happy that I've reached the halfway point of this pregnancy, I'm also a little sad. Mostly because I don't think Paul and I will have more than 2 children (never say never) and that this will potentially be my last time being pregnant and delivering a child.
I'll never have 1st trimester morning sickness again.
I'll never hear that first heartbeat again.
And I'll never feel those first flutters again. But even if I never experience these things again, I'll always be able to reminisce.
I sometimes wonder if my children will enjoy hearing about their births?

Speaking of...my newest nephew was born last weekend. We went to see him and he is just adorable. I was holding him for a while and it made me remember what it was like to be a new mom. I enjoy being pregnant but I can't wait to hold my lil' bean. It's an amazing feeling that you can't compare to anything else. So congratulations to my sister-in-law and her hubby on the safe and healthy arrival of their little angel.

As for things on the home front, we acquired a new BBQ just in time for the season. It's actually pretty monstrous. I haven't taken a picture of it yet but I will. It looks like two BBQ's welded together. One side is for propane use, and the other is strictly charcoal. It really is a man's grill. And of course the food that comes off it is delicious!

And with a good BBQ dinner comes dessert. Sour dessert! Only I didn't get to enjoy my daily grapefruit for most of the week because I didn't end up going to the Citrus Truckload Sale in Bolton. At the time I figured it really wasn't worth it but now I'm beginning to regret not going. I was at the grocery store and saw that their grapefruit wasn't nearly as big (or juicy?) as the ones off the truck. I left them there in hopes that another store would carry larger (and juicier?) ones.

So as Paul and I sat down in front of the TV for the evening (me sans grapefruit), he put in a movie and that's when it happened. Our Blu-ray player got busted. So sad, I know. The only hope for us now is moving the Playstation from the bedroom to the living room every time we want to watch a Blu-ray on the couch. I don't know exactly what to do with the player now. I'm sure we could get it fixed but is it really worth fixing? Maybe buying a used one would be a better option instead of getting a new one? Who knows, but for now we'll be using the PS3.

Towards the end of this week, I began really feeling my lil' bean moving around. It's what I've been waiting for since I found out I was pregnant and to me, it's a huge part of carrying a child. Usually during the first trimester you have to remind yourself that you really are growing a little human. And that the morning sickness isn't part of some illness you've suddenly come across. But those first few flutters that lead to more definable movement really makes it all worth it. So when the lil' bean starts moving I'm really trying to enjoy it since it will most likely be my last time feeling it. And all this movement made me remember that I haven't taken any decent belly shots. So some time in the following week I have to make time to do it. I find myself looking back to Pauly's belly shots and comparing them to my now growing belly. Sometimes I can't believe how different things are this time around.

Speaking of my growing belly, this week my lil' bean is about 6 1/2 inches crown to rump. Before 20 weeks the little one had it's legs curled up and it was hard to measure them. Now...he/she is big enough that the legs are included in the measurements. So the new length is 10 inches head to heel! About the size of a banana. He/she is swallowing more which is great practice for the digestive system. The amniotic fluid being swallowed contains old cells, lanugo, bile and other things the baby has excreted. All this won't hurt my lil' bean but instead causes meconium to start building up in the bowels. This will go on for the next 20 weeks and his/her first poop will be this build up of meconium. Sounds yucky but I got lucky the first time around. Paul was the one who changed Pauly's diaper for the first week so by the time I got to it, I wasn't changing any meconium filled diapers! Maybe this time my dear husband will be kind enough to help out in the same way (wink wink!) :)

19 Weeks

I've been waiting to feel my lil' bean for a couple weeks but wasn't sure if what I was feeling was him/her. Now, I can happily say that my baby is a jumpin' bean in there :) For the past few days I've been feeling him/her move around pretty regularly. They aren't strong movements but feel like bubbles rumbling around. I guess that would be a flutter? I can go an entire day without noticing them but if I stop any pay attention, I can usually feel it. I can feel my lil' bean as I sit here typing!!

When Paul's around I've been telling him when the baby moves and he gets all excited. I feel bad about it sometimes but he's made it clear that he wants to know and he says he can't wait to feel it himself. Although it's too early for him to feel the movements, sometimes he gently pokes my belly in hopes that maybe something will happen. One day our lil' bean will poke him back!

I also saw our midwife on Tuesday and everything is going fine. We talked for 30 minutes or so and she answered most of the questions I had. Apparently I was asking things that would be better left for later in the pregnancy, although she did touch on them slightly. Things like IV's and continuous fetal heart monitoring. She told me that both those things weren't necessary unless something happened but we would talk more about it in one of the next visits.

I mentioned the hip pain that's been happening on and off for the last couple weeks, which I expected but not until I got a little rounder. Of course she assured me it was all normal. She explained my body was releasing a hormone called relaxin in order the get me ready for delivery. The relaxin was causing my joints, muscles and ligaments to soften and become more flexible. She also told me not to worry if it felt like my hips were popping in and out of their sockets. Fun stuff huh? I think I'll try some extra pillows for support.

Anyways, my midwife was glad that I had registered at the hospital. I had seen the "Family Birthing Unit" photos online and only had one question about it. I knew I'd get to use the shower for pain management since each room has one but I was curious about the one jacuzzi tub they had. She told me it would likely be available to me since the midwives seemed to be the only ones who used it. And it was big enough for two. That was awesome.

I know that having a baby most often doesn't work out like you planned but I think everyone has some sort of idea on how they would like things to happen. I've been very happy with the choices I've made so far and can only hope that things continue without complications.

This week my lil' bean is the size of medium zucchini, about 6 inches crown to rump. He/she is now covered in vernix to protect it from the amniotic fluid and the skin underneath appears red due to the visible blood vessels. There are motor neurones developing which are nerves that will connect the muscles to the brain. Along with that is sensory development. The brain is designating areas for smell, touch, taste, hearing and vision. Under the gums there are permanent teeth buds developing behind the already formed milk teeth buds. His/her arms and legs are now proportioned to each other and the rest of the body. There is hair sprouting from the scalp this week as well. I can't wait to meet this perfect lil' person.