Pregnancy Week 25

This week, your little one has grown to about nine inches in length, and has passed the pound and a half mark!!!  Under his skin, capillaries are forming and filling with blood! Along with the capillaries under his skin, the air sacs develop in his lungs (these are also filled with capillaries to supply blood to the lungs) these air sacs will get his lungs ready for the first breath he will take, moments after birth.  While those lungs aren't anywhere near ready to work yet, they are developing surfactant, a substance that will help them expand after birth.  In keeping with the breathing theme this week, your babies nostrils are starting to open up and his vocal cords are developing.  All of these put together mean he is getting everything in line to keep you up all night!  ;)

Last week I mentioned constipation as a common pregnancy symptom, and gave some basic methods to help ease the discomfort.  If you did find yourself straining to go you may have ended up with hemorrhoids.  Don't get down on yourself, more than half of all women experience the swollen, itchy veins, in the rectum.  While they won't hurt you or the baby, they are painful, so try to avoid them by not straining while you 'go', eating right, and doing your trusty Kegel exercises.  Kegel's will also help to keep your pelvic floor strong, which in turn may make effective pushing during labor more likely which then could result in quicker delivery and a reduced chance of hemorrhoids or hernias occurring during delivery.  Also, if you have a strong pelvic floor before you give birth, you're more likely to "bounce back" quicker after delivery and not have any or as much "leakage" when you laugh or jump after delivery.

Week 24
Week 26

Pregnancy Week 24

Week 24! Things are progressing steadily now and rapid changes in your body and in your baby's body are picking up pace! This week your little one is about 8 1/2 inches long and weighs about 1 1/2 pounds. He is also gaining weight steadily at a rate of about six ounces per week!  While you might not notice this increase, it's due in large part, to your baby accumulating baby fat (cute little rolls!), and from growing organs, bones, and muscles. That's right, this week you're growing he-man in your belly!!!  In addition to putting on more weight and filling out some rolls, his tiny ears are getting sharper and can hear very loud sounds.  Feel free to talk to your belly as much as possible, it promotes bonding for you, and as your little one's ears become sharper they will be able to hear lower decibels and get to know your voice!  Encourage daddy and any siblings to do the same, it's never too early to introduce the family!!!  One of my daughter's favorite things is to tell her little brother stories...and roar at him, because that gets him moving. LOL.

Along with all that (I told you we're picking up the pace this week) your little one's face is almost fully formed, complete with eyebrows, eyelashes, and hair...if you want to do a 4D ultrasound this would be the earliest I would suggest doing it, so your little love bug actually LOOKS human.

Just like every other week, your body is in for a lot of changes as well.  One of the more noticeable changes is with your belly button! Don't be surprised if you're in the majority of women whose belly button pops out...and don't worry if your innie never becomes and outie, that's normal too.  The reason for the button change is due to your swelling uterus pushing on everything in its path...including your belly button!  Again, if your innie stays and innie, that's okay too. This may be due to the placement of your uterus, the size of your belly button (how much is actually 'in', as well as how you are carrying.  If you do make the belly button change, reset assured everything should go back to normal after delivery, but don't be surprised if your belly button (and other parts of your body) might look a little stretched compared to before.  But remember, in the long run it's all worth it for that smiling little bundle!

Another fun update this week, don't be surprised if you are experiencing numbness in your wrists, and fingers.  This is likely due to carpel tunnel syndrome, but don't worry, the sensation will go away after you give birth...do you see a trend happening here?  Some other 'wonderful' symptoms you may be experiencing are constipation, headaches, lower abdominal achiness, backaches, leg cramps, vision changeless, and mild swelling of the feet and ankles.  Not everyone will have these symptoms, and remember if you're ever concerned about them, don't hesitate to contact your health care provider.  If you are experiencing any, or all, of these symptoms try to sit back and relax and let your muscles unwind; remember they are under a lot of stress.  As for the constipation. DO NOT STRAIN!  Straining to "go" can lead to hernias and hemorrhoids...not fun. Wheat germ added to oatmeal is great at...moving things along. I would also recommend drinking lots of water and eating a lot of fruits and vegetables to help keep things...soft. Get used to it, this is the kind of talk you are going to be experiencing for a LONG time once baby comes!

