18 weeks.

Today I am 18 weeks and 1 day pregnant. Almost halfway done, which is hard to believe. We had a doctor appointment last Monday, which went really well. I had mentioned previously that I was worried that maybe I wasn’t gaining enough weight, and that I wasn’t showing as much as I should by now. I also haven’t felt anything I can say for sure is movement, though I do still get those was-it-baby-or-was-it-gas flutters. Well, my appointment put all my concerns at ease. First off, I stepped on the scale, and let’s just say it’s apparent the holidays are taking care of the weight gain part! I’m now up about 6 lbs. from my pre-pregnancy weight. My doctor also said my uterus was growing nicely (without me even having to ask) during the exam. We heard a nice strong heartbeat and she said I will probably start feeling the baby move soon. All the baby books and websites say anytime between 16 and 20 weeks is normal to start feeling movement, but it was somehow comforting to hear my doctor say “soon” without just assuming that I had already. Hooray for being normal.

We also got to schedule our anatomy scan for December 11 – just 8 days away now! Originally I thought we’d get to go in for our anatomy scan this week, but my doctor said she would rather I come in around week 19 since the chambers of the heart are more developed by that point, which should give the technician a a more clear picture of whether it’s developing properly. I’m all for more clarity and will happily wait another week if it means less ambiguity. The last thing I’d want would be to come in and be told the heart looks small or underdeveloped, but have them not sure if it’s just because it’s too early to tell or if there is actually something wrong. The less I have to stress about, the better!

With that said, at 18 weeks…

Baby is about 5.5-6 inches long now — about the size of a sweet potato or bell pepper, depending on which website you’re looking at — and is yawning, hiccuping and swallowing away. Baby is also doing a lot of moving and kicking now, which I still have yet to definitively feel. I did feel something last night as I was trying to fall asleep — sort of like a fish flopping around type feeling. I think it might have been baby, but I am looking forward to that first poke or jab where I can say, yep, that was definitely the baby!

Mama is feeling pretty good right now, aside from some persistent sciatic pain. I do notice that I tire more easily, though, and bending over isn’t as easy as it used to be. D and I got our Christmas tree yesterday and I noticed I couldn’t lay on my stomach to get under the tree to tighten the stand. I tried laying on my side, but couldn’t get the right angle and finally had to give up and have D get under there while I held the tree. I felt kind of sick when I woke up this morning, and ended up throwing up when I fed the dogs. It’s strange — I have no nausea 99% of the time, but every now and then it just hits me again out of the blue. Feeling fine now, though.

I do think maybe I’m starting to show more. I snapped a photo in the work bathroom today, and noticed I’m wearing the same outfit as I was in my 15 week update. I think the belly might be poking out a bit more now…