26 week prenatal visit

I went for my monthly prenatal visit today.  Blood pressure was excellent, baby's heartbeat was 152 and we heard some kicks on the doppler too.  My belly measured low at 21cm, but that is because baby was laying transverse today.  No swelling, just a tad on the ankles, but that is normal.  I do need to work on my water intake, that is the toughest thing for me.  And I need to kick the sugar, I have gotten way off track with this pregnancy.

I also got heartburn at 2:00am last night, that is the first time with this pregnancy.  Heartburn only hit me at the very end last time, so I didn't deal with it much.  I have been miserable with it all day!  So I got some Lily of the Desert Aloe Vera juice, the Herbal Stomach Formula.  I also picked up some papaya enzyme chewable tablets, basically the natural version of Tums. Hopefully these two things will help control it, I still have 3 months to go!

I got a free glucose meter over the weekend, so I can monitor my blood sugar through the rest of my pregnancy. So far it has been excellent, so I am happy with that.

I will start going to the midwives every 2 weeks now.  I go back at 28 weeks for a blood draw to test my iron (I think?) and to see if my blood has built any antibodies to baby's blood.  I am O neg and if this baby has O pos blood, and some of it mixes with mine, then my blood will attack baby's, and that is not good.  Ronnie is O pos, so after he was born I had a Rhogam shot to keep my blood from building antibodies to O pos blood.  But, we have to test my blood now just incase baby's blood may have mixed with mine in utero.  I'd rather be safe then sorry!

25 weeks

Big belly!  LOL!!

24 weeks 1 day

This photo above is a baby that was delivered at 24 weeks. So this give you an idea of how big/small our baby is right now inside my belly.  Absolutely amazing!!  No wonder I am feeling so much movement and some rather strong kicks, look at those long legs!  I am just continually amazed at how fast a baby grows in just 9 months time.  And that even when delivered at this early stage, sometimes they can make it, thanks to our technology.

According to the Baby Center e-mail I received yesterday, baby weighs just over a pound now and is about a foot long from head to foot.   Pretty much everything is developed for the most part, now baby will start to fill out and gain weight.  Which means mama will too! :)

First born

Here you go mommies - a different kind of survey for a change - it's all about your first born! Just copy and paste it in a new note for yourself!

1. WAS YOUR PREGNANCY PLANNED? Absolutely.

2. WERE YOU MARRIED AT THE TIME? Yes.

3. WHAT WERE YOUR REACTIONS? I was VERY excited!

4. WAS ABORTION AN OPTION FOR YOU? Never was and never will be.

5. HOW OLD WERE YOU? 33

HOW DID YOU FIND OUT YOU WERE PREGNANT? I was charting my cycles and the day I was supposed to get my period I didn’t, so I took a test and it was positive.

7. WHO DID YOU TELL FIRST? Ron via e-mail since he was traveling, and then some internet friends.

8. DID YOU WANT TO FIND OUT THE SEX? Nope, and we still don’t find out!

9. DUE DATE? 7/17/07

10. DID YOU HAVE MORNING SICKNESS? I was nauseous but I never actually got sick.

WHAT DID YOU CRAVE? Hard to remember much, watermelon towards the end is all I can think of.

12. WHAT IRRITATED YOU? I don’t remember feeling irritated by anything particular.

13. WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST CHILD'S SEX? Boy

14. DID YOU WISH YOU HAD THE OPPOSITE SEX OF WHAT YOU WERE GETTING? Nope, I was thrilled for him to be a boy.

15. HOW MANY POUNDS DID YOU GAIN THROUGHOUT THE PREGNANCY? About 25lbs.

16. DID YOU HAVE A BABY SHOWER? 2

17. WAS IT A SURPRISE OR DID YOU KNOW? The one up in Michigan was planned, the one at work was supposed to be a surprise, but I found out.

18. DID YOU HAVE ANY COMPLICATIONS DURING YOUR PREGNANCY? Not at all.

19. WHERE DID YOU GIVE BIRTH? It was supposed to be at home with our midwife, but since my water broke 5 days before I was 37 weeks, I had to deliver in the hospital. Centennial Hospital in Nashville.

20. HOW MANY HOURS WERE YOU IN LABOR? Well, it was 7 hours from when my water broke until he was born, but active labor was only 2 hours long.

21. WHO DROVE YOU TO THE HOSPITAL? I rode with my midwife in her van and Ron followed us in the car.

22. WHO WATCHED YOU GIVE BIRTH? Ron, my midwife (who was a doula in the hospital setting), Dr. Wilters, my nurse, and then a bunch of other nurse/staff people who I was hardly even aware of during that time.

23. WAS IT NATURAL OR C-SECTION? Natural birth

24. DID YOU TAKE MEDICINE TO EASE THE PAIN? Nope, nothing.

25. HOW MUCH DID YOUR CHILD WEIGH? 6lbs, 9ozs

28. WHEN WAS YOUR CHILD ACTUALLY BORN? June 21, 2007 at 7:40pm

30. WHAT DID YOU NAME HIM/HER? Ronnie Gerald DePew III

23 weeks

I always intend to have Ron take photos of my belly more often, but we both just forget about it.  Then tonight as I sit here on the computer,  I had an "ah ha" moment when I remembered that we have Photo Booth here on the iMac where I can take photos of myself while at the computer!  Perfect!  So here is my belly tonight at 23 weeks 2 days.  Just plugging right along!  Baby moves alot and I love it!

20 weeks tomorrow

Here are some belly shots on the eve of 20 weeks.  Good grief this belly is bigger than it was during my first pregnancy at this stage!  Baby is rockin' and rolling in there, I love it!

19 weeks already??

Where does the time go??  Baby is now about 6 inches long and weighs about 8.5 ounces.  Amazing!  I am feeling baby move more frequently and a lot stronger!  I love it!  Feeling the baby move is my favorite part of being pregnant.  It is a special bonding time for baby and me before we even meet face to face.  I was thinking of writing out some sort of poem about it.  If I do, I will post it here to share.  Here is a photo of what a baby looks like at 19 week gestation.  It is so amazing!