Shake Rattle and Hum

The first time it happened, it really really surprised me, and when I told your daddy about it, he totally freaked out.

Letti : My belly's just VIBRATED!!!

The Hubs : WHAT??

Letti : The baby was doing this vibrating thing in my tummy!

The Hubs : OMG is he having a seizure???

Letti : I don't think so. It was only for a second. Like popcorn exploding in my tummy, like "gaboing gaboing gaboiiiiinnnnnggggggggg".

The Hubs : *erk*

Anyway, we've been to see the doctor since the first incident, and you've had several "vibrating" episodes since then, but we believe it's hiccups or something, and nothing to worry about. Apparently, a lot of mothers feel their babies vibrating in their tummies sometimes.

Eat Sleep and Grow

Seems like that's basically what I'm doing these days.

Eating, sleeping and GROWING bigger.

Coincidentally, that's what JUNIOR is doing too, so that kinda makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

And speaking of sleeping, I wasn't quite the night owl before ( that's your daddy's department, Junior ), but I probably went to bed at around midnight or so. I've noticed, though, that in the last week, come 9 pm, and I would have a hard time keeping my eyes open. Totally khamazing. Usually, at that point in the night, I'm in bed with my feet propped up, laying on my side, playing some games on the laptop which would be on the nightstand next to the bed.

And I would close my eyes for a second and wake up 3 hours later or something, with the laptop having gone to sleep as well.

More Check Ups

Your daddy and I had to go to Brownwood ( where grand-daddy WLW grew up ) yesterday for a ( repeat ) medical checkup for immigration purposes. ( Bureaucracy, what can I say ) It all went smoothly, and the only thing I had to do, other than being examined by the doctor, was have a chest xray done. I had cleared it with our obstetrician, as well as maternal and fetal specialist, and got the green light to go ahead and have the xray done, with a lead apron/shield on.

Your dad was especially nervous, but I know you were well protected. Your mommy even hung around while the xray film was being processed and read her own chest xray film. LOL. Once a doctor... oh well, I knew there was nothing wrong with me, but this was immigration red tape stuff, and I wanted to be sure. You were pretty active at the doctor's office, though. I guess your parents' vibes as to how important this was to them got passed on to you... :)

If you can't beat em, join em

The hubs says he's getting a taste of what I'm used to having to deal with at night, because all of the sudden, in the past week or 2, he says I've started snoring. And not too subtly either.

GAAAAHHHHHHHHH

I can't help it if I'm getting pregnancy congestion...

I can't help it if my face and neck are now swallowed up in mounds of fat....

*sigh* This is highly unladylike and very disturbing. I wake up in the night feeling thirsty, and the back of my throat is a little sore and full of yucky mucousy stuff.

But what can you do about something that is part and parcel of almost reaching your third trimester? I guess some breathe right strips and propping up with more pillows and more sleeping on the side.

And to think there is a whole 'nother trimester to go .

Palpitations @ week 24

Having between 45 - 50 % more blood coursing through your veins does weird things to you, like making your heart beat up to 20 beats/minute more than usual... . As well has having your insides and different organs shifted around to make space for an expanding uterus as well as changing size and shape .!!!..

Position and Size of Heart

As the uterus enlarges and the diaphragm becomes elevated, the heart is displaced upward and somewhat to the left with rotation on its long axis, so that the apex beat is moved laterally. Cardiac capacity increases by 70-80mL; this may be due to increased volume or hyperthophy of cardiac muscle.The size of the heart appears to increase by about 12%

Cardiac Output

Cardiac output increases approximately 40% during pregnancy, reaching its maximum at 20-24 week’s gestation and continuing at this level until term. The increase in output can be as much as1,5L/min over the non pregnant level. Cardiac output is very sensitive to changes in body position. This sensitivity increases with lengthening gestation, presumably because the uterus impinges upon the inferior vena cava, thereby decreasing blood return to the heart. The increase in plasma volume (40-50%) is relatively greater than that of red cell mass (20-30%) resulting in hemodilution and a decrease in hemoglobin concentration

And that's just the part that has to do with the heart. I haven't even begun to think about the widening of my rib cage, and pushing up of the diaphragm etc etc.

I've been getting these ( not really episodes, but ) brief moments in the day when I feel like my heart's beating too fast, and it makes me uncomfortable for a little while. But it doesn't make me feel faint or anything like that. It just makes me feel like I've run up a flight of stairs. And then it goes away after a couple of minutes.

It's also strange, but I wouldn't trade this for anything in the world :)