Monday, September 24, 2007

19 Weeks




How your baby's growing:Your baby weighs about 8 1/2 ounces, and he measures 6 inches, head to bottom — about the length of a small zucchini. His arms and legs are in the right proportions to each other and the rest of his body now. His kidneys continue to make urine, and the hair on his scalp is sprouting. This is a crucial time for sensory development: Your baby's brain is designating specialized areas for smell, taste, hearing, vision, and touch. If your baby is a girl, she has an astonishing 6 million eggs in her ovaries. They'll dwindle to fewer than two million by the time she's born.




Your baby has the same awake and sleep patterns of a newborn. He has a favorite position for sleep and recognizable active and rest periods.
Throughout baby's body, nerves are being coated with a fatty substance called myelin, which insulates the nerves so that impulses can flow smoothly.
Scalp hair becomes apparent this week. It has sprouted and continues to grow.
The milk teeth buds have already developed and over the next few days the buds for the permanent teeth will begin to form behind the milk teeth.
If baby is female the uterus starts to develop. If you're having a girl, the vagina, uterus, and fallopian tubes are in place.
If it's a boy, the genitals are distinct and recognizable.
Your baby is swallowing amniotic fluid and his or her kidneys are making urine.
Your little one's size is around 6.02 inches (15.3cm) and 8.47 ounces (240gm).

Friday, September 21, 2007

18 Weeks




I am now 18 weeks, it is so exciting. I have been having a pretty sore left leg so far, the veracose veins are getting worse and hurt. I have been wearing some support hose and that does seem to help some but beginning last week I started to get really bad tailbone pain. It hurts so much to sit sometimes, I brought a pillow to work and that does seem to help some. I looked it up online and it is pretty common for a lot of people and usually goes away after birth, so only 22 more weeks to go. Urghhhhh. Ok here is the development for this week:

18 Weeks -

How your baby's growing:Head to bottom, your baby is approximately 5 1/2 inches long (about the length of a large sweet potato) and she weighs almost 7 ounces. She's busy flexing her arms and legs — movements that you'll likely start noticing more and more. Her blood vessels are visible through her thin skin and her ears are now in position and stand out from her head. Myelin (a protective covering) is beginning to form around her nerves, a process that will continue for a year after she's born. If you're having a girl, her uterus and Fallopian tubes are formed and in place. If your baby is a boy, his genitals are noticeable, though he may hide them from you during an ultrasound. Tiny air sacs called alveoli begin to form in lungs. He'll be putting these lungs to good use in just a few months! Her vocal chords are formed. She goes through the motions of crying but without air she doesn't make a sound. Features of your baby's heart, including ventricles and chambers, should be visible during an ultrasound.

Tuesday, September 11, 2007

17 Weeks


Your baby weighs about 5 ounces now, and he's around 5 inches long — about the size of a large onion. He can move his joints, and his skeleton — until now rubbery cartilage — is starting to harden to bone. His sense of hearing is also developing. The umbilical cord, his lifeline to the placenta, is growing stronger and thicker.

Week Highlights
By week 17, your baby weighs about 4.97 ounces (140gm) and is 5.12 inches (13cm) long.
He or she has a much more normal "human" appearance now. She holds her head more erect and her body and limbs are longer in proportion to her head.
Pads are forming on his tiny fingertips and toes. Soon those individual swirls and whorls will be apparent.

Her eyes are looking forward now, but they are still firmly closed.
Meconium (composed of products of cell loss, digestive secretion and swallowed amniotic fluid), is accumulating in the bowel. This black gooey substance will become your baby's first poop!

The umbilical cord is growing thicker and stronger and continues to rush blood and nutrients to your growing baby.

If your child is male the prostate begins to develop.
Her skeleton is tranforming from cartilage to bone. The bones remain flexible to make the journey through the birth canal easier.

Friday, September 7, 2007

Doctors Appointment

Today I had my 16 week appointment. They were able to find the heartbeat right away and it was in the high 140 to low 150 range. The doctor said that I had a very cooperative baby. I said hopefully it will stay that way. LOL :) According to urban legend and old wise tales, if the heartbeat is over 140 it is a girl, and under 140 is a boy. Not sure how much truth there is to that, Hannah's was higher than 140 though when I was pregnant with her. It has been so long since I was pregnant with Elijah that I really don't remember what his rates were.
The appointment went well, no insulin so far which is great. My levels have been controlled with diet. My next appointment is Oct 8th, and at my next appointment we will schedule my 20 week ultrasound. I am really excited for that, can't wait to see my little one in 4D. The baby has been moving a good bit, Bill even got to feel it the other night, it was really neat.
Over the weekend I found the perfect sleeper at a yard sale for the baby, it is yellow and has the words "Sweet Pea" embroidered on the one side of the chest, it is so cute. I had to get it. It was only $.50 which was a great selling point too. LOL :)
I gained one pound since my last appointment putting my weight gain at 3 lbs so far, which is great according to my doctor.

Tuesday, September 4, 2007

16 Weeks




At 4 1/2 inches long (head to bottom) and 3 1/2 ounces, your baby is about the size of an avocado. In the next three weeks, she'll go through a tremendous growth spurt, though, doubling her weight and adding inches to her length. Her lower limbs are much more developed now. Her head is more erect than it has been, and her eyes have moved toward the front of her head. Your baby's ears are close to their final position, too. Some of her more advanced body systems are working, including her circulatory system and urinary tract. Her heart is now pumping about 25 quarts of blood each day, circulating her total blood volume through her body many times. (By the end of your pregnancy, this will increase to about 190 quarts.) The patterning of her scalp has begun, though her hair isn't recognizable yet. Although closed, her eyes are moving (slowly), and she's even started growing toenails.
The baby got its first beach experience this weekend, we took the kids to Wildwood for a mini vacation, it was nice to get away from all of the stresses of building the house etc. The baby got to ride some waves too, and also got to consume some seafood which was delicious. It was Hannah's first trip to the beach and she loved it, she did not want to leave.