Third Prenatal appointment

Today the weather was absolutely gorgeous, despite being a little cool. The doctor's office was crazy busy, much busier than I have ever seen it (most of the patients had someone with them this time)! My wait still wasn't too long, and we went through all the routine stuff again.

In the last 4 weeks, I have gained 2 more pounds (I think I'm up to around 5 total). My blood pressure was even lower yet at 110/62, excellent. The doctor said the position of my uterus is right on target, and for the first time measured it from the bone to the top and said it was 16 centimeters. That was right around where it should be too. He mentioned something about even if the position measured slightly short, it wouldn't mean anything for me because I have a really long torso.

The baby almost didn't want to stay still long enough for the doctor to get the heart rate. He'd find it, then it would disappear! We also could hear the baby's movements causing some static on the doppler! I still cannot feel too much of that moving quite yet, so it's good to know yes the little one is active like he/she should be. The heart rate appears to be around 130 bpm or so now, much lower than before (160 bpm for the first appointment, 150 bpm for the second)! I had expected this to be the case. I read it is very common for active women, particularly runners, to have babies of either gender with a lower in utero heart rate. I'm sure it doesn't always apply for every active woman though, nothing is universal. The doctor said a lot of people will probably predict boy now, because of the old wives tales, but it can still go either way. :-) This little one just wants to keep people guessing!

My next appointment is only 3 weeks away on Wednesday, June 18 at 4pm. Baby is going to have his or her first pictures taken at the ultrasound! I'm really looking forward to it. Michael, of course, will be coming to this appointment with me. Awww, it's just after Father's Day too!

Tonight we had broiled salmon for dinner, with rice and a salad. Salmon is great for pregnant women to eat, in moderation, since it has beneficial Omega-3's that are good for baby's brain development and both of our overall health. Since becoming pregnant I've been cautious about the country of origin for any fish I eat (I loved how in Hawaii, most fish was fresh, local, and cheap)! I also learned to pay attention to whether my salmon was wild or farm-raised (wild is better...less likely to contain PCBs). Since I didn't know this before, this is what PCB's are:

"Polychlorinated biphenyls PCBs are mixtures of up to 209 individual chlorinated compounds (known as congeners). There are no known natural sources of PCBs. PCBs are either oily liquids or solids that are colorless to light yellow. PCBs have been used as coolants and lubricants in transformers, capacitors, and other electrical equipment because they don't burn easily and are good insulators. The manufacture of PCBs was stopped in the U.S. in 1977 because of evidence they build up in the environment and can cause harmful health effects. However, PCBs persist in the environment. Fish absorb PCBs from contaminated sediments and from their food." http://www.healthcastle.com/wildsalmon-farmraisedsalmon.shtml

With that in mind, I think it is worth being choosy for Little One's sake! I do know, even if I do occasionally eat farm-raised, the benefits far outweigh any risk (much like the benefits of running far outweigh any risk of injuries). The good news is, salmon tends to have very low mercury levels and is one of the highest natural sources of Omega-3s. You also don't need that much to get the benefits! I plan to eat it only once every 2 weeks or so. Tuna is also a decent source of Omega 3's, and I am allowed to consume up to a can a week if I chose.