Week 18!!!!

Vernix (a white cheese-like protective material) forms on baby's skin with the lanugo (soft, lightly pigmented hair covering the body and limbs); both serving to protect your baby's skin during the months in water.

Your placenta continues to grow and nourish the baby. Don't forget those prenatal vitamins!

Tiny air sacs called alveoli begin to form in lungs. He'll be putting these lungs to good use in just a few months!

Her vocal chords are formed. She goes through the motions of crying but without air she doesn't make a sound.

Features of your baby's heart, including ventricles and chambers, should be visible during an ultrasound.

Your baby measures about 5.59 inches (14.2cm) this week and weighs about 6.7 ounces (190gm).

Appointment Updates

Well today's appointment sadly didn't come with a new ultrasound. I did get to hear my child kick the audio monitor however (the little bastard =P). They say that the heartbeat is nice and strong at about 145 and that everything seems like it's going swimmingly. I'm up to 163 from 160, so they are starting to see minute weight gain from finally being able to eat and getting past the morning sickness. 3 Lbs in about 4 weeks isn't too bad!

My next appointment at the Prenatal center is Thursday, May 26th at 10:45am. On top of this i was also scheduled for my Perinatal in depth ultrasound screening for all those fun spine/neck/nervous disorders. So May 26th at 9:00 am everyone is when we'll find out boy or girl (although I'm pretty sure I already know it's a girl ^_^).

Also, they sent me for my quad screening blood test which was oh so enjoyable. Nurse said I'd feel a tiny prick... let's just say I've dated tinier >.> BUT!!! they say I'm developing right on schedule and every thing sounds/looks normal and healthy ^_^

The Growing Baby Bump ^_^

So this is the bump as of yesterday ^_^

Week 17!

By week 17, your baby weighs about 4.97 ounces (140gm) and is 5.12 inches (13cm) long.

He or she has a much more normal "human" appearance now. She holds her head more erect and her body and limbs are longer in proportion to her head.

Pads are forming on his tiny fingertips and toes. Soon those individual swirls and whorls will be apparent.

Her eyes are looking forward now, but they are still firmly closed.

Meconium (composed of products of cell loss, digestive secretion and swallowed amniotic fluid), is accumulating in the bowel. This black gooey substance will become your baby's first poop!

The umbilical cord is growing thicker and stronger and continues to rush blood and nutrients to your growing baby.

If your child is male the prostate begins to develop.

Her skeleton is transforming from cartilage to bone. The bones remain flexible to make the journey through the birth canal easier.

Week 16!

Fat begins to form underneath skin, providing your baby with insulation for the coming months.

Did you know that both baby and placenta are now about the same size?

Your little one has reached 4.57 inches (11.6cm) and approximately 3.53 ounces (100gm).

His head and neck are held straighternow.

This is a week of "mights!" You might hear the tiny thumps of his heartbeat with an external monitor now. The genitals are developed sufficiently that an experienced sonographer might be able to determine if your baby is a boy or a girl.

Her heart is pumping as much as 6 gallons of blood a day and beats at a rate about double your heart rate.

If you could take a peek inside, you would witness your child's reflexes in action! (Sucking, swallowing and blinking are now evident.) She is probably even hiccuping even though you don't feel it yet!

Your baby has learned to breathe! This is apparent from the regular movements of his chest. Isn't it amazing that he is able to breathe "underwater," inhaling and exhaling small amounts of amniotic fluid? These actions help the lungs to develop and grow.

THE FIRST KICK!!!!

So I woke up early this morning to make one of the usual trips to the bathroom (which I'm sure will become more frequent with time), and i was laying in bed not wanting to get up right away and enjoying the sounds of spring like the birds chirping before dawn and stuff. It was quiet and peaceful and relaxing. Then, out of no where I feel this sensation that I simply couldn't place. Like, if I had to describe it, I'd say it's similar to a popcorn pop. Just a random jab down there, not painful, but certainly unexpected.

Curious, after I returned from the bathroom, I decided to look up online when I would feel the baby move and what it might feel like. As I was reading, it said I could start to feel movement as early as 15 weeks and described what it would feel like as "popcorn popping, butterflies fluttering, or a goldfish swimming around." So I got super excited ^_^ and wanted to share the good news!!!

Week 15!!!

You may begin to feel some fluttering movements as baby kicks, flails, twists and turns (but don't panic if you don't yet). She can also grasp, squint, frown, grimace and maybe suck her thumb!

Your baby's legs have grown longer than the arms and the body is now longer than the head.

And you'll be happy to note that he is moving those arms and legs often!

His skin is very thin -- so thin blood vessel are visible. It's covered by a fine, soft layer of hair called lanugo. Lanugo comes from a Latin word meaning "down." This hair is thought to help insulate your little boy.

The three tiny bones in his middle ear have begun to harden. The auditory centers in your baby's brain haven't developed yet, so she might not really understand what you say but her hearing capacity is in the process of developing.

Fingernails and toenails are growing.

Eyebrows are beginning to grow and even the hair his head is sprouting. It will probably change color and texture after birth.

All this and your little one is an amazing 3.98 inches (10.1cm) long and may weigh 2.47 ounces (70gm).

Follow Up Appointment

Well, I went in earlier and they weighed me and everything was fine ^_^ I'm the exact same weight I was last week when I went in for my appointment. Which is good. I shouldn't be losing much more weight at this point. The morning sickness has pretty much passed (although I still have some bad days), for the most part I'm fine.

They set me up with my next appointment on April 28, 2011 @ 8:15AM. So there will be more specific details then!

In other news, for anyone who was worrying about my insurance issues and such, I received my notification in the mail today saying that I've been approved for Medical Assistance! It took a whole month but they finally got around to it now ^_^.

The Second Trimester!!!!!

Thyroid gland has matured and your baby begins producing hormones which will be used throughout his or her life.

In boys, the prostate gland develops

In girls, the ovaries move from the abdomen to the pelvis

Your little one may have learned to suck his thumb by this point!

Your child's bones are getting harderand stronger by the day!

Your baby's skin is very transparent still

Lanugo (very fine hair) covers the baby's body and will continue to grow until 26 weeks gestational age - Generally this will be shed prior to birth. Its purpose is to help protect baby's skin while in all that water!

Your baby is 3.42 inches (8.7cm) long and weighs about 1.52 ounces (43 grams) - approximately the weight of a letter!