Coming up on 33 weeks! Belly has grown substantially in the past two weeks, as I’ve had confirmed by everyone I know. Fundal height measured 30 cm, at the last appointment when I was 32 weeks, which is quite normal.
I often try to figure out what position the baby is in, and usually can’t. It just doesn’t feel like it could be the shape of a human. I try to use the hiccups as a guide to where the head is sometimes, and it still doesn’t always make sense based on where I’m getting kicked. Maybe it’s some other animal instead of a human!
I’ve gained about 23 pounds so far. I am more into smoothies now than any other time in the pregnancy which is fabulous because the Vega powder we use has tons of protein and iron and other stuff, all in one scoop. It’s like extra multi-vitamins in food form.
The more I think about the fact that there are 7 weeks left, the weirder I feel. I am enjoying this last bit, because I have the knowledge that without a doubt, a bomb is soon going to drop on our lives and change it forever. I am of course nothing but excited for this, but am still going to enjoy the last few weeks getting everything ready (I have so much left I want to make!) and resting.
I have been able to cook more during the last few weeks because my iron stores have begun to replenish themselves. The difference I feel since starting the supplement is amazing. Still breathless, but less heart pounding, better sleeps and much higher overall energy. I have made things like granola bars; Shepard’s Pie with lentils, bulgar, and veggies; vegan mac and cheese; Miso Soba Noodle Soup; and lots more salads. It is great that I’ll be finished work at the end of February so I can keep this up while Patrick continues to work like crazy to the finish, so he can have a few weeks off when the babe is born.
I need to get off the computer now, I am making Squash-stuffed Canelloni for dinner! Happy kicking and hammock laying, my precious little baby!
Baby's big brother, waiting patiently? Or grieving?
I love thinking about my tiny barefoot vegan. It’s hard not to, in fact, as he spends a lot of time wedging himself up partway under my ribs; his very favourite position, and though it doesn’t really cause pain, it does feel pretty weird. He also seems to prefer one side of the womb in particular so I only ever feel him under the ribs on that one side.
At our prenatal visit last week (26 weeks) the fundal height was 23cm, about 1 cm behind average. The doctor said that was most likely due to the fact that he was positioned sideways. I can’t believe how much he makes me giggle! His heart rate was 155.Which I take as a hopeful sign that, with Patrick’s help, I haven’t been doing too much accidental sleeping on my back.
Thankfully it’s getting closer to our last visit with this doctor, who we’ve come to find rather difficult to communicate with.She asked us which obstetrician we wanted to be transferred to as if we already would have known. Since we weren’t familiar with the list of available obstetricians, we did not know who we wanted. Little things like that seem to happen when we talk to her that make me feel weird, since she’s been doing this for so many years. As our healthcare guide, why would she not assume that since it’s our first ever pregnancy, we don’t know how all these processes work? I also had to look into the public health prenatal classes myself; I don’t think she was going to volunteer any information on that to us at all. Anyhow, it doesn’t help to gripe about the doctor. I think maybe she got wary of us when we began questioning the idea of a 28 week RhoGam* shot.When I told her at the last appointment that I had decided against the second injection and only plan to get one after the baby is born and blood-typed, she proceeded to almost literally shut down the session, quickly saying “see you in 4 weeks” and making for the door. Unfortunately we had more questions for her. It’s like she wants to be an authority figure and has a hard time admitting she doesn’t really know much about a certain subject. Perhaps we’ll seek out another physician after baby is born.
As symptoms go, they are relatively the same. My January work schedule is fabulous, totalling 25 hours a week, with 4-6 hour day shifts. I tire more and more easily, my hips continue to get more stiff and sore under the 16 pounds of belly weight I’ve gained, and when I walk I have frequent pain in my pelvic bone as it shifts to accommodate that weight. It sounds dramatic! Though it can be uncomfortable I am actually feeling great. I’ve continued to eat really well and do my best to snack throughout the day. Snacking is the best way to go, as I eat very slowly and it’s hard to eat big meals without getting bored or the food getting cold.
Tomorrow two things will happen: I will go for blood work and a glucose test in the morning, and in the evening we’ll attend our first prenatal class. I am really excited for this, as I’ve been feeling the urge to start mentally preparing for the practical aspects of parenthood without really being sure how. It will also be great to meet other first-time parents!
*RhoGam, or WinRho, is an injected dose of immune globulin, a blood product made from Rh Negative blood that has become sensitized, meaning it has formed antibodies against Rh positive blood cells (which 75% of humans have) that have been introduced to it. In accordance with the nation’s health program, it is typically given at 28 weeks to Rh negative women in case of any blood mixing to take place in the last 12 weeks of pregnancy if the baby’s blood is Rh positive. The way this would work is: since the mother’s blood would begin to develop antibodies against an Rh positive baby’s blood if shared, the dose of immune globulin, or pre-made antibodies, would attack any of the baby’s blood that had made it into the mother’s system in place of her own antibodies, so that her blood would not continue to produce more, which could then attack a second, future baby’s blood more aggressively, causing potential health problems. The injection at birth would lower the chance of sensitization from 16% to 2%, and an earlier second injection at 28 weeks would lower that chance to 0.4%. The catch for us is that the 28 week injection of WinRho, even if there are no antibodies already present (most likely), would be able to cross the placenta and attack the baby’s blood cells in a similar fashion to what my own blood would do, except it wouldn’t be necessary. We would rather find out the baby’s blood type at birth, as it could be negative, making it totally unnecessary to take any injection at all. I will still be 98% protected, even if I do have another baby, which isn’t likely. We did get a call from the Rh Program Administrator after we told our doctor we were doing this, who confirmed with us that we would most likely be fine without the 28 week shot. What a relief! It’s been a long few months of investigation into this and I’m finally feeling resolved with it.
