Fwed notes: 14w2d

I sent this to my mom and sis in an email, but forgot to post it here. So I'm doing a little backdating so it goes in the right place...

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I am pretty confident I've started feeling Fwed move in the last few days. I've felt the same fluttering motion I felt at first with Antony about five times (actually, make it six, I just felt it again!) over the last three days. I know it's really early to feel movement, but I felt it at 15w5d last time, and "they" say one can feel it earlier with a second pregnancy. It hasn't lasted for long, only about 30 seconds each time, but it's distinct from anything else I've been feeling recently. I also felt just a wierd sensation around where my uterus is after the last time I felt him move, I imagined that it might be him flipping over. I don't know if they do that yet, but it was somehow a much bigger feeling something.

I had my OB appointment on Thursday, and everything was good. Weighed me, took my bp (100/58), had me pee in a cup, and then brought out the doppler. We could hear the heartbeat instantly, which was nice. Right around 160bpm. After that the doc came in, and said that they didn't have the first trimester results back yet, but that based on the ultrasound they want to change my due date to 9/10! She said if the baby is measuring off by just a few days they don't worry about it, but Fwed was measuring big by nine whole days, so they wanted to change it. I told her that I was 99.99% sure about my ovulation date - she said they wanted to change it regardless.

There were three things she said it would make a difference for - the first trimester screening, if I were to go into preterm labor (they do what they can to stop it before 34 weeks, after they don't), and if I were to not go into labor by my due date. Other than that, it doesn't really make much of a difference. I told her that I fully expect to go late, based on my Mom and sister being a week + late with all their babies... she said that we would definitely take into account that we had changed the due date if that were to happen. I'm still not entirely happy about it. I thought that the dates were right on based on my earlier ultrasound, where they measured the gestional sac (7w4d which is what I was), and crown-rump length (8w1d, so only 4 days ahead) I think I will print out the chart I was keeping with my temperature and ovulation predictor sticks and argue it one more time at my next appointment. I am 100% sure that I did not ovulate nin e days earlier than I thought, that would have put it on day 7 of my cycle, which is just so unlikely. I think Fwed is just big! It seems second babies in our family run that way.

The other interesting thing from the appointment is that I asked if the mass I feel in my abdomen in the morning could be my bladder. Dr. B said that it could - they do have to separate your bladder from your uterus when they do the c-section, and sometimes it doesn't re-attach. So that would explain why I have only had to get up *one* night so far this pregnancy to pee - your bladder is supposed to be in your pelvis, underneath your uterus - with my floating around in my abdomen instead, it's got a lot more room to expand ;-) She said we just need to be aware of it in case I have another C-section. I do wonder where it will go as my uterus expands!

Later that day we got a voicemail with the results of the first tri screen - our probability of Down's syndrome is 1:4000, and trisomy 13/18 is 1:10000, so it's quite unlikely. I still would like to call them back and find out how those numbers change if we use what I think is my correct due date.

Fwed notes: 13w3d

First things first - the NT scan last week looked good. I had put off posting because I wanted to scan the u/s pictures and post them too, but ended up leaving them at my mom's house and haven't managed to coordinate my brain and either email or phone to get them back again!

This was my first ultrasound at this gestational age, and it was amazing to see how much like a person Fwed already looks. I could clearly see his little heart beating away, the two hemispheres of his brain, the spinal cord, hand bones, legs. Still little skinny chicken legs, but all the pieces seemed to be there. He was moving his hands around quite a bit, and legs too. I had thought that at this age I would see him moving all around the place, that was the impression I had gotten from reading about other's u/s at around this age. But rather, he seemed to have hiccups - full body jerks every now and again, although not rhythmic enough to actually be hiccups. Of course, given that I have now hiccupped every day for the past 19 years, hiccups would not be a big surprise.

The NT measurement was 2.0mm, where "they" look for anything under 3.0. It's a bit higher than what some of my friend's measurements have been, but Fwed was also measuring at 13w4d (when I was 12w2d), and the NT measurement grows as the baby grows. Nevertheless, I will breathe a bit more easily when I get the results of my blood screen back as well, I assume at my apt on Thursday. The nasal bones seemed to be properly formed, which is a good sign.

Not much else going on in Fwed's world. I seem to be over the queasiness, although I find that if I eat too much at dinner (ahem, or for my after dinner snacks), I don't feel that great. The remainder of my few symptoms seem to have mostly disappeared as well, as they did with Ant - although my skin is still not as clear as it was with him. I think the old wives suggest that means a girl - we'll see!

Fwed notes: 12 weeks

I have not been nearly as good at writing about Fwed as I was Phred. I think because most of what I have to say now is simply for my own interest in how different my symptoms are with this pregnancy than they were with my first. I feel like this is a completely opposite pregnancy which I really wouldn't have thought possible.

Although I have not had nearly as hard a time of it as Emma, I have felt much more queasy, and for much longer (5-12+ weeks vs. 6-8 last time). My skin isn't nearly as clear as it was with Ant. I haven't been either as tired or as hungry. I've been having very vivid, bizarre, dreams which is highly unusual for me and didn't happen before. (I had one about how I was super strong and squeezing about twenty cars into our driveway which normally holds four by picking them up with one hand and packing them in. Followed by pulling up thousands of maple seedlings out of the asphalt. ???) My digestive system doesn't seem to have slowed nearly as much. No food aversions.

And despite weighing about 8 pounds less, I'm showing so much more! I look about like I did at 18 weeks with Ant. Here is a pic, if you're interested - on the left is 15 weeks with Ant, in the middle is 11wks with Fwed, and on the right is 18 weeks with Ant. I had to start telling people at work already because I was getting questions and pointed stares!

I have my NT scan on Monday, and am looking forward to seeing the little guy again. And, of course, hoping for good news.

We have a Fwed!

I had my first ultrasound for my new pregnancy yesterday. I was *nervous*, as I'm not feeling much of anything - not that I felt much when I was pg with Ant, but I have even fewer symptoms this time. So nervous. However, thankfully, those nerves were for no reason. Everything looked great.

Here's Fwed at 7w4d. You can see Fwed him/herself, as well as the yolk sac, and gestational sac (the whole of the big black blob). The white area toward the bottom is apparently what will become the placenta. And if you look very carefully around Fwed in the left picture, you can see what will be the amniotic sac. Everything seemed to be measuring right on target!



I think it's interesting to compare with our 8w ultrasound from Antony. The picture somehow seems so much clearer. You can definitely see arm buds, as well as a rudimentary face. The placenta to be seems a lot thicker / more obvious. And the yolk sac is nowhere to be seen. I'm surprised that it would disappear so quickly!



Hopefully everything will contine to go well! I have my first OB appointment on Feb-21.