A lot has happened since I last posted, so to keep myself organized and to keep this from getting too confusing, I decided to break things down under each topic.
ANATOMY SCAN
We had our anatomy scan the first week of February. Baby was kind of wiggly, so the sonographer had a little bit of difficulty getting some of the images she needed, but after a few tries, she was able to capture everything she needed. After the ultrasound, we talked with the MFM doctor and learned that he saw a very small VSD (ventricular septal defect - hole in the heart), but everything else looked perfect. He reassured us that the hole would likely heal itself before birth, and in the event that didn't happen, no surgical intervention would be needed - baby would just have a slight heart murmur during childhood. We scheduled a repeat ultrasound 4 weeks later so the MFM could have a better look at the status of the VSD.
SEX REVEAL
The week after the anatomy scan, I put together Valentine cards for family and some close friends, and included scratch-off cards that I bought from an Etsy seller. A lot of people really loved the cards, and the reveal inside was extra exciting. B's mom came over to get her card personally, so I was able to see her reaction in person, and my family got together at my parents' house and FaceTime'd to share their reaction. B's parents and one of my sisters guessed correctly (and a couple of our friends did as well) - baby is a BOY! B had been guessing girl since day 1, and I was pretty on board with that until the week of the anatomy scan. I started to feel like I was too set on having a girl, and thought the universe was going to trick me with a boy, and I was right. I was a little disappointed for about 2 seconds (I feel like an awful mom saying that) because I babysit 2 (sometimes 3) boys, but I'm really excited about our little guy. He'll even out our family - 2 boys (B and baby) and 2 girls (me and the cat).
OB CHECK-UP: 23 WEEKS
We had a standard check-up at 23 weeks, and everything was looking good. Between the 19 and 23 week appointments, I didn't gain any weight. I was a little worried this would result in a lecture from my OB, but she said that my weight gain is on a healthy path. She would be concerned by the lack of gain if I was 90 lbs, but because I'm already overweight, she said the lack of gain is most likely because I'm making smart food choices and keeping fairly active. Baby's heartbeat sounded great on the doppler (I didn't get a number), and we finished the appointment by discussing what to expect next time - the dreaded Glucose Tolerance test. I've been told by a few friends who have been through it already that it isn't that bad, and my OB gave me instructions to make it less of a time suck. Before my next appointment, I am supposed to stop by the lab, drink the sugar water solution, then go to my appointment. After the appointment, I'll go back to the lab and have the results drawn at the 1 hour mark, and I'll be done. It sounds like there will be a regular blood draw to check for anemia and just a finger poke to check the glucose levels, so it shouldn't be too bad.
VSD FOLLOW-UP
On Thursday, we had our follow-up ultrasound to check on the VSD. Baby was much more cooperative this time - the sonographer said he was an ultrasound model when she was getting pictures of his heart - until we tried to see his face. Apparently he was still sleepy, and he kept putting his arms in front of his face. He did flash us a quick peace sign, and we got a really sweet picture of his feet, so that was nice at least. Baby's measurements at the anatomy scan were a little on the high end of average (which scared me that I was going to have a giant baby), but at this appointment they were more on track. He was measuring about 3 days ahead, mostly because of his long legs (sounds like he'll be tall like B), but everything else was normal. We were very relieved after talking to the MFM doctor this time - the VSD has completely healed. Even though the problem wasn't very serious, I was a little worried about things, so I'm very happy to have one less potential issue to think about.
SPOILED
The family I babysit for was especially excited when they found out baby is a boy - they have spoiled us rotten with hand-me-downs. They've given us a bassinet, tons of clothes in newborn-6 months, and blankets and towels. This baby will never be naked - except for bath time. We are really lucky to have such generous friends. Also, I'm pretty sure I say this every time, but I've also been spoiled by an easy pregnancy. I never thought it would happen, but I'm one of those annoying women who actually enjoys being pregnant. Aside from the occasional heart burn or kick to a full bladder, everything has been a breeze (I think that's part of why I'm so worried about failing the glucose test). I like to think it's the good karma being paid back to us after having to go through so much crap to get to this point. Baby's movements are getting stronger, and I'm starting to feel them on the outside a little. B may have even felt a kick the other day - the trick to feeling movement has been for me to lean forward and squish baby a little so he has less space to move. I'm excited for him to continue growing and getting stronger so the movements are easier to feel and see.
