Well, we're pretty sure it's just one Sweet Potato in there right now! Or at least, we sure HOPE so! Wow! Week 18! I know I say that every week, but the time has really started picking up. We are now 4 1/2 months into this pregnancy and just two weeks shy of the half way mark! That just blows my mind. This week the Butter Bean is the size of a Sweet Potato (but I'm going to have to get an idea of how long they think that is, because I know at our grocery store Sweet Potatoes come in MANY different shapes and sizes.)
What's baby up to this week?
"Many of the bones in your baby's body are starting to harden. Among these first bones to develop is the inner ear which is part of the reason why your baby might be able to hear sounds such as your heart or your tummy growling."
What's mama up to this week? This has been a good week! Very little quizziness which makes me think that the worst of that may be over. We had our monthly appointment with the midwife on Friday which went very well. My mom went with me so that she could get to hear the heartbeat which was strong and steady. Whew! I always feel better when I hear this little one's heartbeat. If I ever get pregnant again, I'm going to buy a home doppler so that I can hear it whenever I want to!
While we were at the midwife's office, we made the appointment for our big anatomy scan, and it's in less than 2 weeks now! Next Friday, October 1st! I can't believe it! In just 9 short days we'll find out whether this little Butter Bean is a boy or girl, McKinnley or Olivia. They'll do a lot more than just determine sex though. Actually, that's the least important thing the ultrasound tech will be looking for. Mostly importantly, they will do lots of measurements to make sure everything is developing on track and they there don't see any abnormalities. At the very beginning of the pregnancy, they asked us about genetic testing. It's amazing all the things they can do now. Having thought about this for years before becoming pregnant I knew what my decision was going to be. After discussing it with Jay, and finding out that we were on the same page, thankfully, we decided to decline all genetic screening tests.
This is another one of those very personal decisions that all pregnant couples must make, and I do not judge any one else's decision in any way! But for us, we knew that no matter what the tests said, we would never terminate the pregnancy. (yes, yes, just because I am extremely pro-choice does not mean I am pro-abortion or that I would choose to have an abortion myself!) Additionally, neither Jay nor I have any elevated risk factors in our medical histories. Having watched the anguish that some of the girls on the pregnancy board I hang out on have gone through, I am very thankful we skipped it. The initial tests cannot tell you whether your child has Downs Syndrome or any other disorder. They can only tell you that you have an elevated risk that something is wrong. If it's high enough, the doctor will recommend an amniocentesis (which is medical speak for big gigantic needle stuck in your belly into your uterus!). An amnio is the only thing that can look at your child's actual chromosomes and tell whether something is actually wrong or not. There have been multiple girls on the board whose tests came back with an elevated risk and then had to endure agonizing days of waiting to have the amnio only to find out that their baby is perfectly healthy. With my tendency to worry anyway, I decided that ignorance was bliss in this case and if they see something on the anatomy scan or we find out something at birth, we will deal with it then. No reason to worry about it before.
This weekend was awesome! For my birthday a couple of weeks ago, my mom had offered to take me and two of my best girlfriends to the beach for the day! Day trips to the beach is one of the most awesome things about living in Charlotte. We picked up my childhood BFF at the buttcrack of down (well 7am) on Saturday and hit the road. A short 3 1/2 hours later we were sitting our chairs on the beach and meeting up with my Bestie who I haven't been able to see since we both found out we were pregnant! It was just what the doctor ordered!
We lounged on the beach for a couple of hours, then headed to Calabash, SC for some seafood, and then back to the beach for more girltalk. We had planned to leave at about 5pm, but it was 7:30 before we were able to drag ourselves off the beach and point our saddles towards home. It was tiring, and I was up later than this pregnant woman usually can stay awake, but it was worth it! There's nothing better than sand between your toes, salt water spray on your face, and the laughter of girlfriends in your ears!
Another fun thing to happen this week is that we signed up for our HypnoBabies Childbirth class! It will start the first Wednesday in October and I'm so excited. It was afraid that this was a little too early to be starting the 6 week class, but I talked with the instructor and she said that this class is not just about childbirth. I'll learn things that will be very helpful throughout the pregnancy and not just during childbirth, so taking it early will be beneficial! I'm so excited to get started practicing the hypnosis and breathing techniques so that I have plenty of time for them to become second nature before we go into labor. I'm also hoping that they help me with learning to deal with my anxiety sans-medicine. We are still looking into a doula and trying to figure out how to work the fee into our budget (and decide if we really need one) but thankfully we still have some time on that decision.
Happy Wednesday everyone! I'll post bump pics soon!
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