How Far Along: 22 weeks
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!
ahh...you felt her move! Sweet!
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