18 Weeks

Your baby is now about 5 ½ inches long and weighs about 6 ounces. During this week the baby will gain weight at an incredible pace! Now that all of the organs have developed the baby’s body will focus on gaining weight and size. You may begin to feel a bit off center as the baby and your uterus is getting larger.

Because the baby’s inner ear has formed its bones and nerve endings from the brain have formed, hearing has become very acute. Your baby can hear your heartbeat and the blood moving through the umbilical cord as well as your voice. They will even try to cover their ears if they hear a loud sound!

Baby becomes sensitive to light now, as the eyes are further developed and the brain is growing very fast. A little girl will have all the eggs inside her ovaries that she will need for her entire life. Little boys begin to develop the prostate gland. Meconium, or the first bowel movement continues to accumulate inside the bowel. Brown fat begins to cover the baby, so their skin appears less transparent.

This is the last week you would normally have an amniocentesis, if your health practitioner has suggested this test. Often between 18-22 weeks your health practitioner will order an ultrasound. You may begin to experience heartburn now, as the uterus begins to push upward on your stomach. Try to eat several small meals and stay away from high fat items. If you prop yourself up with pillows it can help with heartburn, too.

I'm feeling really good! Good energy, pretty good mobility, I can still lay on my back so I'm enjoying that while it lasts.

I started feeling the baby move for sure in this last week. Funny because we were with Al & Alice when I first felt Eva move. They bring on quickenings!

17 Weeks

About the size of an avocado now, your baby weighs about 6 ounces and is about 5 inches long. Over the next few weeks your baby is about to make a huge jump in size, nearly doubling their weight and getting much longer as well. This will help them to be more proportionate in size, letting the body catch up with the head.

Now the eyes are in the final position and the ears are just about done moving as well. Permanent teeth buds are forming behind the baby teeth buds that are already in place. The baby’s heartbeat can be clearly heard in the doctor’s office with special equipment.

Baby’s bones are becoming harder and a special substance, called Myelin, slowly forms a protective barrier for the spinal cord. Vernix, the protective sealant for baby’s skin is starting to form and cover the skin now, too.

As your uterus begins to grow and make room for the baby you may begin to experience round ligament pain now. This is normal and should subside with rest. Round ligament pain is felt on the sides of your abdomen. If the pain is severe or does not subside with rest you should talk with your health practioner.

Movement?

I have been expecting to feel a flutter any day now. No flutters, but last night I felt some things that may have been Wee3.

There was like a pushing out feeling and then I felt a round protrusion in the middle left quadrant. Head? Bum? Perhaps. And then up near the top I felt what could have been a kick. Strange to feel a full fledged kick before feeling any fluttering. But possible, maybe. I guess time will tell. If this baby is kicking that strongly now, I cringe to think what his or her flailings will feel like a few months from now! ;)

16 Weeks

Your baby is now about 4 ½ inches long and weighs about 51/2 ounces. Hard to believe when you consider that most women have gained somewhere between 5 and 10 pounds! Just remember, your weight gain includes a lot more than just the weight of the baby, including the placenta, amniotic fluid and a larger volume of blood.

Your baby now gets the hiccups, but since they have fluid instead of air in the trachea they don’t make any sound. They also like to play, by pulling and tugging and squeezing on the umbilical cord.

The baby’s legs are beginning to grow longer than the arms now and the movement of all of the baby’s limbs is becoming more coordinated. The eyes have reached their final destination on the head and are no longer on the sides of the face. The baby is urinating about every 40-45 minutes and Meconium – the first stool the baby produces is beginning to collect in the bowels.

Usually between 16 and 20 weeks you’ll begin to feel the baby moving about. At first the movement may seem like butterflies in your stomach or gas bubbles. Moms who have been pregnant before may recognize this movement sooner than first time Moms.

I'm rocking and rolling now when I walk. My pelvis feels so loose and a bit sore that I can feel myself walking funny but can't do anything about it. And I have lost "brisk" from my walking repertoire.

I have gained 2.5 lbs from pre-pregnancy weight.

My bra strap felt a bit tight yesterday so I wonder if my ribs are starting to open a bit. Many of my maternity tops still hang and bag on me so if I have it's not super significant. I am still wearing my regular jeans, in addition to a couple maternity skirts, but the jeans get pinchy toward the end of the day.

I am feeling some pressure on my diaphragm and just generally feeling more "full". I am forced into good posture these days. ;)

My digestion is good now! Yippee! My congestion is also gone. Double Yippee!

I haven't felt the baby move yet but I'm expecting to any time. I was 16 weeks when I felt Eva move.

