16 Weeks + Ultrasound Update

Before too much time passes, I need to write this so I won't forget anything :).  What a week it has been!  I had my regular appointment last week (which I think I posted about...) and had a follow-up ultrasound yesterday with the perinatal doctor.  This was scheduled three weeks ago following my ER visit.  They wanted to check the placenta and also look at the baby's growth to check for signs of genetic problems.  I don't know why but just a few hours before the appointment, I became extremely nervous and anxious.  I tried eating lunch but it just made me feel more sick to my stomach (maybe because it was Burger King? Hmm...) so I resorted to praying :).  I talked to my boss at work and he helped me talk myself through it.  I told him my specific prayers and the verses I was leaning on and he basically said that there's nothing the enemy can come at me with when I stand on the Word.  I was still a little nervous, but felt better :).  I headed to my appointment and said a prayer on the way.  Once I arrived at the perinatal consultants' office, I was pretty much at peace.

The ultrasound went smoothly.  The nurse conducting the ultrasound kept asking me questions and I kept thinking, "is she just trying to distract me from what she's looking at?"  I pushed that paranoid thought aside and focused on watching our sweet little baby.  While watching the baby move around, the nurse asked if we wanted to know what the sex of the baby is and I said yes.  She asked if I wanted to know right then and I said "well... if I happened to see something, I guess I would find out", so she told me we're having a GIRL!  I would've been ecstatic either way, but we're both really happy :).  Anyway, she finished taking pictures and the doctor came in.  He looked at everything, confirmed that I still didn't want to get an amniocentesis, and told me the baby looked perfectly healthy from all of the measurements they took.  He said that they almost never get a good look at the heart at this stage, but the baby cooperated beautifully so we could see 4 chambers in the heart and he said the arteries looked like they were positioned perfectly too :).  He also looked at the umbilical cord at my request and said there are 3 vessels.  This may not seem very important to the average parents, but Logan only had a 2 vessel cord, which is one of the indicators that there was a heart defect.  I go back in 4 weeks for a follow-up ultrasound (and Jason will be with me at that one) and they will check everything again, but I am convinced that the baby is completely healthy.  Thank the Lord for his faithfulness!!!

On to the basic stuff:

Skin
I think my hormones are balancing out, finally!  My skin seems to have settled down a bit, which is very nice.  I was getting tired of trying to find the ideal skincare products for what has been going on.

Bloating
I think the bloating has gotten a lot better too... I just have to be careful with what I eat and I need to eat small meals more frequently throughout the day.

Weight
I have no idea what I've gained, but I'm hoping little to nothing.  I need to do better about eating healthier, though.  That will involve bringing more leftovers from home and not eating as much fast food, which means better meal planning on the front end.

Overall
I'm feeling pretty good.  My nausea has subsided for the most part and I'm not quite as tired as I was... but Logan is cutting a molar, which has thrown his sleep schedule off and ours along with it.  I just can't seem to get caught up on sleep :P.  I read my 16/17 week posts from when I was pregnant with Logan and I wasn't really feeling pregnant at the time because I wasn't nauseous and I wasn't huge pregnant yet.  I'm kinda at that stage again right now, which is nice but strange at the same time.

Movement
I'm feeling little movements throughout the day, like the baby is rolling around.  I can't wait to feel real kicks :).

Baby
She is the size of an avocado now (about 4.5" long) and they estimated her weight at the ultrasound to be 6oz.  She's growing and right on track :).  I saw her little hand and foot on the ultrasound and they're perfect :).

Thank you for all your prayers over the past couple weeks.  They were felt and very much appreciated :).  Until next week... God bless! :)

16 Weeks

This week was seriously a great one :).  I didn't stress much at all, I got a lot done at home, and I really enjoyed being able to sit down and relax when I felt like it.  I'm 16 weeks today and I also got a new job today, woot! :)  It's just a temporary job for an engineering company in Atlanta but it will bring in some income, which will definitely help us get through the next few months.  I'm thankful!

My 16 week appointment was yesterday and I met with a midwife instead of the doctor, because she had to take a couple of emergency appointments.  I was fine with it, though, because I hadn't met her yet and she was really nice.  We chatted for about 15 minutes about new things that are happening and also about any concerns I might have.  I told her that I've been feeling pretty good and that I don't really feel pregnant right now.  She basically said that that's a good thing, but can also be stressful because even though I feel more energetic and less nauseous, I don't feel pregnant which can make me worry unnecessarily.  I wanted to jump up and say "yes!  That's exactly how I've been feeling!"  Hehe, I guess she hears the same things a lot in her line of work ;).  She was very reassuring, though, and made me feel at ease.

She used the doppler on my bump to listen to the heartbeat.  She found it after a few seconds of searching and we listened to it for about 10 seconds and then it disappeared.  She had to hunt for it again and when she found it, it was really loud!!!  I think the baby was leaning with its back against my uterus or something, because it was crazy loud :).  She said that the sounds we heard when she was searching for the heartbeat were of the baby moving around... so fun! :)  She said that I should start feeling the baby move more over the next 4 weeks or so.  I have felt it a few times today and I'm absolutely loving it :).  It makes everything feel a lot more "real", because I not only think about the baby but I can also feel it :).  I guess I always just assumed that I would feel the baby all the time once I got pregnant, but that's not the case at all.  It takes about 16-20 weeks before you feel anything :P.

Although I've been feeling better in general, I haven't been getting much sleep at night lately.  My hips have been hurting like crazy and I caught a head cold a couple days ago, so I've been having trouble breathing.  Other than those minor details, I've been ok ;).

I'm not sure if I've said anything about coming up with a name or not, but Jason and I have been arguing about it for the past 2 months.  I keep asking him for input, but he doesn't want to think about names at all until we know what we're having.  It's very frustrating, because I want to get some ideas from him.  A lot of the names I like, he doesn't, so it has been a struggle.  However, the other night he actually threw out a couple of ideas, so I bought a couple of baby name books for us to look at on our trip to Oregon (the day after THE ultrasound).  If you have any suggestions, feel free to post them in a comment ;).

Anyway, on to growth and development details... I'm so excited to see the bigger-than-bean baby next month! :)

• Your baby continues to be busy growing and developing inside of you. He's now about the size of an avocado, measuring approximately 4 1/2 inches and weighing roughly 3 ounces. His heart is now pumping 25 quarts of blood every day and his bladder is emptying every 45 minutes.
• His limbs are even more developed and their movements have become increasingly coordinated. He doesn't have any hair yet but the patterning of his scalp has begun.
• What's in the future for your little one? A growth spurt is just around the corner! In the coming weeks he will double his weight and add inches to his frame.

He/she is growing so fast! :)  I've rambled quite a bit in this entry, so I'll wrap it up now.  I'll leave you with the first 'approved' picture of my bump (sorry, I'm picky and self-conscious) :).

I'll try to post another one before we head to Oregon! :)