I have fallen behind on posting my pregnancy updates and decided to combine weeks 17 and 18 into one post, as today is the last day of week 18!
Remember when I mentioned in my week 16 post that I was having vivid dreams about feeling the baby kick on the outside of my belly? As it turns out, I might NOT have been dreaming, because on week 17 day 3 we started feeling the baby kick on the outside of my belly! All day I kept thinking to myself some of the movement I was feeling must be detectible on the outside of my belly, but was always in public (bible study, the store, etc) when they would happen – to appropriate places to begin intently groping my lower belly. Later that night, while sitting on the couch with Allan they started up again. I put my hand on my belly and was instantly greeted by a foot. I had Allan feel to see if it would happen again and sure enough he was able to feel a few kicks. Since then, it has happened several more times.
The kicks that can be felt on the outside are happening very low in my uterus, just above my pelvic bone – but they are definitely happening! I visited my midwife on Monday of this week and she was floored that the baby was strong enough to produce kicks that strong. She assumes that I must have a posterior placenta that is allowing baby’s movements to be felt so strongly. I read online that most people do not being to feel their baby moving on the inside until around 20 weeks and usually do not feel kicks on the outside until closer to 26 weeks. So, this is quite unusual.
Speaking of my midwife appointment, she confirmed what I have been suspecting for a couple weeks, I am measuring 2 weeks ahead. For those of you who have not had a baby or need a refresher, beginning in your second trimester, at each appointment your practitioner measures the length of your uterus. The length in centimeters usually correlates to the number of weeks you are pregnant. For example, a woman who is 17 weeks along usually has a 17 centimeter long uterus. Interesting stuff, huh? She said that it’s not that big of a deal that I am measuring ahead of schedule, since all babies are different and Matthew measured ahead of schedule during the second half of my second trimester and his growth tapered off during the third trimester.
With the early movement and larger measurement, my midwife said that if I hadn’t already been in for an ultrasound at 12 weeks she would begin to suspect that we were having twins! 🙂 But we are not, as only one baby was swimming around in there at my last ultrasound. I also scheduled our next ultrasound for April 30 – this is when we will (hopefully) find out baby Peters’ sex!
What baby Peters is up to this week
Week 17: 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. She can move her joints, and her sweat glands are starting to develop. (source)
Week 18: Head to rump, your baby is about 5 1/2 inches long (about the length of a bell pepper) and he weighs almost 7 ounces. He’s busy flexing his arms and legs — movements that you’ll start noticing more and more in the weeks ahead. (source)
Energy level and mood
I have been feeling good, but have noticed that my energy level has decreased some from pre-pregnancy. After standing all morning and most of the afternoon my feet hurt in the evenings. I am easily distracted and should not be allowed to check Facebook, Twitter or blogs during the day. I find that finishing tasks is taking me longer than usual… all normal pregnancy side effects.
Exercise
I was able to get in several good workouts including a few yoga and strength training sessions. I went on two walks and did one cardio DVD. Although, I am less motivated to start my workouts and usually put them off until the end of nap time instead of prioritizing them, like I used to.
All things food
In the last few days I have noticed that later in the day I filling up easier than usual. I have also begun to experience some heartburn if I eat a regular sized dinner. More than ever frequent small snacks and meals are going to be necessary, as this heartburn thing is not fun!
Veggies are back on the menu and I enjoy a cold, crunchy salad at least once a day! Today I did a little recipe testing and came up with an amazing (starch-free) gluten-free graham cracker that I cannot wait to share. This is going to blow your mind… that is if I can snap a photo to share before they are gobbled up!
Nesting
The black recycled glass countertops (!!!) are officially measured and ordered. We found a beautiful oversized single basin undermount stainless steel sink that will fit into our existing sink cabinet and have over $2k worth of faucets from Home Depot that arrived yesterday to choose from! Unfortunately, our sink cabinet and countertop depth is smaller than standard, so finding a sink and faucet that will fit is proving to be quite the chore, so we hope that one of the 10+ faucets that I ordered will work.
If you follow me on Twitter, you may have seen that I began using Evernote to organize recipes and articles that I find online and am loving it. If you haven’t checked out Evernote, visit their site to learn more (it’s free!) – it is truly life changing for an organizing kinda gal like me!
Matthew
My little love is turning into quite the funny guy. He knows that he is hilarious and loves to make jokes and be silly just to make me laugh. I love his joy, energy and zeal for life – we could all learn a lot about enjoying life by looking at things from a toddler’s perspective.
Eating meals and snacks is getting a bit easier; however, Matthew still wants to make his own decisions, feed himself exclusively and be in control of mealtimes. Which means that even if he wants cheese, if I suggest he have string cheese, I am greeted with “no” and sometimes tears. Eventually he does give in and ask for the cheese, but many a temper tantrum have ensued in the last couple weeks when he wakes up starving after nap and cannot figure out what he would like to eat.
Matthew’s stranger anxiety has started back up. He has always been a little shy around strangers or people we haven’t been around recently, but it seems to be stronger than ever. He does eventually warm up, but refuses to speak or interact unless really encouraged. I have been trying not to call attention to the behavior and simply encourage him to speak or sign to communicate with the person if they ask him questions, all while keeping interactions with strangers brief.
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