14 Weeks - Comparison Photos, Belly at a Bridal Show, New Video & Midwife Appointment!
Hello, and Welcome to the Pregnant Doula - I can't believe I haven't updated since before 13 weeks!
I'm 14 weeks 5 days today, and am getting closer to showing and feeling Baby Bug move all the time, I'm so excited!
First of all, I did put up at 14 Week update on my Youtube channel, The Pregnant Doula. This has been the best week yet, I felt movement and got a video of the heartbeat at our midwife appointment that day which is at the end of the update. I think I'm getting much more confident in front of the camera and as of today I have 22 Subscribers, 765 Views, and 1,585 Estimated Minutes Watched - Wow!
Here's the link to 14 Weeks Pregnant While Nursing ~ HEARTBEAT & Belly Shot {The Pregnant Doula} : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J_VyEeU7I0s
I also put out an 18 Month Toddler Update ~ Roo! {The Pregnant Doula} Part 1 & 2 on my channel, here's the link : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FN1ZEDVp9Bw
This Week in My Pregnancy
This week has been busy, busy, busy!
Belly
Last week, 13 weeks, my belly seemed to explode!!
Development
Bug is the size of a lemon/clenched fist this week, weighing in at 1.5oz and 3in long (head to rump, as they're still pretty curled up at this stage). As these weeks go on, they will be almost doubling in weight each week - grow, baby, grow!
Meconium, the first bowel movement after labour (barring any complications or stress to cause them to void early, which can be very dangerous for the baby), is already collecting in their intestines, which are newly out of their umbilical cord and settled in their abdomen (as of last week). Yay...
Sex organs are still differentiating by now, but their internal sex organs are doing very different things, depending if they are a boy or a girl - if Bug is a girl, all her eggs she will have in her entire lifetime are already in her ovaries, and they will stay there of course until puberty, when one or two each month will mature and be released, either to be fertilized (hopefully not for a good long while!) to cause pregnancy or expelled in her first periods. If Bug is a boy, his prostate gland developing this week.
Love Bug's immune system is forming this week, but it is a long process to get to a fully mature, adult immune system. Things we do as parents like breastfeeding, vaccinations, exposing them to (reasonable amounts) of germs in their environments, and helping them fight off minor illnesses like colds and flus will help them, as immune systems are not fully functional until age 12-14 (but are much more likely to be able to fight infections by age 4-7).
Their movements this week are becoming more fluid and less twitchy or jerky, as they gain control of their muscles and movements are more purposeful. They may even suck their thumb or play with the cord at this stage.
Symptoms
Hungry - all the time! We eat every 2 hours in this house, between my toddler and I we are eating EVERYTHING! Smaller, more frequent meals during the day are actually healthier, and I don't mind putting on weight at all (we eat healthy, so it's not junk food weight), so eat on, I suppose!
Sleeping well, not overly tired or having insomnia. Not suffering from heartburn either this week, which is great.
I'm starting to get an odd feeling when I sneeze or turn the wrong way, where my belly muscles will hurt, mostly only on one side at a time. I think it has to do with my split abs and growth of my uterus underneath now, turning too quickly or the wrong angle can definitely be painful!
Roo Update
Watch my 18 Month Toddler Update!
Nursing
Nursing has been good this week, he's nursing more frequently and for longer so I do feel my supply is holding up, at least for now. I am feeling better about missing a feed here and there, as long as there is a somewhat consistant demand my body will keep producing. I'm just happy to have made it to 18 months nursing with him, anything else is a bonus, and I'm sure when Little Bug comes, whether Roo is dry nursing or just drinking colostrum at that point, he will be VERY happy to have lots of new milk again!
Feelings This Week
Overall I think I've felt better this week, definitely just admiring Roo a lot in his development of skills and thinking ability, knowing he was so little as I read how big Bug is each week, and that he got from this tiny embryo to this walking, talking, thinking, affectionate toddler is amazing to think . I did that!
