Thursday, November 15, 2007

26 Weeks




How your baby's growing:Your baby now weighs about a pound and two-thirds and measures 14 inches (an English hothouse cucumber), from head to heel. The nerve pathways in her ears are developing, which means her response to sounds is growing more consistent. Her lungs are developing now, too, as she continues to take small breaths of amniotic fluid — good practice for when she's born and takes that first breath of air. If you're having a boy, his testicles are beginning to descend into his scrotum — a trip that will take about two to three days.




Your baby may weigh about two pounds now (average is 1.7 pound, 760gm) and is 14 inches (35.6cm) in length
To support the fetus's growing body, the spine is getting stronger and more supple. Though no longer than the span of the average adult hand, it is now made up of 150 joints, 33 rings, and some 1,000 ligaments.
Air sacs in the lungs form now.
Lungs begin to secrete a greasy substance called surfactant. Without surfactant the fetal lungs would stick together and couldn't expand after the baby is born.
Although they've been sealed shut for the last few months, your baby's eyes are opening and beginning to blink this week. Depending on ethnicity, some babies will be born with blue or gray-blue eyes (which may change color in the first 6 months of life) and some will be born with brown or dark eyes.
Retinas begin to form.
Brain wave activity for hearing and sight begins to be detectable.
Fetal brain scans show response to touch. If you shine a light on your abdomen, your baby will turn his head, which according to researchers, means his optic nerve is working.
Personal thoughts:
The baby continues to move around quite frequently, it is neat to watch my belly move when the baby shifts positions when I am lying on my back. The kids keep trying to feel the baby move but have not been real successful yet. Bill has felt the baby move a lot though. It is so cute when he talks to the baby, I love it. It is one of my favorite things to see. We are getting excited, continuing to work hard on our new house. We are just about finished with the siding now, next we will begin the decks and work on the inside trim. The interior doors should be delivered soon, we will need to hang these too. The water system was installed yesterday, we now have water and electricity. All we need is a the septic hooked up and we will be set. The septic has been installed, but needs further testing before it can be hooked up.

Wednesday, November 7, 2007

25 Week checkup

I had my 25 week checkup today, I got the ultrasound results. Everything was normal, baby is developing normally and healthy. I am measuring a little big and my fasting sugar levels are a little high, so I may have to go on insulin at my next visit depending on how my levels are until then. Hopefully they are still good and I don't have to go on insulin. The baby's heart rate was 134 today. I go back to the doctors on 12/5, after that appointment I will then go every two weeks, as I will be entering my third trimester then. It is going so quickly. I am so excited though.

Monday, November 5, 2007

25 Weeks


How your baby's growing:Head to heels, your baby now measures about 13 1/2 inches. His weight — a pound and a half — isn't much more than an average rutabaga, but he's beginning to exchange his long, lean look for some baby fat. As he does, his wrinkled skin will begin to smooth out and he'll start to look more and more like a newborn. His hair is probably recognizable now (in color and texture), although both may change after he's born.
The structures of the spine begin to form -- joints, ligaments and rings. These will protect the all important spinal cord which serves as the information transmitter for your child's body.
Blood vessels of the lungs develop.

Your baby's nostrils begin to open. There is a study out of Belfast that suggests babies at this stage have the capability of scent preferences!
The nerves around the mouth and lip area are showing more sensitivity now. When baby is rooting for food later on, these will be valuable!
His swallowing reflexes are developing.
Dexterity is improving. Your baby can make a fist and would clasp objects placed in palm.
Your child has now obtained an approximate length of 13.6 inches (34.6cm) and weighs 1.46 pound (660gm).

Tuesday, October 30, 2007

24 Weeks




How your baby's growing:Your baby's growing steadily, gaining about a quarter of a pound since last week, when she was just over a pound. Since she's almost a foot long (picture an ear of corn), that makes a pretty lean figure, but her body is filling out proportionally and she'll soon put on more baby fat. Your baby's skin is thin, translucent, and wrinkled, her brain is growing rapidly, and her taste buds are developing. Her lungs are developing "branches" of the respiratory "tree" and cells that produce surfactant, a substance **that helps the air sacs inflate easily.


Bring on the bulk! Baby gains about 6 ounces this week. The weight is in muscle, bone mass and organs.
His body begins to fill out with his appearance increasingly becoming more like a newborn.
Taste buds begin to form. If mom drinks something strange or bitter, baby may be observed showing his distaste.
Little creases have appeared on his palms. The muscular coordination of his hands has improved as he sucks his thumb.
Over the next seven days the sweat glands will be forming in the skin.
His lungs are developing "branches" of the respiratory "tree" and cells that produce surfactant, a substance that helps the air sacs inflate easily.
This week your baby is officially considered viable.
Baby weighs 1.3 pound (600gm) and is 11.8 inches (30cm) long -- almost the length of a ruler!

