15 Weeks - Welcome to the Second Trimester

At around 4 inches long, crown to rump, your baby now weighs about 2 1/2 ounces. He's busy inhaling and exhaling amniotic fluid, which will help develop the air sacs in his lungs. His legs are growing longer than his arms now, and he can move all his joints and limbs. That means his hands are more functional, too. Sweat glands are appearing, and although his eyelids are fused shut, he can sense light. If you shine a flashlight at your tummy, he's likely to move away from the beam. There's not much for your baby to taste at this point, but his taste buds are beginning to form. And if you have an ultrasound, you may be able to find out whether your baby's a boy or girl! (Don't be disappointed if it remains a mystery, though. Nailing down the sex depends somewhat on how clear the picture is and the position of your baby during the ultrasound; he may be curled or turned in such a way as to keep you in suspense.)

Bill and I have decided to wait until delivery to find out the baby's sex. I know we are old fashioned, but we have done that with both of our other kids and it makes it more fun that way.

Dietician Appointment

This morning I went to my dietician appointment, I am on a strict low carb diet, and I received my glucometer (one touch ultra mini) to test my blood sugar four times a day. I practiced taking an injection, that was lots of fun. Hopefully I will not need insulin, the dietician seems to think that the odds are stacked pretty high against me though, since I am so early in my pregnancy and in most pregnancies the insulin dependance issues do not start until 26 weeks, she thinks that by the time I am at that point I will likely need insulin. No fun, so I am back to recording everything I eat. No more candy bars for me. I have to settle for 1/2 bars when my sugar level is excellent or small hershey kisses. Oh well it will all be worth it when I set my eyes on sweet pea.

14 Weeks Development

How your baby's growing:Head to bottom, your baby's 3 1/2 inches long — about the length of a lemon — and weighs about 1 1/2 ounces. Her body's growing faster than her head, which now sits upon a more well-defined neck. By the end of this week, her arms will have lengthened and will be in proportion to the rest of her body. (Her legs still have some growing to do, though.) She's starting to develop an ultra-fine, downy covering of hair all over her body (called lanugo). Her liver starts secreting bile this week, a sign that it's already functioning properly, and her spleen starts contributing to the production of red blood cells. She's also producing and discharging urine into the amniotic fluid, a normal process that she'll keep up until birth. You still can't feel your baby's movements, but her hands and feet (which are now half an inch long) are more flexible and active. Thanks to brain impulses, her little facial muscles are getting a workout as she squints, frowns, and grimaces. She can grasp now, too, and she may be able to suck her thumb.

Hightlights for this week

Thyroid gland has matured and your baby begins producing hormones which will be used throughout his or her life.

In boys, the prostate gland develops

In girls, the ovaries move from the abdomen to the pelvis

Your little one may have learned to suck his thumb by this point!

Your child's bones are getting harder and stronger by the day!

Your baby's skin is very transparent still

Lanugo (very fine hair) covers the baby's body and will continue to grow until 26 weeks gestational age - Generally this will be shed prior to birth. Its purpose is to help protect baby's skin while in all that water!

Your baby is 3.42 inches (8.7cm) long and weighs about 1.52 ounces (43 grams) - approximately the weight of a letter!

FINALLY - THE RESULTS ARE IN

After daily persistant calls to my doctors office, I finally got someone to look at my chart to see if my results came in. Surprise surprise they have come in and were already reviewed by a doctor, no one took the time out yet to call me. I am so irritated.
Well the nurse confirmed my fears, my fasting level was high and my other two levels were close to range, but the doctor stated that because of my history with gestational diabeties and because of how early it is (normally the insulin resistance issues does not occur until later in the pregnancy such as 26 weeks etc.) they want me to go see a dietician and start back on my low carb diet with glucose testing four times daily. If this can control it they will not prescribe the insulin, but if at my next appointment on 9/7 if my levels are not controlled with diet they likely will prescribe me insulin. Yuk, I really do not want to have to go through all of that again. Hopefully my diet will take care of it this time.

Still no word on glucose test results

I called my doctors office again today to see if my results have come in, they indicated that the results either (a) have not come in yet (b) are still sitting on my doctors desk to be reviewed prior to calling (c) have come in and are no concern. I asked when I should receive a call to let me know if they have come in yet and if they did whether I passed the test or not. She said that is could be up to a week before I will get a call. I am so frustrated. A week is a long time to wait to know whether I need to substantually change my diet, and check my blood sugar daily. Urggh sometimes I think the doctors office that I go to has too many patients that they cannot handle the business they have. I am so frustrated.

