Monday, May 25, 2009

Pregnancy: 34 weeks 2 Days
Total weight gain: 14 kgs (30.86lbs) but I did weigh myself at night rather then first thing in the morning before I've eaten or had anything to drink....
Baby size (head to butt): 30cm (11.81in)
Baby size (head to foot): 45cm (17.71in)
Baby weight: 2.1kgs (4.6lbs)

34 weeks. Wow, not long now! Good thing too because I just keep getting bigger! I can't believe I have gained 30 pounds! If I sit too long, my back starts to ache, if I stand or walk for more then about 2 minutes, my feet swell. If I lie down (on my side of course, wouldn't want to cut off blood flow to Mushi) too long, my hips hurt. Lucky for me, my couch seems to be quite comfortable for long term sitting (with me sideways, taking up the entire couch, with my legs extended). Some chairs/benches/couches make me ache in 1 minute flat. The very worst culprit: the pews at church. Luckily we only have 6 more weeks until I can be comfortable in the pews once again. After lunchtime, I will have reflux for the rest of the day and half the night as well. I suppose this is not surprising considering that my stomach is now smushed way up, and I'm pretty sure is sitting nearly level with my boobs. It doesn't seem to hold much anymore either, and I can never finish my dinner. When you look at this depiction of a 34 week baby, you can understand why:
Ok, that little copy and paste thing didn't seem to work... I'll put it on the side with all the other photos. Sometimes cheeky little Mushi likes to kick me in the actual stomach, which really doesn't bode well in the reflux department.

I think when Mushi gets older, he/she will really like to play games with us. Already, Mushi plays games with Daddy while Mommy is sleeping at night. Aaron told me that when he comes to bed, he puts his hand on my belly and then Mushi will kick him and have a good old time for ages. How I can sleep through all of this, I'm not sure, but do. Mushi also likes to play the "poke my limb" game. He sticks out a limb (not sure which one, it's really hard to tell!) so we can feel it from the outside, then we push it, he takes it away, and then returns it in another spot where we poke it again (and repeat). Sometimes I think it's an elbow, sometimes a foot, but as I said, really hard to tell!

plate. Anyone who knows me well will be quite shocked/flabbergasted/amazed at something I did this week. I, Sheri Thomson, tried beef. That's right, you read that correctly. It's very hard to argue with Aaron's logic. He said to me "aren't roasted potatoes and sweet potatoes some of your favourite foods?" Why yes, they are, I really like them (we had them this week, prompting this little discussion). "And you used to always say you hated them until you tried them a couple of years ago." Uh oh, I see where this is going.... "So if you thought you hated potatoes and sweet potatoes because you didn't like them when you were little, then you tried them and loved them, then maybe you will like beef if you try it." Slam dunk, how can I disagree with that?? We made an agreement that next time we went to Bento-ya (a good excuse to go there really), he would get the teriyaki beef and me the chicken (because that is what I get every time we go there because I have never tasted such good teriyaki in all of my life), and I will try some of the beef. Nervousness rising.... Also, in exchange for trying the beef, Aaron would buy me some gelato (mmm...). The day in question came all too soon and I found myself with a bit of beef staring at me from between my chopsticks. "Keep an open mind," Aaron said "you're not going to like it if you convince yourself you won't before you try it." Ok, open mind. He decided to mark this fateful day with a photo of me about to eat the beef. Ok, just go for it (I know these thoughts should be in italics, but you know what? I just can't be bothered). I put scary beef in my mouth and started chewing. That's right, I didn't just swallow it, I actually chewed it (not like when I started eating peas...put some in, swallow whole, wash down with water, repeat). At first, I was pleasantly surprised. I quickly realised though, that the pleasant surprise was just the teriyaki sauce coating the beef. Once I got past that, I really didn't like the beef. I did swallow though, so that in itself is an accomplishment. Now we know I definitely do not like beef. Not because I tried it when I was like 2 and didn't like it then, but because I actually tried it in adulthood. It's been about 24 years since I last tried beef, and sorry beef, I still don't like you. You can moo on someone elsesGelato, here I come!!!!!!!!!!

