19 Weeks

Your baby weighs about 8 1/2 ounces, and he measures 6 inches, head to bottom — about the size of a large heirloom tomato. His arms and legs are in the right proportions to each other and the rest of his body now. His kidneys continue to make urine, and the hair on his scalp is sprouting. This is a crucial time for sensory development: Your baby's brain is designating specialized areas for smell, taste, hearing, vision, and touch. If your baby is a girl, she has an astonishing 6 million eggs in her ovaries. They'll dwindle to fewer than two million by the time she's born.

The 'Big' Ultrasound

I was so nervous about this one. That there would be something wrong with the baby or that the baby wouldn't cooperate. All is well on both fronts.

Baby is measuring right on with my O date, at 18w2d. Wight is approx 9oz. And baby is all girl! We are very excited, my oldest has been asking when baby sister is coming out. I had fun doing a bit of shopping today as well. Since we were 'done' twice we gave away and sold everything. I have a few pieces left from dd#1, but for the most part it's back to the beginning.

Baby is very stubborn, she kept giving the tech a hard time. And when it came time for the 3D pictures, she got worse. She had both of her hands in font of her face, as well as being folded in half so that her legs were in front of her face as well. She refused to move, at all. So the pictures I got are all crappy.

18 Weeks

Head to bottom, your baby is approximately 5 1/2 inches long (about the length of a large sweet potato) and she weighs almost 7 ounces. She's busy flexing her arms and legs — movements that you'll likely start noticing more and more. Her blood vessels are visible through her thin skin and her ears are now in position and stand out from her head. Myelin (a protective covering) is beginning to form around her nerves, a process that will continue for a year after she's born. If you're having a girl, her uterus and Fallopian tubes are formed and in place. If your baby is a boy, his genitals are noticeable, though he may hide them from you during an ultrasound.

Headaches

I've been getting headaches all week, they start around 10 and last all day. I don't know if it's hormones, I'm not drinking enough water, I need to eat or I need caffeine. I do know that they suck.

I never really had issues with them in my other pgs; I know I did one, but I can't remember which one it was. I *think* it was with dd, but I'm not totally sure.

17 Weeks

Your baby during week 17 is now very mobile, gleefully moving his joints here, there and everywhere and will continue to do so as you continue your pregnancy week by week. The cartilage making up the skeleton in your baby's body is starting to transform into bone. At pregnancy 17 weeks time your baby should be hearing things. Your baby will start putting on some layers of fat in the weeks to come, though at this point in time your baby is made up of primarily water.

You may be feeling your baby move intermittently after pregnancy week 17, though as your pregnancy progresses you will likely start feeling your baby move more and more.

There are many natural health practitioners that believe in the power of touch. Though your little one is still very small, your touch may do much to help him feel safe and warm inside the womb. If you haven't started already, you might consider rubbing your 'pooch' in calming circular motions. This will not only help comfort your little one, but will help initiate the bonding process with you and your newborn baby throughout your pregnancy and after.

104 Days

100 posts.

It's been roughly 104 days since baby bean was conceived and this is my 100th post.

Time flies.

16 Week Belly Shot

Or should I say 17 weeks. Either way, here it is. There's definitely change now.

16-17 Weeks

Rambling

This is going to get long; if anyone has any thoughts I'd like to 'hear' them.

So I have bled in every single pregnancy, except this one (so far). Even with my very first, albeit a one time small pinkish episode, it was still something. This time, nothing. It kinda freaks me out. Which, I know, is weird. I'm wondering if it means that the placenta is behaving this time. I've had 4 ultrasounds and they didn't look at the placenta in any of them. I am going nuts not knowing where it is. Where the placenta is will totally decide how the rest of this pregnancy will go.

With my last 2 it was in the upper right corner (called the fundus). Usually it's the very best place the placenta can be, it's the strongest part of the uterus. For me, it's bad. Really bad. I mean 'bleed out or hysterectomy' bad.

If it's lower down, or on the other side; anywhere but the upper right corner; I'll be good to go (I hope).

Maybe the no bleeding is a bad thing. The placenta is embedding itself early and it's going to grow through. I was told I might end up with a colostomy bag after I had my daughter, they thought the placenta had grown into my bowel. They were going to do exploratory surgery to see what was going on.

How am I supposed to not be freaked out? Especially when they won't tell me where the placenta is.

Please pray that the placenta is behaving itself in there, and that it is away from the 'bad spot'. I'm trying to be hopeful, but there is a very real chance that I will die. Placenta accreta has a 10% mortality rate, increta even more and percerta even more.

Placenta accreta is just about unheard of in the absence of placenta previa; lucky me.

We are hoping that *someone* has a plan, and hoping that the plan isn't for me to die. Hopefully our miracle baby won't be the end of me.

Saw The Baby Move

So we saw the baby move last night. Pretty crazy. It's really slight but I taped it.

In the video, there's a steady jumping; that's my heartbeat. And then me breathing. If you watch where I poke, a bit after I poke it there's a tiny tiny little poke. It's on the right side, just at the top of my belly. And if anyone's wondering, my uterus is 1-1.5 finger widths below my belly button.

16 Weeks

At 4 1/2 inches long (head to bottom) and 3 1/2 ounces, your baby is about the size of an avocado. In the next three weeks, she'll go through a tremendous growth spurt, though, doubling her weight and adding inches to her length. Her lower limbs are much more developed now. Her head is more erect than it has been, and her eyes have moved toward the front of her head. Your baby's ears are close to their final position, too. Some of her more advanced body systems are working, including her circulatory system and urinary tract. Her heart is now pumping about 25 quarts of blood each day, circulating her total blood volume through her body many times. (By the end of your pregnancy, this will increase to about 190 quarts.) The patterning of her scalp has begun, though her hair isn't recognizable yet. Although closed, her eyes are moving (slowly), and she's even started growing toenails.

15 Weeks

At around 4 inches long, crown to rump, your baby now weighs about 2 1/2 ounces. He's busy inhaling and exhaling amniotic fluid, which will help develop the air sacs in his lungs. His legs are growing longer than his arms now, and he can move all his joints and limbs. That means his hands are more functional, too. Sweat glands are appearing, and although his eyelids are fused shut, he can sense light. If you shine a flashlight at your tummy, he's likely to move away from the beam. There's not much for your baby to taste at this point, but his taste buds are beginning to form. And if you have an ultrasound, you may be able to find out whether your baby's a boy or girl! (Don't be disappointed if it remains a mystery, though. Nailing down the sex depends somewhat on how clear the picture is and the position of your baby during the ultrasound; he may be curled or turned in such a way as to keep you in suspense.)