Baby Womack: Getting to Know You
Yesterday, we officially hit the 34-week mark and I had my last bi-weekly appointment. Starting two weeks from now (the week school starts), I'll have weekly appointments until baby Womack decides to make his/her appearance. Things are starting to get real around here, folks! As if that 34-week belly (pictured below) didn't make that obvious.
At our appointment yesterday, our doctor confirmed that this babe is still measuring two weeks ahead according to my fundal height. Not surprising given that it has been that way since our anatomy scan at 20 weeks, and not surprising given family history (my mom measured two weeks ahead with me, and I was 6 lbs 11 oz despite being born at only 36 weeks). Our doctor ordered an ultrasound for my next appointment to check things out and get some clearer measurements, but I am just so excited to have another ultrasound because I finally get to see our baby again! While this ultrasound will likely be the last time we get to see our little one before delivery, it still fills me with joyful anticipation - getting to see him/her is one step closer to getting to meet them.
And oh, how my heart is changing in preparation for the moment that we'll have a baby in our midst - our baby. We only know a fraction about this sweet soul that has been placed in our care, and I'm anxious to get to know them even more. I'm also really curious to see what our babe is going to look like... you know, after the alien-ness of the freshly delivered human has worn off and they begin to look a bit more normal, haha.
So what is this little baby Womack like? In the early days, I had no idea what to expect and was so filled with anxiety that I wasn't able to take full joy in all the little details, but I tried to record them so I would remember later on.
The night before I reached 17 weeks, I felt the telltale gas bubble feeling while lying still on the couch; I promptly texted my sweet friend Stephanie about it and she confirmed that what I felt was most likely the baby. I didn't feel anything else until a week later. The night before I hit the 18-week mark I had an emotional breakdown following an extremely rough day protesting at the capitol. When I went to sleep that night, I had a dream which led me to hysterics. As I was in the midst of my sleep-induced-stress-meltdown, I was awoken by the weirdest feeling - it felt like a big flop or thump in my uterus. It was so startling and strong that it woke me up from my dream! I should have known then that this kid would be extremely active... hah. Then, the next evening, in my usual spot on the couch again, I was able to feel unmistakable kicks (or punches) as they happened in succession. I was so weirded out and so excited at the same time - there was a real human being in there! The next night, at only 18 weeks 2 days, I was able to see our baby's movements. Not felt, but saw; not once, but twice. From what I had read, that was a little bit early to see them, especially for a first time mom, but there it was. At 20 weeks 3 days, Patrick was able to feel our wee babe's kicks, and since then, it has become such a sweet thing to have him rest his hand on my belly and feel our little one squirming away.
As this little one has grown, he/she has become so very active and strong! It sometimes takes my breath away when I get kicked in the ribs or some organ in my nether-regions gets ruthlessly jabbed, but it's a comforting sign that they are healthy and thriving.
This wee babe gets the hiccups at least 2-3 times a day, and boy, those hiccups are strong. You can clearly see from the outside when the baby is rhythmically jumping to the tune of its spazzed-out diaphragm, and I can tell you that this babe does not enjoy when they go on for too long; if the hiccups are too strong or have been happening for a while, I get kicked and punched and stretched from the inside until the hiccups stop. What else doesn't baby Womack like? Being squished - he/she prefers me to have good posture; bumpy roads - sorry, kid, you're in Oklahoma... get used to it; and the fetal dopplers - he/she squirms away from the monitor every single time they go to check the baby's heartbeat. Actually, every time we go to the doctor, the nurses comment on how much the baby is moving - every single time, and I can't even feel the baby's movements when they make those comments, so you can imagine how strong its movements are when I actually can feel them! Seriously, it gets intense.
Little baby Womack does sleep in there (in my uterus... which is still just so weird to me, but whatever), but I'm so grateful to have a baby that is so active. I don't know if the baby is moving in its sleep or just has short periods of being awake throughout the day, but it's reassuring knowing that things are just fine as I go about my day. Baby Womack is almost always camped out on my right side, head down, feet up, but it has been noticeably flipping back and forth more frequently as of late. The babe is super active late at night, between 9:30 and midnight, in the early morning, and early afternoon; those are the times when I'm most likely to experience what I fondly refer to as 1) Stretchy Baby and 2) Alien Baby. Boy, does this little one like to stretch and roll and flop around in my belly! I'll see it flop from one side to the other, or stretch so much that it's little bum is sticking straight out, or have a completely lopsided belly. A few times a day, I can clearly feel those precious little feet poking out just below my ribs. Patrick has seen this happen so many times, but it's a little bit different when you can both see and feel that the left side of your stomach is practically empty and the right side is massively packed with a little human being. That's what I call Alien Baby. I kid you not, when the baby does this, I'll look 5 months pregnant on one side of my belly button and 9 months pregnant on the other. It is bizarre. And then it will usually shove a foot into my ribs or something, just for good measure.
The second bedroom is basically ready for baby Womack's arrival, and I think his/her parents are pretty much in the same spot. There is some fear and anxiety still, but nothing compared to what the first six months held. Ready or not, we have six weeks - maybe - until our lives are forever changed and we get to hold our firstborn in our arms. I'm not going to wish these last few weeks away as I still want baby Womack to grow and develop inside my body as much as possible, but I'm definitely looking forward to the day when we say hello to our new little one and begin a lifetime of getting to know and love them.
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