Disturbingly, I saw what Aaron would look like pregnant this week. The men were encouraged to try on the "sympathy belly" at our antenatal class. I asked the teacher how much the belly weighs, and she said it would be fairly heavy as it represents a nearly full term baby. We were all curious after that, so she went off to find the exact amount in the brochure or manual. "8 kilos," she said. We all laughed. That is a lot less then any one of us has gained. Later they showed us a video of babies bonding with their parents. Even when they are newborns, they will look into your eyes for a couple of minutes. It was so cute! I keep finding myself getting cluckier by the day. I suppose it's all the hormones.

we went again (after Aaron picked me up in We have decided that we need to either get rid of the computer, or tv to make room for a small home gym to keep us fit and healthy. First we thought maybe we would get rid of the tv, get a tv tuner card for the computer, and get rid of the tv and stand (or keep both, but get a small computer desk to put in our room). Off to IKEA we went. We looked at some computer desks, but then realised that we probably should have measured the proposed desk area before purchasing. After navigating the maze filled to the brim with crazy shoppers that is IKEA, we went home. Next we decided that we would get a big tv with the same resolution as Aaron's monitor so he can still play games on it by plugging it into his computer, but we can still use it as a tv. Off to IKEAParramatta as I had a girlie night with The Jess and Romana. It took us about 20 minutes to find each other in Parramatta. Would have been easier except the Church Street mall cuts Church street in two and I was confused as to which side Aaron and the car were on...). We picked out a nice compact tv stand that would leave lots of room for our future exercise bike and weights, as well as a little dresser for Mushi. Completing the maze once more, we finally found ourselves at the self service pick up point (for those of you who have not yet ventured to IKEA, you find what you want from the displays, write down the aisle and row number, then go to the giant warehouse and pick out the boxes yourself). First up, new tv unit. Out of stock. That's ok, let's get Mushi's dresser. Out of stock. We must have good taste. Another fruitless trip to IKEA. Lucky though, Aaron got the new big tv later that day and I don't think it would have fit on the stand we chose. Apparently we didn't learn our lesson about measuring from our first trip. We did at least get a very cheap breakfast, mine was $2.00 and Aaron's $2.50. I think maybe the eggs were made from powder, but I suppose that is to be expected for such a cheap meal.

Later that day, I went to Equip, a Christian women's convention/conference at Darling Harbour. I have never seen so many women in my entire life. I went to the elective on Hospitality, which I found quite good. After, they had an afternoon tea, but no food. Mel, Katherine and I decided we were quite hungry, so, tea mugs in hand, 10 minutes until the main talk, name badges on, we set out to the shopping centre food court. We found a Macca's (McDonald's for you non aussies), and finally, we could satisfy our tummies. I'm sure people thought we were quite strange walking around the shopping centre with non disposable tea mugs. The talk started with, well, I'm not quite sure what you call it really, maybe dramatic reading? There was someone reading for each character in the book of Esther. There was also a narrator, who I think, should have a career in movie trailer voice overs. He was just that good. The talk was very good also. The only problem was I couldn't get comfortable. Even though the chairs were nice and cushy, no matter how I sat, some part of me would be very uncomfortable, usually my back. I'm just getting too big and awkward I think! I suppose traipsing around Parramatta as well as IKEA earlier that day didn't help things. I'm still not sure why, but as we were coming out of the conference, there were fireworks going off in the harbour. Some from stationary platforms (or something) out in the water, and others off the back of 2 jetskis. It wasn't a holiday or anything, but we were complaining, everyone loves fireworks! We ate dinner at Wagamama, where, of course, I got the teriyaki. Not as good as Bento-ya though. As I said no one beats the teriyaki at Bento-ya. Embarrassingly, my nose decided it was a good time to start dripping blood. At least we had all finished our meals by that time. Nothing to see her folks, just pregnant woman nose bleed! By the time I got home, I think my legs were about to fall off. For the first time, the feet swelling went past my feet, and all the way up to my knees. I think I walked around way too much that day.

Tomorrow I have my last ultrasound to see if my placenta has nicely moved itself up. I hope so, otherwise I will need a scheduled Cesarean! I am looking forward to seeing Mushi again though. Hopefully they won't accidentally tell me Mushi's sex. I'll have to tell them when I first arrive that we don't want to know.





