Meet Uni!
As promised, we have decided to post together about our fantastically baby-filled day, yesterday. We started our day off at the OB with our 20 week ultrasound. The ultrasound tech was great and she explained everything to us as she was taking measurements of the baby. Everything looked healthy and normal, including the baby’s heart, brain, kidneys, liver and all sorts of other things.
Here is a picture of Uni’s foot (on the left side of the picture, viewed from below so it looks like a foot print). Next to the foot is what we think is Uni’s butt (not quite sure)
The ultrasound tech was great about making sure we didn’t find out the sex of the baby. We had her find out what it was so that we could write it down and put it in a sealed envelope- but other than that it isn’t written anywhere, not even on our medical chart!
Here’s another shot of Uni- this time the face- a little scary, but we’ll pretend it’s cute!
The Tech then gave us these fantastic shots of Uni sucking his/her thumb (or picking that Benoit nose, not sure which)
The second one definitely looks more like nose picking- what a cool baby!
Just when we thought the ultrasound couldn’t get any more amazing the tech switched transducers and pushed a few buttons and voila, 3D images of Uni!
Apparently my placenta was in the way (in case you were wondering) which kept us from getting a completely clear view of Uni’s face, but we still thought this was really cool. Here are the three pictures we got- two of them look a little like smiles, albeit alien smiles, and the other you can see the two hands in front of something that vaguely resembles a face.
The 3D images were easier to distinguish when they were “live” and we were able to watch the baby moving around. You can make out a little hand in one of them. It was amazing to watch the baby wiggling around!
And finally, the image that my mom likes best- Uni all laid out with arms by the side. You can make out the little umbilical cord, and no that other projection is not what you think it is- we asked the tech about that! 
After the fantastic morning at the doctor we went to our first BABIES class (Birth and Bonding, Infant Education and Safety). It is going to be very useful to us- they really emphasize the role of the father as coach which we both appreciate. We start floor exercises next week- hard to believe we are already going to start our breathing and relaxation techniques! The class is long- 3 hours a week for 12 weeks, but it includes prepared childbirth (Lamaze-type stuff), infant care and nurturing, and infant CPR among other things. The instructors seem great and there are at least 10 other couples- we are very excited about it and glad to be doing it now so that we have enough time to complete all 12 weeks (hard to believe that 12 weeks from now we’ll be 6 weeks away from having our baby!).
Hope you all enjoy the pictures, feel free to leave comments or give us a call if you have trouble making anything out.
Filed under Doctor's Office, Pregnancy by esther | Comment (0)A preview of tomorrow’s post…
We had a wonderful day today. Jered is going to post all about our fantastic ultrasound experience (the baby is healthy and doing great!) as well as our first prepared childbirth and infant education class which we also had today. Here is a little glimpse of one of the many photos we got of our little one today.
Feeling the baby
In the past week I have noticed that the baby has been moving around a lot. I can feel Uni move at least three times a day- usually when I wake up in the morning and I’m laying on my side, and in the evenings around dinner time. Sometimes I’ll feel something during the day, but usually I don’t notice much unless I’m sitting pretty still.
It has been so interesting to feel the baby move around- it’s such a surreal feeling, and the little flutters have gotten so much stronger from when I first felt them! Next week is our big ultrasound. I’m looking forward to seeing the little one and how much things have changed since our last sonogram. We’re pretty sure Uni will look a little different at the next big photo shoot! At the 16 week appointment we opted out of the quad screen- this is a test that screens for four specific things that give you odds of certain chromosomal abnormalities like trisomy 21 and 18. The reason we opted out of this is that the test has a high rate of false positives. Once you get a positive result you have to undergo further testing like a level II ultrasound or amniocentesis to find out if the baby actually has any of the abnormalities that the screening tests for. Since we are young and don’t have any of the risk factors that the nurse mentioned to us, we opted out. The ultrasound we have coming up next week, aside from being another opportunity for us to sneak a peak at the baby, will be a way for the doctors to find out how the baby is developing. We should know about any possible changes in our due date (if the baby is bigger or smaller than expected) and how the baby is growing in general. This is probably the most exciting appointment we have had so far!
Be sure to check back next week for pictures of Uni. And in case you’re thinking you’ll find out whether or not Uni is a boy or a girl- don’t get too excited, that big announcement won’t be made until June
The Snoogle
Everyone should go out and buy one of these pillows. We picked one up at our local Baby Galaxy Emporium (that’s not really the name of the store, but it should be, that place is baby crazy). At first I was a bit hesitant about the idea of a special pregnancy pillow, but I hadn’t been sleeping well and I was pretty much willing to try anything. I have been a stomach sleeper my entire life, and have recently reached the point where I can no longer sleep on my stomach. This has meant adjusting to sleeping on my side, as I’m not supposed to sleep flat on my back either. This is where the snoogle came in.
I had read reviews of people saying that they really liked this pillow and that it made it much easier to sleep on one’s side without rolling onto your back or stomach. Now I have to peel myself away from this pillow every morning (it may be contributing to a new tendency to sleep past 9 am!) This morning Jered decided to steal it and told me that he thinks we should have two. So, if you’re pregnant, or if you’re not, we are recommending the Snoogle to anyone who enjoys a good night’s sleep. But beware… you may not ever get out of bed again!
Filed under Pregnancy by esther | Comments (4)18 weeks- almost half baked!
I’m now rounding the corner on week 18 and lots of exciting things are happening for Uni- even though I’m feeling great and feel less pregnant now than I did in the first trimester! The queasiness has gone away completely, I’m less tired than I was (although still prone to occasional bouts of narcolepsy), and my stomach is not yet a portable snack table.
According to one of the books we have Uni is approximately 5 1/2 inches long (about the length of a bell pepper) and weighs almost 7 ounces. That’s 7 lunch size bags of lays potato chips! Blood vessels are visible through Uni’s thin skin and ears are now in position and stand out from Uni’s head. Myelin (a protective covering) is beginning to form around her nerves, a process that will continue for a year after birth.
Best of all, we only have to wait 2 more weeks until our 20 week ultrasound- Can’t wait to sneak a peak!
Filed under Pregnancy by esther | Comment (1)Thumpety Thump
I think I feel a little flutter in there. Over the past couple of days, every now and then, I’ll feel a little flutter or a few tap taps that don’t feel quite like the normal thumps or flutters of my stomach. Somebody in there may just be trying to make him or herself known! This is something I’ve been anxiously anticipating for a couple of weeks now.I am slowly starting to show, nothing major yet, just a little round bump below my belly button (very similar to the little round bump that was there before the baby ). The really exciting thing for me now, is feeling the baby move around. I can’t wait until the flutters and kicks are a more regular thing. It’s neat to have signs that there is movement and growth going on in there!