It took longer to figure out for absolute sure this time, but we found out at the start of September that we "are having a boy, 100%!" Such statements from ultrasound technicians are not generally the norm - they usually state gender predictions in terms of less-than-100 percentage amounts of confidence, as you just can't necessarily see things with perfect clarity.  All sorts of things can get in the way - little hands and feet, legs can be quite closed, an umbilical can be floating in front, or even sections of placenta.

Baby Boy Annand #2, for all his differences in this pregnancy from his big brother, has definitely carried on the tradition of being quite uncooperative with showing various features to the technicians in most every regard, except in terms of gender.  Once again, we have another little man who is very, very proud to be so!

Follow up:

This whole pregnancy has been different than the first time, which is common I am told!  Still, that sort of thing seems surprising to me since it is still the same old me, living and doing things pretty much the same way (except for the amazing upper body strength gained from Boy One!)...

But this time around was well - rougher.  :P  This time around, I got to experience the joys of first trimester morning sickness, not too badly all things considered, but that was quite the turnaround from having none at all the first time!  I also had no headaches at all (and no migraines, even in full chinook season!) the first time around, and while still migraine free while pregnant again, I have not been headache free.

Just past the midpoint of the pregnancy in early June,  I had a very scary bleed that had me running to Emergency in the wee hours of the morning - two days of running around with all kinds of delightful and invasive investigations and testing found that all was well with the baby (he was quite unaffected - whew!) but that I had a complete or total placenta previa.

I did hit some of the indications for this to happen, between being of "advanced maternal age" (lovely turn of phrase - lol!) and having uterine scarring from previous cesarean surgery.  (In my first pregnancy, the placenta was right at the top - our son was seen in utero while stubbornly refusing to turn, wearing it like a hat.)  ;)

Oh joy!  Suddenly I was on a lifting/bathing or "sitting in water"/sex ban, and being watched very closely.  I was able to carefully finish out my teaching year, but only because of the unique nature of my teaching position, and the fact that I was rounding out the semester and going into final and diploma exams.  All plans to spend the summer in activities with our toddler were suspended as we had to keep him on in dayhome care so that I could avoid all the lifting of a 3-foot-tall, 30+ lb child still necessary with a 22-month-old.  Hubby and I even ended up establishing a routine where I would drive him every morning to the train station, so that he could do all the lifting required just to get our toddler boy in and out of the carseat to take him to the dayhome.  Hubby would pick him up after work as well (the dayhome is actually only one bus stop away from us), with me showing up on any inclement weather days to drive...!

By late August, we finally were able to see via ultrasound (I was having them regularly) that the placenta had finally migrated upwards, giving a good two inches of space between it and the cervix!  By that time however, between my currently working part time to also be mom at home, having a very active toddler, the cost of dayhome care, plus the struggles with the pregnancy, hubby and I made the call to have me start leave early and not begin the next school year only to leave before the middle of the first semester.

It was the right choice!  :)  Things have been going well, and it has been great to have all the bans lifted and to have avoided bedrest, but it looks like I am again headed towards delivering a really big baby boy.  Since this lad will be evicted around 39 1/2 weeks, where Boy One went to 41 weeks and a day and was 10 lbs 7 oz, I am figuring Boy Two will be in the 9+ lb area.  Hubby, for some perverse reason (lol!) has committed to the precise weight of 9 lbs 4 oz, and my mom seems to think we will break the ten barrier again and says 10 lbs 2 oz.  ;)

So my placenta now lies right at the front of my belly, sort of to the right and below my navel.  This has made for some very odd sensations compared to last time, as I can feel the unevenness internally - especially as Boy Two likes to treat the placenta as his very own in utero beanbag chair, and nestles right into its squishy softness!  I don't know if this is related to nerve endings in the placenta itself or elsewhere, but Boy Two really seems capable of squirming and tweaking me in ways internally that cause momentary feelings that are quite similar to carsickness.  He also really favours my right side, so the left side of my belly has felt much softer overall for the last month in particular, while the right side is quite hard and firm - because I have a small human in there!  ;D

The placenta is likely to be this multi-lobed thing this time around, and I can only wonder if Boy Two caused this with all his nestling inside of it, or if it grew out that way on its own, making it possible for Boy Two to get right in there, or if it just sort of naturally grew around the developing baby...!  I suspect the last, exacerbated by the first.  :)  This "wrapping himself in the placenta" and often transverse and right side positioning have added unique elements to Boy Two's resistance with showing things like his face on the ultrasounds.  We fondly started referring to him as "Baby Yoga Ball"!  Not only would he have his hands in front of his face, but his feet *and* the umbilical cord!  And of course, all folded up in the placenta it was already hard enough to see him clearly.

But soon now!  In fact, very soon we will get to see Boy Two perfectly clearly, as I am now ten days away from my scheduled (mandatory - Boy One took care of that) cesarean surgery.

And really - I am quite ready at this point, lol!  This spunky little lad can currently both kick me in the underside of the boobs and give me some hefty pokes and shots in the bladder and cervix - OY!  At least he is big enough at this point that he can't wind up like he used to...  for a while there I had recurring "mystery" bruises on my lower abdomen.  *THAT* thankfully has passed!  ;D

For the record, hubby and I were surprised to find that even with one son already, we still had no gender preference for this second child.  There were some around us who were rooting for a girl, I think mostly just for the difference, but everyone including the grandmas is quite happily on board with a second son/grandson/nephew...  :)  After all, Boy One and Boy Two will be only just over two years apart and hopefully will be buddies, and with how much we love and enjoy our firstborn, how could we possibly be disappointed?  Another boy sounds just great!  :D

(And the other odd bonus - we feel extra well prepared  in terms of having necessary supplies!  Less stuff to buy, though I do miss out on all the funky girl-baby clothing shopping.)  ;)