I am feeling anxiety this week, most likely from wedding planning and just life sometimes, but I'm working hard to stay postive and calm for both me and baby. My fiance has been great lately about giving me time to have a nice bath, or the day out at the bridal show with his sister on Sunday, so that is really helping. A few nights ago I woke him up just sobbing, my emotions overflowing and just needing to get it out. He was scared at first, that I had started bleeding or something, but once I managed to get out I was okay, just sad, he was so sweet to cuddle and comfort me until I felt better. Major points for him this week ;)
Midwife Appointment
I did have an appointment at exactly 14 weeks (Thursday), and it went really well! My fiance stayed home this week to watch Roo while his sister took me to my appointment, which was a fun bonding thing for us (we're all pretty close in this family).
I had a few questions about my bloodwork (no, I'm not anemic like I was with Roo, thank goodness, my iron stores were even great at 39, the ideal is 40! and yes, I am immune to the measles), and filming in the hospital in case we are transferred there.
Birth photography is definitely welcome in a normal birth, while c-sections can be a bit tricky. Usually only the father is allowed in, so our photographer won't be, though she can of course get shots in labour, being transferred, getting ready to go in, my fiance suiting up, and immediately afterwards, in recovery and seeing the baby. Our midwife would be allowed to bring the camera into the OR though, and while gory surgery shots may not be allowed/wanted, photos of me and as they lift the baby up/weigh the baby, etc would be. They also make sure to do skin to skin with the baby ASAP, so that is very comforting to know in case of a c-section (cross your fingers I won't need one)!
We also spoke a bit about homebirth and got some resources on the logistics of it/the safety aspect, with some reading for my fiance and family who are worried about the safety of it. What I found very comforting is that there are many safety precautions in place to protect both babies and moms who birth at home, including that the midwives carry all the same requirement hospitals have for the most common complications in labour, such as medications for hemorrhaging in the mother and gas masks, oxygen, medications, etc for babies struggling to breathe at birth. They inform the hospital and ambulance station of the birth, so they have my files pulled and ready to go if needed, the address on hand, etc (as close to an ambulance being on stand by as possible, without holding up other calls). They monitor the baby (and me) throughout labour just as they do in hospital, listening to the baby;s heartbeat often in labour to listen for distress, and listening to the heartbeat between contractions during delivery (I remember that with my son, too).
The main concern most people have with home births is the time it takes to get into the OR if an emergency c-section is needed. Most of my fiance's family have delivered by Cesarean, so it's on the minds of many of our family members. I really appreciated my midwife's approach to explaining this, as I think it will put most of those fears to rest. In a larger hospital, say the Children's Hospital in Vancouver, you can be wheeled into the OR in less than 5 minutes. They have a special OR wing just for pregnancies, and doctors and anesthesiologists always present, as they have many high risk pregnancies. At our hospital, it is much smaller, and the ORs are used during the day for other surgeries, at night the doctors & anesthesiologists are on call at home. If a c-section is needed, a waiting period of about 30 minutes is necessary to clear out the OR or call in the staff needed, whether in hospital or not. When at home, our midwives make the call to the ambulance and the hospital and everything happens at once, the longest it takes to get to the hospital from our home is that 30 minutes, and in that time the doctors are also rushing to the hospital to meet us. It's the same amount of time, and in that time the EMTs and midwives are trained the same, if not more, than the nursing staff to keep us as healthy as possible during transport, so there really is no added risk, just travel rather than waiting in the hospital room.
This made me feel so much better, and I'm sure it will make our families feel better as well - of course I will make the safest and best decision for our baby and the birth regardless, but I want them to feel comfortable too.
This Week - Bridal Show!
I'll do a longer bridal show update on my themarrieddoula.blogspot.ca , but I just thought I'd share this adorable photo of my bump in my dress for the show here:
I'm 14 weeks 5 days today, and am getting closer to showing and feeling Baby Bug move all the time, I'm so excited!
