Baby's Development - Week 17

WHAT'S HAPPENING WITH MOMMY

You may be noticing tan-colored spots on your face these days. That's called chloasma, and it may occur on the forehead, nose, upper lip and cheeks. Don't worry, it's not permanent, and it will fade soon after birth. Use sunblock to prevent the spots from darkening due to sun exposure, and continue taking your prenatal vitamins. Not only are they good for the baby, but studies indicate that they may prevent excessive pigmentation.

-ivillage

WHAT'S HAPPENING WITH OUR BABY

At 12 centimeters crown to rump, our baby is large enough to give mommy a good kick in the belly. Within the next month, I should be able to feel this 5-ounce wonder throwing his/her weight around. But even if I can't feel her just yet, I can start to bond with your child right now. -ivillage

Baby's Development - Week 16

WHAT'S HAPPENING W/ THE BABY

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

Prenatal Visit - January 31

Let me start out by saying, I have never been in and out of the doctor's office like I was yesterday. It was awesome. They literally called us back 10 minutes after we signed in. And, my friend and 'sort of' co-worker, Tracy Norris, was there too.

So, to our surprise, we didn't see Dr. Brown. We saw Dr. Palmer. She was much more caring than I thought she'd be. So, that was good. We got to hear the heart beat. This time it was NOT 162. It was 138. We were caught way off guard by that huge difference, but Dr. Palmer assured us that everything was okay. She said that it's very healthy for the baby's heart beat to fluctuate so much.

I did mention the severe lower abdomen pain I'd been having. By the look on her face, I could tell that maybe that sort of pain wasn't normal. But - she never said anything further about it. I don't know if she just forgot after we got talking about other stuff (my cold & 1st trimester testing) or if there was really no reason to be concerned. I can't say that I've had those pains for a few days. However, yesterday I did experience a very scary pain between my chest cavity and upper abdomen. I still have no idea what it was, but during those excruciating 10-15 minutes, I could not move. I could hardly breathe. I was right before calling Sajid to tell him to take me to the hospital when all of sudden the pain just stopped. Sounds crazy, but I think it was God. I was very upset and just prayed that He would take that pain away. And, I believe that He heard me.

Now for the exciting news. Our next doctor's visit is February 29th at which time we have a sonogram scheduled to determine the sex of the baby. And, how cool is it that it's leap year. Also, even though Dr. Palmer let me know I was a little ahead of schedule on the whole weight gain thing, she said I'd only gained 8 lbs. I was certain I had gained more than that. So, for me, that too was good news.