Gia wears fat pants!

13 weeks 0 days (LMP) 11 weeks 0 days (gestational)

weight: 105 pounds
waist: 28 inches

Your baby is growing rapidly! Its crown-to-rump length is 2.6 to 3.1 inches (65 to 78 mm), and it weighs between 0.5 and 0.7 ounce (13 to 20 g). It is about the size of a peach.

Fetal growth is particularly striking from now through about 24 weeks of pregnancy. The baby has doubled in length since the 7th week. Changes in fetal weight have also been tremendous during the last 8 to 10 weeks of your pregnancy.

One interesting change is the relative slowdown in the growth of your baby's head compared to the rest of its body. In week 13, the head is about half the crown-to-rump length. By week 21, the head will be about one-third of the baby's body. At birth, the head will be only one-forth the size of its body. Fetal body growth accelerates as fetal head growth slows.

Your baby's face is beginning to look more humanlike. Eyes, which started out on the side of the head, move closer togetheron the face. The ears come to lie in their normal position on the sides of the head. External genitalia have developed enough so that a male can be distinguished from a female if examined outside the womb.

Intestines initially develop within a large swelling in the umbilical cord outside the fetal body. About this time, they withdraw into the fetal abdominal cavity. If this doesn't occur and the intestines remain outside the fetal abdomen at birth, a condition called omphalocele occurs. It is rare (occurs in 1 of 10,000 births). The condition can usually be repaired with surgery, and babies do well afterward.

I am now officially in my second trimester which is pretty cool. I remember that I really loved everything about the second trimester last time around. I can no longer wear any of my old pants. I mean I probably could but I would be on the verge of tears all the live long day. Christmas eve I finally broke down and pulled my maternity jeans (normal low rise waist - no stretchy stuff) out of the closet and put them on ... pure bliss. It is nice to be able to sit down again without wanting to cry. This weekend I am going to the mall to see if I can find another pair of pants like these so I can be comfortable more than a couple days/week. :)

Here is my very first belly picture which was taken at 13 weeks. There really hasn't been much to see up until this point. It is very strange ... it seems my belly just suddenly popped out ... almost overnight. My waist is thicker and bulging. I can now feel the top of my uterus and it is just slightly below my belly button. I am about 3 weeks ahead of where I was at this point with Jaida. I guess everything does happen a little bit sooner the second time around.

I feel the baby moving around a lot these days. Usually it is very active in three big chunks throughout the day and then pretty quiet the rest of the time. The active periods are from about 3-6 am, 1-2 pm and 6-7 pm. Kind of interesting.

Joe told his mom and brother about the firecracker last week so that was nice. I have told a few people also. All in all not many though. I am sure the cat will be out of the bag soon enough. ;)

Here are some neat little factoids I found on the internet yesterday. Apparently, this week the baby's vocal cords have begun to develop and by the end of the week they will be pretty well developed (according to my pregnancy calendar). In fact, one site I found said that sometimes a fetus cries in the womb - it is of course silent do to the fluid environement. But isn't that a bit strange to think the baby could be testing out its vocal cords in there. Also, more and more of the organs are functioning every day. The liver has begun to secrete bile and the pancreas produces insulin.This seems like a very good thing. All twenty baby teeth are formed and waiting beneath his gums until well after birth. The baby's bone marrow, liver and spleen have taken over the production of red blood cells. I guess the yolk sac was responsible for this function up until this point and now the sac goes away. Although the baby's intestines were originally formed inside the umbilical cord, they are now moving into the abdomen. This was talked about up above. Fuzzy hair is beginning to form on the little one's head. Regardless of what color that hair will eventually be, it is white (unpigmented) right now.

Too busy preparing for Christmas

12 weeks (LMP) 10 weeks (gestational)

weight: 104 pounds
waist: 27.5 inches

Your baby weighs between 0.3 and 0.5 ounce (8 to 14 g), and crown-to-rump length is almost 2.5 inches (61 mm). The baby's size has almost doubled in the past 3 weeks. Few, if any, structures in the baby are formed after this week in pregnancy. However, the structures already formed continue to grow and to develop. The skeletal system now has centers of bone formation (ossification) in most bones. Fingers and toes have separated, and nails are growing. Scattered rudiments of hair appear on the body. External genitalia are beginning to show distinct signs of male or female sex characteristics.

The digestive system (small intestine) is capable of producing contractions that push food through the bowels. It is also able to absorb glucose (sugar).

