All is well at 17 weeks My energy level still isn't up to par, but it's definitely a huge improvement over the first trimester so I'm just going to have to learn to live with it. I've felt good overall and I'm really feeling the baby's movements now. I still don't think I could describe them as kicks, but there's plenty of poking and thumping going on. We had a family gathering for my niece's birthday on Saturday and that was the most movement I had felt yet! I think the bean was just excited to be around his/her cousins.
Aside from the movement I'm feeling some stretching in my abs, and the bump has definitely moved up. When I would wake up first thing in the morning before, the bump would be a small hard spot on the left side of my lower abdomen. Now my whole stomach is staying hard and stretched, up to my naval. I wonder if the kid is moving around so much because there's more room now?
I have a nice 4-day weekend so I got a bunch of maternity shopping done yesterday in preparation for our trip to Florida next week. 2 swimsuits (they're size small maternity, but the stomachs have plenty of room for growth), a pair of pants, and a bunch of tank tops and shirts. My cousin and her son from Ohio are visiting today, and tomorrow I'll be walking along the beach with a friend.
My next prenatal exam is Wednesday - I can't wait! I have lots of questions for the doc and it will be nice to hear the heartbeat again. Even with all this thumping, it will still be a huge reassurance. I doubt he'll do an ultrasound unless he can't find the heartbeat for some reason, as I'm going for my Level 2 ultrasound next week. I guess I'll post more after this week's visit.
2006-06-26 (16 weeks)
16 Weeks - Almost Halfway There! I hit 16 weeks today and I'm feeling pretty good, although I think I've reached a turning point in the pregnancy. I'm feeling the bean pretty regularly now. Still no kicks but lots of thumps and pokes. My appetite isn't quite as large as it has been, and my weight seems to have leveled off for the moment. That's good news since I've gained 15 pounds already! I'm having bouts of tiredness and even felt slightly nauseous today. It could be weather/allergy related and I'm hoping that's the case.
I went and got blood drawn for the AFP test today. We're really only interested in if the neural tube levels are normal and so I didn't get the Quad test to go with it. I just don't want to worry unnecessarily based on some statistical formula that's not guaranteed to tell us much. We thought the neural tube test might be useful though, in case there is a problem, perhaps they can do something to fix it now or as soon as the baby is born.
My next prenatal exam is next Wednesday, so I guess I'll find out the results then. And I have the big Level 2 ultrasound the week after that. We're not going to find out the sex, but I still can't wait to see the bean again! I'm also updating the photo album with my 16 week belly photos...I really feel like I'm getting big now.
2006-06-19 (15 weeks)
The flutters have become pokes I definitely felt more flutters over the past week, and also what feels like poking and prodding. I guess the bean is just getting bigger and bigger - and my belly is too! The bump has moved up in my abdomen too, it was pretty low before and has now moved closer to my belly button. I can't fit into any pre-pregnancy pants anymore and I feel generally huge. And I'm not even halfway there!
We're making progress on finishing our attic. We'll get it sheetrocked over the next few weeks and we're going to pick out carpet for the attic, our bedroom and the nursery this Wednesday. We'll set up a guest bedroom in the attic so my parents and their 2 large dogs have a comfortable place to stay when they come to visit for the bean's birth. It will also give us a hangout spot where we can retreat from the bean once he/she is born and we plan to set up our dart board and some chairs for lounging around up there. I'm sure we'll have tons of free time for fun and games once the bean is born ;)
2006-06-12 (14 weeks)
I think Bean's been fluttering I've had a good week and am really beginning to feel pregnant. I think my stomach may have "popped" this morning. Usually when I wake up it's on the smaller side in the AM and is large and bloated by evening. But this morning it was still on the large side and the hard spot (where my uterus is on the left side of my abdomen) seemed to have grown larger.
I've been feeling weird butterfly type sensations in that spot, as well as some pressure here and there (not pain). I think this may be the first fluttering movements of the bean! I described the sensations to my mother and she thinks it's the baby. Since this is my first it's tough to know, but this is different from bloating or gas pains and I seem to feel it more when I'm sitting still at my desk or at night in bed. Go bean!
My energy level has been getting better and better and I walked a bunch and even went on a short hike this weekend. My plan is to just keep my body in decent shape and focus on healthy eating and boosting my endurance. As I do more research I'm beginning to view the labor and delivery as the "workout of a lifetime" so I better be in good shape if I want to get through it calmly and without chemical pain relief (which is my goal).
On that note, I've contacted a local instructor about taking Bradley Method classes. I'd really like to have a natural childbirth without medication, although I'm not ruling it out as I don't honestly know what I have in store for me. But I want to be as educated as possible and in the best shape possible to get through this. I also want my husband to be educated and on top of things so he can act as my doula and advocate since we'll be having the birth in a very large, very technology-oriented hospital. My OB has been great, and I think he'll be just fine about my wishes for a natural birth, but he may not be the one delivering our child so I want to be prepared for anything!
The Bradley classes begin in September and run for 12 weeks, which will take us right up to a couple of weeks before my due date - perfect timing.