16 Weeks...

Today we took a few pics of Dana's belly.
For more photos go the The Willms Photog Blog.

Pancitamania.

Originially posted by Andrew on www.thewillmsphotogblog.blogspot.com

Dana wanted a few belly (pancita en español)pics today. So before we went out we got these cool images. Dana is becoming a master in front of the camera.

My favorite of the day...

Dry Scale

The scale appears to have dried out and returned to its former accuracy. This morning I weighed one pound more than I did pre-pregnancy, which makes "weigh" more sense than the 5 pound jump it reported a couple of days ago. Not that I don't want to gain weight during my pregnancy (though I'd like to keep it reasonable), but that sudden relatively large increase just didn't add up.

Scale

Andrew and I decided that the scale is on the fritz. It weighed him in 6 pounds heavier than his weight only hours earlier. Between weighings, the kids sprayed water all over the bathroom, including on the scale. So I'm going to blame it on water damage and hope that the problem is resolved once the scale dries out.

What!!

My scale just told me I gained 5 lbs! The last time I weighed myself was last week sometime. I don't feel or look any heavier, except for my belly.... but could a whole 5 lbs be baby/uterus weight?? And how could I gain that much in just a week? It's not like I've been packing back the treats and snacks. In fact, part of me was wondering if I was getting enough calories, since I can't taste anything I thought my consumption might have been a little down.

Weird.

15 Weeks

Your baby now weighs in at about 1 ¾ ounces and is about 4 inches long. Finally the growth of the body is catching up with the head so that they the baby doesn’t look so top heavy.

The hair follicles begin to make pigment for dark haired babies and their bodies are completely covered with lanugo, fine hairs that protect the skin. These hairs will disappear before birth, usually. Hearing is becoming more sensitive and if you play music or sing your baby can hear it. Loud noises can startle the baby at this point in time. The heart is still pumping away, practicing for the larger volume of blood it will pump when born.

Babies are practicing inhaling and exhaling movements. Fingernails are completely produced and the legs are getting longer than the arms. The skeleton is getting harder and taking in calcium quickly. Muscles are developing, as is the very thin skin.

I definitely have more energy now. Not that I won't take a nap when I can get it ;) But it's not an imperative anymore.

I have been super congested the last few days which is irritating. At first it felt like allergies but now I'm thinking maybe it's a bit of a cold. The only symptom is the nasal congestion which is good, because that last cold knocked me out. I feel like I have blown every organ in my body out my nose already, and I still have a complete blockage. I'm getting tired of being a red, flaky-skinned mouth breather. Plus my throat is a desert every morning!

I find myself waddling a little bit as my connective tissue softens. And also as compensation for the stiffness I'm still working out from Saturday's yoga class.

Doctor Visit #2

I saw my OB today. It wasn't a good start as he was an hour late, but the visit itself went pretty well.

I'm measuring right on target, no edema, kidneys sound fine, blood pressure good, 100/60 I believe.

He asked me if I would consent to two ultrasounds, one nowish, and one at the end of the pregnancy. He said they would be just about 30 seconds mainly to check on placental position and a quick assessment of the baby. I did consider consenting during this visit, briefly, mainly I think because I am a person who likes to be "good" and please authority figures. Also the fact that it would be quick was compelling. In the end I told him I wanted to wait and as I thought about it afterward I was so glad. Because as I discussed at length in an earlier post, I really don't see a good reason to have an ultrasound at this point in the pregnancy. All indications are that this is a healthy pregnancy. If the placenta were low-lying chances are very good it would migrate away from the cervix by the end of the pregnancy. According to The March of Dimes site, more than 90% of cases of placenta previa diagnosed in 2nd trimester have resolved by the end of pregnancy. And if he found anything else of concern, chances are we wouldn't be able to do anything about it anyway. Either way, the information would do nothing but stress me out, thereby paradoxically increasing my risks.

I may consent to the end-of-pregnancy ultrasound. At that point there could be benefits to be gained from the ultrasound information. If the baby were breech, we could attempt to turn her/him. If the placenta were obstructing or partially obstructing my cervix, a surgical delivery could be life-saving and I'd be grateful. Also the baby would be much more developed and therefore much less vulnerable to any risks posed by the ultrasound itself. And admittedly it would be handy to know whether it's a boy or a girl; then I could order non-generic diaper covers and leggings.