At the base of the baby's brain, the pituitary gland is beginning to make many hormones. Hormones are chemicals that are made in one part of the body, but their action is exerted on another part of the body.

Other things are also happening. The fetal nervous system has developed further. Your baby is moving inside your uterus. Stimulating the fetus in certain spots may cause it to squint, open its mouth and move its fingers or toes.

The amount of amniotic fluid is increasing. Total volume is now about 1.5 ounces (50 ml). At this time, the fluid is similar to maternal plasma (the noncellular portion of your blood), except it contains much less protein.

We are just too busy preparing for Christmas to think about much else. The baby is moving a lot these days. Its heartrate has recently slowed to about 168 bpm which is interesting. Jaida's stayed in the 180's until the moment she was born. The acne is totally out of control ... more info than you really needed, eh? Otherwise everything is going along swimmingly.

Jaida and I just returned from a two day trip to Brooklyn and NJ to visit with friends. It was a fun trip but has left me a bit exhausted.

My pregnancy calendar says that the bones begin to grow. Ribs and backbone are still soft but will harden later. The baby weighs 0.49 ounces and is about 2.13 inches long. By now the external sex organs have differentiated. The umbilical cord is well formed at this point. The placenta weighs about an ounce.

From Visembryo:

Week 12 - 13

Fetus begins to move around, though the mother cannot sense yet these movements.

Head

The head is about one-half of the crown-to-rump length and rests on the well-defined neck instead of shoulders.

Sucking muscles of mouth fill out cheeks, tooth buds continue to develop and salivary glands begin to function.

Scalp (hair) pattern is discernible.

Thorax

Heartbeat can be detected with external instruments.

Lungs develop further as the fetus inhales and exhales amniotic fluid, which is essential for air sacs within lungs to function properly.

Heart pumps about twenty-five quarts of blood per day and increases to three hundred quarts per day by the time of delivery.

Respiratory and digestive system - breathing, swallowing and sucking - are more developed.

Abdomen

Fully functional spleen will assume functions supervised by liver such as removal of old red blood cells and production of antibodies.

Pelvis

Fetus' sex can be detected as sexual organs (female or male) become clearly visible.

Limbs

Arms have almost reached final proportion and length, though legs are still quite short relative to fetus' body.

Hands, particularly the thumbs, become more functional.

Skin, Muscle, Glands

Muscles function more smoothly.

Fetus is more flexible and has advanced movements of head, mouth and lips, arms, wrists, hands, legs, foot, and toes.

Muscles and nervous system continue to advance.

Sweat glands appear and body hair begins to grow.

Feeling great!

11 weeks 5 days (LMP) 9 weeks 5 days (gestational)

I am just simply feeling great. I get tired and winded easily but that is about it. No nausea at all. Still having some minor acne issues but oh well. Generally, I feel good and my mood has been very even throughout this entire early pregnancy. This is a tad surprising considering I am taking progesterone supplements. Which by the way I am tapering myself off of this week. I am taking one tonight, one on Wednesday and one on Friday and then I am done. Woohoo! Everything is just peachy.

Joe and I are both getting serious boy vibes from this bean. I really am not sure why since the heart-rate is still very similar to Jaida's ... although it has slowed recently from the high 180's to the mid 170's. It just feels like a boy. Then again I am notoriously wrong about these sorts of things and had serious boy vibes with Jaida also and look how that turned out. :) Either way we will be pleased as can be.

Other happenings ... my pants are way too tight but I am way too cheap to buy transitional pants that I will never wear again. So I continue to suffer in silence (more or less). Joe told his mom and brother about the pregnancy over the weekend. I imagine the news is already spreading through the rest of Joe's family. :) My sister has known from the beginning but I will likely let the rest of the family know after Christmas. I think Joe and I will decline the AFP bloodtest this time around. It really doesn't make a difference to us one way or the other so why test. We will not do an amnio either since I go to a midwife and it isn't even offered unless something seems like it is wrong. I likely wouldn't do it anyhow ... just no need. We will likely do the 20 week ultrasound in February at some point to look and make sure the development is on target.

Jaida and I are heading to Brooklyn tomorrow to hang out with a friend and her twin boys for a day and a half and then are heading over to NJ to visit yet more friends. We are both very excited. In fact we just can't wait!