Monday, May 18, 2009

Pregnancy: 33 weeks 1 day
Total weight gain: 13kgs (28.66lbs)
Baby size (head to butt): 29cm (11.41in)
Baby weight: 1.9kgs (4.18lbs)

Boy am I getting bigger (even though I didn't gain any weight...)! My belly button has pretty much popped all the way out (except for a little at the bottom, but I'm not entirely sure that will pop out), and I've had a few people tell me I look like I've swallowed a rather large basketball. I currently have one tiny stretch mark located on my belly between where my belly button ring went in, and where it came out. As I said before, that part of just can't stretch anymore! Now my belly button looks a bit like a war zone. First you have the target freckle, next to that (but still on my actual belly button) are two reddish wrinkles (that before this week had never seen the light of day). Move a bit north and you come to stretched out belly ring exit hole, little purple stretch mark on top of that, then stretched out belly button entry hole at the top. Oh, and the holes are quite red from all the stretching. I hate to think what they will look like when my tummy goes back to normal size (I'm telling you Mom, I will get it back to normal size!).

People keep telling me that I "look tired." Now I know they are trying to be sympathetic, but really, what they are saying is "you look a bit crap today." They usually follow up the tired comment with "how long have you got to go?" Conversation according to me: "You look a bit crap today. Good thing you don't have long to go, I can't imagine how crap you would look by the end if you had a long time to go." Thanks people. I much prefer the people that tell me I "look healthy." I've had quite a few people say that as well. I think they are the people who have been pregnant themselves, or had a spouse that was pregnant, and know that a compliment is much better then telling me I look crap. Here is a little etiquette guide to use when talking/interacting with a pregnant woman:

1. NEVER tell us we look tired. In our mind that says we look a bit crap, bags under the eyes, droopy eyelids, and so forth. We know we are tired and look a bit crap, but we certainly don't need you to tell us that.

2. Compliment us. Tell us we look healthy, that translates to "wow, you must be eating all the right things, exercising, and taking wonderful care of your baby. Good job!" Or, even better, tell us we are glowing. Even if we are not either of those things, it will still make our day (because involuntary grunting noises when we try to pick ourselves up off the couch or chair, and waddling like a duck don't make us feel overly wonderful).

3. If we are carrying something, offer to help (we like the gesture and attention), but if we say no, don't insist (and then take our bag while we are trying to fight for bag retention), that only makes us feel completely useless (and this after being told we look crap, I mean "tired" really doesn't go over well in our minds). We are pregnant, not quadriplegic. It's not like we are carrying a backpack full of bricks.

4. If the train or bus, etc. is full, offer us your seat. We get swollen uncomfortable feet, and really enjoy sitting down if we need to. Again, if we say no, don't insist. Usually if we say no, we are not quite as pregnant as you might think, and enjoy standing up while we still can (we still like the initial gesture of offering though).

5. Don't get annoyed or cranky with us when we forget things/forget to do things, etc. We have the "baby brain" and would forget our head if it wasn't attached. We genuinely don't mean to forget what you said/did/told us/what we were supposed to do, and we do feel bad for forgetting.

Once again, Aaron and I had an antenatal class on Thursday. We find these very informative, but sometimes they are rather frightening at the same time. Last week, they showed us an ancient torture device. Metal, large, a bit like gigantic salad servers. They could only be used for torture. But no, they were forceps! No thank you, do not come near me with those things or I will punch you in the nose! I don't know if you've ever seen forceps, but as I said, LARGE, metal, a bit like a giant pair of salad tongs. Girls, think giant metal speculum from hell. Not only does the torture device actually have to go um... inside, but you also need an episiotomy for them to be able to make an exit with the baby. Episiotomy to me seems like torture also. They also passed around a vacuum (the pulling out baby kind, nothing like the household cleaning kind, don't worry). This device was much more forgiving, and not bigger then the baby's head, so no need for the dreaded episotomy. Luckily they say forceps are not used very much anymore.

