Heartburn

21 weeks 0 days (LMP) 19 weeks 0 days (Gestational)

weight:
waist:

Your baby is getting larger in this first week of the second half of your pregnancy. It now weighs about 10.5 ounces (300 g), and its crown-to-rump length is about 7.2 inches (18 cm). It is about the size of a large banana.

The rapid growth rate of your baby has slowed. However, the baby continues to grow and develop. Different organ systems within the baby are maturing.

The baby begins to swallow amniotic fluid during the 21 st week. Babies have been observed via ultrasound swallowing amniotic fluid. Why does a baby in the womb swallow? Researchers believe swallowing amniotic fluid may help growth and development of the fetal digestive system. It may condition the digestive system to function after birth. Studies have determined how much fluid a fetus swallows and passes through its digestive system. Evidence indicates babies at full term may swallow large amounts of amniotic fluid, as much as 17 ounces (500 mL) in a 24-hour period. Amniotic fluid swallowed by the baby contributes a small amount to its caloric needs. Researchers believe it may contribute essential nutrients to the developing baby. After swallowing amniotic fluid, the fetus absorbs much of the water in it and passes unabsorbed matter as far as the large bowel.

Well, it was a good run I suppose. I was sort of enjoying eating what I wanted without worry of becoming a fire-breathing dragon but those days are over. The heartburn has kicked into full gear. Even water gives me heartburn. I love TUMS.

Did I mention that due to the baby's size at the ultrasound my edd is now 6/29/2006. Happily the midwives are sticking with July 6, 2006 as the edd since picking the early one could make it seem like I am late if I actually make it to the edd based on ovulation and put my chances of a homebirth at risk. Oh ... have I mentioned we are planning a homebirth? Probably not. Anyhow, more about that later.

Here is some info from my pregnancy calendar for the last week or so. Baby's blood cells take over for liver in producing blood. The gall bladder becomes functional, producing bile which is needed for digestion. Baby's milk teeth begin to form under gums. Baby's body hair, including eyebrows and lashes begin to grow. Small hairs called lanugo covers baby's body and face. Most of it falls out before birth. Right now your baby's skin is translucent. If you could see your baby, you would also be able to see his/her bones and organs, too! Baby weighs 12.70 ounces or 360 grams. Baby is 10.51 inches or 26.7 cm long. At this point baby is measured crown to heel instead of crown to rump.

Uneventful midwife appointment

20 weeks 6 days (LMP) 18 weeks 6 days (Gestational)

I had a midwife appointment today. We discussed my diet worksheet and the fact that I need to eat more veggies ... like I didn't know that already. Unfortunately my babies like Burger King and they don't sell a lot of veggies. :) We also discussed my ultrasound results and she agreed that the little dude looks absolutely perfect. I go back in about 6 weeks or so and they will give me the orange drink and directions to do my GTT at 27 weeks or so. Otherwise, blood pressure was healthy low which was great news, belly measured perfectly, and weight gain was good. I think I have gained a total of 12-14 pounds (according to their scale) since the beginning.

I am feeling really great in so many ways. I feel healthy (although big), happy, even-tempered and just all around wonderful ... rather sickening isn't it? I have been fairly active and this promises to keep up with warmer weather approaching. I am doing pre-natal yoga which is keeping me limber and feeling pretty centered and focused which I like. Joe and I are making HUGE strides towards getting a lot of stuff done which has been nagging at me. Joe is well on his way to getting the closet built in the 4th bedroom which will become the guest room and will allow Jaida to move into the nicer big girl room and free up the nursery for the dude. I decided on a theme for the nursery and have ordered his bedding ... very serene and sweet in a boyish sort of way. Jaida decided her room must be purple and have frogs in it so we are going to work with those two criteria and see what we can come up with. I went through all of the baby clothes we have and pulled out the clothes that can be used for a little boy which equalled three huge rubbermaid tubs full. We actually need to buy very little early on. We will likely pick up a few cute blue sleepers and a couple overtly boy outfits and call it done for now. We actually did a thorough inventory of all our baby gear and we actually need to buy very little. I already picked up replacement nipples for the bottles which we won't need until the baby is a month old or so. I also picked up a baby lounger pillow sort of thing which I wish we had with Jaida. I also would like to get a couple of new slings. I think these will be super useful with it being summer and Jaida being the active little girl that I need to keep up with. I will still use my Maya but I need a lighter weight version for summer. I also bought a new very utilitarian diaper bag that will be good for two kids ... not that I ever used a diaper bag with Jaida so hopefully this won't just collect dust.

