Alex,
You are one active boy!! My
goodness I just love feeling your kicks. You seem to be pretty alive at night,
but maybe that's because I'm relaxed and laying down. I still feel you
throughout the day though- and you have some pretty wicked kicks! You'll be on
a kicking rampage, yet the moment your dad places his hand on my belly, all
goes silent. He'll hopefully get you next time ;)
As for me, I've been feeling
great! I've been exercising more and trying to manage my weight. Remember when
I couldn't eat at all and my appetite was meh? Well, from week 16 to week 19, I
gained 8 lbs! My doctor saw the numbers and told me to back off the sodium.
He's right though- my appetite has come back and all I crave are foods that are
high in sodium and fat. But now I've been able to drop a couple of those pounds
and maintain it for now. I've been riding the stationary bike everyday as well
as do strength training through a prenatal workout video I found. It's a tough
one! It's a 45 minute workout with a warm up and cool down. Then they have
another 15 minute segment right after of circuit training that involves your
dad being my anchor and resistance. Holy moly! Your dad was actually smiling
and said, "This is fun!" as I was drenched in sweat and out of
breath. I was sore the next day- but totally worth it!
A nurse called out of the blue
the other day and told me you have an echogenic focus on your left ventricle,
which is a small bright spot found on your heart. It's thought to represent
mineralization, or small deposits of calcium, in the muscle of your heart.
Though it's on the heart, it doesn't have any association with heart problems,
but is sometimes found in chromosomal abnormalities. While my worry jumped up
the moment she mentioned it, she assured me it was common and likely nothing to
worry about. She then scheduled me an appointment with a genetic consultant,
who went over a pedigree family history chart, my blood tests results, and
close up pictures of the ultrasound. From there, she said based off of my lab
results, and ultrasound photos, the chances of there being chromosomal issues
is 1 in 52,000. She even said she didn't recommend an amniocentesis because the
risk of issues is so incredibly low for me. She said the EF is so very common
and typically clears up after your birth or in the 3rd trimester. It was
definitely neat seeing how detailed the ultrasound was though! I was able to
see all four chambers of your heart, the details of your kidneys and other
organs, and lots of cute shots of your face, limbs, hands, toes, and fingers.
SO CUTE! The doctor kept mentioning how healthy and strong you look and said
everything looks absolutely perfect! So absolutely no need to worry. Whew! You
are definitely a strong boy in there!
Anyway, here we are! This is mommy after an exhausting day with a difficult client. And don't mind the chubby cat (Lila) and spots on the mirror!
Anyway, here we are! This is mommy after an exhausting day with a difficult client. And don't mind the chubby cat (Lila) and spots on the mirror!
