Our very last scan appointment

Yesterday was our last scan appointment, the one where they check all the organs etc. It was awesome to see our gorgeous baby – amazing how you can be so in love with something.

J is away in the Ivory Coast at the moment, and so I invited my mom along for the scan. I think she really enjoyed it :)

Our little nudger has 10 little fingers and 10 little toes. We are still measuring a week ahead, but all is absolutely perfect with our baby. The doc DEFINITELY knew the sex and was teasing me by saying he’d give me a clue and then he’d move the scan wand quickly. LOL. Now I’m feeling like it’s a boy after I was SO convinced it’s a girl. But we’ll find out in 20 weeks or so :D

My concern, as it has been from the beginning, is preterm labour because of my mini sized uterus. But he reassured me again that if I hadn’t had bleeding, contractions, a show etc. I should have no issues. He also asked my mom a little about her history (I found this interesting) and he reassured me again that all will be fine. He also said there is no way I can actually “prevent it” so I needn’t worry about my lifestyle etc. obviously other than the normal healthy things.

Weight wise I’ve put on 1kg but Doc reckons I’ll out on weight quickly now. My bump is quite a lot bigger and my uterus measures 23 weeks.

I see him again at 36 weeks! Next year! I can’t believe I am half way through this pregnancy! In 8 weeks it will be Christmas, and then we’ll be counting down to the birth another 10-12 weeks after that.

Otherwise I am doing well, I am so in love with my bump and my new body. I feel baby kicking every day now, still very lightly and sometimes it turns completely – which actually feels strangely like an electric shock. Don’t know if I’m making sense. I get niggles like ligament pains, heartburn, and headaches but I so think it’s worth everything. I feel so so blessed!

We start antenatal classes in 2 weeks and just found out that a friend of mine (who is pregnant now after TTC for 9 years and 4 IVFs) will be doing the classes with us! :)

Below are some pics - this is one of the baby's legs, feet and little toes, my favourite from this scan :)


And here's one of my tum - a comparison between 6 weeks and 19 weeks

18 weeks!

Well we are between 17 and 18 weeks this week. Almost halfway! YAYA :)

The pram and car chair arrived nice and neatly in boxes yesterday. I was hopping around like an excited Kelsey, and ripped open those boxes before the Fedex guy was out the door. I spent 15 minutes assembling the pram, got tired and went to have a snack. The pram is now half assembled and I don't know how to attach the car chair either. At least I have several months to figure it out!

Otherwise I'm starting to think about a babyshower - I have several (and mean mulptiple) friends having babies around the same time so I'm starting the think of dates early, really don't want to intrude on someone elses special baby day. Rather I don't want them to intrude on mine ;)

So time is going much too quickly - yesterday another stranger noticed I am pregnant and she showed me some prenatal vitamins she bought. I felt like we were in some conspiracy together. That was kind of sweet. Maybe I'll catch onto this womanhood/mankind-togetherness-thing eventually. Still not joining the yummy mummy club though.

Justin and I went shopping at Baby City on Sunday, "just to see" you know. We were very disciplined and only bought a little timing gadget that tells you when you last fed/what side you fed from/changed a nappy etc. Judiet swears by it, and it comes in green. So I had to have one.

Next two big-gish purchases are cloth diapers... Yar yar I don't want to hear it. And the baby monitor - we're hoping there's some magical technology that gets invented in the next 4 months that will include a breathing mat, humidity controller, sound/listening device AND a camera. We can only hope.

I'm loving the names we have chosen and I'm even happier that we are not spreading them around, my friend's are having a hard time from their families because of names they're considering. Ours aren't considered, they're chosen - so we're not letting anything change our minds!

90% of friends and family reckon this baby is a girl - I too feel like "it's" a girl. Justin is now broadening his mind to the fact that it might be a boy OR girl. Well it's got to be one of the two ;) Didn't Julius say?

18 Weeks Pregnant

What You're Thinking

"Either I have an ongoing case of indigestion or there might actually be something moving around my gut!"

