5th appointment!

We had our fifth prenatal appointment today at 22w5d! We met with our favorite midwife so far, Tina. Evan's heartbeat was strong and clear at 155 beats per minute. He was moving around when the midwife was using the doppler and it was funny to hear it and feel it at the same time. I've been feeling him move so much more lately, all throughout the day. I used to only feel him at about 7:00 in the evening and then sometimes again around 9:30. Now I feel him a lot and I can feel him move, not just kick. It's great!!! Next appointment is the blood sugar screening test on June 8.

I have a new symptom that started just before going to Boston. Shin splints. OOohhhh the pain! Thankfully it wasn't so bad in Boston except the first day. I iced them for about an hour and then the rest of the time we were there they were fine. However, after getting back home they've been bothering me every day. The past couple of days they've only been sore, not really painful, but today the pain is back. I talked to a friend of mine who is an athletic trainer and she told me how to do ice massages and how to wrap my shins in bandages. Shin splints can be really bad if you don't take care of yourself. The bones can chip or the muscles can tear away from the bone. So I'm trying to be careful, I carry bandages with me everywhere and I'm *trying* to wear supportive shoes. I absolutely hate wearing shoes and socks though, especially when it's so nice and warm outside. I love my flipflops!! I was looking forward to wearing them all summer, but now it looks like that won't be happening. I'll have to buy some nicer running shoes, the ones I have are 5 years old, ugly, and not in the best shape.

Anyway, I talked to the midwife about the shin splints today. I was hoping they'd go away, but she said don't be surprised if I have problems with them the rest of the pregnancy. It's due to weight gain and possibly walking differently. Obviously that's not something that's going to change before Evan comes. This is definitely the most frustrating thing that's happened so far, not even because of the pain, but because it means I have to wrap my shins and wear shoes during the summer. But hey, if this is the worst thing that happens, I'd be very happy. This isn't that bad at all! Anyone else have experience with this?

My back has also been bothering me a little bit lately, but I'm thinking it's just from the trip to Boston, all of the walking and then sitting in the uncomfortable plane seats. Maybe after going to the chiropractor on Thursday that will be "fixed." I know I should expect back pain, most women with healthy spines have back pain during pregnancy, a woman with scoliosis is definitely going to be feeling it. But so far so good!

Other symptoms... some round ligament pain, not too bad. I have indigestion in the evenings, but also not bad. I drink chocolate milk almost every night which helps a lot. It's fun to drink it. It satisfies my sweet tooth but is much healthier than dessert. My skin still isn't looking so great, but not as bad as it was. I'm also gaining weight and it's obvious. In Boston I had several strangers comment on my pregnancy, the first time that's happened! My belly is much bigger, my boobs have grown a lot the past couple of weeks, and I'm starting to see it around my face. My fingers swell at night so I take my rings off then and during the day my rings are definitely much snugger. I don't know if it's permanent swelling or if I've just gained weight in my fingers. So far I'm leaving my rings on all day, hopefully they'll keep coming off at night!

Matt's co-worker, K, (who gave us the glider and swing) gave us 2 garbage bags filled with baby boy clothes!!! They are all size 3-6 months too! There's also sleep sacks and swaddling blankets (which I have NO CLUE how to use) in there. A lot of the clothes are long sleeved, which should work perfectly for Evan at that size. There's a lot of socks, slippers, and hats in there as well. They are all so cute!! I can't wait for Evan to make his appearance so I can dress him all up. :-) Oh yeah, there's no way Evan will ever wear all of that stuff in the amount of time he's in those sizes. We're already planning on giving some of the outfits away. K and his wife have 2 boys, so I guess that's everything they've collected for 2 babies, plus I wouldn't be surprised if they received some hand me downs from people to add to their babies' wardrobes. We've been so blessed to receive all of that stuff, K is so nice. It amazes me how much he and his wife have helped us.


Me with the clothes from the first bag:


Matt with the clothes from the second bag, including his favorite item, overalls!