Later in the class, they showed us another birth video (again from the 80s). This time the woman had an active birth, on the ground on all fours. The head came out during a contraction, but what I didn't realise until then (I suppose I didn't really think about it) is that the head then just kinda sits there, for what seemed like hours waiting for the next contraction. I found that bit quite disturbing. The baby still had it's eyes closed, wasn't breathing or moving yet, it looked a bit dead, and just sitting there, hanging out of the mom. There was blood tinged mucus coming out of the baby's nose, which they told us was being expelled from it's lungs by the pressure of fitting through the birth canal. This is a good thing, otherwise the baby couldn't breathe upon full exit due to it's lungs being filled with the amniotic fluid it's been "breathing" in. Of course it might have been even more disturbing if the baby was looking around, and/or crying. On the next contraction, out popped all of baby, it started crying/moving/breathing, and all was well. We were also told that sometimes the mother, amongst all that pushing, does a bit of a poo. Now that's all well and good (well, extremely embarrassing, and probably horrifying for her husband to watch), but as I said, the head comes out and then sits there. If you did do a poo with all that pushing, depending on your position (remember, laying down on the bed is not the optimal position for giving birth), you could be pooing on your baby's head. Maybe the midwives catch it, I'm not sure, but hopefully I won't be a pooer as I'd like our baby to come out poo free.

I realised the other day that Mushi hiccups a lot. I don't know if he just started doing it, or if I just hadn't noticed when he was head up, but I feel it at least once per day now. Since he is in the correct position (head down and facing my spine), his cute little hiccups seem to reverberate through my intestines. I suppose that makes since as the little head is right next to my innards. Sometimes, I know he has his head turned to the side (usually when I'm laying in bed) because the hiccup reverberation is felt on my side, rather then my insides. FYI, hiccuping is normal for babies in utero, and once they are born.

I've started packing my hospital bag. I don't think the baby will come early, but you never know, and I like to be organised. I have all the important bits in there, muesli bars, fruit cups, gatorade, and hard candy. Apparently you can get a bit hungry while you are in 1st stage. Plus your "support person" will need some sustenance. I should probably start packing all the other stuff I will need as well (clothes, etc.). The hospital has a no budgie smugglers (speedos) or underwear policy for men, so I will also need to pack Aaron a pair of boardies (for assisting me in the bath and shower). He is also not allowed to be naked. The midwives see enough nudity in the women, they don't need it in the men too (or maybe they would be too distracted if there were naked men running around). Aaron doesn't really like to parade around naked, nor does he own any budgie smugglers , so I think we will be fine (although the guy in the 80s birthing video was wearing budgie smugglers. Maybe he is the reason for said policy?).

Yay, a nice lady who lives in the building I work in just told me that I look good, and pregnancy suits me. In your face all those who tell me I "look tired!"

Monday, May 11, 2009

Pregnancy: 32 weeks 1 day
Total weight gain: 13kg (28.66lbs - it sounds so much better in kg's!)
Baby size: 28cm (11.02in) head to butt
Baby weight: 1.7kg (3.75lb)

Aaron and I have decided to use cloth nappies (well, Aaron doesn't really want to be shaking poo into the toilet instead of just folding up a disposable nappy, but I said he could take off the nappy, then give it to me). Aaron was asking me how much we would save this way, so, bored at work one day, I decided to do a comparison. The cheapest bulk buy disposables I could find came out at 31 cents per nappy, which on average would cost about $1355 per year, times 2 years (I'm not quite sure when you start potty training, but we'll go with 2 years to make things easier...) = $2710. Then of course, when you have another baby, you need to pay all of that again. My preferred brand of cloth nappies (the fitted, absorbent, waterproof outer layer, soft inner layer, with moisture catching inserts kind), Pea Pods, are $499 for 25 of them (including inserts, etc.), which accommodate baby from newborn to 9 months. Then you get another kit for the same price, which accommodates 9 months to 3 years (in case you have a very large baby, or a slow learner...). Total $998. Of course, you then get to use the same nappies for your next child(ren). I haven't factored in washing costs, mainly because I can't be bothered, but also because I have no idea how much money a load of washing costs. Detergent is pretty cheap, and you only need to wash them in half strength detergent, and we don't pay for water, it is included in the rent, then I will hang them on the line to dry. So, I can't see the washing costing $1700 over 2 years. I'm pretty sure we don't pay that much for electricity for 2 years of electricity as it is.

