14...No, 13?....14...No, 13? No, 14.

Yesterday we had an ultrasound at Maternal Fetal Medicine. From here on out, we will be having ultrasounds about every two weeks until about 28 or so weeks, then I will continue to have frequent ultrasounds to monitor my history of 3rd trimester oligohydramnios or low fluid. Yesterdays appointment was to take a peek at my cervix - once again, getting up close and personal with that, and to do the first part of the nuchal fold screening for genetic disorders.

Baby trying to suck fingers

The baby is looking great. He/She was waving its arms all over the place and was trying to get a finger into its mouth. I wonder if he/she will be like Lilah - she always had something in her mouth during ultrasounds - usually her feet! At one point the baby was not shy in showing us between its legs, but unfortunately it is way too early to even make a guess. I know some people say they found out the gender at 13-14-15 weeks, but the chances of it really being accurate are about 50%. I actually found this website that shows photos of a fetus at the same stage as our baby - both boys and girls look exactly alike, and really, the girls look more like a penis than the boys! Go figure! If you're interested, click here to take a peek. So, I'm thinking by the end of the month or very beginning of December we should know what this little booger is.

Going on the record and guessing "Girl" 

As far as measurements are concerned....the baby is still measuring one week behind. No one is concerned - this is how he/she has measured since my 6 week ultrasound and it correlates with when I think I got pregnant (2 days before Kevin left for Mobile). For now, they will not change my due date....though one doc has mentioned keeping the other date on the back burner, and the ultrasound tech yesterday thought we should with my issues, but the high risk docs said.....No. So, they are keeping me at 14w2d until further notice. If this kid keeps measuring a week behind, there is no way in hell I will let them take my cerclage out at 36 weeks with a baby measuring 35....that's a huge difference in the baby world. A 36 week baby is sooooo much different and more mature than a 35 week baby. No Thanks.

As far as my cervix is concerned it is stable at around 2.5-3cm which is normal for me. Everything was closed up tight and I pray it stays that way until it is time to have a baby. We haven't entered the "danger period" which is about 16-24 weeks in the incompetent cervix world. This is when the weight of the baby is entirely on the cervix, and a woman with a situation like mine, this is not a good thing and could pose serious dangers to the baby. After 24 weeks, the baby gets bigger and the weight of the baby tends to move forward, not sitting directly on the cervix, so the risks tend to drop tremendously and not to mention, the baby is considered "viable" or able to survive outside the mother...though, no one chooses to have a baby at 24 weeks. It's a scary time, I'll admit. I want to be able to run after my three girls, and I want to exercise, and I want to travel, and I want to do all sorts of things, but in the grand scheme of things, I have to be careful. I tend to have an irritable uterus, so having contractions on top of this issue is not the best. Thankfully, I have a good history of making it past the danger period, but I don't want to risk anything. I know at about 19 weeks, my cervical length will drop to about 1.8-2cm and will hopefully stay there, and I will remain off of bed rest, just like I did with Clara. Positive thoughts. I do want to talk to my OB on Tuesday and discuss any exercising I can do - I know long walks, running and probably lifting weights are out of the question...I am hoping I can do something.