24 Weeks

Another great week.....about which I have no complaints, but I'm afraid it doesn't make for a very interesting weekly update.

Symptom-wise I haven't had too many new developments, I don't think. I have had that neat ligament pain down my side a couple of times, though; once, it actually came during the day and kept me from being somewhere that I needed to go. Over the past couple of days I've gotten a tightness in my chest - right at the bottom of my ribs - that feels almost like someone's pressing down on my rib cage. It hurts at times and makes me feel short of breath. Scott told me, though, that I seem to be winding up on my back more often as I'm sleeping, though, so perhaps that's part of it.

She's moving a lot, and I'm eating a lot. No change there!

I had a first this week: I signed my first permission slip for our little girl. I had to go to the hospital to preregister for the delivery (!) and I had to sign consents for them to treat me and for them to treat the baby. That seemed huge somehow. (It was also a little surprising that it was even time to do that. When they gave me the preregistration form at the doctor's office at 12 weeks, they told me that it wasn't urgent that I get it done, but that I had until 25 weeks to do it. At the time, that seemed so far away!)

I did have a doctor's appointment this week, which went really well. Baby and I are measuring perfectly for this point in the pregnancy; this was the first time he actually used a tape measure to look at that. I've gained a total of 16 pounds, which he says is "perfect." Her little heartbeat was just going, going, going, too. The doctor asked us some questions that were a little.....jarring....surprising.....exciting.....something.....to hear from him. "Do you want an epidural?" "Are you going to nurse?" "Do you have a pediatrician picked out?" I was thrilled when he told me that I would be able to nurse. I hadn't thought it would be a good idea since I'm on medication for anxiety, but he said that the medication I'm on won't pose any problem. (Besides, I'm taking the medication now, so she's already being exposed to it.) I'm very excited that I can at least try to nurse her. The doctor is sending me for my glucose screening, too, which I'm less than thrilled about. I wasn't expecting it quite yet, for one thing (I thought it would be next month), but I've heard lots of horror stories about it so I'm not particularly eager to do it. Lots of people have told me that it's not bad at all, though, so I'm clinging to those stories and not worrying about it. (After all, stressing about it only raises my blood sugar and increases my chances of failing the test!)