25 Weeks

Wow… time flies. I didn’t even realize that I’d missed my 24 week post because it felt like it had only been a few days. I’m starting to feel the we-only-have-3-more-months-to-prepare pressure. It’s daunting and thrilling all at once. There are still so many things to do, things to learn, and things we need, but I’m confident that it will all come together.

This week, baby is 13-15 inches long and between 1.5 to 2.5 lbs! It differs between sources, so that’s the range. I can’t believe how big he is getting! This week, he will begin to open his eyes and respond more to stimuli such as light, sound, and touch now that his nervous system is more advanced. Wow! His lungs are producing lots of surfactant in preparation to breathe air. He is packing on baby fat over his lean figure and gaining weight rapidly.

It’s amazing how quickly he’s developing now. I remember reading about development at 6 weeks, 8 weeks, 10 weeks… baby was so tiny and barely looked human. Now he looks like this:

It’s not only baby that’s growing these days:

We had a bit of a “scare” last week and ended up in Labor and Delivery. I had some abdominal pain and the contraction monitor revealed that I was having regular, mild contractions. After a shot to stop them (which didn’t work), an ultrasound to make sure everything was ok, and a few hours more of monitoring, we were discharged with instructions to rest. The contractions remained for a couple more days, but they were unproductive (yay) so I just restricted my activity for a few days and now we’re good as new.

This morning we went to a cloth diapering seminar to learn a bit more and help us make our decision between cloth and disposable. I’m glad we went – we learned a lot and now have a valuable resource should we decide to go that route.

How far along: 25 weeks!

Total Weight Gain/Loss: +12 lbs (Finally hit 130… and 131… That was a bit hard to see, but I am coming to terms with it. lol)

Maternity clothes: Nothing. Fits. I don’t like ANYTHING on my belly, so I wear the loosest clothing possible and can’t wait for sundress weather again.

Stretch marks: Any day now. I can feel it.

Sleep: I sleep fine, but it’s very broken sleep. I have to move from side to side about once an hour and get comfortable again with my pillows and whatnot. My back and ribs begin to hurt if I stay on once side for longer than an hour.

Best moment last week: The baby dancing in Josh’s hand. He put his hand under my belly while I was laying on my side and baby was “standing” on his hand, jumping around. Josh could feel it all and we both just had a good time with it 🙂

Movement: If I sit still and watch my belly, it jumps, rolls, and random protrusions appear and disappear on a regular basis. Baby has officially gained access to my ribcage and likes to sit propped up against my lower right ribs. Uncomfortable! It’ll only get worse from here. But no matter how uncomfortable it gets, I can’t help but smile.

Food cravings: This week I’ve had a major sweet tooth. Argh. I don’t control that very well, so I’m hoping this sweets thing doesn’t last too long.

Belly button – in or out? It’s almost flat with the rest of my belly now, so I’m sure it won’t be long before it’s a full-on outie. Band-aids on hand.

What I miss: Not feeling fat and heavy… it’s worth it but I can’t wait to get back into shape.

What I am looking forward to: Holding this sweet baby boy.

Milestones: Last week was considered “viability” – when baby would have a decent chance of survival in the unfortunate event of preterm birth. Chances go up each week after 24 weeks. While reassuring after our little event last week, baby and I have discussed that he is to stay put much longer.

Well, that’s all folks!

23 Week Update

And so it begins… This is the first week that my body is really starting to feel different. It’s like I’m pregnant or something. Up until now, my belly hasn’t been big enough to make it difficult to bend over fully, stand up from the couch, or sit up from lying down. But I guess I’m finally at that point. I popped into a prenatal yoga class this week just to have some fun and I was astonished when for the first time in my life, I couldn’t touch my toes. I noticed that when lying on my back in bed, I can’t sit up without rolling over and using my arms first. (So I guess technically, I can’t do a sit-up.) When I put my shoes on, I have to use the flamingo-leg to bring my foot closer to my body first. Deep breaths? Forget about it. My lung capacity feels like it’s at 50%. Big meals? No thanks. No room for that either. Heck, I worry about exploding after a glass of water.

What’s amazing is that I’m really not even that big yet! It’s only downhill from here. And this happened so quickly. I went from feeling fairly normal, not restricted at all, to feeling like this in a matter of days. Oh dear.

I had to snap this photo when I was in the car the other day because it still catches me by surprise sometimes when I look down and see this:

Baby: This week, baby is about 1.25 lbs and over a foot long, head to toe. He is STRONG and his hearing is getting clearer by the day. His sense of touch is developing rapidly and he spends time feeling around the womb, grasping the umbilical cord, kicking, and sucking his thumb. His lungs are developing rapidly as well, and hiccups are becoming a common occurrence. So cool!

How far along: 23 weeks!

Total Weight Gain/Loss: No gain this past week and we finally replaced our scale. +9lbs total as of yesterday.

Maternity clothes: Clothes in general are uncomfortable. Is it socially acceptable to go out in a bath robe?

Stretch marks: Not yet, but I can definitely feel my skin stretching.

Sleep: Heartburn has been keeping me up way past my bedtime because I have to sit up to relieve it. I also can’t seem to get comfortable for more than a few minutes at a time, so lots of position changing throughout the night. The dark circles under my eyes are a fashion statement, really.

Best moment last week: Every single kick, somersault, hiccup… each one is the new best moment.

Movement: Those kicks are getting HARD. Every once in a while, they’re borderline painful.

Food cravings: Unfortunately, macaroni and cheese. I don’t give in too often, but I’m going to need to find a recipe for some at least fairly healthy macaroni. If anyone knows of a good one, feel free to let me know. (Has to be creamy)

Gender: This really doesn’t need to be in every week’s questionnaire because (hopefully) it’s not changing. lol

Belly button – in or out? It’s definitely working its way out. I’ve tried reasoning with it, but it doesn’t seem to be working.

What I miss: My master bedroom, bed, and bathroom. Can someone PLEASE come fix my house already?

What I am looking forward to: I keep having dreams about holding my son for the first time and I’m honestly really, really anxious for that day to come. The weeks are going by so quickly that I feel like it’s really not that far off!

Milestones: Feeling pregnant. Hooray?

I really didn’t want to post this photo because well… I look like crap with the bags under my eyes, raptor claw holding my shirt up, and I need a haircut too badly to wear my hair in any way that doesn’t make me look like a teenage boy. But I’ve been promising photos for weeks with no follow through, so here goes. *hides in shame* I wish I were one of those adorable pregnant ladies with a cute little bump that sticks out so perfectly in front, but instead my entire midsection just gets rounder. (And by midsection, I really mean my whole body.)

I really wish I had another method of taking photos, but an iphone is all I’ve got. One day I’ll have a real camera. 😉