Someone Keeps Kicking Me

Last week on Friday I felt the baby.  Or at least noticed that those twinges were baby related.  I felt it move a bunch on Sunday when I was sitting around watching the swim meet Doug participated in.  Otherwise it seems to be most active after I've eaten.

Belly at 16wks exactly.  Still no bump.  But this morning I did find that sleeping on my belly has become a little uncomfortable.  Everything is firming up in that area.

And today we went to the midwife again.  We got to hear the heartbeat.  That was neat.  Last time they couldn't find it.

There really isn't anything to see in the video, but you can hear what we heard.  Doug had me hold his phone close to the Doppler when the midwife was listening to the heartbeat.

So now we've seen the baby, heard the baby, and I've started feeling the baby.  

Into the Second Trimester

Last Tuesday marked the start of the second trimester.  And probably the biggest change that happened was last week, when I found my jeans wouldn't button anymore.  Lots of girls have been suggesting belly bands in place of buttoning the jeans.  I had inherited a couple, but wasn't sure where they were so I tried one on at the maternity store.  I was not a fan.  If I wanted to be wearing something that snug, I would button my jeans.  Feeling stuffed into my clothes like a sausage is not comfortable, and I would like to avoid it as long as possible.  I finally came across the couple I was given, but they may be too loose to hold anything up yet.  So hair ties to hold the pants shut and long t-shirts to cover the gap it'll be for now.  Going through some hand-me-downs I did find a pair of maternity pants that I like and that I've been wearing.  They have a two inch band of elastic around the top and are super comfortable.  I hope to find more of the same as needed.

And for a belly pic:

No bump yet, the expansion seems to be pretty well-rounded.  Waist is 2 inches bigger than when I started, but still no weight gain.  Just existing weight shifting around on my body, though I can't say I've identified anything getting smaller.

My next appointment is in a week and a half.  Hopefully I will be meeting the midwife I've been assigned to.  At my last appointment she was attending the birth of another midwife, but was nice enough to call the next day and go over any questions I still had.  The biggest preexisting conditions of concern are the asthma and IBS, but she feels that as long as I can keep both well managed they shouldn't impact my pregnancy.

Carrying a Passenger

As most people who know me know, I have a tiny passenger.  S/he is 12wks, 6 days into gestation as of today.  Pretty soon I'll be out of the first trimester, but I haven't been dealing with too many side effects yet so I'm not sure I'll be feeling loads better when I get there.  Mostly I don't feel anything yet.  I had morning sickness for exactly two weeks, and the IBS is a little more unpredictable than it used to be, but the asthma is as quiet as it normally is.  I have been taking daily naps again, and they tend to be longer than they used to be.  No big deal though, I've always been a big fan of the afternoon nap.

I've worn this shirt twice now.  The first time was at Doug's Honolulu Tri.  The second time was yesterday when he did the half Ironman.  We did this picture at the Honolulu Tri.  Still no bump, but we were just under 11wks.

Went in for my first prenatal appointment at 12wks.  The student midwife looked for the heart beat with a Doppler, but couldn't find it.  So her attending midwife came it and looked longer, but still couldn't find it.  Finally they went and got an OB who could run the ultrasound machine and we got to see the baby instead.  Doug took this photo of the computer screen with his phone.  Baby's head on the left, and you can see a little arm in the middle.  Baby was very active, moving around a whole bunch.  It's still too small for me to feel any movements, but we could make out the heartbeat, two legs and two arms.  No word on the gender yet, can't find that out until it's born.  Well, we could at the 20wk appointment, but neither of us want to know.  We're waiting to share the name until it's born too.