23 Weeks!

"How ya doin’, Sugar?

Speaking of sugar, you’re going to be coming up for your glucose screening test to make sure you’re not rockin’ the gestational diabetes.

It’s one of the more common pregnancy complications – up to 10% of pregnant women develop it – and there aren’t any symptoms, so everyone gets the once over.

You may have had one already if sugar showed up in your urine (one of the many things they are testing for when you pee in a cup every visit) or if you are high risk.

Normally, the test takes place around 24 to 28 weeks. It consists of you drinking a sugary drink that would even make Willy Wonka say, “damn, that’s sweet”, waiting an hour, then having your blood taken to see if your body processed the glucose efficiently.

If it’s too high, you’re sent back for a three-hour glucose tolerance test, where you fast for 14-hours, have your blood taken, drink your sugar shooter, then have your blood tested every hour, for the next three hours.
Bring a book – it’s a long haul." -Pregnant Chicken

Size/Info: Our gal is 11.5 inches from head to toe and about 1.2 lbs. She is the size of a grapefruit, a box of mac and cheese, an ear of corn, or a chinchilla. Her skin is red now, regardless of what color it will be after birth. Blood vessels in her lungs are developing to prepare for breathing. Loud noises that become familiar now - such as the dog barking - probably won't faze her when she hears them outside the womb. Beginning this week, she begins to pack on the pounds (which means I will too!) and as she does this you will no longer be able to see her organs through her skin (yay!) Her little arms and legs are packing more of a punch these days which means seeing the movement from the outside (see video below).

What is new this week? This is a no appointment week. I did however have a chiropractic appointment yesterday with Jen Sanford at Elevation Now to try and help with the back pain. My lower back feels better but I have had this horrible pain on the right side of my mid back that is still there. It is so uncomfortable. I'll see her again on Monday and hope that she can make some progress on this issue. 

I have decided to start calling the baby a ninja as she is kicking and karate chopping all over the place! The last few days, some have been pretty uncomfortable - she is still breach so it feel like she is river dancing on my cervix. Ouch! I have also felt her up much higher than I expected - like a good 2 inches above my belly button. I guess eventually those kick will be directed at my ribs...

In the video below, if you look at the center of the image (just to the left of the orange paisley) you can see her kick me 4 times. Once right in the very beginning, at 12 seconds, at 18 seconds, and a small one at 23 seconds. This happens all day long but she is the most active after lunch when I am sitting at my desk.

Symptoms: I seem to be a tad less weepy this past week but all the other symptoms are still in full force! Here is an interesting thing that I have never experienced before... my boobs touch my abdomen. When I get home, the first thing I want to do is take off my bra and it feels really weird to have them "hang down". I think it is a combination of bigger boobs (which means lees perky) and a bigger belly. If I am hot then it is really weird. Also, since I am getting personal, it is weird to have my belly touch my legs when I sit on the toilet.

Food Aversions: Nothing new.

Food Cravings: Well, I really want an over easy egg but that is on the do not eat list because of the risk of listeria. I would however like to follow that with a box of donuts (don't worry - I'm not actually going to eat a box).

Fitness: Just a hiking away over here. I am telling all of you that I am going to do pre-natal yoga this week so now maybe I will?

Bump: This week I had a total stranger rub my belly. I was in such shock that I didn't know what to do. I actually don't mind people touching my belly but this was really weird because I didn't know her at all!

Medications:

7:30am: 10mg prednisone, 40mg Lovonox injection in the belly

9am: 1 Prenatal and 2 DHA

7:30pm: 40mg Lovonox injection in the belly

Baby Preparations: This past weekend, Jason's mother - Jeannie and I went out fabric shopping. We got some fabric to recover the glider we were gifted and some fabric to recover a small rocking floor bassinet. Jeannie is going to recover the bassinet and I am going to attempt to recover the chair... I might just end up wasting all the fabric we got. While we were out, we were trying to get some ideas for the colors and types of fabric for a quilt she is making for the baby's twin bed. I think I finally picked out a pattern that is do-able! It is called Grandmother's Garden which seems fitting since her grandmother is making it for her!