Here are a couple of belly pictures taken at 20 weeks ...

Snips and Snails and Puppy Dog Tails

20 Weeks 0 Days (LMP) 18 Weeks 0 Days (Gestational)

weight: 111/112 pounds
waist: 31 inches

Are what little boys are made of. AND we are going to know all about that since we are having a little boy! Fun stuff! I simply can't believe I am technically half way through the pregnancy already. Craziness!

Anyhow, sorry for the delay. I have been fighting off a bit of a virus since Sunday and not feeling very well. We had our ultrasound appointment on Monday and had the BEST ultrasound tech. She spent about an hour looking at the baby. The baby was so active and being quite the clown and she said she couldn't get enough of watching it. We had a BLAST! Jaida loved seeing the baby and was even able to make out eyes, nose, legs and arms without any help from us. The tech sent us home with a bunch (many more than we got with Jaida) excellent ultrasound pictures. The baby is absolutely adorable.

The baby is tremendously healthy. The tech said everything was text-book perfect. Brain had two hemispheres, cerebellum measured perfectly, palette and lip were in tact, heart had four beautiful chambers that were all working perfectly, two kidneys that looked perfect, skin completely enclosing the perfect little spine, super long legs ... she said this baby is going to be a runner for sure. The stomache was on the inside along with the intestines. The placenta was big and beautiful (her words) and perfectly placed and the cord had all three vessles. The baby is measuring perfectly although a bit big. She said at this point the baby should weigh 6-7 ounces but according to u/s it is weighing in at a whopping 14 ounces (nearly a pound!) and is measuring a little over a week ahead. Seems as if I am growing another moose of a baby. From the 3D ultrasound pictures of the baby the face resembles both Joe and Jaida which is so cool to already be able to see the resemblance.

We left the gender question up to Jaida since Joe and I couldn't agree. We asked her if she wanted to know who was inside and she said yes. The baby (unlike Jaida) was happy to oblige. The baby was super active and putting on quite a show ... we got some adorable pictures of the baby sucking on the umbilical cord, kicking its legs, sticking its tongue out, pulling on its lips, sucking on its fingers, and waving its little fists around above its head like it was doing some crazy sort of dance. We even witnessed the little bugger yanking on HIS PENIS!!!!!!!! The penial fascination starts pretty darn early.

So, we are having a little boy. It feels so strange to say that. When Joe and I got all excited Jaida just looked at us like we are idiots and we should have just listened to her the entire time. It is a bit freaky how she has been sure of the boyness of the baby from the get go. We are so excited. It is going to be fun to have one of each. We feel like we have the perfect family for us.

Anyhow, we are simply over the moon happy! We are very excited but in a calm very happy to know the final make-up of our family sort of way. I have to say it is perfect. Jaida will be a good girl influence on a little boy and make sure he grows up understanding women.

Here are some ultrasound pictures.

Hands near his face


Looking at mouth, upper lip and nostrils


3D u/s of face, hands and umbilical cord in right hand


Long legs in runners pose (tush at the top)


Boy bits and pieces with a hand going for them


His face tilted downwards. He is sucking on the umbilical cord.


Profile while playing with umbilical cord


Sticking his tongue out

I have nothing

19 Weeks 2 Days (LMP) 17 Weeks 2 Days (gestational)

weight: 111 pounds
waist: 30.5 inches

Crown-to-rump length of the growing fetus is 5.2 to 6 inches (13 to 15cm) by this week. Your baby weighs about 7 ounces (200 g). It's incredible to think your baby will increase its weight more than 15 times between now and delivery.

I have nothing of real substance to say that is. It has been a week. Not a bad week ... just a week of trying to get by really. We had a shipping fiasco for a work deployment ... which left me feeling ragged and extremely stressed. That is over now though ... thankfully. Jasper dog has also been under the weather and barely able to walk which has been a bit stressful as he is quite the big dog. It is his age that makes the situation stressful ... trying to figure out what to do with him is not an easy thing at all. Jaida has had several appointments that we have been running to this week. In the midst of all of this Joe has been out of town on a deployment since Monday. He is due back tomorrow which is just in the nick of time. So with all of that there has not been much time to either focus on or think about this pregnancy. This was probably good as the big 20 week ultrasound is on Monday (2/13/06). Can you imagine the sheer amount of obsessing I could have been doing had I not been so preoccupied with life?

