Viability

Not more than ten minutes after I published last week’s post, did Baby D start having a party in my stomach so strong that Adam was able to feel him for the first time! And just a couple days ago, Adam was able to feel him kick and the kick was so strong that he even saw my stomach move! Being able to share that experience with him was one of the greatest moments thus far in the past 24 weeks. Our little dude is making himself more and more known to me every single day. It seems his favorite time of the day is after my morning orange juice at work.

I had another successful doctor’s appointment yesterday. Baby D’s heartbeat was measuring at 150bpm and my belly was finally big enough for the measuring tape! My fundal height measured at 22cm. Fundal height is a measure of the size of the uterus used to assess fetal growth and development. Fundal height varies for all women and is not an exact science, but it should only vary by a couple centimeters. A woman between 19-25 weeks should have a fundal height of about 22cm, so I am right on target! Blood pressure and weight gain were also great. My weight is smack dab in the middle of the range it should be at 24 weeks so that’s good.  

What is so special about week 24, is that this is the week the baby is viable. What this means is, Baby D has a chance of survival outside the womb. This isn’t to say he would be totally okay and super healthy, but it means he would have a chance and every day that passes now gives him an even better chance of living a healthy life. Keeping my fingers and toes (and LEGS!!) crossed that he stays in there until the end, but it feels good to know, that if the unexpected happened, our little guy would have a fighting chance.

Finally, I would be remiss not to mention something else huge that happened yesterday… I finally went to Social Security and changed my last  name. Ever since I was a little girl, I told myself that when I got married one day I would never change my last name. I am the last Rose in the family and the importance of keeping my name was very important to me for many reasons. One of the reasons I didn’t want to change my name was based on the thinking that changing my name would cause me to lose my identity. I also love the fact that I am a strong, professional, and independent woman, and felt that keeping my birth name proved that. Adam knew my mantra when we started dating – “I won’t change my name for no man,” and he has always understood and been supportive of my choice. Well, funny how things change. The little man in my belly and the amazing husband I have been married to for the past three years have melted my heart and I realized I can be the same strong woman with or without my birth name. Priorities change and what is important to me more than anything is to be a complete family unit with my husband and child. I know a name really doesn’t cause that, but it makes my heart feel right. I know it will make my son happy and I know it makes Adam happy. Most importantly, though, it makes our family happy, so I couldn’t be more at peace with my decision. Rose will move to my middle name (since I never had one in the first place) and hopefully Adam and I will find other ways to continue carrying on my family name (Hint hint – I think that means Baby #2 one day needs to be a girl). By the way – the cats we have now and any future kitties we have with ALWAYS have the last name Rose…

Sorry for the long post. I’ll try to keep things shorter next week!

Not the best picture, but here is 24 weeks! 

Adam and I bought Baby D the bedding for his crib this week!
We can't wait to get it in the mail! 

24 down, 16 to go!

I've Got a Secret!

Another week down, means another week closer to finally meeting our little guy!  He is really making himself known to his mommy this week. I’m feeling him move around more and more. The only problem is, his favorite time to dance is between the hours of midnight and 4:00am! The movements haven’t been waking me up, but when I wake up for my nightly bathroom breaks (yes, breaks, not break), he decides it’s time to wake up too. I just lay in my bed upwards of an hour feeling him move around. I may be tired in the morning, but I wouldn't change it for the world. I absolutely LOVE feeling every single movement. I guess he’s getting me used to what my nights are going to be like come June. Because he is getting stronger, I think Adam will finally be able to feel him.

This past weekend I was staring at my growing belly in the mirror and noticed the faintest of lines from my belly button (yes, it's still an innie) to my pubic area. I made Adam look to make sure I wasn't imagining it, but I have the beginnings of my linea nigra:

Your baby is completely cozy and content inside your belly, but there's some wacky stuff going on outside. One especially noticeable oddity is that dark line running down the center of your tummy, from just under your belly button to your pubic area. This linea nigra — literally, the "dark line" — is likely to be more pronounced if you have darker skin, but never fear: It fades a few months after your baby is born.

This week I came down with quite the nasty head cold. I've never been one for taking a lot of medicine, but boy, what I would have given for some NyQuil this week. Thankfully I made it through medicine-free and know I’ll be back to 100% by the weekend.

