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Fetal ekg and Braxton Hicks

Last Thursday, I went to the doctor to have a fetal echocardiogram. During my last two ultrasounds, the baby was positioned in such a way that they couldn’t see his full heart. They weren’t concerned about that, but because we have a family history of heart problems, they wanted to check him further to be sure.

The cardiologist saw a perfectly healthy heart. Yay! That’s what I expected to see.

The exam was conducted exactly as a regular ultrasound is (goo on your stomach, wand on top of it, looking at images on a monitor) but on the screen, they were able to have different, more detailed views of the heart compared to what a standard ultrasound could offer.

I don’t know if the wand on my belly was bothering my baby, or if he was just trying to say hi. He kept kicking it. Heh.

During the exam, I noticed I felt his kicks up much higher than before. They were at least one inch above my belly button. For the most part, he likes to hang out a bit lower though.

I’ve been noticing some Braxton Hicks contractions lately. I’ve had them for at least a few weeks now, but it was only recently that I figured out that’s what they are.

They don’t hurt me at all. My stomach just gets hard for a minute or so. you can see and feel the change. They’re the body’s way of preparing for real labor. Sort of like exercising my muscles, perhaps. Works for me! I wanna be ready.

If the Braxton Hicks contractions come too often, though, that can be a problem. Sometimes they can be brought on by dehydration, a full bladder, or rubbing your belly too much. When I notice one, I go to the bathroom and get a big drink. No biggie.

24 weeks and plumping out

I’m 24 weeks and gaining weight! Oh yeah!

I weighed in at 142 pounds this morning at my OB appointment. That’s eight pounds more than I weighed at my 19-week appointment visit, and six pounds more than my official pre-pregnancy weight. It’s the most I’ve ever weighed!

The doc said my weight was “perfect” and that made me happy. I still have about 20 pounds or so to gain in oh, 13 to 18 weeks.

Good thing I have a little boy who is going to help me with this by doing his part to get nice and chubby.

I suspect I might have a slight bladder infection. I’ll spare you the details, but if I do indeed have one, it’s important that it’s treated with antibiotics. If not, it could develop into a more serious infection and could even lead to preterm labor. Not good.

I’m heading over to the pee-in-a-cup lab a little later today, and I’ll know the results in about 48 hours.

Shane and I picked out a crib. I’m planning to order it on Amazon since the price is good and we can get free shipping. The same thing would cost about $100 more at Target with shipping! No thanks.

I think we’ll place the order in a week or so. I’d order it now, but we’ll be out of town at the end of the month and I don’t want it to just sit at the bottom of the stairs until we get back or be handled additional times by UPS or whatever.

This way, we’ll have time to set it up and if we change our minds, we can return it and get another one with plenty of time to spare.
So, we’ve picked a crib, a carseat, a playard, and that’s probably all of the major things we’ll want to get beforehand. I need to select a mattress, and of course we’ll need little things such as sheets and some more clothes, but I’m not picky about those last two.

My mother-in-law very kindly mentioned having a baby shower for me in a few weeks when we come back to Indiana, but I just don’t know. I don’t see how we’ll be able to fit it in our schedule, and I don’t want it to be hard on anyone. Plus, I feel kind of awkward about opening presents in front of people. We really don’t need much, and I’ll be fine if we don’t have one.

Oh, and last night with our dinner, we each had an ear of corn. Turns out, that’s how big Baby is this week!

From BabyCenter.com:

Your baby’s growing steadily, having gained about 4 ounces since last week. That puts him at just over a pound. Since he’s almost a foot long (picture an ear of corn), he cuts a pretty lean figure at this point, but his body is filling out proportionally and he’ll soon start to plump up. His brain is also growing quickly now, and his taste buds are continuing to develop. His lungs are developing “branches” of the respiratory “tree” as well as cells that produce surfactant, a substance that will help his air sacs inflate once he hits the outside world. His skin is still thin and translucent, but that will start to change soon.

See what your baby looks like this week. (Or see what fraternal twins look like in the womb this week.)

What is wrong with those parents?

While on the road this weekend, I saw several instances of children not buckled in car seats properly. I was furious at these parents for putting their children’s lives at risk! Here’s what I spotted on a 400-mile stretch of interstate:

- A little boy (maybe 3 years old) laying across the ledge on the backseat between the backseat and the rear windshield. Are you kidding me?! The car was zipping along in and out of traffic at 70+ miles per hour. I really hope a police officer spotted them and pulled them over. I wish I was quick enough to get their license plate. A wreck would almost certainly permanently disable or kill that child.

- A 2 or 3 year old riding in the front seat of his mother’s car without a car seat. First of all, no child under 12 should ride in the front. Secondly, children that small are required to use car seats! I even saw a car seat in the back of this woman’s Blazer, just sitting there unused.

