Sunday, February 19, 2012

Pregnancy 27 Weeks

Baby Girl: our little girl weighs +/-2lbs this week and measures 14.5 inches long; I can't believe how fast she is growing! She's opening and closing her eyes and sucking her fingers. She is also sleeping/waking in cycles - I can definitely tell as she is more active at certain times every day! Her brain tissue is very active and her lungs, though still immature, are capable of functioning outside the womb (with considerable medical help.) 
Mom: This is the last week of the second trimester, yikes! I still have so much to do, both at school and at home. I have not experienced any leg cramping that characteristically occurs around this time but the sciatic pain and pelvic floor pressure have become more annoying. Also, her sleep wake cycle mentioned above - when she's awake she is no longer squirming like a little butterfly, she gives me full, hearty kicks! She's most active around 8:30AM, after lunch, about 6-8PM and 3-4:30AM. So on top of the pelvic pain while trying to sleep, I wake up periodically to her trying to kick Ryan in the back!

I had an appointment this week on Valentines Day and we got to see her via ultrasound. Dr. confirmed her gender and her anatomy scan looked great - all the right parts and sizes in the right places and functioning! I was a bit floored when the doctor said he wanted to talk to me about my weight as I had gained 12 lbs since my last appointment. Um....EXCUSE ME? How is that possible you ask? Well, the nurse who checked me in and weighed me did not work in his clinic and was a fill-in. She had me leave my Carhart coat on and my boots, plus I had my purse in hand. I told him I had not changed my eating habits and that she didn't weigh me like his regular nurses have in the past. So we took a trip back to the scale and guess what, I only gained 5 lbs since the last appointment, much better. I had my synthroid dose changed because my level was on the low end and scheduled my glucose screening for 28 weeks. The last time I failed the first test and had to do the 3-hour screen. I asked about the pelvic floor pressure and Dr. told me it was just from my growing uterus and loose muscles/ligaments. He offered no advice about anything I could do to possibly relieve the pressure so Ryan made me an appointment with our chiropractor. He worked wonders! The sciatic pain disappeared, most of the pelvic pressure disappeared AND he helped my heartburn! I also got the contact information for a good masseuse that he felt would be able to help further with the pelvic pressure. Thank goodness for alternative and holistic practitioners!
Weight: 219 (up 13lbs total)  
Week 27 Belly
Wishing you a pot o' gold, and all the joy your heart can hold. Thanks for reading!