16 Weeks

Hey! 16 weeks this week, almost half way there!! I had a doctors appointment this afternoon. The doc said I haven't lost anymore weight but I haven't gained any either. I'm thinking that that means I'm going to start gaining soon. :( Oh well, it's good for the baby. The nurse checked the baby's heartbeat, nice and strong at 141 bpm-normal. :) She also measured my fundal height and said I was measuring just a couple of days larger than I should be (which is okay). For those who don't know, the Fundal height is: "a measure of the size of the uterus used to assess fetal growth and development. It is measured from the top of the mother's uterus to the top of the mother's pubic bone in centimeters. It should match the fetus' gestational age in weeks within 1 to 3 cm, e.g., a pregnant woman's uterus at 26 weeks should measure 23 to 29 cm."

So I've been trying to feel the top of my uterus and can't find it so I asked the nurse to show me. I found it! Yay! When I push on my belly it is fairly hard and as I move my hand up I can feel it curve away, that's the top of my uterus. Right now mine is at my belly button. It's fun to be able to feel it myself, I'm not sure why, but it is. :)  The doc also said that the hormones should be starting to level out within the next few weeks and I'll have more energy and my appetite will come back. He also said that my breakouts should start to go away! Yay! After I saw the nurse and doc they sent me over to the lab to do some blood work for genetic screening, for things like Downs Syndrome. At my first prenatal appointment the phlebotomist took like six vials of blood so I was kinda expecting something similar... nope, one vial, that's it. :) Nice and easy. And the girl was so good! It didn't hurt at all!! I should have the results back by the end of next week.
So I've been sick the past week. :( It sucked so bad. It was mostly sinuses and headaches... and no sleep! Last night was the first night that I slept well in a while. I am still stuffy but it's getting better.

Okay so here is another belly photo. I think it's really starting to show up now. Drum roll please...............

There it is! Still sorta funny shaped but oh well, everyone is unique right? To me it looks so much bigger in the picture than I think it really is but Andrew said it was right so.. it must be. :) We find out the baby's sex on October 7th. Just 23 more days to go! It'll be nice to be able to say he or she instead of it. It seems so impersonal and fake.
Still no movements yet, the doc said I should start feeling them in the next four weeks. I'm very excited for that. No swelling yet, thank god. My hip is hurting again. *rolley eyes* and I'm trying to think of what else happened this past week but I'm drawing a blank...... I guess that's it for now. :)

Week 17 of Pregnancy

Your baby is practicing sucking and swallowing as she gets ready for the real thing: a breast or bottle! As for Mom, you may be warding off some unwanted belly touching.

Your Baby in Week 17 of Pregnancy
My how your baby has grown! She's about the size of your palm, weighs about five ounces, and is developing some body fat (join the club, baby!). Her heart is now regulated by her brain (no more random beats) to beat 140 to 150 times per minute — about twice as fast as yours! What else is up? She’s practicing the survival skills she’ll need at birth — like sucking and swallowing.

Baby's Body Fat

Your baby is about five inches long and more than three and a half ounces — the size of your open hand. Baby's body fat is beginning to form and will continue to accumulate through the end of your pregnancy.

How big is your baby at 17 weeks pregnant? About five inches long and more than three and a half ounces  — the size of your open hand. (Open the other one too and imagine your baby cradled in both your arms right after delivery!)  Body fat (baby's, that is) is beginning to form and will continue to accumulate through the end of your pregnancy.  By the time your baby is born, body fat will make up about two-thirds of his or her weight (and will make all those chubby parts especially yummy). 
 
Your baby is almost certainly listening up by now. In fact, loud noises — the dog barking, the doorbell ringing — will actually startle your baby (and also get him or her used to such noises; for instance, fetuses who regularly hear a dog barking will become babies who sleep right through Fido's outbursts).  Your baby's eyes (which have fortunately finished their migration  to the front of his or her head) are making small side-to-side movements and can even perceive some light, though the eyelids are still sealed.  And since practice makes perfect, your baby is sharpening his or her sucking and swallowing skills in preparation for that first (and second…and third) suckle at your breast or bottle. In fact, most of the survival reflexes that your baby will have at birth are being perfected in utero right now.

And here's some proof that your baby is truly one of a kind (as if you needed any!). Within the next week or so, the pads on your baby's fingertips and toes will become adorned with completely individual swirls and creases (aka fingerprints).
Your Body in Week 17 of Pregnancy
Now that you're starting to show, chances are that friends, coworkers, and even strangers may feel the urge to reach out and touch your belly. If you don't mind, that's fine. But if you do, speak up kindly but firmly. More new developments with your body: a slight vaginal discharge (leukorrhea) and a greater sensitivity to allergens these days — both are totally normal — and the appetite of a truck driver now that the queasy feeling is (probably) gone.