Anyhow, everything is great. Baby is moving lots which means it is still alive. The belly is getting bigger which means not only is it still alive it is actually growing which is a good thing. My appetite has evened out a bit which is good otherwise I figured I would weigh 250 pounds by the end of this pregnancy. :) I am now fully in maternity clothes and I actually look pregnant ... in a cute small sort of way rather than just fat in a not-so-cute frumpy sort of way. Yay!

We are hoping for a healthy baby and good report at our ultrasound on Monday morning. Joe kind of wants to know the gender and I kind of don't want to know. So we are not sure what we are going to do about this. I think we might just say nothing. If the tech blurts out the gender then we will find out but if nothing is said we won't ask. That seems like it might work ... we will just leave it up to chance. Now if the tech specifically says she knows and asks if we want to know we are most definitely screwed because she is going to get two very different answers. :) You know I will be updating on Monday afternoon either way.

Joe felt the baby move

18 weeks 1 day (LMP) 16 weeks 1 day (gestational)

As I said in an earlier post I have been feeling solid movement from the outside for a couple of weeks now. However, it was always hard to predict where the next kick would be so Joe had a hard time feeling the baby. Well, last night I was sitting on the sofa and the baby was kicking and rolling down low where the uterus is more stretched out so it was really easy to feel. Joe put his hand on and within a minute or so he got two good little kicks or pokes and could feel the baby changing position as it rolled around. Pretty neat. It will be neat when Jaida can feel it clearly.

I finally filled out my eating log for the midwives. I think a good portion of their clients are vegetarians so they worry a lot about their patients getting enough protein. Not a problem for me though as I CRAVE protein these days. They like to see an average of 60-80 grams a day. I average about 100 grams a day. Now fiber .... that is a whole different story but that is what fiber pills are for. :)

Now I just need to figure out a way to get this little bugger off my bladder. It is amazing that something that only weighs 5 ounces or so can cause my bladder so much discomfort. Oh well ...

Ravenous hunger

18 Weeks 0 Days (LMP) 16 Weeks 0 Days (Gestational)

weight: 110 pounds
waist: 30 inches

The crown-to-rump length of your baby is 5 to 5.6 inches (125 to 1400 mm). Weight of the baby is about 5.25 ounces.

Your baby is continuing to grow and develop, but now the rapid growth rate slows done a little.

I am so hungry it is insane. I figured out that there was only 15 minutes out of a five hour period today at work where I wasn't eating something. I am eating constantly and in large quantities. At least I have gotten back to mostly healthy foods (minus the box of lemon cookies I consumed after lunch).

The baby is still sitting REALLY low. So low in fact that my bladder and pubic bone just ache. I just feel like the baby is going to fall right out of me. Not a good feeling at all.

Here is my 18 week belly picture. Jaida wants to show everyone the baby in her big fat belly also. And yes I know Jaida looks remarkably like a ragamuffin with the wild hair and all but keeping her hair out of her face is nearly impossible these days.

From Visembryo:

A dramatic growth period for the fetus.

HEAD

Fetus has phases of sleep and waking and may prefer a favorite sleep position. Temporary hair called lanugo appears on the head. Lanugo may fall out in the second week after birth, allowing fine scalp hair to grow. Eyebrows begin to form.

PELVIS

Ovaries of female fetuses contain primitive egg cells, all of the eggs a woman will have for her entire life. The uterus of female fetuses is also fully formed.

SKIN

Brown fat (colored by capillary growth) coats neck, chest and crotch areas around the lymphatic system. The vernix (consisting of dead skin, lanugo cells, and oil from glands) is now clearly formed and visible covering the skin.

PLACENTA

Placenta is fully formed and grows in diameter though not in thickness.

Big movements

17 Weeks 0 Days (LMP) 15 Weeks 0 Days (gestational)

weight: 110 pounds
waist: 30 inches

The crown-to-rump length of your baby is 4.4 to 4.8 inches (110 to 120 mm). Fetal weight has doubled in 2 weeks and is 3.5 ounces (100 g). By this week, your baby is about the size of your hand spread wide open.

Fat begins to form this week and the weeks to follow. Also called adipose tissue, fat is important to the body's heat production and metabolism.

At 17 weeks of development, water makes up about 3 ounces (89 g) and fat 0.018 ounce (0.5 g) of your baby's body. In a baby at term, fat makes up about 5.25 pounds (2.4 kg) of the total average weight of 7.7 pounds (3.5 kg).

