14 Weeks - 4th Month!

Your Baby

Your baby's body is growing faster now compared with its head, so the proportions are beginning to approach those you see in a newborn. Its neck is long enough to lift its chin off its chest, its legs have grown almost as long as its arms, and its intestines fit inside the abdomen. Your baby is filling out by putting on fat tissue.

As your baby's body grows, so do its muscles. On your baby's fingers, soft nails and fingerprints are forming. The gallbladder begins to make bile for digestion. Taking over for the liver, your baby's bones start to make some blood cells. During the last three months of pregnancy and for the rest of your baby's life, newly made blood will come from his bone marrow.

Facial features, too, are becoming more distinct. As the head has grown, the ears have moved to their proper places on the sides of the head. Its lips are well developed and teeth are forming underneath the gums.

In this month and the next, hair begins to grow on your baby's body. Eyebrows and eyelashes are forming, and a fine hair called lanugo covers its body and face in swirling patterns. Lanugo usually disappears before birth.

There are 4 to 6 ounces of amniotic fluid surrounding your baby this month. That's enough to allow a sample to be taken for a test called amniocentesis. Amniocentesis is most commonly recommended for mothers-to-be over the age of 35 because of an increased risk that the baby will have Down syndrome. The test may also be done if a problem with the development of the spinal cord is suspected.

The fetus is now 5 inches long and weighs nearly 4 ounces, just big enough to cradle in the palm of your hand.

Leftovers

Well, I think I confirmed it last night. I can't tolerate leftovers... not even if its only one day old. Sucks. I had to go throw up some good chicken and sausage gumbo last night.

13 Weeks

Here's me and my belly today :D


I can't wait until I'm sh0wing more... this is the stage you just feel fat...

From American Baby:

Your Baby
At the end of this week, your baby officially enters the second trimester of development. Although only 3 inches from crown to rump and weighing just half an ounce, she looks, well, human! Her eyes have moved from the sides of her head to the front, and her ears are in their normal position. She's also got reflexes--if you prod her, she'll squirm (although you still won't feel it), and her hands and feet respond to stimuli by closing or clenching.

What a 12 Week Fetus Looks Like

Your BabyNow measuring between 2 and 3 inches from crown to rump, the fetus is busily doing his stretching and kicking exercises. All major organs are in place, and his brain, nerves, and muscles are starting to function. Although his gender was determined at conception, external genitalia won't fully develop for another couple of weeks. At that point, a sonogram may be able to show whether you're carrying a boy or a girl--if your baby will cooperate and face the camera!

12 Week Update

Jeremy stayed home from work to bring me to my CNM appointment :(

Anyhoo...

I've gained 2 bls in the last 4 weeks... so, that's 5 lbs altogether... not too bad, imo.

Had pap smear and cultures done... fun, fun, fun

Melanie (my CNM) tried to hear the baby's heartbeat with the doppler, but, couldn't find it. She spent a good amount of time trying to hear it... finally, she suggested we take a quick peek to see how the baby was doing... see if we could see the heart beating. There's an ultrasound machine in the office area where she works. So, we went in there. She found the baby but it did take a little bit of time... like 2 or 3 min to find the heartbeat; which is a long time when you're not hearing or seeing your baby's heartbeat... So, I got to see my baby :D It looked just like a baby :D Knees brought up to the chest, arms bent at elbows :D Cute :D The heartbeat was like 150.

My next appointment is in 4 weeks. I asked if it could be a later one so that Jeremy wouldn't have to take off of work to bring me. So, its at 4:10 pm.

10 wks 3 days