27 week ultrasound

Nicolas laying on side of mommy resting

This morning I had another ultrasound check to see how Nicolas is doing and how much more amniotic fluid I am taking on.  I think this ultrasound was one of the more positive experiences we have had.  Overall, Nicolas is looking good. He has grown quite a bit since his last measurements.  He weighs 1lb 12oz and is in the 21st percentile for his age. I am very pleased about those results because he was only in the 16th percentile in October. He has put on 13oz in 4 weeks. 

Look at that cute foot. Not actual size. Note measurement in corner.

The tech commented on his long fingers which I assume he gets from me because my fingers are longer than Bryan's fingers.  And no I don't have man hands!  More importantly his hands were not clenched although some of his fingers cross over.  I will be curious if he inherited the crooked pinky finger like what both girls and I have.  His feet also seem to be good sized at 5.49cm which is basically 2 inches.  I measured it out on a post it note to see how big they are.  No wonder why I am feeling those thumps so strongly.  He also managed to be positioned with his head up right under the right side of my ribs. He must of been practicing his taekwondo techniques yesterday because I was constantly getting bump in the ribs.  His legs and feet are on the complete opposite side (bottom left) and were stretched out and feet were crossed as if he were unwinding on the couch. I always though babies were curled up in a ball in the belly.  He is growing quite nicely.  No new things to report and actually the cysts on his brain no longer exists and went away as they do for many babies.  The tech may have also seen a very very tiny stomach.

Nicolas foot measures 5.49 cm.  Check it out on this post it note.

Crossed feet with legs stretched out.
Who does this remind you of?

I have only managed to increase my amniotic fluid by 1cm which is not bad at all.  I am over the normal limits which range from 9 - 22cm and am currently at 26cm.  Nothing to be alarmed about yet.  The doctor was surprised and impressed with my ability to workout.  The doctor had also asked how we knew he was at T18 baby because she thought although he had some issues such as the possible TE fistula and the VSD that he really looked good.  Lots of positive comments radiating from the tech and doctor.  I think Bryan and I left feeling a little awed at this point.  We know Nicolas has Trisomy 18, but feel as though he is still on the better scale of T18 babies.  If he was a "normal" baby, these issues would not be considered all that bad.  Serious, but certainly not fatal. It hurts my brain to think about these things.

Another beautiful profile shot.
His little face is filling out.

I feel as Nicolas's mom that I am doing everything possible to get him here safely.  I think that the extra care received from my chiropractor with the prenatal supplements and other vitamins is helping Nicolas continue to grow and not fall off the charts.  The next 12 weeks or so will be truly interesting to watch to see how his growth continues.  I am not expected back for another ultrasound for another 4 weeks.  We meet next week with Abbott's OB staff and get to meet the neonatalogist.  I am hoping for a better experience than the last visit with a neo doc.  I should also be getting scheduled for an MRI soon to further investigate the stomach issue.  Of course, Nicolas will need to sit still and play nice for the doctors. He did a great job today.  Very calm considering how busy he was yesterday (ALL DAY). I thought babies were supposed to sleep 20 plus hours a day. 

 



I plan on contacting Bella Angel Imaging to schedule another 3D/4D ultrasound of our little guy.  He has grown so much it would be fun to see his face now that he has filled out more.  We are gifted with one more of these awesome experiences and I want to time it perfectly so it won't seem like forever before we get to see his darling face in person.

Just Because...

Not that I am fond of photographs while I am working out.....but I had to include this one from yesterday.  Still working out at Crossfit (http://www.crossfittc.com/) and Taekwondo (http://www.wta4u.com/). 

Trying to stay as strong and fit as possible.  I am in the black outfit with the 45lb bar over my head. I was doing a pushup on the bar sitting on the squat rack then a clean to a push press. We had to do 77 reps.  I did them all. Oh and I rowed over 1700 meters as a warm up.  I am over 25 weeks pregnant!!! Ms. Bishop in the blue is also pregnant. I think she is around 17 weeks. 

My plan is to continue my slightly modified workouts until the doctors tell me I can't. That will be a very sad day!!! I love my workouts.

Strength

On Friday I went to Crossfit TC to try and accomplish my workout for the day.  Needless to say I was not all that motivated at first because the WOD (work of the day) was heavy lifting. Not exactly something a pregnant woman should be doing.  After a nice warm up on the rower, we proceeded to get ready to do some pull ups. I hung up my two bands (one purple, one black) from the pull-up bars.  The goal was to do the maximum reps of pull ups each round for a total of 7 rounds. The first round I knocked out 8, then went down to a good solid 6 until the final two rounds where I managed 5 and finally 4 pull ups. 

We then moved on to the heavy lifting.  It was push press day.  I couldn't remember my non-pregnant max push press weight. So the CrossfitTC ladies proceeded to work on finding out max weight.  I stopped at 95 pounds. Coach Robbe felt that was good enough.  We then worked our way down the weights while increasing the number of repetitions by 1.  I started at 95 and went down to 65 pounds for 5 times at the end. Not bad. Oh, funny comment of the day came from Leslie as she so nicely observed that the two pregnant ladies (myself and Ms. Bishop) were the ones who could not only lift the most, but also were the individuals who were pulling the weight plates on and off the bar.

I surprised myself on Friday.  I know earlier in my pregnancy I deadlifted 205lbs, but I would have never guess that at 22 + weeks I am still strong and able to lift the weights.

I can thank the CrossfitTC coaches for continuing to work me hard and for keeping me in great shape during my pregnancy.