{"id":229,"date":"2010-09-29T21:41:46","date_gmt":"2010-09-30T02:41:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/babyg.brainstormwarning.org\/?p=229"},"modified":"2010-09-29T21:41:46","modified_gmt":"2010-09-30T02:41:46","slug":"week-18ish-ob-appt-ultrasound","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/babyg.brainstormwarning.org\/index.php\/2010\/09\/29\/week-18ish-ob-appt-ultrasound\/","title":{"rendered":"Week 18ish \/ OB Appt \/ Ultrasound!!!!!!!!!!"},"content":{"rendered":"

Yesterday (Tuesday), I had my ultrasound at 1:30, followed by a 2:00 Dr. appointment.\u00a0 The ultrasound was pretty much the most fun thing EVER!\u00a0 I had been kinda apprehensive about it.\u00a0 Not so much because of the things I discussed in the last couple of posts, but because I had to drink 16 oz of water an hour<\/em> prior to my appointment.\u00a0 Without peeing.\u00a0 See, I was really looking forward to the ultrasound.\u00a0 And I wanted to be able to really focus on what was taking place and save it as a wonderful memory.\u00a0 I feared I’d be so delirious needing to pee that I wouldn’t even be able to enjoy it.<\/p>\n

So on Monday night, I decided to do a test run.\u00a0 I drank the water, and about 30 minutes later, I really thought I might die.\u00a0 I somehow endured another 15 minutes before I had<\/em> to go to the bathroom.\u00a0 Uh oh.\u00a0 Friends reassured me that they had had perfectly good ultrasounds without drinking the water, and that I would be fine.\u00a0 That helped some, but I still didn’t want to do anything that might compromise my view of my little baby!\u00a0 I thought maaayyyybeee I’d start drinking the water a little short of an hour, and maaayyyybeee I’d drink a little less than 16 ounces.<\/p>\n

Tuesday.\u00a0 I managed to stay reasonably focused during my 2 hours at work, which was probably a miracle.\u00a0 Then I ran to the restroom for my final pee before I began drinking the water.\u00a0 Since I am a rule-follower (I can’t help it), I started right at an hour before my appointment, though I drank it rather slowly up til about a half hour beforehand.\u00a0 When we pulled into our parking spot at the Dr’s office, I probably had a couple of sips left, but I just couldn’t do it.\u00a0 Surely 15 ounces would be enough.\u00a0 My bladder was clearly filled to the brim.<\/p>\n

I checked in, and the lady at the desk let me know she couldn’t give me a sticker because of my ultrasound.\u00a0 (Normally, they’ll give you a name\/info label to put on your pee cup as soon as you get there since they take a sample every time.)\u00a0 I think I said something like, “I know, but I would REALLY like a sticker.”<\/em> Not really asking for one, but I was UNCOMFORTABLE, and I guess I thought everyone should know.\u00a0 I took my seat next to Pete and waited.\u00a0 I fidgeted.\u00a0 I tried to distract myself with magazines.\u00a0 Not working.\u00a0 My eyes were watering.\u00a0 THANK GOD I was called back right on time.<\/p>\n

The walk back to the ultrasound room felt like forever.\u00a0 The hallway really isn’t that<\/em> long.\u00a0 Except it is when you think that too quick or too firm a step will cause pee to come out.\u00a0 I expressed my concern to the ultrasound technician (her name is Janis, spelled just like my mom’s!) since I was really worried what would happen when she actually applied pressure to my abdomen.\u00a0 She said she’d take a look since sometimes there’s actually too much water.\u00a0 Ah, I was relieved.\u00a0 I was sure this was my case.\u00a0 “Actually,” she said, “there’s really not that much in there.”<\/p>\n

YOU HAVE GOT TO BE FREAKING KIDDING ME!<\/em><\/p>\n

Dear God, oh Lord, please don’t let me pee on this table right here and now.<\/em><\/p>\n

Seriously, what?\u00a0 Not at all surprisingly, the kid seems to be quite comfortable sitting very low in my abdomen.\u00a0 Cushioned nicely right over my bladder.\u00a0 Ha!\u00a0 That would explain a lot.\u00a0 Not at all surprising given the increased urination I have mentioned maybe a few times in this blog already.\u00a0 And considering I have felt the kicks so low.\u00a0 I’m thinking, this could really become a problem as the baby grows.\u00a0 Ah well.<\/p>\n

View moves to the baby.\u00a0 OH WOW, IT REALLY IS IN THERE!\u00a0 What the heck, that was really my first thought.\u00a0 I really did believe it before then, but actually seeing it is still so different!\u00a0 Amazing.\u00a0 I’m already miraculously distracted from my full<\/span> squished bladder.\u00a0 (Second thought: look at that tiny little heart beating away in there!)<\/p>\n

