Dr. Appointment Update

Had our second appointment today...we have a heart rate for you who may use that guess the sex..baby was right at 150. *Among the theories of gender prediction, if the fetal heart rate is over 140, the baby will be a girl. If the heart rate is under 140, it's a boy.

Appointment went well, blood pressure is great, we declined the quad screen blood test, which would have given us some kind of percentage that could possibly predict issues with baby. It would be totally uncertain, just telling a risk, you would actually have to have amniocentesis to find out there is a possibility of something being wrong...which there are a lot of false positives. Amnio means a big needle goes in the belly, they take cells from the amniotic fluid, and increases the rate of miscarriage...not something I am really interested in.

No lectures on weight :) Everything looks good, big u/s is scheduled for 3/13/2008.

Week 15: What's baby up to...

Week Fifteen: Bones and muscles grow

You are 15 weeks pregnant. (fetal age 13 weeks)
Baby is now over 4 inches (10cm) long
and weighs about 2.5 ounces (75 grams).
He or she can move its arms and make a fist.
Fingernails and toenails are present.

Baby's skin is still very thin.Your baby's legs have grown longer than the arms and the body is now longer than the head. The bone and marrow that make up your baby's skeletal system are continuing to develop this week. The bones and muscles are continuing to grow. You may begin to feel some fluttering movements as baby kicks, twists and turns; but don't panic if you don't feel movement yet. Their ears are nearly in position, and the three tiny bones in his middle ear have begun to harden.

By the end of the week, the roof of your baby's mouth will be completely formed. The fetus has an adult's taste buds and may be able to savor the mother's meals. The baby's thin skin is covered with ultra fine, downy hair that usually disappears before birth.The fetal crown to rump length by this week of pregnancy is 4 to 4.5 inches (100 to 115mm). The fetus weighs about 2.5 ounces (75g). It's close to the size of a softball.

I am shocked...

That the boy vote is now in the lead. Maybe that is because my vote, based on gut mother's intuition only, is that Baby Young is a girl (so is Brian's)...I just feel different, not that any pregnancy is the same. Some things are the same, like:

1. I gained a ton (too much) in the 1st trimester, more than recommended (damn holidays)..
2. Morning sickness started at the same time as Greyson
3. Movement started about the same time as with Greyson

But there are some differences too:

1. Morning sickness wasn't as bad as with Greyson
2. I am much more tired than I was with Greyson (but maybe that is because I have a 2 1/2 year old running around!)
3. I just started the nightly trips to the bathroom, which started very early on with Greyson

So when I saw the early lead on "girl" it made sense to me, but now I wonder....hmmm!

First Belly Pic, 13 weeks 2 days

So, I am probably not really "showing" but I am having a hard time getting into anything that is my normal size....so call it bloat or bump, it's bigger than it was. I know that my morning sickness that is magnificently cured by eating carb-rich foods is to blame for the 1st trimester weight gain...which is supposed to be none to an insignificant amount. So I thought I would share what that bloat looks like....

The one I remember from last time is that it was fun to eat with me because I was so excited about food....unfortunately for the scale. I am sure that I am probably going to get the "slow it down talk" regarding weight at the next appointment, which is not until January 30th.

Active Baby

Well I am chilling out for the night, surfing for crockpot recipies to deal with my laziness and no desire to make dinner any night of the week...and I have about a cup of coke that Brian had left over from making his cocktail...and baby must be hit by the sugar and caffiene. All I can feel is a steady flutter in the belly. Feeling a little guilty that I buzzed the baby, but it is a really cool feeling to know that there is something below the girth which is becoming the baby bump.

What's happening at 13 weeks, baby?

So what's happening to baby???

According to "thebump.com":
Your fetus is forming teeth and vocal cords... savor this, their non-functional phase. Baby is approaching normal proportions, with a head now only one third the size of the body. Intestines are in the process of moving from the umbilical cord to baby's tummy. (Much more convenient.)

According to "baby2see.com":

• You are 13 weeks pregnant. (fetal age 11 weeks)
• The fetus has grown to about 3 inches (8cm) long.
• Weight approximately 1 ounce (25 grams).
• Bone is beginning to replace cartilage and the ribs are appearing.
• The nose and chin are well defined.
• Movements can be measured.
• The child will begin to learn to suck its thumb.
• The child can open and close its mouth.
  

The external genitalia are well defined making it is possible to determine the baby's gender.Your baby is now producing insulin the hormone that controls their blood glucose. The fetus is now 3 inches long and weighs about an ounce. The baby's unique fingerprints are already in place. The muscles lengthen and become organized. You can't feel it yet, but your baby can move in a jerky fashion, flexing the arms and kicking the legs.

Your uterus has grown quite a bit. You can probably feel its upper edge above the pubic bone in the lowest part of your abdomen, about 4 inches (10cm) below your bellybutton. At 13 weeks, your uterus fills your pelvis and starts growing upward into your abdomen. It feels like a soft, smooth ball. Soon you will start feeling the first flutters of the unborn child kicking and moving within.

The first three months were period of rapid development, next three months will be period of rapid growth. Baby quadruples weight during the 4th month. Your baby is about 2.91 inches (7.4cm) and weighs around 0.81 ounce (23gm).

water class....

So I have decided in my quest to not pack on unnecessary poundage to take a water fitness class for pregos. I love it. It meets on Monday nights and it is so nice to get in the water and feel weightless. Hmm, that is a feat when I am gaining weight like mad...

Crazy craving...

I made some yummy peanut butter toast last night, why did I want to add dill pickles to it? I would have, but I am sure Brian would have not let me lived it down. To date, with both pregnancies, this is the weirdest craving I have had. Other than this, it has just been sweet potatoes and a subway veggie sub with everything and southwest chipolte sauce...yum, it even sounds good at 10:30 in the morning. Now, the last entry where I said I was getting fat makes sense!

13 weeks

So what is happening? So, not that anything exciting is happening, but I am "out of the woods" in terms of most's description of miscarriage risk. I am officially going to be 13 weeks during the course of this week. (this is the 8 week frog/blob pic)

I am getting fat, yep that's how us short girls most often carry a baby. I would say my biggest problem is lack of exercise. I need to get off my butt and exercise. I am hoping that being back to classes and having access to the fitness center will help with that. I did enroll in a baby and me water class, that is cool and more work than it feels like when you are in the water.

I had my first OB appointment, saw baby blob (or frog as Greyson calls it...so it may very well be affectionately called baby frog or tadpole...who knows!) and saw the heart rate. She didn't tell us the rate, so I can't tell you who will be anxiously guessing the gender what the rate was. Greyson's was roughly 150ish each time we went.

I know this sounds crazy, but I am already starting to feel the beginnings of movement. I have felt lots of flutters and now I am starting to feel what feels like it would if you took your knuckle and twisted it a little into your belly, really lightly.

So my plan for the week is to enjoy being prego, tell the rest of the people at work, and have fun at my water class...and get on the treadmill.

Why am I doing this?

Well, with Greyson, I had planned to keep a journal each day or week to document his term in the womb. That was a great intention, but never came to fruition. This will be my last preganancy so I would like to remember it, so that is why I am doing this.