13 Weeks

Yay! Second trimester!! So I am now 13 weeks, that means I have completed 13 weeks and am now currently in my 14th week... confusing I know. I've been feeling pretty well lately. I've been pretty dizzy and lightheaded but Andrew thinks it's because of me not taking my anti-depressants and I think I agree, so that should stop soon. My gag reflex is on high alert so it is really hard to brush my teeth, and especially hard to brush my tongue. :( Doesn't help any when I have a yucky taste in my mouth all of the time. Oh the joys of pregnancy. ;) My boobs still aren't bigger, thank god, but my belly is finally starting to show... a little bit. My stomach is getting tighter and the line in the middle of my belly by my belly button is almost completely gone!! Yay! And I know you know what I'm talking about, the crease between your top belly and bottom belly. :) So, I have been informed that I need to start taking belly pictures so here we go.. now please don't judge, I started out with some extra already and this is a quick pic taken with my iphone in my bathroom mirror..... Ready? Get set! Go!!

Here we are! Momma and baby! Remember, it's 9 pm and it tends to get a little bit bigger as the day goes on and after I've eaten (I'm stuffed with awesome sushi, thanks Roxy!!). Lets see, what else? Um, I still fit in my jeans but my work pants are tight so I've been living in my Belly Band, keeps my pants up while they are unbuttoned and unzipped.

I had the most awesome dream last night! I dreamed that I was babysitting my friends baby and I just remember thinking, "I'm gonna have one of my own soon..." and the feeling I got looking at that baby was just unbelievable. I don't know how to explain it but I still remember what it felt like. It was like a proud/love/awe... just amazing. I can't wait to meet this little person growing inside of me. But even before I meet him or her I can't wait to start feeling movements!! I want to feel the baby move so bad. And I want Andrew to be able to feel it. I can't wait for the first time he feels the baby in my belly, I think he will just fall instantly in love. I think that is when it becomes more real to the daddys. I mean he knows its real now but he'll actually be able to feel the person that he helped make. Dads don't get to feel the yucky-ness and the cramps and pains and the crying-at-every-commercial/song/poem/news story/ facebook status-ness like mom does. *sigh*

Anyway, enough rambling, here is the technical stuff. Enjoy. :)

Week 14 of Pregnancy

It's all about hair now as your baby sprouts some on his head, eyebrows, and body. As for Mom, those first-trimester symptoms should be easing up a bit.

Your Baby in Week 14 of Pregnancy
Now the size of your clenched fist, your baby is more fluid-like in his movements, so he’s no longer doing the jerk every time he repositions his arms and legs. Other developments this week include a roof of his own (inside his mouth, that is) as well as intestinal activity: His intestines are producing meconium (which is the waste that will make up his first bowel movement after birth). He is also sporting a downy coating of hair (lanugo) that keeps him nice and warm. Not to worry — you won't give birth to a monkey; baby fat will accumulate over the next few months and take over the function of keeping your baby warm and toasty —allowing most of that hair to shed. 

Week 14 Of Pregnancy: Fetal Movement

If you could peek inside yourself now, you'd see a baby the size of your clenched fist (and come to think of it, at 14 weeks of fetal development, your little one can clench his or her own fist!). As fetal development continues, your baby also has the coordination, strength, and smarts to wiggle his or her fingers and toes and even suck a thumb (how cute is that?).

At 14 Weeks Pregnant, Your Baby is a Mover (But Not a Shaker Yet)
Growing by leaps and bounds, by week 14 of pregnancy, your baby is leaping and bounding. He or she is on the move almost constantly — and those movements are a far cry from those jerky twitches of last trimester (though you won't feel any of them for weeks to come). They are now ballet-like, smooth and fluid. 
Your Baby at 14 Weeks: Developing Perfect Posture (or Better Posture, at Least)
Speaking of ballet, it'll be years before you'll start nagging your offspring to stand up straight — but unbelievably, he or she is doing it right now, without any prodding!  No slouch anymore, your baby's neck is getting longer, helping his or her head stand more erect. This gives your 14-week-old fetus a more straightened-out appearance.

Your Little Bigfoot — A Hairy Baby at 14 Weeks
Growth is happening on top of the head as well — by 14 weeks pregnant, your baby could be sprouting some hair (though the final color may not be determined until birth) and the eyebrows are filling in, too.
Hair growth isn't limited to the baby's head, though.   He or she is also covered with a downy coating of hair called lanugo, largely there for warmth. As fat accumulates later on in your pregnancy (the baby's fat, not yours — though that will accumulate, too), most of the lanugo will shed — though some babies, especially those born early, still have a fuzzy coating at delivery (it sheds soon afterward).

