From today's ultrasound, at thirty weeks. Much less clear than the last ones, apparently because of increased fluid. We didn't see much during the exam either, as FutureBaby was head-down and mostly looked like a big undifferentiated lump (though must still have room to move around, since the alternative is upside-down splits).
First, a close-up of FutureBaby's head in profile, from the left:
And then a wider shot from the same angle:
Yeah, except for the occasional Skeletor moment when some bone or other came into focus, not a whole lot to see.
FutureBaby is estimated to weigh 3 pounds, 15 ounces, which I was startled to find is a pound over the average, even taking the estimate with the salt appropriate. (This led Chad off into assuming a spherical FutureBaby . . . ) Fortunately my doctor called later and said that the weight is in the 70th percentile, which if I'm reading figure 1 on this page right puts FutureBaby on track for a birth weight around 8 pounds, which is a lot less alarming than what I was imagining.
I'm still feeling quite well: no blood pressure trouble, anemia, glucose intolerance, swelling, or back pain. The flat muscles over my ribs ache intermittently (I'd be surprised if they didn't, frankly), my calves tend to stiffen up, and I am at present back in the "if I laugh abruptly or sneeze while lying down, my lower stomach muscles will hurt like hell for five minutes" phase, but that's all quite minor. I suspect my endocrine system has gone a little wacky—that's still being tested—but so far it hasn't interfered with my life. And sometime in the last several weeks, FutureBaby was kind enough to shift somewhat downward, so my lungs have more room and I no longer pant ridiculously after walking up the hill to work.
Of my pre-existing conditions, my jaw is good. My acid reflux is pretty well under control, thanks to medication. (I've gained either 10 or 20 pounds, depending if you start from my pre-pregnancy weight or from when I started gaining, either of which is within normal limits, and my appetite is mostly stable now.) My hip muscles have a tendency to knot up pretty badly (possibly because of bursitis, possibly just because), and were giving me a lot of trouble because of having to sleep on my side, but I've resumed physical therapy and that's helped a lot: I'm still not comfortable sleeping on my side, but I'm no longer so uncomfortable that it's interfering with my sleep (well, at least not significantly).
Which is good, because, yeah, I am tired. I have a friend who is an ER doctor who literally worked until a Friday and then gave birth on the following Tuesday, and I have no idea how she did it. I mean, momentum must be a lot easier in an ER, but I still don't know where she got the energy. Every day it seems like the "I would really like to go to bed now, please" moment gets a little earlier . . .
And that's the state of FutureBaby and of my health.
Reminder: no unsolicited advice, no horror stories, thank you.