18 weeks

Well we are at 18 weeks together and I have been feeling more movements these past few days. Movements remind me how our baby is his or her own person. I am not determining or deciding when our baby moves at all. I know that as he or she grows this baby, who is so dependent on me now, will continue to grow in independence. How exciting and scary!

There are 152 days until my due date on January 06, 2008.
I am 128 days pregnant.
I am 4.2 months pregnant.
I am in my 5th 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)


Thumb-sucking at 18 weeks....

By week 18 of my pregnancy, my baby's crown-to-rump length is 5 to 5.5 inches long. My baby continues to develop fat layers and weighs about 5.25 ounces. My baby will continue to grow and develop, but the rapid growth will slow down for a little while. I will be able to feel my uterus just below my bellybutton. If I put my fingers sideways to measure, I can feel my uterus about two finger-widths below my bellybutton. At this point of my pregnancy, my uterus is approximately the size of a cantaloupe.

There is still space available in my uterus and my baby will be active for periods at a time. My baby may sit cross legged or turn somersaults.

Around this time, my baby becomes more sensitive to the outside world and shows his/her presence through powerful kicks and prods. The bones through which sound is passed to the inner ear have hardened and the part of the brain that receives and processes nerve signals from the ears are developing. This means that my baby can hear now. My baby will get used to familiar sounds, such as my heart beating, familiar voices, blood rushing through the umbilical cord and other daily routine sounds. My baby will become startled if s/he hears a loud sound.

I have a stethoscope at home, so I can now hear the baby's heartbeat myself (I'll try.)