Fri 9 Sep 2011
29 and a Half Weeks (Nothing like the movie “9 1/2 Weeks”)
Posted by cindy under Fertility , Health & Body at 5:42 pm[4] Comments
Just got back from my 29-week prenatal appointment. Seems like just a couple of weeks ago that I was there, can’t believe it’s been a month. Mr. W came with me this time.
After my giant weight leap in the 2nd trimester (seemed like 10+ lbs overnight), I was scared to get on the scale at the nurse’s station, but I weighed in less than 2 pounds more than I did a month ago, so that was a relief. The OB said my total weight gain at this point is about 20 lbs, give or take, depending on what I consider my starting weight to be. He still wants me to stay within 25 lbs total, but didn’t give me a lecture or anything this time. He said in Japan, they’re “really strict” and put the max weight gain at 10kg (22 lbs), that’s it. Okay, but their babies aren’t sharing genes with a 6ft+ white guy. Having gone thru the second half of my second tri where the weight just flew on without my having changed my lifestyle habits, I feel like it’s a little out of my control, so I wonder how Japanese doctors enforce their “strict” weight gain guidelines.
My stomach measured normal (by tape measure), and the OB was FINALLY able to confirm on ultrasound that Allie’s an Allie and not a Riley. She’s upside-down in me right now, feet at my ribs (which explains the multi-directional tapping I’ve been getting at both my sides, near my ribs, simultaneously). He focused in on her face and we got a really clear view. She’s sooo cute right now! She’s got these big round eyes, and as we watched, she blinked at us (“WOW! I can’t believe we can see that!” Mr. W said excitedly), then moved one fist up to her face (I felt a little jolt in my abdomen when she did that), opened and closed her mouth, made a sucking motion with her jaw, and then squeezed her eyes shut. “She looks like mom,” the OB said.
“Really? Don’t all babies look exactly the same on ultrasound at this stage?” I asked.
“No, not really,” the doctor said. Hmm. Maybe she DOES look like me. Mr. W said the doctor was joking.
I also got my whooping cough vaccination today, because the doctor said the baby would benefit immediately from the antibodies I make. He strongly encouraged everyone who would come in contact with Allie to get whooping cough vaccinations, because there’s a surge in cases and pertussis could kill an infant. I told him that the Stepkidlet had just told us that a few days ago and encouraged us all to get whooping cough vaccinations. “You have a smart daughter,” the OB told Mr. W. (Mr. W is soon to have TWO smart daughters.)
A few minutes ago…
Me: I wish we’d taken a video of the ultrasound today.
Mr. W: Yeah. I didn’t know it’d be that good.
Me: Haha, it’s NOT ‘that good’; all she did was blink and suck her thumb.
Mr. W: Yeah…that was pretty amazing.
Too bad I can’t take her out early, play with her, and then put her back in. (“But then it’ll be all messy and bloody,” gross hubby pointed out.)
I am so glad your doctor didn’t give you a lecture about your weight. One of my friends is 14 weeks today and she has already gained 20 lbs. Granted, she’s 5 ft 9″, but she is eating everything in sight!!
Ultrasounds are loud to the baby so she might have been covering her ear. ha Did you take any pics with your phone of the ultrasound?
I’m glad you found out about the whooping cough vaccinations. I’ll have to look into that.
I think at 14 weeks I hadn’t gained any net weight because I lost about 5 lbs in the 1st trimester. The baby adds its metabolism to yours so as long as you don’t overeat a lot of people do lose a bit of weight at first. (Also, the baby at that point only needs a couple hundred calories a day, so that’s like, an extra apple and some crackers to your daily food intake, not double your calories.)
We didn’t take any photos at the ultrasound. 🙁 I regret that. I wish the doctor would’ve printed us out some images. My fertility docs were GREAT about that.
The whooping cough vaccinations are just the tdap vaccine — it’s in the tetanus cocktail.
I am so happy for you two. Wish we were there to see the baby’s ultra sound. I love reading your blog, I feel like we live so close to you and [Mr. W] even when we are not.
Aww, thanks for keeping up with all our boring stuff, Michelle. 🙂