Saturday, November 27, 2010

17 Weeks

This has been a pretty good week for me.  I started my new temp job and worked on Monday and Tuesday.  Thursday was Thanksgiving and my birthday (yay, #28!), which was great :).  I got to stuff myself with food and then come home and pass out :).  I finally got over my head cold, so I now have a little more energy but I'm still pretty tired most of the time.  I'm still having trouble sleeping, but Jason bought me a Snoogle body pillow for my birthday and I'm just waiting for it to be delivered... hopefully very soon!  I really hope it helps me to sleep through the night.  Sleeping on my sides has started to get uncomfortable, but I can't sleep on my back (it pinches a main blood vein) and I feel weird about sleeping on my stomach.

I had an interview with Motherhood (maternity clothing store) and it looks pretty promising.  I'm just hoping I can work there so I can get a 30% discount on the clothes ;).  They have some really cute stuff that I want :).  Other than that, things have been pretty much the same at home.  I'm only going to be working a few days each week, which is nice for the time being.

I have felt the baby a few times this week and it's so much fun :).  I can't wait until I can feel it more often.  Here are the development details for the week:
  • Your baby is now about the size of a turnip (or onion)! She is roughly 5 inches long and weighs 5 ounces now. That's even more than the placenta weighs.
  • Though no new structures have formed this week, she has developed fat deposits under her skin that will account for about 2-6% of her total body weight at her time of birth, just 23 weeks from now!
  • Her skeleton, which up until this point has been made up of flexible cartilage, is now hardening into bone. Another exciting event…her sense of hearing begins to develop this week!
I guess that's about it for now :).  I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving!

Friday, November 19, 2010

16 Weeks

This week was seriously a great one :).  I didn't stress much at all, I got a lot done at home, and I really enjoyed being able to sit down and relax when I felt like it.  I'm 16 weeks today and I also got a new job today, woot! :)  It's just a temporary job for an engineering company in Atlanta but it will bring in some income, which will definitely help us get through the next few months.  I'm thankful!

My 16 week appointment was yesterday and I met with a midwife instead of the doctor, because she had to take a couple of emergency appointments.  I was fine with it, though, because I hadn't met her yet and she was really nice.  We chatted for about 15 minutes about new things that are happening and also about any concerns I might have.  I told her that I've been feeling pretty good and that I don't really feel pregnant right now.  She basically said that that's a good thing, but can also be stressful because even though I feel more energetic and less nauseous, I don't feel pregnant which can make me worry unnecessarily.  I wanted to jump up and say "yes!  That's exactly how I've been feeling!"  Hehe, I guess she hears the same things a lot in her line of work ;).  She was very reassuring, though, and made me feel at ease.

She used the doppler on my bump to listen to the heartbeat.  She found it after a few seconds of searching and we listened to it for about 10 seconds and then it disappeared.  She had to hunt for it again and when she found it, it was really loud!!!  I think the baby was leaning with its back against my uterus or something, because it was crazy loud :).  She said that the sounds we heard when she was searching for the heartbeat were of the baby moving around... so fun! :)  She said that I should start feeling the baby move more over the next 4 weeks or so.  I have felt it a few times today and I'm absolutely loving it :).  It makes everything feel a lot more "real", because I not only think about the baby but I can also feel it :).  I guess I always just assumed that I would feel the baby all the time once I got pregnant, but that's not the case at all.  It takes about 16-20 weeks before you feel anything :P.

Although I've been feeling better in general, I haven't been getting much sleep at night lately.  My hips have been hurting like crazy and I caught a head cold a couple days ago, so I've been having trouble breathing.  Other than those minor details, I've been ok ;).

I'm not sure if I've said anything about coming up with a name or not, but Jason and I have been arguing about it for the past 2 months.  I keep asking him for input, but he doesn't want to think about names at all until we know what we're having.  It's very frustrating, because I want to get some ideas from him.  A lot of the names I like, he doesn't, so it has been a struggle.  However, the other night he actually threw out a couple of ideas, so I bought a couple of baby name books for us to look at on our trip to Oregon (the day after THE ultrasound).  If you have any suggestions, feel free to post them in a comment ;).

Anyway, on to growth and development details... I'm so excited to see the bigger-than-bean baby next month! :)
  • Your baby continues to be busy growing and developing inside of you. He's now about the size of an avocado, measuring approximately 4 1/2 inches and weighing roughly 3 ounces. His heart is now pumping 25 quarts of blood every day and his bladder is emptying every 45 minutes.
  • His limbs are even more developed and their movements have become increasingly coordinated. He doesn't have any hair yet but the patterning of his scalp has begun.
  • What's in the future for your little one? A growth spurt is just around the corner! In the coming weeks he will double his weight and add inches to his frame.
He/she is growing so fast! :)  I've rambled quite a bit in this entry, so I'll wrap it up now.  I'll leave you with the first 'approved' picture of my bump (sorry, I'm picky and self-conscious) :).



