Elena Weekly Round-up: Twenty-three Weeks.
General:
- Have a sonogram and Dr. appt. on Monday. I’m ready to see some progress here, peeps.
- Pics of the lovely lady: here.
- Names: Still working on a middle name.
- Room: Probably some red involved, and definitely yellow, but no idea on the details.
About Elena: (Courtesy of Fertility Friend Pregnancy.)
- Your baby now weighs almost 1 lb (450g) and measures about 8 inches (20cm) from crown to rump.
- She is becoming plumper as her fat is being laid down at a high rate (Good. Take some of mine.), but her skin is still wrinkled and reddish. The wrinkled and loose appearance of her skin is due to the faster production of her skin than the fat that fills it out. The reddish appearance of her skin is due to the deposition of pigment as her skin loses its translucent appearance.
- Your baby can kick and punch vigorously by now, but she may also be gently feeling the umbilical cord and rubbing her hands and face against the inside membrane of the amniotic sac that holds her. (Maybe that’s why AJ still likes the silky edges of the blanket.)
- She is still swallowing amniotic fluid (which provides an important nutritional supplement to the nutrition she gets from you via the placenta) and is passing some of it as urine. (And then swallowing it again? GROSS.) The swallowing of the amniotic fluid may cause your baby to get the hiccups and you may even be able to feel this as her body jumps inside yours.
- The lanugo hair on your baby’s body may turn darker at this time.
What Elena is doing to my body: (Word-for-word courtesy of Fertility Friend Pregnancy.)
- Most women have gained between 10-15lbs (4.5-6.8kg) by this time, though your experience may vary. Your doctor should be able to tell you what is the best weight gain for you. (As of today, I’m at 13. UGH!)
- Your doctor or midwife can feel the different parts of the baby through your abdominal wall by external palpitation.
- Your legs may feel swollen. Heartburn, round ligament pain and fatigue may persist or may disappear.
- As your uterus enlarges, it puts pressure on your bladder and you feel the need to urinate more frequently.
- You may have an occasional stitch-like pain down the side of your belly. This is the uterine muscle stretching and the pain generally goes away if you have a rest.
- You may begin to feel Braxton Hicks contractions around this time. These are “practice” contractions that help your uterus to prepare for labor. You may notice them getting stronger as your pregnancy progresses, but they are rarely painful or regular like real labor contractions. If you are not sure whether you are experiencing real labor contractions or Braxton Hicks contractions, it is best to talk to your prenatal care provider.
Pregnancy Symptoms:
- Cravings - Jello - Black Cherry and Strawberry with Pineapple.
- Aches and Pains - I still feel like my feet are going to fall off, but the fake Crocs are helping.
- Movement - She occasionally wakes me in the middle of the night.
- Hormonal Changes - Yeah, yeah, yeah.
- Sore Boobage - They’re growing again.
- Placenta Previa - Same ol, same ol. Hopefully we’ll find out more on Monday. More info about PP here.
Most Interesting Emotional Breakdown(s) This Week:
- I have been exceptionally irritable lately - and moderately depressed as well. All of this thinking about the PP is taking its toll on me. But, I have to go through all of the scenarios in order to be prepared for what may come. It’s the way I do things. And it drives Aaron crazy. But I’m trying to be positive and realistic at the same time.
- My way of dealing with the stress of the looming PP is two-fold: Eating and trying to focus on the things that I CAN do rather than the things I can’t. (At least one of them is positive.) So, I’ve been trying to keep busy working on stuff that needs to be done before Elena makes her debut. This requires incessant humming and plugging my ears with my fingers (Nanny nanny boo boo, I can’t hear you.) so that I don’t have to listen to the evil voice in my head that keeps reminding me of the things I’m NOT ALLOWED to do. (Just so you know, that voice is satan.) My plan was working quite well until my dad ended up in the hospital. It really brought home the fact that I have been restricted. Um, in case you couldn’t tell…I don’t really like restrictions. In fact, I tend to rebel against them. BUT I’m doing my best to follow orders. The last thing I want is to end up in the hospital away from my family, alone with the voice of satan, but I must admit - it’s taking all of my energy not to jump in the car and go for a loooong drive away from this damn house with all of the things that need to be done.
- I tell the PP to “Get a move-on” on a daily basis. I’m still not feeling Elena’s movement as low as I did with Liam, so I’m guessing it’s taking its sweet ass time. I still have a feeling that it’ll move, but naturally it won’t be until after 32 weeks, when I can’t travel anyway. Oh well…at least the heavy lifting and no-sex bans will be lifted. The not being able to lift the dog food bag at the grocery store is killing me.Â
