Me and Jennifer Aniston (and 28 Week Updates)

I ran into Jennifer Aniston in a children's clothing store. She was pregnant with boy/girl twins & loading up her cart with cute discounted outfits. She told me all about the decor ideas she was working on for her nursery, and I shared with her my tips for great cribs & baby products. We were just about to become official Facebook friends when....

I woke up. Damn.

Jen- it was fun while it lasted! I think we totally could have been BFF's. You were my official Facebook Doppelgänger for "Doppelgänger Week" a few years back- I get told I resemble you quite often. And I think my boobs might *finally* be bigger than yours.

 Here are my 28 week updates:

How far along? 28 weeks today

How big is baby? The size of a papaya, just over 2 lbs and almost 15 inches long. At my doctor appointment Thursday my belly was measuring right on schedule (take THAT, all you strangers who keep saying I am "so small!") The baby's energy is now very focused on gaining fat & muscle tone. This week she will begin to blink and will also start developing her first stool for some tar-like post delivery fun! 

Weight gain? Hovering around the 14lb mark- this morning I was up 14.8 lbs.

28 week belly

Food cravings/aversions? Still don't want anything to do with red meat, and the package of cheese cubes in the fridge has definitely been neglected. This week I had french toast a couple of times and it was HEAVEN- guess that is somewhat like a baked good, which continue to rock my world. Sweets things in general have been tasting great to me- Cliff bars, apples, watermelon, cereal.... I am saying many prayers that I passed the glucose intolerance test I took Thursday (results will be in next week) so I don't have to curb the sweets!

Sleep? Still good. I had my first episode last night where I awoke on my back and could feel my own pulse pumping away- which immediately signaled me to shift to my side so I wasn't lying so flat.

Symptoms?

* I am pretty sure we had a couple rounds of baby hiccups this week! It felt like very rhythmic, quick taps that would continue for 5-10 minutes. She got the hiccups immediately after a home yoga session I did- guess all that extra blood flow & activity got her revved up.

*The Braxton Hicks (or, shall I say Braxton DICKS) seem to be here to stay. I actually had a freak out Saturday evening- as they were coming every 3-5 minutes. I paged my OB office- which transferred me directly to my midwife. She told me to take a full dose of Tylenol, get in the bath for 30 minutes, lay down for 30 minutes, then call her back. The contractions finally started to space out more once I was in bed. When I called her back she said "if it were me, I'd have a glass of wine (which apparently is a uterine relaxant) and get in bed." Twist my arm! I raided our fridge and happily found a bottle of white, had a small glass with some leftover Chinese food and hit the sack. I still have daily contractions, but there isn't any pain or sequence to them- so thus they are "normal." My midwife said if they were to be true pre-term labor they would have a consistency to them that would NOT go away, no matter what tricks I used. These are my body's way of practicing for the 'big day,' and at this rate I am going to be a contraction expert!

*I feel the baby moving on and off all throughout the day- and I think she has found a new place to hang out in my belly. The flipping/moving sensations are now REALLY low down- almost like my lady parts are flip flopping themselves. It is wild and makes me jump every time it happens. She still has room to move pretty freely in there, and I am curious where she is actually sitting at any given time in the day. I also swear she is starting to get interactive- when I feel her kick or punch, I gently poke that part of my belly & she inevitably pokes back. Pretty awesome.

Most looking forward to?

*I have another ultrasound to check for growth toward the end of September, and BC is planning to join! We're going to go back to that fancy clinic that has the 3D viewing technology. Normally women at this stage of pregnancy don't have any more ultrasounds, but b/c of my fibroid I get a bit of special treatment (thanks Franny!).

*We also have a couple classes this month- we're going to a free infant care class & Pediatrician Meet and Greet on the 11th, then begin our 6 week Hypnobirthing series at the end of the month.

*I am also having a lot of fun with a website I discovered called "PicMonkey.com" that allows you to make picture collages. I am working on a collage of my belly shots so far- it is so fascinating to see the sequence of growth. I'll post that collage in my next post...

Have a great weekend!

23 Week Updates

I was sent for my 3rd Anatomy Scan ultrasound this past Thursday.... and I have to say, I LOVED the clinic I was sent to. It is always a treat to see our little one, but this visit took the cake. The technician who performed most of the scan genuinely was loving what she did- giggling at our little lady's antics- and the doctor himself was a sweet, intelligent, wonderful guy. The most amazing surprises? They had 3D imaging AND gave me a live DVD of the session! The first time the tech switched to the 3D view I freaked out a bit (in a good way), not knowing they had that technology. I always thought those 3D pictures looked a little creepy, but I have to say when it is your own baby they are fascinating. And of course I am going to subject you- Dear Readers- to some of the pictures. What can I say, I'm a proud mama!

 The images come out a bit distorted, but are incredible nonetheless. She was moving and dancing around like CRAZY and really didn't want to cooperate with many face forward shots. Looks like she may have some full lips like BC!

 She also appears to have BC's adorable little ears. I sure hope so.

And in other resemblances to BC- who is all limbs- look at the length of those legs! She was stretching them out straight quite a bit.

This one is a little dark but if you look closely she is sucking her thumb

It again proved difficult to get the still shots needed with how much she was moving around- but happily we were finally able to see her heart, and everything looked perfect and healthy! The doc didn't mention anything about my amniotic fluid... I had asked the tech about it at the very beginning of the session and she said she absolutely wouldn't worry about it- that all women have different levels, etc. So I am going to take that advice!

One thing the doc did bring up was Franny. Good 'ole Franny (my fibroid) hasn't grown much, but she is oh so close to my cervix. The doctor traced on the screen how big the baby's head would eventually be and how much room she'd need to properly exit the birth canal, and said he'd put money on Franny making it very difficult to have a vaginal delivery. Boo! There is definitely still a chance that as my uterus grows Franny might be pushed further away from my cervix, and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that is the case. I figure our little one will come exactly how she is meant to come- and if she is hell bent on coming in a natural vaginal delivery, then she can help push Franny out of her way! 

On to the 23 week updates:

How far along? 23 weeks today

How big is baby? She was measuring right around a pound on Thursday, which is exactly where she should be. The baby websites say she is the size of a grapefruit now, just shy of 12 inches long.

This week the baby is apparently starting to feel things like hunger, thirst, sadness, fear, and happiness- which is amazing, and makes me want to be even more conscious of my moods & attitude.

Weight gain? I am up about a half pound from last week- for a total of 8.4 lbs.

23 week belly: looks a bit pointy today

Sleep? Still good, though I freakishly woke up at 6:30 this morning and couldn't get back to sleep.

Symptoms? I have had a 1st trimester relapse in the past few days! I had 2 days of nausea, and have been really tired all day long. I've noticed my eyes are red in the morning, which in the first trimester was a signal of all the hormones going crazy. I've been quite constipated, despite my maximum doses of nightly magnesium. I've felt less patient and more grouchy than normal, and also got my first migraine in a LONG time 2 nights ago (interestingly enough I'd done acupuncture that day- so think maybe the session stirred up something). One of the pregnancy websites that sends me weekly updates says at 23 weeks hormones start raging again- and boy, are they ever!

Most looking forward to? Our Babymoon vacation, which is now only 2 weeks away! We'll be spending a full week relaxing in New Mexico, and I am very much looking forward to unplugging and unwinding with BC in the cool mountain air.