22 Week Ultrasound and Doulas

This is week 22. My belly is getting bigger and this morning we went in for an "anatomical" ultrasound. It is where they look at all the major organs of the baby to make sure everything is in order. Once again, we got to see our baby girl. You can almost make out her facial features in some of the images! Everything looked great according to the Dr. and technician. The technician once again remarked that the heart sounds were very strong and beating at 158 beats per minute. That always makes us feel good when they say that!

Otherwise, things are going well. I can feel the baby moving around more and if I press in the area of my abdomen, I can feel her roll or move against my hand. Pretty neat. I've started checking out prenatal yoga classes around town and found two different ones that I like. It is a great way to meditate, relax, and become more flexible in preparation for the birth. The teacher of my yoga class tonight is also a doula which is something I'm just learning about. A doula is usually a non-medically trained person who acts as a labor coach during birth. They are usually women and supposedly they help you get through the labor process both emotionally and physically. I kind of like that idea since my experience with childbirth was as a med student. And I can guarantee you that medical people do not think about the emotional or spiritual side of things during a delivery. It is all about the medical process and procedure of having a baby and not much beyond that. They say that women who have other women present during labor usually do better. Anyway, I am toying with the idea of a doula but not quite sure about it. I think if you click personality-wise with someone it could work out well.