Week 20 and Ultrasound Results

How far along:  20 weeks – began September 11, 2017.

Size of Baby: Banana (6.5 inches, 10.5 ounces)

Milestones: BB's movement is really picking up, I can say that I feel at least a few movements almost every hour, especially if I'm sitting with my legs crossed for whatever reason. His skin, brain, and other organs continue to develop a little bit at a time. At this point BB can experience REM sleep, so he may be having dreams already! 

Best Moment This Week: The ultrasound was so wonderful! Leif and I were practically speechless the entire time since it was a lot to process. When little BB first appeared on their screen, he was gulping, but it looked like he was saying "hello" to us! He had his fists up by his face most of the time and wouldn't stop wiggling around, making it hard for them to get pictures at times! Everything checked out great and BB is developing as he should. The only issue is that my placenta is a little low - it's supposed to be 2 cm above my cervix, but it's only 1.6 cm. It's not too far off and might move up as my uterus continues to grow, but just in case, my doctor is monitoring me a little more closely. I'll have to have an additional ultrasound at 28 weeks to see how things are progressing, and based on a little research I did, it looks like I may be required to have a c-section if it the placenta ultimately isn't high enough. We'll see what happens! I'm just grateful and feeling blessed that everything else looked good. We weren't overly surprised that it was a boy - Leif and I both had very specific dreams that it was. I'm really looking forward to raising a little boy and Leif reminded me that I always used say "I'd love to have a little Leif around!" 

What I’m Looking Forward To: Now that we know it's a boy, we've been really trying to hammer out some names and thinking about what it will be like to raise a son. I'm looking forward to everything we'll learn throughout this process and the different skills and interests we and the rest of our family and friends can share with sweet little BB. Knowing what his face looks like makes me so much more excited to snuggle him and hold him in my arms. From this point on, he'll start putting on fat and will start looking cuter and cuter every day!

What I Miss The Most: Even though it's not that pronounced yet, my movements are starting to get more restricted, and I've already developed a little bit of a pregnancy waddle when I walk. Luckily, all of this has been gradual, so I'm adapting as best as I can. I find that getting in and out of the car takes a little longer and I have to be careful turning over in bed. Essentially, I'm just slower now, but I only have approximately 19 more weeks to go! 

Symptoms: I've noticed that my belly bump is becoming more defined and a lot of my regular shirts ride up or hang off me, so I pretty much exclusively wear maternity tops in public at this point. Otherwise, there aren't many new symptoms this week. I've been experiencing a somewhat chronically stuffy nose, but I'm not sure if that's the pregnancy, the weather, or both. 

Cravings: Still loving my sweets, especially peanut butter cookies! We've also been making a lot of turkey tacos with lots of guacamole, which have been delicious. Despite my best efforts to drink plenty of water every day, my OB said I should be drinking more. I normally get 8-10 cups a day, but she said it should be more like 10-12. I had been having some cramping and she thought it could've been from dehydration. So not exactly a craving but still something I'm going to be consuming a lot of!

And now for some ultrasound pictures and a couple videos!