Really not much to report. I feel pretty darn good considering I am growing pretty fast. I started pre-natal yoga last weekend and am really enjoying it. Jaida and I also do yoga from DVD's in the evening at home while Joe works out. She loves it and it makes it much more fun for me ... although I am a tad jealous of her downward-facing dog. :)

The baby is making some HUGE movements these days. I can feel very definite flips and rolls and every now and again a little something poking out. Pretty fun! I can feel the baby very clearly from the outside although it moves quickly so it has been hard for Joe to feel the baby yet. Soon though, I am sure of it.

Midwife Appointment

16 weeks 0 days (lmp) 14 weeks 0 days (gestational)

The crown-to-rump length of your baby by this week is 4.3 to 4.6 inches and the weight is about 2.8 ounces.There is also about 7.5 ounces of amniotic fluid around the baby.

Fine lanugo hair covers your baby's head. The umbilical cord is attached to the abdomen; this attachment has moved lower on the body of the fetus.

Fingernails are well formed. The legs are longer than the arms. Arms and legs are moving and can now easily be felt.

I had my 16 week midwife appointment yesterday. Pretty uneventful really. My blood pressure was low (80 something over 40 something) as always. I gained 2-3 pounds in the last month. She could feel my uterus and said it was the size it should be. We heard the baby's heartbeat (in the 140's). All is good. I go back for another appointment in 5 weeks or so. I scheduled my 20 week anatomical ultrasound for February 13, 2006. We are looking forward to that.

I am suffering such food guilt right now. Mostly because I have no nausea any longer and therefore no real excuse to not eat healthy yet I am not eating all that healthy. The baby just won't let me. :) After inhaling two Krispy Kreme doughnuts and a couple of handfuls of fritos for dinner last night I decided enough is enough. I went out and bought a HUGE tub of fresh fruit already cut up and I am going to eat the entire thing in the next couple of days. I guess at this point I just need to make myself do it ... no excuses. I also planned a very healthy dinner menu for the next two weeks now I just need to get off my butt in the evening and cook the stuff. I am always so tired after work that is just hard to get motivated.

My pregnancy calendar says the baby weighs 3.53 ounces or 100 grams. Baby is 4.57 inches or 11.6 cm long. The rest of baby's face begins to form. The tail has disappeared and the head makes up about half of baby's size. The baby's ears and eyes have moved to their final positions look more "normal" by now.

From Visembryo:

Week 16 Post Fertilization...

Growth continues, but no new structures form after this point.

HEAD

Eyes are at final destination and face forward rather than to the sides and reflexes, such as blinking, develop. Ears move to final position and stand out from head.

ABDOMEN

Meconium begins to accumulate in the bowels. Meconium is the product of cell loss, digestive secretion and swallowed amniotic fluid.

LIMBS

Fingertips and toes develop the unique swirls and creases of fingerprints and toe prints.

NERVOUS

The nerves are being coated with a fatty substance system (myelin) to speed nerve cell transmission and insulate them for uninterrupted impulses.

BLOOD

Circulation is completely functional. The umbilical cord system continues to grow and thicken as blood travels with considerable force through the body to nurture the fetus. The placenta is now almost equal in size to the fetus.

Excessive Hunger

15 weeks 2 days (lmp) 13 weeks 2 days (gestational)

I spend much of each day daydreaming about my next meal. I just want food and lots of it. With Jaida I sort grazed all day on small meals. This time around it is different ... very very different. I want large quantities of food all at once and then I don't really want to eat again for quite a while. I am also CRAVING milk products. Normally I am not a big consumer of dairy products (other than cheese) but lately I just want milk ... cereal with milk, chai tea lattes, ice cream, lots of cheese and yogurt drinks. Also, with Jaida I really wanted salty foods and had no need for sweets. This time bring on the sugar ... the more the merrier. I am going to gain SO much weight! I need to fill out a 2 week eating diary for my midwife and I am honestly embarrassed to do so. I keep putting it off in hopes that my diet will suddenly become healthier. I have high hopes for this but baby is not cooperating with me.

We think baby had a HUGE growth spurt over the last few days. It spent much of that time burrowed down into my pelvis to the point of causing me much discomfort and difficulty peeing. Now suddenly all the kicks are up much higher ... just below my ribs and my lower abdomen feels very heavy. Also, we can put the doppler probe just about anywhere on my belly and find the heartbeat which is quite convienent.

