Childbirth/newborn care classes

I am now officially registered for childbirth and newborn care classes. YIKES.

Week 16

So it's been a quiet week (thank goodness!). So not really much to report. I've already said we have names determined, so now we just need Shrimp to make an appearance so we can find out which name he/she will get. It's week 16 so that means I am 4 weeks away from the half way mark, which in and of itself is frightening. I've been having problems sleeping. I either wake up around midnight to 1 am with extreme back pain and have to walk around to loosen the muscles up or just can't settle down to sleep. Last night was actually a decent night, but I woke up groggy and have never quite gotten my mind around to functioning with all cylinders. Now all I can think about is bed but I know that's a long time coming.

I've tried several things with my back since I'm loathe to call my doctor about it. I've put a pillow underneath where I sleep on the bed to cushion my hips and stretch the spine when I am on my back. And recently, I folded up my winter blanket on my side of the bed and created some extra cushioning there.

Also, I've finally found some maternity jeans that don't make me look like I'm one size from my waist down. I'm very picky about my clothes and all I was finding was hideous. Lucked into these at Penny's of all places. Price wasn't too bad. So hopefully other than a few winter shirts, I'm done with the maternity shopping and will make do with t-shirts and sweatshirts for the most part.

Ok. So here's Shrimp at 16 weeks:

Get ready for a growth spurt. In the next few weeks, your baby will double his weight and add inches to his length. Right now, he's about the size of an avocado: 4.5 inches long (head to rump) and 3.5 ounces. His legs are much more developed, his head is more erect than it has been, and his eyes have moved closer to the front of his head. His ears are close to their final position, too. The patterning of his scalp has begun, though his locks aren't recognizable yet. He's even started growing toenails. And there's a lot of happening inside as well. For example, his heart is now pumping about 25 quarts of blood each day, and this amount will continue to increase as your baby continues to develop.

And we have...

Names! That's all I'm going to say about it right now, I haven't decided if I am also going to keep those as a surprise or let people know. Am just excited that we finally agreed on some and am now looking even more forward to meeting my Shrimp! :)

Return of...

my energy! I didn't think it'd come back after how it seemed I was getting sicker as the days went by rather than better. But, I am now back up to the energy levels I had before we became pregnant and now actually have the motivation to clean my house and cook dinner and do all of those things that I used to be right on top of but have just simply lacked the energy to do. Next step is to get back to my walking.

So, now that we are 15 weeks, I thought it'd be kinda cool to showcase all three of the ultrasounds that I've had so you can see the amazing difference in Shrimp. So to start, here is Shrimp at 6 weeks and 2 days:



And again at 8 weeks and 2 days:


As you can see there was a big difference in just two weeks! Although Shrimp doesn't quite look like a baby yet you can see the beginning of the arms and legs and a definite head.

So now....here's Shrimp at 14 weeks and 6 days:


All I can say is WOW. Such a difference 6 weeks makes. Shrimp has long long legs so wondering if they are going to end up being a long skinny baby like I was. Also the "beak" appendage by the nose is the hand. Shrimp is not, so far, exhibiting the Thiele nose. Love you all! :-D. But we spent about 15 minutes scanning the little Shrimp and rudely awoke him/her from their nap. Shrimp turned over several times and kicked out as we took some measurements. I can't wait till the big big scan come August 14th, and this one I get to record. Wonder if I'll be able to post it here...hmmm I'll have to check that out, lol.

So Shrimp at 15 weeks:

Your growing baby now measures about 4 inches long, crown to rump, and weighs in at about 2 1/2 ounces (about the size of an apple). She's busy moving amniotic fluid through her nose and upper respiratory tract, which helps the primitive air sacs in her lungs begin to develop. Her legs are growing longer than her arms now, and she can move all of her joints and limbs. Although her eyelids are still fused shut, she can sense light. If you shine a flashlight at your tummy, for instance, she's likely to move away from the beam. There's not much for your baby to taste at this point, but she is forming taste buds. Finally, if you have an ultrasound this week, you may be able to find out whether your baby's a boy or a girl!

Re-reading this makes me wonder how they found out some of this stuff. Did someone decide to ultrasound a baby while shining a flashlight at the belly? And how long did they do that? And what about the taste buds? Seriously? Trying to wrap my mind around how they would know this, not like at this point you can take the baby out and give it food to see if it reacts??

The scan, as I said, went well. No word on what the infection was, but it had no ill effects on Shrimp and has since cleared up. And...I've managed to talk Andrew into waiting to find out if Shrimp is a he or she until it's born, yippeee!! So hopefully I can also talk him into updating this when we go in to have Shrimp so you can get the news as fast as possible.

So anyway, that's the dealio. By the way, I've noticed that if you are reading these on Facebook, my pictures don't seem to be importing. So if you want to see the pictures, just visit my actual blog: www.4kingz.blogspot.com

Alright, 15 more minutes on my lunch break. Wonder if I should sneak in a cat nap? ;)

Home doppler and Iowa

Yes, I am late in posting the 14 week update, so sorry but I have an excuse, really. Andrew and I took some time to travel up to Cedar Rapids, Iowa to assist with some of the rebuilding needed in that area after a huge flood there last Spring. No, I did not build like I did in New Orleans, I cooked instead. And while I loved cooking, I just have to say I was completely frustrated with staying behind while the others sheetrocked, mudded and taped a house. Here's my awesome man, hard at work!



And here's me, doing what I typically do right now.


As you might be able to see, I don't look pregnant, just like I've been doing a bit too much eating. I just hope I manage to get all the weight off as fast as I put it on, lol!

