16 week check-up: x+9.3 pounds

Baby is 16 weeks TODAY and should be about the size of an avocado at 4-5" long from crown to rump.

In one of the pregnancy books I was reading, it said that this 4 month (16 week) phase is awkward because people look at you and wonder "is she pregnant or is that just a beer belly?" (Not really a drinker so, guess THAT explains a lot right there, eh?)

Yesterday was our first OB/GYN appointment with our new doctor. At the appointment, I measured 5' 9.25" which I still find AMAZING that I somewhere/somehow lost 1/2" of height over the past 5 years. (You would think that I would be taller since a weight has been lifted off my shoulders as THIS is the happiest I've been in years!)

I weighed in at: x + 9.3 (where x represents pre-pregnancy weight)

At our appointment, the shadowing resident attempted to find the fetal heartbeat for us since we have never had the opportunity to hear it before. After a little struggling, the OB/GYN stepped in to take a stab at it. He seemed to be struggling as well. I was starting to get a little bit nervous that they could not find heartbeat, but the doctor announced "Don't worry, I know it is in there and moving around because I heard it."

Eventually, Doctor found the heart rate of the baby - which was 140 beats per minute. "Good." he reported. (It was probably only a few minutes of searching total, but started to feel like an eternity for us new-to-be parents who were anxious to hear it for the first time.)

"Did you want to know why I knew it was in there?" he questioned. "I heard it move when I was pressing over here." he explained.

He moved the Doppler back over to the lower left quadrant of my abdomen, announcing "Come on, baby. Move! Come on; move again for us." Within a few seconds, baby had moved and we could hear the SWOOSH, SWOOSH of fluid moving around inside.

We are scheduled to go in for an ultrasound at about 19.5 weeks (first week of January) and will meet again with the doctor at 20 weeks to go over the results and have a regularly-scheduled follow-up appointment. At that 19.5 week ultrasound, we are told they will be examining the brain and major organs to ensure proper development. If baby cooperates, we SHOULD be able to tell the sex at that time.... that is, IF we decide to do so.

Because my twin brother had a birth defect (the hole in his heart that was detected and surgically fixed as an adult, age 30), they will take a close look at the baby's heart at the upcoming ultrasound. Hopefully, all will go well; we're excited to see HeShe inside.

We are waiting on results from the Quad Screen (blood test) that was done yesterday. This test checks my blood for 4 different substances that are produced by the baby and passed into my bloodstream.

I'm told to gain up to 25 pounds during pregnancy. A little scared that I have already gained 9.3 pounds and of that, baby weighs ONLY 3.5 oz. (These larger breasts weigh considerably more than before, but still... I still have 5 months to go...)

You know what they say: it is what it is! Guess we just need to relax and enjoy!