Week 16

Baby MJ is the size of an Avocado.

Mmmmmm, I love Avocados!  I guess that means the baby likes them too ;0)

According to the "Ultimate Man's Guide to Baby Sizes" the baby is also the size of a Stud Finder!  I love it! 

Week 16 is over! It has been a very eventful week... two big things happened:

1. I felt the baby move and
2. Someone asked me if I was pregnant for the first time.

1. I had been feeling bubbly, fluttery, gas-like movements in my belly for the past week or so, but I just thought it was normal stomach grumbles. Well, I was talking with my friends and coworkers about their experiences and when they were describing what the early movements were like, I realized that what I had been feeling was the baby!

2. I go to monthly lab meetings, so I only see some of my work colleagues once a month. Right after a lab meeting, a colleague came up to me and asked me if I was pregnant. He was relieved when I said “yes.” (Apparently, he had mistakenly asked a woman who was not pregnant and was embarrassed). He said he could tell because I was rubbing my belly during the meeting. I didn’t even realize I was doing that. I guess that may be the first of many questions from strangers/acquaintances.

I am so very happy to say that I get to see Jimmy in 2 weeks and my family in 3 weeks! I am so excited to see everyone that I love and to have a vacation! Jimmy’s last day in the field is today, so we will get to talk on the phone more often, so I am thrilled that he will be more accessible to me.

I had a prenatal visit on Monday. It was really short (like 5 minutes), but I was able to hear the heartbeat, which was 150 bpm, and they told me my uterus was perfectly positioned. I was sad that they didn’t do a sonogram because I wanted to see the baby. Oh well, maybe next time! According the my records, I’m 1 pound UNDER my pre-pregnancy weight, but I’m pretty sure that’s wrong because my belly is so much larger now. They didn’t seem concerned, so I’m not worried about it.

Whomp, whomp whomp… It’s so very reassuring to hear the heartbeat because sometimes I wonder if there’s something really growing inside me. Sometimes I start to panic: “Is this all in my head?” “Am I just getting fat?” “Is there really a baby in my belly?”

If you don’t know already, I have minor issues with my heart. A few years ago, when they diagnosed me, they told me that I would need to be monitored if I were to ever get pregnant. Well, my doctor/midwife informed me on Monday that my heart would be strong enough for labor. I guess ignorance is bliss because I had no idea that was an issue. Apparently from my exam and the information they received from my cardiologist, they determined that my heart was strong enough to make it through the pregnancy and labor…yay!

My stomach is starting to feel really tight and starting to pop out! I’m really confused because I think the pregnancy hormones are making my stomach hairy. My stomach may have been hairy my whole life, but now that I’m focusing on it, I’ve been noticing more details of my belly that I wouldn’t rather know about. So, I’ll just say that the pregnancy is making my stomach hairy. Regardless, it’s U.G.L.Y. I will definitely not be rocking a bikini this summer.

The weather has been great, so I’m happily back to wearing skirts and dresses to work again. I’ve been using that belly band thing and trying to get as much use of my regular wardrobe before converting to maternity wear. The belly band kind of crumples up my skirts at the waist, but it will do for now. My dresses that aren’t form fitting still fit, but it will only be a matter of time until I will have to convert to maternity clothes.

Day 1, Week 17 Belly Shot 

I'm still wearing my regular clothes, but after I ate lunch today, my dress was super tight in the chest/stomach area and I couldn't breathe!