21 Weeks 3 Days - Fifth Appointment

Today was my fifth appointment with Dr. D. Of course, still love her!!! I did not gain any weight from the last visit, which was a relief to me. But like I told her, I normally have morning appointments and my last appointment was in the afternoon since we were having the ultrasound to figure out what we were having, so I didn't feel the last weight was that accurate anyway. So, I have gained 10 lbs - which is right on target for the 25 to 35 lbs that she wants me to gain. She wants me to get a Pilates tape and do it at least two times a week to help stretch out my legs and my back since I am on my feet all day. She also mentioned me wearing compression hose on our trip to Texas next week to prevent blood clots. I had already read that we needed to stop every two hours to allow me to walk around a bit, and when I mentioned that to Shane, he was not very thrilled because we are the type that like to stop one time and one time only to get gas and pick up fast food. So this will definitely extend our trip time!!! My favorite thing she mentioned that is from here on out I should get a pregnancy massage at least once a month!! Doesn't that sound just delightful??? Well, unfortunately that does not fit into our budget, so I mentioned to Shane that he was in charge of that! I suspect that by the end of my pregnancy I will be able to say that I never received a massage during pregnancy!!! ; ) My follow up will be in four weeks, and then three weeks after that is when she wants to do the glucose tolerance test, and then I believe I start going every two weeks. February will be here before we know it!

Since Baby Boy Hood did not cooperate last time for measurements, I again got to see my precious angel. His heart rate was 140 when the nurse took it by doppler, but during the ultrasound it was 156. He was very active yesterday morning, so during the ultrasound he had his hands pretty much everywhere and tried to be uncooperative when she was attempting to get his head measurements. I tell you what, if he continues to be ornery, we are going to have our hands full!! : ) He was not shy to show us that he is definitely a boy and I have no fear of buying boy items!!! By the end, she was able to get the measurements she needed, and as usual gave me some great pictures.

A 4-D image of his face and body with his hand by his face.

A 4-D image of his head and body (that is the cord in front of him).

How our baby is growing:

Our baby now weighs about three-quarters of a pound and is approximately 10 1/2 inches long - the length of a carrot. His initial fluttering movements have turned into full-fledged kicks and nudges. I am discovering a pattern to his activity as I get to know him better. In other developments, our baby's eyebrows and lids are present now.