Update on General Zod
The sad news is, I didn’t get to hear a heartbeat today.
The good news is, Kevin, Michelle and the doctor all saw General Zod squirming on the portable ultrasound machine the doctor dug out when she decided General Zod was hiding too well to show up on a doppler. She said she thought everything looked good, and that my very minor cramps were just the uterus stretching (which is basically what I’d hoped).
I think the next step is to call my aunts. This weekend, though, since my long distance is so crummy.
Hm, do I have more to say? I was definitely ready for more concrete evidence of General Zod’s continued growth; a tiny bit of spotting on Friday (after heavy lifting on Thursday) plus the stretchy cramps made me, well, happy for evidence. When she couldn’t find the heartbeat I thought ‘I knew it!’ but without any panic or worry. I think that was because the doctor was so calm about it.
The doctor ordered the quad screen blood test, which is a blood analysis that looks for four different substances in the blood. The levels of those substances combined with other risk factors lets the doctor decide if they should order additional screening for stuff like neural tube defects and Down Syndrome. The phlebotomist couldn’t get blood from the first arm so she had to stick me a second time, which I’d never personally experienced before.
Kevin said he wanted a portable ultrasound machine of his own, but if he had one, he wouldn’t leave me alone.
The IntarWeb says that the baby’s probably around 4 inches long now. My God. No wonder I feel sore and crowded inside. Presumably it’s kicking organs out of the way to make room, since it isn’t rising up or sticking out any. Stop it! Stop, Zod! Stop kicking me! Come to the front, there’s PLENTY of room up top. Nothing there but cushion.
The most annoying little change to ME as a result of General Zod is that I make tiny little noises now sometimes when falling asleep. When I’m exhaling, my voicebox will randomly engage, causing a tiny little ‘mmm’ noise– just loud enough to wake me up. That’s really a general theme, though– all my various output systems have become linked and looser. V. irritating.
Chrysoula, 
Annabelle, and 
Stacy are discussing.
Stacy 3:25 pm on March 19, 2007 Permalink
Yay, everything looking good!!!
And a minor slap on the hand for doing the heavy lifting. This is the one time in your life, girl, when you shouldn’t feel the tiniest bit guilty for getting other people to do the lifting for you.
Chrysoula 5:57 pm on March 19, 2007 Permalink
It honestly didn’t occur to me that it would be bad at the time; I was heaving a sack of soil around. I can usually carry the size I got with some effort but no real problems, but I decided it would be less effort to heave it over a 4 foot tall fence rather than lug it up and down some stairs. May or may not have been true but the 4 foot fence was definitely a challenge– there was no way I could lift it high enough to clear the fence. Lucky for me, it was a wire fence and it kind of bent some.
I have two 55 qt bags of dirt in the car now that I am happily making Kevin and/or Raymond lift for me. Heck, Saturday, I wouldn’t even lift the container of kitty litter.
Annabelle 10:00 am on March 20, 2007 Permalink
Hmm … be glad the child isn’t breech. (yet) The way I faced in Merry’s womb: My feet kicked the bottom part of her spinal cord.
Besides that, it is funny to think of Kevin chasing you around with a portable ultrasound machine. (hehee)
Chrysoula 12:14 pm on March 20, 2007 Permalink
I think it’s way too early for it to be firmly breech, in any case. I know there’s a lot more organ kicking to come! It’s just this is supposed to be the nice trimester.