Midwife Appointment

11 weeks 0 days (LMP) 9 weeks 0 days (gestational)

weight: 104 pounds
waist: 27.5 inches

By this week, the crown-to-rump length of your baby is 1.75 to 2.4 inches (44 to 60 mm). Fetal weight is about 0.3 ounce or 8 grams. Your baby is about the size of a large lime. Fetal growth is rapid now. The crown-to-rump length of your baby doubles in the next three weeks. The head is almost half the baby's entire length. As the head extends (uncurls or tips backward toward the spine), the chin rises from the chest, and the neck develops and lengthens. Fingernails appear. External genitalia are beginning to show distinguishing features. Development of the fetus into a male or female is complete in another three weeks.

It sounds like it is going to be a busy couple of weeks for the firecracker. So much growing do be done. It is pretty cool that the baby is the size of a lime now. No wonder I feel so tired by the time evening hits. I don't think I have been awake past 7:30 in the evening in weeks at this point. In general I am feeling pretty good. I am having some funky eating issues ... not so much nausea but rather just nothing even remotely sounds appealing which makes me just not want to eat which in turn makes me feel pretty weak. I can also tell my blood volume must be starting to increase. My gums bleed a tiny bit during the night. This happened with Jaida also. I also have very light-headed moments when I stand or move to quickly.

We had a midwife appointment yesterday. We met with Susan who is very funny and nice. Everything is going along well. We signed all the consent forms, etc and gave those back to her. She wants me to fill out an eating log for a week to make sure I am getting enough dietary calcium and protein. I think I will do this in a couple of weeks when I am feeling a bit better and have a bit more well-balanced diet. :) She couldn't find the heartbeat with her doppler but she didn't try to hard since she knew we had already heard it with ours. I swear this baby is like houdini ... it moves around so much it makes it difficult to find that tiny little heart. I can now feel my uterus when I stand up but it still flops backwards when I lay down ... so Susan wasn't really able to feel it either. So all in all a pretty uneventful appointment. Susan did give me a nice list of books that I can get to start helping in preparing Jaida for what she will witness during labor and childbirth since she will be with us when we have the baby if she wants to.

So far these are the ones I really like ...

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0688170439/ref=wl_it_dp/103-3160053-6796603?%5Fencoding=UTF8&colid=LMVEIJDFXM4S&coliid=I3RVSPR5UA4VT7&v=glance&n=283155
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/068812061X/ref=wl_it_dp/103-3160053-6796603?%5Fencoding=UTF8&colid=LMVEIJDFXM4S&coliid=I3ID3O0OTOUX4S&v=glance&n=283155
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0316788287/ref=wl_it_dp/103-3160053-6796603?%5Fencoding=UTF8&colid=LMVEIJDFXM4S&coliid=I2H656U2YY25BS&v=glance&n=283155
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0859539741/ref=wl_itt_dp/103-3160053-6796603?%5Fencoding=UTF8&colid=LMVEIJDFXM4S&coliid=I1QGD24HCWUDBG&v=glance&n=283155
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0688145094/ref=wl_itt_dp/103-3160053-6796603?%5Fencoding=UTF8&colid=LMVEIJDFXM4S&coliid=I2XQAGTEIAKEAC&v=glance&n=283155
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0316787671/ref=wl_it_dp/103-3160053-6796603?%5Fencoding=UTF8&colid=LMVEIJDFXM4S&coliid=I9DZ6BZIF8WN0&v=glance&n=283155
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0152008705/ref=wl_itt_dp/103-3160053-6796603?%5Fencoding=UTF8&colid=LMVEIJDFXM4S&coliid=I2SJXF63PFCK30&v=glance&n=283155
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0916291960/ref=wl_itt_dp/103-3160053-6796603?%5Fencoding=UTF8&colid=LMVEIJDFXM4S&coliid=IGUQW9QG7TQV7&v=glance&n=283155
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/9163153920/ref=wl_itt_dp/103-3160053-6796603?%5Fencoding=UTF8&colid=LMVEIJDFXM4S&coliid=IDBJQEGUFS4GY&v=glance&n=283155

My pregnancy calendar says The ongoing process of baby's organ development is called organogenesis. Baby's hands are more developed than feet, and arms are longer than legs. Also, the baby's back straightens and everything continues to grow.

From Visembryo:

The following things are happening with the baby during the 10th and 11th weeks ...

Volume of amniotic fluid at this point is approximately 1.5 ounces (50 ml)

Head

Brain structure of the fetus is complete and the brain mass increases rapidly

Socket for all twenty teeth are formed in gums.

Face has human appearance (nasolacrimal groove, intermaxillary segment).

Separate folds of the mouth fuse to form the palate.

Early facial hair follicles begin to develop.

Thorax

Vocal cords form in larynx and fetus can make sounds.

