My weird preggo belly at 6 weeks - not really showing yet.

So we’re in the final stretch now.  10 weeks and 5 days til my due date of November 17.

Of course, I’m getting huge. I mentioned on a previous post that I have always had a strange stomach that indents at the belly button, giving the appearance of two stomachs. Because I don’t have the round, “normal” looking preggo belly, I’ve been avoiding taking photos of me pregnant – I just end up looking fat. However, I figured it’d be fun to see the difference – and boy what a difference!

My weird preggo belly at 28 weeks - almost looks normal.

I’m feeling good. Only really complaint is tiredness. Still no weird cravings. I just like food. Mmm…

Update on baby growth from BabyCenter.com (girl pronouns changes to boy pronouns):

By this week, your baby weighs two and a quarter pounds (like a Chinese cabbage) and measures 14.8 inches from the top of his head to his heels. He can blink his eyes, which now sport lashes. With his eyesight developing, he may be able to see the light that filters in through your womb. He’s also developing billions of neurons in his brain and adding more body fat in preparation for life in the outside world.

What baby looks like in the womb ->

I woke up Tuesday morning convinced that I was dying.

I was sure that when I went to my doc appointment that morning, I was going to be diagnosed with pre-eclampsia (pregnancy-induced hypertension) and gestational diabetes, requiring bed rest, causing me to lose my job, and ultimately our apartment, and then life as we knew it.

See, my ankles and feet were crazy bloated/swollen/FAT to the point that I only had a pair of flip flops I could maneuver over the girth, I had a terrible headache which persisted for three days by then, my vision was blurry, I was gaining weight despite exercising and vigorously watching my calories, and I just was not feeling great.

So I go to my doctor’s appointment. Nurse checked my urine. No sugars or proteins. She checked my blood pressure. “Great!” Well below the threshold for pre-eclampsia. Doc reads my test results from the glucose test I’d done a few weeks ago. No gestational diabetes. I’m in great shape!

Any hormonal woman can tell you that if you’re feeling like crap, the last thing you want to hear is that it’s all in your head.

So I whined.

Me: “Why does my head hurt?”

Doc: “Is it your sinuses?”

Me: “No. My cheeks don’t hurt.”

Doc: “There are sinuses in your forehead and the back of your neck.”

Me: Damn. “Ok, it’s my sinuses.”

Doc: “The weather’s been pretty bad the past few days…”

Me: “Fine, it’s my sinuses. Why are my feet so fat?”

Doc: “You’re pregnant.”

So basically, I’m very healthy, baby’s healthy, and I was just whining like a child. 🙂

Cankles!

Today I was sitting in one of the vision rehab classes at work, looking for photo ops of students doing interesting things. I look down and suddenly notice that I no longer have ankles! Now, I knew something was off because it’s been progressively more and more unpleasant to wear any other footwear but flip-flops, but when did I get cankles?

For those who have known me, the only thin/narrow things about me are my fingers and my feet… no mas!

For someone who has lost 75 pounds in recent years, seeing yourself get huge everywhere is daunting… yes I know I’m pregnant and growing a baby and all but I also have hormones which haven’t been too friendly in the self-esteem arena… stupid karma.

Preggo-ness at 26 weeks

Getting bigger and bigger by the day. By most people’s accounts, I just look chubby, not necessarily pregnant. I’ve always had a weird stomach that kind of goes in at the belly button. As the baby gets bigger that indent is starting to fill in and I almost have a normal looking belly. Woo hoo! It’s been fun so far when random people feel my belly (always without my permission) and go, “There’s the baby.” My reaction is usually, “Nope, that’s fat. That’s the baby.”

Update from BabyCenter.com:

The network of nerves in your baby’s ears is better developed and more sensitive than before. He may now be able to hear both your voice and your partner’s as you chat with each other. He’s inhaling and exhaling small amounts of amniotic fluid, which is essential for the development of his lungs. These so-called breathing movements are also good practice for when he’s born and takes that first gulp of air. And he’s continuing to put on baby fat. He now weighs about a pound and two-thirds and measures 14 inches (an English hothouse cucumber) from head to heel. If you’re having a boy, his testicles are beginning to descend into his scrotum — a trip that will take about two to three days.

See what baby looks like at 26 weeks.