So, what was up with us. Week 13 into 14 was quiet, thankfully. But week 14 has been interesting. Thanks to an infection I picked up, I get to have another ultrasound tomorrow that was unexpected, and the infection rather frightening. After you've been through what I have, any hiccup can create rather a lot of panic and then it didn't help when the doctor wanted me to come in right away for an ultrasound. All I could think of was something was wrong and I'm in Iowa and can't get to the doctor until Monday. So managed to make it home on Friday with my sanity intact and plopped that doppler right on me belly about 5 minutes after we walked in the door and got ourselves organized for the night. Had a few moments of more panic as I couldn't find the heartbeat right away. Shrimp was sleeping, I can only assume, and hiding. But I did finally find it and we timed the rate to come up with a bpm of 156, so right in the range of where he was a week ago. And yes, I keep calling Shrimp "he," not because we've had any confirmation that it's a boy, but just because I have it in my head that it's a boy. If I have my way, we won't know till January, and even if I don't have my way, you probably won't know till January! ;) So anyway, the home doppler has proved to be much more of a reassurance than I ever thought it would and I'm never going out of town without it again, lol!

So here are the notes on Shrimp on entering week 14:

Welcome to the second trimester! This weeks big developments: Your baby can now squint, frown, grimace, pee, and possibly suck his thumb. Thanks to brain impulses, his facial muscles are getting a workout as his tiny features form one expression after another. His kidneys are producing urine, which he releases into the amniotic fluid around him - a process he'll keep up until birth. he can grasp, too, and if you're having an ultrasound now, you may even catch him sucking his thumb. In other news: Your baby's stretching out. From head to bottom, he measures 3 1/2 inches - about the size of a lemon - and he weighs 1 1/2 ounces.

Wow, now if only I can actually get to the point of looking pregnant. Several people asked why I wasn't out with the crew and when I explained I was pregnant and they didn't want me out around all the heavy lifting and dangers of the work site, they would look at me rather strangely and say you don't look pregnant! Oh well, I'll have my day. Already needing to shop for pants. I was hoping to get to August, guess I should lay off the food and maybe my one pair that fits will last just that much longer.

So I'll do my normal update on Tuesday when I'm officially 15 weeks and let you know what the doc says. Love to you all, and thanks for the prayers that I know you are continuing. Honestly, I couldn't have gotten through the last week as calmly as I did without knowing that God was with me and had everything under control.

It's about time

I get over myself and wrap my arms around the fact that this is REALLY going to happen. I've been sitting here for the last 11 weeks or so convincing myself that the other shoe was going to drop so that when it did, it wouldn't hurt as much. Today's appointment made me realize that this is REALLY happening and I had better get on the ball!

I had my first actual ob appointment with my ob doc today (last week was just the nurse and informational). They didn't do much really, just went over the testing, etc again and took out their handy dandy doppler to find the h/b. Was awesome to find out that what we had thought was the h/b was and I finally have a h/b rate! It's only been 13 weeks, but sheesh. Rate was at 160! So it's still going strong, and I'm 13 weeks and there's only 27 to go and and ok I'm glad I'm getting to this point NOW and not 20 weeks down the line, lol!

So, where is Shrimp at now. Fingerprints have formed on your baby's tiny fingertips, her veins and organs are clearly visible through her still-thin skin, and her body is starting to catch up with her head — which makes up just a third of her body size now. If you're having a girl, she now has more than 2 million eggs in her ovaries. Your baby is almost 3 inches long (the size of a medium shrimp) and weighs nearly an ounce.

Notice how Shrimp is now described as being the size of a medium shrimp?! See, I'm not insane after all. Shrimp is a shrimp!!

Ok so insanity is probably found in the eye of the beholder. Oh well.

I didn't realize...

...I'd be so sick. Morning, noon and night, filled with either nausea, exhaustion or muscle aches and pains. Nights filled with sleeplessness. Some women are lucky and fly through their pregnancy. At this point, I'm thinking I'm not going to be so lucky, as the further along I get, the SICKER I get. Now, don't get me wrong, it doesn't mean I am not thrilled to be here. Because I am. I may not be relishing in the illness, but I would be devastated if it went away for, well, a sad reason. Now if I do get lucky and as the weeks move on, it begins to get better, I'll be singing in the streets!

So, update. Nothing really new to report. Had our first "normal" appointment Monday afternoon, but it was just a long session of questions about family history and our health history. They also handed us a packet of "stuff" and paperwork out the ying yang. I can't even begin to read it, it's so daunting. We go back next week for our first actual appointment with the OB-GYN. I won't get another scan until I'm past 20 weeks. :( So have to wait 8 weeks. Guess I'll have to content myself with my home doppler, which we've now managed to find the heartbeat with twice. I'd rather see the little buggar and the growth since our last scan 4 weeks ago!!!

So we are week 12 as of yesterday. If you care...here's where Shrimp is at now:

The most dramatic development this week: Reflexes. Your baby's fingers will soon begin to open and close, his toes will curl, his eye muscles will clench, and his mouth will make sucking movements. In fact, if you prod your abdomen, your baby will squirm in response, although you won't be able to feel it. His intestines, which have grown so fast that they protrude into the umbilical cord, will start to move into his abdominal cavity about now, and his kidneys will begin excreting urine into his bladder. From crown to rump, your baby-to-be is just over two inches long (about the size of a lime) and weighs half an ounce.

Oh, and some wonderful friends sent me a pregnancy devotional book. You know who you are, and I appreciate it greatly. I can't wait to dig in and get started with it.