Halfway there! Wow, now I am starting to really get nervous; before I know it, I’m going to be a mother!
We had our ultrasound and it was one of the coolest experiences of my life. It is absolutely amazing the detail in which you can see the baby. When the technician first put the ultrasound device on my belly and we saw the baby, it was yawning. (My comment was, “I’m right there with you, baby,” as the ultrasound was early in the morning.)
It was amazing to see its little mouth yawn. I’ll attach a photo, but it’s not nearly as cool as watching it actually happen. My heart just melted when I saw our baby; I can’t even describe in words what I felt. We had so much fun looking at all the various baby parts. Good news: two arms, two legs, healthy heart, and this baby’s growing right as it should be. My scheduled due date, Christmas, is right-on with the baby’s development, so all looks good so far. What a wonderful Christmas this is going to be.
It was fun to watch my husband’s reaction: he was absolutely fascinated with seeing the baby and watching it move. We could even see it sucking; it wasn’t sucking its hand or anything, just making the sucking movements with its mouth. My husband’s comment was how amazing it is that from two microscopic particles—an egg and sperm—this miracle can develop. Life truly is amazing!
We still don’t want to know the gender, so the tech had us look away when she came to that area. She said the baby’s gender is just between her and the baby. Man, talk about power. She didn’t even put it on the paperwork for my doctor, so he doesn’t know either. Some people can’t understand why we don’t want to find out ahead of time; certainly it does make planning a little more difficult. I look at it this way: it’s really the last great surprise, and I figure I’ve had enough bad surprises that I am due for a good surprise. Either way, boy or girl, it will be a good surprise.
After the ultrasound we had a tour of the Labor and Delivery area in the hospital. It was fun to meet the nurses and see the area where our lives will truly change forever. I really liked the hospital where we are delivering; it’s very quiet, or at least it was when we were there. The nurses and staff were so friendly and willing to help answer any questions. In the labor and delivery suites they have spa tubs. I think that would be fun to try out—to make the labor process more comfortable. I’m just not sure about access, getting into and out while in labor and weighing a lot more.
I’m not sure what access issues will be important during labor and delivery. The delivery table isn’t exactly accessible, but it does lower down to make transferring easier. What were some of the access issues any of you had during your labor and delivery? Are there questions or things I should ask for beforehand to assist access during the delivery?
Now it’s just back to life as usual, and, of course, I am getting bigger. The baby is only 10 ounces so far; I can’t imagine how big I am going to be when it’s 7 pounds The biggest issue I’ve been dealing with lately is heartburn. It seems like anything I eat causes heartburn, and I worry because I know it’s only going to get worse as the baby gets bigger.
My mom gave me some great advice which seems to be helping. She suggested that I lie down on the bed or couch and roll from side to side, trying to get the baby to move around a little. She commented that it’s most likely the baby’s position that is putting pressure on my stomach and causing the heartburn. So far her suggestion has seemed to help.
I only wonder what I am going to do once the baby gets too big to roll around in there; I’ll just deal with the heartburn I guess. I assume that because I am sitting all the time and my internal organs are all scrunched together that lying down helps to give room for the organs and my full stomach to digest. Did any of you have difficulty sitting for long periods of time later in your pregnancies? I have heard that as I get bigger, I will probably have to change positions and lie down more. Sounds like a great excuse for a little more R&R to me.
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Check out Muffy's previous pregnancy blog:
Disability and Pregnancy, Part 5 — Week 19
Disability and Pregnancy, Part 7 — Week 21
For more information on Muffy, visit Muffy's Disaboom member profile.
