26-week Doc Appt

Today, David and I went to our 26-week doctor's appointment. 

When the nurse first saw me walk into the doctor’s office, she said “Ooooooooohhhh!  You sure look pregnant now!”  I guess I start "showing" to the nurse when I only see her once every four weeks and she sees the difference.  I look in the mirror every day, and it’s hard for me to notice any changes, until I pull out a t-shirt from my clean laundry pile, and it feels a little tighter than from a few weeks earlier. 

And, the nurse weighed me... so I know for sure that I weigh 141 pounds now.  I started at 128 last fall. 

We didn't get any ultrasound pictures today.  The doctor simply wanted to check my belly measurements and the fetal heart beat. 

My doctor felt a BIG kick while she was rubbing my belly and measuring the baby’s heart rate on my belly… She said, “Whoa! I felt THAT!  Did you?!” 

My own blood pressure was 111/60.  The baby’s heart rate was in the 150s.  She measured the length from near my chest down to my pelvis, and said it was 28 inches. 

I asked our doctor if I was still measuring at 26 weeks pregnant, like I thought I would be, and she said I was more like 27-27.5 weeks right now, but that the measurements can vary each week. 

Our doctor said that because of my abnormal and "alarming" AFP blood test (measuring chances of down syndrome and other chromosomal defects) from February, that I am in a category of women that may deliver early, and she wants to keep a good eye on me after Week 34.   

I get to come in every two weeks for appointments now.  And, she said that after Week 34, I'll get an ultrasound every week.  Week 34 will be in late June.

Otherwise, our doctor said that everything looked good.  She recommended prenatal classes, and said we could sign up online for a full Saturday session or three week night sessions. 

At our next appointment in two weeks on May 20th, the doctor said that she will start talking about setting us up with a recommended pediatrician and about car seat installation, etc.  I'm not exactly sure all that she meant, but I was glad that I didn't have to do any "homework" until my next appointment and could just finish classes and relax until I go to the doctor again.  It's so weird to think about a pediatrician already!  The last time I used that word was when I saw my own until I left for college!

Lastly, before leaving, I needed to get blood drawn exactly an hour after I had taken my glucose drink that afternoon.  The nurse who was going to draw my blood asked, “What’d you eat today?” I replied “cereal for breakfast and chicken fajitas for lunch, and a banana.”  And she said, “I hope you didn’t eat anything too sugary today!  It would be awful for you to have to come back and take the 3-hour glucose test…”  Ugh… thanks a lot!  I hope I pass this blood test and don't have to do any of that nonsense either!  She took five vials full of my blood and said they were testing for glucose tolerance, and also for iron deficiency and other things.  My blood test results come back Thursday.  Keeping my fingers crossed!

I made a stop at Target after the appointment, and as I was checking out, the cashier started showing me deals about maternity clothes.  I was so excited that others were noticing that I’m actually pregnant without me saying anything!  I hope that I'm finally past the awkward stage when people aren't sure if I'm pregnant, or as Walt Chapman says, when I look like I have "let myself go!"

We got an adorable gift from future Aunt Caroline today in the mail.  I love these crab PJs (light blue and coral colors, the crabs, fact that it's a zipper onesie!) so much that we may clothe Baby Girl Haase in them every night.   I hope she doesn't get too many poop stains in them at the beginning!

Another plus was that today was "Teacher Appreciation Day" at Chipotle, so David and I got 2-for-1 burritos for dinner.

I'll end with a random note and admit that my guilty pleasures lately have been to watch marathons of the "16 and Pregnant" and "Teen Mom 2" TV shows on MTV.  I don't know why I enjoy them so much, but I'm dangerously addicted to them right now.