What's going on? We had our major ultrasound last Friday, where we got to see little Bugbear's face for the first time. It was amazing. From the facial profile, s/he looks to have my snub nose and DH's chin. From a front view, s/he looks like a terrifying Skeletor-type cartoon, since there's barely any fat on his/her body yet, so his/her face is really just skin over bone. And from the picture we have of his/her foot, s/he has little tree frog toes like mine. It was really an amazing experience to see this thing that's been practicing his/her ninja moves for what seems like forever.
Then on Tuesday, we got a phone call from the midwives office. The ultrasound showed Bugbear growing fine. But it also showed that Bugbear's umbilical cord only has one artery instead of the usual two, which could have meant any number of possible things. So Thursday we dropped everything to get a level 2 ultrasound.
The level 2 showed that Bugbear is indeed fine. His/her organs looked healthy, with no signs that the two-valve cord was a symptom or cause of anything bigger or potentially more problematic. It was a huge relief, and we couldn't have asked for more humanizing and informative staff members who really explained things and treated us with dignity. If we had to have this happen, I'm grateful that it happened this way. And it was nice to see Bugbear's little face and body again. S/he has everything we saw last time, and we got to really look at this amazing beating heart the size of a quarter and a teeny stomach full of amniotic fluid. While I knew those things were in there, seeing them really gave me a different perspective on their reality.
We'll have another ultrasound in 8-10 weeks to check on Bugbear and make sure that s/he isn't experiencing growth restriction or other problems. The results will determine whether we have continued monitoring, or if we finish out with the mentality that Bugbear has his/her first case of The Weird (probably from my side of the family). We're hoping that this is simply The Weird, and to be able to keep things as non-invasive and natural as possible.
How pregnant are you? 22 weeks. We have pictures from a Friday trip to Shedd Aquarium, but they haven't been uploaded yet. To give you an idea, though, it is completely possible that my abdomen has decided to adopt "Pop Goes the Stomach" as its personal anthem.
Relate this pregnancy to objects we tend to eat or other daily stuff. Bugbear weighs around a pound this week, and will double in weight over the next 4 weeks. S/he is probably 7-8" crown to rump, or 11" top to bottom. That's roughly the size of a spaghetti squash, the length of a package of Oreos, or an over-inflated football. I don't like Oreos, and I have no idea how the size of an over-inflated football is any different than a regular one. These things aren't so bad, because we could still compare Bugbear to a spaghetti squash. But the last spaghetti squash we bought was from the farmer's market, and a whopping 2' in length, so I'm thinking that's not quite right either. A trip to the grocery store seems to be in order.
Tell me some random stuff about the Bugbear. Bugbear's nervous system is developed enough that s/he can feel his/her own touch, so that s/he is able to explore his/her own body while swimming around and hanging out. There's a possibility that s/he has hair on his/her head, but if it's there, it's still completely without pigment and very short.
Bugbear's eyes are fully formed, but won't open for a while, and the irises are still without pigment, which will come in later. Bugbear's liver is continuing to learn how and practice breaking down unnecessary red blood cells, while his/her brain is now developing the folds and wrinkles that will eventually provide surface area for all the stuff that brains need to do.
What are you doing with/for Bugbear that's new? We've seen Bugbear as more than a jelly bean with arm and leg buds, and that for us is huge. We haven't added much beyond that this week.
Tell me how you feel physically. Tired. Neither Michael nor I slept well for most of this week as we waited for more information, and that impacted us. But when I'm not dragging my butt, I feel really good. I'm able to work out regularly, my chiropractor is a miracle worker (my legs are nearly even length again!), and Bugbear loves adjustments--I can feel him/her move so strongly as my pelvic girdle gets opened up, and there's more room for swimming. I'm also finding a lot of pleasure in breathing deeply, which is a very nice surprise.
What are you craving? WINGS. I could eat buffalo wings (not flavored sauces, not bbq, just plain wing sauce flavored wings) with a Tums chaser daily and be quite happy. And mixed greens salad with mushrooms. And lemongrass dry soda.
Are you crazy emotional? Yep. Between the exhaustion and the cord surprise, I've done a lot of crying. Not even Ben & Jerry's Dublin Mudslide can stop that from happening. I'm also having to work really hard to keep my temper under control lately, which is important but not at all easy.
Tell me how you feel otherwise. Sometimes I think that if there's a word for it, I've felt it in the last 120 hours, and if there's not a word for it, I've felt that in the last 120 hours as well. I'm hugely relieved that Bugbear is okay, relieved at hearing that this is nothing I did, and not the result of any of the drugs I was taking at the beginning of this pregnancy. Tired of surprises. Tired. Excited, frustrated, hopeful, overwhelmed, curious, constantly in awe of the way that pregnancy happens and impacts me and our family. Looking forward to meeting our Bugbear, not too soon, but not too horribly far in the future, either.
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