Second time around, I have been much less stressed about the baby being safe and healthy. I’m drinking coffee, I’m forgetting to take my prenatal vitamins and I’m not as paranoid about waking up in the middle of the night if I’m sleeping on my back. However, I haven’t been totally relaxed. How can I these days?
Going into our 18 week anatomy scan, I was so anxious to find out if we were having a boy or girl. I honestly did/do not care and just want a healthy baby (obviously). I was pretty confident everything would check out OK. I had no other reason to feel differently.
Then, the day before our appointment, I read a blog post from a fitness Instagram mom who shared her harrowing experience about learning that her unborn son had part of his femur missing. You can read it here.
It sent me into panic mode.
Another woman I follow on Instagram recently gave birth to her 5th son who was born with a cleft palate and lip. I initially found her because she was pregnant with her 4th while I was pregnant with Tommy. If you wanna check her out her name is One Little Momma. She has been very public in sharing her journey before and after birth in hopes to help someone else going through the same thing.
Both kids will need multiple surgeries, some this year and some when they get older. As a mom this breaks my heart. Knowing the struggles that lie ahead for your baby must be emotionally draining and extremely difficult.
My 18 week anatomy scan went from excitement to learn the gender to fear and just wanting to make sure everything was OK.
I often wonder if parents who did not have social media went through the same emotional roller coaster.
I have 3 Facebook friends who have shared publicly that their children have been diagnosed with cancer, one friend whose child was born with a heart condition that required surgery right after birth and many with special needs that were later diagnosed. Is it more prevalent or is it just that much more in our faces with the existence of social media? Regardless, it certainly doesn’t make being pregnant or having children any less stressful. We have so much more knowledge at our finger tips but it’s also painful at times.
Our 18 week anatomy scan was an hour long appointment. While many prenatal appointments are quick, this one is long. They go over everything from head to toes, counting fingers, bones, heart chambers, blood flow and measurements and more.
Our technician was very friendly and talkative which made us think everything was checking out OK.
Then she left to go view the images privately. Every story I read that includes a doctor leaving the room ends badly. I didn’t remember this happening with Tommy but we were at a different hospital.
I started to panic. Nick did not and told me to calm down. Five minutes go by…
Nick suggested that maybe she had to go to the bathroom and still was not nervous. I was freaking out a little bit inside.
Then she came back and told us everything looked OK with the exception of a potential low lying placenta. This is something that I had with Tommy at our 18 week scan so I was relieved. For now.
I have to go back at 28 weeks to check to see if the placenta has moved up. I’m not worried as 95% of these cases resolve themselves. If it does not, I may have to have a C-section or limit my physical activity but for now, I’m cleared to continue my workouts. Regardless, baby is OK!
The baby is measuring 9 oz, a good sign and also would not stop moving during the exam. Tommy was very active inside as well and continues to be a very active child so this made me a little exhausted for my future self.
The technician had trouble at first seeing if the baby was a girl or boy. I told her about my Sneak Peek test and she said she had never heard of it before. Then she saw what she needed, left the room and then brought us back a envelope.
We couldn’t wait to open it so as soon as we got in the car, I set up my iPhone and recorded myself opening it up!
Our baby dreams have always been accurate so if you’ve been following along, this should give you a clue!
I’m having a photoshoot tomorrow with my friend Lucie and once I get the pictures back, I’ll be sharing if the baby is a boy or girl.
Before social media, I’m pretty sure the idea of a photo shoot to reveal the gender of your baby didn’t exist. I know it’s not necessary but it’s what I do for a living and fun to document family milestones.
Social media has also made choosing a name extremely difficult but that’s an entire blog post for another day.
I’ve still been feeling great and not too much has changed in the past week or so. No real cravings or aversions but I think the cravings are starting to come back. I really want Pizza right now and have been kind of obsessed with chocolate which I hated with Tommy. The chocolate brownies at Flour are to die for. As is the cauliflower melt if you haven’t tried it! It’s made with a roasted poblano relish, pepita butter and oaxaca cheese.
