Week 22 What's Happening!!?

	I've finished 21 weeks and starting my 22nd week in this photo.  Can't deny that I'm pregnant anymore! Week Twenty Two: Taste buds develop
	You are 22 weeks pregnant. (fetal age 20 weeks)The fetus reacts to loud sounds. Baby starts having a regular sleeping and waking rhythm. The mother's movements can wake her baby. Taste buds are forming on your baby's tongue. The baby is 28cm long (crown to heel) and weighs over 450 grams. The weekly weight gain has increased to around 70 grams. Your baby is about 11 inches long and weighs in at about 1 pound. The eyebrows and eyelids are fully developed, and the fingernails cover the fingertips. Sounds from a conversation are loud enough to be heard by the fetus in the uterus. If you talk, read, or sing to your baby, it's reasonable to expect him or her to be able to hear you. By this week, your waistline is definitely gone. The top of your uterus is now about 1 inch (3cm) above your bellybutton. Your enlarging abdomen is not too large and doesn't get in your way much. You're still able to bend over and to sit comfortably. Walking shouldn't be an effort. Your friends and relatives can tell you are pregnant. It would be hard to hide your condition. The baby is about 11 inches (28cm) long (crown to heel) and weighs in at about 1 pound (450g).

Deliciously Boring

That's what this pregnancy is.  Nothing to note.  Just a bulging waistline and excited parents.  Just like about a hundred thousand other pregnancies going on around the world right now.

I've got so much energy back it's hard to process how freaking tired I was the first few months.  My gawd. I now come home from a regular day at work and still have enough energy to cook, tidy the kitchen, put away the food and even bathe.  Wow.

I'm having some mild difficulty sleeping at night - the weight of the tummy is pulling at me and I'm very conscious to lay on my left side whenever I can.  I need a thin pillow to put under my tummy or I find my back hurts to the point of waking me up.

I find the bellybelt is a wonderful little tool for me.  I can still wear my favorite jeans without them falling down.  A long shirt is in order, and sometimes using a belly band is best if wearing a snug top, but otherwise, I love this product!

I'm also struggling with clothes.  It seems my best bet are my jeans, with the above bellybelt product (can be found with an easy online search).  If I wear big, loose tops, I look fat.  If I wear snug tops it's a lot better, but because I have some excess fat along with my baby bulge, if my pants don't fit just right, I get some extra bulges that I honestly DESPISE.  Not good for a woman who used to be 100lbs overweight and is pretty conscious of any bulges, especially unwarranted ones.  Ugh.

Looks like I'll be searching out some nice flowing empire waist tops to go with the jeans.

I've had some moderate heartburn at night.  This is a disgusting, foul experience that has no business being on my list of pregnancy experiences.  I can usually keep things at bay by taking a healthy tablespoon of honey at night with a half glass of milk.  All natural and seems to work well.   It starts about 10 o'clock (about now) and will keep me awake all night if left untreated.

Baby boy is kicking as we speak.  Little bumps and thumps as he stretches out his legs.  Hard to believe we are in our 20th week and halfway there!  Wow.

I miss David more than anything in the world right now.  It's difficult to be here alone even though the pregnancy is not really that exciting.  I know we'll be able to feel the baby kick on the outside soon and I want him to be here to experience that with me.  He's coming home for the 20 week ultrasound (February 21 - put off so it will co-incide with his days off), and I hope at that point he might have some more solid evidence that his son is anxious to meet his daddy.

We've gotten our trisomy results back at 1:2,900 and downs at 1:360.   Those numbers might seem high for a younger woman, but there was actually a note on the results that said these numbers were exceptionally good for my age.  Yeah.... I'm still a good breeder.

Oh and one last note... we have our babymoon all planned out!  Ten days in Mexico, on the East Coast in a beautiful penthouse condo with four bedrooms, private deck with jacuzzi and king sized beds.  Can. Not. Wait.

20 Weeks - Halfway There! What's happening?

Week Twenty: The halfway point

Congratulations! You are halfway through your pregnancy, 20 weeks marks the midpoint. Remember, pregnancy is counted as 40 weeks from the beginning of your last period if you go full term. You are 20 weeks pregnant. (fetal age 18 weeks) Baby now weighes about 11 ounces and is roughly 7 inches long. Baby is 17cm long crown to rump, and weighs about 310 grams. The baby can hear and recognize the mother's voice. The mother will probably start feeling the first fetal movements. The toenails and fingernails are growing. The growth of hair on the rest of the body has started. The skin is getting thicker. The heart can now be heard with a stethoscope. Your baby may react to loud sounds. Baby can actually hear noises outside of the womb. Familiar voices, music, and sounds that baby becomes accustomed to during their development stages often are calming after birth. This is an important time for sensory development since nerve cells serving each of the senses; taste, smell, hearing, sight, and touch are now developing into their specialized area of the brain. Your baby now weighes about 11 ounces and at roughly 7 inches long they are filling up more and more of the womb. Though still small and fragile, the baby is growing rapidly and could possibly survive if born at this stage. Note: Babies are measured from the crown (or top) of the head to the rump (or bottom) until about 20 weeks. After that, they are measured from head to heel. This is because a baby's legs are curled up against the torso during the first half of pregnancy and very hard to measure. Weight: 10.6 ounces - 300 grams Length:  (crown to rump) 6.5 inches - 16.5 cm (crown to heel) 10 inches - 25.5 cm.

19 Weeks - What's Happening...?

Week Nineteen: Genitals recognizable

You are 19 weeks pregnant. (fetal age 17 weeks) Fetus is around 6.5 inches (17cm) and 9 ounces (250gm). Your placenta continues to grow and nourish the baby. Features of your baby's heart, should be visible during an ultrasound. Your baby's genitals are distinct and recognizable. Scalp hair has sprouted and continues to grow. ≈If baby is female the uterus starts to develop, the vagina, uterus, and fallopian tubes are in place. Females have a limited supply of eggs in their lifetime. At this point your daughter will have 6 million eggs. This amount decreases to approximately one million by birth. If it's a boy, the genitals are distinct and recognizable. Even if the sex looks obvious, ultrasound operators have been known to make mistakes. Baby's legs are reaching their relative size and with the increase muscle development occurring as well, you will start feeling much more than tiny flutter kicks soon. If you have not felt movement yet, you will soon. Your baby will increase its weight by more than 15 times between now and delivery. Your baby's size is around 6.5 inches (17cm) and 9 ounces (250gm).