Category Archives: ultrasound

40 Weeks of Pregnancy – Week 20

It is Monday, and time for another installment of my pregnancy week by week guide. Last week we discussed Week 19. If you want to catch up with it, or any other previous weeks, scroll to the bottom.
Week 20
Congratulations! You are at the half way point. Things should be getting a lot easier for you now until close to the end as you start adjusting to being pregnant.
At this point you may notice this dark line forming from your naval downwards. It is going to get even darker as you progress. But it goes away shortly after you give birth. With Munchie it didn’t go away until a few months after giving birth. With Ducky it disappeared almost immediately. So, as with everything else, each pregnancy is different. But my doctor assured me, it will go away, eventually.
The most exciting part of this week (both times) was the ultrasound. Aside from finding out the gender of my baby (which I discussed in Week 19), this is the first ultrasound where you can really start seeing your baby and his wonderful features.
One of the other worries a lot of moms to be have is the stretch mark. Now that you are most likely visibly pregnant, and therefore stretching, it would be a good time to start using lotion. A lot of lotion. Cocoa Butter helped me out a lot, and even after two kids I have no stretch marks. I know I am one of the lucky ones, but you too can prevent stretch marks if you apply it correctly. First of all apply it often. I only did it once a day, but honestly I recommend to do it twice (better safe than sorry). Apply the lotion on your breasts (as they too are growing rapidly), and on your expanding belly. The thing about stretch marks that a lot of people don’t realize is that they are not immediately apparent. I know women who stopped using the lotion in the last month of pregnancy because they said they could not see any marks so there must not be any. Then they gave birth, and as their bodies were returning to pre-pregnancy sure enough there were stretch marks. So use the lotion.
Have you had your ultrasound yet? Did you find out the gender?
 
If you want to catch up:
 

Week 15 

40 Weeks of Pregnancy – Week 19

Welcome to Week 19 of my pregnancy week by week calendar. Last week we talked about all sorts of fun stuff, and anticipating the second ultrasound that can potentially determine the sex of your baby. If you want to catch up on that, or any other previous weeks, scroll t to the bottom.
Week 19
This week one of the main things I remember is having to do with the ultrasound next week where I may find out what gender my baby will be. That is all I could think about, and was thrilled the time had actually come. I am sure some of you don’t want to know and want to be surprised. There is nothing wrong with that, and if I had the patience I would probably want to go that route as well. But I am totally not that patient, so it wasn’t even worth trying. Because this is most likely what would happen:
Me: Hi, I was there yesterday and you did my ultrasound and I told you I didn’t want to know the gender. But I lied. I really want to know. So what is it?
Tech: I am not sure. I can try to review your files to see if anything is visible, but it is very hard to tell when you are not here.
Me: Can I come back?
Tech: Let me just review your files. Can you give me your information?
Me: Mine is the cute baby you looked at yesterday. You will totally recognize it.
And this is when I start sounding like many of my students. Which is why I opted to skip this step entirely and ask what I am having. The technician should probably send me a thank you note for making her job easier.
Nevertheless I have had several friends who waited until the end. And I bet it was completely worth it. And I envy them a little. If you are waiting for the gender there is still plenty of reason to get an ultrasound this time around. There are several measurements that your doctor will use to see how the baby is progressing. Not to mention you will have a better idea of your baby’s size and what to expect during delivery. (Hint: If your baby is already 10 pounds at this point, you are probably having a C-Section).
If you haven’t gotten it already, you may start getting blotchy skin. All the books say you get it around your forehead the most. I got it in my cheeks. I hope none of you get it at all. However, if you do, it is normal. It will go away.
A lot of women around this time start worrying about their weight. During the first trimester the average weight gain is five pounds. In the second and third trimesters it starts to depend on the size of your baby, and more so on your size pre-pregnancy. Your doctor will instruct you on what is most healthy for you and what your goals should be.
Keep in mind there is more to your weight gain than just you and the baby. Your baby may only be a few pounds, but you need to produce fat stores to later use during breast feeding. There is all that other stuff floating around with your baby, like amniotic fluid and the placenta. Your blood volume has increased, and that weighs a bit. Your breasts are larger. That is a bit more. Your uterus has grown, and your body is holding on to liquid, which accounts for a few more pounds. A whole lot of this is going to leave you right after birth, or shortly thereafter. So if you are healthy all the way through your pregnancy there won’t be too much for you to worry about later.
Earlier I mentioned having a C-Section. This would be a good time to start talking to your doctor about birthing options. There are different options to consider, such as hospital versus in home, or birthing center. If you are having a normal, trouble free pregnancy, each of those options can have their benefits. If you have a difficult pregnancy and may be having complications, then it may be best to give birth at a hospital. Obviously this is a very personal decision that only you can make for yourself. My pregnancy was normal and healthy, but I still opted out for a hospital because I was completely paranoid. It was my first baby and I was too scared that if I wasn’t at a hospital and something went wrong my baby would be hurt. The second time around I went to a hospital because the first time was such a great experience. So even though I ended up in the same place both times, the decision was made for different reasons.
Another part of delivery you may want to start considering is C-Section or natural birth. Aside from personal preference, there may be actual medical reasons for going with one over the other. I did it naturally both times, but there was some talk about a C-Section with Ducky. He had gotten very big, and I am very tiny, and I still had almost two months to go. So my doctor told me that maybe we may have to do a C-Section, or he can induce early. Luckily my giant baby stopped his rapid growth spurt just in time to come out naturally. Even though I have several friends who have had C-Sections, and they are totally fine, the idea terrifies me. What scares me even more? Having to have a C-Section and then trying to give birth naturally to the next one. So in the event that we do have more, I wanted to keep it as least scary as possible.
What have you started considering? Are you going to find out the gender? Any baby names picked yet?
If you want to catch up:
 
