Tuesday, September 2, 2008

15 Weeks Along (Friday, 8/29/08)

Everything I read keeps telling me that I am supposed to be feeling better and more energetic now that I am a few weeks out of the first trimester. I feel no improvement. I am still exhausted like I am going through the day drugged on Nyquil. I still have to pee every hour and now I have the fun symptom of getting heartburn every time I bend over. The hormone level of Relaxin has apparently peaked which relaxes my joints and now causes my hips to pop out of joint frequently and I get round ligament pain every time I step on or off the bus. For some reason I can’t get enough Frosted Flakes cereal. I don’t even normally like the stuff.
Saturday we went to Cate’s wedding. It was fun. I had to buy a semi-maternity dress to wear to the wedding that would also last me a few more events. Sunday we drove Rachel up north to spend her last week here with Paul’s parents. It was a long drive up and back in one day in Paul’s uncomfortable truck so that we could bring Rachel’s bike up there.
Thursday I had my second OB appointment but it was my first time meeting Dr. Szekely. I thought he was very personable and made himself very available to me which was nice. The baby’s heartbeat was 160. I told him I had been having a little bit of cramping over the past few days but he reassured me that this is normal as my uterus is doing a lot of stretching. I didn’t gain any weight between last month’s visit and this one. I am glad because I know that I should watch my weight gain closely. Nonetheless, my pants are fitting tighter as the baby grows and I am going to need maternity pants pretty soon.
Friday Paul took off work to drive up north to pick up Rachel. We had a bittersweet last evening together going to Red Robin, Rachel’s favorite restaurant and watching a few episodes of Monk, one of her favorite shows. Tomorrow we will take her to the airport and she will go back to New York until Thanksgiving. It has been so nice having her with us. I hate having her leave. It sucks that she will miss so much of the baby’s development now and especially after the baby is born. She is with us so little that I worry that she won’t have a strong sibling bond with this baby like she does with her mom’s son who she gets to spend a lot more time with.

News from the womb…
The baby’s scalp hair pattern has been determined. The baby continues to practice breathing, swallowing, and sucking movements in preparation for life outside the womb. Some amniotic fluid is swallowed and processed by the baby’s maturing digestive tract as it practices for the time when conventional food will enter its system. The baby now displays more sophisticated hand and arm movements such as making a fist, moving the thumbs, bending the wrist, and grasping. All of these movements are practice to make sure that the nervous system and muscle connections are working. The baby’s leg movements are considerable as well such as kicking, turning its feet outward and inward, curling its toes, and fanning its toes. The baby now weights 1 ounce and stands 3.38 inches tall.

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