March 25th, 31wks.

Well, this was a semi-long, informative appointment. I'll start with the ultrasound. Ella is weighing in at 4 lbs, 11 oz so far (4 and 3/4 - almost 5), which is the 70th percentile (same as a month ago). The level of amniotic fluid has not changed, which is a good thing. Unfortunately when we tried to re-do the 4D it just didn't work out. Ella is just too big now and the tech couldn't get a clear shot. :( I've got a 2D scan on the vhs tape now, but I'm still disappointed. I think we're going to get a refund though for part of it because I still didn't get my digital movie and additional pictures that we paid for. Yes, I got a 4th look at the girl parts. Probably safe to take tags off of the girl clothes. I'll post a couple of new pictures, and then below the pictures will be how the portion with the doctor went.

  
             This is a shot of her hair.                        This picture is a lot like the one
      The tech says she has lots of it.                            I posted for 27wks.

Turns out I have a bladder infection. I had no idea. It could explain some mild cramping I've had lately and the one-sided back pain I've been experiencing as well. I get to take an antibiotic for a week and that should clear it all up. 

This appointment left me a little dismayed I guess (not sure if that word is too strong or not). Dr. Lawrence said that with my height, my body was probably designed to deliver babies that are about 6.5 lbs. Ella should reach that in the next 4 weeks, but there are 9 weeks to go. So if she goes full term, and an ultrasound shows her to be 9 pounds or more, there is a very high chance that I'll be having a c-section. :( I really don't want to have a c-section... the recovery from that is so much longer. When I hear women say they want to do a scheduled c-section, I think they're crazy. So let's all pray that Ella's growth slows down just enough that I don't need a c-section. Oh... should mention that my doctor is not in favor of inducing labor early because of size. Says it's better to let the body go on it's own. Besides, he says if the baby is big, then whether it's 2 weeks early or 2 weeks late, the baby is still big. Growth slows down a lot the last 4 weeks.

Also found out that my belly measures 37 weeks. So essentially I look like a full-term woman. Great. Just how huge am I going to get? This is of course due to my shortness.

Oh, weight gain was fine... 3 pounds again in 2 weeks, but a pound or pound and a half is pretty average for the second trimester.

So other than being big, Ella looks just perfect. I should just try and remember that... all that really matters is that she's healthy.

Next appointment is Thursday, April 15th at 10:00am.