Weeks 21 and 22

Baby Brody is starting to kick more and more over these past two weeks! He especially likes to kick at night, which I am hoping this "night" pattern doesn't carry over when he is born! ;) Classes have started back, so I am preparing for my intern to start next week. I know my life will be full force until December, so I spent last week relaxing before work. I will have a crazy schedule until December.

One body change this week: I have been noticing that my gums are getting swollen and bleed when I floss.. Another joy of pregnancy. When I go to the doctor for my 24-week check up, I am going to ask him what I can do besides brushing, flossing and usuing Listerine daily. I read this from BabyCenter.com: Swollen, red, tender gums that bleed when you floss or brush are a sign of pregnancy gingivitis, and they're a common complaint during pregnancy. (About half of moms-to-be have these symptoms.) The inflammation is caused by higher progesterone levels that make your gums more sensitive to the bacteria in plaque and by increased blood supply to your mouth.

Friday night we went over to Amy and Sean's for an early birthday party for him since he will be deploying in the next weeks. Had a great time talking with the girls! We will miss you, Sean!

Week 22 update from BabyCenter.com: At 11 inches and almost 1 pound, your baby is starting to look like a miniature newborn. His lips, eyelids, and eyebrows are becoming more distinct, and he's even developing tiny tooth buds beneath his gums. His eyes have formed, but his irises (the colored part of the eye) still lack pigment. If you could see inside your womb, you'd be able to spot the fine hair (lanugo) that covers his body and the deep wrinkles on his skin, which he'll sport until he adds a padding of fat to fill them in. Inside his belly, his pancreas — essential for the production of some important hormones — is developing steadily.

Some Ultrasound Pics: FINALLY

Ok, so tonight we finally fixed our scanner. I only scanned a few pics out of the 20 I have. They are all from 14 weeks, so they aren't the clearest ultrasound pics.

20 down, 20 to go!!

I have officially met my halfway mark!! And what an awesome week this has been! (These hard last few weeks were starting to get to me). To start off my 20th week, Brent and I spent 2 hours Saturday registering for our little man! We ate Steak -n- Shake before our Babys R Us adventure. I didn't realize all of the STUFF we need! There is TOO much! The lady from Babys R Us was very helpful and gave me a "Must Have" list to begin with.. I had no idea where to start! Brent got a hold of the "clicker" before I did and started clicking away! Me being OCD, with my pen and "must have" list in hand, I yelled, "STOP! I need to check this stuff off!" We had a lot of fun.. Our registry is up on Babys R Us and I just need to update/edit a few things (it's under Kayla Philmon for all of you wondering, hehehe).

We ended the day by going over to Tess and Blake's for UFC Fight Night and only planned on staying gone a couple of hours. Finally, when we laid down for bed around 2:30am, I felt this WEIRD feeling in my belly. I am a major stomach sleeper, have been all my life, and have continued to sleep on my belly during this pregnancy until I physically can't any longer. So, of course I was laying on my belly when I felt this "thump" along with a sudden urge to pee. Well, then it went away for a second and then a minute later, I felt it AGAIN.. and AGAIN! It was the coolest feeling EVER! I have officially felt my little man move/kick!! I think he was telling me to get off of my tummy! :)


The next day was the girl's trip to Helen. If you scroll down a few blog posts, you will remember what happened last time I visited Helen. I was in the hospital within 24 hours having surgery, so I was a little hesitant to go, just because of the scare I had before. To make a long story short, Helen was great and relaxing.. definitely different than our experience before! (The two pics of Amy and I above)


Today, we had our 20 week OB check up appointment. Normally, I would have the extensive ultrasound, but because I had one at the specialist 2 weeks ago and everything was fine, this was just a normal routine visit. Heard Brody's heartbeat and it was perfect! Next visit will be the most dreaded glucose test.

As the weeks continue to fly by, I am getting more and more anxious to meet my monkey! I don't think December could get here fast enough! :)


Update from BabyCenter.com:
Your baby weighs about 10 1/2 ounces now. He's also around 6 1/2 inches long from head to bottom and about 10 inches from head to heel — the length of a large banana. (For the first 20 weeks, when a baby's legs are curled up against his torso and hard to measure, measurements are taken from the top of his head to his bottom — the "crown to rump" measurement. After 20 weeks, he's measured from head to toe.)

He's swallowing more these days, which is good practice for his digestive system. He's also producing meconium, a black, sticky by-product of digestion. This gooey substance will accumulate in his bowels, and you'll see it in his first soiled diaper (some babies pass meconium in the womb or during delivery). EW.

Week 19

I have started to have this sharp pain in my right leg. At first I thought I pulled something, but then realized it would shoot from my butt, down to the back of my knee cap. It actually feels like a tingling sensation. It has been keeping me up at night and causing me to LIMP! A lady even asked me today at work why I was walking funny. UGH. Everyone who knows me, knows that I research everything, so I started reading about leg pain during pregnancy and realized my symptoms are that of sciatic nerve pain. It is extremely common during pregnancy, in fact my mom had it. There isn't much you can do about it except walk and apply ice or heat. I plan to ask my OB when I go August 10th for a check-up just to make sure.

