3rd Trimester

Long gone is the "Golden Trimester," or more commonly referred to as the 2nd trimester. Now that I'm in my 3rd trimester, my recent list of complaints to my doctor includes back aches, hip aches, swollen feet, breathlessness, fatigue, acid reflux, and having trouble bending over to do anything! Ah, but in exchange, I got a big belly (this is very Faust-esque).

In mid-January, my doctor thought that I was measuring small (height of fundus), so she ordered an extra ultrasound just to make sure that the baby had enough amniotic fluid. The ultrasound revealed that my fluids were normal and that the baby was growing well. It was probably just a fluke that I measured small that one time - the baby could have been laying sideways.

At the end of January, not one, but TWO strangers asked me on the same day when I was due. I was so elated that I had tears in my eyes. Finally, someone had recognized that I was carrying a human being, rather than some junk in my trunk. If you'd look at me now, there's no denying it.

In February I did a glucose screening test to check for gestational diabetes. My doctor told me that my sugar and blood count looked good. In addition to a rotund belly, I can feel the baby move all the time. Like most fetuses, she's very active in the evening, right before I'm going to bed, and not-so-active in the mornings. I check her movement pretty regularly, especially after I eat something. It seems as if my left hand is permanently planted on the left side of my belly, where I tend to feel most of her movements. I think she also recognizes her dad's voice. The other day her daddy was singing an old country song to her with his hands on my belly and she gave him a nice strong kick. Oh baby, we love you so much already - we can't wait to meet you!

A couple of weeks ago, Tom and I also took a tour of the Family Birth Center at OHSU and we will be taking a weekend-long Childbirth class next week. I am also in the process of interviewing potential doulas and mom has booked her plane ticket out for the baby's birth. Uncle Rob & Aunt Marian's stroller and carseat (a baby shower gift to us) has recently arrived, and Tom's parents are looking to fly out here at the end of May. Things are shaping up in anticipation of the little one!

2nd Trimester

In November, I announced I was 3-months pregnant. Now I think it's only fair that I give my readers an update on my pregnancy. In mid-November my doctor did a "Quad Screen," a test that checks for neural tube defect in the fetus, including Down syndrome, and the test came back negative.  

My next appointment in December was on the one of the iciest days in Portland. Tom and I managed to get to the doctor's office and back on the bus but it took us about 3 hours! Well, it was a good thing we did though because we found out that we were having a little girl!!! Our parents, Tom's mom especially, could not have been more elated.

The rest of the 2nd trimester passed without much fuss. It really wasn't until the end of December that I started to feel the baby move, which was absolutely magical. In New Orleans, where we celebrated New Years, the baby was particularly active after some powdered-sugar beignets and chicory-flavored cafe au laits!  

Another noteworthy event - Mary (Tom's mom) threw us our first baby shower in Texas, where nearly all of Tom's relatives attended, including one of Tom's aunt from Alaska. It was an all-day affair and Mary really went above and beyond herself. We truly enjoyed ourselves.

My only complaint about the 2nd trimester was that I felt extremely chubby, but otherwise I did not feel physically prohibited. People who knew I was expecting could tell that I was pregnant, but I was dying for a stranger to ask me when I was due. I can tell you now...I didn't have to wait too long!