18 weeks

Also known as 4.5 months for those not privy to the gestational period for pregnancy. There is no finger-pointing in that statement. In my world, life is determined by weeks. In my husband’s world, life is still determined by months. I find that most people know that you find out the sex at 20 weeks, but may not know that is halfway through the pregnancy. And, most people don’t quickly divide by 4 to figure out how many months along we are. So, people thank me when I include the months.

We’ve reached the comfortable period of the pregnancy. Life isn’t interrupted too much or that different from before the first “trimester-tireds” came along. Much to Bryan’s delight, I’ve resumed my household responsibilities and slowly made my way back into the kitchen. I will admit that the kitchen was the hardest thing to get back to. A girl gets used to the boy cooking dinner! But, this girl found that it was still my responsibility to plan what the meal was. So, as much as I procrastinated in the kitchen, I found it better if I just take over the task again. I might as well plan ahead instead of making last-minute decisions the night of.

Friends, please read: do not hesitate to make us dinner when Baby Leger arrives. We will leave a key under the mat so you can slip in and out filling our fridge to your little heart’s content. Or call us since we don’t have a mat or plan on leaving a key under it.

Much to our assumption, our eighteen week appointment was pretty uneventful. We reviewed the blood work that was done at my previous appointment. It’s interesting to see how a doctor or midwife reviews these test results. Because of state mandates, they have to test for STDs, HIV, and various other diseases. I knew this before they drew the blood (because it was in the information packet), but the midwife kind of stumbled around how to tell us the results. Everything was negative, but I could tell that she wanted us to be aware that the tests were done because of the state, not anyone’s opinion. We listened to Little Baby Leger’s steady heartbeat. This week it was coming in between 145-155. (Girl or boy?) We also talked about weight gain. She said I was on the right path and starting with 20 weeks, will need to be gaining 1 pound a week. I think her notes were old so I haven’t gained the 10 pounds prior to 20 weeks, but I’ll keep that a secret for now. I have been using the weight gain as an excuse for ice cream and desserts so don’t feel bad for me yet.

You’re probably wondering why I said the midwife gave us the results. The hospital that we go to has a midwife-doctor program. Our appointments are with a doctor, but she’s on vacation this week so her sub was a midwife. We’re not opposed to having a midwife and may decide that it is the better option for us, but for the time being we’re following our gut. This may be a good time to tell you that I have EVERY intention of having a natural birth. Yep, no drugs for this girl.  I’ll save that topic for another post.

This week was the first week I consistently felt Little Baby Leger kicking. I suppose the baby could be punching, but I have a feeling it’s a kick. As the week has gone on, the kicks have become stronger and hopefully Bryan will be able to feel them soon. Our little 6 inch, .5 lb mango sized baby may or may not be moving all around, but the kicks are in the same spot so there must be something good to entice those little feet.

I’m happy to report that my headaches have basically stopped. I’ve had a couple of days with that dull ache, but I’m chalking them up to not enough water or too much stress. For the most part, my life has changed considerable since they stopped coming around. I’ve also resolved some of my back pain, but instead have been feeling some pelvic pain. It makes me walk slower and feels harder to get around. I’ve been consciously working on exercising to build my muscles back up and help prepare me for the months ahead.