Baby Appointment #4

On Tuesday, we had our fourth baby appointment with the doctor! And as with every other appointment we've had so far, this one was great! 

This appointment was actually our anatomy scan. This is where they really check everything on the baby out and make sure everything is growing and measuring correctly. There are two doctors in our office and these more in-depth scans are done by Dr. Marshall, the other doctor. So this was our first time working with him. Luckily he was great to work with and really explained everything that he was seeing to us really well. 

Before the scan, however I have to get my weight checked, blood pressure checked, etc. So after my last appointment, if you remember, I was told to start eating more desserts and start gaining some of that weight back. Well I've been trying, let me tell you! I'm probably the only woman in the world who gets on the scale every day praying to have gained weight! Ha! My appetite is slowly growing and I'm actually able to eat more food every time I do eat. And Austin is definitely helping with trying to "fatten me up" by giving me food all the time! :) So when I stepped on the scale at the doctor's office I had to ask - did I gain any of that weight back? The nurse said, some... almost two pounds. In four weeks I had only gained almost two pounds? Agh! I guess I just need to keep on eating! :) 

So back to the scan! All of Baby Z's physical measurements are right on track! Meaning, head, waist, etc. As of Tuesday and along with my due date, I was at 18 weeks and two days. The baby was actually measuring just ahead of that at 18 weeks and five days. So not a huge difference and it doesn't change our due date either. And while I'm sure this is a good thing, I don't want that baby to get too big in there! It can grow once it's out! :) 

Next the doctor checked vital organs. I have no idea how long you must have to study in order to understand what you're seeing on those screens, but he was great at explaining it all to us. First we looked at the baby's brain. Everything was in order, where it needed to be and everything accounted for. He looked at the spine and told us no problems, so no spina bifida. He was able to tell us the top lip looked great so no cleft lip. We saw the bones in the legs, which also were good, no clubbing or anything like that. He looked at the stomach, the liver and the kidneys and again, all perfect. And finally the heart. This was pretty cool to see. He was able to show us all four chambers, the heart was pointing in the right direction, all the values were there and the blood was flowing correctly in and out. The best part, he was able to tell us that he could rule out 95% of heart defects based on what he was seeing! Awesome! 

Again, the baby had a strong heartbeat, which we got to hear. It was right at 154 - but he told us to pay no attention to the old wive's tale about whether it's a boy or a girl based on the heart rate. So don't try to start making guesses! :) We are waiting to find out the sex of the baby so he made sure we couldn't see anything we didn't want to see. He did warn us at the beginning too that even if we think we see something, it probably isn't what we think. :) 

Showing us Baby Z's strong heartbeat :) 

The doctor was also able to switch over the 3-D scan for a little bit and showed us our little one's face! And although it maybe look a little creepy, it was pretty neat to see. :) That little baby is really taking shape!

This is the second picture we have with our baby in that "thinking pose"! It must be a pretty smart baby! :) Again, during the scan, our baby was moving around. I think it's always on the move! And it was even moving the hand around - almost like it was waving to us! :) I have begun to feel these little flutters in my stomach and at first I wasn't sure if what I was feeling was the baby or not. But it's happening more and more so I'm pretty certain its our little one. It's a pretty awesome feeling. I'm really excited for when the movements become more defined and Austin can feel them as well! 

My stomach is definitely starting to grow but it doesn't quite look like a defined baby bump yet - hopefully soon! :) But I can really feel it starting to firm up! And while this is definitely exciting, it is making it a little more difficult to sleep. And I can only imagine that it's probably going to get worse. :) 

We go back to the doctor again in four weeks for a regular check up and then another four weeks after that, we get to go back in for some more of the 3-D scans! We look forward to sharing more with you then! :)