First of all, I did put up at 14 Week update on my Youtube channel, The Pregnant Doula. This has been the best week yet, I felt movement and got a video of the heartbeat at our midwife appointment that day which is at the end of the update. I think I'm getting much more confident in front of the camera and as of today I have 22 Subscribers, 765 Views, and 1,585 Estimated Minutes Watched - Wow!
Here's the link to 14 Weeks Pregnant While Nursing ~ HEARTBEAT & Belly Shot {The Pregnant Doula} : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J_VyEeU7I0s
I also put out an 18 Month Toddler Update ~ Roo! {The Pregnant Doula} Part 1 & 2 on my channel, here's the link : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FN1ZEDVp9Bw
This Week in My Pregnancy
This week has been busy, busy, busy!
Belly
Last week, 13 weeks, my belly seemed to explode!!
That photo was also taken after our big Valentine's Day dinner, so take it with a grain of salt ;)
This week, I haven't noticed much change in my belly.
{14 Weeks 1 Day}
Bug is the size of a lemon/clenched fist this week, weighing in at 1.5oz and 3in long (head to rump, as they're still pretty curled up at this stage). As these weeks go on, they will be almost doubling in weight each week - grow, baby, grow!
Meconium, the first bowel movement after labour (barring any complications or stress to cause them to void early, which can be very dangerous for the baby), is already collecting in their intestines, which are newly out of their umbilical cord and settled in their abdomen (as of last week). Yay...
Sex organs are still differentiating by now, but their internal sex organs are doing very different things, depending if they are a boy or a girl - if Bug is a girl, all her eggs she will have in her entire lifetime are already in her ovaries, and they will stay there of course until puberty, when one or two each month will mature and be released, either to be fertilized (hopefully not for a good long while!) to cause pregnancy or expelled in her first periods. If Bug is a boy, his prostate gland developing this week.
Love Bug's immune system is forming this week, but it is a long process to get to a fully mature, adult immune system. Things we do as parents like breastfeeding, vaccinations, exposing them to (reasonable amounts) of germs in their environments, and helping them fight off minor illnesses like colds and flus will help them, as immune systems are not fully functional until age 12-14 (but are much more likely to be able to fight infections by age 4-7).
Their movements this week are becoming more fluid and less twitchy or jerky, as they gain control of their muscles and movements are more purposeful. They may even suck their thumb or play with the cord at this stage.
Symptoms
Hungry - all the time! We eat every 2 hours in this house, between my toddler and I we are eating EVERYTHING! Smaller, more frequent meals during the day are actually healthier, and I don't mind putting on weight at all (we eat healthy, so it's not junk food weight), so eat on, I suppose!
Sleeping well, not overly tired or having insomnia. Not suffering from heartburn either this week, which is great.
I'm starting to get an odd feeling when I sneeze or turn the wrong way, where my belly muscles will hurt, mostly only on one side at a time. I think it has to do with my split abs and growth of my uterus underneath now, turning too quickly or the wrong angle can definitely be painful!
Roo Update
Watch my 18 Month Toddler Update!
Nursing
Nursing has been good this week, he's nursing more frequently and for longer so I do feel my supply is holding up, at least for now. I am feeling better about missing a feed here and there, as long as there is a somewhat consistant demand my body will keep producing. I'm just happy to have made it to 18 months nursing with him, anything else is a bonus, and I'm sure when Little Bug comes, whether Roo is dry nursing or just drinking colostrum at that point, he will be VERY happy to have lots of new milk again!
Feelings This Week
Overall I think I've felt better this week, definitely just admiring Roo a lot in his development of skills and thinking ability, knowing he was so little as I read how big Bug is each week, and that he got from this tiny embryo to this walking, talking, thinking, affectionate toddler is amazing to think . I did that!
