16 Weeks Pt. 2

This week contained a wide variety of feelings. At first I was feeling nervous. Then I was feeling tired. Followed closely be sickly, tired (again) and finally amazing. Here's why...

Tuesday I had my appointment with the midwife where I was expecting results from my blood work and ultrasound. You always hope for the best but never know until the day arrives. Happily I can announce my glucose is low and iron is high. As for the scan, everything looks normal. Yippee! And I'm officially due on September 22, 2011

Being tired is a mandatory part of your first trimester but for some reason it poured into my second. It might of had something to do with having a cold and caring for a 9 month old baby who just doesn't want to sit still. I'd been trying to take it easy but there were times where I had to dig deep for that last ounce of energy in order to do those unavoidable things like feed the dog and myself!
My cold started out as a runny nose and escalated to congestion three or four days later. I was using Vicks successfully for a few days and thought I was getting better but I wasn't. One day I woke up and my nose was stuffy, my throat hurt and my head was pounding. The midwife informed me of what I could take to ease some of my symptoms and I promptly went home to slept while my mom watched Pauly. I decided instead to head out in the morning to deal with it. When I got up, I felt better. No headache, congestion or soar throat. Very strange. And that's when it all ended. Since Wednesday I haven't felt sick at all. And to top it all off, the weather was amazing this weekend. I even took Pauly to the park for the first time. Boy did he love the swing. I'll have to make it a routine when the weather is good.



This week my lil' bean has grown to be the size of an avocado, about 4 1/2 inches long. He/she is dancing around and probably sucking their fingers or toes, and playing with the umbilical cord. The head is now being held more upright and the neck is very developed. The eyes are still moving under the lids and the ears are almost in their permanent position. The heart is working to pump 25 quarts of blood every day and this will only increase as he/she grows. There is a growth spurt expected for the next few weeks and my lil' bean will be doubling his/her weight. As of now I am feeling great and hope it stays this way.

22 Weeks

I think I'm going to start with the most exciting news. Paul & I went for our anatomy ultrasound this week. Luckily our lil' bean decided to co-opreate and we can proudly announce...."It's A Boy!"


Yep, another Paul Jr. It was so unreal seeing our son on the screen again. He had his hands by his head and his legs were all stretched out. He would curl them and kick them out. We got another good look at his heart. And when the sonographer showed us a close up of his face, we saw his mouth opening and closing as he swallowed amniotic fluid. He's got a perfectly round head, which he gets from his dad. I can't wait to meet him.

There didn't seem to be anything wrong but we won't know for sure until we see the midwife again. And that won't be for another 10 days or so. First we'll be relaxing, away from it all for a week! And it couldn't come any sooner. We booked a cottage in Wiarton and we're leaving this Sunday. I plan on having the wood burning stove going all week and enjoying time off with my baby daddy!

And of course my legs could use the rest. I stand all day at work and by the end of it my feet and legs are so tired. It's worse at the beginning of the week because of the weekend backlog. I usually find time to sit mid-week until Friday. I can only imagine what it's going to be like at 30 or 35 weeks. I'll just have to make time to rest my legs. The last thing I want is varicose veins.

The thing that's really surprised me is the dreams I've been having. I was never the kind of person to remember my dreams so I assumed they weren't very eventful, but that's changed. I'm now having vivid dreams that I remember when I get up in the morning. And they're so weird sometimes. It's actually kind of fun to wake up and wonder what was going on in my head during the night.
At 22 weeks my lil' bean is the size of a spaghetti squash and weighs a whole pound. His brain and nerve endings are developed enough that he is now experiencing the sense of touch. He may be stroking his face or playing with the umbilical cord! His eyes are developed except for the pigment of his iris. And if you could see him, he'd have deep wrinkles waiting to be filled with a layer of fat.

20 Weeks!!!!!

Today I hit a huge milestone. I'm officially halfway through my pregnancy. Yay!! And although I've enjoyed every minute of the journey so far, it has gone by quickly. I can see the next 20 weeks flying by and I intend to relish every moment of those weeks like I did the last.

