20 Weeks, and an update.



20 week belly shot



Please ignore the fact that I'm in pjs with no makeup on...I figured if I didn't take the picture tonight it wouldn't get taken. Besides, if I'm being totally honest I wear pjs quite a bit these days, ha! 



Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 20 weeks

Size of baby: Chicklet is about 6 1/2 inches long, or roughly the length of a banana.

Total Weight Gain/Loss: 13 lbs. Waist gain: 8 inches.

Maternity Clothes: A little bit of both.

Gender: A sweet baby girl. I have been in heaven the past couple of weeks working on nursery ideas and picking out her bedding!

Movement: I feel her move all the time and I love it! Rick can also feel her move now. He will kiss and talk to my belly and Harrison gets so mad and tries to get between us. I might need some advice on how to deal with these jealousy issues!

Sleep: I'm sleeping pretty good these days.

What I miss: Having more than 3 outfits to wear, ha!

Cravings: Chocolate milk, bacon, and still anything sour. Rick was so sweet and went by CVS and bought out their entire stock of Cry Baby Gum and surprised me with it. They only had about 10 packages or so, so he stopped by another and bought their entire stock, too! The good news is it was all on major clearance. The bad news is it's because I think they are going to stop carrying it. It's the only place we've found that has it, so uh oh!

Symptoms: No more vomiting, hallelujah! Still a little nausea, but I can so deal with it. I've been having a lot of headaches lately but it may be weather/sinus related?

Best Moment this week: Reaching the half way mark!

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Now for the oh so riveting update on the drama in my uterus, which I'm sure you're all dying to hear. Who doesn't love details about someone else's placenta? :)

Some people deal with issues by remaining in denial about them but I'm the complete opposite. I deal with problems best by obsessively researching and learning as many facts and figures as possible. I'm a total numbers and statistics person...in my opinion, knowledge is power (and sort of a way for me to regain control....ah, those good ol' control issues) and so I went to the doctor fully prepared with my list of questions. I left feeling a lot better. Even if things don't go the best possible way, at least I know what to prepare for.

- Since it's early, he is optimistic about the chances of the placenta to move up at least a little bit. Since my previa is complete, the statistics that it will self-correct aren't as great as if it were just low-lying or marginal. I think at this point I have about a 50/50 shot that it will move up and not be an issue.

-We will continue scanning every few weeks via ultrasound to see if it's making progress and reassess the situation after each scan. I go back on Feb. 14 for my next ultrasound.

-Until the next ultrasound (at least), I am to remain on strict pelvic rest and minimize my activity somewhat (I'm sure Rick is soooo stoked to give up sex in exchange for vacuuming, right? :) Ha!). I asked him if I need to limit how much I carry Harrison, which goes hand in hand with leaving the house, and he told me that there is no need for me to drastically change my lifestyle at this point. For the most part, I'm still able to go about my normal activities and I'll just need to exercise common sense and cut back where it's practical. Obviously I am going to be cautious and take it as easy as possible but at least I don't feel like I need to be living in fear (and seclusion!).

And now for the scary part. I have to keep reminding myself not to be scared of the scary part because my placenta could very well move on up and out of the way and this could totally be a non-issue. And if not, then at least I know what to expect and can be as prepared as possible:

-If my placenta chooses not to cooperate and the previa stays complete, it can get ugly. My chances for having a "herald bleed" (which from my understanding is an episode of hemorrhaging that usually stops after a short period) is pretty high, around 70-80%. He told me that I would go immediately to the hospital, they would admit me and control the bleeding and I would stay on hospital bed rest until it was time to deliver via c-section. I asked him when the spontaneous bleeding would typically take place and obviously it is case by case. He's had some patients make it to 38 weeks and others admitted before 30 weeks.

So please continue to pray for that stubborn placenta of mine to shift on up. At this point we are just taking it ultrasound to ultrasound and I'm going to do my best not to worry until I know for sure it will remain an issue. Thanks, everybody!