I am feeling anxiety this week, most likely from wedding planning and just life sometimes, but I'm working hard to stay postive and calm for both me and baby. My fiance has been great lately about giving me time to have a nice bath, or the day out at the bridal show with his sister on Sunday, so that is really helping. A few nights ago I woke him up just sobbing, my emotions overflowing and just needing to get it out. He was scared at first, that I had started bleeding or something, but once I managed to get out I was okay, just sad, he was so sweet to cuddle and comfort me until I felt better. Major points for him this week ;)
Midwife Appointment
I did have an appointment at exactly 14 weeks (Thursday), and it went really well! My fiance stayed home this week to watch Roo while his sister took me to my appointment, which was a fun bonding thing for us (we're all pretty close in this family).
I had a few questions about my bloodwork (no, I'm not anemic like I was with Roo, thank goodness, my iron stores were even great at 39, the ideal is 40! and yes, I am immune to the measles), and filming in the hospital in case we are transferred there.
Birth photography is definitely welcome in a normal birth, while c-sections can be a bit tricky. Usually only the father is allowed in, so our photographer won't be, though she can of course get shots in labour, being transferred, getting ready to go in, my fiance suiting up, and immediately afterwards, in recovery and seeing the baby. Our midwife would be allowed to bring the camera into the OR though, and while gory surgery shots may not be allowed/wanted, photos of me and as they lift the baby up/weigh the baby, etc would be. They also make sure to do skin to skin with the baby ASAP, so that is very comforting to know in case of a c-section (cross your fingers I won't need one)!
We also spoke a bit about homebirth and got some resources on the logistics of it/the safety aspect, with some reading for my fiance and family who are worried about the safety of it. What I found very comforting is that there are many safety precautions in place to protect both babies and moms who birth at home, including that the midwives carry all the same requirement hospitals have for the most common complications in labour, such as medications for hemorrhaging in the mother and gas masks, oxygen, medications, etc for babies struggling to breathe at birth. They inform the hospital and ambulance station of the birth, so they have my files pulled and ready to go if needed, the address on hand, etc (as close to an ambulance being on stand by as possible, without holding up other calls). They monitor the baby (and me) throughout labour just as they do in hospital, listening to the baby;s heartbeat often in labour to listen for distress, and listening to the heartbeat between contractions during delivery (I remember that with my son, too).
The main concern most people have with home births is the time it takes to get into the OR if an emergency c-section is needed. Most of my fiance's family have delivered by Cesarean, so it's on the minds of many of our family members. I really appreciated my midwife's approach to explaining this, as I think it will put most of those fears to rest. In a larger hospital, say the Children's Hospital in Vancouver, you can be wheeled into the OR in less than 5 minutes. They have a special OR wing just for pregnancies, and doctors and anesthesiologists always present, as they have many high risk pregnancies. At our hospital, it is much smaller, and the ORs are used during the day for other surgeries, at night the doctors & anesthesiologists are on call at home. If a c-section is needed, a waiting period of about 30 minutes is necessary to clear out the OR or call in the staff needed, whether in hospital or not. When at home, our midwives make the call to the ambulance and the hospital and everything happens at once, the longest it takes to get to the hospital from our home is that 30 minutes, and in that time the doctors are also rushing to the hospital to meet us. It's the same amount of time, and in that time the EMTs and midwives are trained the same, if not more, than the nursing staff to keep us as healthy as possible during transport, so there really is no added risk, just travel rather than waiting in the hospital room.
This made me feel so much better, and I'm sure it will make our families feel better as well - of course I will make the safest and best decision for our baby and the birth regardless, but I want them to feel comfortable too.
This Week - Bridal Show!
I'll do a longer bridal show update on my themarrieddoula.blogspot.ca , but I just thought I'd share this adorable photo of my bump in my dress for the show here:
Thanks for reading this super long update, and don't forget to watch my update videos on The Pregnant Doula on Youtube! I'm planning many more fun videos that will be up soon.
Here's the link for 13 Weeks Pregnant While Nursing {The Pregnant Doula} Meet My Toddler! as well, in case you missed it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EpFVZhl_Cag
See you for Week 15, in just a few days.
Love and Happy Gestating!
~ The Pregnant Doula
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