Archive for August, 2008:
20 weeks–Baby is as long as a banana
Yay! I’m technically halfway to meeting my little boy! I’m at 20 weeks, so 18-22 weeks or so to go if all goes well.
I’ve been feeling him move since about 16 weeks (I think), but it wasn’t until just a few days ago that Shane was able to feel movement with his hand.
I know Baby probably has no idea I exist as a person (and not just as his house) but every time I feel him move, it’s like him saying, “Oh, hi. I’m OK!” or maybe he pretends he’s Borat and thinks “High five!” with every little thump. Or maybe it’s “Uh, is this place getting smaller or am I getting bigger? I’m claustrophobic! Halp!”
Or maybe he’s not thinking about anything at all. After all, he only has had a brain for a short time. Maybe he doesn’t have anything to think about right now except, “Just keep growing, growing, growing…”
Whatever it is, I’m so thankful I can feel him moving. I know some first time moms might not feel movement until they’re at 20 or 22 weeks or so, so I’ve been pretty fortunate in that regard.
Shane and I were talking about names this weekend, and after I said one name, I felt a strong punch (don’t remember the name now…whoops). Didn’t know if that was a “DonchuDARE call me that” or a “That’s me!” So um…hope you like whatever we pick for ya, Behbeh!
We’re leaning toward more traditional names. Haven’t nailed one down yet. We’ll probably just need to see him before deciding for sure, ya know?
From BabyCenter.com:
Your baby weighs about 10 1/2 ounces now. He’s also around 6 1/2 inches long from head to bottom and about 10 inches from head to heel — the length of a banana. (For the first 20 weeks, when a baby’s legs are curled up against his torso and hard to measure, measurements are taken from the top of his head to his bottom — the “crown to rump” measurement. After 20 weeks, he’s measured from head to toe.)
He’s swallowing more these days, which is good practice for his digestive system. He’s also producing meconium, a black, sticky by-product of digestion. This gooey substance will accumulate in his bowels, and you’ll see it in his first soiled diaper (some babies pass meconium in the womb or during delivery).
19 weeks
It’s Tuesday and you know what that means! I’m another week pregnant–19 weeks today.
If you saw my last post, you saw my belly pop out. It’s still there! It looks different throughout the day though. Sometimes it’s a little smaller or bigger. My belly button is already going crazy and is getting more shallow.
I went to the OB today and found out that I have gained some weight! I’m at 134.25. I’m close to my pre-pregnancy weight (it was 136). I’ve got about 19-23 weeks to gain 25 or so pounds. I’ll do my best! I sort of feel like a wrestler, how they have to gain or lose weight in a short time.
I think I will stay with my OB instead of switching to a midwife. Even though I’m really concerned about unnecessary interventions, with baby #1 I think I might be more comfortable with having a surgeon attending the birth. I don’t expect anything to go wrong, but I’ve read enough scary stories to freak me out about all the “what ifs.” I guess I just feel more at peace with sticking with what I’ve got this time around.
However, I am going to hire a doula to help us through the labor and delivery. I’m still researching them, but studies have shown that when doulas are present, labor is easier on the parents and less interventions are needed. I feel like having her around will lower our stress levels considerably. She’ll be with us for the entire thing, versus labor & delivery nurses who are there for 8 or 12-hour shifts.
I found out that I’ll be needing another ultrasound, since the technician didn’t have a good view of his heart during the last one. Nothing to worry about–he was just laying in a funny position and you could only see so much. I’m excited! I’ll get to see my little boy again in 3-4 weeks.
What BabyCenter.com has to say (this snippet has girl pronouns, but I’m changing them all cuz we know he’s a boy!)
Your baby’s sensory development is exploding! His brain is designating specialized areas for smell, taste, hearing, vision, and touch. Some research suggests that he may be able to hear your voice now, so don’t be shy about reading aloud, taking to him, or singing a happy tune if the mood strikes you.
Your baby weighs about 8 1/2 ounces and measures 6 inches, head to bottom —about the size of a large heirloom tomato.
His arms and legs are in the right proportions to each other and the rest of his body now. His kidneys continue to make urine and the hair on his scalp is sprouting. A waxy protective coating called the vernix caseosa is forming on his skin to prevent it from pickling in the amniotic fluid.
My belly went BOOOOP!
I’ve heard some women say that they’ve gone from a small, relatively flat stomach to an all-out baby bump in a day’s time.
At first, I was like, “Yeah right.”
And then my belly popped out at lunch yesterday.
I woke up on Sunday morning (18 weeks, 5 days preg.) and had a small belly going. My mom said she even saw it from a distance. It wasn’t much to look at, but it was there–baby boy making his presence a little more known to the world.
We all went to church, went to Once Upon a Child and got some cute baby clothes, and went to an Italian restaurant for lunch.
I had a salad, a half portion of lasagna, bread, and a Sierra Mist.
I couldn’t eat much of it, even though I was pretty hungry. There just didn’t seem to be much room in my tummy.
After the meal, I went to the restroom and couldn’t believe how big my belly was! BOOOOOOOP! It popped out during lunch!
I went back to the table and Shane wondered what I was hiding up my shirt. Oh, just a baby. My mom and sister were equally amazed at the rapidly expanding belly.
I hoped it was in fact a baby belly, and not the effects of eating too much.
We went to the mall so my sister could shop for some clothes, and I decided to go to Old Navy to get some shirts. I tried on the green one pictured here, which made my belly look even bigger than it did in a non-maternity shirt.
Tada! See for yourself, folks. And click here to see my belly just five days before to see the rapid change.
Too funny, right?
Note to self: It would probably be a good idea to brush my hair and put on a little makeup before I let someone take my picture.
It’s a boy!
We’re having a little boy!
Shane and I went to our ultrasound today, and the technician saw everything she needed to see. He’s healthy and he’s sort of face-down and folded in half, with his legs sticking up over his head. Doesn’t look too comfy, but whatever works!
The ultrasound pics are hard to make any sense out of. I might try to scan and post them a little later.
The poll results were really close! For awhile, “boy” was winning by a wide margin, and then “girl” took the lead.
The final tally before I took it down this morning: 50 girl to 48 boy. Thanks for voting! It was fun for me to watch.
For the record, Shane and I both thought he was a little boy, and we told my mom that right before we went to our appointment to make it an official guess. No keeping our guesses to ourselves and then saying, “I knew it!” hehe.
The old wives’ tale quizzes were right, as were the Chinese numerology calculators that I tried.
Anyways, things are good and it was fun to take a peek at him. We have no ideas on names, but we’ll work on that and honestly, we’ll probably keep it to ourselves until he’s born.
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