Baby Schwartz

At 6 weeks, we were just checking for complications here.

January 8, 2013 was our halfway point in our pregnancy.  We went in for our 20 week appointment and everything is still going very well.  My weight gain is right on track, being around 10 lbs so far.  I'll admit though, it's a little freaky for me to get on the scale.  I've never weighed this much in my life and I have to constantly remind myself that it's okay, because I'm pregnant.  Chad has been great about reassuring me.  He tells me it's all in my belly anyways and that he thinks I'm just a cute, petite pregnant lady.  Gosh I love him!  My blood pressure and pulse have been normal and good.  Our quad screen genetic testing came back negative.  My blood work looks great.  So far everything has been remarkably easy for us.  We are just praying that it continues to do so.  I started feeling the baby move at 16 weeks, and I've felt movement pretty much every day since then.  This baby is all over the place!  Very active.  Chad started feeling movement at around 19 weeks.  That was exciting for both of us.

At 8 weeks, we have a peanut!

On the 10th we went in for our second trimester ultrasound.  First, we made it extremely clear that we did NOT want to know the gender of our baby during this exam.  The doctor and the nurse just laughed and applauded our resolve.  The nurse covered the viewing monitor for us so that we wouldn't get an accidental look.  I also warned the doctor before we began that our baby is particularly wiggly.  I'm not sure he believed me until he started the exam.  Finally he said "It's just all arms and legs in there!" We got to see Cinnabon waving in there for a bit.  A second doctor had to come in to help with the exam.  They were finally able to get all of the baby's exam and measurements done.  Everything looks great.  The only thing was that the baby's growth measurements are ahead of where they should be.  Instead of being at 20 weeks and a couple of days, they were coming in at more like 21 weeks, and the head circumference was at 22 weeks!  I'm less than excited about that fact.  But since Chad was a rather large baby, and I was born with a huge head neither of us is surprised.  We're going in for another ultrasound in a few weeks just to make sure everything is still going well.

The Latest on Cinnabon 

Me at 26 Weeks

So we've been into the doctors' about every 3-4 weeks either having a regular appointment or getting an ultrasound done.  I know that's usually pretty normal in the civilian world, but having 3 second trimester ultrasounds done at a Navy hospital is NOT normal.  The good news is that everything looks good both with the baby and with me.  All of my readings have been good, except for an exceptional amount of weight I gained in the last 5 weeks (10 lbs).  We're going to be watching my eating and exercise more to slow that down. I'm a small person.  I don't need to be gaining 40-50 lbs during my pregnancy, big baby or not.  The baby (no we do not know if it's a boy or a girl, sorry) looks great.  Everything internal is looking good.  We were watching the brain for a bit to make sure some spots filled in, but they've done so nicely and Cinnabon's brain looks like a normal baby.  The only thing is, the baby is still big.  We've been consistently about 2 weeks bigger than we should be.    Now, normally they'd just move my due date because of that.  But, my 8 week ultrasound was spot on with my due date and they said that one is usually the most accurate since there can be so much differentiation in growth from one child to the next.  So May 28th will continue to be our due date.  We'll just have to see if Cinnabon decides that the date is too late or not.  Just to give you some perspective when I say this baby is big.  Normally, a baby who is 26 weeks along, like mine, is about 1 2/3 lbs.  Our baby is estimated to be at 2 lbs 13 oz right now, with the majority of the growth still left to take place.  I could be looking at an 8 lb baby here, which is a little unnerving for a 5 foot tall woman.  After talking to the OB Dr. though, it doesn't sound like it should be a problem.  They are going to check me around week 37 to see if they should recommend a c-section.  It's not common practice though at this hospital.
Overall, Chad and I are feeling much better.  The doctors can't find any reason, other than genetics, that would make our baby so big.  I've already done a 2 hour glucose test that came back perfectly normal (i.e. no gestational diabetes), and the only other reason they have is genetics.  Being as how Chad is a big guy who was a big baby, no one is really surprised by the idea that genetics could be making our child large.  Thank Chad...Here I was, hoping for a 6 1/2 lb baby for my first, kinda like how I was, just with a smaller head.  Instead I'm getting a giant baby who's probably going to grow into a 6 foot teenager that's going to laugh when I attempt to discipline them.  Well, they'll laugh at first, before I equalize them and remind them that no matter how small I am, I'm still their mother, and I'm still meaner than dad.

Profile at 26 Weeks

We are so excited! I know we're biased, but we think our baby has an adorable little face.  Cinnabon is so active already.  We feel like we're already starting to understand their personality, likes and dislikes.  This child likes stimulus.  The more I move, the quieter the baby is.  When I settle down for the night, the baby is active and kicking up a storm.  The baby gets really excited for juice, and milk and cookies.  I'm picturing a 6 foot tall soccer player who loves Oreos and V8 Fusion!  We'll just have to wait and see.  But we'll keep everyone updated as we go.

Face on of Cinnabon. You can see the nose and mouth.  The baby is pouting.