Entry tags:

pregnancy

We had the standard ultrasound appt this week, and it was quite obvious that Ada is not getting a sister (unless she's transgendered). Even I, who can hardly differ a chicken from a human baby at this stage, could see that. No shyness there! Everything else looked fine. I had already had a sneakpeak last week, as part of a research study I ended up not being qualified for (disqualified for research, is that bad?). (I was too far along.) They focused on the heart, so there shouldn't be any anomalities they can spot at 19 weeks there. And he has to arms and two legs and a nice lip and split brain and all that. The due date is around July.

We have started to tell Ada that I have a baby in my tummy. She usually responds by pointing at her own tummy or by saying the baby is in my pants. But the other day she started putting raisins into my belly button, claiming that the baby was hungry. And then picked them out again to eat them. At least she shows some understanding of anatomy and the use of navels...

As for pregnancy as such it's going ok. It's much tougher this time than the first time, and I am still sick. Morning sickness (or rather evening sickness) is not fun at all, and eating is the only thing that helps. I am also rather exhausted, but I can manage that. Going to work is ok, the three hours between work and someone's bedtime not so fun - but I manage that, too, and Ada can live fine with a mum on the couch and a dad who does the reading, feeding and bathing with her.

We're still breastfeeding - after all the struggle to get her started I am not in for giving up yet! Or at least I don't want to initiate weaning - she can do that. She only nurses about twice a day, and I don't have much milk. I am pretty sure I have started to have colostrum, the kind of milk that's in the breasts until the milk "comes in" a couple of days after birth. Production usually starts in the 5th month of pregnancy. The milk is not stored in the breast until birth, like other bodily fluids milk is absorbed by the body if it's not drained/secreted, and the production is continuously. It's driven by hormones, not by demand (even though I guess the production even of colostrum may increase by demand even if the lactation process is not yet "there" - "there" being the processes that happen during and after birth, with the actual birth, the release of placenta etc).

Colostrum is fascinating stuff, I may write more about it later. It has a laxative effect, which helps the body dispose of meconium, the waste product made in the bowel during pregnancy when the baby swallows water. After birth the bowels should be empted of meconium, and colostrum helps with this. This also work with older kids. I am pretty sure I started making colostrum in the middle of last week, as Ada started having looser stools then. The reason why I make this connection is that they went back to normal when I was away for 36 hours - then the looser ones returned again when I was back. It's potent!