Thursday, March 24, 2011

Post 96...Popcorn Tummy

It's funny how even a baby in utero still needs a day of rest. But I suppose it does take a lot of energy to grow so much each day.

A couple days ago I was actually a little freaked out by the lack of activity I felt in my tummy. Normally, Andy will kick a little bit in the morning and then practically do gymnastics when his dad gets home in the evening. I guess he likes to hear his daddy's voice. ^_^ But on that particular day, I hardly felt a thing. There were a few very minor movements I felt early in the morning, but that was about it. Being the paranoid person that I am, I started to worry, fabricating all sorts of 'what-if' ideas. What if his heart was having troubles? What if the cord had wrapped around his neck and he was choking? What if, what if, what if... It drove me nuts thinking he could be in trouble and yet, here he was inside me and I could do nothing to help him. I wasn't exactly bouncing off the walls with worry. I had heard that sometimes babies have their own lazy days even when they're still in utero. But as the hours crept on with little sign of activity, I felt a growing concern.

After my husband got home and Andy remained quiet, we decided to try and wake him up. For almost a half an hour we played music, singing loudly along side it. We jiggled my tummy (gently of course) and even tried holding a flashlight up against it (I read that babies at this point in their gestational age can respond to light on the tummy, often rolling or kicking away from it). We even went so far as to clap near my tummy to see if we could wake him up. Nothing seemed to be working. "It's okay," my husband reassured me. "He'll wake up in his own time, I guess." Feeling the weight of defeat, we drudged off to the shower to clean up and get ready for bed.

Sure enough, as soon as we got in the shower, Andy started kicking like normal. I was so relieved! At least that stubborn son of mine was safe. I can only hope he sleeps that well once he's born.

Last night, not even two full days later, Andy was more active than ever! I guess he was gathering his strength on his day off because, oh boy was he moving! My husband didn't even have to put a hand on my tummy to know Andy was kicking. We could actually see him kick! It was the craziest thing ever! Each time he would kick, my tummy would jump. I could even see my stomach shift in spots where he was rolling around. It looked like I had popcorn popping in my tummy! For several minutes it was one kick after the next, my tummy jumping each time. My husband laid there next to me, an excited grin on his face, as he watched me egg Andy on.

"Come on Andy! Kick, kick!"
My tummy jumped in reply.
"Good job! Come on, keep it up! You can do it! Kick, punch!"
Again my tummy jumped and rolled in a wave-like motion.

It's so fun now being able to actually see the kicks. I can hardly wait until it's even more defined! Go baby go!

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