150

We were finally given a h/r this time! Well I had to ask, but he told me the h/r was 150. He asked if I thought I could predict the gender from that #, and I said I know it's just a wives tale. Actually I've read that it's not exactly 50/50 in accuracy - it's a little more accurate than that but not by much. On one website a doctor said that if the h/r is consistently above 140 that there is a 5% increased chance baby is a girl and if it's consistently less than 140 it's a 5% increased chance baby is a boy. So there you have have - a slight edge that those who are predicting girl (the minority!) are correct. :-)

It's been snowing, but the roads were still okay. Some school districts (like the one we live in) were closed today, and most of the others are dismissing early (such as at noon). The ladies study was cancelled this morning; so I didn't miss it after all. So far nothing from where I teach. We shall see if they cancel the PM classes. I normally have office hours from 4-6 and teach from 6-8pm on Tuesdays. Well Paul decided to stay home, and since he was at home he came with me (and drove since I'm a HUGE chicken when it comes to driving in snow). At least this time I knew what to expect for my appt - get weighed, pee in a cup, have b/p checked, answer a few questions, and wait for the doctor to come and check the h/b. It was nice not to have to change into a gown this time especially as last time I sat in that gown for an hour while waiting for Dr. O. The best part was of course hearing the h/b. It took him awhile to find it (again!) but he did. Baby was still on the right side but had moved up higher. The top of my uterus is now maybe an inch or so below my belly button. He said by the next appt it will be up to my belly button. What a huge sense of relief I had when we heard the heartbeat!! PTL!!! he said he had seen Dr. A recently and told him that I was seeing him and Dr. A told Dr. O to tell me hi. That was nice. :-) There was a medical student with Dr. O today and his name was Paul so there were 2 Pauls in the room.

I was asked by the nurse and OB if I wanted the triple quad screening, and I declined it. When the nurse asked if I was having cramping, I said "yes" (whereas the answer to most questions she asked me was "no"). She said that I should drink a lot of water whenever I have any cramping, an that I should probably drink more water in general as it's often a sign of dehydration. So I will drink more! And she said if it won't go away or becomes very painful to call them ASAP. They put in a referral to the MFM clinic (which is at the hospital where my RE is). They said I should get a call within 48 hours for that appt. They said that's when I'll have the u/s, an that the MFM clinic likes to do it between 18-22 weeks. I'll be 18w on Friday so I'm hoping it will be in week 18 or 19 rather than say week 22. An u/s next week sounds good to me!

My b/p was up but still good. Today it was what my b/p usually is when not pg (120/70) whereas last month it was 98/60. My weight was up 4 lb 5 oz. That's about what I was expecting. According to my scale at home (which isn't as precise) I had gained 5 lbs in the last 4 weeks. So at 17w4d I think I've gained about 8 lbs altogether. The nurse last time had said a healthy weight gain was 1lb a week during the 2nd & 3rd trimesters (plus about 5 lbs in the 1st tri = about 30 lb total weight gain). I had hoped to only gain 2 lbs during these 4 weeks, but I'm not going to flip out that I gained 4lbs instead of 2. If I stick to the 1lb a week goal then my total would be 30 lbs since I have about 22 weeks left. I was trying to aim to only gain 20, but I guess it will be ok if I gain 30 since it's for a very happy reason - BABY!

The nurse asked if I had felt baby move (no), and she said many women don't feel it until 20-22 weeks so I shouldn't worry. I had read on the American Pregnancy Association website that 18-20 weeks is the norm for feeling first movements in a first pgcy but it can vary from 14-22 weeks. Now that I have heard baby's h/b it's not bothering me as much that I haven't felt baby move yet. Of course I am still looking forward to that! It's just quite a few ladies on this one 2nd tri discussion board I visit each day have felt their baby move (even first pgcies) around 16w so I was getting a little antsy that I am getting near 18w and still haven't felt baby move.

So anyhow the bottom line is that baby is still doing well. PTL! Now to wait for the phone call that will tell me when I get to see baby again!!! I learned today that although I paid a copay at my first prenatal appt last month ($10), I don't have to pay any more copays the rest of the pgcy. That was a nice surprise. :-)I scheduled my next OB appt for March 11 at 3pm. That's spring break for Paul & I, but I have a conference at school that day that I am a part of (it's for the preschool and kindergarten teachers in two counties). So 3:00 is a good time as I can just scoot over from the conf. I'll go to that one by myself (Paul has been to all my appts so far), but if Paul's schedule allows he will go to the u/s. It will be a thorough one since it's being done at the high risk clinic. I can't wait! :-)