Chug! Chug! Chug!

Monday was my lastest appointent...I was 28 weeks along, as of that day. It was a pretty good visit, as far as visits go. They are nothing too special...after you're ussered in from the waiting room you step on the scale and then are shown to a room... you walk in and the nurse tells you how far along you are, takes your blood pressure, tells you to go pee in a cup and then the doctor comes in and takes the heart beat, measures your stomach, asks you if you have any questions or concerns...gives you a little pep talk about this or that...comments on your wait gain, etc... It's pretty much that way each time, but I still enjoy going because I really like our doctor :-)

Here are this weeks details, in order of the list above...and my thoughts on them.
I am 136 lbs - Although this may not sound like much, it is a lot for me...and more then I'd like because I delivered Aloria at 147lbs...just 11 lbs more then I am now. Only I still have two and a half more months of weight to gain. ...and last time I gained four lbs a week for the last month. I'm not sure my hips can take it! The good news, or semi-comforting news, is that although at this time last pregnancy I was 7lbs lighter, I also started out (the first time) 7 lbs lighter when I got pregnant, and so have actually gained the same amount of wait this time, as is normal for me. ...which really, I am glad because I was underweight the first time, and so am not exactly sad about my progress thus far. It's more the strain on my body that concerns me...that and the size of the baby.

Nothing much to report on the blood pressure or peeing in a cup...except that I always draw a smiley face and write an encouraging message on the cup I pee in, along with the required name and birth date info. Sometimes I just draw a butterfly. I wouldn't really like to be in charge of collecting those cups full of pee, so it's my way of making their job a little brighter :-) ...and maybe they just laugh at me, but that's okay too.

Heart beat normal, stomach growth normal - This was a concern of mine! About a week ago, Justus was moving soo soo much. I just remember that day that he was doing all sorts of acrobats all day long...and all night long for that matter. Every time I woke up, he'd wake up and start practising for the olympics again. I didn't really mind, but then I noticed that after that day ...and for about three days total, he barely moved at all. He wasn't moving in the morning when I woke up, as is usual, and so I'd lay there and poke and prod my stomach until I felt at least one kick letting me know he was still alive in there. It's a very unnerving feeling! I didn't mention it too much to Aaron, other then letting him know that he wasn't moving as much as normal. My real fear was that he had moved so much that one day that he had gotten himself tangled in the cord and was strangling himself or something. I know that's a morbid thought, but it's not altogether unrealistic. The day before this visit, though, Justus started up with consistent movements again...so relieved, but I still mentioned it to the doctor. He said that getting tangled up in the cord could happen and to make sure to let them know if he went long periods of time without moving. He also said that the babies in the womb are like having only one pickle in a pickle jar...there is lots of fluid and space for them to move around without me always feeling it, so not to assume that he's not moving based on not feeling those extra big kicks. ...aaaallllso, babies sort of develope a schedule for themselves in the womb that is much the same as how they behave when they exit. They may be awake and moving around for a little while, and then sleep for three hours, wake up and then sleep for four...so basically I have to sort of pay attention to his schedule and take note of changes based on that. I'm not generally paranoid about being pregnant, I don't think...but Aloria was born with the cord around her neck three times, so a part of me gets concerned at times when I don't feel him as much as I'd like.

Anything new this visit? Why yes...yes there was something new. This visit was my sugar drink visit. You have to stop eating an hour before your visit and then drink this concentrated sugar drink (sort of tastes like an intense Orange Crush) a half hour before your appointment as fast as you can, which puts puts you in this sort of sugar coma...makes you really tired and sloshy feeling inside, bleh. Then an hour after you finished that drink, they prick your finger and test you for gestational diabites. With Aloria I was border line...this time around I was well below the levels of concern. I think this was because the first time, I was teaching and eating a lot of not so healthy snacks during and inbetween class to try and keep from being nautious. This time, I have been eating and snacking healthier, I think. Mostly, because what Aloria sees me eat is what she will want to eat, and I don't want her to get hung up on a lot of chips and cookies, etc... so we stick to fruit (apples and peanut butter), yogurt, cottage cheese and pinapple, crackers, and the like.

So, although I shared the long of it...the short of it is that everything is fine and dandy...and baby Justus is moving around as I type, so I'm a happy mommy :-)