Home Grown: 20 Weeks Along Already

It is hard to believe that I am already 20 weeks along. This means that I am officially half way through my pregnancy already. Can you believe it? Brent and I can not. Yesterday, Wednesday, October 21st, Brent, Josie, and I ventured to my doctors appointment. It was my 20 week appointment, which means it was sono day. We love sono day. I love being able to see the little one. It is amazing the different technology they have come up with since I was pregnant with Josie. My doctor just built a new building and instead of viewing the images on that small screen to the side, they now have a big screen TV at the end of the bed. I mean it was huge like a 40 inch screen. Seeing it larger really made a difference.

I know most of you are wondering, so what is the sex of the baby since that is what they can tell at 20 weeks. Well, Brent, Josie, and I opted not to find out. This is the same thing that we did for Josie. If you find out you are taking out all of the surprise of everything. So, all of you will have to wait like Brent, Josie, and I to find out the sex on or around March 8th.

Brent and I always bet each other what how much I will weigh at my appointments. It is an ongoing thing for us. For instance, the winner got to pick where we ate for dinner and I won! So we enjoyed Avanti's for dinner. Yummy! I gained 8 1/2 pounds in the last 5 weeks. That is an average of 2 pounds per week. Which made the nurses laugh, because they know about our ongoing bet. They made sure that Brent knew I was being weighed with my shoes on and a sweater jacket over my t-shirt that adds extra weighed. So, this puts my 20 week pregnant body weighing in at 110 1/2 pounds, with shoes and a sweater coat on. They stated that most of it is water weight for me and that is true. I gained around 60 pounds total with Josie and it was all water weight. It all came off after a few weeks, so I hope this time it does also.

As far as the baby's weight. He or she is ahead of schedule. The baby already weighs about 13 ounces. This is what the sono machine figured up after making all of the measurements. The machine estimated my due date as being March 6th, 2 days earlier than stated at my first appointment after getting all of the measurements. They state that they never change due dates because it is more accurate at the first one then with any other sono. So, I am still due March 8th!

The baby's heart beat is not as high as it was at my first sono appointment. At my first appointment it was 170 beats per minute and yesterday it was only 137 beats per minute. I questioned the discrepancy between the two and they said it was nothing to worry about. They were able to see everything that they needed to meaning the development of different parts and everything looked great and was still in the normal range. Lots of things can factor in the babies heart rate, so I had nothing to worry about because it was still a steady good beat.

The sono tech asked if I could feel the baby move yet and I stated that I could. Stronger at times, but yes. As she was conducting the sono the baby was moving all over the place and we had to laugh because she simply had to chase him or her around. About once a day, I get a really good kick from the baby always in the same spot. I mean this kick is breath taking. I was holding Josie last week and the baby let out one of those powerful kicks and I just about dropped Josie. We figured out why it is so powerful. The baby in the sono had its heal of its foot flexed and pushing against the wall. You could really see it. She said that it already had some force and it would take nothing to give that a really good kick. So the heal of the foot is what I am feeling being jabbed into me.

The baby rests really really low. I mean I can not even cross my legs if I wanted to because the baby sits so low that it puts to much pressure on me and I am uncomfortable.

I am always their very last appointment and yesterday they were right on target. In fact they did not have 2 appointments before me so they were eagerly waiting on me to get there. I was the only patient in the office. My doctor even came in and watch the sono with us and pointed out different things and answered all of our questions right in the sono room. Usually the sono does the sonogram and discusses stuff with you then you go and talk with the doctor. So, it was kind of nice having both the sono tech and doctor in the room to discuss different things as the sono was taking place.

Josie loved seeing the baby wiggle and jiggle on the large TV screen. She kept going baby sleeping and loved to listen to the heart beat.

Here are a few photos from my 20 week appointment.