Profile Pics

I would have posted some profile pics sooner but there really has not been much to show - literally. Still, I want to document since I've done so with the last two kiddos.

I am currently 17 weeks and we had our 16 week check up this week - we're a little behind because of vacation. Everything is looking good. The kids were completely speechless when they heard her heartbeat. T told the doctor he says prayers for his baby every night and hopes she is healthy and comes out on his birthday. Heaven help me if we have to wait that long. However, he was really wanting her to come out soon and was praying she would come out after our vacation. I then had to explain if she comes out too soon she will not survive so he changed his prayers, but a little too much the other way - still I am just touched he says prayers for her (Lil Sister does too). Lil Sis just said to him, "Thank you for taking care of my baby." We explained this is quite the family affair and this baby really is their baby as much as it can possibly be. 

Of late I've mostly switched to maternity clothes the majority of which are borrowed. This is awesome. I like that I don't have to purchase anything. I am not a fan of buying stuff for short term use. My neighbor was kind enough to loan me her stuff and I have plenty of professional clothes for work. 

Overall, I am finally gaining weight. Two pounds total. I did not drop too much but also had not been gaining so it is good that I am finally in the positive. My blood pressure was 100/48 which would explain my dizziness and lightheaded feelings I've been struggling with. I've been learning not to sit up suddenly - makes me really empathetic for my elderly patients struggling with orthostatic hypotension. However, it's not really a concern since it's high blood pressures we worry about in OB patients. 

I am getting pretty good fetal movement now. I anticipate her to be tiny, a lot like her older sister and maybe even a bit smaller just because her movements have not been as aggressive as Lil Sister's were at this same stage. My placenta is in the perfect position to be able to feel a lot of action so I think it's just because she's tiny. Fine by me - I am not a giant person and tiny babies come out easier.

Speaking of coming out, I've been doing a lot of reading and practicing of hypnobirthing. I am totally intrigued by the concept and a lot of it makes a lot of psychological and physiological sense to me. I am very scientifically driven in my medical practices and what I thought was some weird vodoo practice is actually quite logical. Plus, the relaxation exercises have helped me work through some of the not-so-fun aspects of being pregnant including some hip pain, headaches, and nausea. It has helped significantly. Plus, tonight when T interrupted my phone conversation to say, "I flushed too much toilet paper down the toilet and it's clogged and flooding" I maintained calm and relaxed, ended my call, and took care of it without vomiting. I was pretty impressed, especially since I also have had no drugs for nausea today. My 90 minutes of relaxation practice during the kids' naps today did a lot of good.

Here are some of the past profile pics. I've had Hubby take photos every two weeks as I am headed out for work. Working backwards - 16 weeks, 14 weeks, 12 weeks - front and side views.