Adam and I had the greatest day this week because we have finally agreed on what to name our little man. Adam surprised me with his commitment to one of our name choices on Valentine’s Day. We’re going to keep it a secret between just the three of us for a few weeks, but then my big mouth will probably start telling our families. I think we’re going to keep it a blog and Facebook secret up until the birth, though. Ha – I’m such a tease!

Wednesday is my next doctor’s appointment. Just a basic vitals and weight check, but I love every appointment because it just gives me the chance to hear his awesome little heartbeat again.

Until next week…

23 Weeks - little man is taking over!

So, I have to show the below picture too because the difference of just two weeks is absolutely amazing to me! 

This was just two weeks ago!!! 

Kicks, Symptoms, and Names!

As I mentioned after my anatomy scan a couple weeks ago, I have an anterior placenta. It is acting as a pillow between the baby and my stomach so I've been having trouble feeling him move around up to this point. Well, I can definitively say that I am finally feeling the little guy. It's still not tons, but I am regularly feeling little movements in my belly now (mainly in the mornings ) and yesterday I got a couple quick punches and a kick to the stomach. It was without a doubt the most thrilling punch/kick combo I've ever received. Most of the time it just feels like little bubbles or a fish swimming around in my stomach. Hopefully the little guy will keep it up, because it's so nice to know he's happy and moving about in there.

Still feeling great! Heartburn and backache free, no swelling yet, rings still fitting, and still able to rock the high heels at work. This week I was told by a colleague that I was the most stylish pregnant woman she's ever known. I hope to keep that title until the end. :) My motto is, pregnancy does not equal frumpiness.

My baby books and websites tell me I should expect my belly button to be popping out soon, but thankfully no sign of that yet. I've always had a nice deep belly button, so hopefully the inevitable "outie" will stay away for a couple more months.

Adam and I are finally narrowing down our name choices for our son. Adam won't admit it yet, but I think we found our winner. Stay tuned... :) 

22 weeks down, 18 to go. 

22 Weeks! This little guy is clearly getting bigger! 

Adorable gifts from Grandma and Grandpa Donat! THANK YOU! 

Baby's First Baseball Glove

It's hard to say one week is more important than another during pregnancy, but it seems now that every week really does seem so much more significant than the last. Every week down, means another week closer to the birth of our handsome (yes, he will be handsome) baby boy.

How quickly our little guy is developing is amazing. At 21 weeks, our son is the size of a banana! Based on the ultrasound last week, though, he is probably a HUGE banana! Expanding from last week, Baby D is now able to taste the food I eat because he is swallowing amniotic fluid each day (for nutrition, hydration, and to practice digesting). It's likely that he may develop a taste for the foods I'm eating now later in life. We could have the first toddler that LOVES tofu. I have been keeping the tofu industry in business during this pregnancy...

Because of my anterior placenta I'm still not feeling our little guy move much. Sometimes at night I get a few weird feelings here and there. I'm pretty sure it's him, but it just hasn't been consistent enough for me to say. Luckily at the ultrasound last week Adam and I saw him wiggling like crazy so I'm not concerned.

I continue to be pretty symptom-free. Besides a little acne high school style here and there I still feel great -  no backaches, no heartburn, pretty high energy, etc.  Oh, and if you're wondering about weight gain.... well, there will be no more discussion of exact numbers on this blog. :) I'm gaining exactly as I should and believe that if I continue to eat and work out the way I am, I will gain the exact recommended weight during this pregnancy....hopefully on the lower end of the spectrum. Luckily all the weight seems to be going to my belly and not my thighs! I have confidence that my body will do what it needs to do for this baby and it will gain the weight it needs to gain. The treadmill and stairstepper will take care of any excess weight gain post baby (if I continue to do this right, hopefully there won't be too much excess).

Oh, on a side note, my parents have finally picked their grandparent names!! After much coaxing from my sister and me, they will be known as Oma and Opa! After spending much of my formidable youth living overseas in Germany, these names definitely fit the family and they make my sister and me super happy.

Opa actually sent Baby D his first Hot Wheels (which he will not be getting until he is 3) and his very first baseball glove! Adam and I are so excited for when we can play catch with him in the backyard and take him to a Nationals game to catch a fly ball.

21 Weeks! Holy Belly Batman!!