Week 12

Just one more week until the second trimester!! Yay! I had my second doctors appointment yesterday and everything is great! The nurse used the doppler to find the baby's heart beat. She said that 12 weeks is still pretty early to hear the heart beat and so if she couldn't find it not to worry and we'd go take a peek at the baby. Honestly, I was hoping she wouldn't find it so that we could see our peanut again but no such luck. She played around with the doppler for a minute or two and heard it really faintly twice and then all of a sudden... there it was! Loud and strong! 156 beats per minute. It was so fun. I honestly thought that I would be more excited when I heard the heart beat, and I was very happy, but maybe it's just that I am so sure about this pregnancy that it feels like a normal thing. It's like, okay, that's what it's supposed to sound like and that came from my belly, what's next? Maybe when we have our ultrasound in October and when I can feel the baby move it'll make me feel differently. Who knows?

I also lost four pounds. Woo hoo! Doc said it was perfectly normal for this stage in the pregnancy. I always thought that I would be one of those girls that gets pregnant and instantly starts gaining weight everywhere. I haven't been exercising and I haven't been watching what I eat too closely. I figure that at this point I'll eat whatever I can keep down. lol! I did get a prenatal yoga DVD but I have yet to try it. Maybe tonight.... maybe.

I have been on two antidepressants for the past couple of years and the past couple of weeks they have been making me sick when I take them. So what have I done? Not taken them. I know, I know, not the smartest but I have had no side effects of not taking them (like I normally do if I forget them) and I've been a little bit more emotional, but I'm also pregnant. So after the nurse got mad at me for not taking them I talked to the doctor about it and he said that if I feel fine and they make me sick then not to take them. He said we don't want a sad mom so if I do start feeling depressed and my meds are still making me sick then we'll try a different kind. So Andrew is on crazy lady alert and he's gonna help me monitor my moods and depression. Poor guy gets the brunt of my bad moods so he'll know if something is wrong probably before I even realize it. :)

But, the best part of the appointment is when the doc told me that I CAN EAT COOKED SUSHI!!! Yay! I am so excited! Mom took me out to lunch today and we had sushi and it was sooooo yummy! The best ever! Thanks mom!!

Okay, so since I was a slacker last week here is what was going on with the baby then:

Week 12 of Pregnancy

While it may seem as if you've doubled in size over the past few weeks, it's your baby who actually has!

Your Baby in Week 12 of Pregnancy
By now, your baby weighs a full half-ounce and is about the size of a large plum. Most of his systems are in place, though there's still plenty of maturing to do. For one thing, his fetal digestive system is beginning to practice contraction movements necessary for eating, and his bone marrow is busy making white blood cells — weapons against germs once he's out of your safe haven. The pituitary gland (at the base of the brain) has started producing the hormones that'll enable him (or her) to make babies of his (or her) own in a couple of decades or so.

Week 12 of Pregnancy: Fetal Organs and Systems

Most of your baby's systems are fully formed, and if you haven't already, it's likely that you'll finally hear your baby's heartbeat at this month's checkup! Your developing fetus now has a crown-to-rump length of about two and a half inches (the size of a large plum).

This week marks a turning point for your baby. At 12 weeks pregnant, the herculean task of developing new bodily structures is nearing an end as most of your baby's systems are fully formed. Now comes the maintenance phase, during which your fetus' systems continue to mature for the next 28 weeks and the organs get to work.
 
Your little fetus weighs as much as half an ounce now, and the crown-to-rump length is about two and a half inches (the size of a large plum — busily working his or her way through the whole produce department). It's hard to believe (especially from the outside, since you're probably barely showing at this point), but your baby has more than doubled in size during the past three weeks.  And that's just on the outside — there's plenty going on inside too. The fetal digestive system is beginning to flex its digestive muscle — literally — as it starts practicing contraction movements, a skill your baby will need after birth to push food through the digestive tract. The pituitary gland at the base of the brain has started producing hormones. And the bone marrow is making white blood cells, which will one day help your baby fight infection (including all those germs passed around the snot-nosed playgroup).  

If you haven't already had the pleasure, it's likely that at this month's checkup you'll finally hear your baby's fetal heartbeat — a sound that will make your heart race with joy!

