15 weeks pregnant

Here's my pregnancy update from babycentre.ca and my thoughts...


How my baby's hopefully growing...

Although you've probably gained between 5 and 10 pounds (Up 5lbs even so far but working hard on it, trust me), the fetus weighs in at around only 2.5 ounces / 70 grams - yes, but how much extra do my boobs weigh, where's the info on how much weight your boobs put on during pregnancy?  It measures nearly 4 inches / 11 centimetres long, crown to rump. Legs are growing longer than the arms now, fingernails are fully formed and all the joints and limbs can move. You may be able to find out the sex of your baby by ultrasound now, since the external genitals may be developed enough that the ultrasound technician can tell you if you're going to have a boy or a girl. Hopefully they'll be able to determine sex at my ultrasound in 5 weeks but no guarantees... I know Jane had a habit of crossing her legs (she's a true lady) every time the ultrasound was nearby.

If the idea of having a baby seems so remote, nothing makes it feel more real than feeling your baby move for the first time. Most moms-to-be discern movement (called quickening) between 16 and 20 weeks. If you've been pregnant before, you'll feel things earlier rather than later. WOOT WOOT, let's hope it's soon! You guys'll be some of the first to know! What you may first think is a rumbling stomach (a nice way to say GAS) may be your baby doing some back flips. Make note of when you first start feeling the baby and tell your doctor at your next visit. This middle stage of pregnancy is a good time to start exercising - have you ever seen this commercial about excuses for not working out? It's like someone lived inside mine and Dan's house for the last three years and recorded everything we ever said. SPOT ON. "I miss the cat..." 





How my life's apparently changing...

Around now you'll be offered an prenatal test to screen for birth defects. The multiple marker screening test, which measures levels of alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) among other things, is usually performed between 15 and 20 weeks. I didn't do this test with Jane because the doc said I was young and wasn't "high risk" but I did opt to take the maternal serum screening this time and, you know what, I think I'm more stressed about it than I was in not taking it. My sis had an abnormality with her most recent babe's ultrasound and her MSS results were really the only indicator that she had nothing to worry about - so I'm hoping two things (1) all is well and (2) i have no reason to use my results to ease my worries about something else! ARGH, pregnancy is so nerve-wracking! 

Your immune system is slightly impaired when you’re pregnant so you may have noticed that you’ve had more coughs and colds than you normally would. DUDE, my kid is in daycare - I have the immunity of a shark (apparently sharks don't get sick often FYI). Although, they are annoying and tiring (no, what's annoying and tiring is when my HUSBAND is sick :p), these sniffles won’t harm your baby. Other infections that you may come across while you are pregnant such as Fifth disease, chicken pox or rubella can cause problems for your unborn baby depending on the stage of pregnancy when you catch it – but chances are you’ve already had these infections in your own childhood or had a vaccine so you will be immune anyway. Shingles won't harm to your baby but you should avoid other pregnant women. Avoid other pregnant women in general? :p 


Overall, I'm feeling good - less tired, morning sickness seems to be gone, etc. I no longer have to eat two breakfasts which is a nice and probably good for the hipline... I was going to say waistline but, lets face it, that's a write-off. We'll stick to trying to keep the arse on me from doubling in size. Still fitting into two pairs of pre-pregnancy pants which I think I've pointed out previously, are jeggings, and so this probably doesn't count due to extreme stretch capabilities. My first pregnancy pimple, who I've nicknamed Cindy Crawford due to it's location, is still kicking around... going on at least two weeks now. One of the delights of pregnancy is that the pimples you get stick around forever because your body is too busy doing other things to worry about nonsense. I am trying a new approach vs. my attack approach from last time - I'm leaving pimples untouched except to treat with antibiotic cream (polysporin) daily in hopes to avoid scarring which I didn't do too well last time. I'm well into my stretch-mark prevention routine - bio oil in the AM, cocoa butter post-bath in the evening - on both the belly, back, hips and boobs. Do I think it works? Probably not. But I was ridiculously and embarrassingly loyal to this routine with Jane and came out unmarked... so why not have a little faith in the system? I'm also doing daily facial scrubs with St. Ives Apricot Scrub in a hopeful and, likely, failing effort to avoid more Cindy Crawford occurrences. 


Trying to think if I have any cravings or things like that... I mean, there's nothing I'm craving regularly. BUT, typically, I do not each fish. I like fish but I'm super, super picky - like if it smells or tastes of anything fishy, I'm done. I've got salmon on our weekly dinner menu twice this week, so that's a change. Not sure if this is a craving or because I went on a team building thing with work where we did cooking lessons and we learned how to make this insanely good maple-soy salmon and now I'm pretty much addicted to it (want the recipe? let me know in the comments and I'll post). Granny Smith Apples. Normally don't eat many of these and now I'm probably eating two a day. Chocolate and candy, typical staples in my diet, are not really of interest. I'll eat 'um if they're around but, otherwise, can do without... especially candy.  But they've just been replaced by wanting chips. I was on a dried fruit loop kick that appears to have passed in the last week. Soup. I almost forgot soup. Pregnant women know simple things = good ideas because everything else = pepto. I've been eating M&Ms won ton soup for lunch almost every day. It's mild and filling and I could pretty much live off it right now. If I want to treat myself, I hit up a local resto for a bowl of Roasted Garlic and Tomato soup that is to die for. I found this recipe on Oprah.com that I may try next week and see if it compares... unlikely.