3 Hour Glucose Test

I had to get up extra early this morning, 5:20 AM to get ready to go to the hospital for my 3-hour test. I arrived at the hospital at 6:55 AM. My test began at 7:15 AM. They took my fasting blood level, then made me drink this ultra sweet orange drink within 5 minutes. Then at 8:15, 9:15, and 10:15 they took blood samples. It was a long wait in that waiting room. I passed the time by reading a book I brought, reading some magazines, watching Buffy the vampire slayer, the Waltons, and the beginning of Little House on the Prairie. I had four different woman take my blood throughout the ordeal. The first one to take my blood was a dwarf, she was so cute and the nicest person there. She had to go to a meeting then though, so I did not get to see her again until the very end of my test. I am not sure how I did, I felt dizzy and light headed during the test, followed by a bad headache and tired. These are all symptoms of high blood sugar, which naturally it was high at some point after drinking all of that drink. I am not sure when I get the results back. I will update as soon as I receive the results.

Test Results - Glucose Testing 1 hr

I received a call from Kelly today at my doctors office, I failed the 1 hour test, my blood sugar level was 190. I have to go tomorrow for the 3 hour test. My appointment is at 7:00 AM, I have to fast for 12 hours prior to the appointment.

13 Weeks

Here is my 13 week development information:

Your belly may soon be big enough to announce to the world that you're expecting, but your baby is still tiny. In fact, he's only about 3 inches long crown to rump — roughly the size of a jumbo shrimp — and weighs just about an ounce. Despite the small proportions, there's a fully formed baby inside your womb now. Much more proportional than it was a few weeks ago, his head is now only about a third the size of his body. His tiny, unique fingerprints are already in place. His kidneys and urinary tract are functional, and he's starting to urinate out the amniotic fluid he's been swallowing. As you start your second trimester, most of your baby's critical development will be completed, and your odds of miscarriage will drop considerably.

I am still waiting on the test results from Friday's appointment. Hopefull I should hear something by today, I will update once I have the results.

12-Week appointment

Today I had my 12 week appointment, the doctors office was quite busy today. I waited a long time to be seen and then I had to do the 1 hour blood sugar glucose test today to test for gestational diabeties. When I arrived in the examination room, I first had to do my usual urine sample, followed by weight check, and blood pressure check. After that I was asked to drink the ultra sugary lemon lime drink, which basically tastes like a super sweet sprite. It was disgusting but much better than the orange flavor. After I drank my drink, the doctor eventually came in to check for a heartbeat. Since the doctor could not find a heartbeat with the doppler, they had to bring in the ultrasound machine again. I got to see my little baby on the screen again, it was so cool, I saw the head and little body, it was moving around and the heartbeat was strong and detected right away. I did not get any pictures this time :( but it was still pretty cool to see. I then scheduled my next two appointments, and waiting patiently for the 1 hour to be up so that I could get my blood drawn. I will not get the results until Tuesday or Wednesday of next week.

3 Month Summary

The eyes, ears, nose, and jaw appear this month. Tooth buds grow, although they won't push through until well after birth. Scalp and body hair sprout as "peach fuzz." And the brain's neurons are developing at a rate of thousands per minute! (You knew you had a genius in the making.)
The ProducersThe kidneys start making urine, the liver makes bile, and the bone marrow creates blood cells. The organs that appeared last month—the spleen, pancreas, and intestines—are becoming more complex. The lungs start to practice their job of expanding and contracting. And the heart, now with four chambers and beating steadily, adds new layers of muscle and protective packaging.
By the end of this month, your little one will measure more than three inches long and weigh between one half and one full ounce.
What's Happenin'It's time for some new moves—wriggling fingers and toes, yawning, sucking, swallowing. Best of all, your little one can move in response to a poke through your belly! Fetuses also begin to show signs of their budding personalities now: Some are sedate, while others are wigglers.
Nice And EasyAt 11 weeks, your baby moves about 30 percent of the time. After this month, however, the brain tells the body, "Cool it; you're wearing yourself out." From here on out, movements are less frequent but start to become more coordinated and interesting.

12 Weeks

Your baby's hit the 2-inch mark (about the size of a lime) and weighs half an ounce. Her face is beginning to look more human. Her eyes, which started out on the sides of her head, have moved closer together on her face, and her ears are near their final positions on the sides of her head. Your baby's intestines, which have grown so rapidly that they protrude into the umbilical cord, will start to move into her abdominal cavity about now. Her kidneys are secreting urine into her bladder. Her nerve cells have been multiplying rapidly, and synapses (neurological pathways in the brain) are forming. Your baby may have acquired more reflexes by now, including sucking, and she'll even squirm if you prod your abdomen, though you still won't be able to feel her movement for several weeks.

11 Weeks

My fig-sized baby is now fully formed — measuring 1 1/2 inches long and weighing in at a quarter of an ounce. His skin is still transparent, allowing many of his blood vessels to show through. Some of his bones are beginning to harden, and tiny toothbuds are starting to appear under his gums. His fingers and toes have separated, and he may soon be able to open and close his fists. He's already busy kicking and stretching, and his tiny movements are so fluid they look like water ballet. These movements will increase as his body grows and becomes more developed and functional. As his diaphragm develops, my tiny tenant may also start to get the hiccups. Because he's still so small, though, I won't feel any of his workouts or intrauterine gulps until sometime between weeks 16 and 20.

My next appointment is next Friday, I can't wait to hear the heartbeat again.