In the last few weeks my belly size has increased noticeably. I had physical therapy on Monday and again on Friday, and when I walked in on Friday the therapists were like, “HOLY CRAP YOUR STOMACH!” (the PT has made a HUGE improvement in my shoulder -it’s still very painful, but I can move so much easier.) I look at myself in the mirror most days so I don’t really notice by sight, but I’ve been putting on the maternity clothes I wore when I was pregnant with Madeline and they are just about at their limit. Binky hasn’t quite passed her sister’s gestational mark, but my stomach is definitely bigger than it ever was with Madeline. I’m already getting the “you look like you’re going to give birth any minute!” comments. When I tell them I have eleven more weeks, they can’t believe it.

27 weeks

I realize it’s somewhat hard to tell scale, so here is an example.

resting comfortably on my belly

Rigby can lay across the top of my belly with no problem. I can even walk around with her on it. I wouldn’t, though, because I think she’d like that too much.

Last Tuesday I had my weekly appointment with Dr. Risky, and I had an ultrasound. It was scheduled for two reasons. The first is that the anti-contraction medicine I’m on can sometimes result in reduced amniotic fluid, so Dr. Risky wants to measure it every couple of weeks. The second reason is my stomach measured big two weeks ago, so she wanted to also measure Binky. I was very relieved that we were going to see Binky the day before Madeline’s birthday – I wanted to go into that day with no extra worries about my second child.

My regular vitals were good – my blood pressure was the same as the previous week, my urine had no ketones, and while I didn’t gain any weight, I didn’t lose any either. I always hold my breath during the first part of the ultrasound. Even though I can feel the baby wiggling, I just can’t relax until Dr. Risky has a good look and we hear Binky’s heartbeat. Luckily, we heard the heartbeat right away and Dr. Risky quickly announced that Binky’s fluid level was perfect.

After some maneuvering and measuring, Dr. Risky estimated that Binky weighed about  two pounds four ounces. For a baby of her gestational age, that is in the 77th percentile. So, on the bigger side, but Madeline weighed three pounds when she was born so it seems Binky is following the same path. Dr. Risky also said that Binky has above-average leg length. She definitely doesn’t get that from me. I am 5’3″, and Mike is 6’3″. Maddie had tiny duplicates of my legs – she even had dimples in the same places. Hopefully this means Binky has her daddy’s long legs.

From my vantage point on the table, I couldn’t quite see the ultrasound screen, but Mike said he got some great looks at Binky’s face. We did get a print out, although he said just a split second before the detail had been amazing. I can still see her little face in this picture, though, even if it isn’t as sharp as what Mike saw.

If you can’t tell what you’re looking at, here’s a cheat sheet:

I’m hopeful that we’ll have another ultrasound soon. With Madeline’s gestational date looming in less than two weeks, nothing helps my anxiety more than seeing my little Binky moving around on the screen.