CLASSES
I have signed up for 2 classes through our hospital. The first will be our Birth and Labor express class, coming up next weekend. We'll spend almost the whole day being traumatized by the miracle of birth :). I also signed up for a comprehensive breastfeeding course, which is scheduled for early May. It's hard to believe that it's already time to start thinking about these things - I'm pretty sure someone accidentally hit fast-forward on the Click remote.
So that's pretty much the whole update - like I said, we had a lot going on the past few weeks. And there's a lot to look forward to for the next update - a recap of our birthing class, glucose results, and the third trimester! Stay tuned :).
We had a standard check-up at 23 weeks, and everything was looking good. Between the 19 and 23 week appointments, I didn't gain any weight. I was a little worried this would result in a lecture from my OB, but she said that my weight gain is on a healthy path. She would be concerned by the lack of gain if I was 90 lbs, but because I'm already overweight, she said the lack of gain is most likely because I'm making smart food choices and keeping fairly active. Baby's heartbeat sounded great on the doppler (I didn't get a number), and we finished the appointment by discussing what to expect next time - the dreaded Glucose Tolerance test. I've been told by a few friends who have been through it already that it isn't that bad, and my OB gave me instructions to make it less of a time suck. Before my next appointment, I am supposed to stop by the lab, drink the sugar water solution, then go to my appointment. After the appointment, I'll go back to the lab and have the results drawn at the 1 hour mark, and I'll be done. It sounds like there will be a regular blood draw to check for anemia and just a finger poke to check the glucose levels, so it shouldn't be too bad.
VSD FOLLOW-UP
On Thursday, we had our follow-up ultrasound to check on the VSD. Baby was much more cooperative this time - the sonographer said he was an ultrasound model when she was getting pictures of his heart - until we tried to see his face. Apparently he was still sleepy, and he kept putting his arms in front of his face. He did flash us a quick peace sign, and we got a really sweet picture of his feet, so that was nice at least. Baby's measurements at the anatomy scan were a little on the high end of average (which scared me that I was going to have a giant baby), but at this appointment they were more on track. He was measuring about 3 days ahead, mostly because of his long legs (sounds like he'll be tall like B), but everything else was normal. We were very relieved after talking to the MFM doctor this time - the VSD has completely healed. Even though the problem wasn't very serious, I was a little worried about things, so I'm very happy to have one less potential issue to think about.
SPOILED
The family I babysit for was especially excited when they found out baby is a boy - they have spoiled us rotten with hand-me-downs. They've given us a bassinet, tons of clothes in newborn-6 months, and blankets and towels. This baby will never be naked - except for bath time. We are really lucky to have such generous friends. Also, I'm pretty sure I say this every time, but I've also been spoiled by an easy pregnancy. I never thought it would happen, but I'm one of those annoying women who actually enjoys being pregnant. Aside from the occasional heart burn or kick to a full bladder, everything has been a breeze (I think that's part of why I'm so worried about failing the glucose test). I like to think it's the good karma being paid back to us after having to go through so much crap to get to this point. Baby's movements are getting stronger, and I'm starting to feel them on the outside a little. B may have even felt a kick the other day - the trick to feeling movement has been for me to lean forward and squish baby a little so he has less space to move. I'm excited for him to continue growing and getting stronger so the movements are easier to feel and see.
CLASSES
I have signed up for 2 classes through our hospital. The first will be our Birth and Labor express class, coming up next weekend. We'll spend almost the whole day being traumatized by the miracle of birth :). I also signed up for a comprehensive breastfeeding course, which is scheduled for early May. It's hard to believe that it's already time to start thinking about these things - I'm pretty sure someone accidentally hit fast-forward on the Click remote.
So that's pretty much the whole update - like I said, we had a lot going on the past few weeks. And there's a lot to look forward to for the next update - a recap of our birthing class, glucose results, and the third trimester! Stay tuned :).
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