We've been for our third visit with the midwife and everything looks good. I'm measuring right where I should be so feeling pretty confident about when this little babe should arrive. She always listens to babies heart with the Doppler and it sounded just as strong as ever; if you're into wives tales for gender prediction, our 152 heart rate would suggest we are having a girl.
Since I have no pregnancy issues and can easily take things day-by-day, I mostly focus on the actual birth and what life might look like after. I've been reading Ina May Gaskin's Guide to Childbirth, googling ideas as they pop in my head and researching cribs, car seats (this is ours) and anything else that I may need for baby.
We've had the box that baby will sleep in for quite a while now but have also recently bought a crib and mattress for when the box is too small. We've had to do a lot of furniture shifting to make room for a crib and make the room safe to have a baby in, but I'm quite pleased with how it is coming along. I still need to paint my old desk, it will be the dresser/change table, but that will happen in the spring.
A few weeks ago now, on January 22nd to be exact, I felt my very first kick! To be honest, I was unsure it really was one, but hopeful that I would get more soon. That was at 16weeks + 5 days. Two days later, at 17 weeks pregnant while sitting in a meeting at work, baby decided to have a dance party. Not only was it really amazing to feel someone in there, but it was undeniably what I had felt earlier in the week.
Ever since then I have been feel kicks everyday, throughout the day and I absolutely love it. Ryan even got to feel his first (very) tiny, (almost imperceptible) movement.
I hadn't realized the change until someone asked me how I've been feeling, but I am finally not so tired anymore and generally feeling very normal. No sickness, aches and pains are very rare and usually related to being very busy. No aversions and ice water is still the only thing I crave. I'm nearly back to my pre-pregnancy weight after losing 8 pounds in my first trimester, not because I was particularly sick, but because the idea of eating while feeling blahh just didn't appeal. I'm happy to say I can eat pretty normally now.
Finally, and up there with the more exciting moments so far, our first ultrasound! Because the tech isn't able to share any info, (she just does a tour for us and takes pictures for the report that will be sent to the midwife,) we don't know anything much more than we already. That being said, we got to see a lot. Baby did lots of moving around, flipping and switching sides, shaking her head, sucking her thumb and crossing her legs. We saw the heart valves pumping away (heart rate 145,) saw his brain and other organs, 10 fingers, 10 toes and an impressive little spine.
We won't see our midwife again until the end of February to get the official report so you will hear how that goes next time.
And my final little update, as of last night baby now responds to music! In particular when I am sitting or laying, I can put my phone or headphones against my bump and he has a little dance party! We can even see the little movements from the outside now. Looking forward to those movements getting bigger and stronger!
** I am very aware that I refer to baby as 'her' and 'him' in consecutive sentences, we still don't know and I still don't like 'it' :) All will be revealed in a few months!