- Another small child was riding unrestrained and without a car seat. Just climbing around the backseat.

There is absolutely no reason for these parents to risk their children’s lives. NO reason.

I’m really appalled at what I saw, and I hope against all odds that these children will avoid being in a wreck. The odds are not in their favor.

23 weeks and thoughts on natural birth

I’m 23 weeks pregnant today and all is well.

My weight is starting to increase (and stay there!) which is a great thing. I’m estimating my gain to be about 6-7 pounds over my pre-pregnancy weight, which is good considering I lost about five pounds between the 7th and 11th week.

I definitely have a baby belly, though some outfits hide it more than others.

I’m still able to wear some non-maternity clothes, depending on how they are cut. This definitely helps stretch my wardrobe!

My mom gave me some pants that have shrunk and no longer fit her. I’m able to wear them as-is or with a rubber band through the loop. They’ll last even longer if I use my “belly band” with them.

Shane and I visited Indiana over Labor Day weekend, and for the first time I was around people who 1) knew I was pregnant and 2) could see my belly. I got a lot of belly rubs, lol.  Still no comments from strangers, but I’m starting to think it’s because people in Pittsburgh tend to keep to themselves as opposed to striking up a conversation with a person on the street. Who knows. I bet somebody will say something to me at some point.

Shane and I are going to take a Bradley childbirth preparation class. We’ll begin in early October and the class will conclude in early December. This class ought to be helpful to us both and I’m looking forward to meeting other mamas due around the same time as us.

We’re also reading some Bradley-related books: Husband-Coached Childbirth and Natural Childbirth the Bradley Way. If you couldn’t tell by those titles and if you aren’t familiar with the Bradley method, then I’ll need to explain that we’re going to go for an unmedicated, intervention-free childbirth.

Why?

No drugs have been proven safe for an unborn baby. Studies have shown that the drugs in an epidural do quickly cross into the placenta and reach the baby’s bloodstream almost instantly (one study I read showed it happened within three minutes).

Pitocin, a common labor-inducing drug, causes much stronger contractions than the body would normally generate. This causes additional pain for the mother, stress on the baby, reduces the amount of oxygen the baby receives, and can cause the baby’s heartrate to drop which could lead to a c-section. The chemicals interfere with the body’s natural hormones. Long-term effects are not known. No thanks.

I don’t want to have anything in my system that could affect my baby, and I certainly don’t want anything to get in the way of us having a good nursing relationship early on.

I am not afraid of pain. I am more afraid of what doctors might do to me (give me unneeded drugs, chemically induce my labor, or cut me).

I’ve experienced considerable pain before in the form of lotsa dental work and two big ker-splats from track and cross-country. That type of pain is the body’s response to an injury and is not the same as the pain of childbirth (yes, I know I’m saying this now before going into labor).

With an injury, your body is responding and trying to heal itself. Something unnatural has happened to your body, and it wants to restore it to its healthy state.

With childbirth, you’re feeling pain that serves a purpose. Childbirth, unlike wisdom tooth extraction, is a natural thing. Women’s bodies are designed to give birth.

If you go into something expecting to experience fear or pain, then that’s what’s going to happen. If you approach it with confidence and understanding of how your body works, then I think it’ll go much better. Sure, there might be pain. But, I don’t think it will be as big of a deal with this mentality.

What really baffles me is I read on message boards from one mom to an expectant mother things like, “Oh, just wait. You’ll be begging for that epidural!” Like um, seriously? What’s wrong with you, lady? Comments such as those are best left unsaid. Women should be supported in their childbirth choices and not needlessly frightened.

My body has never even remotely done anything like giving birth, yet God has designed my body to know exactly what to do. My job is to be informed, keep calm and relaxed, and work with my body to safely get my son out on his birthday. Shane’s job is to take care of me by keeping me relaxed and helping me through the various stages of labor.

Yes, I know things happen that are beyond your control. Sometimes women experience horrible back labor. Sometimes the pain really is more than someone can handle.

I am not afraid.

I’ll have a good birth attendant and Shane at my side. I’ll have knowledge and mental preparedness. And most importantly, God will be with us. What could I possibly fear knowing that?

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Here’s what’s going on according to BabyCenter.com

Turn on the radio and sway to the music. With his sense of movement well developed by now, your baby can feel you dance. And now that he’s more than 11 inches long and weighs just over a pound (about as much as a large mango), you may be able to see him squirm underneath your clothes. Blood vessels in his lungs are developing to prepare for breathing, and the sounds that your baby’s increasingly keen ears pick up are preparing him for entry into the outside world. Loud noises that become familiar now — such as your dog barking or the roar of the vacuum cleaner — probably won’t faze him when he hears them outside the womb.

See what your baby looks like this week.