Abdomen

Intestines have migrated into abdomen from the umbilical cord. Digestive tract muscles are functional and practice contraction.

Nutrient-extracting villi line the now folded intestines.

Liver start to secrete bile, a thick, brown-green liquid containing bile salts, bile pigments, cholesterol and inorganic salts. The bile is stored in the gall bladder.

Development of thyroid, pancreas and gall bladder is complete. Pancreas starts to produce insulin.

Pelvis

Genitalia begin to show female characteristics (labium minus, urogenital groove, labium majoris) and male characteristics (glans penis, urethral groove, scrotum). Neither male nor female genitalia are fully formed.

Limbs

Fingernails begin to grow from nail beds.

Skin & Muscle

Fetus develops reflexes and the skin is very sensitive.

The MOST beautiful sound in the world

10 weeks 2 days (LMP) 8 weeks 2 days (gestational) 58 dpo

simply has to be the sound of a fetal heartbeat. It is simply beautiful! We have been stressing over the fact that we haven't been able to find the firecrackers heart using our home doppler machine. Then Last night (10 weeks 1 day) Joe realized the battery was likely getting low ... DOH. He replaced the battery in the doppler and within a few minutes we were able to find to heartbeat. Just chugging right along. Sounded much the same as Jaida's at this point in development. Like a little pony galloping away. It was about 185 bpm. This was such a relief ... I just can't even describe the feeling. I was a little amazed at how the baby already is. I guess my uterus has really been expanding which would explain a lot of the tenderness I am feeling.

My pregnancy calendar says there is about one ounce of amniotic fluid. Fingers and toes become more distinct. Baby weighs 0.14 ounces or 4 grams. Baby is 1.22 inches or 3.1 cm in length.

From Visembryo:

(approximately 56 - 57 postovular days)

Essential External and Internal Structures Complete

By the last stage of embryonic development, all essential external and internal structures are present.

Head

Head is erect and rounded. External ear is completely developed.

The eyes are closed, but the retina of the eye is fully pigmented. The eyelids begin to unite and are only half closed.

Taste buds begin to form on the surface of the tongue. The primary teeth are at cap stage. Bones of the palate begin to fuse. Scalp plexus reaches head vertex.

Abdomen

Intestines begin to migrate from the umbilical cord into the body cavity.

Pelvis

External genitals still difficult to recognize.

Limbs

Upper and lower limbs are well formed. Fingers get longer and toes no longer webbed and all digits are separate and distinct.

Spine, Skeleton, Muscles, Skin

Layer of rather flattened cells, the precursor of the surface layer of the skin, replaces the thin ectoderm of the embryo. Tail has disappeared.

Double digits

10 weeks 0 days (LMP) 8 weeks 0 days (gestational) 56 dpo

weight: 104 pounds
waist: 27.5 inches

By the 10 th week of pregnancy, the crown-to-rump length of your growing baby is about 1.25 to 1.68 inches (31 to 42 mm). At this time, we can start measuring how much the baby weighs. Before this week, weight was too small to measure weekly differences. The baby weighs close to 0.18 ounce (5g) and is the size of a small plum. The end of this week is the end of the embryonic period. At this time, the fetal period begins. It is characterized by rapid growth of the fetus when the three germ layers are established. Most congenital malformations occur before the end of week 10. It is encouraging to know that a critical part of the baby's development is safely behind you.

We have made it to double digits which is too cool for words. I am beyond happy. I have been having a bunch of funky feelings in my abdomen. Mostly pinching and some pulling but also my muscles just feel tired and achey. I have also been very tired but going to bed or resting on the sofa in the evenings has been a lifesaver.

It is good to know that we are mostly past the point where any gross malformations occur. I hope everything is going well with the bean. It certainly looked perfect on ultrasound.

Baby movements

9 weeks 6 days (LMP) 7 weeks 6 days (gestational) 55 dpo

I felt the first definite baby flutters on Saturday evening (9wks3dys) ... twice. I have felt more every day since then a couple of times a day. It is pretty neat. They are very soft little brushing feelings and a few little nudges. We still haven't found the baby's heartbeat with our doppler but we can hear the baby moving around. Jaida however LOVES listening to her heart with the doppler ... at least it is being used for something. The nausea is pretty much gone at this point and is quickly being replaced by intense hunger all the time.