But from here on out it'll be a different kind of journey. With each passing day I can feel my lil' bean getting stronger. Each movement has been more defined and he/she has definitely put on weight. It won't be another 20 weeks wondering how my lil' bean is doing. Instead, it'll be 20 weeks of feeling flips, kicks, and maybe even hiccups. There won't be a moment where I'll be wondering if there really is a baby in there! Also, my conversations won't go unnoticed any longer, along with daddy's. The two of us have been constantly speaking to our lil' bean over the last few weeks and it's comforting to me knowing that he/she can hear us now. It's amazing to think our voices will be how our baby will recognize mom & dad once we're able to hold him/her in our arms.

Next week will also be exciting for Paul & I. We're having our anatomy scan and we'll get to see our growing lil' bean again. Hopefully the computer screen won't be turned away the entire time but that all depends on the technician. The appointment will be an hour long and I'd love to see how my baby's been developing. This scan will show the brain, the heart and all other organs. We'll be sure that he/she has ten fingers and toes, along with healthy lungs and a spinal cord that is well developed. There are so many things to check for but the exciting part about it is that we'll hopefully know if our lil' bean is a boy or girl!

After all this excitement I know I'm going to need a break. That's why Paul & I have decided to go on a baby moon! Nothing fancy, just a week away, up north. We haven't booked a cottage yet but we've got 4 to choose from. I'm really looking foreword to sitting in front of a fire reading, playing a board game, watching the snow fall, feeling the baby move around, or just napping! And Paul will gladly drop what he's doing to feel the baby again. His face lit up the first time he felt it and it seemed he really couldn't believe what was going on.

Some of the not so good things of the week include sleeping, and trips to the bathroom :( My hips are still sore during the night and I've taken to using a pillow between my knees to alleviate some of the pain. It helps but when I switch sides, the pillow doesn't follow. I find myself being conscious of repositioning the pillow when I flip which causes some breaks in my sleep. Which of course isn't good for the bladder! I'm usually getting up twice a night to use the bathroom. And during the day it's even worse. Every two hours or so I heading to the loo. And standing up from a sitting position doesn't help either. But I guess I should be saving my complaints for later...

And what about my precious package you ask?? He/she is about 6 1/2 inches crown to rump. Before 20 weeks my lil' bean had it's legs curled up and it was hard to measure them. Now...he/she is big enough and the legs are included in the measurements. So my lil' bean is now 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 meconium. Yucky you say but I'm the one who'll have to clean it!

13 Weeks

I've been waiting 13 weeks for a chance to see my lil' bean and it was amazing! My first ultrasound was on tuesday and I loved it. It was part of the Nuchal Translucency screening so for Paul & I it was more of a reassurance that everything was going as it should.

Before the technician began, she told me she was going to go through the screening first, which would take about 30 minutes. Then she would call Paul in and we could have a quick look at the baby. I knew she wasn't going to give me any info about the baby so I planned on keeping my attention on her facial reactions until the end. As she started, I was anxiously waiting for the bad news. Her furrowed brows could only mean one thing to me and so I waited. And waited. She continued moving the probe along my abdomen and clicking her keyboard. Her eyes relaxed and she moved closer to the screen. And still I waited. I stopped looking at her soon after and my anxiety lifted a little. After all, if something were wrong she would at least be asking me questions.
I don't know how long it actually took but she finally said she was done with the screening and would be right back with Paul. I said "OK" and as she left the room I silently squealed for joy. It only took a moment and she was back with Paul. He stood next to me as she moved the screen so we could both see it. She then placed the probe on my abdomen and there was our lil' bean moving around. She pointed out the head, arms, heart (beating like a champ), and the legs. We saw some kicks and punches and then it was over. Luckily this will not be our last ultrasound and I can't wait to see him/her again. Until then, I've posted the two ultrasound pictures on the fridge.
At 13 weeks my lil' bean is about 3.5 inches crown to rump, about the size of a medium shrimp. The liver is now secreting bile and the pancreas, insulin. He/she can smile now and there are 20 teeth under those gums. The hands have started to open and close and the toes can now curl. The sucking reflex has started and no doubt he/she will start sucking his/her thumb. With that comes the swallowing of amniotic fluid and he/she is passing it in their urine. Vocal cords have started to develop along with finger and footprints. The eyes are starting to move closer together and the ears are practically in the right spot. Hopefully next week I'll be able to report that everything is moving along perfectly!