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).

12 Weeks

The 1st trimester is almost over! Thank goodness. I am banking on what I've heard about nausea going away in the 2nd trimester. For those of you wondering, I am not quite showing yet. Just have a little tummy. If strangers were to see me, I'm sure they think I had one to many chimichangas. I am ready to look pregnant, and not tubby! :) The past 2 nights, I've woken up hungry. It's the strangest thing - it's not like I'm starving myself or anything. In fact, quite the opposite. I haven't been having a snack before bed lately, and I'm betting that has something to do with it. Another development - none of my prepregnancy shorts fit anymore! Even my work pants I'm having to leave mostly unzipped (thank goodness for the Bella Band). I am wondering if they make maternity exercise shorts..My favorites are the Adidas shorts that I always wear to the gym.. I don't think mine are going to last much longer.

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What Baby T is doing this week:

The fetus is now about 2.5 inches (6cm) length and weighs about 0.7 ounce (20 g).
The feet are almost half an inch (1cm) long.
The fetus starts moving spontaneously.
The face is beginning to look like a baby's face.
The pancreas is functioning and producing insulin.
Fingernails and toenails appear.
The baby can suck his thumb, and get hiccups.
From this week you may well be able to hear the baby's heart beat through a doppler monitor on your tummy. You will notice that the rate is up to 160 a minute, double that of a normal adult.

Your baby now has a chin and a nose and a facial profile. Vocal chords are complete, and the baby can and does sometimes cry silently. The brain is fully formed, and the baby can also feel pain. The fetus may even suck his thumb. The eyelids now cover the eyes, and will remain shut until the seventh month to protect the delicate optical nerve fibers. The hair is on the head and the fingers and toes have developed soft nails. The kidneys are developed and begin to secrete urine.

Your baby weighs between 0.5 and 0.7 ounce (14 to 20g), and crown-to-rump length is almost 2.5 inches (63mm). Your baby's size has almost doubled in the past 3 weeks.

1st OB Appointment

Met with my new OB today, Dr. S! He is really nice and seems pretty laid back. He moved my due date back to Dec. 8th based on my LMP. I am betting it is going to continue to change though with the next u/s. He said I can resume aerobics as long as it's not high impact. Not sure when I will feel like going back to the aerobics class. I want to - but am afraid I won't be able to keep up like I used to..especially if I'm supposed to do the low-key version of it. So, for now, I will stick to the elliptical and weights.

Dr. S did an abdominal ultrasound (my first!). You couldn't see the baby nearly as well as with the other u/s. But, we did see the baby's heart beating and the Doc pointed out it's arm and leg and head. I couldn't make it out though. He said that I have a tilted uterus and that the baby was way back there so that is why the image wasn't that great. But, he said that he expects no problems from a tilted uterus - phew. He also continued my progesterone treatment for another two weeks. This time in pill form - hooray! I thought I was SO done with the progesterone - I stopped last night per Dr. R's recommendation. When Dr. S asked me if I would like to continue, I was glad he being cautious and thorough. In my head though, I was thinking OH NO (that was before I was offered the pill form). But of course, anything for Baby T. Just want him/her to be growing healthily!

Then, off to the lab we went and I had about 4 vials of blood drawn. The lab tech was amazing - the best one I'd seen in a long time. I didn't even feel her stick me. They're doing tests for like cystic fibrosis genes and other stuff. Got all sorts of booklets to read - looking forward to flipping through those tonight. My next appointment is in a month.

10 Weeks

I am 10 weeks today!! As Kristen told me today at work, Baby T is 25% cooked! :)

Developments this week:

Though he's barely the size of a kumquat — a little over an inch or so long, crown to bottom — and weighs less than a quarter of an ounce, your baby has now completed the most critical portion of his development. This is the beginning of the so-called fetal period, a time when the tissues and organs in his body rapidly grow and mature.

He's swallowing fluid and kicking up a storm. Vital organs — including his kidneys, intestines, brain, and liver (now making red blood cells in place of the disappearing yolk sac) — are in place and starting to function, though they'll continue to develop throughout your pregnancy.

