Finished the Ultrasound

I went in yesterday at 8am and finished my fetal survey ultrasound, the baby cooperated a bit better, and we got to see the cord, cord insertion point on the placenta, and the spine and spinal cord. I also got a much clearer picture of the fact that the baby is a boy! So Aidan was good. I have another cute picture of him that I will post, sucking his thumb.

I have a lot more movement going on now - it is amazing - I can feel that little one moving around inside me. He is getting stronger, hopefully Dylan will be able to feel him soon too!

My latest appointment

I went to see Dr. Hodges on Wednesday - just another routine appointment - I thought, come to find out I have gained almost 9 pounds since I saw him last. HOLY CRAP. He is so good about putting things in perspective, like the fact that I had only gained 5 since the beginning of the pregnancy, and this still is right on track, and that I am at the gestational stage where I will gain the most weight. He told me that as long as I plan to breast feed that I shouldn't worry too much, just so long as I am eating healthy and not just junk. Now that is where I get into trouble - I have been BAD lately, and I can certainly tell!

Anyhow, otherwise everything is fine. He said, "you are growing a good one," when I asked him how the ultrasound pictures looked. He said there were no abnormalities, nothing that looked like a soft sign for Down's, that everything in his opinion was perfect. He said he walks a fine line because he can't gaurantee anything until that baby is in his hands, but as a friend he said, you have nothing to worry about. So that made me feel great. The ultrasound tech said the same thing, and from what I saw on the ultrasound and what I know about what we should expect to see - all is well. While we don't start officially measuring my fundal height until the next appointment, he measured anyway and said everything is right on. He also checked the heartbeat - and it was amazing how strong it sounded, about 145-150 - so right where it has been each time!

Our little bean is sprouting into a little baby boy - I can't wait to hold him in my arms. While I realize I am only four and a half months away from having this little one, it was scary to hear the doctor say that if I went into labor in four months, he wouldn't try to stop my labor. Holy cow - I have a ton to do between now and then - I can't be having a baby yet. Stay put little one, I will let you know when I am ready!!!!!

The comparison - Prepregnancy vs 19 weeks

Initially I wanted my picture to be taken every few weeks to note the changes in my body as the baby grew - but as the baby grew and before I really had a belly, I just felt FAT. So rather than taking pictures, I kept finding ways to put it off. Not only that, but I thought I looked HUGE in the prepregnancy pictures we took too - so I sure didn't want those visible for anyone to see. But now, I am realizing that I wasn't fat to begin with, and even though my body is changing, I really don't mind the changes. First, my face has "filled out" and gotten much plumper. Second, my belly is just starting to expand. Third, my boobs are HUGE (and I love that). So life is good. Dylan took these pictures, and I think they are fun. I will continue to take them every few weeks and the changes continue to amaze me.

Prepregnancy:





19 weeks:

It's a BOY - or so they tell us!

Today was our big half-way ultrasound, where they assess and measure all the anatomical features, look for soft signs of Down Syndrome, and just check the overall well being of our baby. It is also the day that we were desperately hoping to find out the sex of the little one!

So it all started out normal - they were late getting us back there. And I had to show up with a bladder full of 20 oz of water. Then the ultrasound tech checked the length of my cervix - 4.4cm and said it looked great - closed up nice and tight! So off to the bathroom I went. I came back much more comfortable, and settled in for the long haul. Dylan was by my side watching the monitor the tech was looking at and I was watching the TV mounted on the wall. She located the baby and checked the direction it was laying, transverse - with its head on my left side, and its bottom on my right side - not perfect but workable. So she measured the placenta and checked its location - all looked good. Then she checked the thickness of the uterine wall, good as well. Then she began looking at and measuring the baby. Checked the brain for formation, the lips and nose for cleft lip or palate, and the hands and feet to make sure they were complete. We got to see the baby's bladder (with pee in it), the stomach, kidneys, and the heart. The heart was the coolest - you could watch the valves as the blood went through the heart. She checked the pulmonary veins/arteries and the aorta. Then she measured the skull, the femur, and the abdomen. She told us that the baby was measuring 21 weeks and 2 days - and we thought we were 20 weeks and 5 days - so it was pretty close, not enough to change the due date at all. Then she tried finding the genitalia. This was a little tough as the baby was laying with its legs crossed, but she jiggled my belly for a little while and got enough of an angle to see that it was a baby BOY!!!! Dylan was so sweet - he saw the screen, saw his baby boy, and looked at me and said in the sweetest voice, "it's a boy" and kissed me - we are both so happy!

So Aidan Lorenzo Bruesch put on a good show of sleeping through his first indepth prenatal exam - and I am sure hoping he keeps up the sleeping after he is born - will make for a nice transition.

All is well, and we are excited to let everyone know that we are having our baby boy!!!!

Here are a couple of pictures - we didn't get a ton - mainly because the little stinker wouldn't move much for better angles:
We have a profile shot and a cute picture of his foot.

Okay, it is movement - I am certain!

I have been feeling a little bit of tightening in my belly, every once in awhile I will get a tightening in a certain spot in my uterus and was wondering if it was BH contractions - but I am pretty certain it is the baby turning. And then just the other day, I was driving and I felt a little flutter like you read about. It was just two little pushes on my left side, and then a moment later, two more- but I am sure it was the baby. While I haven't felt any big movements or forceful kicks - I know that the little one is moving!

We are just a couple of days away from our big ultrasound - we will be almost 21 weeks then, and we are so excited - I am hopefully we can find out the sex. We have the baby room pretty well put together, and it would be nice to put a name plaque on the door or something to signify whose room it is!!!!

I will keep you updated!