 
 
 
 

Week 15 

 

40 Week of Pregnancy – Week 18

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Welcome to my week by week pregnancy guide. Today I am looking at Week 18. If you want to catch up with previous weeks, scroll to the bottom.
Week 18
At this point in the pregnancy I remember being very excited because I was about to find out my baby’s gender, both times, and I was also going to have some genetic testing done to assess the risk factors for different genetic problems. I remember the doctor going over all of this with me, as I am sure he will do with you. The bottom line is that these tests are not required. If you don’t want to participate, no one will drag you to the lab and poke you involuntarily. Also, even though I did the tests both times, they really don’t tell you anything more than the risk your baby is in for a number of disorders. These tests do not tell you if your baby in fact has any of them. So they are useful, but not terribly informative.
I also vaguely remember around this time that I was getting a little light headed. This wasn’t the same kind of nausea I felt during morning sickness. It felt like I was either dehydrated or starving and about to pass out. Except I wasn’t either. Sometimes it would get so bad while I was driving I would have to pull over because I was too scared I may black out on the freeway. I never actually fainted or blacked out, but it was still a little scary. My doctor said it was normal as long as the light headedness didn’t last for long increments of time. He said it had to do with my blood flow during this stage. If you experience anything like this, talk to your doctor to make sure it is just as harmless. Luckily this stage doesn’t last long, and after probably less than a month I was back to normal.
Around now you can start feeling your baby move. With Munchie I didn’t start feeling anything yet (she was very, very tiny). Ducky on the other hand was quite the acrobat and I would often feel his little limbs as he was playing on his mini trapeze doing flying jumping jacks.
By the end of this week (both times) I had scheduled my upcoming ultrasound, excited at finding out the baby’s gender, provided he/she was inclined to share. Babies sometimes get shy when on camera and cross their legs. Ducky got jittery and wouldn’t sit still. The technician identified his gender right away, but she scanned my belly for over two hour trying to take the necessary measurements for the doctor. He spun and swerved faster than she could point and click. It was very exciting, and may have gone faster if I didn’t have to stop her every forty five minutes so I could go to the bathroom (aside from being pregnant, I was also getting poked in the bladder by the ultrasound wand).
Are you going to find out the gender? Or do you want to be surprised?