Teeming with #2: Week 25 update!

Definitely in "no question" territory now!

Out for a dinner/drinks date with hubs last night and no fewer than three people asked me when I was due! (Though, to be fair, the ordering of virgin cocktails was a pretty good clue in itself, not to mention that I was even huger due to the generous helping of gnocchi and slice of boca negra I'd just inhaled.)

Weight-wise, I'm up to 131 pounds for a gain of 19 total so far. Given I was so underweight before getting pregnant, I think a final gain of 30-40 total should be about right for me

Following my wonderful news two weeks prior, I had Yet Another Ultrasound last week to confirm that things continued to look good. And indeed, they did! My fluid levels clocked in at 130 according to the particular flavour of the "four quadrant test" performed (normal is between 95 and 200, IIRC) and my placenta was waaay up, evidently at an "interesting" location (sort of a combination of fundal and lateral).

Of course we got some pics - here's your prototypical spooky alien face shot and a cute li'l foot! 

Now hopefully no more ultrasounds! Li'l man's been exposed to enough sound waves already! *nods*

All in all, I've been feeling quite good the last few weeks! I'm enjoying high energy levels and emotionally, I've been happy, relaxed and level like I was last time around. I've started prenatal yoga with another preggy friend (and blogger!) to help loosen and strengthen all those "important areas" in preparation for late pregnancy, birth and postpartum recovery. It feels great to work all those tight muscles! Now that I have the green light for exercise (whew, would've sucked to be confined to a sedentary lifestyle!), I'm also planning to start back on my birth ball and Active Birth exercises.

I am definitely starting to feel bigger, however. I can't just flop around every which way in bed anymore, and getting up from a sitting or crouching position is a bit more of a process, especially when holding our daughter. A few nuisances have cropped up as well. The inside of my nose has become extra crusty and prone to minor bleeding (apparently normal - weird) and, yes I'll admit, I've had some issues with incontinence. I'd been thinking I needed to get serious about kegels, but then another mama friend pointed me to this intriguing article which takes a different, but compelling stance. Her stance? "Tighter does not equal stronger. It's just tighter." Makes sense, really, as there's a lot going on together in a woman's pelvic region keeping things aligned & working smoothly! Based on this, I'm even more eager to dedicate myself to the exercises I mentioned above.

Not so much a nuisance but an observation - my appetite is RIDICULOUSLY HUGE these days! I continuously surprise myself by how much I've been able to eat. I do maintain a generally healthy diet and (like I mentioned earlier) I was quite underweight to begin with when I got pregnant, so I just listen to my body and go with it. I eat until I'm full and don't worry about the occasional totally indulgent treat.

And finally, I've been realizing that my current maternity wardrobe leaves something to be desired (I'd borrowed quite a few clothes from my cousin's wife last time around and returned them when she was expecting again) so I spent an hour this morning browsing Kijiji - lots of great stuff out there for just a few bucks per item! Maternity shopping's like kid clothes shopping, IMO. Most 2nd hand stuff's in great condition because it's worn for such a short period of time! So why not go this route?

Well that's about it for now! Hope all you other mamas-to-be out there are enjoying healthy, happy pregnancies as well! xxoo

Teeming with #2: Some WONDERFUL news!

During my last preggo update, I mentioned a couple concerns which turned up on my 21-week ultrasound: low-lying placenta and low amniotic fluid.

Well guess what?? I had my follow-up ultrasound today at McMaster University Medical Centre and not one, but BOTH issues have managed to resolve themselves! The fluid is back up within normal levels (as per the maximum vertical pocket method - I was measured at 40mm) and my placenta has managed to, somewhat miraculously, move itself way up to the fundal position (way at the top of my uterus) within two short weeks.

The nurse who debriefed us commented that I was "boringly healthy" as she looked through my history & the results - lolz! I think she was wondering what we were doing there. :)

My midwife will be booking me in for one more "sanity check" ultrasound in two weeks, which will hopefully show that things continue down this super-positive path. In the meantime, what a weight off the shoulders!

