13 Weeks

On tuesday we hit 13 weeks. I've been feeling somewhat more energetic and less nauseous. I seem to be hungry all the time and don't want to go anywhere (a.k.a. Florida) unless I have some snacks on hand. I've been getting up quite often to use the bathroom at night. In my daze, I think I counted 4-5 times. After today's ultrasound, I have come to the conclusion that I just have a small bladder.

Today we saw a specialist (not the OB) for a prenatal test called the NT Scan which tests for Down's Syndrome, Edward's syndrome, among other things. I drank about half a can of coke on my drive over to the doctor's office since a friend of mined tipped me that a little bit of caffeine can make the baby move during the ultrasound. After checking in, I went to the bathroom. Fifteen minutes later, I am laying on the reclining chair and the technician begins the ultrasound. It's a really cool setup - they have this huge flat screen TV mounted on the wall just ahead of me. She applies some goo to my belly and begins. Almost immediately a picture of a baby appears on the TV. Within seconds, I hear Jeff next to me gasp - (he does not remember this :). This is a baby that has grown so much since we last saw him/her. The last ultrasound where we got a good look was at 8 weeks, so it's been a little more than a month. Not much later, the baby makes these little jerking motions with its head and it's opening its mouth several times to drink the amniotic fluid. Jeff and I later wondered if it had the hiccups after seeing its head make those little jerking motions.



We'd been in there maybe 2 minutes and the tech informed me that my bladder was very full and I should go to the bathroom before we continue! That's when I decided I have a small bladder, lol.

When, I returned and she got to her business, we saw Baby T raise it's right arm, almost as if in greeting. We saw its little hand with tiny fingers waving at us. Here is a shot of Baby T's other hand.



The tech did a great job getting shots of the baby from all sides. We saw this shot where baby was laying on its back with its legs lifted almost vertically (below). The bright white columns are its shins. Soon thereafter, the legs kicked a few times like a leap frog.



We then heard the heart beat for the first time! After seeing the baby's movements and then hearing the heart beat, I got all sentimental and a few tears escaped. It wasn't a big cry..In fact, if you know me, I'd rather not let people see me cry. I just couldn't help myself with this one. Baby T measured 7 cm (or 2.75 inches) long!

Then the tech gave us a surprise 3D ultrasound using a different handheld device. The moment it popped up it looked all gooey and bubbly like and the baby looked like a little alien! It was amazing though to see it that way. Here is Baby posing in a kickboxing fashion with its fist held out front:



The doctor then came in and scanned for several minutes. He said things look normal and had the tech told us if it's a boy or girl. We said no, she hadn't said a word. I then told him about my friend who found out she was having a girl at her 12 week ultrasound. He was rather surprised that they were able to determine with such a high degree of confidence. He then scanned some more and said he just can't be certain, but that he did not see any boy parts. Interesting. I'm trying not to let my mind wander to those possibilities!

Our next ultrasound will be in 5 weeks, on July 9th. We hope the baby will cooperate so we can find out if it's a boy or girl!
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What Baby T is doing this week:

The fetus has grown to about 3 inches (8cm) long.
Weight approximately 1 ounce (25 grams).
Bone is beginning to replace cartilage and the ribs are appearing.
The nose and chin are well defined.
Movements can be measured.
The child will begin to learn to suck its thumb.
The child can open and close its mouth.
The external genitalia are well defined making it is possible to determine the baby's gender.

Your baby is now producing insulin the hormone that controls their blood glucose. The fetus is now 3 inches long and weighs about an ounce. The baby's unique fingerprints are already in place. The muscles lengthen and become organized. You can't feel it yet, but your baby can move in a jerky fashion, flexing the arms and kicking the legs.

Your uterus has grown quite a bit. You can probably feel its upper edge above the pubic bone in the lowest part of your abdomen, about 4 inches (10cm) below your bellybutton. At 13 weeks, your uterus fills your pelvis and starts growing upward into your abdomen. It feels like a soft, smooth ball. Soon you will start feeling the first flutters of the unborn child kicking and moving within.

The first three months were period of rapid development, next three months will be period of rapid growth. Baby quadruples weight during the 4th month. Your baby is about 2.91 inches (7.4cm) and weighs around 0.81 ounce (23gm).