Week 23
Week 25

Pregnancy Week 23

You're 23 weeks pregnant!  And if you weren't constantly stuffing your face, forgetting where you put your car keys, and dealing with carpal tunnel you might be able to enjoy it...anyone else or just me? But in all seriousness, while you are most likely experiencing a lot of the symptoms I just listed (along with snoring and bleeding gums) you are most likely loving every second of it because those kicks and wiggles are becoming more pronounced and a lot more common! It kind of makes the trade off worth it huh?

This week your little one will begin to fatten up a bit, and by the end of the month he will be double the weight he is now!  At this stage your baby's organs and bones are visible through his skin, which has a red-blue tint to it because of the developing veins and arteries that are starting to form beneath.  But don't worry, as he packs on the pounds and gets some cute little rolls going, he will be a lot less transparent.

Now that you are well into your second trimester don't be surprised, or concerned, if you see a dark line down the middle of your belly.  This lovely line that most pregnant women get is called the linea nigra.  The interesting thing is that that line has always been on your belly. However, you probably never noticed it until those amazing pregnancy hormones caused the hyper pigmentation to highlight the line.  This is the same hyper pigmentation that has cased the darkening of your areolae and maybe even the areas around your forehead and cheeks. Some other changes in the color of your skin that may be happening this month are red palms and soles of your feet, bluish blotchy legs, heat rash, and skin tags...fun! These are all due to the pregnancy hormones, so don't be too concerned all of these will go away once your little one arrives. In the mean time, continue to put those creams on to keep your skin soft and moist.  If you are concerned with any of the changes you are experiencing, don't hesitate to contact your doctor, it's her job to put your mind at ease!

Week 22
Week 24

Pregnancy Week 22

This week your baby measures nearly eight inches and weighs about one pound! You now have a little doll inside you (size wise that is) or if you would like to stick to fruit, about the size of a mango.  This mango now has eyebrows, eyelashes, and maybe some hair!  If you've been suffering from heartburn during this pregnancy you chances of having a baby born with hair are greatly increased! This is most likely due to the hormones (it's always the hormones) that cause heartburn being linked in some way to the creation of hair! Granted it's not guaranteed, but for my first I had horrible heartburn the entire time and she was born with a full head of hair! I can't wait to see if the same will be true for this one, I hope so, it's the only silver lining when I'm dying from the burning!!!  In addition to it's new body hair and eyelashes, your little one is now able to perceive light and dark. You may notice more movement when you're out laying in the sun or walking around with a thin shirt.  As your pregnancy progresses you may also be able to shine a flashlight on your belly and watch the waves as your little one scoots away...weird I know.

Your little one can also hear your voice, your heartbeat, your gurgling stomach, and the whoosh-whoosh sound of the blood circulating through your body.  Something I found interested with my daughter was that after she was born she HATED those bear soothers that had a recorded heartbeat in them. I couldn't for the life of me figure out why she hated them so much, until I realized that because of my heart defects (one of which is my heart is turned around facing the wrong way) my heartbeat sounded different than what was "normal".  My daughter hated the soother because it wasn't the heartbeat she was used to!!! I think that is just amazing how your babies already know who "you" are before they actually meet you.

This week, along with your belly continuing to grow, don't be surprised if your feet start to as well.  This is because of the hormone relaxin, which loosens your pelvic ligaments to help accommodate your growing belly, also relaxes all of the other ligaments in your body.  This can result in the bones beneath the ligaments in your feet spreading out slightly.  This may leave you with a half or whole-shoe size increase at the end of this journey.  But be aware that this is not guaranteed, with my daughter I never had an increase in shoe size, and so far I haven't with this one either...and quite frankly I'm praying they don't because I am eyeing my pair of Louboutin heels and counting the days until I can wear them again! Speaking of heels, now is the time to put them away in your closet and pull out your most comfortable flats to help you keep your balance since your center of gravity is, and will continue to, shift throughout the rest of your pregnancy.

Week 21
Week 23