IT'S A ...

We had our big ultrasound today and found out Qbert's gender! Watch the big reveal here:

Week 17 Prenatal Visit

Today we had our monthly prenatal visit.  Typically they check the baby's heartbeat with a doppler machine.  At our last monthly visit she couldn't find the heartbeat with the doppler so we had an ultrasound.  We were really hoping the same would happen today so that we could get a glimpse of the baby's sex, but the doctor found the heartbeat in about half a second.  She said it was a good, strong heartbeat and we all listened to it for a bit. Even with all the physical changes with my body, it is still reassuring to hear confirmation that there is a baby in there!

On Tuesday I slipped on our wood stairs and fell down the staircase.  I spoke to the OB on the phone and she assured me the baby would be ok.  Based on the subsequent headache, vomiting and bump on my head, I think I probably had a minor concussion from the fall.  Despite the OB saying the baby was fine, it still made me feel a lot better to hear the heartbeat today!  I'm sporting a 3 inch bruise on my bum and it hurts to sit, but otherwise I think I'm doing ok.  

At today's visit I also had blood drawn for the quad screen.  This is a set of tests that look for genetic defects, such as Down's Syndrome.  I assumed this test was done as a matter of course, but we were given the choice to have it or not.  We saw no reason not to have the test, so we signed the consent form.  The OB said if the results are positive we'll hear in about 3-4 days.  She said otherwise it takes weeks to get the results.

Our next visit is on Feb 19th, for the big 20 week ultrasound.  This is when we'll find out the sex of the baby, assuming Qbert is cooperating and presents the appropriate pose!  Don't forget to vote in our poll in the upper left corner of the page!

Prenatal Massage

Here we are in our 17th week and my body is starting to feel out of sorts.  After a few weeks of contemplating how nice a massage would be, I finally went today to get a prenatal massage.  The cost was daunting, but my back has been crying out for some TLC.  I really didn't know what to expect --- I envisioned a massage table with a big hole in the center where the baby bump goes.  Needless to say, this is not how they do it.  Instead, I was propped up on a myriad of pillows and just sank into them on my side.  The massage felt great.  The massage therapist taught me how to "roll under" when I want to flip sides during the night.  Instead of heaving the baby over you by rolling onto your back, you get on all fours and then shift to the other side.  I'll have to try that tonight and see how it works.  For the final portion of the massage she had me on my back, lying on two wedges.  This felt incredible.  She said I could sleep this way at home, but I'm not sure I could get myself out of the wedges on my own.  The only part of the massage I didn't really enjoy was when she said it was time to massage the baby and she started massage my bump (and, ahem, maternal fat stores).  I think she noticed I tensed up.  This was partly due to the fact that she was putting pressure on my bladder, which hadn't been emptied for at least 30 minutes.  She quickly moved on to other areas.  I think I'll definitely go back, as budget allows, for additional massages.

We received our first onesie and bib today!  A few weeks ago I went to Tom's office for lunch and they were having a health fair.  We wandered around and found a booth with baby stuff on display.  His company contracts with this company to provide a myriad of services - health care referrals, financial/legal referrals, etc.  They also offer a pack of books for pregnant couples.  The pack arrived today --- 4 pregnancy books, the onesie and bib.  I've been having to hold myself back from buying cute baby clothes, so it is fun to finally have *something* that is baby-sized!

Prenatal Massage

Here we are in our 17th week and my body is starting to feel out of sorts.  After a few weeks of contemplating how nice a massage would be, I finally went today to get a prenatal massage.  The cost was daunting, but my back has been crying out for some TLC.  I really didn't know what to expect --- I envisioned a massage table with a big hole in the center where the baby bump goes.  Needless to say, this is not how they do it.  Instead, I was propped up on a myriad of pillows and just sank into them on my side.  The massage felt great.  The massage therapist taught me how to "roll under" when I want to flip sides during the night.  Instead of heaving the baby over you by rolling onto your back, you get on all fours and then shift to the other side.  I'll have to try that tonight and see how it works.  For the final portion of the massage she had me on my back, lying on two wedges.  This felt incredible.  She said I could sleep this way at home, but I'm not sure I could get myself out of the wedges on my own.  The only part of the massage I didn't really enjoy was when she said it was time to massage the baby and she started massage my bump (and, ahem, maternal fat stores).  I think she noticed I tensed up.  This was partly due to the fact that she was putting pressure on my bladder, which hadn't been emptied for at least 30 minutes.  She quickly moved on to other areas.  I think I'll definitely go back, as budget allows, for additional massages.

We received our first onesie and bib today!  A few weeks ago I went to Tom's office for lunch and they were having a health fair.  We wandered around and found a booth with baby stuff on display.  His company contracts with this company to provide a myriad of services - health care referrals, financial/legal referrals, etc.  They also offer a pack of books for pregnant couples.  The pack arrived today --- 4 pregnancy books, the onesie and bib.  I've been having to hold myself back from buying cute baby clothes, so it is fun to finally have *something* that is baby-sized!