Pregnancy #3, Baby #5: Weeks 20-23; and a Concern

Weeks 20-22:

Everything has been going really well. Definitely expanding more. Weight is 142lbs (up from 135lbs). Feeling Anna-Kate more and more as each day passes. She loves to be active in the evening, just like all of her sisters did.

I was having a hard time sleeping, but that has improved in the last week or so.

I also have had a lot of heartburn this time too, as with all my pregnancies.

Dealing with dry skin (but that could be the winter weather). 

Craving alllllllllll sweets! I swear, I am eating ice cream every night! It's terrible, but it's an excuse to get some more calcium, am I right?!

Today is Wednesday, February 12th, and I am 22w6d. 

Monday, I had a pernatology appointment. I didn't know if I want to share the experience I had on our blog, but I like to be honest and not hold things back that really happen, and this is a document of my pregnancy with Anna. So, I went into the room, normal scan but the sonographer was looking at everything and I thought it was just a little strange since I had already had my anatomy scan weeks ago. She was literally counting each and every finger and toe, looking and measuring every brain vessel, bone, just everything, very, very, very thorough. Next the doctor came in, {same peri I had with my pregnancy with Emily, so he knows me and my history very well} and he did a scan too and said, "she is beautiful!" Heartbeat was 152 bpm. She was moving and kicking and looked perfect! The nurses then did the cervical check and all was fine with that. Cervix was 3.2. Then she said the doctor will be back in. Why was he coming back in, I thought? 

So he came back in...said, "I want to do a scan.." and I said, "you know you already did one, right?" (thinking maybe he forgot what room he was in) and he said he knew and wanted to look at something. Okay....

So he started the scan and went immediately to her leg bones, specifically, the bones between the knee and ankle. He measured the bones. Then asked how tall my husband was. I said 6'2. And how tall am I? I said 5'8. How tall are your other girls? I said, they are tall too. Emily was just measured in the 75th percentile for one year olds. He then moved to the arms and measured them. Then he looked more clearly at her face and said, clearly I see a nasal bone, so that's good. I was really confused.

Finally, with my heart in my throat, I asked, is something wrong!? The doctor finally explained that Anna is measuring very small in her limbs. Let me first say that this can be completely normal. She is very healthy and growing appropriately for gestational age. But as it shows right now her legs are measuring in the 7th percentile and her arms in the 10th. He said, they then look for the nasal bone, to rule out certain things such as down syndrome and of course, my blood work from the first trimester. He said to call my OB and make sure the blood work was all normal, which it was. Amen. Anna clearly has a nasal bone and every other perfect body part.

He said basically we just have to wait until the next peri appointment in 4 weeks, March 11th. Once again, he said this could all resolve before the next appointment. And that she may be just be a smaller baby then of others (let's hope of course, that she isn't small like the triplets were!) and may not be as tall as them when she grows up. Of course we are praying and hoping for everything to be just fine and if she's a little shorter than her sisters, well that's just fine! :) 

Of course it isn't settling to hear that anything could possibly be wrong with your child, but I am being optimistic. I really can't make anymore conclusions until the next appointment, and each appointment after that, we will know more and more. But no matter what I still feel a little uneasy.

All I know for now and what I have to have faith in, is that my sweet baby girl that is growing inside of me, is doing just fine and even if she has shorter limbs, she is still strong enough to be kicking the heck out of me everyday...and each time she does, it's making me smile! :)

And here are some photos taken at the appointment (22w4d):

Today, I am 23 weeks and feeling good! I didn't get much sleep last night, but that's to be expected when your belly is growing and it's getting more uncomfortable. I miss sleeping on my belly so.much!!!!!!! Other than that, all is good. Anna-Kate is moving so much and kicking me all evening! I love it and I will miss never having this feeling again...but I feel so blessed that I got to experience it three times over! 

Here is a photo at 23 weeks (and 1 day) of the growing belly I feel like I am carrying much higher this pregnancy, even though the doctors keep saying she is VERY head down:

Hoping the next 17 weeks go super smooth!