Week 12: Guys, There's Really a Baby in There!

So here we are at week 12 y'all!

Sorry for not posting last week, but not a whole lotta new stuff was going down and I ran out of gifs to properly demonstrate my eternal struggle with nausea and my faithful relationship with dairy.  So let's talk week 12!  The most dramatic development this week: Reflexes. The baby's fingers will soon begin to open and close, toes will curl, eye muscles will clench, and the mouth will make sucking movements. In fact, if you prod my abdomen, the baby will squirm in response, although I won't be able to feel it (believe me, the ultrasound tech did it a lot). From crown to rump, the baby-to-be is just over two inches long (the size of a kiwi) and weighs half an ounce.

Today we went to have an early risk assessment test done.  It is a noninvasive test that combines blood work with an ultrasound of the baby to identify risk for specific chromosomal abnormalities, including Down Syndrome Trisomy-21 and Trisomy-18.  Another portion of the test (known as the nuchal translucency) can assist in identifying other significant fetal abnormalities, such as cardiac disorders. #googledit




We were able to see our baby!

On a big screen squirming, waving

and even giving the U-N-I-T-Y fist.

The baby looks good (all the limbs accounted for!), strong heartbeat (164) and both hemispheres of the brain even.  They were able to see a slight view of the nuchal translucency, but our little nugget wouldn't lay quite in the right position to get a clear picture  (thus the nurse pile driving my abdomen with the ultrasound wand) so they want to get a better pic, which means a return visit this Friday.  

Then we wait all the way until June 19th to find out the sex!

Checking your calendar for your next ultrasound

I opened some champagne for Meg and we celebrated our last Cinco de Mayo (Baby-o) sans-kiddo.

Pre-Pregnant Cinco de Mayos

Pregnant Cinco de Mayo

WE'RE HAVING A BABY Y'ALL!

Week 9: Abs of Strudel

Week 9 y'all!  Lil Bit is an inch long — about the size of a grape — and weighs just a fraction of an ounce. His (or her) essential body parts are accounted for and the heart is dividing into four chambers, and the valves start to form.  The baby's organs, muscles, and nerves are kicking into gear. The external sex organs are there
but won't be distinguishable as male or female for another few weeks. She (or he!) has tiny earlobes, and her mouth, nose, and nostrils are more distinct. Now that the baby's basic physiology is in place, it is poised for rapid weight gain.

As for me, my abdominal area feels like I just did an abs of steel workout (didn't do it) and, occasionally, like my inner female parts are being stretched like taffy.  This is extra great when I'm trying to sleep.  So adding the sleep deprivation to the daily sleepies I already had leaves me unable to form complete sentences.  Another thing about the abs:  A lot of women who are small in stature can see baby bumps progressing by this point.  Having the "equator" that I have makes the bump less obvious, but... this is what this blog is for right?  So here we go:

Nausea is still kickin' and food/smell aversions are much more prominent.  Why is it broccoli that smells like rotten garbage to me and cheese is still delicious?  Just cruel.  Don't worry- Meg is helping me "make good decisions" as far is food is concerned, but she also knows when to back the hell up and let me have a craving.

I've also become a little addicted to pregnancy apps.  I may have a couple that I check every day- they mostly give similar info, but some show you visuals aids and, let's face it, why read when someone can read to you?

Baby Bump: This one is good for weekly video updates and some educational videos.  It also has a thriving community so when you think something is a little too crazy to share with your partner you can post it there.

Pregnancy ++: This one is also great for info and daily updates.  You can also see week by week digital imaging of what the baby may look like.  It uses a graphic design version, a contributed 2d scan and a contributed 3d scan (which scares the crap out of me because it looks like a gecko).

My Baby Beat: This is a new one.  Using the mic of your iPhone you can perform a pseudo Doppler audio ultrasound.  Our Baby's Heartbeat At Week 9

We continue the wait until our next sonogram (May 5)- MARGARITAS FOR ALL (except me)... In the meantime...there's a mug of cookies and cream ice cream calling my name.