Baby Move that Body

Friday was a long day for both Allen and I. I had to leave work at 6am to go and get Allen over at Ferdinand, IN. Allen had to leave his truck there for some maintenance work to be done, so I had to pick him up. We went ahead and went home the rural way, Princeton to Vincennes, and then home. We went ahead and stopped by Long John Silver's on the way, and picked up some chocolate ice cream from Lic's to make the trip a win win situation. We hurried back and picked up the two rug rats, and went straight out to Allen's grandparents to visit with Allen's great-aunt and uncle, Linda and Joe. We ended up putting together another puzzle, which amazes me that no matter how much I tend to forget throughout the day, I can work a puzzle pretty fierce. I was getting soo good at getting the puzzles put together so quickly, that we were actually thinking about going out to the store and picking up a few more puzzles.

We finally just left Missy and Toby at Raymond and Una's while we went in for my 16 wks check up. Everything went great. I actually remembered to go back and give them a sample this time. When I got back, the nurse checked my blood pressure, and then Sandy came in to check Baby M's heartbeat. Let me just say Baby M is a very active little baby! Baby M has completely moved from way over on my right side to just under and left of my belly button, conveniently above my two little stretchmarks. We could hear the heart beat, which had graduated from a swishy lub lub, to the sound of a knocking on a hard surface noise. What was funny was, Baby M would not hold still enough to pick up the beats per minute on the fetal doppler. I ended up having to almost try to hold my breath, and not move at all, long enough for the doppler to pick up the beat. It seemed like when I breathed, the doppler would not pick up the heart beat, so, I tried to pretty much hold my breath long enough to get a reading. Sandy stood by and counted at the same time. The weird thing was, we could hear the heart beat loud and clear the whole time, unless, Sandy barely moved. She would then, have to find Baby M again. We all kept talking to Baby M, telling them to "hold still".. like they would actually know what we were saying. Sandy ended up counting 130 beats/min., and said she might have been off a few. They went ahead and measured me, and then, we sat and talked. I asked about the second trimester testing, and if I HAD to do it. Allen and I had already discussed this on the way home from Vincennes, and decided that if it was not necessary, we would not do it. The test would be extra lab work, and they are not 100% accurate. Plus, if the baby did have down syndrome, or spina bifida, it should show up on the future ultrasounds. We both agreed we would never be able to abort the baby even if it did have anything wrong with it, despite how hard it was to even get to where we are now. Baby M will be loved deeply no matter healthy or not. I really just think that if we did know something was wrong, I know it would make the rest of the pregnancy not as happy, I would just be worrying about things to come, and add extra unneeded anxiety. Since, I am not over the age of thirty... turning 27 this Saturday, our risk of birth defects is lower to some respects. I also checked around and found the reasons why a person should really have the second trimester quad screening done.

They are:
1. Have a family history of birth defects
2. Are 35 years or older
3. Used possible harmful medications or drugs during pregnancy
4. Have diabetes and use insulin
5. Had a viral infection during pregnancy
6. Have been exposed to high levels of radiation

The last time I checked, I had none of these, or was exposed to any of them either.

Anyway, back to the appointment. After asking about the second trimester testing, we decided to opt out. We decided that with the risks being lower, and just because we would keep Baby M no matter what happens, it was not worth messing with.

After the appointment, we went back out to Allen's grandparents, since we were going out to eat with them and Linda and Joe anyway. When we got back, I asked how the two babies did. Now, Missy is Allen's grandma's baby when we are over there, and doesn't always listen to us. It was funny to find out that she sat by the door and cried the whole time we were gone. Toby was the one that was okay. I guess it makes sense, since, Missy was our first baby after all.

Anyway, we went out to eat, and went home. I did not sleep very good at all, all weekend. I had a stiff neck, and woke up every few hours. Saturday, we had Surf and Turf with our neighbors, Jeff and Reagan. Needless to say, I think we could have been eating Red Lobster and not known the difference. Allen is such a great cook. He did all of the cooking, and helped me straighten up the house. Everything went great. Sunday, I had a sinus headache all day. We ended up getting Joe's pizza and wings from Pizza Hut for the Super Bowl. I watched all but the final quarter, woke up right after the game, and, then, went to bed. After all, I had to get back up and go to work at 1am. Anyway, I had a pretty long weekend, as you can see! I am sure next weekend will be the same, since Allen and I are celebrating my birthday and Valentines day too.

Well, you know what is next...

Baby Center with how Baby M is developing this week:


How your baby's growing:
Your baby's skeleton is changing from soft cartilage to bone, and the umbilical cord — her lifeline to the placenta — is growing stronger and thicker. Your baby weighs 5 ounces now (about as much as a turnip), and she's around 5 inches long from head to bottom. She can move her joints, and her sweat glands are starting to develop.

See what your baby looks like this week.

Note: Every baby develops a little differently — even in the womb. Our information is designed to give you a general idea of your baby's development.