Midwives ROCK!!!!

7 weeks (LMP) 5 weeks (gestational) 35 dpo

Your baby has an incredible growth spurt this week! At the beginning of the 7th week, the crown-to-rump length of your growing baby is 0.16 to 0.2 inch (4 to 5 mm). This is about the size of a BB pellet. By the end of the week, your baby has more than doubled in size, to 0.44 to 0.52 inch (11 to 13 mm). Leg buds are beginning to appear as short fins. The arm buds have also grown longer; they have divided into a hand segment and an arm-shoulder segment. The hand and foot have a digital plate where the fingers and toes will develop. The heart bulges from the body. By this time, it has divided into right and left heart chambers. The primary bronchi are present. The cerebral hemispheres, which make up the brain, are also growing. Eyes and nostrils are developing. Intestines are developing, and the appendix is present. The pancreas, which produces the hormone insulin, is also present. Part of the intestine bulges into the umbilical cord.

I simply LOVE my midwives. I love everything about them ... they are all wonderful, intelligent and very caring women, the office is super warm and cozy, everyone (even the patients) all know each other and the conversations in the waiting room flow freely. There are tons of breastfeeding mom's in the waiting room and plenty of itty babies to be held by everyone.

My first appointment was 2 hours and 15 minutes long All subsequent appointments will be 45 minutes long. I met with the head midwife today. We talked about my history and my wishes for this next birth. Really we just talked about everything under the sun. She told me bunches of birth stories of women that she has helped that had long (kind of difficult) first labors and had super easy second deliveries. She also REALLY thinks I should have a homebirth. She said she LOVES attending homebirths ... they are just such wonderful experiences. I am just beyond excited after talking to her.

She really worked hard to calm my nerves about all the early pregnancy stuff. She told me as midwives they are just as concerned about my emotional health as my physical well being during this pregnancy. She said if I have any concerns, questions or worries that she can help me with to contact her day or night and gave me her cell phone number ... how sweet is that? She went ahead and did another blood draw for the progesterone and HCG just to make sure everything still looks good. I think this is mostly to calm me down to be honest. LOL She did a physical and checked my cervix to make sure it is all closed up tight. She said there is a lot of blood flow going to that area right now. She said because my cervix is already so vascularized she decided not to do a pap smear because she said it will most likely make me spot and she doesn't want to give me any more reason than I already have to worry. She did say my ovaries and uterus are all quite soft and squishy which is just how they should be during early pregnancy. My uterus is still way down behind my pubic bone but this isn't surprising as I have a tilted uterus and with Jaida it didn't pop above the bone until I was nearly 10 to 12 weeks. After all the pushing around trying to find my uterus I was feeling quite tender and even a tad crampy last night and today again. I hope it passes soon. My midwives don't do any blood screening tests at all ... no AFP, etc. They also don't do any routine ultrasounds ... not even at 20 weeks. If I want one all I need to do is ask though and they will write me a script.

I actually managed to not beg for an early ultrasound ... jsut for reassurance. I was completely impressed by myself. However, as I was getting ready to walk out the door she handed me a script for one. She said if just sleeping with the script under my pillow and knowing that I can get one if I want it will help me then great. If I want to go in and have one done then also great. She said the best place for a baby to live during gestation is in a body that is not stressed or worried. My lab always has a long waiting period for ultrasound appointments but she said if I decide to do it and they won't cooperate with a timely appointment then to call her and she will call them and pretend that it is an emergency. After talking to Joe I did go ahead and make an ultrasound appointment. It is not until November 28th and I will be nearly 9 weeks along at that point. I should be able to hear the baby's heartbeat on the doppler ... if that is the case I will likely cancel the ultrasound appointment.

Marsha has also set up a yahoo group for all her patients to keep in contact and discuss their labors and births. It also has a mom run breastfeeding support board with all our local LC's, nursing supply stores, etc listed as well as a homebirth board. She said she is even thinking about setting up birth clubs by birth month ... so each month would get its own board. That way all her patients that are giving birth either in the birth center or at home would have a place to collect and discuss how things are going. I think this is such a cool idea.

Anyhow, I just love my midwives. I am just SO very fortunate.

My pregnancy journal says the cells of the liver, pancreas, stomach, and lungs begin to take shape.

From Visembryo:

(4 to 8 weeks post fertilization)

Lens Pit and Optic Cup Appear, Endolymphatic Appendage Distinct

Head and Neck

The brain and head grow rapidly. The mandibular and hyoid arches are noticeable. Ridges demarcate the three sections of the brain (midbrain, forebrain and hindbrain). The spinal cord wall at this stage contains three zones: the ventricular, the mantle and the marginal. The ventricular zone will form neurons, glial cells and ependymal cells, the intermediate mantle will form neuron clusters and the marginal zone will contain processes of neurons. Adenohypophyseal pouch, which will develop into the anterior pituitary, is defined.

Lens vesicle opens to the surface and is nestled within the optic cup.

Otic vesicle increases its size by approximately one-fourth and its endolymphatic appendage is more defined.

Nasal plate can be detected by thickened ectoderm.

Thorax

Esophagus, the tube through which food is swallowed, forms from a groove of tissue that separates from the trachea, which is also visible.

Semilunar valves begin to form in the heart. Four major subdivisions of the heart (the trabeculated left and right ventricles, the conus cords and the truncus arteriosus) are clearly defined. Two sprouts, a ventral one from the aortic sac and a dorsal one from the aorta, form the pulmonary (sixth aortic) arch.

Right and left lung sacs lie on either side of the esophagus.

Abdomen and Pelvic Regions

Ureteric bud appear. Metanephros, which will eventually form the permanent kidney, is developing.

Limbs

Upper limbs elongate into cylindrically-shaped buds, tapering at tip to eventually form hand plate. Nerve distribution process, innervation, begins in the upper limbs.