Let's Talk Details!

How far along: 16 weeks/ 1 day

Total weight gain: + 6-9 pounds (up 2 pounds from last week. eeeek!)

Maternity Clothes: Still wearing bella bands over my existing pants, although they are now completely unzipped. My Ann Taylor maternity pants are quickly becoming a favorite... Might need a few more maternity pants soon!

Stretch marks? Still in the clear.

Main symptoms: My slowly growing belly is pretty much it. And I can be terribly forgetful sometimes. Post-its have become my new best friend.

Exercise: Prenatal yoga on Sunday.

Best moment of the week: Telling my friend since preschool, Tina Bean, about our news!

Movement: Is it gas or is it Lima Bean? That is the question...

Food cravings: Yogurt. Ice cream. Almonds. Chocolate. Specifically, chocolate and toffee covered macadamia nut candies from Hawaii. (Hint! Hint!)

Gender: Only FIVE people have voted in the poll?!?! Come on guys... You are running out of time!

Labor signs: None.

Belly button in or out? Still in.

What I miss: Soft cheeses like gorgonzola or goat cheese or brie... Yum!

What I am looking forward to: Our next prenatal appointment next week, on March 25th!

Weekly wisdom: Chewing gum, especialy tropical flavors, is great for inbetween meals.

Milestones: Signed up for a 6-week prenatal yoga class.

Today is ... 16 Weeks!

To clarify, today we have now completed 16 full weeks. So that means starting tomorrow, we enter the 17th Week, i.e. 16 weeks and 1 day, 2 days, 3 days, etc. 

This whole counting system has thrown me a little off. Because it makes me wonder, should I be reading what happens in Week 16 now, or should I have read that last week and now should be focusing on Week 17? 

I digress. 

In Week 16, baby Lima Bean grew to 3-5 ounces and about 4-5 inches long. I don't know how they came up with an avacado, because the orange/softball description last week sure sounded bigger! But I guess they just needed something edible.

In Week 16, Lima Bean's face became more developed and he or she now has a complete set of eyebrows and eyelashes! And Bean has fully formed fingernails too! 

But what is more exciting is that this was the first week in which it's possible to actually FEEL Lima Bean move! No, I haven't felt anything. Or maybe I did but I wasn't sure. 

Here is how "Your Pregnancy, Week by Week" describes it: 

Many women describe the feelings of movement as a "gas bubble" or "fluttering." Often, it's something you have noticed for a few days or more, but you didn't realize what you were feeling. Then you realize that you were feeling the baby move inside you!

Here is how "What to Expect When You're Expecting" describes it:

The first momentous sensation of life, of "quickening," can occur anywhere between the 14th and 26th weeks, but generally closer to the average of the 18th and 22nd week. A woman who's had a baby before is likely to recognize movement earlier than one who is expecting her first child. A very slender woman may notice very early, weak movements, whereas a woman who's sporting lots of padding on her belly may not be aware of movements until much later. 

Sometimes fetal movements aren't noticed when expected because of a miscalculated due date. Other times, mom doesn't recognize the movement when she feels it - or mistakes it for gas or other digestive gurgles. 

So what do early movements feel like? They're almost as hard to describe as they are to recognize. Maybe it'll feel like a flutter (sort of like the "butterflies" you get when you're nervous). Or a twitch. Or a nudge. Or even like the growling of hunger pangs. Maybe it'll feel like a bubble bursting - or that upside-down, inside-out sensation you get on a roller coaster. No matter what it feels like, it's bound to put a smile on your face - at least once you figure out for sure what it is.

Hmmm. Well that sure helps - NOT!

Let's just say that once of the symptoms of pregnancy (being gassy) doesn't exactly make it easy to tell whether it's a digestive gurgle or the baby moving... But you can be sure I am concentrating very hard trying to feel SOMETHING!

At the turning point

Week 16, which I am approaching, is called the "turning point" because that's when you are supposed to turn over in bed (or during yoga) and lay on your side.

Lying flat on your back puts extra pressure on the aorta and vena cava. Not really sure what those are, but putting pressure on them can result in reduced blood flow to your baby, which is a bad thing!

Since I usually sleep on my side, I didn't think this would be a problem. However, lately, the only position I've wanted to sleep in is on my back! Obviously I wouldn't do that on purpose, but who knows what happens when you are sleeping.

So I was woken up one night by Papa Bean shaking me and saying urgently: Turn over! Turn over! You're on our back!

Since then, I have taken to sleeping with a pillow between my knees. I use the "cushie" pillow that is made for air travel. However, there are a vast array of maternity pillows out there, from the ever popular Boppy to full body pillows and smaller wedges.

Since it turns out that Amazon carries Boppy pillows, we might have to order one - or two. Because I'm sure if I start using one, Papa Bean will want one too!

Update: I just learned in prenatal yoga class that it's not just sleeping on any side. You're supposed to sleep on the LEFT side because the aorta and vena cava are on the right side. Well, that makes it difficult! I always sleep on my RIGHT side! Doh!

Another Update: I asked my doctor about this at our March 25 appointment and she said not to worry, sleeping on either side is fine. Also, she said that if I want to sleep on my back I can just stick a pillow under one side of my back so that I'm uneven. But she said it's not a huge concern until I'm farther along, like 23 weeks or so. Whew!