23 Weeks

Sorry this is a day late! I had my 5th appointment yesterday- which I had to go to by myself because Matt set his alarm for PM instead of AM. Everything went really well. Dr. said everything looked good from the ultrasound last month and was glad that I was feeling better after my UTI diagnosis last week. He found Zoe's heartbeat very quickly and it was strong and quick, just as it should be. He also warned me that I'd have to take the glucose test next month- which I'm not excited about. Also, he asked me if I'd had any contractions. I know that it's possible to start feeling Braxton Hicks Contractions from now until the end of pregnancy...but I'm not sure I would know if I've felt them or not??? Overall it went well, except I discovered that I'm relatively quiet with doctors unless Matt is with me.

Zoe is doing great. She should weigh around 1 pound now and is about 20 centimeters long from her head to her bum. She kicks more and more...sometimes straight down- making me wonder if she's trying to break out of there early- which certainly doesn't feel nice.  Matt has never been able to feel her kick by resting his hand on the belly, but the last couple weeks- while he was trying to listen for her heartbeat- she kicked him in the head 3 times. We both found this extremely amusing. I'm just happy he was able to feel her...besides...every husband/ father needs a kick in the head once in a while right?

As for me, my belly has "popped" according to everyone. It was strange, one day I just noticed that it had just kind of jumped out. I have only gained 10 pounds so far, which pleases me, and I'm gaining the weight somewhat gracefully so far. I have really enjoyed pregnancy, it hasn't been to difficult for me at all. However, there are two things I want to ask the ladies out there who have been pregnant. First, what are some remedies that have worked for you for extremely dry skin associated with pregnancy and accelerated by winter cold? Second, have any of you experienced bruising and/ or tingling around your bra line? At first I thought I just needed a larger bra, so I went out and bought a couple, but it hasn't helped so far. I'm constantly uncomfortable because of the rubbing and the soreness. Has this happened to any of you? What did you do about it?