Hic!

Today was a routine check-up. Kinda strange since I went less than two weeks ago, but that's OK - any excuse to hear Ivy is OK with me!

I've had some issues the past three days with my lower left back - it felt like maybe I just sat on the couch in a bad position for too long on Saturday, but usually it goes away after a night's sleep. Instead, I wake up every time I turn over, which is partly from the back hurting and partly from just being large and having trouble turning over without conscious attention. I asked the doc about it and she mentioned acupuncture or physical therapy, but I don't think it's as bad as all that and I'm just going to put heat and cold on it and do some stretching and walking to see if it'll get better.

She measured my fundal height and felt my belly, and I asked "can you feel what position she's in yet, just by touching my belly?" She felt close to my bladder and said "I don't feel a head there..." and then felt close to my ribs and said "I don't feel a head there either, so she's probably in the cradle position." I said "oh no! Ivy has no head!" and she tried reassuring me that she does indeed have a head, even though I was joking.

Next was the Doppler. She started looking on the right side of my belly, and was getting tons of movement - so much that she couldn't hear the heartbeat at all. So she tried the left side and the heartbeat was much easier to hear there, along with hiccups! I could only feel them when she pressed on my belly with the Doppler wand, but she was kicking a ton as well, which was fun. I love that the farther along she is, the more stuff she does. It makes it easier to bond with her.

I start going to the OB every two weeks now. I can't believe I'm at this point already. And tomorrow is my 28-week ultrasound. I get those monthly from now on, partly because of my advanced maternal age and partly because of what's happening in my pregnancy. I'm a little nervous about it, just because I'm crossing my fingers that the fibroid hasn't grown. (I just read that it can sometimes impede a fetus from turning head-down, which I hope doesn't happen!) I'm hoping for a couple of good shots to share - we shall see!