heartburn

Yesterday was my 20 week OB appointment. Although they made us wait 1 1/2 hours to see the midwife, it was a rather uneventful appointment. We listened to (and recorded) Twoey’s heartbeat (it was in the 160s).

No weight gain yet, and my belly was measuring right on target. Everything is looking good so far. I did have a discussion with this midwife about getting a prescription for Reglan if I have issues with my milk supply after Twoey is born, and she was quite willing to help me out. We were supposed to get a prescription for an AFP tests (checks my blood for a protein that is an indicator of spina bifida) and my first trimester bloodwork (long story, but I still haven’t gotten that done). Because we were running so late, we grabbed our prescriptions and ran – only to find out that once AGAIN, the nurse forgot to give me the prescription for the AFP (it is actually supposed to be done between weeks 17 and 18, and no later than 20 weeks). I tried calling the office, but the nurse could not find the midwife’s notation about the AFP and was unwilling to fax me the script before talking to her. I was told I needed to get the test done yesterday or not take it at all, but, of course, they did not fax me the prescription. Now it is officially too late for me to have that test done.

Today we had our ultrasound – the full anatomy scan. Twoey was EXTREMELY uncooperative (perhaps I should not have eaten that cookie for breakfast…), so unfortunately the pictures we did get were awful. She spent much of the time turning away from the ultrasound and it took the tech about 30 minutes to get all the pictures of her heart. The doctor had to come back for a second look to see her aorta. They checked her brain, her kidneys, her bladder, her stomach, her heart and all of her limbs. She IS still a girl, and everything looks perfect. She is 12 ounces and measuring at 20 weeks and 2 days. Her spine was perfect, too, and when we asked about the AFP, the maternal fetal medicine specialist felt that the results of the ultrasound were clear, and the only other thing the AFP could indicate is an issue with the placenta. He said that if the test came back elevated, the “prescription” for that would be monthly ultrasounds, which I am getting anyway. In other words, the doctor felt it was no big deal that we could not get the AFP done, so I feel relieved about that. They also measured Frank and Fiona, who seem to be holding steady at 4 and 3 cms, respectively.

Profile – tushy up in the air:

Hands over head:

Hands crossed over face:

Skeleton face:

Finally, they did measure my cervical length. It dropped to 3.5 cms, which is still considered “safe” at this point in the pregnancy, however, it is unusual to lose about 1 cm of cervical length over the course of a month at only 20 weeks. After I had my initial bout of early labor with Micah at 28 weeks, my cervix shrunk from 4.6 down to 3.8 cms at 28 weeks, and they were concerned then. I think the biggest worry at this point is that I’m losing the “cushion” – if I develop contractions again, my cervix is already shrinking and it may be harder to stave off labor and keep me pregnant. I have to go back in 2 weeks for a cervical length check. If it continues to shrink, we may have to get a bit more aggressive with either medications or bedrest. As long as my cervix stays above 2.6 for now, they will keep me up and moving around, so for right now, everything is okay.

Last night, Micah used a fork for the first time!! We were at my parents’ house for another night of shiva, eating dinner. Micah was not particularly interested in the cheese or the bagels or the tuna fish, so I made him a veggie burger. He spotted my fork, and he made it quite clear he wanted it. I tried stabbing a piece of veggie burger with the fork and feeding it to him. He quickly stole the fork from me…and went about feeding himself with a fork! I was amazed that he could handle it so well – it never dawned on me to give it a try. He needed a bit of help getting the pieces onto the fork, but he ate the entire veggie burger that way. Once again, tonight at dinner, Micah wanted a fork. He ate two small turkey burgers with his fork – and this time, he was even able to stab the meat himself. Apparently, Micah loves to use a fork (something I find particularly humorous as his Uncle Jeremy STILL rarely uses a fork!

I am definitely due for a picture post – I have a ton of pictures and video of Micah to add to the blog – I’ll have to get to that this weekend while we are snowed in!

I can’t believe it . . . today is the first day of the 3rd trimester for me! It is unreal how far we’ve come, and I’m so excited to meet this little guy in a few months. I’m surprised by how fast this pregnancy is going, and just looking forward to becoming a mom!

In other news, this little baby finally decided to cooperate and let Grammy feel him kicking a few days ago. I can tell how big and strong he is becoming – his kicks are growing in strength, and I’m feeling him everywhere from my ribs on down!

Update on me – everything is progressing well. I go back for a repeat urinalysis this week so they can tell me I still have a UTI and put me back on antibiotics (this is what is meant by positive thinking, right?). My indigestion has kicked into high gear, and the medicines no longer seem to work. Ah well, one more thing I can hold over this little one’s head when he grows up! Nevertheless, my endless craving for macaroni and cheese persists. While previously a fan of good ole’ Kraft mac-n-cheese (it’s the cheesiest!), I have recently discovered Stouffer’s Macaroni and Cheese and seem to have moved on to this new obsession. Pre-pregnancy, I never would have allowed myself to eat such a fat-laden concoction, but I seem to have a get-out-of-jail-free card with respect to calories right now. My biggest complaint is that it takes over an hour to cook! Don’t they understand that is torture for a pregnant woman? At least Kraft is ready in under 10 minutes! Regardless, the thick cheesey sauce seems to be hitting the spot these days. My only complaint is that I think they should make the 10-person size bigger . . . it makes me feel awful that they advertise the portion for 10 people and well . . . let’s just say it doesn’t take me 10 days to eat the whole thing!

I’ve been trying to be so good about avoiding carbs and unnecessary fat this pregnancy, but ever since my last appointment (when they yelled at me to gain weight) I’ve been eating all kinds of junk! Probably not what they had in mind, huh? I’m still not gaining weight (I’ve always wondered what is what like to have a metabolism like Elliot), but with my luck, I’ll have given myself gestational diabetes the past few weeks. We shall see!

As many of you know, tonight begins Rosh Hashana. What a perfect day for us to begin the 3rd trimester! In preparation for the holiday, I spent yesterday making homemade applesauce, an apple pie, and kugel for our family dinner tonight. Unfortunately, I could have killed Elliot when I first entered the kitchen to start cooking . . . he has a way of overstuffing our fridge/freezer, so there was no room for me to put any of the vats of applesauce away! Also, he left me with a dirty pot with caked on/burnt black beans all over the bottom so I had to scrub the damn thing for 3 hours before I could even attempt to make the applesauce. He did apologize and try to make up for it by stopping off at the grocery store for me on his way home. He also helped a bit with the pie – he used our apple peeler/corer/slicer and cut up the apples for me while I was rolling out the pie crust. I’m at least glad he loves to cook, and he always tries to help me in the kitchen while I’m baking. It was a long, exhausting day, but the food looks delicious!

Twoey’s 20 week OB appointment and ultrasound

Third Trimester!!