Our new sleep number bed arrived and was set-up yesterday. It is big and extremely comfortable. I had a pretty good nights sleep except for the intense belly ache from sucking down a HUGE Jamaican burger last night for dinner. The tums really didn't help much with this one. :) We had our first snowfall of the season last night and ended up with about 5 inches of really pretty and very wet snow. It stuck to EVERYTHING ... the yard looked like a winter wonderland this morning.

My pregnancy journal says baby's brain can be seen in fetal photography. Intestines have formed outside the baby (on the umbilical cord) because they can't fit inside yet. Baby weighs 0.07 ounces or 2 grams and is about 0.9 inches or 2.3 cm in length and looks something like the picture to the left. Kidneys become functional and baby urinates into amnicotic fluid. Sex organs begin to develop.


From Visembryo:

Heart Development Ends

Head

Head developing the fissures characteristics of humans. Eyelids and external ear more developed and the upper lip fully formed.

The brain can move muscles.

Thorax

The critical period of heart development ends. It will continue to develop, but not at such a quick pace.

Pelvis

In female embryos, the clitoris is beginning to form.

The penis will develop from the same tissue.

Limbs

Primary ossification centers appear in the long bones, directing the replacement of cartilage by bone. This process usually begins in the upper limbs. Fingers overlap those of opposite hand, and the digits of the fingers fully separate.

Feet lengthen and become more defined.

Spine, Skeleton, and Muscles

The stubby tail is still present, but much smaller.

A beautiful sight

9 weeks 2 days (LMP) 7 weeks 2 days (gestational) 51 dpo

We had our early ultrasound today. The bean is measuring just about a week ahead at a little over an inch long (2.83 cm). The heartrate was 188 bpm ... fast little bugger. It was flexing its head so that its head and body were sort of moving in opposite directions and it was also moving its little flippers all about. It was really neat to see those first involuntary (sort of spasmodic movements). With Jaida we had an ultrasound at 7 weeks (pre-movement) and 19 weeks where she was able to make coordinated movements so this was a new experience. The tech said I definitely ovulated from the left ovary since there is a whopping cyst (corpus luteum) on that ovary. My cervix was also nice and thick and long which is excellent. I am just so happy. I feel like I am floating on cloud 9.

Here are some pictures of our beautiful little bean.


In this picture the head is at the top left and the bean is on its back. You can see its little foot flippers sticking up. :) It was flexing its entire body one way and then the other.












This is looking at the bean dead-on. Head is on the left and feet are at the other end ... obviously. That little white spot near the head is the little thumping heart.











This is a 3d image of the bean. Again the head is at the top left and its back is to the left. You are looking at a profile. You can sort of make out an alien facial profile. Below that running from left to right across is the umbilical cord. Below that is a dark circle which is the yolk sac. The yolk sac is what really nourishes the baby until blood really gets flowing throughout the beans body and the placenta is fully functional at about 12 weeks.




This was such a great expereince and the whole pregnancy feels much more real. It is good to know that things are going well so far. :)

From Visembryo:

(approximately 52 postovulatory days)

Intestines Begin to Recede Into Body Cavity

Head and Neck

Eyes are well-developed, but are still located on the side of the embryonic head. As head development continues, they will migrate forward.

External ears are set low on the embryo's head, but will move up as the head enlarges.

Over the next few days, tongue development finishes.

Abdomen

Intestines begin migration within the umbilical cord towards the embryo. Liver causes a ventral prominence of the abdomen.

Limbs

Fingers lengthen while distinct grooves (digital rays) form between the fingers, which also lengthen as the hands approach each other across the abdomen.

Feet approach each other, but are still fan-shaped and the toe digits are still webbed.

Baby NEEDS steak

9 weeks 1 day (LMP) 7 weeks 1 day (gestational)

The cravings for red meat are intense. I finally gave in last night and we went out to dinner and I ordered a nice steak that made both of us VERY happy. :) We still haven't found the heartbeat on our home doppler although we haven't exactly spent a great deal of time trying to either. Tomorrow is our ultrasound ... hopefully there is someone in my uterus. :)

From Visembryo: (this stuff is happening during the next week or so)

Spontaneous Involuntary Movement

Head and Neck

Brain is connected to tiny muscles and nerves and enables the embryo to make spontaneous movements. The scalp plexus is now present.

Nasal openings and the tip of the nose are fully formed.

Limbs

The upper limbs become longer and continue to bend at the elbows and extend forward.

Skin on the foot plate folds down between the future toes, each distinguishable from the other.

Pelvis

Anal membrane is perforated. Urogenital membranes differentiate in male and female embryos.

Testes or ovaries are distinguishable.