When they do the ultrasound, they start at the head and work their way down.\u00a0 They look at everything before they look between the legs.\u00a0 However, I’m going to go ahead and spill the beans here on boy or girl.\u00a0 I’m sure anyone who bothers reading this already knows anyway.\u00a0 It’s a GIRL!!!<\/strong> (It’s just too troublesome to continue and not be able to use the word “she.”)<\/p>\n

I’d honestly be excited about boy OR girl, but I am really excited.\u00a0 And also a little proud of myself that my hunch was correct!\u00a0 I think I mentioned this before, but I had to consciously stop making myself think girl because I feared I’d get really confused if it turned out to be a boy.\u00a0 The girl vibe was just so strong.\u00a0 My friend Erin said that she thinks pregnancy hunches are almost always right, and maybe they are, but I didn’t have\u00a0 much faith in myself.\u00a0 I did a surprisingly good job of making myself stop thinking girl AS much, though I definitely still felt that way.\u00a0 Soooo many people were predicting boy, I was starting to think I was just crazy.\u00a0\u00a0 But all along, I only wanted to look at girl stuff (though I haven’t really looked at that much “stuff” yet), girl names…I just wasn’t caring as much about boy things.\u00a0 Anyway, back to the ultrasound….<\/p>\n

First glimpse of the baby, it looked like she was trying to cover her face with the back of her hand.\u00a0 Damsel in distress?\u00a0 “Don’t look at me, I’m sleeping?”\u00a0 I don’t know.\u00a0 But it was cute.\u00a0 (Duh, everything my kid does is cute, even in the womb.)<\/p>\n

First, the sonographer measured the head.\u00a0 She looked at the heart, saw all four chambers.\u00a0 Then she used the computer to measure the heart rate: 145 bpm.\u00a0 She followed the spine.\u00a0 I was in awe of all the tiny little vertebrae.\u00a0 She labeled her little diaphragm.\u00a0 Looked at the blood flow through the umbilical cord.\u00a0 FINALLY looked to see the sex.\u00a0 (All along I was thinking, “I don’t see any boy bits, but we haven’t really gotten a good look yet.)\u00a0 It was difficult at first, but finally we got a good few.\u00a0 Girl!\u00a0 After seeing from a few more angles, Janis said, “definitely girl.” =)\u00a0 At first, she said the only thing she couldn’t see was the base of the spine.\u00a0 But then the baby moved so that she could see it.\u00a0 So cooperative.\u00a0 This is my kid? =)<\/p>\n

Not surprisingly, little girl looked like she was riding a bike in there!\u00a0 She was pumping those little legs a lot.<\/p>\n

Okay, pictures! =D<\/p>\n

Here’s one.\u00a0 It’s the only one I have without writing on it.\u00a0 It doesn’t show a lot, but I still love it. =)\u00a0 (click to enlarge the image)<\/p>\n

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Here’s one that Janis printed at the very end, just for the grandparents!\u00a0 =)\u00a0 I think my mom has been staring at it almost endlessly since we gave it to her. =)\u00a0 At one point, as she was looking at this pic, she commented that (though it’s too soon to really <\/em>tell) it looks like she has my nose!\u00a0 I agreed.\u00a0 Until I got home and took a better look at OUR picture.\u00a0 (Look at those little fingers!)<\/p>\n

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Here’s the pic just for us!\u00a0 After I got home and started uploading scans to my computer, I took a better look.\u00a0 This picture…does not look like my nose.\u00a0 Haha. =)\u00a0 Maybe it wasn’t a direct profile on the other two pics.\u00a0 I don’t know.\u00a0 But I still think her little nose is perfect. =)\u00a0 At one point, we got a frontal view of just her nose and mouth, and it was the sweetest nose and mouth ever.\u00a0 In this scan, it looks like she’s sucking her thumb!\u00a0 I didn’t notice that at the time, so I don’t know if she’s really<\/em> sucking her thumb, or contemplating the mysteries of the universe.\u00a0 I’d say either scenario is likely.\u00a0 She likes having her hand up by her face!<\/p>\n

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I won’t upload the scan where it was apparent that she…is a she.\u00a0 A little girl has to have her modesty, and the internet is a public place after all.\u00a0 But…her butt is cute, too. =D<\/p>\n

After the ultrasound was over, I was totally blissed out.\u00a0 I got to see my perfect baby girl AND I could finally pee!\u00a0 Yes!\u00a0 I happily took my sticker and a cup and made a beeline to the nearest restroom.\u00a0 A few minutes later, I was weighed (I’ve gained 6-7 lbs so far) and placed in an exam room.\u00a0\u00a0 The nurse took my blood pressure (it was good) and we talked about some things.\u00a0 Then I waited for the doctor.\u00a0 Longer than I had in the past, but that’s ok.\u00a0 Still nothing like other waits I’ve had at Dr’s offices.\u00a0 I contemplated if I should go to the bathroom again while I waited, but decided I could manage waiting.<\/p>\n