Your Body
At about 18 weeks, you might begin to feel a suspicious flutter in your belly. The professionals call it "quickening," we call it "baby's makin' waves!" Within the next few weeks, those tiny bubbly feelings will become more obvious. And soon enough they'll be unmistakably identifiable—especially when you (and anyone within 10 feet of you) can see tiny feet, elbows and knees moving across your belly.

Gas pains are a way of life now, so it's common to mistake fetal movement for a little indigestion. If you don't start feeling your baby's flutter kick right away at 18 weeks, don't worry. Quickening happens at different times for different people. If you notice a distinct lack of fetal movement after feeling your baby move for several days, contact your health-care provider.

If you're feeling hungry these days, indulge (in moderation) . It's especially important to load up on carbs right now to fuel both your and your baby's energy needs. So hold off on the Atkins diet for another 22 weeks or so.

Your Baby
Your baby's ears are now facing forward and are completely formed so she can actually hear you talking now. You don't need to abandon your potty mouth just yet, but you might want to start thinking about it! Other highlights this week:

This week is also the beginning of ossification. And while that sounds like some long and involved paperwork you'll have to fill out, it's really a fancy medical term for the hardening of your baby's miniature bones. And that's a good thing.

Your baby's nerves are making more and more complex connections. Her sense of smell, taste, sight and hearing are all developing. A substance called myelin, which makes nerve connections travel faster, is now coating your baby's nerves.

Your baby now weighs between 5 and 7 ounces and is about 5½ inches long—about the size of a pickle from the corner deli. (You're familiar with pickles, right? Your regular accompaniment to a big bowl of ice cream?)

Oh and a new belly pic

I know I promised a video update

But I didn't feel like putting make-up on this morning, so it's not going to happen. I'll do one at 20 weeks :)

Sorry BNers, it's the same update as on the forum.

I went for my first consultation with my midwife yesterday at 16 and a bit weeks. I'm sommer confused about my due date now, but I'm saying the "end of March" :)

The appointment was just over an hour and a half and we went through all mine and J's family history. We went through how I'm eating (ensuring high protein diet), DH complaining that I don't eat enough sugar, and we heard the baby's heartbeat with the doppler. I must say I enjoy this more than the scans because the focus is on you and the baby, not on a screen halfway across the room. She could also feel the head and we heard one or two kicks through the doppler. Anyway she felt my uterus and said I felt a "good 16 weeks". I haven't put on any weight yet but she reckons I'm going to put on 2kgs in the next month and get big quickly from there. I hope so because I barely look pregnant. The only small worry was the size of my uterus, the gynae is not concerned at all as my uterus is about 2/3 the size of a normal one. I'm uterus is growing quite heavily to the left at the moment, but gravity should level it all out.

This is the midwife that I have done several births with as a doula and I was a bit concerned that we had crossed the patient/caregiver line into friendship KWIM. She was so professional but at the same time SO happy for us because she knows how we struggled to fall pregnant.

We are starting antenatal classes in the middle of November. I've done her course already (and I don't get a discount). It's pretty early to start, but if we only start in mid Feb next year, I would have already given birth by the time the 5th class comes round.

Otherwise I am feeling great. J and I agreed that I will go on maternity leave from the beginning of March and will go back to work at the beginning of August. I feel comfortable with that and glad I will also get some time to chill before the birth. I wish I would start "looking" pregnant now.

We are so prepared (most of you know the room was done before we fell pregnant even) and I'm enjoying doing the fun stuff now, buying cute things and not fretting about all the stuff we need.

Thanks for reading my loooong story :D

The Paraphernalia

Give my anything about birth and breastfeeding and I can go on for hours, ask me about car chairs, nappies and prams and there will be silence!

So after tons of research and a rather unsuccessful car fitting (apparently the dude didn't know what he was doing), J and I have chosen THE car seat and pram. This is a big choice because it is the last major expensive thing we will be paying for. Other than the birth (but Momentum's covering that bit :D).

So here's our choice - it looks so cute and nippy with the car seat in.

We have a midwife appointment this afternoon, will update tomorrow with a video journal update. Thanks for reading xx