Sugar and spice and everything nice

It's a girl!

Everything looked great at my ultrasound today! I am SO happy.

The tech did mention that my placenta was low, which puts me at risk for placenta previa...but because I'm only 20 weeks, chances are good that the placenta will migrate away from the cervix before delivery. Isn't it funny...paranoid me was worried about tons of stuff before the ultrasound, but placenta previa never even crossed my mind. Now I have something new to freak out about. Everything that I read online said that I should take it easy...no sex, strenuous housework or heavy lifting. Poor Ron!

18 weeks and a doctor's appointment

Wow, I can't believe it's already 18 weeks. I have my BIG u/s in 2 weeks! Eeeps! I'm so excited! I think little chicken is a boy...

Had an appointment with Dr. S. yesterday. His assistant, Cindy, took my blood pressure...the top number was 152...wait, what? That's really high. I've been monitoring my blood pressure at home with a little BP monitor that I bought at Target, and I've been averaging around 116. Sometimes, I would go up to 122 - 125, but NEVER passed 130. I told Cindy this and she retested my BP with another cuff. Top number was 112...whew!

I lost 2 pounds! That's okay, because I didn't start out as a skinny minnie, and I would love to keep my weight gain under 20 pounds.

Fundal height was 17 cm...I think it was supposed to be 18 cm because I was 18 weeks, but Dr. S said that 17 was perfect...I'll take his word for it.

Heartbeat was heard! Yay!

I asked him to check my cervix because I was paranoid about incompetent cervix. He understood completely...checked, and said that my cervix was beautiful. It is so nice to have a doctor who understands and will take time to ease my fears. Thank you, Dr. S!

We love you, chicken! See you in 2 weeks!!!

16 weeks today!

Nothing much is happening. I haven't popped yet, although my pants do feel a little tighter. I've made it to June! I've said before that we were going to wait until June to start telling people, but I'm still paranoid that something is going to happen to the baby.

4 weeks between doctor's visits are way too long. I need reassurance that everything will be okay! I've considered renting a doppler, but I've read research that says that overuse of the doppler is not good for the developing fetus. Two more weeks until I see Dr. S. again. Please, little chicken, grow!

I'm feeling these weird sensations in my cervix area, like pin pricks - still freaking out about incompetent cervix!!! But everything I've read online says that those sensations are normal - most likely the baby "dancing" on the cervix and hitting a nerve. Is my baby big enough to do that??

We love you, little chicken!

Freaking out

About incompetent cervix!

Okay, maybe I read too much about stuff that could happen. I've found out that incompetent cervix happens in 1 out of 100 pregnancies. Around the 13th week, the cervix slowly dilates - without symptoms until the water breaks - and the baby is born too soon to survive. One of the risk factors for an incompetent cervix is a D and C - which I did have last year. And incompetent cervix isn't diagnosed until after one or more second trimester losses.

Why am I freaking out over this? I'm definitely asking Dr. S. if he could measure my cervix - just to be sure - at my next appointment (June 23).

On a happier note, we have our BIG U/S on July 7. Can't wait!

Scary Moment

Dr. S. couldn't find the heartbeat yesterday. He tried for about 2 minutes, got a worried look on his face, then said, "Let's go to the ultrasound."

At first the ultrasound showed just an empty sac with no baby. But Dr. S. moved the wand around and finally, a baby came into view.

Me: Oh good, it's still there.

Dr. S.: Not only is it there, it's giant!

Me: Is the heart beating?

Baby jumps around the screen.

Dr. S.: With it moving around like that? I'll give you one guess.

Me: Huge sigh of relief

That was a scary moment. Silly chicken! Don't scare momma like that again, okay?

NT/1st trimester screening results came back normal/negative for everything, but my blood pressure was high and Dr. S. was NOT happy about that. If it doesn't come down, he's going to put me on medication for the rest of my pregnancy. Anything for a healthy chicken! We love you!

NT Scan Yesterday

My OB does not do NT scans, so I had to go to a different office for the scan. Jodi, the ultrasound tech was all business. No small talk, no smile, just, "lay down and pull your pants down to your hips." That's okay. I was so nervous I don't think I could have formed a coherent sentence anyway.

I was expecting a transvaginal ultrasound, so was surprised when she whipped out the belly ultrasound. Wow! I've never held on to a pregnancy long enough to see a baby with the belly wand!

First she found the heartbeat and we listened to it. It was a beautiful sound. "Heartbeat is 169, which is normal."

Then she measured the baby. "The baby is the right size for your due date."

Then she took lots of pictures of the baby's profile, arms, and legs.

Then she measured the nuchal fold. "The measurement is normal." So glad she said that.

We see Dr. S in 9 days, and he will go over the results with us in detail. Hoping that everything is okay.

We love you, little chicken!

The Most Amazing Thing Ever!

I saw the most incredible thing yesterday. I went to see Dr. S. for a check-up to see how Little Chicken is doing. I've been feeling very nervous because of Damn Spot and I just don't feel very pregnant. Well, Little Chicken is growing! It was measuring 11wod, a whole week ahead! And the most amazing thing ever...it was dancing! It was wriggling around so much that Dr. S. had a hard time getting a good picture! It had a huge head, round body, stubby arms and legs, and just the cutest thing I've ever seen. We love you, Little Chicken!