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.