Weeks 17, 18, 19 & 20

I actually started this post last week....and thought that I lost it....but I found it!! Whew! So, here we are at Week 20 and we get to find out the sex of the baby on Wednesday! I'm so excited....I can't wait. Check back on Wednesday night...I actually start pre-natal yoga on Wednesday at 6 pm...our doctor's appointment is at 3 pm...so, if I don't get to call you before class...call us or check here on Thursday morning for the results. I'm also going to post another belly pic....as I've gained about 15 pounds so far. As far as feeling the baby....some days I feel him/her alot and other days just a few times. Supposedly by the 24th week you start feeling movement all the time. I've been feeling really good still...just getting tired in the evening. I've slowly been cooking more during the week, which is making Mike a happier hubby!

Here is an update about the baby development at Week 20:

Your baby has established sleep patterns akin to a newborn now. Many babies even have a favorite sleep position already. Some snooze with their chins resting on their chests, while others nap with their head flung back. Many babies at this age fall into noticeable cycles of sleep and activity, so you may know before she arrives whether you have a night owl or an early bird.If your baby is a boy, the testes have begun descending from the pelvis into the scrotum. If it's a girl, her uterus is completely formed and the rest of her "parts" are in development. (Is that TMI?) From this point forward, your baby will put most of her energy into gaining weight and, not coincidentally, so will you! Right now your baby weighs approximately 10½ ounces and is about 6½ inches long, about the size of a can of Red Bull (which has way too much caffeine for a pregnant woman to be drinking).


Hello everyone...I've been slacking off a bit and haven't been updating you weekly. I'm going to catch everyone up today and give you the highlights of the past 3 weeks (as far as the baby development). On 3/13 I started to feel like I had bubbles in my belly...and they had this funny itching feeling. So, I went online and started to do some research. I thought that maybe it was the baby moving but I wasn't sure. After some checking around....and reading other expecting mother's comments about what it felt like to feel the baby move...I decided that this was the first time that I was able to feel the baby moving. This was my second week at work and all continued to go really well! Other than the fact that I was exhausted and coming home everyday and taking a nap. The good thing is that now that I'm in my second trimester my energy is good in the morning and pretty much all through the day until about 3 pm. So, if I can hold on and push through the exhaustion...I get to leave work at 4 pm.

Week 17 we had a bit of a scare....we had to go to Labor and Delivery at Riverside. I was a bit upset because it took the on-call doctor 1 1/2 hours to finally call me back!! Thank goodness there was nothing seriously wrong!! 3 calls later to the after hours on call service....and at that point it was 10 pm and she says....I'd like you to go to the hospital to get checked out....she could have told me this at 8:30pm when I started calling!!! So, I'll spare you the gory details....but everything is totally FINE. The doctor did an ultrasound and we got to see the baby again....moving all around and looking great! We were hoping that she would be able to tell us the sex....but the baby wasn't in the right position and she didn't have time to look. oh well....guess we have to wait another 3 weeks.

Week 18 went by uneventfully....work continues to go really well. I can only fit into 1 or 2 pairs of my regular pants. I'm now starting to wear my maternity pants and my belly is starting to show. Getting excited to find out what the baby is. At the beginning of the pregnancy, I thought it was a girl...then I started to have dreams that it was a boy. Now, this week, I've had 2 dreams that it is a girl again!! OY!! Messing with my emotions!! So, the jury is out until week 20.

Now we're back on track with Week 19....continuing to get bigger and not just look like I've gained weight. I think I wore my last pair of regular pants yesterday...wore them with one of Mike's belt and when I got home my belly was a bit uncomfortable from the pressure of the pants. We signed up for Childbirth and infant CPR classes and are starting to get ready for the baby. Mom came into town this past weekend and went went on the hunt for baby furniture. We found a few really nice cribs & dressers and are waiting until we know if it's a boy or girl to make the final decision. I'm also thinking about starting prenatal yoga which I have been reading about all the great benefits from it.

Here are some highlights about the baby's developement over the past few weeks:

Week 17:
Speaking of packing on the pounds, that what it's all about for baby this week. He's adding fat stores that will keep him warm and cozy after he's born. Your baby's weight will increase approximately six times over the next four weeks. Good to know you're not the only one tipping the scale. Also this week:Your baby is hard at work honing his sucking and swallowing reflexes—all the better for eating that 2 AM (and 5 AM, and 8 AM ...) meal in a few months! The finger- and toenails are beginning to grow from their nail beds, which would explain why he'll need them trimmed almost as soon as he's born! Your baby weighs nearly 5 ounces and is a little over 5 inches long—about the size of a baked potato (load on the butter and sour cream, please).

Week 18:
Your baby's ears are now facing forward and are completely formed so she can actually hear you talking now. You don't need to abandon your potty mouth just yet, but you might want to start thinking about it! Other highlights this week: This week is also the beginning of ossification. And while that sounds like some long and involved paperwork you'll have to fill out, it's really a fancy medical term for the hardening of your baby's miniature bones. And that's a good thing.Your baby's nerves are making more and more complex connections. Her sense of smell, taste, sight and hearing are all developing. A substance called myelin, which makes nerve connections travel faster, is now coating your baby's nerves.Your baby now weighs between 5 and 7 ounces and is about 5½ inches long—about the size of a pickle from the corner deli.

Week 19:
This week your baby starts bulking up and packing on the grossly named "brown fat" he'll need to keep warm when he gets evicted from his comfortable uterine home. Other highlights this week:Vernix, a milky white coating that protects your baby's skin, appears all over your baby's body to keep his skin from getting pickled in the amniotic fluid. Think of it as if your baby has been dipped in yogurt, like those delicious but fake-healthy yogurt-covered raisins and pretzels. Ooh, we feel another craving comin' on. ... Under the vernix, a fuzzy layer of hair called lanugo now covers baby's body. Don't worry, your Mini won't look like Cousin It when he's born. Most of the fuzz will fall off before baby makes his grand entrance.Good news: Your baby's kidneys are fully functioning and producing urine this week. Bad news: That means there will be lots of diapers in your future. But so far you're safe—at the moment the pee just passes into the amniotic fluid.He or she now weighs about 8½ ounces and measures 6 inches, as long as a turkey sub from Subway on warm, delicious Italian Herbs and Cheese bread (or Honey Oat bread, or Oregano bread or ...)