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.