Week 24

Sorry about last week, I was really busy with work!

Pregnancy Highlights for the Week


How Far Along: 24 weeks

Fruit/Veggie: An ear of corn - 12 inches long head to toe (one foot!) and weighs almost 1 pound 4 ounces.

Baby changes:  Your baby's growing steadily, having gained about 4 ounces since last week. Since she's almost a foot long, she cuts a pretty lean figure at this point, but her body is filling out proportionally and she'll soon start to plump up. Her brain is also growing quickly now, and her taste buds are continuing to develop. Her lungs are developing "branches" of the respiratory "tree" as well as cells that produce surfactant, a substance that will help her air sacs inflate once she hits the outside world. Her skin is still thin and translucent, but that will start to change soon.

You might notice that your baby is very busy during the next few weeks. Right now she's small enough to have plenty of room to move and groove in your belly. She may even respond to your soothing voice or the rubbing of your belly by calming down, while loud sounds or a tap on your belly could cause her to become alert. Also, because the balance-controlling inner ear has developed, your baby can finally tell if she's upside down or right side up, so moving around takes on new meaning.


Best Moment this Week: Having a day off!  I think the one activity I did the most of this weekend was sleep, and it was much needed and appreciated.  We also did some baby shopping, which was overwhelming, but at least helps us get a little closer to knowing what we need.

Gender: Sweet baby girl!

Movement: I feel her pretty often, usually at the times of the day when I have finally stopped moving for a bit.  Sometimes you can feel the movements on the outside as well, but most of the time either the movements aren't as strong or she's just kicking me somewhere inside my stomach.  I also think that touching my stomach calms her down and makes her still, which is very frustrating for Clint when he is trying to feel her as well :)

Food Cravings: Still the same, nothing too exciting.

What I Miss: Running, wine.

Sleep: I'm starting to get a little more uncomfortable, and definitely feel the best when I'm on my side...I guess they know what they are talking about when they tell you to start sleeping on your side!

What I am looking forward to: We have an appointment this week, and we get to do another ultrasound!

Symptoms: Still feeling good, getting a little slower and more uncomfortable, but nothing too bad.

Thoughts from Clint #2

OK, so I know there is a list somewhere of things husbands are not supposed to say to their pregnant wives. I think I've added to that list.

Melissa has been 'showing' for a few weeks now, but in the last couple of days has really starting to look "pregnant". Of course there are all kind of emotions and hormones flying around (Melissa has been awesome, by the way, and has done nothing I would deem 'crazy'...yet :)) and she was talking about how she was feeling and looking bigger - generally just feeling down. And I smartly, trying to make her feel better say, "Well, what did you expect?"

Not good, Clint. Not good.

She just kind of looked at me.

Dang it..."I guess that was one of the things that I am not supposed to say, huh?" And then she started laughing...whew...my wife has a great sense of humor!

We had our first registry experience a week or so ago. We were walking around aimlessly in Babies R Us looking pretty lost and decided we needed a checklist guide of things you needed to register for. We figured that the registry desk would have something like that. So we started talking to them and decided to go ahead and "just sign-up" so we could get the free spiral notebook that had the list in it. And then the lady handed us the scanner...

We had no idea what we wanted and now felt the pressure of having this scanner in our hands. So, now our registry contains an infant car seat base and a changing pad. Literally, that's all we registered for! Not even an entire car seat, just the base! I sheepishly walked the scanner back really quickly to the lady and then scurried away - as if she was going to pull our account up on the screen, criticize us and then take away our purple spiral notebook.

I know there have been at least three other moments where we've been somewhere, said something funny and laughed - I throw up my hand and say remember this for the blog! Melissa is no help, I guess she is excused given her current "state". But pregnancy is a pretty funny thing and we are enjoying every moment!

Week 22

Pregnancy Highlights for the Week


How Far Along: 22 weeks

Fruit/Veggie: A Spaghetti Squash - 11 inches long head to toe and weighs almost 1 pound.  Can't believe we are in the pounds now!

Baby changes:  Her lips, eyelids, and eyebrows are becoming more distinct, and she's even developing tiny tooth buds beneath her gums. Her eyes have formed, but her irises (the colored part of the eye) still lack pigment. If you could see inside your womb, you'd be able to spot the fine hair (lanugo) that covers her body and the deep wrinkles on her skin, which she'll sport until she adds a padding of fat to fill them in. Inside her belly, her pancreas — essential for the production of some important hormones — is developing steadily.