And here is this weeks development:


Your Baby in Week 13 of Pregnancy
What's up with your baby? Well, besides being as large as a peach now, that big old noggin of hers is now about half the size of her crown-to-rump length (that’s one reason why your little peach looks more like an alien from outer space at this point). By the time you give birth, her body will catch up, measuring three-quarters of her total size. What else is going on in there? Tiny bones are beginning to form in her arms and legs, the intestines are beginning to move from the umbilical cord to the abdomen, and the vocal cords are well under construction (the first step toward saying, "I love you, Mommy!"). And because she can move her arms and legs in a jerky fashion, she may be able to get her thumb into her mouth (a habit that may come in handy for self-soothing when she’s a newborn).

Week 13 of Pregnancy: Fetal Growth Rates

Your fetus is now about three inches long, the size of a peach — and half of that length is head. By the time your baby is ready to make his or her entrance into the world, the head will be only one-fourth as large as the body.

Your fetus is about three inches long and the size of a peach at 13 weeks pregnant. But don't compare your fetus with the fetus next door. Starting about now, babies begin growing at different paces, some faster than others, some more slowly, though they all follow the same developmental path. Growing at a universally breakneck speed now is your baby's body as it tries to catch up to the head in terms of size. Though your baby's head is about half the size of its body now, by the time your baby is ready to make his or her entrance into the world, the head will be only one-fourth as large as the body.
 
Your baby's intestines are also in for some big changes right now. Up till this point, they've been growing in a cavity inside the umbilical cord; but now they're moving to their permanent (and more conveniently located) address, in your baby's abdomen.  And to serve your growing baby's needs, the placenta is also growing.  It weighs about an ounce now and will weigh one to two pounds at birth (something else you'll soon be able to blame your weight gain on!).

Also developing this week: your baby's vocal chords. Because sound can't travel through your uterus (your baby's current habitat), you won't be able to hear any sounds or cries just yet, but oh boy (or girl) — those vocal chords will get a good workout once that baby is born.

Letter to Non-Pregnant People

Oh my gosh! I found this today and I think it is AWESOME! So funny. If you've been pregnant before I'm sure you understand, and if not... well here ya go. :)

Dear Non-Pregnant Person,

I hope you find these guidelines helpful in your interactions with pregnant women as failing to follow them may result in serious physical harm. If you are thinking, surely she doesn't mean me- then you should probably read this twice.

1) The appropriate response to a couple telling you they are having a baby is "Congratulations!" with enthusiasm. Any other response makes you an &*@!!!

2) Through the wonders of science, we now know that babies are made ONLY by the mother and father- not grandparents. Unless the baby is in your uterus or you are the man that helped put it there, you may not ever use the phrase "my baby".

3) On the same note, unless you made the baby as defined in 2, the pregnancy, birth and raising of the child are not about you. You do not have input. No one wants to hear your opinion unless they ask for it.

4) The body of a pregnant women should be treated the same as any other body. You would not randomly touch someone's stomach if they were not pregnant, nor would you inquire into the condition of their uterus, cervix or how they plan to use their breasts. Pregnancy does not remove all traces of privacy from a woman.

5) Likewise, no woman wants to hear comments on her weight- ever. A pregnant woman does not find it flattering that you think she is about is pop, must be having twins, looks swollen or has gained weight in her face. Telling her she looks too small only makes her worry that she is somehow starving her baby. Making such comments invite her to critique your physical appearance and you may not act offended. The only acceptable comment on appearance is "You look fabulous!".

6) By the time we are 20-30 years old, most of us have picked up on the fact that the summer is hot. We are hot every summer when we are not pregnant. We don't need you to point out that we will be miserably hot before the baby comes.

7) There is a reason that tickets to Labor & Delivery are not yet sold on Ticketmaster. Childbirth is actually not a public event. It may sound crazy, but some women really do not relish the idea of their mother, MIL or a host of other family members seeing their bare butt and genitals. Also, some people simply feel like the birth of their child is a private and emotional moment to be shared only by the parents.

8) Like everything else is life, unless you receive an invitation, you are NOT invited. This includes doctor appointments, ultrasounds, labor, delivery, the hospital and the parents home. You do not decide if you will be there for the birth or if you will move in with the new parents to "help out". If your assistance is desired, rest assured that you will be asked for it.

