{week 16} This week started out ROUGH but ended up pretty darn good!
After being on my feet almost all weekend, I woke up on Monday really feeling awful. Like I did early in my first trimester and nothing would help settle the nausea. I laid on the couch and tried to nap for most of the morning and early afternoon. By late afternoon I was so, so sick. I felt somewhat better towards the evening, but headed to bed super early!
I feel like my bump is making an appearance – hooray! It still grows thru-out the day, but generally seems like it’s around. I feel slightly bigger than I was at this same time with both of the girls, though it honestly depends on what I am wearing!
I had a varicose vein (on the back of my right leg) that has reappeared; it originally showed up during my pregnancy with Daphne and then basically went away post-partum. The vein isn’t a big deal, nor is it super painful, but it does give me pause sometimes as it can start to ache a bit if I am too active or have been on my feet for too long. So, I guess it’s a built-in reminder to take it easy! I have been wearing compression shorts under dresses and skirts (so long as my tummy is feeling okay – the pressure from the shorts can actually make my nausea worse!) and picked up a pair of maternity compression leggings which seem to help.
I had my 16 week check-up with my midwife (there are four in my current OB-GYN office) and it went well. It was the first time I had been out of the house in quite a while, and it felt so strange to be out. There was basically no traffic into downtown, though parking is still an issue at the office since it is right next door to one of the city’s major hospitals (where I will deliver this fall). Wearing a mask is such a weird feeling, and while it’s not required in Seattle (yet) it is highly advised. Almost everyone I saw going into the building and on the streets were wearing masks. Any-hoo, blood pressure was fine, weight gain was good, and baby made a quick appearance on the Doppler (loving hearing baby’s heartbeat)!
My next appointment will be following my 20 week ultrasound which is in the middle of next month. Obviously, the ultrasound has to be done in-person, but the next two midwife check-ups I have scheduled – for 20 weeks and 24 weeks – will be done via telephone. The baby’s health will be thoroughly checked during the ultrasound and results can be shared over the phone. And as long as I am feeling the baby moving at 24 weeks, apparently there’s no real reason for me to have an in-person visit. So my 28 week appointment will be my next in-person one as that includes the (dreaded) glucose test (!) in June. It’s strange for something like a prenatal check to be moved to a phone call, but I am thankful this pregnancy is healthy enough for that to be an option and that my midwives are able to provide support thru this crazy time!
Oh, and I could swear that I felt the slightest little flutter in my belly this afternoon which I am counting as my first feeling of Baby Lower. Apparently my placenta is anterior, meaning it’s at the front of my uterus, so it could be slightly longer before I feel any baby movement, but I really think I felt some!
And here’s my 16th week update with Eloise and Daphne!
Happy 16 weeks!
M