Melon Tummy

17weeks, 0 days

Baby continues to grow by proof of a round bump that ends right under my belly button. I'm really starting to feel the effects of having a foreign body inside me. Certain movements aren't as easy to do anymore. And, I can feel this little lump, about the size of a cantaloupe, stopping me from my regular motion.

The nausea still persists, mostly in the evenings. And the exhaustion? Well, it still makes its appearance more often than I'd like. Today I slept for most of the day, yet "woke up" in the evening just in time to make dinner. The other day at lunch, I got extremely weak and felt like I was going to faint. There are so many things that could explain this problem, so I'm going to wait a few days to see if it persists. If it really bothers me, I'll check in with the doctor. I've been checking my blood pressure regularly and it has been consistently around 115/82, so I know that isn't the problem.

As for other parts of my body, my nipples have become twice the size and twice as dark as they used to be. And don't even start with me on the itching! My boobs are so itchy, that I've got to refrain from scratching for fear I'll make them bleed. The maternity jeans I purchased are still uncomfortable to wear. That's because my belly isn't big enough to hold them up yet. I tried wearing them to a doctor appt. this last week, and spent most of my energy constantly pulling them up.

We decorated the Christmas tree this weekend. And the first ornament we put up was a set of crocheted booties. One was pink, the other blue. We figure it will be a fun story to tell over the years of how we didn't know if it was a girl or boy until Christmas morning! When SG put them up in the center of the tree, I burst into tears. It all is feeling so very real now.

I've also been feeling the baby move a lot the last few days. They are more prominent little "pushes" that at times feel like huge gas bubbles moving around my abdomen. I feel them mostly lower in my tummy and sometimes to the sides. So cool! And just yesterday, I used the home doppler to hear the heartbeat and was shocked to discover that I could detect it way up near my belly button. That tells you how much the little one has grown!

As for the litte one's heart rate, it has been averaging between 140-148 for the last couple of weeks (using the home doppler). Still waiting on my recent blood work. I should know about my thyroid levels as well as the AFP results any day now.