8 Weeks In

I had another ultrasound yesterday, at my 8 week mark.

Due date confirmed: January 25, 2020.

Looks a little more human now; see ya, Sigourney!

Note the head, 2 little arms starting, and the very beginning of legs.

Okay, maybe more like a gummi bear… which, fittingly, is about the size of it now. Or, if you prefer, a raspberry. It’s more than doubled in size in a week, now measuring 1.5 cm long, and weighing in at .04 ounces. Baby grows about a millimeter each day.

Beside the wee gummi is the yolk sac that has been providing all the nourishment, but it is rapidly shrinking as the placenta continues to develop, gearing up to take over that important task by 12 weeks.

At this stage, eyes are moving towards the middle of the face, and nerve cells in the eyes are beginning to develop. The little bean grows longer this week, marking the end of the embryonic period. Soon it will begin to straighten out. Notice the tail is already gone? Yay!

The baby has now grown from a single cell to nearly one billion cells. One billion.

The heart rate was 163 bpm, which is exactly within the desired range, so all is well there.

I also found out yesterday that I can have Dr V as my OB throughout the entire pregnancy, should I wish. This has thrown me a curve ball, as I had set my mind on having a midwife. At least I thought I had!

I have an appointment with a midwifery practice later this month, where I hope to meet both midwives that would be on my “team”, gather more information, and be able to make a decision.

Both midwives and OBs have their pros and cons, and there are valid reasons I’d select either one, but you can only have one primary caregiver.

I love the fact that midwives visit you at home following the birth. But I also really like Dr V, and the staff at the clinic.

I know both options would provide me with quality care, and in the end, I really just need someone to drug me up or knock me out and get the baby outta me.

My next ultrasound is scheduled for week 12, and I’ll need to have made a decision by then. If I end up going with a midwife, my appointments at the clinic will end, which makes me kind of sad.

In a weird way, I feel like they’re in this with me. Maybe because without them, I wouldn’t even be pregnant.

I’ve got some thinking to do. Any thoughts or advice is welcome!