It's a challenge being a plus-sized pregnant woman, since I already had quite the chubby belly - I'm not proud of it, but it's true, so there it is - it's a little harder to tell if I'm showing or not. I'm definitely not fitting into my regular jeans anymore, even though I haven't gained any actual weight according to the doctor, hurrah! These Old Navy elastic-waist maternity jeans have been a total lifesaver, and so totally comfortable I may never go back to normal pants once The Child is born. If you press on my stomach right below my belly button, it's hard as a rock underneath the flab. Very cool. I think over the last week, I've started to "pop" just a little bit, and this picture proves it.... But at other times, I think I just look "fluffy."
Hello, child! And yes, the rack is GINORMOUS, I know. It's scaring me a little, I have to admit.
We have another ultrasound scheduled for May 11th, at which point I have to get a referral from my OB/GYN to get fetal echocardiograms at 18 and 24 weeks. Why? I've got two autoimmune diseases, Sjogren's Syndrome and Fibromyalgia, plus an "as yet undiagnosable connective tissue disease that is probably Lupus", according to my rheumatologist. Having SSA antibodies in your bloodstream means that there is a small possibility of the baby having fetal heart block and/or a neonatal lupus rash when they are born. So, we do fetal echocardiograms to make sure the heart is a-okay, and if the kid has a rash when they're born, they get a cortisone cream and everything should go away within 2-3 weeks. If the heart is not okay, I'll get to go on steroids for the remainder of the pregnancy or possibly have a pacemaker installed in the baby's heart in utero - yes, really, although that's a weensy, weensy, 1 in many hundreds of thousands chance.
Luckily, so far all of my bloodwork has come back absolutely perfect: Great blood sugar, blood pressure, HCG levels increasing normally, no STDs, no cystic fibrosis, Down's Syndrome, or spinal muscular atrophy. So I have a feeling that the baby's heart will be fine, but I'll do all of the tests and procedures my doctors recommend. I had really wanted to do a birthing center birth with a midwife, but since I'm automatically classified as high risk due to Sjogren's & Fibro, I don't have a choice: Hospital it is. Bummer. We're still going to shoot for an unmedicated delivery, though.
On to the flutters.
I know it's technically too early to feel any kicks, but when I'm lying down at night or being fairly still during the day, over the past couple weeks I've felt a few little flutters, like someone tapping me gently. And last night, I was lying on my stomach in bed and felt a definite poke. I told Dave and he got this idiotic grin on his face and said, "WOW." Our baby is growing more and more each day, and although I'm a little apprehensive about eventually looking like The Whale, The Great White Whale, I'm excited to see how things progress.
We started our baby registry on Amazon.com, and I think we have most of the basics covered..... Can the experienced parents out there take a peek and tell me if I'm missing anything crucial?
took a peek, add some plain onsies you'll need lots. Lots of burp rags, and several receiving blankets, they are perfect for swaddling, and easier than the actually swaddle blankets, I had one and it was only used in the car seat!
ReplyDeleteThanks Nikki! We've got a good amount of onesies & sleep gowns so far and I figured we'd get more as gifts, so I didn't register for many. I will, however, add more receiving blankets and burp rags!
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