How She’s Doing in There?

At my bi-monthly sonograms, I continue to smile and laugh out loud at what Little Bit does. She clearly does not wish to be disturbed in there and will do her best to evade the ultrasound wand. During recent appointments, she again tried to swat the wand away. When the technician didn't move the wand, she put both hands up in front of her face in "Put Up Your Dukes" fashion.

Using 4D ultrasound technology, the technician has tried to obtain a clear look at the front of her face on numerous occasions. She hasn't cooperated, though, only showing us 2/3 of her face.

When no one is bothering Little Bit, she’s actually very calm. She flutters at times, which feels like popcorn is lightly popping in my stomach. She's already 15" and three pounds so she does shift positions from time-to-time. I've felt her hiccups and gas bubbles, but I generally don't notice much activity.

In almost 30 weeks, I've only felt her truly kick a total of three times. Friends who are moms describe feeling their babies-to-be kick as the best feeling in the world. I just find it odd and jarring. When I initially felt her kick, I was teaching a class on Feminism as part of my 50 Shades Trilogy course. I let out an, “Ohhhh!” because the sensation caught me off guard. (And, yes, I have to chuckle that the first time I feel a hard kick from her is when I’m talking about feminism. She really is my daughter!)

Thankfully, my pregnancy has been uneventful…with one exception…

On the last day of our vacation, my neurological issues were in full effect. I awoke throwing up and couldn’t stop for several hours. I was so dehydrated that I started having false contractions, also known as Braxton-Hicks contractions. As the day progressed, the contractions lessened, but the experience still concerned me. I feared that something was wrong and that I would end up having to deliver in an island hospital. (Granted, the island had a very well-respected neonatal department, but at the time, I didn’t find that comforting.)

As I boarded the plane back to DC that evening, I said a prayer that I would be home soon and she would be okay. I happened to have a sonogram already scheduled for the following day so I learned that all was indeed well. I hope not to get dehydrated again in the future, but if that happens, I know what Braxton-Hicks contractions feel like.

There's typically not a correlation between a fetus' activity inside the womb and how a child is outside of the womb. Nonetheless, I still find myself wondering, if she'll be stubborn like she is during the sonograms or calm like she is the rest of the time. If she's healthy when she arrives on May 31st, though, that's all that matters!

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