Almost as soon as I lay down to go to sleep at night, the baby starts kicking/poking in a weird way, near the surface, that tickles like crazy, to the point where I eventually burst out laughing, waking up Patrick, who drifts into sleep mode very quickly. Oh, that little one. Already showing signs of being funny.
He weighs about a pound now and should be getting close to a foot long… I can’t believe that! I remember when he was the size of a raspberry! That’s including his legs stretched out, though.
We had an appointment on Wednesday, the 7th, and everything still measures normal. Belly measurement is 22 cm, heartbeat was 144. I can hear the heartbeat whenever I want now, and have shared it with some family members.
We are still inconclusive about the RhoGam/WinRho injection. I wish there was an easy answer.
I wake up every morning and remember you’re in there, baby, and moving around and growing, and it brings such a wave of reality and a flood of hope. In a way it’s like a drug; it’s the ultimate reason to keep plowing through work and everyday life. I can’t forget for one minute about the small new life that’s taken shape, separate and yet inseparable from my own body.
What a feeling! I can’t believe we’re halfway through already. On Monday the 14th we had our big ultra-sound day. The papers we were sent said to show up 20 minutes early, so even though our appointment wasn’t till 8:30am we left for the hospital at 7:50. By 8:10 we were sitting in the waiting room in Diagnostic Imaging, and good thing we were early because five minutes later we were called in by the technician. As she brought up the image (I had a terrible view, the screen was close to my head but perpendicular to the bed I was on) and began getting shots, she said “Have you felt movement yet? Because your baby moves like crazy.” I suppose having a small athlete can only be a good thing, meaning it’s healthy and energetic! And I sure have felt the movements. Ever since last Monday when I first felt that bubbly feeling, the little kicks and punches have continued to get stronger and more frequent. The baby seems to move more after I eat, which I find cute.
And speaking of cute, it is just the word to describe the little baby we saw on the computer screen. I was totally relieved to see it looked like a normal baby human silhouette snuggled in there, with a little face (on which I could actually notice some features that look a little similar to my own), a sweet little belly, and lively arms, legs, hands and feet. What a crazy feeling to finally see your baby’s picture after feeling it and hearing its heartbeat but still insatiably wanting more confirmation all these weeks!
Everything seemed to be fine, although the technician wasn’t really disclosing any information, per protocol. From the measurements she took, they came up with the same due date as we had figured out with my mom, off by only one day! They said the baby measured 19 weeks and three days, which was completely bang on.
As for the sex… ‘Tis a boy! For awhile she couldn’t get any shots to help determine the gender, as she needed it to flip over. She sent me to the bathroom in hopes that it might be inspired to do so. As much as it was moving around, though, it stubbornly stayed in its spot. After turning me on my side, she told us she was pretty sure it was a boy. I asked again later for confirmation on this, which she couldn’t give, but she said she’d be very surprised if it was a girl. I guess the strong male genes in Patrick’s family win out. I, as I said in the last post, honestly couldn’t care at all what the gender is. I am starting to get very excited to meet this tiny babe whom I feel so attached to emotionally and –obviously- physically. I have to watch my thoughts, though, or I get too emotional and start to feel run down. My thoughts start to wander way into the future and I have to just stop thinking or I stress myself out. I can’t invent any of this before it happens; being in the future or the past is my most potent source of unhappiness. All I have to do right now to feel peaceful is rapturously enjoy the fact that my baby son is still in my belly right now, in a state of pure innocence and unable to be cared for by anyone but me. Oh, geez, I am crying just writing about this so I have to change subjects.
I am starting to feel tired at work most of the time now. I worked an extra-long 8 hour day today, 9 on the clock counting my lunch break. It actually wasn’t too bad, considering it’s a full two hours longer than all my other shifts, which I feel pretty wiped by the end of.
I am also succeeding in gaining weight now, as I am ten pounds heavier than the first trimester when I didn’t gain anything. That seems to be pretty much right on target with how it should be. Not too fast, not too slow. Go vegan diet!
Think I’ll leave it there, as the news of the tiny one’s gender seems important enough to have a post to itself. We are more excited than ever, and my belly keeps getting bigger. Absolutely no denying there’s a new life in there anymore.
I am very happy to report that I can now feel the movements of our li'l vegan, who is now about the size of a mango. I felt some little bubbly, fluttering movements in the baby spot last night when I was reading, and it's just like all the books say- it happens all of a sudden and catches you off guard. My heart started pounding, of course, obscuring the feelings for a minute, but they picked up again in the same spot. I've never felt anything like that before so I know it's the baby!
So nice to finally know you are in there from your movement!
Very exciting week coming up, approaching 19 weeks and the ultrasound on Monday.
Off to work with my hot chocolate almond milk. :)
