So I'm 15 weeks and the most exciting thing that has happened since I last posted and now is that I had another doctor appt! It was a short one, Dr. listened on the doppler and found Bebe right away with a FHR of 142! He said my uterus was about 2 finger widths below my naval and that everything looked and sounded fantastic. FTR, I am loving the rise in my uterus because I can finally button my jeans again! I'm enjoying my little reprieve before I have to go back to maternity clothes and belly bands. I also got to make an appointment for my anatomy scan! I'll have it at exactly 20wks at 7:30am on August 25! I'm really (and nervously) looking forward to it. Mostly because I just want to hear that everything looks perfect and that I have no cause to worry about anything. I think my biggest fears right now are umbilical cord length (I have this horrific paranoia about it right now, tyvm pregnancy message boards) and placenta position (1 trimester of pelvic rest is more than enough, no placenta privia for me hopefully). But right now I am trying not to focus on those! I am 15 weeks and I can finally start to see a defined tiny little bump and I spend most of my time just poking it in order to "play" with Bebe - though what Bebe's thoughts on this form of "playing" I am sure aren't as favorable. I've also traded exhaustion for headaches which I seem to get a lot more regularly now, though fortunately they are more annoying than debilitating. According to the Dr. I am now +4 lbs. from my pre-pregnancy weight which I feel good about since I'd really prefer not to stray too far from the recommended 25-35 lbs.
Most of my thoughts, though, are preoccupied with July 30th. On that day I will be going to
Prenatal Impressions for the Gender Determination! I cannot wait to find out if Bebe is a Boy or a Girl, and I even had Jason pick me up orange juice and brownie mix so I can try to force Bebe into a sugar rush to force movement. I've been pretty consistent with thinking Bebe is a girl through most of my pregnancy thus far, but lately I've been finding myself saying "He" at some points. Whether this is due to having a set name for a boy and no set name for a girl, I don't know. But It'll be fun to find out! I've also started looking into Old Wives Tales about gender prediction this past week and I'd like to share my findings with you:
REASONS BEBE MAY BE A BOY:
- I did not experience Morning Sickness
- My feet are colder than before pregnancy
- The hair on my legs has grown faster than before pregnancy
- Dad-to-be has been gaining weight (sorry honey!)
- I am having headaches
- Add my age at conception (26) and the number for the month I conceived (April=4) and the result is an even number (30)
- My age at conception (26) and the year I conceived (2011) are an even and an odd number (Mayan method)
REASONS BEBE MAY BE A GIRL:
- My baby's heartrate is 140bpm or higher (150, 174, 166, 142)
- My left breast is larger than my right breast (though, to be fair, this has always been the case)
- I am craving sweets and fruits
- I have gained weight in my hips and rear
- My face is broken out
- My breasts have grown absurdly large
- The Chinese Gender Chart tells my I'm having a girl (though, it should be noted, I have done this 4 times with various sites and got Girl twice and Boy twice)
OTHER TELLS THAT ARE NOT APPLICABLE OR I HAVE NOT TRIED:
- I barely have a belly (I swear, it looks so much bigger in pictures. It doesn't look nearly that big when I look in the mirror) so I do not know if I am carrying high (girl) or low (boy). I also do not know if my belly is shaped more like a basketball (boy) or a watermelon (girl)
- Drano test. You're supposed to put your pee into a cup of drano and if it's green it's a girl and blue it's a boy. But I do not have drano, and the fumes are supposed to be really bad for you
- The key test. If a pregnant woman picks up a key from the fat end she's having a boy, from the thin end it's a girl. But I know this now so I will be conscious of it now!
- The ring test. IDK how to do this to myself, lol
- The Native American legend: if your younger child's hairline at their neck ends in a point you are having a child of a different gender. if it is straight across you are having a child of the same gender. Obviously I can't do this since I have no previous children. Also? Not always accurate, though people SWEAR by it, because my hair ends in a point at my neck and my younger sibling? Also a girl.
- If you try 2 or more days before you ovulate you're having a girl. The day of or day after ovulation and you're having a boy. Apparently because Y sperm swim faster and die earlier and X sperm swim slower but live long. Unfortunately, we were taking a break the month I got pregnant and it is the one month I did not test for ovulation and my ovulation timing is never consistent so I could not tell you when ovulation occurred for this to be a viable method.
So that's 7 points for Boy and 7 points for Girl and 6 unknowns. Does this mean I'm having a Hermaphrodite? ANYWAYS I have created a poll (see side bar beneath my Welcome! blurb) so please please please feel free to vote in it! If you'd like to expand your answer in my comments go for it! I love comments and justifications! It should say a lot that I resisted putting the answer "PONY" and "HUMAN" as answers because (and I'm looking at you SSers) I know some of you would choose those!!
Oh but enough of predictions and speculations. FACTS! At 15wks Bebe is 4"! Trying to figure out a fruit size is like comparing apples and oranges. Literally. One site says Apple and one says Navel Orange. Fun huh? I might go with Apple since I'm a Mac user, haha. One fun thing is that Bebe can now sense light, even though eyelids are still fused shut. But if I shine a flashlight on my stomach Bebe will shy away from the light. Fortunately for Bebe I have no idea where my flashlight is. Bebe is practicing breathing by moving amniotic fluid through that tiny little nose and into those developing lungs that are just primitive little air sacs right now. Legs have outgrown arms so Bebe looks more proportional now and all those little limbs and joints can move and bend. Even though there isn't much to taste besides amniotic fluid, taste buds are growing and developing. MOST importantly, it is now possible to determine gender which will happen next week (and just in case the u/s place is wrong, it'll be confirmed on August 25th by my Dr at 20 weeks). Some people have felt their baby move by now, but I have not, sadly. But apparently 16-22 wks are typically when first timers start feeling the movement so I am going to drink OJ and eat brownies and poke and prod and just wait for little Bebe to poke back!
