I had a midwife appointment this morning. All checks out, got to listen to the baby’s heartbeat, but only for a moment, because it promptly ran away and hid somewhere where we couldn’t hear it very well. Little punk. I’ve been feeling the baby move a lot for the last week or so. My books describe it as bubbles or butterflies…well, I never really noticed that so much as I now feel an actual being doing the mamba in my belly. I can feel little kicks and jabs…nothing super noticeable unless I’m laying down and paying attention.
Quick OB lesson: your uterus typically grows one centimeter for every week of pregnancy. So, for example, if you are 16 weeks along, you should measure at about 16 centimeters. Easy enough. I, on the other hand, am 19 weeks and measure 22 centimeters. Now, 3 cm on a ruler may not seem like a whole lot, but it’s quite a bit when you think that it should have happened over the course of three more weeks. Brenda told me it was likely just a growth spurt and I’ll even out as time goes on…but I can’t help but wonder if this is a precursor to having a giant baby. The lady helping, proceeded to tell me that her first baby was 11 lbs. 3 oz. and her second was 11 lbs. 8 oz.! I used to see newborn baby clothes in stores and think “Oh how little!” and I see them now, and they don’t look all that small anymore. In fact, they look quite gigantic if you ask me. How on earth is all of THAT going to come out of THERE??? It’s enough to make a girl gag. In fact, at our birthing class last week, the teacher made us watch a video of a birth. Now, realize that they make you watch births almost every class (presumably to give you and hubby an idea of what it’ll be like), but this video was up close and personal zoomed in. Andy told me I was green. Needless to say, I honestly had nightmares that night of labor. You know, it’s not nearly as fun as those Baby Story shows on TLC where the baby just appears from behind a sheet and everyone oohs and aahs. Nope, the real thing is much different.
I never cease to be amazed that the earth is populated.
We have an ultrasound appointment on Monday, March 12 at 4:00. Let’s hope the baby cooperates and doesn’t decide to be shy and keep its legs closed! Three more weeks…ugh!
I'm a mom to four. A wife to one. I believe in story. I love telling you about mine and would love to hear yours. There's really no sense in wasting our suffering and not sharing in each other's joy. We're all in this together...even if it doesn't always feel like it.
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Oh I didn’t know you were feeling the baby move yet! 11 pounds, that is HUGE, yikes! I guess the size of the uterus isn’t always directly indicative of the baby’s size–Anna was a slightly bigger-than-average baby but I only measured 35 cm when she was born. Go figure.
Looking forward to finding out if this baby is Nancy or…hmmm, we’ll have to come up with a boy name!
(Was the lady giving birth in the video old and naked? We watched that one in Lamaze class, and it was a bit much…)
The ladies in all the videos are naked…not a stitch of clothing. (Not old though). I told Andy the other night that although I know it’s not sexual and I know that it’s birth and the whole bit, I still feel uncomfortable watching this completely nude woman panting and pushing…I always feel so immature watching them…like, I shouldn’t be embarrassed, but I am. Weird.
I’m always utterly uncomfortable watching the naked lady giving birth. I dunno, I guess I’m just not too keen on seeing some other lady’s body parts. The breastfeeding video was a real kick too. (In our Lamaze class they really emphasized that the dads should come to the breastfeeding class as well. SO, my wonderful supportive husband attends. Him and only ONE other dad! Awkward!)