This week, your baby can hear you more clearly because the bones of her inner ear are developed enough to detect vibrations.  Your baby will be busy exploring other sensations too, stroking her face as she gets to know herself. Her fingernails have grown long enough to cover her fingertips by now, and her liver is capable of removing destroyed red blood cells (bilirubin) from his blood.

Your baby's heartbeat is so powerful now that you may be able to hear it with just a stethoscope. She continues to practice swallowing, gulping down amniotic fluid not for nourishment but because she's opening and closing her mouth to work her jaw muscles and tongue. Since everything you eat crosses through the placenta, your meals season the amniotic fluid she's swallowing. Your baby's taste buds are now developed enough to taste different flavors. In fact, ultrasounds of babies may even show them grimacing after their mothers have eaten garlic or spicy food.

Best Moment this Week: I finally started to feel the little wiggle worm!  Such a weird sensation, but also really cool.  And Clint was able to feel it too, which was really exciting!

Gender: Sweet baby girl!

Movement: Probably Tuesday I felt something during the day, kind of like a thump that was a similar feeling to having the wind knocked out of you, but really light and only for a second.  I wasn't sure if what I was feeling was the baby or not, so I didn't say anything to Clint.  Then the next day, at around the same time, I felt the same thing again, and then the same feeling in the afternoon.  So this time I called Clint and told him.  The next evening we were watching TV and I told him I could feel the same thing, so he tried to "listen" to see if he could hear the baby.  I felt a little kick but didn't say anything, and Clint immediately said "Was that it?"  I was really surprised he could feel it too!  Since then I can feel her movements a lot more regularly.  The funniest day was Sunday at church, I stood up to sing and then sat back down, and I could feel her kick a few times.  Then the next time we stood to sing, same thing happened.  I think the service was disturbing her nap, and she wanted me to know it!

Food Cravings: Still the same, thirsty all of the time for lemonades and citrusy drinks.  I also feel like my sweet tooth is getting stronger, but that could just be because I'm eating more sweets than usual.

What I Miss: Running, wine, and recently I really wanted a Dr. Pepper.

Sleep: Pretty good, but getting more restless.  It's getting harder to turn during the night without waking myself up too much, which then makes it hard to go back to sleep!

What I am looking forward to: We are slowly getting the room cleaned out, and I'm excited for the crib to come in.

Symptoms: Still feeling good, I know I've been really lucky so far and can't complain!

The BIG Appointment

Our 20 week appointment was Friday, May 6th at 9 am.  We were both really excited to get to see the baby again since we hadn't had an ultrasound since week 8 (3 months!) and of course to hopefully find out the gender. 

The ultrasound technician asked us first thing whether or not we wanted to find out the gender, and then began looking around at the baby.  The appointment started with measuring the head and looking at the brain, and we could immediately see a little hand waving beside her head, saying Hi to mom and dad!  The baby measured in at 20 weeks and 5 days, exactly the same as our last ultrasound!

The tech continued to take pictures and show us various part of the baby - a shot of the face, zooming in on lips and nose, the heartbeat and other organs.  The baby was essentially sitting in my tummy (but upside down) so we were then able to get a clear confirmation that "it" was in fact a "she"!  The first thing I asked was "Are you sure?" because I've always heard that the majority of mistakes are made when they think a boy is a girl, and the technician assured us that she was sure, and went on to explain in detail why.  I was convinced, surprised, and excited!  Everyone, and really, I mean EVERYONE, has been telling me that they think I am having a boy, for a number of reasons ranging from the fact that I'm not a girly girl to the shape of my belly.

From there the technician measured the arms and legs.  She kept waving one arm the whole time, and her legs were constantly kicking like she was riding a bicycle.  She was slightly stubborn (no idea where she might get that from) and wouldn't move her other arm from being curled up beside her head.  I could see with each kick that she was hitting my insides, so I asked the technician why I couldn't feel that.  It turns out that my placenta has attached to the front of my uterus (closest to the outside of my stomach) rather than being on the back side, which is more common (it's called "anterior placenta").  There is no risk, but just means that there is an extra cushion between the baby and the outside of my stomach, making it harder to feel the movements.  I should start feeling something soon, but it will just be a little more faint than what others feel at the same point in their pregnancy.

It turned out to be a really great thing that she wouldn't move her little arm because we get to have another ultrasound next month!  See, being stubborn pays off :)

Everything looks perfect and she is measuring in a little small, which is a good thing.  We are so excited, and working hard at picking out a name!


Her face - the top of her head is on the right side, the dark spots are her eyes, and then the white lines are her nose...I think it's blurry because she was moving around.

