26 weeks

Dates and numbers:
There are 97 days until my due date on January 06, 2008.
I am 183 days pregnant.
I am 6 months pregnant.
I am in my 7th month of pregnancy. (huh?)
My 1st trimester: April 01, 2007 to June 30, 2007. (0 - 12 weeks)
My 2nd trimester: July 01, 2007 to October 13, 2007. (13 - 27 weeks)
My 3rd trimester: October 14, 2007 to January 06, 2008. (28 - 40 weeks)

Tomorrow is the fetal echo. We did have one with Gordon as well around the same time. Unfortunately this test is in the same room where we received the official news that he was gone the day before he was born. Please pray for a sense of calm and peace as we go through this test--much like an ultrasound on the baby's heart. I will post how it went soon after.

By this week, my baby's crown-to-rump length is approximately 9.2 inches. Remember, that is only from the top of his/her head to his bottom and does not include leg measurements! My baby weighs almost 2 pounds and is beginning to put on weight. My uterus is about 2.5 inches above my bellybutton and I will continue to grow approximately 1 cm each week. I probably have gained about 16-22 pounds so far. Because my baby has moved further up, I may get occasional pain underneath your ribs.



After a month of having his/her eyelids sealed shut, my baby begins to open his/her eyes again this week. My baby's eyes are almost completely developed. My baby's eyes are blue in the womb and may change colors later in life. This is true for all races because the pupils do not have their final color until a few months after birth. However, some babies are born with darker or lighter shades of blue. My growing baby will continue to put on layers of fat until s/he is born. S/He is still lean at this point of the pregnancy though. By the time my baby is born, s/he will assume the typical newborn's plumpness. My baby's skin will still be wrinkled and red, but the fat continues to fill the skin out.

Finger and toe nails continue to grow.

Blood vessels start to develop in the lungs to prepare the baby for life outside the uterus.

My baby's blood circulation is completely functional. The umbilical cord system continues to grow and thicken as blood travels with considerable force through the body to nurture the baby. The placenta is now almost equal in size to the baby.

Even though it is still way too soon for my baby to be born yet, the chance of survival without severe abnormalities is now 70% provided baby is born in a hospital.

25 weeks

Dates and numbers:
There are 103 days until my due date on January 06, 2008.
I am 177 days pregnant.
I am 5.8 months pregnant.
I am in my 6th month of pregnancy. (huh?)
My 1st trimester: April 01, 2007 to June 30, 2007. (0 - 12 weeks)
My 2nd trimester: July 01, 2007 to October 13, 2007. (13 - 27 weeks)
My 3rd trimester: October 14, 2007 to January 06, 2008. (28 - 40 weeks)

My baby's crown-to-rump length is about 8.8 inches. Weight has increased to around 1.5 pounds and fat is still being deposited at a high rate. Babies come in all shapes and sizes, so my baby could vary slightly from these `average` measurements. My uterus has grown quite a bit bigger this week. The top of my uterus is between my bellybutton and my sternum. My uterus is about the size of a soccer ball now!

If my baby were delivered at this time, he or she would have a good chance of surviving. It is best for my baby to remain inside of me for the remainder of the pregnancy, but great advances have been made in the care of a premature baby. Ventilators, monitors and medications all help premature babies develop and grow outside of the womb. If my baby were born this early, s/he would probably have to spend several months in the hospital and would be more susceptible to infections and other complications.

I can hear my baby's heartbeat with both a doppler and a stethoscope at this time, and John may even be able to hear the heartbeat unaided if he puts his ear in the right position. Sex differentiation is being completed now. If I am expecting a baby boy, the testes start to descend into the scrotum. In baby girls, the vagina is hollowing out. My baby is able to do more with fingers now and can move fingers to make a complete fist. As my baby becomes more dextrous, s/he will be able to touch and hold her/his feet. Babies also begin to prefer their left hand or right hand at this time. Because babies settle into routines of sleep and activity, I might begin to notice these patterns as well. Some women experience the most fetal movements while trying to rest. (Yep!)

Here we are at 6 months!

Well we are definitely getting bigger. Mom came over today and helped me put a couple stitches in my new bathing suit and she tried to listen to the baby's heartbeat with the monitor we have. She couldn't hear it (lots of kicks could be heard) so she tried the stethoscope--well that didn't work to hear the heartbeat either but the message she did get was loud and clear. When she pressed down with the stethoscope in one spot she was greeted with a swift and strong kick, as if to say, "Hey what's going on here?" I like that.

24 weeks

Nearing the final trimester! I'm saying I'm six months because we're not going until the 40 week mark so...Here we are. I'm looking forward to this next stage because I'm looking forward to having baby here. We bought a monitor that allows both mom and dad to listen to baby's heartbeats and kicks. Heartbeats not easy to find--kicks no problem.

Here are some stats. We took a photo tonight too so we'll add that as well.

Dates and numbers:
There are 110 days until my due date on January 06, 2008.
I am 170 days pregnant.
I am 5.6 months pregnant.
I am in my 6th month of pregnancy. (huh?)
My 1st trimester: April 01, 2007 to June 30, 2007. (0 - 12 weeks)
My 2nd trimester: July 01, 2007 to October 13, 2007. (13 - 27 weeks)
My 3rd trimester: October 14, 2007 to January 06, 2008. (28 - 40 weeks)

This week my baby's crown-to-rump length is around 8.4 inches and my baby will weigh approximately 1.2 pounds. Although baby weighs a little over a pound at this point, my growing baby is still tiny. My uterus can easily be felt 1.5 to 2 inches above my bellybutton. The fetus does not appear to have much room in the uterus anymore, but as my pregnancy progresses, space gets much tighter!