Our cat Isis has taken up her standard pregnancy position which is to sleep draped over the top of my belly. She did this with Jaida and she is doing it again now. I swear as much as this cat adores Jaida I think this is some weird maternal cat bonding thing. She lays on my belly and purrs like crazy and baby just kicks up a storm from the inside. A uterus cozy of sorts. :)

I imagine my next update will be after my midwife appointment on Tuesday.

15 Weeks Pregnant

15 weeks 0 days (lmp) 13 weeks 0 days (gestational)

weight: 106 pounds
waist: 28.5 inches

The fetal crown-to-rump length by this week of pregnancy is 4.1 to 4.5 inches (93 to 103 mm). Your baby is about the size of a softball and weighs about 1.75 ounces (50 g).

Your baby's rapid growth continues. Its skin is thin. At this point in its development, you can see blood vessels through the skin. Fine hair called lanugo hair covers the baby's body.

By this time, your baby may be sucking its thumb. This has been seen with ultrasound examination. Eyes continue to move to the front of the face but are still widely separated.

Ears continue to develop externally and they now look more like normal ears. In fact, your baby looks more human with each passing day.

Bones that already formed are getting harder and retaining calcium (ossifying) rapidly. If an X-ray were performed at this time, the baby's skeleton would be visible.

The baby has finally raised up out of my pelvis a little bit. I am feeling movement much higher the last couple of days. People are starting to notice that I am pregnant ... kind of ... mostly they notice but are afraid to ask for fear that I am just getting fat. :) I just get the "are you pregnant" look a lot.

I am starting to think about the stuff I need to get for this baby. We are pretty okay for the most part. We still have everything that was Jaida's so we really just need to get a few little replacement items. Shouldn't be too bad really.

A couple of 15 week belly pictures ...

Get off my bladder already

14 weeks 5 days (LMP) 12 weeks 5 days (gestational)

This kid is seriously squashing my bladder. Up until this point I haven't had any of the early pregnancy bladder issues. Now is a whole different story though. The kid is so low in my pelvis right now that I think it is laying right on my bladder. I have that I am about to pee my pants feeling pretty much all day long. It isn't really fun and I will be a much happier person when this baby decides to scoot up a bit.

Starting to feel subtle movements again which is a relief. I wasn't really that worried with the sudden lack of movement but there is always that little bit of worry. Especially since the baby is normally VERY active.

Anyhow, I am tired and off to bed.

Very little movement

14 weeks 4 days (lmp) 12 weeks 4 days (gestational)

I can now sort of feel the weight of the baby in my lower abdomen. For some reason over the last few days the baby has really sunk down into my pelvis and hardly moves around (that I can feel) at all. It is very strange. I sort of wonder if maybe the baby is just resting because it is going through a big growth spurt or developmental jump or something. We keep checking the heartbeat and it is strong as ever so I assume all is alright. I have also been a tad stressed the last few days due to some family issues which likely isn't helping matters at all.

Anyhow, the baby bulge is getting to be pretty obvious. I went out and bought a few pairs of low rise maternity pants. Mostly cargos and all very cute. They are quite comfy. It is really very strange to be showing so much so early but I guess that is a second pregnancy for you.

Anyhow, all is well here.

The baby is growing

14 weeks (lmp) 12 weeks (gestational)

weight: 106 pounds
waist: 28.5 inches

The crown-to-rump length is 3.2 to 4.1 inches (80 to 93 mm). Your baby is about the size of your fist and weighs almost 1 ounce (25 g).

By this week the baby's ears have moved from the neck to the sides of the head. Eyes have been moving gradually to the front of the face from the side of the head. The neck continues to get longer, and the chin no longer rests on the chest.

Sexual development continues. It is becoming easier to determine male from female by looking at external genitalia, which are more developed.

From Visembryo:

14 Weeks Post Fertilization...

Fetus is more flexible with ability to move head, mouth, lips, arms, wrists, hands, legs, feet, and toes.

Head and neck are straighter and almost erect as muscles strengthen and additional bone texture forms in the back.

Eyes face more forward.

Ears are close to final position. Philtrum, the vertical groove on the surface of the upper lip, lowers into position.

THORAX

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

Torso grows rapidly, in increasing proportion to the head.

LIMBS

Limbs are well-developed and more defined with toenails beginning to grow from their nail beds.

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.