16 weeks!

Hello anyone still with me :)

Four months pregnant!  I was talking to someone at MOPS last night about weeks vs. months.  She said back when she had her children, once you were past 6 weeks they just said 2 months, 3 months etc.  Certainly sounds easier.  Though I'm almost halfway already, I never felt like four months sounds all that impressive.  "How far along are you?"  "Four months" Four is a small number.  But 16 weeks.... 16 is a big number that makes it feel like I've come a lot further.  But I did have someone ask me the other day how many months that was.  So it's about four :)  I'm still trying to convince myself I feel pregnant and just enjoy it, not focusing on the negative, which is actually kind of hard to do as much as I don't want to be any kind of a negative person.  I think I've definitely been feeling some more movement, but this one is being a lot less obvious about it then the boys were so it's still kind of hard to tell.  I did learn that I do have a tilted uterus as I did with Oliver (not Elliott) but I was definitely feeling him move consistently by now, so I guess every pregnancy really is just different.  I can't wait until movement does become a definite and consistent though, that's really the best part, even in a few months when the kicking is directed straight at your bladder which doesn't feel fantastic, but it's still the best!

This week I sent an email for more information on the Johns Hopkins Birth Companion program.  Basically they are nursing students looking to log experience hours in childbirth support.  Though they did make it clear that while you may be assigned someone to your pregnancy, they are full time nursing students and in the end its rare, but you may end up getting someone else if the one assigned to you isn't available at the time you go into labor or potentially even not have gotten matched by the end.  That makes me a little uneasy, because historically if it can happen with me, it will.  So I guess this is just my first step in deciding on whether or not to have someone there to assist if I get the chance to do the whole labor thing.  I know I would find it more than difficult to justify spending the money to hire a doula.  At least then it would be so much less likely she just wouldn't be available.  But given the fact that even going into labor isn't a sure thing for me, let alone other factors that could effect whether I get to stay in labor.... that's a lot of money for a not for sure thing. Money I could much more easily justify for other things, like I also would love the idea of getting someone to be a mother's helper for a few weeks before and or after.  At least the need for help before and after is a definite.  But we'll see... plenty of time for that.  In the mean time I get to fill out a nice questionnaire for the birth companion program, so that they can match me with someone if I chose to start that process. 

Monday is my next appointment and then in two weeks we have what I hope will be our last routine ultrasound for the 20 week anatomy scan.  After all the non stress tests and ultrasounds with Elliott, I admit that they aren't as exciting for me anymore.  Those first two early ones this time were just as thrilling and i'll look forward to the one in a few weeks to see how big he or she has gotten etc, but I do hope that will be it from there!  And that's it for me this week, not much to say really :)  But thanks for reading just the same!

Until next time...