Healthy Heart

Hi everyone! We met with our perinatologist on Friday and we had another ultrasound done to make sure that the baby's heart valves were in tact. Everything looked great! We also had the doctor double check the sex of the baby, and she agrees that it is definitely a girl! She had a heart rate of 142, which is excellent, and she is currently in the 47th percentile in size. Our perinatologist doesn't think that we'll have to go back and see her again, although she is recommending another ultrasound of the baby's anatomy in the 3rd trimester, just to be safe. Sam and I are fine with that - we love seeing her kick and throw punches on the ultrasound screen! Hopefully then we'll also get some great 3D pictures as well!

Lately, I have noticed some patterns in her movement. She tends to kick a lot more at night or when I'm sitting and watching TV or typing on the computer, and she also seems to kick more if I've eaten something spicy or really sweet, like a piece of candy. I'm resisting the urge to eat a lot of those foods just to make her move more, although it's very tempting since I love feeling her kicks and punches!

During the past couple of weeks, my belly has been growing a lot faster. I have noticed my feet are starting to ache if I've spent the day walking or standing, which makes me nervous about the upcoming school year! I am right on track with the weight gain, and have even started picking up the exercise a little bit, with my doctor's permission. Hopefully that helps keep me strong and energetic throughout the next 3 1/2 months!

I have posted a 3D ultrasound of the baby's face. It's somewhat hard to tell, but her face is on the left. I don't really know what's on the right. I've also posted a picture of my belly at 21 weeks. I didn't realize how much I've grown until I looked at the last picture, taken at 17 weeks.