Third Prenatal Exam

Yesterday, I had my third prenatal exam. Had, did, same difference.

I showed Louis how to dip my urine, take my pulse and blood pressure, palpate my uterus, and listen to the baby's heartbeat. It was fun this time because my uterus was actually palpate-able and the baby's heart was just galloping away. I've already hit the four month mark, and I am super excited about the fact that I haven't gained a single pound. I knew I was gonna be able to hide it for a long time. I wonder how long I'll be able to not show. I love being able to feel the top of my uterus rising a little bit each week. I can definitely feel my belly, I just can't really see anything new yet.

I'm in the window where it's possible to start feeling the baby's movements. I've heard the first movements described as small flutters or gas bubbles. I haven't felt either, but I do feel what I would describe as the slightest cramping every now and then throughout the day. The weirdest thing is that I feel this sort of super light cramping most often when Louis is nearby, which tends to be most often at night. Maybe I'm imagining things, but I could swear the baby knows when Louis is around, especially when he's talking to the baby or reading a story.

I have very little appetite at the moment, and in fact, most food seems unappealing to me. I have to keep reminding myself to eat throughout the day. The one exception seems to be pickles, which I discovered this past weekend. Oh no, am I gonna become a stereotypical pregnant pickle-craving lady!? I'm not too worried about my appetite, because my cravings and aversions seem to change almost daily. It's even hard for me to keep up. Some mornings I wake up and have to ask myself, "do I want eggs today?" I'll look at the carton in the refrigerator and get a strong reaction that is either a clear, "YES!" or, "oh, no, definitely not."

This past weekend, I started a "nesting to-do list," which is a list of things that have to get done before the baby arrives, like choosing diapers, washing all the baby clothing, and gathering all the birth supplies. It only took a few minutes of brainstorming for me to fill up a whole sheet of paper with things to do. Will it all get done? It must!