18 Weeks

I had my 18 week check up today. It all went well.

I've decided that I am going to use these postings as my pregnancy journal. So, if it seems that I am including more information than any of you really desire, now you know why I'm doing it. You can skip the boring parts. Also, you shouldn't feel obligated to send me a reply or comment.

Today, I am at 18 weeks and 2 days. Ante came with me to my OB appointment. (He has attended most of my appointments.) I had an ultrasound, and Ante & I enjoyed getting to see our babies again. It makes us happy. Their heartbeats were good, and their sizes looked fine. They still have girl parts, so I think we can conclusively say that a mistake was not made when they were first identified as being girls.

We got to see Baby B yawn. She opened her mouth real wide then closed it. That was very cool.

Baby A has moved back to her original transverse (sideways) position. So, both babies are now stacked sideways on top of each other with their heads at opposite ends.

My cervix length was 5 cm which is nice & long. (Long is good.)

I gained 3 pounds since my last appointment a little over two weeks ago. I've now gained a total of 16 pounds. So, that's good too. My goal is to gain 40 pounds. I need to average 1 - 1.5 pounds per week to meet my goal.

Today, Dr. Jick measured my fundal height for the first time. This is the length of my uterus from the top to the bottom. It measured 24 cm which is right where he said it should be. This means that even though I am 18 weeks pregnant, my belly is the same as a woman who is 24 weeks pregnant with a singleton. In other words, I look as though I am over 5 months pregnant. I intend to take a belly picture any day now. I'll send it to all of you.

As for symptoms, I'm sure I'll look back on these days as the salad days. I have mild upper back pain and occasional acid reflux. My ankles swell up almost every day, and I wake up several times a night trying to get comfortable. I'm trying to get used to sleeping only on my sides, not my back, but I'm not quite used to it yet. Fortunately, I still only have to get up once per night to pee. All in all, I really have it pretty good.

My next appointment will be on August 28th with a perinatologist for my 20 week growth scan. During this ultrasound, the doctor will carefully examine each babies' organs for defects and will take detailed size measurements of their limbs, body, etc. I am anxious to know that everything is okay, but I'll just have to be patient for a couple of more weeks.