Week 18: What's Happening

Head to rump, your baby is about 5 1/2 inches long (about the size of a lobster tail) and she weighs almost 7 ounces. Your uterus is now about the size of a cantaloupe! Baby is busy flexing her arms and legs — movements that you'll start noticing more and more in the weeks ahead. Her blood vessels are visible through her thin skin, and her ears are now in their final position, although they're still standing out from her head a bit. A protective covering of myelin is beginning to form around her nerves, a process that will continue for a year after she's born. Her uterus and fallopian tubes are formed and in place.

Baby's rapid growth period is beginning to slow down, but her facial features are starting to form. Your baby can now yawn, frown, smile, and make other facial expressions. Taste buds have developed, and your baby can sense bitter from sweet, and swallowing reflexes are now present. She may even start getting the hiccups! Because baby's eyes are still developing, they're very sensitive. If a light is shined onto your belly, your baby might flinch and try to cover her face.

I also went today to get my H1N1 vaccine. I know, I'm a skeptic too, but both doctors advised me to get it, so I figured it was more risky not to. It was comforting to go to my doctor's office for the vaccine, and to see all the other pregnant women there for the same thing!

First Baby Gift

Wiggles received her first gift today! I was surprised at work with a basket of goodies for our little girl. My friends/ coworkers sent us this--two onesies, a bib, booties, a hat, a blanket, a washcloth and hooded towel, and that sweet little bear wearing a tutu. All of it has a tiara and 'Princess' embroidered on it--too cute! It's hard to believe we'll have anything small enough to fit into this stuff, but I'm quite sure Wiggles will probably have to grow into some of it.

Thanks Devlin, Jeanie, Theresa and Gerry! Gracie and Bella have already done their sniff inspection and approved this for use in our house :).

It's a Girl!

We had our long awaited appointment with Dr. Gomez today. It was raining this morning and traffic was terrible, but we were determined to make it on time, so we left an hour before our appointment. The office is only 8 miles away, but it literally took us the entire hour to get there. Ridiculous!

The ultrasound technician came in and asked us if we wanted to know the baby's sex. I told her we were DYING to know, so of course she saved that for last, after checking measurements and heartbeat and everything else. When she finally told us it was a girl, I started crying--I know, I'm a total wuss, but I couldn't help it.

Jenn had told me last night that I should drink a little caffiene this morning to make sure Wiggles was awake and moving around so they could tell the gender. I stopped and bought a Coke and drank about half of it (it was delicious, by the way, after 4 months of no caffiene!). When Dr. Gomez came in to take a look, his exact words were "look at that kid move!" So I think she's a fan of Coke--thanks for the tip Jenn :)!

This picture is a profile--the little black dot in her abdomen is her stomach, which he said shows she can swallow. They measured her to be right at 17 weeks, 3 days and about weighing 9 oz. Her heartbeat was strong and all measurements were perfect.

We thought this was a sweet picture of her hands--it looks like she's praying or clapping!

If anyone can tell what this is, I'm thoroughly impressed. This is a shot of her legs in a sideways V shape, and right by the little star shape is how they could tell Wiggles is a girl!

This one is a shot of her face--and no, you won't offend us by thinking it's alien-like! You can see her eye sockets and forehead on the right of the picture, and a big round belly on the left.

Week 17 Checkup

I had a checkup today with Dr. Graham (my regular OB). My blood pressure was great, I've gained 5 pounds, and my belly is measuring at almost 18 weeks. He said I was "growing well," which I already knew since I can no longer button my pants!

All of the blood work they did last time came back normal--the most significant was the cystic fibrosis test, which was negative.

As for Wiggles, there was still a lot of movement--the nurse found the heartbeat and then lost it 4 or 5 times, and she said that was because there was still a lot of room to move around. The heartbeat varied between 130 and 160, which they said was normal. Only one more day until we know if we have a little boy or girl...we can hardly wait!

Week 17: What's Happening

Your baby's skeleton is changing from soft cartilage to bone, and the umbilical cord — her lifeline to the placenta — is growing stronger and thicker. Your baby weighs 5 ounces now (about as much as a turnip), and she's around 5 inches long from head to bottom. She can move her joints, and her sweat glands are starting to develop.

Here's me at 17 weeks!

I've noticed lately that I seem to be dreaming a lot more--almost every night, and then I read that many women report that their dream life shifts into high gear during pregnancy. What's weird is that during the second and third trimesters, you spend less sleep time in rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, the cycle in which most dreams occur. So it's probably at least in part because I'm waking up during the night a lot more for a bathroom run or to try to get in a more comfortable position. I used to sleep straight through the night, but not anymore--thanks Wiggles!

Week 16: What's Happening

Get ready for a growth spurt. In the next few weeks, your baby will double his weight and add inches to his length. Right now, he's about the size of your open hand--about 4 1/2 inches long (head to rump) and 3 1/2 ounces. His legs are much more developed, his head is more erect than it has been, and his eyes have moved closer to the front of his head. His ears are close to their final position, too. The patterning of his scalp has begun, though his locks aren't recognizable yet. He's even started growing toenails. And there's a lot happening inside as well. For example, his heart is now pumping about 25 quarts of blood each day, and this amount will continue to increase as your baby continues to develop.

Too Much Rain!

We've had so much rain lately that Gracie and Bella are going stir crazy from being inside. This is one example of what a terribly tough life they have. This morning, Mick had to work for a couple of hours, so I decided to take the girls for a walk before it started raining again. The word "walk" always gets Gracie super excited, which in turn gets Bella excited. They were exhausted when we got home, and I'm sure it was great exercise for Wiggles and me too.

