Week 20: Is that a baby, or is it dinner?

19 weeks, 5 days.

No, I am not promoting cannibalism.

I’m referring to the confusing feelings coming from my belly these days – the anterior placenta keeps me from feeling anything from the baby too strongly, and while sometimes I’m convinced that’s him moving around in there, that conviction really only lasts for the minute or so that I feel it. I know that I should be getting some good kicks sometime by 24 weeks, but the fact that the placenta pads any movement I might feel makes it very difficult to distinguish Small Monster moving around from, say, dinner moving around.

Ugh, that sounded gross, didn’t it?

But seriously… there seems to be some response if I eat chocolate (which is, ok, vaguely forbidden, but I do eat it sometimes – the Finns seem to have discovered that it makes for happier babies, and who am I to argue with the Finns?), or sometimes in response to music, but that may all be my imagination – it may actually be dinner, because my organs have all been shifted around and I don’t quite know what’s where. Who knows.

But it still feels like something different a couple of times a day, depending on how I’m sitting, and so I think it’s him. Maybe. And sometimes I get a little pop in my belly around my navel, but I’m never sure if that’s just muscles or what.

Argh. 2 ¹/₂ weeks until I see the OB again, and it’s still very easy, in spite of my swelling belly, to not be quite sure anyone’s home in there. I’m sure there is and I’m paranoid, but I’d be much happier if I’d just get a good solid kick in there every so often!

Hey kid… I’ll give you some chocolate if you’ll make yourself known a little more loudly