9) If you are asked to help after the birth, this means you should clean up the house, help with cooking meals, and generally stay out of the way. Holding the baby more than the parents, interfering with breastfeeding and sleeping schedules and making a woman who is still leaking fluid from multiple locations lift a finger in housework is not helping.

10) The only people entitled to time with the baby are the parents. Whether they choose to have you at the hospital for the birth or ask for you to wait three weeks to visit, appreciate that you are being given the privilege of seeing their child. Complaining or showing disappointment only encourages the parents to include you less.

Signed,

All Pregnant Women

10 Weeks!

This week is ten weeks!! Yay! Almost through the first trimester. :) I have been feeling pretty good the last week. Not much nausea. I have been craving sushi like Crazy!! Gah! Too bad the doc says no. :( I feel like I'm getting a little bit of my energy back... but not all of it. We went to our friends house on Friday night and by 11:30 pm I couldn't keep my eyes open anymore so I went and slept on their couch until Andrew was ready to go home. Lol. I swear I can sleep anywhere, anytime, anyhow. I have been having some small cramps and twinges in my lower abdomen but I know that is normal, just things stretching and moving. I'm waking up at least once a night now to use the restroom so that's kind of a pain- but I'm sure it'll just get worse as time goes on so I'm happy that it's only once a night right now.

I wore my belly band for the first time today. You use it to keep your pants up and on while letting them be unbuttoned and unzipped. My jeans are fitting fine still but my work pants are just a bit tight when I'm sitting at my desk. So it was really nice to be able to walk around with my pants undone and no one even knew! Yay! So what belly I do have is what I started with but the bloating is what's making things a little uncomfortable. I'm excited for when I'll actually have a baby bump and not just look fat anymore. But since this is my first and I'm a bit larger it'll probably be another six weeks or so. :(

Baby is spoiled already! Our little one has gotten a stuffed bear/blanket from Glacier National Park from my mom, an adorable onsie from Aunt Grandma, and a super cute froggy/turtle toy that hangs on carseats and strollers and sings songs from Andrew's mom. :) So cute! We played the songs for Jackson and Lily and Jack wasn't too sure about it. He flattened himself out and crawled toward it and he would jump back if I moved at all. lol! We'll have to keep playing it for him so he gets used to it.

People have asked if we're worried about how the puppies will react to the baby and the answer is no, we're not worried at all. Our dogs have been around small babies before and they do really well. Jack ignores them for the most part, we know he'll be very protective of our little one but that is okay. And Lillers likes to lay next to the baby and just hang out. She follows them around and just watches them. So cute!

Just two more weeks until my next appointment! I'm so excited and anxious. I just want to know that everything is still going well. I'm sure they are but it's nice to have that confirmation. We still are thinking that we're not going to find out the gender until birth... but... it's so hard when I see all of the super cute gender specific clothes! Andrew is going to have to keep me from caving and finding out. Lol.

Week 11 of Pregnancy

That adorable little alien inside your tummy is starting to look human about now, as you start feeling a bit more human yourself.

Baby's Hair and Fingernails Develop

Slightly more than two inches long now and weighing about a third of an ounce, your fetus is growing by leaps and bounds. And so is his or her head, which is equal in length to the rest of the body (don't worry — all fetuses are top-heavy).

Slightly more than two inches long now and weighing about a third of an ounce, your fetus is growing by leaps and bounds when you are 11 weeks pregnant. And so is his or her head, which is equal in length to the rest of the body (don't worry — all fetuses are top-heavy). 

Your baby (now about two inches long) has been pretty busy this week, growing hair follicles, fingernails, and ovaries (if she's a girl). She has distinct human characteristics by now, with hands and feet in front of her body, with ears nearly in their final shape, open nasal passages on the tip of her tiny nose, a tongue and palate in the mouth, and visible nipples. What else makes her look human? Those hands and feet have individual fingers and toes (meaning good-bye to those froglike webbed hands and feet). Hooray!  

On the crown of that large head (and over the rest of the body), hair follicles are forming. Fingernail and toenail beds begin to develop this week and by next week, the nails themselves will start to grow (so don't forget to add a baby nail clipper to your to-buy list). 

Your baby's body is straightening and his or her torso is lengthening (sounds like a yoga pose, doesn't it?). Other poses your baby can assume now: stretches, somersaults, and forward rolls. And while you can't tell this baby's gender by its cover yet, testes are developing if it's a boy and ovaries if it's a girl.