Friday, October 26, 2007

23 Weeks


How your baby's growing:Your baby is more than 11 inches long and weighs just over a pound. His skin is red and wrinkled. Blood vessels in his lungs are developing to prepare him for breathing. He can swallow, but he normally won't pass his first stool (called meconium) until after birth. Loud noises heard often in utero — such as your dog barking or the roar of a vacuum cleaner — probably won't faze your baby when he hears them outside the womb.


Proportions of the body are now quite similar to a newborn although thinner since he hasn't begun to form body fat.
Bones located in the middle ear harden.
Your baby is able to hear. (Dads, did you know: low-frequency sounds mimicking a male voice penetrate the abdomen and uterine wall better than the higher frequencies of the female voice?)
The eyes are formed, though the iris still lacks pigmentation.
The pancreas, essential in the production of hormones, is developing steadily. She has begun producing insulin, important for the breakdown of sugars.
If born now, your baby has a 15% chance of survival, his odds going up with each passing day. .
The average baby at this stage weighs 1.1 pound (501gm) and is 11.38 inches (28.9cm) long.

Friday, October 19, 2007

22 Weeks






Week 22 according to www.babycenter.com
How your baby's growing:Your baby now looks like a miniature newborn, checking in at 10.9 inches and almost 1 pound. Her skin will continue to appear wrinkled until she gains enough weight to fill it out, and the fine hair (lanugo) that covers her head and body is now visible. Her lips are becoming more distinct, and the first signs of teeth are appearing as buds beneath her gum line. Her eyes are developed, though the iris (the colored part of the eye) still lacks pigment. Eyelids and eyebrows are in place, and her pancreas, essential for hormone production, is developing steadily.

Week Twenty-Two according to http://www.pregnancy.org/pregnancy/fetaldevelopment2.php
Your baby weighs close to a pound at this point!
Your baby can now hear your conversations more clearly than before!. When you talk, read, or sing, expect her to hear you. Studies have found that newborns will suck more vigorously when read to from a book they heard frequently in utero.
Eyelids and eyebrows are fully formed.
Fingernails have grown to the end of the fingers.
Be prepared for all those "Why" questions coming! Your baby's brain has entered a stage of rapid growth, especially in what's called the germinal matrix. This structure deep in the middle of the brain serves as a kind of factory for brain cells and disappears shortly before birth. But the brain's amazing expansion program continues until around the five birthday.
With some help from mom, baby's liver is starting to break down bilirubin, a substance produced by red blood cells.
If your baby is male his testes begin their descent to the scrotum.
Primitive sperm have formed and he is producing testosterone.
Length is 10.94 inches (27.8cm); weight is nearly 1 pound (430gm).

Tuesday, October 9, 2007

21 Weeks




How your baby's growing:Your baby now weighs about three-quarters of a pound and is approximately 10 1/2 inches long. (HOWEVER ACCORDING TO MY ULTRASOUND ON 10/8/07, MY BABY IS 13 OUNCES) His eyebrows and eyelids are fully developed (THIS WAS APPARENT DURING MY ULTRASOUND AS I HAVE A VIDEO OF THE BABY OPENING AND CLOSING ITS EYELIDS). And you can certainly feel him move. He's oblivious to your schedule, though, so don't be surprised if he starts working out just when you're settling down for the night. If you're having a girl, her vagina is formed now, though it will continue to develop until birth.

Week Twenty-One
White blood cells are under production. Leukocytes (or white blood cells) form our body's defense sytems. They help fight infections and diseases.
Your little one's skin has changed from translucent to become more opaque.
Your infant's tongue is fully formed. If you were able to peek you might catch your son or daughter practicing giving you a raspberry!
If your baby is a girl, her womb and vagina are formed. Unlike males, females have a limited supply of eggs in their lifetime. At this point your daughter will have 6 million eggs. This amount decreases to approximately one million by birth.
Baby swallows more this week. After your baby takes in amniotic fluid, his body absorbs the water in the liquid and moves the rest into the large bowel. This is good practice for his digestive system!
Wake and sleep periods become more consistent. Some research suggests that baby sets her internal clock to match the outside world's even before birth! Your eating and sleeping habits as well levels of light and noise serve as her signals.
Length is now measured crown to heel.
Baby measures about 10.51 inches (26.7cm) and weighs nearly 12.7 ounces (360g).