We went to our Antenatal class as usual on Thursday. This time, we learned about pain relief options and techniques. The teacher brought in a TENS machine (Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation) and let us try it out. When it got around to me, I put it on my arm (in labour you put it on your lower back, but the arm is easier for a trial), pushed the button, and turned the dial. I felt absolutely nothing. I kept turning. Nothing. I turned it all the way up, and still nothing. I was beginning to think there was something seriously wrong with me. Then someone realised that the machine had come unhooked from the pads attached to my arm. Relief, nothing wrong with me after all. I plugged it back in, turned it on, and startled every single person in the class when I jumped so far out of my seat I almost hit the ceiling. I didn't know I could jump that high. Usually I can't jump very well at all (height wise, I'm sure I could cover some ground if I wanted to). I forgot to turn the dial back down to minimum output before plugging it back in.... It didn't hurt, but boy did it startle me (and everyone else)! Later in the class we had big posters that we had to fill out as groups. One poster for each type of pain relief, with the pros and cons for mother, and for baby. One cheeky group put risk of electrocution - like Sheri, as a negative for the TENS machine. We are going to hire one of these contraptions, so at least I've learned what not to do with it!

The hospital also wanted us to know the full weight of making the decision to get an epidural. One nice male volunteer had to go before the class and don a lovely "sympathy belly." Anyone who has seen '10 Things I Hate About You' has seen one of these. The weighted vest with boobs and pregnant belly. Male Volunteer (can't remember his name at the moment) then had to sit in a chair while teacher told us everything that happens when you get an epidural, complete with mock IV lines, etc. By the end, I was determined not to have an epidural even more. Not only do you have the epidural itself (which is a hideously large hollow needle that, surprise!, has a tube inside that stays in your spine (well, not actual spine, but just outside the spinal column) so they can top it up), but you will also need a catheter (as you can't feel your lower self, and therefore can't feel your bladder and may well wee all over yourself, the bed, and everyone else), an I.V, and maybe something else too (I can't remember). Male Volunteer looked rather like a science experiment by the time everything was attached. There were tubes and things everywhere. Not only that, but they actually passed around an epidural needle. How to really really scare a pregnant woman: show her an epidural needle!!! OH MY was that thing GINORMOUS!!! Teacher (can't remember her name either...) said we should all have a plan in place before labour and tell our partners our wishes. I told Aaron to only let me have an epidural if I was screaming for one, and we had tried every other possible pain relief method (TENS, bath, position, massage, gas, morphine (they don't use pethadine anymore), etc.), and was still screaming for one. I figure if that is the case, then I must really really need one. There is no other possible way I want all those needles anywhere near me (unless I have to have a Caesar, then I don't really want to have my belly cut open without one. I think that would be far worse...).

On a better note, I tried the slow cooker (or crockpot for you americans) for the first time last week. I had my reservations, but I think my chicken stroganoff turned out quite tasty. It was so easy too; mix everything up, put it in, go about your daily business, then dish it up 5-6 hours later. Easiest home made dinner ever! I think it will come in very useful when Mushi is born.

Speaking of Mushi, his/her favourite new position seems to be foot in my right rib. It is rather uncomfortable, but at the same time, I still like feeling him move, to know that he is still alive and doing well in there. There's nothing like feeling your baby moving around in your uterus. It's also fun to feel my belly with my hand while he is moving. Then I can feel it from the inside and out. I can push on most of my belly which will be relatively pushable, then I come to a foot or elbow or something, and it is very hard. Aaron also likes to feel Mushi moving. It was quite comical when he decided to turn from head up to head down. My whole belly was moving every which way for a good 10 minutes. Aaron was there to witness it too. I didn't know what Mushi was doing at the time, but realised later that he was correcting his breech position. As I said before: Good baby.

Tuesday, May 5, 2009

Pregnancy: 31 weeks 2 days (only 9 weeks to go!!)
Total weight gain: 12kg (26.45lbs ARGH!)
Baby size (head to butt): 27.5cm (10.82in)
Baby weight: 1.5kg (3.3lbs)

So I finally found the scales after moving, and put new batteries in it (it's one of those swish ones with BMI, water percentage, etc. as well as weight...), only to find that I now weigh (gasp) SIXTY KILOGRAMS!!!! My scale hardly ever sees 50kg, let alone 60. I've been reading Up The Duff, a week by week pregnancy diary by a very funny Australian woman. She had gained 17kgs by week 31, so I don't feel quite so bad. I'm not quite sure where all that extra weight has gone though. I can still fit into my pre-pregnancy jeans. Well, I put them on, zip them half way up, and then use the belly belt to fasten them. After halfway up you get to belly country, so obviously they are not going to fit over my baby belly. Point being, my butt has not expanded very much, it still fits into my jeans. I haven't purchased any maternity clothing what so ever (I just buy my normal Aus size 8 shirts, but get styles that are quite long and cover my half zipped pants). My belly is not super huge, my arms aren't flabby, my face isn't fat. So where did all that weight go? The midwife even said there is hardly any fat on my stomach at all, so it is really easy to hear Mushi's heartbeat. She had to turn her monitor thing down because it was coming in so loudly. She also said he/she is thriving in there, is the right size, and luckily, has been a very good baby and turned so he/she is no longer breech. Good baby.

