Baby Girl Ultrasound and 19 Weeks Belly Shot

The exciting news -- she's definitely a girl! It's fun to know for sure, and interestingly I could even tell, which I was doubtful was possible. On second thought, more of a relief -- she's 100% healthy. On the suggestion of my midwife I went to see a genetic specialist a while ago (she says they offer and suggest it to everyone now.) I opted for the most extensive testing, I figured if I was going to do, might as well really do it. So, I didn't get the results until last week, and thankfully everything is normal. Added to the information from the ultrasound, she is developing completely normally. It's a relief. I think all pregnant mom brains are on overdrive imagining all the worst case scenarios, and unfortunately I'm no acception. But, this week I got to breathe a big sigh of relief. Here are some ultrasound pics:





It was interesting because in many ways she's much mellower than Eli was in utero. I'm definitely feeling her move daily now, but she moves around much less as evidenced by the ultrasound. His movements were at times spastic, and he reacted to outside stimuli. But, she on the other hand is very content to hang out in her curled up little ball, thank you very much. She had her legs or ankles crossed for the whole session, and no matter how much the ultrasound tech poked and prodded her she just settled right back down into her comfortable starting position. It will be interesting to see how this translates into her demeanor once she's born. There are definitely similarities though too. On the last ultrasound she had the hiccups and I think Eli had them most days, which got pretty hysterical as my stomach got huge. And, she always has her hands up near her face like he did.

Now on to the bad news, my placenta previa was still there. For those of you medical novices like me, it basically means that my placenta is growing between my cervix and the baby. In my case, only part of my cervix is covered, so there's hope that as my uterus grows, the placenta will move into its proper place on the side of the uterine wall. We'll go back in four weeks for a regular appointment and an ultrasound. For now, I'm not on any activity restrictions, but she reviewed the fact that I shouldn't be picking up Eli. I can carry him, but I shouldn't be picking him up off the ground. So now, when he wants to be held he climbs up on a couch or chair and I pick him up from there. I get the impression that if it is still evident in four weeks, they may limit my activities. And, the biggest side effect of placenta previa is the need for a C-Section. Bummer. I can't really imagine recovering from major surgery with a newborn and a toddler to help. Needless to say, I was bummed. There's still hope, and I'm not going to look into all the medical info until I absolutely have to in four weeks if it's confirmed. For now, I'm going to (try) to think positive thoughts, and hope for a good outcome. I do know that things could be MUCH worse, and even if it remains and I need a C-Section, it's not something that will leave lasting damage on either of us. I still have to count my blessings.

Here are my 19 week belly shots. I'm definitely popping out more and faster this time around. Interestingly, I actually weigh a little less this time, but I'm looking much more pregnant. I read about this. I guess my muscles and organs know the drill this time.