24 Weeks Pregnant

I had a midwife appointment this morning--everything looked fine with both me & the baby, and I got to hear the baby's heartbeat! The baby has officially reached viability now--it has a lot more growth & lung maturation left to do, but it's amazing to think that the baby could survive if born this early.  We definitely want him/her to keep cooking until June, though!

Baby's been moving around a lot, especially in the evenings and at church. There doesn't seem to be much of a pattern yet, but it's very reassuring to feel movement on a daily basis now. Richard's been able to feel it a couple of times now, too, so that's been lovely. The midwife said that I don't need to really keep an eye on the baby's movements until 28 weeks, and that it's more important to check that the movement seems like a typical amount, rather than that the baby does x movements per hour.

I've been working on a couple of publications this month, trying to take advantage of the office before we turn it into a nursery over Easter weekend. We're slowly reorganizing things and making room for baby stuff, and I've started a couple of little crocheting projects--a green blanket and a mobile with little sheep on it (pics to follow when finished!). The second trimester really has been going well. I've been eating well (lots of fruit and veg, wholegrain toast with peanut butter, etc.) and the heartburn has gotten better. I've had the usual little aches & pains that come with disproportionate weight gain, but I've been doing prenatal yoga videos and they've really helped. I had a bit of a moment this week, though, when the baby moved up above the belly button for the first time and it was suddenly much harder to breathe--I realized, it's only going to get more uncomfortable from here on out! The belly shots are going to quickly become less cute and more 'ouch' between now and June...

Roundhay Park and Whitby

We've been trying to get out and about in spite of the cold weather. A couple of weeks ago, we went to Roundhay Park for a walk around the lake and a visit to their tea room.

(I've stopped wearing this coat now, by the way, ever since catching a side-view glimpse of myself wearing it in Victoria Quarter one day. It make me look about 10 months along, haha!)

We also went to Whitby one Saturday--the sea air was lovely!

Captain Cook memorial

St Mary's and Whitby Abbey

The 199 Steps

22 Weeks Pregnant

During the first trimester, the days and weeks felt so long--now, it feels like time has really sped up! Baby is now 8 inches long and weighs 1 pound. I'm glad we're beyond measuring in just ounces--it seems more substantial to use pounds (the metric system doesn't give me the same satisfaction...baby is still less than half of a kilogram). According to my various websites & books, baby now has hair, eyebrows and eyelashes but the hair doesn't have pigment yet. Freaky!

I'm looking and feeling more obviously pregnant these days. When I find something in my closet that doesn't fit anymore, I pack it away in my seasonal clothing storage--if it doesn't fit now, it won't fit any time between now and post-baby! I've completely embraced my maternity wardrobe and I love it. My waist has always been my problem area--when jeans fit me at the waist, they're too big on the legs/hips--so maternity jeans are the best fitting jeans I've ever owned. The maternity tights I bought at Target are the most comfortable pantyhose I've ever worn, and this week I bought a maternity swimsuit and a body pillow from Mothercare. I should be all set now, but I'll still keep an eye on the clearance maternity at H&M and New Look.

We're starting to think that the baby gets woken up by me laughing or singing. A week or so ago, Richard was able to feel the baby move for the first time, one night after dinner when we were watching "Take Me Out" (it's a dating show, and the host Paddy McGuinness cracks me up). The baby was going nuts and it was so great that Richard was finally able to feel it, too. The baby moved a lot last Sunday at church, too, so I think it must have been woken up by all of the singing (sitting quietly between hymns would give me a chance to notice the movement, of course, too). Now that baby can hear music, I've been playing Beatles songs while I work at home--gotta start 'em young!

Anomaly Scan

The 20-week anomaly scan went well today--Baby Bettie was very active and moved around a lot! It was difficult for the technician to get good still pictures, but she took her time and managed to get all of the measurements done. Everything looked good--it was really cool to see the 4 chambers of the heart beating away!

At the start of the scan, we told the tech that we didn't want to know the sex, so she was careful to keep the screen turned away from us most of the time. When she did the femur length measurements, though, she pointed out the baby's crossed legs to us--the baby was being 'shy' as she put it, and it would've been tricky to find out the sex anyway! Richard & I were both glad that the baby cooperated with our wishes and didn't reveal anything.

The baby was measuring right on track for dates, with its femur length and abdominal cavity just slightly below average and its head circumference slightly above average. No surprise there, as big heads run in the family--my mom and I both always have trouble finding hats that fit ;) We didn't get a very good view of the baby's face, but these 2D scans never do give much of an impression of the baby's features. You can see the eye sockets, and apparently the nose and lips looked normal, as they check for cleft lip/palate in the scan. The 3 pictures above are essentially all the same shot--the top & bottom ones are duplicates, and the one in the middle was taken 4 seconds before. It's a profile shot of baby's head and torso, with the spine as a white line along its back. So much bigger than the 12-week scan--it grew from 2.5 inches to 6.5 in (crown-rump length--it's actually 10 inches long now, counting the legs)!

We're relieved that everything looked good, glad that the baby's sex is still a secret for now, and excited that the next time we see baby, it'll be face-to-face!