So it’s been a while since I’ve had the energy to get this posted! As of Saturday I’ll be 20 weeks! Time really is going by quickly! Last Thursday Joe and I had our second ultrasound! Molly was in town visiting and got to come for the appointment. We made sure to tell the technician right away that we do not want to know the baby’s gender. Joe and I were so surprised to see how big the baby has gotten! We got to see the baby’s profile, body, all the organs, the heart, and the arms and legs! The baby looked like it was waving to us at one point, it was really neat. We could see that the baby was stretched out and was kicking his/her legs, but I still don’t really feel the kicks. We watched the heart beat, and Molly said that it looked like the golden snitch, which it totally did.
The baby was facing my back most of the ultrasound, and this was the best picture of the profile the tech could get. You can see the nose and mouth at the top!
Baby’s first foot print! I thought that was really cool!
Molly flew in Thursday morning and was with us until Monday. It was so great to have sister time! On Saturday we went into DC, it was a little chilly but sunny!
Me and Molly at the Greenbelt Metro station. I love my baby sis!
We went to Mellow Mushroom for lunch because we all really love pizza. It was a bit of a walk from the station, and then another walk to the National Zoo. I knew there would be a lot of walking, but didn’t think it would be a problem. Well, pregnant Rachel gets tired pretty easily! Luckily there were lots of cute animals to look see at the zoo. We saw the giant pandas, the adorable red panda, the big cats, and lots of others.
Flamingos!
There is a big lion in the background!
Joe almost had to carry me back to the station, but I was a champ and made it. Sunday Molly and I did some shopping. It was great to have someone to laugh with when I tried on really hideous maternity clothes. I still don’t have a “bump,” but I definitely don’t fit in most of my regular clothes anymore. It’s an annoying stage! We were sad to see Molly leave on Monday, but we’re going home for Easter this weekend so we’ll be seeing all of our family soon!
This morning Joe and I had another check up with the baby doctor. There are 3 doctors in the practice at the office I go to, and I’d met one of them last month. This morning I met another doctor, and I did not get good vibes from him. The last doctor was friendly and comforting, this one made me feel stupid. He took 2 seconds to listen to the heart beat, which was crazy loud and strong. After that he asked if I had any pain or anything, and I mentioned that I’d felt like I’ve been having heart burn in my ribs (which seems odd, but painful). He told me it’s not a big deal.
Now, I have been doing a lot of research, and I am really worried about getting an epidural. I want to have a natural birth. I want to avoid an epidural if I can handle the pain. I don’t want to do it naturally to be hard core, I’m mainly afraid of the side effects of getting an epidural. I’m afraid that getting an epidural will 1)make my blood pressure drop, causing the baby’s heart rate to drop, and then need a C-section, 2)cause labor to stall which would require pitocin which I’ve heard horror stories about, 3)make the baby drowsy and unable to latch properly (I want to breastfeed because formula is crazy expensive), 4)cause lasting numbness in my legs, 5)cause a spinal headache…So yeah. That’s why I’m afraid of getting an epidural.
Back to the appointment…Joe wanted me to ask the doctor about epidural’s, because he thinks I’m reading too much on the internet and I’m getting bad info. So I told the doctor I want a natural birth because I don’t want an epidural, and before I could even explain why, he went on and on about how he’ll just tell me in the delivery room to get an epidural because women get mean when they are in pain and that’s not fun to deal with. He made me feel stupid and I really did not appreciate it! So hopefully he will not be in the delivery room with me when it’s time!
Sorry that this was a long one! I’ll try to update again after the weekend, Joe and I are going to Nashville to spend Easter with our families!
Rachel's Red Kitchen 