6 Month Check Up

Today was our 6 month check up with Dr. Judd and we got to see our little girl again! She was much more cooperative and we were able to get this cute little profile picture of her:

1 lb. 7 oz.

13 inches from head to toe

48th percentile

and still a precious little girl.

Things discussed and learned today:

1: Weight Gain! I have gained 16lbs so far. 4 months and 9lbs to go to reach my goal.

My Dr. advised me that for my height/weight/age/overall-health I need to gain 25lbs for this pregnancy. Right now having gained 16 and the baby only being 1lb 7oz... you're probably wondering where the other 14ish lbs are coming from. Here's a breakdown of the weight you gain when you get pregnant and how it's all supposed to add up to 25-35lbs at the very end.

• 7-9lbs of baby
• 2lbs of placenta
• 2lbs amniotic fluid
• 4-5lbs increased blood volume
• 2lbs uterine enlargement
• 3-4lbs of fluid in maternal tissue
• 1lb breast enlargement (to prepare for breastfeeding)
• Any remaining pounds are a general deposit of fat required by the body for breastfeeding and energy stores. (though if you've gone above what was recommended by your Dr., chances are it's just plain old fat you don't need.) 

2: Pelvic Girdle Pain. The pain in my pelvis that feels like I'm straining a muscle every time I move. It is perfectly normal and will only hurt more as this pregnancy progresses. 

Explanation? your uterus is a lot like a trampoline, and during pregnancy your joints are really loose, so when your baby is hanging out on your uterus, those springs are stretching down and pulling on your loose joints causing pain. The heavier the baby gets, the more it hurts. And no, there is absolutely nothing you can do about it. 

3: Heartburn and Acid Reflux. This is apparently also very common.

The cause? Heartburn occurs when the valve between the stomach and the esophagus are unable to prevent the stomach acids from passing back into the esophagus. Pregnancy can increase the frequency of heartburn and acid reflux because the hormone progesterone causes the valve to relax. This allows the stomach acid to pass into the esophagus and irritate the lining. Aside from being extraordinarily uncomfortable and obnoxious, if you have acid sitting in your esophagus too long, it can cause some pretty serious damage. The Dr. suggested a few OTC medications to keep it under control. Also I should avoid eating chocolate and Orange Juice and other delicious foods high in acidic content. Boo.

What we get to look forward to:

Sometime in the next few weeks I get to pick a day to have a blood glucose test. How it works:

You're given a bottle of slightly flavored, colored, sugar water that you have to drink in about 5 minutes on an empty stomach and after you drink it, you don't get to eat or drink anything else. An hour after ingesting this tasty drink, you get to go to the lab at the Dr.'s office where they will draw out your freshly sugary blood and test you for gestational diabetes. Test results are done within 24 hours of the blood draw.

After that, our next check up is scheduled for the morning of August 13th. We'll be 7 months along and it should be a fairly routine visit. They'll weigh me, take yet another urine test, and hopefully keep telling me everything is A-okay!