Many thanks to everyone for all the positive vibes & well wishes! xxoo

Oh, and one more thing - I should point out that this isn't my first pregnancy during which "complications" turned up which later resolved themselves. While pregnant with S, some less-than-stellar findings were reported on my 31-week ultrasound suggesting there was a reasonable chance I wouldn't go full-term. Thankfully, I was back on track a week later and ended up delivering 10 days over due. :) Clearly our maternal care system errs on the side of caution, which I'm totally on board with, however it can also result in undue stress & anxiety on parents-to-be! So if any of you expectant mamas out there happen to receive some less-than-stellar results yourselves, try not to worry too much until you have further confirmation. While yes, there are certainly real issues that can crop up during pregnancy, it would appear that the system turns up a lot of "false positives" as well. So if you're in this scenario, focus on taking care of yourself and thinking positive. There's a good chance you and your precious li'l monkey will be just fine! :)

Question for my readers - have you ever received some scary news while pregnant and then went on to have a normal, full-term pregnancy and deliver a healthy baby?

Teeming with #2: Week 22 update!

Lots to share with y'all since the last time I updated. Some good, some unfortunately not-so-awesome.

First, a few basics. I started feeling movement at around 16-17 weeks, and Chris felt baby kick for the first time a couple weeks after that. I've gained about 13 pounds so far and now sit at 125 pounds.

Here's the latest belly update pic from 2 weeks ago (at 20 weeks). I don't really look any bigger than I did in the 16-week pic, but I looked HUGE in that one so I was probably just bloated that day. :)

I had my mid-pregnancy ultrasound on July 25th. We planned to find out the gender during the appointment, however for logistical reasons Hubs wasn't able to join me that morning, so I asked the technician to record it so we could follow up with our midwife at our next appointment.

Based on this, the technician was careful not to show me any "evidence", however I did get a few cute pics of our li'l "hopper"!

A week later, we had our midwife appointment. First bit of news......It's a boy!!!! I was convinced it was a girl so that was a surprise (though not an unpleasant one!)

The next two bits of news - not so pleasant.

First of all, I have a low-lying placenta. Apparently a placenta is considered low-lying if it's within 2 cm from the cervix. Mine is within 1 cm. If the placenta remains low-lying at the time of delivery, a c-section is generally required (or at least strongly recommended). That said, in the majority of cases, the condition resolves itself by early in the 3rd trimester, so it's not really cause for alarm at this point. I do need to refrain from significant exercise and sexual activity (booooo) while it's still present, however. A follow-up ultrasound at about 32 weeks is scheduled to check for changes here.

Second, the more alarming news. The ultrasound also showed low amniotic fluid (a condition called "Oligohydramnius"). My level was measuring at 66 when normal is (if I recall correctly) 95 to 200. At this early stage in the pregancy, this can commonly be a sign of a malfunctioning placenta or a health problem with baby. :(

The good news? Despite the issues, the baby and placenta both look really good based on what the technician provided on the report.

Katie sent me for a follow-up ultrasound the next day (Thursday) to re-check levels. Fluids were up to 78 which made me cautiously optimistic, however this is still considered low so Katie decided we should follow up with a "Level 2" ultrasound at McMaster University Medical Centre. They have more advanced equipment which should (hopefully) be able to detect any health problems present which didn't register themselves on the two local ultrasounds. Appointment's been scheduled for next Wednesday (Aug 8).

So....that's about that. In the meantime, there isn't anything I can really do except relax, drink lots of fluids and try not to stress. (The Olympics are providing a nice distraction, though Canada's had a couple rough days so time to turn that around! :)

I'll post another update after my next appointment. Wish us luck!

Oh yeah - one more pic before I sign off for now. A little "proof" that baby is a "Mr. Hopper" - tee hee!

Wordless Wednesday: First Haircut!

Took our daughter for her very first haircut early last month (at 19 1/2 months old). She was soooo relaxed & patient until the stylist set out to tackle her bangs, at which point she declared "All done!" and Daddy had to assist from that point forward. ;) In the end, she came out victorious and got the certificate to prove it!