Week 15: What's Happening

Your growing baby now measures about 4 inches long, crown to rump, and weighs in at about 2 1/2 ounces, about the size of a naval orange. She's busy moving amniotic fluid through her nose and upper respiratory tract, which helps the primitive air sacs in her lungs begin to develop. Her legs are growing longer than her arms now, and she can move all of her joints and limbs. Although her eyelids are still fused shut, she can sense light. If you shine a flashlight at your tummy, for instance, she's likely to move away from the beam. There's not much for your baby to taste at this point, but she is forming taste buds. So what keeps your baby busy all day? Mostly, she is in rehearsals — practice, practice, practicing, and getting ready for that big debut. Babies practice breathing, sucking, and swallowing so that when they leave your comfy womb and move into your comfy house, they'll have the skills necessary to survive.

Week 14: What's Happening

This week's big developments: Your baby can now squint, frown, grimace, pee, and possibly suck his thumb! Thanks to brain impulses, his facial muscles are getting a workout as his tiny features form one expression after another. His kidneys are producing urine, which he releases into the amniotic fluid around him — a process he'll keep up until birth. He can grasp, too, and if you're having an ultrasound now, you may even catch him sucking his thumb. In other news: Your baby's stretching out. From head to bottom, he measures 3 1/2 inches, about the size of a lemon, and weighs 1 1/2 ounces. His body's growing faster than his head, which now sits upon a more distinct neck. By the end of this week, his arms will have grown to a length that's in proportion to the rest of his body. (His legs still have some lengthening to do.) He's starting to develop an ultra-fine, downy covering of hair, called lanugo, all over his body. Your baby's liver starts making bile this week — a sign that it's doing its job right — and his spleen starts helping in the production of red blood cells. Though you can't feel his tiny punches and kicks yet, your little one's hands and feet (which now measure about 1/2 inch long) are more flexible and active.

Another Day, Another Doctor

I had a checkup today with Dr. Graham (my regular OB/GYN, who will deliver the baby). I had to give about 8 vials of blood for different tests. No ultrasound today, but I did get to hear the heartbeat again (166 today!).
I'll go back to Dr. Graham in 3 1/2 weeks (on the 26th). It gets a little exhausting keeping up with all the appointments--I'll be glad when I'm down to seeing just one doctor, although all the extra ultrasounds have been great!

Growing Right Along!

We had a checkup today with Dr. Gomez, and everything looks great! Wigglerina is measuring at 13 weeks, 2 days (I'm 13 weeks, 3 days, but they said the measurements are never exact). The heartbeat is about 153, which is right where it should be. And the name still fits...there was lots of wiggling around, curling up and stretching.

We asked Dr. Gomez if it was too early to tell if it's a boy or a girl, and he said he could take a guess, but we couldn't go buy anything! So he took another look and said if he had to guess, he'd say it's a girl. I know we can't get excited yet, but it's a little too late! My next appointment with Dr. Gomez is in 4 weeks, which also happens to be the day after my birthday--he said we'll be able to tell then with more certainty.

So the bottom picture here is a profile--hopefully you can make out the head and face. You can't see much in the top one except for a little hand, waving at everybody! We thought that was really cool. There are 10 other pictures they gave us, but some are very hard to distinguish, so I picked out the best two.

Week 13: What's Happening

Fingerprints have formed on your baby's tiny fingertips, her veins and organs are clearly visible through her still-thin skin, and her body is starting to catch up with her head -- which makes up just a third of her body size now. If you're having a girl, she now has more than 2 million eggs in her ovaries. Your baby is almost 3 inches long (the size of a medium shrimp) and weighs nearly an ounce. As you start your second trimester, most of your baby's critical development will be completed!

First Belly Pic

I'm not in maternity clothes yet, but I can't deny the fact that all of my pants are tighter, so I decided to take the first belly pic. I'm 12 1/2 weeks along here.

The most wonderful invention I've discovered is called the Bella Band (http://www.ingridandisabel.com/). It lets me keep wearing my regular clothes, but smooths out the lines so I don't have to button my pants, which is fabulous.

Week 12: What's Happening

The most dramatic development this week: reflexes. Your baby's fingers will soon begin to open and close, his toes will curl, his eye muscles will clench, and his mouth will make sucking movements. In fact, if you prod your abdomen, your baby will squirm in response, although you won't be able to feel it. His intestines, which have grown so fast that they protrude into the umbilical cord, will start to move into his abdominal cavity about now, and his kidneys will begin excreting urine into his bladder.Meanwhile, nerve cells are multiplying rapidly, and in your baby's brain, synapses are forming furiously. His face looks unquestionably human: His eyes have moved from the sides to the front of his head, and his ears are right where they should be. From crown to rump, your baby-to-be is just over 2 inches long (about the size of a lime) and weighs half an ounce.

Week 11: What's Happening

Your baby, just over 1 1/2 inches long and about the size of a fig, is now almost fully formed. Her hands will soon open and close into fists, tiny tooth buds are beginning to appear under her gums, and some of her bones are beginning to harden. She's already busy kicking and stretching, and her tiny movements are so effortless they look like water ballet. These movements will become more frequent as her body grows and becomes more developed and functional. You won't feel your baby's acrobatics for another month or two — nor will you notice the hiccupping that may be happening now that her diaphragm is forming.

Looks Like a Puppy!

Just a few days after Wigglerina was named, we had an appointment with Dr. Gomez from Atlanta Perinatal Consultants (http://www.apc.med.pro/), a high risk doctor we were referred to from RBA. I had another ultrasound, and when I sent the pictures out, Julie told me the baby looked like a puppy! If it turns out as sweet as the two we already have, I'll be fine with that.

Wigglerina's First Closeup

It was after this ultrasound that we started the nickname Wigglerina--the baby was kicking and moving around so much and actually looked like a little person! It was the first time we saw arms and legs, which was pretty amazing.