Last Thursday, August 5, was the first day of prenatal class. There are four sessions – every Thursday in August. So far we’ve learned about:

• Anatomy and physiology terminology
• Nutrition/exercise
• Stages of labor, medications, breathing techniques, interventions, C-sections
• Hospital admission procedures
• Post-delivery care

Next week we’re doing car seat safety, newborn care, and taking a tour of the hospital.

So far the class has been both informative and painful. Informative because it’s info we didn’t know. I feel reassured by how nice the hospital is, how I’ll get my own room with a rocking chair and shower, how I’ll be able to walk around and won’t be confined to the bed… TV doesn’t pain a pretty picture of labor. However, it’s been painful because there are some stupid people who ask really stupid questions, and then the nurse instructor only answers those questions. I ask questions like:

• “Does doing the perineal massage really help avoid an episiotomy?” {Her response was something like “when a doctor does that it usually causes tearing,” which wasn’t my question. I was asking about doing the massage daily prior to labor…}
• “If the baby’s lungs aren’t developed but the baby is large for its age, why not leave the baby in there?” {Her response: “Women with diabetes have babies that get too big too soon.”}

It’s all good though. Getting our $40 worth.

From BabyCenter.com (“her” ch:anged to “his”):

Head to heels, your baby now measures about 13 1/2 inches. His weight — a pound and a half — isn’t much more than an average rutabaga, but he’s beginning to exchange his long, lean look for some baby fat. As he does, his wrinkled skin will begin to smooth out and he’ll start to look more and more like a newborn. He’s also growing more hair — and if you could see it, you’d now be able to discern its color and texture.

On Thursday, August 5, we went for an ultrasound. I was 24 weeks, 2 days. Based on measurements of the baby’s head, the tech estimated me to be 25 weeks, 5 days. Definitely confirmed that we’re having a boy.

I live in a rural area. I was told by staff at the hospital in which I will be giving birth that there weren’t any lamaze, Bradley method, or hypnobirthing classes in our area. However, with a little research, I found a Bradley method class relatively close by in Clermont. We totally can’t afford the class but it’s good to know that it’s even available.

About the upcoming class

Yes, I have a series that will begin August 20 (fridays) from 7-9pm. The class is held at Restoration Specific Chiropractic on Hwy 27 by the Citrus Tower in Clermont. It is a 10 week series which covers the following:

Class 1: Exercise

Class 2: Nutrition and Pregnancy

Class 3: The Coach’s Role

Class 4: Introduction to First Stage Labor

Class 5: Introduction to Second Stage Labor

Class 6: Planning Your Birth

Class 7: Variations and Unexpected Situations/Postpartum preparation

Class 8: Advanced First Stage Techniques

Class 9: Advanced Second Stage Techniques

Class 10: Being a Great Coach/Are You Ready? and Preparation for You New Family/Newborn Care

I also include some information and demonstration on cloth diapering and baby wearing if the couples are interested.

The class fee is $400 which includes the 10 week series, student workbook, coach card, certificate, unlimited phone and email support, and free refresher classes later in your current pregnancy and/or future pregnancies.

Update from BabyCenter.com:

Your baby’s growing steadily, having gained about 4 ounces since last week. That puts him at just over a pound. Since he’s almost a foot long (picture an ear of corn), he cuts a pretty lean figure at this point, but his body is filling out proportionally and he’ll soon start to plump up. His brain is also growing quickly now, and his taste buds are continuing to develop. His lungs are developing “branches” of the respiratory “tree” as well as cells that produce surfactant, a substance that will help his air sacs inflate once he hits the outside world. His skin is still thin and translucent, but that will start to change soon.

In the past few weeks, the top of your uterus has risen above your belly button and is now about the size of a soccer ball.

Most women have a glucose screening test (also called a glucose challenge test or GCT) between now and 28 weeks. This test checks for gestational diabetes, a pregnancy-related high-blood-sugar condition. Untreated diabetes increases your risk of having a difficult vaginal delivery or needing a cesarean section because it causes your baby to grow too large, especially in his upper body. It also raises your baby’s odds for other complications like low blood sugar right after birth. A positive result on your GCT doesn’t mean you have gestational diabetes, but it does mean that you’ll need to take the glucose tolerance test (GTT) to find out for sure. {I’m told this is a nasty, unpleasant experience – I’ll be doing it on Friday.}

I go in for my next ultrasound on August 5, my birthday and my and Blake’s 7-year wedding anniversary. Hopefully we’ll get some pictures that look more human than the last ones. Right after the ultrasound is the first day of prenatal class at the hospital. Sounds like a very romantic anniversary, huh?