Heartbeat and more

I saw my doctor today for my 16-week appointment. I love my doctor. She makes me feel great. She's excited about my weight gain. I have to keep reminding myself that it's OK -- no, necessary -- to gain that weight. So many years of obsessing about my weight are hard to overcome.

I had blood drawn today. We're checking my thyroid level again and checking risk factors for some other stuff, including Down Syndrome and Spina Bifida. The scariest part of that test is they are quite often wrong. So, despite the nurse telling me not to freak out about a positive result, you know I will.

I have another ultrasound coming up in the next couple of weeks. We'll have that one with the experts in advanced maternal age, so they should be able to tell some of that kind of stuff, too.

Now, on the upside -- and not at all scary -- we got to hear the baby's heartbeat again. It seems a lot louder now, and the heart rate is 150. Which according to the wives' tales, means I'm carrying a girl. On the other hand, according to the wives' tales, other things I'm experiencing point to a boy. For instance, the headaches, dry hands and dad-to-be packing on weight (don't tell him I told you) mean Nubbin is a boy.

A few years ago, I did a story for Pikes Peak Parent about these methods of determining baby's sex and was told by experts that these "tests" don't stand the test of time. Looking back at that story, I see that some of the things mentioned in the story contradict methods I've read of recenty. One thing the experts I talked to agreed on though, was that the mother's gut feeling about the baby's sex  is often correct. We'll see.

I'm off to hold a ring on a string over my belly now to see if it's a boy or a girl.