Sunday, March 18, 2012

28 week update and photo

At my 28 week appointment a few days ago, a nurse brought up kick counts, and that later on I'd need to start doing them. At that point, baby will be expected to move 10x an hour.

I didn't think he moved that much, so I started paying attention. He really does move almost constantly! Better yet, this weekend I have watched closely and I think I can discern which parts of his body are where.

The doctor felt his head very low in my pelvis with just two fingers. Head down - yay! With that knowledge, I feel confident I can find his butt with my fingers, and I can tell which side his legs are on by paying attention to where I feel the kicks.

Last night, sitting in my recliner (which I moved into the living room a few weeks ago because I can no longer get comfortable on the couch), I watched him move his butt from the left side of my navel to the right. It was amazing to watch and it felt so cool! Sometimes his movements are so intense my whole belly shakes and convulses.

His tiny limbs are also intimately acquainted with my internal organs at this point. He kicks my bladder, my cervix, and a number of other organs I can't identify but that I can definitely feel.

Baby is as long as a loaf of bread. I feel more bonded with him at this point than I ever have.

This past week was a really good one. The week before I was having a serious case of the baby blues, and I cried more than once because of my relentless fear that I'll be a terrible mother. This week, I felt significantly happier. We've been having gorgeous weather here, and a week of sunshine, dog walks, and having the windows open did a lot for my spirits.

Another thing I've noticed is an increased sense of vulnerability in public. Weird men who are too chatty, people slowing down as they drive past me when I'm walking, motorists behaving oddly on the interstate -- all of these things make me more fearful than usual. I guess it's a cavewoman-like instinct to protect baby.

Here is a picture from last week at 28w3d. This is a pretty slimming outfit and makes the bump look a little smaller than it is, but I thought I'd share anyway. I feel much larger than I look in this photo, and I wonder, where did that 30 pounds go? Then I realized that my ass never used to be that huge, so perhaps that's why my belly looks small in comparison ; ) My doctor said I'm very long in the torso, as my uterus is just slightly above my navel and it should be at least 3 inches above. But, I'm measuring on track, so I'm just carrying very low.


My due date is 79 days away!

2 comments:

Frankie Bee said...

You look Great! That's so cool you can actually tell what body parts are what. I can't really figure it out, though my little one moves almost constantly now too. Maybe the u/s this week will give me a better idea. Congrats on 28 weeks and glad you are feeling better!

Alex said...

Wow - sounds like everything is going so very well! I loved watching my belly move, but I could never figure out the parts like you - very cool! You look absolutely adorable!!!