22 Week Appointment

22 week appointment went fine. We had our "official" sonogram with a cranky sonogram-technologist. She was rude, snotty, and a bit of a know-it-all. She also informed us that we would not be able to see our baby's gender before week 24-26. From everything I have read on the Internet, this is completely bogus. I think she just had shitty equipment and was having a rotten day and simply decided to take it out on us.

Anyhow, the sonogram was wickedly disappointing. My consolation prize is that there is the appearance of my sweet child "flipping off" the sono-tech. The images are very grainy (the machine appeared to be ancient) but in 2 pictures, you can see what appears to be the little white shadows of phalanges. And since I know no better, I am assuming that is the middle finger and the baby felt the same way I did about the nasty lady.

The sonogram-tech did "date" our child and it appears that we are right on target. I have to admit I was a little surprised because I feel SO BIG... But bebe measured right about 22 weeks and 2 days, which is actually 2 days "younger" than my due date. The official due date remained unchanged because the margin of error was not large enough for concern.

The rest of my appointment was pretty much uneventful. My blood pressure is good, my weight appears to be fine (though I think I am on track to gain more than the 15 I had hoped to gain). Baby is growing strong and healthy... In fact, we got to hear hiccups during the heartbeat monitoring. I am guessing the hiccups have been causing the thumping feeling around my pelvic floor (I thought the kid was kicking, and it was awfully powerful, so this makes more sense). I did not know they could have hiccups this early on, but now that I know what they are, I am pretty certain the kid gets them a couple times a day. My sweetie is head-down, toes right around my belly button, and is doing all the things a 22 week old fetus should be doing. That is fantastic.

We had one point of concern that I had not thought was an issue, but I learned it was something I need to pay more attention to. Occasionally, especially after being on my feet for a long period of time, I get mild cramping in my low back and across my abdomen. Normally it is fairly mild (much like what I would get a couple of days before my period) and seems to go away if I get off of my feet.

Turns out, that can be a symptom of pre-labor! Holy crap- I had no idea. So, I am under orders to pay more attention and to drink more water. When it happens more than 6 times in an hour, I am to lay down, put my feet up and drink a quart of water in 15-20 minutes. Dehydration can cause contractions... Kid is not cooked yet- I am desperate to meet him/her, but I can wait!!!

My new motto is "hello water!"