 

Her legs - in the right picture you can see how she was sitting



Her foot - the toes are on the right side



Her sweet little profile - that is her hand waving around at the top above her head



Week 21

Pregnancy Highlights for the Week

How Far Along: 21 weeks

Fruit/Veggie: A Carrot - 10.5 inches long head to toe and weighs about 13 ounces.

Baby changes: You may soon feel like she's practicing martial arts as her initial fluttering movements turn into full-fledged kicks and nudges. You may also discover a pattern to her activity as you get to know her better. In other developments, your baby's eyebrows and lids are present now.

Best Moment this Week: Our appointment Friday!  I will write a separate post about that and include ultraound pictures.

Gender: Sweet baby girl!

Movement: Still nothing, but should be soon.

Food Cravings: Still the same.

What I Miss: I can't really think of anything in particular right now.

Sleep: Pretty good, but getting more restless week by week.

What I am looking forward to: Starting to shop for bedding now that we know the gender.

Symptoms: Still feeling good!

Week 20 - Halfway!

Pregnancy Highlights for the Week

How Far Along: 20 weeks

Fruit/Veggie: A Banana  - Up until this week, the measurement used is "crown to rump" since they usually have their legs curled up, but from this point on they are measured head to toe.  At 20 weeks, the baby is about 10 inches long head to toe (6.5 inches crown to rump) and weighs about 10.5 ounces.

Baby changes: Baby gulps down several ounces of amniotic fluid every day, both for nutrition and to practice swallowing and digesting. And, these days, those taste buds actually work! Studies show that after birth, babies respond best to tastes they've already had via amniotic fluid. Meaning, think about what you'd like your future child to eat as you prepare your own lunch.


Best Moment this Week: This past week was pretty uneventful, which is nice.  We started working on getting the room ready by cleaning out the closets and re-organizing the miscellaneous items we have stored in there.  Still have a long way to go though.

Gender: The appointment is in a few hours, so we should know soon! (if the little peanut cooperates :)

Movement: Still nothing, still impatiently waiting :)

Food Cravings: Still the same.

What I Miss: I can't really think of anything in particular right now.

Sleep: I'm starting to wake up more during the night, and having a harder time going back to sleep.  And having weird dreams, and I've never been much of a dreamer.

What I am looking forward to: The appointment!

Symptoms: Still feeling good!

A Look Back - Weeks 4 through 13

So now that we are at the half way point in the pregnancy, I was thinking about the progress that this little peanut has made over the last couple of months. It made me look back at some of the fruit/veggie comparisons from the early weeks, and it was really shocking! Since I wasn't posting on the blog then, I thought it would be fun to show weeks 4 - 13 in one post to share the weekly progress with all of you, and give any comments on where we were in the pregnancy at that point.

Week 4 - A poppyseed

This is actually the week that Clint and I found out about the baby! I actually was able to get in to see the doctor because we didn't know how far along I was yet. The appointment confirmed the pregnancy, but it was too early to see the baby, just the tiny little sac.

Week 5 - A sesame seed



Week 6 - A lentil

This week we went back for our second ultrasound, and saw a tiny little speck of something and the super fast flickering dot of the heartbeat. We went that weekend to tell our parents, but swore them to secrecy (which was super hard for all of them!)




Week 7 - A blueberry



Week 8 - A kidney bean

We went back this week for our third ultrasound. I had so many early because we were trying to confirm the due date, which as of this week is officially September 18th. This time we were able to get a really great shot of the baby - you could see tiny little arms and legs, and dark sockets where the eyes were forming. I think it looked like a little gummy bear :)

At this appointment was had our "Twin Scare"...the nurse saw a second little sac, and said the words you don't want to hear in an appointment, "That's interesting, let me go get the doctor". I don't think Clint took a breath until the doctor came in, took a quick glance, and said that it was just a cyst that is common in the early stages of pregnancy and feeds the baby. Ha!


Week 9 - A grape


Week 10 - A kumquat (what is this anyway??)


Week 11 - A fig


Week 12 - A lime

I learned at our appointment this week what a worrier I am...which I'm sure surprises no one in my family!  Let's just say that I was a little anxious about this appointment, probably because I have read too many sad stories, and because my pregnancy up until this point had been super easy and symptom free.  One of the first things the nurse did when we got there was take my blood pressure, which was high for the first time in my life.  Then when she tried to find the heartbeat with the little microphone thingie that they use (not sure what that is called) it took her a bit to find it, only because the little guy/gal was hiding all the way on my right side.  Once we heard the quick heartbeat, I realized that I had been holding my breath the whole time, which I'm sure was not helping my blood pressure issue.  I just burst out laughing with relief, and everything from there was fine.  And when they re-tested my blood pressure I was back in the normal range.



Week 13 - A shrimp