Part 42: 7 Weeks & Counting

The following week we returned for another ultrasound.  I was 7 weeks 4 days.  Our tech that day spent a lot of time in there and took a LOT of pictures.  She showed us which was the head (crown) end and which was the butt (rump).  She pointed out where arm and leg buds were starting to develop.  And she manipulated the probe to show us a bright line that she said was the spinal column starting to form.  And then, Flash did a little butt wiggle.  Apparently he/she likes to dance :)

Here's one of the pics she gave us - it's a split screen showing Flash as well as the heart rate measurement:

Flash measuring 7 weeks 6 days - heart rate of 154 bpm and crown-to-rump length of 15.6 mm

It was a relief to see the progress, as well as the heartbeat again.  I was very aware that it was still very early, but each day that passed was one day closer to success.  With each passing day, I felt a tiny bit of pressure evaporate.  There was still a ways to go, but it was weird to think that in just a few days, I would be done with the first 2 months of my pregnancy.

7 Weeks and Counting Symptom Recap:

• On the acne front, things seemed to be improving a bit.  
• Insomnia was starting to improve as well, with some help...  Starting to feel desperate for a good night's sleep, I called Brownie and asked what, if anything, I could take to help with it.  Unisom it was.  Bonus:  my "Early Pregnancy Fact Sheet" that I'd gotten from the clinic said I could take Unisom for nighttime nausea relief.  Not that that was a huge problem for me, but it was nice to know I would get double-benefit from it.
• The hot flashes and breast tenderness were still there, but either I was getting used to them or they weren't as intense.  My boobs were definitely looking and feeling fuller though.  Time to think about some new bras...
• The nausea, smell sensitivity, and food aversions continued to develop.  I'd read that eating either really hot or really cold foods might help.  Since it was summer, I started doing the really cold thing, and that did make eating more bearable.  I also tried to have a steady supply of dry Cheerios on hand to stave off hunger-related nausea.
• Extreme thirst.  I suddenly could not get enough to drink.  Of course, this led to constantly having to pee.  I was never a get-up-in-the-middle-of-the-night-to-pee person, but suddenly I was getting up once or twice every night. 
• In addition to the above, I was acutely aware of "something" going on down there.  Everything from random cramps (very mild and brief), to twinges and tweaks, to a feeling of heaviness and fullness that was different from the bloat.  It was definitely a new and interesting sensation.