Saturday, November 23, 2013

Bubbles

When I have asked people what the baby moving feels like I get a variety of answers.  Some are not as pleasant sounding: gas.  Some are beautiful sounding: butterflies.  Neither were exactly helpful.

Last night as Matthew and I finished our home vespers I felt a bubble form to the lower right of my bellybutton and then disappear.  I felt something similar a little further to the right a little later.  I told Matthew that I thought the baby was moving.  So he reached his hand out and I placed it over where I had first felt the bubble.

We waited in silence.  Then I felt it again in the exact same spot as the first time!  Same feeling and everything.

Matthew couldn't feel it but it is so exciting to have felt the first "bubbles" of movement. I have felt "bubbles" twice before this but this was more definite to me since it was twice in the same area.

Dear Little Baby,

You are so loved.  Stay safe and growing.  We long for April to come.

All our love,

Papa & Mama


Sunday, November 3, 2013

Heartbeat

On Wednesday, October 30 we went to go hear the heartbeat of our little baby.  My previous experiences led me to believe that I would have to wait in the waiting room for a while until I was seen.  So when I had to leave school before Matthew I was pretty confident that he would still get there in time to hear the heartbeat.

Also, I had forgotten my cell phone that day, so I had no way to contact him.

Almost immediately after I signed in they called me in.  I went over financial information, etc. and was sent back out to the waiting room.  I breathed a sigh of relief that there was still time for Matthew to come.  Then they quickly called me back in again.  I told the nurse that my husband was on his way and asked if they would please let him back to the room with me.  She said if he asked for me they would bring him back.  She began her initial assessments, blood pressure and questions and then thankfully there was a knock at the door asking if "Beth-Anne White" was in this room.  And then Matthew came in.  I was so thankful to see him.

The doctor came in shortly after that with the probe and squirted gel on my stomach and began to search for the heartbeat.  I felt like I should hold my breath.  And secretly I wondered if they would find a heartbeat.  Besides being sick and gaining weight there is nothing that says I'm carrying a living baby.  The doctor said that the baby was moving around a lot and moved the probe again to find it.  And suddenly there it was.  A whirling water/wind sound.  I turned and looked at Matthew and smiled.  The doctor asked if it felt real yet.  She said we both kind of looked like we were trying to process it.  I think we are still trying to process it.  I love going to the doctor now because it is when I get to hear, or see, or know more about our baby.

I could have listened to that heartbeat for a long time.

The doctor said the heartbeat was 156 bpm.  So what we know so far is our baby has long legs, it is active, and is had a 170 bpm at the first ultrasound (but we didn't get to hear it), and 156 bpm at 15 weeks.

December 2 we go back for our gender revealing ultrasound!  Pray that the baby wants to cooperate and let us know what it is.  We can't wait!


This is a clip of someone's ultrasound heartbeat if you want to hear what it sounded like.  I don't know how many beats per minute this was: http://www.hark.com/clips/yrvllvtzsm-baby-heartbeat-14-weeks