On a happier note, Max drove for the first time this week! He did very well (scared me to death)! Oh, and school starts back. Our open houses went well and I am looking forward to a great school year (for all of us)!

Update from BabyCenter.com:

Your baby's sensory development is exploding! Her brain is designating specialized areas for smell, taste, hearing, vision, and touch. Some research suggests that she may be able to hear your voice now, so don't be shy about reading aloud, talking to her, or singing a happy tune if the mood strikes you. Your baby weighs about 8 1/2 ounces and measures 6 inches, head to bottom. Her arms and legs are in the right proportions to each other and the rest of her body now. Her kidneys continue to make urine and the hair on her scalp is sprouting. A waxy protective coating called the vernix caseosa is forming on her skin to prevent it from pickling in the amniotic fluid.

Week 17 and 18: Stressful, much?

Hmm.. Where do I begin? At my last OB appointment, I was given the slip to go to the lab and have my blood drawn for the usual 16 weeks blood test. Something I wasn't worried about whatsoever and knew it was apart of the routine. Well, I just had my appendix removed and couldn't do it until this 17th week, a week after surgery. Well, I got one phone call at work that ruined the next two weeks. Dr. Shilling's office called me on Monday AT WORK and left me a voicemail to call them as soon as I could. They also called the house, so I had a text from Brent telling me to call them. I thought, "Hmm, I wonder what this is for?" That's when it hit me. I remember Shilling's office telling me at my last visit that "you need to go get blood drawn, if you don't hear from us, everything is perfect. We will only call you if something is wrong." So, I anxiously call them and I am told (in the first sentence of the conversation) that my lab test came back abnormal and that I tested positive for Downs Syndrome. I am in the bathroom at work and my stomach hits the floor. Everything the nurse said after that, I didn't comprehend. All I heard was that my son would have Downs Syndrome. She did say that there was a 1 in 300 chance and that just because my test came back positive as a risk, it did NOT mean he had it, just that I needed to have a further ultrasound to make sure he didn't (didn't hear this or understand the first time around). I call Brent and my mom freaking out, crying hysterically (please keep in mind I am at work teaching 3 year olds when this call was made).. Not one time did the nurse say "do you have a minute? are you able to talk?" NOTHING. Anyway, I probably would consider this one of THE worst days of my life. I have never prayed so much, and it was not that I was asking God to make sure he didn't have Downs Syndrome, it was more so asking Him to help me understand and give me the strength to deal with this. I get home and quickly go on the computer to research. I start reading the numbers and remember the nurse said something about 1 in 300 chance, but like I said, I didn't comprehend anything after her first sentence. I also read about how common FALSE positives occur and that this screening is VERY inaccurate, that most women go on to find out their baby is perfectly healthy. So, I decide to call that nurse back. She explained that my PERSONAL chance came back as 1 in 300, which was considered extremely low and that even some lab places would have considered that normal (she could have explained this when she first called). She reassured me this didn't mean my son at this, just that there was a small risk. So, she set up an appointment for me with Atlanta Maternal Specialist for the following Monday (my 18th week). The next week was the worst of my pregnancy yet.. I had terrible nightmares, was constantly researching, praying, etc. I didn't want stress to affect the two of us, but it was very difficult. I also didn't want to tell anyone about this until after the ultrasound. I lost nights of sleep until Monday.


Week 18: Today was the day. My mom and I went to the appointment together. I don't think I have ever been SO nervous in my entire life. I was finally called back, from what it seemed like hours of paperwork of mine and Brent's life history. Ashley, the ultrasound technician who called me back (can't believe I remember her name), said "Do you know why you are here?" I said, "Yes, because there is a chance my son has Downs Syndrome." She said, "Barely." She explained that 1 in 300 in other labs was actually considered NORMAL and that I would have never have gotten a call if it would have been somewhere else. She explained that it was my particular lab that cut off "normal" at 1 in 250 chance, thus this stressful process. She also explained the factors that could lead to the positive results, which could be the doctor being off even a day on gestational age or "stuff" in my system (I had just had surgery a week before my blood was drawn). My mom and I explained the phone call I received and Ashley was appalled. She couldn't BELIEVE the way it was handled and barely explained. She made me feel much better and proceeded with the ultrasound that would determine the results. She tested EVERYTHING from Brody's heart all the way to his pinkies! He showed NONE of the signs of Downs Syndrome and in fact, said everything was perfect. The doctor came in next to look at the results herself. She too said I missed the "normal" screening mark by a millimeter and that everything was fine.

Honestly, I thought having my appendix removed was the worst week of pregnancy so far, but this TOPS it completely. In fact, this was two of the worst weeks of my life. It could have been handled differently. Glad that we can move past this! WHEW.