Because my uterus is expanding and putting a great amount of pressure on my abdomen, I might get stretch marks. (Been there done that!) My weight gain may also be taking a toll on my body at this point (YEP!). Many pregnant women experience backaches, bladder problems, sore feet and fatigue that affect their daily routines. I might also have some nasal stuffiness or nosebleeds (yes).

My baby's face is basically complete now. The fetus's eyes are close together on the front of his/her face and they are still shut. My baby's ears have moved into their final position on the sides of his/her head. Where they are now is where they will be when my baby is born! Hair will continue to grow on his/her scalp and his/her eyelashes are well developed. Most of my baby's features look the same as they will at birth. Because my growing baby is getting plumper, he/she no longer has room in my tummy to do cartwheels and somersaults.




I sometimes get a stitch-like pain in your side from time to time. It's simply the muscles of the uterus stretching. The unborn child is covered with a fine, downy hair called lanugo. Its tender skin is protected by a waxy substance called vernix. Some of this substance may still be on the child's skin at birth at which time it will be quickly absorbed.

The child practices breathing by inhaling (up to a liter/day) amnionic fluid into developing lungs.

23 weeks

Well we are at 23 this week! I went to my obstetrician on Friday and all is well. The baby's heartbeat was 149bpm. It is always good to hear that beating sound. The baby likes to party it up at night so I can imagine what our winter nights are going to be like. In about a month I will have a fetal echo ultrasound.

Dates and numbers:
There are 118 days until my due date on January 06, 2008.
I am 162 days pregnant.
I am 5.3 months pregnant.
I am in my 6th month of pregnancy. (huh?)
My 1st trimester: April 01, 2007 to June 30, 2007. (0 - 12 weeks)
My 2nd trimester: July 01, 2007 to October 13, 2007. (13 - 27 weeks)
My 3rd trimester: October 14, 2007 to January 06, 2008. (28 - 40 weeks)

This week my baby's length, from crown-to-rump, is approximately 8 inches! My growing baby has finally reached one pound. My baby is about the size of a small baby doll and looks very human. The baby's face and body look similar to that of a newborn at this time. My uterus can be found about 1.5 inches above your navel. My total weight gain should be approximately 15 pounds at this time.

I might notice some Braxton-Hicks contractions around this time. These contractions are not regular and they should not be painful. Braxton-Hicks contractions prepare my body for the upcoming labor and they will get stronger as my pregnancy progresses. I might be able to feel the contractions if I put my hand on my abdomen and my baby can probably feel the uterus gripping and massaging him/her.

Fat is still being deposited at a rapid rate, but my baby still looks red and wrinkled. Skin is being produced at a higher rate than the fat is, so the skin hangs loosely. My baby looks red because the skin is losing its transparency and pigment is beginning to form. I should be feeling my baby moving quite a bit throughout the day as she will kick and punch the uterus walls. Babies also run their hands along the umbilical cord and touch their body parts while they are in the womb. My baby now can suck his/her thumb for real, where s/he was just sticking it in his/her mouth. My baby will continue to swallow amniotic fluid and recycle it as urine. The liquids and sugars that the baby retracts from the fluid is a supplement to the nutrients that the placenta delivers. I might be able to feel small `jumps` inside of me when my baby gets the hiccups from swallowing fluid. The pancreas is developing and it will responsible for insulin production, to help break down sugars.

As the baby continues to grow, s/he has less space to move around in the uterus. Bones, muscles and organs are growing steadily.

22 weeks

We are at 22 weeks today. Many have said that I really look the part now. I also feel the part. My belly button is rising--stretching--to the surface. I feel pretty good and am looking forward to my next appointment at the end of the week. (One of my co-workers has her appointment at the same office about 20 min. after me. There are five of us in our school who are expecting!)

Dates and numbers:
There are 125 days until my due date on January 06, 2008.
I am 155 days pregnant.
I am 5.1 months pregnant.
I am in my 6th month of pregnancy. (huh?)
My 1st trimester: April 01, 2007 to June 30, 2007. (0 - 12 weeks)
My 2nd trimester: July 01, 2007 to October 13, 2007. (13 - 27 weeks)
My 3rd trimester: October 14, 2007 to January 06, 2008. (28 - 40 weeks)

My baby's crown-to-rump length is approximately 7.6 inches and my growing baby weighs about 12.25 ounces now! My uterus is about 2 cm above my bellybutton and I probably feel comfortably (what's comfortably?!) pregnant. My growing tummy is not yet large enough to get in the way and I should still be able to bend over and sit without much trouble(should is the operative word).

My baby's body continues to grow and develop every day. The organ systems in my baby's body are becoming specialized for their particular functions. The fetal liver produces different enzymes than it will produce after delivery. The liver is responsible for breaking down billirubin, which is produced by the breaking down of blood cells. Because the life span of a fetal red blood cell is shorter than that of an adult, a fetus produces more billirubin than adults do. Billirubin passes from fetal blood to the placenta and then into my blood. My liver helps get rid of fetal billirubin. A newborn baby that has high levels of billirubin may show signs of jaundice. Jaundiced babies have a yellowish tint to their eyes and skin and are often treated with phototherapy.

My baby's senses are developing daily. The fetus now has a full complement of neurons in the brain and is learning about his/her body and surroundings through touch. Touch is one of the first senses to mature and my baby may stroke his/her face or feel his/her arms and legs.

My blood volume has increased more to meet the demands of my pregnancy. Most of the increase is in the form of plasma, the liquid part of my blood. This has the ability to dilute my blood and give my physiological anemia, which occurs during pregnancy. The measure of blood dilution is called hematocrit and the levels reach their lowest points this week.

My baby now shows an extremely rapid brain growth (which lasts until five years after birth).

The ovaries of female fetuses contain primitive egg cells, all of the eggs a woman will have for her entire life. The uterus of female fetuses is also fully formed.