If you could take a peek inside your womb, you'd spot minute details, like tiny nails forming on fingers and toes (no more webbing) and peach-fuzz hair beginning to grow on tender skin.

In other developments: Your baby's limbs can bend now. His hands are flexed at the wrist and meet over his heart, and his feet may be long enough to meet in front of his body. The outline of his spine is clearly visible through translucent skin, and spinal nerves are beginning to stretch out from his spinal cord. Your baby's forehead temporarily bulges with his developing brain and sits very high on his head, which measures half the length of his body. From crown to rump, he's about 1 1/4 inches long. In the coming weeks, your baby will again double in size — to nearly 3 inches.[Source: Babycenter.com]


I found this amazing sonogram video online that shows a baby moving at 10 weeks..It's a must see! Go to: http://www.i-am-pregnant.com/pregnancy/calendar/week/10

9 Weeks

The most recent change in my due date makes me 9 weeks today! I love reading about how the baby is developing each week. I found this at www.baby2see.com...

The embryo has grown to measure 30 mm (1.2 inches) in length.
The fingers and toes are well defined. Cartilage and bones begin to form.
The upper lip as well as the nose tip is being formed.
The tongue begins to develop and the larynx is developing.
The eyelids are developed, although they stay closed for several months.
The main construction of the heart is complete.

During this week of pregnancy your baby is now swimming round in a little bag of fluid. The arms and legs have lengthened. They fingers and toes are forming, but are still joined by webs of skin. They can flex their elbows and wrists. They are growing eyelids as well as forming their anus. The embryo is protected by the amniotic sac that is filled with fluid. Inside the embryo swims and moves gracefully. The embryo is now about 1 inch long.

During this time of development, the baby's head appears much larger than the body because the brain is growing very rapidly. Brain waves can now be measured. The main construction of the heart is complete. Through its parchment thin skin, the baby's veins are clearly visible. During this week the ears, the teeth and the palate are continuing to form.

8 Weeks

We had our last appointment with this doc today. We did an ultrasound (see below) that moved up my due date to Dec. 4th! It was so amazing..this baby now looks like a baby. It has arms and legs now! The doc said that if we held still we might be able to see the baby move. Sure enough, little Baby T did a little shimmy with it's lower half! That was so awesome! Baby measured at almost 2 cm (almost an inch long). It was so weird to be able to see the baby move, but not feel it! My next appointment will be with my new OB on May 12th. I wonder if they will do an u/s then..

6 Weeks

Much to Jeff and I's excitment, the 2nd ultrasound proved to be great for a number of reasons. First, the doctor immediately saw the heartbeat - 132 beats per minute - which is "beautiful" according to him. He said a heartrate over 120 bpm is considered good. Second, he gave me an estimated due date: December 6th. This u/s apparently bumped be from 6weeks0days to 6weeks2days. Third, the baby is growing normally! It measured 0.48cm long - about 5x bigger than last week!

The doc told me to make an appointment with an OB for 4 weeks from this week. He will be caring for me until then, and I have a third u/s with him in 2 weeks.

First Ultrasound

The doctor wanted me to come in due to some cramping I was feeling. He performed and ultrasound and announced that there is definitely a baby in there! The two cross marks are the pointers from his mouse when he clicked to measure it. The big black circle is the gestational sac.

The doc said that cramping was normal. I was so relieved to see a baby in there! Well, not really a baby, but the startings of one! When I was looking at the computer screen, it almost wasn't computing..I mean, there is a baby human in there. Amazing. Jeff stared at the printout forever - too cute.

5 Weeks

I graduated to 5 weeks yesterday! I have been having some cramps that have been taking my breath away. They woke me up at about 12:45 last night. It's a little worrisome, but I read that cramping is normal this time. It means the uterus is growing. Makes sense to me.

Here is a depiction of what Baby looks like at 5 weeks.

Beta #2

Second round of bloodwork was this morning..and the doctor said it was excellent! HCG: 2,085 and Progesterone: 40.9

Looks like those progesterone supplements are working! Yay! I'm scheduled for my first ultrasound in two weeks - April 20th. :)