Week 16

We are contemplating middle names for our little man.. We have decided on Brody as a first name, but Brent wants Jett as the middle name and I want Lee.. I wanted Brody in the first place, so I may have to compromise. Brody Jett Philmon is a catcher though! :)

Something very exciting this week: Brody got his furniture thanks to Grandma Phyllis!! It is precious! I have always loved black furniture, so we got a crib and chest. The crib actually will grow with him! It turns into a toddler bed, day bed, and into a FULL size bed.. so cool! Now, I am carefully looking at bedding.. Decisions, decisions!

Have to go for the most dreaded OB appointment: blood work! Yuck!

From BabyCenter.com: Get ready for a growth spurt. In the next few weeks, your baby will double his weight and add inches to his length. Right now, about the size of an avacodo, 4 1/2 inches long (head to rump) and 3 1/2 ounces. His legs are much more developed, his head is more erect than it has been, and his eyes have moved closer to the front of his head. His ears are close to their final position, too. The patterning of his scalp has begun, though his locks aren't recognizable yet. He's even started growing toenails. And there's a lot happening inside as well. For example, his heart is now pumping about 25 quarts of blood each day, and this amount will continue to increase as your baby continues to develop.

Week 15: The WORST yet

Ok, I have had a smooth sailing pregnancy so far, but the start of this week was HORRIBLE. Saturday, Brent and I took the kids to Helen for a day trip with Kasey and her family. We went tubing and went to the water park. I was a little tired from doing some activity out of the norm, but not bad. We headed home about 5pm and ordered us a pizza. We ate and watched "The Crazies." I of course fell asleep during the movie and woke up on the couch about 9pm. I felt like I had been kicked in the stomach! I thought maybe I had pulled a muscle or something and didn't think too much of it. Well, we headed to bed and about 30 minutes later is when it all began. From this point until 9am the next morning, I vomited every 30 minutes. It was like clockwork.. It had Brent and I VERY worried. By 2am, I was just dry heeving.. I was actually drinking water, just so I wouldn't have to dry heeve when the next 30 minutes were up.. It was almost if I had food poisoning. I got ZERO sleep and began to worry because I wasn't keeping anything down to keep the baby and myself hydrated. So, about 9:30am Sunday, July 4th (the next morning) I decided to call my OBGYN.. The abdominal pain by this point tripled.. I could barely walk. Dr. Shilling was out of town, but I was transferred to Dr. McIntosh from Women's Healthcare. I described all of my symptoms to her and she informed me to head straight to the ER because the pain I was describing was where my appendix was. OH MY GOSH, I thought.. that NEVER occured to me and opened up all kinds of worries. The boys were still sleeping and we headed to Henry. The ER wasn't packed at all (it was July 4th so I wouldn't think so) and I was seen almost immediately. I was taken into an ER room where we met with a doctor and he wanted a CAT scan immediately. I was VERY scared because radiation to the baby is NEVER good.. and they didn't help by reading and going over all of the risks to having a scan while pregnant. But, they said there was no other option to finding out what was going on. I had to drink this dye that had to settle for 2 hours.. I couldn't take it thru an IV because I am pregnant. I went in for the CAT scan about 2pm and within 15 minutes of being done, the doctor informed us that I had Appendicitis and my appendix had to be removed immediately. EMERGENCY SURGERY, pregnant?! I had never been SO scared in my entire life. They called the team in to do the surgery because it was a holiday and they didn't have any surgeries scheduled, only call-ins. The surgery lasted about an hour and everything went great.. Whew. The surgeon told Brent that my appendix was close to rupturing. They put me in Labor and Delivery for recovery so they could monitor the baby and I. That was a relief. I went home the Monday evening and told the nurses I did NOT want to see them again until December! :) What a scary and hectic experience..

I have been recovering well. The first couple of days I slept mostly and by Friday I was moving around. After all, I had my very important interview with GSU to get into the Early Childhood Education program.. Am I dedicated to teaching or what?? Hehe. That went well and I should know something by July 23.

From BabyCenter.com: Your growing baby now measures about 4 inches long, crown to rump, and weighs in at about 2 1/2 ounces about the size of an apple. She's busy moving amniotic fluid through her nose and upper respiratory tract, which helps the primitive air sacs in her lungs begin to develop. Her legs are growing longer than her arms now, and she can move all of her joints and limbs. Although her eyelids are still fused shut, she can sense light. If you shine a flashlight at your tummy, for instance, she's likely to move away from the beam. There's not much for your baby to taste at this point, but she is forming taste buds. Finally, if you have an ultrasound this week, you may be able to find out whether your baby's a boy or a girl! (Don't be too disappointed if it remains a mystery, though. Nailing down your baby's sex depends on the clarity of the picture and on your baby's position. He or she may be modestly curled up or turned in such a way as to "hide the goods.")