Amniocentesis

We went and got the test done this afternoon. Before the procedure, the doctor took a good long look at Peanut via ultrasound and printed out a few pictures for us. When he was guiding the needle into my uterus, we saw something moving about on the screen. I said, "Is that a hand or a foot?" The doctor said, "It's a hand. Don't worry. The baby's not going to grab the needle." Well.... I wasn't concerned that the baby was going to grab the needle. I just wanted to know if it was a hand or a foot.

The entire procedure took only about 5 minutes, and I hardly felt anything. Aside from the usual amount, the doctor also took 10 more ccs of the amniotic fluid to do DNA testing for hemophilia. We'll have the results in a couple of weeks.

Meanwhile... here are two latest pictures of Peanut:
















Doc: "You're having a boy."
Kate: "How do you know? What do you see?"
Doc (looking insulted): "Here. I'll mark everything for you."

Now we know.

Quickening

"The Quickening is a phenomenon. When an Immortal is beheaded, there is a powerful energy release from their body which is called a Quickening. Lead Highlander explains, "The Quickening is the receiving of all the power and knowledge another immortal has obtained throughout his/her life. It is like the receiving of a sacrament or a massive orgasm." It is also described as: "The power of the Quickening is the equivalent to a major electrical storm hitting -- windows explode, lights short circuit, it is almost as if the victorious Immortal is in the center of a lightning storm." -- modified from Wikipedia

Hee hee hee....

Okay... you can stop rolling your eyes or shaking your head or making comments about what a dork I am or all of the above now. Now that my childish urge to goof around has been satisfied, let's get back to adulthood.


Quickening --"Some moms can feel their babies move as early as 13-16 weeks from the start of their last period. These first fetal movements are called quickening and are often described as flutters. It may be difficult to determine whether this feeling is gas or your baby’s movements, but soon you will begin to notice a pattern. First-time moms may not feel these movements as early as second-time moms. Some moms, especially those in their first pregnancy, may not feel movement until 18-20 weeks. Remember that each woman and each pregnancy is different, so you may not feel movement as early as another woman. There is a broad range of when the first detection of movement can be felt, ranging from 13-25 weeks." -- American Pregnancy Association

Feeling the baby move for the first time was nothing like what I'd expected. I had read somewhere that a new mom-to-be would be filled with a feeling of love and sweetness so overwhelming that she might even shed a tear. Nope! These "flutters", or "a fish flopping in mud" as a friend calls it, have woken me up two nights in a row. I did feel like crying at one point, but it was mostly out of frustration because I couldn't go back to sleep.

By the way... isn't that the awesomest belly shot you've seen? It's not mine, of course. I hope we can get a shot like this when Peanut starts making occasional appearances on my belly.

Speaking of belly appearances... Since we might be seeing an elbow or a foot poking out of my belly soon, Bill and I were talking about calling Peanut "Our Little Alien" from now on. After all, s/he is not really a peanut anymore. Wouldn't that be cool?