After a while, the nurse came back in and told us that the doctor was going to be a while longer.\u00a0 There was an ultrasound after me that was bad news, so the doctor was talking to her. =(\u00a0 I don’t know how bad it was, but I felt really sad for this anonymous person, and I felt truly blessed that everything has been going so well for us and our little one.\u00a0 Since the doctor was going to be a little longer, the nurse… (Why do I remember everyone else’s name, but always draw a blank on hers?\u00a0 Is it Gail?\u00a0 Did I make that up?) …Anyway, she measured my uterus and listened to the fetal heart rate.\u00a0 She said the uterus is right where it should be, but she didn’t mention the heart rate.\u00a0 I figured it was probably pretty close to what the ultrasound said anyway.<\/p>\n

Finally, the doctor came in.\u00a0 She said all the ultrasound measurements were right in the middle of the normal range.\u00a0 Awesome!\u00a0 One of those times you like your kid to be average. =)\u00a0 According to the measurements, my due date would be February 25, but that’s just so close to the original February 27 due date (based on my last period), we’re not going to bother moving it.\u00a0 If it’s within 5 days, they generally leave it alone.\u00a0 I still think it’s interesting that no one cares if you actually know when you ovulated.\u00a0 But with due dates, a couple of days give or take is probably meaningless in the long run anyway.\u00a0 Especially in my family.<\/p>\n

Dr. also answered a few questions.\u00a0 She wasn’t at all concerned about the TMI incident I mentioned a couple of posts back.\u00a0 What she said pretty much coincided with what I figured was probably <\/em>the case, but I just couldn’t have peace of mind without asking.\u00a0 She said the cramps I’m experiencing are normal.\u00a0 Did I mention the cramps?\u00a0 At the very beginning of my pregnancy, I had very mild, dull cramps.\u00a0 It almost felt like my period was coming.\u00a0 Dr. reassured me that it’s just my uterus growing, and they faded away after a few weeks.\u00a0 A couple of nights ago, the cramps returned, but stronger.\u00a0 I figured it was probably just my uterus growing again (I’m due for another growth spurt in that department, I think), but it’s still a weird feeling to be 18 weeks pregnant and feel like you’re getting your period.\u00a0 She said that was, in fact normal.\u00a0 And it is, in fact, my uterus growing.\u00a0 Makes sense that the cramps would be a little stronger when my uterus is a whole lot bigger than it was a few weeks ago.\u00a0 Flu shots still aren’t in, but they should be soon, so I’ll be calling next week to see if they’re in yet.<\/p>\n

On our way out of the office building, I told Pete that I bet him 50 cents that if he told his mom it’s a girl, the next words out of her mouth would be, “redheaded.”\u00a0 (I think she’s been praying for a redheaded granddaughter since Pete and I got engaged…if not before.)\u00a0 He said he’d take that bet.\u00a0 In the car on our way home, Pete called his parents.\u00a0 Good thing I only bet 50 cents because I totally lost that bet.\u00a0 Her first words were, “Are you okay with that?”\u00a0 LOL!\u00a0 They just knew that he had a slight leaning toward boy first then girl.\u00a0 But of course, he is totally fine with girl first.\u00a0 We just pray for a healthy baby. =)<\/p>\n

Shortly after, we went to my parents’ house where we could deliver the news in person and give them the hi grandma and grandpa scan.\u00a0 And borrow their scanner since ours is crappier and not hooked up.\u00a0 I told my grandma C that she’ll have to wait a little longer if she wants to see that redheaded great grandson she was so stuck on having.\u00a0 She’s just fine with having a great granddaughter.\u00a0 Everyone is super excited.\u00a0 It’s so fun to watch.<\/p>\n

Random: I’m feeling little kicks at all times of day now, though it’s still most frequent at night.\u00a0 I love it. =)\u00a0 I only feel it when I’m sitting still though.<\/p>\n

Cartoon baby time!<\/p>\n

\"18<\/a>
\n18 Weeks Pregnant<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Yesterday (Tuesday), I had my ultrasound at 1:30, followed by a 2:00 Dr. appointment.\u00a0 The ultrasound was pretty much the most fun thing EVER!\u00a0 I had been kinda apprehensive about it.\u00a0 Not so much because of the things I discussed in the last couple of posts, but because I had to drink 16 oz of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[4,5],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/babyg.brainstormwarning.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/229"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/babyg.brainstormwarning.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/babyg.brainstormwarning.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/babyg.brainstormwarning.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/babyg.brainstormwarning.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=229"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/babyg.brainstormwarning.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/229\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/babyg.brainstormwarning.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=229"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/babyg.brainstormwarning.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=229"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/babyg.brainstormwarning.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=229"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}