I can't blame Dr. Lopez for wanting to do an assessment. He just had a patient whose birth I was hoping to observe for my childbirth education course requirement. Turns out that her ultrasound at term revealed a partial placenta previa and so she had a c-section. A very risky surgery, Dr. Lopez tells me. He had to actually cut through the placenta to deliver the baby. And the surgery obviously had to be super fast, because the placenta is the baby's life support system until baby is out into the world. He said that it is not uncommon for women with this condition to end up with a hysterectomy. But things went well and thank God everybody is fine. So I'm sure that he would probably be thinking about that case the whole time I labour if we don't do a quick ultrasound to confirm placental position.

My labs revealed an asymptomatic urinary infection, which annoys me. Normally this would be treated with antibiotics, but he suggested we start with vitamin C. I like that very much. Pray for me that the vit C takes care of it! Internet research indicates that this type of infection may lead to low birth weight and premature labour so something must be done about it.

Otherwise my labs were good... including iron levels, yay!

I asked him if he has attended waterbirths and he said yes, and they were wonderful. I am getting quite excited about this part of the plan. I also asked him if he would have a problem with me catching my own baby and he said not at all. Yess! Now I have to convince him to avoid internal exams altogether during labour, and skip suctioning if baby is doing fine.

Braxton Hicks

This morning when I woke up- blissfully late thanks to my wonderful husband- I was having a braxton-hicks contraction. I don't remember ever feeling them this early in other pregnancies, but that's fine. They kind of feel like a big inside hug.

I could feel just how much bigger my uterus has become over the last few weeks. I am more amazed all the time at God's wonderful design for women's bodies and for new life, and how everything works together so beautifully.

As I laid there with my hands on my belly, I realized that the times when I could very easily feel the contours of my uterus, it was probably because I was having a braxton hicks contraction. aHA!

Yoga

I have been watching with great anticipation for the opening of the yoga studio in the new strip mall right at the entrance to our neighborhood. Finally last week they opened their doors. The kids and I took a walk down and I found out I could come anytime and take a free sample class.

When I was pregnant with Micah it seemed to me that yoga would be a great way to prepare the body for childbirth. The focus on breathing, relaxation, strength and flexibility makes it a great fit with pregnancy and childbirth. Development of these things can only benefit the childbearing body. Unfortunately, because we were in transition during that pregnancy, yoga class never materialized for me. But now I have my chance!

This morning I did my sample class. It kicked my butt! Yoga is not for sissies. Yoga is interesting because it is simultaneously physically challenging and relaxing. At one point I was huffing and puffing up a storm (my stuffy nose from some unknown allergen that blew in a couple of days ago didn't help) and I had to take a break from a couple of poses, and wilted a little during the poses I pushed through. During another series, the instructor told a classmate to try to get her palms flat on the ground without bending her knees. In your case, Dana, he told me, just give your knees a bend and touch with your fingertips. Ah well, I'm a pregnant novice! I did feel like I redeemed my inflexible self toward the end when we did some balance work.

So I'm going to sign up for twice weekly classes (Jen, wanna come to one while you're here?). I am looking forward to seeing what kinds of strides I can make in the strength and flexibility department over the next months. And how I will work around my burgeoning bump!

14 Week Belly Shot

We finally got around to taking a belly shot. We might try to take another one tomorrow morning so you can see just how much of this belly is perogies.



I didn't nap today and I am feeling pretty good. So the fatigue is definitely subsiding. Yay! It will be good to have a chance to pursue projects while Micah is napping and Eva is at school. For instance I would like to make a Mei Tai baby carrier before our holidays later this month.

I am feeling ligament stretching now. Some slight pain and walking feels a kind of different. Things are loosening up. Could be that one day soon I will wake up and my rear end will be twice as big as it was the day before! ;)

14 Weeks

As you begin your second trimester your little weighs in at a little over an ounce and at 3 ½ inches – about half of a banana. Impressive as the growth has been in the last few weeks, in the next four weeks your baby will grow to nearly a pound in weight! The body will finally start to catch up with the head and be more proportionate.

If you poke at your abdomen and the baby feels it, it will begin to root around as if looking to suckle. Their little face starts to resemble Mom and Dad as they continue to develop more normal looking facial features. Baby can hear sounds now and are able to feel pain. They have hair and eyebrows beginning to grow, as well as Lanugo – the fine hairs that cover the baby’s body and protect the skin. The baby now has unique fingerprints.

Inhaling and exhaling movements have begun and the torso is growing very quickly to make up the difference in body and head size. All nourishment is received through the placenta. The intestines continue their migration into the body from the umbilical cord.

At this point you may begin to feel “quickening”: a fluttering sensation in your abdomen. This is actually your baby moving around! It might be several weeks before you notice it, but some Mom’s notice this as early as 14 weeks.

I haven't felt the baby move yet, but I'm on the alert! Look how much the baby has stretched out in the baby ticker!