One day last week I arrived at work, then about 10 minutes later my nose started gushing (well that's an exaggeration, but it was dripping) blood. I sat at my little concierge desk with a kleenex hanging out of my nose with blood on it, still greeting people as they went by. I'm sure I looked very professional. My nose bled for about 10-15 minutes, but that whole time, not one person noticed (or they did, but didn't want to say anything). This proves my theory that they don't actually say hi because they want to, but because they feel they have to. Some don't even look over when they say hi back to me. At least they are being somewhat polite. Maybe they just didn't want to say anything because they were on their way to work and didn't want to be late.

Last week Aaron and I put a night aside to set up our "wall of awesome." We now have a very large shelving unit that takes up most of one wall in our living room. And this large shelving unit is filled to the brim with (wait for it...) BOARD GAMES! That's right, we have so many, that we can make a wall of awesome. I meant to take a photo of our wall of awesome, to put on here, but then I didn't. I will do it today, so check back tomorrow for photos. We are waiting for 3 more board games to arrive in the post. 2 are on pre order though, so they may take a while.

Saturday we had an all day early parenting workshop. How to swaddle, bathe, soothe, etc. your baby. It was very helpful. There were all of these infant sized dolls to practise things with. Mostly though people would put them in funny positions (mexican wave, headstand, etc) while no one was looking. The knitted boob also made an appearance when we learned about breastfeeding positions. I don't know about you, but I've never heard of a pattern to knit a boob. There was one very brave man there. His wife is very very pregnant, due in a couple of weeks and didn't come to the class because she couldn't sit in the chairs all day. This brave man however, came on his own. I would find it hard to come on my own, and I'm the primary carer, the milk factory, the giver of birth. I can't imagine coming on my own if I were a man. Hats off to you brave man.

I told you a while back about my unfortunate belly button freckle that makes my belly button look like a target. Well now it looks like someone has tried to hit the target with something only to miss, and hit twice just above it. It seems the entry and exit for my belly button ring (which I took out long ago as it was starting to look ridiculous) have both stretched as much as they can, and are not turning red as they don't want to stretch any more. The holes also didn't used to be that far above my actual belly button, but I suppose under pressure, they decided to head north for a better chance of survival. Lucky I didn't put any laundry this morning, it's now started raining. Sorry, that was a random thought. I almost put some in this morning.

I've noticed that people around here don't seem to know how to drive. Yesterday when I was walking to the bus stop after work, I was crossing the street at the pedestrian crossing part of a roundabout. I was nearly to the refuge (in the middle of the road), only one leg still in the road, when a taxi came flying around the corner and honked at me. I looked before crossing, and there was no one coming. So excuse me Mr. Crazy Taxi Man, how dare I be crossing the road at a pedestrian crossing. I just can't believe he honked at me, like I was doing something wrong. Back to driving school for you Crazy Taxi Man! This morning, on my way to work, I had another incident at the very same roundabout. I had crossed the first part of the road, and was walking in the refuge in the middle, scanning for cars coming as I was walking. There was a car coming from my left, but he had his right blinker on, so I continued to cross. This crazy driver, with his right blinker still on, continued to go straight, and had to slow right down while I was crossing the road. Hmmm...Last time I checked, you don't put your blinker on when going straight through a roundabout. Maybe the rules have changed since last week??

Lately when I try to go to sleep, Mushi decides it's time to practise his Tae Kwon Do skills on my insides. Not even a minute after I lie down, it's practise time. Makes it very difficult to go to sleep, not to mention hard on my insides. For a little baby, Mushi sure is strong! The only problem with Mushi turning out of breech is the kicking. He used to kick the lower part of my belly, and towards the outside (I think he was posterior too), but now, he kicks my ribs, and all the other innards around that are smushed up around that area. He is very active too. They say if you don't feel your baby move 10 times in a day to go get checked out. I feel Mushi moving probably a hundred times per day.