I'll try to post another one before we head to Oregon! :)

Monday, November 15, 2010

15 Weeks!

I'm doing much better this week than I was when I wrote last week's entry.  I've been applying for jobs, but I'm enjoying my time at home and trying to use it to relax.  Sometimes Jason drives me crazy when he doesn't get stressed about anything, but it has been very refreshing with this situation.  He keeps telling me not to worry and that everything will be ok and we're trusting God to take care of us :).  Oh, and I'm strongly considering applying for a part-time job at Motherhood (maternity store), so please be praying that I'll make the right decision.

Anyway, this has been a pretty good week.  Like I said above, I've been relaxing a lot and sleeping in past 5:45 in the mornings has been great.  I've been getting up when Jason leaves at about 7:00 and I love it.  I haven't been having too many symptoms this week, but the 2 main ones that come to mind are a stuffy nose and hip pain.  My nose feels like it's stuffed up most of the time, but apparently that's due to hormones so there's not much I can do about it.  The hip pain is mainly at night or when I sit in one position for too long.  I've been having trouble sleeping because the pain wakes me up multiple times at night and changing my position doesn't seem to do much.  I'm still hoping I'll get a body pillow for my birthday (in 10 days, yay!).

My next appointment is this Thursday and I can't wait to hear the heartbeat again :).  I can't believe it's been a month since my last appointment.  I'll be 4 months along in just a few days!!!  Craziness.

Here are the growth & development updates.  My emails have described the baby both as a small apple and a naval orange.  Either way you look at it, the bean is growing fast! :)
  • Your little one is now roughly the size of an apple. She is about 4 inches long and weighs about 2 ½ ounces. Her legs are now longer than her arms and her bones are getting harder and stronger!
  • At 15 weeks, her skin is still thin and transparent, but she has developed a thin layer of hair to help protect her body. This layer of hair is called lanugo and it is present on every part of your baby's body, even her finger nails!
  • She is also moving amniotic fluid through her nose and upper respiratory tract. This action helps the primitive air sacs in her lungs begin to develop. And even though her eyes will remain fused shut until approximately 26 weeks, she can actually sense light in your womb!
 I can't wait until our ultrasound!  Only a month and 4 days to go :).  I really want to see the baby looking like a baby instead of a cute little bean.  Well, that's all for now.  I'll post the next update this Friday.

Monday, November 8, 2010

14 Weeks

I'm now at 14 weeks (actually about 14.5 today) and am feeling pretty great.  I'm not very tired anymore and hardly care what I eat now.  Just about everything sounds good as long as it's food :).  I'm still looking forward to Thanksgiving and I'm surprised I haven't been dreaming about turkey and mashed potatoes.  I still get round ligament pains every once in a while or 'uterus aches', but they aren't nearly as evident as they were in previous months.

While I'm feeling more energetic and not as sick, I've been struggling with a couple of things.  First of all, I'm a natural worrier.  A few weeks ago at work, I bent over to pick something up and then stood up from that bent position and my jeans dug into my stomach.  I'm not sure if I said anything about this before or not, but it felt weird and kind-of hurt.  I know the baby is very protected and there's plenty of cushion down there, but I still couldn't help but think I hurt it.  Ever since then, I've been praying that I'll feel the baby move so that I know everything is ok, but if I do feel something, I'm not sure if it's the baby or if it's my pulse or something else.  I've felt movement a couple of times, but I really don't know what it's supposed to feel like, so I'm still worrying :(.  On top of that, I lost my job last Friday and have been a bit stressed about that.  I know that everything will work out, it's just hard to think about not having a job while we're preparing for the baby to come.  If you could please keep me/us in your prayers, I would really appreciate it. 

As you can probably see above, the baby is now the size of a lemon.  I don't know how a lemon is bigger than a peach, but oh well.  I guess it is ;).  Anyway, here are the growth details for this week:
  • By week 14, your baby is around the size of a lemon, measuring about 3 1/2 inches and weighing 1 1/2 ounces. His body also starts to even out this week, as his arms and head are finally proportionate to the rest of his body. His hands and feet now measure about a 1/2 inch long and are actively punching and kicking inside you. Don't be alarmed if you can't feel this movement, it's too small for you to feel.
  • Your baby is also busy making facial expressions by week 14. He can squint his eyes, and his lips can turn into a frown. His neck has grown longer and his chin starts to take shape. His kidneys can produce urine and his liver has begun to produce bile. His spleen has even begun to help in the production of red blood cells.
Even when times get tough, God is still with me and I'm praying for a happy and healthy baby :).  My next appointment is next Thursday, at 16 weeks.  Please pray that there will be a STRONG heartbeat and lots of movement.